On Sunday, August 10th, 2026, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a US-backed 15-point peace plan for Gaza, which was endorsed by Hamas and proposed by President Donald Trump's Board of Peace in July. The plan called for Hamas to disarm in exchange for a full Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza and a transition of power to an independent Palestinian national committee.

Netanyahu insisted that full Hamas disarmament must occur before the deal can be implemented, diverging from Trump's staged implementation approach. In a statement, Netanyahu addressed what he described as a “wave of rumours about Israeli weakness and Israeli withdrawals on all fronts” and criticized US pressure to end conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran without Israel's consent.

This rejection marks a rare public break between Netanyahu and Trump. According to FRANCE 24 international affairs editor Philip Turle, Netanyahu is willing to distance himself from Trump over the Gaza deal to consolidate support from far-right members of his coalition ahead of closely contested elections.

Meanwhile, regional tensions persist. Iran has issued stringent demands for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran stating the strait will remain closed until the US “corrects its behaviour.” The United Arab Emirates reported that one of its ships was targeted by an Iranian missile over the weekend. Yemen’s Tehran-aligned Houthis claimed responsibility for a refinery attack in Saudi Arabia on Sunday morning.

The ongoing US-Iran conflict has stranded approximately 20,000 seafarers, mainly Indian and Filipino crews, with seventeen fatalities reported since hostilities began, most following Iranian strikes.

Justin Vail, head of the DC office of the non-partisan advocacy group Protect Democracy, commented on recent tabletop exercises designed to prepare experts and stakeholders for potential scenarios, emphasizing their role in identifying gaps and strengthening coordination.

Additionally, a weather station in central Shanghai recorded over 12 inches of rain in 24 hours—the highest in more than 150 years—as Typhoon Dolphin made landfall, prompting the evacuation of over a million people across eastern China.

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