Israel-Hamas War day 296: What's happening in Israel, Gaza, Lebanon?

The United States and France scramble to prevent the sparking of a third Lebanon war after the Hezbollah attack that killed 12 Druze children in the Golan Heights village of Majdal Shams on Saturday. 

The IDF operated in the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip, Israeli media has reported, citing Palestinian sources. 

Mossad Chief David Barnea clarifies Israel's stance on the U.S.-brokered hostage deal in Rome.

The launch route from Hezbollah in Lebanon to the center of Majdal Shams, which killed 12 children in the Druze town, was released by the IDF's operational systems, the IDF stated on Sunday. 

The launch route from Lebanon to the center of Majdal Shams, which killed 12 children. (credit: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)

The IDF also reported that the rocket launched at the soccer filed in Majdal Shams was an Iranian "Falaq-1" that is in Hezbollah's possession. 

Hamas has sent videos of terrorists torturing Israeli hostages and sending them to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to lighten the conditions of Palestinian prisoners, according to "The Telegraph."

Following the Hezbollah attack that killed 12 children in Majdal Shams, the Fighting for the North Forum criticized the IDF's "disconnect" from the situation in the North in a letter to IDF Spokesperson R.-Adm. Daniel Hagari.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant held an operational assessment meeting at the Northern Command with its commander Major General Ori Gordin, and the staff officers, on Sunday afternoon.

Following the assessment, the Defense Minister said, "I arrived early in the morning to Majdal Shams, I saw with my own eyes the scene of the incident - a place where innocent children were killed while playing soccer. The blood of Israeli children is not and will never be abandoned."

"I came to the Northern Command to review the response plans. This concerns Hezbollah - Iran's proxy in the region. Hezbollah will not get away with this incident even with its ridiculous denials. They fired the shots - they will bear the consequences and they will pay a heavy price for their actions."
 
 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu landed in Israel on Sunday afternoon, having returned early from his diplomatic trip to the US following the attack on Majdal Shams on Saturday, the Prime Minister's Office reported.

The Prime Minister will be convening with the cabinet at some point on Sunday afternoon, to discuss next steps.
 

Watch: Sunday, 28 July • 7 pm Israel Time|12 am EST

Colonel Kemp, who served in the British Army for nearly 30 years, wasted no time addressing one of the most egregious accusations leveled against Israel: genocide. “The accusation of genocide against Israel is nothing short of an obscenity,” he said. “The reality is that Israel is taking every conceivable measure it can, probably more than any country in history, to minimize the deaths of innocent civilians.”

Kemp spoke about the stark difference between a force committing genocide and the IDF's actions. "An army intent on genocide would want to maximize civilian deaths, through starvation, deprivation of water, or direct killing. The IDF is doing the opposite," he said.

Addressing the dubious statistics often cited by critics, Kemp pointed out the manipulation by Hamas. “They have traditionally and historically exaggerated death figures and in previous conflicts. The reason for it is clear; they want Israel to be vilified, isolated, and condemned by the world community. And we've seen the effect that has.” He noted that even if we accept Hamas’s figures, which he doubted, the civilian-to-combatant death ratio in Gaza is much lower than in other comparable conflicts. “In Iraq, the US and allies killed three civilians for every combatant. In Afghanistan, it was five to one. In Gaza, it’s less than one to one,” Kemp stated.

Hezbollah was on high alert on Sunday, two security sources told Reuters, as tensions spiraled following a deadly attack on the Golan Heights that Israel blamed on the Lebanese armed group.

Hezbollah has denied responsibility for the attack. The security sources said Hezbollah had preemptively cleared out some key sites in both Lebanon's south and the eastern Bekaa Valley in the event of a possible attack by Israel.