Daily News

A day after Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said a ceasefire agreement could be reached this week, the US president now seems reluctant to commit to a specific timeframe. Talks between Trump and Netanyahu in Washington failed to reach a breakthrough while indirect negotiations continue between Israel and Hamas in Qatar.

An Israeli blockade on food, aid and medicine has been fuelling a man-made starvation crisis in Gaza for months. Now, a notorious Israeli- and US backed group seems to be using aid to move hundreds of thousands of people to the south - where Israel plans to forcibly transfer Palestinians into a “concentration zone.”

senior political analyst Marwan Bishara highlights that the closure of aid sites in Gaza reflects a deeper plan to push Palestinians south, describing the Global Humanitarian Foundation’s role as complicit with Israeli military objectives. He emphasizes that GHF has operated with questionable transparency from the start and serves political agendas rather than humanitarian needs.

Israeli forces have been carrying out a series of airstrikes in northern Gaza. This is the moment one of the strikes hit the old Gaza City market. A residential building has also been destroyed. Other attacks have targeted areas east of Gaza City. Across the strip, Israeli military attacks have killed at least 39 people since dawn on Wednesday. Many Palestinians are believed to be trapped under rubble after those attacks.

Menachem Klein, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Bar-Ilan University, told Al Jazeera that Netanyahu faces mounting pressure from both Donald Trump and his far-right coalition over a Gaza ceasefire. He said Netanyahu appears to be “buying time,” but it's unclear how long he can delay without losing support on either side.

Israeli airstrikes have devastated northern Gaza, hitting Yafa Street and nearby al-Tuffah neighbourhood. Nearly 20 bombs were dropped in minutes, causing widespread panic and destruction. Paramedics and civil defence crews are unable to reach the site due to ongoing attacks and drone presence. The area is densely populated, with many displaced people caught in the bombardment. Gaza’s last GHF aid centre has shut, worsening food shortages for thousands. Residents face mounting danger, hunger, and a push to leave unlivable areas.

US President Donald Trump has lashed out at his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin - saying he's frustrated with the growing death toll in Ukraine. Trump's attempts to end the war have been unsuccessful. On Monday, he announced the US will send more defensive weapons to Ukraine, reversing an earlier decision.

senior political analyst Marwan Bishara highlights that while ceasefire talks are ongoing in Doha, the real power lies with Washington, where Netanyahu and Trump shape the outcomes. He emphasizes that this is not a genuine peace process between Palestinians and Israelis but rather a transactional arrangement between Israel and the US.

Annelle Sheline, a former US State Department official, says it is not only Israel committing “horrific crimes” in Gaza, but the United States is also an accomplice. She noted that American mercenaries are now on the ground in Gaza as part of the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. “There’s been whistleblowers reporting these Americans are firing on Palestinians seeking aid. So to be clear, it is not only the Israeli government and members of the Israeli military who are engaged in these crimes,” said the research fellow for the Middle East at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.

UNRWA spokesperson Tamara al-Rifai condemned Israel’s proposed "humanitarian city" in Rafah as a violation of humanitarian principles, arguing it would transform Gaza into an even more confined open-air prison. Speaking to Al Jazeera from Amman, she dismissed the plan as unfeasible given Gaza’s destruction and the collapse of aid systems, noting UN agencies have been blocked since March while lethal food queues replace proper distribution. Al-Rifai linked the GHF’s controversial aid sites to forced displacement, with 90% of Gazans already displaced 10 times amid relentless bombardment. She warned that the siege on principled humanitarian work risks worsening the "apocalyptic" crisis, stressing UNRWA’s critical role in preventing total collapse.