Just two weeks after the war with Iran ended, peace deals for Israel continue to fill the headlines. Our main story this morning, “Making Peace With Jihadists in Suits,” by Mihailo Zekic, discusses Israel reportedly seeking to normalize relations with the new government of Syria, despite its leader’s recent ties to al Qaeda. Such efforts are a precarious business, and biblical prophecy reveals why.

And that isn’t the only peace deal in the works:

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Donald Trump is back in peacemaking mode, trying to pull off an Israel-Hamas deal that ends the Gaza conflict. As Benjamin Netanyahu visits Trump in Washington, D.C., today, the president’s ceasefire proposal is once again testing how far Israel will go to avoid rocking the boat with its most powerful ally.

Trump pitched a ceasefire proposal last week, telling reporters he was “very firm” with Netanyahu about Israel ending this war. He said he thought “we’ll have a deal” in the coming days, and Israel has reportedly agreed to it.

• The current deal structure is a two-month ceasefire with Hamas exchanging 10 living Israeli hostages and 18 corpses for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Negotiations then would continue for a lasting ceasefire.

One previous sticking point was whether Hamas could maintain a presence in Gaza; Israel has demanded all senior Hamas leadership leave. But Axios reports that Israel has softened this position.

• One Israeli official told Axios: “There aren’t many senior Hamas officials left in Gaza. We are not going to need a big ship to send them to exile—even a small dinghy will do.”

The big issue would be who governs Gaza after the war.

• Both Israel and the U.S. have ruled out allowing Hamas to stay as an unofficial militia and govern Gaza as Hezbollah did Lebanon.
• But Israel has also demanded that the Palestinian Authority (PA)—the government ruling parts of the West Bank—be excluded from the peace process.
• Israel has indicated wanting outside partners like Egypt and the United Arab Emirates to help govern Gaza, but these third parties have said they would reject a proposal that does not include the PA.

Netanyahu has always said “complete victory” is the total destruction of Hamas. Accepting Trump’s ceasefire may be posturing, expecting Hamas to reject the deal but being able to say in front of the cameras that he did all he could.

Regardless, he faces heavy domestic pressure to reach a deal. Knesset opposition leader Yair Lapid told reporters: “What is really needed is not a partial deal, nor a truce, but to stop the war and return all the hostages.”

Gaza’s fate will have to be decided soon: There are fewer and fewer hostages to return, and Hamas’s military capabilities are in shambles. What to do with Gaza is a can with no road left to kick down. Our article from our January issue, “Gaza the Day After,” details what we expect for Gaza.

Global trade uncertainties: Stock markets in Asia fell this morning as investors braced themselves for President Trump to announce new tariffs today. It is just one sign among many of how volatile trade alliances have become in the Trump era.

• On Truth Social, Trump posted that he would unveil new tariffs and trade deals beginning at noon today, with new rates going into effect on August 1.
• He also warned that nations allying themselves with the “anti-American” BRICS nations (originally Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, which now includes Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the U.A.E.) will face an extra 10 percent tariff.

BRICS leaders met in Brazil on Sunday, and tariffs were a main discussion point. They complained that Trump’s tariffs were “affecting prospects for global economic development.” Many BRICS leaders denied the alliance was anti-American, but thinly veiled criticism is common.

• As he opened the conference, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said, “We have witnessed an unparalleled collapse of multilateralism. Hard-won advances, such as climate and trade regimes, are under threat.”
• However, wary of tariffs, the group toned down its attacks on the dollar.

Meanwhile, Germany is considering establishing a new international trade organization independent of the U.S. The reason for this goes beyond mere annoyance over Trump’s tariffs. The deeper issue stems from a policy initiated by President Obama, which involved blocking new appointments to the World Trade Organization’s Appellate Body, the panel responsible for resolving trade disputes. This has left the body unable to function effectively, stalling its ability to rule on trade conflicts.

This is why German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are exploring the creation of a new trade dispute resolution system—excluding America. They seek to collaborate with Asian countries to develop this alternative framework.

For years Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry has forecast the rise of an anti-American trading bloc. Referred to as the “mart of nations” in Isaiah 23, it will enrich its members but freeze the U.S. out of world trade. That mart is taking shape right now. Our article “The North American Trade War Begins” has more.

Flooding devastates Texas, including youth camp: A heartbreaking story: On July 4, torrential rains dropped up to 15 inches of water in a few hours, causing the Guadalupe River to rise 26 feet in just 45 minutes. At least 82 people, including 28 children, have been confirmed dead across six Texas counties, and at least 41 people remain missing statewide. This is among the deadliest floods in the U.S. in recent history.

• Over 850 people have been rescued, and search operations continue, involving hundreds of first responders, K-9 units and air, water and ground vehicles. But hopes of finding survivors are waning.
• President Trump declared Kerr County a disaster, and Texas Governor Greg Abbott expanded state emergency declarations to several counties.
• The National Weather Service warns that more rain could be coming.

The greatest tragedy occurred at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp in Kerr County: 27 campers and counselors are confirmed dead, as well as the camp director, and 10 girls and a counselor are still unaccounted for.

Such tragedies beggar belief and demand explanation. Our booklet Why ‘Natural’ Disasters gives the biblical reasons why such events occur, and Chapter 2, “Why Does God Allow Suffering?”, specifically addresses this searching question.

IN OTHER NEWS

Legitimizing the Taliban: Russia has become the first country to officially recognize Taliban rulership over Afghanistan, Mihailo Zekic writes.

Elon Musk officially launched the America Party, a new political party, Saturday on X. It was a reaction to Republicans passing the One Big, Beautiful Bill that will increase the national debt by trillions of dollars. Musk claims the Republicans and Democrats are really two wings of the Porky Pig Party. The question is whether what these party leaders are doing is actually defying the will of the American people. Nearly half of Americans have $500 or less in their savings accounts, while credit card debts have hit record highs. The Porky Pig Party is essentially spending money like the people who elected them do. Having this same electorate vote for an America Party may not fix much.