July 13: Sources familiar with truce talks accuse Netanyahu of stalling until Knesset recess
Filipina caregiver succumbs to wounds from Iranian missile attack, making her 29th victim in Israel of 12-day war * IDF said to warn PM that Gaza ‘humanitarian city’ could harm hostage talks
The Times of Israel liveblogged Sunday’s events as they happened.
Ex-PM Olmert says Israeli plan to create Gaza ‘humanitarian city’ amounts to ‘concentration camp’
Former prime minister Ehud Olmert labels Israel’s plan to move Palestinians in Gaza into a “humanitarian city” as essentially a concentration camp.
“It is a concentration camp. I am sorry,” Olmert tells the British Guardian newspaper in an interview about the plan laid out last week by Defense Minister Israel Katz.
“If [the Palestinians] will be deported into the new ‘humanitarian city,’ then you can say that this is part of an ethnic cleansing. It hasn’t yet happened,” Olmert says, calling it the “the inevitable interpretation” of the current plan to create a camp for hundreds of thousands of people.
“When they build a camp where they [plan to] ‘clean’ more than half of Gaza, then the inevitable understanding of the strategy of this [is that] it is not to save [Palestinians]. It is to deport them, to push them and to throw them away. There is no other understanding that I have, at least,” Olmert adds.
Man shot dead in Kafr Qasim as crime wave in Arab community soars
A young man was shot dead in his car in the city of Kafr Qasim this evening.
The vehicle of the victim, 21-year-old Muhammad Badawi, disappeared by the time officers had reached the crime scene, police say.
The disappearance of the “primary piece of evidence” constituted a serious disruption of the crime scene, a spokesman for law enforcement says in a statement.
In light of the situation, Central District commander Yair Hetzroni assigned the investigation to the Sharon Region’s special crimefighting unit. Police suspect Badawi was killed on the backdrop of “a violent dispute within the Arab community.”
Since the start of the year, 136 Arab Israelis have been killed in violent criminal incidents as violent crime soars. Four members of the community have been killed over the past three days.
On Friday night, two men — 45-year-old Noor Hariri and 33-year-old Rami Othman — were shot dead in the northern city of Shfaram.
Yesterday, two women were targeted in a shooting in Lod, which left Nadia Hinawi, 63, dead. Her 52-year-old sister in law, Kifa Hinawi, was critically injured in the shooting and taken to the hospital last night.
Netanyahu said to promise Smotrich return to war after Gaza truce to quell coalition threats
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in recent meetings that, following the proposed 60-day ceasefire with Hamas currently under discussion in Doha, Israel will resume its war against Hamas in Gaza, reports Channel 12.
“After the pause, we will transfer the population in the Strip southward and impose a siege [on northern Gaza],” Netanyahu reportedly told Smotrich, who is seeking guarantees from the premier that the war in Gaza will resume in full force after the ceasefire ends.
In closed-door meetings, Netanyahu framed Israel’s plan to separate the Gazan civilian population from Hamas and hold them in a strip of southern Gaza as a humanitarian necessity to allow the conflict to continue following the temporary truce, according to Channel 12.
Netanyahu assured the minister that he would follow through on the promise, pointing to the planning of last month’s conflict with Iran as the reason for failing to meet Smotrich’s prior expectations on destroying Hamas.
“Until now I’ve been busy with Iran — now I can make sure the military follows my instructions,” Channel 12 quotes the premier as telling Smotrich.
Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir have warned that they will withdraw from the government if any deal is agreed to that would end the war in Gaza with Hamas still in power. Both ministers have reportedly been summoned to meet with Netanyahu in recent days, as part of the ongoing efforts to reach a deal.
Israel Prisons chief indicates he will resign if indicted for obstructing covert probe
Israel Prisons chief Kobi Yaakobi, who faces possible criminal charges for ethical violations, implies he will resign from his post, should he be indicted by the attorney general.
“With the attorney general’s announcement regarding a decision subject to a hearing, I want to emphasize in the clearest way possible — I have faith in the entire [legal] system and am absolutely certain that the case concerning me will be closed once everything is fully clarified within the legal procedure,” writes Yaakobi in a letter.
“At the same time, should a different decision be reached, I will act solely from my deep commitment to the prison service and to the higher mission I have taken upon myself, in accordance with the values of personal example and accountability,” he continues.
Yaakobi is suspected of obstructing a covert probe into Avishai Muallem, a former high-ranking officer in the West Bank, who allegedly papered over investigations into Jewish nationalist violence. The prisons chief is thought to have informed Muallem of the probe against him when it was still under wraps.
Yaakobi is set to attend a hearing where he will have the opportunity to present evidence supporting his innocence, before prosecutors make the final decision over whether to indict him.
Meanwhile, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir accuses Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara of “threatening officers that implement the policy of the elected officials, in order to politicize the law enforcement system and protect the rule of the ‘deep state.'”
He insists that Yaakobi “will of course remain in his position, and will continue to perform as he has until now.”
Sources familiar with ceasefire talks accuse Netanyahu of stalling until Knesset recess
An Arab diplomat and a second source involved in mediation efforts accuse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dragging out the hostage negotiations, speculating that he is trying to stall until the Knesset enters its recess in two weeks, in order to reduce the risk of his government collapsing if he agrees to compromise.
While US and Israeli officials expressed optimism last week about the chances for an imminent agreement, negotiations have been stuck for the past four days, over the scope of Israel’s withdrawal, the sources say.
“He is making public statements that a deal is possible and imminent in order to keep the pressure off of him, but it’s starting to feel like a stalling tactic,” the Arab diplomat says of Netanyahu.
The source involved in mediation claims Netanyahu is preventing a breakthrough from being reached before the Knesset recess, which runs from July 27 until the end of October, as it is more difficult to dissolve parliament during that period.
Netanyahu has denied thwarting a hostage deal, arguing that Hamas — not Israel — was the one that did not accept the US proposal for a hostage deal in the spring. The US has also maintained that Hamas has been the obstacle to a deal to date.
But the sources speaking to The Times of Israel say that the updated Israeli proposal for the partial IDF withdrawal from Gaza that Netanyahu authorized last week does not allow for a breakthrough in the negotiations, as it still envisions Israel remaining in control of roughly one-third of the Strip and includes a three-kilometer buffer zone into Rafah, the sources say.
On Wednesday, Israel presented a reduced version of its withdrawal, but the proposal was rejected by Hamas, which told mediators that Netanyahu is using it to establish what he is branding as a “humanitarian city” in the southern quarter of Gaza. Defense Minister Israel Katz has said Israel wants to eventually herd Gaza’s entire population there, vet them upon entry, and subsequently prevent from leaving, as Jerusalem encourages their emigration outside the enclave.
While continuing to reject the Israeli redeployment proposal, Hamas has agreed to accept a one-kilometer buffer zone around much of the Strip’s perimeter. However, Israel is pushing for it to extend two kilometers into Gaza, which the Arab mediators think is unreasonable, the two sources say.
