Israeli forces destroyed the Sheikh Radwan desalination plant in Gaza City in an airstrike that killed at least two civilians and displaced hundreds, according to residents and local officials [8][22]. The United Nations' acting special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process reported that Israeli strikes have killed at least 100 Palestinians and injured over 400 in Gaza since 12 August, describing conditions as dire despite a nearly year-old ceasefire [12]. Israeli forces separately shot and injured two Palestinians during a raid on Beit Anan, northwest of Jerusalem, with one man struck in the knee by live ammunition [7].
The Israeli military stated the Sheikh Radwan facility was being used as a Hamas weapons depot, framing the strike as targeting a legitimate military objective [22][27]. Abdelhameed Almekawi, the manager responsible for the plant's restoration, rejected that account, stating that workers had spent months clearing waste and vermin to bring the station back into operation and that Israel's weapons-depot justification was false [8][22]. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasem described the destruction as "a continuation of the genocide" and a direct violation of the ceasefire agreement [16][21]. Residents reported that the station had been newly built and had not yet begun operating when it was struck [16].
Gaza Municipality spokesperson Husni Muhanna said Gaza City has access to approximately 30,000 cubic metres of water per day against summer demand of roughly 100,000 cubic metres [16]. Resident Abu Mohammed said the station's destruction leaves his family scavenging for small quantities of water in summer heat [16]. Political analyst Ahed Ferwana stated that water in Gaza is no longer a basic service but part of the struggle for survival [16]. Karam Alnemnem, a Sheikh Radwan resident, said the strike destroyed his home and the furnishings for his wedding, planned for two weeks later [8][22].
Israel imposed a zero-tolerance policy treating kites and balloons launched from Gaza as drones, with Defense Minister Israel Katz ordering forceful action and stating that "Un globo y una cometa se tratan como un dron: con o sin materiales explosivos" (A balloon and a kite are treated as a drone, with or without explosive materials) [5][6]. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened additional attacks and further population evacuations if kite launches did not cease [5][6]. The Trump-chaired Board of Peace echoed Israel's position, with an unnamed official stating that "Toute activité militante à Gaza doit cesser, y compris le fait de faire voler des cerfs-volants" (All militant activity in Gaza must cease, including kite flying), while also calling on Israel to comply with the ceasefire [6][23]. Kibbutz Nahal Oz spokesman Dani Rahamim argued that Israel must kill those giving orders to children before the danger materializes, citing the post-October 7 threat environment [6].
Displaced Palestinian children and adults rejected the characterization of kites as weapons. Numan Saleh, a displaced child in Nuseirat, said his kite was made of "dos palos, hilo, papel y nailon" (two sticks, thread, paper, and nylon) and carried nothing else [5]. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasem called the kites children's toys in the refugee camps and accused Netanyahu of finding a new excuse to continue bombing [6]. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights criticized what it called "retórica inaceptable" (unacceptable rhetoric) by Israeli leaders and described the threat of forcibly displacing populations over kites as outrageous [6]. An Eshkol region resident named Eyal expressed lingering distrust of military leadership since October 7 but said he did not believe the kite phenomenon justified renewed bombing [6].
In the West Bank, Palestinian residents described a campaign of settler violence, land seizure, and demolition enabled by the Israeli army. Loai Ridi, a resident of Qusra under siege by settlers for over two weeks, described a multi-layered coordination process requiring hours or days of army authorization for basic food deliveries [11]. Former Israeli army colonel Doron Meinrath stated that many soldiers and officers support settler actions and are "favorables au nettoyage ethnique" (favorable to ethnic cleansing) [11]. The Palestinian Presidency condemned Israeli operations in the West Bank as war crimes and urged the international community to compel Israel to halt its aggression [15]. Far-right Israeli lawmaker Zvi Sukkot said he personally demolished a Palestinian memorial in the village of Madama after the military failed to remove monuments commemorating what he called terrorists [4]. The Israeli military stated Sukkot acted deceptively and without authorization, and Netanyahu condemned taking the law into one's own hands as a practice that prevents the IDF from focusing on its missions [4]. Simultaneously, Netanyahu's office and far-right minister Itamar Ben Gvir celebrated the forced eviction of an UNRWA vocational training centre in east Jerusalem, with Ben Gvir declaring "making history" and posting a photo of the Israeli flag hoisted above the entrance [4].
