Israel, Palestine, Gaza, West Bank June-September 17, 2025

Israel, Middle East & Arab World

30 April 2025
Israel, Gaza, and the Starvation Weapon
(Foreign Affairs) This week, chaos erupted at the launch of a new Israeli- and U.S.-backed food distribution operation in Gaza, with thousands of Palestinians scrambling to receive aid and Israeli armed forces firing warning shots above the crowds. The new program, which comes after more than two months of an Israeli blockade on humanitarian aid in Gaza, has drawn sharp criticism from groups including the United Nations, which has described it as inadequate and “a weaponization of aid” in what is fast becoming “the hungriest place on earth.”
Israel’s blockades of Gaza have become “a major test for international law,” writes Boyd van Dijk in a recent essay. The International Criminal Court has charged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant with “orchestrating a criminal starvation policy against Gaza’s civilian population”—the “first time in history that a major court has centered a war crimes prosecution on this particular charge.” Although the ICC case faces a steep battle, writes van Dijk, “the precedent it establishes could redraw the legal boundaries of war and force states to reckon with rules they once thought would never apply to them.”
The ICC Tests a Rarely Prosecuted War Crime
Amid a war in which tens of thousands of civilians have been killed by more direct means, Israel’s serial blockades of Gaza may at first appear a secondary issue. But the tactic—and the justifications Israeli officials have offered for using it—has become a major test for international law.

16-17 September
As its former ambassadors, we urge the EU to sanction Israel now
Europe must not let Gaza become the graveyard of international law and human rights.
By Former EU and Member State Ambassadors and Senior Officials
Amid mounting concern about the remorseless attacks by Israel against the civilian population in Gaza, which, since October 7, 2023, have reportedly led to the deaths and injuries of over 227,000 Palestinians and the displacement, in the last two weeks, of more than 400,000 people, 325 former European Union and Member State Ambassadors and Senior Officials are calling for urgent action.
We strongly urge the EU to immediately impose targeted sanctions on the Israeli government and suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement. In addition, we urge the President of the United Nations General Assembly and the Chair of the United Nations Security Council to convene emergency meetings of both bodies to adopt sanctions against Israel for the multiple violations of international law being perpetrated daily against the people of Palestine. The United Nations, being the established global body for peace and security, must live up to its responsibilities.

Israel says ‘Gaza is burning’ as it launches ground assault (with video)
Senior IDF official says main stage of ground assault has begun
City pounded from air, sea and ground, witnesses see huge blasts
IDF says about 3,000 Hamas combatants still in Gaza City
Long columns of Palestinians flee city on foot or in vehicles
(Reuters) – Israel unleashed a long-threatened ground assault on Gaza City on Tuesday, declaring “Gaza is burning” as Palestinians there described the most intense bombardment they had faced in two years of war.
An Israel Defence Forces official said ground troops were moving deeper into the enclave’s main city, and that the number of soldiers would rise in coming days to confront up to 3,000 Hamas combatants the IDF believes are still in the city.
Israel opens new route out of Gaza City, death toll passes 65,000 (with video)
Israel has launched long-expected ground offensive
Army opens additional exit route for 48 hours
Mass displacement of Palestinians widely condemned
Israeli official says it will take months to seize Gaza
(Reuters) – The Israeli military said it was opening an additional route for 48 hours that Palestinians could use to leave Gaza City as it stepped up efforts on Wednesday to empty the city of civilians and confront thousands of Hamas combatants.
Hundreds of thousands of people are sheltering in the city and many are reluctant to follow Israel’s orders to move south because of dangers along the way, dire conditions, a lack of food in the southern area and fear of permanent displacement.
Smotrich: Gaza could be a ‘real estate bonanza’
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says there’s a “business plan” to turn Gaza into a “real estate bonanza.” Speaking at an urban renewal conference in Tel Aviv, the far-right minister said he is discussing with the Trump administration how to share the proceeds.

Major western countries are going to recognize Palestine for the first time. Here’s why it matters.
(GZERO media) Will this recognition have a real effect? Not on the ground, at least not immediately. The UN as such exerts little influence over Israel.
But the fact that powerful G7 countries have taken this step for the first time does signal a changing tide of opinion in the West, in particular among some of Israel’s staunchest backers.
It also gives Palestine the support of four of the UN Security Council’s five permanent members – France, the UK, China, and Russia. That leaves the US, Israel’s strongest ally by far, in a minority of one.
The moves come as Gaza negotiations are more stalled than ever. The Israeli military invaded Gaza City yesterday, and last week killed several senior Hamas leaders involved in negotiations in Qatar. Meanwhile, Hamas has shown no willingness to release the remaining Israeli hostages before there is a ceasefire.

10 September
Gwynne Dyer: Qatar strike makes clear Israel has no interest in a ceasefire
Israel bombing America’s closest ally in the Gulf puts every Arab country on notice that nobody is safe.
Israel has bombed Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and Yemen repeatedly in the past few months, so hitting Qatar might seem like just one more demonstration that Israel can now attack any country in the Middle East with impunity.
What makes it such a big deal is that Qatar was hosting the arms-length talks between Israel and Hamas on a ceasefire in Gaza, where a huge new Israeli “final offensive” is getting underway. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s target in Qatar was precisely the exiled Hamas leaders with whom Israel was negotiating the ceasefire.
Killing the other side’s negotiators is a sure-fire way of ending the talks, even if Israel’s air strikes don’t get the most senior ones. It also puts every Arab country (and Iran) on notice that nobody is safe: the dwarf superpower of the Middle East can cross every red line, and even United States President Donald Trump can’t (or at least won’t) rein it in.
Why did the Israelis try to kill the people they were negotiating with? Why didn’t they give the U.S. advance warning? What was Netanyahu really thinking? And what happens next?
Netanyahu tried to kill the Palestinian negotiators because he wants his “final offensive” to drive all two million surviving Palestinians in Gaza into a tiny corner of the Strip, and then into permanent exile. A ceasefire would stall that process.

Israeli airstrikes ‘killed any hope’ for hostages in Gaza, says Qatari prime minister
Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani calls for Benjamin Netanyahu to be ‘brought to justice’
(The Guardian) Qatar’s prime minister has said that Benjamin Netanyahu “killed any hope” for the remaining hostages in Gaza following Israel’s extraordinary strike on Hamas negotiators in Doha on Tuesday.
In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani called the deadly strike in the Qatari capital an act of “state terror”. Israel’s attack the previous day killed six members of Hamas who were negotiating a ceasefire deal brokered by the US and other Gulf countries.
“He needs to be brought to justice,” al-Thani said of the Israeli prime minister.
Trump says strike on Doha ‘does not advance Israel or America’s goals’
(BBC)”This was a decision made by [Israel’s] Prime Minister Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me,” he said, before praising Qatar as a “strong ally and friend”.
Six people were killed in the strike, Hamas said, including one member of the Qatari security forces, but the group said its leadership team survived.
Israeli strike in Qatar targets Hamas leaders as they weigh Gaza ceasefire proposal

3 September
GWYNNE DYER: Gaza – not so much a genocide
More a real estate opportunity
A motley band of greedy fantasists got together at the White House on Aug. 27 and came up with a cunning plan to bring peace to the Middle East while lining their own pockets at the same time.
It was ‘leaked’ within days, as it was clearly meant to be, and since then the sound of outraged clucking has been loud in the land.
It is “a Trumpian get-rich-quick scheme reliant on war crimes, AI and tourism,” wrote the Israeli daily Ha’aretz.
“It’s a textbook case of international crimes on an unimaginable scale: forcible population transfer, demographic engineering and collective punishment,” said Duncan Grant, head of Swiss-based human rights group Trial International. “It’s insane,” said H.A. Hellyer of the Royal United Services Institute. They are right, so far as they go – but they only know the half of it. The other half is that this is an insane crime that could actually happen.
‘RIVIERA OF THE MIDDLE EAST
As you would expect at a meeting chaired by United States President Donald Trump, half the participants were real estate developers by trade – himself, his ignorant ‘Special Envoy for the Middle East’ Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner. Marco Rubio was there as National Security Adviser, and former British prime minister Tony Blair to raise the tone a bit.

2-3 September
Israel attacks kill more than 70 as new Gaza operation announced
(Al Jazeera) More than 70 people, including more aid seekers, have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since dawn as the army announces a new phase in the effort to seize its major urban centre.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says maps are being drawn up to annex “maximum territory” in the West Bank. He’s urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept his plans.
UAE warns Israel’s West Bank annexation would cross ‘red line’ and end regional integration efforts
(CNN) Israel’s annexation of any part of the occupied West Bank would be a “red line” that would “end the pursuit of regional integration,” warned the United Arab Emirates, the main signatory of the landmark agreement that saw Israel normalize relations with three Arab nations.
“Annexation in the West Bank would constitute a red line for the UAE,” Lana Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister for Political Affairs at the UAE’s foreign ministry, said in a statement. “It would severely undermine the vision and spirit of (the Abraham) Accords, end the pursuit of regional integration, and would alter the widely-shared consensus on what the trajectory of this conflict should be – two states living side by side in peace, prosperity, and security.”
Israel’s annexation of any part of the occupied West Bank would be a “red line” that would “end the pursuit of regional integration,” warned the United Arab Emirates, the main signatory of the landmark agreement that saw Israel normalize relations with three Arab nations.
In 2020, the UAE became the first Arab country in 26 years to normalize relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords, with Bahrain and Morocco following soon after. Abu Dhabi has since deepened trade, defense and tourism ties with Israel and the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it a priority to expand the pact to other Arab nations, particularly Saudi Arabia.
Netanyahu to hold talks over West Bank annexation in response to Palestinian state recognition
Prime minister convenes high-level talks on extending Israeli sovereignty in West Bank after France and others recognize a Palestinian state, officials say.
(Jerusalem Post) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene a meeting on the possibility of applying sovereignty and taking measures against the Palestinian Authority in response to countries recognizing the Palestinian Authority as a state.
The meeting was scheduled for Tuesday; however, the discussion was delayed to Thursday.
Several Israeli officials previously reported that Israel is considering annexation in the West Bank as a possible response to France and other countries recognizing a Palestinian state.

‘We are dying for no reason’: Israeli reservists face fresh call-up for a war dividing their nation
Soldiers express doubts about serving in Gaza but few will refuse to fight
Tens of thousands of reservists in Israel will return to active service in the coming weeks amid an intense debate in their ranks over the war in Gaza, which reflects wider divisions in the country.
Some will be forced to make their decision within days. The Israel Defense Forces began mobilising tens of thousands of reservists on Tuesday after calling up 60,000 for an expanded offensive in Gaza City, one of the few places in the devastated territory outside its control. More will be ordered to report to military bases if the fighting continues for many months, as analysts expect.

29 August
Israel declares Gaza’s largest city a combat zone as death toll surpasses 63,000
(AP) — Israel declared Gaza’s largest city a combat zone and recovered the remains of two hostages on Friday as the army launched the start of a planned offensive that has drawn international condemnation.
As the military announced the resumption of fighting, health officials said the death toll in Gaza has risen to 63,025, with 59 deaths reported by hospitals over the last 24 hours. Aid groups and a church sheltering people said they would stay in Gaza City, refusing to abandon the hungry and displaced.
The shift comes weeks after Israel first announced plans to widen its offensive in the city, where hundreds of thousands are sheltering while enduring famine. In recent days, the military has ramped up strikes on the city’s outskirts.
Plumes of smoke and thunderous blasts could be seen and heard across the border in southern Israel on Friday morning.

27 August
Trump Hosts Meeting on Gaza. How Close Is a Cease-Fire?
The president’s Middle East envoy signaled that the war would be settled before the end of the year, but seemed to rule out a temporary truce.
(NYT) President Trump chaired a meeting on Wednesday focusing on plans for postwar Gaza, as the United States and Israel seek a comprehensive deal that would end the conflict and return all of the remaining Israeli hostages.
For nearly two years, international mediators have sought to pause the war in Gaza. They managed to achieve partial agreements that freed some hostages and briefly stopped the fighting in Gaza, but they did not ultimately end the war.
… Months of efforts to broker a truce by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt have stalled in recent weeks. Israel is gearing up for a full-scale offensive to take over Gaza City, where hundreds of thousands of people are sheltering. Unless Hamas agrees to Israel’s terms, the Israeli military will launch the new military push in the coming weeks, Israeli officials say.
Gaza famine is ‘man-made crisis’, says entire UN Security Council, except U.S.
All United Nations Security Council members, except the United States, on Wednesday said the famine in Gaza was a “man-made crisis” and warned that the use of starvation as a weapon of war is banned under international humanitarian law.
In a joint statement, the 14 council members called for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups, a substantive surge of aid throughout Gaza, and for Israel to immediately and unconditionally lift all restrictions on aid delivery.
“Famine in Gaza must be stopped immediately,” they said. “Time is of the essence. The humanitarian emergency must be addressed without delay and Israel must reverse course.”

25 August
Netanyahu’s Path Is Leading Israel to Ruin
Eran Yashiv and Daniel Tsiddon
What began as a response to Hamas’s October 7 attacks has devolved into a campaign of mass destruction, famine, and displacement. Unless Israel abandons its plan to conquer Gaza City and restores the flow of humanitarian aid, it risks catastrophic economic fallout, deepening isolation, and national decline.
(Project Syndicate) Italy’s current government is among the most Israel-friendly in the country’s history, which is why Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto’s recent remarks about the ongoing war in Gaza should set off alarm bells among Israelis, particularly within the government.
… The war in Gaza has taken a devastating toll not only on Palestinians but also on Israel’s economy, democracy, and global standing. Without an immediate change of course, Netanyahu’s agenda could make Israel an international pariah for decades to come.
Israel strikes a Gaza hospital twice, killing at least 20, including journalists and rescuers
(AP) — Israel struck one of the main hospitals in the Gaza Strip on Monday and then hit the facility again as journalists and rescue workers rushed to the scene, killing at least 20 people and wounding scores more, local health workers said.
It was among the deadliest of multiple Israeli strikes that have hit both hospitals and journalists over the course of the 22-month war. The assault came as Israel plans to widen its offensive to heavily populated areas, vowing to destroy Hamas after its Oct. 7, 2023, attack.
Among the dead were five journalists, including 33-year-old Mariam Dagga, a visual journalist who worked for The Associated Press.

22 August
The West Bank Is Sliding Toward a Crisis
Unless it changes course, Israel is closer to triggering a second war with West Bank Palestinians than to ending the disastrous conflict in Gaza.
By Jon Finer
(The Atlantic) I spent the past week traveling across Israel and the West Bank, meeting with officials from the Israeli government, military, and opposition, as well as Palestinian political leaders and activists. I left believing that Israel is closer to triggering a second war with West Bank Palestinians than it is to ending the disastrous conflict in Gaza.
…with the world’s attention focused on Gaza, the situation in the West Bank is sliding toward another crisis.
A majority of Israelis now say they want to end the Gaza war and bring the hostages home, even if Hamas remains armed and its leaders able to exert control over the Strip. The more than 100,000 demonstrators who pack Habima Square and Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on Saturday nights have shifted their focus to demanding a full and immediate cease-fire….
And it’s not just the activists. Last week, more than 600 former Israeli security officials, including the heads of many top spy and military agencies, wrote President Donald Trump a letter asking him to intervene against their own government and declaring that “it is our professional judgment that Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat to Israel.”

UN-backed experts declare famine in and around Gaza City
IPC says famine is ‘entirely man-made’ and immediate response is needed or avoidable deaths will soar
(The Guardian) An “entirely man-made” famine is taking place in Gaza’s largest city and its surrounding area amid deteriorating conditions that threaten an exponential increase in deaths across the devastated territory, UN-backed experts have declared.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a globally recognised organisation that classifies the severity of food insecurity and malnutrition, found that three key thresholds for famine had been met, signalling a major escalation of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
An “entirely man-made” famine is taking place in Gaza’s largest city and its surrounding area amid deteriorating conditions that threaten an exponential increase in deaths across the devastated territory, UN-backed experts have declared.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a globally recognised organisation that classifies the severity of food insecurity and malnutrition, found that three key thresholds for famine had been met, signalling a major escalation of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

20 August
Israel Approves Settlements, a Blow to Faded Hopes for a Palestinian State
(NYT) The long-stalled project near Jerusalem, known as E1, further fragments West Bank lands envisioned as part of a Palestinian state, advancing a goal of Israeli hard-liners.
Israel says it has taken first steps of military operation in Gaza City
Israel plans gradual, targeted operation in Gaza City
Israeli troops clash with Hamas near Khan Younis
Smotrich approves West Bank settlement project assailed abroad
(Reuters) – Israel’s military announced the first steps of an operation to take over Gaza City on Wednesday and called up tens of thousands of reservists while the government considered a new ceasefire proposal to pause nearly two years of war.
“We have begun the preliminary operations and the first stages of the attack on Gaza City, and already now IDF forces are holding the outskirts of Gaza City,” Brigadier General Effie Defrin, Israel’s military spokesperson, told reporters.
The Palestinian Authority on Wednesday slammed Israel’s approval of a key settlement project in the occupied West Bank, saying it undermined the chances of a two-state solution.
The approval of the project in the area known as E1 “fragments… geographic and demographic unity, entrenching the division of the occupied West Bank into isolated areas and cantons that are disconnected from one another, turning them into something akin to real prisons,” the PA’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Israel approves settlement plan to erase idea of Palestinian state
(al Arabia) A widely condemned Israeli settlement plan that would cut across land that the Palestinians seek for a state received final approval on Wednesday, according to a statement from Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.The approval of the E1 project, which would bisect the occupied West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem, was announced last week by Smotrich and received the final go-ahead from a defense ministry planning commission on Wednesday, he said.
Israel expands Gaza City offensive as UK decries West Bank settlement approval
Construction would be ‘flagrant breach of international law’ and undermine two-state solution, foreign secretary says
(The Guardian) Israel has announced it is expanding its military operations in Gaza City, as the UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, condemned its approval of a huge new illegal settlement in the West Bank as a “flagrant breach of international law.”
Briefing journalists, the Israel Defense Forces spokesperson, Effie Defrin said the IDF had begun the second phase of Operation Gideon’s Chariots in Gaza, which it launched in May.
He said the IDF would intensify efforts to harm Hamas in Gaza City, which he deemed a “stronghold of regime and military terror”, as part of the operation.
Defrin’s briefing coincided with a statement from Benjamin Netanyahu’s office in which he called for the acceleration of a much threatened offensive to conquer Gaza City.

