TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Iranian Foreign Ministry’s spokesman paid tribute to Iranian Red Crescent aid workers and volunteers on World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, praising their sacrifices during the US-Israeli imposed wars over the past year.
After months of protest, crackdown and war, on-the-ground reporting is more impossible than it has ever been. These challenges shape every aspect of how we report on what is happening in the country Support independent journalism today Iran is among the world’s most repressive countries for press freedom. But in recent months, I have seen first-hand how the work of telling the truth has grown more fragile, more improvised, and more dangerous than ever.
Exclusive: Karim Khan says he would cooperate with an inquiry into Cameron's alleged ICC threat Submitted by Imran Mulla on Thu, 05/07/2026 - 14:44 ICC prosecutor details 2024 call in which he said Cameron threatened to defund the court in interview with MEE Britain's former Prime Minister David Cameron leaves after a keynote discussion at the two-day Copenhagen Democracy Summit at the Royal Danish Playhouse in Copenhagen on May 13, 2025. (AFP) Off The British chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has confirmed he would cooperate with an inquiry into the April 2024 phone call between himself and then-British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, in which he has said Cameron threatened to defund the ICC if he pursued arrest warrants for Israeli officials. Karim Khan revealed details of his call with Cameron, a former British prime minister who is now a peer in the House of Lords, in an exclusive interview with Middle East Eye this week.
Exclusive: ICC prosecutor Karim Khan details 'dangerous' attempt by states to remove him The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has accused members of the court's governing body of waging a "dangerous" and biased campaign to remove him from office over unfounded sexual misconduct allegations and his investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes. Speaking exclusively to Middle East Eye, Karim Khan described the extraordinary intimidation and pressure he said he had faced in connection with his pursuit of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister - including threats made by former British foreign secretary David Cameron and US Senator Lindsey Graham. He accused members of the bureau of the Assembly of State Parties (ASP) of subverting basic legal principles by ignoring the outcome of a United Nations investigation into the misconduct allegations - which they had commissioned - when judges appointed to review its findings concluded there was no evidence of wrongdoing.
Every Moment Is a Life: A Gaza anthology curated by Susan Abulhawa is a tour de force Submitted by Hossam el-Hamalawy on Thu, 05/07/2026 - 10:10 The beautifully compiled book’s descriptions of the torturous nature of the routine during genocide is a particularly notable inclusion Palestinian children wade through flood water in Maghazi, Gaza during heavy rains on 25 November 2025 (AFP) Off Every Moment Is a Life arrives with an almost unbearable question: How can literature be made from a genocide still in motion? There is something perverse, even obscene, about aesthetic experience under such conditions. To read these polished, translated short stories while Palestinians in Gaza are still being starved, bombed and displaced can feel like admiring the composition of a beautiful photograph whose subject is a pile of bodies.
Global Sumud Flotilla activists report sexual abuse while in Israeli custody The Global Sumud Flotilla said that activists who were detained during the Gaza-bound aid mission by Israeli forces were subjected to sexual violence and physical abuse. In a statement on Thursday, the group said testimonies from participants pointed to a "pattern of severe physical and sexual violence and systematic degradation". At least four individuals were sexual assaulted while in Israeli custody, including anal penetration with a finger, forceful strikes to the genitals, and verbal sexual abuse.
Video: 'The Board of Peace is a pursuit of genocide by other means' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Middle East Eye (@middleeasteye)
Spain honours UN rapporteur Albanese for Gaza advocacy Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has awarded the Order of Civil Merit to Francesca Albanese, recognising her advocacy during Israel’s war on Gaza. Albanese has been one of the most outspoken international critics of the war, accusing Israel of genocide and war crimes against Palestinians. Sánchez has positioned Spain as one of the most vocal European critics of Israel’s actions in Gaza and of the US-Israel war on Iran, describing both as violations of international law.
Israeli settler attacks leaves three Palestinians suffocated in occupied West Bank Three Palestinians have suffered suffocation after settlers attacked them in Masafer Yatta, according to the Wafa. Local activist Osama Makhamra said a group of armed settlers targeted a vehicle near Khirbet al-Fakhit, pelting it with stones, smashing its windows and forcing it to stop. He said the settlers then sprayed pepper spray directly at the passengers, causing severe breathing difficulties and skin irritation.
Families under pressure to stay silent amid internet blackout as executions reportedly surge with 24 killed in March Middle East crisis – live updates Iran is carrying out near-daily executions of prisoners in secrecy and, in some cases, refusing to hand the bodies of the dead to their families, according to rights groups and sources close to the relatives of the dead. Many families only learn of executions after they have been carried out, with some facing harassment and pressure not to speak publicly on the personal impact of the state killings, the sources said. Continue reading...
Spain's leader Sanchez awards UN's Francesca Albanese Order of Civil Merit Submitted by Sondos Asem on Thu, 05/07/2026 - 12:15 Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez describes the UN's Palestine rapporteur as 'a voice that upholds the conscience of the world' Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese at the Spanish presidency on Thursday 7 May 2026 (Photo by Spanish presidency) Off Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Thursday awarded the Order of Civil Merit to the United Nations special rapporteur on Palestine Francesca Albanese, in an apparent show of solidarity with the expert sanctioned by the US for her work. “Public responsibility also entails the moral obligation not to look the other way,” Sanchez wrote in a statement. “It is an honor to award the Order of Civil Merit to a voice that upholds the conscience of the world: Francesca Albanese, United Nations Special Rapporteur in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
The soldier was photographed putting a cigarette in the statue's mouth, in the second incident against a Christian figure in weeks.
