Italy to send second navy ship to assist Gaza aid flotilla

Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto has announced that Rome will deploy a second naval frigate to escort the Global Sumud Flotilla, which is carrying aid and activists to blockaded Gaza.

The move follows yesterday’s announcements from Italy and Spain that they would send warships to protect the flotilla, which has been repeatedly targeted by drone attacks in international waters.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry has ordered the flotilla to stay out of Gaza’s waters, saying it will “not allow” any attempt to breach the naval blockade of the starving Palestinian territory.

Morale high as activists sail through Greece’s international waters off Crete

Activists on the flotilla expected new attacks last night after the announcement by Italy and Spain that they are sending navy vessels to accompany them. But nothing has happened so far.

There are more than 50 boats sailing towards Gaza and they sailed through Greece’s international waters off the island of Crete. They’re hoping this will decrease the chances of an attack by the Israelis or any other side.

Even after the threats and attacks, the activists are confirming their determination to continue this peaceful, non-violent mission. They want to create a humanitarian aid corridor for the people of Gaza.

Parliamentarians and activists from more than 50 countries are on these ships and are carrying only humanitarian and medical aid for Gaza’s starving people.

The morale here is still high – they don’t feel they have to stop – even after the attacks that damaged several boats.

Italian delegation of Global Sumud Flotilla declines to leave aid in Cyprus

The Italian contingent of the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla has rejected an Italian government proposal to offload its aid in Cyprus instead of trying to sail directly to Gaza

“Our mission stays true to its original goal of breaking [Israel’s] illegal siege and delivering humanitarian aid to the besieged population of Gaza,” the Italian group said in a statement.

Despite dispatching two navy ships to help assist the flotilla, which has come under repeated drone attacks in international waters, the Italian government has urged the flotilla members not to proceed towards Gaza.

“We cannot guarantee the safety of our fellow citizens if they enter the territorial waters of other countries,” said Defence Minister Guido Crosetto earlier.

Global Sumud Flotilla expects ‘imminent violent Israeli attack’

The Gaza-bound aid flotilla says it has received “credible intelligence” that “Israel is likely to escalate violent attacks on the flotilla within the next 48 hours” – potentially with weapons that could scuttle boats or cause fatalities.

In a press release, the group said it will soon hold a news conference to provide updates on the latest threats and the flotilla’s “plan forward”.

It repeated “urgent calls for governments and international bodies to intervene and guarantee the flotilla’s safe passage as it works to break Israel’s illegal siege on Gaza”, the statement said.

Will the UK join Italy and Spain in supporting Gaza flotilla?

Global Sumud Flotilla — a 50-boat convoy with over 300 international activists — is attempting to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza, which has caused a UN-declared famine and over 400 starvation deaths.

Since setting sail nearly a month ago, the flotilla has faced repeated drone attacks and sabotage by the Israeli military, including strikes in Tunisian waters.

Despite international outrage, most governments have failed to respond. However, Italy and Spain have now deployed naval ships to protect their citizens onboard. The flotilla continues its journey through Greek waters, defying threats from Israel, which has labeled the activists “terrorists.” The UN and EU have condemned any use of force, but the situation remains tense as the convoy presses on toward Gaza.

The UK is more likely to help Israel with surveillance of the Flotilla...

PM Netanyahu says ‘I will speak our truth’ at UN assembly

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denounced leaders who recognised a Palestinian state as he heads to the United States for White House talks and an address at the UN General Assembly.

“At the General Assembly, I will speak our truth – the truth of the citizens of Israel, the truth of the [Israeli] soldiers, the truth of our nation,” Netanyahu said at Ben Gurion airport ahead of his departure, according to a statement from his office.

“I will condemn those leaders who – instead of condemning the murderers, rapists and burners of children – want to give them a state in the heart of Israel. This will not happen.”

On meeting Trump, he added, “I will discuss with him the great opportunities that our victories have brought, as well as our need to complete the goals of the war: to bring back all our hostages, to defeat Hamas, and to expand the circle of peace that has opened up to us.”

