Category World News

Israel’s Government Media Office reports that at least 10 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by Israeli forces in the last 48 hours despite the besieged enclave’s Government Media Office’s claim that they are desperately seeking assistance from a contentious and heavily criticized United States-backed organization.

A terrifying video showed thousands of starving Palestinians rushing to get aid, many of whom were herded into cage-like lines, from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) distribution point in Rafah, in southern Gaza, on Wednesday.

At least 62 people were injured when Israeli forces “opened direct fire on hungry Palestinian civilians who had gathered to receive aid” at the distribution site, according to a statement from the government media office.

Although it was unknown exactly how many gunshots took place and which days the 10 Palestinians were fatally shot, there were fatalities on both occasions.

The media office decried the killings as a “heinous crime” and claimed that “these locations were transformed into death traps as a result of the occupation’s gunfire.”

The GHF, for its part, announced on Wednesday that it had set up a second of the planned four aid distribution centers in Gaza.

The humanitarian organization and UN officials have publicly condemned the centers’ use of humanitarian aid, which they claim can be adequately and safely increased in Gaza if Israel grants access to it and allows those organizations with decades of experience to handle the flow.

UNRWA’s head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, earlier in the day, called on Israel to allow the UN-backed humanitarian system to “do its life-saving work now” and decried the US-backed delivery model as a “distraction from atrocities.

At a meeting in New York to discuss the conflict, several UN Security Council members echoed the message, with Algeria, France, and the United Kingdom among those calling for Israel to grant unrestricted aid deliveries.

Israel is using “aid as a weapon of war,” according to Riyad Mansour, the ambassador of Palestine to the UN.

According to Al Jazeera’s Kristen Saloomey, who spoke from the UN’s headquarters, Feroze Sidhwa and Sigrid Kaag, the UN’s special coordinator for Middle East peace, were among those who addressed the council.

She said that the experts’ repeated requests for a ceasefire and the full resume of aid to the Gaza Strip.

Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, criticized the organization for what he claimed were “attempts to block access to aid” and demanded that Tom Fletcher, the UN’s humanitarian chief, retract his claim.

Marwan Bishara, a senior political analyst for Al Jazeera, said Danon’s attacks shouldn’t surprise him.

He said, referring to Israel’s nearly daily bombardment and siege of Gaza, “They are on the defensive, knowing all too well that they lost their public relations campaign and that their reputation is in the mud.”

John Kelley, the UN’s alternate US representative, stated that the UN should “work with the GHF and Israel to come to an agreement on how to operationalize this system in a way that works for everyone.”

He argued that the GHF was “independent” and “created a secure mechanism for the delivery of aid to those in need.”

Israeli attacks continue without stop.

Rights activists warned of a worsening humanitarian situation as the debate over aid access raged. Israel’s harsh attacks spread throughout Gaza.

According to medical sources speaking to Al Jazeera Arabic, at least 63 people have died in Israeli attacks since Wednesday, bringing the total to at least 54 Palestinians, 084 of whom have died, and more than 123 of those have been injured.

Additionally, the ministry reported that only 17 hospitals in Gaza were still operating despite severe medical and oxygen shortages.

Separately, the Red Cross reported that an Israeli fire early on Wednesday at its field hospital in southern Gaza’s al-Mawasi area caused panic and injuries to the patients there.

Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), Oxfam, and other non-profit organizations urged “full, independent, and international investigations into the attacks on Gaza’s healthcare system as violations of international humanitarian law” in an open letter.

Meanwhile, the UN’s World Food Programme reported that hungry people “in search of food supplies” had broken into its warehouse in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza. Although the cause of the latter was not immediately known, preliminary reports indicate that at least four people were killed in the stampede and gunfire.

The organization claimed that boosting aid was “the only way to reassure people that they won’t starve.”

Hani Mahmoud of Al Jazeera reported from Gaza City that even in densely populated distribution centers, the search for food has proven to be fatal.

“For instance, two people have been reported dead in the Gaza City Shujayea neighborhood over the past few hours.” They were killed in an attempt to reach their homes, he claimed.

In recent weeks, they were forced to re-enter. Everything was left behind by them. They were all housed inside the house, along with all of their food and belongings that they managed to obtain.

Ceasefire is still elusive.

A breakthrough for a more lasting agreement to end the fighting has remained elusive as the attacks have persisted.

Steve Witkoff, the special envoy to the Middle East for US President Donald Trump, said on Wednesday that he had “very good feelings” about finding a long-term solution.

Hamas announced shortly after Witkoff claimed to have agreed to a general framework for a permanent ceasefire, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the unhinged entry of humanitarian aid.

The framework conflicts with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s assertion that the Israeli military would continue to impose its own rules on aid access to Gaza and work to end Hamas in its entirety.

Netanyahu outlined senior Hamas figures who were killed in the conflict in a statement to Israel’s parliament on Wednesday. Mohammed Sinwar, the brother and heir of killed Hamas military leader Yahya Sinwar, was also on the list.

Elon Musk, a senior government official, has criticized Donald Trump for releasing his comprehensive budget proposal, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill.

Trump was quizzed about Musk’s comments, which suggested the bill would increase the country’s debt, on Wednesday at a swearing-in ceremony in the Oval Office.

Despite vehemently defending the bill’s tax cuts, the Republican leader reacted with a degree of ambivalence.

Trump stated, “We will be negotiating that bill, and I’m thrilled by some aspects of it, but I’m not happy about some of it.” That is their practice, they say.

The Trump administration’s budget bill has more than a thousand pages, and it includes a number of domestic policy priorities.

That includes legislation that strengthens some of the tax cuts that Trump supported in his first year as president, in 2017. Additionally, it would increase the funds for Trump’s “mass deportation” campaign and increased border security.

For instance, some $46.5 billion would be used to renew the southern border wall and other barriers, another Trump hallmark during his first term in office.

However, the bill proposes policies that are still contentious on both sides of the political spectrum to pay for those policy priorities and tax cuts.

For instance, one rule would increase the federal debt cap by $4 trillion. Other countries would impose stringent work standards for programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is a government program for low-income Americans, and Medicaid.

Cost savings are anticipated because of these work requirements, which prevent thousands of people from having access to those safety-net programs. However, critics worry that some families will become even poorer as a result of those restrictions.

In a preview interview for CBS Sunday Morning, Musk expressed disappointment with the bill’s sheer cost, drawing criticism from fiscal conservatives.

He also claimed that Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” is reversing his efforts to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a task force he established to reduce “wasteful” spending.

Musk, who is sporting an “Occupy Mars” T-shirt, told CBS, “I was, like, disappointed to see the massive spending bill, which increases the budget deficit rather than decrease it,” Musk said.

He continued, “I believe a bill can be big or it can be beautiful.” “I’m not sure if it could be both,” he said. My personal opinion.

Elon Musk has previously spoken out against a US budget bill. Under former president Joe Biden, Musk sparked outcry in December against a larger-than-a-kilo of budget legislation, calling on Congress to “kill the bill.”

However, Musk’s most recent comments suggest a potential growing conflict between himself and the Trump White House.

In Trump’s administration, billionaire Musk, who is widely believed to be the richest man in the world, has previously had a prominent role. He even assisted him in winning a second term as president.

Musk joined Trump on the campaign trail in 2024 and gave hundreds of millions of dollars to the Republican leader and his political allies.

Trump, for his part, accepted Musk’s warm embrace. Trump announced that Musk would take over the DOGE as head of his incoming administration shortly after winning a second term in office.

However, Musk’s White House position has remained ambiguous and contentious. Musk hasn’t gone through a Senate confirmation hearing, despite having a regular presence at presidential cabinet meetings.

He has been described by the White House as a “special government employee,” a position that consultants from various business sectors are temporarily given. These employees are prohibited from using their government positions for financial gain because they are typically limited to 130 days a year.

However, some claim that Musk has benefited from his position and that his tenure at the White House has not been fully documented. For instance, Trump held a press conference in March to promote Tesla models produced by Musk.

Given that they are government contractors’ competitors, the rocket company SpaceX and the satellite communications company Starlink have also raised conflict-of-interest issues.

According to reports in the media, Musk and other Trump White House staff members may have engaged in secret altercations that may have cooled relations between the president and his billionaire backer. Trump has so far shied away from making outright accusations against Musk.

For instance, Trump switched on Wednesday to criticize Democratic members of Congress who disapproved of his signature budget bill from Musk’s comments.

Trump remarked, “Remember, we have no Democratic votes because they’re bad people.” There is a problem, they say.

Last week, a House of Representatives version of the budget bill slammed against it. The Senate is currently considering it. Senate Republicans can only afford to lose three votes if they want to pass the bill because the 100-person chamber has a 53-seat majority.

Despite concerns from his fellow Republicans, Trump reiterated his call for party unity on Wednesday.

Trump remarked, “We need to get a lot of votes.” “We need to receive a lot of support, and we do,” he said.

The national debt’s increase has sparked opposition from some Republicans. Others are concerned about the potential effects of Medicaid restrictions on their constituents.

Trump has already stated that he opposes any Medicaid reductions. However, he has attempted to use the tax cuts in the bill to benefit the less wealthy, despite the fact that critics claim they will lead to the greatest savings.

Following its chaotic and deadly delivery, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has received criticism from the UN and aid organizations.