Aug. 3: UN Security Council to hold special session this week on hostages in Gaza

68 Ethiopian migrants killed after boat capsized off Yemen coast, says UN

A boat capsized in waters off Yemen’s coast, leaving 68 African migrants dead and 74 others missing, the UN’s migration agency says.

The tragedy was the latest in a series of shipwrecks off Yemen that have killed hundreds of African migrants fleeing conflict and poverty in hopes of reaching the wealthy Gulf Arab countries.

The vessel, with 154 Ethiopian migrants on board, sank in the Gulf of Aden off the southern Yemeni province of Abyan early this morning, Abdusattor Esoev, head of the International Organization for Migration in Yemen tells The Associated Press.

He says the bodies of 54 migrants washed ashore in the district of Khanfar, and 14 others were found dead and taken to a hospital morgue in Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan on Yemen’s southern coast.

Only 12 migrants survived the shipwreck, and the rest were missing and presumed dead, Esoev says.

Iran sets up new defense council to ‘enhance capabilities’ of military

Iran’s top security body has approved the creation of a new defense council, state media reports, more than a month after a ceasefire ended a 12-day war with Israel.

“The Supreme National Security Council approved the establishment of the National Defense Council,” state television says.

The new body — which will be chaired by the president and include top military commanders among other senior officials and ministers — will be tasked with “reviewing defense strategies” and “enhancing the capabilities of Iran’s armed forces,” it adds.

On Friday, the Fars news agency said the decision comes as part of broader structural changes to Iran’s security apparatus.

Hostages Forum slams Netanyahu for ‘selling illusion’ that military pressure will free hostages

Protesters demanding a deal to free hostages in Gaza block the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv, August 3, 2025. (Danor Aharon/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

The Hostage Families Forum slams Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he says that Hamas does not want a deal and that Israel must act to eliminate the terror group, amid stalled ceasefire talks.

“For 22 months now the public has been sold the illusion that military pressure and intense fighting will bring the hostages back,” the group, which represents a majority of the families of the 50 hostages still being held, says in a statement.

“Even before the draft for a comprehensive deal was written, they’re telling us that an agreement is not feasible,” the group adds. “The truth must be told: Expanding the war endangers the lives of the hostages who are at risk of imminent death. We saw the chilling images of the hostages in the tunnels, they won’t survive more long days of horror.”

The group suggests that expanding the war in Gaza — which is reportedly under debate by the cabinet — “is a guarantee of the failure of the century. There is no victory nor any revival in it.”

Hamas says it’s open to Red Cross request ‘to bring food and medicine’ to hostages if Israel opens aid corridors

The military wing of Hamas says it is “ready to positively engage and respond to any request by the Red Cross to bring food and medicine” to the hostages it is holding, which the terror group refers to as “enemy prisoners,” if Israel opens up humanitarian aid corridors.

The Red Cross has not been allowed any access to the hostages during 22 months of war, and has faced heavy criticism from Israel over its failure to do so.

Earlier, the Red Cross, following a demand issued by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said that the hostages “must urgently receive the medical care and attention they require.”

The spokesman for Hamas’s military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, says the terror group is conditioning the Red Cross’s access to the hostages “on the opening of humanitarian corridors in a normal and permanent manner for the passage of food and medicine to all our people in all areas of the Gaza Strip, and the cessation of all forms of enemy aerial activity during the times of parcel deliveries to the prisoners.”

“The Al-Qassam Brigades do not deliberately starve the prisoners, but they eat what our mujahideen (fighters) and the general public eat, and they will not receive any special privilege amid the crime of starvation and siege,” claims spokesman Hudhaifa Kahlout, known by the nom de guerre Abu Obeida.

Last week, Israel announced 10-hour humanitarian pauses in populated areas of the Strip and greatly boosted aid entering Gaza. It is not immediately clear if the terms set out by Hamas are feasible for Israel.

Netanyahu: Videos of emaciated hostages prove that Hamas ‘doesn’t want a deal’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a video released on August 3, 2025. (Screenshot/GPO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the recently released videos of two severely emaciated hostages in Gaza prove that Hamas has no interest in reaching a hostage release deal, and that the footage has strengthened his resolve to “eliminate” the terror group, in a video message shared by his office.

After viewing the videos of hostages Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David, Netanyahu says: “I understand exactly what Hamas wants. It doesn’t want a deal. It wants to break us — with these horrifying videos, with the false horror propaganda it spreads across the world.”

Addressing the Israeli public, the premier says he was “shocked” by “the horrifying videos,” after which he spoke with the hostages’ families. He adds that while hostages are “wasting away in a dungeon… the Hamas monsters surrounding them — they have thick, fleshy arms. They have everything they need to eat. They are starving them the way the Nazis starved the Jews.”

“But we will not break,” he continues, adding: “I am filled with even greater determination to free our captive sons, to eliminate Hamas, and to ensure that Gaza will never again pose a threat to Israel.”

UN Security Council to hold special session this week on hostages in Gaza

United Nations Security Council members vote on a resolution calling for a ceasefire and unrestricted humanitarian access in Gaza, at UN headquarters in New York City on June 4, 2025. (Leonardo Munoz / AFP)

The United Nations Security Council will hold a special session on Tuesday morning to discuss the 50 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza, following a request by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, according to his office.

Sa’ar urgently pushed for the discussion, which does not yet appear on the UNSC’s online agenda, after harrowing videos of hostages Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski appearing severely emaciated were released by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in recent days.

Gazan student deported from France to Qatar due to antisemitic social media posts

A student from Gaza who had been studying in France on a scholarship left for Qatar today, ordered out over antisemitic comments found on her social media accounts, the foreign ministry says.

Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot “stressed the unacceptable nature of the comments made by Ms. Nour Attaalah, a Gazan student, before she entered French territory,” says the ministry statement.

“Given their seriousness, Ms. Attaalah could not remain on French territory. She left France today to go to Qatar to continue her studies there,” it adds.

The young woman, who received a student visa and a government scholarship as part of a program for Gazan students, had been due to join Sciences Po Lille in the fall.

She arrived in France on July 11, according to a French diplomatic source. But social media posts from the past two years calling for the killing of Jews, since deleted, were discovered.

Barrot said Friday that France was freezing all its student evacuation programs from Gaza pending the outcome of the investigation into how the posts had been missed. The foreign ministry would not say how many students have been affected, citing privacy reasons.

Cabinet reportedly set to decide this week on whether to expand Gaza military operations

Israel’s leadership is expected to decide this week whether to widen military operations in Gaza — even at the risk to the hostages — or to give more time for a potential deal, Channel 12 news reports.

According to the report, a divide has emerged within the security cabinet. Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, Military Secretary Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman, and Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs support expanding the war.

On the other side, those reportedly favoring continued efforts to reach a deal include IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Shas leader Aryeh Deri, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, Mossad chief David Barnea, the Shin Bet’s negotiator known by the Hebrew letter “Mem,” and Maj. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon, who is overseeing the hostage file for the military.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz remain undecided, according to the report.

Meanwhile, an unnamed senior government official releases a statement to Hebrew media outlets saying that Israel is in contact with the White House, and that “an understanding is forming that Hamas is not interested in a deal.”

Therefore, the official says, “the prime minister is pushing for the release of hostages through military decisiveness,” in conjunction with the entrance of humanitarian aid.

The source does not elaborate on how such a plan would work.

Two girls seriously hurt after falling from abandoned building in Rishon Lezion

Two adolescent girls are severely injured after they both fell from the roof of an abandoned building in Rishon Lezion.

One of the girls, a 14-year-old, is in critical condition as medics attempt to resuscitate her on the way to the hospital.

The other, a 12-year-old girl, is not in critical condition but was badly wounded in the fall. She is currently sedated and breathing through a ventilator, says the Magen David Adom emergency service.

Police say there is “no criminal suspicion” of the incident.

Houthis claim responsibility for attempted drone attack on Israel

The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen take responsibility for this afternoon’s attempted drone attack on Israel.

In a statement, the Houthis claim to have launched three drones at Israel, targeting “Zionist enemy military targets” in Tel Aviv, Ashkelon and Haifa.

According to the IDF, only one drone reached Israel, and it was shot down by the Israeli Air Force over the Egyptian border, near the community of Bnei Netzarim, where sirens had sounded.

The other two drones likely fell short before reaching the country.

‘I am on the verge of death’: Family releases portion of propaganda clip of hostage Rom Braslavski

Hostage Rom Braslavski, in a still from a propaganda video released by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, July 31, 2025. (Screenshot)

The family of hostage Rom Braslavski says it is allowing the publication of part of the propaganda video released by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group last week showing him emaciated and begging for freedom.

In the clip, Braslavski, in tears, says he is “suffering with pain that doesn’t look good,” and that he is unable to stand or to walk.

“I don’t have any more food, or water, before they would give me a little bit, today there is nothing,” he says. He says he ate “three crumbs of falafel” that day, and the day earlier “barely a plate of rice.”

“I can’t sleep, I can’t live, you have to stop what you’re doing here,” he continues. “I am on the verge of death, and I’m sure that all the other [hostages] are in the same mental state.”

In a statement shared by the Hostages Families Forum, his mother, Tami, says that the video shows “the nightmare I was only afraid to imagine is real. The fear we live with has become more tangible than ever, and it’s important that the whole world sees this, despite my personal difficulty in publicly showing my Rom in the dire condition he’s in.”

Tami says that she has “never seen my son like this. Rom is not shouting or angry — he speaks quietly, in a weak voice like a person who has accepted the fact that there’s nothing left to fight for and may not come out of there alive.”

She adds: “My Rom, I look into your eyes and see the disappointment, your heartbreak. I listen to your voice and hear the pain. I don’t know what will happen, but I am doing and will do everything to get you out of there, and I won’t stop until you come home.”

Braslavski’s father, Ofir, tells Channel 12 news after it screens the video excerpt: “What can I say? He’s dying. You’re watching your son dying before your eyes and there’s nothing you can do.”

He says that the previous video released of Rom “was also hard to take. But he still had hope in his eyes. Now, he’s apparently lost that. He doesn’t want to live.” Ofir says that “it’s not just hunger… they’re torturing him… there’s no time left… he’ll die soon.”

Ofir says that he spoke to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday: “I told him, he’s dying and… to stop everything… and give [Hamas] what they want, to get the hostages out,” he says.

He says that Netanyahu told him he was doing everything, but “I don’t buy it… The fact is that there’s no progress.”

Red Cross renews its call to be ‘granted access’ to hostages in Gaza after dire videos

Still images of hostages Ram Braslavski (left) and Evyatar David from Hamas propaganda videos, cleared for publication by their families in August 2025. (Composite screenshot)

Following a demand issued by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a Red Cross official earlier today, the ICRC says that hostages being held in Gaza “must urgently receive the medical care and attention they require” and reiterates its called to be allowed access.

In a statement, the ICRC says that it is “appalled by the harrowing videos published over the last few days of Israeli hostages held in captivity in Gaza,” referencing propaganda clips released by Hamas showing emaciated hostages Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David.

“These videos are stark evidence of the life-threatening conditions in which the hostages are being held,” the statement adds. “We know families watching these videos are horrified and heartbroken by the conditions they see their loved ones held in.”

The hostages must be “afforded humane treatment and acceptable conditions. They must urgently receive the medical care and attention they require,” the ICRC adds.

“As long as hostages remain in captivity, we stand ready to fulfill our role as a neutral humanitarian intermediary, and to facilitate the release of all the hostages at any stage,” it adds.

“We also reiterate our call to be granted access to the hostages, so we can assess their condition, give them medical support and facilitate contact with their families,” the ICRC says.

The Red Cross has not been allowed any access to the hostages during 22 months of war, and has faced heavy criticism from Israel and Jewish groups over its failure to do so. The organization, which says it must maintain neutrality to operate in war zones, facilitated the release of Israeli and other foreign hostages in November 2023 and again in January-February 2025.

Over 3,500 said to visit Temple Mount today, setting new record

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visits the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City, during Tisha B’Av, August 3, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

The number of Jewish pilgrims who ascended the Temple Mount in Jerusalem to mark Tisha B’Av today set a new record, rising 32% from its previous high last year, according to the Temple Mount Administration, an activist group which facilitates Jewish visits to the flashpoint site.

According to the organization, 3,527 pilgrims visited the site on the Jewish fast day, marking the destruction of both Jewish Temples in ancient times.

The Temple Mount site, also known as the Al-Aqsa Compound, was the location of both Jewish temples and today houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock shrine. Jewish prayer is nominally forbidden at the site, per an unwritten status quo agreement between Israel and Jordan, which administers the site through the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf.

Israeli police have in the past ejected or detained Jewish visitors caught praying on the Temple Mount. But this policy has fallen to the wayside over the past three years under the direction of far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who has repeatedly called on law enforcement to allow Jewish prayer there.

Ben Gvir earlier today led morning prayers aloud atop the Temple Mount, marking the first time a government minister has prayed overtly at the site.

Likud MK Osher Shkalim also ascended the Temple Mount and took a picture of himself prostrating there, another flagrant violation of the fragile status quo. He later tweeted that “it is a great privilege to go up and prostrate on the Temple Mount on Tisha B’Av.”

A spokesman for the Temple Mount Administration tells The Times of Israel that he is not aware of any arrests of Jewish visitors at the site today. Police have yet to respond to a request for comment.

Knesset legal adviser: Replacing Edelstein with Bismuth as FADC chair threatens legal integrity of Haredi draft bill

Likud MK Boaz Bismuth (left) speaks with party colleague Yuli Edelstein during a discussion on a non-binding proposal to apply sovereignty over the West Bank, in the Knesset on July 23, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Knesset legal adviser Sagit Afik warns members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that its plan to oust chairman Yuli Edelstein and replace him with Boaz Bismuth could be construed as politically motivated and therefore call into question the legal standing of any legislation put forth by the committee on Haredi enlistment.

In a letter sent to members of the committee, Afik emphasizes that the Knesset “should avoid replacing a serving committee chair for political reasons” and can only do so in “truly exceptional cases.”

Replacing Edelstein with Bismuth, Afik writes, “could critically affect the integrity of the legislative process” and “disrupt the shaping of the bill.”

Afik suggests that if Bismuth is entering the role “pre-committed to passing a specific version of the bill,” then it would be considered a fundamentally flawed legislative process. Instead, she says, he must head the committee “in good faith” and address all the issues raised in deliberations by the IDF and the security establishment.

The legislative process must “proceed according to a timeline” that reflects the requisite deliberation, and “not the political timetable of the government,” Afik concludes.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was pushed to oust Edelstein and replace him with Bismuth at the urging of the Haredi political parties, who have been demanding the passage of a law enshrining mass exemptions for yeshiva students from IDF service.

The United Torah Judaism and Shas parties both quit the government over the issue last month, although Shas has remained in the coalition. Edelstein refused to rubber stamp legislation that would have allowed for a mass exemption, saying only a consensus bill could be advanced.

The formal vote to instate Bismuth as head of the committee is slated for tomorrow.

Mother of hostage Elkana Bokhbot: ‘We want to scream’

A gathering of the Shift 101 activist group calls for the release of the remaining hostages, August 3, 2025 in Jerusalem. (Courtesy Shift 101)

A group of activists and family members of hostages gather with the Shift 101 sit-in protest group on Azza Road near the Prime Minister’s Residence to call for their return.

“We’re stuck with a scream that wants to come out, that threatens to emerge,” says Ruhama Bokhbot, mother of hostage Elkana Bokhbot. “We want to scream, to scream of the threat to Evyatar or Rom, of all the hostages, but instead we come here and sit quietly and stop everything.”

Bokhbot is referring to the two recently released propaganda videos showing hostages Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David, each dangerously emaciated.

Tzvi Zussman, father of fallen soldier Sgt. First Class Ben Zussman, who was killed fighting in the Gaza Strip, also speaks at the gathering.

“We understand that the hostages will come when the government brings the war to an end, that’s the call, finish the war and bring them all home,” says Zussman to the quiet clapping of the activists.

Police seeking to keep influencer Yoseph Haddad under house arrest after road rage gunfire

Yoseph Haddad (Courtesy)

Police are seeking to keep right-wing Arab Israeli influencer Yoseph Haddad under house arrest for another five days, Hebrew media outlets report.

Haddad will be brought to the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court tomorrow, where a judge will decide whether to grant police their request to extend his remand.

The influencer was arrested last week after he allegedly fired his handgun during an altercation with a motorcyclist in Jaffa. Police detained him and confiscated the weapon.

After being questioned about the incident, Haddad was released to house arrest.

“The incident stemmed from a dispute over road use in which the car driver, who claimed he felt threatened, drew his firearm, cocked it and fired from within his vehicle,” police said at the time.

According to Hebrew outlets, police suspect Haddad of using his firearm unlawfully and making threats. The investigation is ongoing and it is unclear at this time whether charges will be filed against him.

Germany’s Merz: Israel can’t respond to Hamas ‘cynicism’ by halting aid

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz delivers a speech at a conference for economic policy organized by the Federation of German Industries (BDI) in Berlin, Germany, on June 23, 2025. (Tobias Schwarz/ AFP)

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says that recent propaganda videos released by Hamas showing Israeli hostages only further underscore that the terror group can have no future role in ruling Gaza.

In an interview with the Bild newspaper, Germany’s chancellor insists the videos of emaciated hostages Ram Braslavski, a German-Israeli citizen, and Evyatar David, “show that Hamas should no longer play a role in the future of Gaza.”

But Merz calls on Israel not to “respond to Hamas’s cynicism” by halting humanitarian aid to the territory, where UN-mandated experts have warned of unfolding famine.

Palestinian man killed in fire allegedly set by settlers was US citizen, says State Dept.

Haleema Ayyad, mother of slain Palestinian-American Khamis Ayyad, holds a mobile phone with her son's photo at the family house in Silwad, east of Ramallah, July 31, 2025. (AP/Nasser Nasser)

The US State Department confirms that an American citizen died this week in the West Bank, with family and Palestinian officials attributing his death to arson by Israeli settlers.

The Palestinian Authority and witnesses reported on Thursday that Israeli settlers had set fire to homes and cars in the West Bank village of Silwad.

Khamis Ayyad, 41, died from smoke inhalation due to the fires, the Palestinian health ministry said.

Speaking Friday at a press conference in Chicago, Ayyad’s family said he had moved to the West Bank several years ago with his wife and children, but continued to work for an American company.

A spokesperson for the State Department confirms that a US citizen had been killed but does not name Ayyad. The spokesperson adds that “we condemn criminal violence by any party in the West Bank.”

The IDF tells AFP that “several suspects… set fire to property and vehicles in the Silwad area,” but forces dispatched to the scene were unable to identify them. It adds that Israeli police had launched an investigation.

Israeli authorities requested that the Palestinian Authority provide them with the findings of the autopsy carried out on Ayyad.

Sa’ar slams Australian pro-Palestinian protesters for poster of Khamenei

A protester raises a portrait of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei across the Sydney Harbour Bridge during a pro-Palestinian rally in Sydney on August 3, 2025. (Saeed KHAN / AFP)

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemns demonstrators at a pro-Palestinian march in Sydney, accusing them of aligning with radical Islam and helping drag the West to the “sidelines of history.”

“Radical protestors at Sydney Harbour Bridge today holding an image of Iran’s ‘Supreme Leader’ — the most dangerous leader of fundamentalist Islam, the world’s largest exporter of terror and a mass executioner,” Sa’ar writes on X, sharing a photo from the protest showing participants holding an image of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Tens of thousands marched across Sydney’s Harbour Bridge earlier today in a demonstration organized by the Palestine Action Group Sydney. Protesters called for sanctions on Israel, unrestricted humanitarian aid to Gaza and an immediate ceasefire.

A Facebook post for the event — dubbed the “March for Humanity” — did not mention Hamas or the remaining 50 Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

PM speaks to Red Cross chief, demands group get food, medical care to hostages

Still images of hostages Ram Braslavski (left) and Evyatar David from Hamas propaganda videos, cleared for publication by their families in August 2025. (Composite screenshot)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urges the International Committee of the Red Cross to take immediate action to provide food and medical care to Israeli hostages held in Gaza during a conversation with Julien Lerisson, head of the Red Cross delegation in the region.

According to his office, Netanyahu accuses Hamas of spreading a “lie of starvation” to the world, while the real starvation is being inflicted on the hostages, who are suffering “brutal physical and psychological abuse.”

“The world cannot remain indifferent in the face of images that recall Nazi crimes,” he tells Lerisson.

The prime minister calls on the international community to denounce Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad and to stop all direct and indirect support for the groups, stressing that their actions are a clear violation of international law and the Geneva Conventions.

There is no immediate response from Lerisson or the ICRC.

Hamas recently released propaganda videos showing hostages Ram Braslavski and Evyatar David in emaciated conditions, horrifying Israelis.

Hamas leader: Nations are recognizing Palestinian state due to ‘fruits of October 7’

Ghazi Hamad, a member of Hamas's political bureau, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Beirut, Lebanon, October 26, 2023. (AP/Bilal Hussein)

Ghazi Hamad, a senior member of the Hamas politburo, told Al Jazeera over the weekend that the wave of Western nations moving to recognize a Palestinian state is the result of “the fruits” of Hamas’ October 7, 2023, massacre.

In a clip of his interview with the outlet yesterday, Hamad asked the interviewer: “Why are all the countries recognizing a Palestinian state today? Before October 7, did any country dare recognize a Palestinian state?”

He continues: “The fruits of October 7 are what caused the entire world to open its eyes to the Palestinian issue — and they are moving toward it with force. That is, that the Palestinian people are a people who deserve a country.”

Dozens of countries had recognized Palestinian statehood prior to the October 7 attack, though in recent weeks, many more have taken steps in that direction, including a number of major Israeli allies, citing the need to bring an end to the war in Gaza.

Responding to Hamad’s remarks, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar — who has argued that unilateral recognition at this time “rewards terror” — called out France, the United Kingdom, and Canada for announcing plans to recognize a Palestinian state in September, asking rhetorically in a post on X: “If this [is] who applauds you — what does it say about you?”

23,000 tons of aid entered Gaza via truck over past week, says COGAT

Trucks loaded with humanitarian aid await permission on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing with the Gaza Strip, August 3, 2025. (AFP)

COGAT, the Israeli agency which coordinates activity in the West Bank and Gaza, says that 23,000 tons of humanitarian aid on 1,200 trucks entered Gaza over the past week, and that 1,200 trucks were “successfully collected by the UN and international organizations.”

Nevertheless, it adds, “hundreds of trucks remain inside Gaza, waiting to be picked up and distributed by the UN and international organizations.”

This aid is separate from the “hundreds of pallets of humanitarian supplies” that have been airdropped into Gaza recently, it adds.

Aid agencies have blamed Israel for cutting off aid and restricting movement, causing near-famine conditions in the Strip. Israel has pointed to supplies piling up inside Gaza and blamed agencies for not distributing it, as international pressure over hunger in Gaza has ratcheted up.

Last week Israel announced 10-hour humanitarian pauses in fighting in populated areas and increased movement of aid.

IDF: 136 packages of food airdropped into Gaza by UAE, Jordan, Egypt, France, Germany, Belgium

A military aircraft drops humanitarian aid in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on August 3, 2025. (Eyad BABA / AFP)

The IDF says 136 packages of food aid were airdropped into northern and southern Gaza as part of coordinated efforts by six countries.

The military says that the UAE, Jordan, Egypt, France, Germany and Belgium coordinated with Israel on providing and delivering the aid.

Belgium’s defense ministry confirms that it took part in today’s aid airdrops for the first time, in cooperation with Jordan.

Each aid package contains approximately one ton of food.

Macron: Hamas videos of hostages show ‘inhumanity without bounds’

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Prince Rahim al-Hussaini, Aga Khan V, at the presidential Elysee Palace for a working lunch in Paris on July 11, 2025. (Thomas Samson/AFP)

French President Emmanuel Macron says Hamas showed “inhumanity without bounds” by releasing videos of two emaciated Israeli hostages held by the terror group in Gaza.

“Abject cruelty, inhumanity without bounds: this is what Hamas represents,” says the French head of state of the “unbearable images” released recently of Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David.

“The absolute priority for France is the immediate release of all the hostages,” he adds on X.

Macron, who has said France will recognize a Palestinian state in September, promises to “work without respite” for “the re-establishment without delay of a ceasefire, and to allow the mass delivery of humanitarian aid, still blocked at the gates of Gaza.”

But he also argues that Hamas must have no part ruling the coastal strip once the war ends.

“We must have the total demilitarization of Hamas, its complete exclusion from any form of governance and the recognition of Israel by the state of Palestine,” he adds.

The European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, also condemns the videos as showing Hamas’s “barbarity,” insisting the terror group disarm and release the dozens of hostages it still keeps in captivity.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga adds his voice to the outrage, insisting that “Hamas’s inhuman treatment of the Israeli hostages deserves a very strong condemnation.”

“People in Gaza should not remain suffering because of Hamas’s heinous crimes. It must lay down its arms and release all hostages immediately,” Sybiga adds.

Deputy FM visits Temple Mount, says leadership must ‘unite and embrace’

Deputy Foreign Minister MK Sharren Haskel descending the steps of the Temple Mount, August 3, 2025. (Courtesy)

Deputy Foreign Minister MK Sharren Haskel ascended the Temple Mount earlier today, marking the Jewish fast day of Tisha B’Av, which commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples.

“On this day of mourning for the destruction of the holiest place to the Jewish people, ascending the Temple Mount is more difficult than ever,” Haskel says at the site.

She acknowledges the emotional weight of the visit, citing recently released images of hostages held by Hamas and the growing divisions within Israeli society.

“It is precisely today that going up — to remember and to promise a leadership that will unite, embrace, and protect the future of the next generation — is more important than ever,” Haskel adds.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir also ascended the Temple Mount this morning, leading a group of Jewish worshipers in prayer — a move seen as defying the status quo at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. His visit sparked a wave of public outrage and condemnations.

IDF: Houthi drone shot down by military near Gaza border

The IDF says that a drone fired toward Israel by the Houthis in Yemen was shot down by the military.

The drone set off sirens in Bnei Netzarim, a town near the Gaza-Egypt border.

There are no reports of injuries or damage.

Drone alert siren sounds in town near Gaza-Egyptian border

A siren warning of a potential drone attack sounds in the town of Bnei Netzarim near the borders of both Egypt and Gaza.

The IDF later says that the incident has ended, without providing any further details, and says it is investigating.

Mother of slain hostage: We should surrender to Hamas to save remaining hostages

Iris Haim, whose son Yotam was mistakenly shot dead by IDF troops in Gaza, speaks during a State Memorial Ceremony for the civilians who were murdered during the October 7 massacre, at Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem on October 27, 2024. (Marc Israel Sellem/POOL)

Iris Haim, the mother of slain hostage Yotam Haim, suggests that Israel should surrender to Hamas in order to free the remaining hostages in Gaza.

“We surrendered to Hamas for 20 years, we gave more and more and more, and now we need to free those who still can be [freed],” Haim writes in a post on Facebook, following the recent release of propaganda videos showing two Israeli hostages, Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David, nearing starvation.

“For me and for my family, it’s too late, Yotam won’t return,” Haim writes of her son, who was taken hostage on October 7 and managed to flee his captors but was accidentally shot dead by Israeli troops in Gaza on December 15, 2023, alongside two other Israeli hostages.

“Surrender? I’m prepared to surrender, in exchange for the hostages, in exchange for the last honor that remains in the face of the families like mine who still have hope,” Haim writes.

She adds that “if the army is strong enough, there will be companies, platoons and divisions who will protect the residents of the Gaza envelope — that’s the mission. Not at the expense of the survivors of starvation and abuse who still have breath in their lungs.”

Athens mayor, Israeli ambassador exchange barbs over antisemitic graffiti in city

Athens Mayor Haris Doukas speaks during an interview with AFP at his office in Athens, at the town hall, on January 23, 2024. (Angelos TZORTZINIS / AFP)

The mayor of Athens has become embroiled in a war of words with the Israeli ambassador to Greece who accused city authorities of not doing enough to clean up antisemitic graffiti.

Israeli Ambassador to Greece Noam Katz told the Kathimerini daily in comments published today that Israeli tourists felt “uncomfortable” in Athens because Mayor Haris Doukas does not act against “organized minorities” who put up anti-Jewish graffiti.

Doukas responds within hours on X: “We have proved our strong opposition to violence and racism and we do not take lessons in democracy from those who kill civilians.”

“Athens, capital of a democratic country, fully respects its visitors and supports the right of free expression of its citizens,” the Socialist PASOK party mayor adds.

“It is revolting that the ambassador concentrates on graffiti (that is clearly wiped off) while an unprecedented genocide is taking place in Gaza,” Doukas adds.

Police: 4 wounded, including 3 children, in roadside shooting linked to mob feud

Four people have been wounded in a roadside shooting in the Negev near the Bedouin village of Umm Batin. Police say the shooting was sparked by a blood feud between families in the area.

The gunfire badly wounded a teenage boy and man in his 40s, and lightly injured two children, boys ages nine and 14. They had been traveling by car on Route 60, near Shoket Junction in southern Israel.

Paramedics are taking the four wounded to Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba for further treatment, the Magen David Adom emergency service says.

Police forces are operating at the scene and its surroundings in order to track down the gunmen. No suspects have yet been arrested.

70-year-old woman charged for blocking entrance to Bat Yam bomb shelter during Iran war

Police prosecutors file charges against a 70-year-old woman accused of preventing civilians from taking cover in a Bat Yam bomb shelter during an Iranian missile attack.

Police say the defendant, Liliana Laniado, is the first to be indicted on the criminal offense of blocking entry to a bomb shelter, according to Israel’s Channel 12 News.

Preventing someone from taking cover in a shelter is punishable with a year of jail time or a fine.

The indictment, filed by the Tel Aviv District police’s prosecution unit, alleges that Laniado prevented neighbors from taking cover in her building’s shelter the morning of June 22, blocking the entrance with her body and claiming that there was no room in the protected space as sirens blared.

“In the end, she simply shut the door and left us exposed to the missile fire. We feared for our lives,” says one of the neighbors to Channel 12.

Many such incidents were reported across the country during Israel’s 12-day war with Iran in June.

אירוע נוסף של מניעת כניסה למקלט בשעת אזעקה הופץ ברשת היום- לא נעשה כלום למרות התלונה במשטרה: המקרה הנוכחי הוא מהעיר בת ים ברחוב ארלוזורוב 46, אדם עם כלב לא הורשה להכנס למקלט כמובן בניגוד לחוק. האדם הגיש תלונה אבל עד עכשיו לא בוצעו שום פעולות מצד המשטרה, זה בדומה למקרה בפתח תקווה… pic.twitter.com/2imDfWW6Uv

— daniel amram – דניאל עמרם (@danielamram3) June 22, 2025

Police announced during the war on June 23 that they had arrested three Bat Yam residents on suspicion of blocking bomb shelter access.

One of the people detained allegedly assaulted a woman, breaking her nose, because she tried to bring her dog and cat into a public shelter.

Some 1,000 Israeli artists sign petition slamming ‘horrific events in Gaza,’ call for return of hostages

Around 1,000 Israeli artists sign a petition calling on the government to end the war in Gaza in exchange for the return of the hostages held by terrorists.

The artists express opposition to “the horrific events in the Gaza Strip, especially the killing of children and innocent people, the starvation, the expulsion of the population, and the senseless destruction of Gaza’s cities.”

The petition calls on decision-makers as well as those carrying out orders to cease actions that amount to “war crimes” and not to forsake humane values.

Among the signatories are singers Gidi Gov and Riki Gal, bassist Avishai Cohen, and actress Keren Mor.

Knesset committee to vote tomorrow on removing Edelstein as defense panel chair

Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Yuli Edelstein, delivers a statement to the media on the military draft law at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, July 15, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The Knesset House Committee will vote tomorrow to formally remove MK Yuli Edelstein as chair of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday, after Likud lawmakers voted overwhelmingly last week to replace him with fellow Likud MK Boaz Bismuth.

At 11 a.m., the Knesset House Committee will vote on appointing Bismuth and, if approved, the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee will hold its vote at 2:30 p.m. to confirm the appointment — formally ousting Edelstein from one of the legislature’s most powerful posts.

The move comes after Edelstein refused to advance a draft exemption bill, based on a compromise with the Haredi parties, under which most ultra-Orthodox men would continue to avoid military or national service. Replacing him with Bismuth is widely seen as a gesture to the ultra-Orthodox factions whose support is crucial to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition.

Only two coalition MKs would need to vote against the ouster to block it, but that appears unlikely. Otzma Yehudit MK Tzvika Fogel, who sits on the Knesset House Committee, said last week he would oppose Edelstein’s dismissal. It remains unclear if anyone will join him.

Six more Gazans die of starvation, Hamas-run ministry says

Illustrative: Palestinians leave a food distribution point run by the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation with bags and boxes, near the Netzarim corridor in the central Gaza Strip, on August 3, 2025. (Eyad BABA / AFP)

CAIRO, Egypt — Six more people died of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza over the past 24 hours, the Hamas-run Health Ministry says.

The new deaths raised the toll of those dying from what international humanitarian agencies say may be an unfolding famine to 175, including 93 children, since the war began, the ministry says.

East Jerusalem man charged over murder of four-year-old daughter, attempted murder of brother

State prosecutors filed an indictment against Ammar Karami, a resident of East Jerusalem, accused of murdering his four-year-old daughter earlier this month.

Though he was indicted Wednesday, Karami’s identity is cleared for publication this morning after the Jerusalem District Court rejected his lawyer’s request to extend a gag order on his name and identifying details.

Karami was arrested on suspicion of murdering his four-year-old daughter Janna, then attempting to kill his brother, in his parents’ home in East Jerusalem’s Sur Baher neighborhood. He is charged with aggravated murder and attempted murder.

The defendant killed his daughter late at night on July 5, according to the indictment. He took the four-year-old girl from where she was sleeping next to her grandmother and laid her on a mattress in the living room. Karami then took a long knife from the house, carried her outside to the yard, and slit her throat with the blade. After murdering his daughter, he covered her body in a blanket and returned it to the mattress.

He also tried to kill his brother later that same night by stabbing him in the stomach while he slept in another room.

Karami’s detention has been extended by another week. He will undergo psychological examination to determine whether he suffered a psychotic break the night of the murder, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

Katz promises Israel will strengthen hold over Jerusalem, including Temple Mount

Defense Minister Israel Katz visits the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, August 3, 2025. (Defense Ministry)

Defense Minister Israel Katz vows to strengthen Israel’s sovereignty over Jerusalem, including the flashpoint Temple Mount site.

In a post on X, Katz shares images of himself visiting the Western Wall and posing with IDF soldiers, stating that he prayed for the return of hostages, peace for Israeli communities, the defense of security forces and the defeat of Hamas.

“On Tisha B’Av, two thousand years after the destruction of the Second Temple, the Western Wall and the Temple Mount are again under the sovereignty of the State of Israel,” he writes.

“Israel haters around the world continue to make decisions against us and protest, and we will strengthen our hold and sovereignty over Jerusalem, at the Western Wall, and the Temple Mount, forever,” he adds.

The statement comes after National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visited the flashpoint Temple Mount earlier today and openly prayed, violating the sensitive status quo that has historically governed the site.

The act drew condemnation from Jordan and Saudi Arabia, while the Prime Minister’s Office asserted that the status quo remains unchanged.

Gaza hospital officials, witnesses say 23 killed seeking aid near GHF sites by Israeli fire

Palestinians transport bags as they return from a food distribution point run by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation near the Netzarim corridor in the central Gaza Strip, on August 3, 2025. (Eyad BABA / AFP)

Israeli forces killed at least 23 Palestinians seeking food in the Gaza Strip, according to hospital officials and witnesses, who describe facing gunfire as hungry crowds surged around aid sites.

Yousef Abed, among the crowds en route to a food distribution point, describes coming under what he called indiscriminate fire, looking around and seeing at least three people bleeding on the ground.

“I couldn’t stop and help them because of the bullets,” he says.

Southern Gaza’s Nasser Hospital says it had received bodies from near multiple distribution sites, including eight from Teina, about three kilometers (1.8 miles) away from a distribution site in Khan Younis, which is operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a private US- and Israeli-backed contractor that took over aid distribution more than two months ago.

The hospital also received one body from Shakoush, an area hundreds of meters (yards) north of a different GHF site in Rafah. Another nine were also killed by troops near the Morag corridor, who were awaiting trucks entering Gaza through an Israeli border crossing, it says.

Three Palestinian eyewitnesses, seeking food in Teina and Morag, tell The Associated Press the shootings occurred on the route to the distribution points, which are in military zones secured by Israeli forces. They say they saw soldiers open fire on hungry crowds advancing toward the troops.

Further north in central Gaza, hospital officials describe a similar episode, with Israeli troops opening fire in the morning toward crowds of Palestinians trying to reach GHF’s fourth and northernmost distribution point.

“Troops were trying to prevent people from advancing. They opened fire and we fled. Some people were shot,” says Hamza Matter, one of the aid seekers.

At least five people were killed and 27 wounded at GHF’s site near Netzarim corridor, Awda Hospital says.

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

The IDF has in the past said troops have fired toward crowds of Palestinians approaching their positions near aid sites, but it claims casualty figures are exaggerated, without providing its own.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

IDF says it recently destroyed 300-meter-long Hamas tunnel in south Gaza

A 300-meter-long Hamas tunnel was demolished during recent operations of the 179th Reserve Armored Brigade in the southern Gaza Strip, the military says.

The IDF says the brigade, with combat engineering forces and the Israeli Air Force, destroyed hundreds of other terror infrastructures in the area in the past two months, including booby-trapped buildings, observation, and sniper posts.

Numerous weapons, including rockets and rocket launchers, RPGs, and assault rifles, were also located, the army adds.

PM’s office insists Temple Mount status quo unchanged after Ben Gvir’s public prayer

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, left, at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem on August 3, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

The Prime Minister’s Office says that “Israel’s policy of maintaining the status quo on the Temple Mount has not changed and will not change,” following National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s public prayer at the site earlier today.

Ben Gvir was seen leading the “Amida” prayer with a group of Jewish worshipers during a Tisha B’Av visit — the first time the far-right leader has prayed openly at the flashpoint compound. The move appeared to defy the longstanding status quo, under which Jews may visit but not pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound, which is administered by the Jordanian Waqf.

Ben Gvir has long called for Jewish prayer rights at the site, and his previous visits have drawn sharp condemnation across the Arab world.

In addition, many Jewish religious authorities have long proscribed visits to the site, due to concerns of treading on holy ground while ritually impure.

Armed groups attack Syrian government forces in Sweida, Syrian TV reports

Armed groups attacked Syria’s internal security forces in Sweida, killing one member and injuring others, Syria’s state-run Ekhbariya TV reports, citing a security source.

The source says the armed groups violated the ceasefire agreed in the predominantly Druze region last month after factional bloodshed in which hundreds were killed.

Last month’s violence prompted Israeli strikes on Syrian government forces, which Jerusalem said were aimed at protecting the Druze community.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

After Ben Gvir goes to Temple Mount, Saudi Arabia says such visits ‘fuel conflict in the region’

Saudi Arabia calls National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s visit to the flashpoint Temple Mount site provocative, charging that such practices “fuel conflict in the region.”

UK envoy to Israel conveys ‘solidarity’ with hostages’ families: ‘Terror organizations have no future in Gaza’

UK Ambassador to Israel Simon Walters speaks during a rally calling for the release of Israelis held hostage by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, at Hostages Square, in Tel Aviv, May 18, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

UK Ambassador to Israel Simon Walters expresses his “solidarity” with the families of hostages held in Gaza after videos were released of captives over the past week.

“Terror organizations have no future in Gaza,” he writes in a Hebrew-language post on X.

Jordan blasts Ben Gvir’s Temple Mount visit as ‘unacceptable provocation and escalation’

Jordan’s Foreign Ministry slams National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s visit to the flashpoint Temple Mount site, calling it a “blatant violation of international law” and an “unacceptable provocation and escalation.”

In a statement posted on X, the ministry says Ben Gvir’s presence is a “blatant violation of the historic and legal status quo” of the holy site.

It calls on Israel to stop such actions by Ben Gvir and asserts that only Muslim prayer is permitted at the Temple Mount — the location of the Al Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock.

IDF says soldiers questioned suspected dealers, seized arms in Syria overnight

Troops of the 226th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade operate in the town of Hader, southern Syria, August 3, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF soldiers questioned several suspected arms dealers and seized weapons during an overnight raid in southern Syria, the military says.

Troops of the 226th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade and field interrogators of the Intelligence Directorate’s Unit 504 operated in the town of Hader, just across the border.

The IDF says several suspected arms dealers were questioned, which, along with prior intelligence, led the troops to four sites in the area where weapons were being stored.

The soldiers raided the sites and seized the weapons.

The IDF has been deployed to nine posts inside southern Syria since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024, mostly within a UN-patrolled buffer zone on the border between the countries.

Troops have been operating in areas up to around 15 kilometers deep into Syria, aiming to capture weapons that Israel says could pose a threat to the country if they fall into the hands of “hostile forces.”

On Temple Mount, Ben Gvir calls for Gaza takeover, ‘voluntary emigration’ of Palestinians

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir seen after a visit at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem on August 3, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir calls for Israel to conquer the Gaza Strip and “encourage voluntary emigration” of Palestinians from the territory, in a video statement from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

“From [the Temple Mount] — the place where we’ve proven sovereignty is possible — we must send a message: conquer all of Gaza, declare sovereignty over the entire Strip, eliminate every Hamas member, and encourage voluntary emigration. This is the only way that we will return the hostages and win the war,” he says in the video posted to his personal Twitter account.

The far-right minister adds that “Hamas’ horrific videos” are meant to pressure Israel, referring to harrowing videos of hostages Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David, both appearing emaciated, released by Hamas in recent days.

Earlier in the visit, Ben Gvir was seen joining a prayer minyan and leading the “Amida” prayer, marking the first time a government minister has openly prayed at the site, where Jews are forbidden from praying under the longtime status quo agreement between Israel and Jordan.

IDF personnel chief said to promise family he will advance recognition of reservist who died by suicide as fallen soldier

Roi Wasserstein. (Courtesy)

The chief of the IDF’s Personnel Directorate, Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa, visited the family of Roi Wasserstein — a reservist who died by suicide last week — and promised to do everything in his power to promote official recognition of Wasserstein as a fallen soldier, Army Radio reports.

Bar Kalifa also reportedly updated the family on progress in establishing a special committee to review the status given to discharged and reserve soldiers who die by suicide due to the psychological toll of their military service. The committee was formed in coordination with Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir.

After Wasserstein’s death, his family was informed — through unofficial channels — that he would not be recognized as a military casualty because his service had ended two months earlier, and that he would therefore be buried in a civilian ceremony. The decision drew public backlash and intensified calls for the IDF to reform its approach to post-service trauma.

In response to the outcry, Zamir instructed the military to explore advancing legislation that would allow reservists who die outside of active duty to be recognized as fallen soldiers, provided a direct link is found between their service and their death.

Most of latest suicides among IDF troops due to war-related trauma, army probe said to find

Most recent suicides among IDF soldiers stemmed from war-related trauma, including prolonged exposure to combat zones, witnessing horrific scenes, and the loss of friends, according to findings from internal military probes published by Kan news.

“Most of the suicides resulted from the complex reality created by the war. War has consequences,” a senior military official tells Kan.

In response, the military says it is drawing systemic conclusions, improving commander training, and enhancing distress signal detection. Additionally, the number of mental health officers has been increased by 200 for active-duty soldiers and by 600 for reservists.

At least 17 soldiers have died by suicide so far in 2025, according to figures published by Haaretz. Officials reportedly fear the phenomenon could grow if the psychological toll is not adequately addressed.

Iranian military chief says Tehran ‘should not underestimate’ Israeli threat

Iranian army chief Amir Hatami (C) during a meeting in the Iranian Army's War Command Room, on June 23, 2025. (Iranian Army Media Office / AFP)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The commander-in-chief of Iran’s military, Amir Hatami, says that threats from Israel persist, according to state media.

In June, Israel and the US launched strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities during the 12-day war, in which Tehran retaliated against Israel with several barrages of missiles and drones.

“A one-percent threat must be perceived as a 100% threat. We should not underestimate the enemy and consider its threats as over,” Hatami says, according to the official IRNA news agency, adding that the Islamic Republic’s missile and drone power “remains standing and ready for operations.”

EU’s top diplomat calls hostage videos ‘appalling,’ says Hamas must disarm

BRUSSELS, Belgium — Videos published recently by Hamas and Islamic Jihad showing emaciated Israeli hostages are “appalling” and barbaric, EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas says.

“The images of Israeli hostages are appalling and expose the barbarity of Hamas. All hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally. Hamas must disarm and end its rule in Gaza. At the same time, large-scale humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach those in need,” Kallas posts on X.

The images of Israeli hostages are appalling and expose the barbarity of Hamas. All hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally.

Hamas must disarm and end its rule in Gaza.

At the same time, large-scale humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach those in need.

— Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas) August 3, 2025

In first, Ben Gvir openly leads prayers on flashpoint Temple Mount, in violation of status quo

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, wearing a white kippa, takes part in a Jewish prayer service on the flashpoint Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City, August 3, 2025. (X video screenshot: used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir openly leads a prayer minyan — a quorum of 10 Jewish men — at the Temple Mount, the first time that the far-right leader has been seen in overt worship at the flashpoint site.

Although instances of Jewish prayer have become increasingly common at the Temple Mount in recent years, this is the first time a government minister has prayed openly there. He is seen leading the “Amida” prayer for dozens of other Jews observing Tisha B’Av, a fast day marking the destruction of both ancient Jewish Temples located atop the Temple Mount. The mount is now the site of several important mosques and other Islamic sites.

Police detained an Arab man who shouted at Ben Gvir and his group of worshipers, according to Arutz 7.

Jews are forbidden from praying at the Temple Mount complex, also known as the Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound, which is administered by the Jordanian Waqf. Since receiving the national security portfolio in 2022, Ben Gvir has continuously asserted that his policy is to allow Jewish prayer at the site, flouting the longtime status quo between Israel and Jordan governing behavior atop the mount.

Ben Gvir’s previous visits to the Temple Mount have sparked fury in the Arab world.

מביט בסרטון ולא מאמין למראה עיניי: השר לביטחון לאומי, בן גביר , זה שאחראי על המשטרה, עכשיו מתפלל בהר הבית: על כזה דבר לפני שנה היו עוצרים צעירים יהודים ומרחיקים מההר. אף אחד כבר לא באמת יודע מה זה סטטוס קוו! pic.twitter.com/fzV46e5H74

— Yossi Eli (@Yossi_eli) August 3, 2025

Egyptian TV says two fuel trucks set to deliver 107 tons of diesel to Gaza

CAIRO, Egypt — Egypt’s state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV says that two fuel trucks carrying 107 tons of diesel were set to enter Gaza.

The enclave’s Hamas-run Health Ministry has said fuel shortages were hindering the operation of hospitals.

There is no immediate confirmation whether the trucks have entered Gaza.

Ben Gvir visits Temple Mount to mark Tisha B’Av

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visits the Temple Mount for Tisha B’Av, the Jewish fast day marking the destruction of both Jewish Temples in Jerusalem in ancient times, which were located at the site.

The Temple Mount is the holiest place in Judaism, as the site of the two biblical Temples. Known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, it is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam.

Ben Gvir has repeatedly stated that his policy is to allow Jewish prayer there — an act forbidden under the longtime status quo at the flashpoint site — drawing rebukes from US and international officials, as well as warnings from the security establishment that renewed conflict over the site could pose a risk to national security.

The far-right minister’s visits also draw condemnation from the Islamic world, as well as from ultra-Orthodox lawmakers, who consider setting foot on the site of the destroyed temples to be a violation of Jewish law.

השר לביטחון לאומי איתמר בן גביר עלה להר הבית לרגל ט' באב pic.twitter.com/xceSnxkeRl

— סודות הנגב (@News_Secrets_of) August 3, 2025

Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters march across Sydney Harbor Bridge

Mounted police keep watch as pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protesters march towards Sydney's Harbour Bridge during a demonstration on August 3, 2025. (Saeed KHAN / AFP)

SYDNEY, Australia — Thousands of pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel demonstrators brave the pouring rain to march across Sydney’s iconic Harbor Bridge.

Some of those attending the march, called by its organizers the “March for Humanity,” carried pots and pans as symbols of the hunger in Gaza. Among the marchers was WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

New South Wales police and the state’s premier last week tried to block the march from taking place on the bridge, a city landmark and transport thoroughfare, saying the route could cause safety hazards and transport disruption. The state’s Supreme Court ruled on Saturday that it could go ahead.

New South Wales police said they were deploying hundreds of personnel and urged marchers to remain peaceful.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Dozens of protesters block Ayalon Highway, demanding deal to free all hostages

Dozens of protesters demanding a deal to free hostages held in Gaza are blocking the southbound lanes of the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv.

They carry a sign reading, “abandonment of the hostages = destruction of the Third Temple. Everyone in a deal — leave Gaza.”

מפגינים למען שחרור החטופים, בהם משפחות שורדי שבי, חסמו לתנועה את איילון דרום. ״הפקרת החטופים = חורבן הבית השלישי. את כולם בהסכם – צאו מעזה״, נכתב על שלט שהניפו pic.twitter.com/HOIxkcqCkq

— אורי סלע Uri Sela (@uri_sela) August 3, 2025

Lapid: ‘Israel can’t conduct a war if a majority of the public doesn’t stand behind it’

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid on the plenum floor of the Knesset in Jerusalem, July 23, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid says that the majority of the Israeli public no longer supports the war in Gaza, and therefore, it must end.

“There has always been one necessary condition for Israel’s wars: a majority. The State of Israel can’t conduct a war if a majority of the public doesn’t stand behind it, does not believe in its goals, and does not trust the leadership,” he writes on X.

“Not one of these conditions exists now. The time has come for the end of the war and to bring back the hostages,” he writes.

New US lawsuit demands UNRWA pay for crimes of Hamas, Hezbollah

US citizens who were victims of Hamas and Hezbollah attacks, as well as relatives of such individuals, are suing the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, demanding it be held liable for aiding and enabling the actions of the terror groups.

The New York Times reports that the lawsuit was filed Thursday at a federal court in DC, based on a Department of Justice decision in April that UNRWA is not entitled to immunity from US lawsuits.

According to the complaint, UNRWA has provided material aid to Hamas and Hezbollah in violation of antiterrorism laws. It also claims that UNRWA USA of assisting by gathering donations.

The lawsuit alleges that rather than promoting peace and coexistence, UNRWA actively encourages anti-Israel and antisemitic attitudes through its positions, services, and education system.

A second lawsuit filed in New York last year by the families of more than 100 victims of the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led terror assault is ongoing.

Thousands visit Western Wall to mark Tisha B’Av

Thousands of people visited the Western Wall tonight to mark Tisha B’Av and the destruction of the ancient Jewish Temples.

Traditionally, on the eve of Tisha B’Av, Jews around the world read the Book of Lamentations, a collection of poems mourning the destruction.

שירת "רחם" בכותל pic.twitter.com/oda8bWajHf

— מאחורי 'הפרגוד' (@moshepargod) August 2, 2025

Palestinian Red Crescent says one staffer killed in Israeli attack at Gaza HQ

The Palestine Red Crescent Society says one of its staff members was killed and three others wounded in an Israeli strike on its Khan Younis headquarters in Gaza.

“One Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) staff member was killed and three others injured after Israeli forces targeted the Society’s headquarters in Khan Younis, igniting a fire on the building’s first floor,” the aid organization says in a post on X.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF, and the circumstances of the incident are not clear.