Aug. 10: Kamala Harris says ‘far too many civilians killed’ as Israel defends Gaza City strike

Report: Egypt pushing plan for Palestinian Authority to take over Gaza’s Rafah Crossing

A “meaningful dialogue” is underway between Egypt and the Palestinian Authority for the latter to assume responsibility for the Rafah Crossing between the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula, the Kan public broadcaster reports, citing unnamed sources familiar with the details.

The report says that the Egyptians aim for this to be the first element of a plan to have the West Bank-based PA gradually take over other strategic places in Gaza after the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, despite the Israeli leadership consistently rejecting the idea of handing the PA a role in ruling postwar Gaza.

Senior PA official Hussein al-Sheikh has in recent days met an Egyptian official in Ramallah to discuss the plan, which is strongly supported by Cairo and likely also backed by the US, the report says, adding that the intention is to have the PA openly take control of the crossing, without masking or hiding its involvement.

‘Yet again, far too many civilians have been killed’: Harris criticizes IDF Gaza strike

Reiterating earlier criticism by the White House and by many countries, US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris denounces alleged harm to Palestinian civilians after Gaza Strip’s Hamas-run civil defense agency claimed over 90 people were killed in the airstrike, describing the incident as a “horrific massacre.”

“Yet again, far too many civilians have been killed,” Harris tells reporters, while also reiterating calls for a Gaza ceasefire.

The IDF and Shin Bet security agency have said the airstrike targeted a Hamas and Islamic Jihad command room at the Taba’een school in Gaza City, naming 19 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror operatives they say have been killed.

IDF confirms Hezbollah launched explosive-laden drones at northern Israel, causing damage

An Israeli anti-missile system intercepts drones fired from Lebanon over the Upper Galilee, on August 10, 2024. (Ayal Margolin/Flash90)

The IDF confirms that several explosive-laden drones were launched by Hezbollah from Lebanon earlier this evening.

According to the IDF, one of the drones was intercepted by air defenses, while the others impacted areas in northern Israel, causing damage.

There were no injuries in the attack.

Meanwhile, the IDF says it carried out a series of airstrikes in southern Lebanon today, targeting Hezbollah sites and operatives.

According to the IDF, the targets included a Hezbollah operative spotted entering a building in Tayr Harfa; rocket launchers in Houla and Qalaat Debba; a drone primed for launch and a member of Hezbollah’s aerial forces in an undisclosed area of southern Lebanon; and buildings used by Hezbollah and weapons depots in Hanine, Ayta ash-Shab, Khiam, and Blida.

כוחות צה״ל מאוגדה 146 זיהו מחבל חיזבאללה נכנס למבנה במרחב טיר חרפא, והכווינו תוך זמן קצר מטוסי קרב שתקפו את המבנה. כוחות חטיבה 769 זיהו ותקפו משגרי רקטות במרחבים חולא וקלעת דבא, שבדרום לבנון >> pic.twitter.com/Nri8PWkwag

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) August 10, 2024

IDF says weapons and equipment belonging to Hamas operatives found in Khan Younis tunnel

Weapons found by IDF troops in a tunnel in southern Gaza's Khan Younis, August 10, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

A cache of weapons and equipment belonging to Hamas operatives was recently found by troops in a tunnel in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, the IDF says.

The find was made by soldiers of the 7th Armored Brigade and the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit, which are operating under the 98th Division.

Also amid the 98th Division’s operations in Khan Younis, the IDF says drone strikes were carried out against dozens of sites and operatives, including a terrorist who participated in the October 7 onslaught and Hamas commanders of engineering and sniper units.

Hagari: ‘High probability’ that senior Islamic Jihad commander was at Gaza City school at time of IDF strike

IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari delivers an English-language address, June 16, 2024. (Screenshot)

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari in an English-language video statement says that according to “various intelligence indications” there is a “high probability” that the commander of Islamic Jihad’s Central Camps Brigade, Ashraf Juda, was at the Taba’een school in Gaza City when it was struck this morning.

He says it is not yet clear if Juda was killed in the strike.

“Increasingly in recent months Hamas has focused on exploiting school buildings, often where civilians are sheltering inside, to use them as military facilities, command and control centers, for storing weapons, and to execute terrorist attacks,” Hagari says.

“After we received clear intelligence of the threat posed by these terrorists, and in accordance with international humanitarian law, we took numerous steps to mitigate the risk to civilians. The IDF conducted a precision strike against the terrorists in one specific building of… pic.twitter.com/vViGhLzU4b

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 10, 2024

“Over the last few weeks, our intelligence has been closely monitoring an active Hamas and Islamic Jihad military facility, where approximately two dozen Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants were operating,” Hagari says.

“The names of 19 of these terrorists operating in this compound were published by us today. We also have intelligence indications that the terrorist Ashraf Juda, Islamic Jihad’s brigade commander of the Central Camps, was at the compound,” he says.

“After we received clear intelligence of the threat posed by these terrorists and in accordance with international humanitarian law, we took numerous steps to mitigate the risk to civilians, including using aerial surveillance prior to the strike and selecting very precise munitions to avoid civilian casualties,” Hagari continues.

“Early this morning, the IDF conducted a precision strike against the terrorists in one specific building of the compound. An area that, according to our intelligence, no women and children were present,” Hagari adds.

Hagari also says that Hamas’s casualty count “does not distinguish between combatants and non-combatants, and they do not match the information held by the IDF.”

Trump campaign says its internal communications were hacked, blames Iranian government

The campaign of Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump says some of its internal communications were hacked and blames the Iranian government, citing past hostilities between Trump and Iran without providing direct evidence.

The campaign statement comes after news website Politico said it began receiving emails from an anonymous account with documents from inside Trump’s operation.

“These documents were obtained illegally from foreign sources hostile to the United States, intended to interfere with the 2024 election and sow chaos throughout our Democratic process,” Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung says in a statement.

The Trump campaign referred to a Friday report from Microsoft MSFT.O researchers that said Iran government-tied hackers tried breaking into the account of a “high-ranking official” on the US presidential campaign in June. That report did not provide further details on the official’s identity.