Circle of peace? Your truth is nothing but vile racism and criminal lies.

Netanyahu’s plane avoids France, flies over Italy, Greece to US

En route to New York City, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s aircraft has avoided France, while there is a warrant for his arrest issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes, flight navigation data shows.

When he last travelled to the US in July, he was allowed to fly over France even though the ICC warrant was in effect. Italy and Greece still facilitated his flight this time with their airspace.

The Israeli broadcaster Kan quoted an unnamed diplomatic source saying France did not prevent Netanyahu’s plane from entering its airspace, and the decision was Netanyahu’s personal choice.

Slovenia imposes travel ban on Netanyahu

Slovenia’s government has announced it is banning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from travelling to the country, its latest rebuke over Israel’s war on Gaza.

An EU member, Slovenia has already banned far-right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, imposed an arms embargo on Israel and barred imports of goods produced in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories.

Since November, Netanyahu has faced an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Macron says Trump ‘on the same page’ over West Bank annexation

French President Emmanuel Macron – despite having disagreements with Trump on Palestinian statehood – says the US leader has joined him in opposing Israel’s plan to annex most of the occupied West Bank.

“What President Trump told me yesterday was that the Europeans and Americans have the same position,” Macron said in a joint interview with France 24 and Radio France Internationale.

On Tuesday, Macron said only Trump had the power to put pressure on Israel to end its devastating war on Gaza. “There is one person who can do something about it – and that is the US president,” Macron said.

“And the reason he can do more than us is because we do not supply weapons that allow the war in Gaza to be waged. We do not supply equipment that allows war to be waged in Gaza. The United States of America does.”

US proposal to end Israel’s war on Gaza: ‘Not sure it shows realism’

US special envoy Steve Witkoff says a 21-point plan has been given to Arab and Muslim leaders on how to end Israel’s two-year war on Gaza.

Martin Griffiths, director of the Mediation Group International and a former top UN official, said it’s ominous that no Palestinians appear to have been consulted about the proposal.

“I think it was very telling that in the Steve Witkoff comments he made no mention of the Palestinians. I mean that is a red light, in my view, if you don’t include the people under consideration, and it tells us something profound about the possible plan,” Griffiths told Al Jazeera.

The 21-point outline has not been made public, but he speculated it could involve a short ceasefire. However, divisions are emerging, Griffiths noted, including on the two-state solution and Israeli threats to annex the occupied West Bank.

“It [the proposal] shows activism from the United States, but what I’m not sure yet is that it shows realism.”

UK seeks to block challenge to Palestine Action ban under anti-terrorism laws

The British government is trying to block the co-founder of pro-Palestinian campaign group Palestine Action from bringing a legal challenge over its ban under anti-terrorism laws.

Palestine Action has increasingly targeted Israel-linked companies in Britain, often spraying red paint, blocking entrances, or damaging equipment. It accuses Britain’s government of complicity in what it says are Israeli war crimes in Gaza.

The group was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in July, making it a crime to be a member, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. More than 1,000 people have since been arrested for holding signs in support of the group.

Huda Ammori, who helped found Palestine Action in 2020, was in July given permission to challenge the group’s proscription on the grounds that it was arguably a disproportionate interference with the right to freedom of expression.

Britain’s Home Office is asking the Court of Appeal to overturn that decision and rule any challenge to proscription should be heard by a specialist tribunal, rather than the High Court.

‘War has rules’: UN event urges action to protect Palestinian children

After nearly being killed in June during an Israeli attack on Gaza, 10-year-old Rasha felt compelled to write her will. “If I become a martyr or pass away, please do not cry for me because your tears cause me pain,” she wrote. “I hope my clothes will be given to those in need.”

Rasha was killed in another Israeli strike three months later.

Her story was one of many told to the diplomats who gathered to renew their support for a pledge called Call to Action for Palestinian Children in the West Bank and Gaza, which has been adopted by more than 70 countries.

