Trump, US using power for Gaza massacres: Iran’s Khamenei

We have Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s first reaction to Trump’s visit to the Gulf earlier this week.

“Trump said that he wanted to use power for peace, he lied,” Khamenei said during a meeting with teachers, broadcast on state television.

“He and the US administration used power for the massacre in Gaza, for waging wars in any place they could,” added the supreme leader, who has the final say on all Iranian state matters.

The US has provided Israel with 10-tonne bombs to “drop on Gaza children, hospitals, houses of people in Lebanon and anywhere else when they can”, Khamenei said, reiterating his traditional stance against Israel.

“Definitely, the Zionist regime is the spot of corruption, war, rifts. The Zionist regime that is a lethal, dangerous, cancerous tumour should certainly be eradicated, and it will be,” he said.

Hamas says new Gaza ceasefire talks with Israel under way in Doha: Report

Reuters is quoting Hamas official Taher al-Nono as saying that a new round of Gaza ceasefire talks with Israel is currently under way in Qatar, which has been acting as a mediator in the war.

Al-Nono said both sides in Doha were discussing all issues without “pre-conditions”, according to the news agency’s report.

Israeli forces intensifying air attacks on Gaza under expanded offensive

The Israeli army has confirmed that the intensified air strikes are part of a new expansion it is doing in the Gaza Strip, coined “Gideon’s Chariots”, saying that this is the way the captives are going to be released.

A few days ago, Netanyahu said that Gaza is going to see something it hadn’t seen in the last 19 months of war.

It comes after Israel’s security cabinet unanimously okayed and passed the plans after they were presented by the new army chief of staff, who came in some two months ago, picking up where his predecessor left off, saying that there needed to be an intensification of the war if Israel wanted to achieve its goals.

As part of this new expanding operation, Israeli forces are intensifying air strikes in an effort to move more ground troops in, starting in the north and then pushing Palestinians further south each time – first to the central part of Gaza, and then ultimately to an area in southern Gaza.

That still is a little bit unclear exactly where it’s going to be, but according to the army, they’re going to be operating in every single part of Gaza, not only for those military achievements, but also for the occupation of Gaza, for what they’re calling strategic land grabs.

US rhetoric on Gaza peace clashes with support for Israel’s intensifying military assault

Jeremy Scahill, cofounder of Drop Site News, says there is a disconnect between what is happening in Gaza and the rhetoric of the US administration about wanting to end the war in the besieged territory.

“What we’re witnessing right now on the ground in Gaza is a radical intensification of the forced starvation campaign against the Palestinians of Gaza,” Scahill told Al Jazeera.

For “more than two months, not a grain of wheat, not a pill of medicine, not a bottle of water, no fuel has entered the Gaza Strip – and the United States continues to fully support Israel in its scorched earth terror bombings of the Palestinians of Gaza,” Scahill said.

“There’s this sort of disconnect with the world of diplomacy, and with the rhetoric coming from the Trump administration,” he added.

During the Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh earlier this week, Trump said his “greatest hope is to be a peacemaker and a unifier. I don’t like war.” On that same day, a series of Israeli attacks on the European Hospital in southern Gaza killed and wounded dozens of people.

New Gaza aid plans ‘a distraction from atrocities’: UNRWA chief

Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), says humanitarians in Gaza are ready to deliver assistance to Palestinians but can’t carry out that work due to Israel’s blockade, which has been in place since March 2.

“Our aid is piled up outside: food will rot, medicines will expire. At the same time, the clock is ticking towards famine. The people of Gaza are dying,” Lazzarini wrote on X.

Referring to a US-backed humanitarian operation in Gaza that has been rejected by aid groups and the UN, Lazzarini also said, “Don’t reinvent the wheel”.

“Putting together new ‘plans’ is a distraction from the atrocities + a waste of resources,” he wrote.

Palestinian mother describes ‘indescribable pain’ of losing baby to hunger

The Gaza-based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) has shared testimonials from women in Gaza struggling to survive under Israel’s “starvation policy”.

Aya al-Iskafi, 21, described how her newborn baby girl, Jenan, died because of Israel’s refusal to allow any food, water or humanitarian supplies into the enclave since early March.

The baby, who was born in late December of last year, suffered from dehydration and saw her weight drop to 2.8kg (six pounds) at three months old.

“Doctors had to supplement her breastfeeding with formula milk, but formula was also severely limited due to the ongoing siege. We stayed for 14 days at al-Rantisi Hospital, where my daughter could not breastfeed and relied only on IV fluids,” al-Iskafi told PCHR.

By the start of May, Jenan was suffering from chronic diarrhoea but could not get the medical care she needed in Gaza because of the lack of supplies. “She was in severe pain in front of me while I was helpless and unable to help her or alleviate her pain,” her mother said.

“My heart was breaking but I couldn’t do anything given the lack of resources and harsh conditions. On May 3, my daughter died of hunger. Saying goodbye to her was an indescribable pain, and everything she endured continues to torment me every moment of my life.”


This hits hard. My grandmother lost her first born child to malnutrition in a Japanese prison camp during WW2. My mother was her 2nd child born after the war. My grandmother never really recovered from the loss which resulted in a dysfunctional family that also affected my childhood. My mother chose to work with refugees though and children with difficulties, helping others dealing with injustice and trauma. Sadly her own family never healed and grew apart.

It will take many generations to heal from this genocide.

Enough with the weak 'concern'. Fuck Germany, you're fully complicit and still bringing up "the right to defend itself". There is no right to defend yourself from those you occupy and murder on a daily basis.

Israel’s expanded attack a ‘concern’ for Gaza’s people, captives: Germany

Germany has condemned Israel’s escalation of attacks on Gaza, calling it a “deep concern”.

“Like every state, Israel has the right to defend itself within the framework of applicable international law,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“However, the current actions could endanger the lives of the remaining hostages, including the Germans, who after almost 600 days still fear for their survival in Hamas prisons.”

A large-scale military offensive also carries the risk of further worsening the catastrophic humanitarian situation of the population in Gaza and diminishes “the prospect of a much-needed long-term ceasefire”.

Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar, today about the issue.

‘Time for empty statements is over’: Rights group

Al Mezan Center for Human Rights has warned Israel is moving forward with its plans to “escalate the genocide” against Palestinians.

As we’ve been reporting, Israel says it is in the opening stages of an expansion of its military offensive on Gaza, which it has dubbed “Gideon’s Chariots”.

“On 7 May, we warned Israel was planning to escalate the genocide in Gaza with the stated aim to seize the territory and forcibly expel Palestinians,” Al Mezan said in a post on X.

“This is no longer a threat. The plan is being carried out. The tools to stop it exist: sanctions, arms embargo, and cutting diplomatic and economic ties.”

More than 300,000 Palestinians displaced from northern Gaza

Gaza’s Government Media Office says more than 200 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks over the past 48 hours, with 1,000 housing units destroyed.

Another 140 victims remain buried in the debris of destroyed buildings with the Israeli military’s “deliberate prevention of ambulance and civil defence crews from reaching the bombed areas in northern Gaza”.

“This is a complex crime that constitutes a clear violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions, which require the protection of civilians
and the facilitation of rescue operations during times of war,” the office said in a statement.

It condemned “suspicious international silence and actual participation in the ongoing genocide”.

_{The site of an Israeli attack on a displacement camp in Deir el-Balah}

European protests against Israel’s war on Gaza


<sub>People march to commemorate the 1948 Nakba, or catastrophe, in Geneva


People protest in support of Palestinians to mark the 77th anniversary of the Nakba in Dublin</sub>

Pro-Palestinian activists spray Shannon Airport warplane with red paint

Pro-Palestinian activists have sprayed warplanes at Ireland’s Shannon Airport with red paint, according to Palestine Action Eire.

“Demilitarise Shannon Airport,” can be heard by a woman in a video posted by the group on social media. “The US military is not allowed here,” she said while holding what appears to be an Irish flag with the words “US military out of Ireland” in front of an aeroplane splashed with red.

Shannon Airport has been used by the US military for its wars on Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere for more than 15 years.

This is not the first time activists breached the airport perimeter. Earlier in May, three members of Palestine Action Eire were arrested after trying to inspect a US military plane there.

According to the group, US aircraft are “key suppliers of the genocide in Palestine” and Ireland should not be an accomplice.

BREAKING ACTION AT SHANNON AIRPORT

3 Women have gone airside to inspect a US warplane at Shannon Airport.

‘Operation Siren’ have sprayed the warplane with red paint & held an Irish flag reading ‘US MILITARY OUT OF NEUTRAL IRELAND’

Ní saoirse go saoirse na bPalaistíne! pic.twitter.com/VHbPfOeEjz

— Palestine Action Éire (@pal_action_eire) May 17, 2025

US senator says Netanyahu starving 2 million Palestinians

Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen has slammed Netanyahu’s government for its two-month blockade on Gaza.

“Let food into Gaza NOW! Netanyahu & his govt are starving 2M civilians,” Van Hollen wrote in a social media post. “The US is complicit in this gross violation of international law.”

