Trump accuses Hamas of blocking ceasefire efforts

US President Donald Trump has said Hamas is not interested in a ceasefire and captive release deal, a day after his envoy said US negotiators are pulling out of talks in Qatar.

Speaking at the White House, Trump also said he believes Hamas fighters are going “to be hunted down”.

Hamas responded to the US’s comments yesterday with surprise, saying it had submitted a positive and constructive response to the latest proposal it was offered.

Palestinian factions reject Witkoff statement, call Hamas response ‘positive’

A coalition of Palestinian armed groups and political-military factions that are fighting against Israel in Gaza and the occupied West Bank says the Hamas response to Israel during the ceasefire talks came after multilateral consultations with the aim of reaching a deal.

“We condemn the statement made by Steve Witkoff, the American partner of the occupation, who held the negotiating resistance delegation responsible for the failure to reach an agreement, despite the great flexibility and high level of responsibility demonstrated” in Qatar, the Palestinian Resistance Factions said in a statement.

It stated its commitment to a deal “that will end the suffering and halt the bloodshed and massacres perpetrated by the enemy against our oppressed Palestinian people”.

Hamas official rejects US characterisation of ceasefire talks: Report

Senior Hamas official Basem Naim has accused US envoy Steve Witkoff of misrepresenting the state of ceasefire talks, after Witkoff claimed Hamas was not “acting in good faith” with its response to the latest proposal and announced the US team would leave negotiations.

“The negative statements of the US envoy Witkoff run completely counter to the context in which the last negotiations were held, and he is perfectly aware of this, but they come to serve the Israeli position,” Naim told the AFP news agency.

Netanyahu says Israel, US considering ‘alternative options’ to talks with Hamas

Despite insistence from Hamas that it is ready to work towards a deal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that Israel and the US are weighing ways to secure the release of captives in Gaza that do not depend on a negotiated agreement with the Palestinian group.

“Hamas is the obstacle to a hostage release deal,” he claimed. “Together with our US allies, we are now considering alternative options to bring our hostages home, end Hamas’s terror rule, and secure lasting peace for Israel and our region.”

Gaza Famine PANICS Pro-Israel Media: THEY DID THIS

Why is the US silent about the starvation in Gaza? CNN NewsNight panel debates

More than a hundred aid and human rights groups are calling on the world to help the thousands of people starving in Gaza. CNN's Abby Phillip asks her NewsNight roundtable why the US isn't doing more.

US ‘strongly rejects’ French plan to recognise Palestine, Saudis hail ‘historic decision’

France intends to recognise a Palestinian state in September at the UN General Assembly, President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday in hopes of bringing peace to the region, but the plan drew angry rebukes from Israel and the United States. France24 International Affairs Editor Kethevane Gorjestani explains.

Armed Israeli settlers launch more attacks across occupied West Bank

Footage circulating online, which has been verified by Al Jazeera’s fact-checking Sanad agency, shows Israeli settlers, protected by soldiers, storming the village of al-Tuwani in Masafer Yatta south of Hebron.

They spread throughout the village, searching Palestinians’ homes amid a heavy military presence in the surrounding areas.

Settlers also attacked the al-Hamma area in the northern Jordan Valley, with the Wafa news agency reporting they fired live bullets near Palestinian tents.

Another settler attack was reported in the village of Kisan, east of Bethlehem. The settlers attacked Palestinian homes and vandalised them. They destroyed solar panels and a water network, and displaced 10 families.

In Nablus, Israeli soldiers in armoured vehicles stormed the al-Lubban Asharqiya and seized a citizen’s vehicle, while another raid took place in Beit Furik.

Israeli forces beat two elderly men in West Bank: Report

Israeli forces “severely beat” two elderly men while raiding the town of Bani Naim, near Hebron, and Masafer Yatta in the occupied West Bank, reports the Wafa news agency.

One of the men, aged 66, was hospitalised after the attack, according to Wafa.

Additionally, Israeli settlers assaulted three more Palestinians, including a village council head, in Masafer Yatta while being protected by Israeli forces, reports Wafa.

Israeli settlers shoot 14-year-old Palestinian near Ramallah: Report

A group of Israeli settlers has stormed the Palestinian village of al-Mughayyir, near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, and opened fire at people there, according to Wafa news agency.

One shot hit a 14-year-old in the leg near their home, according to witnesses cited by the agency, adding that Israeli forces also stormed the village later on.

Earlier, the Palestinian Authority said Israeli forces killed two other Palestinians, including a 19-year-old, in the Hebron area in the occupied West Bank.

UN chief decries ‘lack of humanity’ shown for Gaza

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called out the international community for neglecting Palestinians’ suffering in Gaza, which he said presents a “moral crisis that challenges the global conscience”.

“I cannot explain the level of indifference and inaction we see by too many in the international community – the lack of compassion, the lack of truth, the lack of humanity,” Guterres said at a global assembly of rights group Amnesty International.

Protesters condemn Gaza starvation in front of Egyptian embassies in Finland, Norway

In the Finnish capital, Helsinki, activists have demonstrated in solidarity with Palestinians in front of the main gate of the Egyptian embassy to express their rejection of the closure of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.

Footage posted by pro-Palestinian accounts showed activists placing pictures of Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on the ground in front of the embassy gate and pouring red paint on them. Police arrived to secure the embassy entrance.

Activists closed the iron gates of the Egyptian embassy in the Norwegian capital, Oslo, in protest against the starvation of the people of Gaza. Embassy security personnel tried to intervene.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DMhi4Y8tgxQ/

Mexico denounces Gaza’s humanitarian crisis

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum is the latest world leader to speak out on the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, where starvation has claimed nine lives today. “Of course, we condemn what is happening right now and Mexico is putting all its words and actions into building peace,” Sheinbaum said during a morning news conference.

Also today, the leaders of the UK, France and Germany released a joint statement saying the humanitarian crisis in Gaza “must end now” and that Israel should lift aid restrictions.

Another one with just words:

"Mexico and Israel have a strong and growing trade relationship, bolstered by a Free Trade Agreement signed in 2000. In 2023, two-way trade exceeded US$1.2 billion. Mexico is Israel's second-largest trading partner in Latin America, while Israel is Mexico's most significant partner in the Middle East"

Hind Rajab foundation files war crimes complaint against Israeli soldier in Cyprus

The foundation, named for a little girl killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, tracks the movements of Israeli soldiers who have operated in Gaza, urging world governments to arrest and prosecute them on war crimes charges.

Its latest criminal complaint was filed against Israeli paratrooper Tameer Mulla, an Arab Druze soldier it says is currently on Cypriot soil, “for his direct involvement in war crimes, crimes against humanity, and acts potentially amounting to genocide during Israel’s onslaught in the Gaza Strip between 2023 and 2025”.

The foundation alleges Mulla deliberately attacked civilian infrastructure, educational institutions, participated in the forced displacement of Palestinians and participated in incitement to genocide.

Houthis say considering escalating attacks on Israel

The Yemeni rebel group has claimed the earlier missile attack on Israel that we reported on, saying it was aimed at Beersheba in the south of the country and was carried out with a hypersonic missile.

“We attacked vital Israeli enemy targets in Umm al-Rashrash, Ashkelon, and Hadera with three drones”, Yahya Saree, the group’s military spokesperson, said.

“We are studying further escalation options to stop the aggression, starvation and genocide in Gaza”, he added.

The Houthis have been carrying out attacks on Israel and on commercial ships it says are linked to Israel for the duration of Israel’s war on Gaza.

Hundreds of UK MPs call for Palestine recognition

A group of 221 UK parliamentarians have signed a letter calling on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to formally recognise a Palestinian state.

The letter, shared on X by Labour MP Sarah Champion, urges the government to make the move before a UN conference in New York on July 28-29.

“We are expectant that the outcome of the conference will be the UK Government outlining when and how it will act on its long-standing commitment on a two-state solution; as well as how it will work with international partners to make this a reality,” reads the letter, backed by MPs of nine different parties.

“UK recognition would have a significant impact due to our historical connections and our membership on the UN Security Council, so we urge you to take this step,” the letter states.

Yesterday, French President Macron said his country would recognise Palestine, drawing the ire of Israeli officials.

221 MPs, from 9 parties, have sent a joint letter to the Prime Minister & Foreign Secretary urging them to recognise Palestine as a state now pic.twitter.com/b2hbX2XCGR

— Sarah Champion (@SarahChampionMP) July 25, 2025

UK’s Starmer says Palestine recognition must be part of ‘wider’ peace plan

The British prime minister has said he is “unequivocal” about the need to recognise a Palestinian state, but that it should “be part of a wider plan” that brings about a lasting two-state solution.

“This is the way to ensure it is a tool of maximum utility to improve the lives of those who are suffering,” Starmer said in a statement released by his office.

In the statement, Starmer also condemned the “appalling scenes” in Gaza and Israel’s “disproportionate military escalation”.

“The continued captivity of hostages, the starvation and denial of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people, the increasing violence from extremist settler groups, and Israel’s disproportionate military escalation in Gaza are all indefensible,” said Starmer.

As we reported, a group of 221 British MPs have urged Starmer to recognise Palestinian statehood.

Any sanctions yet? Any halt to sending more weapons / fighter jet parts yet? Or just arresting more people for supporting Palestine Action.

Domestic outcry over Gaza pushed France towards recognising Palestinian state: analyst

France’s move to recognise Palestinian statehood was partly fueled by growing domestic pressure, according to Jacques Reland, senior research fellow at the Global Policy Institute.

“There’s such an outcry over what’s happening, and he [French President Macron] had to do something,” Reland told Al Jazeera. “The French people are really upset, and not just the Muslim population, all of France,” Reland added. “Anyone with a soul should be at what’s going on in Gaza.”

While Reland acknowledged that France’s voice “is not that important” on its own, its decision on Palestinian statehood could push other influential European states, such as the UK, to move in the same direction, he said.

“The main point is to try to bring other European leaders … it is quite significant,” said Reland.

Protests help.

More of this

Protests for Gaza outside UK PM’s house on Downing Street

_{People attend a pro-Palestinian protest outside Downing Street, a demonstration featuring the banging of pots and pans to honour the Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers while queuing for food in Gaza, in London, UK, July 25}

_{Britain’s former Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn attends a pro-Palestinian protest outside Downing Street, in London, UK, July 25}

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Plus: Doctors are on strike; Mehdi Hasan broke the internet; & the latest from Gaza.

Qatar, Egypt say they will continue to work for Gaza ceasefire

Qatar and Egypt have released a joint statement to affirm their continued mediation efforts to reach an agreement that ends the war on Gaza, alleviates the humanitarian suffering, and ensures the protection of civilians and the exchange of Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners.

The two countries noted some progress in the latest round of the talks, which lasted for three weeks, and emphasised that it is normal in the context of complex negotiations to suspend engagement to hold consultations.

They said supposed leaks are circulating on a number of media outlets in order to “diminish” the efforts and influence the course of the negotiations. These leaks “do not reflect reality” and are “issued by parties uninformed about the progress of the negotiations”.

Qatar and Egypt said international media must remain ethically responsible in their reporting so they won’t undermine efforts to end the war that has caused much suffering.

Red Cross says Gaza bloodshed ‘must end now – immediately and decisively’

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has released a statement calling for an immediate end to the “abhorrent suffering” in Gaza.

“There is no excuse for what is happening in Gaza,” said ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric. “The scale of human suffering and the stripping of human dignity have long exceeded every acceptable standard – both legal and moral.”

“People are being relentlessly killed in hostilities and while attempting to get food,” said Spoljaric. “Children are dying because they do not have enough to eat. Families are being forced to flee again and again in search of safety that does not exist.”

“This tragedy must end now – immediately and decisively,” she added. “Every political hesitation, every attempt at justification of the horrors being committed under international watch will forever be judged as a collective failure to preserve humanity in war.”