Aug. 18: IDF returns activists who crossed Syria border aiming to establish settlement there

North Korea’s Kim calls for rapid nuclear buildup amid US-South Korea exercises

This photo provided by the North Korean government shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivers a speech during a parliament in Pyongyang, North Korea, September 8, 2022. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un says his country needs to rapidly expand its nuclear armament and calls US-South Korea military exercises an “obvious expression of their will to provoke war,” state media KCNA reports.

South Korea and its ally the United States kicked off joint military drills this week, including testing an upgraded response to heightened North Korean nuclear threats.

Pyongyang regularly criticizes such drills as rehearsals for invasion and sometimes responds with weapons tests, but Seoul and Washington say they are purely defensive.

The 11-day annual exercises, called Ulchi Freedom Shield, will be on a similar scale to 2024 but adjusted by rescheduling 20 out of 40 field training events to September, South Korea’s military said earlier. Those delays come as South Korean President Lee Jae Myung says he wants to ease tensions with North Korea, though analysts are skeptical about Pyongyang’s response.

The exercises are a “clear expression of … their intention to remain most hostile and confrontational” to North Korea, Kim says, according to KCNA’s English translation of his remarks.

He says the security environment requires the North to “rapidly expand” its nuclear armament, noting that recent US-South Korea exercises involved a “nuclear element.”

Trump, EU’s von der Leyen discuss plight of children in war

US President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said yesterday they spoke about missing children due to conflict as Trump hosted European and NATO leaders in Washington to discuss Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Trump’s wife, Melania Trump, raised the plight of children in Ukraine and Russia in a personal letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, two White House officials said when Trump met Putin at a summit in Alaska Friday. Trump hand-delivered that letter to Putin.

Trump and the European leader “have been discussing the massive Worldwide problem of missing children,” the US president said on social media late yesterday, without mentioning any particular country in his post. “This is, likewise, a big subject with my wife, Melania.”

US denies intervening in case of Israeli official accused of Nevada sex crime

The US State Department says the American government played no role in the release of an Israeli official charged with soliciting sex electronically from a minor.

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich was one of eight people charged last week following an undercover operation “targeting child sex predators,” the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police said in a statement issued last week. Alexandrovich faces a felony charge of luring or attempting to lure a child or mentally ill person to commit a sex act “with use of computer technology,” according to Nevada State records reviewed by Reuters.

Hebrew media says Alexandrovich, a senior department head in Israel’s National Cyber Directorate, was released by US authorities and is back in Israel.

The report that an Israeli official accused of a felony sex crime was allowed to return home drew a storm of speculation online.

Alexandrovich “did not claim diplomatic immunity and was released by a state judge pending a court date. Any claims that the US government intervened are false,” the State Department says.

Trump says arrangements being made for Zelensky-Putin meeting

US President Donald Trump calls his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European partners “very good” and says he’s begun arrangements for a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky after a subsequent call with Putin.

He says security guarantees for Ukraine — provided by the European countries with a coordination with the US — were discussed during the meeting.

“At the conclusion of the meetings, I called President Putin, and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelensky,” Trump says, adding that US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will make arrangements between the two countries.

Trump paused meeting with Europeans to call Putin — source

US President Donald Trump interrupteda meeting with European leaders at the White House to call Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on efforts to reach a Ukraine deal, a source close to the talks says.

The call came as Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Finland, the European Commission and NATO, the source tells AFP on condition of anonymity.

Activists cross border aiming to establish settlement in Syria; IDF brings them back

Israeli activists attempt to establish a settlement in Syria, August 18, 2025 (Video screenshot; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

A group of settler activists, along with their young children, crossed the border into Syria earlier today in an attempt to establish a new settlement.

The military says troops were dispatched to the scene, across from the border town of Alonei Habashan, after several civilian vehicles were seen crossing into Syria.

“IDF troops at the scene returned the civilians safely to the territory of the State of Israel after a short time,” the military says, adding that they were called in for questioning by police.

“The IDF emphasizes that this is a grave incident that constitutes a criminal offense and endangers the public and IDF troops,” the army adds.

i24news first reported the case, identifying the group of activists as the “Bashan Pioneers,” named after the biblical name for the Golan Heights and southern Syria region.

According to the report, the organizers planned to stay inside Syrian territory, with their children, for a prolonged period, and establish a new settlement named “Nave Habashan.”

תיעוד: קבוצת משפחות חצתה את הגבול לסוריה בניסיון להקים יישוב בשם "נווה הבשן"

https://t.co/h1P1oZ4zQm pic.twitter.com/8lI075o6ee

— ערוץ 7 (@arutz7heb) August 18, 2025

Since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December, the IDF has been deployed to nine posts inside southern Syria, mostly within the UN-patrolled buffer zone.

In December, a group of settler activists entered Lebanese territory — in an area under Israeli control at the time — in an attempt to set up a settlement, before being cleared by the IDF.

"חלוצי הבשן": קבוצת יהודים עברו היום את הגדר של גבול סוריה ושתלו עץ במקום, מספר משתתפים עברו גם את המכשול של צה"ל והוחזרו על ידי חיילים pic.twitter.com/vzBbJSPjz6

— שיראל ללום נהיר???????? (@shirellaloom) August 18, 2025

Support for Jewish settlement in Syria and Lebanon remains very small, and no politicians or major figures outside of fringe settler groups have called for their establishment.

This is in contrast to calls throughout the ongoing war to settle Gaza, an idea that has relatively broad support from much of the Israeli far-right, most notably Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, both of whom have repeatedly advocated for the idea.

IDF: Two soldiers hurt by Hamas gunfire during fighting in north Gaza

An IDF officer was moderately wounded and another soldier was lightly hurt by Hamas gunfire during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip earlier today, the military says.

The IDF says the troops were taken to a hospital and their families were notified.

Syrian commission says over 300,000 may have gone missing under Assad family rule

People walk into the basement of the infamous Saydnaya military prison, just north of Damascus, Syria, December 9, 2024. (Hussein Malla/AP)

DAMASCUS, Syria — The head of Syria’s commission for missing persons says the number of people who went missing during decades of Assad family rule and the civil war may have exceeded 300,000.

Mohammed Reda Jalkhi, head of the commission created in May, says the body’s mandate ranged from 1970, the year Hafez al-Assad took power, to the present day and had no timeframe for completing its work.

“Our estimates of the number of missing range between 120,000 and 300,000 people, and it could be more,” he tells state news agency SANA.

Tens of thousands of people were detained or disappeared during the Syrian civil war alone, which erupted in 2011 after a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests by former president Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted in December 2024.

During the war, all sides were accused of atrocities, including the Islamic State jihadist group, which seized large swathes of Syria and neighboring Iraq, enforcing a strict interpretation of Islamic law and committing widespread abuses, including executions.

Bashar al-Assad ruled with an iron fist, like his predecessor, his father Hafez, who took power in a bloodless military coup.

The family’s rule was among the most brutal in the region, and its prison system, including feared sites such as Saydnaya, was notorious for disappearing people without a trace.

“We have a map that includes more than 63 documented mass graves in Syria,” he says, without providing details on where they were located, who dug them or who was thought to be buried there.

He says work was underway to establish a data bank for missing persons.

Syria’s new authorities have pledged justice for victims of atrocities committed under Assad’s rule.

Zelensky says he had ‘best’ conversation with Trump; truce needed before Ukrainian elections

(L/R) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte pose for a photo in the Cross Hall of the White House in Washington, DC, on August 18, 2025. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)

Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelensky gives an upbeat assessment of talks with US President Donald Trump and says they discussed security guarantees.

“We had a very good conversation with President Trump, and it really was the best one — or, sorry, maybe the best one will be in the future,” Zelensky says at an expanded meeting with European leaders.

Zelensky adds that a truce in the war is needed to make it possible for Ukrainians to engage in a democratic, open, and legal election.

Elections in Ukraine are currently suspended under martial law.

Trump interrupts the Ukrainian leader, saying, “So you’re saying that during the war, you can’t have elections?”

With a smile, he adds: “So, let me just say that three and a half years from now — you mean if we happen to be in a war with somebody, no more elections?”

Zelensky quickly laughed, adding, “No, no.”

Trump also says that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin “agreed that Russia would accept security guarantees for Ukraine, and this is one of the key points that we need to consider, and we’re going to be considering that at the table, also who will do what essentially,” ahead of a meeting with European leaders.

“I think the European nations are going to take a lot of the burden. We’re going to help them and we’re going to make it very secure,” he says.

Smotrich opposes partial deal, says Hamas under pressure due to Gaza conquest plans

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich expresses opposition to a potential partial ceasefire-hostage deal, arguing that Hamas has only eased its demands because it fears a planned Israeli offensive in Gaza City would destroy the group.

“Hamas is under great pressure due to the conquest of Gaza because it understands that this will eliminate it and end the story. Therefore, it is trying to stop it by bringing back the partial deal. This is exactly why we can’t surrender and grant the enemy a lifeline,” he writes on X.

“Continue until the end, win and return all the hostages in one stage,” he adds, sharing a photo of US President Donald Trump’s Truth Social post from earlier, which said the only way Hamas would return the hostages was if it were “confronted and destroyed.”

Hamas eases demands on release of Palestinians serving life sentences, Israeli withdrawal — report

Palestinian prisoners, released by Israel, gesture as they arrive on a bus at the European Hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, early on February 27, 2025. (AFP)

In its latest ceasefire-hostage release proposal, Hamas has eased its positions on two of the sticking points from last month’s round of talks — the release of prisoners serving life sentences and the size of an Israeli buffer zone along the Gaza border — Channel 12 reports.

A few weeks ago, Hamas sought the release of 200 prisoners serving life sentences, while Israel agreed to 125. The group is now demanding roughly 150, narrowing the gap considerably, according to the Hebrew network.

On the buffer zone along the Gaza border, Israel is insisting on a strip between one and 1.2 kilometers wide. Hamas, which previously demanded a maximum of 800 meters, is now willing to accept between 800 meters and one kilometer, the report continues.

An Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel that the new proposal retreats from most of the demands Hamas raised that derailed the talks in Doha last month.

In recent hours, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Israel’s lead negotiator, has been holding discussions with United States special envoy Steve Witkoff and with Qatari mediators to further clarify details of the proposal, Channel 12 adds.

Trump says US will be ‘involved’ in Ukraine’s security as part of peace with Russia

US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on August 18, 2025. (Mandel NGAN / AFP)

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump says that his country will be involved in providing security guarantees as part of a peace agreement on ending Russia’s war.

Speaking to reporters at the White House alongside his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump says that while European countries are “the first line of defense because they are there, they are Europe, we’re going to help them out also. We’ll be involved.”

Trump repeats his view that a ceasefire was not necessary to end the war, echoing earlier comments that brought his position more in line with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he met last week.

“I don’t think you need a ceasefire,” Trump says.

“I know that it might be good to have, but I can also understand strategically why one country or the other wouldn’t want it. You have a ceasefire and they rebuild and rebuild and rebuild and you know maybe they don’t want that.”

Trump says he will talk to Putin after meeting with Zelensky and European leaders at the White House.

AP contributed to this report.

Trump expects summit with Zelensky, Putin, if today’s meeting with Ukrainian counterpart goes well

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (2nd left) and US President Donald Trump participate in a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on August 18, 2025. (Mandel NGAN / AFP)

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump says that if his meeting with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky goes well, he expects to hold a trilateral meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin with the objective of ending the Ukraine-Russia war.

“We’re going to have a meeting. I think if everything works out well today, we’ll have a trilat and I think there will be a reasonable chance of ending the war when we do that,” Trump says, sitting alongside Zelensky at the White House.

Zelensky thanks Trump for hosting the talks, which will be expanded to include European leaders later in the day. “Thank you for (the) invitation and thank you very much for your efforts, personal efforts to stop killings and stop this war,” he says.

Trump welcomes Zelensky at White House ahead of talks on peace with Russia

US President Donald Trump greets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on August 18, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Tasos Katopodis/ Getty Images/ AFP)

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump welcomes Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House on Monday for high-stakes talks on a possible peace deal with Russia.

“We love them,” Trump tells reporters, when asked what his message was to the people of Ukraine after shaking Zelensky’s hand.

He also compliments Zelensky on his smart black jacket, after the Ukrainian was criticized by US Vice President JD Vance for failing to wear a suit during a visit to the White House in February that ended in a shouting match.

Official says Israel committed to comprehensive hostage deal

Demonstrators block a road during a protest demanding the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas and calling for the Israeli government to reverse its decision to take over Gaza City and other areas in the Gaza Strip, near Jerusalem, August 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

After Israel received Hamas’s latest ceasefire and hostage-release proposal — a partial framework envisioning a phased release of captives — an Israeli official stresses that Jerusalem’s commitment to a comprehensive deal remains unchanged.

“Israel’s position has not changed — [regarding both] the release of all the hostages and adherence to the other conditions defined for ending the war,” the official says in a statement.

The new proposal reportedly shows a significant scaling back of Hamas’s demands last month that derailed talks in Doha. Nonetheless, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this evening that Israel is pressing ahead with its planned expanded military campaign in Gaza and that Hamas is under “immense pressure.”

Netanyahu has stated in recent days that Israel will only accept a comprehensive deal that sees the release of all hostages at once, Hamas’s disarmament, Gaza’s demilitarization, Israeli security control of the Strip, and governance by a body other than the Palestinian Authority.

Notably, however, Netanyahu has not gone on the record to publicly rule out the partial deal being advanced by the Arab mediators since Hamas agreed to the proposal earlier today — an indication that Jerusalem is still weighing its options.

Hamas says it approved hostage deal offer presented by mediators

Hamas says in a statement that it and other Palestinian terror groups have approved a proposal for a ceasefire-hostage release deal presented by Egyptian and Qatari mediators.

Israeli man called ‘genocidal baby killer,’ kicked out of Melbourne hair salon

An Israeli man was called a “genocidal baby killer” and kicked out of a Melbourne, Australia hair salon, the customer tells the Canada-based Rebel News site.

“She heard my accent and asked, ‘Where are you from?’ I said, ‘I’m from Israel,’ and she said, ‘You can leave.’ Once I left, she called me a baby killer and she closed the door,” the Israeli man says.

Avi Yemini, a far-right figure in Australia’s Jewish community and a reporter for the news site, then booked an appointment at the Juniper Salon and confronted owner Katrina Ann Smith.

In the footage, Yemini asks Ann Smith if she “always asked people with ethnic accents where they come from,” and asks if she is aware that it’s “against the law to kick someone out based on their nationality.”

“You’re not here to have a haircut. You’re here to hassle me, because they were a baby killer, now f*ck off, f*ck off,” she responds.

“Israelis aren’t a race,” she adds.

She later calls the police, alerting them to a “Middle Eastern-looking man” harassing her customers.

???????? Avi Yemini confronts woke Melbourne salon owner after she refused service to an Israeli https://t.co/mQv3IkdnqJ

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) August 18, 2025

IDF chief: Israel at ‘turning point’ in war as it gears up for ‘next stage’ of offensive against Hamas

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir speaks to officers at the Gaza Division headquarters near Re'im, August 18, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir says Israel is at a “turning point in the war,” ahead of “the next stage” of an offensive against Hamas.

“We are in the midst of a multi-front, prolonged, and unprecedented campaign. We are at a turning point in the war, ahead of moving to the next stage of Operation Gideon’s Chariots, which focuses on deepening the blow against Hamas in Gaza City,” Zamir says to senior officers during a conference earlier today at the Gaza Division.

The conference was also attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz.

“We are preparing and approving plans. You must prepare all frameworks for the continuation of operational developments,” Zamir tells the officers.

GHF says it is launching new reserve system to help families with food collection

Displaced Palestinians sit on a trailer with bags of humanitarian aid they received at a distribution center run by the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) at the so-called 'Netzarim Corridor,' in the central Gaza Strip on August 4, 2025. (AFP)

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation announces that it is launching a new system to enable families to reserve a box of aid in advance, in an effort to reduce the scenes of utter chaos at its distribution sites.

