The Times of Israel liveblogged Tuesday’s events as they unfolded.
Ukraine hoping Knesset passes bill that would see Israel hand over Russian-made weapons seized from Hezbollah
Ukraine’s ambassador to Israel says he discussed earlier today legislation that would see Jerusalem hand over Russian-made weapons seized from Hezbollah to Kyiv to aid in its war efforts.
Ambassador Yevgen Korniychuk met earlier today with Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel, according to a statement from the Ukrainian embassy, and discussed her suggestion that Israel “transfer to Ukraine Russian-made weapons seized by the IDF in Lebanon or elsewhere from Israel’s enemies.”
The Ukrainian embassy “expressed hope for a positive resolution of this matter.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, 60-70% of the weapons IDF troops seized during the start of its ground invasion of southern Lebanon were Russian-made.
Haskel introduced legislation in the Knesset in November that would see such Russian-made weapons handed over to Ukraine, which has been engaged in war with Russia since it invaded in February 2022. Successive Israeli governments have refused to send arms to Ukraine throughout the war, seeking to maintain delicate but strained relations with Moscow, and despite Haskel’s proposal, there is no indication that policy is going to change.
There was no immediate comment from the Foreign Ministry.
Shin Bet says it questioned Tel Aviv stabber upon his entry into country but didn’t find grounds to hold him
The Shin Bet security agency says the Tel Aviv stabber was questioned upon landing in Israel over the weekend, although he was not determined to have been a threat.
“Upon the subject’s entry into Israel, he underwent a security assessment that included his interrogation as well as additional checks, at the end of which it was decided that there was no information that established grounds to prevent his entry into Israel for security reasons,” the Shin Bet says in response to a query.
The agency adds that the incident is under further investigation.
The assailant who carried out the stabbing attack wounding four people is an American green card holder.
Abdelaziz Kaddi, 29, a Moroccan national, entered Israel on January 18 with a tourist visa.
Trump ends Secret Service protection for ex-adviser Bolton, an alleged Iranian target

Former US national security adviser John Bolton, the target of an alleged Iranian assassination plot, says Tuesday that President Donald Trump has withdrawn his Secret Service protection.
Bolton, who served in the White House during Trump’s first term but has since become an outspoken critic, says he was “disappointed but not surprised” by the move.
Bolton notes in a post on X that the Justice Department filed criminal charges against an Iranian Revolutionary Guard official in 2022 for “attempting to hire a hit man to target me.”
“That threat remains today, as also demonstrated by the recent arrest of someone trying to arrange for President Trump’s own assassination,” he says.
Bolton says that although he was a critic of former Democratic president Joe Biden’s national security policies, “he nonetheless made the decision to extend [Secret Service] protection to me in 2021.”
“The American people can judge for themselves which President made the right call,” he adds.
Trump also revoked Bolton’s security clearance on Monday, accusing him of revealing “sensitive information drawn from his time in government” in a critical memoir he published in 2020.
The State Department has announced a $20 million reward for information leading to the arrest of the alleged Iranian mastermind behind the plot to assassinate Bolton, who is also a former US ambassador to the United Nations.
US officials have also accused Iran of seeking to assassinate Trump to avenge the death of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in 2020 in a US drone strike.
Trump border aide says targeted immigration actions underway, refugees need vetting
The Trump administration is carrying out targeted immigration enforcement actions, the White House border czar tells CNN, adding that a now-suspended program for refugees needs examination before it can continue.
Tom Homan gives no details about what operations were underway, saying only that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement was enforcing the law. Asked about the suspension of a program for refugees from Afghanistan and elsewhere, Homan tells CNN there was “a massive vetting problem” that needed to be addressed.
Yemen Red Sea port capacity down sharply after hostilities, UN says
Operations at a Red Sea port in Yemen used for aid imports have fallen to about a quarter of its capacity, a UN official said on Tuesday, adding it was not certain that a Gaza ceasefire would end attacks between the Iran-backed Houthis and Israel.
Houthis have launched attacks on international shipping near Yemen since November 2023 in solidarity with Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. This has prompted Israel to strike port and energy facilities, including the Red Sea port of Hodeidah.
“[The] impact of airstrikes on Hodeidah Harbour, particularly in the last weeks, is very important,” Julien Harneis, UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Yemen tells a UN meeting in Geneva via videolink.
Four of the port’s five tugboats needed to escort the large ships bringing imports had sunk, while the fifth was damaged, he says, without attributing blame.
“The civilian crews who man them are obviously very hesitant. The capacity of the harbor is down to about a quarter,” he adds, saying the port was used to transit a significant portion of imported aid.
Since a Gaza ceasefire agreement last week, Yemen’s Houthis have said they will limit their attacks on commercial vessels to Israel-linked ships, provided the Gaza ceasefire is fully implemented.
“We are hopeful that sanity will prevail and people will be focused on solutions and peace, but we are nonetheless prepared as a humanitarian community for various degradations,” says Harneis, adding that the agency had contingency plans.
The Iran-aligned Houthis have controlled most of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, since seizing power during 2014 and early 2015.
UN says 897 aid trucks entered Gaza on Tuesday
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says 897 aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, the third day of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
OCHA cites information received from Israeli authorities and the guarantors for the ceasefire agreement – the United States, Egypt and Qatar.
The hostage deal terms stipulate that at least 600 aid trucks will enter Gaza each day.
Tel Aviv attacker apparently a Moroccan national with US green card who was visiting Israel
The assailant who carried out the stabbing attack in Tel Aviv this evening is apparently an American green card holder, according to an ID found on his body.
Abdelaziz Kaddi, 29, a Moroccan, held a US permanent resident card. He entered Israel on January 18 with a tourist visa.
Security officials are still working to verify his identity.
The assailant stabbed and wounded four people, before being shot dead.
גורמי הביטחון בודקים: על גופת המחבל נמצא דרכון אמריקני. יליד 95 ממוצא מרוקני. בנוסף נמצא אישור כניסה לישראל מלפני 3 ימים. די חריג pic.twitter.com/m40ZGDimSj
— איתי בלומנטל ???????? Itay Blumental (@ItayBlumental) January 21, 2025
MDA raises number of wounded in Tel Aviv stabbing attack to four
The Magen David Adom ambulance service says four people were wounded in the stabbing attack in Tel Aviv.
The victims include two men aged 24 and 28 in moderate condition, and two men aged 24 and 59 in good condition, MDA says.
The assailant was shot dead at the scene, according to medics.
Update from MDA: 3 moderately and lightly wounded in Tel Aviv terror stabbing
The Magen David Adom ambulance service says three people were wounded in the suspected terror stabbing attack in Tel Aviv.
The victims, two men aged 24 in moderate and light condition and a 59-year-old man in light condition, were stabbed at two locations: on Nahalat Binyamin Street and the nearby Kalischer Street, MDA says.
MDA adds that the stabber was shot dead at the scene.
Police say the stabbing in Tel Aviv was a terror attack.
Commissioner Danny Levy is heading to the scene, a police spokesperson adds.
Turkey ski resort fire toll jumps to 76: interior minister
The death toll from a fire that ripped through a hotel at a popular ski resort in northwestern Turkey rose to 76, the interior minister says.
“Unfortunately the number of dead is now 76,” says Ali Yerlikaya, updating an earlier figure of 66 dead and saying 52 of the victims had been identified so far.
UN chief urges ‘maximum restraint’ in IDF’s Jenin operation
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres called on Israel’s security forces to exercise “maximum restraint” after they launched a major operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, a spokesman says.
Guterres “remains deeply concerned” about the violence which has reportedly resulted in Palestinian casualties, and “the secretary general urges security forces to exercise maximum restraint and use lethal force only when it is strictly unavoidable to protect life,” says Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the UN chief.
One seriously wounded in suspected Tel Aviv stabbing attack — medics
The Magen David Adom ambulance service says at least one person is seriously wounded in a suspected stabbing attack in Tel Aviv, in the Nahalat Binyamin area.
First responders say the suspected assailant was shot.
Medics responding to reports of stabbing in central Tel Aviv
Medics are responding to reports of a stabbing on Nahalat Binyamin Street in Tel Aviv.
Further details are unclear at this stage.
Trump nominee: I’ll use role to combat UN ‘antisemitic rot;’ Israel has biblical right to entire West Bank

US President Donald Trump’s nominee to become the ambassador to the United Nations says she will use the role to combat “antisemitic rot” at the UN.
“Combatting antisemitism is something I am deeply committed to doing in this role, and it’s one of the reasons why I was interested in this position during my conversations with President Trump,” Elise Stefanik tells the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during her confirmation hearing.
She says she used her current role as a House lawmaker to combat “antisemitic rot” in the US, an apparent reference to her tough questioning of university heads regarding their handling of anti-Israel protests. Stefanik says she hopes to take the same approach at the UN.
“The US is the largest contributor to the UN by far… Our tax dollars should not be complicit in propping up entities that are counter to American interests, antisemitic, or engaging in fraud, corruption or terrorism,” she says. “As the world faces crisis after crisis, with hostages including Americans still held in Hamas captivity, to national security challenges ranging from China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran… it has never been more critical for the United States to lead with strength and moral clarity.”
She highlights that there are more resolutions at the UN condemning Israel than any other country and blasts the UN agency for women’s lackluster and delayed condemnation of Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, which included sexual violence against Israelis.
Stefanik characterizes the UN Relief Agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA as a “program that is not meeting the mission of the UN. We need to roll our sleeves up, deliver reforms and make sure our dollars are going to programs within the UN that work and have a basis in rule of law, transparency, accountability and strengthen our national security.”
VAN HOLLEN: Do you share the view that Israel has a biblical right to the entire West Bank?
STEFANIK: Yes pic.twitter.com/q4KQQoINwx
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 21, 2025
“We should never tolerate any US taxpayer funds going toward terrorism. I was one of the members that voted to defund UNRWA… We can look to organizations within the UN which are proven organizations such as UNHCR, the World Food Program – which still need reform efforts and modernization – but don’t have the terrorist ties that UNRWA had that were exposed during October 7,” she says.
Stefanik declines to endorse a two-state solution or Palestinian rights to self-determination, Haaretz reports. “I believe they deserve so much more than the failures they’ve had from terrorist leadership,” she says.
Asked whether she agrees with far-right lawmakers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir that Israel has a biblical right to the entire West Bank, Stefanik responds in the affirmative.
She calls for an assessment of the UNIFIL observer mission role, following mounting allegations that it didn’t do anything to stop repeated Hezbollah violations of Security Council Resolution 1701 in Lebanon.
Stefanik calls Iran “the most significant threat to world peace, and specifically the region,” saying sanctions snapbacks “will be an important tool to consider in [Trump’s] toolkit as he pushes back on Iran.”
Columbia anti-Israel student groups start spring semester with protests

Columbia University anti-Israel activists hold protests to mark the start of the spring semester.
Several dozen protesters gather outside the university’s gates on Broadway while students demonstrate on campus.
The crowd outside chants “We will honor all our martyrs,” “smash the settler Zionist state” and “intifada people’s war” to the beat of a snare drum.
Most of the protesters’ faces are covered in medical masks or keffiyehs.
“Columbia you will see, we resist till victory,” they chant.
The protest is organized by Columbia student groups in collaboration with outside anti-Israel activist organizations.
A handful of pro-Israel counterprotesters hold Israeli flags and chants “The people of Israel live” (Am Yisrael Hai) in Hebrew.
Students and faculty look on as they wait in the frigid cold to enter the campus. Police set up a metal barricade separating the line and the activists.
Emily Damari’s mother posts pic showing daughter’s hand unbandaged; thanks those worldwide who campaigned for her release
Mandy Damari, whose daughter Emily was released from Hamas captivity on Sunday, posts a new photo of the two of them, showing Emily’s hand unbandaged after she lost two fingers when shot by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023.
“Thank you to everyone in the UK and around the world who supported the campaign to bring Emily home, and for all your messages here on X. You are amazing and we love you all,” tweets the Surrey-born, London-raised Mandy.
Thank you to everyone in the UK and around the world who supported the campaign to bring Emily home, and for all your messages here on X. You are amazing and we love you all ????
94 hostages still need us????️???? pic.twitter.com/nuRVj6n8tt
— Mandy Damari ???????? (@DamariMandy) January 21, 2025
In some of the first pictures the family cleared for publication after her release, Emily, a dual Israeli-British citizen, was seen waving her bandaged left hand in a phone call to her relatives, in an image widely seen as emblemizing her courage and resilience.
The gunmen who burst into her home at Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7, 2023, shot her dog, she reportedly told her family and friends in her first conversations with them on Sunday evening, and she was hit, too, as she tried to comfort her dying pet.

In an Instagram post on Monday, the released hostage, 28, wrote that the outpouring of love and support had made her “heart burst with excitement.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she wrote. “I’m the happiest in the world just to be.”
Emily’s post was signed with the “rock on” emoji, in a nod to the gesture her hand now permanently makes.
In subtle parting shot at government, IDF chief calls for external probe into Oct. 7 failures

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi in a televised statement after announcing his resignation says he is responsible for the failures on October 7, 2023, as well as for the military’s achievements during the war.
He also calls to appoint an external committee to investigate the army’s failures.
“On the first day of the war, during the General Staff’s situation assessment, I took clear and vocal responsibility for the IDF’s failure to protect civilians” during the October 7 onslaught,” Halevi says. “I did so again publicly on the sixth day of the war.”
“The IDF’s primary mission is to protect the country’s citizens. We failed in that. I have carried the consequences of that terrible day ever since and will carry them with me for the rest of my life,” he says.
“Throughout my service in the IDF, I was taught that an operation concludes only when its missions are complete. An operation ends when everyone returns. An operation ends after a debriefing. The purpose of the IDF’s investigations is learning — whether the force succeeded or failed,” Halevi says.
He says the IDF “must provide answers and conduct thorough, high-quality, and fully transparent investigations.”
“We investigate out of commitment to the fallen, the hostages and their families and members of the Western Negev communities; we investigate out of the obligation to learn, and in a way that will allow us to better protect the citizens of Israel in the future,” Halevi says.
He says the concluded investigations will be presented to Defense Minister Israel Katz and the public.

Halevi also addresses pervasive conspiracy theories about October 7: “I can confidently say now: no one hid information. No one knew what was about to happen. No one helped the enemy carry out its brutality. Such claims, apart from being false, harm the dedicated service members who acted and continue to act for the nation’s security and deeply understand their responsibilities in light of the outcomes,” Halevi says.
Upon completing the IDF’s investigations, we will better understand what happened to us, why it happened, and how to fix it. The military investigation focuses solely on the IDF, and cannot encompass all the causes and areas that could prevent similar events in the future,” he says. “An investigative committee or any other external body will be able to investigate and examine, and will have the IDF’s full transparency.”
“I bear responsibility for the IDF’s failure, and I also bear responsibility for its achievements. I will say in advance that I wish we had not needed these achievements, and no success can undo the immense pain, sorrow, and loss caused since the war began,” Halevi says.
Noting the IDF’s achievements, Halevi says “The Middle East has changed, our threat map has been fundamentally altered, opportunities have opened up, and we must continually assess the risks.”
Regarding Hezbollah, the IDF chief says the Lebanese terror group “suffered a defeat.”
“Most of its leadership was eliminated; over 4,000 terrorists were killed, including the organization’s senior command chain, headed by Hassan Nasrallah,” he says.
On Hamas, Halevi says the Palestinian terror group’s military wing “was hit very hard.”

“Most of the organization’s leadership was killed, headed by Yahya Sinwar, as well as the senior members of the military wing, headed by Muhammad Deif. The IDF eliminated close to 20,000 Hamas terror operatives,” he says.
“We have not yet returned all the hostages and we have tasks to complete against the Hamas governance and against the guerrilla and terrorist capabilities that the organization still possesses,” Halevi says.
In the West Bank, Halevi says the IDF has killed 794 terror operatives. “Terrorism in Judea and Samaria could have been much more significant in this war if it weren’t for the offensive and defensive efforts we took.”
Halevi also notes that in the war, Israel “fought directly against Iran for the first time.”
“We attacked Iran following barrages of missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, which were launched at Israel. In two nights we carried out [strikes] with the Israeli Air Force, based on very high-quality intelligence and with brave strategic partnerships and defensive moves that greatly reduced the damage,” he says. Halevi says he has no intention of staying in his role.
“From the moral point of view, it is not appropriate for my tenure to be a complete one, as I have previously announced. Now is the right time for decisions. I have been investing everything in the war for 473 days now, to succeed in eradicating Hamas, the military, and the government; to succeed and return the hostages and to return the residents of the Western Negev and the residents of the north to their homes safely,” he says.
In his speech, Halevi says he told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz that he intends to resign on March 6. “Until then, we will properly complete all investigations and urgent tasks, and I will hand over command of the IDF in a thorough and responsible manner to whichever of the candidates is chosen to replace me.”
“I will soon complete 40 years of military service. I made this decision a long time ago and now, when the IDF has the upper hand in all the combat theaters and another hostage agreement has been launched, the time is right,” he says.
Qatar PM says ‘we should be cautiously optimistic’ when dealing with Syria’s new administration
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani says in Davos “We should be cautiously optimistic” when dealing with the new administration in Syria.
He adds that the new authorities, who took office after rebels overthrew President Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8 following 13 years of civil war, need to be helped to stabilize the situation in the country.
Lifting of US sanctions sparks Palestinian fears of settler escalation

Moayaad Shaaban, a minister in the Palestinian Authority, says the lifting of sanctions “gives the green light to settlers to commit even more serious crimes.”
He added that, as a result, he feared a “real massacre in one of our villages.”
Just last night, at least 21 people were wounded in settler attacks “under the supervision and protection of the Israeli army and political leadership,” the ministry says.
UN security alerts on Monday indicated that at least 11 incidents involving settlers occurred throughout the West Bank since a ceasefire began in Gaza on Sunday.
The Palestinian foreign ministry criticized a decision by Defense Minister Israel Katz last week to release settlers held in administrative detention, warning “against attempts to escalate the situation in the West Bank” to facilitate its annexation by Israel.
It also denounced what it said was a proliferation of Israeli checkpoints and tightened restrictions on Palestinians, which it said had “fragmented the West Bank.”
It noted that there were now nearly 900 barriers in the territory, including 16 installed in recent days.
Qatari PM says he’s hopeful, but there’s a long way to go in ensuring ceasefire is made permanent

Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani notes that there is a “long way to go” to bring a permanent ceasefire to Gaza, but he is hopeful it can be reached.
“We are happy to see the first day of the ceasefire is starting, we are happy to see that people of Gaza are starting to get relief and we are also happy for the hostages to see them back with their families,” says Al Thani during a session at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“We hope that this will sustain, will continue, will hold up to the end and move to phase two and phase three and the permanent ceasefire,” says the leader of Qatar, which played a critical role in mediating the recent deal alongside the US and Egypt. He says there are mechanisms in place to address violations, and mediators will do “everything we can” to keep it in place.
“There is still a long way to go, there are still negotiations to continue for stage two,” says Al Thani. “It won’t be easy negotiations, but I hope it’s not as difficult as what we have been through,” he says, noting more than a year of stopped and started talks since the collapse of the last ceasefire in November 2023.
“We are hopeful that now the calculations can be different, and everyone will feel responsible to put an end to it,” he adds.
Trump scraps AI safety oversight
Newly-inaugurated US President Donald Trump has rescinded a Biden administration executive order that established oversight measures for companies developing influential AI models.
The Biden policy, signed in October 2023, was largely voluntary and required major AI developers like OpenAI and Google to share safety assessments and vital information with the federal government.
It initiated a framework for AI safety standards aimed at protecting privacy and preventing civil rights violations, including racial discrimination, while also calling for safeguards against national security threats.
While major tech companies building advanced AI models supported the order, smaller tech entrepreneurs — many of whom backed Trump — opposed it.
Its repeal on Monday leaves the United States, home to most of the world’s most powerful AI models, without formal AI development guidelines.
When ChatGPT’s release caused global waves, tech leaders including Trump ally Elon Musk called for swift government action to control AI development, even as they raced to compete in the field.
The 2024 Republican party platform labeled Biden’s order “dangerous,” claiming it stifled AI innovation and imposed leftist ideology on technological development.
S&P joins credit rating agencies Moody’s, Fitch in stressing importance of sustaining ceasefire for judging Israel’s economy
Credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s warns that the recent ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Hamas terror group could face “implementation risks.”
S&P joins fellow credit rating agencies Moody’s and Fitch in assessing that a durable ceasefire and end of the war in Gaza would ease the pressure on Israel’s economy and public finances while warning that its implementation is “vulnerable” as it depends on the outcome of additional negotiations.
“The potential for continued conflict in the region persists, including shipping disruption in the Red Sea by Houthis and skirmishes between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon,” says S&P. “Previous regional negotiations and ceasefire agreements, including between Israel and Hezbollah, appeared subject to breaches by both parties and have resulted in episodes of resumed military activity.”
Back in October, S&P lowered Israel’s credit rating for a second time in 2024. The rating agency cut Israel’s rating to ‘A’ from ‘A+’. It maintained a negative outlook leaving the door open for further rating downgrades.
“The multi-stage nature of the [ceasefire] agreement, amid the complex and volatile political context, will test the ability and willingness of both Israel and Hamas to comply,” S&P states. “We also understand there are disagreements within Israel’s government and among Hamas’ leaders on acceptable concessions.”
“In the coming weeks, we will assess whether the deal’s implementation can result in a sustainable ceasefire and reduce the risk of protracted or intensified military conflicts, which are currently reflected in the negative outlook on our sovereign ratings on Israel,” S&P adds.
Katz says he’ll begin interviewing candidates to replace Halevi after IDF chief’s resignation
Defense Minister Israel Katz says that he will begin to interview candidates for the next IDF chief of staff in the coming days after Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi announced his resignation.
“It is of utmost importance to choose the most suitable candidate to lead the IDF in this challenging period and I intend to have an orderly and fast procedure for choosing the candidate for the position of the next chief of staff,” he says.
“The IDF is the people’s army and it is entrusted with the ultimate responsibility of preserving the lives of soldiers and protecting the State of Israel, and I will choose the best candidate to fulfill the mission,” Katz adds.
Herzog says his support for two-state solution shaken by Oct. 7 onslaught

Asked if he supports the establishment of a Palestinian state, President Isaac Herzog admits that his position has changed somewhat in the wake of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.
The future of the region “includes many ideas, because the idea of the two-state solution is something which, on record, I supported in the past, many times,” says Herzog, a longtime former lawmaker who previously headed the left-wing Labor party and served in the Knesset for 15 years.
“But I would say that I had a wake-up call following October 7,” says Herzog in a session at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “In the sense that I want to hear my neighbors say how much they object, regret, condemn, and do not accept, in any way, the terrible tragedy of the terror attack of October 7 — and the fact that it cannot be the tool to get there.”
Herzog says that “one has to understand the state of mind of Israelis, to come after such a horror and a national trauma, surrounded by [threats] from seven different frontiers, and expect Israelis” to agree to move ahead with withdrawing from West Bank settlements. That “is not realistic at all. It doesn’t make sense to Israelis. They need to see something that makes sense in terms of their personal security and safety.”
Rather, the president says, he believes that talks that would include normalization with Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations and “puts the Palestinian issue as a focal point in the discussions, is something which makes more sense to me.”
Herzog says there’s ‘clear potential’ to reach second phase of hostage deal
President Isaac Herzog says there is “clear potential” to move ahead with the next stages of the ceasefire-hostage release deal after the six-week first stage.
“I believe that there is a clear potential of getting to the second stage. There is a desire, and we meant it when we signed the agreement,” Herzog tells interviewer Fareed Zakaria at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“We know there are challenges and arguments,” he says, noting the fears among those in Israel over the release of a large number of convicted Palestinian security prisoners. “This is the whole equation: we are asking to release women and children, and for that we are paying with terrorists — barbaric terrorists.”
Herzog says that Israelis still “agree that this has to be done — we want them home, it’s the top priority of the nation of Israel,” pointing in the audience to Daniel Lifshitz, the grandson of Oded and Yocheved Lifshitz, who were both kidnapped on October 7 from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. Yocheved has since been released, but Oded is still held hostage and slated for release in the first phase of the deal that began being implemented on Sunday.
Herzog: Iran will be ‘main issue’ on Trump’s agenda in second term
President Isaac Herzog says that Iran will be a “main issue on the agenda” of new US President Donald Trump, who was sworn into office yesterday.
“Iran will be a main issue on his agenda in the very near future, and it will have to be deliberated,” Herzog says at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in conversation with journalist Fareed Zakaria.
“Iran cannot have nuclear capabilities, and has to stop with its proxies and axis of evil,” says the president. The regime in Tehran is “working day and day out even now… rushing toward the bomb, and of course planning all the time terror attacks the world over and in our region.”
Ex-Supreme Court chief pans Levin’s ‘compromise’ as effort to ‘crush legal system’
Former Supreme Court president Esther Hayut says Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s proposal for far-reaching changes to the judicial selection process is the same program for “crushing the legal system” that he sought to advance in 2023, in a different guise.
In her first comments on Levin’s new proposal, Hayut lamented the justice minister’s refusal to fill the position of president that was left empty when she retired 15 months ago, as well as his refusal to fill the open seats on the court.
She also asserts that the new proposal by Levin will politicize the judiciary and do severe harm to its independence and Israel’s democratic identity.
“Unfortunately, despite the difficult days we are going through… there is someone who thinks this is an opportune moment to advance a program that I labeled in January 2023 as a program for the crushing of the legal system,” says Hayut at a conference in her honor at Tel Aviv University.
“Make no mistake, the attempt to present the proposal currently being advanced as a ‘compromise’ and as a ‘broad agreement’ is a sleight of hand.
“This is the same lady in a different robe. The same politicization, the same mortal blow to the independence [and] impartiality, of the judicial branch, and by extension to the democratic identity of the state.”
Saudi foreign minister says Iran-Israel war should be avoided
A war between Israel and Iran should be avoided, the Saudi foreign minister says in Davos, adding that he does not see the administration of US President Donald Trump contributing to the risk of such conflict.
Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, who speaks during the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Switzerland, also says he will visit Lebanon later this week, the first such trip in more than a decade.
Qatar PM says Israel, Hamas must show ‘good faith’ for lasting Gaza peace
Qatar’s prime minister says that a lasting peace in Gaza would depend on Israel and Hamas acting in “good faith,” days into a fragile truce in the Palestinian territory mediated by the Gulf state.
“If they are embarking in this in good faith, this will last and hopefully will lead to phase two, will lead to a permanent ceasefire,” Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani tells the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Fitch says ‘lasting’ Gaza ceasefire would lower risks of further drop in Israel’s credit rating
Fitch says a “lasting” ceasefire with the Hamas terror group in the war in Gaza would ease risks of a deterioration of Israel’s credit rating.
“A durable cessation of the war in Gaza would reduce risks captured by the negative outlook on Israel’s ‘A’ sovereign rating,” Fitch says. “Nonetheless, there is still a high degree of uncertainty over how sustainable any reduction in violence will be, and political risks in Israel could pose challenges to fiscal consolidation.”
“We believe the ceasefire agreement will face significant implementation risks, particularly revolving around whether Hamas and the Israeli authorities are seen to be upholding their commitments under the deal,” the credit rating agency cautions.
In August, Fitch downgraded Israel’s credit rating from A+ to A and assigned a negative outlook, which means a further downgrade is possible.
“While the conflict did broaden substantially after the downgrade, it did not result in significant additional Israeli military spending, or destruction of infrastructure and more sustained damage to economic activity and investment within Israel, though the human costs remained high,” Fitch states.
Citing increased military spending needs in the coming years, Fitch says it expects “Israel’s fiscal position to remain weaker than it was prior to the war in Gaza, even assuming some upside to near-term budget performance if the latest ceasefire holds.”
Qatar’s PM says he hopes to see Palestinian Authority back in Gaza
Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani says his country is hoping to see the Palestinian Authority back in Gaza, which is currently controlled by a decimated Hamas.
He speaks during the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Switzerland, two days after a ceasefire in the 15-month-old war between Hamas and Israel took effect.
Smotrich: New IDF command must be ready to continue war until total victory
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich welcomes IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi’s announcement that he intends to resign on March 6 and praises him for his decades of service, including his “great military achievements… on all fronts” during the current war.
“My criticism of his failure in the campaign to eliminate Hamas’s civilian and governmental capabilities, as well as his responsibility for the October 7th failure, does not in the least diminish the large debt of gratitude we owe him for all his work and contributions over the years and for his achievements,” Smotrich says.
“The coming period will be marked by the replacement of the senior military command as part of preparations for the renewal of the war, this time in the name of not ending the war until total victory. I am confident that the defense minister will succeed in the task with responsibility, professionalism and determination, and I will assist him in this as necessary.”
Air France to resume Tel Aviv flights Jan. 25

