Signup to receive the Early Edition in your inbox here.
A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Hamas’s leader Yahya Sinwar issued the group’s first response to the latest Israeli ceasefire proposal advanced by President Biden. Sinwar told Arab negotiators he would only accept a peace deal if Israel commits to a permanent ceasefire, adding, “Hamas will not surrender its guns or sign a proposal that asks for that.” Summer Said, Stephen Kalin, and Omar Abdel-Baqui report for the Wall Street Journal.
Israel struck central and southern areas of Gaza overnight, killing at least 23 Palestinians, according to local medics. Israeli tanks also advanced further west in the city of Rafah, residents said. Separately, the Israeli military fatally shot three Palestinians in the occupied West Bank yesterday, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Nidal Al-Mughrabi reports for Reuters; Jonny Hallam reports for CNN.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
U.S.-made munitions were used in the Israeli strike on a U.N. school that killed dozens of people, according to analysis by the New York Times and CNN. It marks the second time in less than two weeks that dozens of Palestinians have been killed by U.S.-made GBU-39 bombs. On May 26, 45 people were killed in a displacement camp, also by this specific type of bomb.
The United States told Israel it must be fully “transparent” over the U.N. school strike, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said yesterday. In a rare move, the United States called on Israel to identify publicly the Hamas fighters it said it had killed. Matt Murphy and George Wright report for BBC News.
Netanyahu is slated to address a joint meeting of Congress on July 24. In a statement, Netanyahu said he is “very moved to have the privilege of representing Israel before both Houses of Congress and to present the truth about our just war.” Lauren Peller reports for ABC News; Mychael Schnell reports for The Hill.
The U.S.-built pier off Gaza’s coast will undergo at least $22 million in repairs before returning to service soon, two Pentagon officials said. The monetary estimate has not been previously reported. One of the officials added that the cost of the work could rise to as much as $28 million. Dan Lamothe and John Hudson report for the Washington Post.
The N.A.A.C.P., the oldest and largest civil rights group in the nation, yesterday called for President Biden to “draw the red line” and suspend weapons shipments to Israel over the mounting civilian death toll in Gaza.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
The White House released a joint statement with sixteen countries calling on Hamas to agree to the “ceasefire and hostage release deal now on the table.” The countries include Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Thailand, and the United Kingdom.
Russia and China raised concerns yesterday with the U.S. draft resolution that would back Israel’s latest ceasefire proposal outlined by Biden. Algeria, the Security Council’s only Arab member, also signaled it was not ready to back the text, diplomats said. The current draft welcomes the ceasefire proposal and “calls upon Hamas to also accept it,” but some council members want to stick to a demand made in March for an immediate ceasefire and unconditional release of all hostages. Michelle Nichols reports for Reuters.
IRAN-BACKED MILITANTS
The Biden administration has warned Israel in recent weeks against the idea of “a limited war” in Lebanon, cautioning it could push Iran to intervene, two U.S. officials and an Israeli official told Axios. U.S. and Israeli officials said concern is rising in the IDF and the Israeli Ministry of Defense that Israel-Lebanon border tensions are reaching a turning point. Barak Ravid reports.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres yesterday called for an end to hostilities along the Israel-Lebanon border, warning of the risk of a wider conflict. The Guardian reports.
MILITARY CONFLICT WITH THE HOUTHIS
The leader of Yemen’s Houthis yesterday said the group’s operations against Israel, carried out with the group Islamic Resistance in Iraq, would intensify. Reuters reports.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE DEVELOPMENTS
President Biden is due to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris today with a package of $225 million in weapons. Both leaders attended the 80th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy yesterday, where Biden pledged “we will not walk away” from Ukraine. Biden also for the first time publicly apologized to Ukraine for a monthslong holdup in U.S. military assistance. Christopher Megerian and Sylvie Corbet report for ABC News; Jeff Mason reports for Reuters.
Russia has placed blame on the United States for civilian deaths in Russia, alleging that Ukraine used U.S.-supplied rockets to kill women and children in the Belgorod region last week. It was the first time Russia has said it holds the United States responsible for civilian deaths on its territory. Reuters reports.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced yesterday that France would send Mirage 2000 fighter jets to Ukraine, in what would be a significant increase in France’s direct military support to Kyiv. Macron also said Ukrainians would receive months-long training in France as early as this summer. Clea Caulcutt reports for POLITICO.
Russia attacked Ukraine’s critical infrastructure overnight, targeting at least nine regions including Kyiv, Ukrainian authorities said. Ukraine’s air defenses shot down 48 out of 53 attack drones and all five cruise missiles launched, Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk said on Telegram. Svitlana Vlasova and Alex Stambaugh report for CNN.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
India’s Narendra Modi was formally elected today by lawmakers of his National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to be prime minister for a historic third consecutive term. Modi will meet President Droupadi Murmu later today and present his claim to form a new government. A spokesperson said his swearing-in is scheduled for Sunday. Sarita Chaganti Singh, Tanvi Mehta and Sakshi Dayal report for Reuters.
The U.N. General Assembly yesterday elected Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia to serve as non-permanent members on the Security Council for two-year terms beginning on January 1 next year.
Japanese, U.S., and South Korean coast guard vessels conducted their first trilateral drill yesterday off Japan’s coast, as the countries bolster their maritime ties in response to China. Mari Yamaguchi reports for AP News.
South African president Cyril Ramaphosa of the African National Congress party said yesterday he will seek to form a broad alliance government, after his party failed to secure enough seats in last week’s election to form a government on its own. Lynsey Chutel and John Eligon report for the New York Times.
Sudan’s army said yesterday it would deliver a “harsh response” to an attack a day earlier on a village by the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces that activists said killed more than 100 people. Reuters reports.
Russian naval ships including a nuclear-powered submarine will visit Cuba next week as part of “historically friendly relations,” Cuba’s government said yesterday. Patrik Oppmann, Abel Alvarado, and Haley Britzky report for CNN.
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
A U.S. federal judge yesterday ordered former President Trump’s ex-strategist Steve Bannon to report to prison by July 1 to serve a four-month sentence. The order comes after years of legal wrangling, with an appeals court last month upholding Bannon’s 2022 criminal conviction for contempt of Congress. In response to yesterday’s order, Bannon said he and his lawyers would “go all the way to the Supreme Court if we have to.” Caitlin Wilson reports for BBC News; April Rubin reports for Axios.