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Italy’s Navy to Quit Gaza Flotilla as Risk of Israeli Attack Looms

Greta Thunberg and a crew member flash victory signs from their ship, part of the Global Sumud Flotilla aiming to reach Gaza and break Israel's naval blockade, as they sail off Crete island, Greece, September 25, 2025. (Reuters)
Greta Thunberg and a crew member flash victory signs from their ship, part of the Global Sumud Flotilla aiming to reach Gaza and break Israel's naval blockade, as they sail off Crete island, Greece, September 25, 2025. (Reuters)
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Italy’s Navy to Quit Gaza Flotilla as Risk of Israeli Attack Looms

Greta Thunberg and a crew member flash victory signs from their ship, part of the Global Sumud Flotilla aiming to reach Gaza and break Israel's naval blockade, as they sail off Crete island, Greece, September 25, 2025. (Reuters)
Greta Thunberg and a crew member flash victory signs from their ship, part of the Global Sumud Flotilla aiming to reach Gaza and break Israel's naval blockade, as they sail off Crete island, Greece, September 25, 2025. (Reuters)

Italy's navy will stop following the international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza once it gets within 150 nautical miles (278 km) of the shore, the Italian defense ministry said on Tuesday.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, consisting of more than 40 civilian boats carrying parliamentarians, lawyers and activists including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, aims to break Israel's blockade of the Palestinian enclave.

Once the convoy reaches the 150 nautical miles limit, the Italian frigate accompanying it will stop, "as communicated several times in recent days," the ministry said in a statement.

The ship will issue two warnings to activists, with the second and final one foreseen at around 00:00 GMT, when the flotilla is expected to get within the stated distance, the statement added.

Earlier on Tuesday, an Italian spokeswoman for the flotilla, Maria Elena Delia, said that activists had been informed about the government's plans to have the navy ship stop and turn back to avoid "a diplomatic incident" with Israel.

She said the flotilla had no intention of heeding Italy's warnings not to get closer to the shore. Italy and Spain deployed navy vessels last week to assist the flotilla, after it was hit by drones armed with stun grenades and irritants in international waters off Greece, but without any intention to engage militarily.

Delia said activists were bracing for another strike in the coming hours. "Israel will probably attack us tonight, because all the signals point to this happening," she said in a video on Instagram.

Israel did not respond to flotilla accusations that it was behind last week's attacks, but it has vowed to use any means to prevent the boats from reaching Gaza, arguing that its blockade is legal as part of its war against Hamas militants.

Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto has said he expects flotilla boats to be intercepted in the open sea and activists to face arrest.

On Tuesday, Crosetto made a "last appeal" to flotilla members to accept a compromise proposal to drop aid in Cyprus and avoid a confrontation with Israeli forces. Flotilla representatives have repeatedly refused the offer.

Israel began its Gaza offensive after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken as hostages, according to Israeli tallies. The offensive has since killed over 66,000 Palestinians, Gaza health authorities say.

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Arab World

Trump’s Envoys Meet Mediators, Israel Strikes Gaza

15 August 2026, Palestinian Territories, Gaza: Tents sheltering displaced Palestinians crowd the beach, as the coastline has become a refuge for thousands displaced from different parts of the Gaza Strip by the war. (dpa)
15 August 2026, Palestinian Territories, Gaza: Tents sheltering displaced Palestinians crowd the beach, as the coastline has become a refuge for thousands displaced from different parts of the Gaza Strip by the war. (dpa)
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Trump’s Envoys Meet Mediators, Israel Strikes Gaza

15 August 2026, Palestinian Territories, Gaza: Tents sheltering displaced Palestinians crowd the beach, as the coastline has become a refuge for thousands displaced from different parts of the Gaza Strip by the war. (dpa)
15 August 2026, Palestinian Territories, Gaza: Tents sheltering displaced Palestinians crowd the beach, as the coastline has become a refuge for thousands displaced from different parts of the Gaza Strip by the war. (dpa)

Donald Trump's envoys met with Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish mediators in Cairo on Sunday, a diplomatic source said, in a bid to advance the US president's Gaza peace plan, even as Israel pressed on with airstrikes in the enclave.

Hamas officials were present at some of the meetings between mediators and with Trump's envoy and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Nickolay Mladenov, Trump's Board of Peace envoy for Gaza, the diplomat said.

A senior Israeli official said Kushner and Mladenov were scheduled to meet on Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who on August 9 said ‌Trump's latest roadmap ‌for Gaza peace was “unacceptable”.

GAZA MEDICS SAY STRIKES INJURED SEVERAL PEOPLE

The official ‌said ⁠that Israel was ⁠concerned about Washington's demand to end targeted assassinations of Hamas fighters in Gaza as the group rebuilds its forces.

Trump's peace plan calls for the immediate cessation of military operations in Gaza. It foresees Hamas disarming as Israeli troops withdraw from the enclave and Gaza is rebuilt under a new civilian Palestinian administration.

After scaling back its attacks in the enclave earlier this month, Israel's airstrikes have resumed in the past few days.

The Israeli military said on Sunday ⁠that its aircraft struck two Islamic Jihad and Hamas fighters in Khan ‌Younis and Nuseirat. At least five Palestinians were ‌injured in the strike which hit a tent encampment, medics in the enclave said.

One of the ‌injured in the strike on Khan Younis in southern Gaza died from their wounds, ‌medics at Nasser hospital said later.

A separate airstrike, which the Israeli military said targeted another fighter, hit an apartment in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, wounding several people, medics said.

Earlier, Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayya met with Egypt's intelligence chief Hassan Rashad in Cairo. Hamas spokesperson in Gaza, Hazem Qassem, ‌said Al-Hayya would brief mediators on what he said were Israel's ceasefire violations.

Kushner had earlier met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, ⁠Sisi's office said.

Trump ⁠announced last month that there had been a breakthrough in his plan to end the war, to which both Israel and Hamas had agreed.

Hamas said it had agreed to the plan to avoid a resumption of the war, but added that implementation of the deal would depend on Israel first meeting its own commitments, including withdrawing its forces and halting attacks.

An October ceasefire halted major fighting in a devastating two-year war in Gaza that was sparked by Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, but it failed to end Israeli attacks entirely.

Israeli fire has killed more than 1,250 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them civilians, since October. It is unclear how many of those killed were gunmen, as Hamas does not usually disclose information about dead fighters.

Four Israeli soldiers were killed by fighters in Gaza over the same period, according to Israeli figures.

Arab World

Yemeni Army Says it Carried out 181 Operations against Houthis in 24 Hours

Military operations in the Taiz region. (Saba)
Military operations in the Taiz region. (Saba)
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Yemeni Army Says it Carried out 181 Operations against Houthis in 24 Hours

Military operations in the Taiz region. (Saba)
Military operations in the Taiz region. (Saba)

The Yemeni military announced Sunday that it carried out 181 military operations over the past 24 hours, targeting Houthi militia positions across various fronts.

The military confirmed that the strikes killed and injured dozens of Houthi fighters, and destroyed weapons depots, equipment, and military vehicles.

Yemen's armed forces spokesperson Colonel Majed Al-Nazili said the operations were executed using drones, artillery, and rocket launchers. He added that the strikes targeted military positions, assets, and Houthi threats across several combat sectors.

In a statement, Al-Nazili said that the strikes destroyed dozens of pieces of equipment and vehicles, along with several weapons depots and military assets, noting that "direct hits were achieved on the designated targets."

The operations focused on Houthi positions in Taiz, Marib, Hodeidah, Dhale, Abyan, Shabwa, Lahj, Mokha, Hailan, Harib and other regions.

Government forces possess the "necessary capability and readiness to reach threat sources, neutralize them, and prevent them from continuing their hostile acts," said Al-Nazili.

He stressed that the forces executed their missions with "high efficiency and operational discipline," while adhering to the rules of engagement and the provisions of international humanitarian law, and taking the necessary precautions to protect civilians.

Al-Nazili said the operations were a response to "repeated Houthi terrorist attacks" targeting civilians, civilian locations, economic facilities, and ports, as well as units government forces.

The Houthi militia targeted residential neighborhoods in the city of Marib on Saturday evening with six ballistic missiles and four drones.

The attacks resulted in casualties and injuries, as well as material damage to several houses, vehicles, and civilian property.

Al-Nazili said the armed forces are at the "highest state of readiness" and capable of taking the initiative and imposing a new equation on the ground. He underscored their preparedness to execute the tasks assigned to them and to deal with various developments in line with the directives of the political and military leadership.

Arab World

Israel’s Ben-Gvir Advocates Killing ‘30 to 40’ People in Gaza Nightly While Speaking to Ex-Hostage

Thousands of makeshift tents of displaced Palestinian families are put up on the beach in western Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 14 August 2026. (EPA)
Thousands of makeshift tents of displaced Palestinian families are put up on the beach in western Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 14 August 2026. (EPA)
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Israel’s Ben-Gvir Advocates Killing ‘30 to 40’ People in Gaza Nightly While Speaking to Ex-Hostage

Thousands of makeshift tents of displaced Palestinian families are put up on the beach in western Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 14 August 2026. (EPA)
Thousands of makeshift tents of displaced Palestinian families are put up on the beach in western Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 14 August 2026. (EPA)

An extremist Israeli lawmaker in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition publicly advocated for killing “30 to 40” people in Gaza each night, comments that surfaced Sunday and were quickly shared by Palestinian media.

Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir made the statement while speaking to a former Gaza-held hostage, Rom Braslavski, on Braslavski's podcast. The two were discussing Israel's recovery from the Hamas attack of Oct. 7, 2023, when Ben-Gvir criticized Israel's recent drawdown of strikes in Gaza.

“It’s no secret, I disagree with the prime minister,” he said. “I think targeted assassinations should be carried out in Gaza, taking down 30 to 40 every night. Not just those who pose an immediate threat — there are people there who are not worthy of life. They shouldn’t live. They’re not even people.”

In the past, similar statements by Ben-Gvir and other Israeli officials were widely condemned. Many have been presented to the UN’s world court as evidence of genocidal intent. Israel denies it has committed genocide in Gaza.

Israel’s domestic media has made scarce mention of the statement, highlighting how once-fringe ideologies like Ben-Gvir’s are surging in the leadup to Israeli elections Oct. 27.

Figures like Ben-Gvir have become more popular among Israelis since Hamas’ brutal attack in 2023, when the fighters killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostage. Many hostages have recounted long-term starvation, physical and psychological abuse and, in some cases, sexual abuse.

Ben-Gvir does not have power over the country’s military and cannot order strikes on Gaza. But, after operating for decades within Israel's far-right fringe, he is now one of the most influential people in the country.

He has substantial control over key parts of Israel’s security apparatus, running the country’s prisons — where thousands of Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank are incarcerated — as well as the national police force.

He has previously boasted of lessening food rations for Palestinian prisoners. Israel’s top court ruled in 2025 that the prison service under Ben-Gvir was depriving Palestinians of a minimum subsistence diet.

Ben-Gvir criticizes drawdown of Israeli strikes in Gaza

Until recently, Israel was striking Gaza nearly every day, attacks that have killed over 1,250 people since an October truce deal came into effect, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Israel's military, which says the strikes have targeted Hamas fighters, appeared to ease off on the attacks in a quiet concession to US President Donald Trump after Netanyahu rejected the president’s latest attempt to move the truce forward.

Israeli media last week reported that the authority for carrying out strikes has now been limited to the army’s chief of staff, raising the ire of right-wing lawmakers such as Ben-Gvir.

Ben-Gvir advocates mass emigration, expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza

In the same taped appearance, the lawmaker advocated for mass emigration of Palestinians from Gaza — a proposal that international lawyers say could amount to ethnic cleansing — and resettlement of Gaza by Israel.

Twenty years ago, Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip, dismantling a block of 21 Jewish settlements known as “Gush Katif” and pulling out its forces.

“I see all of Gaza as ours,” said Ben-Gvir in the interview. “Settlements not just in Gush Katif but throughout Gaza, encouraging as much emigration as possible, sending them to their countries, and for the terrorists, no emigration, nothing, just to kill them one by one.”

Trump’s latest proposal involves Hamas gradually giving up its weapons while Israeli forces halt their attacks and begin withdrawing from Gaza. Hamas accepted the deal, although the group linked the surrender of its heaviest weapons to the creation of a Palestinian state, something Israel’s current government and most of its political class adamantly reject.

Netanyahu says Israel will not retreat from any of its positions in Gaza until Hamas has been completely disarmed. The stance leaves other elements of the ceasefire, including the deployment of international forces and any reconstruction of the devastated territory, on hold.