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Syrian chief rabbi in Israel writes to Syria’s new leader asking to restore, preserve Jewish community
Rabbi Binyamin Hamra (YouTube screenshot)
The chief rabbi of the Syrian Jewish community in Israel, Rabbi Binyamin Hamra, has written to the head of Syria’s new government Ahmed al-Sharaa to congratulate him on his victory over the toppled regime of Bashar al-Assad, and stress the importance of preserving Syria’s historic Jewish community.
Hamra’s father, Rabbi Avraham Hamra, served as the last chief rabbi of Syria from 1976 until 1994.
“For thousands of years, the Jewish community in Syria, despite being a small minority, has been an integral part of the rich and diverse fabric of the Syrian people,” Hamra writes to al-Sharaa. “Throughout Syria are historical sites, ancient synagogues, and tombs of great Jewish leaders, which constitute cultural and religious heritage for Jews throughout the world.”
Recalling the many years of “persecution and dispossession” experienced by Syria’s Jews, Hamra asks al-Sharaa to “protect the precious Jews who remain in Syria and to order the strict preservation of these Jewish historical sites.”
He notes in particular the Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue in the Jobar suburb of Damascus, which was destroyed during the course of the 12-year civil war.
“Its destruction caused great sorrow to millions of Jews and Muslims around the world who believe that a great blessing flows from this place to all of Syria,” Hamra writes. “The restoration of the cave would be an act of great kindness and symbolize the unity of the peoples and their respect for a common heritage.
He ends with the hope that under al-Sharaa’s leadership, Syria will become a “multicultural, tolerant and inclusive country, where every religious group and ethnic minority can live in peace and safety.”
A letter from the chief rabbi of the Syrian Jewish community in Israel, Rabbi Binyamin Hamra, to the head of Syria’s new government Ahmed al-Sharaa, January 5, 2024.
“I hope that we can cooperate to restore the Jewish community in Syria to come and visit our homeland and preserve our shared heritage.”
While Syria was once home to one of the world’s oldest and largest Jewish communities, today, there are only nine Jews left.
Last week, a representative of al-Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group met with Bakhour Chamntoub, the head of the tiny Jewish community, and promised “peace and security” for the country’s Jews, and called for those abroad to return.
12 war crime complaints said opened abroad against IDF soldiers since October 7, 2023
Since October 7, 2023, 12 complaints have been opened against IDF soldiers abroad over alleged war crimes committed in the Gaza Strip, Channel 12 reports.
The report cites data presented earlier today to a security cabinet subcommittee headed by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.
The 12 instances occurred in Brazil, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Belgium, the Netherlands, Serbia, Ireland and Cyprus, the report states. No soldiers were arrested as a result of the probes, but they were told by Israeli authorities to leave the country that had opened the investigation as quickly as possible.
It is not clear to what extent the instances were investigated, as Channel 12 reports that in most cases, no probe was opened beyond the initial complaint.
Earlier today, Brazilian media reported that an IDF soldier who survived the October 7 Hamas massacre at the Supernova music festival and who fought in the Gaza Strip had been forced to flee Brazil, after the country’s Federal Court ordered police to open a war crimes investigation on him.
Channel 12 adds that Sa’ar’s subcommittee was also informed of a 104 percent rise in incidents of antisemitism worldwide in the second half of 2024, as well as a 63% rise in online incidents of antisemitism.
Levin signals intent to quickly pass highly contentious law giving government control over most judicial appointments
Justice Minister Yariv Levin (left) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, pictured during a vote in the Knesset on December 31, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Justice Minister Yariv Levin signals his desire to swiftly pass into the law a highly contentious bill which would give the coalition control over almost all judicial appointments, saying the “time has come” to approve the measure in Knesset.
Levin’s comments, caught on tape and published by Kan News and Channel 13, were made during a meeting earlier today of the Ministerial Committee on Legislation, which was discussing a separate bill to have the Knesset plenum elect the president of the Supreme Court, instead of the Judicial Selection Committee.
Levin said he opposed that bill, since it would contravene his planned far-reaching legislation — at the the heart of his controversial judicial overhaul agenda — to give the government a majority on the Judicial Selection Committee, and thus control of judicial appointments, including the election of Supreme Court president.
“It contradicts the bill [to change the composition of the Judicial Selection Committee], which is ready for its second and third readings in the plenum, which is certainly possible that we will advance,” Levin told Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi during the Ministerial Committee for Legislation meeting.
Karhi responded that this far more dramatic bill, which has passed all the stages of the legislative process ahead of its final readings in Knesset, has been frozen for a year and a half, and expressed doubt that it could be advanced now.
“The time has come because, as we know, the deadline for the order is close,” replied Levin, in reference to an order by the High Court of Justice to Levin to hold a vote on electing a new Supreme Court president by January 16.
Levin currently lacks the votes on the committee to have his choice for court president elected, and a vote in the committee in its current format would likely see liberal justice Isaac Amit, who Levin opposes, made head of the court.
Israel denies Hamas claim that it approved list of 34 hostages for release
Israel denies a Reuters report that Hamas approved a list of the 34 hostages it would release in the first stage of a hostage deal.
“As of now, Hamas has not given a list of hostages,” says the Prime Minister’s Office in a statement.
According to Channel 12, Hamas submitted a list, but did not indicate who was alive and who was not.
Israeli woman who died in Tanzania jeep accident named as Inbar Greidinger-Gisler
A 30-year-old Israeli woman who was killed in a jeep accident on a safari trip in Tanzania on Saturday is identified as Inbar Greidinger-Gisler.
She is the daughter of businessman Israel Greidinger and University of Haifa library director Naomi Greidinger. Hebrew media reports that she got married last year to Or Gisler.
Five other family members were lightly injured in the same incident.
Hamas claims it has approved list of 34 hostages requested by Israel for release in possible deal
An unnamed Hamas official tells Reuters that the terror group has approved a list of 34 hostages, as requested by Israel, to be released in a possible ceasefire and hostage release deal.
However, the official, who speaks on condition of anonymity, reiterates that any deal is contingent upon the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and a permanent ceasefire. He says that there has been no progress from the Israeli side in this regard.
Israel is reported to have submitted a list of 34 living hostages it wants released in the first phase of any deal. As of last week, Hamas was reported to have agreed to 22 of the named hostages — women, the elderly and the sick — but to have refused to free others named by Israel, said to be men of potential military age.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted throughout multiple rounds of failed negotiations that Israel will not commit to a complete end to the war and has said that the fight against Hamas will resume at the conclusion of any deal that is reached.
14-year-old boy stabbed, moderately wounded in Ashdod, police don’t suspect terror motive
A 14-year-old boy was stabbed this evening in Ashdod, Magen David Adom reports.
Paramedics who arrived at the scene shuttled the wounded youth to Assuta Hospital, where he remains in moderate condition with multiple stab wounds.
