July 13: Trump shot in ear at rally; incident said probed as assassination attempt

How it happened: A timeline of the events onstage as Trump was injured

Republican US presidential candidate former president Donald Trump is covered by US Secret Service agents on stage after being shot in his ear at a campaign rally, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

As Donald Trump was talking at a Pennsylvania campaign rally, a popping sound was heard, and the former US president put his right hand up to his right ear. People in the stands behind him appeared shocked.

Trump appeared to lower himself behind the lectern and the sounds — apparent gunshots — continued as Secret Service agents rushed the stage.

Trump’s microphone picked up the sound of people yelling “Get down, get down, get down” while at least three agents piled on top of him.

The apparent gunshot sound was heard again several times while agents were on him. People in the crowd screamed.

Someone’s voice was heard through the microphone asking “Are we good?” as Secret Service agents in tactical gear stood on the stage, some looking out to the crowd.

A voice was heard saying, “Shooter’s down.” Then a voice said, “We’re clear” and “Let’s move.”

Agents stood up, surrounding Trump. As they moved with him off the stage, Trump lifted his right arm and fist into the air. Blood was seen on the right side of his face.

Official: Trump grazed by gunfire, audience member at rally killed, shooter dead as well

Donald Trump was grazed by a bullet while onstage at a campaign rally, Butler county district attorney Richard Goldinger says in a phone interview.

He adds that the suspected gunman is dead and at least one rally attendee was killed, with another seriously injured.

Prayers and concerns for Trump come from allies and rivals alike

North Dakota Senator Doug Burgum, Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Ohio Senator JD Vance, the three men on Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump’s shortlist for vice president, all quickly send out statements expressing concern for the former president after he is injured from apparent gunshots at a rally.

Rubio shares an image taken as Trump was escorted off stage with his fist in the air and a streak of blood on his face along with the words, “God protected President Trump.”

God protected President Trump pic.twitter.com/96UKVdjF3A

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) July 13, 2024

“I am horrified by what happened at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania and relieved that former President Trump is safe. Political violence has no place in our country,” says Senator Chuck Schumer in a statement.

“We should all condemn what happened today and I am hoping for the health of the former president and everyone else at the rally,” Democratic Senator Chris Murphy posts on the social platform X.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries says in a post on X that his “thoughts and prayers are with former President Trump” and expresses thanks “for the decisive law enforcement response.”

Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., posts a photo of Trump, his fist raised and his face bloody in front of an American flag, with the words: “He’ll never stop fighting to Save America ” on the social platform X.

Republican Jewish Coalition slams ‘attempted assassination’ of Trump

The Republican Jewish Coalition condemns the “attempted assassination of [US] President Donald Trump” as an “abomination.”

“Violence has absolutely no place in our politics,” it says in a statement, thanking the Secret Service, law enforcement and medical personnel for their “swift response.”

“We pray for refuah shlema — a complete recovery and healing — for President Trump,” it says, adding that he’ll “return stronger and more determined.”

Netanyahu ‘shocked by apparent attack’ on Trump; Ben Gvir, Smotrich send well-wishes

Then-US president Donald Trump (right) with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before Trump's departure to Rome at the Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, on May 23, 2017. (Kobi Gideon/GPO via Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweets that he and his wife “were shocked by the apparent attack on President [Donald] Trump,” after the former US leader and current Republican candidate was injured by apparent gunshots at a rally.

“We pray for his safety and speedy recovery,” he adds.

Trump’s campaign and the US Secret Service have said Trump is doing fine.

Sara and I were shocked by the apparent attack on President Trump. We pray for his safety and speedy recovery.

— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) July 13, 2024

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir writes “God bless Trump,” adding a heart emoji.

God Bless Trump ❤️

— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) July 13, 2024

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich tweets: “Praying from The Holy Land for President Trump.”

Praying from The Holy Land for President Trump. 🇮🇱🇺🇸

— בצלאל סמוטריץ' (@bezalelsm) July 13, 2024

Trump’s campaign says he is ‘fine,’ being examined at medical facility

Republican US presidential candidate former president Donald Trump is helped off the stage at a campaign event after apparently being shot in his ear, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Donald Trump’s campaign says in a statement that he is “fine” after being whisked off the stage at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania after apparent gunshots rang through the crowd.

“President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act,” spokesman Steven Cheung says in a statement. “He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility. More details will follow.”

US Secret Service says Trump ‘safe,’ investigation ongoing into apparent shooting at rally

Republican US presidential candidate former president Donald Trump is surrounded by US Secret Service agents at a campaign rally after apparently being shot in his ear, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

A spokesperson for the US Secret Service says former president and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump is safe and protective measures have been implemented around him, after he was apparently shot in his ear at a campaign rally in Pennsylvia and whisked offstage.

“This is now an active Secret Service investigation and further information will be released when available,” the Secret Service says in a post on X.

https://x.com/SecretSvcSpox/status/1812256378616201726

Trump injured, evacuated from rally in Pennsylvania as sounds of multiple shots heard

Republican US presidential candidate former president Donald Trump is helped off the stage at a campaign event after apparently being shot in his ear, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Multiple shots ring out at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania, with the Republican presidential candidate raising a fist as he is escorted to a vehicle by the US Secret Service, footage from event shows.

Video and images appear to show blood on his ear and armed law enforcement officers are then seen on a roof near the stage where Trump was standing.

TRUMP WAS JUST SHOT ON LIVE TV

Please stop what you're doing and pray pic.twitter.com/jlYtCeRe3O

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) July 13, 2024

Trump survived. God bless this man. pic.twitter.com/3d1hIIILul

— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) July 13, 2024

Trump is then bundled into an SUV and driven away.

“We saw a lot of people go down, looking confused. I heard the shots, it sounded like between firecrackers and a small caliber handgun,” says John Yeykal from Franklin, Pennsylvania, who was attending his first Trump rally.

US President Joe Biden says he has not been briefed on the reported shooting, speaking to reporters as he walks out of church in Delaware.

Hamas leader claims Israel trying to avert ceasefire via ‘heinous massacres’ in Gaza

Ismail Haniyeh, the Qatar-based leader of Hamas, during a visit in Tehran, May 22, 2024. (Iranian Supreme Leader's Website / AFP)

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of seeking to block a ceasefire in the war in Gaza with alleged “heinous massacres” carried out by Israeli forces, a statement by the Palestinian terror group says.

The head of the political bureau of the group calls on international mediators to act following two strikes in Gaza — one of which targeted Hamas’s military wing chief Muhammad Deif and another senior commander — that Hamas officials have claimed killed more than 100 people, without differentiating between combatants and civilians. The IDF says it targeted a fenced-off Hamas compound within the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone in its strike at Deif, and that dozens of Hamas gunmen were there.

The Hamas statement says Haniyeh contacted officials in Qatar and Egypt, which are seeking to mediate in the war set off by Hamas’s October 7 massacre, as well as Oman and Turkey to discuss the “brutal massacres.”

He claims Hamas has shown “a positive and responsible response” to new proposals for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange, but “the Israeli position taken by Netanyahu was to place obstacles that prevent reaching an agreement,” according to the Hamas statement.

Haniyeh also denounces comments made by Netanyahu as well as “new conditions and points” in the ceasefire proposal, which was first outlined by US President Joe Biden in late May.

“This is also linked to the heinous massacres committed by the occupation army today,” he is quoted as contending.

Haniyeh calls on the mediators “to do what is necessary with the American administration and others to stop these massacres.” Qatar and Egypt have both condemned the Israeli strikes.

The statement says Haniyeh will hold more contacts.

Pentagon says Gallant briefed US defense secretary hours after strike on Hamas’s Deif

File: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (L) and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant give a joint press conference in Tel Aviv on December 18, 2023. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP)

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant briefed US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Israel’s military operations in Gaza in a call hours after the IDF carried out a major airstrike in Gaza targeting Hamas military wing chief Muhammad Deif, the Pentagon says.

Gallant and Austin “reaffirmed the shared goals of ensuring the enduring defeat of Hamas and securing the release of all hostages, and [Austin] emphasized the importance of taking all necessary steps to minimize civilian harm,” the US readout says.

The Israeli strike killed 90 and wounded 300, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry. The figures haven’t been verified and they don’t differentiate between civilians and combatants.

The IDF says it targeted a fenced-off Hamas compound within the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone, and that dozens of Hamas gunmen were there.

IDF says fighter jets struck Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon

Israeli fighter jets struck a series of Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon in the past hour, the IDF says.

The targets included a rocket launcher in Rab al-Thalathine, used in an attack on Kiryat Shmona earlier; infrastructure in Ayta ash-Shab; an observation post in Odaisseh, infrastructure in Kafr Kila; and a building and other infrastructure in Houla, according to the military.

Hanegbi, Dermer to hold strategic dialogue meetings at White House this week

National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer will hold meetings of its forum for strategic dialogue at the White House at the start of the week, the Prime Minister’s Office says in a statement.

Security and diplomatic officials from the US and Israel will take part in the meeting, the statement reads.

Egyptian officials: Truce-hostage talks frozen until Israel shows it is serious

CAIRO, Egypt — Gaza hostage-truce talks have been halted after three days of intense negotiations failed to produce a viable outcome, two Egyptian security sources say, blaming Israel for lacking a genuine intent to reach an agreement.

The sources, who speak to Reuters on condition of anonymity, say that the behavior of the Israeli mediators revealed “internal discord.”

According to the sources, the Israeli delegation would give approvals on several conditions under discussion, but then come back with amendments or introduce new conditions that risked sinking the negotiations.

The sources say the mediators viewed the “contradictions, delays in responses, and the introduction of new terms contrary to what was previously agreed” as signs the Israeli side viewed the talks as a formality aimed at influencing public opinion.

The Ynet news site later reported that the Israeli negotiating team has not been updated on such a move.

Additionally, Hamas is awaiting a response from mediators on proposals introduced to Israel, the group’s deputy leader Khalil Al-Hayya tells Al Jazeera TV.

Asked about firing Gallant, PM says he doesn’t fire ministers; does not endorse state inquiry into Oct. 7

Asked whether he chose not to inform the Americans ahead of today’s strike because they might oppose it, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu laughs off the notion. “I don’t see it that way.”

He says the Americans “know our policy” — presumably regarding terrorism — and “it’s their policy too.”

“Why take the risk of something leaking out? he asks.

In a second, he notes, Muhammad Deif and his deputy would have disappeared back underground.

He says Israel informs its friends when needed.

Asked about Defense Minister Gallant’s call for a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 catastrophe, Netanyahu says there have long been calls for all kinds of inquiries. He reiterates that “the time for this is at the end of the war.” He does not specify what kind of probe he would favor at that time.

“We are at a critical stage of the war… We are approaching victory… We are capable of pulverizing these terrorists and achieving a historic victory for Israel.” He derides “defeatism” over the possibility of this victory. And he notes concerns about the “development” of other areas of conflict.

Therefore, he says, this is not the time for IDF officers to be hiring lawyers. He notes that the IDF even opposed the State Comptroller’s planned probe of October 7 — rightly so, he says. “We need to wait for the end of the war and then do these examinations. We are in the midst of an action, a successful one, we’re moving forward to victory, we don’t need to stop it by arming ourselves with lawyers.”

Asked about reports he intends to fire Gallant, who he fired in March 2023 amid disputes over the judicial overhaul, Netanyahu says: “I don’t fire ministers. I seek to work together. And so long as there is trust, we can work together. That’s all that’s relevant, in my opinion.”

He dismisses claims that his office may have sought to change protocols and minutes of cabinet discussions during the war as “a lie” and says it’s impossible. Everything is “transcribed and recorded,” he says.

Asked about his son Yair’s social media posts attacking IDF and Shin Bet chiefs, harming national unity, he says he loves his son, who is an independent person.

He then accuses the media of fostering disunity, “always saying there need to be more demonstrations, we need to act against the government, we need elections… Most of the outlets are engaged in this campaign. You know it. I know it. Don’t play innocent…. I agree with you: We need to seek unity.”

Asked why he only makes public appearances on days of success like today, not failure, he says the question is part of “the ugly campaign” that also falsely claims he doesn’t meet the families of hostages, of bereaved families. “Terrible things” are said about him, he says.

“I appear when it’s good, or bad, when I think there are important things to be said.”

It was important for him to appear today, even when the results of the operation are not definitively known, to underline the determination to eliminate the Hamas leadership — to tell the world, and Hamas.

Next week, he says, he’ll give Israel’s message, too, in the US Congress.

Finally, it is put to Netanyahu that he hasn’t met with the residents of Kibbutz Be’eri and other communities targeted on October 7.

“That’s not so,” he says, adding that he’s met with families “from all those communities” — including the families of hostages from there.

Work is underway to rehabilitate those communities, he says.

Netanyahu concludes the press conference.

Hamas deputy chief denies Muhammad Deif killed in Gaza strike

CAIRO, Egypt — Hamas leader Muhammad Deif was not killed in an Israeli attack on Khan Younis in southern Gaza, the group’s deputy leader Khalil Al-Hayya tells Al Jazeera TV.

“We say to [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu that Muhammad Deif is listening to you right now and mocking your lies,” Al-Hayya says.

Anti-government protesters block 2 streets in Tel Aviv

Anti-government protestors block the Habima Junction in Tel Aviv, July 13, 2024. (Barak Dor/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

Anti-government protesters block Dizengoff Street in Tel Aviv and Habima Junction, where they light flares as police monitor the situation.

The unlicensed road blockages in Tel Aviv coincide with a similar action in Jerusalem at around 10:00 p.m. as demonstrators begin leaving the weekly anti-government rally on Tel Aviv’s Kaplan Street. Thousands peel off from that licensed gathering and march westward without permission for a demonstration. A third group marches toward the Likud headquarters in Tel Aviv on King George Street.

Traffic on the Ayalon Highway, which is frequently blocked in unauthorized protests including last week, remains unaffected.

The Kaplan Street protest and its offshoots are among dozens of rallies held across Israel, including in Jerusalem, Caesarea, Haifa, Beersheba, Herzliya, and Ra’anana, where protesters block Road 4.

The protesters are demanding an early election, the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and that his government deliver a deal with Hamas for the return of dozens of Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

Hundreds block Jerusalem intersection in support of hostage deal

Protesters demanding a hostage deal block an intersection in Jerusalem on July 13, 2024. (Charlie Summers/Times of Israel)

Hundreds of protesters are blocking a major intersection in Jerusalem following a rally of thousands calling for a hostage deal outside the Prime Minister’s Office.

Police brought out a water cannon and mounted officers, though they have not yet intervened in the demonstration.

Although the majority of the protesters, many of whom came from outside Jerusalem, have since taken shuttles and buses back home, the city’s local protest groups remain.

“We won’t abandon them!” shout demonstrators to the beat of drums while sitting on the pavement.

Egypt calling on Israel to not sabotage hostage talks by making fresh demands

CAIRO, Egypt — Egypt has called on Israel not to obstruct the ongoing Gaza truce and hostage deal negotiations by putting forward new principles that contradict what has been agreed upon, Egypt’s Al Qahera News TV reports, citing a senior source.

Israel is wasting time in formal meetings to lure Israeli public opinion away from reaching a deal, the source adds.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

PM: There’s ‘still a way to go before victory’; when there’s a good hostage deal, cabinet will approve it

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, still delivering prepared remarks, tells the families of the hostages: “Beloved families of the hostages, I know how much you are suffering from the uncertainty. But … we are not giving up on anyone. I am not giving up on anyone. We will do everything to bring back everyone. If we stick by these principles we will get an agreement in which we get back our hostages, the living, and the deceased, and we will be able to continue the war until victory.”

He also tells residents of the north that he admires their resilience, and that “one way or another” they will be able to return home in full security “that will last not a few days or months, but for generations.”

There’s still “a way to go before victory,” he says. “Days of fighting and difficulty” still lie ahead. “But with God’s help, we will win,” he says.

Taking questions, Netanyahu denies that his last press conference was over 100 days ago, recalling that he took questions from military reporters more recently.

He says Israel’s intelligence clearly indicated that there were no hostages in the areas of the strike today.

“Do you know why there is progress [in the hostage negotiations]?” he asks.

“For months there was no progress because the military pressure was not strong enough. And I thought that, for a hostage deal and for the victory over Hamas, we have to go into Rafah.

“There was massive international pressure not to go into Rafah. There was American pressure not to go into Rafah. There was a reduction in the supply of weapons, to put it mildly. And I said, my friend President Biden, we have no choice. We will go into Rafah. I will go into Rafah. Because if we leave Hamas there, we won’t get either the hostages or beat Hamas. And if Hamas will return and take control over all of Gaza, then what will we have achieved? Another round of fighting with hundreds of dead.”

He continues: “And we entered Rafah, we conquered the Philadelphi corridor, we conquered the Rafah crossing, we killed 900 terrorists, we killed in other sectors hundreds of terrorists of the Strip, and all of a sudden things begin to move.”

Hamas, he says, “wanted that, already in the first phase of the proposal, we would promise that the war would end in the second phase — apart from a certain discussion on the ratio of security prisoners and hostages. And I said: No.”

He adds: “The combination of the military pressure – which came because of my insistence to go in [to Rafah] — and believe me there were differences of opinion if to go in against the Americans; [people said] we are dependent on the Americans, these were legitimate arguments, I thought differently.

“We went in, and there were people who said we don’t need to insist on the end of the war, all of a sudden they are changing [their position].

“So I say the opposite: If there is any progress, if there are changes in the position, it is because of the strong military pressure and the firm insistence on our conditions.”

Therefore, he says, he rejects the claims that he is delaying or preventing a deal, or hardening his stance. “It’s the absolute opposite.”

When there is a good deal, he says, he will bring it for cabinet approval “and it will pass.”

If Israel does not insist on the conditions he has set out, the deaths of hundreds of soldiers in the war will have been in vain.

Four soldiers hurt, one seriously, by shrapnel from rocket interception in north

Four IDF soldiers were wounded, one seriously, as a result of falling shrapnel following a rocket interception over the northern city of Kiryat Shmona this evening, the military says.

According to the IDF, some 15 rockets were launched from Lebanon in the attack. Most of them were shot down by the Iron Dome air defense system.

As a result of falling shrapnel, one soldier was seriously wounded, another was moderately hurt, and two more sustained light injuries, the IDF says.

The soldiers, all women, were taken to a hospital.

Another eight rockets were fired at Kiryat Shmona a short while after the barrage that wounded the soldiers, the IDF says. No injuries were caused in the second attack.

Meanwhile, the IDF says it struck a Hezbollah field commander in southern Lebanon’s Kfar Tebnit, in the Nabatiyeh District.

Thousands rally for hostage deal outside PM’s office after 4-day march

Thousands of protesters outside the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem demonstrate in support of a hostage deal on July 13, 2024. (Charlie Summers/Times of Israel)

Many thousands are demonstrating for a hostage deal outside the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem.

The massive rally comes after a group of hostage families and their supporters staged a four-day march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, having entered the capital earlier today.

Einav Zangauker, one of the march leaders, accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “time after time, trying to separate me from Matan,” her 24-year-old son held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.

She tells the crowd that she is talking to members of Israel’s negotiating team and knows that “we are close” to reaching a deal.

“We deserve better leadership that takes responsibility,” she continues. “The hostages, too, deserve to hug their mothers and fathers.”

Protesters accuse Netanyahu of ‘finishing hostages’ at weekly anti-government rallies

Protesters in Tel Aviv calling for an immediate deal to free hostages in Gaza carry a banner reading, 'Netanyahu is finishing the hostages,' July 13, 2024. (Aviv Atlas/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

Carrying a bus-sized banner that reads: “Netanyahu is finishing the hostages,” protesters on Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv join thousands demonstrating there against the government.

The rally this evening is one of the dozens of weekly demonstrations that are occurring across the country, calling for early elections, the replacement of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government, and calls for them to make a deal with Hamas to retrieve dozens of Israeli hostages believed to be held in Gaza.

Thousands are rallying also around the prime minister’s official residence in Jerusalem and near his private one in Caesarea. Other cities with anti-government protests include Haifa, where hundreds marched from the Carmel Center to the Horev Center, Beersheba and Herzliya.

Between Ra’anana and Kfar Saba, protesters block Road 4 at the Ra’anana Junction as police warn them to move or face crowd dispersal means and arrests.

An Israeli team is currently negotiating with Hamas for the release of some hostages in exchange for a temporary ceasefire and the release of many Palestinian prisoners, among other Hamas objectives.

PM: I’ve not budged a millimeter from our proposal for a deal, but Hamas sought to make 29 changes

The war will only end when all of Israel’s aims have been achieved, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterates, stressing: “We cannot give up on this victory.”

He says, “Many ask ‘when will this war finish’ and my response is clear and unambiguous. It will finish only when obtain all the goals of the war and not one moment before. Victory will be achieved when we eliminate the governance and military capabilities of Hamas, when we return all our hostages home, when we ensure that Gaza won’t be a threat to Israel anymore and when we return our residents in the south and north safely to their homes. That is total victory, that is the victory which will restore Israeli deterrence and send the message to all our enemies that the price for harming us is intolerable for them.”

In recent weeks, he says, “we are seeing clear cracks in Hamas, under the powerful blows we are dealing it. We are seeing changes, we are seeing weakness.

Today’s strike will contribute to this, he says, “whatever the results turn out to be.”

“Hamas commanders are hiding underground, they are cut off from their forces on the ground. The Gazan population is understanding more and more the size of the catastrophe that Hamas — which many of them supported — brought upon them.”

He adds: “We will continue to strike the terrorists with unprecedented power until they are totally eliminated. Our forces are advancing all across Gaza, in Rafah, in Khan Younis, in Shajayia, in the Philadelphi Corridor. We are reaching every place from where the terrorists came on October 7, we are getting there, we are fighting, and we are winning.

Turning to the 120 hostages, Netanyahu says they are foremost in Israel’s thinking, and that “we have a moral obligation to return them all home.”

So far, 135 have been returned, thanks to the combination of military pressure and determined diplomatic positions, he says. “Only through this double pressure will we secure the release of all the remaining hostages.

Responding to what he says are “endless briefings from anonymous sources,” Netanyahu says: “I’ve not moved a millimeter from the proposal that President Biden praised. I don’t add conditions. And I don’t remove conditions. But I also don’t let Hamas move a millimeter.

“You should know: Hamas wanted to introduce 29 changes to the proposal. And I said to the negotiating team and to the Americans: Not so much as a single change.”

He adds, nonetheless, that “within the framework of this proposal,” he is insisting on four “fundamental” conditions that are contained in the proposal.

Repeating the terms he spelled out on Thursday, he specifies that these are: Israel’s right to “continue the war” until all its goals are achieved; to prevent weapons smuggling from Egypt — which requires “our ongoing control on the Philadelphi Route and Rafah Crossing”; to prevent the return of armed terrorists and weapons to northern Gaza; and, finally, to return as many living hostages as possible “already in the first phase of the proposal.”

Far-right ministers laud Deif strike, say it proves need to continue Gaza op

Far-right ministers praise today’s strike targeting Hamas’s military chief Muhammad Deif and says it proves the need to continue the war, instead of reaching a ceasefire with the terror group.

“Congratulations to the prime minister, defense minister, the IDF, and Shin Bet. Now is not the time to take the foot off Sinwar’s neck,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich writes on X, referencing Hamas’s leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar.

“Continue to pressure them until they surrender or are eliminated,” he adds.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir writes that “if there was a ceasefire — the operation would not have happened.”

“The positive trend must continue: the increase of military pressure, and the continuation of the crushing of Hamas, of all its leaders and members, until it is completely defeated. Until victory,” he posts on X.

Netanyahu: Strike on Deif was possible because we rebuffed pressure for premature end to war

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at his press conference, says that today’s opportunity and others to act against terrorists is possible due to excellent intelligence and operational work, and due to another reason… : Because we rejected pressure at home and abroad to finish the war before achieving all its aims.”

He continues: At the beginning of the war I set a principle: The Hamas murderers are dead men. From the first to the last. We will bring them to justice. Eliminating Hamas leaders advances the achievement of all our goals: Eliminating Hamas, freeing our hostages, removing the [potential future] threat of Gaza from Israel, and it also advances our goals in relation to other fronts. It sends a message of deterrence to all of Iran’s proxies and to Iran itself.

He says Israel has been facing an existential threat since October 7 — not only the Iranian nuclear threat — but Tehran’s effort to build a stranglehold surrounding Israel.

“Iran is threatening to strangle us with a choking ring of terror and missile fire from Iran, Hezbollah, Houthis, the militias in Syria and Iraq, and other fronts,” he says.

“Victory over Hamas is the first and critical condition for victory over Iran’s entire axis, the entire axis of evil.

Netanyahu: ‘Not absolutely certain’ that Deif killed, but Israel will get to all Hamas leaders

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says it “is not absolutely certain” that Hamas terror chief Muhammad Deif and his deputy Rafa’a Salameh were eliminated in today’s IDF strike in Gaza.

But “one way or another,” he promises, Israel will eliminate all of the Hamas leadership.

Speaking at a press conference at the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu says he approved the strike once he was satisfied that there were no hostages in the area, and once he had received satisfactory information on the likely extent of the collateral damage and the nature of the munitions to be used.

“The State of Israel, through the IDF and the Shin Bet, attacked in Gaza with the goal of eliminating Muhamamed Deif and his deputy Rafah Salameh,” he begins.

“It is still not absolutely certain if the two were taken out, but I want to promise you that one way or another we will get to the entire Hamas leadership. Muhammed Deif is the arch-murderer, the Hamas chief of staff, number two in the chain of command. Deif is the architect and leader of the massacre on October 7, and of many other terror attacks. His hands are dripping in the blood of many Israelis.

“Last night at midnight, when the head of the Shin Bet presented me with the details of the operation, I wanted to know three things,” he says. “Firstly, I wanted to know that according to the intelligence, there were no hostages in their surroundings. Second, I wanted to know the extent of collateral damage. And third, I asked to know the types of weapons [to be used in the strike] When I got answers that put my mind at ease, I gave my blessing for the action and I said good luck.

“This success will free the Middle East and the entire world of many of these murderers. Both places will be much better,” he says.

PA’s Abbas says Hamas shares responsibility with Israel for ongoing war

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas blames Hamas for the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, according to a statement by his office carried by the official PA Wafa news outlet.

“The presidency considers the Hamas movement — by avoiding national unity and providing free pretexts to the occupying state — a partner in bearing the legal, moral, and political responsibility for the continuation of the Israeli war of annihilation in the Gaza Strip with all the suffering, destruction and killing it causes to our people,” the statement reads, published in response to the strike targeting top Hamas commanders earlier today.

Abbas urges Hamas to stop giving Israel the justification for continuing the military operation in Gaza.

Additionally, the statement blasts Israel for the strike earlier today, which it calls a “horrific massacre” of civilians.

Invoking Yoni Netanyahu, rescued hostage urges the prime minister to make a hostage deal with Hamas

Rescued Andrey Kozlov speaks to demonstrators at Hostage Square, in Tel Aviv, July 13, 2024. (Hostages and Missing Families Forum/Paulina Patimer)

Andrey Kozlov, who was rescued last month from Gaza after 246 days in captivity, thanks Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his extraction and, invoking the legacy of Netanyahu’s late brother Yoni, asks him to make a deal with Hamas to retrieve dozens of other hostages still in Gaza.

Kozlov, 27, makes this appeal this evening while addressing thousands of people attending the weekly rally for the hostages on Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square,

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, thank you for bringing me back home. Now, as your brother did, please bring back the rest of the hostages,” says Kozlov, referencing Yoni Netanyahu who fell on July 4, 1976, while participating in the successful rescue of Israeli hostages in Entebbe, Uganda. “There is nothing more important than getting a deal to bring back all the hostages,” says Kozlov.

He adds that “every day in Gaza was living hell” and that “time is running out for the hostages.”

Gabriela Leimberg, another ex-hostage who was freed in a deal with Hamas, follows Kozlov on stage at the event organized by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

“Don’t anybody dare to kid themselves that there is any way but a deal to get them back,” Leimberg says of the remaining hostages.

Leimberg’s brother and brother-in-law, Fernando Marmam and Louis Har, are among seven people rescued for far by the Israel Defense Forces.

But such operations will not end in the release of the remaining hostages, she says. “Don’t anybody dare kid themselves: Only a deal will bring them back.” The crowd chants: “Deal now.”

Israel is engaged in talks on a hostage release with Hamas, which reportedly is demanding the release of many Palestinian prisoners and a temporary ceasefire in Gaza, among other demands.

Hamas-run health ministry says 90 killed in strike targeting top commanders

The Hamas-run health ministry in the Gaza Strip says this morning’s airstrike in the al-Mawasi area, which according to the IDF targeted the chief of Hamas’s military wing and another top commander, killed 90 people.

A further 300 were wounded, the ministry says.

The IDF said that the casualties are most likely Hamas operatives, as the strike targeted a compound belonging to the terror group, where Muhammad Deif and Rafa’a Salameh were, along with dozens more members of the terror group.

IDF still probing results of Deif strike, believes intel was highly accurate

The IDF is still assessing the results of its airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip this morning, targeting Muhammad Deif, the commander of Hamas’s military wing, and another top commander.

According to the IDF’s latest assessments, Rafa’a Salameh, the commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade, was killed in the strike.

The targeted site in the al-Mawasi area belonged to Salameh, according to military sources. The site is located around 500 meters away from the furthest point the IDF advanced to in Khan Younis earlier this year.

Recently, Deif reached the compound, and indications of this made it to the army overnight.

Over the following hours, the IDF worked to verify the information, and once it was confirmed, the airstrike was carried out. The IDF also spent the time verifying that no hostages were held in the compound before the strike.

The IDF believes that its intelligence indicating Deif was at the site is highly accurate, although it still cannot fully confirm Deif was killed in the attack. The military also believes Hamas will attempt to hide Deif’s death for some time.

Report: Deif strike likely to up pressure on Hamas for hostage deal, even if it delays talks

Protesters calling for the government to reach a hostage deal march near the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, July 13, 2024. (Anat Azaria/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

The Israeli strike targeting Hamas’s military chief is likely to increase the pressure on the terror group to reach a deal to release hostages, three senior Israeli officials tell the Walla news site.

According to the officials, pressure will increase even if Hamas decides to delay talks in the immediate wake of the strike.

Four hurt by rocket impact in Kiryat Shmona

Four people are wounded in a rocket impact in the northern city of Kiryat Shmona, first responders say.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service says the victims are in light and light-to-moderate condition.

Damage was also caused by several rocket impacts, police say.

Rocket sirens blare in Kiryat Shmona for second time in 20 minutes

Rocket sirens are activated in the northern city of Kiryat Shmona for the second time within 20 minutes.

Alerts are also activated in Tel Hai and Ma’ayan Baruch.

Red Alert [19:38:08] – 5 Alerts:

• Confrontation Line — Kiryat Shmona, Tel Hai, Ma'ayan Baruch#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/fCcdpzhduE

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) July 13, 2024

Israeli strike reportedly hits car in southern Lebanon

Lebanese media report an Israeli airstrike on a car between the towns of Arnoun and Kfar Tebnit in the Nabatiyeh District in southern Lebanon.

No further details are immediately available.

#عاجل استهداف سيّارة من مسيرة #إسرائيلية على طريق #البراك بين #أرنون و#كفرتبنيت قضاء #النبطية#حزب_الله #إسرائيل pic.twitter.com/PokQjneAKy

— Annahar (@Annahar) July 13, 2024

Sister of Hamas hostage paints ‘stop sabotaging’ as she hangs off Jerusalem’s Chords Bridge

Natalie Zangauker, sister of Hamas hostage Matan Zangauker, is hung over Jerusalem's Chords Bridge with graffiti reading "stop sabotaging," as a march urging a deal to free the captives enters Jerusalem, July 13, 2024. (G.S./Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

Natalie Zangauker, whose brother Matan is held hostage by Hamas, hangs over Jerusalem’s Chords Bridge while writing “stop sabotaging” in graffiti paint, as the four-day-long protest march for a hostage deal enters Jerusalem.

The graffiti appears to be a message directed at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been accused by some relatives of hostages of torpedoing talks for a deal.

Marchers are heading to the Prime Minister’s Residence for a rally set to be held concurrently with mass demonstrations throughout the country.

Rocket sirens wail in Kiryat Shmona, surrounding towns

Incoming rocket sirens are activated in the northern communities of Margaliot, Kiryat Shmona and Beit Hillel.

Footage aired on Channel 12 news shows several interceptions in the area.

Red Alert [19:15:17] – 5 Alerts:

• Confrontation Line — Margaliot, Kiryat Shmona, Beit Hillel#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/bg4hv5B7Jc

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) July 13, 2024

Blasting PM, Lapid says whoever doesn’t take responsibility for war’s failures shouldn’t take credit for successes

Opposition leader Yair Lapid blasts Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for holding a press conference after a strike targeting Hamas’s military chief Muhammed Deif.

“Whoever doesn’t embrace the residents of Be’eri following the investigation on Friday shouldn’t hold a press conference after the elimination of Deif on Shabbat. Whoever doesn’t take responsibility for his failures doesn’t get credit for successes,” Lapid writes on X, referencing the military’s investigation into the October 7 massacre at the kibbutz near the Gaza border.

Though Lapid says Deif was eliminated, there has been no confirmation on the arch-terrorist’s death, only that he was targeted.

PM to hold first presser since March at 9 p.m. after Deif strike

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem on March 31, 2024. (Marc Israel Sellem/ Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to give a press conference at 9 p.m. this evening at the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, following a strike targeting Hamas military chief Muhammed Deif, his office says.

It is the first press conference by the premier since March.

Protesters ascend to Jerusalem, as weekly nationwide rallies for elections, hostage deal begin

Protesters march on Route 1 ascending to Jerusalem calling on the government to close a deal to free hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, July 13, 2024. (sha_b_p@/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

Protesters ascend to Jerusalem on Route 1 toward the end of their four-day march calling on the government to reach a hostage deal with the Hamas terror group.

Meanwhile, weekly protests calling for elections and a hostage deal begin in cities and major intersections across the country, including the HaOgen Junction in Netanya, and Hurfeish in the north.

PM meets top security brass at Defense Ministry HQ after Deif strike

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (right) meets security officials at the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, July 13, 2024. (Ariel Hermoni/ Defense Ministry)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding an assessment at the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, his office says, following this morning’s airstrike targeting the chief of Hamas’s military wing in Gaza.

The meeting is attended by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, Mossad director David Barnea, the head of the Shin Bet Ronen Bar, National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi, and several more military and defense officials.

The meeting comes following a separate assessment Gallant held with military and defense officials.

“The defense minister expressed his appreciation for the determined action of the security bodies to eliminate senior Hamas officials, and praised the activities of the forces that are being carried out all the time, all over the Gaza Strip,” Gallant’s office says.

Hamas said probing ‘major internal breach’ after Israel targets top commanders

Hamas is looking into a “major internal breach” after the Israeli strike targeting its military chief Muhammad Deif and Khan Younis Brigade commander Rafa’a Salameh, the Saudi Al-Hadath news channel reports, quoting unnamed sources.

The report says that Israel received intelligence for the strike from collaborators who knew the whereabouts of Hamas’s top brass, and from senior Hamas officials from “the second or third tier” that it has arrested and interrogated.

The unnamed sources say the top commander and his right-hand man had moved locations more than once in recent weeks to avoid Israeli strikes.

IDF says fighter jets struck Hezbollah rocket launchers used earlier today

Hezbollah rocket launchers in southern Lebanon, used in attacks on the northern communities of Zar’it and Maayan Baruch earlier today, were struck by fighter jets and IDF troops, the military says.

Additionally, a building in Ayta ash-Shab, where a Hezbollah member was operating was also struck, the IDF adds.

Meanwhile, 10 rockets were fired from Lebanon at Kiryat Shmona earlier. The IDF says most were shot down by air defenses, and there are no injuries.

Hezbollah rocket launchers in southern Lebanon, used in attacks on the northern communities of Zar'it and Maayan Baruch earlier today, were struck by fighter jets and IDF troops, the military says.

Additionally, a building in Ayta ash-Shab where a Hezbollah member was operating… pic.twitter.com/6n80iXfsOa

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) July 13, 2024

Jewish sex therapist ‘Dr. Ruth,’ who fought in Haganah, dies at 96

A still of Dr. Ruth Westheimer speaking with WNYC from the film 'Ask Dr. Ruth.' (Courtesy of Sundance Institute/David Paul Jacobson)

Dr. Ruth Westheimer, the chirpy, diminutive therapist who became a pop culture figure as she encouraged Americans to have sex safely, frequently, and creatively, has died at the age of 96, The Washington Post reports.

Westheimer died on Friday at her home in Manhattan, the newspaper reports, citing her publicist.

Known universally as “Dr. Ruth,” the 4-ft-7 inch (140-cm) tall lady with a distinctive German accent and perpetual cheerfulness preached the joys of good sex, great sex, and, especially, safe sex.

The woman who would become one of the world’s best-known sex gurus lost her virginity at 17 on a starry night in a hayloft on a kibbutz. “We spent many nights in that barn … but I remember that first time most vividly of all because it shows that when two people are in love, the first experience can be very enjoyable,” she wrote in her 2001 autobiography, “All in a Lifetime.”

Westheimer, a great proponent of contraception, chided herself in the book for not being concerned with birth control in those first encounters. She also declined to say who her partner was because she remained friends with the man, as well as his wife.

Westheimer herself was the product of an unplanned, out-of-wedlock pregnancy. Her mother was working as a housekeeper for the family of Westheimer’s father in Frankfurt, Germany, when she became pregnant. The young couple eventually married and Karola Ruth Siegel was born on June 4, 1928.

Westheimer was 10 when the Nazis came to her Frankfurt home and took away her father. Six weeks later her mother sent her to an orphanage in Switzerland. In 1941, Westheimer stopped receiving letters from her parents and she later learned they had been murdered in the Holocaust.

At 16 she emigrated to what was then Palestine and joined Haganah, a Jewish paramilitary organization. “I learned to assemble a rifle in the dark and was trained as a sniper so that I could hit the center of the target time after time,” she wrote in a 2010 New York Times opinion article that called for women to be allowed to serve in combat in the US military.

Westheimer never tested her sniping skills against an enemy but was injured in a bombing in Jerusalem.

She married an Israeli soldier and they moved to Paris and went to college. They later divorced, and she headed to New York with a boyfriend, married him, had a daughter, and continued her education. After another divorce, she wed Manfred Westheimer, an engineer she met in 1961. That marriage produced a son and lasted until Manfred’s death in 1997.

After earning a doctorate in education, Westheimer went to work for Planned Parenthood and caught the attention of a New York radio station executive when she lectured broadcast officials on contraception.

That led to a weekly 15-minute midnight radio program in 1980 called “Sexually Speaking.” It was an advice show that took questions from listeners about orgasms, condoms, and sexual dysfunction – very sensitive subject matter for the time – and quickly won Westheimer a following. She said it was a combination of her experience, training, and her quirky voice and accent that gave her credibility with listeners. They also liked the way she would cheerily wish them “good sex!”

Westheimer became a popular guest on TV talk shows, which ultimately led to her own show.

“I’m like a Jewish mother,” she was quoted as saying in People magazine. “A Jewish mother who talks explicitly.”

Incoming rocket sirens sound in Western Galilee communities

Incoming rocket sirens sound in the communities of Hanita and Metzuba in the Western Galilee.

Red Alert [17:38:47] – 2 Alerts:

• Confrontation Line — Hanita, Metzuba#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/h5IHrLp6qF

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) July 13, 2024

Footage reportedly shows explosion in area of Iran’s main drone factory

Channel 12 airs footage of an explosion three nights ago in the area of Iran’s main drone manufacturing plant near the city of Kashan.

The video, taken from a main road, shows what appears to be air defense batteries firing into the air, followed by an explosion.

According to the report, the apparent explosion took place at what could be a factory where Iran produces many of its explosive-laden drones.

Social media posts also note the video was taken near Iran’s Natanz nuclear plants.

#BREAKING #IRAN #NATANZ #Explosion

🔴 IRAN :📹 STRANGE EXPLOSION ? NEAR KASHAN / NATANZ NUCLEAR FACILITIES

few nights ago.
If seems that allegedly Iran's Regime Air Defense was activated against a suspected object.
But some sources say that it was a flare showing that they… pic.twitter.com/7VM5O005OD

— LW World News 🌍 (@LoveWorld_Peopl) July 12, 2024

Protesters gather on western edge of Jerusalem for final leg of hostage deal march

Protesters gather at Motza, a neighborhood on the western edge of Jerusalem for the final leg of a march calling on the government to close a deal to free hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, July 13, 2024. (@sha_b_p/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

Protesters gather in Motza, on the western edge of Jerusalem, for the final leg of their four-day march calling on the government to reach a hostage deal with the Hamas terror group.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid visits the protesters, walking around and shaking hands with the activists.

The march will culminate with an evening rally outside the Prime Minister’s Residence, concurrent with mass demonstrations throughout the country.

IDF releases another image of Hamas site where top commanders targeted

An image released by the IDF shows a fenced-off Hamas compound in the southern Gaza Strip where Muhammad Deif, the commander of Hamas's military wing, and Rafa'a Salameh, the commander of Hamas's Khan Younis Brigade were targeted on July 13, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF releases another image showing a fenced-off Hamas compound in the southern Gaza Strip where Mohammed Deif, the commander of Hamas’s military wing, and Rafa’a Salameh, the commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade were targeted earlier today.

The imagery shows that the compound, within the IDF-designated humanitarian zone, is near tents for displaced Palestinians. The Hamas site is not within a tent camp and is separated by roads and the compound’s fencing.

The IDF is still awaiting intelligence that could confirm the deaths of Deif and Salameh.

Egypt, Jordan pan Israel for striking civilians after targeting Hamas military chief

Palestinians look at a huge crater in the sand following an Israeli military strike near the city of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip on July 13, 2024. (Bashar Taleb/AFP)

Egypt and Jordan slam the Israeli strike targeting Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif in the Gaza Strip.

Jordan’s Foreign Ministry accuses Israel of “targeting of displaced persons’ tents,” though the military says it struck a fenced-off Hamas compound within a civilian environment

The ministry “stressed the need for the international community to move immediately and effectively provide international protection for the Palestinian people, and for hospitals and relief organizations that play a major humanitarian role in providing basic vital services to the Palestinians in the sector, which is suffering an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe as a result of the ongoing Israeli aggression against it since October 7 and in the past.”

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry says it “strongly condemns the Israeli attack in the al-Mawasi area that brought about the deaths and injuries of dozens of Palestinians. Egypt demands Israel cease its attack on civilians.”

IDF: 2 suspected drones launched at Israel intercepted over Lebanon

Two suspected drones heading toward Israel were shot down by Israeli air defenses over southern Lebanon earlier today, the IDF says.

Meanwhile, several rockets were fired from Lebanon at the Zar’it, Margaliot, and Maayan Baruch areas.

The IDF says there are no injuries in the attacks.

Incoming rocket sirens blare in Kiryat Shmona

Rocket alert sirens sound in the northern city of Kiryat Shmona.

Red Alert [15:30:27] – 1 Alert:

• Confrontation Line — Kiryat Shmona#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/gfJ1Rc8mma

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) July 13, 2024

Two houses in northern town of Margaliot said to sustain significant damage in rocket attack

Two houses in the northern town of Margaliot sustained significant damage after terrorists in Lebanon fired rockets over the border into Israel, Channel 12 reports.

The Israel Hayom daily reports that a fire broke out in the area following the attack.

Alert sirens sounded in the largely evacuated community a short while ago, warning of incoming rocket fire.

Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.

Red Alert [14:45:52] – 1 Alert:

• Confrontation Line — Margaliot#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/8WlIHIBEii

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) July 13, 2024

IDF releases before-and-after image of site of Gaza airstrike targeting top Hamas terrorists

A before-and-after image released by the IDF shows a fenced-off Hamas compound in the southern Gaza Strip where Muhammad Deif, the commander of Hamas's military wing, and Rafa'a Salameh, the commander of Hamas's Khan Younis Brigade were targeted on July 13, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF releases imagery showing a fenced-off Hamas compound in the southern Gaza Strip where Muhammad Deif, the commander of Hamas’s military wing, and Rafa’a Salameh, the commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade were targeted earlier today.

“The area that was struck is an open and forested area, with several buildings and sheds,” the military says.

The images show before and after the strike.

Netanyahu wraps up phone assessment with top defense officials after Gaza strike targeting Hamas military chief

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has wrapped up an assessment over the phone with senior military and defense officials, his office says.

The assessment comes after a strike targeting the head of Hamas’s military wing and another top commander in Gaza.

Later today, a meeting will be held with relevant officials “to discuss developments and next steps,” the PMO adds.

Rocket alert sirens sounding in northern communities near Lebanon border

Sirens are sounding in northern communities near the border with Lebanon, warning of incoming rocket fire.

The sirens are sounding in largely evacuated towns and cities including Kiryat Shmona, Tel Hai, Kfar Yuval, and Ma’ayan Baruch.

Red Alert [14:32:14] – 4 Alerts:

• Confrontation Line — Kiryat Shmona, Tel Hai, Kfar Yuval, Ma'ayan Baruch#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/d783xHzEwR

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) July 13, 2024

Health officials at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis say hospital no longer functioning

An injured Palestinian man is escorted to the Nasser hospital in Khan Younis on July 13, 2024, after an Israeli strike in the al-Mawasi area. (Eyad Baba/AFP)

Health officials at Nasser Medical Complex, previously the biggest functioning hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, say that the hospital is no longer able to function.

Doctors say they are overwhelmed and can not provide medical healthcare to the large number of casualties, due to the intensity of the fighting amid the ongoing war and because of acute shortages in medical supplies.

The statement comes after an IDF strike in Khan Younis targeted Muhammad Deif, the commander of Hamas’s military wing, and Rafa’a Salameh, the commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says at least 71 were killed and 289 were wounded in the strike. It is unclear how many among them are civilians, though according to the IDF, most of the casualties were likely Hamas operatives.

‘Netanyahu, don’t bury the hostages’: Protesters demand government close truce deal

Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan was kidnapped by terrorists from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, takes part in a march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, calling on the government to sign a deal to free hostages held in Gaza, July 13, 2024. (Pro-Democracy Movement/Yair Palti)

Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan, 24, was kidnapped by terrorists from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, responds to an IDF strike in Gaza earlier today that targeted two senior Hamas military commanders, demanding the government agree to a deal to free the remaining hostages in captivity.

“We’re all for settling the score with the Hamas murders, but not at the cost of our loved ones’s lives and our chances to get them home,” she tells Channel 12, while participating in the final day of a four-day protest march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

“If [Hamas military wing commander] Muhammad Deif was eliminated with a hostage deal on the table, and Netanyahu doesn’t get up now and say he’s willing to take the deal, even at the price of ending the war, that means he’s given up on my Matan, and on the rest of the hostages.”

“Netanyahu, don’t bury the hostages, tell the public now that you support the deal that’s on the table,” she adds.

The IDF announced a short while ago that Deif and Rafa’a Salameh, the commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade, were the target of an airstrike in southern Gaza this morning.

According to the military’s assessments, no hostages were held at the site when the strike was carried out.

Top officials decided chance to assassinate Hamas’s Deif ‘couldn’t be missed’ – even if it stalls hostage talks: report

Hamas military wing commander Muhammad Deif as a young man (Courtesy)

According to Channel 12’s Yaron Avraham, top Israeli officials considered the various dilemmas relating to carrying out an attempted assassination of Muhammad Deif in the hours before the strike was carried out this morning.

Without citing sources, Avraham says the assessment was that though the action may cause immediate tactical harm to negotiations with Hamas for a hostage release, it would be strategically beneficial, not least because it makes clear to Hamas’s Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar that Israel can reach him too.

The bottom line, says Avraham, was that “such an opportunity cannot be missed.”

Deif has been on Israel’s most-wanted list since 1995 for his involvement in the planning and execution of a large number of terror attacks, including many bus bombings in the 1990s and early 2000s.

The al-Qassam Brigades commander is believed to have played a central role in the shock October 7 assault on Israel, in which some 1,200 people were slaughtered and 251 dragged to Gaza as hostages when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists burst into Israel and launched the deadliest attack in the country’s history.

Deif has survived at least seven assassination attempts over the years, some of them injuring him to various degrees or killing his family members. The last two known attempts, according to the military, occurred in May 2021 when Israel and Gazan terror groups fought in an 11-day flare-up known as Operation Guardian of the Walls.

Saudi report: Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade commander killed in Gaza strike, Deif seriously injured

The commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade, Rafa’a Salameh, was killed in an IDF airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip this morning, the Saudi al-Hadath channel reports.

According to the report, Muhammad Deif, the commander of Hamas’s military wing, who the IDF says was also targeted in the strike, has been seriously wounded.

Unverified figures from the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza say at least 71 Palestinians were killed and 289 injured in the strike.

The IDF says the airstrike targeted the two senior Hamas leaders when they were in a low building between the al-Mawasi area and Khan Younis, in a civilian environment, but not in a tent camp for displaced Palestinians.

Several dozen more Hamas operatives were also in the area of the site when it was targeted, including guards, according to military sources.

Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report. 

Netanyahu updated on Gaza strike, will hold situational assessment with defense officials – PMO

Minutes after the IDF confirmed that Hamas military chief Muhammad Deif was the target of a strike in south Gaza’s Khan Younis this morning, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office releases a statement saying that the premier “gave a permanent directive to eliminate senior Hamas officials” at the beginning of the war.

“The prime minister was updated on all developments during the night and continues to receive regular updates,” the PMO statement says, adding that Netanyahu will hold a situation assessment with security and military officials to discuss the next developments and steps.

IDF confirms Hamas military chief Deif, Khan Younis brigade commander were targeted in Gaza strike today

Footage posted to X purporting to show the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza's Khan Younis, July 13, 2024. (Screenshot, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Muhammad Deif, the commander of Hamas’s military wing, and Rafa’a Salameh, the commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade, were the target of the IDF’s airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip this morning, the IDF confirms.

The pair were low building between the al-Mawasi area and Khan Younis, in a civilian environment, but not in a tent camp for displaced Palestinians.

The building was in a fenced-off Hamas compound. Several dozen more Hamas operatives were also in the area of the site when it was targeted, including guards, military sources say.

The al-Mawasi and western Khan Younis areas are part of the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone, but the IDF says the strike was accurate and only targeted the Hamas site.

According to the IDF’s assessments, no Israeli hostages were held at the site when the strike was carried out.

The military is still waiting for intelligence to confirm that Deif and Salameh were killed in the strike.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says at least 71 were killed and 289 were wounded in the strike. It is unclear how many among them are civilians, though according to the IDF, most of the casualties were likely Hamas operatives.

Unverified footage purports to show huge crater in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis after Israeli airstrike

Unverified footage posted to social media purports to show a huge crater in the al-Mawasi area in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis following an Israeli airstrike this morning.

The videos show Palestinians digging through sand and rubble looking for survivors of the strike, which was reported to have targetted Hamas military wing commander Muhammad Deif and the commander of the terror group’s Khan Younis Brigade, Rafa’a Salameh.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says in a statement that Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis has received 20 bodies and 90 wounded. The statement doesn’t give a final figure of victims moved to other medical facilities. The tolls cannot be independently verified.

#شاهد
😯🤯
الحفرة الهائلة التي تسببت بها صواريخ الاحتلال الإسرائيلي في منطقة #المواصي ب #خان_يونس pic.twitter.com/iLEZDvrGrP

— ريان المصري (@Rian_almasri) July 13, 2024

Reuters contributed to this report. 

Gallant holding assessment with IDF, Shin Bet chiefs in light of Khan Younis strike

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (2nd from R) holds an assessment with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi (2nd from L), the head of the Northern Command Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin (L), and the head of the Israeli Air Force, Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar (R) at the Northern Command HQ in Safed, June 19, 2024. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Minisry)

Following the airstrike targeting Muhammad Deif, the commander of Hamas’s military wing, and Rafa’a Salameh, the commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is holding an assessment with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and the head of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar.

Gallant’s office says the assessment comes “in light of the latest developments in the Gaza Strip.”

Senior Hamas official says reports Deif was targeted in Khan Younis strike are ‘nonsense’

A senior Hamas official denies Israeli reports that the commander of the terror group’s military wing, Muhammad Deif, was targeted in an Israeli airstrike in the al-Mawasi area in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis this morning.

“The Israeli allegations are nonsense and they aim to justify the horrifying massacre. All the martyrs are civilians and what happened was a grave escalation of the war of genocide, backed by the American support and world silence,” senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri tells Reuters.

He also says that the strike shows Israel is not interested in reaching a ceasefire agreement.

The Hamas-run media office says at least 100 people have been killed and wounded, including members of the Civil Emergency Service.

Abu Zuhri does not confirm whether Deif was in Khan Younis.

IDF: Two Hezbollah operatives preparing to launch rockets at Israel hit in south Lebanon drone strike

Two Hezbollah operatives preparing to launch rockets at Israel were hit in a drone strike in southern Lebanon’s Deir Mimas a short while ago, the IDF says.

It publishes footage of the strike.

Two Hezbollah operatives preparing to launch rockets at Israel were hit in a drone strike in southern Lebanon's Deir Mimas a short while ago, the IDF says. pic.twitter.com/KFmud9yVVy

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) July 13, 2024

Another Hamas commander, Rafa’a Salameh, was with Deif when he was targeted in south Gaza strike – reports

Another top Hamas commander was with Muhammad Deif when he was targeted in an Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip this morning, according to Hebrew-language media reports.

The reports say that alongside Deif was Rafa’a Salameh, the commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade.

It is still unclear if they were killed in the strike.

#شاهد
????????
الحفرة الهائلة التي تسببت بها صواريخ الاحتلال الإسرائيلي في منطقة #المواصي ب #خان_يونس pic.twitter.com/iLEZDvrGrP

— ريان المصري (@Rian_almasri) July 13, 2024

Report: Strike on al-Mawasi in southern Gaza targeted Hamas military wing commander Muhammad Deif

A picture purporting to show Muhammad Deif, the commander of the Hamas terror group's military wing, which was published by Hebrew media outlets on December 27, 2023. (Screenshot, Channel 13, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

The Yisrael Hayom newspaper, citing an unspecified “report,” says the target of the strike in the al-Mawasi area of southern Gaza was Muhammad Deif, the commander of Hamas’s military wing.

There is no confirmation yet.

Meanwhile, Army Radio, citing three defense sources, reports that the target was “very significant” and that the results are not immediately clear.

The IDF has not commented yet on the strike, which according to Palestinian media killed and wounded dozens of people.

Al-Mawasi is part of the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in Gaza.

Indonesian protesters wear Hamas headbands as they call for boycott of Israeli products

Anti-Israel protesters hold Palestinian flags and wear Hamas headbands as they pose with toy weapons during a rally calling for a boycott against products they consider supporting Israel, in Bandung, West Java, on July 13, 2024. (Timur Matahari/AFP)

Indonesian protesters in Bandung, West Java, some wearing Hamas headbands and Palestinian keffiyeh scarves, hold a demonstration calling for the boycott of Israeli products.

Other protesters at the anti-Israel demonstration wave Palestinian flags and carry signs calling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “world terrorist.”

Anti-Israel protesters hold signs calling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “world terrorist” at a demonstration in Bandung, West Java, on July 13, 2024. (Timur Matahari/AFP)

Such protests are common in Indonesia, where support for the Palestinians runs high. In general, anti-Israel sentiment in the Muslim world is higher than it has been in years due to the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza, sparked by the terror group’s brutal October 7 massacre.

Moves toward normalization between Israel and Indonesia have been rumored for years, but Jakarta has refused to cement ties until an independent Palestinian state is established. The country has a tiny Jewish community.

Joshua Davidovich contributed to this report.

Palestinian reports: At least 20 dead, 100 wounded in Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza humanitarian zone

Palestinian media reports more than 20 killed and 100 wounded in an Israeli airstrike in the al-Mawasi area in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis.

#شاهد | تصاعد كثيف لأعمدة الدخان بعد غارات عنيفة استهدفت منطقة المواصي غرب خانيونس. pic.twitter.com/p4P2z055QW

— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) July 13, 2024

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

Al-Mawasi is part of the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in Gaza.

Iran’s Pezeshkian says Tehran not seeking nuclear weapons, wants to engage with Europe

Newly elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a visit to the shrine of the Islamic Republic's founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran, Iran, on July 6, 2024. (Atta Kenare/AFP)

DUBAI – Iranian President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian asserts that Tehran is not seeking nuclear weapons, adding that the Islamic Republic will expand ties with neighbors and engage with Europe.

In a statement, Pezeshkian also says that the United States should realize that Iran will not respond to pressure and highlights his Tehran’s strong ties with China and Russia.

“The United States… needs to recognize the reality and understand, once and for all, that Iran does not – and will not – respond to pressure [and] that Iran’s defense doctrine does not include nuclear weapons,” Pezeshkian says in the statement, titled “My message to the new world” and published in the daily Tehran Times.

A relative moderate who beat a hardline rival in elections, Pezeshkian has pledged to promote a pragmatic foreign policy, ease tensions over now-stalled negotiations with major powers to revive a 2015 nuclear pact and improve prospects for social liberalization and political pluralism.

“China and Russia have consistently stood by us during challenging times. We deeply value this friendship.

“Russia is a valued strategic ally and neighbor to Iran and my administration will remain committed to expanding and enhancing our cooperation,” Pezeshkian writes, adding that Tehran will actively support initiatives aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine.

“The Iranian people have entrusted me with a strong mandate to vigorously pursue constructive engagement on the international stage while insisting on our rights, our dignity and our deserved role in the region and the world.

“I extend an open invitation to those willing to join us in this historic endeavor,” Pezeshkian says.

Ex-Netzah Yehuda soldier tells CNN he saw ‘collective punishment’ against Palestinians in West Bank

A whistleblower who previously served in the IDF’s Netzah Yehuda battalion, which has been at the center of several human rights controversies in the past, tells CNN that he witnessed “collective punishment” by the military against Palestinians in the West Bank.

“There were some kids throwing rocks in a small village, that normally isn’t a big deal. But the company commander decided, let’s throw them a party. So they took the emergency response team and 20 soldiers. They walked door to door, throwing flashbangs and gas grenades into people’s homes as a punishment for the kids throwing rocks,” the unnamed former soldier tells CNN.

The report also names four former commanders in the unit involved in alleged human rights abuses — Lt. Col. Nitai Okashi, Lt. Col. Uri Levy and Lt. Col. Shlomo Shiran — who have now been promoted to senior positions in the military, with some currently operating in the Gaza Strip.

The Kfir infantry brigade battalion, largely comprised of ultra-Orthodox nationalists, has been involved in controversies in the past connected to right-wing extremism and violence against Palestinians, notably including the 2022 death of Omar As’ad, a 78-year-old Palestinian-American who died after being detained, handcuffed, blindfolded and later abandoned in near-freezing conditions by soldiers of the battalion.

Following this incident and other reports of alleged abuse Palestinians suffered at the hands of the battalion’s soldiers, the IDF decided to move the unit out of the West Bank in December 2022 so the troops would no longer be in contact with Palestinians.

“A lot of us probably did not see Arabs, Palestinians in particular, as someone with rights – okay, like they’re really the occupier of some of the land and they need to be moved,” the former Netzah Yehuda soldier tells CNN.

In April, the US State Department determined that the unit committed gross human rights abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank before the war in Gaza, though it stopped short of cutting funding to the unit over the allegations.

Hostage families set out on final leg of 4-day march to Jerusalem, urge Netanyahu to ‘stop sabotaging the deal’

Anti-government protesters march through Abu Ghosh, near Jerusalem, calling for a hostage deal, July 13, 2024. (Pro-Democracy Movement/Sharon Ben-Porath)

Family members of Israelis held hostage in Gaza, along with thousands of supporters, set out from Ma’ale Hahamisha on the final leg of a four-day march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, calling for a deal with Hamas to secure the release of their loved ones.

Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan, 24, was kidnapped by terrorists from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, tells the crowd, “We’re seeing more and more reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to sabotage the deal [to release the hostages]. He adds demands that could cost Matan his life, he adds demands that could cost the lives of other hostages.”

Shouts of “shame!” can be heard from the crowd as Zangauker says the prime minister’s name.

“We won’t let you, Benjamin Netanyahu. We demand that you stop sabotaging the deal, we demand that you sign the deal. Put aside all personal or political considerations and bring the hostages home,” she says.

Einav Zangauker gave a short speech this morning before embarking on Day 3 of the March to Jerusalem:

"It is so touching to wake up in the morning and see masses of Israelis joining our 'march for a deal', 'march for hope'. I fee as though we have already been friends for a very… pic.twitter.com/PqkFPt3VfE

— We Are All Hostages (@AllHostages) July 12, 2024

Yesterday, the families of Israelis held hostage by Hamas decried Netanyahu’s handling of ceasefire talks, after officials accused the premier of derailing the negotiations with his demand for an enforcement mechanism to prevent armed Hamas operatives from returning to northern Gaza.

It is believed that 116 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza — not all of them alive — after 105 civilians were released from Hamas captivity during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released prior to that. Seven hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 19 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military.

The IDF has confirmed the deaths of 42 of those still held by Hamas, citing new intelligence and findings obtained by troops operating in Gaza.

IDF: Fighter jets strike paraglider depot used by Hamas on October 7

Troops operate in Gaza, in a photo cleared for publication on July 13, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

Fighter jets carried out airstrikes last night on a paraglider depot in the Rafah area used by Hamas in its brutal October 7 massacre in southern Israel, the IDF says.

In a statement, the military adds that troops from the IDF’s 162nd Division are continuing to operate in the southern Gaza city, destroying several tunnel shafts and killing multiple gunmen in the past 24 hours.

Amid the fighting in Rafah, soldiers from the Nahal Brigade called in an airstrike to eliminate a cell of three gunmen who fired an RPG at them from a tunnel shaft, the IDF says.

The war in Gaza erupted after Hamas’s October 7 massacre, which saw some 3,000 terrorists burst across the border into Israel by land, air and sea, killing some 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages, mostly civilians, many amid acts of brutality and sexual assault.

Musk donates ‘sizable amount’ to pro-Trump super PAC – US media report

Then-US president Donald Trump acknowledges SpaceX founder Elon Musk after the successful launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the manned Crew Dragon spacecraft at the Kennedy Space Center in May, 2020. (Saul Martinez/Getty Images/AFP)

Billionaire Elon Musk has donated to a super PAC working to elect former US president Donald Trump, Bloomberg reports, citing sources.

The report does not indicate how much Musk donated, but says “a sizable amount” was given to a group called America PAC.

There is no response in the report from Musk, Trump or America PAC.

A spokesman for US President Joe Biden cited in the report says, “Elon knows Trump is a sucker who will sell America out, cutting his taxes while raising taxes on the middle class by $2,500.”

Bloomberg also quotes anonymous sources as saying that Republican billionaires Ken Griffin and Paul Singer, both of whom have criticized Trump in the past, have met with the presidential hopeful to discuss donating to his campaign.

Police investigating killing of 21-year-old illegal resident in Jaffa shooting overnight

Police investigate the scene of a fatal shooting in Jaffa, July 13, 2024. (Israel Police)

A 21-year-old man who was residing in Israel illegally was shot and killed overnight in Jaffa, according to a police statement.

Police have opened an investigation into the violent incident, which they determined to be “criminal,” indicating they don’t suspect a terror motive.

Magen David Adom paramedics evacuated the man to a nearby hospital, where doctors were forced to pronounce his death after resuscitation attempts failed, police add.

UNRWA director says enough funds donated to keep running until end of September

Troops of the Commando Brigade operate at UNRWA's headquarters in Gaza City, in a handout photo published July 12, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees says a donors conference has raised enough money to keep its operations in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon running until the end of September.

Philippe Lazzarini told the pledging conference at its opening yesterday morning that UNRWA only had funds until the end of August.

At the end of the conference, he tells reporters the total amount in pledges won’t be known until the following week. But he says he is confident there will be enough new money in its $850 million annual budget to keep the agency running for another month and pay its 30,000 staff who provide education, primary health care and other development activities to about 6 million Palestinian refugees.

UNRWA has been tight on funds since Israel alleged that 12 of the agency’s 13,000 workers in Gaza participated in Hamas’s October 7 massacre in southern Israel that sparked the ongoing war in Gaza. The agency terminated the contracts of all those employees. Still, 16 countries suspended funding UNRWA, amounting to about $450 million.

Israel has long accused UNRWA of funneling money into Hamas’s coffers and letting the terror group use the agency’s facilities. The IDF has found a Hamas data center located directly beneath UNRWA headquarters in Gaza City, in addition to numerous findings indicating the use of the agency’s assets for terror purposes.

Lazzarini tells reporters that 14 donors have officially resumed funding and he believes “very soon” a 15th country — the United Kingdom — will come back.

The United States, which was the biggest donor to UNRWA, providing the agency with $340 million in 2022 and several hundred million in 2023, was among the countries halting funding. The US Congress has prohibited any payments to UNRWA until March 25, 2025.

Argentina designates Hamas a terror group in show of support for Israel

President Isaac Herzog and Argentinian President Javier Milei tour Kibbutz Nir Oz on February 8, 2024. (Maayan Toaf / GPO)

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentina has designated Hamas a terrorist organization and ordered a freeze on the financial assets of the Palestinian group, a largely symbolic move as President Javier Milei seeks to align Argentina strongly with the US and Israel.

Announcing the decision, Milei’s office cited the Palestinian terror group’s cross-border attack on Israel last October 7 in which 1,200 people, mostly civilians were killed and 251 taken hostage, in the deadliest assault in Israel’s 76-year history.

The statement also mentions Hamas’ close ties to Iran, which Argentina blames for two deadly terror attacks on Jewish sites in the country.

The move comes just days before the 30th anniversary of one of those attacks, the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. It killed 85 people and wounded hundreds more in the worst such attack in Argentina’s modern history.

The other attack on the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, in 1992, killed more than 20 people. Argentina’s judiciary has accused members of Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group of carrying out the two attacks.

The announcement professes Milei’s “unwavering commitment to recognizing terrorists for what they are,” adding that “it’s the first time that there is a political will to do so.”

After Eilat sirens, IDF says it intercepted 2 ‘suspicious aerial targets from the east’

Over an hour after warning sirens sounded in Eilat, the military says air defense systems and fighter jets intercepted a pair of “suspicious aerial targets that were heading toward Israeli territory from the east,” terminology it has previously used to refer to drone attacks by Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria.

The Israel Defense Forces says the sirens were activated due to concerns about falling debris from the interceptors, adding that there were no injuries.

There is no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

Air raid sirens activated in Eilat industrial area

Air raid sirens are activated in an industrial area outside Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat, with the IDF’s Home Front Command warning of a possible missile attack.

‘Not going to change that’: Biden vows to stay in presidential race, says he’ll again beat Trump

US President Joe Biden gestures during his remarks at Renaissance High School during a campaign event in Detroit, July 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

DETROIT — Joe Biden firmly rejects speculation that he will drop out of the US presidential race, telling a rally in the battleground state of Michigan that he will beat “threat to the nation” Donald Trump.

“There’s been a lot of speculation lately. What’s Joe Biden going to do? Is he going to stay in the race? Is he going to drop out? Here’s my answer: I am running and we’re going to win. I’m not going to change that,” Biden says, to chants of “Don’t you quit.”

New Mexico judge dismisses involuntary manslaughter case against Alec Baldwin

Alec Baldwin reacts after the judge threw out the involuntary manslaughter case for the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during filming of the Western movie "Rust," July 12, 2024, at Santa Fe County District Court in Santa Fe, New Mexico. (Pool Video via AP)

SANTA FE, New Mexico — A New Mexico judge dismisses involuntary manslaughter charges against Alec Baldwin after his lawyers alleged police and prosecutors hid evidence of the source of the live round that killed “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021.

Three days after Baldwin’s trial began in New Mexico, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer rules after hearing evidence, including from the prosecutor who called herself to the stand, on the defense request made earlier Friday.

Baldwin hugged his wife Hilaria Baldwin, who had been in court throughout this week’s hearings, and his sister Elizabeth Keuchler was in tears after the judge’s ruling. Baldwin then left the courthouse without speaking to reporters.

The actor’s lawyers said the Santa Fe sheriff’s office took possession of live rounds as evidence in the case but failed to list them in the “Rust” investigation file or disclose their existence to defense lawyers.

They also alleged the rounds were evidence that the bullet that killed Hutchins came from Seth Kenney, the movie’s prop supplier. Kenney has denied supplying live ammunition to the production and has not been charged in the case. He had been expected to testify against Baldwin.

Meta eases restrictions on Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts

WASHINGTON — Meta says it’s rolling back some restrictions that had applied to former US President Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.

The social media company indefinitely suspended Trump’s accounts following his praise of people who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. The company then reinstated his accounts in early 2023, saying it would monitor Trump’s posts for further violations that could result in another suspension of between one month and two years.

Trump, who is running against US President Joe Biden, will no longer be subject to the additional monitoring, Meta says.

“In assessing our responsibility to allow political expression, we believe that the American people should be able to hear from the nominees for president on the same basis,” Meta says in an updated blog post.

Some social media experts have long criticized Meta and other platforms for failing to moderate political content, including from political candidates.

Trump was also banned from Twitter, now called X, in 2021. Billionaire Elon Musk restored the account shortly after acquiring the company in 2022, though Trump has only posted once since then.

IDF says senior member of Hamas’s internal security forces killed in Gaza airstrike

A graphic distributed by the IDF shows Hossam Mansour, a member of Hamas's internal security forces, who the army says was killed in an airstrike on July 12, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The head of a department in Hamas’s internal security forces in the Gaza Strip was killed in an airstrike on Friday, the military says.

According to the IDF, Hossam Mansour also served in Hamas’s military wing, alongside his role in the terror group’s internal security forces.

The IDF says Mansour “took a significant and continuous part in the preservation and presence of Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip, while undermining Israel’s efforts in the region.”

Mansour was also one of the directors of the UK-based al-Khair foundation, an aid group that IDF charges transferred funds to terror groups in Gaza “under the guise of humanitarian activity.”

According to Hamas media, four people working for al-Khair were killed in the airstrike, reportedly at an aid distribution center in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis.

IDF strikes Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon; terror group announces deaths of two operatives

Smoke from Israeli strike billows in Kfarkila in southern Lebanon on July 12, 2024. (Rabih Daher/AFP)

Israeli fighter jets struck a building used by Hezbollah, an observation post, and other infrastructure in southern Lebanon’s Kafr Kila, Taybe, and Khiam this evening, the IDF says.

It publishes footage of the strikes.

מטוסי קרב תקפו מוקדם יותר היום מבנה צבאי, תשתיות טרור ועמדת תצפית של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחבים כפר כילא, א-טייבה ואל-חיאם שבדרום לבנון pic.twitter.com/NNRLwwL2IY

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) July 12, 2024

Hezbollah, meanwhile, announces the deaths of two members killed in recent Israel strikes in Lebanon, bringing the terror group’s toll amid the war to at least 366.