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Middle East updates: Big crowds at Nakba Day rally in London

Big crowds have gathered in London to honor Nakba Day. Meanwhile, Iran's state TV reports that European countries are discussing the safe transit of ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Keep reading for the latest updates on news regarding the Middle East as well as the Iran war on Saturday, May 16, 2026 here:  Israel's military said it had killed the chief of Hamas' military wing in an air strike on Gaza the previous day. Izz al-Din al-Haddad was killed on Friday, Israel’s army said, describing him as one of the senior Hamas military commanders who directed the planning and execution of the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023 , which killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel and saw more than 250 taken hostage. Israel then launched its  two-year war in Gaza in which 72,700 people were killed, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Hamas confirmed Haddad's death. A source within the militant group, which Israel, Germany and other countries list as a terrorist organization, told the AFP news agency he was killed alongside his wife and daughter. His body was wrapped in Hamas and Palestinian flags as it was carried by mourners at Saturday's funeral in Gaza City. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Israel launched new airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Saturday, a day after the US announced a 45-day extension of the ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese government following talks in Washington. Israel says it is targeting the Iran-backed  Hezbollah militant group. "The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) have begun striking Hezbollah infrastructure sites in several areas in southern Lebanon," the Israeli military said.  Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported strikes on at least five villages in the south, preceded by an exodus of residents toward the southern city of Sidon and the capital Beirut. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The ceasefire announcement by the US on Friday didn't include the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon. "The United States remains cognizant of the challenges posed by Hezbollah’s continued attacks on Israel, without the consent or approval of the Government of Lebanon, undertaken in order to derail this process,"  State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said. The Israeli military maintains that they've been targeting Hezbollah's operations in southern Lebanon to protect Israeli citizens.  More than 2,900 people have been killed in Lebanon since it was dragged into the wider Middle East conflict on March 2, including more than 400 since the truce took effect in mid-April, according to Lebanese authorities.  Iranian state television said on Saturday that European countries had been in talks with Tehran regarding the transit of ships through the Strait of Hormuz .  Iran has blocked traffic through the critical waterway since the US and Israel attacked Iran at the end of February. Tehran has refused to open the waterway until the US lifts a naval blockade imposed on Iranian ports. "Following the passage of ships from East Asian countries notably China, Japan and Pakistan we received information today indicating that Europeans have also begun negotiations with the Revolutionary Guards navy" to get permission to pass through, state television reported, without specifying which countries.   Thousands of people have descended on central London for two separate rallies amid a heavy security presence.  One of the demonstrations is the Nakba Day rally, which is an annual protest organized by a coalition of pro-Palestinian groups. "Nakba" means "catastrophe" in Arabic and marks the displacement of over 700,000 Palestinians in 1948 during the Arab-Israeli war which led to the establishment of the state of Israel. The war destroyed hundreds of Palestinian villages and forcibly displaced Palestinian communities. The day continues to shape Palestinian identity and has taken on renewed urgency against the background of the two-year Gaza war. London's Metropolitan Police said in an update in the afternoon that it has arrested 11 people for a "variety of offenses" so far, but did not specify how many arrests were linked to the pro-Palestine march. There is also a parallel rally taking place in London with a very different purpose. Organized by far-right leader Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley Lennon, the "Unite the Kingdom" march has also attracted thousands of people. Robinson founded the nationalist and anti-Islam English Defense League and is one of the most influential far-right figures in Britain. Good afternoon and thank you for joining. We're tracking developments related to the  Nakba Day demonstration in London, as many police officers have been deployed to monitor the rally. The British capital is on high alert because the demonstration takes place as another far-right rally called by anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson is also held. Meanwhile in Gaza, an Israeli airstrike has killed the leader of Hamas' military wing, whom Israel has described as one of the last surviving architects of the October 7, 2023, attacks that triggered the two-year war in the enclave.