Eye on Extremism: July 31, 2026
Top Stories
Reuters: Trump says deal reached to disarm Hamas, Israeli support for plan remains uncertain
U.S. President Donald Trump said talks in Cairo between mediators and Hamas leaders on Thursday have led to a phased disarmament agreement in Gaza, but a Hamas official described the deal as a draft and U.S. officials said Israel was skeptical the militant Palestinian group would surrender its weapons.
IranWire: IRGC Claims Strikes on Tankers in Strait of Hormuz
The public relations office of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Friday, July 31, that two oil tankers attempting to pass through a designated corridor in the southern Strait of Hormuz were struck and brought to a halt. The IRGC added that four other tankers altered their course and returned to their points of origin.
Analysis
ICCT: Antisemitism and Violent Extremism in Europe: An Analysis of Trends and Incidents
Since the coordinated terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas against Israel on 7 October 2023 and the subsequent war in Gaza, European authorities have widely assessed that the terrorist threat facing Jewish communities worldwide has increased significantly. Following the war in Iran which started on 28 February 2026, Europe has again witnessed a wave of antisemitic attacks.
Irish Times: Berlin Pride attack sharpens debate over home-grown Islamist extremism
A week ago, Berliner Tugay Saraç was one of 200,000 people on the streets of the German capital for Saturday’s Pride parade with the motto “Taking a Stand is Hot”. A week later, Berlin – and Germany – are wrestling with a painful question: which stand to take? Like many, Saraç was partying at the closing Pride concert at the Brandenburg Gate on Saturday evening when a white van raced at speed into a crowd outside protective barriers in the nearby in the Tiergarten park.
Associated Press: Here’s why new fronts seem to be opening up across the Middle East
Houthi rebels in Yemen said they attacked Saudi oil facilities. The Saudis blamed militias in Iraq and joined the United States in bombing them. Iran fired missiles at Jordan. Drones set ships ablaze in Egypt. But it’s not actually as complicated as it sounds, and it’s all related to the broader war between the United States and Iran, currently focused on the Strait of Hormuz.
Violence in the West Bank has escalated sharply in recent months. But even by those standards, last Friday’s deadly incident on the outskirts of the northern West Bank village of Tell seemed to mark something new and harrowing.
Senior US and Board of Peace officials said Hamas has accepted a roadmap that would ultimately require the dismantling of its military infrastructure, the destruction of tunnels and weapons factories, and its complete withdrawal from governing Gaza.
United States
Iran International: US offers $15 million reward over IRGC drone network
The United States has offered a reward of up to $15 million for information that disrupts the financial mechanisms of Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), focusing on a company Washington says plays a key role in producing drones used by Tehran and its regional allies.
The End Jew Hatred movement has formally launched a petition calling on New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to initiate removal proceedings against New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani under Section 9 of the New York Public Officers Law. The campaign follows a series of incidents and mounting political backlash over the administration’s public safety record and rhetoric.
Fox News: Virginia university report finds officials did not disclose student’s terror conviction
An independent investigation into the deadly March terror attack at Old Dominion University (ODU) found that federal officials never warned the school that the returning student behind the shooting had previously been convicted of trying to support ISIS.
U.S. investigators believe a cyberattack that targeted dozens of water systems in Minnesota this week likely was orchestrated by Iranian hackers, a report said. Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) said the "coordinated cyberattack targeted operational technology at more than 30 Minnesota community water systems" on Sunday and Monday, but the Minnesota Department of Health is "not aware of any active requests from Minnesota cities to have their residents modify their drinking water usage."
New York Times: Texas and Florida Draw Up Terrorism Lists and Take Aim at a Muslim Group
In the United States, determining whether a group should be labeled a terrorist organization has largely been the domain of the federal government, which, in making such decisions, can draw on its vast domestic antiterror infrastructure and globe-spanning intelligence services. Now some Republican governors are getting into the game. In recent months, the leaders of Texas and Florida have officially designated a handful of groups as terrorist organizations. And notably, in a time of rising Islamophobia, both states have conferred the designation on the Council on American Islamic Relations, or CAIR — one of the largest Muslim civil rights groups in the country.
CBS News: Federal judge dismisses lawsuit by ex-U of M DEI official fired after antisemitism dispute
A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit filed by a former University of Michigan diversity official who claimed she was unfairly fired after a disagreement about antisemitism on campus. U.S. District Judge Shalina D. Kumar dismissed the case brought by Rachel Dawson, according to a judgment entered July 28, 2026, in federal court in the Eastern District of Michigan.
More than three years after members of a neo-Nazi group disrupted a drag story hour at a cafe in downtown Concord, the New Hampshire Attorney General’s office announced Thursday it has reached a settlement with the group’s leader that includes fines and community service.
New Hampshire Journal: Discounted Fine, Admission of Guilt End NSC-131 Civil Rights Case
After Merrimack Superior Court Judge John Kissinger ruled against Neo Nazi gang NSC 131 and imposed a maximum default fine of $10,000 against leader Christopher Hood, the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office decided to make a deal for less money.
JTA: Cornell condemns student’s viral antisemitic remarks, but won’t bar him from campus
Cornell University is condemning viral antisemitic remarks made by an undergraduate student who appeared on “Piers Morgan Uncensored” earlier this week, but the school’s president says no further action is planned against the student.
Republican Senate candidate Mike Collins ended a press conference Thursday after repeatedly declining to answer questions about his relationship with a son-in-law who promoted White nationalist ideology and circulated antisemitic content online, as first revealed by CNN’s KFile.
Criticism of a proposed North Valley mosque and an ensuing assault against a priest who supported it pushed interfaith leaders across Albuquerque to meet Wednesday to denounce the violence and what they called Islamophobia.
Canada
CBC: Winnipeg's Muslim community shaken after shots fired at mosque with people inside, leaders say
Members of Winnipeg's Muslim community say they're "deeply shaken" after bullet holes were found in the windows of a mosque that was targeted while people were inside Wednesday night. "We often believe that incidents like this will not happen to us," Feisal Adem, the director and imam at Rahma Islamic Centre, said during a Thursday evening news conference at the Watt Street mosque.
A Winnipeg man arrested for hate speech crimes and threatening to kill Prime Minister Mark Carney told police: “My tongue could get cut off and I would still say these things,” a court has heard.
Austria
DPA: Austrian, 14, held on terrorism suspicion over far-right attack plans
Police in Austria have arrested a 14-year-old Austrian on suspicion of terrorism, the Innsbruck public prosecutor's office said on Friday, adding that a link to Islamist extremism has been ruled out.
Germany
New York Times: German Authorities Knew of Pride Attacker’s Extremism in Months Before Attack
The signs of a committed jihadist were there. Violence. Propaganda. Attempts to travel abroad to join a terrorist group. And finally, deception. German officials had for months documented them all in Abdul Rahman Toufiq Ballout, a Berlin-born German citizen of Lebanese descent.
Deutsche Welle: Was the Berlin Pride attack inevitable?
Days before the attack, counselors had already deemed 21-year-old Abdul B. unfit for deradicalization. Violence Prevention Network director Cornelia Lotthammer shares her insights about the case with DW.
United Kingdom
Iran International: UK charges man accused of spying on RAF base for Iran's IRGC
A dual British and Azerbaijani national has been arrested in Cyprus on suspicion of carrying out hostile surveillance for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in the first overseas investigation under Britain's National Security Act.
Financial Times: MoD’s Afghan data leak was ‘foreseeable systemic failure’, say MPs
A disastrous UK government data security breach that left tens of thousands of Afghans at risk of Taliban reprisals was a “foreseeable systemic failure”, a committee of MPs has said, adding to criticism of the Ministry of Defence over the debacle.
Russia
Two neo-Nazi youths in Gryazi, Russia have been assaulting Romani women and children by spraying them with an irritating substance. Video footage of several such attacks was posted to neo-Nazi online video channels in mid-July.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan International: Attack Targets Home Of Taliban Army Chief In Badakhshan, Say Sources
Local sources in Badakhshan say the home of Fasihuddin Fitrat, the Taliban’s army chief of staff, was attacked on Thursday evening in Wurduj district. It is unclear whether he was there at the time. According to the sources, unidentified gunmen opened fire on Fitrat’s home in the village of Istrap from a nearby mountain overlooking the property.
Afghanistan International: Taliban Seizes Former Badakhshan MP’s Home In Kabul, Say Sources
Informed sources told Afghanistan International that Taliban intelligence has seized the Kabul home of former Member of Parliament Zalmai Khan Mujaddidi and expelled his relatives from the property.
Afghanistan International: Afghanistan Freedom Front Claims Rocket Attack On Kunduz Airport
The Afghanistan Freedom Front says its forces targeted Kunduz airport and Taliban helicopters in rocket attacks on Thursday night. Sources had earlier reported a rocket strike on a Taliban gathering at the airport.
Reports indicate ongoing detentions of women in Herat, prompting the Human Rights Activists Alliance to urge the United Nations, special rapporteurs, and international bodies to take immediate and effective measures to halt this trend and hold the Taliban administration accountable.
Kabul Tribune: Amnesty Urges EU to Halt Deportations of Afghans, Citing Human Rights Risks
Amnesty International has urged the European Union and its member states to immediately halt efforts to deport Afghan nationals to Afghanistan, warning that the country remains unsafe for forced returns and that such deportations could violate international refugee and human rights law.
Gaza Strip/West Bank
The Board of Peace on Friday released the full text of a roadmap for completing the implementation of US President Donald Trump's comprehensive peace plan in Gaza.
Reuters: Israel must approve Trump agreement before Hamas will implement, says Hamas official
Implementation of the deal to bring peace to Gaza announced by U.S. President Donald Trump will depend on Israel first meeting its commitments under an agreement reached last year, a senior Hamas official told Reuters on Friday.
A top commander in a Gazan terror group, who took part in abducting Avinatan Or and Noa Argamani, and who directed the abduction of Sudthisak Rinthalak during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, onslaught, was killed in an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip this week, the Israel Defense Forces announced on Friday.
Iran
Officials from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) urged Hamas delegation members not to sign Thursday's disarmament deal, Axios reported on Friday, citing a source familiar with the matter.
Israel
Israel is demanding the complete disarmament of Hamas, including the removal of weapons from Gaza and the full demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, as a precondition for any withdrawal process, a diplomatic source told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.
Times of Israel: Ben Gvir says Hamas disarmament deal ‘unacceptable’
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir slams as “unacceptable” a deal agreed by Hamas that includes the group handing over its weapons and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
Another statement has been issued to Israeli reporters by a “senior Israeli official” indicating Jerusalem’s opposition to the Trump-feted disarmament proposal that Hamas approved on Thursday.
The IDF’s Military Advocate General’s office has closed a case into a ruthless assault on three Palestinians in the West Bank that took place shortly after Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, the Haaretz daily reveals.
Lebanon
Times of Israel: IDF demolishes Hezbollah tunnels below southern Lebanon’s Beaufort Ridge
The Israeli military blew up a Hezbollah tunnel system beneath the Beaufort Ridge in southern Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced late Thursday night in a joint statement.
Naharnet: Berri condemns Israeli detonations near UNESCO-listed Beaufort Castle
Speaker Nabih Berri condemned Friday Israeli detonations near the UNESCO-listed Beaufort Castle, and in the towns of Arnoun, Kfartibnit, Yohmor al-Shqif, and Hadatha in south Lebanon. Israel said it destroyed tunnels used by Hezbollah in the Beaufort area using approximately 700 tons of explosives. The tremors from these explosions were felt in the south, and even in the capital Beirut, Berri said, adding that these condemned actions are unacceptable and must not be met "with silence" or treated as a fait accompli.
Syria
Syrian Observer: Five ISIS Cell Members Arrested in Deir ez-Zor as Assassinations Chief Killed
Syrian internal security forces arrested five suspected members of an Islamic State cell during coordinated raids in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor and a neighborhood of the provincial capital on Wednesday, according to local reports.
Turkey
Associated Press: Turkey wants to join a new Lebanon security initiative after UN mission ends
Turkey is interested in participating in a new security initiative for Lebanon when the 7,500-member U.N. peacekeeping mission in the south of the country expires at the end of the year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a joint press statement with his Lebanese counterpart on Thursday.
Yemen
Yemen Online: Yemeni Coast Guard Seizes Suspicious Vessel Bound for Houthi-Controlled Port
Yemen’s Coast Guard announced Wednesday it intercepted a suspicious dhow en route to the Houthi‑controlled port of Salif in Hodeidah province, escorting it to Aden for a full inspection amid concerns over its cargo and route.
Yemen Online: Yemeni Investigations Reveal Houthi Role in Journalist’s Assassination
Yemeni authorities announced Thursday that investigations have uncovered the involvement of the Houthi militia in the assassination of Al Arabiya journalist Mohamed Ayda, revealing that the operation was planned, financed, and executed under the supervision of a senior commander.
Mali
Russian paramilitary group Africa Corps killed eight civilians, including three children, in Mali last month, Human Rights Watch said on Friday, during air strikes the campaign group called "unlawfully indiscriminate".
Associated Press: What to know about the conflict in Mali and the world’s most terrorized region
Mali is facing its most serious security crisis in years as al-Qaida-linked militants and separatist rebels join forces to intensify attacks against its military. The partnership between the JNIM jihadi rebels and the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) is the latest twist in a decades-long conflict in what is already the world’s most terrorized region.
Singapore
Reuters: Singapore police probe British band's Palestinian flag display at concert
A concert by Massive Attack in Singapore on Wednesday is being investigated by police and media authorities for "a possible breach of licence conditions" after the British band ended their performance with a display of the Palestinian flag.
Australia
The Australian federal police has determined One Nation leader Pauline Hanson’s comments about Muslim Australians “do not meet the threshold” of breaching hate laws. The AFP said it received several complaints about Hanson’s remarks to Sky News on 16 February.
A mother and daughter charged with slavery crimes while living under Islamic State rule in Syria have pleaded not guilty, fast-tracking their cases to Victoria's Supreme Court. Kawsar Ahmad, 54, and Zeinab Ahmad, 31, faced the Melbourne Magistrates Court via videolink and formally entered the pleas, meaning their cases will now proceed to trial.
The Australian: Creative Australia turns blind eye to hate speech
Jewish creatives have told the royal commission into antisemitism that speaking out in the arts sector feels like committing “career suicide”, detailing how performers and visual artists face black-listing, doxxing, and isolation. The inquiry heard on Friday that a Brisbane comedian, giving evidence under the pseudonym CGM, was told he was no longer welcome to participate in an ongoing comedy show because of his ethnicity.
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