April 17: State Department spox avoids saying whether Israel should resume allowing Gaza aid

2 killed in Florida State University mass shooting

Dozens of patrol vehicles, including a forensics van, are stationed outside of Florida State University’s student union building, the scene of a shooting, April 17, 2025, in Tallahassee, Florida. (AP Photo/Kate Payne)

MIAMI, Florida — A mass shooting at a university in Florida leaves two people dead, police in the southeastern US state say, identifying the suspect as the son of a local law enforcement officer.

“Two victims are deceased and five individuals have been transported to a local hospital with gunshot wounds,” says Florida State University Chief of Police Jason Trumbower, adding the suspect was also in the hospital.

Ben Gvir calls to up military pressure ‘until Hamas is on its knees begging’

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir calls for Israel to increase military pressure in Gaza “until Hamas is on its knees begging,” after the terror group rejects a proposal for a ceasefire-hostage release deal.

“Hamas will not set the conditions, it will surrender to them! No deal, no ceasefire and no aid, only the continuation of war until the surrender of the Nazis from Gaza,” he writes on X.

Republican lawmakers announce probe into Harvard, demand files on anti-Israel protests

A Harvard Faculty member holds a sign as he exits Harvard Yard after a rally was held against US President Donald Trump's attacks on Harvard University at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts on April 17, 2025. (Joseph Prezioso / AFP)

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts — Republicans in the US Congress announce an investigation into Harvard University, accusing it of flouting civil rights law in an escalation of US President Donald Trump’s attacks on elite institutions.

The lawmakers write to the world-renowned education and research establishment demanding documents on its hiring practices, diversity programs, and last year’s pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel campus protests.

The letter — signed by House Oversight Committee chair James Comer and House leadership chair Elise Stefanik — came with Trump seeking unprecedented levels of control over the country’s oldest and wealthiest university.

Comer and Stefanik castigate Harvard President Alan Garber for rejecting demands for supervision by the White House, which has canceled $2.2 billion in funding and threatened further reprisals.

“Harvard is apparently so unable or unwilling to prevent unlawful discrimination that the institution, at your direction, is refusing to enter into a reasonable settlement agreement proposed by federal officials intended to put Harvard back in compliance with the law,” they tell Garber.

“No matter how entitled your behavior, no institution is entitled to violate the law.”

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

US starting pullout from northeast Syria, NYT reports

US soldiers patrol an area in the town of Tal Hamis, southeast of the city of Qameshli in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh governorate, on January 24, 2024. (Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)

The United States has started drawing down hundreds of troops from northeastern Syria, The New York Times reports.

The military is shuttering three of its eight small operating bases, reducing troop levels to about 1,400 from 2,000, the paper reports, citing two senior US officials.

Smotrich: ‘The time has come to open the gates of hell on Hamas,’ implement Trump plan

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich addresses the Knesset ahead of a vote on the state budget on March 25, 2025.(Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich vows Israel will not give in to Hamas or end the war in Gaza without accomplishing a “complete victory” and returning all the hostages, responding to Hamas’s rejection of a proposal for a ceasefire-hostage release deal.

“The time has come to open the gates of hell on Hamas, to deepen the fighting until the complete occupation of the Strip, the elimination of Hamas, and the implementation of [US] President [Donald] Trump’s plan for the voluntary exit and rehabilitation of Gazans in another country,” he writes on X.

IDF troops kill 2 Palestinians suspected of throwing stones at Israeli drivers in West Bank

IDF troops killed two Palestinians who were allegedly hurling stones at Israeli motorists in the West Bank this evening.

The military says soldiers of the 636th Combat Intelligence Collection Unit, who were waiting in an ambush near the town of Usarin, spotted three Palestinians hurling stones at cars on a nearby highway.

The soldiers opened fire on the suspects, killing two and wounding the third, the IDF says.

Hamas rejects Israel hostage deal proposal, dismisses Netanyahu’s ‘partial deals’

Hamas’s leader in Gaza Khalil al-Hayya, currently outside the enclave, says in a speech that the proposal sent to them for a ceasefire-hostage release agreement in Gaza does not bring about an end to the war or the withdrawal of IDF forces from the Strip.

Hayya stresses that Hamas will not be “part of [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s policy of partial deals.”

He adds that Israel has gone back on the ceasefire agreement it signed in January, and that Netanyahu has set “impossible” conditions.

He further states that the mediators must contact Hamas to resolve the crisis that he says was created by Israel.

He says that the terror group is ready to immediately negotiate a deal to swap all hostages with an agreed number of Palestinians jailed by Israel within a deal that would end the war.

عاجل | رئيس حركة حــــماس في قطاع غزة خليل الحية: نتنياهو رد بمقترحات تعجيزية، ونحن مستعدون للبدء فوراً بمفاوضات الرزمة الشاملة وإطلاق سراح كل الأسرى لدينا مقابل عددٍ متفق عليه من الأسرى الفلسطينيين وانسحاب الاحتلال الكامل من قطاع غزة وبدء إعادة الإعمار ورفع الحصار. pic.twitter.com/osS5DwFn4U

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) April 17, 2025

PA’s Abbas to make first trip to Syria since fall of Assad regime

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will make his first visit to Syria since the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime.

Abbas is departing tonight for Jordan and from there will travel to Syria, his top aide, Hussein al-Sheikh, tweets.

Sheikh doesn’t mention whether Abbas will meet with interim Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Iran offered US three-stage nuclear deal with same enrichment cap as 2015 deal — report

Omani security personnel watch a convoy believed to be carrying US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff in Muscat, Oman, April 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Iran on Saturday proposed a three-stage deal that would cap its uranium enrichment to the same levels agreed to in the abandoned 2015 deal in exchange for the lifting of US sanctions, three diplomatic sources tell the Iran International news outlet.

Tehran would temporarily decrease uranium enrichment to 3.67%, while Washington would permit it to access frozen financial assets and to export its oil in the first phase, according to the proposal reportedly presented by Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Oman on Saturday.

In the second phase, the US would lift more sanctions and prevent the snapback of UN sanctions, and in exchange, Iran would allow the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency to resume its inspections of nuclear sites, while also carrying out the “additional protocol,” allowing the nuclear watchdog to perform surprise inspections of undeclared sites, the report says.

In the final stage, in exchange for Iran’s transfer of enriched uranium stockpiles to a third country, the US Congress would approve the nuclear deal, and the Trump administration would lift primary and secondary sanctions.

The sources add, however, that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei only agreed to the talks to “buy more time” for Iran to rebuild its air defenses destroyed by Israel in airstrikes in October, “and to restore its capacity to produce surface-to-surface missiles which were damaged in that same Israeli attack.”

The sources say Witkoff welcomed the offer, which surprised Iranian negotiators on Saturday.

Witkoff on Monday indicated that the administration was seeking a deal that would limit rather than destroy Iran’s nuclear program, with a low-level cap on uranium enrichment and checks that Iran was not advancing potential weaponization.

