Thank you for joining us for our live coverage today. Be sure to come back tomorrow for the latest updates.
Goodnight!
Number of journalists killed in Gaza rises to 228
Gaza's media office announced that photojournalist Ismail Abu Hatab was killed Monday in an Israeli strike.
According to the Middle East Eye, the victim was killed in the Israeli strike on a seaside internet cafe in Gaza, which killed 21 people.
Abu Hatab worked as a photojournalist in Gaza for several media platforms and various outlets, the institution said in a statement, adding that he had also organized several photo exhibitions outside Palestine to raise awareness of the catastrophic reality in the Gaza Strip.
The office also "condemned in the strongest terms the systematic targeting, killing and assassination of Palestinian journalists by the Israeli occupation."
Trump to begin dismantling US sanctions against Syria
U.S. President Donald Trump will sign an executive order formalizing the dismantling of U.S. sanctions on Syria, a new step in the rapprochement between the two countries following the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
"This is an effort to promote and support the country's path to stability and peace," White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters. She said the United States would maintain its sanctions against some members of the former government, including Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Russia late last year.
Netanyahu's visit to Washington moved up to next week amid potential Gaza cease-fire deal, Israeli media report
Several Israeli media outlets reported Monday that the Trump administration has pressured the Israeli government to bring forward Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington, originally scheduled for mid-July, with a view to securing a new cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli Prime Minister will travel to the United States next week to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, according to a source close to the matter cited by Haaretz.
The media outlet added that senior U.S. administration officials urged Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who was visiting Washington last weekend, to reach an agreement on "stopping attacks on Gaza and the return of the remaining hostages."
These U.S. officials also reportedly told Dermer that Israel's insistence on "eliminating Hamas" should be "left for later."
Meanwhile, Israeli Channel 12 reported that the United States wants a deal to be reached on Gaza even before Netanyahu's trip, according to Israeli sources.
On Sunday, Trump posted on Truth Social, "Make a deal in Gaza, bring back the [Israeli] hostages," which was interpreted as a message to Netanyahu.
The Trump administration is holding "preliminary discussions" with Israel and Syria about a possible security agreement between the longtime enemies, U.S. and Israeli officials told Axios reporter Barack Ravid.
Israel willing to soften its stance to move towards a cease-fire agreement in Gaza, according to Axios
A senior Israeli official told Axios that Israel would be willing to show "flexibility on certain language" in negotiations for a cease-fire agreement and the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip, but would not commit to "a definitive end to the war," as Hamas has demanded.
According to the outlet, the main disagreement between the two sides remains Hamas's demand for "clear guarantees on the end of hostilities," a condition Israel categorically refuses. "We are prepared to be flexible up to a certain limit, but they will not receive any guarantees on the end of the war," the senior Israeli official said.
Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer is expected in Washington this week for talks with senior White House officials aimed at restarting negotiations. Despite a climate of optimism displayed by Qatari and American mediators, Israel remains skeptical about the real basis for this trust, Axios continues.
In a move that could herald a new military escalation, the Israeli army on Monday ordered the evacuation of new areas of Gaza City, raising the possibility of further expanding its ground offensive. "If no progress is made this week, we will expand the operation in Gaza City as we did in Rafah. Everything will be reduced to dust," the official warned.
At least 80 Palestinians killed in Gaza by the Israeli army since Monday morning
Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip today have killed at least 80 Palestinians in total, according to medical sources cited by Al Jazeera.
Of the recorded casualties, 57 were killed in the north of the besieged enclave, particularly in Gaza City, while 15 others died as a result of Israeli army fire during an aid distribution near Rafah, in the south of the territory. The rest were killed in drone strikes targeting the central towns of Shujaaya and Nusairat, according to Al Jazeera.
Earlier, the Gaza Health Ministry said in its daily report that the number of confirmed deaths since the start of the Israeli offensive stood at at least 56,531 killed and 133,642 wounded.
Civil Defense announces 21 killed in Israeli strike on seaside internet cafe
The Gaza Civil Defense announced the death of 21 people in an Israeli airstrike on an internet cafe in the Palestinian territory, devastated by more than 20 months of war.
According to the spokesperson for the first aid organization, Mahmoud Bassal, "dozens of people" were in what witnesses described as a seaside establishment in Gaza City, offering drinks and internet access.
