This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
A general view of the giant banner hung Enghelab Square that reads, “The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed; the entire Persian Gulf is our hunting ground.” as daily life continues in Tehran, Iran on April 05, 2026. [Fatemeh Bahrami – Anadolu Agency]
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said on Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz has been “closed to all vessels,” warning ships against approaching the strategic waterway, Anadolu reports.
According to Iran’s Fars News Agency, the IRGC Navy said the move came in response to what it described as the “crimes of the Zionist regime” in Lebanon and the US violation of its commitments to establish a ceasefire.
“Vessels should not approach the strait; otherwise, their security will be at risk,” it added.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Red Ribbons event in London on 19 June 2026
LONDON – Emotional testimonies, legal arguments, and political interventions marked a high-profile solidarity event held at SOAS University of London on Friday evening, as speakers warned that the situation of Palestinian hostages held in Israeli detention has reached what they described as “unprecedented levels of brutality” amid the ongoing war on Gaza.
The event, organised by the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) in partnership with the Red Ribbons Campaign, brought together campaign coordinator Adnan Hmidan, ICJP director Tayb Ali, lawyer Khaled Mahajneh, Palestinian activist Saif Abu Keshek, campaigner Katrina Graham, and Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn. The discussion was chaired by journalist and activist Matilda Mallinson.
Speakers repeatedly argued that while global attention remains focused on Gaza, conditions inside Israeli prisons and detention facilities have deteriorated sharply since October 2023, with thousands of Palestinian hostages held outside the reach of international monitors.
Opening the event, Red Ribbons Campaign coordinator Adnan Hmidan said the initiative was created to ensure that Palestinian hostages “are not erased from international consciousness”.
He stressed that those held in Israeli detention include journalists, doctors, students, women and children, many of whom are detained without charge under administrative detention orders.
Palestinian lawyer Khaled Mahajneh delivered one of the most emotionally charged interventions of the evening, describing what he called a “parallel war” being waged inside Israeli prisons alongside the military assault on Gaza.
Mahajneh said conditions for Palestinian hostages have deteriorated significantly, citing widespread reports of starvation, medical neglect, prolonged isolation and systematic humiliation.
He also described a recent visit to imprisoned Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti, noting that Barghouti appeared deeply concerned with the condition of other detainees despite his own long-term isolation. Mahajneh said the repeated message he hears from inside detention facilities is simple: “Save us.”
Dr Mustafa Barghouti argued that new Israeli legislative measures should be understood within what he described as a wider apartheid system. He said the laws establish separate legal frameworks for Palestinians and Israeli Jews living under the same authority, entrenching structural discrimination.
Barghouti warned that the proposals reflect an escalating political culture of revenge following 7 October, and what he described as a widening acceptance of extreme policies within Israeli political discourse.
ICJP director and lawyer Tayb Ali focused on the legal implications of the proposed legislation, describing it as a “structural departure from fundamental principles of justice”.
He said the laws appear designed to target Palestinians as a collective category, removing judicial discretion through mandatory sentencing provisions in certain cases.
Ali criticised the reliance on military courts, noting their high conviction rates and the admissibility of evidence that would not meet standards in ordinary criminal justice systems.
He warned that accelerated procedures risk undermining the right to appeal and meaningful judicial review, effectively eroding basic due process protections.
Palestinian activist Saif Abu Keshek said Israel is not only targeting Palestinians but also attempting to criminalise solidarity movements internationally. He argued that authorities seek to fragment the Palestinian cause into separate issues—prisoners, Gaza, refugees, and settlements—thereby obscuring its historical and political roots.
Campaigner Katrina Graham recounted her experience aboard the Sumud flotilla attempting to challenge the blockade on Gaza, including her detention by Israeli authorities. She referenced encounters with Israeli officials and described mistreatment during her detention, while emphasising that her experience was minor compared with the daily reality faced by Palestinian hostages.
Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn also took part in the event, expressing solidarity with Palestinian hostages and calling for greater international scrutiny of their conditions.
His participation reflected growing concern among sections of British political and civil society over reports of abuses in Israeli detention facilities and the continued denial of basic rights to detainees.
Speakers throughout the evening stressed that while global attention remains focused on Gaza, the situation of Palestinian hostages inside Israeli prisons continues largely out of sight.
They urged international institutions, governments and civil society organisations to take urgent action to address what they described as a deepening humanitarian and legal crisis.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Palestinians inspect the damage following an Israeli airstrike on the El-Remal aera in Gaza City on October 9, 2023. Israel continued to battle Hamas fighters on October 10 and massed tens of thousands of troops and heavy armour around the Gaza Strip after vowing a massive blow over the Palestinian militants’ surprise attack. Photo by Naaman Omar apaimages. licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
A parliamentary question by a Muslim Labour MP has revealed UK military collaboration with the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) continued unbroken through genocide and numerous illegal attacks.
Apsana Begum asked Starmer’s ministry of defence:
whether the agreement signed in December 2020 by the Chief of the Defence Staff and his Israeli counterpart formalising military collaboration between the UK and Israel remains in place; and whether it has been (a) reviewed, (b) modified and (c) amended.
The curt answer was provided by Israel-supporting defence minister Luke Pollard, who confirmed that military agreement with Israel has been in place unamended:
The UK-Israel military cooperation agreement, which was signed in December 2020, remains extant.
The Starmer government is a genocide regime providing direct military support as well as legislative and political cover to the terror colony. All confirmed in a ministerial response – as if more confirmation were needed.
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/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.Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the press before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, United States, on May 12, 2026. [Kyle Mazza – Anadolu Agency]
“Syria can do the job” of fighting Hezbollah better than Israel, Donald Trump has said, in a remarkable rebuke of Tel Aviv’s war in Lebanon and its mounting civilian toll.
Speaking ahead of a bilateral meeting with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at the G7 summit in Evian, Trump said he was “not happy” with Israel’s handling of Lebanon and warned that its offensive was undermining Washington’s efforts to secure a wider regional deal with Iran.
“I’m not happy with the way Israel has handled themselves with Lebanon and with Hezbollah,” Trump said. “It just goes on forever, and when that happens, it throws a negative light on the big deal, and that’s the deal with Iran.”
“You don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody,” he added, in one of his sharpest public criticisms yet of Israel’s military tactics.
Trump then suggested that Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, who took power after the overthrow of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime in 2024, should be allowed to confront Hezbollah instead.
“If Israel can’t do the job, without killing everyone else, he’ll do the job. Syria will do the job,” Trump said.
The US president said he had told Israeli officials that they should let Syria “take care of Hezbollah,” adding: “I think they’d do a better job of doing it.”
The comments underline growing frustration in Washington with Israel’s expanding war in Lebanon, which has become a major obstacle to US efforts to consolidate an agreement with Iran. The US and Iran have reached a framework to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, ease the blockade on Iranian ports and begin a 60-day negotiation period towards a final settlement. The deal is also expected to include a ceasefire across several regional fronts, including Lebanon, where Hezbollah has supported Iran militarily.
However, Israel is accused of undermining the effort with strikes on Lebanon.
Lebanon has become a key pressure point in the US-Iran negotiations. Tehran backs Hezbollah and has insisted that Israel’s continued presence and attacks in Lebanon must be addressed as part of any wider regional arrangement.
Trump’s comments suggest that the White House increasingly views Israel’s Lebanon campaign as a direct threat to its wider regional strategy. The US president had already warned Israel and Hezbollah to “stand down” after an Israeli strike on southern Beirut threatened to complicate the Iran talks.
Israel’s offensive in Lebanon began in March. Since then, Israeli attacks have killed more than 3,800 people, wounded thousands and displaced large numbers of civilians. Israeli ground forces have also occupied hundreds of square kilometres of southern Lebanon.
Israel has insisted that it will not halt its campaign until Hezbollah is defeated. But Trump’s remarks expose a widening rift between Washington and Tel Aviv over the scale, duration and political cost of Israel’s military operations.
Syria’s new rulers are also deeply hostile to Hezbollah because the Lebanese group fought on behalf of the deposed Assad regime during the Syrian civil war. That hostility appears to be what Trump was referring to when he said Al-Sharaa was “very good with Hezbollah” and “does not like them.”
But any Syrian military role in Lebanon remains highly unlikely. Al-Sharaa has denied reports that Syria is preparing to intervene, saying the rumours were “nothing but speculation” and stressing that Damascus wants to end the war in Lebanon, not expand it.
Al-Sharaa has dismissed claims of Syrian military intervention as “completely untrue,” adding that the priority was stability while Israeli attacks had displaced more than 1.5 million people.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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 explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Pope Leo XIV greets migrants during a visit to the Las Raices reception centre in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain on June 12, 2026. [Andres Gutierrez – Anadolu Agency]
Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday stressed the need for the recently announced agreement between the US and Iran to enforce security and stability across the Middle East, Anadolu reports.
“I hope that this agreement will contribute to strengthening mutual trust, security, and stability in the Middle East, and promote paths of dialogue and cooperation among the peoples,” the pontiff said through US social media platform X.
He also welcomed, “with satisfaction,” the agreement as an “encouraging outcome of patient work in dialogue and negotiation.”
“I express my gratitude to the countries that have strived to foster the encounter between the parties and make such an understanding possible,” the pope added.
Washington and Tehran reached a temporary truce this April through Pakistani mediation before announcing a framework agreement this Monday to end the conflict. The accord is expected to be formally signed in Switzerland on Friday.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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 explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
