Trump calls for Gaza hostages release ahead of Netanyahu meeting at the White House – Middle East crisis live
Date: 2025-07-07T06:45:58.000Z
Title:
Content: A Russian Foreign Ministry statement said its minister Sergei Lavrov had issued a new denunciation of Israeli and US strikes on Iran last month, 'including the bombing of nuclear energy infrastructure under safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency.'
It came during Lavrov's talks in Rio de Janeiro with Abbas Araqchi, his Iranian counterpart, who he met at the BRICS summit. The Foreign Minister restated Moscow's offer to help resolve disputes around Tehran's nuclear programme, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
Update:
Date: 2025-07-07T06:45:58.000Z
Title:
Content: In a joint statement from the opening of the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, the leaders of the BRICS group of developing nations called attacks against Iran's 'civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities' a 'violation of international law.'
The group expressed 'grave concern' for the Palestinian people over Israeli attacks on Gaza, and condemned what the joint statement called a 'terrorist attack' in India-administered Kashmir.
The group voiced its support for Ethiopia and Iran to join the World Trade Organization, while calling to urgently restore its ability to resolve trade disputes.
Update:
Date: 2025-07-07T06:45:58.000Z
Title: Read our full analysis here:
Content: Benjamin Netanyahu returns to the White House holding all the cards in the Gaza talks in Washington. Joint attack on Iran have put the Israeli PM in a powerful position as he dangles the prospect of a Trump-brokered ceasefire deal.
Netanyahu and Donald Trump have a complex personal relationship – and Trump openly vented frustration at him last month during efforts to negotiate a truce with Iran – but the two have appeared in lockstep since the US launched a bombing run against Iran's nuclear programme, fulfilling a key goal for Israeli war planners.
Netanyahu arrives in Washington in a strong political position, observers have said, potentially giving him the diplomatic cover he would need to end the war in Gaza without facing a revolt from his rightwing supporters that could lead to the collapse of his government.
Update:
Date: 2025-07-07T06:45:58.000Z
Title: Welcome and summary
Content: Hello and welcome to the Guardian's continuing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.
Donald Trump has said there is a good chance a Gaza hostage release and ceasefire deal could be reached with the Hamas this week, as he prepares to meet with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday at the White House.
Trump told reporters before departing for Washington on Sunday that such a deal meant 'quite a few hostages' could be released.
Here is what has happened so far:
Donald Trump will host Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington DC on Monday as the US president seeks again to broker a peace deal in Gaza and the Israeli prime minister takes a victory lap through the Oval Office after a joint military campaign against Iran and a series of successful strikes against Tehran and its proxies in the Middle East.
The first session of indirect Hamas-Israel ceasefire talks in Qatar ended inconclusively, two Palestinian sources familiar with the matter said early on Monday, adding that the Israeli delegation didn't have a sufficient mandate to reach an agreement with Hamas. The talks resumed on Sunday, ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's third visit to the White House.
Israeli warplanes launched a wave of strikes in Gaza on Sunday, killing at least 38 Palestinians, according to hospital officials, as talks over a ceasefire in the devastated territory reached a critical point. Officials at Nasser hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis said 18 people were killed by strikes in al-Mawasi, a nearby coastal area that is crowded with tented encampments of those displaced by fighting elsewhere.
Israel has continued to launch waves of airstrikes in Gaza, hours after Hamas said it was ready to start talks 'immediately' on a US-sponsored proposal for a 60-day ceasefire. The announcement by the militant Islamist organisation increased hopes that a deal may be done within days to pause the killing in Gaza and possibly end the near 21-month conflict.
Israel has attacked Houthi targets in three Yemeni ports and a power plant, the Israeli military said early on Monday, marking the first Israeli attack on Yemen in almost a month. The strikes on Hodeidah, Ras Isa and Salif ports, and Ras Qantib power plant were due to repeated Houthi attacks on Israel, the military added.
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The Sun
26 minutes ago
- The Sun
Israel bombs hijacked Brit ship Galaxy Leader seized by Houthis in devastating wave of airstrikes against terror group
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A mere few hours later, two retaliation missiles were launched from Yemen, Israel said. Attempts were made to intercept them but the results were still under review. The Houthi group has continued to fire ballistic missiles at Israel since the tense ceasefire with Iran was reached. But the firing attempts are - most of the time - blasted singly, meaning Israel's Iron Dome is usually able to down them. Trump boasts 'Oops, there will be no attack' after US bombs Houthi terror soldiers 'preparing to fight' in drone strike In October, Houthi rebels forced hostages on board a hijacked British cargo ship to party on live TV as new satellite images reveal the vessel's movements. Footage shared on Yemen TV channels shows the captives watching a traditional knife dance as the guests of honour on the ship where they are being held hostage. Exclusive images provided to The Sun also showed the boat being brought back and forth from the shore by the Houthis. 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They have continued their campaign to disrupt trade in the Red Sea for almost a year now. Footage from earlier this month shows them sending an explosive-laden drone at a British oil tanker. They shared the clip of a big explosion near the side of the Cordelia Moon, which damaged its port side tank and covered it in clouds of smoke. Around 12 per cent of all global trade normally passes through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the now-under-attack 20-mile-wide stretch of the Red Sea also known as the "Gate of Tears". Who are the Houthis? THE Houthi rebels have spent months terrorising the Red Sea by launching persistent missile and drone attacks on vessels and warships - but who are they? The Shia militant group who now controls large swaths of Yemen spent over a decade being largely ignored by the world. However, since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, they sprung from relative obscurity to holding roughly £1trillion of world trade hostage - turning one of the world's busiest shipping lanes into an active warzone. Their warped battle cry is 'Death to America, Death to Israel, curse the Jews and victory to Islam'. Why are they attacking ships? Last October, the rebel group began launching relentless drone and missile attacks on any ships - including warships - they deem to be connected with Israel in solidarity with their ally Hamas. In reality, they targeted commercial vessels with little or no link to Israel - forcing global sea traffic to largely halt operations in the region and sending shipping prices around the world soaring. The sea assaults added to the carnage in the Middle East tinderbox as intense ripples from Israel's war in Gaza were felt across the region - with Iran accused of stoking the chaos. The Houthi chiefs pledged their Red Sea attacks would continue until Israel stopped its offensive in Gaza. The group's chiefs have previously said their main targets are Israel, and its allies the US and Britain. And despite repeated threats from the West and joint US and UK strikes blitzing their strongholds in Yemen - Iran's terror proxy appears undeterred. The UK and US have hit Houthi bases as recently as this month after the terror group once again targeted boats in the shipping lane. Israel has also hammered the group with airstrikes, reportedly hitting oil storage tanks at the port in Al Hudaydah
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The Independent
29 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump and Israel's Netanyahu to meet at White House as ceasefire deal looms: Live updates
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President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are set to have dinner at the White House Monday evening. Israeli troops have been in Gaza since Hamas launched a deadly attack on its Middle Eastern neighbor on October 7, 2023. Hamas killed about 1,200 people and took 251 more hostage in its surprise attack. More than half of the hostages have been returned, eight have been rescued and dozens have been recovered dead, the Associated Press reported. More than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, the AP reported, citing Gaza's Health Ministry. Gazans are facing prolonged food shortages with nearly half a million in a 'catastrophic situation of hunger, acute malnutrition, starvation, illness and death,' the World Health Organization reported in May. A temporary ceasefire deal was agreed to in January but broken nearly two months later. Trump has been trying to get Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday afternoon: "The utmost priority for the president right now in the Middle East is to end the war in Gaza and to return all of the hostages.' 'There was a ceasefire proposal that Israel supports, that was sent to Hamas. We hope that they will agree to this proposal,' Leavitt said. Israel and Hamas were set to hold indirect peace talks in Qatar for a second day on Monday, Reuters reported early Monday morning. Rachel Dobkin7 July 2025 22:00 Bernie Sanders rips into Trump-Netanyahu dinner, calls Israeli PM 'war criminal' Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, criticized a scheduled dinner between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday evening. 'Today, a war criminal under indictment from the ICC [International Criminal Court] will be welcomed to the White House,' Sanders wrote on X Monday afternoon. 'Trump, like [former President Joe] Biden before him, has aided and abetted the extremist Netanyahu government as it has systematically killed and starved civilians in Gaza.' The senator called Monday 'a shameful day in America.' Netanyahu has vehemently denied committing war crimes in Gaza. Rachel Dobkin7 July 2025 21:45 Democratic voters are demanding reps fight dirty against Trump and MAGA: 'There needs to be blood' Democratic voters are fed up with their representatives taking the moral high ground against President Donald Trump and the GOP, with some reportedly suggesting they should be willing to 'get shot' in order to oppose the administration. "Our own base is telling us that what we're doing is not good enough ... [that] there needs to be blood to grab the attention of the press and the public," one anonymous Democrat told Axios. 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Here's where the major stock indexes were at the closing bell, according to MarketWatch: In a batch of letters sent Monday, Trump threatened the following countries with steep tariffs starting August 1: South Korea - 25 percent Japan - 25 percent Malaysia – 25 percent Kazakhstan – 25 percent South Africa – 30 percent Laos – 40 percent Myanmar – 40 percent Rachel Dobkin7 July 2025 21:15 Watch: Leavitt address MAGA anger over Epstein files White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed the anger from MAGA over the Epstein files at today's press briefing. Watch the clip below. Rhian Lubin7 July 2025 21:00 Trump says tariffs are 'necessary' as he justifies slapping nations with taxes President Donald Trump has justified the tariffs in his letters to nations as he attempts to cement trade deals. 'Please understand that these Tariffs are necessary to correct the many years of ... Tariff, and Non Tariff, Policies and Trade Barriers, causing these unsustainable Trade Deficits against the United States. This Deficit is a major threat to our Economy and, indeed, our National Security!' he says in the letters. American stock markets lost ground in trading on Monday after the president's announcement, with the S&P 500 index falling 0.9 percent in the first day of trading in the U.S. after a holiday-shortened week, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 526 points, or 1.2 percent, as of midday. The Nasdaq composite was 1 percent lower as well. Andrew Feinberg, Rhian Lubin7 July 2025 20:30 Trump hits countries with tariffs ranging from 25 – 40 percent Trump has threatened to hit countries in his latest batch of letters with tariffs ranging from 25 – 40 percent. The letters are similar in tone and try to persuade nations to move production to the U.S. Trump writes that if any of the countries hit back with their own tariffs, the administration will retaliate. 'If for any reason you decide to raise your Tariffs, then, whatever the number you choose to raise them by, will be added onto the 25% that we charge,' the letter to Malaysia reads. This is what Trump has threatened Malaysia, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Laos and Myanmar: Malaysia – 25 percent Kazakhstan – 25 percent South Africa – 30 percent Laos – 40 percent Myanmar – 40 percent Rhian Lubin7 July 2025 20:00 World leaders are 'begging' Trump to make a deal, Leavitt claims Karoline Leavitt claimed world leaders are 'begging' President Donald Trump to make a trade deal after he pushed the negotiation deadline back by nearly three weeks. Leavitt was asked at Monday's briefing if Trump was 'at all concerned' that countries receiving the letters 'won't take them seriously because the deadline seems to have shifted already and may shift again.' 'They will take the letters seriously because they have taken the president seriously,' Leavitt responded. 'That's why the president's phone rings off the hook from world leaders all the time, who are begging him to come to a deal.' Rhian Lubin7 July 2025 19:40
The Independent
40 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump's moving goalposts on tariffs show how hard it will be to win his trade war
President Donald Trump finally got the first part of his agenda through when he signed his sprawling 'One Big, Beautiful Bill' on the July 4 holiday as he wanted. His tariffs haven't proved as easy. For his spending bill, Trump somehow tamed the warring factions of Congressional Republicans from populists worried about Medicaid cuts to moderates such as Alaska's Sen. Lisa Murkowski who got a sweetheart deal for her state to the fiscal conservatives in the House Freedom Caucus who folded like lawn chairs used to watch the fireworks on the National Mall during the holiday. But if Trump brought the GOP together to pass his tax cuts and increase spending on immigration enforcement, paid for by significant slashes to Medicaid, he faces a much less pliable adversary: the rest of the world, opposed to his trade war. On Monday, Trump sent letters to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung saying that he would enforce a 25 percent tariff on imports from their countries starting August 1. Trump called the threats an invitation to 'participate in the extraordinary Economy of the United States, the Number One Market in the World, by far.' This came after Trump threatened that any country that worked with BRICS – the group including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – 'will be charged an additional 10 percent tariff' and that 'There will be no exceptions to this policy.' The letters and his stern remarks to other countries embody a Trump tariff deja vu, where he threatens to levy tariffs, fires off harsh words about impending consequences, only for him to ultimately fold and let supposedly hard deadlines pass, while declaring victory without making any substantial gains and putting him on a weaker footing than when he started. Just this week, Trump gave a jumbled response when reporters asked him about resuming the tariffs that he said would return after he had paused many of them in April. 'They're going to be tariffs. The tariffs are going to be the tariffs. I think we'll have most countries done by July 9. Either a letter or a deal,' Trump said. Of course, letters are a far cry from an actual deal. And it's certainly not the ' 90 deals in 90 days ' that his adviser Peter Navarro pledged. Aside from micro-deals with the United Kingdom and China, along with a deal with Vietnam, Trump has not come close to 90 deals. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick only added to the cloudiness of the future for trade, when he said 'But they go into effect August 1. Tariffs go into effect August 1' and that 'But the president is setting the rates and the deals right now.' It's been more than three months since Trump announced his 'Liberation Day' tariffs, which he pledged would reorient the world economy after a series of perceived slights toward American workers. Of course, most of those never fully came to fruition after Trump hit the pause button on most, but by no means all, of the tariffs. He pushed his deadline for them to start to July 9 after markets reacted poorly to his plan. Now, he is extending again, this time to August 1. The administration seems to recognize that people do not believe Trump is serious about the tariffs. On Sunday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent appeared on CNN's State of the Union where host Dana Bash asked Bessent why trade deals Trump promised have not materialized. 'Again, he didn't promise this,' he said, despite the fact Navarro pledged this, presumably speaking on behalf of the president. 'And when we send out the 100 letters to these countries, that will set their tariff rate. So we're going to have 100 done in the next few.' But a letter is not a deal, and the 100 hundred countries have no reason to do any more negotiations if that would be the extent of any trade negotiations. Trump's inability to actualize full-fledged trade agreements would be a stunning failure in terms of fulfilling his campaign promises. Alongside conducting mass deportations of immigrants in the country illegally, the tariffs, the revenue collected from them and the resultant resurgence in manufacturing was the core pillar of his 2024 presidential campaign. By contrast, his Democratic opponents warned about the ensuing chaos of a second Trump term or that consumers would pay the cost of the tariffs. It turns out that bending the entire economic order is much harder than making almost every elected official in the Republican Party fold to your commands for the exact opposite reason: domestically, Republicans stand to lose voters if they cross Trump; but abroad, world leaders gain credibility when they stand up to a declaration of a trade war.
