April 30 (Reuters) - Imprisoned Tunisian opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi has suffered a sharp deterioration in his health and has been urgently transferred from prison to hospital, his Ennahda party said on Thursday.

Ghannouchi, 84, a fierce critic of President Kais Saied and a dominant figure in Tunisian politics since the country's 2011 uprising, was arrested in 2023 as part of a broader crackdown on opposition figures.

Israel said on Thursday that dozens of activists intercepted by its military on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in international waters off Crete would be taken to Greece.

Israel's foreign ministry earlier said around 175 activists had been taken off more than 20 boats.

The flotilla was the latest attempt by pro-Palestinian activists seeking to break Israel's blockade on Gaza, with organisers putting the number of detained at 211, including a Paris city councillor.

BEIRUT, April 30 (Reuters) - The Israeli military warned residents of eight Lebanese towns outside of the "buffer zone" to leave their homes immediately on Thursday ahead of strikes.

The "buffer zone" in southern Lebanon was occupied by Israeli troops before a ceasefire that was announced earlier this month but has failed to fully halt hostilities.

(Reporting by Maya Gebeily; Editing by Alex Richardson)

By Humeyra Pamuk

WASHINGTON/DUBAI/ISLAMABAD, April 29 (Reuters) - The United States is pressing ahead with plans for an international coalition to open the Strait of Hormuz, according to a State Department cable seen by Reuters, as oil prices surge on fears of lengthy disruptions to global fuel supplies.

Two months into the war that started with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, the vital sea channel remains closed, choking off 20% of the world's supplies of oil and gas. That has sent global energy prices surging and heightened concerns about the risks of an economic downturn.

By Wa Lone

TORONTO, April 30 (Reuters) - With fighting between the United States, Israel and Iran at a fragile standstill, Iran's large North American diaspora is divided over what should come next.

Demonstrators at a rally in Toronto on Sunday said they hope U.S. President Donald Trump will continue with military intervention aimed at regime change in Tehran. Others, while opposed to the Islamic Republic, said the war has only deepened suffering in Iran without delivering democracy.

By Gwladys Fouche and Nerijus Adomaitis

OSLO, April 30 (Reuters) - Some 287 candidates will be considered for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, the secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee said on Thursday, with U.S. President Donald Trump likely to be among the nominees.

Of this year's nominations, 208 are individuals and 79 are organisations, said Kristian Berg Harpviken, adding that there were many new nominees compared to last year.

VILNIUS, April 30 (Reuters) - Lithuania's President Gitanas Nauseda said he was supportive of his country joining the U.S. freedom of navigation mission in the Strait of Hormuz, adding that he would present the proposal to the Baltic state's defence council.

The United States is pushing for other countries to help restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a State Department cable seen by Reuters, as oil prices surged to their highest in more than four ​years on fears of longer-term disruptions to global fuel supplies.

By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Haseeb Alwazeer

CAIRO/GAZA, April 30 (Reuters) - Rats and parasites are spreading through Gaza's tent camps for displaced Palestinians, biting children's fingers and toes as they sleep, gnawing through people's few remaining treasured possessions, and spreading disease.

The outbreak is unfolding as most of Gaza's more than 2million people have been displaced, many now living in bombed-out homes and makeshift tents pitched on open ground, roadsides, or atop the ruins of destroyed buildings.

April 30 (Reuters) - Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that a vessel carrying grain that Kyiv says was stolen from its territories occupied by Russia would not unload its cargo in Israel, describing it as a "welcome development" on Thursday.

Ukraine has asked Israel to seize the vessel, amid a diplomatic tussle between the two countries over the shipment.

"This is also a clear signal to all other vessels, captains, operators, insurers, and governments: do not buy stolen Ukrainian grain," Sybiha said in a post on X.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer was booed and heckled with shouts of "Jew harmer" Thursday as the Jewish community in London accused him of doing too little to protect them, a day after a knife attack.

The crowd in Golders Green in north London where two Jewish men were stabbed in broad daylight shouted "Starmer is a coward" and "show your face".

Starmer was visiting emergency services staff following the attacks, the latest in a spate that have targeted the Jewish community. The area has a large Jewish populations.