Overview

• Senior Hamas figure Husam Badran told Al Jazeera that “the weapon of resistance is non-negotiable”, framing it as belonging to all Palestinian factions. He stated that full Palestinian sovereignty would integrate the armed “resistance” into the state military.

• Israel’s Security Cabinet decided to take over Hamas’ last stronghold. It approved a comprehensive offensive to evacuate Gaza City’s population, relocate civilians to designated humanitarian centers in the central Strip, capture and destroy the city, and—with U.S. funding—expand aid distribution points from four to sixteen to completely sever Hamas’s distribution capabilities.

• The government approved a plan giving Palestinians until October 7, 2025 — the second anniversary of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack — to evacuate Gaza City

• Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced Berlin will halt military exports to Israel for use in Gaza, citing humanitarian concerns.

• U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee said GHF aid sites will operate 24/7 as the operation “scales up,” funded by $1 billion in U.S. and international donations.

•      Israel signed the largest gas export deal in its history — a $35 billion agreement to supply natural gas from the Leviathan field to Egypt. The gas will be used domestically in Egypt and re-exported via Egyptian LNG terminals.

• The Lebanese government unanimously approved Hezbollah disarmament—after Hezbollah ministers left the session. The Lebanese Army must…