EU's Kallas welcomes announcement of Gaza agreement The European Union has welcomed the announcement of an agreement to permanently disarm Hamas and withdraw Israeli forces from Gaza, the EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas said on Thursday. "We call on all parties to approve and implement the agreement without delay," Kallas said in a statement.
Hamas calls on US, mediators to stop Israel ‘sabotaging’ Gaza agreement Hamas has welcomed the joint statement from several Arab countries following a meeting of foreign ministers in Amman which condemned Israel’s escalation in Gaza, saying it “underscores the gravity of the escalation and violations perpetrated by the occupying government, which threaten the future of the entire agreement”. Hamas called on the signatories, as well as the US and ceasefire mediators to prevent Israel “from sabotaging the agreement through continued killing, aggression and reneging on the obligations imposed by the ceasefire agreement”. This comes after Hamas agreed in July to a document setting out a plan for their disarmament in Gaza, in return for the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Yemeni official accuses Houthis of ‘regional aggression’ Deputy Chairman of the Yemeni Consultation and Reconciliation Authority for Yemen’s Saudi-backed government Abdulmalik al-Mekhlafi condemned the Houthi attacks on government positions in Hadramout and Marib on Thursday. “This is their true project: perpetuating the war and preventing the restoration of the state,” he said in a post on X, adding that the only way to prevent further attacks is “ending the militia’s coup, restoring state institutions in the capital Sanaa,” referring to the Houthi-controlled area of Yemen.
Hearing set to decide 'terror sentencing' of activists who targeted Barclays Submitted by MEE staff on Thu, 08/06/2026 - 14:28 Judge Altham, who previously issued 'manifestly excessive' sentences to anti-fracking activists, is set to determine whether the offences carry a 'terrorist connection' The defendants allegedly spray painted and splintered windows at a Barclays bank branch in Burnley over its shares in Elbit Systems in August 2024 (Supplied) Off A judge has ordered a hearing in which he will decide whether five Palestine Action defendants convicted of criminal damage will be sentenced as terrorists. The five defendants - Brendon O’Hagan, 28, Amanda Kelly, 31, Hmeera Atiqnisar, 31, Mohammed Malik, 28, and Alma Yaniv, 70 - were found guilty in June 2026 of causing £212,000 ($283,000) worth of damage to a Barclays branch in Burnley in August 2024. Following their convictions, presiding Judge Phillip Parry told defence lawyers that he would consider applying a “terrorist connection”, despite jurors not being told about a potential terror sentencing in the case.
US embassy in Yemen condemns ‘cowardly’ Houthi attacks in Hadramout and Marib The US embassy in Yemen has described Houthi attacks in Hadramout and Marib as “cowardly”, saying the attacks “represent yet another example of terrorrism against Yemeni people”. In a post on X, the US mission paid condolences to the families of “brave Yemeni soldiers killed today”. بشأن هجمات اليوم في حضرموت ومأرب.
Houthis say they carried out attacks on ‘Saudi military deployments’ Yemen’s Houthis said on Thursday that they carried out missile and drone attacks on “Saudi military deployments” in Yemen's Saudi-backed government controlled areas of Marib and Hadramout. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree accused Saudi Arabia of a “large military buildup” in Yemen and said that in response, “our armed forces conducted a large-scale and precise military operation targeting Saudi enemy troop concentrations,” which killed and wounded several soldiers. “We advise those misled and deceived among our people to leave the Saudi enemy camps and return to their homes before it is too late,” Saree said in a statement on X.
Netanyahu's ultra-Orthodox alliance shows signs of fracture before crucial election Submitted by Nadav Rapaport on Thu, 08/06/2026 - 15:05 Growing dissatisfaction among ultra-Orthodox voters has exposed cracks in Netanyahu's alliance Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men protest the recent arrests of ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers, near Bet Lid military prison in Kfar Yona in central Israel on 24 June 2026 (Jack Guez/AFP) Off For nearly three decades, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has relied on ultra-Orthodox parties as one of the pillars of his political survival. But as Netanyahu gears up to one of his toughest elections in years, his governing alliance is facing unprecedented strain over the long-running dispute about military conscription for ultra-Orthodox Jewish men. The row has exposed deep divisions within Netanyahu's right-wing bloc and raised questions about whether the United Torah Judaism (UTJ) and Shas parties, two of his most dependable allies since he first became prime minister in 1996, could look elsewhere.
'We've run out of earthly solutions': Inside Libya's electricity crisis Submitted by Elis Gjevori on Thu, 08/06/2026 - 13:07 As blackouts spark protests, a decade of fractured governance, underinvestment and corruption has left an oil and gas-rich nation unable to keep its lights on Libya produces more than 1. 3 million barrels of oil a day and has a population of just over 7. 5 million (MEE graphic) Off Earlier this month, Al Robyan, one of Tripoli's most popular seafood restaurants, made an unusual offer: a table laden with seafood in exchange for "some fuel for the generator".
Israeli bulldozers uproot West Bank olive trees ahead of harvest season Submitted by Mojahid Nawahda on Thu, 08/06/2026 - 15:13 Palestinian farmers say groves cultivated for generations have been destroyed as restrictions and attacks intensify across the occupied West Bank Israeli bulldozer uproots olive trees in the village of Al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, 20 April 2026 (Zain Jaafar/AFP) Off Israeli bulldozers destroyed scores of olive trees in Palestinian villages near Jenin on Wednesday, as part of an ongoing campaign of uprooting olive groves across the occupied West Bank. The latest operation targeted farmland in the villages of Ajjah and Zububa, near the separation barrier, weeks before Palestinian farmers were due to begin this year's olive harvest. Zaki Jaradat, head of Zububa Village Council, said Israeli forces have uprooted more than 2,950 olive trees across more than 300 dunams of agricultural land since the start of the year.
Israeli settlers attack West Bank Palestinian community, burn homes Israeli settlers attacked a small Palestinian community in the occupied West Bank, injuring people, destroying homes and smashing their power source, the military and residents said Thursday, in the latest in a spate of violent confrontations. AFP journalists in remote Khirbet al-Tuba saw buildings blackened by fire and smoke, the interiors of three homes completely burned and graffiti in Hebrew spray-painted on remaining structures. The dozen solar panels the isolated southern community relies on for power had also been smashed to render them unusable.
Israeli settler charged with manslaughter in first indictment since October 2023 An Israeli settler hs been charged with reckless manslaughter over the death of a prominent Palestinian activist in the occupied West Bank, the first since October 2023. Yinon Levi is charged with reckless manslaughter in the death of Awdeh Hathaleen, a prominent activist who was involved in the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land. He also faces chargs of armed trespassing and malicious property damage during a July 2025 incident in which settlers operated a large excavator in the Palestinian village of Umm al-Khair.
Rights groups denounce Israeli killing of Lebanese journalist as 'war crime' Three human rights organisations have denounced an Israeli attack in southern Lebanon that killed a journalist in April as a "war crime. " Amal Khalil, who worked for the daily newspaper Al-Akhbar, was killed, while freelance cameraperson Zeinab Faraj was wounded, in an attack on 22 April in the village of al-Tiri. The two women had taken shelter in a building after an Israeli strike targeted a car traveling ahead of them - the building itself was then targeted itself.
Court hears Palestine Action defendant suffered from emotional turmoil before Elbit raid Submitted by Katherine Hearst on Wed, 08/05/2026 - 10:08 Judge Patrick Field has sent jurors out to deliberate following the weeks-long trial over a raid on an Elbit Systems factory near Bristol in August 2024 Julija Brigadirova is among eight defendants facing criminal damage and violent disorder charges in connection with a raid on an Elbit Systems factory near Bristol in August 2024 (Supplied) Off A British court has heard that a defendant in a Palestine Action trial accused of planning a raid on an Israeli- owned arms factory was suffering from emotional turmoil at the time the coordination of the action was alleged to take place. Representing Julija Brigadirova, lawyer Tom Copeland told the court on Wednesday, that her circumstances around the time she was alleged to be planning the Filton action were marked by mental and emotional distress - including an attempt on her own life. Copeland suggested that the reason Brigadirova appears to be absent from the evidence of the alleged coordination of the Elbit raid in the weeks preceding it, is because “in the context of her life at the time, she may not have been in a place to usefully contribute”.
Kuwait orders Iranian school shut: education ministry source Authorities in Kuwait ordered the closure of a local Iranian school, a source at the education ministry told AFP on Thursday, after the country came under repeated Iranian attack during the Middle East war. The ministry source did not specify the reason for shutting the country's only Iranian school, though similar measures were taken in the UAE at the start of the war against schools and a hospital that authorities deemed to be linked to the Iranian government. "The Minister of Education issued a decision to revoke the educational license of the private Iranian school and close it down," said the text of the decision, which was seen by AFP.
UK: Dozens of MPs urge Shabana Mahmood not to block evacuation from Gaza Submitted by Imran Mulla on Thu, 08/06/2026 - 11:16 Palestinians who have applied to join an immediate family member in Britain have been blocked from doing so Britain's Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood makes a statement in the House of Commons in London on 13 July 2026 (AFP) Off More than 85 British MPs have written to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood expressing concern over reports that the government is blocking the evacuation of dozens of women and children from Gaza . Labour MP Kim Johnson sent a letter to Mahmood on Thursday which was signed by MPs from across different parties. Last September the Home Office suspended refugee family reunion applications pending the introduction of new, stricter rules, but these have not yet been announced.
60 Palestinians detained, 16 wounded by Israeli forces in raid on Qalandiya and Kafr Aqab Israeli forces have detained some 60 Palestinians in a two-day long raid on the Qalandiya refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Prisoners' Society reports. The group said in a statement that arrestees included women and children, and that, throughout the raid, people were subjected to severe beatings, intimidation and the use of restraint as a means of torture. Israeli soldiers demolished shops, raided dozens homes and evicted families from them.
Iran: Trump says he'd rather make deal than 'kill people' amid reports of weapons shortages Submitted by MEE staff on Thu, 08/06/2026 - 11:11 White House denies report that president confronted Pete Hegseth over critical shortage of munitions during conflict US President Donald Trump made the comments at an event at Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada, on 5 August 2026 (AFP/Jim Watson) Off US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday evening that Washington is holding talks with Iran and would prefer an agreement rather than further military action against the country. Speaking during an event in Las Vegas, Trump said the US had been preparing to launch what he described as “the biggest attack since world war two before Iranian officials asked for negotiations. “I would rather make a deal with Iran because I don’t want to kill people,” he added, while reaffirming his commitment that Tehran would not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons.
'Morocco has given me nothing': The young migrants risking everything to reach Ceuta Submitted by Olivia Hooper on Thu, 08/06/2026 - 09:23 Thousands of Moroccans fleeing economic despair risked their lives to reach Ceuta, only to face forced deportations A boy on the beach at the Morocco-Ceuta border, on 31 July 2026 (AFP) Off In recent days, the Spanish enclave of Ceuta has been grappling with a mass migrant crisis. According to the latest figures 72,000 people entered the territory irregularly from Morocco last week. The Spanish government says 70,000 people have since been returned.
Eight wounded in Israeli attack on southern Lebanon's Burj Shemali as talks enter third day Eight people have been wounded in an Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese town of Burj Shemali, the country's health ministry is reporting. Earlier today, Israeli forces escalated attacks on southern Lebanon, with state media reporting a "wide-scale aggression" on the city of Tyre. MEE reported earlier that, as a result of the strikes across several areas in the city, four people were wounded and transferred to nearby hospitals.
Settler terrorism is the modern incarnation of the Zionist dream Submitted by Fadi Zatari on Tue, 08/04/2026 - 16:22 Israel's brutal campaign of apartheid and displacement is putting unbearable pressure on the indigenous Palestinian population An armed Israeli settler is seen in the occupied West Bank village of Ras Ein al-Auja, whose Bedouin community was displaced earlier this year, on 22 April 2026 (Ilia Yefimovich/AFP) On Decades before the Zionist movement’s inception in the late 19th century, the German Jewish thinker Moses Hess proposed in his contentious manuscript Rome and Jerusalem: The Last National Question (1862) that a Jewish state be established through settlements in Palestine as “socialist agricultural communities”. He promoted the colonisation of Palestine, viewing the Holy Land as a forgotten corner of the Ottoman Empire; merely an empty land that should be utilised in the interests of the “Jewish nation”. Twenty years later, in 1882, the Russian Jewish thinker Leon Pinsker published a pamphlet titled “ Auto-Emancipation ”, in which he pronounced: “The land which we are about to purchase must be productive and have a good situation, and an area sufficient to allow the settlement of several millions.
