Aug. 13: Successful Gaza ceasefire talks would stave off Iranian retaliation, Biden says

IDF says Gaza humanitarian aid route shut after Hamas fires at corridor

The IDF says that it has temporarily closed a route in southern Gaza’s Rafah, used to deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians, after Hamas opened fire at the area.

The military does not provide further details on the incident.

It says that deliveries along the route have been halted temporarily, “as the area has become an active combat zone.”

“Terror activity in humanitarian areas and areas where the population is concentrated harms humanitarian coordination and the distribution of aid,” the IDF says.

Border cops shoot dead Palestinian teen hurling Molotov cocktail over West Bank security barrier

Border Police officers shot dead a Palestinian teenager who was hurling Molotov cocktails with other suspects over the West Bank security barrier near Jerusalem this evening.

Police say that officers were waiting in an ambush near the northeastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Pisgat Ze’ev following recent firebomb attacks in the area.

The officers this evening spotted a group of suspects hurling Molotovs over the security barrier. At one point, a Border Police sniper opened fire at one of the suspects who climbed onto the wall and threw a firebomb over it, police say.

The other suspects then fled the scene.

Police say that the wounded Palestinian, 16, a resident of the West Bank town of Anata was taken to receive medical treatment, although his death was declared a short while later.

Meanwhile, a blast in a vehicle occurred earlier this evening near the West Bank city of Hebron, wounding two Palestinians.

The IDF is investigating if the blast occurred after Palestinian terror operatives tried to rig a car with bombs or they had been transporting explosive devices

Troops are now carrying out searches in the town of Halhul for the remains of the car to investigate the circumstances.

Blinken: Ben Gvir showed blatant disregard for Temple Mount status quo at pivotal moment in hostage talks

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City, after his visit to the Temple Mount, during Tisha B'Av, August 13, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

After US State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel condemned National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s visit to the Temple Mount earlier today, the Biden administration is doubling down on its censure with a statement from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Blinken says Ben Gvir “demonstrated blatant disregard for the historic status quo with respect to the holy sites in Jerusalem.”

“These provocative actions only exacerbate tensions at a pivotal moment when all focus should be on the ongoing diplomatic efforts to achieve a ceasefire agreement and secure the release of all hostages and create the conditions for broader regional stability,” Blinken says in a statement.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Office has made clear that the actions of Minister Ben Gvir are inconsistent with Israeli policy,” he notes.

“We will look to the Government of Israel to prevent similar incidents in the future.”

“The United States reaffirms our commitment to the preservation of the historic status quo and will continue to oppose unilateral steps that are counterproductive to achieving peace and stability and undermine Israel’s security,” Blinken adds.

Red alert sirens triggered in Upper Galileee; no immediate reports of damage or injuries

Rocket sirens are sounding in the Upper Galilee.

The alerts are activated as far as Beit Jann, located some 10 kilometers from the Lebanon border.

There are no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

Eight US troops injured in Syria drone attack last week, Pentagon says

Eight US service members were injured in a drone attack on a base in Syria last week, the Pentagon says, its first report of specific casualty figures in the incident.

Reuters first reported that several US and coalition personnel were wounded in a drone attack on Friday at Rumalyn Landing Zone, which hosts troops from the US and other countries in the US-led coalition.

Pentagon spokesperson Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder tells reporters that three personnel had already returned to duty. The eight troops were treated for traumatic brain injury and smoke inhalation.

The US says its 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in neighboring Iraq are advising and assisting local forces trying to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State, which in 2014 seized large swaths of both countries but was later pushed back.

Ryder adds that the US believed that the attack was carried out by Iran-backed forces but the Pentagon was working to determine which one.

Gallant thanks Austin, Blinken for approving sale of F-15s to Israel

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, shakes hands with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in Jerusalem, Jan. 31, 2023. (Ronaldo Schemidt/Pool Photo via AP)

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant thanks US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken for approving the sale of F-15IA fighter jets and other equipment to Israel.

“Thank you to Secretary of Defense Austin and Secretary of State Blinken for advancing critical force buildup initiatives that assist Israel in developing and maintaining its qualitative military edge in the region. This includes incorporating F-15IAs into the IAF fleet of fighter aircraft, and providing critical munition to ensure Israel’s capabilities and security,” Gallant says on X.

“As we fight to defend Israel on 7 different fronts, your message of support and commitment to Israel’s security are clear,” he adds.

The $18.82 billion sale includes 50 F-15IA fighter jets — the Israeli variant of the advanced F-15EX — and kits for the Israeli Air Force’s existing F-15 aircraft, along with other equipment.

The deliveries are expected to begin in 2029.

Last year, Israel submitted a formal request to the US regarding the procurement of 25 F-15IA fighter jets, with options for 25 more.

Thank you to @SecDef Austin and @SecBlinken for advancing critical force buildup initiatives that assist Israel in developing and maintaining its qualitative military edge in the region. This includes incorporating F-15IAs into the IAF fleet of fighter aircraft, and providing… pic.twitter.com/fUR1pKhERN

— יואב גלנט – Yoav Gallant (@yoavgallant) August 13, 2024

Lowering Mideast tensions starts with Gaza deal, says US envoy to UN

US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks during a UN Security Council Meeting on July 17, 2024, on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, at UN headquarters in New York. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP)

The overall US goal in the Middle East is to “turn the temperature down,” deter and defend against any future attacks, and avoid regional conflict, US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield says.

“That starts with finalizing a deal for an immediate ceasefire with hostage release in Gaza. We need to get this over the finish line,” she tells a UN Security Council meeting on the war between Israel and Hamas.

Blinken approves $20 billion sale of weapons to Israel, including F-15s

Illustrative: F-15 fighter jets with the 125th Fighter Wing of the Florida Air National Guard perform a flyover on February 14, 2020, in Deland, Florida. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has approved weapons sales of more than $20 billion to Israel, including F-15 fighter jets and nearly 33,000 tank shells.

In a notification to Congress, the State Department says that the sales “will improve Israel’s capability to meet current and future enemy threats.”

The F-15s aren’t expected to arrive for several years, but their sale in the middle of a Gaza war is likely to further upset progressives.

While top Democrats in Congress could place a hold on the sale, they have thus far refrained from doing so after receiving assurances from the White House that the weapons won’t be used to harm civilians.

The most notable approval is the $18.82 billion sale of F-15 fighter jets. This was the sale over which the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee Rep. Gregory Meeks initially voiced concern before lifting his opposition.

Other sales included $774.1 million in tank shells, $102.5 million in advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles, $61.1 million in 120mm high explosive mortar shells and $583.1 million in tactical vehicles.

Barrage of 15 rockets fired from Lebanon at northern Israel, hits open areas

A barrage of some 15 rockets was fired from Lebanon at the Malkia area in northern Israel.

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

Meanwhile, the IDF says it carried out drone strikes on two primed Hezbollah rocket launchers, in at-Tiri and Zibqin.

כלי טיס של חיל האוויר תקפו מוקדם יותר היום שני משגרי רקטות מוכנים לשיגור לעבר מדינת ישראל, במרחבים א-טירי וזבקין שבדרום לבנון.

בהמשך להתרעות שהופעלו לפני זמן קצר במרחב מלכיה, זוהו כ-15 שיגורים שחצו משטח לבנון ונפלו בשטחים פתוחים, אין נפגעים pic.twitter.com/lrm6jfRdRt

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) August 13, 2024

Biden says he expects Iran to hold off on Israel retaliation if hostage deal reached

US President Joe Biden arrives at the White House from Camp David, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Asked by reporters if he expects Iran to hold off on carrying out a retaliatory strike against Israel if a ceasefire and hostage-release deal is reached, US President Joe Biden responds, “That’s my expectation.”

Iran has vowed to retaliate for the May 31 assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran but has yet to do so, leaving Israel on edge for two weeks.

