Israeli military to call up reserve forces to expand Gaza operations: Report

The Israeli military is preparing for a large-scale mobilisation of reserve troops in order to expand its ground operations in Gaza amid a growing crisis in troop numbers and escalating public tensions over the fate of Israeli captives held in Gaza, according to Israeli media.

Prime Minister Netanyahu is expected to hold security consultations later today with senior ministers and military officials on the matter, according to the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth.

“In recent days, several reserve officers have alerted their units to prepare for a sudden call-up,” the newspaper said.

Tensions escalated further on Thursday when Netanyahu declared that Israeli military objectives were a higher priority than rescuing captives.

Hamas has offered a proposal to exchange all Israeli captives for a full ceasefire, complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, a proposal rejected by Netanyahu and his government.

In recent days, the Israeli army issued a statement indicating that reserve deployments would be carried out “with care and responsibility, based on objective and professional considerations”.

By approving plans to expand operations in Gaza, Israel is ‘upping the ante’

Ori Goldberg, an Israeli political commentator, says Israel’s plans to expand its ground operations in Gaza will sabotage hopes of a ceasefire, but added that the approval of these plans was “less realistic than it might appear”.

“The only path forward for Israel is full occupation. That is something right-winged politicians here have been toying with,” he told Al Jazeera.

“But it is something that brings real political dissent and opposition, even from those who supported Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza.”

There is still “a lot of mistrust” between the people in Israel and the government, he said, despite the fact that many support the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

“There is a sense that this government is being motivated by considerations that don’t have anything to do with security, which is what has been driving the Israeli campaign [in Gaza],” Goldberg said. “I think by approving this, Israel is … upping the ante.”

Attack on Freedom Flotilla marks ‘escalation’, group member says

Palestinian-American activist Huwaida Arraf says the attack on the Freedom Flotilla vessel Conscience outside Maltese territorial waters marks an “escalation” compared to previous missions she was involved in.

In 2010, Arraf was on board one of six vessels known as the Freedom Flotilla I that was intercepted by the Israeli navy. Israeli commandos who boarded the Turkish Mavi Marmara opened fire and killed nine activists.

On that occasion, “[Israel] hit us in international waters, but we were on our way to Gaza and they had communicated with us to tell us to turn back,” Arraf said. “I was the one to speak to them on the radio to say that what we’re doing is lawful, we are bringing humanitarian aid, we’re unarmed civilians.”

The Conscience had left from an undisclosed location and was hit on Thursday while on its way to Malta to pick up more aid and volunteers. Arraf said the Freedom Flotilla Coalition has so far refrained from disclosing where the vessel departed from as previous missions had failed to depart following Israel’s diplomatic pressure.

While an attack was something the group had anticipated, Arraf said it did not expect it would happen during the “preparatory phases”, before it had even begun sailing towards Gaza. “This is an escalation,” the lawyer and human rights activist said.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/may/31/israel-kills-activists-flotilla-gaza

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jun/04/gaza-flotilla-activists-autopsy-results

Oh look, Netanyahu was president then as well.

Hamas warns Gaza now in phase of ‘total famine’ amid crippling aid blockade

Hamas official Abdel Rahman Shadid said Gaza has entered a phase of “total famine” and “acute malnutrition”, accusing Israel of using starvation as a “deliberate weapon of war” to subjugate Palestinians.

In a statement published on the group’s Telegram, Shadid said, “Children are dying from the lack of milk, not just from bombs.”

He condemned the Israeli government’s repeated rejection of ceasefire agreements and said fighters from Hamas and other factions have turned the battlefield into a “zone of attrition” where Israeli forces are “stumbling without achieving their goals”.

Shadid said Israeli attacks have also continued across the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, including the destruction of homes and the displacement of thousands of Palestinians.

“Despite the occupation’s crimes, the resistance is growing stronger and continues to disrupt Israel’s plans,” he said.

He reiterated that Hamas is ready to negotiate a prisoner swap deal, stating that the group’s position is based on a comprehensive exchange agreement tied to a full ceasefire and complete Israeli withdrawal.

Tunisia says conditions met for expulsion of member state over persistent violations

Tunisia told the ICJ it believes the conditions allowing the expulsion of a member state for persistent violations have now been met.

“While we are aware that the recommendation of relying on Article 6 of the United Nations Charter falls within the prerogatives of the Security Council, we consider that the conditions for its implementation are met,” said Hanin Ben Jrad, representing Tunisia, regarding Israel’s continuous violations in Gaza and other regions.

