Daily Peace and Crisis Report — Sunday

Summary

Middle East

Gaza Strip

The fragile ceasefire in Gaza is on the brink of collapse following a series of Israeli escalations that have drawn urgent diplomatic intervention from Egypt and condemnation from the international community. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a directive on 28 May ordering the military to expand its area of control from approximately 53–60 percent to 70 percent of Gaza’s territory, fundamentally violating the US-brokered comprehensive peace plan signed in October 2025. Al Jazeera

Egypt has warned Israel against expanding its occupation and invited a senior Hamas delegation led by chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya for urgent talks in Cairo. Egyptian intelligence officials described contacts between the parties as “intense,” with Cairo racing to arrange negotiations before the end of the week to prevent all-out war. Egypt has also contacted United States officials to ask President Donald Trump to urgently restrain Netanyahu. Al Jazeera

Hamas said on Saturday it is holding consultations with mediators on proposals aimed at advancing to the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, with spokesperson Hazem Qassem describing discussions focused on “reasonable approaches” to facilitate the transition. Hamas accused Israel of failing to adhere to the ceasefire terms and appealed to the UN Security Council to intervene. Xinhua (Chin)

The cumulative death toll from Israel’s military offensive on Gaza has risen to 72,938 Palestinians killed and 172,919 wounded since October 2023, according to medical sources. Since the ceasefire took effect on 11 October 2025, 929 Palestinians have been killed and 2,811 wounded, with 781 bodies recovered from different areas. At least 141 Palestinians have been killed in the past two weeks alone. WAFA

The UN human rights office reported that at least 26 Palestinians were killed during the Eid al-Adha holiday period (26–27 May), including six women and seven children killed in several airstrikes. OHCHR monitors condemned the increase in attacks as families prepared to observe the holiday. UN News

West Bank

Violence against Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank continues unabated. OCHA reported more than 50 settler attacks in a single week resulting in casualties or property damage, including arson attacks. Israeli forces have been conducting raids across Ramallah and Qalqilya governorates, while colonist attacks were reported in Beita, Qusra, and Beit Ummar. A young man was injured in a colonist attack on homes in Qusra, south of Nablus, on 30 May. WAFA; OCHA

Lebanon

Israel has intensified military operations in southern Lebanon despite a fragile ceasefire that took effect in April 2026. Lebanese authorities report cumulative casualties of 2,377 since 17 April, including 603 deaths and 1,774 injured. Israel declared most of south Lebanon “combat zones” and Israeli fighter jets struck a residential building in Ain Qana village on 29 May. At least 14 people were killed in the latest wave of attacks, including several children. Arab News; Democracy Now!

Iran–US Tensions

The United States and Iran continue to accuse each other of violating the ceasefire agreed nearly two months ago. US President Donald Trump ruled out any arrangement that would send Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile to Russia or China, stating such a deal would not make him “comfortable.” Trump said US sanctions would not be eased until Iran “behaves properly.” Ongoing tensions persist in the Strait of Hormuz, with both sides trading accusations over military strikes. Russia Matters

Eastern Europe

Russia–Ukraine Conflict

A Russian Geran-2 drone struck a multi-storey apartment complex in Galati, Romania, on the evening of 28–29 May, injuring at least two civilians and marking the first time a Russian drone has caused civilian casualties in a NATO member state. The drone entered Romanian airspace with only four minutes between detection and impact, leaving insufficient time for interception. Romanian President Nicusor Dan stated that Russia bears full responsibility, calling it the “most serious incident” on Romanian territory since the war began. Romania shut down the Russian consulate in Constanta, declared the consul persona non grata, and is engaging in discussions about possibly activating NATO’s Article 4 provision. ISW

Russian Perspective: Senior Kremlin officials responded with two separate narratives. Security Council Deputy Chairperson Dmitry Medvedev threatened that European states “have not seen anything yet” and should “get used to it.” President Putin claimed no one can determine the drone’s origin without examining the wreckage and insinuated it was Ukrainian. RT (Rus)

Russia launched a massive retaliatory strike on Kyiv on 23–24 May using approximately 90 long-range missiles and 600 drones, including an Oreshnik hypersonic missile. At least five people were killed and more than 100 injured across Ukraine. Moscow framed the attack as retaliation for Ukraine’s 22 May strike on a college dormitory in Starobilsk, occupied Luhansk Oblast, which Russian authorities say killed 21 people and injured 44, including teenagers aged 14 to 18. Russia warned foreign nationals and diplomats to leave Kyiv “as soon as possible.” UN News; BBC

Russian Perspective: Moscow says Western actors are using the Romania drone incident to shift attention away from Kyiv’s “deadly UAV strike on a Donbass college campus.” RT reported exclusively that the retaliatory strikes on Kyiv were a direct response to what Russia characterises as a Ukrainian attack on young people in Starobilsk. RT (Rus)

Ukraine’s long-range drone campaign continues to inflict significant damage on Russian oil infrastructure. Ukrainian forces struck 17 Russian oil facilities from 1–29 May, with over half halting operations. Overnight strikes on 28–29 May hit the Yaroslavl-3 pumping station and the Volgograd Oil Refinery, while strikes on 30 May damaged a tanker and oil refinery in Taganrog. President Zelenskyy warned that Russia is preparing a “massive new strike,” calling on the population to take action. ISW; Reuters

The UN Secretary-General warned the Security Council on 28 May that the war risks spiralling “out of control,” calling for “immediate and sustained” de-escalation and a “full and unconditional ceasefire.” OHCHR verified 815 civilian deaths and 4,174 injuries in Ukraine between January and April 2026—more than the same period in 2025. Since February 2022, more than 15,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed, including nearly 800 children. UN News

Russia Matters reports that Russian forces recorded a net loss of 100 square miles of Ukrainian territory over the past four weeks (28 April–26 May), their largest four-week loss this year, with a 38-square-mile loss in the most recent week alone. Russia now controls approximately 20 percent of Ukraine’s territory. Putin’s approval ratings fell to 67.5 percent according to VTsIOM polling, continuing a downward trend since March 2026. Russia Matters

Africa

Sudan

Forces affiliated with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) killed 27 civilians, including women and children, in attacks on villages in central Sudan, according to a Sudanese medical group reported by Al Jazeera on 29 May. The attacks come as nearly 19.5 million Sudanese face severe hunger amid the country’s deepening humanitarian crisis. Al Jazeera

The UN Secretary-General marked the third anniversary of the Sudan war on 15 April 2026, warning that Sudan has become the world’s largest humanitarian crisis and urging an immediate ceasefire. At the Berlin Conference the same day, donors pledged over USD 1.5 billion. The World Food Programme reports that more than 11 million people have been forced to flee their homes due to violence, while international aid remains only 40 percent funded for 2026. ReliefWeb

On 24 April, a truck carrying UNHCR relief items came under drone attack in North Darfur, destroying emergency shelter supplies intended for 1,300 families in Tawila, where more than 700,000 displaced people have sought safety. The RSF also launched fresh assaults on several villages west of Bara in North Kordofan State, continuing a pattern of widespread civilian targeting. ReliefWeb

DRC (Ebola Outbreak)

The Democratic Republic of Congo is facing a rapidly escalating Ebola outbreak caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain, with over 600 suspected cases and 139 deaths reported. The rise is described as the fastest in decades, and no vaccine is currently available for this strain. Humanitarian agencies are working to contain the outbreak amid ongoing conflict in eastern DRC. ReliefWeb

Asia

Myanmar

The Myanmar military junta has severely intensified its “Four Cuts” strategy in western Pakokku Township, Magway Region, completely blocking the transport of food, medicine, and basic goods to neighbouring areas including Pauk, Myaing, and the Yaw region since mid-May. Rice prices have surged from 85,000–90,000 MMK to 100,000–110,000 MMK per sack, with purchases limited to small quantities. An official from the Anya Myay Coalition Forces described the situation as heading toward “a state of general crisis.” Mizzima

In Okpho Township, Bago Region, the junta killed three civilians and wounded another through a combination of airstrikes and ground ambushes between 26–28 May. A junta jet fighter carried out an airstrike on Chaung Gwa Gyi village on 27 May, killing a 50-year-old resident. Separately, junta troops captured and killed two local residents returning to Kaing Gyi village on 26 May. A local woman was seriously injured in another airstrike on 28 May. Mass displacement continues across the township. Mizzima

In the Yaw region, a junta column killed six civilians, including a CDM (Civil Disobedience Movement) school teacher, near Tabyin Village in Saw Township. An estimated 16.2 million people require humanitarian assistance in Myanmar in 2026, according to OCHA. Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing departed for India on 30 May for a five-day official visit—his first foreign trip as president—amid continued resistance operations across the country. Mizzima; ReliefWeb

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)