Israeli forces carry out raids, make arrests near Tulkarem, Nablus, Ramallah

Israeli forces have carried out numerous raids across the occupied West Bank, using live ammunition and making arrests, according to the Wafa news agency.

Wafa said Israeli troops raided several homes in the town of Anabta, east of Tulkarem, and detained three young men. In the town of Kobar, near Ramallah, they arrested two people and closed the main entrance to a nearby town that thousands rely on.

In al-Ein refugee camp near Nablus, an elderly Palestinian was injured by Israeli gunfire, Wafa added.

Israeli forces arrest 10 Palestinians in West Bank raids

Israeli forces have arrested 10 people, including a 17-year-old, in operations in the occupied West Bank’s Bethlehem governorate, the Wafa news agency is reporting.

Quoting a security source, Wafa reported that Israeli forces had stormed the town of al-Khader, about 5km (3 miles) west of Bethlehem, and raided several houses, detaining nine men. A father and son were among those arrested.

Another raid took place in Beit Fajjar, about 8km (5 miles) south of Bethlehem, where a 17-year-old boy was arrested.

As we previously reported, Israeli forces have made arrests elsewhere in the occupied West Bank, including near Tulkarem and Ramallah.

U.K. Suspends Free Trade Talks With Israel and Announces Sanctions Over West Bank Settlers | The Independent

About fucking time, now time for us to listen to how UK is antisemitic and for Mossad to attack UK, Lol.

Israel doesn't waste time on condemnations

Following the UK’s announcement that it will suspend free trade agreement negotiations with Israel and impose sanctions on settlers:

Even prior to today’s announcement, the free trade agreement negotiations were not being advanced at all by the current UK government. More than…

— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) May 20, 2025

UK measures against Israel: What to know

As we’ve been reporting, the UK has taken a series of measures against Israel over what Lammy calls “cruel and indefensible” actions in Gaza as well as settlement expansion and settler violence in the occupied West Bank.

Here’s what the British government announced and how Israel responded:

Lammy’s condemnation of Israeli actions in Gaza ‘strongest yet’

I think these are the strongest words yet about the situation in Gaza uttered by any cabinet minister inside the House of Commons since October 7, 2023.

David Lammy, the foreign secretary, delivered his statement followed by a deeply, deeply engaged debate that is still ongoing. It has been running for nearly an hour now.

Lammy’s strong words are that the events in Gaza are “dangerous”, “repellent”, “monstrous”. He went on to say, “It is morally unjustifiable. It is disproportionate and utterly, utterly counterproductive.”

The government also says it is suspending with immediate effect trade negotiations with Israel. More sanctions are also coming into place against settlers in the West Bank. And the Israeli ambassador has been summoned to the Foreign Office to be addressed about the British position.

There is a sense these strong words and sanctions are welcome, but it is not going to be enough. And the government is very much talking about more action being prepared to come.

Many MPs have been calling for stronger action by the government for a long time. They were promised on Monday that action would come if the Israelis did not change course in Gaza.

UK Jewish group welcomes government steps against Israel

We have a statement by Yachad UK about the measures announced by the British government today.

The British Jewish organisation said the steps are the inevitable result of the Israeli government’s “appalling statements” and its “decision to continue to prosecute the war in Gaza in a manner that is totally unjustifiable”.

“We fully support the UK government’s announcement this afternoon to take significant action, including the suspension of negotiations on the UK-Israel Free Trade Agreement,” added the group, which has frequently criticised Israel’s actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Israel’s war on Gaza has prompted debate and a variety of responses from Jewish communities around the world.

Yachad UK said: “Our community does not speak with one voice, and we represent the voices of many thousands of British Jews and Israelis who are deeply troubled by the humanitarian situation on the ground in Gaza, the abandonment of the hostages, calls to ethnically cleanse the people of Gaza and the violence being waged by settlers towards Palestinians in the West Bank.”

Oxfam says UK ‘remains complicit’ so long as military assistance to Israel continues

The global charity Oxfam has also welcomed the British government’s decision to take measures against Israel for its actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank but says more serious steps, including an end to all weapons transfers to Israel, are still needed.

“Without suspending parts for Israeli F-35 fighter jets, the UK Government remains complicit in the deaths of thousands of civilians across Gaza,” Halima Begum, chief executive of Oxfam GB, said in a statement.

“Any further delays will literally mean the difference between life and death for countless Palestinians and could jeopardise the safe release of hostages.”

Begum said people in Gaza, including thousands of children, are starving “while Israel commits the war crime of using starvation as a weapon of war”.

She called on Lammy to suspend all arms exports to Israel and impose a full package of sanctions on political leaders and settlers in Israel “who are seeking to erase Palestine from the map”.

UK’s military support to Israel: What to know

According to a government news release in January, the country granted arms export licences to Israel worth 42 million pounds ($56.1m) in 2022, which it said was “less than one percent of Israel’s defence imports”.

In 2023, arms export licences dropped to 18 million pounds ($24m).

From October 7, 2023, to May 31, 2024, the British government granted Israel 108 licences for “military and non-military controlled goods”.

Shortly after the current Labour government came to power last year, Lammy announced 30 arms export licences out of 350 would be suspended.

However, last week, a report by British pro-Palestinian groups found the UK had sent “8,630 separate munitions” to Israel since the suspensions took effect, contrary to what Lammy announced.

Moreover, the report found F-35 fighter jet parts continued to be sent to Israel.

Rights group calls for ‘urgent international action’ on Gaza

In a new statement, Al Haq says the world must act to stop Israel from moving forward with plans for the “full and permanent military control of Gaza following the systematic forcible displacement of Palestinians and the deliberate weaponisation of life-saving humanitarian aid”.

“We urge people of conscience across the world to continue to assert maximum pressure on their governments to take immediate and concrete actions to put an end to Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people,” the Palestinian rights organisation said.

It called for “a full arms embargo on Israel” along with economic, diplomatic and individual sanctions.

No aid distributed in Gaza despite supplies, UN says

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric says no aid has been distributed in the Gaza Strip despite more supplies being dropped off at the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing.

“Today, one of our teams waited several hours for the Israeli green light to access the Kerem Shalom area and collect the nutrition supplies. Unfortunately, they were not able to bring those supplies into our warehouse,” Dujarric said.

Earlier, the UN said it received permission from Israel for about 100 more emergency aid trucks to enter Gaza after an 11-week blockade. UN aid chief Tom Fletcher previously called the aid deliveries approved so far “a drop in the ocean” as famine stalks the war-battered Palestinian enclave.

So the minimal aid is still stuck at the border. Only now a few trucks are stuck on the other side of it...

Gaza City resident: Netanyahu’s aid comments ‘all lies’

Residents of Gaza City have expressed dismay over the lack of aid as international humanitarian experts warn of looming famine in the Palestinian enclave.

“Today, we are hearing in the news that aid has entered. We don’t have anything,” said Jamal Hassan, 46. “Today, children will sleep without dinner and drink salty water. This is the real famine the Palestinian people are now experiencing, and no one is paying attention.”

He added: “The talk of Netanyahu and some of his false discourse that the border has been opened and aid entered – these are all lies.”

After an 11-week blockade, Israel cleared nine trucks of aid on Monday – an amount described by the UN as a “drop in the ocean”.

‘No alternative’ to veteran aid agencies leading operations in Gaza

Lex Takkenberg, who for decades was UNRWA’s general counsel, says Israel’s plan to take over aid distribution in Gaza will not work.

Eventually, it will be forced to allow the resumption of the “UN-led aid system”, which has been tested over decades, Takkenberg told Al Jazeera. These agencies have “resources at the border” and are “ready to move in”, he added.

