At least 82 are killed by Israel’s air strikes in Gaza as desperately wanted help fails to achieve Palestinians

Israeli strikes continued to pound the Gaza Strip Wednesday (May 21, 2025), regardless of a surge in international anger at Israel’s widening offensive. The assaults killed no less than 82 folks, together with a number of ladies and a week-old toddler, in accordance with the Gaza Health Ministry and space hospitals.

Israel started permitting dozens of humanitarian vans into Gaza on Tuesday, however the aid has not yet reached Palestinians in determined want.

Jens Laerke, the spokesperson for the U.N.’s humanitarian company, mentioned no vans have been picked up from the Gaza facet of Kerem Shalom, the Israeli border crossing with southern Gaza.

U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric mentioned Tuesday that though the help had entered Gaza, help staff weren’t in a position to carry it to distribution factors, after the Israeli army compelled them to reload the provides onto separate vans and staff ran out of time.

The Israeli protection physique that oversees humanitarian help to Gaza mentioned vans have been getting into Gaza on Wednesday morning, however it was unclear if that help would have the ability to proceed deeper into Gaza for distribution. The U.N. company for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, mentioned its workers had waited a number of hours to gather help from the border crossing as a way to start distribution however have been unable to take action on Tuesday.

A couple of dozen Israeli activists against Israel’s determination to permit help into Gaza whereas Hamas nonetheless holds Israeli hostages tried to dam the vans carrying the help on Wednesday morning, however have been saved again by Israeli police.

A bunch of diplomats got here below hearth whereas visiting Jenin, a metropolis within the Israel-occupied West Bank, in accordance with the Palestinian Authority. The diplomats have been on official mission to look at the humanitarian state of affairs in Jenin when photographs rang out.

An help employee, who didn’t need to be named for worry of reprisal, mentioned a delegation of about 20 diplomats was being briefed in regards to the state of affairs in Jenin by the Palestinian Authority. The group of regional, European and Western diplomats have been standing close to the doorway of the Jenin refugee camp after they heard gunshots simply earlier than 2 p.m., although it was unclear the place the photographs got here from, she mentioned. No one was injured, she added.

The Israeli army mentioned the go to had been permitted, however the delegation “deviated from the approved route” and Israeli troopers fired warning photographs to distance them from the world. The army apologized for the incident and mentioned they’ll contact the entire related nations concerned within the go to.

Footage exhibits various diplomats giving media interviews as fast photographs ring out near the group, forcing them to run for canopy.

Jenin has been the location of Israel’s widespread crackdown towards West Bank militants since earlier this yr.

On Jan. 21 — simply two days after its ceasefire cope with Hamas in Gaza — Israeli forces descended on Jenin as they’ve dozens of occasions since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, assault on Israel. The preventing displaced tens of hundreds of Palestinians, one of many largest West Bank displacements in years.

On Tuesday, the United Kingdom. suspended free commerce talks with Israel over its intensifying assault, a step that got here a day after the U.Okay., Canada and France promised concrete steps to immediate Israel to halt the conflict. Separately, European Union overseas coverage chief Kaja Kallas mentioned the bloc was reviewing an EU pact governing commerce ties with Israel over its conduct of the conflict in Gaza.

Israel says it’s ready to cease the conflict as soon as all of the hostages taken by Hamas return dwelling and Hamas is defeated, or is exiled and disarmed. Hamas says it’s ready to launch the hostages in trade for a full Israeli withdrawal from the territory and an finish to the conflict. It rejects calls for for exile and disarmament.

Israel known as again its senior negotiating staff from ceasefire talks within the Qatari capital of Doha on Tuesday, saying it could depart lower-level officers in place as a substitute. Qatari leaders, who’re mediating negotiations, mentioned there was a big hole between the 2 sides that that they had been unable to bridge.

Meanwhile, Israeli strikes continued throughout Gaza. In the southern metropolis of Khan Younis, the place Israel just lately ordered new evacuations pending an anticipated expanded offensive, 24 folks have been killed, 14 of them from the identical household. Every week-old toddler was killed in central Gaza.

The Israeli army didn’t instantly touch upon the strikes, however has mentioned it’s focusing on Hamas infrastructure and accused Hamas militants of working from civilian areas.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday urged world leaders to take fast motion to finish Israel’s siege on Gaza, issuing the attraction in a written assertion throughout a go to to Beirut, the place he’s anticipated to debate the disarmament of Palestinian factions in Lebanon’s refugee camps.

“I call on world leaders to take urgent and decisive measures to break the siege on our people in the Gaza Strip,” Abbas mentioned, demanding the fast entry of help, an finish to the Israeli offensive, the discharge of detainees, and a full withdrawal from Gaza.

“It is time to end the war of extermination against the Palestinian people. I reiterate that we will not leave, and we will remain here on the land of our homeland, Palestine,” Abbas mentioned.

The conflict in Gaza started when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing some 1,200 folks, principally civilians, and abducting 251 others. The militants are nonetheless holding 58 captives, round a 3rd of whom are believed to be alive, after many of the relaxation have been returned in ceasefire agreements or different offers.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive, which has destroyed massive swaths of Gaza, has killed greater than 53,000 Palestinians, principally ladies and kids, in accordance with Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its rely.