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Iran-Israel Conflict
Iran-Israel Conflict

Iran hits hospital, Israel strikes nuclear facilities as Trump says decision within 2 weeks

Live Iran hits hospital, Israel strikes nuclear facilities as Trump says decision within 2 weeks
Fighting between Iran and Israel continues into 7th day as Trump leaves world guessing. (Photo by various sources / AFP)
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Updated 19 June 2025
Agencies

Iran hits hospital, Israel strikes nuclear facilities as Trump says decision within 2 weeks

Iran hits hospital, Israel strikes nuclear facilities as Trump says decision within 2 weeks
  • ‘I may do it. I may not do it,’ Trump says on joining attacks
  • Netanyahu says Israel ‘progressing step by step’ toward eliminating Iranian nuclear, missile threats
Updated 19 June 2025
Agencies

DUBAI/JERUSALEM: US President Donald Trump said Thursday he will decide whether to join Israel's strikes on Iran within the next two weeks as there is still a "substantial" chance of negotiations to end the conflict.

"Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks," Trump said in the statement.

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Iran and European diplomats said nuclear talks will be held in Geneva on Friday, bringing together top diplomats from Britain, France, Germany and the European Union as well as Tehran's Abbas Araghchi.

A hospital in southern Israel was hit as Iran fired a barrage of “dozens” of missiles, officials said Thursday, with impacts also reported in two Israeli towns close to commercial hub Tel Aviv.

The Soroka Hospital in Beersheba was left in flames, and its director Shlomi Codish said 40 people had sustained injuries.

“Several wards were completely demolished and there is extensive damage across the entire hospital,” he said.

Iran said the main target of its missile attack was not the hospital but a nearby military and intelligence base.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said “hospitals must be respected and protected,” citing international law.

UN rights chief Volker Turk urged restraint from both Iran and Israel, saying it is “appalling to see how civilians are treated as collateral damage in the conduct of hostilities.”

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Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tehran would pay a “heavy price.”

Speaking in Beersheba after the hospital strike, Netanyahu said Israel was “committed to destroying... the threat of a nuclear annihilation” as well as Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities.

His defense minister, Israel Katz, said Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “can no longer be allowed to exist.”

“Khamenei openly declares that he wants Israel destroyed — he personally gives the order to fire on hospitals,” Katz told reporters. “Such a man can no longer be allowed to exist.”

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States was aware of Khamenei’s location but would not kill him “for now.”

Iraq’s top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani warned that any targeting of Iran’s “supreme religious and political leadership” would have “dire consequences on the region.”

Trump said Wednesday he was considering whether to join Israel’s strikes, and that Iran had reached out seeking negotiations on ending the conflict.

“I may do it, I may not do it,” Trump told reporters. “I can tell you this, that Iran’s got a lot of trouble, and they want to negotiate.”

Iran and European diplomats said nuclear talks will be held in Geneva on Friday, bringing together top diplomats from Britain, France, Germany and the European Union as well as Tehran’s Abbas Araghchi.

The Wall Street Journal reported Trump has told aides he has approved attack plans but is holding off to see if Iran will give up its nuclear program.

A key Iranian government body, the Guardian Council, warned against any US involvement in the war, threatening a “harsh response” if “the criminal American government and its stupid president... take action against Islamic Iran.”

Tehran ally Moscow said any US military action “would be an extremely dangerous step,” while pro-Iran groups in Iraq threatened retaliatory attacks.

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A senior US diplomat, Tom Barrack, warned the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah against getting involved in the war, which he said in Beirut “would be a very, very, very bad decision.”

The Israeli military said it struck an “inactive nuclear reactor” in Arak in overnight raids on Iran that also saw the uranium enrichment facility in Natanz targeted again.

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It said the strike on the Arak site was carried out “to prevent the reactor from being restored.”

The military said its fighter jets hit “dozens” of sites in the overnight raids.

Iranian police announced the arrest on Thursday of 24 people accused of spying for Israel and “trying to disturb public opinion and to tarnish and destroy the image of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” according to a statement carried by Tasnim news agency.

Authorities in both Israel and Iran have announced arrests for espionage and other charges since the war began on Friday.

Trump: 'substantialÌęchance' of negotiations to endÌęconflict

US President Donald Trump saidÌęhe will decide whether to join Israel's strikes on Iran within the next two weeks as there is still a "substantial" chance of negotiations to end the conflict.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt read out a message from Trump, saying there had been "a lot of speculation" about whether the United States would be "directly involved" in the conflict.

"Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks," Trump said in the statement.

The announcement could lower the temperature and give space for diplomacy.

Full story here

US and Iran keep discussion channels open, according to reports

US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi have spoken by phone several times since Israel began its strikes on Iran last week, in a bid to find a diplomatic end to the crisis, Reuters reported.

According to threeÌędiplomats, Araqchi said Tehran would not return to negotiations unless Israel stopped the attacks.

They said the talks included a brief discussion of a USÌęproposal given to Iran at the end of May that aims to create a regional consortium that would enrich uranium outside of Iran, an offer Tehran has so far rejected.

Iran's Atomic Energy Organization says no threat from Arak facilityÌę

Iran's Atomic Energy Organization said there was no threat or harm to resident in the vicinity of the Arak heavy water nuclear reactor, which was hit by Israeli airstrikes.

The organizaton said there were also no casualties after the site was evacuated before the strikes.

The Israeli military said it earlier targeted the site, also known as Khondab, whichÌęincludesÌęa partially-built heavy-water research reactor. Heavy-water reactors produce plutonium, which, like enriched uranium, can be used to make the core of an atom bomb.

It was the latest attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities. Israel also said it had struck Iran's Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites.

Full story here

China urges Israel to stop fighting

Guo Jiakun, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, saidÌęChina strongly calledÌęon all parties involved in the conflict, especially Israel, to put the interests of the region's people first, and to immediately cease fire and stop fighting.

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He added that the current situation in the Middle East region wasÌę“tense and sensitive,”Ìę and at risk of “getting out of control.”Ìę

Russia’s Putin dodges active involvement in Iran-Israel war

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday refused to discuss the possibility that Israel and the United States would kill Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and said the Iranian people were consolidating around the leadership in Tehran.




Israel Katz accused Iran’s leader of “some of the most serious war crimes.” (FILE/AFP)
Ìę

Israeli minister accuses Iran’s Khamenei of war crimes after hospital strike

Israel’s defenseÌęminister said Thursday Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would be “held accountable” after an Iranian strike on a hospital in Israel, adding he had ordered the army to “intensify strikes” on the Islamic republic.

“These are some of the most serious war crimes - and Khamenei will be held accountable for his actions,” Israel Katz said, adding that he and the prime minister ordered the military “to intensify strikes against strategic targets in Iran and against the power infrastructure in Tehran, in order to eliminate the threats to the state of Israel and to shake the Ayatollahs’ regime”.

Full story here

Iranian official warns US against involvement in Israel-Iran conflict

Iran’s deputy foreign minister warned against any direct US involvement in the conflict between Israel and Iran, saying Iran had “all the necessary options on the table,” in comments reported by Iranian state media on Thursday.

Read more on this here




A missile is fired from Iran toward Israel on June 18, 2025, on the sixth day of fighting between the two foes. (FILE / AFP)

At least 47 injured in Israel after Iran missile attack: rescuers

Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said Thursday that at least 47 people were injured in Iran’s latest missile strikes, updating an earlier toll and reporting 18 more injured “while running to shelter.”

Three people are in serious condition, and two are in moderate condition, an MDA spokesperson said in as statement, adding that “an additional 42 people sustained minor injuries from shrapnel and blast trauma, and 18 civilians were injured while running to shelter.”

Fleeing Tehran

Arezou, a 31-year-old Tehran resident, told Reuters by phone that she had made it out of the city to the nearby resort town of Lavasan.

“My friend’s house in Tehran was attacked and her brother was injured. They are civilians,” she said. “Why are we paying the price for the regime’s decision to pursue a nuclear program?”

In Israel, sirens rang out anew at dusk on Wednesday warning of further incoming Iranian missiles. A motorist was injured by missile debris, Israeli medics said. The army later advised civilians they could leave protected areas, signalling the threat had passed.

At Ramat Gan train station east of Tel Aviv, people were lying on city-supplied mattresses or sitting in the odd camping chair, with plastic water bottles strewn about.

“I feel scared, overwhelmed. Especially because I live in a densely populated area that Iran seems to be targeting, and our city has very old buildings, without shelters and safe spaces,” said Tamar Weiss, clutching her four-month-old daughter.

Iran has reported at least 224 deaths in Israeli attacks, mostly civilians, but has not updated that toll for days.

