U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, visiting the Western Wall in Jerusalem, declared: “America will forever stand with Israel, and we will continue to pray for its peace and well-being.”

French President Macron responded to the videos of Evyatar David and Rom Breslavsky, stating: “Hamas displays shocking cruelty and absolute inhumanity.”

Sir Keir Starmer has been cautioned that granting recognition to a Palestinian state could “destabilise” the international legal order. According to a new legal opinion commissioned by Labour peer Lord Mendelsohn, the move could set a problematic precedent, potentially challenging and undermining the foundations of the international system built on a shared definition of statehood. The warning comes in response to Sir Keir’s conditional support for recognising Palestinian statehood.

Hamas states it will only agree to disarm once a Palestinian state is established with Jerusalem as its capital.

Steve Witkoff told the families of Israeli hostages, “Negotiations with Hamxs have been exhausting, so we’re shifting our approach — it’s all or nothing now.” “I came personally to evaluate the situation in Gaza. While there are real hardships and food shortages, there is no starvation. Once we dismantle Hamxs’ false narrative, we can push forward with talks to end the war and bring every hostage home.”

Today’s cover of the New York Post highlights the image of Evyatar David, an Israeli civilian who was kidnapped and tortured by Palestinian terrorists in Gaza, and forced to dig his own grave.

Overnight drone strikes targeted multiple locations across Russia, including Voronezh, Crimea, Adler, Sochi, and Kstovo in the Nizhny Novgorod region. The attacks reportedly hit the 810th Russian brigade, air defense installations, oil depots, and warehouses near airports. Fires and structural damage were reported in several areas, with some caused by intercepted drones triggering explosions.

The Krasheninnikov Volcano in Kamchatka erupted overnight for the first time in 600 years, an event that may be linked to the powerful earthquake that struck Russia’s Far East last week, according to Russia’s RIA state news agency and local scientists. View quoted note →

A 3.6 magnitude earthquake shook the New York City area and parts of New Jersey, according to GlobalQuake.

Overnight, Ukraine pressed forward with its summer drone offensive, striking a Russian fuel depot at Sochi International Airport. Footage shows a Ukrainian AN-196 Liutyi drone targeting the Rosneft tank farm as flames engulf the facility.