Live updates (closed)
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
The Times of Israel liveblogged Saturday’s events as they unfolded.
Rocket sirens activated near Gaza due to false alarm
Rocket sirens were activated in the Gaza periphery, in the area of the community of Sufa.
The IDF says the alerts were activated as a result of a false alarm, and no rockets were launched.
Nagasaki marks 80 years since atomic bomb with moment of silence
Japan marks 80 years since the atomic bombing of Nagasaki with a moment of silence.
Twin cathedral bells also ring in unison for the first time since the bombing, in a message of peace to the world.
Trump weighs reclassifying marijuana as less dangerous drug, WSJ reports
US President Donald Trump is considering reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing people familiar with the matter.
At a $1 million-a-plate fundraiser at his New Jersey golf club earlier this month, Trump told attendees he was interested in making such a change, the people, who decline to be named, tell the newspaper.
The guests at Trump’s fundraiser included Kim Rivers, chief executive of Trulieve, one of the largest marijuana companies, who encouraged Trump to pursue the change and expand medical marijuana research, the report says.
Palestinian shot and killed in Tel Aviv; police say motive for incident is criminal
A Palestinian man from the West Bank who was in Israel illegally was shot and killed overnight in Tel Aviv, police and medics say.
Magen Adom medics responded to a call of a shooting on Lavanda Street and found the man with gunshot wounds.
He was taken to the nearby Ichilov Hospital but died of his wounds.
Police say the incident appears to be criminal, and they have opened an investigation.
Rubio says talks with Hamas fell apart on day Macron announced recognition of Palestinian state
Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff, left, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrive before a trilateral signing ceremony with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the State Dining Room of the White House, Friday, Aug. 8, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
US Secretary of State says that France’s announcement that it would recognize a Palestinian state led to a breakdown in hostage-ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas and emboldens the Palestinian terror group.
“Talks with Hamas fell apart on the day [French President Emanuel] Macron made the unilateral decision that he’s going to recognize the Palestinian state,” Rubio says in an interview with the Catholic Eternal Word Television Network.
“And then you have other people come forward, other countries say, ‘well, if there is not a ceasefire by September, we’re going to recognize a Palestinian state.’ If I’m Hamas, I’d basically conclude let’s not do a ceasefire, we can be rewarded, we can claim it as a victory,” Rubio says.
“So those messages, while largely symbolic in their minds, actually have made it harder to get peace and harder to achieve a deal with Hamas,” Rubio says.
"Talks with Hamas fell apart on the day Macron made the unilateral decision that he’s going to recognize the Palestinian state … So those messages, while largely symbolic in their minds, actually have made it harder to get peace and harder to achieve a deal with Hamas. " —… pic.twitter.com/Xt74bu7umF
— Department of State (@StateDept) August 8, 2025
Israeli envoy attends ceremony marking Nagasaki atomic bombing, a year after he was excluded over Gaza war
Israel's ambassador to Japan Gilad Cohen (C) arrives to attend the annual memorial ceremony for the victims at the Peace Park in Nagasaki on August 9, 2025, to mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing during WWII. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)
Israeli Ambassador to Japan attends ceremonies in Nagasaki, marking 80 years since the atomic bombing of the city. Last year, he was not invited over the war in Gaza
This year, Nagasaki invited representatives from all countries to attend the ceremony.
The ceremony last year stirred controversy due to the absence of the US ambassador and other Western envoys in response to the Japanese city’s refusal to invite Israel.
Nearly 100 countries were set to participate in this year’s commemorations, including Russia, which had not been invited since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
China notably notified the city that it would not be present without providing a reason.
Hostage mother calls for general strike after plan to expand Gaza offensive
Anat Angrest, holding a photo of her son Matan, who is held hostage in Gaza, shouts at MK Simcha Rothman in the Knesset in Jerusalem, on August 4, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Anat Angrest, whose son Matan Angrest is held hostage in Gaza, calls for a general strike in Israel after the government approves a plan to fully conquer Gaza City, a move widely seen as endangering the remaining hostages.
“Dear mothers, friends, heads of the economy, the struggle is not only ours – the families of the hostages,” she writes in a post on X.
“Will you be with me when I call for everything to come to a stop, to strike?” she asks. “It was decided to expand the war and conquer, even at the cost of Matan’s life.”
“And silence kills..,” she writes.
Hamas-run civil defense agency says six killed near central Gaza aid site by Israeli fire
Buildings that were destroyed during the Israeli ground and air operations stand in the northern Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, August 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defense agency says at least 10 people were killed across the Palestinian territory today, including civilians who were waiting to collect aid.
Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal tells AFP that at least six people were killed and 30 wounded near an aid point in central Gaza, accusing Israeli troops of targeting civilians assembling at the facility.
The spokesman says strikes also hit areas in central Gaza, resulting in multiple casualties.
Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing swathes of the territory mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defense and the Israeli military.
Thousands of Gazans congregate daily near food distribution points in Gaza, including four managed by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Since launching in late May, its operations have been marred by almost-daily reports of Israeli forces targeting those waiting to collect aid supplies.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Three hurt in shooting in NYC’s Times Square; suspect arrested
Three people were wounded during a shooting in New York’s Times Square, the Associated Press reports, citing the New York Police Department.
One person was held in custody and being questioned over the shooting, the AP report says, citing the police, adding that no charges had been pressed yet.
???? BREAKING NEWS: Times Square Shooting
Three people have been shot in the heart of Times Square. Bodies are on the ground, bullet holes pierce car windows. The chaos unfolded near a major tourist area. One suspect is in custody.
