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Here’s where things stand on Saturday 27 June 2025:
- US President Donald Trump says he believes it is possible that a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict will be reached “within next week” despite there being no sign of any negotiations being under way.
- Gaza’s Government Media Office says at least 549 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces while trying to access humanitarian supplies in the past four weeks, and a further 4,066 were injured at or near US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution sites.
- Israel targets Nabatieh in south Lebanon, killing at least one woman and wounding 20 others, after killing two in drone strikes yesterday.
- Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 56,331 people and wounded 132,632, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7 attacks, and more than 200 were taken captive.
US claims it ‘remains committed’ to pursuing nuclear deal with Iran
The United States has told the United Nations Security Council that its strikes on Iran last weekend were intended to “destroy Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity and stop the threat that this rogue regime obtains and uses a nuclear weapon”, according to a letter seen by Reuters.
In the message addressed to the 15-member council, acting US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea said Washington “remains committed to pursuing a deal with the Iranian government”.
The US invoked Article 51 of the UN Charter to justify the attacks, describing them as acts of collective self-defence.
Under the charter, member states are required to promptly inform the Security Council of any military action taken in response to an armed attack.
‘A lot of chatter’, but no sign of Gaza ceasefire talks
There are no ceasefire negotiations, at least that we know of. We know that a Hamas delegation was in Cairo. Israel hasn’t sent a delegation of negotiators to Cairo for indirect talks, but ever since the ceasefire with Iran has been announced, there’s been a lot of chatter.
Certainly, the families of Israeli captives on the Israeli side, the opposition, has been pushing for that, and it seems that there’s openness for Israel to engage in such talks, not about ending the war, perhaps, but certainly about 60 days of ceasefire that would allow the release of captives.
Incidentally, of course, Netanyahu’s chief negotiator, Ron Dermer, will be in Washington on Monday to discuss Gaza and other things on the agenda between Israel and Washington.
Hamas, meanwhile, wants an end to the war just as all the Palestinians do. They want an end to the slaughter, but in terms of negotiation, what Hamas is talking about for the ceasefire, even in the 60 days, is that Israel needs to withdraw their forces to where they were when a ceasefire was in place.
Israeli troops are in nearly 80 percent of the Gaza Strip, squeezing nearly 2 million people in about 20 percent of that small enclave. So, the situation in terms of the humanitarian condition is untenable. It is catastrophic by all measures.
Hamas is also looking for US guarantees that Israel wouldn’t do this time what it did last time in March, which is to break the ceasefire when it sees fit, and that the US would commit to continued negotiations on ending the war, even if those negotiations go past the 60-day mark.
Israel using Gaza as ‘political ploy’ amid rising civilian death toll
Al Jazeera political analyst Marwan Bishara has said Israeli leaders are prolonging the war in Gaza despite having multiple opportunities to end it.
“They could have ended the war weeks, even months ago – they didn’t,” Bishara said. “There was no ceasefire because they wanted to continue the war, not because there were compelling reasons not to.”
His remarks come as harrowing new details emerge from Gaza. Bishara described the Israeli campaign as “especially evil” in recent weeks, with the army targeting “starving refugees, displaced mourning families”, and children trying to bring food to their relatives.
Meanwhile, following a Haaretz newspaper report cited unnamed soldiers saying they were told to shoot into crowds, Bishara added that “we’ve seen the war on children, on hospitals, on doctors, on journalists”.
“Now, it’s clear they’ve actually taken orders to do this,” he said.
Photos: Aftermath of Israeli attack on family home in northern Gaza
Israeli army issues new forced displacement orders for Gaza
The Israeli army has issued forced displacement orders to multiple areas of Gaza, including the municipalities of Nuseirat, Zahraa, and Mughraqa, and the neighbourhoods of the northern coast, al-Nuzha, al-Bawadi, al-Basma, al-Zahraa, al-Basatin, Badr, Abu Hureira, al-Rawda, and al-Safa.
“For your sake, evacuate immediately south to the al-Mawasi area and do not return to areas affected by the fighting,” the army’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, said in a post on X.
The Israeli army “is operating with extreme force to destroy the organisational capabilities in these areas, as all areas are being used for launching rockets”, Adraee added.
Saudi Arabia condemns deadly Israeli settler violence in occupied West Bank
Saudi Arabia has strongly condemned a recent wave of Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
In a post on X, its foreign ministry expressed “the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s condemnation and denunciation of the continued violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers, under the protection of the occupation forces, against Palestinian civilians, including the attacks in the village of Kafr Malik, east of Ramallah”.
The statement went on to criticise Israeli military actions in Gaza, adding, “The Kingdom reiterates its condemnation of the continued Israeli violence against unarmed civilians in Gaza, including the targeting of civilian sites housing displaced persons.”
What is behind EU’s lack of action against Israel over Gaza?
An EU summit in Brussels calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, but not for sanctions against Israel.
Germany has led member states in blocking action throughout the war, as others express anger.
What is behind the EU’s position on Israel and Gaza?
If you’re just joining us
Here is a recap of the latest developments:
- Israeli officers and soldiers have told the Haaretz newspaper they were instructed to shoot at unarmed Palestinians seeking aid at designated distribution zones in Gaza, despite the crowds posing no threat.
- Iran has rejected a “meaningless” request by International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi to visit facilities bombed by Israel and the US. Donald Trump has said Iran must open its nuclear facilities to international inspection.
- Gaza’s Government Media Office has expressed its “deep concern and condemnation” over the discovery of “narcotic pills of the type ‘Oxycodone’” inside flour bags distributed by the US and Israeli-backed aid centres in the enclave.
- Six people were reportedly killed in southern Gaza near one of the aid distribution sites operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), with Gaza’s civil defence saying at least 62 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since dawn.
- The Israeli military says it has shot down a projectile fired from Gaza, following sirens that sounded in communities near the border.
Four injured in Israeli drone strike on southern Lebanon: Ministry
Four people have been injured in an Israeli drone strike on the southern Lebanese town of Chaqra, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, marking another breach of the ceasefire agreement signed last November.
The ministry’s Public Health Emergency Operations Center confirmed the casualties, which occurred in the district of Bint Jbeil, a frequent target of Israeli air raids in recent months.
Despite the truce, Israeli forces have carried out near-daily attacks on southern Lebanon, saying they are aimed at Hezbollah targets.
Lebanese authorities have documented nearly 3,000 violations of the ceasefire, with at least 215 people killed and more than 500 wounded since the deal was signed.
PIJ’s armed wing claims attack on Israeli soldiers in central Gaza
The armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, al-Quds Brigades, has said its fighters have targeted Israeli soldiers with 107 rockets east of the so-called Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza.
We have reported earlier that they claimed to have attacked Israeli soldiers in twice already today. The first attack came east of Hamad City, north of Khan Younis, with 60-calibre mortar shells and the second one in the Jorat al-Lut area, south of Khan Younis.
Trump claims to have ‘saved’ Iran’s leader from Israeli strike
US President Donald Trump has claimed he personally stopped a final Israeli air strike targeting Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, accusing Tehran’s leadership of lying about the outcome of the war.
Posting on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “Why would the so-called ‘Supreme Leader,’ Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, of the war-torn country of Iran, say so blatantly and foolishly that he won the war with Israel, when he knows his statement is a lie?”
Trump said that during the final days of the 12-day conflict, he “demanded that Israel bring back a very large group of planes, which were heading directly to Tehran… the biggest attack of the war, by far”.
He claimed Khamenei had been sheltered and that he “saved him from a very ugly and ignominious death”.
Trump added he had been preparing sanction relief for Iran, but dropped it after Khamenei’s post-war comments, saying Iran faced “a burned out, blown up country, with no future”.
Trump claims Gaza ceasefire possible to be reached ‘within next week’
President Donald Trump said on Friday he believes it is possible that a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict will be reached within a week.
Trump, at an Oval Office event celebrating a Congo-Rwanda accord, told reporters that he believes a ceasefire is close.
He said he had been just been talking to some of the people involved in trying to reach a ceasefire to hostilities between Israel and Hamas.
Netanyahu denies Israeli army ordered troops to shoot Gaza aid seekers
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz have rejected a report that Israeli commanders instructed soldiers to fire at Palestinians approaching food aid distribution sites in Gaza.
The Haaretz newspaper report cited unnamed soldiers saying they were told to shoot into crowds even when no immediate threat was posed.
In a joint statement, Netanyahu and Katz denounced the report as “contemptible blood libels” and “malicious falsehoods”.
Since late May, nearly 550 Palestinians have been killed near aid distribution points, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, amid a controversial US and Israeli-backed distribution scheme that has been widely criticised by human rights groups.
As wars erupt and end elsewhere, Gaza is neglected
Israel and Iran fought for 12 days, firing bombs, drones and missiles at each other, with the United States even joining in the bombing. Then, earlier this week, it stopped.
Last month, India and Pakistan attacked each other, and the world feared the outbreak of an all-out war between the two nuclear powers. But then, after four days, it stopped.
In Gaza, we haven’t been so lucky. The word “ceasefire” doesn’t apply to us – even after 20 months of slaughter, death, and starvation.
Instead, as wars erupt and end elsewhere, Gaza is neglected, slipping down the news agenda, and disconnected from the internet for days.
World leaders that can end wars decisively can’t deliver medicine to Gaza, can’t bring in food aid without daily bloodshed.
Read more here.
Malign intent’: Iran rejects IAEA chief’s request to visit bombed nuclear sites
Iran has rejected a “meaningless” request by International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi to visit facilities bombed by Israel and the US.
“Grossi’s insistence on visiting the bombed sites under the pretext of safeguards is meaningless and possibly even malign in intent,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X.
“Iran reserves the right to take any steps in defence of its interests, its people and its sovereignty.”
Death toll rises in Israeli attack on Gaza school
A source at al-Shifa Hospital has told our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic that the death toll in an attack on the Holy Family school west of Gaza City has risen to 11.
Israel claims to have intercepted projectile fired from Gaza
The Israeli military says it has shot down a projectile fired from Gaza, following sirens that sounded in communities near the border.
In a statement posted on X, the army said: “Following the sirens that sounded in open areas near the communities near the Gaza Strip, a projectile launched from the Gaza Strip was identified crossing into Israeli territory and was intercepted.”
Israeli army says Hezbollah to blame for civilian death in strike carried out by Israel
Israel has made a statement about its attack earlier today, which targeted the city of Nabatieh in south Lebanon, and killed at least one woman and wounded 20 others.
The army laid blame on Lebanon’s Hezbollah armed group for the civilian casualties, despite its targeted strike.
“A review indicates that as a result of the strike, a rocket belonging to the Hezbollah … that was stored at the site, was launched and hit the civilian building,” the army said in a statement, saying the strike was aimed at a site belonging to the Lebanese group.
Hezbollah “continues to endanger the residents of southern Lebanon by refusing to hand over its weapons to the state”, the army added.
Israel has continued to violate the ceasefire agreement it agreed to with Hezbollah late last year.
- Israeli army says Hezbollah to blame for civilian death in strike carried out by IsraelIsrael has made a statement about its attack earlier today, which targeted the city of Nabatieh in south Lebanon, and killed at least one woman and wounded 20 others.The army laid blame on Lebanon’s Hezbollah armed group for the civilian casualties, despite its targeted strike.“A review indicates that as a result of the strike, a rocket belonging to the Hezbollah … that was stored at the site, was launched and hit the civilian building,” the army said in a statement, saying the strike was aimed at a site belonging to the Lebanese group.Hezbollah “continues to endanger the residents of southern Lebanon by refusing to hand over its weapons to the state”, the army added.Israel has continued to violate the ceasefire agreement it agreed to with Hezbollah late last year.Click here to share on social media
- 3h ago (19:15 GMT)PIJ’s armed wing claims attacks on Israeli forces in Khan YounisThe armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, al-Quds Brigades, says its fighters carried out two separate attacks on Israeli forces operating in southern Gaza.The first attack claimed to have targeted Israeli troops east of Hamad City, north of Khan Younis, with 60-calibre mortar shells.Separately, a joint assault carried out alongside the armed wing of Hamas, Qassam Brigades, saw a group of Israeli troops and military vehicles shelled heavily as they penetrated the vicinity of Halima Mosque in the Jorat al-Lut area, south of Khan Younis, the al-Quds Brigades’ statement read on Telegram.The group did not elaborate on the results of the attacks.
PIJ’s armed wing claims attacks on Israeli forces in Khan Younis
The armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, al-Quds Brigades, says its fighters carried out two separate attacks on Israeli forces operating in southern Gaza.
The first attack claimed to have targeted Israeli troops east of Hamad City, north of Khan Younis, with 60-calibre mortar shells.
Separately, a joint assault carried out alongside the armed wing of Hamas, Qassam Brigades, saw a group of Israeli troops and military vehicles shelled heavily as they penetrated the vicinity of Halima Mosque in the Jorat al-Lut area, south of Khan Younis, the al-Quds Brigades’ statement read on Telegram.
The group did not elaborate on the results of the attacks.