Due to the extended stalemate and what the Arab diplomat and mediating source say is Hamas’s continued willingness to release all of the hostages at once in exchange for an up-front Israeli commitment to end the war, the two sources accuse Netanyahu of stalling.
AG considering indicting top Netanyahu aide, Jonatan Urich, in leaked documents scandal
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara is considering indicting Jonatan Urich, a close aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in the leaked documents affair, subject to a hearing.
The State Attorney’s Office told Urich of the possibility that he will be indicted today, saying that, if prosecuted, he would be charged with security offenses including transmitting classified information with the intent to harm state security, possession of classified information and destroying evidence.
The State Attorney’s Office believes that Urich, together with Eli Feldstein, a former military spokesman for Netanyahu, worked to extract raw, classified, information from the IDF military intelligence system.
“This was information classified at the highest possible level which was obtained through secret intelligence means which Urich, by exposing it, may have endangered state security and lives,” the Attorney General’s Office says in a statement to the press.
“The release of classified information by Urich and Feldstein was intended, among other things, to influence public opinion regarding the prime minister, and to shift the discourse at the time [away from] the murder of the six hostages in August 2024,” the statement adds.
The allegations against Urich and Feldstein are at the heart of a scandal at the Prime Minister’s Office, in which a highly classified document ostensibly detailing Hamas’s priorities and tactics in hostage negotiations was unlawfully removed from the IDF’s military intelligence database and leaked to Germany’s Bild newspaper.
The affair centers around what prosecutors allege were Urich and Feldstein’s efforts to sway public opinion surrounding the negotiations for the release of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza in a more favorable direction for Netanyahu, several days after six hostages were murdered by the terror group last August.
Urich is also a suspect in the Qatargate affair. He is suspected of bribery and breach of trust due to his role advising Netanyahu, while, according to the allegations against him, doing paid work to improve Qatar’s image in Israel at the same time, specifically regarding Doha’s role in the hostage negotiations.
Death toll in clashes between Bedouin, Druze in southern Syrian city rises to 18
Clashes between Bedouin tribes and local fighters in the predominantly Druze city of Sweida in southern Syria have killed 18 people, a war monitor reports, as authorities send forces to de-escalate the situation.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says at least 18 people had been killed, 14 of them Druze, including a child, and four of them Bedouin.
Local outlet Sweida 24 gave a preliminary toll of 10 people killed and 50 wounded across both sides. The outlet also reported the closure of the Damascus-Sweida highway due to the violence.
A Syrian government source, who asked to remain anonymous, as they were not allowed to brief the media, tells AFP that authorities are sending forces to de-escalate the situation.
Sweida Governor Mustapha al-Bakur calls on his constituents to “exercise self-restraint and respond to national calls for reform.”
Bedouin and Druze factions have a longstanding feud in Sweida, with violence occasionally erupting between the two.
Witkoff says he will discuss ceasefire with Qataris today on sidelines of World Cup match
US special envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff tells reporters that he will meet with a Qatari delegation on the sidelines of the FIFA Club World Cup in New Jersey later this afternoon in order to discuss the ongoing Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal negotiations.
The White House said last week that Witkoff would travel to Doha to advance the talks, but he subsequently pushed off that trip after negotiations stalled.
Still, he tells reporters that he is “hopeful” about the chances for a deal.
Witkoff is seen on the tarmac talking for 10 minutes to Jared Kushner, who was the main architect of US President Donald Trump’s Mideast policy during his first term.
IDF to warn Netanyahu that Gaza ‘humanitarian city’ could take months, harm hostage talks — report
At Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request, this evening, the IDF is expected to present an outlined plan for the proposed “humanitarian city” in Rafah during a limited security cabinet meeting, Channel 12 reports.
While the military will clarify that it is prepared to carry out whatever instructions it receives, it is also expected to deliver a message of caution, according to the TV network. Military officials will inform those present at the meeting that “it will take three to five months from the moment we begin construction until the humanitarian city is operational,” says Channel 12, without providing sources.
In addition, although it may not be stated explicitly at the meeting, it was conveyed in preliminary defense establishment discussions that insisting on the humanitarian city plan could harm ongoing hostage release efforts in Doha, the report adds.
According to Channel 12, officials in the defense establishment are concerned that Hamas may interpret the plan — which would involve relocating 600,000 Gazans in its first stage, and ultimately the entire population of some two million people — as a signal that Israel is only open to a partial deal, and intends to resume the war after the proposed 60-day ceasefire. Such a move, they fear, could cause Hamas to distrust any United States guarantees for ending the war and thus refuse a deal entirely.
The IDF is also expected to present additional considerations regarding the project, including implications for international law, the potential to prolong the conflict, and logistical issues such as area sanitization and the provision of medical care.
Also on the agenda for tonight’s limited security cabinet meeting are the new IDF withdrawal maps intended for presentation to mediators in Doha. However, despite the updated blueprint, Channel 12 reports concern within the political echelon that the new plans may still fall short of producing a breakthrough in negotiations.
Small plane crashes at London’s Southend Airport
A small plane crashed at London Southend Airport, police say.
In a statement, Essex Police say it was alerted just before 4 p.m. local time to the “serious incident” at the relatively small airport, which is around 45 miles (72 kilometers) east of the capital.
Images posted on social media show a plume of fire and black smoke emanating from the crash site. The plane involved is said to be 12 meters (39 feet) long.
BREAKING: Business jet crashes at London Southend Airport, no word on casualties https://t.co/bWgUMnFAhr
— BNO News (@BNONews) July 13, 2025
No details on where the plane was heading or how many people were on board were immediately disclosed.
“We are working with all emergency services at the scene now and that work will be ongoing for several hours,” Essex Police say.
The local member of parliament, David Burton-Sampson, urges people to stay away and let the emergency services do their work.
“My thoughts are with everyone involved,” he says.
IDF names terror operatives killed in Gaza strikes over past two weeks
A series of airstrikes in the Gaza Strip in the past two weeks killed numerous terror operatives involved in Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad efforts to regroup, the IDF and Shin Bet announce.
The joint statement says the Hamas and Islamic Jihad commanders headed units that worked to rebuild the terror groups’ military wings, including weapon production and military intelligence.
The IDF and Shin Bet name some of the operatives as:
Muhammad Abu Awwad, a senior member of Hamas’s projects and development department in the weapons production headquarters;
Bilal Abu Shikha, a section commander in Hamas’s weapons production headquarters;
Tayseer Shareem, a section commander in Hamas’s weapons production headquarters;
Mundhir Salami, the commander of a weapons production site;
Bilal Musallam, a section commander in Hamas’s military intelligence division;
Rabi’ Mustafa Rabi’ Sukhweil, a “financial operative” in Hamas’s military wing, involved in transferring millions of dollars to the terror group;
Ahmad Abu Shamala, a squad commander in Hamas’s military intelligence division;
Mustafa Dababesh, a deputy head of a department in Hamas’s weapons production headquarters;
and Muhammad Al-Bayouk, a senior member of Islamic Jihad’s weapons production array.
Netanyahu, Edelstein said to be meeting over stalled Haredi draft legislation
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly meeting at the moment with Likud MK Yuli Edelstein, the chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, to discuss highly contentious legislation regarding Haredi enlistment in the IDF.
