June 1, 2024 - Israel-Gaza news

The US, Qatar and Egypt called Saturday on Israel and Hamas to “finalize the agreement embodying the principles” in the ceasefire proposal outlined Friday by US President Joe Biden.

As mediators in discussions to secure a ceasefire, the three countries state that this deal offers a “roadmap for a permanent ceasefire and ending the crisis,” the statement says.

Remember: Biden laid out a three-phase peace proposal, which he said Israel submitted to address the crisis in Gaza. Hamas has expressed openness to the plan, but Israel has since made statements that raise questions over its degree of support for the proposal as outlined by Biden.

Diplomatic efforts continue: During a phone call with the foreign ministers of Qatar, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Hamas through the mediators to accept the ceasefire deal “without delay,” and discussed the deal’s benefits to the Palestinian people, according to readouts from the State Department.

Blinken also thanked Egypt and the UAE for their humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in need throughout the conflict, and the Qatari prime minister for his role in mediating.

People protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and call for the release of hostages held in Gaza at a demonstration in Tel Aviv, Israel, on June 1.

Protesters took to the streets of several cities across Israel again Saturday, demanding the resignation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and for early elections to be held.

They also demanded the release of all hostages held in Gaza and for the Israeli government to accept the latest proposal laid out by US President Joe Biden.

Families of hostages held in Gaza took part in the ongoing anti-government protests, including in Tel Aviv, Caesaria, Haifa, Herzeliya and Kfar Saba. Many waved Israeli flags and held up signs with images of the hostages, calling on the government to bring them home immediately.

In Tel Aviv, Democracy Square is overflowing with citizens calling for Netanyahu to accept the hostage release deal.

At Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, protesters lit their phone flashlights and called the names of the 125 hostages still in Hamas captivity.

“Start streaming this deal, so that it will start moving … Start working, start acting,” a woman in Tel Aviv shouted over a loudspeaker.

In Caesarea, protesters shouted that Netanyahu does not have the trust of the public, calling for his removal from power and for him to accept the hostage release deal that Biden presented.

“There is no victory until every last hostage is returned,” people were heard chanting.

“We are demanding Netanyahu’s removal from power now. He has a conflict of interest. And you don’t need to be an attorney general to understand that,” others shouted.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted an invitation from lawmakers to address a joint meeting of the US Congress, according to a statement from his office Saturday.

On Friday, the top four US congressional leaders formally invited Netanyahu to address the joint meeting.

The invitation came after much speculation, as additional military aid to Israel remains in question and Democrats are facing pressure from their left wing over Israel’s devastating military campaign in Gaza, including its continued offensive in Rafah despite international outcry.

Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages hold a demonstration to call for their release in Tel Aviv, Israel, on June 1.

The families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza are calling on all members of their government to accept a ceasefire plan laid out by US President Joe Biden, which he said was an Israeli proposal to end the Gaza conflict. 

“The Families Forum is launching an emergency operation this evening for a majority in the government and the Knesset for the implementation of the (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu deal to release all the hostages,” the organization said in a statement Saturday.

“The Forum demands the return of all the hostages, some for rehabilitation and others for burial,” it added, referring to a number of hostages who have died but whose bodies remain in Gaza.

Families of the hostages will hold a rally in Tel Aviv later Saturday. 

Some context: On Friday, Biden laid out the three-phase proposal, which he said Israel had submitted to wind down the crisis. “It’s time for this war to end,” the US president said.

The proposal has been met with openness from Hamas and praise from some world leaders, but Israel’s immediate reaction to Biden’s speech has cast some doubt on the degree to which they approve of the plan as laid out in his comments.

Netanyahu has insisted his goals for the war “have not changed,” and said publicly within an hour of Biden’s speech that the country would not end the war until Hamas is defeated.

President Joe Biden speaks at the White House on May 31.

US President Joe Biden has laid out a three-phase proposal to end the conflict in Gaza, saying, “It’s time for this war to end.”

Biden unveiled the plan Friday in a speech from the White House, saying the proposal was submitted by Israel. The US leader said Hamas has been degraded to a point where it can no longer carry out the type of attack that launched the current eight-month conflict.

Hamas has expressed openness to the proposal, which was also hailed by some world leaders. But Israel has since made statements that seem to contradict Biden’s comments, casting some doubt on the degree of support it has for the proposal as laid out by the president.

Here’s what to know:

The three phases: Biden said the first phase would last six weeks and include the “withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza” and “release of a number of hostages, including women, the elderly, the wounded in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.”

He said second phase would allow for the “exchange for the release of all remaining living hostages, including male soldiers.”

“And as long as Hamas lives up to its commitments, the temporary ceasefire would become, in the words of the Israeli proposals, ‘the cessation of hostilities permanently,’” Biden added.

In the third phase, the president said, a “major reconstruction plan for Gaza would commence and any final remains of hostages who’ve been killed will be returned to their families.”

Hamas and Israel respond: The militant group said it “views positively” what was outlined, and said it would respond “constructively” to any ceasefire and hostage plan.

Soon after Biden detailed the proposal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted in a statement that the country would not end the war until Hamas is defeated. The Prime Minister’s Office added that their proposal allows Israel to “maintain these principles.”

On Saturday, the Israeli prime minister reiterated this stance, saying Israel’s goals for the war “have not changed.”

The statements, which seem to contradict Biden, have left some doubt as to whether Israel supports the proposal as outlined by the US president — who had said Israel itself submitted the plan.

International reaction:

Read more about the peace proposal here.

This post has been updated with the latest reaction from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other world leaders.

Ambulances go through the Rafah border crossing into Egypt, on April 3.

Officials from Israel, Egypt and the United States will meet in Cairo on Sunday to discuss the reopening of the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, an Egyptian official told CNN.

An Israeli official also told CNN that a meeting on the issue had been arranged. The source did not provide further details.

Key background: The trilateral meeting comes nearly a month after Israel seized control of the Gazan side of the crossing and Egypt halted aid supplies through Rafah.

Israel and Egypt have blamed each other for the blockage. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz called on Egypt to reopen the crossing. His Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry accused Katz of “distorting the facts,” saying that Israel’s offensive near the crossing – and the danger it poses to relief workers – was the reason Egypt is unable to bring aid into Gaza.

Rafah had previously been the central artery for aid to flow into Gaza – and, in November, for some injured Palestinians and foreign nationals to enter Egypt.

With Rafah now the epicenter of hostilities, aid is being transferred to the Gaza Strip via two other crossings on the Israel-Gaza border.

The state of negotiations: On Thursday, Egyptian state-affiliated Al-Qahera TV quoted a high-level informed source saying Egypt remains steadfast in its demand that the Israeli military make a complete withdrawal from the Rafah crossing as a prerequisite for its reopening. 

The source denied Israeli media reports claiming that Egypt had agreed in principle to reopen the crossing to humanitarian aid following discussions with Israel and the US earlier on Thursday.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid speaks in Jerusalem, on May 30.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has said that Israel’s government “cannot ignore President Biden’s significant speech,” after the US leader laid out what he said was an Israeli proposal to end the Gaza conflict.

Lapid said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a “safety net” from Lapid, and he would support Netanyahu in securing a hostage deal if far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich left the government.

Ben-Gvir, Israel’s national security minister, had previously threatened to leave Netanyahu’s coalition if a ceasefire is reached before Israel achieves its declared war aims. 

More context: Lapid’s comments came after Netanyahu on Saturday seemed to contradict Biden by saying that the conditions for Israel to end the war in Gaza “have not changed.”

Those conditions include “the destruction of Hamas military and governing capabilities, the freeing of all hostages and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel,” a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said.

It reiterated a stance taken by Netanyahu less than an hour after Biden first unveiled the proposal Friday, casting doubt on the degree of support he has for the plan as outlined by the US president.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that the conditions for ending the country’s war in Gaza “have not changed,” raising questions over a peace proposal laid out by US President Joe Biden, which he said Israel submitted.

During a speech Friday, Biden said Hamas had been degraded to a point where it can no longer carry out the type of attack that launched the current eight-month conflict in Gaza. Part of the agreement, he said, would see a truce and hostage exchange while Israel and Hamas negotiate a permanent end to the fighting.

But a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office on Saturday said Israel’s goals — including “the destruction of Hamas” — would need to be met before a permanent ceasefire can begin.

Today’s statement largely reiterates comments made less than an hour after Biden detailed the peace proposal on Friday, with Netanyahu insisting the country would not end the war until Hamas is defeated and all hostages had been returned. 

It is unclear exactly to what degree Israel supports the plan, as outlined by Biden. An earlier statement from the Prime Minister’s Office insisted the “exact outline” of the proposal allows Israel to “maintain” its goals in the conflict.

Two rockets were fired at the northern Israeli city of Kiryat Shoma on Saturday, according to the Israeli military.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told CNN that one rocket fell in a supermarket in the area and no injuries were reported. 

Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said Saturday it had hit Israeli military barracks in the city with “heavy missiles.” The IDF did not initially confirm whether the barracks had been hit.

The IDF said an Israeli aircraft had struck the site from which the rockets were launched. It said it had also struck two Hezbollah militants in the area of Majdal Selm in southern Lebanon.

Later, the IDF said that an Israeli drone operating in Lebanese airspace was shot down with a surface-to-air missile. The drone fell in Lebanese territory, according to the IDF. 

Palestinians leave the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip on May 31.

Displaced Palestinians returning home to the town of Jabalya in northern Gaza have found scenes of devastation, with homes and schools turned to rubble – the aftermath of three weeks of Israeli incursion.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) withdrew from Jabalya on Friday, claiming to have destroyed 10km of Hamas tunnels and recovered the bodies of seven hostages.

In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday, the Palestinian Prime Minister’s office said Jabalya camp, “once full of life, now lies lifeless under Israeli-made ruins.”

Footage taken by a CNN stringer in Jabalya showed residents returning home by car, on bicycle and on foot, to find streets almost impassable due to the the rubble from destroyed buildings. Homes were left unrecognizable as bodies were recovered from the ruins.

Another resident, Ashraf Thabet, claimed the Israeli army used his house as a military barracks.

Poultry seller Muhammad Okal, 30, said civilians are “frustrated, despairing, and exhausted.”

A satellite image shows the Gaza-Egypt border on May 30.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are now in physical control of about 75 percent of the Egypt-Gaza border – also known as the Philadelphi Corridor – according to a CNN analysis of new satellite imagery from Planet Labs.  

Since May 27, the satellite images show that the IDF began bulldozing a section of land along the border with Egypt – just under two miles from the Mediterranean Sea. The bulldozing operation there has now been completed, and the area appears to serve as a vehicle depot or base for Israeli forces. 

Further down the border, a similar scene plays out over the same stretch of days. Bulldozing began after May 27, and now the area appears to be a similar vehicle depot or forward operating base. 

Some of the satellite imagery also shows ongoing military activity. On a May 29 satellite image, thick black smoke can be seen rising from a set of buildings in an area between the two IDF bulldozing sites. 

On Wednesday, the Israeli military said they established “operational control” over the Egypt-Gaza border. But an Israeli official told CNN that although their troops had achieved “tactical” control over the corridor it did not mean “Israel had boots on the ground” along the entire corridor.

The satellite images show what the IDF said on Friday: that its troops were operating in central Rafah. 

However, they continue to show what CNN has previously reported: the ground operation in Rafah bears significant resemblances to how the initial ground invasion into Gaza was conducted. Initial bulldozing operations and military strikes are then followed by the creation of earthen berms, which protect vehicle depots and military operating bases.  

An AI-generated image stating "All Eyes on Rafah" has been shared millions of times on social media.

It’s unclear exactly what the image is. A series of tents? Truck beds against a rust orange background? Multicolored rectangles?

Mountains are visible in the background, and in the foreground are the following words: “All Eyes on Rafah” — a reference to the southernmost Gazan city that became the center of war coverage this week, after an Israeli strike on a refugee camp in the city, on what had been labeled a safe zone, killed dozens of already displaced Palestinians.

In the wake of the attack, the aforementioned image has seemingly been everywhere. Likely created using artificial intelligence, the graphic — which is not an actual picture from Rafah or the war in Gaza — has been shared tens of millions of times on Instagram alone.

It’s become so ubiquitous, comedian Tim Dillon noted it’s been shared like “it’s a new show on NBC.”

But the picture’s popularity has raised questions and critiques on the passivity of the act. Eyes being on Rafah has not stopped the violence, wrote scientist Ayesha Khan on Instagram. Simply posting an ambiguous graphic is performative, Khan and others have noted.

Still, the post’s momentum has continued.

Read more about the graphic and what it could signal here.

Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz in March.

Israeli war cabinet member and former defense minister Benny Gantz has asked France to reconsider its ban on Israeli companies at French weapons exhibition Eurosatory 2024.

France banned Israeli companies from participating in the arms fair set to be held outside Paris from June 17 due to Israel’s ongoing offensive in the southern Gazan city of Rafah.

The announcement came just days after at least 45 people were killed and at least 200 were injured by an airstrike that caused a fire to break out at a camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah.

In response, Gantz claimed in a conversation with French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal that France’s decision “ultimately rewards terror,” according to a press release from Gantz.

The Eurosatory fair showcases weapons and defense systems and allows manufacturers, key defense industry figures and governments to gain an “insight into the sector’s prospects and developments,” according to its official website. 

Many of the banned Israeli companies are weapons manufacturers and sell defense products, according to a list of 2024 exhibitors still seen on the Eurosatory 2024 website.

CNN has reached out to both the Israeli foreign ministry and event organizer COGES Events for comment.

Displaced Palestinian children line up to receive food in Rafah on May 19.

The United Nations food agency is unable to feed most civilians in Rafah, its local director warned Friday, with most border crossings closed amid what he described as “apocalyptic conditions” and the Israeli military pushing further into Gaza’s southernmost city.

The World Food Programme (WFP) is currently serving only 27,000 people in Rafah, according to Matthew Hollingworth, the organization’s country director in Gaza. That’s a tiny fraction of the roughly one million Gazans who have been displaced from the area.

“People sleep to the sounds of bombing, they sleep to the sounds of drones, they sleep to the sounds of war, as now tanks roll into parts of central Rafah, which is only kilometers away. And they wake to the same sounds,” said Hollingsworth.

Rafah had previously been the central artery for aid to flow into Gaza, as the only border crossing not controlled by Israel. But since Israel seized control of the Gazan side of the Rafah crossing on May 7, aid has been blocked, with supplies piling up in Egypt and the enclave teetering close to famine.

Read the full story here.

The European Union and the United Nations have both welcomed a plan to end the war in Gaza laid out by US President Joe Biden.

On Friday, Biden detailed a three-phase proposal submitted by Israel. He asserted that “Hamas no longer is capable of carrying out another October 7” – one of Israel’s main war objectives.

In response, the EU’s chief diplomat, Josep Borell, posted on X Friday, “All our support to Biden roadmap to an enduring ceasefire and the release of hostages leading to a permanent cessation of hostilities, withdrawal of IDF [the Israeli military] and reconstruction efforts to commence. The war has to end now.” 

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary-general, also responded positively.