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Israeli Military Kills Six in Gaza and Expands Control Zone, Locals Say

Palestinians assess damage at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on June 7, 2026. (AFP)
Palestinians assess damage at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on June 7, 2026. (AFP)
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Israeli Military Kills Six in Gaza and Expands Control Zone, Locals Say

Palestinians assess damage at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on June 7, 2026. (AFP)
Palestinians assess damage at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on June 7, 2026. (AFP)

Israeli strikes killed six Palestinians, including a child, in the Gaza Strip on Monday, health officials there said, as Israel's military expanded the area under its control, according to residents. 

The reports came as mediators in Cairo said they were pressing on with efforts to salvage a fragile US-brokered ceasefire deal that has ended major clashes but left many key points unresolved. 

Medics said two people were killed when an Israeli strike hit near a tent encampment in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis in the south of the enclave. 

In the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, medics said three Palestinians, including an 8-year-old boy, were killed and others were wounded in an ‌Israeli airstrike that ‌hit near a group of people digging a well. 

Later on Monday, an ‌Israeli ⁠airstrike near the ⁠Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza Strip, killed one person and wounded three others, medics said, taking Monday's death toll to six. 

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the reports of the attacks or of its forces moving markers to expand the "Yellow Zone" under their control. 

Israel and Hamas have repeatedly accused each other of violating the truce. Israeli strikes have killed more than 950 people since the truce, health officials say, while Israel says four soldiers were killed by fighters during the same period. 

ISRAEL'S NETANYAHU ORDERED EXPANSION 

Israeli ⁠troops still control more than 60% of Gaza's territory, where they have ordered ‌residents out and destroyed remaining buildings. Nearly the entire population of ‌2 million people now live in a tiny strip of land along the coast, mainly in makeshift tents or damaged ‌buildings, under Hamas control. 

The territory has been bombarded to ruins by Israel's two-year military assault that ‌followed the 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel. On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed that he had directed Israel's military to expand its hold and take control of 70% of the enclave. 

"We are not allowing them to arm themselves or harm us, and we are also eliminating their senior commanders," he said in a speech. 

Witnesses in the ‌southern Gaza areas said the Israeli forces have in the past few days expanded the "Yellow Zone", in some areas in eastern Khan Younis and northern ⁠Rafah where new markers ⁠and concrete blocks have been placed. 

They added that new markers bring forces closer to areas populated with tents and displacement centers. 

In Bani Suhaila town, in eastern Khan Younis, some people say they could see the tanks from their tents. 

MEDIATORS PRESS ON WITH TALKS 

Three days into a new round of ceasefire talks in Cairo, leaders of Hamas and other Palestinian groups told mediators that Israel must end attacks to allow discussion on the second phase. 

They demanded more flow of aid and goods into Gaza, and the retreat of Israeli forces to original October ceasefire lines. 

A Hamas official told Reuters on Monday that Israel had so far refused to make commitments to mediators over any of the demands made by Hamas and the factions. 

No agreement has been reached to implement a further US-backed plan for Israeli troops to withdraw, Hamas to disarm and Gaza to be rebuilt. 

"Israel refuses to end attacks on civilians in Gaza, allow 600 trucks of aid and goods into Gaza as agreed and it continues to occupy more land every day," the official said. 

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Arab World

Türkiye: Egypt Defense, Security Ties Bolster Regional Stability

Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler receives his Egyptian counterpart, Ashraf Salem Zaher, on July 13. (Turkish Defense Ministry/X)
Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler receives his Egyptian counterpart, Ashraf Salem Zaher, on July 13. (Turkish Defense Ministry/X)
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Türkiye: Egypt Defense, Security Ties Bolster Regional Stability

Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler receives his Egyptian counterpart, Ashraf Salem Zaher, on July 13. (Turkish Defense Ministry/X)
Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler receives his Egyptian counterpart, Ashraf Salem Zaher, on July 13. (Turkish Defense Ministry/X)

Türkiye emphasized that strengthening defense and security cooperation with Egypt, based on mutual trust and shared interests, would help advance peace and reinforce regional stability and security.

The Turkish Defense Ministry said a letter of intent on defense cooperation, signed during Egyptian Minister of Defense and Military Production Ashraf Salem Zaher’s visit to Ankara on Monday, reflected both countries’ determination to place their defense and security partnership on an institutional footing.

Ministry spokesman Zeki Akturk said on Thursday the document also reflected a strong desire to deepen ties rooted in history, while opening new areas of cooperation that could support peace, stability and security across the region.

Türkiye and Egypt share a strong legacy shaped by deep historical and cultural ties, Akturk said, adding that recent high-level visits had given military cooperation fresh momentum.

Cooperation expands

Akturk said contacts between military delegations had expanded as the two sides sought to deepen defense and security dialogue.

He said concrete steps had also been taken in military training, joint operations and defense industries.

Zaher’s visit, his first since taking office in February, was the first by an Egyptian defense minister since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi visited Türkiye on May 8, 2013, while serving as defense minister.

It followed a late-April 2024 visit to Ankara by former Egyptian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Osama Askar, the first senior Egyptian military official to travel to Türkiye after relations began a gradual return to normal following years of tension and stagnation since the fall of Muslim Brotherhood rule in Egypt in 2013.

Egypt’s current Armed Forces Chief of Staff, Ahmed Khalifa, made an official visit to Türkiye on May 8, 2025, when the two countries held their first high-level military dialogue.

They agreed to hold the dialogue annually at the level of the two chiefs of staff.

The talks focused on strengthening military cooperation, particularly in training and the exchange of expertise.

Egypt and Türkiye later signed a military cooperation agreement during Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Cairo on Feb. 4.

The visit also included the second meeting of the Strategic Cooperation Council, following its first session in Ankara during Sisi’s visit on Sept. 4, 2024.

Akturk also cited exercises held in June, first in Egypt and then in Türkiye, with participation by the air force.

He said they had significantly improved interoperability between the two armed forces, strengthened their joint operational capabilities, and expanded the exchange of expertise.

Talks in Ankara on Monday between Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler and Zaher covered bilateral defense and security issues, as well as ways to deepen cooperation, Akturk said.

The two sides signed the letter of intent at the end of the meeting.

Defense industry push

Zaher and his delegation also met Haluk Gorgun, head of Türkiye’s Defense Industries Agency, to discuss defense industry cooperation and the development of joint capabilities.

A letter of intent was signed during the meeting.

Zaher also visited Turkish defense electronics company Aselsan, where Chief Executive Ahmet Akyol received him.

The two sides discussed the company’s office in Egypt and new opportunities for defense industry cooperation.

The Egyptian delegation also visited the Ozdemir Bayraktar National Technology Center, where it was briefed on Turkish drone manufacturing technology during a meeting with Selcuk Bayraktar, chairman of Baykar, maker of the Bayraktar drone.

Turkish sources told some media outlets that Ankara had presented plans for joint production and technology transfers covering unmanned ground and aerial systems, armored combat vehicles, warships, naval platforms, electronic warfare technology and ammunition of various calibers.

The sources said the most significant step in the aviation talks was Egypt’s agreement to join Türkiye’s fifth-generation KAAN fighter jet production program.

They also said the two countries had made notable progress on plans for a local production line in Egypt for Bayraktar TB2 drones.

The project would aim to meet the needs of Egypt’s armed forces and turn the country into a regional production hub serving global export markets, particularly in Africa, the sources said.

Strategic ties

Egypt’s ambassador to Ankara, Wael Badawi, said the strategic partnership between Egypt and Türkiye rested on longstanding historical, cultural, commercial and humanitarian ties.

Speaking at a ceremony in Ankara on Tuesday marking Egypt’s national day and the anniversary of the July 23, 1952 revolution, Badawi said cooperation spanned several strategic sectors.

These included defense and military industries, construction, tourism, healthcare, transport, energy, mining, and air and maritime links.

Badawi said Egypt and Türkiye would continue to coordinate on regional and international issues, with the Palestinian issue leading the way, while supporting efforts to end the war in Iran and strengthen regional stability.

The deepening military relationship has stirred concern among some parties, particularly Israel and Greece.

Greek newspaper Kathimerini reflected those concerns, saying the recent growth in Turkish-Egyptian defense ties was causing unease in Greece.

In a report titled “Türkiye and Egypt Draw Closer on Defense,” the newspaper examined Zaher’s talks with the head of Türkiye’s Defense Industries Agency and the letter of intent signed at the close of the meeting.

It said the document could lay the groundwork for broader defense industry cooperation between the two countries.

The report also highlighted Zaher’s meetings in Türkiye, noting that Egypt was seeking to become a center for drone production, a leading export of Türkiye’s defense industry.

Kathimerini said the rapprochement did not currently pose a direct threat to Greek interests, but added to concerns at a time of shifting geopolitical balances across the region.

Arab World

Iraq Investigates Foiled Attempt to Smuggle Missiles, Drones into Syria

A member of Syria’s security forces holds parts of a drone smuggled from Iraq and seized at the al-Tanf border crossing. (Syrian Interior Ministry)
A member of Syria’s security forces holds parts of a drone smuggled from Iraq and seized at the al-Tanf border crossing. (Syrian Interior Ministry)
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Iraq Investigates Foiled Attempt to Smuggle Missiles, Drones into Syria

A member of Syria’s security forces holds parts of a drone smuggled from Iraq and seized at the al-Tanf border crossing. (Syrian Interior Ministry)
A member of Syria’s security forces holds parts of a drone smuggled from Iraq and seized at the al-Tanf border crossing. (Syrian Interior Ministry)

Iraq's Joint Operations Command announced on Thursday that it had formed an investigative committee to examine the circumstances surrounding the foiled attempt to smuggle a shipment of weapons and missiles across the Iraqi border into Syria.

Sources familiar with the matter said the Iraqi government intends to hold officials at a border crossing with Syria accountable if they are found to have facilitated the shipment's passage into Syria.

The developments come amid growing scrutiny of cross-border overland freight traffic between the two countries, including routes used to transport goods and fuel, as well as heightened monitoring of weapons supply routes to Lebanon's Hezbollah.

The Joint Operations Command said the committee was formed under an urgent directive from armed forces commander-in-chief Ali al-Zaidi and included security agencies and specialists to investigate the operation.

Baghdad would coordinate with Damascus to establish what happened and hold accountable any party found to have been negligent, it said.

The measures were aimed at strengthening security along the shared border and preventing Iraqi territory from being used for activities that threaten national security or regional stability, the statement added.

The Iraqi announcement came hours after Syrian authorities said they had intercepted a shipment of weapons and missiles at the Syrian-Iraqi border.

The cargo was hidden inside an oil tanker and, according to the Syrian account, was intended for Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

Syria’s state news agency SANA quoted an Interior Ministry source as saying specialized units had seized what it described as a shipment of advanced weapons entering Syrian territory.

The source said the cargo appeared to be bound for the Lebanese group.

Syria’s General Authority for Land and Sea Ports said an inspection at the al-Tanf border crossing uncovered large quantities of missiles, weapons, and drones inside an oil tanker heading to Banias.

Weapons hidden in an oil tanker

Iraqi security sources said the tanker left Iraq about nine days earlier after being officially registered as carrying fuel.

It completed customs procedures and was sealed before crossing the border, they said.

The tanker was moving as part of Iraqi fuel traffic to Syria, including shipments linked to supplying the Banias refinery with crude oil or petroleum products under commercial arrangements between the two countries.

The sources said fuel tankers could be harder to inspect than ordinary cargo, particularly when authorities relied on conventional screening methods.

The investigation would determine how the shipment passed through Iraqi checkpoints, including the al-Waleed border crossing, before it was seized at al-Tanf on the Syrian side, they said.

An Iraqi government source said the authorities were considering action against officials at al-Waleed if investigators found evidence of collusion or negligence.

Media reports citing sources said Syrian authorities did not inform Iraq of the seizure until after they had completed their investigation.

The reports said the detained driver had given statements indicating that employees at al-Waleed helped shipments pass through to Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

Sensitive frontier

The Iraqi-Syrian border is one of the region’s most sensitive security zones.

Stretching more than 600 km, it cuts through vast desert areas that have long complicated efforts to monitor the movement of people and goods.

Armed groups and smuggling networks have used the area in recent years to move fighters, weapons and prohibited materials, particularly during the war against ISIS, which controlled large parts of Iraq and Syria between 2014 and 2017.

Although Baghdad and Damascus have moved to strengthen border cooperation, smuggling remains a complex security challenge because of the terrain and the number of armed groups operating near the crossings.

The seizure comes as Iraq seeks to balance stronger economic ties with Syria with its security and diplomatic commitments to the United States and other Western countries that have imposed sanctions on networks linked to armed groups in the region.

The disclosure also coincided with Iraqi financial institutions beginning to enforce a new package of U.S. sanctions targeting financing and logistical support networks linked to Hezbollah.

The measures included asset freezes and restrictions on several individuals and companies.

Hezbollah has not commented on the Syrian allegations.

Iraqi authorities have yet to release final findings or identify those behind the attempted shipment.

The case comes amid continued international pressure on supply routes used by Iran-aligned armed groups, including overland corridors running from Iran through Iraq and Syria to Lebanon.

Iraqi and Syrian investigations are continuing into how the tanker crossed the border, who organized the shipment and how the fuel route to the Banias refinery was used.

Banias is economically important to both countries. It is home to one of Syria’s main oil refineries and provides access to the Mediterranean.

Iraq has recently sought to expand options for moving oil and petroleum products through Syria as part of efforts to diversify transport routes and reduce reliance on a single export corridor.

Reuters previously reported that Baghdad was seeking to increase oil shipments to Banias by road through Syria under existing agreements between the two countries.

Iraqi officials say the routes could bring economic gains, but border security and logistical concerns may require tighter controls on freight traffic.

Arab World

Lebanese Army Steps Up Security in the South Ahead of Technical Talks with Israel

A Lebanese soldier stands at a newly established checkpoint in the southern town of Froun, which is included in the proposed pilot zone. (AP)
A Lebanese soldier stands at a newly established checkpoint in the southern town of Froun, which is included in the proposed pilot zone. (AP)
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Lebanese Army Steps Up Security in the South Ahead of Technical Talks with Israel

A Lebanese soldier stands at a newly established checkpoint in the southern town of Froun, which is included in the proposed pilot zone. (AP)
A Lebanese soldier stands at a newly established checkpoint in the southern town of Froun, which is included in the proposed pilot zone. (AP)

The Lebanese army has stepped up military and security measures in an area proposed for inclusion in a pilot zone in southern Lebanon, announcing deployments across towns in the districts of Bint Jbeil, Tyre and Nabatieh.

The measures come amid an Israeli military escalation and the start of construction of a line of permanent positions inside the security zone Israel occupies in southern Lebanon, Israel’s Maariv newspaper reported.

The Lebanese army said it had deployed patrols, checkpoints and observation posts in Froun, Ghandouriyeh, Qalawayh, Burj Qalawayh and Kfar Dounin in the Bint Jbeil district, as well as Qaaqaiyat al-Jisr in the Nabatieh district and Srifa in the Tyre district.

It also released photographs showing military vehicles and personnel deployed in the towns.

The measures were introduced ahead of a technical meeting scheduled to take place by video conference on Friday, with representatives of the Lebanese, Israeli and US militaries expected to discuss implementation mechanisms for the pilot zone and determine which towns it would cover.

The proposed zone could include Zawtar al-Sharqiya, which is occupied by Israel, and Zawtar al-Gharbiya, part of which is under Israeli occupation. It could also cover Froun, Ghandouriyeh, Srifa, Qalawayh and Burj Qalawayh, where Israel maintains fire control but has no forces stationed.

Airstrikes

Meanwhile, the Israeli military continued its violations of the ceasefire agreement.

Israeli warplanes carried out two strikes on Thursday afternoon targeting the outskirts of the al-Deir neighborhood in Nabatieh al-Fawqa, firing several air-to-surface missiles.

The explosions echoed across the Nabatieh area, sending thick plumes of smoke into the air.

Two people were killed in the strikes, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported.

The Israeli military also set fire to several homes and plots of land on the outskirts of Beit Yahoun in the Bint Jbeil district.

Later in the afternoon, an Israeli drone carried out a guided-missile strike on the Ali al-Taher woodland on the outskirts of Nabatieh al-Fawqa.

At dawn, Israeli warplanes had also struck the outskirts of Baraachit and Beit Yahoun in the Bint Jbeil district.