Iran, US trade threats; Israel threatens to escalate in Lebanon

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Arab, Muslim states condemn Israel's rejection of Gaza deal

Five Arab countries together with Turkey, Pakistan and Indonesia on Sunday condemned Israel's rejection of Trump's plan to end the Gaza war.

In a joint statement, the countries said Benjamin Netanyahu's "direct repudiation" of the deal "directly threatens to derail the extensive efforts exerted by US President Trump to bring an end to the war in Gaza".

"Israel now bears responsibility for obstructing the efforts to bring peace in Gaza," read the statement, which was signed by Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the UAE.

The statement comes as Trump envoy Jared Kushner holds talks with Arab mediators in Egypt ahead of a meeting with the Israeli prime minister next week.

Kushner met Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi earlier on Sunday and will reportedly hold direct talks with Hamas's leadership before he travels to Israel.

Lebanon death toll climbs to 4,346

Israeli strikes have killed at least 4,346 people and wounded more than 12,000 others in Lebanon since Hezbollah intervened in the Iran war on 2 March, Lebanese health authorities said Sunday.

Almost 400 women and 257 children were among those killed, along with 135 medical workers.

Hamas, Kushner to hold direct talks in Egypt: AFP

President Donald Trump's son-in-law and envoy Jared Kushner will meet in Egypt with Hamas leadership as he pushes a peace plan, sources from Hamas told AFP on Sunday.

"Mediators informed Hamas that US envoy Jared Kushner will hold a meeting with the Hamas leadership, in the presence of Egyptian and Qatari officials, before Kushner travels to Israel to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu," said one of the Hamas sources, requesting anonymity to discuss the sensitive diplomacy.

Iran offers $30,000 bounty for killing, capturing US troops

Iran's military announced on Sunday that it was offering a bounty equivalent to $30,000 for killing or capturing US soldiers, with the reward doubled if carried out by a woman.

Army chief Amir Hatami said the plan had been drawn up following "the large number of requests" to participate in the financial support, according to the IRNA state news agency.

There has been no known deployment of US ground forces in Iran during the Middle East war, with the exception of a rescue mission in April for a downed American pilot.

Hatami did not provide any details on where or when the killing or capturing of US soldiers was expected to take place.

"Anyone who kills or captures and hands over an invading American military personnel will receive a reward equivalent to $30,000 or 5 billion tomans from the Islamic Republic of Iran's Army," Hatami said, using an informal unit equivalent to 10,000 Iranian rials.

"Courageous Iranian women who carry out such an action will receive double the reward," he added.

Kushner discusses Gaza with Egypt's Sisi

US President Donald Trump's envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner talked with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday about the implementation of the Gaza ceasefire, Sisi's spokesperson said.

The meeting in the Mediterranean city of El-Alamein "emphasised the need for all parties to fulfill their obligations under the Gaza Strip ceasefire agreement", spokesperson Mohamed El-Shennawy said in a statement.

Kushner is in Egypt at the same time as a Hamas delegation led by its leader Khalil al-Hayya, who met with Egypt's intelligence chief Hassan Rashad on Sunday morning.

Iranian govt votes to further criminalise 'hostile media'

Iran's parliament approved a bill on Sunday that would criminalise interviews and other communications with media deemed hostile to the Islamic Republic, including US or Israeli media and outlets financed by either country, Iran's Shargh newspaper reported.

Under the bill, which must still be reviewed by the Guardian Council before it can become law, interviews or participation in discussions with such media would be banned and violations punishable by six months to two years in prison.

Interviews with other foreign media would require notification to the intelligence ministry, while contact with foreign embassies, offices of foreign organisations or other non-Iranian institutions without notification and written permission from the foreign ministry would be punishable by a fine and deprivation of certain social rights.

The bill would also harden penalties for economic crimes committed under the direction or supervision of foreigners, ban providing information to foreigners without intelligence ministry approval and restrict scientific cooperation with foreign institutions outside an approved list.

It would punish policy or legislative proposals made under the direction of foreign intelligence services if they harm Iran's security or independence, with prison terms of up to 30 years. Cases would be heard by Revolutionary Courts.

Pope calls for an end to West Bank violence

Pope Leo called on Sunday for an end to violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, amid a surge of attacks by settlers and a siege in the territory's village of Qusra.

Israeli settlers encircled houses after cutting off water and electricity, in what rights groups have said is a concerted effort to seize more land, and further eat into territory where Palestinians aim to establish a state.

"I renew my appeal for an end to the repeated violence against the Palestinian civilian population in the West Bank," the Pope said, without mentioning specific confrontations or attacks.

"I urgently ask the international community to take action so as to advance the two-state solution, for a fair and lasting peace," the Pope added after noon prayers at his Castel Gandolfo residence outside Rome.

The Vatican has long backed the idea of a future Palestinian state, which has been recognised by more than 150 of 193 UN member states as encompassing the Gaza Strip and West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Hamas delegation, Egypt spy chief hold talks on Gaza plan

A Hamas delegation met Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad on Sunday to discuss ways to advance the implementation of a post-war plan for Gaza, Egypt's state news agency reported.

The Middle East News Agency said the delegation led by Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya "reaffirmed commitment to completing US President Donald Trump's plan".

Hamas had said in late July that it was ready to hand over its weapons to a nascent technical committee set to govern Gaza, as part of a 15-point plan announced by Trump's Board of Peace.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the plan, vowing there would be no withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza until the full disarmament of Hamas.

The delegation arrived in Egypt on Saturday evening, ahead of a visit by Trump's envoy Jared Kushner to the region.

Palestinian child killed by Israeli forces in Gaza

The Palestinian Red Crescent on Sunday recovered the body of 14-year-old near Khan Younis in southern Gaza, according to Palestinian news agency WAFA.

Suhail Masoud Shalouf was shot by Israeli forces on Saturday evening on al-Tina Street, south of Khan Younis.

Meanwhile, medics said three Palestinians were wounded by Israeli gunfire after Israeli forces targeted tents in the Al-Mawasi displacement camp, west of Khan Younis.

UK minister condemns West Bank 'settler terrorism'

UK Middle East Minister Stephen Doughty has condemned the ongoing wave of settler violence in the occupied West Bank

"I am horrified at the scenes we are seeing yet again in recent days in the West Bank and the shocking surge in settler violence," he said in a video statement on X.

"Settler violence and settler terrorism are appalling and must end," he said, calling on the Israeli government to prevent further anti-Palestinian violence.

Doughty's comments came on the back of international outrage at the besieging of Palestinians in the village of Qusra, where the Israeli military enabled a days-long siege of civilian homes by settler militants.

Hamas chief in Cairo for Gaza talks ahead of Kushner visit

Hamas political chief Khalil al-Hayya in in Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials ahead of a visit by US President Donald Trump's envoy Jared Kushner to the region.

Hayya, who is visiting Egypt for the first time since assuming leadership of Hamas in late July, was expected to meet with Egypt's intelligence chief Hassan Rashad on Sunday morning, the source said.

Kushner will visit Israel and Egypt next week in a bid to rescue the Trump-backed Board of Peace's Gaza plan rejected by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

He will be accompanied by Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace's Gaza envoy.

Houthis launch new attacks on Yemen port city of Mocha

Yemeni government forces said Sunday that Houthi fighters have launched new missile and drone attacks on the port city of Mocha.

Air defences had intercepted a drone fired by the group, they said.

The director of Mocha port said Saturday it has been forced to suspend operations after being hit by more than 25 missiles in recent days.

The recent attacks have raised fears that Yemen could be sliding back into civil war, four years after a ceasefire ended the conflict between the Iran-aligned Houthis and the Saudi-backed, internationally-recognised government.

Iran MP taunts Trump over food-truck escape

The head of Iran's parliamentary national security committee, Ebrahim Azizi, has mocked Trump over his latest threats to take over the Strait of Hormuz.

"The US President ought to worry about his own security rather than his endless bluffing regarding the Strait of Hormuz; before he ends up hiding in a food truck," Azizi wrote on X on Saturday.

He was referring to reports in US media that Trump hid in a catering truck to leave Air Force One during a recent visit to Turkey following concerns about an Iranian attack.

Iran executes man over involvement in January protests

Iran's judiciary announced the execution on Sunday of a man who was convicted of running over several police officers with his car during anti-government protests in January.

"Shahram Sadeghi, sentenced to death for having carried out an operational action in support of the Zionist regime and the United States, was executed this morning," the judiciary's Mizan Online website said.

It added that the man had run over several police officers with his car on 8 January in Karaj, west of Tehran, wounding seven of them.

A protest movement initially sparked in late December by the high cost of living rapidly evolved into widespread anti-government demonstrations that peaked on 8 and 9 January.

Israel threatens escalation in Lebanon amid new strike

Lebanese media reported a new Israeli attack in the south on Sunday shortly after Israel's defence minister Israel Katz vowed to continue strikes.

Lebanon's National News Agency reported in a strike in Majdal Zoun on Sunday morning, a day after at least 11 people were killed in the heaviest Israeli attacks since the US-brokered ceasefire came into effect in June.

"No account in any arena will remain open. We will defend our soldiers and civilians with force," Katz wrote on X.

Iran disputes Qatar, Kuwait accounts of captured pilots

An Iranian military official said on Sunday that Qatar should allow an Iranian team to enter the country to investigate the fate of pilots whom Tehran says were captured by Qatari forces, Iranian media reported.

Qatar denies holding any Iranian pilots. Doha said on Saturday that its search and rescue teams had found the remains of one pilot after Iranian aircraft violated Qatari airspace in March and failed to respond to attempts to contact them.

Qatar said it had contacted Iran to coordinate the handover of the remains and had invited Tehran to review details of its search and rescue operations, but had received no response.

Mohammad Baqerzadeh, commander of the Committee for the Search for Missing Persons of Iran's Armed Forces General Staff, said an Iranian Air Force expert and fact-finding team had been waiting for months to enter Qatar, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

He accused Qatari officials of repeatedly delaying the investigation and preventing the pilots' return to Iran. He called for the International Committee of the Red Cross to urgently follow up on the case.