“The Iranians know that President Trump will stop their reign of terror just like he did in his first four years in the White House,” Cheung says.

The former president had tense relations with Iran while in office. Under Trump, the United States killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020 and withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal.

CNN reported last month that the US had received intelligence about an Iranian plot against Trump. There was no indication, however, that the shooter who attempted to assassinate the former president at his Pennsylvania rally last month had any ties to Iran.

Times of Israel Staff contributed to this report. 

Turkey restores access to Instagram after 9-day ban over removal of condolence posts for Haniyeh

Turkey says it has restored access to social media platform Instagram after the company agreed to cooperate with authorities to address the government’s concerns.

Turkey blocked access to the social media platform on August 2, accusing it of failing to comply with the country’s “laws and rules” and public sensitivities.

A top Turkish official had accused Instagram of blocking condolence posts over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

The nine-day ban triggered protests from users and small businesses who reach their customers through the platform.

Turkey ranks fifth in the world in terms of Instagram usage, with more than 57 million users, following India, the United States, Brazil and Indonesia, according to data platform Statista.

“As a result of our negotiations with Instagram officials, we will lift the access block…after they promised to work together to meet our demands regarding catalog crimes and on censorship imposed on users,” Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu says in a post on X.

Catalog crimes in Turkish law include acts such as murder, sexual assault, drug trafficking, abuse and torture.

“Significant gains have been achieved in increasing security in the digital environment in Turkey, legal compliance, protection of user rights and the development of a fair inspection mechanism,” Uraloglu says.

Instagram parent Meta has agreed to comply with Turkish law and ensure efficient removal of posts and content if they carry elements of certain crimes or “terrorism propaganda,” the minister adds.

Instagram was not immediately available for comment when contacted by Reuters.

Israeli artistic swimming duo finish in 11th place at Paris Olympics duet event

Israel's Ariel Nassee and Shelly Bobritsky (left) compete in the duet free routine of the artistic swimming event during the Paris 2024 Olympics at the Aquatics Center in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, August 10, 2024. (Oli SCARFF / AFP)

Israeli artistic swimming duo Shelly Bobritsky and Ariel Nassee finish 11th overall out of 17 competing teams in the duet event at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The result marks Israel’s best-ever finish in the sport, after sending delegations to every Olympics since 2004.

Bobrtisky tells Israel’s Sport5 broadcaster that they are disappointed with the results, but proud of their performance.

“We always give our whole heart and soul in the routine, and when we don’t get what we wanted and hoped for so much, it hurts our heart,” she says. “But I know that we really gave it our all… for the country, for the people, and we are really proud of ourselves… we’re glad that we had the privilege to make the voice of the beautiful and strong Israeli nation heard.”

Tonight’s free routine was “Charlie Chaplin” themed, with the music including snippets from the famed “final speech” from “The Great Dictator” film: “We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity; more than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness.”

In yesterday’s technical routine, the duo swam wearing yellow ribbons on their hair as a nod to the hostages being held in Gaza, and the music was a mashup titled “Shalom Aleichem/October 7th/Hai.”

Smotrich tells US to ‘respect Israel’s democracy’ and stop pushing it to agree to a hostage deal

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich leads a Religious Zionism party faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, February 12, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says that the United States needs to “respect Israeli democracy” on matters pertaining to Israel’s security, after White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said the US would not allow “extremists” to push ceasefire-hostage deal talks off course.

“I respect the US’s position, and thank it for its support for Israel in the face of regional threats, but I expect it to respect Israeli democracy and the position of Israel’s citizens and elected officials in relation to decisions that will affect the country’s security,” Smotrich says.

He likens the calls for Israel to agree to a hostage release and ceasefire deal to a theoretical situation in which the US was pushed to “reach a capitulation deal with Al-Qaeda and [Osama] Bin Laden” after the September 11 attacks.

“The Sinwar surrender agreement, which leaves most of the abductees to die, which frees many murderers, returns the terrorists to the north of the Gaza Strip, abandons the border and allows Hamas to smuggle weapons and restore its strength to return and attack Israel as an arm of Iran, is bad for Israel,” the ultranationalist minister says, without providing evidence for his claim.

The deal would endanger Israel’s security, he says, “and we will oppose it with all our might.”

Kirby said on Friday evening that Smotrich “ought to be ashamed” of himself for all but accusing the US of promoting a deal that would endanger Israel’s security.

“The idea that [President Joe Biden] would support a deal that leaves Israel’s security at risk is just factually wrong,” Kirby had said. “It’s outrageous, it’s absurd.”

Avera Mengistu’s relative tells Tel Aviv rally: ‘Incomprehensible’ to think about all he’s endured over the last decade

A relative of Avera Mengistu speaks at a rally in Tel Aviv's Hostages Square calling for the release of the hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, August 10, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

A family member of Avera Mengistu, who has been held captive by Hamas in Gaza since 2014, addresses the crowd at the weekly hostage deal rally at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, Ynet reports.

Mengistu entered the Gaza Strip of his own accord in 2014 while suffering from severe mental health issues and was captured by Hamas.

“We know that he is alive and in a bad mental and physical condition,” his relative Gil says in Tel Aviv. “He’s been there not for a month or a year but for 10 years.”

“It’s incomprehensible to hear the testimonies of people who were released, and to think about what he’s been going through all these years,” he continues.

He says that there have been points at which Mengistu could have been released but that the various governments Israel has had over the last decade always let the opportunities slip away.

“We need courageous people who will exert pressure to do the right, proper and moral thing,” he says.

Hezbollah takes responsibility for earlier drone attack, says it targeted IDF Education Corps training base

The Hezbollah terror group takes responsibility for launching several explosive-laden drones at northern Israel in the past hour, claiming to have targeted a military base near Maghar.

Hezbollah says it targeted the IDF’s Michve Alon base, which it claims is used by the military as a staging ground and as a munitions depot.

Michve Alon is a training base of the IDF’s Education and Youth Corps.

Hezbollah says it carried out the attack in response to the IDF’s strike yesterday near Sidon, which killed a senior Hamas member.