18 August
Hamas Accepts New Gaza Cease-Fire Proposal, Officials Say
It was unclear whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel was on board with the terms, which came as Qatar and Egypt were intensifying mediation efforts.
(NYT) Hamas has accepted a new cease-fire proposal for Gaza put forward by Qatar and Egypt that would see the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, two diplomats familiar with the negotiations and an Egyptian official said on Monday.
It was unclear whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel would accept the proposal, which came as Qatar and Egypt were intensifying their mediation efforts ahead of a possible Israeli ground invasion into Gaza City.
The plan would also require Israel to redeploy its forces in Gaza, and it would allow enough humanitarian aid to enter the territory to meet the needs of Palestinians, two of the officials said.
The latest terms are similar to those that Israel had previously accepted and they include both a temporary cease-fire and a path to an agreement to end the war, according to the two diplomats and the Egyptian official.

17 August
Israeli military preparing to expel Gaza City residents as baby in tent among those killed in latest attacks
Military claims it is displacing population ‘to ensure their safety’ even as health officials report deadly attacks on previously designated safe zones
We have all seen the images of emaciated Palestinian babies and children withering away from starvation in their mothers’ arms. Yet now that Israel is intensifying its war – embarking on a new campaign to “conquer” Gaza City – thousands more Palestinian civilians may be killed, either by bombs or by starvation.

14-15 August
Israel’s West Bank settlement plan slammed as Gaza assault continues
Israel has faced international condemnation after far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced his intention to approve the construction of more than 3,000 homes in the E1 area of the occupied West Bank, bisecting land that would be used for a future Palestinian state.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Israel’s move “would put an end to prospects of a two-state solution”, while EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas slammed the plan as a “breach of international law”.
Israel appears set to approve highly controversial 3,400-home West Bank settlement
Finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has said he believes E1 plan will ‘bury the idea of a Palestinian state’
Israel appears set to give formal planning approval to a highly controversial settlement project for more than 3,400 new homes that has been frozen for decades and which critics say would split the occupied West Bank in half.
Strongly opposed by the international community, the so-called E1 plan would extend the existing Jewish settlement of Ma’ale Adumim towards Jerusalem, further cutting occupied east Jerusalem from the West Bank, and further separating the north and south of the territory.
The decision from the Supreme Planning Council, which meets next week, is expected to support the plan after rejecting objections by Israeli NGOs.
The expected decision in favour will come after Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich – who backs both the plan and the imposition of Israeli sovereignty through the occupied West Bank – gloated that he believed construction on E1 would “bury the idea of a Palestinian state”.
Smotrich is a junior minister who also holds a position at Israel’s defence ministry with oversight of planning issues in the occupied Palestinian territories. He was placed under sanctions along with fellow far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir by the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand in June for “repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian communities”.
Standing at the site of the planned settlement in Ma’ale Adumim on Thursday, Smotrich, a settler himself, said the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and US president, Donald Trump, had agreed to the revival of the E1 development, though there was no immediate confirmation from either.
Starvation in Gaza and Our Global Shame
Binaifer Nowrojee
(Project Syndicate) Under international law, the use of starvation as a weapon of war is strictly prohibited. By intentionally withholding food and other basic essentials despite glaring evidence of widespread hunger and malnourishment in Gaza, Israel has taken its war well into the realm of criminality.

13 August
At least 123 Palestinians killed as Israeli army pounds Gaza City ahead of planned takeover
Latest deaths come as Netanyahu reiterates that Palestinians should simply leave Gaza
Israel is wiping out Gaza’s journalists – and it’s no longer even hiding it
Jodie Ginsberg
The laws of war are clear: journalists are civilians. To target them deliberately in war is to commit a war crime
Recognising Palestinian state must not distract from ending Gaza mass deaths, UN expert says
Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur for the occupied territories, calls for practical actions and warns against distracting ‘attention from where it should be: the genocide’

Netanyahu pushes for Palestinians’ departure from Gaza as Egypt seeks 60-day truce
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said Palestinians in Gaza should be permitted to leave the enclave, remarks critics see as an effort to push residents out amid an intensifying military campaign. His remarks came as Egypt said it was working hard for a two-month ceasefire.
Ministers Take Jabs at Israel’s Military Chief as Gaza Plan Stokes Tension
Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has pushed back against a proposal to control Gaza City, according to officials. One hard-right member of the government suggested he could be dismissed.

8-12 August
On Gaza’s killing fields, journalism faces its darkest hour – but that won’t stop us reporting
Asef Hamidi, director of news, Al Jazeera Channel
Israel’s actions are an assault not only on individual reporters but on the entire global public’s right to know the truth
(The Guardian) As the world witnesses the horrors unfolding in Gaza, a related tragedy continues with chilling regularity: the systematic targeting and killing of journalists. Just as the Gaza journalistic community thought matters could not get any worse, Benjamin Netanyahu’s brutal occupying forces carried out yet another cold-blooded murder on Sunday, this time of the Al Jazeera journalists Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qraiqea, along with videographers Ibrahim Thaher, Mohammed Nofal and their colleagues. They were sheltering in a media tent near al-Shifa hospital, and were killed by a direct strike.
Israel kills 73 in Gaza as UK, EU and others slam ‘unimaginable’ suffering
Palestinians describe horrific scenes in Northern Gaza in the daily desperation to access food under Israeli fire.
Those killed on Tuesday included 19 aid seekers, as the European Union and 26 countries, including Canada, France and the United Kingdom, condemned the “unimaginable levels” of suffering in Gaza and called for urgent action to halt and reverse the unfolding famine in the war-torn territory.
Israel kills Anas al-Sharif, three Al Jazeera staff in Gaza: What we know
Israel deliberately attacked the tent the journalists were working out of, at the gates of al-Shifa Hospital.
Late on Sunday, an Israeli strike shook al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, targeting a media tent by the gate where journalists had gathered to work.
As people rushed to help, it became apparent that four Al Jazeera staff had been killed, including Anas al-Sharif, one of the most famous faces of Arabic reporting from Gaza.