The next day, however, he hardened his stance and said that any agreement would require the Islamic Republic to “stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program.”

State Department spokesperson dodges question on whether Israel should resume allowing Gaza aid

Asked whether Israel should resume the delivery of humanitarian aid to women and children in Gaza it halted six weeks ago, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce avoids answering the question directly.

Gaza “is a zone where there’s still fighting,” she says during a State Department briefing, adding that the Trump administration is working to save lives.

“Everything that we do is to affect exactly what you mentioned, which is saving the lives of everyone,” Bruce says.

US military says it destroyed Houthi fuel port in western Yemen

WASHINGTON — The United States’ military struck the western Yemeni fuel port of Ras Isa today, the US Central Command says in a post on X, citing the “destruction” of the port.

“Today, US forces took action to eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists,” it says in the post, adding that the aim was to hit the Houthis economically and not harm the people of Yemen.

Destruction of Houthi Controlled Ras Isa Fuel Port

The Houthis have continued to benefit economically and militarily from countries and companies that provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. The Iran-backed Houthis use fuel to sustain their… pic.twitter.com/SRiELV4juk

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 17, 2025

US says Chinese satellite firm directly supporting Houthi attacks on US interests

Members of Houthi-affiliated security forces stand guard during a rally in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and in condemnation of US strikes, in Yemen's Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa on April 11, 2025. (Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP)

WASHINGTON — The US State Department accuses a Chinese firm, Chang Guang Satellite Technology, of directly supporting attacks on US interests by Iran-backed Houthi fighters.

Earlier, the Financial Times cited US officials as saying that the satellite company, linked to China’s military, was supplying Houthi rebels with imagery to target US warships and international vessels in the Red Sea.

“We can confirm the reporting that Chang Guang Satellite Technology Company Limited is directly supporting Iran-backed Houthi terrorist attacks on US interests,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce tells a regular news briefing.

Trump: I wouldn’t say I waved off Israeli plan to attack Iran, but I’m not in rush to do it

President Donald Trump meets with Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the Oval Office of the White House, April 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Asked about a New York Times report that he “waved off” an Israeli plan to strike Iranian nuclear sites next month, US President Donald Trump says, “I wouldn’t say waved off.”

But then he adds, “I’m not in a rush to do it,” indicating a degree of confirmation of the report, which said Israel wanted to go ahead with a major Israeli-American attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities next month but Trump opted for diplomacy.

“Iran has a chance to have a great country, and to live happily without death, and I’d like to see that,” the president elaborates, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office alongside Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. “That’s my first option.”

“If there’s a second option, I think it would be very bad for Iran, and I think Iran is wanting to talk. I hope they’re wanting to talk. It’s going to be very good for them if they do. Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon. It’s pretty simple,” he adds.

Trump boasts of having pulled the US out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Footage shows shooting of Palestinian in South Hebron Hills; IDF: Security coordinator was carrying out arrest

In footage obtained by The Times of Israel from the moment of the shooting earlier this evening in the South Hebron Hills, an armed Israeli is seen firing into the air and then at the Palestinian’s leg, while another Israeli is seen beating the Palestinian as he lies on the ground.

A local Palestinian source tells The Times of Israel that the incident began when Israelis arrived to attach a tarp on land privately owned by the injured Palestinian.

The Palestinian and his family came and demanded that they leave, leading to a confrontation during which he was shot.

The IDF states: “Several Palestinian suspects attacked several Israeli civilians near Avigayil, in the Yehuda Brigade area. There were no injuries. A security coordinator (Ravshatz) who was at the scene carried out a suspect arrest procedure that included firing into the air and then shooting at the lower body of the suspects. A hit was confirmed. Afterwards, dozens of Palestinians gathered at the scene; security forces rushed in and dispersed the crowd.”

Footage shows an Israeli security coordinator shooting at a Palestinian in the South Hebron Hills, in the West Bank, on April 17, 2025. (Courtesy)

Suspect nabbed, 6 hospitalized in shooting at Florida State University

People comfort each other on Florida State University’s campus in Tallahassee, where law enforcement responded to a reported active shooter incident, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Kate Payne)

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — A suspect has been taken into police custody and multiple victims were reported in a shooting at Florida State University, a person familiar with the matter tells The Associated Press.

The extent of the victims’ injuries is not immediately known, and there were no additional details about the person who was in custody.

The person is not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and speaks to The AP on condition of anonymity.

At least six people have been hospitalized, including one person in critical condition, a spokesperson for Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare says. The other patients were in serious condition, the spokesperson says.

Ambulances, fire trucks, and patrol vehicles from multiple law enforcement agencies raced toward the campus that sits just west of Florida’s state capital after the university issued an active shooter alert midday Thursday, saying police were responding near the student union.

One-third of Israeli civilian pilots join call for hostage deal even at cost of ending war, report says

Around one-third of civilian Israeli pilots sign a letter, joining a wave of calls for the return of hostages held in Gaza, even at the expense of ending the war against Hamas, Channel 12 reports.

Around 300 pilots from Arkia, Israir, Challenge Airlines, Air Haifa, and other firms declare their support for the “immediate and important” goal, adding that “each passing day endangers their lives.”

The letter comes a week after IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar announced their intention to dismiss active reservists among hundreds who signed a similar petition from the Israeli Air Force. In recent days, similar calls to end the war for the sake of the hostages have emerged from other parts of the military, artists, and various civilian sectors.

Leak to NYT of ‘core’ plans to strike Iran’s nuclear sites likely to harm US-Israel ties, security officials say

Israeli and American F-16 fighter jets sit together on a runway in the Ovda Air Base during a joint exercise in southern Israel in January 2022. (Israel Defense Forces)

The leak to the New York Times of details of a planned Israeli-American strike on Iranian nuclear facilities is likely to harm ties between Jerusalem and Washington, unnamed senior security officials tell Channel 12 news.

The massive joint attack, proposed by Israel, discussed with US officials, and intended for next month, was blocked by US President Donald Trump, according to the report, with Trump instead opting for the negotiations with Iran that began last weekend.

“The details that were leaked are dramatic, and [the leak is] likely to harm the intimate relations with the US Administration,” the sources are quoted as saying.

“The core of the secret as regards Iran was revealed,” the officials say, in reference to the planned attack, including “the method by which it would be carried out, the timing, coordination mechanisms, and the element of surprise.”

“This constitutes real damage to Israeli interests in facing Iran.”

Freed hostage’s relative calls for ‘end to Netanyahu’s war,’ hostage deal, at Jerusalem protest

Noam Dan, a relative of freed hostage Ofer Calderon, speaks to protesters outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's private residence in Jerusalem on April 17, 2025. (Charlie Summers/Times of Israel)

Noam Dan, a relative of freed hostage Ofer Calderon, calls for “an end to Netanyahu’s war” during a protest outside the premier’s private residence in Jerusalem.

The hostages are “destroyed in body and spirit… they are meeting their fate [in Gaza],” she laments.

She demands that the government sign a deal for the return of the remaining hostages in Gaza and a permanent end to the war.

“They call us refusers… but he [Netanyahu] is the only refuser,” she says, charging the premier with refusing to strike a hostage deal, establish a state commission of inquiry into October 7, or take responsibility for the government’s failure to prevent Hamas’s massacre.

As she gives her speech, a sole counterprotester from beyond the police-erected barricades attempts to drown out her speech with loud music.

Oman says Italy to host nuclear talks, putting to bed earlier Iranian claims they’d be in Muscat

The second round of nuclear talks between the US and Iran will take place in Rome, a spokesperson for the Omani Foreign Ministry says, putting to bed earlier Iranian claims that the talks would be held in Muscat again.

“Oman is pleased to be facilitating and mediating this meeting in Rome, which has been chosen as the venue for logistical reasons,” the spokesperson says.

TV report: Shin Bet chief was not invited to ministerial meeting on hostages yesterday

Ronen Bar, the head of Shin Bet, attends a ceremony marking Memorial Day for fallen soldiers of Israel's wars and victims of attacks, at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl military cemetery, May 13, 2024. (GIL COHEN-MAGEN/ Pool via REUTERS/ File)

Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar was not invited yesterday to a meeting between ministers on the issue of the hostages, Channel 12 reports.

Bar has been absent from several important security-related meetings since he was fired by the government in March, which cited a breakdown in trust with the agency’s head.

The unprecedented ouster — which came amid a high-profile, ongoing Shin Bet investigation into several of Netanyahu’s close aides — was immediately challenged. The court ruled two weeks ago that, while a compromise is being sought on the procedure used to fire Bar, he cannot in the meantime be removed from his position.

Red Cross says Gaza facility damaged by explosive yesterday

The Red Cross says one of its premises in Gaza was damaged by an explosive on April 16, saying it is the second incident in three weeks.

The statement does not blame either Israel, Hamas, or other terror groups for the incident. It notes the last incident was on March 24, when another facility was struck by a tank shell.

The Red Cross stresses the need to “respect and protect humanitarian workers and objects used for humanitarian relief operations.”

It says such incidents impact the ability of the organization to provide crucial assistance in the Strip.

The ICRC is outraged that on 16 April an ICRC premises in Gaza was struck and damaged by an explosive.

This is the second such incident in three weeks; another premises in the area was struck by a tank shell on 24 March. pic.twitter.com/B3l1jutHrW

— ICRC in Israel & OT (@ICRC_ilot) April 17, 2025

British AG rejects request by pro-Palestinian groups to arrest Sa’ar

Britain’s attorney general has rejected a request by pro-Palestinian groups to arrest Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, a statement by the top diplomat’s office reads.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has informed Sa’ar of the decision, the statement says, which adds that Sa’ar has no intention of shortening his visit to the United Kingdom.

Anti-government protesters rally outside Netanyahu’s Jerusalem home, demand hostage deal

Protesters demanding a hostage deal hold a banner reading, "It's enough, what about their freedom?" during a march in Jerusalem, April 17, 2025. (Noam Amir/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

Around a thousand anti-government protesters are calling for a hostage deal outside Netanyahu’s private residence in Jerusalem.

While waving signs playing on the Passover holiday’s celebration of freedom, demonstrators marched earlier from the government complex to their current location.

One protester’s sign reads: “There is no freedom so long as they [the hostages] are there,” while another plays on a song traditionally sung at the Passover seder: “59, who knows?”

The Democrats party chairman, Yair Golan, is also in attendance, shaking protesters’ hands as he moves through the crowd before giving an impromptu speech.

Golan was knocked down by police last month during an anti-government protest in the same spot.

“We have a giant task — to bring hope to the people and citizens of Israel,” says Golan to protesters.

Democrats party chairman Yair Golan speaks at an anti-government protest outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence in Jerusalem on April 17, 2025. (Charlie Summers/Times of Israel)

He calls for new elections, urging protesters to “fight this government with all of our power” and build a governing alternative.

Police and Border Police officers are manning crowd control barricades, keeping protesters from drawing close to the premier’s home.

No arrests have been made so far.

Palestinian man shot in leg by settler in south Hebron Hills — reports

Palestinian media reports that a Palestinian was shot by a settler in the area of Khirbet al-Rakiz in Masafer Yatta, in the West Bank’s southern Hebron Hills.

In the footage, a Palestinian man is seen wounded in his leg, with rescue forces and soldiers beside him.

The soldiers are seen trying to keep the wounded man’s family members away from the scene. A resident of Khirbet al-Rakiz tells The Times of Israel that the injured man is in his seventies.

The incident took place on private Palestinian land, which was being raided by settlers.

No arrests of Israelis have been made.

No response has yet been received from the IDF.

אזרח ישראלי (לא חייל) ירה בפלסטיני באזור חירבת א-רכיז בדרום הר חברון. להבנתי הפצוע הוא בשנות ה-70 לחייו, וזה שטח פלסטיני פרטי. בתיעוד רואים שנורה ברגלו ושלאחר שנפצע היו חיילים שניסו להרחיק בצעקות את משפחתו. טרם התקבלה תגובה מצה"ל. pic.twitter.com/Mz19qbCssE

— Nurit Yohanan (@nurityohanan) April 17, 2025

IDF says drone strike killed Hezbollah commander in southern Lebanon

The IDF says it killed a Hezbollah commander in a drone strike in southern Lebanon’s Blida earlier today.

The strike targeted Ali Ibar al-Nabi Khadi, the deputy commander of Hezbollah’s forces in the Mhaibib area, according to the military.

https://twitter.com/manniefabian/status/1912909717204041946

Hundreds of ex-soldiers, bereaved families, join call for prioritization of hostage deal

Hundreds of former IDF soldiers, including senior officers and bereaved families of fallen soldiers, join calls on the government to prioritize a hostage deal — even if it means ending the war in Gaza, according to a Ynet news report.

A letter signed by 458 former members of the Golani Brigade urges the immediate return of the hostages, even at the expense of the cessation of fighting.

Signatories include former IDF Intelligence chief Maj. Gen. (res.) Uri Sagi, former Central Command head Maj. Gen. (res.) Ilan Biran, and Maayan and Ron Kehati, whose son Sgt. Gur Kehati was killed in Lebanon in November.

Another letter, signed by 315 former members of reconnaissance and infantry units, states: “This is the top-priority mission, these are the values that guide us, and this is our moral duty as a nation. This is a call to save lives.”

Most of the signatories are not currently serving in the reserves, Ynet notes.

Israel’s New York envoy extends support to Pennsylvania governor after Passover arson attack

Israel’s Consul General in New York Ofir Akunis sends a message of support to Jewish lawmaker Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, whose home was targeted in an arson attack on the first night of Passover.

Akunis expresses shock over the attack and says he is relieved that Shapiro and his family are safe.

“This appalling act of violence, carried out during one of the most meaningful nights of the Jewish calendar, could have resulted in a far greater tragedy. We commend law enforcement for their swift and effective response, and we stand in full solidarity with you and your family,” the message reads.