Gaza fighting gets rare endorsement at hostage rally from cousin of Hamas captive

Protesters hold up images of the Gaza hostages as they call for the government to finalize a deal with Hamas for their release, at Tel Aviv's Hostages Square, August 10, 2024. (Adar Eyal/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

Voicing a rare position at the weekly rally on Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, the cousin of a hostage in Gaza calls on soldiers to continue fighting Hamas until all hostages are freed, and warns against disunity.

This message by Adam Hajaj, the cousin of hostage Rom Braslavski, 19, is unusual at the rally, whose organizers have for months called on the government to accept Hamas’s terms for a ceasefire and exchange the hostages for Palestinian prisoners. The organizers from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum maintain that the continuation of fighting in Gaza endangers the hostages and needs to stop.

“Forget about politics, left, right, center. It’s not the story,” Hajaj says. “To our heroes in Gaza, the fighters: Continue fighting. Don’t stop till they’re all home,” he adds.

Hajaj begins his address with a reference to the Second Temple, whose destruction Jews mourn on Tisha B’Av, which this year falls on August 12. “Enough with the gratuitous hatred. Enough letting our enemies destroy us from within,” he adds.

The rally, where speakers regularly accuse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of abandoning the hostages for his political gain, coincides with other anti-government protests across the country.

The largest of the demonstrations is taking place on Kaplan Street near the square, where thousands of protesters often block traffic and clash with police.

Anti-government protesters demonstrate in Tel Aviv in cages as part of an installation against theocracy on August 10, 2024. (Udi Salmanovich/Israeli Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

Protesters outside the Likud headquarters in Tel Aviv are locked in cages as part of an installation displaying the prospect of a theocratic dictatorship in 2025. One cage reads “I’m Gay,” another reads: “I protested for a hostage deal” and a third, which references ultranationalist National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir says: “I said Ben Gvir is a criminal.”

Other rallies are being held in Jerusalem, Haifa, Amiad Junction, Kfar Saba and beyond. In Karkur near Hadera, protesters are blocking a road as police warn them to disperse or face arrest.

White House ‘deeply concerned’ about civilian casualties in IDF strike on terror operatives at Gaza school

This image made from a video, shows the yard of a school after being hit by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, August 10, 2024. Israel said it hit a Hamas and Islamic Jihad command center in the school. (AP Photo)

The White House says it is “deeply concerned” about civilian casualties after the Israel Defense Forces said it had struck a command room that terror operatives set up at a Gaza City school where displaced Palestinian civilians were sheltering.

The IDF and Shin Bet say they have verified the deaths of 19 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives in the strike, and rejected Hamas’s claim that more than 90 people were killed.

“We are deeply concerned about reports of civilian casualties in Gaza” following the strike, National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett says in a statement, adding that the US has been told by its Israeli counterparts that the strike targeted senior Hamas officials, and is “asking for further details.”

He says the strike, which has sparked international condemnation, “underscores the urgency of a ceasefire and hostage deal, which we continue to work tirelessly to achieve.”

IDF: Halevi, Northern Command head briefed on intelligence situation up north on Friday

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and head of the Northern Command, Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin meet with officers at a base in northern Israel, August 9, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The Israeli military says that IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi held an assessment in northern Israel over the weekend.

The terse statement says that Halevi visited an intelligence base in northern Israel with the head of the Northern Command, Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin on Friday, and was briefed on “the intelligence situation in the northern arena.”

Halevi and Gordin also met at the Northern Command headquarters in Safed to discuss the IDF’s readiness, the military adds.

The meetings come as Israel anticipates a major Hezbollah attack on the country in response to the killing of the terror group’s military chief in Beirut.

Israel names 19 terror operatives killed in Gaza strike, says no major damage to school complex, denies Hamas death toll claims

This infographic released by the IDF on August 10, 2024, shows terror operatives it says it killed in an airstrike on a Hamas-Islamic Jihad command room at a school complex in Gaza City. (Israel Defense Forces)

The Israeli military and Shin Bet security agency say they have verified the deaths of 19 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives in this morning’s airstrike on the Taba’een school in Gaza City.

According to the IDF, the strike was carried out against the Hamas and Islamic Jihad command room embedded within a mosque at the school complex with three “precision munitions.”

The IDF says that the missiles “could not have caused the damage that corresponds to the casualty reports of the government media office in Gaza.” Hamas has claimed over 90 people were killed in the strike.

The military says that footage from after the strike shows that there is no major damage to the surrounding school complex.

This infographic released by the IDF on August 10, 2024, shows a before and after image of an airstrike on a school in Gaza City. (Israel Defense Forces)

This infographic released by the IDF on August 10, 2024, shows a list of terror operatives killed in an airstrike on a school in Gaza City. (Israel Defense Forces)

PA said aiming to have UN General Assembly outlaw Israel’s presence in West Bank, East Jerusalem

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, September 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

The Palestinian Authority is working to secure a General Assembly resolution outlawing Israel’s presence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Israel’s Channel 12 news reports.

It says the PA will ask the GA, when the UN body convenes in New York next month, to adopt last month’s International Court of Justice ruling that Israel’s 56-year-long rule in “the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967” is “illegal,” and that it is obligated to bring its presence in that territory to an end “as rapidly as possible.”

The ICJ in The Hague is the UN’s top court. Its July 19 decision was non-binding. General Assembly resolutions are also non-binding, but in this case it could potentially snowball and lead to pressure for arms embargoes and the blacklisting of settlements, the TV report says.

In its July decision, the ICJ said it determined Israel’s policy of settlement in the West Bank violates international law, and that Israel had effectively annexed large parts of the West Bank — along with East Jerusalem, which was formally annexed and designated as sovereign Israeli territory in 1980 — due to some of the apparently permanent aspects of Israeli rule there.

The legal consequences of its findings, the court ruled, were that Israel must end its control of these areas, cease new settlement activity, “repeal all legislation and measures creating or maintaining the unlawful situation” — including those which it said “discriminate against the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” — and provide reparations for any damage caused by its “wrongful acts.”

In addition, the court said that all UN member states are obligated not to recognize changes to the status of the territory, and that all states are obligated not to aid or assist Israel’s rule of the territories, and ensure that any impediment “to the exercise of the Palestinian people of its right to self-determination is brought to an end.”

