Shin Bet officials threaten to resign over Netanyahu appointment: Report

Senior field officers in Israel’s internal security service have threatened to resign if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appoints Major-General David Zini as Shin Bet’s next chief, a news report says.

Israel’s public broadcaster KAN reported that some field coordinators say they are considering quitting, describing it as a “political move” that undermines the agency’s professional integrity.

They emphasised that Zini’s views are incompatible with Shin Bet’s values, the news report said.

On Thursday, Netanyahu announced the appointment of Zini as the new head of Shin Bet, defying a Supreme Court ruling and the attorney-general’s directive that the dismissal of current chief Ronen Bar was unlawful.

Rally for Israeli soldier jailed for refusing to return to Gaza

In Israel, dozens of people have rallied around an army reservist sent to jail for refusing to return to duty in the war on Gaza.

Ron Feiner is among about 300 reservists who oppose Israel’s war and how their government has handled efforts to rescue captives. Feiner fought for 270 days. He’ll spend nearly three weeks in a military prison.

“It was very difficult for him to make this decision; he hesitated many times. He loves his soldiers, he loves the service and he’s loyal to them,” said his mother, Naomi Feiner.

“But things have simply crossed all the limits. How far can it go? Everything they’re doing in this country isn’t helping. They need to start listening to us already. I hope others will follow in his footsteps and take the same action.”

New message from Hezbollah chief: ‘Let Israel stop its aggression’

Speaking on the anniversary of Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem reiterated the Lebanese group’s stance that it will not discuss giving up its remaining weapons until Israel withdraws from the five border points it occupies in southern Lebanon and stops its air strikes.

The speech came nearly six months after the latest Israel-Hezbollah war ended with a ceasefire. Under the deal, Israel and Hezbollah were supposed to withdraw forces from southern Lebanon.

Israeli officials have said they plan to remain at the five points indefinitely to secure their border. Israel has also continued to carry out near-daily air strikes in southern Lebanon and sometimes in Beirut’s suburbs.

“We adhered completely” to the agreement, Kassem said, adding: “Don’t ask us for anything else from now on. Let Israel withdraw, stop its aggression, release the prisoners and fulfill all obligations under the agreement. After that, we will discuss each new development.”

Nineteen killed in Israeli attack on northern Gaza shelter

Our correspondent in Gaza is reporting that an Israeli attack on a school where displaced Palestinians were sheltering in Gaza City’s Daraj neighbourhood has killed 19 Palestinians.

Five killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza City, Khan Younis: Report

Earlier, we reported on a late-night Israeli bombing in besieged northern Gaza.

At least four Palestinians were killed and an unknown number of others wounded when Israeli warplanes targeted a residential building on Revolution Street, west of Gaza City, according to the Wafa news agency.

It also reported that a child was killed and four family members injured by an Israeli drone strike that targeted a tent housing displaced people in Bani Suheila in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.

Displaced Palestinians ‘burned alive’ in Israeli attack on Gaza City school

We are following an Israeli attack on a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City that has killed at least 19 people.

The attack targeted the Fahmi al-Jarjawi School in the Daraj neighbourhood.

Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Gaza is reporting that the bombing caused a fire at the school, burning people alive and leaving dozens killed and wounded. At least six children were killed.

The search for survivors is ongoing.

The first moments after Israeli forces struck Fahmi Al-Jarjawi School in Al-Sahaba, Al-Daraj, eastern Gaza.
Dozens of displaced civilians were killed or injured in a horrific massacre—burned alive inside a school-turned-shelter. pic.twitter.com/mhrWnZmTwD

— أنس الشريف Anas Al-Sharif (@AnasAlSharif0) May 25, 2025

Death toll from Sunday rises

Medical sources say Israeli forces have killed at least 57 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Sunday.

Many still missing after Israeli attack on Gaza City school

Many of the children are charred inside the classrooms amid a heavy fire that was caused by the bombing of the Fahmi al-Jarjawi School. Given how overcrowded the school is, the number [of injured] keeps increasing as time goes by.

