Live updates (closed)
The Times of Israel liveblogged Sunday’s events as they unfolded.
Netanyahu lands in DC, heads for meeting with Commerce Secretary Lutnick
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) and his wife Sara Netanyahu disembark from Wing of Zion on arrival in Washington DC on April 6, 2025 (Avi Ohayon/GPO)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lands in Washington DC.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) is greeted by Israel’s Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter on arrival in Washington DC on April 6, 2025 (Avi Ohatyon / GPO)
He will now head to the Blair House in a convoy, where he will meet Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
UAE says talks between Sa’ar and Emirati FM focus on Gaza ceasefire efforts
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar (right) meets in Abu Dhabi with his Emirati counterpart Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on April 6, 2025. (Foreign Ministry)
The foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, met his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Sa’ar, in Abu Dhabi today, to discuss efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and secure the release of hostages, the UAE state news agency says.
The readout from the Israeli side did not mention Gaza, only “the full range of regional issues.”
New Syrian leader to visit Turkey and UAE next week
This handout picture released by the Syrian Presidency shows interim President Ahmed Sharaa speaking in Damascus on March 29, 2025. (Syrian Presidency/AFP)
Syria’s President Ahmed Sharaa will make his first visit to the United Arab Emirates and is also scheduled to visit Turkey next week, the Syrian foreign ministry says in a statement, as he continues to garner support for the new administration.
Sharaa, who previously visited Turkey in February, will make the UAE his second Gulf destination, after traveling to Saudi Arabia that same month on his first foreign trip since assuming the presidency in January.
He and other members of the new Syrian leadership have been working to strengthen ties with both Arab and Western leaders following the fall of Bashar al-Assad in a lightning offensive in December, led by Sharaa’s Sunni Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
Sharaa and his officials have also called for a full lifting of sanctions on Syria.
IDF strikes Hamas rocket launcher in central Gaza after barrage fired at Israel
Palestinians inspect the rubble of a structure hit by an Israeli strike in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip on March 22, 2025. (AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)
The IDF says that, a short while ago, it carried out a drone strike against a Hamas rocket launcher in the central Gaza Strip used in this evening’s barrage on the Ashdod.
It publishes footage of the strike.
כלי-טיס של חיל-האוויר תקף לפני זמן קצר את המשגר ממנו זוהה השיגור בשטח רצועת עזה.
צה״ל ימשיך לפעול על מנת להסיר כל איום על אזרחי מדינת ישראל. pic.twitter.com/8W0OlpxyUH
— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) April 6, 2025
Ahead of the strike, the IDF issued an evacuation warning for Palestinians in the Deir al-Balah area.
In a post on X, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, Col. Avichay Adraee, published a map of the area that is to be evacuated, saying that it was a “final warning” before the IDF carries out strikes there.
Ten rockets were launched by Hamas in the attack, with the IDF reporting that it shot down five. One of the rockets struck Ashkelon, causing damage and wounding a man.
#عاجل ‼️ إلى جميع سكان قطاع غزة المتواجدين في منطقة دير البلح في الأحياء: الصحابة، السماح, العودة، الزوايدة والصلاح
🔴هذا انذار مسبق وأخير قبل الهجوم!🔴
⭕️سنهاجم بقوة شديدة كل منطقة يتم إطلاق قذائف صاروخية منها.
⭕️تتحمل المنظمات الارهابية وفي مقدمتها حماس المسؤولية الكاملة عن… pic.twitter.com/7WJfUH8vDT— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) April 6, 2025
Sa’ar meets his Emirati counterpart in Abu Dhabi
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar (left) meets in Abu Dhabi with his Emirati counterpart Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on April 6, 2025. (Foreign Ministry)
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar is in Abu Dhabi, meeting with his Emirati counterpart, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, says the Foreign Ministry.
The two met for the first time in January.
According to the Israeli readout, the two are discussing “a range of regional issues,” including moving bilateral ties forward.
The UAE has maintained full diplomatic ties with Israel since October 7, 2023, but has drawn back from public visits and initiatives with Israel, as the public is firmly opposed to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
Katz says he told IDF to ‘widen’ offensive against Hamas after rocket fire
The site of a rocket impact in the southern city of Ashkelon, April 6, 2025. (Magen David Adom)
Defense Minister Israel Katz says he has instructed the IDF to “continue and widen” the ongoing offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, after the terror group launched 10 rockets at Israel this evening.
Katz says he told the IDF to “deal a very powerful blow to Hamas in Gaza in response to the [rocket] fire.”
“For every piece of shrapnel that hits a resident of Ashkelon, the Hamas murderers will pay a very heavy price,” he adds.
Netanyahu to meet US commerce secretary in DC tonight to discuss tariffs
Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick speaks in the Oval Office of the White House after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order, February 13, 2025, in Washington. (AP/ Ben Curtis)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick tonight at 8:30 p.m., at the Blair House to discuss tariffs Washington imposed on Israel, according to his office.
Lutnick will be joined by US Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer.
Netanyahu tells Katz to respond harshly after Hamas fires rocket barrage at Israel
Israeli security and rescue forces at the scene where a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip landed in Ashkelon, April 6, 2025. (Edi Israel/ Flash90)
After Hamas launches 10 rockets toward Ashdod, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks by phone with Defense Minister Israel Katz from the Wing of Zion plane, as he flies to Washington, DC.
According to his office, Netanyahu tells Katz to respond harshly, and approves the continuation of intensive military operations against Hamas in Gaza.
US envoy says Hezbollah must be disarmed ‘as soon as possible’
A handout photo provided by the Lebanese Presidency on April 5, 2025, shows Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun (R) meeting with US Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus (C) at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, Lebanon. (Lebanese Presidency / AFP)
US envoy Morgan Ortagus says in an interview broadcast today that Hezbollah and other armed groups should be disarmed “as soon as possible” and that Lebanese troops are expected to do the job.
Ortagus spoke to Lebanese broadcaster LBCI at the end of a three-day visit to Beirut, where she met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri and other officials and political representatives.
“It’s clear that Hezbollah has to be disarmed and it’s clear that Israel is not going to accept terrorists shooting at them, into their country, and that’s a position we understand,” Ortagus says. “We continue to press on this government to fully fulfill the cessation of hostilities and that includes disarming Hezbollah and all militias.”
Asked whether the US had set a timeline for the disarmament to take place, Ortagus says: “As soon as possible.”
“There’s not necessarily a timetable so to speak, but we know that the sooner that the LAF (Lebanese Armed Forces) is able to meet these goals and disarm all militias in the state, the sooner the Lebanese people can be free,” she adds.
State plans to indict 12 members of Abu Latif crime family
Police arrest a suspect in a raid on the Abu Latif crime ring on February 26, 2025. (Israel Police)
State prosecutors plan to indict 12 members of the Abu Latif crime family, police say in a statement.
The suspects were arrested in late February during a large-scale police raid following a years-long undercover investigation into the crime ring’s takeover of tenders for various contract jobs. The operation led to 36 arrests, but only 12 of the detainees stand to face charges.
According to a police spokesman, the suspects reportedly used the crime clan’s fearsome reputation to threaten and extort potential competitors in order to monopolize tenders issued by state bodies, government ministries and local authorities.
The group pocketed hundreds of millions of shekels through the illegally acquired tenders, most related to infrastructure and construction, in Nesher, Netanya, Rishon Lezion, Yarka, Jadeidi-Makr, and other locales throughout northern Israel.
Netanyahu and Trump to give a joint statement from the Oval Office tomorrow
US President Donald Trump, right, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrive for a news conference in the East Room of the White House, in Washington, February 4, 2025. (AP/Evan Vucci)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet US President Donald Trump at the White House at 1 p.m. local time, where the two will give joint statements in the Oval Office.
Last time they met, in February, Trump answered questions from the press for more than 20 minutes in the Oval Office.
US special envoy Steven Witkoff is expected to join the larger meeting with the leaders’ aides, according to Channel 12, after which they will hold a press conference.
There will also be a meeting with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to discuss tariffs Washington imposed on Israel.
IDF says only 5 out of 10 rockets from Gaza intercepted
Israeli security and rescue forces at the scene where a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip landed in Ashkelon, April 6, 2025. (Edi Israel/ Flash90)
In an update, the IDF says that five of the 10 rockets launched from central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah this evening at the Ashdod area were intercepted by air defenses.
At least one of the five rockets that were not intercepted hit Ashkelon, causing damage and injuring one man.
Home Front Command officers are operating at the sites of rocket impacts, alongside other rescue authorities, the military adds.
Footage shows impact in Ashkelon after rocket barrage from Gaza
The site of a rocket impact in the southern city of Ashkelon, April 6, 2025. (Magen David Adom)
Footage posted to social media shows the moment of the rocket impact in Ashkelon this evening.
Hamas launched 10 rockets in the attack, according to the IDF, the largest barrage from Gaza in many months.
According to medics, one person was lightly wounded.
Footage posted to social media shows the moment of the rocket impact in Ashkelon this evening.
Hamas launched 10 rockets in the attack, according to the IDF, the largest barrage from Gaza in many months.
According to medics, one person was lightly wounded. pic.twitter.com/DDZOjkfJ1y
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) April 6, 2025
Dermer joining Netanyahu in Washington for White House meetings
US President Donald Trump, accompanied by US Holocaust Memorial Council Chairman Tom Bernstein, center, and Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer, participates in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's National Days of Remembrance ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington, April 25, 2017. (AP/ Pablo Martinez Monsivais/ File)
Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer is on his way to Washington and will participate in meetings with senior White House officials, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s entourage tells The Times of Israel.
Netanyahu is expected to meet with Trump, US special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, a senior Israeli official said.
Poll: Bennett’s new party would be largest if elections held today; most Israelis see Qatar as enemy state
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett speaks at an Israel Hayom conference, August 14, 2024. (Screenshot, used in accordance with clause 27a of the copyright law)
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett’s newly registered Bennett 2026 party would be the largest in the Knesset if elections were held today, and Bennett would be well placed to build a majority coalition, a Channel 12 poll shows. The polls also shows a rise in support for the center-left The Democrats and a decline for the centrist Yesh Atid.
General elections are not due until October 2026.
With Bennett’s party entering the race, the parties poll as follows in the 120-seat Knesset: Bennett 2026: 23 seats; Likud: 22; The Democrats: 13; Shas: 10; Yisrael Beytenu: 9; Otzma Yehudit: 9; Yesh Atid: 8; National Unity: 8; United Torah Judaism: 8; Hadash-Ta’al: 5. and Ra’am 5. The Religious Zionism and Balad parties would get no seats.
In terms of Knesset blocs, the Bennett-led anti-Netanyahu parties would hold 66 seats, with 49 for the current Netanyahu-led coalition parties, and Hadash-Ta’al holding the other five.
If only existing parties ran, they would score as follows: Likud: 24; The Democrats: 16; Yesh Atid: 14; National Unity: 14; Yisrael Beytenu: 14; Shas: 10; Otzma Yehudit: 10; United Torah Judaism: 8; Hadash-Ta’al: 5, and Ra’am: 5. The Religious Zionism and Balad parties would again get no seats.
In terms of Knesset blocs, anti-Netanyahu parties would hold 63 seats, with 52 for the current Netanyahu-led coalition parties, and Hadash-Ta’al holding the other five.
Asked in the poll whether they consider Qatar an enemy state, 59% of respondents said yes, and 17% said no. Among coalition voters, 62% said they consider Qatar an enemy state, while 15% do not.
Asked whether “advisers in the Prime Minister’s Office giving services to Qatar, at a time of war, is problematic or not,” 68% said problematic and 11% said not problematic.
The survey was conducted by Mano Geva and Midgam. Channel 12 did not give a margin of error or show other polling data.
Man lightly wounded by shrapnel in Ashkelon after Hamas rocket barrage
The site of a rocket impact in the southern city of Ashkelon, April 6, 2025. (United Hatzalah)
A man was lightly wounded by shrapnel following a rocket impact in Ashkelon this evening, medics say.
Magen David Adom says it is taking the 30-year-old to Barzilai Hospital in the coastal city for treatment.
Several others were treated for acute anxiety, MDA adds.
Hamas launched a barrage of some 10 rockets in the attack, according to the IDF, which said most were intercepted by air defenses.
Contradicting Netanyahu, AG says Ronen Bar has authority to probe Shin Bet official’s comments
Left: Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90); Center: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Reuven Kastro/Pool); Right: Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara (Oren Ben Hakoon/Pool)
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara tells Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar does have full authority to investigate recent comments by the agency’s Jewish Division that he had a policy of arresting and detaining radical settler youths without evidence, contradicting the premier’s earlier comments.
Earlier today, Netanyahu said that the Shin Bet chief, who was fired by the government from his position last month, is “barred from investigating” the Jewish Division head because he was personally involved in the policy because he “authorizes every arrest of a Jew.”
Baharav-Miara tells Netanyahu that Bar has “all the powers given to him, including in the field of investigation and command clarification.”
She also points out that High Court of Justice suspended Bar’s dismissal pending hearings and a decision on petitions against the government’s firing of the agency head, saying that Netanyahu’s comment would “empty of content the judicial decision.”
The attorney general adds that the head of the Jewish Division’s comments do need “deep and urgent” investigation, as Bar has himself stated.
10 rockets fired from Gaza at Ashdod; most intercepted, says IDF
The site of a rocket impact in the southern city of Ashkelon, April 6, 2025. (United Hatzalah)
A barrage of 10 rockets was fired by Hamas from the Gaza Strip at the Ashdod area in southern Israel a short while ago, the military says.
According to the IDF, most of the rockets were intercepted by air defenses.
At least one rocket impact is reported in Ashkelon, with damage caused to a road and several parked cars. There are no immediate reports of injuries.
The attack marks the largest rocket barrage on Israel from Gaza in recent months.
Air raid sirens sound in Ashkelon and Ashdod after rocket fire from Gaza
Rocket sirens are sounding in the southern cities of Ashkelon and Ashdod, and several surrounding communities following rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.
The IDF says it is investigating.
Hamas takes responsibility for the rocket fire, saying it targeted Ashdod with a barrage.
Israeli exports to US will take $2.3 billion hit under Trump tariffs, warns umbrella org
Illustrative: The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. (Courtesy)
Ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting tomorrow in Washington with US President Donald Trump, the Manufacturers Association of Israel presented him with an analysis warning of the massive potential hit to the economy from the US president’s new tariffs.
According to the document, Israeli exports to the US will take a $2.3 billion hit from the tariffs, and 18,000-26,000 Israelis would likely lose their jobs.
If additional tariffs are placed on the pharmaceutical and chip industries, which have so far been left out of Trump’s sweeping edict, the damage to Israeli exports could reach $3 billion, the association warns.
The areas expected to be hit hardest, it says, are hi-tech, including biotech, plastics, metals, chemicals and fuels, robotics, and electronic components.
Under a sweeping new tariff policy announced by Trump, Israeli goods face a 17 percent US tariff. The US is Israel’s closest ally and largest single trading partner.
Visiting Lebanon border, IDF chief says military ‘continuing campaign to strengthen defenses’
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir (left) meets with officers on the Lebanon border, April 6, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir held an assessment on the Lebanon border today, the military says.
“We are continuing the campaign to strengthen the defenses, while showing initiative and offensive action,” Zamir says in remarks published by the IDF.
Zamir met with the chief of the Northern Command, Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, commander of the 91st “Galilee” Regional Division, Brig. Gen. Yuval Gez, and other commanders.
During the assessment, the military says Zamir “emphasized his instructions that the IDF will not allow civilians to go on hikes over the international border, but only in Israeli territory and in places where hikes were held in the past, in accordance with the security situation.”
Lapid: ‘The government will not threaten the High Court of Justice’
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid speaks at a gathering of his Yesh Atid party in Tel Aviv on April 6. 2025. (Courtesy, Yesh Atid)
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid condemns Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s “violent, humiliating and dangerous response” to the opposition’s lawsuit against the firing of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar.
“Your threatening letters will not help, this criminal language will not scare us. Those being investigated will not fire the investigators, and the government will not threaten the High Court of Justice,” Lapid declares at an annual gathering of members of his centrist Yesh Atid party.
“You said about our government that we bought the Muslim Brotherhood, now it turns out that the Muslim Brotherhood bought your government, an Arab country bought Netanyahu’s office,” Lapid continues — drawing a comparison between right-wing criticism of Lapid and Naftali Bennett’s decision to include MK Mansour Abbas’s Islamist Ra’am, or United Arab List, party in their coalition, and accusations that senior aides to Netanyahu operated illegally on behalf of Qatar.
“The Shin Bet should investigate this, to the end, without fear. If you have a problem with the law — resign,” Lapid continues.
“Netanyahu doesn’t stop talking about the will of the people. If the will of the people is the important thing, if it is the main thing, let’s go to the people. Let’s ask the people what they really want,” he insists, arguing that the people “deserve a second government of change.”
Ben Gvir’s office director being probed for illegally obtaining gun license
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir attends an event to deliver weapons to local volunteer security group members in Ashkelon, October 27, 2023. (AP/Tsafrir Abayov)
Investigators in the Department of Internal Police Investigations are probing National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s Knesset office director on suspicion that she abused her position to acquire a firearm license illegally, despite not meeting the criteria for it.
Nili Kadosh is suspected of acquiring the license from a senior officer with the rank of assistant commissioner, who was interrogated and released on restrictive conditions earlier today. The probe is ongoing, says a spokesperson for the agency.
