Live Updates July 27, 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 27, 2026Netanyahu's Trump test: Gaza gestures, Iran tensions and a risky bet | AnalysisPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will fly to Washington on Monday for a two-day trip centered on a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and his attendance at the funeral of Sen. Lindsey Graham, who was close to both leaders, at the Washington National Cathedral.The Trump meeting is supposed to take place a few hours before the funeral, which the president is slated to attend. Trump will also meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Monday; Zelenskyy, too, plans to attend Graham's funeral.Trump's crowded schedule presumably means that his meeting with Netanyahu won't be a long one.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump walk into Trump's Mar-a-Lago club, Florida, U.S., in December. Credit: Alex Brandon/AP Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump walk into Trump's Mar-a-Lago club, Florida, U.S., in December. Credit: Alex Brandon/AP The meeting comes after weeks in which relations between Jerusalem and Washington have hit a low point, following their failed attempt to topple the Iranian regime, the latest escalation with the Islamic Republic and diplomatic efforts to resolve the impasse.The meeting between Trump and Netanyahu was originally scheduled for last week but was canceled at the last minute at the Americans' request, as previously reported by Haaretz. A White House official even said it had never actually been scheduled, though Israeli sources disputed that.Several sources said the White House was expecting progress from Netanyahu on Lebanon. And last week, Israel withdrew from a village in southern Lebanon after the United States announced the launch of a pilot project for the Lebanese army's entry into the area. The pilot calls for the Lebanese army to take responsibility for a few specific areas in southern Lebanon.Read the full articlePentagon updates Iran war toll, says 18 U.S. troops killed, 624 woundedThe Pentagon updated its casualty database on Saturday, adding more than 140 wounded troops and restoring four soldiers killed in Iranian strikes after they had disappeared from the count, as reported by CNN.The revised figures show that 18 U.S. service members have been killed and 624 wounded since Washington launched its war against Iran on Feb. 28.The changes came after the Defense Casualty Analysis System showed falling casualty numbers last week despite continued Iranian attacks, prompting scrutiny from lawmakers. U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth salute the transfer case of U.S. Army Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, killed during an attack at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, U.S., Wednesday. Credit: Evelyn Hockstein/REUTERSU.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth salute the transfer case of U.S. Army Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, killed during an attack at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, U.S., Wednesday. Credit: Evelyn Hockstein/REUTERSTwelve Democratic members of the Senate Armed Services Committee sent Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth a letter seeking answers over the changes.The Pentagon said the fluctuations were caused by "temporary data disruptions" on the DCAS website. The updated database also added an "Overseas Operations" category for casualties starting July 7, but did not specify which conflict it covers. The date coincides with the Trump administration's claim that a new Iran conflict began for purposes of the War Powers Act.Red Sea shipping slows after Houthi attacks on Saudi sites, data showsShip traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait fell sharply on Sunday after Yemen's Houthis attacked Saudi oil installations along the Red Sea coast, while transit through the Strait of Hormuz remained low, shipping data from Kpler showed.Eleven commodity vessels passed through Bab el-Mandeb on Sunday, the lowest level in months, according to the data. The slowdown followed Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree's announcement that the group had targeted Saudi Aramco sites in Yanbu and Jizan.Vessels on the Yemeni side of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, this week. Credit: AFP/KHALED ZIADVessels on the Yemeni side of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, this week. Credit: AFP/KHALED ZIADSeven of the vessels passing through the strait were oil tankers, including two very large crude carriers heading to Yanbu to load Saudi crude. Four vessels exited the Red Sea, including a Hong Kong-flagged VLCC carrying about 2 million barrels of Saudi and Emirati crude for China.Transit through the Strait of Hormuz also remained limited, with fewer than 10 commodity vessels passing daily over the weekend despite a pause in U.S.-Iran strikes, Kpler data showed.Gaza administration body says it is ready to assume control after Israeli withdrawalThe National Committee for the Administration of Gaza said it has completed preparations to take over governance responsibilities in the Gaza Strip once conditions for deployment are met, including authorization from the Board of Peace and Security Council and an Israeli military withdrawal.In a statement following a meeting with a Belgian delegation in Cairo, the committee said it presented its Gaza Recovery Program, which requires 91.4 billion shekels ($30 billion) in funding for the first years and includes mechanisms for governance, transparency and accountability.🇧🇪🇵🇸 Building on the Gaza Recovery Programme presented at the Brussels Palestine Donor Group Conference on 13 July, NCAG has completed the necessary institutional and operational preparations to assume its mandate in the Gaza Strip under the Comprehensive Peace Plan, once the Show moreThe committee said the transition would take place under the Comprehensive Peace Plan and after agreed implementation arrangements are finalized.Report: Israeli settlers set fire to truck, equipment in industrial area near NablusIsrael settlers set fire to a truck and equipment in an industrial area in the town of Beita, south of Nablus, according to the Palestinian Al-Quds news outlet.A truck set on fire in Beitam south of Nablus, Sunday. Credit: Use under Section 27A of the Copyright LawA truck set on fire in Beitam south of Nablus, Sunday. Credit: Use under Section 27A of the Copyright LawRECAP: Iran to halt attacks as long as U.S. maintains latest pause, sources sayHere are Saturday's latest updates from the U.S.-Iran war and Israel's strikes in Gaza, Lebanon and the Middle East:■ Reports said the United States paused its attacks on Iran as Omani mediators traveled to Tehran for talks on reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said it would halt attacks as long as Washington maintains the pause, while remaining skeptical of U.S. intentions.■ U.S. President Donald Trump shared a series of AI-generated images on his social media platform Truth Social depicting the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker and a strike on Iran's Kharg oil export terminal, including images showing Trump aboard a tanker flying a U.S. flag and fighter jets attacking the Iranian facility.■ Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused Ukraine of striking an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea at Israel's request, saying the incident "cannot go unanswered." Iran said the attack killed one sailor and wounded another.■ The IDF killed two Hamas members in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, the Gaza Interior Ministry said. Palestinian reports said two people were killed and seven wounded in an Israeli strike on a vehicle south of Deir al-Balah.■ Israel's security cabinet approved the entry of U.S. President Donald Trump's Board of Peace into Gaza, a body intended to oversee postwar arrangements in the Strip. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir voted against the decision.■ Netanyahu said New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was fomenting hatred against Jewish New Yorkers and called International Criminal Court charges against him "bogus." He also said he supports Trump "completely" on Iran and expressed hope that Saudi Arabia could eventually join the Abraham Accords.■ Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for urgent international action to halt what he described as Israeli aggression and settler terrorism against Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.■ Israeli police opened a hate crime investigation into incidents targeting a Jewish-owned bakery chain in Toronto. Police said one location was struck by gunfire and another had a damaged window.■ Palestinian media reported that two people were wounded by gunfire at the Qalandiya refugee camp in East Jerusalem. A fire broke out inside a UNRWA vocational training facility near the camp after tear gas was fired, according to the reports.In the NewsNetanyahu's Trump Test: Gaza Gestures, Iran Tensions and a Risky BetRed Sea Shipping Slows After Houthi Attacks, Data ShowsCampaign Ads Must Disclose AI Use Under New Election RulesCourt Extends Detention of Suspects Over Arson of Shabbat-open CafePolice Chief Had Opposed the Newlaw Weakening Police Probe UnitRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIThe Original Ozempic Society of Ancient RomeIsrael's Far Right Is Repeating the Sin That Brought Down the TempleAn Israeli Election Surprise Called the DemocratsEd Miliband, the U.K.'s New Foreign Secretary – and His History With IsraelBiden Officials Now Regret What They Let Israel Do in Gaza. 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