Israel says it has confirmed Hamas’s top military commander, Mohammed Deif, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza on July 13 that killed some 100 people. Hamas has not responded to the claim. This comes amid rapidly rising regional tensions following the killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in a targeted Israeli strike in Tehran overnight Wednesday. That strike took place just hours after Israel bombed a Beirut suburb, killing a top Hezbollah commander. Hezbollah confirmed Wednesday Fuad Shukr had died in that attack.

Thousands gathered in Tehran today for Haniyeh’s funeral procession, ahead of his upcoming burial in Doha, Qatar. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who led today’s funeral prayers, reportedly issued an order Wednesday for Iran to strike Israel directly in retaliation. The U.N. is warning of a “dangerous escalation” following Israel’s attacks that “undermines” a possible ceasefire in Gaza.

In Gaza, displaced, war-plagued Palestinians responded to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh

Ramadan Al-Laham: “My personal opinion is that it is a bullet of mercy on the so-called negotiations. The occupation, especially Netanyahu, were wasting time, and this bullet came to kill these negotiations. So we return to the truth that we are in a war, a genocide, and that the occupation does not want negotiations nor deals, but rather the annihilation and to take over the Gaza Strip. The resistance is ready, God willing. Ismail Haniyeh’s blood is a fire that will be upon the occupation and its associates.”

We’ll have more on these latest developments after headlines.

Elsewhere in Gaza Wednesday, Al Jazeera reporter Ismail al-Ghoul and camera operator Rami al-Rifi were killed in a targeted Israeli airstrike as they were covering the death of Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza City’s Shati camp. Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary broke down on air as she deplored her colleagues’ murder.

Hind Khoudary: “We do everything. We wear our press jackets. We wear our helmets. We try to not go to anywhere where it’s not safe. We try to go to anywhere where to keep our security. But we have been targeted in normal places where normal citizens are. We’re trying to do everything, but at the same time we want to report. We want to tell the world what’s going on. It’s heartbreaking to report this today, and it’s heartbreaking to report Shireen’s killing, Hamza’s killing and Samer’s killing. And this is not the first time we’re doing this, but every time it feels as if it’s the first time. It’s a great loss for us here, journalists in Gaza, and especially Al Jazeera’s team losing such a colleague.”

Al Jazeera pledged to pursue justice for its slain reporters and the more than 160 journalists who have been killed while covering the war on Gaza. Al Jazeera’s managing editor, Mohamed Moawad, posted a message he had recently received from Ismail al-Ghoul. It read, in part, “Let me tell you, my friend, that I no longer know the taste of sleep. The bodies of children and the screams of the injured and their blood-soaked images never leave my sight. The cries of mothers and the wailing of men who are missing their loved ones never fade from my hearing.” Al-Ghoul added, “I am tired, my friend.”

Donald Trump took to the stage at the National Association of Black Journalists’ annual convention in Chicago Wednesday for an unhinged interview in which he openly attacked the panel of Black women journalists who moderated the discussion. He accused ABC News reporter Rachel Scott of being “nasty” as he delivered this stunning response to a question about his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris.

Donald Trump: “I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black. So, I don’t know: Is she Indian, or is she Black?”

Rachel Scott: “She has always identified as a Black woman.

Donald Trump: “But you know what?”

Rachel Scott: “She went to a historically Black college.”

Donald Trump: “I respect either one. I respect either one. But she obviously doesn’t, because she was Indian all the way, and then, all of a sudden, she made a turn, and she went — she became a Black person.”

Rachel Scott: “Just to be clear, sir, do you believe that she is a” —

Donald Trump: “And I think — I think somebody should look into that, too, when you ask — continue in a very hostile, nasty tone.”

Separately, Trump claimed he was the best president for Black people since Abraham Lincoln. Kamala Harris responded to Trump’s comments as she spoke Wednesday evening at an event of the historically Black sorority Sigma Gamma Rho in Houston, Texas.

Vice President Kamala Harris: “The divisiveness and the disrespect. And let me just say, the American people deserve better. The American people deserve better.”

In other election news, the powerful United Auto Workers union has endorsed Kamala Harris for president. Harris will be in Detroit next week to rally with UAW members. Harris also received the backing Wednesday of half a dozen climate groups who had declined to back Biden, including 350 Action, Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund and Food & Water Action.

In more election news, Trump loyalist Kari Lake won Arizona’s Republican primary for U.S. Senate, where she will face Democratic Congressmember Ruben Gallego to replace conservative Democrat turned independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema. Kari Lake pushed election fraud conspiracies following Trump’s 2020 loss to Biden and her own loss to Democrat Katie Hobbs in Arizona’s 2022 gubernatorial race.

The Sudanese military says its leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, survived an attempted assassination when a drone attack hit an army graduation ceremony, killing five people. The army accused the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces of being behind the attack, but the RSF has denied responsibility. The warring parties had just recently agreed to participate in U.S.-mediated talks in Geneva this month to end the bloody civil war, which has devastated Sudan since April of last year. General Burhan appeared to rebuff any possible peace deal as he spoke yesterday following the attack.

Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan: “We will not retreat, we will not surrender, and we will not negotiate with any party, no matter who it is. There is nothing that scares us. We do not fear drones or else. We will not die except in our day, and everyone’s fate will come in its certain day. That’s why we will move with our heads high and will fight with pride. We will not surrender.”

In Venezuela, President Nicolás Maduro says he could call for a “new revolution” if the U.S. and others continue to challenge his win in Sunday’s election. Maduro spoke Wednesday from Caracas.

President Nicolás Maduro: “The United States, with its false diplomacy, moved around the world to set up this scenario in Venezuela. I have to say it all. We negotiated with the United States in good faith, and they did not comply. They are liars and phonies.”

The U.S., Colombia, Brazil and others have called on Venezuela to release vote tallies. Maduro’s rivals have claimed they have proof that Edmundo González received more votes, but have not made this evidence public. Human Rights Watch says it is verifying at least 20 “credible” death reports in post-election protests.

The Pentagon announced Wednesday it’s reached a plea deal with the accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two others involved in plotting the attack. The three men, all detained at Guantánamo Bay prison, will reportedly plead guilty to conspiracy and murder and receive life sentences, avoiding the death penalty.

Rights groups welcomed the long-awaited news. The Center for Constitutional Rights said, “These plea agreements are a substantial step toward ending military commissions and the extralegal nightmare of Guantánamo. … The military commissions at Guantánamo have never provided justice or accountability for anyone. Rather, for the last two decades, they have provided a veneer of legal process that serves only to maintain the unacceptable status quo and cover up the torture and abuse of detainees.” The Center for Constitutional Rights has represented a number of Guantánamo prisoners.

Russian authorities have reportedly released Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. marine Paul Whelan as part of a prisoner swap with the U.S. Few other details are known as of now. This comes just weeks after a Russian court convicted Gershkovich of espionage, sentencing him to 16 years in prison. Whelan was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2020 on spying charges. Both men rejected the charges.