April 29: Siren rings out, ceremony held at Western Wall, as Israel marks Memorial Day

Three arrested after man shot, seriously injured in Ma’ale Adumim in the West Bank

Three suspects have been arrested by police in the West Bank in connection with a shooting in Ma’ale Adumim earlier tonight, in which one person was seriously injured.

The incident is not terror-related, says a police spokesman.

Paramedics say they found the injured victim unconscious and took him to Hadassah Hospital on Mount Scopus. He is in an unstable condition.

Law enforcement arrested two of the suspects soon after receiving a report of the shooting. One of them had been carrying a handgun, the law enforcement spokesman adds.

Police later arrested the third suspect.

The investigation is ongoing. West Bank District Commander Moshe Pinchi is currently on his way to the scene of the shooting.

Trump dismisses Biden nominees to US Holocaust Memorial Council, including Doug Emhoff

Doug Emhoff, the husband of US Vice President Kamala Harris, stands between concrete steles after a wreath laying ceremony as part of his visit at the 'Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe' in Berlin, Germany, January 31, 2023. (Michael Sohn/AP)

US President Donald Trump has dismissed many of former president Joe Biden’s nominees to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, including Doug Emhoff, the husband of former vice president Kamala Harris.

Emhoff, who is Jewish and who led the Biden administration’s efforts to combat antisemitism, criticizes Trump’s action, saying, “Let me be clear: Holocaust remembrance and education should never be politicized.”

He added, “To turn one of the worst atrocities in history into a wedge issue is dangerous — and it dishonors the memory of six million Jews murdered by Nazis that this museum was created to preserve.”

Others dismissed alongside Emhoff include former Biden chief of staff Ron Klain and former domestic policy adviser Susan Rice, who was the principal author of and the impetus behind the first-ever comprehensive National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism in 2023.

The White House does not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Prominent Arab-Israeli social activist shot and killed in her car in Tira, central Israel

Susan Abdelqader Bishara, a social activist from Tira who was murdered on April 29, 2025, gives an interview ahead of the city's municipal elections on February 23, 2024. (Screenshot/Youtube)

A 40-year-old woman was shot dead while in her car in the central Arab city of Tira earlier tonight, police and paramedics say.

Local Arabic-language outlets name the victim as Susan Abdelqader Bishara, a well-known social activist and mother to three children. She had previously run as a candidate in the city’s municipal elections.

Bishara was also a long-time member of the joint Arab-Jewish coexistence movement, Women Wage Peace.

“We are speechless and unable to describe the magnitude of the tragedy and pain,” the coexistence group says in a statement, calling Bishara’s murder “a direct result of the neglectful policies of the police and the Minister of National Security.”

Since the start of the year, 84 Arab Israelis have been killed in violent criminal incidents, including seven residents of Tira.

Many community leaders and politicians blame the spiraling homicide rate on police negligence, citing law enforcement’s failure to solve most Arab sector murder cases.

Earlier today, Tira residents staged a protest outside a police station in nearby Kfar Saba, demanding law enforcement take bolder steps to fight violent crime in Arab society, local media reports.

Protesters held signs in Hebrew and Arabic that read, “Tira blames the government,” “It’s not a mistake, it’s policy” and “Enough with crime, enough with killing.”

وقفة احتجاجية في مدينة الطيرة تنديدًا بتفشي العنف والجريمة في أراضي48. pic.twitter.com/yqiVI3rXBu

— الجرمق الإخباري (@aljarmaqnet) April 29, 2025

Police say they have opened an investigation into tonight’s incident. They have not yet arrested any suspects in connection with the crime.

Paramedics found Bishara in critical condition and transported her to Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba. She was pronounced dead by doctors soon after reaching the hospital.

Protesters demonstrate near Herzog’s Tel Aviv home, accuse him of allowing PM to abandon hostages

Protesters hold a silent demonstration near President Isaac Herzog's home in Tel Aviv, on the eve of Memorial Day, April 29, 2025. (Tal AM/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

People stage a silent protest in support of the hostages in Gaza in the Tzahala neighborhood of Tel Aviv, close to the home of President Isaac Herzog.

A banner featuring the faces of the 59 hostages still in Gaza has been set up in the middle of a small traffic circle, surrounded by empty yellow chairs.

The protesters say they are demonstrating against what they see as Herzog’s complacency in allowing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to abandon the hostages for political reasons.

Memorial candles on the ground spell out the phrase “we will not forget, we will not forgive,” completing the scene.

Drone, apparently from Yemen, shot down by Air Force outside of Israeli territory

A drone launched at Israel “from the east,” was shot down by the Israeli Air Force a short while ago, the military says.

The drone was intercepted before crossing into Israeli territory and as such, no sirens sounded “according to protocol,” the IDF adds.

The drone was apparently launched from Yemen.

Peace activists express hope for better future at joint Israeli-Palestinian memorial event

Many speakers and attendees at the Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day ceremony remark upon the significance of holding joint events amid the ongoing war and despite criticism and “intimidation” from those who oppose such initiatives.

Timna Medovoy, a peace activist who works for the It’s Time coalition, says that when she’s attended joint Memorial Day ceremonies in previous years, it was always held outdoors and would typically generate some kind of protest.

This year, the event was held indoors and by invitation only for security reasons. “It’s devastating that the environment is such that holding space for both sides is seen as so dangerous that it has to be done indoors and away from the public eye,” she says.

In contrast, the Palestinian ceremony was held outdoors in Beit Jala.

A Palestinian member of Combatants for Peace did physically attend the Jaffa ceremony but was introduced only as “F” to protect her anonymity.

Born in Gaza, F lost her mother during the war, but despite this loss, says: “Our lives are not only stories of sorrow – they are also stories of resilience, of standing firm and holding on to hope for a better tomorrow.”

Maoz Inon, a peace activist whose parents, Bilha and Yakov Inon, were killed in Netiv HaAsara on October 7, feels that these events are more important than ever. “Every time there’s dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians, it shows that we are on the same side – both of pain and loss, but also for building a better, joint future,” he says.

UN chief says countries must take ‘concrete steps’ toward supporting two-state solution ‘before it’s too late’

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pushes countries to “take irreversible action toward implementing a two-state solution” between Israel and the Palestinians ahead of an international conference in June.

“I encourage Member States to go beyond affirmations, and to think creatively about the concrete steps they will take to support a viable two-state solution before it is too late,” Guterres tells a Security Council meeting on the Middle East.

France and Saudi Arabia will co-host the conference at the United Nations in June.

“Our objective is clear: to make progress on the recognition of Palestine and the normalization of relations with Israel at the same time,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot tells the Security Council.

“This is how we will be able to guarantee Israel’s security and its regional integration, whilst responding to the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians to have their own state,” he says.

He says the road map for the effective implementation of the two-state solution also required the disarming of the Palestinian terror group Hamas, defining a credible government structure in the Gaza Strip that will exclude Hamas, and the reform of the Palestinian Authority.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said numerous times that Israel will not allow the Palestinian Authority to play any role in the governance of the Gaza Strip. He also told French President Emmanuel Macron earlier this month that the establishment of a Palestinian state would be a “huge prize for terror.”

Report: Israeli officials now believe US-Iran nuclear talks are likely to succeed

Israeli officials believe there is a high chance that talks between the US and Iran on a new nuclear agreement will be successful, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

Until recently, the report says, Israeli officials had believed the US and Iran were unlikely to succeed in their efforts to create a new nuclear agreement. Following the third round of talks this past weekend, however, it says they now estimate the chance of success to be higher than the possibility of the talks failing.

‘No one is born into hatred’: Kibbutz Be’eri massacre survivor urges compassion at joint Israeli-Palestinian ceremony

Israelis and Palestinians who have lost loved ones to the conflict, and in particular in the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led assault and the war in Gaza, are featured heavily in the joint Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day ceremony.

“This pain does not separate us, and no one is born into hatred. I believe that only through closeness, understanding, dialogue, and acceptance can we begin to see each other as human beings,” says Liel Fishbein, a survivor of the October 7 massacre in Kibbutz Be’eri who lost his sister Tchelet, in remarks to the crowd.

Liat Atzili, a survivor of the Nir Oz massacre who survived Hamas captivity in Gaza and whose husband Aviv was killed on October 7, addressed the audience, saying, “Freedom is a heavy burden, but it is the only force capable of bringing peace among people and building a just and moral society.”

In a pre-recorded video broadcast, Musa Khatawi, who joined the Parents Circle-Families Forum after losing members of his family during the war in Gaza, says, “Our struggle is not only for justice; it is for the right to live with dignity, without fear, and to end this cycle of violence. Now is the time to insist on ending the occupation and preventing more bloodshed.”

“We stand here today to say that our humanity can see the pain of others without turning a blind eye to our own suffering,” says Sayel Jaberin, a Palestinian member of Combatants for Peace, speaking from the Beit Jala ceremony in a livestream broadcast to the Jaffa ceremony and around the world.

Palestinians are participating in a 200-person ceremony in Beit Jala in the West Bank held in conjunction with the Jaffa ceremony, which they cannot attend as Israel revoked all entry permits to Palestinians following the October 7, 2023, onslaught.

