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‘Israeli’ navy boards Gaza-bound ship

The Estelle is now under attack — I have just had a message from them by phone,” Victoria Strand, a Stockholm-based spokeswoman for the Ship to Gaza Sweden campaign told AFP.

Estelle is a ship carrying pro-Palestinian activists seeking to breach Israel’s crippling blockade on Gaza has come under attack shortly after being approached by Israeli vessels, a spokeswoman told AFP on Saturday.

Estelle’s media coordinator Mikael Loffgren told Al-Jazeera the soldiers who embarked the ship were masked.

“The Estelle is now under attack — I have just had a message from them by phone,” Victoria Strand, a Stockholm-based spokeswoman for the Ship to Gaza Sweden campaign told AFP.

“Some time ago, they said that they had military ships following them, but we don’t know exactly what they mean” when they say they were attacked, she said of the vessel.

The Estelle is a part of the Free Gaza Movement, which is dedicated to breaking the Israeli blockade of Gaza, notably through sea channels with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.

Last week, a declassified document revealed that Israel had put Gaza on steady diet during the most violent stages of its siege between 2005 and 2008. Ostensibly to avoid malnutrition in the strip, Israel’s Health Ministry devised a nutritional “red line”, a minimal calorie intake the Israeli army would guarantee as it cut imports to Gaza by nearly 75 percent.

In 2008, the International Committee of the Red Cross revealed a “progressive deterioration in food security for up to 70 per cent of Gaza’s population,” forcing people to cut household expenditures to “survival levels”. “Chronic malnutrition is on a steadily rising trend and micronutrient deficiencies are of great concern,” said the ICRC report.

 

 

Estelle

 

The siege continues to leave the strip in economic tatters, with unemployment running rampant, and some resorting desperately to self-immolation in recent weeks to protest rapidly declining living conditions.

The Israeli military confirmed that navy vessels were in the vicinity of the MV Estelle but denied the ship had been attacked or boarded.

“The Israeli navy has attempted to make initial contact with them, but they have not answered and nothing further has happened at this stage,” a spokeswoman said.

Asked whether any attempt had been made to stop or board the Estelle, she said: “Not at the moment.”

However, an Israeli military source had previously told The Jerusalem Post that the navy was preparing to intercept the boat, and a foreign ministry spokeswoman told the newspaper Israel would not allow the vessel to reach Gaza. Israel justifies its crippling siege of the Gaza Strip as a means to prevent weapon smuggling.

The boat’s cargo, listed on the flotilla’s website, includes cement, wheel chairs, crutches, toys, musical instruments and 300 footballs.

Responding to Israel’s UN ambassador Ron Prosor’s letter to the UN urging the world body to stop the flotilla, the activists said they welcomed further inspections of their cargo by the UN.

“What we refuse to accept is something which also the UN and the majority of the international community oppose: the illegal and in a humanitarian perspective devastating siege of the Gaza Strip,” they said in a statement.

In addition to its humanitarian cargo, the boat is also carrying a number of activists, including five European lawmakers from Spain, Sweden, Greece and Norway.

“The claim for bread, independence, freedom and democracy is not only by peoples facing military occupation or expansionism. It now concerns all of southern Europe…a red thread links Greece to other countries and people who fight,” said Dimitris Kodelas, one of the Greek politicians on board.

The passengers have undergone non-violent training in case Israel’s military boards the vessel. They have signed a pledge to act peacefully even if their lives are threatened, a statement on the group’s website says.

The first Freedom Flotilla in May 2010 ended in tragedy when nine Turkish nationals were killed by Israeli commandos boarded the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara, the lead ship, as it tried to break through the blockade. Some were shot at point-blank range, according to Turkish investigations.

A Turkish court prosecutor called for nine life sentences for four senior Israeli commanders each over the killings. If found guilty, the court could issue arrest warrants against them.

A second attempt to break the blockade in mid-2011 with a coalition of ships setting sail from Athens failed after Greek authorities intercepted the boats, banning their departure and towing back into port those who tried to leave.

According to Amjad al-Shawwa, director of the Gaza network of NGOs, the activists are demonstrating that “the Palestinian people are not facing this Israeli blockade alone as there are free people in the world who stand by their side and support them as they demand freedom, justice and human rights.”

Muhsin Abu Ramadan, chairman of the board of Gaza NGOs, said the activists were risking their lives by confronting Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza because they opposed tyranny and oppression.

“The Gaza Strip has the right to a safe water passage and to be freed from this blockade. Those activists are the ones who expose the Israeli violations,” Abu Ramadan said.

(AFP, Ma’an, Al-Akhbar,SaebPress)

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‘Saudis Arabia is not respecting its neighbours’: Commentator

Yemen will enter a new stage to fully reclaim its rights, Saudi Arabia will find itself in a major strategic deadlock and will bear high costs for its aggression. 

Picture from al-Masirah TV on July 13, 2026 shows smoke and fire rising from the airport in Sana'a, Yemen after Saudi attack.

Commenting to PressTV on Saudi Arabia’s attack on Sana’a International Airport, author and commentator Saeb Shaath said ”Saudi Arabia’s actions destroy neighbours’ trust and destabilize the region”.

Yemen’s Foreign Ministry in Sana’a has condemned Saudi Arabia’s attack on Sana’a International Airport, saying that the strike marks the end of the truce and the beginning of a new phase of war.

In a statement on Monday, the Ministry declared that Yemen will enter a new stage to fully reclaim its rights, warning that Saudi Arabia will find itself in a major strategic deadlock and will bear high costs for its aggression. 

Separately, the spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, stated that “the Saudi aggression will not go unpunished,” adding, “The Saudi enemy has ended the de-escalation phase, and must bear responsibility for all potential consequences.”
 
The Yemeni Ministry of Transport announced in a statement that “Saudi Arabia’s bombardment of Sana’a airport and violation of the Yemeni airspace signifies the Riyadh regime’s insistence, with Americans’ and Zionists’ push, to continue the siege.”

On March 26, 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies initiated a blockade on Yemen, marking the beginning of a comprehensive war, backed with military, political, and logistical assistance from the United States and other Western countries.

The war has led to the deaths of tens of thousands of people in Yemen, while failing to achieve its primary goal of reinstating the previous government that was aligned with Riyadh.

Amid a power struggle, the government fled the country, leading Yemen’s popular resistance movement, Ansarullah, to take charge of state affairs.

After a delicate ceasefire brokered by the UN in 2022, multiple rounds of significant attacks were launched against Yemen by the United States, Britain, and the Israeli regime.

The assaults aimed to weaken Sana’a’s ability to conduct solidarity strikes against Israeli targets, which were being conducted in response to Tel Aviv’s genocidal actions in the Gaza Strip.

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Over 43 million join funeral ceremonies for Martyr Leader Imam Ali Khamenei in Iran, Iraq

Fra Hughes, reporting back From Iran, as he attending the funeral service in Mashhad for martyred Leader Imam Ayatollah Ali Khamenei .

Mourners-pack-the-streets-during-the-funeral-procession-for-martyred-Leader-of-the-Islamic-Revolution-Ayatollah-Seyyed-Ali-Khamenei-in-Mashhad

Fra Hughes, reporting back From Iran, as he attending the funeral service in Mashhad for martyred Leader Imam Ayatollah Ali Khamenei .

Tens of millions of Iranians and devotees from across the world turned the funeral ceremonies for the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, into the largest procession the world has ever witnessed, according to a report.

The six-day grand farewell and burial rites for the revered Leader were held across five cities — Tehran, Qom, Najaf, Karbala, and Mashhad — drawing massive, passionate crowds that defied all previous records, the Fars News Agency reported.

The ceremonies included three days in Tehran, two days of public mourning at the Grand Mosalla and one day of the main funeral procession, with each of the other cities hosting a full day of tributes. Many mourners traveled between cities, multiplying the scale of participation and creating a continuous wave of devotion.

Official estimates, compiled from multiple independent field and government sources, confirm that between 41 and 43 million people took part in the historic events.

These figures are based on a rigorous combination of data including public transport passenger records to and from ceremony sites, active mobile phone signals in key areas such as the Mosalla and main procession routes, average individual attendance duration of approximately two and a half hours, detailed crowd density calculations along Tehran’s procession paths, physical area measurements from Jamkaran Mosque to the Holy Shrine in Qom, and the route from the airport to the Imam Reza Holy Shrine in Mashhad.   

The endless sea of mourners, who had gathered since early morning, accompanied the vehicle carrying the blessed bodies, transforming the streets of Mashhad into a scene of unparalleled grandeur and devotion.

The sheer scale of the gathering defied description. From the moment the funeral vehicle entered Imam Reza Street, it was completely surrounded by waves of mourners who had traveled from every corner of Iran, all united in grief and determination.

Their tear-streaked faces and fervent chants filled the air, creating an atmosphere that observers described as one of the most remarkable displays of national unity in recent history.

Iraqi authorities, through the Prime Minister’s Office, separately verified the presence of around 10 million mourners in Najaf and Karbala, providing an important independent pillar for the overall calculation.

Even when applying the most conservative methodologies, Iranian officials and relevant authorities emphasize that this monumental event has surpassed every comparable gathering of the past century.

It stands without doubt as the single largest funeral procession in recorded history, a powerful and everlasting testament to the deep love and unwavering allegiance of the Iranian people and the broader Islamic Ummah for their martyred Leader.

The Leader and members of his family were martyred in a terrorist attack on February 28, carried out by the United States and the Zionist regime against the leader’s residence.

Among those martyred were new Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei’s wife, the late leader’s son-in-law; a daughter of the late leader and his 14-month-old granddaughter.

The funeral ceremonies began last Friday, with tributes from political officials from over 45 countries and scholars from more than 90 nations. This was followed by farewell ceremonies at Tehran’s Mosalla over the weekend, where millions paid their respects.

Watch Fra Hughes, reporting back From Iran, as he attending the funeral service in Mashhad for martyred Leader Imam Ayatollah Ali Khamenei :

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNREVSqqW

Millions bid final farewell as Martyr Leader is laid to rest in Mashhad
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Sha’ath: Resistance axis to grow stronger after Ayatollah Khamenei.

Resistance axis to grow stronger after Ayatollah Khamenei

Iraqi mourners carry the coffin of martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in the holy city of Najaf, July 8, 2026.
Iraqi mourners carry the coffin of martyred Leader Khamenei in the holy city of Najaf, July 8, 2026. ( IRIB News)

 Thursday, 09 July 2026

An interview with, West Asia political expert Saeb Shaath discusses why massive participation in funeral processions held in Iraq for the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, goes beyond symbolic mourning, arguing that it reflects growing regional solidarity with Iran, shifting political dynamics in West Asia, and the enduring influence of Ayatollah Khamenei on the regional Axis of Resistance.

He also examines how Ayatollah Khamenei’s leadership helped unite diverse resistance movements around a common anti-imperialist agenda and what this legacy could mean for the future of the region.

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