At least 23 people killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza as Israel lets
minimal aid in
[May 23, 2025]
By WAFAA SHURAFA
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — At least 23 people were killed by
Israeli strikes across Gaza overnight Thursday, as Israel pressed ahead
with its military offensive and let in minimal aid to the strip.
Ten people were killed by strikes in the southern city of Khan Younis,
four in the central town of Deir al-Balah and nine in the Jabaliya
refugee camp in the north, according to the Nasser, Al-Aqsa and Al-Ahli
hospitals where the bodies were brought.
Israel is facing mounting international criticism for its latest
offensive, and pressure to let aid into Gaza amid a catastrophic
humanitarian crisis. The strip has been under an Israeli blockade for
nearly three months, according to the United Nations. Experts have
warned that many of Gaza’s 2 million residents are at high risk of
famine.
Even the United States, a staunch ally, has voiced concerns over the
hunger crisis.
Suspect charged with murder over deaths of Israeli Embassy staffers in
Washington
The strikes come a day after two Israeli Embassy staffers were shot
while leaving a reception for young diplomats at the Capital Jewish
Museum, in Washington, DC. The suspect told police he “did it for
Palestine,” according to court documents filed Thursday as he was
charged with murder. He didn’t enter a plea.
On Thursday night, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the
killings in Washington horrific and blasted France, the UK and Canada
for proposing to establish a Palestinian state.
“Because by issuing their demand, replete with a threat of sanctions
against Israel — against Israel, not Hamas — these three leaders
effectively said they want Hamas to remain in power,” he said.
Earlier this week the three leaders issued one of the most significant
criticisms by close allies of Israel’s handling of the war in Gaza and
its actions in the West Bank, threatening to take “concrete actions” if
the government did not cease its renewed military offensive and
significantly lift restrictions on humanitarian aid.
Aid starts entering, but agencies say nothing like enough
Amid pressure, Israel started letting in aid. Israeli officials said
Friday they let in more than 100 trucks of aid, including flour, food,
medical equipment and drugs. The trucks came in through the Kerem Shalom
crossing.
But U.N. agencies say the amount is woefully insufficient, compared with
around 600 trucks a day that entered during a recent ceasefire and that
are necessary to meet basic needs. U.N. agencies say Israeli military
restrictions and the breakdown of law and order in Gaza make it
difficult to retrieve and distribute the aid. As a result, little of it
has so far reached those in need.
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Osama Abu Mosabbah, mourns his wife and two children who were killed
in an Israeli army airstrike on the Gaza Strip, during their funeral
at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
(AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
The strikes that lasted into Friday morning came a day after Israeli
tanks and drones attacked a hospital in northern Gaza, igniting
fires and causing extensive damage, Palestinian hospital officials
said on Thursday. Videos taken by a health official at Al-Awda
Hospital show walls blown away and thick black smoke billowing
wreckage.
Israel said it will continue to strike Hamas until all of the 58
Israeli hostages are released — fewer than half of whom are believed
to be alive, according to Israel — and until Hamas disarms.
No movement on ceasefire negotiations in Doha
Earlier this week, Netanyahu said he was recalling his high-level
negotiating team from the Qatari capital, Doha, after a week of
ceasefire talks failed to bring results. A working team will remain.
Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman
Al Thani said a “fundamental gap” remained between the two parties
and that none of the proposals was able to bridge their differences.
Hamas said no real ceasefire talks have taken place since last week
in Doha. The group accused Netanyahu of “falsely portraying
participation” and attempting to “mislead global public opinion” by
keeping Israel’s delegation there without engaging in serious
negotiations.
The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern
Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting
251 others. The militants are still holding 58 captives, around a
third of whom are believed to be alive, after most of the rest were
returned in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive, which has destroyed large swaths of
Gaza, has killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, mostly women and
children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t
differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count.
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