News roundup for Wednesday, July 29, 2026, Day 1,027 since Israel began its 2023 genocide on the Palestinian people.
Compilation of news reports – IAK staff
NEWS & HEADLINES FROM GAZA:
For some basic info on the Palestine-Israel conflict, go here. For more critical context, skim this, this, and this. To read about a remarkable but underreported, 20-month-long peaceful protest in Gaza against Israel, go here.
Three Palestinians were killed and dozens were injured Wednesday evening as Israeli drones, artillery, and armored units carried out new attacks across the Gaza Strip, in yet another violation of the declared “ceasefire.”
Israeli attacks kill 3 Palestinians, injure 20 in Gaza despite ceasefire
UN warns of ‘major public health risks’ in Gaza as 83% of displacement sites report infestations
Ball in Israel’s court as Palestinian groups reach agreement: The current round of ceasefire negotiations in Cairo has entered what Palestinian officials describe as its “most decisive phase” after Hamas and other Palestinian factions reached agreement on the final version of a ceasefire proposal drafted by UN Special Coordinator for the US-backed “Board of Peace’s” High Representative for Gaza, Nikolay Mladenov. Attention has now shifted almost entirely to Israel’s response.
*NOTE: Israel typically stalls ceasefire agreement by moving the goalposts during negotiations. Netanyahu has repeatedly delayed ceasefire agreements – he has said as much; Israeli media report it as well.
For example, Israel signed an agreement in October 2025 to “gradually withdraw” from Gaza. Today, Israel has not only not withdrawn, it is holding more of Gaza than before – going from 53% to approaching 70% (with possible plans for 100%). Israel has also withheld aid and broken other ceasefire-related promises – and killed over 1,200 Palestinians Additionally, Israel unilaterally ended the January 2024 ceasefire, assassinated Gaza’s chief ceasefire negotiator, and attempted to assassinate the entire negotiating team.
ISRAELI MEDIA: Hamas has agreed in principle to hand over its weapons, but opposes handing them over to Israel: Holding talks in Cairo, the group’s representatives agreed in principle to transfer its weapons to a mutually agreed Palestinian body, the sources said.
DEATH TOLL – GAZA GENOCIDE (tentative):
- At least 1,209 since ceasefire began Oct. 11, 2025 (247 children, 191 women)
- 5 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire began – one by friendly fire, and four others in incidents during the first three weeks of the ceasefire.
- 73,333 killed (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls) since October 2023
- More statistics below
NEWS & HEADLINES FROM THE OCCUPIED WEST BANK/EAST JERUSALEM:
Every day, Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem endure dozens of incidents like the ones below, at the hands of Israeli soldiers and/or settlers. For background on the West Bank, read this and this. For information on the significance of Israeli settlers in the West Bank, read this and this.)
Fourteen Arab and Palestinian institutions and organizations issued an urgent appeal Wednesday, calling for collective action to protect occupied Jerusalem amid unprecedented Israeli escalation targeting Al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalemites, and the city’s Arab, Islamic and Christian identity, saying the measures seek to create new realities on the ground and consolidate control by force.
RELATED: The Ibrahimi Mosque Precedent: Why Palestinians Fear for Al-Aqsa
Israeli army vacates Palestinian-American home in West Bank following reported US pressure*: In Turmus Ayya, Israeli forces entered a Palestinian home and ordered the family to leave, in order to use the home as a tactical outpost for conducting raids against Palestinians. The US Embassy intervened, and Israeli soldiers were subsequently instructed to vacate the property.
The US Embassy said: “The US Department of State places the utmost importance on ensuring the safety and security of its citizens residing outside the United States.”
*NOTE: This was an exceptional case: the US State Department rarely makes much effort to assist American citizens who are harassed or detained by Israel. For example, 15-year-old Mohammed Ibrahim was held for 9 months – during 7 of which there was no diplomatic intervention, in spite of his family’s constant efforts. He was finally released having lost 25 pounds.
At least fourteen American citizens have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers – with no criminal accountability whatsoever.
Who are the Jewish terror groups driving the West Bank pogroms? As Israeli settler pogroms threaten a broader escalation, these extremist settler groups are increasingly involved in the attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank: Lehava, the Hilltop Youth, Price Tag, Netzah Yehuda Battalion, and This Land Is Ours.
Israeli army cuts power to 3 West Bank communities by targeting main transformer
Israeli occupiers (i.e. settlers) torch home, abduct 2 Palestinians in West Bank attacks
Colonizers (i.e. Settlers) Attack Families, Destroy Property Across West Bank
Israeli Forces Shoot 2 Palestinians, Abduct Others, in the West Bank
Israeli Court Clears Demolition of Zeif School, Homes
Military Invasions, Abductions And Violations In West Bank
Israeli Forces Demolish 3 Wells in Tubas, Order Citizen to Demolish Home in Jerusalem
DEATH TOLL – WEST BANK/EAST JERUSALEM (tentative):
NEWS & HEADLINES FROM ISRAEL:
Israel is a tiny country, about the size of New Jersey, with a population smaller than the US state of Georgia – about 10 million (of which about 20 percent are Palestinians), yet it is in the news constantly. As has been demonstrated again and again, however, mainstream media rarely covers Israel news accurately. IAK gets the facts – sometimes from Israeli media sites, where we can get a glimpse inside this country that is rife with turmoil and contradictions, and that receives $63 million a day from America.
Hamas destruction, Gaza emigration are the ‘only solution,’ Ben-Gvir says
“We very much want to strike Iran’s energy targets,” Israeli War Minister Israel Katz said in an interview, but the US “is not approving it at the moment because of the concern that Iran would attack neighboring countries, causing a global oil crisis…As far as we’re concerned, we’re prepared to set [Iran] back 40 years.”
IRAN, LEBANON, & SYRIA – NEWS & HEADLINES:
It can not be overemphasized that Israel is the impetus behind US policies and actions vis-a-vis Iran. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing the US to attack Iran for decades, using lies and deception. Under President Trump, he got his wish.
Israel has invaded Lebanon seven times in the last half century. Between 1978 and 2000, Israel maintained an 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon — Hezbollah was formed to fight that occupation.
Although Israel is not at war with Syria, the Israeli army has reportedly carried out over 1,600 violations inside Syrian territory since August 2025, and demanded the demilitarization of southern Syria – but also vowed to permanently occupy some areas.
IRAN
US kills toddler and parents in attack on Qeshm Island: The family were among those killed in a large-scale US assault across Iran overnight on Thursday, launched in “retaliation” for an Iranian missile strike on a Jordanian-American base. The attack hit a civilian home, killing three members of the same family: a father, a mother and their two-year-old child. Two children, aged seven and nine, reportedly survived.
Trump says US will be hitting Iran ‘hard,’ but will ‘let them keep talking’
TIMELINE – From partners in war to public rebukes: How Trump and Netanyahu drifted apart over Iran
LEBANON
Israeli forces bulldoze, shell, demolish homes across southern Lebanon despite US-mediated deal
Tel Aviv told mediators in the Lebanon–Israel talks that it will not agree to any “additional withdrawals” in the next round of negotiations next week in Rome and will instead insist on “freedom of action,” Hebrew media reported on 29 July. Israel will reportedly insist on “freedom of action” to re-enter areas “handed over” to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) in recent days.
*NOTE: Israel is often quick to make promises – but notoriously neglects to keep them. It has famously violated ceasefire agreements for decades, including currently in Gaza and Lebanon. It is a country whose leaders have perpetrated countless lies to cover for war crimes and aggression (and consistently pass along to Western mainstream media). Previously, Israel has been caught in many lies – for examples, see this and this. Many of Israel’s lies have been debunked even by traditionally pro-Israel mainstream media.
‘They targeted us directly’: how the Israel-Lebanon war became deadly for healthcare workers: Lebanon has become one of the world’s deadliest places for healthcare workers, with Israel targeting doctors, first responders and healthcare facilities with alarming regularity. At least 135 healthcare workers have been killed by Israel since 2 March – many of them in so-called double-tap strikes. Israel has claimed that ambulances were used to transport weapons for Hezbollah – an allegation that human rights groups such as Amnesty International say is not supported by evidence.
