Biggest News Stories of August 5
ITV releases new Gaza footage, Trump threatens Russia and more.
1. Netanyahu Pushes Toward Full Occupation of Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pressing ahead with plans to capture the remaining 25% of Gaza still outside Israeli control, despite fierce resistance from senior military figures. Multiple sources report Netanyahu told IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir to resign if unwilling to enact the order.
Netanyahu Has Decided to Annex Gaza, According to Israeli Media
According to multiple Israeli media outlets today, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made the decision to annex the Gaza Strip. This comes after weeks of escalating military operations and signals a definitive move from temporary occupation toward permanent Israeli control.
Israel already controls roughly 75% of Gaza; this expansion would target the last areas, many of them dense urban neighborhoods where hostages and entrenched Hamas fighters remain. Senior commanders caution that such an offensive risks escalating hostage deaths, overextending Israeli forces, and severely damaging Israel’s diplomatic standing.
The humanitarian toll is worsening daily, with UN figures confirming 188 deaths from starvation since the war began, half of them children. Aid corridors remain unsafe, and famine conditions are spreading rapidly.
2. Aid‑Line Massacres Continue in Gaza
Seeking aid in Gaza has become a deadly gamble. Over 40 Palestinians were killed in a single day while waiting in food lines in northern Gaza, victims of either Israeli gunfire or chaos amid heavily militarized distributions.
Since late May, over 1,000 civilians have died at or near aid points, including 859 at U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) distribution sites. UN agencies have condemned the GHF model as unsafe, and Human Rights Watch has labeled the repeated killings as potential war crimes. Many distribution points lack proper security or crowd management, turning into flashpoints where desperate civilians face lethal danger.
Aid convoys themselves are being looted or blocked—nearly all shipments in July failed to reach their destinations intact, worsening the hunger crisis.
3. UN Warns of Catastrophic Consequences if Gaza Offensive Expands
The UN Deputy Secretary‑General has issued a stark warning: any Israeli expansion into the last parts of Gaza could trigger catastrophic humanitarian collapse. Such an offensive would impact millions of already displaced and malnourished civilians and could derail fragile diplomatic efforts.
The UN stressed that Gaza must remain part of any future Palestinian state, in line with international law, and urged all parties to avoid steps that could deepen the crisis. Humanitarian groups are preparing for the possibility of mass displacement if the offensive proceeds.
4. Lebanese Cabinet Meets on Hezbollah Disarmament
Lebanon’s cabinet has engaged in fraught discussions over a proposal to disarm Hezbollah, a move heavily encouraged by the United States and Gulf states. While no formal decision was reached, the debate underscored Lebanon’s deep internal divisions.
Hezbollah leaders flatly rejected the proposal, warning that any significant Israeli escalation could reignite war. The representative for the group pointed out that Israel is the side that has violated the ceasefire hundreds of times, and that the Lebanese military should work alongside them to ensure Lebanon’s security.
The meeting ended with no agreement on disarmement at this point, after Hezbollah’s attempt to reframe the meeting into one of national security seemed to have an effect on many present. The cabinet will take up the debate again on Thursday.
5. ITV Releases Harrowing Aerial Footage of Gaza
ITV News has broadcast the first independent aerial images of Gaza in months, revealing widespread devastation on a staggering scale.
The footage shows entire neighborhoods reduced to rubble, streets unrecognizable, and isolated structures like the Al Wafa care center standing alone amid the destruction. UK officials, visibly shaken, have described the scenes as the most devastating imagery yet from the conflict.
The broadcast has intensified calls for a ceasefire and urgent humanitarian access, providing undeniable visual evidence of the war’s toll.
6. House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Key Figures in Epstein Case
The US House Oversight Committee has issued subpoenas to a wide array of high-profile figures, including Bill and Hillary Clinton, multiple former Attorneys General, and ex‑FBI directors. Lawmakers are seeking unredacted Department of Justice files related to Jeffrey Epstein’s criminal history, plea deals, and death in custody.
The committee has set an August 19 deadline for the production of documents, with depositions scheduled through the fall. This sweeping action has reignited public and political interest in one of the most controversial cases of recent years and is likely to prompt heated legal and political battles in Washington.
These developments highlight a rapidly evolving global landscape, from the worsening humanitarian disaster in Gaza and high-stakes geopolitical brinkmanship, to seismic shifts in Lebanon’s internal politics and renewed scrutiny of the Epstein list.