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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said yesterday that at least one of its staff members was killed and 22 others injured when Israeli forces struck one of its food distribution centers in Rafah, southern Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) acknowledged the strike, saying it had targeted and killed Hamas commander, Muhammad Abu Hasna. The IDF said Hasna was “involved in taking control of humanitarian aid and distributing it to Hamas terrorists.” Hamas confirmed the death of Hasna and said he was the deputy head of police operations in Rafah. Kareem Fahim, John Hudson, and Lior Soroka report for the Washington Post.
The strike on the UNRWA center yesterday killed five Palestinians, the Hamas-run health ministry said.
More children have been killed during four months of war in Gaza than in four years of conflict worldwide, the UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini has said. Lazzarini shared a graph in a post on X, and according to the figures, a total of 12,193 children were killed between 2019 and 2022 globally, while a total of 12,300 children were killed in Gaza between Oct. 2023 and Feb. 2024. Celine Alkhaldi reports for CNN.
Israel intends to “flood” Gaza with aid, Israel Defense Spokesperson Daniel Hagari told reporters yesterday, according to Israeli media. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken similarly told reporters yesterday that “We need to see flooding the zone when it comes to humanitarian assistance for Gaza.” Frances Vinall reports for the Washington Post.
President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority intends to appoint Muhammad Mustafa, a close economic adviser, as prime minister in the coming days, according to two Palestinian officials, an E.U. diplomat and a fourth person with knowledge of the matter. Abbas is still holding final consultations with Arab countries before signing a presidential decree entrusting Mustafa with forming a new government, one of the Palestinian officials and the European Union diplomat said. Adam Rasgon reports for the New York Times.
Israeli fire killed six Palestinians and wounded dozens of others as crowds of residents awaited aid trucks in northern Gaza city, the Hamas-run health ministry said today. The Palestinians were rushing to reach aid supplies late yesterday when Israeli forces opened fire, residents and health officials said. The Israeli military has not commented at the time of writing. Nidal Al-Mughrabi reports for Reuters.
Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said he visited northern Gaza yesterday amid mounting pressure from allies to increase aid to that part of the enclave. Gallant viewed preparation work for the newly-announced maritime corridor during his visit and called “the humanitarian element” of getting aid into Gaza a “central issue,” according to a statement from the defense ministry. Cassandra Vinograd reports for the New York Times.
Israel’s justice ministry said yesterday it was questioning an officer who fatally shot a 12-year-old boy accused of shooting a firework at security forces in the Shuafat refugee camp, East Jerusalem. The Israeli police said the youth was shot after he “endangered” officers by launching a firework directly at officers. The justice ministry confirmed that an investigation into the incident is underway. Gabby Sobelman, Adam Sella, and Cassandra Vinograd report for the New York Times.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
Senior White House officials are planning to meet with Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian-American community leaders in Chicago today, multiple sources familiar with the meeting told CNN. Officials are also expected to more broadly discuss concerns about Islamophobia in the United States in the aftermath of Oct. 7.
The United States conducted the ninth airdrop of humanitarian aid into northern Gaza yesterday. The forces airdropped “over 35,712 US meal equivalents and 28,800 bottles of water into Northern Gaza, an area of great need, allowing for civilian access to the critical aid,” CENTCOM said. Haley Britzky reports for CNN.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — REGIONAL RESPONSE
South Africa’s foreign minister, Naledi Pandor, said her country’s citizens who fight in the Israeli armed forces or alongside them in Gaza will be arrested when they return home. Pandor made the comment earlier this week at a Palestinian solidarity event attended by officials from South Africa’s ruling African National Congress party, where Pandor also encouraged people to protest outside the embassies of what she called the “five primary supporters” of Israel. Pandor did not name the supporters directly. Gerald Imray reports for AP News.
Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said he instructed the country’s permanent representative to the U.N. to file a complaint against Israel with the U.N. Security Council for strikes that have reached deeper into Lebanon in recent days.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
The United Kingdom said it is “doing everything we can” to get more aid into Gaza, including urging Israel to lift restrictions and open more border crossings. The UK is providing planning support to the Jordanian Armed Forces for their humanitarian aid efforts and has provided around 500 parachutes to enable more airdrops, and is working with Qatar to increase aid into Gaza. Lauren Kent reports for CNN.
The Canadian government pledged this week to make equal contributions to groups supporting either Israeli or Palestinian women who have been sexually abused during the war. Canada’s foreign minister, Mélanie Joly, said that Canada would give the equivalent of $743,000 to groups assisting Palestinian women who have been victims of sexual violence, later adding that an identical amount of money would flow to groups supporting Israeli women who have been sexually abused. Israel’s envoy for combating antisemitism castigated Joly’s announcement and warned that Canada was creating a “false moral equivalence.” Joly is visiting the Middle East this week as part of a diplomatic tour of the region. Ian Austen reports for the New York Times.
Germany’s Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius approved the country’s air force carrying out humanitarian airdrops over the Gaza Strip. “The people in Gaza lack the most basic necessities,” Pistorius said in a statement yesterday. A statement published by the German defense ministry said Pisotrius had signed an order to authorize the mission and that aid drops could begin as early as next week. Chris Stern reports for CNN.
MILITARY CONFLICT WITH THE HOUTHIS
U.S. forces destroyed four drones and one surface-to-air missile in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen yesterday, U.S. Central Command said. The strike on the Houthis came after the group fired an anti-ship ballistic missile from Yemen into the Gulf of Aden, CENTCOM said. The missile did not hit any ships and no injuries were reported.
IRAN-BACKED MILITANTS
The leader of Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, vowed to continue fighting Israel and claimed Israel’s military has downplayed its losses in the north. “[Our southern front] continues to carry out its task of pressuring the enemy at the human, material, military and economic levels,” Nasrallah said, adding that “After five months of fighting, [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu was unable to present any spectacle of victory.” The Hezbollah leader also decried the U.S. stance on the war, saying, “I don’t think anyone on earth believes that President Biden cannot stop the war on Gaza.” Kareem El Damanhoury reports for CNN.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
The Trump administration in 2019 reportedly authorized the CIA to launch a covert influence operation directed at turning public opinion in China against its government, according to unnamed former U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the operation. Three former officials told Reuters that the CIA created a team to use manufactured internet personas to spread negative information concerning Xi Jinping’s government, while promoting allegations that China’s ruling Communist Party was corrupt. The officials “said the disparaging narratives were based in fact despite being secretly released by intelligence operatives under false cover,” and that the operation’s goals included fostering paranoia among China’s top leaders in having to chase down vulnerabilities in their tightly controlled online information space. A CIA spokesperson declined to comment on the existence of such a covert influence program, while a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the news demonstrated the U.S. government uses the “public opinion space and media platforms as weapons to spread false information and manipulate international public opinion.”
Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry says his country’s constitution states that only he and his cabinet can appoint a council for the transition of power, Henry’s office told CNN yesterday. Henry has agreed to leave power once a transitional council had been established, but said he will not simply “deliver the country” to new leaders without following constitutional procedures. “We are in crisis as a country, but we must stay inside of the law and set a good example,” Henry added.
A team of U.S. Marines has been sent to provide additional security at the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, according to a statement from U.S. Southern Command. This new group of Marines adds to the tactical teams of Diplomatic Security personnel from the State Department that had already been sent to Haiti. Luis Martinez, Shannon K. Crawford, Matt Rivers, and Jon Haworth report for ABC News.
Warships from China, Russia, and Iran held live-fire exercises near the Gulf of Oman this week, “aimed at strengthening maritime cooperation and safeguarding regional peace and stability,” a statement from the Chinese Defense Ministry said, echoing similar language from Iran and Russia. Scheduled to run through Friday, the exercises are in their sixth incarnation since 2018, Russian state news agency TASS reported. Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency added that “The joint exercise comes at a time of heightened tensions in the region,” citing the Israel-Hamas war, “which has threatened to spiral into a wider regional conflict.” Brad Lendon reports for CNN.
The gunmen who kidnapped at least 287 school children in Nigeria last Thursday demanded a ransom of 1 billion naira ($621,848) and threatened to kill all of the students if their demands were not met, a member of the local community told CNN yesterday.
City officials in eastern China issued a rare apology to journalists after authorities were shown pushing them and trying to obstruct reporting from the site of a deadly explosion that killed seven and injured 27 others yesterday. Simina Mistreanu reports for ABC News.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE DEVELOPMENTS
Ukraine has launched drone attacks on at least three oil refineries deep inside Russia, with a Ukrainian defense source saying that Kyiv is “implementing a well-planned strategy to decrease Russian economic potential.” The source added that the trio of facilities are among Russia’s largest refineries, and a representative of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine said yesterday a fourth oil refinery had also been hit. Meanwhile, Russia’s defense ministry said yesterday its air defenses destroyed 58 Ukrainian drones overnight, including some that traveled as far as the Leningrad region which borders Finland. Rob Picheta, Victoria Butenko, Martin Goillandeau, Josh Pennington, Olga Voitovych, and Anna Chernova report for CNN.
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
Hunter Biden is due to start his trial on June 3 in Delaware on charges of illegally owning a handgun, a judge has said. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted on three federal counts, with prosecutors alleging that he lied about his drug use on application forms when he purchased the weapon in 2018. Max Matza reports for BBC News.
Hunter Biden has declined an invitation to testify next week in a public hearing before the House Oversight Committee, according to a letter from his attorney, Abbe Lowell, which was sent to the panel’s chairman, Rep. James Comer (R-KY). Lowell argued that Hunter had answered every question Republicans had for him in the deposition and said the public hearing “is not a serious oversight hearing.” In response, Comer said, “Next week’s hearing with Hunter Biden and his associates is moving forward and we fully expect Hunter Biden to participate.” Mariana Alfaro reports for the Washington Post.
TRUMP-LEGAL MATTERS
A federal judge will hear arguments today on whether to dismiss the classified documents prosecution case against former President Trump. The dispute centers on whether the Presidential Records Act gave Trump the authority to designate classified documents as personal and maintain possession of them after his presidency. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon is also expected to hear arguments today on a motion by Trump’s team claiming the statute is unconstitutionally vague as it applies to a former president. Eric Tucker, Alanna Durkin Richer, and Terry Spencer report for AP News.
The judge overseeing the Georgia 2020 election interference case dismissed yesterday some of the charges against Trump. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee quashed six counts in the indictment, including three against Trump, but left in place ten other counts against Trump and other counts against co-defendants. Judge McAfee said prosecutors could seek a new indictment to try to reinstate the ones he dismissed, adding that insufficient detail had been provided about the legal aspects of the alleged crimes in the dismissed counts. Kate Brumback and Alanna Durkin Richer reports for AP News.