3,000 gather in Jerusalem for memorial ceremony honoring fallen Haredi soldiers

A Memorial Day ceremony honoring fallen Haredi soldiers draws some 3,000 people in Jerusalem, on April 29, 2025. (Rossella Tercatin/Times of Israel)

Some three thousand people gather at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem for a Memorial Day ceremony honoring fallen soldiers from Haredi tracks in the Israel Defense Forces.

The ceremony is organized by the Netzach Yehuda NGO, which supports the Netzach Yehuda Battalion, established over 25 years ago to facilitate the service of Haredi men as combat soldiers.

Keynote speakers at the ceremony include former chief rabbi Shlomo Amar.

The event is taking place against the background of a deep social crisis in Israel, as the Haredi leadership refuses to give up the sweeping exemptions from army service traditionally granted to young ultra-Orthodox men, even as Israel finds itself involved in the longest war in its history.

Israeli source: No progress in hostage talks since Israeli team arrived in Cairo

There has been no progress in hostage talks since an Israeli negotiating team arrived in Cairo last night, an Israeli source tells The Times of Israel.

Overnight, Egyptian sources told Reuters that there had been “significant breakthroughs” in talks, a report denied by Israeli officials.

IDF chief Zamir vows to destroy Hamas, return the hostages; urges ‘everyone’ to serve; hails brave surveillance soldiers

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir speaks at a Memorial Day ceremony at the Western Wall, in the Old City of Jerusalem, on April 29, 2025. (Screenshot)

Speaking at the Memorial Day ceremony at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir says Hamas “is mistaken” about the military’s determination to return the hostages and defeat the terror group.

“We must remember, we are in a multi-front war for the very existence of the State of Israel. Iran and its proxies opened a war. They seek to eliminate the Zionist idea and deprive us of our right to live here as a free and sovereign people,” he says.

“Our enemies were wrong in assessing our response. So, too, Hamas is mistaken about our determination to return the hostages and defeat it. Both tasks involve each other. We will increase our activities until both tasks are completed,” Zamir says.

“To the families of our kidnapped soldiers and civilians, I wish to say: Your voice is heard. The faces of your loved ones are ever before my eyes. Our moral, national, and foremost obligation is to bring the hostages home. We will not rest, and we will not remain silent. We will continue to act in every way possible until we fulfill this sacred mission,” he says.

In comments aimed at the ultra-Orthodox community, who largely don’t serve in the military, he says: “The IDF, the people’s army, is obligated to meet its tasks, and at this time, more than ever, we need everyone.”

“This is an operational necessity, and at the same time, a national need for equality and unity of destiny. I call on everyone to get under the stretcher in the shared historic journey of our people. Toward independence, freedom, and security,” Zamir says.

“I have no doubt that the partnership will be in harmony with the unique diversity that has characterized the people of Israel throughout history,” he says.

Zamir, in his speech, mentions the “brave” surveillance soldiers from the Nahal Oz military post, many of whom were killed and kidnapped during Hamas’s October 7 onslaught: “They reported about the breach of the fence, while keeping their composure in an exemplary manner. They did not stop even when terrorists were close. Even when the shooting was heard right next to them, they continued to alert, until their voices were no longer heard.”

“As the commander of the Israel Defense Forces, as I stand here next to the Western Wall, I swear, along with all IDF soldiers, to continue to realize our responsibility: to protect the State of Israel and ensure our right to live here in a safe and prosperous state,” he adds.

Panic briefly erupts at Memorial Day event in Tel Aviv’s Habima Square after man arrested; police stress: no security threat

Israelis marking Memorial Day near Habima Square in Tel Aviv on April 29, 2025, are seen after a person is arrested by police in the area in what is termed a criminal incident. (Screenshot, Kan news)

Chaos briefly breaks out at a Memorial Day ceremony in Tel Aviv’s Habima Square after a man is arrested on suspicion of trying to attack police officers.

The arrest, which police say was due to suspected criminal activity — meaning that there was no risk of it being a terror attack — sets off panic among onlookers, who begin to flee the square, fearing an unfolding security incident.

🚨 Police Spokesperson: Following inquiries from reporters, there was no security incident at Habima in Tel Aviv, and no shooting took place. A criminal arrest was made after a suspected assault on police officers; two suspects were detained at the scene. pic.twitter.com/3YLXwr20ra

— ILTV Israel News (@ILTVNews) April 29, 2025

Among the fleeing crowds, false rumors of gunshots also begin to spread, contributing to the panic.

״כולם ברחו חשבו שהיה פיגוע״: בהלה בטקס יום הזיכרון ברחבת הבימה לאחר שחשוד ניסה להיכנס בכוח לאזור. במשטרה מבהירים כי אין כל אירוע בטחוני בהבימה אלא בוצע מעצר פלילי לאחר אירוע חשד לתקיפת שוטרים, שני חשודים עוכבו במקום. pic.twitter.com/ljH4GVvDs6

— daniel amram – דניאל עמרם (@danielamram3) April 29, 2025

The Israel Police issues a statement aimed at reassuring the public: “There is no security incident at Habima in Tel Aviv, and there was no shooting.”

Joint Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day ceremony to begin shortly

The 20th annual joint Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day ceremony, organized by Combatants for Peace and the Parents Circle – Families Forum, is slated to begin shortly in Jaffa.

The ceremony has been held annually for twenty years alongside Israel’s official ceremonies on the Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror. It is organized by the left-wing group Combatants for Peace and by the Parents Circle – Families Forum, a grassroots organization of bereaved Israelis and Palestinians who have lost family members to the conflict.

The ceremony is expected to draw a crowd of some 500, according to organizers, while a sister ceremony taking place in Beit Jala in the West Bank is expected to host 200. The event will be live-streamed to over 160 locations across Israel, the West Bank, Europe, and the US, reaching more than 200,000 people, according to the event organizers.

In previous years, the ceremony has hosted up to 15,000 people, but Israel has revoked all entry permits to Palestinians after Hamas’s mass invasion and massacre on October 7, 2023, and no West Bank residents can attend in person.

Last year, the ceremony was held entirely online as a result. This year, organizers decided to hold physical ceremonies in Jaffa and Beit Jala while simultaneously live-streaming them.

Conducted in both Hebrew and Arabic, the event is expected to feature Israeli speakers who lost loved ones to the October 7 attacks, survivors of the massacres and Hamas captivity, and Palestinian speakers who have lost family members to the war in Gaza.

The ceremony will feature musical performances by both Israeli and Palestinian artists, including the Rana Jewish-Arab Women’s Choir and the Jerusalem Arab-Jewish Youth Choir, among others. A documentary will also be screened on the journeys of bereaved Palestinian and Israeli families and how loss can fuel personal and social transformation.

‘Keep us one people’: Herzog pleads for peace within Israeli society in Memorial Day address

President Isaac Herzog speaks at the Memorial Day ceremony at the Western Wall, in the Old City of Jerusalem, on April 29, 2025. (Screenshot)

President Isaac Herzog pleads for the public to put aside division and work for peace and unity across Israeli society at the annual Memorial Day ceremony at the Western Wall, in the Old City of Jerusalem.

He opens his speech with a message to the 59 hostages who remain captive in Gaza, telling them: “A whole nation is missing you, worrying for you, crying your cry.”

Israel is “a nation tormented beyond measure,” the president says. “A nation that knows — deep in its soul, burned with longing and anxiety — that the wound cannot heal until you return.”

“Here, at the place where our soldiers swear to defend the homeland and the freedom of Israel — we too swear, I swear, not to rest and not to be still. Not to rest and not to be still. Not even for a moment. To act with all our might, by every means, to take one more step, and another, until all of you come home,” Herzog vows.

The president then turns to the main focus of his speech and shares the stories of several families that lost two or more family members in fighting or terror attacks.

“We have seen how the words ‘cleared for publication’ can destroy an entire world,” says Herzog, referring to the statements published by the military and in the media when a soldier is killed in action. “And, horrifyingly, how sometimes, within the very same home, yet another world is destroyed — how one family must endure loss upon loss, live life upon life layered with longing.”

He says that it is thanks to these families, “who gave everything — and then gave everything again,” that Israel endures.

“Beloved and cherished bereaved families,” he then says, “the truth must be spoken: We have never sought to live by the sword. We are not war-loving people.”

“On the contrary: peace was, and remains, our greatest yearning. We will never give up on reaching out for peace. Never,” Herzog vows. “At the same time, we will never renounce, even for a moment, our duty to defend ourselves, and our historic and natural right to exist—like every nation—sovereign in our homeland.”

He says that peace “is not only an aspiration outward, toward our neighbors, but a supreme, binding duty inward, within our own home.”

Throughout this difficult war, I have met thousands of bereaved families. One message, one plea, one cry rose from every heart, from every soul, again and again: lower the flames. Mend the hearts. Keep us one people.”

“Enough! Enough division! Enough polarization! Enough hatred!” the president implores. “We must not, by our own hands, bring about the destruction of our national home.”

He ends with a call for the public to “remove the IDF from political disputes,” and to “place the Shin Bet, the Mossad, the police, and all security services above all disputes.”

WATCH: Siren rings out, Western Wall ceremony starts, as Israel comes to a halt for Memorial Day

Israeli flags on graves of fallen soldiers in Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem, on April 29, 2025, ahead of Israeli Memorial Day. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

A minute-long siren is about to ring out across Israel as the clock strikes 8 p.m., bringing the country to a standstill to mark the start of Memorial Day.

