Dec. 16: Netanyahu demands Western leaders do more to tackle antisemitism after Bondi Beach terror attack

Sydney Hanukkah massacre appears motivated by ‘Islamic State ideology’ — Australian PM

A handout photo taken and released by the Australian Prime Minister's Office on December 15, 2025, shows Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese laying flowers at the Bondi Pavilion at Bondi Beach, the scene of a deadly terror shooting targeting a Hanukkah event, 15 people were killed. (AFP / AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE)

A father and son appeared to be driven by “Islamic State ideology” when they opened fire on a Jewish festival at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says.

“It would appear that this was motivated by Islamic State ideology,” Albanese says of the terror attack, in which 15 people were killed.

“The ideology that has been around for more than a decade that led to this ideology of hate, and in this case, a preparedness to engage in mass murder.”

Albanese says Naveed Akram, 24, had come to the attention of Australia’s intelligence agency in 2019 — but he was not considered an imminent threat at the time.

“He was drawn to their attention because of his association with others.

“Two of the people he was associated with were charged and went to jail, but he was not seen at that time to be a person of interest.”

Trump files lawsuit against BBC for $5 billion in damages

US President Donald Trump sues the BBC for defamation over edited clips of a speech that made it appear he directed supporters to storm the US Capitol, opening an international front in his fight against media coverage he deems untrue or unfair.

Trump is asking for at least $5 billion in damages, according to the lawsuit.

Israeli envoy urges Australia to better protect its Jews: ‘Only they are forced to worship behind closed doors’

Israeli Ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon (L) lays flowers at the Bondi Pavilion memorial in Sydney on December 16, 2025, honoring the victims of the deadly Bondi Beach terror attack on a Hanukkah event. (David Gray/AFP)

Israel’s ambassador to Australia has called for greater protection of Jewish people in Australia as dozens of people line up on Tuesday at Sydney’s Bondi Beach to pay tribute to the 15 victims and those wounded in the weekend’s Hanukkah festival shootings.

The attack by two terrorists on Sunday was Australia’s worst mass shooting in nearly 30 years, and is being investigated as an act of terrorism targeting the Jewish community.

The death toll stands at 16 including one of the alleged gunmen, aged 50, who was shot by police. The man’s 24-year-old son and alleged accomplice was in critical condition in hospital, police said on Monday.

Israeli Ambassador Amir Maimon urges the Australian government to take all required steps to secure the lives of Jews in Australia, with Sunday’s attack only the worst of a recent spate of antisemitic crimes in the city.

“Only Australians of Jewish faith are forced to worship their gods behind closed doors, CCTV, guards,” Maimon tells reporters in Bondi, after laying flowers at the temporary memorial and paying his respects to the victims.

“My heart is torn apart … it is insane.”

A string of antisemitic incidents in Australia has unfolded in the past sixteen months, prompting the head of the nation’s main intelligence agency to declared that antisemitism was his top priority in terms of threat to life.

“What one can expect when graffiti is painted all over Australia on synagogues, buildings, public buildings, calling for the death of Israel, death to the IDF, and then cars are put on fire?” Maimon says.

Bombs, Islamic State flags found in car used by Bondi Beach terrorists — Australian cops

Naveed Akram, 24 (left), and his father Sajid, 50 (right), in images taken from a video obtained by Sky News showing their deadly terror attack on a Hanukkah event at Sydney's Bondi Beach on December 14, 2025. (Screen grab/Sky News)

A vehicle used by the father-and-son Bondi Beach terrorists contained two Islamic State flags as well as bombs, Australian police say, with federal police commissioner Krissy Barrett calling the massacre at a Hanukkah event “a terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State.”

The vehicle found near the Sydney beach was registered to the son, and it contained “two homemade ISIS flags” in addition to improvised explosive devices, New South Wales Police commissioner Mal Lanyon tells reporters.

Australian police also say the the two traveled to the Philippines last month, and that the reasons for their trip are under investigation.

Australian PM visits wounded Bondi Beach hero Ahmed al Ahmed in the hospital

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets Ahmed al Ahmed, who disarmed one of the attackers during the Bondi Beach terror attack, as he recovers from gunshot wounds in a Sydney hospital, December 15, 2025. (X ACCOUNT of @AlboMP / AFP)

SYDNEY — Australia’s prime minister visits Bondi Beach shooting hero Ahmed al Ahmed in the hospital, lauding his efforts to help stop the nation’s deadliest gun attack in decades.

A father and son killed 15 people in a terror attack at Bondi Beach on Sunday, targeting a Jewish festival that marked the start of Hanukkah.

Footage showed the fruit seller ducking between parked cars as the shooting unfolded and then wresting a gun from one of the assailant’s hands.

“He was trying to get a cup of coffee and found himself at a moment where people were being shot in front of him,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says after a bedside visit with heavily bandaged Ahmed.

“He decided to take action and his bravery is an inspiration for all Australians,” Albanese adds.

Ahmed was shot several times in the shoulder after tussling with one of the gunmen.

Albanese says he will “undergo further surgery” on Wednesday.

“At a moment where we have seen evil perpetrated, he shines out as an example of the strength of humanity,” the prime minister says. “We are a brave country. Ahmed al Ahmed represents the best of our country.”

Bedbound and with tubes in his nose, Ahmed briefly thanked wellwishers in Arabic in a video circulating on social media on Tuesday morning.

“I appreciate the efforts of everyone,” he says, according to an English translation provided by Turkish public broadcaster TRT World.

“May Allah reward you and grant you wellbeing,” he says. “God willing, we will return to you with joy. Thank you for your efforts.”

Syrian-born Ahmed al Ahmed, 43, who risked his life to disarm one of the Bondi attackers and save multiple lives in Sydney, receives treatment in hospital pic.twitter.com/n8n7mgHTNh

— TRT World (@trtworld) December 15, 2025

Philippines says father in Bondi Beach terror attack entered as an ‘Indian national’

The father and son behind one of Australia’s deadliest mass shootings spent nearly the entire month of November in the Philippines, Manila’s immigration department confirms, with the father entering the country as an “Indian national.”

Sajid Akram and his son Naveed, who allegedly killed 15 people and wounded dozens of others at a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, arrived on November 1 with the southern province of Davao listed as their final destination.

“Sajid Akram, 50, Indian national, and Naveed Akram, 24, Australian national, arrived in the Philippines together last November 1, 2025 from Sydney, Australia,” immigration spokeswoman Dana Sandoval tells AFP, adding they departed on November 28.

Daughter of Holocaust survivor wounded in Bondi: Terrorists being ‘taught to hate’ a bigger issue than gun control

A Hanukkah menorah stands by a floral tribute as people gather to pay their respects near the Bondi Pavilion at Bondi Beach on December 16, 2025, following the deadly terror shooting targeting a Hanukkah event in Sydney, Australia. (AP/Mark Baker)

Government authorities have not done enough to stamp out hatred of Jews in Australia, which has allowed it to fester in the aftermath of October 7, says the daughter of a Holocaust survivor who was wounded during the Bondi terror attack.

Victoria Teplitsky, 53, a retired childcare centre owner, says the father and son terrorists who went on a 10-minute shooting spree that killed 15 people had been “taught to hate,” which was a bigger factor in the attack than access to guns.

“It’s not the fact that those two people had a gun. It’s the fact that hatred has been allowed to fester against the Jewish minority in Australia,” she tells Reuters in an interview.

“We are angry at our government because it comes from the top, and they should have stood up for our community with strength. And they should have squashed the hatred rather than kind of letting it slide,” she says.

“We’ve been ignored. We feel like, are we not Australian enough? Do we not matter to our government?”

The attackers fired upon hundreds of people at a Hanukkah event during a roughly 10-minute killing spree.

Video appears to show couple attempting to disarm Bondi terrorists

Video appears to show 2nd bystander attempting to disarm Bondi terrorists on December 14, 2025 (Screen grab/7News Australia)

Newly uncovered footage appears to show a couple who attempted to disarm the terrorists who went on a shooting spree at a Hanukkah event in Bondi, killing 15.

The dashcam video released by 7News Melbourne appears to show an older man struggling with one of the attackers shortly after the father and son terrorists parked their car, just before they began firing at members of the Jewish community.

The footage, taken by a passing car, does not show the entirety of the confrontation.

According to the news outlet, the man and his female companion were apparently shot and killed.

BREAKING: New dashcam footage reveals that an elderly Australian hero and his wife almost managed to stop the Bondi Massacre before it even began.

They saw the jihadist death squad jump out of a car draped with an ISIS flag and immediately attempted to tackle the gun men.

The… pic.twitter.com/2moVt1P9zc

— Drew Pavlou ???????????????????????????????? (@DrewPavlou) December 16, 2025

Days after Russian strikes on Ukraine damaged Turkish ships, Ankara says it downed drone approaching from Black Sea

Turkey shot down an uncontrolled drone that approached its airspace from the Black Sea, the defense ministry says.

