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A ship belonging to the Open Arms aid group approaches the shores of Gaza towing a barge with 200 tons of humanitarian aid on Friday. The ship set sail Tuesday from Cyprus to inaugurate a sea route to get desperately needed aid into the war-wracked enclave, which is suffering a humanitarian crisis five months into the Israel-Hamas war. (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP)

Middle East conflict live updates Aid ship nears Gaza; Israel to discuss cease-fire proposal

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Israel’s government warned Hamas “is continuing to hold to unrealistic demands” as it prepared to review the latest cease-fire proposal Friday. A ship carrying 200 tons of food — the first attempt to deliver aid by way of a maritime corridor — was spotted just off the Gaza coast on Friday. The boat left Cyprus earlier this week, dispatched by the U.S. nonprofit World Central Kitchen, founded by celebrity chef José Andrés, and the Spanish search-and-rescue group Open Arms.

Key updates
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Australia will resume funding to UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said. Canada and Sweden resumed their funding last week, after more than a dozen countries paused payments in the wake of Israel’s allegations that some UNRWA staff members participated in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack.
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) called for a “new election” in Israel, saying the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “no longer fits the need of Israel.” The country’s ambassador to the United States tweeted that “Israel is a sovereign democracy,” calling it “unhelpful … to comment on the domestic political scene of a democratic ally.”
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas named economist Mohammad Mustafa as prime minister, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. Mustafa is expected to head a technocratic government in the West Bank, in keeping with international demands for a reformed administration that could lead a future Palestinian state.
At least 20 people were killed and more than 150 wounded in an Israeli attack at Gaza’s Kuwaiti roundabout while waiting to collect aid supplies, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The Israel Defense Forces said the reports were false. The Washington Post could not immediately verify the incident.
The Biden administration announced sanctions on two West Bank settler outposts, marking the first time ever that economic restrictions have been placed on entire Israeli outposts in the Palestinian territory. The sanctions were issued because of acts of violence against civilians, the State Department said.
At least 31,341 people have been killed and 73,134 injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack and says 250 soldiers have been killed since the start of its military operation in Gaza.
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Australia will resume funding to UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said. Canada and Sweden resumed their funding last week, after more than a dozen countries paused payments in the wake of Israel’s allegations that some UNRWA staff members participated in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack.
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) called for a “new election” in Israel, saying the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “no longer fits the need of Israel.” The country’s ambassador to the United States tweeted that “Israel is a sovereign democracy,” calling it “unhelpful … to comment on the domestic political scene of a democratic ally.”
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas named economist Mohammad Mustafa as prime minister, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. Mustafa is expected to head a technocratic government in the West Bank, in keeping with international demands for a reformed administration that could lead a future Palestinian state.
At least 20 people were killed and more than 150 wounded in an Israeli attack at Gaza’s Kuwaiti roundabout while waiting to collect aid supplies, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The Israel Defense Forces said the reports were false. The Washington Post could not immediately verify the incident.
The Biden administration announced sanctions on two West Bank settler outposts, marking the first time ever that economic restrictions have been placed on entire Israeli outposts in the Palestinian territory. The sanctions were issued because of acts of violence against civilians, the State Department said.
At least 31,341 people have been killed and 73,134 injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack and says 250 soldiers have been killed since the start of its military operation in Gaza.
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Israel-Gaza war

Israel-Gaza war: Amid dimming hopes that an Israel-Hamas cease-fire and hostage-release deal will be reached before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, President Biden has ordered the U.S. military to construct a temporary port and pier on Gaza’s Mediterranean coast to open a new route for providing humanitarian aid.

Middle East conflict: Tensions in the region continue to rise. As Israeli troops aim to take control of the Gaza-Egypt border crossing, officials in Cairo warn that the move would undermine the 1979 peace treaty. Meanwhile, there’s a diplomatic scramble to avert full-scale war between Israel and Lebanon.

U.S. involvement: U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria killed dozens of Iranian-linked militants, according to Iraqi officials. The strikes were the first round of retaliatory action by the Biden administration for an attack in Jordan that killed three U.S. service members.