Israel, US recall Gaza cease-fire negotiators; Several dead in weapons depot explosion in Idlib province | LIVE

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the suffering and famine in Gaza an "indescribable and unjustifiable humanitarian catastrophe," calling on Israel to urgently allow aid to reach the Palestinian enclave, Reuters reported.

"The suffering and starvation taking place in Gaza is indescribable and unjustifiable. While the situation has been dire for some time, it has reached new heights and continues to deteriorate. We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe," Starmer said in a statement.

He added that he would hold an emergency call with his French and German counterparts on Friday to discuss ways to "stop the killings and get desperately needed food to people."

Human toll from Israeli strikes continues to rise

At least 51 Palestinians, including 12 people seeking aid, have been killed since Thursday morning in Israeli airstrikes or gunfire across the Gaza Strip, hospital sources told Al Jazeera.

According to Reuters, explosions were heard on Thursday at a weapons depot at the Anad military base in southwest Yemen, the Houthi-controlled Al Masirah TV reported, citing local sources.

Israeli military aircraft are flying over several regions in the south of the country, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent.

An Israeli official said that differences between Hamas and Israel's cease-fire proposals – particularly on the issue of releasing Palestinian prisoners – led the prime minister to recall the negotiating team from Doha earlier Thursday, Haaretz reported.

According to the official, Hamas is hardening its position, while Israel wants to end the war. "The goal during the 60 days [of a possible temporary cease-fire] is to reach an agreement to end the war in a manner consistent with Israeli positions" and to return the hostages, he said.

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed that the United States had also recalled its delegation from the ongoing discussions in Doha, in a message on X.

"Hamas's latest reaction clearly demonstrates a lack of will to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza," he said. "Despite the considerable efforts made by mediators, Hamas appears neither coordinated nor acting in good faith. We will now consider other options to repatriate the hostages and attempt to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza. It is regrettable that Hamas acted in such a selfish manner."

Israel and U.S. withdraw delegations from Doha talks due to 'persistent disagreements' with Hamas

An Israeli official said Thursday that Israel is keen to reach a cease-fire in Gaza, but that "significant differences" remain with Hamas, including over the release of Palestinian prisoners, according to Haaretz. These disagreements led to the withdrawal of the Israeli delegation from the Doha negotiations earlier in the day, as confirmed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.

"The goal, during the 60 days of a possible temporary cease-fire, is to reach an agreement to end the war on Israel's terms and allow the return of the hostages," the official said.

Israel claimed responsibility for the strikes in a statement.

"A short while ago, the IDF struck Hezbollah military sites in the area of southern Lebanon. The targets struck included weapons storage facilities and a rocket launcher," it said.

(Photo sent by L'Orient Today's correspondent Muntasser Abdallah)

The Israeli army carried out a series of 11 strikes in south Lebanon, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent.

20 missiles were fired within 20 minutes.

The strikes targeted the towns of Mahmoudieh, Zoughrin, the outskirts of Sajjad, the mountains of Reihan (Jezzine), as well as an area between Ansar and Zrarieh, and the bed of the Litani River, between the districts of Nabatieh and Saida.

Strikes also hit the outskirts of Barghouz, Meidoun and Jbour.

Hundreds of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv's Habima Square on Thursday evening ahead of a demonstration against the Gaza war, according to Haaretz.

Israeli police also arrested eight protesters and tore down placards during an anti-government demonstration in Haifa on Thursday, claiming the gathering was unauthorized, according to Haaretz.

Death toll from arms depot explosion in Idlib province rises to 12

The death toll from Thursday's explosion at a military warehouse in northern Idlib, where weapons and ammunition were stored, increased.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), at least 12 people were killed on Thursday and more than 100 others injured in this series of massive explosions that caused shock waves felt several kilometers around.

"Several explosions at an arms and ammunition warehouse belonging to the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) left at least 12 dead and more than 100 injured in Maaret Misrine, in the north of Idlib province," the NGO said.

The TIP is a jihadist group active in the Idlib region, composed of Uyghur fighters who went to Syria during the civil war to fight former President Bashar al-Assad.

A woman and a child were among the dead, the SOHR added.

According to a Palestinian source cited by Haaretz, negotiations for a cease-fire were expected to continue, and Qatar knew that Israel would recall its delegation.

France, Britain and Germany will hold face-to-face talks with Iran on Friday for the first time since the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June, in a bid to gauge Tehran's willingness to compromise to avoid new sanctions, diplomats cited by Reuters as saying.

Palestinian mothers sit with their malnourished children as they await treatment at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on July 24, 2025. (Credit: AFP)

According to Haaretz, more than 200 Israelis living in the U.K. called on the British government on Thursday to pressure Israel to end the war in Gaza, including by suspending military cooperation with Israel and sanctioning certain organizations.

A letter written by the Mi-Neged collective, which describes itself as a group of Israelis living in the U.K. "fighting for justice and equality for all," was sent to the British Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary.

"We, Israeli citizens living in the U.K. — many of whom also hold British nationality—call on the British government to act firmly to end Israeli aggression in Gaza and elsewhere, and to reach an agreement on the hostages," it said. "We see Israel committing heinous crimes and we call on you, as our representatives in the U.K., to act."

The signatories call, among other things, for the suspension of arms transfers to and from Israel, the cessation of military cooperation, the refusal to grant any immunity to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is the subject of an international arrest warrant, and the expansion of sanctions targeting settlers.

At a meeting in Paris, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and his Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan, announced an international conference aimed at promoting the two-state solution as a means of resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to a joint statement relayed by media in Lebanon and the Gulf.

"The two ministers discussed preparations for this international conference, scheduled to take place in New York from July 28 to 30 under the joint sponsorship of France and Saudi Arabia," it said.

"They expressed hope that this conference will produce tangible results to improve peace and security in the region. They also reaffirmed their support for the efforts of the mediating countries — Egypt, Qatar, and the United States — to achieve a lasting cease-fire in Gaza and the release of the hostages, stressing the need to ensure the passage and distribution of humanitarian aid."

According to L'Orient Today's correspondent, the man killed in southern Lebanon was Moustafa Harissi. He worked collecting scrap metal. After dropping his children off at home, he went to a grocery store to buy a few items when he was targeted by a missile fired by an Israeli drone.

Israel's Shin Bet internal security service arrested a man suspected of involvement in a car-ramming attack earlier Thursday at a bus stop in central Israel, in which eight soldiers were injured, according to Israeli media.

The service suspects that this man helped the attacker or was aware of his intentions.

Israel recalls negotiators for consultations after Hamas's response to Gaza truce, AFP reported.

"We welcome the efforts of the mediators, Qatar and Egypt, as well as those of the American envoy Steve Witkoff to achieve a breakthrough in the negotiations," the Israeli government statement said.

A Hamas source contacted by Reuters said there was still a possibility of reaching a final cease-fire agreement, but accused Israel of dragging out the negotiations.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called on the United States to press for the immediate entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, Haaretz reports.

'The entire Gaza Strip will be Jewish,' says an Israeli minister

Israeli Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu declared that "the entire Gaza Strip will be Jewish," while calling criticism of the Israeli government over widespread famine in the Palestinian enclave a "crazy political attack," in a radio interview Thursday, according to Haaretz.

“There will be no settlements within the cantons. All of Gaza will be Jewish. There will be no fenced-in settlements,” said the minister, a member of the Religious Zionism party.

“Meanwhile, the government is rushing to erase Gaza, to erase this evil, and to erase a population educated on Mein Kampf,” he added, referring to the book by Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.

Eliyahu also denied the existence of a famine in the Gaza Strip, where at least 113 people have died of starvation since the start of the war, including two in the last 24 hours. “Have we gone crazy? Do we really need to worry about this? Every time they show you pictures of starving children, look to the side, there’s a fat guy eating properly. No nation feeds its enemies,” he said.

Syria: At least four dead and 116 injured in explosion in the north

At least four people were killed on Thursday and 116 others injured in an explosion of unknown origin in northwestern Syria, according to the official Syrian news agency Sana, as cited by AFP.

“Four people were killed and 116 others wounded in the explosion in the town of Maaret Misrin, in the north of Idlib province,” Sana said, citing a preliminary toll from the Health Ministry.

A huge plume of white smoke was visible in the distance, according to AFP images, which also showed several children among the injured. It was not yet clear whether the explosion was accidental or the result of an air strike.

41 killed in Gaza today

Israeli attacks have killed at least 41 Palestinians across Gaza since dawn, according to medical sources speaking to Al Jazeera Arabic.

The latest killings were confirmed by a source at Nasser Hospital, which received seven bodies after an Israeli air raid east of the southern city of Khan Younis.

Israeli and Syrian minister to meet in Paris

A meeting is scheduled for Thursday in Paris between Syrian Foreign Minister Assaad al-Shaibani and Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, a senior diplomat told AFP.

According to the diplomat, who requested anonymity, U.S. special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack, who is expected in Paris, is “laying the groundwork” for this meeting, the first of its kind, between the ministers of the two countries, which remain at war.

South Lebanon

An Israeli drone strike hit a pickup truck in Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil), our correspondent in the South reported.

Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu said that "all of Gaza will be Jewish" and called the widespread starvation a "crazy" political hit, in a radio interview on Thursday, according to Haaretz.

South Lebanon

Israeli forces carried out two explosions around the occupied Hammames Hills in Khiam (Marjayoun), according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the South.

The Israeli army also threw flares over the Wazzani plain to start fires in the orchards and crops, our correspondent added.

Israeli parliament approves $275 million for funding infrastructure in occupied West Bank

The Knesset Finance Committee has approved 918 million shekels (nearly $275m) in funding for roads and transport infrastructure in the occupied West Bank in a move supported by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, according to The Times of Israel.

“This is how you do de facto sovereignty. This is how you bring in a million residents [to the West Bank]. This is how you take the idea of a Palestinian terrorist state off the table,” Smotrich said, according to the report.

The investment was part of a plan for “strengthening settlement, physically and politically connecting the region to the State of Israel, and making sovereignty a fait accompli on the ground,” he said.

More than 60 members of the European Parliament (MEPs) demand an emergency meeting to push actions against Israel in a letter sent to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.

Marc Botenga, a Belgian MEP from the Left group, said on X: “No more silence, no more complicity.”

“We are writing to you today to demand that immediate action be taken, given the appalling humanitarian situation in Gaza and the continued Israeli attacks on Palestinians at aid distribution sites, which have so far resulted in the deaths of over 1,000 people,” the MEPs wrote.

They said the recent EU-Israel aid agreement delivered “no tangible change” in conditions on the ground. Earlier in July, Kallas said Israel had agreed to expand humanitarian access to Gaza, including increasing the number of aid trucks, crossing points and routes to distribution hubs.

The MEPs demanded that Kallas impose sanctions against Israel, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and individuals within the organisation. They also demanded that the EU top diplomat lobby member states to implement an arms embargo on Israel.

Idlib blast kills 6

Six people were killed in an explosion in Maarrat Misrin in Syria's Idlib province, according to state television channel Al Ekhbariya. According to the Sana news agency, over 100 people were also injured.

According to the Qatari channel Al Jazeera, the explosion occurred in an arms depot for reasons that are still unknown.

Hezbollah condemns Knesset vote on occupied West Bank

“Today’s vote by the Zionist Knesset in favor of a proposal to impose Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank and the Jordan Valley is nothing more than a reflection of the colonial and expansionist nature of the Zionist project,” Hezbollah said in a statement.

