The Times of Israel liveblogged Sunday’s events as they unfolded.

Canada’s Trudeau speaks with Trump, condemns assassination attempt

US President Donald Trump (R) speaks to the press during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the White House on October 11, 2017. (AFP Photo/Jim Watson)
Then-US president Donald Trump (R) speaks to the press during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the White House on October 11, 2017. (AFP Photo/Jim Watson)

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has spoken with former US president Donald Trump.

“The Prime Minister condemned yesterday’s appalling assassination attempt and reiterated there’s no place for political violence. The Prime Minister wished the former President well and offered condolences to the shooting victims and to the family of Corey Comperatore,” Trudeau’s office says in a statement.

Trump arrives in Milwaukee for RNC day after assassination attempt

MILWAUKEE — Former US president Donald Trump has landed in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention, a little more than 24 hours after he was wounded in a failed assassination attempt, according to son Eric Trump.

“Touchdown in Milwaukee with @realdonaldtrump,” Eric Trump posts on X with a video peering through the cockpit as pilots landed the Republican presidential candidate’s plane, dubbed “Trump Force One.”

US Secret Service says ‘fully prepared’ to secure GOP convention after Trump attack

Law enforcement officers on bicycles patrol downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 14, 2024, ahead of the Republican presidential convention. (Angela Weiss/AFP)
Law enforcement officers on bicycles patrol downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 14, 2024, ahead of the Republican presidential convention. (Angela Weiss/AFP)

MILWAUKEE — The US Secret Service insists the agency is “fully prepared” to maintain security at the Republican National Convention, and that it’s not changing its protocols even after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.

“We’re fully prepared and have a comprehensive security plan in place, and we’re ready to go,” Audrey Gibson-Cicchino, the Secret Service’s RNC Coordinator, tells reporters, expressing confidence that the event will be protected by the “highest level security.”

Doha: PM’s son employed ‘extremist talking points’ that risk harming hostage talks

Yair Netanyahu arrives for a court hearing in Tel Aviv, on November 29, 2022. (Avshalom Sassoni/ Flash90)
Yair Netanyahu arrives for a court hearing in Tel Aviv, on November 29, 2022. (Avshalom Sassoni/ Flash90)

A Qatari diplomat accuses Yair Netanyahu of employing the talking points of extremists opposed to ending the Gaza war peacefully, after the prime minister’s son claimed Qatar is the world’s second-largest state sponsor of terrorism.

At a panel in Miami earlier today, the younger Netanyahu claimed that Qatar receives “red carpet” treatment in Washington and New York, despite following only Iran on the list of largest state sponsors of terrorism. He also said that Doha is the number one sponsor of US universities.

A Qatari diplomat tells The Times of Israel that Yair Netanyahu’s comments “are copied from the talking points of extremist groups who are hostile to any peaceful resolution to the Gaza conflict.”

“These false claims will not take the pressure off those who prefer to continue waging war,” the diplomat says.

“His accusations about Qatar as the ‘biggest donor’ to US universities are also false. In reality, these payments are not donations. They cover the costs of American branch campuses in Qatar. Qatar has nothing to do with the recent protests on US campuses,” the diplomat adds, referring to the anti-Israel encampments that sprung up across the country toward the end of the spring semester.

“His remarks are irresponsible, particularly at this sensitive time in the negotiations. They can only further complicate things,” the diplomat warns.

Houthis claim – without evidence – to attack ‘military targets’ in Eilat

Yemenis brandishing rifles rally in the Houthi-run capital Sanaa, in solidarity with the Palestinians of Gaza on July 12, 2024. (Mohammed Huwais/AFP)
Yemenis brandishing rifles rally in the Houthi-run capital Sanaa, in solidarity with the Palestinians of Gaza on July 12, 2024. (Mohammed Huwais/AFP)

Yemen’s Houthis claim to have conducted two military operations, one in the Gulf of Aden and one in Eilat, at the southern tip of Israel.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree says the group targeted the Israeli ship MSC UNIFIC in the Gulf of Aden with a number of ballistic missiles and drones, in addition to attacking military targets in Eilat with drones.

The rebel group regularly makes unsubstantiated claims about its activity, and also describes ships as being Israeli when they are not. According to tracking sites, the MSC UNIFIC is sailing under the flag of Liberia. Its ownership is not immediately clear.

Sirens last sounded in Eilat early Saturday morning, which the IDF says was due to the launch of two drones from Syria.

FBI says it is investigating Trump shooting as ‘potential domestic terrorism’

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

The FBI says that the attempt to shoot Donald Trump is being investigated as a potential act of domestic terrorism, adding that the shooter acted alone and had no known ideology.

“We are investigating this as an assassination attempt, but also looking at it as a potential domestic terrorism act,” Robert Wells, assistant director of the FBI counterterrorism division, tells reporters.

The gun used in the attempted assassination was an “AR-style 556 rifle” that was purchased legally, FBI Special Agent Kevin Rojek tells reporters.

Authorities believe the semi-automatic weapon was bought by the shooter’s father, but do not yet know how he accessed the weapon or whether he took it without his father’s knowledge, the FBI says.

The FBI says it has not yet identified any ideology ascribed to the shooter, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was shot dead by Secret Service agents yesterday.

US says it destroyed several Houthi drones over Red Sea, Yemen

An F/A-18 Super Hornet launches off the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt on July 5, 2024, in the South China Sea. The Roosevelt is replacing the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Navy's campaign against attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeting shipping in the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. (Seaman Aaron Haro Gonzalez/US Navy, via AP)
An F/A-18 Super Hornet launches off the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt on July 5, 2024, in the South China Sea. The Roosevelt is replacing the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Navy's campaign against attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeting shipping in the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. (Seaman Aaron Haro Gonzalez/US Navy, via AP)

The US Central Command says in a statement that over the past 24 hours, its troops “successfully destroyed” two Houthi-operated drones over the Red Sea, as well as an “uncrewed surface vessel” in the body of water.

In addition, it says, it also destroyed a Houthi drone that was over a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen.

The statement says that the targets “presented an imminent threat to US, coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region.”

After assassination attempt, Trump says he’ll travel to Milwaukee today for convention

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

Former US president Donald Trump says he will travel to Milwaukee today on schedule to attend the Republican national nominating convention, despite surviving an assassination attempt yesterday.

“I cannot allow a ‘shooter,’ or potential assassin, to force change to scheduling, or anything else,” the presumptive Republican presidential nominee writes on Truth Social.

“Therefore, I will be leaving for Milwaukee, as scheduled, at 3:30 P.M. TODAY,” he writes, adding that he opted against delaying his trip to Wisconsin.

Israeli fighter jets strike Hezbollah infrastructure in south Lebanon, says IDF

This picture taken from northern Israel shows smoke from an Israeli bombardment billowing across the border in Kfar Kila in southern Lebanon on July 12, 2024. (Jalaa Marey/AFP)
This picture taken from northern Israel shows smoke from an Israeli bombardment billowing across the border in Kfar Kila in southern Lebanon on July 12, 2024. (Jalaa Marey/AFP)

Israeli fighter jets struck Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon’s Mays al-Jabal, Bani Haiyyan, and Ayta ash-Shab a short while ago, the IDF says.

Additionally, a building used by the terror group in Houla was also struck, the military adds.

Outgoing police chief Shabtai: I’m leaving role with ‘uneasy feeling’ over politicization

Outgoing Israel Police chief Kobi Shabtai speaks during a farewell ceremony in his honor at the National Police Academy in Beit Shemesh, July 14, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)
Outgoing Israel Police chief Kobi Shabtai speaks during a farewell ceremony in his honor at the National Police Academy in Beit Shemesh, July 14, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)

Outgoing Israel Police chief Kobi Shabtai urges during his farewell ceremony against making the law enforcement body a political one, alluding to the behavior of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir without directly naming him.

Ben Gvir, whose ministry oversees the police, was not invited to the ceremony. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chose to send prerecorded video comments.

“It is forbidden to turn the police political — that is how we lose public legitimacy and lose our right to exist,” Shabtai says in his speech, addressing it to the officers in attendance, Netanyahu, and President Isaac Herzog, who made similar comments earlier at the ceremony. “We are a professional body whose job is to protect citizens’ wellbeing and safety. Don’t harm the police, and leave it outside of the political dialogue. This dialogue weakens the organization and will harm its ability to accomplish its goals.”

Shabtai says he has served in the police for 39 years, including the last 3.5 as commissioner. His period leading the organization “was characterized by great tension” on the political front, “certainly for me, as the one who leads the Israel Police.”

The outgoing chief says he is stepping down from his role “with an uneasy feeling. The fight against the politicization of the police and its deviation from its professional path is in full swing.”

Shabtai and Ben Gvir clashed repeatedly since the minister took up his position and attempted to exert much greater control over the police, including the way officers responded to different types of demonstrations.

The attorney general has raised concerns over Ben Gvir’s pick for the next chief of police, Avshalom Peled.

Biden says Trump assassination attempt is ‘contrary to everything we stand for’

US President Joe Biden speaks after his Republican opponent Donald Trump was injured following a shooting at an election rally in Pennsylvania, at the Rehoboth Beach Police Department, in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, July 13, 2024. (SAMUEL CORUM / AFP)
US President Joe Biden speaks after his Republican opponent Donald Trump was injured following a shooting at an election rally in Pennsylvania, at the Rehoboth Beach Police Department, in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, July 13, 2024. (SAMUEL CORUM / AFP)

President Joe Biden condemns the assassination attempt against Republican rival Donald Trump and says he is grateful Trump is recovering from his wounds in the incident.

In remarks at the White House, Biden says he will address the American people tonight on the need for unity. He says he has ordered a review of what happened at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania.

“There is no place in America for this kind of violence or any violence for that matter. An assassination attempt is contrary to everything we stand for… as a nation — everything,” he says.

Biden is slated to give a full address to the American people at 8 p.m., local time tonight.

Spectator killed in Trump rally shooting identified as former local fire chief

Trump supporters are seen covered with blood in the stands after gunshots were fired at Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (Rebecca Droke / AFP)
Trump supporters are seen covered with blood in the stands after gunshots were fired at Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (Rebecca Droke / AFP)

The spectator at the Trump rally who was killed by gunfire as the former president was wounded in an attempted assassination yesterday has been identified as a former fire chief.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro names the rallygoer who was killed as Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief from the area, and says he “died a hero.”

“His wife shared with me that he dove on his family to protect them,” Shapiro says. He declined to discuss the condition of two others who were wounded.

Comperatore previously served as the chief of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Department, according to a report by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He was survived by a wife and two daughters.

Shapiro says he had spoken to Comperatore’s family and he relayed parts of the conversation to reporters.

“Corey died a hero. Corey dove on his family to protect them last night at this rally,” Shapiro says. “Corey was the very best of us.”

Report: Google closing in on deal to purchase Israeli startup for $23 billion

People walk by a Google sign on the campus in Mountain View, California, on September 24, 2019. (AP Photo/ Jeff Chiu, File)
People walk by a Google sign on the campus in Mountain View, California, on September 24, 2019. (AP Photo/ Jeff Chiu, File)

Google is nearing a deal to purchase Israeli cybersecurity startup Wiz for $23 billion, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

Google’s parent company, Alphabet, is reportedly in “advanced talks” to buy Wiz, which the newspaper says would be its largest acquisition ever.

Asked about resigning, IDF chief says he will decide ‘once the tasks are completed’

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi holds a press conference at the Palmachim air base on July 14, 2024. (Screenshot)
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi holds a press conference at the Palmachim air base on July 14, 2024. (Screenshot)

Asked if he plans to resign over the October 7 onslaught, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi says he will make a decision once “the tasks are completed.”

“I have been serving in the IDF for almost 40 years. Not one moment in my service involved clinging to a chair. I am currently busy with the tasks: dismantling Hamas, returning the hostages, creating security for residents at the borders,” he says at a press conference.

“I have expressed my responsibility on several occasions, and these words also have a practical meaning, it is very clear to me,” Halevi says.

“We do not leave tasks in the middle, when we complete the tasks, I will make my decisions,” he adds.

Addressing the ongoing probes into the failures before, during and after October 7, Halevi says that there is no aspect of IDF activity that will not be subject to a deep investigation, including that “of the senior leadership of the IDF and of my own behavior.”

The military chief says that the investigations so far have revealed a number of failures as well as great bravery of IDF soldiers: “Every act of heroism that they did is their own, in every one of their mistakes, I have a part.”

Halevi says IDF will know how to ‘return and fight’ even after ceasefire; IDF creating all the pressure needed for deal

IDF troops seen operating in Gaza in this handout photo cleared for publication on July 14, 2024. (IDF)
IDF troops seen operating in Gaza in this handout photo cleared for publication on July 14, 2024. (IDF)

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi says the military will be able to return to fighting in the Gaza Strip after a truce with Hamas, regardless of the details of such an agreement.

He also says the IDF has maintained the necessary military on pressure on Hamas in recent months to help secure a new deal for the release of hostages.

“An agreement for the return of the hostages is an urgent moral imperative to save lives. The IDF is creating all the pressure required to create the best conditions for such an agreement, and this is how we have acted since the end of the previous agreement. The IDF will know how to abide by any agreement that is approved by the political echelon, and even after a ceasefire, to return and fight with great intensity,” Halevi says in a press conference.

“The IDF will not stop working to free the hostages, those for whom time passes with great difficulty, and we will not give up on continuing to attack Hamas until this goal is achieved, and of course we will not give up on achieving security for the citizens of the State of Israel,” Halevi adds.

At a press conference last night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu charged that, “For months there was no progress [toward a hostage deal] because the military pressure was not strong enough,” and that this only changed when he insisted that the IDF go into Rafah.

IDF chief says Hamas is ‘trying to hide’ outcome of strike on Muhammed Deif

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi speaks during a handover ceremony held at the IDF Central Command headquarters in Jerusalem, July 8, 2024. (Oren Ben Hakoon/ Flash90)
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi speaks during a handover ceremony held at the IDF Central Command headquarters in Jerusalem, July 8, 2024. (Oren Ben Hakoon/ Flash90)

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi says it is still too early to determine whether Muhammed Deif, the chief of Hamas’s military wing, was killed in yesterday’s airstrike in southern Gaza, but that the terror group is attempting to hide the results of the attack.

“We are not stopping, we are not stopping fighting. We are operating in the entire Gaza Strip with different fighting methods,” he says at a press conference at the Palmachim Airbase.

“Yesterday, in a joint operation by the IDF and the Shin Bet, we attacked a compound in Khan Younis where Muhammed Deif, the commander of the military wing of Hamas, was hiding. The man who planned and gave the order for the attack on October 7. Alongside him, Rafa’a Salameh, the commander of the Khan Younis Brigade, and with them other terrorists,” Halevi says.

“It is still too early to summarize the results of the attack, which Hamas is trying to hide,” he says. “We are determined to continue to pursue senior Hamas officials, those who planned and carried out the October 7 massacre, and dedicated their lives to the murder of innocents.”

“Muhammed was afraid to die, so he hid in a way that even harmed his ability to command. He hid and sacrificed with him his men and civilians who were around… a few were hurt, Halevi says. “We found him, we will also find the next ones in line.”

“These assassinations are part of the continuous and changing military pressure that the IDF exerts in all parts of the Gaza Strip. Every day, there are many Hamas deaths… This is important for the systematic dismantling of the Hamas terror organization. It is also very important for the creation of conditions for an agreement for the return of the hostages,” Halevi adds.

PA minister says Palestinian Olympic athletes are ‘symbols of resistance’

Palestine's flag bearer Dania Nour and their delegation parade during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, at the Olympic Stadium, in Tokyo, on July 23, 2021. (Ben STANSALL / AFP)
Palestine's flag bearer Dania Nour and their delegation parade during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, at the Olympic Stadium, in Tokyo, on July 23, 2021. (Ben STANSALL / AFP)

Eight Palestinian athletes taking part in the Paris Olympics will be symbols of “resistance,” a Palestinian minister says.

The athletes are preparing for the start of the Paris Games on July 26 in a “very dark moment in our history,” says Palestinian Authority minister of state for foreign affairs Varsen Aghabekian Shahin.

“You are not just athletes, you are also… symbols of Palestinian resistance,” Aghabekian adds.

Olympic committee head Jibril Rajoub says: “We want this participation to be a message from the Palestinians to the world that it is time for them to be free in their homeland.”

“Through this participation, we want to present the suffering of the Palestinian people and the unprecedented killing taking place in Gaza,” he adds.

Rajoub says getting athletes to Paris “is already a victory.”

The eight will compete in athletics (track and field), swimming, archery, taekwondo, judo, and boxing. One secured a place through regular qualifying and seven were given special invitations.

At farewell for Israel Police chief, Herzog urges officials to ‘leave police outside of politics’

President Isaac Herzog speaks during a swearing-in ceremony for newly appointed judges at the President's Residence in Jerusalem, on June 23, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)
President Isaac Herzog speaks during a swearing-in ceremony for newly appointed judges at the President's Residence in Jerusalem, on June 23, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)

At a farewell ceremony for outgoing Israel Police chief Kobi Shabtai, President Isaac Herzog urges the law enforcement body to remain apolitical.

“We are in the middle of a challenging and complicated period, which places on you and on all police officers an enormous responsibility,” Herzog says in his comments to the officers gathered there, according to his office.

“It is important to me to clarify and emphasize: the police force does not belong and will not belong to any one person. The police is not tied to any political side,” he adds. “The police must belong to all of us… I ask and call on all political officials — leave the police outside of politics.”

Shabtai is leaving office during a turbulent period in which he clashed repeatedly and publicly with National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who has been accused of trying to politicize the police force and assert greater control over its activities.

