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STORY: :: Biden calls on Hamas to agree to Israel's ceasefire offer :: May 31, 2024 Biden: "Now, after intensive diplomacy carried out by my team and my many conversations, leaders of Israel, Qatar and Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries, Israel has now offered ... a comprehensive new proposal. It's a roadmap to an enduring ceasefire and the release of all hostages. [FLASH] Hamas needs to take the deal. For months, people all over the world have called for a cease-fire. Now it's time to raise your voices and demand that Hamas come to the table, agree to this deal, and end this war that they began. [FLASH] It's time to begin this new stage. The hostages are coming home. For Israel to be secure and the suffering to stop. It's time for this war to end." Hamas said on Thursday it had told mediators it would not take part in more negotiations during ongoing aggression but was ready for a "complete agreement," including an exchange of hostages and prisoners if Israel stopped the war.

STORY: :: Thousands march in a subdued, heavily secured gay pride parade in Jerusalem after months of war :: May 30, 2024 :: Jerusalem :: Eliza Gilman, Participant "The theme of the Pride March is Freedom. We are waiting for everyone to come home to us, and we are waiting for everyone here to be free, to be proud and out of who they are." :: Yair Lapid, Knesset Lawmaker "This year is sad year for everybody else, but it's still very important to defend the world values, to defend the gay community, and to have this this opportunity to join together and speak for those who are here with us and for those who are not here with us." :: Hadas Kerem, Participant "The fight for freedom for the hostages, and the fight for freedom for LGBTQ people who live in Israel and specifically in Jerusalem, which is extremely important to us. And because of that, even though the complexity we decided to choose and create this demonstration to work together in the fight for freedom." LGBTQ+ supporters marched through the streets of Jerusalem carrying rainbow flags, Israeli flags and yellow ribbons, a symbol for hostages still held in Gaza. Absent were the vibrant cheers and music that usually accompany the event. Organizers estimated that some 10,000 people joined the march. Police said some 2,000 officers were on guard. The turnout was smaller than in previous years. Last year's parade in Jerusalem was estimated to have drawn over 30,000 people. This year's parade adopted the slogan "Born to be Free," and was led in part by the forum of families and supporters of hostages abducted during Hamas' Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel that sparked the war in Gaza. Some protesters appeared on the sidelines holding signs against the parade. There were no unexpected incidents or violence, the organizers said.

Mothers of Israeli soldiers fighting in the Gaza Strip protested on Wednesday in Tel Aviv, calling for an end to the war between Israel and Hamas. Protesters blocked roads and shouted anti-government slogans, while covering their bodies with blood-red paint, symbolizing the ongoing bloodshed in the conflict. (AP video shot by Moshe Edri)

First lady Dr. Biden tells “The View” she supports students peacefully protesting the Israel-Hamas war on college campuses around the country: "People do have the right to protest ... That's why we have a democracy."

Driving through Aita al-Shaab, shops and homes have been flattened, with a trickle of people walking amidst the destruction to collect their belongings. This small village is one of the hardest hit areas by Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon. The country has been in the throes of violence since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. (AP video shot by Mohammad Zanaty)

At least 20 civilians were killed Tuesday in blasts at an encampment for displaced Palestinians, the Gaza Ministry of Health said. Hamas officials say the deaths were caused by Israeli airstrikes, but Israel denies carrying out the latest attacks. Imtiaz Tyab reports.

STORY: :: Rafah, Gaza Displaced Palestinians in Rafah made their way through mangled tents and scattered belongings on Tuesday... after an early morning Israeli airstrike killed Palestinians sheltering there, according to Gaza health officials. "We want to go but we don't know where to go,” says Manal Tanboura. “They told us this was a safe place." Israel's military denied striking a tent camp west of Rafah on Tuesday, after Gaza health authorities said Israeli tank shelling had killed more than 20 people there. Witnesses told Reuters tanks had advanced to the heart of Rafah for the first time during Israel's three-week-old assault on the southern city. :: May 26, 2024 The latest bombardment comes days after an Israeli attack set off a fire at a Rafah tent camp... :: May 27, 2024 ...that killed at least 45 people. The incident sparked global condemnation and calls for the implementation of a World Court order for Israel to stop its assault. Israel said it had targeted Hamas commanders and had not intended to cause civilian casualties. :: Israeli Army REAR ADMIRAL DANIEL HAGARI: "This is a devastating incident..." An Israeli army spokesperson said the military was investigating the possibility that munitions stored near a compound targeted in Sunday's airstrike may have ignited the blaze. "Our munition alone could not have ignited a fire of this size." :: Dublin, Ireland Meanwhile, in a diplomatic move purportedly aimed at speeding up efforts towards a ceasefire... IRISH TAOISEACH SIMON HARRIS: "Ireland formally recognizes the state of Palestine..." Spain, Ireland and Norway officially recognized a Palestinian state. :: Madrid, Spain Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the country is recognizing a unified Palestinian state, including the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, under the Palestinian National Authority with East Jerusalem as its capital. "The recognition of Palestine is not against anyone, least of all Israel…” // “Our decision reflects our absolute rejection of Hamas…” Israel says it wants to root out Hamas fighters holed up in Rafah and rescue hostages it says are being held in there. According to the U.N.'s Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, around a million people have fled the Israeli offensive in Rafah since early May, many of them repeatedly displaced by shifting waves of the war. :: Ashkelon, Israel :: October 7, 2023 Israel's assault on Gaza began after the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attacks that killed around 1,200 people and saw more than 250 hostages seized, according Israeli tallies. :: Deir al-Balah, Gaza :: May 24, 2024 More than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's offensive, according to Palestinian health officials.

STORY: :: Palestinians flee areas of Rafah as blast sounds echo in the streets :: May 28, 2024 :: Ahmed al-Namleh, Displaced Palestinian “We don’t know where we are going. We woke up at 6 in the morning, at 5.30, from the shelling and rockets. We are going... God knows where. We don’t have tents, and we don’t have anything. We have children with us. We have more people to transport, my aunt and my mother-in-law. They are under the shelling and I will go and get them. There is no transportation. There is nothing, in terms of means to live. This is what we woke up to at 5.30 in the morning.” Israel pounded Rafah with airstrikes and tank fire on Tuesday, pressing its offensive in Gaza's southern city despite an international outcry over an attack on Sunday that sparked a blaze in a tent camp, killing at least 45 Palestinians, more than half of them children, women and the elderly. Since that strike, at least 26 more people have been killed by Israeli fire in Rafah, officials in the enclave run by Hamas militants said.

STORY: :: Madrid, Spain :: May 28, 2024 :: Pedro Sanchez, Spanish Prime Minister :: “The state of Palestine must be viable with the West Bank and Gaza connected by a corridor and with East Jerusalem as its capital and must be unified under the legitimate government of the Palestine National Authority (PNA)” :: “Although it is not up to Spain to define the borders of other countries, our position is aligned with the U.N. Security Council resolutions 242 and 338 and with the position of the European Union. Therefore we will not recognize change in the 1967 lines other than those agreed to by the parties." :: "The recognition of Palestine is not against anyone, least of all Israel, a friendly nation that Spain values and holds in high regard and with whom we aim to foster the strongest possible relationship. Furthermore, our decision reflects our absolute rejection of Hamas, a terrorist organization who is against a two-state solution." The Spanish government will formally approve the recognition later on Tuesday. The development came as Norway said it would maker a similar announcement. European Union members Ireland, Slovenia and Malta have indicated in recent weeks that they plan to make the recognition, arguing a two-state solution is essential for lasting peace in the region.

STORY: :: Protesters march in New York after an Israeli air strike caused a fire in a Rafah tent camp, killing dozens :: May 27, 2024 :: New York After marching through the city, they gathered under their umbrellas at Zuccotti Park. They could be heard chanting, "Resistance is justified when people are occupied." Israel's military, which is trying to eliminate Hamas in Gaza, said it was investigating reports that a strike it carried out against commanders of the Islamist militant group in Rafah had caused the fire. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strike had not been intended to cause civilian casualties. More than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's offensive, Gaza's health ministry says. Israel launched the operation after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israeli communities on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people and seizing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

STORY: :: Israeli police and Jewish pilgrims appear to clash at a religious festival site :: Authorities had closed the site this year due to rocket fire from Lebanon :: Police said they turned away thousands of pilgrims, though hundreds had managed to reach the area :: Meron, Israel :: Israeli Police Handout :: Released on May 26, 2024 :: Admma Videos circulating on social media from Israeli Police and ADMMA appeared to show clashes between Israeli officers and worshippers on site. Reuters was able to locate videos from the shape of the mountain and building on the background match Google Earth topography imagery and nearby buildings, greenery, floor surface and fence panels match the satellite imagery corroborating video shows the same scene. Reuters was not able to confirm when the videos were filmed. Since the 2021 tragedy at the tomb of a 2nd-century sage during the annual Lag B'Omer celebration, police have limited the number of attendees. The all-night sessions of prayer, mystical songs and dance had in previous years drawn crowds in the tens of thousands. This year's festival was canceled since the site at Meron in the Galilee region has been targeted by rocket fire from Lebanon. Many northern Israeli towns have been evacuated since Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon began firing at them following Hamas' Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel, which sparked the war in Gaza. Both sides have traded blows since. Despite the closure, police said they turned away thousands of pilgrims over the weekend, though hundreds managed to reach the site, where things got out of hand. The visitors damaged property and hurled objects at officers, police said. Nineteen officers were injured. Israeli media reported that several people among the unauthorized crowd were hurt. At least one officer was suspended for pushing an older man to the ground, and police said it was examining other incidents from the site.

Palestinian officials say an Israeli airstrike on the Gaza city of Rafah killed dozens of people in a makeshift refugee camp. Israel says it targeted two Hamas leaders in the attack. It came hours after Hamas fired rockets toward Tel Aviv.

The Israeli military targeted Al Mawasi refugee camp, where many in Gaza had fled seeking safety from the assault on Rafah. The injured will seek medical attention at hospitals, which have also been targeted by Israel, claiming the medical facilities are used as command centers by Hamas. Imtiaz Tyab has the latest.

STORY: :: Mourners join a funeral procession after the body of a hostage was recovered from Gaza :: Tel Aviv, Israel :: May 26, 2024 :: The Israeli military said it recovered the bodies of Hanan Yablonka and two others Hundreds of mourners joined the funeral procession and attended the service. The Israeli military said on Friday (May 24) it had recovered the bodies of three hostages taken into the Gaza Strip after they were killed during the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas-led militants. It said the bodies of Hanan Yablonka, Michel Nisenbaum and Orion Hernandez Radoux were recovered overnight in a joint operation by the army and the intelligence services in Jabalia, in northern Gaza where there has been intense fighting in recent days. Yablonka, 42 was killed at the Nova music festival, an outdoor party near Gaza, the military said. The bodies were identified by medical officials at the Israeli National Forensic Institute and the Israeli police, the military said.