A police spokesperson for the Lachish subdistrict informs The Times of Israel that officers are conducting an investigation into the circumstances of the incident, which they believe took place on a “criminal background.”
IDF says it carried out drone strike on Hamas operatives in Gaza’s humanitarian zone
Earlier today, the IDF says it carried out a drone strike against a group of Hamas operatives at a command center in the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in southern Gaza.
The compound, in the Khan Younis area of the humanitarian zone, was used by the Hamas operatives to plan and carry out attacks against troops in Gaza and against Israel, the military says.
The IDF says a separate strike in the Deir al-Balah area of the humanitarian zone targeted a Palestinian Islamic Jihad operative who had carried out previous attacks from the area.
In both strikes, the IDF says it took steps to mitigate civilian harm.
Saudi report: Israel could grant Hamas leaders immunity if they leave Gaza for good
Israel could grant Hamas leaders immunity and refrain from targeting them abroad if they agree to leave the Gaza Strip and hand over control to independent forces, the Saudi Al-Hadath news outlet reports.
The report comes amid negotiations in Doha for a ceasefire in the 15-month-old war together with the release of the 96 hostages still held captive by Gaza terror groups since the October 7, 2023, assault.
Citing sources from the Israeli delegation to Qatar, Al-Hadath reports that if Hamas were to agree to relinquish its governance of the Gaza Strip and move abroad, Jerusalem would refrain from targeting them once they do.
In place of the terror group, Gaza would be controlled by “an independent Palestinian body” the report states, in coordination with the international community.
An international peacekeeping force, similar to UNIFIL in Lebanon, would be established in this scenario, Al-Hadath asserts, citing the Israeli source, and the US would be responsible for overseeing the implementation of such an agreement.
IDF: Islamic Jihad company commander who took part in Oct. 7 killed in northern Gaza
A Palestinian Islamic Jihad company commander who participated in the October 7, 2023, onslaught, was killed by troops during recent operations in northern Gaza’s Jabalia, the IDF says.
According to the military, Saad Said Zaki Dahnon, an Islamic Jihad company commander and the deputy head of the terror group’s rocket division in northern Gaza, was killed in a close-quarters battle with troops of the Givati Brigade.
Dahnon had infiltrated Israel and participated in the October 7 attack, and was also involved in several attacks against troops in the Beit Lahiya area, the IDF says.
A video released by the IDF shows Dahnon and another operative covering themselves in blankets and attempting to approach troops under the cover of darkness and rainy weather.
The IDF says Dahnon was killed, while the second operative surrendered to troops, which can be seen in the video released by the military.
The second operative was carrying an explosive device, and he was taken to Israel for further interrogation, the IDF adds.
Police officer, civilian arrested on suspicion of raping young woman
The Department of Internal Police Investigations (DIPI) arrested a police officer earlier today on suspicion of raping a young woman, the department spokesperson says. Police also arrested a civilian thought to be involved in the same incident.
Both suspects were brought to the Petah Tikva Magistrate’s Court and will be held in custody until Wednesday as DIPI continues its ongoing investigation into the matter.
IDF soldier seriously wounded during ‘operational activity’ in northern Gaza
A soldier in the Givati Brigade’s Tzabar battalion was seriously wounded in the northern Gaza Strip earlier today, the military says.
According to an IDF probe, the soldier was injured when a brick fell on his head during “operational activity.”
He was taken to a hospital in Israel for treatment.
George Soros receives US Presidential Medal of Freedom
US President Joe Biden, right, presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest US civilian honor, to Alex Soros on behalf of his father George Soros, in the East Room of the White House, January 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
JTA — US President Joe Biden has awarded the United States’ top civilian honor to George Soros, the Holocaust survivor and billionaire donor to progressive and Democratic causes, along with 18 other people.
Biden’s selection of Soros, 94, to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom yesterday is notable because Soros’s giving has made him a frequent target of criticism and invective from right-wingers around the world. Some of the criticism has been explicitly antisemitic or resembled age-old conspiracy theories about Jewish power.
The formal comments at the White House ceremony note Soros’s Jewish identity, saying, “Born into a Jewish family in Hungary, George Soros escaped Nazi occupation to build a life of freedom for himself and countless others around the world.”
Biden’s decision to give Soros the honor has spurred criticism from some conservatives, including Elon Musk, the billionaire who is closely involved with the incoming Trump administration. Musk calls Soros’s award a “travesty” in a post on X, the social media company he owns.
Soros’s son Alex, who assumed the helm of the family’s Open Society Foundations charity last year, accepted the award on behalf of his father, who is 94.
Two other Jews received the honor in the last batch of medals awarded by Biden: the businessman and philanthropist David Rubenstein and the fashion designer Ralph Lauren, who was born Ralph Lifshitz in the Bronx. The White House said in a statement that Lauren “redefined the fashion industry with a lifestyle brand that embodies timeless elegance and American tradition.”
Palestinian influencer said arrested in Berlin for launching firework through window of residential building
Police extinguish a fire in the middle of a Berlin road amid firework attacks on police officers and firefighters across Germany on New Year's Eve, January 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
A Palestinian social media influencer has been arrested by German authorities at the Berlin Brandenburg Airport on suspicion of attempted arson and attempted bodily harm, according to reports, after he launched a firework at a residential building on New Year’s Eve.
In a video that has since been deleted from his social media platforms, Atallah Younes can be seen launching a firework directly into the window of a residential building on the other side of the street.
The firework then appears to explode inside the building.
Das Video ist uns bekannt. Unsere Kolleg. haben eine Anzeige aufgenommen. Die Ermittlungen laufen.
^tsm— Polizei Berlin (@polizeiberlin) January 1, 2025
According to the Deutsche Welle news outlet, nobody in the apartment was injured and the fire was extinguished quickly without any major damage. Unverified reports claim that the firework struck the window of a child’s bedroom, but that the room was empty at the time of the incident.
Amid backlash over the incident, Younes, who has some 315,000 followers on Instagram, posted what he said was footage of his apology to the residents of the targeted apartment.
He shared an additional apology video in which he claimed that the incident was “a mistake.”
Deutsche Welle reports that he will be brought before a judge later in the day on Sunday.
Hundreds of people have been arrested across Germany over the past few days after police officers and firefighters were attacked and injured by fireworks on New Year’s Eve.
Five people were killed and hundreds were injured across the country after being hit accidentally by fireworks, and explosions of strong, illegal fireworks in Berlin caused extensive damage in two neighborhoods and injured numerous people, some of them seriously.
In total, 36 apartments were rendered uninhabitable by the fireworks, German news agency dpa reported.
First 50 ultra-Orthodox soldiers draft to IDF’s new Haredi brigade
Ultra-Orthodox soldiers draft to the IDF's new Haredi brigade, known as the Hasmonean Brigade, January 5, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
The first 50 ultra-Orthodox soldiers drafted today to the IDF’s new Haredi brigade, known as the Hasmonean Brigade, the military says.
The soldiers will be part of the brigade’s first company.