Haaretz reported in January that Kadosh obtained the license from Ofir Buki, who was then the acting head of the police’s security and licensing department. A week after Kadosh’s license was granted, Buki’s position in the department became permanent, as he was promoted to the rank of assistant commissioner.
Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party lambasts the probe in a statement accusing investigators of political persecution against the far-right minister and his staff.
“It is already a fait accompli that the DIPI has put a target on my head and those of my associates. The time has come to sack the head of the DIPI immediately,” Ben Gvir says.
British MPs barred from entering Israel say they were ‘astounded’ by treatment
UK Labour MPs Yuan Yang (left) and Abtisam Mohamed. (Screenshot/YouTube)
Two British members of parliament who were refused entry to Israel yesterday have now returned to London, they say.
Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang from the UK’s governing Labour Party were traveling as part of a parliamentary delegation, but were stopped at the border on the grounds that they intended to provoke anti-Israel activities, according to the Israeli embassy in Britain.
“We’re astounded at the unprecedented step taken by the Israeli authorities to refuse British MPs entry on our trip to visit the occupied West Bank,” Mohamed and Yang say in a joint statement. “It is vital that parliamentarians are able to witness, firsthand, the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory.”
They add that “parliamentarians should feel free to speak truthfully in the House of Commons, without fear of being targeted.”
Israel’s Interior Ministry said it barred the two lawmakers from entering since they stated during questioning that the purpose of their visit was “to document Israeli security forces and spread hateful rhetoric against Israel.”
Netanyahu and Trump to meet in White House midday tomorrow
US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrive for a news conference in the East Room of the White House, February 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet US President Donald Trump tomorrow at 1 p.m. local time, at the White House, his office says.
The meeting will come around 8 p.m. Israel time, during the main evening news programs.
The two leaders are expected to discuss the new tariffs Trump imposed on Israel, hostage talks with Hamas, potential tensions between Israel and Turkey in Syria, and efforts to deter Iran and its proxy network.
Report: Dermer gave up 10% share in polling company before joining government
Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer in the Knesset, January 22, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)
Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer divested himself of his 10% ownership of the Midgam polling company run by Mano Geva before he was sworn into office, according to documents published by the Calcalist financial daily.
The report says that Dermer’s consulting company, Adidar, had a 10% ownership in the company known for its election polls, and they were placed in a trust until 2029 — so he could reclaim them if he does not serve in the next government.
Smotrich says he briefed PM on economic implications of US tariffs ahead of Trump meeting
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) in a video with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich after passing the 2025 state budget, March 25, 2025. (Screenshot/GPO)
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says he spoke with Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of the prime minister’s meetings with US President Donald Trump and other senior officials in the US administration.
Netanyahu is set to visit the White House on Monday to discuss Trump’s newly announced tariffs imposed on Israel. Smotrich says he presented Netanyahu with the economic implications of imposing tariffs on Israel and ways to prevent harm to the Israeli industry and economy.
IDF says more than 130 targets in Gaza hit by airstrikes over the weekend
An IDF soldier is seen operating in the southern Gaza Strip, in a handout photo published by the military on April 5, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
The Israeli Air Force struck more than 130 targets in the Gaza Strip over the weekend, the military says, publishing footage of the attacks.
According to the IDF, the strikes over the weekend targeted Hamas operatives and members of other terror groups, along with infrastructure, including tunnels and command centers.
Footage released by the IDF on April 6, 2025, shows strikes in the Gaza Strip. (Israel Defense Forces)
Additionally, the IDF publishes a video showing the downing of a drone launched at Israel from Yemen by the Iran-backed Houthis on Friday night. The clip shows the drone being intercepted by an IAF helicopter.
Footage released by the IDF on April 6, 2025, shows an IAF helicopter shooting down a Houthi drone on April 4, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
‘I won’t give up,’ Le Pen tells Paris rally after her conviction
French far-right politician Marine Le Pen gestures after delivering a speech during a rally in her support in Paris on April 6, 2025. (JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP)
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen calls her conviction a “political decision” and vows not to give up after she was found guilty of embezzlement and banned from taking part in elections.
“I won’t give up,” Le Pen tells flag-waving members of her National Rally party and supporters, who packed the Place Vauban, with the glittering golden dome of the Hotel National des Invalides in the background. She calls her conviction a “political decision” and denounces a “witch hunt” against her party.
PM speaks to wife of Israeli-Hungarian hostage while flying from Budapest to DC
Lishay Miran-Lavi, wife of hostage Omri Miran, at a press conference in Tel Aviv held by hostages' families on March 2, 2025. (Video screenshot)
While flying to Washington aboard the Wing of Zion state plane, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with Lishay Miran, the wife of hostage Omri Miran, the Prime Minister’s Office says.
Netanyahu updates Lishay that he mentioned Omri, who is a dual Hungarian citizen, numerous times throughout his visit to Budapest, which ended this morning. The PMO says the premier discussed Omri’s case in meetings with the prime minister and president of Hungary and in additional meetings held to promote the return of the hostages.
The premier also requested the involvement of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in returning the body of hostage Ilan Weiss for burial in Israel, the PMO adds.
“The prime minister added that he will continue to act tirelessly for the return of all our hostages – the living and the fallen alike – while raising the issue in the global consciousness during every diplomatic visit,” writes Netanyahu’s office.
Miran’s loved ones reacted in anger following Netanyahu’s comments upon departing Hungary earlier today, in which he referenced “the Hungarian hostage” but did not mention Omri by name, and did not mention Weiss at all.
In addition to the PMO’s statement, Netanyahu writes in a series of posts on X that he departs for the US “at the invitation of [US] President [Donald] Trump, to talk with him about these issues: The hostages, achieving victory in Gaza and the tariff regime that has been imposed on Israel. I hope that I will be able to help on this issue. That is the intention.”
“I would like to convey my personal support to the families of the hostages who again endured psychological warfare propaganda. We are thinking about their loved ones. We are working, at this moment, to bring about their release. With G-d’s help, we will do so and we will succeed,” continues the prime minister.
The statement comes a day after the Hamas terror group released a propaganda video featuring hostages Bar Kupershtein and Maxim Herkin in the first sign of life from both men since they were abducted by terrorists on October 7, 2023.
Hamas leaders asked Iran for $500 million in 2021 to destroy Israel within 2 years, documents revealed by Katz show
Defense Minister Israel Katz meets with an intelligence official at an army base, April 6, 2025. (Ariel Hermoni Defense Ministry)
Defense Minister Israel Katz reveals an intelligence document showing that Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Muhammad Deif sent a letter to Iran’s IRGC Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani in June 2021 seeking support for the terror group’s plans to invade Israel, which was ultimately carried out on October 7, 2023.
“I am presenting a document here for the first time, which was found in the tunnels of senior Hamas officials in Gaza, which proves a direct relationship between Iran and Yahya Sinwar and Muhammad Deif, as part of Iran’s support for the Hamas plan to destroy Israel,” Katz says during a visit to the Military Intelligence Directorate’s so-called intelligence collection and technical spoils unit — known by its Hebrew acronym Amshat.
“In the document, they ask of the commander of the [Islamic] Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force to transfer $500 million for destroying the State of Israel,” he says.
The document shows that Hamas demanded $20 million per month from Iran over two years, “to achieve these great goals, through which we will change the face of the world.”
שר הביטחון חשף התכתבויות בין איראן לסינוואר: "ביקשו 500 מיליון דולר להשמדת ישראל – וקיבלו"@ndvori pic.twitter.com/IzEQgcupdq
— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) April 6, 2025
“We are confident that by the end of these two years, or during them, God willing, we will uproot this monstrous entity, and we will end this dark period in the history of our nation,” the letter reads.
Saeed Izadi, the head of the Palestinian Division in the IRGC, “accepted the request and replied to them that Iran, despite its difficult economic situation and the plight of the Iranian population, will continue to funnel money to Hamas, because the struggle against Israel and the US is the top priority of the Iranian regime,” Katz says.
The defense minister adds that “the conclusion is clear: Iran is the head of the serpent, and despite all its denials, it is also funding and advancing terror in all areas, from Gaza, through Lebanon, Syria, Judea and Samaria [West Bank] and now with the Houthis in Yemen, under the desire to destroy Israel.”
“Israel will do everything possible to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and will continue to hit its proxies in the region until the Iranian evil axis is crushed and defeated,” Katz adds.
Arrested Palestinian was planning major terror attack on Jerusalem light rail, say police
The Jerusalem light rail train at the French Hill station, July 2019. (Eli Ratner via iStock by Getty Images)
Police and Shin Bet agents say they arrested a Palestinian from the Shuafat refugee camp last month whom they suspect of planning to carry out terror attacks.
The suspect, who was arrested by police at the Shin Bet’s behest, reportedly made his own pipe bombs and bought knives for multiple attacks he planned to carry out during the month of Ramadan.
It came to light during the investigation that the suspect planned to plant homemade explosives on the Jerusalem light rail, a bus, or in a restaurant in the southern part of the city. At a later point, he apparently began plotting to carry out a combined ramming and stabbing attack at a Jerusalem bus stop, buying knives and a car as part of his plan.
Prosecutors in the Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office plan to file an indictment against the young man, but the joint police and Shin Bet statement does not specify when.
Levin demands AG address any role in Shin Bet’s Jewish Division detentions
Justice Minister Yariv Levin (left) and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara in a composite image. (Flash90)
Justice Minister Yariv Levin demands Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara answer if she authorized the stated detention policy of the head of the Shin Bet’s Jewish Division, in the wake of a recording in which he is heard saying he had a policy of arresting and holding radical settler youths without evidence.
“Since these severe things were published, you have not addressed them at all, and have taken no action against the head of the Jewish Division,” says Levin in a hostile missive to the attorney general, who he is in the process of firing.
“What is your position on the matter, and why have you taken no action on it?” the justice minister demands.
Levin also asks if Baharav-Miara or anyone else in her office approved the Shin Bet Jewish Division’s policy, if he consulted with her before adopting the policy, and if she was aware of his conduct.
Aleph, as the head of the Shin Bet’s Jewish Division is known, announced today that he was suspending himself from the role until an investigation into him is conducted, saying he had “erred” in his use of language.
Netanyahu says Shin Bet chief barred from investigating recording of Jewish Division head
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, on April 4, 2023. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issues a statement rejecting recent remarks by the Shin Bet and asserting that its chief, Ronen Bar, is prohibited from investigating a newly surfaced recording involving the head of the agency’s Jewish Division.
“The Shin Bet chief, who was dismissed by the government from his position, is barred from investigating the serious incident in which the head of the Jewish Division was recorded acting illegally — because he is personally involved in it,” the PMO writes in a statement.
Yesterday, the Kan public broadcaster published a recording revealing a conversation between the Jewish Division head and a senior officer in the police’s West Bank division, in which the former referred to certain settler youths as “shmucks” and said they were being arrested and held without evidence.
“It is the Shin Bet chief who, by definition, authorizes every arrest of a Jew, and the recordings themselves state that the arrests — in which the head of the special investigations unit expressed concern that there is no evidence — are being handled directly by the office of the Shin Bet chief,” the statement continues.
“After falsely accusing the prime minister in his statement to the High Court of Justice of using the organization’s powers against civilians, Ronen Bar has a vested interest in ensuring the opposite is not proven true. It will be the new Shin Bet chief, once appointed, who will handle the grave issue that has come to light,” concludes the PMO.
In response to the recording, the Shin Bet said yesterday that the conversation “solely addressed lawbreakers suspected of violence, who took the law into their own hands,” while adding that “the content and style of the remarks that were said do not suit the values and professional conduct of the agency,” and that Bar would examine the matter.
The PMO responded yesterday, calling “the shocking recording… a substantive threat to democracy” and vowed a thorough investigation of the Jewish Division’s activities.
“Only in dark regimes do the secret police act in this dangerous way,” added the statement from the premier, who is currently working to oust Bar amid the so-called Qatarqate probe into Netanyahu’s aides’ allegedly illicit ties with Qatar.
Palestinians said to take part in anti-Hamas demonstration in north Gaza
Palestinians attend an anti-Hamas rally calling for an end to the war, at Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 6, 2025. (X; used in accordance with article 27a of the Copyright Law).
Media outlets in Gaza report a demonstration taking place in Jabalia in northern Gaza, with dozens of protesters chanting “Hamas are terrorists” and “Hamas are garbage.”
Two weeks ago, there were several consecutive days of anti-Hamas and anti-war demonstrations in Gaza, followed by reports that Hamas had attacked and killed some of the protesters. The demonstrations were halted for a period, although they returned last week with a protest in northern Gaza.
تجدد المظاهرات المطالبة بوقف الحرب ورحيل حركة حماس في معسكر جباليا شمال قطاع غزة pic.twitter.com/fflHLK0mH0
— قناة عودة الفضائية (@AwdehTV) April 6, 2025
Former German president warns of far right at 80th anniversary of Buchenwald liberation
Wreaths of flowers lay in front of a placard on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Buchenwald Nazi concentration camp prior a commemoration ceremony in Buchenwald, near Weimar, eastern Germany, April 6, 2025. (JENS SCHLUETER / AFP)
Germany marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi’s Buchenwald concentration camp today, with warnings against global “radicalization and a worldwide shift to the right.”
The governor of the state of Thuringia, Mario Voigt, and former German president Christian Wulff speak at a ceremony in the city of Weimar, attended by scores, including several Holocaust survivors from across Europe.
Voigt says that Buchenwald was “a place of systematic dehumanization” and that everything that happened at the death camp “was designed to break the human spirit and its dignity.” He also says that the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel showed that “the intention to exterminate Jews is not a thing of the past.”
In his speech, Wulff issues a stark warning about the current global political situation.
“Due to the brutalization and radicalization and a worldwide shift to the right, I can now — and this makes me uneasy — imagine more clearly how this could have happened back then,” Wulff says, referring to Nazi terror and the developments leading up to it.
He calls for active commitment to democracy and the preservation of humanity, adding: “We bear a permanent, ongoing, eternal responsibility from this because evil must never be allowed to prevail again.”
Wulff also criticizes the anti-immigrant and far-right Alternative for Germany party. He says that those who “trivialize” the far-right party “are ignoring the fact that the Alternative for Germany’s ideology is creating a breeding ground for people to feel uncomfortable in Germany and that they are actually in real danger.”
Israel Aerospace Industries says it has grown its Haredi workforce to more than 400
For illustration: Israel Aerospace Industries holds a special conference focused on integrating Haredi professionals into technological roles, April 6, 2025. (Israel Aerospace Industries)
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) says it has seen a steady rise in the number of Haredi employees, with over 400 currently working at the company.
At a special conference focused on integrating Haredi professionals into technological roles, IAI highlights its efforts to diversify its workforce.
“At IAI, we carry out a variety of initiatives throughout the year to recruit employees from diverse populations, including the Haredi sector,” says Nir Reis, IAI’s vice president of human resources.
He attributes the increase in Haredi hires to their “wide-ranging recruitment efforts, exposure events for Haredi engineers, expanded partnerships with Haredi companies and training organizations, and targeted job postings in Haredi communities.”
In 2024 alone, IAI says it hired 48 new Haredi employees, continuing a growing trend that saw a 45% increase in Haredi hires in the past two years. IAI’s efforts also include creating a welcoming work environment, offering accommodations such as an internal web-filtering system, family days and an on-site synagogue.
Boaz Levy, CEO of IAI, emphasizes: “IAI is a home for all sectors of Israeli society and is deeply committed to increasing representation of diverse populations, including Haredi men and women.”
Senior Israeli official: ‘We have no clue what Trump wants to talk to us about’
US President Donald Trump (left) welcomes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the White House on February 4, 2025. (Avi Ohayon/GPO)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in Washington this week, a senior Israeli official tells The Times of Israel on board his flight to DC.
Netanyahu is expected to land back in Israel on Wednesday, then head directly to testify in his ongoing corruption trial.
“We have no clue what [US President Donald] Trump wants to talk to us about, and why it was so urgent and important to him,” says the senior official. “We wanted to meet next week.”
Trump and Netanyahu will give joint statements to the press tomorrow, according to Channel 12 news.
Jerusalem couple in suspected murder-suicide was in process of divorcing, reports say
Police at the scene where a man allegedly murdered his wife and then killed himself in Jerusalem, April 4, 2025. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90)
The Jerusalem couple found dead in a suspected murder-suicide on Friday had begun the process of divorcing, according to reports.
A 13-year-old boy found both his parents dead at their home after hearing gunfire. The boy, the eldest of four, discovered his parents lying on the floor. The family was reportedly Haredi, and the father had held a gun license since July 2023.
Neighbors tell the Ynet news site that the couple had started the procedures to get divorced at the rabbinate and that there was noticeable “tension” between the pair.
The Kan public broadcaster says the woman had requested the divorce.
According to residents in the neighborhood, the woman was socially active and ran charitable projects within the community.
“Every week, she would assign volunteers to prepare food and provide assistance to [new] mothers in the neighborhood when they returned from the hospital,” a neighbor tells Ynet.
The preliminary suspicion by police was that the father, 38, shot his wife, 35, then killed himself with the weapon. According to Kan, the woman was shot twice, leading to suspicions that she was murdered by her husband, who had one gunshot wound.
According to reports, there had been no previous complaints to police of domestic violence, and the family was not known to social services.
Last year, 23 women were killed in Israel because of their gender, according to the Israel Observatory on Femicide at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
According to the Observatory, 55 percent of the suspected killers were husbands or partners to their victims. In many other cases, the attackers were family members, such as brothers or sons.
The observatory counts so-called honor killings, matricides, and murders by a partner or family member as femicide. It does not include deaths from terrorism, accidents, or other unrelated issues.
Zamir: ‘IDF failed on October 7, but the female observers who were on duty did not fail’
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir meets with female surveillance soldiers at the Tel Hashomer induction center, April 6, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir met this morning with new female surveillance soldiers drafted to the military today, in his first visit to an army induction center as IDF chief.
“We have great appreciation for the important security work of the female observers on all borders. The war proved more than ever that female observers are an essential part of maintaining the country’s security – you are the ‘eyes of the nation,'” he tells the soldiers.
“The IDF failed on October 7, but the female observers who were on duty did not fail. They were the first to act with courage and bravery under fire,” Zamir says.
At the Nahal Oz base on October 7, 16 surveillance soldiers were killed, and a further seven were abducted to Gaza.
Zamir also issues comments aimed at the ultra-Orthodox community, who largely don’t serve, saying: “The IDF’s stance is clear — equality in bearing the burden. Those who give more will receive more! Everyone must shoulder the stretcher of national security.”
During last year’s military draft, the Combat Intelligence Collection units — where surveillance soldiers serve — saw a 210% turnout. The military often funnels more conscripts than it actually needs to certain units, expecting a certain percentage to refuse the positions.
The soldiers of the intelligence collection units are tasked with monitoring surveillance cameras along Israel’s borders and in the West Bank and dispatching forces to potential incidents. The vast majority of those serving in the unit are female soldiers.
Head of Shin Bet’s Jewish Division suspends himself after saying radical settler ‘shmucks’ held without evidence
Palestinians react as Israeli settlers break into the West Bank village of Duma, where they set several houses on fire, on April 1, 2025. (Screenshot: X, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
The head of the Shin Bet’s Jewish Division says he has suspended himself from his role until he is investigated, after the Kan public broadcaster last night published a recording in which he said that radical settler youths were being arrested and held without evidence, and called them “shmucks.
In a message to members of the Jewish Division, the official known as Aleph says, “I deeply regret the way the things were said, which does not characterize the way I conduct myself vis-à-vis the many other bodies with whom we work in cooperation.”
The leaked recording was a conversation between the Jewish Division head and Cdr. Avishai Mualem, a senior officer in the police’s West Bank division.
Mualem is under investigation for bribery and other offenses relating to his alleged refusal to investigate Jewish nationalist crimes in the West Bank to curry favor with National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, and he has also been arrested on suspicion of obstructing the investigation against him and abusing his authority.
“I completely reject the attempt to create the appearance of work that is not in accordance with the law and the values of restraint of force and dignity,” Aleph says.
“I have erred in my language in a manner that is not consistent with the values of the agency and my values, and therefore, in order to allow for a thorough investigation and out of my duty to set a personal example, I am suspending myself from my position as head of the division until the end of the comprehensive investigation into the matter,” the statement says.
In addition to an internal investigation, the Shin Bet says that the head of the agency, Ronen Bar, contacted the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and invited him to come and visit the division.
Lebanese official says US envoy discussed disarming Hezbollah, but without deadline
US Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus arrives for a meeting with with Lebanon's parliament speaker in Beirut on April 5, 2025. (AFP)
A Lebanese official says that US deputy special envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus discussed disarming Hezbollah without setting a deadline during her meetings in Beirut a day earlier.
The Lebanese official, speaking anonymously as they were not authorized to brief the media, says Ortagus discussed “intensifying and speeding up the work of the Lebanese army in dismantling Hezbollah’s military infrastructure, leading to restricting weapons to state hands, without setting a timetable.”
Ortagus has not made any official statements during the visit, but Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam described their discussions with the US official as positive, noting they addressed the situation in south Lebanon and economic reforms.
Israel has continued to carry out strikes on Hezbollah operatives and members of affiliated terror groups since a ceasefire in November, following two months of open war aimed at ending rocket attacks from the Iran-backed group for nearly a year. The terror group started firing rockets and drones at Israeli communities and military posts on October 8, 2023, in support of the terror group Hamas, which invaded Israel from the Gaza Strip a day earlier.
Netanyahu leaves Hungary for tariff talks with Trump, says he’ll discuss hostages, Gaza, doesn’t mention Iran
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a statement as he prepares to board a plane in Budapest for Washington DC on April 6, 2025 (Avi Ohayon / GPO)
As a military honor guard sees him off from Budapest, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praises Hungary for supporting Israel in international bodies.
“It defends us in the European Union,” he says before boarding Wing of Zion to fly to Washington. “It defends us in the UN, and no less than that, in the corrupt International Criminal Court in The Hague, which is directed against all of us – against IDF soldiers, IDF commanders and the State of Israel.”
He says Hungary’s withdrawal from the ICC last week is “a sign of things to come.”
Netanyahu highlights discussions with Hungary about the joint production of armaments, and about the hostages in Gaza, who include Hungarian citizen Omri Miran. The prime minister’s statement notes that he discussed with Orban “the Hungarian hostage,” but did not name Miran specifically.
Netanyahu says he will discuss with US President Donald Trump tomorrow “the hostages, the completion of the victory in Gaza, and of course the tariff regime that was also imposed on Israel.”
“I hope that I can help in this matter,” he says. “That is the intention.”
He does not mention potential discussions on thwarting Iran’s nuclear weapons ambitions.
Noting that he is the first world leader to meet with Trump in person about tariffs, he says, “This reflects the special personal connection and the special connection between the United States and Israel, which is so vital at this time.”
Netanyahu offers his support to the families of hostages who were seen in propaganda videos recently released by the Hamas terror group.
“We are also working at these moments to bring about their release, and we will not let up,” he says, as Israel continues to expand its ground operation in Gaza.
Jerusalem Post editor questioned over Qatargate says he was ‘so naive’
Jerusalem Post Editor Zvika Klein speaks to Channel 12 news, April 5, 2025 (Channel 12 Screenshot)
Zvika Klein, the editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post who was questioned last by police as a suspect in the Qatargate case, says he was very “naive.”
“As time goes by, I go over the conversations. I was so naive,” he tells Army Radio.
“It’s a delusional situation in which people who work with the prime minister [also take into account] the interests of a different country,” he says.
“I know other journalists who [spokesman] Eli Feldstein was in contact with who believed they were receiving a [news] item from the prime minister. It’s very disturbing,” he says.
The Qatargate affair involves suspicions that two aides to Netanyahu, senior adviser Jonatan Urich and former spokesman Feldstein, committed multiple offenses tied to their alleged work for a pro-Qatar lobbying firm, including contact with a foreign agent and a series of corruption allegations involving lobbyists and businessmen. Urich is in custody, and Feldstein is under house arrest. Police also want to question a third aide, Yisrael Einhorn, who currently lives in Serbia.
At a hearing on Tuesday regarding the detention of Urich and Feldstein, police indicated that they suspect Urich and others — while spreading pro-Qatar messaging — framed the information as having originated from senior Israeli officials in the Prime Minister’s Office. “Urich relayed messages to the media on behalf of the Prime Minister’s Office. The messages were [originally] conveyed by an entity that maintains ties to and is funded by the state of Qatar, and they were presented as messages originating from a political or security source,” a police investigator reportedly said in court.
Klein was summoned to give testimony in the case on Monday and then cautioned as a suspect. He was initially released to house arrest, but this restriction was canceled on Thursday. He has decried his arrest and denied any involvement in the affair.
Other journalists have also given testimony, but only as witnesses.
Netanyahu meets with Hungarian FM before departing to US
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó in Budapest, Hungary, April 6, 2025. (Avi Ohayon/GPO)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó in Budapest this morning, along with a forum of senior local business leaders, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
During the meeting, Netanyahu discusssed strengthening economic, security, and technological ties with the EU member state, as well as increasing Hungarian investment in the Israeli economy, says the PMO in a statement.
The conversation concludes the premier’s visit to Budapest, which began Wednesday evening last week and included meetings with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, senior government officials, and local Jewish leaders.
Orban invited the Israeli leader to visit Hungary earlier this year and announced minutes before meeting with Netanyahu on Thursday that Budapest is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court, which in November issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu.
The prime minister will fly to the US later today to meet with President Donald Trump regarding new American tariffs on Israeli imports, as well as “efforts to reach a hostage deal, Israel-Turkey relations, the Iranian threat, and confronting the International Criminal Court,” according to the premier.
Hungarian police arrest 2 French citizens for tearing down Israeli flags honoring Netanyahu’s visit
Israeli and Hungarian flags are raised on the oldest Hungarian bridge, the Széchenyi Chain Bridge in Budapest, on April 2, 2025. (Photo by Attila KISBENEDEK / AFP)
BUDAPEST — Hungarian police announce the arrest (Hungarian link) of two people yesterday for tearing down 17 Israeli flags lining Budapest’s Széchenyi Chain Bridge in honor of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit, and throwing them into the Danube River.
The alleged perpetrators, two French nationals, were arrested by police on the bridge a few minutes after the incident. After questioning by investigators at Budapest’s Fifth District police station, they have been charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct, vandalism and theft.
Police say they have also arrested two Spanish nationals for misdemeanor vandalism after they broke a Hungarian flag on the bridge one hour later that day.
Anti-government activist Eyal Yaffe indicted for illegal possession of firearms, ammunition
Yom Kippur War veteran Eyal Yaffe arrives for a court hearing at the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court, March 29, 2025, after he was arrested on suspicion of harassing a border policewoman during a protest in Jerusalem. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Anti-government activist Eyal Yaffe, 72, is indicted on charges of the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
According to the indictment, a loaded AK-47 assault rifle was found in Yaffe’s home, along with a sub-machine gun and ammunition for it, 12 ammunition magazines, a stun-grenade, and a tear-gas grenade.
Yaffe was arrested after video footage emerged of him appearing to rub his crotch up against a female Border Police officer from behind as she was bending over to deal with other protesters at an anti government rally at the end of March.
The police discovered the weapons in Yaffe’s home after they raided his residence following the incident.
Yaffe described the video of the incident as “completely fabricated,” while an attorney for him said that the weapons were “family mementos” with “deep sentimental value” that were unconnected to his role as a protest activist, and decried the detention of his client as “political.”
Last week, a lawyer representing Yaffe said the weapon was a memento from his client’s brother, who fell in military service.
“The Kalashnikov rifle found in my client’s warehouse is a valuable family memento from his late brother Amir Yaffe, who fell during his military service. This is an object of deep sentimental value to the family that lost their loved one,” Attorney Gonen Ben Yitzhak representing Yaffe said in a statement.
“The remaining items found, including an old carbine and cartridges, remained in my client’s possession from his long and significant military service as a reserve battalion commander, during which he contributed many years to the security of the country,” the lawyer continued.
IDF says 2 Hezbollah operatives targeted in south Lebanon airstrike
The Israel Defense Forces says two members of Hezbollah were targeted in an airstrike in south Lebanon.
The military says the two were “operating an engineering vehicle” in the Zibqin area while they were “attempting to restore terrorist infrastructure.”
Earlier, Lebanese media reported that one person was killed in a strike on a bulldozer.
Israel has continued to carry out strikes on Hezbollah operatives and members of affiliated terror groups since a ceasefire in November, following two months of open war aimed at ending rocket attacks from the Iran-backed group for nearly a year.
The terror group started firing rockets and drones at Israeli communities and military posts on October 8, 2023, in support of fellow terror group Hamas, which had invaded Israel from the Gaza Strip a day earlier.
Rocket sirens sound in Avivim, Yir’on near Lebanon border; military says false alert
Rocket sirens are sounding in Avivim and Yir’on near the northern border with Lebanon.
The military later says the sirens were a false alarm.
British minister: UK Labour MPs barred from entering Israel are traveling back to London
Two British members of parliament who were refused entry to Israel and briefly detained for questioning are traveling back to London, a British minister says.
The Labour Party MPs, Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang, were barred entry after questioning revealed that the purpose of their visit was “to document Israeli security forces and spread hateful rhetoric against Israel,” the Interior Ministry’s Population and Immigration Authority had said in a statement.
“They are on their way home now,” Britain’s deputy finance minister Darren Jones tells BBC television.
“The way that my colleagues have been treated is unacceptable, as the foreign secretary has said,” Jones says, referring to an earlier statement by British Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
While being interrogated, the two MPs — who both call for boycotting Israel — claimed to arrive as part of an official delegation on behalf of the UK parliament, but the claim was found to be false as no Israeli entity had verified the arrival of such a delegation, the Interior Ministry’s Population and Immigration Authority said.
Interior Minister Moshe Arbel, therefore, decided to deny entry to all four individuals “in accordance with the law and ordered their removal from Israel,” according to the statement.
Parents of female Nahal Oz soldiers killed on Oct. 7 ask IDF to recognize their bravery
The torched command center of the Nahal Oz IDF base, overrun by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, during a visit by relatives of slain lookout soldiers on December 19, 2023. (Courtesy/Eyal Eshel)
The parents of the female soldiers and officers killed at the Nahal Oz Base on October 7, 2023, ask IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir to recognize the bravery of their children on that day.
“It is appropriate that the IDF officially recognize the heroism of the female surveillance soldiers and senior officers of the Nahal Oz base in a manner that reflects their courage and exceptional performance,” the families say in a letter, according to the Walla news site.
The parents of Cpl. Noa Marciano, who was kidnapped on October 7 and killed in Gaza, also sign the letter.
“The mind still refuses to digest the magnitude of the failure and abandonment. The heart will never heal… Our girls warned about the exercises, the preparations, the training, the ‘white Toyotas,’ and nothing was done,” the letter reads. “Even when they warned that they were being observed, no one did anything about it. They were robbed of their lives.”
“In the investigation, we were also exposed to the heroism of the soldiers,” the parents say.
“The investigation explicitly stated that they saved lives,” the letter reads, citing the heroic efforts by many of those on the base that day. “They demonstrated extraordinary courage, bravery, determination and devotion to duty in the face of the enemy.”
“In the investigation, we also discovered that two female surveillance soldiers managed to repel grenades that the terrorists threw into the shelter. With bare hands, barefoot and in pajamas, they acted heroically and saved lives,” the letter says.
The parents conclude with a request ahead of the upcoming Memorial Day, that the women’s’ bravery be formally recognized.
The Nahal Oz base was the hardest-hit IDF facility in Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, during which some 5,600 terrorists stormed across the border, massacred some 1,200 people, and took 251 hostages to Gaza.
In all, 53 soldiers were killed at the base: 31 combat troops and 22 noncombat — including 16 female surveillance soldiers. Another 10 were abducted — seven female surveillance soldiers and three tank soldiers.
Shares on Tel Aviv Stock Exchange tumble amid concerns over Trump tariffs
The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, December 25, 2018. (Adam Shuldman/Flash90/File)
Shares on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange plunge amid growing investor concern that the Trump administration’s new tariff policy will ignite a global trade war.
The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange’s benchmark TA-125 index drops 3.8 percent after slipping 0.4% last week. The TA-35 index of blue-chip companies is down 3.6%. The TA-90 index, which tracks the shares with the highest capitalization not included in the TA-35 index, declines almost 4.5%, and the TA-Insurance and Financial Services index dives 4.6%.
Tel Aviv shares tumble after the S&P index lost almost 6% on Friday, the biggest drop since June 2020, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average slumped 5.5%, as China announced a 34% levy on US goods, in response to President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs on some 60 countries, including China.
“The tariff plan presented by Trump, which was published on Wednesday evening, led to declines on Thursday on all world markets, including Israel,” the Tel Aviv bourse says. “In addition, trading in the domestic market was characterized by volatility against the backdrop of the return to fighting in Gaza and internal political developments.”
PM, government say petitions against firing of Shin Bet chief ‘nonsense’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, on April 4, 2023. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)
The prime minister and the government describe the petitions against the firing of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar as “nonsense,” and “lacking legal foundation, an appropriate cause, and a factual basis,” in their response to the motions to the High Court of Justice against Bar’s dismissal.
The response is filed by attorney Zion Amir, who is serving as independent counsel for the respondents since the attorney general opposed the firing of Bar.
Amir writes in the response that the petitions against the removal of the Shin Bet chief from office are “an attempt to expropriate from the hands of the government of Israel, and by extension from the hands of the public which elected it, its authority and most foundational obligation for the security of the State of Israel and its citizens.”
Amir says the petitions are not seeking proper administrative processes but rather “overturning governmental arrangements” whereby “the judicial branch will take the reins of government from the executive branch,” and, specifically regarding the Shin Bet, in violation of the 2002 law for that institution which specifically gives the prime minister and the government the power to hire and fire the head of the agency.
“The court is not the forum to determine who heads the Shin Bet. It does not have the authority, it does not have the tools, and it does not have the responsibility which stems from these decisions, which are all in the hands of the public through its elected officials,” writes Amir.
The petitioners argue that although the prime minister and government have the authority to hire and fire the Shin Bet head, such decisions, like all administrative decisions, are subject to judicial review.
They argue that the decision to fire Bar was a political and personal one due to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s frustration with Bar for non-professional reasons, and that the decision was tainted by a conflict of interest for the premier since the Shin Bet is currently conducting an investigation into Netanyahu’s close aides for allegedly doing public relations work for Qatar while working as media advisers for the prime minister.
