Fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire pauses fighting over Strait of Hormuz

Families trapped inside Gaza’s expanded orange zone faced shelling at night and gunfire by day as Israeli troops widened control through a north-to-south strip. New maps issued in April put thousands of displaced Palestinians inside the restricted area, with about 11% of Gaza beyond the Yellow Line folded into the orange zone and roughly two-thirds of the Strip under Israeli control or restriction.

On July 1, the United Nations said the continuing expansion of Israeli-controlled areas since the October ceasefire agreement is putting civilians at greater risk and severely constraining humanitarian operations. On June 26, OCHA said access-restricted areas now cover about 65% of Gaza, most of it off limits to residents and requiring coordination for aid groups to enter. Humanitarian partners are still facing severe movement limits, while funding for relief remains far below what is needed to keep supplies moving.

A separate pause has taken hold over the Strait of Hormuz after two days of direct clashes between the United States and Iran. The sides agreed to halt recent hostilities and allow commercial vessels to transit the waterway freely, but the truce remains fragile and talks are set to continue in Qatar. U.S. officials are treating the arrangement as an initial step, and the wider dispute remains unresolved.

The United States launched fresh airstrikes on Iranian sites around the waterway, and Iran answered with attacks or threats that touched Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar.