Egypt says international activists must get approval to visit Gaza border area

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry has said that while Egypt welcomes the global outpouring of support for Palestinian rights, all requests to reach the border area with Gaza must adhere to established procedures in place since the war began.

It said those procedures include submitting an official request via Egyptian embassies abroad, foreign embassies in Cairo, or through organisational representatives to the foreign ministry.

“Egypt welcomes the regional and international support, whether official or popular, for legitimate Palestinian rights and rejection of siege, starvation, and Israel’s blatant and systematic violations against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip,” the ministry said in a statement.

But it stressed the importance of adhering to the regulatory measures “to ensure the safety of visiting delegations due to the sensitive security conditions since the onset of the crisis in Gaza”.

The statement comes as hundreds of Tunisian and Algerian activists launched a convoy from Tunis this week to try bring humanitarian aid into Gaza via Egypt’s Rafah crossing.

Translation: Israel and US told us to stop them. Red tape first.

Israeli defence minister orders military to block North African aid convoy to Gaza

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has ordered the army to block a North African aid convoy heading for Gaza, labelling the activists involved as “jihadist protesters”.

In a statement on Wednesday, Katz said he had instructed Israeli forces “to prevent their entry into Gaza from Egypt”.

“I expect the Egyptian authorities to prevent them from reaching the Egypt-Israel border and not allow them to carry out provocations and try to enter Gaza,” he added.

The convoy, made up of more than 1,000 activists travelling in 12 buses and about 100 private vehicles, began its journey from Tunisia on Monday. It is expected to arrive in Egypt on Thursday and make its way towards the Rafah border crossing.

Earlier, we reported that the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday that while it welcomes the global outpouring of support for Palestinian rights, it also emphasised that all requests must adhere to established regulatory procedures.

Israel places two flotilla activists in solitary confinement: Lawyers

We have an update from lawyers representing the Gaza flotilla activists who were detained by Israel while trying to bring aid to the besieged enclave.

Adalah, a legal centre for Palestinians in Israel, said its lawyers have been informed that two of the detained activists were moved into solitary confinement.

Brazilian national Thiago Avila was placed in solitary at Ayalon prison due to an “ongoing hunger and thirst strike” that began this week. “He has also been treated aggressively by prison authorities, although this has not escalated to physical assault,” Adalah said.

Rima Hassan, a French citizen and member of the European Parliament, was also placed in isolation in Neve Tirza prison after writing “Free Palestine” on a wall in another prison called Givon.

“She was moved to a small, windowless cell with extremely poor hygienic conditions and has been denied access to the prison yard,” Adalah said. “The act of isolation and transfer to separate prison facilities constitutes a serious violation of the volunteer’s rights and a clear attempt to exert mental and political pressure on them.”

The rights group called on the Israeli authorities to release the activists from solitary confinement, “cease any retaliatory actions against them”, and immediately release all the detainees.

Israel to expel French Gaza aid boat activists on Thursday and Friday, France says

Israel is to expel four French activists held after security forces intercepted their Gaza-bound aid boat by the end of the week, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said.

The four, who include Rima Hassan, a member of European Parliament from the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party who is of Palestinian descent, will be deported on Thursday and Friday, the minister said on X.

Israeli forces intercepted the Madleen sailboat and its 12 crew members in international waters off the besieged Palestinian territory.

Flotilla activist’s detention aims to silence ‘voice exposing genocide’

We have an update from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), which organised the ship that Israeli forces intercepted while trying to bring humanitarian supplies to Gaza. The group said Rima Hassan, one of the detained flotilla activists and a member of the European Parliament, has been removed from solitary confinement and returned to Givon prison.

“Her detention and the punitive measures taken against her remain a direct attack on a democratically elected official who has consistently advocated for justice, liberation, and an end to the illegal blockade of Gaza,” the FFC said.

Meanwhile, Brazilian activist Thiago Avila, who is also among the detained flotilla participants, remains in solitary confinement in a “small, dark, airless, and contactless cell, where Israeli authorities have threatened to detain him for seven days”, the group said.

“This is yet another attempt to punish and silence a voice exposing the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people,” Avila’s wife, Lara, said in the FFC statement.

Lara, speaking from Brazil, has had no contact with her husband, Thiago Ávila, since he was abducted and detained illegally by Israeli forces from the 'Madleen'.

Since then, @thiagoavilabr has been placed in solitary confinement, denied communication with his family.… pic.twitter.com/S19ZAIowK3

— Freedom Flotilla Coalition (@GazaFFlotilla) June 11, 2025

Israeli army says it recovered bodies of two captives

The military says it recovered the bodies of Yair Yaakov and a second captive, whose name has not yet been released, in a joint operation with the Israeli intelligence agency Shin Bet.

The bodies were recovered from the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza, the army said in a statement. The name of the second captive whose body was recovered will be released later, the army added.

Sanctions on far-right Israeli ministers good but more needed: HRW

Daniela Gavshon, Australia director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), has welcomed the country’s decision this week to impose sanctions on far-right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.

But Gavshon said “further measures are urgently needed”.

“Israeli authorities continue to use starvation as a method of war, flouting three rounds of provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel.

“Australia should sanction additional Israeli officials implicated in grave abuses and ban trade with illegal West Bank settlements,” she said. She also called on the Australian government to use “its leverage to prevent further mass atrocities and hold those responsible accountable”.

Hamas accuses Israel’s Smotrich of implementing ‘fascist policies of annexation’

The Palestinian group has released a statement, calling Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s decision to seize land east of Ramallah, near the illegal settlement outpost of Malachei HaShalom, “a practical implementation of his colonial plans” in the occupied West Bank.

The website of the Arutz Sheva news outlet, also known as the Israeli National News, reported today that the seizure of 800 dunams of land near Malachei HaShalom was approved as part of an initiative led by Smotrich.

Hamas said this move requires “the activation of all forms of popular resistance” in response, as well as “a comprehensive confrontation with the occupation”.

“We call on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities regarding the settlement invasion, organised colonial expansion, and ongoing aggression against the Palestinian people,” it said.

Unarmed Palestinian brothers killed in Israeli raid on West Bank’s Nablus

A Palestinian man in a red cap walks down the narrow alleyway in Nablus’s old city towards a group of Israeli soldiers, clearly unarmed.

He attempts to talk to the soldiers, who had flooded into the occupied West Bank city in the early hours of Tuesday as part of Israel’s latest military raid – believed to be the largest carried out in Nablus in two years.

The soldiers immediately kick and shove the man – 40-year-old Nidal Umairah – before his brother walks over, attempting to intervene. Gunfire follows, and soon the two brothers are lying dead.

Nidal and his brother 35-year-old brother Khaled were the latest victims of Israel in the West Bank, after they were killed late on Tuesday. It is unclear which brother had initially been detained, but witnesses were adamant that the behaviour of the Israeli soldiers was an unnecessary escalation that led to the deaths of yet more Palestinians.

Ghassan Hamdan, the director of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society in Nablus, was at the scene of the killings.

“There were at least 12 soldiers and they all fired their automatic machine guns at once,” said Hamdan. After the two men fell to the ground [medics] asked the soldiers if we could treat their wounds. They answered by firing at all of us.”

“We all took cover behind the walls of the old city,” he told Al Jazeera.

Hamza Abu Hajar, a paramedic at the scene, said that the Umairah brother who had initially approached the Israeli soldiers had been trying to go to his house to move his family out and away from the Israeli raid.

“They lifted his shirt up to prove he was unarmed,” Abu Hajar said. “They then started shooting at him, and at us as well.”

The Israeli army said it acted in self-defence after one of the Umairah brothers tried to seize a weapon from a soldier. It said that four soldiers had been injured in the incident.

Civil defense condemns world’s silence after killing of Gaza paramedics

The Palestinian Civil Defence has expressed grief after three ambulance workers were killed in an Israeli attack on Gaza City’s Tuffah neighbourhood earlier this week. Hussein Muheisen, Raed al-Attar, and Baraa Afana were killed while attempting to rescue injured civilians, the agency said.

It called on the international community to condemn and pressure Israel to halt its attacks on health workers in Gaza.

Israeli destruction of health system aims to drive Palestinians out of Gaza

Yara Asi, a Palestinian American public health expert at the University of Central Florida, said targeting the enclave’s health infrastructure is part of Israel’s plan to drive Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip.

Asi said Israel’s ultimate aim is to displace Palestinians from Gaza by making life impossible in the territory and framing the displacement as “voluntary” migration.

She said research shows that for many people, the inaccessibility of healthcare signals “the end of the road” for the ability to live in a place.

“Israel aims to take Palestinians off their land,” she said. “In the current political environment, I see absolutely no barrier that will prevent Israel from doing exactly this.”

Medical charity condemns deadly Israeli strike on its Gaza office

Doctors of the World has condemned a deadly Israeli drone strike on one of its offices in central Gaza – which killed at least eight people, including four children – in what the medical charity called a “serious violation of international humanitarian law”.

At 11:05am local time (08:05 GMT) yesterday, a building housing the group’s office in Deir el-Balah was struck by Israeli drones, the charity said. The office was on the top floor of the building and, according to the organisation, was clearly marked and registered with Israeli military authorities.

The attack marks the second time the group’s Gaza office has been destroyed. In February 2024, another facility was also hit by Israeli strikes, despite similar efforts to ensure its protection under international law.

Simon Tyler, Doctors of the World director, said, “It is unacceptable that humanitarian spaces are repeatedly struck with impunity by Israeli forces.

“We call on third states to move beyond condemnation and take concrete measures to uphold international humanitarian law and protect humanitarian workers and civilians in Gaza.”

Palestinian children suffer at Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital

Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud has gone inside al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City to speak with UNICEF spokesperson James Elder about how Palestinian children are struggling to get treatment after Israeli attacks.

“Despite doctors’ most incredible efforts, we see children being brutalised, burned … because it’s a war on children,” Elder said. “We don’t say war on children without evidence. We say war on children because of the indiscriminate nature [of Israel’s bombardment],” he added.

Nearly half of Canadians believe Israel committing genocide: Poll

That’s according to a new poll published today by public opinion firm Leger.

Forty-nine percent of Canadians agreed with the idea that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, the poll found, compared with 38 percent of US respondents who said the same.

“In the US, Democrats are also more likely than Republicans to agree with the accusation,” Leger said, by a margin of 52 percent to 30 percent.

The Canadian and US governments have faced growing pressure to curb their support for Israel as it wages war in Gaza, including by suspending weapons sales to the Israeli government.

While the US is Israel’s top global ally, giving at least $3.8bn in military assistance annually, Canada also provides the country with diplomatic support and more limited arms sales.

Still, this week, Ottawa announced sanctions against two far-right Israeli ministers in a move that drew rebuke from Washington.

Only half, I'm disappointed. Shame on the other half.

Record-high percentage of US voters say sympathies lie with Palestinians over Israelis: Poll

A Quinnipiac University poll has found that 37 percent of US voters say their sympathies lie more with Israelis than with Palestinians, compared with 32 percent who say the opposite.

“This is an all-time low for the Israelis and an all-time high for the Palestinians since the Quinnipiac University Poll began asking this question of registered voters in December 2001,” the university said.

The difference in responses was stark when looked at along partisan lines, with 64 percent of Republican voters saying their sympathies lie with Israelis compared with 7 percent who chose Palestinians.

Among Democrats, only 12 percent said their sympathies lie with Israelis, while 60 percent said they lie with Palestinians.

For the most part, Israel enjoys staunch bipartisan support among US lawmakers despite growing public anger over the Israeli war on Gaza and calls to end US military support for the country.

Governing parties reportedly back preliminary vote to dissolve Israel’s Knesset

Israel’s Knesset is expected to hold a preliminary vote on a bill that could dissolve the parliament, a move that could pave the way for new elections, as divisions deepen within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition.

The bill has been put forward by opposition parties who say the current government has lost its legitimacy and ability to govern.

Two ultra-Orthodox parties in Netanyahu’s coalition, United Torah Judaism and Shas, have indicated they may back the opposition’s motion, amid growing anger over efforts to enforce military conscription for Haredi Jews.

However, even if the bill to dissolve the Knesset passes its initial reading, it must still clear three further votes in the full plenum to become law, a process that could take weeks and offers room for a potential compromise between coalition partners.

Sources cited by Israeli newspaper Haaretz say the bill is unlikely to proceed unless it is clear in advance that it has majority support.

Israeli corruption case halts suddenly after Netanyahu claims he feels unwell

The session lasted about an hour before being adjourned. A doctor was called to examine the prime minister, and proceedings were suspended by agreement between the judges and lawyers.

Testimony began on Tuesday morning and is being held behind closed doors due to the sensitive nature of the information involved.

Benjamin Netanyahu is currently on trial in Case 1000, one of several corruption cases in which he faces charges. This particular case focuses on his relationship with two billionaires, Australian businessman James Packer and Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan.

Prosecutors allege that Netanyahu received lavish gifts from the pair, including champagne, cigars, and jewellery, in exchange for political favours. The trial is expected to resume next week.

UN says flour deliveries fall short of what’s needed

The UN’s humanitarian office (OCHA) says only approximately 5,600 tonnes of wheat flour has been allowed into Gaza between May 19 and this morning.

“Most of this assistance was offloaded by hungry people, and in some cases by armed criminals, before reaching warehouses or designated distribution points,” the agency said in an update on the situation.

Between 8,000 and 10,000 tonnes are required to provide at least one page of wheat flour to every household in Gaza, the agency added.

Here’s more from OCHA’s latest update:

Lawyers warn US-backed aid group against ‘complicity’ in Israeli crimes

The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) says it has notified the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) that it could be held liable for “complicity in Israel’s war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide against Palestinians” in Gaza.

As we’ve been reporting, at least 224 Palestinians have been killed trying to get food and other supplies at GHF-run distribution centres, where Israeli forces have routinely opened fire on crowds of desperate aid seekers over the past weeks.

CCR said the US- and Israeli-backed foundation could face a civil lawsuit, as well as possible criminal prosecution in other countries and legal action at international bodies.

“As Palestinians now face mass starvation, Israel has teamed up with GHF to make accessing food not only dangerous and potentially deadly but also a tool of forced displacement,” Katherine Gallagher, a senior staff lawyer at CCR, said in a statement.

“If GHF continues its militarised aid operations, it must be prepared to face the legal consequences, whether in the United States or beyond.”

US group calls on Trump to clarify envoy’s Palestinian state remarks

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is asking US President Donald Trump to clarify his position on the creation of a Palestinian state after the US envoy to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said that was no longer a goal.

Asked in an interview with Bloomberg News published on Tuesday whether a Palestinian state remains a goal of US policy, Huckabee answered: “I don’t think so.”

The US ambassador is a staunch supporter of Israel who has said there is “no such thing” as illegal Israeli settlements or the West Bank.

In a statement, CAIR’s National Executive Director Nihad Awad said the Trump administration must clarify whether Huckabee’s recent comments on a Palestinian state “are his personal views or the new stance of the administration”.

“Is it now our nation’s policy that Palestinians are the only people on earth who do not deserve to live in a sovereign state with full rights and human dignity?” Awad asked. “Our government’s complicity with Israel’s genocide is currently denying life and freedom to Palestinians. Will it also deny them these rights in perpetuity?”

Main events on June 11th

• Israeli forces killed dozens of Palestinians and injured hundreds more as they sought aid at a contentious US- and Israel-backed distribution centre in Gaza.
• A UNICEF spokesperson says Israel is carrying out a “war on children” as the Israeli army’s bombardment and blockade of Gaza have created a hunger crisis and left health workers reeling from a lack of supplies.
• The Israeli military says it has recovered the bodies of two captives after an operation in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis area.
• Calls continue to grow for the release of international activists detained in Israel after their Gaza-bound aid ship was intercepted by Israeli forces.

Judge rules Trump cannot use foreign policy claim to deport Mahmoud Khalil

A federal judge in New Jersey has ruled the administration of United States President Donald Trump cannot use an obscure law to detain Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil for his pro-Palestine advocacy.

The ruling from US District Judge Michael Farbiarz on Wednesday cut to the core of the Trump administration’s justification for deporting Khalil, a permanent US resident. But it came short of ordering Khalil’s immediate release from detention.

Instead, Judge Farbiarz gave the administration until 9:30am local (13:30 GMT) on Friday to appeal. After that point, Khalil would be eligible for release on a $1 bail.

Nevertheless, the judge wrote that the administration was violating Khalil’s right to free speech by detaining and trying to deport him under a provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952. That provision allows the secretary of state to remove foreign nationals who bear “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States”.

Judge Farbiarz has previously signalled he believes that provision to be unconstitutional, contradicting the right to free speech.

“The petitioner’s career and reputation are being damaged and his speech is being chilled,” Farbiarz wrote on Wednesday. “This adds up to irreparable harm.”

Khalil was arrested on March 8 after immigration agents showed up at his student apartment building at Columbia University in New York City. After his arrest, the State Department revoked his green card. He has since been held at an immigration detention centre in Louisiana.

The administration has accused Khalil, a student protest leader, of anti-Semitism and supporting Hamas, but officials have offered no evidence to support their claims, either publicly or in court files.

Critics have instead argued that the administration is using such claims to silence all forms of pro-Palestine advocacy.

Like other student protesters targeted for deportation, Khalil is challenging his deportation in immigration court, while simultaneously challenging his arrest and detention in federal proceedings.

The latter is called a habeas corpus petition, and it asserts that the Trump administration has violated his civil liberties by unlawfully keeping him behind bars.