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The Times of Israel liveblogged Monday’s events as they unfolded.
Hamas said refusing release of 12 out of 34 hostages Israel wants freed in first stage of deal
The Hamas terror group has partially rejected a list of hostages that Israel insists must be released during the first phase of any ceasefire deal, the Kan public broadcaster reports.
According to the report, which cites an unnamed Palestinian source, Hamas is willing to release 22 of the 34 hostages on the list but is refusing to agree to the release of the other 12.
Instead, the report states, the Gaza terror group offered to release 22 living hostages and 12 bodies during the first phase of a deal.
Israel turned down the idea and made it clear that it will only accept living hostages during the initial stage of a hostage release and ceasefire deal, the report adds.
The report did not provide further details on the hostages Hamas is reportedly refusing to release, although earlier this month, Egypt’s Al-Ghad outlet reported that Israel requested the inclusion of 11 men considered by Hamas to be soldiers on its list of hostages to be released in the first phase of a potential deal.
The terror group classifies all Israeli men of fighting age to be soldiers.
Report: Alarming hostage negotiators, PM says Israel should be upfront about plan to resume war after deal
Protesters gather for a rally calling for action to secure the release of Israeli hostages held captive since the October 7 attacks by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, outside the Defence Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv on December 28, 2024. (Jack GUEZ / AFP)
During a high-level meeting last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told those present that Israel will resume fighting after a hostage deal, if one comes about, Channel 12 reports.
“If there is a deal — and I hope there will be — Israel will return to fighting afterward. There is no point in pretending otherwise because returning to fighting is needed in order to complete the goals of the war. Saying this does not thwart a deal, it encourages a deal,” Channel 12 quotes Netanyahu as having said.
The remarks sparked further concern among members of the hostage negotiating team present, who feel that such assertions — especially when made public — have made it more difficult for them to secure a deal, given that Hamas has insisted on a permanent ceasefire in exchange for the hostages, the network says.
Netanyahu has pushed for a temporary ceasefire deal that only sees around one-third of the remaining 100 hostages released. Hamas has indicated some flexibility in recent weeks but is seeking assurances from mediators that the first phase of the agreement will lead to the second and third phases.
The quote attributed to Netanyahu by Channel 12 was very similar to one attributed to an unnamed senior Israeli official who told the Ynet news site earlier Monday, “Even if Israel agrees to a deal, it will resume fighting afterward in order to complete the goals of the war.”
The senior official was responding to an earlier report in the Ynet news site that cited senior members of the security establishment warning that Netanyahu’s refusal to plan for the post-war management of Gaza will lead to a scenario where Hamas will fully regain control over Gaza as it had before the outbreak of the ongoing war sparked by the terror group’s October 7 onslaught.
The security establishment has long urged Netanyahu to advance a viable alternative to Hamas and has argued in favor of allowing the Palestinian Authority to gain a foothold in Gaza.
Netanyahu has rejected the proposal outright, likening the PA — which backs a two-state solution — to Hamas.
For the past several months, he has stressed how he has directed the security establishment to come up with a plan to strip Hamas of its control over the humanitarian aid, which has served as one of its final lifelines of control over governing affairs in the Strip. But the premier-directed effort has gone nowhere, given the refusal to work with the PA, a security official told Ynet, adding that initiatives to have foreign security contractors be tasked with guarding aid convoys have also fallen flat since there is no one to fund them.
Israeli officials backing the idea had hoped countries like the United Arab Emirates would bankroll the security contractors, but Abu Dhabi has made clear repeatedly that it won’t assist in the post-war management of Gaza absent the involvement of a reformed PA and an Israeli-approved pathway to a two-state solution.
The Israeli security official speaking to Ynet said that the political echelon’s failure to advance a viable alternative to Hamas is leading to the gradual roll-back of military gains made by the IDF in Gaza.
Pedestrian hit, lightly hurt by car while running for shelter during Houthi missile attack
The Magen David Adom ambulance service says a pedestrian was hit and lightly injured by a car while rushing to a bomb shelter in the central Israel town of Yavne during a Houthi missile attack a short while ago.
The pedestrian, an 18-year-old girl, was taken to Kaplan Medical Center with injuries to her chest and limbs, the ambulance service adds.
No major damage as Yemen missile debris crashes in Beit Shemesh
Part of an intercepted missile launched from Yemen is seen on a street in Beit Shemesh, December 30, 2024. (Sam Sokol/Times of Israel)
A chunk of the Houthi ballistic missile launched from Yemen at Israel this evening crashed in Beit Shemesh, near Jerusalem.
No major damage was caused by the missile debris, which landed at the entrance to the Ramat Beit Shemesh Alef neighborhood.
The IDF said the missile was intercepted by air defenses, and sirens sounded across central Israel due to the possibility of falling debris.
בית שמש ???? pic.twitter.com/R2ra1DkEfd
— Real News IL (@RealNewsIL) December 30, 2024
IDF says ballistic missile from Yemen was successfully downed by air defenses
A ballistic missile launched at Israel from Yemen was successfully intercepted by Israeli air defenses, the military says.
According to the IDF, the missile was shot down before crossing into Israel, and sirens sounded across central Israel due to fears of falling fragments following the interception.
The attack was likely carried out by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. In the past month, the Houthis have fired 11 ballistic missiles and at least nine drones at Israel.
Ambulance service says no direct injuries reported as result of Yemen missile attack
The Magen David Adom ambulance says it has not yet received reports of any injuries as a direct result of the missile launched at central Israel from Yemen, but that a number of people are suffering from acute anxiety or were hurt while rushing to bomb shelters.
Sirens blare across central Israel after ballistic missile fired from Yemen
Sirens are sounding across central Israel following a ballistic missile launch from Yemen.
The IDF is looking into the details.
French FM, defense minister visit Lebanon a month after Israel-Hezbollah truce took effect
France’s top diplomat and defense chief have arrived in Lebanon, where a fragile truce since late November ended intense fighting between Israel and the terrorist group Hezbollah.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu met today with Lebanon’s army chief Joseph Aoun, and tomorrow are due to visit UN peacekeepers near the Israeli border.
A Lebanese army statement on social media says that Aoun and the visiting ministers discussed “ways to strengthen cooperation relations between the armies of the two countries and to continue support for the army in light of current circumstances.”
Aoun, who is being touted as a possible candidate for Lebanon’s president, has been tasked with deploying troops in the south of the country since the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire came into effect on November 27.
Lecornu says on X that he is also due to meet with a French general representing Paris, “within the ceasefire monitoring mechanism.”
“Our armies are, and will remain, committed to the stability of Lebanon and the region,” he says.