Since Friday, Iran has fired around 400 missiles at Israel, some 40 of which have pierced air defenses, killing 24 people, all of them civilians, according to Israeli authorities.

Leverage

Iran has been exploring options for leverage, including veiled threats to hit the global oil market by restricting access to the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important shipping artery for oil.

Inside Iran, authorities are intent on preventing panic and shortages. Fewer images of destruction have been allowed to circulate than in the early days of the bombing, when state media showed pictures of explosions, fires and flattened apartments. A ban on filming by the public has been imposed.

The communications ministry said on Wednesday that temporary restrictions on Internet access would be imposed to help prevent “the enemy from threatening citizens’ lives and property.”

Iran’s ability to hit back hard at Israel through strikes by proxy militia close to Israeli borders has been limited by the devastating blows Israel has dealt to Tehran’s regional allies — Hamas and Hezbollah — in conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon since 2023.

Topics: Iran-Israel Conflict

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Middle East must avoid arms race amid multiple crises, Bahrain FM tells UN

Middle East must avoid arms race amid multiple crises, Bahrain FM tells UN
Updated 18 sec ago
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Middle East must avoid arms race amid multiple crises, Bahrain FM tells UN

Middle East must avoid arms race amid multiple crises, Bahrain FM tells UN
  • Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani hails Saudi-French efforts to promote two-state solution
  • ‘The coming generations deserve a world that embraces their dreams, unrestrained by fear and unburdened by conflict’
Updated 18 sec ago
Caspar Webb

NEW YORK: The Middle East must avoid an arms race amid one of its most crisis-ridden periods in recent history, Bahrain’s foreign minister told the 80th UN General Assembly on Friday.

Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani also praised Saudi-French efforts to bring about a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“The world is facing accelerating transformations and complex challenges. This includes geopolitical tensions, armed conflicts, climate change and major political and economic crises,” he said.

“The situation requires collective effort to strengthen international solidarity, to deepen dialogue and understanding, and to uphold international law for a brighter future for humanity.”

Bahrain is committed to multilateralism, and welcomes its new two-year period as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, he added.

It also hopes to be a partner in “advancing regional and international peace, security and coexistence within stable, sustainable and prosperous societies,” Al-Zayani said.

He outlined Bahrain’s vision for regional peace: a commitment to the peaceful settlement of conflicts, a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire in Gaza, the protection of civilians and the immediate release of hostages, the sustained delivery of humanitarian aid, and the implementation of the Arab-Islamic plan for recovery and reconstruction in Gaza.

Bahrain rejects “any settlement expansion or attempts to alter the historical and religious status quo of Jerusalem, a city that has embraced divine faiths throughout history,” Al-Zayani said.

He welcomed the UNGA’s endorsement of the Saudi- and French-led New York Declaration on reaching a two-state solution.

“Bahrain further emphasizes the need for peaceful solutions to the crises in Syria, Lebanon, Sudan, Libya, Yemen, Somalia and beyond in a manner that guarantees their sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity,” he said.

Countries in the Middle East and beyond must take joint action to rid the region of weapons of mass destruction, he added, warning against any “arms race or military escalation.” Bahrain supports the resumption of US-Iran nuclear talks, Al-Zayani said.

He highlighted his country’s signing of the C-SIPA cooperation framework with the US and UK.

The agreement includes military guarantees that come close to replicating NATO’s Article 5 collective defense policy.

“My country seeks to enhance partnership with states, organizations and regional and international groupings,” Al-Zayani said.

“This aims at combating terrorism, strengthening cybersecurity, and ensuring food and water security.”

The UN system must be reformed to ensure the representation of developing countries in decision-making so as to “enhance its effectiveness and transparency,” and “to maintain international peace and security,” he said.

Al-Zayani called on member states to make the 80th UNGA a “turning point” toward a “more just and humane international order.”

He added: “The coming generations deserve a world that embraces their dreams, unrestrained by fear and unburdened by conflict.

“We pray to almighty God to guide us all to outcomes which bring goodness and progress for all humanity in a world that’s safer, more just, more sustainable and more prosperous.”

