Daily Peace and Crisis Report — Saturday

Summary

Middle East

Gaza Strip

The UN human rights office (OHCHR) condemned an increase in Israeli attacks in Gaza since the eve of Eid al-Adha on 26 May, reporting that at least 26 Palestinians were killed over the holiday period, including six women and seven children. Three airstrikes on 26 May killed 12 Palestinians, while a further strike on 27 May in central Gaza City killed at least ten people—four girls, one boy, three women, and two men. OHCHR / ReliefWeb

Since the announcement of a ceasefire in October 2025, Israeli forces have killed 922 Palestinians in attacks across Gaza, bringing the total death toll since 7 October 2023 to nearly 73,000, with 172,894 wounded. The Gaza Ministry of Health reported 16 additional deaths and 39 injuries in the 48 hours to 29 May. UN News; Al Quds

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on 28 May that he had directed the military to expand its deployment to cover 70 per cent of Gaza’s territory, up from an estimated 64 per cent currently under Israeli control. OHCHR warned that the continued contraction of areas available to civilians raises grave concerns about access to humanitarian assistance and the ability of displaced families to find any meaningful safety. Nearly the entire population remains displaced and concentrated into a progressively narrower strip of land. Al Jazeera; The Guardian

West Bank

At least 1,169 Palestinians have been killed and 11,885 others injured in attacks by Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank since 7 October 2023. The European Union imposed sanctions on 28 May against extremist Israeli settlers and groups found to have violated the rights of Palestinians in the occupied territory. OCHA reported that ongoing violence, settler attacks, demolitions, and movement restrictions continue to escalate humanitarian needs across the West Bank. WAFA; Al Jazeera

Lebanon

Israeli strikes killed at least 25 people across Lebanon on 28 May, with the military pounding the southern city of Tyre (Sour) overnight into 29 May. A strike near Adloun on the Saida–Sour road killed six people, including a father and his son, while four were killed in a strike on an apartment in Saida. On 29 May, Israeli fighter jets struck the village of Ain Qana in southern Lebanon shortly after issuing an evacuation order, and a strike on the town of Qana killed five. A Lebanese Army soldier was also killed in a strike targeting a motorcycle on the Zefta–Deir Zahrani road. L’Orient Today; Al Jazeera

The Israeli army said one of its soldiers was killed on 28 May by an explosive Hezbollah drone near the Lebanese border, bringing to 24 the number of Israeli military deaths since the resumption of hostilities with Hezbollah in early March. The Israeli military claims to have killed approximately 2,500 Hezbollah fighters since the launch of “Operation Lion’s Roar” in February 2026. The broader conflict has killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon, wounded over 17,000, and displaced nearly 1.4 million. L’Orient Today

Iran–United States

United States and Iranian negotiators reached a tentative agreement on 28 May to extend the ceasefire in the three-month-old war by 60 days and launch a new round of talks on Iran’s nuclear programme. The memorandum of understanding would also lift restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. However, President Trump has yet to give final approval, publicly demanding that Iran “must agree that they will never have a Nuclear Weapon” and that the Strait “must be immediately open, no tolls, for unrestricted shipping traffic.” Reuters; CNBC

Meanwhile, US forces struck an Iranian drone launch site in Bandar Abbas on 28 May after intercepting four one-way attack drones. Iran retaliated against a US base, and Kuwait reported facing missile and drone attacks. The EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned it was in no one’s interest for the war to continue, describing the situation as “a dangerous moment between war and peace.” L’Orient Today

Eastern Europe

Russia–Ukraine Conflict

A Russian Geran-2 (Shahed-type) drone crossed into Romanian airspace on 29 May and struck a 10-storey apartment building in the border city of Galati, approximately 10 miles from Ukraine. The drone’s entire explosive payload detonated on the 10th floor, sparking a fire, injuring at least two residents, and forcing the evacuation of 70 people. Romania’s president called it “the most serious incident” on Romanian territory since the Ukraine war began. Bucharest convened its security council, closed Russia’s consulate in Constanta, and declared the consul persona non grata. NATO, the EU, and the United States condemned Russia’s “reckless behaviour.” BBC; Russia Matters

Russian Perspective: Putin said only an independent investigation could ascertain the origins of the drone, while foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed that “all the accusations we hear, particularly about drones somewhere in the European Union countries, are all unsubstantiated.” Russia vowed retaliation for the consulate closure. RT (Rus); Russia Matters

On the broader conflict, Russia Matters’ analysis of ISW data indicates Russian forces recorded a net loss of 100 square miles of Ukrainian territory over the past four weeks (28 April–26 May), their largest such loss this year. Russia now controls approximately 20% of Ukraine’s territory. Putin stated on 29 May that “the situation on the battlefield is developing in such a way that this gives us the right to say that the situation is approaching completion,” though he declined to give a timetable. Russia Matters

Starobilsk Dormitory Attack and Kyiv Retaliation

The aftermath of the 22 May Ukrainian drone strike on a college dormitory in Starobilsk, Luhansk region, continued to dominate the Russia–Ukraine narrative this week. Russian authorities report 21 people were killed and over 40 wounded in the overnight attack. Putin directly used the Starobilsk attack as justification for a massive retaliatory missile and drone strike on Kyiv on 24–25 May, which killed at least 24 people in a residential apartment building and severely damaged cultural infrastructure, including nearly 40% of exhibits at a major museum. RT (Rus); BBC

Russian Perspective: RT and Russian state media framed the Starobilsk attack as a “terrorist attack” on sleeping students, while Ukraine maintains it was targeting military assets at the facility. The IAEA also reported the longest communications outage at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant since the full-scale invasion began, with all phone lines and internet down for approximately 12 hours amid shelling around Enerhodar. RT (Rus); Russia Matters

Africa

Sudan

RSF-affiliated fighters killed 27 civilians in attacks reported on 29 May, as nearly 19.5 million Sudanese face severe hunger amid the country’s deepening humanitarian crisis. Sudan remains the world’s largest hunger crisis and largest displacement crisis, with more than 14 million people displaced since the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began in April 2023—including approximately 9 million internally displaced persons and more than 4 million refugees in neighbouring countries. Al Jazeera; ReliefWeb

Fatality estimates remain highly contested due to limited access and communication blackouts. ACLED recorded nearly 30,000 reported deaths by late 2024, while independent investigations and international media estimates suggest the true death toll may exceed 150,000 people. Famine conditions have been confirmed in el-Fasher (North Darfur) and Kadugli (South Kordofan). More than 825,000 children face the risk of death from severe malnutrition in 2026. The WFP warned that severe funding shortfalls threaten additional ration cuts and disruptions to emergency food assistance. ReliefWeb

Asia

Myanmar

Myanmar’s military has stepped up offensives across key border regions as it seeks to retake a rare-earth mining belt in northern Kachin State near the China border, as well as strategic communication and trade routes in Chin and Karen states. Analysts say the military aims to regain control of economically significant territory that has fallen to resistance forces. The National Unity Government (NUG) stated that Myanmar’s Spring Revolution has reached a “decisive stage” in 2026, while the military junta faces defeat on multiple fronts. Reuters; Mizzima

Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing is set to begin a five-day visit to India on 30 May—his first foreign trip since assuming the presidency—a move being closely watched across Asia for its diplomatic implications. Domestically, the regime has cut fuel imports by more than 50%, causing long queues at petrol stations across the country and deepening economic hardship for civilians already affected by years of conflict and mismanagement. BBC

International Cooperation

UN Report on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence

A new United Nations report published on 28 May blacklists 77 state and non-state parties in 12 countries for conflict-related sexual violence in 2025, a sharp increase in documented cases from 2024. For the first time, the report lists Israeli armed and security forces and Russian armed and security forces among the perpetrators. Israel’s UN ambassador described the decision as “a political decision,” while Russia has not formally responded. Russia Matters

Statistics

Table 1 — Casualties (Killed / Wounded)

* OHCHR access is denied to Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine; figures for civilians in occupied territory cannot be independently verified. The vast majority (96%) of verified civilian casualties occur in Government-controlled areas.

Table 2 — Numbers (non-casualty figures)