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finlay minerals ltd. (TSXV: FYL) (OTCQB: FYMNF) (‘Finlay’ or the ‘Company’) is pleased to announce that it has closed its non-brokered private placement (the ‘ Private Placement ‘), previously announced on May 26, 2025 and June 4, 2025 consisting in the issuance of: (i) 11,206,088 common shares of the Company issued on a flow-through basis under the Income Tax Act ( Canada ) (each, a ‘ FT Share ‘) at a price of $0.11 per FT Share, and (ii) 4,400,000 non-flow-through units of the Company (each, a ‘ NFT Unit ‘) at a price of $0.10 per NFT Unit, for aggregate gross proceeds to the Company of $1,672,670 .

Each NFT Unit was comprised of one non-flow-through common share of the Company (each, a ‘ NFT Share ‘) and one non-flow-through common share purchase warrant (a ‘ Warrant ‘). Each Warrant is exercisable by the holder thereof to acquire one NFT Share at an exercise price of $0.20 per NFT Share until June 9, 2027 , subject to acceleration as described in the Company’s press release dated June 4, 2025 .

The Company intends to use the gross proceeds of the Private Placement for exploration of the Company’s SAY, JJB and Silver Hope properties, and for general working capital purposes, as more particularly described in the amended and restated offering document in respect of the Private Placement filed on www.sedarplus.ca under the Company’s profile. The Company will use the gross proceeds from the issuance of FT Shares to incur ‘Canadian exploration expenses’ that qualify as ‘flow-through critical mineral mining expenditures’, as such terms are defined in the Income Tax Act ( Canada ).

The Private Placement was conducted pursuant to the listed issuer financing exemption under Part 5A of National Instrument 45-106 – Prospectus Exemptions and in reliance on the Coordinated Blanket Order 45-935 – Exemptions from Certain Conditions of the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption . The securities issued to purchasers in the Private Placement are not subject to a hold period under applicable Canadian securities laws. The securities issued to certain insiders of the Company that participated in the Private Placement are subject to a hold period expiring on October 10, 2025 in accordance with the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the ‘ TSXV ‘). The Private Placement is subject to the final approval of the TSXV.

The Company paid aggregate cash finder’s fees of $89,196 and granted 829,145 non-transferable finder warrants (each, a ‘ Finder Warrant ‘) to arm’s length finders of the Company, as compensation for locating purchasers in the Private Placement. Each Finder Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one non-flow-through common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.20 per share until June 9, 2027 . The Finder Warrants and the common shares issued on exercise thereof are subject to a hold period expiring on October 10, 2025 in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Gordon Steblin , the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, participated in the Private Placement by subscribing for 200,000 FT Shares, which constitutes a related party transaction pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 – Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (‘ MI 61-101 ‘). There has not been a material change in the percentage of the outstanding securities of the Company that are owned by Mr. Steblin as a result of his participation in the Private Placement. The Company is exempt from the requirements to obtain a formal valuation and minority shareholder approval in connection with the participation of the insider in the Private Placement in reliance on the exemptions contained in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, respectively, as the fair market value of the insider participation does not exceed 25% of the Company’s market capitalization as determined in accordance with MI 61-101. The Company obtained approval by the board of directors of the Company to the Private Placement. No materially contrary view or abstention was expressed or made by any director of the Company in relation thereto. The Company did not file a material change report less than 21 days before the expected closing date of the Private Placement as the insider participation was not settled until shortly prior to closing and the Company wished to close on an expedited basis for sound business reasons.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in the United States or in any other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 , as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements thereunder.

About finlay minerals ltd.

Finlay is a TSXV company focused on exploration for base and precious metal deposits through the advancement of its ATTY, PIL, JJB, SAY and Silver Hope Properties; these properties host copper-gold porphyry and gold-silver epithermal targets within different porphyry districts of northern and central BC. Each property is located in areas of recent development and porphyry discoveries with the advantage of hosting the potential for new discoveries.

Finlay trades under the symbol ‘FYL’ on the TSXV and under the symbol ‘FYMNF’ on the OTCQB. For further information and details, please visit the Company’s website at www.finlayminerals.com

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Robert F. Brown ,
Executive Chairman of the Board & Director

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Information: This news release includes certain ‘forward-looking information’ and ‘forward-looking statements’ (collectively, ‘forward-looking statements’) within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements in this news release that address events or developments that we expect to occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, although not always, identified by words such as ‘expect’, ‘plan’, ‘anticipate’, ‘project’, ‘target’, ‘potential’, ‘schedule’, ‘forecast’, ‘budget’, ‘estimate’, ‘intend’ or ‘believe’ and similar expressions or their negative connotations, or that events or conditions ‘will’, ‘would’, ‘may’, ‘could’, ‘should’ or ‘might’ occur. All such forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding, among others, the final approval for the Private Placement from the TSXV and the planned use of proceeds for the Private Placement. Although Finlay believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include the ability to obtain regulatory approval for the Private Placement, the state of equity markets in Canada and other jurisdictions, market prices, exploration successes, and continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. These forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions including, among other things, assumptions regarding general business and economic conditions, the timing and receipt of regulatory and governmental approvals, the ability of Finlay and other parties to satisfy stock exchange and other regulatory requirements in a timely manner, the availability of financing for Finlay’s proposed transactions and programs on reasonable terms, and the ability of third-party service providers to deliver services in a timely manner. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements,   and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein. Finlay does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

SOURCE finlay minerals ltd.

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Walker Lane Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: WLR) (Frankfurt:ZM5P) (‘WLR’ or the ‘Company’) is pleased to announce the terms to its best efforts non-brokered private placement. The proposed terms are to issue 4,000,000 non-flow through units at a price of C$0.12 per unit (the NFT Units’) and 6,000,000 flow-through units at a price of $0.14 per unit (the ‘ FT Units’) of the Company for aggregate gross proceeds of up to C$1,320,000 (collectively, the ‘ Offering ‘).  There may be agents who will be acting as finder on behalf of the Company in relation to the Offering.

Each Unit will consist of one common share of the Company (each, a ‘ Unit Share ‘) and one full Warrant.  Each whole Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to acquire one non-flow-through common share of the Company (each, a ‘ Warrant Share ‘) at a price of C$0.16 per Warrant Share for a period of 24 months from the closing date of the Offering.  The proposed closing date of the Offering is on or before

The net proceeds from the sale of Units will be used to;

  • fund property expenses and exploration at the WLR’s properties in Yukon, British Columbia and Nevada which may include drilling activities on its Amy Project in British Columbia, pending receipt of an exploration permit, or other properties; and
  • general working capital,

The Company may pay finders’ fees comprised of cash and non-transferable warrants (the ‘ Finder’s Warrants ‘) in connection with the Offering, subject to compliance with the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange. The terms of the Finder’s Warrants will be the same as the Warrants distributed in the Units. All securities issued and sold under the Offering will be subject to a hold period expiring four months and one day from their date of issuance. Closing is subject to customary closing conditions including, but not limited to, the negotiation and execution of subscription agreements and receipt of applicable regulatory approvals, including approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The securities being offered will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the ‘U.S. Securities Act’ ), or any applicable state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold to, or for the account or benefit of, persons in the United States or ‘U.S. persons,’ as such term is defined in Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities Act, absent registration or an exemption from such registration requirements.  This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Qualified Person

Qualified Person Kevin Brewer, a registered professional geoscientist, is the Company’s President and CEO, and Qualified Person (as defined by National Instrument 43-101). He has given his approval of the technical information pertaining reported herein. The Company is committed to meeting the highest standards of integrity, transparency and consistency in reporting technical content, including geological reporting, geophysical investigations, environmental and baseline studies, engineering studies, metallurgical testing, assaying and all other technical data.

About Walker Lane Resources Ltd.

Walker Lane Resources Ltd.  is a growth-stage exploration company focused on the exploration of high-grade gold, silver and polymetallic deposits in the Walker Lane Gold Trend District in Nevada (i.e., Tule Canyon, Cambridge and Silver Mountain) and the Rancheria Silver District in Yukon/B.C. (Amy and Silver Hart/Blue Heaven) and Logjam ( Yukon). The Company intends to initiate an aggressive exploration program to advance the Amy (Rancheria Silver, B.C.) projects through an aggressive drilling program to resource definition stage in the near future. An exploration  permit application is currently being reviewed for the Amy Project.

On behalf of the Board:
‘Kevin Brewer’
Kevin Brewer, President, CEO and Director
Walker Lane Resources Ltd.

For Further Information and Investor Inquiries:

Kevin Brewer,
P. Geo., MBA, B.Sc. (Hons), Dip. Mine Eng.
President, CEO and Director
Tel: (709) 327 8013
kbrewer80@hotmail.com
Suite 1600-409 Granville St., Vancouver, BC, V6C 1T2

Cautionary and Forward Looking Statements

This press release and related figures, contain certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements as defined in applicable securities laws (collectively referred to as forward-looking statements). These statements relate to future events or our future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. The use of any of the words ‘anticipate’, ‘plans’, ‘continue’, ‘estimate’, ‘expect’, ‘may’, ‘will’, ‘project’, ‘predict’, ‘potential’, ‘should’, ‘believe’ ‘targeted’, ‘can’, ‘anticipates’, ‘intends’, ‘likely’, ‘should’, ‘could’  or grammatical variations thereof and similar expressions is intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. These statements speak only as of the date of this presentation. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning: our strategy and priorities including certain statements included in this presentation are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities laws, including statements regarding the Tule Canyon, Cambridge, Silver Mountain, and Shamrock Properties in Nevada (USA), and its properties including Silverknife and Amy properties in British Columbia, the  Silver Hart, Blue Heaven and Logjam properties in Yukon and the Bridal Veil property in Newfoundland and Labrador all of which now comprise the mineral property assets of WLR. WLR has assumed other assets of CMC Metals Ltd. including common share holdings of North Bay Resources Inc. and all conditions and agreements pertaining to the sale of the Bishop mill gold processing facility and remain subject to the condition of the option of the Silverknife property with Coeur Mining Inc. These forward-looking statements reflect the Company’s current beliefs and are based on information currently available to the Company and assumptions the Company believes are reasonable. The Company has made various assumptions, including, among others, that: the historical information related to the Company’s properties is reliable; the Company’s operations are not disrupted or delayed by unusual geological or technical problems; the Company has the ability to explore the Company’s properties; the Company will be able to raise any necessary additional capital on reasonable terms to execute its business plan; the Company’s current corporate activities will proceed as expected; general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner; and budgeted costs and expenditures are and will continue to be accurate.

Actual results and developments may differ materially from results and developments discussed in the forward-looking statements as they are subject to a number of significant risks and uncertainties, including: public health threats; fluctuations in metals prices, price of consumed commodities and currency markets; future profitability of mining operations; access to personnel; results of exploration and development activities, accuracy of technical information; risks related to ownership of properties; risks related to mining operations; risks related to mineral resource figures being estimates based on interpretations and assumptions which may result in less mineral production under actual conditions than is currently anticipated; the interpretation of drilling results and other geological data; receipt, maintenance and security of permits and mineral property titles; environmental and other regulatory risks; changes in operating expenses; changes in general market and industry conditions; changes in legal or regulatory requirements; other risk factors set out in this presentation; and other risk factors set out in the Company’s public disclosure documents. Although the Company has attempted to identify significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other risks that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Certain of these risks and uncertainties are beyond the Company’s control. Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements are qualified by these cautionary statements, and there can be no assurances that the actual results or developments will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences or benefits to, or effect on, the Company.

The information contained in this presentation is derived from management of the Company and otherwise from publicly available information and does not purport to contain all of the information that an investor may desire to have in evaluating the Company. The information has not been independently verified, may prove to be imprecise, and is subject to material updating, revision and further amendment. While management is not aware of any misstatements regarding any industry data presented herein, no representation or warranty, express or implied, is made or given by or on behalf of the Company as to the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the information or opinions contained in this presentation and no responsibility or liability is accepted by any person for such information or opinions. The forward-looking statements and information in this presentation speak only as of the date of this presentation and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as may be required by applicable law. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements and information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Because of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions contained herein, prospective investors should not read forward-looking information as guarantees of future performance or results and should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Nothing in this presentation is, or should be relied upon as, a promise or representation as to the future. To the extent any forward-looking statement in this presentation constitutes ‘future-oriented financial information’ or ‘financial outlooks’ within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, such information is being provided to demonstrate the anticipated market penetration and the reader is cautioned that this information may not be appropriate for any other purpose and the reader should not place undue reliance on such future-oriented financial information and financial outlooks. Future-oriented financial information and financial outlooks, as with forward-looking statements generally, are, without limitation, based on the assumptions and subject to the risks set out above. The Company’s actual financial position and results of operations may differ materially from management’s current expectations and, as a result, the Company’s revenue and expenses. The Company’s financial projections were not prepared with a view toward compliance with published guidelines of International Financial Reporting Standards and have not been examined, reviewed or compiled by the Company’s accountants or auditors. The Company’s financial projections represent management’s estimates as of the dates indicated thereon.

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Russia claimed Sunday that its forces are for the first time pushing into the central Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk, an area it has been trying to reach for months, in a move that could create new problems for Kyiv’s much-stretched forces.

Subunits from the Russian military’s 90th tank division reached the border of Dnipropetrovsk with the Donetsk region, large parts of which are already under Russian occupation, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. After this, they continued into Dnipropetrovsk, the defense ministry claimed.

But if confirmed, the Russian advance would be a setback for Ukrainian forces at time when peace talks have stalled. Russian forces have also in recent weeks made incremental progress in the northern Sumy region, as well as near Lyman in Donetsk.

The Russian advance would also put further pressure on the Ukrainians’ grip on the town of Pokrovsk, a key hub that has been under Russian assault for months. Ukraine’s General Staff said Sunday morning that its troops had stopped 65 “offensive” Russian actions in the Pokrovsk direction.

An Institute for the Study of War (ISW) assessment of Russia’s offensive campaign found that Russian forces continued their offensive operations in the Pokrovsk direction on Saturday, but did not advance.

Dnipropetrovsk is bordered by three regions that are partially occupied by Russia – Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

One of Russia’s declared goals is capturing all three regions. It already occupies all but a slither of a fourth region, Luhansk.

Dnipropetrovsk is more sparsely populated and rural than those four regions, known as the Donbas, and will be more difficult to defend. It is an important mining and logistics center and had an estimated population of three million before the war began.

Russia’s claim comes days after its forces advanced further in the northern Sumy region, bringing the region’s capital within range of drones and artillery.

While capturing the region’s capital city, also named Sumy, is likely beyond what Moscow is setting out to do, the move underlines the pressure Kyiv is under, from the northern border to the Black Sea.

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Germany’s aging and decrepit bunker network is in need a major overhaul, according to the head of the federal agency tasked with nationwide civil protection in case of an attack.

The Federal Agency for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief (BBK) President Ralph Tiesler said in an interview with popular German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, “For a long time, there was a widespread belief in Germany that war was not a scenario we needed to prepare for. That has changed. We are concerned about the risk of a major war of aggression in Europe.”

Tiesler’s words represent a real fear, echoed across Europe, that Russia could try to mount an attack on Europe again within four years. That timeframe is widely regarded as the minimum period Russia would need to rearm after fighting a bloody and long campaign in Ukraine.

Germany only has 580 bunkers, many of them not operational, the newspaper report said. That number is down from nearly 2,000 that existed during the Cold War.

Just 5% of the German population would currently be able to seek shelter in the event of an attack, Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported.

Germany’s population is about 83 million people.

The civil protection agency chief said that he will upgrade tunnels, metro stations, underground garages and basements of public buildings to “quickly create one million shelter spaces,” as well as expand the nation’s siren and notification systems.

Tiesler said his agency will be presenting a full plan for the revamp and expansion in the summer but added that funding still needed to be secured.

“New bunker systems with very high protection requirements cost a lot of money and time,” said Tiesler. He noted that the BBK will likely require “at least” 10 billion euros ($11billion) in the next four years and a further 30 billion euros ($34 billion) in the following 10 years to complete the overhaul.

There is some cause for optimism, though, for the German agency.

Friedrich Merz, before officially becoming chancellor, managed to unlock half a trillion euros ($570 billion) in spending for Germany’s defense, some of which the BBK would be eligible to receive.

However, given the scale of the task of updating the German armed forces the allocation of money may be prioritized elsewhere.

Merz recently vowed to make Germany’s army the strongest in Europe, but in order to meet that pledge, he will be required to spend huge sums of money to modernize, train and equip soldiers.

A report released earlier this year from the parliament’s armed forces commission pointed out that the German army has “too little of everything.”

It has long been underfunded, and much of the basic infrastructure of the army, including barracks, is well below standard, the Bundestag report said.

It also comes as the army struggles to meet recruitment targets. In 2018, Germany committed to boosting its standing forces to 203,000 by 2025 — a target date that was later revised to 2031. The current standing size of the Germany army is just 181,000.

Merz’s government is mulling the possibility of introducing mandatory military service.

The issue of manpower also concerns Tiesler and the BBK. “We lack personnel in an emergency,” he told the newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

“Perhaps we need a mandatory military service or a voluntary civil defense service… One that allows the choice between civilian and military service for the country,” he said.

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The photo shows a lean, tanned man in a dark helmet. He’s grasping a rifle and UN vehicles move behind him as he waves through traffic.

The man is Yasser Abu Shabab, who says he commands hundreds of armed men known as the Popular Forces to offer protection to international organizations working in southern Gaza.

In his early thirties, Abu Shabab is from a prominent Bedouin family in southern Gaza. On October 7, 2023, he was languishing in a Hamas-run jail in Gaza, accused of drug trafficking, before being released after the conflict started.

Now he is an emerging presence in southern Gaza, controlling aid routes near the crucial Kerem Shalom crossing and providing men to guard convoys against looting, which has only worsened since limited aid started entering Gaza in mid-May following an Israeli blockade.

As Hamas’ grip on Gaza has weakened and the territory’s police force has been hollowed out, gangs have emerged to steal humanitarian aid from convoys and re-sell it. But many convoys are also stopped and ransacked by desperate civilians.

The reality is more complicated.

For its part, Hamas says Abu Shabab is a traitor and a gangster. Last week, the group said: “We pledge before God to continue confronting the dens of that criminal and his gang, no matter the cost of the sacrifices we make.”

Hamas killed his brother last year and has tried to kill Abu Shabab at least twice, according to Muhammad Shehada, a Gaza analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

Israel – and in particular Netanyahu – has never laid out clear plans for what governance and security in Gaza might look like if or when Hamas is defeated. Israel has been trying to find groups or clans opposed to Hamas who might play a role, but more recently Netanyahu and other ministers endorsed a plan put forward by US President Donald Trump for relocating Gaza’s residents and redeveloping the territory.

A growing role

Abu Shabab has had a presence near the ruins of Gaza’s long defunct airport in Rafah since late last year. Shehada at the ECFR said that while the ceasefire held earlier this year, his group appeared to vanish.

But his significance has grown in recent weeks, since Israeli authorities began to allow a trickle of aid to reach Gaza through Kerem Shalom in mid-May. Abu Shabab’s social media presence, along with slick videos and fluent English commentary, has expanded.

“It’s nearly impossible this is being done inside Gaza,” Shehada said. “It’s probably someone outside that is running this entire psy-op.”

Abu Shabab “has a few square kilometers of an area under his control, and then it’s on to the next guy,” the official said. “The fact that he is not targeted by the Israelis is a clear indication of how they see him.”

The official also asserted that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation – the controversial new US-backed organization tasked with distributing aid in Gaza – had contact with Abu Shabab, whether directly or indirectly.

Convoys and more

Last month, soon after limited aid began entering Gaza, Abu Shabab posted that his group had secured 101 trucks of aid, mostly flour, brought in by the World Food Programme, and praised “my loyal brothers who sacrificed their lives, and everyone who volunteered their primitive weapons or a drop of sweat to feed the bereaved and displaced.”

His group’s role has expanded beyond protecting convoys.

The camp is less than 500 meters from where Abu Shabab runs checkpoints.

Four days later the so-called Popular Forces issued a statement saying that Abu Shabab “invites the residents of these areas to return, where food, drink, shelter, security and safety have been provided, shelter camps have been set up, and humanitarian relief routes have been opened.”

The encampment is in an area known as the Morag Corridor, to which the Israeli military wants Gazans to move as it orders evacuation orders for much of the strip.

Early in May, the far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the population of Gaza, would be “concentrated” in a narrow strip of land between the Egyptian border and the corridor.

A senior Israeli security official said at the same time that the goal was to separate humanitarian aid from Hamas “by involving civilian companies and creating a secured zone patrolled by the IDF.”

This would include a “sterile area in the Rafah region beyond the Morag route, where IDF will screen all entrants to prevent Hamas infiltrators.”

Palestinian branding

Nor does his family want anything to do with him.

“Leaders and elders of the Abu Shabab family” said in a statement that they had confronted him about videos showing “Yasser’s groups involved in dangerous security engagements, even working within undercover units and supporting the Zionist occupation forces that brutally kill our people.”

The family declared its “complete disassociation from Yasser Abu Shabab” and urged anyone who had joined his security groups to do the same.

“We have no objection to those around him eliminating him immediately; we state clearly that his blood is wasted,” the family statement said.

He said his group had endured “false accusations and systematic smear campaigns, and we have paid a heavy price,” also alleging that Hamas had killed several of the group’s volunteers “and members of my own family while we were guarding aid convoys for international organizations.”

Muhammad Shehada at ECFR said there is evidence that Abu Shabab’s presence is expanding with Israeli support into Khan Younis, to the north of his stronghold.

Even so, his reach is still limited. The Popular Forces speaks of “hundreds of daily requests we receive on our Facebook page from individuals seeking to join us,” but analysts believe Abu Shabab probably has only about 300 men under his command.

Most people in Gaza would never think of joining him for fear of being branded collaborators, said Shehada.

Even so, he added, Abu Shabab’s militia now serve multiple functions for the Israelis, helping control where aid goes, or does not go; trying to entice desperate and hungry people to the so-called ‘safe zone’ in eastern Rafah; and carrying out high-risk missions to detect the presence of Hamas fighters.

This post appeared first on cnn.com

Israel vowed on Sunday to stop an aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg and other activists on board from reaching Gaza.

As of Sunday evening, the UK-flagged civilian vessel was north of Egypt in the Mediterranean Sea, slowly approaching the coast of Gaza. The “Madleen” is part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an organization that has campaigned against Israel’s blockade of Gaza and tried to break the siege by boat.

“But of course none of those risks are even remotely as high as the risk that Palestinians are facing everyday just by trying to survive.”

Defense Minister Israel Katz reiterated that the Madleen, operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, would not make it to the besieged enclave.

“I have instructed the IDF to ensure that the ‘Madleen’ flotilla does not reach Gaza,” said Katz in a statement, referring to the name of the ship.

Katz warned the ship that “you’d better turn back – because you will not reach Gaza.”

“We are still on our way to Gaza. There’s no turning back, and we’re hoping to make it into Gaza within two days,” Acar said.

The coalition campaigns to end Israel’s blockade of Gaza and has tried to reach the enclave several times in the past

After an 11-week blockade that prevented any humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, Israel has begun allowing a trickle of aid in once again.

But it is only a fraction of the aid that entered the enclave before the war, with humanitarian organizations warning of a worsening humanitarian crisis and the growing risk of widespread famine.

Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, said on social media that the flotilla carries more than food.

“It is not only the aid, it is the HUMANITY THEY CARRY. For all of us,” she said.

The crew, which has publicized the location of the ship with an online tracker, began preparing for the possibility of interception by the Israeli military.

Among those joining the crew are Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament, and “Game of Thrones” actor Liam Cunningham.

“From both a legal and moral standpoint, Israel has no right to intercept this vessel,” the group said in a statement.

“The people of Gaza, under siege, starving, and facing the threat of annihilation, have the legal right to decide who enters their territories.”

Last month, another vessel from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition came under what its organizers said was an Israeli drone attack off the coast of Malta in international waters. The group did not provide evidence that the drone was Israeli, while the Israeli military has declined to comment on the alleged attack.

The ship, the “Conscience,” was heading to Malta, where a large contingent of activists were due to board before it departed for Gaza, more than 1,000 miles away, but had not made it into port, the group said.

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The Israeli military recovered the body of de facto Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar in a tunnel underneath the European Hospital in southern Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Sunday.

The IDF said it made the announcement after the body went through an identification process.

Sinwar is the younger brother of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by the Israeli military in southern Gaza in October.

His death marks the latest in a string of assassinations that have dealt a serious blow to the group’s top brass but are yet to break its grip on power in the besieged enclave.

The elusive Sinwar was targeted in a massive airstrike on the hospital in Khan Younis on May 13, a day after Hamas released Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander.

At the time, the IDF said it had struck “Hamas terrorists in a command-and-control center” in underground infrastructure at the hospital.

But it took more than two weeks for Israel to say that it had definitively killed Sinwar in the strike.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the announcement on the 600th day of the war two weeks ago.

“We changed the face of the Middle East, we pushed the terrorists from our territories, we entered the Gaza Strip with force, we eliminated tens of thousands of terrorists, we eliminated (Mohammad) Deif, (Ismail) Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Sinwar,” Netanyahu said in a speech at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.

The attack killed 28 Palestinians and wounded more than 50 others, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said after the strike.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

This post appeared first on cnn.com

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) has said the Israeli military has boarded its Gaza-bound aid ship carrying Greta Thunberg and that communication with the boat has been lost.

The group posted a photo on Telegram early Monday local time, showing members of the crew of the “Madleen” sitting inside the boat wearing lifejackets and with their hands in the air. No Israel Defense Force soldiers can be seen in the image.

In an earlier post, the FFC said the ship had come “under assault in international waters.”

“Quadcopters are surrounding the ship, spraying it with a white paint-like substance. Communications are jammed, and disturbing sounds are being played over the radio,” FFC said on its Telegram channel.

Israel has repeatedly vowed to stop the aid boat from reaching Gaza.

“I have instructed the IDF to ensure that the ‘Madleen’ flotilla does not reach Gaza,” Israeli defense minister Israel Katz said on Sunday.

In a video livestreamed from the boat and posted by the FFC, activist Yasmin Acar showed a white substance on the deck, saying it had been dropped on the vessel. Acar was later heard saying it was affecting her eyes. Before the live stream ended, Acar could be heard saying the Israeli military was communicating with the board

Israel vowed on Sunday to stop the aid boat carrying Thunberg and other activists on board from reaching Gaza.

The “Madleen” is part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an organization that has campaigned against Israel’s blockade of Gaza and tried to break the siege by boat.

Climate activist Thunberg, “Game of Thrones” actor Liam Cunningham and Rima Hassan – a French member of the European Parliament – are among those on the Madleen.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry posted video on X showing a Navy staffer issuing what appears to be a radio message to the vessel.

“The maritime zone off the coast of Gaza is closed to maritime traffic,” the unidentified Navy staff member is heard saying. She is later heard saying aid needs to be delivered through “established channels.”

In a statement, the ministry said “unauthorized attempts to breach the blockade are dangerous, unlawful, and undermine ongoing humanitarian efforts.”

“We call on all actors to act responsibly and to channel humanitarian aid through legitimate, coordinated mechanisms, not through provocation,” the ministry added in a statement on Monday local time.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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North Korea has moved a new warship damaged in a botched launch to a port near the Russian border, a move analysts say could point to a role for Moscow in repairing the vessel.

Satellite images taken Sunday by Maxar Technologies show the 5,000-ton destroyer, as yet unnamed, in a drydock in the port of Rajin, part of North Korea’s Rason special economic zone, which abuts its short border with Russia.

While not a major shipbuilding facility like the shipyard in the northeastern city of Chongjin where the launching accident occurred, Rajin has facilities for modest repairs and maintenance, said Yu Jihoon, director of external cooperation and an associate research fellow at Korea Institute for Defense Analyses.

And its proximity to Russia “makes it a key node for North Korea’s efforts to deepen economic and potentially military ties with Moscow,” Yu said.

A 2024 report from the Modern War Institute at West Point, the United States Military Academy, calls the Rason economic zone “a significant point of North Korea–Russia cooperation, recently implicated in North Korean arms shipments to Russia for use in Ukraine.”

The warship was damaged on May 21, when during its launch the stern went into the water but the bow stayed stuck on land. The ship turned on its side in the botched maneuver.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who attended the launching ceremony, ordered the destroyer to be repaired by the late-June plenary session of the ruling Workers’ Party, calling it a matter of national honor.

State media reported last week repairs at the Rajin drydock would take seven to 10 days, meeting Kim’s timeline.

Kim said it’s possible the ship’s sonar and depth finders, located on the bow section, were damaged during the botched launch.

Such damage would likely require foreign help to repair, he said.

“North Korea is believed to lack the technology for sonar systems, so they likely imported them from China or Russia,” Kim said.

“The vessel’s external damage doesn’t seem significant, and the main issue seems to be the water flooding into the warship” was the assessment of the South Korean military, Yu said.

Internal spaces of the ship, as well as machinery and electronics, will have to be purged of sea water and dried salt in the repair process, analysts said.

Yu said Russian assistance in the repair process was a possibility, but it would be difficult to verify if it only involved engineers and not the movement of major pieces of equipment.

North Korea is believed to have sent millions of munitions, including missiles and rockets, to Russia over the past year, according to watchdog the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team.

In return, Russia has provided North Korea with valuable weapons technologies, including air defense equipment, anti-aircraft missiles and electronic warfare systems as well as refined oil, the watchdog said last month.

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Israel’s blockade of Gaza may have been partially lifted – and a new US-backed plan to deliver aid has begun. But there are multiple indications that the plight of Gazans is rapidly worsening.

Restrictions imposed by the Israeli military on aid routes, ongoing airstrikes, a lack of security and the continuous displacement of tens of thousands of people are aggravating an already alarming situation, according to the UN and other aid agencies. The supplies that do get in risk getting looted.

“People in Gaza are starving. This demands the urgent opening of all crossings and allowing unimpeded access for humanitarian organizations to deliver aid at scale, through multiple routes,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its latest assessment.

The number of children in Gaza with acute malnutrition is rising, the UN reported Saturday, while a lack of fuel threatens to close hospitals that are still operating.

The Israeli agency handling the inspection of aid going into Gaza, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), said Saturday that 350 trucks containing humanitarian aid had entered the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom crossing in the last week – less than 20 per cent of the volume of goods getting into Gaza before the conflict.

And even the aid that gets in frequently does not make it to the most desperate. UN agencies report continuing difficulties with getting distribution routes within Gaza agreed with the Israeli military. OCHA said that out of 16 truckloads ready for distribution last Thursday, five were rejected, including fuel and water, and six failed to reach their destination.

Additionally, the looting of aid convoys in Gaza has risen sharply in recent weeks.

“Operations have faced unprecedented levels of insecurity and a very high risk of looting, with partners reporting that most looting incidents are conducted by desperate civilians,” according to OCHA.

Nahed Shehaibar, head of the Private Transport Association in Gaza, said on Saturday that transport of aid had been suspended “for the third consecutive day due to repeated attacks on trucks, including gunfire that has damaged and put several trucks out of service.”

Last week the association reported that one driver was killed and another injured while trying to deliver aid, but Shehaibar said on Sunday that 11 trucks of commercial goods had reached merchants in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza successfully.

On Sunday, GHF said it operated three distribution sites – two in southern Gaza and one in central Gaza – to hand out more than 17,000 boxes of food. In addition, GHF said in its daily update that it gave more than 10,000 meals to community leaders north of Rafah in what the organization called a pilot test of “direct-to-community distribution.”

But many people who went to the Netzarim site in central Gaza left empty-handed.

Nader Musleh, who had walked from Al-Mawasi several kilometers away, agreed.

“Some people took five or 10 boxes, and there’s no organization at all,” he said.

Mohammad Abu Akouz was one of several civilians who alleged that some people were injured after coming under Israeli tank fire as they made their way to the site.

GHF said it had been unable to open its sites on Saturday, accusing Hamas of making threats against its operations, including against drivers and Palestinian workers. It said the threats had made it impossible to proceed without putting innocent lives at risk.

The drivers had been scheduled to move 180 employees to the three distribution sites, he added.

GHF said on Friday that it had distributed more than 140,000 boxes of food, with each box intended to feed a family for half a week. The boxes contain pasta, lentils and cooking oil, among other products. GHF says its goal is to distribute boxes containing enough food for 4.5 million meals each day.

After last week’s shootings, GHF appealed to people not to arrive at distribution points “before the official opening time or gather near the gates ahead of schedule. This is for your safety and the safety of others.”

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Saturday in a post on X that gathering outside distribution centers outside of announced hours was “strictly prohibited,” and warned that the areas around the aid hubs were closed military zones between 6 p.m. (11 a.m. ET) and 6 a.m. (11 p.m. ET).

The UN says that the use of the Israeli and American-backed GHF has militarized aid distribution and is inadequate for the huge task of feeding families in Gaza. GHF has no presence in northern Gaza.

In its latest assessment, OCHA said that 90 per cent of families in Gaza lack the cash needed to buy what little food remains available in markets. “Meat, dairy, vegetables and fruit are nearly absent from people’s diets,” it said.

Half of the community kitchens in Gaza have been forced to stop cooking due to lack of supplies or displacement orders, according to OCHA.

The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) – the main agency for supplying aid in Gaza – said Saturday that a nutrition study had found that the percentage of children under 5 suffering from acute malnutrition had risen from 4.7% in the first half of May to 5.8% in the second half of the month.

UNRWA said the number of children forced to fend for themselves had pushed an increasing number into “dangerous survival strategies. Children are reported working on the streets, participating in looting or gathering within large crowds in search of food supplies at insecure distribution points.”

It’s not just food that is running chronically short.

He added that “a large number of the wounded cannot be treated due to the lack of blood supplies and medical equipment,” and medical staff faced difficult choices about which patients to save.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health said Sunday that Al-Shifa Hospital and the Baptist Ahli Hospital, both in northern Gaza, were at risk of shutting down service within 24 hours. It said that would mean the collapse of what remains of the healthcare system in Gaza City.

In the south, the Health Ministry said the Nasser Medical Complex was operating on a limited fuel supply that will last no more than two days.

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