By Middle East Correspondent
London, (The Muslim News): Israeli forces killed a Palestinian and wounded nine others in Gaza, including four children, as attacks continued across the occupied Palestinian territories and southern Lebanon, while Iran’s President called for renewed dialogue with the United States as Washington pressed Tehran to restore oil and gas flows and guarantee safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
The developments came as Gaza’s ceasefire continued to face Israeli violations, Israeli forces and illegal settlers carried out further attacks in the occupied West Bank and Israeli artillery shelled areas of southern Lebanon, while Washington and Tehran traded demands and proposals over a possible agreement following their recent conflict.
Palestinian killed and nine wounded in Gaza
Israeli forces killed a Palestinian and wounded nine others, including four children, in separate attacks across the Gaza Strip on Saturday, according to medical sources.
A young Palestinian man was killed after Israeli forces opened fire in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, a medical source told Anadolu news agency.
In southern Gaza, seven Palestinians, including two children, were admitted to Nasser Hospital after Israeli tanks stationed near the al-Shakoush area, southwest of Khan Younis, opened heavy fire, medical sources said.
Three of those wounded were in critical condition, according to the sources.
Two children were also wounded in Gaza City after Israeli forces opened fire towards Palestinian homes and tents sheltering displaced families in the eastern Tuffah and Zeitoun neighbourhoods, medical sources said.
In central Gaza, Israeli drones opened fire on Palestinian homes east of the Bureij refugee camp, according to local sources and witnesses cited by Anadolu. No casualties were reported.
Israeli artillery also shelled areas east of the Maghazi refugee camp, according to local sources.
The latest casualties came amid continued Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement, which has been in force in Gaza since October 10, 2025.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, Israeli violations of the ceasefire have killed 1,257 Palestinians and wounded 4,131 others since the agreement took effect.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 174,000, according to Palestinian authorities. Much of the enclave’s infrastructure has been destroyed.
Israeli forces raid West Bank town
Israeli forces also raided the occupied West Bank town of Yabad, southwest of Jenin, early Saturday, while Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian homes and property near Bethlehem, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.
About 15 Israeli military vehicles entered Yabad through its western entrance after Israeli forces blocked the town’s entrances with earth mounds, WAFA reported.
The forces raided dozens of homes, conducted field interrogations and detained residents for several hours, the agency said.
Several young men were beaten and the contents of several homes were damaged, according to WAFA.
Yabad Mayor Samer Abu Bakr told WAFA that Israeli forces turned the home of Palestinian resident Ibrahim Amour into a field interrogation centre, where several residents were detained for hours.
Separately, Israeli settlers attacked the home of Palestinian resident Ahmad al-Hajj in the University Housing area east of Bethlehem, smashing all its windows, according to a security source cited by WAFA.
The agency also reported that settlers grazed sheep near Palestinian homes in the Hamroush area of Beit Fajjar, south of Bethlehem, while others were seen near the home of Ibrahim Abu Odeh in the Abu Najim area east of Bethlehem.
Since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, Israeli forces and settlers have killed at least 1,182 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, injured around 13,000 and arrested nearly 25,000, according to official Palestinian figures.
Palestinian officials have warned that the escalating attacks are aimed at paving the way for Israel’s formal annexation of the West Bank and undermining prospects for an independent Palestinian state envisaged in relevant UN resolutions.
Iran calls for dialogue with US
Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Saturday that the current moment was the “best time” to reach an agreement with the United States.
“When people talk about reaching an agreement, I believe now is the best time, because there is cohesion, strength and unity in the country,” Pezeshkian said at his second news conference since taking office.
He said Iran had emerged from the recent conflict “victorious and strong” and that the situation provided an opportunity to resolve outstanding issues through dialogue.
According to the semi-official ISNA news agency, Pezeshkian said Iran could pursue its rights through dialogue and sought “nothing beyond the rights of the country and its people”.
“The issues cannot be resolved through war alone,” he said. “We are trying to move toward peace based on the provisions of the memorandum.”
Pezeshkian said his government remained committed to pursuing an agreement under a memorandum of understanding signed with the US in June, but said Washington needed to abandon what he described as an atmosphere of distrust.
“We are determined to make the memorandum the basis of our approach, provided the United States abandons the atmosphere of distrust it has created and trust can be rebuilt,” he said.
Pezeshkian described Washington as “untrustworthy” from Tehran’s perspective.
In remarks carried by the official IRNA news agency, he said diplomacy had compelled Washington to negotiate with Iran.
“The very fact that we held talks and pursued diplomacy forced the US to come to the table and reach an agreement and understanding with Iran,” he said.
He rejected criticism of the memorandum, saying it contained no provision requiring Iran to relinquish any of its interests or positions.
“You will not find a single clause in the memorandum in which we gave anything away,” he said, adding that Tehran “stands firmly” behind what it signed.
Pezeshkian accused Washington of violating the memorandum by pursuing alternative shipping arrangements in the Strait of Hormuz instead of following procedures that were supposed to be jointly agreed by Iran and Oman.
He said disputes over the alleged violations should be addressed through mechanisms established under the memorandum and expressed hope that the implementation process would continue “with dignity and honour” for Iran.
The Iranian president also defended his negotiating team, describing its members as “dedicated, expert and hardworking”.
He said his administration was working with the heads of Iran’s three branches of government and the Supreme National Security Council to ease internet restrictions while taking security and infrastructure considerations into account.
US presses Iran over Strait of Hormuz
US Vice President JD Vance said Washington expects Iran to restore oil and gas flows through the Strait of Hormuz to pre-conflict levels and ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels.
“Our expectation is you’re going to see the same number of oil and gas come out of the Gulf that you saw before the conflict started,” Vance told Fox News, saying Iran had communicated that intention to Washington.
“But you know, we don’t trust. We verify,” Vance said. “We actually look not at people’s words but people’s deeds.”
Vance said Washington was also monitoring Iranian statements about potentially imposing tolls on vessels using the strategic waterway.
“The Iranians have told us they have no plans to toll the Strait of Hormuz,” he said, adding that the US would judge Tehran by its actions.
He said Iran and Gulf countries, particularly Oman, had been discussing ways to maintain safe maritime traffic.
Vance said Iran had laid “a large number of mines” at the start of the conflict, making demining and the establishment of a safe shipping route key issues.
“What we’re really working through now is how you can actually set up a traffic scheme so that the ships that pass can pass through safely. That includes, of course, demining,” Vance said.
The US also expects Iran to commit to not firing on commercial vessels, Vance said.
“That also includes a commitment from the Iranians that they’re not going to fire at commercial vessels,” he said.
Vance said Iran was under significant pressure and wanted the conflict to end, but that Washington was seeking commitments it considered necessary for an agreement.
“We’ve destroyed their nuclear program, we’ve destroyed their conventional military, we’ve radically reduced their asymmetric military abilities,” Vance said.
He said the US was now seeking to determine whether Iran was willing to make “the kind of long-term changes” Washington considered necessary for a better relationship.
“If not, that’s fine too,” Vance said. “We’re just going to keep on applying the pressure that we can apply and getting as much oil and gas out of the Middle East so that Americans can enjoy lower gas and energy prices.”
Israeli attacks continue in southern Lebanon
Israeli forces continued attacks across several areas of southern Lebanon on Saturday, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA).
Israeli artillery intermittently shelled forests and the Ali al-Taher heights on the outskirts of Nabatieh al-Fawqa from midnight on Friday through Saturday morning, NNA reported.
The shelling also struck an area between the Dawha area of Kfar Rumman and Al-Dabsha Hill overlooking Nabatieh, the agency said.
Israeli artillery fired several shells near Al-Mansouri in the Tyre district, damaging several homes, according to NNA.
Israeli warplanes also flew at low altitude over the central and western sectors of southern Lebanon, the agency reported.
The attacks came two days after Beirut and Tel Aviv concluded a seventh round of US-brokered talks.
The two countries signed a US-mediated framework agreement on June 26 providing for a phased Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory, beginning with the implementation of a pilot model in designated areas.
Israel has continued military operations in Lebanon since March 2.
According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, the attacks have killed 4,333 people and wounded 12,250 others.
[Photo: Palestinian citizens of Israel referred to as “48 Arabs,” stage a protest demanding that Israel end its violations in Gaza and the West Bank, in Umm al-Fahm, Israel on August 08, 2026. Attended by both Arab and Jewish local residents, the demonstration featured banners denouncing Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip and its settlement policy and violations in the West Bank. Photojournalist: Mostafa Alkharouf/AA]