AP, Reuters demand answers over Nasser Hospital strike that killed journalists

Reuters and The Associated Press (AP) news agencies have demanded that Israel explain the circumstances surrounding an attack on Gaza’s Nasser Hospital last month that killed five journalists, including several working for the agencies.

The two agencies issued a statement on the one-month anniversary of the attack, urging Israel to “explain the deaths of these journalists and to take every step to protect those who continue to cover this conflict”.

“We renew our demand for a clear account from the Israeli authorities and urge the government to uphold its obligations to ensure press freedom and protection,” said the statement. “We remain devastated and outraged by their deaths.”

Among those killed in the strikes were five journalists, including visual journalist Mariam Abu Daqqa, who worked for AP and other news organisations; Reuters cameraman Hussam al-Masri; and Moaz Abu Taha, a freelance journalist whose work had been published by Reuters.

Al Jazeera photographer Mohammad Salama was also killed in the attack, which Al Jazeera has condemned as “a clear intent to bury the truth”.

AP and Reuters pointed out that the site of the attack – Nasser Hospital – should have been protected under international law.

Israeli military launches air strikes on Yemen’s Sanaa

The Israeli military has launched a number of air strikes on Sanaa, according to Houthi-run Al Masirah TV.

Plumes of smoke were seen rising over the Yemeni capital after the attacks.

Israeli strikes on Yemen come less than 24 hour after Houthi drone attack

Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut, reporting from Amman, says the Israeli strikes comes less than 24 hours after Houthis launched a drone attack on the city of Eilat.

Salhut said the drone actually made an impact, injuring at least 20 people, two of whom are still in critical condition. “They have been airlifted to a hospital in southern Israel by the air force,” she said from Amman, because the Israeli government has banned Al Jazeera from reporting from Israel and the occupied West Bank.

“So this back and forth has really been going on since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza. The Houthis say they are launching the attack in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Since Israel broke the ceasefire in March, these types of attacks have only increased in size and scale.

“And the Israeli military says it is trying to deter these threats by launching attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen. But Houthis are still able to launch these types of attacks, causing damage within Israel.”

Israeli army says drone launched by Houthis was detected late

The Israeli military says its air forces conducted an investigation and found that the explosive drone that the Houthis landed in Eilat on Wednesday was “detected relatively late” and alarms sounded only after that happened.

“Attempts were made to intercept it using the Iron Dome system, which were unsuccessful,” the army said in a statement, adding that the reason has been found and a fix has been made.

According to Israeli Army Radio, Israeli warplanes used more than 65 munitions to attack Sanaa in response to this drone strike, the highest number of munitions in a single attack on Yemen to date.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the strike from his Wing of Zion plane en route to New York to speak at the UN General Assembly.

Palestine’s Abbas speaking at UNGA now, decries Gaza ‘genocide’

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is speaking via a videolink, as the Trump administration denied him and his delegation visas.

“I speak to you today after almost two years in which our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip have been facing a war of genocide, destruction, starvation and displacement,” Abbas said.

That genocide has been “waged by the Israeli occupation forces in which they killed and injured more than 220,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom are unarmed, children, women and the elderly,” he added.

Hamas will have ‘no role’ in future governance: Abbas

Mahmoud Abbas, addressing the UNGA via a videolink, says despite two years of suffering in Gaza, “we reject” Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023.

“Despite all that our people have suffered, we reject what Hamas carried out on the seventh of October,” Abbas asserted. Moreover, the Palestinian leader said that “Hamas will not have a role to play in governance”, and the group and other factions must hand over their weapons.

Abbas condemns ‘decades’ of Israeli occupation, lack of ‘accountability’

Palestinian Authority president says people in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip continue to endure decades of “tragedies” under “Israeli aggression and occupation”.

“Years that our people have spent under occupation, killing, arrests and settlement and the theft of money, property and lands, and this still continues without any deterrent or accountability,” Mahmoud Abbas added.