The siren will be followed by the lighting of a memorial flame for the fallen at the Western Wall, at the start of the official state commemoration ceremony.

Memorial services for Israel’s fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism will be held across the country throughout the evening.

Tomorrow morning, a two-minute siren will sound at 11 a.m. to mark the start of ceremonies at cemeteries nationwide.

Tomorrow night, another official ceremony will take place at Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem between 7 and 8 p.m., marking the end of Memorial Day and the beginning of Independence Day.

Three hundred and nineteen soldiers have been killed during their military service since Israel’s last Memorial Day, the Defense Ministry said, and another 61 disabled veterans died due to complications from injuries sustained during their service.

The numbers brought the total to 25,420 of those who have died during service to the country since 1860 — the year from which Israel, and before it the Jewish community in the region, began counting its fallen soldiers and defenders.

The annual figures include all soldiers, police officers, Shin Bet agents, and civilian security officers who died in the past year, whether in the line of duty or as a result of an accident, illness, or suicide.

The vast majority of the 319 were killed amid the ongoing war, during fighting in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, and the West Bank.

Dermer returned from Egypt hostage talks after a few hours, but Israeli team remains, official says

Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer flew to Egypt last night to meet Egypt’s intelligence chief, but only remained there for a couple of hours, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.

An Israeli team remains in Cairo as talks continue on a hostage release and ceasefire deal.

Motorcyclist hit, lightly injured by vehicle in PM’s motorcade

A motorcyclist was hit and lightly injured by a vehicle traveling in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s motorcade a short while ago.

The incident occurred on Jerusalem’s Yitzhak Rabin Boulevard, close to the Prime Minister’s Office.

United Hatzalah first responders were called to the scene of the accident, and the motorcyclist was transferred to Shaare Zedek Medical Center for treatment.

The premier was not in the vehicle involved in the accident, but was riding in the motorcade when it occurred.

שיירת ראש הממשלה עשתה תאונה ופגעה ברוכב אופנוע, בסמוך למשרדי ראש ממשלה. דוברות הלשכה הוציאה הודעה: ״ראש הממשלה לא נפגע בתאונה״. pic.twitter.com/UDHWNRQ08f

— daniel amram – דניאל עמרם (@danielamram3) April 29, 2025

Report: One dead, two injured in explosion at gunpowder warehouse in central Iran

At least one person is dead and two others are injured as a result of an explosion in a warehouse in Isfahan, central Iran, local media reports.

The explosion is said to have occurred at a warehouse of the fireworks and gunpowder manufacturer Avanar Parsian Chemical Industries Complex.

Iran International reports, however, that Avanar Parsian may also have ties to the Iranian military, as it holds licenses that allow it to produce and trade commercial, industrial, and chemical explosives.

The warehouse blast comes on the heels of a deadly explosion and fire at a port in southern Iran earlier this week, in which more than 70 people were killed and over 1,000 were injured.

Ben Gvir agrees to sweeping limitations on his ministerial powers in bid to fend off legal challenges

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir speaks during an Israel Police Independence Day ceremony at the National Police Academy in Beit Shemesh, April 20, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Itamar Ben Gvir has agreed to sweeping limitations on his power as national security minister in a compromise struck with Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara today, in a bid to fend off legal challenges to his tenure.

Per the principles laid out in the three-page compromise, the far-right leader is formally barred from dealing with anti-government protests, directly or indirectly.

The compromise was reached as a precondition set by Baharav-Miara before she would agree to defend him in court against legal petitions demanding his dismissal.

The two entered talks in early April to curb Ben Gvir’s interference in operational police matters.

Ben Gvir will be prevented from addressing probes into police conduct and determining law enforcement’s investigations policy under the agreement, outlined in a document shared by a Justice Ministry spokesperson today.

The compromise also limits Ben Gvir’s interference in police appointments, amid claims that the ultranationalist minister has politicized law enforcement by selectively promoting officers who push his agenda.

Under the compromise, Ben Gvir is forbidden from interviewing officers for promotion without the prior recommendation of the police chief and a panel of senior cops.

It also sets limits on Ben Gvir’s interactions with more junior policemen, preventing him from holding interviews regarding the promotion of officers with the superintendent rank. He will be permitted to hold interviews to promote higher-ranking police, namely those ranked chief superintendent and commander, but only in the presence of a senior officer.

The attorney general’s willingness to negotiate with Ben Gvir sparked some controversy within the Justice Ministry, reported Haaretz.

Some officials in the ministry reportedly told the outlet that Ben Gvir’s reappointment should be unconditionally opposed, given his blatant intervention in operational police matters in the past.

Government approves resolution canceling decision to fire Shin Bet chief

The government approves a cabinet resolution to cancel its controversial March 21 decision to fire Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, following Bar’s announcement yesterday that he will resign his position on June 15.

Several Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit ministers did not vote in favor of the decision, Hebrew media outlets reported.

Despite the decision, the Movement for Quality Government in Israel says it will still ask the court to issue a ruling on its petition alleging Bar’s dismissal was tainted by political and personal considerations, including the Qatargate investigation, and procedural flaws.

The petitions had caused significant concern over a constitutional crisis, with cabinet ministers threatening to disobey or work around a potential court ruling declaring Bar’s dismissal to be unlawful.

The government’s resolution said it canceled Bar’s removal from office in part due to “the ongoing crisis between the branches of government during a war of rebirth.”

“We will not let Netanyahu evade a judicial decision through tactical maneuvers,” says the Movement for Quality Government in response.

“The serious flaws in the dismissal process, the improper motivation for dismissing Bar in the midst of the Qatargate investigation, and the ongoing disregard for the rule of law require a principled ruling that will regulate the relationship between the government and the Shin Bet and protect the independence of the gatekeepers.”

Father of American-Israeli hostage calls on Trump to negotiate directly with Hamas

Ruby Chen, father of Israeli hostage Itay, held in Gaza since the October 7 Hamas onslaught, lifts an hourglass as he delivers a statement to the media in Tel Aviv on December 16, 2023. (Yair Sagi)

WASHINGTON — The father of an American-Israeli hostage calls on US President Donald Trump to negotiate directly with Hamas in order to secure the release of his son and the three other American hostages.

“The previous administration told the American families the way to release our family members would be via Israel as a proxy. Though the plan did not work, the Biden administration kept doubling down on the same plan despite not getting the expected results,” slain hostage Itay Chen’s father Ruby writes in an op-ed for Fox News.

“As such, why is President Trump not directly negotiating for the release of US citizens in Gaza, but instead using third parties such as Qatar to negotiate for the release of US citizens?” Chen adds.

Chen joins the father of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander who issued a similar call for the Trump administration’s hostage envoy Adam Boehler to renew his direct talks with Hamas in an interview with The Times of Israel last week.

Those talks were abandoned after three meetings Boehler held in early March, after Israel fumed over the US envoy negotiating on its behalf without its knowledge.

The US has since returned to the previous track of negotiations, which has seen Israel and the US negotiate with Hamas through Qatari and Egyptian mediators.

In recent days, though, Israeli officials have been accusing Qatar of sabotaging the talks — a claim that officials from both Egypt and Qatar have told The Times of Israel is aimed at deflecting blame from Israel over the impasse, which they think is the result of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s unreasonable demands.

“In January, we saw what the president’s direct involvement can do to release hostages. The US has a legal obligation to get its citizens out of harm’s way and if the proxy is not capable of releasing them, then the US must find a different path to release its citizens,” Chen writes.

The hostage father thanks Trump for his role in the release of 33 captives in January, “but the truth is, the first 100 days of this administration have not delivered what the president himself demanded — releasing all of the US hostages in Gaza and sending a clear message that holding US hostages anywhere is a liability, not an asset.”

Knesset speaker heckled by bereaved father during remarks at Memorial Day event

Avi Revah, the father of fallen Israeli soldier Dvir Revah, shouts at Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana (not pictured) during a Memorial Day ceremony at the Yad Labanim memorial in Jerusalem on April 29, 2025. (Abir Sultan/Pool/AFP)

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana is interrupted by a bereaved father during his speech at a Memorial Day event at the Yad Labanim memorial in Jerusalem.

During his speech, Ohana mentions Maj. Dvir Zion Revah, an IDF company commander who was killed in northern Gaza in January. He is cut off by Revah’s father, who yells: “Don’t speak about my son!”

“Don’t speak about my child, you don’t deserve to!” Avi Revah shouts again. “You will not speak about him! You are not worthy of his blood!”

Ohana responds to Revah that he respects his wishes, but asks for permission to read aloud a prayer written by Dvir shortly before his death.

Afterward, he leaves the podium to join Revah in the audience in order to speak with him privately.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also seen speaking to him, a short while later.

Sa’ar commends Hungary’s ‘clear moral stance’ after it votes to exit ‘politicized’ ICC

The Hungarian parliament votes to exit the International Criminal Court in The Hague, to the applause of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.

“With this decision, we refuse to be part of a politicized institution that has lost its impartiality and credibility,” writes Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó on X.

The Hungarian Parliament just voted to withdraw from the @IntlCrimCourt. With this decision, we refuse to be part of a politicized institution that has lost its impartiality and credibility. pic.twitter.com/C9dit8xaB8

— Péter Szijjártó (@FM_Szijjarto) April 29, 2025

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar expresses his approval, saying, “Thank you, Hungary, for your clear moral stance!” in a reply to the post.

