Nov. 3: Militia leader in Gaza backed by Israel films himself burning Hamas flag

Merz says Syrian refugees in Germany must now go home or face expulsion

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz attends a press conference in Berlin, Germany, on September 6, 2025. (AP/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Chancellor Friedrich Merz says that Syrian refugees in Germany must go home now that their country’s war is over, or face deportation.

In his latest hardline comments on migration, Merz says there is “no longer any reason” for Syrians who fled their country’s brutal 13-year war to seek asylum in Germany.

“For those who refuse to return to their country, we can of course expel them,” he says, during a visit to Husum, in northern Germany.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Thursday on a trip to Damascus that the potential for Syrians to return was “very limited,” since the war had destroyed much of the country’s infrastructure.

That statement caused a backlash from Merz’s and Wadephul’s conservative Christian Democratic Union, which has been struggling to avoid being outflanked by far-right parties on the explosive issue of migration.

Merz says he has invited Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose Islamist forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad last year, to visit Germany to discuss “how we can resolve this together.”

Syria “needs all its strength, and, above all, Syrians, to rebuild,” Merz says, adding he is confident many would return of their own accord.

Around one million Syrians live in Germany, most having fled the war in a mass exodus in 2015 and 2016.

Diaspora minister meets far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer in Jerusalem

Far-right activist Laura Loomer, on April 15, 2024, in New York City. (David Dee Delgado /Getty Images via AFP)

Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli meets with far-right American activist and conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer in Jerusalem.

“It was a pleasure meeting Laura Loomer, a courageous woman, who clearly understands the threats facing the West from radical Islam and its growing influence in the US,” Chikli tweets.

Loomer, who is Jewish, is a close ally of US President Donald Trump and played a key role in the purge of National Security Council staffers earlier this year. She has also called herself a “proud Islamophobe,” promoted the idea that the 9/11 terror attacks were an “inside job,” and that several school shootings in the US were “false flags.”

In her own post about the meeting, Loomer says she and Chikli “discussed the growing threat of Jew-hatred around the world and the challenges our respective countries face in the near future as the Digital Pogrom advances.”

Chikli sparked outcry from the two largest mainstream organizations for British Jewry when he invited far-right, anti-Islam British activist Tommy Robinson to Israel last month. He also garnered backlash earlier this year for inviting far-right European politicians whose parties had ties to Holocaust denial to an antisemitism conference in Jerusalem.

Today was an incredible day in Israel!

I landed in Israel after an 11 hour flight and I can tell you, the spirit of the Israeli people will never be broken, no matter how much hate they receive from the world.

It is truly inspiring to see how positive the Israeli people are… pic.twitter.com/qP0HuuoCCo

— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) November 3, 2025

Saudi Crown prince to meet with Trump in White House later this month

US President Donald Trump (left) speaks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, during a gathering of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 14, 2025. (Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will be at the White House on November 18 for an official working visit with US President Donald Trump, a White House official says.

The visit comes as Trump pushes Saudi Arabia to join the list of nations that have joined the Abraham Accords. In 2020, Trump reached deals with United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco to normalize relations with Israel.

The Saudis have been hesitant to join in the absence of steps toward Palestinian statehood.

Rubio says US will never forget Omer Neutra’s ‘ultimate sacrifice’

Cpt. Omer Neutra (Courtesy)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the life of Omer Neutra — whose remains were returned to Israel yesterday two years after he was killed and kidnapped by Hamas — “is a testament to the resolve of the Jewish people.”

“We will never forget his story, nor the ultimate sacrifice he paid for peace,” Rubio posts about Neutra, who made aliyah from New York to serve in the IDF.

US President Donald Trump spoke to Neutra’s parents shortly after their son’s body was identified by Israeli authorities last night.

“They’re thrilled in one sense, but in another sense, obviously, it’s not too great,” Trump told reporters. “We’re very happy to have done it.”

With Neutra’s return, the lone American hostage still held in Gaza is slain IDF soldier Itay Chen.

‘If this deal breaks, we’ll be like Hadar Goldin’: Brother of slain hostage Dror Or awaits closure

Elad Or, the brother of Dror Or who was taken captive by Hamas on October 7, speaks to a crowd of protesters in Jerusalem on April 27, 2024. (Charlie Summers/Times of Israel)

Elad Or, the brother of Dror Or — who was murdered in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7 and his body taken hostage — says he is fearful but still hopeful that his brother’s remains will be returned to Israel soon.

Speaking to The Times of Israel following a meeting with Gal Hirsch, the government’s point man on the hostages, Or says that “these are very complicated days.”

Hamas returned the remains of three more hostages last night, leaving Dror one of eight still being held in the Strip. Dror’s wife, Yonat Or, was also murdered on October 7, and their two children, Noam and Alma, and a nephew, Liam, were all taken hostage and released in November 2023.

Or says his family has been told by the IDF that recovering his brother’s body in Gaza will require more complex digging and maneuvering.

The fear of his brother’s body being the last of the hostage bodies to be brought back feels impossible, says Or.

“Some members of the government call for a return to the war and all the hairs on my body stand up when I hear that,” says Or. “So our call is not to go back to fight in Gaza, but to fulfill the ceasefire. We’re fearful about the ceasefire not being fulfilled, but we also see that things are progressing.”

“If this deal breaks, then we’ll be like Hadar Goldin,” adds Or, referring to the soldier who was killed and taken captive in 2014, his body held in Gaza for the last 11 years.

Or says that the return of every one of the living hostages was worth the struggle until now.

“Each one of them is a miracle, like the return of my nephews and niece from captivity,” says Or.

He says that Noam and Alma are experiencing a mix of tremendous sadness and pain, while still seeking to try and live their lives normally.

“For them, the ability to bury their father next to their mother in Be’eri, where they grew up, is very meaningful,” says Or. “It will be another symbol that at least that part of the story is closed.”

US urging Israel to allow foreign journalists into Gaza, officials tell ToI

An armed man guards as humanitarian aid enters Gaza through the Israeli Kerem Shalom Crossing, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, November 2, 2025. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90 )

US President Donald Trump’s administration is urging Israel to allow foreign journalists into Gaza now that a ceasefire is in place, two US officials tell The Times of Israel.

Washington began making the request earlier this year, and Trump himself told reporters, when asked in August, that he would like to see foreign journalists allowed into Gaza, while noting that it is not safe there.

Parts of Gaza are more dangerous than others, and with Israel still in control of the eastern half of the Strip following the October 10 start of the ceasefire, the Trump administration has renewed its request for journalists to be given access to Gaza, one of the US official says, while acknowledging that the issue is not a top priority for Washington.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

On October 23, the High Court of Justice gave the state another 30 days to file an update to its position on the independent entry of journalists into the Gaza Strip, in response to a petition by the Foreign Press Association demanding such access. The petition was filed in 2024, and the state filed its response in June this year.

During the short October 23 hearing, the three presiding justices pointed out that the circumstances in Gaza had changed substantially since the state had filed its response due to the ceasefire that came into force earlier this month, arguing that there were too many security risks.

Court rejects Tomer-Yerushalmi’s appeal against her two-day detention

Chief Military Advocate Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem on October 1, 2024. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash 90/File)

The Tel Aviv District Court rejects former military advocate general Gen. Maj. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi’s appeal against her two-day remand.

The former IDF official will remain in detention until at least Wednesday.

Police had earlier requested from the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court that Tomer-Yerushalmi remain behind bars, asserting that she may try to obstruct an ongoing probe into the Sde Teiman leak.

