Evening Brief: Israeli Strikes Kill 36 in Gaza as Aid Efforts Expand Under Global Pressure, Trump Gives Putin 10-12 Days to End War in Ukraine

· Guy D. McCardle

Ukrainian firefighters extinguish flames after a wave of Russian drone strikes hit Kyiv. (@ZelenskyyUa/X)

As Monday closes, major developments are unfolding around the globe from rising civilian tolls in Gaza and shifting US pressure on Israel, to escalating Houthi threats at sea and high-stakes diplomacy in Southeast Asia. Here’s your evening rundown of the key stories shaping the world today, July 28, 2025.

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Israeli Strikes Kill 36 in Gaza as Aid Efforts Expand Under Global Pressure

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 36 Palestinians across Gaza on Monday, including a pregnant woman and her newborn, according to local health officials.

The strikes come as Israel begins a daily 10-hour pause in military operations in parts of Gaza to facilitate aid deliveries amid a deepening humanitarian crisis.

Despite the announced pause in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah, and Muwasi, the Israeli military continued operations elsewhere. One of the deadliest strikes occurred in Khan Younis, where 12 people, including the pregnant woman, were killed in Muwasi, and another 11 in a separate strike on a house, most of them women and children.

Seven more civilians were reportedly killed near an aid distribution site operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an Israeli-backed American contractor. Awda Hospital confirmed their deaths and said 20 others were wounded.

The Israeli military has not confirmed responsibility for most of the reported strikes and maintains that it targets militants, blaming civilian deaths on Hamas’ use of populated areas.

In response to mounting global pressure, Israel has eased some aid restrictions.

COGAT (Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories) reported that 300 trucks entered Gaza on Sunday, although the United Nations states that 500-600 are required daily. Jordan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) also airdropped 17 tons of aid, which UN officials criticized as symbolic and insufficient.

Israel has severely limited aid since the war began following Hamas’ October 7 attack, which killed 1,200 people and led to 251 abductions. Israel says Hamas still holds 50 hostages, though most are presumed dead.

Gaza’s Health Ministry reports over 59,800 Palestinian deaths since the war began.

 

Trump Urges Israel to Deliver Aid to Gaza, Signals Shift on Humanitarian Crisis

US President Donald Trump on Monday pressed Israel to ensure food reaches civilians in Gaza, signaling a shift in tone amid growing international outrage over the territory’s worsening humanitarian crisis.

Speaking from Scotland alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump said Israel must “make sure they get the food,” as images of emaciated children triggered renewed global concern.

Trump distanced himself from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent claim that “there is no starvation in Gaza,” saying, “based on television, I would say not particularly because those children look very hungry.” He also announced US plans to establish food centers in Gaza but offered no further details.

Trump’s latest remarks diverge from his more hawkish stance last week when he backed Israel’s military campaign and blamed Hamas for blocking aid. On Monday, he acknowledged Israel’s “responsibility” for aid delays, though he also pointed to the challenge of keeping hostages alive.

Pressure on Trump intensified after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi publicly urged him to “stop the war and deliver the aid.”

The Israeli military has started limited 10-hour daily pauses in some areas and coordinated aid airdrops, but humanitarian groups say the efforts fall far short.

The comments coincided with a UN conference in New York focused on reviving the two-state solution. While the United Kingdom expressed support for Palestinian statehood as part of that process, Trump declined to take a position and dismissed France’s recent recognition of Palestine as symbolic.

Both Israel and the US are boycotting the UN summit.

Starmer, echoing growing public anger in Britain, called the crisis in Gaza “a desperate situation,” while Trump concluded, “We have to help on a humanitarian basis before we do anything.”

 

Houthis Escalate Threats, Vow to Target All Shipping Linked to Israel

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels announced Sunday they will expand their attacks to target merchant vessels operated by any company that does business with Israeli ports, regardless of nationality or destination.

The declaration marks the start of what the group calls the “fourth phase” of its naval blockade against Israel, launched in response to the ongoing war in Gaza.

The Houthis warned global shipping firms to sever ties with Israeli ports or face attacks “in any location within reach of our armed forces.” The group urged governments to pressure Israel to halt its offensive in Gaza and lift its blockade on the territory if they wish to avoid further escalation.

Houthi forces have already sunk two Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carriers this month, the Magic Seas and Eternity C. The attack on the Eternity C left four crew members dead and 11 captured. The Magic Seas sank after its 22 crew were evacuated.

From November 2023 to December 2024, the Houthis launched over 100 missile and drone attacks on ships transiting the Red Sea, a vital trade corridor that handles an estimated $1 trillion in goods annually. Their attacks briefly paused during a ceasefire but resumed despite a May agreement with the US to end airstrikes in exchange for halting Red Sea attacks.

The Houthis claim the deal does not prevent them from striking ships tied to Israel.

The renewed threats further destabilize maritime security in a critical region and pose a major challenge to international trade and naval operations.

 

US Army Reverts Base Names, Sparks Backlash Over Confederate Associations

The US Army has restored the original names of seven military bases previously renamed in 2023 to remove Confederate ties, now honoring different service members with the same surnames.

The move, ordered by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, sidesteps a federal ban on naming military assets after Confederates by swapping in non-Confederate namesakes. Critics argue it undermines efforts to eliminate symbols linked to the Confederacy and appeases a political agenda aligned with President Donald Trump.

The first reversal came in June, when Fort Liberty in North Carolina returned to its former name, Fort Bragg, now honoring World War II Private Roland Bragg instead of Confederate General Braxton Bragg. Similar changes followed at Fort Benning (now once again Fort Moore), Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Pickett, Fort Robert E. Lee, Fort Gordon, Fort Hood, Fort Polk, and Fort Rucker.

Civil rights leaders and lawmakers called the changes symbolic manipulation.

Senator Jack Reed accused Hegseth of violating the spirit of the law, while Urban League President Marc Morial called the renaming a “difference without a distinction.” Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry added fuel by restoring the name of the state’s largest National Guard training site and sharing a social media post mocking “wokeism.”

The controversy widened when Hegseth announced in June that the USNS Harvey Milk, named after the slain gay rights advocate and Korean War veteran, would be renamed in honor of a World War II Medal of Honor recipient.


Analysts and advocates say the renaming reflects political branding more than historical integrity. Critics warn it erodes progress in honoring diverse service members and wastes resources with repeated signage changes. Supporters argue that naming bases after lesser-known but deserving military heroes remains worthwhile.

The Pentagon has not released cost estimates for the reversals, nor has it commented on the broader criticism.

 

Trump Gives Putin 10-12 Days to End War in Ukraine, Threatens Tariffs

US President Donald Trump on Monday shortened his ultimatum to Russian President Vladimir Putin, giving him 10-12 days to halt the war in Ukraine or face severe economic penalties. This moves up the deadline he set on July 14, which initially allowed 50 days for a peace deal. Trump now expects progress between August 7 and 9.

Trump warned of “severe tariffs” on Russia and hinted at secondary sanctions targeting Moscow’s trading partners. “No reason in waiting,” he said, citing continued Russian bombardments and a lack of diplomatic progress. He expressed disappointment in Putin and showed reluctance toward sanctions, but emphasized that both Russians and Ukrainians are dying.

Ukrainian officials welcomed the tougher stance. Andrii Yermak, head of Ukraine’s presidential office, thanked Trump, saying “Putin understands only strength.”

Despite US pressure, Russia launched a massive overnight airstrike involving more than 300 drones, four cruise missiles, and three ballistic missiles. The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia targeted infrastructure in Kyiv, Kropyvnytskyi, and Starokostiantyniv. A drone strike in Kyiv injured eight people, including a child.

Russia claimed it hit a Ukrainian air base, and an ammunition depot used for drone production.

There was no immediate response from the Kremlin to Trump’s revised deadline.

Trump ruled out meeting with Putin for now, saying, “I’m not so interested in talking anymore.”

 

Indian Forces Kill Three Suspected Militants in Kashmir Gunfight

Indian troops killed three suspected militants in an intense firefight Monday in the forested Dachigam area, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) northeast of Srinagar, according to Indian military officials.

The joint operation involving military, paramilitary, and police forces remains ongoing. Authorities have not released additional details, and independent verification remains unavailable.

This marks the second major counterinsurgency clash since an April massacre in the resort town of Pahalgam that killed 26 people, mostly Hindu tourists, and triggered a spike in India-Pakistan hostilities. That attack led to tit-for-tat military strikes that brought both nuclear-armed nations to the brink of war, before a US-brokered ceasefire was reached on May 10.

Kashmir has witnessed renewed violence in recent months after a period of relative calm. Militant activity, once concentrated in the Kashmir Valley, has increasingly shifted to mountainous regions of Jammu. India accuses Pakistan of supporting the insurgency, a claim Islamabad denies.


Tensions have remained high since New Delhi revoked Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status in 2019, clamped down on civil liberties, and intensified military operations in the region.

The decades-long conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives, with many Muslim Kashmiris supporting either independence or unification with Pakistan.

 

Cambodia and Thailand Agree to Ceasefire After Five Days of Deadly Border Clashes

Cambodia and Thailand agreed to an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire” starting at midnight Monday, following five days of border fighting that killed at least 38 people (mostly civilians) and displaced over 300,000.

The agreement came after intense mediation led by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, with direct pressure from US President Donald Trump and diplomatic support from China.

The ceasefire deal, reached in Putrajaya after two hours of talks, includes a commitment to resume direct communication and establish a mechanism for implementation. Trump threatened both countries with the loss of trade negotiations and steep 36% tariffs if hostilities continued. He later claimed credit for ending the conflict, declaring, “I am proud to be the President of PEACE!”

The conflict, the worst in over a decade, began after a Cambodian soldier was killed in May and escalated last week with artillery, rockets, and Thai airstrikes. Each side blamed the other for provoking the violence. Cambodia denied Thai claims it laid landmines and targeted civilians, while accusing Thailand of unprovoked aggression.

Thai Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayacha praised Trump’s role and said trade talks with the US would now resume. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet also credited Trump’s “decisive mediation.”

The border region remains tense. Artillery-damaged homes and shuttered shops were reported in Thailand’s Sisaket province, with thousands still in evacuation centers.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated both countries are expected to fully honor the ceasefire terms.

 

Sources: News Agencies