Monday, July 21st's live news on conflicts in the Middle East.

• This new conflict between Israel and Hamas began after October 7, 2023, in response, by Israel, to the attack by the Hamas terrorist group, which caused nearly 1,300 deaths (including about 800 civilians) and the kidnapping of over 200 people
• Since then, the Israeli army, which decimated the leaders and structures of Hamas in the Strip, has killed over 58,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly civilians, almost half of them minors and children
• This morning, Israeli forces launched an attack on Deir al-Balah
• Israeli Defense Minister Katz: Yemen's fate will be the same as Tehran's

Tajani: No to the deportation of Palestinians, they have the right to their status

Sanctions against Israel? Italy won't impose sanctions. This was Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani's statement, speaking to reporters outside Palazzo Chigi. The Deputy Prime Minister then added that the government hasn't changed its stance."We've simply said enough, enough bombing, enough deaths, enough shooting. I understand the reasons, Hamas, everything, but we can't continue with this situation. We repeat what we've always said; our position is very clear: freedom for the hostages, but also an end to the war and aid for the civilian population, because they are a desperate, starving people. And we are against the isolation and deportation of the Palestinian population to other countries around the world. The Palestinians have their land, they have the right to have their own state, which must recognize Israel, which must be recognized by Israel. So, there's nothing hostile toward Israel, but the Palestinian people must be able to realize their dream. We're not changing our stance; it's always been the same: two peoples, two states," Tajani concluded.

6:29 PM | July 21

Israel, hostage families: Fears over IDF advance in Deir al-Balah

The Forum of the Hostages' Families expresses alarm at reports that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has entered central Gaza, Deir al-Balah, for the first time, stating that this move endangers the hostages believed to be hiding in these areas. The families of the hostages are shocked and alarmed by these reports and demand that the Prime Minister, the Defense Minister, the Chief of Staff, and the IDF Spokesperson appear before them and the Israeli public this evening to clearly explain why the offensive in the Deir al-Balah area does not pose a serious risk to the hostages, they say in the statement. At this time, we have received no official updates or satisfactory answers on this matter, they conclude. Today, the Israeli Air Force launched a wave of airstrikes on Deir al-Balah and moved armored units in preparation for an offensive in central Gaza. Israeli intelligence believes that most of the 20 hostages still alive are being held in Deir al-Balah. Meanwhile, there are no developments on a potential ceasefire agreement in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, while talks continue.

6:26 PM | July 21

Tajani: Friends of Israel, but too many deaths every day. Stop the war.

On Gaza, we signed a document with several countries calling for an immediate ceasefire and for humanitarian aid to be allowed to enter as soon as possible, because the situation in Gaza is truly unsustainable. We naturally believe, and we stated so in the document, that Israeli hostages held by terrorists should be immediately and unconditionally released, but at the same time, Israel must take decisive steps forward, without wasting time. And there's also the problem of the settlers, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said, speaking to journalists outside Palazzo Chigi."We are friends of Israel, but what is happening is not right, we have said it, we have reiterated it, and this document goes in the direction of pushing Israel to address and resolve the issue," the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized."We support the efforts of the United States, Qatar, and Egypt to reach a solution, a ceasefire, a cessation of hostilities, but we must allow food to enter and help the civilian population. There are too many, too many, too many deaths every day, and this is unacceptable. We also echo Pope Leo's words: shooting at a Christian church has caused serious distress among the entire population, including Christians, in our country. This certainly doesn't help, so we must end this war as soon as possible, Tajani concludes.

6:10 PM | July 21

Media: Hamas leaders unreachable, negotiations stalled

Talks for a ceasefire in Gaza and a hostage release agreement did not progress this weekend due to the inability of Hamas negotiators in Doha to reach the group's leaders in Gaza last weekend, a source familiar with the matter told the Times of Israel, noting that this prevented progress in the negotiations. Last week, Israel presented updated maps showing its proposed redeployment of troops from Gaza during the 60-day truce under discussion. The maps gave mediators optimism about the possibility of an agreement, but since Thursday, there has been no response from the terror group. An Arab diplomat separately told the Times of Israel that, despite the delay in Hamas's response, mediators are still optimistic about the chances of reaching an agreement in the coming days, given Israel's softening stance on its troop redeployment and Hamas's willingness to drop its demand for an Israeli commitment to a permanent ceasefire.