In January, Sa’ar met with Szijjártó on a diplomatic visit to Budapest, during which he praised Hungary for its choice not to enforce the ICC international arrest warrant issued last year against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Earlier this month, just before Netanyahu was received by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban during a visit to Hungary, Budapest announced its withdrawal from the court.

Last week, Israeli officials condemned an ICC decision not to rule on a request by Israel to suspend its arrest warrants for the prime minister and former defense minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza.

Israel rejects the ICC’s jurisdiction over its nationals, and accuses the court of repeatedly attempting to delegitimize the Jewish state.

Kurdish-led forces in eastern Syria say five fighters killed in ISIS attacks

Kurdish-led forces say they have lost five fighters to Islamic State group attacks in eastern Syria, adding that they have intensified security measures in the area.

“Five of our fighters were martyred and several wounded while repelling two attacks” in Deir Ezzor province, the Syrian Democratic Forces says in a statement.

They were among “a series of organized terrorist attacks” in the province, the SDF says, adding: “Our forces… have intensified security measures and increased patrols throughout the region.”

The SDF played a key role in the US-backed campaign against ISIS, which culminated in the jihadists’ loss of their last territory in Syria in 2019.

But holdouts continue to wage deadly attacks from hideouts in remote areas and are particularly active in the vast Syrian Desert.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported a decrease in ISIS attacks in areas under the control of the central government in Damascus since Islamist-led rebels toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December.

The SDF-controlled northeast, however, has seen an increase in attacks, according to the Britain-based war monitor.

The Kurds established de facto autonomy in the northeast in the early years of the civil war, which broke out in 2011.

But SDF chief Mazloum Abdi signed an agreement with interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa last month to integrate Kurdish institutions into the Syrian state.

‘We all have one fate’: PM offers message of unity at Yad Labanim memorial event

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the annual Yad Labanim ceremony on the eve of Israel's Memorial Day, in Jerusalem, on April 29, 2025. (Abir Sultan/Pool/AFP)

Speaking at the Yad Labanim memorial for fallen soldiers in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offers a message of unity: “We all have one home. We all have one country. We all have one fate. We all have one future.”

“We have a historic opportunity to renew our national independence,” says Netanyahu. “We will not receive another chance.”

As protesters shout from a distance, Netanyahu says that Israel’s soldiers are “laying down their lives to create the conditions for the return of our dear hostages, who are always, always at the front of our minds.”

Israeli negotiators are in Cairo in an attempt to hammer out a hostage release deal with Hamas, but significant gaps remain.

“Bringing them home is a holy mission,” says Netanyahu. “We will not let up.”

Ben Gvir concludes US visit after meeting GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill

Rep. Brian Mast and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on April 28, 2025. (House Foreign Affairs Committee Majority/X)

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir wraps up his visit to the United States and will return to Israel this evening, announces his office.

Ben Gvir ended his visit with meetings at the Capitol last night with four Republican lawmakers, including one who heads the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The congressmen “expressed their full support for Israel,” says the minister’s office in a statement.

“During the visit to Congressional offices, a group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators supporting Hamas attempted to provoke a disturbance, shouting slogans against Israel and against Minister Ben Gvir,” the statement continues.

“In response, the minister replied: ‘The State of Israel will prevail. Our land will remain in our hands. Nothing you do will help you,’” says his office.

Ben Gvir said yesterday he didn’t come to the Hill with a particular agenda, besides providing lawmakers an opportunity to get to know him.

The far-right Israeli lawmaker said he wasn’t urged during meetings to change Israeli policy, and that a number of Republican Congress members updated him on their efforts to crack down on the finances of pro-Palestinian groups in the US.

Ben Gvir was only in DC for one day, having spent the rest of his US visit making stops in Florida, Connecticut, and New York.

Jacob Magid contributed to this report.

Government’s decision to cancel Bar’s dismissal is ‘cynical trick’ designed to prevent High Court ruling, watchdog group asserts

Demonstrators protest against Supreme Court President Isaac Amit outside a court hearing on petitions against the firing of Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, outside the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, April 8, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel describes the government’s decision to cancel its dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar as a “cynical and transparent trick designed to stop a principled decision by the High Court.”

The decision will likely mean that the court will not rule on petitions that had been filed asking it to cancel the decision to fire Bar.

But The Movement for Quality Government says it will regardless request the court issue a ruling “that will protect the rights of the citizen and Israeli democracy.”

Memorial Day ceremony gets underway at Yad Labanim in Jerusalem

The first Memorial Day ceremony of the year gets underway at the Yad Labanim memorial for fallen soldiers in Jerusalem, hours before the 8 p.m. siren officially ushers in the day of commemoration for Israel’s fallen soldiers and victims of terror.

The ceremony is attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, and Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion.

It opens with remarks from the relatives of several fallen soldiers, police officers, and terror victims, including the sister of Capt. Or Moses, who was killed battling Hamas terrorists on the Zikim base on October 7, 2023; the sister of Nova festival victim Noa Zender; and the widow of Yinon Fleishman, who was killed in a tank accident on the northern border on October 29, 2023.

France complains after Israel bars entry to officials; denies claims groups linked to PFLP

France condemns Israel’s decision to cancel the entry visas of 27 French left-wing lawmakers and local officials two days before their planned visit to the country, says a French government spokesperson.

“The decision… is regrettable, unhelpful, and potentially harmful to France-Israel relations,” says the official at a press briefing.

The spokesperson says entry was denied to two French delegations “led by associations working toward cooperation” that “included several elected officials who were scheduled to visit Israel and the Palestinian Territories.”

Israel’s interior ministry said visas for the French officials were canceled under a law that allows authorities to ban people who could act against Israel.

In a statement on Monday, Israel’s embassy in France said any individual or delegation associated with the Decentralised Cooperation Network for Palestine or the France-Palestine Solidarity Association (AFPS) would not be permitted to enter the country because, according to the embassy, they were linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terror group.

“The public allegations made by the Israeli Embassy in France, which imply a possible link between these associations and terrorist organizations, are unacceptable,” says the French official, adding that “France calls on the Israeli authorities to reconsider their decisions, which undermine actors working toward a sustainable peace between Israelis and Palestinians.”

Agencies contributed to this report.

Netanyahu to depart for five-day Azerbaijan visit on May 7

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will take off for Azerbaijan on May 7, according to his office. He will return on May 11, after spending the Jewish Sabbath abroad, as he almost always does on his official visits.

On May 8, Netanyahu will meet with President Ilham Aliyev and members of the Jewish community.

Azerbaijan is not party to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, and thus there is no danger that Netanyahu will be arrested.

Israel said to release Gazan medic arrested during Rafah ambulance shooting last month

Media outlets in Gaza report that Israel has returned to Gaza 10 Palestinians arrested during the course of the war.

Among those said to have been released is Asaad al-Nassasrah, a paramedic who was arrested during an incident in which 15 medics were killed by Israeli forces in southern Gaza’s Rafah last month.

Nassasrah is the only survivor of the shooting, which occurred on March 23, days into the renewed Israeli offensive in the Hamas-ruled enclave.

The Israeli military has said its soldiers fired on “terrorists” approaching them in “suspicious vehicles,” and has denied that the Palestinians had been shot at close range or executed.

It asserts that at least six of those killed had been posthumously identified as Hamas operatives.

Government holds vote on reversing the firing of Shin Bet chief after he announced resignation

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, at a pre-Passover toast on April 4, 2023. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)

The government is voting to reverse its decision to fire Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar via a telephone call with cabinet members, in the wake of Bar’s announcement yesterday that he will resign his position on June 15.

Cancelling the decision means that the High Court of Justice will almost certainly not rule on petitions that called on the court to reverse Bar’s dismissal due to what the petitioners alleged were political motives behind the decision, along with severe procedural flaws with his removal from office.

The government resolution cancelling Bar’s dismissal says that Bar resigned “too late” and that the date of his resignation was also “too late,” but that the government would use the time before his departure to find a new Shin Bet chief.

The resolution also states that due to the “ongoing crisis between the branches of government during a war of rebirth,” along with the country’s “severe security situation” the government wanted to “focus the national effort on security issues, the need for internal unity,” especially on the eve of Israeli Memorial Day and Independence Day.

Hostage official says 24 is still formal number of living captives after PM’s wife says fewer alive

After Sara Netanyahu said in a video released today that there are fewer than 24 hostages still alive in Gaza, a member of Israel’s hostage team says that “the number of living hostages (24) that the prime minister mentioned in the meeting with the torchbearers is indeed the correct official number.”

The official adds that hostage point man Gal Hirsch also submitted that figure to the mediators during ongoing hostage talks.

Smotrich: Fighting won’t end until hundreds of thousands of Gazans leave, Syria partitioned

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich speaking at a pre-Memorial Day speech at the Eli Yeshiva in the West Bank, April 29, 2025. (Screen capture from office of Bezalel Smotrich)

Israel will only stop fighting following the partition of Syria and the displacement of “hundreds of thousands” of Palestinians from Gaza, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declares during a pre-Memorial Day speech in the West Bank.

“With God’s help and the valor of your comrades-in-arms who continue to fight even now, we will end this campaign when Syria is dismantled, Hezbollah is severely beaten, Iran is stripped of its nuclear threat, Gaza is cleansed of Hamas and hundreds of thousands of Gazans are on their way out of it to other countries, our hostages are returned, some to their homes and some to the graves of Israel, and the State of Israel is stronger and more prosperous,” the far-right minister tells a gathering at the Eli Yeshiva.

These are not the goals of a specific government but rather constitute the “consensus of a people who desire life” and “the final picture of a campaign that was forced upon us,” Smotrich argues.

“We will continue to debate among ourselves — about policy plans, about recruitment issues, about identity issues and also about economic issues. There can be no dispute about the destruction of the enemy,” he continues, adding that “fateful days are approaching.”

Addressing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Smotrich says that he does “not have the mandate to miss the window of opportunity.”

Smotrich’s comment about dividing Syria came days after US Rep. Marlin Stutzman told The Times of Israel that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa had expressed “openness” to normalizing relations with Jerusalem and cautioned against efforts to divide the country.

“The first [concern] — which I felt was most important to him — was that Israel may have a plan to divide up the nation of Syria into… multiple parts. That was something that he was very opposed to,” Stutzman recalled.

The plan appeared to be a reference to the lobbying Israel has reportedly been doing in Washington for the US to buck Sharaa’s fledgling government in favor of establishing a decentralized series of autonomous ethnic regions, with the southern one bordering Israel being demilitarized.

Jacob Magid contributed to this report.

Netanyahu wife says fewer than 24 hostages still alive in Gaza

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 2nd right, his wife Sara Netanyahu, 2nd left, and Transportation Minister Miri Regev, far right, meet with slated Independence Day torch-bearers at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, April 28, 2025. (Amos Ben Gershon / GPO)

A video published by the Prime Minister’s Office shows the premier’s wife Sara Netanyahu whispering that fewer than 24 hostages remain alive in Gaza, information that is not publicly known.

The comment comes during a meeting held Monday between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and torch-lighters for Israel’s 77th Independence Day.

“There are up to 24 alive, up to 24 alive,” Netanyahu says in the video as he mentions efforts to return 59 hostages remaining in Gaza.

Sara, sitting beside him, then audibly whispers “less.”

“I say up to,” Netanyahu says after a brief pause, “and the rest of course unfortunately are not alive, and we will return them.”

In the video, Netanyahu speaks at length about Israel’s successes against Hezbollah, Syria, Iran, and the Houthis, and waxed poetic about the heroism of Israel’s soldiers, but failed to mention the hostages still held by Hamas and other terror groups in Gaza.

As Sara Netanyahu begins speaking after his remarks, Transportation Minister Miri Regev, seated to his left, writes something on Netanyahu’s notepad, immediately after which he begins to speak about bringing them back.

Death toll in sectarian clashes near Damascus rises to 13

Syrian security forces standing guard in a street in the mostly Druze and Christian Jaramana suburb of Damascus on April 29, 2025. (Syrian Interior Ministry Facebook Page / AFP)

The death toll in clashes that took place on the outskirts of the Syrian capital of Damascus last night and this morning has risen to 13, according to local rescue workers.

The clashes began overnight when gunmen from the nearby town of Maliha and other predominantly Sunni areas converged on the mostly Druze town of Jaramana, southeast of Damascus, security sources say.

According to local sources, the clashes were sparked by a purported recording of a Druze man cursing the Prophet Mohammad which angered Sunni gunmen.

Among the dead are two members of Syria’s General Security Service, a new security force composed mostly of former rebels, according to the interior ministry spokesperson, Mustafa al-Abdo.

The fighting marks the latest episode of deadly sectarian violence in Syria, where fears among minorities have been swelling since Islamist-led rebels ousted former leader Bashar al-Assad from power in December, installing their own government and security forces.

Gantz asks government not to politicize Memorial Day ceremonies

Ahead of Memorial Day, National Unity chairman Benny Gantz appeals to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government not to politicize the commemorations.

“We are on the eve of our most painful day as a nation. And at this moment, this day hurts even more,” the former IDF chief of staff posts on Instagram.

“I appeal to all citizens of Israel and first of all to the Israeli leadership: let’s stop for one day, and leave politics out of the cemeteries and off the networks,” he writes.

“During ceremonies, in the sensitivity we show each other, and in our behavior as public leaders that affects families from all parts of society in Israel, public leaders must commit to to speaking cleanly, without insinuations, without provocations. If there is one thing that is sacred, it is this day when we must embrace the [bereaved] families. We must do everything to not cause any family more grief.”

Gantz’s statement comes after the government had changed several ministers’ assigned Memorial Day appearances following an outcry from bereaved families. Among those who have generated controversy are Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Housing Minister Yitzchak Goldknopf.

Despite protests, Goldknopf, the head of an ultra-Orthodox party currently pushing for large-scale military service exemptions for yeshiva students, has declined to withdraw from a ceremony at the Kiryat Gat military cemetery despite requests from bereaved families that he do so.

Last Memorial Day, the first since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, the ceremonies were marked by clashes, protests and heckling.

IDF foils attempt to smuggle guns across border from Egypt via drone

The IDF says it foiled an attempt last night to smuggle 10 assault rifles into Israel from Egypt using a drone.

The drone had been identified crossing the border from Egypt into Israel, before it was downed by troops of the Border Defense Corps’ Caracal Battalion.

The drone and guns were handed over to police for further investigation.

In recent months, there have been frequent attempts to bring weapons and drugs over the Egypt border using drones. There have also been attempts to smuggle similar contraband from Israel into Gaza using drones.

אמש , תצפיות צה״ל זיהו רחפן שניסה להבריח אמצעי לחימה משטח מצרים לשטח ישראל, במרחב חטיבת פארן.

הרחפן הופל על ידי כוחות צה״ל.
לוחמי צה״ל שהגיעו לנקודה איתרו את הרחפן, שנשא עשרה כלי נשק מסוג ‘M16’ ותחמושת.

אמצעי הלחימה שהוחרמו הועברו להמשך טיפול בידי כוחות הביטחון pic.twitter.com/ldu4saqKO0

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) April 29, 2025

Israeli delegation led by Dermer in Cairo for hostage talks, Arab official says

An Israeli hostage negotiating team headed by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer reached Cairo last night, an Arab official tells The Times of Israel.

Dermer met with Egypt’s intelligence chief Hassan Rashad last night to discuss hostage talks and the fighting in Gaza, Egyptian media reports.

The team remains in Egypt, amid optimistic reports in Arab media. Israeli officials continue to deny any major progress.

Population topped 10 million over past year, census bureau says ahead of Independence Day

Illustrative photo of an Israeli crowd. (Roni Schutzer/Flash90)

Ahead of Israel’s 77th Independence Day, the Central Bureau of Statistics announces that the country’s population crossed the 10 million mark over the past year.

The bureau says that since last Independence Day, the population grew by around 135,000, bringing the total population to around 10,094,000.

The count includes 7.7 million residents registered as Jewish or “other,” a category that includes non-Arab Christians and those without any ethnicity listed on official papers. In past years, Jews and “other” have been counted separately.

The Arab population is put at 2.1 million, accounting for 20.9 percent of the country’s residents.

The total population figure also includes 248,000 foreigners.

AG said to reach compromise with Ben Gvir on national security minister’s powers

L: National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90); R: Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara (Oren Ben Hakoon/Pool)

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has come to a compromise with Itamar Ben Gvir regarding limits on his power as national security minister, Hebrew outlets report.

The agreement, which reportedly aims to curb Ben Gvir’s interference in police appointments and operational police matters, allows Baharav-Miara to represent the politician before the High Court of Justice as it hears petitions against his reappointment as national security minister.

A Justice Ministry spokesperson tells The Times of Israel that a joint statement will be submitted in the next few hours to the court, which is scheduled to hear the petitions next week.

The petitioners accuse Ben Gvir of politicizing the police force and selectively promoting officers that push his far-right agenda.

The government reappointed the politician to his post in March, flouting Baharav-Miara’s initial counsel that his return to the ministry was “not possible” at the time.

She eased her position in early April when she agreed to enter a “practical dialogue” with representatives of Ben Gvir to set limits on the minister’s powers, asking the court to hold off on hearing the petitions against his reappointment. Judges granted her request.

Ben Gvir reportedly agreed to compromise on potential limits to his power out of fear that the court would disqualify him from serving as national security minister, Haaretz reported Sunday.

Police arrest two Jerusalem soccer fans suspected of injuring boy with flare at game

A Beitar Jerusalem fan shoots off a flare, injuring an eight-year-old boy at a soccer match between Beitar Jerusalem and Maccabi Haifa on April 28, 2025. (Screenshot/Israel Police)

Police are seeking to keep in custody two Beitar Jerusalem soccer fans implicated in the launching of flares that injured an eight-year-old boy during last night’s game in Teddy Stadium.

One of the detainees was caught on tape launching a firework at another stand, injuring the boy, while the other is suspected of helping smuggle in the pyrotechnics.

The injured child was taken to Hadassah Hospital’s emergency room with second-degree burns to his chest, Hebrew media reports.

The two, who according to Hebrew outlets are both 20 years old, were arrested last night by police officers. It is unclear how long police are requesting to keep them in custody for.

The incident caused the match against visiting team Maccabi Haifa to pause for around 15 minutes at the behest of police, says a law enforcement spokesman. Officers ordered players to return to their locker rooms.

