Oman: 'Ceasefire agreement between US and Houthis'. Trump confirms from Canada, then goes to Israel. Houthi: truce does not mean stop attacks

The US and the Houthis have reached a ceasefire agreement. This was announced by Oman, the traditional mediator in the Middle East. Senior Houthi official Muhammad al Buhaythi stated that 'the group is ready to stop attacks against US military ships if Trump stops the raids in Yemen, but operations against Israel in support of Gaza will continue'.

"The Houti have announced that they don't want to fight any more," US President Donald Trump said in the press conference he held in the Oval Office at the end of his meeting with Canadian PM Mark Carney, after the Israeli raid that destroyed the Sanaa airport. The United States, Trump added, will cease bombing. "We will honour this announcement and cease bombing. They have capitulated,' he stressed.

To Prime Minister Carney, President Trump reiterated that he 'still believes' in the idea of annexing Canada as the 51st US state and, to the reply that Canada is not for sale and never will be, Trump retorted: 'never say never, it would be a good marriage'.

US President Donald Trump may visit Israel next week as part of his trip to the Middle East. The Israeli daily Maariv writes this, citing a Tel Aviv official. Trump's visit to Israel ''is by no means definite, but there are ongoing contacts and we are considering this possibility,'' the Israeli official said. During his Middle East tour Trump will travel to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates and meet with Gulf leaders at a regional summit. Israel sees Trump's arrival as an opportunity to push Hamas to accept a deal for the release of hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip, writes the Times of Israel. Yesterday, during a visit to the Israeli embassy in Washington on the occasion of Israel's Independence Day celebrations, White House special envoy Steve Witkoff predicted ''a lot of announcements'' regarding the expansion of the Abrahamic Accords ''very, very soon.''

Smotrich: 'It will be a conquest of Gaza'

The far-right Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote in X today that 'for the first time we are talking without embarrassment about the conquest of Gaza: the IDF will conquer the Gaza Strip, maintain control over the territory for a long time, and put an end to the absurdity whereby we provide logistical assistance to our enemy'. Smotrich added: 'We will handle this event in a completely different way'.

"Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians consume only one meal every two or three days" and "more than 66,000 children suffer from severe malnutrition" in the Gaza Strip due to the blockade imposed in early March by Israel on the entry of aid into the Palestinian enclave. Unrwa spokesman Adnan Abu Hasna said this in an interview with Egyptian pan-Arab broadcaster Al-Ghad TV.

The UN has accused Israel of trying to 'militarise' the flow of aid into Gaza, leaving the population desperate for food and water and instead handing them 'bombs'. The UN humanitarian agency, Ocha, denounced the worsening situation in the war-torn Palestinian territory after almost nine weeks of a total Israeli blockade on Gaza.

Finally, Laerke expressed outrage at Israel's recent report to representatives of a group of some 15 UN agencies and 200 NGOs, which spoke of plans to 'close down the current aid distribution system' run by organisations in Gaza.

"The Israelis asked them to deliver the supplies through Israeli hubs, under the conditions set by the Israeli army," said Laerke.

The United Nations categorically rejected this proposal, he added, stressing that such a plan 'would not live up to the basic humanitarian principles of impartiality, neutrality and independence in the distribution of aid'. Aid, he insisted, must be delivered 'on the basis of need and nothing else'.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that an expanded offensive against the Palestinian militant group Hamas would be "intensive" after his security cabinet approved plans that include the occupation of the Gaza Strip and control of aid.

An Israeli defence official said the operation would not be launched before US President. Donald Trump concludes his visit to the Middle East next week: On Tuesday 13 May Trump will be in Saudi Arabia for his first state visit abroad, after having been in Israel on 12 May.

The decision, after weeks of vain efforts to agree on a ceasefire with Hamas, underlines the threat of a war that heaps international pressure on Israel amidst dwindling public support at home and may continue with no end in sight.

Even a report by Israeli public radio station Kan, citing officials with knowledge of the details, said the new plan was gradual and would take months of preparation, with forces focusing first on a battered area of the enclave.

Netanyahu said in a video message that the operation would be 'intensive' and would see more Palestinians in Gaza moved 'for their own safety'.

Netanyahu said Israeli troops would not follow previous tactics based on short raids by forces located outside Gaza. "The intention is the opposite," he said, echoing comments by other Israeli officials who said Israel would keep the ground it occupied.

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said Israel is a sovereign state that makes its own decisions, according to Axios, who also reported that he hopes for progress on hostages and ceasefire agreement before or during Trump's visit.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Israeli troops have already occupied an area equal to about a third of Gaza, displacing the population and building watchtowers and surveillance posts on cleared land that the army has described as security zones, but the new plan would go further.

A senior Hamas official: 'There is no point in starting talks or considering new ceasefire proposals as long as the hunger war and the war of extermination continue in the Gaza Strip,'Basem Naim told Afp.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have both expressed "deep concern about the situation in Gaza following the latest developments calling for a relaunch of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process towards a two-state solution. This was reported today by the Kingdom's media, citing a statement released by Downing Street on a telephone conversation last night.

China expresses its 'opposition' to Israel's plan to take over the Gaza Strip, including the prospect of displacing a large number of Palestinians. "China is very concerned about the current situation between Palestine and Israel," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian, adding that Beijing "opposes Israel's ongoing military actions in Gaza and we hope that all parties will continue to engage and effectively implement the ceasefire agreement."

Red Cross: 'Privatising humanitarian assistance cannot be a solution. Especially not in Gaza, where the humanitarian needs are enormous'. Says Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, when interviewed by Corriere della Sera. "Let's not forget that Israel, as an occupying power, has an obligation to guarantee access and the provision of humanitarian assistance. Therefore, if its authorities are unable to provide it, they must cooperate with competent and legitimate institutions. Furthermore, aid must reach those who need it most in an impartial and neutral manner'.

Also French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot in a radio interview: 'Paris very strongly condemns the new Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip. It is unacceptable: the Israeli government is violating humanitarian law',

"We will give them food" and "help the people of Gaza". Said Donald Trump on 5 May 2025, accusing Hamas of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Strip.

Interviewed this morning by RTL, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot expressed France's 'firm condemnation' of the Israeli plan to occupy the Gaza Strip 'because it is contrary to international law'.

'This is not acceptable,' the minister said, 'the urgent need is a ceasefire and unrestricted access for humanitarian aid. Even if there is a war, you do not attack civilians or aid workers. It is no offence to the Israeli people to say that this government is blatantly violating international law. In the Gaza enclave, the International Committee of the Red Cross says so, the World Food Programme also says so, there is nothing left to eat. The risk of famine is real. We must now open up access to humanitarian aid'.

Barrot then remarked that Paris is 'working towards the recognition of a Palestinian state' and aims 'to have a concrete impact on the ground, so that other countries can do so at the same time as France'.