Topics: UNGA 80

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A year after losing its longtime leader, Hezbollah is beginning to regroup

A year after losing its longtime leader, Hezbollah is beginning to regroup
Updated 7 min 28 sec ago
AP

A year after losing its longtime leader, Hezbollah is beginning to regroup

A year after losing its longtime leader, Hezbollah is beginning to regroup
  • Despite being weakened militarily and politically, Hezbollah has managed to fill leadership gaps and continue its operations
  • The group faced challenges, including losing a key supply route from Iran and ongoing Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon
Updated 7 min 28 sec ago
AP

BEIRUT: Hezbollah suffered one blow after another during its most recent war with Israel, culminating in the killing of the militant group’s longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in massive Israeli airstrikes on a Beirut suburb.
The group was weakened militarily and politically. Many of its opponents declared that its days as a dominant regional and local player were over.
But one year later, many of Hezbollah’s supporters, enemies and analysts agree in their assessment: It is regrouping.
“The loss of this leader was a very painful blow to Hezbollah,” senior Hezbollah political official Mohammed Fneish told The Associated Press in the run-up to Saturday’s anniversary of Nasrallah’s death.
“However, Hezbollah is not a party in the usual sense that when it loses its leader, the party becomes weak,” he said. “In a relatively short period of time, it was able to fill all the positions it lost when (leaders) were martyred, and it continued the confrontation.”
An Israeli military official, speaking anonymously in line with regulations, said in a statement that Hezbollah’s “influence has declined considerably” and that “the likelihood of a large-scale attack against Israel is considered low.”
But the statement added that “the organization is attempting to rebuild its capabilities; efforts are limited but expected to expand.” The military declined to comment on how much of Hezbollah’s arsenal of missiles and drones Israel believes remains intact.
‘They’re rebuilding’
Despite losing most of its top leadership and key communications systems, Hezbollah continued to fight when Israeli troops invaded southern Lebanon last October.
After a US-brokered ceasefire halted the fighting in late November, Israeli forces took control of more territory than they did during the war, and Israel has continued carrying out near-daily airstrikes that it says target Hezbollah militants and facilities.
Hezbollah also lost a key route for supplies from its backer, Iran, when the allied government of Bashar Assad in Syria fell in a rebel offensive in December, which Fneish acknowledged was a blow to Hezbollah’s “strategic depth.”
The Lebanese government, meanwhile, has said it will work on disarming the group by the end of this year, a key demand of the US and șÚÁÏÉçÇű before funding reconstruction and a decision Hezbollah has categorically rejected.
Political opponents say the group is in denial about its loss of power.
“Hezbollah’s leadership is detached from reality,” said Lebanese lawmaker Elias Hankash, a frequent critic of Hezbollah, who called on it to surrender its weapons and become solely a political party. “Hezbollah did not defend the Lebanese, nor itself, nor its weapons, nor its command.”
But US envoy Tom Barrack cautioned against underestimating the group in an interview with United Arab Emirates-based IMI Media Group: “The Lebanese think Hezbollah is not rebuilding. They’re rebuilding.”
The Israeli military official said, “Hezbollah is currently struggling to receive sufficient funding from Iran.”
But Barrack asserted the group, which the US designates a terrorist organization, is receiving as much as $60 million per month from unknown sources. That is despite measures to cut off its funding, including a ban on flights from Iran.
“Hezbollah is our enemy, Iran is our enemy. We need to cut the heads off of those snakes and chop the flow of funds,” Barrack said.
Fneish didn’t address the group’s funding sources, but said its financial situation is “normal” and its institutions are functioning as before, including health care and social services as well as its armed wing.
A post-Nasrallah identity
Founded in 1982, months after Israel invaded Lebanon and occupied parts of it, Hezbollah morphed into one of the region’s most powerful armed groups, fighting several wars with Israel and spearheading a campaign that forced it to withdraw from southern Lebanon in 2000.
The latest conflict began the day after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that triggered the ongoing war in Gaza. Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel from Lebanon in a “support front” for Hamas and the Palestinians.
In September 2024, Israel expanded its attacks, starting with the detonation of thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members. Days later, it launched a major wave of airstrikes that killed Hezbollah commanders and hundreds of civilians.
The biggest blow was Nasrallah’s assassination, with the dropping of more than 80 1-ton bombs that destroyed an entire block under which Nasrallah and some of his top officials were meeting with an Iranian general.
Days later, Nasrallah’s successor, Hashem Safieddine, was killed in airstrikes. The group later named Nasrallah’s deputy, Naim Kassem, as the new leader, but the wide perception is that Kassem lacks Nasrallah’s charisma.
“Nasrallah’s assassination was an emotional shock that is destabilizing, but their identity finds continuity through the martyrdom culture,” said Bashir Saade, a lecturer of politics and religion at the University of Stirling in Scotland who has written a book about the group.
Fneish said the group does not have an identity crisis.
“Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was the representation of this identity; he was not himself the identity,” he said.
Hezbollah, particularly its military wing, largely went underground after Nasrallah’s death. Officials in the group said Hezbollah has been working to close the intelligence gaps that led Israel to successfully target its military and political officials. Hezbollah members now rely less on technology, an official with the group said on condition of anonymity because he was speaking about internal affairs.
The Hezbollah official said Israel used technology and spies to gather information and plan attacks.
Months before Nasrallah’s assassination, the group detained a Lebanese man who had been suspiciously wandering around the area where Nasrallah was later killed. The man confessed to gathering information for Israel and is still detained by Hezbollah, he said.
The biggest breach, the official said, was Israel’s infiltration of the group’s internal cable communications network.
A catch-22 over weapons
Growing pressure within Lebanon for Hezbollah to give up its weapons and delays in reconstruction of war-battered areas have left many in its largely Shiite base feeling that there are attempts to marginalize them.
Lebanese political writer Sultan Suleiman said that feeling contributed to the base rallying and an overwhelming victory by Hezbollah and its allies in this year’s municipal elections in its traditional political strongholds.
Some who originally favored disarmament have reassessed.
“There’s a portion of this community that was psychologically worn down after this war, and started saying, fine, let’s give up the weapons and we’ll be able to relax,” Lebanese journalist Jad Hamouch said. “But after they saw how Israel is behaving in the region, now they’re saying, no, we want to keep the weapons.”
Amira Jaafar, who lived in the border village of Kfar Kila before it was largely destroyed during the war, lost her son in the conflict. She said despite all of Hezbollah’s losses, including the death of its “great leader” Nasrallah, “we are still strong and there are many, many young men” still “ready to fight until their last breath.”
A Western diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to speak freely, said the Lebanese state is caught in a catch-22 regarding its decision to disarm the group.
The cash-strapped and understaffed Lebanese army, where many soldiers work second jobs to make ends meet, is ill-equipped to face a force of battle-hardened and better-paid fighters who also, in some cases, come from their own communities, he said.
“I don’t see any coming back on this (decision), but I don’t see how it will go forward either,” he said.

Topics: Battlefield Lebanon

Israel blows up alleged Jerusalem attacker’s house: Palestinian official

Israel blows up alleged Jerusalem attacker’s house: Palestinian official
Updated 41 min 43 sec ago
AFP

Israel blows up alleged Jerusalem attacker’s house: Palestinian official

Israel blows up alleged Jerusalem attacker’s house: Palestinian official
  • AFP footage showed explosives ripping through the house, leaving two gaping holes and piles of debris inside.
  • The blast also caused significant damage to four or five neighboring houses
Updated 41 min 43 sec ago
AFP

Al Qubaybah, Palestinian Territories: Israeli forces on Saturday blew up the house of a Palestinian accused of carrying out a shooting attack in Jerusalem that killed six people, a Palestinian official said.
The two-story house of Muthanna Amro was blown up at dawn in the town of Al-Qubaybah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, town mayor Nafiz Hamouda told AFP.
The military, when contacted, said it was looking into the report.
AFP footage showed explosives ripping through the house, leaving two gaping holes and piles of debris inside.
Hamouda said the military had notified residents 10 days earlier of its intention to demolish the property.
“Last night they came, and at dawn today the house was blown up,” he said.
The blast also caused significant damage to four or five neighboring houses, Hamouda said.
“This is the nature of the occupation. It does not stop at harming one individual, but seeks to inflict damage on as many citizens as possible,” he added.
Palestinian official news agency Wafa reported that a large military force stormed the town, surrounded the house and evacuated nearby residents before detonating the building.
Israel, which has occupied the West Bank since 1967, regularly destroys the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out attacks against Israelis.
The government argues that these demolitions serve as a deterrent, but critics denounce them as collective punishment that leaves families homeless.
Amro and another suspected assailant, Mohammed Taha, were shot dead by a security officer and armed civilian after they allegedly carried out a shooting at a bus stop in Jerusalem on September 8.
The attack, which left six people dead, was later claimed by Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Violence in the West Bank has soared since the Gaza war erupted in October 2023 following Hamas’s attack on Israel.
Since then, Israeli troops and settlers have killed at least 983 Palestinians in the West Bank, including many militants, according to health ministry figures.
Over the same period, at least 36 Israelis, including members of security forces, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations, according to official figures.

