- 31 May 2025 - 22:59(22:59 GMT)
Thanks for joining us
To read how a divided Israel faces internal unrest during the escalating Gaza war, click here.
To watch Al Jazeera’s Inside Story discussing how Israel uses starvation as a weapon of war, go here.
Find out more about the latest attempt by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition to get life-saving food to Gaza, see here.
To read an opinion piece on how to stop Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, check here.
You can find all our coverage of the Israel-Palestine conflict by viewing this page.
- 31 May 2025 - 22:50(22:50 GMT)
Here’s what happened today
We’ll be closing this live page soon. Here’s a look at the day’s main developments:
- Hamas said it filed its response to a US-backed proposal for a Gaza truce deal, refuting Israeli claims it rejected it, but saying it still seeks “a guarantee” of a permanent ceasefire.
- Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy for the Middle East, said Hamas’s response “is totally unacceptable and only takes us backward”.
- Hamas official Basem Naim says Witkoff’s proposal does not guarantee a 60-day temporary ceasefire or increased deliveries of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
- Israel’s military ordered “all residents” of southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, Bani Suheila, and Abasan to evacuate immediately after rockets were fired.
- Foreign ministers of Arab countries who planned to visit the occupied West Bank to discuss a state of Palestine condemned Israel’s decision to block their trip.
- The Israeli army said it killed Hamas’s military chief Mohammed Sinwar in a May 13 attack, confirming Prime Minister Netanyahu’s announcement this week.
- 31 May 2025 - 22:40(22:40 GMT)
Saudi Arabia and Israel: From ‘normalisation’ to confrontation
Earlier, we reported on the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain, alongside the secretary-general of the Arab League, being blocked by Israel from visiting the occupied West Bank to hold talks on the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Had the visit gone ahead, the delegation’s head, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, would have become the first Saudi foreign minister to visit the West Bank.
Firas Maksad, managing director for the Middle East and North Africa at Eurasia Group, said Israel’s rejection of the visit indicated “how far Saudi and Israel have moved from normalisation to diplomatic confrontation”.
The planned visit “underscores just how much the Saudi position has shifted away from creating a credible pathway towards a Palestinian state through conditional normalisation with Israel, to one that aims to create such a path via an international coalition in support of Palestinian aspirations”, Maksad said.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan attends the G20 foreign ministers meeting in 2024 [File: Silvia Izquierdo/AP] Advertisement - 31 May 2025 - 22:35(22:35 GMT)
Egypt says using ‘all our strength’ to end Gaza war
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty says his country is exerting maximum pressure to end the Israeli onslaught against the Gaza Strip.
“We are pressing with all our strength to end the war on Gaza, and we hope to reach an agreement to stop the bloodshed in Gaza as soon as possible,” Abdelatty said in a news conference in Cairo.
He stressed the “urgent need for unrestricted and full access of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip”.
“It is unacceptable to use hunger as a weapon against the Palestinians in Gaza,” said Abdelatty.
Israel has kept all border crossings shut since March 2, cutting off the entry of food, medicine, fuel, and other essential supplies for Gaza’s 2.3 million residents.
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty [File: Mohamed Abd el-Ghany/Reuters] - 31 May 2025 - 22:30(22:30 GMT)
PSG fans hold ‘Stop genocide in Gaza’ banner at Champions League final
Paris Saint-Germain supporters displayed the banner during the Champions League final.
They raised it shortly after Achraf Hakimi gave their team a 1-0 lead against his former side Inter Milan in the 12th minute.
PSG fans are known for their stance against the war in Gaza, previously displaying a giant banner saying “Free Palestine” in November during the Champions League match against Atletico Madrid.
Israel’s nearly three-month blockade on Gaza has pushed the population of 2.3 million to the brink of famine.
Fans hold a giant banner reading ‘Stop genocide in Gaza’ in French during the UEFA Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan [Odd Andersen/AFP] - 31 May 2025 - 22:20(22:20 GMT)
‘Deeply disgusted’: Paris Holocaust memorial, synagogues vandalised
France’s Holocaust memorial, three Paris synagogues, and a restaurant have been vandalised with paint.