Lebanese officials, Hezbollah, and analysts contend Israel has committed thousands of ceasefire violations through artillery fire, air strikes, and ground raids in southern Lebanon. Political analyst Khaldoun Al-Sharif said Israel has committed "more than 10,000 violations, and they haven't lifted a finger," referring to the US guarantors [1]. Hezbollah accused Israel of environmental destruction by burning forested areas and stealing ancient olive trees, and blamed the Lebanese state for granting Israel immunity by not filing complaints [18]. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called the Israeli attacks an "äußerst ernste Angelegenheit" (extremely serious matter) that undermines stabilization efforts [19]. Israeli officials justified strikes in southern Lebanon as a response to Hezbollah ceasefire violations [19]. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun defended the diplomatic track as the option that spares Lebanon "the horrors of war" [1].
Syrian and Turkish officials rejected Israel's justification for strikes on Syrian territory, including an attack on the Abu Duhur airbase that Israel justified by alleging Turkish troop presence. The Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned Israel's strikes as reckless violations of Syrian territorial integrity [20]. Syria expert Bente Scheller stated there is no evidence Turkish troops were supposed to be stationed at the airbase [3]. Middle East analyst Marcus Schneider argued Israel wants to keep Syria weak because a sovereign Syria controlling its airspace would restrict Israel's military freedom of action against Iran [3]. The Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies justified the strike, stating Israel worries Ankara could use its military presence in Syria as a platform to pressure Israel [3]. Chatham House analyst Haid Haid argued that Syria's greatest vulnerability lies not at its borders but within, and that foreign policy success alone cannot secure stability [3].
Netanyahu formally rejected Trump's 15-point Gaza peace plan, insisting Israeli troops will only withdraw after Hamas is fully disarmed [13]. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich praised the rejection, stating "We went to war with a central goal: the destruction of Hamas" [13]. Netanyahu's office spokesman Doron Spielman said Hamas's actions since the ceasefire show it is preparing for further October 7-style massacres and insisted on "genuine, verifiable and irreversible demilitarisation" of Hamas [14]. US officials and Trump-appointed mediators framed developments as positive steps, with Trump saying Israel was "very happy" about Hamas's disarmament announcement and Israeli President Isaac Herzog describing the board's work as "a very positive step" [14]. Senior Palestinian figure Mohammad Dahlan accused Netanyahu of working "to obstruct the most promising opportunity to begin ending this war" [14]. Analyst Marwan Kabalan suggested Netanyahu is "trying to escalate in more than one place… in the hope that this will translate into more votes, especially among right-wing and far-right circles" ahead of Israel's October election [1].
Jordanian and Turkish officials warned that Israeli actions around Jerusalem's holy sites and West Bank settlement expansion could ignite broader conflict. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi said attempts to change the Al-Aqsa status quo could provoke a religious conflict with echoes across the Muslim world, calling forced displacement of Palestinians a red line that Jordan will not allow [24][25]. Jordanian parliamentarian Dima Tahboub said anti-normalization sentiment has grown because of Israel's West Bank annexation plans and daily challenges to Al-Aqsa custodianship [25].
Uganda's parliament approved the deployment of troops to a proposed Gaza International Stabilisation Force following a July request from Trump to President Yoweri Museveni [26]. Sudanese researcher Abbas Saleh warned that individual AU member states striking bilateral security arrangements linked to Gaza could weaken the organization's unity and expose its limited ability to translate political positions into practical commitments [26]. The same report profiled ICJ Vice-President Julia Sebutinde as believing she is divinely tasked to support Israel and as having opposed the court's six 2024 rulings to protect Palestinians in Gaza [26]. Gaza civil defence spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal reported that an Israeli strike on a vehicle west of Gaza City killed two Palestinians and injured several others [14].