Latest news on the war. Trump: ‘A historic agreement in Gaza’. Hamas: ‘Ready for the second phase if Israel ends its attacks’

“The plan to disarm Hamas in Gaza, if fully implemented, would be a constructive step towards peace.” This was stated by the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, who “welcomed” the agreement “brokered by the United States, with the support of Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and Nickolay Mladenov”.

“For this plan to work, many factors need to fall into place. Success depends on the full commitment of all parties,” he added. According to Kallas, “verifying Hamas’s compliance will be a significant challenge. Israel should ultimately withdraw from Gaza. We are ready to support the next steps, including the deployment of the National Committee and the International Stabilisation Force. Our two EU missions on the ground play an important role in supporting efforts to build the Palestinian state”. “The EU is the main humanitarian donor to Gaza. In July, the EU allocated €900 million to aid projects to help Gaza recover from the war,” he concluded.

The war in Iran is “going well. All we have to do is keep winning: sooner or later something will happen. We’re hitting them hard, throwing them completely into disarray.” Donald Trump said this on Fox.

Hamas states that its disarmament depends on Israel’s withdrawal. In an official statement, it said that the implementation of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza depends on Israel’s full implementation of the first phase, including the withdrawal of troops and the cessation of attacks. “The occupying power’s commitment to ending the killings is the fundamental prerequisite for proceeding with the implementation and setting a timetable for what has been agreed,” Hamas said, as quoted by Al Jazeera. The militant group also set out as necessary conditions the creation of an administrative committee – the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza – the deployment of an international stabilisation force and the disbanding of Israeli-backed militias. This was reported by Al Jazeera.

Palestinesi camminano tra le macerie degli edifici distrutti durante la guerra tra Israele e Hamas, a Khan Younis, nel sud della Striscia di Gaza, venerdì 31 luglio 2026. (Foto AP/Abdel Kareem Hana) Associated Press/ LaPresse Solo Italia e Spagna Associated Press/ LaPresse Solo Italia e Spagna

Donald Trump is convening a cabinet meeting at Camp David. The agenda will include the next steps regarding Iran, with an eye on the mid-term elections. For Trump, this is the thirteenth cabinet meeting of his second term and his third visit to Camp David since returning to the White House.

The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, the body tasked with overseeing the future administration of the Gaza Strip as part of the US-backed plan to end the war, has reiterated that it is ready ‘to assume its responsibilities’ following the announcement of an agreement on the disarmament of Hamas.

“After years of conflict, destruction and uncertainty, the priority today is to translate this progress into concrete steps that have a tangible impact on citizens’ daily lives,” he said in a statement posted on his X account, emphasising that “the task ahead of us is immense, and the reconstruction of Gaza requires sustained international commitment, substantial financial resources and close cooperation between all partners”

“On Tuesday, the IDF carried out a strike in the south of the Gaza Strip and killed the terrorist Ahmed Hussein Mohammed Kafina, commander of ‘Kataeb al-Mujahideen’ in the centre of the Strip, who had taken part in the abduction of Noa Argamani and Avinatan Or and had led the abduction of Sudthisak Rinthalak during the massacre on 7 October.” The IDF announced this in a statement.

Argamani and Or are the young couple filmed live by their captors in the opening moments of the attack on 7 October 2023; footage of them being taken to Gaza from the Nova Festival was seen around the world. Argamani was brought back to Israel during an Israeli special forces operation in Nuseirat in June 2024, whilst Or returned in October 2025 as part of the latest agreement for the release of Israeli hostages.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards have claimed to have struck two oil tankers attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz under US military ‘air escort’. The oil tankers, which were not following the route designated by Iran in the strategic waterway, ‘were struck and halted, whilst four other oil tankers quickly changed course and returned to their previous positions”, added the powerful Iranian armed force in a statement, without providing further details.

“An agreement has been reached today on disarmament and the transition to civilian rule in Gaza. It took months of very difficult negotiations to reach this point. There were several moments when I doubted we would succeed.” This was written in a post on X by Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace’s envoy for Gaza.

“The content of the agreement is important. What happens next is even more important. Implementation and verification must be concrete. The withdrawal must go hand in hand with disarmament. The NCG (National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, ed.) and the Palestinian people need political and practical support to take control of their own future,” added Mladenov, expressing gratitude to Donald Trump “for driving this agreement forward, and to the US, Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, United Arab Emirates for their support in keeping people at the negotiating table at a time when walking away would have been much easier”, as well as to the “UN Security Council for its constant attention to our work and for reiterating the importance of fully implementing Resolution 2803”.

Several Palestinians were injured in a drone strike carried out today by Israeli forces in the north-west of Gaza City. Medical sources reported this to Reuters. The attack comes just hours after US President Donald Trump announced an agreement on the disarmament of Hamas.

The Egyptian broadcaster Al-Ghad reports that ‘the official signing of the agreement on the second phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is expected to take place in Cairo in the middle of next week’.

The Crown Prosecution Service has stated that the 44-year-old will be charged under the National Security Act , emphasising that this is the first time an offence under the National Security Act, introduced in 2023, has been prosecuted outside the territory of the United Kingdom.

London has maintained a permanent RAF base at Akrotiri since the 1950s and, in recent months, during the conflict instigated by the US and Israel against Iran, it was the target of drone attacks by Tehran, and British fighter jets took off from there to carry out interception missions in the Middle East.

The 1979 Islamic Revolution gave rise to a unique system that combines theocracy and republicanism.

A 44-year-old British citizen, Rashad Sultanov , who lives in the Islington borough of London, was arrested by the Cypriot police on 17 July on charges of carrying out “hostile surveillance” on behalf of Iran at the RAF (the UK’s air force) airbase in Akrotiri and of sharing information with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. This was reported by the BBC News website. Sultanov, who also holds Azerbaijani citizenship, is currently in custody pending extradition proceedings to the UK.

As part of the developments regarding arrangements for the next phase in the Gaza Strip, Hamas and the Palestinian factions have reached a preliminary agreement on the management of the resistance’s weapons. This is reported by Al-Jazeera, which states that the draft provides for the start of the process of inventorying and storing heavy weapons, military production sites, arms depots and tunnels, and emphasises that no weapons should be transferred or handed over to Israel or to non-Palestinian parties.

The technocratic authority would be “the only entity authorised to possess, store or control weapons in Gaza”. However, according to the same Arabic-language publication, ‘Israel has made it clear that it wants complete disarmament and not merely the storage of weapons with the Palestinian Authority or with a Palestinian unit under the auspices of an international committee’.

Egypt wishes to express its continued support for the New York Declaration and its Annex, including the Action Plan for Humanitarian Response and Reconstruction. The primary objective of the Declaration is to emphasise the importance of consolidating the two-State solution based on the borders of 4 June 1967, whilst working closely with international and regional partners to improve the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and to address the ongoing escalation in the West Bank. It is of paramount importance to ensure the full implementation of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, including President Trump’s 20-point Peace Plan, Security Council Resolution 2803 and all other relevant Security Council resolutions. As a matter of principle, Egypt categorically rejects any form or type of forced displacement of Palestinians from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. To help achieve this objective, it is essential to improve the humanitarian situation by: increasing the quantity and quality of humanitarian assistance, facilitating the movement of people and goods to and from the Gaza Strip, and launching initial recovery activities, in accordance with the Humanitarian Protocol annexed to the October 2025 ceasefire agreement. Particular attention must be paid to patients, the wounded and other vulnerable groups, such as those requiring medical treatment outside Gaza.

A series of powerful night-time explosions has rocked the southern Lebanese regions of Yohmor al-Chqif, Arnoun and Kfar Tebnit following Israeli attacks, according to reports by the Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) as carried by Al-Jazeera. The explosions spread throughout the south, with shockwaves felt as far away as el-Kharroub and Khalde. In the district of Marjayoun, violent explosions near Beaufort Castle shattered windows and damaged homes in the nearby town of Qlayaa.

According to NNA, residents described intense shock waves that shook the area, accompanied by a strong smell of gunpowder. The agency added that Israeli forces patrolled the outskirts of al-Mansouri and Biyout al-Sayyad, in the Tyre district, firing bursts from heavy machine guns whilst simultaneously launching artillery strikes against al-Mansouri. According to reports from the NNA, there were also reports of tank movements on Baraachit Hill heading towards Aainata, in the district of Bint Jbeil, along with loud explosions and tremors in both the eastern and western sectors.

War in the Middle East, 31 July 2026.

Saudi Arabia is preparing for a major military offensive against the Houthis by sea and possibly by land in central Yemen. This is reported by The Guardian, which cites Yemeni sources. Saudi forces have been seen withdrawing from eastern Yemen, in what could be a build-up to a ground offensive, reports the newspaper, which also notes that, at the same time, Riyadh is seeking to organise a naval coalition to protect maritime traffic from Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandab Strait.

The Iraqi government spokesperson, Haider Al-Aboudi, stated that Baghdad “had not granted any authorisation” to launch attacks on Iraqi territory, after US President Donald Trump claimed that the Saudi-US air strikes two days ago had been “coordinated with the Iraqi government”.

In a television interview reported by the INA news agency, Al-Aboudi stated that the government had been informed of the attacks at 2.50 am and that the Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Ali Falih Al-Zaidi, who had just returned from a visit to Turkey, immediately convened an emergency meeting.

