Aug 14, 2026, 04:00 PM UTC

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has formally rejected the 15-point Gaza peace proposal endorsed by US President Donald Trump and Hamas, declaring that Israeli troops will not pull out of the enclave until Hamas is fully disarmed.

Addressing his cabinet on Sunday, Netanyahu stated that Israel will not enact any withdrawal until the militant group is genuinely stripped of its weapons. The announcement highlights a growing diplomatic rift between Washington and Jerusalem, coming shortly after Trump announced the peace framework.

Netanyahu's stance comes amid domestic political pressure ahead of Israel's national election scheduled for October 27, balancing demands from right-wing coalition partners against US diplomatic initiatives.

Sources: Cyprus Mail, France24, STV News, The Guardian, The Herald.

Europe is facing intense heatwaves as several countries report unprecedented temperatures and emergency health measures. In Austria, meteorological service GeoSphere registered a preliminary all-time national high of 40.8 degrees Celsius in Stammersdorf, north of Vienna, surpassing the previous benchmark set in 2013.

In Italy, health authorities placed all 27 major urban centres under top-tier red alerts as the country navigates its fourth heatwave of the season. Officials advised residents to avoid sun exposure between 11:00 and 18:00 following at least four heat-related deaths. Meanwhile, forecasters in France and the United Kingdom warned of approaching temperatures near 40 degrees Celsius, compounding ongoing drought conditions and elevated wildfire risks across the continent.

Sources: Aftenposten, Berlingske, DR, TV 2 Nyheter, VG (Verdens Gang)

In Greece, emergency personnel and aircraft continue efforts to contain a severe wildfire across the Mount Cithaeron range, which poses a threat to the town of Megara west of Athens.

In Malta, court proceedings progressed in the 2017 car bomb assassination of investigative reporter Daphne Caruana Galizia. Jurors heard testimony from her son regarding her investigations into corruption allegations involving prominent businessman Yorgen Fenech and state officials.

In Croatian politics, the opposition Social Democratic Party launched a no-confidence initiative against the governing coalition of the Croatian Democratic Union and the Homeland Movement, driven by a controversy over hazardous waste management in Gospić.

Separately, data from the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2026 showed that 63 percent of surveyed citizens in Croatia routinely or occasionally avoid the news, ranking among the highest rates internationally.

Sources: HRT Vijesti, Index, Klix, Poslovni dnevnik

Ukrainian armed forces have announced significant territorial gains along the Oleksandrivka axis, marking their largest recorded advance since late 2022 following the conclusion of an operational blackout. Concurrently, Ukrainian forces launched strikes against Russian naval assets in Novorossiysk, hitting two missile-carrying frigates.

At the command level, newly appointed military chief Mykhailo Drapatyj is reorganising the operational hierarchy and dismantling entrenched administrative structures established under previous leadership. Separately, former commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi remarked that Ukraine will not join NATO, contending that the alliance relies on outdated military doctrines unsuited to modern warfare.

On the domestic security front, the Security Service of Ukraine reported disrupting dozens of Russian intelligence plots that used fraudulent dating profiles to target Ukrainian service members.

Sources: Deník N, Ekonomický deník, Hospodářské noviny, Respect, Seznam Zprávy