Eight Palestinians killed in Gaza over past 24 hours Eight Palestinians were killed and 17 wounded in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, as Israeli forces continued military operations across the enclave. In its daily report, the ministry said a number of victims remain trapped under rubble and on roadsides, with emergency and civil defence teams still unable to reach them.
Lebanon demands Israeli withdrawal from 'pilot' zones Lebanon has said it would participate in the next round of direct talks in Italy after Israeli forces withdraw from two “pilot zones” in the south, AFP reported, citing a diplomatic source. The talks are scheduled in Rome on July 15 and 16, following a framework agreement signed last month. After US-led talks in Washington, Lebanon and Israel had agreed to create "pilot zones" in which the Lebanese armed forces “will take exclusive control of the territory to the exclusion of all non-state actors”.
Trump says Nato allies to deploy minesweepers to Hormuz After declaring the ceasefire with Iran over and threatening to "hit them hard tonight", the US president said Nato allies will send minesweepers to the critical waterway. There was no independent confirmation from allies, Al Jazeera reported. Iran has repeatedly warned against foreign navies operating in the Strait of Hormuz.
'We will probably hit them hard tonight': Trump on Iran “We hit them very hard last night, very, very probably hit them hard again tonight. I’ll give them a little warning. We’re going to hit them hard tonight,” Trump said before holding talks with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, according to Al Jazeera.
Trump says ceasefire is over and calls Iran leaders 'scum', as both sides launch attacks Submitted by MEE staff on Wed, 07/08/2026 - 12:37 US launches more than 80 strikes on Iran and Tehran hits back with attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain A vessel at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on 8 July 2026 (Reuters/Stringer) Off US President Donald Trump has declared that the ceasefire between the US and Iran is “over”, after a wave of attacks were exchanged by both sides despite the memorandum of understanding (MoU) agreed last month. “I think it’s over,” Trump said on Wednesday morning at a meeting of Nato leaders, hours after the US launched more than 80 strikes on Iran. Washington said it was responding to Iranian attacks on commercial vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.
Israel murdered Khamenei, yet the West fails to respect a nation in mourning Submitted by Hamid Dabashi on Tue, 07/07/2026 - 23:12 Israel and its allies in the western media have no business trying to stoke divisions at this time of national mourning A mourner holds a flower and a portrait of Iran’s slain supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, at the start of his funeral ceremonies in Tehran on 4 July 2026 (Atta Kenare/AFP) Off As a real-time Persian passion play unfolds across Iraq and Iran for the funeral ceremonies of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , one question remains paramount: what gives a European settler colony the audacity, the vulgarity, the vicious gall to fly over a sovereign nation’s territory and murder its supreme leader? The Israeli plot to assassinate Khamenei - which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tricked US President Donald Trump into joining, despite overwhelming American opposition to waging war on Iran - was just the latest move in a long and blood-soaked tradition, as chronicled in journalist Ronen Bergman’s boastful treatise Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel’s Targeted Assassinations (2018). Khamenei was a head of a state, and the spiritual leader of millions of Shia Muslims.
UN maritime head says 6,000 seafarers 'remain stranded' in Gulf Arsenio Domingue, secretary general of the International Maritime Organization called for "maximum restraint and de-escalation". "I condemn the attacks over the past two days against several ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz," he said in a statement after US President Trump said the ceasefire with Iran was over. "These reckless attacks have again placed innocent seafarers in grave danger.
Report: Trump's Board of Peace plans pilot Gaza 'humanitarian zone' Tens of thousands of vetted Palestinian civilians will be accommodated in the planned zone in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, AFP reported, citing an official. The zone could act as a "starting point" for the Palestinian technocratic committee meant to assume the day-to-day governance of Gaza's transitional phase out of war under Trump's 20-point plan. The zone would be secured by multinational troops from the International Stabilization Force (ISF), a fledgling body that operates under the Board of Peace.
Explosions heard in Bahrain as Iran says any site enabling US attack is 'legitimate target' Several explosions rang out across Bahrain, an AFP correspondent said, after authorities sounded air raid sirens to warn of an attack. "Loud" blasts were heard in the north of the island state, the correspondent said, in the first incident since Bahrain reported intercepting Iranian drones and missiles on June 28. Iran's military, meanwhile, warned that any site enabling the United States to attack the country would be considered a "legitimate target".
Israel kills Gaza elder tasked with broadcasting Egypt-Argentina game Submitted by Ayse Betul on Wed, 07/08/2026 - 08:42 The strike came just hours before Mohamed Fawaz al-Wahidi's team was scheduled to host a public screening of the World Cup match in Gaza City Wahidi was attending a neighbourhood reconciliation meeting just before the Israeli strike hit the vehicle he was in (X) Off An Israeli strike on Tuesday killed Mohamed Fawaz al-Wahidi, the public relations director for the Egyptian Relief Committee in Gaza. The attack, which targeted a civilian vehicle in Gaza City’s al-Sabra neighbourhood, killed two others alongside Wahidi, including a child, and left several people wounded, according to reports by the Palestinian Information Center and Arabi Post. It came just hours before a World Cup match between Egypt and Argentina, which Wahidi's committee had been planning to screen publicly in Gaza City.
'No obligation to provide': Israel accused of withholding water from Jordan Submitted by Nadav Rapaport on Tue, 07/07/2026 - 16:47 Despite a peace treaty between the two states that requires Israel to provide the Jordanians with water, officials have not signed a renewal agreement A view of the reservoir of the Mujib Dam, the main water supply to Amman, in the Madaba governorate, about 100km north of the Jordanian capital (AFP) Off Israel has refused to renew its water agreement with Jordan in violation of the peace treaty between the two countries, Israel's public broadcaster, Kan 11 reported on Monday. According to the report, Israel has not yet signed on the renewal of the extended water supply agreement with Jordan, with pressure building on the Hashemite Kingdom due to its dependency on Israeli water. "The issue of water is very important to us, and it is also part of the peace agreement," a Jordanian official told Kan 11, indicating his country may respond to the Israeli delay.
Four oil and gas tankers turn back from Hormuz after vessel attacks The diversions come after a Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker and a Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker were damaged near the strait on Tuesday, prompting maritime authorities to raise the threat risk for transiting vessels to "severe. " The LNG tankers Al Ghariya, Duhail and Al Ruwais were inching westward towards the Strait of Hormuz before changing course to turn away late on Tuesday, data from analytics firms Kpler and LSEG showed. All three tankers controlled by QatarEnergy were empty and heading towards Qatar's Ras Laffan export facility to load cargoes.
Trump: Iran ceasefire is over, it is a waste of time dealing with them "As far as I'm concerned, it's over," Trump said at the ongoing Nato summit in Ankara when asked if the truce with Iran was now finished. "It's just a waste of time dealing with them," AFP reported. He blasted Iran's leaders after Washington launched strikes on the Islamic Republic and Iran said it targeted US bases in the Gulf.
Trump criticises Nato allies for lack of support in war on Iran US President Donald Trump criticised his Nato allies for their refusal to support Washington in its war on Iran, as the Nato summit began in Ankara. "We weren’t treated well because we did something in Iran. ” US President Donald Trump criticised his Nato allies on Tuesday for their refusal to support Washington in its war on Iran, as the Nato summit began in Ankara pic.
Middle East states should not allow their territories to be used to attack Iran, foreign ministry warns Violations of Iranian arrangements in the Strait of Hormuz as well as ongoing Israeli attacks in Lebanon are making the interim deal with the US "ineffective", the country's foreign ministry said. The ministry also condemned what it described as the "blatant violation" of the deal, and reiterated warnings to regional states not to allow their territory to be used for attacks on Iranian soil.
Kuwait slams 'repeated' Iranian attacks on its soil Kuwait has condemned Iran's strikes on its territory as a "blatant violation of the country's sovereignty", state media quoted the foreign ministry as saying. "The attacks are a direct threat to Kuwait's security, stability and the safety of civilians, and represent a clear violation of the UN Charter," the ministry said. It added that the attacks undermine "regional de-escalation efforts" and "challenges the international determination to achieve that goal".
Bahrain sounds sirens for a third time on Wednesday, new explosions heard Bahrain has sounded off its sirens for the third time today, warning its citizens and resident to "remain calm and head to the nearest safe place". According to AFP, more explosions were heard in the Gulf country.
Fresh blasts heard in Iran's Bushehr New explosions were reported in Iran's south western city of Bushehr.
Dutch prime minister says vital to show Iran 'breaches of ceasefire' unacceptable Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten said that it was important to show Iran that "breaches" of the truce in the Middle East will not be tolerated. When asked about the latest US attacks on Iran, Jetten told reporters "it is important to show you don't accept breaches of the ceasefire". "At the same time, you must apply maximum diplomatic pressure to make sure talks continue and a solution is reached," he added.
Iran claims drone strike on US forces in Bahraini air base The Iranian army announced it launched a drone attack on US forces at the Isa Air Base in Bahrain, vowing that Washington's army infrastructure in the region will all be "legitimate targets". "The consequences of the flagrant and repeated violation and breaking of the ceasefire with America are criminal, and all American bases in the region will be legitimate targets of military drones," it said.