Meanwhile, another 100 older Haredi men are being drafted into the Hasmonean Brigade’s first reserve company.
The reserve company is set to be made up of those who already completed the so-called Shlav Bet track, in which older people are put through two weeks of basic training before being sent to serve in noncombat roles. The reservists will now undergo an additional six-month combat training period before being sent to Hasmonean Brigade’s reserve company, according to the IDF.
Additional soldiers are expected to be drafted in the coming month, and join those who are beginning their training today.
The IDF says the recruitment of the 150 soldiers is a “significant milestone” in establishing the Hasmonean Brigade and “the process of expanding [the number of] members of the ultra-Orthodox community in IDF service, especially in light of the operational needs arising from the needs of the war.”
Ahead of the draft, the IDF says it carried out a “wide-ranging preparation process,” including recruiting staff for the brigade, renovating an old training base, and “adapting it to the ultra-Orthodox lifestyle.”
The first commander of the Haredi brigade is Col. Avinoam Emunah, an Orthodox senior officer.
Edelstein stresses critical need to enlist Haredi soldiers after briefing at IDF Northern Command
In an apparent dig at members of his own Likud party who are reportedly working on a new enlistment outline to exempt large numbers of ultra-Orthodox men from military service, Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Yuli Edelstein declares that there is a critical need to enlist many more soldiers.
Following a high-level security briefing by the head of the IDF’s northern command, the Likud lawmaker states that it is now “even clearer what the IDF’s manpower needs are and our obligation as the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee is to do everything to expand the IDF recruitment base [and] to reduce the burden of reserve duty — because in the coming years the needs of the IDF, both here in the north and in other areas… will be great. It is our obligation to answer these needs.”
Finance Ministry presents compensation plan to assist northern evacuees to return home
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announces a compensation plan for evacuees returning to their homes in northern Israel, at a press conference on January 5, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
The Finance Ministry presents a compensation plan to help bring evacuees home back to their homes in the north at the beginning of March.
“The key to returning home is security and we are not going to compromise on this matter,” says Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. “Residents of the north are returning to a different security reality, and we will make sure that quiet is maintained for years.”
According to the compensation plan, northern residents who return to their homes starting in March will receive grants of NIS 25,360 per adult and NIS 12,680 per child.
Evacuated residents will be entitled to two separate grants. The first will assist with their return home and the second is intended to compensate returnees for the damage caused to their homes that was not compensated by property tax authorities.
Dozens of communities in the north of the country were evacuated after the October 7 massacre in 2023, as the Hezbollah terror group began launching near-daily attacks from Lebanon.
IDF says Palestinians seen climbing over security barrier near Central Command base in Jerusalem
Several Palestinians were spotted by the military climbing over Israel’s security barrier with the West Bank near the IDF’s Central Command base in northern Jerusalem.
The IDF says that after scanning the area, no suspects infiltrated the base.
At least two of the suspects were reportedly detained outside the base, while several others fled.
Ministerial committee puts off decision on Supreme Court presidential selection legislation by two weeks
The Ministerial Committee for Legislation postpones by two weeks a decision on whether to approve a highly controversial law to have the Knesset select the president of the Supreme Court instead of the Judicial Selection Committee.
The legislation was apparently a last-ditch effort to circumvent a decision by the High Court of Justice in December that ordered Justice Minister Yariv Levin to hold a vote for a new president of the court in the Judicial Selection Committee by January 16.
Even before today’s decision, it would have been virtually impossible to pass the legislation into law before the court’s deadline.
The Attorney General’s Office told Levin earlier on Sunday that the legislation would undermine key democratic principles, including the independence of the judiciary, and would constitute the misuse of legislative power by changing the rules of the procedure while the process is underway, and therefore should not be advanced.
The Judicial Selection Committee is scheduled to convene on Tuesday and then again on Thursday to deliberate on objections submitted by members of the public to the candidacies of all 12 serving justices on the court, which Levin submitted despite their objections.
Ynet reported that another meeting will be scheduled for next week before the deadline for the appointment next Thursday.
New Orleans attacker created explosives with compound never before used in US, Europe — NBC
The man behind the deadly ramming and shooting attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Eve had also created two homemade bombs using a rare explosive compound, NBC News reports, citing senior US law enforcement officials.
According to the report, the bombs — which did not go off in the attack — were created with an explosive compound that had never before been used in a terror attack inside the US or in Europe.
Officials tell NBC that investigators now need to look into how Shamsud-Din Jabbar learned about the explosive compound, and how he managed to create it.
Fourteen people were killed and about 30 were injured when Jabbar drove a rented vehicle into a crowd of revelers on Bourbon Street in an attack inspired by the Islamic State terror group.
Authorities found crude bombs that had been planted in the neighborhood in an apparent attempt to cause more carnage, and the two improvised explosive devices left in coolers several blocks apart were rendered safe at the scene, officials said. Other devices were determined to be non-functional.
On Friday, the AP reported that federal authorities searching Jabbar’s Houston home had found a workbench in his garage and hazardous materials believed to have been used to make the explosive devices.
Israel talking about staying in Lebanon to put pressure on Lebanese army, official says
A Lebanese army soldier on an APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) flashes victory sign, as a convoy enters in Mansouri village on its way to being deployed in southern Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024.(AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Israel is talking tough about remaining in Lebanon after the initial 60-day ceasefire to pressure the Lebanese Armed Forces to fulfill their obligations before the period ends, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.
Israel would very much prefer to have the Lebanese army deploy across southern Lebanon and ensure that Hezbollah retreats fully from the area, the official says.
“We don’t think that we’ll have the full backing of the US to break the ceasefire,” says the official. “The feeling is that there’s no point in reopening that front.”
Syria’s foreign minister meets with Qatari counterpart ahead of visits to Jordan, UAE
Syria’s new foreign minister met with his Qatari counterpart and Qatar’s prime minister in Doha earlier today, as Syria’s new de facto authorities under Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, establish diplomatic ties with regional and global governments.
Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani posts on X that he’s also set to visit Jordan and the United Arabs Emirates to develop strategic partnerships, and support Syria’s security and economic recovery.
Al-Shibani met with his Saudi counterpart in Riyadh on Thursday, and he also welcomed the foreign ministers of Germany and France in Damascus on Friday.
HTS led a lightning insurgency that ousted President Bashar al-Assad on December 8 and ended his family’s decades-long rule. From 2011 until Assad’s downfall, Syria’s uprising and civil war killed an estimated 500,000 people.
Much of the world ended diplomatic relations with Assad because of his crackdown on protesters and sanctioned him and his Russian and Iranian associates.
Qatar supported opposition groups that fought against Assad and his allies, and was one of a few Arab countries that opposed restoring ties with the ousted Assad and Syria’s return to the Arab League in 2023.
“We conveyed to Doha our concerns about the challenges related to the economic sanctions imposed on the Syrian people, and we renew our call on the United States to lift those sanctions,” Syrian radio station Sham FM quotes Al-Shibani as saying.
Main obstacle to hostage deal remains number and names of captives to be released in first round, official says
The obstacle in the Doha hostage talks between Israel and Hamas remains the number and names of hostages to be released in the first round, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.
Israel does not believe it can reach a second round, says the official, and is therefore working to maximize the number of hostages released in the first round.
“We hope that it will bring momentum to another deal,” says the official, adding that Hamas “is not going to release everyone. They don’t have an interest in doing that. Unless Israel says it’s the end of the war, and Israel will not say that.”
Hamas still hasn’t released a list of the living hostages, says the official.
The security meeting being hosted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this evening was supposed to take place tomorrow but was moved up, says the official. The focus is on Lebanon, but the hostage talks in Doha will be discussed.
Foreign Ministry says it assisted ex-IDF soldier who faced war crimes probe in Brazil
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar addresses the press ahead of his New Hope party's weekly faction meeting in the Knesset, December 16, 2024. (Chaim Goldbergl/Flash90)
The Foreign Ministry comments on the former IDF soldier who fled Brazil, where he was visiting, to avoid an investigation into alleged war crimes in Gaza.
According to the Foreign Ministry, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar ordered the ministry’s Consular Section and the embassy in Brazil to contact the man and his family, who “accompanied him throughout the event until his swift and safe departure from Brazil.”
“The Foreign Ministry draws the attention of Israelis to posts on social media about their military service, and to the fact that anti-Israeli elements may exploit these posts to initiate futile legal proceedings against them,” says the Foreign Ministry.
Following a complaint by the Belgium-based anti-Israel Hind Rajab Foundation, a Brazilian federal court ordered police to investigate an IDF soldier who was traveling in the country for possible “war crimes” in Gaza.
Ashdod port workers on strike amid dispute with management
Illustrative: Ashdod port workers unload a container with millions of eggs imported from Spain at Ashdod port on April 5, 2020. (Flash90)
Ashdod port employees go on strike over claims that the management violated agreements regarding the recruitment of temporary workers.
“Organizational measures are currently taking places [after] the Ashdod port management failed to abide by agreements reached with the workers’ committee,” the Histadrut Labor Federation says in a statement. “Talks are being held between the Transport and Port Workers’ Union, the Ashdod workers’ committee and Ashdod port management.”
The workers’ committee claims that preference for work shifts is being given to temporary workers over staff employees, according to reports in the Hebrew press.
The Ashdod port says it was caught by surprise by a “wildcat and illegal strike this morning which was started without prior warning, contrary to agreements signed between the company and the Histadrut leading to the shutdown of operations at the port.”
“The port company’s management intends to take all necessary legal measures to bring operations back to normal as soon as possible,” the Ashdod port says in a statement. “The port company does not intend to put up with such conduct and has already approached the Labor Court to deal with the issue.”
Police confirm stabbing of woman, 74, in Jerusalem last month was terror attack
Police investigate the scene of a stabbing in Jerusalem, December 19, 2024. (Israel Police)
After a weeks-long investigation, police and Shin Bet confirm that last month’s stabbing of an elderly Jerusalem resident was a terror attack.
After the court lifted a gag order this morning on the investigation’s details, police say that the attacker had already been acquainted with the victim, a 74-year-old woman, while working as a cleaner in her building.
Police arrested the suspect, a 60-year-old resident of East Jerusalem’s Silwan neighborhood, for questioning a few hours after the attack, which took place in the city’s downtown.
He appeared in court earlier today as prosecutors request to extend his detention and plan to file an indictment against him in the coming days.
According to police, the attacker visited the victim’s home the evening prior as part of a repair service, and left the same evening after telling her that he needed screws in order to fix the problem.
The next morning, the attacker returned to the apartment and attempted to strangle the elderly woman to death. Upon realizing he forgot his walking stick at the scene, the attacker returned to find that his victim was still alive. He then took a knife from a nearby drawer and began to stab her multiple times.
After she called her daughter, police and emergency responders arrived at the scene and transported the elderly victim, conscious but in critical condition, to the hospital.
Police say that the suspect stole the victim’s jewelry and sold it to a shop in East Jerusalem, before fleeing to the West Bank.
According to Ynet, the suspect told police in his interrogation that he decided to kill the woman “because of what is happening in Gaza.”
“The Israel Police and the Shin Bet will continue to work with all security forces to thwart terrorism and arrest terrorists wherever they may be, in order to protect the citizens of the State of Israel,” say police.
Nasrallah to be buried after end of initial 60-day ceasefire
Posters of Hezbollah's slain leaders Hassan Nasrallah (L) and Hashem Safieddine are placed amid destruction caused by Israeli strikes in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh on December 4, 2024. (Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP)
Late Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah will be buried after the 60-day initial ceasefire period between Israel and the Iran-backed terrorist group, a senior Hezbollah official says during a tour of the site where Nasrallah was killed by Israel.
Speaking to reporters in the Shiite Dahiyeh stronghold suburb south of Beirut, Wafiq Safa says that preparations for the burials of Nasrallah and his successor Hashem Safieddine are underway. “Hezbollah is ready to face any aggression in the way it deems appropriate,” he pledges.
Israel assassinated Nasrallah on September 27, and killed Safieddine days later.
As part of the truce agreement signed by Israel and the terror group on November 27, the IDF is required to cede all of its positions in southern Lebanon to the LAF within 60 days. But Lebanese army officials have received “serious signals” that Israel could extend its presence in Lebanon for an additional 30 days, a newspaper aligned with the terror group reported on Saturday.
AG’s office says bill to have the Knesset choose the Supreme Court president violates ‘democratic values’
MK Tally Gotliv arrives at the Tel Aviv District court before the start of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's testimony in his corruption trial, December 10, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
The Attorney General’s Office tells Justice Minister Yariv Levin that a bill proposed by Likud MK Tali Gotliv to have the Knesset elect the president of the Supreme Court instead of the Judicial Selection Committee would, if passed, constitute an abuse of legislative authority and “severely violate core democratic values.”
The bill is being considered today by the Ministerial Committee on Legislation, chaired by Levin, which decides which private members’ bills will receive government support in the Knesset.
Levin has refused to appoint a new Supreme Court president since Esther Hayut retired from the position in October 2023, leading the court to rule in September last year that the justice minister is obligated to hold a vote to appoint a new president, and then in December gave him a fixed deadline of January 16 to make the appointment after he dragged his feet following the earlier ruling.
Deputy Attorney General Avital Sompolinsky tells Levin that Gotliv’s bill entails “changing the rules of the game during the game” given the pending deadline to appoint a new president, and would also constitute an “abuse of constituent authority” should the Knesset use its power to pass a law in such a manner.
Sompolinsky adds that the legislation would also politicize the process of appointing Supreme Court presidents and undermine the independence of the judiciary, since it would entail the appointment of the head of the judiciary by the legislature.
She also notes that the Supreme Court president has an important role in “appointing, selecting, suspending, and firing judges” which require “independence in carrying out these functions and autonomy from political officials.”
There is a legal impediment to advancing the bill, Sompolinsky concludes.
The bill is thought to have little chance of being advanced regardless, since its submission was not coordinated with Levin and because there is no time to pass it through the legislative process before the court’s deadline on January 16.
Mossad chief said heading to Qatar tomorrow amid reports of ‘decisive day’ today in hostage talks
Mossad chief David Barnea attends a state ceremony marking the anniversary of the Hamas October 7 attack, at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem on October 27, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/FLASH90)
Mossad chief David Barnea is expected to fly to Qatar tomorrow to take part in hostage talks, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.
The news comes as a Palestinian source tells Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that today is a “decisive day” for hostage talks in Doha.
The sides were able to bridge remaining gaps, the anonymous source tells the Qatari outlet, and are now waiting for a decision from Israel after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a security consultation with top ministers at 5 p.m.
An Israeli official calls the report “nonsense.”
“There has been slow progress,” the official tells The Times of Israel.
The focus of the meeting tonight is Lebanon, not the hostages.
Three Israeli sources also tell the Kan public broadcaster that the Al-Araby report is not accurate. There has been some progress over the weekend, but no breakthrough, says Kan.
Police say wanted Palestinian killed during arrest raid near Jenin
Weapons captured from a wanted Palestinian who was killed by Border Police officers in the West Bank town of Meithalun, January 5, 2025. (Israel Police)
Border Police says officers killed a wanted Palestinian gunman during an operation in the West Bank town of Meithalun, close to Jenin.
In a joint operation with the IDF and Shin Bet security agency, police say undercover Border Police officers tried to detain Hassan Rabia’a, who was wanted for involvement in terror activity.
During attempts to arrest Rabia’a in Meithalun, he opened fire on troops while trying to flee. The Border Police officers returned fire, killing him.
Two handguns were found on his body, police say. At Rabia’a’s home, the military says troops seized a hunting rifle, pipe bombs, gun parts, and NIS 96,000 in cash.
Also at Rabia’a’s property, the IDF says troops found an explosives manufacturing lab, which was then demolished.
In a separate operation overnight, the IDF says it seized 20 handguns in a vehicle stopped by troops near Nablus. Nineteen wanted Palestinians were also detained by troops overnight, the military says.
No soldiers were wounded in the operations.
High Court rules state can hold bodies of slain terrorists to be used in hostage negotiations
A court hearing on holding the traditional Yom Kippur prayer in a public space, at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, October 9, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
The High Court of Justice rules unanimously that the state is not obligated to release for burial the bodies of slain terrorists who are Israeli citizens, in light of the state’s position that it may want to exchange those bodies in the framework of an agreement for the return of Israeli hostages and dead being held by Hamas in Gaza.
Six petitions were filed last year to the court against the state by relatives of the slain terrorists arguing that the cabinet’s decision to not release the bodies of their relatives was unlawful, was taken without legal authority, and did “severe and blatant harm” to the dignity of the dead and of their families.
The state argued that negotiations for the release of Israeli hostages and the dead being held by Hamas are “dynamic” and are at a sensitive stage, and that at present “it is not possible to rule out that holding the bodies of these terrorists will be needed for the purpose of [bringing back] the captives and missing.”
Hardline conservative justice David Mintz, who penned the opinion for the three-justice panel, wrote that the court has “the most limited scope” for intervening in government decisions relating to security decisions, and that such intervention is reserved for extreme situations.
Mintz also writes that the military commander has the authority under a 1945 regulation to withhold the release of the bodies of terrorists, and that the court previously ruled in September last year that this applied to Israeli citizens as well.
The judge concluded that the decision not to release the bodies by the government “is a temporary and time-limited decision which is reviewed from time to time by the Cabinet,” and that in light of the “current security reality, the ongoing negotiations and their dynamic nature… we did not find that there was any room for our intervention.”
Palestinian said killed by IDF near Jenin in West Bank
A Palestinian man was shot dead by Israeli forces during a raid in the West Bank on Sunday, the Palestinian Fatah party says in a statement.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Palestinian media says Israeli forces opened fire on the home of a 37-year-old man in a town south of the West Bank city of Jenin.
The body is being held by Israel, the report say.
Coalition yanks Otzma Yehudit bills as far-right party keeps up legislative rebellion
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) with National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir (right) in the Knesset on December 31, 2024 (Chaim Goldberg / Flash 90)
Coalition whip Ofir Katz announces that legislation sponsored by the far-right Otzma Yehudit party will be removed from the Knesset agenda as the party vows to continue voting against the government.
In a statement, Katz says that “until further notice, bills by Otzma Yehudit members who voted against coalition discipline will not receive the coalition’s support and will not be on the agenda.”
Government bills supported by party chairman Itamar Ben Gvir’s National Security Ministry “will be examined on their merits and only urgent bills that concern state security will be passed,” he states.
Katz slams Ben Gvir for his announcement Saturday evening pledging to continue voting against the coalition until his budgetary demands are met.
“It is unthinkable that they would issue an apology and in the same breath promise to continue disrupting the coalition’s work,” Katz declares, referring to the fact that Ben Gvir apologized for not offering offsets to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Likud MK Boaz Bismuth, forcing them to appear for a vote on a critical budget-related bill last week.
Netanyahu had been in the hospital recovering from surgery while Bismuth had been at home observing the seven-day mourning period for his late mother.
In response, Otzma Yehudit says its “ideology has been to never shy away from ‘punishments.'”
“This was the case when we fought against the policy in Gaza even before October 7, this was the case when we changed the conditions of terrorists in prison despite objections, this was the case when we reformed the police, this was exactly how we fought to dismiss the oppositional attorney general, and this will be the case now in the fight against the severe harm done by treasury officials to the Israel Police and the Prison Service and the closure of police stations and civil defense squads. We will continue to fight fearlessly for the people of Israel,” the party states.
Katz warns ceasefire in jeopardy if Hezbollah does not withdraw from south Lebanon
Defense Minister Israel Katz inspects an IDF display of captured Hezbollah weapons at an army base in northern Israel, January 5, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
Defense Minister Israel Katz says that if Hezbollah does not withdraw from southern Lebanon “there will be no agreement,” and Israel will be forced to act.
“Israel is interested in the implementation of the agreement in Lebanon and will continue to enforce it fully and without compromise to ensure the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes,” Katz says during a visit to an IDF base in northern Israel where the military has set up a display of captured Hezbollah weapons.
“But the first condition for the implementation of the agreement is the complete withdrawal of the Hezbollah terror organization beyond the Litani River, the dismantling of all weapons, and the [removal] of the terror infrastructure in the area by the Lebanese army, something that hasn’t happened yet,” he says.
“If this condition is not met, there will be no agreement, and Israel will be forced to act independently to ensure the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes,” Katz adds.
