The Times of Israel liveblogged Tuesday’s events as they happened.

Netanyahu calls Trump ‘greatest friend Israel has ever had,’ hailing his actions in past 2 weeks

US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrive for a news conference in the East Room of the White House, February 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrive for a news conference in the East Room of the White House, February 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Addressing around 200 reporters after an hour-long meeting with US President Donald Trump in the White House, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is “honored” to be the first foreign leader invited to the White House.

“You are the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House,” says Netanyahu, listing Trump’s policies toward Israel in his first term, including leaving the Iran nuclear deal, brokering the Abraham Accords, and moving the embassy to Jerusalem.

“You’ve picked up right where you left off,” he adds.

“Your leadership has brought hostages home,” says Netanyahu. He adds that Trump freed up munitions withheld by the previous administration, ended “unjust sanctions against Israeli citizens” — referring to sanctions on some settlers deemed extremist — “confronted antisemitism, stopped funding UNRWA, and renewed maximum pressure against Iran.”

All this has been done by Trump in just two weeks, he says. “Can you imagine where we’ll be in four years?”

Israel, says Netanyahu, has been changing the face of the Middle East since the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023.

“We have defeated some of America’s worst enemies. We took out terrorists that were wanted for decades for shedding rivers of American blood,” he says.

“Israel has never been stronger and the Iran terror axis has never been weaker,” he says.

But to secure Israel’s future and bring peace to the region, “We have to finish the job,” adds Netanyahu, laying out Israel’s goals in Gaza before resuming praise of Trump.

“Your willingness to puncture conventional thinking… to think outside the box, with fresh ideas, will help us achieve all of these goals,” Netanyahu says. “I’ve seen you do this many times. You cut to the chase. You see things others refuse to see. You say things others refuse to say. And after the jaws drop, people scratch their heads and say, ‘You know? He’s right’.”

“This is the kind of thinking that enabled us to bring the Abraham Accords,” says Netanyahu.

“We also see eye to eye on Iran,” says Netanyahu — the same Iran, he notes, that “tried to kill us both: they tried to kill you, Mr. President, and through their proxies, they tried to kill me.”

We are both committed to rolling back Iran’s aggression in the region and ensuring that Iran never develops a nuclear weapon.”

“Israel will end the war by winning the war,” Netanyahu promises. “Israel’s victory will be America’s victory. We’ll not only win the war; working together, we will win the peace. With your leadership, Mr President, and our partnership, I believe that we will forge a brilliant future for our region, and bring our great alliance to even greater heights.

In Oval Office, Netanyahu voices annoyance at Israeli reporters asking questions

WASHINGTON — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his annoyance at the number of questions Israeli reporters asked as he sat next to US President Donald Trump earlier in the Oval Office before their meeting.

Trump fielded dozens of questions from reporters, as he regularly does. A small percentage of them were directed at Netanyahu, who engages with the Israeli media far less frequently.

One Israeli reporter asks him whether he’s working to secure the release of Israeli researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov.

“What about the Israeli press taking a press conference in Israel and not in Washington,” Netanyahu quips in response.

Another Israeli reporter shoots back that they would be happy to do so if Netanyahu agreed to hold such press conferences.

Trump sits quietly next to Netanyahu as the brief interaction unfolds.

After fielding several other questions from reporters, Netanyahu says he would like to talk with Trump on his own, but the president allows questions to continue for several more minutes.

Trump signals he may not support Palestinian Authority ruling Gaza after the war

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump indicates that he may not support the Palestinian Authority ruling Gaza after the war, in what would be a break from the previous administration and most of the international community.

Asked earlier in the Oval Office alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu whether the PA can rule Gaza, Trump responds: “Well, it has had a pretty hard time, wouldn’t you say?”

“It’s had a pretty bad time of it,” he adds, without elaborating.

The PA currently has limited sovereignty in the West Bank and is seeking to return to Gaza, from which Hamas ousted it in 2007.

Israel has adamantly rejected any role for the PA in managing postwar Gaza.

Netanyahu aide: Trump’s treatment of him ‘unbelievably’ different from Biden’s

The difference in the treatment Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received from US President Donald Trump compared to former president Joe Biden is “unbelievable,” a senior member of Netanyahu’s entourage says as he comes out of the meeting between the two leaders.

Trump’s and Netanyahu’s senior aides have taken their seats ahead of the press conference.

Leaving past tensions behind, Trump says his relationship with Netanyahu has been ‘mostly ups’

US President Donald Trump (right) meets with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 4, 2025. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)
US President Donald Trump (right) meets with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 4, 2025. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)

WASHINGTON — Asked to characterize his relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by a reporter who notes that it has had “ups and downs,” US President Donald Trump responds: “I think it’s mostly ups.”

The pair were seen to get along very well in their first term, but Trump revealed afterward that he didn’t think Netanyahu was serious about making peace with the Palestinians; said “fuck him” over the premier’s call to congratulate Joe Biden after the 2020 election; and accused Netanyahu of backing out of a joint operation to kill the leader of Iran’s elite Quds force, Qassem Soleimani.

He repeated some of those accusations several times after leaving office, but stopped highlighting them once he received the GOP presidential nomination.

Earlier during the Oval Office Q&A, Trump praised Netanyahu.

“We have the right man, the right leader of Israel. He’s done a great job and we’ve been friends for a long time,” Trump said.

After Trump slams UN, body’s chief looks forward to continuing ‘productive’ relationship with him

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has worked tirelessly to implement many reforms to increase efficiency and innovation, a UN spokesperson says after US President Donald Trump said the world body has to get its act together, pulled the US out of its Human Rights Council, and reiterated a funding halt to its Palestinian relief agency UNRWA.

“From day one, US support for the United Nations has saved countless lives and advanced global security,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric says.

“The Secretary-General looks forward to continuing his productive relationship with President Trump and the US government to strengthen that relationship in today’s turbulent world.”

Some 200 reporters amass in East Wing ahead of press conference by Trump, Netanyahu

Some 200 journalists crowd the East Wing of the White House for a press conference by US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, February 4, 2025. (Lazar Berman/Times of Israel)
Some 200 journalists crowd the East Wing of the White House for a press conference by US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, February 4, 2025. (Lazar Berman/Times of Israel)

Some 200 reporters — Israeli, American and international, half standing around the sides of the room — crowd into the East Wing for the press conference to be held soon by US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The two podiums stand in front of Israeli and American flags.

The meeting between the two leaders has run overtime, as such sit-downs usually do.

‘Doing everything they can’: Trump voices appreciation of Qatar’s mediation role

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump says Qatar “is absolutely trying to help” after being asked about the role Doha has been playing in Gaza.

Critics of Doha, including many in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s inner circle, have pointed to its close ties to Hamas and its funding to Gaza that indirectly allowed the terror group to prioritize building up its arsenal to attack Israel.

Qatar, in turn, has argued that Israel — and the US — lobbied aggressively for Doha to make such payments in order to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Netanyahu, himself, defended those payments in an interview with Time magazine last year.

“Qatar is absolutely trying to help. I know them well, and they’re doing everything they can. Very tough situation, but they’re absolutely trying to help,” Trump says, while taking questions from reporters ahead of his meeting with Netanyahu at the White House.

PA’s UN envoy: Leaders ‘should respect’ wishes of Palestinians to stay in Gaza

World leaders and people should respect Palestinians’ desire to remain in Gaza, the Palestinian Authority envoy to the United Nations says, after US President Donald Trump said he believed people from the territory should be resettled elsewhere “permanently.”

“Our homeland is our homeland, if part of it is destroyed, the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian people selected the choice to return to it,” says Riyad Mansour. “And I think that leaders and people should respect the wishes of the Palestinian people.”

Ben Gvir cheers Trump’s backing for permanent resettling of Gazans

(L) National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir at the Knesset on July 24, 2024 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90) and (R) Republican Presidential nominee former US president Donald Trump at the Van Andel Arena on July 20, 2024 in Grand Rapids, Michigan (BILL PUGLIANO / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
(L) National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir at the Knesset on July 24, 2024 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90) and (R) Republican Presidential nominee former US president Donald Trump at the Van Andel Arena on July 20, 2024 in Grand Rapids, Michigan (BILL PUGLIANO / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

“Donald, this looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” tweets former national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir after US President Donald Trump talks at length about his desire for Palestinians to be entirely and permanently relocated out of Gaza during his Oval Office meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Ben Gvir has long campaigned in favor of “voluntary migration” for Palestinians from Gaza, which critics have branded as a euphemism for ethnic cleansing.

Notably, though, Trump came out against the idea of Israel establishing settlements in Gaza, which is one of the main reasons why Ben Gvir has pushed for Palestinians there to leave.

Earlier this evening, Ben Gvir’s party presented a Knesset bill that would encourage Gazans to leave the Strip by introducing a governmental financial aid package to those seeking to emigrate, provided they have no track record of terror activity.

In swipe at Biden, Netanyahu says perceived daylight between them was unhelpful

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu takes a swipe at former US president Joe Biden, saying that “when the other side sees daylight between the US and Israel, as it has in the last few years,” it makes achieving joint goals more difficult.

However, Netanyahu answers diplomatically when asked whether more credit for the ceasefire deal should go to Biden or to current president Donald Trump, who is sitting beside him in the Oval Office, praising Trump’s involvement and work but declining to answer the question directly.

A reporter notes that both Trump and Biden have taken credit for the hostage deal and asks who is right. After pausing, Netanyahu carefully responds: “I think President Trump added great force and powerful leadership [to the talks] and I appreciate it. He sent a great emissary [in Steve Witkoff].”

Trump: Iran is ‘very strong right now, and we’re not going to allow them to have a nuclear weapon’

President Donald Trump takes exception to the idea that Iran is weak currently.

Asked about this, he says alongside Prime Minister Netanyahu in the Oval Office, “They’re not weak. They’re very strong right now, and we’re not going to allow them to have a nuclear weapon. It’s very simple.”

“I signed a very strong proclamation…,” he says. “Doesn’t mean they won’t be weak [in the future].”

Trump says he doesn’t support building Jewish settlements in Gaza

US President Donald Trump, right, meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House, February 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
US President Donald Trump, right, meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House, February 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

At the Oval Office alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump says he does not support building Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip, a step further from his answer earlier today that he “doesn’t necessarily” back such a move.

“I don’t see it happening,” he tells reporters. “It’s too dangerous for people. No one wants to be there. Their warriors don’t want to be there. Their soldiers don’t want to be there.”

While Netanyahu himself early in the war called the prospect of resettling Gaza “unrealistic,” some of his far-right coalition partners have called for taking the step.

