Gaza Strikes

Israeli settlers besieged three Palestinian homes in the West Bank village of Qusra for five nights, drawing sharp US criticism, while the UAE accused Iran of attacking two ADNOC tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. Israeli strikes killed a Hamas commander in Gaza City, and a British firm began containing a massive oil spill from a grounded Russian shadow fleet tanker off Oman.

President Trump claimed new talks with Iran would begin Monday, but Tehran denied any direct negotiations, stating it is only discussing a safe-passage mechanism for the Strait of Hormuz with Oman. The Knesset extended emergency IDF mobilization for two more months, while Israeli strikes killed at least 22 Palestinians in Gaza. Iran executed two men convicted of spying for Mossad.

Prime Minister Netanyahu secretly departed for Washington to meet President Trump, with Iran topping the agenda, as the US-Iran strike pause extended past 48 hours. Israeli forces killed a Hamas internal security chief and an Islamic Jihad operative in Gaza, while conducting controlled detonations in south Lebanon. Houthi drones targeted Saudi oil infrastructure, and Iran rejected renewed US talks while asserting control over the Strait of Hormuz.

US and Iranian negotiators opened technical talks in Doha to implement the bilateral MoU, while Israel signaled it will not withdraw from southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed. Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi warned that any threat against Iran’s leadership would be met with an “immediate and decisive response.” In Gaza, Israeli strikes killed a Palestinian goalkeeper and injured civilians in Gaza City.

An IDF officer was killed in a clash with a Hezbollah gunman in southern Lebanon, the first Israeli fatality since a framework deal was signed. The US and Iran traded strikes near the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran launching missiles and drones at Bahrain and Kuwait. Iraq arrested senior officials in anti-corruption raids. Israel's government recognized the Armenian genocide.

President Trump announced that a US-Iran memorandum of understanding will be signed on Sunday, contradicting Tehran's denial of a weekend signing. Two Hezbollah drones struck an Israeli military zone near the Lebanon border without causing injuries, while the IDF continued operations in southern Lebanon, striking over 70 Hezbollah sites in the past 24 hours. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized the emerging deal as failing to achieve any of Israel's war goals.

President Trump convened a two-hour Situation Room meeting on a potential Iran deal but made no final decision, with the White House saying it is 'very close' but unresolved. Iran denied a deal is finalized and rejected terms including uranium transfer and Hormuz tolls. Hezbollah claimed over 20 attacks on Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, while the IDF confirmed troops crossed the Litani River and struck Hezbollah targets. The UN blacklisted Israel for conflict-related sexual violence for the first time.