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The Times of Israel liveblogged Thursday’s events as they unfolded.
US detains sister of Cuban military conglomerate chief
The United States arrested Adys Lastres Morera, the sister of the executive president of GAESA, a sprawling conglomerate of military-run businesses, Secretary of State Marco Rubio says.
Morera, who entered the United States as a lawful permanent resident in 2023, is now in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement pending removal proceedings, according to separate statement from ICE.
Morera’s presence poses a threat to the United States and undermines American foreign policy interests, the statement says.
Cuba’s leadership rarely talks publicly about GAESA, which stands for Grupo de Administración Empresarial — or “business administration group.”
It has long held that such discretion is necessary to confront a US trade and financial blockade that severely complicates the island’s business with the outside world.
Reuters is not immediately able to reach out to representatives of Morera for comment.
Republicans delay House vote to halt Iran war that was on verge of passing
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, and House GOP leaders depart a news conference, at the Capitol in Washington, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans struggled yesterday to find the votes to dismiss legislation that would compel President Donald Trump to withdraw from the war with Iran, delaying planned votes on the matter into June.
The House had scheduled a vote on a war powers resolution, brought by Democrats, that would rein in Trump’s military campaign. But as it becomes clear that Republicans would not have the numbers to defeat the bill, GOP leaders decline to hold a vote on it.
Republicans are also working to ensure they have the votes to dismiss another war powers resolution in the Senate that advanced to a final vote earlier this week, when four GOP senators supported the resolution and three others were absent from the vote.
The actions by congressional leaders showed the increasing difficultly of maintaining political backing for Trump’s handling of the war. Rank-and-file Republicans are increasingly willing to defy the president over the conflict.
Turkish court ousts main opposition chief in blow to Erdogan’s rivals
Leader of Turkey's main opposition party, Republican People's Party (CHP), Ozgur Ozel (C) gives a press conference near Marmara Prison, known as Silivri Prison, in Istanbul, on September 26, 2025. (Ozan KOSE / AFP)
ANKARA, Turkey — A Turkish court effectively ousts the main opposition leader Ozgur Ozel, annulling the 2023 party congress that elected him chairman in a ruling that dealt a blow to President Tayyip Erdogan’s challengers and hit financial markets.
The appeals court annulled the congress over irregularities and ruled that former Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu — a divisive figure within the party who lost to Erdogan in an election earlier in 2023 — should replace his successor Ozel.
The case was seen as a test of Turkey’s shaky balance between democracy and autocracy, and the ruling may throw the opposition into further disarray and possible infighting. It could also boost Erdogan’s chances of extending his more than two-decade rule of the big NATO member country and major emerging market economy.
The CHP rejects the ruling as an “attempted coup,” while the government — which denies criticism that it uses courts to target political opponents — says it renewed Turks’ faith in the rule of law.
‘Bad timing’: Trump says he may miss Don Jr.’s wedding due to Iran war
US President Donald Trump and Donald Trump Jr. watch from the Rose Garden as Marine One departs after their arrival at the White House, May 3, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
US President Donald Trump says he will try to make it to his eldest son’s wedding but that it’s “bad timing” because of the Iran war.
Donald Trump Jr, 48, is set to tie the knot for the second time this weekend, marrying Bettina Anderson in the Bahamas, US media reports.
But at the same time Trump is working on a deal to end his unpopular war with Iran, which has sunk the president’s poll ratings and sparked voter anger over the cost of living ahead of November’s midterm elections.
“He’d like me to go. It’s going to be just a small little private affair and I’m going to try and make it,” Trump tells reporters in the Oval Office when asked if he will attend his son’s wedding.
“I said, ‘This is not good timing for me. I have a thing called Iran and other things.'”
Trump says he is conscious of how the media will cover it if he does go to the wedding in the middle of a war that remains stuck in a stalemate.
“That’s one I can’t win on. If I do attend, I get killed. If I don’t attend, I get killed — by the fake news of course,” Trump says.
“Hopefully they’re going to have a great marriage.”
Reporter: Are you attending your son’s wedding?
Trump: He’d like me to go. I’m going to try. I said, this is not good timing for me. I have a thing called Iran and other things. He’s a person I’ve known for a long time. pic.twitter.com/lGdjvU7oD0
— Acyn (@Acyn) May 21, 2026
Gaps narrowed but still no deal with US, senior Iranian source tells Reuters
A senior Iranian source tells Reuters that no deal has been reached with the US, but gaps have been narrowed, adding that Iran’s uranium enrichment and Tehran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz remain among the sticking points.
US said to use over half its THAAD interceptors defending Israel from Iranian missiles
The US military deploys a THAAD missile defense system in Israel, March 2019. (US Army Europe/File)
The US used up more than half of its inventory of THAAD anti-missile interceptors while defending Israel from Iranian attacks during the recent war, The Washington Post reports.
According to the report, the United States also used over 100 SM-3 and SM-6 interceptors to defend Israel, which itself used fewer than 100 Arrow interceptors and around 90 from the David Sling’s system.
A US official tells the newspaper that if fighting renews with Iran, the US will likely need to use even more interceptors defending Israel because of a decision by the latter to send some missile defense batteries for maintenance.
“Israel is not capable of fighting and winning wars on its own, but nobody actually knows this, because they never see the back end,” says a US official quoted in the report.
The Pentagon denies to The Washington Post that there is any issue of burden sharing with Israel, saying, “Ballistic missile interceptors are just one tool in a vast network of systems and capabilities.”
The Israeli Embassy in Washington says in response that “the US has no other partner with the military willingness, readiness, shared interests and capabilities of Israel.”
US says removal of anti-Israel UN envoy from sanctions list is temporary, not a policy change
UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine Francesca Albanese in Cape Town, South Africa, October 28, 2025. (Rodger Bosch/AFP)
The US decision to remove Francesca Albanese, a UN special rapporteur on the West Bank and Gaza, from a list of sanctioned individuals is temporary and does not reflect a policy change, a State Department spokesperson says.
The spokesperson adds that the US government has appealed a temporary court order blocking the sanctions against Albanese, who has long been accused of antisemitism and extremist rhetoric against Israel, and will reimpose the sanctions if the ruling is overturned.
Anti-Israel commentators from all sides of spectrum lament Republican Massie’s primary loss
US Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, speaks after losing the Republican party's nomination during an election night watch party at the Marriott Cincinnati Airport, May 19, 2026, in Hebron, Kentucky. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Anti-Israel and anti-Zionist commentators from the far left, the far right and Middle Eastern groups lament Republican Thomas Massie’s loss in a primary election this week.
Massie is one of the Republican Party’s only anti-Israel representatives.
“Thomas Massie’s primary defeat is the saddest political development in a long time,” far-right commentator Tucker Carlson says, accusing a “globalist lobby” of orchestrating Massie’s loss.
“Globalist” is sometimes a dog whistle for Jews and anti-Israel commentators fixate on the pro-Israel lobby in the US.
“Thomas Massie was the standalone, lone voice, and lone vote against funding Israel” in the party, says the far-left Hasan Piker.
“I don’t agree with Thomas Massie on 98% of issues,” he says, “and yet on this one issue he showed integrity and he was punished for it.”
The Palestinian Youth Movement says Massie “consistently opposed aid packages to Israel.”
“Consequently, the Zionist lobby spent record amounts of money to unseat Massie,” the group says. “Tuesday night’s results show us just how dangerous the Zionist lobby remains on the US political scene.”
The far left, the far right and Middle Eastern groups represent the three pillars of the anti-Zionist movement in the US.
The three movements agree on little besides their shared antipathy to Israel.
US sanctions 9 over Hezbollah links, including terror group’s MPs and Lebanese army officers
The United States sanctions nine Hezbollah-linked individuals it accuses of “obstructing the peace process in Lebanon.”
“Hezbollah is a terrorist organization and must be fully disarmed,” says Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
“Treasury will continue to take action against officials who have infiltrated the Lebanese government and are enabling Hezbollah to wage its senseless campaign of violence against the Lebanese people and obstruct lasting peace.”
The Iran-backed terror group has staunchly opposed recent direct peace talks between Lebanese and Israeli representatives. Washington and its ally Israel have called for the complete disarmament of Hezbollah.
Among those sanctioned are Hezbollah MPs Hassan Fadlallah, Ibrahim al-Moussawi and Hussein al-Hajj Hassan, and executive council leader Mohamed Abdel-Mottaleb Fanich.
Washington has also sanctioned Mohammad Reza Sheibani, the Iranian ambassador-designate to Lebanon who was declared persona non grata and ordered to leave the country in March.
Others sanctioned include Ahmad Asaad Baalbaki and Ali Ahmad Safawi of Hezbollah political ally Amal, and serving Lebanese military officers Brigadier-General Khattar Nasser Eldin and Colonel Samir Hamadi.
In a separate statement, the US State Department says it’s offering a reward of up to $10 million “for information leading to the disruption of the financial mechanisms of Hezbollah.”
Gaza war and Israel go unmentioned in Democrats’ 2024 election autopsy report
US President Joe Biden, right, clasps the hand of his vice president Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, August 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Gaza and Israel go unmentioned in the Democrats’ 190-page autopsy of Kamala Harris’s 2024 presidential election loss that the Democratic National Committee released to CNN.
Critics of the Biden administration’s support for Israel during the war in Gaza that began with the Hamas-led invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023, have alleged that the party was suppressing its internal findings about the election, which returned President Donald Trump to office, because it would show that Biden’s stance was deeply unpopular.
Axios reported in February that the top Democrats who worked on the report concluded that Harris “lost significant support because of the Biden administration’s approach to the war in Gaza.”
If that is the case, it’s not reflected in the document that CNN publishes. But portions of the document are not included, with notes saying that the executive summary and conclusion had not been shared by the authors.
The report points to 10 different “strategic implications” for Democrats, including that “anti-Trump sentiment has limits,” male voters “require direct engagement,” and that voter demographics are not enough to determine which candidate they’ll prefer.
CNN reports that the document was written by Democratic strategist Paul Rivera and annotated by the DNC. The DNC released the document following questions raised by CNN, the network reports.
DNC Chairman Ken Martin tells CNN that the report was not yet ready to be publicly released, but concluded that withholding it would create a larger distraction than releasing an incomplete version. “I sincerely apologize,” he says.
“For full transparency, I am releasing the report as we received it, in its entirety, unedited and unabridged,” Martin says. “It does not meet my standards, and it won’t meet your standards, but I am doing this because people need to be able to trust the Democratic Party and trust our word.”
Hundreds of Jewish leaders demand Israeli ambassador apologize for calling J Street a ‘cancer’
More than 500 rabbis, cantors and Jewish communal leaders have signed onto a letter calling on Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, to rescind and apologize for remarks describing J Street as a “cancer within the Jewish community.”
The letter, which J Street shared with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, accuses Leiter, a Netanyahu appointee and former settler leader, of using language that “dehumanizes fellow Jews” during his remarks in Washington, DC, on Monday.
J Street is the leading liberal pro-Israel lobby and has increasingly staked out positions that have departed from other mainstream pro-Israel groups. Last month, the group announced its opposition to continued US military aid to Israel, which Leiter decried in his remarks.
The signatories write that while Judaism embraces vigorous debate, disagreements must be conducted with “humanity, humility and respect for the dignity of every Jew.”
“At this painful and polarized moment in Jewish life, leaders on both sides of the ocean bear a heightened responsibility to lower the flames rather than fan them further,” the letter reads. “We therefore call on you to retract your remarks and issue a public apology to the many American Jews, rabbis, cantors and communal leaders who have been hurt by them.”
Among the signatories are New York Representative Jerrold Nadler, former US ambassadors to Israel Daniel Kurtzer and Tom Nides, National Council of Jewish Women CEO Jody Rabhan, Union for Reform Judaism President Rabbi Rick Jacobs and Rabbi David Saperstein, the director emeritus of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.
The letter comes as Leiter’s predecessor as ambassador, Michael Herzog, says that J Street isn’t pro-Israel.
“To me, to be pro-Israel is to draw a clear line between criticizing Israeli government policies — and supporting anti-Israel agendas and libels de-legitimizing the State of Israel,” Herzog writes on X. “To be pro-Israel is to go from pronouncing support for Israel’s right to exist (thank you for the generosity…), to supporting the provision of the means critical to defending that very existence.”
He adds: “To be pro-Israel is to listen to Israelis; In our vibrant democracy, most Israelis share the view that j-street doesn’t qualify as pro-Israel.”
‘Not going to let them have it’: Trump insists US ‘will get’ Iran’s enriched uranium
US President Donald Trump speaks during an event about loosening a federal refrigerant rule, in the Oval Office at the White House, May 21, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
US President Donald Trump says that the United States does not want tolls on the Strait of Hormuz and will retrieve Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
“We will get it. We don’t need it, we don’t want it. We’ll probably destroy it after we get it, but we’re not going to let them have it,” Trump tells reporters at the White House.
Board of Peace envoy urges UN Security Council ‘to use every means at its disposal’ to disarm Hamas
Nickolay Mladenov, who is overseeing the US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza, warns the UN Security Council that every act of violence there risks “unraveling” the ceasefire. He says Hamas must accept the roadmap to peace and Israel must uphold its obligations, while calling for the United Nations “to use every means at its disposal” to press the Gaza-ruling Palestinian terror group to disarm.
The high representative for the Board of Peace says the choice before Hamas and Israel is “a deteriorating status quo” or a new beginning for two million Palestinians, now waiting “in desperate conditions.”
“There is no third option,” Mladenov stresses. “There never was, and the people of Gaza should not be made to wait while some pretend there is.”
He goes through the 15 points in the roadmap, stressing that the board is not a substitute for Palestinian governance of Gaza.
Rubio: Trump has ‘been clear he has other options’ if no good Iran deal reached
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says that despite “good signs” in the talks with Iran, “other options” remain on the table.
Being careful not to sound overtly optimistic, Rubio tells reporters that while Pakistan and other regional allies are hard at work to bring a diplomatic resolution on Iran, with some officials traveling to Tehran today, Washington remains ready with alternative plans.
“The president’s preference is to do a good deal. That’s his preference. It’s always been his preference. If we can get a good deal done, that would be great,” he says. “But if we can’t get a good deal, the president’s been clear he has other options.”
Israeli envoy to US rebukes Likud minister who attacked Reform Jews while defending crime family member
Social Equality Minister May Golan at a court hearing at the Rishon Lezion Magistrate's Court on September 15, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
For the second time in days, Israel’s envoy to the United States condemns a minister in the government that appointed him for lashing out at Reform Jews while defending a member of an organized crime family who is a prominent activist in the ruling Likud party.
In remarks from the Knesset rostrum on Wednesday, Social Equality Minister May Golan of Likud railed at The Democrats MK Gilad Kariv, who is a reform rabbi, claiming that Kariv can’t measure up to convict Rafi Kedoshim because “you marry dogs in your crazy synagogues.”
Writing on X, Ambassador Yechiel Leiter states that he denounces Golan’s remarks “in the strongest terms.”
“As an Orthodox Jew and as Israel’s representative to the United States, I find her words disgusting and reprehensible, worthy of excoriation and rebuke,” Leiter says, adding that while “theological, political and ideological differences are fine… there is a line that cannot be crossed, it is a line that divides debate from hate and separates altruism from populism.”
“Too many are crossing the line. Mai Golan’s statement is one of them. I will visit with leaders of the Reform movement soon, in person, to apologize on Israel’s behalf,” adds Leiter, who a day earlier joined other top Israeli officials in denouncing far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir over a video of him taunting bound Gaza flotilla activists who were detained.
IDF says 3 arrested in Hebron for plotting shooting attack ‘in the immediate future’
Israeli troops operate in the West Bank to detain Palestinians suspected of terror activity, in a photo cleared for publication May 21, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)
The IDF says troops arrested three suspects overnight in Hebron who were planning to carry out a shooting attack “in the immediate future.”
According to the military, the suspects were affiliated with a Hamas-linked terror network in the city and were detained during a joint operation carried out by troops from the Nahal Brigade’s 932nd Battalion and the 5016th Reserve Battalion.
In a separate operation earlier this week, security forces arrested another suspect in the West Bank village of Dayr al-Ghusun, accused of advancing efforts to establish a terror network.
All of the suspects were handed over to security forces for further questioning, the IDF says.
Ahead of alliance talks, Rubio says US ‘very upset’ about NATO’s refusal to help on Iran
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio renews criticism of NATO for not supporting the US war on Iran, as he heads to alliance talks in Sweden.
President Donald Trump is “not asking them to send their fighter jets in. But they refuse to do anything,” Rubio tells reporters. “We were very upset about that.”
Putin told China’s Xi that Russia open to storing Iran’s enriched uranium — Kremlin
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping visit an exhibition by the TASS and Xinhua news agencies at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, China, on May 20, 2026. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin discussed the Iran conflict with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to China, the Kremlin says.
Putin shared with Xi the idea of transporting and storing Iranian enriched uranium in Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov is quoted by Interfax agency as saying.
Rubio: Diplomatic deal will be ‘unfeasible’ if Iran imposes toll on Strait of Hormuz
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press before boarding his plane at Homestead Air Reserve Base, May 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
A diplomatic deal between the United States and Iran will be “unfeasible” if Tehran implements a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio tells reporters.
“No one is in favor of a tolling system, it can’t happen, it would be unacceptable and it would make a diplomatic deal unfeasible,” Rubio says. “It’s a threat to the world if they were to try to do that, and it’s completely illegal by the way.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) on Iran tolling the Strait of Hormuz: "We've always said a tolling system in the Strait would be unacceptable. But, we don't say that, the world says that…it would be unacceptable. It would make a diplomatic deal unfeasible." pic.twitter.com/0oJ5ihy6VA
— CSPAN (@cspan) May 21, 2026
Rubio also voices hope that a visit by Pakistan’s army chief to Iran will advance diplomacy on ending the war, saying there has been progress.
“I believe the Pakistanis will be traveling to Tehran today. So hopefully that’ll advance this further,” Rubio says.
Gaza flotilla activists expelled by Israel begin arriving in Turkey
Campaigners from the Gaza-bound flotilla arrested by Israeli soldiers before being expelled have landed at Istanbul international airport Thursday, AFP journalists note.
Two other flights from Israel chartered by Turkey’s foreign minister are also due to arrive there.
After latest executions, UN rights chief says Iran ‘instrumentalizing current conflict to further stifle dissent’
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR), Volker Turk, speaks during a press conference in Colombo, Sri Lanka, June 26, 2025. (AP)
The UN rights chief deplores the execution of two more men in Iran, saying Tehran was instrumentalizing the war with the United States and Israel to further stifle dissent.
“Since the military escalation began, at least 34 people have been executed on political and national security charges, including in the context of the January protests. It is unacceptable that the Iranian authorities are instrumentalizing the current conflict to further stifle dissent,” Volker Turk’s office says on X.
Turkish court suspends leadership of opposition party that defeated Erdogan’s AKP in 2024 elections
A court in Ankara has suspended the leadership of the country’s main opposition party, the CHP, the country’s state news agency Anadolu reports.
The CHP won a major victory against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AKP in the 2024 local elections.
IDF says troops killed suspect who ‘posed immediate threat’ after crossing Yellow Line in north Gaza
The Israel Defense Forces says troops operating in northern Gaza killed a suspect earlier today after he crossed the Yellow Line and approached soldiers in a “manner that posed an immediate threat.”
According to the military, soldiers of the 14th Reserve Armored Brigade identified the suspect as he was carrying out “suspicious activity” before targeting him.
The IDF adds that it killed an operative from Hamas’s elite Nukhba force on Tuesday in central Gaza.
Zamir says IDF will be ‘on highest alert, operating on all fronts’ during Shavuot
This handout image from the IDF shows IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir meeting with a wounded soldier, May 21, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir visits wounded soldiers at rehabilitation hospitals, where he says the military remains on the “highest level of alert” during the Shavuot holiday.
During visits to the Beit Loewenstein Hospital Rehabilitation Center and Rambam Health Care Campus, Zamir meets with troops wounded in combat, including 401st Armored Brigade commander Col. Meir Biderman and Staff Sgt. Sh., a combat military photographer, both wounded yesterday in Lebanon.
“Even during the Shavuot holiday, the IDF remains on the highest level of alert and continues to operate decisively across all fronts, with high readiness and full preparedness for any mission,” Zamir says in remarks published by the military.
The chief of staff also praises the resilience of the wounded troops, their families and medical teams involved in their recovery and rehabilitation.
Oil prices surge after Khamenei reportedly bars removal of enriched uranium from Iran
Wall Street’s main indexes open lower as oil prices surge following a Reuters report that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei ordered the country’s near-weapons-grade uranium not be sent abroad, dimming hopes for progress in talks between Washington and Tehran.
Germany indicts alleged Iranian agent for planning to kill Jewish figures, pro-Israel former lawmaker
President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany Josef Schuster (center) attends the 'Gemeindetag 2019' meeting of Jewish organizations and members of Jewish communities from all over the country, where he and the German defense minister signed an agreement on the implementation of a Jewish military chaplaincy within the German armed forces Bundeswehr on December 20, 2019 in Berlin. (Photo by Gregor Fischer / dpa / AFP)
A man arrested last year has been charged with espionage and attempted participation in murder after an Iranian intelligence agency tasked him with gathering information on the head of Germany’s main Jewish group and three others with a view to carrying out attacks, German prosecutors say.
The suspect, a Danish national identified only as Ali S. in line with German privacy rules, was arrested last June in Denmark. An alleged accomplice, an Afghan national identified as Tawab M., was also arrested there in November. Federal prosecutors say they filed an indictment against the pair at the Hamburg state court on May 7.
Ali S. is charged with working as an agent for an intelligence service, acting as a secret agent for purposes of sabotage and attempted participation in murder and arson. Tawab M. is charged with attempted participation in murder.-
Prosecutors allege that Ali S. worked for the intelligence service of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and was in close contact with the Guard’s expeditionary Quds Force.
They say that, at the beginning of 2025, he was tasked with gathering information on the head of Germany’s Central Council of Jews, Josef Schuster, and on the head of the German-Israeli Society, prominent former German lawmaker Volker Beck, as well as two Jewish grocers in Berlin whom they don’t identify.
“All this served for the preparation of assassination and arson attacks in Germany,” prosecutors say in a statement.
France says 37 of its nationals detained by Israel on Gaza flotilla are being deported to Turkey
Israeli authorities are currently deporting 37 French nationals who were part of the group of activists on board a Gaza-bound flotilla to Turkey, a spokesperson for the French foreign ministry says.
IDF detains suspect after alleged car-ramming attempt in West Bank
Troops have detained a suspect following an alleged attempted car-ramming attack earlier today near the Tapuah Junction in the northern West Bank, the IDF says.
No injuries were reported.
Following the incident, troops launched searches for the suspect and detained the driver in the nearby Palestinian village of Huwara, the IDF says.
The suspect was handed over to security forces for questioning.
Board of Peace envoy denounces Ben Gvir for ‘undignified taunting’ of detained flotilla activists
Board of Peace Gaza envoy Nickolay Mladenov joins the global chorus of condemnations of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir after he posted a clip of himself taunting bound activists from a Gaza flotilla detained by Israel.
“Unacceptable and shameful! I join the universal condemnation of Minister Ben-Gvir for his undignified taunting of detained activists,” Mladenov tweets.
“These abhorrent acts distract from the urgent work of implementing President Trump’s Comprehensive Plan for Gaza, advancing reconstruction for Palestinians, and ensuring security for Israel.”
“Everyone must end the theatrics and focus on results,” he adds.
All foreign activists from Gaza flotilla have been deported, says Foreign Ministry
All foreign activists from the recent Gaza flotilla have been deported from Israel, the Foreign Ministry announces in a statement.
“Israel will not permit any breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza,” the ministry adds.
Italy asks European Union to sanction Ben Gvir over video of kneeling flotilla activists
Italy asks the European Union to sanction far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who posted a video showing detained activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla kneeling with their hands tied and foreheads on the ground.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani says on X that he has requested sanctions against Ben Gvir “for the unacceptable acts committed against the flotilla, seizing the activists in international waters and subjecting them to harassment and humiliation, in violation of the most basic human rights.”
IDF unveils new unit aimed at bringing AI tools to frontline troops
Head of the C4I and Cyber Defense Directorate Maj. Gen. Aviad Dagan speaks at an inauguration ceremony for a new IDF artificial intelligence unit, “Alumot,” May 20, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)
The IDF announces the establishment of a new technological unit focused on developing artificial intelligence and information-processing capabilities for troops on the battlefield.
According to the military, the new unit, named “Alumot,” will operate under the IDF’s C4I and Cyber Defense Directorate as a technological-operational hub tasked with rapidly developing and delivering AI and data-processing platforms to frontline forces.
The unit is made up of combat soldiers, technology personnel, information researchers and AI experts, and will work in coordination with different branches across the military to tailor technological solutions for operational needs.
“The combination of the fighter on the ground and the advanced technological capabilities available to the IDF enabled many of the achievements of the war,” the head of the C4I and Cyber Defense Directorate Maj. Gen. Aviad Dagan said during the unit’s inauguration ceremony yesterday.
“The battlefield is evolving before our eyes and requires us to constantly learn and innovate,” he said, adding that the unit will work to “develop and make accessible the information and artificial intelligence capabilities we possess to frontline fighters.”
IDF loses contact with ‘suspicious aerial target’ near Misgav Am; no injuries reported
The IDF says a “suspicious aerial target” was identified, after sirens warning of a drone infiltration sounded in the northern border community of Misgav Am.
According to the military, contact with the target was lost, and the incident has since concluded.
No injuries were reported, the IDF adds.
Iranian sources: Supreme leader forbids removal of near-weapons-grade uranium from Iran
Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has ordered that near-weapons-grade uranium must stay in Iran, rather than being transferred abroad as part of an agreement to end the war with the US and Israel, senior Iranian sources say.
Iran has a stockpile of more than 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium in its possession, which Israeli officials have said is sufficient for 11 nuclear bombs if enriched further.
Earlier this month, a senior Israeli military official said if the uranium wasn’t removed, the war launched in February could be considered “one big failure.”
Poland’s foreign minister requests ban on Ben Gvir entering the country
Poland’s foreign minister has requested that the interior ministry ban far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from entering the country, a spokesperson says, after outrage in Warsaw over the detention of Gaza flotilla activists.
“Minister (Radoslaw) Sikorski decided to ask the interior ministry to issue a ban on Minister Ben-Gvir entering the Republic of Poland due to his actions,” Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maciej Wewior tells reporters.
UK summons Israel’s chargé d’affaires over detention conditions of Gaza flotilla activists
Britain says it has summoned Israel’s chargé d’affaires over a video posted by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir taunting kneeling and bound activists detained after a flotilla aiming to break the naval blockade on Gaza was intercepted.
“This behaviour violates the most basic standards of respect and dignity for people,” Britain’s foreign ministry says in a statement.
“We are also deeply concerned by the detention conditions depicted and have demanded an explanation from the Israeli authorities. We made clear their obligations to protect the rights of all those involved.”
The foreign ministry also says it is in contact with several British nationals who had been aboard the flotilla and is ready to provide consular support.
Sirens sound in Misgav Am warning of suspected drone infiltration
Sirens sound in the northern border community of Misgav Am warning of a hostile aircraft infiltration.
The IDF says the details are under review.
Deputy IDF chief tells Haredi troops ‘no contradiction’ between faith and military service
Deputy IDF Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai visits the ultra-Orthodox Hasmonean Brigade's training base, May 20, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)
Deputy IDF Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai visited the ultra-Orthodox Hasmonean Brigade’s training base yesterday, the IDF says, where he told soldiers that “there is no contradiction” between being “fighters and God-fearing Jews.”
“From a world of faith, discipline and mission grow strong fighters and good commanders,” Yadai told troops during the visit.
He met with ultra-Orthodox cadets in the brigade’s officers course, trainees in its squad commanders’ course and soldiers currently undergoing training.
The military says the deputy chief of staff was presented with the brigade’s training facilities, its recent operations in Lebanon and the adjustments being made to accommodate their ultra-Orthodox lifestyle.
“We are deeply committed to enabling you to serve – while at the same time remaining ultra-Orthodox,” Yadai said. “The IDF is committed to continuing to build a framework for you that enables meaningful service for the security of the state, while fully preserving your identity and way of life.”
US planning to threaten to revoke visas of Palestinian delegation if its envoy seeks senior UN post
Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour, right, arrives inside the General Assembly Hall, Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, at UN headquarters. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
The US is planning to threaten to revoke the visas of the Palestinian delegation to the UN if the mission’s envoy submits his candidacy for the vice presidency of the General Assembly, according to an internal State Department cable leaked to the media.
In a cable dated Wednesday and first reported by NPR, US diplomats in its embassy in Jerusalem are instructed to deliver the message that Palestinian ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour’s general assembly bid “fuels tensions” and risks undermining Trump’s Gaza peace plan and would therefore face consequences from Washington if it went ahead.
A US official tells The Times of Israel that the message hasn’t actually been passed on to Ramallah as the Palestinian mission hasn’t even submitted its candidacy yet and it’s not even clear if it will.
“To be clear, we will hold the [Palestinian Authority] responsible if the Palestinian delegation does not withdraw its VPGA candidacy,” the cable, marked sensitive but unclassified, says.
Last year, US President Donald Trump’s administration refused to grant visas to PA President Mahmoud Abbas and his delegation to attend the UN General Assembly in opposition to its plan to participate in an event promoting a two-state solution and the unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state. The far-reaching step has typically been reserved for use against Washington’s most bitter adversaries.
“It would be unfortunate to have to revisit any available options,” the Wednesday cable says.
Asked for comment, the State Department doesn’t deny the cable’s existence, but refuses to comment on its contents.
“We take seriously our obligations under the UN Headquarters Agreement,” the State Department says. “Due to visa record confidentiality, we have no comment on Department actions with respect to specific cases.”
The Palestinian mission to the UN declines to comment.
Mansour had already withdrawn his candidacy for the presidency of the General Assembly as a result of US lobbying in February, the cable says, while adding that if elected to the lower-profile vice presidency, he could still get to preside over General Assembly sessions.
“Therefore, there is still a risk that the Palestinians could preside over GA sessions during UNGA81 unless they withdraw from the race,” the cable says, referring to the UN General Assembly’s 81st annual high-level week due to be convened in September.
“In a worst-case scenario, the next PGA might assist the Palestinians in presiding over high-profile sessions related to the Middle East or during UNGA81 high-level week,” it says.
The election of the UN General Assembly president and the 16 delegations that will serve as vice presidents will be held on June 2.
The Palestinian Authority, which represents the Palestinian people at the United Nations, where the delegation is officially known as the State of Palestine, is not a full member and has no vote in the 193-member General Assembly.
They are an observer state, holding the same status as the Holy See (Vatican).
Israel begins deporting Gaza flotilla activists but holds participant with Israeli citizenship
Israel has released hundreds of activists who attempted to breach Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza and is in the process of deporting them, according to a legal organization working with the flotilla.
The Israel-based legal advocacy group, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, or Adalah, says that most of the roughly 430 international activists are in transit to a civilian airport near the southernmost city of Eilat for deportation.
It says, however, that a court hearing is currently underway at the Ashkelon Magistrate’s Court for one flotilla participant, Zohar Regev, who holds Israeli citizenship.
Adalah says Regev is being held on “unfounded and contradictory accusations” including “‘illegal entry into Israel,’ ‘unlawful stay,’ and for an attempt to break the blockade on Gaza.”
The legal group says the charges are “absurd” as Regev was “forcefully abducted” in international waters and “brought into Israeli territory entirely against her will.”
Turkey to send charter flights to Israel to repatriate detained flotilla activists
A Gaza-bound activist flotilla ship intercepted by the Israeli Navy in international waters is escorted toward Ashdod, in southern Israel, May 19, 2026 (Jamal Awad/Flash90)
Turkey says it is sending charter flights to Israel to repatriate Gaza flotilla activists, a day after far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir sparked international outrage with a video of the activists kneeling with their hands tied.
“We plan to bring our citizens and participants from third countries to Turkey via special charter flights we will organize today,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says in a statement.
Fidan does not say how many activists would be flown to Turkey, but Turkish media reports that 78 Turkish nationals were among the detainees.
The foreign minister says Turkey is working “to ensure the safety of our citizens who have been detained following the unlawful intervention against the Global Sumud Fleet, and to facilitate their safe return to Turkey.”
Earlier, Spain said 44 Spanish activists would be deported from Israel via Turkey later today.
Antisemitism in Germany ‘worse than at any time since the Holocaust,’ report finds
A woman carries a sign reading "Jewish lifes matter" when facing an anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian demonstration by the group "Student Coalition Berlin" in the theater courtyard of Freie Universität Berlin in Berlin, Germany, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Germany continues to face persistently high levels of antisemitism, with 2,197 antisemitic incidents recorded in Berlin in 2025, according to a report published yesterday by Germany’s Federal Association of Departments for Research and Information on Antisemitism, known as RIAS.
The figure was down about 13% from 2,521 incidents the previous year, but remained more than double pre-October 7, 2023, levels.
RIAS highlighted 40 violent incidents in Berlin, including a stabbing attack at the Holocaust Memorial in which a young man was wounded in the neck. Other cases involved assaults, spitting and vandalism targeting Jewish institutions and businesses.
In the state of Hesse, RIAS noted a record 1,099 antisemitic incidents in 2025, an 18% increase from the previous year and nearly six times higher than before Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
The report describes an increasingly hostile environment in which Jews and Israelis face harassment, intimidation and violence in public spaces. There was a notable surge in anti-Israel demonstrations last year, as 239 events included antisemitic slogans, denial of Israel’s right to exist, and calls to “kill Jews.”
Victims reported avoiding visible Jewish symbols or speaking Hebrew openly out of fear.
Jewish leaders warned that antisemitism has become increasingly normalized across German society.
“The threat to Jewish life is worse than at any time since the Holocaust,” said Hesse antisemitism commissioner Uwe Becker.
IDF to reopen southern hiking trails in closed military zones for Shavuot holiday
The IDF says it will reopen several hiking trails in southern Israel to the public over the upcoming Shavuot holiday, following a fresh operational assessment by the Southern Command.
According to the military, some areas that have been designated closed military zones will be open from the start of the holiday today through Saturday night.
The IDF says a section of Route 10 along the Egyptian border will also reopen on Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The military notes that live-fire training exercises will continue in parts of southern Israel during the holiday, and warns that some areas will remain off-limits to civilians.
The IDF urges hikers not to enter prohibited zones and says entry into the permitted areas requires prior coordination and approval.
COGAT demands UN halt support for Turkish IHH group over Hamas ties
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) demands that the UN World Food Programme immediately halt its support to the Turkish IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, according to a letter sent by the agency.
“Following information received by the CLA (Cluster Lead Agency) from a routine World Food Programme report, I am writing to demand immediate suspension of fuel distribution and all other support by WFP to IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation,” the letter signed by COGAT chief Maj. Gen. Yoram Halevy states.
Israel designated IHH as a terror organization in 2008 over the group’s alleged financial and operational support for Hamas, making its activities illegal in Israel.
“Supporting activities of a designated terror organization is seen as a serious offense that could carry severe consequences,” the letter states. “I expect full cooperation from WFP in addressing this matter promptly and transparently.”
The demand comes amid heightened tensions between Israel and the IHH, which has played a central role in organizing recent flotillas seeking to challenge Israel’s naval blockade on Gaza.
Iran has restarted drone production, is moving to restore full capabilities faster than expected — CNN report
This handout picture released by the Iranian Army Office on January 13, 2025 shows Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh (right) speaking with Iran's army commander-in-chief General Abdolrahim Mousavi during a delivering ceremony of unmanned aircrafts system (UAS), commonly known as drones, to Iran's army by the country's ministry of defense, in Tehran. (Iranian Army Office / AFP)
Iran has been hard at work rebuilding its military capabilities and has restarted drone production in the weeks since a ceasefire with the US and Israel took effect on April 8, CNN reports, citing US intelligence sources.
The speed and scale at which Iran is restoring its drone and missile capabilities has taken the US intelligence community by surprise, the report says, as estimates had suggested it would take longer.
One US official tells CNN that Iran could fully restore its pre-war capabilities in as little as six months, saying Tehran has “exceeded all timelines the IC [intelligence community] had for reconstitution.”
The shortened timeline is due in part to assistance that Iran has received from Russia and China, the sources tell CNN, alleging that Beijing has been supplying the Islamic Republic with missile components since war broke out on February 28. China’s foreign ministry denies this, claiming the CNN report is “not based on facts.”
The accelerated pace at which Iran is moving to restore its arsenal and capabilities suggests that it would still be a formidable foe, able to wreak havoc on the region should the US make good on repeated threats to begin its military campaign anew, the sources say.
US Central Command declines to comment on the report, and a Pentagon spokesman insists that the US military “has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the President’s choosing.”
Election poll shows Likud remains the largest party but pro-Netanyahu bloc would be 10 seats short of majority
If elections were to be held today, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud would be the largest party with 24 seats out of a possible 120, according to a new electoral poll by The Times of Israel’s sister site, Zman Yisrael.
The joint “Together” slate headed by former prime minister Naftali Bennett and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid trails close behind in the poll with 23 seats.
In a trend continuing from the previous week, the Zman Yisrael poll finds Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party would pass the electoral threshold, with the minimum four seats required for a party to enter the Knesset.
A poll conducted by the Maariv newspaper also finds that Religious Zionism would pass the electoral threshold.
The Zman Yisrael poll finds that the remaining 73 Knesset seats would be distributed between parties as follows: 16 seats for Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar; nine for ultra-Orthodox Shas; nine for Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu; eight for the left-wing Democrats; eight for ultra-Orthodox United Judaism; six for far-right Otzma Yehudit; five for Islamist Ra’am; four for Arab-majority Hadash Ta’al; four for Religious Zionism; and four for Benny Gantz’s Blue and White.
This would leave the pro-Netanyahu bloc with 51 seats and the anti-Netanyahu Zionist bloc — meaning excluding the Arab parties as several parties have ruled out the possibility of sitting in government with them — with 56 seats, both of them short of the minimum 61 seats needed to form a coalition.
Separately, the poll finds that 43% of Israelis don’t have a preference when it comes to whether the elections will be held in September or October.
Of those who do prefer one option over another, 24% say they would prefer elections on September 1, while 20% favor October 27, and 14% favor September 15.
The poll was conducted on May 19 and 20, and includes responses from 500 Jewish and Arab participants. It has a margin of error of 4.4%.
Poland summons Israeli envoy over detention of Gaza flotilla activists
Poland’s foreign minister says he has summoned the Israeli chargé d’affaires over the detention of activists, including Polish nationals, demanding their immediate release and an apology.
“Poland firmly condemns the conduct of representatives of the Israeli authorities towards activists of the Global Sumud Flotilla detained by the Israeli army, including Polish citizens,” Radoslaw Sikorski says on X.
The summons comes after Australia and New Zealand announced that they would summon the Israeli ambassadors over Israel’s treatment of the detained flotilla activists as well.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Spain expects 44 Gaza flotilla activists to be deported from Israel via Turkey this afternoon
Forty-four Spanish activists detained in Israel who were on a Gaza-bound flotilla are expected to be deported to Spain via Turkey on a flight leaving at 3 p.m. Israeli time, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares says.
Pakistan’s army chief to visit Tehran today amid push for US-Iran deal
Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir will travel to Tehran today as part of ongoing Pakistani mediation in talks and consultations between Tehran and Washington over the Iran war, Iran’s ISNA news agency says.
Pakistan’s interior minister arrived in Tehran yesterday for the second time in less than a week as Islamabad continues its push to reach an agreement between the US and Iran more than a month into a tenuous ceasefire between the two sides.
IDF identifies soldier seriously wounded in Lebanon drone strike as combat photographer
IDF combat photographer Staff Sgt. Sh. (Israel Defense Forces)
The soldier seriously wounded in yesterday’s drone strike in southern Lebanon is a military combat photographer identified as Staff Sgt. Sh., who was documenting troops’ operations in the area, the IDF says.
According to the military, she is the second combat photographer to be seriously wounded since the start of the war. The first was injured in Gaza by an RPG strike.
The IDF adds that combat photographers undergo advanced combat training, a counterterrorism course, and professional documentation and photography courses.
Reports: Settlers steal flock of goats from Palestinians in the South Hebron Hills
Footage published by Palestinian media outlets shows masked individuals, reportedly settlers, leading a herd of goats out of the yard of a Palestinian resident of the South Hebron Hills area, in the southern West Bank.
One person can be seen carrying clubs as he walks behind the goats.
There is no immediate comment from the police.
#شاهد | مشهد يوثّق لحظة سرقة مستوطنين لأغنام عقب هجومهم على منطقة "هريبة النبي" في مسافر يطا جنوب الخليل. pic.twitter.com/MAIGoO8Wrp
— فلسطين بوست (@PalpostN) May 21, 2026
لحظة سرقة المستوطنين لقطيع من الأغنام بعد اقتحام مزرعة الفلسطيني علي صباح في خربة "هريبة النبي" بمسافر يطا جنوب الخليل. pic.twitter.com/SDVdjkQz42
— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) May 21, 2026
Iran executes two people under security charges, Iranian media reports
Iran has executed two people for what it says are charges of creating a group to disrupt the country’s security and having membership in a “terrorist” organization, the country’s Tasnim news agency reports.
Tasnim identifies the two as Ramin Zaleh and Karim Maroufpour.
Israel has compiled list of all Oct. 7 participants, aiming to kill or arrest each one — WSJ report
Gazans celebrate by a destroyed Israeli tank at the broken Israel-Gaza border fence, east of Khan Younis, October 7, 2023. (AP/Yousef Masoud)
Israel has created a list of all Palestinians who took part in the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks and is working to kill or arrest each one, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing current and former Israeli officials with knowledge of the matter.
According to the report, the list includes all Gazans who were identified as having crossed the border on October 7, as well as all Hamas leaders involved in orchestrating the massacre.
Israeli intelligence agents tasked with compiling the list of names did so by studying the plethora of video and photographic evidence of the attack posted online by terrorists on and after October 7 and running the footage through facial recognition software, the WSJ reports, as well as the contents of intercepted phone calls from people who breached the border into Israel that day.
Israeli officials tell the WSJ that intelligence officials add people to the list once there are at least two pieces of evidence placing them at the scene of any of the atrocities that took place on October 7.
The campaign has continued despite the ceasefire that has been in place in Gaza since October, the report says, pointing to the killing of Hamas Gaza chief Izz al-Din al-Haddad in an Israeli airstrike last week.
New Zealand summons Israeli ambassador over Ben Gvir’s treatment of Gaza flotilla activists
New Zealand says it will summon the Israeli ambassador later today over National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s treatment of detained activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla, after footage showed protesters bound and on their knees.
In a statement on X, New Zealand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters recalls that the country imposed a travel ban on Ben Gvir last year for “severely and deliberately undermining peace and security and removing prospects for a two state solution.”
“His latest conduct with respect to the Gaza flotilla, which has been seriously criticised by his own Prime Minister, is further vindication of that position,” adds Peters.
“We expect Israel to adhere to its international legal obligations, including in its treatment of New Zealanders participating in the flotilla.”
South Korea says some of its nationals detained on Gaza flotilla have been released by Israel
South Korea’s presidential Blue House says that some of its nationals held in Israeli custody have been released.
Seoul, which earlier expressed strong regret over Israel’s seizure of an activist vessel bound for Gaza and the arrest of its nationals, welcomed their release, a presidential spokesperson says.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Iran ‘received US views’ and is reviewing them, says Tehran’s foreign ministry
The Iranian state-run agency Nour News quotes Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying “We have received US views and are reviewing them”
Pakistan continues to mediate exchanges of messages between Tehran and Washington, adding that several rounds of communication have taken place based on Iran’s original 14-point framework, he adds.
Man charged with stealing from photographer after he was killed in Bondi terror attack
Australian police say they have charged a man with allegedly stealing from a victim during last year’s deadly terror shooting on Sydney’s Bondi Beach.
Fifteen people were killed in December when a father and son attacked a Hanukkah celebration in Australia’s worst mass shooting in decades.
Among the dead was retired police detective-sergeant and local rugby club member Peter Meagher, who was on a freelance photographic assignment when he was killed.
New South Wales police say a 35-year-old man stole his photography equipment in the aftermath of the attack.
They say the alleged thief was also a photographer and pawned the gear days after lifting it.
He is charged with grand larceny as well as drug possession and will appear before a court in Sydney next month.
Australia joins condemnations of Israel’s ‘degrading’ treatment of flotilla activists
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong answers reporter's question during a press conference in Seoul, South Korea, April 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Australia’s foreign minister condemns Israel’s “degrading” treatment of detained activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla, after footage showed protesters bound and on their knees.
“The images we have seen posted by Israeli Minister Ben Gvir — who Australia has sanctioned — are shocking and unacceptable,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong says in a statement.
“We condemn his actions and the degrading actions of Israeli authorities towards those detained.”
US Treasury removes anti-Israel UN envoy Albanese from sanctions list
UN Special Rapporteur for the Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese talks to The Associated Press at the Sarajevo airport in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Thursday, July 10, 2025, on her way to events commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
The United States has removed Francesca Albanese, a UN special rapporteur on the West Bank and Gaza, from its list of sanctioned individuals, according to the US Treasury Department website, which doesn’t provide an explanation for the move.
The removal comes a week after a federal judge temporarily blocked the sanctions, finding that the Trump administration likely violated her free-speech rights by imposing the measures.
Albanese, who has long been accused of antisemitism and extremist rhetoric against Israel, had been sanctioned by the Trump administration last year for alleged “political and economic warfare” against the US and Israel, barring her from entering the US and banking there.
US State Department watchdog reportedly investigating Gaza Humanitarian Foundation
A man carries a cardboard box bearing the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) logo and loaded with pieces of wood, as he walks near Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip, on October 10, 2025. (Eyad BABA / AFP)
The US State Department’s oversight body is investigating the now-defunct Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and how it spent millions of dollars in emergency aid, the Financial Times reports, citing three people familiar with the inquiry.
The Office of Inspector General is focusing on a $30 million grant announced by the State Department last June to the organization backed by the US and Israel to distribute aid in Gaza, the report says.
EU foreign policy chief: Israeli treatment of flotilla activists ‘degrading and wrong’
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas speaks with the media as she arrives for a meeting of the European Political Community in Yerevan, Armenia, May 4, 2026. (AP/ Anthony Pizzoferrato)
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas criticizes National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir for a video celebrating forcing activists who were aboard a Gaza-bound flotilla to kneel on the ground in rows with their hands tied behind their backs.
“The treatment of the Global Sumud flotilla activists, amongst them EU citizens, was degrading and wrong,” Kallas says in a statement.
“Israeli Minister Ben Gvir’s conduct is unbecoming of anyone holding office in a democracy,” she adds.
Iran says it has created a ‘controlled maritime zone’ in the Strait of Hormuz
Vessels are seen anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, off the port city of Khasab on Oman's northern Musandam Peninsula on May 17, 2026. (AFP)
Iran’s newly created Persian Gulf Strait Authority says in a post on X that there will be a “controlled maritime zone” at the Strait of Hormuz.
The authority, which was set to manage the strait, set the zone as the “line connecting Kuh-e Mobarak in Iran and southern Fujairah in the UAE at the eastern side of the strait, to the line connecting the end of Qeshm Island in Iran and Umm Al Quwain in the UAE at the western side of the strait.”
It says transit through the area to pass through the strait will require coordination and authorization from the authority.
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