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The Times of Israel liveblogged Tuesday’s events as they unfolded.
Contrary to UNIFIL claim, IDF says mortars didn’t hit peacekeeper position in southern Lebanon
The Israel Defense Forces responds to UNIFIL after it said earlier that two “possible illuminating flare mortar rounds” struck one of its positions in southern Lebanon overnight.
The IDF says that it was carrying out “routine firing” in the area of Rmaish, near the Israeli border, when it received a request from the UN peacekeeping force to cease firing as one of its posts had been hit, which the military agreed to.
It says, however, that upon an initial examination of the incident, it did not appear that any mortars had hit the UNIFIL post.
“The incident is being investigated,” it says, and reiterates that “the IDF is working to target the terrorist infrastructure of the Hezbollah terror group and is not working to harm UN forces.”
Hamas says its delegation arrived in Cairo for talks on second phase of ceasefire
A Hamas delegation led by senior official Khalil al-Hayya arrived in Cairo this evening for talks with Egyptian mediators on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire, Hamas says in a statement.
According to the statement, the talks are expected to address the opening of the Rafah Border Crossing between Egypt and Gaza; the formation of the independent Palestinian technocratic commission to which Hamas is supposed to cede power in the Strip; and the further withdrawal of Israel forces.
Hamas says its delegation in Cairo will also meet “with the leaders of Palestinian factions and forces” to discuss developments in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Palestinian Authority officials, including Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh and intelligence chief Majed Faraj, met with mediators in Egypt last week to discuss the ceasefire’s next phase.
‘Where is the respect?’: Knesset committee hears plea to grant former lone soldier military burial
Josh Frisch, friend of reservist soldier Joshua Boone, who was founded lifeless while off duty, speaks at the Knesset Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs Committee, calling for Boone to receive a military burial, January 13, 2026. (Screenshot: Knesset Channel)
Speaking at the Knesset Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs Committee, Josh Frisch – a friend of US-born reserve soldier Joshua Boone, who was found lifeless earlier this week – calls for Boone to receive a military burial, despite not being officially recognized as a fallen soldier.
Boone was considered a lone soldier during his mandatory military service, meaning he had no immediate family in Israel.
Under Israeli policy, any soldier who dies while on active duty is automatically recognized as a fallen soldier and receives a military burial, while those who die off duty – even if their death is directly linked to their military service – are not granted that status.
“Josh Boone isn’t just any soldier,” Frisch, himself a former lone soldier now serving in reserves, tells the committee. “He was one of the best snipers I think I ever knew.”
Boone originally served in the Golani Brigade and later volunteered to serve in other units after the war broke out on October 7, 2023, racking up more than two years of service in total. According to Frisch, Boone decided only two weeks ago to take time off from military service in order to address the post-traumatic stress he had accumulated on the front line.
“He left everything to come here and defend our home,” Frisch says of Boone, who immigrated from Idaho. “That’s who we are. Lone soldiers leave everything to defend our home.”
Frisch says he came to the Knesset for the first time today because “they told me that my friend who fought for 748 days won’t get a military burial, won’t be recognized as a fallen soldier, and won’t get anything… Where is the respect for the man who fought for 748 days for this country?”
In a statement, Boone’s loved ones say, “The family, together with Josh’s friends and the lone soldier community, are calling on Israel’s leadership to ensure that Joshua Boone is formally recognized as a fallen soldier and laid to rest with the full military honors befitting his service and sacrifice.”
They add that funeral details will only be shared once Boone is recognized as a fallen soldier.
In Detroit, Trump reiterates call for Iranians to keep protesting against the regime
US President Donald Trump speaks during a tour of the Ford River Rogue complex, January 13, 2026, in Dearborn, Michigan. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
US President Donald Trump reiterates his call for Iranians to keep protesting, take over their institutions and save the names of those cracking down against them.
Trump makes the remarks in a speech in Detroit that is largely focused on the economy.
He first made the call in a Truth Social post earlier today.
Trump, in the Detroit speech, says he has been receiving varying numbers of how many protesters have been killed, “But I say save their names because they’ll pay a very big price.”
“I’ve canceled all meetings with Iranian officials until the senseless killing of protesters stops,” Trump says, repeating his announcement from the Truth Social post, again telling protesters, “help is on its way.”
He recalls his announcement from yesterday that he slapped a 25% tariff on any country doing business with Iran. It’s unclear how the directive will be implemented.
“Make Iran great again. It was a great country until these monsters came in and took it over, and [now] it’s all very fragile. [It] would have happened to us if I didn’t win this election,” Trump claims.
Asked by a reporter before his speech whether the US has advised allies to evacuate Iran, Trump responds, “They should get out. It’s a good idea.”
Several nations urge their citizens to leave Iran as soon as possible amid deadly protests
Several nations are joining the US in urging their citizens to avoid all travel to Iran, and to leave Iran as soon as possible if they are already there.
Canada, in an update to its travel advice this afternoon, urged its citizens to leave the Islamic Republic now, if it is safe to do so. It notes that land borders with Armenia and Turkey remain open even as most international flights have been canceled.
Germany similarly urges its residents to leave the country, warning that if they choose to remain, they are at risk of “arbitrary arrests.”
It says the German embassy in Tehran is only able to provide “limited assistance,” on the ground.
Australia has also told its citizens to leave, warning that “if you remain in Iran against our advice, you’re responsible for your own safety.”
Man shot, critically injured in Hadera, northern Israel
A man in his 60s has been critically wounded in a shooting in Hadera, northern Israel.
The Ynet news outlet reports that police suspect the incident is criminal in nature, meaning they do not believe it to be a terror attack.
Police are searching for the perpetrator.
NY governor Hochul vows new protection for synagogues during annual address
New York Governor Kathy Hochul looks on during a public safety-related announcement at the headquarters of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) in New York on January 6, 2026. (Charly Triballeau/AFP)
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul vows new measures to protect synagogues and other houses of worship from protests during her annual State of the State address.
“In 2026, we’ll take new steps to protect our houses of worship against the rising tide of antisemitism and Islamophobia. New York has already invested $131 million to better secure these sacred places, but clearly, more must be done,” Hochul says in the speech in Albany.
“Just last week, protesters led pro-Hamas chants outside a synagogue in Kew Gardens Hills. That’s not free expression. That’s harassment, and targeting a Jewish community in this way is antisemitism,” she says.
“That’s why I’m proposing a ban on protests within 25 feet of the property line at houses of worship — so those who simply want to pray can do so without fear or harassment,” Hochul says.
IDF kills 2 gunmen in Rafah firefight, search for additional suspects ongoing
The IDF says it identified six armed suspects a short while ago in the western Rafah, located on the Israeli-controlled side of the Yellow Line, close to troops deployed in the southern Gaza Strip.
According to the military, tanks deployed to the scene and opened fire, prompting the gunmen to return fire at one of the tanks, and triggering a firefight that also included airstrikes in the area.
So far, two of the suspects have been killed, the IDF says, adding that forces are continuing to search the area for the remaining gunmen and that the incident is still ongoing.
The military says the incident constitutes a blatant violation of the October ceasefire agreement.
WATCH: Trump delivers remarks on protests in Iran
President Donald Trump speaks at the Detroit Economic Club, Jan. 13, 2026 in Detroit. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
US President Donald Trump delivers remarks regarding the ongoing protests in Iran in an address that can be watched live.
He is addressing the protests during a speech in Michigan focused primarily on the economy.
IDF rescues two Israelis who mistakenly entered West Bank village in Area A
The IDF says it rescued two Israeli civilians earlier today after they mistakenly entered the West Bank village of Raba, located within Area A, which is under Palestinian Authority civil and security control.
In a statement, the military says troops from the Menashe Regional Brigade and the Jordan Valley Regional Brigade were dispatched to the area, contacted the Israelis and carried out a search inside the village before locating them and escorting them out safely.
The IDF reiterates that entry into Area A is illegal and dangerous for Israeli civilians.
Official: Islamic Jihad knows where Ran Gvili is, we are working day and night to bring him home
A digger is used to search for the last remaining body of a hostage in an operation overseen by Hamas and by Egyptian workers accompanied by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in Jabalia refugee camp, in the northern Gaza Strip, on December 1, 2025. (Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP)
Israel is “working every day, all day and night,” to return the body of Master Sgt. Ran Gvili to Israel, says a senior government official.
“The efforts are being done through the negotiating team, and contacts with the mediators, also through connections with the Americans, as well as intelligence actions,” says the official.
“There are those in the Islamic Jihad who know where Ran Gvili is,” the official continues, referring to the last slain hostage held in Gaza.
“We are not going to give up on this. Information we have given to the mediators multiple times, including recently, must be translated into effective actions to bring him back,” says the official. “That message has been communicated.”
Germans, Austrians, US helped release Israeli businessman from Venezuela — Israeli official
Yaakov Harari with his daughter Yael. (Courtesy of the family, via the Foreign Ministry)
The Israeli-Argentinian man released from prison in Venezuela and returned to Israel earlier today was in the country pursuing business ventures, a senior government official says.
Yaakov Harari, 72, left Israel in the spring of 2024 for business trips in South America, including Venezuela, says the official during a briefing with Israeli reporters.
Harari was told that he had been convicted in absentia and sentenced to 25 years in prison for terrorism and sabotage. Harari told Israeli officials upon his return that he witnessed “severe scenes” in the Venezuelan prison.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assigned Harari’s case to his hostage pointman, Gal Hirsch, who worked with the Foreign Ministry, the Mossad and other government agencies. They managed to secure a consular visit through Germany’s ambassador in Venezuela.
Israel also worked through the US State Department and the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, as well as the Austrian hostage envoy and the Red Cross. Hirsch also maintained regular contact with the local Jewish community on the case.
The situation changed dramatically with the US arrest of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, says the official. Israel began an intensive effort to find ways to get Harari out.
Israel coordinated these efforts with other governments with prisoners in Venezuelan prisons and who have been working with Israel on the hostage issues since October 7, 2023 — the US, UK, Canada, Germany and Austria — and held a situational assessment with them on January 7.
Israel found out Harari was to be released at 2 a.m. on Monday.
He was handed over to the community rabbi in Caracas before being transferred to another country, which the official declined to identify. He then departed that country on a flight to Israel.
Mossad said to tell US at least 5,000 killed in Iran protests
The Mossad has conveyed to the US that at least 5,000 Iranians have been killed in the protests, according to an American official quoted by Channel 12 news.
The report says the US administration is shaken by the scale of the killing.
Report: Trump envoy Witkoff met recently with Iran’s exiled crown prince Pahlavi
Reza Pahlavi, an Iranian opposition figure and son of the deposed shah, gives a video statement on January 11, 2026. (Screen capture/X)
White House envoy Steve Witkoff over the weekend met with Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last shah and a prominent voice in the fragmented opposition, to discuss the protests roiling that country, Axios reports, citing an unidentified senior US official.
Last week, US President Donald Trump indicated that he did not plan to meet with Pahlavi, saying that he “seems like a nice person,” but that it would not be “appropriate at this point.”
Netanyahu meets with security cabinet in Jerusalem
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with his security cabinet gets underway in Jerusalem.
The pre-scheduled meeting comes as protests spread in Iran, and shortly before US President Donald Trump makes public remarks on the protests.
Trump to address Iran protests ahead of policy briefing
US President Donald Trump will offer brief remarks regarding the ongoing protests in Iran during a speech this afternoon in Detroit that will primarily focus on the economy, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt tells reporters.
He will then return to the White House, where he will hold a briefing with his national security team to discuss potential steps that the US could take against the regime, a White House official tells reporters separately.
Earlier today, he urged the protesters to continue taking to the streets, adding that help is on the way.