PA’s Abbas eulogizes Jimmy Carter for ‘addressing the realities of Israeli apartheid’
Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas shakes hands with former US president Jimmy Carter during their meeting on May 2, 2015, in the West Bank city of Ramallah. (AFP/Pool/Abbas Momani)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas eulogizes former US president Jimmy Carter as the first American leader “to recognize the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.”
“He spoke boldly against injustice, including addressing the realities of Israeli apartheid, and championed the cause of peace over violence and war,” adds Abbas in a statement.
“President Carter’s legacy will forever remain in our hearts, serving as a testament to his immeasurable contributions to the cause of justice and peace,” he adds.
Houthi-controlled ports reportedly out of service since Israeli strikes on December 18
Three ports on Yemen’s west coast under Houthi control have been out of service since Israeli strikes against them on December 18, according to sources quoted by Al Arabiya.
Ships anchored in the ports of Hodeida, Salif, and Ras Issa have been unable to leave, the Saudi news outlet reports, cutting off an essential lifeline for the regime.
The harbors were again targeted in IDF strikes last week, as part of Israel’s campaign to destroy infrastructure used by Houthis for military activities. The ports of Ras Issa and Hodeida also include fuel storage facilities, making them vital economic hubs for the terror group.
A strike on the Hodeida port in July reportedly cost the Houthis over $300 million in material losses and lost port revenue, as the Iran-backed rebel group struggles to find resources, given Yemen’s dismal economic crisis and international isolation.
UN agency says 2 killed as Gaza aid convoy looted; Hamas claims organization ‘fully responsible’
Two people have been killed in northern Gaza, as gunmen attacked an aid convoy, the World Food Program says, prompting Hamas to accuse the UN agency of having failed to coordinate security.
The World Food Program says in a statement that “a coordinated movement to bring in 40 trucks on behalf of humanitarian partners” on Sunday “was faced with violent, armed looting, resulting in the deaths of two.”
“During the armed looting, five trucks of commodities were lost,” it adds.
Hamas, the Palestinian terror group that runs the Gaza Strip, says in a statement that “a catastrophic mistake” by the WFP “claimed the lives of two citizens and injured dozens with bullets.”
“We hold it fully responsible and demand that it not violate the protocol followed regarding coordination to secure aid trucks,” the statement says.
The WFP says in its statement that, for the past two weeks, “nearly every movement of aid through crossings in south and central Gaza has resulted in violence, looting, and tragic deaths, due to attacks and the absence of law and order along convoy routes inside Gaza.”
The organization says that it is still following “procedures of coordination set in place in previous months,” and that it has “repeatedly warned of the dangers of movement in the absence of law and order” in the Palestinian territory.
AG: Premier’s appointment of acting civil service chief ‘unreasonable in the extreme’
Attorney Roi Kahlon (Shelly Padan)
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara tells Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that his pick for acting civil service commissioner does not meet the criteria for the position and that, as a result, there is a legal impediment to making the appointment.
The attorney general’s statement is the latest in a long series of positions she has taken against the current government, arousing the ire of much of the cabinet and prompting efforts by government ministers to oust her from her job.
In a position paper written by Deputy Attorney General Gil Limon on behalf of Baharav-Miara, Limon tells Netanyahu that attorney Roi Kahlon does not have adequate management experience and that his appointment is therefore “unreasonable in the extreme” — a standard by which the High Court of Justice can reverse administrative decisions should the issue reach the court.
“He does not meet the qualification conditions,” writes Limon, adding that “his appointment to the position will not comply with the necessary professional standards for the position.”
In particular, Limon notes that Kahlon does not have sufficient senior managerial experience to qualify him for the job. He also points out that Kahlon claimed in his resume to have far greater managerial experience than he actually has.
Limon nevertheless says that his position “should not detract from the importance of his [Kahlon’s] role in the State Attorney’s Office and the civil service.
The deputy attorney general ends his position paper by asserting that Netanyahu is required to give “significant weight” to the attorney general’s position when making the appointment, adding that, since there is a “substantive gap” between the requirements for the job of civil service commissioner and Kahlon’s experience, “this appointment would be unreasonable in the extreme,” and that “for these reasons there is a legal impediment to carrying out this appointment.”
Kahlon began his public service with a 15-year stint at the State Attorney’s Office, during which time he served for six years as an attorney for the attorney general and was also the supervisor for discipline in the Civil Service Commission. He also spent four years as head of the economic crime team.
Last year, he was appointed as head of the team at the Prime Minister’s Office, combating an epidemic of violent crime rocking Arab communities.
PM said to phone Haredi leader from hospital to vow Knesset will advance draft exemption law
Left: Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf, leader of the United Torah Judaism party, June 26, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90); Right: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, September 9, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash 90)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reported to have called United Torah Judaism party chairman and Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf from his hospital room a day after undergoing prostate surgery to promise that the Knesset would advance a conscription law, as demanded by the ultra-Orthodox.
According to the Kan national broadcaster, Goldknopf replied that Netanyahu previously made a similar promise and declined to back down from a threat to vote against a budget-related bill in the Knesset tomorrow unless presented with a draft of a bill that satisfies his demands.
Goldknopf said Agudat Yisrael — the Hasidic faction within UTJ — would vote against the bill as a “warning sign,” the Walla news site reports. An Agudat Yisrael official is quoted as saying the faction is “not looking to bring down the government,” and just wants Netanyahu “to finally fulfill his commitment.”
This morning, the ultra-Orthodox Hamodia daily reported that members of Agudat Yisrael believe there is “no point” in supporting the budget-related bill before the issue of IDF exemptions for yeshiva students is settled, and will therefore vote against it.
Passing legislation to enshrine ultra-Orthodox exemptions from military service after they were struck down by the High Court this summer has become one of Goldknopf’s chief legislative priorities. In October, he appeared to back down, at least temporarily, from a threat to derail government budget talks over the issue.
Failure to pass a budget by March 31 would result in the automatic dissolution of the government and early elections, adding potency to this threat.
Instead, UTJ put its weight behind the so-called Daycare Bill, which sought to circumvent a High Court ruling preventing state-funded daycare subsidies from going to the children of ultra-Orthodox men who evade the draft.
However, due to internal opposition from within the coalition, that bill was also taken off the Knesset agenda, further angering the ultra-Orthodox.
Legislation dealing with the issue of ultra-Orthodox enlistment is currently stuck in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, whose chairman, Likud MK Yuli Edelstein, has said that the needs of the IDF must come first and that the panel will only advance the legislation if lawmakers can reach a “broad consensus” on the matter.
