News:
Gaza fighting continues amid ceasefire efforts. (AP/Ha’aretz)
The Palestinian death toll [1] in Gaza reaches 734 [2]. (Ma’an/PNN)
Israeli troops arrest 150 Palestinians [3] in southern Gaza [4]. (JTA/Times of Israel)
Israeli occupation forces detain 10 Palestinians [5] in Nablus and Hebron. (Ma’an)
The Al-Qassam Brigades claim to have killed eight Israeli soldiers [6] in an attack in Gaza. (Ma’an)
The Israeli military [7] says five rockets fired [8] from Gaza were intercepted over Tel Aviv [9]. (Ma’an/JTA/Ynet)
The Egyptian army [10] thwarts two attacks against Israel. (Jerusalem Post)
Hamas says progress has been made in negotiations to end the Gaza conflict [11]. (AFP)
Sec. Kerry is pressing Turkey and Qatar to secure Hamas’s agreement [12] for a ceasefire. (Ha’aretz)
Jordan proposes a ceasefire resolution [13] at the UNSC. (Jordan Times)
The UN Human Rights Council [14] votes to establish an inquiry into human rights violations [15] in Gaza [16]. (New York Times/Times of Israel/The National)
Israel calls for the rejection [17] of the UN Human Rights Council inquiry [18].(JTA/Ynet)
Israel is reviving the debate about whether Hamas uses civilian shields [19]. (New York Times)
The FAA lifts its ban [20] on US flights [21] in and out of Israel [22]. (AP/Reuters/New York Times)
European carriers suspend more Tel Aviv-bound flights [23]. (AP)
The Obama administration asks Congress to fast-track Israel’s request for an additional $225 million for the Iron Dome [24] anti-missile system. (JTA)
The majority of Israelis back the destruction of all Gazan tunnels [25]. (The Media Line)
Foreign correspondents in Israel complain of intimidation against journalists [26] who are reporting on the fighting in Gaza. (New York Times)
France announces an 11-million-euro aid package [27] to Gaza. (AFP)
Brazil recalls its ambassador in Tel Aviv to protest the “disproportionate use of force by Israel" [28] in Gaza. (Ha’aretz)
The Iraqi parliament [29] elects senior Kurdish politician Fouad Masoum [30] as president [31]. (Washington Post/Reuters/The National)
The OPCW says all toxic chemicals removed from Syria [32] have been delivered to destruction facilities outside the country. (Reuters)
IS attacks parts of a besieged army base [33] in northern Syria. (AP)
IS orders female genital mutilation [34] in Iraq. (Reuters)
Commentary:
Michael Young [35] says from a political perspective, Hamas has gained more from the Gaza war than Israel. (Daily Star)
Roger Cohen [36] says the peoples of the Holy Land are “condemned” to each other. (New York Times)
Gershon Baskin [37] says the only way that Hamas can be defeated is when the Palestinian people will decide to get rid of them. (Jerusalem Post)
Yasmeen Serhan [38] says anti-Semitism has no place in Palestine advocacy. (972)
Khaled Diab [39] says peaceful resistance will deliver the greatest dividend in Palestine. (The National)
Ha’aretz [40] says one of the harsh consequences of “Operation Protective Edge” is the damage this war is causing to relations between Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel. (Ha’aretz)l
Nahum Barnea [41] says, after removing the tunnel threat, Israel should take its forces out of Gaza but maintain military freedom of action. (Ynet)
Shlomi Eldar [42] says no organization could be more dangerous to Israel than Hamas. (Al-Monitor)
The Washington Post [43] says the US should push for disarming Hamas in Gaza. (Washington Post)
Stephen Games [44]asks if the BBC can really report from Gaza. (Ha’aretz)
Michael Young [45] says the decline of Christianity in Iraq and the Arab world has been a reality for some time, with no sign of stopping. (The National)
The New York Times [46] says minorities in Iraq need to be able to return to their communities and live in peace. (New York Times)
Madeleine Albright and David Miliband [47] say the international community could be on the cusp of a humanitarian breakthrough in Syria. (Foreign Policy)
Jeffrey Goldberg [48] says the Muslim world seems more interested in Arabs who are killed by Jews than in Arabs killed by Arabs. (The Atlantic)
Joyce Karam [49]says Congress is attempting to track Hezbollah’s sophisticated web of funding. (Al Arabiya)
Eyad Abu Shakra [50] looks at the impact of regional developments on Lebanon’s political scene. (Asharq al-Awsat)