It comes amid dire conditions on the ground, with the United Nations<\/strong> warning that Gaza\u2019s entire population was at risk of famine.<\/p>\n Agence-France Presse (AFP) reported that on Friday, defence minister Israel Katz<\/strong> said Hamas<\/a> must agree to a ceasefire proposal presented by US<\/strong> envoy Steve Witkoff<\/strong> or be destroyed, after the Palestinian<\/strong> militant group said the deal failed to satisfy its demands. However, Hamas said it was still considering the text.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Hamas murderers will now be forced to choose: accept the terms of the \u2018Witkoff deal\u2019 for the release of the hostages \u2013 or be annihilated,\u201d said Katz.<\/p>\n Negotiations to end nearly 20 months of war in Gaza have so far failed to achieve a breakthrough, with Israel resuming operations in March after a short-lived truce.<\/p>\n In the US, the Trump told reporters \u201cthey\u2019re very close to an agreement on Gaza\u201d, adding: \u201cWe\u2019ll let you know about it during the day or maybe tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, food shortages in Gaza persist, with aid only trickling in after the partial lifting by Israel of a more than two-month blockade.<\/p>\n Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for the UN\u2019s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha)<\/strong>, called Gaza \u201cthe hungriest place on Earth\u201d<\/a>. He said:<\/p>\n It\u2019s the only defined area \u2013 a country or defined territory within a country \u2013 where you have the entire population at risk of famine.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n In other developments:<\/p>\n Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha), has described the difficulties faced by the UN in delivering humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip as an \u201can operational straitjacket\u201d.<\/strong> Laerke said the mission to deliver aid was \u201cin an operational straitjacket that makes it one of the most obstructed aid operations not only in the world today, but in recent history\u201d. Once truckloads entered Gaza, they were often \u201cswarmed by desperate people\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Israel will not allow a planned meeting in the Palestinian administrative capital of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, to go ahead, an Israeli official said on Saturday,<\/strong> after media reported that Arab ministers planning to attend had been stopped from coming. The delegation included ministers from Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, Palestinian Authority officials said.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Israeli airstrikes have struck western Syria<\/a>, the Israeli military and Syrian state media have said, and reportedly one civilian has been killed in the first such attack on the country in nearly a month. <\/strong>\u201cA strike from Israeli occupation aircraft targeted sites close to the village of Zama in the Jableh countryside south of Latakia,\u201d state television said.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that Iran considers nuclear weapons \u201cunacceptable\u201d<\/strong>, reiterating the country\u2019s longstanding position amid delicate negotiations with the United States. Iran has held five rounds of talks with the US in search of a new nuclear agreement to replace the deal with major powers Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The commander of Kurdish forces that control northeast Syria said on Friday that his group is in direct contact with Turkey and that he would be open to improving ties<\/strong>, including by meeting Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n Foreign minister Abbas Araghchi<\/strong> said on Saturday that Iran<\/strong> considers nuclear weapons \u201cunacceptable\u201d, reiterating the country\u2019s longstanding position amid delicate negotiations with the United States<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the issue is nuclear weapons, yes, we too consider this type of weapon unacceptable,\u201d Araghchi, Iran\u2019s lead negotiator in the talks, said in a televised speech, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP). \u201cWe agree with them on this issue.\u201d<\/p>\n Iran has held five rounds of talks with the US in search of a new nuclear agreement to replace the deal with major powers president Donald Trump<\/strong> abandoned during his first term in 2018.<\/p>\n The two governments are at odds over Iran\u2019s uranium enrichment programme, which Washington<\/strong> has said must cease but which Tehran<\/strong> insists is its right under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Nonetheless, Trump said on Wednesday that \u201cwe\u2019re having some very good talks with Iran\u201d, adding that he had warned Israeli<\/strong> prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu<\/strong> against striking its nuclear facilities as it would not be \u201cappropriate right now\u201d.<\/p>\n Trump has not ruled out military action but said he wants space to make a deal first, and has also said that Israel, and not the US, would take the lead in any such strikes.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Lebanese<\/strong> official media said an Israeli<\/strong> strike killed one person in the south on Saturday despite a six-month-old ceasefire, as Israel<\/a> said it targeted a Hezbollah<\/strong> militant.<\/p>\n The state-run National News Agency (NNA) said a man was killed when an Israeli drone targeted his car as he was heading to pray at a mosque in Deir al-Zahrani<\/strong>, about 20km (12 miles) from the Israeli border.<\/p>\n Israel has continued to bomb Lebanon<\/a> despite the 27 November truce that sought to halt more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, including two months of open war.<\/p>\n According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the Israeli army said the strike killed a regional commander \u201cof Hezbollah\u2019s rocket array\u201d.<\/p>\n It said that during the conflict, the operative \u201cadvanced numerous projectile attacks \u2026 and was involved recently in efforts to reestablish Hezbollah\u2019s terrorist infrastructure\u201d in south Lebanon.<\/p>\n Under the terms of the ceasefire, Hezbollah fighters were to pull back north of the Litani River<\/strong>, 30km (20 miles) from the border, and dismantle military infrastructure to its south. Israel was to withdraw all forces from Lebanon but it has kept troops in five areas it deems \u201cstrategic\u201d.<\/p>\n The Lebanese army has deployed in the south and has been dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Gaza is \u2018hungriest place on Earth\u2019 with all its people at risk of famine, says UN Gaza<\/strong> is \u201cthe hungriest place on Earth\u201d, according to the UN<\/strong>, which has warned that the Palestinian<\/strong> territory\u2019s entire population is at risk of famine.<\/p>\n Jens Laerke<\/strong>, a spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs<\/strong>, said the territory was \u201cthe only defined area \u2013 a country or defined territory within a country \u2013 where you have the entire population at risk of famine. One hundred per cent of the population at risk of famine,\u201d he said on Friday.<\/p>\n Laerke detailed the difficulties faced by the UN in delivering humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip<\/strong>. Nine hundred trucks of humanitarian aid had been authorised by Israel<\/a><\/strong> to enter the strip since the blockade was partially lifted, but so far only 600 had been off-loaded on the Gaza side of the border, and a smaller number of shipments had then been picked up for distribution within the territory because of security considerations, he said.<\/p>\n Laerke said the mission to deliver aid was \u201cin an operational straitjacket that makes it one of the most obstructed aid operations not only in the world today, but in recent history\u201d.<\/p>\n Once truckloads entered Gaza, they were often \u201cswarmed by desperate people\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n Daniel Meron<\/strong>, Israel\u2019s UN ambassador, rejected the claim, saying UN agencies \u201ccherrypick the facts to paint an alternative version of reality and demonise Israel\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIn a desperate effort to remain relevant, they lambast the best efforts of Israel and its partners to facilitate delivery of humanitarian aid to the civilian population. UN feeds Hamas<\/a>, we make sure aid gets to those in need,\u201d he wrote on X.<\/p>\n In a reflection of the increasingly dire conditions inside the territory, a UN spokesperson said late on Friday that \u201carmed individuals\u201d had raided a warehouse at a field hospital in <\/a>Deir al-Balah<\/a><\/strong>, \u201clooting large quantities of medical equipment, supplies, medicines, nutritional supplements that was intended for malnourished children\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a004.30 EDT<\/p>\n Israel blocks Ramallah meeting<\/p>\n Israel<\/strong> will not allow a planned meeting in the Palestinian<\/strong> administrative capital of Ramallah<\/strong>, in the occupied West Bank<\/strong>, to go ahead, an Israeli official said on Saturday, after media reported that Arab ministers planning to attend had been stopped from coming.<\/p>\n The delegation included ministers from Jordan<\/strong>, Egypt<\/strong>, Saudi Arabia<\/strong>, Qatar<\/strong> and the United Arab Emirates<\/strong>, Palestinian Authority<\/strong> officials said. The ministers would require Israeli consent to travel to the West Bank from Jordan, reports Reuters.<\/p>\n An Israeli official said the ministers intended to take part in \u201ca provocative meeting\u201d to discuss promoting the establishment of a Palestinian state.<\/p>\n \u201cSuch a state would undoubtedly become a terrorist state in the heart of the land of Israel,\u201d the official said, according to Reuters. \u201cIsrael will not cooperate with such moves aimed at harming it and its security.\u201d<\/p>\n A Palestinian Authority official said that the issue of whether the meeting in Ramallah would be able to go ahead was under discussion.<\/p>\n The move comes ahead of an international conference, co-chaired by France<\/strong> and Saudi Arabia, due to be held in New York<\/strong> on 17-20 June to discuss the issue of Palestinian statehood.<\/p>\n Israel has come under increasing pressure from the United Nations<\/strong> and European<\/strong> countries which favour a two-state solution to the Israeli Palestinian conflict, under which an independent Palestinian state would exist alongside Israel.<\/p>\n French president Emmanuel Macron<\/strong> said on Friday that recognising a Palestinian state was not only a \u201cmoral duty but a political necessity\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a004.36 EDT<\/p>\n Israel threatens Hamas with \u2019annihilation\u2019 as Trump says Gaza ceasefire ‘very close’<\/p>\n Israel<\/strong> has said Hamas<\/strong> must accept a hostage deal in Gaza<\/strong> or \u201cbe annihilated\u201d, as Donald Trump<\/strong> announced that a ceasefire agreement was \u201cvery close\u201d.<\/p>\n It comes amid dire conditions on the ground, with the United Nations<\/strong> warning that Gaza\u2019s entire population was at risk of famine.<\/p>\n Agence-France Presse (AFP) reported that on Friday, defence minister Israel Katz<\/strong> said Hamas<\/a> must agree to a ceasefire proposal presented by US<\/strong> envoy Steve Witkoff<\/strong> or be destroyed, after the Palestinian<\/strong> militant group said the deal failed to satisfy its demands. However, Hamas said it was still considering the text.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Hamas murderers will now be forced to choose: accept the terms of the \u2018Witkoff deal\u2019 for the release of the hostages \u2013 or be annihilated,\u201d said Katz.<\/p>\n Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for the UN\u2019s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha), has called Gaza \u2018the hungriest place on Earth\u2019. Photograph: Anadolu\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Negotiations to end nearly 20 months of war in Gaza have so far failed to achieve a breakthrough, with Israel resuming operations in March after a short-lived truce.<\/p>\n In the US, the Trump told reporters \u201cthey\u2019re very close to an agreement on Gaza\u201d, adding: \u201cWe\u2019ll let you know about it during the day or maybe tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, food shortages in Gaza persist, with aid only trickling in after the partial lifting by Israel of a more than two-month blockade.<\/p>\n Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for the UN\u2019s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha)<\/strong>, called Gaza \u201cthe hungriest place on Earth\u201d<\/a>. He said:<\/p>\n It\u2019s the only defined area \u2013 a country or defined territory within a country \u2013 where you have the entire population at risk of famine.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n In other developments:<\/p>\n Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha), has described the difficulties faced by the UN in delivering humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip as an \u201can operational straitjacket\u201d.<\/strong> Laerke said the mission to deliver aid was \u201cin an operational straitjacket that makes it one of the most obstructed aid operations not only in the world today, but in recent history\u201d. Once truckloads entered Gaza, they were often \u201cswarmed by desperate people\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Israel will not allow a planned meeting in the Palestinian administrative capital of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, to go ahead, an Israeli official said on Saturday,<\/strong> after media reported that Arab ministers planning to attend had been stopped from coming. The delegation included ministers from Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, Palestinian Authority officials said.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n![\"Jens](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1748682970_891_3000.jpg\")
Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for the UN\u2019s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha), has called Gaza \u2018the hungriest place on Earth\u2019. Photograph: Anadolu\/Getty Images<\/p>\n\n
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![\"Lorenzo](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1748682970_131_Lorenzo_Tondo.jpg\")
Lorenzo Tondo<\/p>\n![\"UN](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1761.jpg\")
UN says ‘catastrophic situation in Gaza is at its worst since war began’ \u2013\u00a0video <\/p>\n\n
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