Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates: US encouraging Israel to wind down Gaza offensive

Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates | The Palestinian enclave of Gaza was already in a dire state. The recent conflict with Israel has made it worse, damaging the health and sewage systems, closing schools and displacing tens of thousands.

Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates | European Union, minus Hungary, calls for Israel-Hamas ceasefire

Foreign ministers from the European Union (EU) nations have called for a ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas, but failed to reach the unanimity.

Hungary, Israel’s closest ally in the EU, declined to join 26 other foreign ministers in calling for a truce yesterday. The meeting was convened by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell Fontelles.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto later told news agency AFP: “I have a general problem with these European statements on Israel … These are usually very much one-sided, and these statements do not help, especially not under current circumstances, when the tension is so high.”

Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates | Israeli President speaks to family of Indian caregiver killed in rocket attack from Gaza

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin yesterday spoke to the family of the Indian caregiver who was killed on May 11 in a rocket attack by Palestinian militants from Gaza, and conveyed his condolences.

Soumya Santosh, 30, who hailed from Kerala's Idukki district, worked as a caregiver attending to an old woman at a house in the southern Israeli coastal city of Ashkelon. She was talking to her husband Santhosh over a video call in the evening on May 11 when a rocket fired from Gaza directly hit the house where she was working. (Input from Reuters)

Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE Updates | US encouraging Israel to wind down Gaza offensive: Report

United States President Joe Biden and administration officials have encouraged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials to wind down the bombardment of Gaza, a person with knowledge of the discussions told The Associated Press, as the Israeli and Palestinian death tolls mounted and pressure grew on Biden to move more forcefully to stop the fighting.

Top Biden administration officials underscored to the Israelis on May 17-18 that time is not on their side in terms of international objections to nine days of Israeli airstrikes and Hamas rockets, and that it is in their interest to wind down the operations soon, according to the official, who was not authorised to comment publicly on the private talks and spoke on condition of anonymity. (Input from The Associated Press)

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