World May 19 Israeli forces intercept the remaining activist flotilla vessels headed for Gaza By Julia Frankel, Menelaos Hadjicostis, Associated Press
World May 18 Israeli navy intercept flotilla boats trying to breach the blockade of Gaza Organizers say the boats were intercepted 250 nautical miles from Gaza's shores. By Suzan Fraser, Melanie Lidman, Associated Press
World May 16 Israel says it killed a top Hamas leader Izz al-Din al-Haddad, a leader of Hamas’ military wing. He was one of the last surviving architects of the October 7, 2023, attacks that triggered the war in Gaza. By Samy Magdy, Sam Mednick, Associated Press
World May 14 Flotilla heads for Gaza after Israel intercepted last convoy More than 50 vessels departed from Marmaris on Thursday in what organizers call the final leg of their journey to Gaza. On April 30, Israeli forces intercepted a previous flotilla near Crete, initially detaining about 175 activists and transferring two… By Murat Kocabas, Suzan Fraser, Associated Press
World May 14 Pope Leo condemns use of AI warfare and the 'spiral of annihilation' it brings Leo’s speech at Rome’s La Sapienza University marked the first time a pope has visited the campus since Pope Benedict XVI called off a planned speech there in 2008 in the face of protests from faculty and students. By Nicole Winfield, Paolo Santalucia, Associated Press
May 13 Board of Peace envoy Mladenov says ceasefire hinges on Hamas' disarmament By Julia Frankel, Sam Metz, Associated Press Nickolay Mladenov, the top diplomat overseeing the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza, on Wednesday acknowledged that the truce was stalled, saying the deadlock over disarming Hamas had paralyzed reconstruction of the war-battered territory. Continue reading
May 12 Israeli lawmakers set up a special tribunal and allow for death penalty for Hamas-led 2023 attackers By Julia Frankel, Associated Press Rights groups have criticized the measure, saying it makes the death penalty too easy to impose while also doing away with procedures safeguarding the right to a fair trial. Continue reading
May 10 Two activists detained over leading an aid flotilla to Gaza are deported by Israel By Melanie Lidman, Samy Magdy, Associated Press Israel deported two activists on Sunday after being detained for slightly over a week for leading an aid flotilla attempting to break the Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. Continue reading
May 09 Surfers in war-torn Gaza find rare moments of joy in the waves By Wafaa Shurafa, Associated Press Despite the dire humanitarian crisis across the Gaza Strip, where a fragile ceasefire remains in place, a handful of Palestinian surfers are finding joy — and relief — riding the waves of the territory’s Mediterranean coastal waters. Continue reading
Apr 26 Palestinian authorities call local elections in a central Gaza community and the occupied West Bank a success By Associated Press Palestinian authorities said Sunday that local elections in a single Gaza community and the Israeli-occupied West Bank were a success and called them a step toward a long-delayed presidential election in the territories and eventual statehood. Continue reading