Israel-Gaza updates: Death toll in Rafah airstrike rises to 50: Action Aid UK

The area is densely populated with tents, the sources said.

Last Updated: May 26, 2024, 4:33 PM EDT

As the Israel-Hamas war crosses the seven-month mark, negotiations are apparently stalled to secure the release of hostages taken by the terrorist organization, and Israeli forces continue to launch incursions in the southern Gazan town of Rafah ahead of a possible large-scale invasion.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing.
May 23, 2024, 6:55 PM EDT

3 US service members injured, 1 in critical condition, in accident related to pier off Gaza

Three U.S. service members were injured, with one remaining in critical condition, after a non-combat accident related to the U.S.-built pier off Gaza known as JLOTS, or the Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore capability, according to U.S. Central Command.

PHOTO: U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary), U.S. Navy Sailors assigned to Amphibious Construction Battalion 1, and Israel Defense Forces emplace the Trident Pier on the Gaza coast, May 16, 2024. T
U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary), U.S. Navy Sailors assigned to Amphibious Construction Battalion 1, and Israel Defense Forces emplace the Trident Pier on the Gaza coast, May 16, 2024. The temporary pier, part of the Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore capability, will enable the maritime delivery of international humanitarian aid to the United Nations in Gaza for distribution to Palestinian people in need.
U.S. Central Command Public Affairs

Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM deputy commander, didn't provide specifics Thursday other than saying they were non-combat-related injuries and that two of the service members had returned to duty, while the third is receiving care at a local Israeli hospital.

A defense official told ABC News the third service member is in critical condition and was injured aboard the USNS Benavidez, a U.S. Navy cargo ship. A U.S. official said it involved a forklift accident.

No further details were immediately released.

-ABC News’ Luis Martinez

May 23, 2024, 5:57 PM EDT

Over 500 metric tons of aid delivered to Gaza through pier since Friday, officials say

U.S. officials shared an update Thursday on efforts to bring aid into Gaza through the Army's Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (JLOTS) system, a floating pier built to transport aid to the region.

Since Friday, over 506 metric tons of aid have been transported via the pier, according to officials.

Officials from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) held an audio-only briefing with reporters on continued aid efforts.

"Since the first shipments of this aid arrived through the humanitarian maritime corridor on Friday, the UN has been distributing more than 506 metric tons of humanitarian supplies to people in need," Daniel Dieckhaus, Director for USAID’s Levant Response Management Team, said Thursday.

"To put it into perspective, more than two thirds of the supplies entering through this new corridor have already been distributed, or are in the process of being distributed by humanitarian partners directly to people in need," he added.

Humanitarian aid has also been delivered through land-crossing distribution via 70 trucks that crossed the border into Gaza, according to Dieckhaus.

Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, deputy commander of CENTCOM, noted that, "In the last several days, we've delivered over a million pounds of aid into the hands of Palestinians," adding, "We can all feel good about that."

May 23, 2024, 3:30 PM EDT

Biden doesn't say if US has evidence Israel is using starvation as method of war

President Joe Biden refused to say whether the U.S. has any evidence that would support the International Criminal Court prosecutor’s allegation that Israeli leaders are using starvation as a method of war in Gaza.

Biden was asked if that evidence exists and if the administration would commit to releasing that information before any warrants are issued, but he only reiterated that the U.S. does not recognize their jurisdiction.

"We've made our position clear on the ICC. We don't recognize their jurisdiction -- the ICC, the way it's being exercised -- and it's that simple. We don't think there's an equivalence between what Israel did, and what Hamas did," Biden said.

-ABC News' Justin Ryan Gomez

May 23, 2024, 1:38 PM EDT

Israel expands operations into central Rafah: IDF

Israeli Defense Forces are now fighting near central Rafah, representing an expansion of its operations, the IDF said Thursday.

Close to 1 million people have been evacuated from Rafah, according to IDF Commanding Officer Daniel Hagari.

A Palestinian man walks on the rubble of a destroyed house in Nuseirat following Israeli bombardment overnight on May 23, 2024.
Bashar Taleb/AFP via Getty Images

-ABC News' Will Gretsky

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