In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attack and injure 5 Palestinians during a raid in Wadi Rahal. Israeli settlers also assault a Palestinian family and raze part of their agricultural lands in Bayt Jala. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers vandalize 80 olive and almond trees in the Masafer Yatta area. Israeli settlers also steal water pipes in Arab al-Kaabneh. Meanwhile, Israeli settlers set up an outpost near Umm al-Hayman in the Masafer Yatta area. Israeli forces shoot and injure a Palestinian man while protecting settlers raiding Qusra. Israeli forces also assault and arrest a Palestinian child in Hebron. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently disperse Palestinians protesting a raid in al-Arroub refugee camp, causing tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also punitively demolish the family home of a Palestinian prisoner in al-Atatra. Meanwhile, Israeli forces arrest 5 Palestinians during raids in and around Kafr Jammal, Ramin, and Hebron. An Israeli settler is stabbed and wounded near the Kiryat Arba settlement. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces demolish an agricultural structure in Jabel Mukaber. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Khan Yunis, al-Mawasi, Gaza City, and Jabalia refugee camp, killing at least 45 people. Israeli forces also kill 2 Al Jazeera journalists, Ismail al-Ghoul and Rami al-Rafi, in Shati’ refugee camp. Pictures circulate of al-Ghoul decapitated while sitting in a vehicle with his press vest on. In Iran, Israeli forces assassinate Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards in Tehran. Haniyeh was in Iran for the inauguration of Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian. It is reportedly an “airborne guided projectile” that killed Haniyeh. Later reporting suggested that it was an explosive device installed in his apartment that killed Haniyeh. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AP, AP, AX, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 7/31; AJ, AJ, REU 8/1; HA, UNOCHA 8/2)
More than 39,445 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 16,054 children and 10,869 women, and around 91,073 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 10,000 people are missing in rubble. 587 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 139 children. More than 5,420 people have been injured. Israel reports that 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured in Israel since 10/7/2023, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 329 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 2,166 injured in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27/2023. Over 1.93 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7/2023. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12/2023 due to the Israeli blockade. At least 79,000 housing units have been destroyed and 370,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7/2023. 19 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. (AJ, HA, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 7/31; UNRWA 8/6)
Hamas releases a statement after the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, saying he was killed “in a treacherous Zionist raid on his residence in Tehran.” Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk says the attack will not go unpunished. Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri calls the attack a “grave escalation.” PA president Mahmoud Abbas condemns the assassination, calls on the Palestinian people to unite against the occupation, and declares today a day of mourning. Islamic Jihad says the attack was not directed at the Palestinian resistance but at Iran. A general strike is declared in several cities in the West Bank and there are protests against the assassination in several cities. People also protest the assassination in Pakistan, Morocco, Mauritania, Turkey, Tunisia, and Jordan. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council convenes to discuss a response and Iran announces 3 days of public mourning. Qatar strongly condemns the assassination and questions how “mediation [can] succeed when one party assassinates the negotiator on the other side.” Turkey condemns the assassination, calling it a heinous crime. The Houthi movement calls the assassination terrorism and says Israel should expect a “wave of retaliation.” Russia calls the killing an “unacceptable political murder.” UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres condemns the Israeli strikes in Beirut and Tehran, calling the Israeli actions a “dangerous escalation.” At an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on the Haniyeh assassination, PA deputy ambassador to the UN Feda Abdelhady Nasser calls on the Security Council, the General Assembly, and all “law-abiding, peace-loving nations” to end Israel’s attacks on the Palestinian people and the region. China and Russia call the assassination an attempt to kill ceasefire efforts. U.S. deputy ambassador to the UN Robert Wood says the U.S. was “not aware of or involved in the death” of Haniyeh and calls on the Security Council to defend Israel. UK ambassador to the UN Barbara Woodward says Israel has a right to defend itself and criticizes Iran for supporting Hezbollah and the Houthi movement. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AX, AX, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, NYT, NYT, NYT, NYT, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 7/31; AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT 8/1; AJ, AJ, HA, HA 8/2; AJ 8/3; HA 8/4)
The UN Human Rights Office publishes a report on Palestinians held in Israeli detention since 10/7/2023, saying 53 detainees are known to have died in Israeli prisons and detention centers and that Palestinians are subject to waterboarding, dog attacks, food, water, and sleep deprivation, electrocution, and sexual and gender-based violence. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, OHCHR, REU, WAFA, WAFA 7/31; UNOCHA 8/2)
U.S. secretary of defense Lloyd Austin speaks with Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant, reaffirming the U.S.’s unwavering commitment to Israel’s security and right to self-defense according to a readout of the conversation. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says a ceasefire in Gaza is “imperative,” declining to comment on the assassination of Haniyeh during a talk at a forum in Singapore. (AJ, AJ, HA 7/31)
Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani meet with UK foreign secretary David Lammy and Defense Secretary John Healy, discussing the situation in Gaza. (AJ 7/31)
Delta, United, Lufthansa, and British Airways say they are canceling flights to Israel. The U.S. urges its citizens not to travel to Lebanon. (HA, HA 7/31; HA, HA, REU 8/1; REU 8/2)