The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has criticized President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for what it described as an undue focus on early political campaigns and 2027 re-election strategies, rather than addressing pressing national issues, particularly insecurity and economic hardship.

In a statement released by its National Publicity Secretary, Tukur Muhammad-Baba, the ACF expressed concern that the government appears more interested in political defections and campaign maneuvering than in solving the serious security problems plaguing especially the northern region.

The Forum condemned what it called reckless government spending, pointing to controversial allocations in the 2025 federal budget, including provisions for streetlights reportedly costing over ₦260 million each. The ACF noted that the lack of any official denial of such budgetary excesses reflects a growing disconnect between public officials and the everyday struggles of Nigerians.

“Such extravagant budget items show a disturbing level of insensitivity from those in power, especially when citizens are making daily sacrifices,” the statement read. “These kinds of wasteful insertions are often mirrored at the state level as well.”

The ACF also criticized government officials for what it described as “delusional” and dismissive responses to worsening insecurity, which are often at odds with the realities on the ground reported by state governors. The group warned that continued neglect of these issues could fuel mass frustration, despair, and disillusionment among the populace.

Despite these challenges, the ACF commended the Nigerian people for their resilience, especially during the Eid-el-Kabir celebrations. It urged leaders to embrace the values of sacrifice, fellowship, and devotion—principles central to the Eid—as a guide to better governance.

The Forum acknowledged the economic struggles many Nigerians face, including inflation, soaring living costs, and the eroding value of wages. It concluded by emphasizing that meaningful change is possible through the consistent application of good governance at all levels—local, state, and federal.

Ali Ndume, senator representing Borno South, has distanced himself from the recent endorsement of President Bola Tinubu for a second term by 22 governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC), warning that such political backing does not guarantee electoral success.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Ndume cautioned Tinubu against relying on endorsements as a measure of public support. He recalled a similar scenario in 2015 when 22 governors of the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan for re-election. Despite the high-profile backing, Jonathan lost decisively to Muhammadu Buhari of the APC.

“I pity Mr President,” Ndume said. “Jonathan had 22 governors backing him, just like now, and yet he lost woefully. Politicians may defect and form alliances, but voters don’t follow those moves blindly.”

Ndume, known for his critical stance on some of Tinubu’s policies, said he was present at the Presidential Villa when the endorsement was made in May but did not support it. He clarified that he had attended for a summit, not a political declaration.

“When I realized it was not a summit but a political endorsement, I quietly left,” he said. “That doesn’t mean I’m no longer in the APC. I’m still a member, but not every member agrees with everything the party does.”

The senator also expressed concern over the country’s worsening economic and social conditions, saying that many Nigerians are losing faith in the administration’s Renewed Hope agenda.

“Things are very bad in the country. Nigerians don’t see hope; they are beginning to doubt the promises made,” he stated.

Ndume urged the president and APC leadership to reflect on historical precedents and focus on delivering real solutions to the nation’s pressing challenges rather than political showmanship.

Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited (RAEC) announced it has successfully increased crude oil production beyond 200,000 barrels per day following its takeover of Shell Petroleum Development Company’s onshore Nigerian operations. The milestone represents a major development for Nigeria’s petroleum industry and domestic energy capabilities.

RAEC leadership shared this achievement during a meeting with Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Wale Edun at his Abuja office. The Shell asset acquisition signals a notable shift in Nigeria’s upstream petroleum sector, with greater emphasis on local ownership of key energy infrastructure.

Chairman Layi Fatona and Managing Director Tony Attah headed the RAEC delegation for the ministerial visit.

Fatona highlighted the significance of indigenous companies taking leadership roles in Nigeria’s energy landscape. “This represents a milestone for Nigerian business,” he stated. “Our successful operational transition and production growth demonstrate that local companies can drive the energy sector forward and deliver meaningful economic impact.”

Attah, who previously served as head of Nigeria LNG, stressed that RAEC’s activities support government objectives around employment generation, foreign currency earnings, and community development. “Our mission extends beyond oil extraction to establishing sustainable indigenous ownership, responsible resource management, and economic value creation,” he explained. “RAEC is committed to long-term growth and government partnership toward shared prosperity.”

Minister Edun praised RAEC’s swift operational achievements and confirmed federal backing for indigenous companies contributing to national progress. “Having a Nigerian company operating at this level reflects President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s commitment to private sector leadership, local expertise development, and broad-based economic growth,” Edun remarked.

