The fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran that had held since April shattered over the weekend as both nations struck each other’s territory. According to The Guardian, Iran subsequently announced it would halt attacks, while Donald Trump claimed on Truth Social that both sides “want a ceasefire” and that “final negotiations on peace” were under way — though he offered no details beyond confirming a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The New York Times examined Iran’s calculated gamble in launching the strikes, framing them as part of Tehran’s effort to secure regional leverage even at the risk of derailing diplomacy. Israeli strikes, the Guardian noted, appeared to defy Trump’s explicit instruction to Netanyahu not to retaliate against Iran in order to protect ongoing peace talks.
The reverberations were immediate and global. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged “all sides to exercise restraint and give peace a little more chance,” calling the violence “a stark reminder of the dangers associated with a tenuous ceasefire.” Pakistan, he said, was working “earnestly and painstakingly” with partners toward a diplomatic resolution.
Meanwhile, in Gaza, the humanitarian toll deepened. Mada Masr reported that residents have been forced to burn plastic and fabric to cook food, as Israel restricts cooking gas shipments. A new round of Cairo-based negotiations between Palestinian factions and mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey aimed to push forward the stalled ceasefire process, though observers warned the talks have become “a tool for managing the crisis rather than solving it.”
