Live updates (closed)
The Times of Israel liveblogged Saturday’s events as they happened.
New Jersey man receives 7-year prison sentence for arson, antisemitic graffiti cases
TOMS RIVER, New Jersey — A New Jersey man has been sentenced to seven years in connection with an arson and antisemitic graffiti last year, authorities say.
Ocean County prosecutors say Ron Carr, 35, of Manchester Township was sentenced yesterday on guilty pleas to arson, bias intimidation and criminal mischief. The seven-year, five-year and 18-month terms imposed for the convictions are to run concurrently.
In a news release, prosecutors say township police were called to the Pine Lake Park area in June 2023 and found 14 homes vandalized with spray paint that included some “Nazi symbolism.” The next day, emergency responders were called to a fire that destroyed one home and damaged three others.
Carr was arrested in both cases and authorities alleged in an affidavit outlining the charges that he made multiple antisemitic statements to investigators while being interviewed. He told police he was “saving the neighborhood” and he thought the house he set on fire would be turned into a school or “prayerland,” the affidavit says.
Defense attorney Shane Paugh said after Carr was charged that he hoped his client will “get the help he needs,” NJ.com reports.
The Asbury Park Press reports the crimes came amid “legal battles and zoning disputes over the placement of synagogues and Orthodox Jewish schools in Ocean County, which has rapidly growing Orthodox communities.”
IDF intel chiefs never told political and military leaders they’d had Hamas battle plan since April 2022 – report
Gazans at a burning Israeli military vehicle on the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border, October 7, 2023. (REUTERS/Yasser Qudih)
IDF intelligence chiefs never told Israel’s most senior military and political leaders that Unit 8200 had in April 2022 obtained a document setting out Hamas’s plans for what proved to be the October 7 invasion and slaughter in southern Israel, Channel 12 reports.
The existence of the document, which Israeli military intelligence codenamed “Jericho Walls,” was first reported in The New York Times in November 2023.
The 40-page plan, the Times reported at the time, laid out almost exactly how Hamas eventually wound up carrying out the attack: “The document called for a barrage of rockets at the outset of the attack, drones to knock out the security cameras and automated machine guns along the border, and gunmen to pour into Israel en masse in paragliders, on motorcycles and on foot — all of which happened on Oct. 7.”
Israeli intelligence officers reportedly determined that the terror group was incapable of carrying out an assault of such a large scope, or possibly unwilling, and dismissed concerns about it.
According to Channel 12 tonight, the Arabic language document, which was written in October 2021, was obtained by Unit 8200 in April 2022 and translated. It was seen by IDF intelligence chief Aharon Haliva, 8200 commander Yossi Sariel, Gaza division commander Avi Rosenfeld, and then IDF Southern Command chief Eliezer Toledano, the report says.
It was not seen by IDF chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, deputy chief Amir Baram, Israel Air Force chief Tomer Bar, or senior IDF operations officers Oded Basyuk and Shlomi Binder. It was also not seen by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, or the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
The document showed “Hamas was not deterred,” contradicting the prevailing IDF assessment, former IDF intelligence chief Aharon Ze’evi-Farkash tells Channel 12. Therefore it should obviously have been followed up rather than dismissed. “It needed to be thoroughly checked.”
The TV report says that IAF chief Bar, in the months preceding October 7, felt the Air Force was not getting adequate intelligence on developments in Gaza and that meetings were held with Unit 8200 about this concern. But even then, he was not told about the Hamas “Jericho Walls” battle plan document.
The air force had seen “no scenario” for the kind of mass breach of the border, with dozens of points of entry, that Hamas carried out on October 7, Brigadier General (Res.) Yaron Rosen, a former senior IAF officer and pilot, tells Channel 12. And thus there were “no relevant orders” to activate that morning, and the IAF was forced to improvise. Had it known of the attack plan, it would have drawn up a response and “hopefully” been able to prevent the invasion, Rosen says.
The Channel 12 report also describes efforts by an intelligence officer in the IDF Southern Command identified by the initial “Aleph” to alert more senior military officers to what he recognized as “something extremely unusual going on — heightened readiness on the other side [in Gaza]” in the hours before Hamas invaded.
It says “Aleph” contacted Haliva and IDF southern command chief Yaron Finkelman to report these indications, and that this was after Israeli intelligence officers had already noticed that dozens of Hamas terrorists had activated Israeli SIM cards in their phones, another tell-tale sign of attack that was ignored.
As has been previously reported, Finkelman headed to the IDF’s Southern Command headquarters overnight October 6-7 and alerted Halevi, who held telephone consultations but did not order a major alert.
“Aleph” also contacted Unit 8200 commander Sariel via WhatsApp to what he described as “a highly unusual event,” seeking intelligence from a “particularly important” technical network that had for years provided information on Hamas activities, the TV report says. Sariel, checking, was told that this network had not been working for the past several hours. The network was only reactivated at around the time that the invasion began.
Several Unit 8200 soldiers also recognized unusual activity in Gaza in the hours before the invasion and sent six emails to a “non-relevant user,” the report says.
Tonight’s TV report is the latest in a long series of revelations that have emerged since soon after October 7 about material in Israel’s hands pointing to the looming Hamas invasion that was ignored, dismissed or misinterpreted. The TV channel says its report was compiled under military censorship limitations, and that it was unable to detail an additional dramatic piece of information regarding the hours before the invasion “that should have lit all the red lights.”
Army says a second reserve soldier was killed by roadside bomb in Gaza
Sgt. Maj. (res.) Mordechai Yosef Ben Shoam (Israel Defense Forces)
A second IDF soldier was killed in the roadside bomb attack in the central Gaza Strip earlier today, the military announces.
The slain soldier is named as Sgt. Maj. (res.) Mordechai Yosef Ben Shoam, 34, a truck driver with the Jerusalem Brigade’s 8119th Battalion, from Geva Binyamin.
Ben Shoam was part of a convoy to supply troops in Gaza City’s southern Zeitoun neighborhood with equipment.
During the drive in the Netzarim Corridor, a roadside bomb exploded, killing Ben Shoam and Maj. (res.) Yotam Itzhak Peled.
The Hamas operatives who had planted the bomb also opened fire at the troops in the convoy, before fleeing, according to an initial IDF probe and a statement from the terror group.
Demonstrations calling for hostage deal held in Jerusalem, Haifa and other cities
Protesters dressed up as bound and blindfolded hostages with a banner behind them reading "What if this was your daughter" attend a demonstration in Ness Ziona to call for an immediate deal to free the captives held by Hamas, on August 17, 2024. (Vardit Alon-Korpel)
Along with the mass demonstration in Tel Aviv, protests staged in cities around the country demanding an immediate hostage release deal are drawing thousands of demonstrators.
Hundreds if not thousands participate in protests in Jerusalem and Haifa, with demonstrators leading a procession through Haifa holding up a banner declaring “Whoever abandons one life is as if they have abandoned the whole world,” referencing a Talmudic saying that someone who saves one life is as if they have saved an entire world.
In Ness Ziona, the grandfather of hostage Naama Levy addresses a demonstration for an immediate hostage release deal, while other protesters engage in performance art, with two women dressed up as bound and blindfolded hostages with a banner behind them reading “What if this was your daughter.”
National Unity party leader Benny Gantz, who joined the government shortly after the October 7 attack but resigned two months ago in protest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s management of the war, attends a rally at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv and speaks with protesters.
Other demonstrations are held in Hadera, Kiryat Tivon, Karmiel Junction in northern Israel, in Caesarea outside Netanyahu’s private residence, and in numerous other locales around the country.
In Jerusalem, demonstrators chant “No security, no economy, bring down the government,” Ynet reports.
Tens of thousands attend Tel Aviv rally calling on Netanyahu to finalize hostage deal
A protester wearing a Benjamin Netanyahu mask takes part in a demonstration calling for an immediate deal to free the hostages held by Hamas, in Tel Aviv on August 17, 2024. The sign reads: "I added clauses, hostages died. Sorry." (Danor Aharon)
Tens of thousands of Israelis participate in a huge rally in Tel Aviv calling for a deal to bring about the release of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, and accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of having deliberately stymied such an agreement in the past.
Numerous family members of hostages are taking part in the demonstration and calling on Netanyahu to finalize a deal immediately.
Mor Shoham, the brother of Tal Shoham who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri, says he’s worried the government will “make the worse mistake in its history” and forgo the best opportunity to free the hostages that there might be, referring to the latest push to secure an agreement.
“Tal is still there, I don’t know what he’s drinking, or eating, when the last time was he saw the light of day, if he knows what happened to his children, how much time he has left, but I don’t think it’s very long,” says Mor.
“No one thinks we can rescue 115 hostages in a military operation… ‘Deal now’ is not a slogan like ‘total victory,’ it’s an action plan, the only one there is. Netanyahu, sign a deal now!”
Mor Shoham, whose brother Tal Shoham was taken hostage by Hamas terrorists during the Oct. 7 attack, addresses a protest calling for an immediate deal to free the captives held in Gaza, in Tel Aviv on August 17, 2024. (Screenshot)
Some protesters highlight their demand for an immediate deal through provocative displays, including an individual in a Netanyahu mask leaning over another person representing a dead and bloodied hostage next to a banner that reads “I added clauses, hostages died. Sorry.”
PA says at least 2 killed in Jenin drone strike; toll expected to further rise
The Palestinian Authority health ministry reports that at least two people were killed in the IDF drone strike in the West Bank city of Jenin.
The toll is expected to rise. Some Palestinian media outlets report that at least three were killed.
The IDF said it struck a cell of terror operatives in a car, and would provide further details later.
Netanyahu reportedly refused British requests for meeting with visiting FM
British Foreign Minister David Lammy speaks as he is accompanied by his French counterpart Stephane Sejourne (not in picture) during a press conference in Jerusalem on August 15, 2024. (Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to meet yesterday with visiting UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, angered by the Labour government’s decision to retract the British objections to ICC warrants against the premier and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Channel 13 news reports.