The minister characterized RAEC’s results as “promising” and advocated for enhanced government-industry cooperation to maximize the sector’s fiscal and energy security benefits. “The government remains dedicated to establishing fair competitive conditions that recognize innovation, transparency, and performance. Companies like RAEC are central to our comprehensive economic transformation strategy,” Edun concluded.

The federal government has officially designated Thursday as a public holiday in observance of Democracy Day 2025.

Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo made the announcement Sunday through a statement released by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Magdalene Ajani.

In marking the occasion, Tunji-Ojo extended congratulations to Nigerians for sustaining 26 consecutive years of civilian governance, commending the population for demonstrating “resilience, courage and strength” throughout this period.

“June 12 symbolizes our transformative path toward establishing a nation founded on truth and justice, where peace endures and our collective future remains secure,” the minister stated.

He reflected on the significance of the democratic journey, noting that “the past 26 years chronicle our perseverance, fortitude and bravery, representing renewed hope more than ever before.”

The minister emphasized that under President Bola Tinubu’s leadership, Nigeria continues its commitment to democratic values, ensuring that citizens’ “freely expressed preferences guide the country’s political, economic, social, and cultural trajectory.”

Israel reveals tunnel under Gaza hospital, says body of Sinwar's brother found there

The Israeli army said on Sunday it had retrieved the body of Hamas' military chief Mohammed Sinwar in an underground tunnel beneath a hospital in southern Gaza, following a targeted operation last month.

Another senior Hamas leader, Mohammad Shabana, commander of the Rafah Brigade, was also found dead at the scene along with a number of other militants, who are still being identified, said IDF spokesperson, Brigadier General Effie Defrin.

Israeli forces gave a small group of foreign reporters a tour of the tunnel that had been uncovered beneath the European Hospital in Khan Younis, which Defrin said was a major command and control compound for Hamas.

"This is another example of the cynical use by Hamas, using civilians as human shields, using civilian infrastructure, hospitals, again and again," said Defrin.

"We found underneath the hospital, right under the emergency room, a compound of a few rooms. In one of them we found, we killed Mohammed Sinwar," he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sinwar's death last month, but Defrin said they now had his DNA which proved beyond doubt it was him.

Hamas has not commented on reports of the death of either Sinwar or Shabana.

Sinwar was the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, the Palestinian militant group's deceased leader and mastermind of the October 2023 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people according to Israeli tallies, and which triggered the Israeli invasion of Gaza.

Shabana was one of Hamas's most senior and battle-hardened commanders in southern Gaza. He played a central role in constructing the network of tunnels under the southern city of Rafah, which were used for ambushes and cross-border raids.

DESTRUCTION

The drive to Khan Younis in Israeli military vehicles showed widespread devastation, with countless buildings lying in ruins, and piles of rubble collected at the roadside.

The Israeli military has raided or besieged numerous hospitals during the war, alleging that Hamas uses them to conceal fighters and orchestrate operations -- a charge Hamas has repeatedly denied. While Israel has presented evidence in certain cases, some of its assertions remain unverified.

Defrin said the army had carefully planned the strike near the European Hospital in order not to damage it.

A large trench dug infront of the Emergency Room entrance led down to a hole in the claustrophobic, concrete tunnel, that was used as a hideaway by Hamas fighters, the army said.

During the search of the site, Israeli forces recovered weapon stockpiles, ammunition, cash and documents that are now being reviewed for intelligence value.

"We will dismantle Hamas because we cannot live with this terror organisation right in our backyard, right across our border," Defrin said.

More than 54,000 Palestinians have died during the ongoing Israeli assault, according to Gaza health authorities. The U.N. has warned that most of Gaza's 2.3 million population is at risk of famine.

Reuters

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russia advances to east-central Ukrainian region amid row over dead soldiers

Russia said on Sunday its forces had advanced to the edge of the east-central Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk amid a public row between Moscow and Kyiv over peace negotiations and the return of thousands of bodies of soldiers who fell in the war.

Despite talk of peace, the war is stepping up with Russian forces grabbing more territory in Ukraine and Kyiv unfurling high-profile drone and sabotage attacks on Russia's nuclear-capable bomber fleet and, according to Moscow, on railways.

Russia, which controls a little under one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, has taken more than 190 square km (73 square miles) of the Sumy region of northeastern Ukraine in less than a month, according to pro-Ukrainian open source maps.