IDF says 2 rockets fired at Gaza border towns were downed by air defenses
Two rockets launched from the northern Gaza Strip at Israeli border communities were intercepted by air defenses, the military says.
Sirens sounded in Netiv Ha’asara, Karmia, and the Zikim beach, during the attack.
There are no reports of injuries.
In recent days, there has been an uptick in rocket fire from northern Gaza, at the same time as an ongoing IDF offensive there.
Rocket alerts triggered in several communities near Gaza
Incoming rocket sirens sound in several communities near the Gaza border, hours after a rocket was fired from the enclave at an Israeli town in the area.
At UN, Israel warns Houthis risk same ‘miserable fate’ as Hamas, Hezbollah and Assad
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations issues what he calls a final warning to Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis to halt their missile attacks on Israel, saying they otherwise risk the same “miserable fate” as Hamas, Hezbollah, and Syria’s Bashar al-Assad if they persist.
He also warns Tehran that Israel has the ability to strike any target in the Middle East, including in Iran, adding that Israel will not tolerate attacks by Iranian proxies.
“To the Houthis, perhaps you have not been paying attention to what has happened to the Middle East over the past year. Well, allow me to remind you what has happened to Hamas, to Hezbollah, to Assad, to all those who have attempted to destroy us. Let this be your final warning. This is not a threat. It is a promise. You will share the same miserable fate,” Ambassador Danny Danon tells the UN Security Council.
Speaking before the meeting, Danon told reporters: “Israel will defend its people. If 2,000 kilometers is not enough to separate our children from the terror, let me assure you, it will not be enough to protect their terror from our strengths.”
IDF releases Hamas video of terror operatives planting bombs next to Gaza hospital
An infographic released by the IDF on December 30, 2024, shows where Hamas operatives planted roadside bombs near the Indonesian Hospital in Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip. (Israel Defense Forces)
The IDF releases footage obtained from cameras belonging to Hamas operatives, showing them planting roadside bombs next to the Indonesian Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip.
According to the IDF, the bombs were planted just 45 meters from the medical center in Jabalia.
The army says that during its military operation last week at the Indonesian Hospital, troops killed several terror operatives who tried to flee from the medical center. Dozens of members of terror groups were detained, and several explosive devices planted by them in the area were neutralized, the military says.
The video taken by the Hamas operatives, and later found by the IDF in Gaza, shows them planting explosive devices next to the hospital. The video is not dated.
“This is another example of the Hamas terror organization’s cynical use of the population and civilian institutions in the Gaza Strip for terror activity in blatant violation of international law,” the military adds.
This video released by the IDF on December 30, 2024, shows Hamas operatives planting explosive devices next to the Indonesian Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip. (Israel Defense Forces)
German minister: ‘Striking signs’ that deadly car-ramming suspect is mentally ill
A police officer guards at a blocked road near a Christmas market after an incident in Magdeburg, Germany, December 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
BERLIN — Germany’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser says there are indications that the Saudi suspect in a deadly car-ramming attack on a Christmas market 10 days ago is mentally ill.
“There are striking signs of a pathological psyche,” Faeser tells reporters, adding that lessons must be learnt on how to track potential “perpetrators who are psychologically disturbed and… driven by confused conspiracy theories.”
US chipmaking giant Nvidia announces it has acquired Israeli startup Run:ai
A Nvidia building in Israel. (Nvidia)
US gaming and computer graphics giant Nvidia announces the completion of the acquisition of Israeli startup Run:ai, after obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals.
The closure of the deal that was first announced in April comes after the US Department of Justice and the European Commission granted approvals for the acquisition of Run:ai, which has built software to help developers and businesses manage complex AI workloads and computing resources on a single platform.
The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the value is said to be around $700 million, according to reports in the Hebrew press. The deal is estimated to be Nvidia’s biggest acquisition in Israel since the US chipmaker bought Mellanox Technologies Ltd. in 2020 for $6.9 billion.
“As part of Nvidia, we are eager to build on the achievements we’ve obtained until now, expand our talented team, and grow our product and market reach,” said Run:ai.
Run:ai’s employees will be joining Nvidia’s growing operations in Israel, where the chipmaker employs about 4,000 workers in seven R&D centers, including Yokne’am where Mellanox is headquartered, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Ra’anana, and Beersheba in the south.
Police join Ben Gvir in lashing out at Smotrich amid budget feud
Amid an ongoing political dispute between National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich over the budget, the Israel Police issue a statement attacking the Finance Ministry for allegedly harming law enforcement in general and the Yamam police counter-terrorism unit in particular.
“In a unilateral decision by the Finance Ministry, it was decided to freeze a budget that is intended to build a building for the Yamam, whose fighters are working tirelessly for the security of the State of Israel and its citizens,” the statement alleges, calling the decision unjustified.
Weighing in, National Security Minister Ben Gvir, whose ministry oversees the police, calls on Smotrich to “keep your hands off the police.”
In response, the Finance Ministry declares that it transferred funding for the project “a long time ago” but that the police chose not to advance the project, ostensibly because the commissioner decided to prioritize other issues.
“The attempt to present a false and contrary representation, while cynically exploiting the Yamam fighters, is regrettable and unnecessary,” the ministry says.
IDF confirms rocket launch from Gaza, says projectile struck open area
One rocket was launched from the central Gaza Strip at the border community of Kissufim a short while ago, the military says.
According to the IDF, the rocket struck an open area.
There are no reports of injuries or major damage.
Rocket sirens activated in Gaza border kibbutz
Rocket warning sirens are activated in Kissufim, a kibbutz along the border with Gaza.
The military says it’s looking into the matter.
IDF soldier killed, 3 others seriously hurt amid fighting in northern Gaza
Sgt. Uriel Peretz (Israel Defense Forces)
An IDF soldier was killed during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip earlier today, the military announces.
The slain soldier is named as Sgt. Uriel Peretz, 23, of the Kfir Brigade’s Netzah Yehuda Battalion, from Beitar Illit.
Another three soldiers with the battalion were seriously wounded in the same incident, in the Beit Hanoun area.
The IDF does not immediately release further details on the incident.
Syria’s new rulers appoint foreign jihadists to senior posts in army — sources
A masked opposition fighter carries a flag of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in the courtyard of the Umayyad Mosque in the old walled city of Damascus, Syria, on December 10, 2024. (AP/Hussein Malla)
DAMASCUS, Syria — Syria’s new rulers have installed some foreign fighters including Uighurs, a Jordanian and a Turk in the country’s armed forces as Damascus tries to shape a patchwork of rebel groups into a professional military, two Syrian sources say.
The move to give official roles, including senior ones, to several jihadists may alarm some foreign governments and Syrian citizens fearful about the new administration’s intentions, despite its pledges not to export Islamic revolution and to rule with tolerance toward Syria’s large minority groups.
A Syrian government spokesperson doesn’t reply to a request for comment on the thinking behind the appointments.
The sources say that out of a total of almost 50 military roles announced by the defense ministry yesterday, at least six had gone to foreigners.
Reuters is not able to independently verify the nationalities of the individuals appointed.
Tel Aviv Stock Exchange expected to adopt Monday-to-Friday trading week in 2026
The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, December 25, 2018. (Adam Shuldman/Flash90)
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says he will advance a shift to a Monday-to-Friday trading week for the local stock exchange to align with global standards. The change is expected to come into effect at the beginning of 2026.
During a visit to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, Smotrich says the transition from Israel’s Sunday-to-Thursday trading week is intended to adapt the local capital market so that it overlaps more with trading hours on Wall Street and European bourses. Trading on Friday will end at 2 p.m., to observe the start of Shabbat — the Jewish sabbath – when most Israeli businesses shut.
“Changing the trading days is a central component of our vision to strengthen the connection between the Israeli capital market, the Israeli economy, and global markets,” Smotrich says. “This move will allow global investors to access the Israeli capital market more easily, invest in our attractive local market without unnecessary and harmful barriers, and strengthen the Israeli economy in the long term.”
The transition was proposed last year by the stock exchange and advanced in collaboration with the Israel Securities Authority and Bank of Israel.
Asked about high toll of fallen religious Zionist soldiers, Haredi MK says, ‘I see the price they are paying in leaving religion’
United Torah Judaism MK Yitzhak Pindrus leads a special committee meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem on December 3, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)
United Torah Judaism MK Yitzhak Pindrus says that he cannot support mandatory military service for ultra-Orthodox Jews, even though his community’s failure to serve means he’s embarrassed to look national-religious Jews in the eye.
The national-religious community, unlike the ultra-Orthodox, does perform mandatory IDF service.
During a conference organized by the Israel Democracy Institute, the Haredi lawmaker is asked, “When you look at the vast rate of fallen soldiers from the religious Zionist [community], how can you explain… that it still does not prompt the community that you represent to come and say… we are coming to share the burden?”
He responds: “I can’t look the [religious-Zionst Jews] in the eye. But there is one thing that I also see. I see the price that they are paying in leaving religion. That’s the reason I’m not there. I see the price and they are paying a very heavy price.”
The Haredi religious and political leadership have fiercely resisted any effort to require members of the community to serve in the military. Their longstanding exemptions from the mandatory military draft were undercut in June when the High Court of Justice ruled there is no legal basis for these exemptions.
United Torah Judaism has been pushing hard for the passage of a government-backed bill aimed at enshrining the exemptions in law. The bill is currently stuck in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, whose chairman, Likud MK Yuli Edelstein, has said that the needs of the IDF must come first and that the panel will only advance the legislation if lawmakers can reach a “broad consensus” on the matter.
Syrian Kurdish officials have contacted Israel to establish line of communication
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)
Syrian Kurdish officials have reached out to Israel to establish a channel of communication, The Times of Israel has learned.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has been vocal about the imperative of supporting the Syrian Kurds. According to his office, he brings up the issue in all of his meetings with Western diplomats.
UN Security Council set to discuss Houthi attacks following Israeli request
Yemenis set fire to US and Israeli flags during a demonstration in the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa on December 27, 2024. (Mohammed Huwais/AFP)
The UN Security Council is slated to convene soon to discuss “threats to international peace and security,” including by the Houthis in Yemen.
Last week, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar sent a letter to the US ambassador to the UN, currently the UNSC president, asking her to hold the session.
The meeting will begin with a public debate, then will move to a closed-door session. UN Ambassador Danny Danon will address the meeting, according to the Foreign Ministry.
Mohamed Khaled Khiari, the UN assistant secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, will also present.
The Houthis have fired missiles at the center of Israel six times in less than two weeks, and have launched more than 200 missiles and 170 drones at the country in the past year, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
“The Houthis, an Iranian proxy, have launched, for over a year, incessant missile and drone attacks at Israeli citizens and communities and disrupted international shipping routes,” says Sa’ar on Twitter. “The Houthis have also taken hostages, including UN workers.”
“I call on all countries who seek global stability to designate the Houthis as a terrorist organization,” he continues. “It’s time for the international community to take action to counter the Houthis’ aggression!”
Syrian FM says he accepted invitation to visit Saudi Arabia
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, appointed by the new rulers, says on X that he has accepted an invitation from his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah to visit, in what would be his first foreign trip.
Court asks security services whether PM’s trial must continue to be held at underground Tel Aviv facility
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and attorney Amit Hadad (R) at the Tel Aviv District Court, December 18, 2024 (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
The Jerusalem District Court asks the security services to provide an update as to whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can now give testimony in his corruption trial in the Jerusalem District Court, instead of the underground, bombproof room in the Tel Aviv District Court where he has testified until now.
Netanyahu is being tried by the Jerusalem District Court, but the security services determined that the security arrangements in that court were not sufficient to guarantee the prime minister’s safety when he began his testimony on December 10, since it lacks a bomb shelter and other security features.
As a result, the prime minister has given testimony in the Tel Aviv District Court, although proceedings were canceled this week due Netanyahu’s prostate removal surgery on Sunday.
The Jerusalem District Court asks the security services “whether there has been a change in circumstances” that would allow for the proceedings to be held in the Jerusalem court instead.
The court instructed “the professional parties” to provide an update on the matter by Sunday.
On day three of Netanyahu’s testimony, a ballistic missile launched at Israel from Yemen set off sirens in Tel Aviv and across central Israel, but the judges continued with the hearing since the underground courtroom is a bombproof space.
Syria appoints Maysaa Sabrine to lead central bank, first woman to hold position
Syria’s new rulers have appointed Maysaa Sabrine, formerly a deputy governor of the Syrian central bank, to lead the institution, a senior Syrian official says.
Sabrine does not immediately respond to a request for comment.
She will be the first woman to lead the institution in its more than 70-year history, replacing Mohammed Issam Hazime who was appointed governor in 2021 by now-toppled president Bashar al-Assad.
Maysaa Sabrine appointed interim head of the Syrian Central Bank, becoming the first woman in the role. pic.twitter.com/Svbyvy5JpN
— Clash Report (@clashreport) December 30, 2024
Smotrich accuses Ben Gvir of populism for threatening to vote against key budget bill over ministry budget cuts
Far-right leaders Itamar Ben Gvir (left) and Bezalel Smotrich at the Knesset on December 29, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90/ File)
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich accuses fellow cabinet Minister Itamar Ben Gvir of “populism” after his far-right Otzma Yehudit threatens to continue voting against budget-related bills to protest cuts to Ben Gvir’s National Security Ministry.
Speaking with the Kan public broadcaster, Smotrich dismisses Ben Gvir’s complaints, stating that he had “never asked for anything that he did not end up receiving.”
Smotrich states that police salaries have already increased and that Ben Gvir is setting himself up as “Santa Claus” granting gifts, while vilifying the Finance Ministry.
If Ben Gvir follows through on his threat and blocks the Trapped Profits Law, “it will certainly not be possible to pay salaries to the police, and it will certainly not be possible to finance the costs of the war,” Smotrich continues, adding that the war is costing the government more than a quarter trillion shekels ($68 billion) “and we all have to finance it.”
The reduction in funding to the National Security Ministry is not specific, but is part of cuts being made across the board.
Blocking the Trapped Profits Law will only benefit “the richest people in the country, who for years have taken advantage of a loophole in the law and evaded paying more than 50% of the tax” that they should be paying, Smotrich argues.
Israeli who apparently spied for Iran accused of arson, graffiti, photographing near Gantz’s home
This image released by police on December 30, 2024, shows a car allegedly set on fire by Alexander Granovsky, a civilian recruited by 'foreign elements.' The graffiti on the car reads 'Children of Ruhollah.' (Israel Police)
A resident of the central city of Petah Tikva has been arrested for carrying out missions on behalf of “foreign elements,” the Shin Bet security agency and police say, the latest in a series of plots involving civilians apparently recruited by Iran that security agencies say have been foiled in recent months.
Alexander Granovsky, 29, was detained over suspicions he was “committing security offenses after he was suspected of being involved in several vehicle arsons on behalf of foreign elements,” the Shin Bet and police say.
According to the investigation, since November, Granovsky was in contact with “terror elements” from abroad, and carried out “a large number of different security tasks for them,” for monetary gain.
The Shin Bet says Granovsky knew that the tasks had “potential to harm the security of the state.”
The agency does not explicitly say that Iran was behind the plot, but the tasks bear similarity to previous alleged Iranian attempts.
The tasks that Granovsky carried out, according to the Shin Bet, included: setting fire to eight vehicles across Israel; graffitiing “Children of Ruhollah,” referring to Ruhollah Khomeini, the former supreme leader of Iran; photographing a state-owned facility in central Israel; photographing the entrance to the neighborhood where former defense minister and MK Benny Gantz lives and sending it to his handlers; sending his handlers information about an Israeli civilian for the purpose of examining his recruitment for various tasks; purchasing military uniforms for a video in which he would burn them; and more.
An indictment is set to be filed against Granovsky in the coming days.
The incident marks at least the 13th alleged Iranian espionage plot revealed by Israeli authorities in recent months.
National Unity chair Benny Gantz is seen at a discussion about the Israel Broadcasting Authorities at a Knesset Economic Affairs meeting, Jerusalem, December 18, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Iraqi couple charged in Germany with physical, sexual abuse of enslaved young Yazidi girls
BERLIN — Germany’s federal prosecutor charges an Iraqi couple with enslavement, torture and war crimes, alleging they kept two young Yazidi girls as slaves and sexually and physically abused them.
The man and the woman, identified only as Twana H.S. and Asia R.A. in line with German privacy rules, were arrested in Bavaria in April.
The were members of the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria between October 2015 and December 2017, the prosecutor said in a statement. They allegedly kept a 5-year-old Yazidi girl as a slave starting in late 2015, and a 12-year-old from October 2017.
Prosecutors alleged that the man raped both girls repeatedly and that the woman prepared the room and put makeup on one of the girls.
The couple also exerted “harsh physical violence” on the girls, who were prevented from practicing their own religion and coerced into household work and childcare, prosecutors said.
The man on one occasion allegedly hit the older girl with a broomstick, the woman is accused of scalding the younger girl’s hand with hot water and both children were repeatedly forced to stand on one leg for half an hour as punishment.
Before they left Syria in November 2017, the suspects handed the girls over to other members of IS, the prosecutor’s statement said.
“All of this served the organization’s objective to destroy the Yazidi religion,” the statement said.
IDF says many dozens of terror operatives killed in overnight ambushes in north Gaza’s Jabalia
Screen grab of a video released by the military apparently shows terror operatives fleeing during an ambush in Jabalia on December 30, 2024 (Israel Defense Forces)
Overnight, dozens of terror operatives were killed in ambushes led by the IDF’s 162nd Division in northern Gaza’s Jabalia, the military says.
According to the IDF, troops spotted and killed “many dozens of terrorists” in Jabalia with gunfire and tank shelling.
The IDF says troops of the 401st Armored Brigade, Givati Infantry Brigade, and the elite Multidomain Unit had been waiting in ambushes overnight, following intelligence on plans by operatives to flee the area.
“Many terrorist squads were eliminated in ambushes by the forces, after they were seen fleeing with weapons in their hands,” the military says, releasing footage showing armed operatives running.
צוות הקרב של חטיבה 401, גבעתי והיחידה הרב מימדית, בפיקוד אוגדה 162 פעלו הלילה במרחב ג׳באליה >> pic.twitter.com/9Skova25VH
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) December 30, 2024
Iran confirms it arrested Italian journalist, says she’s being held for ‘violating the law’
Italian journalist Cecilia Sala in undated footage from the Tg3 news program on Italy's state broacaster RAI. (Screen capture: X/Tg3, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Iran confirms that it had arrested Italian journalist Cecilia Sala for “violating the law,” state media reported, a move that has been decried by Italy as “unacceptable.”
“Cecilia Sala, an Italian citizen, travelled to Iran on December 13, 2024 with a journalist’s visa and was arrested on December 19, 2024, for violating the law of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the official IRNA news agency says, citing a statement by the culture ministry without elaborating.
Fallen soldier knew hostage Goldberg-Polin: He went around Gaza looking for him and shouting ‘Hersh’
This undated photo provided by Rachel Goldberg shows her son Hersh Goldberg-Polin. (Courtesy of Rachel Goldberg via AP)
The brother of Staff Sgt. Yuval Shoham, 22, killed yesterday in Gaza, says the fallen soldier knew murdered hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin and looked for him while serving in the Strip.
“The concept of bringing back the hostages was in his heart,” Shahar Shoham tells Ynet. “He knew Hersh Goldberg-Polin personally and the fact that he was there [in Gaza] connected him even more. He went around Gaza looking for him and shouting ‘Hersh.'”
