• Israeli forces launch drone attacks on Gaza, killing at least two people, as Palestinians stage protests outside al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, demanding Israel fulfill commitments to allow medical evacuations.
• A four-month-old Palestinian boy has died in the occupied West Bank after Israeli forces at a military checkpoint west of Ramallah prevented his transfer to a hospital.

Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli prison

Yesterday, so on Sunday, several prisoners arrived at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir el-Balah, reuniting with their families following their release from Israeli prison.

Dr Hussam Abu Safia’s life in ‘grave danger’

An Israeli rights group is warning that the life of detained Gaza hospital director Dr Hussam Abu Safia, who was abducted from Gaza in 2024, is in “grave danger”.

Dr Hussam Abu Safia reportedly told his lawyer during his latest prison visit that “this is the last time you’ll see me”.

His family says his health has sharply deteriorated, while Palestinian prisoner authorities say he has been tortured in Israeli detention.

• Abu Safia’s lawyer, Nasser Odeh, visited his client at the underground Rakefet interrogation facility in Nitzan Prison last week and reported a severe deterioration in his health “to the point of tangible danger to his life”, according to Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI).
• The group said lawyer Odeh documented severe injuries – including fresh bruises and wounds on Abu Safia’s head, eyes, ears and neck – as well as difficulty breathing and repeated loss of consciousness.
• The wounds were so severe that Odeh struggled to recognize the doctor, the group said.
• In June, Israel’s Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Abu Safia and ordered the doctor to remain in detention under Israel’s Unlawful Combatants Law without criminal charge.
• The director of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital, who is 53 years old, has endured multiple stints in solitary confinement and is “suffering from critical health conditions”, according to his family. But Israeli authorities have denied him medical care.
• He was abducted from the Kamal Adwan Hospital on December 27, 2024, after he had led the hospital through an 85-day siege by Israeli troops.
• During the offensive, Israeli forces cut off supplies of food and water to the Palestinians in the area, while launching air attacks and shelling. Hundreds of civilians were killed, including Abu Safia’s son, Ibrahim, who died in a drone attack at the gate of the hospital.

The "Unlawful Combatant" Category: International law, specifically the Geneva Conventions, divides captives into two clear, exhaustive categories: lawful combatants (who are entitled to Prisoner of War status) and civilians. Legal experts and human rights organizations argue that IHL does not recognize a separate legal limbo category of "unlawful combatant" to justify indefinite detention without trial.

Arbitrary Detention: Both the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and IHL strictly prohibit arbitrary detention. Under IHL, internment is an exceptional security measure strictly for imperative reasons of security, not a punitive measure. The law’s failure to stipulate a maximum detention limit or require a standard criminal charge renders it unlawful arbitrary detention.

Denial of Due Process: Recent amendments to the law that expand the period before a detention order is issued (up to 45 days) and deny legal counsel for up to 90 days are cited by watchdogs as severe violations of fair trial guarantees and codification of incommunicado detention, which facilitates abuse.

What does international law say about the Israeli Unlawful Combatants Law without criminal charge, which is used against the Al-Shifa Hospital Director Dr Hussam Abu Safia?

Breach of Protected Status: Medical personnel, such as the directors of major healthcare facilities, are explicitly protected under the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law. Targeting, abducting, and holding them without charge subverts these protections.

Arbitrary Detention: The use of "secret evidence," denial of access to legal counsel, and prolonged administrative detention violate the fundamental human rights against arbitrary deprivation of liberty under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Prohibition of Torture: Rights groups report that detainees held under this legislation—including prominent physicians—face inhumane conditions, enforced disappearances, and physical abuse, which constitute violations of the absolute prohibition on torture under the UN Convention against Torture.

Houthi official says US, Israel assassinated Khamenei over his support for Palestine

Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a spokesman for Yemen’s Houthis, has told Iranian media that the US and Israel killed Iran’s supreme leader because of his efforts to support the liberation of Palestine.

Al-Bukhaiti described Khamenei as a symbol of resistance and freedom for nations seeking independence from the US and Israel’s domination, according to Iran’s Press TV.

“His intellectual and political vision across the Islamic world, together with his efforts to liberate Palestine, were among the main reasons the West became determined to assassinate him,” al-Bukhaiti said.

The United States was not part in the execution of the assassination of the Iranian Supreme Leader, as that took place before Trump decided to join the resumption of Netanyahu's preemptive 12-day war on Iran the same day of February 28, 2026.

The United States was only part in the preparation of the covert activity, which took place during the second half of 2025.

Palestinians in Gaza protesting over medical evacuations

Palestinian protesters gathered outside al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City to demand that Israel allow evacuations for those who need urgent medical treatment abroad.

• Under the US-brokered “ceasefire” agreement, about 21,000 Palestinians, including patients and their companions, should have been allowed to leave Gaza for medical care.
• Only 7,500 people have been allowed to leave so far.
• According to the World Health Organization, more than 18,500 Palestinians, including about 4,000 children, require urgent medical evacuation for life-saving treatment that is currently unavailable in Gaza.
• Some 1,200 Palestinians have died while waiting for evacuation since Israel seized the Rafah crossing in May 2024, according to health authorities in Gaza.
• Israeli forces destroyed 94 percent of Gaza’s hospitals during their genocidal war on the Strip, and killed at least 1,772 healthcare workers since October 2023.

Four people killed in Israeli drone attack on southern Gaza

At least four Palestinians have been killed and 16 wounded in an Israeli drone attack on a vehicle along al-Rashid coastal road in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis governorate in southern Gaza, according to medical sources at Nasser Hospital and al-Hilal Hospital.

Iran’s Ghalibaf says US memorandum is ‘difficult but possible’ to enforce

The Iranian parliament speaker and top negotiator says Iran remains deeply at odds with the US despite the recently signed memorandum of understanding, describing its implementation as “difficult, but possible”.

Ghalibaf made the comments during a meeting in Tehran with Mohammad Darwish, head of Hamas’s leadership council, who traveled to Iran to attend Khamenei’s funeral ceremonies.

Israel carries out more than 11,000 West Bank attacks in 2026

The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission says Israeli forces and settlers have carried out 11,074 attacks across the occupied West Bank in the first half of 2026.

The sharp escalation reflects Israel’s campaign to expand settlements and force Palestinians from their communities, the Palestinian commission said in a report. It also said:

• Israeli attacks were concentrated in the Hebron governorate, which recorded 2,224 assaults, followed by Ramallah and el-Bireh with 2,175, Nablus with 2,095 and Bethlehem with 1,137.
• The group said Israel has moved beyond occupation and is now engaged in annexation to impose permanent control over Palestinian land.
• Israeli colonists carried out 3,488 attacks in the first six months of the year, which killed 17 Palestinians: nine in Ramallah governorate, three in Nablus, two each in East Jerusalem and Hebron, and one in Salfit.
• Colonist violence caused serious damage to 26 Bedouin communities.
• Colonists established 42 new outposts on Palestinian land.
• Israeli soldiers and settlers cut down or damaged 45,195 trees, including 26,395 olive trees.
• Israel green lighted 34 new colonies in the first half of 2026, bringing the total approved by the current government to 103.
• Israeli authorities seized about 4.4sq km (1.7sq miles) of Palestinian land and carried out 341 demolitions.

Smotrich says Israel begins ‘revolution in settlement’

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says Israel has begun what he calls a “revolution in settlement”, adding that the push would not be limited to the occupied West Bank.

“I have news for you: we have just begun the revolution in settlement. We will also reach the Negev and the Galilee,” the far-right minister wrote on Instagram.

The comments come after the Israeli cabinet approved a plan on Thursday to establish 13 new settlements in the central West Bank.

Israeli soldier filmed tossing stun grenade into Palestinian vehicle

CCTV surveillance footage circulating on social media appears to show an Israeli soldier throwing a stun grenade into a vehicle carrying young Palestinian men.

The soldier stops their car at gunpoint, tosses the grenade inside, and then forces the driver’s door shut as the Palestinians attempt to escape before it detonates.

The attack occurred in Qalandiya camp, north of occupied East Jerusalem.

2 more Palestinians killed, others wounded in Israeli strikes on Gaza

Two Palestinians have been killed and others injured in a strike on a tent sheltering displaced people in al-Mawasi near southern Khan Younis city, the Nasser Hospital reports.

Local media, quoting medical sources, reported two people were killed and 15 wounded in the Israeli bombing.

In Khan Younis, two people killed when a vehicle on al-Rasheed Road was struck by a missile.

Elsewhere, three Palestinian fishermen were injured after an Israeli quad-copter drone dropped a grenade on their boat in waters off northern Gaza City.

Gaza emergency committee says it will dissolve

Gaza’s Governmental Emergency Committee says its leadership has submitted its resignation and is ready to fully hand over administration to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.

It said the move comes in response to the “higher interests” of Palestinians in Gaza citing the “continuing war, blockade, delayed reconstruction, and Israel’s refusal to withdraw from the territory”.

Preparations for the transfer of authority have been completed and the committee called on mediators to press for the National Committee to enter Gaza immediately and begin carrying out its duties, “thereby strengthening the resilience of our people and helping to heal their wounds”.

 

The resignation of the entire committee the failing and refusing to commit to the 20-point proposal for a ceasefire, which Trump had introduced in October 2025.

Hamas says handover made to stop Israel’s ‘war of extermination’

Hamas announced the dissolution of the body that governed Gaza for nearly two decades, clearing the way for a committee to implement civilian rule.