6:00 PM | July 21

Israel rejects appeal for Gaza: It should be addressed to Hamas

Israel has rejected the joint statement by 25 countries, including Italy, calling for an end to the war in Gaza. It is disconnected from reality and sends the wrong message to Hamas, according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry. All statements and demands should be directed at the sole party responsible for the lack of a hostage release agreement and a ceasefire: Hamas, which started this war and is prolonging it, the statement continues. Instead of accepting a ceasefire, Hamas is engaged in a campaign to spread lies about Israel. At the same time, Hamas is deliberately acting to increase friction and harm civilians arriving to receive humanitarian aid. There is a concrete proposal for a ceasefire agreement, and Israel has repeatedly said yes to this proposal, while Hamas stubbornly refuses to accept it, Israel maintains. Therefore, the statement fails to focus pressure on Hamas and fails to acknowledge its role and responsibility in the situation. Hamas is solely responsible for the continuation of the war and the suffering on both sides. At such a delicate moment in the ongoing negotiations, it is best to avoid statements of this kind, the note concludes.

5:15 PM | July 21

Tajani: Italian operators in Deir al-Balah, the IDF stops raids

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani states that Italian and United Nations personnel are stationed in Deir al-Balah, where the Israeli offensive is underway. This is an area of Gaza that should be safe, but has instead been under Israeli fire for hours."We have requested information from the Israeli government," the minister adds."Above all, we urge an immediate end to those attacks, and indeed all attacks. A definitive ceasefire must be achieved, the Israeli hostages must be freed, the Palestinian population must be protected, and humanitarian and medical aid must be brought in on a massive scale."

5:07 PM | July 21

The number of countries signing the joint declaration rises to 25.

The number of foreign ministers signing a joint statement calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Gaza has risen to 25. Japan and Switzerland are among the Asian, European, North American, and Oceanian countries criticizing Israel's model for managing humanitarian flows and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, trying to meet their basic needs for water and food. They also criticize Israel's plans to transfer the Palestinian population to a humanitarian city—an act the 25 define as forced displacement—the settlement plans announced by the Israeli Civil Administration, the construction of new settlements throughout the West Bank, and settler violence against Palestinians. The signatories also demand the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas and that all parties involved abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law.

3:31 PM | July 21

Pizzaballa: Israel's Government in Gaza Is Unjustifiable

We cannot understand the reasons for all this, and, as the Pope rightly said, and we continually repeat, none of this is justifiable. I would like to clarify one thing: we have nothing against the Jewish world, and we absolutely do not want to appear to be against Israeli society and Judaism, but we have a moral duty to express our criticism of this government's policies in Gaza with absolute clarity and frankness. This was stated by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pizzaballa, in an interview with Vatican media. The patriarch then also spoke of the difference between the latest visit and others he has made in the past:"The images that remain with me, compared to previous visits, are those of the enormous expanses of tents that weren't there before. When I went, they were all in the south, closed off by the Netzarim corridor. They've moved back up, and now there are more than a million people without a place to live." Especially along the sea, there are long stretches of tents, where people live in extremely precarious conditions, both hygienically and in every other respect. And then, the other image is the hospital: children mutilated, blinded by the effects of the bombings.

According to Pizzaballa, the population of Gaza will remain there. Some will leave, certainly, but the majority will stay there. They don't know where to go, first of all, but they don't want to leave either, because their roots are there, their home is there, or rather, they had their home there, and they want to rebuild it there. The Pope has been very clear on this: no transfers of peoples, there will be no rivieras in Gaza.

Joint statement signed by 23 countries: Israel must lift restrictions on aid

We call on the Israeli government to immediately lift restrictions on aid deliveries and urgently allow the United Nations and humanitarian NGOs to carry out their lifesaving work safely and effectively: this is the appeal contained in the joint statement signed by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, together with his counterparts from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom, and the EU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management.

We call on all parties to protect civilians and respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, the signatories added.

2:22 PM | July 21

Belgium investigates two Israeli soldiers for crimes in Gaza

Belgian police have detained and questioned two Israeli soldiers suspected of committing war crimes in Gaza. The operation, according to the Belga agency, was triggered by a complaint filed by the Hind Rajab Foundation and the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN). The two soldiers were detained at the Tomorrowland festival in the province of Antwerp and released after questioning. The Belgian prosecutor's office confirmed the opening of a criminal investigation, specifying that the two men most likely belong to the Israeli army's Givati Brigade and displayed their unit's flag at the festival.

1:36 PM | July 21

Gaza's death toll has surpassed 59,000 since the war began.

The death toll of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip has surpassed 59,000 since the start of the war. This is according to updated data released by the Gaza Ministry of Health, which states that since October 7, 2023, 59,029 people have been killed and 142,135 wounded. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, but states that more than half of the dead are women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas government, but the UN and other international organizations consider it the most reliable source of casualty data.

12:59 PM | July 21

Telephone call between Pope Leo XIV and Abu Mazen​

This morning, Pope Leo XIV received a telephone call from Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), President of the State of Palestine, regarding recent developments in the conflict in the Gaza Strip and the violence in the West Bank. The Vatican Press Office announced this. During the telephone conversation, the Pontiff renewed his appeal for full respect for international humanitarian law, emphasizing the obligation to protect civilians and sacred places and the prohibition of the indiscriminate use of force and the forced transfer of populations. Given the dramatic humanitarian situation, the urgency of providing assistance to those most exposed to the consequences of the conflict and of allowing adequate access for humanitarian aid was emphasized. Finally, the Pope recalled the auspicious occasion of the tenth anniversary of the Comprehensive Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Palestine, signed on June 26, 2015, and which entered into force on January 2, 2016.

12:33 PM | July 21

Schlein: Netanyahu continues massacre in Gaza, Meloni must act.

In Gaza, 600,000 people are at risk of imminent death from starvation. The testimonies are horrific: people are fainting in the streets. Forced starvation is yet another weapon of war with which the Netanyahu government intends to advance its criminal plan to colonize Palestine.

Not only the IDF bombs, which in the last few hours have hit food distribution centers, causing hundreds of victims, but Netanyahu intends to continue exterminating the civilian population of Gaza through starvation. This is according to Democratic Party Secretary Elly Schlein. Dramatic testimonies are also coming from humanitarian workers, including several Italians, who are also under constant bombardment and unable to operate. How can Giorgia Meloni remain silent in the face of all this? How can she not make Italy's strong voice heard, so as not to irritate her far-right friends? Netanyahu must be stopped, his crimes must be stopped immediately, the Italian government cannot stand by and watch, she emphasizes. Let's start with the things we called for in the motion in Parliament: commitment to an immediate ceasefire, provision of all necessary humanitarian aid to the exhausted Palestinian population, the release of Israeli hostages, the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement and the Memorandum of Military Cooperation with Italy, a total embargo on arms trade with Israel, an end to the illegal occupation and violence in the West Bank, and recognition of the State of Palestine, as other European states have already done. Concrete action and a clear condemnation are needed from the Italian government and the European Union; we cannot stand idly by. Let's stop Netanyahu, he concludes.

12:04 PM | July 21

Netanyahu is a fool: Trump officials express concern after Israeli air strikes in Syria

(By Greta Privitera) The adjectives chosen are not those of the diplomatic lexicon: A madman; a child who doesn't know how to behave; bombs everything continuously. The concern is, above all, for the consequences: These plans could undermine what Trump is trying to do. With Damascus and in the Middle East, of course.

These are the words of some White House officials on Benjamin Netanyahu's latest decisions regarding wars, reported by the newspaper Axios.

No official statement, but murmurs that seem to point to a crack in the US-Israel axis.

Continue reading here for the full article.

