In the West Bank, Israeli settlers shoot and injure a Palestinian man in Azmut. Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian child in Balata refugee camp. Israeli forces also raid Idhna, causing tear-gas related injuries. Elsewhere, Israeli forces seize a concrete truck in Qarawat Bani Hassan. Israeli forces also arrest 20 Palestinian during late-night raids in and around Barta’a, Balata refugee camp, Qusra, Burqa, Qalqilya, and Beit Ummar. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Beit Lahiya, Jabalia refugee camp, Khan Yunis, Rafah, Nuseirat refugee camp, and Maghazi, killing at least 83 people, including 28 people in a residential square in Beit Lahiya. The Israeli military orders the evacuation of more neighborhoods in Beit Lahiya. 10 rockets are fired at Ashkelon. 2 Israeli soldiers are killed in combat. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb Ayta ash Shaab, Odaisseh, Aitaroun, Kounine, Khiam, and Ramyah. In the Red Sea, a ballistic missile fired from Yemen hits an oil tanker, causing damage. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/18; AJ 5/19; UNOCHA 5/20)
More than 35,386 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 15,103 children and 10,000 women, and around 79,366 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 10,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 497 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 119 children. More than 5,000 people have been injured. Israel reports that 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured in Israel since 10/7/2023, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 282 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,723 injured in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27/2023. Over 1.93 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7/2023. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12/2023 due to the Israeli blockade. At least 79,000 housing units have been destroyed and 370,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7/2023. 27 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza via land crossings while 90 trucks enter Gaza via the floating pier. Earlier in the day UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini says that only 33 aid trucks have entered Gaza since 5/6. The UN says 800,000 people have fled Rafah since 5/6. (AJ, AJ, HA, WAFA 5/18; UNRWA 5/22)
Israel releases the names and details of a number of Palestinian children in Gaza it claims are informants for Hamas. (AJ 5/18)
Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz says in a press conference that he will leave the emergency government if the war cabinet does not approve a 6-point plan for Israel’s war on Gaza by 6/8. Gantz’s plan includes bringing back captives, demilitarizing Gaza, creating an international administration for civil affairs in Gaza, including Palestinian, Arab, and western elements, facilitating the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza by 9/1, advancing normalization with Saudi Arabia, and adopting a framework to include all Israelis in mandatory service. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the conditions Gantz is demanding would mean an “end of the war, defeat for Israel, and the abandonment of most of the hostages – leaving Hamas intact and establishing a Palestinian state.” (AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AX, HA, NYT, REU, REU 5/18)
Sada Social says Meta has been providing data from WhatsApp to power the AI-assisted targeting system Lavender, used by the Israeli military to kill Palestinians in Gaza. (AJ 5/18)
Iran confirms that it has held indirect talks with the U.S. in Oman earlier this week, discussing the security situation in the Middle East and Iran’s nuclear program. (AJ, NYT 5/18)
Austria says it will resume UNRWA funding. Austria expects to provide UNRWA with $3.7 million in 2024. (AJ, REU, WAFA 5/18)
New York City police assault pro-Palestine protesters in Brooklyn, causing injuries and arresting 40 people. (AJ, AJ, NYT 5/19; NYT 5/20)