One killed in Israeli strike on Beit Lif, Bint Jbeil district | LIVE

Egypt says it supports “pressure on Israel” but imposes “prior authorization” for any pro-Gaza action

Egypt has emphasized “the importance of pressure on Israel to lift the siege of Gaza” while asserting that any pro-Palestinian foreign delegation action on its territory must obtain “prior authorization.”

This position, expressed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, comes as Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz urged Egyptian authorities to block a land convoy of pro-Palestinian activists heading to the Gaza Strip, after leaving Tunisia and arriving in Libya.

Argentine President Javier Milei announced Wednesday in a speech before the Knesset, Israel's parliament, that his country's embassy would be moved to Jerusalem in 2026.

“I am proud to announce before you that in 2026, the transfer of our embassy to the city of West Jerusalem will be effective,” he told the assembly, where he was invited to speak during his second official visit to Israel. The Argentine embassy is currently located near Tel Aviv.

Netanyahu reportedly willing to negotiate with new Syrian government under U.S. mediation

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told U.S. envoy Tom Barrack that he is interested in opening negotiations with the new Syrian government under U.S. mediation, two Israeli officials told Axios.

According to a senior Israeli official, Netanyahu wants to explore the possibility of a new security agreement with Damascus, with a view to eventually reaching a comprehensive peace treaty.

Warplanes are flying over the Nabatieh region, reports our correspondent in the South.

The Israeli strike in Bet Lif has killed one person, according to our correspondent in southern Lebanon.

The Soumoud caravan in solidarity with Gaza reached Tripoli

Hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists traveling in a convoy that left Tunisia reached Tripoli, Libya, on Wednesday, continuing their journey toward Egypt with the goal of reaching Gaza and “breaking the blockade” of the Palestinian territory.

The Soumoud (“resistance” in Arabic) caravan, consisting of a dozen buses and a hundred cars, crossed the border between Tunisia and Libya without incident on Tuesday and was greeted by an enthusiastic crowd in the Libyan capital.

South Lebanon

An Israeli drone targeted a car in the town of Beit Lif, in the district of Bint Jbeil, near the municipal council building, according to our correspondent in southern Lebanon.

Gaza death toll rises

At least 120 Palestinians have been killed and 474 injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza in the past 24 hours, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry. Three bodies were also recovered from the rubble.

At least 57 Palestinians lining up for aid were killed and more than 363 injured by Israel since this morning, bringing the total number of people killed at aid distribution centres to 224, with 1,858 others injured, it added.

The total death toll from Israel’s war on Gaza has risen to 55,104 killed and 127,394 injured since Oct. 7, 2023, it said.

Israel has killed 4,821 Palestinians and injured 15,353 since breaking a cease-fire in March this year.

⚡ Further incursions into southern Lebanon by Israeli soldiers

Istrali troops have, for the third time today, crossed over the border into Lebanon near the village of Kfar Kila, in Marjayoun district, and advanced toward the destroyed houses located in the town's eastern neighborhoods, according to reports from our correspondent in the South.

Hamas kills 50 members of Israeli-backed gang in Gaza

A Palestinian group in Gaza armed by Israel said in a statement released this morning that Hamas has killed at least 50 of its members, Middle East Eye reports.

The gang, led by Yasser Abu Shabab, a clan leader known for criminal activity, said in a press statement that Hamas killed “over 50 of our volunteers” while they “guarded aid convoys and redistributed supplies that were otherwise destined for corrupt entities linked to Hamas.”

Last week, Netanyahu admitted to arming powerful local clans in Gaza — which aid groups accuse of stealing humanitarian aid — in a bid to counter Hamas, after defence officials quoted in Israeli media said he had authorised the transfer of Kalashnikov assault rifles to Abu Shabab’s gang. Earlier this week, Israeli media reported that Israeli soldiers had intervened in clashes between Hamas fighters and members of the militia group in order to protect Abu Shabab.

Palestinian children wait for food at a distribution point in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, on June 11, 2025. (Credit: by Eyad Baba/AFP)

Israel kills 40 Palestinians at two aid distribution centers in Gaza

Gaza’s civil defence agency spokesperson Mahmud Bassal told AFP that 31 Palestinians were killed this morning and about 200 were injured when Israeli forces opened fire on people waiting to enter a U.S.-backed food distribution center. 

“We transported at least 31 martyrs and about 200 wounded as a result of Israeli tank and drone fire on thousands of citizens … on their way to receive food from the American aid centre,” Bassal told AFP.

A more recent report from Al Jazeera, citing a source at Nasser Hospital, adds that nine people were killed by Israeli army fire in southern Gaza's Rafah governorate. These two incidents bring to 40 the death toll among Palestinians seeking to acquire a box of what humanitarian organizations say are wholly insufficient food supplies.

The Strip has been under total blockade since March 2, with the only food coming in since last week through the Israeli-backed aid organization run by American mercenaries.

Trump says 'much less confident' now about Iran nuclear deal

U.S. President Donald Trump told the New York Post on Monday that he is no longer hopeful that his negotiators will be able to reach a deal with Iran on nuclear enrichment, ahead of the sixth round of talks between the two countries.

“They seem to be delaying, and I think that’s a shame, but I’m less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago," Trump told the host of the Post's "Pod Force One" podcast, in an episode released today. "Something happened to them, but I am much less confident of a deal being made.”

When asked by the Post's Miranda Devine why, Trump responded: “Well, if they don’t make a deal, they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump answered. “If they do make a deal, they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon, too, you know?"

“But it would be nicer to do it without warfare, without people dying. It’s so much nicer to do it [that way]," Trump added. "But I don’t think I see the same level of enthusiasm for them to make a deal. I think they would make a mistake, but we’ll see. I guess time will tell.”

Read more here. 👈

Israeli fighter jets fly over South Lebanon and the Bekaa, mock raids over the central border region

Earlier this morning, Israeli fighter jets flew low over southern Lebanon, as far north as Saida, as well as the Bekaa, our correspondents in both regions have reported. Since morning, Israeli drones have been flying at low altitude over several villages in Marjayoun, Nabatieh and Saida districts.

Israeli fighter jets carried out mock raids over the central sector of the Lebanon-Israel border, residents told our correspondent. A mock raid is a military tactic that can be traced back to World War II, where aircraft fly at high speeds and close to the ground, creating a sonic boom to induce fear and confusion without actually conducting an attack.

Adam al-Najjar, who survived an Israeli strike on May 23, 2025, that killed his nine siblings and his father, pictured here with sisters Sidra and Eve, two of the children killed. (Credit: Reuters)

Palestinian doctor and her sole surviving child evacuated from Gaza after Israel kills husband and 9 children

Alaa al-Najjar, a paediatrician, and her badly wounded 11-year-old son, Adam, are due to be taken by ambulance with other critically-ill patients and family members to an airport in Israel's Eilat, on the Red Sea, today and then flown to Milan on a plane chartered by the Italian government, The Guardian reports.

Najjar’s husband and nine of her 10 children were killed on May 23, when their family home in Khan Younis was bombed by Israeli forces. Her husband, Hamdi, had just dropped her off for her shift at the town’s Nasser Hospital, where they both worked. He had then returned home to look after the children when the building was bombed.

Najjar was at the hospital when the charred remains of seven of her children were brought in. Two were found in the rubble and Hamdi died a few days later of his injuries. Adam was the sole survivor. His hand had to be amputated and he suffered severe burns on his body. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that Adam's aunt and four cousins would also be flown to Milan for treatment.

“I am not strong. Everyone says I am, they call me a hero because I keep going, but I want the right not to be strong,” Najjar told La Repubblica newspaper before her evacuation.

Read more here. 👈

Israel submits response to Hamas' Gaza cease-fire proposal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Defense Minister Israel Katz agreed on Israel’s response to Hamas’ cease-fire proposal at a meeting yesterday, Times of Israel reports, citing the Israeli Army Radio, and the response has been forwarded to mediators.

Officials are now awaiting for Hamas' response. Progress has dragged as Israel demands the right to be able to continue the war after an exchange and Hamas demands guarantees to a permanent end to hostilities.

Confusion surrounded the latest cease-fire proposals when Hamas announced it had largely accepted a U.S.-drawn framework with some amendments, only for mediator Steve Witkoff come out saying Hamas' response was "unacceptable." One of the changes Hamas had requested was the re-addition of the term that the group would relinquish all political control in Gaza, which Israel had removed from an earlier truce framework, according to reporting from Drop Site News.

Israeli opposition parties put bill to dissolve government on Knesset agenda

In a joint statement, Israeli Knesset opposition parties announced that they will place a bill to dissolve the Knesset on today's agenda, adding that the decision was “made unanimously and is binding on all factions,” Israeli media reports.

“In addition, in coordination between all factions, it was decided to remove opposition legislation from the agenda in order to concentrate all efforts on one goal: to overthrow the government,” reads the statement, which was released following a meeting of the government's opposition parties.

Netanyahu's hard-line coalition was expected to pack today's agenda with its own bills in order to delay a preliminary vote on the measure. With his coalition currently holding 68 out of the 120 parliamentary seats, both Haredi parties, Shas and United Torah Judaism, would need to back the measure.

Read more here.  👈

Trump tells Netanyahu to end the war

U.S. President Donald Trump demanded on Monday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu end the war in Gaza "the sooner the better," a source familiar with the details told Haaretz.

