Israeli strikes in Gaza kill at least four and wound dozens more
Intense Israeli strikes Friday night and Saturday killed at least four people in central and northern Gaza and wounded dozens more, according to local health officials.
The strikes came after Hamas confirmed Friday that it will disarm in a potential breakthrough for ending the war in Gaza, though major obstacles remain.
Israel has not officially commented on the Hamas deal, which is part of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire announced last October.
That agreement called for Hamas to disarm and hand over power to an independent Palestinian administration.
Israel was to withdraw and an International Stabilization Force was to be deployed.
In a post on X Friday, Israeli far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir called the deal “unacceptable” and said the killings in Gaza must continue. “Israel must win,” he said.
Alex Croft2 August 2026 03:00
Netanyahu confronted JD Vance over his criticism of Israel on US trip, says report
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu confronted US Vice President JD Vance over his criticism of Israel during a recent trip to America, according to a new report.
Netanyahu made his seventh state visit to the US this week to attend the funeral of his close friend Lindsey Graham and had meetings with US President Donald Trump, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Vance.
The vice president has been the most vocal critic of Israel in the Trump administration and recently accused the country of “trying to kill your way out of solving every single national security problem”.
In a one-to-one meeting at Blair House in Washington on Tuesday, Netanyahu addressed his criticism in a “frank and candid conversation”, an Israeli official told Axios.
A US official confirmed the nature of the discussion saying: “The conversation was direct”.
Alex Croft2 August 2026 02:00
‘Iran will continue to pay’, White House press secretary says
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt expressed the US administration’s frustration anew, stating that Tehran last month signed a memorandum of understanding with the US on a truce but then quickly “broke it, shot at commercial ships, and killed American soldiers.”
“President Trump is not going to stand by and allow this terrorist behavior to occur,” Ms Leavitt said in a statement on Friday evening.
“Iran will continue to pay until they come to the table in, what President Trump deems, a meaningful way.”
Alex Croft2 August 2026 01:01
‘Bing. Bing. Bing, Bing Bing’: Trump offers epic soundbite to recap US shooting down Iranian missiles
Alex Croft2 August 2026 00:00
Read: Trump’s ‘roadmap’ for peace in Gaza in full
The US president hailed the agreement as a “major milestone” in the peace process, saying the deal included the total disarmament of Hamas and other groups in Gaza as well as the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory.
Published in full on Friday, the roadmap says that Hamas and ‘other factions’ agree that “all civilian governance and security functions in Gaza shall be handed over” to a new technocratic body set up to run the enclave.
With that, the technocratic body will take over responsibility for handling “internal security incidents.”
Senior reporter James Reynolds reports:
Alex Croft1 August 2026 23:00
Tehran warns Trump of ‘decisive and proportional’ response to any escalation
We’ve just heard from Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, who has warned the US against carrying out fresh any fresh strikes.
Any such aggression from the US or Israel will be met with a “decisive and proportional response”, Araghchi warned.
It is the latest in a series of threats and counter-threats which are beginning to become a hallmark of this war, ever since an initial ceasefire was agreed in mid-April.
In a separate phone calls with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan, and Pakistan’s army commander Field Marshal Asim Munir, Araghchi also declared that any “adventurous action” by the US would be responded to.
Alex Croft1 August 2026 22:11
UKMTO reports two tanker incidents off Oman
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Saturday it had received reports of two maritime incidents off Oman, including one in which a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile.
In the first incident, a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile about 11 nautical miles northeast of Oman’s Lima, damaging its engine room and leaving the vessel not under command, UKMTO said. There were no reported casualties nor environmental impact, it added.
Later, UKMTO said it had received a second report of an incident, 21 nautical miles northeast of Oman’s Khasab. The master of a tanker reported seeing a large splash and an explosion in close proximity to the vessel, though no damage was reported.
Lima and Khasab are on Oman’s Musandam Peninsula at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic shipping chokepoint through which about a fifth of global oil consumption passes.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has faced heightened risks in recent weeks, with vessels reporting security incidents and some shipowners adopting additional precautions as Iran and the United States stepped up hostilities.
Alex Croft1 August 2026 22:01
Israeli officials signal that peace road map does not align with their interests
Israel has not commented publicly on the road map towards peace that Trump has proposed but Israeli officials, speaking anonymously over the past two days, have signalled that the document does not align with the country’s interests.
The officials also reiterated that Israel would not withdraw from the Yellow Line in Gaza, which divides Israeli-controlled territory in the east with the western part of the enclave.
In recent months, the military has built a massive earthen barrier roughly along the same line, developing what it described as a “security zone” adjacent to the berm, equipped with intelligence and technological assets.
Israel has also carried out controlled demolitions and clearing operations across much of the territory it controls. Palestinians who lived there have yet to return — and are unsure whether their homes are still standing.
Holly Evans1 August 2026 20:00
Trump delivers childlike ‘bing, bing, bing’ recap of latest Iran war action
President Donald Trump‘s attempt to describe the prowess of American air defense weapons left him making childish video game-like sounds as he recounted how U.S. anti-aircraft interceptors successfully downed a quintet of Iranian ballistic missiles over the weekend.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting on Friday, the president was answering a question on whether he’d permit Ukraine to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors under a license when he digressed into the onomatopoetic tangent.
“The other day you read that five missiles were shot. They were going 8,600 miles per hour … and they were big missiles, and they were shot at Jordan, and our guys were there — bing, bing, bing, bing, bing. Five missiles, and we shot all before they got close,” he said.
Read the full article here:
Holly Evans1 August 2026 20:00
Palestinians in Gaza hope Hamas will disarm but fear Israeli forces won’t withdraw
For Palestinians in Gaza, President Donald Trump’s announcement that Hamas had agreed to disarm was a small sign of hope that Israel’s attacks might end, allowing them to rebuild their lives and what remains of their homes.
But it also clashed with the reality on the ground, where Israeli strikes have continued since Trump first touted the deal late Thursday in Washington, and where few steps have been taken to advance a broader ceasefire agreement that went into effect in October.

Most of Gaza’s 2 million Palestinians are still displaced or live in tent camps, where poor conditions and overcrowding have led to rodent infestations and outbreaks of infectious diseases such as chickenpox.
“They can talk about withdrawal and disarmament,” said Abdel Moneim Aboul-Roos, 24, a tuk-tuk driver who lost his leg in an Israeli airstrike.
“I don’t care about any of it as long as there is no food or medicine.”
Holly Evans1 August 2026 19:01


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