The meeting, reported by Channel 12 news, comes as the Haredi political parties in Netanyahu’s coalition have demanded immediate action on the long-stalled legislation.
Members of the committee chaired by Edelstein have yet to be presented with a draft of the revised legislation, whose sanctions on draft dodgers were reportedly watered down by the Likud MK last month as part of a last-ditch effort to prevent the Haredim from voting in favor of dissolving the Knesset.
The new version of the bill had been scheduled to come to a vote in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee this coming week but was removed from the agenda, further angering Shas and United Torah Judaism, who have been boycotting votes on coalition legislation over the failure to exempt yeshiva students from military service.
High Court to hold new hearing on PM’s appointment of Civil Service commissioner
The High Court of Justice decides to hold a new hearing with an expanded five-judge panel for petitions against the government’s decision to have Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nominate a single candidate for the post of Civil Service commissioner rather than make the appointment through a public tender with multiple candidates.
Judge David Mintz rules against the position of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who opposed holding an additional hearing. Court president Isaac Amit will determine the panel to hear the case, meaning he will appoint the five most senior judges on the court.
This will mean that the panel for the additional hearing will be made up of three conservatives and two liberals.
Mintz says that “due to the urgency of the case,” the hearing must be held no later than the end of the Hebrew calendar year, which falls on September 21.
Israel has been without a permanent head of the Civil Service since Daniel Hershkowitz stepped down from the position in December 2024. Hershkowitz is, however, currently serving as acting commissioner.
In a 2-1 decision in May, the High Court ruled that the government’s method for selecting the Civil Service commissioner lacked sufficient guardrails to guarantee the independence, impartiality and apolitical nature of the role.
The decision was considered controversial, since the law for the Civil Service states explicitly that there is no obligation to issue a public tender for the positions. Critics also pointed out that the law allows the prime minister alone to nominate a single candidate for other roles, such as the head of the Shin Bet and other senior office holders.
Amit together with fellow liberal Judge Daphne Barak Erez ruled 2-1 against their conservative colleague Noam Sohlberg on the case. They will now be joined by two more conservatives, Mintz himself and Yosef Elron, in the new hearing.
AG weighing indictment of Israel Prison chief for interfering in covert probe
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara is considering filing an indictment, subject to a hearing, against Israel Prison Service chief Kobi Yaakobi on suspicion of ethical violations.
Yaakobi is suspected of informing indicted top West Bank police officer Avishai Muallem of a covert probe regarding Muallem’s alleged interference with investigations into Jewish nationalist violence.
Yaakobi will have an opportunity to present evidence in his defense to state prosecutors before they decide whether to formally charge him with breach of trust and obstructing an investigation.
The case is being handled by the Department for Internal Police Investigations within the State Attorney’s Office.
6 killed in clashes between Druze and Bedouin tribes in southern Syrian city
Clashes between Bedouin tribes and local fighters in the predominantly Druze city of Sweida in southern Syria killed six people, local media report.
Citing medical sources, local outlet Sweida 24 gives a preliminary toll of six people killed, “including a child, and about 20 wounded as a result of armed clashes and mutual shelling in the Maqus neighborhood east of Sweida city.”
Syrian authorities do not immediately comment on the incident.
IDF troops raid Assad regime sites in south Syria, find tons of weapons, says military
Israeli troops recently raided several military facilities belonging to the former Syrian regime, locating numerous weapons, the IDF says.
The IDF says that in the past week, reservists of the 810th Mountain Regional Brigade located at the peak of Mount Hermon raided several “key headquarters” belonging to the commando forces of the Bashar al-Assad Regime.
At the sites, the military says, the forces found over three tons of weapons, including anti-tank mines, explosive devices and rockets.
The IDF says its operations in the area are intended to prevent weapons smuggling into Lebanon from Syria.
The IDF has been deployed to nine posts inside southern Syria since the fall of the Assad regime in December, mostly within a UN-patrolled buffer zone on the border between the countries.
Troops have been operating in areas up to around 15 kilometers deep into Syria, aiming to capture weapons that Israel says could pose a threat to the country if they fall into the hands of “hostile forces.”
Netanyahu denies preventing Gaza truce, says polls supporting hostage deal are ‘manipulated’
Amid claims that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s four-day visit to Washington last week failed to produce a ceasefire announcement in Gaza due to his alleged desire to prolong the conflict, the premier defends the trip as “very successful” and accuses Hebrew media outlets of misrepresenting both his intentions and public opinion on a deal.
“It was a very successful visit, following a major victory in Iran… We have a lot of tasks to do, and I’m determined to complete them,” Netanyahu says in a video update posted to his X account.
Responding to claims that he and his government are obstructing a deal, Netanyahu charges that Hebrew-language media “are always echoing Hamas propaganda, and they’re always wrong.”
“We accepted the deal, the [US Special Envoy Steve] Witkoff framework, and afterward the modified version that the mediators suggested — we accepted it, Hamas refused it,” he says, referring to the latest proposals being discussed in Doha.
“What does Hamas want? It wants to stay in Gaza. It wants us to leave, so it can rearm, so it can attack us again and again. I won’t accept that,” he continues, adding that “I will do everything to return our hostages. I’m meeting with the families, I know the hardship they’re going through, their suffering. I’m determined to bring the hostages home.”
Asked about polls showing that a majority of Israelis support a deal, Netanyahu argues that the wording of the questions fails to reflect the true cost.
“I’m also in favor of a deal — but they don’t say to you [in the questionnaire] the other side of things. That is, these are manipulated polls, they’re always misleading the public. They’re not asking: Do you want a deal for the release of hostages, that leaves Hamas in its place? So it can repeat its offenses of rape, murder, kidnappings, and invasions? No. Otherwise, the results would be the complete opposite.”
Netanyahu reiterates that “we must insist on releasing the hostages, and insist on the other goal of the war in Gaza: the destruction of Hamas, and guaranteeing that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel. That’s what I’m doing — I’m not giving up on any of these goals.”
In response to Netanyahu’s remarks, Channel 12 — whose Friday poll showed 74% of Israelis, including 60% of Netanyahu coalition voters, supporting a deal — clarified that the question asked respondents whether they supported releasing all the hostages at once “in exchange for an end to the Gaza war.”
Syria says it arrested Hezbollah operative planning terror attacks
The Syrian Interior Ministry announces that it has arrested a Hezbollah operative who was planning terrorist attacks.
The ministry names the operative as Mahmoud Fadl, saying he was in possession of ready-to-use explosives that he intended to use for terrorist attacks in the area. According to the statement, Fadl belonged to a Hezbollah cell active in Syria.
IDF to warn earthquake monitor in advance of major pre-planned explosions to avoid setting off alerts
The Israel Geological Survey and the Energy Ministry reveal that the TRUAA system, connected to the Home Front Command in 2022 to give early earthquake warnings to the public, was activated for the first time by the IDF exploding a Hezbollah tunnel, and will work to avoid such scenarios in the future.
The army used 370 tons of explosives to destroy the tunnel near Kafr Kila in southern Lebanon on October 26, 2024.
TRUAA picked it up, kicking off sirens and warnings on online applications, and causing confusion and panic among the public, the Energy Ministry says.
The system operated as it should have, according to a Geological Survey investigation.
But to prevent false alarms in future, the Survey and the IDF Home Front Command have formulated special procedures for preemptive explosions. The new protocol includes the IDF reporting to the Survey in advance about planned activities to destroy tunnels.
“The event illustrated the special challenges of the State of Israel, in a security environment where unusual premeditated explosions occur from time to time, such as those the IDF is currently carrying out in various sectors,” says Dr. Ittai Kurzon, director of the Seismology Division at the Geological Survey.
“This uniqueness also requires preparation for unusual operational scenarios. We learned and drew lessons from the event and have already been able to apply them in similar events, so that false alarms were not spread.”
Hamas official claims ceasefire talks have reached ‘critical hours’
A senior Hamas official is quoted in Palestinian media saying that the negotiations over a ceasefire in Gaza have reached “critical hours.”
Palestine Al-Youm, a channel affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group, quotes a senior Hamas official who says that the negotiations over a ceasefire in Gaza have reached a difficult stage and that the coming hours are critical.
The unnamed official adds that the mediators are working to advance the talks, but claims they continue to encounter Israeli obstinacy.
Kosher restaurant in Athens vandalized with antisemitic graffiti: ‘No Zionist is safe here’
King David Burger, a new kosher restaurant in Athens, was attacked and vandalized last night in an antisemitic attack, the restaurant says.
Writing on social media, the restaurant says that at around 10 p.m. “a group of 6 people came to our restaurant… and vandalized the place.”
The attackers threw fliers at diners and sprayed graffiti, including “No Zionist is safe here” and “Smash Zionism, fascism, colonialism” and “Israel Death Forces — rapists, torturers, murderers.”
The restaurant notes that the police “found the person who spray painted and arrested everyone.”
The eatery says that it is operating today as usual.
IDF confirms soldier lightly wounded after being hit by stray bullet from Gaza in Israel
An IDF soldier was slightly injured after being hit by a stray bullet at Sha’ar Hanegev Junction in southern Israel, near the border with the Gaza Strip, the military confirms.
The IDF says the incident is under further investigation. According to a preliminary probe, the gunfire was carried out by Israeli forces in Gaza.
The soldier was taken to a hospital and released a short while later.
Father of Hersh Goldberg-Polin asks Netanyahu to stop ‘taking credit’ for his return
Jonathan Polin, the father of murdered hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, requests that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “stop claiming” credit for returning his son to Israel.
In a post on Facebook, Polin — whose son Hersh was kidnapped from the Nova festival and murdered in captivity in August 2024 — asks that Netanyahu “stop claiming that ‘his forceful application of combined military and diplomatic pressure has so far achieved the release of 205 hostages out of a total of 255.'”
Polin writes that the “insensitive claim whitewashes the lives of the 20% of the 205 who were taken into Gaza alive, survived a period of torture, and were then killed in captivity, including my son Hersh.”
He adds that before Hersh’s murder, “a negotiated deal was possible to release a number of hostages, including Hersh and at least three others of the five with whom he was held,” and blames Netanyahu for instead deciding to “continue with the risky military operation in Rafah.” This decision, he says, led to the execution by their captors of Hersh and the five hostages he was held with — Carmel Gat, Ori Danino, Almog Sarusi, Eden Yerushalmi and Alex Lobanov.
“Please do not take credit for ‘achieving the release’ of Hersh,” Polin concludes. “This is offensive to Hersh and to our family.”
Netanyahu reiterated the claim over the weekend in his response to a New York Times report accusing him of extending the Gaza war to remain in power, writing that his policies have “so far secured the return of 205 hostages out of a total of 255.”
Filipina caregiver wounded by Iranian missile attack succumbs to her wounds
A woman has succumbed to wounds she sustained in a ballistic missile strike in Rehovot during the 12-day Israel-Iran war last month, making her the 29th victim of the Iranian strikes in Israel.
According to the Philippine Embassy in Israel, the woman is Leah Mosquera, 49, a Filipina caregiver living in Israel who was seriously wounded when a missile struck her Rehovot home on June 15.
The embassy says that Mosquera had been hospitalized for the past month in Shamir Medical Center and underwent multiple surgeries before succumbing to her wounds. She was accompanied during this time by her sister, Joy, who also works as a caregiver in Israel.
Her body will be repatriated to the Philippines for burial.
The embassy “also renews its call for the protection of civilians, including foreign workers, during times of conflict.”
Stray Israeli gunfire from Gaza hits soldier’s car in southern Israel
Apparent stray Israeli gunfire from the Gaza Strip hit a soldier’s car in southern Israel a short while ago, the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council says.
According to the council, the soldier was slightly injured and the car sustained minor damage after it was struck by the bullet at Sha’ar Hanegev Junction.
The IDF has not yet commented on the incident.
IDF: Deadly strike near Gaza water distribution point ‘a technical malfunction’ during targeting of terror operative
The IDF says that today’s deadly strike near a water distribution site in central Gaza was the result of a “technical malfunction” during the targeting of an operative from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group.
“Earlier today a strike was carried out targeting a terrorist operative from the Islamic Jihad organization in the central Gaza Strip. Due to a technical malfunction in the munition, it struck dozens of meters away from the intended target,” the IDF says.
“The incident is under investigation. We are aware of reports of casualties in the area as a result, and the details of the incident are still being reviewed,” the military says.
The IDF says it is operating against terror groups in Gaza “and makes every effort to minimize harm to uninvolved civilians.”
“The IDF regrets any harm caused to noncombatants,” the statement concludes.
At least 10 people were reported killed in the strike, many of them children.
High Court declines to freeze government’s new process for firing AG, enabling hearing on her dismissal to proceed
The High Court of Justice denies requests for an interim order to freeze the government’s new process for firing the attorney general.
The decision by Judge Noam Sohlberg means that the new five-member ministerial committee tasked with recommending to the government whether or not to fire the attorney general will be able to convene Monday as planned.
The committee has summoned Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara to the hearing, but it is unclear if she will attend.
Sohlberg writes in his brief decision that the court cannot address an issue before a final decision by the relevant authority has been made.
Since the committee has yet to make a recommendation and the government has yet to hold a vote on whether or not to fire Baharav-Miara, Sohlberg rejects the requests for an interim order.
If and when this situation changes, the petitioners will then be able to turn to the court.
AG’s office slams bill allowing government to fire senior officials in first 100 days of government
The Attorney General’s Office harshly criticizes a coalition-backed bill allowing the government, within its first 100 days in office, to terminate the tenure of the most senior security officials and public officers.
If passed into law, the bill, which was approved by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation earlier today, “will lead to the complete politicization of the most senior positions in the public service and the security establishment,” says the Attorney General’s Office.
The bill would seriously impair the ability of senior officials, including defense officials, “to present a true picture and objective professional assessments without fear,” the Attorney General’s Office’s statement adds.
Discussion over the bill came as the government is working to fire Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, and to appoint David Zini as the new chief of the Shin Bet security service.
Under the terms of the bill, a government in the first 100 days after taking office could terminate the tenure of the attorney general, IDF chief of staff, head of the Shin Bet, head of the Mossad, police commissioner, head of the Israel Prison Service, Civil Service commissioner, and head of the budget department in the Finance Ministry.
In a letter to Justice Minister Yariv Levin, Deputy Attorney General Gil Limon argues that the coalition has been making a concerted push to change the civil service from an independent and nonpolitical entity “to one that is subject to the full control of the political echelon” — a move he alleges will harm the rule of law and human rights.
In addition to allowing the government to fire senior officials, it would also under certain circumstances allow it to retroactively change some of these officials’ decisions, creating a situation in which “the government would effectively become the attorney general, the head of the General Security Service, the police commissioner, the [IDF] chief of staff, and so on,” and would therefore give the political echelon powers that profoundly violate “the core foundations of Israel’s democratic governance.”
While the bill is somewhat vague on the procedure, it does stipulate that under certain conditions, the decisions of terminated officials will be able to be retroactively changed by a newly installed government.
Knesset Speaker Ohana reportedly among Knesset figures briefed by PM before Iran strike
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana about Israel’s plan to attack Iran last month, three days before the campaign’s start, the Kan public broadcaster reports.
According to Kan, Netanyahu invited Ohana to the Kirya IDF Headquarters in Tel Aviv, where he was required to sign a confidentiality agreement and then presented with the outline of the attack. Brig. Gen. Roman Gofman, the IDF military secretary, was also in attendance, adds the network.
The report comes after the New York Times claimed over the weekend that senior Haredi lawmaker Moshe Gafni was also informed by Netanyahu about the Iran attack three days ahead of time, in an attempt to defuse the former’s threat of voting in favor of dissolving the Knesset over the failure to pass a law exempting Haredi yeshiva students from conscription.
Other senior political figures, including Shas leader Aryeh Deri and Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chair Yuli Edelstein, were reportedly briefed in advance — contributing to their decision to compromise on the military draft issue and avoid early elections.
In contrast, United Torah Judaism chairman Yitzhak Goldknopf was left out of the loop, a spokesman said. Unaware that the Iran strike was imminent, he resigned from his ministerial post in protest of the government’s failure to pass the legislation.
The same New York Times report, denied by Netanyahu, said that the premier prolonged the war in Gaza in order to stay in power.
Lapid’s Yesh Atid begins collecting signatures for potential 2nd vote on dissolving Knesset
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party announces that it has begun the process of collecting 61 signatures in order to submit a so-called “change of circumstances” letter to Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana requesting permission to hold a vote on dissolving the Knesset.
An opposition-backed bill to disperse the Knesset and call early elections failed to advance last month after ultra-Orthodox lawmakers backed away from threats to bring down the government over a deadlock in efforts to legislate exemptions from army service for the young men of their community.
Under parliamentary rules, because the legislation was defeated, lawmakers have to wait six months to bring another Knesset dissolution bill to a vote. However, according to the Knesset bylaws, a defeated bill can be submitted again for reconsideration before six months have passed if circumstances have changed significantly changed.
Such a move requires the support of Ohana, of the ruling Likud party, however, making it far from certain.
Yesh Atid does not immediately clarify on what grounds it is asserting that there has been a change of circumstances, although its announcement comes on the heels of a New York Times report that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prolonged the war against Hamas in order to stay in power.
Syria says wildfires in Latakia province contained after 10 days
Syria’s civil defense agency says wildfires in the country’s west, which have burned vast tracts of forest and farmland and forced evacuations, have been brought under control after 10 days.
In a statement on Facebook, the agency says that “with the spread of the fires halted and the fire hotspots brought under control on all fronts” on Saturday, teams on the ground were working to cool down the affected areas while monitoring any signs of reignition.
The blazes in the coastal province of Latakia broke out amid an intense heatwave across the region.
The UN humanitarian agency OCHA said they destroyed about 100 square kilometers (40 square miles) of forest and farmland.
As the fires raged, Syrian emergency workers faced tough conditions including high temperatures, strong winds, rugged mountainous terrain and the danger of explosive war remnants.
PM to hold security meeting with top officials on Doha talks, with focus on Gaza troop redeployment
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to convene a limited security meeting at 9 p.m. to discuss the ceasefire and hostage release negotiations underway in Doha, reports Channel 12.
The meeting, to be attended by senior defense officials and several government ministers, will focus on a new proposal for IDF redeployment in Gaza, the main cause for the current impasse in the talks, according to the network.
Israel is reportedly planning to present updated maps in Doha today, outlining its planned military presence along the Morag Corridor and the perimeter of the Strip, after Qatar told Israel that Hamas rejected the previous offer.
While the presentation of new maps could be a breakthrough, even if they are approved significant gaps remain, such as the number and identity of Palestinian prisoners to be released, and which hostages will be freed from Gaza, adds Channel 12.
IDF says 150 terror targets struck over past day; Hamas-run health ministry says 139 Gazans killed
More than 150 terror targets were struck by the Israeli Air Force in the Gaza Strip in the past day, the military says.
The IDF says the targets included operatives, booby-trapped buildings, weapon depots, anti-tank launch posts, and other terror infrastructure.
At least 139 Palestinians were killed in Gaza over the past 24 hours, according to statistics published by the Hamas-run health ministry.
The strikes come as five IDF divisions, made up of tens of thousands of troops, continue to operate across Gaza.
The military says in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun, troops of the 162nd and 99th divisions killed several operatives and destroyed terror infrastructure, including tunnels.
Other operatives were killed elsewhere in Gaza by the troops, including by calling in airstrikes, the IDF adds.
Lawmakers advance bill that would allow any government, in its 1st months, to fire AG, IDF chief, other top officials
The Ministerial Committee for Legislation votes to back a bill sponsored by far-right Otzma Yehudit MK Zvika Fogel which would allow the government to terminate the tenure of the most senior security officials and public officers within its first 100 days in office.
The bill will now go to the Knesset for a preliminary reading before being referred to committee for further discussion.
The committee’s backing marks the latest in a string of moves by the coalition to concentrate power in the hands of the government at the expense of other institutions and erode the judiciary and other checks and balances.
Under the terms of the bill, a government in the first 100 days after taking office could terminate the tenure of the attorney general, IDF chief of staff, head of the Shin Bet, head of the Mossad, police commissioner, head of the Israel Prison Service, Civil Service commissioner, and head of the budget department in the Finance Ministry.
Discussion over the bill came as the government is working to fire Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, and to appoint David Zini as the new chief of the Shin Bet security service.
Otzma Yehudit chairman and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir welcomes the high-level panel’s approval of the legislation, declaring that it constitutes “an important step to strengthen governance and return responsibility to the government elected by the public.”
“It… is an important step on the path to restoring governance – similar to what is happening in Trump’s United States,” Ben Gvir declares.
