Two Gaza flotilla activists are set to appear before an Israeli court today. These two foreign activists, part of a Gaza-bound humanitarian flotilla, were brought to Israel for interrogation after their vessels were intercepted. The flotilla, comprising over 50 vessels, had departed from France, Spain, and Italy with the aim of breaching the Israeli blockade of Gaza and delivering supplies to the besieged Palestinian territory. Israeli forces intercepted them in international waters off Greece on Thursday, stating they removed approximately 175 activists, with two taken to Israel for questioning. Spanish national Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian Thiago Avilo are scheduled to be presented before a court in Ashkelon. Miriam Azem, international advocacy coordinator at the rights group Adalah, noted that they have not yet been brought before the court.
Separately, Israel has granted final approval for a multi-billion dollar plan to acquire two new combat squadrons of F-35 and F-15IA aircraft from Lockheed Martin and Boeing, as announced by the Defence Ministry.
Regarding diplomatic efforts, Iran has reportedly softened its proposal, though a significant gap persists between Washington and Tehran. Paul Musgrave, an associate professor of government at Georgetown University in Qatar, suggests that Trump may have rejected the new Iranian proposal without review. Musgrave told Al Jazeera that reports indicate a slight softening, possibly with Iran dropping its precondition for the US to cease its distant blockade of Iranian traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. However, the proposal reportedly still insists on maintaining Iran’s sovereign right to enrich uranium, its nuclear program, and a ‘control mechanism’ over shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Musgrave emphasized that the US and Iran remain ‘far, far apart’ on key issues like uranium enrichment and the transfer of highly enriched uranium, with President Trump unyielding on Iran surrendering its nuclear capability.
In a domestic development, Iran has executed Mehrab Abdollahzadeh, a man convicted of involvement in the killing of a security officer during the 2022 unrest. The Supreme Court upheld his death sentence in late 2025. Abdollahzadeh was identified as a key individual responsible for the death of Abbas Fatemiyeh amidst nationwide protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody. While the Iranian judiciary’s news outlet, Mizan, reported his confession to assaulting the security officer, rights group HRANA cited an informed source claiming Abdollahzadeh was tortured to extract a forced confession.
Meanwhile, Iranian authorities plan to transform the heavily bombed Isfahan University of Technology into a ‘war museum’ to document the impact of US-Israeli strikes. Zafarollah Kalantari, head of the institution, stated that the damaged site would be preserved as a historical record of the country’s ‘scientific oppression.’ Other areas are designated for new construction and advanced equipment. Initial assessments estimate the damage to the university’s infrastructure at approximately $11 million. US-Israeli strikes hit the institution in March, following the war’s commencement on February 28 and its subsequent spread across the Middle East. Officials report that over 30 universities across Iran, including in Tehran, along with residential areas and other civilian infrastructure, have been targeted by US-Israeli strikes.
In Lebanon, an emergency physician with Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Tyre, Thienminh Dinh, described the dire conditions in hospitals affected by the Israeli offensive, asserting that the ‘ceasefire’ is ‘in name only.’ She highlighted that civilians, children, paramedics, and journalists are still being targeted, citing recent cases of severely injured children. Dinh stressed the emotional toll of telling a child ‘it is going to be OK’ when their mother’s fate is unknown.
The Horn of Africa is witnessing a resurgence of piracy, with at least three vessels targeted off Somalia this week. Analysts fear a return to the early 2000s, when the region was a piracy hotspot, costing the global economy up to $18 billion annually. While intermittent hijackings have occurred, the recent rapid succession of seized tankers has heightened concerns, with some questioning if the Iran war is a contributing factor.
In southern Lebanon, residents of three villages have been ordered to flee, marking the first time for these specific communities. This comes despite a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, which took effect in mid-April and has been extended to mid-May, but is widely considered to exist ‘in name only.’ A Chinese diplomat reportedly referred to it as a ‘lesser fire.’ Israel maintains five divisions of its invading army in the south, extensively bombing and demolishing homes. The forced evacuation orders, issued to 11 villages, include some north of the Litani River, indicating an expanding Israeli area of operations. This situation prevents residents from returning home, placing immense strain on Lebanon’s fragile state and public services like healthcare.
Tragically, a 50-year-old Palestinian citizen of Israel was shot dead in Shefa-Amr, marking the 100th such killing this year. Wafa news agency reports an unprecedented rise in murders within the Palestinian community in Israel, with police failing to address the issue and most cases remaining unsolved with ‘unknown perpetrators.’ Of this year’s victims, 90 were shot, one woman burned to death, and others stabbed. Forty-eight victims were under 30, including eight women, and three were shot by Israeli police. Palestinian citizens of Israel face increasing violence and discriminatory legislation. In 2025, 252 of the 300 murder victims in Israel were Palestinians. In 2019, approximately 1.9 million Palestinians held Israeli citizenship, descendants of those who remained after Israel’s founding in 1948, while 750,000 were expelled or fled, and thousands were killed by Zionist militias.
Finally, the Lebanese state-run National News Agency has reported Israeli artillery shelling in the southern district of Tyre, including Froun, Ghandouriyeh, and the outskirts of al-Mansouri, Qlailah, and the hills of Majdal Zoun. This follows an earlier Israeli military warning threatening attacks on 12 southern Lebanese towns and villages and ordering residents to flee.
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