350 clerics convened in Turkey to provide "religious legitimacy" to the October 7 massacre, defining it as "defensive jihad," part of the obligation of jihad wars, and rejected calls to disarm Hamas.

The pleasant weather of recent days is expected to give way to a severe and prolonged heatwave starting this Friday, with Israel bracing for what could be one of the most intense and enduring bouts of extreme heat in nearly 100 years.

Hamas draws encouragement from the success of the "hunger in Gaza" campaign and the responses it generated worldwide and in Israel. They are also pleased with the connection made between the Palestinian statehood recognition initiative and the war in the Strip.

Netanyahu, ahead of key deliberations and amid reported rift with IDF, stresses unity as key to achieving war objectives of defeating enemy, releasing hostages and ensuring Gaza no longer threatens Israel.