Topics: Palestinians West Bank Israel

UAE foreign minister urges end to Gaza war in meeting with Netanyahu in New YorkÌę

UAE foreign minister urges end to Gaza war in meeting with Netanyahu in New YorkÌę
Updated 27 September 2025
Arab News

UAE foreign minister urges end to Gaza war in meeting with Netanyahu in New YorkÌę

UAE foreign minister urges end to Gaza war in meeting with Netanyahu in New YorkÌę
  • Sheikh Abdullah stressed the urgent need to bring an end to the bloody conflict in Gaza, reach a permanent and sustainable ceasefire
Updated 27 September 2025
Arab News

DUBAI: UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed stressed the urgent need for ending the Gaza war during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, UAE state news agency reported on Saturday.

Sheikh Abdullah stressed “the urgent need to bring an end to the bloody conflict in Gaza, reach a permanent and sustainable ceasefire, prevent further loss of life, and put an end to the crisis and the tragic conditions faced by civilians in the Gaza Strip.” 

He also noted that the dire humanitarian situation of civilians in Gaza requires the mobilization of all possible efforts to ensure the unimpeded and sustainable delivery of humanitarian aid.

Sheikh Abdullah reiterated the UAE’s “unwavering commitment to supporting all initiatives aimed at achieving a comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution, in a way that fulfills the aspirations of both the Palestinian and Israeli peoples,” WAM said.

The UAE top diplomat also reaffirmed his country’s support for “international efforts aimed at securing the release of all hostages and detainees, while emphasizing the importance of concerted global action to confront extremism and terrorism in all its forms.”

The meeting was attended by UAE Minister of State Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, and UAE Ambassador to Israel Mohamed Mahmoud Al Khaja. 

It was Netanyahu’s first meeting with a senior Arab official since Israel’s Sept. 9 attack on Hamas leaders in Qatar, which the UAE condemned and protested by summoning Israel’s deputy ambassador. 

Topics: War on Gaza UAE Israel New York UN

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What to know about the international flotilla seeking to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza

What to know about the international flotilla seeking to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza
Updated 27 September 2025
AP

What to know about the international flotilla seeking to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza

What to know about the international flotilla seeking to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza
  • Israel said Thursday it had no problem with Italy and Spain’s plan to send rescue ships to accompany the flotilla but renewed strong criticism of the aid initiative — warning that the boats would not be allowed to reach Gaza
Updated 27 September 2025
AP

ATHENS, Greece: Spain and Italy say they are sending navy ships to where a flotilla of boats carrying activists seeking to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza is sailing, after the activists said they were attacked by drones near Greece.
The Global Sumud Flotilla said on Friday it was preparing to set sail on the final leg to Gaza after being targeted by drones and communications jamming, with several explosions occurring on or near some of the boats. Some of the vessels were damaged, but no injuries were reported.
Here’s what to know about the flotilla.
The flotilla’s goal
Organizers say the flotilla includes 52 mostly small vessels carrying activists from dozens of countries. They are carrying a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid, mainly food and medicine, for Palestinians in the besieged enclave of Gaza.
The 23-month war has led to a humanitarian catastrophe in the territory that has seen much of it reduced to rubble. The world’s leading authority on the food crisis has declared famine in Gaza’s largest city.
Activists hope their actions will focus attention on the plight of Palestinians. They say the flotilla is the largest attempt to date to break Israel’s maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has now lasted 18 years, long predating the current war in Gaza.
Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent Hamas from importing arms, while critics consider it collective punishment.
The boats’ journey
The core vessels set sail from Spain on Sept. 1, heading east across the Mediterranean Sea, and have been joined by boats from other countries along the way.
The flotilla includes larger vessels that are providing support and provisions for smaller boats.
Participants include high-profile activists such as Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and former Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau, as well as members of Italy’s parliament and the European Parliament. Organizers say delegates from 46 countries had committed to participating, with activists including military veterans, doctors, clergy and lawyers.
The bulk of the flotilla was sailing south of the Greek island of Crete on Thursday, heading eastwards. Organizers said they expected to reach the Gaza area within a week.
Drone attacks
Organizers have reported at least three separate instances of participating boats being targeted by drones: twice in Tunisia on Sept. 8 and 9, and once while sailing south of Greece in the early hours of Wednesday.
In the latest attack, the flotilla said it was targeted during the night by “unidentified drones and communications jamming.” Activists said “at least 13 explosions” were heard on and around several flotilla boats, while drones or aircraft dropped “unidentified objects” on at least 10 boats.
No casualties were reported but there was damage to the vessels and “widespread obstruction in communications,” it added.
Thunberg said Thursday that she expects the attacks to intensify in the coming days, adding in an online post: “But we continue undeterred. And the closer we are to Gaza, the bigger grows the risk of escalation toward us.”
Israel vows to block the boats
Israel said Thursday it had no problem with Italy and Spain’s plan to send rescue ships to accompany the flotilla but renewed strong criticism of the aid initiative — warning that the boats would not be allowed to reach Gaza.
“The real purpose of this flotilla is provocation and serving Hamas, certainly not humanitarian effort,” Israeli Foreign Ministry official Eden Bar Tal said. “Israel will not allow any vessel to enter the active combat zone.”
Bar Tal warned the activists against attempting to reach Gaza. “Any further refusal will put the responsibility on the flotilla organizers,” he said, without elaborating.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to questions regarding Wednesday’s drone attack.
Spain and Italy ready navy ships
Italy and Spain said they were sending military ships to provide assistance and possible rescues if needed.
Spanish officials said a navy offshore patrol vessel, the Furor, was being prepared to sail from the Mediterranean port of Cartagena.
As Premier Giorgia Meloni delivered one of her toughest criticisms of Israel’s actions in Gaza at the UN General Assembly, Italy was also sending an Italian navy ship ready to assist the flotilla if needed.
Defense Minister Guido Crosetto urged the flotilla to offload aid instead in Cyprus, suggesting Italy and the Catholic Church could deliver it safely to Palestinians. He emphasized that Italy couldn’t guarantee the flotilla’s security once it entered another country’s waters, noting Israel might view it as a “hostile act.”
Flotilla organizers rejected the Cyprus proposal and vowed to continue on to Gaza.
The Cyprus proposal is an initiative of Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, who has said the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem could get the aid into Gaza. The head of the Latin church in Jerusalem is Italian Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who has visited Gaza on a few occasions since the war.
On Friday, Italian President Sergio Mattarella urged the flotilla organizers to reconsider the Cyprus-Pizzaballa option, saying the goal was to get the aid to the people of Gaza and that Pizzaballa’s office could get it there.
“Allow me to address — with genuine intensity — an appeal to the women and men aboard the Flotilla to accept the offer of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem — which is also firmly and courageously committed to supporting the people in Gaza — to carry out the safe delivery of the supplies that this effort of solidarity has collected for the children, women and men in Gaza,” Mattarella said in a statement in English and Italian.
Cypriot deputy government spokesman Yiannis Antoniou said Israel had stated its willingness to accept the aid from Cyprus. “Cyprus is ready to assist if any request for help is made,” he said.
EU warns against use of force
In Athens, activists staged a protest outside the foreign ministry, urging the government to condemn the drone attacks, provide naval protection to the flotilla, and join other European nations in formally recognizing Palestinian statehood.
“I think (recognition) is the very least they could do,” protest organizer Mariketi Stasinou told The Associated Press. “But beyond that, more immediate measures are needed to have real impact and show meaningful solidarity with the Palestinian people.”
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan called for an investigation, while the European Union also warned against the use of any force. “The freedom of navigation under international law must be upheld,” said Eva Hrncirova, a European Commission spokesperson.
Past attempts to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza
It is not the first time activists trying to break Israel’s Gaza blockade have come under attack.
Another vessel said it was attacked by drones in May in international waters off Malta. An overland convoy traveling across North Africa also attempted to reach the border but was blocked by security forces aligned with Egypt in eastern Libya.
In 2010, Israeli commandos raided the Mavi Marmara, a boat participating in an aid flotilla attempting to breach the maritime blockade of Gaza. Nine Turkish citizens and one Turkish-American on board were killed.
The current war
The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel and killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 others hostage. Israel says its offensive is aimed at pressuring Hamas to surrender and return the remaining 48 hostages, about 20 of whom Israel believes are still alive. Most of the rest were released in ceasefires or other deals.
The Israeli offensive has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. It does not say how many were civilians or combatants, but says around half were women and children.

 

Topics: War on Gaza Palestine Gaza US Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF)

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