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Today’s news: Globally, updates from and about Gaza. Locally, Pakistan courts Trump with a second high-profile US visit, a bomb derails the Jaffar Express, and the GB-China trade blocked by a sit-in.

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Around The World

What about Gaza?

🇮🇱Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended his planned military takeover of Gaza City in the face of growing international condemnation and anger, with United Nations officials warning that the move would lead to another calamity in the embattled, starving enclave.

🇵🇸In Gaza, 5 Al Jazeera journalists have been killed in an Israeli strike. The Israeli military confirms it targeted 28-year-old correspondent Anas al-Sharif, alleging he had served as the head of a terrorist cell in Hamas. Al Jazeera called it a targeted assassination and another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom. Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 61,430 people and wounded 153,213.

🇺🇳Israel faced condemnation at the UN yesterday, with the UK, Russia, China, and France, among others, expressing their strong opposition to Netanyahu’s military plan for Gaza that would further violate international law. However, the US supported Israel’s position and accused the Security Council of “actively prolonging the war by spreading lies about Israel” and “handing propaganda victories to terrorists.”

🇦🇺Australia announced that it will recognize a Palestinian state in September, following the UK, France, and Canada. PM Albanese said Australia received commitments from the Palestinian Authority (PA) to demilitarize, hold general elections, and continue to recognize Israel's right to exist. Israel, under increasing pressure to end the war in Gaza, has said recognizing a Palestinian state rewards terrorism.

Pakistan

Winds of change. Field Marshal Asim Munir has made his second US trip since June, attending the CENTCOM change-of-command and Gen. Michael Kurilla’s retirement events in Tampa, with additional meetings alongside senior American officials. The visit follows Munir’s private lunch with President Trump in June, a rare audience for a foreign military leader that signalled a sharp thaw in Washington–Islamabad ties after the worst India–Pakistan flare-up in decades. 

According to the Financial Times, the outreach mixed counterterrorism co-operation with a push for energy, minerals, and “crypto diplomacy,” including an April letter of intent between Trump-backed World Liberty Financial and Pakistan’s Crypto Council. The strategy has brought lighter US tariffs, investment promises, and a potential mediator role between Washington, Iran, and China. Trump has also touted plans to tap Pakistan’s “massive” oil reserves (a claim met with skepticism at home) even as both sides explore broader economic links. Analysts caution that the rapprochement is highly transactional and vulnerable to reversals if Pakistan under-delivers or if Washington pivots back toward India. Read more, here and here. 

Track attack. A bomb blast on a railway track in Balochistan’s Mastung district derailed six bogies of the Jaffar Express on Sunday, with no casualties reported among the 350 passengers. The incident, near Spezand station, is the latest in a series of attacks on railway infrastructure in the province, which has seen multiple bombings, derailments, and the hijacking of the Jaffar Express in March that killed 25 people. Train services between Quetta and other cities have been repeatedly disrupted, with the latest blast prompting the suspension of the Jaffar Express until mid-August.

Passive aggression. For the 22nd straight day, a sit-in on the Karakoram Highway has halted trade and travel between Pakistan and China via Khunjerab Pass, shutting down business at the Sost Dry Port. Led by the Tajir Ittehad Action Committee with backing from political, religious, and trade groups, protesters demand tax exemptions for Gilgit-Baltistan residents on Chinese imports and Customs clearance of 280 stuck consignments under a one-time amnesty. They vow to continue until demands are met, arguing GB should not be taxed without parliamentary representation.

What Else Is Happening?

🇹🇷One person has died, and 29 have been injured in Turkey after a magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck the north-west province of Balikesir on Sunday evening.

💸Nvidia and AMD have agreed to pay the US government 15% of their Chinese revenues to secure export licenses to China. The US had banned the sale of powerful chips to China due to national security concerns.

🕋Pakistan has begun the second phase of Hajj 2026 applications, with submissions open online and through designated banks until August 16 or until the 179,210 pilgrim quota is filled, offering packages costing Rs1.15–1.25 million.