Tuesday, May 21, 2024

In the West Bank, Israeli forces shoot and kill 7 Palestinians, including a doctor, a teacher, and 2 children, and injure 18 others, including a journalist and a paramedic, during a raid in Jenin. Israeli forces also punitively demolish a home without warning during the raid. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shoot and injure a Palestinian man during a raid in Beit Umar. Israeli forces also conduct military drills near Tubas, causing fires on Palestinian farmland. Meanwhile, Israeli forces arrest 15 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Ramallah, Nablus, Tubas, and Jerusalem. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Gaza City, Rafah, Beit Lahiya, Khan Yunis, and Jabalia refugee camp, killing at least 85 people. Israeli forces also attack the Kamal Adwan Hospital, damaging the intensive care unit, the reception, administrative areas, the gates, and the roof. In Sderot, Israeli authorities seize equipment from AP journalists filming Gaza, saying AP’s live video is being broadcasted on Al Jazeera. In Lebanon, Hezbollah forces attack Israeli soldiers at a military outpost in Raheb. In Yemen, Houthi forces shoot down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone over Al Bayda province. (AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AX, AX, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/21; AP, HA, UNOCHA 5/22; AP 5/23)

More than 35,657 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 15,103 children and 10,000 women, and around 79,852 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 10,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 505 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 121 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, 283 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,745 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. The U.S. says that 569 metric tons of humanitarian aid has entered Gaza via the floating pier. UNRWA says food distribution in Rafah has ended due to a lack of supplies and the danger posted by Israeli airstrikes. (AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, HA, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA 5/21; UNOCHA 5/22)

Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir says he expects Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to add him to the war cabinet and that he wants to move to an Israeli settlement in Gaza. Netanyahu tells CNN he does not plan to resettle Gaza. Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi says he has cancelled his decision to take action against AP and decided to hand the equipment seized earlier back to the AP journalists after U.S. objections. (AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AX, HA, HA, NYT, REU 5/21; AP 5/22)

U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken tells Congress that a ceasefire deal is still possible but that it is “challenged by a number of events and I have to say, yes, the extremely wrongheaded decision by the ICC prosecutor [Karim Khan] yesterday.” Blinken also says he would be happy to work with Congress to formulate “an appropriate response” to Khan’s decision to seek arrest warrants for Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Lastly, Blinken says a normalization deal between Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the U.S. is finalized in principle but that it is up to Israel to decide if it can acquiesce to the Saudi demands for calm in Gaza and a path to Palestinian statehood. The U.S. also accuses Egypt of preventing aid trucks from entering Israel and reaching the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing, claiming the crossing is open. (AJ, AP, AX, HA 5/21; HA, REU, REU 5/22)

Norwegian foreign minister Espen Barth Eide says Norway would arrest prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others on Norwegian soil if the ICC issues arrest warrants for them. France, Belgium, and Slovenia issue statements in support of the ICC prosecutor’s decision on 5/20 to seek arrest warrants for Hamas and Israeli leaders. (AJ 5/21; WAFA 5/22)

The Guardian reports that Israeli soldiers and police are informing Israeli settlers about aid convoys from Jordan to Gaza, allowing them to attack the convoys. (AJ, GDN 5/21)

Politico reports that U.S. intelligence agencies believe that Israel has killed 30-35% of Hamas militants and that 65% of the tunnel network remains intact. (AJ, HA 5/22)