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All the latest on Israel: articles, analysis and ongoing coverage from Lost in the Jungle.
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Jared Kushner is meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in efforts to break the deadlock on Gaza negotiations, according to the New York Times. Netanyahu refuses to withdraw Israeli military forces from Gaza until Hamas is completely disarmed. The Trump administration faces mounting pressure to demonstrate that progress is being made on the issue.
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Israel carried out strikes against Lebanon on August 17, 2026, according to an unconfirmed report from Bloomberg TV. The same news bulletin said the United States was preparing new sanctions against Iran. Both claims appeared in a single edition of “The Asia Trade,” broadcast live from Sydney at 05:12 UTC and presented by Haidi Stroud-Watts and Paul Allen. No independent source has corroborated the two reports at this stage.
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Jared Kushner, described as an adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump and Washington's representative, met with Hamas representatives in Egypt on August 16, 2026, according to Le Monde. The discussions focused on advancing the American roadmap outlining a transition in Gaza. Hamas had agreed to this roadmap in late July, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu officially rejected it. Kushner's presence in Israel on August 17 remains uncertain due to conflicting versions of a Le Monde headline.
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Two Israeli airstrikes killed nine people, including three children, and wounded eleven others in southern Lebanon on August 15, 2026, according to Le Monde and Lost in the Jungle. Seven people died in Ansar and two in Deir al-Zahrani. This is the deadliest toll since June 2026 agreements that brought a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel claims to have targeted Hezbollah infrastructure in response to attacks on its soldiers. The strikes come before planned negotiations between Israel and Lebanon in September 2026.
World
Two Israeli airstrikes killed nine people, including three children, and wounded eleven others on August 15, 2026, in southern Lebanon. According to the New York Times and the Guardian, this is the deadliest toll since June agreements that brought a lull between Israel and Hezbollah. Seven people died in Ansar, and two in Deir al-Zahrani. Israel says it targeted Hezbollah infrastructure in response to attacks against its soldiers.
World
At least seven people were killed and three wounded in an Israeli airstrike carried out at dawn on Saturday in southern Lebanon, according to France 24. Lebanon's official news agency reported a death toll of seven people. No additional casualty figures are available at this time.
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Twenty-six countries, including France, the United Kingdom and Canada, condemned the executions of protesters in Iran on August 12, 2026. According to Le Monde, the Iranian authorities have acknowledged more than 3,000 deaths. They attributed the violence to “terrorist acts” orchestrated by the United States and Israel.
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On August 9, 2026, Israel officially rejected the American peace plan for Gaza backed by the United States, according to Le Monde. The plan had been presented in late July by the Peace Council — an international organization created in January 2026 on Donald Trump's initiative. Hamas had accepted the plan on August 8. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conditioned Israel's acceptance on one thing: 'no withdrawal [from Palestinian territory] until Hamas is truly disarmed.' Hamas called on the international community to pressure Israel to accept.
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Hamas reaffirmed on August 8, 2026, that it is ready to implement the US-backed peace plan for the Gaza Strip. The Islamic movement simultaneously calls for pressure on Israel, which has not accepted the peace roadmap announced by Donald Trump, according to international reports.
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Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Legal Agenda concluded on August 6, 2026 that an Israeli strike that killed Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil in April 2026 constitutes a war crime. The 42-year-old journalist worked for Lebanese newspaper al-Akhbar; 21-year-old freelance photojournalist Zeinab Faraj was with her. The organizations say Israel deliberately targeted both women as civilians. Khalil may have remained alive hours after the strike, suggesting rescue delays contributed to her death. The UN reports Israel has killed at least 210 journalists in Gaza and 15 in Lebanon since 2023. Israel disputes the war crime designation.
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Israel is sending aircraft across its border to spray glyphosate in Syria and Lebanon, leaving land barren, according to the Süddeutsche Zeitung. In southern Syria, Hayel Alabdallah saw small aircraft spraying liquid over his family’s wheat fields in January, February and early March 2026. He said the aircraft came from the Israeli-controlled side of the Golan Heights. An Israeli aircraft also sprayed herbicides in southern Syria in spring 2026. The available information does not specify the area affected, the amount of glyphosate used or the exact dates of the flights.
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On August 2, 2026, Donald Trump announced the cancellation of a new wave of U.S. military strikes against Iran following a call from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, claiming to hold the 'outlines of a deal.' The proposed agreement would require the immediate opening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to Iran's nuclear threat. American forces remain on maximum alert, with the cancellation conditional on a rapid agreement. Israel has joined this pause. These announcements follow a tense night: Iranian drones struck Kuwait, and a tanker was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz on August 1. Iran threatened decisive retaliation against its neighbours.
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On August 1, 2026, Israel claimed to have killed several Hezbollah members on a strategic ridge in southern Lebanon, according to the New York Times. Hezbollah is an Iran-backed Lebanese militant group. The confrontation threatens a fragile ceasefire between the two sides. The exact number of casualties and precise circumstances of the operation have not yet been independently confirmed at this time.
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On August 1, 2026, Israeli airstrikes killed two people in the Gaza Strip and damaged a hospital's warehouse, according to Le Monde. These strikes occurred the same day that U.S. President Donald Trump and the Hamas Palestinian movement separately announced a ceasefire agreement to end the Gaza conflict. At the time of the strikes, Israel had not officially confirmed the agreement.
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Dieter Hallervorden is taking part in four campaign events with Sven Schulze, the CDU’s lead candidate in Saxony-Anhalt’s state election. After appearances in Halle and Magdeburg, events remain scheduled in Dessau and Naumburg, Handelsblatt reports. Around 600 people have registered for the Dessau meeting. A video accompanying one of Hallervorden’s songs briefly showed a sign accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza. The CDU’s federal leadership rejected that claim, while Schulze defended his guest’s freedom of expression and said disagreement must remain possible.
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On August 1, 2026, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, president of the Iranian Parliament and his country's negotiator with the United States, claimed Iran had "won the war against the United States and Israel." His statements were reported by Fars, an Iranian news agency regarded as semi-official by Western media. Ghalibaf also called for strengthening the executive power of Supreme Guide Mojtaba Khamenei, who has been in office since March 8, 2026, stating that "any attempt to build a strong Iran will start from there."
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On August 1, 2026, Donald Trump threatened to strike Iran "very hard." According to American media reports relayed by Le Monde, Washington is considering major new bombing campaigns against Iran this weekend. Israel could participate for the first time since the conflict's initial phase. These threats come three days after American strikes on dozens of Iranian targets (at least 3 deaths) and US-Saudi strikes in Iraq (20 deaths).
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Donald Trump announced on July 31, 2026 a comprehensive 15-point agreement on complete disarmament of Hamas in Gaza within the framework of the Peace Council, an international organization created at Trump's initiative. Negotiated in Cairo with Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey as mediators, the plan requires Hamas to place its weapons under international supervision in exchange for a complete Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza. Israel expressed reservations, with national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir declaring the process 'unacceptable.'
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Donald Trump announced on July 31, 2026 via Truth Social that an agreement on "complete disarmament" of Hamas in Gaza had been reached through the American Peace Council. The Islamic organization would place its weapons under international supervision without direct handover to Israel. In return, Israeli forces must withdraw completely from Gaza. However, Israel expressed reservations, stating that the 15-point plan negotiated in Cairo does not meet its full demilitarization requirements.
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The Lebanese Army deployed on July 30, 2026 to Zaoutar El-Gharbiyé, a village in southern Lebanon, according to Le Monde. This village is among the first 'pilot zones' under a U.S.-backed ceasefire agreement: areas where Hezbollah must be disarmed as a priority and cease all security operations. Residents report that Israeli forces 'destroyed everything to make life impossible' in the village during their occupation. The deployment marks a key milestone in implementing the November 2024 ceasefire agreement.