A statement from Defense Minister Israel Katz says he has instructed his office and IDF personnel to provide assistance, including for funeral arrangements, to the family of Roi Wasserstein, a soldier who died by suicide after 300 days of combat duty.
The army said earlier it would not recognize Wasserstein as a fallen soldier, since he was not on active duty at the time of his death.
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Israel delivered humanitarian aid to the Druze community in Sweida, Syria, the Foreign Ministry reported.
The aid “includes food, medical equipment, first aid kits, and medicine, and is intended for areas directly impacted by the violent attacks,” the ministry said.
Portugal has announced that it will consider recognizing a Palestinian state during the UN General Assembly to be held in New York in September, according to a statement by Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, according to the AFP news agency.
The United States is imposing sanctions on Palestinian Authority officials and members of the Palestine Liberation Organization, saying the groups are undermining peace efforts, the State Department said in a statement on Thursday. The move prevents those targeted from receiving visas to travel to the United States, the statement said.
“It is in our national security interests to impose consequences and hold the PLO and PA accountable for not complying with their commitments and undermining the prospects for peace,” by “taking actions to internationalize its conflict with Israel such as through the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ), continuing to support terrorism including incitement and glorification of violence (especially in textbooks), and providing payments and benefits in support of terrorism to Palestinian terrorists and their families,” the statement said.
Dozens of Palestinian citizens of Israel, many of them religious leaders and families with young children, gathered outside the Egyptian Embassy in Tel Aviv to demand the reopening of the Rafah border crossing and to denounce Egypt’s role in the ongoing blockade of Gaza. Some Jewish Israeli activists also joined.
The demonstration, led by Palestinian Muslim figures, focused on calling out Cairo’s complicity in the siege and the deepening humanitarian crisis in the Strip. It was part of a global wave of protests targeting Egyptian embassies.
The protest, which began peacefully, was disrupted by several counter-protesters who arrived with Israeli flags and attempted to provoke and physically confront participants. In one instance, an Israeli man was seen spitting at Palestinian women as they joined the demonstration.
Despite the tension, demonstrators continued their protest, holding signs and chanting against the blockade of Gaza, which Egypt has denied having any role in, claiming that the Rafah border crossing is closed by Israel, not Egypt.
U.S. President Trump called for Hamas to release hostages held in the Gaza Strip and “surrender,” to quickly end the humanitarian crisis in the Strip.
“[The] fastest way to end humanitarian crises in Gaza is for Hamas to surrender and release hostages,” he wrote on Truth Social.
The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry announced that 111 people were killed and 820 wounded by IDF fire in the Strip in the past 24 hours.
According to the statement, 91 were killed and over 666 were wounded while seeking humanitarian aid.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian warned against excessive water consumption which he said was untenable for the country and could leave Tehran facing severe shortages by September, semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Thursday.
Faced with resource mismanagement and over-consumption, Iran has faced recurrent electricity, gas and water shortages during peak demand months.
“In Tehran, if we cannot manage and people do not cooperate in controlling consumption, there won’t be any water in dams by September or October,” Pezeshkian said on Thursday.
The country has faced drought conditions for the last five years according to the director of the Environmental Protection Organisation Sheena Ansari and the Meteorological Organisation recorded a 40% drop in rainfall over the last four months compared to a long-term average.
“Neglecting sustainable development has led to the fact that we are now facing numerous environmental problems like water stress,” Ansari told state media on Thursday.
Excessive water consumption represents a major challenge for water management in Iran, with the head of Tehran province’s water and wastewater company Mohsen Ardakani telling Mehr news agency that 70% of Tehran residents consume more than the standard 130 liters a day.
The Economist’s lead editorial on Wednesday called Britain’s promise to recognize a Palestinian state in September “a self-defeating policy” that would prolong the war and lose leverage over Israel, the Palestinians and the U.S.
The British newspaper said France and the U.K. “have most influence over Israel indirectly, through [U.S. President] Trump,” who might force Netanyahu to agree to a cease-fire. “By moving to recognise a Palestinian state, Britain and France have lost influence with him.”
“Using recognition as leverage over Israel today means that Britain and France have deprived themselves of leverage over the Palestinian side tomorrow,” The Economist wrote. “That is not a trivial thing to surrender, because the two-state deal will face many obstacles … [Mahmoud Abbas] looks unlikely to give ground willingly.”
As Prime Minister Keir Starmer “has not threatened to withhold support for recognition if Hamas refuses to release hostages or to end the war … that potential reward gives Hamas an incentive to block a cease-fire until after the UN General Assembly in September.”
“Once Hamas has pocketed Britain’s prize, Sir Keir will have lost his leverage over Israel,” the editorial reads, projecting it would make the Israeli government more extreme. “It is a self-defeating policy that fails on its own terms.”
