Day Commander Fell in Beirut While Cairo Waited

Israel's assassination of Hamas commander Mohammed Shaheen in Lebanon marked a significant escalation, while Egyptian-mediated negotiations for Phase Two remained stalled. Initial reports focused on the sharp decline in aid trucks entering Gaza, with only a quarter of previous volumes reaching the territory. By midday, Netanyahu declared neither Hamas nor Abbas would control post-war Gaza, as his delegation arrived in Cairo with three new demands.

The afternoon saw Smotrich calling for implementing Trump's displacement plan, while Peace Now revealed plans for 974 new settlement units in the southern West Bank. Evening brought confirmation of arrangements for the next prisoner exchange: Israel preparing to receive five bodies on Thursday and potentially six living prisoners on Saturday. The African Union's summit rejection of normalization with Israel gained prominence in Palestinian media coverage, while reports emerged of widespread torture in Israeli detention facilities.