Middle East conflict ticker Most important events of week 20 to 28

On October 7, 2023, terrorist commandos from the Islamist Hamas attacked Israel and carried out massacres against the civilian population. Israel responded with a military operation in the Gaza Strip. Since then, the conflict in the Middle East has escalated. The developments of week 20 to 28 in the ticker for review.

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The Ukraine ticker ends here at the end of week 28 2025. You can find all the latest events on the war in the Middle East here:

Middle East tickerUN accuses Israel of apartheid +++ Further unrest in western Iran

14.54

New "Freedom Flotilla" ship departs for Gaza

A new ship with pro-Palestinian activists and humanitarian aid on board has set course for the Gaza Strip from Italy. The ship "Handala" of the so-called Freedom Flotilla left the port of Syracuse in Sicily on Sunday, as a reporter from the AFP news agency reported.

On board the ship are around 15 activists as well as medical supplies, food and support for children.

It is expected to take around a week to cover the 1800 kilometers to the coast of the Gaza Strip. The activists want to use the "Handala" to break the Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. The ship set off around six weeks after another ship belonging to the campaign group was stopped by Israel before reaching the Gaza Strip. Among others, the Swedish activist Greta Thunberg was on board the "Madleen".

The aim of the new campaign with the "Handala", which is financed by donations, is to show "human, international solidarity" to the Palestinian population of the Gaza Strip, explained a spokesperson for the "Freedom Flotilla". Several dozen supporters gathered at the start of the mission in Syracuse, many of them carrying Palestinian flags. As the "Handala" set sail, they chanted "Liberate Palestine".

13:47

Report: Iran's president injured in war with Israel

According to a report, Iran's President Massud Peseschkian has narrowly escaped death in the war with Israel. As reported by the Iranian news agency Fars, Israel's air force bombed a building complex of the National Security Council three days after the start of the war on June 16. After the attack, the power went out. The participants of the crisis meeting were able to flee to safety, but some of them, including Peseshkian, suffered leg injuries.

The Security Council deals with matters of defense and the protection of state ideology. In addition to the president as chairman, the powerful body of around a dozen members includes several ministers and generals.

In an interview with US talk show host Tucker Carlson around a week ago, Iran's president reported on the attempted attempt on his life. Peseshkian spoke about a possible secret service leak. There is speculation about the infiltration of an agent, the Fars agency also reported. Meanwhile, Iranian media disseminated a video showing the bombings on a mountainside in the west of the capital and metropolis of Tehran.

Sunday, July 13, 2025 - 1:46 a.m.

Gaza talks falter - dispute over Israeli troop withdrawal

The indirect talks between Israel and Hamas on a 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza war have stalled, according to informed sources. Both sides are blaming each other for the lack of progress. The aim of the talks in the Qatari capital Doha is a ceasefire and the release of ten live hostages held by Hamas as well as the handover of the bodies of several abductees.

As the German Press Agency (dpa) learned from Hamas circles in Cairo, the extent of the Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza during the ceasefire is a central point of contention. The Israeli delegation in Doha had put "new maps" on the table in this regard, said a Hamas representative. According to Israeli media reports, the Israeli leadership insists on leaving the military in an extensive area in the south of the Gaza Strip.

Saturday, July 12, 2025 - 12:45 p.m.

Iran signals readiness for diplomacy

Against the backdrop of ongoing military tensions with the West, the Iranian government is signaling its willingness to engage in diplomacy. "Diplomacy is not opposed to fighting, resistance and defense," wrote Mohammed Jafar Ghaempanah, head of the Iranian presidential office, in the state-run newspaper "Iran". According to him, this is also the official policy of President Massud Peseshkian.

After the ceasefire between Israel and Iran came into force almost three weeks ago, Iran's political and military leadership clearly rejected negotiations with the West. The main reason given by Iranian government representatives was a lack of trust after Israel attacked Iran shortly before a new round of negotiations with the USA.

Ghaempanah now warned of a split within the country. "Diplomacy and military power are both tools to preserve national rights," he wrote in the article. "Just as the armed forces are dedicated to defending the country, diplomats also work around the clock."

15:49

More dead near an aid center in Gaza

According to Palestinian reports, Israeli soldiers have killed at least ten people near a distribution center for humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip.

In addition, around 70 people were injured in the incident near the town of Rafah in the south of the embattled coastal region, according to medical sources from the health authority controlled by the Islamist Hamas.

The Israeli army did not initially provide any information on the incident when asked. A spokesperson stated that they would investigate the report.

11.07 a.m.

EU builds up threat against Israel

The European Union is building up a threat against Israel in case the new aid agreements for the Gaza Strip fail.

As diplomats in Brussels confirmed to the German Press Agency, EU foreign affairs representative Kaja Kallas has sent the member states a list of measures that could theoretically be used to put pressure on the Israeli government. It includes the suspension of trade benefits, an arms embargo and the blocking of Israel's access to the EU's Horizon research funding program.

In addition, entry regulations for Israeli citizens could be tightened and sanctions could be imposed on politicians who bear responsibility for the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. The air transport agreement between the EU and Israel is also mentioned as a possible means of exerting pressure. This has opened up the market for direct flights between Israel and the EU.

Kallas was given the task of drawing up the catalog of possible measures at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in June. Prior to this, EU auditors had come to the conclusion that Israel was violating the principle of respect for human rights with its actions in the Gaza Strip. This has been laid down in an association agreement between the two sides since 2000 as a prerequisite for close cooperation.

2.22 a.m.

US authority awaits data on Iran nuclear facilities attacked

US experts are still waiting for data on the exact extent of the US attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. They currently have no details on whether the bunker-busting bombs penetrated to the depth for which they were intended, according to circles in the agency that developed the bombs.

The USA had supported Israel's attacks against the Iranian nuclear program by bombing the most important nuclear facilities. On June 22, US stealth bombers dropped 14 GBU-57 bunker-busting bombs on Iranian facilities in Fordo, Natan and Isfahan during the "Midnight Hammer" mission.

The extent of the damage to Iran's nuclear facilities has been debated ever since. US President Donald Trump speaks of total destruction. In contrast, the military intelligence service DIA had stated in an initial assessment that the Iranian nuclear program had only been set back by a few months.

Friday, July 11, 2025, 1:54 a.m.

Netanyahu on Hamas: Will defeat these "monsters"

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for victory over the Islamist Hamas during the ongoing efforts for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in Qatar. "We will defeat these monsters and get our hostages back," Netanyahu told the ultra-conservative US broadcaster Newsmax. He hoped that "in a few days" ten of the hostages still alive would be released as part of a 60-day ceasefire, which is currently being negotiated indirectly, the head of government said.

At the beginning of the ceasefire, talks should also be initiated to end the war permanently, Netanyahu said in a statement at the end of his visit to the USA, according to his office. However, in order to achieve this, Israel's conditions must be met, Netanyahu explained: Hamas must lay down its arms, no longer have any state or military capabilities and Gaza must be demilitarized. If these demands are not met through negotiations within the 60 days, Israel will achieve this by force.

There are still 50 hostages in Gaza, Netanyahu told Newsmax, adding that "20 are definitely alive, and about 30 are not alive, and I want to get them all out." There is now an agreement that Hamas will initially release ten hostages and hand over about half the number of bodies. However, he said, he would also get out all the other abductees, both living and dead. "I hope we can conclude this in a few days", the Israeli head of government told the US broadcaster.

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