Israel has intensified military activity, arrests, movement restrictions and expansion of illegal settlements and military outposts across the occupied West Bank, according to a report published July 26. Near Nablus, Israeli forces were raiding homes in the village of Tal belonging to Palestinians accused in the killing of two Israeli soldiers. Military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Ella Waweya said the operation was intended to temporarily seal the homes as an initial step toward demolition.

Four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers were killed in clashes southwest of Nablus last Friday. Palestinian sources said the violence began after settlers attacked Tal, near the illegal Havat Gilad settlement, while the Israeli military gave a different account. International human rights groups have repeatedly criticized Israel's policy of demolishing homes of accused attackers, describing it as collective punishment and a clear violation of international law.

WAFA reported that Israeli forces detained at least 80 Palestinians from areas including Nablus, Ramallah, Jenin, Hebron, Bethlehem and Tulkarem. Local sources said settlers set fire to the Al-Rahma Mosque in Qusra; Israeli authorities made no immediate comment. Analysts cited in the report said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is relying on hard-right supporters before elections due in three months.

Members of the Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Branch took three quota reform movement coordinators—Nahid Islam, Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan and Abu Bakar Majumdar—from Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital in the capital on July 26, 2024. At about 11:30pm, the DB acknowledged holding them, saying they had been brought in for their security and would be asked whether they had information about violence.

Nahid’s family alleged earlier that afternoon that people in plain clothes identifying themselves as law enforcement personnel first took Nahid, then Asif and Bakar. The report said Nahid had previously been taken from Nandipara in Khilgaon on July 19 and left in Purbachal on July 21. Asif and Bakar were also reportedly taken that day and left in separate areas on July 24.

Then-home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told journalists the three coordinators were feeling unsafe and that the DB had taken responsibility for protecting them. The report also described nationwide arrest operations and “block raids” surrounding the movement, stating that 9,121 people were arrested in 11 days, including 2,536 in Dhaka.

Acting President Major (Retd.) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed paid tribute to the martyrs at the National Martyrs’ Memorial in Savar, Dhaka. He laid flowers at the memorial altar at 11:40am on Sunday, July 26.

A smart contingent from the three armed services presented the acting president with a guard of honour during the ceremony. The tribute took place at the altar of the National Martyrs’ Memorial in Savar.

After laying the flowers, Hafiz Uddin Ahmed stood silently for some time in remembrance of the martyrs. He later signed the visitors’ book at the memorial.

Bangladesh Azad Party, or BAP, has filed a complaint with the International Crimes Tribunal against recently former president Md Shahabuddin, known as Chuppu, over alleged involvement in killings and repression during the July Revolution. BAP president Brigadier General (retd) Hasinur Rahman submitted the complaint to the chief prosecutor’s office on Sunday afternoon.

Speaking to reporters after the filing, Hasinur Rahman said about 1,400 people were killed and thousands were injured during the July Revolution. He alleged that the then president took no action despite witnessing the events while holding the country’s highest office, and instead maintained a silent role.

Hasinur Rahman said Shahabuddin could have resigned as president at the time but did not do so. BAP said it filed the complaint under the principle of “superior command responsibility,” or accountability of higher authorities. The party expressed hope that a proper investigation by the International Crimes Tribunal would provide justice to victims.

Mahbub Anwar Bablu, senior vice president of Chandpur district BNP, died while undergoing treatment at Chandpur 250-bed Government General Hospital on Sunday morning. His family said he had been suffering from various physical ailments for a long time.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir expressed deep sorrow and condolences over Bablu’s death. In a condolence message, he prayed for forgiveness for the deceased’s soul and conveyed deep sympathy to the bereaved family.

Chandpur district BNP president and Chandpur Sadar MP Sheikh Farid Ahmed Manik also offered condolences. He described Bablu as a highly prudent leader of the district BNP and said his death was an irreparable loss to the party. District BNP general secretary and district council administrator Advocate Salim Ullah Selim said Bablu’s funeral prayer would be held at Chandpur Government College ground after Asr prayers on Sunday, and requested party leaders, activists and members of the public to attend.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said there is no legal scope to take criminal action against recently outgoing President Md Shahabuddin Chuppu. He made the remarks on Sunday, July 26, while speaking with journalists at the Secretariat about awards and honours for police bravery and commendable work. Ahmed said Chuppu will receive all state facilities, including security, for the next six months under the constitution.

Ahmed said the president served constitutionally during the final phase of autocratic rule, throughout the interim government’s tenure and for about six months of the current government. He said Chuppu performed his duties according to rules and regulations and that the government received the president’s cooperation. During that period, Ahmed said, the president was constitutionally privileged and could not face criminal proceedings or a court case on the matter.