The move marks a significant political shift by Hamas, which has run Gaza since 2007 after winning legislative elections the previous year.

Since a “ceasefire” took effect in Gaza last October between Hamas and Israel, the group has repeatedly said it is prepared to step aside from day-to-day governance.

“The head of the government’s emergency committee, Mohammed al-Farra, has officially submitted his resignation,” Ismail al-Thawabta, head of Hamas-run Government Media Office, told AFP.

“He has also decided to dissolve the committee to facilitate the administrative and governmental transition to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza [NCAG].”

The NCAG was created by the Board of Peace that Trump established when he brokered the “ceasefire” between Hamas and Israel in October 2025.

“Hamas has taken a new step in that it will no longer be in charge of the Gaza Strip in order to remove any pretexts for the occupation, which continues its aggression and war of extermination,” Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said.

“We hope for the swift entry of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, and Hamas affirms its readiness to hand over governmental responsibilities to the committee to ensure its success.”

At least 6 killed as Israeli attacks continue across Gaza

Ongoing Israeli strikes throughout the war-battered Palestinian territory despite a US-brokered “ceasefire”:

• Israeli attacks continue across the Gaza Strip, with at least six Palestinians killed and more than 20 wounded.
• At least two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli drone attack on a vehicle along al-Rashid Street in Khan Younis, according to medical sources.
• A source at Nasser Hospital said two other Palestinians were killed in an attack on a tent sheltering displaced people in al-Mawasi near Khan Younis.
• At least two Palestinians, a married couple, were killed in an Israeli drone attack on an apartment in Gaza City, according to a source at al-Shifa Hospital.
• The latest attacks come amid tightening Israeli restrictions on Gaza and severe shortages of medical supplies.

Hamas says Interior Ministry staff to remain in place for security

Ismail al-Thawabta, director of the Government Media Office in Gaza:

“All Ministry of Interior employees will continue their work to ensure there is no security vacuum.”

The move comes after Hamas announced the dissolution of the body that governs the Gaza Strip and handed over the territory’s leadership to a team of technocrats, as stipulated by the US-brokered “ceasefire”.

Gaza national committee says ready to assume responsibilities

Ali Shaath, head of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, says the committee is fully ready to carry out its national responsibilities once the necessary means and conditions for its work are made available.

The committee is a temporary governing body authorised under UN Security Council Resolution 2803 to oversee day-to-day civil service and administration in Gaza after the war. It is appointed by, and accountable to, the Gaza Peace Council.

Shaath’s comments come after Gaza’s Governmental Emergency Committee said it would dissolve and hand over administration to the national committee.

Gaza Board of Peace demands ‘actions, not promises’ from Hamas

The Board of Peace, controlled by President Trump and allies and with no Palestinian representation, reacted to the announcement in a post on X.

“We have taken note of the announcement today regarding the dissolution of the Emergency Committee in Gaza,” it said.

“Ultimately, our assessment will be guided by actions, not promises, to meet the critical needs of the people of Gaza.”

This so-called Board of Peace rarely condemns Israel’s daily violations of the ceasefire agreement signed last October. Israel continues to kill and wound Palestinians in Gaza on a daily basis.

Israeli officials dismiss Hamas announcement as a diversion

There is no official Israeli statement yet but senior officials have been speaking to the Israeli media.

They described the Hamas announcement as a media stunt, a diversion, a way for Hamas to buy time and avoid being blamed, according to the Israeli perspective, for not fulfilling the ceasefire agreement and the Trump plan.

Of course, Israel views its air strikes, its destruction, its continued expansion of the area it controls under its occupation in Gaza all as part of sanctioned activity, according to the Trump plan.

In fact, the Israeli prime minister recently said there would be no reconstruction in Gaza – nothing would move until and unless Hamas completely disarms. So it’s not just about civilian control over the Strip. Israel wants to see Hamas dismantled altogether.

The way how the Israelis describing Hamas' announcement as "diversion" is exactly an attempt to divert attention away from the fact that they systematically ignore their obligation when they sign a binding agreement, which the October 2025 ceasefire agreement is.

Number of people killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza rises to 73,098

Gaza’s Health Ministry has released its latest daily update on the number of casualties in Israel’s genocidal war.

In a statement, the ministry said five people were killed and seven wounded in the latest 24-hour reporting period. Three people were recently killed and two bodies were recovered, it added.

The figures bring the number of those killed in Israeli attacks since the start of the war to at least 73,098, with 173,571 wounded.

Israeli attacks on Gaza since the “ceasefire” came into effect in October last year have killed at least 1,072 and wounded 3,463.

Scorching heat worsens suffering in Gaza’s displacement camps

After Europe, the heat wave has moved into the Middle Eats. Extreme summer temperatures now grips southern Gaza. Families sheltering in tents in Khan Younis are struggling to cope without electricity, fans or reliable water.