Freedom Flotilla Coalition continues sailing towards Gaza despite threats

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) is continuing its voyage to Gaza despite Israel’s “threat” to attack its vessel, the Madleen, which aims to break Israel’s siege of the Strip.

The group said the ship was approached and circled by a drone on Wednesday night, followed by two others. “These actions raise serious concerns about whether Greece and/or the European Union is conducting surveillance on behalf of Israel,” it said in a statement.

Last month, a ship operated by the group was attacked twice with armed drones while on the preparatory stages before sailing to Gaza. The Conscience had been located in international waters off the coast of Malta.

Yasemin Acar, a member on board the ship, said: “We call on people of conscience, institutions, and governments to take action now: demand that Israel refrain from attacking the Madleen and defend life and dignity in Gaza.”

The ship and its 12-person crew, including climate activist Greta Thunberg, are expected to reach the enclave on June 7.

On Wednesday, the Israeli military had warned it would take measures against the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. The Walla news site reported that Israeli navy commandos were preparing for the possibility of seizing the ship.

Repost from @genocide_free.cy (IG):

The use of Heron drones by Greece is a key tool in the growing alliance between Greece, Cyprus, ‘I$rael’, and the US, tightening control over the Eastern Mediterranean..../2 pic.twitter.com/VBNJkUi8kC

— Freedom Flotilla Coalition (@GazaFFlotilla) June 4, 2025

Brazil’s president accuses Israel of ‘premeditated genocide’ in Gaza

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva made these comments during his trip to France.

“It’s a premeditated genocide from a far-right government that is waging a war against the interests of its own people,” he said at a joint news conference with France’s President Emmanuel Macron.

While Lula has previously used the term “genocide” to characterise Israel’s actions in Gaza, Macron has refused to, saying last month it was not for a “political leader to use the term but up to historians to do so when the time comes”.

And that's when everyone is dead or expelled from Gaza?

German foreign minister tells Israeli counterpart to allow more aid into Gaza

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has voiced rare criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza during a news conference with his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar, in Berlin. Wadephul called for more humanitarian aid to be allowed into the enclave and decried Israel’s announcement that it would allow 22 more settlements in the West Bank.

The ministry said Berlin – one of Israel’s staunchest allies and its second largest arms provider after the US – would decide whether or not to approve new weapons shipments to Israel based on an assessment of the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

He added that Chancellor Friedrich Merz was planning to visit Israel later this year.

No hurry... Nothing but covering his ass.

German foreign minister says country has a ‘unique friendship’ with Israel

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has underscored the special relationship his country shares with Israel, after earlier today calling on the ally to allow more aid into Gaza.

“Standing up for the security and existence of the State of Israel and for international law are two sides of the same coin. Both are lessons of our past,” the German Foreign Office said in a social media post.

“As democracies and constitutional states, we must abide by law and order – at all times.”

Your two goals have become mutually exclusive, you can not stand up for both Israel and international law. Stop fooling yourself. You are not abiding by law and order, see the genocide convention.

Netherlands still backs Israeli F-35 ‘supply chain of death’: Report

The Netherlands is still supporting the supply chain of Israel’s version of the F-35 fighter jet, more than a year after a court banned direct Dutch exports of F-35 parts to Israel, a report says.

Research by the Palestinian Youth Movement shared with Al Jazeera shows the port of Rotterdam is regularly frequented by ships carrying F-35 parts for maintenance and assembly. The ships belong to the Danish shipping giant Maersk.

By examining import data and shipping receipts of Maersk and Lockheed Martin, the US weapons manufacturer that designed the F-35, the group found that more than a dozen shipments from Israel travelled through the port of Rotterdam on their way to the US.

We live in a world where 'terrorist' groups have the moral high ground... 

Hamas slams US for vetoing UN resolution on Gaza ceasefire

The Palestinian group has condemned the US decision to veto a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, saying it was the latest sign of Washington’s “blind bias” towards Israel.

“We strongly condemn the US administration’s defiance of the will of the entire world, as 14 of the 15 countries on the Security Council supported the resolution,” it said. “This arrogant stance reflects its disregard for international law and its complete rejection of any international effort to stop the Palestinian bloodshed.”

Hamas added that the move gave Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “green light” to “continue his brutal war of extermination against innocent civilians”.

It also argued that the UNSC’s inability to deliver aid to Gaza “raises fundamental questions about the role of international community institutions and the validity of international laws and conventions”.

Israel says it has recovered bodies of two captives

Israel’s military recovered the bodies of two captives, Judy Weinstein-Hagi and Gadi Hagi, who were held by Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says.

“Together with all the people of Israel, my wife and I send our heartfelt condolences to the beloved families,” Netanyahu said. “Our hearts ache over this unbearable loss. May their memory be a blessing.”

He thanked the forces involved and vowed: “We will not rest until all our hostages—both the living and the fallen—are brought home.”

The military has released a statement adding details on the operation:

• The bodies were retrieved in southern Khan Younis.
• The two were killed and abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023.
• They were being held by the Mujahideen Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement.
• The couple were parents of four. Judy and Gadi were 70 and 72, respectively, at the time of their killing.
• The family was informed about the rescue of their bodies after authorities conducted an identification process at the National Forensic Institute.

Three journalists killed in Israeli attack on Gaza City hospital

As we reported earlier, an Israeli drone attack hit the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City in the north of the enclave.

Colleagues from Al Jazeera Arabic are now reporting that at least three among those killed were journalists, including Ismail Badah and Sulaiman Haja. Both used to work for the Palestine Today channel and were killed inside the hospital, they said.

Hospital director says latest attack is 8th one by Israel

The director of al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City confirms to Al Jazeera that Israeli forces hit the medical centre. He said at least four people were killed and many were wounded in the attack, which is the eighth time Israel has bombed the hospital since the outbreak of its war on Gaza in 2023.

Pieces of flesh scattered at al-Ahli Hospital after journalists killed

Once again, we’ve seen a hospital turned into a killing box – for journalists this time. Earlier, there was an unpredictable attack and a group of journalists inside the al-Ahli Hospital were hit as they were setting up makeshift tents to protect themselves from the heat. This is the eighth time the hospital has been hit.

Three of the journalists were reported killed on the spot, and pieces of flesh were left scattered on what once was a manicured garden at the medical facility. One more journalist was reported with serious injuries and is now undergoing surgery inside the hospital with minimal supplies.

There are other serious injuries due to the shrapnel. These drone missiles are lethal because they are packed with nails and pieces of metal. When they explode, they pierce through the body and cause severe bleeding.

_{Mourners carry the body of Palestinian journalist Ismail Baddah, who was killed in an Israeli air strike on al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, on June 5}

Death toll in Israel’s war on Gaza rises

The Gaza Health Ministry has said in a statement that the number of people killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023, has risen to 54,677, with 125,530 wounded.

At least 70 people were killed in the last 24 hours, the ministry says, and 189 wounded people were admitted to Gaza hospitals in that same period.

Israel-US aid system turned Gaza into ‘human abattoir’, former UN spokesperson says

The Israeli-US aid operation has turned Gaza into a “human abattoir”, or slaughterhouse, former UNRWA spokesperson Chris Gunness has said, in a reference to distribution sites operated by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

“Hundreds of civilians are herded like animals into fenced-off pens and are slaughtered like cattle in the process,” Gunness told Al Jazeera.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation announced a full day’s closure on Wednesday, saying that operations would resume after the completion of maintenance and repair work on its distribution sites. It comes after Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians seeking aid, killing at least 27 people and injuring about 90, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. The closure has extended into today.

The former UN official cast doubt on the reason for the suspension, saying its work had been halted “because it has rightly sparked international outrage and condemnation”.

Asked about the UN Security Council resolution calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza that was shot down on Wednesday, Gunness said Washington’s veto showed “the complete isolation of Israel and America – not just from the rest of the Security Council, but from the rest of humanity”.

“The international community must impose economic and military sanctions immediately,” he added.

Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says it will reopen two aid distribution centres

The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has said it will reopen two aid distribution centres today, Reuters has reported. The organisation on Wednesday said it suspended operations due to maintenance and repair work. It did not say when aid distribution would resume.

The group has been fiercely criticised by humanitarian organisations, including the United Nations, as hundreds of Palestinians were killed and wounded while seeking aid at its distribution points.


_{Palestinians gather to collect what remains of relief supplies from the distribution centre of the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip}

MSF staff protest in Geneva over Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

About 100 MSF staff have protested against the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and its deadly delivery scheme, which has been widely condemned by aid groups.

“People need the basics of life … they also need it in dignity,” MSF Switzerland’s director general, Stephen Cornish, told the Reuters news agency at the protest.

“If you’re fearing for your life, running with packages being mowed down, this is just something that is completely beyond everything we’ve ever seen,” he said. “These attacks have killed dozens … They were left to bleed out on the ground.”

He added that MSF staff in Gaza have had to give blood to help the wounded, with most Palestinians too malnourished to donate.

Netanyahu allegedly approved arming Palestinian gang opposed to Hamas: Report

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority has released a report saying that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the arming of a Palestinian gang in Gaza that opposes Hamas.

That happened without the knowledge of the cabinet, the report said, adding that the matter was revealed in an interview with Avigdor Lieberman, former defence minister, and leader of the opposition party Yisrael Beytenu.

Asked to respond to Lieberman’s comments, the office of the prime minister did not confirm nor deny the allegations, saying that Israel “is working to defeat Hamas in various and varied ways, on the recommendation of all heads of the security establishment”, according to the report.

Israeli media quote security source saying Netanyahu armed Palestinian group, rival to Hamas

Quoting a defence security source in a report that was allowed for publication by the Israeli army censor, The Times of Israel said Israel provided Kalashnikov rifles – seized from Hamas during the war – to an armed group “to strengthen opposition groups in the Strip”.

The group is led by Yasser Abu Shabab, a member of a clan in southern Gaza, the report said, adding that it operates in an area in Rafah under the control of the Israeli army. The sources said the arming of Abu Shabab’s group was carried out without the approval of Israel’s security cabinet.

In a separate report, Haaretz newspaper said satellite images and online videos show how the new armed group has expanded its presence in southern Gaza. The report said Abu Shabab launched two Facebook pages with anti-Hamas and anti-Palestinian Authority messages, promoting the group’s efforts and saying it aimed to provide security and distribute aid to civilians.

Gaza Aid Thefts Involve Netanyahu Himself!

Benjamin Netanyahu has been accused of facilitating Gaza aid thefts by arming terror groups within Gaza.

Its all going wrong for Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel as their aid distribution operation, supposedly led by the newly formed Swiss based US run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is actually a Mossad financed Israeli entity not there to provide aid at all, but merely give the façade of doing so, becoming known not for feeding people but for eliminating them instead, so much so that the US envoy who was supposedly behind this scheme has become synonymous with the horrific scenes observed, having been nicknamed Witkoff Massacres – underlining just how lethal Israel’s version of handing out aid has become.

But it’s become so much worse than that now. Not only have the GHF not been providing the aid they are supposed to be, but it seems there’s been a data collection exercise going on as well, potentially endangering so many more people not even there to collect aid. There have been further resignations from the scheme, rendering it reputationally all the more damaged.

There’s been one new appointment, which actually makes matters still worse and that was right before the scheme had to shut down for two days as it turns out less than 80% of the aid passed by Israel to be sent in had actually been arriving at the distribution centres!

Where was that going, was it being thieved? Well one Israeli parliamentarian certainly thinks so and he’s accused Benjamin Netanyahu himself of being directly involved by arming ‘ISIS in Gaza’! 

Israeli leader finally admits to arming gangs in Gaza

News was circulating within the last couple of days, and opposition lawmakers in the Israeli parliament were pointing the finger at the Israeli prime minister, accusing him of arming these gangs.

Netanyahu then released a statement saying, “What’s wrong with that?” and stated that, after consulting with the security services, he was the one who decided to do this.

The Israeli opposition claims that there was no consultation within the Israeli government or the Israeli cabinet. Netanyahu says that these armed gangs are ones that are opposed to Hamas, which could essentially help the Israelis defeat Hamas in Gaza.

But it’s not going down well within Israel, where people are saying that these are armed criminal enterprises within the Gaza Strip, that they should not be armed and that these are Israeli weapons that are being put in their hands.


No surprise since Netanyahu also funded Hamas to go up against Fatah. “What’s wrong with that?”

Buzzing sound of drones above Gaza City sows panic among Palestinians

There are at least five drones in the air above Gaza City right now, and they have been there since the early hours of this morning. This buzzing sound is grinding down people’s mental health and causing so much panic as well as trauma among people here.

There has not only been an attack on al-Ahli Hospital, where four journalists were killed, but other attacks took place near al-Shifa Hospital, and five people were reported killed.

Another attack took place near a famous bakery in Gaza City’s centre, and two people were reported severely injured and died as soon as they reached hospital.

Earlier attacks also targeted evacuation tents in al-Mawasi. This area has been the site of relentless attacks despite having been designated a safe zone.

_{A man carries a girl as Palestinians evacuate the wounded from the site of an Israeli air strike in Gaza City}

‘I saw a man in pieces… the lower half of his body was gone’

At least 3 Palestinians have been killed, including children and women, in an Israeli strike on al-Nasser Street, near the al-Shifa Hospital compound west of Gaza City. Resident Fadi al-Hindi was sitting in his tent when the attack occurred and told Al Jazeera that he immediately ran outside to check on his children.

“When I arrived, I saw a man in pieces; he had been riding a bicycle, and the lower half of his body was gone. Everyone in the street was injured, and we started to collect the pieces of the wounded. All the people here were injured, and most of them are martyrs because it was a huge missile,” he said.

“Every day when I walk down the street, I’m afraid I’ll be targeted next to them and die,” al-Hindi stated.

Another resident, Naaman al-Kafarna, told Al Jazeera the densely populated area was very crowded when the attack occurred. “There were many martyrs. Everyone who was in that place was either injured or torn apart,” al-Kafarna said.

_{Civilians respond to injured and dead Palestinians following an Israeli attack on Nasser Street, Gaza City}

Israeli raids continue in occupied West Bank

Palestinian news agency Wafa is reporting several Israeli military raids in the occupied West Bank:

French dock workers blocking shipment of military material bound for Israel

The CGT trade union has said the workers at the Fos-sur-Mer port outside of Marseille have refused to load crates of links used to assist the rapid fire of bullets onto a cargo ship.

Christophe Claret, the leader of the dock workers at the port, told the AFP news agency they had been notified that the ship was due to be loaded on Thursday with the material.

“We managed to identify it and set it aside,” he told AFP, emphasising that once dockers refuse to load a shipment, no one else can do it for them. The other containers for the ship will all be loaded, he said.

The CGT said the move made clear its refusal to “participate in the ongoing genocide orchestrated by the Israeli government.”

_{A cargo ship moored at Fos-sur-Mer in southern France}

While Macron keeps dragging his feet, French dock workers are awesome.

Press freedom groups renew calls for access to Gaza

More than 130 news outlets and press freedom groups have called for Israel to grant foreign journalists access to Gaza.

An open letter shared by the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders called Israel’s near-total restrictions on press access to Gaza “a situation that is without precedent in modern warfare”.

The letter also draws attention to the enormous toll faced by Palestinian reporters who have sought to document events and conditions inside the Strip while faced with persistent Israeli attacks.

“Local journalists, those best positioned to tell the truth, face displacement and starvation,” the letter reads.

“To date, nearly 200 journalists have been killed by the Israeli military. Many more have been injured and face constant threats to their lives for doing their jobs: bearing witness.”

BBC says reporting team detained by Israeli forces in Syria

The British Broadcasting Company has said that a group of its reporters were held at gunpoint by Israeli forces occupying southern Syria in an incident that took place on May 9.

BBC Arabic correspondent Feras Kilani said that a team of seven people were approached by Israeli soldiers who pointed their guns at the reporters, ordered them out of the car, and confiscated their phones and reporting equipment, despite the team identifying themselves as reporters for the BBC.

The team included Kilani, a British citizen, two Iraqi BBC staff, and four Syrians, including three freelancers and one BBC cameraman, he said.

Kilani also said that he was forced to strip to his underwear as he was searched by soldiers while his team was tied up and blindfolded. He says that the BBC complained to Israel, but has yet to receive any response.

One person injured in Israeli strike on southern Lebanon

One person has been injured in an Israeli strike on southern Lebanon, the National News Agency (NNA) reports. The NNA cited a statement by Lebanon’s Health Ministry saying a car had been targeted in Burj Qalawieh in the Bint Jbeil district.

Hezbollah and Israel agreed to a ceasefire in November, but Israeli strikes have continued on a near-daily basis.

Israel issues evacuation orders for southern Beirut

Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee says residents living near buildings in the neighbourhoods of Hadath, Haret Hreik and Borj el-Barajneh in the southern Beirut suburbs of Dahiyeh are “required to evacuate”.

“You are next to infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah,” Adraee said in a social media post, which included a map of the identified buildings.

The message, in Arabic, indicated that Israel may soon bomb the area. Israel has attacked Beirut’s southern suburbs several times since a ceasefire with Hezbollah went into effect in November.

Israel says it will launch attacks on Beirut suburbs of Dahiyeh

The Israeli military says in a social media post that it will carry out attacks on what it says is “underground infrastructure” in the Beirut suburbs of Dahiyeh.

It accused Hezbollah of manufacturing drones in a “blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon” in the area, which has been repeatedly struck since a ceasefire was reached in November.

The Israeli military “will work to remove any threat to the State of Israel and its citizens and prevent any attempt to reestablish the terrorist organization Hezbollah”, the military said.

Israel begins striking Dahiyeh

Video shows strikes taking place on Dahiyeh shortly after the Israeli military said it would attack the suburbs of Beirut.

_{Smoke rises from an Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs as seen from Baabda, Lebanon}

Israel strikes on southern Beirut ‘no surprise’: Analyst

Speaking to Al Jazeera, analyst Rami Khouri said that Israeli strikes on Lebanon have continued, despite a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah reached in November of last year.

“It’s no surprise,” he said of today’s strike. “They’ve been assassinating people over the last three, four months. They’ve continued occupying five places in South Lebanon after the ceasefire agreement.”

“The Israelis have always used military force as their main instrument to get their foes to submit to them,” he said.  “But the irony is that it hasn’t worked. It has only generated great dissent, and we’ll have to see in Lebanon what it means.”

“Hezbollah took a hit last year, and they’re obviously regrouping,” he said. “We don’t know exactly what they’re doing, but they are regrouping.”

Israeli strikes on Dahiyeh cause ‘a lot of panic’

Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiyeh is a very large area comprising several neighbourhoods. We are talking about hundreds of thousands of people who live here.

The Israeli army, approximately an hour ago in a post on X, threatened to target up to eight buildings in four different locations, calling on the people to evacuate, to move away 300 metres [328 yards] from these buildings. But the reality is, these are major air strikes, so everyone who lives in this whole area has to leave.

There was heavy traffic here as people were making their way out. As you can imagine, this did cause a lot of panic. This is not the first time the army has carried out air strikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs since a ceasefire came into force last November, but this is the largest attack.

If you talk to people here, what they will tell you is that this is terrorism. Israel warns people to leave in the middle of the night and on the eve of a major religious holiday. The Lebanese authorities call these attacks aggression and blatant violations of the ceasefire.

_{Smoke rises, following an Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs}


Israel issues more forced evacuation orders in Lebanon

This time, the Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee has warned residents of the southern Lebanese village of Ain Qana to stay away from two buildings that appear set to be targeted. Ain Qana is located to the east of the coastal city of Sidon.

The Israelis have repeatedly and continuously carried out air strikes across Lebanese territory, claiming Hezbollah activity and giving forced evacuation orders. However the Israeli military never gives any proof or backing for a lot of the claims that they use to justify their air attacks in different parts of the Middle East.

Lebanon’s prime minister says more than 500 Hezbollah installations dismantled

Nawaf Salam has said that the Lebanese military is dismantling infrastructure belonging to the armed group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, stating that the government will continue to push to restore authority over “the entire national territory”.

“The Lebanese army is continuing its deployment and has so far dismantled more than 500 military positions and arms depots south of the Litani river,” the prime minister said during a television address marking his first 100 days in office.

Lebanon prime minister, UN call for Israel to respect ceasefire

Lebanon Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has condemned the Israeli strikes, calling them a “systemic and deliberate of Lebanon and its security, stability and economy” on the eve of Eid al-Adha and as summer tourism season begins.

In a statement released by his office, Salam called on the international community to deter Israeli from “continuing its aggressions” and compel it to fully withdraw from Lebanese territory.

The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, meanwhile, called for a “halt to any actions that could further undermine” the ceasefire. It called on the sides to use available diplomatic tools to “prevent unnecessary and dangerous escalation”.

1/3 Tonight’s strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut generated renewed panic and fear on the eve of Eid Al-Adha.

— UNSCOL (@UNSCOL) June 5, 2025

Israeli defence minister says Lebanon attacks enforce ceasefire

In a post on X, Israel Katz has hailed today’s strikes on southern Beirut, saying they were needed to “enforce the ceasefire rules”.

Israel has repeatedly claimed that Lebanon’s government is unable to oversee the ceasefire agreement reached with Hezbollah in November of last year. It has maintained its attacks on Lebanon since the agreement was reached are in line with the ceasefire.

“We will continue to enforce the ceasefire rules without any compromises and will not allow any entity to create threats against the northern communities and all citizens of the State of Israel,” Katz said.

The UN special coordinator for Lebanon had previously called for a “halt to any actions that could further undermine” the ceasefire.