To date, aid has been distributed on a first-come-first serve basis, benefiting younger, healthier males who are able to weather the long, dangerous trek through IDF lines to reach GHF distribution sites.

GHF has tried to alleviate the inequity by establishing women’s-only distribution times, but more vulnerable populations continued to be neglected.

Under the new system, GHF’s local Palestinian staff will invite beneficiaries to participate. Those who opt in will have their photo taken and receive an ID card with a unique number on it.

Beneficiaries will have the option of also creating an online profile where they can input information such as household size.

Participants will then have their box of food set aside for them, eliminating the need to partake in the daily rush for aid.

All data will be securely stored and never shared, GHF stresses, in an attempt to alleviate concerns that their information will be shared with Israeli authorities with whom the aid organization closely coordinates.

The new initiative is voluntary and will operate in parallel to the existing first-come-first-served system, GHF says.

The new system will also enable GHF to directly communicate with participants regarding distribution times and other relevant updates, the US- and Israeli-backed organization says.

GHF says it launched a pilot of the initiative on Sunday with 350 participants at one of its Rafah distribution centers and is planning to scale it up in the coming weeks.

The initiative appears to be the start of a registration process for GHF recipients, something that experts have long argued is essential.

While GHF has touted being able to distribute aid that does not reach Hamas, the free-for-all, chaotic scenes at distribution sites have seen boxes snatched within minutes, with no way to determine who has been benefiting from the aid.

“It has always been our plan to offer a way for families to reserve aid in advance and guarantee access, just as other aid organizations do,” says GHF executive director John Acree. “Until now, however, conditions on the ground have made implementation of such a program impossible. But with more aid flowing into Gaza and GHF’s deliveries helping stabilize food availability, conditions are improving.”

Still, GHF is only able to serve a small fraction of Gaza’s population of roughly two million, as it is currently only operating three sites in the entire Strip. Israeli and US officials have indicated that they plan to scale up GHF’s operations, but aid from other international organizations amounts to the bulk of assistance feeding Gazans.

Israel has received Hamas’s latest hostage deal offer, official confirms

Israel has received Hamas’s latest ceasefire and hostage release deal proposal, an Israeli official confirms to The Times of Israel.

The proposal comes down from the vast majority of the demands Hamas made last month that led to the collapse of talks in Doha, an Arab diplomat says.

Netanyahu says Hamas under ‘immense pressure’ after reports it dropped many of its hostage deal demands

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at his office in Jerusalem, August 10, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Amid reports that Hamas has come down from its previous demands and accepted a proposal from Arab mediators for a hostage deal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears largely dismissive, saying the terror group is under “immense pressure,” as Israel advances its plans to take over Gaza City.

Netanyahu says he met earlier today with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and Defense Minister Israel Katz to discuss Israel’s Gaza City takeover “and the completion of our missions.”

“Like you, I hear the reports in the media, and from them, you can get the impression of one thing — that Hamas is under immense pressure,” the premier says, speaking to senior officers at the IDF’s Gaza Division headquarters near the Gaza border community of Re’im, in a video issued by his office.

As talks in Cairo on a partial deal between Arab mediators and Hamas have advanced over the past several days, Netanyahu has insisted he is no longer interested in such proposals and will only agree to end the war if Hamas releases all of the hostages at once, disarms, allows for the demilitarization of Gaza, grants Israel overall security control of the Strip and hands over control to a body other than the Palestinian Authority.

But the Arab mediators are hoping that the rhetoric out of Jerusalem is just a pressure tactic and that Netanyahu will come around if Hamas agrees to walk back the demands it made last month that led to the collapse of talks on a partial deal.

Ben Gvir says Netanyahu ‘has no mandate for partial deal’; Gantz: Government has clear majority to return hostages

In the wake of reports that Hamas accepted a partial truce-hostage release deal offer, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir posts on X that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “has no mandate for a partial deal.”

The last time a ceasefire deal was made, Ben Gvir withdrew from the government and has threatened to do so again if another agreement with Hamas is inked.

Meanwhile, opposition National Unity party chairman Benny Gantz insists the government has the support of a majority of lawmakers to return hostages.

“The government has a clear majority and a broad security net to return the hostages. Netanyahu, this is not the time to hesitate, this is the time to make the right choices for the nation of Israel and the security of Israel,” he writes on X.

Arab diplomat to ToI: Latest Hamas truce proposal erases most of demands that caused talks to collapse

Hamas political bureau chief Khalil al-Hayya, left, seen in Tehran on February 8, 2025. (Photo by KHAMENEI.IR / AFP)

An Arab diplomat tells The Times of Israel that Hamas’s chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya presented Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani with an updated ceasefire and hostage release proposal that backs away from the vast majority of the demands raised by the terror group that led to the collapse of talks last month.

The proposal will see the release of 10 living hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinian security prisoners during a 60-day truce, the diplomat says, adding that the deal will also see the release of bodies of slain hostages.

The proposal is being presented to Israel today though Jerusalem has insisted that it is no longer interested in partial deals, saying that it will only agree to end the war if Hamas releases all of the hostages at once, disarms, allows for the demilitarization of Gaza, grants Israel overall security control of the Strip, and hands over control to a body that isn’t the Palestinian Authority.

The Arab mediators believe that the Israeli demands don’t give them anything to work with and instead have been working to first secure a partial deal, albeit one they are framing as a “pathway to a comprehensive agreement.”

Similar to the proposal crafted by US special envoy Steve Witkoff earlier this year, the latest proposal envisions negotiations on the terms of a permanent ceasefire commencing at the start of the 60-day truce, with the mediators aiming to secure an agreement on those details by the end of the two-month temporary ceasefire, the Arab diplomat says.

Earlier today, US President Donald Trump appeared to align with the Israeli position, writing on Truth Social that the hostages will only be released when Hamas is destroyed.

The Arab diplomat speculates that the Truth Social post was a “pressure tactic” aimed at bringing Hamas to accept the terms of Witkoff’s original hostage deal proposal.

The diplomat says that the proposal submitted by Hamas is almost entirely identical to the one proposed by Witkoff.

Katz: Hamas willing to discuss hostage deal due to fear we’ll conquer Gaza City

Defense Minister Israel Katz visits an IDF post in the Gaza Strip buffer zone, August 5, 2025. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)

Defense Minister Israel Katz says that for the first time in weeks, Hamas is “willing to discuss a deal for the release of hostages, only because of its fear that we seriously intend to conquer Gaza City.”

Katz, speaking to senior IDF officers during a visit to the Gaza Division with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, says capturing Gaza City “will lead to the defeat of Hamas.”

Israel has warned it would capture Gaza City, and Zamir recently green-lit the IDF’s plans for the offensive.

“The focus on Gaza City derives from it being a military, governmental, and symbolic center of gravity. The leadership is there, and there remain the central infrastructures of the military wing. Hamas also knows that this is now the core of its rule,” Katz claims.

Therefore, Katz says, “We see that for the first time, after weeks in which Hamas was not at all willing to discuss any deal for the release of hostages, even though Turkey had already approached it and Qatar had approached it, suddenly it is on the table.”

“The reason is clear: only [Hamas’s] fear that we seriously intend to conquer Gaza [City] makes it willing to discuss,” Katz adds.

US denies it freed senior Israeli cyber official nabbed in child sex probe due to pressure from Jerusalem

The US State Department denies mounting claims by anti-Israel activists that Washington bowed to a request from Jerusalem to release a senior Israeli cyber official who was arrested in a sting operation targeting a group of men trying to lure minors for sexual purposes.

“The Department of State is aware that Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, an Israeli citizen, was arrested in Las Vegas and given a court date for charges related to soliciting sex electronically from a minor,” the State Department’s Near Eastern Affairs Bureau tweets.

“He did not claim diplomatic immunity and was released by a state judge pending a court date. Any claims that the US government intervened are false,” the bureau adds.

Alexandrovich’s arrest and release have been picked up by anti-Israel social media accounts, who have used the case to argue that the US is allowing Israel to become a safe haven for pedophiles.

Iranian VP warns war with Israel could start at any moment

Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref speaks during the third Caspian Economic Forum in Tehran on February 18, 2025. (ATTA KENARE / AFP)

TEHRAN, Iran — A senior Iranian official warns that war with Israel could erupt at any moment, describing the current lull after June’s 12-day conflict as only a temporary halt.

“We must be prepared at every moment for confrontation; right now, we are not even in a ceasefire (agreement); we are in a cessation of hostilities,” First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref says.

Hostage families call for second nationwide strike on Sunday

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum calls for another nationwide strike to pressure the government into ending the war in exchange for the release of hostages on Sunday after a similar action yesterday.

It says that yesterday’s protests “prove in a clear manner and a strong voice what most of the country wants: The nation of Israel supports the return of hostages and the end of the war!”

Rocket fired from Gaza falls inside Strip, military says

A rocket launched from southern Gaza at Israel a short while ago fell short inside the Strip, the military says.

An interceptor missile was launched at the rocket, as it was initially expected to land in Israel. An alert was activated in open areas, and not in any towns.

FM Sa’ar meets with visiting family of Nepalese hostage Bipin Joshi

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar meets relatives of Nepalese hostage Bipin Joshi during their first visit to Israel, August 18, 2025. (Mordechai Gordon/Foreign Ministry)

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar met today with relatives of Nepalese hostage Bipin Joshi during their first visit to Israel, according to a statement from the minister’s office.

During the meeting – attended by Bipin’s mother, Padma, his sister, Pushpa, and Nepal’s ambassador to Israel, Dhan Prasad Pandit – Sa’ar “expressed Israel’s deep commitment to returning all of the hostages, including those who are not Israeli citizens, such as Bipin Joshi,” the statement reads.

Sa’ar has held several talks with Nepal’s foreign minister to coordinate diplomatic activity regarding Bipin’s captivity, the statement continues, adding that since November 2023, no sign of life has been received from Bipin and there is “serious concern for his life.”

Yesterday, the Joshi family participated in the nationwide strike called by the relatives of hostages in Gaza to demand an end to the war and the release of their loved ones, before meeting with President Isaac Herzog at his residence.

The two relatives arrived for the first time in Israel last week, nearly two years after Joshi, an agriculture student living in the country, was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists from Kibbutz Alumim during the October 7, 2023, massacre.

Hamas source says terror group agreed to ceasefire proposal presented to it yesterday by mediators

A Hamas source tells the Qatari channel Al Jazeera that Hamas informed mediators it accepted the ceasefire-hostage release deal proposal submitted to it yesterday.

According to an earlier report on the Qatari channel Al Arabi, this was a revised version of Hamas’s latest response in the negotiation round, which dealt with a framework agreement for a 60-day ceasefire.

However, the Saudi channel Al Arabiya reported that the proposal represents a compromise between a full ceasefire — meaning an end to the war — and a temporary truce, which includes the release of hostages and a gradual withdrawal of the IDF from Gaza.

The Saudi channel Al-Hadath reported, citing a Palestinian source, that Hamas agreed to the proposal submitted by the mediators without any comments.

France warns Israel over reported plan to close Jerusalem consulate, says move would get ‘strong response’

The French consulate in Jerusalem, pictured on June 18, 2024. (Menahem Kahana/ AFP)

Following reports that Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar is pushing for Israel to close France’s consulate in Jerusalem in response to French President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to recognize a Palestinian state, the French Foreign Ministry spokesperson says in a statement that Paris hasn’t received any official notice of such a move but warns against it.

“We have not received any official notification from the Israeli authorities regarding this step, which could seriously harm our bilateral relations and provoke a strong response,” reads the statement.

An Israeli diplomat told The Times of Israel yesterday that Sa’ar is considering shuttering France’s consulate-general in Jerusalem after Macron announced that Paris will unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state in September. Earlier today, Sa’ar revoked the visas of Australian representatives to the Palestinian Authority in response to Canberra’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state and amid accusations that Australia is fostering antisemitism.

France’s Jerusalem consulate — along with those of the UK, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Belgium, Spain, and Sweden — predates the founding of Israel and operates without official accreditation to the state. These eight missions serve as their countries’ channels to the Palestinian Authority and handle a range of issues within Jerusalem.

Irish author promises to give earnings from BBC book adaptions to proscribed terror group Palestine Action

Irish author Sally Rooney speaks during the Hulu segment of the 2020 Winter TCA Press Tour at The Langham Huntington in Pasadena, California, on January 17, 2020. (Amy Sussman / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)

LONDON — Irish author Sally Rooney has vowed to give fees generated by two BBC adaptations of her books to the Palestine Action group, which was recently proscribed as a terrorist organization in the UK.

The writer, whose second novel “Normal People” (2018) and its 2020 BBC television adaptation won her international acclaim, announces her plans in the Irish Times.

Rooney says she had chosen the Dublin-based newspaper to publicize her intention rather than a UK one as doing so “would now be illegal” after the government banned Palestine Action as a terrorist group in early July.

“The UK’s state broadcaster… regularly pays me residual fees. I want to be clear that I intend to use these proceeds of my work, as well as my public platform generally, to go on supporting Palestine Action and direct action against genocide in whatever way I can,” she writes.

More than 700 people have been arrested, mostly at demonstrations, since the group was outlawed under the Terrorism Act 2000.

“I feel obliged to state once more that like the hundreds of protesters arrested last weekend, I too support Palestine Action. If this makes me a ‘supporter of terror’ under UK law, so be it,'” Rooney says.

The government ban on Palestine Action came into force on July 5, days after the group took responsibility for a break-in at an air force base in southern England that caused an estimated £7 million ($9.3 million) of damage to two aircraft.

The group said its activists were responding to Britain’s indirect military support for Israel during the war in Gaza.

Heritage minister reportedly seeking to recover sunken Irgun ship Altalena

The Altalena ship burns after being shelled near Tel Aviv, June 22, 1948. (Hans Pinn/GPO)

Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu told the cabinet yesterday that he is investigating how to recover the Altalena ship, an Irgun cargo ship that was sunk on the orders of then-prime minister David Ben-Gurion in 1948, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

According to the report, Justice Minister Yariv Levin agreed with the idea, adding that it should be converted into a “monument and symbol for the heroism of Revisionist Zionism.”

The Altalena ship, carrying a large consignment of arms and weapons, was brought to Israel by Menachem Begin’s Irgun militia during the country’s War of Independence in June 1948.

However, the nascent government of Ben-Gurion, at bitter odds with Begin, demanded that the ship and its supplies be turned over to the newly formed IDF.

As the ship reached the coast and then ran aground, a standoff ensued that ended in a shootout between Irgun members aboard and IDF soldiers on the shore, who were ordered to destroy the vessel. The ship was set ablaze by fire from cannon used by the forces on the shore under the command of a young Yitzhak Rabin, later the IDF chief of General Staff and prime minister.

Sixteen Irgun members and three IDF soldiers died in the incident, and the ship’s cargo was lost.

Trump: Hostages will only be released ‘when Hamas is confronted and destroyed’

US President Donald Trump disembarks Air Force One as he arrives at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, August 16, 2025, from a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Apparently backing Israel’s planned expansion of the war into Gaza City, US President Donald Trump says hostages held in Gaza will only be freed “when Hamas is confronted and destroyed,” in a post on his Truth Social site.

“We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!! The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be,” he writes.

“Remember, I was the one who negotiated and got hundreds of hostages freed and released into Israel (and America!),” he says, exaggerating the number of people freed in the January-March ceasefire deal, when Hamas released 30 hostages — 20 Israeli civilians, five soldiers, and five Thai nationals — and the bodies of eight slain Israeli captives.

One additional hostage, a dual American-Israeli citizen, was released by the terror group in May as a “gesture” to the United States.

“I was the one who ended 6 wars, in just 6 months. I was the one who OBLITERATED Iran’s Nuclear facilities. Play to WIN, or don’t play at all! Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DJT,” Trump adds.

Thousands of Palestinians flee Gaza City as fresh offensive looms

Palestinians carry humanitarian aid they gathered after an airdrop, as they walk in the al-Mawasi area, in the southern Gaza Strip on August 18, 2025. (AFP)

CAIRO, Egypt — Fearing an imminent ground offensive, thousands of Palestinians have left their homes in eastern areas of Gaza City, now under constant Israeli bombardment, for points to the west and south of the shattered territory.

