Middle East: Gaza aid centers temporarily close

The United States has vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for a "immediate, unconditional and permanent"  ceasefire and unrestricted humanitarian access in Gaza.

Washington claimed the resolution undermined ongoing peace efforts.

It was the 15-member body's first vote on the situation since November, when the US, a key Israeli ally, also blocked a text calling for an end to fighting.

"This resolution would undermine diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire that reflects the realities on the ground and emboldens Hamas," Washington's United Nations envoy Dorothy Shea said ahead of the vote. 

"This resolution also draws false equivalence between Israel and Hamas," she added.

The draft resolution had demanded "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties." It also called for the "immediate, dignified and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups."

Underlining a "catastrophic humanitarian situation" in the Palestinian territory, the failed resolution would have demanded the lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

The veto was the first wielded by Washington since US President Donald Trump took office in January.

Scrutiny has increased on Israel over flailing aid distribution in Gaza, which Israel blocked for more than two months before allowing a small number of UN vehicles to enter in mid-May. The United Nations said that was not enough to meet the humanitarian needs.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Wednesday reiterated Germany's support for Israel, including arms deliveries. 

Wadephul was addressing a question and answer session on the humanitarian situation in Gaza and Germany's ties with Israel in the lower house of the German parliament, the Bundestag, ahead of a planned visit by his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar.

Wadephul said he would address the humanitarian situation in Gaza during talks with Saar expected on Thursday. 

His statements come amid a debate over arms deliveries to Israel as it continues to strike Gazan cities, with international aid organizations warning of a looming humanitarian catastrophe with food and medicine being cut off. 

Wadephul's conservative colleagues have agreed that criticism of Israel's actions can be voiced, but that arms embargos are not on the table. 

He added that such aid is necessary in light of the terror threat posed by the Islamist militant group Hamas, as well as attacks by the pro-Iranian Houthi rebels in Yemen and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.

Wadephul reiterated his commitment to the security of the State of Israel as part of Germany's raison d'état.  However, he added that this commitment does not exclude the possibility of offering criticism as friends.

During the session, a German lawmaker from the Left party was asked to leave the plenary chamber for wearing a T-shirt with "Palestine" written on it. Bundestag President Julia Klöckner had first asked the lawmaker to change, as the shirt violated rules on displaying political symbols. 

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was in Lebanon on Wednesday for talks with senior Lebansese leaders, including President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi.

Araghchi also met with the leader of Lebanese militant and political group Hezbollah Naim Kassem. 

Iran is the primary backer of Hezbollah, whose political and military power was severely weakened by an Israeli bombing campaign last year.

Ties between Lebanon and Iran have been shaky since Lebanon's new government took steps towards diminishing Hezbollah's political and military sway in Lebanon. 

For example, Lebanon's new government has vowed to implement a state monopoly on bearing arms amid international pressure. 

After the talks, Raggi posted on X that they centered on "Lebanon's hope that Iran remains committed to supporting our country's security and internal stability," including efforts to ensure "that arms are held solely by the state."

"Araghchi affirmed his country's keenness to open a new page in bilateral relations with Lebanon, based on mutual respect and non-interference in each other's internal affairs," Salam's office said.

Hezbollah is considered to be a proxy force for Iran, and disarming the militant group is a sore spot in ties. 

Hezbollah's Kassem said in a statement he thanked Iran for its  "ongoing support for the Lebanese people" and Hezbollah.

In November, a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel ended more than a year of conflict and two months of all-out war.

The ceasefire called for Hezbollah to pull its forces away from Lebanon's border with Israel, north of the Litani River. Israel was to withdraw all of its forces from Lebanon, however, it continues to keep troops in several areas deemed critical for security.

A contract to buy 168 firing posts and 1,680 anti-tank missiles from Israeli defense company Rafael has been cancelled by Spain, national media reportered.

The daily newspaper El Pais, citing unnamed government sources, reported that the deal was valued at €287.5 million ($327 million). The equipment was to be manufactured in Spain under license from Rafael.

Sources from the Spanish Ministry of Defense told AFP news agency that the government has begun revoking licenses of Israeli origin and redirecting its procurement programs to achieve "greater technological independence and autonomy."

In late April, Spain canceled a contract to purchase bullets from another Israeli company, IMI Systems.

Spain strongly criticizes Israel's military operation in Gaza. Last year, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez officially recognized a Palestinian state, drawing criticism from Israel.

The United Torah Judaism (UTJ) alliance, an ultra-Orthodox Israeli party, announced that it is leaving the country's governing coalition, which could potentially jeopardize Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hold on power.

Leading rabbis from the UTJ said the party would withdraw its support for the government amid a dispute over forcing highly religious Orthodox Jewish men to serve in the Israeli military.

The party represents the strict Haredi Jewish community and holds seven of the 120 seats in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset. 

With 68 seats currently held by Netanyahu's right-wing, religious government, UTJ's withdrawal would leave his majority hanging by a thread.

Ultra-Orthodox community members have been exempt from compulsory military service for decades. However, the exemption expired last year, and the government has failed to pass a new law securing their special status.

In summer 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that ultra-Orthodox men can be drafted into the military.

Local health authorities said that an Israeli airstrike on a school in Khan Younis, which they said was housing displaced Palestinian families, killed at least 10 people, including children.

According to residents, the Israeli military has escalated airstrikes and tank shelling on parts of Khan Younis a day after dropping leaflets warning residents to leave their homes and head west.

The leaflets said that forces would fight Hamas and other militants in those areas.

Khan Younis is located in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

The UN Security Council is set to vote on a resolution late Wednesday afternoon (2000 GMT) that demands "an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, respected by all parties."

Drafted by the council's 10 elected member states, who serve two-year terms, the resolution reiterates the demand for the release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups following their October 7, 2023, surprise attack in southern Israel.

It also calls for the immediate lifting of all restrictions on the entry of aid and its safe and unhindered distribution, including by the UN, throughout Gaza.

A resolution needs nine votes in favor from the 15-member body and no vetoes from the five permanent members — the United States, Russia, China, Britain, and France — to pass.

This will be the first vote on the subject by the UN Security Council since November, when the United States, a key ally of Israel, blocked a resolution calling for an end to the fighting. Washington is expected to use its veto again.

"We eat whatever is available, one meal a day, from morning until late at night. Sometimes it is lentils; sometimes it is pasta," 21-year-old Hazem Lubbad told DW in video message from Gaza. 

For the past 19 months, he has been hunkering down with his extended family in Sheikh Radwan, a neighborhood in the northwest of Gaza City.

Read more about how Palestinians in northern Gaza face severe food shortages as aid fails to reach them. 

Israeli's military said it was shelling targets in Syria late on Tuesday after projectiles launched from Syria hit the Israel-controlled Golan Heights. 

"Two projectiles were identified crossing from Syria into Israeli territory, and fell in open areas," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) posted on X.

In a subsequent post, the IDF said that its "artillery struck in southern Syria" following the launches.

Syria's official news agency SANA reported shelling "targeting the Yarmuk Basin, in the west of Daraa" province.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, said violent explosions had hit farmland in southern Syria, without reporting casualties.

Israel says its strikes aim to stop advanced weapons reaching Syria's new authorities, led by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whom it considers jihadists.

Israeli media said Tuesday's projectiles were the first fired from Syria into Israeli territory since the fall of former Syrian President Bashir Assad in December.

Who is behind the launches from Syria?

A group calling itself the Mohammed Deif Brigades, named after a Hamas military leader killed by an Israeli strike in Gaza last year, claimed the attack in a post on Telegram, according to AP news agency. 

The group first surfaced on social media a few days before.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a post on X that he held Syria's leader "directly responsible" for the launches.

Syria's foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run TV channel that it has "not yet verified the accuracy" of the reports of strikes launched from Syria toward Israel.

"We affirm that Syria has not and will not pose a threat to any party in the region," the statement said. 

Aid centers run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an agency backed by the United States and Israel, will temporarily close on Wednesday, it said.

"June 4, distribution centres will be closed for renovation, reorganisation and efficiency improvement work," GHF wrote on Facebook.

The Israeli army confirmed the temporary closure and warned civilians against moving in areas leading to GHF sites on Wednesday, deeming them "combat zones."

The GHF said it has asked the Israeli military to improve civilian safety around its distribution centers in Gaza.

This includes guiding foot traffic to minimize confusion or escalation risks and develop clearer guidance for civilians. 

This comes a day after at least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens injured near a GHF food aid distribution site in southern Gaza, according to local officials and a Red Cross field hospital. 

Israel's military said on Tuesday that it had opened fire on "individual suspects" deemed a threat after they advanced towards troops.

Aid distribution is expected to resume on Thursday. 

The GHF, a private contractor whose funding is unclear, started delivering aid just over a week ago. 

The use of the GHF to deliver aid in Gaza, where one in five people face starvation, has been highly controversial. 

The organization, which uses armed security contractors and distributes food and medicine from only four distribution points, has drawn fierce criticism for bypassing the UN and major aid organizations, and has been accused of ignorning international laws related to providing humanitarian relief. 

Following reports that Israeli forces killed civilians near a food distribution site in Gaza for a second time, all aid centers in the enclave will remain closed on Wednesday.

The facilities would remain shut for "renovation, organization and efficiency improvement works," according to the controversial US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which runs the aid operations in Gaza. 

We'll keep you updated with this story as well as other news, analyses and on-the-ground reporting from the Middle East.