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The only cancer hospital in Gaza has been forced to shut down due to fuel shortages – as dozens were killed in Israeli strikes.

Amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave, the Turkish Friendship Hospital – which is home to the area’s only oncology unit – will stop “large parts of its services”, a statement from its director-general Dr Sobhi Skik said.

The remaining part of the hospital will shut down “within 48 hours at the latest”, he added.

Follow live: Israel hints at ‘something different’ to ground offensive

Israel has besieged and bombed Gaza since the Hamas militant attack on southern Israel on 7 October.

More than 1,300 people, mostly civilians, died in the Hamas attack, with about 200 hostages held captive in Gaza.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health receives an urgent shipment of medicine provided by UNICEF
© UNICEF/UNI450171/Ajjour
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Urgent shipment of medicine from UNICEF into Gaza. Pic: UNICEF

Pic: UNICEF
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Pic: UNICEF

Pic: UNICEF/Mansour
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Supplies being prepared by UNICEF. Pic: UNICEF

At least 2,800 people in Gaza have died and 10,850 others have been injured, according to the territory’s health ministry.

Hundreds are feared buried under the rubble, and more than a million Palestinians have fled their homes, and aid agencies have warned of a deteriorating humanitarian crisis.

Concerns about dehydration and diseases were high as water and sanitation services had collapsed.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said only around 14 percent of Gazans had access to water

“People will start dying without water,” it said said.

On Wednesday, Israel has bombed areas of southern Gaza – where many Palestinians were fleeing ahead of an expected invasion.

At least 80 were killed in those strikes in the south, the Hamas-run government said.

The Israeli military said it was targeting Hamas hideouts, infrastructure and command centres.

“When we see a target, when we see something moving that is Hamas, we’ll take care of it. We’ll handle it,” said Richard Hecht, an Israeli military spokesman.

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IDF releases footage of military strike

Other key developments:
A 13-year-old British girl missing with her sister after the Hamas attack is confirmed to have died
• Director of Rafah border crossing killed
• The UN operation in Gaza “on verge of collapse”, an official says
• US President Joe Biden is expected to visit Israel on Wednesday
• Violence is rising in the West Bank as number of Palestinians killed reaches 61
• Israel says it may do “something different” to its expected ground offensive

Palestinians react, at the site of Israeli strikes on houses, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip
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Palestinians react, at the site of Israeli strikes on houses, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip

Palestinians evacuate wounded in the Israeli bombardment of Rafah
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Palestinians evacuate wounded in the Israeli bombardment of Rafah

The World Health Organization (WHO) says 115 health facilities have been attacked in Gaza during the conflict and warned of a long-term humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory.

The WHO also said it had supplies ready for Gaza near the Rafah crossing at the border with Egypt.

The crossing had been expected to be open to allow humanitarian aid in on Monday – but it remained closed.

It came before the director in charge of the Rafah crossing was killed.

Reports suggest Major General Fouad Abu Butihan died after Israeli strikes hit his home, however these have not been verified.

Meanwhile, Hamas confirmed one of its senior armed commanders was killed in an Israeli airstrike.

Ayman Nofal was “killed as a result of a barbaric Zionist bombing that targeted the Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip”, Hamas said.

Meanwhile, the United Nations human rights office has warned that Israel’s siege of Gaza and its evacuation order could amount to the international crime of the forcible transfer of civilians.

Read more:
US influence in Middle East being put to the test – analysis
Families in fear after children taken hostage by militants
Satellite images show homes destroyed by Gaza

Palestinians look for survivors of the Israeli bombardment of Rafah. Pic: AP
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Palestinians look for survivors of the Israeli bombardment of Rafah. Pic: AP

Fears of an escalation

Amid fears the conflict might escalate, President Joe Biden is expected in the region on Wednesday.

Israel’s military said it had killed four people who tried to cross into the country from Lebanon to plant an explosive.

And Iran told Israel it should expect “pre-emptive action” in the coming hours in response to its strikes on Gaza.

The country said “all options are open” to the so-called resistance front to respond to Israel’s “war crimes”.

Iran’s foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said: “The resistance front is capable of waging a long-term war with the enemy… in the coming hours, we can expect a pre-emptive action by the resistance front.

“Leaders of the resistance will not allow the Zionist regime to take any action in Gaza.”

Iran’s foreign minister did not expand on what he meant by resistance front, but the term Axis of Resistance can refer to a loose alliance among Iran, Palestinian militant groups, Syria, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and other factions.

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Several killed after vehicle drives into crowd at street festival, police in Vancouver say

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Several killed after vehicle drives into crowd at street festival, police in Vancouver say

A number of people have been killed and multiple others injured after a driver drove into a crowd at a street festival in Vancouver, police have said.

The driver has been taken into custody after the incident shortly after 8pm local time on Saturday, police added.

People were in the area near 41st Avenue and Fraser Street for the Lapu Lapu Day Block Party, named after a national hero of the Philippines.

Vancouver’s mayor Ken Sim said in a post on X: “I am shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific incident at today’s Lapu Lapu Day event.”

He added: “Our thoughts are with all those affected and with Vancouver’s Filipino community during this incredibly difficult time.”

Video posted on social media showed victims and debris strewn across a long stretch of road, with at least seven people lying immobile on the ground.

A black SUV with a crumpled front section could be seen in photos from the scene.

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Trump criticises Putin after potentially ‘historic’ meeting with Zelenskyy before Pope’s funeral

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Trump criticises Putin after potentially 'historic' meeting with Zelenskyy before Pope's funeral

Donald Trump has criticised Vladimir Putin and suggested a shift in his stance towards the Russian president after a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy before the Pope’s funeral.

The Ukrainian president said the one-on-one talks could prove to be “historic” after pictures showed him sitting opposite Mr Trump, around two feet apart, in the large marble hall inside St Peter’s Basilica.

The US president said he doubted his Russian counterpart’s willingness to end the war after leaving Rome after the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican.

Follow live updates: 200,000 mourn at Vatican

In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said “there was no reason” for the Russian president “to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days”.

The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope's funeral
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The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral

He added: “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!”

The meeting between the US and Ukrainian leaders was their first face-to-face encounter since a very public row in the Oval Office in February.

Mr Zelenskyy said he had a good meeting with Mr Trump in which they talked about the defence of the Ukrainian people, a full and unconditional ceasefire, and a durable and lasting peace that would prevent the war restarting.

Other images released by the Ukrainian president’s office show Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron were present for part of the talks, which were described as “positive” by the French presidency.

Mr Zelenskyy‘s spokesman said the meeting lasted for around 15 minutes and he and Mr Trump had agreed to hold further discussions later on Saturday.

The world leaders share a moment before the service
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The world leaders shared a moment before the service

Trump and Zelenskyy meet in the Basilica
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Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in the Basilica

But the US president left Rome for Washington on Air Force One soon after the funeral without any other talks having taken place.

The Ukrainian president’s office said there was no second meeting in Rome because of the tight schedule of both leaders, although he had separate discussions with Mr Starmer and Mr Macron.

The French president said in a post on X “Ukraine is ready for an unconditional ceasefire” and that a so-called coalition of the willing, led by the UK and France, would continue working to achieve a lasting peace.

There was applause from some of the other world leaders in attendance at the Vatican when Mr Zelenskyy walked out of St Peter’s Basilica after stopping in front of the pontiff’s coffin to pay his respects.

U.S President Donald Trump attends the funeral Mass of Pope Francis, at the Vatican, April 26, 2025. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
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Donald Trump and the Ukrainian president met for the first time since their Oval Office row. Pic: Reuters

Sir Tony Brenton, the former British ambassador to Russia, said the event presents diplomatic opportunities, including the “biggest possible meeting” between Mr Trump and the Ukrainian leader.

He told Sky News it could mark “an important step” in starting the peace process between Russia and Ukraine.

Professor Father Francesco Giordano told Sky News the meeting is being called “Pope Francis’s miracle” by members of the clergy, adding: “There’s so many things that happened today – it was just overwhelming.”

The bilateral meeting comes after Mr Trump’s peace negotiator Steve Witkoff held talks with Mr Putin at the Kremlin.

They discussed “the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine”, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.

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Russia and Ukraine have not held direct talks since the early weeks of the war, which began in February 2022.

Mr Trump has claimed a deal to end the war is “very close” and has urged Mr Zelenskyy to “get it done” in a post on his Truth Social platform.

He has previously warned both sides his administration would walk away from its efforts to achieve a peace if the two sides do not agree a deal soon.

Meanwhile, the Polish armed forces said a Russian military helicopter violated its airspace over the Baltic Sea on Friday evening.

“The nature of the incident indicates that Russia is testing the readiness of our air defence systems,” they said in a post on X.

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What we learn from remarkable photos of Trump-Zelenskyy meeting

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What we learn from remarkable photos of Trump-Zelenskyy meeting

On an extraordinary day, remarkable pictures on the margins that capture what may be a turning point for the world.

In a corner of St Peter’s Basilica before the funeral of Pope Francis, the leaders of America and Ukraine sit facing each other in two solitary chairs.

They look like confessor and sinner except we cannot tell which one is which.

Leaning forward hands together in their laps, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy stare at each other in one photo.

In another, the Ukrainian president seems to be remonstrating with the US president. This is their first encounter since their infamous bust-up in the Oval Office.

The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope's funeral
Image:
The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral

Other pictures show the moment their French and British counterparts introduced the two men. There is a palpable sense of nervousness in the way the leaders engage.

We do not know what the two presidents said in their brief meeting.

But in the mind of the Ukrainian leader will be the knowledge President Trump has this week said America will reward Russia for its unprovoked brutal invasion of his country, under any peace deal.

Mr Trump has presented Ukraine and Russia with a proposal and ultimatum so one-sided it could have been written in the Kremlin.

Kyiv must surrender the land Russia has taken by force, Crimea forever, the rest at least for now. And it must submit to an act of extortion, a proposed deal that would hand over half its mineral wealth effectively to America.

The world leaders share a moment before the service
Image:
The world leaders shared a moment before the service

Afterwards, Zelenskyy said it had been a good meeting that could turn out to be historic “if we reach results together”.

They had talked, he said, about the defence of Ukraine, a full and unconditional ceasefire and a durable and lasting peace that will prevent a war restarting.

The Trump peace proposal includes only unspecified security guarantees for Ukraine from countries that do not include the US. It rules out any membership of Ukraine.

Ukraine’s allies are watching closely to see if Mr Trump will apply any pressure on Vladimir Putin, let alone punish him for recent bloody attacks on Ukraine.

Or will he simply walk away if the proposal fails, blaming Ukrainian intransigence, however outrageously, before moving onto a rapprochement with Moscow.

If he does, America’s role as guarantor of international security will be seen effectively as over.

This could be the week we see the world order as we have known it since the end of the Second World War buried, as well as a pope.

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