For licensing email viralnewsnyc@gmail.com pic.twitter.com/gyrnLWlUvh
— Viral News NYC (@ViralNewsNYC) August 9, 2025
Witkoff set to meet Qatar’s PM on plan to end war in Gaza, release hostages — report
US special envoy Steve Witkoff attends a trilateral signing with US President Donald Trump, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on August 8, 2025 (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)
US special envoy Steve Witkoff is set to meet Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani on the Spanish island of Ibiza today to discuss a ceasefire proposal to end the war against Hamas in Gaza and release all remaining hostages, two sources familiar with the meeting tell Axios.
The plan will be presented to Israel and Hamas within the next two weeks, a source involved in the talks tells Axios.
An unnamed Israeli official also involved in the talks tells Axios that while Jerusalem has no problem with efforts to reach a comprehensive deal, “The gap between Israel and Hamas regarding ending the war is huge, so talking of a comprehensive deal is likely to be pointless at this stage.”
The White House refuses to comment on the report.
The talks come after the Israeli cabinet on Thursday approved a plan to fully conquer Gaza City, a move that has sparked international alarm over the potential humanitarian costs and is widely seen as endangering the remaining hostages.
Around 20 Arab, Muslim countries slam ‘dangerous escalation’ after Israel okays plan to take over Gaza City
CAIRO, Egypt — Several Arab and Muslim countries condemn as a “dangerous escalation” Israel’s plan to take control of Gaza City.
Some 20 countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, say the plan constituted “a flagrant violation of international law, and an attempt to entrench the illegal occupation and impose a fait accompli… in contravention of international legitimacy.”
Syrian official says government withdrawing from Paris talks on integrating Kurds
Syrian Kurds wave independence-era flags during a demonstration in support of the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the northeastern city of Qamishli, on December 19, 2024. (Delil Souleiman/AFP)
DAMASCUS, Syria — A Syrian government official says that authorities would not participate in planned talks in Paris on integrating the Kurdish semi-autonomous administration into the Syrian state and demanded that future negotiations be held in Damascus.
The move came a day after the Kurdish administration, which controls swathes of the north and northeast, held a conference involving several Syrian minority communities, the first such event since Islamists overthrew longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December.
Participants included the head of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Mazloum Abdi, who on March 10 signed a deal with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to integrate the Kurds’ civil and military institutions into the state.
The conference’s final statement called for “a democratic constitution that… establishes a decentralized state,” guaranteeing the participation of all components of Syrian society.
Damascus has previously rejected calls for decentralization.
“This conference was a blow to current negotiating efforts, and based on this, [the government] will not participate in any meetings scheduled in Paris,” state news agency SANA quotes an unidentified government official as saying.
The government “calls on international mediators to move all negotiations to Damascus, as this is the legitimate, national location for dialogue among Syrians,” the official says.
The government will not “sit at the negotiating table with any party that seeks to revive the era of the former regime under any cover,” the official tells SANA, condemning the hosting of “separatist figures involved in hostile acts.”
“The government sees the conference as an attempt to internationalize Syrian affairs” and invite foreign interference, the official adds.
Iranian judiciary says 20 alleged Mossad agents arrested in recent months
Iran has arrested 20 people it alleges are operatives of the Mossad spy agency in recent months, the judiciary says, warning that they will face no leniency and will be made an example of.
On Wednesday, Iran executed a nuclear scientist named Rouzbeh Vadi, who was convicted of spying for Israel and passing on information on another nuclear scientist killed in Israel’s airstrikes on Iran in June, state media reported.
Judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangiri tells reporters in Tehran that charges against some of the 20 suspects arrested had been dropped, and they were released. He does not give a number.
“The judiciary will show no leniency toward spies and agents of the Zionist regime, and with firm rulings, will make an example of them all,” Jahangiri is quoted as saying by Iranian media.
He says full details will be made public once the investigations are complete.
Executions of Iranians convicted of spying for Israel have significantly increased this year, with at least eight death sentences carried out in recent months.
Turkish FM says Muslim countries must take united stand against Israel’s Gaza plans
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi (C) meeting with Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L), in the presence of Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, in El-Alamein, Egypt, on August 9, 2025. (EGYPTIAN PRESIDENCY / AFP)
ANKARA, Turkey — Muslim nations must work in total unison and work to mobilize the international community against Israel’s plan to take control of Gaza City, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says after talks in Egypt.
Speaking at a joint press conference in El Alamein with his Egyptian counterpart after meeting Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, Fidan also says the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation had been called to an emergency meeting.
6 Lebanese soldiers killed in blast while seizing munitions from Hezbollah site
Supporters of Lebanon's Hezbollah terror group block the streets with burning tires as they rally in cars and motorbikes to protest the government's endorsement of a plan to disarm it, in Beirut's southern suburbs, early on August 8, 2025. (Ibrahim AMRO / AFP)
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Lebanon’s army says a blast at a weapons depot near the Israeli border today killed six soldiers as a military source said troops were removing munitions from a Hezbollah facility.
An army statement gives a preliminary toll of six soldiers killed and others wounded “while an army unit was inspecting a weapons depot and dismantling its contents in Wadi Zibqin,” in the Tyre district near the Israeli border.
Investigations were underway to determine the cause of the blast, it adds.
A military source, requesting anonymity as they were not authorised to brief the media, tells AFP the blast took place “inside a Hezbollah military facility.”
Troops were “removing munitions and unexploded ordnance left over from the recent war” between Israel and Hezbollah when the blast occurred, the source adds.
Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun says he was informed by army commander Rodolphe Haykal of the “painful incident” that led to troop casualties.
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam pays tribute on X to the troops who were killed “while performing their national duty,” calling the army the protector of Lebanon’s “unity and its legitimate institutions.”
Over 50 arrested at London protest against ban on Palestine Action group
Police officers remonstrate with a protester during a 'Lift The Ban' demonstration in support of the proscribed group Palestine Action, at Parliament Square, central London, on August 9, 2025. (HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)
LONDON — More than 50 people protesting against Britain’s decision to ban the Palestine Action group were arrested outside parliament today, London’s Metropolitan Police says.
Officers made arrests after crowds, waving placards expressing support for the group, gathered in Parliament Square, the force says on X.
In July, British lawmakers banned Palestine Action under anti-terrorism legislation after some of its members broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged planes in protest against Britain’s support for Israel.
The ban makes it a crime to be a member of the group, carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.
The co-founder of Palestine Action, Huda Ammori, last week won a bid to bring a legal challenge against the ban.
The Palestine Coalition march (a separate protest) has set off from Russell Square heading to Whitehall via Aldwych and the Strand.
So far there has been one arrest at that event – for a placard showing support for Palestine Action. pic.twitter.com/UU0defBMNU
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) August 9, 2025
PA casts Israel’s Gaza takeover plans as ‘provocation,’ urges world to push for end to ‘aggression’
The Palestinian Authority lambastes the government’s decision to expand its military operations in Gaza, as it called on the international community to push for the entry of aid into the Strip.
According to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, the PA’s presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh says the government’s moves were “an unprecedented challenge and provocation to the international will to achieve peace and stability.”
He also calls on the “international community, led by the UN Security Council, to urgently compel the occupying state to cease its aggression, allow the entry of aid, and work diligently to enable the State of Palestine to assume its full responsibilities in the Gaza Strip,” WAFA reports.
Early Friday, the Israeli security cabinet approved plans to launch major operations to seize Gaza City, triggering a wave of outrage across the globe.
Montreal Police probing attack on 32-year-old Jewish man in front of his two children
Montreal Police are investigating after a 32-year-old Jewish man was assaulted while he was with his two children, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reports.
A 28-second video circulating on social media shows part of the attack — which occurred in the borough of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension — beginning with the assailant straddling the man and beating him.
The assailant then picks up some groceries and throws what appears to be a kippa in a nearby splash pad area.
Police say the reason for the assault is not yet known, and that the man, who was wearing ultra-Orthodox attire, suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to CBC.
The assailant has not yet been arrested.
This is beyond deplorable — it is an outrage against basic human decency. In the heart of Montreal, a Jewish father is savagely beaten in front of his children. This is the Canada that Mark Carney has allowed to fester — a place where weakness in leadership has emboldened… pic.twitter.com/ak9IdZyXvw
— Mayor Jeremy Levi (@jerlevi) August 8, 2025
Khamenei adviser says Iran opposes Lebanon’s decision to disarm Hezbollah
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran opposes the Lebanese government’s decision to disarm Tehran-backed terror group Hezbollah, a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says, the Tasnim news agency reports.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran is certainly opposed to the disarmament of Hezbollah,” International Affairs Adviser Ali Akbar Velayati says. “Iran has always supported the people and the resistance of Lebanon and continues to do so.”
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Greece and Italy join aid airdrops as 106 pallets land in Gaza today, IDF says
Palestinians run as a military aircraft drops parcels humanitarian aid in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, on August 9, 2025. (Bashar TALEB / AFP)
Aircraft from the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Germany, the Netherlands, and — for the first time — Greece and Italy, airdropped 106 pallets of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip today, the IDF says.
Each pallet contains around one ton of food.
Since July 26, when Israel adopted a new policy to let more aid into the Strip, over 1,000 humanitarian aid packages have been airdropped in the Gaza Strip by 12 countries, including Israel, according to the military. The packages the IDF airdropped were supplied by international aid groups.
Israel re-adopted the policy 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.
Russia denounces Israel’s Gaza war plans, says conditions in Strip ‘a humanitarian catastrophe’
MOSCOW, Russia — Russia condemns and rejects Israel’s plan to expand its military operation in the Gaza Strip, Russia’s Foreign Ministry says.
“The implementation of such decisions and plans, which provoke condemnation and rejection, is fraught with the risk of exacerbating the already extremely dramatic situation in the Palestinian enclave, which has all the hallmarks of a humanitarian catastrophe,” the ministry says in a statement.
At least 150 protesters arrested for backing banned Palestine Action group in London
LONDON — London’s Metropolitan Police says officers had arrested at least 150 people for supporting Palestine Action at a protest backing the group banned last month under anti-terror laws.
“We’ve now arrested 150 people in Parliament Square,” the force says in a post on X, adding “there are still people holding placards supporting Palestine Action” and that “officers are steadily working through the crowd making further arrests.”
Arrest update: We’ve now arrested 150 people in Parliament Square.
While many of those remaining in the Square are media and onlookers, there are still people holding placards supporting Palestine Action.
Officers are steadily working through the crowd making further arrests. pic.twitter.com/k5xDIWKQQY
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) August 9, 2025
Surviving Iranian nuclear scientists in hiding; Israeli experts call them ‘dead men walking’ — report
People mourn over the flag-draped coffins of Iranian nuclear scientists who were killed in Israeli strikes, during a funeral ceremony in Tehran, Iran, June 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Iran’s remaining nuclear scientists have been sent into hiding after dozens were killed by Israel during its 12-day operation against Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic missiles program in June, The Telegraph reports.
The British daily says that over 15 of the surviving researchers, among 100 on an Israeli list, are no longer living in their main homes or lecturing at universities amid fear of renewed Israeli strikes, citing a senior Iranian official.
They have been moved to secure villas in Tehran and along the country’s northern coast with their families, while those teaching at universities were “replaced with people who have no connection with the nuclear program,” the official says.
Israeli experts cited by The Telegraph say that researchers ready to take over the work of assassinated scientists are “dead men walking” despite the increased security.