Now, according to the Russian defence ministry, units of the 90th Tank Division of the Central Grouping of Russian forces have reached the western frontier of Ukraine's Donetsk region and are attacking the adjacent Dnipropetrovsk region.

"The enemy does not abandon its intentions to enter the Dnipropetrovsk region," Ukraine's Southern Defence Forces said on Telegram. "Our soldiers are courageously and professionally holding their section of the front, disrupting the occupier's plans. This work does not stop for a minute."

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, said the Dnipropetrovsk offensive showed that if Ukraine did not want to accept the reality of Russia's territorial gains in peace talks then Moscow's forces would advance further.

The pro-Ukrainian Deep State map showed Russian forces very close to the Dnipropetrovsk region, which had a population of more than 3 million before the war, and advancing on the city of Kostyantynivka in the Donetsk region from several directions.

A Ukrainian military spokesman, Dmytro Zaporozhets, said that Russian forces were trying to "build a bridgehead for an attack" on Kostyantynivka, an important logistical hub for the Ukrainian army.

Russia on Saturday accused Ukraine of delaying the swap of prisoners of war and return of the bodies of 12,000 dead soldiers. Ukraine denied those claims.

On Sunday, Russia said it was moving bodies towards the border and television showed refrigerated trucks containing the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers on the road in the Bryansk region. Ukraine, officials said, was playing politics with the dead.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pledged to press on with prisoner exchanges.

"The Russian side is therefore, like always, even in these matters, is trying to play some kind of dirty political and information game," he said in his nightly video address.

"We believe that the exchanges will continue and will do everything for this. If the Russians do not stand by agreements even in humanitarian matters, it casts great doubt on all international efforts - including those by the United States in terms of talks and diplomacy."

Zelenskiy said he had reviewed commanders' reports about areas hit by heavy fighting, including near Pokrovsk, targeted by Moscow for months. He said the situation was "far from easy, but everything depends on the resilience of our units."

U.S. President Donald Trump, who says he wants an end to the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War Two, on Thursday likened it to a fight between young children and indicated that he might have to simply let the conflict play out.

ACCUSATIONS OVER WILLINGNESS FOR PEACE

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that he did not thinkUkraine's leaders wanted peace, after accusing them of ordering a bombing in Bryansk, western Russia, that killed seven people and injured 115 a day before talks in Turkey.

Ukraine, which has not commented on the attack on a Bryansk bridge, has similarly accused Moscow of not seriously seeking peace, citing Russian resistance to an immediate ceasefire.

Russia is demanding international recognition of Crimea, a peninsula it annexed from Ukraine in 2014, and four other regions of Ukraine that Moscow has claimed as its own territory. Ukraine would have to withdraw its forces from all of them.

Russia controlled 113,273 square km, or 18.8%, of Ukrainian territory as of June 7, according to the Deep State map. That is an area bigger than the U.S. state of Virginia.

The areas under Russian control include Crimea, more than 99% of the Luhansk region, over 70% of the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, all in the east or southeast, and fragments of the Kharkiv and Sumy regions in the northeast.

Putin told Trump on Wednesday that he would have to respond to Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia's bomber fleet and the bombings of the railways.

Zelenskiy warned Ukrainians in his video message to be particularly attentive to air raid warnings in the coming days.

The United States believes that Putin's threatened retaliation against Ukraine over its attacks has not happened yet in earnest and is likely to be a significant, multi-pronged strike, U.S. officials told Reuters.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine experiencing drone shortage – BBC

Ukrainian forces are facing a critical shortage of drones, the BBC has reported, citing officers from various units. They told the broadcaster that a third of the drones needed by the army are being purchased using unit-held funds or assembled from wreckage.

The news comes a week after Kiev launched a coordinated drone strike on multiple Russian air bases, targeting long-range, nuclear-capable bombers stationed in the country’s north and far east. Moscow has reported that most of the drones were intercepted, and that the aircraft targeted were damaged, but not destroyed as Ukrainian officials claimed. According to Kiev, more than 40 Russian bombers were hit in the attacks.

Earlier this week, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky told ABC News that only Ukrainian-made weapons were used in the attacks, which had reportedly been planned for more than a year.

A commander of the drone systems battalion of the 58th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Sergey Varakin, told BBC that a year ago his unit could afford to launch up to 100 first-person-view (FPV) aerial drones a day, adding that the current situation is “nothing like that anymore.”

“Now, our brigade can receive only 200–300 FPV drones a month through official supply requests,” Varakin emphasized.