Jrad argued that several statements by Israeli officials show an intent to use humanitarian aid to achieve political and military objectives, effectively holding Gaza’s population hostage, while weaponising relief as a “tool of war”.

Tunisia also condemned the systematic targeting of UNRWA facilities since the onset of the conflict.

“Bringing an end to the war will not suffice to make shattered lives whole again or to heal their trauma. The breaches must be reported, as well as the legal consequences stemming from them. Responsibilities must be established.”

ICJ hearing on Israel’s obligation to allow aid to Palestine concluded

On Friday, the ICJ concluded public hearings into what Israel’s obligations are regarding allowing UN agencies and other relief groups to work in the Palestinian territory it occupies.

A panel of judges heard arguments from 40 countries since Monday, including China, France, Indonesia, Pakistan, Russia and the UK. The court will likely deliberate for months before making a ruling, requested of it in December by the UN General Assembly.

Many of the participating states rebuked Israel for acutely restricting humanitarian aid into Gaza since launching the war. Israel has cut off all aid – food or medicine – entirely for the last two months, accelerating the starvation and medical crises.

Here are the key takeaways from the hearings.

Take your fucking time while people are starving by an Israeli made famine. There won't be many left to help after a couple more months blocking all aid. Food has ran out.

Israeli forces seal off entrances to Jericho

The Palestinian Wafa news agency is reporting that Israeli forces have sealed off all entrances to the occupied West Bank city of Jericho.

Quoting witnesses, the report said the army closed the gates at the entrances, forcing Palestinians to wait in long queues.

Israeli forces storm Salfit in occupied West Bank

Sources have told Al Jazeera that Israeli forces stormed the city of Salfit in the occupied West Bank.


Israel announces more demolitions in West Bank refugee camps: Palestinian ministry

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates has said Israeli authorities announced the demolition of 106 Palestinian homes in the Tulkarem and Nur Shams refugee camps within 24 hours, calling the move an extension of the “systematic atrocities” inflicted on Gaza.

The ministry said Israel’s “brutal policy of forced displacement” across the West Bank has already ousted more than 40,000 Palestinians.

“These acts constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, aimed at eroding the national and human presence of the Palestinian people in their homeland through one of the most brutal forms of forcible transfer and annexation,” the ministry said on X.

It called for “urgent, serious international action to compel Israel to halt its atrocities and comply with international legitimacy resolutions”.

University of Haifa suspends student group over Gaza protest

The University of Haifa has suspended its campus chapter of Standing Together, a left-wing activist group, following a silent protest against the ongoing war in Gaza.

The demonstration, held on April 23, involved more than a dozen students sitting silently in a campus building for 10 minutes, holding photos of Palestinian children killed in Gaza.

Five days later, the university suspended the group for the remainder of the semester, citing violations of campus regulations due to unauthorised demonstrations.

Alon-Lee Green, co-director of Standing Together, criticised the university’s decision, stating it challenges due process and freedom of expression, according to media reports. He said that the group received no warning or hearing before being informed of the suspension.

Main events on May 2nd

• At least 43 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since the early hours of Friday.
• A ship carrying aid to Gaza in a bid to break Israel’s blockade was been hit by drones in international waters off Malta, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the group that organised the mission.
• The ICJ concluded public hearings into what Israel’s obligations are regarding allowing UN agencies and other relief groups to work in the Palestinian territory it occupies.
• Israel’s government and army have decided to expand their military operation in Gaza, calling up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers.
• At least four people have been killed as a result of an Israeli strike in Syria’s Druze-majority Sweida governorate, while a separate strike targeted the vicinity of a village in Syria’s Hama countryside.
• Seven US strikes hit the Ras Isa oil port in as-Salif district in Hodeidah, as the Houthis claimed responsibility for launching two missiles towards northern Israel.

Attack on Freedom Flotilla an ‘extremely illegal act’ under international law

The drone attack on the Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s vessel while in international waters should be regarded as an “extremely illegal act”, Craig Murray, former head of maritime at the United Kingdom Foreign Ministry, told Al Jazeera.

“It’s a blatant violation of international law and I find the silence on the part of Western powers absolutely remarkable,” Murray said.

“Any civilian ship going about its lawful business – and indeed any military ship on the high seas – has the right to proceed without being attacked, unless you are in a state of war.”

Murray added that Western powers “will know exactly where these drones came from, it’s not a mystery,” but chose to remain silent in a show of “massive hypocrisy”.

A ship carrying humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip sent out a distress signal overnight after it was bombed by drones in international waters near Malta. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the organizer of the voyage, is blaming Israel for the attack, which set the ship on fire, punched a substantial breach in its hull and cut off communication with those aboard.

“We are dealing with a brutal attack on an innocent ship,” retired U.S. Army Colonel Ann Wright, who was in Malta waiting to board the flotilla, tells Democracy Now!

“While we cannot yet identify the source of the drones, there is no doubt in my mind that there is a history of violence that has been directed toward the flotillas from the state of Israel.” The climate activist Greta Thunberg was also set to join the flotilla and said in an online video that activists would “continue to do everything in our power to do our part to demand a free Palestine and demand the opening of a humanitarian corridor.”

Gaza-bound aid ship bombed, Sky News shames Guardian, BBC with factual reporting

Rifat Jawaid praises Sky News for upholding the values of journalism while reporting on the bombing of Gaza-bound aid ship off the coast of Malta. The questionable reporting by Guardian and the BBC shames the profession.

Baby girl dies due to malnutrition in Gaza City

A baby girl identified as Janan Saleh al-Sakafi has died of malnutrition and dehydration in the Rantisi Hospital, west of Gaza City, according to Al Jazeera’s team on the ground.

Israel has imposed a total blockade on the Gaza Strip since March 2. No water, food or medical supplies have entered the enclave since.

At least 51 have died from malnutrition in Gaza, according to its Government Media Office.

UNICEF has warned earlier that about 335,000 children under the age of five are on the verge of death from acute malnutrition.


‘Heartbreaking’: Children go through garbage in Gaza in search of food

It is hard to see people finding food in Gaza any more. It has started to be quite visible in the past few days that we are at the height of critical days, as the World Food Programme and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees have issued warnings over food shortages in the enclave.

In addition to the international organisations that have completely run out of stock, local community kitchens are not able to prepare meals for displaced people.

We see people roaming here on rubble-filled roads, and it is so tragic and heartbreaking to see children going through garbage in Gaza City, looking for whatever is left of canned food products, or cardboard to start fires.

There is no line of food delivery available for people here, and they are living on whatever they have gathered in the past.

However, they are running out as they consume what is left.

Gaza deaths due to malnutrition rise to 57: Media Office

A statement by the Government Media Office on Telegram says the number is expected to increase as the crossings into Gaza remain closed and the entry of aid, baby formula and nutritional supplements have been prevented by Israel.

It added that the vast majority of victims were children as well as sick and elderly people.

It said: “We condemn in the strongest terms the continued use of food by the Israeli occupation as a weapon of war and its imposition of a stifling blockade against more than 2.4 million people in the Gaza Strip by completely closing the crossings for the 63rd consecutive day.”

The office called on “the international community, humanitarian organisations and human rights organisations to take immediate and effective action and exert pressure by all means to open the Rafah border crossing and all other crossings”.

Israel keeps wiping out entire families in Gaza

The recent attacks in Gaza are a reminder of the opening weeks of the war in terms of their intensity, scale and the aftermath of them. Whole families are being wiped out from the civil registry by Israeli strikes.

Attacks overnight lit up the skies across the Gaza Strip from Khan Younis all the way to the northern part of the Strip as explosions rocked residential homes. Drones, the sky predators, chase people from one place to another in the central area.

In Khan Younis alone, 17 people have been killed in attacks in the central and western parts of the southern city in strikes targeting entire families.

One family lost 11 members in a single attack, while another one lost four in another strike by fighter jets. A woman was killed in the eastern part of Khan Younis by a flying shrapnel in a drone attack on a group of people. A baby was killed in a tent in the al-Mawasi evacuation zone.

In eastern Gaza City, emergency workers are trying recover more bodies stuck under the rubble after a strike near the Shujayea neighbourhood. Nine members of a family had been reported killed in the attack in question and more are still under the rubble.

_{People carry the small bodies of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes at a funeral in Khan Younis, the southern Gaza Strip, on May 3}

Three babies among 11 killed in Israel attack on Khan Younis

Gaza’s civil defence agency says an overnight Israeli attack on the Khan Younis refugee camp killed at least 11 people, including three young children.

Agency spokesman Mahmoud Basal reported 11 Palestinians were killed after the bombardment of the al-Bayram family home in the Khan Younis camp in southern Gaza at 3am (00:00 GMT).

Eight of the dead were all from the same extended family, including a boy and girl both one-year-olds, and a month-old baby, Bassal said. One rescuer carried the lifeless body of an infant from the wreckage, video from the scene showed.