Left-wing Jewish group J Street endorses NY’s Goldman for Congress, while nodding to opponent Lander
US Rep. Dan Goldman at a rally for Israeli hostages in Gaza in Central Park, New York City, June 8, 2025. (Luke Tress/Times of Israel)
The left-wing Jewish advocacy group J Street endorses US Rep. Dan Goldman’s reelection run against Brad Lander, an ally of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Goldman and Lander, both Jewish, are running for the 10th District of New York, covering lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn.
The two candidates are both Democrats who are in line on many issues, but divided in their approach to Israel. Goldman takes more of a centrist position, while criticizing the Netanyahu government, while Lander is more to the left, accusing Israel of genocide, for example.
“J Street is proud of our endorsement of Congressman Dan Goldman, and we deeply value his pro-Israel, pro-peace and pro-democracy leadership in Congress,” J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami said in a statement.
The endorsement also nodded to Lander, though, who has long ties to the progressive group.
“We are also grateful for our years-long friendship with Brad Lander, who is a vocal leader for our values. We know that the issue of peace is close to both of their hearts,” Ben-Ami said. “Congressman Goldman is our sole endorsee in the race. We’ve added Brad Lander as a ‘primary approved’ candidate to our online portal. J Street supporters can donate to either candidate through our PAC.”
“At the end of the day, it is a win for the district and the nation to have two J Street-aligned voices in this race,” he said.
Goldman has the support of New York Governor Kathy Hochul and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, while Lander has Mamdani’s endorsement.
UNIFIL claims mortar flares struck peacekeeper position in south Lebanon
UNIFIL observers patrol with the Lebanese military in the Buwayda region of Marjayoun, near the border with Israel in southern Lebanon, December 4, 2025. (Rabih DAHER / AFP)
UNIFIL says two “possible illuminating flare mortar rounds” struck one of its positions in southern Lebanon overnight.
In a statement, the UN peacekeeping force says the rounds hit the helipad and main gate of a UN position southwest of the border town of Yaroun, sending peacekeepers to shelter. No injuries were reported.
UNIFIL says it sent a request to the IDF to halt fire in the area and accused the Israeli military of endangering its personnel and positions.
“Any actions that put peacekeepers at risk are serious violations of Security Council resolution 1701, and undermine the stability we are working to achieve,” the force says.
The IDF does not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The allegation comes a day after UNIFIL claimed two Israeli tanks fired several shells near peacekeepers in a separate incident the same night – a claim the IDF denied.
Cairo welcomes US designation of Egypt branch of Muslim Brotherhood as global terrorists
Egypt’s foreign ministry welcomes the United States’ designation of the Egyptian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood as global terrorists.
The move, which Washington formally set in motion last November, will bring sanctions against one of the Arab world’s oldest and most influential Islamist movements.
Foreign Ministry severs Jerusalem’s ties with 7 UN agencies, citing anti-Israel bias
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar speaks during a joint press conference in Asuncion as part of his official visit to Paraguay on November 24, 2025. (DANIEL DUARTE / AFP)
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announces his decision to withdraw Israel from several United Nations agencies and associated organizations for reasons ranging from their alleged anti-Israel bias to “ineffective bureaucracy.”
The agencies Israel is withdrawing from, effective immediately, are the: Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict; UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women); UN Conference on Trade and Development; UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia; UN Alliance of Civilizations; UN Energy; and Global Forum on Migration and Development.
In a statement announcing the move, the Foreign Ministry says it is ceasing cooperation with the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict after it added the IDF to a “blacklist” in its annual report on children in armed conflict, along with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
“Israel is the only democratic country to be listed, alongside ISIS and Boko Haram,” it notes, adding that Israel already cut ties with the office in June 2024.
Similarly, it says, Sa’ar pulled Israel out of UN Women after it “deliberately ignored all cases of sexual violence committed against Israeli women on October 7, 2023.
It cites “virulent anti-Israel reports” as the reason for withdrawing from both the UN Agency for Trade and Development and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, and says the Alliance of Civilizations is “used as a platform for attacks against Israel.”
Finally, it accuses UN Energy of being a “wasteful organization,” reflective of the “excessive and inefficient bureaucracy of the UN,” and says that the Global Forum on Migration and Development “erodes the ability of sovereign nations to enforce their own immigration laws.”
The ministry adds that it will continue to examine Israel’s ties with additional UN agencies.
Coalition, opposition lawmakers reject reports that government is considering lowering voting age
Both coalition and opposition members have rejected recent Hebrew media reports alleging that the government is considering lowering the voting age from 18 to 17, which would ostensibly boost votes for the parties within the coalition.
When asked by The Times of Israel about whether the proposal is being seriously considered, a Knesset source acknowledges that while there has always been “chatter” about the topic, it isn’t serious, and that it’s mainly been promoted by Haredi parties who are no longer in the coalition.
Several coalition lawmakers agree, telling ToI that the issue is not being seriously discussed right now.
Opposition lawmakers likewise say that they are unconcerned with the possibility of the government lowering the voting age, but acknowledge that if they were to do so, especially in a year with elections set for October, it would be fiercely opposed.
The last time that the idea was being seriously weighed was in July, when MK Meir Porush of the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism’s Agudat Yisrael faction proposed a bill to reduce the voting age.
At the time, he said that this would increase the number of eligible voters by approximately 120,000. Such a measure is presumed to benefit the ultra-Orthodox parties since the Haredi population is extremely young, with 57% aged 19, according to an Israel Democracy Institute report published last month.
The bill failed to advance, and in August, UTJ exited the coalition over the government’s failure to pass a draft exemption bill for yeshiva students.
A spokesperson for Porush tells the Times of Israel that they have had “no contact with the government on this matter and no one from the government has spoken to us about it.”
He adds that while Porush “continues working to advance the legislation,” there have been no new developments.
UK teenager goes on trial accused of preparing far-right attack on synagogues
A British teenager went on trial today, accused of being a member of a banned white supremacist group and planning terrorist acts, having carried out research on nearby synagogues and collected weapons and material to make explosives.