“More than a thousand resolutions at the United Nations – not one of them was implemented.”

Palestinians absent as ‘active diplomacy’ ongoing at UNGA

What was in the Mahmoud Abbas speech was not actually new. What is interesting is he is not here. What is really interesting is there is active diplomacy going on here, and Palestine is not present for that either.

We had a meeting of Arab and Islamic leaders with President Trump on Tuesday. We’re told an important new proposal, a 21-point new peace plan, was put forward by Trump. That’s according to his special envoy, Steve Witkoff.

We know few details about what’s in that. One detail I think we have gleaned is a promise from the Trump administration to stop Prime Minister Netanyahu from a full annexation, taking full legal control of the occupied West Bank.

That apparently is stopped in this proposal. But it is a plan that has been negotiated without the Palestinian Authority.

Spain’s Warship Furor Joins Gaza Flotilla Mission Amid Drone Attacks

Spain prepares warship Furor to support Gaza aid flotilla under drone attack, escalating tensions with Israel.

Italy, Spain Deploy Naval Ships After Drones Repeatedly Attack Gaza-Bound Flotilla

Spain and Italy are sending naval vessels to protect the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla after activists said drones repeatedly attacked their boats near Greece on Wednesday. Activists said the most recent strikes marked the seventh attack on the solidarity movement's vessels. The Global Sumud Flotilla is the largest humanitarian convoy in history to traverse the Mediterranean Sea, says David Adler, co-general coordinator of the Progressive International, who joins Democracy Now! from the flotilla. "We are not here to drop the aid and go home and pat ourselves on the back. We are here to establish a humanitarian corridor for states themselves to assume their responsibilities and to deliver the aid at the scale that Gaza requires."

The Global Sumud Flotilla holds Emergency Press Conference in light of the violent Israeli attacks

PRESS CONFERENCE: The Global Sumud Flotilla says it has gathered credible intelligence indicating Israel is likely to direct violent attacks on the Flotilla within the next 48 hours.

Two killed in Israeli attack on Sanaa: Report

We have been reporting on the Israeli attack on the Yemeni capital. Houthi-affiliated media Al Masirah TV citing the Ministry of Health is reporting that at least two people have been killed in the attack on Sanaa.

At least 48 others were injured, it added.

Israeli army says it detects missile launched from Yemen, activates air defence systems

The Israeli army says it has identified a missile launched from Yemen, triggering sirens across several parts of the country. The Israeli military said that its air defence systems have been activated to detect and intercept the incoming missile.

The report comes shortly after Israel carried out widespread air strikes on the Yemeni capital of Sanaa earlier today. At least two people were killed and 48 others wounded in the latest Israeli attack on the country.

On Wednesday, at least 22 people were injured in a drone strike launched by Yemen’s Houthis, who have demanded a ceasefire in Gaza as a condition to stop attacking Israeli targets.

Gaza hospital director facing ‘serious deterioration’ in Israeli custody: Rights group

An Israeli human rights organisation has warned of a “serious deterioration” in the health of Hussam Abu Safia, the director of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital, who has been in Israeli custody since December 27.

Physicians for Human Rights said one of its lawyers recently visited Abu Safia at Ofer Prison, west of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, and documented the conditions of his detention.

According to the group, Abu Safia has lost nearly 25 kilograms (55.1 pounds), suffers from scabies without receiving proper treatment, and faces a severe decline in his overall health. He has not appeared before a judge since March, has not been interrogated, and remains unaware of the charges against him.

The organisation said the doctor is subjected to violence, ill-treatment and denial of medical checkups despite a history of heart disease and high blood pressure.

His detention conditions reportedly include food shortages, lack of clean clothing, and repeated assaults by prison guards.

The group noted that more than 100 medical workers from Gaza have been detained since Israel’s war on the enclave began in October 2023, most without formal charges, calling the practice “a blatant violation of international law.