Einav Zangauker: PM’s ‘hands will be stained by blood’ if hostages murdered during Gaza takeover
Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is held hostage in Gaza, calls on Israelis to launch a general strike to pressure the government into reaching a deal with Hamas to end the war and secure the release of all the captives.
“Last Thursday, the cabinet decided the fate of the hostages. The living will be murdered, and the dead will disappear forever,” Zangauker says at a weekly press conference in Tel Aviv.
“The quotes from that meeting prove that this is not a security cabinet, this is a cabinet of death. This measure has no support from the public,” she says.
“From here, we turn to the people of Israel,” she says. “Stop the country and its economy,” she appeals, calling on the country to go on a general strike.
“I will finish with a direct call to the prime minister: If you conquer parts of Gaza and the hostages are murdered, we will pursue you. Your hands will be stained by the blood of the kidnapped,” she says.
London police say at least 200 arrested for backing Palestine Action, expects to nab more
A protester is carried away by police officers at a "Lift The Ban" demonstration in support of the proscribed group Palestine Action, calling for the recently imposed ban to be lifted, in Parliament Square, central London, on August 9, 2025. (HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)
LONDON — Police in London arrest at least 200 people for supporting Palestine Action at the latest and largest protest backing the group since the government banned it last month under anti-terror laws.
The UK capital’s Metropolitan Police says it expects to make further arrests at the demonstration in Parliament Square, as organizers claim only a “fraction” of the hundreds who turned out had been detained.
“That claim simply isn’t true,” the Met says in a statement, noting some of those there were onlookers or not visibly supporting Palestine Action.
“We are confident that anyone who came to Parliament Square today to hold a placard expressing support for Palestine Action was either arrested or is in the process of being arrested.”
Lebanon blasts Khamenei adviser for voicing opposition to Hezbollah disarmament
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Lebanon slams what it calls “flagrant and unacceptable interference” by Iran after an adviser to the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, expressed opposition to the disarmament of its ally Hezbollah.
In a post on X, Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry says it “condemns the recent declarations by Mr. Ali Akbar Velayati… which constitute flagrant and unacceptable interference in the internal affairs of Lebanon.”
Syrian Druze leader calls for international probe into last month’s Sweida violence
A Druze militiaman carrying a machine gun walks past a burned-out car following sectarian clashes in the Druze-majority town of Sweida, Syria, July 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — A spiritual leader of Syria’s Druze community calls for an international investigation into last month’s clashes that left hundreds of people dead in southern Syria.
Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri, whose fighters clashed with pro-government gunmen in Sweida province last month, also thanked US President Donald Trump, as well as Israel and Gulf Arab countries, for their help in ending the violence.
“Thanks to those who stood by righteousness,” Al-Hijri says in a televised speech.
Al-Hijri calls for an international and independent investigation into the clashes and argued that perpetrators should be referred to the International Criminal Court. He also calls for the deployment of international observer missions to protect civilians.
He thanks Trump for his support of minorities, and he thanks Israel for what he called a “humanitarian intervention,” which he says limited the extent of the massacres against the Druze.
Two nephews of senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya killed in Gaza, Hamas mouthpiece reports
Two nephews of senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya were killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza, al-Risala, a Hamas mouthpiece, reports.
The report says Ayman Abd al-Salam al-Hayya and Mu’az Abd al-Salam al-Hayya were cutting firewood in the Gaza City neighborhood of Shejaiya when they were killed by Israeli shelling.
Hayya leads the terror group’s negotiating team and is based in Doha.
Israeli official: Hamas shot itself in foot with videos of starving hostages, may return to talks
Families of Israelis held hostage in Gaza, former hostages and supporters hold a press conference in Tel Aviv, on August 9, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
An unnamed Israeli official hints at the possibility of bringing Hamas back to the negotiating table for a ceasefire-hostage release deal, speaking to Channel 12 news.
“With the flooding of the Gaza Strip with humanitarian aid, Hamas’s starvation campaign is fading away. Hamas understands that it shot itself in the foot with the videos of starving hostages, and therefore, the possibility that they will return to negotiations can’t be dismissed,” the official says.
“The mediators are already seeing positive signs of this,” the official adds.
Palestinian-American mediator denies report that he’s at odds with Witkoff
Bishara Bahbah, national chairman for Arab Americans for Trump, answers questions during an interview with The Associated Press in Dearborn, Michigan, August 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Palestinian-American political activist Bishara Bahbah, who served as a mediator in the since-collapsed talks between Israel and Hamas, vehemently denies a Channel 12 report claiming he is at odds with US special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Bahbah had been used periodically to send messages between the US and Hamas and played a key role in the May release of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander.
Without citing any sources, Channel 12 claimed that Bahbah believes Hamas was close to accepting a deal for a truce and partial release of hostages, and that the talks were abandoned too early by Israel and Washington.
The network also said that Bahbah was frustrated that Witkoff followed Israel’s lead in dismissing Hamas’s conditions for a deal and that the Palestinian-American activist will work on his own moving forward to try and secure a ceasefire.
In a Facebook post responding to the report, Bahbah called it “fake news.”
“For the record, I was never a member of the US negotiating team. I have played the role of a mediator whenever Steve Witkoff asked me to do so. I have tremendous respect for Mr. Witkoff. I believe that President Trump wants to end the tragedy in Gaza. I will always be ready to aid in any way I can, leading to the end of the war in Gaza. I have and will always be a loud voice advocating for the people of Gaza,” he said.
Number of UK arrests over support for banned Palestine Action group grows to 365
A demonstrator holds a placard during a protest in support of Palestine Action, in Parliament Square, in London, August 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
British police now say they have arrested 365 people in central London as supporters of a recently banned pro-Palestinian group intentionally flout the law as part of their effort to force the government to reconsider the ban.
Parliament in early July passed a law banning Palestine Action and making it a crime to support the organization publicly. The decision came after activists broke into a Royal Air Force base and vandalized two tanker planes to protest against Britain’s support for Israel’s offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Backers of the group, who have held a series of protests around the UK over the past month, argue that the law illegally restricts freedom of expression.
German soccer club defends pulling out of hiring Israeli player Shon Weissman over his Gaza posts
Israel's forward Shon Weissman reacts at the end of the UEFA Nations League - League B Group 2 - soccer match between Israel and Iceland at the Samy Ofer stadium in Haifa, June 2, 2022. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP)
The chairman of Fortuna Düsseldorf has defended the German soccer club’s decision to pull out of signing Israeli player Shon Weissman after fan backlash over his social media posts about Gaza, saying it’s “absurd” to accuse the second-division team of antisemitism.
Düsseldorf announced Tuesday that it would not recruit Weissman from Spanish team Granada despite having been in advanced negotiations.
Fans had opposed the planned signing of the 29-year-old Weissman because of his social media posts expressing support for Israel’s conduct in Gaza following the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Weissman’s Instagram account was set to “private” today.
In the social media post on Tuesday announcing the decision, the club did not say why it had called off the transfer. But Fortuna issued a statement yesterday saying Weissman’s “statements on social media and the subsequent handling of them were not consistent with our values.”
Chairman Klaus Allofs defends the club’s decision before the team’s match against Hannover today, but acknowledges that a faster process to reach the decision would have been preferable.
“I wouldn’t say it was a mistake. We tried to sign a player and I think that’s legitimate,” Allofs says. “It’s also part of our values, that we don’t limit ourselves with prejudices and rule things out from the start.”
Allofs says the club deliberately waited to consult with Jewish community members in Düsseldorf before deciding against the signing.
Asked about accusations of antisemitism, Allofs says: “It’s absurd, to put it bluntly.”
Hostage’s wife slams ‘eternal-war mongers’ in speech to some 10,000 at Hostages Square
Former hostage Sharon Aloni-Cunio, the wife of captive David Cunio, speaks during a rally at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, August 9, 2025. (Paulina Patimer/Hostages and Missing Families Forum)
Speaking before a crowd of some 10,000 people at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, former captive Sharon Aloni-Cunio marks Tu B’Av, the Jewish festival of love that began last night, with a speech about her husband David Cunio, who remains in captivity.
After seeing hostages Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski emaciated in propaganda footage last week, she says: “I thought about my David: How much does he weigh? When did he last eat? Will he also be asked to dig his own grave?”
She slams the government’s decision to expand the fighting and take over Gaza City.
“Now, when eternal-war mongers are pushing all of us to a terrible disaster, they’re not even doing it for the hostages — they say out loud that they’re willing to sacrifice the hostages,” she says.
She adds that her young daughter Yuli, who was released with Sharon and twin sister Emma during the November 2023 ceasefire, “is asking me if her dad no longer loves her because he hasn’t yet come back from Gaza.”
“I say to all decision-makers: If, God forbid, anything happens to my David, or to any other hostage — it’s on your hands,” she says.
US Reform Movement protests Gaza City takeover plan, says it will cause ‘more division among world Jewry’
The Reform Movement in the United States has called on Israel to end the war in Gaza following the cabinet’s approval of a plan to conquer Gaza City that has drawn opposition from the security services.
“We are deeply distressed that Israel’s security cabinet approved Prime Minister Netanyahu’s plan to extend Israeli control over the Gaza Strip,” the Union for Reform Judaism said in a statement yesterday, in which it “implore[d] Israel to choose life for our hostages, our soldiers, and innocent civilians in Gaza by ending — not extending — this war.”
“As Jews who believe in an Israel that aspires to be both safe and ethical, we are galvanized by the position of a growing array of Israeli military, intelligence, and political leaders and experts, as well as the clear majority of Israeli public, who warn that the Israeli government’s plan to further occupy Gaza would be a military, political, and humanitarian calamity,” the group states, warning that “the war’s expansion will likely be a death sentence for our hostages.”
Such an expansion would also harm the troops, isolate Israel internationally and cause “more division among world Jewry,” it continues, comparing the war to “the quagmires of previous military occupations by Israel in south Lebanon, and by other nations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Vietnam — all of which began with similar assurances.”
“The Israeli government has yet to offer an exit strategy or plans for ‘the day after,'” the URJ cautions, arguing that “the current occupation of part of Gaza already risks Israel’s security and international reputation, and longtime allies of Israel are this morning reacting negatively to the cabinet’s approved plan.”
“There is no question that Hamas bears the responsibility for this war, for the conditions in Gaza right now, for failing to put down its arms, for its refusal to release the hostages, and for resisting improved conditions for its people. However, Israel has the ability and responsibility to prioritize its own people and values by recognizing that now is the time to end this war, bring the hostages home, and create a coalition of Arab nations with the US and other allies to rebuild Gaza and shape a better tomorrow for all.”
Ex-captive’s nephew, mother of reservist call on soldiers to refuse to carry out Gaza City takeover plan
An anti-government, pro-hostage deal protest in front of the Begin Road entrance to the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, August 9, 2025. (Yael Gadot/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)
Speakers at the anti-government, pro-hostage deal protest in front of the Begin Street entrance to the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv urge soldiers to refuse to serve in the expanded fighting in Gaza following the cabinet’s decision to take over Gaza City.
Along with a separate protest at Hostages Square, tens of thousands of Israelis are reportedly in the streets of Tel Aviv this evening.
“The mission you’ll be given is participation in the killing of hostages,” says Shai Mozes, nephew of former hostage Gadi Mozes, in a speech before thousands of people at the demonstration. “In this situation, there is no other choice but to refuse.”
The mother of a combat officer in the IDF reserves, introduced only as Bat-El, says soldiers are wasting away physically and mentally and are deprived of proper defensive equipment. She says the Gaza City takeover plan “puts Israel on the sure path to a forever war that will cause the death of the hostages, cause the deaths of hundreds of soldiers, cause the destruction of Israel’s image.”
“Don’t agree to enter Gaza,” she says. “Refuse to participate in an overtly illegal war.”
The speakers do not mention the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as a reason to refuse to fight there, though some protesters hold up signs calling on soldiers to refuse to serve for that reason as well.
Following the speeches, some protesters hoist flaming torches as they prepare to march around the IDF headquarters to protest the cabinet plan, alongside thousands more people coming from the Hostages Square rally a block away.
Foreign Ministry urges Israelis in Greece to be cautious ahead of anti-Israel ‘Day of Action’ Sunday
The Foreign Ministry has urged Israelis currently in Greece to act cautiously ahead of a planned “Day of Action” tomorrow by Greek pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel groups.
In a statement published yesterday, the ministry warns travelers of “demonstrations expected to take place throughout the country — including on islands and at tourist sites — organized by radical pro-Palestinian groups.”
Israelis visiting or planning to arrive in Greece are urged to avoid protests, political arguments or displaying visible Israeli symbols, and to stay alert in crowded places and keep family updated on their location.
Two weeks ago, three Greek groups announced the plans for the “Day of Action” targeting Israeli tourists, vowing that Greece will not become a “refuge” for “genocidal people.”
According to the Kan public broadcaster, coordinated demonstrations denouncing Israel’s conduct in its war against Hamas in Gaza are planned at 90 locations across the country.
The effort by the groups follows a string of anti-Israel incidents in Greece, a popular nearby tourist destination for Israelis.
Ex-hostage Eliya Cohen assails Gaza City takeover plan as protesters demand to shut down the country
Former hostage Eliya Cohen speaks during a rally at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, August 9, 2025. (Paulina Patimer/Hostages and Missing Families Forum)
Eliya Cohen, who was released from Hamas captivity in February as part of the last truce-hostage deal, speaks at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv alongside his girlfriend Ziv Abud to call attention to the women whose husbands remain in captivity on Tu B’Av, the Jewish festival of love, which began last night.
“Today is Tu B’Av, and I, with God’s help, am standing here next to my woman, after being sure for 505 days that she was murdered in the shelter where we hid” during the Hamas massacre at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, says Cohen.
“I was saved, came back and she was waiting for me,” he says. “Today we could have celebrated, but it’s impossible… when we know that there are families that didn’t get that chance. That there are still people there who are unsure if they’ll get to love again.”
Following harrowing footage of captives Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski published by terror groups last week, Cohen says “the writing was on the wall” that the hostages were being starved, adding that the cabinet’s decision to take over Gaza City puts them in still more danger.
“The decision to take over Gaza stresses me out. I know what happens to the hostages when the fighting intensifies,” he says.
Cohen calls for a comprehensive deal to end the war and release all 50 remaining hostages: “I know what it’s like to come back in a partial deal. I live with daily feelings of guilt, and don’t wish upon anyone to feel what it’s like to leave a brother behind.”
Following Cohen’s speech at Hostages Square, hostages’ families begin a march around the IDF headquarters in protest of the Gaza City takeover plan, joining protesters and other hostages’ families from the anti-government protest outside the Begin Street entrance to the IDF headquarters.
During that protest, speakers urged soldiers to refuse to serve in Gaza and called on opposition heads as well as business, labor and academic leaders to bring the country to a standstill.
“An entire county is held hostage by Hamas and the government of Israel,” said Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker. “What needs to be done? The country needs to grind to a halt, now.”
Bismuth vows to lead talks on Haredi conscription law ‘with mutual respect,’ urges all to ‘rise to the occasion’
MK Boaz Bismuth leads a Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting at the Knesset on August 4, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Ahead of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee’s first scheduled discussion on a law regulating ultra-Orthodox enlistment under his leadership, newly appointed chairman Boaz Bismuth (Likud) tweets that he is approaching his new role “with a genuine commitment to cooperation and national responsibility,” calling on both the coalition and opposition “to rise to the occasion as well.”
“Together, with mutual respect and belief in the eternity of Israel, we will embark on a new path,” he declares, sharing a video featuring footage of Israeli troops, Haredim praying at the Western Wall, and members of the IDF’s new ultra-Orthodox battalion.
In his voiceover, taken from remarks he made in the Knesset last week, Bismuth can be heard saying that the current war requires both the coalition and opposition “to rise to the occasion, join hands and act for the people and the country.”
Bismuth insists that Israelis must “find the balance” between tradition and Torah study, on the one hand, and military service, on the other, “to reach a historic solution.”
Members of Bismuth’s committee were informed last week that they would meet to discuss advancing the government’s controversial enlistment legislation on Tuesday, in preparation for the second and third readings necessary for it to pass into law.
The Knesset’s ultra-Orthodox parties, Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ), have been pushing hard for the passage of a bill enabling most ultra-Orthodox males to continue to avoid military conscription or other national service.
Last month, UTJ quit the coalition after being presented with a copy of a proposed enlistment bill prepared by then-committee chairman Yuli Edelstein (Likud), which it argued had violated the terms of a supposed compromise reached in June. They were quickly followed by Shas, which, while quitting the government, has remained part of the coalition.
Edelstein’s bill would have imposed harsh sanctions on draft evaders, including the revocation of drivers’ licenses, a ban on flying abroad, a prohibition on applying for civil service jobs, an end to government subsidies for purchasing an apartment, and cancellation of discounts on public transportation, National Insurance payments, and electricity bills.
To mollify the Haredim, the coalition replaced Edelstein with Bismuth, who, according to the Ynet news site, intends to submit a new draft of the bill within weeks and hold discussions on it during the current Knesset recess to advance it when the parliament reconvenes in October.
Smotrich says he’s ‘lost faith’ in PM’s ability to win the war, but doesn’t explicitly threaten to bolt government
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in the Knesset, February 7, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90/File)
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announces that he no longer believes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is willing to do what it takes to win the war in Gaza, calling the security cabinet’s recent approval of a plan to conquer Gaza City a half-measure.
However, while the public message is unusually strongly worded, Smotrich doesn’t outright threaten to quit the government, something he has long been reportedly considering and which he has said several times in the past he would do if he felt the war wasn’t going in his preferred direction.
In a video message, Smotrich says he has “worked intensively” with Netanyahu in recent weeks to formulate a new plan for “victory in Gaza,” which would consist of a combination of military and political moves intended to destroy Hamas’s military and civil capabilities and force it to free the hostages. But while it initially appeared that Netanyahu supported this plan, “unfortunately, he made a U-turn.”
Instead, together with his cabinet, Netanyahu “succumbed to weakness, let emotion win over reason and decided to do more of the same again” and launch a military maneuver aimed not at complete victory, but rather only at pressuring Hamas to agree to a “partial hostage deal,” Smotrich alleges, adding that such an approach gives the terrorist group an out, with the opportunity to “recover and rearm.”
Arguing that this “is not how you win a war,” Smotrich insists that “when faced with a push for a deal, the IDF will always move tepidly and work at half-speed,” adding that risking the troops’ lives as well as international opprobrium in pursuit of such a strategy is an “immoral and illogical folly.”
While he has previously supported the prime minister for the sake of unity even when they disagreed on certain moves, he says, “Unfortunately, for the first time since the war began, I feel that I simply cannot stand behind this decision and support it. My conscience does not allow it.”
While he was previously able to set aside his reservations because he believed that “we were striving for a decisive victory,” Smotrich says that he has “lost faith that the prime minister can and wants to lead the IDF to a decisive victory.”
Appealing directly to Netanyahu, Smotrich says it is “not too late” to change his mind, convene the cabinet and announce that “there will be no more partial deals” and that Israel is now aiming at a complete victory in which Hamas either surrenders and releases all the hostages all at once, or is completely defeated and destroyed.
This approach, he adds, would include the “annexation of large parts of the Gaza Strip and opening its gates to voluntary migration.”
Asked if Smotrich’s statement constitutes a threat to bolt the coalition and what his Religious Zionism party will do if Netanyahu does not alter his approach, a spokesman for the minister does not immediately respond.
Pro-hostage deal protesters block Tel Aviv highway; police working to disperse them
Anti-government, pro-hostage deal protesters block the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv, August 9, 2025. (Ido Lempert/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)
Police are working to clear some 50 anti-government, pro-hostage deal protesters blocking southbound traffic near the Hashalom exit of the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv.
Protesters were earlier cleared off the northbound route as well, where an officer helped cars drive around a bonfire still lit on the road.
IDF says intelligence-collecting Hezbollah operative killed in Lebanon strike
A Hezbollah operative involved in collecting intelligence on Israeli troops was killed in an airstrike in southern Lebanon’s Aynata earlier today, the IDF says.
The military says the operative’s actions were a violation of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
Israel calls on Canada to ‘do more to fight antisemitism’ after Jewish man assaulted in Montreal
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemns the “appalling” assault on a 32-year-old Jewish man in Montreal yesterday and calls on Canada to “fight antisemitism” more effectively
“This is appalling,” Sa’ar writes on X, describing a video of the incident — in which the assailant beats the Jewish man as he holds on to his two young daughters — as “shocking and stomach-turning.”
The incident shown in this video is shocking and stomach-turning.
A Jewish father was beaten in front of his daughter in Montreal, Canada, yesterday.
These are images reminiscent of dark periods of Jewish persecution.
This is appalling.
The Canadian government must do more to… pic.twitter.com/6whsYit19W— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) August 9, 2025
“These are images reminiscent of dark periods of Jewish persecution. The Canadian government must do more to fight antisemitism!” Sa’ar adds.
Montreal Police are currently investigating the matter, which occurred in the borough of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension.
Earlier today, police said the reason for the assault was not yet known, and that the man, who was wearing ultra-Orthodox attire, suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Haredi leaders considering holding rallies outside Israeli embassies to protest draft-dodgers’ arrests — source
A Haredi boy holds up a sign that reads "The Hasmonean Brigade = Forced conversion" at a protest against drafting ultra-Orthodox men into the IDF in Jerusalem on August 7, 2025. (Charlie Summers/Times of Israel)
Senior leaders of the ultra-Orthodox community are considering holding demonstrations outside of Israeli embassies around the world in order to protest the arrest of Haredi draft evaders by the military police, a source with knowledge of the senior rabbis’ thinking tells The Times of Israel.
While the rabbis are also considering holding a massive “prayer rally” in Israel “at some point soon,” the source dismisses a Friday report by Channel 12 that Rabbi Dov Lando, one of the most prominent rabbinic leaders of the so-called “Lithuanian” stream of ultra-Orthodoxy, is promoting an economic boycott of Israel.
According to the network, Lando, who serves as the spiritual leader of the Degel HaTorah faction in the United Torah Judaism party, reached out to representatives of the hardline anti-Zionist Eda Haredit group to propose what it called “a coordinated Haredi move to withdraw financial investments from Israel.”
Such ideas “are less relevant because you need a lot of businesspeople for that, and that’s also too drastic a step. But rallies and demonstrations in front of embassies make sense,” the source adds.
Asked about the Channel 12 report, a spokesman for Rabbi Lando replies that he is unaware of the specific proposal but that “everything is on the table” and that it is the rabbi himself who will make the final decision.
Last week, following the arrest of two Haredi draft evaders, Lando stated that the “State of Israel has declared war on yeshiva students” and that “Haredi Judaism will embark on a global struggle like never before.”
Report claims limited Gaza truce deal possible soon
There is a chance for Israel to reach a limited ceasefire deal with Hamas in Gaza “soon,” Channel 12 journalist Amit Segal reports, citing an unnamed Israeli source with knowledge of the matter.
“An informed Israeli source claims there is a chance of a partial deal soon,” writes Segal on X, without providing further details.
The source’s claim conflicts with previous reports that Israel’s recent approval of a plan to take over Gaza City aims to pressure Hamas into agreeing to a comprehensive ceasefire and hostage-release deal proposed by the United States.
Moreover, there have been countless similar reports in the past months, without such a deal materializing.
The Prime Minister’s Office does not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Gantz says Western nations’ anti-Israel rhetoric harming chances for hostage deal
Blue and White-National Unity party chairman Benny Gantz accuses the foreign ministers of multiple nations of harming the chances of reaching a hostage deal, after they condemned Israel’s decision to launch an operation to take over Gaza City.
“Actions like unilateral illusionary Palestinian recognition, weapon sanctions & critical letters of Israel are harming the prospects of securing a hostage deal,” Gantz writes in an English-language post on X.
“Not only do they inadvertently reward terror and harden Hamas’ position — they are prolonging the war. As an Israeli opposition leader, let me say this very clearly — instead of pressuring Israel, the west should focus on putting an end to Hamas leadership’s impunity abroad.”
Gantz’s statement comes in response to a joint statement by the foreign ministers of Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom, and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs in which they “strongly reject the decision of the Israeli Security Cabinet on 8th August to launch an additional large-scale military operation in Gaza.”
Such an operation “will aggravate the catastrophic humanitarian situation, endanger the lives of the hostages, and further risk the mass displacement of civilians,” they wrote, adding that Israel’s plans “risk violating international humanitarian law.”
Tel Aviv highway reopens after pro-hostage deal protesters blocked it; 3 arrested; rally disperses
Mounted police face off with Anti-government, pro-hostage deal protesters on the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv, August 9, 2025. (Yael Gadot/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)
Tel Aviv’s Ayalon Highway reopens in both directions after police, including eight mounted officers, push anti-government, pro-hostage deal protesters back onto Hashalom Road and from there onto the sidewalk on Kaplan Street. A water cannon is brought to the scene but is not used.
Protesters face off for another 20 minutes or so with cops who keep them from going back down onto the road.
The demonstration then disperses.
Three protesters were arrested, according to the Detainee Protests Legal Defense Front, a group of lawyers offering pro bono representation to people detained at anti-government protests.
200 Hasidic men to demonstrate at military prison to protest draft-dodgers’ arrests
Some 200 members of the Boyan Hasidic group, on the orders of their spiritual leader, are on the way to demonstrate at the Beit Lid military prison, Haredi journalist Moshe Weisberg tweets.
According to Weisberg, the demonstration has been called to protest “the arrest of yeshiva students for the ‘crime’ of Torah study” and will last half an hour.
On Thursday, prominent Haredi leader Rabbi Dov Lando visited the prison to offer support to yeshiva students arrested for draft evasion, telling them that the entire Haredi community stands behind them.
For the past year, the Haredi leadership, including Lando, has rejected any attempt to find a compromise to draft at least some of the ultra-Orthodox youth to the military, after last year the High Court ruled that the decades-long blanket exemptions from army duty traditionally afforded to the Haredi community were illegal.
Lando, who serves as the spiritual leader for the United Torah Judaism party’s Degel HaTorah faction and is one of the most prominent figures in the non-Hasidic ultra-Orthodox community, has repeatedly told yeshiva students to ignore draft orders.
Canadian PM condemns ‘appalling’ assault on Jewish man in front of his kids
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during a press conference after a cabinet meeting to discuss both trade negotiations with the US and the situation in the Middle East, at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on July 30, 2025. (Dave Chan/AFP)
Shortly after Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar slammed Canada for not doing enough against antisemitism following an assault on a Jewish man in Montreal, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney issues a condemation of the incident.
“The attack on a Jewish father in Montreal late yesterday, in front of his own children, is an appalling act of violence. Everyone in Canada has an inalienable right to live in safety,” he says on X.
“My thoughts are with the victim and his family as they recover, and my support is with law enforcement as they work to bring the perpetrator to justice.”
Ex-hostage’s father says he’d planned at one point to torch hundreds of cars, ‘burn the country’
Eli Albag, the father of released hostage Liri Albag, speaks at a press conference at the Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva on January 26, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
Eli Albag, father of released captive Liri Albag, says that while his daughter was in captivity, he planned at one point to set hundreds of car on fire as part of protests calling for a hostage deal.
“I had a plan to burn the country — torch 200 or 300 cars. I’m not joking,” Albag tells Channel 12 news in an interview. “I had no other option. What did I think? That I’d continue being at Hostages Square? Keep demonstrating once a week?”
Asked what he thinks relatives of those still held in Gaza by terrorists should do, Albag says: “I can’t judge them. My girl came back so I’m shutting my mouth. There are 50 more hostages in Gaza. I understand what these families are going through, my heart is with them.”
read more: