Monthly Archives: September 2025

Italy Deploys Naval Ship to Aid Sumud Flotilla Following Drone Attack

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https://www.commondreams.org/news/italy-ship-sumud-flotilla

The Italian Naval frigate Virginio Fasan, which has been deployed to protect the Sumud Flotilla after it was attacked by drones en route to Gaza.(Photo from the Italian Navy)

“States have a responsibility to ensure the safe passage of the flotilla,” said Amnesty International.

The Italian government says it has sent a naval ship to assist the Global Sumud Flotilla after it was attacked by several drones.

Organizers of the flotilla said that the boats, which are carrying humanitarian aid for the starving people of Gaza, were attacked by a swarm of 15 drones early Wednesday morning, with the convoy in the Mediterranean Sea about 600 nautical miles from the enclave.

According to Drop Site News, at least eight attacks and six explosions were reported as flash bang grenades hit at least six of the boats. One person has been injured, and two of the boats have been damaged. They also reported that an “unidentified chemical device” was dropped onto one of the boats before falling off into the water.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DO9k0ENCPh4/

In a statement issued Wednesday, Italy’s defense minister Guido Crosetto said: “Regarding the attack suffered in recent hours by the Sumud Flotilla vessels, which also include Italian citizens, carried out using drones by currently unidentified perpetrators, we can only express the strongest condemnation. In a democracy, even demonstrations and protests must be protected when they are conducted in compliance with international law and without resorting to violence.”

“To ensure assistance to the Italian citizens on the flotilla,” Crosetto said that he had “authorized the immediate intervention of the Italian Navy’s multi-purpose frigate Fasan,” which he said was “already en route to the area for possible rescue operations.”

The deployment comes after labor unions in Italy led a nationwide strike in solidarity with Gaza on Monday, with hundreds of thousands of people in 75 cities and towns rallying to support Palestinians as well as the Global Sumud Flotilla.

Hundreds of other elected representatives to the European Union also issued calls on Wednesday for their own governments to provide protection to the flotilla.

Original article continues

Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Vote Labour for Genocide.

Continue ReadingItaly Deploys Naval Ship to Aid Sumud Flotilla Following Drone Attack

Israel seeks permanent control of Gaza, while ensuring Jewish majority in West Bank, Israel: UN inquiry commission

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Israeli tank and armored vehicle are seen from Israel – Gaza border on September 21, 2025. [Tsafrir Abayov – Anadolu Agency]

Israel is seeking permanent control of the Gaza Strip while ensuring a Jewish majority in the occupied West Bank and inside Israel, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel said in a new report Tuesday, Anadolu reports.

The commission found Israeli policies since October 2023 show “clear and consistent” intent to “forcibly transfer Palestinians, expand Israeli Jewish civilian presence and annex the entirety of the West Bank,” blocking Palestinian self-determination.

It warned that these measures are part of a broader strategy to prevent any future Palestinian state.

“I am particularly appalled by the Israeli Finance Minister (Bezalel) Smotrich’s recently announced plan of annexing 82 percent of the occupied West Bank, and by the approval of a plan cementing the E1 settlement expansion, with Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu asserting that this will ensure there will be no Palestinian State,” said Navi Pillay, the commission chair.

“Israeli encroachment into the entirety of the West Bank and the dispossession and relocation of multiple Palestinian communities are now explicit goals, which Israeli officials proudly boast about,” she stressed, adding that these measures are “abhorrent and must be condemned widely.”

The report said Israeli military operations in Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams refugee camps since early 2025 destroyed buildings, displaced residents, and amounted to collective punishment. Some demolished structures were labeled “terrorist homes” by the army, but the commission found the actions were not militarily justified.

READ: Spain approves full arms embargo on Israel, warns Netanyahu over Gaza killings

In Gaza, the inquiry found that Israeli authorities “extensively and systematically” demolished civilian infrastructure in corridors and buffer zones, expanding control over 75% of the territory by July.

It said such actions have “substantially reduced the territory available for Palestinians, with significant implications for their ability to exercise their right to self-determination.”

The report also accused Israeli authorities of systematically reducing Gaza’s territory and resources, saying actions inflicted conditions of life calculated to destroy Palestinians in Gaza, “which is an underlying act of genocide.”

“Israel must immediately end and reverse its confiscation and use of Palestinian land in Gaza, including for the creation and expansion of the buffer zone and corridors. It must return all confiscated land to its Palestinian owners,” Pillay said.

“Israeli confiscation and control of land ostensibly carried out for security purposes have not achieved more security for anyone but have deepened the misery of the Palestinian people and deprived them of resources indispensable for their survival, including the capacity to produce food.”

The report also noted that inside Israel, successive governments have implemented laws and policies confining Palestinian localities and hindering integration. It said similarities with measures in the West Bank point to a broader policy “intended to secure a Jewish majority in all areas under Israeli control, reducing the possibility of geographical self-determination for the Palestinian people.”

The commission named Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, current Defense Minister Israel Katz, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Minister of Settlements and National Projects Orit Strock, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir as bearing the greatest responsibility for international crimes linked to land and housing, with Netanyahu and Gallant also found responsible for incitement to genocide.

The report will be presented to the UN General Assembly’s 80th session on Oct. 28 in New York.

Last week, the commission concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza by committing “four of the five” genocidal acts defined under the 1948 Genocide Convention: killing members of a group, causing them serious bodily and mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to destroy the group, and preventing births.

READ: Islamic Jihad official accuses Netanyahu of rejecting peace, says Gaza solution blocked

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Vote Labour for Genocide.

Continue ReadingIsrael seeks permanent control of Gaza, while ensuring Jewish majority in West Bank, Israel: UN inquiry commission

Gaza aid flotilla rejects Israel’s demand to dock in Ashkelon, calls request part of blockade

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This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

People, holding Palestinian flags, gather at the Port of Tripoli to show their supports as the “Omar al-Mukhtar” ship, which will join the Global Sumud Flotilla from Libya, prepares to leave in Tripoli, Libya on September 16, 2025. [Muhammed Semiz – Anadolu Agency]

The Global Sumud Flotilla on Tuesday rejected Israel’s demand that its vessels dock in Ashkelon to transfer humanitarian aid to Gaza, describing the request as part of Tel Aviv’s long-standing blockade of the Palestinian enclave, Anadolu reports.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Monday warned that flotilla ships would not be allowed to enter what it called an “active combat zone” and accused the Palestinian resistance group Hamas of organizing the mission.

It said aid could instead be unloaded at Ashkelon Port in southern Israel and transferred to Gaza “quickly and in a coordinated manner.”

In a statement, flotilla organizers dismissed the Israeli proposal, stressing that it is not a neutral logistical request but a tactic to obstruct relief and delegitimize those who challenge the siege.

“Since May 2025, after lifting its so-called ‘total blockade,’ Israel has permitted an average of only 70 trucks per day into Gaza, while UN agencies estimate that 500 to 600 trucks are required daily to meet basic needs,” the statement said.

It cited Israel’s record of intercepting vessels, blocking convoys and restricting routes as evidence that the intent “is not to facilitate relief but to control, delay and deny it.”

READ: Drone activity monitored over Gaza-bound aid flotilla

The flotilla noted that rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have condemned Israel’s restrictions as violations of international law and obstructions of impartial humanitarian assistance, Anadolu reports.

“Painting a peaceful humanitarian mission as a ‘breach of the law’ is a pretext for violence against civilians acting lawfully to deliver aid,” the statement continued, warning that such rhetoric “flouts international law” and places lives at risk.

The group urged governments, UN agencies and humanitarian organizations to ensure safe passage and protection for aid workers, uphold international humanitarian law by rejecting Israel’s siege, and act decisively to end what it described as “the ongoing genocide in Gaza.”

It warned that “anything less risks entrenching a system of forced starvation, deprivation and collective punishment that is costing thousands of Palestinian lives.”

The flotilla includes vessels carrying humanitarian aid, international activists and parliamentarians seeking to break Israel’s blockade by directly reaching Gaza.

On Sept. 16, the International Committee for Breaking the Siege of Gaza announced that the flotilla’s ships would gather near the island nation of Malta to sail together across the Mediterranean toward Gaza’s shores, without specifying a date.

It is the largest effort of its kind, aiming to reach Gaza, where 2.4 million Palestinians live under an Israeli blockade that has lasted 18 years.

Israel has previously intercepted Gaza-bound ships, seizing the vessels and deporting those on board.
UN investigators recently concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, where more than 65,300 people have been killed since October 2023.

READ: Spain warns Israel against targeting Gaza-bound aid flotilla

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Vote Labour for Genocide.

Continue ReadingGaza aid flotilla rejects Israel’s demand to dock in Ashkelon, calls request part of blockade

UN experts urge FIFA, UEFA to suspend Israel amid ‘ongoing genocide’ in Palestine

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View of the FIFA logo on December 01, 2022 in Doha, Qatar [Catherine Ivill/Getty Images]

The UN experts on Monday called on FIFA and UEFA to suspend Israel’s national football team from international competitions, saying it is a “necessary response to address the ongoing genocide in the occupied Palestinian territory,” Anadolu reports.

“The conclusion of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel, that Israel is committing genocide is the latest in a growing number of international bodies affirming that genocide is being committed,” the experts said. They recalled that the International Court of Justice’s interim order of Jan. 26, 2024, reminded every country of its legal duty to act against genocide.

“Sports must reject the perception that it is business as usual,” they said. “Sporting bodies must not turn a blind eye to grave human rights violations, especially when their platforms are used to normalize injustices.”

The experts clarified that the call targets the state of Israel and not individual players, saying: “We have always maintained that individuals cannot bear the consequences of the decisions their government makes.”

They further urged FIFA to “stop legitimizing the situation arising from Israel’s unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” stressing: “There is a legal and moral imperative to take every measure possible to end the genocide in Gaza now.”

READ: UEFA: ‘Stop killing children. Stop killing civilians’

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Vote Labour for Genocide.

Continue ReadingUN experts urge FIFA, UEFA to suspend Israel amid ‘ongoing genocide’ in Palestine

Western nations call on Israel to restore Gaza-West Bank medical corridor

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This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Israeli army continues its operation that it launched four days ago against the Jenin Refugee Camp in Jenin, West Bank on August 31, 2024. [Issam Rimawi – Anadolu Agency]

Dozens of Western countries have called on Israel to reopen the medical corridor between Gaza and the occupied West Bank. They expressed their readiness to provide financial support, medical teams, and equipment to help treat patients from Gaza.

Countries including Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and members of the European Union signed a joint statement urging Israel to allow patients from Gaza to reach the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, for urgent medical treatment.

“We strongly appeal to Israel to restore the medical corridor to the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, so medical evacuations from Gaza can be resumed and patients can get the treatment that they so urgently need on Palestinian territory,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, since 7 October 2023, Israeli forces – with support from the United States and other Western nations – have continued a devastating military campaign in Gaza. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, around 232,000 Palestinians have been killed or injured so far. Additionally, 442 people, including 147 children, have reportedly died due to starvation.

READ: Israel seeks permanent control of Gaza, while ensuring Jewish majority in West Bank, Israel: UN inquiry commission

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Vote Labour for Genocide.

Continue ReadingWestern nations call on Israel to restore Gaza-West Bank medical corridor