Tag: Malta

‘Invisible’ shipwrecks hide Mediterranean death toll

migrantsItaly, Tunisia and Malta are withholding information about the true death toll from stricken vessels carrying migrants in the central Mediterranean, according to an AP report. The beginning of 2026 has been the deadliest start to a year in the Mediterranean since the UN began keeping track in 2014, with nearly 700 lives lost to date. But phone calls from people looking for missing relatives, bodies washing ashore, and other clues suggest there have been numerous "invisible" shipwrecks, and the true toll is significantly higher. (Photo: US Navy via Wikimedia Commons)

ICJ hears challenge to Israel’s UNRWA ban

GazaThe International Court of Justice held hearings on Israel's ban on cooperation with UNRWA, the UN's agency for Palestine refugees. It could take some time for a (non-binding) ruling on Israel's move to cut ties with UNRWA, and it has already been two months since Israel reinstated its full siege on Gaza, blocking the entry of aid and commercial goods while bombarding the territory. On the ground In the Strip, the situation is becoming more dire by the day. UNICEF says vaccines are quickly running out, disease is spreading, and malnutrition is on the rise. Amnesty International says the past two months of renewed siege constitute a "genocidal act, a blatant form of unlawful collective punishment, and the war crime of using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare." (Photo: Maan News Agency)

Italy detains rescue ship after confrontation with Libya

SOS HumanityAt least one person drowned after a group jumped overboard from a migrant boat as the EU-supported Libyan coast guard fired shots into the water to stop an NGO vessel from carrying out a rescue operation. The rescue vessel Humanity 1 was subsequently seized and ordered detained for 20 days by Italy—over the protests of the German non-governmental organization that operates it, SOS Humanity. Italian authorities invoked the Piantedosi Decree, a new legal provision that imposes a stricter set of requirements for charities that rescue migrants at sea, with potential penalties of stiff fines and impoundment of ships. The Humanity 1 is currenty being held at Crotone, a port in Italy's southern region of Calabria. (Photo: Teddybär500 via Wikimedia Commons)

North Africa

Russia’s next intervention: Libya?

Khalifa Haftar, the warlord who controls eastern Libya, was feted on board the Russian aircraft carrier that just left Syrian waters, sparking fear of Moscow's regional designs.

Palestine

Eight Palestinians survive migrant shipwreck

Eight Palestinian migrants from Gaza survived a devastating shipwreck near Malta, with dozens feared dead. The majority of those on board were Syrians and Palestinians.

Palestine

200 Palestinians in Malta shipwreck: report

The Action Group for Palestinians in Syria said that at least 200 Palestinian refugees fleeing conflict in the country were aboard the boat that capsized off Malta's coast.