Let food into Gaza NOW! Netanyahu & his govt are starving 2M civilians. This is day 76 of the blockade. Trucks with food are waiting to get in but are blocked. Children have already died from withholding food.

The U.S. is complicit in this gross violation of international law.… pic.twitter.com/AqQAZJNvF7

— Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) May 17, 2025

Former Israeli prime minister calls for ‘civic revolt’ against Netanyahu’s govt

The Times of Israel reports former Prime Minister Ehud Barak has called for “civic revolt” against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

Barak, who served as prime minister from 1999-2001, said the Israeli leader is “acting impulsively like a caged animal”, according to the news report.

“A black flag of illegitimacy flies over every one of its actions, and it’s our civic duty to act in every way possible toward its downfall, before it marches us into the abyss,” it cited Barak as saying during an anti-government demonstration in Tel Aviv.

Barak is supportive of a “technocratic government alongside a Palestinian bureaucracy with Saudi and Emirati funding and Egyptian oversight … no Hamas member could take part in the arrangement”, he said.

Silent protest in Tel Aviv honours Gaza children killed in Israeli strikes

Hundreds of left-wing protesters march outside the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv hoisting candles and pictures of Gazan children killed by Israel pic.twitter.com/huEj75GWK9

— Noam Lehmann (@noamlehmann) May 17, 2025

Hundreds of Israeli protesters hold up candles and pictures of children in Gaza killed by Israeli forces in a silent protest outside the Israeli army’s headquarters in Tel Aviv.

Israeli media report the images are of children killed since March 18 when Israel resumed its bombing of the enclave, shattering a period of relative calm in Gaza during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan but also the fragile ceasefire deal Israel had with Hamas.

מיצג הילדים המתים של עזה עכשיו בקפלן פינת דה וינצ׳י.
מעורבים בעל כרחם.
אני קיבלתי את אדם שעדיין היה בחיים לפני 10 ימים😢
תקשורת ישראלית אין אבל הרבה תקשורת חו״ל. זה הפנים שלנו. רוצחי תינוקות וילדים. #די למלחמה pic.twitter.com/Qc7PHhwnHr

— Roni 🦭🍅 (@Roni65043634) May 17, 2025

Fragmented Truths: Israel, Gaza, and Responsibility

https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/fragmented-truths-israel-gaza-and-responsibility/

I used to get angry when people abroad – actors, professors, politicians – condemned Israel’s military actions. I saw hypocrisy, selective outrage, and a refusal to acknowledge Palestinian culpability. I believed they ignored the complex truths Israelis face every day.

But something has shifted in me – because something fundamental in Israel has changed.

In the wake of the war in Gaza, especially in recent weeks, I can no longer blame those who express disgust at what they see. It’s no longer tenable to deny what’s unfolding on the ground. The asymmetry is undeniable: tens of thousands of Palestinians dead, entire neighborhoods razed, over a million displaced and facing disease and hunger, and an Israeli leadership that increasingly communicates not strategic necessity, but retribution and annexation.

...

The tide is turning in Israel, people can't hide from the truth forever. It's not that the indoctrination is being questioned

"Hamas is a genocidal, antisemitic, fundamentalist organization. Its fighters murdered, raped, burned, and kidnapped, and they continue to celebrate 7 October as a great victory. They deliberately embed themselves among civilians. They are not freedom fighters – they are war criminals."

Which is largely false. There are extremists among Hamas as well but its mostly civil workers, no different from the Israeli government with its extremist settlers in government positions. And Hamas embeds themselves as much among civilians as IDF soldiers go back home to their families after killing Palestinians.

No, it's the full scale of the war of revenge and extermination that's starting to become more widely known in Israel, as well as the criticism from outside can't all be brushed off with the anti-semitic slur anymore.

"But Hamas’s crimes cannot justify Israel’s abandonment of international law, moral restraint, or basic humanity."

"Our leaders aren’t even trying to disguise their intentions. Netanyahu boasted about destroying homes to leave Palestinians “nowhere to return.” Heritage Minister Eliyahu suggested bombing food supplies. Smotrich calls for total destruction in Gaza. These aren’t accusations from foreign critics – they are the proud declarations of our own ministers. Should we then be offended when we’re accused of ethnic cleansing, even genocide?"

"Of course, many protests are riddled with ignorance, bias, or antisemitism. But it is a profound mistake to respond to all criticism with dismissal or deflection, using the antisemitic brush to ignore all critical voices. The world is watching. And so are Israelis – and many of us are horrified at what we see."

PM Netanyahu in ‘constant contact’ with truce negotiators in Qatar

President Trump’s Middle East visit raised hope his presence could increase the chances of a ceasefire or the resumption of humanitarian aid to starved Gaza, which Israel has prevented for more than two months.

An unnamed Israeli official told The Associated Press that Prime Minister Netanyahu is in constant contact with the negotiating team in Doha, Qatar, and US envoy Steve Witkoff, and instructed the team to remain there.

Hamas, which released an Israeli-American captive as a goodwill gesture before Trump’s trip, insists on a deal that ends the war and leads to the withdrawal of Israeli forces – something Israel said it won’t agree to.

Israel’s army said on social media it wouldn’t stop its attack on Gaza until the captives are returned and Hamas is dismantled. Israel believes as many as 23 abductees in Gaza are still alive, although Israeli authorities have expressed concern for the status of three of them.

Doha’s Gaza ceasefire talks: ‘Unlikely anything will come out of them’

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears unstoppable in his devastating war on Gaza, an analyst says.

“He simply feels he can. He’s got the power, the equipment. There’s no one there to deter or stop him. He’s been at this for almost two years now,” said Sultan Barakat, professor of public policy at Qatar’s Hamad Bin Khalifa University.

US President Trump’s visit got Israel to send a negotiating team to Qatar for ceasefire talks, but that’s about it, Barakat told Al Jazeera.

“I don’t even understand how these talks can be justified given not just what Netanyahu is doing but the rhetoric that he and his government are spreading about future plans for Gaza. It’s difficult to see how Palestinians will come to these talks under the current circumstances. It’s unlikely anything will come out of them.”

Ben Gvir calls for full-scale Gaza occupation, dismisses ceasefire talks

Israeli far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir says Hamas’s willingness to enter a new round of ceasefire and captives talks is because Israel further increased its military pressure on the Palestinian group.

“Hamas’s sudden ‘flexibility’ in the negotiations is not because it suddenly craved peace, but because the [army] was tightening its grip,” Ben-Gvir said in a statement on X.

“Precisely for this reason this is not the time to retreat and let Hamas breathe and recover again, but to press the gas all the way – until Hamas surrenders. We must now enter Gaza with all our might and finish the job – occupying, seizing the territory, crushing the enemy, and freeing our hostages by force.”

His comments come after a new round of talks is under way in Doha, Qatar

Hamas has repeatedly expressed its willingness to reach a deal, including after Israel shattered a fragile truce in March by resuming its bombing of the enclave. But it has demanded an agreement that includes the permanent end to the war in exchange of the release of all captives.

There already was a deal, Israel broke it



That's the deal that was finally started in January 18th this year. Yet Netanyahu never wanted to proceed to Phase 2 and resumed bombing Gaza on March 18th after imposing a total blockade on all aid on March 2nd. (After repeatedly violating the ceasefire already)


Outside intervention is the only way to stop this, yet instead the West keeps backing Israel with more bombs to throw at children.

European Council president ‘shocked’ at Israel’s Gaza attack

European Council President Antonio Costa said on Saturday that he was “shocked” at the situation in Gaza, which is the target of an expanded Israeli military assault.

“Shocked by the news from Gaza: starving civilians, hospitals hit again by strikes. The violence must stop,” Costa said.

“What’s happening in Gaza is a humanitarian tragedy. A whole people is being subjected to crushing, disproportionate military force. International law is systematically violated.”

Shocked by the daily news coming from Gaza: civilians starving, hospitals hit again by strikes. Violence must stop!

The Israeli government must lift the blockade now and ensure the safe, swift, and unimpeded access of humanitarian aid.

What’s happening in Gaza is a…

— António Costa (@eucopresident) May 17, 2025

Then stop enabling it, start listening to those who have been warning of this genocide for the past 19 months. Ban all weapon (related) shipments to Israel, impose sanctions, close the border to Israelis. Yet you'll happily host Israel for the Eurovision songadong. Israel is not in Europe, special genocide guest.



Without real action, Western warnings to Israel ‘can be safely ignored’

Mouin Rabbani, a political analyst, says Western governments and officials “have issued increasingly stern warnings to Israel” about its Gaza policies over the past days.

Despite that, Rabbani said it is understood “as long as Western responses are limited to statements, those making them can be safely ignored and Israel can continue to do as it pleases”.

That is “particularly so when such statements are accompanied by continued weapons deliveries, preferential trade agreements, political support, and other forms of cooperation”, Rabbani wrote on X.

During the past week or so multiple Western government and officials have issued increasingly stern warnings to Israel about its policies and conduct in the Gaza Strip.
It has always been understood, by all concerned, that as long as Western responses are limited to statements,…

— Mouin Rabbani (@MouinRabbani) May 17, 2025