An investigation has been opened into “damage committed on religious grounds”, the Paris public prosecutor’s office said, as the Israeli embassy denounced the attack. No arrests have been made.
“I am deeply disgusted by these heinous acts targeting the Jewish community,” French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau posted on X.
Retailleau last week called for “visible and dissuasive” security measures at Jewish-linked sites amid concerns about possible anti-Semitic acts.
Several European nations have reported a spike in “anti-Muslim hatred” and “anti-Semitism” since the start of the Gaza war.
Thousands of people march in silence through Paris to protest racism and anti-Semitism [File: Regis Duvignau/Reuters] - 31 May 2025 - 22:10(22:10 GMT)
Divided Israel faces internal unrest amid escalating Gaza war
As Israel’s devastating war on Gaza grinds on, pushed forward by a prime minister insistent that a goal of total military victory be met, the divisions within Israeli society are growing increasingly deeper.
In the last few weeks, as Israeli peace activists and antiwar groups have stepped up their campaign against the conflict, supporters of the war have also increased their pressure to continue, whatever its humanitarian, political or diplomatic cost.
“All the peace activists risk being physically attacked or threatened, even the families of the hostages are at risk of attack by these bigots,” said antiwar lawmaker Ofer Cassif.
Read the full story here.
- 31 May 2025 - 22:00(22:00 GMT)
A coalition of conscience needed to stop genocide in Gaza
Eight decades after the Holocaust, another genocide is unfolding – this time with Palestinian children as both victims and witnesses of ethnic cleansing.
Each of these children carries a harrowing story the world needs to hear. One day, we may read their accounts in memoirs – if they survive long enough to write them.
But the international community must not wait that long. It must confront the suffering of these children now. That is why we gave children in Gaza a platform to ask the world a searing question: “Why are you silent?”
Read the opinion piece here.
- 31 May 2025 - 21:45(21:45 GMT)
Israeli decision to bar Arab delegation from occupied West Bank slammed
The Palestinian Authority has decried the blocking of a meeting in the occupied West Bank by Israel to be attended by regional foreign ministers.
The Israeli government’s decision to block the delegation “constitutes a blatant violation of its obligations under international law as an occupying power, [is] a breach of signed agreements, and a continuation of its ongoing violations against the Palestinian people”, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The delegation – including ministers from Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – was forced to cancel after Israel denied access through the airspace over the occupied West Bank, which it controls.
Advertisement - 31 May 2025 - 21:30(21:30 GMT)
Witkoff statement shows US ‘solidly’ behind Israel: Ex-US diplomat
Former US diplomat Robert Hunter says Witkoff made his statement on the US ceasefire proposal as quickly as he did, in part, in order to demonstrate “the Trump administration is solidly in support of the Israeli position”.
“I think Trump is getting a little frustrated because he’s trying to announce a huge success for himself and the negotiating positions of the two sides – Israel and Hamas – are still very far apart,” Hunter told Al Jazeera from Washington, DC.
Still, Hunter noted that Trump has made clear he’s in Israel’s corner by “in effect giving a greenlight to Israel to do whatever it wants militarily, including with American weaponry”.
The US president also has been “giving Israel free play in Gaza”, Hunter added, because he is hoping to reach a nuclear deal with Iran – something the Israeli government is opposed to.
- 31 May 2025 - 21:15(21:15 GMT)
Three wounded in Israeli drone strike in Jabalia
Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic report three Palestinians were injured when an Israeli drone bombed a house in northern Gaza’s Jabalia.
Earlier, medical sources at Nasser Hospital in southern Khan Younis said six Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire as they attempted to reach an aid distribution centre in Rafah, southern Gaza.
At least 20 Palestinians have been killed in attacks since dawn, the Health Ministry said.
- 31 May 2025 - 21:00(21:00 GMT)
WATCH: Has Israel turned Gaza into a starvation camp?
“The hungriest place on Earth” – this is how the United Nations has described Gaza.
Months of a total Israeli blockade, on top of severely reduced aid supplies, have left 2.3 million Palestinians facing famine.
Hundreds of deaths have been reported from shortages of food, water and medicine. Tonnes of aid are waiting at the border, but the UN says only a trickle is being allowed through.
Al Jazeera’s Inside Story discusses if Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war and what effects famine and hunger will have on Palestinians in the years to come.
- 31 May 2025 - 20:45(20:45 GMT)
Prolonging war helps Netanyahu ‘maintain grip on power’
As we’ve been reporting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated that Israel will continue its military assault on Gaza until it secures the release of Israeli captives and destroys Hamas.
But experts – including senior officials within Israel, and other observers, have noted the Israeli prime minister has failed to achieve either of those goals – and he’s unlikely to do so.
Instead, many argue Netanyahu is seeking to prolong the Israeli bombardment of Gaza as a way to maintain his grip on power.
The Israeli leader has faced growing public anger within Israel for failing to secure the captives’ release, with many families urging him to agree to a deal that would see them freed in exchange for a permanent end to the war.
“The prolongation of the war has served a dual purpose for the prime minster: to maintain his grip on power, considering his uncertain political prospects in a future election, and to provide a public distraction and delay to the pending corruption cases against him,” political analyst Thair Abu Ras wrote last month in a policy brief for the Arab Center Washington DC.
“Reshaping the Gaza Strip both geographically and demographically,” Abu Ras added, also “serves Netanyahu’s survival interests as well as his ideological priorities and, crucially, those of his coalition partners.”
Netanyahu is at the helm of a far-right coalition government [Ronen Zvulun/Pool via Reuters] - 31 May 2025 - 20:35(20:35 GMT)
More from Hamas’s Basem Naim
Despite Steve Witkoff’s proposal falling short of Hamas’s demands, the Palestinian group “responded positively and in a very responsible manner”, Naim says.
“We have said, ‘OK – based on the dire situation on the ground, the needs of our people, we have to find a way to find common ground with his proposal’. This is exactly what we have done,” the Hamas official told Al Jazeera.
Naim said Hamas wanted to go into ceasefire negotiations with two proposals on the table, to see how things could move forward.
“The main goal for us is how to secure our people a 60-day temporary ceasefire and enough inflow of humanitarian aid, and at the end of these negotiations, to guarantee a permanent ceasefire or an end to this war.”
Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official [File: Murad Sezer/Reuters] - 31 May 2025 - 20:25(20:25 GMT)
Hamas official says Witkoff plan offered ‘no guarantees’ for end to war
We’ve been speaking with Hamas official Basem Naim. Here’s some of what he said:
- “One week ago, we agreed with Mr Witkoff on one proposal and we said ‘this is acceptable, we can consider this a negotiating paper’. He went to the other party, to the Israelis, to get their response. Instead of having a response to our proposal, he brought us a new proposal … which had nothing to do with what we agreed upon.”
- That new proposal did not guarantee a 60-day temporary ceasefire or deliveries of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
- “In the end, there are no guarantees for negotiations to end the war, or a permanent ceasefire, or a total withdrawal” of Israeli forces from Gaza.
- “We have said many times, yes we are ready to go for negotiations, but we cannot accept such a proposal as a baseline for the negotiations. Because at the end – again – what they have presented is not responding to even guarantee the inflow of humanitarian aid.”
- “They want us to legitimise their [aid] distribution plan, which has been rejected by the whole international community, including the UN.”
- 31 May 2025 - 20:15(20:15 GMT)
Israel’s Saar calls on European powers to pressure Hamas
The Israeli foreign minister accused the Palestinian group of “its continuation [of the war] by refusing to release our hostages and disarm”.
“If France and the UK want to reach a ceasefire – pressure should be put on Hamas that continues to say No, instead of attacking Israel, which says Yes.”
His statement comes as Hamas seeks amendments to a US-backed proposal for a temporary ceasefire with Israel in Gaza, which President Donald Trump’s envoy described as “totally unacceptable”.
European powers led by London and Paris have been toughening their rhetoric towards Israel recently amid the genocide ongoing in Gaza.
Hamas initiated this war with the 7/10 massacre is responsible for its continuation by refusing to release our hostages and disarm.
If France and the UK want to reach a ceasefire – pressure should be put on Hamas that continues to say No, instead of attacking Israel, which says… https://t.co/XojII4F20T— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) May 31, 2025
- 31 May 2025 - 20:00(20:00 GMT)
If you’re just joining us
Let’s bring you up to speed on the latest developments:
- Hamas says it responded to the latest US proposal for a Gaza ceasefire with a plan that would see 10 Israeli prisoners freed and 18 bodies returned in exchange for a number of Palestinian prisoners.
- US special envoy Steve Witkoff slams Hamas’s response as “totally unacceptable” saying the Palestinian group should “accept the framework proposal we put forward as the basis for proximity talks, which we can begin immediately this coming week”.
- Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar says Hamas is responsible for the continuation of the war in Gaza by refusing to release captives and disarm.
- The Israeli military has ordered all Palestinian residents of Khan Younis, Bani Suheila, and Abasan in southern Gaza to evacuate immediately after rockets were fired.
- A Gaza civil defence spokesperson says Israel bombed 60 homes in Gaza City and other parts of northern Gaza in the past 48 hours as the military intensifies its offensive there.
Advertisement - 31 May 2025 - 19:50(19:50 GMT)
‘Netanyahu did not commit genocide by himself’: UN expert
Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, has warned against pinning all of the blame for what is happening in Gaza on the Israeli prime minister alone.
“The problem will not be resolved by scapegoating him, ignoring the rest,” Albanese wrote in a post on social media.
She stressed Israel’s policies of genocide, occupation and annexation, and apartheid all must be halted.
Now that the wind is changing and everyone starts to oppose the Gaza meat-grinding:
Netanyahu did not commit the genocide by himself. The problem will not be resolved by scapegoating him, ignoring the rest.
1. End genocide.
2. End occupation/annexation.
3. End apartheid.— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) May 31, 2025
- 31 May 2025 - 19:40(19:40 GMT)
Netanyahu slams Hamas response to ceasefire proposal, echoing Witkoff
We have a short statement from the Israeli prime minister:
“While Israel has agreed to the updated Witkoff outline for the release of our hostages, Hamas continues to adhere to its refusal. As Witkoff said, Hamas’ response is unacceptable and sets the situation back. Israel will continue its action for the return of our hostages and the defeat of Hamas.”
- 31 May 2025 - 19:35(19:35 GMT)
Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region cuts ties with Israel
Michele de Pascale, the president of the region, has announced the decision to break off institutional relations with Israel, according to Italian media.
Emilia-Romagna has been running numerous cooperation projects with Israeli entities for years, the il Fatto Quotidiano reported.
According to the newspaper, de Pascale said Emilia-Romagna’s decision was taken “in the face of the very serious violence under way in the Gaza Strip, which continues to severely affect the civilian population, as demonstrated by the dramatic events of recent days in Rafah, and in consideration of the proceedings initiated by the International Criminal Court against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes and crimes against humanity“.
Updates: Israel, US say ‘unacceptable’ as Hamas gives Gaza truce response
UN says Gaza’s population is being subjected to one of the ‘most obstructed aid operations’ in recent history.
'Hungriest place on earth': UN says aid mission most obstructed in recent history
Published On 31 May 2025
This live page is now closed.
- Hamas says it has submitted to the mediators its response on a United States proposal for a Gaza ceasefire deal.
- Under the deal, 10 living Israeli captives held in Gaza will be freed and 18 bodies returned in exchange for a number of Palestinian prisoners, according to the group.
- The United Nations says the besieged Gaza Strip is the “hungriest place on Earth”, adding that the territory’s entire 2.3 million people face “catastrophic hunger”.
- Condemnation after Israel confirms blocking a delegation of ministers from five Arab countries from completing a planned visit to Ramallah, occupied West Bank.
- Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 54,381 Palestinians and wounded 124,054, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
- The Government Media Office updated its death toll to more than 61,700, saying thousands of people missing under the rubble are presumed dead. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, and more than 200 taken captive.
