Live updates (closed)
The Times of Israel liveblogged Sunday’s events as they happened.
COGAT says it coordinated humanitarian aid convoy to northern Gaza
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, known by its acronym COGAT, says it organized a humanitarian aid convoy to the northern Gaza Strip earlier today.
The convoy entered Gaza from southern Israel and made its way north once inside the Palestinian enclave.
“There is no limit to the amount of humanitarian aid that can be sent to the civilian population of Gaza and northern Gaza,” COGAT writes on X, formerly Twitter.
We coordinated a humanitarian aid convoy to northern Gaza Strip today (Feb.25).
There is no limit to the amount of humanitarian aid that can be sent to the civilian population of Gaza and northern Gaza. pic.twitter.com/6hcLwEJq2X
— COGAT (@cogatonline) February 25, 2024
Rave festival survivor, Palestinian peace activist take stage at London anti-terror rally
People attend an anti-terror rally in London, UK organized by the 7/10 Human Chain Project, February 25, 2024. (Times of Israel)
Survivors of the Supernova music festival massacre on October 7 attend a “No to Terror” rally in London, telling the crowd about what they endured at the music festival-turned-nightmare at which Hamas terrorists mowed down some 360 people.
“On October 7, the life I so desperately love was almost cut short because of terrorism,” the UK’s Daily Mail quotes Bar Vilker as telling the crowd. “I lost friends, family and any innocence left inside of me — I will never be the same.”
The rally was organized by the 7/10 Human Chain Project, which describes itself as a grassroots organization established in the UK following the October 7 Hamas assault in southern Israel.
The organization has ties to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in Israel, and organized several rallies and events in the UK prior to Sunday’s rally.
British Palestinian activist John Aziz was also in attendance at the rally, local media outlets report, and revealed to the crowd that he has received death threats for advocating for peace with Israel.
Saying that for many people, peace has become a “controversial idea,” Aziz tells the crowd that he hopes to work with Israelis to spread a message of peace, “so that eventually, maybe our governments will listen to each other.”
Israeli delegation to depart for Qatar hostage talks Monday; will reportedly play minimal role
Although Hamas has yet to respond to the outline of a potential hostage deal drawn up during talks in Paris over the weekend, an Israeli delegation is set to depart for additional negotiations in Qatar on Monday.
According to unconfirmed Hebrew media reports, the Israeli team will play a minimal role in the Doha meeting, and will mainly be limited to discussing technical aspects of a potential temporary ceasefire, such as humanitarian aid quantities.
The talks are also expected to focus on establishing which Israeli hostages and Palestinian security prisoners would be eligible for release should a deal be agreed upon.
Speaking to Ynet, an unnamed Israeli official says that it is “impossible to know” what Hamas thinks of the latest outline for a hostage deal, and that it will take some time until the deal is ready, but that “the direction is positive.”
Netanyahu said to make new demands for hostage deal, officials worry he wants to torpedo it
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is demanding that any high-level Palestinian security prisoners released in a potential deal with Hamas be deported to Qatar as a condition of their release, Channel 12 reports.
According to the report, Netanyahu raised the demand during discussions by the war cabinet last night when Israel’s delegation to the Paris summit on a hostage-truce deal briefed ministers on their progress.
In addition, Ynet reports that Netanyahu also said in last night’s telephone consultations that he was not prepared to advance on the parameters of a deal until Israel receives a list specifying which of the 130 hostages held in Gaza since October are still alive.
Some officials have reportedly accused Netanyahu of trying to torpedo the nascent hostage deal in order to appease the far-right elements of his government.
“Netanyahu is not really interested in the deal,” an anonymous official tells Channel 12. “He is doing things to torpedo negotiations and revealing demands at the last minute.”
According to the official, the other members of the war cabinet, including observers Aryeh Deri and Ron Dermer, support the current outline for the hostage deal, leaving Netanyahu alone in his purported objections to it.
Man self-immolates outside the Israeli embassy in Washington
A man set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington a short while ago, the Foreign Ministry says in a statement.
The statement adds that the man was not known to the embassy prior to the self-immolation and that an ambulance was called and he was taken to the hospital.
Hebrew media outlet Walla reports that he is suffering from life-threatening injuries and that no embassy staff were harmed.
The background of the incident is unclear.
UNRWA chief says ‘man-made famine’ can still be averted in Gaza if vital aid allowed in
Famine in the Gaza Strip can be averted if vital aid is allowed into the Palestinian territory, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees says, more than four months into the Israel-Hamas war that began with the Hamas terror onslaught on October 7.
“This is a man-made disaster,” UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini says on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, of the dire humanitarian conditions in war-battered Gaza.
“The world committed to never let famine happen again,” he continues, saying that “famine can still be avoided through genuine political will to grant access and protection to meaningful assistance.”
Aid agencies have increasingly voiced concern for ordinary Gazans caught up in Israel’s war with Hamas, the terror group that has ruled the coastal territory since 2007.
The last time @UNRWA was able to deliver food aid to northern #Gaza was on 23 January.
Since then, together with other @UN agencies, we have:
???? Warned against looming famine.
???? Appealed for regular humanitarian access.
???? Stated that famine can be averted if more food…— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) February 25, 2024
The UN has warned of looming famine threatening virtually everyone in Gaza, while the World Food Programme this week described “unprecedented levels of desperation.”
Lazzarini — under fire over allegations that UNRWA workers took part in the murderous October 7 assault that sparked the war — said the last time the agency was able to deliver food aid to northern Gaza was more than one month ago, on January 23.
The UN humanitarian agency OCHA said the situation in the north of Gaza was “extremely critical,” with concern also mounting about conditions in the south.
Authorities in the Hamas-ruled territory said in recent days a number of children have died from malnutrition.
MKs and family members say they received threatening letters from group calling itself the ‘Israeli Revengers’
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana says he has asked the Shin Bet to investigate reports from several members of the government that they or their families have received threatening letters in the mail from an unknown organization calling itself the “Israeli Revengers,” in which they are informed that one of their loved ones will be harmed as revenge for the failures that led to the October 7 Hamas massacre in southern Israel.
Among those who are said to have received the letter are Likud MK Tali Gotliv, the brother of Likud MK Moshe Saada and the mother of Otzma Yehudit MK Yitzhak Wasserlauf.
On Friday, Gotliv shared an image of the letter she alleged she had received in the mail, writing on X that “if a left-wing person were to receive the letter that was delivered with my private mail, they would have a security guard stationed at their door.”
מה אגיד לכם אם איש שמאל היה מקבל לדואר הפרטי שלו את מכתב האיומים ששמו לי בתיבה היה לו מאבטח ליד הדלת. אירגון ״הנוקמים״ מסביר לי שהוא עלול לחסל אותי אך יש לו ׳עקרונות׳ הוא לא יחסל את כל משפחתי.
הוא ישאיר סמל של האירגון ליד כל גופה. תודה על ההתחשבות וההסבר המפורט על דרכי הפעולה pic.twitter.com/w3af9blkRt— טלי גוטליב (@TallyGotliv) February 23, 2024
As per images shared on social media of the letters, each one features the Star of David with a fist punching out of the side at the top of the page, with the caption “Jewish revengers, never forget!” written underneath.
The contents of the letters appear to vary slightly from recipient to recipient but have the same underlying message — a threat to harm a loved one in retaliation for October 7.
“We will locate one of your family members whom we will manage to harm without being discovered,” the text of one of the letters shared on social media reads. “We believe that the blame for October 7 largely lies with the coalition of October 6, of whom almost no one was harmed on a personal or familial level by this war. An attack on you is a fair price for each Member of Knesset to personally pay,” it expounds.
The anonymous group also claims to have exacted revenge “against family members of Palestinian terrorists” for the October 7 terror onslaught, but that it is now ready to advance its plans in the Jewish sector.
Gallant: Israel will increase strikes on Hezbollah even if there’s a temporary ceasefire in Gaza
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (left) speaks with IDF Northern Command chief Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin at the unit's HQ in Safed, February 25, 2024. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says Israel will increase its strikes on Hezbollah in response to its daily attacks on northern Israel, including amid a potential temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
“We are planning to increase the firepower against Hezbollah, which is unable to find replacements for the commanders we are eliminating,” Gallant says during a visit to the IDF Northern Command headwaters in Safed.
“In the event of a temporary truce in Gaza, we will increase the fire in the north, and will continue until the full withdrawal of Hezbollah [from the border] and the return of the residents to their homes,” he says, referring to some 80,000 Israelis displaced by Hezbollah’s attacks.
“The goal is simple — to push Hezbollah back to where it should be. Either by agreement, or we will do it by force,” Gallant adds.
Senior Hamas official says Netanyahu’s comments to CBS cast doubt on willingness to secure hostage deal
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri says comments made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to CBS’ “Face the Nation” earlier today cast doubt over Israel’s willingness to secure a hostage deal.
Netanyahu told CBS that Hamas needed to make more reasonable demands if a hostage deal is to materialize, but declined to discuss specifics.
“Netanyahu’s comments show he is not concerned about reaching an agreement,” Abu Zuhri tells Reuters, accusing the Israeli leader of wanting “to pursue negotiation under bombardment and the bloodshed” of Palestinians in Gaza.
Hamas health ministry in Gaza claims fuel runs out in north, leaving hospitals unable to function
A Palestinian boy reacts near bodies lying at Al Najar hospital in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on February 22, 2024 following overnight Israeli air strikes. (Mohammed Abed/AFP)
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza warns that the situation in northern Gaza is catastrophic, as months of war between the Hamas terror group and Israel have all but cut off access to humanitarian aid for those still there, Arabic-language media outlets report.
According to the reports, the hospitals in northern Gaza are running out of fuel, leaving medical refrigerators used to store crucial medicine without electricity. At the same time, generators and ambulances are running out of fuel, leaving the health services in tatters and intensive care patients at risk of dying.
While the situation is less dire in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, where aid deliveries are still able to be distributed, the healthcare system is still facing immense struggles.
In the Emirates Hospital in Rafah, medical staff say three to four newborns are placed in each of its 20 incubators, which are designed for just one.
Dr. Amal Ismail says two to three newborns die in a single shift, in part because many families live in tents in rainy, cold weather. Before the war, one or two newborns in incubators there died per month.
“No matter how much we work with them, it is all wasted,” she says. “Health conditions in tents are very bad.”
IDF airs footage of Egoz commandos battling Hamas operatives in south Gaza’s Khan Younis
Troops of the Egoz commando unit operate in Khan Younis, in a handout image published February 25, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
The IDF releases new footage from the operations of the Egoz commando unit in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis.
In one encounter, the IDF says Egoz troops using a drone spotted two gunmen hiding in a building. Following a lengthy gun battle, during which troops attempted to flush the suspects out of the structure with explosives, the two operatives were killed.
In another similar incident, Egoz troops spotted several Hamas operatives opening fire at them from a building and killed them following a gun battle, the IDF says.
In the building, the IDF says the soldiers found a cache of weapons.
Ukraine’s Zelensky says 31,000 soldiers have been killed fighting Russia since start of war
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky answers media questions during his press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday February 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky says that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed during Russia’s two-year-old full-scale invasion, disclosing the first official figure for military losses in many months.
The Ukrainian leader tells reporters at a news conference that he cannot disclose figures for the number of wounded, saying that would help Russian military planning.
IDF says it struck a Hezbollah cell spotted coming out of building used by terror group in south Lebanon
The IDF says it struck a Hezbollah cell that was spotted coming out of a building known to be used by the terror group in the south Lebanon town of Blida.
Another two buildings were struck by fighter jets in the same area, the IDF adds.
Earlier today, the IDF says it intercepted a “suspicious aerial target” that entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon, in the Galilee panhandle.
The IDF also says it shelled rocket launch sites in south Lebanon following attacks on Mount Dov, Kiryat Shmona, Menara and Malkia.
Smotrich defends saying hostages are ‘not the most important thing,’ says he’s voicing what most people think
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich at the annual Jerusalem Conference of the 'B'Sheva' group in Jerusalem, on February 25, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich defends saying last week that securing the return of the hostages was “not the most important thing” for Israel to worry about at the moment and the government’s primary focus should be destroying Hamas.
Speaking during a conference in Jerusalem, he claims that he is “one of the few who had the courage to say what the majority of the public thinks, and the attacks were not against me but against the entire community that I represent.”
“I said that the matter of the hostages is important, but not the most important thing,” he continues. “Look at how much fire I took last week just because I said the most logical and correct thing.”
Opinion polls have indicated that there is no clear consensus when it comes to prioritizing the hostages over destroying Hamas.
A poll released by the Jewish People Policy Institute earlier this month indicated that while 40% of Israelis would prioritize eradicating Hamas, 32% would prefer to release the hostages and 28% said they didn’t know how to answer the question.
A separate poll released by the Israel Democracy Institute at the start of February showed that a slim majority of 51% supported placing the hostages at the top of the country’s agenda.
PA President Mahmoud Abbas meets with Jordan’s King Abdullah about Gaza war, tensions around Ramadan
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II in the Jordanian capital of Amman earlier today, Arabic-language media reports.
During the meeting, the two discussed the latest developments in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and the efforts to increase the amount of humanitarian aid entering the Strip, particularly in the north, the report says. They also discussed Abbas’s opposition to Israel’s plans for an operation in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, which has become home to hundreds of thousands of refugees since the start of the war.
The two also discussed the upcoming month of Ramadan and the need to ensure freedom of worship for Palestinians at Al-Aqsa Mosque after it was reported last week that the government was considering limiting the number of people allowed to access the site during the Muslim holiday, the report adds.
Shas’s Deri: ‘Good chance’ that hostage deal will happen, but too early to know
Shas chair Aryeh Deri arrives at the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on June 14, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)
There’s a “good chance” that a hostage deal will happen, Shas chairman Aryeh Deri tells ultra-Orthodox news channel Kikar HaShabbat.
Discussing the talks that took place in Paris over the weekend regarding a potential hostage release and temporary ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, Deri says that while there is a “good chance of a deal [happening], we are still far from it.”
“We want to create a good deal that will achieve several goals but also be accepted by the Israeli public,” he says of the difficulties coming up in the negotiations. “It’s not a simple deal, we don’t have feedback from Hamas yet, everything we do is via mediators.”
He adds that while things are moving in a positive direction right now, it’s too early to tell for sure and everything could still change.
US confirms: Talks in Paris reached understanding on ‘basic countours’ of Israel-Hamas hostage deal
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks during a press briefing at the White House, December 4, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The United States says that multinational talks in Paris came to an “understanding” on a possible deal for Hamas to release hostages and for a new truce in the Gaza war.
An Israeli delegation led by Mossad chief David Barnea was in the French capital on Friday to discuss a deal to ensure a fresh ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
“Representatives of Israel, the United States, Egypt and Qatar met in Paris and came to an understanding among the four of them about what the basic contours of a hostage deal for a temporary ceasefire would look like,” White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan tells CNN.
“It is still under negotiation in terms of hammering out the details of it. There will have to be indirect discussions by Qatar and Egypt with Hamas because ultimately they will have to agree to release the hostages,” he says.
“That work is underway. And we hope that in the coming days, we can drive to a point where there is actually a firm and final agreement on this issue.”
Netanyahu to CBS: Once Israel enters Rafah, it will be weeks from ‘total victory’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime Minister's Office, Jerusalem, February 17, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims that once Israel begins its military operation in Rafah, it will be “weeks away from total victory.”
Speaking to CBS News, Netanyahu says that he is meeting with staff later today to review a dual military plan that includes the evacuation of Palestinian civilians in Gaza and an operation to destroy remaining Hamas battalions.
Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, has become home to hundreds of thousands of internally displaced Gazans as they were moved further and further south amid Israel’s war with Hamas.
Asked about US concerns regarding civilians in Rafah, Netanyahu says he will later today review “a dual plan — a plan to evacuate and a plan to dismantle those remaining [Hamas] battalions.”
“Once we begin the Rafah operation, the intense phase of the fighting is weeks away from completion. Not months,” Netanyahu says. “If we don’t have a deal, we’ll do it anyway. It has to be done because total victory is our goal and total victory is within reach.”
Netanyahu tells CBS that it is unclear whether a hostage deal will materialize from ongoing talks, declining to discuss specifics but saying that Hamas needs to moderate its demands.
“They’re in another planet. But if they come down to a reasonable situation, then yes we’ll have a hostage deal. I hope so,” he says.
A potential hostage deal won’t interfere with the IDF’s plans to operate in Rafah, he says, even if one does come to fruition.
“If we have a [hostage-trice] deal, it will be delayed somewhat, but it will happen,” he tells CBS. “If we don’t have a deal, we’ll do it anyway. It has to be done, because total victory is our goal, and total victory is within reach — not months away, weeks away, once we begin the operation.”
“We’re all working on it. We want it. I want it. Because we want to liberate the remaining hostages,” Netanyahu said.
“I can’t tell you if we’ll have it, but if Hamas goes down from its delusional claims and brings them down to Earth, we’ll have the progress that we all want.”
Smotrich says he’ll vote against the ‘delusional’ hostage deal if presented according to current outline
Minister of Finance and Head of the Religious Zionism Party Bezalel Smotrich leads a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, February 19, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says he is against a hostage deal in which Hamas stands to gain more than Israel does.
“The negotiations are being conducted in a delusional way,” he says at a conference in Jerusalem. “The next deal should be better for us with the ratio of hostages to terrorists and the days of respite for each hostage, certainly not an infinitely worse ratio.”
He adds that he will “vote against any deal like the outline that’s been published.”
The weeklong truce in November saw Hamas release 105 hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners, and although there is no clear answer as to how many prisoners they are demanding for a second hostage deal it is understood that the number is significantly higher.
IDF announces death of Sgt. Oz Daniel, killed on Oct 7 and his body taken to Gaza
Sgt. Oz Daniel (IDF)
The IDF announces the death of Sgt. Oz Daniel, 19, who was killed and abducted by Hamas on October 7.
Daniel served in the 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion, and his body was taken from the Gaza border, following a battle with terrorists during the Hamas onslaught.
His death was recently declared by the chief rabbi based on findings and new intelligence information.
While Daniel’s body remains in Gaza, his family can still sit shiva according to Jewish law.
A funeral will be held Monday at 2 p.m. at the military cemetery in his hometown of Kfar Saba.
Direct aid to north Gaza set to start in next few days after approval by war cabinet yesterday – report
A United Nations car drives past trucks delivering humanitarian aid that entered Gaza by truck through the Kerem Shalom border crossing in the southern part of the Strip on February 17, 2024. (SAID KHATIB / AFP)
Humanitarian aid will be transferred directly to northern Gaza starting tomorrow or in the next few days after the move was approved by the war cabinet last night, Channel 12 reports.
Trucks are currently being processed via the Kerem Shalom Crossing on the southern end of the Strip on the shared border with Egypt.
The report comes amid deepening concern over the growing humanitarian crisis in the war-torn enclave, with aid agencies warning of unprecedented levels of desperation and looming famine.
Israel has defended its track record on allowing aid into Gaza, saying that nearly 14,000 trucks carrying relief supplies had entered the territory since the start of the war.
Israel has also alleged that humanitarian organizations operating inside Gaza are failing to keep up with the pace, saying hundreds of trucks filled with aid sit idle on the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom Crossing.
Egypt state-linked media: Talks for hostage release, pause in Gaza fighting resume in Doha
Negotiations to secure a deal to free hostages and pause the fighting in Gaza have resumed in Doha between “experts from Egypt, Qatar, the United States and Israel,” as well as Hamas representatives, state-linked Egyptian media reports.
An Israeli delegation led by Mossad chief David Barnea was in Paris over the weekend discussing possibilities of a deal to ensure a temporary ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza since October 7 in exchange for Palestinian security prisoners held by Israel. The Paris talks reportedly produced an agreed “outline” for a deal, that would need to be accepted by Hamas.
The war cabinet agreed on Saturday to send a delegation to Qatar to continue the talks, according to Israeli media reports.
The talks are a “continuation of what was discussed in Paris” and “will be followed by meetings in Cairo,” reports Al-Qahera News, which is linked to Egyptian state intelligence services.
During the unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, Hamas-led terrorists killed some 1,200 people and took 253 hostages, mostly civilians, 130 of whom remain in Gaza, including 30 presumed dead.
Iran condemns latest US-British strikes on Yemen, claims they aim to ‘escalate tensions’
In this February 24, 2024, image released by the US Central Command, a US fighter plane launches from the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower in the Red Sea during operations against Houthi targets. (CENTCOM) / AFP)
Iran has condemned the latest strikes by the United States and Britain on Yemen, saying they were seeking to “escalate tensions and crises” in the region.
The condemnation comes after American and British forces carried out fresh strikes against 18 Houthi targets in Yemen yesterday, in response to a wave of attacks by the Iran-backed terror group on Red Sea shipping.
“With such attacks, America and Britain seek to escalate tensions and crises in the region, and expand the scope of war and instability,” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani says in a statement.
“Certainly, this kind of arbitrary and aggressive military operation, aside from aggravating insecurity and instability in the region, will not achieve anything for these aggressor countries,” Kanani adds.
He further condemns the United States and Britain for failing to “take immediate and effective action” to stop Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, which was sparked by the terror group’s October 7 massacre in southern Israel.
The Houthis say their attacks on shipping around the Red Sea are in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said yesterday that the attacks would continue until “the aggression stops” in Gaza.
Police arrest 2 suspects in murder of 48-year-old man in Umm al-Fahm earlier today
Police investigate the murder of a 48-year-old man in the northern town of Umm al-Fahm, February 25, 2024. (Israel Police)
Police have arrested two suspects in the murder of a 48-year-old man in the northern town of Umm al-Fahm earlier today.
A police statement says officers also seized two vehicles that were used to commit the crime.
Three people were also lightly to moderately wounded in the shooting, the statement says.
Police are continuing to investigate.
Pregnant woman shot in West Bank terror attack last week set to be released from hospital
Adi Zohar, 30, who was wounded in a terror attack at a West Bank checkpoint, speaks to the media from her hospital bed in Jerusalem (Screenshot, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
A 30-year-old pregnant woman who was seriously wounded in a terror attack in the West Bank last week is recovering and expects to be released from hospital, according to Hebrew media reports.
“He looked at me and I looked back at him. I tried to slide down as far as possible in my seat so that the hit would be in the least terrible place — of course I was thinking of the fetus,” Adi Zohar says in an interview aired by Channel 12 from her hospital bed.
“I didn’t feel the shot, I guess from the stress, but in a few seconds I saw that my shirt was covered in blood,” she says.
Channel 12 reports that Zohar is in the fifth month of her pregnancy.
An Israeli man was killed and 10 others wounded in the attack near a checkpoint between the West Bank settlement city of Ma’ale Adumim and Jerusalem on Thursday.
Rocket warning sirens sound for 3rd time today in northern towns
Rocket warning sirens are sounding for the third time today in largely evacuated northern border towns including Kiryat Shmona, Ghajar and Sde Nehemia.
The sirens come after the IDF said that four rockets fired from Lebanon at the Galilee Panhandle apparently landed in open areas this morning.
Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war against Hamas there.
IDF confirms it wrapped up ‘precise and limited operation’ at south Gaza’s Nasser Hospital last week
A fuel tank is delivered to Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza's Khan Younis, in a handout image published February 25, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
The IDF confirms it wrapped up a “precise and limited operation” at southern Gaza’s Nasser Hospital last week, where some 200 terror suspects were nabbed.
Amid the operation at the medical center in Khan Younis, the IDF found sealed boxes of medication with the names of Israeli hostages on them, as well as several weapons belonging to Hamas operatives.
Of the 200 suspects who were detained, many were members of terror groups, had been involved in the October 7 onslaught, and had links to the hostages held by Hamas, according to the IDF.
Israeli hostages were previously held at the site, according to testimonies from released captives and interrogated terror suspects.
The IDF says the operation, carried out by the 98th Division, Shayetet 13 naval commando unit, and COGAT’s Coordination and Liaison Administration for Gaza, was “conducted to ensure minimal disruption to the hospital’s ongoing activities and without harming patients and medical staff.”
Troops delivered a replacement generator after the hospital’s generator stopped functioning during the operation, though the IDF says “all the vital systems of the hospital continued to operate on an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) throughout the operational activity.”
The IDF also says it “coordinated the entry of professional officials to examine the electricity problem in the hospital” and enabled a fuel tank to be delivered to the premises to keep the generator running.
Food, water, medical supplies, and infant formula were also delivered to Nasser Hospital with IDF coordination, it says.
Several critically ill patients were transferred out of the hospital to other medical centers, “at the request of the hospital staff and in cooperation with the international community,” the IDF says.
“The IDF will continue to operate in accordance with international law against the Hamas terrorist organization, which systematically operates from hospitals and civilian infrastructure,” the military adds.
Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says at least 29,692 killed since October 7
At least 29,692 Palestinians have been killed and 69,879 injured in the war in Gaza, the Hamas-run health ministry says in a statement.
These figures cannot be independently verified, and are believed to include both civilians and Hamas members killed in Gaza, including as a consequence of terror groups’ own rocket misfires.
The IDF says it has killed over 12,000 operatives in Gaza, in addition to some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.
One dead, two seriously injured in reported shooting in northern town of Umm el-Fahm
A 30-year-old man has been killed and two seriously injured in a shooting in the northern town of Umm al-Fahm, according to Hebrew media reports.
Magen David Adom medics treat the two wounded men at the scene, both also reported to be in their 30s.
The incident comes amid an ongoing wave of crime in the Arab Israeli community.
Rocket warning sirens sounding again in northern border towns
Rocket warning sirens are sounding again in largely evacuated northern border towns including Snir, Ghajar, HaGoshrim, Kibbutz Dan and Dafna.
The sirens come after the IDF said that four rockets fired from Lebanon at the Galilee Panhandle apparently landed in open areas earlier this morning.
Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war against Hamas there.
Rocket Alerts [12:24:02] – 7 Alerts:
• Confrontation Line — Snir, Ghajar, HaGoshrim, Kibutz Dan, Shear Yeshuv, Dafna#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/FsXnJSRjTV
— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) February 25, 2024
Israel’s Labor party sets election for May 28, months after current chair Michaeli’s resignation
Labor party leader MK Merav Michaeli leads a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem on January 15, 2024. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90)
Israel’s Labor party announces that it will hold an election to select a new leader on May 28.
The date, which must still be ratified by the party conference, comes several months after current chairwoman Merav Michaeli announced in December that she would step down to make room for a replacement.
“The State of Israel is in a great crisis and elections are required, bringing new leadership for our people. The Labor party has an important role in the rebuilding of the State of Israel and it must get there ready and strong,” Michaeli says in a statement.
The party has set a deadline for May 5 for members to register their candidacy for what the party claims will be “the most advanced” and transparent primaries in Israel, featuring online voting and public debates.
After taking over the party from Amir Peretz in 2021, Michaeli managed to increase Labor’s representation in the Knesset to seven seats, but the improvement in its standing was short-lived and, under her leadership, Labor shrank to the Knesset minimum of four seats in the November 2022 election.
Since then, Labor has consistently failed to cross the election threshold in periodic, though unreliable, polling.
Speaking with The Times of Israel in January, Michaeli insisted that if she “had the political answer” to the party’s problems, “I would have continued as Labor chair.”
IDF announces death of second soldier killed in Gaza fighting over the weekend
Staff Sgt. Ido Eli Zrihen, 20, from Jerusalem, killed in action in Gaza, February 24, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
The IDF announces the death of another soldier killed during fighting in the southern Gaza Strip over the weekend, bringing the toll of slain troops in the ground offensive against Hamas to 240.
He is named as Staff Sgt. Ido Eli Zrihen, 20, of the Givati Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, from Jerusalem.
Earlier, the IDF announced the death of Staff Sgt. Nerya Belete — also of the Givati reconnaissance unit — who was killed in southern Gaza yesterday.
Hezbollah names 2 members said killed in alleged Israeli strikes
The Hezbollah terror group announces the deaths of two members killed “on the road to Jerusalem,” its term for operatives slain in Israeli strikes.
They are named as Hussein al-Dirani from Qsarnaba and Ahmed al-Afi from Brital, two towns in the Baalbek District, close to the Syrian border.
Their deaths bring the terror group’s toll since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip to 214.
The announcement comes following reports of two Hezbollah members killed in an alleged Israeli strike on a truck on the Syrian-Lebanon border, near the town of Qusayr.
Hezbollah does not provide further information on where the two members were slain.
Probe opened after video circulates of mounted officer striking Tel Aviv protester with reins
A demonstrator falls after being hit by a mounted police officer during an anti-government demonstration in Tel Aviv on February 24, 2024. (JACK GUEZ / AFP)
The Department of Internal Police Investigations has opened an investigation after videos from anti-government demonstrations in Tel Aviv last night showed a mounted officer using the reins of his horse to strike a protester, according to Hebrew media reports.
In the video, the demonstrator can be seen falling to the ground while clutching his head after being hit by the reins, as the officer rides on.
שוטרים אלימים צריכים להיות בכלאpic.twitter.com/lt7unSB0Kz
— Yotam Bareket (@YotamBareket) February 24, 2024
The clashes last night, the most violent of their kind since the outbreak of war on October 7, resulted in 21 arrests and several injuries on Kaplan Street, opposite the Kirya army base, which is the headquarters of the defense establishment.
IDF: 4 rockets from Lebanon land in open areas, no injures or damage; Hezbollah claims responsibility
Four rockets were fired from Lebanon at the Galilee Panhandle a short while ago, apparently landing in open areas, according to the IDF.
Sirens had sounded in Kiryat Shmona and several nearby communities.
The projectiles landed near Margaliot, and there were no reports of damage or injuries.
Hezbollah claims responsibility for the attack, saying it targeted an army base in the area.
The Lebanese terror group has been carrying out daily rocket, missile, and drone attacks on northern Israel amid the war in Gaza.
IDF says troops raiding Hamas sites in east Khan Younis, killing operatives and seizing weapons
The IDF says the Givati Brigade is increasing its operations against Hamas in the east Khan Younis suburbs of Abasan al-Jadida and Abasan al-Kabira.
The Givati troops are raiding Hamas sites in the area in southern Gaza, killing dozens of operatives and capturing weapons and rockets in the process, according to the IDF.
In one incident, the IDF says that as troops entered a building Hamas gunmen opened fire at them.
The soldiers returned fire and killed two gunmen who tried to flee, it says.
In the building, the soldiers found a cache of weapons, including explosive devices, grenades, sniper rifles, assault rifles, and other military equipment.
In another building in the Abasan area, used as a medical lab, the IDF says it found a rocket launcher and a long-range projectile hidden in a refrigerator.
The IDF says Givati snipers have ambushed many Hamas gunmen in the area recently.
In one case, an operative trying to plant an explosive device near troops was killed by a sniper from a close range, according to the IDF.
President says he’s working to solve Eurovision spat: ‘It’s important that Israel appear’
President Isaac Herzog says he is trying to help to solve a disagreement between Israel’s public broadcaster and the Eurovision organizers over the nature of the song Jerusalem plans to submit to this year’s contest.
“I think it’s important for Israel to appear in Eurovision, and this is also a statement because there are haters who try to drive us off every stage,” the president says at a conference in Jerusalem, according to Hebrew media reports.
“Being smart is not just being right,” he adds.
The body that organizes the global singing competition is pushing back against Israel’s song selection — “October Rain” by Eden Golan — as too political amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war sparked by the terror group’s October 7 massacres.
Eurovision 2024: Eden Golan to represent Israel
Israeli show 'HaKokhav HaBa' (‘The Next Star’) on Tuesday selected Eden Golan, 20, from Tel Aviv, to represent the country at Eurovision 2024, as the contest organizers continue to face calls to bar Israel's participation over its… pic.twitter.com/dPDxUbJsMz— The Jewish Voice (@TJVNEWS) February 22, 2024
Rocket warning sirens sound in northern border towns
Rocket warning sirens are sounding in the largely evacuated northern border towns of Kiryat Shmona, Kfar Giladi, Margaliot, Manara, Misgav Am and Tel Hai.
Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war against Hamas there.
Rocket Alerts [10:20:52] – 6 Alerts:
• Confrontation Line — Kfar Giladi, Margaliot, Manara, Misgav Am, Tel Hai, Kiryat Shmona#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/lXbt0MrKgR
— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) February 25, 2024
2 Hezbollah members said killed in alleged Israeli airstrike in Syria near Lebanon border
A truck was targeted in an alleged Israeli airstrike near the Syrian town of Qusayr, close to the Lebanon border, according to Arab media reports.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claims two Hezbollah members were killed in the strike, although there is no immediate confirmation of this by the terror group.
Images posted by media outlets show the aftermath of the strike.
استهداف شاحنة في #القصير قرب الحدود السورية – اللبنانية من طائرة استطلاع "اسرائيلية" pic.twitter.com/zRc2sTG5q6
— nbnlebanon (@nbntweets) February 25, 2024
Thousands of Jewish teens gather in New York’s Times Square, pray for hostages at Chabad event
Thousands of Jewish teenagers gather in New York’s Times Square for a solidarity event organized by CTeen, the Chabad Teen Network.
Survivors of the Supernova music festival, which was attacked by Hamas terrorists on October 7, lead a prayer for hostages held by terror groups in Gaza, according to posts on social media.
The event also features a Havdalah ceremony to mark the end of the Sabbath.
Thousands of teens celebrate their Judaism and share epic Jewish pride at the Cteen Shabbaton Havdalah in Times Square! pic.twitter.com/4VD5hMOPxp
— Chabad.org (@Chabad) February 25, 2024
Former PM Ehud Barak: Netanyahu will risk hostages’ lives if it makes him ‘look strong’
Former prime minister Ehud Barak attacks Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an interview with Army Radio, saying that the premier is willing to risk the lives of hostages held by terror groups in Gaza since October 7 if it will benefit his image.
“It’s more important to Netanyahu to look strong than to get a deal; he’s willing to risk the hostages’ lives,” Barak says in the radio interview.
The comments come amid reports that a new hostage release deal with Hamas could be within reach after an Israeli delegation of top security officials returned from talks in Paris yesterday.
Barak also calls for protests against the government, after protesters clashed with police at an anti-Netanyahu rally in Tel Aviv last night.
“We need 30,000 citizens circling the Knesset in tents for three weeks, day and night. When the country is shut down, Netanyahu will realize that his time is up and that there is no trust in him,” he says.
IDF: Troops nab terror operatives hiding among evacuating civilians in Gaza’s Khan Younis
The IDF says troops nabbed several terror operatives who attempted to hide among a group of civilians evacuating from combat zones in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis.
According to the IDF, the operatives were captured by the 7th Armored Brigade while trying to flee with the civilian population.
The IDF says the troops killed several more gunmen and located weapons in the area.
Also in Khan Younis, the IDF says the Givati Brigade raided several Hamas sites, locating weapons, and an airstrike was carried out against a Hamas cell operating a drone.
In central Gaza, the IDF says the Nahal Brigade killed several Hamas gunmen over the past day.
Meanwhile in Gaza City, the IDF has continued a large-scale operation in the Zeitoun neighborhood.
The IDF says Nahal troops captured weapons and destroyed a rocket launching site in the area.
במרכז הרצועה, צוות הקרב של חטיבת הנח״ל חיסל מספר מחבלים לאורך היממה האחרונה.
כחלק מהמבצע המתמשך של כוחות אוגדה 162 במרחב זייתון, לוחמי צוות הקרב של חטיבת הנח"ל איתרו אמצעי לחימה והשמידו מתחמי שיגור במרחב>> pic.twitter.com/2FJPpwCwo2— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) February 25, 2024
In the nearby Shati camp, the IDF says another Hamas cell operating a drone was targeted in an airstrike.
The Israeli Air Force carried out several more strikes across the Strip over the past day, targeting Hamas’s air unit and several rockets launchers that would have been used to fire projectiles at Israel, the IDF says.
Israeli documentary on settler violence wins award at Berlin Film Festival
The Israeli documentary “No Other Land” won the Berlinale Documentary Award at the Berlin Film Festival last night.
The film is about settler violence in the West Bank and an unlikely friendship that develops between a Palestinian activist and an Israeli journalist.
It was directed by a collective of Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers.
The Berlinale Documentary Award, funded by rbb, goes to “No Other Land” by Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, and Rachel Szor. Congratulations!
Discover all info on the winners, awards, and juries here: https://t.co/oU1KlhS3EI pic.twitter.com/zKmPPKTyGM
— Berlinale (@berlinale) February 24, 2024
Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades reports clashes with Israeli security forces in West Bank city of Qalqilya
The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group says its fighters clashed with Israeli security forces in the West Bank city of Qalqilya early this morning.
“With God’s help and strength, our fighters fought fierce clashes today at dawn with the occupation forces storming the city of Qalqilya with machine guns and explosive devices,” the group says in a post on Telegram.
Egyptian news site Mwatan quotes local Palestinian sources as saying that the raids targeted “homes in many neighborhoods of the city, especially in the Al-Dhahr neighborhood and Education Street, and closed and besieged the southern Dawoud neighborhood.”
Mwatan adds that no arrests were reported.
An unverified video circulating on social media appears to show Israeli troops patrolling the streets of the West Bank city, while other posts purport to show Israeli security forces detaining Palestinian suspects.
جيش الاحتلال يحتجز شابا في قلقيلية. pic.twitter.com/jZOihKPdiD
— أخبار الأردن (@AkhbarOrdon) February 25, 2024
Motorcyclist killed; separately, driver arrested for hitting breakneck 232 km/h
A motorcyclist was killed near Rehovot when his bike slipped on the road overnight, according to Hebrew media reports citing police.
Police are investigating the crash.
The victim is reportedly a local man in his 40s.
Elsewhere, police arrested a driver speeding down Route 6 at 232 kilometers per hour (144 mph) near the Kiryat Gat intersection.
The driver is identified as a 32-year-old resident of the southern city of Rahat.
The speed limit on Route 6 is 120 kilometers per hour.
IDF announces death of soldier killed in south Gaza; ground op death toll up to 239
Staff sergeant Narya Belete, 21, from Shavei Shomron, killed in action in south Gaza, February 24, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
The IDF announces the death of an IDF soldier killed in battle in south Gaza yesterday, raising the death toll of Israel’s ground invasion into the Palestinian enclave to 239 since late October.
He was named as Staff Sgt. Narya Belete, 21, of the Givati Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, from Shavei Shomron in the West Bank.
In addition, an officer and two soldiers in the Givati Brigade were seriously injured in the battle in the southern Gaza Strip, the military says.
Nikki Haley vows ‘not giving up this fight’ after losing to Trump in South Carolina
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley gestures as she speaks with reporters after casting her vote in South Carolina's Republican presidential primary on February 24, 2024, on Kiawah Island, South Carolina. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)
CHARLESTON, South Carolina — Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley vows to fight after an emphatic primary defeat to Donald Trump in her home state, underlining the steep climb she faces to capture the Republican presidential nomination.
“I said earlier this week that no matter what happens in South Carolina, I would continue to run… I’m a woman of my word. I’m not giving up this fight when a majority of Americans disapprove of both Donald Trump and Joe Biden,” she says.
Yemen’s Houthis say they targeted US oil tanker in Gulf of Aden
CAIRO — Yemen’s Houthis targeted MV Torm Thor, a US-flagged, owned, and operated oil tanker, in the Gulf of Aden, the Iran-aligned group’s military spokesman Yahya Sarea says, as the militants continue to attack shipping lanes in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
The group targeted the tanker with “a number of appropriate naval missiles,” Sarea adds in a televised speech.
The US Central Command says the USS Mason, a guided missile destroyer, shot down one anti-ship ballistic missile launched into the Gulf of Aden from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen that was likely targeting the tanker.
Neither the USS Mason nor MV Torm Thor were damaged and there were no injuries, CENTCOM adds in a statement.
Lapid slams police for ‘antidemocratic’ violence in Tel Aviv clashes with protesters
Opposition leader Yair Lapid issues a statement denouncing police after officers violently clashed with protesters in Tel Aviv.
“The police violence this evening toward protesters, among them the families of hostages, is dangerous, antidemocratic and cannot continue,” he says. “The right to protest is a fundamental right, and it cannot be taken from protesters with batons and water cannons.”
Trump declared winner of South Carolina primary, beating Nikki Haley in her home state
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a primary election night party at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds in Columbia, South Carolina, February 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
CHARLESTON, South Carolina — Donald Trump wins South Carolina’s Republican primary, beating former UN ambassador Nikki Haley in her home state and further consolidating his path to a third straight GOP nomination.
Trump has now swept every contest that counted for Republican delegates, with wins already in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and the US Virgin Islands. The former US president’s latest victory will likely increase pressure on Haley, who was Trump’s former representative to the UN and South Carolina governor from 2011 to 2017, to leave the race.
A 2020 general rematch between Trump and US President Joe Biden is becoming increasingly inevitable. Haley has vowed to stay in the race through at least the batch of primaries on March 5, known as Super Tuesday, but was unable to dent Trump’s momentum in her home state despite holding far more campaign events and arguing that the indictments against Trump will hamstring him against Biden.
South Carolina’s first-in-the-South primary has historically been a reliable bellwether for Republicans. In all but one primary since 1980, the Republican winner in South Carolina has gone on to be the party’s nominee. The lone exception was Newt Gingrich in 2012.
Haley said in recent days that she would head straight to Michigan for its Tuesday primary, the last major contest before Super Tuesday. She faces questions about where she might be able to win a contest or be competitive.
Mounted officer in Tel Aviv uses horse reins to strike protester on the head
A demonstrator falls after being hit by a mounted police officer during an anti-government demonstration in Tel Aviv on February 24, 2024. (JACK GUEZ / AFP)
Video from the demonstrations in Tel Aviv shows a mounted officer using the reins of his horse to strike a protester across the head.
The demonstrator then falls to the ground while clutching his head, as the officer rides on.
שוטר במשטרת ישראל, מכה בראש אדם מבוגר, לא מסוכן, ולא מסכן אף אחד!
שוטר במשטרת ישראל, מכה בראש אדם מבוגר, ומפיל אותו לרצפה תוך שהוא מאבד הכרה.
שוטר במשטרת ישראל, זה התפקיד שלך? זה מה שאתה אמור לעשות?
זו הפגנה, במדינה דמוקרטית. זה מה שאתה אמור לעשות? להכות בראש מפגין?
למה? pic.twitter.com/MvQV4fBrdu
— A.R.S : Arik Rozen Srur (@Arik_RozenSrur) February 24, 2024
Other protesters rush over to check on the man and help him stand, and a police officer then comes up to ask if he’s alright. It’s not immediately clear if he required medical attention.
תיעוד מהמחאה בקפלן: פרש מצליף במפגין שנופל לקרקע@AnnaPines_
(צילום: ג'רמי פורטנוי) pic.twitter.com/tPSPBnSPi0— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) February 24, 2024
Pentagon chief warns Yemen’s Houthis ‘will bear the consequences’ after joint US-UK strikes
WASHINGTON — Yemen’s Houthi rebels will continue to face retaliatory action for their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and surrounding waters, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin says following joint US-UK strikes on 18 targets.
“The United States will not hesitate to take action, as needed, to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world’s most critical waterways,” Austin says in a statement.
“We will continue to make clear to the Houthis that they will bear the consequences if they do not stop their illegal attacks, which harm Middle Eastern economies, cause environmental damage, and disrupt the delivery of humanitarian aid to Yemen and other countries.”
read more: