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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)
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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."

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Arab World

China's Xi Arrives in Egypt

Chinese President Xi Jinping, with his wife First Lady Peng Liyuan, is welcomed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his wife First Lady Entissar Amer upon their arrival at Cairo International Airport for an official visit to Egypt, which is his first state visit to the country in 10 years, in Cairo on September 1, 2026. (AFP)
Chinese President Xi Jinping, with his wife First Lady Peng Liyuan, is welcomed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his wife First Lady Entissar Amer upon their arrival at Cairo International Airport for an official visit to Egypt, which is his first state visit to the country in 10 years, in Cairo on September 1, 2026. (AFP)
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China's Xi Arrives in Egypt

Chinese President Xi Jinping, with his wife First Lady Peng Liyuan, is welcomed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his wife First Lady Entissar Amer upon their arrival at Cairo International Airport for an official visit to Egypt, which is his first state visit to the country in 10 years, in Cairo on September 1, 2026. (AFP)
Chinese President Xi Jinping, with his wife First Lady Peng Liyuan, is welcomed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his wife First Lady Entissar Amer upon their arrival at Cairo International Airport for an official visit to Egypt, which is his first state visit to the country in 10 years, in Cairo on September 1, 2026. (AFP)

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Egypt on Tuesday on a rare trip to the Middle East amid the regional conflict with Iran.

Xi and his wife were greeted on the tarmac by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the first lady, as well as a performance by an Egyptian folk dance troupe.

The two-day visit comes as both countries seek to manage the fallout of the months-long Middle East war, which began when the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, throwing the crucial trade region into crisis.

Washington vowed last month to destabilize Iran economically, warning of expanded sanctions against Tehran's backers and partners that could hit Chinese banks, among others.

Xi's visit "comes at a time when China's economic interests are directly exposed to the US-Iran war", said Gamal Salama, political science professor at Egypt's Suez University.

China, a major buyer of Iranian oil, has presented itself as a neutral party in the Middle East conflict, repeatedly calling for a lasting ceasefire.

Egypt, a long-time recipient of US military aid, warned against regional escalation after a drone strike hit one of its ports in July.

China is "clearly seeking Egypt's cooperation in managing and shaping regional affairs", said Liu Jia, a research fellow at the Singapore-based Middle East Institute.

Beijing works closely with regional actors such as Egypt, which mediates between Israel and Palestinian groups, Liu added.

Both China and Egypt support an independent Palestinian state as part of a two-state solution.

"China sees Cairo as a strategic power broker," said Salama.

Egypt's "relations with both Washington and regional actors give Beijing both political access and diplomatic leverage across a region where China wants a much greater say," he added.

China's President Xi Jinping walks with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi followed by their wives Peng Liyuan and Entissar Amer upon their arrival at the Cairo International Airport, Egypt, September 1, 2026. (Reuters)

- 'Renewing the friendship' -

As part of its economic pressure campaign targeting Iran, Washington last week said it would cut off the operations of Egypt's Banque Misr in the UAE from the US financial system.

China, in response to the US measures and threats, has vowed to safeguard its interests.

Beijing has also sought to shore up ties with US-friendly regional nations ahead of a meeting between Xi and US President Donald Trump expected this month.

The Chinese and Egyptian militaries carried out joint air combat exercises in August that featured Beijing's powerful J-16 fighter jet.

Xi's meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Sisi, scheduled for Wednesday, follows a visit to Beijing by Jordan's King Abdullah II, whose country has also been caught up in the US war with Iran.

Xi and Sisi are expected to discuss issues including the Gaza war, Iran, and shipping in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz, according to Egyptian media.

"I look forward to renewing the friendship and working together with President Sisi to... map out a new blueprint for deepening the China-Egypt comprehensive strategic partnership," Xi wrote in an editorial published in Egyptian media on Tuesday.

The Chinese leader's first visit to Egypt in a decade comes as the two nations mark 70 years of diplomatic ties.

China is a major exporter to Egypt, with its trade surplus reaching $12 billion in the first seven months of 2026, according to Chinese customs data.

The leaders are expected to sign agreements on artificial intelligence, transport, energy and investment in the Suez Canal Economic Zone, Egyptian media reported.

The meeting with Xi sets Cairo up to land Chinese investments in its local AI and electronics industries, political scientist Salama said.

"What Egypt is seeking is strategic autonomy: not breaking with Washington, not aligning completely with Beijing, but creating enough room to pursue its own national interests," he added.

Arab World

UK to Unveil ‘Comprehensive’ Response to Israeli West Bank Settlement Plans in Coming Weeks

The new Israeli settlement “Dotan Valley”, as seen from Arraba whilst Israeli bulldozers uproots olive trees from Palestinian farms in Araba village near the west bank city of Jenin, 01 September 2026. (EPA)
The new Israeli settlement “Dotan Valley”, as seen from Arraba whilst Israeli bulldozers uproots olive trees from Palestinian farms in Araba village near the west bank city of Jenin, 01 September 2026. (EPA)
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UK to Unveil ‘Comprehensive’ Response to Israeli West Bank Settlement Plans in Coming Weeks

The new Israeli settlement “Dotan Valley”, as seen from Arraba whilst Israeli bulldozers uproots olive trees from Palestinian farms in Araba village near the west bank city of Jenin, 01 September 2026. (EPA)
The new Israeli settlement “Dotan Valley”, as seen from Arraba whilst Israeli bulldozers uproots olive trees from Palestinian farms in Araba village near the west bank city of Jenin, 01 September 2026. (EPA)

Britain will set out a "comprehensive" package of measures on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank in the coming weeks, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said on ‌Tuesday.

Miliband told ‌lawmakers that Israel's ‌E1 ⁠settlement project would cut ⁠across land which the Palestinians seek for a state and "risks making a Palestinian state unviable".

"This government will not acquiesce ⁠in the destruction of the ‌two-state ‌solution," he said. "We will act ‌and I will set out ‌a comprehensive set of measures in the coming weeks."

Britain and other European nations ‌have criticized Israel's plans, while Prime Minister Andy ⁠Burnham ⁠said before taking office that he was "looking at measures to ban trade in goods with illegal settlements".

The Times reported on Monday that US President Donald Trump's administration is "closely" tracking any plans to introduce a trade ban.

Arab World

More Than 10 EU Countries Eager to Contribute to Lebanon Mission, EU Foreign Policy Chief Says

(COMBO) This combination of handout satellite images taken by Planet Labs PBC shows views of the village of Yaroun in southern Lebanon close to the border with Israel on (top L to R followed by bottom L to R) October 5, 2024; January 10, 2025; January 30, 2025; and on May 2, 2026. (Photo by 2026 Planet Labs PBC / AFP)
(COMBO) This combination of handout satellite images taken by Planet Labs PBC shows views of the village of Yaroun in southern Lebanon close to the border with Israel on (top L to R followed by bottom L to R) October 5, 2024; January 10, 2025; January 30, 2025; and on May 2, 2026. (Photo by 2026 Planet Labs PBC / AFP)
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More Than 10 EU Countries Eager to Contribute to Lebanon Mission, EU Foreign Policy Chief Says

(COMBO) This combination of handout satellite images taken by Planet Labs PBC shows views of the village of Yaroun in southern Lebanon close to the border with Israel on (top L to R followed by bottom L to R) October 5, 2024; January 10, 2025; January 30, 2025; and on May 2, 2026. (Photo by 2026 Planet Labs PBC / AFP)
(COMBO) This combination of handout satellite images taken by Planet Labs PBC shows views of the village of Yaroun in southern Lebanon close to the border with Israel on (top L to R followed by bottom L to R) October 5, 2024; January 10, 2025; January 30, 2025; and on May 2, 2026. (Photo by 2026 Planet Labs PBC / AFP)

More than 10 European Union members are willing to contribute resources and people to a planned mission to advise and train Lebanon's armed forces, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday. 

The proposed mission stems from the EU studying ways to strengthen Lebanese forces to help free up the Lebanese army to focus on disarming the armed group Hezbollah. 

Western countries have long called for Lebanon to disarm the Iran-backed group, and doing ‌so is a ‌central component of a ceasefire between Lebanon ‌and ⁠Israel aimed at ⁠ending a war that has run in parallel with the US-Israeli war against Iran. 

The mandate of a UN force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, is set to expire at the end of 2026, and it is expected to begin a year-long drawdown and withdrawal. 

"The EU is not seeking ⁠to replace UNIFIL," Kallas told reporters in Ireland ‌following a gathering of ‌European defense ministers. 

"Our objective is to strengthen the Lebanese armed forces and ‌the ability of the Lebanese state to provide ‌security across its territory," she said, adding that planning is progressing well. 

An EU official told Reuters that the bloc's aim is to establish the mission in mid-October and then deploy personnel in late ‌2026 or early 2027. 

Kallas did not provide detail on which EU countries would ⁠be involved. 

France has ⁠been trying for several months to organize an international conference that would aim to strengthen the Lebanese armed forces, and also proposed creating an international force as part of efforts to replace UNIFIL. 

A senior Western diplomat told Reuters on Tuesday there was limited prospect for major decisions on Lebanon's future before Israel's election in late October. The diplomat also said there was little chance of progress without any clear strengthening of the Lebanese armed forces that would enable them to move into areas previously controlled by Hezbollah.