One killed, others injured in Israeli drone strikes near Yater, southern Lebanon l LIVE

We are closing our live blog for tonight. We will be back tomorrow morning with more news updates on the region.

Two Israeli drone strike targeted a motorcycle on the outskirts of Yater (Bint Jbeil), killing its rider and injuring others, according to our correspondent in southern Lebanon.

(Credit: AFP)

Displaced Palestinians receive food packages from a U.S.-backed foundation pledging to distribute humanitarian aid in western Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on May 27, 2025.

Images of Palestinians in Gaza rushing to aid distribution center are 'heartbreaking': UN

Images of thousands of starving Palestinians rushing to an aid center of the new Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) are “heartbreaking,” commented the spokesperson for the U.N. Secretary-General.

“We've seen these videos coming from Gaza around a distribution center of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and frankly, these videos, these images are heartbreaking,” said Stéphane Dujarric, referring to the videos of people "desperate to get aid in these conditions," which the U.N. believes contradicts humanitarian principles.

Thousands of Palestinians rushed to a new humanitarian aid distribution center in the south of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday afternoon, reported an AFP journalist.

After more than two and a half months of a total blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip, Israel last week began letting in dribs and drabs of humanitarian aid.

The newly created, U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which operates these new aid distribution centers, wrote that the influx was such that its team “retreated to allow a small number of Gazans to receive aid safely [before] dispersing.” The “invasion” of the distribution center “by thousands of starving people” is proof that Israel's efforts to distribute humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, bypassing the United Nations, have “failed miserably,” according to the Hamas government's press office for the Gaza Strip.

“I was standing in line at an aid distribution point in Rafah with hundreds of citizens, and suddenly a large number of people started pushing and entering in a totally random way,” Ayman Abou Zaid, a displaced person, told AFP. “It was due to the lack of aid and the delay in distribution, so they tried to get in to take whatever they could,” he added. "At one point, there were gunshots, it was very scary, and people started to disperse, but some kept trying to take the aid despite the danger,” the man said.

The Gaza government media office has issued a statement on the scenes that unfolded at the aid distribution point in the southern Gaza Strip, claiming that Israel's plan to distribute supplies “in the so-called ‘buffer zones’ has failed disastrously.”

“Thousands of starving civilians, besieged and deprived of food and medicine by the occupation for nearly 90 days, rushed to these areas in a heartbreaking scene that ended with distribution centers being stormed and food seized under the crushing weight of hunger,” the office stressed. It added that Israeli forces responded “by opening fire and wounding several citizens, clearly reflecting the total collapse of the so-called humanitarian path that the occupation claims to defend.”

The office said that these scenes testified to Israel's inability to manage the humanitarian crisis “that it has deliberately created through a policy of starvation, siege and bombardment.” He added that the creation of “buffer ghettos” to distribute limited aid “under the threat of death, bullets and starvation does not indicate a genuine intention to deal with the crisis.”

Israel's defense ministry has announced the landing in the country of the 800th flight carrying military equipment and munitions since the start of the war on Gaza.

In a statement, the ministry said that the airlift of military equipment and weapons was carried out in collaboration with the ministry's mission in the United States, Israel's main ally, and other sectors of the Israeli army.

“Throughout this operation, more than 90,000 tons of military equipment have been delivered to Israel via 800 flights and around 140 sea shipments. The equipment purchased and transported includes ammunition, armored vehicles, personal protective equipment and medical supplies,” he detailed.

Gaza: Martine Aubry calls for 'rapid action' to put end to 'genocide'

Former minister and Socialist mayor of Lille, France, Martine Aubry, has criticized the world's “cowardice” in the face of the “dramatic” situation in Gaza, calling for “swift action,” including parachuting aid into the Palestinian territory with military aircraft.

“Big words are fine, big statements are great ... But what are we doing? How cowardly the world is today in relation to what is happening in Gaza,” Aubry said indignantly at a press briefing in Lille. “I feel ashamed” at the "powerlessness of France, Europe and international institutions to act," she added.

“We must act quickly” by sending "military planes to Gaza, to parachute in food and medicine" and suspend "now" the association agreement between the European Union and Israel, she proposed. Aubry also suggested that “the European Council should require member countries to cease all military aid to Israel” and “support the prosecution” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by the International Criminal Court. “Personally, I have no doubt that there is genocide” being committed by Israel against the Palestinian population in Gaza, she added.

Israel makes unfounded accusations, says Lazzarini

The head of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, has claimed that Israel is continually making “unfounded” accusations against the U.N. agency.

“To date, UNRWA has received no response, nor has the Israeli government provided sufficient evidence to support these very serious allegations,” he said on X.

