Major powers urge Israel and Hamas to agree to Gaza ceasefire as Israel bombards enclave

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Student editors at the Columbia Law Review say they were pressured by the journal’s board of directors to halt publication of an academic article written by a Palestinian human rights lawyer that accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and upholding an apartheid regime.

When the editors refused the request and published the piece Monday morning, the board — made up of faculty and alumni from Columbia University's law school — shut down the law review’s website entirely. It remained offline Tuesday evening, a static homepage informing visitors the domain “is under maintenance.”

The episode at one of the country’s oldest and most prestigious legal journals marks the latest flashpoint in an ongoing debate about academic speech that has deeply divided students, staff and college administrators since the start of Israel's war on Gaza.

Several editors at the Columbia Law Review described the board’s intervention as an unprecedented breach of editorial independence at the periodical, which is run by students at Columbia Law School. The board of directors oversees the nonprofit's finances but has historically played no role in selecting pieces.

The European Union fully backs the "comprehensive roadmap" announced by US President Joe Biden aimed at achieving a "lasting ceasefire in Gaza," stated the bloc's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell.

“Too many civilian lives have been lost. An enduring ceasefire is urgently needed,” Borrell said in a statement, adding that a ceasefire would ensure the protection of civilians, the release of captives held in Gaza, and alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory.

“The EU urges both parties to accept and fulfil the three-phase proposal and stands ready to contribute to reviving a political process for a lasting and sustainable peace, based on the two-state solution, and to support a coordinated international effort to rebuild Gaza,” he said.

The EU gives its full support to the comprehensive roadmap presented by @POTUS, that would lead to an enduring ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages and a surge of humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

We urge both parties to accept the proposal. https://t.co/AyK35lyo9O

— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) June 4, 2024

The Israeli military has stormed the occupied West Bank city of Jenin and the nearby town of Kafr Dan, arresting three Palestinians, according to the Wafa news agency.

Israeli forces have also entered the town of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron, and are conducting an "arrest campaign," as reported by local media. One man has been confirmed detained so far.

Raids and incidents have also been reported in other parts of the occupied West Bank.

تغطية صحفية: قوات الاحتلال تعتقل جمال أبو ماريا خلال الاقتحام الواسع لبلدة بيت أمر شمال الخليل. pic.twitter.com/c87ipk1Zfj

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) June 4, 2024

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) shared a video on social media showing its ambulance teams transporting injured Palestinians to a hospital.

According to the PRCS, one person was killed and nine others were injured in an Israeli attack on a house in al-Masdar, a village north of Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.

Palestine Red Crescent ambulance teams retrieved a martyr and nine injured people after the Israeli occupation bombed a house in the village of Al-Masdar, north of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
📷Filmed by PRCS volunteer: Mohammed Suliman pic.twitter.com/G2JIbpyHsS

— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) June 4, 2024

Far-right lawmakers attempted to obstruct a Knesset meeting discussing the recognition of a Palestinian state, Al Jazeera has reported.

The conference was initiated by Aida Touma-Sliman, a Knesset member from the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash).

"Right-wing extremist lawmakers attacked the conference," stated a release, accompanied by a video showing politicians interrupting the proceedings with shouting.

Among the Israeli lawmakers attempting to obstruct the event were Tally Gotliv, a member of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Likud party, and Zvi Sukkot from Finance Minister Smotrich’s Religious Zionism Party.

“Despite the feeling that we are living in the worst period in the region’s history, and confidence in our ability to progress towards hope and peace being at its lowest, history teaches us that the most difficult wars and conflicts have ended through arduous negotiation efforts that led to political agreements,” Touma-Sliman said in a speech to the conference.

“This path must also be our choice.”

An independent group of experts warned Tuesday that it's possible that famine is underway in northern Gaza but that Israel's war on the enclave and restrictions on humanitarian access have impeded the data collection to prove it.

"It is possible, if not likely,” the group known as the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, or FEWS NET, said about famine in Gaza.

Concerns about deadly hunger have been high in recent months and spiked after the head of the World Food Program last month said northern Gaza had entered “full-blown famine” after nearly seven months of war. Experts at the U.N. agency later said Cindy McCain was expressing a personal opinion.

CENTCOM reports that the Houthis launched two antiship ballistic missiles from territories under its control in Yemen.

"There were no injuries or damage reported by US, coalition, or commercial ships," stated the US Army.

June 4 Red Sea Update

In the past 24 hours, Iranian-backed Houthis launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBM) from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen into the Red Sea. There were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition, or commercial ships.

This continued malign… pic.twitter.com/D3Hre0U87S

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 4, 2024

An Egyptian security delegation is set to meet with Qatari and U.S. counterparts in Doha on Wednesday in attempt to revive Gaza truce negotiations, Egyptian State TV and state-affiliated Al-Qahera News TV channel said on Tuesday, citing sources. 

Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview broadcast Sunday he is "disappointed" US President Joe Biden won't pursue sanctions against the International Criminal Court, as its prosecutor seeks arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister.

Both Republicans and Democrats in the US Congress have pushed to impose sanctions on the court, though the White House has said it would block their legislation.

"The United States said that they would, in fact, in a bipartisan way, back the sanctions bill," Netanyahu said in an interview on Sirius XM radio, which was recorded on Wednesday -- before the latest Gaza truce plan emerged.

"I thought that was still the American position because there was a bipartisan consensus just a few days ago," he said.

"Now, you say there's a question mark. And frankly, I'm surprised and disappointed."

The US House of Representatives voted Tuesday to advance a largely symbolic bill calling for sanctions on the International Criminal Court after its prosecutor applied for an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Hague-based court's prosecutor has said Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant should be arrested on charges relating to the war in Gaza, along with three leaders of Hamas.

The US House's Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act -- backed by almost every Republican and around a fifth of the Democrats -- would bar US entry for ICC officials involved with the case, revoking their visas and restricting any US-based property transactions.

"Today's vote draws a line in the sand for lawless action by ICC officials," Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement.

"The US firmly stands with Israel and refuses to allow international bureaucrats to baselessly issue arrest warrants to Israeli leadership for false crimes."

The legislation is considered a "messaging bill," however, as it is unlikely to be taken up by the Democratic-run Senate and could be vetoed in any case by President Joe Biden, who has said he "strongly opposes" it.

Slovenia became the latest European Union country to recognise an independent Palestinian state after its parliament approved the move with majority vote on Tuesday, dismissing a call for a referendum on the issue by the largest opposition party.

The government last week decided to recognise Palestine as an independent and sovereign state following in the steps of Spain, Ireland and Norway as part of a wider effort to coordinate pressure on Israel to end its war on Gaza.

"Today's recognition of Palestine as a sovereign and independent state sends hope to the Palestinian people in the West Bank and in Gaza," Prime Minister Robert Golob said on X.

The vote was scheduled for Tuesday and a parliamentary group for foreign affairs on Monday endorsed the government decision with majority vote.

On 4 June 2024, Slovenia 🇸🇮 officially recognises the independent and sovereign State of Palestine 🇵🇸.
"Dear people of Palestine, today's final decision of Slovenia is a message of hope and peace. We believe that only a two-state solution can lead to a lasting peace in the… pic.twitter.com/7FeuIWPRgZ

— MFEA Slovenia (@MZEZ_RS) June 4, 2024

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday appeared to play down a suggestion he made in an interview with Time magazine that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was dragging out the Gaza war for political reasons.

Speaking to Time last week, days before his announcement of an Israeli proposal for a Gaza ceasefire deal that Netanyahu greeted coolly, Biden was asked if he believed the Israeli was prolonging the conflict for his own political self-preservation.

"There is every reason for people to draw that conclusion," Biden replied in the interview, which was published Tuesday.

But later in the day at the White House, the 81-year-old appeared to back away from the claim.

"I don't think so, he's trying to work out this serious problem he has," Biden told reporters when asked if Netanyahu was "playing politics."

The US leader admitted however in the interview to wider tensions with Netanyahu, saying they had a "major disagreement" over the post-conflict future of Gaza.

He also added that Israel had engaged in "inappropriate" conduct during its war on Gaza.

"My major disagreement with Netanyahu is, what happens after... Gaza's over? What, what does it go back to? Do Israeli forces go back in?" said the Democrat.

"The answer is, if that's the case, it can't work."

Prime Minister Netanyahu's war cabinet has convened in his office in Jerusalem, with Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and other key security officials joining via videoconference.

The meeting occurs amid increasing international pressure on Israel and Hamas to accept a ceasefire plan proposed by US President Biden, as the devastating conflict in Gaza stretches into its eighth month.

Israeli attacks on central Gaza’s Bureij and Maghazi camps have now killed at least 11 people, according to Al Jazeera.

