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The Times of Israel liveblogged Sunday’s events as they unfolded.
Halevi says ‘the clock is counting down’ until Jordan Valley terrorists are caught
IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi (left) holds a situational assessment at the scene of a deadly terror attack in the West Bank, August 11, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi visits the site of a deadly terror shooting attack in the Jordan Valley earlier today and holds a situational assessment with defense and security officials on the ongoing hunt for the perpetrators.
“Our mission is to catch these terrorists and get to them before they attack. We didn’t succeed here,” Halevi says in remarks, according to an IDF statement, adding, “The clock is counting down” to the moment that security forces catch the perpetrators.
Israeli flagbearers march in Olympic closing ceremony
Israel's flag bearers march during the 2024 Summer Olympics closing ceremony at the Stade de France, August 11, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP/Kin Cheung)
Israeli athletes march in the Paris 2024 Olympics closing ceremony at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France, as the games wrap up.
Israel’s flagbearers at the ceremony are gold medal winner Tom Reuveny, the men’s windsurfing champion, and Romi Paritzki, captain of the rhythmic gymnastics team, which won silver in the all-around final yesterday.
Most of Israel’s athletes have already returned home, but Reuveny, Paritzki and the rest of the delegation, including Olympic Committee of Israel president Yael Arad, are slated to arrive back in Tel Aviv tomorrow afternoon. Israel won seven medals throughout the games, its biggest haul in a single Olympics.
Hamas takes responsibility for deadly Jordan Valley terror attack
Israeli security forces at the scene of a shooting attack in the Jordan Valley, in the West Bank, on August 11, 2024. (Michael Giladi/Flash90)
Hamas takes responsibility for the terror shooting attack earlier today in the Jordan Valley, in which an Israeli man was killed and another was moderately wounded.
The terror group does not provide evidence to confirm its involvement, but in recent months Hamas has carried out numerous attacks against civilians and troops in the West Bank.
Senior Israeli official says Hamas refusal to attend talks is bargaining tactic
Hamas’s announcement that it will not attend ceasefire-hostage deal talks Thursday is a bargaining tactic, a senior Israeli official with knowledge of the negotiations tells Hebrew media outlets.
The tactic is being used ahead of a possible Iranian and Hezbollah attack on Israel and aims to secure better conditions for the terror group in a potential deal, the unnamed official is quoted as saying.
“If Hamas doesn’t want to come to the table, we will continue to crush their forces in Gaza,” the official says.
2024 Paris Olympics closing ceremony begins
Spectators attend the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Stade de France, in Saint-Denis, in the outskirts of Paris, on August 11, 2024. (MOHD RASFAN / AFP)
PARIS, France — The closing ceremony of the 2024 Olympics is underway at a packed Stade de France, bringing the curtain down on a Games widely regarded as one of the most successful in history.
With Los Angeles hosting the next Olympics in 2028, the ceremony will be sprinkled with Hollywood stardust. Tom Cruise is widely expected to play a major role in the handover.
Hamas says it won’t send delegation to ceasefire-hostage talks Thursday
Protesters outside the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv demand early elections and a deal for the release of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, August 10, 2024. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
The Hamas terror group says it does not plan to send negotiators to mediated talks with Israel on a ceasefire-hostage deal, set for Thursday in Cairo or Doha.
It has asked mediators to present a plan based upon past negotiations, instead of engaging in new talks for a deal.
“The movement calls on the mediators to present a plan to implement what was agreed upon by the movement on July 2, 2024, based on Biden’s vision and the UN Security Council resolution,” Hamas says in a statement.
“The mediators should enforce this on the occupation (Israel) instead of pursuing further rounds of negotiations or new proposals that would provide cover for the occupation’s aggression and grant it more time to continue its genocide against our people,” the statement adds.
IDF says no change to instructions for public even with reports of looming Iran attack
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says there are still no changes to emergency guidelines for civilians, as new reports have claimed that an Iranian attack on Israel is imminent.
“Following the latest reports regarding Iran’s plans, we clarify that, at this stage, there are no changes to the Home Front Command guidelines,” Hagari says on X.
“The IDF and the defense establishment monitor our enemies and the developments in the Middle East, with an emphasis on Iran and Hezbollah, and constantly assess the situation,” he says.
He says troops are “deployed and prepared with a high level of readiness.”
“If it becomes necessary to change the instructions, we will update in an orderly message on the official channels,” Hagari adds.
Hostage-ceasefire deal could be finalized Thursday, implemented days later, report claims
Gaza deal negotiators: (L-R) CIA chief William Burns, Egyptian intel chief Abbas Kamel, Mossad chief David Barnea, and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. (Collage/AP/AFP)
Israeli security sources reportedly believe it is possible for negotiators to finalize an agreement on a hostage-ceasefire deal at summit talks scheduled for Thursday in Cairo or Doha, and that the deal could be put into action within days after that.
According to a Channel 12 report this evening citing “positive” assessments by the unnamed sources, progress is being made to close the gaps between Israel and Hamas on the terms of a deal. Ultimately, the report says, it will depend on whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar are prepared to show the “flexibility” needed to finalize an agreement.
Netanyahu’s office announced on Friday night that Israel would send its negotiators to the August 15 talks “in order to finalize the details of the implementation of the framework agreement.” That announcement came immediately after the mediators — the US, Qatar and Egypt — said in a joint statement that a deal needed to be concluded and implemented without further delay.
According to tonight’s TV report, Qatar has indicated that a document containing clarifications from Israel on several disputed issues has been conveyed to Hamas ahead of the talks. Moreover, it is understood that Hamas will be represented at the summit, and therefore it will be possible for the mediators to shuttle between the sides, Channel 12 says.
Specifically, the TV report continues, it is believed that an agreement can be finalized by Thursday between Israel, the US and Egypt on arrangements for the Philadelphi Route along the Gaza-Egypt border, and at the Rafah border crossing. The mediators, the TV report says, accept Israel’s demand that Hamas will not be a party to this arrangement. Israel regards security procedures along the Gaza-Egypt border as vital to prevent Hamas from resuming its import of weaponry and materials and thereby reviving its military capabilities.
The various negotiating parties are reportedly also already discussing the names of hostages to be released under the deal, and the names of Palestinian security prisoners to be released in exchange.
Israel has demanded, and the mediators recognize the importance of the demand, that it be given the names of the hostages to be freed before implementation of the deal can begin, the report says.
It adds that Israel is ready to be flexible on Hamas demands regarding which Palestinian security prisoners would go free and which releases Israel would veto. Reportedly, Israel is indicating that it will be more flexible on this issue if Hamas includes more living hostages among the 33 to be freed in the first 42-day stage of the anticipated three-stage deal.
Netanyahu’s demand for a mechanism to prevent the return of armed gunmen to northern Gaza still requires work, the report says.
It quotes the security sources describing the latest effort to finalize and implement a deal as “doable” and “the last opportunity.”
