Israel

Starvation now threatens the people of Gaza due to Israel’s blockade.

Food and vital supplies are running out across the Gaza Strip.

Yet Israel is calling up 60,000 more reservists to intensify military action.

So why is this happening?

Presenter: Neave Barker

Guests:

Olga Cherevko – Spokeswoman for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Gaza City

Sami Al-Arian – Professor of public affairs and director of the Center for Islam and Global Affairs at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University

Neve Gordon – Professor of international law at Queen Mary University of London

ISRAEL has vowed to hit back hard against the Houthis after they bombed its main airport with a missile on Sunday morning.

Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation against the Houthis and “their Iranian terror masters”, and it was officially approved by the security cabinet.

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On X, Netanhyayu said that Israel would strike back “at a time and place of our choosing”.

And in a video message, he warned: “This isn’t a one-and-done, but there will be some big hits.”

He also reminded the world that Israel had punished the Houthis in the past – and would do again in the future.

Israel is said to be rethinking its policy of not striking Houthi targets in Yemen, adopted at the request of President Trump.

The Iranian-backed Houthis launched a devastating strike on the Ben Gurion Airport on the outskirts of the capital Tel Aviv.

Chilling video captured the moment the ballistic missile soared through the sky before exploding as it hit the ground.

A huge plume of black smoke billowed high into the sky.

At least eight people were injured by the attack, according to officials, but no one was killed.

Passengers in the terminal were sent into panic and air traffic was suspended for up to an hour.

Some European and US airlines have cancelled flights to the airport for the next few days.

Many had only recently begun to resume services to Israel after the Gaza ceasefire, which put an eight-weeks pause on the fighting.

The Israeli Defence Force said that it made several attempts to intercept the missile, but was unable to do so.

They are now investigating the incident with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set to hold talks over the attack at 3pm local time today.

Israel’s powerful Iron Dome is responsible for thwarting enemy missiles before they hit.

Operators across the country work around the clock to fend off relentless attacks and the consistent threat of bombardment from Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.

An IDF commander told The Sun last month that the Iron dome has a 96 per cent success rate, so Sunday’s failure will be closely scrutinised.

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The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack straight away, and the IDF confirmed it came from Yemen.

Sunday strike and the incoming retaliation mark a major escalation between Israel and the Houthis in both Yemen and Iran.

National Unity chairman Benny Gantz insisted Iran must be held responsible.

The former defence minister said on X: “This is not Yemen, this is Iran. It is Iran that is firing ballistic missiles at the State of Israel, and it must bear responsibility.

“The Israeli government must wake up.”

Meanwhile, Israel has begun calling up tens of thousands of reservists to “intensify and expand” its military action in Gaza.

The IDF said it was “increasing the pressure” with the aim of returning hostages held in Gaza and defeating Hamas militants.

The Security Council was expected to approve the intensification of the war when it met on Sunday.

Who are the Houthis?

THE Houthi rebels have spent months terrorising the Red Sea by launching persistent missile and drone attacks on vessels and warships – but who are they?

The Shia militant group, which now controls large swaths of Yemen, spent over a decade being largely ignored by the world.

However, since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, they sprung from relative obscurity to holding roughly £1trillion of world trade hostage – turning one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes into an active warzone.

Their warped battle cry is “Death to America, Death to Israel, curse the Jews and victory to Islam”.

Why are they attacking ships?

After the October 7 massacre, Houthis began launching relentless drone and missile attacks on any ships – including warships – they deem to be connected with Israel in solidarity with their ally, Hamas.

In reality, they targeted commercial vessels with little or no link to Israel – forcing global sea traffic to largely halt operations in the region and sending shipping prices around the world soaring.

The sea assaults added to the carnage in the Middle East tinderbox as intense ripples from Israel’s war in Gaza were felt across the region – with Iran accused of stoking the chaos.

The Houthi chiefs pledged their Red Sea attacks would continue until Israel stopped its offensive in Gaza.

The group’s chiefs have previously said their main targets are Israel, and its allies the US and Britain.

And despite repeated threats from the West and joint US and UK strikes blitzing their strongholds in Yemen – Iran’s terror proxy appears undeterred.

The UK and US have hit Houthi bases as recently as this month after the terror group once again targeted boats in the shipping lane.

Israel has also hammered the group with airstrikes, reportedly hitting oil storage tanks at the port in Al Hudaydah. 

Ship hit by two drones near Malta on Friday; NGO blames Israel for attack.

An international NGO that intends to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza by sea has said it was in talks with Malta’s government about allowing a vessel to enter Maltese waters to repair damage caused by a drone attack.

The ship named Conscience, operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), suffered damage to its front section including a loss of power when it was hit by two drones just outside Maltese territorial waters in the central Mediterranean early on Friday, the NGO said on Sunday.

The coalition, an international non-governmental group, said Israel, which has blockaded and bombarded Gaza, was to blame for the incident.

#FreedomFlotilla Press statement 04-05-2025 : “we received a very welcome update from the government of Malta@MaltaGov, with a stated intent to provide logistical supports and potential repairs to our ship, the ‘Conscience’….’ (read more…)https://t.co/PVk6qjJsM3

— Freedom Flotilla Coalition (@GazaFFlotilla) May 4, 2025

The Conscience, which set off from Tunisia, had been waiting to take on board some 30 peace activists from around the world before trying to sail to Gaza in the eastern Mediterranean. The ship had been seeking to deliver aid including food and medicines to the besieged enclave, where aid groups warn people are struggling to survive following a two-month total blockade by Israel.

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg said she was in Malta and had been planning to board the ship as part of the flotilla.

Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Sunday that Malta was prepared to assist the ship with necessary repairs so that it could continue on its journey, once it was satisfied that the vessel held only humanitarian aid.

Coalition officials said on Sunday that the ship was in no danger of sinking, but that they wanted to be sure it would be safe from further attacks while undergoing repairs, and able to sail out again.

Earlier on Sunday, the coalition had accused Malta of impeding access to its ship. Malta denied the claim, saying the crew had refused assistance and even refused to allow a surveyor on board to assess the damage.

“The FFC would like to clarify our commitment to engagement with [Maltese] authorities to expedite the temporary docking of our ship for repairs and surveyors, so we can continue on the urgent humanitarian mission to Gaza,” the coalition said in a statement later in the day.

A Malta government spokesman said its offer was to assist in repairs out at sea once the boat’s cargo was verified to be aid.

Coalition officials said the surveyor was welcome to board as part of a deal being negotiated with Malta.

Israel halted humanitarian aid to Gaza two months ago, shortly before it broke a ceasefire and restarted its war against Hamas, which has devastated the Palestinian enclave and killed more than 51,000 people.

Another NGO ship on a similar mission to Gaza in 2010 was stopped and boarded by Israeli troops, and nine activists were killed. Other such ships have similarly been stopped and boarded, with activists arrested.

Hamas issued a statement about the incident off Malta, accusing Israel of “piracy” and “state terrorism”.

The Israeli military will call up tens of thousands of reservists to expand the country’s war on the Gaza Strip, army chief Eyal Zamir has announced.

The Sunday announcement came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue the war, despite growing calls from inside Israel for a deal that would bring home Israeli captives held in Gaza, and end the war, which has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians.

“This week, we are sending tens of thousands of draft orders to our reserve personnel to intensify and expand our action in Gaza. We are increasing the pressure to return our people [held captive in Gaza] and defeat Hamas,” Zamir said, adding that the Israeli military would “operate in additional areas and destroy all of [Hamas’s] infrastructure above and below ground”.

More to come…

Israel has repeatedly bombed Syria it says to protect the Druze minority from violence by pro-government forces, a stance the Syrian Druze community rejects. Syrian forces have reached an agreement with Druze leaders to improve security, ending days of fighting.

Israeli soldiers and settlers have harassed a Palestinian activist featured in a recent BBC documentary that has received praise for shedding light on the plight of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

As the world’s attention has been fixed on Israel’s 18-month war on Gaza, settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem have spiked, forcing Palestinians to flee their homes. A lack of Israeli police action has further emboldened settlers, who cite the Torah in claiming rights over Palestinian lands.

Issa Amro, who was featured in The Settlers documentary made by British-American journalist and broadcaster Louis Theroux, released footage online showing how armed soldiers and settlers raided his house in Hebron in the occupied West Bank.

Amro said police also threatened him with arrest and told him not to file a complaint in what he said is another instance of apartheid imposed by Israel in the West Bank. Rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have accused Israel of practising apartheid in occupied territory.

Amro added on Sunday that the Israeli settlers who attacked him a day earlier told him United States President Donald Trump backed them. The settlers felt “emboldened because of the Trump administration’s blind support”, the activist said.

Theroux said he and his team have remained in regular contact with Amro.

. @Issaamro who featured in The Settlers has posted videos of his latest harassment by settlers and soldiers. Our team has been in regular contact with him since the documentary and over the last 24 hours. We are continuing to monitor the situation. https://t.co/asEWKkVX5h

— Louis Theroux (@louistheroux) May 4, 2025

The BBC documentary, a follow-up to Theroux’s 2012 film The Ultra Zionists, reflects on how the situation has evolved in occupied Palestinian territory.

While conducting interviews with Palestinian and Israeli figures, the documentary explored how the settler population has grown significantly and how new military outposts and Israeli infrastructure have expanded across Palestinian territories, often with direct state support.

It delves into the religious and ideological motivations behind the Israeli expansion, which has led to mass displacement of Palestinians and violent clashes, and it questions the legality and morality of the occupation as courts rule that it undermines international laws and norms.

“You bring Jewish families [to the occupied West Bank], you live Jewish life, and this will bring light instead of darkness. And this is how the state of Israel was established, and this is what we want to do in Gaza,” Daniella Weiss, a key member of the Israeli settler movement for decades, says in the documentary.

Weiss, who has enjoyed support from a number of Israeli rabbis as well, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “happy” about the settler expansion. Netanyahu has opposed the Palestinian sovereignty over Gaza and occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Settlers are Israeli citizens who live on private Palestinian land in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. They now number more than 700,000. All Israeli settlements are considered illegal under international law.

Settlements and their expansions are seen as the biggest hurdle in the realisation of a sovereign and independent Palestinian state living side by side with Israel.

The United Nations General Assembly last year called on Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territory. This came months after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that the Israeli presence in Palestinian territory is ‘”unlawful”.

Theroux himself was harassed as well when making part of the documentary in Hebron when Israeli soldiers approached him and tried to make him leave the area.

The harassment of Amro comes shortly after Hamdan Ballal, the Palestinian co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, was attacked by Israeli settlers in his home in the West Bank village of Susya.

Armed and masked settlers vandalised his home and vehicle in late March and injured Ballal. While receiving treatment in an ambulance, Israeli soldiers blindfolded and arrested the filmmaker, who was later released without charge.

Like the harassment of Amro on Saturday, that attack was also seen as retaliation for the documentary’s international acclaim and its efforts to show the struggles of Palestinians in the West Bank.

The incidents have also further highlighted the dangers faced by journalists and filmmakers under Israeli occupation at a time when Israel has killed more than 200 media workers in the Gaza Strip.

Videos show the moment Israel bombed tents sheltering forcibly displaced Palestinians at Gaza’s Al-Rahb Camp, west of Khan Younis. Civil defence teams rescued children and recovered bodies from rubble and fire after further Israeli strikes.