The Israeli government has accused UNRWA staff of involvement in the Hamas attack of Oct. 7, 2023, and has banned the agency from operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel.

Lazzarini said on X that the allegations had endangered the lives of his staff and damaged the agency's reputation. “The minimum requirements are sufficient evidence and due process,” he stressed. “The absence of these two elements more than a year later raises the possibility that the accusations were unfounded,” he added.

Iraqi government denounces Israel's 'starvation policy' in Gaza

The Iraqi government has denounced Israel's “starvation policy” in Gaza and urged the international community to “exert maximum pressure” on the country to allow aid into the besieged and bombed territory.

The statement accuses Israel of ignoring “all humanitarian and legal considerations” and using “the denial of humanitarian and food aid as a further tool to perpetuate the massacre of Palestinians.”

Von der Leyen denounces Israel's wave of murderous attacks on civilian facilities in Gaza

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described Israel's wave of deadly attacks on civilian facilities in Gaza as “abhorrent” during a meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan.

“The expansion of Israeli military operations in Gaza, targeting civilian infrastructure, including a school that served as a shelter for displaced Palestinian families, killing civilians, including children, is abhorrent,” she said, according to a European Commission record of the call.

Israeli strategic affairs minister visits US

Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer arrived in Washington on Monday, Israeli officials told Axios. He is scheduled to meet Tuesday with White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and other U.S. security officials.

South Lebanon: Lebanese Army uncovers Israeli spy device in Blida

A specialized unit of the Lebanese Army discovered and dismantled a hidden Israeli espionage device equipped with a camera in the Blida area (Marjayoun district) in South Lebanon.

The army also announced in a statement that it had removed two Israeli-built earth embankments in Blida and Mais sl-Jabal.

"The Lebanese Army is closely monitoring the situation on the ground, in coordination with UNIFIL," the statement added, citing ongoing Israeli violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty and security, particularly in the South.

Lebanese Army has completely removed the earthen berm in Mais al-Jabal

According to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the South, the Lebanese Army has completely leveled the low earth wall and filled the trench created by the Israeli army near Mais al-Jabal last night.

U.N. unclear about deliveries by Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

The U.N. said it does not know whether the new U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has actually started distributing food in the enclave, as it claims. "We have no information," said Juliette Touma, spokeswoman for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), speaking via videoconference at a press briefing.

The little-known GFH, registered in Geneva since February, announced yesterday that it had begun delivering food to Gaza. "More truckloads of aid will be delivered tomorrow, and the flow of aid will increase daily," said the Washington-backed foundation in a statement.

🔴 Direct contact between Syria and Israel to ease border tension

Syrian and Israeli officials held several face-to-face meetings in recent weeks aimed at calming tensions and preventing conflict in the border region between the two long-standing enemies, Reuters reported.

On the Syrian side, the talks are led by Ahmad el-Dalati, a senior security official appointed governor of the province of Qouneitra — which borders the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights — after the fall of Assad. This week, he was also put in charge of security in the southern province of Sweida, populated mainly by Syria's Druze minority, added Reuters, which was unable to establish the identity of Israeli interlocutors.

Sources quoted by the agency added that multiple meetings had taken place in the border area, including in territory controlled by Israel.

Earlier this month, Syria's interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa confirmed that indirect talks with Tel Aviv were taking place, mediated by UAE.

Gaza death toll tops 54,000, Health Ministry says

At least 79 people were killed and 163 injured in the past 24 hours in Israeli attacks on Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, as reported by Al Jazeera. The figures are based on reports from hospitals across the Strip, excluding those in the North Governorate, which remain largely inaccessible.

This brings the total number of people killed since the start of the war to 54,056, with 123,129 wounded. The ministry added that many victims remain under the rubble or in the streets, where emergency crews are still unable to reach them.

Lebanese army working currently removing the large earthen barrier that the Israeli army constructed Monday night, in the presence of UNIFIL in Mais al-Jabal (Bint Jbeil) on 27 May 2025. (Credit: Muntasser Abdallah/L'Orient Today)

Lebanese Army heading to remove Israeli earth embankments near Mais al-Jabal

According to our correspondent, Lebanese soldiers are on their way to the Kouroum al-Mrah area near Mais al-Jabal with construction equipment to remove earth embankments laid overnight by an Israeli infantry unit across several dozen meters.

South Lebanon: Victim of Israeli strike on Majdel Zoun dies from injuries

A Lebanese man wounded in an Israeli drone strike on his motorcycle in Majdel Zoun, in the Sour district of South Lebanon, late Sunday night has died from his injuries, according to our correspondent’s sources. The victim has been identified as Abdallah Zeineddine.