In Gaza City, many Palestinians have also been calling for protests soon to demand an end to a war that has demolished much of the territory and wrought a humanitarian disaster, and for Hamas to intensify talks to avert the Israeli ground offensive.

Ahmed Mheisen, Palestinian shelter manager in Beit Lahiya, a war-devastated suburb abutting eastern Gaza City, says 995 families had departed the area in recent days for the south.

With the Israeli offensive looming, Mheisen put the number of tents needed for emergency shelter at 1.5 million, saying Israel had allowed only 120,000 tents into the territory during a January-March ceasefire.

“The people of Gaza City are like someone who received a death sentence and is awaiting execution,” Tamer Burai, a Gaza City businessman, says.

“I am moving my parents and my family to the south today or tomorrow. I can’t risk losing any of them should there be a surprising invasion,” he tells Reuters via a chat app.

A protest is scheduled for Thursday in Gaza City by different unions, and people took to social media platforms vowing to participate, which will raise pressure on Hamas to reach a ceasefire deal.

Egyptian FM says Cairo ready to join UN-backed international force in Gaza

Egypt says it is willing to join a potential international force deployed to war-torn Gaza, but only if backed by a UN Security Council resolution and accompanied by a “political horizon,” as ceasefire-hostage release efforts pressed on in Cairo.

“We are standing ready, of course, to help, to contribute to any international force to be deployed in Gaza in some specific parameters,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty tells a joint press conference with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa at the Rafah border crossing.

“First of all, to have a Security Council resolution, to have a clear-cut mandate, and of course to come within a political horizon,” Abdelatty says.

“Without a political horizon, it will be nonsense to deploy any forces there.”

Abdelatty says a political framework would enable international troops to operate more effectively and support Palestinians “to realize their own independent Palestinian state in their homeland.”

Zelensky says Russia shouldn’t be ‘rewarded’ for invasion, ahead of talks with Trump

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a joint press conference with the European Commission president in Brussels, Belgium, on August 17, 2025. (Simon Wohlfahrt / AFP)

WASHINGTON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says ahead of talks with Donald Trump today that Russia should not be “rewarded” for its invasion, after the US leader pressed Ukraine to make concessions in exchange for peace.

The talks, in which European leaders will also take part, follow a Friday summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska that failed to produce a ceasefire in the nearly three-and-a-half-year war.

Trump, who dropped his insistence on a ceasefire in favor of a final peace deal after meeting Putin, said Sunday that Zelensky could end the war “almost immediately, if he wants to” but that, for Ukraine, there was “no getting back” Crimea and “NO GOING INTO NATO.”

Kyiv and European leaders have warned against making political and territorial concessions to Russia, whose assault on Ukraine since February 2022 has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths.

“Russia should not be rewarded for its participation in this war…. And it is Moscow that must hear the word: Stop,” Zelensky says in a Facebook post.

Trump and Zelensky are expected to meet one-on-one before being joined by the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Finland, as well as NATO chief Mark Rutte and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, according to the White House.

The European leaders will also hold a preparatory meeting with Zelensky ahead of talks with Trump, the European Union says.

Australian Jewish leader condemns rejection of MK, despite ‘offensive’ views

The head of one of Australia’s leading Jewish organizations has spoken out against the country’s decision to bar far-right Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman from visiting the country, even if many do not share Rothman’s far-right views.

“It is one thing to disagree strongly with an elected representative of a democracy and ally, it is quite another to deny them entry on that basis,” Jeremy Leibler, president of the Zionist Federation of Australia, says in a statement to The Times of Israel.

While noting that many of Rothman’s views “are highly offensive and do not reflect the values of the Australian Jewish community or the mainstream Israeli public,” Leibler states that Australia “ought not set such a precedent.”

A spokesman for the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, the official representative of Australian Jewish organizations, declines to comment.

PA prime minister says committee being formed to manage Gaza once again

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa (L), accompanied by Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty (C), arrives at an airport in El-Arish, Egypt, on August 18, 2025. (Khaled DESOUKI / AFP)

Visiting the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing alongside Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa says the PA is laying the groundwork for it to eventually retake control of the Gaza Strip.

“We will soon announce the establishment of a temporary committee to manage the affairs of the Strip under the auspices of the Palestinian government,” he says.

Mustafa says the body will not be new but rather a reactivation of institutions of the “State of Palestine and its government in Gaza,” which he stresses is “an inseparable part of the State of Palestine.”

The PA was in charge of running Gaza’s affairs until 2007, when it was ousted by Hamas in a bloody coup. Israel has said it will not agree to handing over control to the PA, but has yet to formulate an alternative acceptable to the international community.

Mustafa says Israel’s offensive does not grant legitimacy to any local or international body to impose “arrangements” on the Gaza Strip, hinting at US pressure on Egypt to accept Gazans into Egyptian territory.

Israel boots Australian diplomats, orders close look at visa requests as ties sour

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has decided to revoke the residency visas of Australia’s representatives to the Palestinian Authority, the minister announces in a post on X, hours after Canberra barred an Israeli lawmaker from entering the country.

Sa’ar, who accuses the Australian government of fanning antisemitism, writes that he also instructed Israel’s embassy in Canberra “to carefully examine any official Australian visa application for entry to Israel.” It’s unclear if the policy will affect all Australian requests or only those from Australian officials.

The moves, which were presented to the Australian ambassador a short while ago, follow “Australia’s decisions to recognize a ‘Palestinian state'” in September, and the country’s “unjustified refusal to grant visas to a number of Israeli figures, including former Minister Ayelet Shaked and the Chairman of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, MK Simcha Rotman,” according to Sa’ar.

“While antisemitism is raging in Australia, including manifestations of violence against Jews and Jewish institutions, the Australian government is choosing to fuel it by false accusations, as if the visit of Israeli figures will disrupt public order and harm Australia’s Muslim population. It is shameful and unacceptable!” Sa’ar adds.

In a sharply worded Hebrew-language video message released by Sa’ar’s office shortly after the announcement, the minister adds that “Australia is acting against Israel, Australia is persecuting Israel,” and that its move to bar individuals “must be understood in this context.”

“And we will take additional measures,” Sa’ar adds. “To be continued.”

Despite holding offices in Ramallah, both Australian diplomats representing Canberra to the PA live in Israel, according to Channel 12 news.

Around 180 tons of aid dropped into Gaza

Aircraft from Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Singapore and Indonesia airdropped 180 pallets of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip today, the IDF says.

Each pallet contains around one ton of food.

Indonesia, with the largest Muslim population in the world, does not have relations with Israel, but reports in recent weeks have swirled around efforts to broker a normalization deal. Yesterday marked the first time it airdropped aid in Gaza, according to COGAT.

Israel re-adopted a policy of allowing aid airdrops on July 26, amid mounting international criticism over the hunger crisis in Gaza. But airdrops are only able to deliver a small fraction of what can come into Gaza by land. They also pose safety risks for the civilians who can be hit by the packages from above.

Source says new Gaza plan would free 10 hostages in first phase

A source from the Islamic Jihad terror group fighting alongside Hamas in Gaza tells AFP that a proposed ceasefire plan presented to Hamas today involves a “ceasefire agreement lasting 60 days, during which 10 Israeli hostages would be released alive, along with a number of bodies.”

Previous talks had centered around a deal that would see 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 others released in a first phase.

Terror groups in the Gaza Strip are holding 50 hostages, including the bodies of at least 28 confirmed dead by the IDF. Twenty are believed to be alive and there are grave concerns for the well-being of two others, Israeli officials have said. The number includes the body of an IDF soldier killed in Gaza in 2014.

According to the Islamic Jihad source, “the remaining captives would be released in a second phase, with immediate negotiations to follow for a broader deal” for a permanent end to “the war and aggression” with international guarantees.

The source adds that “all factions are supportive of what was presented” by the Egyptian and Qatari mediators.

Israel’s government is said to now demand that any deal include all hostages released in a single tranche.

One in three Australians think Palestine recognition too soon, won’t matter anyway

More than half of Australians support the recognition of a Palestinian state, but many of them think their government should wait until Hamas is no longer in power or Palestinians first recognize Israel’s right to exist, polling numbers published by the Sydney Morning Herald show.

According to the survey of 1,800 respondents, 24% of Australians think the government should recognize a Palestinian state regardless, while 32% of Australians want Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to wait until those conditions are met. The remaining 44% polled prefer the government not grant recognition at all.

The poll, conducted from November 11 to 16, also finds that only 25% of Australians think the recognition move will change anything, versus 36% who think it will not and 40% who are unsure. It is unclear where the extra percentage point comes from.

Norwegian wealth fund to divest from 6 companies linked to West Bank, Gaza

Norway’s sovereign wealth fund says it is divesting from six companies with connections to the West Bank and Gaza, following an ethics review of its Israeli investments.

The $2 trillion wealth fund, the world’s largest, does not name the companies it has decided to exclude, but says these would be made public, along with specific reasons for each company, once the divestment is complete.

The announcement follows an urgent review launched this month after reports that the fund had built a stake in an Israeli jet engine group that provides services to Israel’s armed forces, including the maintenance of fighter jets.

The fund’s ethics council watchdog says it will continue to assess Israeli companies every quarter.

Exclusions from the fund are based on recommendations from the fund’s ethics watchdog.

After brief hiccup, Knesset committee okays extending IDF reservist call-up

The Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee has passed an extension of an emergency military call-up order by an 8 to 7 vote, a week after the measure was pulled off the agenda due to a lack of coalition support, a Knesset spokesperson says.

The order, replacing one that expired in May, allows the army to draft up to 430,000 reservists as it seeks to expand fighting in Gaza, though far fewer are expected to actually be called up. The order expires on September 4, unlike previous orders, which were good for several months at a time.

The government was forced to call off a planned vote on the measure last week due to the absence of the committee’s recently ousted chair, Likud MK Yuli Edelstein, and New Hope MK Mishel Buskila.

According to the Walla news site, the vote took place at the Defense Ministry’s Tel Aviv headquarters rather than in the Knesset.

The authorization of the IDF to draft reservists with emergency call-up orders has been brought for government approval every few months since the beginning of the war in October 2023. In non-emergency times, the IDF can only call up reservists a long time in advance rather than at short notice, and cannot call them up for a large number of days.

Gantz lashes ‘misguided’ Australia, but some in opposition back Canberra

Leader of the Blue and White-National Unity Party MK Benny Gantz ahead of a faction meeting at the Knesset on July 7, 2025 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Despite sitting across the aisle, opposition party head Benny Gantz speaks out in defense of Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman after the right-wing lawmaker was banned from visiting Australia.

“MK Rothman & I have stark political and ideological differences — yet Australia’s decision to bar him from entry is not only deeply misguided, but blatantly hypocritical,” National Unity leader Benny Gantz writes on X in an English post.

“If only Australia fought the ravaging antisemitism targeting its Jewish communities with the same fervor it banned representatives from the one & only democracy in the Middle East,” he continues.

Not everyone from the opposition agrees.

“Contrary to Smotrich’s statements, the people of Israel absolutely do not stand behind Rothman,” Yesh Atid MK Vladimir Beliak writes in response to a statement from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich that his party colleague enjoys wide support from Israelis across the political spectrum.

“The people of Israel cannot stand Rothman, and the people of Israel genuinely do not care whether Rothman — who is funded up to his neck with foreign money — enters Australia or not,” he writes on X.

“It is also important to clarify to the world that politicians like Rothman absolutely do not represent Jewish and democratic Israel.”

Hadash MK Mossin Raz quips online that “Australia is mistaken. Better [Rothman] should do damage in Australia rather than living in a settlement and harming the Knesset Law, Constitution and Justice Committee.”

Rothman was scheduled to fly to Australia tonight to visit the Jewish community there, but was informed this morning that his visa had been rejected.

Iran says talks with nuke watchdog to resume in coming days

Iran will continue talks with the UN nuclear watchdog and the two sides will probably have another round of negotiations in the coming days, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei tells state media.

International Atomic Energy Agency staff have been unable to access Iran’s nuclear sites to carry out inspections after Israel and the US bombed them during a 12-day war in June. Iran has insisted that contacts with the IAEA not include inspection activity, despite IAEA chief Rafael Grossi stating that inspections remain his top priority.

“We had talks [with the IAEA] last week. These talks will continue and there will be another round of talks between Iran and the agency probably in the coming days,” Baghaei says.

Tehran has accused the IAEA of effectively paving the way for the Israel-US attacks with a report on May 31 that led the IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors to declare Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations.

Palestinian official confirms Hamas presented with Gaza deal as Egypt talks intensify

Hamas negotiators in Cairo have received a new proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza calling for an initial 60-day truce and hostage release in two batches, a Palestinian official says, confirming earlier reports.

“The proposal is a framework agreement to launch negotiations on a permanent ceasefire,” the official tells AFP on condition of anonymity.

The official says that “Hamas will hold internal consultations among its leadership” and with leaders of other Palestinian factions to review the proposal from mediators.

Earlier, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said during a visit to the Rafah border crossing that “as we speak now, there are Palestinian and Qatari delegations present on Egyptian soil working to intensify efforts to put an end to the systematic killing and starvation.”

Israel joining aid effort in cholera-stricken South Sudan

Vobia Kawaja, a 34-year-old mother of five, sits outside her home with her children and neighbors' children in Kotobi, Mundri West County, South Sudan, June 26, 2025. (AP/Florence Miettaux)

Israel will provide “urgent” humanitarian aid to South Sudan to address a cholera crisis there, the Foreign Ministry announces, days after a report surfaced that named the East African country as a possible destination for relocated Gazans.

“In light of the severe humanitarian crisis in South Sudan,” Israel’s Agency for International Development Coordination, MASHAV, “will provide urgent humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations in the country,” reads a statement.

The aid — which includes medical equipment, water purification supplies, gloves and face masks, special hygiene kits, and food packages — aims to address a cholera outbreak in the young country, which “suffers from a severe shortage of resources,” the statement says.

IsraAID, an Israeli non-governmental organization operating in South Sudan, will also assist in the aid operation, adds the ministry.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar met last month with visiting South Sudan’s Foreign Minister Monday Semaya Kumba, and the two “discussed the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan, which is worsening due to the influx of refugees fleeing the war in Sudan,” according to Jerusalem.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel visited South Sudan last week, a day after it was reported that Israel was in talks with the country about resettling Gazans — though the African nation has sharply denied the allegations.

Palestinian woman arrested on suspicion of spying for Iran

Police earlier this month arrested a 24-year-old Palestinian woman suspected of espionage for Iran, Channel 12 news reports.

The suspect, a resident of Beit Ummar in the southern West Bank, was arrested August 6 by police operating off intelligence from the Shin Bet and IDF, according to the outlet.

A law enforcement official contacted by The Times of Israel declines to detail the suspicions against the alleged spy at this stage of the investigation. The Shin Bet has not yet responded to a request for comment regarding the case.

According to Channel 12, the suspect confessed to some of the suspicions against her during a lengthy interrogation, in which she detailed her contact with an Iranian agent and described missions she carried out on his behalf.

A military court has requested that police present additional evidence to substantiate the claims against the suspect, and thus decided to extend her detention by another eight days to allow officers to continue their investigation.

State comptroller looking to question Netanyahu, ex-defense chiefs on October 7 failures

State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman attends a Knesset Finance Committee meeting in Jerusalem, January 6, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman and his team are seeking meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former defense minister Yoav Gallant, former IDF chiefs of staff Herzi Halevi and Aviv Kohavi, and senior Shin Bet officials as a wide-ranging probe into the failures surrounding Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught expands to include key decision-makers.

The meetings are slated to focus on key political and security failures, including the conduct of the security cabinet, intelligence processes, and border defense in Gaza, marking a shift from investigations that have thus far steered clear of political leaders.

“Everyone is obligated to cooperate with the probe. Attacks by parties seeking to evade scrutiny will not deter us from conducting the State Comptroller’s work in the most professional manner,” Englman says in a statement from his office announcing his intent to interview Netanyahu and others.