Citing Israeli sources, the report says Britain made multiple requests for a sit-down between Netanyahu and Lammy, but was told the prime minister had a scheduling conflict.
The network notes Lammy’s trip was focused primarily on potential attacks by Iran and Hezbollah, with Israel hoping for British support to fend off any possible assault.
IDF confirms Jenin drone strike, says terror cell was targeted
The IDF confirms carrying out a drone strike in the West Bank city of Jenin a short while ago.
It says the target was a cell of terror operatives.
Further details will be provided later, the IDF adds.
Palestinian reports say Israeli strike targeted vehicle in Jenin
Palestinian media report that a vehicle was targeted in an Israeli airstrike in the West Bank city of Jenin.
No further details are immediately available.
#شاهد| طيران الاحتلال يقصف مركبة على دوار البطيخة في جنين pic.twitter.com/3wSXp3dlv8
— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) August 17, 2024
Ben Gvir rages at Herzog for saying Kahanists should be booted from the government
President Isaac Herzog (left) meets with Otzma Yehudit party head MK Itamar Ben Gvir, December 28, 2022. (President's Office)
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir lashes out at President Isaac Herzog for telling anti-government protesters that Kahanists should be booted from the coalition, referring to adherents of the extremist rabbi Meir Kahane such as the ultranationalist minister.
Ben Gvir claims in a statement that Herzog has complimented him and members of his far-right Otzma Yehudit party, before accusing the president of “ingratiating himself to a handful of anarchists who are trying to run the country and sow division in the nation.”
He also says Herzog should “just be quiet — hypocrisy is a disgusting thing.”
Ben Gvir for years boasted of being a disciple of Kahane, before attempting to put some distance between himself and his spiritual mentor as he was set to join the current government in late 2022.
US ‘bridging proposal’ reportedly excludes two of PM’s key demands; says two pre-Oct. 7 hostages to go free
A view of the Philadelphi Corridor, the Egypt-Gaza border area in Rafah, on June 18, 2024. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)
The US “bridging proposal” designed to enable the completion and implementation of a Gaza hostages-for-ceasefire deal includes most of Israel’s key demands, but does not provide for an ongoing Israeli presence along the Gaza-Egypt border and does not provide for a mechanism to prevent the return of armed Hamas forces to northern Gaza, Channel 12 news says in an unsourced report.
Only if Israel and the US, in another round of talks that is due to be held in Cairo tomorrow, can find agreed terms on these two key issues will Egypt and Qatar press Hamas to take the deal, the report says. Hamas has made clear that it will not agree to a deal that accommodates these two Israeli demands, the report says.
The TV report adds that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has repeatedly insisted on these two demands in recent weeks, is expected to hold a fateful discussion with Israel’s negotiators and security chiefs, focused on these issues, before Israel’s negotiators head to Cairo.
He is also slated to hold talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is due to arrive in Israel tomorrow.
US officials have said that the return of armed Hamas forces to northern Gaza would constitute a violation of the deal. Israeli and other sources have said that Israel’s security chiefs believe withdrawing from the Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza border for the six weeks of the deal’s first phase would not enable Hamas to significantly rearm, and that certain unspecified procedures along the border could compensate for an Israeli withdrawal from the border area.
The US, backed by fellow mediators Qatar and Egypt, conveyed its bridging proposal to Israel and Hamas on Friday after two days of summit talks in Doha. Israel and the mediators attended the summit; Hamas officials in Doha were updated on the progress of the talks there but did not directly participate.
Another such summit is tentatively scheduled, this time for Cairo, on Wednesday or Thursday, the TV report says. US officials have said they aim to finalize the long-sought deal by the end of this coming week.
According to tonight’s Channel 12 report, the “bridging proposal” covers numerous highly specific issues regarding the deal. Among these, it specifies how many living Israeli hostages will go free in the first, six-week phase of the deal; it has previously been widely reported that some 30 women, elderly and sick hostages will be freed. The names of almost all these hostages have also been largely determined, the report says.
The proposal also specifies the order in which hostages will be freed, with women — including female soldiers — to be released first.
The proposal reflects progress, too, on which Palestinian security prisoners are to be released in exchange for the hostages.
Avera Mengistu (left) and Hisham al-Sayed. (Flash 90/Courtesy)
The TV report says that Ethiopian Israeli Avera Mengistu and Bedouin Israeli Hisham al-Sayed, civilians who have been held in Gaza for the past decade, would also go free in the first phase of the deal. In return, it says, 47 Palestinian security prisoners, released in the 2011 deal to secure the freedom of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who have been rearrested since, would be freed as part of the deal.
The report stresses that these elements in the bridging proposal have been agreed by Israel and the mediators — but not by Hamas.
IDF announces reserve officer Yotam Itzhak Peled was killed fighting in central Gaza
Maj. (res.) Yotam Itzhak Peled (Israel Defense Forces)
An Israeli reserve officer was killed during fighting in the central Gaza Strip earlier today, the IDF announces.
He is named as Maj. (res.) Yotam Itzhak Peled, 34, a logistics officer with the Jerusalem Brigade’s 8119th Battalion, from Rosh Haayin.
Peled was killed by roadside bombs planted by Hamas in the Netzarim Corridor area.
His death brings Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip to 333.
PM’s office: Israeli negotiators ‘expressed cautious optimism’ about hostage deal
A woman and child walk through a replica of a tunnel used by Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip, ahead of a weekly protest by families of hostages to demand their release, in Tel Aviv on August 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says the premier was briefed by the negotiating team on this week’s talks in Qatar, which “expressed cautious optimism regarding the possibility about advancing a deal.”
The statement says Netanyahu was updated about the US proposal to bridge the gaps between Israel and Hamas, “which contains components that are acceptable to Israel.”
“We must hope that the heavy pressure on Hamas from the United States and the mediators leads to the removal of its opposition to the American proposal, and allow for a breakthrough in the contacts,” the statement adds.
IDF strikes additional Hezbollah targets, intercepts suspected drone from Lebanon
Israeli fighter jets struck additional buildings used by Hezbollah today, in southern Lebanon’s Aitaroun, Ayta-ash-Shab and Matmoura, the IDF says.
Meanwhile, the military says a suspected drone that entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon was shot down by air defenses over the Golan Heights community of Kela. Sirens had sounded in the area amid the incident.
Additionally, five rockets were launched from Lebanon toward the Shtula and Netu’a area, impacting open areas, the IDF says.
There were no injuries in the attacks.
מוקדם יותר היום מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר תקפו מבנים צבאיים ששימשו את ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחבים עיתרון, עייתא א-שעב ואל מטמורה שבדרום לבנון.
בהמשך להתרעה שהופעלה על חדירת כלי טיס עוין במרחב קלע, לוחמי ההגנה האווירית ירטו בהצלחה מטרה אווירית חשודה שחצתה משטח לבנון, אין נפגעים>> pic.twitter.com/TYO5kL0GHY
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) August 17, 2024
Protests held across Israel to call for hostage deal, new elections
A digital counter in Tel Aviv displays the days and hours that hostages seized in southern Israel by Palestinian terrorists during the October 7 attack have spent in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip, August 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)
The weekly demonstrations calling for a hostage deal and fresh elections are being held at numerous locations across the country, including in cities such as Haifa and Ness Ziona as well as at highway junctions.
Cops deny ‘false’ reports they refused to arrest settler detained by IDF, say they’ve since done so
Police deny as “false” reports that they refused to arrest a settler detained by IDF troops on suspicion of readying to attack a Palestinian village, claiming the force was never informed of the matter.
“It was only after your query that police knew about the incident,” police say in a statement to Army Radio, adding that officers then immediately reached out to the local IDF battalion commander “and a patrol car was sent to pick up the detainee.”
According to Army Radio, the suspect was held at the front gate of an IDF base in the Itamar settlement for four hours until the cops arrived.
Rocket sirens activated in Western Galilee border communities
Incoming rocket sirens are sounding in the Western Galilee border communities of Shtula and Netu’a.
Hostage’s mother urges security chiefs ‘to confront Netanyahu if he’s torpedoing’ deal
Illustrative: Families of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza demonstrate outside the Kirya IDF Military Headquarters in Tel Aviv, August 3, 2024. Einav Zangauker is second from right in a white shirt. (Oded Engel / Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)
The families of Israelis held hostage in Gaza gather outside the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv for the weekly rally calling for the return of their loved ones from Hamas captivity.
In comments to the media, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker says “it’s decision time — a deal or an escalation,” calling on the heads of the Mossad and Shin Bet to challenge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a deal.
“Don’t be afraid to confront Netanyahu if he’s torpedoing [the deal],” says Einav Zangauker. “If you don’t bring a deal this time, the deaths of the hostages will be in your names as well. Don’t give up on them.”
Hezbollah confirms death of operative who Israel named as a Radwan commander
Hezbollah confirms the death of a member identified by Israel earlier today as a commander in the terror group’s elite Radwan force.
The terror group, however, does not provide the rank and position of Hussein Ibrahim Kassab.
Kassab was killed in an IDF drone strike in southern Lebanon.
His death brings the terror group’s declared toll in IDF strikes over the past ten months to at least 412.
Air raid sirens activated in Golan due to suspected drone
Air raid sirens are activated in the northern Golan Heights, with the IDF’s Home Front Command reporting a suspected hostile aircraft.
IDF says fighter jets hit buildings used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanese villages
Israeli fighter jets struck buildings used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon’s Markaba, Ramyeh, and Kfarhamam earlier today, the IDF says.
Troops also shelled several more areas in southern Lebanon with artillery, the military adds.
מוקדם יותר היום מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר תקפו מבנים צבאיים ששימשו את ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחבים מרכבא, רמיה וכפר חמאם שבדרום לבנון.
בנוסף, צה״ל תקף בירי ארטילרי במרחבים א-טירי, יעטר, לבונה וחנין שבדרום לבנון pic.twitter.com/qFQ6GStisr
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) August 17, 2024
Rocket sirens sound in kibbutz near Lebanon border
Incoming rocket sirens are activated in Kibbutz Baram, near the border with Lebanon.