11:47 AM | July 21

Israel claims to have struck Houthi terrorist targets in Yemen

Israel claims to have struck Houthi terrorist targets in Yemen. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that strikes targeted Houthi rebel"terrorist targets" in the port of Hodeidah, in western Yemen. The army has just struck Houthi regime terrorist targets in the port of Hodeidah, the minister said, citing his office."As I have made clear, Yemen's fate will be the same as Tehran's. The Houthis will pay a heavy price for their missile attacks against the State of Israel," he added. The Houthi broadcaster, Al-Massirah, reported a series of attacks on the port, while a Houthi official told AFP that they destroyed the dock, which had been rebuilt after a previous bombing. The Israeli military said the targeted infrastructure included construction equipment used to rebuild port facilities, which the Israeli military has targeted several times, fuel containers, and vessels used for military activities and hostile actions against the State of Israel. According to the British maritime security company Ambrey, at least four merchant ships were present in the port, but so far no damage has been reported. The latest missile launches from areas controlled by Iranian-backed Yemeni insurgents toward Israel were intercepted by the Israeli military on July 10 and 16. Since late 2023, the Houthis have regularly fired missiles toward Israel, most of which are intercepted before entering Israeli airspace. They have also attacked vessels believed to be linked to Israel, claiming to be acting in solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where the Israeli military is at war with Hamas. This war was triggered by the bloody attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement in Israel on October 7, 2023.

11:44 AM | July 21

Palestinian Journalists' Union Reports Attack on Three Colleagues

The Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate, a non-governmental organization affiliated with the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), has denounced an attack on three Gaza journalists by members of Hamas's SAHM unit, responsible for maintaining public order in the Strip, and representatives of the Hamas police investigation department. In the statement, the union reports that journalists Khaled Shaat, who works for the Shaat news agency and Jordanian radio station Al-Hayat, Mohammed Salama, a photographer for Al-Jazeera, and Abdullah Al-Attar, a correspondent for the Turkish Anadolu Agency, were attacked by Hamas emissaries at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis while they were on duty. Attacking journalists and preventing them from carrying out their work is reprehensible and unacceptable, the organization states. The union has called for an urgent and transparent investigation into the incident and for those responsible for the attack to be held accountable.

11:40 AM | July 21

Israeli tanks enter Deir al-Balah, killing at least eight people.

At least eight Palestinians have been killed in Deir al-Balah after Israeli tanks entered the city in the central Gaza Strip, in the Israeli army's first ground incursion into the area. The military believes some of the hostages may be being held by Hamas in Deir al-Balah. The Israeli raid hit eight homes and three mosques in the area, according to Palestinian medical sources cited by the Guardian.

11:11 AM | July 21

Israel's intelligence campaign to ferret out Iranian-recruited moles: investigations into 30 cases in the last year alone

(By Guido Olimpio) Easy money, heavy price: this is the title of the campaign launched by the Shin Bet to warn Israeli citizens willing to collaborate with Iran. An initiative that until a few years ago would have been unthinkable, but it is the consequence of a growing internal threat, also a sign of cracks in the unity of an increasingly torn country dominated by the logic of war. The internal security service, together with the police, has investigated nearly thirty cases in the last year alone. This pattern of incidents was confirmed by the arrest, a few days ago, of a teacher from the Beersheba area convinced to remotely cooperate with a suspected Iranian agent. The source – according to what was revealed by official sources – sent him money and cell phones hidden in various parts of the city, necessary support for conducting subsequent missions.

​

​Continue reading here for the full article.

10:52 AM | July 21

Katz: Yemen's fate will be the same as Tehran's

Yemen's fate will be the same as Tehran's, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated today in a statement. The Houthis will pay a heavy price for launching missiles against the State of Israel. We will continue to act at any time and anywhere to defend the State of Israel, he added. Katz confirmed that the IDF is striking terrorist targets of the Houthi regime near the port of Hodeida and is forcefully suppressing any attempts to restore the previously attacked terrorist infrastructure.

