Hamas studying Gaza cease-fire proposal, Israel says it's serious about truce  | LIVE

UK brands pro-Palestine direct action group as terrorist organization

British lawmakers voted to ban pro-Palestinian campaign group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization, after its activists broke into a military base and damaged two planes in protest of Britain's support for Israel, Reuters reports.

Palestine Action, which describes itself as a direct action movement that uses disruptive methods, has routinely targeted companies in Britain with links to Israel, including Israeli defence firm Elbit Systems.

Britain's Labour government accused the group of causing millions of pounds of damage through action at one of Elbit's factories in Thales in 2022 and at the Royal Air Force base in southern England last month, which was the trigger for the decision to ban, or proscribe, the group.

Proscription would officially designate Palestine Action as a terrorist organization on a par with Islamic State group or al-Qaeda under British law, making it a crime to support or belong to the groups.

Read the full report here. 👈

Israel 'serious' about reaching cease-fire with Hamas

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that his country was serious about reaching a deal with Hamas to end the war in Gaza and return the hostages held there to Israel, Reuters reports

Trump said yesterday that Israel had accepted the conditions needed to finalise a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas after what he called a "long and productive" meeting of his representatives with Israeli officials.

At a press conference in the Estonian capital Tallinn, Saar said: "We are serious in our will to reach a hostage deal and a ceasefire. We said yes to [U.S.] special envoy [Steve] Witkoff’s proposals."

"There are some positive signs. I don’t want to say more than that right now. But our goal is to begin proximity talks as soon as possible," said Saar.

Read the full report here. 👈

UK hosted Israeli army planes en route to Israel

The UK government secretly allowed at least three Israeli Air Force (IAF) planes involved in the bombing of Gaza to land in Britain since it took office, according to flight data reviewed by Drop Site News.

The KC-707 “Re’em” aerial refueling planes stopped in Britain on trips between Israel and the U.S. on nine separate occasions from September 2024 through June 2025.

The planes were blocked on commercial flight tracking databases, but Drop Site was able to identify them through unfiltered flight transponder data.

The Re’em military planes have been seen refueling Israeli F-35 fighter jets on bombing missions, and Drop Site has found two of the same aircraft providing refueling and logistics support to Israeli fighter jets during bombing missions over Gaza.

Gaza death toll rises, aid killings continue

The Israeli army has killed 67 Palestinians in Gaza since dawn this morning, Al Jazeera reports, citing hospital sources.

Among those killed are 11 people who had been waiting to collect humanitarian aid when they were attacked.

One of the victims is Marwan al-Sultan, the director of the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza. Sultan was killed with his wife and children in an Israeli attack on a residential building southwest of Gaza City.

Netanyahu doubles down on destruction of Hamas, says Gaza will 'ensure Israel's financial future'

Amid reports of a U.S.-backed Israel-Hamas cease-fire proposal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his position that Hamas will not continue to exist after the war in the Gaza Strip, according to Haaretz.

"Hamas will be no more, we shall completely destroy them," he declared. "We will release all the hostages, together with the destruction of Hamas. Contrary to what is said, these are not conflicting objectives." Netanyahu's government has been facing increasing protests from the Israeli public, often led by the families of hostages, denouncing Netanyahu's claims that the hostages can be retrieved through force.

Speaking next to a facility of the Trans-Israel pipeline, which transfers oil from the southernmost city of Eilat on the Red Sea to the Israeli city of Ashkelon on the Mediterranean, Netanuyahu said that the "Gaza offensive brings with it an opportunity both to defeat Israel's enemies and the ensure the country's financial future," according to the Israeli newspaper.

"We will connect all of the Middle East, Asia and the Arab Peninsula, with its massive reserves of energy sources, to the West," he said.

Iran closes some airspace for 'safety reasons'

Iran's western and central airspace is closed to international transit flights for safety reasons, while the country's eastern airspace remains open to flights, Reuters reported, citing the Iranian SNN news agency.

Citing a spokesperson for the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, SNN added that internal and external flight cancellations in the northern, southern and western parts of the country have been extended until Thursday, 2 p.m. local time.

Switzerland moves to shut down Gaza aid office in Geneva

Switzerland initiated proceedings to dissolve the Geneva branch of the controversial, U.S- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid group, citing legal shortcomings in its establishment, Reuters reports.

The GHF began handing out food packages in the Gaza Strip at the end of May. Since then, more than 550 people have been killed trying to access aid at the organization's distribution sites.

The GHF is registered in the U.S. state of Delaware and had registered an affiliate in Geneva on Feb. 12.

Read more here. 👈

Hamas reviewing cease-fire proposal

Hamas is reviewing new cease-fire proposals from mediators, aiming for an agreement that would end Israel's onslaught against Gaza and ensure the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave, according to a statement released by the group and cited by Reuters.

Two days ago, Trump said Israel had accepted a 60-day cease-fire deal with Hamas, but gave no details of what the plan entailed. Trump is due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu next week.

An explosion of unknown origin was heard in Jibrin, east of Hama in Syria, according to the official Sana news agency's local correspondent.

Israeli artillery shelling targeted the area around the border town of Shebaa (Hasbaya district), according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the South.

Hiroshima mayor invites Trump to witness effects of nuclear bombing

The mayor of Hiroshima invited U.S. President Donald Trump to visit the Japanese city to witness firsthand the devastating consequences of nuclear weapons, following Trump’s comparison between the 1945 atomic bombings and recent Israeli airstrikes on Iran, AFP reported.

“It seems to me that he does not truly understand what an atomic bombing entails — taking the lives of countless innocent civilians and threatening the survival of the human species,” said Mayor Kazumi Matsui. “I would like President Trump to come here and understand what a nuclear bombing is and feel the spirit of Hiroshima,” he added.

Israeli machine gun fire reported near Khiam

An Israeli machine gun stationed at the army’s outpost on Tallet Hamames, on the outskirts of Khiam in southern Lebanon, fired into the surrounding area, according to L’Orient Today's correspondent in the South.

The Israeli army continues to occupy five positions in southern Lebanon, despite a cease-fire agreement reached in late November 2024 that called for a full withdrawal following months of offensives and ground operations.

Israel says it captured Iran-backed cell in Syria

The Israeli army said it captured members of a “terrorist cell activated by Iran” during a raid in southern Syria, where state television reported three people were arrested by Israeli soldiers.

“Soldiers conducted a targeted nighttime operation and arrested several terrorists in southern Syria,” the Israeli military said in a brief statement cited by AFP, adding that weapons and grenades were also seized.

Gaza’s Interior Ministry issues 10-day ultimatum to militia leader

Gaza’s Interior Ministry has issued a 10-day ultimatum to Yasser Abu Shabab, the head of a militia reportedly backed by Israel, demanding that he surrender. In a statement cited by Haaretz, the ministry accused him of treason, collaboration with hostile parties, forming an armed gang and instigating rebellion.

Israel urges global action against Iran’s nuclear program

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called on the international community Wednesday to “act firmly” against Iran’s nuclear ambitions, after Tehran formally suspended its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

“The international community must now act decisively and use all means at its disposal to stop Iran’s nuclear ambitions,” Saar wrote on X, urging Germany, France and the United Kingdom to “reinstate all sanctions against Iran — now.”

Saar calls for not “missing” an opportunity to free hostages in Gaza

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called to not “miss” an opportunity to free hostages in Gaza after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel was ready to conclude a cease-fire with Hamas.

“A large majority within the government and the population supports the plan to free the hostages. If the opportunity arises, it must not be missed,” Saar wrote on the X platform.

Iranian president gives green light to law suspending cooperation with IAEA, reported AFP.

Trump: Israel has accepted the "necessary conditions" for a 60-day cease-fire

Donald Trump announced overnight on his Truth Social platform that American "representatives" held a "productive" meeting with Israeli officials regarding the ongoing war in Gaza. He said Israel had "accepted the necessary conditions to finalize a 60-day cease-fire," during which all parties would work toward ending the war.

Araghchi says U.S. strikes caused "severe damage" to Fordow

U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s Fordow nuclear enrichment site caused "serious and heavy damage," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview with CBS News, as cited by Reuters.

"No one knows exactly what happened at Fordow. What we know so far is that the facilities were seriously and heavily damaged," Araghchi stated in Tuesday’s interview. "The Atomic Energy Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran is currently assessing the damage, and its report will be submitted to the government," he added.

According to The Washington Post, which cited four sources familiar with classified U.S. intelligence, intercepted communications from Iran attempted to downplay the extent of the damage caused by the American strikes on the country’s nuclear program. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, claimed the strikes "completely and totally wiped out" Iran’s nuclear capabilities, though U.S. officials acknowledged it would take time to assess the full scope of the damage.

South Lebanon: Israeli army drops grenades on Kfar Kila and Aita al-Shaab, no casualties

Around 10 p.m. Tuesday, an Israeli drone dropped a grenade near a quarry occupied by workers in the town of Kfar Kila (Marjayoun district), without causing any casualties, according to L'Orient Today's south Lebanon correspondent.

On Wednesday morning, another Israeli drone dropped a stun grenade on a house in Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil district), also with no casualties, our correspondent added. Another grenade was also dropped near Yarin (district of Sour).

U.N. points to dozens of companies: "The genocide in Gaza continues because it is profitable."

Italian human rights lawyer and U.N. rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, named more than 60 companies — including major weapons manufacturers and tech firms — in a report published Monday.

The report denounces their involvement in supporting Israeli settlements and military operations in Gaza, which she described as a "genocidal campaign." It examines "the economic machinery of companies supporting Israel’s colonial project of displacement and replacement of Palestinians in the occupied territories."

Good morning. Thank you for joining us for today's live coverage of the events in Lebanon, Gaza, Syria and the region. Make sure to read today's Morning Brief to catch up on yesterday's key events.