Days After Pledging a New Attack in Gaza, Israel’s Plan Is Still Unclear
The Israeli government said last week that it wanted to capture Gaza City, but how and when it will proceed has yet to be decided.
(NYT) … While there have been vague proclamations by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s military has yet to complete the tactical battle plan. There has been no public confirmation of how long any occupation of the city will last — or when it will begin, and how it will differ from Israel’s capture of Gaza City in the opening months of the war in 2023. …
Intense Israeli strikes continued overnight into Monday, killing several Al Jazeera journalists and forcing the displacement of civilians in some Gaza City neighborhoods. But the Army has not yet mobilized the tens of thousands of military reservists who will most likely be needed to staff the broader operation. And while Israel has threatened to force out the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians still living in Gaza City, it has yet to order their expulsion
U.N. Security Council condemns Gaza war plans, ‘inadequate’ aid
The Sunday meeting of the U.N. Security Council was called for by Britain, Denmark, France, Greece and Slovenia. It did not place a resolution on the table, a measure that the United States has used its veto power to block five times previously, but saw condemnation of Israel’s plans for Gaza City.
(Yahoo! news) … Among the nations expressing the fiercest support for Palestinians was Algeria, which said that Israel cares nothing for international law or the authority of the U.N. Security Council.
“Despite the operation, Palestinians will not abandon their homeland. Palestinians will not let go of their rights,” said Amar Bendjama, Algeria’s representative. “We believe in their resilience as we believe that Gaza, although wounded and bleeding, will one day rise again.”
Meanwhile, the representative for Pakistan explicitly called Israel’s actions “ethnic cleansing,” a point echoed by Russia’s representative who likened the situation in Gaza to the Holocaust.
… China’s U.N. ambassador, Fu Cong: “We urge Israel to stop this dangerous move at once. Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people. It’s an integral part of the Palestinian territory. Any action that seeks to alter its demographic and territorial structure must be met with utmost rejection and resistance.”
Fu Cong also said, “the country with significant influence over the parties must encourage a ceasefire,” an apparent reference to the United States — which criticized the fact that the meeting was taking place.
“The United States government believes this meeting is emblematic of the counterproductive role that far too many governments on this council and throughout the U.N. system have played on this issue,” said Dorothy Shea, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Netanyahu Doubles Down on Gaza Offensive After Global Backlash
This is not the first time the Israeli prime minister has called for one final military drive to dismantle Hamas and end the war.
‘Arab Forces’ Running Gaza? Netanyahu’s Goal Leaves Many Questions.
The Israeli cabinet agreed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military plan, but the quandary of who will eventually govern Gaza remains intractable.
(NYT)  Some Arab governments have suggested that they would be willing to play a role in stabilizing the enclave, such as backing a postwar international security mission. At times, officials have floated the idea that Arab countries would send their own soldiers.
But, according to analysts, Arab leaders want that mission to ultimately turn Gaza over to the Palestinian Authority, which they view as the main feasible alternative to Hamas. They also want a political path toward Palestinian statehood. Both of these outcomes would cross red lines for Mr. Netanyahu’s government.
Israel plans to take over Gaza City to pressure Hamas. Worries rise for civilians and hostages
(The Guardian) Israel said Friday it will intensify its 22-month war with Hamas by taking over Gaza City, drawing a dismissal from the militant group and renewed international calls to end the conflict, while stirring fears for Palestinian civilians and Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.
Netanyahu Broadly Criticized at Home and Abroad After New Gaza Plan
(NYT) International allies and families of hostages condemned Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to take control of Gaza City, with the British prime minister calling it “wrong.”
Israel’s Gaza City plan sparks global condemnation with warnings of more destruction and suffering – latest updates
Widespread calls for takeover plan to be stopped with UK’s Starmer saying escalation will ‘only bring more bloodshed’ and Germany halting arms exports
UN chief calls Israeli plan to take control of Gaza City a ‘dangerous escalation’
United Nations secretary-general António Guterres has criticized Israel’s plan to take control of Gaza City, with the UN chief’s spokesperson saying the decision marked “a dangerous escalation”.
Netanyahu, Aiming to Capture Gaza City, Risks Ending in Familiar Deadlock
Time and again, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has pledged to defeat Hamas by force. The decision to capture Gaza City repeats a strategy that has failed in the past.

5-7 August
Netanyahu aims to fully control Gaza despite warnings of mass death
Israeli PM needs security cabinet to approve plan amid opposition from aid agencies and families of hostages
(The Guardian) At a meeting of Israel’s security cabinet on Thursday evening, Netanyahu was hoping to obtain approval for fully controlling the strip, Israeli media reported.
Two government sources told Reuters any resolution by the security cabinet would need to be approved by the full cabinet, which may not meet until Sunday.
The plan would mean sending ground troops into the few areas of the strip that have not been totally destroyed, roughly 25% of the territory where many of its 2 million people have sought refuge.
Israel is reportedly preparing a two-phase operation aimed at seizing control of Gaza City, with plans to evacuate about 1 million residents – half of Gaza’s population – in what officials describe as a temporary measure to establish civilian infrastructure in central Gaza.
Netanyahu Says Israel Wants to Take Military Control of All of Gaza
But Israel does not want to “keep” or “govern it,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, ahead of a cabinet meeting to discuss expanding military operations in the territory.
(NYT) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Israel planned to take control of all of Gaza, bucking the advice of the Israeli military and warnings that expanding operations could endanger the hostages being held there and kill more Palestinian civilians.
Mr. Netanyahu made the comments in an interview with Fox News ahead of a security cabinet meeting on Thursday to discuss a proposal to expand military operations in Gaza. They came as talks to achieve a cease-fire and the release of the hostages have hit an impasse, with Israeli and Hamas officials blaming each other for the deadlock.
When asked whether Israel would take over all of Gaza, he responded, “We intend to.”

Israel issues forced displacement orders amid fears of full occupation in Gaza
Israeli military leaders reportedly oppose Netanyahu’s plans as the country faces growing diplomatic isolation
(The Guardian) Israel’s security cabinet is expected to meet on Thursday evening and sign off on plans for an expanded operation despite reported serious misgivings from senior military officers.
The order for Gaza – euphemistically described by the Israel Defense Forces as an “evacuation” – is the latest in dozens of such announcements that have displaced the vast majority of Gaza’s population, many on multiple occasions.
Dozens killed seeking aid in Gaza as Israel weighs further military action
The latest deaths came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to announce further military action — and possibly plans for Israel to fully reoccupy Gaza. Experts say Israel’s ongoing military offensive and blockade are already pushing the territory of some 2 million Palestinians into famine. A new U.N. report said only 1.5% of Gaza’s cropland is accessible and undamaged.
What to know as Israel considers reoccupying Gaza in what would be a major escalation of the war
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering ordering the full reoccupation of the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli media, a move that would draw fierce opposition internationally and within Israel.
It would mark a stunning escalation of the nearly 22-month war in the territory that has already been largely destroyed and where experts say famine is unfolding. It would put the lives of countless Palestinians and about 20 living hostages at risk, and deepen Israel’s already stark international isolation.
Netanyahu hints at expanded war in Gaza but former Israeli military and spy chiefs object
(AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted at wider military action in devastated Gaza on Tuesday, even as former Israeli army and intelligence chiefs called for an end to the nearly 22-month war.
The new pressure on Netanyahu came as Gaza’s Health Ministry said the Palestinian death toll had surpassed 61,000. Health officials reported new deaths of hungry Palestinians seeking food at distribution points. As desperation mounts, the Israeli defense body coordinating aid announced a deal with local merchants to improve aid deliveries.
Among those speaking out were former leaders of Israel’s Shin Bet internal security service, Mossad spy agency and the military — and also ex-Prime Minister Ehud Barak. In a video posted to social media this week, they said far-right members of the government are holding Israel “hostage” in prolonging the conflict.

Netanyahu holding talks on Gaza war plans as loyalists launch attacks on IDF chief
Zamir hammered for reported objections to IDF fully occupying the Strip, PM’s son implies he’s leading a coup; opposition says government wants chief of staff to be a rubber stamp
(Times of Israel) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meeting with senior security officials on Tuesday to hammer out Gaza war plans amid reports of rising tensions between him and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir over the prospect of Israeli forces fully occupying the enclave, Hebrew media reported.
Zamir was expected to present Netanyahu with several options for continuing the war in Gaza during the closed meeting, following the apparent breakdown of hostage-ceasefire talks with Hamas in recent weeks. The aim of the meeting was to finalize a plan to present to a broader cabinet session later this week, according to reports in multiple Hebrew outlets.

4 August
The challenge in expanding aid to Gaza
(Politico) What needs to happen is a massive scale up of humanitarian access and humanitarian delivery across every part of Gaza. One of the core principles of humanitarian response is you want to bring the aid as close to where the people are as possible. You don’t make the people traverse a combat zone in order to get to an aid distribution site. You bring the aid to where they are. That’s very possible. Gaza is not a big place.
… And then finally you need robust health care because we know from famines past, that sometimes a majority, and certainly a large share of the people who die in famines die of disease before starvation takes them. …

2 August
Israel must stop helping Hamas to win
(Globe & Mail editorial board) From the start, Hamas has used the civilian population of Gaza as both a shield and as a weapon.
The shield has been the intertwining of military and civilian infrastructure, with the direct effect of increasing civilian casualties as the Israeli military attacked Hamas. The weapon: images of dead and injured civilians deployed skillfully by Hamas to undermine Israel’s legitimacy, and to paint the Jewish state as a brutal and brutalizing entity.
Civilian casualties are exactly what Hamas needs if it is to win its existential fight with Israel. The question is: Why is Israel so intent on doing the thing its enemy most wants?
The Israeli government’s intentional policy of restricting aid flowing into Gaza has created a humanitarian crisis and made clear that it is losing the war against Hamas despite overwhelming military power.

28 July
Israel’s leader claims no one in Gaza is starving. Data and witnesses disagree
(AP) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says no one in Gaza is starving: “There is no policy of starvation in Gaza, and there is no starvation in Gaza. We enable humanitarian aid throughout the duration of the war to enter Gaza – otherwise, there would be no Gazans.”
… The World Health Organization said Sunday there have been 63 malnutrition-related deaths in Gaza this month, including 24 children under the age of 5 — up from 11 deaths total the previous six months of the year.
Gaza’s Health Ministry puts the number even higher, reporting 82 deaths this month of malnutrition-related causes: 24 children and 58 adults. It said Monday that 14 deaths were reported in the past 24 hours. The ministry, which operates under the Hamas government, is headed by medical professionals and is seen by the U.N. as the most reliable source of data on casualties. U.N. agencies also often confirm numbers through other partners on the ground.
After international pressure, Israel over the weekend announced humanitarian pauses, airdrops and other measures meant to allow more aid to Palestinians in Gaza. But people there say little or nothing has changed on the ground. The U.N. has described it as a one-week scale-up of aid, and Israel has not said how long these latest measures would last.

24-26 July
At least 57 killed in Gaza in 24 hours as Israel withdraws from ceasefire talks
Israeli PM looking at ‘alternative options’ to the discussions in Doha after removing his negotiators
At least 57 people were killed in Gaza over the past 24 hours, many killed while seeking aid as well as by Israeli airstrikes, with ceasefire talks appearing to have hit a dead end amid a worsening starvation crisis.
Many were shot dead as they were waiting for trucks carrying aid close to the Zikim crossing into Israel . It has become common for hungry crowds to gather and wait for aid trucks to enter Gaza as mass starvation spreads, which humanitarians widely blame on Israel’s blockade on the territory.
Israel and the U.S. Pull Back From Talks With Hamas
President Trump’s special envoy said that “we will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home,” though it was not clear that negotiations had halted.
Israel says it is considering alternatives to ceasefire talks with Hamas, deepening uncertainty
(AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday his government was considering “alternative options” to ceasefire talks with Hamas after Israel and the U.S. recalled their negotiating teams, throwing the future of the negotiations into further uncertainty.
Netanyahu’s statement came as a Hamas official said negotiations were expected to resume next week and portrayed the recall of the Israeli and American delegations as a pressure tactic. Egypt and Qatar, which are mediating the talks alongside the United States, said the pause was only temporary and that talks would resume, though they did not say when.
The teams left Qatar on Thursday as President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said Hamas’ latest response to proposals for a deal showed a “lack of desire” to reach a truce. Witkoff said the U.S. will look at “alternative options,” without elaborating.