“We affirm that allowing this rampant monster to gnaw at the body of the nation will push it to go even further. It will not stop at the West Bank, Jerusalem, or Palestine: its plans target the entire region. No one will be safe from these diabolical plans. What is happening in Lebanon and Syria — through repeated attacks, continuous incursions, and occupation of territories — as well as the aggression against beloved Yemen, is a direct extension of this," the statement continued.

South Lebanon

Israeli forces occupying the Hamames hill south of Khiam (Marjayoun district) are conducting a search operation with medium-caliber automatic weapons in the surrounding area and firing at shepherds on farms in Serda and al-Amra, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the South.

An Israeli drone struck a forested area on the outskirts of the town of Beit Lif in the Bint Jbeil district with two missiles, causing a fire, our correspondent added.

Barrack to meet with Israeli and Syrian ministers in Paris

U.S. envoy Tom Barrack is set to meet on Thursday with Israel's minister for strategic affairs and Syria's foreign minister in Paris to discuss security in southern Syria, Axios' Barak Ravid reported on X, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Hospitals in Gaza have reported two more Palestinians dying “from starvation and malnutrition” in the past 24 hours, according to the enclave's Health Ministry.

A total of 113 people have died of starvation in the Israeli-besieged territory as Israel blocks the entry of humanitarian aid, according to a statement posted on Telegram by the ministry.

Two killed, two injured in Gaza fires

Gaza’s Civil Defense crews retrieved two bodies from a family home following a fire in a residential apartment in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to Al Jazeera.

Rescue workers recovered a body from another fire in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. Two people were injured.

Both fires have been extinguished, they said.

Israel minister in Paris ahead of Iran nuclear talks

Israel's Minister of Strategic Affairs arrived in Paris today ahead of nuclear talks between European powers and Iran on Friday in Istanbul, said four sources to Reuters, including a source close to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Two of the sources said Ron Dermer would discuss those upcoming talks and Iran's nuclear programme with officials in the French capital.

Senior diplomats from France and Germany will hold direct face-to-face talks with Iran since Israel and the United States struck Iran's nuclear facilities in June.

Explosion heard in Syria's Idlib, state media reports

An explosion was heard in the northwestern Syrian city of Idlib on Thursday, Syria's state-owned Al Ekhbariah television reported, as cited by Reuters. The cause was not immediately known, it said.

Hamas says car ramming attack near Kfar Yona ‘natural response’ to Israeli crimes

Earlier in the day, a car drove into a busy bus stop in Kfar Yona in central Israel, injuring eight people. The driver fled the scene, but the vehicle was later found in the occupied West Bank.

Hamas said the attack injured nine Israeli soldiers and it was “a natural response to the crimes of the occupation,” including the killing of four Palestinian minors in the West Bank in the past 48 hours, Al Jazeera reported. No group has claimed the attack yet.

Gaza: International media demand access to the enclave

AFP, AP, BBC and Reuters news agencies have issued a joint appeal to Israel to “allow journalists to enter and leave Gaza,” a territory at risk of famine according to the U.N. and NGOs after 21 months of war.

“Journalists face many hardships and difficulties in war zones. We are deeply concerned that hunger now threatens their survival,” said the media in their statement.

Israeli army 'completely destroyed' Khan Younis

Satellite photographs taken in recent days show that Israel's military has almost entirely destroyed Khan Younis, the second-largest city in the Gaza Strip, and its surroundings, an area encompassing 90 square kilometers and thousands of homes, Haaretz reported.

The brunt of the destruction occurred in the nearby towns of Bani Suheila and Abasan al-Kabira, where most of the buildings have been completely razed. Another town, Khuza'a, was mostly destroyed at the start of the Gaza war and has now been completely razed. It appears that most of the destruction was done by bulldozers.

In recent months, the military accelerated the pace of destruction in southern Gaza, using private contractors who receive thousands of shekels (1,000 shekels is $299) per building razed.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the Israeli parliament’s vote on the non-binding motion to impose Israeli sovereignty on the occupied West Bank, calling it “colonial and racist.”

The ministry said the Knesset’s decision highlights how futile it is to bet on the possibility that Israel would pull back from its plans to expand its occupation and implement a two-state solution.

It called for international sanctions to deter Israel from committing crimes against the Palestinian people.

Israeli army claims rocket launched from Khan Yunis at aid distribution site

The Israeli army claimed in a post on X that it had identified a rocket launched from Khan Yunis in southern Gaza at an aid distribution site in Rafah, near the Morag Corridor.

In a statement, it wrote that the aid distribution site in the Morag area was nevertheless opened on Thursday.

"The launch is yet another example of the ongoing attempts by the terror organizations to systematically and brutally sabotage the aid distribution program ... actively working to disrupt the distribution of humanitarian aid to Gaza's civilians," the army wrote.

115 killed in Gaza by Israeli-imposed famine

Gaza’s Government Media Office said the enclave is “in dire need of no less than 500,000 bags of flour per week to avoid a comprehensive humanitarian collapse.”

It added that Gaza’s hospitals have recorded more than 115 deaths related to “famine and malnutrition” amid a near-total Israeli blockade.

The statement issued on Telegram warned against spreading “false narratives” about the entry of hundreds of aid trucks into Gaza.

“We categorically deny these claims, as they are completely untrue and represent a dangerous alignment with the misleading narrative of the ‘Israeli’ occupation, and a deliberate distortion of the truth of the ongoing crime,” it added. “We call on all countries of the world, without exception, to immediately break the siege, permanently open the crossings, and allow the entry of baby milk and aid to more than 2.4 million people besieged in the Gaza Strip.”

Saudi Arabia invests billions in Syrian real estate and infrastructure

Saudi Arabia will invest $2.93 billion in real estate and infrastructure projects in Syria as part of a broader $6.4 billion in deals, Investment Minister Khalid al-Falih said on Thursday at a conference in Damascus.

Israel stalls Gaza cease-fire talks

A senior Israeli official was quoted by local Israeli media as saying the new text was something Israel could work with, Reuters reported. However, Israel's Channel 12 said a rapid deal was not within reach, with gaps remaining between the two sides, including over where the Israeli military should withdraw to during the truce.

A Palestinian official close to the talks told Reuters the latest Hamas position was "flexible, positive and took into consideration the growing suffering in Gaza and the need to stop the starvation."

Israel continues to starve Gaza

"The situation for children is nothing short of horrific. We see a dramatic surge of acute malnutrition among children, specifically under the age of five," Tarek Abou Azzoum, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, reported.

"Parents say children go to sleep and wake up crying from hunger. Sometimes they lose consciousness because they have not eaten in days. These are heartbreaking testimonies that we continue to hear from the ground," he reported.

Pro-Gaza protests in Tel Aviv

Dozens of protesters demonstrated outside the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, protesting the humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip and the malnutrition suffered by the population in Gaza, according to Haaretz.

The protesters held empty pots and pans, referencing images of Palestinians in Gaza waiting to receive food from aid distribution sites.

Three aid seekers are among 17 Palestinians killed in Gaza since dawn, according to medical sources speaking to Al Jazeera.

Israeli forces kill two Palestinian teenagers in occupied-West Bank

Two Palestinian teenagers, aged 15 and 17, residing in the town of al-Khader in the occupied West Bank, were killed by Israeli forces, according to the Wafa news agency, cited by Haaretz. Their bodies were withheld by the Israeli army.

South Lebanon

An Israeli drone dropped a stun grenade in Ain Arab (Marjayoun), according to our correspondent in the South.

25 Palestinians arrested in occupied-West Bank

Since dawn, Israeli forces have been storming several towns throughout the occupied West Bank and have arrested at least 25 Palestinians, according to the Wafa news agency, cited by Haaretz.

