Flotilla activists say Gaza-bound ships still sailing, while UN warns humanitarian situation remains dire

“Flotilla activists say Gaza-bound ships still sailing, while UN warns humanitarian situation remains dire Submitted by Katherine Hearst on Tue, 05/19/2026 - 11:38 UN agencies report that rodent and insect-linked skin infections and illness are spreading in overcrowded displacement camps in besieged Palestinian territory Palestinians at a house in the northern Gaza Strip that was hit by the Israeli military on 19 May (Reuters/Ebrahim Hajjaj) Off The organisers of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla say there are 10 ships still sailing towards the besieged enclave after Israeli forces intercepted 41 of its boats in international waters. The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) said the vessel closest to Gaza is some 145 nautical miles away. Israel's Foreign Ministry said on Monday that it “will not allow any breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza” and called on the flotilla to “turn back immediately". On Monday, the flotilla organisers reported that Israeli troops encircled 38 of its ships - which were part of a fleet of 54 boats - as they were 250 nautical miles away from Gaza’s coast, detaining some 300 activists on board. GSF condemned the operation as “another illegal, high-seas aggression”, saying that Israel "continues to demonstrate a systematic disregard for international maritime law, freedom of navigation on the high seas, and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea". The Australian government said it was "urgently seeking” confirmation of the welfare of 11 of its citizens - including doctors, students and academics - who had been detained by Israeli forces. The latest operation came two weeks after Israeli forces intercepted 22 flotilla vessels off the coast of Greece and detained 181 volunteers involved in the humanitarian mission. Meanwhile in Gaza, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned in its latest situation report that the humanitarian situation remains “dire”, with “most people displaced and exposed to continued health and environmental risks”. From Nakba to genocide: A Gaza grandmother’s lifetime of loss and resilience Read More » Israeli attacks across the enclave appear to be intensifying, with air strikes and gunfire reported across Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis and Gaza City. On 14 May, two brothers, Tamer and Mohammad al-Mutawaq were killed in an Israeli strike on a group of civilians on al-Nazha Street, Jabalia, according to the Wafa news agency. On 16 May, a Palestinian was killed in a separate attack near the Abu Hussein school in the Jabalia refugee camp On 17 May, three community kitchen workers were killed in an Israeli attack on a food distribution site in Deir al-Balah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised appearance that the Israeli army controls around 60 percent of Gaza, exceeding the "yellow line’" boundary agreed in the October ceasefire. On 15 May - Nakba Day - an Israeli attack on a residential building in Gaza City killed Izz al-Din al-Haddad, who led Hamas’s armed wing, along with his wife, daughter and four other people. Medical sources report that the overall death toll in Gaza has risen to 72,763, with 172,664 people wounded in the conflict since 7 October 2023. Meanwhile, thousands more are presumed missing and dead under the rubble. The medical sources added that since last October's ceasefire, at least 871 people have been killed and 2,562 injured, while 776 bodies have been recovered. Enormous strain Gaza’s healthcare system remains under enormous strain, with the enclave’s Ministry of Health reporting that hospitals have lost 76 percent of their medical imaging equipment due to Israeli attacks and aid restrictions. It added that MRI services are completely unavailable in Gaza, after the destruction of its remaining nine machines. Additionally, only five out of 18 CT scanners are operational, and 33 out of 88 X-ray machines. The ministry said that this depleted capacity is hindering diagnosis and treatment for patients and the wounded. Filmmakers slam BBC after Gaza documentary wins award despite being dropped Read More » UN agencies and Medical Aid for Palestine (MAP) report that rodent and insect-linked skin infections and illness are spreading in overcrowded displacement camps across the enclave. MAP said that the spread of the disease is turbocharged by contaminated food, unsafe living conditions and the collapse of basic services, with children particularly impacted. Mohammed Ibrahim Salem, a Community Health Worker for MAP in central Gaza, said that scabies is particularly prevalent among internally displaced people, warning that medication supplies are low. “The current stock is completely inadequate to handle the rising number of skin infections in overcrowded camps, leaving thousands of displaced people without access to essential treatment,” he said. Gaza’s rehabilitation services are also under pressure, with WHO warning that over 43,000 people - one in four of them children - across the Strip have sustained life-changing injuries. According to OCHA, only one in every two aid trucks from Egypt could offload at Israeli-controlled crossings along Gaza’s perimeter in the first 11 days of May. MAP reported that bread shortages driven by Israeli restrictions on fuel and flour imports are forcing bakeries to close and the World Food Programme to scale back distribution. The WFP said in April that 77 percent of people surveyed in Gaza continue to face high levels of acute food insecurity. Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, settler violence is surging with two Palestinian teenagers reportedly killed in attacks. On 13 May, health authorities and local sources reported that 16-year-old Youssef Kaabneh was killed by Israeli fire near Jiljilya, north of Ramallah. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that its teams treated a child in critical condition with a chest wound during a settler attack on Sinjil and Jiljilya. On 16 May, Israeli forces shot and killed another 16-year-old, Fahd Awais in al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya, south of Nablus. The Red Crescent said its ambulances were prevented from reaching him. Israel's genocide in Gaza News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

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