Officials have been sent detailed questions classified as “Top Secret,” and meetings are being coordinated to review the findings and ensure accountability across all levels of government, military, and security services, the statement says.

The comptroller’s probe is currently the only state-sanctioned comprehensive investigation into the October 7 attacks, during which approximately 1,200 people were massacred by Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups in southern Israel, and 251 people were taken hostage. Political leaders have insisted that no investigation can look at government decision-making until the war in Gaza concludes, ignoring loud calls for them to submit to a state commission of inquiry.

Englman’s investigation, which began in January 2024, was suspended for 15 months in the IDF and Shin Bet due to the ongoing war and opposition from senior officials. With the appointment of IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir in March 2025, a framework for the probe was established and endorsed by the High Court in April, allowing it to proceed.

Englman’s probe largely lacks the teeth of a state commission, but he stresses that leaders must still cooperate with his inquest. “Full availability, submission of all relevant documents, and a professional engagement with the probe findings are required. Our sole obligation is to the citizens of Israel, who deserve answers on the core failure that led to the massacre.”

Critics, including opposition members and government watchdog groups, have raised concerns that Englman, who has no legal background and was appointed under a Netanyahu-led government, may minimize political responsibility for the brutal attack.

Troops destroy rocket launchers in southern Gaza, IDF says

Rocket launchers that were struck by the IDF in the southern Gaza Strip, in a handout photo issued on August 18, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Several rocket launchers that were aimed at Israel were struck by troops of the Kfir Brigade during operations in the past day in the southern Gaza Strip, the military says.

One rocket was fired from Gaza at southern Israel but intercepted yesterday.

The army says operations also continue in the Strip’s north, where it says artillery shelling was carried out to support ground troops.

Qatari prime minister said set to meet Hamas in Egypt amid report of fresh truce proposal

Qatari channel Al-Araby reports that Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani is set to visit Cairo today for a meeting with Hamas negotiators.

According to the network, a Hamas delegation, which has been in Cairo for talks since last week, has received a new ceasefire proposal from international mediators and is being asked to provide a response today.

The talks have been mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, with Turkey involved in brokering their resumption last week.

Hamas has not officially commented on the reports.

According to Saudi channel Al-Arabiya, the new proposal represents a compromise between a partial ceasefire deal and an agreement fully ending the war and releasing all hostages, which Israel is now demanding. The proposal reportedly includes clauses amending Hamas’s response to the last proposal, which had dealt with a framework agreement for a 60-day ceasefire.

Smotrich backs MK barred by Aussies

Chairman of the Religious Zionism party MK Bezalel Smotrich and his party member MK Simcha Rothman present the "Law and Justice" program during a press conference in Kfar Maccabiah in Tel Aviv on October 18, 2022. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich tweets in support of Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman after Australia bars him from visiting, writing in a post on X, “Simcha, in the face of all the antisemites in the world, the people of Israel stand behind you and support you.”

“Continue to proudly voice Israel’s stance. We won’t stop until complete victory!” continues Smotrich, who leads the Religious Zionism party.

Smotrich was sanctioned in June by Australia, Canada and the UK for “incit[ing] extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights.”

Rothman was scheduled to fly to Australia tonight to visit the Jewish community there, but was informed this morning that his visa had been rejected. The move marked a significant escalation after Canberra earlier barred former justice minister Ayelet Shaked last year. In June, it also canceled a visa for Hillel Fuld, a pro-Israel influencer who is the brother of one of Smotrich’s aides.

Right-wing ministers flog Australia for decision to bar Rothman

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir speaks during a rally outside the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, June 5, 2025. (Arie Leib Abrams/Flash90)

Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli says Australia’s move to bar MK Simcha Rothman from the country is “a direct extension” of the Australian government’s “disgraceful choice to honor the rapists and murderers of Hamas,” referring to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s announcement that Canberra will recognize a Palestinian state.

Writing in English on X, Chikli says the ban reflects “a broken moral compass, discrimination, and a grave assault on free speech.”

The Albanese government’s decision to bar MK Rothman (and previously former minister Shaked) from visiting Australia???????? is a direct extension of his disgraceful choice to honor the rapists and murderers of Hamas.
It reflects a broken moral compass, discrimination, and a grave…

— עמיחי שיקלי – Amichai Chikli (@AmichaiChikli) August 18, 2025

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir terms the decision “a historical stain and a shame for the Australian government,” in a post on X, criticizing what he calls “the gloating cries of Israeli left-wing activists, the collaborators of Hamas, and those who defame Israel worldwide.”

He warns that Albanese is “wrong to think appeasement of Islamist terror will advance Australia” and says such policies risk following “Britain’s disastrous path.”

Rothman, a Religious Zionism MK, releases his own statement denouncing Australia’s decision to bar him from entering the country, calling it a capitulation to “the antisemitism raging in the streets of Australia.”

Rothman states that the Australian Jewish community had invited him for a “solidarity visit” and that the entry ban is linked to the Knesset’s non-binding July motion in support of the annexation of the West Bank.

“The State of Israel must teach the entire world, including the Australian government, how to fight terrorism and not surrender to it — because surrendering to terrorism leads to more terrorism,” he says.

Likud MK Tali Gotliv says that “Australia has been antisemitic from time immemorial.” She claims the country invented the idea that the way to fight antisemitism is to have “a territory without Jews.”

US envoy presses Israel to withdraw from Lebanon after Beirut commits to disarm Hezbollah

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during a press conference after his meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the presidential palace, in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. (AP/Hussein Malla)

US envoy Tom Barrack says Israel must now honor its commitments under a ceasefire that ended its war with Hezbollah, after the Lebanese government launched a process to disarm the terror group.

Under the November truce agreement, weapons in Lebanon were to be held only by the state and Israel was to fully withdraw its troops from the country, although it has kept forces in five border points it deems strategic.

“I think the Lebanese government has done their part. They’ve taken the first step. Now what we need is Israel to comply with that equal handshake,” Barrack says following a meeting in Beirut with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

Over 300 truckloads of aid entered Gaza Sunday, Israel reports

Some 320 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered the Gaza Strip yesterday through the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings, Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities (COGAT) says.

According to COGAT, more than 330 trucks’ worth of aid were also collected by the United Nations and other international organizations from the Gaza sides of the crossings yesterday to be distributed.

Another 161 pallets of aid — about 5-8 trucks’ worth — were airdropped by Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Indonesia in Gaza yesterday, according to the IDF. Each pallet has about one ton of food.

Similar amounts of aid deliveries have been reported daily for approximately the past week.

The UN has said 600 trucks of aid need to be distributed each day in order to properly feed the Strip’s roughly two million people.

COGAT also says that “tankers of UN fuel entered for the operation of essential humanitarian systems” yesterday.

Israel says Hamas gunmen hit with drone in Khan Younis cemetery

An armed cell of gunmen who were spotted operating at a cemetery in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis last week were killed in a drone strike, the military says, publishing footage of the incident.

The alleged Hamas operatives had been spotted at the so-called old cemetery in central Khan Younis by soldiers of the Kfir Brigade’s Haruv reconnaissance unit.

The army says the gunmen “posed a threat to the troops operating nearby,” prompting troops to call in a drone strike against them.

On their bodies, the IDF says, it later found assault rifles, RPGs, grenades and an explosive device.

In a separate incident in the area, the military says troops found and demolished rocket launchers, without providing details.

Amnesty accuses Israel of deliberately starving Gazans

Palestinians scramble for donated food at a community kitchen in Gaza City, northern Gaza Strip, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025. (AP/Jehad Alshrafi)

Rights group Amnesty International says Israel is enacting a “deliberate policy” of starvation in Gaza, citing testimonies of displaced Palestinians and medical staff treating malnourished children in the territory.

Israel, while restricting aid allowed into the Gaza Strip, has repeatedly rejected claims of deliberate starvation in the 22-month-old war. Contacted by AFP, the military and foreign ministry do not immediately comment on Amnesty’s findings.

According to the group’s report, “Israel is carrying out a deliberate campaign of starvation in the occupied Gaza Strip, systematically destroying the health, well-being and social fabric of Palestinian life.”