With the U.S. demanding that Hezbollah fully disarm, Lebanon is seeking guarantees that Israel would finally withdraw from Lebanese territory that it is occupying should Lebanon commit to the disarmament effort.
Find the details here.
Israeli opposition leader calls for end to Gaza war
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said Monday that Israel had "no further interest in continuing the war in Gaza," during his parliamentary group's weekly meeting.
"The State of Israel no longer has any interest in continuing the war in Gaza; it only causes damage on the security, political, and economic levels," Lapid told lawmakers.
Israel kills 21 in attack on Gaza port, expands operations in the North
An attack by the Israeli navy on a port in Gaza City has killed at least 21 Palestinians and wounded 30 others, mostly women and children, according to several medical officials, cited by Haaretz. Palestinian media reported that the area that was attacked was not listed under the Israeli army's forced evacuation orders.
In northern Gaza, the Israeli army is expanding its operations toward the center of two cities, Haaretz reports. The Arabic-speaking spokesperson for the Israeli army, Aviachay Adraee, posted an evacuation order on X, instructing residents to “immediately head west and then south to the Mawassi area via al-Rashid Road,” specifying that “forces are present in the Salah al-Din axis area.”
Qatar says US 'serious' about Gaza cease-fire, Iran apologized to Qatar after targeting al-Udeid
A Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson told the media that the U.S. has shown serious intentions in its push for a return to negotiations on Gaza, but that the process is slowed by "complications," Al Jazeera reports. Israeli intransigence is preventing the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip, the spokesperson added.
Qatar, a key regional mediator, is currently also involved in efforts to reach an agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue and to establish a guarantee that the current Israel-Iran cease-fire will hold.
During the press conference, the spokesperson also revealed that there had been an official apology from Iran’s president to the Qatari people in a phone call to the emir following the targeting of the American al-Udeid airbase, a calculated move in response to American strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, with no casualties and precluded by a warning to the U.S.
Iran accuses Trump of playing 'games' with Iran negotiations
Iran criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's shifting stance on whether to lift economic sanctions against Tehran as "games" that were not aimed at solving the problems between the two countries, Reuters reports.
"These [statements by Trump] should be viewed more in the context of psychological and media games than as a serious expression in favor of dialogue or problem-solving," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told a press conference earlier today.
Before the Iranian statement, Trump had come out on his Truth Social platform, saying that he wasn't offering Iran "anything," reneging on last week's assertion that the U.S. and Iran were meeting for peace talks this week.
Smotrich says 'no agreements' for Gaza, only military 'victory'
Israel's onslaught against Gaza cannot end in a cease-fire and hostage deal, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said during a Religious Zionism Party meeting, Haaretz reports.
"We are in the midst of a campaign against a crushed terrorist organization that seeks to rebuild itself," he said. "If we give up now, if we give up precisely in front of those who are defeated, the message that will go out to the world will be sharp and clear: The way to bring Israel to its knees... is to kidnap Jews."
Smotrich added, "This war must end only in victory. No agreements, no partners, no mediators – only a decisive blow, the destruction of Hamas and the return of the hostages from a position of power."
Israel has been fighting under the stated goal of destroying Hamas for nearly 20 months now, killing more than 56,500 Palestinians in the process. The group is still active in the Strip, although, according to a recent Reuters report, it is struggling to survive.
Iran releases updated death toll from Israeli bombardment
Israel's bombardment of Iran during its 12-day war against the country, killed around 935 people, according to the latest forensics data released by Iranian judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir and cited by Reuters.
The initial statement from Jahangir, reported by state media, specified that this number includes 38 children and 132 women.
Iran ends cooperation with IAEA over agency chief's ‘destructive’ conduct
Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian said Tehran had broken off cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) due to what he called the “destructive” conduct of its chief toward Tehran, according to a statement released by his office.
“The initiative taken by members of Parliament ... is a natural response to the unjustified, unconstructive, and destructive conduct of the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency,” Pezeshkian told his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, during a phone call on Sunday evening, according to the statement.
UK court rules export of F-35 parts to Israel is lawful
British High Court has rejected the challenge brought by rights groups which sought to halt the export of British-made F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel following a 20-month court battle, Middle East Eye reports.
In a 72-page ruling, Lord Justice Males and Justice Steyn said that the case was focused on whether the court could rule “that the U.K. must withdraw from a specific multilateral defense collaboration which is reasonably regarded by the responsible ministers as vital to the defense of U.K. and to international peace and security.”
“Under our Constitution, that acutely sensitive and political issue is a matter for the executive, which is democratically accountable to Parliament and ultimately to the electorate, not for the courts,” they found.
The case was brought by U.K.-based Global Legal Action Network and Palestinian human rights group al-Haq in late October 2023.
Austrian FM says Gaza aid mechanism 'not reliable'
Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger, currently on a diplomatic visit to Jerusalem, told reporters that the Israeli-backed and U.S.-funded and staffed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is "not a reliable partner" for distributing desperately needed supplies to the two million besieged inhabitants of the Strip, Reuters reports. Dozens of people are killed daily by Israeli fire as they attempt to collect aid from the group's chaotically run distribution centers.
Israel arrests three on suspicion of spying for Iran
Police and the Shin Bet security service arrested three Israelis in two separate incidents on suspicion of carrying out missions for Iran, Haaretz reports.
According to a statement by law enforcement, 33-year-old Mark Morgein from the Jordan Valley is suspected of concealing a grenade at a handover location for it to be picked up by another operative. Police say Morgein knew the grenade was intended to be used against civilian targets.
He is also suspected of filming an interception during the Israel-Iran war, sending it to his alleged case officer. Videos of incoming missiles and outgoing interceptors were spread widely on the internet during the fighting.
In a separate investigation, two residents of Tiberias – 18-year-old Yoni Segal and 20-year-old Nehorai Omri Mizrahi – were also arrested on suspicion of being Iranian assets.
According to police, the two were tasked with filming and investigating malls, including the security apperatuses and their internal layouts.
They were also allegedly tasked with assassinating an Israeli. All three were denied bail and will remain in police custody until Thursday.
Israel interested in diplomatic ties with Syria and Lebanon
Israel is interested in establishing official diplomatic ties with Syria and Lebanon, but will not negotiate the fate of the Israeli-occupied and annexed Golan Heights in any peace agreement, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said in a press conference, Reuters reports.
IAEA agency inspector's safety cannot be guaranteed at damaged nuclear sites
Iran's Foreign Ministry said, via a spokesperson, that the country's cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, cannot be maintained so long as the safety of the agency's inspectors cannot be guaranteed as a result of the nuclear sites having suffered damage in Israeli and U.S. strikes, Reuters reports.
Israel kills 27 Palestinians in Gaza since morning
At least 27 people, including those attempting to collect humanitarian aid, have been killed by the Israeli army in Gaza since this morning, Al Jazeera reports, citing medical sources in the Strip.
Among those killed were 10 aid seekers in an Israeli airstrike targeting an aid distribution warehouse in the Zeitoun neighborhood in southern Gaza City, sources at Al Ahli Hospital said.
Two aid seekers were also killed by Israeli fire around an aid distribution centrer in Rafah, according to sources at Nasser Medical Complex.
Jordan boycotts match with Israel at Basketball World Cup
After weeks of speculation, Jordan finally decided to boycott its match against the Israeli team for the group stage of the U19 Basketball World Cup, currently taking place in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The announcement was made a few hours before the game yesterday afternoon and led to the match's cancellation. According to the regulations, the Israeli team was awarded a victory (20-0) by default.
“FIBA has been informed by the Jordanian Basketball Federation of its decision not to participate in the Israel-Jordan match. This match will not take place and will be won by forfeit in favor of Israel,” said the organization in a brief statement.
Despite the forfeit, Jordan has not been excluded from the tournament and will face Switzerland on Tuesday for the third and final match of the group stage.
Norwegian pension fund divests from companies linked to Israeli army
Norway's biggest pension fund KLP announced this morning that it had dropped U.S. group Oshkosh Corporation and Germany's ThyssenKrupp from its investment portfolio for selling weapons and equipment used by Israel's military in Gaza, AFP reports
KLP, which is separate from Norway's sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, said Oshkosh Corporation was supplying trucks to the Israeli military, which adapts them into armored troop transport vehicles. The fund also accused ThyssenKrupp of agreeing to supply Israel's navy, before the outbreak of the war in Gaza, with corvettes and submarines.
"Companies have an independent duty to exercise due diligence in order to avoid complicity in violations of fundamental human rights and humanitarian law," Kiran Aziz, head of responsible investments at KLP Asset Management, said in a statement.
Israeli fighters jets are flying at a low altitude over the Bekaa, reaching as far as Baalbeck, toward northern Bekaa, according to information from our correspondent in that region, Sarah Abdallah.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam (R) receives U.S. special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack at the government palace in Beirut on June 19, 2025. (Credit: AFP)
Lebanese leaders working to respond to proposal from US envoy to Syria
Lebanese leaders held a series of high-level consultations over the weekend, including meetings between Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and President Joseph Aoun, in a bid to craft a unified stance on a proposal from U.S. envoy Tom Barrack.
The document presented to Lebanese officials by Barrack on behalf of the Trump administration focuses on ending the state of conflict with Israel and calls for a clear Lebanese commitment to restoring full state sovereignty and ending the monopoly on arms.
According to our information, the proposal hinges on the Cabinet adopting, within two weeks, a plan to disarm Hezbollah.
Trump not speaking to Iran, not offering 'anything'
U.S. President Donald Trump said today that he was not speaking to Iran and was not offering the country "anything," reiterating his assertion that the United States had "totally OBLITERATED" Tehran's nuclear facilities, despite several intelligence reports to the contrary, Reuters reports.
Trump on Friday dismissed media reports that said his administration had discussed possibly helping Iran access as much as $30 billion to build a civilian-energy-producing nuclear program.
Israel bombs schools-turned-shelters overnight in Gaza
The Israeli army bombed two schools sheltering displaced people last night, Middle East Eye reports. One of the schools is the Yaffa School, in the al-Tuffah neighbourhood of Gaza City, and the other is located in al-Zaytoun neighborhood eastern Gaza City.
Hundreds of incubated newborns 'in critical condition' in a Gaza hospital
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), an agency within the U.N. focusing on reproductive and sexual health, has warned that “hundreds of newborns in incubators are in imminent danger of death” at Nasser Hospital in Gaza due to Israel's ongoing blockade of aid. “Infant formula is completely depleted — lives are at stake,” the agency wrote, denouncing a “failure of humanity” and calling for aid to be allowed in.
A demonstrator in a clown costume with a mask depicting U.S. President Donald Trump holds a baby puppet depicting Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an anti-government protest calling for action to secure the release of Israeli hostage
Netanyahu 'finally makes the return of hostages his top priority,' says the Hostage Families Forum
The head of Turkish intelligence, Ibrahim Kalin, met yesterday with Hamas leaders to discuss efforts to reach a cease-fire, according to the Turkish news agency Anadolu.
“The families of the hostages are happy to see that after 20 months, the prime minister is finally making the return of the hostages [to Israel] his top priority,” said the Hostage Families Forum, the main organization bringing together relatives of captives in Gaza.
Netanyahu signals at 'opportunities' for the release of hostages in Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday spoke of “opportunities” for the release of hostages in Gaza. “Many opportunities have opened up” after the 'victory' against Iran and “above all, to free the hostages” held in Palestinian territory, Netanyahu said in a video released by his office.
During its war against Iran, Israel did not halt its onslaught against Palestinians in Gaza despite calls for a cease-fire. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that a truce could be reached as early as “next week.”
“Find a deal in Gaza. Bring back the hostages!!!” he wrote on Sunday on his Truth Social platform.
Hamas has come out saying that Israel is "negotiating in bad faith," refusing proposals that include the release of all hostages, blocking their freedom with "impossible conditions."
Good morning and welcome to today's live coverage of events in the region, notably Israel's escalating attacks on southern Lebanon, despite having agreed to a cease-fire more than seven months ago, as well as its ongoing and increasingly brutal onslaught against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where it was revealed on Friday that the Israeli army has ordered its troops to fire on unarmed aid-seekers as a form of "crown control."
☕ Read our Morning Brief for everything you need to know this Monday. 👈
Already have an account? Login here
You have reached your article limit
Take advantage our special summer offer.
Stay informed for 7 months for the price of 6, for only $40.
This article is only available to L’Orient Today subscribers.
Already have an account? Login here