Netanyahu selects Roi Kahlon as acting civil service commissioner despite opposition from AG
Attorney Roi Kahlon (Shelly Padan)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu officially appoints attorney Roi Kahlon as acting civil service commissioner despite opposition from the Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.
In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office praises Kahlon’s “extensive experience in senior management” and said that Netanyahu had found “no gap” between his qualifications and resume.
Baharav-Miara’s office told Netanyahu last week that Kahlon did not meet the criteria for the position. In a position paper, Deputy Attorney General Gil Limon wrote that Kahlon claimed in his resumé to have far greater management experience than he actually has.
However, in announcing he had chosen to go ahead with the appointment, Netanyahu counters that he had “closely monitored his qualifications over the past year, and even received warm recommendations from senior figures in the public service and the law enforcement system.”
“I am certain that attorney Kahlon’s contribution will help strengthen the civil service for the benefit of all Israeli citizens, and I wish him success in his role as acting civil service commissioner,” Netanyahu states.
Netanyahu’s decision to appoint Kahlon came after the government approved a measure last August allowing the prime minister to directly nominate the next commissioner rather than use a search committee.
The measure was opposed by Baharav-Miara, who argued that the plan is illegal and “creates a new situation whereby the prime minister will be able to choose a person he wishes to be appointed to the position who does not have to meet minimum professional threshold conditions of experience, skills or suitability.”
Amid the ongoing legal battle over the issue, the High Court of Justice froze the process for appointing a new permanent civil service commissioner, leaving the government to appoint a temporary placeholder commissioner instead.
Afef Abed becomes only Druze MK in coalition as he replaces Gallant
Abed Afif (l) becomes an MK and is welcomed by Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana after the resignation of Yoav Gallant on January 5, 2025 (Noam Moskowitz/ Knesset Spokesperson)
Afef Abed officially becomes a Likud lawmaker following the resignation of Likud MK Yoav Gallant, which went into effect at 10 a.m. this morning. He is welcomed by Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, who says in a statement that he congratulated the new MK.
Abed, a representative of the Druze minority, received the 44th spot on the Likud list in the 2022 Knesset election. He is the only Druze lawmaker in the governing coalition. He is expected to be sworn in this week.
Palestinian woman tries to stab Israeli civilians who entered West Bank village, no injuries
A Palestinian woman tried to stab Israeli civilians who entered the West Bank village of Dayr Qadis a short while ago, a military source says.
No injuries are reported in the incident, and IDF troops are now surrounding the village amid a pursuit of the suspect.
Troops find weapons caches in Syria border buffer zone
Rockets captured by IDF troops in the Mount Hermon area of Syria, in a handout photo issued on January 5, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
The IDF says troops of the 810th “Mountains” Regional Brigade operating on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon located several caches of weapons.
During “targeted raids,” the IDF says, the troops searched military buildings and strategic positions in the Hermon area, where they found and destroyed mines, explosive devices, anti-tank missiles, rockets, and launchers.
The IDF says its operations inside Syria, in a UN buffer zone, are aimed at strengthening defenses on the border to protect the residents of the Israeli Golan Heights.
Netanyahu to hold security meet with key ministers amid reports of progress in hostage talks
Protesters hold candles and cutout portraits of hostages held captive in Gaza during a demonstration in Tel Aviv on January 4, 2025 (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP)
As talks on a hostage deal get back on track in Doha, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls a small group of ministers to his office in Jerusalem for a security meeting at 5 p.m., an aide to one of the ministers tells The Times of Israel.
The aide would not say whether the topic of the conversation was the hostage issue.
Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, right-wing ministers who have said they would oppose the proposals being floated, will participate, according to Army Radio.
Lapid slams government amid report soldier forced to flee war crimes probe in Brazil
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid leads a faction meeting of his Yesh Atid party at the Knesset in Jerusalem, December 23 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid slams the government after an IDF reservist is reported to have narrowly escaped arrest for alleged war crimes while traveling in South America.
“The fact that an Israeli reservist was forced to flee Brazil in the dead of night to avoid being arrested for fighting in Gaza is a huge political failure by an irresponsible government that simply doesn’t know how to work,” Lapid declares in a statement arguing that a state commission of inquiry into October 7 would have provided Israelis with legal protection.
“It cannot be that IDF soldiers — both regular service and reservists — are afraid to go on a trip abroad for fear of being arrested,” Lapid says.
Following a complaint by the Belgium-based anti-Israel Hind Rajab Foundation, a Brazilian federal court ordered police to investigate if an IDF soldier who was traveling in the country was responsible for “war crimes” in Gaza. The Ynet news site later reported that the soldier had managed to leave Brazil.
Court agrees to cancel Netanyahu testimony for two weeks as he recovers from surgery
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the court room at the Tel Aviv District at the start of the sixth day of his testimony in the corruption trial against him, December 24, 2024. (Moti Milrod/POOL)
The Jerusalem District Court accedes to a request from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s defense attorney to cancel hearings scheduled for the prime minister’s testimony over the next two weeks due to his need to recuperate at home after prostate surgery.
The court says, however, that the defense and prosecution should arrange for another defense witness to give testimony on the days that had been scheduled for Netanyahu’s testimony, noting a comment by the prime minister’s defense attorney in court that he intends to call many defense witnesses to the stand.
The court instructs both sides to inform it of their progress on such arrangements by Tuesday.
Netanyahu underwent surgery under full anesthesia last Sunday to have his prostate removed. His doctors recommended two weeks of rest at home following his discharge from hospital last Thursday.
Houthis claim overnight missile attack targeted power station near Hadera
Brigadier Yahya Saree Qasim, spokesman for Yemen's Houthi group, speaks during a rally denouncing Israel in Sanaa on January 3, 2025.(Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP)
The Houthis in Yemen take responsibility for last night’s ballistic missile launch at Israel, claiming to have targeted the Orot Rabin power plant near Hadera.
It would mark the deepest claimed strike in Israel by the Houthis. Previous attacks by the Houthis have targeted the Tel Aviv area and southern Israel.
The IDF said the missile was successfully intercepted before crossing the country’s borders.
The Iran-backed terror group claims that “the operation successfully achieved its objectives.”
There were no reports of impacts in Israel.
Report: Brazil launches war crimes probe into visiting IDF soldier
IDF soldiers operate in Gaza, in a handout photo issued on December 16, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
A Brazilian federal court has ordered police to investigate if an IDF soldier who was traveling in the South American country was responsible for “war crimes” in Gaza, local media report.
The order came after the anti-Israel Hind Rajab Foundation filed a complaint against the soldier.
The Belgium-based group has filed similar complaints in other countries, including against Israel’s military attaché in Brussels and a soldier traveling in Sri Lanka.
Brazil’s Metrópoles news site says the Foundation supplied 500 pages of evidence including videos and images showing the soldier planting explosives in November, 2024, used to destroy infrastructure and buildings in Gaza.
The report said the court issued an arrest warrant for the Israeli, but it was unclear if he had been detained.