According to the commander of the 429th Separate UAV Regiment, Yury Fedorenko, as cited by the news outlet, only a third of drones meeting the army’s needs are typically delivered via state-backed supply channels. He specified that another third are purchased with unit-held funds, while the remaining third come from voluntary donations by Ukrainians.

Fedorenko emphasized that state-supported drone supplies are often delivered with a two-month delay due to bureaucratic foot-dragging.

Drone operators from several brigades deployed near Pokrovsk, the largest city remaining under Ukrainian control in the southwest of the DPR, also reported a shortage, adding that they are trying to obtain drones by all possible means, sometimes assembling them from old parts.

The Russian military has repeatedly targeted drone manufacturing facilities and launch sites in Ukraine. The latest strikes came shortly after an attack on military airfields across the country.

FPV drones have played a pivotal role on the battlefield since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. The Times reported in May that Russia has taken the lead in the drone race, surpassing Ukraine in the production and use of medium-range FPV drones and their fiber-optic variants.

Reuters/RT

Robert E. Siegel

One provocative assertion I often make when teaching is that there are two kinds of people in the world: those who have hearts and those who don’t. Students and executives usually chuckle awkwardly at this statement, wondering where I am going. I then share that many leaders look at changing technology and changing markets and realize that a lot of jobs in their companies will inevitably be eliminated within the next few years, and it’s not hard to predict which jobs will go away. The question is how the executives react to this realization.

Leaders who “have hearts” experience empathy for those currently in jobs that will be disappearing, seeing individual faces and hearing individual names in their minds. Such leaders think of the men and women in their organizations as flesh- and-blood humans. They worry about employees losing jobs that feed their children, keep roofs over their heads, and provide health insurance, not to mention (hopefully) supplying a sense of satisfaction and meaning.

Other leaders see the job elimination through a cooler lens, less concerned for those affected. They embrace “creative destruction” as a fundamental aspect of how capitalistic systems work. Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter wrote about the inevitability that new technologies and advancements will destroy what came before.

For instance, there used to be great demand for skilled telegraph operators and folks who could add columns of numbers quickly with just a pencil—until more cost-effective technologies devalued those skills. Leaders with this perspective focus not on the hardships of the unemployed but on the numerous new jobs created by the same forces of change. They believe employees simply must adapt or be left behind, and there’s no point in getting upset about it—everyone owns their individual career. They see the latest disruptions as just the continuation of the human experience, going all the way back to our hunter- gatherer ancestors. Still others may only care about job cuts for the sake of cost reduction, never mind the “creative” part of the destruction.

For the purposes of Systems Leadership, it doesn’t matter which type of person you are in my (admittedly reductive) shorthand. You need to invest in your people whether you have a heart or not, for at least three major reasons.

1. IT’S CHEAPER AND EASIER TO RETRAIN THAN REPLACE

Studies show that it often costs less to reskill a current employee than to recruit, hire, and train a new one. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, finding and training a new employee can cost as much as six to nine months of their salary. For instance, if a worker earns $60,000, the company could end up spending an additional $30,000 to $45,000 to replace them. The Center for American Progress estimates the costs can be even higher, depending on the role. This means reskilling an existing employee is not just the right thing to do, but often the more cost-effective strategy.

2. INVESTING IN PEOPLE BOOSTS MORALE AND DISCRETIONARY EFFORT

When a company invests in retraining its employees, it sends a powerful message. Imagine the morale boost when employees learn that their company values them enough to send them for specialized training in AI. Now contrast that with hearing that the company is posting external job openings for AI specialists, and layoffs are on the horizon to fund the new hires. The impact on employee enthusiasm and engagement is profound. Continuing education and upskilling are crucial for fostering loyalty, enthusiasm, and a productive workplace culture.

3. INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE IS AN INVALUABLE ASSET

Many leaders prioritize fresh ideas, new talent, and innovation. But systems leaders understand the unique value of institutional knowledge—the insights and perspectives that only come from experience. While hard data often drives decisions, there’s immense value in recognizing the importance of those who have navigated the complex challenges of the past. Their insights can be the key to solving future problems.

Whether they “have hearts” or not, leaders must see employees as a resource to be invested in to advance the needs of the company. Systems Leaders take advantage of cost-saving opportunities without treating their people like replaceable cogs in a machine. At the same time, however, they believe fully in holding people accountable to high standards. They would say it’s a false choice to frame strong management and compassionate management— hard heads and soft hearts— as opposites. Great leaders aspire to both.