“There is simply no alternative. It will not work. The UN declined to cooperate, and the Gulf countries told [President] Trump they would not fund this,” Takkenberg said.

If Israel’s plan succeeds, it will threaten the future of humanitarian action not just in occupied Palestinian territory but globally as well, he added.

Hamas condemns Gaza aid ban, ceasefire stalling

Hamas has confirmed that no aid has entered Gaza despite Israeli officials saying a “basic” amount of humanitarian relief would be allowed into the starved Palestinian territory.

“Netanyahu’s statements regarding the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip are an attempt to throw dust in the eyes and deceive the international community. No aid has yet entered the Strip, and the few trucks that have arrived at the Kerem Shalom [Karem Abu Salem] crossing have not been received by any international body,” the Palestinian group said in a statement.

Hamas also denounced the work of Israeli truce negotiators in Qatar as Israel ramps up its attacks on Gaza.

“The presence of the Israeli delegation in Doha, despite its lack of authority, is a blatant attempt by [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu to mislead international public opinion. The Israeli delegation has been extending its stay day by day without engaging in any serious negotiations since last Saturday,” it said.

‘Weaponisation of humanitarian assistance for military purposes’

Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), says an Israeli plan to rely on private military contractors to oversee aid distribution in Gaza falls short of “any basic humanitarian principle”.

“The aid plan which is being proposed is a tool which facilitates the forced displacement of the people,” he told the Financial Times. “And, ultimately, we know that in [the] context of war, forced displacement of people may constitute [a] war crime.”

Lazzarini added: “What’s being proposed here is a weaponisation and instrumentalisation of humanitarian assistance for military purposes and political purposes. I don’t see how morally we can justify a humanitarian organisation to be part of such a plan.”

EU’s Kallas asks for review of bloc’s trade deal with Israel

The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, has ordered a review of the EU-Israel association agreement, a free trade deal. The move comes in the wake of Israel’s decision to block life-saving aid to Gaza leading to malnutrition deaths and looming famine.

“In the meantime, it is up to Israel to allow humanitarian aid. This decision is reversible and dependent on progress,” Kallas said. “The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The aid that Israel has allowed in is of course welcomed, but it’s a drop in the ocean. Aid must flow immediately, without disruption, and at scale, because this is what is needed,” said Kaja Kallas.

“I’ve made these points also in my talks with the Israelis. I’ve had talks with UN and regional leaders as well. Pressure is necessary to change the situation.

“It is clear from today’s discussion that there is a strong majority in favour of review of Article Two of our Association Agreement with Israel. So we will launch this exercise, and in the meantime, it is up to Israel to unblock the humanitarian aid. Saving lives must be our top priority.”

EU could struggle to find consensus on more serious steps against Israel

European Union leaders feel this is the moment to speak up. This is the moment to take action when it comes to the atrocities committed against Palestinians in Gaza. And this explains the change in the tone of the statements we’ve seen over the last 48 hours from many countries.

Portugal, Spain, Ireland, France, Nordic countries are saying Israel – if it does not allow aid into Gaza, if it does not stop the war in Gaza – will have to face repercussions, particularly a review of the trade agreement signed in 2000 with the EU, and the EU could also be imposing sanctions.

The only problem here is the decision-making process at the EU level should be made on the basis of consensus. It has to be unanimous. You have other countries such as Germany, Greece, Hungary and many others saying there’s no way to impose sanctions on Israel and the only way out of the crisis is to engage with the Israelis diplomatically.

Unless the EU manages to set aside those differences, it will be extremely difficult for it to move ahead with a stronger stance, such as the imposing of the sanctions or the review of the agreement.

But thousands of people who took to the streets across many capitals in Europe say unless Europe takes action, it will be a moral failure and will be seen as an act of betrayal for the Palestinian people who suffer daily relentless bombardment and whose future is uncertain.

The member states will have to sanction Israel themselves and first of all impose an arms embargo. There is zero chance Hungary is going to agree and a very small chance Germany will see reason.