IDF says 3 key terrorists killed in recent strikes, including leader of Oct. 7 Kissufim attack

Recent Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip killed three prominent terror operatives, including a Hamas terrorist who led the attack on Kissufim on October 7, 2023, the IDF announces.

According to the military, a strike in Gaza City on Thursday killed Ali Naddal Husni Sarfiti, a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Sarfiti had been jailed in Israel between 2002 and 2015 for involvement in terror activity, including providing military training and planning a suicide bombing on behalf of the PFLP, the IDF says.

“After his release, he operated in recent years to carry out terror attacks in Israeli territory,” the military says, adding that he was in contact with terror operatives in the West Bank and transferred millions of shekels to them for the attacks.

Additionally, the IDF says recent strikes in Gaza killed Sa’id Abu Hasnan, a member of Hamas’s Nukhba force in the terror group’s Deir al-Balah Battalion, “who infiltrated [Israel] and commanded the infiltration at Kissufim” on October 7; and Mustafa al-Mutawwak, chief of operations in Hamas’s Jabalia Battalion, who led attacks on Israeli troops in Gaza.

Senior Hamas official says Cairo ceasefire talks did not make any progress

A senior Hamas official denies that the recent talks in Cairo made progress toward a ceasefire agreement with Israel in the Gaza Strip

Speaking to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad-linked Palestine Al-Youm news channel, the Hamas official states that the organization had not been presented with any new ideas regarding a ceasefire in Gaza, emphasizing that the organization opposes partial or temporary truce proposals.

On Saturday, all five members of the Hamas executive council were in Cairo and met with senior Egyptian officials. Last night, Reuters reported that there had been a breakthrough in the talks on an agreement, citing Egyptian sources.

Israeli officials have also denied that there had been a breakthrough in the talks, but stopped short of saying that there had not been any progress made.

Man convicted of plotting assassinations for Iran sentenced to 10 years

Moti Maman, accused of being recruited by Iran to advance an assassination plot of Israel's prime minister, defense minister, or the head of the Shin Bet, is seen in a court in Beersheba on September 19, 2024. (Dudu Greenspan/Flash90)

Moti Maman, who was convicted in December by the Beersheba District Court over his contact with Iranian intelligence agents, is sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Maman, 73, was convicted on charges of contact with a foreign agent and entering an enemy state without authorization, after he visited Iran twice and met with Iranian intelligence officials to discuss assassinating senior Israeli public figures including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, or then-defense minister Yoav Gallant.

The court writes in the sentencing that Maman acted out of financial motivation, but notes that he did so during the ongoing war with Iran’s proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah.

Maman visited Iran first in April 2024 and then in August the same year, while the war with the two terror groups was still raging.

“The sentence should reflect a significant dimension of deterrence and convey a clear and distinct message regarding the punitive price that should be attached to holding illicit and unlawful ties between Israeli citizens and our enemies,” writes Judge Benny Sagi, president of the court.

Sagi said that he took into consideration the fact that Maman admitted to the crimes and expressed regret.

Families warn remains of deceased Gaza hostages at risk of being lost forever

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum warns that the bodies of deceased captives held in Gaza are “at risk of complete disappearance,” publishing a special medical report.

The report says that the remains of the deceased hostages “could become unrecoverable, making it impossible to locate them or return them for burial.”

The report cites two key reasons for the warning. First is the fact that the whereabouts of the hostages’ remains are known “only to a few individuals who may be killed or disappear during the fighting, without leaving any documented record.”

Secondly, the report says, the conditions in the Strip, such as extreme heat, flooding and collapsed buildings, could “compromise the integrity of the remains and complicate their identification.”

According to Israel, terrorists in the Gaza Strip are holding the remains of 35 hostages, all but one kidnapped during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack.

In court, Netanyahu tries to poke holes in key witness’s testimony about gifts

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tries to refute the testimony of Hadas Klein, a key witness in his trial on corruption charges, during testimony in the Tel Aviv District Court, alleging that parts of her testimony are factually incorrect and accusing her of being politically motivated against him.

In one part of her testimony, Klein said she phoned the prime minister’s residence and Netanyahu answered the phone. Netanyahu tells the court that he never answers the phone directly, however, and that phone calls are directed from the Prime Minister’s Office to his home by the office secretary.

Netanyahu also argues that among the pieces of jewelry Klein says Hollywood mogul and billionaire Arnon Milchan bought for Sara Netanyahu were earrings. But Netanyahu says that his wife does not have pierced ears.

Sara Netanyahu has however been frequently pictured wearing some type of earrings.

“She despises me and leads demonstrations against me on Kaplan [Street],” says Netanyahu.

Klein responds with a post on X with a picture of her holding an Israeli flag and writing, “I’m proud and moved to fly the flag of Israel. I will never switch it with the Qatari flag,” in reference to the allegations that senior aides to Netanyahu were employed by Doha to boost its image in Israel while working in the Prime Minister’s Office.

גאה ונרגשת להניף את דגל ישראל.

לעולם לא אחליף אותו בדגל קטאר.

קרדיט צילום: ידין גלעדי pic.twitter.com/lQKKAhYrah

— Hadas Klein (@hadas_klein) April 29, 2025

Palestinians report 3 killed in Israeli strike in Gaza’s Khan Younis

Three Palestinians were killed an Israeli drone strike in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, the Hamas-linked Shehab news agency reports.

There is no comment from the IDF on the alleged strike, which comes amid offensive operations in the Gaza Strip.

There is no verification of the toll and Hamas-run authorities do not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

Herzog calls Bar resignation ‘correct step,’ warns against politicization of Shin Bet

President Isaac Herzog attends a state ceremony for fallen Israeli soldiers whose burial place is unknown at Mount Herzl Military cemetery in Jerusalem on March 6, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

President Isaac Herzog commends Shin Bet Chief Ronen’s Bar announcement that he will step down from his role in June.

“Ronen has repeatedly acknowledged his own failure, and that of the Shin Bet, as part of the systemic breakdown that led to the disaster of October 7,” writes Herzog in a post on X, saying Bar’s decision “is the correct step, reflecting an acceptance of responsibility.”

Herzog thanks Bar for his service and highlights the contributions of the Shin Bet, adding that the security agency “must not be dragged into politics, and politics must not be allowed to infiltrate it.”

The president recommends establishing “a broad and professional state commission of inquiry” into the events on and surrounding October 7, 2023, to “thoroughly investigate the failures and the lessons that we, as a society that cherishes life, must learn.”

Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar announces that he will step down from his position on June 15, in an address at a memorial event for fallen Shin Bet personnel, April 28, 2025. (Screenshot)

Four killed in overnight Gaza strikes, Hamas-controlled authorities say

Palestinians inspect the damage, following overnight Israeli strikes, at the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip on April 29, 2025 (Eyad BABA / AFP)

Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip overnight killed four Palestinians, according to local health officials from Hamas-controlled authorities.

Gaza’s Hamas-controlled civil defense agency says a number of people were additionally injured in an Israeli airstrike on tents near the Al-Iqleem area.

The figures cannot be independently verified and do not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

There is no comment from the Israeli military, which has said in the past that it is targeting terror operatives and infrastructure in the Strip.

Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques. Palestinian civilians say nowhere in Gaza is safe.

Israeli official: Some progress in hostage talks, gaps remain on duration of truce and Hamas’s future

A rally for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, at Safra Square in Jerusalem, April 27, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)

There has been some progress in hostage talks in Cairo, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel, but “not everything the Egyptians say is true.”

Two Egyptian officials told Reuters last night that there were “significant breakthroughs.”

The major sticking points remain, says the Israeli official, including the duration of a ceasefire and the future of Hamas.

On recent statements by Israeli officials expressing displeasure with Qatari mediation, the official says that “it’s nothing new.”

“Qatar is in the negotiations for its own benefit — so that world leaders will come to Doha — not to pressure Hamas,” says the official. “Egypt does pressure Hamas.”

Syrian Druze leaders slam ‘unjustified armed attack’ after 4 said killed in clashes with security forces

Syrian Druze leaders condemn an “unjustified armed attack” overnight on the Damascus suburb of Jaramana, after clashes with security forces that a war monitor said killed at least four Druze fighters.

Jaramana’s Druze religious leadership in a statement condemns “the unjustified armed attack” that “targeted innocent civilians and terrorized” residents, adding that the Syrian authorities bore “full responsibility for the incident and for any further developments or worsening of the crisis.”

A Jaramana resident told AFP they heard gunfire and shelling during the clashes, which lasted around half an hour.

“Heavy clashes erupted in Jaramana after security forces and affiliated gunmen stormed” areas of the mostly Druze and Christian suburb, after “the circulation of an audio recording, attributed to a Druze citizen, containing religious insults,” said the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, adding that at least four Druze fighters were killed.

Police to ask to keep suspect in custody in murder of Mia Cohen, found buried in yard of home

Mia Cohen (Social media)

Police will request to extend the detention of a suspect in the murder of Mia Cohen, whose body was found yesterday buried in the yard near her home in Hadera.

The hearing on the 44-year-old suspect, a male relative of the victim, will be held later today, a spokesperson says.

Hebrew media has reported that the detained man is Cohen’s brother.

The suspect reportedly had a history of violent behavior toward his sister, having threatened her and broken into her house a just a month ago, which led to a restraining order issued against him.

