Netanyahu: Israel will control all Gaza by end of offensive

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed speculation that he and US President Donald Trump have fallen out.

Rumors of a rift between the two staunch allies surfaced after Trump visited three Gulf states — his first major foreign tour since he returned to the White House in January — but did not stop in Israel.

That perceived omission led some observers to speculate on whether Trump was growing impatient over the war in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has intensified its military campaign in recent weeks.

During his visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, Trump signed massive business and investment deals. 

Shortly before the visit, Trump ended a bombing campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen, which has continued firing missiles at Israel in solidarity with Hamas in Gaza.
 
Having made no prior public comments on the situation, Netanyahu told reporters Wednesday night that he had spoken to Trump, who had reassured the Israeli prime minister that he had "complete commitment" to Netanyahu and to Israel.

Netanyahu also said he had spoken separately to US Vice President JD Vance, who had told him not to "pay attention to all these fake news stories about this rupture between" the US and Israeli governments.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the military has demolished refugee camps in the occupied West Bank during a monthslong operation targeting Palestinian militants.

"We entered the refugee camps simultaneously and crushed them," Netanyahu said at a press conference in Jerusalem, referring to the large-scale military operation that began on January 21.

The United Nations has said that no humanitarian aid has yet been distributed in the Gaza Strip, two days after Israel officially lifted an 11-week blockade and began allowing limited deliveries through the Kerem Shalom crossing.

"So far ... none of the supplies have been able to leave the Kerem Shalom loading area," said UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric. He explained that Israeli authorities had only permitted access to areas inside Gaza that the UN considered insecure and at high risk of looting due to prolonged deprivation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he is prepared to agree to a temporary ceasefire to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza, adding that 20 of them are "certainly" alive.

"If there is an option for a temporary ceasefire to free hostages, we'll be ready," Netanyahu said in a televised speech. "There are 20 hostages that are certainly alive."

The Israeli leader added that Israel would control all of Gaza by the end of the offensive. 

He also said Israel must work to avoid a humanitarian crisis in Gaza in order to preserve its freedom of action in the territory.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said it is likely that Israeli forces have killed Mohammed al-Sinwar, a senior Hamas figure and brother of the late militant leader Yehya al-Sinwar.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz told a committee meeting on Sunday that "although there is no official confirmation yet, all indications are that Mohammed al-Sinwar has been eliminated," the news website ynet reported him as saying. The strike reportedly took place a few days earlier.

Mohammed al-Sinwar became head of Hamas's armed wing after Israel killed Mohammed Deif in July. His brother Yehya al-Sinwar, widely regarded as the mastermind behind the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, was killed by the Israeli military in Gaza in October.

Germany has "strongly condemned" Israel after its troops fired warning shots at a European diplomatic delegation in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday.

The German Foreign Ministry has said it is demanding clarification from the Israeli government as to how a diplomatic delegation could be fired at.

"The German Foreign Office strongly condemns this unprovoked attack. We can consider ourselves fortunate that nothing worse happened," a spokeswoman said according to a statement.

A German diplomat and a driver from the German mission's Ramallah office were part of the group that was fired upon while they were traveling near the town of Jenin.

"The group was in the West Bank as part of its diplomatic activities and in coordination with the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli army. The independent observer role of the diplomats on the ground is essential and in no way poses a threat to Israeli security interests," the German Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

"The Israeli government must immediately clarify the circumstances and respect the inviolability of diplomats," the statement continued, adding that German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul would also communicate this to his Israeli counterpart.

Belgium, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain all summoned Israel's ambassadors or said they would raise the issue directly.

 

The Israeli military has issued a statement explaining that troops had fired "warning shots" after the "delegation deviated from the approved route" and were headed towards "an area where they were not authorised to be."   

No injuries or damages were reported in the incident, the IDF statement said, adding that the IDF "regrets the inconvenience caused."

The incident comes amid intensifying international pressure against Israel over the war in Gaza. 

Israel's Supreme Court has ruled that the government's sacking of Ronen Bar, the head of the country's domestic intelligence service, Shin Bet, was "unlawful."

Bar had appealed his sacking in late March to the Supreme Court, which ordered a temporary halt to the dismissal.

"The Supreme Court ruled that the government's decision to terminate the head of the Shin Bet's tenure was made through an improper and unlawful process," the court ruling said.

The court pointed out that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a conflict of interest because Shin Bet is investigating a political affair involving the state of Qatar.

The affair centers around allegations that advisers to Netanyahu were paid by Qatari government representatives to promote the Gulf state's interests in Israel.

Qatar is an ally and financial backer of Hamas, the Islamist Palestinian group that Israel is trying to dismantle in the Gaza Strip and which attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, setting off the current Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Bar's sacking, which was announced by Netanyahu's government in March 2025, sparked mass nationwide protests in Israel, as critics argued the government was undermining the country's democratic foundations and its state institutions.

Bar accused Netanyahu of wanting to sack him for refusing requests, which included spying on Israeli protesters and disrupting the prime minister's corruption trial. Netanyahu denied the accusations.

In late April, the government said it overturned its decision to remove Bar. That announcement came a day after Bar said he would resign on June 15.

The European Union's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has called on Israel to investigate the shots fired at a delegation of diplomats in the occupied West Bank. 

"Any threats on diplomats' lives are unacceptable," Kallas told journalists in Brussels.      

Israel said its troops had fired "warning shots" after the delegation "deviated from the approved route and entered an area where they were not authorized to be."

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he summoned the Israeli ambassador to Rome on Wednesday "to obtain official clarifications on what happened in Jenin."  An Italian diplomat was among the delegation involved in the incident.

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot also demanded an explanation, saying the diplomats were on a visit "coordinated with the Israeli army" and travelling in a "clearly identifiable" convoy.

France said it would also summon the Israeli ambassador for consultations and called the shots fired near diplomats "unacceptable."

The incident comes a day after Kallas announced a review of the EU's trade partnership with Israel amid growing pressure over Gaza. 

The European Commission announced an additional €50 million ($56.7 million) in humanitarian aid for Gaza and the occupied  West Bank.

"We're stepping up our support for our partners to help meet the urgent needs and ease the suffering of the Palestinians. But no aid can reach those who need it without safe, unimpeded access for humanitarian workers. That must be guaranteed," EU Crisis Management Commissioner Hadja Lahbib said.

The new funding brings the total amount of humanitarian assistance that the EU has allocated to Gaza and the West Bank in 2025 to €170 million.

The Commission has allocated an additional €20 million in humanitarian aid funding for Syria, as well as €13 million more for Lebanon.

"In Syria, we're boosting funding for the north-east, where people urgently need healthcare and protection, and we are doing so with neutrality and without any discrimination. And in Lebanon, as families try to cope under a fragile ceasefire, we're scaling up help with basics like food and medical care — especially for vulnerable Syrian refugees and Lebanese communities," Lahbib said.

Meanwhile, the British government announced that it had pledged £4 million (€4.75 million, $5.37 million) in humanitarian aid to Gaza. This announcement came as Minister for Development Jenny Chapman visited Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed "very great concern" about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, his spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said.

Merz is also in close contact with other European nations to express his concerns to the Israeli government. 

"It is always important for the German government to keep its lines of communication open with the Israeli government and to be able to make its points directly," Kornelius said.

However, Berlin is not currently joining other European governments in considering sanctions because of Israel's actions, he added.

Separately, German Foreign Ministry spokesman Christian Wagner defended an EU-Israel cooperation deal a day after the bloc ordered a review of it to pressure Israel over the war in Gaza.

Without explicitly confirming media reports that Berlin had opposed the review, Wagner said "the EU-Israel Association Agreement is an important forum that we must use in order to discuss critical questions" over the situation in Gaza.

The Lebanese and Palestinian leaders agreed that Palestinian factions would not use Lebanon as a launching pad for attacks against Israel.

This announcement came during a meeting between President Michel Aoun and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas arrived in Beirut earlier in the day for a three-day visit to Lebanon, his first in seven years.

The joint statement said both sides have agreed that Palestinian camps in Lebanon aren't "safe havens for extremist groups." It added that "the Palestinian side confirms its commitment of not using Lebanese territories to launch any military operations."

The agreement also mentions the disarmament of Palestinian refugee camps, as Lebanon seeks to exert authority over its entire territory.

In a joint statement, the Lebanese presidency said the two leaders share "the belief that the era of weapons outside the control of the Lebanese state has ended."

The statement added that both leaders expressed commitment to the principle that arms should be exclusively "in the hands of the Lebanese state."

According to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, 500,000 Palestinians are registered as refugees in Lebanon. Most of them are descendants of people who fled or were expelled from their land during the creation of Israel in 1948.

Some 222,000 Palestinians reside in overcrowded camps that are beyond the control of the Lebanese authorities. According to a longstanding convention, the Lebanese army stays out of the refugee camps and leaves security to the Palestinian factions.

In recent years, rival Palestinian factions, such as Abbas's Fatah movement and the militant Hamas group, have clashed inside the camps, inflicting casualties and affecting nearby areas. 

It wasn't immediately clear how the weapons would be removed from the camps.

Israel's military said troops fired "warning shots" after diplomats deviated from an approved route while visiting Jenin in the occupied West Bank.

"The delegation deviated from the approved route and entered an area where they were not authorized to be," and "soldiers operating in the area fired warning shots," a military statement said after the Palestinian Authority condemned "live fire" by Israeli forces.

The Israeli statement said no injuries were reported, adding that the army "regrets the inconvenience caused."

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called on Israel to "clarify" the situation. An Italian diplomat was among the delegation.  

"We call on the government of Israel to immediately clarify what happened," Tajani wrote on X. "Threats against diplomats are unacceptable."

The Spanish Foreign Ministry also condemned the shots fired near their diplomats. 

Pope Leo XIV appealed to Israel to allow sufficient humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, calling the situation in the Palestinian enclave "worrying and saddening."

"I renew my heartfelt appeal to allow the entry of sufficient humanitarian aid and to put an end to the hostilities, the heartbreaking price of which is paid by children, the elderly, the sick," he said during his first weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square.

Since his election on May 8, Leo, the first US-born pope in the history of the Catholic Church, has made peace a theme of his papacy.

In his first Sunday message on May 11, Pope Francis called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all Israeli hostages held by the militant group Hamas.

"Every day, I expect to die with my children. I go to sleep at night expecting never to wake up again," Alaa Moein tells DW by phone from Gaza City where he has sought refuge with his wife and three children.

In addition to the constant threat to their lives, Moein's family also struggles to find anything to eat.

"We have no bread or food. We eat whatever we can find, without knowing if it is edible. We rely on herbs and cook them. Everything is expensive. I have used all my savings to buy food," Moein says.

Moein's story of multiple displacements and constant hunger is common across war-battered Gaza, home to some 2.1 million people. 

Read more about the life of Palestinians amid Israel's new offensive in Gaza: Israel's siege in Gaza: 'I expect to never wake up again'

Since early Wednesday morning, more than 45 people, including several children, have been killed in renewed Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.

According to Gaza medical sources cited by WAFA, there were airstrikes and fatalities in Jabalia in Gaza's north and Deir al-Balah in central Gaza as well as near Khan Younis in the south of the territory.

The Israeli army did not provide any details. On its X account, it only said that it had "struck over 115 terror targets throughout Gaza from the ground, sea, and air" over the past day.

Dozens of deaths have been reported daily in the coastal area since Israel's military launched a major offensive late last week.

Israel is facing mounting international criticism over its renewed offensive in Gaza, including from close allies. On Tuesday, the United Kingdom suspended trade talks with Israel and sanctioned some West Bank settlers. The UK also summoned Israel's ambassador.

Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the European Union intends to review its cooperation agreement with Israel in light of the situation in Gaza.