Dozens of people wounded in the attacks were rushed to the nearby Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir el-Balah, according to footage.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, on Tuesday to discuss the proposal for a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza, the State Department said.

"The secretary reiterated that it is Hamas that is standing in the way of a ceasefire and that they should take the deal without further delay," the department said in a statement. 

Hamas, on the other hand, have said they are  only willing to accept the deal if Israel can commit to a clear stance on a permanent ceasefire, given Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rejection of one, which contradicts the US's own stance on the deal. 

Hamas official Osama Hamdan said on Tuesday that the group could not agree to a deal that does not secure a clear Israeli position on a permanent ceasefire and complete withdrawal from Gaza.

"We asked the mediators to get a clear Israeli position to commit to a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal from Gaza," he told a press conference in Beirut. 

Some Gazans are now reduced to drinking sewage water and eating animal feed, the WHO's regional chief said Tuesday, pleading for increased aid access immediately to the besieged territory.

Hanan Balkhy, the World Health Organization's Eastern Mediterranean regional director, also warned that Israel's war on Hamas had a knock-on impact on healthcare across the wider region.

And the impact on children will have severe lasting effects, the child health expert told AFP in an interview at the WHO headquarters in Geneva.

Inside Gaza, "there are people who are now eating animal food, eating grass, they're drinking sewage water," she said.

"Children are barely able to eat, while the trucks are standing outside of Rafah."

Military Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi said on Tuesday that Israel was ready for a military offensive along the northern border with Lebanon and that it was nearing a decision point.

"We are prepared, following extensive training, for an offensive in the north," he said in a recorded statement. "We are nearing a decision point." 

Israel said Tuesday it signed a $3 billion deal to buy a third squadron of 25 advanced F-35 stealth fighter jets manufactured by Lockheed Martin, with the delivery to commence in 2028.

"At time when some of our adversaries aim to undermine our ties with our greatest ally, we only further strengthen our alliance," Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement announcing the deal.

"This sends a powerful message to our enemies across the region."

The defence ministry said the deal would bring to 75 the number of F-35s in Israel's fleet.

"The delivery of the aircrafts to the IDF (army) will commence in 2028 at a rate of three to five aircrafts per year," the ministry said in a statement.

U.S. President Joe Biden believes the ceasefire deal on the table is the best chance to get hostages out of Gaza and end hostilities, the White House said on Tuesday.

The United States will continue to work with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to try to get the proposal over finish line, spokesman John Kirby said. Hamas has not yet responded to the proposal.

Hezbollah said Tuesday one of it fighters was killed in south Lebanon as Israel claimed strikes in the border area, the latest deadly violence as clashes across the frontier heat up.

A "strike targeting a motorcycle in Naqoura killed one person and wounded another", Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) said, after earlier reporting an "enemy drone strike" in the area.

بمزيد من الفخر والإعتزاز، تزف المقاومة الإسلامية الشهيد المجاهد حيدر حسن مسلماني "حمزة" مواليد عام 1987 من مدينة صور وسكان بلدة الناقورة في جنوب لبنان، والذي ارتقى شهيداً على طريق القدس.#حزب_الله#الإعلام_الحربي pic.twitter.com/QoR5BsNkhM

— طــريـق ٨٢ (@tareeq_82) June 4, 2024

Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah said a member who lived in Naqoura was killed, and that its fighters launched "a slew of explosive-laden drones" at Israeli positions in the annexed Golan Heights in retaliation for the attack on the coastal town.

It also claimed other attacks on Israeli troops and positions on Tuesday.

The Israeli army said in a statement that "fighter jets struck a Hezbollah terrorist" in the Naqoura area, as well as hitting other sites.

The French parliament erupted in tumult on Tuesday as a hard-left lawmaker stood up with a Palestinian flag, a week after another deputy was temporarily suspended for doing so.

Rachel Keke, a member of parliament for the France Unbowed (LFI) party from the Paris region, brandished the flag at the start of a session of questions to government in the lower house.

She stood up amid a flood of Green, Communist and LFI lawmakers who had dressed in green, white, red and black for the occasion and arranged their seating so that from afar they looked like the Palestinian flag.

"No, no, no, no, no," said Parliament Speaker Yael Braun-Pivet. "I thought things were very clear and that you had, like everyone else, been able to read our rules," she said, calling for Keke to be sanctioned and temporarily suspending the session.

La députée LFI, Rachel Keke, brandit un drapeau de la Palestine à l'Assemblée nationale pic.twitter.com/Im2IJVTkSq

— BFMTV (@BFMTV) June 4, 2024

Slovenia's lawmakers on Tuesday convened for a vote on the recognition of a Palestinian state.

The government endorsed a motion last week to recognize a Palestinian state, and sent the proposal to parliament for final approval, which is needed for the decision to take effect.

"We started talking with our allies about the recognition of Palestine in February this year," Prime Minister Robert Golob told lawmakers. "At the time, the assessment was — the time is not yet ripe ... we warned that we, Europe, have a ... duty to act."

The ruling coalition led by Golob holds a comfortable majority in Slovenia’s 90-member assembly and the vote is expected to be a formality.

he Israeli military said on Tuesday that ground forces were operating in the area of Bureij in the central Gaza Strip while fighter jets struck what they say were "Hamas targets" from the air.

جيش الاحتلال الإسرائيلي يعلن شن عملية عسكرية برية في مخيم #البريج وسط #قطاع_غزة
الصور من القصف الوحشي الذي تعرض له المخيم أمس والذي أدى إلى محو مربعات سكنية بأكملها. pic.twitter.com/A9SxhkpzFv

— سمير العَركي (@s_alaraki) June 4, 2024

France's President Emmanuel Macron Tuesday told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the Palestinian Authority should "ensure the governance" of the Gaza Strip, the presidential office said.

"Gaza must be an integral part of a future Palestinian state and a reformed and reinforced Palestinian Authority, with the help of the international community, should ensure its governance," Macron said in phone talks, backing US President Joe Biden's proposal for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal.

Healthcare systems of neighbouring countries are feeling the strain as thousands of critical patients from the Gaza Strip are evacuated for treatment of complex injuries and ailments, a top WHO official said on Tuesday.

"The ripple effect on Egypt, Lebanon, Syria as the immediate neighbours of the OPT (occupied Palestinian territories) is significant," said Hanan Balkhy, the World Health Organization's regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean.

"Egypt has been hosting a significant number of the patients, but the needs are between minimum 7,000 to over 11,000 patients that require evacuation and treatment and support," she said at a briefing with journalists. "And they require it in specialized hospitals."

This has caused pressure on "already fragile health systems in the neighbouring countries."

World Central Kitchen has delivered more than 50 million meals in Gaza, the aid group said on Tuesday, after suspending operations in April when seven of its workers were killed by an Israeli strike.

The aid group said it now has two main kitchens in operation in Gaza, and another 65 community kitchens spread throughout the small seaside enclave. "We're always looking to expand as much as possible," John Torpey, the group's Middle East activation manager, said.

US President Joe Biden swiped at Benjamin Netanyahu in an interview with Time magazine published Tuesday, saying there was "every reason" to conclude the Israeli prime minister was dragging out the Gaza war to save himself politically.

Biden added that he had a "major disagreement" with Netanyahu over the post-conflict future of Gaza, and said Israel had engaged in "inappropriate" conduct during the war sparked by Hamas' October 7 attack.

Speaking to Time days before his announcement of an Israeli proposal for a Gaza ceasefire deal that Netanyahu greeted coolly, Biden was asked if he believed the Israeli was dragging out the war for political self-preservation.

"There is every reason for people to draw that conclusion," Biden replied.

A South African man appeared in court on Tuesday accused of stabbing to death a mother and of wounding her husband and son because of the family's pro-Palestinian views.

Grayson Beare, 44, is charged with murder and two counts of attempted murder over the attack, which took place on Sunday in a suburb of the eastern city of Durban, prosecutors said.

"The woman died, and her family members, who were also allegedly stabbed multiple times, were seriously injured," said Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, a spokeswoman for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

Detectives initially said the motive of the violence was not clear. But a 10-year-old survivor - understood to be the woman's daughter - told investigators that "the suspect stated that he was stabbing them because they supported Palestine."

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said on Tuesday the Palestinian group frowns upon Washington and the West's calls for it to accept U.S. President Joe Biden's proposal on Gaza "as if it is Hamas who is hampering the deal".

In comments reported by Hamas media, Abu Zuhri said Israel is not serious about reaching a deal in Gaza and is still maneuvering under the U.S.' cover.

United Nations rights chief Volker Turk said on Tuesday the norms and standards on conduct of war had been violated brutally in Gaza.

Speaking in Malaysia, Turk welcomed a U.S.-proposed ceasefire deal for the conflict, calling the Gaza situation "beyond catastrophic". 