Tomer-Yerushalmi resigned from her post on Friday and confessed to leaking surveillance footage purporting to show IDF soldiers severely abusing a Gazan detainee. She was expected to be summoned for interrogation by police, but disappeared yesterday for hours on the Tel Aviv coast.

When police found her, they were unable to locate her phone, leading law enforcement to suspect that she may have staged a suicide attempt in a bid to hide evidence on the device.

Report: US pressuring Israel to allow safe passage for 200 Hamas operatives

Troops of the Nahal Brigade operate in southern Gaza's Rafah, in a handout photo issued on November 1, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

The United States is pressuring Israel to permit the safe passage of some 200 Hamas operatives currently hiding in tunnels beneath IDF-controlled areas of southern Gaza, Channel 12 reports.

According to the report, the move is being pushed by Washington as part of efforts to advance to the next stage of the emerging ceasefire framework based on Trump’s 20-point plan.

The report follows earlier claims that Israel was weighing such a proposal, under which Hamas gunmen could retreat to Gaza’s Hamas-run zone if they surrendered their weapons.

However, a statement earlier today attributed to an “Israeli official” — often a euphemism for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office — said the premier “is not allowing safe passage for 200 Hamas terrorists.”

Israeli estimates suggest that roughly 200 Hamas fighters remain in tunnel systems beneath areas now controlled by the IDF, unable to surface without being detected by Israeli troops.

Israel to dispatch medical and aid delegation to Jamaica following hurricane

Residents make their way past piles of debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa in Black River, Jamaica, October 30, 2025. (AP/Matias Delacroix)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders an Israeli medical and aid delegation to fly to Jamaica after a record-breaking hurricane hits the island, according to his office.

At least 28 people died as a result of the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa, along with at least 31 in Haiti, after the Category 5 hurricane hit the islands on Tuesday with winds of as much as 185 mph (295 kph).

Militia leader in Gaza backed by Israel films himself burning Hamas flag

Hossam al-Astal, a militia leader in the Khan Younis area of Gaza supported by Israel, filmed himself in a live video on Facebook burning a Hamas flag.

In the video, al-Astal is seen denying reports that Hamas arrested militia members and confiscated their weapons.

He calls Hamas “liars,” adds that “Hamas is finished,” and then sets a Hamas flag on fire.

The militia led by al-Astal is positioned right along the “Yellow Line” to which IDF troops withdrew at the start of the ceasefire, near Israeli forces.

Former IDF military advocate general appeals judge’s detention order

Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, Israel Defense Forces Military Advocate General, attends a welcome ceremony for then-newly appointed Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara in Jerusalem on February 8, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90/ File)

Former military advocate general Gen. Maj. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi is appealing her two-day remand after a judge earlier today ordered she remain in detention, Hebrew outlets report.

Police brought her and former IDF chief prosecutor Col. Matan Solomosh to the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court at noon with a request to extend the detention of both suspects, claiming they may try to obstruct an ongoing probe into the Sde Teiman leak.

Tomer-Yerushalmi is attempting to appeal the ruling based on an apparent technical error of the judge, who extended her remand due to a supposed danger she poses to the public, rather than her liability to obstruct the police investigation.

She is requesting to hold the appeal hearing by Zoom call this evening in the Tel Aviv District Court.

Tomer-Yerushalmi resigned from her post on Friday and confessed to leaking surveillance footage purporting to show IDF soldiers severely abusing a Gazan detainee. She was expected to be summoned for interrogation by police, but disappeared yesterday for hours on the Tel Aviv coast.

When police found her, they were unable to locate her phone, leading law enforcement to suspect that she staged a suicide attempt in a bid to hide evidence on the device.

New York group to hold rally tonight in honor of ‘hometown hero’ Omer Neutra

Ronen Neutra, father of Omer Neutra, wears a shirt with an image of his son on it as he speaks to reporters after a meeting with then-US president Joe Biden and the families of Americans who were taken hostage by Hamas during the October 7 attacks in Israel, on December 13, 2023, in Washington. (AP/Evan Vucci)

The New York branch of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum announces a rally for tonight in honor of Cpt. Omer Neutra, a New York native whose body was kidnapped by Hamas two years ago and returned to Israel yesterday.

His parents, Ronen and Orna, often visited Jewish events in New York to press for their son’s return.

“Omer, a New York native, made aliyah to serve in the IDF. On October 7, he bravely fought for his country. His tank was attacked, and Omer was killed and kidnapped to Gaza,” the hostages group says in a statement. “We all know the Neutra family and have witnessed up close their relentless fight for Omer. Tonight, we will gather to honor Omer and pay our respects to our hometown hero.”

The rally will take place at 6 p.m. tonight at Columbus Circle in Manhattan. Security will be present, organizers say.

Reports: 3 children injured by drone fire in Gaza; IDF says it’s unaware of incident

Palestinian media outlets report that three children were injured by drone fire in the Shuja’iyya neighborhood in eastern Gaza during a wedding celebration.

The neighborhood is located along the demarcated “Yellow Line,” which Gazans are prohibited from crossing.

In response to a query from The Times of Israel, the IDF said it is not aware of the incident.

وصول عدد من الإصابات، بينهم أطفال، إلى المستشفى المعمداني في مدينة غزة، جراء استهداف طائرة مُسَيَّرة إسرائيلية حفل زفاف داخل مدرسة الزهراء في حي الشجاعية شرقي المدينة pic.twitter.com/VrXtDubw2M

— ساحات ???????? (@Sa7atPl) November 3, 2025

2 Hezbollah operatives killed in Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon, says IDF

The IDF says it killed two Hezbollah operatives in separate strikes within an hour in southern Lebanon earlier today.

The first strike, in the Nabatieh area, killed Muhammad Ali Hadid, who the IDF says is a commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force.

“The terrorist advanced numerous terror attacks against the State of Israel, and recently, he has continued attempts to reestablish Hezbollah terror infrastructure sites,” the IDF says.

The second strike, in Ayta ash-Shab, killed an unnamed operative who was carrying out surveillance on Israeli troops, the military says.

תוך פחות משעה: צה״ל חיסל שני מחבלים מארגון הטרור חיזבאללה בדרום לבנון

צה״ל תקף וחיסל מוקדם יותר היום, בהובלת פיקוד הצפון ובאמצעות חיל האוויר, את המחבל מוחמד עלי חדיד – מפקד ביחידת ׳כוח רדואן’ של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב נבטייה שבדרום לבנון.

המחבל קידם מתווי טרור רבים לעבר… pic.twitter.com/HFEDfuEDwV

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) November 3, 2025

Court cuts short PM’s testimony in trial tomorrow due to ‘urgent diplomatic meeting’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the Tel Aviv District Court for a hearing in his corruption trial, October 28, 2025. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

The Jerusalem District Court agrees to cut short the hearing for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s testimony in his criminal trial tomorrow by two hours.

Netanyahu’s lawyers made the request due to an “urgent diplomatic meeting” scheduled for tomorrow at 3 p.m.

‘Finally home’: Parents of Omer Neutra express relief after son’s body returned to Israel

Ronen and Orna Neutra speak to the media about their son, Omer Neutra, on November 3, 2025, a day after his body was returned to Israel from Gaza. (Lior Rotstein/Hostages Forum)

Ronen and Orna Neutra, the parents of slain soldier Cpt. Omer Maxim Neutra, express relief after their son’s body was returned to Israel by Hamas last night, but say the struggle is still not over.

