U.S. Leaves Gaza Ceasefire Talks, Says Hamas Doesn't Want to End Fighting - Felicia Schwartz (Politico)
    The U.S. is pulling out of talks for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, as it believes Hamas isn't negotiating seriously, special envoy Steve Witkoff said Thursday.
    He said the group's latest response in the talks in Doha illustrated its unwillingness to end the fighting.
    "Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith," Witkoff said.
    "We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza. It is a shame that Hamas has acted in this selfish way. We are resolute in seeking an end to this conflict and a permanent peace in Gaza."

Israel and Syria Discuss De-escalation in Druze Region - Itamar Eichner (Ynet News)
    U.S. Special Envoy to Syria Amb. Tom Barrack said Thursday he acted as a mediator at direct talks in Paris between Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, and Syrian Foreign Minister Hassan al-Shibani.
    According to the Syrian Center for Human Rights, under the proposed agreement between Israel and Syria, all tribal (Bedouin) and General Security forces must withdraw beyond the Druze villages in Sweida province, with a U.S. monitoring commitment to oversee implementation.
    Quneitra and Daraa provinces, near the Israeli border, will be disarmed; local security committees will be formed that will not possess heavy weapons.
    More than 1,300 people were killed in the deadly clashes in Sweida province.
    One video on social media, dated July 15, shows a group of young men being shot dead in Tishrin Square in Sweida.
    Other footage depicts Druze captives being humiliated and killed in cruel ways, including forced to jump from balconies while gunmen fired on them.

USAID Dismisses Mountain of Evidence Showing Hamas Steals Humanitarian Aid - Ezra Taylor (Jerusalem Post)
    A deeply flawed U.S. government analysis, published by Reuters on Friday, astonishingly concluded there was no evidence of systematic theft by Hamas of U.S.-funded humanitarian supplies.
    This analysis conspicuously ignored a mountain of evidence demonstrating systematic aid theft by Hamas.
    The U.S. study relied entirely on self-reporting from aid organizations operating in what analysts describe as a "mafia-like" environment controlled by Hamas through violence and intimidation.
    "No organization wants to admit it handed over some aid to terrorists or mafia gunmen," noted a Jerusalem Post analysis in May. "The organizations also know if they condemn Hamas, then they could be in danger."
    "They [Hamas] live on the aid...they want aid to come in through the United Nations and international organizations so they can steal it," one Gaza resident told an IDF Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) officer in May.
    A civilian employed by World Central Kitchen confirmed: "When the supplies arrive, they try to steal."
    David Mencer, spokesman for the Prime Minister's Office, said: "Israel facilitates thousands of aid trucks into Gaza, but we know from multiple intelligence and international sources that Hamas diverts between 30% and 50% of that aid for its own use."
    "They steal food, fuel, and medicine meant for civilians, hoard it in their tunnels, and sell it on the black market to fund their war machine."

In Gaza City, IDF Is Fighting Infrastructure, Not Terrorists - Emanuel Fabian (Times of Israel)
    The IDF is again battling Hamas in Gaza City. Last week, this reporter entered Gaza and saw excavators demolishing a building suspected of being booby trapped.
    Lt.-Col. A. said that a day earlier, troops in a nearby building found a "communications box" with wires coming out of it and a bomb hidden next to it. The same kind of box was spotted by troops using a drone in the building that was being demolished.
    "This is what fighting a Hamas battalion looks like. There's a certain number of operatives tasked with defending an area. Sometimes, they will come out of tunnels to attack if they have the opportunity. However, you mainly find yourself fighting against the infrastructure that they have prepared," he said.
    Hamas's Daraj-Tuffah Battalion "heavily relies on its infrastructure, which is mostly above ground, in the homes and yards, and a bit below ground as well. And from here we derive our method. If you take away the infrastructure that can be used to harm your forces, you advance the mission of destroying the Hamas battalion."
    Lt.-Col. A. said, "Fighting an idea, trying to eliminate an idea, is impossible, but you can kill those who hold that idea, or take away the capabilities that allow them to act effectively."
    His forces had not yet encountered any Hamas operatives, nor any civilians, during its operations in Daraj and Tuffah.
    Using drones, they had identified gunmen deeper within Gaza City and launched strikes on them.
    He said he was operating under the assumption that at least 15 Hamas operatives were hiding in his area of operations, inside tunnels that IDF forces had not yet found.

British Hostage Emily Damari Tells of Being Held in a Cage in the Gaza Tunnels - Andy Jehring (Daily Mail-UK)
    For almost four months of her 471 days in captivity, Emily Damari, 29, was incarcerated in the Hamas terror tunnels under Gaza, where the stench of human waste permeated the fetid wet air and the floor crawled with cockroaches.
    Throughout it all she was in constant, searing pain after gunmen shot off two of her fingers the day she was kidnapped on Oct. 7, 2023, while the remains of another bullet were lodged in her right leg.
    Emily says: "Sometimes there would be up to six of us at a time, squeezed in a tiny cage just two meters by two meters."
    Finally freed in a ceasefire deal in January, she now reveals the full horrors of what she suffered.

Gaza Humanitarian Foundation Rejects False Claims by Former Aid Worker (Times of Israel)
    The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has refuted claims aired on BBC on Friday by former GHF aid worker Anthony Aguilar that Israel was committing "war crimes" in Gaza.
    The GHF said Aguilar made "false claims with no basis in reality."
    "Upon hearing Mr. Aguilar's claims, we immediately launched an investigation. The findings, based on cross-checking the timelines with video clips and on sources on the ground, indicate that these are false claims with no basis in reality."
    "It should be emphasized that Mr. Aguilar was employed as a subcontractor and was fired over a month ago for inappropriate behavior. Following the dismissal, we received threats that unless he was reinstated, action would be taken against us, raising questions regarding the motivation behind his interviews."
    "We continue to focus on our core mission: to provide food to the residents of Gaza - safely, directly and without interruption, as we have been doing since the beginning of operations on May 27."
    "Since then, we have distributed more than 92 million rations to the Palestinian residents of Gaza."