Category: Middle East

Doha / Gaza City – July 7, 2025 Amid intensifying diplomatic efforts and a deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to send a negotiating team to Qatar for renewed ceasefire talks, even as Israeli airstrikes killed at least 78 Palestinians in the last 24 hours. The decision to dispatch the team came after Netanyahu’s office said Israel would “accept the invitation for close talks” in Doha, but maintained that Hamas’s proposed changes to the truce framework are “unacceptable.” The statement did not detail which parts of the proposal Hamas sought to amend. Background to the Talks The move follows Hamas’s announcement on Friday, where the group described its response to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire proposal as “positive.” The proposed deal reportedly includes a 60-day truce, paving the way for hostage releases and increased humanitarian aid. Despite this, Israel’s leadership has rejected some of Hamas’s latest demands, which are believed to include: The Toll of War The war, which began after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attacks, has left at least 57,338 Palestinians dead and over 135,000 injured, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Israeli airstrikes have flattened neighborhoods, devastated infrastructure, and driven much of the Strip’s population to the brink of famine. On Saturday night, Israel carried out a series of airstrikes across Gaza, including a deadly attack on a UNRWA school sheltering displaced families in Gaza City. Dozens were killed or injured, with funerals held at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital drawing grief-stricken crowds. Hamas and International Pressure Hamas, in its recent statement, reaffirmed its willingness to “immediately enter a new round of negotiations”, signaling readiness to advance the implementation of the current ceasefire framework. The pressure for a truce is mounting as international outrage grows over the humanitarian catastrophe and rising civilian death toll. Aid organizations have warned that Gaza’s situation is spiraling into an unprecedented disaster, with hunger, disease, and mass displacement now rampant. What’s Next? With Israeli envoys en route to Qatar, attention now shifts to whether a viable compromise can be brokered. Netanyahu remains under domestic and international pressure — not just to end the war, but to secure the return of hostages still held in Gaza. But deep mistrust and clashing political interests on both sides may continue to stall progress .

July 7, 2025 – Gaza/Tel Aviv/Amman Hamas has submitted three major requests for amending the current ceasefire proposal, even as pressure mounts on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure a deal for the release of hostages still held in Gaza. According to Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut, reporting from Amman, Hamas’s demands are centered on: Netanyahu Under Fire from Hostage Families Meanwhile, protests erupted across Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa over the weekend as families of Israeli hostages still in Gaza demanded urgent action. Only 10 of the estimated 20 surviving hostages would be returned under the current ceasefire proposal. This has led to public outrage and accusations that Netanyahu is blocking the deal for political gain. “His right-wing allies—the reason why Netanyahu is still in power—oppose any deal,” said Salhut, adding that the families believe politics is being prioritized over lives. The Prime Minister is currently on trial for corruption and is expected to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, where Gaza will likely dominate discussions. Far-Right Pressure: ‘Abandon the Path of Surrender’ Hardline figures in Netanyahu’s coalition have also come out strongly against the deal. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir declared any agreement that involves Israeli troop withdrawal, release of Palestinian prisoners, or resumption of aid as a “reward for terrorism.” “Victory lies in the total conquest of Gaza and halting all humanitarian aid,” Ben-Gvir posted on X (formerly Twitter), calling on Netanyahu to “abandon the path of surrender.” Expert: Netanyahu ‘Hedging His Bets’ Omer Bartov, an Israeli-American scholar of genocide studies, told Al Jazeera that Netanyahu may be intentionally stalling the end of the war to preserve his grip on power. “If Netanyahu agrees to a ceasefire, his government may collapse,” Bartov said.“He’s negotiating cynically—using both the hostages and the war to buy time.” Bartov warned that the current proposal allows Netanyahu to later accuse Hamas of non-compliance and resume military operations, thereby maintaining the conflict.

Occupied East Jerusalem – A joyous family gathering in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of at-Tur turned into a scene of horror on the night of June 16, when Israeli snipers opened fire, seriously wounding 12-year-old Iyas Abu Mufreh and his cousin, 21-year-old Uday Abu Juma’. The extended Abu Juma’ family had gathered outside their home to celebrate two special events: the return of their grandmother from Hajj and the academic success of a relative who had excelled in the national tawjihi exams. The peaceful celebration quickly descended into chaos as bullets tore through the night air. According to eyewitnesses and reviewed security footage, two Israeli snipers positioned on a rooftop approximately 500 meters away fired without provocation, striking the two young men as they sat near a car eating pizza. Iyas was hit just centimetres from his heart, the bullet tearing through his shoulder and requiring emergency surgery. A harrowing image shows the boy in his hospital bed in Jerusalem, surrounded by his mother, Nisreen, and older brother, Amir. Uday also sustained serious injuries. The only physical evidence left at the scene after authorities swept the area the following day was a pizza box and a bullet hole on al-Hardoub Street. “There was no threat, no warning, nothing,” said Nisreen, expressing disbelief over the sudden, unprovoked violence. “Everyone was in shock. We didn’t know what was happening.” Israeli authorities had earlier placed roadblocks at the two main entrances into at-Tur at the start of the brief 12-day war with Iran that began on June 13. Yet according to the family and neighbours, there was no unrest or confrontation in the area that night to justify the use of lethal force. The incident has drawn outrage from human rights advocates, who have condemned the shooting of civilians in a non-combat setting. As of now, Israeli military officials have not publicly commented on the sniper attack. The family is now demanding accountability and justice for what they describe as an unprovoked act of violence against innocent civilians, raising renewed concerns over the conduct of Israeli forces in occupied East Jerusalem.

At least 45 Palestinians have been killed today as Israeli airstrikes intensified across the Gaza Strip, according to local medical sources. Twenty-nine of the deaths occurred in Gaza City and northern Gaza, with the heaviest bombardments reported in the Tuffah neighbourhood and Jabalia. Reports from the ground indicate that at least 10 homes have been destroyed in these areas. The death toll is expected to rise as rescue efforts continue amid the rubble, and as Israeli military operations show no sign of slowing.