At least two Palestinians killed in southern Gaza’s al-Mawasi

An Israeli attack on a tent for displaced people in al-Mawasi in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis governorate has killed at least two Palestinians.

That’s according to a medical source speaking to our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic from the Nasser Hospital in the city of Khan Younis.

Iran used cluster munitions, Amnesty says

Iran fired cluster munitions at civilian areas in Israel during the war between the two countries in June, in what Amnesty International called “a blatant violation of customary international humanitarian law.”

“Iranian forces last month fired ballistic missiles containing cluster munitions at densely populated residential areas in Israel, putting civilians at risk,” the group said in a statement. Amnesty documented three strikes on June 19, 20 and 22 in Gush Dan (center), Beersheba (south), and Rishon LeZion, just south of Tel Aviv.

Turkey condemns West Bank annexation as 'illegitimate and provocative'

Turkey on Wednesday condemned the Israeli parliament’s resolution in favor of annexing the occupied West Bank, calling it “an illegitimate and provocative move aimed at undermining peace efforts.”

More than 70 Israeli lawmakers voted in favor of urging the government to annex the West Bank to remove any plans for a Palestinian state “from the agenda.”

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry denounced the measure as “null and void under international law and without any validity,” reminding that the West Bank has been “Palestinian territory under Israeli occupation since 1967.”

The ministry added, “Prime Minister Netanyahu’s efforts to survive through aggressive policies and illegal actions lead daily to new crises and pose a serious threat to international order and regional security. Ankara calls for ‘urgent, binding deterrent measures’ and respect for the legal and moral obligations of the international system.”

Lebanese Army dismantles Israeli spy device near Shebaa farms

The night appeared calm in South Lebanon. On Wednesday evening, the Lebanese army announced it had “discovered and dismantled a surveillance device disguised as a camera” placed by Israeli forces in the Bastara area, near the Chebaa Farms in the Hasbaya district. The army urged citizens to “stay away from any suspicious object and report it.”

At least eight Palestinians killed in Gaza since dawn

As cease-fire negotiations continue, Israeli bombings in central Gaza killed at least eight people, according to medical sources at al-Aqsa Martyrs and al-Awda hospitals, cited by Al-Jazeera.

Hamas confirms cease-fire proposal response

Hamas confirmed this morning that it had submitted its response to Israel’s 60-day cease-fire proposal in Gaza, as indirect talks between the two sides continued in Qatar. “Hamas has just submitted its response, along with that of the Palestinian factions, to the mediators,” the group said in a statement on Telegram around 5 a.m.

According to a Palestinian source close to the ongoing negotiations in Doha, the response included proposed amendments regarding humanitarian aid entry, maps of the areas from which the Israeli army would withdraw, and guarantees for a permanent end to the war.

Gaza truce talks drag on with no breakthrough

Negotiators are trying to reach an agreement on a truce that would see 10 Israeli hostages freed in exchange for an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners. Talks have dragged on for over two weeks with no breakthrough, with each side accusing the other of refusing to compromise on key demands.

Israel insists that dismantling Hamas’ military and governing capabilities is non-negotiable. Hamas is demanding firm guarantees of a lasting cease-fire, full withdrawal of Israeli troops, and unhindered humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Israeli government spokesman David Mencer on Wednesday accused Hamas of blocking progress in the talks.

Israel is 'examining' Hamas's response to the cease-fire proposal

The office of the Israeli prime minister said Thursday morning that Israel’s negotiating team had received Hamas’ response to a proposed cease-fire and hostage deal mediated by third parties, and that the response was “being examined.”

Israeli army crosses into southern Lebanon, blows up house

At dawn, the Israeli army infiltrated several hundred meters into Lebanese territory near the village of Houla, in the Marjayoun district, and blew up a house, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the South. The home was completely destroyed.

Good morning. Thank you for joining us for today's live coverage of the events in the region, focusing on the war in Gaza, Lebanon and the events in Syria.

Make sure to read today's Morning Brief to catch up on yesterday's key events.