It notes that the mediators are “exhausted,” that the US presidential election campaign is accelerating, and that the region is on the brink of potential escalation into wider conflict. If this chance is not taken, the TV report says, “there won’t be another opportunity for a long time, if at all.”
Israel believes Iran will launch direct attack in coming days — report
People walk past a poster of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (R) and slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran's capital Tehran on August 10, 2024. (ATTA KENARE / AFP)
Israel’s current assessment is that Iran will launch a direct attack on the country in response to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in the coming days, two unnamed sources aware of the details tell the Walla news site.
The sources say that the Islamic Republic may launch its attack before ceasefire-hostage deal talks scheduled for Thursday.
The new intelligence assessment marks a departure from reports in recent days that Iran was rethinking its vowed harsh response to the assassination, which it blames on Israel, amid heavy international pressure.
The report says that the issue is divisive within Iran. President Masoud Pezeshkian wants to avoid a harsh response, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps wants to launch a larger attack than it did on April 13-14.
One of the sources says the situation is “still fluid” due to the disagreements.
TV presenter says Biden called him after he expressed gratitude for president on air
US President Joe Biden called Channel 12 news presenter Oded Ben-Ami after the journalist expressed gratitude for the American leader on air last week.
“Last week, I opened this program by thanking President Biden for his support, for his assistance, and for his backing for the State of Israel in moments of crisis, and for the warm embrace he gives the families of the hostages,” Ben-Ami says at the beginning of his 6 p.m. program.
“This segment reached President Biden, who surprised me by calling me to thank me for my gratitude which touched him deeply. The conversation with President Biden, which lasted 12 minutes, proved to me once again how much he loves and supports us and strengthened the feelings that led me to express my gratitude last week. I was very surprised and moved by this,” Ben-Ami adds.
President Biden surprisingly called @N12News anchor Oded Ben-Ami after the words of gratitude Oded voiced last week. He told the story on air today: pic.twitter.com/PuI8PLnire
— Yonit Levi (@LeviYonit) August 11, 2024
Last week, Ben-Ami expressed that there were many in Israel who appreciate Biden’s “brave friendship and the brave Zionism,” as the country faces threats from Iran and its proxies.
“Do not let those who call you a ‘lame duck’ offend you. You really are not,” he said.
“President Joe Biden, may I address you personally”
This is how Oded Ben-Ami, host of @N12News’s 6 o’clock show, opened his program today: pic.twitter.com/jXltm9clPp— Yonit Levi (@LeviYonit) August 5, 2024
IDF says drone strike eliminated Hezbollah cell in southern Lebanon
A cell of Hezbollah operatives were killed in a drone strike earlier today in southern Lebanon’s Taybe, the IDF says.
According to Lebanese media, two were killed in the strike that targeted a motorcycle.
The IDF releases footage of the strike.
כלי-טיס תקף מוקדם יותר היום חוליית מחבלים מארגון הטרור חיזבאללה שזוהתה על ידי כוחות אוגדה 91 במרחב א-טייבה שבדרום לבנון.
בנוסף, מטוסי קרב תקפו מבנה צבאי באזור דרדרע׳יה. בתום התקיפה זוהו פיצוצי משנה אשר העידו על הימצאות אמל״ח במבנה.
כמו כן, הותקפו מבנים צבאיים ששימשו את ארגון… pic.twitter.com/suKd5p7owD— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) August 11, 2024
The IDF also says that fighter jets struck a building used by Hezbollah as a weapons depot in southern Lebanon’s Derdghaiya.
Additional buildings used by Hezbollah in Kafr Kila and Jebbayn were also struck, the IDF adds.
Meanwhile, a barrage of rockets was fired from Lebanon at the border community of Arab al-Aramshe this evening, setting off sirens there.
According to the IDF, the rockets struck open areas, causing no injuries.
Hezbollah took responsibility for the attack, claiming to have targeted a military base in the area.
The Lebanese terror group also announces the death of three members in recent Israeli strikes, bringing its toll since October to at least 406.
Biden: Hostage deal ‘still possible… I’m working every day’ to prevent regional war
US President Joe Biden asserts that a ceasefire-hostage deal between Israel and Hamas is “still possible,” in an interview with CBS.
“The plan I put together, endorsed by the G7, endorsed by the UN Security Council, et cetera, is still viable. And I’m working literally every single day – and my whole team – to see to it that it doesn’t escalate into a regional war. But it easily can.”
Biden in May laid out an Israeli-proposed hostage deal outline, but it has yet to produce a final agreement. Mediated talks on an agreement are set to resume on Thursday in Cairo.
Gallant: Israel ready to act in unprecedented ways if attacked by Iran, Hezbollah
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant tells military combat recruits says Israel will operate in ways it has never operated before if it is attacked in an unprecedented way by Iran and Hezbollah.
“We have significant capabilities. I hope they take this into account and don’t bring about a war on additional fronts,” he tells the recruits at the Tel Hashomer military base.
He adds that Israel is fighting for its existence in a “hostile environment.”
He emphasizes to the recruits they are drafting at both a “challenging” and “significant” point in history.
Yonatan Deutsch, 23, named as victim in Jordan Valley terror shooting
Yonatan Deutsch, who was killed in a terror shooting attack in the Jordan Valley, on August 11, 2024. (Michael Giladi/Flash90; courtesy)
The Israeli civilian killed in the terror shooting attack earlier today in the Jordan Valley is named as 23-year-old Yonatan Deutsch, from Beit She’an.
Another man was moderately wounded in the attack. He was named as Anas Jaramana, 32, from the northern Arab town of Muqeible.
Rocket sirens blare in northern Arab village
Incoming rocket sirens are sounding in the northern Arab village of Arab al-Aramshe.
Red Alert [19:25:53] – 1 Alert:
• Confrontation Line — Arab al-Aramshe
Population in the area: 1,700#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/IA8GkD6XM0— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) August 11, 2024
Herzog calls father of Arab Israeli attacked at West Bank outpost, says he was ‘horrified’ by assault
President Isaac Herzog speaks to the father of Nufah al-Jaer, who was attacked along with four other Arab Israelis after they accidentally drove into an illegal West Bank outpost.
Herzog tells Adnan al-Jaer he was “horrified” to hear of the violent attack.
“We are all brothers and sisters, citizens of the State of Israel and we all deserve equal and proper treatment, without fear and without violence. I wish to support you at this time and wish them a full recovery,” he tells al-Jaer, according to a statement.
“This was a serious incident, this cannot be allowed to happen to us,” al-Jaer says. “I appreciate and thank you for this conversation.”
The incident occurred at Givat Ronen, a small hilltop outpost in the northern West Bank near the village of Burin, an area that has seen repeated clashes between extremist settlers and Palestinians. Israeli settlers are suspected of carrying out the attack.
The car was carrying four women as well as a three-year-old girl, according to Hebrew media reports.
ערביות ישראליות טעו בדרך – והותקפו בידי מתנחלים: רכבן הוצת ונרגם באבנים, הן נמלטו ופונו לקבלת טיפול רפואי בבית החולים
הכתבה המלאה | https://t.co/kUwMWFGd6S pic.twitter.com/3xBv0KRGGU
— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) August 9, 2024
IDF finds Jordan Valley terror attack carried out with assault rifle
According to an initial IDF probe, the terror shooting attack in the Jordan Valley was carried out with an assault rifle.
The IDF found 5.56mm shell casings at the scene.
An Israeli civilian was killed and another was moderately wounded in the attack.
The distance between the two victims’ cars was some 250 meters, according to the probe.
PM asserts only government should pick civil service commissioner
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserts that the responsibility to choose a civil service commissioner lies with “the nation,” represented by the elected government, and there is no reason to grant civil service professionals a say in the matter.
Addressing concerns that the government could appointment people who are incompetent, Netanyahu says that top security positions are already chosen directly by the government, in remarks released by the Prime Minister’s Office.
He adds that if the public determines they are a bad fit, they can just vote in a new government “that can make new appointments.”
“Here, there is no rule by bureaucrats who are above the people, who know better than the government,” Netanyahu asserts.
“If we don’t allow bureaucrats to decide the competence of heads of our security establishment, why must we make an exception for appointments to the civil service, and put it in their hands?”
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has recently insisted that the role of civil service commissioner, which involves supervising civil servants, must be approved by a search committee headed by a retired Supreme Court justice, citing a 2018 government decision that was made to ensure the position’s independence. However, the process is not enshrined in legislation and was recently rejected by the government.
Despite the opinion, the government on Sunday approved allowing Netanyahu to directly nominate the next civil service commissioner rather than using a search committee.
Sam Sokol contributed to this report.
Egypt, Qatar tell Israel that Sinwar wants a deal to end the war — report
Gaza's Hamas ruler Yahya Sinwar (C) addresses supporters during a rally marking Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day, in Gaza City, on April 14, 2023. (Mohammed ABED / AFP)
Egyptian and Qatari mediators have told Israeli officials that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar wants a ceasefire deal that ends the war in Gaza, an Israeli source familiar with the matter tells CNN.
But, “nobody knows what Bibi wants,” the unnamed source tells the network, referring to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by his nickname.
The source says that US officials have told Israeli counterparts that an agreement should be reached immediately to avoid a regional war.
The report comes ahead of a critical summit in Cairo on Thursday, where mediators have called on the sides to reach a deal.
Military court extends detention of 5 suspects in Sde Teiman abuse case
The detentions of five reserve soldiers suspected of the serious sexual abuse of a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman base in southern Israel have been extended until Tuesday.
Military prosecutors requested that their detention be extended for the investigation into the high-profile abuse case to continue. A military court accepted the request.
In all, ten soldiers were detained in the case, although prosecutors did not seek to hold five of them in custody, following new evidence in the case.
According to the IDF, the soldiers were suspected of aggravated sodomy (a charge equivalent to rape), causing bodily harm under aggravated circumstances, abuse under aggravated circumstances and conduct unbecoming of a soldier.
Israeli drone strike said to hit motorcycle in southern Lebanon
Lebanese media report two casualties in an Israeli drone strike on a motorcycle in the southern Lebanon town of Taybeh.
Some reports say both were killed, while others say one was killed and the second was critically wounded.
There is no immediate comment from the IDF on the strike.
According to Lebanese sources, at least one civilian was killed and several others injured in an Israeli drone attack targeting a motorcycle in the town of Taybeh, southern Lebanon. pic.twitter.com/DplVWGHvDQ
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) August 11, 2024
Police arrest man for allegedly pouring petrol on Zurich synagogue
GENEVA, Switzerland — Swiss police say they have arrested a man with mental health issues for allegedly dousing a synagogue in the city of Zurich with petrol.
According to the Zurich municipal police’s initial investigations, the 32-year-old Swiss national “acted alone and no extremist motives have been put forward” for the attack.
The suspect spilled petrol at the synagogue’s entrance on Saturday evening, before being surprised by a member of the Jewish place of worship’s security services.
After the man fled the scene on foot, the police launched a manhunt for the suspect, arresting him early on Sunday morning.
The police adds that the suspect “appears to be mentally disturbed.”
Banned German Islamist center maintained direct ties with Khamenei — report
A police officer walks outside the Islamic Center Hamburg with the Imam Ali Mosque during a raid Wednesday, July 24, 2024, Hamburg, Germany. (Daniel Bockwoldt/dpa via AP)
The head of the Hamburg Islamic Center (IZH) received direct instructions from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, including on how to portray Hamas’s October 7 massacre, the Der Spiegel daily reports, citing a 200-page report by the German Interior Ministry.
According to the report, the center’s head Mohammad Hadi Mofatteh exchanged over 650 messages over WhatsApp with Mehdi Mostafavi, a senior official in Khamenei’s office, between late 2021 and late 2023.
Following October 7, Mostavi told Mofatteh to frame the brutal onslaught as a courageous operation and natural response to Israel’s alleged offenses against the Palestinians.
“The Islamic Resistance had no other means to stop Israel’s crimes… Thanks to the courage of Palestinian youth, the Zionist regime will never be the same,” a message cited by Der Spiegel reads.
In addition to spreading Tehran’s narratives and ideology, the report also says German police found documents suggesting the Islamic center acted as a funding pipeline to proxy militias, citing financial endorsements for operations in Yemen with Khamenei’s personal seal.
A senior Hezbollah cleric who oversees the terror group’s foreign relations also visited the center multiple times, thanking the center for “financial, spiritual and advisory support,” according to the report.
Germany banned the IZH and its subsidiary organizations for pursuing radical Islamist goals last month.
In a statement, the German Interior Ministry said the IZH had acted as a direct representative of Khamenei and sought to bring about an Islamic revolution in Germany to impose theocratic rule.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Israeli jets strike several Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon
Israeli fighter jets struck several buildings used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon’s Odaisseh, the military says.
Several rockets and missiles were also fired by Hezbollah at northern Israel today, including one impacting the evacuated border community of Netu’a.
There were no injuries in the attacks, and the IDF says it shelled the launch sites with artillery.
כוחות צה״ל תקפו במהלך היום מבנים צבאיים של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב אל עדייסא שבדרום לבנון.
לאורך היום זוהו מספר שיגורים שחצו משטח לבנון, זוהתה נפילה במרחב נטועה, אין נפגעים.
כוחות צה״ל תקפו בארטילריה את מקורות הירי pic.twitter.com/7c3q3c76DM— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) August 11, 2024
Biden: Trump is ‘a genuine danger to American security’
WASHINGTON — US President Joe Biden, speaking in his first televised interview since dropping out of the 2024 White House race, warns that Republican candidate Donald Trump is “a genuine danger to American security.”
“Mark my words, if he wins… this election, watch what happens,” Biden tells CBS News in an interview broadcast.
“It’s a danger, he’s a genuine danger to American security. Look we’re at an inflection point in world history. We really are… and democracy is the key.”
President Biden sits down with CBS News chief election & campaign correspondent @costareports for his first interview since announcing his withdrawal from the presidential race. He talks about his decision and his family; his support of the Harris-Walz ticket; and what he sees as… pic.twitter.com/njNECYJVCV
— CBS Sunday Morning ???? (@CBSSunday) August 11, 2024
Israeli civilian dies of wounds after Jordan Valley shooting attack; IDF hunts for the terrorists
An Israeli civilian critically wounded in a shooting attack in the Jordan Valley has died, first responders say.
The IDF says a large number of troops have been sent to the site of the shooting attack, and have begun a pursuit after the terrorists.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service earlier said that it was treating two victims near the Mehola Junction.
According to MDA, one of the victims, in his 20s, was in critical condition. He was pronounced dead not long after.
The second victim, aged 33, is in moderate condition.
Both of the victims, motorists, were separately shot from a passing vehicle.
IDF exercise simulates complex battles in Lebanon
Troops of the 646th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade carry out a drill in northern Israel, in a handout photo issued August 11, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
This past week, reservists of the IDF’s 646th Brigade carried out a drill simulating fighting in Lebanon, which the military says is part of the Northern Command’s efforts to increase readiness amid heightened tensions on the northern border.
The drill included movement in complex terrain, advancing along a “mountainous route,” and using firepower in various scenarios, the IDF says.
The IDF says members of the reserve paratroopers brigade also practiced extracting wounded troops under fire, and cooperation with the combat support headquarters.
The drill was the latest in a series carried out by the IDF for a potential war in Lebanon.
Israel has warned it can no longer tolerate Hezbollah’s presence along its border following the October 7 atrocities, and has warned that should a diplomatic solution not be reached, it will turn to military action to push Hezbollah northward.
TV report says several airlines have nixed flights through the High Holidays
Channel 12 reports several international airlines have canceled their services to Ben Gurion Airport through the high holidays in October, amid soaring regional tensions.
Air India, United, EasyJet, Vueling, KLM, Air Canada, and American Airlines all canceled their flights, the report says.
2 hurt, one critically, in shooting attack in Jordan Valley
A car targeted in a shooting attack near the Mehola Junction in the West Bank, August 11, 2024. (Rescuers Without Borders)
Another apparent victim of the shooting attack in the Jordan Valley is found by medics in the area.
The second victim is said to be in critical condition, according to first responders.
The first Israeli man wounded in the shooting attack in the Jordan Valley is listed in moderate condition, medics say. The Rescuers Without Borders emergency service says it is treating the 25-year-old at the scene.
According to the IDF, a gunman opened fire from a vehicle at other cars on the Route 90 highway near the Mehola Junction.
Israeli driver reports being shot while driving in West Bank’s Jordan Valley
An Israeli motorist has reported coming under fire in the Jordan Valley in the West Bank, near the Mehola Junction, medics say.
The man is said to be wounded but in good condition. The IDF is investigating the report.
High Court gives Levin two-week extension on appointing new chief justice
Justice Minister Yariv Levin in the Knesset plenum, July 24, 2024. (Noam Moskowitz/ Office of the Knesset Spokesperson)
The High Court of Justice gives Justice Minister Yariv Levin and acting High Court President Justice Uzi Vogelman an extension on a deadline to break the impasse over appointing a permanent president for the court.
The position of president has been vacant since Esther Hayut retired last October, and Vogelman has served as acting president ever since, a situation unprecedented in the history of the court.
The position of president has always gone to the justice with the most years on the court, but Levin opposes this system and seeks to appoint a justice who will push the court in a more conservative direction.
Levin’s lawyer had asked for a delay last week.
“Due to the importance we attach to reaching a compromise solution, and without this diminishing the urgency of the matter and the immediate need to appoint a president to this court, we order the 1st respondent to submit another update notice no later than August 26, 2024,” the judges write in their decision.
Levin said pushing to renew controversial judicial overhaul
File - Protesters rally against the coalition's judicial overhaul legislation, in Tel Aviv, September 2, 2023. (Gitai Palti)
Justice Minister Yariv Levin pushes for the renewal of the government’s legal overhaul, which has been frozen since October 7, during the weekly cabinet meeting.
“It is time for us to make a decision on whether to pursue this with all of our strength,” national broadcaster Kan quotes Levin, one of the primary architects of the overhaul as saying.
The controversial package of proposals, which led to massive protests, sought to increase government control over the judiciary and limit the High Court’s power of judicial review.
According to Kan, during the meeting, Levin and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir discussed their desire to fire Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.
Despite opposition, government approves plan for PM to directly nominate civil service commissioner
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the state memorial for Ze'ev Jabotinsky, at Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (Naama Grynbaum/Pool Photo via AP)
The government approves allowing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to directly nominate the next civil service commissioner rather than using a search committee.
The unanimous vote comes after Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara voiced strong objections to the government’s plan, stating that “there is an impediment to advancing the prime minister’s proposal that the civil service commissioner be appointed by him personally and politically, without a professional examination of professional qualifications and suitability.”
“An open competitive procedure must be established for the selection of the civil service commissioner to allow qualified candidates to compete for the position,” she stated.
Netanyahu will now be authorized to nominate a candidate who will then be examined by the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee to the Civil Service.
Baharav-Miara has recently insisted that the role of civil service commissioner, which involves supervising civil servants, must be approved by a search committee headed by a retired Supreme Court justice, citing a 2018 government decision that was made to ensure the position’s independence. However, the process is not enshrined in legislation and was recently rejected by the government.
During the government meeting, Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs castigates Baharav-Miara over her objections to the change in appointment procedures as well as recent steps she has taken relating to the conscription of the ultra-Orthodox to the military.
Five pro-Iran fighters said killed in drone strike near Syria-Iraq border
Five Iran-backed fighters were killed today in a drone strike in Syria’s east, near the Iraqi border, a war monitor says, adding it was not clear yet who was behind the attack.
“Five pro-Iranian fighters were killed and others were injured, some severely… after an unknown drone targeted the military vehicle they were in… near the Syrian-Iraqi border,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The strike occurred in Syria’s eastern Deir Ezzor province, where Iran wields significant influence and which is regularly targeted by Israel and the United States, according to the Britain-based monitor with a network of sources inside Syria.
SOHR, run by a single person, has regularly been accused by Syrian war analysts of false reporting and inflating casualty numbers as well as inventing them wholesale.
Netanyahu denies government holding back IDF in Gaza
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads a cabinet meeting. (Maayan Toaf / GPO, undated photo)
Speaking at the cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly denies Hebrew media reports that the military brass is increasingly frustrated that the government is not providing a clear goal in Gaza.
“I heard in the media that there is no goal to the fighting in Gaza and that the political echelon is preventing the IDF from progressing,” Netanyahu is quoted as saying by the Ynet news site from within the closed-door meeting.
“It’s not true,” he says. “The goal is victory. The IDF is destroying Hamas in a systematic way with the aim of demolishing the military and governing capabilities of Hamas, and in conjunction with freeing the hostages.”
Egypt to bid to host 2036 and 2040 Summer Olympics
Abdelrahman Abdelaziz Elsayed of Egypt competes during the men's +102kg weightlifting event, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP/Kin Cheung)
Egypt will bid to host the 2036 and 2040 Summer Olympics, with the country’s improving infrastructure and sports facilities key for a successful African bid, says the head of the African National Olympic Committees Association (ANOCA.)
The continent has never staged an Olympic Games. Cairo last made an unsuccessful bid for the 2008 Olympics.
The most populous country in the Arab world, Egypt has spent billions of dollars building facilities, stadiums and sports complexes in recent years as part of its plans to modernize the country.
The Egypt International Olympic City complex in the new administrative capital the country has been building east of Cairo since 2015 is expected to have a 93,900-capacity national stadium and 21 other sports facilities.
“Egypt will bid for 2036 and 2040,” Mustapha Berraf, head of ANOCA, tells a press conference on the day of the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics.
The Algerian sports administrator said another African bid could potentially materialize with South Africa’s Cape Town considering an Olympic candidacy. He did not say for which Games it would bid, though.
Germany’s Scholz tells Netanyahu it’s time to break cycle of violence, sign hostage deal
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, left, shakes hands with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during a press conference in Jerusalem, March 17, 2024. (GPO)
Germany’s chancellor tells Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call that he should conclude a deal on a ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas, a German government spokesperson says.
Many military objectives in the fight against Hamas have been achieved while civilian casualties and human suffering in Gaza are enormous, Olaf Scholz tells Netanyahu, according to a German government statement.
“An end to the war in Gaza would be a decisive step towards a regional de-escalation,” the spokesperson says.
Scholz also tells Netanyahu its time to break the destructive cycle of retaliatory violence in the Middle East.
ICC discussions on Netanyahu, Gallant arrest warrants will be open to public
International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan at the Cour d'Honneur of the Palais Royal in Paris on February 7, 2024. (Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP)
The International Criminal Court has decided to make public the discussions ahead of the decision on whether to issue arrest warrants for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
The judges order prosecutor Karim Khan to file a motion to classify his request for the issuance of arrest warrants as a public document, or to resubmit the document with requested blackouts.
The disclosure of the evidence submitted by Khan may shed light on the extent of the investigative work done by his office in the months since the October 7 attack on the impact of the war on the Israeli population and the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
This decision was given Friday by the pre-trial panel of the court.
The pre-trial stage allows a number of interested parties to submit arguments in the next two weeks regarding the jurisdiction of the ICC in matters concerning Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Khan has said that the charges against Netanyahu and Gallant are for the crimes of “causing extermination, causing starvation as a method of war including the denial of humanitarian relief supplies, deliberately targeting civilians in conflict.”
Khan also applied for arrest warrants against Sinwar, Hamas’s ruler in Gaza; the terror group’s military chief, Mohammed Deif; and the leader of the organization, Ismail Haniyeh on charges of extermination, murder, hostage-taking, rape, and sexual assault
Deif and Haniyeh have since been killed.
Government approves proposal to block Hezbollah-affiliated al Mayadeen news
Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi signs the orders to shut down the Lebanese satellite news network al Mayadeen, November 13, 2023. (Courtesy Office of Shlomo Karhi)
The government approves a proposal to block Lebanon’s Hezbollah-affiliated al Mayadeen news, and Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi signs an order to confiscate the network’s equipment and block its websites.
Last November, the security cabinet voted to shut down al Mayadeen satellite news station in Israel, in line with emergency regulations allowing the government to close foreign news outlets it believes are harming national security. However, the measure expired in January.
The decision to again block the network — apparently both the transmissions and their work in Israel — came after “the re-appearance of terrorist representatives posing as journalists about two weeks ago,” a spokesman for Karhi says in a statement referring to the fact that an Al Mayadeen reporter broadcast from Majdal Shams last month, a day after a rocket fired by the terror group killed 12 children on a soccer field in the Druze town in the Golan Heights.
In her broadcast, al Mayadeen’s Hanaa Mahameed falsely claimed that the children were hit by an Israeli strike, prompting Karhi to state that the military was “invited to take [Mahameed] and throw her across the border. Letting a Hezbollah reporter broadcast from the scene of the massacre Hezbollah committed is absurd on every level.”
The new ban is being implemented via the so-called Al Jazeera law passed by the Knesset in April, which gives the government temporary powers to prevent foreign news networks from operating in Israel if they are deemed by the security services to be harming national security.
Iran nominates ex-Air Force chief as defense minister
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian names Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh, an F-14 Tomcat pilot, as defense minister.
He was chief of the Iranian Air Force in 2018-2021.
This would be the first time that a member of Iran’s air force headed the defense ministry.
the commander of #Iranian army (Artesh)’s air force Aziz Nasirzadeh:
“Our current and next generations are impatiently and wholeheartedly waiting to fight the Zionist regime and wipe it off the Earth”
Self defense ha? What will happen if #iran get nuke bombs? ???????????? pic.twitter.com/IYJ3e5BQn3— Rajibaba (@RaziFreeSpeech) January 21, 2019
Israeli cyclist Mikhail Yakovlev is knocked out of the men’s keirin in quarterfinals
Israeli cyclist Mikhail Yakovlev races in the men's sprint at the 2024 Paris Olympics on August 7, 2024. (Olympic Committee of Israel)
Israeli cyclist Mikhail Yakovlev is knocked out of the men’s keirin event at the 2024 Paris Olympics after finishing 5th in his quarterfinal heat.
Israel’s 88 athletes have now wrapped up all of their sporting competitions at this year’s Games ahead of tonight’s closing ceremony, returning home with a record seven medals.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards hold military drill in western Iran amid Israel tensions
Missile fire in a drill by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, January 15, 2021. (IRGC/Sepahnews via AP)
Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards are holding a military drill in the western parts of the country that will continue until Tuesday, Iran’s official news agency announces.
Iran has vowed to retaliate against Israel after Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh’s killing on July 31 in Tehran. Israel has not taken responsibility for the attack.
AG objects to Netanyahu plan to directly nominate next civil service commissioner
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara addresses the Israel Bar Association's annual conference in Eilat, May 27, 2024. (Courtesy: Israel Bar Association)
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara voices strong objections to the government’s plan to allow the prime minister to directly nominate the next civil service commissioner rather than using a search committee.
In a statement ahead of a scheduled cabinet vote on the matter, Baharav-Miara declares that “there is an impediment to advancing the prime minister’s proposal that the civil service commissioner be appointed by him personally and politically, without a professional examination of professional qualifications and suitability.”
“An open competitive procedure must be established for the selection of the civil service commissioner to allow qualified candidates to compete for the position,” she states.
Despite Baharav-Miara’s objections, the government is expected to approve a new procedure for appointing the civil service commissioner today, allowing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to nominate a candidate who will then be examined by the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee to the Civil Service.
Baharav-Miara has recently insisted that the role of civil service commissioner, which involves supervising civil servants, must be approved by a search committee headed by a retired Supreme Court justice, citing a 2018 government decision that was made to ensure the position’s independence. However, the process is not enshrined in legislation and was recently rejected by the government.
In a tweet, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant indicates that he will support Netanyahu’s proposal, writing that such a procedure “is a key tool that allows the government to implement its policies in accordance with the voters’ will.”
In response, former war cabinet minister Benny Gantz asserts that “there has never been a government that has dealt with patronage, flights and coalition funds during wartime like this government.”
Ministry says mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus found in Emek Hefer area, Ramat Hasharon
Illustrative: Mosquitoes cling to the inside of a jar loaded with repellent during a test as part of a tour of the Centers for Disease Control laboratory, April 4, 2024, in Fort Collins, Colorado. (David Zalubowski/AP)
The Environmental Protection Ministry reports mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus were found in the Emek Hefer Regional Council and Ramat Hasharon.
The ministry instructs all authorities to expand their monitoring and pest control efforts.
It notes that the placement of traps across the country is random; even if infected mosquitoes are not captured in a certain area, this does not guarantee that the area is free of mosquitoes.
Infected mosquitoes transmit the West Nile virus to humans. The virus does not spread from person to person.
The number of patients diagnosed with the virus rose to 814 as of today, according to the Health Ministry.
A total of 57 people who were diagnosed with the virus have died since the outbreak began in June.
The ministry says that about 80% of people infected with West Nile virus show no symptoms at all. About 20% may experience varying degrees of symptoms, including fever, headaches, and body aches.
Less than 1% of those infected will have possible rare complications such as acute inflammation of the brain or meningitis.
The risk of significant illness is higher among the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.
Haredi deputy minister compares cut to daycare subsidies to biblical destruction of Jerusalem
Deputy Minister of Transport and Road Safety Uri Maklev at a press conference in Jerusalem, July 30, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Deputy Transportation Minister Uri Maklev appears to compare efforts to cut daycare subsidies for the children of yeshiva students who refuse to obey military draft orders to the destruction of Jerusalem in the sixth century BCE.
Responding to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara’s order to Labor Minister Yoav Ben-Tzur to halt the subsidy, Maklev, a member of the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party, quotes a verse describing starving infants from the Book of Lamentations, which describes the tragedy and is traditionally read on the upcoming fast of Tisha B’Av.
Social media users criticize Maklev, noting that a nearby verse describes mothers being driven to eat their children out of hunger and arguing that the comparison to daycare subsidies is inappropriate.
Israel’s Chemtai Salpeter finishes 9th in women’s marathon after leading at halfway mark
Israel's Lonah Chemtai Salpeter (C) runs ahead of other athletes in the women's marathon of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympics in Paris on August 11, 2024. (Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP)
Israeli runner Lonah Chemtai Salpeter finishes the women’s marathon at the 2024 Paris Olympics in 9th place with a time of 2:26:08.
At the halfway point, Salpeter was leading the race, but fell behind during one of the inclines on the course. She came to Paris as an underdog after an injury sidelined her for much of the past year.
This is Salpeter’s third Olympics, and her best Olympic finish — as well as Israel’s best marathon result — after in Rio she stopped the marathon partway through due to pain caused by carrying extra breast milk, and in Tokyo, she paused the race because of painful menstrual cramps, eventually finishing 66th.
“I came here without any expectations, and then in the middle my leg started to hurt but I didn’t give up,” Salpeter tells Israel’s Sport5 broadcaster moments after finishes. “I said I’ll keep going no matter what will come, but I’m happy that I finished.”
The Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan wins gold with a new Olympic record, Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa takes silver and Kenya’s Hellen Obiri clinches bronze. At least nine of the 91 runners who began the race this morning did not complete it.
Fellow Israeli runner Maor Tiyouri finishes in 49th place.
Salpeter, 35, a native of Kenya, became an Israeli citizen in 2016, two years after marrying her Israeli husband and coach, Dan Salpeter.
Far-right MK defends assault of Arab Israelis after they accidentally entered West Bank outpost
MK Limor Son Har-Melech (L) and MK Gilad Kariv attend a Constitution, Law and Justice Committee meeting in the Knesset in Jerusalem, on August 7, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Far-right MK Limor Son Har-Melech defends an incident over the weekend when settlers assaulted a group of Arab Israelis and torched their car after they accidentally drove into an illegal West Bank outpost.
“We are not talking about an Israeli family,” the Otzma Yehudit lawmaker claims, speaking to the Knesset Law, Constitution and Justice Committee.
“In Judea and Samaria the threat is under your home,” she says, referring to the biblical name for the West Bank. “When a car with non-Israeli license plates drives in, there are no compromises.”
“While there is the possibility this is an innocent incident, there is also the chance it is a spying incident, an attempt to gather information. You can’t ignore that,” she says.
Five Arab Israelis were attacked and their car was set on fire Friday after they accidentally drove into Givat Ronen, a small hilltop outpost in the northern West Bank near the village of Burin, an area that has seen repeated clashes between extremist settlers and Palestinians. Israeli settlers are suspected of carrying out the attack.
The car was carrying four women and a 3-year-old girl, according to Hebrew media reports.
Shas accuses AG of child abuse after she cuts daycare subsidies for Haredi draft dodgers
Illustrative: Ultra-Orthodox Jewish children watch through a window the funeral procession of prominent Rabbi Yitzchok Tuvia Weiss in Jerusalem, July 31, 2022. (Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
The ultra-Orthodox Shas party accuses Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara of engaging in legal “abuse” of Haredi children after she ordered Labor Minister Yoav Ben-Tzur to cut daycare subsidies for the children of yeshiva students who refuse to obey military draft orders.
“The decision to deny working ultra-Orthodox mothers the subsidy for daycare, three weeks before the start of the school year, just because the husband studies Torah, is cruel legal bullying and abuse of helpless children,” Shas states. The party calls the move a “mark of Cain on the forehead of the legal system, which is supposed to be the protector and supporter for women who have decided to enter the workforce and contribute to the Israeli economy.”
“The purpose of the subsidy is to encourage women’s employment,” Shas continues, stating that Haredi women have “the highest female employment rate in the OECD” and that the decision to cancel the subsidy will “set them back.”
Among OECD countries, the average labor force participation for women aged 15-64 stands at 66.6 percent. According to the Israel Democracy Institute, in 2021 78% of Haredi women and 51% of Haredi men participated in the workforce.
Many Haredi women work to support their families while their husbands study Torah in yeshivas.
Iran’s president nominates former nuclear negotiator Abbas Araghchi as foreign minister
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attends a press briefing in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, July 7, 2019. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Abbas Araghchi is nominated on Sunday as Iran’s foreign minister by President Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran’s parliament speaker announces live on the Student News Network.
Araghchi is a seasoned diplomat who was chief negotiator in nuclear talks between Tehran and world powers from 2013 to 2021.
He has served as Iran’s ambassador to Turkey and Japan, and held the role of deputy foreign minister for Asia-Pacific for two years before becoming spokesperson of the ministry in 2013 for a short period.
Angry Trump said alienating top backers, including Miriam Adelson
File: Adelson, wife of late Las Vegas Sands Corporation Chief Executive and Republican mega donor Sheldon Adelson, listens as then-US president Donald Trump speaks at the Israeli American Council National Summit in Hollywood, Florida, December 7, 2019. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has become angry and frustrated as he struggles to pivot his campaign to take on Vice President Kamala Harris, The New Times reports in an article titled: “Inside the worst three weeks of Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign.”
The article says the former president has in recent weeks repeatedly picked private and public fights with allies and supporters as his anger has allowed him to be manipulated into attacking key backers.
The article singles out an ongoing dispute with Israeli-American casino billionaire Miriam Adelson.
According to the Times, citing three people with knowledge of the situation, Trump had his aide Natalie Harp send off a series of angry text messages to Adelson in Trump’s name.
The texts complained about the people running Adelson’s super PAC, Preserve America, into which she is pouring millions of dollars to support Trump, alleging that those running the PAC were “RINOs” — Republicans in name only — and charging that Adelson’s late husband Sheldon would not have tolerated that.
The Times says Preserve America was spending some $18 million a week on ads for Trump in three battleground states.
According to the report, Adelson later discovered that Trump had been pushed to attack her by another major Trump donor, Ike Perlmutter, the former chairman of Marvel Entertainment, who had hoped in vain that Adelson would contribute to a rival super PAC that he backs.
Spokespeople for Adelson and Perlmutter did not comment.
The report says the texts were particularly jarring because Adelson and Trump had a friendly meeting a week earlier at the Republican National Convention.
The pro-Israel stalwart Adelson and her late husband Sheldon Adelson gave the super PAC $90 million during the 2020 presidential election, in which they were among Trump’s biggest donors. They also backed Trump during the 2016 election and were leading advocates of moving the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
Sources close to Trump expressed fears that the angry messages could cause Adelson to reduce her support for the Republican candidate, but notes that she has not yet done so.
Haredi minister accuses AG of trying to ‘starve’ Haredi children for political goals
Minister for Jerusalem Affairs and Jewish Heritage Meir Porush arrives for the weekly cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem on May 14, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Jerusalem Affairs Minister Meir Porush accuses Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara of working to “starve” ultra-Orthodox children for political reasons after the AG ordered Labor Minister Yoav Ben-Tzur to cut funding for daycare for the children of ultra-Orthodox students who refuse to obey draft orders into the military.
“The attorney general’s advice reveals the truth: they are not interested in the needs of the army, but only in obsessive persecution against the Torah world and the ultra-Orthodox family,” Porush, of the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party, says in a statement.
“The legal system is dragging small children into a political battle and working to starve them,” he continues. “They have no limits.”
Baharav-Miara’s order came after the IDF last week moved to begin drafting some 3,000 Haredim, in line with a High Court ruling that there is no longer legal justification to avoid doing so.
However, only 48 of the 900 who received draft orders showed up amid large-scale protests, the military said.
AG orders daycare funding cut for ultra-Orthodox students who defy draft orders
Police remove ultra-Orthodox Jewish youth blocking a road to protest military recruitment in Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, July 16, 2024. (AP/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara sends a letter to Labor Minister Yoav Ben-Tzur ordering him to cut funding for daycare for the children of ultra-Orthodox students who refuse to obey draft orders into the military.
The order comes after the IDF last week moved to begin drafting some 3,000 Haredim, in line with a High Court ruling that there is no longer legal justification to avoid doing so.
However, only 48 of the 900 who received draft orders showed up amid large-scale protests, the military said.
“The conclusion is that there is no longer any justification to fund the daycare as an incentive for the Torah studies for those who are designated for military service, but have not showed up to be drafted,” she writes.
Baharav-Miara adds that the move will start from the upcoming school year.
The draft orders are the first stage in the screening and evaluation process that the army carries out for new recruits, ahead of their enlistment in the military.
Last month, the High Court ruled that there was no longer any legal framework allowing the state to refrain from drafting Haredi yeshiva students into military service, and the attorney general ordered the government to immediately begin the process of conscription for 3,000 such men — the number the military has said it is able to process at this preliminary stage.
Prominent ultra-Orthodox rabbis have urged yeshiva students to ignore any communication from the IDF, and parties that represent the Haredi community have escalated threats to leave the coalition if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government fails to pass a law to largely exempt Haredi men from military service.
The dispute over the ultra-Orthodox community serving in the military is one of the most contentious in Israel, with decades of governmental and judicial attempts to settle the issue never reaching a stable resolution. The Haredi religious and political leadership fiercely resists and protests any effort to draft young men.
IDF strikes hit Gaza terror cell emerging from tunnel, rocket launchers
IDF troops operate in the Gaza Strip in this photo released on August 11, 2024 (Israel Defense Forces)
Early this morning the IDF says it struck a cell of terror operatives that were identified emerging from a tunnel shaft in southern Gaza’s Rafah.
The operatives were spotted by soldiers monitoring surveillance cameras, and a short while later a drone struck and killed them.
The IDF publishes footage of the strike.
Also in Rafah, troops with the 162nd Division directed an airstrike on a building where they had spotted a cell of operatives, the IDF says.
Meanwhile, in Khan Younis, the military says that troops with the 98th Division directed strikes against a site used to launch a barrage of four rockets at the border community of Kissufim yesterday.
Another strike directed by the 98th Division was carried out against a building used by Hamas’s rocket unit, according to the IDF.
More than 30 other targets were struck by Israeli aircraft across Gaza over the past day, including buildings used by terror groups, anti-tank launch positions, and weapon depots, the military adds.
Ben Gvir says Netanyahu making a mistake with hostage deal ‘surrender,’ calls to cut aid to Strip
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir at a conference called "Israel's return to the Temple Mount," at the Knesset, on July 24, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/FLASH90)
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Be Gvir slams continued talks to reach a hostage and ceasefire deal with Hamas in Gaza, saying it would amount to surrender to the terror group.
In an interview with Radio 103 FM, Ben Gvir also calls to cut off aid to the Strip, something Israel’s allies have repeatedly said would cross a red line, and cost Israel their support.
“We are crushing Hamas,” Ben Gvir says claiming that he has been going into the field to receive briefings from local commanders, in addition to cabinet updates.
“So, now we should go to a conference and surrender?” he asks. “This is a severe mistake by the prime minister.”
“It’s a mistake to sit with Hamas, which raped murdered and burned babies, and we are going to surrender to them?”
Ben Gvir reiterates his calls to cut off the fuel supply and aid to Gaza.
