Israel at War Day 630 June 27, 2025Share to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeGAZA: Israel kills 74 Palestinians in Gaza since Thursday night, 12 in line for aid, medics say; Netanyahu rejects Haaretz exposé on IDF intentionally shooting Gazans at aid centers; Casualties reported in clashes between Hamas and armed militants in south Gaza ■ LEBANON: Israeli strike in south Lebanon kills one, wounds 11, Health Ministry says ■ IRAN: Members of Iran's Jewish community arrested on suspicion of collaborating with Israel; Trump hints Israel was about to target Iran's Khamenei, saying, 'I saved him from a very ugly death'GAZA: Israel kills 74 Palestinians in Gaza since Thursday night, 12 in line for aid, medics say; Netanyahu rejects Haaretz exposé on IDF intentionally shooting Gazans at aid centers; Casualties reported in clashes between Hamas and armed militants in south Gaza ■ LEBANON: Israeli strike in south Lebanon kills one, wounds 11, Health Ministry says ■ IRAN: Members of Iran's Jewish community arrested on suspicion of collaborating with Israel; Trump hints Israel was about to target Iran's Khamenei, saying, 'I saved him from a very ugly death'June 27, 2025UpdatesMan pleads not guilty to hate crimes in attack on Colorado demonstration for Israeli hostagesA man accused of hurling Molotov cocktails at a group of people who were demonstrating in Boulder, Colorado, in support of Israeli hostages pleaded not guilty Friday to federal hate crime charges.Mohamed Sabry Soliman was indicted earlier this week on 12 hate crime counts in the June 1 attack. He is accused of trying to kill eight people who were hurt by the Molotov cocktails and others who were nearby.Investigators say Soliman told them he intended to kill the roughly 20 participants at the weekly demonstration on Boulder's Pearl Street pedestrian mall. But he threw just two of his over two dozen Molotov cocktails while yelling "Free Palestine."Soliman, who is also being prosecuted in state court for attempted murder and other charges, told investigators he tried to buy a gun but was not able to because he was not a "legal citizen."He posed as a gardener, wearing a construction vest, to get close to the group before launching the attack, according to court documents. He was also indicted for having explosives, which was included in the hate crime counts.Federal authorities say Soliman, an Egyptian national, has been living in the U.S. illegally with his family.Soliman is being represented in state and federal court by public defenders who do not comment on their cases to the media. Prosecutors say the victims were targeted because of their perceived or actual national origin.At a hearing last week, Soliman's defense attorney, David Kraut, urged Magistrate Judge Kathryn Starnella not to allow the case to move forward. Kraut said the alleged attack was not a hate crime. He said it was motivated by Soliman's opposition to Zionism, the movement to establish and sustain a Jewish state in Israel.An attack motivated by someone's political views is not considered a hate crime under federal law.June 27, 2025'I saved him from a very ugly death': Trump hints Israel was about to target Iran's KhameneiPresident Trump said he had ordered the U.S. and Israel to spare Tehran's supreme leader during the last of the 12 days of strikes across Iran, and that he halted progress on easing sanctions on Iran. "During the last few days, I was working on the possible removal of sanctions and other things, which would have given a much better chance to Iran at a full, fast, and complete recovery," he wrote on Truth Social. "The sanctions are biting! But no, instead I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust, and immediately dropped all work on sanction relief, and more."CNN reported earlier Friday that the Trump administration was considering offering Iran incentives, like easing sanctions, to resume talks on its nuclear program. The U.S. and Iran had conducted five rounds of negotiations before Israel struck Iran. On Thursday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Iran had won the war against Israel and the U.S. In Friday's post, Trump said that Khamenei had almost been killed, if not for his intervention. "I knew exactly where he was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the U.S. Armed Forces ... terminate his life," he said. "I saved him from a very ugly and ignominious death, and he does not have to say, "THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP!" "In fact, in the final act of the war, I demanded that Israel bring back a very large group of planes, which were heading directly to Tehran, looking for a big day, perhaps the final knockout," he wrote. "Tremendous damage would have ensued, and many Iranians would have been killed. It was going to be the biggest attack of the war, by far."Geneva branch of Gaza aid delivery group could face court actionThe Geneva branch of an Israeli- and U.S.-backed group that delivers aid to Gaza has been ordered to comply with its registration requirements or face possible court action.The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation , or GHF, began distributing food packages in Gaza at the end of May, overseeing a new model of aid distribution which has been criticized by the United Nations.The GHF is registered in the United States. It registered an affiliate in Geneva on February 12. A legal document posted on the Commercial Register of the Swiss Canton of Geneva dated Thursday said the GHF affiliate had "deficiencies in the organization that is mandatory by law."The registry gave the GHF 30 days to fix those deficiencies. If it fails to comply, the case will be forwarded to a local court or supervisory authority for action against it, it said. The GHF did not immediately respond to a request for comment emailed by Reuters.The GHF has previously dismissed UN criticism of its operations in Gaza and has told Reuters that the only GHF entity in use today is the foundation established in the U.S. The notification by the Geneva registry is separate to a potential investigation that the Swiss Federal Department of Home Affairs is considering launching into the foundation.Swiss authorities had previously told Reuters that the foundation does not meet legal requirements, including having the right number of board members, a postal address or a Swiss bank account.Israel's top cease-fire negotiator Dermer to visit White House on MondayAccording to a source familiar with the details, the head of the Gaza cease-fire negotiations, Ron Dermer, will arrive in Washington on Monday. His visit is expected to determine, among other things, a date for Prime Minister Netanyahu's visit to the White House. It currently appears that he will visit there at the end of July, but that is not yet final.Dermer is expected to meet with senior White House officials, like Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio or and Vice President JD Vance, to discuss Gaza, Iran and the Abraham Accords.Dermer's visit was first reported by Axios. June 27, 2025Asked about Hezbollah, Trump says the U.S. is 'with Lebanon all the way'President Trump said the U.S. would "try to straighten it out" on Hezbollah influence in Lebanon, noting the country was "a great place with brilliant people.""It's known for the professors and had an incredible history," he said at a press conference at the White House. "Hopefully we can bring it back again."June 27, 2025Trump: Iran probably won't go back into nuclear, wants to meet U.S.President Trump during a news conference on Friday. Credit: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFPPresident Trump during a news conference on Friday. Credit: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFPPresident Trump said that after the U.S. strike on Iranian nuclear sites, Tehran would forgo nuclear ambitions and currently "wants to meet.""I don't believe that they're going to go back into nuclear anytime soon," he said in a press conference, asked about Iran's intentions, noting Tehran was "exhausted" and defeated. "They spent over a trillion dollars on nuclear, and they never got it together, and [no uranium] was moved from the site by the way – to do that is very dangerous.""Israel's exhausted, too," he said. "Israel was beat up, too; they both got beat up. It was a great time to end."The president thought there should be oversight on Iranian nuclear facilities, either by the UN or "somebody that we respect, including ourselves." The U.S. would bomb Iran again if it discovered Tehran was continuing to enrich uranium, he said. IAEA: UN should continue to inspect nuclear facilities in Iran; Araghchi: Oversight is 'meaningless, even malign'The Parliament of Iran has voted for a halt to collaboration with the IAEA until the safety and security of our nuclear activities can be guaranteed.