This Week’s Top Stories — Netanyahu orders military to seize 70% of Gaza, Hajj concludes and more | Friday, May 29, 2026 | 12 Dhul Hijjah, 1447 AH
Netanyahu orders the Israeli military to seize 70% of Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he has directed the Israeli military to take control of 70 percent of the Gaza Strip.
Under the October 2025 U.S.-brokered ceasefire, Israeli forces were to remain within a demarcation line leaving them in roughly 53 percent of the enclave. Seizing 70 percent would force approximately 2 million Palestinians into a shrinking fraction of the enclave’s shattered territory.
Why it matters: Netanyahu publicly announced plans to take more Palestinian land than his own ceasefire agreement allows, while the ceasefire is still nominally in effect. It shows what his true intentions may have always been: to fully annex Gaza
Trump meets with aides on Iran ceasefire extension
U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he met with senior aides in the White House Situation Room to make a “final determination” on Iran’s request to extend the ceasefire by 60 days. Iran sent the request earlier this week after several rounds of talks failed to officially end the conflict since a preliminary ceasefire was reached April 8.
Washington wants Iran’s nuclear program dismantled and the Strait of Hormuz reopened. Tehran wants to maintain its nuclear program and have sanctions lifted.
Why it matters: The ceasefire keeping the Middle East from returning to open war could expire this week if no deal is reached. Both sides have failed to reach a definitive agreement despite nearly two months of talks.
Nearly two million Muslims perform Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca
Close to two million Muslims performed the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca this week, according to the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah. Roughly 1.6 million were international pilgrims from more than 120 countries, with nearly 300,000 domestic Saudi pilgrims. This year’s international turnout exceeded 2025’s.
Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam, obligatory once in a lifetime for every financially and physically able Muslim. It runs from the 8th to the 12th or 13th of Dhul Hijjah and commemorates the faith of Prophet Ibrahim and his family.
Why it matters: The Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca remains as the largest annual human gatherings of worship on earth, a show of Muslim dedication to Islam’s fifth pillar.
140,000 pray at al-Aqsa on Eid, defying Israeli restrictions
Approximately 140,000 people gathered at al-Aqsa Mosque Compound in East Jerusalem for Eid al-Adha prayer Wednesday, the Islamic Waqf said. The Waqf, which administers Islam’s third-holiest site, called it the largest crowd at the compound in recent months and said the gathering defied Israeli restrictions.
In March, Israeli authorities closed the mosque for 37 consecutive days during Ramadan, the longest closure since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.
Why it matters: Despite the reported restrictions, 140,000 Muslims, mostly Palestinians, prayed at a site that was shuttered for over a month just weeks ago. The turnout was itself an act of defiance for a people still reeling from the horrors of the Gaza war.
Quran verse and Hadith of the week: Prophet Ibrahim (AS) and the Sacrifice
Quran: فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ مَعَهُ السَّعْيَ قَالَ يَا بُنَيَّ إِنِّي أَرَىٰ فِي الْمَنَامِ أَنِّي أَذْبَحُكَ فَانظُرْ مَاذَا تَرَىٰ ۚ قَالَ يَا أَبَتِ افْعَلْ مَا تُؤْمَرُ ۖ سَتَجِدُنِي إِن شَاءَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الصَّابِرِينَ
“When the boy reached the age to work with him, Ibrahim said: ‘My son, I have seen in a dream that I must sacrifice you. What do you think?’ He said: ‘Father, do as you are commanded. Allah willing, you will find me steadfast.’” — Surah As-Saffat, 37:102
Hadith: The Prophet ﷺ said: "There is nothing dearer to Allah during the days of Eid al-Adha than the sacrificing of animals. The sacrificed animal shall come on the Day of Resurrection with its horns, hair and hooves. The sacrifice is accepted by Allah before the blood reaches the ground. So sacrifice with an open and happy heart." — Sunan Ibn Majah 3126