Palestinians displaced by the Gaza war are living in "appalling" conditions, with children sometimes going for a whole day without food and thousands sharing the same toilet, Oxfam warned on Tuesday.

Oxfam said more than two-thirds of Gaza's population is estimated to be crammed into less than a fifth of the besieged territory.

"Despite Israeli assurances that full support would be provided for people fleeing, most of Gaza has been deprived of humanitarian aid, as famine inches closer," the aid agency said.

"A food survey by aid agencies in May found that 85 percent of children did not eat for a whole day at least once in the three days before the survey was conducted," it added.

Deputy head of Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, said that the group decided not to widen the war with Israel, "but will fight if it is imposed on us," in comments made to Al Jazeera on Tuesday.

Any Israeli escalation in Lebanon "will be met with ruin, destruction, and displacement in Israel," he said.

Cross-border attacks between Hezbollah in south Lebanon and the Israeli military have intensified in recent days.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's biggest coalition partner said on Tuesday it would lend "full support" for a prospective deal to free hostages from Hamas captivity even if that would entails "far-reaching steps" in Gaza war strategy.

The statement by Shas, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish party that wields 11 of parliament's 120 seats, followed open opposition to such a deal by two far-right coalition partners.

Iran's acting foreign minister Ali Bagheri discussed "proposed solutions" for ending the Gaza war with Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Tuesday, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group said.

The two men "reviewed the latest regional political and security developments, especially on the Gaza and Lebanon fronts, and the proposed solutions," a Hezbollah statement said.

Bagheri was due to hold talks in Damascus later Tuesday with his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad and President Bashar al-Assad.

Iran's Tasnim news agency said Bagheri "talked with the leaders of the Palestinian resistance groups in Syria" at the Iranian embassy in Damascus.

United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk on Tuesday expressed his support for a U.S.-proposed ceasefire deal for the war on Gaza, describing the situation in the Palestinian territory as "beyond catastrophic".

Turk said norms and standards on the conduct of war had been brutally violated in Gaza, and any initiative that can lead to an end in hostilities was welcomed.

"We can only hope that is achieved because of the humanitarian situation ... we don't even know how to describe it anymore. It is beyond precarious. It is beyond catastrophic," Turk told a press conference at the end of a two-day visit to Malaysia.

Qatar stressed on Tuesday that there should be a clear position from both parties to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza.

"We are waiting for a clear Israeli position that represents the entire government in response to the U.S.'s Gaza proposal," Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari added.

The UN rights chief demanded Tuesday an end to surging violence in the occupied West Bank, saying it was "unfathomable" that more than 500 Palestinians had been killed there since October 7.

Volker Turk said at least 505 Palestinians had been killed in the West Bank by the Israeli military and Israeli Jewish settlers since the war in nearby Gaza erupted nearly eight months ago.

Palestinian officials have given a toll of at least 523.

The Gaza Strip's health ministry said Tuesday that at least 36,550 people have been killed in the territory during nearly eight months of Israel's air and ground offensive.

The toll includes at least 71 deaths over the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, adding that 82,959 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the war began on October 7.

The Israeli Shin Ben security agency claimed Monday that it had foiled a recent attempt by Hamas to carry out a suicide bombing in Israel, directed by members of the group who were based in Turkey.

About 50 protesters with 20 tents were seen lined up on the sidewalks outside the building at Main and First streets, KABC-TV reported . Several tents had Palestinian flags and phrases such as "Free Palestine" and "Free Gaza."

The Los Angeles Police Department on X said it was monitoring the non-permitted demonstration and urged people to keep an eye out for others on the street.

The police department went on an area-wide tactical alert out of an abundance of caution.

There were videos saying that the police tried clearing the encampment, tearing up tents and threatening to make arrests.

🚨#BREAKING: A citywide tactical alert has been declared due to multiple pro-Palestine protesters setting up an encampment near LA City Hall ⁰⁰📌#Losangeles | #California ⁰⁰The Los Angeles Police Department has declared a citywide tactical alert due to numerous pro-Palestine… pic.twitter.com/TCxdpyExaC

— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) June 4, 2024

Yemen's Houthis say they targeted a military site on Israel's port city of Eilat with a new ballistic missile, the Iranian-backed group's military spokesperson Yahya Saree said on Monday.

The group targeted the military site "with a ballistic missile 'Palestine' that is being revealed today for the first time, and the operation has successfully achieved its objective," Saree said in a televised address. 

The Houthi group, which controls the most populous parts of Yemen, has attacked ships off its coast for months, saying it is acting in solidarity with Palestinians fighting Israel in Gaza.

Israeli authorities were battling intense forest fires Tuesday in the north of the country that broke out shortly after rocket and drone strikes from Hezbollah in neighbouring Lebanon, forcing the partial evacuation of one town.

"Firefighting units, assisted by various entities, are working to extinguish the fires," Israeli police said in a statement, adding that several homes in Kiryat Shmona had been evacuated.

The Israeli army said it had deployed reinforcements to support firefighters overwhelmed by the scale of the fires.

سقطت عشرات الصواريخ في شمال فلسطين المحتلة ما تسبب في حرائق كثيفة دون تفعيل صافرات الإنذار.

يبدو أن إسرائيل فقدت العديد من أنظمة الرادار في الشمال. pic.twitter.com/3EEkimmvN1

— الشؤون العالمية (@mjrdzayr337191) June 3, 2024

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Tuesday denied American media reports that he will address the US Congress on June 13, amid mounting pressure to agree to a ceasefire with Hamas.

Netanyahu's office told Israeli media the date of his speech to Congress had "not been finalised", but it would not be on June 13 because it interferes with Shavuot, a Jewish holiday.

The date had been reported by Punchbowl News and Politico.

The Israeli ambassador to Japan has not yet been invited to Nagasaki's annual peace ceremony, said city officials who instead sent the embassy a letter calling for a Gaza ceasefire.

The city in southern Japan this week invited dozens of countries and territories to the August 9 event on the anniversary of the US nuclear attack in 1945 that killed 74,000 people.

But "as for Israel, the situation is changing day by day... so we have put sending an invitation letter on hold," mayor Shiro Suzuki told reporters on Monday.

Worries that protests could disrupt the memorial for atomic bomb victims are partly behind the decision, said Suzuki.

"Given the critical humanitarian situation in Gaza, and public opinion in the international community, there are concerns about the risk of unexpected incidents during the ceremony," which should be "safe and smooth".

San Francisco police were arresting pro-Palestinian demonstrators who occupied a building that houses the Israeli Consulate for several hours Monday.

It was not immediately clear how many arrests were made but an Associated Press journalists saw police arresting two people.

Consul General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest Marco Sermoneta said the protesters arrived around 9 a.m. at the Financial District’s high-rise but didn’t enter the consulate’s offices. He said his office was telling people that they might need to change their appointments.

BREAKING: Nearly 100 pro-Palestinian protesters have occupied the Israeli Consulate in San Francisco, demonstrating against the genocide committed by Israel in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/JX38jG0f0Z

— red. (@redstreamnet) June 3, 2024

Palestinian authorities have filed an application with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to join South Africa as a party in its Gaza genocide case against Israel, the court said on Monday.

In a statement, the ICJ said the Palestinian authorities "filed ... an application for permission to intervene and a declaration of intervention in the (South Africa v. Israel) case."

If granted by the court, the request could allow the Palestinian authorities to also add an ad hoc judge of their choosing to the ICJ panel which currently has 16 judges, 15 of the court's regular judges and one Israeli ad hoc judge.

South Africa and Israel have been invited to furnish written observations on the Palestinian application for permission to intervene as a party.

The G7 group of developed countries on Monday said it stood behind a Gaza ceasefire deal endorsed by US President Joe Biden, and called on Hamas to accept it.

"We, the Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7), fully endorse" the truce plan "that would lead to an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, a significant and sustained increase in humanitarian assistance for distribution throughout Gaza, and an enduring end to the crisis, with Israel's security interests and Gazan civilian safety assured," read the statement.

"We call on Hamas to accept this deal, that Israel is ready to move forward with, and we urge countries with influence over Hamas to help ensure that it does so," it continued.

Hamas blames Israel for being an obstacle to the deal.

Israel believes that more than a third of the remaining Gaza hostages are dead, a government tally showed on Tuesday, after another four captives were announced dead on Monday.

The government tally said 120 remain in captivity, 43 of whom have been declared dead in absentia by Israeli officials based on various sources of information, including intelligence tip-offs, CCTV or bystander videos and forensic analysis.

Some officials have privately said that the number of dead could be higher.

Of about 250 people taken to the Gaza Strip by Hamas-led gunmen during the October 7 cross-border attack, scores were freed in a November truce, while others have been recovered - dead or alive - by Israeli troops. Several were shot dead by Israeli forces.