Trump backs permanently resettling all Gazans — in Jordan, Egypt or ‘other countries’

US President Donald Trump, right, meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House, February 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
US President Donald Trump, right, meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House, February 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Responding to questions about his idea of moving Gazans out of the Strip to Arab countries, US President Donald Trump says “other countries” besides Jordan and Egypt may accept Palestinians, who will leave Gaza permanently.

“It could be Jordan and it could be Egypt and it could be other countries,” he says, adding that it could be four, five or six separate areas.

“There have been many leaders of many countries who have reached out who would like to participate in that,” Trump says of his desire to see Gazans relocated out of the Strip. “It doesn’t have to be Egypt, it doesn’t have to be Jordan, but I think it would be also them.”

“Gaza is a guarantee they’re going to end up dying. The same thing is going to happen again, over and over again,” he contends.

“I think that Gaza is a demolition site right now. If you look at Gaza, there’s hardly a building standing and the ones that are are going to collapse. You can’t live in Gaza right now. I think we need another location, a location that’s going to make people happy.”

“It’s all death in Gaza,” he continues, alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “This has been happening for years. It’s all death. If we can get a beautiful area to resettle people permanently in nice homes, and then they can be happy enough, not be shot, not be killed, not be knifed to death like what’s happening in Gaza. Right now you have in Gaza a very dangerous situation in terms of explosives all over the place.”

“I believe we can do it in areas where leaders currently say no,” he says.

He adds that if Gazans had an alternative, “they’d much rather not go back.”

“It would be my hope that we could do something really nice, really beautiful, where they wouldn’t want to return,” says Trump. “Why would they want to return. That place has been hell.”

He says that money for the project will come from “other people, really rich nations and they’re willing to supply it.”

Asked how many Gazans he is thinking of relocating, he says, “All of them. We’re talking about probably a million seven, maybe a million eight. But I think all of them. They’ll be resettled in areas where they can live a beautiful life and not be worried about dying every day.”

Trump declines to commit to backing Palestinian state as in previous term: ‘A lot of plans change’

Sitting alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office, US President Donald Trump declines to commit to supporting a Palestinian state, as he did in the peace plan he presented in his previous term.

“Well, a lot of plans change with time. A lot of death has occurred since I left and now came back,” he says when asked about his 2020 plan that did make that provision.

“Now we are faced with a situation that’s different,” he says, “in some ways better, in some ways worse.”

Netanyahu says he supports freeing all hostages as well as ousting Hamas, making Gaza a non-threat

US President Donald Trump, right, meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House, February 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
US President Donald Trump, right, meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House, February 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Asked if he supports a deal that gets all the hostages out, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says: “I support getting all the hostages out and meeting all our war goals — that includes destroying Hamas’s military and governing capabilities and making sure Gaza never poses a threat to Israel again.”

He says he doesn’t have only one war goal, he has these three, and “we will achieve all three.”

US President Donald Trump says that it is “a horrible thing” that terrorists with blood on their hands are being released from prison as part of the deal. “I’ll never forget it. You can’t forget it. Some people want to put it out of their memory but we can never let that happen.”

Turning to October 7, he says it was “a horrible day” and that “a lot of people want to pretend it didn’t happen. It happened.”

As with the Holocaust, he says, people want to pretend it didn’t happen. “It’s the same mindset,” he says.

Trump ‘confident’ hostage deal can be sealed even given makeup of Israeli government

US President Donald Trump, right, meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House, February 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
US President Donald Trump, right, meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House, February 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

US President Donald Trump says he is confident that it is possible to get a hostage deal done even given the makeup of the government in Israel.

“Sure, why wouldn’t a deal get done? A deal can get done, we’ll see what happens,” he says, appearing to downplay the problem posed by far-right coalition allies threatening to topple the government if fighting doesn’t resume after the ongoing first phase.

“We’re dealing with very complicated people,” Trump says, “but a deal can absolutely get done.”

Alongside Netanyahu, Trump says Saudis not demanding Palestinian state for normalization

US President Donald Trump, right, meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House, February 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
US President Donald Trump, right, meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House, February 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald hold a press conference in the Oval Office before sitting down for a private meeting, with Trump saying Saudi Arabia isn’t demanding a Palestinian state as a precondition for normalization with Israel.

This has thus far been a clear condition in public remarks by Riyadh.

Asked if the Saudis are demanding a Palestinian state, Trump says, “No, they’re not.”

Responding to a question whether Riyadh is asking for at least a path toward a Palestinian state, Trump says that “everyone is demanding one thing — peace.”

“We have the right leader of Israel” to go forward on a normalization deal with Saudi Arabia, Trump says.

He says of Netanyahu, “he wants peace also.”

He says that Netanyahu is “doing a great job,” and “we’ve been friends for a long time.”

Asked whether he might win the Nobel Peace Prize if he can get all the hostages back, Trump says, “They will never give me a Nobel prize.”

After aide said it was $50 million, Trump says Biden earmarked $100 million in ‘condoms to Hamas’

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump says Department of Government Efficiency head Elon Musk has discovered that “$100 million dollars” had been earmarked by Joe Biden’s administration for “condoms to Hamas.”

Trump makes the comments in response to a question about Musk while signing executive orders in the White House.

The claim was first made last week by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who did not provide further information but placed the figure at $50 million and said it was for condoms in Gaza, not Hamas specifically.

Biden’s former deputy assistant secretary of Israeli-Palestinian affairs dismissed the claim then as a “feverish dream.”

The US Agency for International Development’s spending on injectable contraceptives, contraceptive implants, IUDs, male condoms, oral contraceptives, Standard Days Method and female condoms amounted to $60 million in the fiscal year of 2023, and that was across the entire globe.

Moreover, no condoms went to the Middle East and the only country to receive a small amount — $45,000 — in other contraceptives was Jordan. Seven million dollars in condoms were distributed globally in the 2023 fiscal year, figures from the most recently produced USAID report show, with the vast majority of those funds earmarked for Africa.

Hamas official: Trump’s Gaza relocation plan a ‘recipe for creating chaos’ in Mideast

A senior Hamas official slams Donald Trump’s remarks as a “recipe for creating chaos” in the Middle East after the US president claimed that Palestinians have “no alternative” but to leave Gaza during the Strip’s lengthy reconstruction.

“We consider it a recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region. Our people in the Gaza Strip will not allow these plans to pass. What is required is an end to the occupation and aggression against our people, not their expulsion from their land,” says Sami Abu Zuhri in a statement.

After 11 hours, Ben Gvir’s former aide exits interrogation at police-probing unit

Chanamel Dorfman seen after his interrogation at the Department of Internal Police Investigations offices, in Jerusalem, February 4, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Chanamel Dorfman seen after his interrogation at the Department of Internal Police Investigations offices, in Jerusalem, February 4, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

The Department of Internal Police Investigations (DIPI) has finished questioning former Ben Gvir aide Chanamel Dorfman amid its ongoing probe of a West Bank police commander suspected of sabotaging investigations into settler violence.

Dorfman appeared before the department this morning, some 11 hours ago, where he was questioned under caution. DIPI officials suspected he attempted to tamper with police investigations into Jewish settler violence, but he is released with no restrictive conditions.

The DIPI also summoned the case’s main suspect, Commander Avishai Muallem, for questioning today, as well as West Bank district police commander Moshe Pinchi to give open testimony.

Netanyahu arrives at White House for pivotal meeting with Trump

US President Donald Trump, left, greets Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he arrives at the West Wing of the White House, February 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
US President Donald Trump, left, greets Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he arrives at the West Wing of the White House, February 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the White House for his meeting with US President Donald Trump.

Trump waits outside the building as the Israeli premier exits his vehicle, and they shake hands and briefly pose for the cameras before heading inside for a meeting that will be followed by a joint press conference.

Critical discussions are expected to focus on Iran, the hostage release deal and a future Saudi normalization agreement.

US President Donald Trump, left, greets Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he arrives at the North Portico of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 4, 2025. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP)
US President Donald Trump welcomes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House, January 4, 2025 (Screenshot)

Israeli, American hostage point men meet in DC, discuss ways to return everyone

Government hostage point man Gal Hirsch, left, meets his American counterpart Adam Boehler in the Blair House, February 4, 2025. (Prime Minister's Office)
Government hostage point man Gal Hirsch, left, meets his American counterpart Adam Boehler in the Blair House, February 4, 2025. (Prime Minister's Office)

Government hostage point man Gal Hirsch meets his American counterpart Adam Boehler in the Blair House.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the two discuss “ways to return all of our hostages.”

Netanyahu on his way to meet Trump

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has left Blair House and is en route to his meeting with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House, reports say.

Settler leaders urge Netanyahu not to give up West Bank annexation as part of wider deal

Settler leaders pen a letter urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to give up on annexation of the West Bank as part of a potential regional deal that includes normalization of ties with Saudi Arabia.

“Sovereignty isn’t a luxury, it is a duty aimed at preventing the establishment of an Arab terror state in the heart of the land, and is part of the total victory,” they say.

The Kan public broadcaster reported this evening that coalition officials are afraid Netanyahu will give up the annexation intention as part of a wider deal negotiated with US President Donald Trump, whom he is set to meet shortly.

In 2020, Netanyahu gave up an intention to annex parts of the West Bank as part of the Abraham Accords, which normalized Israel’s ties with several Arab states.

Trump orders Iran to be ‘obliterated’ if it kills him, but open to meeting its leader

US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, February 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, February 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

US President Donald Trump says he’s given his advisers instructions to obliterate Iran if it assassinates him.

“If they did that they would be obliterated,” Trump says in an exchange with reporters while signing an executive order calling for the US government to impose maximum pressure on Tehran. “I’ve left instructions if they do it, they get obliterated, there won’t be anything left.”

The Justice Department announced federal charges in November that an Iranian plot to kill Trump before the presidential election had been thwarted.

The department alleged Iranian officials had instructed Farhad Shakeri, 51, in September to focus on surveilling and ultimately assassinating Trump. Shakeri is still at large in Iran.

Trump also says he would be willing to meet with his Iranian counterpart to try to persuade Iran to give up Tehran’s perceived efforts to develop a nuclear weapon.

Trump also says Iran is too close to having a nuclear weapon and that the United States has the right to block the sale of Iranian oil to other nations.

Honor guard with US and Israeli flags awaits Netanyahu on White House lawn

A military honor guard waits on the White House lawn bearing US and Israeli flags ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s arrival for a meeting with US President Donald Trump, February 4, 2025. (Lazar Berman/The Times of Israel)
A military honor guard waits on the White House lawn bearing US and Israeli flags ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s arrival for a meeting with US President Donald Trump, February 4, 2025. (Lazar Berman/The Times of Israel)

A military honor guard waits on the White House lawn bearing US and Israeli flags ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s arrival.