Banned MK says Canberra ‘surrendered to terror’

MK Simcha Rothman tells the Kan public broadcaster that Canberra’s decision to reject his visa is a “surrender to terror.”

Rothman says he applied for a visa through standard diplomatic channels with the involvement of the Foreign Ministry. He surmises that the decision was spurred by fear of backlash from anti-Israel activists.

“They were threatened by Islamist jihadists of what will happen if I am allowed to visit, and so instead of worrying about public order, instead of standing firm against terror, they surrendered to terror,” he says.

Rothman says the rejection is not against him but against Israel as a whole,  claiming that examples of supposedly hateful speech cited by the Australian government in its decision are comments well within the Israeli mainstream.

“‘You incite because you said Israel needs to destroy Hamas,'” he quotes from the decision. “‘You incite because you said a Palestinian state is dangerous to Israel and wants to exterminate it.'”

Australia bars far-right MK Rothman hours before trip

Chairman of the Knesset Constitution Law and Justice Committee MK Simcha Rothman leads a hearing for legislation to change the appointment process for the ombudsman for judges, February 18, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Australia is barring Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman from visiting the country for a series of appearances, the Guardian reports, citing a statement from Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.

Rothman, a far-right lawmaker, had been slated to make a series of appearances at Jewish schools and synagogues and meet with victims of a recent wave of antisemitic attacks, according to the Australian Jewish Association, which invited him and confirms the cancellation.

“Our government takes a hard line on people who seek to come to our country and spread division,” Burke is quoted saying in a statement. “If you are coming to Australia to spread a message of hate and division, we don’t want you here.”

According to AJA, the visa was canceled hours before Rothman was slated to fly to Australia. It says the trip was unconnected with events with the Middle East.

“This is a viciously antisemitic move from a government that is obsessed with targeting the Jewish community and Israel,” AJA head Robert Gregory says in a statement posted online by the group.

Gregory says Jews should think twice before visiting Australia, claiming that increasing numbers of Australian Jews are looking into emigrating.

“Israel is fully justified in taking strong measures in response to this and we have briefed contacts in the Trump Administration who are also concerned about events in Australia,” he adds.

In June, Australia barred pro-Israel activist and influencer Hillel Fuld because his presence would constitute a risk to “the health, safety or good order,”  Burke’s office said at the time. Last year, it blocked former justice minister Ayelet Shaked for similar reasons.

Canberra has taken an increasingly critical stance toward Israel in recent weeks, including announcing plans to recognize a Palestinian state next month.

There is no immediate comment from Rothman, who heads the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee and is seen as one of the main architects of the controversial overhaul of the judicial system being pushed by the government.

The Foreign Ministry has also not yet commented.

Southern residents warned of loud blasts as Gaza offensive ramps up

The city of Sderot is reportedly warning area residents that they will likely hear loud explosions throughout the day due to military operations in nearby Gaza, according to Hebrew-language media.

The city sits some seven kilometers (four miles) from the northeastern edge of Gaza City, where the army has been concentrating its war effort ahead of a plan to sack and take over the enclave’s largest city.

The warning stretches beyond Sderot to several nearby regional councils, including Sdot Negev, Shaar Hanegev and Eshkol, the Ynet news site reports.

Khamenei adviser: We’re not in a ceasefire, another war with Israel or US ‘may happen’

A senior official in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says another war with Israel or the United States may begin at any time.

“We are not in a ceasefire, we are in a stage of war. No protocol, regulation or agreement has been written between us and the US or Israel,” Yahya Rahim Safavi, a senior military adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, tells Iranian media.

“I think another war may happen, and after that, there may be no more wars,” he adds, according to a translation by Iran International.

“The Americans and the Zionists say they create peace through power; therefore, Iran must also become strong, because in the system of nature, the weak are trampled,” Safavi says.

“We must strengthen our diplomatic, media, missile, drone and cyber offensive strategy. We, the military, do scenario-planning, we see the worst case, and we prepare a plan for it.”

Ahead of Trump meeting, Zelensky says he hopes ‘shared strength’ with US, Europe will compel Russia to peace

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky says upon his arrival in Washington, DC, that he hopes that Ukraine’s “shared strength” with the US and European counterparts will compel Russia to peace.

“I am grateful to the President of the United States for the invitation. We all equally want to end this war swiftly and reliably,” Zelenskiy says on the Telegram messaging app after arriving in Washington.

“And I hope that our shared strength with America and with our European friends will compel Russia to real peace.”

Trump’s bilateral meeting with Zelensky will take place at 1:15 p.m. local time (8:15 p.m. Israel time) on Monday at the White House, the White House says in a press guidance statement.

Trump will then participate in a multilateral meeting with European leaders visiting Washington at 3 p.m. local time.

Trump says reclaiming Crimea or joining NATO is off the table for Ukraine

US President Donald Trump urges Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky to come to a negotiated settlement in the three-and-a-half-year-old conflict with Russia.

Zelensky “can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,” Trump says on his Truth Social platform. “No getting back Obama given Crimea… and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!”

Netanyahu said mulling setting up satellite party to siphon votes from right-wing rivals in next election

Anticipating a potential failure to salvage his teetering coalition once the Knesset returns from hiatus in October, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has increased the frequency of political consultations ahead of the next national elections, the Ynet news site reports, citing unnamed political sources close to the premier.

One of the challenges under discussion is reportedly how to optimize the makeup of the parties in his bloc, mainly how to convince Itamar Ben Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit party, Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism and Avi Maoz’s one-man Noam party to run on a joint electoral slate, like they did in the 2022 election.

Netanyahu is also said to be considering the option of setting up a satellite party that will attract right-wingers who are unwilling to support Netanyahu’s Likud or the parties in his current bloc, seeking to siphon votes of rivals such as Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Liberman.

One of the options examined, according to the sources cited by Ynet, is having a party headed by former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen or former IDF generals Ofer Winter or Deddi Simchi, among others. However, none of these names has proven to be sufficiently popular, the report says.

These political consultations also reportedly discussed internal Likud politics, and yielded the need to quickly advance the merger with Gideon Sa’ar’s New Hope party, a move that was announced last week.

Netanyahu is said to be aiming to avoid holding elections for new members of the Likud Central Committee in light of his current strong hold over the ruling party’s mechanisms, telling his aides to examine if this is legally possible.

AG tells High Court Levin locking her out of shared office violates previous court order

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara (center) and Justice Minister Yariv Levin (right) at a farewell ceremony for retiring acting Supreme Court president Uzi Vogelman, at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, October 1, 2024. (Oren Ben Hakoon/POOL)

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara argues that by locking her out of an office shared by her staff and that of Justice Minister Yariv Levin, the latter has violated a High Court of Justice ruling that the government must not alter its working relationship with the attorney general until the court announces whether Baharav-Miara’s firing is legal.

The lock switch was Levin’s latest attempt to kick Baharav-Miara out of the workings of the government after the cabinet last month voted to fire her using a newly introduced method, having failed to oust her using the existing legal mechanism. The High Court froze that decision immediately, instructing the government not to block Baharav-Miara from performing her responsibilities in any way in the meantime.

Levin, who has frequently clashed with Baharav-Miara, has nonetheless objected to her doing her job. After the vote to fire her, Levin’s driver called Baharav-Miara’s staff and instructed them not to use the office that Baharav-Miara and Levin share in Tel Aviv, prompting the Movement for Quality Government watchdog to file a High Court petition claiming this violated the previous ruling.

Earlier Sunday, Levin told the court that the office in question is his own private office.

In her court filing, Baharav-Miara doesn’t dispute that, but says the custom over at least the past decade has been for the attorney general’s staff to use the office on the days of the week when the justice minister’s staff doesn’t work from there.

She argues that the decision to halt that arrangement was unilateral and made with a direct link to the cabinet decision to fire her, adding: “The incident violates orders issued by the court, specifically the instruction not to alter the existing working relationship. It appears that the purpose is an attempt to harm the status of the attorney general and her professional work.”

IDF says its drone crashed in Kiryat Shmona due to technical failure, no damage caused

An Israeli Air Force drone crashed in the northern city of Kiryat Shmona earlier today, due to a technical malfunction, the military says.

The IDF says troops collected the device, and no damage or injuries were caused in the incident.