Air France says it would resume flights to Tel Aviv this weekend after a Gaza ceasefire agreement was announced between Israel and Hamas.
The airline was among several international carriers to suspend Tel Aviv flights in September over fears of escalating violence in the region. Several have resumed flights following the latest Gaza ceasefire.
The Lufthansa group — whose airlines include flagship Lufthansa, Swiss and Eurowings — and EasyJet have also said they plan to resume flights but not until February and June, respectively.
Yemen vice president says Trump return pivotal in fight against Iran backed-Houthis
The vice president of Yemen’s UN-recognized government welcomes Donald Trump’s return as US president, saying it was a decisive turning point to curb the Iran-backed Houthis, who he says threaten regional stability and maritime security.
Aidarous al-Zubaidi tells Reuters that Trump’s strong leadership and willingness to employ military strength were in sharp contrast to the Biden administration, which he said had allowed the Houthis to consolidate power, bolster their military capabilities and extend their reach beyond Yemen.
“Trump knows what he wants. He is a strong decision-maker,” Zubaidi says in an interview on the sidelines of the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos.
“We are fans, admirers and supporters of Trump’s policy…. because he has a personality that has enough decision-making power to rule America and the world,” he says, adding that he expected talks with the incoming US administration to begin soon.
Turkey’s opposition faces barrage of arrests, investigations
Turkish authorities have ramped up investigations and detentions of opposition figures, with three such actions today alone, raising concerns about a widening crackdown on dissent against the government.
The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) youth branch head was briefly detained for a social media post about the Istanbul prosecutor, the party says, and a judicial probe was launched against CHP Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu – a probable future presidential challenger – for criticizing the detention.
Also today, the leader of the far right opposition Victory Party, Umit Ozdag, was detained for allegedly insulting Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.
The CHP has long criticized the Istanbul prosecutor and the judiciary as a tool that Erdogan’s ruling AK Party (AKP) uses to silence opposition. It has called for early national elections to “settle scores,” though analysts say a vote is unlikely to be held so far ahead of schedule.
Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc dismissed the accusation that the judiciary is politicized. He says the judiciary is independent and the Istanbul prosecutor is acting in line with the constitution.
Ratio of public debt to gross domestic product jumps by 70% in past year
Government spending on funding the war with the Hamas terror group in Gaza and fighting with Iran-backed Hezbollah amounted to about NIS 100 billion ($30 billion) in 2024, the Finance Ministry says.
Total government debt increased from NIS 1.13 trillion in 2023 to NIS 1.33 trillion last year.
As a result, the ratio of public debt to gross domestic product, a core metric for economic and financial health, increased to 69 percent at the end of last year, as borrowing needs and costs to finance the war effort ballooned, according to initial ministry data. The debt-to-GDP level was up from 61.3% in 2023 and has risen by a cumulative 9% over the past two years.
“The debt-to-GDP ratio in 2024 reflects the governmental response to the significant war needs, on the security and civilian fronts,” says Finance Ministry Accountant General Yali Rothenberg. “Despite the expected increase in the defense budget in the coming years, we need to return to a downward trajectory of the debt-to-GDP ratio as soon as possible.”
Israel’s debt-to-GDP ratio in 2024 is still lower than the 88.1% in the Euro bloc and 121% in the US, but higher than Germany’s 62.7%, according to IMF data cited by the ministry.
The Bank of Israel previously estimated that the war effort would cost about NIS 250 billion in defense outlays, expenditures for civilian needs, and lost tax income in the years 2023 to 2025.
No arrests yet in last night’s settler rampages; cop who shot rioters held
Israel has yet to make any arrests in the latest settler rampages last night in the northern West Bank.
Israeli assailants attacked the villages of Jinsafut and al-Funduq, setting fire to homes and vehicles.
Two of the suspects were shot and badly injured by a police officer.
That officer was detained for questioning before being released to house arrest.
Israel’s failure to rein in settler violence led the US to begin issuing sanctions against violent extremists in the West Bank last year. That regime was ended by US President Donald Trump on his first day of office yesterday.
Netanyahu calls Halevi to thank him for his service after IDF chief announces plan to resign
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi after the IDF chief announces his resignation, and thanks him for his long service to the country.
Netanyahu “thanked the IDF chief of staff for his many years of service and his command of the IDF” during the past 15 months of war “which led to great achievements for the State of Israel,” the Prime Minister’s Office says. The pair are slated to meet in the coming days.
Halevi said earlier today that he intends to resign from his position effective March 6, citing his “failure” to prevent Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack.
Opposition chiefs urge Netanyahu to follow Halevi’s lead and resign

The heads of the Knesset’s opposition parties call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to follow IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi’s example and resign.
“I salute…Herzi Halevi. Now let the prime minister and his entire disastrous government take responsibility and resign,” tweets Opposition Leader Yair Lapid.
“After the resignation of the [IDF] chief of staff, I call on the prime minister and the other members of the cabinet to take responsibility and follow him home,” says Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman.
“Thank you, Herzi. Netanyahu, now it’s your turn,” says The Democrats’ Yair Golan.
Halevi is “first and foremost a warrior” who “fought for the country his entire adult life,” says National Unity chief Benny Gantz, himself a former IDF chief of staff.
“The chief of staff is responsible for the [military failures that led to the] October 7 disaster and is also responsible for the IDF’s tremendous recovery,” he tweets. “He took responsibility from the first moment, exercised it on the battlefield and is now also exercising his public responsibility in a manner worthy of appreciation.”
Gantz calls on Netanyahu to establish a state commission of inquiry into October 7 and to “lead the State of Israel to elections so that a government can be established that will regain the public’s trust.”
Ben Gvir: I rejected PM’s offer to take credit for Halevi’s ouster because he was resigning anyway
Otzma Yehudit chairman Itamar Ben Gvir welcomes IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi’s announcement that he intends to resign on March 6.
“As I said, the resignation of the chief of staff was expected regardless of the course of the war, and therefore I rejected the offer of getting credit for a move he himself initiated in exchange for backing the surrender deal with Hamas,” Ben Gvir declares in a video statement.
In an interview with Channel 12 on Saturday evening after announcing that his party would bolt the coalition to protest the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, Ben Gvir said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had tried to persuade him not to resign by offering to fire Halevi and give Ben Gvir credit for the move. The Prime Minister’s Office denied his claim.
“In any case, the departure of the chief of staff should be welcomed,” he continues, expressing his hope that a more aggressive officer will be appointed to head the military.
Ben Gvir has long criticized the army chief as insufficiently tough on Hamas.
Following IDF chief’s lead, Southern Command head says he too plans to resign over responsibility for failures ahead of Oct. 7

The head of the IDF Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, has notified Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi that he intends to resign from the military.
Finkleman cites his responsibility for the IDF’s failures in the lead-up to the October 7, 2023, onslaught as the reason for his resignation.
The announcement comes after Halevi announced he would resign in March.
Finkelman’s resignation letter reads as follows (translated from the Hebrew):
Commander,
Following my conscience and the values that guide me, I have decided to conclude my tenure as Commander of the Southern Command and my service in the IDF.
On October 7, I failed in my duty to protect the Western Negev and its beloved, heroic residents.
This failure is seared within me for life.
Out of responsibility to the State of Israel, to the residents of the Gaza envelope — so dear and precious to me — to the IDF and to my soldiers, I have since led the war against Hamas and the terrorist organizations in Gaza.
I had the privilege of commanding, in this war, extraordinary commanders, warriors, and soldiers — the victory generation. Their fighting will be recorded as chapters of heroism and excellence in the history of the IDF and the State of Israel.
With deep sorrow, I will forever carry in my heart the memory of the fallen — our finest sons and daughters, courageous in spirit and action. We will walk in their legacy, and I will always stand with the bereaved families.
I also carry with me our wounded, in their pain and in their inspiring struggle for recovery and health.
In this war, we have inflicted a severe blow on Hamas. The mission is not yet complete!
We must continue to strike the enemy, bring all our hostages home, and restore the communities to their land, to security, and to prosperity.
Commander, I thank you for your true partnership in times of ultimate trial, and for your steadfast and principled leadership.
I will continue my mission for as long as I am needed.
Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman
Commander, Southern Command
IDF chief Halevi’s resignation letter: ‘Oct. 7 failure will remain with me for the rest of my life’

The full text of IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi’s letter to Defense Minister Israel Katz, announcing he intends to resign on March 6. (Translated from the Hebrew.)
Subject: Conclusion of My Tenure as the 23rd Chief of Staff of the IDF
For the past four decades, the mission of safeguarding the security of the State of Israel has been my life’s calling. From my early days as a soldier and young commander to my role as Chief of Staff, I have taken pride in being part of the IDF, regarded it as an exemplary organization, and felt the heavy responsibility of being among the defenders of Israel and its citizens.
I was fully aware that upon assuming command of the IDF, I was entrusted with the immense responsibility of ensuring that the military would be prepared to withstand the ultimate test of war, deter its enemies, and where threats were not preemptively neutralized, act as a shield between the enemy and Israeli civilians.
On the morning of October 7, under my command, the IDF failed in its mission to protect Israel’s citizens. The State of Israel paid a heavy and painful price — in lives lost, in hostages taken, and in those wounded both physically and emotionally. The courageous acts of many — security forces personnel, IDF soldiers and commanders, and brave civilians — were not enough to prevent this great disaster. My responsibility for this terrible failure accompanies me every day, every hour, and will remain with me for the rest of my life.
The IDF was able to rise from an extremely difficult starting point and wage an intense campaign for over a year and three months across seven different fronts. The military achievements of the IDF have altered the Middle East.
The IDF inflicted severe damage on Hamas’s military wing, created the conditions for the return of hostages, dealt an unprecedented blow to Hezbollah, and significantly weakened Iran and its regional activities.
The IDF continues to protect the residents of the Golan Heights from within the Syrian buffer zone and has successfully dismantled most of the Syrian army’s capabilities. In the West Bank, the IDF operates effectively every day and night in counterterrorism missions.
These achievements far exceed any goal discussed with the political leadership regarding warfare in each of these arenas, and their significance is even greater given the interconnected nature of these fronts.
These achievements, first and foremost, belong to the IDF’s commanders and soldiers — my subordinates. IDF troops, both in active duty and reserves, from all sectors of Israeli society, stood up to fight this just war, fought with bravery and sacrifice, and emerged victorious in every encounter with the enemy.
These accomplishments came at a heavy cost. We suffered the loss of some of our finest warriors, the bereaved families grew in number, and the war has left deep wounds and scars on many. The IDF will always remain committed to these families and to the memory of the fallen.
The war’s objectives have yet to be fully achieved. The IDF will continue to fight to dismantle Hamas’s governance and military capabilities, to secure the return of all the hostages, and to strengthen the security conditions that will allow the safe return of residents to their homes in the south and north.
The IDF has initiated and implemented an unprecedented and extensive investigation process during wartime, aimed at learning and improving, strengthening combat and defense capabilities, and as part of its commitment to the bereaved families, to the hostages and their families, and to the entire public.
These investigations are thorough, truthful, and in-depth, currently in their final stages, and have already yielded critical lessons that have been integrated into force deployment and military preparedness.
In recognition of my responsibility for the IDF’s failure on October 7, and at a time when the IDF has recorded extraordinary achievements and restored Israel’s deterrence and strength, I request to conclude my tenure on March 6, 2025.
This decision was made long ago. Now, with the IDF holding the upper hand in all theaters of combat and with another hostage return agreement underway, the time has come.
In the time remaining, I will finalize the investigations and continue strengthening the IDF’s readiness for the challenges ahead. This will ensure a smooth and structured transition of command to my successor.
I will always be a soldier of the State of Israel.
Herzi Halevi
Chief of the General Staff
IDF chief Halevi announces he will resign on March 6, cites ‘my responsibility for the failure of the IDF on October 7’