The boy, now 16, who cannot be named for legal reasons, downloaded and shared videos of attacks, shootings and beheadings, expressed his admiration for Adolf Hitler, and kept notebooks where he wrote of his hatred for Jews and Black people, prosecutor Michelle Heeley says.
When police raided the home he shared with his father in a remote village in northern England, they found knives, crossbows, military clothing and evidence that he was actively planning to turn his anger into action, Heeley says.
“He wanted to be a terrorist. He believed in a race war, in white supremacy and he planned to carry out acts of terrorism in furtherance of his beliefs,” she said.
The boy denies the charges of preparing acts of terrorism, being a member of a proscribed group, possessing terrorist documents and disseminating terrorist publications.
The prosecutor tells Leeds Crown Court that from the age of 13, the boy had demonstrated his extremist obsession, saying his notebooks showed how he had rated white supremacist killers and glorified their actions.
Messages on his computer showed he had contacted The Base, a banned far-right organization, and showed his support by putting up its posters around his village, Heeley says.
He had researched local synagogues as part of identifying targets, and downloaded material on making weapons and explosives, she adds.
“These were not empty words, these were the words of a teenage boy filled with hate and racism, a boy who was planning to channel his anger into committing an act of terrorism, who idolised those who had carried out such atrocities previously,” Heeley says.
Trump administration labels 3 Muslim Brotherhood branches as terror organizations
US President Donald Trump’s administration makes good on its pledge to label three Middle Eastern branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations, imposing sanctions on them and their members in a decision that could have implications for US relationships with allies Qatar and Turkey.
The Treasury and State departments announces the actions against the Lebanese, Jordanian and Egyptian chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood, which they say pose a risk to the United States and American interests.
The State Department designated the Lebanese branch a foreign terrorist organization, the most severe of the labels, which makes it a criminal offense to provide material support to the group. The Jordanian and Egyptian branches are listed by Treasury as specially designated global terrorists for providing support to Hamas.
“These designations reflect the opening actions of an ongoing, sustained effort to thwart Muslim Brotherhood chapters’ violence and destabilization wherever it occurs,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says in a statement. “The United States will use all available tools to deprive these Muslim Brotherhood chapters of the resources to engage in or support terrorism.”
The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Egypt in 1928 but was banned in that country in 2013. Jordan announced a sweeping ban on the Muslim Brotherhood in April.
Trump urges ‘Iranian Patriots’ to keep protesting, ‘take over’ Iran’s institutions; promises ‘help is on its way’
US President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he walks to board Marine One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on January 11, 2026. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)
US President Donald Trump tells protesters in Iran that “help is on its way” and urges them to keep protesting, after Iranian authorities said some 2,000 people had been killed in the mass demonstrations.
“Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price,” Trump writes on his Truth Social platform, in what amounts to a call on the protesters to oust the regime.
He says he has “cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS.”
“HELP IS ON ITS WAY,” he adds.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 13, 2026
Teen swept away in Nahal Modi’im stream during heavy rainstorm
Emergency services are searching for a teenager who is thought to have been swept away by the Nahal Modi’im stream in the West Bank during a heavy rainstorm.
Another teen was initially caught up in the water along with him, but managed to escape, according to initial reports cited by Hebrew news outlets.
Additional search and rescue teams are en route to assist with recovery efforts.
One-year-old boy dies of cold exposure in Gaza, Hamas-run health ministry says
A one-year-old boy has died of cold exposure in Gaza, the Strip’s Hamas-run health ministry says in a daily report.
Palestinian media reports that the child died this morning in Deir el-Balah, in the Strip’s center. He is not named in the report.
His death brings the number of Gazan children who have died of cold exposure since last month to seven, the health ministry says.
EU to ‘swiftly’ propose further sanctions on Iran, von der Leyen says
The EU will “swiftly” propose further sanctions on those responsible for the repression of demonstrations in Iran, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says.
“The rising number of casualties in Iran is horrifying. I unequivocally condemn the excessive use of force and continued restriction of freedom,” von der Leyen says on social media platform X.
“Further sanctions on those responsible for the repression will be swiftly proposed.”
Budget deficit down to 4.7% of GDP in 2025
Israel’s budget deficit has narrowed to 4.7 percent of gross domestic product in 2025, below the government’s forecast, as a raft of tax hikes helped lift state revenue, according to preliminary figures released by the Finance Ministry.
The government’s annual deficit target set for all of 2025 was 5.2%. In 2024, Israel recorded a deficit of 6.8% as defense spending on the war with the Hamas terror group ballooned.
Israel posted a deficit of NIS 98.6 billion ($31.3 billion) in 2025, versus NIS 136.2 billion in 2024 and NIS 77.1 billion a year earlier.
Government expenditure in 2025 increased 4.8% to about NIS 650.5 billion, from some NIS 620.5 billion a year earlier. War spending in 2025 amounted to NIS 78 billion and included civilian and military expenses. Cumulative costs of the two-year war with Hamas in Gaza was estimated at almost NIS 200 billion, of which about NIS 164 billion was defense expenditure, and the remainder civilian expenses.
State revenue jumped 13.8% to NIS 551.9 billion in 2025 from NIS 484.9 billion in 2024, bolstered by an increase in tax income.
Income from tax revenue rose by more than 10% in 2025 year-on-year after a series of tax hikes came into effect at the beginning of last year, according to figures by the Israel Tax Authority.
IDF says flooding hit central Israel base, no impact on operations
The IDF says flooding developed today at one of its bases in central Israel due to severe weather conditions.
In a statement, the military says teams on the base are working to contain the flooding and handle the incident while ensuring the base continues to function normally.
The IDF stresses that there has been no impact on the military’s operational readiness.
Heads of coalition factions urge PM to defy any High Court order to dismiss Ben Gvir
Several leaders of coalition factions are calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to comply with any potential High Court order to dismiss National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, ahead of Thursday’s hearing on petitions calling for his removal.
