Israeli cabinet approves expansion of Gaza offensive: Reports

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet have approved an expansion of the offensive in Gaza, according to Israeli public broadcaster Kan, putting into question the lifting of the two-month blockade in the besieged Palestinian territory.

Earlier, Netanyahu promised in a video posted on Telegram that Israel will have “complete victory” in Gaza, adding that Israel will end its military operation “decisively”.

The Times of Israel also said the cabinet had approved plans for an expanded ground invasion, but said it would not begin until after Trump’s upcoming travels to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, which will take place from May 13 to 16.

The Times of Israel says Israel’s war cabinet has also approved plans that would see Israel try to change how aid is delivered in Gaza, alongside expanding its ground invasion.

Citing an unnamed Israeli official, The Times of Israel said the plan would involve “international organisations and private security contractors [handing] out boxes of food to individual” families in Gaza.

Israeli soldiers would provide “an outer layer of security for the private contractors and international organisations handing out the assistance”, The Times of Israel said.

As we reported earlier, a coordinating group of UN and other humanitarian organisations issued a statement rejecting a “dangerous” Israeli plan that had been presented to them, which proposed “driving civilians into militarised zones to collect rations”.

Israeli opposition leader questions mobilisation of thousands of reservists

In an interview with the Israeli Army Radio, Yair Lapid has questioned Netanyahu’s decision to mobilise tens of thousands of reservists. He said Netanyahu is calling up troops and extending their service without setting a goal for the operation.

Earlier, it was reported that the Israeli military was issuing call-up notices to thousands of reservists to support an “expansion” of its offensive in Gaza.

According to the Israeli media, the reservists will be deployed to Israel’s border with Lebanon and in the occupied West Bank, replacing regular soldiers who will lead a new offensive in Gaza.

Israeli general warns expansion of Gaza operation ‘will cost us blood’

In a statement posted on X, Yair Golan, major-general of Israel’s army reserve, says the decision to expand military operations in Gaza was made “not to maintain Israel’s security, but to save Netanyahu and the extremist government”.

Golan, who also serves as leader of the opposition Democrats party, said the Israeli military’s only role is to “protect the citizens of Israel, not serve political goals”.

“The actual occupation of the Strip in the name of ‘government survival’ will cost us blood – in the lives of the captives, in the lives of male and female soldiers, in exhaustion, and most importantly: in losing our way,” he said.

Fight erupts during Netanyahu’s cabinet meeting over Gaza blockade: Report

A heated confrontation has erupted between Israel’s chief of general staff and two cabinet members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their latest meeting on the expansion of the military operation in Gaza, according to Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan.

Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir yelled at far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Minister for Settlement Orit Strook, after the two officials said that “there is no need to bring in aid” to the Palestinians in Gaza, the report said.

“You don’t understand what you are saying. You are endangering us all. There is an international law, we are committed to it. We cannot starve the Strip, your statements are dangerous,” Kan quoted Zamir as saying.

Zamir also reportedly repeated the same statement to Netanyahu, but the cabinet eventually decided to ignore his recommendation, and stuck to its decision to continue with the blockade, the report said.

Israel has imposed a total blockade of Gaza since early March, resulting in a humanitarian crisis affecting an estimated 2.3 million Palestinians.

Israeli cabinet approves plans aimed at conquering all of Gaza: Reports

The Times of Israel has reported, quoting an unnamed Israeli official, that the plans discussed by the war cabinet involved the “conquering of Gaza and holding territories”. Reuters has also reported that the plan could involve “seizing the entire enclave” of Gaza.

Netanyahu also told the meeting he has been in talks with a number of countries about Trump’s plans to forcibly relocate Palestinians from Gaza, The Times of Israel said.

‘Terrified’ people of Gaza have nowhere to seek refuge

Palestinians are terrified that they do not have a safe place to go to. They do not have any safe area or humanitarian zone where they can seek refuge.

We’re talking about most of Gaza’s population squeezed into areas like Khan Younis because the Israeli forces took over Rafah.

There is the Netzarim Corridor, where Palestinians do not have the freedom to move from north to south. Palestinians have also been squeezed into the western parts of Gaza City.

Now, Palestinians are very scared by all these statements (Israel calling on thousands of reservists), but they have already been through worse during the first 470 days of the war, where Palestinians witnessed endless displacement, endless loss, and bombing of homes.

They do not have any options and are just waiting to hear any good news.

_{A child looks on as people inspect the site of an Israeli attack on a Khan Younis home}

Israel’s new Gaza plan ‘sacrificing’ captives: Families

As we reported earlier, Israel is calling up tens of thousands of reservists to expand the war on Gaza. The families of Israeli captives held in Gaza say this new plan is “sacrificing” their loved ones.

“The plan approved by the cabinet deserves to be called the ‘Smotrich-Netanyahu Plan’ for sacrificing the hostages,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement.

Israeli public ‘doesn’t understand the point’ of new military call-ups

Much of the Israeli public does not support the government’s decision to call up tens of thousands of reservists for an expanded Gaza offensive, and there are fears many of those drafted may not report for duty, says former Israeli diplomat Alon Pinkas.

“They don’t get it. They don’t understand what the point is,” Pinkas told Al Jazeera. “They don’t understand that conceivable attainable military objectives can be won after 18 months of this war in Gaza, he said, noting that the previous offensive failed to bring all the captives home.

“If the idea is to occupy the entire Gaza Strip – fine, by all means, go and occupy it, but then you own the Gaza Strip, which is something Israel says it doesn’t want,” he added.

Israel’s top military leadership is worried about draft resistance, but the scale of the issue remains unclear, he said. The consequences, he noted, will depend on who stays away.

“If it’s a guy who just drives a truck, then he’s replaceable. If it’s a fighter pilot, if it’s an armour battalion commander, if it’s infantry company commander, that’s a bigger problem.”

Captive’s mother urges Israeli reservists to ignore call-up orders

Einav Zangauker, whose 25-year-old son Matan is a captive in Gaza, has opposed the Israeli government’s latest reserve call-ups during a Constitution Committee meeting, according to Israel’s Arutz Sheva media.

“You must not report for reserve duty – for moral and ethical reasons,” she said, prompting backlash from several MPs, one of whom called for her removal from the session, according to Arutz Sheva.

_{Einav Zangauker, the mother of Matan, who has been held captive with others in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, addresses relatives and supporters at the Gaza border near kibbutz Nir Oz}

New Israeli offensive plans to take Gaza ‘bit by bit’

What’s different this time is that the Israelis are outright saying their goal is not just an absolute victory over Hamas, but the entire takeover of the Gaza Strip, seizing the land.

This has been something that fringe voices within Netanyahu’s government were saying, but no one was necessarily believing. Now, an Israeli official has confirmed that a unanimous decision was made at last night’s security council meeting … that this is going to be the goal.

There really isn’t any sort of timeline for this, and that’s because the Israelis are waiting for US President Donald Trump to visit the region next week. But it’s going to happen gradually; it’s not going to happen fast. Israeli officials are saying there’s going to be months of intense fighting.

Part of this plan that was laid out by the new Israeli chief of staff is to push all of the Palestinians in Gaza south bit by bit. They are first going to what they call “conquer” the northern part of Gaza, push them towards the south, then go towards the central part and continue to push Palestinians further south, ultimately taking all that land along the way.

You also have people within the government, including Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, who say they want the plan of “voluntary migration” of Palestinians, which has been condemned as ethnic cleansing, back in play as well

Smotrich says Israel seeking to permanently conquer Gaza, no future retreat

Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said the cabinet-approved plan to expand the Gaza offensive includes capturing the enclave “once and for all”.

“From the moment ground manoeuvres begin, there will be no withdrawal from the territories we’ve captured, not even in exchange for hostages,” Smotrich was quoted by Arutz Sheva as saying at a conference today.

“We are going to conquer the Gaza Strip once and for all. We will stop being afraid of the word ‘occupation’,” he said. “We are capturing territory and staying there.”

Smotrich added that Israel would take “full control of humanitarian aid, so that it doesn’t turn into supplies for Hamas”.

“We’re separating Hamas from the population, cleansing the Strip, returning the hostages and defeating Hamas,” the minister said.

This is what impunity looks like, well done world, it's happening again. Start of the next holocaust. Starvation instead of gas.

It's also a good ploy to get rid of any evidence of all the war crimes and atrocities so far.

Several international airlines suspend flights to Israel’s Ben Gurion airport: Report

Several foreign airlines such as Germany’s national carrier Lufthansa have suspended flights to Tel Aviv following the Houthi air strike that hit the Ben Gurion International Airport.

According to The Times of Israel, other airlines such as Air France, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Hungarian low-carrier Wizz Air also suspended their flights until at least Tuesday.

Spanish airline Air Europa also halted its scheduled flight departing Madrid to Tel Aviv, citing “security” reasons, the news added.

Iran denies role in Houthi attack in Israel

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has said in a statement that “the actions of the Yemenis in support of the Palestinian people was an independent decision stemming from their feeling of solidarity”.

On Sunday, Yemen’s Houthis claimed a missile attack on the country’s main international airport near Tel Aviv. Prime Minister Netanyahu has pledged Israel’s response to the attack while accusing Iran of being a “patron” to the Yemeni armed group.

Houthi-affiliated media reports new US attacks on Yemen

The Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV is reporting that US air raids continued across Yemen overnight.

The latest attacks included three air raids on Khab and ash-Sha’af district in al-Jawf governorate, two attacks on the Attan area of Sanaa and two on the Raghwan district of Marib, Al Masirah said.

Sustained Israeli attack on Yemen’s Houthis ‘almost impossible’

As we’ve reported, Netanyahu has pledged to respond to the Houthi missile attack on Ben Gurion airport yesterday.

However, former Israeli diplomat Alon Pinkas estimates that whatever action Israel takes is likely to be limited given Yemen’s distance.

“A sustained aerial attack is almost impossible,” Pinkas told Al Jazeera. “It’s 2,500km (1,550 miles) from Tel Aviv to Hodeidah, the seaport where the Houthis have bases, so it’s a 5,000km [3,100-mile] back-and-forth sortie” with F15 jets carrying tonnes of ammunition, he said.

“On the one hand, I could envision a one-time Israeli attack just to kind of lay the marker down,” added Pinkas. “I cannot see a sustained attack.”

Spain’s top diplomat criticises Israel’s ‘new occupation’ of Syria’s Golan Heights

Jose Manuel Albares says that “the new occupation of the Golan Heights and the attacks on Syria only contribute to greater destabilisation” in the region.

“We urge the government of Israel to stop these actions,” the Spanish foreign minister said in a post on X.

Palestine Foreign Ministry welcomes pope’s ‘final gift’ to Gaza

As we’ve been reporting, the late Pope Francis asked that one of his popemobiles be turned into a health clinic for the children of Gaza. The State of Palestine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Pope Francis was “a true messenger of peace and justice”.

“Palestine has lost a loyal friend and a steadfast supporter of our people’s rights,” the ministry said in a post on X.

“He departed this world while calling for an end to the crimes of genocide, displacement, and annexation committed against our people, at a time when the world failed to protect the children of Gaza,” it added.

Pope Francis’ final gift : Pope Francis requests that his popemobile be turned into a health clinic for the #children of Gaza.

With his passing, humanity has lost an extraordinary man, and Palestine has lost a loyal friend and a steadfast supporter of our people's rights , and a… pic.twitter.com/1yHjx4hPJm

— State of Palestine - MFA 🇵🇸🇵🇸 (@pmofa) May 4, 2025

Gaza hospitals receiving children suffering with malnutrition every day

You can only find food on agricultural lands, like green crops, for example. The quantity of vegetables available remains very limited, and the farmers are selling them at very high prices.

Palestinians in Gaza say most of them depend on hot meal kitchens and eateries, most of which have collapsed and closed because they are out of stock. There are no other options left for them. Food distributions have ended.

Some families are saying that they are spending days now without even a single meal for their children. Doctors are saying that they are receiving malnutrition cases every single day as a result of families unable to feed their children.

We’re talking about the worst blockade since this war started. The situation is crippling, and [Gaza] is on the verge of collapsing.

Israeli quadcopters shot at Palestinian rescuers

One of the latest Israeli attacks was on a house in the Tuffah neighbourhood in the eastern part of Gaza City. One person is confirmed dead in the strike on a residential building, but as many as 25 people are still trapped under the rubble.

No one is able to reach those people who are trapped because Gaza’s Civil Defence force and emergency workers are not allowed to reach the area. According to the Palestinian rescuers, they attempted to reach the area but Israeli quadcopters fired at them, forcing them to retreat.

Gaza death toll rises

At least 23 Palestinians have been killed and 119 injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza in the past 24 hours, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry. Nine bodies of people killed in previous Israeli attacks were also recovered over the past day, it added.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed 52,567 people and wounded 118,610 others since October 7, 2023, the ministry statement on Telegram said. At least 2,459 Palestinians were killed and 6,569 others wounded since Israel broke the ceasefire on March 18 this year, it added.

Arrests reported following Israeli raids across occupied West Bank

According to Palestinian media and other sources on the ground, several arrests were carried out by Israeli forces across the occupied territory since dawn on Monday.

Israeli soldiers raid old city of Nablus

_{Dozens of people suffered from smoke inhalation as Israeli forces fired tear gas during the raid}

Detained Palestinian journalist underwent 3 days of abuse: NGO

The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society says Ali al-Samoudi, who was arrested by Israeli forces in the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin on April 29, has been subjected to 72 hours of “continuous abuse”.

According to the rights group, al-Samoudi has been transferred multiple times following his arrest. To date, Israel “has not made any clear allegations regarding his arrest, nor has he been granted any of his medications,” it said.

Al-Samoudi suffers from several health conditions requiring regular medication and medical monitoring, raising concerns about his wellbeing, the group added.

Hamas urges global action to end Israeli ‘abuse’ of Palestinian prisoners

A statement attributed to Hamas leader Mahmoud Mardawi highlights “daily torture and abuse” facing Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Mardawi said international rights groups, specifically the Red Cross, have a responsibility to monitor Palestinian prisoners’ conditions and “take serious action” to end Israel’s “crimes” against them.

The appeal came a day after a 60-year-old prisoner died in Israeli custody – the 66th such death during Israel’s war on Gaza, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society.

Mardawi, according to the Hamas statement, “stressed the need for effective Palestinian action at all levels to rescue prisoners from the hell of prisons and send a clear message to the world that the Palestinian people will not abandon their prisoners to the oppression of the occupation”.

Turkish children protest in solidarity with Gaza in Ankara


_{Children joined a protest led by the Ankara Palestine Solidarity Platform in front of the US Embassy in Ankara on Sunday}

Why does Fifa refuse to sanction Israel?

In this opinion video, writer and activist Coll McCail asks a question: why does Fifa refuse to sanction Israel? As Israel begins its 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, McCail argues that football’s governing body is once again shielding oppression behind the language of neutrality.

He draws historical parallels, recalling how Fifa handed the 1978 World Cup to Argentina’s brutal dictatorship, and how it forced Chile’s national team to play in a stadium where political prisoners had just been tortured and killed.

McCail says Fifa turns a blind eye to Israel’s illegal settlement clubs and rampant fan racism, even as it destroyed Gaza’s footballing infrastructure and killed more than 350 Palestinian players and coaches since October 2023. Gaza’s stadiums have been reduced to rubble, and the last one standing is now a shelter for thousands of displaced civilians.

He notes the hypocrisy: Russia was banned within days of invading Ukraine, while Israel faces no consequences. He argues that this reflects Fifa’s deeper legacy as an institution that legitimises colonial violence, privileging Western power while punishing resistance from the Global South.

But amid destruction, he sees defiance: the Palestinian national team making history in the Asia Cup, and supporters worldwide, from Glasgow to Casablanca, demanding action. He concludes: “While football’s governing body continues its decades-long commitment to legitimising the crimes of imperialism, the world’s terraces wave the Palestinian flag".

Israeli Woman Allegedly Raped After Release From Hamas Captivity In Gaza, Shares Shocking Details

An ex-Hamas hostage has accused an influencer fitness trainer of allegedly drugging and raping her. The incident was confirmed by Mia Schem during a Channel 12 interview on May 03. Mia Schem was taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, 2023 and eventually released during a temporary truce in November 2023.

Four-month-old dies from malnutrition in Gaza: Report

Wafa is reporting that a four-month-old infant, Yousef al-Najjar, has died as a result of malnutrition. Local media reports say the infant weighed just 1.5kg (3.3 pounds) when he died, less than one-fourth of the average weight for his age.

The death comes amid a 64-day aid blockade of Gaza, which the UN has warned is putting thousands of children and babies at heightened risk of starvation.


_{A morgue worker at al-Shifa Hospital places the body of a child among those of other victims killed in at least two Israeli army strikes}

Israeli soldiers blow up building in Gaza for ‘gender reveal’ party

A May 3 video filmed by Israeli troops shows the demolition of a building in the Gaza Strip for a “gender reveal” party.

The soldiers had previously rigged it with explosives that give off blue smoke to indicate a fetus is male.

Most in Gaza ‘starving’; children ‘cannot find a piece of bread’

We have spoken to Amjad Shawa, the Gaza-based director of the Palestinian NGOs Network, about the dire humanitarian conditions across the Strip due to Israel’s war and total blockade.

He said the majority of Palestinians in the territory “are starving”, but he added that he was particularly worried about vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly and patients “who cannot find a piece of bread now”.

“A bag of flour, 25 kilos [55lb], it’s $350 in the black market now,” Shawa told Al Jazeera.

“We are losing lives. My concern is that in a few days we’ll have hundreds or thousands of children – they will lose their lives because of malnutrition and because of the thirst situation,” he said.

“So there is a deficit in water, deficit in medication and medicine, and Gaza is [running] out of food.”

Compounding the situation, Shawa added, was Gaza’s worsening pollution.

“We have more than 600,000 tonnes of solid waste all over the neighbourhoods and sites in the Gaza Strip,” he said. “So such suffocation, such diseases will lead to what?”