News:

Pres. Abbas says Israel must clarify what its borders are, and blasts Hamas for maintaining a "parallel" government in Gaza. (Ma’an/Jerusalem Post)

Hamas leader Meshaal says Hamas will go back to war against Israel if the upcoming long-term ceasefire talks fail. (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel/Jerusalem Post)

The US is reportedly planning to present a comprehensive proposal for the demilitarization of Gaza to the UNSC. (Times of Israel)

Palestinians in Gaza are slowly returning to their normal routines. (Ma’an/The Guardian)

Palestinian fishermen in Gaza say they are already seeing the benefits of an extended fishing zone. (Ma’an)

Many children in Gaza are left orphaned by the conflict. (Ma’an)

Israel’s attacks on Gaza caused $40.4 million worth of damage just to religious sites and cemeteries. (Ma’an)

The new school year in Gaza will start on September 14th. (Ma’an)

Islamic Jihad says 121 of its fighters were killed in Gaza. (Times of Israel)

Many Israelis used an app to track the Gaza conflict during the latest round of hostilities. (New York Times) 

Israel approves plans to build another Yeshiva in occupied East Jerusalem. (Ma’an)

Israeli police say they have found the body of a 23-year-old American student who went missing inJerusalem. (Reuters/New York Times/Washington Post/JTA)

PM Netanyahu meets with members of Congress. (JTA)

A poll indicates that Americans sympathize with Israel more than with the Palestinians. (Ha’aretz)

An armed group detains 43 UN peacekeepers, and another 81 are trapped, during fighting in Syria. (AP/Reuters)

Pres. Obama downplays the prospect of imminent US military action in Syria. (AP) 

The UN says the war in Syria has driven a record 3 million people out of the country. (AP/Reuters/New York Times)

A video shows IS fighters executing Syrian soldiers. (Reuters/New York Times/The National)

The Wall Street Journal looks at IS’ extensive criminal finances and racketeering. (Wall Street Journals)

A captured IS laptop includes lessons for making bubonic plague bombs and missives on using weapons of mass destruction. (Foreign Policy)

The US has delivered a shipment of weapons to Lebanon. (AP)

A powerful Islamist militia in Tripoli says it agrees with a UN call for a Libyan ceasefire. (AP)

FM Zarif expresses optimism on nuclear talks. (Reuters)

Commentary:

Asmaa Al Ghoul says Israel gained the upper hand in the final days of the Gaza war. (Al-Monitor)

Naomi Shihab Nye desrcibes growing up in Ferguson and Palestine. (Washington Post)

Peter Millett says UNRWA will have to rebuild “shattered lives” in Gaza. (Al Arabiya)

The CSM says Israel should seek a lasting peace with the Palestinians, not merely prolonged quiet. (Christian Science Monitor)

Lara Friedman says Israeli settlement activity would greatly strengthen Hamas. (Jewish Daily Forward)

Neri Zilber says Hamas did not win the Gaza war. (Politico)

Zvi Bar’el says the Gaza war was a distraction from the main issue in the Middle East today: IS. (Ha’aretz)

Peter Beinart says Palestinians are invisible to many Jewish Americans. (Ha’aretz)

David Ignatius asks if Saudi Arabia can help fight IS. (Washington Post)

Steven Cook, Jacob Stokes and Alexander Brock say Obama's attempt to disengage from Middle East’s conflict has intensified regional rivalries. (Foreign Policy)

Winston Harris asks if Kurds can achieve independence. (Small Wars Journal)

The National says Gulf states must not forget Pres. Assad’s brutality. (The National)

The Daily Star says world leaders must take “meaningful action” against the Syrian regime. (Daily Star)

Abdallah Schleifer says Egypt is preparing for a worst-case scenario in Libya. (Al Arabiya)