News:

Israel and the Palestinians agree to an Egyptian-brokered plan to end the fighting in Gaza. (Reuters/New York Times/Washington Post/AFP/JTA)

Hamas urges Palestinians in Gaza to "celebrate victory and the fulfillment of the Palestinian people's demands." (Ma’an/Ha’aretz/The National)

Hamas leader Abu Marzouq says Israel has agreed to open Gaza crossings to allow the flow of humanitarian aid and construction material. (Ma’an)

PM Netanyahu is facing strong criticism in Israel. (Reuters/Jerusalem Post/Times of Israel)

Sec. Kerry calls on Israel and the Palestinians to “fully and completely” comply with the terms of the cease-fire. (JTA)

Ynet looks at the numbers behind “Operation Protective Edge.” (Ynet)

Palestinians in Jerusalem are experiencing the largest upsurge in detentions since the second Intifada. (Ma’an)

Hamas arrests another 15 suspected collaborators with Israel. (Ha’aretz)

The Israeli military fires at a Syrian army position after an officer is wounded from a mortar fire. (Ha’aretz/Jerusalem Post/Times of Israel)

The US has begun to mobilize a broad coalition of allies behind potential American military action inSyria. (New York Times)

IS militants execute Syrian army soldiers and are holding a group hostage after capturing an air base in northeast Syria. (Reuters)

The UN says IS and Syrian government are committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. (Reuters/AP/New York Times)

Syrian rebels capture a border crossing with Israel in the Golan Heights. (AP)

An American militant was killed in Syria while allegedly fighting for IS. (AP/New York Times)

Saudi Arabia arrests eight suspects for inciting youth to fight abroad. (The National)

Libyan ministers resign over militia fighting. (AP)

Commentary:

The National says if Israel truly seeks “quiet for quiet”, it needs to give Gaza and the West Bank self determination and freedom. (The National)

The Los Angeles Times asks what’s next for Gaza. (Los Angeles Times)

David Rothkopf interviews former Middle East Special Envoy Indyk. (Foreign Policy)

Avi Issacharoff says Hamas has been “humiliatingly defeated.” (Times of Israel)

Gideon Levy says the war in Gaza should teach Netanyahu that Israel can no longer “live by the sword.” (Ha’aretz)

Ben Caspit says there are no winners in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. (Al-Monitor)

David Horovitz says Hamas’ victory celebrations should not be dismissed. (Times of Israel)

Yossi Mekelberg says one of the outcomes of “Operation Protection Edge” is likely to be a genuine challenge to replace Netanyahu. (Al Arabiya)

Linda Gradstein says Egypt hopes to regain its regional role through mediating the Gaza ceasefire. (The Media Line)

Yael Aronoff looks at the political psychology of Netanyahu. (Foreign Policy)

Faisal Al Yafai says IS was born from a warped theory of war. (The National)

Clint Hinote looks at the risk of targeting the head of IS. (Washington Post)

Mohammed Fahad al-Harthi writes an open letter to Iraq’s PM-designate Al-Abadi. (Al Arabiya)

The Daily Star says, like Iraq and Syria, events inside Libya will affect not just its neighbors but countries across the region. (Daily Star)

News:

Israeli airstrikes kill five Palestinians in Gaza. (Ma’an/PNN)

Palestinian militants fire more rockets at Ashdod. (Ha’aretz/Jerusalem Post)

Hamas militants kill 18 alleged Palestinian collaborators. (AP/New York Times/Ma’an/Jerusalem Post/Times of Israel)

Britain, France and Germany are pushing for a new UN resolution on Gaza. (AFP/JTA/Ha’aretz/Jerusalem Post)

Israel is examining the option of renewing the Egypt-mediated ceasefire talks. (Ha’aretz)

Hamas leader Haniyeh says there will be no ceasefire until the Gaza siege ends. (Ynet)

Pres. Abbas and Hamas leader Meshaal will hold a second meeting with the Emir of Qatar. (Ma’an)

Abbas reportedly castigated Meshaal over an alleged Hamas plot to overthrow the PA in the West Bank at yesterday’s meeting. (Times of Israel)

The Jerusalem Post looks at the pros and cons of assassinating Hamas commanders. (Jerusalem Post)

The cost of Israel’s “Operation Protective Edge”reaches $60 million a day. (Ha’aretz)

A poll indicates most Israeli Jews are opposed to intermarriage. (Ha’aretz)

Arab states and Israel are likely to clash at next month's annual meeting of the IAEA. (Reuters)

Gen. Dempsey says IS cannot be defeated unless the US and a coalition of partners confront it head-on in Syria. (AP/New York Times/The National)

Ayatollah al-Sistani urges Iraqi leaders to swiftly form a new government. (AP)

Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces launch an operation to retake Jalawla from IS fighters. (The National)

At least 30 people are killed when a Shi'ite Muslim militia opened fired inside an Iraqi Sunni mosque. (Reuters)

IS militants stone a man to death in Mosul. (Reuters)

The UN says the death toll in Syria has risen to more than 191,000 people. (AP/Reuters/NEw York Times)

Pres. Erdogan says FM Davutoglu will become the new prime minister. (Xinhua/AP)

Commentary:

The Jordan Times says the UNSC must force Israelis and Palestinians to achieve a ceasefire. (Jordan Times)

Asmaa al-Ghoul says Palestinians in Gaza are dreading the return of war. (Al-Monitor)

Zvi Bar’el explains why Egypt won’t let Turkey be Gaza’s hero. (Ha’aretz)

Antony Lerman says Israel’s embrace of ever more right-wing nationalist politics has stirred a crisis among Diaspora Jews. (New York Times)

Ha’aretz says PM Netanyahu must resume negotiations with the Palestinians. (Ha’aretz)

George Hishmeh says British and American media differ in their assessment of the Gaza war. (Jordan Times)

The New York Times looks at the question of ransoms. (New York Times)

The Los Angeles Times asks if in the wake of James Foley’s execution, should the US pay ransoms. (Los Angeles Times)

David Ignatius says the US is on the right track against IS. (Washington Post)

Amir Taher says IS is a “threat to humanity.” (Asharq al-Awsat)

Alex Massie says British intelligence can’t prevent men like James Foley’s killer from fighting in Syria or coming home. (Foreign Policy)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed say IS has now declared a war against the radical group the Surooris. (Al Arabiya)

Eyad Abu Shakra says the crisis in Syria and Iraq are joined “at the hip.” (Asharq al-Awsat)

Shane Harris asks if Iraq’s Baathists could help win Iraq back. (Foreign Policy) 

The CSM says Iraq’s newly designated PM al-Abadi can heal the religious and ethnic divisions. (Christian Science Monitor)

The Daily Star says the task of the political and military opposition in Syria is to contribute to a solution. (Daily Star)

The National says addressing terrorism requires the debunking of extremist ideas. (The National)

News:

Fighting continues between Israel and Hamas militants. (AP/Washington Post/The National)

Egypt proposes a new ceasefire plan. (Reuters/AFP/PNN/JTA/Times of Israel)

The Gaza death toll today reaches eight following Israeli airstrikes. (Ma’an)

Gaza militants fire more rockets into Israel. (Ha’aretz/Ynet)

Israeli airstrikes target the Rafah crossing. (Ma’an)

Hamas leader Meshaal vows to exclusively aim only at Israeli military targets if his group can get more sophisticated weapons. (JTA)

A Palestinian teenager describes his ordeal as a captive of the Israeli military. (New York Times)

A poll indicates the majority of Palestinians in Gaza support peace but oppose disarmament. (Ma’an)

Pres. Abbas will reportedly soon appeal to the international community to set a deadline for Israel to end its occupation. (AP/Times of Israel)

Gaza’s water delivery drivers fear death. (AFP)

A Palestinian teenager in the West Bank dies from wounds sustained during clashes with Israeli occupation forces. (Ma’an)

Hamas’ public executions of at least 22 Palestinians has sparked outrage in the West Bank. (The Media Line)

Israel is turning to other arms sources amid uncertainty of US and EU sales. (Ha’aretz)

UN Human Rights Chief Pillay condemns “appalling and widespread” crimes committed by IS. (Reuters/AP)

Iraq’s PM-designate al-Abadi calls on the country's numerous militias and tribes to come under government control. (AP)

Qatar denies funding IS. (AP)

IS militants seize an air base in northern Syria. (Reuters)

The Syrian government says its ready to work with any state to fight IS militants. (Reuters/Xinhua/The National)

The Al-Nusra Front frees an American writer missing since 2012. (Reuters/New York Times)

Academics and archaeologists fight to save Syria’s artifacts. (New York Times/Washington Post/The National)

Commentary:

Hussein Ibish looks at the Palestinian unity agreement in the context of the Gaza conflict. (MEPC)

Fahed Fanek says the PA should oversee Gaza reconstruction efforts. (Jordan Times)

Rami Khouri asks if there is a better option that Israelis and Palestinians could explore to end their “mutually destructive militarism.” (Daily Star)

Aaron David Miller looks at the dysfunctional relationship between PM Netanyahu and Pres. Obama. (Los Angeles Times)

Uri Savir says Israel’s policies are creating a de facto binational state. (Al-Monitor)

Suha Arraf says Palestinian citizens of Israel have a right to define their own identity. (Ha’aretz)

Hussein Ibish says the US is at war with IS and this will only intensify and spread. (The National)

The Daily Star says the US acts in Syria and Iraq only when it believes its direct interests are at stake. (Daily Star)

The New York Times says defeating IS will require an organized and longer-term response involving a broad coalition of nations. (New York Times)

Abdullah Bani Ali says Jordan is worried over IS’s ever growing threat. (The National)

Amer Al Sabaileh says IS expansion is still a regional threat. (Jordan Times)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed says former PM Maliki is giving bad advice to Al-Abadi. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The National says Libya requires a fresh start free from the militias. (The National)

Salman Aldossary asks if the Gulf countries will lose Qatar. (Asharq al-Awsat)

News:

Israeli airstrikes destroy two Gaza high-rise apartment buildings. (AP/New York Times/Ma’an/PNN/Ynet/The National)

The Palestinian death toll in Gaza today reaches six. (Ma’an)

Palestinian militants fire more rockets into Israel, hitting a kindergarten in Ashdod. (Ha’aretz/Jerusalem Post)

Pres. Abbas will hold an emergency meeting in Ramallah to discuss initiatives to end the war in Gaza. (Ma’an)

Abbas is reportedly considering a broad international strategy beyond the US led peace process. (New York Times)

Israel is considering the new Egyptian ceasefire proposal. (Ma’an)

Hamas says the language of the Egyptian ceasefire proposal is acceptable. (Jerusalem Post/Ynet)

A Fatah official says “hidden hands” prevented an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. (Ha’aretz)

Hamas leader Meshaal is said to be the last obstacle to a cease-fire. (Ha’aretz)

Gen. Allen will meet with Israeli officials to discuss the possible renewal of peace talks once the Gaza operation ends. (Times of Israel)

PA security officials are questioning the nonprofit of former PM Fayyad over its campaign to help Palestinians in Gaza. (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)  

The Palestinian planned city of Rawabi is awaiting for Israel’s approval for water. (New York Times)

Palestinian athlete from Gaza Nader Masri can no longer run. (New York Times)

A poll indicates PM Netanyahu’s approval rating in Israel has plunged to 38 percent. (JTA)

Qatar is reportedly seeking to free more American hostages in Syria. (Reuters)

The US is preparing military options including surveillance flights, to pressure IS in Syria. (Reuters/AP/New York Times/The National) 

Iran is supplying weapons and ammunition to the Iraqi Kurdish forces. (Reuters/The National)

VP Biden calls for the formation of a new Iraqi government. (AP/Washington Post/Xinhua)

A car bombing in Baghdad kills at least 11 people. (AP)

Egypt and the UAE reportedly recently launched joint air strikes on Islamist-allied militias trying to take control of Tripoli. (New York Times)

UN Envoy Leon says he opposes foreign intervention in Libya. (AP)
 

Commentary:

ATFP Exec. Dr. Ghaith Al-Omari and Mara Rudman say reconstruction implementation in Gaza should be led by the PA. (The Hill)

Jean-Pierre Filiu says if there is ever to be Israeli-Palestinian peace, Gaza will be the foundation and the keystone.(New York Times)

Sharif Nashashibi says lifting the siege in Gaza is not enough, Israel must end the occupation. (The National)

Adnan Abu Amer says Hamas is worried about the PA’s return to Gaza. (Al-Monitor)

Shlomi Eldar says Abbas is is no position to negotiate for Hamas. (Al-Monitor)

The Media Line interviews EU Amb. to Israel Lars Faaborg-Andersen. (The Media Line)

Joanne Feinberg Goldstein says the war in Gaza is the Jewish American’s “Vietnam war.” (Ha’aretz)

Fiyaz Mughal says Muslim-Jewish relations must confront the Palestinian issue. (Ha’aretz)

Hussein Ibish says attacking IS, in the long run, is tantamount to attacking the Assad dictatorship. (Now)

Hassan Barari says the US is playing into Pres. Assad’s hands. (Jordan Times)

Aaron David Miller says the US should not expand its mission to strike IS in Syria. (Foreign Policy)

Diana Moukalled asks if after the death of James Foley will the Syrian suffering continue to worsen out of sight of the media. (Asharq al-Awsat)

Mohammad Bazzi says Muqtada Al Sadr is emerging as an unlikely kingmaker in Iraq. (The National)

News:

An Israeli airstrike kills three Hamas commanders in Gaza. (Reuters/AP/New York Times/Ma’an/JTA/Ha’aretz)

Israeli airstrikes also kill four Palestinians who were burying their relatives in a cemetery in Gaza. (Ma’an) 

Palestinian militants fire more rockets at Israel. (Ynet)

Israeli authorities announce a state of alert at Ben Gurion airport, following threats from Hamas. (PNN/AFP/Jordan Times/The National)

Hamas accuses Israel of having violated the temporary ceasefire. (Ma’an) 

PM Netanyahu says the Gaza war has been the “hardest blow” to Hamas since its founding. (Ma’an/Xinhua/JTA/Ynet)

Hamas leader Meshaal says the group won’t return to talks unless lsrael changes its policies. (Ynet)

King Abdullah of Jordan calls for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. (Xinhua/Jordan Times)

Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri says Hamas was responsible for kidnapping and killing the three Israeli teenagers. (Reuters/JTA)

Many blame Qatar for the collapse of Gaza ceasefire talks. (AP)

Palestinians in Gaza are suffering from a severe lack of water. (Ha’aretz)

Palestinian business owners in Gaza blame Israel for singling out their factories. (Washington Post)

The US accuses Israel of targeting members of the Abu Khdeir family. (AFP/Times of Israel)

An American official says the US military failed in rescue attempt for journalist James Foley, before he was murdered by IS. (Reuters/New York Times/The National)

Pres. Obama is reportedly unlikely to deepen US military involvement in Iraq or Syria. (Reuters)

An IS video purportedly shows the conversion of Yazidis to Islam. (Reuters)

Commentary:

Samuel Berger and Stephen Hadley say the PA should be brought back to Gaza. (Washington Post)

The Daily Star asks what Israelis want to achieve in the Gaza war. (Daily Star)

Ha’aretz says the only way to end the Gaza conflict, and Israel's isolation, is diplomacy. (Ha’aretz)

Avi Issacharoff says the killing of Hamas commanders will spark desperate attacks against Israel. (Times of Israel)

Jonathan Schanzer and Michael Argosh say Turkey’s support for Hamas agents who allegedly tried to topple Pres. Abbas is putting Pres. Erdogan “in a pickle.” (Foreign Policy)

Zvi Bar’el asks if a signed agreement between Hamas and Israel is necessary. (Ha’aretz)

Akiva Eldar says Israel must end its “separation policy” of isolating Gaza from the West Bank. (Al-Monitor)

Gershon Baskin says a political problem like Gaza cannot be resolved solely with military means. (Jerusalem Post)

Abdullah Erakat says Palestinians are looking for resiliency in post-Gaza tourism. (The Media Line)

Michael Young says putting America first isn’t always the best policy for the US. (The National)

Robin Wright says Obama should be upfront on Iraq. (Los Angeles Times)

David Rothkopf interviews FM Judeh. (Foreign Policy)

Brooklyn Middleton says a year after the chemical weapon massacre in Ghouta, the evil of IS eclipses that of Pres. Assad. (Al Arabiya)

Joyce Karam explains why IS extremists murdered James Foley. (Al Arabiya)

Michael Young says Obama must adequately address the complexity of the situation in Iraq and Syria. (Daily Star)

News:

Israelis and Palestinians agree to extend the Gaza truce for another
24 hours. (New York Times/Reuters)

Negotiations are continuing for a more lasting cease-fire. (AP/Ma'an/Washington Post)

Hamas says this truce extension will be the last one. (Ha'aretz)

Netanyahu says Israel would respond forcefully to any renewed rocket
attacks. (Times of Israel)

The US and Israel may have concluded their own understanding about how
to ease the Gaza blockade. (Times of Israel)

Palestinian officials say Israel has dropped its "demilitarization"
demand. (YNet)

Israeli politicians accuse PM Netanyahu of trying to hide an Egyptian
cease-fire proposal from his cabinet. (Ha'aretz)

Pres. Abbas will meet with Pres. Sis in Cairo on Friday.  (Ma'an)

On Thursday Abbas will meet with the Emir of Qatar and Hamas leader
Mishaal in Doha. (YNet)

The UN says unless the blockade is eased, Gaza faces years of misery
ahead. (Reuters)

The UN offers to monitor Gaza reconstruction materials. (AFP)

The UN says Gaza needs houses and schools, not rockets and tunnels.
(Times of Israel)

Almost 1500 Palestinians were banned from leaving the occupied West
Bank in July. (Ha'aretz)

Israeli forces have arrested at least 93 Hamas operatives in the
occupied West Bank since May. (Ha'aretz)

Israel says it has uncovered a Hamas plot to topple PA control in Area
A of the the occupied West Bank. (Jerusalem Post)

Abbas orders an investigation into the purported plot, and says it may
threaten the unity government. (Times of Israel/YNet)

Gaza's ruined airport and unbuilt seaport are symbols of Palestinian
aspirations for independence. (The Guardian)

Chief Palestinian negotiator Erekat says former US Middle East peace
envoy Indyk’s criticisms are unfair. (Al Monitor)

Kurdish forces seize control of Iraq's largest dam from IS extremists,
and are fighting for another one. (New York Times/Reuters)

Pres. Obama confirms the retaking of the dam, which had been 
questioned. (AP/Washington Post/Los Angeles Times)

IS extremists have shot and beheaded hundreds of Syrian tribesmen in
the past two weeks. (AP)

Yazidi survivors are haunted by cries for help from those being buried
alive by IS extremists in Iraq. (Reuters/Los Angeles Times)

In a new Internet video, IS extremists reportedly threaten the United
States and Americans. (YNet/France 24)

The US says Syria's chemical weapons supplies have been completely
destroyed. (New York Times/Los Angeles Times)

Commentary:

Sharif Nashashibi looks at the debate among Palestinians about the
best path to national liberation. (The National)

Aeyal Gross asks why Israelis supported the recent Gaza offensive. (Ha'aretz)

The Daily Star says Gaza is dying a slow death. (The Daily Star)

Naomi Zeveloff says people in Israel and the occupied West Bank
perceived two very different wars. (The Forward)

Oudeh Basharat says Israel's conduct creates ever more enemies. (Ha'aretz)

J.J. Goldberg looks at the relationship between Israeli policies and
global anti-Semitism. (The Forward)

Richard Cohen says Israel is being held to an impossibly high standard
by some. (Washington Post)

Mitch Ginsberg says Israel needs a new war-fighting doctrine. (Times of Israel)

Nahum Barnea says Netanyahu's real problem with Obama is that he's
perceived as a Republican Party operative. (YNet)

Michael Singh says the real crisis in the Middle East is an economic
one. (New York Times)

Ali Hashem says IS extremism in social media must be countered by a
global strategy. (Al Monitor)

Diana Moukalled says IS extremism must be countered at the cultural
level. (Asharq Al Awsat)

News:

With deadlines looming in cease-fire negotiations, both sides are
sticking to their core positions. (Los Angeles Times)

Egypt is reportedly seeking another truce extension. (Ha'aretz)

Hamas has reportedly told Egypt it will not resume fighting, whether
there is an agreement or not. (Times of Israel)

Pres. Abbas says Palestinians want an end to the fighting, and Israeli
"killing and destruction." (Xinhua)

PM Netanyahu appears undeterred by Hamas warnings. (Reuters)

The ICC is reportedly under Western pressure not to consider an
investigation regarding Gaza. (The Guardian)

Hundreds of Fatah members are reportedly under house arrest by Hamas
in Gaza. (Times of Israel)

Norway and Egypt will host a Gaza donor conference. (AP)

Norway says funds will be given to the PA, not Hamas, and that a
cease-fire must be in place first. (YNet)

The Gaza conflict is reckoned to have cost $5 billion. (Xinhua)

The PA economics minister says Gaza reconstruction will cost "billions." (Ma'an)

The EU says a return to the status quo ante in Gaza is not an option. (AP)

The suspect in the killing of a Palestinian teenager is the son of a
prominent Israeli Rabbi. (Washington Post)

Israeli occupation forces destroy the homes of Palestinian kidnapping
and murder suspects. (Ma'an)

Hundreds mourn an AP journalist killed in Gaza. (AP)

The emotional wounds of war have taken a bitter toll in Gaza. (AP)

In Gaza, almost any structure with a roof is now important, as
homelessness skyrockets. (New York Times/Al Monitor)

The Gaza conflict has left Palestinian citizens of Israel feeling more
alienated than ever. (Washington Post/Christian Science Monitor)

The Gaza conflict gives rise to new art. (New York Times)

Tariq Abu Khdeir, a Palestinian-American teen beaten by Israeli
occupation forces, has become an "accidental icon." (The Forward)

Israeli occupation forces destroy a Palestinian home in East Jerusalem. (Ma'an)

Israel is going to stop exporting settlement dairy and poultry produce
to the EU. (AFP)

US military aid to Israel since 1962 now exceeds $100 billion. (Ha'aretz)

Kurdish and Iraqi government forces say they have retaken the
country's largest dam from IS extremists. (AP/Reuters/New York
Times/BBC)

IS extremists deny that they have lost control of the dam. (AP)

IS extremists in Syria are reportedly closing in on the last regime
army base in Raqqa Province. (AP)

UK says the campaign against IS in Iraq could last "weeks and months."
(New York Times)

Three Islamist protesters are killed during violent demonstrations in
Egypt. (Xinhua)

Egyptian authorities say gunmen killed one police officer and wounded
another north of Cairo. (AP)

Commentary:

Rami Khouri says "Israeli propaganda is starting to wear thin." (The Daily Star)

Amos Harel says Egypt's cease-fire proposal is a bitter pill for
Hamas. (Ha'aretz)

Avi Issacharoff says since the Egyptian proposal is bad for both
sides, there may be no agreement. (Times of Israel)

Efraim Halevy says Israel needs to reach a cease-fire agreement in Cairo. (YNet)

Ron Ben-Yishai says Hamas has toughened its negotiating position
because it has nothing left to lose. (YNet)

Hugh Naylor says Hamas managed to surprise Israel tactically during
the fighting. (The National)

Uri Savir asks if the US approach to peacemaking will change as a
consequence of the Gaza conflict. (Al Monitor)

Kevin Connolly asks what the future holds for the children of Gaza. (BBC)

Alon Pinkas says Netanyahu is clueless about America. (YNet)

Moshe Arens warns against anti-Arab racism in Israel. (Ha'aretz)

Chibli Mallat and Duncan Pickard say the US can still help Libya.
(Washington Post)

Aliza Marcus and Andrew Apostolou say the US should support Kurds
beyond Iraq. (New York Times)

Joel Rayburn says Iraqi national disintegration may be inevitable.
(Washington Post)

Jim Hoagland asks if the US is fighting for a Middle East that
protects minorities. (Washington Post)

Steven Cook says the US can't dictate what Arab societies will look
like. (Washington Post)

Sajad Jiyad says Iran has lost some leverage in Iraq. (The Daily Star)

Abdulrahman Al-Rashed says IS is bringing enemies together in the
Middle East. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Hussein Ibish asks if the "Islamic State" has any attributes of actual
statehood. (The National)
 

News:

Palestinians succumb to their wounds, bringing in the Gaza death toll
to 1,980. (Ma'an)

Gaza is beginning to calculate the scale of the damage. (The Guardian)

Subtle voices of dissent against Hamas emerge in Gaza. (AP)

The PA's popularity may also have been a casualty of the Gaza
conflict. (The National)

Palestinians express cautious optimism about cease-fire negotiations
in Cairo. (AP/YNet)

Egyptian officials say a potential cease-fire agreement involves
Israeli recognition of the Palestinian unity government. (Ha'aretz)

Islami Jihad predicts a cease-fire will be signed after the ongoing
five-day truce ends. (Ma'an)

Israel has been reportedly outflanking the White House with the
Pentagon, Congress and others. (Wall Street Journal)

The recent Gaza hostilities are just another round in an ongoing and
cyclical conflict. (New York Times)

Reuters profiles Hamas' paramilitary leader Mohammed Deif. (Reuters)

Despite the devastation, Gaza schools are preparing to open in
September. (Ma'an)

Deputy PM Abu Amr says the Palestinian unity government will lead
reconstruction in Gaza. (Ma'an)

PM Netanyahu hints that Israel will not cooperate with a UN
investigation into possible rights abuses during the Gaza hostilities.
(Times of Israel)

Israel braces for the investigation. (New York Times)

Israeli occupation forces are reprimanded for celebrating after
shooting a Palestinian who was trying to throw a Molotov cocktail. (Times
of Israel)

The defense in the Arab Bank terrorism financing civil trial cites
error to explain suspect payments. (New York Times/AP)

An anti-Arab group in Israel plans to disrupt a Jewish-Muslim wedding
celebration. (Ha'aretz)

PM al-Maliki resigns as Prime Minister of Iraq. (BBC/New York Times/Reuters)

The UN Security Council will vote on a resolution aimed at IS
extremists. (New York Times)

The EU is considering arming Kurdish forces in Iraq. (BBC)

Kurdish officials say IS leader Baghdadi has fled to Syria. (Asharq Al Awsat)

American officials say IS is now a threat to the West. (Wall Street Journal)

The Pentagon said there were still 4-5,000 Yazidis trapped on a
mountaintop in northern Iraq, but most have reportedly escaped by now.
(AFP/Washington Post/Los Angeles Times)

The Syrian army seizes towns near Damascus. (Reuters/BBC)

Hillary Clinton's efforts to develop a more robust US
policy toward Syria were blocked for years by Pres. Obama. (Daily
Beast)

Commentary:

Hussein Ibish, Jonathan Schanzer and Aaron David Miller consider the
outcome and aftermath of the Gaza conflict. (Video: C-SPAN)

Yoel Marcus says no one wins these cyclical Israel-Hamas conflicts,
and another will happen again. (Ha'aretz)

Miriam Awadallah says Israelis and Palestinians need "strong moral
courage" to achieve peace. (An-Nahar)

Mira Awad says Israelis and Palestinians seem trapped. (Ha'aretz)

Amnon Abramovich questions what Israel accomplished in the Gaza
hostilities. (YNet)

Nicholas Blincoe looks at the relationship between the PA, which
functions under occupation, and its critics in the diaspora. (London
Review of Books)

Mohammad Dajani Daoudi says if Israelis and Palestinians care about
the future they must invest in empathy and moderation. (The Atlantic)

Archbishop Tutu urges Israelis to liberate themselves from being
occupiers by liberating Palestine from occupation. (Ha'aretz)

Gideon Levy and Alex Levac detail the killing of a Palestinian man by
Israeli occupation forces. (Ha'aretz)

Raphael Ahren looks at how intense new US-Israel tensions really are.
(Times of Israel)

Marwan Kabalan looks at Iran's dilemma in the Fertile Crescent. (Gulf News)

The New York Times says the al-Maliki saga shows the futility of
regime change as a policy. (New York Times)

Tariq Alhomayed says the downfall of al-Maliki should be a lesson for
Pres. Assad. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Mohsin Khan looks at the damage IS is causing to the Iraqi economy.
(Atlantic Council)

David Ignatius says IS won't implode, but will have to be "fought,
patiently and subtly." (Washington Post)

The National says IS is a symptom, not a cause, of power vacuums in
Syria and Iraq. (The National)