“On behalf of the State of Israel, we wish you continued strength, safety and good health.”

“We stand with you and your family. Wishing you strength, safety, and good health.”

Shocked and saddened by the arson attack on the residents of Pennsylvania Governor @GovernorShapiro during Passover, Consul General @Ofir_Akunis sent a letter expressing full solidarity on behalf… pic.twitter.com/fWGxPoLDOF

— Israel in New York (@IsraelinNewYork) April 17, 2025

Reports in Gaza say man killed by gunmen affiliated with Hamas

Saeed al-Jamasi, a resident of Gaza City, announced yesterday on his Facebook account that his brother, Zakariya al-Jamasi, was shot by gunmen.

The brother writes that the family was staying in a school in Gaza City that serves as a shelter for displaced people. According to him, gunmen entered the school and tried to abduct him, but his brother tried to stop them.

They then shot him, and he was killed.

Media outlets opposed to Hamas report that the gunmen are affiliated with Hamas.

The victim’s brother posts footage of his brother’s body, showing that he was shot dead in the chest.

Warning: Graphic footage

A statement issued by the clans and families of the southern Gaza govenorates:

Zakaria al-Jamasi was killed by Hamas gunmen in Gaza.

Zakaria al-Jamasi, also known as Abu al-Majd, was martyred after being directly shot by armed Hamas members inside a shelter school in Gaza… pic.twitter.com/Nilo635G1w

— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) April 17, 2025

Saudi defense minister hands letter from king to Khamenei during Tehran visit

Iran's Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major-General Mohammed Bagheri (L) receiving Saudi Arabia's Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman (C) in Tehran on April 17, 2025. (Iranian Army Office / AFP)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman arrives in Tehran for meetings with officials in a visit ahead of weekend talks between Iran and the United States over the Iranian nuclear program.

The defense minister delivered a message from Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s state media reports, without giving further details about the content of the message.

Iran and the US are set to hold a second round of talks in Rome this weekend about Tehran’s disputed uranium enrichment program.

“Our belief is that the relationship between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Saudi Arabia is beneficial for both countries,” Iranian state media cites Khamenei as saying in the meeting. Khamenei voiced Tehran’s readiness to overcome obstacles in the way of improving ties with Riyadh.

US sanctions International Bank of Yemen over support for Houthis

WASHINGTON — The United States issues new sanctions targeting the International Bank of Yemen, citing its financial support for the Houthis, the Iran-backed rebel group that has waged attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and against Israel, a Treasury Department statement says.

The US is also sanctioning IBY leaders or officials, the statement says.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

IDF Home Front Command says new mobile alert system to give earlier warnings for long-range missiles

A third party app showing alerts across central Israel early on September 15, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/ FLASH90)

The IDF Home Front Command announces that it is deploying a new alert system on its mobile application, giving civilians a much earlier warning of long-range ballistic missile fire on the country.

When a missile is fired from Yemen, Iran, or other distant locations at Israel, the military can identify the projectile well before sirens are activated.

Currently, sirens are activated based on the shortest-range threat, regardless of where the missile was launched from. For example, in Tel Aviv, civilians are given 90 seconds to seek shelter — based on rocket fire from Gaza or Lebanon — even if a missile is fired from Yemen, which takes some 10 minutes to reach the country.

Starting today, in the event of missile fire from Yemen, the Home Front Command says it will send out an early warning on its app to those in areas under potential threat. This alert will give people 3-5 minutes to prepare to seek shelter before sirens sound.

The IDF says the early alert does not require people to seek shelter immediately, and it is intended to give them more time to prepare and feel safer.

The early alert will be distributed to a wide area under potential threat, but the sirens may only sound in certain specific areas. The military says there may be cases where people receive an early alert, but no sirens sound in their area.

The new update to the Home Front Command app comes after several weeks of trials, staff work, and feedback from the public, it says.

The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit adds that it will also issue a public statement when the military identifies missile fire from Yemen.

Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen have launched more than 20 ballistic missiles and several drones at Israel. Only half of the missiles set off sirens in Israel, while the others fell short.

12 NGO chiefs warn Gaza aid distribution ‘facing total collapse’

Palestinian children receive their portion of a hot meal at a free food distribution point in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on April 12, 2025. (Eyad BABA / AFP)

OSLO, Norway — The humanitarian aid system in Gaza is “facing total collapse” because of Israel’s blockade on aid supplies since March 2, the heads of 12 major aid organizations warn, urging Israel to let them “do our jobs.”

Israel stresses there is enough food in Gaza for now, and has vowed to maintain its blockage on humanitarian aid to the war-ravaged territory, saying it is the only way to force Hamas to release the 59 hostages still held there.

Senior officials in Israel’s security establishment believe that the humanitarian supplies and food in the Gaza Strip will only last another month or so, the Kan public broadcaster reported yesterday.

“Every single person in Gaza is relying on humanitarian aid to survive,” the chief executives of 12 NGOs, including Oxfam and Save the Children, write in a joint statement.

“That lifeline has been completely cut off since a blockade on all aid supplies was imposed by Israeli authorities on March 2,” they say, adding that “This is one of the worst humanitarian failures of our generation.”

A survey of 43 international and Palestinian aid organizations working in Gaza found that almost all have suspended or drastically cut services since a ceasefire ended on March 18, “with widespread and indiscriminate bombing making it extremely dangerous to move around,” the NGOs say.

“Famine is not just a risk, but [is] likely rapidly unfolding in almost all parts of Gaza,” they say. “Survival itself is now slipping out of reach, and the humanitarian system is at breaking point.”

“We call on all parties to guarantee the safety of our staff and to allow the safe, unfettered access of aid into and across Gaza through all entry points, and for world leaders to oppose further restrictions.”

Previous reports that famine was occurring in parts of Gaza or was imminent have been found to be inaccurate.

PM’s office touts Netanyahu’s efforts against nuclear program, doesn’t deny Trump blocked Iran strike

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presents material on Iranian nuclear weapons development during a press conference in Tel Aviv, April 30 2018. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

In its first comment on the matter, the Prime Minister’s Office does not deny a New York Times article saying US President Donald Trump blocked a proposed Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities last month.

The statement says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has lead a campaign for over a decade against Iran’s nuclear program, even when critics have called the threat a “political spin” or called the premier “paranoid.”

“The prime minister has led numerous overt and covert actions in the conflict against Iran’s nuclear program,” the statement says, adding that because of those operations, Tehran does not possess a nuclear arsenal today.

“As the prime minister has declared many times, Israel will not allow Iran to possess a nuclear weapon,” the PMO says.

IMF chief says global economy likely to avoid recession despite Trump tariffs

WASHINGTON — The global economy is likely to avoid a recession despite the hit to growth from US President Donald Trump’s tariff rollout, the head of the International Monetary Fund says.

While trade disruptions will inevitably “incur costs,” the Fund now expects “notable” markdowns to growth but no recession, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva tells reporters in Washington, according to prepared remarks.

Russian court scraps Taliban terror label

Taliban security personnel patrol along the road in a humvee vehicle after a man was publicly executed at a football stadium in Zaranj, in Nimruz province, Afghanistan, on April 11, 2025. (AFP)

MOSCOW, Russia — Russia’s Supreme Court removes the Taliban’s designation as a “terrorist organization,” a symbolic gesture aimed at building friendly ties with Afghanistan’s de facto rulers.

“By decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, the previously established ban on the activities of the Taliban — included on the unified federal list of organizations recognised as terrorist — has been suspended,” a judge says, according to the TASS state news agency.

Portrait of Gazan boy who lost both arms in Israeli strike wins World Press Photo of the Year

This image provided by World Press Photo and taken by Samar Abu Elouf, for The New York Times, won the World Press Photo Award of the Year and shows Mahmoud Ajjour (9), who was injured during an Israeli attack on Gaza City in March 2024, finds refuge and medical help in Doha, Qatar, 28 June 2024. (Samar Abu Elouf, for The New York Times/World Press Photo via AP)

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A portrait of a young Palestinian boy who lost both arms as a result of an Israeli attack in Gaza is honored as World Press Photo of the year.

The photo, taken by Qatar-based Palestinian photographer Samar Abu Elouf for The New York Times, shows 9-year-old Mahmoud Ajjour with his arms missing just below each shoulder.

“One of the most difficult things Mahmoud’s mother explained to me was how, when Mahmoud first came to the realization that his arms were amputated, the first sentence he said to her was, ‘How will I be able to hug you?'” Abu Elouf says in a statement released by the World Press Photo organization.

The winner of the 68th edition of the prestigious photojournalism contest was selected from 59,320 entries submitted by 3,778 photographers from 141 countries.

“This is a quiet photo that speaks loudly. It tells the story of one boy, but also of a wider war that will have an impact for generations,” World Press Photo Executive Director Joumana El Zein Khoury says.

In a statement, the organization says that Ajjour was injured while fleeing an Israeli attack in March 2024.

“After he turned back to urge his family onward, an explosion severed one of his arms and mutilated the other,” according to the World Press Photo citation.

“This young boy’s life deserves to be understood, and this picture does what great photojournalism can do: provide a layered entry point into a complex story, and the incentive to prolong one’s encounter with that story,” says jury chair Lucy Conticello, who is Director of Photography for French newspaper Le Monde’s weekend magazine.

Winning photographer Abu Elouf was evacuated from Gaza in December 2023, and she now lives in the same apartment complex as Ajjour in Qatar’s capital, Doha.

Hamas smuggling unit chief killed in Khan Younis airstrike, IDF and Shin Bet says

IDF troops operate in the Gaza Strip, in a handout photo issued by the military on April 17, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

The chief of Hamas’s smuggling unit was killed in an airstrike in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis on Tuesday, the IDF and Shin Bet announce.

Yahya Fathi Abd al-Qader Abu Shaar worked in recent years to smuggle weapons and other military equipment, which was used by Hamas, including during the terror group’s October 7, 2023, onslaught, the IDF says.

The IDF releases footage of the strike.

Footage released by the IDF on April 17, 2025, shows a strike on the chief of Hamas’s smuggling unit in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis. (Israel Defense Forces)

The military says another strike in Khan Younis last week killed a prominent member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Mazen Ibraheem Mahfouz Farah had directed “significant” terror attacks in Israel over the past two years, and especially in recent months, according to the IDF.

In both strikes, the IDF says it took numerous steps to mitigate civilian harm, including the use of a “precision munition, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence.”

Additionally, the IDF says that some 110 targets were struck by the Israeli Air Force in Gaza over the past two days.

The targets included cells of terror operatives and infrastructure used by Hamas and other terror groups, according to the military.

Last night, a building belonging to Hamas’s naval force in central Gaza’s Nuseirat, which the IDF says was used to plan attacks on Israel, was struck.

Man shot dead in Nazareth restaurant, police and medics say

A 25-year-old man was shot dead inside a restaurant in Nazareth earlier today, police and paramedics say.

Paramedics found the victim in critical condition at around 3 p.m. and transported him to the city’s EMMS Hospital, where he was pronounced dead by doctors after several resuscitation attempts failed.

Police say they have opened an investigation into the shooting. They have not yet arrested any suspects.

UN nuclear watchdog head says time running out to reach nuclear deal with Iran

This handout picture made available by the Iranian Atomic Organization (AEOI) office shows the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi (L) being received by the head of the AEOI Mohammad Eslami (R) in Tehran on April 17, 2025. (Atomic Energy Organization of Iran / AFP)

TEHRAN, Iran — UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi says that Iran and the United States were running out of time to secure a deal as they prepare to hold fresh nuclear talks this weekend.

Iranian and US delegations are to gather in Rome on Saturday for a second round of Omani-mediated negotiations, a week after the longtime foes held their highest-level talks since US President Donald Trump abandoned a landmark nuclear accord in 2018.

“We are in a very crucial stage of these important negotiations. We know we don’t have much time, this is why I am here … to facilitate this process,” Grossi says on a visit to Tehran.

“We are working hard and we want to succeed,” he tells a joint news conference with Iran’s atomic energy agency chief Mohammad Eslami, acknowledging that the search for a deal was “not an easy process.”

IDF says it struck Hamas command center in northern Gaza; Palestinian media reports school hit, 6 killed

A Palestinian youth looks through a damaged building's window after overnight Israeli strikes on a residential area in Jabalia's southwestern district of Nazla in the northern Gaza Strip, on April 16, 2025. (Photo by BASHAR TALEB / AFP)

A Hamas operative at one of the terror group’s command centers was targeted in an airstrike in northern Gaza’s Jabalia a short while ago, the IDF and Shin Bet say.

Palestinian media reports that the strike hit a school in Jabalia that served as a shelter for displaced Gazans. The reports say six people were killed and several others were wounded in the attack.

The command center had been used by the terror operative “to plan and carry out terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops,” the military says.

The IDF says it took steps to mitigate civilian harm in the strike, including the use of a “precision munition, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence.”

“The Hamas terrorist organization systematically violates international law while taking over civilian infrastructure, and while brutally exploiting the civilian population as a human shield for its terror attacks,” the military adds.

IDF destroys Hamas training camp in newly created corridor in south Gaza, seize weapons

A Hamas training camp found by the IDF in the Morag Corridor area of the Gaza Strip, in a handout photo issued by the military on April 17, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Troops of the Golani Brigade operating in the newly created Morag Corridor area, between Rafah and Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, have demolished a Hamas training camp, the military says.

The facility, belonging to Hamas’s Shaboura Battalion, included a mock Israeli tank, photos released by the IDF show.

The IDF says the troops also captured a cache of weapons and destroyed other Hamas infrastructure in the area.

Troops of the IDF’s Golani Brigade are seen operating in the Morag Corridor area of the Gaza Strip, in a handout photo issued by the military on April 17, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Troops of the IDF’s Golani Brigade are seen operating in the Morag Corridor area of the Gaza Strip, in a handout photo issued by the military on April 17, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Troops of the IDF’s Golani Brigade are seen operating in the Morag Corridor area of the Gaza Strip, in a handout photo issued by the military on April 17, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Meeting Putin, Qatar’s ruler claims Israel ‘did not abide’ by Gaza truce deal

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, shakes hands with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, April 17, 2025. (Alexander Nemenov / Pool / AFP)

Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani claims that Israel failed to respect January’s ceasefire agreement in Gaza, as he meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

“As you know, we reached an agreement months ago, but unfortunately, Israel did not abide by this agreement,” says Qatari ruler, a key mediator of the deal.

He also says Doha plans to strengthen relations with Russia.

Putin, meanwhile, tells the emir that it is important for Moscow to discuss the Israel-Palestine conflict and the future of Syria during the visit.

The two leaders review agreements to be signed during the emir’s visit, described by the Kremlin as “very important.”

Sheikh Tamim also says that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, an ally of Qatar, is seeking to build relations with Russia, after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, who was a close ally of Russia.

High Court rejects government’s demand to expedite ruling on Shin Bet chief’s firing

The High Court of Justice hears petitions against the firing of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar in Jerusalem, April 8, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/FLASH90)

The High Court of Justice rejects a request on behalf of the government that the court expedite its discussion regarding the legality of the dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar.

The court has issued an interim order freezing Bar’s firing and given the sides time to negotiate an agreed solution.

Yesterday, the government demanded that the court rescind the temporary injunction, in an addendum to a legal opinion filed by a lawyer for Boaz Miran, brother of Gaza hostage Omri Miran and a member of the hawkish Tikva Forum.

In its response, the court says it’s regrettable that the request wasn’t filed directly by the government. Justices Isaac Amit, Daphne Barak-Erez and Noam Sohlberg say the request is based on media reports, “which cannot be a basis for a judicial decision.”

They say further decisions will be based on affidavits to be filed in the coming days, inviting the sides to file them.

The judges reject the government’s argument that imposing a Shin Bet chief they distrust endangers security and robs the government of its powers. “The government is entrusted with making diplomatic and defense decisions, and the existence of judicial review regarding an appointment, as senior as it is, doesn’t take away from that in any way,” they write.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet voted in March to fire Bar, citing a breakdown in trust. The unprecedented ouster — which came amid a high-profile, ongoing Shin Bet investigation into several of Netanyahu’s close aides — was immediately challenged. The court ruled two weeks ago that, while a compromise is being sought on the procedure used to fire Bar, he cannot in the meantime be removed from his position.

Cyprus’s AG appeals court acquittal of 5 Israelis accused of raping UK tourist

Cyprus’s attorney general George Savvides has filed an appeal against last month’s acquittal of five Israeli men who were accused of raping a British tourist in Ayia Napa, reports say.

In late March, a district court in Cyprus found the defendants not guilty of an alleged gang rape, dismissing all charges — including rape, forced sexual intercourse, sexual harassment, and abduction — and ordering their release after a year and a half in jail.

In September 2023, a 20-year old British tourist accused the five men, all residents of the Arab Israeli town of Majd al-Krum in the Galilee, of abducting her from the pool area of a hotel, forcing her into a hotel room, and raping and abusing her until she managed to escape.

The defendants confirmed there had been a sexual encounter, but insisted it had been consensual.

According to Philenews, the English website of local newspaper O Phileleftheros, the court ruled that the complainant’s account “lacked coherence and contained numerous substantial contradictions,” both internally and when compared to other reliable witnesses, including hotel employees, guests in an adjacent room, and her own close friend.

The woman’s lawyer, Michael Polak, welcomes the prosecutors’ decision to appeal the verdict.

“Obviously she was very disappointed with the acquittals of the men after bravely traveling back to Cyprus to give evidence,” he tells Sky News. “The decision of the attorney general to appeal their acquittals is welcome. The appeal process in Cyprus is long and slow, but she still hopes to achieve justice at the end of the process.”

The Israelis have since returned to Israel and are unlikely to return to Cyprus for the discussions regarding the appeal.

Eisenkot spars with Netanyahu’s Likud, says he knew of PM’s alleged 2013 attempted wiretapping of top officials

Outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot (L) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attend a handover ceremony at the Defense Ministry for new Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi on January 15, 2019. (Jack Guez/AFP)

National Unity MK Gadi Eisenkot says he knew about an alleged instruction given in 2013 by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the head of the Shin Bet security service to carry out illicit monitoring of senior officials to prevent media leaks.

“I knew they were asked to carry out surveillance, and I can say I was even consulted,” Eisenkot, who was Netanyahu’s military secretary at the time, tells the Kan public broadcaster. “I wasn’t a target because he trusted me, but I knew about the stories in real time.”

He says he was in charge of the monitoring actions carried out on behalf of Netanyahu’s office.

The remarks support an allegation made last week by former Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen in a declaration to the High Court of Justice.

Cohen claimed that, in 2013, Netanyahu asked him to use intelligence tools to monitor anyone who was party to knowledge of an impending Israeli operation in a hostile country until the operation was completed. Cohen said he declined, telling Netanyahu it was inappropriate for the Shin Bet to use tools designed for spying missions and to prevent terror attacks against “hundreds” of members of Israel’s intelligence agencies, including their heads.

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel submitted that filing to the High Court as supporting evidence for its petition against Netanyahu and the government’s decision to fire current Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar.

Eisenkot also repeats his criticism of Netanyahu’s handling of the war, his government’s attacks on law enforcement officials leading probes into alleged wrongdoing in his office, and his advisers allegedly acting on behalf of Qatari interests, which is at the center of one of those probes.

Netanyahu’s Likud responds by accusing Eisenkot, who lost a son and a nephew during fighting in Gaza in the current war, of “striving for complete surrender to Hamas in Gaza and the entire Iranian axis.” It adds: “The public doesn’t buy [the center-left’s] defeatism, nor their fake political probes that they echo with cooperation by the media, and which fall apart time after time.”

National Unity responds to the response, accusing Netanyahu of giving in to his government’s far-right flank, fumbling opportunities to free the Gaza hostages, and only launching a ground offensive in Gaza under the centrist party’s pressure early in the war.

“It’s time for the prime minister who oversaw the biggest failure since the state’s founding to stop giving in to every political demand, and do what’s right for the State of Israel — return the hostages, thwart Iran’s nuclear capabilities, pass a [Haredi] enlistment outline, form a state commission of inquiry [into Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught], and go to elections.”

Hamas officials say consultations on response to Israel truce offer ‘almost complete’

Two Hamas officials tell AFP that the terror group’s discussions on an Israeli truce proposal are nearly complete, with a response expected soon.