Police raise threat level for mayor who decried Gaza ‘atrocities’ in Holocaust day speech; 5 detained

Hod Hasharon Mayor Amir Kochavi attends a convention of newly elected mayors and heads of local councils, in Ashkelon, November 27, 2018. (Flash90)

Police have raised the threat level for Hod Hasharon Mayor Amir Kochavi, who used a Holocaust Remembrance Day speech to decry “atrocities” in Gaza, Channel 12 news reports.

Five people have been detained — four of them teenagers — for discussing ways in which they could harm the mayor.

Images of Kochavi that were distorted to make him resemble Nazi leader Adolf Hitler have been circulated on social media, along with the mayor’s phone number.

Kochavi says protests have been held on a daily basis at his home and near his daughter’s school and his wife’s business.

“I was not surprised by the announcement that I had been declared to be under threat, but I was very sorry,” he tells Channel 12. “In Israel in 2025, the demand for morality and the rights of hostages leads to such attacks. This is unacceptable.”

מתחת לבית הפגנה של איש שתיעד את עצמו תולה את הכלב שלו, באינטרנטים גרפיקה של ליצנים ואיומים מוזרים ברצח.

זמנים נפלאים.

תחזירו את החטופים. pic.twitter.com/W1bAwqD7Lp

— amirko (@AmirKochavi) April 26, 2025

In a speech last week, Kochavi declared that “Jewish morality” dictated that Israelis “must not remain silent in the face of atrocities committed against people of other nationalities in the world, even if they are committed in our name.”

Noting that Hamas was still holding 59 hostages in Gaza, Kochavi said that “the lust for revenge, blood and destruction has not brought back to us the dead, nor the living.”

Judges in Netanyahu’s corruption trial examine moving hearings back to Jerusalem

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the District Court in Tel Aviv, before the start of his testimony in the corruption trial against him, April 21, 2025. (Moti Kimchi/POOL)

The judges of the Jerusalem District Court meet with security officials and officials from the court’s administration to discuss the possibility of having Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu testify in the Jerusalem District Court house instead of the Tel Aviv District Court house, as he has done until now.

Netanyahu is on trial in the Jerusalem District Court, but his testimony, which began on December 10, was moved to the Tel Aviv court since the Jerusalem court does not have bombproof spaces, and it was considered a security risk to conduct the prime minister’s testimony there.

The Jerusalem District Court states that following the meeting on Tuesday morning, the security and administrative officials will complete their review of the situation and file their position to the court by May 12.

Netanyahu’s testimony, including cross-examination, is expected to last for most of 2025.

Israeli official: Reports of breakthrough in hostage-ceasefire talks ‘inaccurate’

A rally calling for the release of Israelis held hostage by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, April 26, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/ Flash90)

After reports emerge overnight of a breakthrough in hostage talks, an Israeli official calls them “inaccurate.”

“Israel is working tirelessly with the Americans and the mediators with the goal of advancing a deal to free our hostages, but as of now no agreement has been reached,” says the official.

Reuters cited two Egyptian security sources saying there has been a “significant breakthrough” in the hostage-ceasefire deal talks, adding that there is a consensus on a long-term ceasefire in Gaza, yet some sticking points remain, including the question of Hamas’s arms.

The statement is a reiteration of comments last night by Israeli officials, also unnamed, denying the reports.

Responding to Dermer, Lapid says ‘the hostages will die’ if war continues for another year

Opposition Leader and head of the Yesh Atid party MK Yair Lapid leads a faction meeting at the Knesset on March 24, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid responds to Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer’s comment that the war will be over in a year, saying that waiting that long will lead to the deaths of all the remaining hostages held in Gaza.

“Let’s just remember what the price is: The hostages will die. If we wait another year, we will receive 59 bodies,” Lapid tells Radio 103FM.

Dermer said yesterday that a year from now, “the seven-front war that began on October 7 will be over. Israel will have won.”

Lapid says there are two conditions required for the war to end — drafting of all those eligible to serve in the IDF, and a decision on who will replace Hamas as ruler of Gaza.

“Everyone must be mobilized. There are not enough soldiers. The government encourages evasion and refusal [of the Haredi community to serve in the army],” he tells the radio outlet, according to the Walla news site.

“You did not define a goal for the war. Who will replace Hamas?” he says, apparently addressing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the government.

Police seize monkey tied up in bathroom in Tuba-Zangariyye home

A monkey seized by police in Tuba-Zangariyye on April 28, 2025 (Israel Police)

Police say they rescued a monkey tied up in the bathroom of a home in the northern town of Tuba-Zangariyye.

In a statement, police say its the 39th green or guenon monkey seized since the start of March amid an operation against illegal animal trade.

Man found dead next to burnt-out car in Beersheba; police probing if he was transporting explosives

A man is found dead next to a burnt-out car in an underground parking lot in the southern city of Beersheba.

According to Ynet, police sappers determined the car was destroyed in a blast, likely as the result of explosives.

The news site says police suspect the man was killed while working with or transporting explosives.

The outlet says officials are working to determine the man’s identity.

גבר נהרג בפיצוץ בחניה תת קרקעית בשכונה ט' בבאר שבע. צוות מד"א שהוזעק למקום בשעה 3:40 קבע את מותו. מחקירת המשטרה עולה כי אין חשד לרצח, מדובר ככל הנראה ב"תאונת עבודה" של אותו אדם שהתעסק עם חומרי נפץ. זהותו בבדיקה.
צילום: דוברות כבאות והצלה pic.twitter.com/8QwidWStpe

— ilana curiel (@ilanacuriel) April 29, 2025

France warns sanctions could be reimposed on Iran if nuclear deal not reached

Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Jean-Noël Barrot conducts a press conference during the G20 Foreign Minister Meeting at the Nasrec Expo Center in Johannesburg on February 21, 2025 (Phill Magakoe / AFP)

France, Germany, and the United Kingdom will not hesitate to reimpose sanctions against Tehran if European security is threatened by Iran’s nuclear program, the French foreign minister says at the United Nations.

“Iran has crossed all the boundaries it had committed to respect,” and the country “is on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons,” Jean-Noel Barrot tells reporters after a closed-door meeting of the Security Council on non-proliferation, which he had convened.

“There is no military solution to the Iranian nuclear problem. There is a diplomatic path to achieve it, but it is a narrow road,” he adds.

Barrot voices hope that the ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Washington on the issue would bear fruit, adding that France, Germany, and the United Kingdom are in “close contact” on the issue with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The highest-level talks in years between long-time foes Washington and Tehran are targeting a new deal that would stop Iran developing nuclear weapons — an objective Tehran denies pursuing — in return for relief from sanctions.

US President Donald Trump pulled out of an earlier, multilateral agreement on Iran during his first term. The United States and Israel have repeatedly threatened Iran with military strikes to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

“It goes without saying that upon the expiration of the Iranian nuclear deal… if European security interests are not guaranteed, we will not hesitate for a single second to reapply all the sanctions that were lifted 10 years ago,” Barrot warns.

Last week, Rubio urged the three European states to decide whether to trigger the “snapback” mechanism under the 2015 agreement, which would automatically reinstate UN sanctions on Iran over its non-compliance.

The option to use the mechanism expires in October.

A return of sanctions would have “devastating effects on the country’s economy. This is not what we want, and that is why I solemnly call on Iran to take the necessary decisions today to avoid the worst,” says Barrot.

Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 percent, far above the 3.67 percent limit imposed by the 2015 deal and a technical step away from the 90 percent threshold required for weapons-grade material.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

‘I cannot celebrate my independence’: Yarden Bibas urges social media users to highlight captives’ plight

Yarden Bibas holds a sign declaring that 'I have no independence' due to there still being 59 hostages held in Gaza, days before Independence Day, in a post published on April 28, 2025. (Yarden Bibas/Instagram)

Former hostage Yarden Bibas has issued a plea to Israelis to highlight the plight of the 59 remaining captives during this week’s Independence Day, a call joined by other captivity survivors and relatives of abductees.

“On Israel’s 76th Independence Day, I was in a tunnel and didn’t think that Israel was celebrating Independence Day while at war and with hostages in captivity,” Bibas says on Facebook and Instagram. “Now, on the 77th Independence Day, the war is still ongoing, and there are still hostages in captivity — only this time, I am home.”

“This year, I cannot celebrate my independence because I have brothers and sisters who are still being held hostage and my heart is still there with them,” he continues. “I will not be able to heal or rest until they return.

“Join me: Add the caption ‘I have no independence because they are still there’ to your profile picture and share it on social media,” Bibas asks the public, alongside a photo of himself holding a piece of paper with those words in Hebrew.

Other ex-hostages, including Arbel Yehoud, Shani Goren and Omer Wenkert, quickly join the campaign with posts of themselves holding banners with the same slogan.

Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, joins as well, writing that “as long as our boys and girls are held [in Gaza], we can’t celebrate Independence Day. The Jewish people has no independence while they are there. We must end the war and [reach] a deal to free them all to truly feel independence again.”

Liberals win Canada election overshadowed by Trump, but unclear if they will have majority

Toronto residents Douglas Bloomfield, left, and his son Phoenix, right, hold a Canadian flag and an ice hockey stick to show their support for Canada regarding trade tariffs as they pose with with another visitor to the city wearing a mask of US President Donald Trump, in front of the White House in Washington, March 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Canada’s ruling Liberals have retained power in the country’s election, but it is too soon to say whether they will form a majority government, CTV News and CBC predict.

Prime Minister Mark Carney asked for a strong mandate to help him handle US President Donald Trump’s tariffs and annexation threat, but CTV and CBC say the Liberals have not yet secured the 172 electoral districts, known as seats, they need for a majority.

The size of the Liberal government might not be known for some time and could depend on the westernmost province of British Columbia, where polls closed last.

The Liberals are leading or elected in 139 seats, followed by the Conservatives with 107, according to CBC.

Carney has promised a tough approach with Washington over its tariffs and said Canada will need to spend billions to reduce its reliance on the US. But the right-of-center Conservatives, who have called for change after more than nine years of Liberal rule, show unexpected strength.

Canada’s new Prime Minister and Liberal Leader Mark Carney casts his vote in Ottawa, Ontario, April 28, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)

The House has 343 seats and if Carney only captures a minority, he will have to negotiate with other parties to stay in power. Minority governments in Canada rarely last longer than 2-2.5 years.

The result, though, caps a notable comeback for the Liberals, who had been 20 points behind in the polls in January before unpopular former prime minister Justin Trudeau announced he was quitting and Trump started threatening tariffs and annexation.

Trump’s threats ignited a wave of patriotism that swelled support for Carney, a political newcomer who previously led two G7 central banks.

US has lost 7 multi-million-dollar drones in Yemen area since March — official

This handout picture released on August 4, 2024, shows the alleged wreckage of a US MQ-9 Reaper drone shot down by Yemen's Houthis over Saada governorate. (Photo by ANSARULLAH MEDIA CENTRE / AFP)

The United States has lost seven multi-million-dollar MQ-9 Reaper drones in the Yemen area since March 15, a US official says.

Washington launched the latest round of its air campaign against Yemen’s Houthis in mid-March, and MQ-9s can be used for both reconnaissance — a key aspect of US efforts to identify and target weaponry the rebels are using to attack shipping in the region — as well as strikes.

“There have been seven MQ-9s that have gone down since March 15,” the US official says on condition of anonymity, without specifying what has caused the loss of the drones, which cost around $30 million apiece.

The US Navy has meanwhile announced the loss of another piece of expensive military equipment: an F/A-18E warplane that fell off the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in an accident that injured one sailor.

A tractor that was towing the F/A-18E — a type of aircraft that cost more than $67 million in 2021 — also slipped off the ship into the sea.

“The F/A-18E was actively under tow in the hangar bay when the move crew lost control of the aircraft. The aircraft and tow tractor were lost overboard,” the Navy says in a statement.

The carrier and its other planes remain in action and the incident is under investigation, the Navy adds. No details of recovery work are released.

It is the second F/A-18 operating off the Truman to be lost in less than six months, after another was mistakenly shot down by the USS Gettysburg guided missile cruiser late last year in an incident that both pilots survived.

The Truman is one of two US aircraft carriers operating in the Middle East, where US forces have been striking the Houthis on a near-daily basis since March 15.

US demands UPenn strip transgender athletes of women’s sports awards or face enforcement steps

The US Education Department alleges that the University of Pennsylvania’s policy on transgender athletes violates federal law that prohibits discrimination based on sex in programs that receive federal funding.

The Education Department says in a statement that it has proposed a resolution agreement to the university under which the Ivy League school would issue a statement saying it will comply with federal law, transfer records and awards won by transgender athletes to athletes assigned female at birth, and issue a letter of apology to the female athletes.

The department says the university has 10 days to resolve or risk a referral to the US Justice Department for enforcement proceedings.

The Education Department does not immediately respond to a request for comment on what kind of enforcement actions it seeks. The university has no immediate comment.

The university, which made national headlines in 2022 when a transgender swimmer competed on its women’s team, has previously said it “has always followed NCAA and Ivy League policies regarding student participation on athletic teams,” and remains in full compliance with regulations.

Following US President Donald Trump’s executive order to ban transgender athletes from participating in female-only school sports, the NCAA — the governing body for US collegiate sports — updated its rules to limit competition in female-only competitions to athletes assigned female at birth.

Last month, Trump’s administration suspended $175 million in funding to the University of Pennsylvania over its transgender sports policies.

This month, the administration sued Maine over the same issue. Maine argues that federal law does not prohibit transgender girls in women’s sports.

Ben Gvir meets 4 GOP lawmakers on the Hill, including chair of key US House panel

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir at a speaking event in New York City during his visit to the United States, April 24, 2025. (Luke Tress/Times of Israel)

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir tells The Times of Israel that he met today with four Republican US lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including one who heads the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The meetings indicate that the far-right Israeli lawmaker, whom Joe Biden’s administration considered sanctioning last year, is making inroads in American politics — at least on the Republican side of the aisle.

Rep. Brian Mast was the most senior lawmaker to meet with Ben Gvir today. Mast is a major backer of Israel’s settlement movement who is directing staff on the Foreign Affairs Committee to refer to the West Bank only by its biblical name, Judea and Samaria. Ben Gvir is a resident of the Kiryat Arba settlement outside of Hebron.

The minister held meetings with two of the more conservative members of the Republican caucus in Reps. Jim Jordan and Claudia Tenney, but he also sat down with the more moderate Rep. Mike Lawler.

Ben Gvir says he didn’t come to the Hill with a particular agenda, other than to give those who agreed an opportunity to get to know him.

He says the lawmakers expressed their full-throated support for Israel and its war against Hamas. They didn’t try and urge him to change Israeli policy either.

Ben Gvir says a number of Republican lawmakers updated him on their efforts to crack down on the finances of pro-Palestinian groups in the US.

“I didn’t ask them afterward whether they’ll vote for Ben Gvir, but they wanted to get to know me and I think they really liked what they heard,” he says.

Ben Gvir did not hold any meetings with members of US President Donald Trump’s administration during his weeklong trip, though he insists that was never part of the plan. There had been reports of a potential meeting with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, but that sit-down never materialized.

Spain, Portugal say massive power outage nearly resolved

Spain’s power grid operator has restored electricity supplies to about half of the country after a huge power outage brought the Iberian Peninsula to a standstill, and the rest should be restored by Tuesday, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says.

Authorities are yet to establish what caused the blackout and are not ruling out any hypothesis, he adds in a televised address.

La Vanguardia newspaper has reported that the massive outage was caused by a failure of the interconnection between the grids of Spain and France, quoting Spanish grid operator REE’s system operations chief Eduardo Prieto.

Meanwhile, Portugal’s Prime Minister Luis Montenegro says power in the country will be fully restored in the coming hours.

He says all the state services have remained operating in the country despite all the difficulties.

After claim of breakthrough, Israeli sources deny significant progress in hostage-ceasefire talks

A rally for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, at Safra Square in Jerusalem, April 27, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)

Multiple Israeli news outlets quickly cite sources denying claims of a breakthrough in the negotiations with the Hamas terror group for a ceasefire and hostage deal.

Reuters has cited two Egyptian security sources saying there has been a “significant breakthrough” in the talks, adding that there is a consensus on a long-term ceasefire in Gaza, yet some sticking points remain, including Hamas arms.

But the Walla news site cites an unnamed senior Israeli source saying there has been no breakthrough, the Kan public broadcaster attributes the same thing to an Israeli source, and Ynet cites Israeli sources saying there hasn’t been meaningful progress and Jerusalem won’t agree to a yearslong truce that doesn’t include the disarmament of Hamas.

Earlier Monday, a senior Israeli official said Israel would not accept a five-year ceasefire deal being pushed for by mediators.

In 1970, Egypt’s leader Nasser said he had ‘no interest’ in Palestinian cause, wouldn’t fight Israel — newly aired audio

In this undated 1969 photo, Egypt's President Gamal Abdel Nasser, left, is seen with Libyan leader, Col. Muammar Gaddafi, in Suez, Egypt. (AP Photo/ Farouk Ibrahim)

A 1970 recording of Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser indicating a lack of interest in the Palestinian cause is causing a stir in Egypt, Haaretz reports.

“We have no interest in the Palestinian issue. We will only talk about Sinai. When [the Israelis] leave Sinai, there will be an agreement,” he says to Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi in the audio clip.

Nasser threatened to destroy Israel in his speeches, created the Palestine Liberation Organization, led the Arab side in the 1967 Six Day War against Israel, and imprisoned hundreds of Jews after Israel’s victory.

But in the 1970 recording — aired on Abdel Nasser’s son’s YouTube channel — he showed no interest in fighting Israel: “If someone wants to struggle — let them struggle, and if someone wants to fight — let them fight. But today the Iraqis are telling us — all of Palestine from the river to the sea, or nothing.”

He seemed to think that defeating Israel in battle was a pipe dream.

“If we want to achieve our goals, we must be realistic,” he said to Gaddafi. “You are welcome to mobilize the forces, go to Baghdad and try to fight against Israel. We will stay away from this operation, leave us alone — we will choose a non-violent and defeatist solution. I can live with that.”

A recently released bombshell recording has sparked major controversy in Egypt and the Arab world.

In 1970, former Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser told Gaddafi:

"I am ready to normalize with Israel, and I have nothing to do with the Palestinian cause." pic.twitter.com/BvtGYJUn52

— Xumas (@xumas_iq) April 28, 2025