On Friday, Bar wrote a letter to the High Court claiming Netanyahu repeatedly demanded he inform the judges in the premier’s criminal trial that the prime minister could not regularly testify in court due to security concerns.
Bar said his refusal to heed Netanyahu’s request was the reason for the breakdown in trust between the two.
Over 100 chemical weapons sites could remain in Syria, watchdog says
People stand in front of damaged buildings in the town of Douma, the site of a suspected chemical weapon attack, near Damascus, Syria, on April 16, 2018. (Hassan Ammar/AP)
Over 100 chemical weapons sites are suspected to remain in Syria, The New York Times reports.
The report cites estimations by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
The sites are thought to have been for the development and research of chemical weapons under the regime of deposed Syrian leader Bashar Assad, the Times says. Some of the sites could be hidden in caves or other hard-to-identify locations, the report says.
The newspaper notes that the chemical weapons stockpiles could include the sarin nerve agent, as well as chlorine and mustard gas.
Experts tell the newspaper that there are concerns that the chemical weapons could fall into the hands of extremists and terror groups.
Syria agreed to give up its chemical weapons stockpile in 2013, after the government was accused of launching an attack near Damascus that killed hundreds of people. However, it is widely believed to have kept some of the weapons and was accused of using them again in subsequent years.
Israel has said it struck suspected chemical weapons sites and long-range rockets in Syria, saying it did so in order to prevent them from falling into the hands of hostile actors.
Iranian foreign minister says Tehran willing to enter indirect negotiations with US
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attends a meeting with his Armenian counterpart in Yerevan on March 25, 2025. (KAREN MINASYAN / AFP)
After rejecting the idea of direct talks with the United States, Iran says it is willing to enter indirect negotiations.
“We remain committed to diplomacy and are ready to try the path of indirect negotiations,” says Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
“Iran keeps itself prepared for all possible or probable events, and just as it is serious in diplomacy and negotiations, it will also be decisive and serious in defending its national interests and sovereignty,” Araghchi says.
On Thursday, US President Donald Trump said he would prefer to hold “direct talks” with Iran.
It was reported earlier this morning that the US has deployed a second advanced anti-missile defense battery in Israel amid rising tensions with Tehran over its nuclear program.
Iran: Direct talks with US ‘constantly threatening force’ would be ‘meaningless’
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks to AFP during an interview at the Iranian consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on March 7, 2025. (Amer HILABI / AFP)
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says direct negotiations with the United States would be “meaningless,” after US President Donald Trump said he would prefer direct talks with Tehran.
“Direct negotiations would be meaningless with a party that constantly threatens to resort to force in violation of the UN Charter and that expresses contradictory positions from its various officials,” Araghchi says in a foreign ministry statement.
Last week, US President Donald Trump threatened Iran with “bombing” and secondary tariffs if Tehran did not come to an agreement with Washington over its nuclear program.
Iran, which is sworn to Israel’s destruction, denies seeking a nuclear weapon, but has ramped up its enrichment of uranium up to 60 percent purity, the only country in the world without a nuclear weapons program to do so, and has obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities.
Report: US transfers 2nd THAAD battery to Israel amid rising tensions over Iran nuclear program
A US THAAD missile defense system in Israel is deployed amid a Houthi attack early on December 27, 2024. (Screen capture/X)
The Saudi Al-Hadath channel reports that the US has transferred a second THAAD battery to Israel amid rising tensions over Iran’s nuclear program.
The battery was apparently delivered yesterday.
Flight tracking websites showed that an American C-5M Super Galaxy, the US Air Force’s largest transport plane, landed at the Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel and remained there for around eight hours before taking off again.
The THAAD, or Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System, is an advanced anti-missile system.
The THAAD system deployed to Israel has been used to intercept several missiles fired at Israel by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, including in recent weeks.
Last week, US President Donald Trump threatened Iran with “bombing” and secondary tariffs if Tehran did not come to an agreement with Washington over its nuclear program.
The first THAAD battery was rushed to Israel last year, and around 100 US troops are thought to be deployed to operate the system, which is considered complementary to the Patriot system but can defend a wider area, capable of hitting targets at ranges of 150-200 kilometers (93-124 miles).
Last year, Israel carried out a wave of retaliatory airstrikes on Iran after Tehran carried out a second missile attack on Israel.
Israeli jets targeted Iranian air defenses as well as its ballistic missile program, striking factories, storage sites, launchers and research facilities, and targeting one facility believed to be used for the regime’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon.
Iran’s nuclear sites are also widely seen as more vulnerable, with many of Tehran’s proxies now weakened.
Iran, which is sworn to Israel’s destruction, denies seeking a nuclear weapon, but it has ramped up its enrichment of uranium up to 60 percent purity, the only country in the world without a nuclear weapons program to do so, and has obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities.
Suspected US airstrikes target Houthis in Yemen, as CENTCOM posts footage of ‘continuous operations’
Suspected US airstrikes killed at least two people overnight in a stronghold of Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the group says, as a bombing video posted by US President Donald Trump suggested casualties in the campaign may be higher than the rebels acknowledge.
The strikes in Saada killed two people and wounded four others, with footage aired by the Houthis’ al-Masirah satellite news channel showing a strike collapsing what appeared to be a two-story building. The Iranian-backed Houthis air no footage from inside the building, which they describe as a solar power shop.
However, the Houthis have not acknowledged any casualties from their security and military leadership — something challenged after an online video posted by Trump.
These Houthis gathered for instructions on an attack. Oops, there will be no attack by these Houthis!
They will never sink our ships again! pic.twitter.com/lEzfyDgWP5
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 4, 2025
The intense campaign of airstrikes in Yemen under Trump targeting the rebels over their attacks on shipping in Mideast waters stemming from the Israel-Hamas war has killed at least 69 people, according to casualty figures released by the Houthis. The Iran-backed group says it is attacking shipping as well as direct strikes on Israel to support Palestinians amid the war sparked by the Hamas terror group’s October 7 attack.
Meanwhile, CENTCOM posted a video of what it describes as “continuous operations” against the Houthis.
Our dedicated service members of the Harry S. Truman carrier strike group are on station, launching continuous operations 24/7 against Iran-backed Houthis…#HouthisAreTerrorists pic.twitter.com/37K8ktC1QB
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 5, 2025
Nazi-sympathizing Croatian singer Thompson sells 500,000 tickets for July concert
Croatian singer Marko Perkovic Thompson performs during the 'March for Life,' Croatia's fourth annual anti-abortion march, on May 25, 2019 in Zagreb. (AFP)
A Croatian singer known for pro-Nazi sympathies has sold more than 500,000 tickets for an outdoor concert in July, the platform selling tickets says.
Folk-rock icon Marko Perkovic, known by his stage name Thompson, has previously been banned from giving concerts in several European countries because of his sympathies with Croatia’s World War II pro-Nazi Ustasha regime.
“On Saturday, July 5, over half a million people at the (Zagreb) hippodrome will enjoy a spectacle” by Thompson, the Entrio ticket platform says on Facebook.
It says tickets for the event, to be held in the country’s capital of 3.8 million people, were sold out a week after going on sale.
Ustasha symbols are often displayed at Thompson concerts and some fans use the Nazi salute to accompany one of his most popular songs.
But the 58-year-old singer, who became popular during Croatia’s war of independence in the 1990s because of his patriotic songs, insists there is “nothing controversial” about the song.
Croatia’s pro-Nazi past has become less taboo in the country in recent years, and critics accuse authorities of failing to sanction the use of Ustasha symbols.
The Ustasha persecuted and killed hundreds of thousands of Serbs, Jews, anti-fascist Croatians, Roma and others in concentration camps during World War II.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center, a leading Jewish human rights group, has accused Thompson of glorifying genocide in his lyrics and said the display of Ustasha insignia at his concerts was “neither a coincidence nor a mistake.”
Rubio: US to revoke all visas for South Sudanese after country fails to accept deported nationals
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a news conference with Guyanese President Mohamed Irfaan Ali (not in picture) in Georgetown, Guyana, March 27, 2025. (Nathan Howard/Pool photo via AP)
Washington is revoking all visas for South Sudanese passport holders and blocking new arrivals, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says, complaining that the African nation is not accepting its nationals expelled from the United States.
The State Department “is taking actions to revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders and prevent further issuance to prevent entry,” Rubio says in a statement.
It is the first such measure singling out all passport holders from a particular country since Donald Trump returned to the White House on January 20, having campaigned on an anti-immigration platform.
Rubio accuses the transitional government in Juba of “taking advantage of the United States,” saying that “every country must accept the return of its citizens in a timely manner when another country… seeks to remove them.”
Washington “will be prepared to review these actions when South Sudan is in full cooperation,” Rubio adds.
The world’s newest country, and also one of the poorest, South Sudan is currently prey to tensions between political leaders. Some observers fear a renewal of the civil war that killed 400,000 people between 2013 and 2018.
South Sudanese nationals had been granted “temporary protected status” (TPS) by the administration of Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden, with the designation set to expire on May 3, 2025.
The United States grants TPS, which shields people against deportation, to foreign citizens who cannot safely return home because of war, natural disasters or other “extraordinary” conditions.
There were about 133 South Sudanese in the United States under the TPS program, with another 140 eligible to apply, the Department of Homeland Security said in September 2023.
‘Hands off!’: Tens of thousands march throughout US against Trump ‘devastation’
Demonstrators hold up signs during a "Hands Off!" protest against US President Donald Trump at the Washington Monument in Washington, April 5, 2025. (AP/Jose Luis Magana)
Tens of thousands of protesters flood the streets of major US cities to oppose the divisive policies of President Donald Trump, in the largest demonstrations since his return to the White House.
Opponents of the Republican president’s policies — from government staffing cuts to trade tariffs and eroding civil liberties — rally in Washington, New York, Houston, Florida, Colorado and Los Angeles, among other locations.
So-called Hands Off! demonstrations are organized for more than 1,200 locations in all 50 US states by more than 150 groups, including civil rights organizations, labor unions, LBGTQ advocates, veterans and elections activists. The rallies appear peaceful, with no immediate reports of arrests.
Protesters assail Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s actions on government downsizing, the economy, immigration and human rights. On the West Coast, in the shadow of Seattle’s iconic Space Needle, protesters hold signs with slogans like “Fight the oligarchy.”
Demonstrators voice anger over the administration’s moves to fire thousands of federal workers, close Social Security Administration field offices, effectively shutter entire agencies, deport immigrants, scale back protections for transgender people and cut funding for health programs.
Musk, a Trump adviser who runs Tesla, SpaceX and the social media platform X, has played a key role in the downsizing as the head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency. He says he is saving taxpayers billions of dollars.
Asked about the protests, the White House says in a statement that “President Trump’s position is clear: he will always protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries. Meanwhile, the Democrats’ stance is giving Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare benefits to illegal aliens, which will bankrupt these programs and crush American seniors.”
Gazan reports claim at least 9 dead in new Israeli strikes on Strip
Gazan media report at least eight deaths in an alleged Israeli airstrike on a home in western Khan Younis in the Strip’s south.
Reports also claim a child has been killed in a bombing in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City in the Strip’s north.
تغطية صحفية: اللحظات الأولى لقصف الاحتلال منزلاً لعائلة عبد الهادي غرب مدينة خانيونس، والذي أسفر عن ارتقاء 8 شهداء. pic.twitter.com/1BBqOxGbxW
— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) April 6, 2025
Opposition MK claims Gaza ambulance incident a result of government rhetoric about ‘no innocents in Gaza’
Labor MK Gilad Kariv leads an Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs Committee meeting at the Knesset, in Jerusalem on March 26, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
The Democrats MK Gilad Kariv claims the recent deadly IDF shooting of an ambulance convoy and what he calls the attempt to cover up the incident are the result of a culture created by senior members of the government and their supporters who repeatedly claim that there are no innocent civilians in Gaza.
Kariv’s comments are a rare example of a Jewish lawmaker weighing in on an alleged war crime in Gaza.
“The very serious ambulance incident in the southern Gaza Strip raises difficult and poignant questions. One should not automatically accept every claim in foreign media, but one certainly cannot close their eyes,” Kariv tweets.
“When government ministers, members of Knesset, former senior commanders and influential rabbis use rhetoric such as ‘no one is innocent’ and talk about exercising power without any limits, these messages seep into the IDF, leading to both difficult and unbearable consequences and attempts at a cover-up,” the left-wing opposition lawmaker says.
“The army must provide answers about what happened in this incident, take the necessary steps — despite the expected attacks and campaigns against it — and show real steps to correct ethical and operational failures,” he adds.
Kariv also weighs in on the uproar from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others over a leaked recording in which the head of the Shin Bet’s Jewish Division can be heard saying settlers “shmucks” had been arrested without evidence.
Kariv says the Shin Bet agent’s remarks are inappropriate and require clarification.
“But the attack by Netanyahu and the Knesset members of the Kahanist right will not make the severe violence of the extremist settlers disappear, given that pogroms were just carried out in several locations throughout the West Bank in the past several days,” Kariv writes.
“For years, the Israel Police and other law enforcement agencies have turned a blind eye to this violence and at times even provided it with backing,” he adds.
Houthi media say one dead in alleged US airstrikes on Yemen energy site
Media aligned with Yemen’s Houthi rebels says one person has been killed and several others wounded in airstrikes in the north of the country that they blame on the United States.
“One citizen was killed and four others wounded in an American attack against a solar energy site in the Hafsin neighborhood in the west of the city” of Saada, say the Saba news agency and Al-Masirah television channel.
Both media earlier reported four airstrikes on Sadaa, the rebel’s stronghold in the northern mountains.
“Civil protection teams are fighting to put out the blazes and rescue the victims,” says Saba.
UK criticizes Israel for barring entry to two anti-Israel British MPs
Britain’s top diplomat condemns Israel’s decision to bar entry to two UK lawmakers after questioning at Ben Gurion Airport.
The Labour Party MPs, Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang, were barred entry after questioning revealed that the purpose of their visit was “to document Israeli security forces and spread hateful rhetoric against Israel,” the population authority has said.
“It is unacceptable, counterproductive and deeply concerning that two British MPs on a parliamentary delegation to Israel have been detained and refused entry by the Israeli authorities,” UK Foreign Minister David Lammy says in a statement.
“I have made clear to my counterparts in the Israeli government that this is no way to treat British parliamentarians, and we have been in contact with both MPs tonight to offer our support,” Lammy continues.
“The UK government’s focus remains on securing a return to the ceasefire and negotiations to stop the bloodshed, free the hostages and end the conflict in Gaza,” he further adds.
Mohamed and Yang landed in Israel at 2:30 p.m. Saturday on a flight from Luton, England, along with two of their aides.
While being interrogated, the two MPs, who both call for boycotting Israel, claimed to arrive as part of an official delegation on behalf of the UK parliament, but the claim was found to be false as no Israeli entity verified the arrival of such a delegation. Interior Minister Moshe Arbel, therefore, decided to deny entry to all four individuals “in accordance with the law and ordered their removal from Israel,” said the population authority.
In Hungary, Netanyahu claims fight against ‘deep state’ is a takeaway from his father’s advice
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues his new campaign against the “deep state” during his visit to Hungary.
In an X thread, the premier’s account shares comments he made on Friday to Hungarian students at the National University of Public Service in Budapest, after receiving an honorary doctorate there.
In the comments, Netanyahu said he asked his father, Benzion, before he became prime minister, “What is the most important thing that I need to have to lead our country?”
“And he had one word, which surprised me,” he said. “‘You have to have education. You have to be deeply and broadly educated. Otherwise,’ he said, ‘you’ll be at the mercy of your clerks.'”
“It’s called the deep state,” the premier added.
היה או לא היה? בנימין ששואף לגדולות שומע מאביו ההיסטוריון בנציון שהדבר הכי חשוב לעתידו זה חינוך. למה חינוך? בגלל הדיפ סטייט! כדי שיישמר משלטון הפקידים. סיפור שסופר אתמול לסטודנטים הונגרים בעת קבלת תואר דוקטור לשם כבוד. pic.twitter.com/oODms3v6yF
— Dov Gil-Har (@DovGilHar) April 5, 2025
Bennett on Qatargate: Netanyahu’s ‘closest aides worked for Hamas’s driving force, it’s insane’
In this November 24, 2019 file photo, then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and then-Defense Minister Naftali Bennett, visit an Israeli army base in the Golan Heights, on the Israeli-Syrian border. (Atef Safadi/Pool via AP)
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett launches a fresh attack on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the Qatargate scandal rocking the latter’s office.
“There are three things you should understand and remember when talking about the Qatar affair, no matter how much spin they try to feed you: 1. Qatar is the main driving force powering Hamas. 2. The PM’s advisers worked for it and not for us. 3. And all this happened during a war our children are fighting.”
Bennett notes that Qatari payments of hundreds of millions of dollars have been made to Hamas over the years. He omits that the payments, which were okayed by successive Israeli governments, were not canceled by the government he headed in 2021-2022.
He notes Qatar’s hosting of Hamas’s leaders and claims Doha had known about the terror group’s plan for a mass invasion of Israel from Gaza, and that it currently knows its future plans. Bennett also notes Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera, “which incites against Israel around the world.”
Bennett, who plans to run in the next election and recently registered a new party, charges that “Qatar paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to Netanyahu’s closest advisers so that they would work for it without anyone knowing. In secret, through lies and trickery, the prime minister’s closest aides worked for Hamas’s driving force. It’s insane.”
read more: