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SvennoJ on 21 May 2025

No aid delivered to Gaza yet due to ‘insecure’ access: UN spokesperson

Stephane Dujarric, UN chief Antonio Guterres’s spokesperson, says no humanitarian supplies have been able to leave the Karam Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing in southern Israel to enter the Gaza Strip.

As we’ve been reporting, Israel allowed a limited amount of supplies to be transferred there amid a wave of international pressure and condemnation of its weeks-long blockade of Gaza.

“None of the supplies have been able to leave the Kerem Shalom loading area,” Dujarric told reporters during a briefing at UN headquarters in New York.

“This is because by yesterday evening, the Israeli authorities had only allowed our teams to go through one area that was highly congested, that we felt was insecure, and where we felt looting was highly likely to take place given the prolonged deprivation in Gaza” amid Israel’s blockade, he said.

“We hope that will change very soon. The discussions are ongoing – as we speak – between our colleagues and the Israeli security authorities,” Dujarric added.

“We are continuing to engage with them to identify the best possible routes out of Kerem Shalom towards Gaza to ensure that the flow of aid is not disrupted or suspended.”


Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen in Gaza City, May 21

We have more remarks from Stephane Dujarric, the UN chief’s spokesperson:

  • “The limited supplies finally being allowed to enter [Karem abu Salem border crossing] Kerem Shalom are nowhere near enough to meet the needs in Gaza, which are vast, which are tremendous. Much, much more aid needs to get in.”
  • OCHA, the UN humanitarian office, has reported that 80 percent of Gaza is now subjected to displacement orders or falls within “Israeli militarised zones”, where humanitarian workers must coordinate their movements with Israel.
  • “Our partners tell us that over the past few days, almost half of the newly displaced people have fled with none of their belongings.”
  • Five aid kitchens have resumed operations, including two in Khan Younis and three that relocated to Gaza City following displacement orders in northern Gaza; five other kitchens in Gaza City and Khan Younis “were forced to shut down after their supplies were depleted”.
  • Guterres is “alarmed” by reports that the Israeli army fired shots at a diplomatic delegation in Jenin, which included UN personnel; “It is clear that diplomats who are doing their work should never be shot at, attacked in any way, shape or form.”

Concerned that it looks bad on Germany

German chancellor ‘concerned’ by Gaza’s humanitarian situation

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is very concerned about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and is in close contact with EU counterparts to convey his worries to the Israeli government, his spokesperson says.

“It is always important for the German government to keep its lines of communication open with the Israeli government and to be able to make its points directly,” Stefan Kornelius said during a news conference.

Germany has been criticised for its staunch defence of Israel amid the war on Gaza, as well as its crackdown on Palestine solidarity protests in Germany. Rights advocates have also urged Berlin to end weapons transfers to Israel.

While Germany signed onto an EU statement this week urging Israel to allow aid into Gaza, news outlets reported it was among several European countries opposed to launching a review of an EU trade pact with Israel.

Without explicitly confirming the reports that Berlin had opposed the review, a German Foreign Ministry spokesman said today that “the EU-Israel Association Agreement is an important forum that we must use in order to discuss critical questions” over the situation in Gaza.



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SvennoJ on 21 May 2025

Italy to summon Israeli ambassador over shooting in Jenin

Italy will summon Israel’s ambassador to the foreign ministry affairs to provide “official clarifications” on today’s incident in Jenin, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani says.

As we’ve been reporting, the Israeli army says it fired shots near a delegation of foreign diplomats in the city in the occupied West Bank earlier. The military said it fired “warning shots” after the delegation “deviated” from their approved route and moved to an “unauthorised” area.

Italian media reported that a group of foreign diplomats from numerous countries, including Italy, had to flee for cover during the incident.

France to summon Israeli ambassador over ‘unacceptable’ Jenin incident

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has announced the move in a post on X.



Translation: A visit to Jenin, which one of our diplomats was taking part in, was fired upon by Israeli soldiers. It’s unacceptable. The Israeli ambassador will be summoned to explain. Full support to our representatives on the ground and their remarkable work in challenging conditions.


Turkiye condemns shots fired in Jenin ‘in strongest terms’

The Turkish Foreign Ministry says an official from the Turkish consulate general in Jerusalem was among the group of diplomats fired upon by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank city.

“This attack, which endangered the lives of diplomats, is yet another demonstration of Israel’s systematic disregard for international law and human rights,” the ministry said in a statement.

“This attack must be investigated without delay, and those responsible must be held accountable,” it said.

“We call on the international community to condemn this dangerous act in the strongest possible terms and to take concrete steps to bring an end to Israel’s impunity.”


Spain to summon Israeli ambassador over Jenin incident

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares says his country has summoned the Israeli ambassador in Madrid over a shooting incident in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.

“We demand clarity and accountability,” Albares wrote in a post on X.

Jenin has been at the centre of several wide-scale Israeli incursions over the past few months. Soldiers besieged the city’s refugee camp, and have used drones to launch strikes, as well as military vehicles and bulldozers to ravage the area. The raids resulted in houses, buildings, and basic infrastructure being demolished, and have forced thousands out of their homes.


Portugal also summons Israeli envoy after Jenin shooting

Portugal has become the latest European country to summon Israel’s ambassador after the Israeli army fired warning shots at diplomats in the occupied West Bank. The foreign ministry in Lisbon said the request was made “following this incident, which calls international law into question”.

A Portuguese diplomat was a member of the delegation that was fired upon in Jenin.



SvennoJ on 21 May 2025

Israeli High Court rules Netanyahu’s move to fire Shin Bet chief ‘unlawful’: Report

Israel’s top court has ruled that the government acted “improperly” and “unlawfully” in its attempt to dismiss Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar earlier this year, according to Israeli media.

The Times of Israel reports that the court found Netanyahu’s move to remove Bar, which sparked widespread controversy and fuelled antigovernment protests, had no “factual basis” and denied Bar the right to an official hearing.

However, as Bar has already announced plans to step down on June 15, the court said it would not issue a binding order.

Former Israeli PM slams says country committing ‘war crimes’

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has sharply criticised the ongoing war in Gaza, calling it a politically driven conflict that is inflicting heavy civilian casualties and costing the lives of Israeli soldiers.

“A political war that has no purpose will not return a single hostage and will also involve the loss of the lives of brave soldiers,” he said in comments carried by Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan.

He also said Israeli forces are committing “war crimes”, not only in Gaza, but in the occupied West Bank, where near-daily raids have continued since October 2023.

“Every day in Judea and Samaria, war crimes are being committed by Israelis”, he said, using Israel’s preferred term for the occupied West Bank. “The police and [the military] do not prevent them”, he said.


Netanyahu says Israel will control all of Gaza when offensive ends

A short time ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered his first press conference of the year, during which he said only 20 of the remaining 58 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are believed to be alive.

The Israeli prime minister said: “If there is an option for a temporary ceasefire to free hostages, we’ll be ready.”

Here’s more from Netanyahu’s televised news conference – his first since December:

  • He says all of Gaza will be under Israeli control by the end of its assault on the territory.
  • “We must avoid a humanitarian crisis in order to preserve our freedom of operational action,” Netanyahu tells reporters.
  • He says 20 Israeli captives held in Gaza “are certainly alive”.
  • Netanyahu also pledges that his government will appoint the next head of Israel’s domestic intelligence service, the Shin Bet, despite Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara barring him from doing so.

Netanyahu vowed that the entire Gaza Strip would be under Israeli security control by the end of the war, and he insisted that his plans for private US companies to deliver aid would prevent a humanitarian crisis there, despite aid agencies and many governments saying such a crisis already exists.


Lebanon death roll rises to three from Israeli attacks

We reported earlier that an Israeli air strike in the southern Lebanese town of Yater killed one person.

While the Israeli army claimed it was a Hezbollah member, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) said the slain man was a local resident operating a bulldozer to clear rubble from his home that had sustained damage in an attack during the war.

NNA is now reporting that another two people have been killed in separate strikes – one on the southern Lebanese town of Aitaroun, and another in an attack on Ain Baal, a village in Tyre.

Several others have been wounded, NNA said, without providing more details.



SvennoJ on 21 May 2025

UN says it still hasn't been able to distribute any aid in Gaza



Benjamin Netanyahu is doubling down. Despite growing international anger, in the last hour he has declared that all of Gaza will be under Israel's control by the end of its offensive.

It's now two days since Israel partially lifted its 11-week blockade, allowing some aid trucks back into Gaza. But the UN says it still hasn't been given access to even that small amount of aid, to distribute it. And Israel has continued to pound the Strip, killing at least 82 people.

Since Israel ended the two-month ceasefire on 18 March, more than 3,500 people have been killed and almost 10,000 injured. That's according to medical sources in Gaza. More than 700 of those people were killed and more than 2,000 injured in just the last week, as Israel ramped up its offensive against Hamas, launching a new ground operation at the weekend.

American Podcaster BEATEN, ARRESTED In Israel


Ryan and Emily are joined by a US podcaster who was beaten and arrested by Israeli forces



SvennoJ on 21 May 2025

‘I hope to live and to play again’

Jana, a 10-year-old Palestinian girl, has described her hopes after being injured in an Israeli attack on her family’s tent in Gaza.

“I hope to leave, for my arm to heal, and to play again,” she said in a video shared on X by the UN agency for children’s relief (UNICEF).

Another girl, 11-year-old Misk, after said she hopes to travel abroad for treatment after she suffered from burns.



Finally

Trucks loaded with aid enter central Gaza

Videos posted on Palestinian platforms and verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad agency show aid trucks entering the Deir el-Balah area of central Gaza.

As we’ve been reporting, a spokesman for UN chief Guterres said earlier that no aid had reached Gaza because the Israeli authorities had only authorised one route into the enclave, and the UN had deemed it to be too “insecure”.

Stephane Dujarric also stressed earlier today that the “limited supplies” that Israel is allowing into Gaza “are nowhere near enough to meet the needs” of Palestinians.


‘We’re running out of time’: UNICEF chief sounds alarm over effects of aid blockade

The head of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warns that life-saving supplies are quickly dwindling inside Gaza as Israeli forces largely maintain an aid blockade, preventing only a trickle of food and other essentials into the enclave.

“Children in Gaza continue to be killed, injured and deprived of aid,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a post on X.

“The few trucks that have entered with life-saving supplies are nowhere near sufficient and have yet to reach those in desperate need. We’re running out of supplies inside Gaza, and we’re running out of time.”



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SvennoJ on 21 May 2025

Qatar condemns Israel for shooting at EU diplomats in Jenin

Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has strongly condemned the Israeli army for opening fire on an international diplomatic delegation visiting the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.

In a statement, Doha described the incident as a “blatant violation” of international laws, conventions, and diplomatic norms. The ministry urged the international community to fulfil its moral and legal obligations by holding Israel accountable for its violations.

‘There must be a full investigation,’ UK minister says after shots fired in Jenin

Hamish Falconer, the British minister for the Middle East and North Africa, has described the incident today in Jenin as “unacceptable”.

“I have spoken to our diplomats who were affected,” Falconer said in a post on X. “Civilians must always be protected, and diplomats allowed to do their jobs.”

Israel has yet to comment on the wave of condemnation from European countries and the UN after it acknowledged that its forces fired near a group of diplomats in the northern West Bank city today.

Earlier, the Israeli military said that it “regrets the inconvenience caused”.

https://x.com/HFalconerMP/status/1925258567549964641

Today's events in Jenin are unacceptable? It's the daily reality for civilians in the Westbank for decades.



SvennoJ on 21 May 2025

Israel ‘going to find itself more and more isolated’: Corbyn

British MP Jeremy Corbyn says Israel’s firing towards diplomats in the occupied West Bank will no doubt raise “huge levels of anger” amongst the governments whose personnel were affected.

“The demand to cease all arms supplies to Israel, which is gaining strength all over the world, will get stronger and stronger,” Corbyn told Al Jazeera in an interview from London.

“What Israel has seen in the past two weeks has been a massive loss of support on the world stage,” he said.

Corbyn added that if an arms embargo is imposed on Israel, Netanyahu “won’t be able to sustain the continued bombardment of Gaza as well as this huge occupation of the West Bank”.

“These are horrible and desperate times, but if Netanyahu thinks it’s OK to shoot at diplomats visiting a refugee camp [in Jenin], then surely something must follow,” he said.

“And I would have thought, at the very least, there’s got to be condemnation from the UN … and a suspension of all arms supplies to Israel.”



Canada says four personnel among diplomats fired at in Jenin

Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand says the country “expect[s] a full investigation and accountability” for the incident.

“I have asked my officials to summon Israel’s Ambassador to convey Canada’s serious concerns,” Anand said in a post on X.

Canada becomes the latest country to summon an Israeli ambassador over the incident, following EU countries such as France and Spain.



SvennoJ on 21 May 2025

Main events on May 21st

  • Israel’s military has continued its assault on Gaza, killing at least 87 Palestinians as it shows no sign of letting up its relentless bombardment of the besieged enclave.
  • UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric has confirmed that “around 90 truckloads of goods” have been dispatched in Gaza, as Israel slowly lifts its months-long blockade on desperately needed aid entering the war-torn territory.
  • Dujarric also stressed the “limited supplies” Israel is allowing into Gaza are “nowhere near enough to meet the needs” of Palestinians, with aid still held up at the Karam Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing.
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will retain control of Gaza when its assault ends, adding that it would consider a “temporary” halt to its bombardment of the territory to allow for the release of remaining captives.
  • Several countries – including France, Spain, and the UK – have summoned their Israeli ambassadors after Israeli forces fired towards a group of diplomats in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.
  • South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Donald Trump did not raise his country’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice during their White House meeting, despite suggestions the US president would demand a change of course.



About 90 truckloads of aid dispatched into Gaza: UN

UN chief Guterres’s spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, has confirmed that the United Nations collected “around 90 truckloads of goods” and dispatched them to Gaza. “We have no further details to share at this time,” Dujarric said in a brief statement.

Thousands of aid trucks for Gaza made to wait in Egypt

Video shows some of the thousands of aid trucks that officials say are stuck in Egypt as Israel continues to block the vast majority of desperately needed supplies getting into the besieged enclave.




SvennoJ on 21 May 2025

Sirens sound across central Israel as missile fired from Yemen

The Israeli military has said it is investigating after a missile was fired towards Israel from Yemen, causing sirens to sound across the centre of the country.

No casualties or damage have been reported so far.


Israeli military carries out several deadly attacks across Gaza

Our Al Jazeera Arabic colleagues are reporting several deadly Israeli military attacks that have taken place across the Gaza Strip in recent hours, including:

  • Four people have been killed by an Israeli air strike on a house in the as-Saftawi area near Gaza City, northern Gaza.
  • One person has been killed and others injured after Israeli forces bombed an area northwest of Gaza City.
  • Two people have been killed after Israeli fighter jets bombed a tent housing displaced Palestinians in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza.
  • One person has been killed and others injured after the Israeli military bombed a warehouse housing displaced Palestinians south of Deir el-Balah.
  • One person has been killed and others injured after the Israeli military bombed a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza.


UN says 90 aid trucks reach Gaza distribution points

The facts, as we know them from the United Nations, they are confirming within the last hour that 90 trucks have got to their distribution points in Gaza and some aid is starting to be distributed.

Now what aid is that? The UN most recently, in the last information we are hearing, they are not giving specifics.

However, we’ve heard from UN officials in the last 24 to 36 hours – before these trucks arrived – who say that they believe it will be flour, some medicine, nutritional supplies and some baby formula. But in terms of details on how much flour; when and where, exactly, it is being distributed – the UN is simply saying they do not have that information at this hour.

What we can tell you is the UN is saying that no petroleum or gasoline is being allowed into Gaza by Israeli authorities. That is important because that means there is no gasoline to power generators for hospitals or even bakeries to keep ovens running and things like that.


Palestinian workers unload sacks of flour from an aid truck at a bakery, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on May 21, 2025 as aid trickles into the war-torn territory

It is very important to point out that while 90 trucks might seem like a big number, it is really not. Before October 7, 2023 – before Israel began its bombardment of the Gaza Strip – about 500 to 600 aid trucks were going into Gaza every day.

Again. that’s before Israel began its bombardment of the Gaza Strip. So 90 trucks simply, in the words of UN officials, is a “drop in the ocean”. Particularly since it’s now been 11 weeks that Israel had a total and complete blockade on all aid.

UN officials are certainly not celebrating … because they say they will take any aid they can to get in, even to save one life. But, clearly, this is nowhere even close to the amount that is needed.

If you just take the days since the total blockade, 80, at 500 trucks a day, that's a deficit of 40,000 trucks to make up to get back to a daily 500 avg. However there already was a large deficit and 500 was based on Gaza still having agriculture, fishing and water sanitation, which is all destroyed now.

At the start of the ceasefire 800 to 1000 trucks went in daily to revive the population somewhat, which already dropped off quickly during the ceasefire as Israel never lived up to phase 1 of the ceasefire. So indeed, 90 is a drop in the ocean for 2.1 million starving people.



SvennoJ on 21 May 2025

Israeli forces continue to besiege hospital in northern Gaza

As we previously reported, the Israeli military carried out artillery fire targeting northern Gaza’s al-Awda Hospital on Wednesday, while drones also struck water tanks at the health facility.

An Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent in Gaza now reports that Israeli forces are continuing to besiege the hospital in Tal az-Zaatar. Israeli tanks are firing on hospital buildings, including the specialised surgery department. No casualties have been reported so far.


Gaza’s medics prepare to adopt ‘drastic survival mechanisms’ due to Israeli aid blockade

The crisis is spiralling out of control further in Gaza. Medical teams say that what they are seeing is not just a kind of shortage of medical supplies, but a clear breakdown of Gaza’s healthcare system.

They told us that there has been a very sharp decline in the number of cardiac and vascular surgeries performed in Gaza’s barely functioning hospitals.

They have been working around the clock with almost nothing. They have started to reuse basic medical tools, and they are talking about a clear surge in the number of patients who are unable to get basic medical services.

This is the clear outcome of the ongoing Israeli ban on medical supply deliveries to Gaza.

What’s left in warehouses will be enough for no more than a couple of weeks and then they will start to adopt drastic survival mechanisms in order to guarantee the provisioning of at least minimum numbers of operations on a daily basis.


Injured Palestinian children are brought to the Nasser Medical Complex for treatment following an Israeli attack west of Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on May 21

At least 9 killed in Israeli air strike on displaced people sheltering in warehouse

Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic report that nine people have been killed in an Israeli air strike on a warehouse where forcibly displaced Palestinians had taken shelter in central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah.

Local Palestinian media in Gaza have put the death toll at 10, and the victims are reported to be aged between seven and 51 years old.