The source added that during a phone call between the two leaders, Netanyahu tried to convince the U.S. president to halt negotiations over a nuclear deal with Iran, arguing that "the Iranians are playing the Americans" and that the talks are doomed to fail.

According to the source, Trump asked Netanyahu to take the issue of an attack on Iran off the public agenda. The source also noted that the U.S. president made it clear to the Israeli prime minister that he would not receive a green light for an attack on Iran in the near future.

Reuters reported earlier today that if nuclear negotiations fail and conflict arises with the United States, Iran will strike American bases in the region, according to a statement from Iranian Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh. A sixth round of Iran-U.S. nuclear talks to scheduled for the coming days.

Three Alawite Syrians killed after attack on security forces

Three Alawite civilians were killed in a village in the Tall Kalakh region of western Syria, following an attack on security forces that left one person dead, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH) announced. The authorities reported that two civilians had been killed and two wounded in an attack carried out by “unknown assailants” in this region of Homs province, close to the Lebanese border.

Citing the OSDH, AFP reports that the three civilians were killed on Tuesday night in the village of Barouha by “armed local groups” who also set fire to shops and cars. “Four civilians were the target of an attack by unknown assailants,” said Homs province security chief General Mourhaf Naassan. “Two were killed and two others seriously injured.

The UK and four other countries sanction Smotrich and Ben-Gvir for 'incitement to violence'

The U.K., Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway yesterday announced sanctions against two far-right Israeli ministers, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, accused of “inciting violence” against Palestinians, Reuters reports. Washington has condemned the move.

Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, who have both made recent statements calling for the removal of all Palestinians from Gaza, “incited extremist violence and grave violations of the human rights of Palestinians” in the West Bank, the foreign ministers of these countries denounced in a joint statement.

Advocating “the forced displacement of Palestinians and the creation of new Israeli settlements is appalling and dangerous,” the joint statement added, referencing “unacceptable” actions. The sanctions mean the two ministers are banned from visiting any of the five countries and will face asset freezes in the U.K., Canada, and Australia.

Israel cancels waiver allowing Israeli and Palestinian banks to work together

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the cancellation of a waiver allowing Israeli banks to work with Palestinian banks yesterday, threatening to paralyze Palestinian financial institutions, which rely on such waivers to operate. The announcement came as sanctions were levied against Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir by the several countries, including the U.K., Canada, and Australia, for inciting violence against Palestinians.

“In the context of the delegitimization campaign waged by the Palestinian Authority against the State of Israel at the international level, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has asked ... to cancel the allowance granted to banks dealing with banks operating in Palestinian Authority territories,” the Israeli Finance Ministry said in a statement.

Israeli soldiers kill 25 people at an aid distribution center

Israeli forces opened fire near an aid distribution site near central Gaza’s so-called "Netzarim Corridor," according to medical sources cited by Al Jazeera. This incident is the latest in a string of deadly shootings near aid distribution centers, which have killed dozens of Palestinians desperate for food in a Gaza Strip that has been under total blockade since March 2.

Two weeks ago, Israel allowed its Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to begin distributing minimal food packages that humanitarian organizations criticize as falling far short of basic food needs and in a manner that experts say does not meet humanitarian standards. The organization, which hired American mercenaries for security, set up four sites in the enclave, where nearly two million people have been without supplies for almost three months.

Israeli ground incursions near Blida and Mais al-Jabal in southern Lebanon

Early this morning, dozens of Israeli soldiers, accompanied by two army bulldozers, crossed over the Blue Line in the Bekr Shaeb area, east of the town of Blida, in Marjayoun district, and began digging trenches and erecting dirt roadblocks.

Another inclursion occurred during the night, shortly after 10 p.m., when an Israeli army unit, supported by two military vehicles and a bulldozer, crossed border and advanced into the Kroum al-Mrah area, east of Mais al-Jabal, also in Marjayoung district. Lebanese Army reinforcements were quickly dispatched.

The Israeli army currently occupies five sites on Lebanese territory along the U.N.-drawn Blue Line, in violation of the cease-fire agreement signed with Lebanon in November.

Good morning and welcome to today's live coverage of events in the region, notably the ongoing Israeli military onslaught against Palestinians in Gaza and uncertain progress toward a possible cease-fire in the enclave, where Israel continues its blockade, only allowing minimal aid distribution through its own centers. Yesterday, 25 people were shot and killed at one such distribution site, Gaza health authorities announced.

In southern Lebanon, Israeli strikes are ongoing. Yesterday, two shepherds, a father and a son, were killed in a drone strike. Tensions with UNIFIL continue, as rumors spread of a possible push-back against the peacekeeping mission's mandate renewal.

☕ Read the Morning Brief to catch up on yesterday's news and to get a sense of what to expect today.