“The government cannot continue to be shackled by the chains of senior officials who are appointed by previous governments but block every initiative of the current government. From now on, an elected government will be able, for a limited period of time and under clear conditions, to ensure alignment between the elected echelon and the executive echelon.”
In a recording from today’s meeting published by national broadcaster Kan, Justice Minister Yariv Levin can be heard making fun of Deputy Attorney General Gil Limon’s assertion that he had no conflict of interest regarding the issue.
“You are the ministering angels… a conflict of interest is just for the rabble elected by the people,” Levin declares.
“This is a small and welcome step by the committee and a significant step in preserving democracy,” declares Fogel following the vote.
Slamming the bill, The Democrats MK Gilad Kariv tweets that it “will severely impair” the defense establishment and public service and “significantly harm” their “operational continuity.”
Reporter arrested for post cheering killings of IDF troops is released to house arrest
Israel Frey, a far-left Haredi journalist who was arrested after rejoicing over the deaths of five IDF soldiers, was released to house arrest earlier today.
He will remain in house arrest until Friday, police say.
Frey was detained last week and in a rare move, transferred to a security prison at the behest of Israel Prison Service chief Kobi Yaakobi.
“At the direction of the prosecution, the police requested today to transfer the suspect to complete house arrest with additional restrictions,” police say. It is unclear what these restrictions are.
Yaakobi’s decision to define Frey as a security prisoner had received backing from far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.
Frey was investigated and detained last week over his tweet saying “the world is a better place” after five soldiers were fatally hit by roadside bombs in Gaza.
“The world is a better place this morning, without five young men who partook in one of the most brutal crimes against humanity,” Frey had tweeted about the slain soldiers, four of whom served in the ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda battalion.
“Unfortunately, for the boy in Gaza now being operated on without anesthesia, the girl starving to death and the family huddling in a tent under bombardment — this is not enough,” he continued. “This is a call to every Israeli mother: Do not be the next to receive your son in a coffin as a war criminal. Refuse.”
High Court approves government, AG compromise agreement over appointment of new Shin Bet chief
The High Court of Justice approves an agreement between the government and the attorney general that will pave the way for the appointment of Maj. Gen. David Zini as the next head of the Shin Bet.
Under the agreement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will inform the head of the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee in two months of his pick to head the Shin Bet, which will review the candidate’s suitability for the job.
The two-month period is reportedly designed to give the Shin Bet time to complete its part in the criminal investigations in the Qatargate and leaked documents scandals involving Netanyahu’s close aides.
The attorney general will also draw up a conflict of interest agreement for the new Shin Bet chief regarding his participation in those two investigations.
The current acting head of the Shin Bet known as “Shin” will serve until the next head of the security agency takes office.
The agreement brings to an end an extremely fraught legal and constitutional saga, following the government’s decision to fire former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar in March.
The High Court ruled in May that Netanyahu had acted unlawfully in recommending to the cabinet that Bar be fired, stating that the Shin Bet investigations into the prime minister’s close aides meant he had a conflict of interest in the decision and should not have been involved.
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara then issued instructions forbidding Netanyahu from involvement in appointing the next Shin Bet chief.
A majority of a different panel of judges earlier this month appeared to side with petitioners against the attorney general, leading to today’s compromise.
2 Israelis arrested for disorderly conduct amid deadly settler attack on Palestinian West Bank town released to house arrest
Two Israeli settlers who were arrested Friday afternoon during a deadly settler attack on a West Bank Palestinian town have been released to three days of house arrest, police say.
The two were part of a group of settlers that reportedly beat a Palestinian-American man to death and fatally shot another Palestinian resident last week in Sinjil, north of Ramallah.
The detained pair were arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct, a police spokesman tells The Times of Israel.
They were brought to the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court yesterday evening for an extension on their remand, upon which they were released to house arrest.
A family member of the slain Palestinian-American, 23-year-old Saif al-Din Musalat, told Haaretz that the assailants attacked residents with clubs. A pickup truck later arrived at the scene carrying more settlers, reportedly including two in army trousers who were armed with M16 assault rifles.
The Israel Defense Forces said violence flared after Palestinians threw rocks at a group of Israelis, lightly injuring two civilians. The ensuing “violent confrontation… included vandalism of Palestinian property, arson, physical clashes and rock hurling,” the IDF said.
A total of six suspects were arrested in connection to the incident — five Israelis and one Palestinian.
Only the Palestinian remains in detention.
The army detained two left-wing activists who have since been released.
An IDF reservist was also detained by police yesterday morning, but was released the same day after being interrogated by the Military Police.
According to a police spokesman, the reservist claimed to have fired into the air during the incident.
Government implies it may not abide by ruling if High Court doesn’t reject petitions against new method of firing AG
Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli file a notice to the High Court of Justice asking it to reject petitions against the government’s new method for firing the attorney general, while apparently implying that the coalition could ignore a ruling on the matter.
The notice is highly unusual since it is not a formal legal response to the petitions and is not written by a lawyer hired by the government, but rather by the ministers themselves.
In the notice, Levin and Chikli do not address the key legal arguments against the new method for firing an attorney general, which the government instituted in June after it was unable to advance the dismissal of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara under the previous system.
Instead, the two ministers lambaste Baharav-Miara for what they say is her “systematic” opposition to government policies due to her “personal and political positions,” and say she should have resigned when the government issued a no-confidence statement against her in March.
They also appear to implicitly threaten not to abide by a ruling against the new process for firing an attorney general, should the court issue one.
“The government is no longer willing to reconcile itself with a reality in which it is systematically and unprecedentedly denied the legal advice and representation which it deserves,” write Levin and Chikli.
They insist that the petitions against the new system for firing an attorney general “should be rejected outright,” saying that a ruling against the government would “decree upon the public a decree which would silence and mortally harm government work and which would contradict the essence of democracy.”
This, the ministers write, “would be a totally unjustified decree which cannot be met.”
Levin and Chikli accuse Baharav-Miara of having abused her authority “to breaking point, and having actually broken it.”
They add: “Now she expects the court to also break it, with the severe implications that would result from it.”
In March, the government set in motion the process of firing the attorney general under a system established in 2000. But in June, after it failed to convene a full quorum of the statuary committee designated under that system, it passed a cabinet resolution establishing a new five-member ministerial committee to replace the old panel.
That committee is scheduled to hold a dismissal hearing for Baharav-Miara tomorrow.
Government watchdog groups immediately filed petitions against June’s cabinet resolution, arguing that it unlawfully changes the method of dismissal after already embarking on the original process, and requested interim orders from the court to freeze all aspects of the new process until a final ruling.
Ben Gvir seeks backing for bill that would allow any government, in its 1st months, to fire AG, IDF chief, other top officials
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir calls on members of the Ministerial Committee for Legislation to back a bill allowing the government to terminate the tenure of the most senior security officials and public officers in the country within its first 100 days in office.
The high-level panel is set to vote this afternoon on the legislation, submitted to the Knesset by MK Zvika Fogel of Ben Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit party.
“A necessary step to restore governance to the government elected by the public,” writes Ben Gvir on X.
“The government was elected to implement the policy for which it received the public’s trust—not to repeatedly encounter obstacles from senior bureaucracy appointed by previous governments,” argues Ben Gvir. “I call on my fellow ministers: Vote in favor. Allow the elected government to govern—without shackles.”
If approved, the bill would mark the latest in a string of moves by the coalition to concentrate power in the hands of the government at the expense of other institutions and erode the judiciary and other checks and balances.
Under the terms of the bill, a government in the first 100 days from taking office could terminate the tenure of the attorney general, IDF chief of staff, head of the Shin Bet, head of the Mossad, police commissioner, head of the Israel Prison Service, Civil Service commissioner, and head of the budget department in the Finance Ministry.
Discussion over the bill comes as the government is working to fire Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, and to appoint David Zini as the new chief of the Shin Bet security service.
IDF releases footage of strike on terror operatives it says fired RPGs at troops
The IDF releases footage showing an airstrike on two terror operatives who it says fired RPGs at troops of the 7th Armored Brigade in the northern Gaza Strip in the past week.
Another video released by the army shows the destruction of a tunnel in the area. Inside the tunnel, the IDF says, the troops found a cache of weapons.
NYT dismisses Netanyahu’s denial of report claiming he prolonged war to stay in power: ‘Does not refute the facts’
The New York Times dismisses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s denial of its July 11 report claiming that he prolonged the war against Hamas in order to stay in power, declaring in a statement that Netanyahu’s response “does not refute the facts of that reporting.”
According to the report, Netanyahu deliberately extended the Gaza war to serve his own political goals of rehabilitating his domestic image and staying in power.
Among the actions listed in the report were Netanyahu’s shelving of a Gaza truce deal that would have secured the release of at least 30 hostages due to a threat by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to bring down the government. He also allegedly derailed a White House effort to secure Israeli-Saudi normalization conditional on ending the Gaza war due to opposition by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.
In a statement on Saturday, the Prime Minister’s Office argued that the Times coverage “defames Israel, its brave people and soldiers, and its prime minister.”
In response, The New York Times states that its investigation drew “on dozens of government records and military documents and interviews with more than 110 officials in Israel, the US, and across the Arab world.”
“Our role as independent journalists is to report and disclose information vital to the public interest, and to hold leaders to account regardless of party. The statement from the Prime Minister’s office does not refute the facts of that reporting. What the Times investigation shows in detail is how prolonging the Gaza war helped Mr. Netanyahu stay in power,” the Times asserts.
Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) has issued a statement criticizing The New York Times Magazine investigative profile piece, "How Netanyahu Prolonged the War in Gaza to Stay in Power." Read our response and find a gift link to the full investigation below. pic.twitter.com/lRqMQlM6Tz
— NYTimes Communications (@NYTimesPR) July 12, 2025
Jordan sends 50 trucks of supplies to Gaza via Israel after EU announcement on aid expansion
Jordan announces that a Jordanian charity organization dispatched 50 aid trucks to the Gaza Strip this morning.
According to the official Jordanian news agency, the trucks are carrying food supplies, primarily flour.
Footage shared on social media shows the trucks traveling overland from Jordan, through Israel, en route to Gaza.
It remains unclear whether they have entered the Strip.
Late last week, the European Union announced that a deal had been reached enabling the reopening of several aid corridors, including humanitarian routes through Egypt and Jordan, and several other crossing points in northern and southern Gaza.
مصادر أردنية: انطلاق قافلة أردنية إلى غزة تضم 100 شاحنة محمّلة بالمساعدات الإنسانية. pic.twitter.com/udqgMEK5QX
— شبكة فلسطين للحوار (@paldf) July 13, 2025
Guy Sasson on Wimbledon victory: ‘Like heaven’
Israeli tennis player Guy Sasson reacts to his win in the quad doubles final at the Wimbledon tennis tournament in London.
Top seeds Sasson and Niels Vink beat Gregory Slade and Donald Ramphadi 6-0 6-2.
“It’s like going to heaven,” Sasson tells the Kan public broadcaster. “As part of the rehabilitation process after my injury, I entered the world of wheelchair tennis, and gradually it developed to the point where I can play at a professional level.”
Sasson was injured in a 2015 snowboarding accident that left him in a wheelchair.
When he won yesterday, Sasson gave a speech in which he quoted in Hebrew the Biblical prophecy about the children of Israel rising like a lion, which was used by Israel as the name for the recent military operation — Rising Lion — against Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
The verse was found in yesterday’s weekly Torah portion, read in synagogues around the world.
“Am Yisrael Chai,” he concluded, in the speech broadcast on the BBC.
Newly crowned Israeli Wimbledon champion Guy Sasson quoted The Bible live on BBC:
“The people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift themself like as a young lion.”
And he capped it off with an “Am Yisrael Chai.” 🇮🇱
Eat his shorts, Bob Vylan. pic.twitter.com/lveEp5cz7f
— dahlia kurtz ✡︎ דליה קורץ (@DahliaKurtz) July 12, 2025
IDF chief freezes planned longer service for elite combat units after outcry
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has frozen the planned implementation of extended mandatory service for combat soldiers in selective ground units, such as special forces, the IDF says.
The freeze, announced after an outcry from troops and their families, came amid internal discussions about broadening the enforcement of additional service obligations for troops in these elite units.
According to the military, the planned extension of military service was not a new policy, as troops in selective units had committed to it upon enlisting, but it had not been enforced.
Following a preliminary review, Zamir has instructed that no soldier will be required to serve beyond the basic terms agreed to at the start of their service track.
He also established a review team headed by the IDF’s Ground Forces Commander Maj. Gen. Nadav Lotan to examine the operational and professional implications of the additional service period, especially in light of the ongoing strain on IDF manpower during the war against Hamas in Gaza.
The manpower strain comes against the background of a political storm over military draft exemptions for Haredi men. The military has said that it currently requires some 12,000 new soldiers, 75% of whom will be combat troops.
Reports: At least 8 killed, including 6 children, in IDF strike on water distribution point in Gaza
Media outlets in Gaza report that the IDF struck a water distribution point north of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
Al-Awda Hospital reports receiving eight bodies, including six children, as well as 16 wounded individuals.
Graphic footage circulated online, which cannot be immediately verified, appears to show dead and wounded at the scene.
There is no comment from the IDF.
Israel’s most-advanced communications satellite successfully launched into space
Israel’s Dror-1 communications satellite has been successfully launched into space from Cape Canaveral.
The Israel Aerospace Industries satellite was taken into orbit on a SpaceX Falcon 9 two-stage rocket. The first stage of the booster, which has now been used 13 times, landed back on earth on a platform at sea.
The second stage is currently pushing the satellite into space, and in a short while, the payload canopy will open.
The satellite will then open up its solar panels and dishes, and begin to maneuver into its permanent position. It should take some two weeks to reach the permanent position, after several orbits around earth.
Israel’s most-advanced communications satellite to be launched in coming minutes
Israel’s most-advanced communications satellite, dubbed Dror-1, is set to be launched in the coming minutes from Cape Canaveral, Israel Aerospace Industries announces.
The satellite is being taken into space by a two-stage rocket from Elon Musk’s SpaceX . The first stage is set to re-land on a platform at sea following the launch.
According to IAI, the Dror-1 satellite will stay at a fixed point at around 36,000 kilometers altitude. It will take some two weeks to maneuver into its permanent position.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/
Trump defends AG Bondi amid MAGA backlash over Epstein files
US President Donald Trump defends Attorney General Pam Bondi amid backlash against her from some of Trump’s supporters over how the Justice Department handled the investigation into the death of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged clientele.
Trump says “nobody cares about” Epstein, and that more time or energy must not be wasted on his case, as he tries to unite his base of supporters in a nearly 400-word post on Truth Social.
“What’s going on with my “boys” and, in some cases, “gals?” They’re all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! We’re on one Team, MAGA, and I don’t like what’s happening,” Trump says.
In a joint memo released on Monday, the FBI and Justice Department said there was no evidence to support a number of long-held conspiracy theories about Epstein’s death in federal custody in 2019 and his alleged clientele.
Conservative influencers from Laura Loomer to Elon Musk have criticized Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel for their findings, which came months after Bondi pledged to reveal major revelations about Epstein, including “a lot of names” and “a lot of flight logs.”
US media, including Fox News and NBC News, have reported that FBI deputy director Dan Bongino has clashed with Bondi over the issue and is considering stepping down.
Israel tried to assassinate Iran’s Pezeshkian during war, Iranian report says
Israel attempted to assassinate Iran’s president, parliament speaker and head of the judiciary in a strike on June 15 during the war, Iran’s Fars News reports.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was lightly wounded in the leg during the strike on a meeting of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council in Tehran, the IRGC-affiliated outlet says.
The report says six missiles or bombs were used to block the exits to the building where the meeting was being held, but the officials were able to escape via an emergency hatch.
Pezeshkian was injured while escaping the building, the report says, adding that an investigation was underway to discover whether a mole had given information on the meeting to Israel.
The report claims that the alleged assassination attempt was modeled on the strike that killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut.
There is no comment from Israel.
Last week, Pezeshkian said that Israel had tried to assassinate him, but did not specify the date of the alleged assassination attempt, nor whether it occurred during last month’s conflict.
“They did try, yes. They acted accordingly, but they failed,” Pezeshkian said in response to Tucker Carlson’s question about whether he believes Israel tried to kill him.
Iranian regime is ‘in deep trouble’ after war with Israel, Netanyahu says
The Iranian regime is “in deep trouble,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells Mark Levin in an hour-long interview on Fox News.
He filmed the interview while he was in Washington last week, one of three interviews granted to US media. He didn’t do any interviews with the traveling Israeli press.
Netanyahu says he would support an “exceptional deal” with Iran: “no enrichment, as President Trump and I say, no ballistic missiles, which could reach your shores, no ballistic missiles beyond what it allowed under international treaties, that is, 300 miles. And no terror axis.”
“Give me these three — It’s a different regime if it agrees to it,” he says.
“If it doesn’t, just keep them at bay and let things roll where they may inside Iran.”
Netanyahu says that had Israel and the US not attacked, “Iran could have had a nuclear weapon within a year.”
He also says the US under US President Donald Trump is a “different America.”
“It’s the America that the entire free world has actually longed to see,” says Netanyahu, adding that “if anyone deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, it’s President Trump.”
Netanyahu told Trump last week that he had recommended him for the prestigious award, and gave him a copy of the letter he sent to the Nobel committee.
Tucker Carlson suggests Jeffrey Epstein was Israeli agent, takes swipe at dual-citizen IDF vets
Right-wing US pundit Tucker Carlson says that disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein was probably working for Israeli intelligence.
“It’s extremely obvious to anyone who watches that this guy had direct connections to a foreign government. Now, no one’s allowed to say that foreign government is Israel, because we’ve been somehow cowed into thinking that that’s naughty,” he says.
The comment draws cheers from the crowd at the right-wing Turning Points confab on Friday.
Carlson says this comment is neither hateful nor anti-Israel, adding by way of analogy that he objects to CIA actions but is still an American patriot.
But “as long as we’re sending you money,” he says of Jerusalem, “if you were committing crimes on our soil, we have the absolute right to know.”
In another video from the same conference, Carlson says Americans who serve in foreign militaries, including the Israeli and Ukrainian armies, should lose their US citizenship.
“I quote the New Testament, but I also refer to common sense when I say that no man can serve two masters, it’s not possible,” he says, in response to a question that ends before the start of the clip, which he indicates was about Israel. “I only have one wife for that reason.”
“You can only really pledge your loyalty to one person or one country, that’s just a fact.”
“There are a lot of Americans who’ve served in the IDF and they should lose their citizenship. There are a lot of Americans who serve in Ukraine, and they should lose their citizenship,” he says. “You can’t fight for another country and remain an American — period. Obviously!”
Americans have been “cowed into believing that’s hate speech,” Carlson continues; he says it’s not hate speech, adding: “You don’t hear hate in my voice, because there isn’t any.”
🚨 🇺🇸 Tucker Carlson Demands Citizenship Revocation for Americans in Foreign Armies
At a Turning Point USA event on July 12, 2025, conservative commentator Tucker Carlson declared that American citizens who serve in foreign militaries—specifically Israel's IDF and Ukrainian… pic.twitter.com/fjE6acgHMD
— The Tradesman (@The_Tradesman1) July 12, 2025
Carlson has previously railed against US Rep. Brian Mast, of Florida, for wearing his Israel Defense Forces uniform to Congress in solidarity with Israel in the days after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack.
Mast, a veteran of the US military who lost both his legs fighting in Afghanistan, briefly volunteered with the IDF in January 2025, packing medical kits at an army base near Tel Aviv.
21-year-old in southern Israel hurt in explosion apparently caused by solar panel
A 21-year-old from a Bedouin community near the southern Israeli city of Arad is taken to Soroka hospital in Beersheba, after being injured by an unspecified exploding object.
The object in question is thought to be a solar panel, according to Ynet.
Police arrest 5 suspects in deadly Lod shooting, probing ‘conflict between clans’
Police say they’ve arrested five residents of Lod in connection to a deadly shooting earlier tonight that left one woman dead and another critically injured.
The shooting is being investigated within the context of a “violent conflict between clans on the Arab street,” Ynet reports, quoting the police.
It is also reported that the late husband of the woman who was killed in the shooting was himself shot to death four years ago.
Woman killed, another critically wounded in Lod shooting
A woman was shot dead in the central city of Lod tonight, in a shooting which left one other woman critically injured.
Both victims, in their 60s, were found unconscious after having sustained serious bullet wounds.
Paramedics pronounced one of the victims dead on the spot and took the other woman, in critical condition, to Shamir Medical Center, says the Magen David Adom emergency service.
Police say they have launched an investigation and are searching for suspects in connection with the incident.
Yesterday, two men were shot dead in Shfaram as crime continues to soar in Arab society. Since the start of the year, 134 Arab Israelis have been killed in violent criminal incidents.