Merchant vessel hit near Yemen’s Hodeidah port: UKMTO

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) says a merchant vessel has been hit by “five rocket-propelled grenades” 51 nautical miles (94km) in the Red Sea, west of Yemen’s Hodeidah port.

According to the British maritime agency, the vessel sustained “significant damage and has lost all propulsion”. “The vessel is surrounded by small craft and is under continuous attack,” said UKMTO.

It comes after Yemen’s Houthis claimed an attack on a Greek-managed vessel on Sunday that injured two people and left two missing.

Since November 2023, the Houthis have launched dozens of attacks on shipping vessels off Yemen’s coast, saying the action was in solidarity with Palestinians in the besieged and bombarded Gaza.

Two seafarers killed in attack on merchant vessel in Red Sea

At least two crew members of the Liberian-flagged, Greek-operated bulk carrier Eternity C were killed in a drone and speedboat attack off the coast of Yemen yesterday evening, Liberia’s shipping delegation has told a meeting of the International Maritime Organization.

Shortly before Monday’s attack, Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for a strike on the Liberia-flagged, Greek-operated MV Magic Seas bulk carrier on Sunday, saying the ship sank.

“Just as Liberia was processing the shock and grief of the attack against Magic Seas, we received a report that Eternity C again has been attacked, attacked horribly and causing [the] death of two seafarers,” Liberia’s delegate told the UN shipping agency’s gathering.

Two other crew members were injured in the attack, the Reuters news agency reported, quoting an unnamed source. Since June last year, six seafarers have been killed in attacks on vessels in the Red Sea.

Moreover, as we reported earlier, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a merchant vessel sustained significant damage and lost all propulsion after being attacked by five rocket-propelled grenades, west of Yemen’s Hodeidah port.

Yemen’s Houthis release footage of soldiers boarding, sinking ship

The Houthis in Yemen have aired footage of their attack on the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned Magic Seas, a cargo ship they sank after their special forces boarded it.

The group, which said the ship was attacked on Sunday because it had conducted business with Israeli ports, said its crew refused to heed warnings before it was hit with unmanned explosives-rigged boats. The crew was safely evacuated to Djibouti by a passing ship before Houthi soldiers blew it up with planted explosives.

The Houthis also attacked the Eternity C bulk carrier on Monday in the Red Sea, which according to the European Union’s naval mission Aspides killed three crew members and wounded two.

These were the first major naval attacks in the Red Sea since late 2024, and the deaths on the Eternity C constituted the first since June 2024.

Israeli army strikes another vehicle in southern Lebanon

The Israeli military launched another attack on a vehicle in Lebanon, this time in the town of Babliyah in the southern part of the country.

The National News Agency reported two missiles were fired at the vehicle and drones continue to hover at low altitudes. Drone activity was also reported over Hermel in the south.

As we reported earlier, the Israeli army killed three people and wounded others in a strike on a car in northern Lebanon’s Tripoli that targeted a Hamas commander.

Largest Israeli demolition since 1967 gets under way in the West Bank

Imagine trying to go home, and each time you get closer, a soldier points their gun at you. And you have no idea if your house is still standing. That’s what some Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are going through right now.

The largest Israeli home demolition since 1967 is under way, as we speak. Three refugee camps are being emptied. Israeli soldiers have been pushing deeper into Jenin, Tulkarem and Nur Shams refugee camps and forcing people out. Some are given just hours to collect a lifetime’s belongings.

All three camps are now off-limits. Soldiers shoot at anyone who tries to return.

We don’t know the full scale of the destruction. But based on local authorities and army demolition orders, we know that 690 homes have been completely demolished in Jenin, and 340 more are in the process of being demolished. In Tulkarem, 285 homes have been fully destroyed and 400 more are targeted. And in Nur Shams, 225 homes have been levelled.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been displaced, and they have no idea when they will be allowed to return. And they fear they will return to a completely different camp than the one they left.

Israeli forces arrest Palestinians, set fire to house in West Bank raids

The Wafa news agency is reporting that Israeli soldiers set fire to a house in the Nur Shams refugee camp, in Tulkarem. Witnesses told Wafa that the house in the al-Manshiyya neighbourhood belongs to the Ghanem family, who were forced to flee.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces arrested two Palestinians after raiding their homes in the town of al-Khader, south of Bethlehem.

Israeli forces also arrested a young man from the Am’ari refugee camp, after raiding several towns in the Ramallah and el-Bireh governorate, Wafa reported.

Over 18,000 students killed in Gaza, West Bank since war began: Ministry

The Palestinian Education Ministry says at least 18,243 students and staff members, including teachers, have been killed and 31,643 wounded in Gaza and the occupied West Bank since Israel began its war in October 2023.

According to the ministry, more than 17,175 students were killed and 26,264 injured in Gaza, while 140 students were killed and 927 wounded in the West Bank.

Among teachers and administrative staff, 928 people were killed and 4,452 wounded across Gaza and the West Bank.

During the period, 768 students were arrested in the West Bank, as well as 199 teachers and administrative staff.

At least 252 public schools in Gaza have suffered severe damage, including the destruction of 118.

In the West Bank, 152 schools, eight universities and colleges were raided and damaged, with fences at several schools in Jenin, Tulkarem, Salfit, and Tubas also destroyed.

‘Total impunity’: EU commissioner condemns Israeli settler violence in West Bank

European Commissioner Hadja Lahbib has denounced escalating Israeli settler attacks in the occupied West Bank, saying they are continuing “with total impunity”.

In a post on X, Lahbib, who oversees the EU’s crisis management and equality portfolio, wrote: “Palestinian families and children continue to be forced to leave their homes in the West Bank because of repeated settler attacks.

“This escalating violence takes place with total impunity. Safe and voluntary returns must be guaranteed.”

Her comments follow a surge in settler violence. According to the UN, more than 740 settler attacks have impacted about 200 Palestinian communities in the first half of 2025 alone.

Earlier, we reported for the third day in a row Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian shepherds in the village of al-Minya, southeast of Bethlehem – part of a wider pattern of intimidation and forced displacement across the West Bank.

Dozens of countries condemn US sanctions on ICC

A group of 48 countries has expressed “deep concern” at the US’s recent sanctions against the International Criminal Court and condemned all threats and attacks against the tribunal’s judges and staff.

“We stand with the court and are determined to continue our full support for it so that it can continue to operate independently and effectively,” the countries said in a statement.

The statement comes after the Trump administration announced sanctions against ICC officials, naming four judges whom it accuses of taking “illegitimate and baseless actions” against the US and its allies, including Israel.

US fully ‘engaged’ in attacks on Gaza

Annelle Sheline, a former US State Department official, says it is not only Israel committing “horrific crimes” in Gaza, but the United States is also an accomplice.

She noted that American mercenaries are now on the ground in Gaza as part of the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

“There’s been whistleblowers reporting these Americans are firing on Palestinians seeking aid. So to be clear, it is not only the Israeli government and members of the Israeli military who are engaged in these crimes,” said the research fellow for the Middle East at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.

Discussing the proposal to force the 2.3 million population out of Gaza, she said US President Trump appears to be completely behind the ethnic-cleansing plan.

“Unfortunately, Trump has displayed a complete disregard for international law and seems fully committed to this plan put forward to move Palestinians into concentration camps and then move them somewhere else,” Sheline told Al Jazeera.


_{Palestinians behind gates before entering a food distribution site operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation}

Israel’s Morag Corridor in Gaza main obstacle in ceasefire talks: Reports

Israeli media report that disagreements over the military corridor built by Israel in southern Gaza to cut off Rafah from other parts of the enclave constitute the main sticking point at indirect ceasefire talks with Hamas taking place in Qatar.

Israel insists on maintaining “operational control” of the corridor during the 60-day ceasefire, with the aim of allowing it to proceed with the plan to concentrate Palestinians in camps built on the ruins of Rafah, according to Haaretz, Channel 12, and other Israeli media.

But Hamas demands that invading Israeli soldiers leave the area during the truce. Egypt and Qatar have strongly opposed the plan to concentrate Palestinians or relocate them out of Gaza.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who earlier said that an agreement could come by the end of the week, is expected to travel to Doha soon to join the talks.

Main events on July 8th

• The Israeli military killed nearly 100 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip since dawn as Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington continues with talks on a 60-day ceasefire.
• Israel’s prime minister insisted “Gaza will no longer be a threat” as Israel advances plans to concentrate Palestinians in a “humanitarian city” near Rafah.
• The Israeli army said it targeted several vehicles in northern and southern Lebanon, and one attack allegedly killed a “key” Hamas commander in Tripoli.
• Four people were killed after the Houthis in Yemen struck a ship in the Red Sea in opposition to the war on Gaza.
• The Zeitoun Medical Clinic in Gaza City ceased operations because of Israeli attacks, and the director of Al-Shifa Hospital told Al Jazeera fuel supplies will run out by morning as Israel blocks aid.
• Hamas said the ambush by Qassam Brigades last night that killed five Israeli soldiers and wounded several others included three explosive charges and a gun battle.
• Armed and masked settlers and Israeli soldiers launched more attacks against Palestinian land and cities across the occupied West Bank.

Israel’s Gaza plan: ‘Concentration camps for reeducation and deportation’

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has denounced the killings of Palestinians in Gaza as Israeli attacks continue and Netanyahu visits Washington, DC.

“In a sane world, the Israeli government’s slaughter of nearly 80 helpless Palestinians in a single day using American weapons would be major news and members of Congress would treat Benjamin Netanyahu like Hannibal Lecter. Instead, Israel’s daily killing machine is largely ignored while Netanyahu, a wanted war criminal, walks freely on Capitol Hill,” CAIR said in a statement.

“The Israeli government is trying to slaughter as many Palestinians as it can as ceasefire discussions progress, and then place those remaining in modern-day concentration camps for reeducation and deportation. The Trump administration must stop enabling this madness.”

Did Trump, Netanyahu announce permanent occupation of Gaza amidst mass starvation?

US President Donald Trump invited his friend Benjamin Netanyahu, current wanted by the International Criminal Court, to White House for a lavish dinner amidst mass starvation of two million people in Gaza. Netanyahu proudly announced the permanent occupation of Gaza as he presented a letter to Trump claiming to have recommended him for the Nobel Peace Prize. Rifat Jawaid highlights what he says is the irony of epic proportions.

This Should Be Front Page News - It Isn't Because It's Israel

Israel has proposed building a 'humanitarian city' on the ruins of Rafah - but its an idea straight out of 1930's Europe.

Israel has never lacked for euphemisms, but with its latest plan for Rafah, it may have outdone even itself. In what Defense Minister Israel Katz is calling a “humanitarian city,” Israel intends to corral the last surviving Palestinians into a sealed enclosure atop the rubble of their former homes, with no freedom of movement, no future, and no way out — unless, of course, they agree to leave Gaza forever.

In another context, this might be called mass internment. In Israel’s PR machine, it’s “relief.” The cruelty here isn’t just the policy — it’s the branding. What is being presented as a sanctuary is, in function and form, a concentration camp. Israel’s plan for Rafah is not a humanitarian response but the culmination of a campaign of ethnic cleansing — and arguably I would suggest this is a blueprint, perhaps, for how genocide will be carried out in the 21st Century

"Freedom to Choose"?: Peter Beinart Slams Trump-Netanyahu Plan for Ethnic Cleansing of Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump this week in Washington, D.C. Trump and Netanyahu are discussing Israel's war in Gaza, with Netanyahu suggesting that new plans for the forced relocation of refugees to other countries would give Palestinians the "freedom" to choose.

But what Palestinians actually want is "the freedom to return to the places from which their families were expelled," says Peter Beinart, editor-at-large at Jewish Currents and the author of "Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza." "What kind of freedom is it when you have an area where most of the buildings and the hospitals and the schools and the bakeries and the agriculture have all been destroyed, where you have more child amputees than any other place on Earth?"

Israel Is Building A CONCENTRATION CAMP In Gaza