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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:
Israel and Hamas militants trade fire after talks collapse. (AP/New York Times/Washington Post/PNN/The National)
An Israeli airstrike kills the wife and son of Hamas’ military leader Mohammed Deif, in an apparent assassination attempt. (Reuters/New York Times/Washington Post/Ma’an/JTA)
Hamas says only Deif will decide when Israelis can return home. (Ynet/AFP)
Renewed Israeli attacks on Gaza kill 20 Palestinians. (Ma’an/PNN/Ynet)
Palestinian militants fire more rockets at Israel. (Ma’an/JTA/Ha’aretz)
The Israeli military recalls 2000 reservists. (Times of Israel)
The US blames Hamas for the collapse of ceasefire negotiations. (AFP/Times of Israel)
Egypt calls on Israelis and Palestinians to resume indirect talks. (Xinhua)
Pres. Hollande calls on Israel and the Palestinians to resume negotiations. (Reuters)
UN Special Envoy Serry says the Gaza conflict caused at least three times as much physical damage than that from “Operation Cast Lead.” (Jerusalem Post)
Qatar reportedly threatened to expel Meshaal if Hamas okayed an Egyptian ceasefire proposal. (Jerusalem Post/Ynet/Times of Israel)
FM Lieberman and Economy Minister Bennett disagree over unilateral strategies in Gaza. (Ha’aretz/Jerusalem Post/Times of Israel)
Israeli-US relations are once again tested in the Gaza war. (AP)
Israeli occupation forces demolish four houses in the West Bank. (Ma’an)
Palestinian poet Samih al-Qasim dies at 75. (AFP)
Germany says it is prepared to send arms to the Kurdish fighters battling IS. (AP/Xinhua)
France calls for an international conference to discuss ways of tackling IS. (Reuters)
Iraqis in the besieged town of Amrili appeal to the army and the international community to intervene. (AP)
Maronite Patriarch Rai arrives in Irbil in support of Iraqi Christians. (Daily Star)
video apparently shows American journalist James Foley being murdered by IS militants. (AP/New York Times/Washington Post/The National) 

 
Commentary:
Ali Ibrahim says Palestinians in Gaza need a real solution on the ground. (Asharq al-Awsat)
Amos Harel profiles Deif. (Ha’aretz)
Barak Ravid says, as Gaza truce talks fail, Israel must turn to the UN. (Ha’aretz)
Zvi Bar’el says Palestinian citizens of Israel should watch out for Israeli racism. (Ha’aretz)
The National says there is no single way to combat IS. (The National)
Faisal Al Yafai says IS is a “cancer” on the Middle East’s politics and society. (The National)
Rami Khouri says Arabs are facing a deep crisis of statehood. (Daily Star)
Ronald Lauder asks who will stand up for Christians in the Middle East. (New York Times)
Abdul Rahman Al Rashed asks if Iraq’s new PM designate al-Abadi is another sectarian leader. (Al Arabiya)
Osama Al Sharif says the task of salvaging Iraq is proceeding along distinct political and military tracks. (Jordan Times)
Thomas Friedman gives his take on the “who lost Syria” debate. (New York Times)

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)


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