The Shoham and Goldberg-Polin families were friends and members of the same community in Jerusalem.
Shahar says that yesterday his parents had traveled south from their Jerusalem home with a package for Yuval, but when they arrived at his base they were met by officers who informed them of his death. The army announced the circumstances of his death earlier today, saying he was killed in an accident during fighting in the Jabalia area.
Goldberg-Polin was taken hostage from the Nova festival on October 7. He was killed by his captors alongside Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Alex Lobanov, Carmel Gat, and Almog Sarusi in a tunnel in Rafah on August 29.
Staff Sgt. Yuval Shoham, killed in the northern Gaza Strip on December 29, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
Hospital says Netanyahu’s condition improving after prostate removal surgery
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the district court in Tel Aviv on December 23, 2024, to attend the fifth day of testimony in his trial on corruption charges. (Debbie Hill/Pool/AFP)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu feels better and his condition continues to improve after a successful prostate removal surgery, doctors at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem say, adding that there are no concerns of malignancy or cancer.
He is expected to spend several days under observation in the fortified recovery ward due to fears he could be targeted by rocket or missile fire amid the ongoing war.
Reports: IDF troops advance in Syria buffer zone, search government buildings in Madinat al-Baath
Troops of the Israeli Air Force's elite Shaldag unit are seen atop the Syrian side of Mount Hermon, in a photo published December 12, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
IDF troops operating in southern Syria reportedly advanced into the town of Madinat al-Baath in the Quneitra Governorate.
Local Syrian media outlets say that Israeli forces entered several government buildings in the town to search them.
There is no immediate comment from the IDF.
Madinat al-Baath is located within a buffer zone between Israel and Syria, which the IDF entered following the fall of the Assad regime.
القنيطرة
الجيش الإسرائيلي يتوغل داخل الأبنية الخدمية في مركز محافظة القنيطرة ويقوم بعملية تفتيش ويمنع الاهالي من التجوال ضمن اماكن تقدمهم pic.twitter.com/08wju15XoI— Nour Golan (@Nuorgolan) December 30, 2024
The Democrats party slams Sa’ar over reports he plans to rejoin Likud: ‘Selling out all his values’
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar addresses the press ahead of his New Hope party's weekly faction meeting in the Knesset, December 16, 2024. (Chaim Goldbergl/Flash90)
The Democrats party slams Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar over reports that he plans on leaving the New Hope party, which he founded, to rejoin Likud.
“The deal with Gideon Sa’ar was born precisely for these moments,” the liberal party declares in a statement. “When the coalition is in turmoil, he is there to sell out all his values, including legitimizing mass [military draft] evasion. The main thing is to return to the Likud that slandered and cursed him and his family.”
Channel 12 reported yesterday that Sa’ar is set to return to Likud, years after quitting the party over a falling-out with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The development is reportedly expected in the coming days and would see New Hope’s three other lawmakers also able to join Likud. However, the report said that one of them, Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel, was unlikely to follow Sa’ar. Haskel did not respond to an inquiry from The Times of Israel.
IDF says soldier killed yesterday in Gaza died in an accident during fighting
Staff Sgt. Yuval Shoham, killed in the northern Gaza Strip on December 29, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
The IDF has updated the family of Staff Sgt. Yuval Shoham, who was killed yesterday in the northern Gaza Strip, that his death was caused by an accident.
Shoham, 22, of the 401st Armored Brigade’s 9th Battalion, was hit by the rotation of the turret in the tank he was in, during fighting in the Jabalia area.
“His family was informed of the circumstances of the incident. The IDF shares in the grief of the family, and will continue to accompany them,” the military says.
Otzma Yehudit, Haredi faction threaten to vote against key budget bill
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attend a Knesset vote on the state budget, February 7, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Otzma Yehudit warns that it will vote against a key budget bill unless Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich halt cuts to party chairman Itamar Ben Gvir’s National Security Ministry.
In a statement, the far-right party states that such cuts directly affect the salaries of police and prison guards and threatens that “until Smotrich stops harming the police, the Prison Service, and the fire department, we will vote against the Trapped Profits Law.”
The reduction in funding to the ministry is not specific, but is part of cuts being made across the board.
Ben Gvir’s threat comes after his party has already twice voted against bills related to the 2025 state budget over ongoing disputes regarding budget cuts and his demand for the immediate termination of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.
It comes on the heels of a report in the ultra-Orthodox Hamodia daily that members of the Hasidic Agudat Yisrael — a faction of the United Torah Judaism party — believes that “there is no point” in supporting the Trapped Profits Law before the issue of IDF exemptions for yeshiva students is settled, and will therefore vote against it.
The opposition of both Otzma Yehudit and Agudat Yisrael is enough to prevent the bill’s passage.
In addition, members of the opposition will reportedly attempt to block its passage with a filibuster.
The Trapped Profits Law, which was approved for its second and third readings in the Knesset Finance Committee on Sunday, is the only item on the Knesset plenum’s agenda this afternoon.
The bill would allow the government to tax so-called “trapped profits,” which are gains earned by corporations and multinationals that are not distributed as dividends to shareholders but invested in business development, infrastructure, and research and development centers.
Until now, trapped profits were tax-exempt to encourage investment in Israel. If the new tax is approved by the end of 2024, it is expected to generate NIS 10 billion in revenues in 2025.
PM sends condolences on Carter’s death: Israel-Egypt peace treaty ‘offers hope for future generations’
FILE - Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, left, US President Jimmy Carter, center, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin clasp hands at the White House in Washington after signing the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel, March 26, 1979. (AP Photo/Bob Daugherty, File)
In a terse message apparently from his hospital bed, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sends the Israeli government’s condolences to the American people and the Carter family on the death of former US president Jimmy Carter.
“We will always remember President Carter’s role in forging the first Arab-Israeli peace treaty signed by Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel and President Anwar Sadat of Egypt, a peace treaty that has held for nearly half a century and offers hope for future generations,” Netanyahu writes on X.
Carter, the longest-lived former US president, who became a vocal critic of Israel in his later years, died yesterday at his home in Plains, Georgia. He was 100.
Netanyahu is recovering in the hospital after prostate removal surgery at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem yesterday.
Rocket sirens near Gaza border are false alert
Sirens sound in Erez near the Gaza border warning of incoming rocket fire.
The IDF later says it is a false alert.
Taliban order all NGOs in Afghanistan to stop employing women or face closure
FILE - A Taliban fighter stands guard as women wait to receive food rations distributed by a humanitarian aid group, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on May 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)
The Taliban says it will close all national and foreign nongovernmental groups in Afghanistan employing women. It comes two years after they told NGOs to suspend the employment of Afghan women, allegedly because they didn’t wear the Islamic headscarf correctly.
In a letter published on X Sunday night, the Economy Ministry warns that failure to comply with the latest order will lead to NGOs losing their license to operate in Afghanistan.
The ministry says it is responsible for the registration, coordination, leadership and supervision of all activities carried out by national and foreign organizations.
The government is once again ordering the stoppage of all female work in institutions not controlled by the Taliban, according to the letter.
“In case of lack of cooperation, all activities of that institution will be canceled and the activity license of that institution, granted by the ministry, will also be canceled.”
The Taliban have already barred women from many jobs and most public spaces. They have also excluded them from education beyond sixth grade.
El Al suspends Moscow flights through March after Azeri plane apparently downed by Russian air defenses
An El Al flight takes off at the Ben Gurion International Airport, outside of Tel Aviv, August 25, 2024. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)
Israel’s flagship carrier El Al says it has decided to extend the suspension of its flights from Tel Aviv to Moscow until the end of March.
The move comes after El Al halted air traffic to and from Moscow last week citing “developments in Russia’s airspace” after Azeri officials said a passenger jet that crashed in Kazakhstan on Wednesday had been downed by Russian air defenses.
“After conducting a comprehensive situation assessment, El Al suspends all of its operations on the Tel Aviv-Moscow route until the end of the winter schedule,” El Al says in a statement. “The decision comes after ongoing dialogue with the authorities in the country to understand the situation.”
WHO chief calls for end to IDF raids and strikes on Gaza hospitals
Palestinians evacuate from northern Gaza's Kamal Adwan Hospital, in a handout photo issued by the military on December 29, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
The head of the World Health Organization calls for an end to Israeli military raids and strikes on hospitals in Gaza after the IDF struck one and raided another in the past few days.
The IDF said both medical facilities were being used by Hamas.
“Hospitals in Gaza have once again become battlegrounds and the health system is under severe threat,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says in a post on X.
“We repeat: stop attacks on hospitals. People in Gaza need access to health care. Humanitarians need access to provide health aid. Ceasefire!” he adds, without calling for the release of the 100 hostages abducted from Israel and held in the Strip.
The Israeli military said Hamas operatives were the targets of a strike on Gaza City’s Al Wafa hospital yesterday.
Israeli forces also detained more than 240 Palestinians including dozens of medical staff from Kamal Adwan hospital on Friday, among them its director Hussam Abu Safiya.
The Israeli military said the hospital was being used as a command center for Hamas military operations and those arrested were suspected operatives. It said Abu Safiya was taken for questioning as he was suspected of being a Hamas operative.
Tedros, who last week was caught up in an IDF strike against Yemen’s main airport amid rising attacks on Israel by the Iran-backed Houthis, calls for Abu Safiya’s immediate release and says the Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City had also faced attacks.
Tedros says the WHO and partners had delivered basic medical supplies, food and water to Gaza’s Indonesian hospital and transferred 10 critical patients to Al Shifa hospital. Four patients were detained during the transfer, he says.
“We urge Israel to ensure their health care needs and rights are upheld,” Tedros says.
Israeli player’s match at Auckland tournament disrupted by anti-Israel protesters
Naomi Osaka, right, of Japan, shakes hands with Julia Glushko, of Israel, after Osaka defeated Glushko during the second round of the US Open tennis tournament, Aug. 30, 2018, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
A tennis match between Israeli player Lina Glushko and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in the first round of the ASB tennis classic in Auckland is disrupted by anti-Israel protests.
A small group of demonstrators outside the venue can clearly be heard in the venue and in television broadcasts of the match.
Journalist Ben Rothenberg writes on X that play was briefly stopped for a couple of minutes due to the noise from the protesters. He says that organizers were unable to move the demonstrators as they were on a public street.
Chants appear to include “Israel is a terror state.”
Osaka beats Glushko 6-4, 6-4.
Lina glushko es de Israel y está jugando el atp de Auckland, New Zealand.
Hay protestas contra Israel afuera del court. pic.twitter.com/4XJhDUsKbd— Rafael Paiva (@Raiva91) December 30, 2024
Report: UK won’t permit entry of Asma al-Assad for cancer treatment
Syria's first lady, Asma al-Assad, the wife of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, picks roses during the Damascene Rose Harvest Festival in the village of al-Marah in the mountainous region of Qalamoun, Syria, Thursday, May 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
British government sources tell London’s The Times that Asma al-Assad, the London-born wife of ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, is effectively barred from the United Kingdom as her passport is not valid.
It is unclear if the travel document expired or was actively blocked.
Sources tell the newspaper that because the exiled former Syrian first lady’s passport is not valid, and the British government will not allow her back in on compassionate grounds due to her health, Assad will be unable to seek medical treatment in the UK.
Assad is said to have a 50% chance of survival after an aggressive form of blood cancer is believed to have returned following treatment for the disease earlier this year, the UK’s Telegraph newspaper reported earlier this month.
According to the report, the exiled former first lady, who was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in May of this year, is completely isolated in Moscow as she undergoes treatment for the aggressive cancer.
While her husband fled to Moscow after his brutal regime was toppled in a lightning rebel offensive earlier this month, Asma is said to have already been in Russia for some time before that as she was seeking treatment there.
According to The Times, it is thought that her treatment in Moscow is being managed by cardiologist father, who has apparently left his home in London along with his wife.
Biden schedules state funeral, National Day of Mourning for Jimmy Carter for January 9
File - Then-senator Joe Biden and former US president Jimmy Carter are seen at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, August 26, 2008. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
US President Joe Biden has scheduled a state funeral in Washington for former president Jimmy Carter on January 9.
He declares January 9 as a National Day of Mourning across the US. Carter, the longest-lived former president, died yesterday at his home in Plains, Georgia. He was 100.
Biden also orders US flags to fly at half-staff for 30 days from Sunday.
Herzog remembers late US president Carter’s ‘deep commitment to forging peace between nations’
President Isaac Herzog eulogizes former US president Jimmy Carter, who died yesterday at age 100.
“In recent years I had the pleasure of calling him and thanking him for his historic efforts to bring together two great leaders, Begin and Sadat, and forging a peace between Israel and Egypt that remains an anchor of stability throughout the Middle East and North Africa many decades later,” Herzog said of the 1978 Camp David Accords.
“His legacy will be defined by his deep commitment to forging peace between nations. On behalf of the Israeli people, I send my condolences to his family, his loved ones, and to the American people.”
IDF: Officer seriously wounded in battle in northern Gaza
Troops of the 162nd Division operate in northern Gaza's Jabalia, in a handout photo issued by the IDF on December 29, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
An officer in the Givati Brigade’s Tzabar Battalion was seriously wounded during an exchange of fire with terror operatives in the northern Gaza Strip yesterday, the IDF announces.
The soldier has been evacuated for medical treatment and his family has been informed, the IDF says.
Houthi official: ‘As long as Gazan children are being killed every day, the Zionists won’t be allowed to sleep’
Houthi supporters burn Israeli and American flags during an anti-Israel rally in Sanaa, Yemen, December 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)
Houthi official Hezam al-Asad posts a threat in Hebrew on X, warning Israelis: “As long as children in Gaza are being killed every day, the Zionists will not be allowed to sleep.”
In recent days, as the Iran-backed Yemeni rebels have stepped up their attacks on Israel, al-Asad has posted several mocking messages to X, some of them in Hebrew.
Millions of Israelis have been sent running for shelter in the middle of the night by missiles and drones fired from Yemen over the past two weeks.
In the most recent such attack, Israeli air defenses intercepted a missile fired from Yemen that triggered sirens in the Jerusalem, southern West Bank and Dead Sea areas early Saturday morning,
The Houthis, a rebel group dedicated to the destruction of Israel and Jews, have launched more than 200 missiles and 170 drones at Israel in the past year, according to the Israel Defense Forces. The vast majority did not reach Israel or were intercepted by the military or Israel’s allies in the region.
FM Sa’ar ‘deeply saddened’ by fatal plane crash in South Korea
Fire and smoke rise from the tail section of a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 series aircraft after the plane crashed and burst into flames at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province, some 288 kilometers southwest of Seoul, on December 29, 2024. (Yonhap/AFP)
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar says he is”deeply saddened to hear about the tragic crash in South Korea” and offers his condolences to the families of the victims, after 179 people were killed yesterday when their aircraft went up in flames.
“Israel stands in solidarity with South Korea during this difficult hour,” Saar writes on X.
Only two people survived when the Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 plane skidded off the runway and slammed into a wall at Muan International Airport.
Egypt: Gas explosion kills 3 police officers in Cairo; no foul play suspected
CAIRO – A gas explosion has killed three police officers as maintenance work was being performed at Egypt’s police academy in Cairo this evening, the country’s interior ministry says in a statement on social media.
Two security sources say no foul play was suspected and add that two additional police personnel were injured in the incident.
Egyptian president: Carter had ‘significant role in’ historic 1978 Camp David Accords
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, left, US President Jimmy Carter, center, and late Prime Minister Menachem Begin clasp hands on the North Lawn of the White House as they completed signing of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel in Washington, March 26, 1979. (AP Photo/Bob Daugherty)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hails former US president Jimmy Carter as “a symbol of humanitarian efforts” for his role in brokering the historic 1978 Camp David Accords, which established peace between Egypt and Israel.
“His significant role in achieving the peace agreement between Egypt and Israel will remain etched in the annals of history, and his humanitarian work exemplifies a lofty standard of love, peace, and brotherhood,” the Egyptian leader says in a post on social media platform X.
Following the 1978 agreements, Carter witnessed the signing of the Egypt–Israel peace treaty by then Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin at the White House on March 26, 1979.
Carter died today, aged 100.
IDF: Rocket sirens in Gaza border towns were false alarms
The IDF says rocket alert sirens activated in towns near the border with Gaza a short while ago were false alarms.
Incoming rocket sirens sounding in communities near Gaza border
Sirens are blaring in several communities near the border with the Gaza Strip, warning of incoming rocket fire.
The alerts in Yad Mordechai, Netiv HaAssara and Erez come hours after terrorists in Gaza fired rockets at the southern city of Sderot. The IDF said two of the rockets were intercepted, while the other three apparently struck open areas.
The IDF says it is looking into the fresh sirens.
???? Rocket Alert [01:00:34] – 3 Alerts:
• Gaza Envelope — Yad Mordechai, Netiv HaAssara, Erez
Population: 2,200 pic.twitter.com/2slcnE623u
— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) December 29, 2024
‘An extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian’: US presidents past and present remember Carter
Former US president Jimmy Carter poses for a portrait during the Toronto International Film Festival, September 10, 2007, in Toronto. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
US leaders past and present react to news that former US president Jimmy Carter, who as president brokered peace between Israel and Egypt and later received the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work, has died at age 100.
“Today, America and the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian,” US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden say in a statement.
“Over six decades, we had the honor of calling Jimmy Carter a dear friend. But, what’s extraordinary about Jimmy Carter, though, is that millions of people throughout America and the world who never met him thought of him as a dear friend as well.”
US President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump likewise eulogize Carter, urging people to keep the Carter family and their loved ones “in their hearts and prayers.”
“The challenges Jimmy faced as President came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans. For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude,” the Trump statement reads.
Former US president Bill Clinton and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton remember Carter’s humanitarian work.
“From his commitment to civil rights as a state senator and governor of Georgia; to his efforts as President to protect our natural resources in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, make energy conservation a national priority, return the Panama Canal to Panama, and secure peace between Egypt and Israel at Camp David; to his post-Presidential efforts at the Carter Center supporting honest elections, advancing peace, combating disease, and promoting democracy; to his and Rosalynn’s devotion and hard work at Habitat for Humanity—he worked tirelessly for a better, fairer world.”
Gal Gadot reveals she had emergency surgery for ‘massive blood clot’ in brain
Gal Gadot arrives at the 27th annual ELLE Women in Hollywood celebration on October 19, 2021, at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, California. (AP Photo/ Chris Pizzello/ File)
Israeli actress Gal Gadot reveals on Instagram that she underwent emergency surgery after a “massive blood clot” was found in her brain 10 months ago, while in the 8th month of pregnancy.
“For weeks, I had endured excruciating headaches that confined me to bed, until I finally underwent an MRI that revealed the terrifying truth,” the “Wonder Woman” actress writes on the social media site. “In one moment, my family and I were faced with how fragile life can be.”
Gadot writes that she underwent emergency surgery after rushing to Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, where she is a top Hollywood draw. She has since fully healed.
“My daughter, Ori, was born during that moment of uncertainty and fear,” she adds, alongside a picture of her in a hospital gown breastfeeding her daughter.
The starlet notes that she was unsure whether she should share her story after a year of “profound challenges and deep reflections,” but hoped to raise awareness with the post to her 108 million followers.
According to Johns Hopkins University a cerebral venous sinus thrombosis is a blood clot in the brain’s venous sinuses that prevents blood in the brain from draining.
“This can lead to swelling and bleeding (hemorrhage) in the brain,” it says.
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