Aug 28, 2026, 12:30 AM UTC

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has formally rejected the 15-point Gaza peace proposal backed by US President Donald Trump, declaring that Israeli forces will not withdraw from the enclave until Hamas is fully disarmed.

Speaking in televised remarks to his cabinet on Sunday, Netanyahu stated that "Israel rejects the 15-point document" recently accepted by Hamas, insisting that military operations will continue to counter threats against Israeli forces. The refusal comes despite the Israeli military scaling back attacks in Gaza under American pressure, highlighting growing diplomatic friction between Washington and Jerusalem ahead of Israel's national election on October 27.

In separate regional developments, Houthi militants in Yemen claimed responsibility for strikes targeting Mokha port and a Saudi Aramco facility.

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

US President Donald Trump threatened military action against Oman, warning the Washington ally against interfering with ongoing negotiations regarding the Strait of Hormuz. Speaking in a telephone interview, Trump declared that Tehran should "put up the white flag of surrender" as his administration rolled out an intensified economic pressure campaign.

The warning comes as Iran and Oman work to finalize a bilateral agreement to manage commercial passage through the vital oil transit corridor.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed the renewed American economic measures, arguing that a diplomatic agreement with Iranian leadership was unfeasible. Iranian officials countered that US pressure tactics would fail, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps rejected assertions by Trump that direct backchannel talks were occurring between the two sides.

Sources: BBC News, Cyprus Mail, France24, Sweden Herald, The Guardian.

Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities have expanded several high-profile investigations targeting alleged graft within state institutions. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) launched a joint operation to dismantle a criminal organization involving current and former lawmakers alongside officials from the Office of the President.

In a separate enforcement action, NABU served a notice of suspicion to a Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) officer for alleged involvement in a scheme that provided illegal draft exemptions to military-age men, generating roughly 1 million UAH.

These actions follow recent proceedings against former Vice Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna, who faces pre-trial restrictive measures at the High Anti-Corruption Court. The crackdowns unfold amidst heightened attention toward procedural delays in Ukraine's judicial system, where several major corruption cases were recently dismissed after statutes of limitations expired before verdicts could be reached.

Sources: Liga net, NV, The Insider, Радіо Свобода, Українська правда