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Israel Intercepts Last Gaza Flotilla Boat, Begins Deportations 

An Israeli navy vessel escorts a vessel from the Global Sumud Flotilla to Ashdod Port, after Israel intercepted some of the vessels of the Flotilla aiming to reach Gaza and break Israel's naval blockade, in southern Israel, October 2, 2025. REUTERS/Ammar Awad
An Israeli navy vessel escorts a vessel from the Global Sumud Flotilla to Ashdod Port, after Israel intercepted some of the vessels of the Flotilla aiming to reach Gaza and break Israel's naval blockade, in southern Israel, October 2, 2025. REUTERS/Ammar Awad
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Israel Intercepts Last Gaza Flotilla Boat, Begins Deportations 

An Israeli navy vessel escorts a vessel from the Global Sumud Flotilla to Ashdod Port, after Israel intercepted some of the vessels of the Flotilla aiming to reach Gaza and break Israel's naval blockade, in southern Israel, October 2, 2025. REUTERS/Ammar Awad
An Israeli navy vessel escorts a vessel from the Global Sumud Flotilla to Ashdod Port, after Israel intercepted some of the vessels of the Flotilla aiming to reach Gaza and break Israel's naval blockade, in southern Israel, October 2, 2025. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

The Israeli military intercepted the last boat in an aid flotilla attempting to reach blockaded Gaza on Friday, a day after stopping most of the vessels and detaining some 450 activists including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg. 

The organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla said the Marinette was intercepted some 42.5 nautical miles (79 km) from Gaza. Israeli army radio said the navy had taken control of the last ship in the flotilla, detained those aboard and that the vessel was being led to Ashdod port in Israel. 

In a statement, the Global Sumud Flotilla said Israeli naval forces had now "illegally intercepted all 42 of our vessels, each carrying humanitarian aid, volunteers, and the determination to break Israel’s illegal siege on Gaza". 

MARINETTE PASSENGERS CLAIM TO SEE A WARSHIP 

A camera broadcasting from the Marinette showed someone holding up a note saying "We see a ship! It's a warship", before a boat is seen approaching and soldiers boarding. A voice is heard telling the people on board not to move and to put their hands in the air. 

An Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the boat's status.  

The ministry said on Thursday the flotilla's one remaining vessel would be prevented from breaching the blockade if it tried to. 

The flotilla, which set sail in late August, marked the latest attempt by activists to challenge Israel's naval blockade of the enclave, almost two years into Israel's siege of Gaza which was sparked by the Hamas group’s October 7 attacks.  

Israeli officials have repeatedly denounced the mission as a stunt. The foreign ministry had said the flotilla was previously warned that it was approaching an active combat zone and violating a "lawful naval blockade", and asked organizers to change course. It had offered to transfer aid to Gaza. 

The Israeli foreign ministry on Friday said that four Italians had been deported.  

"The rest are in the process of being deported. Israel is keen to end this procedure as quickly as possible," it said in a statement. All the flotilla participants were "safe and in good health", it added. 

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators took to the streets in cities across Europe as well as in Karachi, Buenos Aires and Mexico City on Thursday to protest the flotilla's interception. 

On Friday, tens of thousands of Italians demonstrated, as part of a day-long general strike called by unions in support of the flotilla. 

BEN-GVIR CALLS ACTIVISTS 'TERRORISTS' 

During a visit to Ashdod on Thursday night, Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was filmed calling the activists "terrorists" as he stood in front of them.  

"These are the terrorists of the flotilla," he said, speaking in Hebrew and pointing at dozens of people sitting on the ground. His spokesperson confirmed the video was filmed at Ashdod port on Thursday night. 

Some activists are heard shouting "Free Palestine". 

Cyprus said one of the flotilla boats had docked in Cyprus with 21 foreigners aboard. The vessel had asked to dock in Larnaca for refueling and humanitarian reasons, a Cypriot government spokesperson said. 

The spokesperson did not identify the boat, or say whether it had been among those stopped by the Israeli military. 

Israel has faced widespread global condemnation over the war in Gaza, and is defending itself against charges of genocide in the International Court of Justice. 

Israel says its actions have been in self-defense and has consistently denied genocide allegations. Israel's offensive has killed over 66,000 people, Palestinian health authorities say. It began after Hamas-led fighters attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. About 1,200 people were killed during the assault, and 251 were taken hostage, according to Israeli figures. 

Israel has accepted a new US proposal announced this week to end the war that demands Hamas surrender. US President Donald Trump, who said he would temporarily oversee governance of Gaza under the plan, has given Hamas a few days to respond, and warned Hamas that Israel would continue its siege of Gaza if the group refused. 

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Arab World

Rafah Crossing Traffic Lags Two Weeks after Reopening

Humanitarian and relief aid crosses Rafah Crossing (Egyptian Red Crescent)
Humanitarian and relief aid crosses Rafah Crossing (Egyptian Red Crescent)
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Rafah Crossing Traffic Lags Two Weeks after Reopening

Humanitarian and relief aid crosses Rafah Crossing (Egyptian Red Crescent)
Humanitarian and relief aid crosses Rafah Crossing (Egyptian Red Crescent)

Despite nearly two weeks since the reopening of the Rafah crossing in both directions, the number of people and humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip falls short of what was agreed under the “Gaza ceasefire agreement,” according to an official from the Egyptian Red Crescent in North Sinai.

The daily movement of individuals to and from Gaza does not exceed 50 people, Khaled Zayed, head of the Egyptian Red Crescent in North Sinai, told Asharq Al-Awsat. He said this figure represents only one-third of what was agreed upon in the ceasefire deal.

He added that truck traffic stands at about 100 per day, despite Gaza’s population requiring the entry of around 600 trucks daily.

On Feb. 2, Israel reopened the Rafah crossing on the Palestinian side for individual travel, allowing Palestinians to leave and return to the enclave. Indicators show that most of those departing Gaza are patients and wounded individuals, who are being received at Egyptian hospitals.

This comes as Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty stressed the need to “ensure the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid and not obstruct movement through the Rafah crossing.”

In his remarks during a ministerial Security Council session on developments in the Middle East on Wednesday, he underscored the importance of “halting all measures aimed at displacing residents or altering the demographic character of the occupied Palestinian territories.”

Israel took control of the Rafah border crossing in May 2024, about nine months after the outbreak of the war in Gaza. The reopening of the crossing was part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement that entered into force last October, though the deal remains fragile.

The Egyptian Red Crescent announced the departure of the 14th group of wounded, sick, and injured Palestinians arriving and leaving through the crossing.

In a statement on Thursday, it said humanitarian efforts to receive and see off Palestinians include a comprehensive package of relief services, psychological support for children, distribution of suhoor and iftar meals, and heavy clothing, in addition to providing “return bags” for those heading back to Gaza.

At the same time, the Red Crescent dispatched the 142nd “Zad Al-Ezza” convoy, which includes 197,000 food parcels and more than 235 tons of flour as part of the “Iftar for One Million Fasters” campaign in Gaza.

The convoy also carries more than 390 tons of medicines, relief, and personal care supplies, as well as about 760 tons of fuel, according to the organization’s statement.

Zayed said the daily number of individuals crossing through Rafah over the past two weeks does not compare with what was stipulated in the ceasefire agreement.

With the reopening of the Rafah crossing on the Palestinian side, Israel’s Arabic-language public broadcaster Makan reported that 150 people were expected to leave Gaza, including 50 patients, while 50 people would be allowed to enter the enclave.

Despite what he described as Israeli obstacles, Zayed said allowing the movement of individuals and the wounded represents “an unsatisfactory breakthrough in the humanitarian situation in Gaza,” stressing the need to fulfill the ceasefire’s obligations and advance early recovery efforts inside the territory.

The total number of Palestinians who have left through the Rafah crossing since it reopened on both sides does not exceed 1,000, according to Salah Abdel Ati, head of the International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights.

He said around 20,000 wounded and sick Palestinians require urgent evacuation, and that Israeli restrictions are hindering access to medical care, adding that the humanitarian situation requires continued pressure by mediators on Israel.

Abdelatty told Asharq Al-Awsat he was counting on the outcome of the first meeting of the Board of Peace to adopt easing measures, including lifting Israeli restrictions and establishing guarantees for the ceasefire in the Palestinian territories, as well as securing the funding needed for Gaza’s early recovery, in line with US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for the enclave.

According to a statement by the Egyptian Red Crescent, Egypt continues relief efforts at all logistical hubs to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid, which has exceeded 800,000 tons, with the participation of more than 65,000 volunteers from the Egyptian Red Crescent.

Arab World

US Slaps Sanctions on Sudan’s RSF Commanders over El-Fasher Killings

FILE - A Sudanese child, who fled el-Fasher city with family after Sudan's RSF attacked the western Darfur region, receives treatment at a camp in Tawila, Sudan, Nov. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mohammed Abaker, File)
FILE - A Sudanese child, who fled el-Fasher city with family after Sudan's RSF attacked the western Darfur region, receives treatment at a camp in Tawila, Sudan, Nov. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mohammed Abaker, File)
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US Slaps Sanctions on Sudan’s RSF Commanders over El-Fasher Killings

FILE - A Sudanese child, who fled el-Fasher city with family after Sudan's RSF attacked the western Darfur region, receives treatment at a camp in Tawila, Sudan, Nov. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mohammed Abaker, File)
FILE - A Sudanese child, who fled el-Fasher city with family after Sudan's RSF attacked the western Darfur region, receives treatment at a camp in Tawila, Sudan, Nov. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mohammed Abaker, File)

The United States announced sanctions on Thursday on three Sudanese Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanders over their roles in the "horrific campaign" of the siege and capture of El-Fasher.

The US Treasury said the RSF carried out "ethnic killings, torture, starvation, and sexual violence" in the operation.

Earlier Thursday, the UN's independent fact-finding mission on Sudan said the siege and seizure of the city in Darfur bore "the hallmarks of genocide."

Its investigation concluded that the seizure last October had inflicted "three days of absolute horror," and called for those responsible to be brought to justice.

"The United States calls on the Rapid Support Forces to commit to a humanitarian ceasefire immediately," US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.

"We will not tolerate this ongoing campaign of terror and senseless killing in Sudan."

The Treasury noted that the three sanctioned individuals were part of the RSF's 18-month siege of and eventual capture of El-Fasher.

They are RSF Brigadier General Elfateh Abdullah Idris Adam, Major General Gedo Hamdan Ahmed Mohamed and field commander Tijani Ibrahim Moussa Mohamed.

Bessent warned that Sudan's civil war risks further destabilizing the region, "creating conditions for terrorist groups to grow and threaten the safety and interests of the United States."

The UN probe into the takeover of El-Fasher -- after the 18-month siege -- concluded that thousands of people, particularly from the Zaghawa ethnic group, "were killed, raped or disappeared."

Arab World

Israel's Netanyahu Says No Reconstruction of Gaza before Demilitarization

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - File Photo/AFP
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - File Photo/AFP
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Israel's Netanyahu Says No Reconstruction of Gaza before Demilitarization

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - File Photo/AFP
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - File Photo/AFP

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday there would be no reconstruction of war-shattered Gaza before the disarmament of Hamas, as the "Board of Peace" convened for its inaugural meeting in Washington.

Around two dozen world leaders and senior officials met for the first meeting of the board, which was set up after the United States, Qatar and Egypt negotiated a ceasefire in October to halt two years of war in the Gaza Strip.

"We agreed with our ally the US there will be no reconstruction of Gaza before the demilitarization of Gaza," Netanyahu said during a televised speech at a military ceremony on Thursday, AFP reported.

The meeting in Washington will also look at how to launch the International Stabilization Force (ISF) that will ensure security in Gaza.

One of the most sensitive issues before the board is the future of the Islamist movement Hamas, which fought the war with Israel and still exerts influence in the territory.

Disarmament of the group is a central Israeli demand and a key point in negotiations over the ceasefire's next stage.

US officials including Steve Witkoff, Trump's friend and roving negotiator, have insisted that solid progress is being made and that Hamas is feeling pressure to give up weapons.

Israel has suggested sweeping restrictions including seizing small personal rifles from Hamas.

It remains unclear whether, or how, the Palestinian technocratic committee formed to handle day-to-day governance of Gaza will address the issue of demilitarization.

The 15-member National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) will operate under the supervision of the "Board of Peace", and its head, Ali Shaath, is attending the meeting in Washington on Thursday.