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(NEW YORK) — Activists are demanding an investigation after they say a humanitarian ship headed to Gaza was bombed by a drone in the Mediterranean Sea overnight Friday.

The passenger vessel Conscience made a mayday call shortly after midnight, reporting a fire on its bow, the government of Malta said.

The ship, located off the coast of Malta in international waters at the time, was being operated by activists with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), which is campaigning to end Israel’s ongoing blockade of aid into Gaza.

Israel began the aid blockade on March 2 after the end of the temporary ceasefire deal, saying they were imposing the blockade to put pressure on Hamas to release the remaining Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel.

Malta’s government said that 12 crew members and four civilian passengers were on board and none were injured.

It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the reported attack.

FFC spokesperson Yasemin Acar told ABC News in a video interview from Valletta, the capital of Malta, that most of those aboard were asleep when they awoke to the sound of an explosion, Acar said the vessel was struck twice “which why they knew they were under attack.”

The group claims the blasts were caused by a drone whose immediate origin the group did not know. ABC News has not been able to verify the group’s claims.

Video and photos provided by the FFC showed fire and smoke on board Conscience, as well as damage to the bow of the vessel in the aftermath of the reported attack.

ABC News showed the FCC photos showing the damaged sustained to the Conscience to Trevor Ball, a former U.S. Army explosive ordinance disposal specialist.

“The damage is consistent with two small blast munitions, which can be deployed by drone,” Ball said. “You’d need remnants to confirm that though, well as country of origin.”

Acar said the vessel had been carrying humanitarian aid, which Israel’s government is not allowing to enter Gaza.

In an online statement, the FFC called for an investigation into the reported attack and demanded that “Israeli ambassadors must be summoned and answer to violations of international law, including the ongoing blockade and the bombing of our civilian vessel in international waters.”

ABC News has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the U.S. State Department for comment on the incident.

The moments after the reported strike are visible in ship tracking data from MarineTraffic. Shortly after midnight, the Conscience can be seen veering off its course. According to MarineTraffic, the vessel left Bizerte, Tunisia, on Wednesday and was scheduled to dock in Malta on Friday.

There, the FFC said, the vessel planned to bring aboard more passengers — including climate activist Greta Thunberg and retired US Army Colonel Mary Ann Wright — before continuing on to Gaza.

Data from online flight tracker ADSBExchange shows that a military transport plane operated by Israel’s military flew over Malta in the hours before the attack.

The Lockheed KC-130H plane entered Maltese airspace at around 3:25 p.m. local time. Data shows the plane flying in a zig-zag pattern around the eastern coast of Malta at an altitude as low as 4,350 feet before beginning its return to Israel at around 7:30 p.m. local time, nearly five hours before the reported attack on Conscience.

ABC News’ Dana Savir and Benjamin Siu contributed to this report.

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(LONDON) — An estimated 50 people were hurt, including an 11-year-old child, when Russia attacked the city of Kharkiv with drones late Friday, officials said.

Calling it a “massive attack,” Kharkiv governor Oleg Synegubov wrote on Telegram that the drones hit four parts of the city while causing fires and damaging homes, buildings and cars.

The Kharkiv mayor said 12 different locations in those four districts were hit and that eight people are still in the hospital in moderate condition.

Even though there could be more attacks, emergency workers are on the ground putting out fires and cleaning up damage as medical staff worked hard to help the injured.

Only hours early, Russia had launched another attack, this time on Zaporizhzhia, hurting 29 people.

These attacks happened just before Russia’s planned three-day ceasefire for its World War II holiday as Ukraine says this “ceasefire” is just for show and not real, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying the drones hit homes, not military places.

“Russia attacks when people are in their homes, putting their children to bed,” he said.

Earlier this week, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned on Wednesday that “a whole series of nuances” needs to be addressed before Russia will agree to any U.S.-brokered peace deal to end Moscow’s 3-year-old invasion of Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putin, Peskov said, “said that he supports this initiative — the establishment of a ceasefire, he supports it, but before going for it, a whole series of questions need to be answered and a whole series of nuances need to be resolved,” as quoted by the state-run Tass news agency.

Zelenskyy again urged greater international pressure on the Kremlin this week, citing the latest round of drone strikes a few days ago in which 45 people were injured in Kharkiv — including two children — and one person was killed in Dnipro.

“Russian drones continue flying over Ukrainian skies all morning,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. “And this happens every single day. That’s why pressure on Russia is needed — strong, additional sanctions that actually work. Not just words or attempts at persuasion — only pressure can force Russia to agree to a ceasefire and end the war.”

ABC News’ David Brennan contributed to this report.

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(ROTTERDAM, Netherlands) — Literally marked by a child’s hand, one of the Netherland’s most valuable paintings is now undergoing restoration after being accidentally damaged in a museum in Rotterdam.

The work in question — Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8 (1960) by Mark Rothko — sustained several visible scratches in its unvarnished lower paint layer when a young child brushed against it during a visit to the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen — a publicly accessible art storage facility connected to Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen.

The incident occurred at the Depot, that allows visitors to view thousands of works in a visible-storage environment, where much of the collection is accessible without traditional exhibition barriers.

To many, it feels less like a formal gallery and more like a backstage pass to the museum’s inner workings — a space where masterpieces are visible, but not always protected in the traditional sense.

The Rothko work was on display as part of Lievelingen, an exhibition featuring 70 beloved collection highlights, from Bruegel to Dalí, while the main museum is currently closed for renovations until at least 2030.

“The work by Rothko has suffered damage: a number of visible scratches in the unvarnished paint layer,” confirmed museum spokesperson Vincent Cardinaal. “It happened because a child, in an unsupervised moment, touched the lower part of the work. There was no intent. This was not vandalism.”

The child, reportedly under the age of five years old, had simply waved a hand too close to the canvas during what the museum later called an “unguarded moment.” The painting has since been removed from view and transferred to the museum’s conservation lab.

“We are currently researching the next steps for treatment and expect that the work will be able to be shown again in the future,” Cardinaal added.

This is not the first time a Rothko painting has been damaged in a public museum. In 2012, a Polish man named Vladimir Umanets wrote on Black on Maroon (1958) at the Tate Modern in London, using black ink to sign his name and added the phrase “This is Yellowism.”

Umanets said it was part of his art movement, but he was arrested and sent to prison for two years. It took 18 months and about $250,000 to repair the painting, showing just how hard it is to fix even small black marker damage on a Rothko.

The museum has declined to release photos of the damage or reveal who will cover the costs.

“We never disclose information regarding valuation, security, or insurance,” Cardinaal said. “That is standard policy — not just here, but across most major museums in Europe.”

Though the painting has never been auctioned, one East European art collector has estimated its value between $50 and $60 million.

Acquired by the museum in 1970 — the year Rothko died — it is one of just two of his works held in public collections in the Netherlands.

Art crime expert Arthur Brand, known for recovering stolen masterpieces, said the damage — though minor — underscores the fragility of Rothko’s unvarnished surfaces.

“This wasn’t a protest or criminal act. It was a child being a child,” Brand said. “But Rothko’s surfaces are incredibly sensitive. A single swipe can mean months of restoration and tens of thousands in costs.”

Brand estimated the conservation work could range from $50,000 to $150,000 but explained that the bigger picture should not be lost.

“We should protect these works — absolutely — but we also need to let kids be around art. That’s how they fall in love with it,” he said.

A curator familiar with European museums and their display philosophy, who asked not to be named, offered a broader perspective.

“Given how exposed some of these works are, it’s almost surprising that these accidents don’t happen more often.”

The incident has revived questions about the risks of displaying high-value art in open-access settings. Still, the museum stands by its approach.

And as the scratched Rothko awaits restoration, Brand summed it simply.

“In every crowd of 100, there’s always one person — or in this case, one tiny hand — capable of a very big accident.”

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(LONDON) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reportedly oversaw the test of a supersonic cruise missile fired from a new battleship — the destroyer Choe Hyon — this week, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

In a report published on Wednesday, KCNA said the first test firing of the Choe Hyon’s weapons systems were conducted on Monday and Tuesday. The platforms tested included a supersonic cruise missile, a strategic cruise missile, an anti-aircraft missile and a 127mm shipboard automatic gun.

Kim toured the vessel and observed the weapons tests, KCNA reported. The North Korean leader said that “it is important to establish a proactive and aggressive defence system on the premise of powerful attack capability,” KCNA wrote.

Kim also said there was a need for “accelerating the nuclearization of the navy,” KCNA said.

The 5,000-ton destroyer was unveiled last week. During a ceremony to launch the vessel at the port of Nampo on the country’s western coast, Kim said the ship’s construction represented “a breakthrough” in North Korea’s naval modernization.

Kim also said he “intends to build a blue-water operational fleet” — meaning a force capable of operating in open ocean rather than solely in the coastal waters around the Korean Peninsula.

The launch of the Choe Hyon comes as North Korea — which has traditionally lagged behind its neighbor and rival South Korea in terms of naval technology — deepens military cooperation with Russia, amid the latter’s invasion of Ukraine and subsequent standoff with the West.

U.S., Ukrainian and South Korean officials have warned that Moscow may repay Pyongyang’s support for its invasion — which over three years of war has graduated from ammunition supply to the deployment of frontline troops — by sharing military technology.

North Korea has also continued and expanded its ballistic missile testing program, intended to enhance its nuclear strike capabilities.

In March, Pyongyang fired a series of short-range ballistic missiles days after the conclusion of U.S.-South Korean military drills that Pyongyang said it considered an invasion rehearsal.

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(LONDON) — Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned Wednesday that “a whole series of nuances” needs to be addressed before Russia will agree to any U.S.-brokered peace deal to end Moscow’s 3-year-old invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking with journalists, Peskov appeared to downplay hopes of a quick peace agreement — which President Donald Trump said this weekend he wants to secure within two weeks.

President Vladimir Putin, Peskov said, “said that he supports this initiative — the establishment of a ceasefire, he supports it, but before going for it, a whole series of questions need to be answered and a whole series of nuances need to be resolved,” as quoted by the state-run Tass news agency.

Peskov was responding to suggestions — including from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — that Putin is not genuine about his professed desire to agree a peace deal.

Zelenskyy again urged greater international pressure on the Kremlin on Wednesday, citing the latest round of drone strikes in which 45 people were injured in Kharkiv — including two children — and one person was killed in Dnipro.

“Russian drones continue flying over Ukrainian skies all morning,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. “And this happens every single day. That’s why pressure on Russia is needed — strong, additional sanctions that actually work. Not just words or attempts at persuasion — only pressure can force Russia to agree to a ceasefire and end the war.”

“Pressure from the United States, Europe and everyone in the world who believes war has no place on Earth,” the president wrote.

Zelenskyy said that more than 100 Russian attack drones were launched at Ukrainian targets overnight into Wednesday, with a total of 375 drones launched so far this week.

Ukraine’s air force said its forces shot down 50 of the 108 drones launched, with another 22 lost in flight without causing damage.

Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces downed 35 Ukrainian drones overnight into Wednesday morning.

ABC News Guy Davies and Oleksiy Pshemyskiy contributed to this report.

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(LONDON) — A professional hockey player who was arrested in connection with the 2023 on-ice death of former NHL player Adam Johnson will not face charges, British prosecutors announced on Tuesday.

Johnson, 29, was killed during an October 2023 game between two British professional teams, the Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers. Johnson, who was playing for the Panthers, suffered a fatal neck injury when he was slashed by a skate during the game.

A Steelers player was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter a month later in the incident. Following a “thorough” police investigation, the Crown Prosecution Service said Tuesday it has decided not to bring criminal charges against the player.

“This was a shocking and deeply upsetting incident,” Michael Quinn, deputy chief crown prosecutor, said in a statement.

“Following a thorough police investigation and a comprehensive review of all the evidence by the CPS, we have concluded that there is not a realistic prospect of conviction for any criminal offence and so there will not be a prosecution,” the statement continued. “Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Adam Johnson.”

Prosecutors did not identify the hockey player who was arrested in the case.

The Panthers, who play in England’s Elite Ice Hockey League, called Johnson’s death a “freak accident” at the time.

Prosecutors did not identify the hockey player who was arrested in the case.

The Panthers, who play in England’s Elite Ice Hockey League, called Johnson’s death a “freak accident” at the time.

ABC News’ Mark Osborne contributed to this report.

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(VATICAN CITY) — The cardinal of Baghdad, Louis Raphael Sako, reportedly told journalists at the Vatican on Tuesday that he expects a “short conclave” that could select Pope Francis’ successor in as little as two days.

“It will be a short conclave, two, three days,” Sako said, as quoted by Italy’s ANSA news agency, speaking to reporters before today’s general congregation.

“There is a very fraternal atmosphere and a spirit of responsibility,” the cardinal said.

When asked if he had an idea of ​​who he would vote for to become the new pope, Sako replied: “I have a very clear idea but I cannot say it.”

The conclave to elect the Catholic Church’s 267th leader will begin Wednesday, May 7, the Vatican announced on Monday. Cardinals will convene at the Vatican to begin the process.

Francis, who died last Monday at the age of 88, was buried on Saturday in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.

ABC News’ Kevin Shalvey contributed to this report.

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(LONDON) — U.S. and Russian officials continued Ukraine peace discussions on Monday as the Kremlin announced a 3-day ceasefire during May’s Victory Day celebrations — and as Kyiv cited continued Russian missile and drone attacks as evidence that Moscow has no genuine interest in peace.

On Monday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry released a transcript of an interview with Foreign Secretary Sergei Lavrov in the Brazilian Newspaper O Globo, in which he set out maximalist demands for a deal.

Among Moscow’s demands, Lavrov reportedly said, are Ukraine’s non-admission to NATO and future non-aligned status and international recognition of Russian control of all Ukrainian regions claimed annexed by the Kremlin — including Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, both of which are only partially occupied by Russian forces.

Lavrov also said Russia is still seeking the “demilitarization” and “denazification” of Ukraine, the lifting of international sanctions and the return of frozen Russian assets.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Lavrov by phone “at Lavrov’s request” on Sunday, the State Department announced on Monday. Rubio has previously said that the U.S. is still evaluating whether the Kremlin is serious about reaching an agreement to end its 3-year-old invasion of Ukraine.

The conversation was a follow-on to Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s visit to Moscow last week, with Rubio and Lavrov discussing “next steps in Russia-Ukraine peace talks” and “the need to end the war now,” per the State Department’s readout.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, on Monday unilaterally announced a ceasefire to mark Victory Day — the 80th anniversary commemoration of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in 1945.

The ceasefire will last from May 8 to May 10, the Kremlin said. “Russia believes that the Ukrainian side should follow this example,” its statement said. “In the event of violations of the truce by the Ukrainian side, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will give an adequate and effective response.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was dismissive of the proposal.

“Russia has consistently rejected everything and continues to manipulate the world, trying to deceive the United States,” he wrote in a statement posted to Telegram.

“Now, yet again, another attempt at manipulation: for some reason everyone is supposed to wait until May 8 before ceasing fire — just to provide Putin with silence for his parade,” he continued.

“We value human lives, not parades,” Zelenskyy wrote. “That’s why we believe — and the world believes — that there is no reason to wait until May 8. The ceasefire should not be just for a few days, only to return to killing afterward. It must be immediate, full, and unconditional — for at least 30 days to ensure it is secure and guaranteed. This is the foundation that could lead to real diplomacy.”

Cross-border strikes continued into Tuesday morning, with Ukraine’s air force reporting 100 Russian drones launched into the country overnight. The air force said it shot down 37 of the drones with another 47 lost in flight without causing damage.

Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces downed 40 Ukrainian drones overnight.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration with the slow progress being made on reaching a deal to end the war, an agreement he claimed on the campaign trail he would secure within 24 hours of returning to office.

On Sunday, Trump told reporters he wants a deal to end the war in “two weeks or less,” but later said a little more time might be acceptable. The president added he was “very disappointed” that Russia continued to carry out strikes in Ukraine days after he appealed to Putin to stop the attacks while negotiations continued.

Vice President JD Vance told conservative influencer Charlie Kirk on Monday that he is not certain that a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia will be reached, but that he remains optimistic.

“The biggest breakthrough is that we’ve got both of them talking about what they would need in order to stop fighting but what one side needs is different from what the other side needs,” Vance said.

“It’s the job of diplomacy to try to bring those two sides together,” Vance added. “I can’t say 100% certainty, Charlie, we’re going to be able to do it, but I do think that we’re trying very hard, and I feel more optimistic about it today than I did two weeks ago, and I feel more optimistic two weeks ago than I did two months ago.”

Vance added that the administration has found itself “frustrated” with Russians and Ukrainians during the peace talks.

“If I could bring people on the inside, I think what they see is that sometimes you’re incredibly frustrated with Ukrainians,” he said. “Sometimes you’re incredibly frustrated with the Russians.”

“You know, that is the nature of the negotiation as you’re going back and forth, and sometimes you just want to throw your hands up, but that’s what President Trump doesn’t let us do,” Vance said.

ABC News’ Will Gretsky and Fritz Farrow contributed to this report.

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(LONDON) — At least 22 people have been killed and three others were injured in a fire at a restaurant in northern China on Tuesday afternoon, according to Chinese state media.

The blaze broke out at around 12:25 p.m. local time on Tuesday in the city of Liaoning, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency and national broadcaster CCTV.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged all-out efforts to treat the injured, assist victims’ families and investigate the cause of the fire, Xinhua and CCTV reported.

Investigators have not yet discovered the cause of the fire but, according to the Associated Press, images from the scene showed huge flames spurting from the windows and doors of the two- or three-story building.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(LONDON) — Israel’s humanitarian aid obligations in Gaza and its ban on UNRWA, the United Nations agency that provides civil and medical services to Palestinian refugees, are under examination in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as a week of hearings began on Monday.

Forty countries and four international organizations are set to participate in the oral proceedings, the court has said.

The weeklong hearing comes after the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) voted to request an advisory opinion from the ICJ concerning “the obligations of Israel in relation to the presence and activities of the United Nations, other international organizations and third States.” The United States, Israel’s close international ally, was one of 12 countries to vote against the request.

The court will evaluate the legality of Israel’s decision to ban UNRWA, the U.N.’s Relief and Works’ Agency, the dedicated U.N. body to support Palestinian refugees in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza. It will then issue an advisory opinion, which has been requested by the UNGA, and which will be legally nonbinding. The ICJ’s ruling will not be legally binding, however, but could add to mounting pressure on Israel to reopen the Gaza crossings for aid deliveries.

Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, voted to ban UNRWA from operating in Gaza and the West Bank in October 2024. Israel’s government has long accused UNRWA of turning a blind eye to employees who support or belong to Hamas, the militant organization that led a terror attack on Israel in October 2023. UNRWA denies those claims. The ban came into effect at the end of January 2025. UNRWA is the main distributor of aid within Gaza.

Israel has long maintained that humanitarian aid has been looted by Hamas. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, says the ban on aid into Gaza is designed to pressure Hamas to release 59 hostages, including one American who is presumed to be alive.

UNRWA Commissioner General Phillipe Lazzarini issued a statement saying he “welcome[d]” the ICJ hearing and that the agency worked in Palestinian territories to “address overwhelming needs.”

Those needs have become more acute since Israel blocked the flow of all goods into Gaza on March 2, international aid organizations said. The World Food Programme said on April 24 that its warehouses had run out of flour in Gaza, and warned the “situation inside the Gaza Strip has once again reached a breaking point.”

“#Gaza: children are starving,” Lazzarini posted on X over the weekend. “The Government of Israel continues to block the entry of food + other basics. A manmade & politically motivated starvation. Nearly two months of siege. Calls to bring in supplies are going unheeded.”

Israel has submitted a written defense to the court, but it declined to send a legal representative to The Hague court proceedings. Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, said that Israel would not be attending the court in person, describing the proceedings as a “circus.”

“The goal is to deprive Israel of its most basic right to defend itself,” he said at a press conference that coincided with the start of the ICJ hearings. “It is not Israel that should be on trial. It is the U.N. and UNRWA. The U.N. has become a rotten, anti-Israel, and antisemitic body.”

Ammar Hijazi, the Palestinian ambassador to the Netherlands, accused Israel of breaching international law on the first day of the oral hearings on Monday.

“Israel is starving, killing and displacing Palestinians while also targeting and blocking humanitarian organizations trying to save their lives,” he said.

This week’s hearings mark the latest legal pressure placed on Israel since the war in Gaza began after the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack. Last July the ICJ issued an advisory opinion ruling Israel’s occupation of the West Bank to be illegal under international law, and a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide is still ongoing. Israel has rejected the ruling and the allegation of genocide.

Over 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage into Gaza in the Hamas-led assault on Israel of Oct. 7. More than 52,000 people have been killed in Gaza have been killed during Israel’s retaliatory military campaign response, with more than 2,000 killed since the latest ceasefire broke down on March 18, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.

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