The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees slams Israeli plans for the mass displacement of Palestinians towards Rafah in southern Gaza.

Doctors at Gaza’s largest hospitals say the lives of more than 100 premature babies and 350 dialysis patients are at risk because of fuel shortages caused by Israel’s ongoing siege.

US President Donald Trump extends timeframe for a truce, saying there is a “very good chance” of a deal in Gaza this week or next, but Hamas says talks in Qatar have been “difficult” because of Israel’s stubbornness.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 57,575 people and wounded 136,879, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

She kissed the 23-year-old’s face, hands and feet as she cried. Her six other children and relatives tried to hold her back, but she pushed them away.

“Leave me with him. Leave me with him,” she cried. “Ahmed will speak again. He told me, ‘Mom, I am not going to die. I’ll bring you something from the aid centre in Rafah.’”

Ahmed had left the displaced family’s shelter in al-Mawasi before dawn on Thursday to collect food. He never returned.

His cousin, Mazen Shaat, was with him. Mazen said Ahmed was shot in the abdomen when Israeli forces opened fire on a crowd near the United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution centre in Rafah. Others were also killed and wounded.

In just one month, 600 Palestinians have been killed and more than 4,200 wounded by Israeli fire near GHF aid distribution sites, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office, and the number of deaths at these centres climbs on a near-daily basis. What were meant to be lifelines – facilitated by the US while bypassing United Nations agencies – have instead become fatal chokepoints.

Human rights organisations and UN officials have criticised the GHF model as militarised, dangerous and unlawful. A report published by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz on Friday quoted Israeli army soldiers saying they had been ordered to shoot into unarmed crowds, even when no threat was present.

Asmahan’s grief turned to fury: “Is it reasonable that my son should die because he went to bring us food? Where is the world that calls itself free? How long will this torture go on?”

Gaza’s population of 2 million people, worn out by 21 months of relentless bombing and displacement, has been pushed to the brink of famine by Israel’s restrictions that have, since March 2, allowed only a trickle of humanitarian items through the sealed crossings it controls.

Medics said separate airstrikes on homes in the Maghazi refugee camp, the Zeitoun neighbourhood and Gaza City killed at least 21 people, while five others were killed in an airstrike on an encampment in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
Fourteen more people were killed in Israeli fire at crowds of Palestinians awaiting aid trucks brought in by the United Nations along the Salahuddin road in central Gaza, medics said.
On Tuesday, Gaza's health ministry said 397 Palestinians among those trying to get food aid had been killed and more than 3,000 wounded since aid deliveries restarted in late May.
Some in Gaza expressed concern that the latest escalations in the war between Israel and Hamas that began in October 2023 would be overlooked due to the new Israel-Iran conflict.
Asked about the Salahuddin road incident, the Israel Defense Forces said that despite repeated warnings that the area was an active combat zone, individuals approached troops operating in the Nuseirat area in the central Gaza Strip in a manner that posed a threat to forces.

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), just this morning, 29 casualties arrived at the ICRC field hospital in west Rafah, eight of whom were dead. Almost all had explosive trauma wounds, with two others admitted with gunshot wounds. The UN reiterates that civilians must always be protected. No person – anywhere – should be forced to choose between risking one’s life and feeding one’s family.

Fuel stocks in Gaza are critically low, putting further strain on critical services and humanitarian operations. Over the weekend, some 260,000 litres of fuel were looted in northern Gaza. Prior to this, the UN had repeatedly attempted to reach these stocks to retrieve them, but these attempts were denied by the Israeli authorities.

Since 15 May, the missions to retrieve this fuel were denied by the Israeli authorities 14 times. Humanitarians’ attempts to reach fuel supplies in Rafah, in the south of Gaza, also continue to be denied. The UN warns that unless a solution is found in the coming days, the entire aid operation could come to a standstill.

Since the Israeli authorities allowed limited amounts of aid to enter Gaza on 19 May, the UN and its partners have only been able to collect about 4,600 metric tons of wheat flour from the Kerem Shalom crossing. Most of it was taken by desperate, starving people before the supplies reached their destinations. In some cases, stocks were looted by armed gangs.

Attacks on humanitarian assets and personnel must never be tolerated. Israel, as the occupying power, bears responsibility with regards to public order and safety in Gaza. That should include letting in far more essential supplies, through multiple crossings and routes, to meet humanitarian needs and help reduce looting.

Partners working on food security in Gaza estimate that between 8,000 and 10,000 metric tons of wheat flour is required to reach all families across the Strip with at least a single bag of flour to ease the pressure on markets and reduce desperation – alongside other diverse food supplies. Beyond this, the sustained and unrestricted flow of aid into Gaza must resume as soon as possible.

In a statement on Sunday, the organisation expressed outrage at the international community's failure to hold Israel accountable for the daily killing of civilians and suffocating blockade, and called for immediate action to end the assault.

PEN International collected testimonies from Palestinian writers across the occupied territories, which it said demonstrate "concerted and systematic efforts by Israel to erase the Palestinian people and their cultural heritage".

The NGO is the latest in a growing number of international organisations to designate Israel's attack on Gaza as a genocidal campaign.

The Israeli military's onslaught has killed at least 54,418 Palestinians over the past 20 months, with thousands of others believed to be trapped beneath the rubble.

More than three-quarters of all structures in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged, including 90 percent of the territory's housing units, most of its schools and hospitals, and dozens of religious and historical sites.

Unprecedented Turnout

Organizers reported that more than one million people participated in the rally, making it one of the largest pro-Palestine demonstrations in the country’s history. Participants from various walks of life, including students, political activists, and members of civil society, joined the march, waving Palestinian flags and chanting slogans such as “Free Palestine” and “Stop the Israeli aggression.” Arab News​

Symbolic Protests and Demands

The rally featured symbolic acts, including carrying bundles representing dead bodies to condemn Israel’s actions in Gaza. Protesters also displayed images of U.S. President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing them of supporting Israeli policies. AP News​

The Palestine Solidarity Movement Bangladesh presented several demands during the rally:

• Justice at the international court over the alleged massacre and ongoing attacks by Israeli forces in Gaza.​

• The interim government to terminate all contracts involving Israeli institutions.​

• A nationwide boycott of products made by companies associated with Israel. ​

The rally received backing from various political parties and organizations, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. Islamist groups and other civil society organizations also expressed their solidarity with the cause. ​AP News

Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority nation with a population of approximately 170 million, has no diplomatic relations with Israel and officially supports an independent Palestinian state. ​AP News

Nationwide Impact

While the main rally took place in Dhaka, similar demonstrations were reported in other parts of the country, indicating widespread public support for the Palestinian cause. ​AP News

The “March for Gaza” rally underscores Bangladesh’s strong stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict and reflects the nation’s commitment to advocating for the rights of the Palestinian people.

Among the first patients brought in that morning was a young boy—quiet, badly wounded, and one of the first cases operated on. “Sick, injured children who are quiet are always more concerning than those who cry or scream,” the doctor explained. “A quiet child is an unwell child.”

The hospital was overwhelmed. During the first 20 minutes, doctors spent their time pronouncing the dead—most of them children. Many of the deceased adults, especially men, were taken directly to the morgue. Women and children, however, were brought into the emergency area, where teams worked desperately to save lives.

In one especially heartbreaking moment, the doctor recalled treating three critically injured children on a single trolley—there simply weren’t enough beds. Forced to act fast, he picked up the young boy and ran up four flights of stairs to the operating room. “I didn’t trust the elevators,” he said. “There were bombings going on. I didn’t want to get stuck in an elevator with a dying child.”

The boy had internal bleeding and had already lost two or possibly three siblings. When asked if the child’s parents were still alive, the doctor said that, all too often, at least one parent was dead or severely injured.

Next to him in the ward was another child—a five- or six-year-old girl—who was the second patient he operated on that day. She had injuries to her kidney, liver, spleen, and intestines from shrapnel. “That’s what shrapnel does,” he said. “It’s high-velocity, sharp metal flying in all directions—thousands of pieces.” Days later, when she woke up, they discovered a piece of shrapnel lodged in her brain. She was completely paralyzed on the right side of her body.

He also described a one-year-old boy with abdominal injuries. When the child regained consciousness, he began calling out for his mother—who had died in the attack.

Visiting the mortuary the following day, the doctor described scenes of unimaginable horror. Two rooms, each able to hold 25 bodies, were completely full, with additional bodies and body parts lying on the floor. “At least 60 to 70 bodies,” he said. “Many were unrecognizable. Some will never be claimed, and even when they are, the family members might be dead too. They’ll be buried in unmarked mass graves.”

After a brief moment of calm in the afternoon, the doctor left the operating room to get a drink of water. Walking through the 20-bed intensive care unit, he saw every bed occupied. When he returned later that evening—around the time when patients were breaking their fast—half the beds were empty. “They had all died,” he said. “That’s the reality when you’re dealing with a mass casualty situation.”

News source- Middle East Eye