Herzog tells protesters ‘Kahanism needs to be removed from the government’
President Isaac Herzog speaks to anti-government protesters outside his house on August 17, 2024. (Screenshot, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
President Isaac Herzog appears to agree with a small but loud group of protesters near his home in northern Tel Aviv that extremist elements need to be removed from the current government, as they berate him for allegedly not doing enough to protect Israel’s democracy.
As the president stands surrounded by security guards and holding a tallit bag and prayer books, apparently coming from or going to synagogue, one of the activists shouts, “You’re the president of a Kahanist government, you have to jump up and down about it.”
The protesters seem to be referring to ultranationalist National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, a self-described disciple of the late rabbi Meir Kahane, who founded the now-banned Kach party, which advocated for positions such as expelling Arabs from Israel and the West Bank and banning sexual relations between Jews and non-Jews.
Amid the frenetic confrontation, Herzog agrees with the protesters, saying, “Of course, the Kahanism needs to be removed from the government.”
A video of the incident posted to social media shows a small group of activists constantly interrupting and speaking over the president as he tries to speak about his efforts to bring about unity within Israeli society amid the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.
When the protesters asked him to label far-right members of the government — specifically Ben Gvir — as a “danger to democracy,” Herzog says that he speaks up when he feels it’s necessary, as he did last year during the contentious judicial overhaul pushed by Netanyahu’s hawkish government.
He tells the protesters that he believes in “the State of Israel and Israeli society and Israeli democracy.”
“And Israeli democracy will win,” the president adds.
But the protesters reject his insistence that he represents all Israeli people and has repeatedly called for unity with cries of, “So what!”
After some of the activists quiet down the crowd, Herzog reiterates that he meets with the families of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza every day, along with bereaved Israelis.
“You’re just giving me grief,” he tells the demonstrators.
Cops reportedly refuse to arrest masked settler who IDF detained trying to enter West Bank village
Israel Police reportedly refused to arrest a settler who the IDF detained while en route to attack the Palestinian village of Rujeib in the northern West Bank.
Last year, then-IDF Central Command head Gen. Yehuda Fox penned a letter obtained by Channel 12 warning that police were not acting against violent settlers due to a directive from National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who oversees the law enforcement body.
In today’s incident, six settlers — some of them masked and donning pepper spray — tried to enter the Palestinian village of Rujeib, a senior Israeli security official tells Hebrew media.
An IDF squad was dispatched to the scene and managed to intercept the settlers before they entered the village.
Most of the settlers fled upon seeing the soldiers. One of the soldiers pointed his weapon at one of the suspects and detained him.
He was then handed over to police, who refused to arrest the suspect, the security official says.
The incident comes two days after dozens of settlers rampaged the nearby Palestinian village of Jit, killing one local.
Earlier today, President Isaac Herzog told protesters outside his home that the issue is being “handled.”
No arrests have been made in the Jit attack, and the lone suspect detained afterward was released. His apprehension wasn’t for the attack itself.
IDF says elite Hezbollah commander killed in southern Lebanon drone strike
A commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force was killed in a drone strike in southern Lebanon earlier today, the IDF says.
Hussein Ibrahim Kassab was struck while riding a motorcycle near the coastal city of Tyre.
The IDF releases footage of the strike.
A commander in Hezbollah's elite Radwan force was killed in a drone strike in southern Lebanon earlier today, the IDF says.
Hussein Ibrahim Kassab was struck while riding a motorcycle near the coastal city of Tyre.
The IDF releases footage of the strike. https://t.co/Zrvr4P1dp4 pic.twitter.com/xR4atHDPSl
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) August 17, 2024
Hospital says 2 soldiers hurt in apparent drone attack in light and moderate condition
Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center says two soldiers wounded earlier in an apparent Hezbollah drone attack are in a light and moderate condition.
Hezbollah says it launched two explosive drones at a military position in the area of the northern community of Misgav Am.
The IDF believes the projectile that wounded the soldiers was an explosive-laden drone, although it is still investigating.
Israeli delegation to travel to Cairo to discuss Rafah crossing today – report
View of the Rafah Border Crossing in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on July 15, 2024 in a photo taken under the supervision of the Israel Defense Forces. (Oren Cohen/Flash90)
An Israeli delegation will travel to Cairo today to discuss arrangements for the reopening of the Rafah border crossing with Egyptian, US, and Qatari officials, the Qatari Al-Araby Al-Jadeed news site reports.
The delegation is described as “technical” and does not appear to include high-ranking officials.
According to the report, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected an Egyptian and US proposal for monitoring the crossing, insisting that Israel play a role in overseeing security on the border, despite the offer including guarantees that Hamas won’t be able to use the area for military purposes.
The rejected proposal was not detailed in the report.
The Rafah border crossing has been closed since May, as Egypt refuses to operate the crossing while Israel maintains a presence there.
Israeli drone strike reportedly hits motorcycle near Lebanese city of Tyre
Lebanese media report an IDF drone strike on a motorcycle near the coastal city of Tyre.
No further details are immediately available.
الغارة الاسرائيلية التي استهدفت دراجة نارية على طريق قدموس قضاء #صور pic.twitter.com/3peaAlFqO1
— Voice of Lebanon 100.3 100.5 (@sawtlebnan) August 17, 2024
2 soldiers hurt in apparent drone attack in north earlier, army says
Two soldiers were wounded in an apparent drone attack on a military position near the northern community of Misgav Am earlier today, the IDF announces.
One of the soldiers is listed in serious condition, while the other is lightly hurt.
The pair were taken to a hospital for treatment.
Hezbollah takes responsibility for the attack, saying it launched two explosive drones at a military position in the area.
The IDF believes the projectile that wounded the soldiers was an explosive-laden drone, although it is still investigating.
IDF says 55 rockets fired by Hezbollah at northern community; no injuries in attack
According to the IDF, some 55 rockets were launched from Lebanon at northern Israel in Hezbollah’s rocket barrage on the community of Ayelet HaShahar.
There were no injuries in the attack, but some of the rocket impacts in open areas sparked fires.
לוחם צה"ל נפצע באורח קשה ולוחם נוסף נפצע באורח קל כתוצאה משיגור מלבנון, ככל הנראה של כטב"ם, שנפל והתפוצץ סמוך למשגב עם. בשעה האחרונה שיגר חיזבאללה כ- 55 רקטות לאזור איילת השחר ועמק החולה שחלקם נפלו בשטחים פתוחים. שריפות התפתחו במקום וצוותי הכיבוי פועלים לכבותן.
חיזבאללה מעלה… pic.twitter.com/CEB5RFvUSQ
— איתי בלומנטל ???????? Itay Blumental (@ItayBlumental) August 17, 2024
Firefighters battling blazes at around 10 sites in north after rocket barrage
Firefighters are battling blazes at some 10 locations in the Upper Galilee following Hezbollah’s rocket barrage.
The Fire and Rescue Service says it is working to extinguish the fires in fields and other open areas near Mishmar HaYarden, Ayelet HaShahar, and Mahanayim.
Hezbollah says it fired rockets at northern community after deadly IDF strike
Hezbollah takes responsibility for launching a barrage of rockets at the northern community of Ayelet HaShahar a short while ago.
Ayelet HaShahar is located some 10 kilometers from the Lebanon border, and is not among the evacuated towns.
The terror group says the attack comes as a response to an IDF strike in southern Lebanon’s Nabatieh overnight, which according to local authorities killed at least 10 people. The IDF said the target was a Hezbollah weapons depot.
There are no reports of injuries in the rocket barrage, which set off sirens in Ayelet HaShahar, Safed, and other nearby towns.
Footage appeared to show Iron Dome interceptions amid the attack.
חיזבאללה ירה מטח כבד של רקטות לאזור צפת@rubih67
צילום: דודו ויצמן pic.twitter.com/Zl3BnBhvdi— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) August 17, 2024
Interceptions witnessed in north after rocket sirens
Interceptions are seen above the northern city of Safed and its surrounding areas after rocket sirens were activated.
Lebanese media reports more than 40 rockets were fired by Hezbollah in two waves.
The attack appears to be in response to an IDF strike overnight targeting a weapons depot in Nabatieh, in which Lebanese authorities say 10 people were killed.
מטח כבד לגליל העליון: חיזבאללה שיגר עשרות רקטות, יירוטים באזור צפת
צילום: שימוש לפי סעיף 27א' pic.twitter.com/SUvLRorVyz
— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) August 17, 2024
Rocket sirens sound in Safed, surrounding towns
Incoming rocket sirens are sounding in the northern city of Safed and several nearby towns, amid an apparent attack from Lebanon.
The incident comes hours after the IDF said it struck a Hezbollah weapons depot in southern Lebanon, which according to local authorities killed at least 10 people.
Red Alert [12:00:36] – 1 Alert:
• Upper Galilee — Safed
Population in the area: 36,000#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/0phTjnTjmk— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) August 17, 2024
Hamas official: Optimism for ceasefire-hostage deal is ‘illusion’
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri. (AP/Hatem Moussa)
Senior Hamas spokesperson Samu Abu Zuhri says optimism that a ceasefire-hostage deal will be reached soon is an “illusion.”
The Qatari Al-Araby Al-Jadeed news site quotes Zuhri as saying Israel is sabotaging chances for a deal, and that Washington is backing these efforts.
“We are not on the cusp of an agreement or real negotiations, rather the imposition of American dictations,” he says.
Upper Galilee residents told to stay close to bomb shelters
The Upper Galilee Regional Council tells residents of communities near the border with Lebanon to restrict their movements and remain near bomb shelters.
The instructions are given to residents who have not yet evacuated from Hulata, Yesud HaMa’ala, Sde Eliezer, Ayelet Hashachar, Gadot, Mishmar HaYarden, and Machanayim.
IDF says dozens of gunmen killed in battles across Gaza over past day
IDF troops operate in the Gaza Strip, in an image released on August 17, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
Dozens of gunmen were killed during operations in the Gaza Strip over the past day, the IDF says, as the military has expanded its operation in Khan Younis.
In a morning update, the military says that Israeli Air Force fighter jets and drones struck more than 40 targets across Gaza, including buildings used by terror groups, weapon depots, and a launcher used to fire rockets at the Re’im area last night.
In southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, where the 98th Division launched a new operation last week, the IDF says that the offensive has been “expanded” in the past day.
The IDF says troops with the 98th Division killed several gunmen and located and destroyed dozens of Hamas sites.
The division also directed an IAF drone strike on a cell of terrorists that fired a barrage of five rockets at the border community of Nirim on Friday, according to the military. The cell was killed in the strike.
Further south, in Rafah, the IDF says the 162nd Division continues to operate in the northwestern Tel Sultan neighborhood, where troops killed several gunmen and destroyed sites belonging to terror groups in the past day.
In the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza, reservists with the 252nd Division killed several more terror operatives, including by directing a drone strike on one who had launched rockets at troops, the IDF says.
The Israeli Navy, with shelling from its vessels, also killed several gunmen in central Gaza, who the IDF says “posed a threat to the forces in the area.”
Death toll in southern Lebanon strike rises to 10, state news reports
A view of an industrial area destroyed by an Israeli airstrike, in Wadi al-Kfour, Nabatieh province, south Lebanon, August 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Around 10 people were killed, including two children, and five were wounded by an Israeli strike on a residential building in the city of Nabatieh city in south Lebanon, state news agency NNA says.
The victims are all Syrian citizens, NNA says, adding that a final toll of the strike would be announced after DNA tests were conducted to determine the identity of the victims.
The Israeli military said the airstrike targeted a weapons depot used by Hezbollah terrorists.
Gazan rescuers say 15 people from same family killed in Israeli strike
Gaza’s civil defense agency says an Israeli air strike killed 15 people from a Palestinian family, including nine children and three women.
The strike hit the home of the Ajlah family in the Al-Zawaida neighborhood of central Gaza, civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal tells AFP.
The Israeli military is aware of reports of 15 people killed in a Gaza airstrike and is looking into them, a spokesperson says.
IDF issues fresh evacuation orders for central Gaza
The Israeli military is calling on Palestinians in the Maghazi area of central Gaza to evacuate and head to the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone.
Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, publishes a list of the zones that need to be evacuated alongside the announcement.
He says that the military will “forcefully operate” against terror groups in the area, following recent rocket attacks.
The IDF previously operated with ground forces in Maghazi earlier this year.
#عاجل ‼️ الي كل المتواجدين في بلوكات 2232, 2340, 2343, 2245, 2244 ,2243, 2242, 2241, 2240 في منطقة المغازي وحارات صلاح الدين، الفاروق والأمل
⭕️على خلفية اطلاق قذائف صاروخية بشكل متواصل من قبل حماس والمنظمات الإرهابية من منطقتكم، سيعمل جيش الدفاع ضد تلك العناصر الإرهابية بقوة… pic.twitter.com/M2YXukWupr
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) August 17, 2024
Meanwhile, 10 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike on the town of Zawayda in central Gaza, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reports.
The IDF had not yet commented on the strike.
IDF says strike in Nabatieh targeted Hezbollah weapons depot
The IDF confirms carrying out an airstrike near southern Lebanon’s Nabatieh overnight, saying it targeted a Hezbollah weapons depot.
Nine people were killed in the strike, according to Lebanese media.
Additionally, the IDF says fighter jets struck buildings used by Hezbollah in Hanine and Maroun al-Ras, also in southern Lebanon.
It publishes footage of the latter strikes.
מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר תקפו אמש, מבנים צבאיים של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחבים חנין ומארון א-ראס שבדרום לבנון. בנוסף, במהלך הלילה הותקף מחסן אמצעי לחימה של הארגון במרחב נבטיה.
צה״ל תקף בירי ארטילרי במרחבים רמיש, לבונה, כפר שובא ועייתא א-שעב שבדרום לבנון pic.twitter.com/k9zVKXusXz
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) August 17, 2024
Argentina uncovers terror cell planning attacks on Jewish community
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentina’s Federal Police dismantled what it says was a terrorist cell planning attacks on the Jewish community in the city of Mendoza, the National Security Ministry says in a statement, describing the group as an “Islamist terrorist organization.”
“We are going to get rid of each and every one of these criminals who intend to sow fear in Argentines and they will pay,” Argentine Security Minister Patricia Bullrich posts on social media.
Seven members of the alleged group were arrested, the security ministry says. Eight raids were carried out at the homes of the members, resulting in the seizure of firearms, knives, and electronic devices, it says.
7 TERRORISTAS ¡AFUERA!
Planeaban atentados en Mendoza. En 8 allanamientos la PFA desmanteló una peligrosa organización vinculada a un grupo terrorista radical islámico, identificado tras amenazar a un periodista de la comunidad judía. Esta organización usaba las redes para… pic.twitter.com/f0NMhBxwGA
— Patricia Bullrich (@PatoBullrich) August 16, 2024
Death toll in reported Israeli strike in Nabatieh rises to 9
The death toll in a reported Israeli strike in southern Lebanon overnight has risen to nine, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
Lebanese media reported the strike in the Kfour area, close to the southern Lebanon city of Nabatieh.
The IDF has not yet commented on the attack.
Biden says he’s optimistic that deal can be sealed but cautions ‘it’s far from over’
US President Joe Biden speaks to reporters after arriving at Hagerstown, Maryland, for a brief stop en route to Camp David, August 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
US President Joe Biden says he’s optimistic about the prospects for a hostage-ceasefire deal that he claims is now in sight, but he warns it’s “far from over.”
“As of an hour ago, it’s still in play. I’m optimistic. It’s far from over,” he said on Friday night. “There’s a couple more issues. I think we’ve got a shot,” he tells reporters, without elaborating.
Asked when a ceasefire deal would start if an agreement is reached, Biden says: “That remains to be seen.”
Lebanese health ministry says at least 6 killed in Israeli strike on Nabatieh building
At least six people were killed and three others were wounded by an Israeli strike on a residential building in Nabatieh city, in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese health ministry says early Saturday.
Senior Hamas official: US bridging proposal aligns with Israeli conditions for deal
A senior Hamas official says the US ceasefire proposal aimed at bridging the gaps between Israel and Hamas aligns with the new demands Israel made last month.
“We have confirmed once again that the occupation does not want to reach an agreement and continues to evade and obstruct it, and insists on adding the new conditions it announced to obstruct the agreement,” the senior Hamas official says in a statement to reporters.
The Hamas official calls on the mediators to pressure Israel to agree to the latest proposal that the terror group submitted early last month.
That offer saw Hamas cave on its key demand for an up-front Israeli commitment for a permanent ceasefire, but did include a series of new conditions — many of which rejected by Israel and the mediators.
Hamas says it remains committed to an agreement with Israel on those terms.
“Any agreement must guarantee the cessation of aggression against our people, withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, provision of urgent relief in the form of food and medicine, and reaching a real deal to exchange prisoners,” the Hamas statement says.
Iran’s UN mission hints extension of Gaza talks to further delay threatened attack on Israel
Asked if Iran will continue to hold off on retaliating against Israel now that the Gaza ceasefire-hostage talks have been extended, Iran’s mission to the UN in New York says “We hope so.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri meanwhile says he was updated by his Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani about today’s negotiations in Doha.
In a statement posted to X, Bagheri says he told al-Thani that Israel can’t be trusted, while calling “to use all means” to force an end to Israel’s offensive in Gaza against Hamas.
A statement from the Qatari foreign ministry says the two “stressed the need for calm and deescalation in the region” and that al-Thani “reiterated Qatar’s commitment to supporting all regional and international efforts aimed at achieving regional and international security and stability.”
Biden warns ‘no one in the region should take action to undermine’ Gaza deal talks
US President Joe Biden arrives at Philadelphia International Airport, in Philadelphia, August 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
US President Joe Biden warns Israel and other actors not to take steps that could undermine the ceasefire and hostage release deal that his administration is trying to finalize in the coming days.
“Earlier today, I received an update from my negotiating team on the ground in Doha and directed them to put forward the comprehensive bridging proposal presented today, which offers the basis for coming to a final agreement on a ceasefire and hostage release deal,” Biden says in a statement.
“I spoke separately with [Qatar’s] Emir Sheikh Tamim and [Egypt’s] President Sissi to review the significant progress made in Doha over the past two days of talks, and they expressed the strong support of Qatar and Egypt for the US proposal as co-mediators in this process,” the president continues.
“Our teams will remain on the ground to continue technical work over the coming days, and senior officials will convene again in Cairo before the end of the week. They will report to me regularly.”
“I am sending Secretary Blinken to Israel to reaffirm my iron-clad support for Israel’s security, continue our intensive efforts to conclude this agreement and to underscore that with the comprehensive ceasefire and hostage release deal now in sight, no one in the region should take actions to undermine this process,” Biden adds.
Israeli official aims to lower expectations amid US optimism post-Doha summit
A senior Israeli official tells the Kan public broadcaster that progress was indeed made in Doha on several controversial aspects of the hostage deal being negotiated.
However, the official notes that this progress was only between Israel and the mediators.
It is still unclear how Hamas will respond to these new arrangements.
A lower-level Israeli negotiating team will remain in Doha over the weekend for continued talks with mediators, and a separate lower-level team will travel to Cairo tomorrow for similar meetings. Qatar and Egypt have sometimes divided the negotiations to have the former focus on the hostage aspects and the latter focus on the withdrawal of Israeli troops from key areas in and around Gaza, such as the Netzarim and Philadelphi Corridors along with the Rafah Crossing.
The lower-level delegations will aim to close remaining gaps before the top negotiators reconvene at the end of next week in Cairo to try and finalize a deal.
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