“For 758 days, we lived between hope and heartbreak,” says Orna, speaking in English. “Today, that long nightmare ends with the knowledge that Omer is finally home. We can begin the process of bringing Omer to his final resting place in the land he loved and fought to protect.”

They note the relief they feel alongside the pain of their loss. The Neutras remember their son — who was killed while battling Hamas on October 7 and his body taken captive — as a leader, a good person who saw the best in people: “He loved life and lived it to the fullest,” says Orna.

The Neutras say that their son believed in purpose, and saw himself, the son of Israelis, born in the US and who came to Israel as a lone soldier to enlist in the IDF, as a bridge between Israel and the Jewish world.

“He understood that our people are one — in Israel and in the Diaspora — and that Israel’s strength depends on that connection,” says Ronen.

The couple thank US President Donald Trump, special envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and their teams for bringing back 20 hostages alive and 20 bodies so far for burial. They thank the IDF soldiers, intelligence units and “all those who never stopped searching.”

“Almost two years of unity gatherings in the square, of faith, of hope, of calling on the people of Israel to stand together,” they say. “You turned immense pain into meaning — and created a place of true togetherness.”

The Neutras note that their son’s return home marks the end of their family’s long war, but that they will continue to fight until every hostage is home, when “every family can find the comfort we are only just beginning to feel.”

Iraqi PM says all US troops will withdraw by September 2026, since ‘there is no ISIS’

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Baghdad on July 28, 2025. (AP/Hadi Mizban)

Iraq has pledged to bring all weapons under the control of the state, but that will not work so long as there is a US-led coalition in the country that some Iraqi factions view as an occupying force, the prime minister says.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani says a plan is still in place to have the multinational anti-Islamic State coalition completely leave Iraq, one of Iran’s closest Arab allies, by September 2026 because the threat from Islamist terror groups has eased considerably.

“There is no ISIS. Security and stability? Thank God it’s there… so give me the excuse for the presence of 86 states [in a coalition],” he tells Reuters in an interview in Baghdad, referring to the number of countries that have participated in the coalition since it was formed in 2014.

“Then, for sure there will be a clear program to end any arms outside of state institutions. This is the demand of all,” he says, noting factions could enter official security forces or get into politics by laying down their arms.

Iraq is navigating a politically sensitive effort to disarm Iran-backed militias amid pressure from the US, which has said it would like Sudani to dismantle armed groups affiliated with the Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella group of mostly Shi’ite factions. The PMF was formally integrated into Iraq’s state forces and includes several groups aligned with Iran.

At the same time, the US and Iraq have agreed on a phased withdrawal of American troops, with a full exit expected by the end of 2026. An initial drawdown began in 2025.

Asked about growing international pressure on non-state armed groups in the region such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, part of Iran’s so-called Axis of Resistance created to counter US and Israeli influence in the Middle East, Sudani says: “There is time enough, God willing. The situation here is different than Lebanon.”

Chicago-area Jews open kosher community fridge in memory of Hersh Goldberg-Polin

People walk next to a mural of murdered hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin in central Jerusalem, August 18, 2025. (Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

A Jewish organization outside of Chicago has opened up a kosher community fridge in memory of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an American-Israeli dual national who was taken hostage during the Hamas-led October 7 attack and murdered after 328 days in captivity.

Organizers believe Hersh’s Fridge in Skokie is the first-ever community fridge offering exclusively kosher food and is aimed at serving Jews and anyone else in need.

“Through this fridge, Hersh’s values of chesed (good deeds), community, and bridge-building are continuing to serve as a blessing – and a revolution – for the Chicagoland area, where his family’s roots run deep,” reads the info page about the project on the website of Solu, a group that aims to build bridges between Orthodox Jews and surrounding communities.

Both of Goldberg’s parents are from the Chicago area.

The site includes one fridge for kosher-certified groceries and food from kosher establishments, another holding kosher-certified groceries from kosher homes and a cabinet with certified-kosher shelf-stable goods bearing a reliable kosher certificate.

Report: Zamir has picked 3 top candidates for next military advocate general

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir speaks at a cadets' graduation ceremony at the Bahad 1 officers' school in southern Israel, October 30, 2025. (Screenshot: Israel Defense Forces)

IDF chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has reportedly selected his three top candidates to serve as the next Military Advocate General, after Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi resigned from the post last week and was arrested last night over a scandal surrounding leaking a video to the media.

According to the Ynet news site, Zamir spoke last night with his preferred choices for the role, who all served for many years in the MAG office but left in recent years and were therefore not present during the recent scandal.

Zamir is slated to meet with Defense Minister Israel Katz in the coming days to present his candidates.

Yesterday the Kan public broadcaster cited Katz’s “inner circle” as saying that the next military advocate general must come from “outside the system,” meaning someone who did not serve in the Military Advocate General’s office.

But according to the Military Justice Law — the legal framework for military jurisdiction in Israel — the military advocate general must be “a military attorney with at least seven years of legal experience,” which removes the possibility of a civilian legal expert, or even a senior IDF officer who is not an attorney, serving in the role.

Knesset legal adviser warns that Karhi’s broadcast regulation bill does not have AG’s approval

Lawmakers in the Knesset plenum, September 10, 2025. (Dani Shem-Tov/ Office of the Knesset Spokesperson)

Knesset Legal Adviser Sagit Afik issues a rare warning to lawmakers ahead of today’s first reading of Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi’s controversial broadcast legislation in the Knesset, noting that it does not have the legally required approval of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.

In a letter addressed to members of the Knesset, Afik says that “to the best of my knowledge, such a note — or one similar — has never previously been included in the printed booklet of government bills.”

Afik adds that under the circumstances, her office cannot yet assess the legality of the bill but will “provide our detailed views” before it advances to second or third readings.

Baharav-Miara has sharply criticized the bill, saying it would enable “political interference in the work of broadcast bodies and endanger the free press in Israel.”

Karhi’s legislation, should it pass, would give the government significant control over broadcast media by establishing a new regulatory council, with a majority of members chosen by the communications minister, which would have an array of authorities over broadcast media, including the ability to issue hefty fines.

Turkey says makeup of Gaza’s international stabilization force still in the works

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart (unseen), following their meeting at the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, in Baghdad on November 2, 2025. (AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)

Countries are still working on a planned United Nations mandate for a stabilization force in Gaza as part of a US-brokered ceasefire deal, and they will decide whether to send soldiers based on this, says Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Turkey wants to see a post-war framework for Gaza in which “Palestinians ensure Palestine’s governance and security,” he says, after a meeting in Istanbul involving Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia and Turkey.

Israel has expressed firm opposition to Turkey sending troops into Gaza, but has welcomed other nations who have expressed willingness to take part.

Fidan also demands that Israel stop its regular violations of the US-backed ceasefire in Gaza and also fulfill its duty to allow access to humanitarian aid.

Israel says it is acting in accordance with the ceasefire by striking imminent threats to IDF soldiers stationed in Gaza, and accuses Hamas of violating the agreement by not handing over the remains of eight slain hostages still being held in the Strip.

Herzog urges Israel to ‘uphold all of the clauses’ of Trump’s Gaza peace plan

President Isaac Herzog speaks at a memorial ceremony to commemorate the 30th anniversary of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin's assassination, at the President's Residence in Jerusalem on November 3, 2025. (Arie Leib Abrams/Flash90)

Speaking at the state memorial ceremony marking 30 years since the assassination of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, President Isaac Herzog says Israel must uphold all the clauses of the US peace plan for Gaza.

Israel needs “at this moment to uphold all the clauses of the agreement initiated by [US] President [Donald] Trump and act by every means and tool to bring back all the slain hostages” from Gaza, says Herzog.

Currently, movement toward the next stages of the plan appears to have stalled as Hamas has yet to hand over the bodies of eight slain hostages still held in the Strip, and Israel is still controlling approximately 53% of Gazan territory, and striking imminent terror threats.

Herzog also encourages Israel to “expand the circle of peace” in Rabin’s name.

“Israel’s impressive achievements on so many fronts [have] changed the face of the Middle East, as has the strong and courageous alliance with the United States, with the American administration under President Trump, which is leading a determined and historic effort to expand the circle of peace and normalization in the region,” Herzog says.

“All of these open up before us tremendous opportunities. In many ways, this is the realization of Rabin’s vision,” Herzog says of the late premier, who led Israel’s peace efforts in the 1990s, signing the Oslo Accords with the Palestinians and the peace treaty with Jordan.

“Israel has always desired peace with all our neighbors,” Herzog continues, saying that “we must continue to do so.”

He adds that this “also depends on our neighbors, especially the Palestinians… on their willingness to internalize and recognize our national home here, in our ancestral land, and to understand that the path of terror will never defeat us.”

The president also urges domestic unity, saying that the upcoming election year is likely to be “a tense one — but it must not be a year of incitement or violence. Political disagreement is legitimate, turning a rival into an enemy is not.”

Tel Aviv to get new chief rabbi in January after eight years without one

The committee to appoint a new Tel Aviv chief rabbi meets at the Religious Services Ministry on November 3, 2025. (Religious Services Ministry)

Tel Aviv is set to finally get a new chief rabbi in January after being without one for the past eight years.

The committee to appoint a new chief rabbi for the city meets today for the first time at the Religious Services Ministry, and agrees to hold a vote on the next chief rabbi on January 6, 2026, according to the ministry’s spokesperson.

Like dozens of Israeli cities, Tel Aviv has been without a chief rabbi since 2017, when Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, who previously also served as Israel’s Ashkenazi chief rabbi, ended his mandate.

In March, then-religious services minister Michael Malkieli (Shas) rolled back a set of regulations that effectively gave his ministry control over the appointment of city rabbis in Israel and had been criticized by the opposition and religious rights groups.

Municipal rabbis are meant to serve as the direct religious authority for the Jewish residents of their city or town, signing off on things like marriage licenses and kosher certificates for local restaurants.

To select a candidate, a committee is formed in each city. Members of the committee include representatives of the city council, appointees of the Religious Services Ministry and the head of the local religious council.

According to the statement, former rabbinical judge Rabbi Yaakov Zamir, who also served as a judge in the Great Rabbinical Court, will head the committee for Tel Aviv. Other members include Rabbi Yitzhak Levy, chief rabbi of Nesher in northern Israel, Rachel Dayan and Tal Tnaami, public officials from the Tel Aviv Municipality, and Yonit Gispan from the Religious Services Ministry.

“This is a significant step that restores to Israel’s central city its spiritual leadership,” says Yehuda Avidan, the ministry’s director general.

Avidan thanks Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai and the members of the city council for their cooperation.

“The entire process is being conducted in an atmosphere of partnership, mutual respect, and a shared vision for the benefit of all residents of the city — religious and secular alike,” he adds.

Histadrut chief and his wife both remanded into custody amid corruption probe

Histadrut labor federation chief Arnon Bar-David visiting Kiryat Shmona, June 27, 2024. (Ayal Margolin/Flash90)

Histadrut chief Arnon Bar-David is remanded into custody for at least eight days, after he was detained earlier today as part of a major corruption investigation centering on the labor union.

According to the Haaretz newspaper, police had requested his remand be extended by 10 days due to concerns over obstruction of justice and tampering in the investigation, but the judge agreed to eight days.

Police said earlier today that the investigation spanned more than two years, and that those detained are suspected of bribery, fraud, breach of trust, money laundering and tax offenses.

Bar-David and his wife were among the dozens of suspects arrested today, along with several senior officials in local authorities across the country.

His wife’s remand was also ordered extended by the judge for a period of one week.

At Rabin memorial ceremony, Herzog warns state is ‘once again on the edge of an abyss’

President Isaac Herzog speaks at a ceremony marking 30 years since the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, at the President's Residence in Jerusalem on November 3, 2025. (Maayan Toaf/GPO)

Speaking at the state memorial ceremony marking 30 years since the assassination of former Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin, President Isaac Herzog warns that the country is experiencing the same levels of incitement and violence.

“Three decades later, we are still seeing the same signs — perhaps even more so: harsh, crude, and coarse language; accusations of treason; poison spreading across social media and the public sphere; violence in every form — physical and verbal,” he says during the ceremony at Mount Herzl.

Herzog says that is is “inconceivable” that 30 years after Rabin’s assassination, “we still face such threatening violence within our society. This is a strategic threat in every sense!”

The president warns against violence directed at public servants, officials in the IDF and Shin Bet, civil servants, prosecutors and judges, as well as against members of the Knesset and the prime minister himself.

“We are seeing rising and dangerous violence throughout the entire public sphere — in the streets, on social networks, in educational institutions, and in crime that is consuming every good part of our society — especially within the Arab community,” Herzog notes.

The president issues a stark warning: “We are once again on the edge of an abyss, and there must be only one path forward: zero tolerance for violence!” He says that the State of Israel “is not a battlefield, but a home. And in a home — we do not shoot. Not with weapons, not with words, not with threats, not with expressions, and not even with hints.”

Liberman says he will introduce bill to strip voting rights from draft dodgers

Yisrael Beytenu party chief Avigdor Liberman holds a faction meeting in the Knesset in Jerusalem on November 3, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/FLASH90)

Yisrael Beytenu party chief MK Avigdor Liberman announces that his party will introduce legislation to condition voting rights on military service, following a 200,000-strong ultra-Orthodox protest against military conscription last week.

He says that his bill will apply to all Israeli citizens regardless of religion: “Our law concerns enlistment for everyone — Muslims, Jews, Circassians and Christians. As far as I am concerned, any draft evader is a draft evader.”

Liberman stresses that draft evaders will face sanctions and lose their voting rights, describing the measure as essential for ensuring “real enlistment,” especially as law enforcement authorities are “failing to enforce existing law.”

He expresses hope that other parties will join him in voting for the measure, including Yesh Atid, whose leader, Yair Lapid, called for a similar measure last week.

“Anyone who does not vote in favor simply does not want enlistment,” Liberman says.

Such legislation is seen as highly unlikely to become law, and would also almost certainly be challenged in the High Court.

Kiryat Gat mayor among suspects questioned in Histadrut corruption probe, his office confirms

Kiryat Gat Mayor Kfir Swisa poses during a ceremony in Kiryat Gat, October 29, 2025 (Liron Moldovan/Flash90)

Kiryat Gat Mayor Kfir Swisa is being questioned amid a probe into suspected corruption at the Histadrut labor union, his office says in a statement.

“He is currently being asked questions regarding various issues, as part of a very broad case involving hundreds of parties,” the statement says, according to the Ynet news site. “There has never been a flaw in his public activity and his moral integrity is a pillar of his character, and therefore, things will become clearer soon.”

Earlier today, police detained a number of senior officials in the Histadrut, the country’s main labor federation, including its chair Arnon Bar-David, amid a major investigation into alleged corruption.

While some details of the probe were not revealed, police said the investigation spanned more than two years, and that those detained are suspected of bribery, fraud, breach of trust, money laundering and tax offenses.

In a statement, police said dozens of suspects were detained in connection with the alleged scheme. As part of the corruption probe, almost 350 suspects, including heads of local authorities and senior business figures, are expected to be questioned over the coming days.

Police suspect ex-IDF chief prosecutor helped Tomer-Yerushalmi cover up her role in video leak

Left: Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi on October 1, 2024; Right: then-Lt. Col. Matan Solomosh on May 8, 2022. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Pool; Israel Defense Force)

Police suspect that ex-IDF chief prosecutor Col. Matan Solomosh had known that the IDF’s former legal chief was behind the Sde Teiman leak and tried to help cover up her role, according to law enforcement’s representative in court.

Solomosh was arrested last night alongside former military advocate general Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who resigned from her post Friday and confessed to leaking surveillance footage purporting to show IDF soldiers severely abusing a Gazan detainee at the Sde Teiman military detention facility.

Tomer-Yerushalmi was expected to be summoned for interrogation by police after her resignation, but disappeared yesterday for hours on the Tel Aviv coast. When police found her, they were unable to locate her phone, leading law enforcement to suspect that she staged a suicide attempt in a bid to hide evidence on the device.

Solomosh’s lawyer, Nati Simchoni, argues that his client only knew of the leak in retrospect and had known only that Tomer-Yerushalmi was somehow involved, when she was in fact the source of the leaked footage.

He says that Solomosh was not part of a team appointed by Tomer-Yerushalmi to investigate the incident, which included MAG deputy Brig. Gen. Gal Asael and Deputy State Prosecutor Alon Altman, before police began their probe.

The team submitted a response to the Supreme Court regarding the leak on September 25, without implicating Tomer-Yerushalmi. By then, Solomosh had already completed his tenure, which his lawyer argued rules out his involvement in any cover-up.

Simchoni claims that his client told investigators he would be willing to undergo a polygraph test and check his testimony against that of Asael. He apparently offered his help in the initial investigation overseen by Asael and Altman, but never told them or police what he knew.

Solomosh’s detention was extended until Wednesday, with the judge accepting the police’s argument that he could hinder the ongoing investigation into the leak if freed.

Police requested that Tomer-Yerushalmi’s detention be extended by five days, but they were granted only three extra days of detention by the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court. Judge Shelley Kutin extended her remand. She is suspected of fraud, breach of trust, obstruction of legal proceedings and abuse of office.

Tomer-Yerushalmi’s lawyer, Dori Klagsbald, insisted to the court that his client is innocent since police had already taken evidence from other suspects in the ongoing investigation.

Because police had already taken evidence from five suspects and two others involved in the investigation, there is already a “massive amount of investigation material.”

“In these circumstances it is hard to imagine how exactly one would obstruct the investigation,” he said, adding that it would be “foolish” to attempt to conceal evidence from police when the material is already in the hands of law enforcement.

He further argues that “there has been more than enough time” to obstruct the probe. “There is no reason to assume that someone who did not obstruct the investigation from the moment it began would have reason to obstruct it now,” he tells the court.

Nevertheless, Kutin ruled that both Tomer-Yerushalmi and Solomosh will remain in detention until Wednesday at noon.

Last night, police arrested Tomer-Yerushalmi at around 10 p.m. She was taken for a physical and mental check-up at around 1:30 a.m., which concluded at 4 a.m.

She was admitted to Neve Tirza prison at 6:30 a.m. after being interrogated, according to the police representative.

PM: Israel needs a large army, has shifted from containment to initiative

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a conference of reserve officers on November 3, 2025 (Haim Zach/GPO)

Israel needs a large army, with its reserve formations at its core, says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a conference with senior reserve officers.

“The reserve force is a fundamental component, a core element,” says Netanyahu, alongside Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir. “We need a large, strong, and also smart army.”

For decades before the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, the IDF had been closing reserve units, moving toward a “small, smart” military based on highly-trained active duty forces.

The two years of multi-front ground combat since the Hamas invasion relied heavily on reservists, who served in repeated rounds of call-ups.

“We have not only changed the Middle East — we have changed ourselves,” says Netanyahu. “There is no more containment. There is constant initiative and proactivity.”

Reserve formations, says Netanyahu, “once again showed up, contrary to everything the enemy thought. They were wrong. They misjudged us. They misjudged you.”

The IDF and defense establishment have said the army is in need of 12,000 additional combat soldiers due to the country’s heightened security needs and the deaths and injury to thousands of soldiers in the two years of war since the October 7, 2023, Hamas invasion and massacre.

Netanyahu’s government has come under sharp criticism over its failure to take effective enforcement measures against ultra-Orthodox draft evaders and its efforts to enshrine exemptions in law.

A controversial bill being pushed by the government would, five years from its passage, draft only 50% of Haredi men eligible for the draft every year.

Palestinian detainee at heart of Sde Teiman abuse scandal was released to Gaza in ceasefire deal

This leaked video broadcast by Channel 12 news on August 6, 2024, purports to show troops abusing a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman detention facility in southern Israel on July 5, 2024. (Screenshot: Channel 12)

The Palestinian security detainee at the center of the Sde Teiman abuse affair was released back to Gaza on October 13 in the framework of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, lawyers for the defendants in the case announce.

The right-wing Honenu legal aid organization, which is representing two of the five defendants in the case, states that the Military Advocate General’s Office informed its attorneys today of the development.

“We call on the Military Advocate General’s Office to annul the indictments immediately,” says Honenu in response to the new information.

Five IDF reservists from the Force 100 Military Police unit were indicted in February this year on charges of causing severe injury, and assault under aggravated circumstances for their alleged role in the abuse of the Palestinian detainee which left him with broken ribs and a tear in his rectum.

Iran’s Khamenei: Cooperation with US not possible while it backs Israel, has Mideast bases

A handout picture provided by the office of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei shows him addressing a meeting with local champions and medalists of sports and world science awards in Tehran on October 20, 2025. (KHAMENEI.IR / AFP)

Cooperation between Iran and the United States is not possible as long as Washington continues to support Israel and to maintain military bases and interfere in the Middle East region, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says.

Khamenei’s comments come as US President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to increase pressure on Iran.

“The Americans sometimes say they would like to cooperate with Iran. Cooperation with Iran is not possible as long as the US continues to support the accursed Zionist regime, maintains military bases, and interferes in the region,” Khamenei says, according to state media.

Trump said last month that the US is prepared to make a deal with Iran when Tehran is ready to do so, saying: “The hand of friendship and cooperation [with Iran] is open.”

Ex-chief military prosecutor Solomosh to stay in detention until Wednesday, court rules

Then-Lt. Col. Matan Solomosh, in an official portrait taken on May 8, 2022. (Israel Defense Force)

Former chief military prosecutor Col. Matan Solomosh will remain under arrest until noon on Wednesday, the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court rules, shortly after making the same decision on the detention of ex-military advocate general Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi.

The two were arrested last night on suspicion of trying to obstruct an investigation into the leak of footage purportedly showing the abuse of a Palestinian prisoner at the Sde Teiman detention camp by IDF reservists last year.

Tomer-Yerushalmi resigned from her post on Friday and admitted that she leaked the video.

Media reports said Tomer-Yerushalmi and Solomosh were suspected of obstruction of justice over the leak of the video and an alleged subsequent cover-up, with false reports given to officials regarding an internal investigation into the leak.

IDF says it killed terror operatives who crossed ceasefire line, approached troops

A yellow concrete block demarcating the ceasefire line, east of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, November 2, 2025 (Fathi Ibrahim/Flash90)

The IDF says it killed several terror operatives who crossed the Yellow Line demarcating the military’s withdrawal and approached troops in the southern Gaza Strip earlier today.

The operatives had “posed an immediate threat” to the forces stationed in the area, the military says, adding that shortly after they were identified, the Israeli Air Force struck and killed them “to remove the threat.”

The IDF says it remains deployed in Gaza “in accordance with the ceasefire agreement and will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat.”

Police say Israeli shot and killed Palestinian man during attempted car theft in Hebron

Police say that an Israeli civilian shot and killed a Palestinian early this morning at the entrance to Hebron after the latter allegedly tried to steal his vehicle, during a violent confrontation in which the Israeli said he felt his life was in danger.

Earlier, Palestinian media outlets reported that Ahmad al-Atrash, a 35-year-old Palestinian, was shot dead by an Israeli in the West Bank city.

In a statement, police say that the vehicle had been involved in an earlier collision and two Israelis had gone back to retrieve the car when they saw it being loaded onto a tow truck.

Police say the Israeli men reported that they were physically assaulted by Palestinian suspects, and that when one of the civilians felt his life was in danger, he fired at one of the men, hitting him. The Palestinian man was declared dead on the scene.

The tow truck driver then forcibly dragged the second Israeli while attempting to flee the scene with the stolen vehicle, police say. The Israeli managed to escape but police say they are still searching for the second suspect.

Lebanese media reports Israeli drone strike on car in southern town

Lebanese media reports an Israeli drone strike targeting a car in the southern town of Doueir.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF.

The Saudi Al-Hadath channel reports that the target of the strike was a Hezbollah commander named Mohammad Ali Hadid, who survived a previous strike yesterday.

Since a November 2024 ceasefire in Lebanon, the IDF says it has killed over 330 Hezbollah operatives in strikes, hit hundreds of Hezbollah sites, and conducted over 1,000 raids and other small ground operations in the south of the country in response to violations by the terror group.

In recent weeks, the IDF appears to have stepped up the rate of attacks on Hezbollah.

مشاهد من استهداف السيارة على طريق عام الشرقية – الدوير pic.twitter.com/XZCNO45bZ1

— Annahar النهار (@Annahar) November 3, 2025

Ex-IDF legal chief Tomer-Yerushalmi to stay in detention until Wednesday, court rules

Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi at a farewell ceremony for retiring acting Supreme Court President Uzi Vogelman, at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem on October 1, 2024. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Pool)

Former military advocate general Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi will remain under arrest until noon Wednesday, rules the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court.

She and former chief military prosecutor Col. Matan Solomosh were arrested last night on suspicion of trying obstruct an investigation into the leak of footage purportedly showing the abuse of a Palestinian prisoner at the Sde Teiman detention camp last year.

The court is now deliberating on whether to extend the remand of Solomosh.

Israeli official: PM won’t grant ‘safe passage for 200 terrorists’ trapped in Rafah, contrary to report

Following reports that Israel was considering granting terror operatives hiding in tunnels safe passage from the Israeli-controlled Rafah area to the Hamas-run zone in Gaza, an “Israeli official” says that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “is not allowing safe passage for 200 Hamas terrorists.”

Channel 12 reported earlier today that Israel would approve the fighters’ safe passage if they agreed to give up their weapons. IDF sources said they would only be allowed to pass into Hamas-controlled territory if the terror group gives up more bodies of slain hostages.

“Mr. Prime Minister,” writes Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on X. “This is utter madness. Stop this.”

“The prime minister persists in his firm stance on the disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarization of the Strip,” says the official, “while eliminating terrorist threats to our forces.”

Ex-IDF legal chief, former military prosecutor appear in court over detainee abuse video leak

Left: Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi on October 1, 2024; Right: then-Lt. Col. Matan Solomosh on May 8, 2022. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Pool; Israel Defense Force)

Former military advocate general Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi and former IDF chief prosecutor Col. Matan Solomosh appear in the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court for a hearing on their detention after they were arrested last night.

Police are seeking to extend their detention for five days, saying there is reason to believe they will attempt to obstruct an ongoing investigation into the leak of footage last year that purportedly showed soldiers severely abusing a Palestinian security detainee at the Sde Teiman military detention facility.

The two enter the courtroom in civilian clothing rather than uniform. Tomer-Yerushalmi is accompanied by her husband and daughter.

A police representative says law enforcement is investigating five suspects so far in the investigation, and has taken testimony from two others allegedly involved in the affair.

The investigation began last Sunday, the police representative tells the courtroom.

Tomer-Yerushalmi resigned from her post on Friday and admitted that she leaked the video.

Media reports said Tomer-Yerushalmi and Solomosh were suspected of obstruction of justice over the leak of the video and an alleged subsequent cover-up, with false reports given to officials regarding an internal investigation into the leak.

Palestinian-American mediator: Hamas open to possibility of handing over only heavy weapons

Hamas gunmen stand near a International Red Cross (ICRC) vehicle, as a search for the bodies of killed Israeli hostages takes place, in Gaza City on November 2, 2025. (Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

Palestinian-American businessman Bishara Bahbah, who helped mediate with Hamas over the Gaza ceasefire, tells the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat that Hamas has begun to accept the idea of handing over its heavy weapons as part of an agreement.

He adds that Washington has also begun to show willingness to accept the idea of Hamas surrendering only its heavy weapons, within the broader concept of disarming the group that appears in the White House plan for ending the Gaza war.

He emphasizes that he spoke with senior US officials who said there is a possibility Hamas would be allowed to retain light weapons “for self-defense.”

There is no additional confirmation of the report. Hamas has repeatedly made clear in the past that it will not disarm, except in the context of the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Histadrut says cooperating with police on corruption probe, is ‘confident in innocence’ of staff

The Histadrut Labor Federation says it is cooperating with law enforcement authorities on an investigation into alleged corruption.

“We are confident in the innocence of our people and are cooperating with enforcement authorities,” says Histadrut spokesperson Yaniv Levy in a statement. “We cannot comment further on ongoing proceedings.”

Earlier today, police reportedly detained a number of senior officials in the Histadrut, the country’s main labor federation, including its chair, Arnon Bar-David.

“The Histadrut’s public activities continue to operate as usual, including all of the organization’s services throughout the country,” says Levy.

Knesset panel advances bill to introduce death penalty for terrorists who kill Israelis

The Knesset National Security Committee meets on a law allowing the death penalty for terrorists on November 3, 2025 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

The Knesset National Security Committee advances a bill to introduce the death penalty for terrorists, after government hostage pointman Gal Hirsch tells the panel that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supports the measure.

The bill could have its first reading in the Knesset plenum as soon as Wednesday, Hebrew-language media reports.

The controversial legislation stipulates that courts will be able to impose the death penalty on those who have committed a nationalistically motivated murder of a citizen of Israel. It would not apply to an Israeli who killed a Palestinian.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir thanks the premier for supporting the bill, but says that the courts should not have discretion in the matter.

“I thank the prime minister for his support for Otzma Yehudit’s bill for the death penalty for terrorists, but the court must not have any discretion – every terrorist who goes out to murder must know that the death penalty will be imposed on him. It’s time for justice!,” the leader of the far-right party leader writes on X.

Erdogan: ‘Essential’ that Muslim nations play leading role in reconstruction of Gaza

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) attends a joint press conference with German Chancellor at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on October 30, 2025. (Adem ALTAN / AFP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says it is crucial that Muslim nations play a leading role in the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

“It seems that Hamas is quite determined to adhere to the [ceasefire] agreement,” he says, adding that it was “essential” that the Organization of Islamic Conference “play a leading role in the reconstruction of Gaza.”

Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the ceasefire deal. Israel asserts its troops have only responded to imminent threats posed by Palestinian operatives and insists that Hamas is the one violating the ceasefire by not returning the bodies of hostages remaining in the Strip.

Read more: US looks to build ‘new Gaza’ on half of Strip under IDF control, but faces pushback

PM supports death penalty for terrorists, government’s hostages pointman tells Knesset panel

Gal Hirsch, the government pointman on hostages, at a meeting of the Knesset National Security Committee on a law allowing the death penalty for terrorists on November 3, 2025 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supports a bill to introduce the death penalty for terrorists, government hostage pointman Gal Hirsch tells the Knesset National Security Committee.

“The prime minister’s position, and I spoke with him before the debate, is for the bill,” Hirsch tells the panel.

Hirsch has previously said that he opposed the bill while there were living hostages in Gaza, but tells the committee that now that they have all been returned, he too is lifting his opposition.

“We are in a different situation today,” he says. “Therefore, the resistance I expressed in the previous debate has become redundant.”

Hirsch had spoken to the committee during a September hearing on the bill, saying that the position of the security professionals working to bring the hostages back was that the discussions on the proposed legislation should be suspended.

Hirsch’s comments were seen as indicating the premier’s position at the time.

PM conveys condolences to family of Asaf Hamami, will call Daniel and Neutra families later

(L-R) Col. Asaf Hamami, Staff Sgt. Oz Daniel, Cpt. Omer Neutra, who were killed fighting terrorists on October 7, 2023 and their bodies returned to Israel on November 2, 2025. (Courtesy)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with the family of Col. Asaf Hamami, whose body was returned to Israel by Hamas last night.

According to Netanyahu’s office, the prime minister “conveyed his condolences on behalf of himself, his wife, and the entire people of Israel, saying that he embraces the dear family.”

Hamami’s mother, Clara, thanks the IDF, Israel’s security forces, and Netanyahu for bringing her son’s body back for burial in Israel, says the Prime Minister’s Office.

Hamami, 40, the commander of the Gaza Division’s Southern Brigade, was killed while battling Hamas terrorists in the Gaza border community of Kibbutz Nirim on the morning of October 7, 2023, and his body was abducted to Gaza. He is survived by his wife and their three young children, and his parents.

Netanyahu will speak with the families of Staff Sgt. Oz Daniel and Cpt. Omer Neutra, the other two fallen soldiers whose bodies were returned last night.

Tel Aviv professor found alive but in serious condition, over a week after disappearance

Professor Nurit Yaari in an undated photo (Israel Police)

Professor Nurit Yaari, who has been missing for more than a week, was found alive but in serious condition this morning, police say.

The 78-year-old theater professor was found under a bridge at Tel Aviv’s Ayalon River, according to Hebrew media reports.

According to Hebrew-language media, Yaari had spent days under the bridge after she was last seen on security footage walking in the streets of Tel Aviv, seemingly disoriented.

She is thought not to have eaten or drunk since she went missing from Ichilov Medical Center on October 26 after accompanying her husband, who had fallen and hit his head.

The visually impaired professor had left her home without her glasses and was last seen on security cameras in a street close to the hospital.

Ex-IDF legal chief due in court; police said to believe she may have staged suicide attempt to get rid of her phone

Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, Israel Defense Forces Military Advocate General, attends a welcome ceremony for then-newly appointed Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara in Jerusalem on February 8, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90/ File)

Former military advocate general Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi and former chief military prosecutor Col. Matan Solomosh, who were arrested by police last night, will be brought for a remand hearing at 11 a.m. at the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court, authorities say.

Police said last night that the pair are suspected of “leaking and other serious criminal offenses,” over the leak of a video that purportedly showed soldiers severely abusing a Palestinian security detainee at the Sde Teiman military detention facility video and an alleged subsequent cover-up, with false reports given to officials regarding an internal investigation into the leak.

Yesterday, Tomer-Yerushalmi went missing for several hours after reportedly leaving a concerning note for her family, sparking fears for her wellbeing and a massive search effort, before being found alive and well.

Channel 12 news reports this morning that police suspect that Tomer-Yerushalmi had no intention of committing suicide, and that the entire saga was staged in order for her to get rid of her phone, which may have incriminating information on it.

Tomer-Yerushalmi allegedly took two phones with her, one that would enable her to be located, and the other which she tossed into the sea near Tel Aviv, the report says.

The letter that she left behind, reported by some outlets as a “suicide note,” was also allegedly staged, with Channel 12 describing it as “an ambiguous, strange letter full of hints that don’t characterize suicide notes.”

Mother of Oz Daniel, whose body was released last night: ‘I still had a small glimmer of hope he’d return alive’

Sgt. Oz Daniel, 19 was killed on October 7, 2023 and his body was taken to Gaza (Israel Defense Forces)

Merav Daniel, the mother of Staff Sgt. Oz Daniel says the “circle of doubt has been closed” after his body was returned last night by the Hamas terror group.

“We have mixed feelings, we had hoped for a different ending. There was a small glimmer of hope in me that Oz would return alive,” she tells Radio 103FM.

“Oz and I had conversations about abduction even before October 7. He always said he would do everything to avoid falling into captivity. On that day he fought the terrorists against all odds. He snatched a grenade from one of them and then they shot him to death, next to the tank,” she tells the Kan public broadcaster.

Daniel, 19, was killed while battling terrorists on the Gaza border near Nirim during the October 7 onslaught, and his body was abducted. He is survived by his parents and his twin sister.

Daniel and two others from the same tank — Cpt. Omer Maxim Neutra and Sgt. Shaked Dahan — were killed in the attack, and their bodies taken to Gaza, while soldier Nimrod Cohen was abducted alive to the Strip. Cohen was released on October 13, along with the other 19 living hostages.

The Hamas terror group returned to Israel the remains of three deceased hostages, Col. Asaf Hamami, Neutra and Daniel yesterday evening.

“He has been finally brought home for a respectful burial,” Merav Daniel tells Channel 12 news.

Police: Histadrut officials detained on suspicion of bribery, fraud, money laundering, tax offenses

Police confirm that dozens of suspects have been detained in connection with alleged corruption at the Histadrut, the country’s largest labor union.

Police say the individuals are suspected of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, money laundering and tax offenses.

In a statement, police say the undercover investigation began around two years, and it “focuses on senior officials within the Histadrut, local authorities, and government companies and corporations, who are suspected of receiving bribes and benefits from business figures in exchange for advancing their interests and generating financial gain.”

Reports say that Histadrut chair Arnon Bar-David is among those detained.

3 bodies returned by Hamas confirmed as IDF soldiers Asaf Hamami, Oz Daniel, Omer Neutra

(L-R) Col. Asaf Hamami, Staff Sgt. Oz Daniel, Cpt. Omer Neutra, who were killed fighting terrorists on October 7, 2023 and their bodies returned to Israel on November 2, 2025. (Courtesy)

Military representatives have notified the families of hostage soldiers Col. Asaf Hamami, Cpt. Omer Neutra, and Staff Sgt. Oz Daniel, that their bodies were returned to Israel by Hamas last night, following the completion of identification efforts by forensic experts.

Hamami, 40, the commander of the Gaza Division’s Southern Brigade, was killed while battling Hamas terrorists in the Gaza border community of Kibbutz Nirim on the morning of October 7, 2023, and his body was abducted to Gaza. He is survived by his wife and their three young children, and his parents.

Neutra, 21, a lone soldier from the US, was a platoon commander in the 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion, and he was also killed while battling Hamas terrorists on the border near Nirim during the onslaught, and his body was taken to the Strip. He is survived by his parents and four younger siblings.

Daniel, 19, served in the same tank as Neutra, and he was also killed while battling the terrorists, and his body was abducted. He is survived by his parents and his twin sister.

“The Government of Israel shares in the profound grief of the Hamami, Neutra, and Daniel families, and of all the families of the fallen hostages,” says the Prime Minister’s Office in a statement.

It says that Israel is “determined, committed, and working tirelessly” to bring back all remaining eight deceased hostages for burial, adding that Hamas is “required to fulfill its commitments to the mediators and return them as part of the implementation of the agreement.”

Histadrut chief among senior labor union officials detained amid corruption probe – reports

Histadrut chairman Arnon Bar-David speaks at a press conference at the Finance Ministry in Jerusalem, June 23, 2025. (Ben Hakoon/FLASH90)

Police have detained a number of senior officials in the Histadrut — including the chair of the country’s main labor federation, Arnon Bar-David — amid an investigation into alleged corruption, Hebrew media reports.

Law enforcement reportedly detained a number of senior officials amid suspicions of corruption, and raided the offices of the organization at 6 a.m. this morning.

According to the Kan public broadcaster, Bar-David was detained along with his partner, with a mayor and senior officials in local authorities also held.

The outlet says police suspect a businessman operated a system with the Histadrut, with clients hiring his services to procure jobs in local authorities and corporations, with the help of senior officials from the labor union, who allegedly received financial compensation in return.

There is no statement from police.

Police suspect ex-IDF legal chief Tomer-Yerushalmi disposed of her cellphone in sea

Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi attends a meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, August 11, 2024. (Noam Moskowitz, Office of the Knesset Spokesperson)

Police suspect ex-military advocate general Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who resigned on Friday over a leak scandal, may have disposed of her cellphone in the sea yesterday, the Haaretz daily reports.

Tomer-Yerushalmi has admitted that she leaked a video to the media last year that purportedly showed soldiers severely abusing a Palestinian security detainee at the Sde Teiman military detention facility.

Tomer-Yerushalmi and the military’s former chief prosecutor, Col. Matan Solomosh, are due in court later today after they were detained yesterday.

Media reports said the two were suspected of obstruction of justice over the leak of the abuse video and an alleged subsequent cover-up regarding an internal investigation.

Tomer-Yerushalmi went missing on Sunday for several hours, with her car found near a Tel Aviv beach, before she was located alive and well.

Magnitude 6.3 quake hits northern Afghanistan

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake has struck northern Afghanistan, the US Geological Survey says, just months after another deadly tremor left the country reeling as it contends with a series of humanitarian crises.

The latest quake hit in the early hours of the morning at a depth of 28 kilometers (17 miles) with the epicenter near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, according to the USGS.

There are no immediate reports of deaths or major damage in the hours after the quake.

Poor communication networks and infrastructure have in the past hampered disaster response in the mountainous country, preventing authorities from reaching far-flung villages to assess the extent of damage for hours or even days.

Trump doubtful Saudis will insist on Palestinian statehood to normalize with Israel

US President Donald Trump speaks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman before posing for a family picture with Gulf leaders during a gathering of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Riyadh on May 14, 2025. (Brendan Smialowski / AFP)

Trump again asserts that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is not serious by publicly conditioning normalizing relations with Israel on the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state.

Trump is asked on “60 Minutes” whether he believes the de facto Saudi leader’s recent assertion that he won’t join the Abraham Accords without a two-state solution.

“No,” he responds. “I think he’s going to join [the Abraham Accords].”

The last time Trump asserted that MBS is not sincere about his public demand for a pathway to a future Palestinian state, the Saudi Foreign Ministry issued a statement at 4 a.m. refuting the US president’s claim.

“We will have a solution. I don’t know if it’s going to be two-state. That’s gonna be up to Israel and other people, and me,” Trump says.

He goes on to reiterate his belief that the threat of a nuclear Iran is what has held countries back from joining the Abraham Accords and that those agreements will now be able to expand, thanks to the US strikes on Tehran’s nuclear program in June.

“We knocked the hell out of Iran, and then it was time to stop, and we stopped,” Trump says.

Trump: Gaza ceasefire not fragile, Hamas ‘could be taken out immediately if they don’t behave’

US President Trump asserts that the ceasefire he brokered in Gaza is “not fragile” and reiterates that Hamas will be “eliminated” if it doesn’t disarm.

“It’s not fragile. It’s a very solid,” Trump tells “60 Minutes.” “Hamas could be taken out immediately if they don’t behave.”

Asked how he can get Hamas to disarm, the president responds, “If I want them to disarm, I’ll get them to disarm very quickly. They’ll be eliminated.”

While Trump’s 20-point plan does envision Hamas disarming, the actual ceasefire agreement signed by Israel and Hamas in Egypt on October 9 only focused on the initial IDF withdrawal, the hostage-prisoner swap, and humanitarian aid provisions.

Trump: ‘We’ll be involved’ in Netanyahu trial ‘to help him out’

US President Donald Trump boasts of having pressured Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach the Gaza ceasefire, while also declaring that Washington will “be involved” in the premier’s criminal trial, arguing that the Israeli premier has been mistreated.

In a lengthy interview on CBS’s “60 Minutes,” the reporter tells Trump he pushed Netanyahu to apologize to Qatar and agree to a ceasefire in Gaza, and asks whether the US president can push the prime minister to recognize a Palestinian state.

Trump dodges the question and reiterates that he has worked well with the “wartime prime minister.”

“It's not fragile,” President Trump says of the ceasefire in Gaza. “Hamas could be taken out immediately if they don't behave. They know that. If they don't behave, they're going to be taken out immediately.“ https://t.co/dC2WfzL8Ql pic.twitter.com/RTzSJ2Gjb7

— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) November 3, 2025

“That’s the kind of person you needed in Israel at the time,” he adds, before reiterating his belief that Netanyahu is being treated unfairly by being brought on trial.

Trump has weighed in on the matter several times in recent months, dismissing the charges against Netanyahu, who was indicted for bribery, fraud and breach of trust. While speaking in front of the Knesset last month, Trump called on President Isaac Herzog to pardon Netanyahu.

“We’ll be involved in that to help him out a little bit because I think it’s very unfair,” Trump tells “60 Minutes,” revealing that additional US intervention in the Israeli criminal case is in store.

Still, Trump doesn’t deny having pressured Netanyahu.

“I had to push him a little bit one way or the other. I did a great job in pushing,” Trump says, adding that Netanyahu’s a “very talented guy… [who has] never been pushed before.”

“I didn’t like certain things that he did, and you saw what I did about that,” he adds.