The minister said people were free to make statements about periods outside that time, but the government had found nothing requiring consideration. Asked about a telephone conversation between the former prime minister and the outgoing president, he said communication can take place from anywhere in the world in the internet era, making a claim that travel to London was necessary appear unrealistic to him.

Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder and movement spokesperson Abhijit Dipke said the group’s achievement was only a beginning after India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned following a 37-day protest. In a video posted on X on Sunday, Dipke said the group still had a long way to go. CJP withdrew its movement after the government accepted other demands and assured protesters that no action would be taken against them.

Protesters had held Pradhan responsible for the NEET question-paper leak and the suicides of exam candidates, demanding his resignation. As the government’s decision was delayed, new supporters continued joining the campaign. Thousands of supporters identifying themselves as “cockroaches” later gathered at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, where the protest stage echoed with “Inquilab” slogans.

Dipke described the continuous 37-day protest as extremely difficult, while saying he could now sleep and wake up at home without constant anxiety. He said he could not personally meet everyone at Jantar Mantar on the day the movement was withdrawn because he had typhoid and fever. He thanked supporters and also expressed gratitude to critics, saying constructive criticism and reasonable questions helped the movement correct shortcomings and operate more effectively.

Former President Md. Shahabuddin Chuppu is set to move into his own residence in Gulshan-2, Dhaka, after resigning from Bangabhaban. The report said he resigned on Friday citing health reasons and was expected to move on Sunday to a fifth-floor flat at Green Villa, House 41, Road 123. Law-enforcement agencies strengthened security at the residence before his arrival.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Joint Commissioner Nasirul Islam said arrangements required by law for a former president were being made, with the Special Security Force coordinating security. Police were to be deployed at the building entrance, while plainclothes personnel would monitor the surrounding area. Communications, traffic control, checkpoints, regular police patrols, Gulshan police surveillance and occasional RAB patrols were also reported.

Under the presidential pension ordinance, a former president who served at least six months remains eligible for lifetime pension, security, protocol, medical, travel and administrative support after resignation. The pension is set at 75 percent of the last salary received as president, with an option for a lump-sum gratuity within a stipulated period. Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed will serve as acting president until a new president is elected.

India’s emerging student-youth movement, the Cockroach Janata Party, announced a suspension of its protests after reaching an understanding with the government, according to an Amar Desh Online report published on July 26, 2026. The report said the central government made concessions before the movement was withdrawn, including Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, a promise of examination reforms, and an assurance that cases against protesters would be withdrawn.

The protests began over an alleged question-paper leak in the NEET admission examination and expanded into wider demands concerning education, employment and government accountability. The Financial Times described Pradhan’s resignation as the movement’s largest symbolic and political success. An Associated Press analysis said participants used satire, memes, social media and creative protest to criticize the Modi government directly.

The Economic Times reported that the government negotiated directly with CJP, leaving established opposition parties, including Congress, outside the movement’s main center. Analysts cited in the report said youth dissatisfaction over education, jobs and accountability had deepened. The report also noted that CJP is not a recognized major political party, but a new student-youth-centered movement and political platform.

The government has withdrawn special police escort facilities for 18 ministers, citing efforts to cut state spending, save fuel and address shortages of police personnel and vehicles. The measure was implemented gradually from last week after a government order, according to a report published on July 26, 2026. Special escorts remain in place for six senior ministers and one adviser to the prime minister because of the importance of their responsibilities.

Sources said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman also decided to reduce the size of his own security convoy as part of the cost-cutting initiative. Mohammad Nazmul Huda, assistant personal secretary to the environment, forest and climate change minister, said the minister is now protected by only one gunman. Ministers whose escorts were removed will still receive personal gunmen, guards at official residences and necessary police protection during official trips outside the capital under existing rules.

A ministerial escort team normally includes a sub-inspector, four constables and a police pickup vehicle. Dhaka Metropolitan Police says 1,691 officers are assigned to protect 49 ministers, state ministers and important persons in the capital, against a requirement of 2,575. Several VIP security unit vehicles were damaged or destroyed during the July mass uprising, adding to operational pressure.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer and opposition leader Dr Shafiqur Rahman called for implementation of the referendum verdict and acceptance of the July Charter at an 11-party alliance divisional rally in Sylhet on July 25. Speaking as chief guest at Sylhet Government Alia Madrasah field, he said disregarding the views of about 70 percent of people who backed change and reform would disrespect public aspirations.

The Sylhet event was the concluding gathering in the alliance’s divisional rally programme, which began in Rajshahi. The programme also demanded constitutional reform and trials for fugitive fascist Sheikh Hasina and her associates in connection with the July Revolution. Rahman accused the government of expanding politicisation and corruption across different sectors of the state.

He urged Sylhet residents to prepare for a future movement, saying it would continue until fascism, extortion and corruption were removed. He also called for upgrading Osmani International Airport to full international standards and completing work on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway quickly. JAGPA spokesperson Rashed Pradhan warned that another revolution would be inevitable if the July Charter was not implemented in line with the referendum verdict.

The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has not made a final decision on becoming a full-fledged political party after India’s central government accepted the main demands of its 37-day protest over an exam-paper leak issue. In an interview with NDTV, spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said he wanted to return home, rest and spend time with his family after being away for several months. The report was published on July 25.

Asked whether he was ruling out joining full-time politics, Ranka said one should never say “no” to anything in India. Another spokesperson, Saurav Das, said the group’s current goal was not to enter politics but to build a strong grassroots movement focused on young people. He said India already had 750 to 800 political parties that had failed to meet youth expectations.

The protest began on June 20 with an indefinite sit-in at Jantar Mantar in Delhi under former Aam Aadmi Party leader Abhijit Dipak, and later gained momentum after activist Sonam Wangchuk joined. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned amid the movement. Ranka said the settlement included withdrawing FIRs against protesters and organisers and not filing new cases against them.

The Centre for Bengal Studies held a discussion titled “Aspirations of the July Uprising: Justice, Reform and Reconstruction” at Dhaka University’s R. C. Majumdar Auditorium on July 25. The 4pm event featured former Jahangirnagar University department chair Professor Dilara Chowdhury, former International Crimes Tribunal chief prosecutor Advocate Mohammad Tajul Islam, academic Shahnewaz Khan Chandan, and constitutional reform commission member Barrister Imran Abdullah Siddiq.

In his welcome remarks, CBS executive director Rashidul Haque Timur called for accountability for genocide and crimes by what he described as Awami fascists before pursuing reform and reconstruction. Chowdhury stressed transitional justice, arguing that denial of justice can foster a culture of impunity and mob violence. She also criticised the 1972 constitution and referred to dissent over proposals on balancing state power in the July Charter.

Tajul Islam urged acceptance of the July Charter’s reform proposals and said any consideration of Awami League rehabilitation should follow accountability through a truth commission. Chandan raised allegations from his investigation into the BDR killings and called for justice. Siddiq said constitutional reform sought decentralisation of power so that it would not remain concentrated in one person or group.

Liberal Democratic Party President Colonel (retd) Oli Ahmad addressed an 11-party alliance divisional rally in Sylhet on Saturday afternoon, speaking about the trial of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and the current situation. He said he sometimes hears that “Apa” will return and questioned whether “Dulabhai” would come with her. He told attendees to be prepared with hanging ropes.

Ahmad said the execution should not take place at Dhaka jail but at Suhrawardy Udyan. At the rally, he referred to current prime minister Tarique Rahman as Sylhet’s son-in-law. He said a beautiful and accountable Bangladesh would be possible only through establishment of justice and an end to corruption, terrorism and extortion.

Addressing Tarique Rahman, Ahmad said he must become prime minister of Bangladesh rather than of the BNP, and should pursue reforms guided by his conscience rather than flatterers. He said an 11-party alliance proposal barring one person from simultaneously serving as prime minister, parliamentary leader and party chief had not been accepted. He also praised Jamaat-e-Islami’s organizational discipline and internal unity.

Comilla University allowed Islami Andolan Bangladesh Nayeb-e-Ameer Mufti Syed Muhammad Faizul Karim to enter campus but barred accompanying party leaders and activists, triggering tension at the main gate on Saturday around 5pm. University administrators, security personnel and activists were involved in arguments and scuffles after the group attempted to enter together.

Faizul Karim had arrived to attend a prayer and Islahi Ijtema organized in memory of July martyrs. The university had already prohibited entry by outsiders, according to the report. While several activists managed to enter the campus, most remained outside the main gate. Those denied entry later held Asr prayers in congregation in front of the gate after they could not access the university’s central mosque.

Faizul Karim performed Asr prayers at the central mosque, attended the event and later inaugurated a first-aid box at Bijoy-24 Hall. Proctor Professor Dr Abdul Hakim said permission had been granted only to Faizul Karim. He said outsiders with no connection to the university were not allowed in because of concerns over possible disorder.