LiveLive Updates July 06, 2026Share 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 formatSubscribeJuly 06, 2026UpdatesHamas says its Gaza government resigns to hand power to Palestinian technocratsHamas announced on Monday that the government that administers Gaza on its behalf has resigned in order to transfer its powers to the Palestinian technocratic committee established as part of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan for postwar Gaza.However, Israel is not allowing members of the technocratic committee, who are currently in Cairo, to enter the Strip. The decision announced by the organization does not concern its military wing. The mediators are still negotiating with Hamas over its disarmament. Moreover, as long as Israel is not part of the process and the United States does not pressure it to advance the plan, the situation in the Strip is unlikely to change.Hamas also said that the plan to transfer authority to the technocratic committee was formally presented to representatives of Palestinian factions and forces, to the Higher Committee for Tribal Affairs in the Gaza Strip, and to representatives of civil society, in the presence of a UN observer.Hamas stressed in its statement that professional and technical government employees in the Strip will remain in their positions to ensure the continued provision of public services and to prevent an administrative vacuum. The group said that the move is conducted in accordance with the agreements that emerged from talks held in Cairo last month between Palestinian factions under Egyptian mediation. The talks focused on Gaza's future governance and the issue of Hamas disarmament.Read the full articleLebanese Christian border villages deny Netanyahu's annexation claimLebanese Christian border villages in southern Lebanon have rejected claims by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that local Christian leaders had sought the annexation of their villages by Israel and requested Israeli citizenship."Some Christian villages in Lebanon have actually asked to be annexed by Israel," Netanyahu told the U.S. broadcaster Fox News on Sunday. According to Netanyahu, they are seeking protection from Hezbollah.Hanna Al-Amil, mayor of Rmeish – one of the towns closest to the border – dismissed Netanyahu's remarks in comments to dpa, calling them "completely false" and saying no southern town had made such a request.He said the idea was "absolutely unthinkable," noting that 15 Christian border towns had issued a statement rejecting the claims.Al-Amil added that the towns are "the beating heart of Lebanon," defined by their patriotism, attachment to the land and Lebanese identity.The joint statement said the Christian villages had remained committed to the Lebanese state and its legitimacy throughout the war, coordinating with Lebanese authorities, religious leaders and international actors to keep humanitarian corridors open and maintain links with state institutions.The statement stressed that residents were proud of their Lebanese identity, regard Lebanon as their final homeland and reject any attempts to misrepresent their national position or exploit their suffering for unrelated political agendas.Israel charges Tajikistani man with spying for IranAn indictment has been filed against 33-year-old Tajikistani national Shakharib Dudubayev for allegedly spying for Iran, including providing information via Telegram on locations where missiles landed during the 2025 war with Iran.Dudubayev, who is staying in Israel without a visa, is also accused of transferring images of military and strategic infrastructure, including the Port of Haifa and an Elbit Systems facility with the intent of harming national security.IDF soldier filmed throwing stun grenade inside car in East Jerusalem, trapping Palestinians insideAn Israeli Border Police officer was filmed throwing a stun grenade into a car in Qalandiyah refugee camp, a Palestinian village that straddles the West Bank and the northern edge of East Jerusalem, trapping its Palestinian occupants inside.Police said the officer acted "not in accordance with procedure" and that the Justice Ministry's department for the investigation of police officers is handling the case.Border Police officer throws stun grenade into car in Qalandiya, Sunday.Read the full articleProcession begins through Tehran for slain Supreme Leader Khamenei's funeralIran began a procession Monday through its capital, Tehran, for the funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.Former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Khamenei's funeral ceremony in Tehran, Iran on Saturday. Credit: FATEMEH BAHRAMI/Anadolu via AFPFormer Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Khamenei's funeral ceremony in Tehran, Iran on Saturday. Credit: FATEMEH BAHRAMI/Anadolu via AFPKhamenei's flag-draped coffin, and those of his family killed on February 28 in an airstrike at the start of the war launched by Israel and the United States, will be carried on board a truck. They will be taken through the streets of Tehran on their way to Mehrabad International Airport.Iran's theocracy plans to see large crowds attend the ceremony across the city to show popular support for the government. Iranian state television reported the procession had started.Authorities have shut down streets, airspace and daily life for the mourning, which will end Thursday as the 86-year-old Khamenei is buried at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace.The United States is meanwhile pressing ahead with negotiations with Iran aimed at fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz, rolling back its disputed nuclear program and reaching a permanent end to the war. Talks appear to be on hold until after the burial.Trump to meet with Turkey's Erdoğan, Syria's al-Sharaa at NATO summit in AnkaraU.S. President Donald Trump, right, shakes hands with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a meeting in the White House, Washington, United States, September 2025. Credit: Evan Vucci,AP U.S. President Donald Trump, right, shakes hands with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a meeting in the White House, Washington, United States, September 2025. Credit: Evan Vucci,AP U.S. President Donald Trump will meet separately with his Turkish and Syrian counterparts during the upcoming NATO summit this week in Ankara, Turkey's capital, the White House announced. Trump is set to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday at the Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, the White House's statement said.On Wednesday, Trump is slated to meet with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the same venue, the statement also said.RECAP: IDF confirms Israelis tried to cross to Syria, Netanyahu tells Vance Israel has 'many friends'Here are Sunday's latest updates:■ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to comments made in June by U.S. Vice President JD Vance that Israel was alienating its only major ally, saying he has a good relationship with both Vance and U.S. President Donald Trump. "We have many other friends as well," Netanyahu said.■ The Israeli military confirmed that Israeli civilians attempted to cross the border with Syria following reports that an Israeli settlement had been established in Syria's Daraa governorate.■ Israeli helicopter and artillery fire were reported in southern Lebanon, as President Joseph Aoun told the press that although he is "not enthusiastic about Israel" and is waiting for "any solution or agreement that will get us out of the wars."■ Hamas is expected to announce that it will dismantle its government in the Gaza Strip, the Saudi-owned Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported, citing Hamas sources.■ Maritime ‌trade between Iran ⁠and Qatar has ⁠resumed after a roughly five-month suspension, Iran's commercial attaché ‌in Doha ‌told state media.■ Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that "Pardoning Netanyahu is not enough," and that senior officials in the Israel Police, the State Prosecutor's Office and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara should be imprisoned over what he called their efforts to "stitch up" criminal charges against the prime minister.■ President Isaac Herzog said the Israeli government's decision to defy a High Court of Justice ruling was a "red line that must not be crossed under any circumstances." According to Herzog, such statements "harm the very core of national unity."■ In response to the government's decision to defy a High Court ruling, opposition lawmaker Naama Lazimi said Netanyahu should be arrested for incitement and state security offences.■ Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu compared anti-government activists charged with firing maritime flares at Netanyahu's home in 2024 to hijackers involved in the 1976 Entebbe raid, saying, "Sometimes in the name of peace, terrible moral injustices are committed."Report: Hamas expected to dismantle Gaza government ahead of technocratic committee's entryHamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad gunmen in Gaza City in March. Credit: Abdel Kareem Hana/APHamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad gunmen in Gaza City in March. Credit: Abdel Kareem Hana/APHamas is expected to announce that it will dismantle its government in the Gaza Strip, the Saudi-owned Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported, citing Hamas sources.According to the report, two sources confirmed that the movement's leadership intends to announce the dismantling of the Governmental Follow-up Committee, which has served as Hamas's de facto government in the territory since 2007.A Hamas source told Haaretz that "Hamas are convinced that [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu doesn't want to move ahead with anything, but will try to present an initiative that has apparent flexibility to mediators and [Board of Peace High Representative Nickolay] Mladenov."Read the full articleIn the NewsIran Is Smartly Using the Palestinians, and Only Israel Can Stop ItThe West Bank Settlers Drifting Away From Israel's Far RightHamas Says Its Gaza Government Resigns to Hand Power to Palestinian TechnocratsAdam Sandler Officiates Taylor Swift's Wedding, Ignites anti-Israel SpeculationIsraeli High-tech Turnaround? 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