Humanitarian needs are continuing to grow again across Gaza, the UN agency assisting Palestine refugees (UNRWA) said on Wednesday, amid mounting pressures on aid delivery and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Iran has executed a man identified as Kourosh Keyvani after convicting him of espionage for Israel, according to reports by the judiciary-linked Mizan news agency.
'Unprecedented expulsion': UN says Israel displaced 36,000 Palestinians in West Bank Submitted by Elis Gjevori on Wed, 03/18/2026 - 07:02 UN warns Israel’s campaign of raids, settlements and settler violence is driving mass Palestinian displacement in the West Bank Mourners carry the body of Amir Mutasem Odeh, a 28-year-old Palestinian killed in an attack by Israeli settlers, in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank on March 15, 2026. (Zain Jaafar/AFP) Off The number of Palestinians forcibly driven from their homes by Israel in the occupied West Bank has surged over the past year, with more than 36,000 displaced, according to a United Nations report released on Tuesday. Covering the 12 months up to 31 October 2025, the report records 1,732 incidents of settler violence that caused casualties or property destruction, up from 1,400 in the previous reporting period - an increase of nearly 25 percent.
Iran executes man convicted of spying for Israel Iran has executed a man convicted of spying for Israel, according to the judiciary’s Mizan news agency. The man was found guilty of providing Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, with photos and information about sensitive sites in Iran, Mizan said. Iran has carried out several executions in recent years of individuals accused of links to Israeli intelligence, amid ongoing tensions between the two countries.
Austrian authorities’ responses to people expressing solidarity with Palestinians during Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza have resulted in a chilling effect on the right to freedom of expression, said Amnesty International in a new report. Their actions have also resulted in violations of the rights of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. ‘Freedom of expression is highly selective’: Austria limits […] The post Austria: Crackdown on Palestinian solidarity has triggered significant chilling effect appeared first on Amnesty International .
In response to the Algerian police sealing the Algiers office of SOS Disappeared, a human rights organization advocating for accountability for the thousands forcibly disappeared in the 1990s conflict, on 16 March 2026, Diana Eltahawy, Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International said: “The forced closure of SOS Disappeared is a devastating blow to the fight for truth, justice and reparations in Algeria. By sealing the offices […] The post Algeria: Authorities must reverse closure of SOS Disappeared and uphold civil society’s demands for truth and justice appeared first on Amnesty International .
Leqaa Kordia, longest-detained pro-Palestine protester, freed from ICE custody Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 03/17/2026 - 15:13 A US immigration judge set her bond at $100,000, despite her not being a flight risk Leqaa Kordia poses for a photo after her release from the Prairieland detention facility in Alvarado, Texas, on 16 March 2026 (Gazamom/X) Off After spending two consecutive Ramadans behind bars, Leqaa Kordia was freed from US immigration detention on Monday, in what her lawyers have described as a "staggering" $100,000 bond. Her legal team said the bond was "nonetheless... paid immediately".
Reacting to the summoning of former Public Defender (ombudsman) Ucha Nanuashvili by Georgia’s State Security Service over his communication with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Deputy Director, said: “The summoning of prominent human rights defender Ucha Nanuashvili over his reported cooperation with […] The post Georgia: Authorities’ response to damning OSCE report amounts to “witch-hunt” appeared first on Amnesty International .
Al-Aqsa Mosque closure heralds a dark new chapter for Palestinians Submitted by Lubna Masarwa on Tue, 03/17/2026 - 15:36 Israel is using the Iran war as a pretext to empty the complex of worshippers, as it pushes to exert full control over the holy site Palestinian Muslims pray outside the Old City of Jerusalem during Ramadan on 15 March 2026, as the nearby Al-Aqsa Mosque remains closed by Israel (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP) Off It’s the last Friday of Ramadan, and the Old City of Jerusalem is a ghost town. Al-Wad, the main street that leads to Al-Aqsa Mosque , is empty, and the shops selling sweets, herbs and clothes are all closed. Even the pharmacies and the famous Abu Khadija’s coffee shop have been forced to shut their doors.
The large, plainclothes militia group is deeply embedded in Iranian society and has been used to crush dissent, often with brutal tactics.
Charges follow discovery of body of Masood Masjoody, who was a critic of the Tehran regime and the exiled shah Two people have been charged with the murder of an Iranian activist in Canada, in a case which has intensified fears over transnational repression of critics of the regime in Tehran. Masood Masjoody, a former university maths teacher, went missing in early February in the city of Burnaby, British Columbia. He had been critical of Iran’s theocratic regime and the exiled family of the former shah.
Venice Biennale artists demand Israel's exclusion from renowned festival Submitted by Oscar Rickett on Tue, 03/17/2026 - 12:01 A letter from the Art Not Genocide Alliance to the Biennale's directors has been signed by 178 participants in this year's exhibition An Italian soldier stands guard in front of Israel's pavilion during the pre-opening of the Venice Biennale art show, on 16 April 2024 (AFP) Off A group of artists, curators and art workers participating in the 2026 Venice Biennale have written to the festival’s organisers demanding Israel ’s exclusion from the international exhibition. In a letter to the directors of the Venice Biennale seen by Middle East Eye, the Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) says it is standing “in a collective refusal to allow you to platform the Israeli state as it commits genocide ”. Signed by 178 participants from around 25 countries represented in this year’s festival, the letter says that the “Venice Biennale’s complicity with the attempted destruction of Palestinian life must end”.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran's Minister of Education Ali-Reza Kazemi proposed converting the Minab elementary school that was devastated during the current US-Israel aggression into a museum honoring the student martyrs.
Tunisia detains seven Gaza flotilla activists Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 03/17/2026 - 10:24 Global Sumud condemned ‘a troubling break with Tunisia's long history of solidarity with the Palestinian people’ after arrests Swedish activist Greta Thunberg from the Global Sumud Flotilla in Genoa, Italy, on 28 November 2025 (Piero Cruciatti/AFP) Off A Tunisian judge on Monday ordered the pre-trial detention of seven members of the new pro- Palestinian flotilla, Global Sumud , based on suspicions of money laundering under the country's anti-terrorism law. On 6 March, local media reported that several members of the Tunisian Coordination of the Sumud Flotilla were arrested, including Wael Naouar, his wife Jawaher Channa, Nabil Chennoufi, Mohamed Amine Bennour, and Sana M’hidli. After their hearing and ten days in police custody, an arrest warrant was issued against the activists for "forming a money laundering conspiracy", lawyer Sami Ben Ghazi told AFP.
Larijani releases handwritten message honouring Iranian navy sailors killed by US Iran’s Ali Larijani has released a handwritten message on X commemorating Iranian navy sailors killed by the United States earlier this month. “On the occasion of the funeral ceremony for the valiant martyrs of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Navy…” The post makes no mention of Israeli claims about his reported death. به مناسبت مراسم تشییع سلحشوران نیروی دریایی ارتش جمهوری اسلامی ایران: یاد آنان همواره در قلب ملت ایران خواهد بود و این شهادتها بنیان ارتش جمهوری اسلامی را برای سالها در ساختار نیروهای مسلح استوار مینماید.
Amnesty International, in a detailed investigative report, said it has verified an “illegal U. S. attack” on the Shajareh Tayyibah School ...
China says to provide humanitarian assistance to Iran, Middle East nations China said on Tuesday it will provide humanitarian assistance to Middle Eastern countries, including Iran and Lebanon, targeted in US and Israeli strikes in the now three-week war. "China has decided to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to Iran, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq. It is hoped this will help alleviate the humanitarian plight faced by the local populations," foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a press conference.
After Australia gave humanitarian visas to seven team members, only two decided to stay - the BBC's Katy Watson explains what happened.
Locked in a cruel lose-lose scenario, the players must contend with a regime designed to make resistance almost impossible When seven members of Iran’s women’s national football team sought protection in Australia, it appeared they had finally found safety. Within days, some made the difficult decision to return to Iran despite the risks. For many Iranian athletes, the most powerful opponent they face is not across the field.
BRUSSELS, 16th March, 2026 (WAM) -- The Council of the European Union today, March 16, decided to impose restrictive measures on an additional 16 individuals and 3 entities responsible for serious human rights violations in Iran.