Novelist JM Coetzee declines to attend Jerusalem writers festival over ‘genocidal campaign in Gaza’ Submitted by MEE staff on Thu, 05/07/2026 - 09:06 Nobel laureate warns former supporters of Israel are turning away from country over bloodshed in Gaza South African novelist JM Coetzee attends a ceremony where he was awarded Doctor Honoris Causa of the VUB Vrije Universiteit Brussel on 13 October, 2025 (AFP/Marius Burgelman) Off South African writer JM Coetzee has declined to attend a prominent Jerusalem literary festival over Israel's "genocidal campaign in Gaza . " The Nobel laureate, who said he previously considered himself a supporter of Israel, addressed a letter to the Jerusalem International Writers Festival artistic director, Julia Fermentto-Tzaisler, in November, as seen by the Guardian, in which he outlined his reasons for not attending the May event. “For the past two years the state of Israel has been conducting a genocidal campaign in Gaza that has been vastly disproportionate to the murderous provocation of 7 October 2023,” he wrote.
US reinstates deportation proceedings against Palestinian green-card holder student Submitted by Bilge Kotan on Thu, 05/07/2026 - 06:23 Mohsen Mahdawi, a pro-Palestine activist who led anti-war protests at Columbia University, was detained for two weeks during his citizenship interview last year Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi poses for a portrait inside Havemeyer Hall on the Columbia campus in New York City, 18 May 2025 (Reuters) Off The US Board of Immigration Appeals has reinstated deportation proceedings against Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian green-card holder who helped lead anti-war protests at Columbia University last year, his legal team have said. Mahdawi, who has permanent US residency or "green card" status, was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) when he attended an American citizenship interview in Vermont in mid-April last year. "The government continues to weaponize the immigration system to silence dissent," Mahdawi said in a statement shared by his legal team on Wednesday.
On the first anniversary of the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s ruling that trials of civilians by military courts are constitutional, Isabelle Lassee, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for South Asia, said: “The Supreme Court’s 2025 decision has fundamentally undermined the right to a fair trial and the right to liberty in Pakistan. Such courts flout […] The post Pakistan: Authorities must end ongoing injustice of civilian trials by military courts appeared first on Amnesty International .
Outrage after Ben Gvir posts video glorifying executing Palestinian detainees Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir is facing backlash after posting a TikTok video glorifying executions just weeks after Israel passed a controversial death penalty law targeting Palestinian detainees. The video used the viral “voices in my head” trend and featured AI-generated images of nooses while Ben-Gvir declared he “dreams” about executions. Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir is facing backlash after posting a TikTok video glorifying executions just weeks after Israel passed a controversial death penalty law targeting Palestinian detainees.
MSF says Israel has 'manufactured malnutrition crisis' in Gaza Doctors Without Borders on Thursday accused Israel of having deliberately restricted food and aid in Gaza, creating a "manufactured malnutrition crisis" with particularly devastating impacts on infants and pregnant and breastfeeding women. The report also examined what it said was the harm done by the US and Israeli-backed private organisation set up last year to largely replace UN distribution of aid in Gaza. The medical charity, known by its French acronym MSF, based its case on an analysis of the situation between late 2024 and early 2026 at four health facilities it supports in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli soldier places cigarette near Virgin Mary statue's mouth in Lebanon A viral image of an Israeli soldier desecrating a Christian statue in southern Lebanon has caused widespread outrage amid growing concern over Israeli attacks against Christians. The soldier is seen placing a cigarette near the mouth of the Virgin Mary statue, reportedly located in the predominantly Christian town of Debel. According to Israeli reporting, the army said that the soldier's behaviour "completely deviates from the values expected of its fighters", adding that the photo was taken a few weeks back.
Ben‑Gvir ‘dreams’ of nooses in TikTok video glorifying death penalty for Palestinians Submitted by Reem Aouir on Wed, 05/06/2026 - 17:53 Israel’s far-right national security minister faces online backlash after joining a viral social‑media trend, posting an AI‑generated montage of nooses A demonstrator burns pictures of Israel's extreme-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir during a protest in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli custody, in the old city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, on 14 March 2023 (Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP) Off Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has posted a controversial TikTok video in which he declares he “dreams” of nooses, co-opting the viral "I know I should sleep, but the voices in my head go…" trend to glorify the recently passed death penalty law. The video posted on 4 May features a montage of AI-generated images of everyday items, shaped like gallows and execution ropes, set to the trend's audio. Ben-Gvir has long pushed for the introduction of the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners, a measure that was ultimately approved by the Knesset in its second and third readings on 30 March, passing by a 62-48 vote.
Mamdani slams Israeli real estate event in NYC as 'effort to displace Palestinians' Submitted by MEE staff on Wed, 05/06/2026 - 17:08 The Park East Synagogue in New York City held a similar event in November that also drew protests New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani delivers an address to commemorate his first 100 days in office, in Queens, New York City, on 12 April 2026 (David 'Dee' Delgado/Reuters) Off New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday slammed an Israeli real estate expo at a local synagogue one day earlier, which had been promoting homes and land in the occupied West Bank. The United Nations maintains that the Israeli occupation since 1967 is illegal, and by extension, so are settlements constructed in the area. Population transfers are prohibited by the Geneva Conventions.