State attorney indicts former hard-right MK for incitement to racism against Arabs

Then-Otzma Yehudit party member Michael Ben Ari speaks during an election campaign event of Otzma Yehudit party in Bat Yam, April 6, 2019. (Flash90)
Then-Otzma Yehudit party member Michael Ben Ari speaks during an election campaign event of Otzma Yehudit party in Bat Yam, April 6, 2019. (Flash90)

Ultra-nationalist politician and former MK Michael Ben Ari is indicted on charges of incitement to racism for “dozens” of public statements during the years 2017 to 2023 in which he incited against Arab Israelis, the State Attorney’s Office announces.

The Otzma Yehudit founder and former MK for the National Union party, a predecessor of the current Religious Zionism party, made his comments in public speeches, media interviews and on his social media accounts, which have tens of thousands of followers, and on which he called on his followers to share and promote his racist outbursts.

The indictment charges that Ben Ari, a student and follower of the late racist far-right leader rabbi Meir Kahane, repeatedly referred to Arab citizens of Israel as “enemies,” “a fifth column,” “occupiers” and “a nation of murderers” during those years.

Ben Ari also attributed to Arab Israelis in general “responsibility and complicity” for terror attacks committed by Arabs criminals or assailants, the indictment alleges, and would also attribute negative stereotypes to Arab Israelis, accusing them of being “violent, cruel and murderous.”

The far-right leader also claimed that Arab Israelis as a whole wished to “eliminate,” “slaughter” and “destroy” all Jews, said that they did not belong in Israel but rather in their “country of origin,” and called to “exclude them from the basic aspects of normal life.”

In March 2019, the High Court of Justice barred Ben Ari from running in Knesset elections due to his record of incitement, resulting ultimately in far-right activist and current national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir taking control of the party.

Ben Ari and other founders of Otzma Yehudit left the party after alleging that Ben Gvir had taken it in a more moderate direction and abandoned Kahane’s path.

Gantz says Trump shooting is a wake-up call for Israel: ‘We must not be indifferent’

National Unity party leader MK Benny Gantz seen on the Knesset floor on June 26, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
National Unity party leader MK Benny Gantz seen on the Knesset floor on June 26, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

In the wake of yesterday’s attempted assassination of former US president Donald Trump, National Unity party leader Benny Gantz quotes the late prime minister Yitzhak Rabin’s statement that “violence erodes the foundation of democracy,” issuing a strong appeal for civility in Israel’s political discourse.

Rabin was assassinated by a far-right gunman in 1995, an act many link to the vitriolic rhetoric against him at the time.

“These days, when we have returned to the discourse of October 6 on steroids, we must say in a clear voice: there is no place for hatred and violence in a democratic country, in any shape or form, on any side of the political map,” he tweets.

“Violence is a danger to any democratic society, and we must not be indifferent to it, no matter which direction it comes from, no matter how great our differences. It is forbidden to act with physical or verbal violence against demonstrators and politicians and against the prime minister,” he states.

Pushing back against anticipated criticism from those who would accuse him of serving the prime minister’s interests, Gantz says that “the time has come to wake up about ourselves” and engage in introspection.

“This is also true for the prime minister, who must act to stop the incitement that is being spread online on his behalf. We must unite in calling all party leaders against any kind of incitement or violence,” he continues, calling yesterday’s shooting in Pennsylvania a wake-up call for Israelis.

Turkish foreign minister urges more pressure on Israel to reach ceasefire

Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Hakan Fidan, center, arrives at the foreign ministry in Baghdad, Iraq, March 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Hakan Fidan, center, arrives at the foreign ministry in Baghdad, Iraq, March 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan urges more pressure on Israel to end the war in Gaza at a joint news conference with Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.

Israel’s strikes on senior Hamas officials in Gaza yesterday show that the country has no intention of ending the conflict, he adds.

“Hamas accepting conditions of the ceasefire terms is seen by Israel as weakness and surrender, which is highly dangerous,” Fidan says.

Gallant tells IDF pilots that pursuit of Hamas operatives ‘will continue for years’

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant meets with IDF fighter pilots at the Nevatim IDF air base on July 14, 2024. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant meets with IDF fighter pilots at the Nevatim IDF air base on July 14, 2024. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant meets with the IDF fighter pilots involved in yesterday’s strike on senior Hamas officials Muhammed Deif and Rafa’a Salameh in Khan Younis.

“Your actions are precise, of high quality and the results are what allow us to continue to do things,” Gallant tells those gathered at the Nevatim air base. “They also allow us freedom of action in order to achieve our goals.”

Those goals include the returning of the hostages, he says, “and your actions, including those yesterday, give us the freedom of flexibility in order to achieve this.” Today, he says, Hamas does not have the capability to rearm itself, to organize itself or to treat its wounded.

Gallant adds that Hamas’s capabilities are being eroded every day, but “the pursuit of Hamas terrorists will continue for many years — from the most senior, as you acted against yesterday, to those terrorists in the field,” including all those who took part in the October 7 massacre.

IDF confirms four soldiers wounded in car-ramming attack earlier today

Israeli security and rescue personnel work at the scene of a terror attack at the Nir Tzvi Junction in central Israel, July 14, 2024. (Jamal Awad/Flash90)
Israeli security and rescue personnel work at the scene of a terror attack at the Nir Tzvi Junction in central Israel, July 14, 2024. (Jamal Awad/Flash90)

Four IDF soldiers were wounded in the car-ramming terror attack in central Israel earlier today, the military says.

The attack took place at the Nir Tzvi junction, adjacent to the Tzrifin military base.

An IDF officer and a soldier were seriously wounded, another soldier was moderately injured, and a cadet was lightly hurt.

The terrorist was shot dead by Border Police officers.

WSJ: Suspected Trump shooter had explosive devices in his car

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump gestures as he is surrounded by US Secret Service agents as he leaves the stage at a campaign rally after an assassination attrempt, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump gestures as he is surrounded by US Secret Service agents as he leaves the stage at a campaign rally after an assassination attrempt, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

US authorities found explosive devices in the car of the man who officials say tried to assassinate former US president Donald Trump, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing unnamed sources.

The car driven by the suspected shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was parked near the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, yesterday, the newspaper reports.

The newspaper and ABC News both report that the gun Crooks used was purchased by his father.

Netanyahu scheduled to meet Biden in White House on July 22

US President Joe Biden (right) is greeted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ben Gurion International Airport, October 18, 2023. (Evan Vucci/AP)
US President Joe Biden (right) is greeted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ben Gurion International Airport, October 18, 2023. (Evan Vucci/AP)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet US President Joe Biden on July 22, two days ahead of his speech before a joint session of Congress, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.

The meeting will take place in the White House. This will be the first time Biden has hosted Netanyahu in Washington since the prime minister’s term began in late 2022.

Sirens sound in Kerem Shalom next to Gaza border; IDF: False alarm

Sirens sound in Kerem Shalom along the southern border of the Gaza Strip.

The IDF later says that the warning sirens were a false alarm.

IDF says it struck Hamas operatives hiding in UNRWA school; Hamas claims 12 dead

Israeli tanks stand near the Israel-Gaza border as seen from southern Israel, July 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)
Israeli tanks stand near the Israel-Gaza border as seen from southern Israel, July 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

The IDF says that it struck a number of Hamas operatives gathered in the grounds of an UNRWA-affiliated school in Nuseirat in central Gaza.

The military says the strike was carried out based on intelligence from the Military Intelligence Directorate, Shin Bet and Southern Command. Hamas was using the building as a hiding place and a location from which to plan attacks against Israeli troops operating in Gaza, says the IDF.

The IDF says that prior to the strike it took steps to limit harm to civilians, including using precision weapons and intelligence.

The Hamas-run media office in the Strip says that 12 people were killed in the strike on the school grounds, which it says was housing displaced people. Health officials in Gaza said only that several people were killed and wounded in the strike.

Israel confirms killing Hamas commander of Khan Younis Brigade in Gaza strike yesterday

Rafa’a Salameh, the commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade, in an undated photo. (Courtesy)
Rafa’a Salameh, the commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade, in an undated photo. (Courtesy)

The IDF and Shin Bet in a joint statement officially confirm that Rafa’a Salameh, the commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade, was killed in yesterday’s strike in the southern Gaza Strip.

The IDF says Salameh was “one of the closest associates” of Muhammad Deif, the chief of the terror group’s military wing, and “was one of the masterminds of the October 7 massacre.”

His killing is a “significant blow to the military capabilities of Hamas,” the IDF says.

Deif was also at the targeted site, although the IDF has yet to receive final confirmation he was killed in the attack.

Salameh, according to the IDF, joined Hamas in the early 1990s, and was later appointed to command the Khan Younis Brigade’s al-Qarara Battalion.

The IDF says he “played a significant role” in the abduction of IDF soldier Gilad Shilat in 2006, and in the 2014 war, was in command of Hamas’s “combat support and defensive plans.”