The TV report says Israel is aware of the PA effort, and has a month to try to thwart it.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, numerous cabinet ministers as well as settler leaders roundly denounced the ICJ’s July ruling, with some calling for the immediate formal annexation of the West Bank in response.

“The Jewish people are not occupiers in their own land — not in our eternal capital Jerusalem, not in the land of our ancestors in Judea and Samaria,” Netanyahu said at the time, using the biblical names for the West Bank. “No false decision in The Hague will distort this historical truth, just as the legality of Israeli settlement in all the territories of our homeland cannot be contested.”

Harris aide expresses alarm over reports of sexual abuse against Palestinian detainees

Vice President Kamala Harris’s national security adviser says he is troubled by reports of sexual abuse against Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

The allegations “require swift and credible investigation. Perpetrators of sexual violence everywhere must be held to account,” Phil Gordon writes on X.

As @VP has said, sexual violence anywhere is entirely unacceptable.  Reports of abuse in Israeli prisons are deeply troubling  and require swift and credible investigation. Perpetrators of sexual violence everywhere must be held to account.   https://t.co/PQnRjnHGyY

— Phil Gordon (@PhilGordon46) August 10, 2024

No injuries in latest Hezbollah drone attack on north

There are no reports of injuries amid an apparent Hezbollah drone attack on northern Israel, medics say.

Suspected drone infiltration sirens have been sounding across the Galilee in the past half an hour, reaching as far as the city of Maghar, located some 20 kilometers from the Lebanon border.

Footage posted to social media purports to show one of the Hezbollah drones flying over the north.

Footage posted to social media purports to show a Hezbollah drone flying over northern Israel. Sirens have been sounding across the Galilee in the past 20 minutes. pic.twitter.com/bO2uyeSR8e

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) August 10, 2024

Volley of 10 rockets fired by Hezbollah at Western Galilee

Earlier this evening, a barrage of 10 rockets was fired from Lebanon at the Western Galilee.

According to the IDF, all the rockets struck open areas, causing no injuries.

The IDF adds that troops shelled the launch sites with artillery.

Hezbollah took responsibility for the attack, claiming to have bombarded the northern community of Eilon with Katyusha rockets, in response to recent IDF strikes in southern Lebanon.

Several incoming rocket alerts, hostile drone warnings sounding in north

Incoming rocket alerts and hostile drone warnings are sounding in northern communities.

Sirens sound in Safed, Machanayim, Hatzor Haglilit, Rosh Pina, Gadot, Tzahar, Amnon, Amiad, Elifelet, Almagor, Tuba-Zangariyye, Kfar Hanassi, and Karkom.

🚨 Large Red Alert [19:33:24] – 9 Alerts:

• Upper Galilee — Machanaim, Machanaim landing pad, Hatzor HaGlilit (2nd alert), Tzahar Industrial Zone, Rosh Pinna, Gadot, Hatzor HaGlilit Industrial Zone (2nd alert)
Population in the area: 60,000#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/UxukHUkKnw

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) August 10, 2024

Incoming drone siren blares in Upper Galilee town

An incoming hostile drone alert is sounding in the Upper Galilee community of Yiftah.

Red Alert [19:27:46] – 1 Alert:

• Confrontation Line — Iftach
Population in the area: 569#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/TeIxPKKVaC

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) August 10, 2024

Harris polling ahead of Trump in three battleground states

US Vice President and 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris poses with supporters during a campaign event at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, on August 9, 2024. (Robyn Beck / AFP)

WASHINGTON — Kamala Harris now leads Donald Trump in three crucial battleground states, according to new polls published Saturday, apparently eroding the advantage the former president has enjoyed there over the past year.

The polls of likely voters by The New York Times and Siena College showed Harris leading Trump by an identical 50 percent to 46 percent margin in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Under the US electoral college voting system, those three populous Midwestern states are considered key to victory for either party.

The polls are a reversal of surveys in those states which for nearly a year had shown Trump either tied with or slightly leading Democratic President Joe Biden, who dropped out of the race last month and endorsed Harris instead.

Much can change in the nearly three months before the November 5 election. The polling showed voters still prefer Trump on the key issues of the economy and immigration, though Harris had a 24-point advantage when voters were asked whom they trust on the issue of abortion.

Democrats, in any case, have taken heart in the surge of enthusiasm that has greeted Harris’s candidacy, with many expressing relief after 81-year-old Biden stepped aside.

Her announcement Tuesday of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate also appears to have energized Democrats.

Families accuse PM of gambling with hostages’ lives to preserve government

A group of hostage families give their weekly press conference in Tel Aviv, urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a deal to free their loved ones held in Gaza at an upcoming round of negotiations on Thursday in Cairo.

“In what world does a prime minister keep civilians and soldiers who he abandoned to rot in captivity for 10 months?” Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is held in Gaza, asks.

“In what world does Netanyahu make criminal political calculations for ‘timing’ and how [Bezalel] Smotrich and [Itamar] Ben Gvir will react, at the expense of lives?” she says, accusing the premier of gambling with the lives of hostages to ensure his government survives.

“If Netanyahu continues to drag his feet, if he doesn’t close a deal now that includes the release of everyone, we will receive only bodies in return, if any. Netanyahu wants to extend the war to extend the life of his government. He is ready to drag us to an escalation instead of reaching a deal that saves lives and prevents an escalation,” she says, urging Israeli negotiators to demand the prime minister agree to a deal.

Yehuda Cohen, whose son Nimrod is held hostage, says the current opportunity to reach a deal may be the last.

“According to media reports, Israel agreed to come to a summit this Thursday. We have experience from summits and conferences that all ended the same. The mediators came up with solutions, but Netanyahu repeatedly botched the deal.”

Rocket sirens sound in kibbutz near Gaza border

Incoming rocket warning sirens are activated in Kibbutz Kissufim near the Gaza border.

