From Drip-Feed to ‘All or Nothing’: Trump and Netanyahu Pivot Gaza Talks as Famine Deepens
With partial truces off the table, Washington and Jerusalem push for a single deal to end the war — even as aid drops turn deadly and Gaza slides closer to man-made famine.
US and Israeli officials backed a new plan to end the war in Gaza through one agreement rather than piecemeal truces, as talks with Hamas stall. US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, who visited a Gaza aid site on Friday, told families of Israeli hostages that Trump wants to “shift” Gaza policy, while an Israeli official said: “There will be no more partial deals.” The all-or-nothing approach marks a pivot for Israel, having previously pushed for phased, incremental deals with Hamas — partly as a political strategy, so Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu didn’t need to commit to ending the war, Axios wrote. It remains unclear, however, exactly how or when the new approach would aim to end the war - Semafor
Dozens of Palestinians were killed or wounded on Monday as desperate crowds headed toward food distribution points and airdropped parcels in the Gaza Strip, according to witnesses and local health officials. Israel’s blockade and military offensive have made it nearly impossible to safely deliver aid, contributing to the territory’s slide toward famine nearly 22 months into the war with Hamas. Aid groups say Israel’s week-old measures to allow more aid in are far from sufficient. Families of hostages in Gaza fear starvation affects them too, but blame Hamas.
Several hundred Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since May while heading toward food distribution sites and aid convoys, according to witnesses, local health officials and the United Nations human rights office. The military says it has only fired warning shots and disputes the toll. As international alarm has mounted, several countries have airdropped aid over Gaza. The U.N. and aid groups call such drops costly and dangerous for residents, and say they deliver far less aid than trucks. Many food parcels dropped by air have splashed into the Mediterranean Sea or landed in so-called red zones from which Israel’s military has ordered people to evacuate. In either case, Palestinians risk their lives to get flour and other basic goods. On Monday, Palestinians cheered as pallets of aid were parachuted over Zuweida in central Gaza. Associated Press footage showed a desperate scramble when the parcels hit the ground, with hundreds of people racing toward them. Fistfights broke out and some men wielded batons. At least one parcel fell on a tent where displaced people had been sheltering, injuring a man who was taken to a hospital - AP
U.S. states and cities that boycott Israeli companies will be denied federal aid for natural disaster preparedness, the Trump administration has announced, tying routine federal funding to its political stance. The Federal Emergency Management Agency stated in grant notices posted on Friday that states must follow its "terms and conditions." Those conditions require they certify they will not sever “commercial relations specifically with Israeli companies” to qualify for funding. The requirement applies to at least $1.9 billion that states rely on to cover search-and-rescue equipment, emergency manager salaries and backup power systems among other expenses, according to 11 agency grant notices reviewed by Reuters. The requirement is the Trump administration's latest effort to use federal funding to promote its views on Israel - Reuters
Read my Kyiv Post OpEd here
In the Russian-occupied cities of Donetsk and Mariupol, an escalating water crisis has pushed daily life to the brink of survival, forcing officials from the local level all the way up to President Vladimir Putin to seek solutions. Water trickles out of taps for only a few hours every few days, often discolored and undrinkable. Entire neighborhoods have resorted to survival tactics: hauling water in buckets and collecting rainwater. Local residents and observers in the eastern Ukrainian cities have called on Russian-imposed authorities to tackle what they have said is a devastating situation that demands immediate attention. Once industrial heartlands of Ukraine, both Donetsk and Mariupol, as well as smaller towns around them, now face a deepening humanitarian emergency. The combination of destroyed infrastructure, failed reconstruction projects, and collapsing reservoirs has plunged the region into what analysts are calling a full-scale ecological and social catastrophe. On July 22, pro-Kremlin Telegram channels with hundreds of thousands of followers published an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, signed by residents of occupied Donetsk. The message, also echoed by pro-Kremlin bloggers and military propagandists, warned of a spiraling water crisis. "Donetsk has had no stable water supply since 2022," the letter states. "Now it's only once every three days, sometimes less." Satellite imagery reviewed by BBC's Russian Service reveals a startling decline in water levels across major reservoirs in the Donbas region, including those feeding both Donetsk and Mariupol. Nine out of 10 monitored reservoirs have significantly shrunk since 2021. This summer's average temperature in Donetsk was 27° Celsius, not the hottest on record, but hot enough to accelerate evaporation in already depleted basins - RFE/RL
Five Russian fighter jets have been hit in an overnight drone attack by Ukraine’s security service at an airfield in Saky in Russia-annexed Crimea. The SBU stated that its Special Operations Centre "A" mission’s drones destroyed one SU-30SM aircraft, damaged another and hit three Su-24s while also striking the aviation weapons depot. "The successful special operation carried out by the SBU in Saky marks another step toward weakening the enemy's capacity to wage its war of aggression against Ukraine," security service said. Su-30SM is a twin-engine, two-seat multirole fighter aircraft developed by Russia, with production beginning in the early 2010s. This fighter jet is priced between €30 and €43 million. On 1 June Ukraine carried out an unprecedented Operation Spiderweb. In a mass drone attack, Kyiv targeted four Russian air bases in the deep rear of Russia. During the attack, Ukrainian forces reportedly damaged 41 aircraft, using drones concealed in trucks at multiple locations across Russia - Euronews
President Trump said in a post on social media on Monday morning that he would “substantially” increase the 25-percent tariffs he has imposed on Indian products because it continued to purchase oil from Russia, The New York Times reported. In his post, Mr. Trump accused India of profiting by reselling low-cost Russian oil on the open market. Delhi hit back with a harsh statement, saying the U.S. and EU’s targeting of India was “unjustified and unreasonable.” It said both maintain heavy trade with Russia - in the EU’s case bilateral trade of 67.5-billion in goods in 2024, while the U.S. continues to purchase Russian uranium, palladium for EVs and fertilizer and chemicals. “India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security,” the August 4 statement read.
Russia is rearming at such a rate as to pose a “real threat” to much of Europe by 2030, says France’s top general. That is sooner than many other top generals or spooks reckon. Thierry Burkhard told The Economist that Russia’s capacity for endurance in particular makes it so dangerous.
ABC Radio National Breakfast: An oil depot in the Russian city of Sochi has spectacularly gone up in flames overnight following a Ukrainian drone attack, which continues a deadly tit-for-tat in the ongoing war. Strikes have been exchanged on both sides as the Donald Trump-imposed ceasefire deadline of August 8 approaches, and the United States sends its special envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow to apply more pressure.
Guest: Michael Bociurkiw, global affairs analyst and senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, speaks to host Sally Sara
Listen here
US fighter jets had to be scrambled twice Sunday to protect airspace over a Donald Trump golf tournament. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) placed Temporary Flight Restrictions over Bedminster, New Jersey—specifically over Trump’s course—while the president was visiting. According to Newsweek, NORAD begged private pilots to steer clear of the area, check for airspace closures, and ”familiarize themselves with updates to restricted airspace.“ NORAD posted information about the interceptions shared by the First Air Force, saying, “For the 2nd time this weekend, @NORADCommand fighters intercepted an aircraft violating restricted airspace over Bedminster, NJ. Flares were deployed during this intercept.” By the end of Sunday, the First Air Force said ”there have been seven TFR violations" near Bedminster, and again urged pilots to check their notices. The president was visiting the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, where the White House bragged about his supposed golf prowess again, days after being accused of cheating at his course in Scotland. “Winning on and off the course,” the White House’s Instagram page bragged, showing a picture of Trump’s card at the course’s 2025 Men’s Senior Club Championship - Daily Beast
China is limiting the flow of critical minerals to Western defense manufacturers, delaying production and forcing companies to scour the world for stockpiles of the minerals needed to make everything from bullets to jet fighters. Earlier this year, as U.S.-China trade tensions soared, Beijing tightened the controls it places on the export of rare earths. While Beijing allowed them to start flowing after the Trump administration agreed in June to a series of trade concessions, China has maintained a lock on critical minerals for defense purposes. China supplies around 90% of the world’s rare earths and dominates the production of many other critical minerals. As a result, one drone parts manufacturer that supplies the U.S. military was forced to delay orders by as long as two months while it searched for a non-Chinese source of magnets, which are assembled from rare earths - WSJ
Across China, warnings are spreading as the authorities tighten control over state employees’ contacts with foreigners. Some kindergarten teachers, doctors and even government contractors and employees of state-owned enterprises have been ordered to hand in their passports. Some cities make retirees wait two years to reclaim their passports. In many cities, travel overseas by public employees, even for personal reasons, requires approval. Business trips abroad for “ordinary research, exchange and study” have been banned. And in most provinces, those who have studied abroad are now disqualified from certain public positions. Officials cite various reasons, including protecting national security, fighting corruption and cutting costs. But the scope of the restrictions has expanded rapidly, sweeping up employees who say they have no access to sensitive information or government funds. The New York Times spoke to seven public employees, including an elementary school music teacher, a nurse and a literature professor, who confirmed the restrictions. The rules are part of a push by the central authorities to impose greater so-called political discipline and ideological loyalty on government workers. Two of the people The Times spoke to said they were also ordered to disclose their personal social media accounts to their employers. Another person said she had to notify her employer if she left the city where she worked. Some local governments have banned civil servants from eating out in groups of more than three, measures that came after several reports of excessive drinking at official banquets. But the authorities are especially vigilant about overseas contact. The Chinese government has long been wary of the threat of espionage and what it sees as hostile foreign forces seeking to sow discontent. In July, People’s Daily, the Chinese Communist Party’s mouthpiece, published an article declaring that people-to-people diplomacy “exists because of the party” and should be led by the party. - NYT
Armenia and Azerbaijan are expected to announce a peace deal in Washington later this week. President Donald Trump is said to have invited Nikol Pashinyan and Ilham Aliyev to the White House on Friday, DC-based correspondent and South Caucasus expert Alex Raufoglu posted on Twitter.
Jordan has seen a decrease in the number of tourists visiting its famed ancient city of Petra and other sites since the Gaza war began in October 2023, according to officials. Although Jordan does not border Gaza, it has been among several countries across the region impacted by Israel’s war. Figures released by the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority and reported by the official Al-Mamlaka TV showed the number of visitors dropped by about 61 percent from 1,174,137 in 2023 to 457,215 last year. According to figures from the Petra tourism authority carried by official media, 32 hotels have had to shut down and nearly 700 people have lost their jobs. The Jordanian economy relies on revenues from the kingdom’s tourism sector, which accounts for 14 percent of gross domestic product - Al Jazeera
The journals….
