Fighting between Israel and Hamas continues despite potential ceasefire

Officials close to the negotiations say a truce could be announced in the next 24 hours. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following Fighting between Israel and Hamas continues despite potential ceasefire [People inspect the rubble of destroyed residential building which was hit by Israeli airstrikes, in Beit Lahiya, Gaza Strip, May 20, 2021.] Adel Hana/AP Israel-Hamas Despite prospects of a potential ceasefire, Israeli airstrikes continued to ravage Gaza, killing at least one person and wounding several others, with Hamas firing back more rockets toward Israel. Officials close to the negotiations say a truce could be announced in the next 24 hours. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has resisted calls from the US to draw down the offensive in the meantime. [Opposition Israeli officials have pointed to a shift in sentiment in favor of the prime minister]( since the fighting began. “If we had a government, security considerations would not be mixed with political considerations,” opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote on Facebook. South Korea summit South Korean President Moon Jae-in will host his first meeting with President Joe Biden this week. He’s hoping to [revive stalled talks with North Korea](, while pushing to dismantle its nuclear capabilities. Moon’s four-day visit to Washington will include talks with the president and meetings with Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as congressional leaders. The last round of failed talks between leader Kim Jong-un and former President Donald Trump were held in 2019. Arctic Council Russia assumed the chairmanship of the Arctic Council on Thursday during meetings of the intergovernmental body of eight Arctic States — Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States. [The Biden administration is leading a campaign to oppose Moscow’s plans]( to set maritime rules in the Northern Sea Route — a path that runs from Norway to Alaska. Russia is also hoping to resume high-level military talks within the eight-nation bloc, which were suspended in 2014 over Russia's actions in Ukraine. Both Russia and NATO have been eyeing each other with suspicion as drilling opportunities open up in the region. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [The Galápagos Islands needs tourism. Can herd immunity revive it?]( [Cruise boats that used to take tourists around the islands now spend much of their time anchored at the main harbor in Puerto Ayora.]( Credit: Manuel Rueda/The World The unique wildlife of the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, which inspired Charles Darwin to come up with the theory of evolution, draws thousands of visitors to the archipelago each year. But tourism on the islands collapsed when the pandemic broke out. To restart the islands’ economies, the [local government is speeding up vaccination and marketing the islands]( as a “biosecure” destination. [Filipinos hesitant about getting COVID jab after dengue fever vaccine debacle]( [A woman waits in a movie theater-turned vaccination hub for her vaccine at a mall in Taguig, Philippines, May 19, 2021.]( Credit: Aaron Favila/AP To date, the Philippines has only inoculated less than 1% of its population of more than 108 million people. Still, even as doses trickle in, [most Filipinos are hesitant to get the jab](. A Pulse Asia survey released earlier this year revealed that 6 out of 10 Filipinos didn’t want to get vaccinated. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot China has released the first photographs taken from its Zhurong rover on the surface of Mars. The Zhurong rover is equipped with several instruments to study the Red Planet, including gaining an understanding of the distribution of ice. 🎧 [China is only the third nation to touch down safely]( on the planet. [Screen shot from BBC World News Twitter]( Credit: Twitter --------------------------------------------------------------- In case you missed it from The World --------------------------------------------------------------- - [China Mars rover sends first photos]( - [Central Europe’s deadly pandemic mistakes]( - [Tensions between Jews and Arabs in Israel remain high amid Gaza conflict]( - [Crisis on EU’s only land border with Africa]( - [El Salvador president takes measures to centralize power]( - [In face of new ‘variants of concern’ scientists say vaccination is critical]( - [‘Every siren makes me cry’]( - [In Gaza City, memories of another war]( - [Blinken and Lavrov to meet in Reykjavik]( - [Two Indian states with model health care systems begin to feel effects of COVID crisis]( Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. 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