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Activists say drones attacked aid boat bound for Gaza

A group of activists organising an aid boat for Gaza said it was attacked on Friday by drones in international waters off Malta as it headed towards the Palestinian territory.The Maltese government and Cypriot rescuers said they had responded to a distress call from the vessel, while Malta said all crew members were safe and made no mention of an alleged attack.The activists said they suspected Israel could be behind the attack, and Cyprus’s rescue agency said it had been informed by the island’s foreign ministry of an Israeli drone strike.The Israeli military did not provide an immediate response when contacted by AFP.”At 00:23 Maltese time (2223 GMT Thursday), the Conscience, a Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship came under direct attack in international waters,” the group said in a statement.”Armed drones attacked the front of an unarmed civilian vessel twice, causing a fire and a substantial breach in the hull.”Israeli ambassadors must be summoned and answer to violations of international law, including the ongoing blockade and the bombing of our civilian vessel in international waters.”Asked whether the group believed Israel was behind the attack, a spokesperson told AFP they “suspected” that was the case.”While we cannot confirm 100%, we suspect it’s Israel,” Hay Sha Wiya said, calling the country “the primary entity interested in keeping us and any aid out of Gaza”.Israel is known for conducting covert operations beyond its borders, including several during the Gaza war that it only acknowledged later.The activists said the strike appeared to target the boat’s generator.Following the distress call, the Malta Vessel Traffic Services body dispatched a tugboat and offered support.”The tug arrived on scene and began firefighting operations. By 0128 hrs, the fire was reported under control,” the Maltese statement said.- ‘Desperately needed aid’ -A Cypriot-owned vessel also responded to the distress call.”The Larnaca Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) has been informed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus that a vessel possibly transporting humanitarian aid to Gaza came under missile attack by an Israeli Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) while sailing within the Search and Rescue (SAR) Region of Malta,” the Cypriot rescue body said.It said a Cypriot-owned vessel in the area “participated in firefighting operations”.The activists were on what they called a “mission to challenge Israel’s illegal and deadly siege of Gaza, and to deliver desperately needed, life-saving aid”.Israel has since March 2 blocked all aid deliveries to Gaza, and resumed major military operations in the territory in mid-March, ending a two-month ceasefire.The International Committee of the Red Cross warned Friday that the humanitarian response in Gaza was on the “verge of total collapse” after two months of aid being blocked.Turkey, which said it had nationals on board the vessel, strongly condemned “this attack on a civilian ship, which threatens freedom of navigation and maritime security in international waters”.”There are allegations that the ship was targeted by Israeli drones. All necessary initiatives will be taken to reveal the details of the attack as soon as possible and to hold the perpetrators accountable,” a foreign ministry statement said.A previous “Freedom Flotilla” sailed from southern Turkey in 2010 but ended in bloodshed when Israeli forces stormed the Mavi Marmara vessel, killing 10 people and wounding 28.Hamas’s attack on Israel in October 2023, which sparked the Gaza war, resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Thursday that at least 2,326 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes, bringing the overall death toll since the war broke out to 52,418.Both Hamas and the Palestine Liberation Organization, which Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas leads, issued statements condemning the disabling of the aid ship off Malta.Hamas said it showed Israel’s “blatant disregard for the will of humanity and justice”.

Israel says struck near Syria presidential palace amid Druze clashes

Israel said it carried out an air strike near Syria’s presidential palace in Damascus on Friday, warning the country’s new Islamist rulers against targeting the Druze minority.The dawn strike came hours after top Druze clerics and armed factions reaffirmed their loyalty to Syria, rejecting any call for secession.The Druze leaders urged the government to empower the interior ministry and judiciary in Sweida province — their stronghold — by appointing officials from the local population.The statement followed deadly sectarian clashes this week between Druze fighters and Syrian forces, including government-affiliated groups, near Damascus.At least 102 people were killed in Jaramana and Sahnaya, both near the capital, and in Sweida, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor.A de-escalation deal was reached between Druze representatives and the government, prompting troop deployments in Sahnaya and tighter security around Jaramana on Thursday.Syrian officials said the agreement included the immediate surrender of heavy weapons and an expanded General Security presence.An AFP photographer saw troops gradually taking over checkpoints from Druze gunmen in Jaramana, though no handover of weapons was witnessed.An explosion from the vicinity of the presidential palace was heard across the Syrian capital, an AFP correspondent reported.Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said “warplanes attacked… the area near Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa’s palace in Damascus”, referring to Syria’s interim president.- ‘Clear message’ -In a joint statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said it was a “clear message” to Syria’s new rulers.”We will not allow forces to be sent south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community,” they said.Ahmed, a 55-year-old who withheld his surname, said the blast woke up his family.”Unfortunately, we have gotten used to explosions and Israeli strikes in Damascus. Curse them,” he said.Israel, which sees Syria’s new rulers as jihadists, has attacked hundreds of military sites in its northern neighbour since Islamist-led forces deposed longtime president Bashar al-Assad in December.It has also sent troops into the demilitarised buffer zone that used to separate Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights.Its army carried out strikes near Damascus on Wednesday and threatened to conduct more if the violence against the Druze continues.The unrest was sparked by the circulation of an audio recording attributed to a Druze citizen and deemed blasphemous. AFP was unable to confirm its authenticity.Syria’s government accused “outlaw groups” of instigating the violence by attacking their forces.But the Observatory and Druze residents said forces affiliated with the new authorities attacked Jaramana and Sahnaya and clashed with Druze gunmen.”The situation is calm, but we are scared. Everyone is terrified. We have been through difficult days,” Arij, a 35-year-old housewife, told AFP.”Many Christians and Druze have fled to Damascus, but we are staying here. We have no alternative place.”- ‘State and judiciary’ -Mohamad Halawa, a security official in Damascus province, said a security cordon was formed around Jaramana.All residents would be “under the umbrella of the state and the judiciary”, he added.In Sweida, religious authorities and military factions confirmed after an extensive meeting that they are “an inseparable part of the united Syrian homeland”, adding that they “reject division, separation, or secession”.The Observatory monitor said the Syrian government sent military reinforcements around the province.The move came after Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, a Druze spiritual leader, condemned what he called a “genocidal campaign” against his people, expressing his distrust towards the government.Syria’s new Islamist authorities, who have roots in the Al-Qaeda jihadist network, have vowed inclusive rule in the multi-confessional, multi-ethnic country, but must also contend with pressures from radical Islamists within their ranks.The violence involving the Druze follows massacres of people from the Alawite community in March, when the Observatory said security forces and allies killed more than 1,700 civilians.It was the worst bloodshed since the overthrow of Assad, who is from the minority community.The government accused Assad loyalists of sparking the violence by attacking security forces, and has launched an inquiry.

‘Deadly blockade’ leaves Gaza aid work on verge of collapse: UN, Red Cross

Two months into Israel’s full blockade on aid into Gaza, humanitarians described Friday horrific scenes of starving, bloodied children and people fighting over water, with aid operations on the “verge of total collapse”.The United Nations and the Red Cross sounded the alarm at the dire situation in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory, demanding international action.”The humanitarian response in Gaza is on the verge of total collapse,” the International Committee of the Red Cross warned in a statement.”Without immediate action, Gaza will descend further into chaos that humanitarian efforts will not be able to mitigate.”Israel strictly controls all inflows of international aid vital for the 2.4 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.It halted aid deliveries to Gaza on March 2, days before the collapse of a ceasefire that had significantly reduced hostilities after 15 months of war.Since the start of the blockade, the United Nations has repeatedly warned of the humanitarian catastrophe on the ground, with famine again looming.The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) said a week ago that it had sent out its “last remaining food stocks” to kitchens.- ‘The blockade is deadly’ -“Food stocks have now mainly run out,” Olga Cherevko, a spokeswoman for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, told reporters in Geneva Friday via video link from Gaza City.”Community kitchens have begun to shut down (and) more people are going hungry,” she said, pointing to reports of children and other very vulnerable people who have died from malnutrition and … from the lack of food”.”The blockade is deadly.”Water access was also “becoming impossible”, she warned.”In fact, as I speak to you, just downstairs from this building people are fighting for water. There’s a water truck that has just arrived, and people are killing each other over water,” she said.The situation is so bad, she said that a friend had described to her a few days ago seeing “people burning … because of the explosions and there was no water to save them”.At the same time, Cherevko lamented that “hospitals report running out of blood units as mass casualties continue to arrive”.”Gaza lies in ruins, Rubble fills the streets… Many nights, blood-curdling screams of the injured pierce the skies following the deafening sound of another explosion.” – ‘Abomination’ -She also decried the mass displacement, with nearly the entire Gaza population being fprced to shift multiple times prior to the brief ceasefire.Since the resumption of hostilities, she said “over 420,000 people have been once again forced to flee, many with only the clothes on their backs, shot at along the way, arriving in overcrowded shelters, as tents and other facilities where people search safety, are being bombed”.Pascal Hundt, the ICRC’s deputy head of operations, also cautioned that “civilians in Gaza are facing an overwhelming daily struggle to survive the dangers of hostilities, cope with relentless displacement, and endure the consequences of being deprived of urgent humanitarian assistance”.The World Health Organization’s emergencies director Mike Ryan said the situation was an “abomination”.”We are breaking the bodies and the minds of the children of Gaza. We are starving the children of Gaza,” he told reporters on Thursday.Cherevko slammed decision makers who “have watched in silence the endless scenes of bloodied children, of severed limbs, of grieving parents move swiftly across their screens, month, after month, after month”. “How much more blood must be spilled before enough become enough?”

Mahrez aims to land first Asian Champions League for Al Ahli

Riyad Mahrez has vowed Al Ahli will “fight for every second” to deliver a first Asian Champions League trophy for the Saudi club, when they contest the final against Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale on Saturday. Al Ahli, effectively the home team since the final stages have taken place in Jeddah, are competing in the showpiece for a second time in the Champions League era having lost to South Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai in 2012. However, they remain unbeaten in this season’s competition.Speaking on Friday at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Mahrez said Al Ahli are aware of the expectations surrounding the club, especially given that they will enjoy a raucous backing at their home stadium.”Of course, we feel everything around the final,” the former Manchester City player said. “You can take the positive of this fervour, all these people behind us. “The positive is to motivate you to give everything for all these fans who deserve it and never won the Champions League. And we want to achieve something as a team as well with everyone who is working in the club who deserve this. “That’s why we’re going to fight for everything, every minute, every second of the game, to lift the trophy.”Mahrez, a Champions League winner in Europe with City in 2023, leads the tournament in assists, with eight, while a goal in the final would draw him level at the top of the scoring charts on 10. The Algerian is hugely decorated having also won the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations with his country.”This is a trophy, but in another continent, in Asia,” Mahrez said. “I’ve been lucky enough to play in teams that won a lot of trophies with big players, but when you play any trophy, any cup, it’s always exciting. “I’m really looking forward to it. I really want to win a trophy with this team, with this club and, like I said, I will give everything tomorrow.”Mahrez supplied the assist for another former Premier League star, Ivan Toney, to score in the semi-final and ex-Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino and substitute Feras Al Buraikan also netted.Al Ahli also boast ex-Chelsea ‘keeper Edouard Mendy and former Barcelona and AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie in their squad.- Frontale promise ‘surprise’ -Frontale booked their place in their first Asian final and prevented an all-Saudi showdown by stunning Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr 3-2 on Wednesday.The J1 League side, who had never before progressed beyond the quarter-finals, are only the fifth Japanese club to play in a Champions League final.After the win against Al Nassr, Frontale manager Shigetoshi Hasebe said his team would “surprise” Al Ahli in the final.On Friday, Hasebe was more muted, saying only that his team would need to be at their very best.”If we play with 95 percent, it will not be enough. All the players have to show their character, give 100 percent energy on the pitch,” he said.Asked about Hasebe’s suggestion that his side could spring a shock against the Saudis, Al Ahli manager Matthias Jaissle said: “Let’s see how the coach of the opponent wants to surprise us. “It’s his right to say so. We respect the opponent very much; we know about their strength, definitely. “There’s a team waiting for us who deserves to be in the final, who’s won against big opponents already and shown their qualities. “So we know what to do… maybe we can surprise them as well.”Frontale captain Yasuto Wakizaka said the final could be a springboard to bigger things.”If we win against such a big club as Al Ahli or Al Nassr, it is very big for the club. “In the future as well, if Kawasaki want to become a more global club, this is a very important game as well.”

West Bank Palestinians losing hope 100 days into Israeli assault

On a torn-up road near the refugee camp where she once lived, Saja Bawaqneh said she struggled to find hope 100 days after an Israeli offensive in the occupied West Bank forced her to flee.Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been displaced in the north of the territory since Israel began a major “anti-terrorist operation” dubbed “Iron Wall” on January 21.Bawaqneh said life was tough and uncertain since she was forced to leave Jenin refugee camp — one of three targeted by the offensive along with Tulkarem and Nur Shams.”We try to hold on to hope, but unfortunately, reality offers none,” she told AFP.”Nothing is clear in Jenin camp even after 100 days -— we still don’t know whether we will return to our homes, or whether those homes have been damaged or destroyed.”Bawaqneh said residents were banned from entering the camp and that “no one knows… what happened inside”.Israel’s military in late February deployed tanks in Jenin for the first time in the West Bank since the end of the second intifada.In early March, it said it had expanded its offensive to more areas of the city.The Jenin camp is a known bastion of Palestinian militancy where Israeli forces have always operated.AFP footage this week showed power lines dangling above streets blocked with barriers made of churned up earth. Wastewater pooled in the road outside Jenin Governmental Hospital.- ‘Precarious’ situation -Farha Abu al-Hija, a member of the Popular Committee for Services in Jenin camp, said families living in the vicinity of the camp were being removed by Israeli forces “on a daily basis”.”A hundred days have passed like a hundred years for the displaced people of Jenin camp,” she said.”Their situation is dire, the conditions are harsh, and they are enduring pain unlike anything they have ever known.”Medical charity Doctors Without Borders in March denounced the “extremely precarious” situation of Palestinians displaced by the military assault, saying they were going “without proper shelter, essential services, and access to healthcare”.It said the scale of forced displacement and destruction of camps “has not been seen in decades” in the West Bank.The United Nations says about 40,000 residents have been displaced since January 21.Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has said the offensive would last several months and ordered troops to stop residents from returning.Israeli forces put up barriers at several entrances of the Jenin camp in late April, AFP footage showed.The Israeli offensive began two days after a truce came into effect in the Gaza Strip between the Israeli military and Gaza’s Hamas rulers.Two months later that truce collapsed and Israel resumed its offensive in Gaza, a Palestinian territory separate from the West Bank.Since the Gaza war began in October 2023, violence has soared in the West Bank.Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 925 Palestinians, including militants, in the territory since then, according to the Ramallah-based health ministry.Palestinian attacks and clashes during military raids have killed at least 33 Israelis, including soldiers, over the same period, according to official figures.