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The Israeli army said Tuesday evening that it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen, after sirens were heard in several parts of Israel and AFP journalists reported hearing explosions in Jerusalem.
“A missile launched from Yemen was intercepted by the Israeli Air Force,” the military said in a statement, following air raid sirens that sounded in Jerusalem and central Israel.
The army had previously announced the interception of another missile fired from Yemen on July 25.
Sirens were heard in multiple areas across Israel after a 'projectile' was launched from Yemen, according to the Israeli army, as reported by AFP.
France to airdrop 40 tons of aid to Gaza starting Friday
France will begin airdropping 40 tonnes of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip starting Friday, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot announced. Aid drops have resumed since Sunday to assist populations suffering from starvation.
“From Friday, in close coordination with Jordanian authorities, we will carry out four flights carrying 10 tonnes of food each into the Gaza Strip,” Barrot said on BFMTV.
US ambassador condemns France's recognition of Palestine: 'Like giving a victory to the Nazis'
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee harshly criticized France’s recognition of the State of Palestine, calling the move "very stupid" and saying it would allow Hamas to claim a political victory.
Speaking on Fox News, the former Republican governor of Arkansas argued the decision could diminish any hope that Hamas would relinquish power, equating the recognition to “giving a victory to the Nazis after World War II.”
At age 69, Huckabee — an evangelical pastor known for his strong pro-Israel stance — has questioned the legitimacy of a distinct Palestinian people. He has previously suggested they could settle in neighboring countries such as Syria, Jordan, or Egypt.
Smotrich: 'Gaza is an integral part of Israel”
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a prominent figure in the far-right, declared on Tuesday that Israel must return to the Gaza Strip. His remarks came during a conference marking the 20th anniversary of Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from the Palestinian territory.
“Gaza is an integral part of Israel. How do we move to a concrete plan? That still needs to be worked out, especially to ensure our success,” said Smotrich, leader of the Religious Zionism party.
The minister, who had previously threatened to resign if Israel allowed humanitarian aid to re-enter Gaza, attempted to justify his continued presence in government following the resumption of aid deliveries.
“If I’m still in the government despite everything, it’s probably because I have good reason to believe that positive things are coming,” Smotrich stated.
Reflecting on the 2005 disengagement, in which Israel evacuated over 8,000 settlers and its military forces from Gaza, he added:
“Who would have imagined 20 years ago that Gaza would be as it is today?” He then implied that current conditions might justify a return to Israeli settlement in the territory.
UK to recognize Palestinian state in september unless Israel acts
The United Kingdom will recognize the State of Palestine in September unless Israel meets a number of conditions, including agreeing to a cease-fire in the besieged Gaza Strip, where humanitarian aid remains scarce, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Tuesday.
“The United Kingdom will recognize the State of Palestine in September [...] unless the Israeli government takes substantial steps to end the dire situation in Gaza, agree to a cease-fire, commit not to annex the West Bank, and engage in a long-term peace process toward a two-state solution,” said Downing Street following an emergency cabinet meeting.
The UK will become the second G7 country — after France — to officially recognize a Palestinian state in September.
Lebanese Army Cessna reconnaissance aircraft flew over the skies of the Bekaa Valley, reports our correspondent in the region. (Credit: Sarah Abdallah.)
Guterres: IPC report confirms Gaza ‘on the brink of famine’
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has reacted to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) alert, stating it confirms the worst fears about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Al Jazeera reports.
“The facts are in – and they are undeniable. Palestinians in Gaza are enduring a humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions. This is not a warning. It is a reality unfolding before our eyes,” Guterres said in a statement shared on Monday.
He stressed that the minimal aid currently reaching Gaza is not enough and urged for an immediate scale-up:
“The trickle of aid must become an ocean. Food, water, medicine, and fuel must flow in waves and without obstruction. This nightmare must end.”
Guterres also renewed calls for: An immediate and permanent humanitarian ceasefire, the unconditional release of all captives and full humanitarian access across Gaza.
“We will not hesitate to strike at any level within Hezbollah’s leadership if we feel threatened,” an Israeli security source told Al-Hadath channel. The source added that “any attempt to rehabilitate Hezbollah or provide it with external support will be targeted,” and that “any attempt at direct cooperation between Hezbollah and Palestinian factions in Lebanon will be foiled.”
However, the source clarified that “there is no evidence of direct cooperation between Hezbollah and Palestinian factions in Lebanon.”
“The damage sustained by Hezbollah is significant, and its recovery will take years,” the source said, adding that “attempts by Hezbollah to rebuild its systems have been observed.”
Finally, the source indicated that “the targeting of Hezbollah’s military leadership will extend across Lebanese territory,” specifying that “the strikes will target only the military wing, not the political wing,” and that “eliminations will continue in the future.”
The Hamas negotiating team left the Qatari capital Doha on Tuesday for Turkey to discuss the "latest developments" following a deadlock in talks with Israel on a Gaza cease-fire, a Hamas official told AFP.
"A high-level Hamas delegation, led by Mohammed Darwish, chairman of the movement's governing council, and including the negotiating team and its leader, Khalil al-Hayya, is leaving Doha for Istanbul," the source told AFP.
Germany, France and the U.K. will "probably" ask "on Thursday of next week" their three foreign ministers to travel together to Israel to request more humanitarian aid for Gaza, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday, reported AFP.
"We assume that the Israeli government is fully prepared to recognize that action is now necessary," added Friedrich Merz at a press conference in Berlin with King Abdullah II of Jordan.
Reacting in a statement on Tuesday, UNIFIL said that "the Lebanese military court sentenced late yesterday evening six people accused of killing Irish peacekeeper Sean Rooney in Aaqibiyeh in December 2022, while one person was acquitted."
UNIFIL also welcomed "the conclusion of the trial and the Lebanese government's commitment to bringing those responsible to justice."
"Since this attack, UNIFIL has fully supported the Lebanese and Irish authorities in their judicial efforts. We offer our condolences to Private Rooney's family, his friends and colleagues, and to the Irish government," the statement said.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said Tuesday that its team had gained access to the southern Syrian town of Sweida, where fighting erupted this month.
The team, which joined a Syrian Arab Red Crescent humanitarian convoy sent to the city on Monday, was able to assess first-hand the most pressing needs.
The ICRC said it would continue its efforts to facilitate access to Sweida and would continue to support the Syrian Arab Red Crescent's emergency response to the most needy people in the region.
A sit-in in solidarity with Gaza was organized Tuesday in Tripoli by the Lebanese Popular Conference, the Union of Workers' and Employees' Unions in North Lebanon, with the participation and presence of the President of the Tripoli Municipal Council Abdel Hamid Karimeh, as well as trade union figures and representatives of Palestinian factions.
The protesters denounced the continuing Israeli violence, the famine in the Strip and the inaction of Arab countries and the world.
The violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank is "an act of terrorism," the French Foreign Ministry said, following the killing attributed to a settler of an anti-occupation activist, who had notably collaborated on the recently Oscar-winning documentary "No Other Land," reported AFP.
"France condemns this murder in the strongest possible terms, as well as all the deliberate acts of violence perpetrated by extremist settlers against the Palestinian population, which are increasing across the West Bank," the ministry spokesperson said, adding: "These acts of violence are acts of terrorism."
U.N. agencies call for "flooding" Gaza with food, AFP reported.
Investigation in France into a potential contract to assassinate Benjamin Netanyahu's lawyer
A judicial investigation was opened in France on Monday following a complaint from a lawyer denouncing the possible existence of an assassination contract targeting him for his legal defense of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Paris prosecutor's office reported, quoted by AFP.
The prosecution said the judicial investigation was opened against unknown persons for "criminal conspiracy," denouncing the "violation of the confidentiality of the investigation."
According to the French newspaper Le Parisien, which reported the information, Olivier Pardo said this alleged project after a man, Rudy Terranova, told him during a meeting at his office on July 16 that he had been tasked with suppressing it, which was confirmed by a source close to the case.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar summoned the Dutch ambassador following that country's decision to impose a travel ban on Israeli ministers, a ministry spokesperson said Tuesday, Haaretz reported.
Hamas called on "the international community, the United Nations and the peoples of the world to intensify actions and exert effective pressure to end the genocide and famine in the Gaza Strip," denouncing a "deliberate genocide."
Hamas accused the Israeli army of committing "an organized war crime for the total extermination of Palestinian families," denouncing "the continuation by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of a systematic policy of starvation against Palestinians in Gaza."
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Tuesday that Western demands regarding Tehran's nuclear program were just a pretext to attack the Islamic Republic, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened renewed strikes if Iran restarted its nuclear activities.
"The nuclear program, enrichment, human rights are just pretexts ... What they are really targeting is your religion and your knowledge," Khamenei said.
France will carry out airdrops of aid to Gaza "in the coming days," according to a diplomatic source quoted by AFP.
The number of Palestinians killed in the Israeli military offensive in Gaza surpassed 60,000
Israel's military offensive on the Gaza Strip has killed at least 60,000 Palestinians since Oct. 7, 2023, the enclave's health ministry said, a conflict that has devastated the coastal territory and triggered a humanitarian crisis.
According to health officials in the enclave, most of the Palestinians killed were civilians.
The ministry added that the number of injured stood at 145,870, while thousands of people are still missing under the rubble of destroyed buildings and areas.
Medical sources in the Gaza Strip cited by Haaretz reported that 62 people have been killed by Israeli army fire since Tuesday morning.
According to the same sources, at least 19 people were killed by Israeli fire while waiting for humanitarian aid to be distributed, including 13 near the Israeli-controlled Netzarim corridor.
The disaster in Gaza is reminiscent of famines in Ethiopia and Biafra, according to the UN
The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is reminiscent of famines in Ethiopia, Biafra, and Nigeria in the last century, the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) said, quoted by AFP.
"This is unlike anything we've seen in this century. It reminds us of the catastrophes in Ethiopia or Biafra in the last century," Ross Smith, WFP's emergency director, told reporters in Geneva from Rome, stressing the need for "urgent action."
Man accused of killing Irish peacekeeper Sean Rooney in 2022 sentenced to death
A Lebanese court sentenced a man to death in absentia for the murder of an Irish peacekeeper in 2022, a case in which Hezbollah was accused of involvement, a judicial official told AFP.
"The military court in Lebanon delivered its verdict on Monday night in the case of the murder of Irish soldier Sean Rooney ... and handed down a death sentence in absentia against the main accused, Mohammad Ayyad," said the official, who requested anonymity.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said at a press conference on Tuesday that a Palestinian state created now would be a "Hamas state" and a "jihadist state."
Referring to the two-state solution conference currently taking place in New York, he said that no Palestinian state would be established for the time being, adding: "Israel will not be the Czechoslovakia of the 21st century."
The minister also said that "international pressure is directly undermining the chances of reaching a ceasefire and a hostage agreement" between Israel and Hamas, and that this pressure has only "hardened Hamas's position" during recent negotiations.
According to Saar, 5,000 trucks of humanitarian aid have entered the Gaza Strip over the past two months. He added that Jordan and the United Arab Emirates are participating in the humanitarian aid airdrop operations that Israel has initiated and implemented.
Asked about a possible Israeli annexation of parts of the Gaza Strip, Saar declined to comment, calling such discussions "internal."
The foreign minister said Israel would cooperate with any party willing to participate in airdrop operations in Gaza, according to a statement.
The Lebanese Army command said in a statement that one of its units will destroy unexploded ordnance in the Kfour region (Nabatieh) between noon and 6 p.m.
Iran denies interference in Hamas-Israel talks
Iran denied U.S. President Donald Trump's accusations of interfering in negotiations between Israel and Hamas for a cease-fire in Gaza, AFP reported.
Donald Trump claimed Monday that Iran "interfered" in recent negotiations between Israel and Hamas and that Tehran was sending "very bad signals."
"I think [the Iranians] have interfered in these negotiations by giving orders and signals to Hamas, and that's not good," Trump said during a trip to Scotland.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghai called President Trump's allegations "totally baseless" on Tuesday. Hamas "defends the interests of the oppressed people of Gaza in the most appropriate way and does not need third-party intervention in this regard," Baghai wrote in a statement, criticizing the United States for sending "deadly weapons to the occupation regime."
Israel rejects international pressure for a cease-fire in Gaza, AFP reported.
Worst-case famine scenario underway in Gaza Strip, says IPC report
The "worst-case famine scenario is underway in the Gaza Strip" due to intensified fighting, massive population displacement and restrictions on humanitarian aid, according to the IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) report released Tuesday, AFP reported.
The humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory, ravaged by nearly 22 months of war, "has reached an alarming and deadly turning point," said the report, the result of the work of non-governmental organizations, regional institutions and specialized U.N. agencies.
The recently authorized airdrops of food supplies by Israel "will not be sufficient to reverse the humanitarian catastrophe," the document warns, adding that these airdrops are more expensive, less effective, and more dangerous than road deliveries. Last May, the consortium, which determines the level of food insecurity according to five levels, classified 1.95 million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip (93 percent of the total) in a situation of "crisis" (level 3), including 925,000 in level 4 (emergency) and 244,000 in a situation of disaster (level 5). A new quantified analysis of the situation is underway, the report said.
Residents have observed intensive Israeli drone flights over Bint Jbeil, Kharayeb, Zararieh, Aadloun, Rihan, Aishieh, Jabbour, Jarmak, Aadsheet, Shaqra, Mahmoudieh, Zahrani, Habboush, Sarafand, Maarakeh, Tyr Diba, Wadi Jilou, Bazourieh, Abu al-Aswad, Qasmieh, as well as several villages in the Marjeyoun district, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the region.
Good morning! Thank you for joining us for our live coverage. Be sure to read the Morning Brief so you are caught up with what has been happening.
Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich will no longer be allowed to travel to the Netherlands, which accuses them of repeatedly inciting violence against Palestinians and calling for "ethnic cleansing" of the Gaza Strip.
The Dutch government announced it will summon the Israeli ambassador to the Netherlands to denounce the "unbearable and indefensible" situation in Gaza. It also imposed travel bans on the two far-right ministers, as detailed in a letter published Monday evening.
The Dutch government was considering imposing sanctions on two Israeli ministers for their incitement to extremist violence and violations of Palestinian human rights since June.
The Israeli army claimed responsibility for Monday's strike that targeted a motorcycle in Bint Jbeil.
"The IDF struck and eliminated a terrorist in Hezbollah's artillery force in the area of Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon," the army said, without elaborating.
During the night, Israeli helicopters flew over several Israeli towns located on the border with Lebanon, opposite the western, central and eastern sectors, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent.
This morning, an Israeli reconnaissance plane flew over the villages of Zahrani.
Hamas "must relinquish control" of the Gaza Strip and lay down its weapons, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa pleaded Monday at the U.N. General Assembly, AFP reported.
"We affirm that the State of Palestine is ready to assume full responsibility for governance and security in Gaza, with Arab and international support ... Hamas must return its control over the Gaza Strip and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority," he said, echoing commitments made in June by President Mahmoud Abbas in a letter to France and Saudi Arabia, which are chairing a conference on the two-state solution in New York this week.
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office issued a statement in English on Monday evening on X, stating that Israel will continue to work with international organizations to ensure the delivery of significant humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
"As part of this effort, Israel has suspended [Israeli army] operations in key populated areas of Gaza from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, and designated secure routes from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. to ensure the safe passage of more aid convoys," the statement said.
In the U.K., the government will meet today to discuss several issues, including the situation in Gaza, according to several news agencies. The prime minister shared plans he was working on with France and Germany to "build lasting peace" with U.S. President Donald Trump during their meeting in Scotland, Downing Street said, adding that he plans to share details with Arab states and other key allies in the coming days.
Keir Starmer is facing growing pressure to immediately recognize Palestinian statehood. The prime minister's spokesperson said: "This week, the Prime Minister is focused on a path to peace to ensure immediate relief for those on the ground, as well as a lasting route to a two-state solution."
Palestinian activist shot dead by settlers, according to the Palestinian Authority
The Palestinian Authority announced Monday that an anti-Israeli occupation activist in the West Bank had been shot dead by settlers, with Israeli police citing an ongoing investigation, without confirming a murder. "The Ministry of Education ... and the teaching community mourn the martyrdom of Awdah Muhammad Hathaleen," the ministry said on social media.
"The teacher ... was shot dead by settlers on Monday, July 28, 2025, during their attack on the village of Um al-Khair" near Hebron, in the southern West Bank, it added. Israeli police had earlier reported an ongoing investigation following an "incident near the town of Carmel," a settlement neighboring Um al-Khair. "An Israeli citizen was arrested at the scene and then detained by police for questioning ... Following the incident, the death of a Palestinian was confirmed. His exact involvement in the incident is being verified," the statement said.
Hathaleen was a resident of the Massafer Yatta area, south of Hebron. Along with neighbors, he had helped highlight the plight of this region, which Israel had declared a military zone. He was also a member of the team that filmed the Oscar-winning documentary "No Other Land."
(Credit: lbpesidency/X)
President Joseph Aoun met Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in Baabda, according to a message published on X, without further details for the moment.
The president is due to fly to Algiers later today.
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea warned Tuesday in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat of the Lebanese authorities' failure to resolve the issue of Hezbollah's weapons, which have become "useless for the protection of Lebanon and only bring damage and destruction."
He also said that Lebanon faces two options: either a government decision to dissolve the armed organizations, or having to face a "hot summer," or at best, "a nasty summer."
Clashes erupted Monday evening in the village of al-Masriya, near the Syrian-Lebanese border, between the Abu Jabal tribe and members of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, leaving several people injured, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the region. Gunfire was also heard in the border areas around Hermel.
Gaza's Civil Defense reported 30 dead in Israeli strikes on Nousseirat, reports AFP.
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