The US, Egypt and Qatar are convening a summit aimed at finalizing a hostage deal on Thursday. Hamas has thus far indicated that it will not attend.

Israel has agreed to send a delegation, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has come under increasing fire for adding new demands critics say are aimed at thwarting a deal. The premier insists his latest proposal merely contained clarifications, rather than any new demands.

Asked if the chances for a ceasefire deal are waning, Biden acknowledges, “It’s getting harder,” but then asserts, “I’m not giving up.”

“We’ll see what Iran does. We’ll see what happens,” he adds.

White House envoys McGurk, Hochstein traveling to Mideast as US seeks to finalize hostage deal

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tells reporters aboard Air Force One that White House mideast czar Brett McGurk is traveling to Cairo and Doha, while special envoy Amos Hochstein is traveling to Beirut as the administration seeks to finalize a ceasefire and hostage release deal, while also preventing further regional escalation.

“We believe that negotiators should come to the table. We believe getting to a ceasefire deal is the best way to de-escalate the tensions that we’re seeing,” Jean-Pierre tells reporters.

She also calls on Israel and Hamas to attend Thursday’s hostage talk summit. Israel has already said it will send a team, while Hamas has indicated that it won’t.

France condemns Israeli security minister Ben-Gvir’s Temple Mount visit

France condemned National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s visit to the Temple Mount earlier today, saying it was in violation of the historic status quo of the holy places in Jerusalem.

“This new provocation is unacceptable. France calls on the Israeli government to take all necessary measures to ensure respect for the historic status quo of the holy places in Jerusalem,” the French foreign ministry says in a statement.

Far-left Jewish group shuts down LA highway, demanding Israel arms embargo

The far-left Jewish group IfNotNow says it has shut down the 405-S freeway in Los Angeles to demand an arms embargo on Israel and an immediate ceasefire.

JUST NOW: LA Jews & allies with @IfNotNowLA shut down the 405-S freeway on Tisha B'Av to demand an arms embargo on Israel and an immediate ceasefire.

Tisha B’Av is a day of immense sorrow.

Today, we mourn. Today, we say no more. Today, we say #NotAnotherBomb.

????: Rocky Douieb pic.twitter.com/KX6mZPsZWT

— IfNotNow????✡️ (@IfNotNowOrg) August 13, 2024

Family of former lone soldier who died from allergic reaction asks public to attend his funeral

The family of a former American-Israeli lone soldier who passed away suddenly last night due to an allergic reaction is asking the public to attend his funeral tonight.

Jordan Cooper will be buried at the Ganei Esther Cemetery in Rishon Lezion during a ceremony set to begin at 10:15 p.m. local time.

Cooper immigrated to Israel in 2018 through the Garin Tzabar program for lone soldiers, serving in the Nahal infantry brigade.

He had returned to the US after completing his military service but decided to come back to Israel after the war broke out.

The 26-year-old had completed 200 days of reserve duty since October 7.

Cooper’s family recently came to Israel to visit him.

The family in a statement said that his mother had purchased halva at a market yesterday after receiving assurances by the seller that it did not contain any nuts.

Jordan had a severe allergic reaction after eating the halva. He received an epipen injection, but later collapsed in front of his family when the ambulance arrived and was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.

???? Jordan Cooper, a lone soldier who immigrated from the U.S. to serve in the IDF, passed away suddenly last night from a rare allergic reaction.

His family is asking the public "to come and accompany him on his final journey so that he won't be alone in death. Flights have… pic.twitter.com/LjdNvaUg7J

— Israel News Pulse (@israelnewspulse) August 13, 2024

Security officials said to see uptick in terror threats following Ben Gvir’s Temple Mount visit

Security sources tell Channel 12 that they have seen an uptick in terror threats since National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s visit to the Temple Mount earlier today during which he declared that his policy is to allow Jewish prayer at the site, in violation of the status-quo that governs the flashpoint compound.

The security sources tell the network that Ben Gvir is playing with fire and risks drawing Arab Israelis into the ongoing conflict.

Report: Lapid, Deri met for 1st time in decade to discuss resolution against Temple Mount prayer

Then-finance minister Yair Lapid, left, talks to Shas chairman Aryeh Deri at the Knesset in March 2013. (Isaac Harari/Flash90)

Channel 12 reports that Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid and Shas leader Aryeh Deri recently held their first meeting in roughly a decade in order to discuss the former’s idea to advance a resolution in the Knesset that would enshrine the religious ruling of Shas’s late spiritual leader Ovadia Yosef that forbade Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount.

Deri told Lapid that Shas would support the symbolic initiative, Channel 12 says.

IDF orders evacuation of Khan Younis area used by Hamas to launch rockets at Tel Aviv

Following Hamas’s attempted rocket attack from southern Gaza’s Khan Younis on Tel Aviv today, the IDF issues a new evacuation order for Palestinians in the area.

Two rockets were fired by Hamas, with one landing in the sea off the coast of Tel Aviv and the other falling short in Gaza.

Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, publishes a list of the zones that need to be evacuated.

The announcement calls for 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 الى كل السكان المتواجدين في بلوكات 45, 50, 219, 220 في بني سهيلا وحارة المحطة:
⭕️على خلفية اطلاق قذائف صاروخية بشكل متواصل من قبل حماس والمنظمات الارهابية من مناطقكم سيعمل جيش الدفاع بقوة ضد العناصر لارهابية فورًا
⭕️من أجل أمنكم، انتقلوا بشكل عاجل الى المنطقة… pic.twitter.com/ms1t9Ntw8W

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) August 13, 2024

PM said set to determine mandate of Israeli negotiating team ahead of Thursday summit

A member of the Israeli negotiating team tells Channel 12 that there is no point in traveling to the Thursday hostage talk summit if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doesn’t expand the mandate of the team.

The exact parameters for the Israeli team will be set at a meeting with Netanyahu later this week.

The negotiators warned Netanyahu earlier this month that it won’t be possible to reach a deal with the new demands that he issued in late July. Netanyahu insisted again earlier today that he has not added new demands, rather offered clarifications that allow for the deal to be implemented.

UN, EU calls Ben Gvir’s Temple Mount prayer ‘unduly provocative’

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visits the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, during Tisha B'Av, August 13, 2024. (Screenshot/Otzma Yehudit)

The United Nations denounces far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir for leading prayers at the flashpoint Temple Mount compound, calling the move “unduly provocative.”

“We are against any efforts to change the status quo within the holy sites,” says deputy spokesman Farhan Haq. “Al-Aqsa mosque, like the other holy sites in Jerusalem, should be left to themselves and should be controlled by the existing religious authorities for the sites. This sort of behavior is unhelpful and it is unduly provocative.”

“The EU strongly condemns the provocations by Israeli Minister Ben Gvir who, during his visit to the Holy Sites, advocated for the violation of the status quo,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell tweets.

Gantz visits Bedouin women assaulted by settlers at West Bank outpost

National Unity chairman Benny Gantz visits Rahat to meet with the four residents who were attacked by settlers after accidentally entering an illegal outpost in the southern West Bank last week.

“I came to apologize on behalf of the absolute majority of the Israeli public. This attack is neither humane nor Jewish,” Gantz tells the women, according to a statement from his office.

Earlier this week, far-right Otzma Yehudit MK Limor Son Har Melech defended the actions of the settlers.

ח"כ בני גנץ ביקר ברהט את ארבע הנשים שהותקפו בחוות רונן בשומרון: "באתי לחזק אתכם ולהתנצל בשם הרוב המוחלט בציבור הישראלי. התקיפה הזו לא אנושית ולא יהודית"@yaara_shapira pic.twitter.com/GFFmmUgr3a

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) August 13, 2024

Hamas publishes clip of failed rocket launch on Tel Aviv, shows operatives using makeshift launchers

The Hamas terror group releases footage of it launching two long-range rockets from the Gaza Strip at central Israel today.

The video shows that Hamas used makeshift rocket launchers, instead of the standard launch pits that it would normally use to carry out long-range rocket fire on Israel.

As such, one of the rockets fired today landed in the sea off the coast of Tel Aviv, while the second fell short in Gaza, according to the IDF.

The IDF has assessed that Hamas still possesses the capability to launch rockets at central Israel or Jerusalem, but the terror group does not have many long-range rockets or launchers left to use.

???? متابعة صفا| كتائب القسام تقصف مدينة "تل أبيب" بصاروخين من طراز "M90" رداً على الاعتداءات الصهيونية بحق المدنيين والتهجير المتعمد بحق أبناء شعبنا pic.twitter.com/4jTyGWC32j

— وكالة صفا (@SafaPs) August 13, 2024

US lays into Ben Gvir’s ‘unacceptable’ violation of Temple Mount status quo

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City, after his visit to the Temple Mount, during Tisha B'Av, August 13, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

The Biden administration lays into National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir who led a visit to the Temple Mount with several other Israeli lawmakers where participants were filmed praying in violation of the status quo that governs the flashpoint site.

“We certainly are paying close attention to actions and activities that we find to be a detraction from Israel’s security, a contributor to greater insecurity and instability in the region. That would certainly be the actions that we saw today that Mr. Ben Gvir participated in,” State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel says during a press briefing.

“Even the Prime Minister’s Office made clear that the events of this morning are a deviation from what is Israeli policy and a deviation from the status quo,” Patel notes.

“The United States stands firmly for preservation of the historic status quo with respect to the holy sites of Jerusalem. Any unilateral action like this that jeopardizes the status quo is unacceptable.”

“It detracts from what we think is a vital time, as we are working to get this ceasefire deal across the finish line. It detracts from what our stated goal is for the region, which is a two-state solution,” he adds.

US: Qatar working to have Hamas represented at Thursday hostage talk summit

A women-led protest calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, outside the prime minister's official residence in Jerusalem, August 13, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel says that “Qatar has assured us that they will work to have Hamas represented” at Thursday’s hostage talks summit.

Hamas issued a statement earlier this week indicating that it would not attend the meeting, calling on mediators to coax Israel into agreeing to the updated proposal that the terror group submitted in early July.

That offer saw Hamas cave on its long-held, central demand that Israel commit up-front to a permanent ceasefire. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by submitting a series of new demands that Hamas has rejected, Israeli and US officials say.

A location for Thursday’s summit has not yet been announced, but an Arab official tells The Times of Israel that the current expectation is for the meeting to take place in Doha.

Regardless of whether or not Hamas attends, its negotiators would not be in the same room as Israeli counterparts anyway.

Despite speculation that Hamas might not attend, Patel says, “We fully expect these talks to move forward.”

IDF confirms drone strike in southern Lebanon that killed two Hezbollah operatives

The IDF confirms carrying out a drone strike earlier today in southern Lebanon’s Baraachit, killing two members of Hezbollah’s so-called Southern Front unit, the terror group’s regional command in southern Lebanon.

Separately, tanks under the 810th “Mountains” Regional Brigade shelled Hezbollah operatives at an observation post in the Mount Dov area, the IDF says.

Additionally, buildings used by Hezbollah in Chihine and Aalma ash-Shab, and an anti-tank guided missile launch post in Ayta ash-Shab, were struck, the military adds.

Hezbollah today announced the deaths of two members in Israeli strikes, bringing the terror group’s toll since October to at least 408.

צה"ל חיסל מחבלים מ׳חזית הדרום׳ בחיזבאללה

היום כלי טיס של חיל האוויר תקף במרחב ברעשית בדרום לבנון וחיסל שני מחבלים בחזית הדרום של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה.

לוחמי חטיבת 'ההרים' בפיקוד הצפון תקפו מחבלי חיזבאללה, שהיו בעמדת תצפית במרחב הר דב, בתקיפת טנק>> pic.twitter.com/NuQ7VPYx4R

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) August 13, 2024

Gallant says Israel closely tracking enemies ahead of potential Iran, Hezbollah attack

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (left) speaks with the head of the IDF Northern Command, Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, at an intelligence base in northern Israel, August 13, 2024. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says Israel is closely tracking its enemies, as the country expects an attack from Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah.

“I am aware of the tensions and the great burden placed on the citizens of Israel. We are following what is happening, in Beirut, in Tehran, and in other places,” Gallant says during a visit to an IDF intelligence base in northern Israel.

“We are engaged both in removing the threats and preparing all possibilities, in order to be able to attack wherever we decide,” he adds, according to remarks provided by his office.

Seven appear in UK court over attack at Israeli defense firm Elbit site

Seven people appear in a London court, charged with violent disorder, burglary and other offenses in what prosecutors say was an attack by protest group Palestine Action at a warehouse linked to Israeli defense firm Elbit.

Pro-Palestinian protesters have repeatedly targeted Elbit Systems UK and other defense firms in Britain linked to Israel in the wake of the conflict in Gaza.

Seven people, aged between 20 and 51, are charged with criminal damage and aggravated burglary over an incident at the Elbit premises near Bristol in southwest England on August 6.

Six of the seven have also been charged with violent disorder over the action in which, prosecutors say, a repurposed prison van was used to smash through fencing before some of the group damaged items in the warehouse with sledgehammers.

One of the group – Samuel Corner, 22 – has additionally been charged with grievous bodily harm for allegedly hitting a police officer with a sledgehammer and two charges of assault causing actual bodily harm.

All seven appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, where prosecutor Laura Jeffrey says the incident caused around 1 million pounds ($1.28 million) of damage.

“Elbit has been the repeated target of both protests and attacks,” Jeffrey says.

She also says that, while none of the defendants were charged with “terrorism offenses per se,” the charges had “a terrorist connection.”

All seven are remanded in custody ahead of their next court appearance at the Old Bailey on September 13. They have not yet had to enter a plea.

Iran reportedly holds military drill in north of country

Iran is holding a military drill in the north of the country, the Mehr news agency reports, with the region bracing for Tehran’s avowed retaliation against Israel over the killing of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month.

Report: IDF sending Gazan civilians to check tunnels, homes it fears might be booby-trapped

Palestinians seen with their belongings after evacuating from al-Jalaa in Khan Younis to the designated safe zone in the southern Gaza Strip, August 11, 2024. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

Haaretz reports that the IDF has been using Palestinian civilians as human shields during operations in Gaza, ordering them to go into tunnels and homes that the army fears may be booby-trapped.

“It is better that they explode and not the soldiers,” one of the soldiers speaking to Haaretz recalls being told by his commander who justified the practice.

Haaretz says the IDF has not been using terror suspects, but rather innocent civilians who it detains specifically for this practice.

The report cites several soldiers who have witnessed the tactic regularly used in Gaza.

Haaretz says the practice has been used across Gaza in recent months, and senior officers, including the chief of staff, were aware.

In its response to the report, the IDF does not appear to deny that the practice is carried out. It says that such conduct is prohibited, that this was made clear to troops and that the allegations are under investigation.

תחקיר "הארץ": צה"ל מפעיל אזרחים פלסטינים כמגינים אנושיים לסריקת מנהרות ומבנים בעזה https://t.co/P6yybHh9MZ

— Haaretz הארץ (@Haaretz) August 13, 2024

IDF releases footage of airstrike on gunmen in Rafah

IDF soldiers operate in the southern Gaza city of Rafah on August 13, 2024. (IDF)

The IDF releases footage of a recent airstrike on a group of gunmen in southern Gaza’s Rafah.

The cell had been spotted by troops of the Givati Infantry Brigade using a drone, the military says.

Givati troops have killed more than 100 gunmen in Rafah amid an ongoing operation there. Overall, more than 1,000 terror operatives have been killed in Rafah since early May, according to the IDF.

In one engagement, the IDF says Givati soldiers battled and killed a cell of gunmen inside an apartment in Rafah. Inside the home, the troops found weapons, military equipment, and a tunnel shaft.

Putin tells visiting Abbas of Russia’s ‘great pain’ at Palestinian plight

In this pool photograph distributed by Russian state owned Sputnik agency Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) meets Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas in Novo-Ogaryovo, outside Moscow on August 13, 2024. (Alexey MAISHEV / POOL / AFP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin tells visiting Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that Moscow was pained by the plight of his people and backed their aspiration to create a full-fledged state.

Putin says Moscow was paying attention to events in the Middle East despite the demands of its own war in Ukraine. He does not refer directly to Ukraine’s week-old incursion into western Russia, an operation that has caught Russia’s military off guard and forced more than 130,000 people to flee their homes.

“Everyone is well aware that Russia today, unfortunately, must defend its interests and defend its people with arms in hand. But what is happening in the Middle East, what is happening in Palestine, of course, does not go unnoticed on our part,” Putin said, according to a Kremlin transcript.

“And of course, we are watching with great pain and anxiety the humanitarian catastrophe that has unfolded in Palestine,” he adds.

Abbas says Russia is “one of the dearest friends” of the Palestinian people. “We believe in you, we trust you and we feel your support,” he told Putin.

He says the United Nations Security Council — where Russia is one of five veto-holding powers — must act to “stop the actions that Israel is taking,” after judges at the top UN court said in an advisory ruling last month that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and maintenance of Israeli settlements there are illegal.

Gaza’s girls cut off their hair for lack of combs, shampoo or soap

When girls complain to Gaza pediatrician Lobna al-Azaiza that they have no comb, she tells them to cut off their hair.

It’s not just combs. Israel’s blockade of the territory, ravaged by 10 months of war, means there is little or no shampoo, soap, period products or household cleaning materials.

Israel says it allows essential aid in, but maintains a blockade in order to prevent the smuggling of weapons. It also claims that Hamas has diverted aid for its own use.

Waste collection and sewage treatment have also collapsed, and it’s easy to see why contagious diseases that thrive on overcrowding and lack of cleanliness — such as scabies and fungal infections — are on the rise.

“In the past period, the most common disease we have seen was skin rashes, skin diseases, which have many causes, including the overcrowding in the camps, the increased heat inside the tents, the sweating among children, and the lack of sufficient water for bathing,” the doctor says.

Azaiza used to work at Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya until Israeli tanks separated the north of the besieged enclave from the south, as the IDF seeks to topple the Hamas terror group that rules Gaza, after its devastating attack on southern Israel on October 7.

Like most of Gaza’s medics, she has adapted and continues to treat patients, walking to work past her own ruined house, demolished by an Israeli strike.

The tent clinic she set up with a small team began by treating children, but has by necessity become a practice for whole families, most of whom have also been ordered or bombed out of their homes, like the vast majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million people.

Even the medication that is available is often unaffordable; a tube of simple burn ointment can now cost 200 shekels ($53).

Azaiza has little doubt where the immediate solution lies:

“The border crossing must be opened so that we can bring in medications, as most of the current ones are ineffective: zero effect, there is no effect on the skin diseases that we see.”

Ilhan Omar looks to avoid fate of fellow Squad lawmakers in primary

Rep. Ilhan Omar, Democrat of Minnesota, speaks May 24, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

Democratic US Rep. Ilhan Omar, one of the progressive House members known as the “Squad” and a sharp critic of how Israel has conducted the war in Gaza, is trying to avoid the fate of two of her closest allies when Minnesota holds its primary elections today.

Omar is defending her Minneapolis-area 5th District seat against a repeat challenge from former Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels, a more centrist liberal whom she only narrowly defeated in the 2022 primary.

Omar’s fellow Squad member Rep. Cori Bush lost the Democratic nomination in Missouri last week. Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York lost his primary in June. The only charter member not facing a primary challenge is Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts.

Both Bush and Bowman faced well-funded challengers and millions of dollars in spending by the United Democracy Project, a super political action committee affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which appears to be sitting out the Minnesota race.

But Omar isn’t taking victory for granted. Omar reported spending $2.3 million before the 2022 primary. In the same period this year, she reported raising about $6.2 million. Samuels has raised about $1.4 million.

Omar — a Somali American and Muslim — came under fire from the Jamaican-born Samuels and others in her first term for comments that were widely criticized for invoking antisemitic tropes and suggesting Jewish Americans have divided loyalties. This time, Samuels has criticized her condemnation of the Israeli government’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war.

While Omar has also criticized Hamas for attacking Israel and taking hostages, Samuels says she’s one-sided and divisive. He’s also been stressing the public safety issues he focused on in 2022. The big issue at the time was policing in Minneapolis, where a former police officer murdered George Floyd in 2020.

The winner in the overwhelmingly Democratic district will face Republican Dalia Al-Aqidi, an Iraqi American journalist and self-described secular Muslim who calls Omar pro-Hamas and a terrorist sympathizer.

Two Hezbollah members reportedly killed in Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon

The Saudi-owned al-Arabiya outlet reports that two Hezbollah members were killed in an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon a short while ago.

The strike took place between the towns of Beit Yahoun and Baraachit, Lebanese media reported.

Top Israeli economists say ‘never-ending’ government failures behind Fitch downgrade

A group of senior economists warns that Fitch’s downgrade of Israel’s credit rating is a sign of the continued deterioration of the country’s economy since the establishment of the government in December 2022.

“Fitch joins Moody’s and S&P in downgrading Israel and reflects that the state is already paying high interest rates on its debts,” the economists say. “The credit rating downgrade and high interest rates are not only due to the war imposed on Israel on October 7, but are the result of a never-ending series of government failures.”

Fitch late on Monday lowered the country’s score to A from A+, expecting the “conflict in Gaza could last well into 2025.” The ratings agency maintains a negative outlook on the economy, which opens the door for further downgrades as the ballooning costs of the continued military fighting weigh on public finances.

The top economists lament that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is delaying the preparation of the state budget for 2025, while ignoring calls for action by Treasury officials and warnings of the Bank of Israel.

Adding to this, Education Minister Yoav Kisch promotes the transfer of huge sums to ultra-Orthodox educational institutions that do not teach core studies and the government’s policies subsidize the mass evasion of military service by the ultra-Orthodox population and thereby increase the burden of the army service on the general public, they warn.

“The government harms state institutions and civil society that are essential to the prosperity of Israel’s economy, such as the public service, the legal system, and academia,” the economists caution. “Israelis need to wake up and call as soon as possible for a fundamental change in the work of the government. Otherwise the damage the government causes may not be able to be repaired.”

Among the group members are Prof. Zvi Eckstein, former deputy governor of the Bank of Israel; Rony Hizkiyahu, former Bank of Israel supervisor of banks and accountant general; Yair Avidan, former supervisor of banks; Prof. Avi Ben-Bassat, former finance ministry director general; and Prof. Eugene Kandel, former chairman of the National Economic Council.

Qatar, Saudi Arabia join condemnations of Israel over ministers’ visit to Temple Mount

Qatar condemns “in the strongest terms” the visit to Temple Mount by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, fellow Otzma Yehudit minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf and Likud Knesset member Amit Halevi together with nearly 2,000 others.

In a statement, Doha’s foreign ministry calls the visit “a provocation and a flagrant violation of international law,” noting that such actions constitute “an attack not only on Palestinian, but also on millions of Muslims around the world” that may negatively impact ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry also issues a statement slamming the “blatant and repeated incursions” by Israeli officials and citizens.

Jordan and Egypt issued similar condemnations earlier today.

Israeli drone reportedly targets vehicle in southern Lebanon

Lebanese media reports an Israeli drone strike on a vehicle between the southern Lebanon towns of Beit Yahoun and Baraachit.

No further details are immediately available.

استـ هداف سيارة بغارة على طريق بيت ياحون برعشيت جنوب لبنان pic.twitter.com/HHdycFzRJw

— Ali Bk (@Bk_Hanas) August 13, 2024

IDF confirms Hamas rocket from Gaza landed off Tel Aviv coast, second failed to cross border

Illustrative: Israelis and tourists cool off in the Mediterranean Sea in hazy Tel Aviv during a heatwave, July 17, 2023. (Miriam Alster/FLASH90)

According to the IDF, a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip landed in the sea off the coast of central Israel.

A second rocket failed to cross the border and fell short inside Gaza, the IDF says.

Hamas claimed to have fired two long-range rockets at Tel Aviv, in its first attack on the city in central Israel since late May.

2 long-range Gaza rockets fired at Tel Aviv, Hamas claims responsibility

Two long-range rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip at central Israel a short while ago.

The projectiles apparently landed in the sea off the coast of Tel Aviv. Residents of the area report hearing a blast.

Hamas claims responsibility for the attack, saying it launched two rockets at Tel Aviv.

No sirens sounded amid the incident, as the rockets were not heading for populated areas.

The last time Hamas fired rockets at Tel Aviv was in late May.

عاجل| مصادر محلية: إطلاق صاروخان من قطاع غزة. pic.twitter.com/rqluq6agCi

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) August 13, 2024

Netanyahu denies setting new demands in talks with Hamas, says they are ‘necessary clarifications’

Shortly after The New York Times reports it has reviewed documents showing that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented new demands last month — as widely reported previously — that weren’t included in Israel’s US-endorsed May 27 proposal for a ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas, the premier’s office claims the demands aren’t new and merely complement and clarify the earlier offer.

“The July 27 draft doesn’t include new conditions and doesn’t contradict the May 27 outline,” the PMO’s statement says, but rather clarifies ambiguities about the original offer that allows for its implementation. “Hamas is the one that demanded 29 changes — something the prime minister opposed.”

Netanyahu’s office then goes over several matters in which he has been widely accused of introducing new demands that undermine the negotiations.

However, the statement by the Prime Minister’s Office notably does not refer to Netanyahu’s new demand for Israeli forces to remain at the Philadelphi Corridor between Gaza and Egypt, which contradicts the earlier proposal’s clause guaranteeing the “withdrawal of Israeli forces eastwards away from densely populated areas along the borders in all areas of the Gaza strip.”

The New York Times revealed that Israel’s July 27 updated response included a map that showed how Israel planned to remain in control of the Philadelphi Corridor

Relating to alleged new demands regarding security inspections at the so-called Netzarim Corridor currently bisecting Gaza, the PMO says the updated draft “refers to the need to establish an agreed inspection mechanism in order to guarantee that only unarmed civilians will return to northern Gaza… in accordance with what was proposed on May 27.”

Commenting on what it says is the accusations that he is now demanding that living hostages be released in the first phase of the deal, while the May proposal mentioned both “living and human remains,” the PMO says the updated draft stipulates that all living hostages in the relevant criteria must walk free, “in accordance with the May 27 outline, which said a certain number of hostages — live or dead — will be released.”

And regarding claims that Israel has made new demands on Israel vetoing a certain number of names of Palestinians to be freed or sent abroad, the PMO says the July 27 draft includes “necessary clarifications in order to implement what was written in the May 27 outline.”

The New York Times story does not make either of these two latter claims.

Report: Sinwar saying Hamas will only attend talks if Israel stops its military campaign in Gaza

Mediators in Gaza ceasefire talks have reportedly said Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is demanding that Israel halt its military operations in the Strip as a precondition for the Palestinian terror group participating in this week’s talks, which Hamas has said publicly it will not attend.

The Wall Street Journal report acknowledges, however, that Jerusalem is unlikely to accept that demand as it seeks to pressure Hamas to compromise by relentlessly pursuing its stated war goal of eliminating the group’s military and governing capabilities.

Attacked by opposition on economy, PM attempts to downplay Fitch’s credit rating downgrade

Facing attacks from opposition party heads on the government’s economy management after Fitch downgraded Israel’s credit rating, citing the prolonged war in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office seeks to cast it as a minor, temporary setback.

“Israel’s economy is resilient and functioning well,” the Prime Minister’s Office says. “The rating downgrade is a result of Israel facing a multifront war that was imposed on it. The rating will rise back when we win — and we will indeed win.”

Earlier today, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid said: “This will cost us. The Israeli middle class will feel it in their pocket. The unbearable prices will go even higher. The state will pay higher interest. The credit rating firms are telling us that Israel’s economy is not being managed.”

National Unity party chief Benny Gantz pinned the blame on the government’s refusal to pass budget amendments cutting superfluous spending on coalition parties’ demands.

“We saw yesterday the result of favoring political interests over national interests, in the lowering of the credit rating, and unfortunately we all will pay the price,” he said.

Iran officials indicate attack on Israel may be put off, happen only if truce talks fail

Vehicles drive past a huge billboard depicting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (R) and slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh at Tehran's Valiasr Square on August 12, 2024. (Atta Kenare/AFP)

Only a ceasefire deal in Gaza stemming from hoped-for talks this week will hold Iran back from direct retaliation against Israel for the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh on its soil, three senior Iranian officials say, appearing to scale back its previously reported intention to attack before Thursday’s talks.

One of the sources, a senior Iranian security official, says Iran, along with allies such as Hezbollah, will launch a direct attack if the Gaza talks fail or it perceives Israel is dragging out negotiations. The sources do not say how long Iran will allow for talks to progress before responding.

The development comes after several reports in recent days indicated Israel believes Iran intends to attack before Thursday’s renewed talks for a ceasefire and hostage deal. The new comments appear to signal that the attack will only take place after those talks, and only if they fail to yield what Iran deems to be sufficient results.

Iran has vowed a severe response to Haniyeh’s killing, which took place as he visited Tehran late last month and which it blamed on Israel. Israel has neither confirmed or denied its involvement. The US Navy has deployed warships and a submarine to the Middle East to bolster Israeli defenses.

Egypt slams ‘irresponsible’ Temple Mount visit by Ben Gvir, other coalition members

Cairo condemns the visit to Temple Mount by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, fellow Otzma Yehudit minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf and Likud Knesset member Amit Halevi, along with nearly 2,000 Jewish pilgrims for Tisha B’Av.

“The Arab Republic of Egypt condemns the storming of the courtyards of the Al Aqsa mosque by two Israeli ministers, members of the Israel Knesset, hundreds of Israeli settlers and extremists, and the raising of the Israeli flag, under the protection of the Israeli police, while Palestinian worshipers were prevented from entering Al Aqsa,” a statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reads.

Only one Knesset member besides the two ministers is known to have today accessed the Temple Mount, the holiest place in Judaism, which also houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam.

Cairo says that the “irresponsible and provocative behavior” is in violation of the status quo on the flashpoint site, and calls on the international community to “play an active role in confronting these violations that stir up emotions and thwart efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.”

The site is governed by a vague, unwritten status quo. While Israel regards it as allowing Jews to visit the site but not pray there, Palestinian and Arab leaders view any uptick in visits as a violation of the status quo.

Clearest footage yet emerges online of Iron Dome intercepting Hezbollah drone

Footage circulating on social media shows the Iron Dome air defense system intercepting a Hezbollah drone over the Galilee Panhandle this morning.

The video is some of the clearest footage showing a drone being intercepted by Israeli air defenses. The IDF earlier released grainy black-and-white footage of the same interception.

According to the IDF, two drones were shot down this morning: One over the Kiryat Shmona area and the second over Lebanese airspace.