“These talks are almost complete, and the group will send its response to the mediators once they finish. It’s expected the talks will wrap up soon — possibly even today,” an official says, with another member of the group confirming his account.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Iranian foreign minister arrives in Russia, is set to meet Putin

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi lands in Moscow, beginning a visit to Russia during which he is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Saudi defense minister arrives in Tehran ahead of US-Iran talks

Saudi Arabia’s Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman arrives in Tehran for meetings with officials, Saudi state news agency SPA reports, in a visit ahead of weekend talks between Iran and the United States over the Iranian nuclear program.

Lapid pans Netanyahu over report of blocked Iran strike; Bennett suggests PM behind leak to NYT

Commenting on the report that US President Donald Trump blocked an Israeli effort to hit Iran’s nuclear facilities, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid says he suggested strikes on the country’s oil fields in October but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “was afraid, and halted it.”

Meanwhile, former prime minister Naftali Bennett, a likely Netanyahu rival for right-wing votes in the next election, accuses the premier of being behind the leak of the stalled plan to The New York Times.

“The Netanyahu doctrine is to threaten, threaten, threaten and then leak [to the media] that he meant to but was prevented from doing it,” Bennett says in a statement, adding that this is “another dangerous conception that mustn’t blow up in our faces. There won’t be another such opportunity.”

Daughter is born to Chabad rabbi Zvi Kogan, 5 months after his murder in UAE

Zvi Kogan, a Chabad rabbi who was murdered in the UAE in November 2024. (Courtesy: Chabad)

A daughter has been born in recent days to Rabbi Zvi Kogan, an Israeli-Moldovan Chabad emissary who was murdered in November in the United Arab Emirates.

Rivky Kogan gave birth to a baby girl five months after Kogan, who was working to expand Jewish life in Abu Dhabi, was murdered by three Uzbek terrorists, according to the COLlive website, which reports on the Chabad community.

Kogan’s body was found in late November in the Emirati city of Al Ain after he had been reported missing several days earlier.

Friends and colleagues of the 28-year-old rabbi spoke fondly of him as a selfless leader who lived to help others.

Last month, the three murder suspects were sentenced to death in an Abu Dhabi court.

Ben Gvir hails ‘huge’ Temple Mount shift: ‘What wasn’t done for 30 years is being done on my watch’

Otzma Yehudit party leader Itamar Ben Gvir welcomes the visit and open prayer at the Temple Mount by Religious Zionism MK Zvi Sukkot this morning, again taking credit for leading a change in the status quo at the flashpoint holy site allowing Jews to pray there.

“I’m happy to see that also MK Zvi Sukkot, like many thousands, is prostrating himself and praying at the Temple Mount,” Ben Gvir says. “What wasn’t done for 30 years is being done on my watch, and I’m happy to have the honor, by the grace of God, to lead this huge change.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly denied there has been a change in the status quo, despite evidence to the contrary.

Thousands of observant Jews have visited the site this week to mark the festival of Passover.

Coalition MK prays at Temple Mount, praises ‘tremendous change’ at holy site

Religious Zionism MK Zvi Sukkot visits the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and hails the “tremendous change” at the flashpoint holy site.

The lawmaker is filmed praying and prostrating himself at the compound, despite a status quo arrangement barring Jews from praying there. Private and even public prayer has increasingly been tolerated at Judaism’s holiest site even though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to insist there has been no change to the status quo.

Sukkot tells reporters that his last visit was 14 years ago, when he attempted to pray and was immediately seized by cops and arrested.

“Today, Jews prostrate themselves, pray, with a minyan [quorum of 10 adult Jews], don’t let the Arabs come near us. The Waqf doesn’t come near us,” he boasts, referring to the Jordanian religious trust that administers the site, which is also the third-holiest in Islam.

“I see this [change] with tears in my eyes,” he adds, saying he prays for the IDF’s success in the ongoing war and for the return of the hostages.

לאחר 14 שנה שלא עלה: ח"כ צבי סוכות עלה הבוקר להר הבית והתפלל להשבת החטופים וניצחון המלחמה והשתחווה במקום הקדוש pic.twitter.com/aSL9rAqv4K

— חזקי ברוך (@HezkeiB) April 17, 2025

חבר הכנסת צבי סוכות עולה להר הבית לראשונה לאחר 14 שנה לתפילות חג הפסח בהר עם רעייתו, בליווי ראש מינהלת הר הבית הרב שמשון אלבוים pic.twitter.com/CNUiQF0goK

— מינהלת הר הבית (@har_habait) April 17, 2025

Hamas agency claims 25 killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza; no comment from IDF

Gaza’s Hamas-controlled civil defense agency claims Israeli airstrikes hit multiple encampments for displaced Palestinians across the territory, allegedly killing at least 25 people.

Agency spokesman Mahmoud Bassal says an overnight strike targeted several tents in the Al-Mawasi area of the southern city of Khan Younis, resulting in 16 deaths.

“At least 16 martyrs, most of them women and children, and 23 others were wounded following a direct strike by two Israeli missiles on several tents housing displaced families in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis,” Bassal tells AFP.

Fire burns from displacement tents in Gaza’s Khan Younis following Israeli airstrikes. Palestinian health authorities say the strike has killed at least 10 people.#Israel #Gaza #Palestine

Read more: https://t.co/JlZ4z4Eznq pic.twitter.com/OGKPpsDLbp

— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) April 17, 2025

According to Bassal, two additional strikes on other encampments of displaced people have killed nine and wounded several more. Seven were killed in a strike on tents in the northern town of Beit Lahiya, while another attack near the Al-Mawasi area killed a father and his child who were living in a tent, Bassal says.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF. The military has previously said it aims only at terror targets and seeks to minimize civilian fatalities, stressing that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields and fights from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools and mosques.

IDF says it hit Hezbollah sites, says terror group using civilians as ‘human shield’

The Israel Defense Forces says it struck Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon overnight, without providing more specific details.

“Hezbollah is cynically exploiting civilian infrastructure for terror purposes, and using Lebanon’s residents as a human shield,” the military says. “The IDF will act against efforts by Hezbollah to restore assets or entrench itself militarily.”

‘Time to change the Middle East’: Gantz urges coordinated strike on Iran’s nukes

National Unity party leader Benny Gantz reacts to the report that Israel shelved a plan to strike Iran’s nuclear sites after US President Donald Trump rejected it and chose diplomacy.

“The Iranian Regime are experts at stalling,” the senior opposition politician tweets in English. “The State of Israel must, and can remove the prospect of Iranian nuclear capabilities.”

In a Hebrew-language version of the post, Gantz explicitly says Israel “must and can strike Iran.”

“Coordinating closely with our great ally the United States, it is time to change the Middle East,” he adds.

Trump admininstration threatens to ban Harvard from enrolling foreign students

US President Donald Trump’s administration says it will stop Harvard University from enrolling foreign students if it does not agree to government demands that would put it under outside political supervision.

Trump is furious at the storied university — which has produced 162 Nobel prize winners — for rejecting his request to submit to oversight on admissions, hiring and political slant.

“And if Harvard cannot verify it is in full compliance with its reporting requirements, the university will lose the privilege of enrolling foreign students,” reads a statement from the Department of Homeland Security.

Jewish actress Michelle Trachtenberg died of complications from diabetes, says examiner

Michelle Trachtenberg appears at The Art of Elysium's Ninth annual Heaven Gala in Culver City, California, on January 9, 2016. (Photo by Rich Fury/Invision/AP, File)

US actress Michelle Trachtenberg died in February as a result of complications from diabetes, New York City’s medical examiner says.

The office says in a statement that it has amended the cause and manner of death for the 39-year-old Jewish star following a review of laboratory test results.

Trachtenberg, who was known for “Gossip Girl,” ” Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Harriet the Spy,” was found unconscious and unresponsive in her luxury apartment tower in Manhattan in February.

Officials at the time said no foul play was suspected, and the medical examiner’s office had listed her death as “undetermined.”

Trachtenberg’s family objected to an autopsy, which the medical examiner’s office honored because there is no evidence of criminality.

Her representative doesn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Hamas struggling to pay operatives in Gaza due to worsening cash crunch — WSJ

Hamas fighters are deployed in Rafah ahead of the planned release of two among six Israeli hostages set to be handed over to the Red Cross, Gaza Strip, on February 22, 2025. (AP/Jehad Alshrafi)

Hamas is struggling to pay its members in Gaza, including senior terror operatives, due to a worsening cash crunch, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Citing Arab, Israeli and Western officials, the US newspaper notes Israel’s decision to block humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip, some of which Hamas took and sold. It also quotes Arab intelligence officials who say the renewed Israeli offensive in Gaza has taken out Hamas members who play key roles in doling out cash to operatives, while others have been forced to hide.

The intelligence officials add that employees in Gaza’s Hamas-led government have stopped receiving payments, while senior operatives and political figures received half of their wages over Ramadan and rank-and-file fighters get $200-$300 monthly.

The Israeli and Western officials say Hamas was facing a cash squeeze before the ceasefire and hostage release deal that took effect in January, providing the terror group an opportunity to generate revenue by taxing merchants, demanding trucks make payments at checkpoints and seizing goods to fence. Hamas also reportedly uses funds it has overseas to buy humanitarian aid to sell in Gaza, turning it back into cash.

US envoy: Offer made in direct hostage talks with Hamas was ‘coordinated with Israel’

US hostage envoy Adam Boehler speaks with Al Jazeera in an interview aired on April 17, 2025. (YouTube screenshot)

The Trump administration’s hostage envoy Adam Boehler says that the offer he made earlier this year in direct negotiations with Hamas to secure the release of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander was “coordinated with Israel.”

An Israeli official previously told The Times of Israel that Jerusalem was unaware of the offer made by the US envoy, which was at the root of Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer’s anger at Boehler, who held several unprecedented meetings with Hamas leaders earlier this year without informing Israel.

The offer included the release of 100 of the remaining 300 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli jails in exchange for Alexander, the Israeli official said, confirming reporting from The New York Times.

“I gave Hamas an offer. It was an offer that was decided in the United States, it was coordinated with Israel,” Boehler tells Al Jazeera.

“Hamas, at that time, wasn’t able to get there. Then [US special envoy to the Mideast] Steve [Witkoff] came out and talked about something else, and then [Hamas] came and accepted my offer,” he adds, confirming that Hamas on March 14 had accepted his proposal aimed at securing the release of Alexander along with the bodies of four other Americans.

By then, however, the existence of his talks were leaked and the US moved on to Witkoff’s offer, which was transmitted through Qatari and Egyptian mediators.

“Hamas has been moving too slowly. It’s been not too much, a little late,” Boehler says.

Despite the outcry in Israel over his direct talks with Hamas, Boehler tells Al Jazeera that they still could happen again. “I think it is possible.”

US Department of Homeland Security cancels $2.7 million in grants to Harvard

WASHINGTON — US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announces the cancellation of two DHS grants totaling over $2.7 million to Harvard University.

“This action follows President Donald J. Trump’s decision to freeze $2.2 billion in federal funding to Harvard University, proposing the revocation of its tax-exempt status over its radical ideology,” Noem says in a statement.

Trump waved off planned Israeli attack on Iran to pursue negotiated nuclear deal — NYT

US President Donald Trump, right, meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 7, 2025. (SAUL LOEB / AFP)

US President Donald Trump waved off an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear sites planned for next month in favor of negotiating a deal with Iran to limit its nuclear program, the New York Times reports, citing administration officials and others.

According to the newspaper, Trump informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of his decision to not support such an attack amid the negotiations with Iran when the premier visited the White House earlier this month. During their meeting, Trump announced the United States would begin negotiations with Iran on a deal to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.

The report says Trump decided not to back the Israeli attack plans, which would have required US military support to carry out, due to internal disagreements in the administration. It adds that Netanyahu was pushing for the attack to take place as soon as next month.

Putin meets ex-hostages at Kremlin, calls to thank Hamas leaders for their release

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin meets with freed Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas hostages Sasha Troufanov, Yelena Trufanova and Sapir Cohen at the Kremlin in Moscow on April 16, 2025. (Sofia Sandurskaya/Pool/AFP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin met Wednesday evening with freed hostage Sasha Troufanov at the Kremlin in Moscow, along with his mother, Yelena Trufanova, and partner, Sapir Cohen, both of whom are also former captives.

“The fact that you managed to go free is the result of the fact that Russia has stable, long-term relations with the Palestinian people, with its representatives, and with a wide variety of organizations,” Putin tells the ex-hostages in a video clip from the meeting published by the state-funded RT television network, saying that “we need to express words of gratitude to the leadership of the political wing of Hamas for cooperating with us and carrying out this humanitarian act.”

“We will do everything to ensure that such acts happen as often as possible and that all the people who are still in the same conditions that you had been in…are also released,” Putin continues in the clip, sighing deeply in response to Sasha telling him that he was held in Gaza for 498 days.

Putin with words of GRATITUDE to Hamas political wing for agreeing to release Russian-Israeli hostage https://t.co/vnTegy0fPZ pic.twitter.com/VAHHKSoH9u

— RT (@RT_com) April 16, 2025

Troufanov and Cohen were taken hostage by Palestinian terrorists from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, along with Sasha’s mother and grandmother Irena Tati, while his father Vitaly was killed during the Hamas-led atrocities. The three women were freed during a November 2023 ceasefire.

According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, days before Troufanov’s release from Islamic Jihad captivity in February, a deputy Russian foreign minister met with a senior Hamas official in Moscow and urged the Palestinian terror group to keep “promises” to release Troufanov, a dual Russian-Israeli citizen, and Maxim Herkin, a current Israeli hostage from the Donbas area of Ukraine who has Russian relatives.

The meeting at the Kremlin was also attended by the Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar and President of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia Alexander Boroda, according to Putin’s office, which published a video of the meeting alongside a readout with little substantial information.