Israeli Military Takes More Territory, Kills Two People in Gaza, Medics and Witnesses Say

 Palestinians make their way past the rubble of residential buildings destroyed during the Israeli offensive as displaced people shelter in tents, in Gaza City, June 15, 2026. (Reuters)
Palestinians make their way past the rubble of residential buildings destroyed during the Israeli offensive as displaced people shelter in tents, in Gaza City, June 15, 2026. (Reuters)
TT

Israeli Military Takes More Territory, Kills Two People in Gaza, Medics and Witnesses Say

 Palestinians make their way past the rubble of residential buildings destroyed during the Israeli offensive as displaced people shelter in tents, in Gaza City, June 15, 2026. (Reuters)
Palestinians make their way past the rubble of residential buildings destroyed during the Israeli offensive as displaced people shelter in tents, in Gaza City, June 15, 2026. (Reuters)

An Israeli ‌strike killed at least two Palestinians in the central Gaza Strip, health officials said, as residents of an area in the north of the enclave fled their homes after Israeli forces expanded their control in the territory.

Medics said an Israeli strike near a residential building in the Nuseirat refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip, killed two brothers, Ahmed and Mahmoud Abu Heen. The Israeli military did not immediately comment.

An October 2025 truce brokered by US President Donald Trump has so far failed to halt Israeli attacks in Gaza or to secure the disarmament of the Hamas group.

The new deaths brought to nearly 1,000 the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since October, according to the Gaza health ministry. Israel says four of its soldiers have been ‌killed by fighters ‌in that period.

The violence comes as Nickolay Mladenov, Trump's ‌Board ⁠of Peace envoy for ⁠Gaza, arrived in Cairo to pursue talks that mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye have held with Hamas leaders over implementing the second phase of Trump's Gaza plan, sources close to the talks said.

Israel and Hamas remain deadlocked over how to proceed with the next stage of Trump's Gaza plan, which involves Hamas laying down its arms and Israeli withdrawals.

ISRAEL TAKES MORE GAZA LAND

Israeli troops still control more than 60% of Gaza's territory, where they have ordered residents out ⁠and destroyed remaining buildings.

On May 28, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed ‌that he had directed Israel's military to expand its ‌hold and take control of 70% of the enclave.

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

On Sunday, Israeli forces sent tanks further into the Al-Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City in the north, forcing several families to flee. Reuters footage, taken on Monday, showed two yellow blocks used as boundary markers that had been moved ‌closer to houses.

"I swear we don't know where to go," said Umm Muhammad Junaynah, a resident of Al-Tuffah, as she struggled ⁠to hold back tears. "We ⁠are getting our furniture out, we don't know where to go. We don't know where to go, we have nowhere to go."

Nearly the entire population of 2 million people, most of whom have been displaced several times, now live in a tiny strip of land along the coast, mainly in makeshift tents or damaged buildings, under Hamas control.

"It was a night of terror, we were scared," said Nour Shabat, a 27-year-old woman, referring to events of Sunday night in Al-Tuffah.

The territory has been bombarded to ruins by Israel's two-year military assault that followed the 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel.

"I'm tired of displacement, honestly I'm tired of displacement. What is our fault that this is happening to us?" said Shabat.

"Should I take my belongings, myself and go sleep in the street? I have slept in the streets many times and I have been displaced many times. I'm tired and can't handle anymore. Enough, I am tired."



Iraqi PM to Visit Tehran This Week

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi attends a meeting with US President Donald Trump (not pictured) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 14 July 2026. (EPA)
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi attends a meeting with US President Donald Trump (not pictured) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 14 July 2026. (EPA)
TT

Iraqi PM to Visit Tehran This Week

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi attends a meeting with US President Donald Trump (not pictured) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 14 July 2026. (EPA)
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi attends a meeting with US President Donald Trump (not pictured) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 14 July 2026. (EPA)

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi will visit Tehran ‌within ‌the coming ‌week, ⁠the Iraqi state ⁠news agency reported on ⁠Sunday.

During ‌the visit, ‌the prime minister will ‌sign memoranda of ⁠understanding in ⁠Tehran in areas of cooperation.

Al-Zaidi had visited the United States earlier this week where he met with President Donald Trump.

Trump praised the new PM, saying the US is “going to have a long-term relationship with Iraq. We're going to have a long-term relationship with a man that will be a great leader.”

“It's a great honor to have the Prime Minister of Iraq with us. He's been a great fighter, and he's been a great fan of America,” he went on to say.

Iraq signed 48 agreements and partnerships with American companies, many in the oil sector, during al-Zaidi's visit.

Al-Zaidi, a businessman, came to power this year with US blessing after Trump vetoed another candidate.

He has vowed to boost Iraq's fragile economy and disarm pro-Iran armed groups in Iraq that have targeted US facilities.

Iraq has long walked a tightrope between the competing influences of allies the United States and neighboring Iran.


Rubio Hails Lebanon for Peace Efforts After Meeting Aoun

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun attends a press conference, at the presidential palace, in Baabda, Lebanon January 17, 2025. (Reuters)
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun attends a press conference, at the presidential palace, in Baabda, Lebanon January 17, 2025. (Reuters)
TT

Rubio Hails Lebanon for Peace Efforts After Meeting Aoun

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun attends a press conference, at the presidential palace, in Baabda, Lebanon January 17, 2025. (Reuters)
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun attends a press conference, at the presidential palace, in Baabda, Lebanon January 17, 2025. (Reuters)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Washington on Sunday, praising the country for its "move towards peace" after the latest round of Lebanon-Israel talks. 

It was the first trip to the US capital by a Lebanese head of state since Michel Suleiman was received by Barack Obama in 2009. 

Aoun and Rubio held talks at the State Department, and Lebanese officials said Aoun is due to meet with President Donald Trump on Tuesday. 

Rubio commended the Lebanese government for its "determined effort to reclaim Lebanon's sovereignty, disarm Hezbollah and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure, and move towards peace," the State Department said following the talks. 

Lebanon and Israel, which do not have formal diplomatic relations, began US-sponsored negotiations in April aimed at reaching a peace deal and permanently ending the Israel-Hezbollah war. 

On June 26, they reached a framework agreement in Washington under which the Israeli military is to withdraw from southern Lebanon and the Lebanese army is to deploy, starting with two "pilot zones." 

But the agreement is contingent on the disarmament of Iran-backed group Hezbollah, which has flatly rejected both the deal and the Israel-Lebanon negotiations that underpin it. 

Following the latest round of talks last week in Rome, Israel and Lebanon agreed on the structure and guidelines for implementing the pilot zones, according to the United States. 

Rubio said Washington was committed "to supporting the successful implementation of the Trilateral Framework and to backing the Government of Lebanon's efforts to deliver peace, economic recovery, and a better future for the Lebanese people." 

Hezbollah pulled Lebanon into the Middle East war on March 2, when it began striking Israel in support of its backer Iran. 

Israel responded with airstrikes and a ground invasion, and despite a ceasefire it continues sporadic attacks and holds territory in the south in what it describes as a "security zone." 

While in Washington, Aoun planned talks "on the situation in Lebanon and ways to strengthen the ceasefire" as well as on "the withdrawal of Israel from the Lebanese regions it occupies," his office said earlier. 

The United States carried out airstrikes on Sunday to "punish" Iran after the first US military deaths since open hostilities rekindled the Middle East war. 


Jordan Summons Iranian Diplomat Over ‘Unjustified’ Attacks

The Jordanian capital, Amman. Petra file photo
The Jordanian capital, Amman. Petra file photo
TT

Jordan Summons Iranian Diplomat Over ‘Unjustified’ Attacks

The Jordanian capital, Amman. Petra file photo
The Jordanian capital, Amman. Petra file photo

Jordan has summoned Iran's charge d'affaires in Amman over what it ‌called "unjustified ‌and blatant Iranian ‌attacks" ⁠and "provocative and inflammatory ⁠statements targeting the Kingdom's territory," Jordan's ministry of foreign affairs ⁠said in ‌a ‌statement on ‌Sunday. 

Over the ‌last week, Jordan has repeatedly said that ‌it has intercepted Iranian missiles flying ⁠over ⁠its territory, including three that it shot down on Sunday, according to the country's military.