Fuel shortage in Gaza reaches a 'critical level', says UN | LIVE

Israeli army claims to have killed a Hezbollah member in Khiam

The Israeli army claimed responsibility for this morning’s strike on Khiam (Marjayoun) in southern Lebanon, stating it killed a member of Hezbollah’s anti-tank artillery unit.

🔴 Israel/Syria: Two officials to meet in Baku

A Syrian and an Israeli official are set to meet in Baku on the sidelines of a visit by Syria’s interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, to Azerbaijan, according to a diplomatic source in Damascus familiar with talks between the two neighboring countries.

“There will be a meeting between a Syrian official and an Israeli official during Shareh’s visit to Baku,” said the source, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue. The source clarified that Sharaa himself would not attend the meeting, according to AFP.

The discussions will focus on “Israel’s recent military presence in Syria,” the source added, referring to areas where Israeli forces have been deployed since the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December.

Nuclear: Iran says its cooperation with the IAEA will take 'a new form,' warns that renewed sanctions would mark “the end” of Europe’s role

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that cooperation between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will take “a new form,” less than three weeks after Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

“Our cooperation with the Agency has not stopped, but it will take a new form,” Araghchi said before foreign diplomats in Tehran, without specifying what that would entail.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran remains ready to build trust through diplomacy [on the nuclear issue], but before that, our counterparts must convince us that they truly want diplomacy, and not that diplomacy serves to mask other objectives,” he told diplomats gathered in Tehran, according to AFP.

Iran also warned against a possible reinstatement of UN sanctions targeting its nuclear program, saying such a move would mark “the end” of Europe's role in the negotiations.

“If such a measure were adopted, it would mean the end of Europe’s role in the Iranian nuclear file,” Araghchi said.

Fuel shortage in Gaza reaches 'critical level,' say seven UN agencies

The United Nations has warned that the fuel shortage in the Gaza Strip has reached a “critical level,” threatening to significantly worsen suffering in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.

“After nearly two years of war, the people of Gaza are facing extreme hardship, including widespread food insecurity. When fuel runs out, it adds an unbearable burden to a population already on the brink of famine,” seven UN agencies warned in a joint statement cited by AFP.

A Syrian and an Israeli official to meet in Baku, according to a diplomatic source in Damascus cited by AFP.

South Lebanon: This morning’s drone strike on a house in Khiam killed a Lebanese Hezbollah fighter

Contrary to earlier reports, this morning’s Israeli drone strike on what appeared to be an uninhabited house in Khiam (Marjayoun) killed a Lebanese man named Wissam Abou Abbas, a local resident — not a Syrian national, our correspondent reports. Hezbollah confirmed in a statement that he was one of its fighters.

Israeli army bans Gazans from going to sea

The Israeli army has prohibited Gazans from going to sea, citing the imposition of "strict security restrictions" along the coastline that borders the entire length of the enclave. In a message posted on social media, the Israeli army's Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, called on "fishermen, swimmers and divers not to enter the sea."

The warning came a day after the Israeli army announced that it had killed "six senior naval commandos from Hamas" in various operations carried out "over the past few months."

At least 60 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since dawn

A new toll, compiled by Al Jazeera from several local and medical sources in Gaza, reports that 60 Palestinians have been killed in the Palestinian enclave since dawn. Among the dead, 27 were killed by Israeli fire while attempting to obtain humanitarian aid.

UNRWA again urges Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza

The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees has issued a renewed call for the resumption of humanitarian aid entry into Gaza, which has been under Israeli blockade for months, warning particularly of the health and medical risks of halting aid.

“No soap, no clean water. Gaza’s children cannot properly wash themselves because of the ongoing siege,” UNRWA stated on X.

“This situation, combined with overcrowded shelters and the summer heat, can have disastrous consequences for health,” added the U.N. agency, which called for the “lifting of the siege” and to “allow UNRWA to resume the delivery of aid.”

At least 26 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes since dawn in Gaza

At least 26 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli bombings on the Gaza Strip since dawn, including at least 13 in Gaza City in the north, according to Al Jazeera sources.

Four people were killed and 10 others injured in a strike on a residence on Jaffa Street in the Tuffah neighborhood, east of Gaza City.

Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis reported 11 deaths from Israeli strikes on tents sheltering displaced people in the so-called “humanitarian zone” of al-Mawassi.

A source at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said two people were killed and many others injured in an Israeli drone attack on a tent sheltering displaced persons south of Deir el-Balah, in central Gaza.

The Wafa news agency reported that a mother and her three children were killed in a bombing on Gamal Abdel Nasser Street, opposite the Islamic University in western Gaza City.

Southern Lebanon: Man killed in Israeli drone strike on a house in Khiam

An Israeli drone strike this morning on an apparently uninhabited house in Khiam (Marjayoun) killed a man, a Syrian national, according to our correspondent.

The strike was carried out on the southern outskirts of the town.

Southern Lebanon: Israeli artillery fire near Aita al-Shaab

Around 11:00 p.m. last night, Israeli artillery targeted the outskirts of Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil). These strikes coincided with an explosion heard in one of the village’s neighborhoods, the nature of which has not yet been determined.

Southern Lebanon: Contamination fears after Israel returns cattle

The Israeli army maintained contact throughout the night with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to recover cattle that had entered Lebanese territory near Aita al-Shaab due to breaches along the Blue Line caused by repeated Israeli incursions, according to our southern correspondent Muntasser Abdallah.

The presence of these animals prompted the nearby municipality of Beit Lif to issue a cautionary statement, warning of the possibility that the cows may be “contaminated” and pose a “bacteriological” threat, or may be carriers of infectious diseases. The municipality urged residents to avoid approaching the cows.

Gaza: Nearly 800 people killed by Israel while trying to obtain humanitarian aid since end of May

The U.N. announced yesterday that nearly 800 people have been killed since the end of May while trying to obtain humanitarian aid in the territory, mostly near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) sites, which are supported by the U.S. and Israel.

Gaza: Cease-fire negotiations hindered by Israel’s withdrawal plan

Indirect talks ongoing in Doha between Israel and Hamas for a cease-fire in Gaza are being hindered by Israel’s withdrawal plan from the Palestinian territory, two Palestinian sources close to the discussions told AFP.

“The Doha negotiations are facing obstacles and complex difficulties due to Israel’s insistence on presenting a withdrawal map on Friday, which is actually just a redeployment and repositioning map of the Israeli army, not a real withdrawal,” one of the sources said.

“Israel continues to delay and obstruct the agreement in order to pursue its policy of extermination warfare,” another source added.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East:

In Gaza, where the Israeli army continues its strikes as a potential agreement begins to emerge;

In Lebanon, where Israel continues to regularly bombard the South despite the truce;

And in Iran and Syria.