In 2016 he replaced Mohammed Sinwar, the brother of the Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar, as the head of the Khan Younis Brigade, according to the military.

In addition to numerous rocket attacks on Israel, he was also in command of two attack tunnels that were struck during the May 2021 war, the IDF adds.

‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ star Shannen Doherty dies at 53

Shannen Doherty visiting Israel in 2012. (Courtesy Erroca Israel Facebook)
Shannen Doherty visiting Israel in 2012. (Courtesy Erroca Israel Facebook)

Shannen Doherty, the “Beverly Hills, 90210” star whose life and career were roiled by illness and tabloid stories, has died at 53.

Doherty died yesterday, according to a statement from her publicist, Leslie Sloane, given to People magazine. She had had breast cancer for years.

Her illness was publicly revealed in a lawsuit filed in 2015 against her former business managers, in which she alleged they mismanaged her money and allowed her health insurance to lapse. She later shared intimate details of her treatment following a single mastectomy. In December 2016, she posted a photo of her first day of radiation, calling the treatment “frightening” for her.

In February 2020, Doherty revealed that the cancer had returned and she was at stage four. She said she came forward because her health conditions could come out in court. The actor had sued insurance giant State Farm after her California home was damaged in a fire in 2018.

Doherty visited Israel in 2012, spending five days in the country as part of a promotion and campaign with the sunglasses brand Erroca.

Shin Bet chief says strike targeting Deif was enabled by ‘surgical intelligence’

Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar (center) meets with IDF officers in southern Gaza's Rafah, July 13, 2024. (Shin Bet)
Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar (center) meets with IDF officers in southern Gaza's Rafah, July 13, 2024. (Shin Bet)

The head of the Shin Bet security agency says Israeli forces have killed over the past week 25 terrorists who participated in the October 7 onslaught.

“This is one of the goals we have set for ourselves and we owe it to the residents of the [Gaza border communities],” Ronen Bar says during a visit to troops in southern Gaza’s Rafah over the weekend.

Bar held an assessment with the chief of the Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, and the commander of the 162nd Division, Brig. Gen. Itzik Cohen, the Shin Bet says.

Commenting on the airstrike yesterday that targeted the head of Hamas’s military wing, Muhammad Deif, and another top commander, Bar says: “The attack in Khan Younis is the result of surgical intelligence, which begins with the effort you have been making here in recent months.”

Kate, princess of Wales, makes rare public appearance since announcing cancer

Britain's Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte arrive to attend the men's singles final match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, July 14, 2024. (Aaron Chown/Pool Photo via AP)
Britain's Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte arrive to attend the men's singles final match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, July 14, 2024. (Aaron Chown/Pool Photo via AP)

Kate Middleton, the princess of Wales, arrives at the All England Club for the Wimbledon men’s final, only her second public appearance since announcing she was diagnosed with cancer.

Kate, wife of heir to the throne Prince William, is expected to sit in the Royal Box at Centre Court during the championship match between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.

Since 2016, the princess has been the patron of the club that hosts the annual grass-court Grand Slam tournament. Her ceremonial duties include handing out the winner’s trophies after the singles finals, although she was not on hand yesterday when Barbora Krejcikova defeated Jasmine Paolini for the women’s title.

Kate revealed in March that she has cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy. Her lone public appearance since then was attending last month’s birthday parade for King Charles III. Before that event, she released a statement saying she was “making good progress” but still had “good days and bad days.”

Several dead in attack in southwest Germany — initial reports

Several people were killed and others injured in an attack in Lautlingen, a town in the German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, according to a report by Germany’s Bild newspaper.

The attacker is thought to be a hunter, according to the report, which does not specify how the victims were killed.

Police confirm there were several people dead without specifying. The general public is not at risk, a spokesperson says.

Government approves lengthening army service extension for male soldiers to 3 years

The government votes to approve lengthening mandatory service for male Israel Defense Forces soldiers to three years after the move was held up over a dispute on the matter between Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

According to the government decision, for the next five years, male soldiers will serve 36 months, meaning the order will effectively cover a period of eight years. It will also apply to soldiers currently serving as well as to women who are serving in positions that require them to sign a waiver that their service period will be equal to that of men in the same roles. At the end of the extension period, army service will return to the current 32-month term.

According to Hebrew media reports, the Attorney General’s Office informed ministers that the legality of the measure depends on how it fits in with broader efforts to enlist the ultra-Orthodox and equalize the burden of military service between various sectors of society.

While current military realities make the move necessary, it must be accompanied by the passage of a service outline for the ultra-Orthodox “to ensure that in a few years, we can again shorten the service and distribute it more equitably,” tweets former war cabinet minister Benny Gantz.

“He who has the courage to send soldiers into battle should also be expected to have the courage to endanger his coalition for the sake of Israel’s security,” he says.

Trump says ‘God alone’ stopped assassination, urges Americans to unite against ‘evil’

Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump is surrounded by US Secret Service agents as he is helped off the stage at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump is surrounded by US Secret Service agents as he is helped off the stage at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump says it was divine intervention that helped him survive an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, and called on Americans to unite.

“It was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening,” the former US president and White House hopeful says on social media, urging fellow Americans to unite in “not allowing Evil to Win.”

IDF drills ground op in Lebanon; separate exercise simulates defense of northern towns

IDF troops carry out a drill in northern Israel, in a handout photo published July 14, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
IDF troops carry out a drill in northern Israel, in a handout photo published July 14, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

This past week, the IDF’s 5th Reserve Infantry Brigade carried out a drill simulating fighting in Lebanon, which the military says is part of the Northern Command’s efforts to increase readiness amid heightened tensions on the northern border.

The drill included movement in complex terrain, advancing along a “mountainous route,” and using firepower and observation capabilities, the IDF says.

A separate drill, carried out by the 769th “Hiram” Regional Brigade’s 920th Reserve Battalion, simulated defending northern Israeli towns.

Israel has said it can no longer tolerate Hezbollah’s presence along its border following the October 7 Hamas atrocities and has warned that should a diplomatic solution not be reached, it will turn to military action to push Hezbollah northward.

PM to hold meeting at Kirya this evening on restarting hostage talks

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold a meeting this evening on ongoing attempts to restart talks to reach a hostage deal with Hamas, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.

The meeting will be held at the Kirya IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv.

AG says government’s plan to lengthen mandatory army service unconstitutional if it doesn’t draft Haredim

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara arrives at a Jerusalem Day conference at the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem, June 5, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara arrives at a Jerusalem Day conference at the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem, June 5, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara says the government’s plan to lengthen soldiers’ mandatory military service to three years is unconstitutional if it doesn’t also draft Haredi yeshiva students, in a letter to the cabinet published by Hebrew media outlets.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant disagrees with the opinion, according to a quote reported by Israel Hayom.

“There is a gap between the position of the Defense Ministry and [that of] attorney general,” he is quoted as telling the cabinet. “I stand behind the position of the ministry and suggest that she review her opinion.”

Media outlets name Muhammad Aaleb Mahmoud Shahab, 27, as attacker in central Israel terror attack

The perpetrator of the terror attack in central Israel was Muhammad Aaleb Mahmoud Shahab, 27, an Israeli citizen and resident of East Jerusalem, according to Hebrew media reports.

PM: Trump shooting ‘heinous crime’ and ‘attempt to assassinate American democracy’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (center) addresses a weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, on July 14, 2024. Cabinet secretary Yossi Fuchs is at right.(Screenshot/GPO)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (center) addresses a weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, on July 14, 2024. Cabinet secretary Yossi Fuchs is at right.(Screenshot/GPO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemns yesterday’s attempted assassination attempt against former US president Donald Trump, declaring at the beginning of his cabinet’s weekly meeting in Jerusalem that the shooting was “not only a heinous crime [but] also an attempt to assassinate American democracy.”

“Fortunately, Trump miraculously survived,” Netanyahu continues, wishing him a speedy recovery “in my name, in the name of my wife Sarah, in the name of the ministers of the Israeli government, and in the name of the entire people of Israel.”

Sydney’s oldest synagogue vandalized with banner reading ‘sanction Israel’

The Great Synagogue, the oldest in Sydney, Australia, was vandalized with a banner reading “sanction Israel,” the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies says in a post on X.

“Let’s be clear — targeting a synagogue is pure, unadulterated antisemitism which is intended to have a chilling and intimidating effect on members of the Synagogue and the Jewish community more broadly,” the organization says.

“Despicable conduct such as this is completely antithetical to our Australian way of life. Places of worship are sacred and should be places of safety, refuge and comfort.”

Police say East Jerusalem Palestinian carried out Nir Tzvi terror attack

The scene of a terror attack at Nir Tzvi junction in central Israel, July 14, 2024. (Magen David Adom)
The scene of a terror attack at Nir Tzvi junction in central Israel, July 14, 2024. (Magen David Adom)

Police identify the assailant who carried out the terror attack at the Nir Tzvi junction as an East Jerusalem Palestinian.

He was shot by Border Police officers who were stationed nearby.

One victim of ramming and shooting attack in critical condition, hospital says

The Asaf Harofeh Hospital in an update says one of the seriously wounded victims of the car-ramming and shooting attack at the Nir Tzvi junction is listed in critical condition.

Three others were wounded in the attack.

4 hurt, 2 seriously, in car-ramming terror attack in central Israel

Four people were wounded in the car-ramming terror attack at the Nir Tzvi junction in central Israel, medical officials say.

The Asaf Harofeh Hospital says it is treating two in serious condition, one person in moderate condition, and a fourth person who was lightly hurt.

Cabinet secretary screens video montage of government critics’ alleged incitement against PM

Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs at a hearing on military service for ultra-Orthodox men, at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, June 2, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs at a hearing on military service for ultra-Orthodox men, at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, June 2, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Less than a day after an attempted assassination attempt against former US president Donald Trump, Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs screens a compilation of clips showing critics of the government engaging in “incitement against the prime minister” during the cabinet’s weekly meeting in Jerusalem.

In the short video, which was also sent to the press, various protesters and other people can be heard deriding Netanyahu as a “traitor,” “Satan” and an “enemy of the people” — with some appearing to threaten violence against him.

In one clip, a woman who appears to be Ayala Metzger, the daughter-in-law of Hamas hostage Yoram Metzger, can be heard saying “we are waiting with a noose.”

In the full quote according to Haaretz, Metzger is referring to Netanyahu and his wife: “If the hostages don’t return, we are waiting with a noose. This is what you deserve, the noose.”

Following Saturday’s shooting attack against Trump, several Israeli cabinet ministers compared incitement against Netanyahu to threats against the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, warning that such threats in Israel may lead to an assassination attempt against the premier.

Netanyahu himself has been repeatedly accused by the left over the years of encouraging incitement that led to the 1995 assassination of former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, or at least of contributing to the incendiary political climate that led to the murder.

Footage shows security forces shooting suspected terrorist in central Israel

Footage circulating on social media shows Israeli security forces opening fire at the suspected terrorist who rammed into people at a bus stop at the Nir Tzvi junction in central Israel.

According to police, the driver was “neutralized.”

Three people were wounded in the attack, two seriously, according to medics.

British FM won’t condition call for ceasefire on release of hostages

In his first trip abroad as UK Foreign Secretary, David Lammy will call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during his visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority today, according to the British Foreign Office. He will also call for the release of all hostages in Gaza, but will not explicitly condition his call for a ceasefire on the hostage release.

“The death and destruction in Gaza is intolerable,” says Lammy in a statement. “This war must end now, with an immediate ceasefire, complied with by both sides. The fighting has got to stop, the hostages still cruelly detained by Hamas terrorists need to be released immediately and aid must be allowed in to reach the people of Gaza without restrictions.”

In his meetings with both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and PA President Mahmoud Abbas, Lammy will also “highlight his commitment to recognizing a Palestinian state as an undeniable right of the Palestinian people, and as a contribution to a renewed peace process which results in a two-state solution with a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.”

The Foreign Office says Lammy “will also call out settlements in the West Bank as illegal and harmful to a two-state solution on a visit to a Palestinian community.”

He will announce that London will provide another £5.5 million this year to the British medical aid charity UK-Med to fund its Gaza operations.

Three hurt, two seriously, in suspected car-ramming terror attack in central Israel

The scene of a suspected terror attack at Nir Tzvi junction in central Israel, July 14, 2024. (Courtesy)
The scene of a suspected terror attack at Nir Tzvi junction in central Israel, July 14, 2024. (Courtesy)

Three people are wounded in the suspected car-ramming terror attack at the Nir Tzvi junction in central Israel, medics say.

The incident is described by police as a suspected terror attack.

According to the Magen David Adom ambulance service, two of the victims, in their 20s, are in serious condition. The third victim is lightly hurt.

They are being taken to the nearby Asaf Harofe Hospital.

Police say that the alleged assailant has been “neutralized.” Initial reports indicate that the assailant was shot.

The junction is adjacent to an Israeli military base.

Police arrest wife of jailed Hamas operative with knife at Tomb of the Patriarchs

A knife confiscated from the wife of a Hamas operative in the West Bank city of Hebron, July 14, 2024. (Israel Police)
A knife confiscated from the wife of a Hamas operative in the West Bank city of Hebron, July 14, 2024. (Israel Police)

A Palestinian woman armed with a knife was detained by Border Police officers at the entrance to the Tomb of the Patriarchs, known as the Ibrahimi Mosque to Muslims, in the West Bank city of Hebron a short while ago, law enforcement officials say.

According to police, the 37-year-old woman, who is married to a Hamas operative currently jailed by Israel, was stopped by Border Police troops at the entrance to the holy site with her two children.

“During the inspection, the suspect was asked by one of the troops to open her bag for inspection, and in response, she refused to cooperate and tried to interfere with the proper course of the inspection,” a police spokesperson says.

Police say the woman was found to be hiding a knife under her shirt, and she was promptly arrested along with one of her sons. The second son was briefly detained as well.

“During her arrest, she stated to the forces that she is married to a Hamas operative who is serving a prison sentence in an Israeli prison and her goal was to carry out a stabbing attack against a specific member of the security forces who operates in the area of ​​the Tomb of the Patriarchs,” police say.

Suspected drone intercepted over Galilee; IDF strikes southern Lebanon overnight

A suspected drone that entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon was shot down by air defenses over the Galilee a short while ago, the IDF says.

No injuries were caused in the attack.

Sirens had sounded in several communities amid the incident.

The IDF also says it carried out strikes against Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon’s Ramyeh overnight.

Hamas denies report it froze hostage talks; mediation said to resume this week in Doha

Relatives of Israelis held hostage by Hamas terrorists in Gaza and supporters protest for the release of Israelis held kidnapped by Hamas terrorists in Gaza at the entrance to Jerusalem, July 13, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Relatives of Israelis held hostage by Hamas terrorists in Gaza and supporters protest for the release of Israelis held kidnapped by Hamas terrorists in Gaza at the entrance to Jerusalem, July 13, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Hamas says that an AFP report it has frozen hostage-truce talks is false, according to an official statement by the terror group quoted by Hebrew media outlets.

“One of the goals of the escalation against our nation by [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and his government is to block the road to an agreement that stops the aggression against our people, and this is clear to everyone,” the statement reads.

Mediated hostage-truce talks between Israel and Hamas are set to resume in Doha this week, the Qatari New Arab news outlet reports, citing unnamed sources involved in the efforts.

The report comes shortly after a Hamas official claimed that they were withdrawing from the talks, claiming Israel was not serious about reaching a deal.

Levin tells High Court he has the right not to hold vote on new chief justice

Justice Minister Yariv Levin attends an assembly session in the plenum hall at the Knesset, in Jerusalem on July 10, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Justice Minister Yariv Levin attends an assembly session in the plenum hall at the Knesset, in Jerusalem on July 10, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Justice Minister Yariv Levin has told the High Court of Justice that it has no right to intervene in his decision not to appoint a new president of the court and fill two empty seats on the bench, insisting that only he, as chairman of the Judicial Selection Committee which makes the appointments, has discretion over the selection process.

“These appointments must be done — in accordance with the instructions of the legislature and the minister’s policy and the clear public interest at times of war — only after broad agreement is reached within the committee for these appointments,” Levin’s private attorney contends in his response to petitions demanding that the positions be filled immediately.

Any other result, Levin contends, “would mean judicial reform in the customary system of appointing judges in Israel which has been in place for over 70 years, the implications of which are foundational changes of the balance established by the legislature between the different elements of the Judicial Selection Committee.”

That arrangement, contends Levin, means that as chairman of the committee, the justice minister has sole discretion over convening the committee, the identity of the candidates, and the timing of a vote on those candidates.

Levin has refused to appoint a new president of the High Court since former president Esther Hayut retired in October, or even fill her seat on the bench and that of Anat Baron, who retired at the same time.

In February, the Movement for Quality Government in Israel filed a petition to the High Court asking it to order Levin to call votes on the appointments, arguing that his refusal to do so violates his constitutional obligation to fill the positions and was motivated by “inappropriate and political considerations designed to damage the independence of the judiciary and Israel’s system of checks and balances on government authority.”

Illustrative: Justices hold a High Court hearing on petitions against a police regulations bill pushed for by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, on June 18, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The court issued an interim order against Levin last month ordering him to explain why it should not grant the petitioners’ request, a step indicating that the court believes the case has merit.

Levin concludes in his response: “The status of the justice minister as chairman of the committee and the authorities deriving from that are the only power available to the justice minister as a representative of the executive branch in the Judicial Selection Committee…

“It is this power which the petitioner, for the first time and in an unprecedented manner, requests to revoke from his [the justice minister’s] hands and give over to the court, with the goal of choosing a new Supreme Court president with a majority of just five committee members,” Levin argues, referring to a split in the committee on the issue.

Rocket sirens and incoming drone alerts blare throughout north

Rocket sirens and incoming drone alerts are sounding in communities along the northern border and in the Upper Galilee.

Sirens are sounding in Ramot Naftali, Malkiya, Dishon, the Mevo’ot Hermon Regional Council, Iftach, Ayelet HaShachar, Hulata, Yesud Hama’ala, Amuka, Gadot, Mishmar HaYarden, and Sde Eliezer.

British FM Lammy to push for hostage deal, warn against war in Lebanon during visit

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy is scheduled to land in Israel shortly ahead of meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem and top Palestinian Authority officials in Ramallah.

He will push for continued negotiations for a hostage deal with Hamas, and will warn against escalation in Lebanon, a British official tells The Times of Israel.

Tomorrow, Lammy will meet with Foreign Minister Israel Katz and President Isaac Herzog, and will visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.

Security cabinet to meet Tuesday evening, minister’s official says

The security cabinet will meet Tuesday at 8 p.m. in Jerusalem, one of the cabinet ministers’ offices tells The Times of Israel.

The powerful forum met last Thursday, amid attempts to restart indirect talks on a potential hostage deal.

Republican lawmaker on Trump shooting: ‘Joe Biden sent the orders’

Republican House member Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia lays the blame on US President Joe Biden for the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.

“The Republican District Attorney in Butler County, PA, should immediately file charges against Joseph R. Biden for inciting an assassination,” says Collins, a freshman member of Congress from a district east of Atlanta who has a history of provocative social media statements.

“Joe Biden sent the orders,” he writes in another tweet, sharing a quote from Biden who said he wanted to “put Trump in a bullseye.” The remark referred to his desire to beat the GOP candidate in the election.

Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, who has been identified as a potential vice presidential running mate for Trump, says on X that the violence was “not just some isolated incident. The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”

Herzog to meet new British foreign secretary in Jerusalem tomorrow

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy speaks during a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the NATO Summit at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC on July 10, 2024. (Drew ANGERER / AFP)
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy speaks during a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the NATO Summit at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC on July 10, 2024. (Drew ANGERER / AFP)

President Isaac Herzog will meet new British Foreign Secretary David Lammy tomorrow morning at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, his office announces.

Lammy took office on July 5.

Israeli opposition chiefs cast violence as threat to democracy after Trump shooting

Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid and other prominent opposition politicians condemn Saturday’s attempt on former US President Donald Trump’s life at a political rally in Pennsylvania.

The lawmakers posted their messages in English.

“The attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump is greatly troubling and dangerous,” tweets opposition leader Lapid. “Political violence is an existential threat to democratic systems. I extend my wishes for a speedy recovery to the former president.”

Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman “strongly condemn[s]” the attack, stating that it “stands against every basic democratic principle.”

New Hope chairman Gideon Sa’ar posts that he is “deeply saddened by the attack” and insists that “democracy is stronger than bullets, and America is the world’s greatest democracy.”

Gallant wishes Trump a ‘speedy recovery’ after assassination attempt

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant wishes Donald Trump “a speedy recovery and strength” following Saturday’s assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally in which the former US president was shot in the ear.

“My thoughts and prayers are with the families affected by this event,” Gallant tweets, adding, “We stand with the American people in condemning the violent attempt to shake their great democracy.”

Unlike several other ministers, Gallant does not compare incitement against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the attempt against Trump.

Following the shooting, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi and other members of Netanyahu’s cabinet have warned that such threats in Israel may lead to an assassination attempt against the premier.

Rocket sirens wail in Western Galilee communities

Incoming rocket sirens are sounding in Western Galilee communities.

Sirens activate in Hanita, Eilon, Idmit, Ya’ara, Goren, Gornot HaGalil, and Arab al-Aramshe.

IDF says several tunnel shafts destroyed in Rafah over past day

Several tunnel shafts were demolished during ongoing operations by the IDF’s 162nd Division in southern Gaza’s Rafah over the past day, the military says.

The IDF says airstrikes were also carried out against an anti-tank missile launch post used in an attack on troops, and another cell of gunmen in the Rafah area.

Meanwhile, in Gaza City, troops with the 99th Division killed several gunmen in close-quarters combat in the past day, the IDF says.

An airstrike was also carried out against a cell planting explosives in the area, it adds.

Top Hamas official: Deif is ‘fine,’ still running military operations

Footage posted to X purporting to show an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza's Khan Younis, July 13, 2024. (Screenshot, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law); Inset: The head of Hamas's military wing Muhammad Deif in undated photos revealed in January 2024 (Israel Defense Forces)
Footage posted to X purporting to show an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza's Khan Younis, July 13, 2024. (Screenshot, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law); Inset: The head of Hamas's military wing Muhammad Deif in undated photos revealed in January 2024 (Israel Defense Forces)

A top Hamas official says that the terror group’s military leader Muhammad Deif is “fine” despite an Israeli attempt to kill him in an airstrike.

“Commander Mohammed Deif is well and directly overseeing” the operations of the Hamas military wing, the official tells AFP. Israel staged a huge bombing raid at a Hamas compound in southern Gaza on Saturday that it said was an attempt to kill Deif.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Senior Hamas official says terror group pulling out from Gaza hostage-truce talks

A senior Hamas official tells AFP that the Palestinian terror group was withdrawing from talks on a truce and hostage deal in the Gaza war because of Israeli “massacres” and its attitude in negotiations.

The senior official says Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh had told international mediators of the “decision to halt negotiations due to the occupation’s (Israel’s) lack of seriousness, continued policy of procrastination and obstruction, and the ongoing massacres against unarmed civilians.”

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Records show Trump shooter registered Republican, also donated to progressive PAC

Records show the man who shot former US president Donald Trump is a registered Republican voter in Pennsylvania.

Federal campaign finance reports also show Thomas Matthew Crooks gave $15 to a progressive political action committee on January 20, 2021, the day US President Joe Biden was sworn into office.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Ministers say incitement against Netanyahu as serious as threats against Trump

Ministers compare incitement against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to threats against former US president Donald Trump, warning that such threats in Israel may lead to an assassination attempt against the premier.

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi claims in a statement that “the situation in Israel is doubly serious.”

“The assassination attempt on President Trump comes following unending incitement against him in the US. The serious incitement against the prime minister, his wife, and son, is closer than ever to being implemented,” he states, claiming that the attorney general and state prosecution consents and encourages the incitement.

Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli writes on X that the “assassination attempt is a direct result of the incitement and delegitimization campaign against him.”

“In Israel, a horrifyingly identical campaign of incitement is being waged against Prime Minister Netanyahu and enjoys complete immunity from the attorney general and the law enforcement system solely because it is coming from the ‘right’ direction. Shame,” he writes.

Settlements Minister and National Projects Orit Strock tells the Kol Berama radio station that there are “significant threats against Prime Minister Netanyahu and they need to be taken care of,” linking the shooting to the situation in Israel.

“If there were such threats from the right wing there would already be administrative arrests. There is a lot of incitement that harms Netanyahu and nothing happens,” she says, claiming nobody cares about the threats against the premier.

Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar says, “We need to do everything in order to stop the extremist and violent dialogue here in Israel too before it’s too late.”

10 members of Abu Latif crime clan indicted for murdering cousin of Druze city’s mayor

The scene of the killing of Petin Kiesel, cousin of the mayor of the northern Druze city of Maghar, March 9, 2024. (Israel Police)
The scene of the killing of Petin Kiesel, cousin of the mayor of the northern Druze city of Maghar, March 9, 2024. (Israel Police)

Prosecutors submitted indictments against 10 members of the Abu Latif crime organization who are accused of planning and carrying out the murder of the cousin of the mayor of the northern Druze town of Maghar.

Farid Ghanem’s cousin and right-hand man, Petin Kiesel, was murdered on March 9 in an attempt to intimidate the mayor and influence his policies, a statement by Israel Police and the Shin Bet security service says.

According to the statement, the assailants drove a stolen vehicle to the gym where Kiesel was working out. When their lookouts spotted him leaving, the gunmen followed him and fatally shot him, the statement reads.

Ten residents of northern towns who took part in planning and carrying out the murder were arrested last month, the statement says.

Police and Shin Bet agents confiscated 46 weapons of various types during the investigation, they say.

FBI names Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, as Trump shooter

WASHINGTON — The Federal Bureau of Investigation identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks as the “subject involved” in the attempted assassination of former US president Donald Trump, it says in a statement.

Trump walks off plane after assassination attempt

WASHINGTON — Former US president Donald Trump is seen walking off his plane unaided hours after surviving an assassination bid, in a video posted by his deputy communications director on social media.

Trump, in a navy suit and white shirt without a tie, can be seen descending a staircase from his plane as an armed agent stands guard, in the video posted by Margo Martin on X. His right ear, which was injured in the attempt, cannot be seen in the footage.

The New York Times reports that he was in New Jersey, where he will spend the night.

Suspect in Trump shooting a male, one victim at rally killed

This handout archive satellite image released by Maxar Technologies shows an overview of Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 2, 2023 where former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump held a rally on July 13, 2024. (Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies / AFP)
This handout archive satellite image released by Maxar Technologies shows an overview of Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 2, 2023 where former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump held a rally on July 13, 2024. (Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies / AFP)

WASHINGTON — The suspected shooter at the rally of Donald Trump on Saturday was male, the Pennsylvania State Police say at a press briefing.

The suspect, who is deceased, is not identified at the briefing, which was held at Butler, Pennsylvania, close to the site of the rally on Saturday.

The three rally attendees who were shot are adult males, George Bivens, deputy commissioner of operations for the Pennsylvania State Police, says at the briefing. One of the victims has died.

Report says Khan Younis Brigade commander killed, sources refuse to comment on Deif

Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade commander Rafa’a Salameh was killed in an airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip yesterday, unnamed Hamas sources confirm to the Arabic-language newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat.

The sources refuse to confirm or deny if Hamas’s military chief, Muhammad Deif, who was also targeted in the strike, was killed.

According to the report, Salameh’s body was taken for burial straight away, and the search for more bodies has ceased and will resume this morning.

FBI confirms Trump shooting as ‘assassination attempt’

Law enforcement stand guard outside of Trump Tower in New York City, after former US president Donald Trump was injured when shots were fired at a rally in Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024. (Adam Gray / AFP)
Law enforcement stand guard outside of Trump Tower in New York City, after former US president Donald Trump was injured when shots were fired at a rally in Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024. (Adam Gray / AFP)

BUTLER — The shooting that wounded Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Saturday was an assassination attempt, the FBI confirms in a late night press conference.

“This evening we had what we are calling an assassination attempt against our former president Donald Trump,” Special Agent Kevin Rojek tells reporters in Butler, Pennsylvania, where Trump was holding a rally when shots rang out.

FBI said to identify suspected shooter at Trump rally as 20-year-old Pennsylvania man

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has identified a 20-year-old Pennsylvania man as the suspected shooter at the Trump rally, a CNN reporter posts on X, citing sources.

The FBI is not releasing the name of the suspected shooter yet, CNN reports.

A few short minutes after Trump took the stage, shots rang out

Republican presidential candidate and former US president Donald Trump is surrounded by US Secret Service agents as he leaves the stage at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Republican presidential candidate and former US president Donald Trump is surrounded by US Secret Service agents as he leaves the stage at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

At 6:02 pm Saturday, to the strains of “God Bless the USA,” former president Donald Trump took the stage at fairgrounds in Butler, Pennsylvania, waving at the cheering crowd and settling into his regular rally speech under a scorching midsummer sun.

A few short minutes later, Trump pointed to a projection of a chart that showed a spike in illegal border crossings under the man he’s running against, President Joe Biden. “That chart’s a couple of months old,” Trump told the crowd. “And if you want to see something really sad —”

That’s when the shots rang out, at least five. Trump clutched his ear as dark-suited Secret Service agents dashed toward him. He dropped to the ground as the agents yelled, “Get down!” The thousands of rallygoers packed into the field in front of him moved as one, dropping down as silence spread across the grass, punctuated only by an occasional scream.

GOP official describes the chaos at Trump rally after shots went off

A campaign rally site for Republican presidential candidate former president Donald Trump is empty and littered with debris Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
A campaign rally site for Republican presidential candidate former president Donald Trump is empty and littered with debris Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Rico Elmore, vice chairman of the Beaver County Republican Party, was sitting in a section for special guests, facing President Trump, when he heard what sounded like firecrackers.

“So, everyone hesitated — and it was like, no, these are actual shots. So I yelled, ‘Get down!’”

Elmore saw Secret Service agents helping Trump off the stage and then heard someone from his left calling for a medic.

Elmore knows first aid and CPR from his time in the military, and he knew a medic wouldn’t be able to reach the cries for help fast enough.

He took off his tie and jumped a barricade, but when he reached the person, Elmore saw he had been shot in the head. Elmore said he held the victim’s head but it was too late. The man was unresponsive.

“I mean, it was a horror,” Elmore says. “I pray to the family that had to deal with this that is going through this now. Because it is hard. It is so hard.”

He says that the shots came from behind the bleachers but did not see the shooter.

Trump rally witness recounts victim shot dead

People react during a campaign rally with Republican presidential candidate former president Donald Trump at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
People react during a campaign rally with Republican presidential candidate former president Donald Trump at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

A witness to Saturday’s shooting at a Donald Trump rally recalls how a man next to him was shot dead during the apparent assassination attempt on the Republican presidential candidate.

“I heard several gunshots. The man beside me suffered a gun shot to the head, was instantly killed (and) fell to the bottom of the bleachers. Another woman looked like she got hit in the forearm or hand,” the man, whose name was only given as Joseph, tells NBC News.

He says it seemed the victim was “in the way of the shots between whoever was shooting the gun and the president.”

Herzog ‘condemns utterly and unequivocally’ the attempt on Trump’s life

(R-L) US First Lady Melania Trump, US President Donald Trump, opposition leader Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal Herzog at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem. (Haim Zach/GPO)
(R-L) US First Lady Melania Trump, US President Donald Trump, opposition leader Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal Herzog at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem. (Haim Zach/GPO)

President Isaac Herzog tweets, “On behalf of all the Israeli people, I wish former president Donald Trump a speedy recovery and condemn utterly and unequivocally the attempt on his life.”

“From Jerusalem we wish him well. Our thoughts are with all those injured, and the family of the spectator killed,” he adds.

Syrian state media says one soldier killed, three wounded in Israeli strike on Damascus

Syrian’s state-run SANA news agency, citing a military source, says one soldier was killed and three others were wounded in the Israeli airstrikes in the Damascus area.

The report says Israeli fighter jets targeted several military sites in southern Syria, as well as a residential building in the Damascus suburb of Kafr Sousa.

Trump out of hospital, Bloomberg reports

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

Former US President Donald Trump was out of hospital late on Saturday following a shooting earlier in the day at his rally where he was shot in the right ear, Bloomberg reports.

Possible security lapses in focus after Trump rally shooting

Trump supporters are seen covered with blood in the stands after gunshots were fired at Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (Rebecca Droke / AFP)
Trump supporters are seen covered with blood in the stands after gunshots were fired at Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (Rebecca Droke / AFP)

The attack on Donald Trump is raising questions about how the Republican presidential candidate is protected on the campaign trail and what caused the apparent security lapses at Saturday’s rally.

While information about the incident is still sparse, at least one person interviewed by the BBC said he had tried to alert police and the US Secret Service, to no avail, to an apparent sniper climbing onto a nearby roof outside the security perimeter of the rally venue in Butler, Pennsylvania.

As a former president and the Republican presidential candidate, Trump is protected primarily by the Secret Service.

During most of Trump’s campaign stops, local police aid the Secret Service in securing the venue. Agents from other agencies within the Department of Homeland Security, such as the Transportation Security Administration, occasionally help.

It is no easy task. Many Trump rallies feature thousands of audience members, take place in the open air and last for hours.

Before the event, agents scan the venue for bombs or other threats, and Trump invariably arrives in a fortified motorcade.

Law enforcement officials typically put up barriers as a perimeter and require all attendees to go through a metal detector to enter the venue. Armed protective agents search all attendees’ bags and even wallets. Many rallygoers are patted down by hand.

Saturday’s attack, however, appeared to have been committed by a gunman located outside the secured perimeter, according to initial media reports.

A local resident, who was present at the Saturday event and asked to remain anonymous, said he saw what appeared to be two Secret Service agents perched on a nearby roof ahead of the event. He said the agents had been scanning the area with binoculars beforehand.

“They kept looking over to the left behind the event, before Trump came on stage. They seemed very focused on that area,” said the attendee.

The Secret Service said shortly after the shooting that it has begun an investigation and briefed Democratic President Joe Biden, though the agency did not immediately respond to additional requests for comment regarding its protocols.

The Pennsylvania State Police referred questions to the Secret Service, which did not immediately respond.

In the moments after Trump was injured, the former president was quickly surrounded by Secret Service personnel who formed a human shield, while heavily armed agents in body armor and toting rifles also took to the stage and appeared to scan the area for threats.

Trump was whisked by the agents to a black SUV, and taken to a local hospital, according to the campaign.

US lawmaker says nephew was grazed in neck at Trump rally shooting

US Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, argues for an amendment at the start of House Judiciary Committee meetings at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
US Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, argues for an amendment at the start of House Judiciary Committee meetings at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

US House Representative Ronny Jackson says his nephew was grazed in the neck at the campaign rally for former president Donald Trump on Saturday.

“They heard the shots, and everybody dropped to the ground,” Jackson, a Texas Republican, says on Fox News.

Jackson says his nephew “was grazed in the neck, a bullet crossed his neck, cut his neck and he was bleeding.”

Jackson’s nephew, who was not identified, was treated by medical personnel at the event, he adds.

Biden spoke with Trump following shooting, White House official says

US President Joe Biden and former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump participate in the first presidential debate of the 2024 elections at CNN's studios in Atlanta, Georgia, June 27, 2024. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP)
US President Joe Biden and former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump participate in the first presidential debate of the 2024 elections at CNN's studios in Atlanta, Georgia, June 27, 2024. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP)

US President Joe Biden spoke to former president Donald Trump earlier tonight, according to a White House official.

Biden also spoke with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Butler Mayor Bob Dandoy, the official says, given that the shooting took place in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Biden said earlier tonight that he would return to the White House, cutting short a weekend stay in Delaware to monitor the unfolding situation.

Biden will convene a briefing with homeland security and law enforcement officials at the White House on Sunday morning.

Political reactions to Trump shooting

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)
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)

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer

“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.”

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson

“Kelly and I are praying for President Trump and all the attendees of the campaign rally today in Pennsylvania, and we send our gratitude to the law enforcement who responded at the scene. I have been briefed by law enforcement and am continuing to monitor the developments. This horrific act of political violence at a peaceful campaign rally has no place in this country and should be unanimously and forcefully condemned.”

Republican Sen. J.D. Vance, rumored vice presidential candidate

“Today is not just some isolated incident. The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”

Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell

“Tonight, all Americans are grateful that President Trump appears to be fine after a despicable attack on a peaceful rally. Violence has no place in our politics. We appreciate the swift work of the Secret Service and other law enforcement.”

Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries

“My thoughts and prayers are with former President Trump. I am thankful for the decisive law enforcement response. America is a democracy. Political violence of any kind is never acceptable.”

Democratic former House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi

“As one whose family has been the victim of political violence, I know firsthand that political violence of any kind has no place in our society. I thank God that former President Trump is safe. As we learn more details about this horrifying incident, let us pray that all those in attendance at the former President’s rally today are unharmed.”

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas

“DHS and the Secret Service are working with law enforcement partners to respond to and investigate the shooting. We condemn this violence in the strongest possible terms and commend the Secret Service for their swift action today. We are engaged with President Biden, former President Trump, and their campaigns, and are taking every possible measure to ensure their safety and security. Maintaining the security of the Presidential candidates and their campaign events is one of our Department’s most vital priorities.”

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin

“The entire Department of Defense condemns this violence, which has absolutely no place in our democracy. This is not the way that we resolve our differences in America -and it must never be. I’m relieved that reports indicate former President Trump is safe, and I am praying for him and his family and everyone affected by this appalling incident.”

Former Republican president George W. Bush

“Laura and I are grateful that President Trump is safe following the cowardly attack on his life. And we commend the men and women of the Secret Service for their speedy response.”

Former Democratic president Barak Obama

“There is absolutely no place for political violence in our democracy. Although we don’t yet know exactly what happened, we should all be relieved that former President Trump wasn’t seriously hurt, and use this moment to recommit ourselves to civility and respect in our politics. Michelle and I are wishing him a quick recovery.”

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene

“Democrats wanted this to happen. They’ve wanted Trump gone for years and they’re prepared to do anything to make that happen.”

Former Democratic Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was shot in 2011

“Political violence is terrifying. I know. I’m holding former president Trump and all those affected by today’s indefensible act of violence in my heart. Political violence is un-American and is never acceptable—never.”

Republican Rep. Steve Scalise, who was shot in 2017

“For weeks Democrat leaders have been fueling ludicrous hysteria that Donald Trump winning re-election would be the end of democracy in America. Clearly we’ve seen far-left lunatics act on violent rhetoric in the past. This incendiary rhetoric must stop.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer

“I am appalled by the shocking scenes at President Trump’s rally and we send him and his family our best wishes. Political violence in any form has no place in our societies and my thoughts are with all the victims of this attack.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

“I’m sickened by the shooting at former President Trump. It cannot be overstated — political violence is never acceptable. My thoughts are with former President Trump, those at the event, and all Americans.”

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida

“We must stand firm against any form of violence that challenges democracy. I pray for former President Trump’s speedy recovery.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

“The incident at former President Trump’s campaign event in Pennsylvania today is concerning and confronting. There is no place for violence in the democratic process. I am relieved to hear reports that former President Trump is now safe.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva

“The attack against former President Donald Trump must be vehemently repudiated by all defenders of democracy and dialogue in politics. What we saw today is unacceptable.”

X CEO Elon Musk

“I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery.”

Trump plans to attend RNC in Milwaukee this week, campaign says

Former US president Donald Trump is “doing well” as was communicated earlier, his campaign says in a joint statement with the Republican National Committee that was emailed at approximately 21:40 p.m. ET on Saturday night (0150 GMT on Sunday).

“President Trump looks forward to joining you all in Milwaukee as we proceed with our convention to nominate him to serve as the 47th President of the United States,” according to the statement attributed to Trump campaign senior advisors Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita.

US AG: Justice Department will bring every resource to bear to probe Trump rally shooting

Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks at the Department of Justice, Friday, Aug. 11, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks at the Department of Justice, Friday, Aug. 11, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

US Attorney General Merrick Garland says that he briefed US President Joe Biden on the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally.

“We will not tolerate violence of any kind, and violence like this is an attack on our democracy. The Justice Department will bring every available resource to bear to this investigation,” Garland says in a statement.

IDF says it hit Syrian military facilities in response to drones targeting Eilat

In response to the launch of two drones from Syria at Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat early Saturday, the IDF says it struck facilities belonging to the Syrian Army overnight.

The two Shahed drones were shot down by Israeli fighter jets and the Iron Dome air defense system just north of Eilat. No injuries were caused.

The IDF says it struck a central Syrian Army command center, additional infrastructure, and air defenses in response to the drone attack.

No group claimed responsibility for the launch of the drones, though the IDF says it views the Syrian regime responsible for any attacks from its territory.

In the past, a Hezbollah-linked group carried out drone launches from Syria on Eilat.

Witness claims he tried to wave over law enforcement for several minutes after spotting shooter

A witness to the shooting of former US president Donald Trump speaks to BBC on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Screen capture/X)
A witness to the shooting of former US president Donald Trump speaks to BBC on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Screen capture/X)

BBC interviews a man who says he tried for several minutes to seek help from local police and the Secret Service after seeing a man with a long rifle army crawling up the roof of one of the buildings overlooking the Trump rally in Pennsylvania.

The man says he had been holding a party near the rally and decided to get closer to the perimeter in order to listen to Trump speak when he spotted the shooter. The witness says he managed to get the attention of police and Secret Service members and that he then began pointing at the shooter on the roof so that law enforcement could intervene.

However, neither police nor Secret Service could see the shooter from where they were standing, the witness says.

After several minutes, the man on the roof opened fire. Almost immediately thereafter, the Secret Service managed to return fire and kill the shooter, the witness tells BBC.

“Why is there not Secret Service on all of these roofs? the witness wonders. “This is not a big place.”

Trump says his ear was hit by a bullet, nothing yet known about shooter

In a social media post, Donald Trump says he was “shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear” at a campaign rally.

He writes on his Truth Social platform that he “knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”

Trump also thanks the US Secret Service and other law enforcement for their “rapid response.” He extends condolences “to the family of the person at the Rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured.”

“It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country. Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead,” he says.

‘It’s sick’: Biden condemns apparent attack on Trump, but doesn’t call it attempted assassination

US President Joe Biden speaks on July 13, 2024, in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, addressing news that gunshots rang out at Republican presidential candidate former president Donald Trump's Pennsylvania campaign rally. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
US President Joe Biden speaks on July 13, 2024, in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, addressing news that gunshots rang out at Republican presidential candidate former president Donald Trump's Pennsylvania campaign rally. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

US President Joe Biden calls for an end to political violence after gunfire erupted at Republican challenger Donald Trump’s political rally in Pennsylvania earlier, saying in televised remarks that the former president appears to be doing well.

“There’s no place in America for this kind of violence. It’s sick,” Biden says, adding that he has been thoroughly briefed on the matter and plans to talk to Trump. “Everybody must condemn it.”

Biden says he is waiting for additional information before formally calling the attack an attempted assassination. “I have an opinion, but i don’t have any facts,” he tells reporters, pledging to provide updates as he learns more.

The president also pledges to update the public later on whether they speak as well as additional details about the investigation.

Biden grateful to hear Trump is safe, says he’s been briefed on shooting

US President Joe Biden says he has been briefed on the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania.

Biden says in a statement he is “grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well. I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information.”

Biden adds: “Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety. There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.”

Shooter was outside Trump rally, was killed by Secret Service — law enforcement officials

Two officials speak to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation.

They say the shooter was not an attendee at the rally and was killed by US Secret Service agents.

Shooting at Trump rally is being investigated as assassination attempt — sources

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

The shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania is being investigated as an attempted assassination of the former US president and presumptive Republican nominee, law enforcement officials say.

Two officials speak on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation.

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