US servicemen bearing the flags of the 50 US states line the drive to the White House entrance.

Trump says he doesn’t necessarily support Israelis settling Gaza, Palestinians ‘would be thrilled’ to leave the Strip

US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, February 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, February 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump says Palestinians have no alternative but to leave Gaza, reiterating once again that he would like to see neighboring countries Jordan and Egypt take the displaced Palestinians.

He also contends Gazans would “love to leave” the Strip, speaking with reporters at the White House.

“If they had an option of moving — either in a large group or various smaller groups — to take care of the close to 2 million people, I would think that they would be thrilled to do,” he says.

Trump also says he doesn’t necessarily support Israelis settling Gaza, as far-right coalition parties have sought. “Not necessarily,” he says, when asked. “I just support cleaning it up and doing something with it.”

“The Gaza thing has not worked. It has never worked,” Trump says. “I feel very differently about Gaza than a lot of people. I think they should get a good, fresh, beautiful piece of land, and we get some people to put up the money to build it and make it nice and make it habitable and enjoyable.”

“If we could find the right piece of land, or numerous pieces of land, and build them some really nice places with plenty of money in the area… I think that would be a lot better than going back to Gaza,” he adds.

“I don’t know how [Palestinians] could want to stay [in Gaza]… It’s a pure demolition site,” Trump says.

“They’re [in Gaza right now] because they have no alternative. What do they have? It is a big pile of rubble right now. Have you seen the pictures of it? Have you been there? Who can live like that? [It’s] very dangerous. There’s shooting all over the place. There’s bombing all over the place — on both sides.”

Trump signs orders for ‘maximum pressure’ on Iran, pulling US from UN Human Rights Council, maintaining halt to UNRWA funding

US President Donald Trump holds an executive order regarding withdrawing from the United Nationals Human Rights Council in the Oval Office of the White House, February 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
US President Donald Trump holds an executive order regarding withdrawing from the United Nationals Human Rights Council in the Oval Office of the White House, February 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump signs a document to stop US engagement with the United Nations Human Rights Council and to continue a halt to funding for the UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA.

“I’ve always felt that the UN has tremendous potential. It’s not living up to that potential right now… it hasn’t for a long time, it has,” Trump tells reporters in the Oval Office.

Trump also signs what he calls a “very tough” directive restoring his “maximum pressure” sanctions campaign on Iran.

“This is one that I’m torn about. Everybody wants me to sign it. I’ll do that. It’s very tough on Iran,” he continues.

“I’m unhappy to do it, but I really have not so much choice because we have to be strong and firm, and I hope that it’s not going to have to be used in any great measure at all,” Trump says.

He stresses that Iran “cannot have a nuclear weapon.”

As black kite deaths from pesticide rise to 900, authorities issue orders to farmers

A black kite poisoned by drinking from a contaminated puddle, in the Western Negev, February 4, 2025. (Israel Nature and Parks Authority)
A black kite poisoned by drinking from a contaminated puddle, in the Western Negev, February 4, 2025. (Israel Nature and Parks Authority)

The Israel Nature and Parks Authority and the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel ask farmers not to use the pesticide Nemacur, or any similar organophosphate, as the number of black kites that have died from a mass poisoning event in southern Israel rises to 900.

Nemacur has emerged as the cause of death in initial samples from the dead birds and findings from the field near Moshav Patish in the Western Negev.

Carcasses are still being discovered ten days after the pesticide was sprayed and diluted in puddles from which the birds drank.

The nature authority is taking steps to keep birds away from the contaminated field, in conjunction with the Agriculture Ministry.

Farmers are asked to drain or cover with soil any puddles in areas where such chemicals have been used and to report any unusual events to the authority’s hotline on *3639.

Source says efforts underway to arrange Netanyahu-Vance meeting

There are efforts underway to arrange a meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Vice President JD Vance, a senior Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.

The meeting could be tomorrow but remains up in the air at this stage, according to the official.

US understands Hamas, PA won’t rule Gaza, says senior member of Netanyahu’s entourage

The talks with senior US officials over the past day have focused on the “smooth completion” of the ongoing first phase of the hostage deal, a senior member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s entourage says outside the White House.

“We still have hostages we are trying to get out, and we are still concerned Hamas will try some trick,” the official says.

The sides did not discuss a possible extension of phase one, says the aide, “but it may be we won’t oppose it.”

“It is clear to everyone that Hamas won’t be in Gaza,” the official continues. “What is clear is it won’t be Hamas and it won’t be the Palestinian Authority in Gaza.”

“There is understanding from the Americans on this issue.”

The official says that when Netanyahu returns to Israel, the cabinet will have to vote on its positions regarding moving to the second stage of the deal.

5 hostage soldiers were held by senior Hamas terrorist, served as human shields — reports

Released hostage soldier Agam Berger meets her four comrades, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag, at Rabin Medical Center, January 30, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
Released hostage soldier Agam Berger meets her four comrades, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag, at Rabin Medical Center, January 30, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Five soldiers abducted by Hamas to Gaza were held in the home of a senior official in the Palestinian terror group’s military wing, who was apparently using them as human shields, several Hebrew media outlets report.

Liri Albag, Daniela Gilboa, Karina Ariev, Naama Levy and Agam Berger — all recently freed as part of the current ceasefire deal — were reportedly held in an apartment. They described the Hamas figure as the most dominant in the apartment, issuing orders to others who were there. He would bring them food and make sure that they could shower, while “manipulating their feelings” and trying to get them to talk about intelligence the IDF had before the October 7, 2023, onslaught.

The soldiers reportedly said that whereas other terrorists who were guarding them treated the soldiers worse than they did civilian hostages they were guarding, the senior Hamas official played “the good cop” role while trying to draw from them information about IDF activity close to the border in the days before the mass invasion.

The freed captives are expected to be released tomorrow from the hospital for rehabilitation, except Berger, who was released after the others and will stay a few more days.

Trump adviser Waltz hails Netanyahu’s war decisions as creating opportunities to advance peace

WASHINGTON — US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz praises Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying the military operations he has authorized throughout the region have created opportunities to advance peace in the region.

Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Waltz says today’s meeting between Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump will “be focused on the future of Gaza, the destruction of Hamas and getting our folks out.”

“But there’s so many opportunities now in the region, largely thanks to Prime Minister Netanyahu and Israeli leadership,” he says, pointing to the new leadership in Lebanon, the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria and the weakening of Iran.

He acknowledges that the US still has to deal with the Houthi threat to international shipping but expects its European allies to “step up and help us with that issue.”

“There’s a lot of opportunity in the region, and there is real optimism,” Waltz says.

“The next round of the Abraham Accords — that’s the goal.

“If we’re talking, in President Trump’s term, about rail projects, fiber optics, data centers, energy and getting back to the peace that he had in his first term, then that is a transformative success only President Trump could [deliver],” he adds.

Witkoff signals upcoming Israel-Hamas talks will be more substantive than PM claimed

WASHINGTON — After Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the negotiating team that he will dispatch to Qatar later this week will only be tasked with discussing technical issues regarding the agreement, US President Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff indicates that the agenda will be more substantive.

Netanyahu reportedly publicized the limited mandate of the mid-level negotiating team due to pressure he is facing from far-right coalition partners who have threatened to collapse the government if Israel doesn’t resume fighting after the first phase and don’t even want the premier to hold negotiations regarding the second phase.

Asked how the US will respond if Netanyahu refuses to end the war, Witkoff tells reporters outside the White House that he met with the premier yesterday during which he discussed the issue. He notes the statement Netanyahu’s office issued.

“That’s a team that’s going there to negotiate all of these issues that we’re talking about,” Witkoff says.

While the deal stipulates that the sides were supposed to have started negotiations regarding the terms of the deal’s second phase yesterday — the 16th day of the agreement’s first phase — Witkoff tells reporters, “We’re in phase two now — we’re in day 17 of phase two.”

It is unclear what he means by this.

“We were able to get to the right place on phase one. We’re hopeful we’ll get to the right place on phase two,” Witkoff says, adding that Trump is committed to seeing the entire deal through.

Defending Gaza relocation plan, Mike Waltz says Trump working on ‘common sense’ solutions with allies

(L-R) US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz speak to reporters outside the White House on February 4, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)
(L-R) US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz speak to reporters outside the White House on February 4, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)

WASHINGTON — Pressed to respond to Egypt’s and Jordan’s rejection of US President Donald Trump’s call for them to take in Palestinians from Gaza, US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz tells reporters that Washington expects to work with them and other allies to advance “practical solutions.”

“We’re looking to a number of our allies and partners in the region. We have to collectively solve this problem,” Waltz tells reporters outside the White House along with US envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff.

“Everyone’s heart breaks for this war that Hamas started and for what has happened to these people who Hamas was willing to sacrifice to turn global opinion against Israel, but now we have to collectively come up with some solutions,” he adds.

Waltz notes that Jordan’s King Abdullah will be visiting the White House next week and that Trump spoke on Saturday with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.

“President Trump is driving practical, common sense solutions to what is admittedly a very, very difficult situation,” he says.

Trump envoy Witkoff: ‘Preposterous’ to think Gaza reconstruction will take only 5 years

US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff (L) and US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz (R) speak to reporters outside of the West Wing of the White House on February 4, 2025, in Washington, DC. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)
US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff (L) and US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz (R) speak to reporters outside of the West Wing of the White House on February 4, 2025, in Washington, DC. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff criticizes the ceasefire and hostage release plan put together by former US President Joe Biden, which is currently in place, taking particular issue with the proposal’s envisioning of a five-year reconstruction period for Gaza.

“Part of the problem is that it wasn’t such a wonderful agreement that was first signed. That was not dictated by the Trump administration. We had nothing to do with it. Now we’re working within that rubric, and we’re figuring things out,” Witkoff tells reporters outside the White House.

“What [I] and the national security adviser are identifying — which, by the way, President Trump identified — is that phase three, the reconstruction, is not going to go the way that the agreement talks about, which is a five-year program. It’s physically impossible. We’re trying to be transparent with these people,” he says.

“In any city in the USA, if you had damage that was 1/100th of what I saw in Gaza… nobody would be allowed to go back to their homes. That’s how dangerous it is,” Witkoff explains.

“There are 30,000 unexploded munitions; there are buildings that could tip over at any moment; there are no utilities there whatsoever; no working water, electric, gas — nothing. God knows what kind of disease might be festering there,” he continues.

“If you go to Gaza today… you see people going there, picking up a tent, and in some circumstances, turning right around again, because there is nothing left there,” Witkoff says.

“When the president talks about ‘cleaning [Gaza] out,’ he talks about making it habitable. This is a long-range plan. They dug tunnels underneath there that degraded the stone that would form foundations. We have to examine that… You do it with subterranean surveys,” Witkoff says.

“We estimate that the disposal effort alone in Gaza [will take] three to five years… before… you get a master plan done. The president is intent on getting it all done correctly. To me, it is unfair to have explained to Palestinians that they might be back in five years. That’s just preposterous,” he adds.

Netanyahu to meet US Vice President Vance tomorrow — report

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet US Vice President JD Vance tomorrow, according to Jewish Insider.

The report, citing an unnamed source in Netanyahu’s entourage, says the premier will also meet Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, lobbying them to pass a law to sanction the International Criminal Court for issuing an arrest warrant against him and former defense minister Yoav Gallant.

Suspect in Dec. 2023 synagogue shooting pleads guilty to US federal charges

Mufid Fawaz Alkhader, 28, center, is escorted out of the James T. Foley Courthouse following his court appearance after authorities on Thursday accused him of firing a shotgun outside of Temple Israel, December 8, 2023, in Albany, New York (Will Waldron/Times Union via AP)
Mufid Fawaz Alkhader, 28, center, is escorted out of the James T. Foley Courthouse following his court appearance after authorities on Thursday accused him of firing a shotgun outside of Temple Israel, December 8, 2023, in Albany, New York (Will Waldron/Times Union via AP)

A man pleads guilty to US federal charges for firing a shotgun outside an upstate New York synagogue during the early months of the Israel-Hamas war.

Mufid Fawaz Alkhader was arrested in December 2023 after shots were fired outside Temple Israel of Albany. The Iraqi-born US citizen said “Free Palestine” when officers arrested him and later told investigators that he felt affected by events in the Middle East, according to police officials and court filings.

The gunfire in New York’s capital city happened on the first night of Hanukkah and two months after the October 7 Hamas onslaught that triggered the war. No one was injured, but children attending preschool sheltered in place while police searched the area.

Under a deal with prosecutors, Alkhader, 29, has pleaded guilty to obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs by threat of force, brandishing a firearm during the commission of that offense, and conspiring to purchase a firearm unlawfully.

Federal prosecutors initially charged Alkhader with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person — a charge authorities said was related to his admitted use of marijuana. He was later charged with conspiracy to make a false statement during the purchase of a firearm.

Alkhader is being held in the county jail, according to online records. Alkhader faces at least 7 years and up to life in prison when he is sentenced on June 6.

Israel won’t relent on demand Hamas cede control of Gaza, senior Israeli official quoted as saying

Ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with US President Donald Trump, a member of the premier’s entourage is cited by Channel 12 news as saying Israel will not relent on its demand that Hamas disarm and cede control of Gaza.

“Israel cannot give up on [the requirement for] the end of Hamas’s control of Gaza and the demilitarization of the Strip as part of the agreements that will enable the continuation of the [current hostage-ceasefire] deal,” the official tells the news outlet.

“Hamas cannot be involved in any way in the running of Gaza. If Hamas does not accept this, then the US must support Israel in fighting [against Hamas in Gaza] in a different way from the way we were able to fight in the Biden administration era.”

Senior Trump officials have indicated recently that the administration backs the idea that Hamas must go, but the president also says that he wants the fighting to end, with all hostages freed.

Outside White House, hostage’s relatives urge Trump to ensure Netanyahu sees deal through

Hostage Matan Zangauker's girlfriend Ilana Gritzewsky, right, and mother Einav Zangauker, second from left dressed in white, attend a rally outside the White House ahead of US President Donald Trump's meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, February 4, 2025. (Screenshot: X; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Hostage Matan Zangauker's girlfriend Ilana Gritzewsky, right, and mother Einav Zangauker, second from left dressed in white, attend a rally outside the White House ahead of US President Donald Trump's meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, February 4, 2025. (Screenshot: X; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

WASHINGTON — Dozens of Israelis, including hostage Matan Zangauker’s mother and girlfriend, are holding a rally outside the White House calling on US President Donald Trump to ensure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sticks to the ongoing hostage deal.

The rally is being held hours before Trump is slated to meet Netanyahu in the Oval Office.

Zangauker’s mother Einav and his girlfriend Ilana Gritzewsky — herself a former hostage released during the November 2023 hostage deal — address the crowd.

“Dear President Trump, I want to personally thank you for your commitment to freeing our hostages and ending the war,” Zangauker says into a megaphone.

“I am here as a deeply concerned mother who wants to hold her son again… a mother who expected her prime minister to do everything he can to free Israeli hostages. But instead, [Netanyahu] made excuses and favored political considerations [over making a] deal,” she says.

“The extremists in the government are trying to sabotage the agreement, but we will not give up and we will not leave a single hostage behind,” she adds, referring to Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners who have threatened to collapse the government if he doesn’t resume fighting against Hamas after the first phase ends early next month.

Reflecting on her time in captivity, Gritzewsky tells the crowd: “I know what [Matan] is going through right now — the silence, the helplessness, the terror of waking up every day wondering if today will be the day will we die, or the day the world will forget us.”

“President Trump, I know you don’t walk away. I know you don’t stop until the job is done, and that’s why I’m begging you — not as a politician, but as someone who has already shown the world what true leadership looks like: Please don’t stop now,” says Gritzewsky, who is wearing the hat her boyfriend had on when he was taken captive on October 7, 2023, which she has worn every day since her release.

“If this deal falls apart, the hostages will die. It is not a metaphor. It is true. You know it, I know it, and you are the only one who can stop it from happening. Please, President Trump, don’t let them be forgotten. Don’t let Matan die in darkness. You have already done the impossible. Now I’m begging you — finish what you started.”

Reports: Israeli team to Qatar lacks power to discuss 2nd phase, is only sent to prevent Hamas halting hostage releases

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has only agreed to send a negotiating team to Qatar to avoid giving Hamas a pretext to halt the ongoing hostage deal, and the delegation won’t be empowered to actually discuss the second phase of the ceasefire, according to Hebrew media reports.

Israel has said it will send a team to Doha, the Qatari capital, for talks in the coming days.

Under the initial ceasefire deal, talks on the second stage were set to have started from the 16th day of the truce, which was yesterday. The second stage would end the war and see the release of the remaining living hostages.

However, the Walla news site reports, citing an unnamed senior Israeli official, that Netanyahu only agreed to send the team under pressure from the White House’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff to avoid a situation in which Hamas cites the lack of phase-two negotiations to stop freeing hostages as part of the deal’s ongoing first phase.

Moreover, Channel 13 news reports not only did Netanyahu have reservations about sending the delegation — it won’t even have the power to negotiate the terms of the second phase.

Man shot dead in Lod, as Arab crime wave continues after deadly day

A man was shot dead in Lod this evening, according to police and paramedics.

Medics who arrived at the scene found him in critical condition and evacuated him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Yesterday, six people were killed as a result of violent crime besetting Arab communities.

White House: Trump inviting Netanyahu before others means he’ll keep standing strongly with Israel

WASHINGTON — The fact that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the first foreign leader to visit the White House demonstrates that US President Donald Trump “will continue to stand strongly with Israel and that he is wholeheartedly committed to ensuring all of the hostages return home,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt tells reporters during a brief gaggle ahead of the two leaders’ meeting later today.

She adds that Trump’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff will also be made available to speak to reporters later today.

Netanyahu sits down with top advisers to prepare for meeting with Trump

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, second from right, sits down with top advisers at Blair House in Washington, DC, to prepare for his meeting with US President Donald Trump later in the day, February 4, 2025. (Avi Ohayon/GPO)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, second from right, sits down with top advisers at Blair House in Washington, DC, to prepare for his meeting with US President Donald Trump later in the day, February 4, 2025. (Avi Ohayon/GPO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office releases a photograph of him in the Blair House preparing for his meeting with US President Donald Trump later today.

He is flanked by top aides, including Military Secretary Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Chief of Staff Tzachi Braverman and new international affairs adviser Caroline Glick.

Qatar urges Israeli pullout from Lebanon, pledges to help rebuild country after gov’t is formed

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (R) meeting with Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Thani in the presidential palace of Baabda, east of Beirut, on February 4, 2025. (Photo by Lebanese Presidency / AFP)
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (R) meeting with Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Thani in the presidential palace of Baabda, east of Beirut, on February 4, 2025. (Photo by Lebanese Presidency / AFP)

Qatar’s prime minister says during a visit to Beirut that Doha will help Lebanon rebuild after a devastating Hezbollah-Israel war, but only after a new government is formed.

Reeling from years of crisis and conflict, Lebanon has pinned hopes on wealthy Gulf states to fund reconstruction, with Qatar having been heavily involved in such efforts after the 2006 Second Lebanon War between Israel and the Iran-backed terror group.

“When it comes to economic support and support for reconstruction, there is no doubt that the State of Qatar will be there,” Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani tells reporters after meeting Lebanon’s newly elected President Joseph Aoun.

“We look forward to ongoing efforts to form a government, and after that, we will discuss these files,” Al-Thani says, adding that he looks forward to forming “a strategic partnership” with Lebanon.

Al-Thani is set to meet other senior officials during what he describes as a “visit of support,” including prime minister-designate Nawaf Salam, who has been tasked with forming a government, though efforts have stalled.

Qatar was among five countries, including the United States, France, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, which lobbied heavily for Lebanon to elect a president last month and end a two-year vacuum due to political deadlock.

A fragile Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire has been in place since November 27, after more than a year of hostilities sparked unprovoked by the terror group, including two months of all-out war.

Al-Thani says it is crucial for Israeli troops to “adhere to the agreement on the withdrawal… from southern Lebanon,” without making similar comments about Hezbollah, which similarly must withdraw from southern Lebanon by February 18.

US official to ToI: Trump’s wish to free hostages doesn’t mean he accepts continued Hamas rule of Gaza

This aerial view shows a billboard of US President Donald Trump in Ramat Gan by the Coalition for Regional Security promoting a regional peace deal, during a US trip by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on February 4, 2025. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP)
This aerial view shows a billboard of US President Donald Trump in Ramat Gan by the Coalition for Regional Security promoting a regional peace deal, during a US trip by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on February 4, 2025. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP)

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump’s desire to see all of the remaining hostages released should not be “misconstrued” for a willingness to allow Hamas to remain in control of Gaza, a US official tells The Times of Israel.

Asked how the two positions can be reconciled, given that the second phase of the ongoing hostage deal envisions an end to the war in exchange for Hamas releasing the remaining living hostages, the US official speaking on condition of anonymity says the issue will be discussed in the indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas that are resuming this week.