_{A boy holds the body of his younger sister who was killed in an Israeli air raid}


Gaza death toll rises

At least 70 Palestinians have been killed and 275 others wounded in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip in the past 48 hours, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry. Over the past two days, seven bodies were also recovered from the rubble from previous Israeli attacks on the territory, the ministry added.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed 52,495 people and wounded 118,366 since October 7, 2023, it said. The toll since Israel broke the ceasefire on March 18 has reached 2,396 killed and 6,325 wounded, the ministry added.

Kuwaiti Hospital chief raises alarm over acute shortage of most medicines in Gaza

Suhaib al-Hams, the director of the Kuwaiti Hospital in Gaza’s southern town of Rafah, has issued a statement raising alarm over acute shortages of most medicines and essential foods needed for patients after two months of Israeli blockade.

“We confirm that the sector suffers from acute shortages in more than 75% of essential medicines, a large part of which constitute life-saving medications, which is directly threatening the lives of the vast majority of patients,” he said.

“The ability to continue providing medical services is at stake, as the available stock of medicines and medical supplies is currently insufficient for more than one week,” al-Hams added.

He warned that most of the medical services will stop if this situation continues without immediate intervention and called on “all concerned parties to move immediately” to reopen the borders for entry of medical and humanitarian aid.

Al-Hams said the crossings must also urgently open “to evacuate patients who are slowly dying every day without treatment”.

‘Real disaster’: Gaza patients face death as fuel runs dry

The director of Gaza’s Indonesian Hospital, Dr Marwan Sultan, says hospital wards have become overcrowded with wounded patients and intensive care beds are full. “Generators must be operated 24 hours a day to ensure the continued operation of ventilators connected to the wounded,” Sultan said, according to the Palestinian Information Center.

“We call on all international and humanitarian organisations to work seriously and quickly to provide the hospital with the fuel needed to operate it, otherwise we are facing a real disaster that threatens the death of a large number of wounded and sick people in intensive care units.”

The volunteer doctors helping in Gaza’s beleaguered Nasser Hospital

In the Nasser Medical Complex in Gaza’s Khan Younis, a volunteer doctor breaks down as he speaks of the things he’s seen during his mission there. It is impossible to get over the scenes of starving, shocked, and injured children, thoracic surgeon Ehab Massad says.

“The sight of a child standing at the door, bewildered because they have lost their entire family in a bombing, I could never forget that, ever,” he adds in a faltering voice as tears fill his eyes.

Massad is a member of a medical mission by the Rahma Worldwide organisation, one of four doctors working in Qatar to have joined.

“I feel like no matter what we do for [the people of Gaza], it will never feel like enough.”

Palestinian child injured by Israeli forces near West Bank’s Jenin city: Report

A 13-year-old boy has been shot and wounded by Israeli forces in the village of Zababdeh, south of the occupied West Bank’s Jenin city, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) cited by the Wafa news agency.

The report said PRCS crews transferred him to a hospital. The victim is in stable condition, Wafa said.

Settlers harass journalists in occupied West Bank village

Israeli settlers are harassing Palestinian journalists near the village of al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, according to local sources.

مستوطنون يعترضون مركبة صحفيين ويطلبون منهم مغادرة المكان ويهددونهم بإطلاق النار عليهم على أطراف قرية المغير، شمال شرق رام الله. pic.twitter.com/gB7iHLCzZL

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) May 3, 2025

Translation: Settlers intercepted a journalist’s vehicle, demanded they leave the area, and threatened to shoot them on the outskirts of the village of al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah.

Qassam Brigades releases purported captive footage

Hamas’s armed wing released a video showing what appeared to be an Israeli captive wounded in an attack on Gaza.

In the undated four-minute video, the abductee with bandages on his head and left arm and identifying himself only as “Prisoner 24” spoke in Hebrew with a Russian accent, implying he was wounded in recent Israeli bombardment.

The man, shown lying on the ground, also referred to Israel’s Independence Day celebrations on Thursday as upcoming, suggesting the video was filmed shortly beforehand.

‘575 days of our hostages dying and dying in Gaza’: Israeli politician

Opposition politician Yair Golan has denounced the Israeli government’s efforts to return captives held in Gaza.

“575 days of our hostages dying and dying in Gaza,” Golan said in a post on X, referring to reports of Hamas releasing a video of one of the captives held in the besieged enclave.

“It is a moral and national failure that rescue efforts are going through Putin and Trump – and not through the Israeli government. Because there is no longer a government here. There is only one person who holds his seat with all his power,” he added, referring to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Where is the Israel we knew? The one that doesn’t abandon the wounded, doesn’t forget prisoners, doesn’t hesitate to act? All must be returned: The kidnapped – for rehabilitation. The dead – for burial. The soldiers and reservists – home.”