10:33 AM | July 21

Iran's snapback mechanism is senseless and unjustified

The threats by the European troika (Britain, France and Germany) to invoke the snapback mechanism to reinstate UN sanctions against Iran are senseless, unjustified and illegal, because Iran's reduction of commitments to the nuclear deal was made on the basis of the articles of the agreement, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said, stressing: It was the European parties to the agreement that failed to comply with it.

10:32 AM | July 21

Israel hits Houthi military targets at Hodeidah port

The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) has targeted and dismantled military infrastructure belonging to the Houthi terrorist regime in the port of Hudaydah, Yemen, the IDF announced on Telegram. The military infrastructure targeted included engineering vehicles used to rehabilitate the port's infrastructure, fuel containers, naval vessels used for military and offensive activities against the State of Israel, and vessels in the maritime zone adjacent to the port, as well as other terror infrastructure used by the Houthi terrorist regime, the IDF said in a press release.

10:31 AM | July 21

Israeli Minister Orit Strock: Expand war operations in Gaza

Israeli Settlements Minister and far-right politician Orit Strock has called on the military to expand its operations in Gaza to include the entire Strip, even though this will likely further endanger the hostages. There must be no off-limits zones (in Gaza), because they endanger residents of the communities bordering the Strip and all residents of the south, the Religious Zionist MP told Haredi radio station Kol Barama. To win the war, (we) must also control those areas and not leave them as terrorist centers, both above and below ground. It is not right to abstain from defeating Hamas there, she added, arguing that one cannot calculate whether one person's life is more important than another's.

9:32 AM | July 21

Israeli forces launch attack on Deir al-Balah

Israeli forces have launched an air and ground assault on the town of Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, the BBC reports. The operation began in the early hours of today, just hours after the IDF issued an evacuation warning to residents of six residential blocks in the southwestern part of the town. The area is populated by thousands of displaced people from Rafah and Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Local journalists told the BBC that Israeli tanks and military vehicles advanced into the town from the Kisufim checkpoint under the cover of heavy artillery and fighter jets.

9:09 AM | July 21

Egypt has asked the US to pressure Israel to provide aid to Gaza.

Egypt has asked the United States to apply pressure on Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, where the humanitarian crisis continues to worsen. This was reported by the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, which is close to Hezbollah. The United States has not yet responded to Egypt's request, the paper notes. According to Al-Akhbar, Cairo believes that increased aid flows to the Palestinian enclave could push Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement on a ceasefire and the release of hostages, as the dire humanitarian situation in the Strip is creating a crisis of confidence among negotiators regarding Israel's commitments.

8:49 AM | July 21

Media: Shas leaves government, but not control of ministries

The ultra-Orthodox Shas party, whose ministers resigned from the government last week over the Haredi conscription issue, is attempting to maintain de facto control of the ministries it has led so far. According to public broadcaster Kan, the party opposes the assumption of ministerial portfolios by Tourism Minister Haim Katz of the Likud, fearing he could oust Shas bureaucrats. Katz has already been appointed acting Minister of Housing following the resignation of Yitzhak Goldknopf of the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party. In January, he was also assigned the portfolios of the Jewish Power ministers who temporarily resigned in protest against the ceasefire and the release of the Gaza hostages. According to coalition sources, the resignations of the Shas ministers are a farce and, in practice, everything will remain as it is. Shas held the ministries of Interior, Welfare, Religious Services, Health, and Labor, as well as the post of Deputy Agriculture Minister. According to Kan, the Shas ministries should be transferred to a minister from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party. In addition to Katz, the ministers under consideration for these posts are Justice, Yariv Levin; Communications, Shlomo Karhi; and Education, Yoav Kisch.

Media: IDF chief proposes plan to take control of Gaza

Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, has developed a plan to further intensify military operations against Hamas. Channel 12 reported this, citing sources familiar with the proposal, describing it as a plan to seize control of Gaza. The proposal reportedly calls for IDF troops to capture and hold much larger territory in the Gaza Strip than they currently hold, while the army will gradually gain more ground each day.

7:08 AM | July 21

IDF raid on Deir al-Balah: UN calls it a devastating blow

The IDF conducted air strikes on Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, Palestinian media reported. The strikes came after the Israeli army ordered residents of Deir al-Balah to evacuate south yesterday. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, this was a further devastating blow to humanitarian aid. The massive evacuation order issued by the Israeli army has dealt a further devastating blow to the already fragile lifelines keeping people alive in the Gaza Strip, OCHA said in a statement.

0:53|July 21

Iran: Talks with Europeans on Friday 25th in Istanbul

An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced that nuclear talks between Tehran and the European troika of Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, the so-called E3, will take place in Istanbul on Friday, July 25. This was reported by the Russian news agency Tass and the Turkish news agency Anadolu. The meeting between Iran, Great Britain, France, and Germany will take place at the level of deputy foreign ministers, Esmaeil Baghaei said, as quoted by Iranian state media.

0:41|July 21

UN: Order to evacuate Deir al-Balah is a blow to humanitarian efforts.

Israel's order to evacuate Deir el-Balah in Gaza has dealt another devastating blow to humanitarian efforts in the war-torn territory, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement. The order has dealt another devastating blow to the already fragile lifelines keeping people alive in the Gaza Strip.

0:34|July 21

US envoy on hostage situation more optimistic than before about agreement

US hostage envoy Adam Boehler said he was more optimistic than before about an agreement between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire in Gaza that would lead to the release of hostages. Hamas is very rigid. They have been offered many proposals that they should have accepted, and it's time for them to release the hostages, he said in an interview with CNN. Boehler said he expects the Palestinian militant group to take steps that will lead to an agreement.

0:20|July 21

(by Ester Palma) I once again call for an immediate end to the barbarity of war and for a peaceful resolution to the conflict. I appeal to the international community to observe humanitarian law and respect the obligation to protect civilian populations and the prohibition of collective punishment, the indiscriminate use of force, and the forced displacement of populations. Pope Leo XIV said this at the end of the Sunday Angelus from Castel Gandolfo. He reiterated his profound sorrow for the attack on the Catholic parish in Gaza, adding:"To our beloved Middle Eastern Christians, I say: I share your feeling of being able to do little in the face of this dramatic situation. You are in the heart of the Pope and of the entire Church, thank you for your witness of faith."

Gaza, Pope at the Angelus: Stop the barbarity of war immediately.

0:15|July 21

Netanyahu has food poisoning: he will not testify at his trial.

Following news of Benjamin Netanyahu's absence from today's weekly Israeli cabinet meeting, the prime minister's office issued a statement explaining that he is ill and will be working from home for the next three days. Based on Netanyahu's health, Ynet reports that his testimony at his corruption trial has been canceled. The testimony had been postponed until tomorrow and Tuesday by the judges, who on June 29 granted a postponement for diplomatic reasons, granting the prime minister's request, supported by Donald Trump. According to the statement from the prime minister's office, Netanyahu felt ill last night and was diagnosed with food poisoning caused by spoiled food, the Times of Israel reports.

IDF: We will continue the offensive against Hamas

The Israeli army has presented several courses of action to the political leadership to continue the offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, according to IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir. Speaking to troops in Gaza City, he explained that their operational successes—the elimination of terrorists, the destruction of infrastructure above and below ground, and the capture and clearing of vast areas—will enable us to change our operational models. The IDF, he added, will implement new operational formations that will strengthen our strengths, reduce our vulnerabilities, and increase operational gains. The troops will exert increasing pressure on Hamas and reduce the erosion of our forces.

0:10|July 20

Netanyahu has food poisoning: he will not testify at his trial.

Following news of Benjamin Netanyahu's absence from today's weekly Israeli cabinet meeting, the prime minister's office issued a statement explaining that he is ill and will be working from home for the next three days. Based on Netanyahu's health, Ynet reports that his testimony at his corruption trial has been canceled. The testimony had been postponed until tomorrow and Tuesday by the judges, who on June 29 granted a postponement for diplomatic reasons, granting the prime minister's request, supported by Donald Trump. According to the statement from the prime minister's office, Netanyahu felt ill last night and was diagnosed with food poisoning caused by spoiled food, the Times of Israel reports.