Red Alert [18:03:43] – 1 Alert:

• Gaza Envelope — Kissufim
Population in the area: <500#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/YvdUECfyt0

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) August 10, 2024

Silver medal-winning gymnasts’ quintet: Best thing in our lives; proud to represent Israel

The five members of Israel's rhythmic gymnastics team show their silver medals after coming second in the group all-around at La Chapelle Arena during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

The members of Israel’s silver medal-winning rhythmic gymnastics team at the Paris Olympics tell Israel’s Sport5 channel that they’re still absorbing their success and are delighted that they could give a boost to Israel.

Speaking immediately after the medals ceremony, Romi Paritzki, 20, says the five of them “fought to the end” after being in fifth place following the first of the final’s two exercises. “We had such a great time,” she says, adding that “the crowd was fantastic.” Noting that there are lots of Israeli flags in the hall, she says they are “so proud to represent the state, and to lift it; we’re a strong people.”

“We’re like a family,” she says of the team. “We have crises, we have to compromise… but we were so together and it was worth every second.”

Noting that they were the eighth and last of the finalists to perform the second exercise, Ofir Shaham, 19, praises their “wonderful team” of coaches for keeping them focused.

Diana Svertsov, 19, says that waiting for their score was “incredibly emotional” and adds that they did so well “because we worked together.” Echoing Israel’s much-used slogan in the war against Hamas, she says, “because we can only win together.”

Shani Bakanov, 18, says they “gave up a lot over the years” to focus on their sport, “but now we can make up.”

Adar Friedmann, 18, the fifth of the five to speak, calls the silver medal success “the best thing that’s happened in our lives.”

Israeli fighter jets said to be causing sonic booms over Beirut

Israeli fighter jets are reportedly flying over the Lebanese capital of Beirut, causing sonic booms.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF.

In recent weeks, there have been several reports of Israeli fighter jets flying over Beirut.

Breaking

Loud sonic booms heard in Beirut. I see jets overhead above Achrafieh which is mostly a Christian area and is considered “safe”

Video by me pic.twitter.com/OxSqK6vrCx

— Nafiseh Kohnavard (@nafisehkBBC) August 10, 2024

France condemns ‘in the firmest of terms’ Gaza City school strike

PARIS, France — France says it condemns “in the firmest of terms” Israel’s deadly airstrike targeting terrorists in a school in Gaza.

“For several weeks, school buildings have been repeatedly targeted, with an intolerable number of civilian victims,” it says.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Rocket sirens blare in Western Galilee communities

Incoming rocket sirens sound in communities in the Western Galilee.

Sirens activate in Gornot Hagalil, Arab al-Aramshe, Goren, Eilon, and Adamit.

Red Alert [17:24:24] – 5 Alerts:

• Confrontation Line — Gornot HaGalil, Arab al-Aramshe, Goren, Eilon, Idmit
Population in the area: 5,800#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/A7AOSiLODD

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) August 10, 2024

Greece nabs fugitive convicted of robbery, under investigation for bombing in Israel

ATHENS, Greece — Greek police have arrested on an international warrant a 36-year-old fugitive convicted of robbery in Israel and under investigation over a bomb attack there after a tip-off by Israeli authorities, they say.

The Israeli man was wanted by Israel in order to serve a 25-month prison sentence on robbery charges, police say in a statement. He was also under investigation in Israel “for his involvement in an attempted homicide through a bomb attack against another person,” they say.

According to court documents, police were alerted by Interpol on August 5 that a “red notice” had been issued against the defendant on behalf of Israel. The notice said that he was traveling on a forged passport.

Police found that he had arrived in Greece on July 20 using the fake document. He was arrested outside a restaurant at a Jewish synagogue in central Athens on August 6, police say.

The man appeared before Greek prosecutors, who ordered his detention, the court documents say.

Israel wins silver at Olympic rhythmic gymnastics final, claiming 7th medal at Games

Team Israel reacts after winning the silver medal in the group all-around rhythmic gymnastics at La Chapelle Arena during the 2024 Summer Olympics, August 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Israel’s team wins a silver medal at the Olympic rhythmic gymnastics final, the seventh medal for Israel overall during the Paris Games.

The team scores 68.850 points in the final round of the women’s rhythmic all-round group, behind China, which scores 69.800.

Team Israel greets fans after winning the silver medal in the group all-around rhythmic gymnastics at La Chapelle Arena during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

The team is made up of Shani Bakanov, 18, Adar Friedmann, 18, Romi Paritzki, 20, Ofir Shaham, 19, and Diana Svertsov, 19.

Paritzki had said Friday, after the team had qualified for the final: “We’re ready for tomorrow, we’ll show up renewed, focused, will give it our all… Tomorrow we’ll come even more ready.”

Israel’s gymnasts perform with the hoop as they compete in the rhytmic gymnastics’ group all-around final during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Porte de la Chapelle Arena in Paris, on August 10, 2024. The Israeli team won the silver medal. (Gabriel Bouys/AFP)

Israel in 5th place after first round of Olympic rhythmic gymnastics finals

Israel's gymnasts perform with the hoop as they compete in the rhythmic gymnastics' group all-around final during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Porte de la Chapelle Arena in Paris, on August 10, 2024. (Gabriel Bouys/AFP)

Israel is currently in fifth place after the first round of the rhythmic gymnastics finals at the Paris Olympics.

After performing a hoop exercise, the Israeli team scored 35.600, behind France (35.750), Italy (36.100), Ukraine (36.550) and China (36.950).

British FM ‘appalled’ at Gaza City school strike, calls for ‘immediate ceasefire’

LONDON, United Kingdom — UK Foreign Minister David Lammy says that Britain was “appalled” at Israel’s deadly air strike targeting terrorists in a school in Gaza and called for “an immediate ceasefire.”

“Appalled by the Israeli Military strike on al-Tabeen school and the tragic loss of life,” Lammy writes on X, adding: “We need an immediate ceasefire to protect civilians, free all hostages, and end restrictions on aid.”

Appalled by the Israeli Military strike on al-Tabeen school and the tragic loss of life.

Hamas must stop endangering civilians. Israel must comply with International Humanitarian Law.

We need an immediate ceasefire to protect civilians, free all hostages, and end restrictions…

— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) August 10, 2024

Russian military personnel training in Iran to use close-range ballistic missiles

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, right, shakes hands with secretary of Russia's Security Council Sergei Shoigu at the start of their meeting at his office in Tehran, Iran, August 5, 2024. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)

Dozens of Russian military personnel are being trained in Iran to use the Fath-360 close-range ballistic missile system, two European intelligence sources tell Reuters, adding that they expected the imminent delivery of hundreds of the satellite-guided weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine.

Russian Defense Ministry representatives are believed to have signed a contract on December 13 in Tehran with Iranian officials for the Fath-360 and another ballistic missile system built by Iran’s government-owned Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO) called the Ababil, according to the intelligence officials, who requested anonymity in order to discuss sensitive matters.

Citing multiple confidential intelligence sources, the officials say that Russian personnel have visited Iran to learn how to operate the Fath-360 defense system, which launches missiles with a maximum range of 120 kilometers (75 miles) and a warhead of 150 kilograms. One of the sources says that “the only next possible” step after training would be the actual delivery of the missiles to Russia.

Moscow possesses an array of its own ballistic missiles, but the supply of Fath-360s could allow Russia to use more of its arsenal for targets beyond the front line while employing Iranian warheads for closer-range targets, a military expert says.

A spokesman for the US National Security Council says the United States and its NATO allies and G7 partners “are prepared to deliver a swift and severe response if Iran were to move forward with such transfers.”

It “would represent a dramatic escalation in Iran’s support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” the spokesman says. “The White House has repeatedly warned of the deepening security partnership between Russia and Iran since the outset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.”

Russia’s Defense Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations in New York says in a statement that the Islamic Republic had forged a long-term strategic partnership with Russia in various areas, including military cooperation.

“Nevertheless, from an ethical standpoint, Iran refrains from transferring any weapons, including missiles, that could potentially be used in the conflict with Ukraine until it is over,” the statement says

The White House declines to confirm that Iran was training Russian military personnel on the Fath-360 or that it was preparing to ship the weapons to Russia for use against Ukraine.

Turkey slams ‘new crime against humanity’ after Gaza school strike

ISTANBUL, Turkey — Turkey denounces a “new crime against humanity” after Israel’s deadly strike on a school in Gaza killed dozens of people, according to a foreign ministry statement.

“Israel has committed a new crime against humanity by massacring more than a hundred civilians who had taken refuge in a school,” the ministry says, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of wanting “to sabotage ceasefire negotiations.”

The Gaza Strip’s Hamas-run civil defense agency said over 90 people were killed in Saturday’s airstrike, describing the incident as a “horrific massacre.” The IDF said it targeted a terrorist command room inside the building, and expressed heavy skepticism toward the claim, saying the numbers appeared to have been inflated.

Bennett considered most unifying candidate for PM — poll

Left to right: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, July 26, 2024. (GPO); Opposition Leader Yair Lapid at the Knesset, Jerusalem, July 22, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90); Head of the National Unity party Benny Gantz at a press conference at the Knesset on July 24, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90); Former prime minister Naftali Bennett speaks at the annual Cyber Week, at Tel Aviv University, June 25, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

A Channel 12 news poll finds former prime minister Naftali Bennett is the most unifying figure among politicians who could be candidates for the premiership at the next election.

According to the poll, 52 percent of respondents say Bennett is unifying, compared to 28% who say he is divisive, and 20% who don’t know.

Fifty-one percent of respondents say Benny Gantz is a unifier, compared to 35% who say he is divisive, and 14% who don’t know.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (13/64%) and Yair Lapid (36/53%) are considered to be more divisive than unifying, according to the poll.

EU’s Borrell: ‘No justification’ for Israeli strikes on Gaza schools

BRUSSELS, Belgium — EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell expresses horror at a deadly strike by Israel on a school housing displaced people in Gaza.

“Horrified by images from a sheltering school in Gaza hit by an Israeli strike, with reportedly dozens of Palestinian victims. At least 10 schools were targeted in the last weeks. There’s no justification for these massacres,” Borrell writes on X.

The Gaza Strip’s Hamas-run civil defense agency said over 90 people were killed in Saturday’s airstrike, describing the incident as a “horrific massacre.” The IDF said it targeted a terrorist command room inside the building, and expressed heavy skepticism toward the claim, saying the numbers appeared to have been inflated.

Horrified by images from a sheltering school in Gaza hit by an Israeli strike, w/ reportedly dozens of Palestinian victims.

At least 10 schools were targeted in the last weeks. There’s no justification for these massacres

We are dismayed by the terrible overall death toll. 1/2

— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) August 10, 2024

IDF says airstrike killed senior member of Hamas’s general security forces

IDF troops operate in the Gaza Strip, in an image released on August 10, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

A senior member of Hamas’s general security forces was killed in an airstrike in the Gaza Strip yesterday, the military announces.

According to the IDF, Walid Alsousi was a member of Hamas’s military wing as well as the head of a department in the terror group’s general security forces in the southern Gaza Strip.

The IDF says Alsousi was responsible for building an “intelligence picture” for Hamas, using sources across Gaza.

He was killed yesterday in a fighter jet airstrike, the IDF says.

Meanwhile, troops of the 98th Division are pressing on with an offensive in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, where the military says troops killed dozens of gunmen and destroyed sites used by terror groups over the past day.

Further south, in Rafah, troops with the 162nd Division killed several more gunmen and seized weapons hidden in homes, the IDF says.

The IDF also says that this past week, several terrorists who participated in the October 7 onslaught were killed in strikes carried out by the 215th Artillery Regiment.

Hamas claims no terrorists hiding in Gaza City school when struck by IDF

The Hamas terror group in a statement claims that “there were no militants in the Taba’een school” in Gaza City’s Daraj neighborhood when it was struck this morning by the IDF.

More than 100 people were killed in the strike, according to Hamas authorities. The IDF expressed heavy skepticism toward the claim, saying the numbers appeared to have been inflated.

Hamas falsely claims that its fighters and members of other armed groups follow a “strict policy” of not being present among civilians.

In recent months, dozens of airstrikes have been carried out against Hamas sites embedded within schools and other sites used as shelters for civilians, according to the IDF.

Just last week, the commander of Hamas’s Sheikh Radwan Battalion was killed in an IDF strike on a school in Gaza City.

According to military assessments, Hamas operatives are struggling to remain inside tunnels for such a long period and are therefore increasingly moving to above-ground sites, while hiding among civilians.

UN’s Albanese accuses Israel of ‘genocide’ after strike on Gaza school

UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese speaks during a press conference following a session of the UN Human Rights Council, Geneva, March 27, 2024. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP)

An independent UN-appointed expert accused Israel of committing “genocide” in its war against Hamas after an Israeli strike targeting a school from where the military said at least 20 terrorists were operating.

“Israel is genociding the Palestinians one neighborhood at the time, one hospital at the time, one school at the time, one refugee camp at the time, one safe zone at the time,” Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the rights situation in Palestinian territories, says on social media platform X.

The Times of Israel exposed Albanese’s history of antisemitism in an investigation last year.

Albanese, who is tasked with investigating Israeli activities in the Palestinian territories, has not faced any repercussions from the UN or issued a clear apology for her past statements. She has continued to lob accusations of war crimes against Israel in recent months.

The Gaza Strip’s Hamas-run civil defense agency said over 100 people were killed in Saturday’s airstrike, describing the incident as a “horrific massacre.” The IDF expressed heavy skepticism toward the claim, saying the numbers appeared to have been inflated.

Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry says the strike shows Israel’s intention to “extend the war,” while Saudi Arabia urges the end to the “mass slaughter in Gaza.”

Qatar labels the strike a “horrible massacre.”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson says the strike is proof of “genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity simultaneously” and calls for broad action by Muslim countries against Israel, and support for Palestinian “resistance.”

Rocket sirens sound in Upper Galilee community

Incoming rocket sirens are activated in Kibbutz Malkiya, in the Upper Galilee.

Red Alert [12:41:33] – 1 Alert:

• Confrontation Line — Malkia
Population in the area: <500#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/rNnKtF2GF4

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) August 10, 2024

Jordan will permit Israel to use airspace to foil Iranian attack — report

Despite an official statement saying otherwise, Jordan will allow Israel to use its airspace to foil a potential Iranian attack, an informed official in Amman tells Channel 12 news.

“It stems from a security interest and this is the policy, just like in April when Jordan helped Israel stop the Iranian attack. It is ultimately an ally of the United States,” the source says.

Jordan has officially denied it will allow Israel to use its airspace to shoot down missiles and drones fired in a potential Iranian attack, expected to be launched as a reprisal for the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

The Islamic Republic has blamed Israel for the killing, but Israel has not confirmed or denied involvement.

Reports in April said Amman did permit such actions when Iran fired a barrage of missiles and drones.

Ethiopian Tamirat Tola wins Olympic men’s marathon; Israel’s Teferi places 26th

Winner Ethiopia's Tamirat Tola (C), second placed Belgium's Bashir Abdi (L) and third placed Kenya's Benson Kipruto celebrate after the men's marathon of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Invalides in Paris on August 10, 2024. (Andrej Isakovic/AFP)

PARIS, France — Ethiopian Tamirat Tola delivers a masterclass in solo front running to win the Olympic men’s marathon in Paris as Eliud Kipchoge’s bid for a third gold went up in smoke.

Tola clocks an Olympic record of 2 hr 06 min 26 sec for victory, finishing 21 seconds ahead of Belgium’s Bashir Abdi. Kenya’s Benson Kipruto rounds out the podium, a further 13 sec adrift.

Israel’s Maru Teferi places 26th, at 2 hr 10 min 42 sec.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

IDF: At least 20 terrorists at school targeted by strike, Gazan death toll inflated

This image made from a video, shows the yard of a school after being hit by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, August 10, 2024. Israel said it hit a Hamas and Islamic Jihad command center in the school. (AP Photo)

The IDF in an update on the deadly Gaza City school strike says that according to its intelligence, at least 20 terror operatives and senior commanders were at the site when it was struck.

According to the military, the “active” Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad command room was based out of a prayer room in the al-Taba’een school, in Gaza City’s Daraj neighborhood.

The IDF denies claims that more than 100 Palestinians were killed in the strike.

“According to a preliminary examination, the numbers published by the government media office in Gaza — which acts as a media arm of Hamas — are exaggerated and do not match the information available in the IDF, the precise munitions used, and the accuracy of the strike,” the IDF says.

Egypt says Israel lacks political will to end Gaza war

Egypt says Israel’s “deliberate killing” of unarmed Palestinians shows that it lacks a political will to end the war in Gaza.

Egypt’s foreign ministry statement comes after Hamas claimed more than 100 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded in an Israeli strike on a Gaza school sheltering displaced people.

The Israeli army said it hit a Hamas command center precisely, while taking steps to avoid harming civilians.

It is not clear how many of those killed were combatants.

Hamas-run civil defense agency now says at least 90 killed in IDF strike on Gaza school

Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defense agency says the death toll from an Israeli strike on a school in Gaza City has risen to between 90 to 100.

“The death toll is now between 90 to 100 and there are dozens more wounded. Three Israeli rockets hit the school that was housing displaced Palestinians,” agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal tells AFP. Gaza’s government media office says there are “more than 100 martyrs” in the strike.

Rocket warning sirens activated in kibbutz near Lebanon border

Incoming rocket warning sirens are activated in Kibbutz Malkiya near the Lebanon border, with anyone there ordered to immediately take cover.

US says it destroyed Iran-backed Houthi missile launcher, naval drone in Yemen

US Central Command (CENTCOM) says its forces destroyed an Iranian-backed Houthi missile launcher and an uncrewed surface vessel in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen in the previous 24 hours.

The forces also destroyed two Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicles over the Red Sea, CENTCOM says in a post on X.

“These weapons presented a clear and imminent threat to U.S. and coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region,” CENTCOM adds.

IDF hits Hamas command post in Gaza school used as civilian shelter; Hamas: 40 killed

The IDF announces announces it struck a Hamas command post that terror operatives set up at school in Gaza City where Palestinian civilians were sheltering, as the enclave’s Hamas-run civil defense agency says 40 people were killed in the airstrike.

According to an IDF statement, Hamas operatives were hiding in the Al-Taba’een school in Gaza City’s Daraj neighborhood, from where they were “advancing terror operations against IDF forces and Israeli citizens.”

The statement says the IDF “took many steps in order to reduce the chance of harming civilians” before launching the strike using precision munitions. It also accuses Hamas of “systematically violating international law and operating out of civilian shelters, while using the population as a human shield.”

The IDF also said two days ago that had it struck Hamas command and control centers in schools in the Daraj and Tuffah neighborhoods.

Microsoft warns Iran ramping up cyber activity that seems aimed at swaying US election

Illustrative: A cybersecurity expert talks about Iran hacking techniques, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, September 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

NEW YORK — Iran is accelerating online activity that appears intended to influence the US election, in one case targeting a presidential campaign with an email phishing attack, Microsoft says.

Iranian actors also have spent recent months creating fake news sites and impersonating activists, laying the groundwork to stoke division and potentially sway American voters this fall, especially in swing states, the technology giant finds.

The findings in Microsoft’s newest threat intelligence report show how Iran, which has been active in recent US elections, is evolving its tactics for another election that’s likely to have global implications. The report goes a step beyond anything US intelligence officials have disclosed, giving specific examples of Iranian groups and the actions they have taken so far. Iran’s United Nations mission denies it had plans to interfere or launch cyberattacks in the US presidential election.

The report doesn’t specify Iran’s intentions besides sowing chaos in the United States, though US officials have previously hinted that Iran particularly opposes former president Donald Trump. US officials also have expressed alarm about Tehran’s efforts to seek retaliation for a 2020 strike on an Iranian general that was ordered by Trump. This week, the Justice Department unsealed criminal charges against a Pakistani man with ties to Iran who’s alleged to have hatched assassination plots targeting multiple officials, potentially including Trump.

US official says American troops in Syria attacked by drone; no initial reports of casualties

WASHINGTON — US troops in Syria have been attacked by a drone, a US official tells Reuters, though there were no injuries according to initial reports.

“Initial reports do not indicate any injuries, however medical evaluations are ongoing. We are currently conducting a damage assessment,” the official adds, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Pausing to address hecklers, Harris says ‘now the time’ for ceasefire-hostage deal

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally at Desert Diamond Arena, August 9, 2024, in Glendale, Arizona. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

US Vice President Kamala Harris pauses during a campaign rally in Arizona to directly address hecklers who interrupt her remarks for the second time this week with chants about the Gaza war.

“Hold on a second,” she says at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale.

Harris says has been clear that “now is the time to get a ceasefire deal” to end fighting between Israel and Hamas. The Democratic presidential nominee says she and US President Joe Biden “are working around the clock every day to get that ceasefire deal done and bring the hostages home.”

Harris adds that, “I respect your voices, but we are here to now talk about this race in 2024.”

Kamala Harris responds to Gaza demonstrators in Arizona: “Now is the time to get a ceasefire deal and get the hostage deal done.” pic.twitter.com/M7bhIFXkG4

— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) August 10, 2024

She responded differently earlier this week when Gaza protesters interrupted her during a Detroit-area rally. She talked over the protesters.

US says Blinken told Gallant that Mideast escalation ‘is in no party’s interest’

File - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, right, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant meet during Blinken's week-long trip to the Middle East, Tel Aviv, January 9, 2024. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke Friday with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the State Department announces, saying the two “discussed ongoing efforts to deescalate tensions in the region.”

“The secretary reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security and discussed how escalation is in no party’s interest,” the US readout says.

According to the statement, Blinken “reiterated the urgent need to reach a ceasefire in Gaza that would secure the release of hostages, allow a surge of humanitarian assistance, and create the conditions for broader regional stability.”

“He also underscored the importance of reaching a diplomatic resolution that allows both Israeli and Lebanese families to return to their homes.”

The statement does not name Iran or Hezbollah, which are currently threatening to attack Israel over the recent killings of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and top Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut, fueling concerns of a broader regional conflict between Israel and the Iranian-led axis.

Iran’s UN mission: ‘Hoping our response won’t be to detriment of potential ceasefire’

Asked whether Iran will delay its highly anticipated retaliation for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh until after the next round of ceasefire-hostage talks between Israel and Hamas called for August 15, Iran’s mission to the United Nations says it hopes that Tehran’s response “will be timed and conducted in a manner not to the detriment of the potential ceasefire.”

“Our priority is to establish a lasting ceasefire in Gaza; any agreement accepted by Hamas will also be recognized by us,” the UN mission says in a statement.

“The Israeli regime has violated our national security and sovereignty through its recent act of terrorism. We have the legitimate right to self-defense — a matter totally unrelated to the Gaza ceasefire,” the statement continues. “However, we hope that our response will be timed and conducted in a manner not to the detriment of the potential ceasefire.”

“Direct and intermediary official channels to exchange messages have always existed between Iran and the United States, the details of which both parties prefer to remain untold.”

UK urges Israel ‘to reconsider’ revocation of Norwegian diplomats’ status

UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) says it’s deeply concerned by Israel’s decision to revoke the diplomatic status of eight Norwegian diplomats dealing with the Palestinian Authority.

“Norway has long played a unique and valued role in supporting peace for Israelis and Palestinians. We urge Israel to reconsider,” the FCDO says in a statement.

US thinks Iranian nuclear research paving easier path to bomb — reports

Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, speaks with media while visiting the Natanz enrichment facility, in central Iran, November 4, 2019. (Atomic Energy Organization of Iran via AP, File)

American spies believe Iran is better positioned to restart its nuclear weapons program thanks to research activities it has conducted, The Wall Street Journal reports.

According to the report, the US intelligence community does not think that Iran has yet made a decision to break out for a bomb, but its path to one could be eased should it decide to pull the trigger.

In a report to Congress last month, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines warned that Iran has “undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so,” the Journal reports.

While officials do not think the research will shorten the time needed to breakout to a bomb, it “could shrink the knowledge gap Tehran faces in mastering the ability to build a weapon,” a US official is quoted saying. The Journal notes that in the past, study of such topics would have led US analysts to conclude that a bomb was being pursued, though not in this case.

The assessment also notes that the topic of nuclear weapons has become less taboo in Iranian society, according to the report.