The bright pink jumper with a picture of Cinderella hangs off Jana’s skinny shoulders as she walks through the northern Gaza moonscape, piles of rubble, dirt and dust all around her. Clutching a large tub in her hand, the 12-year-old is on a mission: find food and water.

Jana Mohammed Khalil Musleh Al-Skeifi and her family say she has been responsible for getting supplies for them all since an Israeli sniper killed her older brother more than a year ago. Her parents are in poor health, so it now falls on her to provide for them.

Sparing her father the strenuous work, the slight girl carried two heavy buckets full of water all the way home, the knuckles of her fingers turned white from the heavy load, jeans soaked from the precious water sloshing about.

Finding food and water became difficult after Israel launched its brutal war in Gaza following the October 7 terror attack by Hamas and its allies. But the situation has become catastrophic since Israel imposed a total blockade on all aid more than 11 weeks ago.

A United Nations-backed report published earlier this month said that one in five people in Gaza are facing starvation as the territory, home to 2.1 million people, edges closer to man-made famine.

Israel said the blockade, along with a new military campaign, is intended to pressure Hamas to release hostages held in the enclave. But many international organizations have accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war.

Getting clean water has been difficult for months because Israel restricts access to water treatment and desalination equipment, claiming that these items can be used to manufacture weapons.

Doctors without Borders, the humanitarian organization, said that more than two-thirds of the 1,700 water and sanitation items it sought to deliver to Gaza between January 2024 and early March 2025 were rejected by Israeli authorities.

“You can barely fill one bucket, because there’s no proper queuing system, and if you wait, you might not get anything. Sometimes we have to go without,” Jana said.

“I sit there for hours just waiting to fill one bucket. It’s an awful feeling.”

‘Drop in the ocean’ of need

The Israeli military announced Sunday it would allow a “basic amount of food” to enter Gaza as it launched its new major offensive in the strip. The reason, the military said, was the fact that a “starvation crisis” in Gaza would “jeopardize the operation.”

The following day, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated Israel had taken the step because its Western allies, including the United States, were threatening to withdraw their support for the country if it allowed Gaza to descend into a famine.

But only five trucks were allowed in on Monday, when humanitarian organizations said 500 a day were required just to feed those who need it the most. UN aid chief Tom Fletcher described the delivery as a “drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed.”

The hunger is becoming catastrophic. The Ministry of Health in Gaza said that at least 57 children have died from the effects of malnutrition since the start of the war.

Jana’s baby niece Janat was one of them, her family says.

‘Everyone was just watching’

But things changed when Janat was six weeks old.

On March 2, Israel imposed its total blockade on Gaza, preventing even the most basic supplies, including baby formula and medicines, from entering the strip.

Aya said that when food became scarce, she began to struggle to breastfeed Janat, who started to lose weight. The baby developed chronic diarrhea, became dehydrated and was soon so poorly that she needed medical attention.

At the same time, Janat’s mother was struggling too, weakened by the lack of food and clean water. Like many new mothers in Gaza in these conditions, she lost her milk – leaving her unable to feed her baby. The UN-backed hunger report said that almost 11,000 pregnant women in Gaza are already at risk of famine, and nearly 17,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women will need urgent treatment for acute malnutrition over the coming months.

“I pleaded to the whole world to save her. I just wanted someone to save her, to provide the milk she needed. But no one could help. Everyone was just watching,” Janat’s mother said.

But the baby girl died on May 4, before that was possible. At four months old, she was only 2.8 kilograms (6 lb 3 oz), barely more than her birth weight.

Medical evacuations from Gaza have been extremely rare, even more so since Israel restarted military operations after the collapse of the ceasefire in March.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said last week that some 12,000 patients in Gaza need medical evacuation, and that only 123 people have been evacuated since the blockade was imposed in March.

Flicking through photos of Janat, the day after the baby’s death, Jana became teary and upset. “They told us she couldn’t be treated unless she traveled abroad. We waited, they kept saying ‘Saturday’ and ‘Sunday,’ we waited until she died,” Jana said.

‘I feel like I’ve died’

After 18 months of war, every aspect of Jana’s life is filled with hardship.

She has too little food to eat and water to drink, no school to go to, no safe space to sleep. There is no electricity and the place she calls home is a half-destroyed house in Gaza City. Its walls are charred black from fire.

Jana used to live in a house where water came from a tap and light appeared with the flick of a switch. There was food, there was school, there was a dance performance during which she and her friends got to be the center of attention, wearing matching outfits and dancing as everyone clapped along.

A family video from the event looks like any other taken by proud parents of a child performing in public. It’s a bit shaky, zoomed in on Jana as she hops around.

Watching it amid the destruction, surrounded by bombed-out homes and piles of rubble, the footage looks like it came from a different universe.

Jana’s large family has been decimated by the war. She has lost a brother, a brother-in-law, a cousin and a niece, and is terrified of losing her mother who has thyroid cancer that cannot currently be treated in Gaza.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 53,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war over the past 18 months, roughly 4% of the strip’s population. This means that out of every 40 people living in Gaza before the war, one is now dead.

But there is little time to grieve for them when survival takes so much effort.

Hungry children jockey for food

Like many families in Gaza, they ground the pasta into flour to make bread, an attempt to make it last longer. Gaza has long since run out of flour.

The next day, when a nearby community kitchen gets supplies, a large crowd of hungry children assembles within minutes.

They watch the workers’ every move, eagerly awaiting the moment when the food is ready.

It is clear there isn’t enough for everyone, so the children jockey for the best spot, stretching their arms to get their pot as close as they can to the front, desperately trying to get the attention of those distributing the meals. Some are screaming and crying.

Jana is lucky. Two scoops of pasta with watery tomato sauce land in her tub. She looks exhausted and hungry, but happy.

As she walks home with the tub of steaming food, she does not touch it. Not until she gets home where her hungry siblings, nieces and nephews await.

Only then, sharing it with them, does Jana allow herself to tuck in.

The United Kingdom has paused trade negotiations with Israel, sanctioned West Bank settlers and summoned the Israeli ambassador due to Israel’s military operation in Gaza and settler violence in the West Bank, the British foreign ministry announced Tuesday.

Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations between the UK and Israel are on “formal pause… effective immediately,” the British Foreign Office said in a statement, adding that it “it is not possible to advance discussions on a new, upgraded FTA with a Netanyahu government that is pursuing egregious policies in the West Bank and Gaza.”

Israel’s Ambassador to the UK, Tzipura Hotovely has also been summoned to the British Foreign Office over the Israeli military’s offensive in Gaza, the statement added.

“Today I will set out to Ambassador Hotovely the government’s opposition to the wholly disproportionate escalation of military activity in Gaza and emphasize that the 11-week block on aid to Gaza has been cruel and indefensible. I will urge Israel to halt settlement expansion and settler violence in the West Bank,” British Minister for the Middle East Hamish Falconer said.

“Israel must abide by its obligations under International Humanitarian Law and ensure full, rapid, safe and unhindered provision of humanitarian assistance to the population in Gaza. The limited amount of aid entering is simply not enough,” he continued.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy told lawmakers Tuesday the UK government would sanction seven entities in October. “Here, too, we must do more. Today, we are therefore imposing sanctions on a further three individuals and four entities involved in the settler movement.”

Lammy added: “We will continue to act against those who are carrying out heinous abuses of human rights.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Indian police have arrested a travel vlogger on suspicion of spying for Pakistan, as tensions between the two countries simmer following a dayslong conflict between the two neighbors.

Jyoti Malhotra, an influencer from the northern state of Haryana, has been accused of sharing sensitive information with Pakistan, a senior police official told reporters Sunday.

Arrests in India and Pakistan on suspicion of espionage are not uncommon, but Malhotra’s case has sparked widespread interest as it comes just days after the two countries fought their most intense conflict in decades, raising fears of an all-out war.

Police allege Malhotra was in touch with a Pakistani intelligence operative who groomed her to become an “asset” for Islamabad. Malhotra remained in touch with the operative during the deadly four-day battle earlier this month, police allege.

“She was a travel blogger, and during interrogation, it has emerged that in the pursuit of views, followers, and viral content, she fell into a trap,” said superintendent Shashank Kumar Sawan.

Sawan also claimed that Malhotra used to go to Pakistan on “sponsored trips,” and that she was in touch with other YouTube influencers who had also been in touch with Pakistani intelligence operatives.

She did not have direct access to defense and military information, police said.

Malhotra’s father told reporters he wasn’t aware of his daughter’s travels and that she used to make small videos at home. Earlier, he told reporters she went to Pakistan after acquiring necessary permissions.

Prior to this month’s conflict, Pakistanis and Indians were able to travel to each other’s countries, but it has long been very difficult to obtain visas due to government bureaucracy and historical mistrust.

Tensions between India and Pakistan soared in the aftermath of the April tourist massacre in India-administered Kashmir, when gunmen shot dead 26 tourists in the town of Pahalgam, spurring India’s military operation on Pakistani territory.

India blames Pakistan for the attack, a claim Islamabad denies. For four days, the two neighbors traded missiles, drones, and artillery shelling – killing dozens on each side – before a ceasefire was reached.

Both sides have since claimed victory and, in the febrile aftermath of the short conflict, media coverage in India and Pakistan has seen high levels of nationalist vitriol and hyperbole.

Malhotra has posted travel videos to her YouTube channel, which boasts nearly 400,000 subscribers. Several videos posted in March depict her travel to Pakistan, where she can be seen taking public transport, exploring local markets and visiting the Muslim-majority country’s largest Hindu temple.

Malhotra describes herself on YouTube as a “nomadic wanderer” and had posted videos of her trips to Bali in Indonesia and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, among other overseas destinations.

Speaking to reporters, police questioned how Malhotra was funding her travel. “We are analyzing her financial details… Her travel details defy her source of income,” Sawan alleged.

Her arrest is one of several recent cases where Indians have been suspected of spying on behalf of Pakistan.

Police in the northern state of Punjab on Monday also arrested two people for allegedly “leaking sensitive military information” to Pakistan.

The two men have been accused of “sharing classified details” related to India’s military operation in Pakistan, including troop movements and sharing “strategic locations” in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and India-administered Kashmir, police said in a statement on X.

Police are investigating whether the individuals have violated India’s Official Secrets Act, which penalizes “helping an enemy state.” If found guilty, they could face a maximum sentence of life in prison.

An off-the-cuff remark about never paying for rice has cost Japan’s agriculture minister his job, as pressure mounts on the government to solve the nation’s rice crisis.

Taku Eto resigned on Wednesday, telling reporters that he had concluded he was “not the right person for this role” after sparking a public backlash by saying that he had “so much rice at home that (he) could sell it.”

The cost of rice – Japan’s prime staple food – has become a major political issue, with prices surging to record highs this year and the government taking the rare steps of releasing emergency reserves and importing foreign rice.

Eto’s gaffe could not have come at a worse time for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s government, which was already suffering from low approval ratings due to spiraling cost of living, weeks ahead of an election.

“I have never bought rice myself. Frankly, my supporters give me quite a lot of rice. I have so much rice at home that I could sell it,” Eto said in a speech over the weekend, drawing the ire of the public.

He later clarified he did buy his own rice and said he “deeply regretted” his comments.

“I made an extremely inappropriate remark as the minister responsible. For that, I apologize once again to the people of Japan,” Eto said Wednesday after tendering his resignation.

He added that he “fully recognized” the hardship people are facing due to soaring rice prices.

A major threat

Frustrations over the rising cost of living in Japan is shaping up to be a major threat for Prime Minister Ishiba and his Liberal Democratic Party as the country heads to the polls for upper house elections in July.

The latest approval ratings for Ishiba’s cabinet slipped to 27.4%, a record low, according to a poll by Japanese news agency Kyodo released on Sunday. Almost one in nine of the households surveyed said the government’s efforts to rein in rice prices had been insufficient.

Ishiba’s party, which has ruled Japan for almost all of its post-war history, suffered a crushing defeat in last year’s lower house election, but he held on to power by seeking support from minor parties.

Further defeat in the coming elections could threaten his coalition’s rule and spark calls for a new leader.

Rice price stubbornly high

Despite the government’s attempts to bring them down, rice prices in Japan have remained stubbornly high – almost twice what they were a year ago.

The average retail price of rice rose to 4,268 yen ($29.4 US) per five kilograms in the second week of May, reversing a brief decline in 18 weeks recorded in the previous month, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

Earlier this year, it took the rare step of putting hundreds of thousands of tons of rice from its emergency reserves up for auction, in a bid to drive down prices. Multiple auctions have since been scheduled until July, with hundreds of thousands of tons of rice being released.

Japan, which takes deep pride in its homegrown rice, has also scaled up imports of rice from overseas, mainly from the US. In April, it also imported South Korean rice for the first time since 1999.

Dealing with the rice crisis is now the job of Shinjiro Koizumi, a former environment minister and son of a former Japanese Prime Minister, who Ishiba has appointed to head the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

“I have instructed Mr. Koizumi to make strong efforts to supply rice to consumers at a stable price, especially in light of the current high rice prices,” Ishiba said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Kursk for the first time since Moscow claimed to have completely recaptured the region following a surprise incursion by Ukrainian forces last year, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Wednesday.

Putin met with municipal leaders in the city of Kurchatov and visited the Kursk nuclear power plant, which is currently under construction, the Kremlin said, according to TASS.

Video footage posted by Russian state media showed Putin dressed in a suit speaking with what appeared to be local volunteers.

The news agency did not report when the visit took place.

Last August Ukraine launched a shock incursion into Kursk, swiftly capturing territory in what was the first ground invasion of Russia by a foreign power since World War II.

Since then, Russia, with support from North Korean soldiers, has been fighting to oust Ukraine’s forces from its borders, while Kyiv poured precious resources into holding onto its territory there, with the view of using it as a key bargaining chip in any peace talks.

Putin claimed last month that Russian forces had recaptured Kursk and said North Korean soldiers took part in the fighting to recover territory in the region.

Kyiv has insisted its troops are fiercely battling to preserve their foothold in the territory.

Last week Ukraine said it is still pursuing the ground war inside Russia.

“We are continuing our active operations in the Kursk and Belgorod regions – we are proactively defending Ukraine’s border areas,” President Zelensky said in his nightly address last Wednesday.

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa will hold crucial talks at the White House with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday in a high-stakes meeting that could improve or deteriorate already frosty relations between the nations.

Ramaphosa is hopeful his visit could end a diplomatic feud that sparked aid cancellations by Trump and fueled the expulsion of his nation’s ambassador to the US.

There are also fears that the African nation could now potentially lose some of its US trade privileges as relations between the two countries sour.

Ramaphosa’s trip comes just over a week after a group of 59 White South Africans arrived in the US after being granted refugee status.

Trump and his ally Elon Musk, who was born and raised in the country, claimed the South Africans were being persecuted back home. On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it was in the US national interest to prioritize White South Africans for refugee resettlement, telling a hearing that they’re “a small subset” who “are easier to vet.”

The Trump administration has sharply criticized an expropriation law, which was enacted in South Africa earlier this year. The law empowers South Africa’s government to take land and redistribute it with no obligation to pay compensation in some instances.

Trump claimed that lands belonging to South Africa’s minority Whites, who own 72% of the nation’s agricultural land, were being targeted for confiscation, and cited unverified claims that “a genocide is taking place” in South Africa. He added that “White farmers are being brutally killed” amid reports of farm attacks.

Trump also disapproves of South Africa’s genocide case before the International Court of Justice against the US ally Israel.

Ramaphosa’s office said he would “discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of interest” with the US president at the White House. Analysts say the meeting could pose a tipping point for their fraught ties.

The US is South Africa’s second-largest trading partner, and the African nation benefits the most from a US trade agreement that provides preferential duty-free access to US markets for eligible sub-Saharan African nations.

Under that agreement, South Africa is the main agricultural exporter and exports two-thirds of its agricultural goods to the US, tariff-free. But some US lawmakers want those benefits withdrawn when the trade agreement is reviewed this year.

‘A tricky place to be’

South African researcher Neo Letswalo describes the anticipated meeting as “make-or-break” and one that requires “supreme negotiation tactics” by Ramaphosa.

The South African leader is set for a tight rope walk at the White House, he added, reminiscing about a shouting match that broke out in the Oval Office between Trump, his Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in late February.

He believes that “Ramaphosa would maintain his composure to iron out some of the misunderstandings that Trump’s administration officials have about South Africa.”

Other analysts, such as Christopher Afoke Isike, who is a professor of African politics and international relations at the University of Pretoria, believe that Ramaphosa can pull through, “considering the fact that he’s a businessman president like President Trump.”

Ramaphosa plans to soften the ground with a potential licensing deal for Starlink, a satellite internet service owned by Musk, Ramaphosa’s spokesman Vincent Magwenya told Reuters Monday.

What could go wrong?

For Letswalo, the crucial talks between Trump and Ramaphosa could hit a brick wall if the White House makes costly demands.

“A dealbreaker would be a request by Washington for Pretoria to retrieve the Land Expropriation Act or Gaza Case in order to continue the US-SA relationship,” he said, adding, “it would be interesting to see how President Ramaphosa maintains the sovereignty and his statement of ‘not going to be bullied by America’, without compromising the pre-existing relationship with the US.”

That task could be one of Ramaphosa’s most challenging, according to André Duvenhage, a politics professor at South Africa’s Northwest University.

“This may be his single biggest challenge in terms of anything he had to deal with in his term as president of the Republic of South Africa.”

Portnov, 51, was shot several times as he was getting into a car around 9:15 a.m. local time in Madrid (3:15 a.m. ET), the police source said. Various assailants shot him in the back and the head, and later fled into a wooded area, the source said.

The shooting took place outside The American School of Madrid, located in Pozuelo de Alaracon, an affluent suburb just west of Madrid. It has just over 1,000 students from the United States, Spain and several dozen other countries.

Portnov was sanctioned by the United States in 2021 for corruption and bribery under the Magnitsky Act. He was “credibly accused of using his influence to buy access and decisions in Ukraine’s courts and undermining reform effort,” according to the US Treasury Department.

The Magnitsky Act, signed into law in December 2012, blocks entry into the US and freezes the assets of certain Russian and pro-Russian government officials and businessmen accused of human rights violations.

The Security Service of Ukraine previously investigated Portnov’s possible involvement in Russia’s annexation of Crimea, but the case was later closed.

The former politician fled Ukraine months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, according to an investigation by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, when men of draft age were not permitted to leave.

Canada also froze his assets in 2014 as part of a crackdown on “corrupt foreign officials,” in relation to his work as a former adviser to ousted ex-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

Portnov was appointed deputy head of Yanukovych’s administration in 2010, as well as the head of Ukraine’s Main Directorate for Judicial Reform and Judicial System. At the same time, Portnov became a member of the board of the National Bank of Ukraine.

Yanukovych was driven from office by mass demonstrations in Ukraine in 2014 after he turned his back on the European Union in favor of closer ties with Russia. Yanukovych then fled Ukraine, and Portnov also left the country at the time.

This is a developing story and will be updated.