The Civil Defence service is still inside the school. They say about half of the facility was destroyed, and the bombs caused a huge level of destruction. Many people are still missing under huge piles of rubble.

Gaza’s Civil Defence says its crews “were able to control a fire” that broke out at the Fahmi Al-Jarjawi school following Israel’s latest attack.

In an update on Telegram, the Civil Defence said its crews have so far retrieved the bodies of 13 people killed in the attack, and 21 people who were injured.

Main events on May 25th

Chief of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation resigns

The executive director of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has resigned, dealing a blow to a plan backed by the US and Israel to bring in aid to the Palestinian enclave.

“It is clear that it is not possible to implement this plan while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon,” Jake Wood said in a statement announcing his resignation, effective immediately.

“I urge Israel to significantly expand the provision of aid into Gaza through all mechanisms,” he added.

The United States and Israel have touted GHF as the key to resolving the aid crisis in the Gaza Strip, but the United Nations and other humanitarian organisations have refused to work with the group, saying its plans will only worsen displacement in the Strip.

Wood, a former US Marine, said he had taken on the role after being approached just two months ago and that he’s proud of the work he has overseen.

Death toll at Gaza City school rises to 25

We are getting reports that the death toll at the Fahmi Al-Jarjawi school has risen from 19 to 25.

CODE GENOCIDE. Words Are Not Enough.

Words Are Not Enough – We Must Take Immediate Action To End The Genocide In Palestine.

The Strange Alliance: White Supremacy and Zionism

Why do white supremacists—who hold deeply antisemitic beliefs—support Zionism?

The answer lies in Zionism itself.



It's on the mainstream news now with a long segment

Call for arms embargo on Israel as Gaza’s children face starvation | BBC News

The Spanish government is calling for an international arms embargo on the Israeli government to end the war and the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip.

"We must all agree on a joint arms embargo," Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told journalists at the start of an international meeting on the crisis in the Spanish capital. "The last thing the Middle East needs right now is weapons."

Israeli airstrikes killed 30 Palestinians in the last 24 hours according to Gaza’s Hamas-controlled health ministry. Small quantities of aid have entered Gaza but only a small fraction of what is required to prevent mass starvation. There is desperate need for food, water and medicine, with Gaza’s youngest children the most vulnerable.

Still putting faith in GHF though, missing the fact Jake Wood, the executive director, just quit out of protest...

US rights group says American bombs killed Red Cross workers in Gaza

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has called on US President Donald Trump to act over Israel’s latest attack on humanitarian workers in Gaza.

“The war criminals of the Israeli occupation forces just murdered two Red Cross workers with American bombs paid for with American taxpayer dollars,” CAIR said in a post on X.

“How many more until you stop Netanyahu, President [Trump]?”

The war criminals of the Israeli occupation forces just murdered two Red Cross workers with American bombs paid for with American taxpayer dollars. How many more until you stop Netanyahu, President @realDonaldTrump? https://t.co/OA6mtvXBvD

— CAIR National (@CAIRNational) May 25, 2025

Australia’s Albanese says Israel’s excuses over blockade ‘completely untenable’

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has told reporters in Canberra that Israel’s blockade on Gaza is “completely unacceptable”.

“People are starving, and the idea that a democratic state withholds supply is an outrage,” he said. “That is my clear position. It’s one I’ve indicated clearly and directly to the Israeli government,” the prime minister said, noting that he spoke with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Rome last week.

“We find Israel’s excuses and explanations completely untenable and without credibility,” Albanese added.

The Australian leader, however, pushed back at questions over why his country did not join the UK, France and Canada in calling for more “concrete actions” against Israel, saying that the statement was by members of the G7, which Canberra is not part of.

His remarks come after a former minister in the Albanese government, Ed Husic, penned an article in The Guardian criticising Australia for not taking a firmer stand over the weekend.

Spain advocates suspending EU-Israel deal over Gaza war

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares spoke to Al Jazeera ahead of the Madrid Group meeting on Sunday.

He told Al Jazeera that his priorities are “stopping the war” and ensuring aid access. He also warned that a two-state solution to the conflict is “near nonviable” without swift Palestinian recognition.

The minister went on to compare the EU’s stalled action on Israel with the bloc’s response to Russia, stressing that “sanctions must be debated”.

Israel’s Saar hails ‘strong’ ties with US as security chief Noem visits

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has praised the Trump administration as he hosts US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Jerusalem.

After hosting a memorial for two Israeli embassy staff workers killed in Washington, DC, last week, Saar hailed “strong ties” between the two countries as well as the “commitment” of the Trump administration to combat anti-Semitism.

“We thank the president and his administration for the intensive investigation into the murder,” he said.

_{US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem shakes hands with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar after planting a tree in Jerusalem as US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee looks on}

Thousands protest in Paris against Israel’s war on Gaza


<sub>Thousands of people gathered at Place de la Republique to demonstrate in solidarity with Palestinians and denounce Israeli attacks on Gaza, on Sunday


The protest came as 20 countries met in Madrid on Sunday to discuss ways to pressure Israel to end its war on Gaza


French President Emmanuel Macron has indicated that his country may formally recognise Palestinian statehood next month</sub>

Officials decry EU’s lack of ‘meaningful action’ on Gaza: Report

The European Union has taken “little or no meaningful action” in response to catastrophic humanitarian conditions created by Israel in Gaza, according to a letter by a group of officials that has been reported by The Guardian.

The EU Staff for Peace letter said “inaction” by the 27-member bloc has “contributed to the environment of unaccountability that resulted in the full-scale invasion of the Gaza Strip taking place at this moment”, the UK newspaper reported.

Officials working for EU bodies, including the European Commission, had written a similar letter a year earlier.

At the time, they said standing idly by as death and destruction unfold in Gaza would mean “failing the European project” as envisaged in the aftermath of the horrors of World War II.

The latest letter comes a week after EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc would review its trade agreement with Israel.

Public criticism of Israel has ‘zero’ effect: German official

Armin Laschet, the chairman of the foreign affairs committee in Germany’s lower house of parliament, has argued that public criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza by the country’s allies has had “zero” effect in protecting Palestinian lives.

In comments made to broadcaster ZDF, Laschet claimed a joint statement issued last week by the UK, Canada and France calling Israel’s escalation in Gaza “wholly disproportionate” had no impact in ending the conflict or ensuring humanitarian aid could reach the territory.

Laschet argued the new conservative-led government’s “quiet diplomacy” and “clear words” to Israel were “more effective than constant resolutions and pithy slogans”.

A staunch ally of Israel, Germany has faced accusations of silencing pro-Palestinian voices since the start of the war. Officials have moved to ban protests and cancel events, while cultural institutes have distanced themselves from artists who raise awareness about the Palestinian cause.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz, meanwhile, has said he would make sure Netanyahu can visit Germany despite an arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court.

Germany sees Israeli security as a “reason of state” due to its historic responsibility for the Holocaust.

However, Laschet insisted that the term “doesn’t mean you can’t criticise Israel, you can’t demand aid deliveries, you can’t criticise the prime minister”. “You can do all that,” said Laschet. “You can also say that the government has right-wing extremist ministers, you can also say that the war aims are wrong.”

Public pressure is what leads to diplomacy... Germany's support for Israel is only drawing out the genocide. All you're trying to do is to get the genocide out of the news so Israel can go on undisturbed.

Israeli attacks on Gaza no longer justified as fight against Hamas: Germany’s Merz

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says Israel’s recent attacks on the Gaza Strip are taking a humanitarian toll on civilians that can no longer be justified as a military campaign against “terrorism”.

“Harming the civilian population to such an extent, as has increasingly been the case in recent days, can no longer be justified as a fight against Hamas terrorism,” he told broadcaster WDR in a televised interview.

“What the Israeli army is now doing in Gaza – I don’t understand, to say it openly,” Merz said.

He added he planned a call with Netanyahu this week to tell him “to not overdo it” although, for “historical reasons”, Germany would always be more guarded in its criticism than some European partners.

A reminder that Merz in February said he would make sure the Israeli prime minister could visit Germany despite an arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged war crimes in Gaza. As a member state of the court, Germany is required to detain suspects facing arrest warrants if they set foot on its soil, but the ICC has no way to enforce that.

Yep that's Germany, continue with your genocide, just don't overdo it, too much public awareness lately.

Israel’s deadliest attacks on Gaza’s schools-turned-shelters

We’ve been following an Israeli attack that killed at least 19 people sheltering at the Fahmi Al-Jarjawi school in Gaza City.

This is just the latest in Israel’s assaults on schools-turned-shelters in the Gaza Strip. Aid agencies say Israeli forces have destroyed or damaged some 95 percent of the territory’s schools since October 2023.

Here’s a look at some of the deadliest attacks:

_{Palestinians inspect the damage at a school sheltering displaced people, following an Israeli strike, in Gaza City, May 26}

Does international law permit Israel’s attacks on schools in Gaza?

International Humanitarian Law (IHL), which is based on a number of treaties, including the Geneva Conventions, seeks to limit the harmful consequences of war. First and foremost, among its provisions is a rule that requires parties to any conflict to distinguish between combatants and civilians at all times.

This means that civilians may never be the target of any attacks.

Warring parties are required to take all feasible precautions to minimise harm, not just to civilians, but also to civilian objects, such as homes, shops, schools, hospitals, houses of worship and cultural property. These structures may not be attacked unless they are being used for military purposes, such as to launch attacks or for storing weapons and ammunition.

This is why Israel has repeatedly sought to justify its attacks on civilians by claiming that the hundreds of hospitals, schools and mosques it has destroyed in Gaza have all been “command and control complexes” run by Hamas.

It has failed to provide evidence to back these claims, however.

Now, even if the allegation were true, UN experts have said that Israel has to comply with the principles of proportionality, distinction and precaution, including issuing warnings for evacuation. But Palestinians and rights groups say Israeli attacks on Gaza have often been disproportionate and indiscriminate, and often take place without warning, resulting in high civilian casualties.

Israeli forces have now killed nearly 54,000 Palestinians in Gaza, including more than 17,000 children and more than 1,000 healthcare workers.

_{Palestinians wounded in an Israeli strike are assisted at al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, May 26}

US Muslim group slams Israeli attack on Gaza school

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has called on Trump to compel Israel to accept a ceasefire after its latest deadly attack on a Gaza school-turned-shelter.

“Enough. Benjamin Netanyahu must be stopped,” CAIR said in a post on X.

“Give Steve Witkoff the authority to demand that Netanyahu accept a permanent ceasefire deal that ends the genocide for good, frees all captives on both sides, and allows unfettered humanitarian aid to Gaza.”

Enough, @realDonaldTrump. Enough. Benjamin Netanyahu must be stopped. Give @SteveWitkoff the authority to demand that Netanyahu accept a permanent ceasefire deal that ends the genocide for good, frees all captives on both sides, and allows unfettered humanitarian aid to Gaza. https://t.co/BqFGmlZm0F

— CAIR National (@CAIRNational) May 26, 2025

Death toll at Gaza City school rises to 30

Medical sources have told our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic that the death toll from the Israeli bombing of the Fahmi Al-Jarjawi school has risen from 25 to 30. Most of them were children and women.



Civil defence crews told Al Jazeera they spent hours searching through the rubble to pull victims from under the rubble. They said they managed to recover the charred bodies of a number of mothers and children, describing very distressing, unbearable scenes.

The school did not receive any kind of warning ahead of the strike, and people said the strike caused massive destruction, leaving parts of the building engulfed in flames that took hours to be extinguished by the civil defence crews who have been working tirelessly, using very outdated tools and their bare hands.

Israel claims Gaza City school attack targeted ‘terrorists’

Using its usual justification, the Israeli military claims, without providing evidence, that the Fahmi al-Jarjawi school in Gaza was a “command and control centre” for Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

In a joint statement with the security agency, Shin Bet, it said the school-turned-shelter that was housing displaced Palestinians “was used by the terrorists to plan and gather intelligence in order to execute terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and [army] troops”.

Despite killing and burning to death at least 30 people, the statement said that “numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians”.

The Israeli military has bombed hundreds of such places sheltering forcibly displaced civilians since the start of the war in 2023.

Eighteen children among those killed in Gaza school attack: Media Office

The Government Media Office in Gaza has issued a statement condemning the “brutal massacre” at the school-turned-shelter in Gaza City, which killed more than 30 people.

In a statement, it said 18 children were among those killed in the attack, calling it “a direct extension of the crime of ethnic cleansing and genocide” that the Israeli army has been committing against Palestinians for nearly 600 days.

The office said Israel has been “deliberately and systematically” targeting shelters and centres for displaced people “in a flagrant violation of all international and humanitarian laws, and in a blatant attempt to inflict the largest possible number of civilian casualties”.

It added that these attacks take place amid the collapse of the healthcare system and the destruction of hospitals due to Israel’s war. “Medical staff are under tremendous pressure, face a severe shortage of medical supplies, the closure of crossings to the wounded and sick, and the prevention of the entry of fuel, food, medicine, and treatment, exacerbating the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip,” the office said.

GHF to begin aid deliveries in Gaza today

The embattled Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has issued a statement expressing disappointment at the sudden resignation of its executive director, and announcing plans to begin distributing aid in Gaza today.

“We will not be deterred,” it said.

“Our trucks are loaded and ready to go. Beginning Monday, May 26, GHF will begin direct aid delivery in Gaza, reaching over one million Palestinians by the end of the week. We plan to scale rapidly to serve the full population in the weeks ahead,” it added.

As we’ve been reporting, Wood resigned, citing the GHF’s lack of independence.

Why did the GHF’s executive director resign?

We’ve been speaking to Robert Patman, a professor of international relations at the University of Otago, about the latest setback for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. He says Wood resigned because of a lack of support from key groups.

“Jake Wood has a background in humanitarian assistance, but dealing with natural disasters, and I think he realised that he wasn’t getting support from the organisations that he needed in order to make this US-Israeli initiative an effective, independent humanitarian organisation,” Patman said from New Zealand.

“It’s no secret that major aid donors had not been convinced by this proposal, which is essentially a start-up. And secondly, the UN, and particularly UNRWA, have been very cool in their response and have indicated they won’t cooperate,” he said.

Patman also noted that many aid groups have pointed out that there’s “no need for a new humanitarian organisation”, and that what’s needed is an end to the Israeli blockade on Gaza.

GHF lacks ‘international legitimacy’

More from Patman, the professor at the University of Otago. He told Al Jazeera that it is striking that the GHF’s executive director cited the organisation’s failure to adhere to humanitarian principles in his resignation letter.

“I think this initiative lacks international legitimacy in the eyes of some of the key stakeholders,” Patman said. “The Israeli government makes no secret of the fact that it wants control of Gaza, and the Trump administration has already floated a proposal in the past which involved the displacement of the Palestinian population from Gaza,” the scholar said.

“So, in the eyes of much of the international community, the two parties who have contributed to the current situation now wish to take over the operation of humanitarian aid – when they have particular political goals in mind. And that does fuel suspicion and concern that this wouldn’t be a disinterested, impartial humanitarian operation,” he said.

“It’s not the best time to have a start-up when you actually have tried and trusted organisations which simply are not being given the tools to do the job,” Patman added.

GHF another attempt to ‘use food as weapon’ during war: Gaza ministry

Gaza’s Interior Ministry says it is following with deep concern the developments around the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which has been propped up by the US and Israel to take over aid distribution in the territory.

It said in a statement that the circumvention of international aid organisations is “intended to replace order with chaos, adopt a policy of engineering the starvation of Palestinian civilians, and use food as a weapon in times of war”.

By controlling aid through GHF, which saw its director resign today due to a lack of independence, Israel “seeks to achieve its malicious goals of implementing displacement plans, in addition to ensnaring and blackmailing citizens for security purposes”, it added.

The ministry warned that GHF would make Palestinians walk long distances to several limited militarised distribution points, meaning it is “part of the occupation’s policies to redistribute the population within the Gaza Strip” and fulfil its displacement plan for Gaza.