Fast Company

The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) achieved a historic milestone this week, with its market capitalization breaking through the N72 trillion barrier while delivering substantial returns to equity investors who gained N1.16 trillion.

Record-Breaking Performance

The domestic stock market maintained its impressive momentum ahead of the Sallah holiday period, with key performance metrics surging by 1.63% in a single trading session. This upward trajectory was fueled by strong investor appetite for medium and large-capitalization stocks, particularly NGXGROUP, MTN, and 38 other companies spanning various market sectors.

The benchmark All-Share Index climbed by 1,835.02 basis points to reach an unprecedented high of 114,616.75 points, according to multiple stockbroker reports. Over the four-day trading period, the index gained 2.57% weekly, translating to approximately N1.81 trillion in additional investor wealth.

Trading Activity Surges

Market participation intensified significantly, with both trading volume and value experiencing remarkable growth. Total trading volume jumped by 139.05% while the total value of transactions increased by 100.68% on Thursday alone.

FIDELITYBK dominated trading activity, representing 64.66% of all share volumes traded on the exchange. The tier-2 banking institution was followed by ZENITHBANK (4.90%), JAPAULGOLD (2.72%), GTCO (2.41%), and ACCESSCORP (2.05%) in the top five most actively traded stocks by volume.

In terms of transaction values, FIDELITYBK again led the pack, accounting for 49.20% of the total monetary value of all completed trades.

Market Movers

The day’s biggest winners were CHAMPION and NGXGROUP, both posting impressive 10.00% price gains. MTNN followed closely with a 9.99% increase, while OANDO (+9.96%), MORISON (+9.90%), CORNERST (+9.80%), and RTBRISCOE (+9.17%) rounded out the top performers, alongside 33 other advancing stocks.

However, not all stocks participated in the rally. Twenty-two companies experienced price declines, led by NNFM which fell 9.97%. Other notable decliners included LEGENDINT (-9.49%), LIVESTOCK (-7.82%), HONYFLOUR (-6.82%), JAIZBANK (-4.11%), and VFDGROUP (-2.25%).

Sectoral Performance

Market breadth remained decidedly positive, with 40 stocks advancing compared to 22 declining issues. All five major market sectors posted gains, demonstrating broad-based strength across the Nigerian economy.

The banking sector led sectoral performance with a 2.46% gain, followed by oil & gas companies which rose 2.36%. The insurance sector advanced 1.31%, consumer goods climbed 0.84%, and industrial stocks registered a modest 0.25% increase.

Market Capitalization Milestone

The session concluded with the overall equities market capitalization expanding by N1,157.13 billion to reach N72.28 trillion, representing a 1.63% daily increase and marking a significant milestone for the Nigerian capital market.

This performance underscores the continued confidence of both domestic and international investors in Nigerian equities, particularly as the market headed into the Sallah break period.

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has forecast widespread thunderstorms and rainfall across the country from Sunday to Tuesday.

In a weather outlook released Saturday in Abuja, NiMet said thunderstorms and moderate rains are expected Sunday morning in parts of Taraba and Adamawa states in the northern region. By afternoon and evening, thunderstorms with rain are likely in Taraba, Adamawa, Katsina, Kano, Zamfara, Kaduna, Jigawa, Borno, Gombe, and Bauchi.

For the North-Central region, a cloudy morning is expected, followed by thunderstorms and rain in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Niger, Nasarawa, Kwara, Kogi, Benue, and Plateau later in the day.

In the southern states, morning skies will be mostly cloudy, while later in the day, rain showers are expected in Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Edo, Abia, Imo, Enugu, Anambra, Lagos, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers, Delta, and Bayelsa.

Monday’s Forecast:

NiMet predicts morning thunderstorms with rainfall in Sokoto, Zamfara, and Bauchi. By afternoon and evening, this will expand to include Taraba, Adamawa, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Borno, Bauchi, Kaduna, and Sokoto.

In the North-Central region, morning rains and thunderstorms are expected in FCT, Niger, Kogi, and Nasarawa. Later in the day, similar weather is forecast for Plateau, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Kogi, and Benue.

Southern Nigeria may experience morning showers in Cross River, Rivers, Bayelsa, and Akwa Ibom, with more widespread rains expected across the region in the afternoon and evening.

Tuesday’s Outlook:

In the North, isolated morning thunderstorms with moderate rainfall are expected in Zamfara and Kaduna, with more widespread storms forecast for Taraba, Adamawa, Zamfara, Kano, Bauchi, Gombe, Borno, and Kaduna later in the day.

Morning thunderstorms are likely in parts of Niger, Plateau, and Benue in the North-Central region, with afternoon rain expected across FCT, Nasarawa, Kogi, Benue, Niger, Kwara, and Plateau.

Lagos and Bayelsa are forecast to see morning showers in the South, with rain expected across the entire southern region throughout the day.

Safety Advisory:

NiMet urged the public to take precautions, warning that strong winds may precede thunderstorms. Residents are advised to:

• Secure loose objects to prevent damage or injury

• Avoid driving during heavy rain

• Disconnect electrical appliances to prevent power surge damage

• Stay away from tall trees due to the risk of falling branches

The agency also advised airline operators to obtain airport-specific weather updates for flight planning and urged all residents to stay informed through NiMet’s daily weather reports.

US-backed Gaza group suspends aid for a day over threats, Hamas vows to protect UN aid

A controversial humanitarian organization backed by the United States and Israel did not distribute any food aid on Saturday, accusing Hamas of making threats that "made it impossible" to operate in the enclave, which the Palestinian militants denied.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which uses private U.S. security and logistics firms to operate, said it was adapting operations to overcome the unspecified threats. It later said in a Facebook post that two sites would reopen on Sunday.

A Hamas official told Reuters he had no knowledge of such "alleged threats."

The Hamas-run Gaza government media office said later on Saturday that GHF operation has "utterly failed on all levels" and that Hamas was ready to help secure aid deliveries by a separate long-running U.N-led humanitarian operation. Hamas also called on all Palestinians to protect humanitarian convoys.

Israel and the United States have accused Hamas of stealing aid from the U.N.-led operations, which the militants deny.

A Hamas source said the group's armed wing would deploy some snipers from Sunday near routes used by the U.N.-led aid operation to prevent armed gangs looting food shipments. The U.N. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Israel allowed limited U.N.-led operations to resume on May 19 after an 11-week blockade in the enclave of 2.3 million people, where experts have warned a famine looms. The U.N. has described the aid allowed into Gaza as "drop in the ocean."

Israel and the U.S. are urging the U.N. to work through the GHF, but the U.N. has refused, questioning its neutrality and accusing the distribution model of militarizing aid and forcing displacement. The GHF began operations in Gaza on May 26 and said on Friday so far it has distributed nearly 9 million meals.

While the GHF has said there have been no incidents at its so-called secure distribution sites, Palestinians seeking aid have described disorder and access routes to the sites have been beset by chaos and deadly violence.

Dozens of Palestinians were killed near GHF sites between Sunday and Tuesday, Gaza health authorities said. Israel has said it is investigating the Monday and Tuesday incidents, but said it was not to blame for Sunday's violence.

HOSPITAL FUEL LOW

The GHF did not give out aid on Wednesday as it pressed Israel to boost civilian safety beyond its sites, then on Friday it paused some aid distribution "due to excessive crowding."

The Israeli military said on Saturday that 350 trucks of humanitarian aid belonging to the U.N. and other international relief groups were transferred this week via the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza.

Israel makes the U.N. offload aid on the Palestinian side of the crossing, where it then has to be picked by the U.N. and aid groups in Gaza. The U.N. has accused Israel of regularly denying access requests and complained that its aid convoys have been looted by unidentified armed men and hungry civilians.

Israel has in recent weeks expanded its offensive across the Gaza Strip as U.S., Qatari and Egyptian-led efforts to secure another ceasefire have faltered. Medics in Gaza said 55 people were killed in Israeli strikes across the enclave on Saturday.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said on Saturday that Gaza's hospitals only had fuel for three more days and that Israel was denying access for international relief agencies to areas where fuel storages designated for hospitals are located.

There was no immediate response from the Israeli military or COGAT, the Israeli defence agency that coordinates humanitarian matters with the Palestinians.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it had uncovered "an underground tunnel route, including a command and control center from which senior Hamas commanders" operated beneath the European Hospital compound in southern Gaza.

The war erupted after Hamas-led militants took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, Israel's single deadliest day.

Israel's military campaign has since killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and flattened much of the coastal enclave.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday the Israeli military had retrieved the body of a Thai agricultural worker held in Gaza since the October 2023 attack. Nattapong Pinta's body was held by the Mujahedeen Brigades militant group, and recovered from Rafah in southern Gaza, Katz said.

Reuters