On May 19, the Palestinian Resistance group Hamas issued a statement rejecting the report on the situation in Gaza submitted to the UN Security Council on May 15 by the "Board of Peace." The report justifies Israel's ongoing crimes against the people of Gaza with the false claim that Hamas' refusal to disarm is the "principal obstacle" to full implementation of the "Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict" brokered by the U.S. in October 2025.

The "Board of Peace" is a self-serving creation of U.S. President Donald Trump who appointed himself its chairman for life and appointed an executive board that includes Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group, Marco Rubio, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, a rogues gallery which has no legitimacy, credibility or expertise to sort out the situation in Gaza. The U.S. used its power and threats to get the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution establishing the "Board of Peace." Trump's explicit aim is to take control of Gaza and turn it into a playground for the rich. The "Board of Peace" has nothing to do with guaranteeing the rights of the Palestinian people to peace, security and the right to govern themselves on their own land.

Noteworthy is that the report submitted by the "Board of Peace" acknowledges "near daily" violations of the ceasefire and continued impediments to humanitarian access. In fact the report is a self-serving document which presents the U.S./Israeli justification for its criminal genocide in Gaza, with over 880 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes during the ceasefire alone, with a version of "both sides are at fault," saying that "the Board of Peace and the guarantors have actively engaged all parties to reduce violations and ensure the protection of civilians."

In its statement rejecting the findings of the report, Hamas noted that it overlooks Israel's systematic non-compliance, including restrictions on border crossings and the continued blocking of materials needed for essential infrastructure repair and equipment. It added that such measures are obstructing basic recovery efforts across the Gaza Strip following months of Israel's genocidal war against the people of Gaza.

Hamas denounced references in the report to its disarmament as a condition for Israel's compliance with the ceasefire agreement and noted that the disarming of the Resistance is not part of the agreed ceasefire framework. It called on the UN and other international bodies to oppose Israel's disinformation and instead insist on Israel's compliance with the terms of the peace agreement of October 2025, particularly an end to the ongoing daily bombings and other attacks on civilians in Gaza.

Hamas also rejected accusations that it seeks to retain control over Gaza. It stated that it has repeatedly declared its readiness to hand over administration of the territory to a National Committee for the Administration of Gaza appointed by the "Board of Peace" and called for it to operate in Gaza. The National Committee has remained in Cairo because Israel has refused it entry into Gaza.

In its statement, Hamas noted that the report to the UN Security Council is comprised of the demands of the Israeli state and represents a "suspicious attempt to muddy the waters" and obstruct implementation of the ceasefire agreement and its agreed phases.

Hamas called on the "Board of Peace" and its Director General Nickolay Mladenov to compel Israel to fulfill its obligations under the first phase of the ceasefire agreement. This starts with ending the daily aggression and slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza.

Prior to this, on May 3, the U.S. and Israel rejected a proposal submitted jointly by the Palestinian Resistance organizations including Hamas. The proposal called for negotiations over the disarmament of Hamas and other groups to be tied to the granting of political rights for the Palestinian people "within the national framework." It also called for commitments to end the airstrikes and other military actions against the people of Gaza. Instead the U.S. and Israel are insisting that the Resistance surrender their weapons before Israel will honour the agreements already made, which essentially sabotages any just and lasting peace in Gaza.

What all this shows is that the "Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict" of the U.S. is yet another effort to buy time to give the Zionist state the upper hand and to disarm and wipe out the Palestinian Resistance and deny the Palestinian people their right to be. This has been the hallmark of the many "peace negotiations" brokered by the U.S. between Palestine and Israel going back decades.

Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, 2023 marked a turning point in the fight of the Palestinian people for the liberation of their homeland. The heroism and the steadfastness of the Palestinian people led by the Resistance and with the support of all humanity shows that there is no going back till Palestine is Free from the River to the Sea!

(With files from Middle East Monitor, New Middle East and UN Security Council)

Hamas Elaborates Why Phase Two of
"Roadmap" Is Unacceptable

Palestine Chronicle reports on May 23, that Hamas rejected the "roadmap" for the second phase of the Gaza agreement made public by "Board of Peace" Director General Nickolay Mladenov. Hamas said the proposal is distorting the original agreement and reducing negotiations to the issue of resistance weapons. Resistance weapons cannot be separated from occupation, Hamas said, and accused Israel of weaponizing humanitarian needs. It also accused mediators of ignoring daily Israeli violations of the ceasefire and of expanding military control inside Gaza.

The report by Palestine Chronicle informs that Hamas also said publication of the document through the media constituted an attempt to pressure Palestinian negotiators and create public pressure around a framework that ignored core elements of the original agreement. The Palestine Chronicle continues:

"The criticism came as Gaza continued experiencing Israeli military attacks, demolitions and repeated ceasefire violations, which Hamas described as a systematic effort to alter realities on the ground.

"Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas' Political Bureau, said the movement objected both to the contents of the proposal and the manner in which it was publicized.

"'Serious negotiations are not conducted through the media,' Naim said.

"He argued that publication of the document risked creating public pressure through what he described as 'dangerous consequences' and deviations from the original framework.

"Naim stressed that Hamas remains committed to negotiations and implementation of the second phase of the agreement, but rejected what he described as selective interpretations.

"'Our position is clear; we are committed to negotiations and concerned with implementing the second phase, but not in a selective way or according to Netanyahu's reading of the agreement,' he said.

"He added that the humanitarian phase had been fulfilled by the resistance while Israel continued violations at a rate exceeding thirteen incidents daily.

Continuing Israeli Violations

"According to Naim, Israeli military operations continued after the ceasefire agreement was signed in October, leading to approximately 900 Palestinians killed and around 2,600 wounded.

"He also said reconstruction provisions remained largely unimplemented.

"'No cement bags, wood pieces, or glass panes entered Gaza,' Naim said, despite commitments regarding rebuilding efforts involving healthcare, education and infrastructure sectors.

"He further accused Israel of failing to reopen the Rafah crossing and continuing to expand military control inside Gaza under cover of ongoing operations.

"According to Hamas, the published roadmap disproportionately focused on resistance weapons while omitting key provisions contained in the broader framework and related international understandings.

"Naim said these provisions included the entry of a national administrative committee, international forces and Israeli withdrawal measures prior to discussions concerning weapons.

Resistance and Governance

"Hamas reiterated that resistance weapons remain tied to the existence of occupation and the Palestinian right to resist.

"At the same time, Naim said the movement had shown flexibility by proposing a long-term ceasefire under Palestinian, Arab and international guarantees in exchange for future arrangements tied to a fully sovereign Palestinian state.

"He added that Hamas supported the principle of "one authority, one law and one weapon," provided that authority emerged through a legitimate and elected framework.

"Naim also revealed that Hamas had held discussions with the Palestinian Authority for more than a year and a half under Egyptian sponsorship regarding postwar administration in Gaza and had approved formation of a technocratic committee. He said implementation stalled because of an Israeli veto.

"Separately, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem described ongoing Israeli attacks and forced displacement measures as a direct assault on the understandings reached under mediation efforts.

"'The continuous crimes and violations of the occupation are a clear coup against the understandings and agreements concluded under the auspices of the mediators,' Qassem said.

"He argued that what is taking place does not constitute isolated violations but a broader policy involving siege, starvation and military escalation targeting Gaza's population.

"Hamas called on mediators and international parties involved in the agreement to intervene urgently and compel Israel to implement commitments already reached."

(Palestine Chronicle, May 23, 2026)

Palestinian People Condemn Assassination of
Al Qassam Brigades Chief of Staff

Funeral procession of Al-Qassam Brigades Chief of Staff, Ezzedin al-Haddad, known as Abu Suhaib

The Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) condemns the assassination by a criminal Zionist assassination squad of Al-Qassam Brigades Chief of Staff, Ezzedin al-Haddad, known as Abu Suhaib. On May 16, Hamas confirmed his martyrdom saying he was killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza City alongside members of his family and several other Palestinians. Al-Haddad was killed after Israeli forces struck a residential building in the Al-Rimal neighbourhood west of Gaza City on May 15, Hamas said. The attack caused extensive destruction in a densely populated civilian area. Local reports said at least eight Palestinians were killed and more than 40 wounded in the strike, while rescue crews struggled to recover victims from beneath the rubble.

According to reports, Al-Haddad had been a target following the assassinations of senior Hamas leaders, including Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Marwan Issa. Born in Gaza in 1970, al-Haddad joined Hamas during the movement's early years in the 1980s and later became one of the most prominent military leaders within Al-Qassam. He became widely known as the 'Ghost of Gaza' because of his secrecy and ability to avoid repeated Israeli attempts to locate him. Israeli occupation forces reportedly attempted to assassinate him six times and offered a reward of $750,000 for information leading to his whereabouts. Al-Haddad succeeded Mohammad al-Sinwar following his assassination in 2025 and later assumed broader leadership responsibilities within the movement.

In a statement al-Qassam Brigades condemned the killing of al-Haddad as a "cowardly assassination" and a violation of the ceasefire agreement. "The assassination of leaders will only reinforce the Resistance's determination to continue its path of struggle," it added.

Thousands of Palestinians took part in the funeral procession in Gaza City chanting slogans supporting the Palestinian Resistance and promising retribution while carrying al-Haddad's body through the streets.

Hamas sources inform that Mohammed Awda, a battle-tested and seasoned military and intelligence expert, and a close associate of Ezzedin al-Haddad, has now been chosen to lead al-Qassam Brigades.

Media sources also report that on May 18 an Israeli guided missile struck an apartment south of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon, killing Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander Wael Abdul Halim and his 17-year-old daughter Rama, according to Lebanon's National News Agency. The strike hit deep in the eastern Bekaa Valley, well beyond the southern border zone where Israeli attacks have been concentrated in recent months.

(With files from Palestine Chronicle, Al-Jazeera, Iranian Republic News Agency, The Palestinian Information Center)

Resistance to Israel's Expansion of
West Bank Settlements

Palestinians in the West Bank are continuing with collective actions to oppose the illegal theft of their lands and homes, armed violence of settlers and the Israeli armed forces and the expansion of illegal settlements, organizing strikes and actions to block the destruction of their properties. On May 11 resistance fighters clashed with Israeli occupation forces in the Qalandiya refugee camp. The Palestine Information Centre reported on May 14 that there were 32 resistance actions over the course of 48 hours on May 13 and 14 in Quds, Ramallah, Nablus, Jenin, Al Khalil, Bethlehem, Qalqilya, Tulkarm, Tubas and Salfit.

The Israeli Zionist regime is stepping up its genocidal attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank to achieve its aim of eliminating the Palestinian people and taking control of all Palestinian land. It is acting in open and brazen defiance of international law, rulings of the International Court of Justice and repeated decisions of the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council. International law prohibits the settlements that Israel has established in the Occupied Territories since 1967 and Israel has been ordered to stop through repeated court rulings and UN resolutions.

In early May Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, reported that 40,000 Palestinians have been displaced across the West Bank since the beginning of 2025 by demolitions, settler attacks and access restrictions. At least 42 people, including 12 children, were displaced due to home demolitions by Israeli settlers in the first week of May. According to the United Nations, between October 7, 2023 and April 23 this year, at least 1,088 Palestinians – including 238 children – have been killed.

The UN said that the first four months of 2026 have seen the most violent start to a year since monitoring of settler violence and harassment began in 2013.

The world condemns the expansionist aims of the U.S. and Israel to exterminate the Palestinian people and supports their just cause of defending their land and their homes from the violent attacks of Israeli armed forces and settlers.

(MEMO, Palestinian Information Centre, Palestine Chronicle, Middle East Eye, Yemen News Agency)

World's People Condemn Criminal Attack
on Global Samud Flotilla

Toronto, May 19, 2026

Following Israel's most recent brazen and violent acts of piracy on May 18 and 19 during which the Israeli navy abducted 428 people and seized remaining vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla 2026 (GSF), the Israeli rights group Adalah reports that as of the morning of May 21 all those detained had been released from prison and transferred to airports to be deported. Those who were kidnapped for participating in a humanitarian mission to break the siege on Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid, were subjected to humiliating treatment and violent assaults, with a number needing hospitalization.

Illegal attacks on the GSF by the Israeli navy in international waters began overnight April 29-30 when 22 boats were intercepted, 175 people were abducted and many vessels damaged after being boarded off the coast of Greece. The GSF reported on its Instagram account that "After smashing engines and destroying navigation arrays, the military retreated – intentionally leaving hundreds of civilians stranded on powerless, broken vessels directly in the path of a massive approaching storm." All the people who were abducted at that time have since been released.

On May 18, the Israeli navy again launched systematic attacks on the convoy of 54 vessels that had left Türkiye's port city Marmaris on May 14, stopping 41 boats and taking all their occupants prisoner. The Israeli navy assaulted and boarded the vessels in international waters off the coast of Cyprus. On May 19, all the remaining GSF boats were seized by Israel. Twelve Canadians were among those who were imprisoned by Israel for their participation in the peaceful humanitarian mission.

Worldwide condemnation of the piracy and abductions was immediate. There were statements by governments across the world. Rallies and marches demanded that governments defend the rights of their citizens illegally and brutally captured and put a stop to Israeli violence against the people of Palestine and all those who support them.

The Yemen News Agency reported that the Palestinian Resistance organization Hamas condemned Israel's actions in a press statement as "a full-fledged crime of piracy." They said, "The fascist enemy government persists in committing violations against solidarity activists who are fulfilling their humanitarian and moral duty to support Gaza and its besieged people, who are facing a war of extermination, starvation, and a continuous blockade before the eyes and ears of the world." Hamas saluted the activists for carrying Gaza's humanitarian message to the world.

On May 18, a joint statement condemning the renewed Israeli assaults against the GSF was issued by the foreign ministers of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Federative Republic of Brazil, Republic of Colombia, Republic of Indonesia, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, State of Libya, Malaysia, Republic of Maldives, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Kingdom of Spain and Türkiye. They said of the continuing hostile acts of Israel targeting civilian vessels and humanitarian activists: "Such assaults, including attacks against the vessels and the arbitrary detention of activists, constitute blatant violations of international law and international humanitarian law." They called for the immediate release of all detained activists and ended their statement with a call on the international community "to assume its legal and moral responsibilities, ensure the protection of civilians and humanitarian missions, and take concrete steps to end impunity and ensure accountability for these violations." Officials of other countries including Ireland, Italy, Mexico and South Africa also condemned Israel.

The people of Quebec and Canada immediately mobilized in support of the GSF, through petitions, calls to the Canadian government, and actions at MPs' offices and other locations. Actions took place May 19 at MPs' offices in Montreal, Ottawa, Kingston, Toronto, Belleville, Hamilton, Calgary and Prince George.

In Toronto, people demonstrated outside the offices of four MPs. Several of the Canadians taken prisoner are constituents in the ridings of Liberal MPs: Rob Oliphant, Don Valley West; Danielle Martin, University-Rosedale; Julie Dzerowicz, Davenport; and Evan Solomon, Toronto Centre. Outside the office of the Davenport MP, speakers delivered the message that the Canadian government and all MPs must end their silence on the genocide in Gaza. They called for concrete action on six demands: sanctions against Israel for its war crimes against the people of Palestine, Lebanon and Iran; an immediate arms embargo; an end to the siege on Gaza; the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails; and the immediate release of the members of the GSF.

After a video was released of Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir taunting prisoners from the GSF Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said she found the video "deeply troubling and absolutely unacceptable." The CBC reported her saying she would summon the Israeli Ambassador to protest. The video shows the prisoners kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs and their heads touching the floor. Prime Minister Carney later joined in condemning the mistreatment of the detainees. However, the Canadian government still refuses to condemn the repeated illegal attacks on the GSF, the genocide in Gaza and U.S./Israeli war crimes in Palestine, Lebanon and Iran, maintaining its support for Israel, including supplying arms, a stand repeatedly denounced by the people of Canada and Quebec.

Protest in Ottawa against criminal Israeli seizure of Global Sumud Flotilla, May 19, 2026

Toronto, May 19, 2026

Prince George, May 18, 2026

(With files from Global Sumud Flotilla, Anadolu Agency, Yemen News Agency, Al Jazeera, CBC)

May 18 Communiqué from the
Global Sumud Flotilla

Youth on beach in Gaza paint image of the Global Sumud Flotilla, May 19, 2026

This communiqué was issued as Israel began intercepting the GSF boats on May 18. It expresses the GSF's spirit of defiance which, despite all obstacles, remains determined to break the U.S./Israeli siege and provide humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.

More than 20 civilian vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla are maintaining active course toward Gaza, pushing forward in international waters despite an aggressive interception operation by the Israeli Occupation Navy. Unarmed, non-violent and surrounded, a patchwork of small sailboats, wooden vessels and modest motorboats press on through an overwhelming array of grey Israeli warships, heavily armed corvettes and high-speed military boats (RIBs).

Israel's Strategy Has Failed

Every attempt to terrorize this mission into submission has instead hardened the determination of those on board and their commitment to Palestinian liberation. For every boat boarded, sabotaged or towed away, others have slipped through the perimeter, utilizing sheer numbers, strategic formation and unyielding commitment to establish and sustain a humanitarian corridor and assert Palestinian sovereignty. The presence of more than 20 active vessels on the water stands as a historic rebuke to an illegal siege that has relied on absolute military impunity for decades as it has abused, occupied, genocided and ethnically cleansed the Palestinian people.

By launching a massive naval deployment against a smattering of small motorboats, the Netanyahu regime has exposed its own strategic desperation. This overwhelming use of force betrays a deep fear of independent civil society and the rule of law, including maritime and humanitarian laws.

A Reminder to the World

This moment is a reminder of what everyday people are capable of against overly funded and massive military might. The horizon is no longer just a navigational marker; it is a representation of human will.

Every naval commander and commando participating in this operation is being documented. These records are being funnelled directly to international legal teams spearheading criminal procedures across twenty jurisdictions – with a clear statement – collective liberation includes the Palestinian people, and Israel's impunity has an expiry date.

The commitment of those on board is absolute, but this flotilla is part of a larger global uprising for Palestinian liberation. For two-and-a-half years, millions have mobilized in every corner of the world. The flotilla has reignited a recent surge in solidarity direct action, forcing Gaza back into the global media cycle. As news of the interception spreads, dozens of emergency land mobilizations are erupting across nearly every continent. Over 61,000 people have sent letters to their governments demanding urgent action since the interception began, just a handful of hours ago. Challenging complicity, continuously and strategically, by land and by sea, is how this movement wins and how we stand behind and in support of the Palestinian people.

We sail with the legacy of a people who have resisted for eight decades, rooted in steadfastness, in Sumud. We will not stop until the siege is broken and until Palestine is free.

Actions in Gaza May 18 (top) and May 20 against Israeli interception of Global Sumud Flotilla.

Global Sumud Land Convoy

Global Sumud Land Convoy in Libya, May 20, 2026

In conjunction with the GSF, the Global Sumud Land Convoy is travelling across north Africa to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza. Over 200 people from at least 25 countries are participating in the convoy. They include activists from Algeria, China, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Mauritania, Morocco, Spain, Tunisia, Türkiye, the UK and the U.S. The convoy is carrying 30 containers of essential medicine and other humanitarian aid and 20 containers containing mobile housing units, as well as five ambulances. The convoy includes doctors, engineers, educators and ecobuilders prepared to work alongside Palestinian leadership in Gaza.

It departed on the last leg of its journey May 15 from the city of Zawiya, west of Tripoli. However, since May 17 the convoy has been stalled in Libya after it was blocked by a military force on its route to the Egyptian border. This is despite having received support and assurances of safe passage from Libyan officials. They are currently negotiating to continue their journey. Organizers have pointed out that the "Fourth Geneva Convention is unambiguous: all parties are obligated to allow the free passage of humanitarian aid and personnel. The international community must act. Guarantees of safe passage were given and have been broken. A military force now blocks unarmed civilians from delivering aid to a besieged population. This is not a grey area. It is a violation of international humanitarian law and those responsible will be held accountable."

Italian Workers' General Strike
in Support of Flotilla

The Unione Sindacale di Base (USB), an Italian trade union with some 250,000 members in both the public and private sectors, organized mass actions in Italy in support of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), including a general strike on May 18. Demonstrations were held in multiple cities, including Rome, where protesters gathered at Piazza Cinquecento. Many displayed Palestinian flags and demanded that the Italian government reduce or end its complicity with Israel. Protesters repeatedly chanted slogans calling for a Free Palestine!. Transport was disrupted across the country. In Rome, one metro line was suspended, while in Naples, service on a metro line was halted. In Milan, some suburban rail services were also affected, and port workers in Livorno carried out industrial action.

In their call for the general strike issued on May 14 as the GSF set sail from Marmaris, Türkiye, the union said:

"The 300 activists who have decided to risk their own safety to denounce Israel's barbarity and come to the aid of the Palestinian people have set aside all reservations: the voyage to Gaza is resuming. There has been no shortage of attempts in recent days to dissuade them and make them turn back. Israel tried, with the illegal arrest of Thiago and Saif, the beating of many of their comrades, and the disabling of several boats left adrift, with crews on board and the sea in a storm. Then various European governments tried, starting with the Greek government, which demonstrated full complicity with Tel Aviv by failing to exercise any sovereignty over waters far removed from the Israeli coast.

"Yesterday, May 12, the European Union made it known that the Flotilla will not enjoy any protection on its voyage to Gaza: this is nothing new, it has already happened on previous occasions, but stating it explicitly has a certain impact.

"The Italian government remains silent, or rather reveals itself to be pro-European, in the sense of falling in line with other countries that are failing to defend their citizens who are courageously setting out simply to uphold the rights of a people, to bring aid, and to denounce the unbearable daily horror emerging from the rubble of Gaza and much of Palestine and Lebanon.

"The only ones lending a hand to this group of brave souls are the people themselves, the workers, the 'Gaza generation' or the 'people of autumn,' whatever one chooses to call them.

"The general strike serves this very purpose: to allow this world to make itself heard once more and to act as a ground crew to propel those boats forward -- the boats of hope, the boats of humanity."

The statement addresses the struggles Italian workers are waging which "speak to a state of working life in Italy that is under constant attack in terms of rights, wages and organizational structures." It says that the general strike "should give voice to these causes, which are once again fuelling a social conflict for which there is a great need. But this general strike also speaks to us, above all, of the desire to put a stop to barbarism and to force the Meloni government to sever ties with a terrorist state.

"It is a strike to tell our brothers and sisters on the Flotilla: we are here, you are not alone, and we will do everything we can to protect you.

"It is a strike to support the trampled rights of the Palestinians and to assert their sacrosanct right to live in peace on their land.

"It is a strike against rearmament and the many aggressions against peoples that this rearmament supports; it is part of the constant and concrete initiatives such as the strike against arms, conscientious objection and the international mobilizations that USB has been carrying out for months."

Rome

Bologna

Naples

Padova

Trieste

(World Federation of Trade Unions, MEMO)

Members of European Parliament Call for Suspension of European Union-Israel
Association Agreement

Demonstration in Madrid denouncing the Israeli attacks on the Global Sumud Flotilla, May 18, 2026

The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) reports that 37 Members of the European Union (EU) Parliament signed and circulated a letter demanding accountability for the violent abduction by Israeli naval forces of GSF humanitarian workers and the unlawful seizure of the Flotilla ships.

The letter states:

"Their abduction constitutes yet another flagrant violation of the rights and principles enshrined in EU law. A previous interception of this same flotilla on April 29 produced documented testimony of systematic torture, severe physical abuse and sexual violence against detained participants.

"The EU-Israel Association Agreement contains binding human rights obligations. Those obligations are being openly and repeatedly violated. Continued inaction by European institutions renders the EU complicit in this pattern of impunity.

"We therefore demand:

"- Immediate suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement pending compliance with its human rights provisions;

"- Immediate and unconditional release of all detained flotilla participants;

"- An independent international inquiry into the full scope of EU member state complicity in the abduction, detention, and documented physical and sexual violence inflicted upon flotilla participants by Israeli forces.

"Europe cannot continue to look away. Each failure to act is a signal to Israel that there is no cost to lawlessness. That signal must end now."

A boat of the Gaza-bound aid flotilla (left), after being intercepted by the Israeli navy, is escorted toward the Israeli port of Ashdod, May 19, 2026

(Global Sumud Flotilla)

Letter to the Editor

Re: Canadian authorities' "outrage" over treatment of flotilla detainees

So, it seems that Canadian authorities are "appalled" by the "unacceptable" treatment of 430 illegally detained members of the Global Sumud Flotilla, including a number of Canadians and Quebeckers. One might expect that the act of piracy itself of Israeli forces in international waters would provoke the same indignation, seeing as the flotilla is trying to bring much needed humanitarian aid to Gaza, to alleviate the conditions of Gazans in the midst of an ongoing genocide. The blocking of humanitarian aid by Israel is part and parcel of their plan of ethnic cleansing, is it not?

Should there not also be outrage at Netanyahu's statement that Israel has "every right to stop provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters." Isn't this in line with Israel's "right" to commit genocide in the name of "self-defence," and to kill children because, in its eyes, everyone is a "terrorist"?

Or could it be that these good people are mostly outraged by the fact that Ben-Gvir is being too explicit in his brutality and sadism, prompting Netanyahu, in an attempt to save face, to claim that this treatment is "not in line with Israel's values and norms."

We are still waiting for Canada to recognize once and for all that this is exactly what Israel's "values and norms" look like, and to act accordingly, in a decisive manner.

Reader from Ottawa

Ongoing War Crimes

Israel's Plan for New Settlements

Settlers destroy Palestinian farmers' grapevines in Hebron, May 2026

On May 11, Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that he had submitted a plan to the prime minister to take control of strategic land in the occupied West Bank and establish 34 new settlements, all in Area C.

Under the 1995 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, the West Bank was divided into three areas. Area A was to be under full Palestinian control (18 per cent of the land), Area B under Israeli security control and Palestinian civil administration (22 per cent of the land), and Area C (60 per cent of the land) under full Israeli civil, administrative and security control. Area C is one geographic block but areas A and B are not. Area C divides Areas A and B into hundreds of separate segments.

The division was to be temporary with full jurisdiction of all three areas gradually transferred to the Palestinian Authority over time. This has never happened. What has happened is a systematic and continuous expansion of illegal settlements through seizure of Palestinian land and homes, and expulsion of their owners.

The new plan, which was secretly approved by the Israeli security cabinet in March and reported in Israeli media in April, marks the largest number of settlements approved by any Israeli government at one time. Up until March, the current government has approved 68 settlements since it was formed just over three years ago. By comparison, only six new settlements were formally approved by Israel in the 30 years between the signing of the Oslo accords and the establishment of the current government.

Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits an occupying power from transferring parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies. When the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993, there were approximately 128 "official Israeli settlements" in the West Bank. Since then the settler population has grown from about 110,000 to more than 700,000. All the settlements are illegal under international law, both "official," formally established by the Israeli government, and "unofficial" settlements or outposts, established by settlers without formal government authorization. "Official" settlements are those formally established and fully recognized by the Israeli government which provides them with municipal boundaries, state funding and military protection. Outposts established by settlers without government authorization are frequently retroactively legalized and granted the same state-supported infrastructure, utilities and military protection.

The Palestinian Information Centre (PIC) reported on May 11 that the escalation in settlement construction, the expansion of infrastructure projects and the construction of bypass roads is an organized effort by Israel to reshape the geography of the West Bank. PIC underscored the aim to isolate and dismember Palestinian communities, and disconnect cities and towns.

Aref Daraghmeh, a researcher specializing in settlement affairs, "explained in a statement to the PIC correspondent that the settlement project began by paving new roads, especially in mountainous areas, the Jordan Valley, and east of Nablus, with the aim of facilitating settler access to those outposts and connecting them to each other, allowing for the fencing and closing of lands in preparation for seizing them completely. [...] Daraghmeh added that the occupation no longer deals with bypass roads as temporary service or security projects, but rather as an essential part of the annexation project and the imposition of Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, by isolating Palestinian communities and linking settlements directly to Israel.

"Daraghmeh pointed out that settlers 'have begun to control everything' through the establishment of 23 pastoral outposts and the seizure of water springs and agricultural lands, in addition to the displacement of dozens of Palestinian communities and hamlets, especially in the areas of the Jordan Valley, Masafer Yatta, and the eastern West Bank."

The National Bureau for the Defense of Land and Resistance to Settlements recently reported that the occupation government approved the allocation of an additional 1.075 billion shekels to pave new roads serving settlements during the years 2026-28 and that this is a continuation of significant expansion in bypass road projects in recent years during which more than 952 kilometres of bypass roads have been paved.

As well, the total settlement units approved since the beginning of this year reached about 3,732. Two new settlements in the Jordan Valley area – "Bezeq" and "Tamoun" – are part of a broader plan to create 18 new settlements in the region, which is aimed at strengthening Israeli control over the Palestinian Jordan Valley. In the north of the West Bank, six of the newly approved settlements form a semi-circle around Jenin, surrounding the Palestinian city from the west, south and east.

The PIC informs that the National Bureau for the Defense of Land and Resistance to Settlements "also documented a wide series of field violations in the West Bank governorates, including the demolition of homes and facilities, the seizure of lands, and the uprooting of hundreds of olive trees, in addition to attacks carried out by settlers against Palestinian citizens and their property in Jerusalem, al-Khalil, Ramallah, Nablus, Salfit, Bethlehem and the Jordan Valley."

(MEMO, Palestinian Information Centre, Palestine Chronicle, Middle East Eye)

U.S. Greenlights Continued Zionist
Attacks on Lebanon

According to a report published by the Israeli daily Israel Hayom, the United States has granted Israel "silent approval" to continue its military aggressions against Lebanon under the guise of an "active ceasefire." The report said that behind the headline of a "ceasefire" in Lebanon lies a de facto policy that gives the Zionist state "full operational freedom" on that front. The only parties respecting the "ceasefire lie," the report claimed, are those who drafted it, namely the White House and the Lebanese government. According to Israel Hayom, the latest U.S. announcement regarding an extension of the ceasefire is, in reality, formal and approves 45 additional days of Israeli military operations in Lebanon.

Earlier in May, UNIFIL peacekeepers documented 1,296 projectiles fired by Israeli forces in just one 72- hour period. At least 87 people were killed by the IDF attacks over the May 9-10 weekend. War monitors reported some 3,688 Israeli strikes from the beginning of the invasion to the start of May. While May has been in a state of ceasefire throughout the time frame, those numbers are only down a little bit compared to the overall rate of destruction in the war.

On May 12, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheik Qassem issued a statement to the Resistance and to the nation. He said the Resistance will never surrender to Israeli or U.S. pressure, that it rejects direct negotiations with the Zionist state and vows continued defence of Lebanon. Addressing the fighters and commanders of the Islamic Resistance he wrote: "They said: 'You are finished, and you will lose!' But your jihad shone as a legend of steadfastness that amazed the world. [...] Yet your struggle has forged a model of resilience that has astonished the world."

He said Lebanon's sovereignty and independence is being decided in the battlefields in the South and that humanity is reflected in its liberation. "With you stands the Bekaa, the land of honour and support, whose people sustain life with pride. With you stands the Southern Suburb of Beirut (Dahieh) of defiance, its light shining as a reservoir of resistance against occupiers and tyrants. [...] With you stands Beirut, the flower of the free and a symbol of liberty and pride. With you stands Mount Lebanon, defiant in the face of intruders. With you stands the North, a beacon of unity and solidarity."

The Secretary General asserted that the current war on Lebanon is a joint Israeli-U.S. campaign aimed at subjugating Lebanon. "We face the criminal, barbaric Israeli enemy, supported by the bloodthirsty American tyrant and countries panting behind their authority," Sheikh Qassem wrote. "We will not submit, and we will not surrender. We will continue to defend Lebanon and its people no matter how long it takes and no matter how great the sacrifices, which are less than the price of surrender," he added.

"The enemy will submit, sooner or later," Sheikh Qassem affirmed. He further asserted this stance, stating, "We will not leave the battlefield. We will turn it into hell on Israel, and we will respond to the aggression and violations. We will not return to the pre-March 2 conditions."

(Al Mayadeen, Anadolu Agency)

Profiteering from Trump's War on Iran

New research from Brown University's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, cited by the Financial Times, says that rising fuel prices linked to the U.S. war on Iran have fleeced American consumers of more than $40 billion in higher gasoline and diesel prices spending since the war erupted earlier this year. The report estimates that higher gasoline and diesel costs have added roughly $41.5 billion in expenses for U.S. households as of May 17, averaging about $316 per household nationwide.

Not only the oil giants are reaping the benefits of higher oil and gas prices but reports of insider trading by financial oligarchs abound. On May 8, Reuters announced its investigations found that in the weeks following the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli aggression on Iran, a series of unusually large financial bets on falling oil prices, totalling as much as $7 billion, were placed on global commodity markets just minutes before major policy announcements by U.S. President Donald Trump.

The trades took place on four specific dates in March and April: March 23, April 7, April 17, and April 21. On each occasion, large sell orders were executed moments before Trump or Iranian officials made announcements that caused oil prices to drop sharply, in some cases by as much as 15 per cent. The assets being shorted were oil and fuel derivatives, including crude benchmarks Brent and West Texas Intermediate (WTI), as well as diesel and gasoline futures contracts. Reuters found the trades were spread across two major exchanges, the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), and were concentrated into very narrow time windows, sometimes spanning just one minute.

Bloomberg media exposed that the Trump family businesses are profiteering on government contracts issued to drone manufacturers. The U.S. Air Force agreed to buy an undisclosed number of interceptor drones from a company backed by President Trump's sons, according to the firm, deepening the military's ties to defence contractors linked to the president's family as the U.S. war with Iran enters its third month. Democrats in Congress asked the Pentagon for more information about other defence contractors and technology firms with ties to the president's family. In addition to Powerus, Eric Trump backed a reverse-merger deal between Israeli drone maker Xtend and JFB Construction Holdings, a publicly listed construction company.

Photo Review -- Nakba 78

Worldwide Actions Demand End to 78 Years
of Ongoing Palestinian Nakba

National March, London, England, May 16, 2026

Around the world hundreds of thousands of people participated in rallies, marches and other commemorations of the 78th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba or Catastrophe. May 15, 1948 marked the beginning of the mass dispossession and displacement of the Palestinian people by the Zionists with the backing of the Anglo-American imperialists.

A number of cities in the U.S. saw large marches and public gatherings on May 16 with thousands of demonstrators taking to the streets in New York City, Washington, DC, Los Angeles and other cities. Many protesters carried symbolic keys representing Palestinian's right of return.

In London, England alone, some 250,000 people took to the streets in a national march to stand with Palestine and demand an end to the ongoing Nakba and the genocide against the Palestinian people. In Ireland a national march was held in Dublin.

Large demonstrations took place in cities across Europe -- in Sweden, France, Austria, The Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Greece and Italy. Demonstrations took place also in Türkiye, Japan and many other countries.

In Canada and Quebec rallies, marches, and educational and cultural events were held in cities and towns on May 15 and 16 to commemorate Nakba Day and reaffirm the peoples' support for Palestine and the Palestinian people. Events highlighted the unwavering determination and confidence of the Palestinian people that the decades-long battle to free Palestine from U.S./Zionist occupation and stop the genocide will end in victory and the return of Palestinians to their homeland.

Speakers emphasized that what is taking place today is the continuation of the ethnic cleansing that began with the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes and their homeland by the Zionist terrorist gangs and Israeli armed forces, with the full complicity of the United States and Great Britain. As well, the actions denounced the complicity of the Canadian government which continues to send arms to Israel and the U.S., refuses to take action to stop Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank and conciliates with the U.S./Zionist war crimes. They demanded that Canada end its complicity including immediate implementation of a two-way arms embargo.

CANADA
Montreal

On May 16, close to 900 people gathered near the Israeli consulate with their flags, placards and banners to commemorate 78 years of the Nakba.

Several speakers addressed the rally -- including a Haudenosaunee representative from Kanehsatà:ke, a spokesperson from the Global Sumud Flotilla, the Vice-President of the Confederation of National Trade Unions (CSN) Central Council of Greater Montreal and a representative of the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM). They spoke about the significance today of commemorating the Nakba. One after another they denounced the criminal posturing of the Canadian and Quebec governments which have chosen to stay silent in the face of the U.S.-sponsored Israeli attacks on the Palestinian population in Gaza and the West Bank, and international humanitarian organizations providing assistance to Palestinians in the occupied territories, especially those trying to break the Zionist criminal blockade against Gaza. All the speakers praised the resistance of the Palestinian people, their defence of their right to be, under the most difficult circumstances of a genocidal war. As one of the PYM organizers said, "Our Resistance is our Path to Existence!"

People then took to the streets and, for close to two hours, marched through the downtown chanting slogans. Some people they passed joined in and others clapped and raised their hands to the rhythm of the drummers.

At the end of the march, organizers called on everyone to join a rally on Saturday, May 30 in nearby Salaberry-de-Valleyfield in front of the General Dynamics factory which produces explosive material used in 155 mm shells which are exported to Ukraine and Israel. Last year the U.S. owners requested that the Quebec government permit them to triple the production of this explosive material at the plant and are expecting a response in June. Quebec's new premier, Christine Fréchette, announced last year that her government was open to expanded war production in Quebec as a way to "create good-paying jobs."

Ottawa

A powerful demonstration was held on Parliament Hill on May 16. A spokesperson for the Association of Arab Palestinians in Canada and the Palestinian Youth Movement pointed out that the stolen land, ethnic cleansing and occupation which began 78 years ago was an introduction to the genocide taking place in front of our eyes today. "The Nakba continues today," they said, "in the land theft that is ongoing in the West Bank, Syria and Lebanon. It continues in the ongoing torture, humiliation, rape and execution of prisoners. It continues in the establishment of new settlements in the West Bank and in the refugee camps where thousands of Palestinians are being displaced daily and their homes demolished. It manifested itself again this week, as the Knesset is in the first reading of a bill that places Palestinian heritage and archeological sites under direct Israeli control. The Nakba continues around the world in the hearts, minds, bodies and veins of Palestinians in the diaspora."

A spokesperson for Labour for Palestine proudly announced that the recent Canadian Labour Congress Convention voted to break all ties with the Israeli Histadrut labour organization because of its direct involvement in the genocide.

The words of ten-year-old Ibrahim, a Palestinian child growing up in the diaspora resounded throughout the Hill and stirred the hearts of everyone present: "To be born Palestinian is to carry your homeland in your heart even when the world tries to map it out of existence. Being born Palestinian means to be born into a legacy of Sumud (steadfastness). It is to ensure that the stories of our grandparents are being told, taught and never forgotten. To be Palestinian is to remain unbroken by a common thread of resilience. Ultimately, it is the refusal to be silent, the courage to cling to our identity in the face of erasure and the unwavering belief that justice is not a matter of if, but when."

Filled with confidence in their just cause, participants then marched through the streets of downtown Ottawa, stopping in front of the Israeli Embassy, clearly stating that Palestinians will return to Palestine and that Palestine will be free, from the river to the sea, in our lifetime!

On May 9, as part of the Hot Cargo Kills National Day of Action called by Labour for Palestine, activists held a picket in front of a Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) store. Despite the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, the LCBO continues to import and sell hundreds of Israeli wines in its stores and distributes them for sale in grocery stores. Labour for Palestine calls for an international picket line against Israel and a declaration of all collaboration with the Zionist State to be "Hot Cargo," including all trade, from weapons sales to cultural events to goods and services which enable the occupation of Palestine. They call on workers to use their power to end this complicity in answer to the call of Palestinian unions for everyone to act now.

Toronto

Hundreds participated in two Nakba Day actions in Toronto, on May 15 and 16. The first action was during rush hour on May 15 on Queen Street in front of Nathan Phillips Square/Toronto City Hall. The gathering, which was predominantly young people, heard speeches by Palestinian activists who expressed over and over again the resilience and determination of the Palestinian people to put an end to Israel's occupation and free their homeland. One speaker addressed the fight for justice for Palestinian political prisoners being unjustly held and subjected to all manner of abuse in Israeli jails.

Hundreds of people, mainly youth, who had been bussed in to attend a FIFA promotion event in Nathan Phillips Square passed by and witnessed the rally. During the march that followed through the downtown there was constant horn-honking and other expressions of support from drivers and pedestrians.

On May 16 close to a thousand people gathered at Sankofa Square in the heart of downtown Toronto for a rally and march to show Torontonians' support for the liberation of Palestine, demands for the U.S. to get out of the Middle East and for the Canadian government to implement a two-way arms embargo and stop supporting U.S./Israeli war crimes in the Middle East, against Palestine, Lebanon and Iran in their futile efforts to end the peoples' resistance. Slogans rang out -- Free, Free Palestine!, From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free!, In Our Millions, In Our Billions, We are All Palestinians! throughout the march after the rally.