According to our count, Israeli strikes and shelling in Lebanon since the ceasefire with Israel came into effect have killed at least 165 people.

Israeli activists block aid to Gaza

Far-right Israeli activists gathered at the port of Ashdod, about 30 km from Gaza, to block humanitarian aid bound for the besieged enclave.

Videos shared by Israeli media and on social networks show protesters standing in front of aid trucks leaving the port, while Israeli police attempted to remove them from the road.

Gaza: 180,000 Palestinians forcibly displaced between May 15–25

Nearly 180,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced within 10 days in Gaza following the expansion of Israel’s offensive, according to the U.N. migration agency.

In a statement, the global Camp Coordination and Camp Management Cluster expressed “deep concern” over what it described as increasingly “common” Israeli attacks directly targeting displaced persons' shelters.

Only six UNRWA health centers still operating in Gaza

UNRWA stated that only 6 out of its 22 health centers in Gaza remain operational due to “constant bombardment,” according to a statement from the U.N. agency. While 37 medical points are still in place, essential medical supplies are reported to be "critically lacking."

“Unimpeded access to life-saving aid, including medicine and basic medical supplies, is urgently needed,” the statement added.

Since March 2, Israel has imposed a total blockade on food and aid entering the Gaza Strip.

Gaza municipality workers targeted in Israeli strike

The municipality announced that one of its employees was killed and two others injured "while on duty" during an Israeli airstrike on the Rimal neighborhood in southwestern Gaza City.

Gaza: At least three Palestinians killed in overnight Israeli strikes

At least three Palestinians were killed in overnight Israeli attacks on Gaza City and the town of al-Zawayda, according to Al Jazeera.

Additional airstrikes and artillery shelling targeted the al-Saftaoui neighborhood in Gaza City and Qarara, near Khan Younis. Eastern and southern neighborhoods of Khan Younis were also hit by artillery fire at dawn on Tuesday, according to the Qatari outlet’s local correspondents. The attacks came just hours after the Israeli army ordered the evacuation of several neighborhoods in Khan Younis on Monday ahead of a planned assault. The bodies of two victims were recovered following an earlier Israeli strike.

In total, at least 81 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip since the start of Monday, including 53 in Gaza City, Al Jazeera reports.

Welcome to today's live blog of developments in the Middle East, focusing on the ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza, tensions in South Lebanon, the situation in Yemen, the occupied West Bank, and Syria.

To catch up on what you missed yesterday read our 👉Morning Brief

Israeli troops conduct night incursion into Lebanon

Israeli infantry entered Lebanese territory near Mais al-Jabal on Monday night, staying for over eight hours to build earth embankments, triggering a response from the Lebanese army and U.N. peacekeepers (UNIFIL). The embankments stretched from Kouroum al-Mrah to Khallet al-Mghara (Mount Lebanon district).

Israeli army sets fires along Lebanon border

Residents near Ghajar and Abbassieh reported that Israeli forces started fires in Hasbaya district to prevent infiltration and illuminate the area. Troop movements were also reported near Tallet Hamames, a site Israel still occupies in South Lebanon.

Netanyahu vows to bring back all hostages from Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to recover all hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, both alive and dead. Speaking at Jerusalem Day celebrations, he stressed Israel’s ongoing mission to win the war and secure the hostages’ return.

West Bank: Palestinian youth killed by Israeli fire

A 20-year-old Palestinian man, Mohammad Jalayta, died from wounds sustained during an Israeli army raid in the al-Arab neighborhood of Jericho. Two other Palestinians were arrested during a raid on the Askar al-Jadid refugee camp, while Israeli settlers set fire to Palestinian farmland in Haris, Salfit.

Syrian Kurds demand decentralized Governance

Syrian Kurds plan to resume talks with Damascus soon, demanding a decentralized governance system in Syria. A Kurdish official emphasized that a pluralistic, democratic Syria respecting regional and community differences is non-negotiable. This follows a March 10 agreement integrating Kurdish autonomous institutions into the Syrian state.

Gaza humanitarian foundation begins food deliveries

The newly established Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), backed by the U.S., started food deliveries in Gaza yesterday, promising aid will increase daily. The U.N. and NGOs refuse to work with the organization, which has condemned Hamas threats against groups supporting humanitarian efforts at GHF distribution sites. A Gaza resident, Ibrahim Bakr, expressed the desperate need for food and water.

Israeli army intercepts second missile from Yemen

Israeli military announced it intercepted another missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels toward Israel, just hours after an earlier interception Tuesday morning. Sirens sounded across multiple regions in Israel following the missile detection. Earlier, a false alarm was triggered in Nir Am near the Gaza Strip due to a mistaken identification of an aerial threat.