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has endorsed the petitions, accusing the far-right minister, who leads the Otzma Yehudit faction, of systematically abusing his powers and intervening inappropriately in police work. She has said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be ordered to explain why he hasn’t fired him.
In a letter addressed to Netanyahu, Religious Zionism head Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who headed the former New Hope faction, coalition whip MK Ofir Katz, and Ben Gvir himself, who leads the Otzma Yehudit faction, urge the premier to “strongly reject” any such move, which they call “an attempted coup against democracy.”
“No legal authority, including the High Court of Justice, has the power to force the dismissal of a government minister, especially when no indictment has even been filed against him,” they argue.
“We will stand as a solid wall against the baseless dismissal of a government minister,” they write, arguing that “only the people elect the government, and only the people will decide at the ballot box who their representatives are.”
Ahead of hearing, Ben Gvir says High Court, AG have no right to remove him as minister
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir attends a National Security Committee meeting at the Knesset on December 31, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir says the High Court of Justice has no authority to remove him from office, and that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara’s opposition to his continued tenure is politically motivated.
The minister makes the statements in a detailed response to the court ahead of a hearing on Thursday, following a filing by Baharav-Miara accusing the far-right minister, who leads the Otzma Yehudit faction, of systematically involving himself in police work beyond the authority of his role, and of abusing his powers. She has demanded that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be ordered to explain why he hasn’t fired him over his actions.
Ben Gvir argues that there is a conflict of interest in the attorney general’s petition against him, because he has publicly called for her own dismissal since the start of his term, and alleges that she is targeting him because he “succeeds in advancing policies [she] dislikes and [which she] has been unable to prevent using the tools at her disposal.”
He further claims that there exists “no precedent in the history of Western democracies for removing a sitting minister via a judicial order,” and that the petition “tramples [upon] the political rights of more than half a million Israeli citizens as direct voters.”
Ben Gvir has repeatedly framed the case as an attack not on him personally, but on democracy.
He denies any wrongdoing, stating that if any of his actions “justified a criminal investigation, it is presumed that the attorney general would have initiated one immediately,” but she hasn’t because “there is nothing to investigate.”
The attorney general has accused the far-right minister of exercising undue influence over the police, a force meant to operate independently, and has said that he has violated an agreement on the matter to which the two agreed last year. Ben Gvir has maintained that he is fulfilling the will of the voters who elected him and has branded the attorney general a “criminal.”
In a 68-page opinion on petitions calling for Ben Gvir to be dismissed, Baharav-Miara said that through “a continuous (sometimes sophisticated) system of pressure” on police officers, Ben Gvir has inappropriately intervened in the force’s operations concerning anti-government protesters, the status quo on the Temple Mount and protection for Gaza-bound aid trucks.
Israel Police, PA arrest 4 suspects who impersonated IDF troops in West Bank heist
Police say they have arrested three suspects in connection with the armed robbery of a jewelry store in the southern West Bank town of Dahariya, after they allegedly posed as IDF soldiers during the heist, with another suspect reportedly detained by the Palestinian Authority.
According to police, the men arrived in Dahariya in a vehicle resembling that of security forces, complete with emergency lights. They wore IDF uniforms, body armor and helmets, and carried firearms.
The IDF identifies three suspects as a Palestinian and two Israeli citizens, with police saying the Israelis are members of the Bedouin community in southern Israel.
PA security sources cited by Palestinian news agency Ma’an say an additional suspect was arrested by the PA’s own officers, who reportedly seized the stolen jewelry that the suspect had in his possession.
The suspects are accused of forcing their way into a Palestinian-owned jewelry store and stealing its merchandise before fleeing the scene.
Following a joint manhunt by police, Border Police and IDF troops, the suspects were located near the town of Samu in the South Hebron Hills and arrested. Police say three M16 rifles and a handgun were seized from their possession.
The IDF says that the manhunt has concluded.
דוברות המשטרה:
*בדואים תושבי הדרום, התחזו לכוחות ביטחון ושדדו חנות תכשיטים בדהרייה. בפעילות מהירה ומדויקת של שוטרי מחוז ש"י ולוחמי מג"ב איו"ש, נתפסו ונעצרו 3 חשודים ונתפסו כלי הנשק* pic.twitter.com/Aho4JEmWO9
— מה חדש. What's new❓ (@Gloz111) January 13, 2026
Lapid: Call to ignore Supreme Court exposes IDF soldiers to global prosecution
Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid at a faction meeting at the Knesset, January 12, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid says that United Torah Judaism MK Moshe Gafni’s call to ignore Supreme Court rulings will make IDF soldiers vulnerable to international lawsuits.
“A country whose government ignores court rulings exposes its soldiers to international lawsuits and being hunted around the world,” the Yesh Atid party leader says.
“On the other hand, it’s well known that you’ve never really cared about IDF soldiers,” he adds.
Gafni’s ultra-Orthodox UTJ party has threatened to oppose the proposed state budget if legislation isn’t first passed to regulate ultra-Orthodox enlistment and exemptions to mandatory military service.
Israel has long relied on the argument that, as a functioning democracy with an independent judiciary, it does not fall under the International Criminal Court’s prosecutorial mandate, which permits it to intervene, including arresting soldiers, only when a state is unwilling or unable to carry out genuine legal proceedings.
Critics of the government argue that efforts to override or openly defy Supreme Court rulings, sideline the attorney general, and push forward the judicial overhaul have undermined Israel’s credibility as a state that holds itself to democratic and legal standards.
Meanwhile, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi writes in support of Gafni, calling in a post on X for “obedience to the law, not illegal orders or an attorney general who was lawfully dismissed. It’s time. Simple. Jewish and democratic.”
Karhi and other ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government have repeatedly called for disobeying High Court rulings, amid rising tensions between the judiciary and the coalition.
Iran confirms some 2,000 people killed in protests
This frame grab from footage circulating on social media shows protesters dancing and cheering around a bonfire in the street in Tehran, Iran, January 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)
Around 2,000 people have been killed in Iranian protests against the regime, an Iranian official tells Reuters, blaming “terrorists” for the deaths of civilians and security personnel.
It is the highest official death toll confirmed so far in the unrest that has rocked the Islamic Republic and threatened the country’s stability, and comes as an Iranian opposition outlet alleges that the death toll actually stands at some 12,000, citing numerous sources inside the country — though that report cannot be verified.
The United Nations rights chief voices horror today at the mounting violence directed at protesters across Iran.
“The killing of peaceful demonstrators must stop, and the labelling of protesters as ‘terrorists’ to justify violence against them is unacceptable,” Volker Turk says in a statement, decrying the authorities’ decision “to inflict brutal force to repress legitimate demands for change.”
UN says at least 100 children killed in Gaza since ceasefire
Destroyed homes seen on January 6, 2026, in the Hamad City area, north of Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip. (Abed Rahim Khatib/FLASH90)
At least 100 children have been killed in airstrikes and violence in Gaza since the start of the ceasefire three months ago, the United Nations asserts.
“More than 100 children have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire of early October. That’s roughly a girl or a boy killed here every day during a ceasefire,” James Elder, spokesman for the UN children’s agency UNICEF, tells reporters in Geneva from Gaza City.
He says the children had been killed in “airstrikes, drone strikes, including suicide drones… tank shelling… live ammunition.”
There is no immediate response from the Israeli military. Israel has said it carries out attacks on gunmen who approach and pose a threat to Israeli forces along the ceasefire line, as well as on terror targets in response to attacks on troops stationed in the enclave.
Older teens who are still minors have been known to enlist as gunmen in terror groups, and it is difficult to know whether the numbers cited by UNICEF were all civilians.
IDF launches manhunt after gunmen impersonating soldiers rob West Bank shops
The IDF says it has launched a manhunt in the town of Dahariya, south of Hebron, after receiving reports that armed suspects posing as IDF soldiers were carrying out robberies.
In a statement, the IDF stresses that the suspects involved are not soldiers.
Videos circulating online appear to show armed men wearing IDF uniforms surrounding a jewelry store in Dahariya, while others can be seen inside.
Initial reports say the suspects, disguised as IDF soldiers, carried out a robbery at a jewelry store in the Hebron area.
Security forces are now searching for them. pic.twitter.com/rEx1jaPFEY
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) January 13, 2026
UTJ’s Gafni calls for government to ignore High Court rulings
United Torah Judaism MK Moshe Gafni attends a Knesset Finance Committee meeting on December 31, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
United Torah Judaism MK Moshe Gafni says the government should not obey High Court of Justice rulings amid ongoing efforts to pass a draft exemption law for yeshiva students.
Asked in an interview with Kol Barama radio whether the government should comply with a potential High Court ruling to strike down the draft-exemption law, should it pass, Gafni replies: “No. Don’t obey them.”
“[The justices] make decisions that, in my view, are against the law as I understand it, and this means that a different policy needs to be pursued. If I were in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s place, I would instruct ministers not to honor the rulings,” he declares.
Gafni, the chairman of the ultra-Orthodox UTJ’s Degel Hatorah faction, further alleges that justices are trying to impose their views on the Knesset, particularly regarding the ultra-Orthodox population, but in other matters as well.
“Everything that is brought to the Knesset by the government — which represents the majority in the Knesset — they strike down,” Gafni asserts.
BBC to ask US court to dismiss Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit
A person walks outside the BBC Headquarters in London, November 10, 2025. (AP/Kin Cheung)
The BBC intends to ask a US federal court in Florida to dismiss a $10 billion lawsuit brought by US President Donald Trump against the British broadcaster, according to newly filed court documents.
Trump launched the lawsuit last year over a BBC documentary that edited his 2021 speech ahead of the US Capitol riot, when lawmakers were certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 election win. The program spliced together two separate sections of Trump’s speech on January 6, 2021, in a way that made it appear that he had explicitly urged supporters to attack the Capitol.
The US leader is seeking “damages in an amount not less than $5,000,000,000” for each of two counts against the BBC, for alleged defamation and violation of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
But in papers filed in federal court in Miami yesterday and seen by AFP, lawyers for the British broadcaster say they will “move to dismiss the complaint” due to the court lacking “personal jurisdiction.”
They will argue that Trump “will not be able to prove” that the documentary, which aired before the 2024 election but not in the United States, “caused him any cognizable injury.”
Iran claims to have arrested Israel-linked terrorist groups
Iranian security forces claim to have arrested what a state television report describes as terrorist groups linked to Israel in the southeastern city of Zahedan.
The report, without providing additional details, says the group entered through Iran’s eastern borders and carried US-made guns and explosives that the group had planned to use in assassinations and acts of sabotage.
Since the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June, Tehran has stepped up executions of people it has accused of working for or collaborating with the Mossad.
Tehran has also blamed “America and the Zionist regime” for the anti-government riots currently rocking Iran.
IDF denies UNIFIL claim that tank fire endangered peacekeepers in south Lebanon
UNIFIL observers patrol with the Lebanese military in the Buwayda region of Marjayoun, near the border with Israel in southern Lebanon, December 4, 2025. (Rabih DAHER / AFP)
The IDF rejects claims by UNIFIL that Israeli tank fire endangered peacekeepers in southern Lebanon overnight, saying its forces were striking Hezbollah terror infrastructure near the town of Khiam.
According to the military, minutes after the strike was carried out, UNIFIL requested that fire be halted, asserting that the attack had taken place near its forces operating in the area.
The IDF says that assertion is incorrect, adding that no UNIFIL personnel were identified in the vicinity at the time of the strike – a conclusion it says was confirmed by a preliminary investigation into the incident.
The IDF’s statement follows a UNIFIL report late last night alleging that two Israeli tanks fired several shells near peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, accusing Israel of repeatedly endangering its personnel in what it described as violations of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
UNIFIL said no peacekeepers were injured in the incident.
Syrian army tells Kurdish forces to withdraw from area east of Aleppo city
Syria’s army tells Kurdish forces to withdraw from an area east of Aleppo after dislodging fighters from two neighborhoods in the city in deadly clashes last week.
State television publishes an army statement with a map declaring a large area a “closed military zone” and says “all armed groups in this area must withdraw to east of the Euphrates” River.
Iran cut internet ‘after terrorist operations began,’ foreign minister claims
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks in a news briefing after attending a conference titled "International Law Under Assault: Aggression and Self-Defense," in Tehran, Iran, November 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Iran ordered a now more than four-day shutdown of the internet because “terrorist operations” began during protests initially sparked by economic grievances, its foreign minister tells Al Jazeera.
Addressing a blackout that has sparked an international outcry, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says: “The government was in dialogue with the protesters. The internet was cut only after we confronted terrorist operations and realized orders were coming from outside the country.”
Rights groups accuse the Islamic Republic of cutting the internet to mask a crackdown that they say has left hundreds, and potentially thousands, dead.
German chancellor says Iranian regime likely living its ‘last days’
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says he believes Iran’s regime is living out its last days, as pressure grows on the Islamic Republic over protests that have reportedly killed hundreds of people.
“When a regime can only hold on to power through violence, then it is effectively finished,” Merz tells reporters in Bengaluru, during a visit to India.
“I believe that we are now witnessing the last days and weeks of this regime.”
Report claims at least 12,000 dead in Iran, in ‘largest killing in Iran’s modern history’
In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, January 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)
Iranian opposition website Iran International claims at least 12,000 people have been killed by the regime in protests in recent days, in “the largest killing in Iran’s modern history.”
That number is far above the most commonly reported estimates so far, which currently put the toll at several hundred.
It says the information is based on multiple sources, with the killings carried out mostly by the Revolutionary Guards and Basij forces on the orders of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, mainly on the nights of January 8-9. It says the killings were organized and not “unplanned” or the result of “scattered clashes.” It says the death toll is the estimate held by Iran’s own security authorities.
It says it compiled and cross-referenced the information from multiple sources, including a source close to the Supreme National Security Council and the Iranian presidential office, as well as sources in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, witness accounts and information from medical officials.
“This data was examined and verified through multiple stages and in accordance with strict professional standards before being announced,” it says, adding that most victims were under 30.
Roads blocked by flooding due to heavy rain
Several more roads have been closed off by flooding amid the rain, including sections of the Route 4 north-south highway, and Route 40 near Kiryat Malakhi in the south.
Route 90 is currently shut in the Dead Sea area.
‘Defenseless’ Iranians need global support — Iranian filmmaker
Director Jafar Panahi, winner of the Palme d'Or for the film 'It Was Just an Accident', poses for photographers at the awards ceremony photo call at the 78th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, May 24, 2025. (Natacha Pisarenko/AP)
The crackdown in Iran is targeting “defenseless” people who need the support of the international community to “put an end” to the current system, prominent Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi says.
“The Iranian people are defenseless today, and despite all that, they are out on the streets,” he tells broadcaster France Inter, denouncing the brutality of the crackdown, which has left at least 600 people dead, according to monitors.
Police arrest 6 suspects in Nazareth murder of 16-year-old
Police have arrested six young men suspected of involvement in the murder of a 16-year-old in Nazareth over the weekend.
The men, in their 20s, are residents of Reineh, Taybe, Jisr az-Zarqa and Nazareth.
The victim, Azmi Ghrayeb, was shot at his home on Saturday. Media reports said he was called on the phone and asked to come out of the house, at which point he was shot dead.
Flooding reported in several locations amid stormy weather, several injured
As stormy weather persists across Israel this morning, flooding has been reported in the Jerusalem area, on Route 90 to Eilat as well as in Netanya. Several people were rescued from vehicles stranded by high waters.
A number of individuals were lightly injured by tree branches and other objects dislodged by intense winds, and were treated by paramedics.
Flights to and from Haifa’s airport have been canceled for the day.
Iranians able to make some calls abroad while internet access is still out
Mobile phones in Iran are able to call abroad today after a crackdown on nationwide protests in which the internet and international calls were cut.
Several people in Tehran were able to call The Associated Press and speak to a journalist there. The AP bureau in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was unable to call those numbers back.
Iranians say text messaging appears to remain down, and witnesses say the internet remains cut off from the outside world.
Iran cut off the internet and calls on Thursday as protests intensified.
Australian writers’ festival canceled after anti-Israel Palestinian writer booted
SYDNEY, Australia — One of Australia’s top writers’ festivals was canceled on Tuesday, after 180 authors boycotted the event and its director resigned, saying she could not be party to silencing a Palestinian author and warned moves to ban protests and slogans after the Bondi Beach mass terror shooting threatened free speech.
The novelist and academic Randa Abdel-Fattah said the move to bar her was “a blatant and shameless act of anti-Palestinian racism and censorship.”
She herself has advocated for making spaces “culturally unsafe” for Zionists and appeared to laud Hamas terrorists who infiltrated Israel on October 7, 2023, to carry out a massacre, changing her profile picture to a hang glider a day later.
The Adelaide Festival board says its decision last week to disinvite Abdel-Fattah, on the grounds it would not be culturally sensitive for her to appear at the literary event “so soon after Bondi,” was made “out of respect for a community experiencing the pain from a devastating event.”
“Instead, this decision has created more division and for that we express our sincere apologies,” the board says in a statement.
The event would not go ahead, and remaining board members will step down, it adds.
China says it ‘firmly opposes’ Trump’s tariffs on countries trading with Iran
Caution tape is seen near the Chinese embassy in Washington, DC, on September 24, 2021. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)
WASHINGTON — China says that it opposed “any illicit unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction” after US President Donald Trump posted on social media that nations doing business with Iran will face a 25 percent tariff on US trade.
“China’s position against the indiscriminate imposition of tariffs is consistent and clear. Tariff wars and trade wars have no winners, and coercion and pressure cannot solve problems,” a spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in Washington says on X.
“China firmly opposes any illicit unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction, and will take all necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.”
