Seven killed by Israeli military in Gaza over past 24 hours
In Gaza, where a ceasefire agreed in October was supposed to bring an end to killing, another seven people have been killed by Israeli attacks in the past 24 hours.
Citing medical sources, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that hospitals were reporting another seven people killed.
It brings the total number of people killed since the ceasefire was supposed to come into place to 828.
Displaced Palestinian children carry pots of food collected from a charity kitchen to their family shelter beneath the rubble of buildings destroyed by the Israeli military, in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on May 1 (AFP/Getty)
Alex Croft2 May 2026 15:21
Where are US troops stationed in Europe?
As we’ve been reporting, the US has announced it will withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany following a spat between Donald Trump and German chancellor Friedrich Merz.
US troops are stationed in more than a dozen European countries. Germany, Italy and Britain have the biggest presence of personnel. This list comprises some of the largest contingents.
Germany: The largest US base in Europe is the air base near the German city of Ramstein, where troops have been stationed since 1952. According to DMDC data, as of December 2025, 36,436 active service members were stationed in Germany, divided into five garrisons.
Italy: U.S. military personnel have been stationed in Italy since the end of World War Two and comprise Army, Navy and Air Force divisions. Italy hosted 12,662 active-duty soldiers at the end of 2025 across bases in Vicenza, Aviano, Naples and Sicily.
Britain: The US forces in the United Kingdom comprised 10,156 service members as of December last year, garrisoned in three bases, hosting mainly Air Force personnel.
Spain: The country hosts U.S. Navy and Air Force bases near the Strait of Gibraltar. Around 3,814 personnel were permanently assigned to Spain.
Other countries hosting permanently assigned US troops include Poland (369), Romania (153), and Hungary (77).
Alex Croft2 May 2026 15:03
Three killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanese town
Three more people have been killed in Israel in airstrikes on a southern Lebanese town, as Israeli bombardment continues despite a temporary ceasefire agreed weeks ago.
According to Lebanon’s state media, at least three were killed in an Israeli attack on the town of Choukine, in the Nabatieh district.
Al Jazeera reports that this brings the death toll from Israeli attacks on Lebanon to 10.
Alex Croft2 May 2026 14:42
Iran war shows value of Ukraine as ally, says Sunak
Rishi Sunak, the former prime minister, has written in The Times about the UK’s relationship with Ukraine, and how it has been impacted by the ongoing war in Iran.
“The Iran conflict has confirmed that the nature of warfare has changed, and Ukraine is the western-aligned nation that knows best how to fight in this new way,” Mr Sunak wrote.
“This is why so many Gulf states have rushed to sign defence deals with Kyiv since the Iranian attacks started.”
The former prime minister says that Kyiv’s defence tech prowess is what makes it such a valuable partner to the UK.
“Ukraine is not a charity case but a nation that can help others to combat threats from the axis of authoritarian states — Iran, Russia, China and North Korea — who constantly share battlefield technologies.”
Former prime minister Rishi Sunak said the law means the UK is ‘on track to essentially end smoking within a generation’ (James Manning/PA) (PA Archive)
Alex Croft2 May 2026 14:24
Air India cuts nearly 100 flights after Iran war sends fuel prices soaring
Air India is cutting nearly 100 flights as soaring jet fuel costs take a toll on the struggling flag carrier, deepening the fallout on the aviation sector of the US-Israeli war on Iran.
CEO Campbell Wilson said the airline had already reduced overseas operations for May as increasing fuel costs and airspace restrictions in India’s neighbourhood were making its overseas routes way too expensive to operate. Given the situation appeared unlikely to improve, especially as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz continued to disrupt fuel supplies, the airline was making additional cuts for June and July.
“We have reduced some flying for April and May,” the CEO noted in a message to staff. “Massive rise in jet fuel prices, which together with airspace closures and longer flying routes, have caused many of our international flights to become unprofitable to operate.”
His statement came days after leading Indian airlines warned that the aviation sector was under grave financial strain due to rising fuel prices and continued airspace restrictions.
“The airline industry in India is under extreme stress and is on the verge of closing down or of stopping its operations,” the Federation of Indian Airlines said in a letter to the government.
Alex Croft2 May 2026 14:01
Spirit Airlines appears closer to a shutdown as time dwindles for a government bailout
Cash-strapped Spirit Airlines appeared closer to a shutdown after Friday came and went without a needed government bailout.
President Donald Trump said Friday that his administration had given the budget carrier a “final proposal” for a taxpayer-funded takeover to keep it from going under, but the absence of a deal put the airline’s future in doubt.
A person familiar with the matter said preparations were being made for a Saturday shutdown. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose confidential information. There was no immediate word from Spirit Airlines or the Trump administration.
Alex Croft2 May 2026 13:35
US Treasury warns shippers not to pay Hormuz tolls, even in form of charity
Any shippers paying tolls to Iran for passage through the Strait of Hormuz, including charitable donations to organisations such as the Iranian Red Crescent Society, are at risk of punitive sanctions, the US Treasury warned on Friday.
Tehran has proposed fees or tolls on vessels passing through the Strait, as part of proposals to end the war with Israel and the United States.
The advisory, from Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, said the US is aware of Iranian threats to shipping and demands for payments to receive safe passage through the Strait.
The warning came as Iran sent its latest proposal for negotiations with the US to Pakistani mediators, a move that could improve prospects for breaking an impasse in efforts to end the Iran war.
OFAC said demands may include several payment options, including fiat currency, digital assets, offsets, informal swaps, or other in-kind payments, such as nominally charitable donations made to the Iranian Red Crescent Society, Bonyad Mostazafan, or Iranian embassy accounts.
“OFAC is issuing this alert to warn US and non-US persons about the sanctions risks of making these payments to, or soliciting guarantees from, the Iranian regime for safe passage,” it said.
“These risks exist regardless of payment method.”
Alex Croft2 May 2026 13:14
New report claims majority of US bases in the Middle East were damaged by Iran
A source speaking to CNN said that they’d “never seen anything like this before.”
“These are rapid, targeted strikes with [advanced] technology,” the source reportedly told the network.
Alex Croft2 May 2026 12:52
Watch: Trump says Iran can play world cup after Fifa confirmationTrump says Iran can play world cup after Fifa confirmation
Alex Croft2 May 2026 12:29
Trump and Hegseth argue Iran war ceasefire stops the clock on 60-day deadline for congressional war powers approval
Just hours before a crucial deadline, the Trump administration argued the war in Iran has been effectively “terminated” under the ongoing ceasefire, which, the claim also stops the clock on a crucial deadline for congressional approval of ongoing actions in the conflict.
Under the War Powers Resolution, President Donald Trump faced a 60-day clock — expiring Friday, May 1 — to either end the war in Iran or secure congressional approval to continue. Now, a senior administration official tells the Associated Press the U.S. and Iran haven’t exchanged fire since April 7, and that the hostilities have been “terminated.”
A U.S. official also told Reuters: “For War Powers Resolution purposes, the hostilities that began on Saturday, February 28, have terminated.”
Alex Croft2 May 2026 11:45