“If we cut off their fuel, within a week they would be on their knees. And if we stop the [aid] trucks, within two weeks they would be on their knees. So why are we going to do a deal, especially such an irresponsible deal?” he says.
“What nonsense, what a terrible mistake, a massive disaster. We can achieve total victory,” he says.
IDF orders fresh Gaza evacuations, including from parts of humanitarian zone where Hamas is operating
This map released by the IDF on August 11, 2024, shows an adjustment to the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in the Gaza Strip (Israel Defense Forces)
The IDF issues new evacuation warnings for Palestinians in the Khan Younis area, and has further adjusted the boundaries of the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone.
The al-Jalaa neighborhood of Khan Younis will no longer be considered part of the humanitarian zone, as the IDF says it is planning to operate there against Hamas activity.
“Due to many acts of terrorism, the exploitation of the humanitarian zone for terrorist activity and the firing of rockets at the State of Israel from the al-Jalaa neighborhood, remaining in this area has become dangerous,” the IDF says.
The military says that it is adjusting the humanitarian zone based on “precise intelligence indicating that Hamas has embedded terror infrastructure in the area.”
According to the IDF, the early warning is aimed at mitigating harm to civilians.
“The IDF is about to operate against the terror organizations in the area and therefore calls on the remaining population left in the al-Jalaa neighborhood to temporarily evacuate to the adjusted humanitarian zone,” the military says.
The IDF’s calls to civilians are being communicated via leaflets dropped by aircraft, SMS messages, phone calls and media broadcasts.
A military source says hospitals in the area do not need to evacuate, and that the IDF has communicated this to Palestinian health officials and officials in the international community.
Biden again issues ‘Don’t’ warning to Iran against attacking Israel
US President Joe Biden appears to again warn Iran against attacking Israel, as Tehran has vowed to do since the assassination on its soil of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh.
In a video circulating on social media, Biden is seen bombarded with questions by reporters as he exits a church.
One of the questions is “What’s your message to Iran?”
In response, Biden appears to mouth the word “Don’t,” before entering his vehicle.
ביידן נשאל הלילה מה המסר שלו לאיראן והשיב – "don't"@noaerezz pic.twitter.com/GBNZXU5y9h
— גלצ (@GLZRadio) August 11, 2024
That word was famously used by Biden to warn Israel’s enemies days after the October 7 Hamas onslaught, and again to warn Iran in April ahead of its direct rocket and drone attack on the Jewish state.
Young Jewish man stabbed in NYC by attacker yelling ‘Free Palestine’
A young Jewish man was stabbed early Saturday morning near the Chabad movement’s headquarters in New York City by a man yelling “Free Palestine,” according to a local rabbi who says he knows the victim, as well as CCTV footage of the incident published online.
???????????? BREAKING: Man shouting "FREE PALESTINE" stabs Jew in New York near Chabad Headquarters.
"Do you want to die?"
That's what the perpetrator — reportedly a black male in his early 20s — asked the victim, before he started stabbing him.
This happened on Shabbat. Local… pic.twitter.com/ucTVMpmz5E
— dahlia kurtz ✡︎ דליה קורץ (@DahliaKurtz) August 11, 2024
Yaacov Behrman tweets that during Shabbat, the young male attacker asked the man: “Do you want to die?”
He then stabbed him, with the victim quickly taken to the hospital and expected to make full recovery, Behrman says.
He says other community members chased the attacker and pinned him down until police arrived and arrested him.
“This is an extremely serious incident,” Behrman adds. “The victim could have been killed. This act of hateful violence highlights the dangerous impact of anti-Semitic incitement and hate propagated by some local politicians and leaders in New York and across the United States.”
I can confirm that a hate crime stabbing occurred early this morning in Crown Heights, around 2 a.m., near Eastern Parkway and Kingston Avenue, close to Chabad Headquarters.
The perpetrator, a Black male in his early 20s, shouted "Free Palestine" and, after an exchange of words…
— Yaacov Behrman (@ChabadLubavitch) August 11, 2024
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.
‘This whole place has gone’: Rehabilitation center heavily damaged in Hezbollah attack
Amid a Hezbollah drone attack on northern Israel, a treatment and rehabilitation center for people with disabilities was hit and severely damaged.
Beni Ben Muvchar, head of the Mevo’ot HaHermon Regional Council, tells Ynet that a likely Iron Dome interceptor landed in the center’s indoor pool and wreaked havoc, without causing casualties.
נזק כבד נגרם מפגיעת כטב"מ או מיירט במתקפה הערב למרכז השיקומי במבואות חרמון. זה המרכז הטיפולי היחיד שלנו, תושבי הגליל המזרחי. בנייתו ארכה שנים. pic.twitter.com/vK0Mu2e0fC
— Rubi Hammerschlag | רובי המרשלג (@rubih67) August 10, 2024
He says he had been in the center with his son minutes before the sirens sounded and the blast was heard.
“I survived, but this whole place has gone, windows were smashed and more,” he says.
“This was my life’s project, which I worked for years to establish and bring these important services to the area.”
Some Khan Younis residents heed new IDF evacuation call
Following a new IDF order to evacuate more parts of the southern Gaza city of KHan Younis, Palestinian media shares footage of residents heading to Israeli-designated humanitarian zones.
تغطية صحفية: نزوح العائلات من بعض المناطق الشرقية في مدينة خانيونس بعد تهديدات الاحتلال وقصفه لها pic.twitter.com/30nmkHIZiM
— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) August 10, 2024
Several US, coalition personnel suffer minor injuries in Syria attack — US official
Several US and coalition personnel were wounded in a drone attack on Friday in Syria, a US official tells Reuters, in the second major attack in recent days against US forces amid soaring tensions in the Middle East.
The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, says none of the injuries are serious but some troops have been moved to a separate location for further assessment.
IDF orders Gazans to evacuate more parts of Khan Younis
The IDF issues a new evacuation order for Palestinians in the Khan Younis area in the southern Gaza Strip, following rocket fire on southern Israel from those areas.
Four rockets were launched at the border community of Kissufim earlier on Saturday, causing no injuries.
Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, publishes a list of the zones that need to be evacuated.
The announcement calls on Palestinians in the specified areas to evacuate to the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone.
The IDF is currently carrying out an offensive in Khan Younis. Before the raid, the IDF issued evacuation orders for other areas of Khan Younis.
#عاجل???? نداء عاجل الى السكان الذين لم يخلوا بعد من أحياء مركز المدينة، الشيخ ناصر، بربخ ومعن في بلوكات 53, 54, 55, 103, 104
⭕️تواصل حماس والمنظمات الإرهابية اطلاق القذائف الصاروخية من مناطقكم نحو دولة اسرائيل.
⭕️جيش الدفاع سوف يعمل بقوة ضد هذه العناصر. من أجل أمنكم، عليكم اخلاء… pic.twitter.com/vmEb5aG2RB— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) August 10, 2024
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