Separately, a senior Arab diplomat tells The Times of Israel that while Hamas is willing to cede civilian control over Gaza, it is unlikely to give up its weapons.

“Israel will have to decide whether this is sufficient — at least for now — if it wants the remaining hostages back,” says the senior Arab diplomat.

At scene of West Bank attack, IDF chief says conclusions being drawn, preventative ops to be expanded

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and other officers tour the scene of a shooting attack near Tayasir in the northern West Bank, February 4, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and other officers tour the scene of a shooting attack near Tayasir in the northern West Bank, February 4, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Speaking at the scene of this morning’s deadly shooting attack in the northern West Bank, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi says the army will ramp up and expand military operations in the area.

“This is a difficult attack in which we lost two reserve soldiers. We will investigate and learn lessons, some of them have already been implemented,” he says.

“We will increase the operations to thwart [attacks], and expand them to additional areas,” Halevi adds.

Leaders of Egypt, Jordan discuss ‘united Arab position’ after Trump invites

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi speaks with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, stressing the need to adopt a united position that would help achieve regional peace.

According to Sissi’s office, the phone call addressed “developments in the region,” including the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the need for “the rapid reconstruction” of the territory.

The two leaders “stressed the need to commit to the united Arab position calling for reaching permanent peace in the Middle East,” the Egyptian presidency’s statement adds.

Egypt and Jordan, both key US allies, have been under pressure to accept a proposal by US President Donald Trump to “clean out” the Gaza Strip by temporarily sending Palestinians to their territories during Gaza’s reconstruction.

Cairo and Amman have issued repeated strong rejections while making overtures to their Washington ally.

After over 30 years of ties, Israel opens its first-ever embassy in Moldova

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, left, with Moldova Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mihai Popsoi, inaugurates Israel's first ever embassy in Moldova, February 4, 2025. (Shlomi Amsalem/GPO)
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, left, with Moldova Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mihai Popsoi, inaugurates Israel's first ever embassy in Moldova, February 4, 2025. (Shlomi Amsalem/GPO)

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has opened Israel’s first-ever embassy in Moldova, more than 30 years after the two countries established diplomatic relations, the Foreign Ministry says in a statement.

Sa’ar attends the inauguration ceremony in the capital Chisinau, where he is joined by Moldova Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mihai Popsoi.

“This is a historic moment that marks a milestone in the relations between the countries,” Sa’ar says, describing Moldova as “a friendly country to Israel.”

He says Israel’s policy is to “strengthen the relationships with our friends.”

“Today, we are upgrading our relationships, and we are doing it with great joy,” he says.

Hundreds of protesters stage march to demand end to violence against medical staff

Demonstrators raise a sign saying 'We have been abandoned,' during a march to protest violence against medical staff, February 4, 2025. (Diana Bletter/Times of Israel)
Demonstrators raise a sign saying 'We have been abandoned,' during a march to protest violence against medical staff, February 4, 2025. (Diana Bletter/Times of Israel)

Hundreds of protesters march from the Western Galilee town of Mazra’a to the Nahariya police station to demand that the police stop the cycle of violence that claimed the life of Dr. Abdallah Awad, 30, a pediatrician who was murdered yesterday at a Clalit health clinic in Kfar Yasif,

The protest organizers, The White Coats – Healthcare Professionals for Democracy group, say: “The health system in Israel — heterogeneous, inclusive and tolerant — bows its head in pain and shame for the malignant spread of violence in Arab society.”

Dr. Liron Gilad, a family doctor at a nearby clinic, says at the start of the march: “Medical professionals are abandoned. There are no police, no laws. What have we come to?”

Medical professionals wear white doctors’ coats and walk behind a sign that says “Abandoned.” Some have dabbed their coats in red paint.

Awad’s widow, Sabah, a nurse at Galilee Medical Center’s ENT department, wears her husband’s white coat. “I hope his death is the last,” she says.

Sabah Awad, Dr. Abdallah Awad’s widow, left, in her husband’s white doctor’s coat before a march in Mazra’a on February 4, 2025, to protest violence against medical staff. (Diana Bletter/Times of Israel)

Awad’s father, Qassem, says: “My son didn’t have an argument with anyone. I educated him to help people and speak nicely. The police haven’t done enough.”

“Doctors are symbols of help, support and caring for the sick,” says Mazra’a Mayor Fuad Awad, a close relative of Abdallah. “There’s no Arab citizen who isn’t exposed to the violence. We feel abandoned.”

Abdallah Awad was filling in for another doctor when he was killed. One protester, who wishes to remain anonymous, says “he was killed by mistake.”

Dr. Abdallah Awad’s father, Qassem, center, greets Ronen Nudelman, right, in Mazra’a on February 4, 2025, before a march to protest violence against medical staff. (Diana Bletter/Times of Israel)

Awad was the 29th Arab Israeli to die in a violent incident since the start of the year, more than double the number of Arab homicide victims as of the same point last year. The total tallies of Arab victims for 2023 and 2024 were the highest by far in Israel’s history.

Far-right MK Cohen vows not to heed summons for questioning on mob attack on IDF bases

Otzma Yehudit MK Almog Cohen attends a Labor and Welfare Committee meeting at the Knesset on January 8, 2025 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Otzma Yehudit MK Almog Cohen attends a Labor and Welfare Committee meeting at the Knesset on January 8, 2025 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Otzma Yehudit MK Almog Cohen says he has received word that the State Prosecutor’s Office is still investigating his role in the far-right mob attacks on the Sde Teiman and Beit Lid military bases, which took place over the summer.

“I will clarify again to avoid embarrassment and unpleasantness: I will not appear for testimony or questioning unless I am taken in handcuffs using force,” the far-right lawmaker tweets, adding that he was not one of the demonstrators who entered the Sde Teiman detention facility.

On July 29, an ultranationalist mob broke into the two military bases to interrupt legal proceedings against reservist soldiers detained for the suspected sexual abuse of a Hamas police officer who had been arrested in the Gaza Strip several weeks prior.

Complaining of “selective enforcement,” Cohen says that he will only testify after investigations are completed into the leak of footage showing the July 29 attack and into the conduct of several opposition politicians, including The Democrats party chairman Yair Golan and Hadash-Ta’al party chairman Ayman Odeh, in unrelated cases.

“If your desire is to intimidate me, as you tried to do in the investigation of the incident 13 years ago… I have a dunam to sell you on the moon,” he adds, referring to a since-dropped investigation into allegations that he had used violence against a civilian during his service in the Israel Police over a decade ago.

In August, the Movement for Quality Government in Israel (MQG), a watchdog group, called on the police and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara to bring criminal proceedings against coalition and government officials involved in the storming of the army bases.

The group noted at the time that several elected officials, including Cohen, were filmed encouraging rioters to break into the military bases, or had filmed themselves doing so.

Footage apparently shows settler extremists vandalizing Palestinian hamlet in West Bank

A screenshot from footage apparently showing settler extremists attacking the Palestinian hamlet of Susiya in the South Hebron Hills region of the West Bank, February 3, 2025. (Courtesy B'Tselem)
A screenshot from footage apparently showing settler extremists attacking the Palestinian hamlet of Susiya in the South Hebron Hills region of the West Bank, February 3, 2025. (Courtesy B'Tselem)

The B’Tselem human rights organization publishes footage from an attack last night against the Palestinian hamlet of Susiya in the South Hebron Hills region of the West Bank, apparently by Israeli extremists, likely settlers from nearby settlements.

Assailants punched holes into a water tank, and punctured the tires and smashed the windows of a car.

According to B’Tselem, several homes were attacked including that of Nasser Nawaj’ah, a B’Tselem field researcher who lives in Susiya.

Rural Palestinian communities in the West Bank have been hit by a wave of extremist attacks over the last month, with numerous incidents of arson, vandalism and assault.

Susiya itself has been repeatedly attacked by extremist settlers in recent years.

Footage apparently showing settler extremists attacking the Palestinian hamlet of Susiya in the South Hebron Hills region of the West Bank, February 3, 2025. (Courtesy B’Tselem)

US officials defend Trump’s plan to relocate Gazans: He thinks it’s ‘inhumane’ to keep them there during long reconstruction

Displaced Palestinians return to their homes in northern Gaza as part of a hostage-ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas on January 29, 2025. (Khalil Kahlout/Flash90)
Displaced Palestinians return to their homes in northern Gaza as part of a hostage-ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas on January 29, 2025. (Khalil Kahlout/Flash90)

WASHINGTON — Two of US President Donald Trump’s senior aides offer further detail regarding his recent comments on the reconstruction of Gaza and his idea for Egypt and Jordan to take in Palestinians while that process takes place.

“President Trump looks at the Gaza Strip and sees it as a demolition site, sees it as impractical for it to be rebuilt within three to five years, believes it will take at least 10 to 15 and thinks it is inhumane to force people to live in an uninhabitable plot of land with unexploded ordnances and rubble,” the first senior US official says during a briefing with reporters.

Trump “is looking for solutions to help the people of Gaza have normal lives while the Gaza Strip is being rebuilt, and he is trying to look at this in a realistic way,” says the senior official.

A second senior US official notes that Trump’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff visited Gaza last week, becoming the first American official to do so in 15 years. He was struck by how unrealistic the five-year reconstruction timeline included in the May 2023 ceasefire proposal put forward by former US president Joe Biden was.

“You’ll need things like a geotechnical survey. There’s no utility, there’s disease, there’s [no running] water. You couldn’t get an ambulance through there, even if you wanted to right now, so it really is quite uninhabitable,” the second official says.

Notably, the US officials don’t reiterate Trump’s call for Egypt and Jordan to take in Palestinians — a demand that both countries have rejected.

The Trump aides stress that the US wants to work with its Arab allies and Israel to come up with “creative solutions to this challenge.”

One of the officials says that they met yesterday with a group of Arab ambassadors to discuss the matter.

“This is not going to be something that the United States is going to solve alone and not something that we’re going to impose on Arab[s] and Israel, rather, we’re asking our friends and partners and allies to come together as we look for solutions we can provide that would be humane and provide dignity for the Palestinian people,” the official adds.

US official signals Trump, Netanyahu will present united front on transition to truce’s next phase

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will discuss in their meeting today the transition to phase two of the hostage deal, a senior US official says, adding that listeners should expect “some unity in how they and we intend to pursue that.”

Netanyahu has been seeking a public assurance from Trump that the US will back Israel resuming the war if Hamas violates the terms of the ceasefire or doesn’t hold negotiations regarding the terms of the second phase in good faith, a senior Israeli official has told The Times of Israel. Those indirect talks have begun this week.

A second senior administration notes that both US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have made clear publicly that Hamas cannot be allowed to govern Gaza — a stance that may well complicate the phase two negotiations, given that Hamas is currently the only group governing the Strip, even though its military infrastructure has been largely dismantled by Israel.

The senior Trump official notes that not only are Israel and the US in agreement on the need to remove Hamas from power, but so are many of their Arab allies in the region.

The position will require Hamas to voluntarily cede power — something that some of its officials have indicated the terror group might be willing to do. What Hamas has shown less willingness to relinquish is its weapons, ostensibly hoping to mimic what Hezbollah has been able to do in Lebanon where it wasn’t formally running the government but de facto ran much of the country due to its military superiority over the army.

IDF says it fired warning shots at Gazans breaching ceasefire in several incidents

The IDF says it fired warning shots after Palestinian suspects approached troops in several areas of the Gaza Strip today.

In one incident in central Gaza, the military says soldiers shot a suspect who did not withdraw after warning shots were fired.

Additionally, a drone strike was carried out in central Gaza as a warning to prevent a car from driving to the Strip’s north via an unapproved route, the IDF says.

Vehicular traffic is only permitted on the Salah a-Din road, where a private company is inspecting Palestinian cars heading north.

At sea, the military says the Israeli Navy spotted a Palestinian vessel that went out past a maritime boundary. After warning shots, the vessel returned to the coast of Gaza, the IDF adds.

Ahead of Netanyahu meeting, US official says Trump eager to free all hostages, oust Hamas

Then-US president Donald Trump welcomes visiting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House in Washington, March 25, 2019. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Then-US president Donald Trump welcomes visiting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House in Washington, March 25, 2019. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will discuss during their Oval Office meeting, maintaining the ongoing ceasefire deals in Gaza and Lebanon, along with their shared commitment to release all 79 hostages remaining in Gaza, a senior Trump administration official says during a briefing with reporters.

Emphasis on maintaining the Gaza ceasefire deal is noteworthy, given the pressure Netanyahu is facing from far-right coalition partners to resume fighting after the first of the deal’s three stages is complete.

Trump “is extremely focused on getting all hostages out and also ensuring that Hamas cannot continue to govern and is not in power,” says the senior official.

“Beyond that, the administration will be looking toward building on the end of the Gaza war, ultimately to promote regional normalization,” he adds.

The official declines to say whether Trump supports a two-state solution. The president unveiled what he called a “realistic” two-state peace plan in 2020 but since being reelected has avoided staking out a stance on the issue.

A second senior Trump official notes that the administration aims to expand the Abraham Accords beyond just an Israel-Saudi normalization agreement.

However, they clarify that “it’s not going to happen overnight,” even though it will be at the top of the agenda.

March 15: United Airlines set to become first US carrier to resume New York-Tel Aviv flights

View of a United Airlines flight at Ben Gurion Airport on August 3, 2013. (Moshe Shai/Flash90)
View of a United Airlines flight at Ben Gurion Airport on August 3, 2013. (Moshe Shai/Flash90)

United Airlines says it plans to become the first US airline to gradually resume its flight services between New York and Tel Aviv starting on March 15.

“This resumption follows a detailed assessment of operational considerations for the region and close work with the unions who represent our flight attendants and pilots,” United says in a statement. “United has a longstanding commitment to serving Tel Aviv.”

United announces that it will restart a daily flight to Newark Airport from Tel Aviv on March 15, with plans to operate a second daily flight beginning March 29.

“United will continue to evaluate opportunities to restore additional flights based on demand,” the US airline says.

In recent months, US airlines completely stopped flying to Israel during heightened fighting in Gaza and Lebanon, and as tensions rose in the Middle East. United previously suspended its flights for the foreseeable future due to security concerns. American Airlines halted services to Tel Aviv until September 2025.

At the end of January, Delta Air Lines became the first US carrier to announce a resumption of its Tel Aviv-New York route starting on April 1.

Hamas says talks on second phase of Gaza hostage-ceasefire deal have started

Hamas says talks on the second phase of the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal have begun.

“The second phase negotiations have begun,” the statement from the Palestinian terror group reads, additionally claiming that Israel is “evading and delaying” the agreement’s implementation on the issue of humanitarian aid.

The announcement of the restarting of talks apparently refers to discussions between Hamas and mediators.

Israel has said it will send a team to Doha, the Qatari capital, for talks in the coming days. Under the initial ceasefire deal, talks on the second stage were set to have started from the 16th day of the truce, which was yesterday.

The second stage would end the war and see the release of the remaining living hostages.

2nd soldier killed in earlier West Bank shooting attack named as Sgt. Maj. (res.) Avraham Tzvi (Tzvika) Friedman

Sgt. Maj. (res.) Avraham Tzvi Tzvika Friedman, killed in a West Bank shooting attack on February 4, 2025 (Israel Defense Forces)
Sgt. Maj. (res.) Avraham Tzvi Tzvika Friedman, killed in a West Bank shooting attack on February 4, 2025 (Israel Defense Forces)

The second soldier killed in this morning’s shooting attack at an army post in the northern West Bank is named by the IDF as Sgt. Maj. (res.) Avraham Tzvi (Tzvika) Friedman, 43.

Friedman, from Ein Hanatziv, also served in the Ephraim Regional Brigade’s 8211th Reserve Battalion.

Earlier, the IDF announced the death of Sgt. Maj. (res.) Ofer Yung who was killed in the attack at the Tayasir checkpoint. A further eight soldiers were wounded.

Edelstein says he ‘does not commit’ to agree with government on Haredi draft

Yuli Edelstein leads a Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem on February 3, 2025 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Yuli Edelstein leads a Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem on February 3, 2025 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Yuli Edelstein declares that he is under no obligation to agree with the position of the government on the issue of ultra-Orthodox enlistment.

Speaking during a debate on a Haredi conscription bill, Edelstein says that he “does not commit” to agreeing with the principles advanced by the defense minister and cabinet secretary in the committee.

Edelstein further rejects “conspiracy theories” that say the coalition will transfer the discussion to another committee.

Edelstein has previously dismissed Defense Minister Israel Katz’s plan to gradually increase the number of ultra-Orthodox recruits over the next seven years, stating that he “will not settle for a temporary solution or a process that will take many years.”

Netanyahu set to meet with Trump at White House, followed by press conference and dinner

US President Donald Trump (left) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, May 23, 2017. (AP Photo/ Sebastian Scheiner, File)
US President Donald Trump (left) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, May 23, 2017. (AP Photo/ Sebastian Scheiner, File)

WASHINGTON — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will arrive at the White House at 4 p.m. local time (11 p.m. in Israel) for his meeting with US President Donald Trump.

The two leaders will first hold a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office for 15 minutes before being joined by their respective teams, according to the White House schedule.

At 5:10 p.m. local time, Trump and Netanyahu will hold a joint press conference. They did this after their first meeting during Trump’s first term and the president used the opportunity to publicly ask Netanyahu to “hold back” on settlement construction.

Yesterday, when Trump was asked whether he’d back Israeli annexation of the West Bank, he noted that Israel is a country very small “in terms of size.”

At 5:40 p.m., the leaders will have dinner in the State Dining Room of the White House.

In hospital, Naama Levy, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Agam Berger, Liri Albag attend concert in their honor

(L-R) Naama Levy, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Liri Albag and Daniella Gilboa watch a concert in their honor at Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, February 4, 2025 (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
(L-R) Naama Levy, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Liri Albag and Daniella Gilboa watch a concert in their honor at Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, February 4, 2025 (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

The five surveillance soldiers recently released after they were held hostage in Gaza for almost 16 months, attend a concert in their honor at Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva.

Naama Levy, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Agam Berger and Liri Albag watch as the musicians play a number of songs including “Hallelujah.”

The orchestra also plays “Happy Birthday” for Albag, who turns 20 today.

 

Ben Gvir’s ex-chief of staff Chanamel Dorfman arrives for police questioning amid probe of senior cop

Chanamel Dorfman arrives at the Department of Internal Police Investigations (DIPI) in Jerusalem February 4, 2025 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Chanamel Dorfman arrives at the Department of Internal Police Investigations (DIPI) in Jerusalem February 4, 2025 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Former national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s close aide and ex-chief of staff Chanamel Dorfman arrives at the Department of Internal Police Investigations (DIPI) amid the agency’s ongoing probe of a senior West Bank police commander.

Commander Avishai Muallem, the central suspect in the investigation, whom the DIPI suspects faked investigations into settler attacks to please Ben Gvir and earn a possible promotion, arrived at the unit for questioning this morning.

The DIPI has also summoned former Religious Zionism MK Zvi Sukkot and West Bank District Commander Moshe Pinchi, who was Ben Gvir’s former security affairs secretary.

Likud MK: Government benefits should be conditioned on military service

Likud MK Moshe Saada at the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on February 4, 2025 (Sam Sokol/Times of Israel)
Likud MK Moshe Saada at the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on February 4, 2025 (Sam Sokol/Times of Israel)

Likud lawmaker Moshe Saada rejects the debate over whether annual enlistment targets or conscription quotas are better for mobilizing the ultra-Orthodox, stating that neither approach will work.

“If you come to the yeshiva and say ‘we’re recruiting you,’ I’ll ask ‘why me and not him?’ he says.

Addressing the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee during a debate over the Haredi enlistment bill, Saada says that the only solution is to condition government benefits on military service.

“The simple way is ‘you don’t serve, you don’t receive’ and that’s for everybody,” he says, arguing that this should also apply to Israel’s Arab population, which is exempt from service.

Poll: Majority of Israelis think Trump responsible for hostage deal, will pressure Netanyahu on Mideast initiatives

US President Donald Trump speaks as he signs an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
US President Donald Trump speaks as he signs an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Large majorities of Israelis believe that US President Donald Trump is responsible for securing the recent ceasefire-hostage deal with the Hamas terror group, and that he is likely to put pressure, or even impose sanctions, on Israel in the future if it does not align with his Middle East policy goals, according to a recent Israel Democracy Institute survey.

When asked, “In your opinion, was US President Trump correct or incorrect in saying that the ceasefire agreement and the release of the hostages were achieved thanks to his intervention?” a large majority of Israelis — 74 percent of Jewish Israelis (83% on the left, 79% in the center and 74% on the right politically) and 64% of Arabs, all answered in the affirmative.

Likewise, when asked, “What are the chances that President Trump will exert real pressure on Israel, and perhaps even impose sanctions, if the Netanyahu-led government does not align with his initiatives in the Middle East, such as a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia?” the large majority of respondents said the chances were fairly high or very high that he will.

Though answers to the latter question were roughly the same between Jewish Israelis (73.5%) and Arabs (67.5%), Jewish Israeli respondents who are on the right politically were less likely, at 66.5%, to answer yes than those on the left (89%) or the center (88%).

The figures were released by the Israel Democracy Institute today, in advance of the full publication of its January 2025 Israeli Voice Index.

The survey was conducted by phone and online, and the questions were posed to 604 people in Hebrew and 151 in Arabic, to a pool of respondents representative of the adult Israeli population. The margin of error was 3.57%.

2 IDF reservists killed in earlier shooting attack at West Bank army post

Sgt. Maj. (res.) Ofer Yung, killed in a shooting attack at a West Bank army post on February 4, 2025 (Courtesy)
Sgt. Maj. (res.) Ofer Yung, killed in a shooting attack at a West Bank army post on February 4, 2025 (Courtesy)

Two IDF reservists were killed and eight were wounded in this morning’s shooting attack at an army post near the northern West Bank village of Tayasir, the military announces.

One of the slain troops is named as Sgt. Maj. (res.) Ofer Yung, 39, a squad commander in the Ephraim Regional Brigade’s 8211th Reserve Battalion, from Tel Aviv.

The IDF says the name of the second soldier will be released later today.

In the attack this morning, a Palestinian gunman managed to sneak up to the IDF post next to the Taysir checkpoint and open fire on soldiers. The assailant exchanged fire with troops for several minutes inside the post, before being killed while trying to flee.

Of the eight wounded soldiers, two are in listed in serious condition and six are lightly hurt, the IDF adds.

Religious Zionism’s minister Strock says party will topple government if PM continues to 2nd phase of deal

Settlements and National Projects Minister Orit Strock attends a Religious Zionism faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, January 27, 2025 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Settlements and National Projects Minister Orit Strock attends a Religious Zionism faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, January 27, 2025 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Settlements and National Projects Minister Orit Strock warns Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against continuing on to the second phase of the hostage release and ceasefire deal with Hamas.

Speaking with Army Radio, the far-right minister says that “if Netanyahu decides to go in this disastrous direction” then her party will “make sure that the government does not continue to exist.”

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the leader of Strock’s Religious Zionism party, has previously threatened to quit the coalition if Israel does not resume fighting Hamas at the end of the current 42-day first phase of the hostage-ceasefire deal.

Yesterday, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid pledged that the government won’t fall over continuing with the agreement, repeating that his party would provide a political safety net.

15 Palestinian prisoners freed under hostage-ceasefire deal arrive in Turkey, Hamas says

Fifteen Palestinian prisoners freed by Israel under the hostage-ceasefire agreement with Hamas arrived in Turkey following their initial deportation to Egypt, the Hamas prisoners media office says.

The first phase of the ceasefire has seen Hamas release 13 hostages so far, and Israel release 583 Palestinian security prisoners, many  of whom at least 79 were sent to Egypt. In addition, five Thai nationals were released by Hamas separately from the agreement.

As well as those going to Turkey, some may go to Algeria or Qatar, Hamas sources say.

Israel has said that Palestinians who have been convicted of killing Israelis should be permanently deported if they are freed under the hostage-ceasefire agreement, and would not be allowed to return to homes in the West Bank or Gaza.

Staff rally at Galilee Medical Center in call to end violence against medical professionals

Staff rallies to honor Dr. Abdallah Awad, shot and killed a day earlier, at the Galilee Medical Center on February 4, 2025 (Roni Albert/Galilee Medical Center)
Staff rallies to honor Dr. Abdallah Awad, shot and killed a day earlier, at the Galilee Medical Center on February 4, 2025 (Roni Albert/Galilee Medical Center)

At a rally to honor the memory of Dr. Abdallah Awad, a Galilee Medical Center physician who was murdered yesterday at a health clinic in Kfar Yasif, hospital director Prof. Masad Barhoum says, “We have zero tolerance for any act of violence. It is unacceptable for doctors’ lives to be treated with disregard.”

Speakers call for a fight against violence toward medical professionals and express condolences to Awad’s wife Sabah, a nurse in the ENT department, and his brother Ali, who also works in hospital.

“Fifty years ago, Dr. Gideon Manelis was murdered at the hospital as he examined a patient in the emergency room,” says Dr. Zvi Sheleg, deputy director. “Fifty years have passed, and nothing has changed.”

“Our hearts are broken, and no words can suffice to comfort us,” says Barhoum.

Awad, a pediatrician, was filling in for another doctor when he was killed. He was the 29th Arab Israeli to die in a violent incident since the start of the year, more than double the number of Arab homicide victims as of the same point last year.

With tears and hugs, Thai hostages released last week are reunited with their loved ones

Khammee Lamnao, the mother of freed hostage Surasak Lamnao, sees him for the first time at Shamir Medical Center, Feb. 4, 2025. (Maayan Toaf/GPO)
Khammee Lamnao, the mother of freed hostage Surasak Lamnao, sees him for the first time at Shamir Medical Center, Feb. 4, 2025. (Maayan Toaf/GPO)

With tight embraces and tears, the relatives of the recently released Thai nationals arrive at the hospital to see their loved ones for the first time since they were set free by terrorists in Gaza.

Thenna Pongsak, Sathian Suwannakham, Sriaoun Watchara, Seathao Bannawat and Lamnao Surasak were released on Thursday after 482 days in captivity, in a side agreement alongside the hostage-ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

Lamnao’s mother and the brothers of Sriaoun and Seathao landed in Israel from Thailand this morning, along with Thenna’s nephew.

Relatives of released Thai hostages see their loved ones for the first time at Shamir Medical Center on February 4, 2025 (Shabtai Itzhak Idan/Shamir Medical Center)

Tens of thousands of laborers from Southeast Asia were working in Israel when the Hamas attack unfolded on October 7, 2023.

Thai nationals were by far the largest group and the most heavily affected.

Phuriphat Thaenna (L) hugs his brother, released Thai hostage Pongsak Thaenna, who was freed from Hamas captivity, at Shamir Medical Center, Feb. 4, 2025. (Maayan Toaf/GPO)
Ratthanan Saethao greets his brother, released Thai hostage Bannawat Saethao at Shamir Medical Center, Feb. 4, 2025. (Maayan Toaf/GPO)
Phuriphat Thenna is reunited with his uncle, released hostage Thenna Pongsak at the Shamir Medical Center, Feb. 4, 2025. (Maayan Toaf/GPO)

Settler leaders demand West Bank annexation, end to prisoner releases in territory after shooting attack

The IDF compound near the northern West Bank village of Tayasir attacked by a Palestinian gunman on February 4, 2025 (Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90)
The IDF compound near the northern West Bank village of Tayasir attacked by a Palestinian gunman on February 4, 2025 (Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90)

Settlement leaders and organizations call for the annexation of West Bank settlements and an end to the release of Palestinian security prisoners into the West Bank following this morning’s shooting attack, and against the background of the ongoing hostage-prisoner release deal between Israel and Hamas.

“The Israeli government has a duty to decisively defeat Arab terrorism and to announce the application of Israeli sovereignty [in the West Bank], which will prevent the establishment of a terror state in the heart of the country,” says the Yesha Council, an umbrella body representing West Bank settlement municipal authorities.

Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council in the northern West Bank, calls for Israel to deal with Palestinian terrorism and paramilitary activity in the West Bank “exactly the same way as terrorism infrastructure was eliminated in Gaza,” apparently referring to the IDF’s efforts to destroy Hamas’s tunnel and bunker system and military installations in the Strip, which also caused widespread devastation to Gazan cities.

“I call on the prime minister and the defense minister to give instructions for the targeted elimination of all terror heads, and to stop any thought of releasing terrorists to Judea and Samaria,” adds Dagan, using the Biblical name for the West Bank.

Hundreds of convicted terrorists and other Palestinian security prisoners have been released back to the West Bank under the terms of the hostage-prisoner release deal with Hamas.

The comments by Yesha and Dagan come as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is visiting Washington DC and meeting with US President Donald Trump, who did not rule out Israeli annexation moves in the West Bank when asked about the issue last night.

Sharaa to discuss defense pact with Erdogan, including Turkish airbases in Syria, sources say

(L) This handout picture provided by the media office of Syria's transitional government shows interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh on February 2, 2025 ( Syria's Transitional Government / AFP) (R) Turkey's President Recep Tayyip in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 19, 2024. (Mauro PIMENTEL / AFP)
(L) This handout picture provided by the media office of Syria's transitional government shows interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh on February 2, 2025 ( Syria's Transitional Government / AFP) (R) Turkey's President Recep Tayyip in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 19, 2024. (Mauro PIMENTEL / AFP)

Syria’s transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan are expected to discuss a joint defense pact in Ankara today, including establishing Turkish airbases in central Syria and training for Syria’s new army, four sources familiar with the matter say.

NATO member Turkey has long backed Syria’s armed and political opposition to ousted leader Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled in late December in a lightning offensive spearheaded by Sharaa’s forces.

Ankara is positioning itself to play a major role in the new Syria, filling a vacuum left by Assad’s main regional backer Iran, in an expansion of Turkish sway that could spark rivalry with Gulf Arab states and put Israel on edge.

The sources – a Syrian security official, two Damascus-based foreign security sources and a senior regional intelligence official – speak on condition of anonymity as they are not authorized to speak to the media about the meeting.

This is the first time that elements of any strategic defense arrangement by Syria’s new leaders, including details of additional Turkish bases, have come to light.

The pact could see Turkey establish new air bases in Syria, use Syrian airspace for military purposes, and take a lead role in training troops in Syria’s new army, the sources say.

Syria’s new leadership has dissolved the army and its various rebel factions, and is working on integrating them into a new military command.

The sources say the deal is not expected to be finalized today.

IDF probe of West Bank attack finds gunman armed with M-16 managed to sneak up to military post

Israeli soldiers take positions after an attack on an IDF post near the northern West Bank village of Tayasir on February 4, 2025 (Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90)
Israeli soldiers take positions after an attack on an IDF post near the northern West Bank village of Tayasir on February 4, 2025 (Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90)

According to an initial IDF probe of this morning’s shooting attack, the Palestinian gunman managed to sneak up to a military post at a checkpoint near the West Bank village of Tayasir, where he opened fire on troops just before 6 a.m.

The assailant was armed with an M-16 assault rifle and two magazines, and wearing a tactical vest.

The IDF’s probe has found that the gunman approached the army post on foot undetected, where he surprised two soldiers who were getting up to open the Tayasir checkpoint for Palestinian traffic.

The soldiers, who were in full military gear, exchanged fire with the gunman at close range at the entrance to the post, which includes a watchtower.

Amid exchanges of fire that lasted several minutes, the gunman managed to enter the post itself and reach the entrance to the watchtower.

A backup team then arrived at the scene and opened fire on the gunman from outside the army post, causing him to flee.

During the gunman’s attempts to run away from the post, one soldier hurled a grenade at him, and others opened fire, killing the assailant.

8-year-old boy wearing yarmulke attacked in Rome

An eight-year-old boy wearing a yarmulke has been attacked in Rome, Italian media reports.

A 33-year-old Egyptian national has been arrested in connection with the incident.

According to reports, the boy and his mother were walking together on the central Via Nazionale on Thursday when the man appeared in front of them and started yelling at the boy.

After the boy tried to hide between his mother’s legs and covered his face with his hands, the man grabbed him and began kicking and punching him.

The boy’s mother and a shopkeeper tried to stop the man as he took a broken bottle out of his pocket. The man threatened them with the glass before running away.

Using surveillance videos from nearby shops and clubs in the area, Italian anti-terrorist police tracked down the suspect shortly after, still with the broken bottle in his pocket.

The suspect, a migrant living on the streets of Italy, had arrived recently after being rejected at the borders of France and Belgium, reports say.

He was charged with attempting to mutilate a child and two women. There were no charges relating to the motive.

Senior West Bank cop accused of papering over settler attacks arrives for police questioning

Head of the Judea and Samaria Police District's investigations and intelligence department Commander Avishai Muallem arrives at the Department for Internal Police Investigations in Jerusalem, February 4, 2025 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Head of the Judea and Samaria Police District's investigations and intelligence department Commander Avishai Muallem arrives at the Department for Internal Police Investigations in Jerusalem, February 4, 2025 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Avishai Muallem, a top West Bank police commander, arrives for questioning at the Department of Internal Police Investigations amid an ongoing probe into the suspicion he faked investigations into settler violence in order to please ex-national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

Alongside Muallem, a handful of Ben Gvir associates will also appear before the DIPI today, including his former chief of staff Chanamel Dorfman, former Religious Zionism MK Zvi Sukkot and West Bank District Commander Moshe Pinchi, who was the far-right Otzma Yehudit chief’s former security affairs secretary.

Thai police arrest Israeli suspected of Tel Aviv stabbing in joint op with Israeli authorities

Thai immigration police arrested a 27-year-old Israeli citizen yesterday on suspicion of stabbing a man in Tel Aviv last year, Hebrew media reports.

Thai police arrested the man as part of a joint operation with Israeli authorities and are working to extradite him to Israel.

The suspect has an arrest warrant for aggravated assault and obstruction of justice, for which he could face up to 23 years in prison.

The suspect allegedly fled Israel with a fake passport after learning his accomplice in the stabbing was arrested. He later entered Thailand with his real passport.

Palestinian media report Israeli drone strike in Tamun, near site of earlier shooting attack

Palestinian media report an Israeli drone strike in the West Bank town of Tamun, not far from the site of this morning’s shooting attack.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF on the strike.

Relatives of Thai hostages recently released by Hamas arrive in Israel

In this photo provided by the Thai Foreign Ministry, an official, left, from the Department of Consular Affairs, talks to family members of released Thai hostages freed נט Hamas, before they travel to Tel Aviv, Israel, from the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Samut Prakarn Province, Thailand, Feb. 3, 2025. (Thai Foreign Ministry via AP)
In this photo provided by the Thai Foreign Ministry, an official, left, from the Department of Consular Affairs, talks to family members of released Thai hostages freed נט Hamas, before they travel to Tel Aviv, Israel, from the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Samut Prakarn Province, Thailand, Feb. 3, 2025. (Thai Foreign Ministry via AP)

The relatives of the recently released hostages from Thailand have arrived in Israel to visit them, Hebrew-language media reports.

Thai nationals Thenna Pongsak, Sathian Suwannakham, Sriaoun Watchara, Seathao Bannawat and Rumnao Surasak were released by Gaza-based terror groups last Thursday after 482 days in captivity, in a side agreement alongside the hostage-ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

Tens of thousands of laborers from Southeast Asia were working in Israel when the Hamas attack unfolded on October 7, 2023. Thai nationals were by far the largest group and the most heavily affected.

During the November 2023 ceasefire-hostage deal, 24 Thai hostages were released.

Five Thai nationals kidnapped by Hamas who were released from captivity in Gaza after 482 days on January 30, 2025. Top row (L-R) Watchara Sriaoun, Surasak Lamnau and Sathian Suwannakham; bottom row (L-R) Pongsak Thenna and Bannawat Seathao. (Courtesy)

IDF to test rocket sirens in Tzofit, Beit Herut this morning

The Home Front Command says sirens will be tested in two communities in the center of the country today.

Alerts will be heard in Tzofit at 10:05 a.m. and in Beit Herut at 11:05 a.m.

In the case of an actual attack, the sirens will sound twice, according to the IDF.

China counters Trump with tariffs on US products, says will also investigate Google

Traditional Russian wooden dolls called Matryoshka depicting China's President Xi Jinping, left, and US President Donald Trump are on sale at a souvenir shop in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky, File)
Traditional Russian wooden dolls called Matryoshka depicting China's President Xi Jinping, left, and US President Donald Trump are on sale at a souvenir shop in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky, File)

BEIJING — China’s Ministry of Commerce announces it is implementing counter tariffs against the US on multiple products, while announcing other trade-related measures, including an investigation into Google.

The Chinese government says it will implement a 15% tariff on coal and liquified natural gas products, as well as a 10% tariff on crude oil, agricultural machinery, large-displacement cars.

“The US’s unilateral tariff increase seriously violates the rules of the World Trade Organization,” the statement says. “It is not only unhelpful in solving its own problems, but also damages normal economic and trade cooperation between China and the US.”

The 10 percent tariff that US President Donald Trump ordered on China is set to go into effect today, though Trump plans to talk with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the next few days.

China’s State Administration for Market Regulation says it is investigating Google on suspicion of violating antitrust laws. While the announcement did not specifically mention any tariffs, the announcement came just minutes after Trump’s 10% tariffs were to take effect.

Gunman who injured at least 8 managed to enter military compound near checkpoint

Screen grab from a video of a gun battle between IDF troops and a gunman at an army checkpoint and compound near the northern West Bank village of Tayasir on February 4, 2025 (Video on social media used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Screen grab from a video of a gun battle between IDF troops and a gunman at an army checkpoint and compound near the northern West Bank village of Tayasir on February 4, 2025 (Video on social media used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

The Palestinian gunman who opened fire on IDF troops near the northern West Bank village of Tayasir earlier this morning managed to break into a military compound adjacent to a checkpoint.

The facility includes lookout positions and several other buildings.

An exchange of fire took place inside the site, before the gunman was killed.

At least eight were wounded in the attack, including two listed in critical condition.

7 injured, 2 critically, in shooting at checkpoint near Tayasir in the northern West Bank, medics say

Seven were wounded in the shooting attack at an army checkpoint near the northern West Bank village of Tayasir, first responders say.

The Rescuers Without Borders emergency service says two are listed in critical condition, and five others are moderately and lightly hurt.

After Netanyahu’s meeting with Trump envoy, PM’s office says team heading to Doha in coming days

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) meets with US special envoy Steve Witkoff  (3rd R) and National Security Adviser Michael Waltz (3rd L) , accompanied by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer (2nd R), National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi (2nd L), Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter (R), and Chief of Staff Tzachi Braverman (L) and military secretary Roman Gofman (bottom C) in Washington on February 4, 2025 (Avi Ohayon/GPO)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) meets with US special envoy Steve Witkoff (3rd R) and National Security Adviser Michael Waltz (3rd L) , accompanied by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer (2nd R), National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi (2nd L), Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter (R), and Chief of Staff Tzachi Braverman (L) and military secretary Roman Gofman (bottom C) in Washington on February 4, 2025 (Avi Ohayon/GPO)

WASHINGTON — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets in Washington with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and National Security Adviser Michael Waltz to discuss the next phase of the hostage release deal underway with Hamas.

In the wake of the meeting, Israel is preparing to send a mid-level team to Qatar this weekend to discuss “technical details related to continuing to carry out” the agreement, says Netanyahu’s office.

The meeting was “positive and friendly,” according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

Netanyahu is joined by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, and Chief of Staff Tzachi Braverman.

Gunman who opened fire at north West Bank checkpoint killed by troops on the scene

A Palestinian gunman who opened fire at an army checkpoint near the northern West Bank village of Tayasir was killed, a military source says.

Troops stationed at the checkpoint and another force dispatched to the scene exchanged fire with the gunman, during which he was killed.

At least six were taken to hospitals for treatment after being wounded in the attack.

At least six injured in a shooting near Tayasir in the northern West Bank

There are at least six injured in a shooting near Tayasir in the northern West Bank, first responders say.

One assailant was “neutralized,” medics add.

IDF responding to reports of shooting at checkpoint in northern West Bank

IDF troops and medics are responding to reports of shooting at the Tayasir checkpoint in the northern West Bank near the Palestinian town of the same name.

Further details are not immediately known.

Gaza sick, wounded could get medical care in Japan, PM Ishiba says

The Japanese government is considering offering medical care in the world’s fourth-largest economy for sick and wounded residents of Gaza, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba says.

Ishiba tells a parliament session that his administration is working on a policy to provide support in Japan for “those who are ill or injured in Gaza.”

He says that educational opportunities could also be offered to people from Gaza, which is under a fragile ceasefire with Israel.

NY Times: US believes Iran looking at potential ways to quickly build nuclear bomb

Iran's domestically built centrifuges are displayed in an exhibition of the country's nuclear achievements, in Tehran, Iran, February 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Iran's domestically built centrifuges are displayed in an exhibition of the country's nuclear achievements, in Tehran, Iran, February 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

New American intelligence indicates that a covert team of Iranian scientists is exploring ways to quickly develop a nuclear weapon if the country’s leadership decides to pursue one, The New York Times reports.

The report says the information points to Iran seeking a shortcut to a bomb that would enable them to convert their uranium stocks into a weapon within months rather than years, if necessary, though a decision to race toward a bomb has not been made.

The paper says the intel was gathered in the final months of the Biden administration and shared with Donald Trump’s team.

It notes that with Iran’s regional power weakened by the blows to its proxy forces in the region and its failure to significantly hit Israel with its missile barrages, Tehran is anxious to find new ways to deter a strike by Israel or the US.

Netanyahu meeting with Trump’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff in Washington

WASHINGTON — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has begun his meeting with the Trump administration’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff.

The meeting is being held at the Blair House guest house in Washington, where Netanyahu is staying this week.

Witkoff is accompanied by US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz.

The ongoing ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza is at the top of the agenda.

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