The Israeli military says it established “operational control” over the Philadelphi Corridor, a 14-kilometer (8.7 miles) strip of land along the border between Gaza and Egypt.
New video shows tanks moving further west into Rafah, signaling a continual westward push by the Israeli military near the Gazan coastline despite mounting global condemnation.
Israel’s head of the National Security Council said Wednesday to “expect another seven months of fighting” in Gaza to achieve the objective of destroying Hamas.
Meanwhile, satellite images show the $320 million floating pier built by the US to help facilitate aid into Gaza nearly completely dismantled after rough seas broke off a section.
Our live coverage of the Israel-Hamas war has moved here.
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Gaza could see another 7 months of war, Israel says. Here's the latest
From CNN staff
Palestinians evacuate Rafah, Gaza, during an Israeli ground and air offensive in the city on May 28.
Jehad Alshrafi/AP
The head of Israel’s National Security Council said the country expects “another seven months of fighting” in Gaza to achieve the claimed objective of destroying Hamas.
“It was honestly stated in the first days of presenting the plans to the cabinet that the war would be long,” Tzachi Hanegbi said in a radio interview on the Israeli station Reshet bet Wednesday.
Here are more headlines you should know:
Developments on the ground:
A video geolocated by CNN shows two Israeli tanks positioned in the Tal Zurob neighborhood in western Rafah, as Israel intensifies its operations in the southern Gaza city. “The devastation is only intensifying” in Rafah as Israel expands its ground operations,” Tor Wennesland, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East peace process, told the UN Security Council Wednesday.
Also, two medics with the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) were killed in the Tal al-Sultan area following Israeli bombardment, according to PRCS and the Ministry of Health in Gaza on Wednesday.
The Israeli military said they have established “operational control” over the Philadelphi Corridor, a 14 kilometer (8.7 miles) strip of land along the border between Gaza and Egypt.
Meanwhile, Egypt denied Israeli statements about the existence of tunnels along its border with Gaza, calling Israeli media reports untrue, according to state-affiliated Al-Qahera TV on Wednesday.
At least one girl was killed and 10 civilians injured on Wednesday following a strike on a residential building in the coastal Syrian city of Baniyas, the country’s state news SANA reported.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that Israel must decide if its military actions are worth the cost in civilian lives, as pressure increases on his administration to change its relationship with Israel amid the offensive on Rafah.
Issues with humanitarian aid:
A floating pier – constructed by the United States to help facilitate aid into Gaza – has been almost completely dismantled in the last 24 hours, according to satellite images from Maxar Technologies. The $320 million pier’s near total dismantling comes as rough seas broke off a section on Sunday. The only section left is the large floating platform that connected the floating pier to the beach.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza to reopen to allow humanitarian supplies in, after the Israeli military seized the Palestinian side of the crossing earlier this month.
More from around the world:
Brazil has withdrawn its ambassador in Israel from its Tel Aviv embassy after months of tension over the war in Gaza.
French President Emmanuel Macron says he is ready to recognize a Palestinian state – but only following reforms to the Palestinian Authority.
Mexico is seeking to join a case initiated by South Africa against Israel for alleged violations of the United Nations Genocide Convention during its war in Gaza, according to a statement published by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Tuesday.
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2 Palestine Red Crescent Society medics were killed in Israeli bombardment in Rafah, officials say
From CNN's Abeer Salman
Two medics with the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) were killed in the Tal al-Sultan area following Israeli bombardment, according to PRCS and the Ministry of Health in Gaza on Wednesday.
The paramedics were killed west of Rafah when their ambulance was hit while they were carrying out humanitarian duties, according to PRCS.
The Gaza health ministry said the paramedics were headed to evacuate the dead and injured in the vicinity of the Abu Al-Saeed roundabout in Tal al-Sultan
CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment.
At least one girl was killed and 10 civilians injured on Wednesday following a strike on a residential building in the coastal Syrian city of Baniyas, the country’s state news SANA reported.
SANA, citing a military source, said Israeli fighter jets launched an “air aggression from the direction of Lebanese territory, targeting a site in the central region and a residential building in the city of Baniyas in the coastal region.”
CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) regarding the claims but has yet to hear back.
Syria was last struck in April after a series of Israeli airstrikes targeted areas close to the Syrian city of Aleppo, which led to casualties among both civilians and military personnel, SANA reported.
Israel has previously launched attacks on Aleppo and the Syrian capital Damascus, including before the October 7, saying it feared Iran would turn Syria into “a base for aggression” against the Jewish state.
Both Syria and Israel consider each other enemies and do not share diplomatic relations.
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Egypt denies Israel claims of tunnels along border with Gaza
From CNN's Sarah El Sirgany
Egypt denied Israeli statements about the existence of tunnels along its border with Gaza, calling Israeli media reports untrue, according to state-affiliated Al-Qahera TV on Wednesday.
“These lies propagated by Tel Aviv indicate the size of the crisis facing the Israeli government,” the channel said, quoting an unnamed senior official.
A different senior source told the channel earlier in the day that there is no communication “with the Israeli side about the claims of the existence of tunnels along the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.”
Deployment of Israeli troops in the Philadelphi Corridor — a 14 kilometer (8.7 miles)-long wide strip of land along the border between Gaza and Egypt — without prior agreement between both countries would be a breach of the peace treaty, an Egyptian official told CNN in February, adding that the government had not approved such a deployment.
On Wednesday, the Israeli military says they have established “operational control” over the Philadelphi Corridor. Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the military is carrying out an operation and the corridor and neutralizing 20 tunnels. Earlier Wednesday, an Israeli official said the 20 tunnels crossed into Egypt, some of which are new, and that the information has been passed on to Egypt.
CNN is unable to independently verify the Israeli claims of control and has reached out to the Egyptian government for comment.
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Mexico seeks to join South Africa’s ICJ case against Israel over war in Gaza
From CNN’s José Álvarez
Smoke billows following Israeli strikes in Rafah, Gaza, on May 28.
Eyad Baba/AFP/Getty Images
Mexico is seeking to join a case initiated by South Africa against Israel for alleged violations of the United Nations Genocide Convention during its war in Gaza, according to a statement published by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Tuesday.
Mexico invoked Article 63 of the Statute of the Court, which grants countries other than those interested in the case the right to intervene in the process, the court’s statement read. “If they do so, the interpretation given by the court’s ruling will be equally binding on them,” it said.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said the “most important thing is to achieve peace, that is Mexico’s position.”
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador speaks at a news conference at the National Palace in Mexico City, on May 24.
Luis Antonio Rojas/Bloomberg/Getty Images/File
The Palestinian Authority’s Foreign Ministry welcomed Mexico’s request on X, saying it showed “a steadfast commitment to justice and the international rule of law, underscoring the deep-rooted solidarity and historical friendship between our nations.”
Colombia and Libya submitted the same request on April 5 and May 10, respectively.
South Africa brought a case against Israel last December, where it accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians during the conflict. Hearings in the case began in January when Israel accused South Africa of presenting a “grossly distorted” accusation of genocide. Israel insists that its war in Gaza is being fought in self-defense, that its target is Hamas and not Palestinian citizens, and that its leaders have shown no genocidal intent.
This is not the first time that Mexico has spoken out about the siege on Gaza. On Monday, its government condemned the bombing in Rafah and called for a ceasefire.
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Israeli military says it has established “operational control” over Philadelphi Corridor
From CNN's Zahid Mahmood, Eugenia Yosef and Hira Humayun
The Israeli military says they have established “operational control” over the Philadelphi Corridor, a 14 kilometer (8.7 miles) strip of land along the border between Gaza and Egypt.
He said the military is carrying out an operation at the Philadelphi Corridor and that 20 tunnels the military has found there are now being “neutralized”.
The IDF clarified that “operational control” meant it had “full control of the corridor in terms of intelligence gathering and fire range” even though there was a “small area near the sea where we are not physically present.”
Earlier on Wednesday, an Israeli official said the troops had achieved “tactical” control over the corridor, but that did not mean “Israel had boots on the ground” along its entirety. The official said the 20 tunnels crossed into Egypt; some of them are new, and the information has been passed on to Egypt. According to the official, the IDF also found 82 access points to tunnels along the corridor.
CNN is unable to independently verify the Israeli claims of control and has contacted the Egyptian government for comment.
The IDF says it has also found “terrorist infrastructure” a mile long in east Rafah, the entrance to which is 100 meters from the Rafah crossing. Hagari said this route was used to transfer weapons and that the Israeli military found and destroyed weapons there.
Some context: Israel began a limited ground operation in Rafah against Hamas earlier this month, crossing the Philadelphi Corridor and seizing the Palestinian side of the border with Egypt.
Egypt has strongly opposed the operation at its border. On Monday, an Egyptian security personnel was killed on the border with Gaza in a shooting that involved Egyptian and Israeli soldiers. Egypt’s state-affiliated Al-Qahera News outlet said “Palestinian resistance” fighters were also involved.
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"Devastation is only intensifying" in Rafah, UN special coordinator says
From CNN's Richard Roth
Displaced Palestinians inspect their tents destroyed by Israel’s bombardment west of Rafah, Gaza, on May 28.
Jehad Alshrafi/AP
“The devastation is only intensifying” in Rafah as Israel expands its ground operations,” Tor Wennesland, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East peace process, told the UN Security Council on Wednesday.
Wennesland condemned the “appalling incident” in which at least 45 people were killed, and more than 200 others injured when a fire broke out following an airstrike by the Israeli military on Sunday. “I remind all parties of their obligations to protect civilians,” he said.
Wennesland called for the reopening of the Rafah crossing and for unimpeded humanitarian access throughout Gaza.
A “breakdown of law and order” resulted in the looting of a base belonging to the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees, UWRA, in Rafah on Wednesday, Wennesland said. The incident is under investigation, he added.
“The risk of a regional conflagration is constant and is mounting every day this war continues. This trajectory must change if we are to avoid further catastrophe,” Wennesland said, “I urge the parties to return to the negotiating table immediately and in good faith.”
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Macron: France "ready" to recognize a Palestinian state after reforms to Palestinian Authority
From CNN’s Julen Chavin in Paris.
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to reporters in Gransee, Germany, on May 28.
Annegret Hilse/Reuters/File
French President Emmanuel Macron says he is ready to recognize a Palestinian state – but only following reforms to the Palestinian Authority.
Macron also highlighted to Abbas France’s commitment to building a “common vision” and “security guarantees” for Palestinians and Israelis.
The French leader’s comments come after Ireland, Norway, and Spain each formally recognized a Palestinian state.
Macron also spoke about recognition on Tuesday, saying that “there’s no taboo for France,” and that he was “totally ready to recognize a Palestinian State.”
“I consider that this recognition must come at a useful time, at a time when it is part of a process in which the states of the region and Israel are engaged and which allows, on the basis of a reform of the Palestinian Authority to produce a useful result. I will not make an emotional recognition,” Macron said Tuesday.
Some background: The PA, which is dominated by the Fatah political party, held administrative control over Gaza until 2007, after Hamas won the 2006 legislative elections in the occupied territories and expelled it from the strip. Since then, Hamas has ruled Gaza, and the PA governs parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
It was set up in the mid-1990s as an interim government pending Palestinian independence after the Palestine Liberation Organization signed the Oslo Accords with Israel. It is headquartered in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah and exercises nominal self-rule in parts of the territory. But the PA is very unpopular among Palestinians, who see it as unable to provide security in the face of regular Israeli incursions in the West Bank.
Israel has rejected the prospect of the PA returning to Gaza after the war, and has dismissed the idea of establishing a Palestinian state in the territories. The US, however, favors a reformed PA being in control of both the West Bank and Gaza as part of a future independent state.
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Brazil withdraws its ambassador in Tel Aviv after months of tension over the war in Gaza
From CNN's Abel Alvarado in Atlanta
Brazilian ambassador to Israel Frederico Meyer, center, and Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz arrive at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem, in February.
Abir Sultan/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Brazil has withdrawn its ambassador in Israel from its Tel Aviv embassy after months of tension over the war in Gaza.
Ambassador Frederico Meyer will be joining Brazil’s permanent mission of Brazil to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, according to a decree published Wednesday in Brazil’s official gazette.
The decree doesn’t mention a replacement for Meyer.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry told CNN that they have not received an “official message” from the Brazilian government on the matter. However, Israel says that as a “response to the report, the Brazilian commissioner has been summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a meeting on the subject tomorrow (Thursday).”
Last February, Brazil recalled Meyer after Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz declared President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva persona non grata in Israel for comparing Israel’s operation in Gaza to the Holocaust.
At the time, Katz said Lula would not be welcome in Israel until he apologizes and retracts his comments.
On other occasions, Lula has spoken against Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Meyer had recently returned to Tel Aviv after being recalled in February, CNN Brasil reported.
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Israeli tanks seen advancing further west into Rafah
From CNN's Kareem Khadder, Sarah El Sirgany, and Allegra Goodwin
In this still from a video geolocated by CNN, an Israeli tank is positioned in the Tal Zurob neighborhood in western Rafah, Gaza, on May 29.
Alam Sadeq
A video geolocated by CNN shows two Israeli tanks positioned in the Tal Zurob neighborhood in western Rafah, as Israel intensifies its operations in the southern Gaza city.
The video was recorded Wednesday morning by a group of journalists posted in a partially destroyed house overlooking the border area between Gaza and Egypt.
In the video, two tanks are seen positioned on the road adjacent to the border with Egypt at the edge of western Rafah.
Israeli tanks were previously spotted in central Rafah for the first time on Tuesday. Wednesday’s video signals a continual westward push by the Israeli military near the Gazan coastline.
When asked about reports of tanks advancing in the city on Tuesday, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that the military is operating in Rafah in a “targeted” and “precise” way.
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Blinken says Israel must weigh "incremental gains" with "unintended horrific consequences" of action in Gaza
From CNN's Kylie Atwood and Jennifer Hansler
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a press conference at the Moldovan Presidential Palace in Chisinau, on May 29.
Elena Covalenco/AFP/Getty Images
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that Israel must decide if its military actions are worth the cost in civilian lives, as pressure increases on his administration to change its relationship with Israel amid the offensive on Rafah.
Days after an Israeli strike killed dozens of displaced Palestinians in the southern Gaza city, Blinken said Israel should ask itself whether “incremental gains” against Hamas “stack up against” the unintended horrific consequences of military action.
Israel “has to ask whether, and especially in the absence of a plan for the day after in Gaza, further incremental gains against Hamas, but gains that may not be durable, in terms of Hamas’s defeat, in the absence of the plan, how that stacks up against some of the, again, unintended, horrific consequences of military action in a place where the people you’re going after are so closely embedded with civilians,” Blinken said during a press conference in Moldova.
Though the Biden administration has been urging Israel to do more to protect civilians in the war against Hamas for months, Blinken’s remarks were some of the most pointed he has made to date.
However, the US has not gone as far as allies like France in condemning the Rafah strike, with the White House making clear they believe Israel has not crossed a red line which would lead the US to withdraw military support.
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WHO calls for Rafah crossing to reopen as 60 aid trucks stand ready in Egypt's Al Arish
From CNN's Hira Humayun
The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza to reopen to allow humanitarian supplies in, after the Israeli military seized the Palestinian side of the crossing earlier this month.
Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO representative for the West Bank and Gaza, said on Wednesday that 60 WHO trucks are standing in the Egyptian city of Al Arish, approximately 45 kilometers (23 miles) away from Rafah, ready to get into the enclave.
Peeperkorn said there are thousands of people believed to be in need of urgent transport out of Gaza for medical treatment but that since the closure of the Rafah crossing, “there’s no medical evacuation outside Gaza – and it was already a huge problem before.”
On Monday, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the military had detected tunnels going into Egypt’s Sinai, along the Philadelphi Corridor, a 14-kilometer (about 8.7 mile) long and 100-meter-wide strip of land running along the border between Gaza and Egypt.
WHO has reiterated that health facilities in Gaza are facing dire shortages of necessary supplies. The agency said medicines and specialized care needed to treat burns are out of reach in Gaza since the closure of the Rafah crossing.
An Israeli strike and ensuing fire late Sunday that hit a displaced persons camp in Rafah left at least 45 dead and another more than 200 injured.
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US floating pier for Gaza aid now almost completely dismantled, satellite images show
From CNN's Paul P. Murphy
A satellite image shows a floating pier, which was constructed by the United States to help facilitate aid into Gaza, has been almost completely dismantled.
A floating pier – constructed by the United States to help facilitate aid into Gaza – has been almost completely dismantled in the last 24 hours, satellite images from Maxar Technologies shows.
The only section left is the large floating platform that had connected the floating pier to the beach.
The $320 million pier’s near total dismantling comes as rough seas broke off a section on Sunday. Additional satellite images from Maxar Technologies, taken on Tuesday, showed the large landing platform at the end of the pier was missing, with another connecting section ajar.
Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said on Tuesday that the pier would be removed from its location on the Gaza coast over the ensuing 48 hours and taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod, where US Central Command would carry out repairs over the course of a week or more. The repairs will further delay efforts to get the maritime corridor fully operational, Singh said.
The pier only began operating on May 17. It has not been operational since May 24, when heavy seas forced the shipments to stop.The effort to reassemble the causeway and connect it once again to the parking area will resume when sea conditions allow, CNN previously reported, according to Pentagon officials.
It is unclear when shipments will resume. CNN has reached out to the Department of Defense for comment.
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Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz stresses to Nikki Haley the importance of eradicating Hamas from Gaza
From CNN's Niamh Kennedy in London and Mike Schwartz in Jerusalem
Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz stressed the “imperative” of removing Hamas from Rafah during a meeting with former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley on Wednesday.
During a meeting held at Israel’s defense headquarters, the Kirya in Tel Aviv, Gantz gave Haley an update on the war “including the imperative of dismantling Hamas in Rafah,” according to a statement from Gantz’s office.
The war cabinet minister also used the meeting to emphasize the threat posed by Iran and its proxies “to local, regional and global security and prosperity.”
Similar themes featured in a discussion Haley held with Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant also on Wednesday. In a statement, Gallant said the pair discussed the “importance of strong US-Israel ties in the face of our common enemies, led by Iran.”
Gallant went on to thank Haley for her sustained “leadership and friendship” toward Israel.
Haley’s trip to Israel has not been without controversy. A photo of Haley autographing Israeli rockets bound for Gaza with the slogan “Finish Them” attracted huge criticism online.
This post has been updated.
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Israel will "never have to worry" about US support, GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham tells Netanyahu
From CNN's Niamh Kennedy
Israel will “never have to worry” about support from America, US Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv on Wednesday.
Graham, who is carrying out his fifth visit to Israel since October 7, was welcomed warmly by Netanyahu who commended him, saying there is “no better friend” to Israel.
The US lawmaker vowed to help Israel to hold the International Criminal Court (ICC) “to account” following its move to seek an arrest warrant for Netanyahu. He also ridiculed the International Court of Justice (ICJ) who last week ordered Israel to halt its ground offensive in Rafah, describing the UN’s top court as a “joke.”
The United States’ support for Israel has come under scrutiny again in the wake of Sunday’s airstrike in Rafah which killed at least 45 people residing in a camp for displaced people.
During a White House press briefing on Tuesday, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said US President Joe Biden had no plans to change US policy in light of the Rafah strike.
Kirby reiterated Biden’s commitment to re-evaluating US support for Israel if a “major ground offensive” is launched in Rafah.
Earlier in May, Biden said for the first time that he would halt some shipments of American weapons to Israel – which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza – if Netanyahu orders a major invasion of Rafah.
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Israel expects "another seven months" of conflict in Gaza, official says
From CNN's Mike Schwarz in Jerusalem
Israeli tanks move in southern Israel near the border with Gaza, on May 25.
Amir Levy/Getty Images
Israel’s head of national Security Council has said the country expects “another seven months of fighting” in Gaza to achieve the objective of destroying Hamas.
In a radio interview on the Israeli station Reshet bet on Wednesday, Tzachi Hanegbi said: “It was honestly stated in the first days of presenting the plans to the cabinet that the war would be long”.
“You need to have patience and know how to stand strong. This resilience is what has allowed this nation to survive for 75 years, and even for 3,000 years before that. Just don’t use a stopwatch on ourselves or set ultimatums,” he said.
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Global anger against Israel is increasing, but the US won't change course. Here's what you need to know
From CNN staff
A protestor holds up a Palestinian flag during a demonstration in Paris, on May 27, to protest an Israeli strike on a camp for internally displaced Palestinians in Rafah.
Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt/AFP/Getty Images
Global anger over Israel’s military offensive in Rafah has intensified, and key allies have condemned Sunday’s airstrike that killed dozens of people at a camp for displaced Palestinians.
Israeli tanks have been seen in central Rafah for the first time, eyewitnesses told CNN, as Israel deepens its assault on the southern Gaza city, where about 1.3 million Palestinians were taking shelter before Israel began its operation.
Here’s what you need to know.
Biden won’t change course: President Joe Biden is not altering his policy toward Israel following an Israeli strike that killed more than 45 people in Rafah, and the attack did not cross a red line that would affect US support, the White House said. US-made munitions were used in the strike on a camp for displaced people, a CNN analysis of video from the scene and a review by explosive-weapons experts shows.
Haley visits Israel: Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley met with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and wrote “Finish Them!” on Israeli artillery shells during a Memorial Day visit to Israel, according to photos from a former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations.
Global outrage: But the US is under increasing pressure from many of its allies, which have been more vocal in their condemnation of Israeli actions in the days since the strike. UN agencies, aid groups and multiple governments have called on Israel to halt its Rafah offensive. French UN Ambassador Nicolas de Rivière warned against any further escalation in the city, saying “it is high time” for the UN Security Council “to take action and to adopt a new resolution” about the war in Gaza.
More Israeli attacks: Another 75 people were killed in Gaza in the past 24 hours, and 284 were injured, according to the Health Ministry in the enclave, which said the deaths were a result of Israeli military operations. The new figures take the total number of Palestinians killed since Israel began its war on Hamas on 7 October to 36,171, with another 80,000 people injured.
Hospital closed off: The Emirati Crescent Hospital in Rafah is closed off as current Israeli operations in the vicinity obstruct access to the hospital, the head of the health emergency committee in Rafah has told CNN, saying the facility has “become a red zone.”
NGOs pull back: World Central Kitchen (WCK) said is pausing its operations at the humanitarian organization’s main kitchen in Rafah due to “ongoing attacks” in the face of Israeli operations there. But the World Health Organization (WHO) said it was finally able to deliver medical supplies to Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza – its first mission to the northern part of the enclave in two weeks.
New strikes: Two further attacks in Rafah killed at least 29 Palestinians on Tuesday, according to authorities in Gaza. The first hit a displacement camp just 150 meters from the site of Sunday’s strike. The second hit a displacement camp in the southern coastal town of Al-Mawasi. Parts of Al-Mawasi were designated by Israel as a “safe zone,” to which it had earlier ordered thousands of people to evacuate; however according to Israeli authorities and CNN geolocation the strike did not hit inside a safe zone.
1 million flee Rafah: At least 940,000 people have been displaced from Rafah in the past three weeks as a result of “the intensification of hostilities and issuance of evacuation orders” by Israeli forces, according to theUN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Many of the displaced Palestinians are attempting to evacuate following devastating Israeli strikes – but they don’t know where to go.
Broken aid pier: A US-built temporary pier to transport aid into Gaza broke apart in heavy seas Tuesday in a blow to the American-led effort to create a maritime corridor for humanitarian supplies.
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Rafah hospital "has become a red zone" due to Israeli operations, health official tells CNN
From CNN's Ibrahim Dahman
The Emirati Crescent Hospital in Rafah is closed off as current Israeli operations in the vicinity obstruct access to the hospital, the head of the health emergency committee in Rafah has told CNN.
Dr. Marwan Al-Hams added that, as the fighting has progressed in Rafah, the hospital’s surrounding area “has become a red zone.”
“Citizens cannot enter or exit it, nor can Medical staff, patients, and pregnant women who want to give birth. They do not have access to this hospital. This hospital became suspended, neither in service nor out of service,” Al-Hams said.
As he was talking to CNN, shelling could be heard in the background.
He added that Israeli forces had struck the hospital gates, and that the nursery, operation blocks and the maternity department had been destroyed.
CNN has reached out to the IDF for a response on how operations are impacting the hospital, but has not yet heard back.
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How is aid getting into Gaza?
From CNN's Christian Edwards
Trucks carrying humanitarian aid bound for Gaza wait on near the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing on May 26.
AFP/Getty Images
After a US-built aid pier broke apart in heavy seas Tuesday, the trickle of humanitarian aid entering Gaza has slowed even further.
Here’s the status of the three main crossings from Israel and Egypt into Gaza:
Rafah: Since Israel began its assault on Rafah on May 6 and seized control of the Gazan side of the crossing, aid has been blocked, with supplies piling up in Egypt. Israel and Egypt have blamed each other for the blockage.
Rafah had previously been the central artery for aid to flow into Gaza – and, last year, for some injured Palestinians and foreign nationals to enter Egypt.
Kerem Shalom: With Rafah closed, the Kerem Shalom crossing into southern Gaza was opened last week. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and US President Joe Biden agreed to send aid to the UN via Kerem Shalom temporarily.
More than 370 aid trucks arrived at the crossing from Egypt on Monday, Israeli officials said.
But UNRWA, the main UN relief agency in Gaza, said it had picked up only 30 trucks for distribution on the Gazan side of the crossing. Another UN agency said while the crossing is open “in principle,” fighting makes it hard to access aid from the Gaza side.
Erez: Aid has trickled in through this crossing in the north of the enclave. From May 1 to May 20, the World Food Programme transferred 500 trucks, carrying 7,000 metric tons of aid, through the crossing.
But only the western side of the crossing is open, with Erez East still closed.
And the US pier? The temporary pier – built by the US military at a cost of $320 million – broke apart Tuesday, a little more than 10 days after it began operating. It will be removed from the Gaza coast and taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod for repairs, which will take more than a week, further delaying aid deliveries.
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WHO delivers medical supplies to northern Gaza for the first time in two weeks
From CNN's Ibrahim Dahman and Irene Nasser
The World Health Organization (WHO) has delivered medical supplies to Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza — their first mission to the northern part of the enclave in two weeks, Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.
He added that “15,000L of fuel, 14 hospital beds, medicines and trauma supplies to cover the needs of 1,500 people” were delivered.
Al-Ahli Hospital told CNN that the fuel received from the mission will be enough for only 10 days. And although they did receive 14 beds, they need 100 beds, according to Dr. Fadel Naeem, Acting Director of the hospital.
The aid mission to northern Gaza also escorted five ambulances of the Palestine Red Crescent Society, according to Tedros.
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Saudi Arabia condemns Israel's deadly strike on Rafah
From CNN's Irene Nasser
Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a camp for internally displaced people in Rafah on May 27.
Eyad Baba/AFP/Getty Images
Saudi Arabia has “condemned and denounced in the strongest terms” Israel’s strike on Rafah in southern Gaza, which killed dozens of Palestinians on Sunday.
Israel’s strike has drawn condemnation UN agencies, aid organizations and multiple governments — including some of its allies.
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World Central Kitchen pauses work at its main kitchen in Rafah because of "ongoing attacks"
From CNN's Ibrahim Dahman
Palestinians flee Rafah due to an Israeli military operation on May 28.
Hatem Khaled/Reuters
World Central Kitchen (WCK) said is pausing its operations at the humanitarian organization’s main kitchen in Rafah due to “ongoing attacks” in the face of Israeli operations there.
“The situation is dire but WCK’s Palestinian team—all directly impacted by the war—is showing up every day to support neighbors in need,” the post said, adding that almost 100,000 meals were provided a day earlier and would “increase capacity this week as 58 of our aid trucks have entered Gaza since Sunday.”
Seven aid workers from the non-profit were killed in an Israeli military strike in Gaza in April, an incident which drew international condemnation.
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30 Palestine Red Crescent Society members killed in Gaza since October 7
From CNN's Ibrahim Dahman
Thirty members of the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) have been killed in Gaza since October 7, the organization said on Monday.
PRCS member Issam Rouhi Mohammed Aqel was killed after “his home was targeted last night in Al-Bureij refugee camp” in central Gaza, the humanitarian group said.
Aqel’s death brings the total number of PRCS staff killed since October 7 to 30 — “of whom 17 were killed while performing their humanitarian duty.”
PRCS has had to endure countless challenges when carrying out its humanitarian work. In February, it suspended work on “coordinated medical missions” in Gaza for 48 hours because it could not ensure the safety of its teams, the wounded and the sick.
The group has accused the Israeli military of repeatedly mistreating its staff and patients as well as not committing to procedures and coordination mechanisms agreed upon with United Nations agencies to fulfill humanitarian missions.
US-made munitions were used in the strike on a camp for displaced people, a CNN analysis of video from the scene and a review by explosive-weapons experts shows.
Israel is escalating its assault in Rafah – where about 1.3 million Palestinians were taking shelter before Israel began its operation there – despite global condemnation.
Israeli tanks have been seen in central Rafah for the first time, eyewitnesses told CNN, as Israel deepens its assault on the southern Gaza city despite mounting global condemnation.
Here are more headlines you should know:
Global outcry: UN agencies, aid groups and multiple governments have called on Israel to halt its Rafah offensive. French UN Ambassador Nicolas de Rivière warned against any further escalation in the city, saying “it is high time” for the UN Security Council “to take action and to adopt a new resolution” about the war in Gaza. On Tuesday, protesters in cities across Europe gathered to voice opposition to the deadly strike on Rafah.
Israeli attacks on Rafah ramp up: Two further attacks in Rafah killed at least 29 Palestinians on Tuesday, according to authorities in Gaza. The first hit a displacement camp just 150 meters from the site of Sunday’s strike. The second hit a displacement camp in the southern coastal town of Al-Mawasi, an area designated by Israel as a “safe zone” where it had earlier ordered thousands of people to evacuate. Israel has denied striking a humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi.
1 million flee Rafah: At least 940,000 people have been displaced from Rafah in the past three weeks as a result of “the intensification of hostilities and issuance of evacuation orders” by Israeli forces, according to theUN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Many of the displaced Palestinians are attempting to evacuate following devastating Israeli strikes – but they don’t know where to go.
Broken aid pier: A US-built temporary pier to transport aid into Gaza broke apart in heavy seas Tuesday in a blow to the American-led effort to create a maritime corridor for humanitarian supplies.
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Algeria draft Security Council resolution calls for ceasefire in Gaza and hostage release, UN diplomat says
From CNN's Richard Roth
Algeria has circulated to all UN Security Council members a proposed draft resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the unconditional release of all hostages, a UN diplomat told CNN on Tuesday.
It also expresses “grave concern” for the humanitarian situation including famine in Gaza as well as the suffering of those who are internally displaced – and calls for all parties to the conflict to comply with obligations under international law.
It’s unknown how the US will vote on this.
Algeria’s draft resolution comes after 45 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a Rafah camp housing displaced people on Sunday.
The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting this week to discuss the Israeli airstrike attack on Rafah. Secretary-General Antònio Guterres condemned Israel’s actions on Monday.
The council passed a resolution in March calling for an immediate ceasefire after several months of failed attempts. Israel reacted angrily to the resolution, saying it had no intention of abiding by it.
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US-made munitions were used in deadly strike on Rafah tent camp, CNN analysis shows
From CNN’s Allegra Goodwin and Avery Schmitz
In this image which CNN geolocated to the scene of Sunday's strike in Rafah, four explosive weapons experts identified the tail of a US-made GBU-39 small diameter bomb (SDB).
CNN geolocated videos showing tents in flames in the aftermath of the strike on the camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) known as “Kuwait Peace Camp 1.”
In video shared on social media, which CNN geolocated to the same scene by matching details including the camp’s entrance sign and the tiles on the ground, the tail of a US-made GBU-39 small-diameter bomb (SDB) is visible, according to four explosive weapons experts who reviewed the video for CNN.
The GBU-39, manufactured by Boeing, is a high-precision munition “designed to attack strategically important point targets,” and result in low collateral damage, explosive weapons expert Chris Cobb-Smith told CNN.
But “using any munition, even of this size, will always incur risks in a densely populated area,” said Cobb-Smith, a former British Army artillery officer.
Trevor Ball, a former US Army senior explosive ordnance disposal team member who also identified the fragment as being from a GBU-39, explained to CNN how he drew his conclusion.
CNN’s identification of the munition is consistent with a claim made by Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari in a briefing about the tragedy on Tuesday. Hagari said the strike – which he said targeted senior Hamas commanders – used two munitions with small warheads containing 17 kilos of explosives, adding these bombs were “the smallest munitions that our jets could use.”
The traditional GBU-39 warhead has an explosive payload of 17 kilos.
Additionally, serial numbers on the remnants match those for a manufacturer of GBU-39 parts based in California – more evidence the bombs were made in the US.
The Pentagon declined to comment and referred CNN to comments from Israel on its operation. CNN has also reached out to the US National Security Council.
Some context: The US has long been the biggest supplier of arms to Israel, and that support has continued despite the growing political pressure on the Biden administration over the Gaza offensive.
Last month, Biden signed a foreign aid bill that included $26 billion for the Israel-Hamas conflict — including $15 billion in Israeli military aid, $9 billion in humanitarian aid for Gaza and $2.4 billion for regional US military operations.
Nikki Haley writes "Finish them!" on Israeli artillery shells
From CNN's Ebony Davis
Nikki Haley visits Kibbutz Nir Oz, Israel, on May 27.
Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley wrote “Finish Them!” on Israeli artillery shells during a Memorial Day visit to Israel, according to photos in a post from Danny Danon, a former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, who accompanied her on the trip.
Her visit to the northern Israeli border came a day after an Israeli strike that killed 45 at a camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the strike as “a tragic error”.
Haley’s message echoes her previous sentiment during a Fox News interview in which she condemned Hamas’ attacks and called on Netanyahu to “finish them.”
CNN has reached out to representatives for Haley for comment.
She also reaffirmed her commitment to Israel, saying during the tour, saying “Don’t listen to what is being said in the media. I reassure you: America stands with Israel!”
During the Memorial Day weekend trip, Haley visited Kibbutz Nir Oz, the site of the Nova festival, and Sderot.
She reflected in a social media post about a nurse she met whose “life changed forever’ after October 7.
“When she escaped, she tried to treat victims who were butchered and left to slowly die. Now, she bravely tells her story to bear witness for the hundreds who can’t — raped, tortured, kidnapped, and murdered simply for being Israeli,” she continued.
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Israeli tanks seen advancing further into Rafah despite international calls to halt offensive
From CNN's Ibrahim Dahman, Mike Schwartz, Niamh Kennedy, Abeer Salman and Zeena Saifi
Israel’s tanks were seen in central Rafah on Tuesday for the first time since its military entered Gaza’s southernmost city earlier this month, two eyewitnesses told CNN, signaling a new phase in its offensive despite mounting global pressure.
They arrive two days after a strike on a Rafah camp killed dozens of displaced Palestinians on Sunday and as the international community urges Israel to stop its assault on the city.
Staunch ally the United States said President Joe Biden is not altering his policy toward Israel, suggesting the strikes had not yet crossed a red line that would force changes in American support. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby asserted on Tuesday there were no indications yet that Israel had waged a military campaign that would prompt Biden to withhold aid or weapons.
His administration has warned against a large-scale ground invasion in Rafah unless the well-being of civilians can be guaranteed.
About 1.3 million Palestinians were sheltering in Rafah before Israel began its operation there, having fled from other parts of Gaza since the conflict began seven months ago. Around 1 million have fled the city since, according to UN figures.
Israel’s advance deeper into Rafah comes despite the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering it to “immediately halt” its military operation there. The UN and some of Israel’s European allies have called on it to abide by the ICJ’s order, saying it is binding.
White House says attack on Rafah camp didn't cross Biden's red line and there are no policy changes
From CNN's Samantha Waldenberg
John Kirby speaks during a briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 28.
Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Tuesday that Israel’s airstrike that killed dozens of people at a camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah did not cross President Joe Biden’s red line.
Kirby added that he had “no policy changes to speak to” when asked if this strike would change policy – but emphasized that this strike “just happened.”
At least 45 people were killed and more than 200 others wounded after a fire broke out at the camp following the strike on Sunday, most of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry and Palestinian medics.
When asked whether the president has seen some of the images from Rafah over the weekend, Kirby said he could not speak on that but that the president has been “kept apprised throughout the weekend.”
Footage obtained by CNN showed the camp in flames, with scores of men, women and children frantically trying to find cover from the nighttime assault. Burned bodies, including those of children, could be seen being pulled by rescuers from the wreckage.
Pressed on whether Israeli tanks seen in central Rafah constitute a major ground operation, Kirby pointed to comments from the Israelis saying that they are operating in Rafah in a “targeted” and “precise” way.
“That’s what the Israelis have said, we’re not on the ground,” Kirby told reporters.
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Houthi ballistic missiles strike Greek-owned ship in Red Sea, US military says
From CNN staff
A Greek-owned and operated merchant ship in the Red Sea reported being struck by three anti-ship ballistic missiles that were launched Tuesday by Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, according to US Central Command.
Merchant Vessel Laax continued on its voyage and there were no injuries reported, CENTCOM said in a statement.
During the same time, US forces destroyed five Houthi drones over the Red Sea that were launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen and “presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels in the region,” the statement added.
The Iran-backed Houthis have been attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea, the Strait of Bab al-Mandab and the Gulf of Aden since Israel launched its war on Hamas. The Houthis say the attacks target Israel-linked ships in retaliation for Israel’s bombardments of Gaza.
Some background: The Houthis form part of Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” — an anti-Israel and anti-Western alliance of regional militias including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
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Doctor describes sleepless nights and "very miserable" situation in Rafah
From CNN's Sarah EL Sirgany and Mohammed Tawfeeq
Locals carry out search and rescue efforts after an Israeli attack in Rafah, Gaza on April 20.
Jehad Alshrafi/Anadolu/Getty Images
The situation in Rafah is “very miserable,” according to a doctor currently working in the southern Gaza city.
“All night, we couldn’t sleep,” Dr. Safa Jaber told Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières), in an Arabic audio message shared by the group on X with English subtitles.
“I am speechless, I cannot even describe what is happening. We are scared for ourselves and for our children. We are not expecting this to happen so suddenly.”
“We are forced to stay in tents where we will be exposed to the heat, sand. We have to struggle to find water every day; both clean and saltwater; the basic services that every human being needs to stay alive. The situation is very miserable,” Jaber added.
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"There is no shelter, no life, no future." Displaced Palestinians in Rafah wonder where to move next
From Mohammed Al-Sawalhi, Sarah El Sirgany and Abeer Salman and Hira Humayun
Palestinians flee from Rafah on Tuesday.
Jehad Alshrafi/AP
Displaced Palestinians are attempting to evacuate following devastating Israeli strikes in southern Gaza – but they don’t know where to go.
Speaking to a CNN stringer in Khan Younis, north of Rafah, people said they did not know where else to go, as they tried to head north toward Deir El-Balah in central Gaza.
Video from the stringer shows mattresses, wooden panels, chairs, and various other belongings piled on top of vehicles and donkey carts.
“The displacement is repugnant. When people move from one place to another, they want to live. They need money. They’ve lost their savings,” she said.
“Where else can we go? Where the next displacement would be?” Mahdi asked.
The roads, lined by tents and piles of garbage, were busy with people and vehicles moving in search of empty spaces.
Recent Israeli strikes in Rafah have forced the already displaced people to flee.
More than two dozen people were killed in Israel strikes on two camps on Tuesday, according to Palestinian officials.
The Israeli military denied striking a humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi, telling CNN, “Contrary to the reports from the last few hours, the IDF did not strike in the Humanitarian Area in Al-Mawasi.”
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Israeli military says it's investigating if Rafah strike set off possible stored weapons near target
From CNN's Jen Deaton
Israeli army spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari speaks to the press in Tel Aviv on October 18, 2023.
Gil Cohen-Magen/Getty Images/File
The Israeli military is looking into the possibility that Sunday’s strike on Rafah may have unintentionally set off possible stored weapons in a nearby compound and a large fire that decimated part of a camp housing displaced Palestinians, according to spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari.
Hagari described it as one of several possibilities and did not provide any verifiable evidence to bolster the claim.
He also said Israel is assessing social media footage from the night of the strike that appears to show secondary explosions.
Hagari then played the audio of an allegedly intercepted call, described by the Israel Defense Forces as “between two Gazans about the strike in Rafah.”
An unidentified speaker says an ammunition warehouse exploded, causing secondary explosions. The unknown speaker also said the Israeli strike was “small” and did not create a large crater.
CNN cannot independently verify the authenticity of the audio, when it was recorded, or what information the speakers in the audio had.
Hagari said the incident was being investigated by the General Staff’s Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism who he said would conduct a transparent investigation.
CNN posed a follow-up question to Hagari, about whether Israel could confirm that none of the civilians killed were killed in the initial Israeli strike, only in the ensuing secondary explosions or the fire.
Hagari could not confirm that, repeating that the investigation was ongoing.
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“They kept bleeding until they died.” Residents of Tal al-Sultan camp recount horror of Israeli strike
From Tareq El Helou in Rafah and CNN’s Abeer Salman and Zeena Saifi
Residents of the Tal al-Sultan displacement camp in western Rafah have recounted to CNN the scenes that followed an Israeli strike Tuesday, which killed eight people according to Palestinian and UN officials.
Video of the aftermath from a CNN stringer shows torn-up tents, burnt sheets of metal, and clutter of furniture and clothing thrown on the ground. Walls are pierced with holes and the wooden structures holding up the tents are completely damaged.
One resident, Hind Al-Ashqar, told CNN she was asleep with her family when she awoke to the sound of her neighbors screaming.
Hind Al-Ashqar.
CNN
“Our children were terrified; I have a 5-year-old that was so horrified. We were all scared, children and adults,” she said.
Al-Ashqar’s daughter Ayat said she ran out of their tent to check on their neighbors, some of whom were her relatives, only to find them dead on the ground.
Another resident, Imad, pulled out the remains of a person while rummaging through the torn-up tents, saying: “this is the safe place they talk about.”
Another resident, Mohammed, told CNN people were asleep when they were killed, including his cousin. He said he had been picking up dead bodies of children and body parts since the morning, pointing to his blood-stained shirt.
A displaced woman, Suhad, told a CNN stringer she had been sheltering in a nearby camp when she heard there had been a strike on her brother’s camp.
Suhad.
CNN
“I didn’t sleep all night. I was told he was martyred, then he wasn’t. He was martyred, then he wasn’t.
She said her brother’s four daughters, the youngest three months old, survived but were injured.
CNN stringer video from the scene shows dozens of people dismantling the remains of their makeshift tents, gathering what’s left of their belongings and loading them onto trucks and donkey carts. They told a CNN stringer on the ground that they are forced to flee again, some for the sixth time, out of fear of being killed.
Another man, wearing a gray baseball cap, said: “For God’s sake, look at us, show us some respect. We want nothing from you. We want to live like in all other countries. We want freedom.
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Israeli military kills at least 29 people in two separate attacks near Rafah, Palestinian officials say
From Tareq El Helou in Rafah and CNN’s Abeer Salman and Zeena Saifi
Smoke rises following Israeli strikes during an Israeli military operation in Rafah, as seen from Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, May 28.
Mohammed Salem /Reuters
The Israeli military killed at least 29 Palestinians in two separate attacks in the Rafah area on Tuesday, according to the city’s Health Ministry.
A strike hit three tents in Tal al-Sultan displacement camp in western Rafah at around 3 a.m. on Tuesday (local time), according to residents and a CNN stringer in Rafah.
At least eight people were killed, according to the committee.
The Tal al-Sultan camp is located next to a UN warehouse, whose walls were damaged from the strike according to video from a CNN stringer on the ground.
The camp that was hit on Tuesday is about 150 meters away from another displacement camp that an Israeli strike and ensuing fire hit just two days ago, killing at least 45 people.
Video from CNN’s stringer on the ground shows displaced people dismantling their makeshift living arrangements in Tal al-Sultan camp, and gathering their belongings and evacuating the area on trucks and donkey carts.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said his staff are “terrified” and are packing up and moving following the strikes.
An Israeli strike hit a displacement camp in the southern coastal town of Al-Mawasi on Tuesday afternoon, killing at least 21 people, including 13 women, and wounding at least 64 people with 10 in critical condition, Gaza’s Health Ministry says.
Israeli denial: The Israeli military has denied striking a humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi.
It told CNN in a statement: “Contrary to the reports from the last few hours, the IDF did not strike in the humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi.”
CNN has followed up, asking if the IDF has struck elsewhere in Al-Mawasi, such as the UN warehouse that is in the vicinity of the camp, but has not received a reply.