Hague Group announces steps to hold Israel accountable in Bogota summit
A group of 12 countries from across the world has committed to barring arms transfers to Israel, among other steps
(Al Jazeera) A coalition of countries has announced at a meeting in the Colombian capital of Bogota that they will pursue accountability for Israeli abuses in Gaza, including by preventing the transfer of weapons to Israel.
The two-day meeting concluded on Wednesday with two dozen countries agreeing to six measures to “restrain Israel’s assault on the Occupied Palestinian Territories”.

21-23 July
‘We faced hunger before, but never like this’: skeletal children fill hospital wards as starvation grips Gaza
For months Israel kept food shipments to Gaza far below starvation rations. Now the death toll is rising rapidly
Even money or influential employers can no longer protect Palestinians. “Humanitarian organisations are witnessing their own colleagues and partners waste away before their eyes,” more than 100 aid groups working in Gaza, including MSF, Save the Children and Oxfam, warned in a joint statement this week.
The journalists’ union at AFP said on Monday that for the first time in the news agency’s history it risks losing a colleague to starvation. On Wednesday the head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said a “large proportion” of Gaza’s population was starving. “I don’t know what you would call it other than mass-starvation – and it’s man-made,” he said.
For months Israel has choked off food shipments. The total amounts allowed in since the start of March are well below starvation rations for the 2.1 million population, and Palestinians are already weakened by the impact of prolonged food shortages and repeated displacement.
More than 100 aid groups warn of starvation in Gaza as Israeli strikes kill [another] 29, officials say
(AP) — More than 100 charity and human rights groups said Wednesday that Israel’s blockade and ongoing military offensive are pushing Palestinians in the Gaza Strip toward starvation, as Israeli strikes killed another 29 people overnight, according to local health officials.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, was set to meet with a senior Israeli official about ceasefire talks, a sign that lower-level negotiations that have dragged on for weeks could be approaching a breakthrough.
Experts say Gaza is at risk of famine because of Israel’s blockade and the offensive launched in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack. The head of the World Health Organization said Gaza is “witnessing a deadly surge” in malnutrition and related diseases, and that a “large proportion” of its roughly 2 million people are starving.
Hamas has said it will only release the remaining 50 hostages it holds, around 20 of them believed to be alive, in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Israel has vowed to recover all the captives and continue the war until Hamas has been defeated or disarmed
… Top adviser to Netanyahu will meet US envoy in Rome
An official familiar with the negotiations said Ron Dermer, a top adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was traveling to Rome to meet Witkoff on Thursday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the sensitive negotiations.
The evolving deal is expected to include a 60-day ceasefire in which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and the remains of 18 others in phases in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Aid supplies would be ramped up, and the two sides would hold negotiations on a lasting truce.
Canada, 24 other nations urge Israel to end war in Gaza, condemn ‘drip feeding of aid’

21 July
WHO says Israeli forces hit its staff residence and main warehouse in Gaza
Staff quarters attacked three times and four people detained, three temporarily, as IDF tanks enter Deir al-Balah
(The Guardian) On Monday, Israeli tanks for the first pushed into southern and eastern districts of Deir al-Balah, an area where Israeli sources said the military believes hostages may be held. Tank shelling in the area hit houses and mosques, killing at least three Palestinians and wounding several others, local medics said.
In its daily update, Gaza’s health ministry said on Monday at least 130 Palestinians had been killed and more than 1,000 wounded by Israeli gunfire and military strikes across the territory in the past 24 hours, one of the highest such totals in recent weeks.

16 July
Trump to meet Qatar’s PM as push for Gaza ceasefire deal continues
(Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani on Wednesday, the White House said, as Trump presses for progress on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release deal.
Israeli and Hamas negotiators have been taking part in the latest round of ceasefire talks in Doha since July 6, discussing a U.S.-backed proposal for a 60-day ceasefire that envisages a phased release of hostages, Israeli troop withdrawals from parts of Gaza, and discussions on ending the conflict.
Trump will host the Qatari leader for dinner at the White House on Wednesday evening.
Trump on Sunday said he hoped talks for a ceasefire deal would be “straightened out” this week.

15 July
UN’s Albanese hails 30-nation meeting aimed at ending Israeli occupation of Palestine</strong>
The Hague Group aims to agree political, economic and legal actions in ‘existential hour’ for Israel and Palestine
The UN rapporteur hit with sanctions by the US last week has vowed not to be silenced as she hailed a 30-nation conference aimed at ending Israel’s occupation of Palestine as “the most significant political development in the past 20 months”.
Francesca Albanese will say the two-day gathering in Bogotá, Colombia, starting on Tuesday and including China, Spain and Qatar, comes at “an existential hour” for Israel and the Palestinian people.
The aim of the conference is to set out steps the participating countries can take to implement a UN general assembly motion mandating member states to take measures in support of Israel ending its unlawful occupation of Palestine.
The Colombian president and conference host, Gustavo Petro, says the meeting will show that the world is finally moving from condemnation of Israel’s military action to collective action to bring it to a halt.
The aim is to agree a detailed plan of political, economic and legal actions, but there are range of views over how far states can go politically or legally to isolate Israel, a country that feels secure so long as it maintains US support.
The Hague Group was initially brought together by South Africa and Colombia, but since then support has grown and it now includes Algeria, Brazil, Spain, Indonesia and Qatar.

Leaders of Holy Land churches condemn Israeli settler violence during a West Bank visit
(AP) — Top church leaders in the Holy Land asserted Monday that Israeli authorities “facilitate and enable” the presence of Israeli settlers who have intensified attacks in recent weeks on the only entirely Christian Palestinian village remaining in the occupied West Bank.
Speaking in the village, Taybeh, on a rare solidarity visit, Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III and Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa denounced an incident last week when settlers set fires near the community’s church. They alleged that Israeli authorities failed to respond to emergency calls for help from the Palestinian community.
3 June
Israeli soldiers bar media from visiting West Bank villages on tour organized by Oscar winners
(AP) — Israeli soldiers on Monday barred journalists from entering villages in the West Bank on a planned tour organized by the directors of the Oscar-winning movie “No Other Land.”
The directors of the film, which focuses on Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied territory, said they had invited the journalists on the tour Monday to interview residents about increasing settler violence in the area.
In video posted on X by the film’s co-director, Yuval Abraham, an Israeli soldier tells a group of international journalists there is “no passage” in the area because of a military order. Basel Adra, a Palestinian co-director of the film who lives in the area, said the military then blocked the journalists from entering two Palestinian villages they had hoped to visit.

Israeli strikes in Gaza kill 93 Palestinians, including several families, health officials say
(AP) — Israeli strikes overnight and into Tuesday killed more than 90 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, including dozens of women and children, health officials said.
One strike in the northern Shati refugee camp killed a 68-year-old Hamas member of the Palestinian legislature, as well as a man and a woman and their six children who were sheltering in the same building, according to officials from Shifa Hospital, where the casualties were taken.
One of the deadliest strikes hit a house in Gaza City’s Tel al-Hawa district on Monday evening and killed 19 members of the family living inside, according to Shifa Hospital. The dead included eight women and six children. A strike on a tent housing displaced people in the same district killed a man and a woman and their two children.
Israel has killed more than 58,400 Palestinians and wounded more than 139,000 others in its retaliation campaign since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Just over half the dead are women and children, according to the ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and militants in its tally.
The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, is led by medical professionals. Its count, based on daily reports from hospitals, is considered by the United Nations and other experts to be the most reliable.

14 July
Israeli government and military clash over proposed camp for Palestinians
Military opposed to Gaza ‘humanitarian city’ plan, which a former Israeli PM has likened to a concentration camp
(The Guardian) A feud has broken between the Israeli government and the military over the cost and impact of a planned camp for Palestinians in southern Gaza, as politicians criticised the former prime minister Ehud Olmert for warning that the project would create a “concentration camp” if it goes ahead.
The “humanitarian city” project has become a sticking point in ceasefire talks with Hamas. Israel wants to keep troops stationed across significant parts of Gaza, including the ruins of Rafah city in the south, where the defence minister, Israel Katz, says the camp will be built.
Hamas is pushing for a more comprehensive withdrawal. Husam Badran, a senior member of the group, said the camp plans were a “deliberatively obstructive demand” that would complicate talks, the New York Times reported.
“This would be an isolated city that resembles a ghetto,” he said in a message to the paper. “This is utterly unacceptable and no Palestinian would agree to this.”

13 July
Israeli strikes kill at least 32 in Gaza as Palestinian war deaths top 58,000
(AP) — Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip killed at least 32 people on Sunday, including six children at a water collection point, while the Palestinian death toll passed 58,000 after 21 months of war, local health officials said.
Israel and Hamas appeared no closer to a breakthrough in indirect talks meant to pause the war and free some Israeli hostages after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Washington visit last week. A sticking point has emerged over Israeli troops ‘ deployment during a ceasefire.
Israel says it will end the war only once Hamas surrenders, disarms and goes into exile, something it refuses to do. Hamas says it is willing to free all the remaining 50 hostages, about 20 said to be alive, in exchange for the war’s end and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces.

5 July
Israeli Ministers to Meet on Next Steps Toward Gaza Truce
Israel is poised to decide whether to proceed with talks after Hamas said it had responded positively to the latest cease-fire proposal.
(NYT) Israeli ministers planned to meet on Saturday evening to decide on the next steps in the latest American-backed effort to reach a Gaza cease-fire after Hamas said it was ready for negotiations on the proposal.
Late Friday night, Hamas delivered its formal response to the cease-fire framework, which it said was “characterized as being positive,” and added that it was prepared to start new talks about how to put it into effect.
Israeli officials will have to determine whether to send negotiators to talks with Hamas to flesh out the finer points. The country’s security cabinet — a group of senior ministers — is expected to convene on Saturday night for consultations.
The two sides refuse to meet face to face, so they will most likely travel to an Arab country where Qatari or Egyptian mediators will ferry messages back and forth. No venue has been announced.

2 July
Over 600 starving Palestinians killed in 5 weeks at GHF sites in Gaza
Israeli forces have killed at least 67 Palestinians across Gaza as they target aid seekers and displaced people sheltering in tents.
More than 600 Palestinians have been killed in just five weeks while waiting for food parcels at the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) sites.

19 June
Israel massacres in Gaza, locks down West Bank as attention shifts to Iran
(Al Jazeera) As the world focuses on Israel’s war with Iran, violence against Palestinians has scaled up in the occupied territories.
Since Israel began attacking Iran on June 13, global attention on the plight of Palestinians in the occupied territory has faded from the headlines.
But Israel has continued to attack Palestinians in Gaza, while conducting deadly raids in the West Bank.
After the latest attack on Palestinians desperate for food, analysts and human rights monitors told Al Jazeera that they believe Israel is likely to commit more “massacres”, while prioritising the welfare of Israelis as the war with Iran drags on.
On Thursday, Israeli troops killed at least 16 Palestinians trying desperately to get food in Gaza. On Wednesday, it was at least 29 Palestinians. The day before, at least 70 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces as they gathered at a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution site in Khan Younis.
They were gunned down by drones, machine gun fire and tanks, according to survivors.

4 June
US vetoes resolution for unconditional Gaza ceasefire at UN security council
Russia, China, France and the UK all voted in favour of ‘immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire’
(The Guardian) It was the fifth time that the US has vetoed a security council draft ceasefire resolution in order to protect Israel. Washington vetoed a similar resolution in November, under the Biden administration, on the grounds that the ceasefire demand was not directly linked to the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas.
Israeli-Backed Aid Sites in Gaza Close Temporarily After Deadly Shootings
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said it was working to improve operations, a day after health workers said at least 27 Palestinians were killed near a distribution center.
(NYT) … The pause in operations came after days in which dozens of Palestinians trying to reach one of the foundation’s sites in the southern Gaza city of Rafah were killed after coming under fire, according to local health workers. …

1 June
Palestinians gunned down while trying to reach food aid site in Gaza, hospital says
Witnesses say Israeli forces opened fire on people near distribution point run by Israel-backed foundation
More than 30 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire on Sunday as they went to receive food at an aid distribution point set up by an Israeli-backed foundation in Gaza, according to witnesses, and a hospital run by the Red Cross confirming it was treating many wounded.

31 May
Hamas suggests changes in response to Gaza ceasefire proposal
Israel and US envoy reject group’s proposal to free 10 living hostages and 18 bodies in exchange for release of Palestinian prisoners