DEATH TOLL – WARS ON IRAN & LEBANON (tentative):
- United States: 18 since Feb. 28, 2026
- Iran: at least 3,636 (1,701 civilians) since Feb. 28, 2026 (another source puts the number at 3,499)
- Lebanon: at least 4,333 people since March 2, 2026
- Arab states: at least 154 (including Palestine, excluding Lebanon)
- Israel: at least 60 people (Iran killed 20 civilians; Hezbollah killed 36 soldiers, 4 civilians)
MORE NEWS & HEADLINES:
Graham and Netanyahu Worked Together to Denounce International Criminal Court: Senator Lindsey Graham helped to coordinate a group of lawmakers to rebuke the I.C.C., which was investigating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel.
Netanyahu and Lindsey Graham conspired to use sex claims against Khan to delay warrants
RELATED: The Karim Khan saga: a timeline
Israel pays millions to ‘poison’ AI chatbots with Gaza propaganda, report finds
*NOTE: For years, the pro-Israel lobby has had a tight grip on Congress and Western mainstream media. The most powerful lobbying group is AIPAC, the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee, which by law should be registered as a foreign agent. AIPAC is on a mission to keep Congress filled with the best pro-Israel legislators that money can buy. The group “babysits” each Congress member that has accepted AIPAC donations, to make sure they vote for any bill that helps Israel.
Public opinion in the U.S. is shifting away from support for Israel but few politicians seem to notice, choosing to obey their babysitter, instead of their constituents.
UK’s new prime minister Burnham’s gov’t to face first Palestine Action protest as activists head to London: Defend Our Juries told The New Arab that the Burnham government must put an end to the arrests of protesters if is to regain public trust. (Read background on the Palestine Action movement here.)
Joint US-Saudi Strikes on Iraq Kill 20 PMF Fighters: Trump claimed the strikes were coordinated with the Iraqi government, but Baghdad strongly condemned the attacks, and Iraq’s PM canceled a planned visit to Saudi Arabia.
ICYMI, A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:
Gaza’s temporary schools fail to keep pace with children’s needs
Thousands of Palestinians arrested by Israeli forces in West Bank since start of year
ISRAELI MEDIA: Israel beginning to undermine Trump’s reconstruction plan for Gaza
UK government rejects calls to recognize Gaza genocide despite UN findings
(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – July 29, 2026*:
- At least 74,514 Palestinians killed, 187,009 injured – including:
- Gaza: at least 73,329 killed (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls), 174,009 injured
- West Bank/East Jerusalem: at least 1,185 killed (~251 children) since Oct. 7, 2023, 13,000 injured
*NOTE: Thousands of remains in Gaza have yet to be identified, and thousands more are still buried under rubble; others are reportedly missing.
Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 – July 29, 2026: ~1,663 – including ~1,139** on October 7, 2023 (~36 children), 472 military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza, about 52 military and civilians (by one count, there have been 59 victims) in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel (these numbers do not include deaths from the conflicts with Lebanon or Iran).
**NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries of Israelis on October 7 were caused by Israeli soldiers.
- Human rights reports on Israel-Palestine (regularly updated)
- Zelensky’s big idea for Trump: Ukraine is the Israel of Europe
- In Michigan’s Primary, Abdul El-Sayed Puts AIPAC on the Ballot
- Trump and Netanyahu’s Meetings: A Trail of Broken Promises
- ‘A disaster for America First’: Trump allies fear Netanyahu meeting will pull US deeper into war with Iran
- ‘Hell on Earth’: Roger Waters on Palestine, Apartheid and the Cost of Speaking Out
- ISRAELI MEDIA: Israelis Fight Over Framing of West Bank Attacks. But Settler Violence Is an Israeli Strategy (2 articles)
- Attacks on Mamdani Prove Israel’s Supporters Can’t Even Tolerate Criticism of Netanyahu
- Integrated Israeli Policies Fast‑Track Israeli Annexation of Palestinian Land
- ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan dared to hold Israel to account – that’s why he was brought down
- Why did Bari Weiss fire Cecilia Vargas?
- Five decades of Israeli covert strategy to push US, Iran into confrontation
- ‘We want to see blood’: Israeli political leadership and settler groups call for revenge against Palestinians
- The Spark in Tell: How a Village Resistance Disrupted Israel’s West Bank Strategy
- The Eighth Front: Inside Israel’s $1 Billion Influence Campaign
