Netanyahu’s office walks back comments suggesting imminent hostage deal
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has sought to tone down his earlier remarks suggesting that an agreement on the hostages in Gaza might be imminent. In a statement released on behalf of a “senior official,” the Prime Minister’s Office clarified that Netanyahu’s comments — made in a recorded video — should not be interpreted as a signal that a deal is close.
“The Prime Minister meant that we will not give up on freeing our hostages, and that if we don’t succeed now, we hope to in the coming days, or even later,” the statement said, adding that “for now, Hamas continues to cling to its refusal,” according to The Times of Israel.
Israeli army's 36th Division is advancing in southern Khan Younis, Gaza, as part of a new offensive against Hamas, according to a statement cited by The Times of Israel.
In the statement, the Israeli military said the division — which includes the Golani Brigade — recently completed operations in Rafah and is now moving into new areas of Khan Younis, located further north.
In recent weeks, the division established the “Morag Corridor,” named after a former Israeli settlement in Gaza dismantled in 2005. The corridor cuts across the strip from east to west, separating Rafah from Khan Younis and the rest of the enclave.
⚡ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday he hopes to make an announcement on the Gaza hostages “today or tomorrow,” after Hamas declared it had accepted a truce proposed by mediators.
“I truly hope we can make an announcement [on the hostages] today, and if not today, then tomorrow,” Netanyahu said in a video posted on his Telegram channel, as reported by AFP.
LEBANON
Israeli fighter jets are currently flying over the Mount Hermon heights, overlooking the Rashaya al-Wadi area as well as the eastern and western Bekaa regions, and the slopes facing the Bekaa plain, according to our regional correspondent.
Gaza cease-fire
In an apparent shift in his Gaza cease-fire proposal, White House envoy Steve Witkoff now appears to be aligning with Israeli proposals for a temporary cease-fire and a deal that would see half of the living hostages and half of the deceased hostages returned.
Witkoff told Axios that he had “agreed to preside over” this plan, which “would lead to substantive negotiations to find a path toward a permanent cease-fire.” “Hamas should accept it,” he added.
U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff has rejected Hamas's claim that the group accepted his proposal for a hostage deal and cease-fire in Gaza, according to Axios.
Also according to Axios, Witkoff told him that Hamas's response to his offer was “disappointing and totally unacceptable.”
Hamas reportedly accepted Steve Witkoff's proposal for the release of 10 hostages (alive) during 70-day truce
Hamas has accepted a proposal from U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff for a cease-fire in Gaza, a Palestinian official close to the movement told Reuters, paving the way for a possible end to the war. The new proposal, which includes the release of ten hostages and a 70-day truce, was passed on to Hamas via mediators.
“The proposal includes the release of 10 live Israeli hostages held by Hamas in two groups, in exchange for a 70-day ceasefire and a partial withdrawal from the Gaza Strip,” the source said. The proposal also calls for Israel to release a number of Palestinian prisoners, including hundreds serving long prison sentences. Israel has not commented on this information.
Preliminary report on strikes in Bekaa: 1 killed, several wounded
Preliminary reports indicate that one person was killed and several wounded in mid-day air raids on the Anti-Lebanon chain on the border with Syria, near Brital, reports our correspondent in the region.
Third air strike on Brital, Bekaa region
A third air strike was reported in Brital, this time in the center of the town, on a house belonging to the Tleiss family, according to our correspondent.
Drones continue to fly over the Bekaa.
⚡ Israeli strikes on Bekaa
Israeli aircraft twice bombed the Anti-Lebanon chain on the border with Syria, near Brital, according to our correspondent Sarah Abdallah.
Gaza: War has left less than 5% of agricultural land usable, says FAO
Less than 5 percent of Gaza's agricultural land is now arable and/or accessible, further exacerbating the risk of famine in the devastated Palestinian territory, according to a new satellite assessment published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
By the end of April, more than 80 percent of agricultural land had been damaged and 77.8 percent was no longer accessible, leaving just 4.6 percent of potentially arable land (just 688 hectares), according to this geospatial analysis conducted with UNOSAT, the United Nations satellite center.
The situation “further undermines food production capacity and exacerbates the risk of famine in the area,” stressed the FAO in a press release. The situation is particularly critical in Rafah, in the south of the territory, and in the north, where “virtually” no agricultural land is accessible, the statement added.
Merz 'no longer understands objective of Israeli army in Gaza'
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has sharply criticized the intensification of Israel's offensive in Gaza, saying he “no longer understands the objective of the army” of that country and threatening not to be able to continue supporting the Netanyahu government.
“The Israeli government must do nothing that its best friends are no longer prepared to accept,” warned the German leader, castigating with rare firmness the actions of this country, of which Berlin is one of the most loyal allies along with the United States.
Israeli army issues evacuation order for Khan Younis in southern Gaza Strip
The Israeli army has issued an evacuation order for residents of certain neighborhoods in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, claiming that rockets had been fired from the area.
“Terrorist organizations continue to fire rockets from your areas. The Khan Younis area is considered a dangerous combat zone and has been warned repeatedly. Evacuate immediately to the west,” said Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee in Arabic on social networks.
2 wounded in Israeli night strikes on southern Lebanon
The Lebanese Health Ministry has announced that two people were wounded in overnight strikes on Majdal Zoun (Sour) and Beit Lif (Bint Jbeil).
Ben Gvir visits Esplanade of the Mosques
Far-right Israeli Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visited the Esplanade of the Mosques in Israeli-occupied and annexed East Jerusalem this morning at the start of Israel's Jerusalem Day celebrations.
“I went up to the Temple Mount for Jerusalem Day and prayed for victory in the war [in Gaza], for the return of all our hostages and the success of the new head of the Shin Bet, Major General David Zini. Happy Jerusalem Day!” wrote the National Security Minister in a message on Telegram, accompanied by photographs showing him on the Esplanade of the Mosques, referred to as the Temple Mount by Jews.
Lufthansa extends suspension of Tel Aviv services until June 15
Europe's leading airline, Lufthansa, announced on Monday that it is extending the suspension of its flights to Tel Aviv until June 15, amid an intensifying Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.
"Due to the current situation, the Lufthansa Group will suspend its flights to and from Tel Aviv until Sunday, June 15 inclusive," the German group said in a statement, instead of June 8 as previously announced.
Three projectiles fired from Gaza, one intercepted, according to the Israeli army
The Israeli army reported three "projectiles" were fired from the Gaza Strip, claiming to have intercepted one of them and that the other two "fell" inside Palestinian territory.
"Recently, three projectiles were identified from the southern Gaza Strip heading towards communities near the Gaza Strip. Two projectiles fell in the Gaza Strip and another was intercepted by the IAF (Israeli Air Force) before entering Israeli territory," the army said in a statement issued shortly after warning sirens sounded in areas near Gaza.
Bombing of a school in Gaza City: Death toll rises to 33
At least 33 people were killed and dozens more injured in an Israeli bombing of a school in Gaza City, the Gaza Civil Defense announced.
The death toll from the "massacre at the Fahmi AlJarjaoui school in Gaza City is at least 33, with dozens injured, mainly children and several women," relief organization spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal told AFP.
Trump hopes to 'stop this whole situation as quickly as possible' in Gaza
U.S. President Donald Trump, whose administration is the main supporter of Benjamin Netanyahu's Israeli government, said on Sunday that he hoped to "stop this whole situation as quickly as possible."
One injured in drone strike in Majdel Zoun
In south Lebanon, where the weekend marked by municipal elections on Saturday, a drone strike injured a moped driver around 11 p.m. Sunday night in Majdel Zoun (Sour), according to L'Orient Today's correspondent. The injured man was hospitalized.
And two hours later, an Israeli drone carried out two strikes on Beit Lif (Bint Jbeil).
In the morning, drones continued to fly over the regions of Zahrani, Sour and Nabatieh.
Israeli military says 'senior terrorists' were at bombed Gaza school
The Israeli military said the bombing of a Gaza City school targeted "senior terrorists," with the Palestinian Civil Defense reporting at least 20 people killed.
The strike targeted "senior terrorists operating in a Hamas and Islamic Jihad command and control center located in an area that previously served as a school ... in the Gaza City area," the army said in a statement reported by AFP.
Israeli army announces withdrawal of 146th division from Israeli-Lebanese border
The Israeli army will withdraw soldiers from its 146th Division from the border between Israel and Lebanon, which were deployed there since October 2024 amid a ground offensive in Lebanese territory, according to information from Israeli Army Radio (GLZ). The "Galilee Division," which was the only one mobilized along the Blue Line on the Israeli side before the war, will now regain "control of the entire border line," according to GLZ.
The radio station explained that the army's Northern Command had, since the start of the war on the Lebanese-Israeli border on Oct. 8, 2023, divided the Lebanese border sector between two divisions. The "Galilee Division" (91st), which previously controlled the entire border from Mount Hermon in the east to Ras Naqoura in the west, found itself in charge of only the eastern zone, while the 146th was in charge of the western zone, to allow the management of a "smaller area, facilitating a better distribution of attention and resources" during the expanded Israeli offensive against Lebanon and its ground operations. The withdrawal of the 146th Division will take place "in the near future," according to the radio's sources. This army movement was planned "for months and was conditional on the stability of the cease-fire," reached almost six months ago.
At least 20 dead in Israeli strike on Gaza school
At least 20 people were killed and 60 injured, according to the Palestinian Civil Defense, in the bombing of a school in Gaza City by Israel, which is intensifying its offensive despite growing international pressure. "At least 20 martyrs, mostly children, and more than 60 wounded have been transferred [to hospitals] in the horrific massacre perpetrated by the occupation (Israel) at the Fahmi AlJarjawi school, which is home to hundreds of displaced people in the Aldaraj neighborhood of Gaza City," Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal told AFP.
On Sunday, the Civil Defense reported 22 deaths in the Gaza Strip, including a pregnant woman and children, in a series of airstrikes.
'We must consider sanctions' against Israel, Albares says after an Arab-European meeting in Madrid
The Israeli offensive was accompanied by a blockade that exacerbated shortages of food, water, fuel, and medicine in the small Palestinian territory, raising fears of famine. Aid organizations say the little aid Israel has let in in recent days falls far short of what is needed. This humanitarian catastrophe is sparking growing international outrage, including among Israel's long-standing allies. The European Union last week called for a review of its association agreement with the country.
"In the very short term, to stop this war, which no longer has any purpose, and to bring in humanitarian aid on a massive scale, without hindrance, in a neutral manner, so that Israel does not decide who can eat and who cannot ... we must consider sanctions," stressed the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, on French public radio France Info.
Albares was speaking at a meeting in Madrid on Sunday between European and Arab leaders to discuss the issue. Speaking to the press, he stressed that Spain would call for the "immediate suspension" of the EU's association agreement with Israel, as well as an arms embargo and individual sanctions.
U.S.-backed head of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation resigns
The head of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a U.S.-backed organization created to distribute aid in the Gaza Strip, announced his resignation on Sunday, saying he was unable to fulfill his mission "while strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence."
In a statement Monday, the GHF board of directors expressed regret at its chairman's resignation and assured that aid would begin to be distributed. "Our trucks are loaded and ready to go. Starting Monday, May 26, GHF will begin delivering aid directly to Gaza, reaching more than one million Palestinians by the end of the week," the statement said.
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