Director of Australian writers festival quits amid row over canceled Palestinian author
SYDNEY, Australia — The director of a leading Australian writers’ festival resigned in protest Tuesday after the board canceled an appearance by a Palestinian-Australian author.
Scores of participants, including former New Zealand orime minister Jacinda Ardern, have boycotted the Adelaide Festival over a decision to exclude Randa Abdel-Fattah.
Writers’ Week director Louise Adler joined the exodus, blaming the “extreme and repressive efforts of pro-Israel lobbyists.”
“The arts have allegedly become ‘unsafe’ and artists are a danger to the community’s psycho-social wellbeing,” she writes in an open letter published by The Guardian newspaper.
“But let’s be clear, the routine invocation of ‘safety’ is code for ‘I don’t want to hear your opinion.’
“In this instance, it appears to apply only to a Palestinian invitee.”
Australia’s premier annual cultural event, which lures artists from around the world, unleashed the storm last week when it told Abdel-Fattah it did not “wish to proceed” with her appearance.
Adler said the board had made this decision despite her “strongest opposition.”
Abdel-Fattah has faced criticism over some statements, including her apparent backing for the October 7, 2023, massacre.
In interviews, she refused to acknowledge the murder of Israelis, and on October 8, 2023, she changed her Facebook profile picture to a Hamas terrorist hanggliding, depicting one of the methods the terror group used to infiltrate Israel and carry out the brutal onslaught.
She wrote a post on X in October 2024 saying: “The goal is decolonisation and the end of this murderous Zionist colony.”
The festival board said it was “shocked and saddened” by the December 14 mass terror shooting at a Jewish festival on Bondi Beach, which killed 15 people, and its decision to exclude Abdel-Fattah was not taken lightly.
But the shunned author and academic said it was a “blatant and shameless act of anti-Palestinian racism.”
It was a “despicable attempt to associate me with the Bondi massacre,” she said in a statement.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Trump presented with military, cyber, psychological options for Iran attack — report
US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters while in flight on Air Force One to Joint Base Andrews, Md, January 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
US President Donald Trump has been presented by the Pentagon with military, cyber, and psychological options for an attack on Iran in support of anti-regime protesters, CBS News reports.
A final decision on how to attack Iran has not been made, according to CBS, which cites two American officials.
Hamas civil defense reports three killed in building collapse due to stormy weather
Hamas’s civil defense agency reports three people killed tonight by a building collapse as a result of the strong wind and heavy rain. The statement does not identify the dead or say where they were killed.
Palestinian media reports that a man and two women were killed in the partial collapses of two different buildings in western Gaza City. They are identified as Muhammad Hammouda, 72, and Doaa Hammouda, 40, who were killed in the collapse of a former event hall; and Wafaa Sharir, 33, who was killed in the collapse of a wall of a home. Both structures were said to have been previously bombed by the IDF.
The UN reported in October that over half of Gaza’s structures were destroyed in the war with Israel and that roughly 40% of the remaining structures are severely or moderately damaged.
The UN has said that hundreds of thousands of displaced Gazans face flooding of their tents and shelters by heavy rains, and materials for shelters and sandbags are not being allowed to enter the enclave.
COGAT, the Israeli Defense Ministry agency that oversees aid to Gaza, has denied the allegations, saying it has let in hundreds of thousands of tents and tarpaulins and is waiting for international organizations to let in close to 100,000 pallets of “water-related items.”
Former NYC mayor Adams launches cryptocurrency he says will combat antisemitism
Former New York City mayor Eric Adams announces the launch of a new cryptocurrency, NYC Token, that he says will fight antisemitism.
Adams, who left office on January 1 when his successor Zohran Mamdani came to power, is a staunch supporter of Israel and Jewish communities, and prioritized combating antisemitism while in office.
He announces NYC Token with a video of himself in a city taxi cab.
“We’re about to change the game,” he says in the video. “This thing is about to take off like crazy.”
Proud to launch @buynyctoken, a new token built to fight the rapid spread of antisemitism and anti-Americanism across this country and now in New York City.
Now live at https://t.co/zowY9Ri3aK pic.twitter.com/qBMzV88Tmj
— Eric Adams (@ericadamsfornyc) January 12, 2026
NYC Token will combat antisemitism by donating a portion of its proceeds to programs that educate about Jewish history, culture, and antisemitism, the token’s website says.
Wall collapses in Rishon Lezion amid stormy weather, damaging cars
The wall belonging to a winery in Rishon Lezion collapses due to stormy weather, damaging nearby cars.
חומת מבנה של יקב בראשון לציון קרסה בעקבות מזג האוויר הסוער, נזק נגרם לכלי רכב
שימוש לפי סעיף 27א' בחוק זכויות יוצרים@hadasgrinberg pic.twitter.com/O03eLdAMXf— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) January 12, 2026
Government tells High Court Haaretz daily ‘expresses support for the enemy during war’
The government told the High Court of Justice on Sunday that the Haaretz daily “expresses support for the enemy during war,” in response to a petition against its decision to cease communication with the newspaper.
Haaretz “harms IDF soldiers and war efforts, calls for refusal to serve, and ccuss the IDF of genocide, defames the state, defames the Zionist enterprise as a whole, calls for the imposition of international sanctions against the state and its elected officials, backs the International Criminal Court in The Hague, and harms the image and standing of the State of Israel in the world,” according to the government petition.
“The Haaretz newspaper and the articles published in it, including in English, serve many Israel-haters and antisemites on a daily basis,” it said.
Australia to hold ‘day of mourning’ on Jan. 22 for Hanukkah terror attack
Emergency services workers gather at the scene after a shooting incident at Bondi Beach in Sydney on December 14, 2025. (Saeed KHAN / AFP)
SYDNEY, Australia — Australia will hold a national “day of mourning” on January 22 for the 15 people killed in an antisemitic terror shooting at a seaside Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says.
“This will have a theme of: ‘light will win’,” Albanese tells reporters, with flags to fly at half staff across Australia.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
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