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Israel has cut off electricity to a vital desalination plant - which provides drinking water to around half a million people in central and southern Gaza. Hamas has called the move “cheap and unacceptable blackmail”. The facility near Deir el-Balah is now relying on generators and solar panels, and is functioning at reduced capacity. There are fears the power cut could also affect water pumps and sanitation. It comes as Israel's blockade of food, medicine, fuel and shelter entering Gaza enters a second week.

A warning that some of the images in this report may be disturbing. Syria's president has announced that an independent committee will investigate escalating violence in the country's northwest. Hundreds of people have been killed in fighting between members of the security forces and fighters loyal to the ousted leader Bashar al-Assad.

Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen ordered a halt to electricity transmission to Gaza, according to Israeli public broadcaster Kan. Cohen later confirmed the decision in a post on X, stating that he had signed an order to “cut off electricity to the Gaza Strip immediately.” This move came a week after Israel had cut off all supplies of goods to the more than two million people in Gaza, a decision that received widespread condemnation. Before this, Gaza already faced limited electricity, with only water desalination plants in the southern parts of the Strip receiving power. Palestinians in Gaza have been struggling with severe water shortages, as there is no fuel to run generators for water pumping, and no cooking gas cylinders as an alternative.

US President Donald Trump wants a deal with Iran over its nuclear programme. He has reached out for talks while also tightening sanctions on Iran's economy. For now, Tehran says it will not negotiate under pressure. It was Trump who pulled the U-S out of the previous nuclear deal, saying it did not go far enough. Is there now scope for a diplomatic solution, that is acceptable to both sides? And what will it take to get them to the negotiating table?

Syrian security sources say over 230 security personnel were killed in clashes with Assad loyalists in northwest Syria. Bodies were found in mass graves in the coastal city of Latakia. Security forces have been deployed, and reinforcements arrived after a curfew. Syria’s defence ministry claims control of northwest areas, but fighting continues. The crisis poses the biggest challenge to the transitional government. Labib Nahhas, a Syrian political analyst and the director of the Syrian Association for Citizen's Dignity, says Iran and Hezbollah back the attacks to gain leverage. He warns of external actors exploiting tensions for intervention. Calls grow for transitional justice and an inclusive government to stabilise Syria.

The Anti-Defamation League is one of the most influential and well-funded NGOs in the US - and it's getting more media attention than ever. The Listening Post’s Meenakshi Ravi reports on the organisation, its high-profile CEO, and its troubling stance: Conflating anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism.

Yoni Ben-Menachem, a Middle East analyst based in West Jerusalem, says Israel’s return to ceasefire negotiations is a “genuine decision” by the government because it wants to secure the release of the remaining captives. However, “the military option” remains on the table and that could be decided tonight as Israel’s cabinet meets. “Israel is trying to release the hostages without going into a second war with Gaza, to keep the ceasefire, so they’re trying to put pressure on Hamas to come back to the negotiation table,” Ben-Menachem said, citing the prevention of all humanitarian relief into the Strip over the past eight days. The legality of the government’s all-encompassing aid blockade of Gaza will also come before the Supreme Court on Tuesday, he said. Ending the war would require dismantling the military wing of Hamas, Ben-Menachem added. “Israel does not want to finish the war with Hamas staying in power, that is the main obstacle. Because this means, according to the Israeli government, the continuation of threats on the Jewish communities near the border of Gaza.”

Amjad Shawa, head of the Palestinian NGOs Network, says people “are living in a very deep humanitarian catastrophe due to Israeli attacks and systemic destruction of the socioeconomic structure in Gaza”. The Palestinian enclave’s population has become entirely dependent on humanitarian aid, which is quickly running out because of Israel’s total blockade with “severe implications” for the lives of Palestinians, he said. Other than physical stressors, there are also the war’s psychological effects, especially for the tens of thousands of orphans in the Strip, Shawa told Al Jazeera. Many NGOs now focus on delivering mental healthcare to children who have lost parents in Israeli attacks. However, dire humanitarian conditions and the aid blockade make their work “severely complicated”.

Pakistan has set a deadline for thousands of Afghan nationals to leave by the end of the month, as part of a repatriation plan. Millions of Afghan migrants live in Pakistan. Many fled after the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. The UN is concerned about the multi-phase plan, which includes some people awaiting promised relocation to the US and other countries. The interior ministry warns mass deportations will begin after the end of the month. Imtiaz Gul is the Executive Director of Center for Research and Security Studies. He says Pakistan's deportation plan is likely to heighten tensions with Afghanistan.

Funerals are being held in Syria's Idlib province, for members of security forces killed in battles with fighters loyal to ousted President Bashar al-Assad. Hundreds of residents gathered in the town of Al-Janoudiya. Syria's defence ministry says it's regained control of areas in the northwest. Hundreds of people, including civilians, were killed, in the most serious challenge to the transitional government's authority since it took power in December. The attacks happened in the port cities of Latakia and Tartous on the Mediterranean coast. Both were Assad strongholds. Syria's new president says anyone who attacks civilians will be held accountable. Security personnel have been heavily deployed on the streets of the coastal cities. The government has sent reinforcements to conduct security sweeps after a curfew was announced following the fighting.