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Activists attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip by sea said Israeli forces intercepted their flotilla overnight while it was sailing near the Greek island of Crete, detaining crew members. The group said the boats were stopped hundreds of miles from Gaza in international waters. The Global Sumud Flotilla had set off earlier this month from Barcelona, with organisers saying more than 70 boats and about 1,000 people from different countries were involved. Additional vessels were expected to join as it moved across the Mediterranean. In a statement, the activists described the interception as a serious escalation, alleging civilians were detained far from the conflict zone. Israel’s Foreign Ministry said around 175 activists from more than 20 boats were being taken to Israel. According to tracking data shared by organisers, 22 boats had been stopped west of Crete, while several others were still heading east as of Thursday morning. Israel, along with Egypt, has maintained a blockade on Gaza since Hamas took control of the territory in 2007. Israel says the restrictions are necessary to stop weapons from reaching Hamas, while critics argue they have worsened humanitarian conditions for Palestinians. Turkey condemned the action, calling it a violation of international law and humanitarian principles. Turkish officials said the incident was discussed between the country’s foreign minister and his Spanish counterpart. Activists in Greece announced plans to stage a protest in Athens, claiming the interception took place within an area where Greece is responsible for search and rescue operations, and accusing authorities of failing to respond. Although a fragile ceasefire has reduced large-scale fighting in Gaza, violence has continued. Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 790 people have been killed since the truce began, and over 72,000 Palestinians have died since the war started following the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas-led militants on Israel that killed around 1,200 people. Around 2 million people in Gaza are still facing severe shortages of food and medicine, with limited aid entering through a single Israeli-controlled crossing. Organisers said the flotilla aimed to draw global attention to the humanitarian situation in Gaza, especially as international focus shifts to other conflicts. A similar attempt last year also failed after Israeli forces intercepted or turned back participating vessels. Some activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, were detained and later deported, with claims of mistreatment that Israel denied.

Representatives from more than 60 countries gathered in Brussels on Monday for talks with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohamed Mustafa on restoring stability, security and lasting peace in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, as global focus remains on tensions in Iran and Lebanon. Belgium’s Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot, who is co-hosting the meeting with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, said the ongoing violence in the West Bank and the widespread destruction in Gaza are making a two-state solution increasingly difficult. He said Belgium, along with many European and Arab countries, still sees the two-state solution as the only practical way to achieve lasting peace for both Israelis and Palestinians, and to ensure regional stability. The European Union, a bloc of 27 nations, remains the largest donor to the Palestinian Authority, led by President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank. While the EU has not joined the peace framework initiated by US President Donald Trump, it continues to support a multilateral approach through the United Nations and international law, and is keen to maintain a role in Middle East diplomacy. Anger across Europe over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has led many EU leaders to criticise Israel’s military actions and increase pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Following the recent removal of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a close ally of Netanyahu, the bloc may now have enough support to consider tougher steps, including targeted sanctions on Israeli settlers or reviewing ties with Israel. Palestinians in the West Bank say Israel has tightened control over the territory amid the Iran conflict, with a rise in settler violence and stricter movement restrictions imposed by the military on security grounds. Speaking at the conference, Mustafa called for unified governance in Gaza under one authority, stressing the need for a single security system coordinated with international partners. He also urged the gradual disarmament of all armed groups and called for a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

Hamas has been steadily reasserting control over the Gaza Strip in the months following a ceasefire with Israel, despite suffering heavy losses during the war, according to residents, traders and activists in the territory. The ceasefire, brokered under a US-backed initiative last October, brought an end to nearly two years of fighting that devastated Gaza Strip. Much of Gaza’s infrastructure was destroyed, large parts of the population were displaced, and more than 72,000 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks, according to Gaza’s health authorities. Since the fighting subsided, local residents say Hamas has gradually restored its authority over security, taxation and basic government services. Police and internal security forces have returned to the streets, resuming patrols, controlling markets and pursuing those accused of collaboration or dissent. “Hamas has regained control over more than 90 percent of the areas where it operates,” said Gaza-based activist Mohammed Diab. He said residents are once again required to deal with Hamas-run institutions for identity documents, health services and legal matters, as the group moves to reassert influence over courts and the judiciary. Traders in markets across Gaza described a renewed enforcement of municipal fees and taxes. Several said Hamas authorities were aggressively collecting rent and levies at a time when livelihoods remain shattered. “They come every day with the same demands and threats,” said one displaced stallholder in Gaza City, speaking on condition of anonymity. “They say if we do not pay, they will throw us and our goods into the street. We cannot afford these payments.” With the easing of restrictions after the ceasefire, food and basic goods have begun flowing more freely into Gaza. However, traders with licences to import goods from Israel say Hamas has reinstated strict controls over taxation, with levies varying by type and quantity of merchandise. One importer said taxes could start from tens of thousands of shekels, adding that force or intimidation was used against those who refused to comply. Activists allege that payments are made in cash to avoid tracking and that Hamas has rebuilt a database of traders operating in the enclave. Responding to the allegations, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said Gaza was in a state of emergency and that “exceptional measures” were sometimes necessary. He argued that actions taken against traders were administrative and aimed at preventing profiteering, denying that they were linked to Hamas as a movement. Gaza has been governed by Hamas since 2007, and analysts say revenue collection is central to the group’s ability to pay salaries and maintain influence. The Israel Defense Forces have accused Hamas of using the ceasefire period to regroup and rebuild its military capacity. Israeli officials say attacks on their forces have continued since the truce began, while Gaza’s health authorities report hundreds of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes during the same period. The next phase of the US peace initiative for Gaza, led by President Donald Trump, hinges on the full disarmament of Hamas and the transfer of civilian authority to a Palestinian technocratic body. Negotiators are still grappling with how such disarmament would be implemented and verified. Hamas has said it is prepared to hand over governance to a new technocratic council, but critics and local activists say there is little evidence the group is ready to relinquish real power. Recent appointments to government positions and the visible presence of Hamas officials at key crossings and evacuation points have fuelled doubts about its intentions. As international plans for Gaza’s reconstruction move forward without Hamas’s formal involvement, analysts say the struggle for control is shifting from territory to people. After years of war over land and security, the contest for Gaza’s population — a key source of authority and revenue — appears to be entering a decisive phase.   With inputs from BBC

The U.N. Security Council will hold a high-level session on Wednesday to discuss the Gaza ceasefire agreement and Israel’s moves to tighten control in the West Bank, ahead of world leaders traveling to Washington for the first meeting of President Donald Trump’s proposed Board of Peace on the future of the Palestinian territories. The council meeting in New York had initially been set for Thursday but was brought forward after Trump scheduled the board’s gathering for the same day, which would have complicated travel for diplomats wishing to attend both events. The change highlights concerns about possible overlapping and competing agendas between the United Nations’ most powerful body and Trump’s new initiative, which aims to mediate global conflicts and has drawn unease in some countries. Palestinian U.N. Ambassador Riyad Mansour said he hopes the international community will “stop Israel and end their illegal effort against annexation,” whether discussions occur in Washington or New York. Foreign ministers from the United Kingdom, Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Indonesia, among others, are expected to join the monthly Middle East meeting of the 15-member council. Many Arab and Islamic nations had requested that Gaza and Israel’s controversial settlement expansion in the West Bank be discussed before some of them travel to Washington. Trump’s Board of Peace was originally envisioned as a small group overseeing his 20-point plan for Gaza’s future. However, his broader ambition to use the body as a mediator for conflicts worldwide has prompted skepticism among key allies. More than 20 countries have accepted invitations so far, but close U.S. partners including France and Germany have yet to join and have instead reaffirmed their support for the United Nations, which is undergoing reforms and facing funding cuts. U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz rejected concerns about the board’s makeup, telling conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that relevant countries such as Qatar and Egypt — both in contact with Hamas leadership — have accepted invitations and are aligned with Washington. The council session comes a day after nearly all its 15 members, except the United States, along with dozens of diplomats, joined Mansour in issuing a statement on behalf of 80 countries and several organizations condemning Israel’s recent steps in the West Bank. The statement called for an immediate reversal and stressed strong opposition to any form of annexation. Israel is moving ahead with a controversial land regulation process that would deepen its authority in the occupied territory. Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen described the policy as amounting to “de facto sovereignty” that would block the creation of a Palestinian state. Palestinians, Arab states and human rights groups say the moves amount to illegal annexation of land where about 3.4 million Palestinians live and hope to form a future state. The meeting will also review the U.S.-brokered ceasefire that began on Oct. 10 after more than two years of war between Israel and Hamas. The United Kingdom, which holds the council presidency, said briefings will be delivered by U.N. political chief Rosemary DiCarlo, along with Israeli and Palestinian civil society representatives — the first such participation since the Oct. 7 attacks. Some parts of the ceasefire have progressed, including Hamas freeing all hostages it held and an increase in humanitarian aid entering Gaza, though the United Nations says assistance levels remain inadequate. A new technocratic committee has also been formed to manage Gaza’s daily governance. However, major challenges remain, including deploying an international security force, disarming Hamas and rebuilding Gaza. Trump said Board of Peace members have pledged $5 billion for reconstruction and will contribute thousands of personnel for stabilization and policing forces, though he provided no specifics. Indonesia’s military has indicated up to 8,000 troops could be ready by late June for a possible humanitarian and peace mission deployment to Gaza.

Mahmoud Hammad, a father from Gaza City, is painstakingly digging through the rubble of his destroyed home, searching for the remains of his wife, five children, and unborn daughter who were killed more than two years ago in an Israeli airstrike. Using picks, shovels, and his hands, Hammad sifts dirt through a large sieve, collecting tiny bones that he believes belong to his unborn baby girl. “I won’t find them all,” he said, describing months of labor in the debris of what once was his family home. Around 8,000 people remain buried under rubble across Gaza, according to the Health Ministry, as retrieving bodies during Israel’s military campaign was nearly impossible. Since a ceasefire deal in October, recovery efforts have increased, though they are hampered by a lack of heavy equipment and ongoing military control in parts of the territory. Hammad survived the December 6, 2023, airstrike that destroyed the six-story building where he lived with his family in the Sabra neighborhood. His wife, nine months pregnant, and their children aged 8 to 16 were killed along with his brother, sister-in-law, and their four children. Hammad was hospitalized with multiple injuries but returned to the ruins to continue searching for his family. Since the ceasefire, more than 700 bodies have been recovered from collapsed buildings, bringing Gaza’s confirmed death toll to over 72,000. The UN reports that Israeli bombardment destroyed or damaged 81 percent of Gaza’s 250,000 buildings, leaving the enclave with roughly 61 million tons of rubble — a volume equivalent to 15 Great Pyramids of Giza. Rescue operations remain slow due to restrictions on heavy machinery and ongoing Israeli military presence. Hammad said discovering the fragments of his unborn daughter has given him hope of eventually recovering and burying the rest of his family properly.

Israeli air strikes and artillery shelling targeted areas east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Tuesday, causing further casualties among Palestinians, as violence persisted across Gaza and the occupied West Bank. The seventh group of wounded Palestinians returned to Gaza via the Rafah crossing. Meanwhile, Gaza held its first organised football tournament in over two years, with young players expressing mixed emotions amid ongoing hardships. “Life is difficult, but playing football gives a little joy,” said 21-year-old Youssef Jendiya, whose team, Jabalia Youth, faced Al-Sadaqa at the Palestine Pitch in Gaza City. Humanitarian sources reported that Israeli forces continued raids across the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Residents in Silwan, a Palestinian neighbourhood in occupied East Jerusalem, were assaulted by Israeli troops. In the northern Jordan Valley, Israeli settlers wounded two Palestinians with pepper spray. At least 15 families in Deir al-Dik village near Jericho were displaced due to ongoing settler attacks, accompanied by land-levelling operations. Since October 2023, Israeli operations in the occupied West Bank have killed at least 1,113 Palestinians, including 230 children, and wounded over 11,111 people. More than 21,000 Palestinians have been imprisoned, with 3,358 held without charges. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert described recent Israeli policies in the West Bank as an attempt at ethnic cleansing to facilitate eventual annexation. He criticized the government for failing to restrain violent settler activities, accusing authorities of tacitly supporting the expansion. In diplomatic developments, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani spoke with US President Donald Trump over the phone, discussing the ongoing regional tensions and efforts to strengthen security and peace. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet Trump at the White House, with discussions expected to focus on Gaza and ongoing US-Iran nuclear negotiations. The violence in Gaza has already violated the ceasefire agreement over 1,620 times since October 2025, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office, resulting in 586 deaths and 1,558 injuries. Israeli attacks have targeted civilians, residential areas, and properties, while 50 Palestinians were detained in the same period. The humanitarian situation remains dire as air strikes, artillery shelling, and raids continue to affect daily life in Gaza and the West Bank, with widespread destruction and displacement compounding the ongoing crisis.   With inputs from ALJAZEERA

The Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to 72,027, with 171,651 others wounded since Oct. 7, 2023, Gaza-based health authorities said on Saturday. In a press statement, the authorities said that 174 deaths from Jan. 30 to Feb. 6 were added to the official count, following approval by the relevant government committee. 576 Palestinians have been killed and 1,543 others wounded since a ceasefire in Gaza came into effect on Oct. 10, it added. In a separate statement, the health authorities said that the remaining functioning hospitals in the Gaza Strip, struggling to continue providing services, have become mere waiting rooms for thousands of patients, adding that many of the wounded face an uncertain fate. The war has made sustaining healthcare a daily struggle, severely hindering recovery and the revival of specialized medical services, the authorities said. The statement warned that basic painkillers have become a rare luxury due to shortages. It also said that 46 percent of essential medicines, 66 percent of medical supplies and 84 percent of laboratory and blood bank materials are completely out of stock. It added that cancer treatment, hematology, surgery, intensive care and primary healthcare are among the hardest hit, with the limited supplies available falling far short of demand.

Israeli air and ground strikes in Gaza killed at least 19 Palestinians, mostly women and children, by midday Wednesday, hospital officials said, amid rising tensions following a militant attack on Israeli troops. Among the dead were five children—including a 5-month-old and a 10-day-old infant—seven women, and a paramedic, according to Gaza’s Shifa and Nasser hospitals. The casualties mark the latest fatalities in Gaza since a U.S.-backed ceasefire, effective from Oct. 10, 2025, which has repeatedly been punctuated by deadly Israeli strikes. More than 530 Palestinians have been killed during this period, the Gaza health ministry reported. “The genocidal war against our people in the Gaza Strip continues,” said Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiya, director of Shifa Hospital, in a Facebook post. “Where is the ceasefire? Where are the mediators?” An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Israel would continue targeting sites in Gaza. The military has defended its strikes since the ceasefire by citing militant attacks on Israeli soldiers or Hamas violations. Four Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire began. Early Wednesday, Israeli troops fired on a building in Gaza’s Tuffah neighborhood, killing at least 11 people, mostly from the same family. The victims included two parents, their 10-day-old daughter, her 5-month-old cousin, and their grandmother. The military said its forces returned fire after militants opened fire on Israeli troops, seriously wounding a reservist. Israel described the attack as a violation of the ceasefire deal. Subsequent strikes hit multiple areas across Gaza. An Israeli attack on a family tent in southern Khan Younis killed three people, including a 12-year-old boy, according to Nasser Hospital. Tank shelling in Zaytoun, eastern Gaza City, killed another three Palestinians, including a husband and wife, Shifa Hospital said. A strike on a tent in Muwasi, Khan Younis, killed at least two people and injured five others, including Hussein Hassan Hussein al-Semieri, a paramedic with the Palestinian Red Crescent, the field hospital reported. Since the start of the conflict, over 71,800 Palestinians have been killed, the Gaza health ministry said, without specifying civilian or militant numbers. The ministry, run by Hamas, maintains detailed casualty records considered generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts.

Palestinians have begun passing through the Rafah border crossing linking the Gaza Strip and Egypt following its reopening for passenger movement. The crossing had been mostly shut since May 2024, after Israeli forces took control of the Palestinian side. The long-awaited reopening forms a central element of the first phase of a ceasefire framework proposed by US President Donald Trump between Israel and Hamas, which took effect in October. Under the arrangement, only a limited number of people, several dozen each day, will be permitted to cross in either direction. The passage of humanitarian assistance and commercial goods through the crossing remains prohibited. About 20,000 Palestinians who are sick or wounded are awaiting permission to leave Gaza to receive medical treatment abroad. According to Israeli media reports, only 50 patients will be allowed to exit the territory each day, accompanied by two relatives each. In addition, just 50 of the tens of thousands of Palestinians who left Gaza during the war will be permitted to return daily. The World Health Organization (WHO) is expected to supervise the evacuation process. Patients will be transported by bus from areas under Hamas control, passing through zones controlled by the Israeli military before reaching the Rafah crossing, BBC News reported. Read More: Israel to reopen Gaza–Egypt crossing after extended shutdown Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that anyone crossing the Yellow Line, the boundary of Israeli-controlled territory under the ceasefire agreement, would be “met with fire”. Under the arrangements, the Rafah crossing will be operated by European Union monitors alongside local Palestinian staff, while Israel will conduct security checks remotely. Israeli officials said a trial reopening of the crossing was successfully completed on Sunday. A Palestinian official familiar with the trial phase told the BBC that around 30 Palestinian staff members had reached the Egyptian side of the crossing ahead of full operations. The reopening follows provisions in US President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan, which states that the crossing will operate under mechanisms used during a previous ceasefire last January. Before Israel seized control of Rafah in 2024, the crossing served as Gaza’s primary exit route and a key channel for humanitarian aid.   With inputs from BBC

Palestinians in Gaza on Sunday watched with cautious hope as preparations got underway to reopen the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, the territory’s main gateway to the outside world, with Israel saying limited travel would resume from Monday under the ongoing ceasefire with Hamas. Workers were seen readying the crossing, which has been largely shut since Israel seized control of it in May 2024. Many Gazans welcomed the move but voiced frustration over strict limits on the number of people allowed to cross. “Opening the crossing is a good step, but setting a cap on how many people can pass through is a real problem,” said Ghalia Abu Mustafa from Khan Younis. Others stressed the urgent need for medical travel. Suhaila Al-Astal, displaced from Rafah, said her sick daughter required treatment abroad and called for the crossing to be opened permanently and in both directions. Israel said the crossing had been opened on a trial basis and that Gaza residents would be allowed to begin crossing from Monday, though only in small numbers initially. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will allow 50 medical patients to leave Gaza each day. According to an official familiar with the talks, each patient will be permitted to travel with two relatives, while up to 50 Palestinians who left Gaza during the war will be allowed to return daily. Zaher al-Wahidi, head of documentation at Gaza’s Health Ministry, said the ministry had not yet been officially informed about the start of medical evacuations. Around 20,000 Palestinians in need of medical care are hoping to leave Gaza via Rafah, while thousands more outside the enclave are seeking to return. Under the new arrangement, Israel and Egypt will vet those entering and leaving through the crossing, which will be overseen by European Union border monitors. Israeli officials say the number of travelers could increase gradually if the system functions smoothly. The announcement came a day after Israeli airstrikes killed at least 30 Palestinians, including several children, according to hospital officials, marking one of the deadliest days since the ceasefire began on Oct. 10. Israel accused Hamas of violating the truce. Nicolay Mladenov, head of US President Donald Trump’s newly established Gaza peace board, urged all sides to exercise restraint and said efforts were under way with a newly selected Palestinian committee to prevent further incidents. Meanwhile, Israel’s Diaspora Ministry said it was moving to end the operations of Doctors Without Borders in Gaza by Feb. 28. Israel had suspended the medical charity’s activities in December after it declined to comply with new registration rules requiring aid groups to submit lists of local staff, arguing the measures could put Palestinian employees at risk. Doctors Without Borders warned that the decision would have a devastating impact on health services in Gaza, where it supports six hospitals, runs two field hospitals, eight primary health centers and clinics, and operates two of the enclave’s five stabilization centers for severely malnourished children. Israel has suspended more than two dozen humanitarian organizations under the new rules, saying they are needed to prevent militant infiltration, while aid groups say the restrictions harm civilians in desperate need. Palestinian security officers crossed through the Egyptian side of Rafah on Sunday to join the EU mission supervising the crossing, according to an Egyptian official. Ambulances were also seen passing through the Egyptian gate. Before the war, Rafah was Gaza’s primary crossing for people traveling in and out of the territory. Israel says its takeover of the crossing last year was aimed at stopping weapons smuggling by Hamas. The crossing was briefly opened for medical evacuations during a temporary ceasefire in early 2025 but remained closed afterward until recent developments, including the recovery of the remains of the last hostage in Gaza. Under the ceasefire terms, Israeli forces continue to control the area between the Rafah crossing and densely populated parts of Gaza. Egypt has repeatedly said the crossing must operate in both directions, amid concerns it could otherwise be used to force Palestinians out of the enclave. The ceasefire paused more than two years of fighting that began with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and led to the capture of 251 hostages. Israel’s subsequent offensive has killed 71,795 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, including 523 since the ceasefire began. The first phase of the truce includes hostage and prisoner exchanges, increased humanitarian aid and a partial Israeli troop withdrawal. A more complex second phase envisions new governance arrangements for Gaza, the deployment of an international security force, the disarmament of Hamas and steps toward reconstruction.