The incident follows Turkey’s warning last week of Black Sea escalation after Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports that damaged three Turkish-owned cargo vessels.

In a statement, the ministry says Turkish and NATO F-16 jets were put on alert to ensure the security of Turkish airspace after the detection of the drone.

It was determined that the drone was out of control and it was shot down in a safe area, the ministry adds in today’s statement, but does not elaborate on its type or origin.

The attacks on Ukrainian ports came days after Moscow threatened to “cut Ukraine off from the sea” following Kyiv’s attacks that damaged three “shadow fleet” tankers heading to Russia to export its oil in the Black Sea.

Reports: Mossad asked foreign countries to increase security for Hanukkah events amid threats

Illustrative: The lighting of a Hanukkiah in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on December 14, 2025. (John MACDOUGALL / AFP)

The Mossad spy agency has asked countries around the world, with an emphasis on European nations, to increase security for Hanukkah events amid fears of a potential copycat attempt in the wake of the Bondi terror attack, Hebrew media reports.

Security officials are reportedly concerned that public gatherings in the coming days of the Jewish holiday, in addition to Christmas markets, could serve as targets for terror groups, the Kan public broadcaster says.

‘I got you, I got you’: Video captures woman protecting child she didn’t know during Bondi terror attack

Video captures the moment a woman comforts a young child she doesn’t know as she lies on top of her to protect her during the terror attack at a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach on Sunday.

Repeated gunfire and screaming can be heard in the background.

Rozen tells The Guardian that she was desperately searching for her own 3-year-old when she found the small child screaming and alone and lay on top of her to protect her.

“I got you, I got you,” Jessica Rozen can be heard saying repeatedly to the little girl.

“We’re gonna stay here and we’re gonna be nice and safe and nobody’s going to hurt us,” she tells the child.

“Can you hide?” the girl asks.

“Yes, we can hide, baby girl,” Rozen responds.

The woman stayed with the child until the girl’s father found them.

Rozen says her son was with his grandmother, who lay on top of him to protect him as the two gunmen opened fire on the Jewish celebration.

This is the moment a woman consoled a child she had no connection to during the Bondi Beach terrorist attack.

Her composure while comforting the child is truly admirable.

Credit: @GuardianAus pic.twitter.com/QZRqp6Y9yW

— Morgan ???? (@MorganPCALLB) December 15, 2025

Boris and Sofia Gurman named as couple who tried to disarm Bondi terrorists before they were shot dead

The couple who tried to disarm the Bondi Beach terrorists before they were shot dead are named as Boris and Sofia Gurman.

Newly uncovered dashcam footage appeared to show the pair confronting the father and son gunmen after the attackers parked their car, before Boris tussles with one of them to try and get his weapon.

The car appears to have an Islamic State flag draped across the windshield.

According to news.com.au, the Russian-Jewish couple lived in Bondi and are survived by a son in his 30s.

“We are heartbroken by the sudden and senseless loss of our beloved Boris and Sofia Gurman,” the family says in a statement to the Sydney Morning Herald.

“In recent days, we have become aware of footage showing Boris, with Sofia by his side, courageously attempting to disarm an attacker in an effort to protect others,” the statement reads.

“While nothing can lessen the pain of losing Boris and Sofia, we feel an overwhelming sense of pride in their bravery and selflessness. This encapsulates who Boris and Sofia were – people who instinctively and selflessly tried to help others,” the family says.

BREAKING: New dashcam footage reveals that an elderly Australian hero and his wife almost managed to stop the Bondi Massacre before it even began.

They saw the jihadist death squad jump out of a car draped with an ISIS flag and immediately attempted to tackle the gun men.

The… pic.twitter.com/2moVt1P9zc

— Drew Pavlou ???????????????????????????????? (@DrewPavlou) December 16, 2025

Haredi parties deny they threatened to dissolve Knesset over lack of progress on draft exemption bill

Ultra-Orthodox protesters against the drafting of yeshiva students to the military block Route 4, near Bnei Brak, August 19, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The two ultra-Orthodox parties, Shas and United Torah Judaism, deny having threatened to dissolve the Knesset, following a report by national broadcaster Kan that Haredi MKs warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that they would do so if he did not speed up the process of passing a bill exempting yeshiva students from military service.

“We are not aware of this,” a Shas spokesman tells The Times of Israel, a sentiment echoed by a spokesman for MK Moshe Gafni, the leader of the Degel HaTorah faction of the United Torah Judaism party. Both Shas and the Degel HaTorah faction have expressed support for the proposed legislation, which would continue to grant military service exemptions to full-time yeshiva students while ostensibly increasing conscription among graduates of Haredi educational institutions.

“I don’t know” about this, but “apparently someone said something,” a source in UTJ’s other faction, Agudat Yisrael faction, says, adding, “the truth is, if there isn’t a law [that exempts the Haredi community from military service], there will be a problem. We do not support this [current version of the] law.”

Shas and UTJ backed off of a previous threat to dissolve the Knesset over the issue of draft exemptions in June, allowing the coalition to defeat legislation that would have forced new elections. Under parliamentary rules, because the legislation was defeated, lawmakers had to wait six months to bring another Knesset dissolution bill to a vote, a period that ended this week.

According to Kan, last week Netanyahu told Haredi lawmakers that “elections at this time would be a mistake” and that he anticipated internal coalition resistance to the bill to decrease.

Report: Terrorist who attacked Bondi Hanukkah event has woken from coma

Naveed Akram, 24 (left), and his father Sajid, 50 (right), in images taken from a video obtained by Sky News showing their deadly terror attack on a Hanukkah event at Sydney's Bondi Beach on December 14, 2025. (Screen grab/Sky News)

Bondi Beach terrorist Naveed Akram, 24, who was shot and critically wounded during the attack, has woken from a coma, police tell the Sydney Morning Herald.

The outlet says that his condition is unclear.

Akram carried out the massacre at a Bondi Beach Hanukkah event along with his father Sajid Akram, 50, who was shot and killed.

The father and son killed 15 people during an attack targeting the Jewish community in Sydney on Sunday.

Former Australian PM: Government using gun reform to trying to distract from antisemitism failures

John Howard (C), former prime minister of Australia, waves to the crowd after laying flowers outside Bondi Pavilion in Sydney on December 16, 2025, to honor victims of the Hanukkah terror attack (DAVID GRAY / AFP)

Former Australian prime minister John Howard slams Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, saying that the effort to reform gun laws in the wake of the deadly terror attack at a Sydney Hanukkah event is a “big attempt at diversion.”

Howard, who visited the site of the attack, decries Albanese’s “collective failure over the last 2.5 years, to do enough by words and deeds… to demonstrate his detestation of antisemitism,” The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

“We have failed in our obligation to a part of our community, and I’m ashamed of that. Part of that failure, a big part of it, has to be taken by the leaders,” Howard says.

Kiryat Shmona residents protest government’s ‘abandonment’ of northern border city

Sima Alok, resident of Kiryat Shmona, protests the 'abandonment' of the northern border city, December 16, 2025. (Diana Bletter/Times of Israel)

Some 1,000 people gather at the entrance of Kiryat Shmona to protest what they say is “the abandonment” of the northern border city.

The protest organizer, Shiran Ohayon, tells the crowd, ”We are tired of promises. We want solutions.”

She says that businesses should not pay taxes if “they receive no services.”

The protesters say that 40 percent of the city’s residents have not returned since they were evacuated when Hezbollah began firing rockets on October 8, 2023.

A Kiryat Shmona resident, Sima Alok, tells The Times of Israel that those who have returned, at the government’s urging, “don’t have any work, education, teachers or social workers.”

Edith Brutman named as victim of Bondi Hanukkah terror attack

Edith Brutman is named by Australian media as one of the 15 people killed when terrorists opened fire at a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach on Sunday.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports she was the vice president of an anti-prejudice and anti-discrimination committee at B’nai B’rith New South Wales.

“Former vice president of ADU and long-time member of Aviv, Edith Brutman, was killed in the massacre. She was a gracious woman and a devoted member of B’nai B’rith NSW,” B’nai B’rith says in a statement.

“We mourn all those whose lives have been brutally taken and hold those who have been injured in our thoughts. We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones whose lives have been forever changed,” the organization says.

'A heart of gold': Grandmother Edith Brutman has been identified as the tenth victim of the Bondi Beach terror attack.

Ms Brutman was a beloved member of the Jewish community who had not been attending events regularly due to health issues. But on Sunday she decided to make the… pic.twitter.com/vuJdYCy3Bp

— The Australian (@australian) December 16, 2025

IDF says Palestinian teen killed in West Bank yesterday was rioting

The IDF confirms that troops opened fire on a Palestinian teenager near Bethlehem in the southern West Bank yesterday, saying he was involved in a riot.

The Palestinian Authority health ministry identified him as Ammar Yasser Muhammad Taamra, 16, and said he was shot dead.

According to the army, during an operation in the town of Teqoa, “a riot erupted which included stone throwing toward the force.”

“The troops used riot dispersal means and then opened fire on a main instigator,” the military says, adding that “a hit was identified.”

The IDF says that the incident is under further investigation.

Polish student detained over alleged plot for mass attack at Christmas market

Polish security services have detained a student suspected of preparing a “mass attack” at a Christmas market, Jacek Dobrzynski, a spokesperson for Poland’s special services, says.

Mateusz W., a student at the Catholic University of Lublin, wanted to commit an attack using explosives and planned to join a terrorist organization, he says.

“The aim of the crime was to intimidate many people and support Islamic State. During the investigation, Internal Security Agency officers seized data carriers and items related to Islam,” Dobrzynski writes on platform X.

The prosecutor’s office charged Mateusz W. with “undertaking preparatory actions to carry out a terrorist attack that could have resulted in the death or serious injury of many people.”

“Furthermore, he took steps to establish contact with a terrorist organization, including obtaining its support in carrying out the attack,” the statement says.

Authorities did not immediately give further details about the suspect, who was placed in detention for a preliminary period of three months.

IDF warns soldiers to be vigilant abroad in light of Sydney Hanukkah terror attack

In light of the deadly terror attack during a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday, the IDF’s Operations Directorate reiterates its safety guidelines for soldiers — both on- and off-duty — who are abroad.

In a message, the Operations Directorate warns soldiers to avoid revealing themselves as servicemembers, avoid conversations about the IDF in general and classified matters in particular, increase vigilance concerning their personal security, and not create a digital footprint while abroad.

“In light of the increase in antisemitic incidents and recent events within the Jewish community, vigilance in the civilian space should be heightened, and one should stay away from demonstrations both in favor of and against Israel,” the message reads.

Prisons chief warns jails ‘on brink of incident’ as Palestinian prisoners despair of being freed in deal

Israel Prisons Chief Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi speaks to the Knesset National Security Committee on December 16, 2025. (Noam Moskovitz/Knesset Spokesperson)

Israel Prison Service Chief Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi warns that detention facilities are “on the brink of an incident” as Palestinian security prisoners lose hope of being freed in a hostage-prisoner exchange.

Speaking to the Knesset National Security Committee, the prisons chief claims that with each round of prisoner releases, “the hope they had has turned into despair.”

“Those who are with us [in prisons] today are terrorists who have demonstrated operational capabilities,” he says. “If there is a feeling that the ‘war of resistance’ is at low intensity — I don’t know what will develop in the north or south — but inside the prisons, I can say with certainty that we are on the brink of an incident.”

The Prison Service’s head of security and operations, Avichai Ben Hamo, tells the committee there has been an uptick in the number of prison blueprints found in the possession of security inmates.

“In the past year, blueprints have been seized that were drafted by prisoners,” he says, noting that such blueprints typically mark “where there are locks, where there is a prison guard” and other details relevant to a jailbreak.

IDF to approve orders regulating service conditions for Haredi troops in coming weeks

MK Boaz Bismuth leads a Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, December 16, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Responding to demands by Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Boaz Bismuth, the IDF has said it will soon approve a General Staff order formalizing arrangements facilitating service conditions for ultra-Orthodox troops, a spokesperson for the lawmaker confirms to The Times of Israel.

According to the ultra-Orthodox news site Behadrei Haredim, which broke the story, the IDF informed the committee that the relevant orders “are expected to be signed within about two weeks” and that, should they not be signed within that period, the army will provide the committee with a reason for the delay.

Such an order would address concerns expressed by some Haredi leaders, such as Rabbi Moshe Maya, a member of the Shas party’s ruling Council of Torah Sages, who told Radio Kol Hai in August that any arrangements governing the service conditions of ultra-Orthodox troops must be anchored in such an order or they would be “worthless.”

Addressing the Knesset State Control Committee in September, Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa, the head of the IDF’s Personnel Directorate, told lawmakers that the military was “committed to creating a General Staff order and an adviser on Haredi affairs — and the chief of staff has already approved it.”

However, the orders continued to be delayed, prompting Bismuth to write to Kalifa in November.

Behadrei Haredim reports that IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir received a copy of the proposed orders last month, which he then forwarded to three reserve generals to review, leading to the current delay.

Despite Bismuth’s spokesperson’s confirmation, a member of the committee tells The Times of Israel that he had not heard of the IDF’s response except by way of the Behadrei Haredim report.

The Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee is currently debating the latest version of a coalition bill, drafted by Bismuth, which would continue to grant military service exemptions to full-time yeshiva students while ostensibly increasing conscription among graduates of Haredi educational institutions.

2 ministers call for Liberman to join right-wing coalition

Yisrael Beytenu party chief Avigdor Liberman holds a faction meeting in the Knesset in Jerusalem on November 24, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/FLASH90)

Two members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet call for Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman to join a future right-wing coalition.

Speaking with Radio Galei Yisrael, Settlements and National Projects Minister Orit Strock of the far-right Religious Zionism party rejects any future partnership with former prime minister Naftali Bennett but says that “Liberman could have been a political partner long ago. If he wants to return to the right-wing bloc, we will be very happy.”

Responding to Strock’s comments on Twitter, Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli of Netanyahu’s Likud declares that he agrees “one hundred percent” and that “the time has come to form a government of 65–70 seats based on right-wing parties, without sectoral extortion and without the need for spineless political weathervanes.”

Speaking with Channel 12 yesterday, Liberman ruled out forming a coalition with Arab or ultra-Orthodox parties but said that while he does not rule out Likud or Religious Zionism as potential allies in a future coalition, Prime Minister Benjamin “Netanyahu is not a partner.”

Lawmakers advance bill to deny water, electricity to UNRWA, allow seizure of facilities

Police raid an UNRWA facility in East Jerusalem, December 8, 2025 (Chaim Goldberg/FLASH90)

Lawmakers on the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee vote 6-0 to advance a combined bill prohibiting the provision of electricity or water to facilities owned by or operated on behalf of UNRWA, to the final two readings needed for it to pass into law.

UNRWA — the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East — provides education, health care and aid to millions of Palestinians and their descendants in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

Israel has barred UNRWA from operating on its soil, saying the aid organization incites violence and its employees participated in the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that launched the war in Gaza.

The new amendment would formalize a process requiring electricity and water providers to withhold or disconnect service from any property whose registered consumer name is UNRWA, unless the registered party submits a sworn declaration that they do not represent or act on behalf of the agency.

The legislation also would allow the government to seize properties in Ma’alot Dafna and Kafr Aqab in Jerusalem, which had been leased to UNRWA by the state and used as the agency’s offices, “without the need to initiate legal or administrative proceedings.”

“UNRWA employees were full partners in the cruel massacre carried out against us on October 7 — they didn’t just assist, they led the evil, murdered, and kidnapped. For years UNRWA has posed as a humanitarian aid agency, when in practice it is an arm of Hamas,” says committee chair MK Boaz Bismuth of the Likud party.

Israel has alleged that more than 10 percent of UNRWA’s staff in Gaza have ties to terror groups, and that educational facilities under the organization’s auspices consistently incite hatred of Israel and glorify terror.

In February 2024, the IDF revealed the existence of a subterranean Hamas data center directly beneath UNRWA’s Gaza Strip headquarters. The IDF has also repeatedly targeted Hamas command centers and gunmen hiding out in UNRWA schools.

A number of freed hostages have also testified after returning to Israel that they were held in captivity in UNRWA schools and facilities.

At the same time, some Israeli politicians and officials saw the relief that the agency provided as a means of keeping the Gaza Strip, and parts of the West Bank, from deeper poverty and thus greater violence and terrorism.

Levin asks court to rethink its ban on appointing ombudsman for judges to supervise Sde Teiman leak investigation

Justice Minister Yariv Levin at the assembly hall of the Knesset in Jerusalem, December 10, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Justice Minister Yariv Levin tells the High Court of Justice he has come to a “dead end” in his search for a supervisor for the Sde Teiman video leak investigation, and asks the court to re-examine his request to appoint State Ombudsman for Judges Asher Kula to the position.

Levin tells the court that since it ruled his second pick for the position, retired judge Yosef Ben-Hamo, did not meet the criteria the court had set out for the position, he had not been able to find anyone who did meet the criteria despite reaching out to numerous officials and state agencies

The court said in its ruling in November that the person filling the role must be a senior civil servant with experience in criminal investigations and prosecutions.

“After the passage of nearly a month since the court’s ruling, and nearly two months since the investigation started, it turns out that giving the task to an official who meets all the criteria set out by the court cannot be implemented,” says Levin.

The minister says he is therefore asking the court to allow Kula to take a time-limited break from his role as ombudsman for judges in order to supervise the Sde Teiman affair investigation.

In November, the court agreed with Levin that under the highly irregular circumstances of the case of the leak of the Sde Teiman video, which apparently shows the abuse of a Palestinian prisoner, the justice minister was entitled to appoint an investigation supervisor from outside of the Attorney General’s Office and State Attorney’s Office

The court ruled, however, that he could not appoint Kula since the law for state ombudsman for judges expressly prohibits the officeholder from carrying out any other function.

The Movement for Quality Government, which had petitioned the High Court against Kula’s appointment, objects to Levin’s request, saying he had not presented proof that he had reached out to numerous officials to fill the post.

“Levin isn’t looking for a real supervisor for the investigation – he is looking for a reason to continue to argue with the court, to stick a finger in the High Court’s eye, and to fan the flames against the law enforcement agencies,” the organization charges.

IDF cyber chief says dozens of cyberattacks on national infrastructure thwarted, warns attempts will increase

Illustrative: Israeli soldiers carry out a cyber drill at the IDF Northern Command, in a handout image published April 16, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The chief of the IDF’s C4I and Cyber Defense Directorate says dozens of attempted cyberattacks aimed at disabling Israeli “national systems” have been thwarted in the past two years of war.

The remarks were made during a joint cyber exercise held last week between the IDF and the US Cyber National Mission Force, and released today. The CyberDome drill has been held annually since 2015.

“Behind every overt campaign, there is also a covert one. We operate together with United States Cyber Command tirelessly to ensure superiority against any threat, from any direction,” says Maj. Gen. Aviad Dagan, head of the C4I and Cyber Defense Directorate, according to remarks provided by the military.

“The events published thus far do not fully represent the cyberthreat. We must not make a mistake. This is an issue that is at the very heart of our national security,” he says.

Dagan says that “over the past two years, dozens of enemy attempts to damage and disable national systems have been thwarted.”

“These attempts will increase,” he warns.

During the war, which began with Hamas’s terror onslaught on October 7, 2023, Israel has faced a surge in cyberattacks, some of which have been blamed on Iran.

Indian police say Bondi Hanukkah terrorist Sajid Akram was originally from Hyderabad

Sajid Akram, the father who carried out the Bondi Hanukkah terror attack, in an image taken from a video obtained by Sky News on December 14, 2025. (Screen grab/Sky News)

Indian police say that Sajid Akram, one of the terrorists who carried out the deadly terror attack at a Hanukkah event in Sydney’s Bondi Beach, was originally from the southern Indian city of Hyderabad but had limited contact with his family in India.

“The family members have expressed no knowledge of his radical mindset or activities, nor of the circumstances that led to his radicalization,” Telangana state police say in a statement.

Akram and his son killed 15 people and injured dozens more in the massacre. He was killed while carrying out the attack.

BBC says it will fight Trump’s $10-billion defamation lawsuit

US President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a rally of his supporters on January 6, 2021, in Washington, shortly before the mob assault on the US Capitol. (AP/Jacquelyn Martin)

The BBC will defend itself against US President Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit seeking $10 billion in damages, a spokesperson for the British broadcaster confirms.

“As we have made clear previously, we will be defending this case. We are not going to make further comment on ongoing legal proceedings,” a BBC spokesperson says after Trump filed the lawsuit in Florida over a documentary that misleadingly edited his 2021 speech ahead of the US Capitol riot.

After Bondi Hanukkah attack, Sa’ar and Indian FM condemn terrorism as ‘mutual threat’

Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (L) and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar meet in Jerusalem on December 16, 2025 (Shlomi Amselam/GPO)

Following the terror attack targeting a Hanukkah event in Sydney this week, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar denounce terrorism as a “mutual threat” to both countries during a meeting in Jerusalem.

Indian police have said that one of the terrorists was originally from Hyderabad.

“Terror is a mutual threat for both countries, and we are standing always with the people of India,” Sa’ar says during joint remarks ahead of a meeting between the ministers.

Jaishankar responds that India condemns the Bondi Beach attack, in which 15 people were killed during a Hanukkah celebration event, “in the strongest possible terms.”

“We are both countries who have a policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism,” Jaishankar continues, telling his counterpart, “We appreciate your consistent support to our fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.”

Sa’ar adds that the two countries will adopt “a very comprehensive and ambitious working plan” for bilateral relations in 2026. “India is the biggest democracy. India is also the fastest-growing economy in the world. I believe that the future is India, and it is natural that we want to have a share in the future,” he says.

Jaishankar also reiterates India’s support for Washington’s Gaza peace plan and thanks his counterpart for arranging a meeting between him and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today, adding that he will convey “the good wishes” of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is currently visiting neighboring Jordan.

Court extends detention of 3 suspects in attack on pregnant Arab woman in Jaffa

The Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court has extended the detention of three suspects in the attack on a pregnant Arab woman in Jaffa over the weekend.

They will remain in detention until Sunday next week, after being arrested last night.

The three are suspected of pepper-spraying 30-year-old Hanan Abu Shehadeh while she was driving Saturday in Jaffa with her two children and mother-in-law. According to her account, the young men hurled racist epithets at her and spat on her young daughter through the open car windows.

The court issued a gag order on details of the investigation and information that could identify the suspects.

The three are being represented by Assaf Gonen, a lawyer with the right-wing legal aid organization Honenu, who alleges that his clients acted in self-defense.

“They arrived in Jaffa for a walking tour, where they came into contact with several men and two women who began to crowd around and threaten them. My clients defended themselves from an attack, and in the most proportionate way possible,” he claims.

Journalists union demands PM’s office scrap 2nd ban in a row on press joining Netanyahu’s US flight

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) and his wife Sara Netanyahu disembark from Wing of Zion on arrival in Washington DC on April 6, 2025 (Avi Ohayon/GPO)

The Union of Journalists in Israel has sent an urgent request to the legal adviser of the Prime Minister’s Office demanding a reversal of the PMO’s decision to bar journalists from joining Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s flight to Florida this month for his meeting with US President Donald Trump.

Journalists who regularly cover the premier, including at The Times of Israel, were notified by a PMO spokesperson last week that they would not be permitted to join the premier’s flights on the Wing of Zion aircraft, scheduled for December 28 to January 1, and would need to arrange travel independently. The spokesperson did not provide any explanation or reference an established policy on the matter.

The union sent a letter today through its legal counsel, Amir Basha, to the PMO’s legal adviser Shlomit Barnea Farago, demanding a reversal of the decision.

The letter emphasizes that the Wing of Zion contains a designated area for journalists that was allocated on the plane with public resources. “Accordingly, excluding journalists from the flight constitutes an unreasonable and arbitrary decision that seriously undermines press freedom and the public’s ability to receive independent coverage of the prime minister’s activities,” reads a press release from the union with the letter attached.

The letter to the PMO also notes that there is no official or regulated policy governing journalists’ participation in official flights — a situation it says “allows for ad hoc decision-making that harms core democratic principles and freedom of the press.”

This marks the second US visit in a row that Netanyahu is excluding journalists from joining him on the Wing of Zion. During the premier’s trip to the US in September, his office said he would not bring journalists on the flight “due to technical arrangements related to seating and security.”

The PMO does not immediately comment.

Rabbi at Bondi vigil: Those who shouted ‘Gas the Jews’ or ‘Where’s the Jews’ at demonstrations weren’t stopped

A Chabad rabbi tells a vigil at Bondi Beach that community leaders had warned the government that anti-Israel protests were endangering the Jewish community, highlighting an infamous protest in Sydney days after October 7, 2023.

Fifteen people were killed and dozens injured when two terrorists opened fire at a Hanukkah event run by Chabad at Sydney’s Bondi Beach.

“We begged, ‘Shut these demonstrations down, legislate for it, find the legal means,’” Rabbi Nochum Schapiro from North Shore Chabad tells the crowd, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

“And those who shouted ‘Gas the Jews,’ or ‘Where’s the Jews’ – what difference does it make, same vile statements – were not prosecuted, were not stopped, were not sent out of the country. Were allowed to continue with this vile hate. So we ask [politicians] now: Legislate,” he says.

Schapiro was referring to an infamous protest in Sydney a few days after October 7, 2023, in which video appeared to show protesters chanting “Gas the Jews.” However, New South Wales police later claimed there was no evidence of the chant.

Schapiro says he wrote to Australian Prime Minister Antony Albanese in August to warn him that a recognition of Palestinian statehood would endanger the Jewish community.

“I didn’t even get a response,” he says. “You cannot disconnect the Jewish people from the Jewish land. The Jewish people and the Jewish land are one.”

“And when you vilify the leaders of the Jewish land of Israel, and when you constantly criticize them and then say that they must give up parts of this land… that endangers Jews everywhere,” he says, according to the Herald.

“When Israel is criticized, then the way it’s received by the antisemites is that it’s okay to attack Jews,” Schapiro says.

Australian official: Only 2 police officers were on duty at Hanukkah event attacked by terrorists

Family members of victims at a memorial for victims of the Hanukkah terror attack at Bondi Beach, in Sydney on December 16, 2025 (Saeed KHAN / AFP)

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns says there were only two police officers on duty at the Sydney Hanukkah event where two terrorists killed 15 people and injured dozens.

“The police were tasked with being on the site during the festival. My understanding is that there were two in the park during or at the beginning of the shooting, the assassinations,” Minns tells Sky News Australia.

“And there were police in the vicinity, so a patrol car pulled up within moments of the firing beginning,” he says.

Witnesses have said the two gunmen opened fire for as long as ten minutes, shooting into the crowd of families attending the event to mark the Jewish holiday.

Some 1,000 people were in attendance at the open-air event.

“I think it’s important to note that police obviously when the shooting began did engage the shooters and there’s two in critical condition in NSW hospitals,” he says.

“We have several police officers that engaged with sidearms from 50 meters away, firing with someone who had a long-arm and a tactical advantage over NSW Police,” Minns says. “So they did engage and they did shoot both of the offenders, killing one of them.”

Minns says the police force is now gathering information on the locations of other nearby officers at the time the attack began.

Hamas: 2-week-old Gazan baby died of hypothermia, person killed in building collapse due to heavy rain

Palestinians walk through floodwaters following heavy rains in Gaza City on December 15, 2025 (Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry say a 2-week-old baby boy died of hypothermia yesterday.

Mohammed Khalil Abu al-Khair was admitted into intensive care two days ago, the ministry says in a daily report.

It does not specify where al-Khair’s family was living or which hospital he died at. The death could not be independently verified.

Separately, Hamas’s civil defense agency says a person was killed earlier today when a family home in northern Gaza’s coastal Shati refugee camp partially collapsed due to the heavy rainfall, with people inside.

The person’s age and name were not immediately available. Several other people were wounded, the Hamas agency says.

فرق الدفاع المدني والأهالي ينفذون عمليات بحث وإنقاذ في مبنى سكني انهار في مخيم الشاطئ عقب هطول أمطار غزيرة في مدينة غزة. pic.twitter.com/N6InCWrEuf

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) December 16, 2025

Palestinian media reports that the building had been damaged in an Israeli bombing. According to the UN, over half of Gaza’s structures have been destroyed in the war with Israel, and roughly 40 percent of the remaining structures are severely or moderately damaged.

At least 10 people have died from building collapses and cold exposure this winter season, according to Hamas.

The United Nations has said that hundreds of thousands of displaced Gazans face flooding of their tents and shelters by heavy rains, and materials for shelters and sandbags are not being allowed to enter the enclave.

COGAT, the Defense Ministry agency responsible for overseeing humanitarian matters in Gaza, said yesterday that “claims suggesting that weather-related impacts result from deliberate restrictions are inconsistent with facts on the ground.”

“Close to 310,000 tents and tarpaulins entered Gaza lately,” and “close to 100,000 pallets of winter-related items and sanitation supplies were approved by COGAT, and are now waiting for immediate coordination for entry into Gaza by the international organizations,” the Defense Ministry body said.

First funerals for victims of Bondi Hanukkah attack to be held tomorrow

A Hanukkah menorah stands by a floral tribute as people gather to pay their respects near the Bondi Pavilion at Bondi Beach on December 16, 2025, following the deadly terror shooting targeting a Hanukkah event in Sydney, Australia. (AP/Mark Baker)

The first funerals of victims of the terror attack on a Hanukkah event in Bondi Beach will be held tomorrow, a Zaka volunteer tells The Times of Israel.

As it stands now, six of the 15 victims are scheduled to be buried on Wednesday, says Simcha Greineman, a volunteer for Zaka who flew from Israel to Australia to help with the religious preparations for the burials.

Greineman and other Zaka volunteers, charged with gathering the body parts of the victims in order to give them a proper burial, says his team arrived in Sydney yesterday, but police only gave them access to the crime scene tonight, he says. Identification efforts will continue throughout the night ahead of the funerals, he added.

“We want to make sure we have whatever remains we can to conduct their rites,” Greineman says.

Australian officials have been unable to reveal the identities of some of the last victims because they are foreign nationals, and authorities don’t have DNA records or other forensic details needed to confirm their identities, Greineman says.

IDF: Cop fired on car in West Bank after Palestinian driver fled during traffic stop

A police officer opened fire on a suspicious Palestinian motorist at the Elazar Junction in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc in the West Bank earlier today.

According to the IDF and Israel Police, the officer — from the police’s national headquarters and on a regular commute in his cruiser — spotted a Palestinian driver committing traffic offenses and stopped the car for inspection.

“At one point, after the officer got out of [his] vehicle, the driver began to flee,” the IDF and police say.

In response, the officer opened fire at the car, but the driver fled, according to the military. No injuries are reported in the incident.

The IDF and police say they are searching the area to locate the driver.

IDF: Troops killed terror operative who crossed Gaza ceasefire line in Strip’s south

The IDF says it killed a Palestinian terror operative who crossed the Gaza ceasefire line in the Strip’s south earlier today.

According to the military, the operative crossed the Yellow Line and approached troops of the 7th Armored Brigade “in a way that posed an immediate threat” while “carrying a suspicious object.”

The troops then “eliminated the terrorist to remove the threat,” the army adds.

In a separate incident yesterday, the IDF says troops of the same brigade killed another operative who crossed the Yellow Line and approached the forces.

US, French and Saudi officials to meet in Paris on preventing renewed war in Lebanon

Senior officials from the US, France, and Saudi Arabia will meet in Paris tomorrow amid fears that Israel could embark on a new military operation in Lebanon after a December 31 deadline to disarm Hezbollah passes, a diplomatic official tells The Times of Israel.

The US will be represented by Morgan Ortagus, the US special representative for Lebanon, while President Emmanuel Macron’s Middle East adviser Anne-Claire Legendre will head the French side.

The aim of the meeting, says the official, is to “share notes” on how to prevent another outbreak of war in Lebanon.

The official adds that “there is some frustration” among Western countries with the pace of the Lebanese Armed Forces’ disarming of Hezbollah.

IDF says it struck Hezbollah operative in southern Lebanon

The IDF says it carried out a strike against a Hezbollah operative in southern Lebanon a short while ago.

According to Lebanese media, the strike hit a car driving on a road between the towns of Markaba and Odaisseh.

غارة من مسيّرة إسرائيلية على سيارة في محيط بلدة #العديسة جنوبي لبنان pic.twitter.com/Vrcaa0yBMt

— هنا لبنان (@thisislebnews) December 16, 2025

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men attacked on NYC subway

An Orthodox Jewish man is assaulted on a New York City subway train, on December 15, 2025. (Screenshot via X, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

An Orthodox Jewish man was attacked on the New York City subway last night, in an incident that was recorded and published on social media.

In the footage, two men approach a group of Orthodox men, reportedly members of the Chabad Lubavitch sect, and begin hurling insults at them.

One of the Jewish men then appears to step in between the two aggressors and the other Jewish men, at which point they turn on him and threaten to “teach [him] a lesson,” before grabbing him by the neck.

Orthodox Jews were violently assaulted in the NYC subway, as their attackers hurled antisemitic insults and threatened to kill them.

Is the world waiting for a Chanukah massacre in NYC before it understands how catastrophic the situation has become? pic.twitter.com/550N4eOx22

— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) December 16, 2025

“The fuck you doing?” the attacker can be heard demanding of the Jewish man as he pushes him backwards. “I’ll kill you!”

“I’ll kill one of [you],” the attackers says again, before letting go of the man’s neck.

Several people can be heard shouting in the background for the men to “chill” and “calm down,” but nobody takes any other steps to stop them.

The subway train then pulls into the station and the Jewish men leave the carriage, while the two attackers continue to hurl insults at them as they go.

After the incident, the man who was physically assaulted tells the ultra-Orthodox news outlet VINNews that the attacker grabbed him by the neck after he took out his phone to record the altercation.

“The moment the younger of the two realized I was recording, he attacked me,” he said.

The incident was filmed by a different member of the Chabad community who was standing further down the train carriage and was not targeted.

In response to the footage circulating on X, US Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon says her department will investigate the “horrific” incident.

Tel Aviv man questioned by police on suspicion of attacking right-wing provocateur Hadar Muchtar

Police interrogated a man in his 70s on suspicion of attacking right-wing provocateur Hadar Muchtar during a protest in Tel Aviv on Saturday night.

The man, a Tel Aviv resident in his 70s, was summoned for questioning at the Lev Tel Aviv police station and released on restrictive conditions after the interrogation.

The suspect is a professor at Ben Gurion University, according to Hebrew outlets.

Muchtar filed a police complaint and uploaded footage of the incident to her social media a day later, in which the man is heard calling her a “miserable bitch” in a crowd of demonstrators in Habima Square.

He appears to try to snatch her microphone from her, leading to a brief confrontation that bystanders attempt to de-escalate. “Are you insane?” she repeatedly shouts at the man.

Muchtar, a well-known TikTok personality, is known for frequenting anti-government protests to argue with participants.

Last month, police detained an 80-year-old man on suspicion of sexual harassment after he was filmed making vulgar remarks to her during another protest.

Israel refusing to hand over autopsy results to family of Gazan paramedic killed in Dec. 2023

Israel has refused to provide information about the circumstances of the death in Israeli custody of a Palestinian paramedic from Khan Younis who was detained by IDF troops for unexplained reasons on December 2, 2023, Haaretz reports.

The paramedic, referred to in the report by the pseudonym Khaled, was one of a five-member medical team staff detained on December 2, 2023, while evacuating patients from north to south Gaza, according to Haaretz. The state says Khaled died that same day, according to Haaretz, which says he died in the Sde Teiman detention facility in southern Israel.

Khaled’s wife received official notice of his death only in September 2024 after appealing to the Israeli court with the assistance of the Gisha organization, Haaretz reports, while contemporary Hamas statements corroborate the account.

“I’ve appealed to every possible body, including the Red Cross — everything to get information, but there’s no answer,” Haaretz quotes Khaled’s wife as saying. “I just want to know what happened to my husband. If he’s dead, why did he die, and how? He went out to save lives and help the wounded. He has no record of security issues.”

The woman — who reportedly lives with her six children in a tent in a displaced peoples’ camp after her home was destroyed — adds that she tries to solicit information from every returning Gaza prisoner.

“Some say they saw him and some say they didn’t,” she says. “You can’t just disappear a person like that. We live in uncertainty, which only compounds the pain and fear.”

Following the family’s request, Khaled was autopsied at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in May, some 18 months after he died, Haaretz says. A family representative was present but was required to sign a nondisclosure agreement, preventing him from informing Khaled’s family of the autopsy results, the newspaper says.

The family’s attorney has accused the state of dragging its feet, but the Beersheba Magistrate’s Court has expressed satisfaction that the military police is investigating the case sincerely, Haaretz reports.

The IDF says in a response to the newspaper that the criminal investigation into Khaled’s death is ongoing, and that “by nature of things, its findings cannot be specified, including the results of the autopsy.”

Iran says dual national held on suspicion spying for Israel has Swedish citizenship

Iran’s judiciary says that a dual national arrested during the recent 12-day war with Israel and who has since been on trial for espionage holds Swedish citizenship.

“Recently, a case was investigated in Alborz Province regarding a dual-citizen spy. This person received Swedish citizenship in 2020 and has resided there since,” says judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir, according to the judiciary’s Mizan Online news agency.

IDF says it struck a second Hezbollah operative in southern Lebanon

The IDF announces that it carried out a strike against another Hezbollah operative near the southern Lebanon town of Sebline.

Sebline is located some 40 kilometers north of Israel’s border, close to Sidon.

Less than an hour ago, the IDF says it struck a Hezbollah operative near the village of Taybeh.

It is rare for the IDF to announce strikes on Hezbollah operatives shortly after they are carried out, as it generally waits for confirmation of their results first.

Australians smash blood donation records in wake of Bondi Beach Hanukkah attack

Two national blood donation records have been broken in Australia, local outlet SBS News reports, as people have lined up in their thousands to donate blood in the wake of the Bondi Beach Hanukkah terror attack.

A spokesperson for Australian Red Cross Lifeblood tells SBS News that on Monday, the day after 15 people were gunned down in Bondi Beach, “close to 50,000 appointments were booked — more than double the previous record.”

In total, the spokesperson says, “7,810 donations of blood, plasma, and platelets were made across the country in 24 hours” — a record number of donations in a single day.

“From the darkness into the light”

The NSW Premier called for blood donors after the Bondi Beach attack.

And thousands of Aussies not only in NSW, but across Australia, answered that call. ????????????

With Sydneysiders patiently waiting for up to four hours.

Lifeblood was… pic.twitter.com/GqzhWUtSfh

— ???? ???? ???? ???????? HRH Mamma Rosa ???????????????????? (@HRHMammaRosa) December 15, 2025

In the aftermath of the attack, Lifeblood put out a nationwide request for blood donations, and in particular for O-negative blood — the universal blood type.

According to SBS News, the response to the request has been overwhelming, and some donor centers now have no available appointments until mid-to-late January.

CENTCOM Gaza conference does not reach decision on peacekeeper mandate — official

The conference in Doha today on the planned international security force for Gaza failed to make key decisions on the deployment of the force and its mandate, a European official tells The Times of Israel.

The conference began with a presentation by a senior US officer on the American goals for the nascent force and on a proposed mission for the force, says the official, adding that the discussion was a continuation of a recent initial meeting in Washington, DC, says the official.

The countries at the conference were then asked to declare whether they were interested in joining the force and whether they would go as far as confirming their participation, says the European official.

The forum also discussed next steps, including a follow-up meeting of military chiefs of staff in January. The location of that meeting is not yet known.

There is still “no clear answer” on the force’s mandate and whether it will be involved in disarming Hamas, says the European official.

UK police charge two men with belonging to Hezbollah, attending terror training camps in Lebanon

Illustrative: Metropolitan police stand in front of protesters at an anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian demonstration in support of the group Palestine Action as the UK government gears up to ban it, in Trafalgar Square, central London, Great Britain, June 23, 2025. (HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)

British police say they have charged two men with belonging to the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah and attending terrorism training camps in Lebanon.

The men were arrested at their home addresses in London in April and rearrested last week when they were subsequently charged with a total of nine terrorism offenses.

“These arrests and charges follow a painstaking investigation by detectives of Counter Terrorism Policing London, who have worked closely with a number of overseas law enforcement colleagues,” said Commander Dominic Murphy, head of London’s Counter Terrorism Policing.

“I want to reassure the public that I do not assess there is an ongoing threat to the wider public as a result of the activities of these two individuals.”

Annis Makki, 40, is charged with attending a terrorist training camp at the Birket Jabbour airbase in Lebanon in 2021, being involved in the preparation of terrorist acts, being a member of Hezbollah, and expressing support both for Hezbollah and Hamas.

Mohamed Hadi, 33, is also accused of belonging to Hezbollah and attending a training camp in Baffliyeh in south Lebanon in 2015 and at the Birket Jabbour airbase in 2021.

Both men are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court later today.

IDF closes case against reserves officer who was facing charges over deaths of researcher, soldier in Lebanon

Col. (res.) Yoav Yarom, in an undated photo. (Israel Defense Forces)

New Military Advocate General, Maj. Gen. Itai Ofir has decided to close a case against Col. (res.) Yoav Yarom, who was facing charges over his involvement in the circumstances that led to the deaths of a soldier and a civilian researcher in southern Lebanon in November 2024.

Yarom will not face criminal charges, and instead, Ofir has recommended that he be disciplined within the military. IDF prosecutors in September said they would seek to file an indictment against the reserve officer, accusing him of reckless homicide.

The army says that an investigation into another individual involved in the incident will also be closed without criminal proceedings.

The families of Sgt. Gur Kehati, 20, and civilian researcher Ze’ev Erlich, 71, were updated on the decision, the IDF says.

On November 20, Yarom — who served as chief of staff of the Golani Brigade in the reserves — allowed Erlich to enter the western sector of southern Lebanon, in IDF uniform, to examine an archaeological site without the necessary approvals. Erlich had long served in the military reserves despite his advanced age, but was not in active service at the time of his entry into Lebanon.

Yarom and Erlich were joined by a team of soldiers as they entered a medieval fortress in the southern Lebanese village of Shamaa, revered by Christians and Shiite Muslims as the 1st-century burial place of Saint Peter.

Believing the area had been cleared of threats, Yarom led Erlich and accompanying troops to the site, where two Hezbollah operatives ambushed the forces, killing Erlich and Kehati. An officer was seriously wounded, and Yarom himself was moderately wounded, before the gunmen were killed.

Following a Military Police investigation, the Military Prosecution decided to indict Yarom with the charge of reckless homicide, subject to a hearing.

Before the hearing, a new testimony was taken from the seriously wounded commander, which could not have been obtained earlier due to his injury, the army says.

The IDF says that immediately upon entering the role in late November, and due to the statute of limitations for the applicability of military law in the case, Ofir decided to hold a hearing with Yarom and the prosecution team.

“The combination of the investigation findings that were collected, together with the additional testimony that was taken, as well as evidence presented and submitted during the hearing by the defense, including a series of opinions from commanders past and present regarding Ehrlich’s areas of expertise and their reliance on him in an operational framework, led the Military Advocate General’s Corps to decide not to prosecute Col. (res.) Yoav Yarom criminally,” the IDF says.

The military says that the investigation material shows that the visit to the site “had been planned in advance by the commander of the force… and was required for operational purposes.” According to the military, Golani Brigade commander Col. Adi Gonen had instructed a team to head to the area to investigate the death of another Golani soldier in a battle with Hezbollah five days earlier.

The IDF says that it was not possible, legally speaking, to refute Yarom’s claims that he joined the patrol “for operational reasons” and that Erlich was also included in the tour “for operational reasons.”

The army adds that it “shares in the deep sorrow” of the Kehati and Erlich families.

Suspects in attack on Arab woman in Jaffa have history of violence against West Bank Palestinians, police said to tell court

Three young men arrested on suspicion of attacking a pregnant Arab woman in Jaffa over the weekend have a history of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, a police representative reportedly told a judge during their remand hearing.

The three are “hilltop youth” who have been issued restraining orders in the past by police, temporarily barring them from the West Bank, the representative said, according to Hebrew outlets.

Two years ago, one of the suspects had been put in administrative detention on suspicion of having attacked Palestinians in the central West Bank, Haaretz reports.

All three are suspected of having arrived in Jaffa with the goal of carrying out a planned, racially motivated attack on Saturday. They found their target in 30-year-old Hanan Abu Shehadeh, who was driving with her two children and mother-in-law.

According to her account, the young men hurled racist epithets at her and spat on her young daughter through the open car windows, then pepper-sprayed her and her family.

Police also noted during the hearing in the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court that the suspects gave identical versions of the incident during their separate police interrogations, Ynet reports, raising the suspicion that they coordinated their responses in advance.

Amid rise in flu cases, Health Ministry recommends vulnerable people wear protective face masks

Israelis wearing face masks walk in downtown Jerusalem on January 21, 2021, during the third national coronavirus lockdown. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

Due to the steep rise in flu cases over the past few weeks, the Health Ministry says it recommends that at-risk people, medical staff and visitors to geriatric institutions wear protective face masks.

The ministry says that as of December 7, there have been 513 new cases of influenza A and one positive case of Influenza B, based on reports from 14 hospitals.

Over the past three weeks, four children have died from the flu, three of whom were unvaccinated and had no underlying conditions, and one who had an underlying condition. In comparison, a total of four children died of the flu during last year’s flu season.

The ministry calls on the public, especially people aged 65 and over and people with chronic illnesses, to get a flu vaccine.

Almost one in six Israelis is vaccinated against the flu. The ministry reports a significant rise in the number of people who have been vaccinated in the past few weeks: more than 1.5 million have been vaccinated, representing 15.7 percent of the population.

To date, 50.1 percent of all women and men aged 65 and over have been vaccinated against influenza, compared to some 48% in the 2024-2025 and 2023-2024 seasons. Three seasons ago (2022-2023), some 55% of the elderly were vaccinated.

Globally, influenza has been characterized by morbidity levels higher than the multi-year average and starting earlier than usual. The earlier-than-expected rise in morbidity is due to a new sub-variant of influenza A, A(H3N2), the K sub-variant.

Rahat mayor, other local Bedouin leaders demand police end practice of blocking entrances to towns

Ra'am chairman Mansour Abbas and MK Waleed Alhawashleh convene with heads of Bedouin locales in the Negev for an emergency meeting in opposition to police's practice of erecting roadblocks in Bedouin towns, in Tel Sheva on December 15, 2025. (Courtesy/Talal Alkernawi)

Rahat mayor Talal Alkernawi sends a letter to senior police officials demanding law enforcement stop placing roadblocks at the entrances to Bedouin villages, calling the new practice a form of “collective punishment.”

Alkernawi, the mayor of Israel’s largest Arab city, heads the Forum of Bedouin Authorities in the Negev and sends the letter on behalf of the organization.

The letter — addressed to Negev region commander Amir Klein, Southern District commander Haim Bublil and Chief Commissioner Danny Levy — says the practice of erecting cinderblocks at the entrances to Bedouin towns lacks any legal anchoring. It urges police to “act using legal, measured and focused means, while communicating and coordinating with the heads of local councils.”

Alkernawi and other Bedouin council heads held an emergency meeting on Monday with Ra’am chairman Mansour Abbas and his fellow party member MK Waleed Alhawashleh to address the matter. The politicians convened in Tel Sheva, a Bedouin town whose entrance was blocked off for hours by police last week during a raid.

Police over the past month have been conducting army-style raids in an effort to fight surging crime in the Bedouin sector; however, local politicians have opposed the measures, saying the operations have done nothing to stem violence in their communities.

“We aren’t occupied towns, we are Israeli towns, the police cannot treat us like we are occupied. We aren’t in the West Bank, we aren’t in Gaza,” Alkernawi tells The Times of Israel.

“If the police want to conduct searches [in Bedouin towns], they should enter and conduct searches; if they want to fight crime, then they should fight crime. We are on their side,” he says. “But to come and close an entire village with cinderblocks? This is unacceptable to us; it’s collective punishment and we won’t be silent about it.”

He adds that the roadblocks harm law-abiding citizens who have to leave for work in the morning by keeping them stuck in traffic for long hours.

He says that National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who declared the sweeping police operation last month, is “constantly pushing us into a corner to a situation that, God forbid, might lead to tensions between Bedouin and Jewish sectors.”

“It is hard for me to believe that the [Southern] district commissioner is at peace with police placing these roadblocks,” he says, claiming that the new policy is being advanced at the behest of Ben Gvir, rather than local law enforcement.

IDF says Palestinians in West Bank’s Nur Shams refugee camp notified of plans to demolish several buildings

An Israeli soldier stands guard as residents of the West Bank refugee camp of Nur Shams evacuate their homes and carry their belongings, ahead of planned home demolitions by Israeli security forces on May 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

The IDF says that earlier this week, authorities notified Palestinian residents in the Nur Shams refugee camp near the West Bank city of Tulkarem that the army intends to demolish several buildings.

The demolition of buildings is due to a “clear and necessary operational need,” the military says.

The Civil Administration body in the Defense Ministry notified the residents of the IDF’s plans. The military says the residents of the buildings have been given time to take their belongings.

The decision to demolish the structures was made by the chief of the Central Command, Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, “after careful consideration, while reducing the scope of demolition to the minimum required, and after considering other alternatives,” the IDF says.

The IDF has already demolished hundreds of buildings in the Jenin, Nur Shams and Tulkarem camps in the West Bank this year, with officers saying it is intended to “preserve the IDF’s freedom of operation.”

“The camps in northern [West Bank] serve as centers of gravity for terror activity, operating from within population centers. The IDF continues to operate to shape the area to prevent the re-entrenchment of terrorists in the camps,” the army says.

Palestinian teen reportedly shot dead by settler; footage appears to show he was killed while fleeing

A Palestinian teen was shot dead by a settler near the Palestinian town of Teqoa in the southern West Bank, Palestinian media reports, a day after a teenager was shot dead by the IDF during a clash with troops in the town east of Bethlehem.

He is identified as Muheeb Ahmed Jibril, 16.

الشهيد الثاني خلال 24 ساعة في بيت لحم: استشهاد الطفل مهيب جبريل برصاص مستوطن https://t.co/8T50c4MvmG

— Shabab FM راديو شباب اف ام (@ShababFM1014) December 16, 2025

Footage published by Palestinian media, captured from afar near a highway, appears to show Jibril and four other Palestinians running away from the road in different directions when a black van pulls up.

One of the people running away, identified by Palestinian media as Jibril, falls and does not get up, as the van drives away. Another person, who had ducked for cover behind the highway guardrail when the van showed up, rushes to him.

????فيديو| لحظة إصابة الشهيد مهيب أحمد جبريل برصاص مستوطن عند مدخل بلدة تقوع جنوب شرقي بيت لحم pic.twitter.com/A7bkH5iKEh

— فلسطين أون لايـن (@F24online) December 16, 2025

It’s unclear if the van was a military or civilian vehicle. The published video was silent, so gunfire could not be heard.

The IDF does not immediately respond to The Times of Israel’s request for comment, including on whether it received reports on an incident in the area and whether the vehicle in the video was there in a military capacity.

Subsequent footage shows Jibril’s body being carried on a stretcher through a large crowd in Teqoa. The crowd chants, “There is no god but Allah.”

فيديو التُقط أثناء الإعلان عن استشهاد الفتى مهيب أحمد جبريل (16 عامًا) في بلدة تقوع شرق بيت لحم. pic.twitter.com/ytudWOFeVv

— موقع عرب 48 (@arab48website) December 16, 2025

Teqoa Mayor Mohammed al-Badan tells Reuters by telephone that Jibril was killed following the funeral of 16-year-old Ammar Taamra, who was killed yesterday.

Following the funeral, says al-Badan, “a number of youths were gathered by the main street when a settler shot 16-year-old Muheeb Jibril in the head.”

Reuters contributed to this report.

New lead reported in case of missing girl Haymanut Kasau as police major crimes unit takes over investigation

Haymanut Kasau, 9, who went missing on February 25, 2024, from a Jewish Agency absorption center in Safed, northern Israel. (Courtesy)

The Israel Police announce that the case of missing Ethiopian-Israeli girl Haymanut Kasau is being transferred to the Lahav 433 major crimes unit, almost two years after her disappearance.

At the same time, Channel 12 reports that there has been a “dramatic update” in the case, which has stumped police after Kasau, then nine years old and living in Safed, seemingly disappeared without a trace in February 2024.

According to the report, police have found a new lead in the case after an apparent attempted kidnapping of a young girl in Beersheba yesterday, which was caught on a security camera outside the apartment of a neighbor. The footage was obtained by Channel 12.

The girl is reportedly a friend of Kasau’s, and her family moved from Safed to Beersheba earlier this year.

In the footage, a man — whose face is blurred — can be seen approaching the apartment and knocking on the door, which is opened. The man says a few words, but they are not picked up clearly enough by the security camera to decipher, and he appears to reach into the apartment.

The footage freezes momentarily and when it resumes, a screaming figure can be seen fleeing out of the apartment and down the hallway as the man chases after her.

Kasau’s relatives tell Channel 12 that the man seen in the video is from Safed and that he knows their family.

The Israel Police says, however, that its decision to hand the case over to Lahav 433 is not related to any developments on the ground, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

Netanyahu demands Western leaders do more to tackle antisemitism after Bondi Beach terror attack

Three days after two terrorists killed 15 people at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demands that Western governments do more to protect global Jewish communities and fight antisemitism, in a brief video message shared by his office.

“I demand that Western governments do what is necessary to combat antisemitism and provide the required security and protection for Jewish communities around the world,” Netanyahu says in the video.

“They would do well to heed our warnings. I am demanding action — now,” he adds.

IDF reviewing report of shooting incident south of Jerusalem

The IDF says it has received reports of a shooting incident near the Beitar checkpoint in the West Bank, south of Jerusalem.

“The details are under review,” the army says.

First responders say that they have not yet located any casualties in the area.

Anti-Hamas activist accuses group of torturing members of Khan Younis clan amid post-ceasefire crackdown

Masked Hamas gunmen take positions in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, ahead of handing over Israeli hostages to the Red Cross, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Hamza al-Masri, an anti-Hamas Gazan activist in exile, accuses Hamas of torturing members of a southern Gaza clan who were taken into Hamas custody after some 20 Hamas operatives were killed in a clash with the clan in early October.

Al-Masri, who relies on a network of sources inside Gaza, says Hamas demanded the Khan Younis-area al-Majaida clan hand over nearly 100 members following the October 3 clash, during which Israel struck Hamas with drones as an anti-Hamas local militia fought alongside the clan.

Some al-Majaida clan members also surrendered themselves to Hamas after the clash to help “contain the crisis and prevent escalation,” al-Masri says.

It’s unclear how many al-Majaida clan members are actually alleged to have been held in Hamas custody. Al-Masri names three — Muhammad al-Majaida, Mahmoud al-Majaida and Rafiq al-Majaida — and says there are others unwilling to talk.

Appended to al-Masri’s report is footage of a man he identifies as Muhammad, who lies motionless in a bed with his arms and legs covered in bandages following what he endured in “the so-called ‘Hamas echoes slaughterhouse’ west of Khan Younis.”

Other torture sites used by Hamas include one facility located underneath Khan Younis’s Nasser Hospital, al-Masri says, citing “testimonies of the clan’s youth and some people close to Hamas.” They faced physical and mental torture, including having their nails pulled out, according to al-Masri.

A Gazan source familiar with the matter is quoted by Channel 12 saying that one of the sites had been repurposed following the October 9 ceasefire deal as a jail for “people who are considered opposed to Hamas — not just the al-Majaida clan, but also many residents of Khan Younis and the Strip’s center.”

On October 13, ten days after its clash with Hamas, the al-Majaida clan said it would surrender any unlicensed arms to Hamas “in light of unfortunate recent events.” The statement did not mention surrendering any people to Hamas, though it urged clan members to “abide by the law.”

Later in October, a Hamas interior ministry source cited by independent Egyptian media outlet Mada Masr said al-Majaida clan members were among the wanted individuals surrendered to Hamas by families seeking rapprochement with the group following the October 9 truce-hostage deal, as Hamas reasserted itself on its side of the Gaza ceasefire line.

It was unclear from the Mada Masr report if the families surrendering al-Majaida clan members to Hamas included the al-Majaida family itself.

IDF: Shooting incident south of Jerusalem was troops firing at vehicle speeding toward them

The army says the shooting incident near the Beitar checkpoint was troops opening fire at a vehicle that had accelerated toward them.

According to the IDF, the vehicle was being used to smuggle West Bank Palestinians into Israel illegally.

After it crossed the checkpoint into Israel and accelerated toward troops, the soldiers returned fire, the military says.

The vehicle then fled the scene, and the incident is now being handled by police, the army adds.

No injuries were caused.

IDF soldier killed by gunfire on military base; incident under investigation

An IDF soldier was killed by gunfire at a base in northern Israel earlier today, the army says, in an incident that is under investigation by the Military Police.

According to the IDF, the soldier was seriously wounded and was taken to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. His family was notified, the military says.

“Following the incident, an investigation was opened by the Military Police Investigatory Unit. Upon its conclusion, the findings will be forwarded for review by the Military Advocate General’s Corps,” the IDF says.

US imposes travel ban on Palestinian Authority passport holders, five more countries

A Palestinian woman shows her passport to the camera as she waits at the Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip on September 18, 2013. (Mohammed Abed/AFP)

US President Donald Trump has expanded a travel ban to the US by barring nationals of six more countries, including Syria, as well as Palestinian Authority passport holders, from entering the United States.

In a social media posting, a White House account says that Trump, who has long campaigned to restrict immigration, was acting “to protect the security of the United States.”

The move is part of ongoing efforts to tighten US entry standards for travel and immigration, and follows the arrest of an Afghan national suspect in the shooting of two National Guard troops over Thanksgiving weekend.

In addition to barring PA passport holders, the Republican administration announces that citizen of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria are to be barred from entering the US.

An additional 15 countries are also being added to the list of countries facing partial restrictions: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Israel blocks Canadian lawmakers at West Bank crossing, says delegation sponsored by ‘terror entity’

Six members of Canada’s parliament travelling from Jordan were denied entry to the West Bank today by Israeli authorities who accused the delegation of being sponsored by “a terror entity.”

Jenny Kwan, an opposition lawmaker with Canada’s left-wing New Democratic Party, tells AFP that one MP, Iqra Khalid of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party, was “pushed multiple times” by an Israeli border officer.

The lawmakers were on a trip sponsored by Canadian-Muslim Vote, a charity group.

Israel’s embassy in Canada tells AFP in a statement that the charity receives funding from Islamic Relief Canada, a subsidiary of Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), which has been “listed as a terror entity by the State of Israel.”

IRW has rejected Israel’s long-standing charge that it is a terrorist group with ties to Hamas.

Kwan says the delegation gave Israeli authorities prior warning about their trip, which included a range of planned meetings with aid groups, as well as Palestinian and Jewish civil society leaders.

“The Government of Canada formally notified the Government of Israel ahead of the delegation’s travel,” she says in a statement.

“Electronic travel authorizations to enter the West Bank were initially approved,” but on arrival at the Allenby Bridge crossing today “the entire delegation was denied entry to the West Bank.”

Kwan tells AFP that before leaving Canada she considered the prospect that the group would encounter difficulties because of Carney’s decision to recognize Palestinian statehood at the United Nations General Assembly in September.

“I wondered whether or not this would be an issue,” she says, but ultimately put it out of her mind after the trip was approved.

Kwan says the delegation had returned to Jordan’s capital, Amman.

Canada’s Foreign Minister Anita Anand says on social media that Ottawa “has expressed Canada’s objections regarding the mistreatment of these Canadians.”