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi has notified Defense Minister Israel Katz that he intends to resign on March 6.
In a statement, Halevi says he is leaving the military after “recognizing my responsibility for the failure of the IDF on October 7, and at the point in time in which the IDF has recorded significant achievements, and is in the process of implementing an agreement to release hostages.”
Until March 6, Halevi says, he will complete the investigations into the October 7 Hamas onslaught and prepare the IDF for future challenges.
“I will transfer command of the IDF in a high-quality and thorough manner to my replacement,” he adds.
Herzog meets Qatari PM, thanks him for Doha’s role in securing ceasefire

President Isaac Herzog met with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, his office says.
Herzog thanks Al Thani for Doha’s role in mediating the hostage release-ceasefire deal in Gaza, which went into effect on Sunday, and says Israelis experienced “profound emotions” watching the release of Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher.
Al Thani reaffirmed his commitment to implementing all stages of the agreement, the president’s office says.
Herzog and Al Thani are both slated to speak this afternoon in Davos at separate sessions, with the ceasefire in Gaza expected to be a major topic in both addresses.
Netanyahu speaks to Starmer after release of UK-Israeli hostage Emily Damari

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he spoke recently with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who expressed gratitude for the return of UK-Israeli dual citizen Emily Damari from Hamas captivity.
Damari, whose mother, Mandy, was born in England, was released alongside Doron Steinbrecher and Romi Gonen on Sunday evening, the first day of the ceasefire.
Netanyahu says during his conversation with Starmer he also raised the issue of the UK suspension of some arms exports to Israel. The British prime minister said he would investigate the issue, according to Netanyahu’s office.
There is no immediate readout of the call from 10 Downing Street.
EU pledges 60 million euros in aid for Lebanon military

The European Union announces a 60 million euro ($62 million) support package for Lebanon’s armed forces, as the crisis-hit country seeks to implement a fragile truce between Israel and Hezbollah.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas says the aid came “at a critical juncture for the implementation of the ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel.”
The Lebanese armed forces “are essential to regional and domestic stability, and deserve all our support in performing their critical mission,” she says.
Under the ceasefire deal Israel must withdraw from the south of the country by January 26, with the Lebanese military then set to deploy alongside UN peacekeepers.
At the same time, Hezbollah is required to dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south and pull its forces back north of the Litani River, some 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border.
The EU aid is the latest from the West aimed at bolstering Lebanon’s military, with the US last week saying it would donate more than $117 million in security assistance.
Sa’ar says judicial overhaul proposal designed to end veto on 2 hardline Supreme Court picks

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar says that his joint proposal with Justice Minister Yariv Levin to change the composition and functioning of the Judicial Selection Committee is designed to overcome the current situation, in which Levin’s effort to have two hardline conservative academics appointed to the Supreme Court has been blocked.
Speaking in the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, Sa’ar contends that the inability of the justice minister to have “one judge out of 15 [who holds] his legal ideology elected to the Supreme Court” is “unreasonable and illogical,” and claims that “a broad community” feels it is not represented on Israel’s top court.
When Democrats MK Efrat Rayten pointed out that Sa’ar himself had succeeded in increasing diversity on the Supreme Court when he was justice minister, Sa’ar replied, “This law is about how Bakshi and Biton were blocked,” adding, “If there had been compromise [on the Judicial Selection Committee] we wouldn’t have this legislation today.”
Levin has sought to have either Dr. Raphael Bitton, a senior lecturer at Sapir College School of Law, or Dr. Aviad Bakshi, head of the legal department of the conservative Kohelet Policy Forum, elected to the Supreme Court, but the Supreme Court justices on the panel objected, reportedly on the grounds that the two academics are unqualified for the post.
Levin has cited both Bitton and Bakshi as sources of inspiration for his original judicial overhaul agenda, which would have given the government almost complete control over judicial appointments and almost entirely eliminated the Supreme Court’s power of judicial review.
Rayten writes on Twitter following Sa’ar’s comment “The cat is out of the bag, [Sa’ar and Levin’s] ‘compromise’ agreement was designed to solve the appointment of Bakshi and Bitton.”
At least 66 killed in hotel fire at Turkish ski resort

A fire at a ski resort hotel in Turkey’s Bolu mountains kills 66 people and forced panicked guests to jump out of windows in the middle of the night.
Some 51 people were injured, Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu says at the Kartalkaya ski resort in northwest Turkey.
The blaze began around 3:30 a.m. (0030 GMT) on the restaurant floor of the 11-story Grand Kartal Hotel, authorities said earlier.
Several fire engines surrounded the charred building, with white bed sheets tied together and dangling from one upper-floor window where guests attempted to flee.
PA says toll in IDF Jenin raid rises to 6 killed, 35 wounded
The Palestinian Authority health ministry reports six dead and 35 wounded so far in the IDF operation in the West Bank city of Jenin.
An Israeli drone drops a bomb on a site in the besieged Jenin camp, the occupied West Bank. pic.twitter.com/LQ5EJ1T2Pl
— PALESTINE ONLINE ???????? (@OnlinePalEng) January 21, 2025
Netanyahu says Jenin raid part of effort to bring security to West Bank

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the major IDF operation in the West Bank city of Jenin is “another step in achieving the goal we set, strengthening security in Judea and Samaria.”
The operation, dubbed “Iron Wall,” is expected to last several days.
“We are operating in a systematic and decisive way against the Iranian axis wherever it sends its arms, in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Judea and Samaria,” Netanyahu says in a statement released by his office.
Netanyahu said breaking law that bars criminal defendants from serving as minister

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly currently violating a law that bars criminal defendants from serving as ministers.
After the resignations of three cabinet ministers belonging to the far-right Otzma Yehudit party went into effect this morning without the announcement of their successors, Netanyahu was automatically appointed to take their place, the Haaretz daily reports.
This means that Netanyahu, for the moment, is acting as temporary minister in place of National Security Minister Ben Gvir, Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, and Negev, Galilee and National Resilience Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf.
The law forbids criminal defendants from serving as ministers but not as prime minister. Netanyahu is widely expected to appoint several members of his Likud party to fill the roles but has not yet revealed his picks.
Katz condemns settler rampage in West Bank, calls on settler leaders to condemn violence

Responding to last night’s settler attack on two West Bank Palestinian villages of al-Funduq and Jinsafut, Defense Minister Israel Katz tells the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that he “strongly condemns any attack and violence against Palestinians” and regrets the shooting of two Israeli men by a police officer during the attack.
“Law enforcement authorities must enforce the law and arrest and prosecute anyone who violates the law. There should be a criminal procedure and not administrative orders, and settlers should be treated the same as [people involved in] any other incident anywhere in the State of Israel,” he says.
He calls on settler leaders to “condemn any violence of this kind.”
Katz warns of an increasing threat to settlements, stating that “our enemies recognize here now that this is the only arena that is open today.”
“We are committed and the IDF is committed, in accordance with my directive, to act forcefully to protect all the settlers and settlements against Palestinian terrorism and to act with great force in order to thwart terrorism,” he adds.
Qatar says it’s confident Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal addresses ‘all major issues’

Qatar is confident that the deal it helped mediate for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas addressed all the major issues at stake in the war, the foreign ministry spokesman said Tuesday.
“We are confident in the deal when it comes to the language of the deal, when it comes to the fact that we hashed out all the major issues on the table,” Majed al-Ansari tells a regular press conference, cautioning: “Any breach from either side or a political decision… could obviously lead the deal to collapse.”
UN says no aid convoy looting in Gaza since ceasefire

The United Nations says there had been no reports of aid convoys being looted in Gaza since a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas came into effect.
“These two first days of entry, there have been no records of looting or attacks against aid workers,” Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, tells reporters in Geneva.
Palestinians say one dead in Jenin airstrike
The Palestinian Authority health ministry reports one dead in an IDF drone strike in the West Bank city of Jenin.
The strike comes amid a major Israeli operation against terror groups in Jenin.
Gunfire can be heard in the city.
اشتباكات عنيفة خلال تصدي مجموعات المــقاومة لاقتحام الاحتلال الواسع لجنين ومحيط المخيم. pic.twitter.com/hI2mYtOehl
— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) January 21, 2025
IDF says Jenin operation expected to last several days
The large-scale Israeli operation in the West Bank city of Jenin is expected to last at least several days, a military source says.
The source says the operation began with several drone strikes on infrastructure used by terror groups in Jenin.
Large numbers of troops, including special forces, Shin Bet agents, and Border Police officers are now operating in the city.
The goals of the operation are to “preserve the IDF’s freedom of action” in the West Bank, to neutralize terror infrastructure, and to eliminate imminent threats, according to the military.
The raid comes a day after an Israeli reservist soldier was killed and four others were wounded, including a senior officer in serious condition, when they were hit by a roadside bomb in the West Bank.
It also follows the apparent breakdown of a truce agreement between the Palestinian Authority and terror groups operating in Jenin.
Shas MK says Haredim won’t serve in the army without community’s consent

MK Yinon Azulai of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party pushes back against criticism of Defense Minister Israel Katz’s enlistment plan, arguing that he is “not sure that the army can absorb all the Haredim and wants to absorb all the Haredim.”
Speaking during a meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Azulai says he agrees with Katz’s assertion that legislation regulating ultra-Orthodox enlistment must be advanced with the agreement of that community’s leadership because “because nothing will happen without consent.”
Were the army to send enlistment orders to the entirety of eligible Haredi young men, a figure he puts at 80,000, even those who would have otherwise enlisted will refuse to do so, he claims.
“The fact that [United Torah Judaism MK] Yaakov [Asher] and I are sitting here indicates the agreement of the rabbis for us to hold talks,” he continues.
“There is no quota for Torah students. This is a Jewish country.”
IDF says it launched counterterror operation in Jenin; Palestinians report airstrike
The military has launched a counter-terrorism operation in the northern West Bank city of Jenin, the IDF and Shin Bet say in a joint statement.
Palestinian media report that large numbers of Israeli forces have entered Jenin after an airstrike was carried out.
Palestinian media report an Israeli airstrike targeted a vehicle near the Jenin Camp, coinciding with reports of Israeli special forces entering the Jabriyat neighborhood in Jenin. pic.twitter.com/XyIJ5yzrp0
— Ariel Oseran (@ariel_oseran) January 21, 2025
IDF reservist ejected from Knesset committee after protesting Haredi draft law
IDF reservist Yonatan Shalev is forcibly removed from a debate in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, after yelling at Defense Minister Israel Katz, who is presenting his proposal for ultra-Orthodox enlistment.
As he is removed, Shalev screams that he has served for an extended period and has lost friends in the war.
“I’m a veteran of a combat unit, I fought, I fought for a year. What are you talking about here?” he calls out to Katz. “I represent fighters who are now in Gaza in the mud. I have lost dozens of fellow fighters.”
Opposition members of the committee also yell at Katz, accusing him of supporting widespread draft evasion.
An IDF combat reservist is removed from the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee after yelling at Defense Minister Israel Katz over his ultra-Orthodox enlistment outline pic.twitter.com/HWA7CqnmhR
— Sam Sokol (@SamuelSokol) January 21, 2025
Lapid accuses Katz of pushing law to enshrine ultra-Orthodox draft evasion

Addressing Israel Katz in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid claims that the defense minister’s proposed ultra-Orthodox enlistment plan would turn him into a symbol of “insubordination and evasion.”
“You could have been the architect of the reconstruction of Israeli security, and instead you are condemning yourself here, for the second week in a row, to be the minister of evasion and refusal,” Lapid tells Katz. “What you have presented here is not a conscription law. What you have presented here is a fraud.”
“What you have presented here says one thing in many words: no Haredi will enlist. Our children will continue to die, the families of the reservists will continue to collapse, and no Haredi will enlist. A plan that is spread over seven years is a fraud. A plan in which no one understands the enforcement mechanism is a fraud. A plan whose goal is the conscription of only 50 percent of young Haredi men is a fraud. I have two boys, I don’t remember them telling us that only one of them had to enlist,” he says.
Katz’s proposal legitimizes “mass refusal” to serve, Lapid says, as it does not provide for the “real sanctions, criminal and economic,” that he says the army called for applying to draft dodgers.
IDF says dozens of settler extremists involved in overnight West Bank riots, troops also attacked

An initial IDF investigation into a settler attack on two West Bank Palestinian villages last night has found that dozens of assailants were involved, and troops also came under attack.
The probe found that “dozens of Israeli civilians, some of them masked, arrived at night al-Funduq area… set fire to property and caused damage.”
The IDF says that upon receiving the report, soldiers and police officers were dispatched to the scene.
The assailants involved in the attack on al-Funduq and the adjacent village of Jinsafut “threw stones and attacked the security forces,” the army says.
The head of the IDF Central Command, Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, says in a statement, “Any violent riot harms security and the IDF will not allow it.”
The IDF does not mention an incident that occurred amid the settler attack, in which a police officer opened fire on two settlers, badly wounding them.
The Justice Ministry’s Department of Internal Police Investigations and the IDF Military Police are jointly investigating the incident.
The police officer reportedly told interrogators that the two settlers were masked, brandishing stones, and were threatening him and other forces.
“They sprayed me with pepper spray, I was afraid they would lynch us and I fired a few shots in the air,” he is cited as saying according to Haaretz.
Palestinians say 21 people were wounded in the attacks.
Hamas says 4 female hostages to be released on Saturday

Hamas official Taher al-Nunu tells AFP that four Israeli women hostages will be freed in return for Palestinian prisoners on Saturday, in the second such release under a ceasefire deal.
Nunu says Hamas would release “four Israeli female detainees in exchange” for a second group of Palestinian prisoners.
He does not name them.
There are seven female hostages remaining from the original list of 33 to be released in the first phase of the hostage ceasefire deal: Arbel Yehud, 29; Shiri Silberman Bibas, 33; Liri Albag, 19; Karina Ariev, 20; Agam Berger, 21; Danielle Gilboa, 20 and Naama Levy, 20.
American Historical Association Council vetoes resolution about ‘scholasticide’ in Gaza

The council of the American Historical Association (AHA) vetoes a resolution passed earlier this month condemning Israel’s “scholasticide” in Gaza.
The resolution, which was approved 428-88 at the AHA’s annual conference, accused Israel of intentionally destroying the Palestinian enclave’s education system amid the 15-month war against Hamas.
However, that resolution was subject to the approval of the AHA council. Last Friday, the council concluded that the measure “contravenes the Association’s Constitution and Bylaws, because it lies outside the scope of the Association’s mission and purpose.”
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which had tried to intervene to block the resolution’s approval, welcomed the council’s decision.
“The resolution would not only alienate many members but also deviate from the
@AHAhistorians’ core purpose and undermine the AHA’s credibility as a source for evidence-based, nonpartisan historical perspectives,” the ADL wrote on X.
The resolution had accused Israel of destroying “80 percent of schools in Gaza, leaving 625,000 children with no educational access… all 12 Gaza university campuses… Gaza’s archives, libraries, cultural centers, museums, and bookstores, including 195 heritage sites, 227 mosques, three churches, and the al-Aqsa University library.”
Israel has repeatedly denied targeting Gaza’s civilian infrastructure without military justification, saying Hamas and other terror groups routinely base their operations in civilian sites including schools, hospitals, homes and mosques. It says it has no choice but to strike such sites when they are used for military purposes as it pursues its war aim of toppling Hamas.
The council said it “deplores any intentional destruction of Palestinian educational institutions, libraries, universities, and archives in Gaza.”
Mossad, Shin Bet chiefs in Cairo for talks on ceasefire

Mossad chief David Barnea and Shin Bet head Ronen Bar are in Cairo for talks with Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad on the Gaza ceasefire.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister’s Office confirms the report that originally appeared in the Ynet news site.
According to Ynet, the talks focused on security arrangements for the Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border and the continued implementation of the ceasefire agreement.
Palestinian Authority accuses Trump of inciting Israeli settler violence

The Palestinian Authority says that US President Donald Trump’s lifting of sanctions on Israeli settlers in the West Bank will incite violence against Palestinians.
“Lifting sanctions on extremist settlers encourages them to commit more crimes against our people,” the Palestinian ministry of foreign affairs says in a statement, pointing to overnight attacks by Israeli settlers throughout the West Bank that left 21 Palestinians injured.
Russian envoy says hostage Sasha Trufanov ‘not entirely healthy,’ will likely be freed in next few weeks

Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov claims that Russian-Israeli hostage Sasha Trufanov will be released from Gaza in the next few weeks and that he is “not entirely healthy,” but stable.
“Simple mathematics suggests, unfortunately, that we are not talking about the next waves of hostage releases, but within 3-4 weeks, judging by the schedule, he will be released,” Viktorov says on the Russia 24 TV station, according to the state-run TASS wire agency.
Trufanov, 28, was kidnapped on October 7, 2023, from Kibbutz Nir Oz, alongside his mother, grandmother and girlfriend, while his father was murdered. The rest of his family was released in November 2023, and Trufanov has since been seen in two propaganda videos released by Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The dual Russian-Israeli citizen is on the list of the 33 hostages slated to be freed during the six-week first stage of the ceasefire, which includes those considered in the “humanitarian” category — women, children, the elderly and wounded. The expectation is that the women and elderly will be freed in the earlier stages, and the final 14 hostages will be freed only on the 42nd day.
Viktorov says that “unfortunately, there is information that [Trufanov] was injured and his state of health is not entirely satisfactory. We hope that for the remaining few days, his health will not deteriorate.”
The ambassador suggests that Trufanov was wounded during his abduction, but says that Hamas has made a “firm promise” to Moscow that he will be returned “alive and healthy” to Israel.
Knesset committee meeting suspended after being disrupted by hostage families
A session of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee is briefly suspended after family members of hostages being held captive in Gaza threaten to sabotage the hearing.
They were protesting the recently signed hostage-prisoner release deal since their loved ones were not included in the first stage of the agreement.
The aunt of Gali and Ziv Berman, who were abducted from Kfar Aza, plays a recording of Gali’s last phone call with his mother during Hamas’s October 7 invasion, when he told her he was going to help Emily Damari who was also living in the “young generation” neighborhood of the kibbutz.
Damari was one of three women released on Sunday in the ceasefire agreement.
“Emily the hero came back, but Gali and Ziv the heroes are still there. I want this picture [of a mother hugging her released hostage daughter] too; my sister deserves this too,” she says.
מצמרר | "אני צריך ללכת לאמילי, כי היא מפחדת רצח". הקלטה מבוקר ה-7.10 הושמעה בוועדת החוקה, בה החטוף גלי ברמן מעדכן את אמו שהוא הולך לשמור על אמילי דמארי, שנחטפה לעזה ושבה לישראל לפני כיומיים@elgarat_dani@BringThemHome23@bringhomenow@bringhomenowjlm@forum_tikva pic.twitter.com/RQTixTWUNx
— ערוץ כנסת (@KnessetT) January 21, 2025
Turkey could restart Israel trade if peace permanent, trade body says

Turkey could restart trade with Israel “if peace is permanent,” Nail Olpak, head of the Turkish Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK), says.
Turkey severed trade with Israel last year over its war in Gaza with Hamas. This week Israel and Hamas began carrying out a complex ceasefire deal.
Knesset committee approves regulations easing license requirements for immigrant doctors

The Knesset Health Committee approves new regulations for immigrant doctors reducing the requirement for licensing exam exemptions from 14 years of clinical experience to 10.
The move is designed to allow more doctors from abroad to “integrate quickly into the health care system,” says committee chair MK Yoni Mashriki.
“This is a significant step in addressing the shortage of doctors in Israel while maintaining high healthcare standards.”
In 2024, 519 doctors immigrated to Israel, and 575 doctors are expected in 2025.
Moody’s says only prolonged ceasefire will reduce ‘downside risks’ to Israel’s economy

Moody’s Investors Service says only a durable and prolonged ceasefire with the Hamas terror group in the war in Gaza reduces “downside risks to Israel’s economy and public finances.”
“It also reduces the tail risks for the Middle East region from an escalation that involves Iran, and the conflict’s spillover effect on global supply chains from Red Sea shipping disruptions,” says Moody’s senior analyst Christian Fang. “However, the terms of the ceasefire agreement are limited in scope and duration currently… further negotiations will be required to secure a permanent cessation of hostilities and durably lower regional geopolitical tensions.”
Fang cautions that “domestic political challenges and security concerns are some hurdles for Israel that may impede further progress.”
In September, in a dramatic move, Moody’s cut Israel’s credit rating by two levels from A2 to Baa1, citing “diminished quality of Israel’s institutions and governance” to manage state finances, and increased spending needs during the war period, which is negatively affecting the country’s creditworthiness. The rating agency also maintained a negative outlook warning that Israel could be facing further downgrades.
Elon Musk says opponents need ‘better dirty tricks’ after Nazi salute row

Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk says his opponents needed “better dirty tricks” after a row erupted over a gesture he made at an inauguration event for US President Donald Trump that some critics likened to a Nazi salute.
“Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired,” Musk posts on his X platform.
Footage shows dozens of masked settlers setting fires overnight in Palestinian village
Footage shown by the Kan public broadcaster shows dozens of masked settlers who went into the Palestinian West Bank village of al-Funduq overnight, setting fire to cars.
The footage shows them also trying to break into homes and throwing rocks.
Overnight, gangs of settlers attacked several villages in what the IDF called “violent rioting.”
The IDF later said that the rioting was dispersed by forces.
תיעוד מהכפר פונדוק הלילה: עשרות רעולי פנים מגיעים ומציתים כלי רכב ומבנים pic.twitter.com/34WJF3ants
— Nurit Yohanan (@nurityohanan) January 21, 2025
IDF tells Palestinians they can return to northern Gaza next week if Hamas upholds ceasefire
The military tells displaced Palestinians that they will be able to return to northern Gaza from the Strip’s south after being displaced at the beginning of the war, if Hamas upholds the ceasefire deal.
“If Hamas adheres to all details of the agreement, starting next week, residents of the Gaza Strip will be able to return to the northern Gaza Strip and instructions will be issued in this regard,” Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, says on X.
Under the agreement, on the seventh day of the ceasefire, unarmed Gazans will be allowed to return on foot to north Gaza without any inspection, via the coastal road. Vehicles returning to north Gaza will be required to undergo an inspection by a private company to be determined by the mediators and Israel.
On day 22, displaced unarmed Palestinians will be allowed to return to north Gaza on foot via Salah a-Din road, also without inspection.
This means the IDF will be gradually withdrawing from the Netzarim Corridor.
Adraee also warns Gazans against approaching areas where troops are still deployed in Gaza, including the buffer zone along the entire border, the Netzarim Corridor in the Strip’s center, the Philadelphi Corridor on the Egypt-Gaza border, and the sea.
#عاجل ‼️ بيان عاجل إلى سكان قطاع غزة، أود توضيح الأمور التالية لتفادي الاحتكاكات وسوء الفهم. نحن في جيش الدفاع ننوي التاكد من تطبيق كافة تفاصيل الاتفاق.
⭕️بناء على الاتفاق تبقى قوات جيش الدفاع منتشرة في مناطق محددة في قطاع غزة. يجب عدم الاقتراب إلى قوات جيش الدفاع في المنطقة… pic.twitter.com/1o0xbs3k3x
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) January 21, 2025
Australian PM convenes cabinet after latest antisemitic attack

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese convenes a meeting of Australia’s national cabinet after a childcare center was torched in the latest antisemitic attack.
“What we saw overnight with this attack is the latest in a series of antisemitic hate crimes,” Albanese tells reporters.
“This is a place for children and families and it should never have been denigrated by this despicable and horrifying crime.”
“It will be an opportunity for us to discuss collectively the responses that are being made by state and territory governments,” he said ahead of the discussions of the high-level forum, which pulls together leaders from each state and territory.
Far-right politicians praise Trump after he rolls back sanctions on violent settlers

Israeli far-right politicians praise US President Donald Trump after he signs an executive order rolling back the sanctions regime implemented last year by his predecessor Joe Biden to target violent Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich thanks Trump for his “just decision.”
“These sanctions were a serious act of gross foreign intervention in Israel’s internal affairs,” says Smotrich.
Smotrich says Trump’s “steadfast and uncompromising support for Israel” is an expression of his “deep connection with the Jewish people and their historic rights in their homeland.”
Otzma Yehudit leader MK Itamar Ben Gvir calls the decision “historic.”
“This rights a great wrong that was perpetuated in recent years under a biased US policy carried out by the US administration and also on the part of some locals who were confused between those we love and our enemies,” Ben Gvir says.
Trump fires Brian Hook, his Iran envoy in first term

Donald Trump ends his first day back in the White House by unexpectedly firing Brian Hook, the former special envoy for Iran during his first term.
Trump makes the announcement on Truth Social after midnight.
It was not immediately clear which position Hook was being fired from. He had been appointed to the Wilson Center for Scholars and was reportedly leading Trump’s transition to the State Department.
It’s unclear exactly why Trump axed Hook, but the president says he and three others “are not aligned with our vision to Make America Great Again.”
Hook was a hawkish adviser who backed the maximum pressure sanctions regime Trump instituted against Iran.
“YOU’RE FIRED!” Trump writes in the Truth Social post making the announcement.
Justice officials question police officer who shot two Israelis during settler rampage

The Department of Internal Police Investigations says it questioned a police officer in connection to the shooting of two Israelis during a settler rampage in the West Bank last night.
A spokeswoman for the agency says a team from the department “arrived last night at the scene of the shooting incident in Samaria, in which two civilians were injured, and began an investigation.”
The incident took place as settlers set fire to homes and vehicles in the adjacent Palestinian villages of Jinsafut and al-Funduq.
The circumstances of their injury are still under investigation, though the Kan public broadcaster reports that a police officer shot two men in their 20s near the West Bank outpost of Ramat Gilad after they attacked him.
The officer under investigation has been released to house arrest until Friday and barred from all police stations and other facilities for eight days, says the spokeswoman. He is prohibited from contacting those involved in the incident.
Hamas leader says terror group prepared for dialogue with US, credits Trump with ‘ending’ Gaza war

A senior Hamas leader says that the terror group is ready for dialogue with the US and credits US President Donald Trump with “ending” the war in Gaza.
“We’re prepared for a dialogue with America and achieving understandings on everything,” Qatar-based Mousa Abu Marzouk tells The New York Times.
His comments came on Sunday after the release of three Israeli hostages in the first stage of a hostage-ceasefire deal.
The report notes that it is not clear if Abu Marzouk speaks on behalf of all Hamas leadership, including the hardline terror leaders in Gaza.
Abu Marzouk calls Trump a “serious president.”
“If not for President Trump, his insistence on ending the war, and his dispatching of a decisive representative, the deal wouldn’t have happened,” says Abu Marzouk, referring to new Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff.
“Truthfully, Trump gets the credit for ending the war,” he says.
Abu Marzouk says Witkoff is welcome to visit Gaza.
“He can come and see the people and try to understand their feelings and wishes so that the American position can be based on the interests of all the parties, and not only one party,” he says.
Syria’s new leader says Trump to ‘bring peace’ to Mideast

Syria’s new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa congratulates US President Donald Trump on his inauguration, saying the American would “bring peace to the Middle East.”
“We are confident that he is the leader to bring peace to the Middle East and restore stability to the region,” Sharaa’s administration says in a statement.
“We look forward to improving the relations between our two countries based on dialogue and understanding.”
Sharaa’s Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led the rebel offensive that ousted Bashar al-Assad on December 8.
Syria’s new leaders are seeking financial support to help rebuild the country after more than 13 years of devastating conflict.
Sharaa’s transitional government has been lobbying to have the sanctions that were imposed by Western countries on Assad’s administration lifted.
But some governments have been hesitant, wanting time to see how the new authorities exercise their power.
The United States and European countries, as well as Syria’s neighbors, have emphasized the need for the new rulers to combat “terrorism and extremism.”
Supported by Washington, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) spearheaded the military campaign that ousted Islamic State (IS) group jihadists from Syria in 2019 and controls dozens of prisons and camps where thousands of suspected terrorists and their relatives are held.
The US maintains troops in northern Syria as part of an anti-jihadist coalition.
Childcare center torched in latest antisemitic attack in Australia, no injuries

A childcare center in Sydney was set alight early morning today and antisemitic graffiti was sprayed on the wall, authorities say, the latest in a spate of attacks in Australia targeting the Jewish community.
The childcare center, located near a Jewish school and synagogue in the city’s east, suffered extensive damage but there were no reports of injuries in the attack which occurred around 1 a.m. (1400 GMT, Monday), police say.
“Fuck the Jews,” is written the wall next to the center.
It was the second antisemitic attack on property in four days in Sydney, and comes amid a spate of similar crimes targeting the Jewish community in Australia’s most-populous city.
New South Wales state Premier Chris Minns says the perpetrators would be caught and police have put more resources into investigating hate crimes, as public frustration grows over the lack of arrests following previous antisemitic attacks.
“The kind of people who would… attack a fellow Australian whom they don’t know because of their race or religion, it is completely disgusting and these bastards will be rounded up by the police,” Minns says during a media briefing.
Australia has seen a rise in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas assault on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza. At least half a dozen incidents were reported in the last two months in Sydney alone.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese describes the latest attack as “a vicious crime.”
BREAKING: Terrorist firebombing attack on Jewish preschool in Sydney. The terrorists spray painted “FUCK THE JEWS” next to the burning building.
I thought they just wanted a ceasefire???
We need mass arrests and deportations for Islamist extremists inciting the violence pic.twitter.com/PeUQjNPQ1M
— Drew Pavlou ???????????????????????????????? (@DrewPavlou) January 21, 2025
Trump orders 90-day pause in foreign development assistance, likely impacting Palestinians
US President Donald Trump has ordered a 90-day pause in foreign development assistance pending assessments of efficiencies and consistency with his foreign policy.
“All department and agency heads with responsibility for United States foreign development assistance programs shall immediately pause new obligations and disbursements of development assistance funds,” reads the executive order signed by Trump just hours after he took office for a second term.
It is not immediately clear how broad the order is and what programs, countries, non-governmental organizations and international organizations would be affected by the move. It is also unclear what funding could be cut given the US Congress sets the federal US government budget.
The move would likely impact US aid to the Palestinians, which was cut by Trump during his first term.
The executive order echoes a return to the approach Trump took during his first term in office between 2017 and 2021.
Another Trump order targets foreign nationals who ‘support designated terrorists’
An executive order signed by US President Donald Trump appears to target, among others, foreign nationals participating in anti-Israel protests that have swept throughout the country since Hamas’s October 7 onslaught.
The Executive Order Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Threats states that the government must be “vigilant” in issuing visas to foreign nationals and ensure that those approved “do not intend to harm Americans or our national interests.”
The order requires the US government to ensure that foreign nationals “not bear hostile attitudes toward its citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles, and do not advocate for, aid, or support designated foreign terrorists and other threats to our national security.”
Trump campaigned on cracking down on the anti-Israel protests, particularly those on college campuses, but it is not yet clear how exactly he’ll go about doing it, given free speech laws in the US.
Trump revokes Biden order that removed his 2020 sanctions on the ICC

Among the Biden executive orders reversed by US President Donald Trump on his first day in office is one that overturned sanctions Trump had issued against the International Criminal Court in his first term.
This ostensibly means that those economic sanctions and travel restrictions against ICC workers, which Trump instituted in 2020, will be back on the books.
Israel has been urging Trump to sanction the ICC over arrest warrants it issued against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant. Congress has been advancing its own sanctions against the court, but the effort still needs to get through a divided Senate.
The 2020 sanctions were implemented over the court’s efforts to investigate American troops and intelligence officials for possible war crimes in Afghanistan.
Neither the US nor Israel are parties to the court and have therefore argued that it has no jurisdiction to probe either of them.
Trump believes Israeli-Saudi normalization can be reached ‘soon’
Asked by a reporter in the Oval Office when he thinks a normalization deal might be signed between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Trump responds, “soon,” if not by the end of the year.
Trump says not confident Gaza deal will hold through all three phases
US President Donald Trump says he’s not confident that the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal will be upheld through all three phases.
“It’s not our war. It is their war. I am not confident. But I think they’re very weakened on the other side,” Trump says in response to a question from reporters while signing executive orders in the Oval Office.
Reporter: How confident are you that you can keep the ceasefire in Gaza
Trump: It's not our war. It is their war. I am not confident. pic.twitter.com/CJJWT4KMgC
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 21, 2025
Trump says Gaza “is like a massive demolition site,” adding that it will have to be “rebuilt in a different way” following 15 months of war.
He adds that Gaza is in a “phenomenal location” along the Mediterranean Sea with the “best weather.”
“Beautiful things could be done over there, fantastic things,” Trump says.
Asked if he’ll help rebuild Gaza, the president responds, “I might.”
As for who will govern Gaza after the war, Trump says it can’t be Hamas, since “they didn’t exactly run it well” and “most of them are dead.”
He reiterates his belief that Hamas wouldn’t have carried out the October 7 onslaught if he were president, because Iran had been “broke” due to his maximum pressure sanctions regime.
“Now they’re rich, but weakened in a different way,” he says, highlighting one IDF operation that took out Tehran’s air defenses and another that saw the mass detonation of communication devices belonging to Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon.
“The one attack by Israel really set them back,” Trump says.
Trump issues sweeping pardon of supporters charged in Jan. 6 Capitol attack

US President Donald Trump says he is pardoning about 1,500 of his supporters who have been charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, US Capitol attack, using his sweeping clemency powers on his first day back in office to dismantle the largest investigation and prosecution in Justice Department history.
The pardons were expected after Trump’s years-long campaign to rewrite the history of the Jan. 6 attack that left more than 100 police officers injured and threatened the peaceful transfer of power. Yet the scope of the clemency still comes as a massive blow to the Justice Department’s effort to hold participants accountable over what has been described as one of the darkest days in American history.
Trump says he is also commuting the sentences of six defendants, though the White House does not immediately provide further details.
Trump had suggested in the weeks leading up to his return to the White House that he was going to look at the Jan. 6 defendants on a case-by-case basis. Vice President JD Vance had said just days ago that people responsible for violence during the Capitol riot “obviously” should not be pardoned.
Trump revokes Biden executive order imposing sanctions on violent Israeli settlers

US President Donald Trump has revoked the executive order signed a year ago by his predecessor to impose sanctions against violent Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
The decision is part of a slew of executive orders signed by Trump during his first day in office, rolling back various policies from the Biden administration.
Former president Joe Biden signed the order amid mounting frustration in Washington over Israel’s failure to rein in rampant settler violence.
For years, Israeli authorities largely ignored the phenomenon and the problem has only gotten worse under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s latest government. Outgoing National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has dismissed the attacks as a non-issue and the top officer overseeing the West Bank is currently under investigation by the Justice Ministry for allegedly ignoring settler violence in order to please his boss and get promoted.
Through the executive order signed by Biden, 17 individuals and 16 entities were designated in eight separate batches over the past year.
Those sanctions have now all been lifted.
Notably, the move comes hours after another settler rampage in the northern West Bank village of al-Funduq.
US Senate confirms Marco Rubio as secretary of state

The US Senate unanimously confirms Republican Senator Marco Rubio, a China hawk and staunch backer of Israel, as President Donald Trump’s secretary of state.
The Senate backs Rubio by a vote of 99-0, days after the long-term member of the Senate foreign relations and intelligence committees sailed through his friendly confirmation hearing.
Rubio becomes the first of Trump’s cabinet nominees to be confirmed by the Senate, just hours after the president was sworn in for a second White House term.
Additional votes on Trump nominees are expected this week.
Rubio, 53, is a harsh critic of China and an advocate for Israel. The son of immigrants from Cuba, he has also pushed for tough measures against the Communist-ruled island and its allies, especially the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
During his confirmation hearing, he warned that the US must change course to avoid becoming more reliant on China, and promised a robust foreign policy focused on American interests.
Rubio also said it should be US policy that the war in Ukraine must end. He said reaching an agreement to stop the fighting would involve concessions from both Moscow and Kyiv, and he suggested that Ukraine would have to give up its goal of regaining all the territory Russia has taken in the last decade.
Rubio is the first person of Hispanic origin to serve as the nation’s top diplomat.
With hostages’ families behind him, Trump says he’ll pardon ‘January 6 hostages’

With the families of the hostages being held in Gaza standing behind him, Trump announces that he will be signing an executive order pardoning the “hostages” prosecuted for their involvement in the January 6 Capitol insurrection.
The Israeli families had just been called to the stage by Trump’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff at the post-inauguration rally in Washington. Trump shook hands with each of them who then stood behind him as he gave one of his typical political rally speeches.
After announcing his decision to pardon the “J6 hostages,” Trump turns to the Israeli group and reflects on the ceasefire deal Witkoff helped finalize last week.
“We never stopped praying for you, and we’re so glad that you’re reunited with your friends and families,” Trump says.
While introducing Trump, Witkoff says the Israeli hostage families will be meeting with the president later tonight.
The hostage families are in Washington to urge the new administration to ensure the nascent ceasefire deal is upheld through all three phases amid concerns that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government will resume fighting after the first phase, preventing the release of the remaining hostages.
Hostages’ relatives, Noa Argamani invited on stage to meet Trump at rally
After detailing the administration’s Mideast vision, envoy Steve Witkoff proceeds to introduce relatives of some of the hostages still in Gaza, including the parents of American hostages.
Former hostage Noa Argamani is also part of the group who are called onto the stage at the Capital One Arena.
Each of them is wearing a yellow scarf to raise awareness to the hostage crisis. The father of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander is also wearing a red MAGA hat.
Former Israeli hostage Noa Argamani. President Trump invited hostage families and former hostages on stage with him. pic.twitter.com/fYNeCM1GxP
— Melanie Notkin (@SavvyAuntie) January 20, 2025
Trump shakes hands with each of them, and they use the opportunity to thank the president for his efforts to bring the new ceasefire deal across the finish line.
The crowd gives a standing ovation to the families as Trump takes the stage and proceeds to give an entire rally speech as the hostages’ families stand behind him.
Trump’s envoy says president will push for ‘courageous diplomacy, prosperity’ in Mideast
Introducing US President Donald Trump at a post-inauguration rally in Washington, new Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff lays out his boss’s four-pronged approach to the region.
“One: respect for sovereignty. Every nation deserves the right to determine its own destiny, free from the interference of external powers,” Witkoff says.
“Two: economic prosperity as a bridge to stability. Through economic partnerships and investment, we can build a foundation for cooperation that transcends historical grievances,” he goes on.
“Three: courageous diplomacy. Real progress requires difficult conversations and bold decisions, and it is through these that trust is built and maintained.”
“Four: reciprocity and accountability. The United States requires reciprocal actions from our partners. We are done carrying the financial burden for nations that are unwilling to fund their own progress. The days of blank checks are over,” Wiktoff says to cheers from the crowd.
“THE DAYS OF BLANK CHECKS ARE OVER” – Special Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff says we will stop funding countries who won’t fund their own progress pic.twitter.com/ztipCVVMVd
— Liam McCollum (@MLiamMcCollum) January 20, 2025
“A stable and prosperous Middle East is not an unattainable dream. It is a goal within our reach,” he continues, pledging to expand the Abraham Accords during Trump’s second term.
Supporting The Times of Israel isn’t a transaction for an online service, like subscribing to Netflix. The ToI Community is for people like you who care about a common good: ensuring that balanced, responsible coverage of Israel continues to be available to millions across the world, for free.
Sure, we'll remove all ads from your page and you'll unlock access to some excellent Community-only content. But your support gives you something more profound than that: the pride of joining something that really matters.

We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel