The Guardian: “Washington has only 25% of Patriot interceptor missiles after exhausting its stockpiles in the Middle East.” This is one of the reasons why the Pentagon chief had put a halt to supplies to Ukraine.
Israeli media, under the heading “Authorized Publication,” report that the Prime Minister’s office and bureau at the Kiryah base, as well as the entire building, have been evacuated to begin renovations. The Bat Yam Municipality in Israel: “This week, demolition of buildings damaged by the deadly Iranian missile attack on the city began. A total of 16 buildings are expected to be demolished.” All of them came under Iranian fire during the 12-day war. The Israeli military confirms for the first time that Iran struck Israeli military targets in June, Reuters reported.
In Washington, Trump and Netanyahu held two meetings within hours of each other. According to US press reports, President Trump is pressuring Netanyahu to reach a 60-day halt to the war and release the hostages. According to Witkoff, this agreement should be reached this weekend. The agreement outlines four key areas.
Channel 13 quoted a senior political official: “There is progress in the Doha negotiations, but it will take several more days to reach an agreement.” Channel 15: “The only remaining obstacle before the agreement is announced are the maps of Israel’s military deployment and withdrawal.”
Steve Witkoff: “We are currently engaged in proximity talks on Gaza. We had four issues to address, and now only one remains.”
Islamic Jihad official: “The movement’s delegation, led by the Secretary General, met with the Hamas negotiating delegation in Doha.” The agreement provides for the release of 10 live Israeli prisoners and 9 bodies within 60 days. “Secretary General Ziad al-Nakhalah met in Doha with the Hamas negotiating delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya. The Hamas and Islamic Jihad delegations discussed the progress of the negotiating process to reach a ceasefire agreement. Hamas and Islamic Jihad emphasized the need to agree on a ceasefire framework that meets the needs of our people. The movement’s delegation led by the Secretary General met with the Hamas negotiating delegation in Doha.”
Netanyahu: “We have accepted Witkoff’s proposal for the exchange agreement and are getting closer, and I hope we will reach an agreement. I will meet with Trump and hope we will cross the lines to reach an agreement. Hope and grief affect all our people. I cannot set a deadline for the end of the negotiations and I am personally following them. Hamas will not remain present in Gaza after the war, and we are working to achieve this goal.”
Haaretz quotes an Israeli source: “Netanyahu supports Katz’s plan to concentrate Gazans in the southern part of the Strip.” “Netanyahu believes that concentrating Gazans will justify the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia’s management of the Strip under the pretext of liberating it from the Israelis.”
Another point of contention between Israel and the United States is the Iranian nuclear issue. Reuters: “Netanyahu is unhappy with Washington’s attempt to resume nuclear talks with Tehran and opposes any move that would provide Iran with an economic and political lifeline. He wants nothing less than the Libyan model for Iran, meaning Iran would dismantle its facilities under close supervision. Israel is not seeking diplomacy, but rather regime change in Iran.” “The Israeli prime minister sees a strategic opportunity to launch a more intense attack on Iran.”
From opposition leader Avigdor Lieberman: “The painful truth must be told: it is impossible to send soldiers to fight in Gaza while simultaneously transferring truckloads of fuel, food, and equipment to the enemy. This is not aid, but oxygen for Hamas. What has happened in recent months is not a war for security, but a war for the survival of the government and the maintenance of the coalition, and the price is being paid by soldiers, families, and prisoners. Only after bringing back all our prisoners simultaneously can we decisively end the battle against Hamas.”
Israeli police have opened an investigation into Haredi journalist Yisrael Frei after he “gloated” over the killing of five Israeli soldiers in Beit Hanoun.
And now a look at the military scenario, updated at 4:30 PM on July 9. Reports of explosions in Tabriz, Iran. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy threatens Iran: “We will activate the snapback mechanism and reinstate all sanctions imposed prior to the 2015 nuclear deal if Iran does not abandon its nuclear program. This could be very painful for the Iranian regime.”
The death toll from yesterday’s Houthi attack on the Eternity C in the Red Sea has risen to three. Two other crew members were injured. According to Haaretz: “Each missile launched by the Houthis is accompanied by experts to improve the accuracy of the next launch.”
Late in the evening of July 8, the Houthis released a video of the sinking of the Magic Seas ship. Reuters: The Eternity C, attacked by the Houthis on Monday, has sunk. Some crew members are still in the water; rescue operations are ongoing. This is the second ship sunk by the Houthis this week. According to social media sources, three people were killed and two, including a Russian, were injured in the attack on the Greek merchant ship Eternity C off the coast of Yemen, the ERT-news television channel reported. A drone launched by the Houthis in Yemen was intercepted by Jordanian air defenses while en route to Israel.
A Hamas leader’s assassination has been denied in Lebanon. A Hamas source: “There is no truth to the assassination of any Hamas leader in the attack on Eirunia, near Tripoli.” “Two enemy reconnaissance planes flew continuously at low altitude over Aita al-Jabal late on the evening of July 8th for a targeted strike in the Bekaa Valley.” The Ministry of Health: “An Israeli airstrike on a vehicle in Ayrouniya, Tripoli, resulted in a final toll of 3 dead and 13 wounded.”
A journalist from Al-Manar: “Israeli soldiers in the town of Al-Ghajar opened fire toward the outskirts of the town of Al-Wazzani: machine guns used.” A raid targeted the outskirts of Babliyeh. Drones fired two missiles over Babliyeh. An Israeli airstrike on a vehicle in the Aayroun area, northern Lebanon. Machine gun fire from enemy positions in Hadab Yarin toward the outskirts of the town of Yarin.
Hezbollah leader Sheikh Qassem explained Hezbollah’s position during the Hamas attack on October 7 in a lengthy address to the nation. Stating that he was unaware of the attack and further discussing Nasrallah and what happened with the pagers, he finally said: “We support UNIFIL’s continued work in Lebanon, provided it adheres to its mission obligations, and we do not support its entry into private properties and villages. Weapons are not the reason for Hezbollah’s survival, but rather the reason for Lebanon’s strength, and we do not accept that Lebanon is weak.”
Medical sources report that on July 8, 95 people were killed in Israeli raids and bombings in the Gaza Strip.
Continued and intense gunfire coincided with the launching of heavy artillery and smoke bombs in Beit Hanoun, in the northern Gaza Strip. Initial reports indicate a security incident in Beit Hanoun. Israeli media reported: “A day after speaking of the occupation army tightening its siege of Beit Hanoun “above and below ground,” the occupation army spokesperson announced that a force from the Givati Brigade joined forces with the 99th Division today to begin the siege of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip.” An Israeli soldier was reportedly killed in a security incident.
The attack on the Beit Hanoun area expanded on the afternoon of May 9. The Givati Brigade combat team, under the command of the 162nd Division, joined forces with the 99th Division and began implementing an encirclement operation on the town of Beit Hanoun, in the northern Gaza Strip. Israeli forces are working to destroy infrastructure, eliminate militants, and remove Hamas’s military capabilities in the area. According to sources close to the army: “The Israeli army’s operation in Beit Hanoun is the complete destruction of the city.”
Israeli forces launched an airstrike on eastern Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip. Israeli aircraft also opened fire on the Zeitoun and Shuja’iyya neighborhoods east of Gaza City.
The IDF issued new evacuation orders on July 8 for the remaining part of the city of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. The updated evacuation zones include the remainder of the Khan Younis refugee camp and the new residential complex to the northeast. Displaced persons living in tents are also advised to evacuate to the Al-Mawasi “humanitarian zone,” right next to Khan Younis.
The IDF had already initiated and conducted evacuation operations in a small area in southwestern Khan Younis before these evacuation orders were issued. However, given the ongoing fighting nearby and the proximity to the evacuation zone, it is likely that the families previously residing there have long since fled. Israeli airstrikes were reported in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis as early as the evening of July 8. A security incident occurred northeast of Khan Younis.
Four people were killed and wounded in an Israeli drone strike on a tent housing displaced persons near the Al-Attar area, west of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. Casualties were reported in an Israeli airstrike targeting a tent housing displaced persons near the Abu Mazen Roundabout, west of Gaza City. The Gaza Civil Defense, on Arabic television: “Israel bombed homes with residents inside during raids in eastern and western Gaza City. It targeted the Tuffah neighborhood east of Gaza City with over 20 bombs. Our teams are unable to reach the Tuffah neighborhood east of Gaza City following Israel’s heavy raids.”
In the West Bank, the IDF stormed the town of Turmus Ayya north of Ramallah. The IDF burned a house in the Al-Manshiya neighborhood, in the Nur Shams camp in Tulkarem. A video posted by an IDF soldier from inside the Tulkarem camp shows widespread destruction in the camp.
In an official statement, Hamas reported that since the beginning of the year, more than 1,000 homes have been demolished, particularly in the Jenin and Tulkarem camps. Ten homes have also been demolished by the Israeli army in Jerusalem, Ramallah, and Nablus.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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