Another official from the Board of Peace told the Times of Israel that the reconstruction of Gaza will take place in derelict areas, with the first pilot housing project due to begin on the ruins of the city of Rafah, in the south of the Strip, in early 2027. The Board of Peace has secured pledges of $16 billion in donations, mainly from Gulf states, which it has refrained from collecting until Hamas accepts its proposal for disarmament, a US official said.

Yakir Gabay, an Israeli-Cypriot property developer and member of the Gaza Executive Council of the Board of Peace, negotiated with unspecified contractors and managed to reduce the costs of the reconstruction projects, the US official adds.

The Board of Peace’s disarmament proposal, approved by Hamas, provides for the terrorist group to be the first to hand over the weapons held by its police force to the NCAG (the technocratic authority). This will be followed by the dismantling of heavy weapons, arms depots and tunnels in Gaza. This is reported by international media outlets, including Axios and the Times of Israel.

Personal weapons left in Gaza will be handed over last, in accordance with current Palestinian Authority legislation, which allows individuals to carry firearms under certain conditions, subject to proper registration. According to a Board of Peace official, the militias and armed clans in Gaza supported by the IDF will also be required to hand over their weapons.

During a recent visit to Iran for the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, a Hamas delegation met with senior officials from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to a source with knowledge of the meeting cited by Axios. According to the source, officials from the Revolutionary Guards urged Hamas not to rush into signing the agreement and to buy time. A senior US official also stated that Iran had tried to persuade Hamas not to sign the agreement, but that the group had chosen to ignore this advice.

“Iran would have preferred Hamas not to accept the deal, but… Iran abandoned Hamas some time ago,” said a US official, quoted by The Times of Israel – “They cannot afford to keep it active, and I believe that Hamas members realise they must do what is best for themselves and for the people,” said the US official, adding that the offer of amnesty to Hamas members who agree to hand over their weapons and adhere to Trump’s 20-point plan, contained in the disarmament proposal, was a key factor in persuading the terrorist group.

Hamas’s approval of the Board of Peace’s roadmap for disarmament has triggered a 14-day period during which the parties will finalise the timetable for implementing each phase of the proposal, a Board of Peace official told the Times of Israel.

The estimated timeframe for the entire disarmament process ranges from around 200 to 350 days, said another official from the Board of Peace during a briefing with journalists. Once this timeframe has been finalised, the Board of Peace will begin calling on Israel to honour the commitments it made following the October 2025 ceasefire in Gaza, the second official added.

A senior US official has stated that President Donald Trump would be ‘very disappointed’ if Israel did not allow his 20-point plan for the reconstruction of Gaza to go ahead. This was reported by the Times of Israel. The official made these remarks during a briefing with journalists regarding Hamas’s approval of the disarmament plan put forward by the US-controlled Board of Peace.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office had stated yesterday that the proposal did not meet Israel’s demands, indicating that Jerusalem would not allow it to proceed. “We are not asking Israel to do anything that is not provided for in the 20-point plan they initially agreed to, and so we are very confident that they will abide by it. If they do not, President Trump would be very, very disappointed,” warned the senior US official.

“A short while ago, as part of an operation within the Security Zone in southern Lebanon, IDF soldiers dismantled a significant section of the tunnel network beneath the Beaufort Ridge. The network had been designed and funded by the Iranian terrorist regime and posed a threat to residents of northern Israel and to soldiers, as it was located just 6 kilometres from the Metula area on the border with Israel. It is a strategic stronghold of Hezbollah, comprising several underground levels built over the course of two decades.

This was announced late yesterday evening by an IDF spokesperson in a statement. “During the war, dozens of drones, explosive devices and anti-tank missiles were launched from this facility. This evening, the IDF dismantled it,” the spokesperson continued. The statement reports that soldiers are continuing to operate in the Ali Taher ridge area in southern Lebanon and remain on high alert, prepared for both defensive and offensive scenarios.

US President Donald Trump announced on Truth that the Board of Peace had reached “a historic agreement on the COMPLETE DISARMAMENT of Hamas and all other armed groups” in the Gaza Strip, describing the deal as “a crucial step towards lasting PEACE and SECURITY”.

The US President stated that the agreement ‘represents a crucial step towards the creation of a new Palestinian government in Gaza, which will work with the Board of Peace to help the Palestinian people’, whilst ‘at the same time, Israel will have the security it deserves, with Gaza no longer being used as a base for terrorist attacks’.

The Iranian army has announced that it has attacked ‘strategic facilities’ belonging to the US military at the Ahmed al-Jaber airbase in Kuwait in response to the ‘recent aggression by the US military against our country and the brutal attack on a residential building on the island of Qeshm’. In a statement reported by the Iranian media, the military said it had launched drones against “aircraft hangars, satellite communication systems and equipment depots”.

Further reading

Latest war news. Trump: ‘Without what we want, full-scale war will resume’

30 July 2026