Footage shows a Hezbollah drone being shot down by the Iron Dome air defense system over the Galilee Panhandle this morning.

According to the IDF, a second drone heading toward Israel was shot down over Lebanese airspace. https://t.co/EEuOvRIRWy pic.twitter.com/gdc0O5DtPd

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) August 13, 2024

Yemen’s Houthis seized UN rights office in Sana’a, UN official says

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have stormed the headquarters of the United Nations’ Human Rights Office in the capital, Sana’a, seizing documents, furniture and vehicles, a senior UN official says.

The seizure is the latest move in a crackdown by the Houthis on people working with the UN, aid agencies and foreign embassies. The crackdown comes as the Iranian-backed rebels have been targeting shipping throughout the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

The rebels took over the UN Human Rights Office’s premises in Sanaa on August 3, after forcing UN Yemeni workers to hand over belongings, including documents, furniture and vehicles, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk says in a statement.

“Ansar Allah forces must leave the premises and return all assets and belongings immediately,” Türk says, using the official name of the Houthis.

A spokesman for the Houthis doesn’t return phone calls and messages requesting comment.

The UN’s Human Rights Office says it suspended the office’s operations in Sana’a and other Yemeni areas controlled by the Houthis following the June crackdown campaign. But it still operates in the parts of Yemen controlled by the internationally recognized government.

Jordan condemns visit by Ben Gvir and other coalition members to Temple Mount

Jordan issues a statement strongly condemning the visit to Temple Mount by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, fellow Otzma Yehudit minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf and Likud MK Amit Halevi.

In a strident statement, a spokesman for Amman’s Foreign Ministry calls the three coalition members “extremists,” claiming that their “provocation” violated the status quo on the flashpoint site.

The visit “reflects the insistence of the Israeli government and its extremist members to disregard international law and Israel’s obligations as the occupying power,” the statement reads.

Amman urges the international community to “firmly” condemn the visit, alleging that the site is an exclusive place of worship for Muslims and is under the jurisdiction of the Jordanian Waqf, asserting that Israel has no sovereignty over the “occupied city of Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites.”

The Temple Mount was once the location of the two Jewish Temples and is considered Judaism’s holiest place. The flashpoint site houses the Al Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site to Muslims. The area is governed by a vague, unwritten status quo. While Israel regards it as stating that Jews can visit the site but not pray there, Palestinian and Arab leaders view any uptick in visits as a violation of the status quo.

Egypt said pressuring Hamas to attend Thursday ceasefire talks

After Hamas announced that it does not plan to send negotiators to a summit scheduled for next Thursday in Doha, Cairo is attempting to persuade the terror group to participate in order to disprove Israeli allegations that the terror group is disrupting efforts to reach a ceasefire, according to an Egyptian source quoted by the Lebanese paper Al-Akhbar.

Cairo is also said to be pushing for a temporary halt in fighting lasting a few days, as an opportunity to “catch breath and work to prolong the ceasefire.”

Yesterday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the importance of Hamas attending Thursday’s summit in a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan. While the US readout didn’t go as far as stating that Blinken urged Fidan to pressure Hamas to attend the Thursday meeting, that does appear to be the implication, as Ankara has a warm relationship with the terror group’s leadership.

Ben Gvir hits back at PM: ‘No law permits racist discrimination against Jews at Temple Mount’

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir doubles down on his stance that Jewish prayer at the Temple Mount is permitted, appearing to reject Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement saying he lacks the authority to set his own policy at the flashpoint holy site.

“The national security minister’s policy is to enable freedom of worship for Jews at all places, including the Temple Mount, and Jews will continue to do so in the future as well,” the defiant statement says.

“The Temple Mount is a sovereign area in the State of Israel’s capital,” it adds. “There is no law that permits engaging in racist discrimination against Jews at the Temple Mount or anywhere else in Israel.”

Politicians pillory ‘pyromaniac’ Ben Gvir; coalition faction says unsure it can partner with him

MK Moshe Gafni chairs a meeting of the Knesset Finance Committee, July 2, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Criticism of Ben Gvir’s visit to the Temple Mount is pouring in from the opposition and also from ultra-Orthodox coalition members, after the far-right minister again declared Jewish prayer permitted there as pilgrims prostrated near him.

Moshe Gafni, head of the Degel HaTorah faction of the United Torah Judaism party, says Ben Gvir doesn’t care about the “harm to the Temple Mount’s sanctity and the status quo,” alleging he is causing immense damage to the Jewish nation and causing unnecessary hate on Tisha B’Av, the solemn day marking the destruction of the Jewish Temples.

Gafni says the faction will have to “check with our rabbis whether we can be partners with him and will clarify this to the prime minister as well.”

Gafni has several times threatened to bolt the coalition over several issues, but has not followed through.

“Ben Gvir’s election campaign at the Temple Mount, which completely goes against the stance of security officials, during a war, is endangering the lives of Israeli citizens and the lives of our soldiers and police officers,” argues Opposition Leader Yair Lapid.

“The bunch of irresponsible extremists in the government is trying to drag Israel to an all-out regional war,” he adds. “These people can’t run a country.”

Religious Affairs Minister Michael Malkieli (Shas) reiterates the Chief Rabbinate’s stance against Jewish visits to the site due to its holiness, adding that it is also “unnecessary provocation to nations around the world.”

He quotes the fathers of religious Zionism, Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook and his son Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook, as saying that Jewish sovereignty in Israel mustn’t be achieved via means that go against the Torah.

Ra’am MK Waleed Alhawashla tweets: “Red lines were crossed today at Al Aqsa will mass provocations by extremists. Ben Gvir and his supporters yearn for more war and more fatalities, yearning for conflagration.”

Hadash-Ta’al MK Ahmad Tibi calls Ben Gvir a “pyromaniac” who has decided to go ahead with “any provocation to bring about a regional war,” placing the blame on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who is letting him “go wild for the sake of his political survival.”

PM: Ben Gvir can’t set his own policy on Temple Mount; today’s events a ‘deviation’ from status quo

Illustrative: Likud leader MK Benjamin Netanyahu (left) with head of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party MK Itamar Ben Gvir at a vote in the Knesset plenum, December 28, 2022. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90/File)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again rejects National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s declaration that his policy is to allow Jewish prayer, in violation of the status quo there.

“The setting of policy at the Temple Mount is directly subject to the government and the prime minister,” the Prime Minister’s Office says.

“There is no private policy by a specific minister at the Temple Mount — not by the national security minister nor by any other minister. This is how it has been under all Israeli governments,” the statement continues.

“The incident this morning at the Temple Mount is a deviation from the status quo. Israel’s policy at the Temple Mount hasn’t changed — this is how it has been and how it will continue to be,” it adds.

Appearing to contradict Netanyahu’s statement, however, many of the over 1,600 Jews who entered the site today openly prayed, with police not announcing any arrests.

Visiting Temple Mount, Ben Gvir again says his policy is to allow Jewish prayer there

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City, after his visit to the Temple Mount, during Tisha B'Av, August 13, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir repeats his message that his policy is to allow Jewish prayer at the Temple Mount, which goes against the unwritten status quo governing the site.

“We are on Tisha B’Av, the Temple Mount, coming to mark the destruction of the Temple,” he says in a filmed message released by his far-right Otzma Yehudit party. “But it needs to be said with sincerity: there is very significant progress here in the governance, in the sovereignty. As I have said, our policy is to enable prayer.”

Jews are heard loudly praying next to him, and footage shows Jews prostrating in his presence.

Ben Gvir from the Temple Mount this morning says he’s “here to commemorate the destruction of the Temple” and that “our policy is to allow prayer.” You can hear Jews praying loudly as he speaks pic.twitter.com/yxUXSZOoTK

— Sam Sokol (@SamuelSokol) August 13, 2024

He also calls for getting Hamas “down on its knees” in Gaza instead of “going to summits in Doha or Cairo.”

In all the previous times Ben Gvir has said he allows Jews to pray at the flashpoint site, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has clarified that the status quo hasn’t changed. He is yet to issue such a statement today.

הר הבית הבוקר, משתחווים ממש מול הקודש pic.twitter.com/ZMs329rpPO

— שיראל ללום נהיר???????? (@shirellaloom) August 13, 2024

Likud MK Amit Halevi, who also visited the site today, says in a statement that he and the over 1,000 Jews who visited the site today did it “in prayer for victory in the war.”

He adds: “This is a war for the Mount, for God, against an enemy that in the name of religion fills the world with murderousness, barbarism and evil in the face of the Israeli culture and its call from the Temple Mount for justice, truth, morality and mercy.”

IDF says it downed 2 drones launched from Lebanon

Two drones launched from Lebanon were shot down by air defenses a short while ago, according to the IDF.

One of the drones was shot down over the Kiryat Shmona area, while the second was intercepted over Lebanon before crossing into Israel.

Sirens had sounded in Kiryat Shmona and nearby communities amid the incident.

There are no reports of injuries.

בהמשך להתרעות על חדירת כלי טיס עוין שהופעלו במרחב הגליל העליון בשעה האחרונה, לוחמי ההגנה האווירית יירטו בהצלחה כלי טיס בלתי מאויש שחצה משטח לבנון.
במקביל, יורט כלי טיס בלתי מאויש נוסף בשטח לבנון. אין נפגעים pic.twitter.com/4daYB3VwP6

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) August 13, 2024

PA condemns Israel for allowing over 1,000 Jews to enter Temple Mount on Tisha B’Av

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, condemns Israel for allowing over a thousand Jews to visit the Temple Mount to mark the solemn fast day of Tisha B’Av, which mourns the destruction of the Temples that once stood at Judaism’s holiest site.

The flashpoint site houses the Al Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site to Muslims. Some of the Jewish visitors have been filmed praying in violation of police instructions and of a vague, unwritten status quo that governs the site.

Abu Rudeineh calls the visits a “dangerous provocation” and holds Israel “responsible for these practices.” He calls on the US to “intervene immediately to stop these provocations against our holy religious sites.”

Palestinian official news agency WAFA, quoting the Jordanian Waqf, claims that 1,600 Jews have entered the site today.

The status quo is understood differently by the different parties. While Israel regards it as stating that Jews can visit the site but not pray there, Palestinian and Arab leaders view any uptick in visits as in itself a violation of the status quo.

Ben Gvir, fellow far-right minister visit Temple Mount; Jews filmed praying in their presence

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and fellow Otzma Yehudit minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf enter the Temple Mount together with hundreds of Jews marking the fast day of Tisha B’Av, which marks the destruction of the Jewish Temples that once stood there.

השר בן גביר עלה להר הבית | הידיעה המלאה >>> https://t.co/3CPOyXJ0UN@VeredPelman pic.twitter.com/90Xs2aUfU8

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) August 13, 2024

Dozens of the pilgrims accompanying the far-right ministers lie on the ground in prayer, violating police instructions and the vague status quo governing the site. Ben Gvir, who is in charge of police, has repeatedly said that in his view, Jews are permitted to pray there. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected these statements.

בנוכחות בן גביר: עשרות מתפללים השתחוו בהר הבית @hanan_green pic.twitter.com/yksOZE911P

— ישראל היום (@IsraelHayomHeb) August 13, 2024

Additionally, Likud MK Amit Halevi arrived at the Temple Mount, though in his case, police only allowed him to enter alone, without a group of more Jews.

5 soldiers suspected of abusing Palestinian detainee expected to be sent to house arrest

Five reserve soldiers suspected of the sexual abuse of a Palestinian terror detainee at the Sde Teiman base in southern Israel are expected to be released to house arrest.

Military prosecutors are seeking to extend their detention until August 22, for the investigation into the high-profile abuse case to continue.

The defense says that it has come to an agreement with the prosecution to extend the suspects’ remands, while releasing them to full house arrest.

The agreement between the prosecution and defense will be presented to judges at a military court during a remand hearing later today.

In all, 10 soldiers at the Sde Teiman detention facility were detained over the suspected sexual abuse of a Hamas police officer who had been arrested in the Gaza Strip. Prosecutors did not seek to hold five of them in custody, following new evidence in the case.

According to the IDF, the soldiers are 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.

IDF demolishes West Bank homes of 2 Palestinians accused of committing deadly shooting

The damage after Israeli forces demolished a house in Ramallah in the West Bank on August 13, 2024, which belongs to Palestinian Aysar Barghouti, accused of taking part in a deadly shooting attack north of the Palestinian city in January and subsequently detained. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP)

Overnight, the IDF demolished the homes of Aysar Barghouti and Khaled al-Kharouf, Palestinians accused of carrying out a deadly shooting attack in the West Bank in January, killing two people.

The home of a third Palestinian detained over the attack, Murad Dahadhah, was demolished last month.

The Palestinian Authority’s official mouthpiece WAFA claims Israeli troops shot a man dead during the demolition operation. Contacted by AFP, the IDF says it is looking into the report.

In the attack on January 7 on Route 465, near the West Bank settlement of Ateret, the terrorists shot dead Amar Mansour, 33, a resident of the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina, and Lara Tannous, 42, a Palestinian woman from Ramallah who worked as a pharmacist at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center.

The three were arrested a day after the attack.

Palestinian media report that troops demolished the homes of Barghouti and al-Kharouf in the Ramallah area overnight.

Despite the victims being Palestinians, Israeli security authorities say the shooting was carried out with nationalist motives, meaning it is considered a terror attack.

As a matter of policy, Israel demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out deadly terror attacks.

AFP contributed to this report.

IDF says it struck Gaza cell that fired rocket at Israel, as troops operate in Khan Younis, Rafah

Israeli forces operate in the Gaza Strip in a handout photo released on August 13, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

A cell of terrorists that launched a rocket from Khan Younis at the Gaza border community of Ein Hashlosha yesterday was struck by a drone, the IDF says.

According to the army, the airstrike was carried out shortly after the rocket attack, and additional strikes were carried out against sites used by terror groups in the area.

The incident comes as the IDF’s 98th Division continues a new offensive in Khan Younis. In the past day, the IDF says the troops demolished sites used by terror groups and killed several Hamas terror operatives, including others involved in rocket fire.

Further south, in Rafah, troops with the 162nd Division located weapons and intelligence materials in the past day, the IDF says.

Meanwhile, in the Netzarim Corridor in the Strip’s center, the IDF says troops with the 252nd Reserve Division directed strikes on numerous Hamas sites, including rocket launchers, sniper positions and observation posts.

Report: Israel vowing to strike Iran even if its attack causes no casualties in Israel

Israel has in recent days conveyed messages to the United States and several European countries that any direct attack by Iran will be answered by an Israeli strike on Iranian territory, according to Army Radio.

The unsourced report says Jerusalem has clarified that it is determined to attack Iran even if a potential attack doesn’t cause any casualties in Israel.

The messaging is said to be aimed at preempting pressure from the international community to avoid responding forcefully to an Iranian attack.

Over 1,000 Jews visit Temple Mount to mark Tisha B’Av; some filmed praying

Over a thousand Jews have entered the Temple Mount this morning to mark the solemn fast day of Tisha B’Av, which mourns the destruction of the Temples that once stood in Judaism’s holiest site.

Some are filmed praying in violation of police instructions and of a vague, unwritten status quo that governs the flashpoint site, which is also the third-holiest to Muslims and houses the Al Aqsa Mosque.

תשעה באב בהר הבית: מאות יהודים עלו להר, חלק מתפללים ומשתחווים בניגוד להוראות המשטרה. pic.twitter.com/BUzGGB3RpM

— שילה פריד???????? (@shilofreid) August 13, 2024

Police in reaction delay the continued entry of observant Jews, who were initially allowed to enter in groups of 100. After the visits are renewed, the groups are cut to 50 each.

According to the Jordanian Waqf, over 1,400 have entered the site today.

Report: Sinwar’s whereabouts only known to select few who help convey his handwritten messages

Yahya Sinwar, the Gaza Strip chief of the Palestinian Hamas terror group, greets supporters as he arrives to attend a rally marking Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day, April 14, 2023. (Mohammed Abed/AFP)

Only a select few “trusted” individuals know where Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is, and he conveys messages to the rest of the terror group’s leadership via a series of intermediaries to avoid detection, according to Hamas sources cited by the London-based, Arabic-language Asharq al-Aqsat news site.

The report says Sinwar has been present in many places in Gaza throughout the war, issuing instructions to Hamas officials once every two weeks and sometimes even once a week, the report says.

In rare cases, a phone call has been arranged with special security protocols, the report adds. But more commonly, his orders and positions are delivered via handwritten messages or printed messages signed by him, transferred manually from person to person until they reach their destination.

Iran rejects European calls for restraint amid Middle East tensions

Iran’s foreign ministry says calls for restraint regarding Israel from France, Germany and the United Kingdom “lack political logic and contradict principles of international law.”

Israel didn’t expect Iran to directly respond to killing of Haniyeh, US allegedly assesses

US officials believe Israel did not expect Iran to directly respond to the killing in Tehran of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, according to a column by David Ignatius in the Washington Post.

Jerusalem had also not anticipated that the killing of senior IRGC officials in Syria in April would be met with Iran’s subsequent major drone and missile attack on the Jewish state, the piece adds.

IDF says arms found in car of slain Qalqilya terrorist; commander recounts response to attack

Weapons found in the car of a Palestinian terrorist who carried out a shooting attack in the West Bank city of Qalqilya on August 12, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF says weapons were found in the car of the Palestinian terrorist who was killed last night after shooting and seriously wounding an Israeli man — as well as hitting two Palestinians — in the West Bank city of Qalqilya.

The military publishes an image of the arms found in the vehicle used by Hamas operative Tariq Daoud, 18, who had been jailed by Israel previously.

According to Ynet, an initial investigation has indicated the Israeli man, in his 60s, had entered Qalqilya to get his car serviced.

The IDF releases a quote by the commander of the force that pursued and eventually killed Daoud.

“A short while after receiving the report, we hurried to the scene, sought contact, encountered the terrorist who was in a vehicle, opened fire at close range and eliminated him,” says Col. Netanel Shamaka, commander of the IDF’s Ephraim Regional Brigade.

He wishes the wounded Israeli a speedy recovery, and reiterates that entering the Palestinian-controlled Area A in the West Bank is illegal for Israeli citizens.

US envoy says Turkey seems confident Israel-Iran-Hezbollah tensions won’t escalate

US Ambassador to Turkey Jeff Flake says Ankara appears to believe the current Israel-Iran-Hezbollah tensions won’t devolve into an all-out war.

“They’re doing what they can to make sure that it doesn’t escalate,” he says of Washington’s Turkish interlocutors, adding that they “seem more confident than we are that it won’t escalate.”

“We ask all of our allies that have any relations with Iran to prevail on them to deescalate, and that includes Turkey,” Flake says at a round-table with journalists in Istanbul as he comes to the end of his posting in Turkey.

IDF says it struck a series of Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon

The IDF says its planes struck “military buildings” used by the Hezbollah terror group in the southern Lebanon areas of Kafr Kila, Marwahin and Mays al-Jabal.

Air Force jets also targeted a Hezbollah watchpost in the Ayta ash-Shab area.

The military publishes footage of the strikes.

אמש, מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר תקפו מבנים צבאים של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחבים כפר כילא, מרווחין ומיס אל-ג'בל.

בנוסף, מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר תקפו עמדת תצפית של הארגון במרחב עייתא א-שעב שבדרום לבנון pic.twitter.com/xuxljwbuDb

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) August 13, 2024

UN condemns ‘devastating’ Israeli strike in Gaza, sets Security Council meeting

The United Nations Security Council is set to meet today to discuss Gaza in the wake of this weekend’s Israeli airstrike on what it says was a terror HQ inside a school that was being used as a shelter.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres calls the strike “devastating” and condemns “the continued loss of life in Gaza” in a post on the social media platform X.

Algeria has called for the urgent Security Council meeting after missiles hit the school Saturday. Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry has claimed at least 80 people were killed, without providing more details or distinguishing between civilians and fighters. Israel says at least 31 were members of terror groups, releasing a list of their names.

UKMTO reports incident northwest of Yemen’s Hodeidah

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) says it received a report of an incident 97 nautical miles northwest of Yemen’s Hodeidah, as the Iran-aligned Houthis have launched attacks on global shipping since November, claiming solidarity with Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas.

Authorities are investigating, UKMTO adds in an advisory note.

Blinken stresses need for Hamas to attend Thursday ceasefire talks in call with Turkish FM

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) shakes hands with Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Hakan Fidan during a meeting at Vahdettin, a private residence of the presidency, in Istanbul, on January 6, 2024. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool/AFP)

In a phone call with his Turkish counterpart earlier today, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the importance of Hamas attending Thursday’s summit in Doha aimed at finalizing a ceasefire agreement between the terror group and Israel, the State Department says.

Hamas announced yesterday that it would not attend, calling on mediators to coax Israel into agreeing to the updated proposal that the terror group submitted in early July.

That offer saw Hamas cave on its long-held, central demand that Israel commit up-front to a permanent ceasefire. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by submitting a series of new demands that Hamas has rejected, Israeli and US officials say.

The US readout doesn’t go as far as stating that Blinken urged Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to pressure Hamas to attend the Thursday meeting, but that does appear to be the implication.

Hamas officials regularly reside in Turkey and the country’s president holds a warm relationship with the terror group’s leadership.

FBI probes alleged Iran hack attempts of Trump, Biden camps

The FBI is investigating suspected hacking attempts by Iran targeting advisers to the Democratic campaign of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as the targeting of an associate of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, the Washington Post reports

The FBI began the investigation in June, when Biden was still running for president, suspecting Iran was behind the attempts to steal data from two US presidential campaigns, the newspaper said, citing sources.

The Harris campaign does not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Investigators have not found evidence that hacking attempts into the Democratic campaign were successful, the Washington Post reports.

Trump’s campaign said over the weekend that Iran had hacked one of its websites and the FBI said it was investigating that.

Iran denies interfering in US elections.

Research center revises scale of Mideast earthquake from 5.4 to 4.8

A 4.8 magnitude earthquake struck Jordan and Syria late on Monday, according to the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ), with residents across both countries and in Lebanon feeling its impacts along with locals in northern Israel.

The quake was at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), GFZ says. It had earlier reported the magnitude at 5.46 but revised it down minutes later.

Syria’s state news agency says it had registered the earthquake’s epicenter near the Syrian city of Hama.

Residents across Syria felt the quake, with people in the northern Syrian city of Azaz saying they had immediate flashbacks to the deadly 2023 earthquake that killed thousands in northern Syria and neighboring Turkey.

The Syrian civil defense operating in opposition-held areas of the war-torn country said they had deployed to several areas to respond to any prospective emergency but had not received reports of any damage thus far.

Residents across Lebanon also felt the quake.

Reports: 5.4-magnitude earthquake in Syria and Lebanon felt by northern Israel residents

Residents of northern Israel are reporting having felt an earthquake.

Arabic media says a 5.4-magnitude earthquake just shook Lebanon and Syria, with the epicenter being in the latter country.