The Ynet news site later reported that the soldier had managed to leave Brazil.
Last month, the IDF reportedly warned dozens of soldiers against traveling abroad, after some 30 soldiers who fought in Gaza had war crimes complaints filed against them.
Soldiers have been identified from videos and images they posted online that were taken during their service in Gaza, even though from the start of the ground operation in the Strip, the IDF instructed troops not to publish such images amid concerns the material could be used against them in war crimes proceedings.
Anti-Israel activists are carefully monitoring the social media accounts of soldiers who have posted such material in case they also publish images from trips abroad, at which point the activists plan to file local charges against them.
Soldiers who are planning to travel abroad are being advised to not post any images that give away their location.
IDF says it hit over 100 targets in Gaza over weekend, killing dozens of Hamas operatives
People inspect the rubble of a collapsed building that was hit by Israeli strikes in the Saraya area in al-Rimal in central Gaza City on January 4, 2025 (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
Over 100 targets were struck in the Gaza Strip over the weekend, killing dozens of Hamas operatives, the IDF says.
The strikes were carried by the Israeli Air Force in a joint effort with the Southern Command, following intelligence provided by the Military Intelligence Directorate and the Shin Bet security agency.
Additionally, the IDF says it struck several rockets launching sites in Gaza over the weekend.
IDF said on high alert for ‘extreme’ Iranian steps against Israel
A cleric walks past Iranian domestically-built missiles as he visits National Aerospace Park of the Revolutionary Guard, just outside Tehran, Iran, November 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi has ordered the military on high alert in case Iran decides to take “extreme” steps against Israel in the coming days, the Walla news site reports.
The report, citing unnamed defense sources, says the caution comes as Iran faces multiple challenges following setbacks in Lebanon and Syria. It also points to Iran’s plunging exchange rate, infrastructure problems and political unrest.
The sources also note the uncertainty for Iran ahead of the return of Donald Trump to the White House later this month.
All this has Israel concerned that Iran could lash out and has the IDF preparing for a variety of scenarios, the report says without elaborating.
Saudi report claims progress in Doha hostage-ceasefire talks
Saudi-based news outlet al-Arabiya reports that Gaza ceasefire and hostage release talks in Qatar saw progress over the weekend, with unnamed sources telling the station that the sides may be able to clinch agreements on all remaining outstanding issues as early as this week.
The report, which is also carried in Saudi Arabia’s al-Hadath news outlet, claims that the Hamas terror group showed flexibility on Israeli demands regarding hostages held in the Strip for nearly 15 months.
Israel dispatched a mid-level team to Doha for talks on Friday, but a senior Israeli official told Axios that Israel and Hamas remained at an impasse over almost all topics being negotiated, including the Israel Defense Forces’ presence in the Netzarim and Philadelphi corridors, the Israeli demand to deport some Palestinian security prisoners released in the deal, the frequency at which hostages will be released, and the start date of negotiations over the deal’s second stage.
One of the main sticking points is Hamas’s refusal to hand over a list of hostages it would release in the deal’s first stage. This stage is supposed to see the release of women, men over the age of 50, and men under the age of 50 in serious medical condition.
The Israeli official said that the negotiations were advancing very slowly but also expressed optimism that talks could succeed.
“All remaining gaps can be bridged. We want to do this and reach a deal, and we believe the other side wants to as well,” the Israeli official said.
The officials told Axios there is “cautious optimism” that a deal could be reached in the coming weeks, particularly because of increased pressure on Hamas from Qatari and Egyptian mediators, along with threats from Trump, who has warned there will be “all hell to pay” if the hostages are not released by his inauguration.
South Koreans face off over impeached leader Yoon in snowy Seoul
Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol attend a Sunday service as they gather to oppose his impeachment near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP/Ahn Young-joon)
Thousands in Seoul are braving heavy snow to rally for and against arresting impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, as South Korea’s political crisis appears headed toward another high-stakes confrontation.
With an arrest warrant against Yoon for alleged insurrection expiring at midnight on Monday, multiple groups hold demonstrations near his official residence, some urging his immediate arrest and others protesting against it.
Yoon became the country’s first sitting president to face arrest over his botched attempt to declare martial law on December 3, which triggered political chaos engulfing Asia’s fourth-largest economy and a key US ally.
On Friday, criminal investigators were blocked from arresting him by Yoon’s presidential security service and military troops in a six-hour standoff.
Some of Sunday’s protesters had gathered overnight in downtown Seoul, where temperatures fell below -5 degrees Celsius (23 degrees Fahrenheit). More than five centimeters (2 inches) of snow have piled up in parts of the capital, which is under a heavy snow warning.
“We have to reestablish the foundation of our society by punishing the president who has denied the constitution,” says Yang Kyung-soo, leader of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, a major labor group taking part in the protests. “We must bring down the criminal Yoon Suk Yeol and arrest and detain him as soon as possible.”
Nearby, Yoon supporters hold placards reading “We will fight for President Yoon Suk Yeol” and “Stop the Steal,” a phrase popularised by US President-elect Donald Trump’s supporters after he lost the 2016 election.
Similar rallies drew tens of thousands on Saturday, prompting police to try to disperse protesters occupying roads and disrupting traffic. Two were detained, accused of assaulting police officers, Yonhap news agency reported.
On Saturday, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, which leads Yoon’s criminal investigation, again asked acting President Choi Sang-mok, the finance minister, to order the security service to comply with the arrest warrant.
Jewish indie director Jeff Baena found dead at LA home
Jeff Baena arrives at the premiere of "Spin Me Round," Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022, at The London in West Hollywood, Calif. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
Independent film director Jeff Baena was found dead Friday morning at a Los Angeles home, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office says. He was 47.
The Jewish Baena was married to actress Aubrey Plaza, who starred in four of his five films, including the 2014 zombie rom-com “Life After Beth,” which revolved around a woman with a Jewish family who rises from the dead. His next movie, “Joshy,” also involved Jewish characters.
“I wanted to explore the way upper-middle class Jewish men in their early to mid 30’s articulate their feelings in the face of tragedy using primarily Jewish actors and actresses after having explored the way upper-middle class Jewish men in their early 20’s articulate their feelings in the face of tragedy using primarily non-Jewish actors and actresses,” he told Borrowingtape.com in 2016.
The son of an attorney and teacher, Baena grew up in Miami and attended film school at New York University. He told podcaster Marc Maron in a 2017 interview that his interest in cinema was sparked after watching Stanley Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange” and Federico Fellini’s “8 1/2” as a child.
The circumstances of Baena’s death remain unclear. The office says it is investigating and a full report will not be available until the case is closed.
A representative for Plaza said that in addition to Plaza, Baena is survived by his mother, Barbara Stern, stepfather Roger Stern, father Scott Baena, stepmother Michele Baena, brother Brad Baena and stepsiblings Bianca Gabay and Jed Fluxman.
Mourners pay respects to Jimmy Carter as casket arrives at Presidential Center
The Guard of Honor surrounds the flag-draped casket of former President Jimmy Carter as he lies in repose at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP/Alex Brandon, Pool)
Former US president Jimmy Carter’s flag-draped casket has arrived at the Carter Center in Atlanta, where he will lie in repose until Tuesday ahead of a state funeral for the Nobel Prize laureate later in the week.
An extended public farewell for Carter, who died December 29 at age 100, began Saturday by tracing his long arc from the Depression-era South and family farming business to the pinnacle of American political power and decades as a global humanitarian.
Carter arrives for his last visit to the Atlanta-based Carter Presidential Center from the Georgia Capitol where Carter served as a state senator and reformist governor.
Carter’s children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren accompanied their patriarch earlier as his hearse began its journey through his hometown of Plains, which at about 700 residents is not much bigger than when Carter was born there October 1, 1924. The procession also stopped at the farm where the future president toiled alongside the Black sharecroppers who worked for his father, before continuing to Atlanta.
“It’s amazing what you can cram into a hundred years,” says grandson Jason Carter, who now chairs the center’s governing board.
Jason Carter, former President Jimmy Carter’s grandson: "His legacy will live on not only because of the millions of people he touched across the globe," but because of the tireless work of the Carter Center employees.
Read more: https://t.co/r2F3o50bOF pic.twitter.com/4vHhRMoke1
— ABC News (@ABC) January 4, 2025
Pallbearers include members of the Secret Service that protected the Carters for almost a half-century and a military honor guard that included Navy servicemembers for the only US Naval Academy graduate to reach the Oval Office. A military band plays “Hail to the Chief” and the hymn “Be Thou My Vision” for the commander in chief who also was a devout Baptist.
Carter will lie in repose at the Carter Presidential Center, which houses his presidential library and The Carter Center, where he based his post-White House advocacy for public health, democracy and human rights, until 6 a.m. Tuesday, with the public able to pay respects around the clock.
NPS employees, based out of Sumter County, Ga., salute the hearse carrying the flag-draped casket of former President Jimmy Carter as the motorcade stops in front of the Boyhood Farm, where President Carter grew up, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Plains, Ga. (Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool)
His body will then be moved to the Capitol, where it will lie in repose until a Thursday funeral at the Washington National Cathedral, followed by a return to Plains. There, the former president will be buried next to his wife of 77 years near the home they built before his first state Senate campaign in 1962.
Scott Lyle, an engineer who grew up in Georgia but now lives in New York, was among the first mourners to pay his respects. Lyle said he joined Carter to build homes with Habitat for Humanity for the first time in LaGrange, Georgia, in 2003. Since then, he has traveled around the world to build houses with the group.
“I got to see, what some people don’t get to see, close. He was an amazing man, and he cared about others. He walked the walk,” says Scott Lyle, an engineer who volunteered with Habitat for Humanity alongside Carter and was among the first to pay his respects. “And I can’t think of anyone else that I would want to stand in line to pay my respects for.”
Reports claim American, UK forces attacking Houthis
Reports in Arabic media say American and British forces are carrying out strikes in Yemen.
According to the reports, three rounds of strikes are carried out in Saada, a city in Yemen’s mountainous northwest controlled by the Houthi rebel group.
There is no confirmation from the US or British militaries.
The reported strikes come hours after a ballistic missile was launched at Israel from Yemen, according to the Israel Defense Forces, which said the projectile was intercepted before reaching Israeli territory.
On Telegram, a spokesperson for the Houthis says the attacks will continue until fighting in Gaza ends, without taking direct responsibility for the missile launch.
Blinken discusses hostage negotiations with Egyptian foreign minister
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a phone call with his Egyptian counterpart earlier today to discuss the ongoing hostage negotiations that Cairo is helping mediate along with the US and Qatar between Israel and Hamas, the State Department says, without providing any additional information.
The US readout says Blinken and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty also discussed efforts to advance a peaceful post-Assad transition in Syria.
Qatar has been hosting delegations from Israel and Hamas for talks over the weekend, in an apparent sign that Doha is taking the lead in this round of talks.
IDF confirms missile from Yemen shot down before reaching Israel
The IDF confirms that a ballistic missile launched at Israel from Yemen was successfully intercepted by air defenses.
The military says the missile was shot down before reaching Israeli territory.
Sirens had sounded in the town of Talmei Elazar, close to Hadera, amid the incident.
The IDF says the sirens were activated there “according to protocol.”
Unlike previous Houthi attacks, sirens were not triggered across wide areas of the country, apparently indicating that fragments from the interception had not been projected to reach Israel.
Video shows apparent interception of Houthi missile
Footage posted to social media shows fragments falling following an apparent successful interception of a ballistic missile fired at Israel from Yemen.
Unlike previous Houthi attacks, sirens were not triggered across wide areas of the country, which likely indicates the interception debris in this case was not projected to hit Israel.
Sirens had only sounded in the town of Talmei Elazar, south of Haifa.
The IDF has not yet provided further details.
Footage posted to social media shows fragments falling following an apparent successful interception of a Houthi ballistic missile fired at Israel. pic.twitter.com/B9Znw3T2Sj
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) January 4, 2025
Explosions reported in central Israel amid apparent missile attack
Residents in several areas of central Israel report hearing a number of explosions.
The blasts, which are heard in a number of suburbs of Tel Aviv as well as further away, come after sirens sounded near Hadera amid an apparent ballistic missile attack from Yemen.
It is unclear if the explosions are from interception attempts.
There is no immediate comment from the military.
Video circulated on social media appears to show shrapnel streaking toward the ground.
ירי טיל בליסטי מתימן לעבר מרכז הארץ, התרעות צבע אדום נשמעו באזור חדרה.
הערבים מדווחים על פיצוץ עז שנשמע בעיר טול-כרם, לא ברור האם מדובר ביירוט. pic.twitter.com/ZCx5Pjel3z
— מה חדש. What's new❓ (@Gloz111) January 4, 2025
Sirens sound amid apparent Houthi missile attack
Sirens are sounding in the central town of Talmei Elazar, close to Hadera.
The siren comes amid an apparent ballistic missile launch at Israel from Yemen.
The IDF says it is investigating.
State Department confirms plan for $8 billion arms sale to Israel
The State Department confirms a report that it has informally notified Congress of an $8 billion arms sale to Israel.
The sale includes munitions for fighter jets and attack helicopters alongside artillery shells, a source familiar with the matter tells The Times of Israel, confirming a report in the Axios news site.
“Some production and delivery of these munitions cases can be fulfilled through current US stock, while the majority will take upwards of a year to several years to deliver,” the source says.
US President Joe Biden “has made clear Israel has a right to defend its citizens, consistent with international law and international humanitarian law, and to deter aggression from Iran and its proxy organizations,” the source continues.
“We will continue to provide the capabilities necessary for Israel’s defense,” they add.
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