As Israel’s eight-month-long offensive in Gaza rages on, new divisions within the Israeli government have surfaced over the postwar governance of the territory. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces pressure from his political rival Benny Gantz, who threatens to leave the government if a plan for international administration of Gaza is not formulated by June 8. Meanwhile, the Palestinian death toll continues to rise, with an airstrike in Nuseirat killing 20 people, mostly women and children.
The fighting remains intense, with reports of heavy airstrikes and artillery fire in northern Gaza, where a famine is underway according to the World Food Program. International pressure mounts on Israel, with the US expressing frustration over the conduct of the war and holding up a shipment of bombs, while also approving the sale of arms to support Israel’s offensive.