The Times of Israel liveblogged Thursday’s events as they happened.
Families express optimism on hostage deal after meeting Netanyahu, Biden
WASHINGTON — The families of the American hostages being held in Gaza say after exiting a meeting with US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House that they haven’t been this optimistic about the chances for a hostage release and ceasefire agreement since the last time Israel and Hamas reached a deal in late November.
“After asking a series of difficult questions and getting answers to all of them… we feel probably more optimistic than we have since the first round of releases in late November,” hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen’s father, Jonathan Dekel-Chen, tells reporters outside the White House, adding that their meeting was “productive and honest.”
Dekel-Chen says the combination of Israel’s military pressure, the diplomatic pressure that countries abroad have been placing on Hamas and the efforts of the US and Israel, which he was briefed on in today’s meeting, are what has led him to be so optimistic.
“We got absolute commitments from the Biden administration and from Prime Minister Netanyahu that they understand the urgency of this moment now to waste no time in completing this deal as it currently stands with as little change as humanly possible,” he continues, adding that “there is absolutely no daylight between the position of the US government, the US Congress and the Israeli leadership.”
“We were also very happy to hear from the president that Hamas now understands that the ball is in its court. World pressure is such that it has nowhere to hide anymore,” Dekel-Chen says.
Speaking to The Times of Israel, hostage Omer Neutra’s father Ronen agrees that he had been skeptical of Netanyahu’s commitment to a deal, given that his previous statements about the hostages contained very little information regarding the proposal on the table and instead focused only on the military efforts Israel was making.
“In the meeting, we did hear from him that the deal must advance and that they’re working on it. Therefore, we’re now more optimistic,” he says.
Hersh Goldberg-Polin’s father Jon says, “We currently have a rare moment where the current president of the United States and anybody who might become president of the United States — both Vice President Harris and Donald Trump — are all aligned in saying this deal must get done now.”
“Anybody on any side who makes the mistaken political calculus that there’s benefit in waiting will find out that that logic is wrong,” Polin says sternly.
Netanyahu meeting with Harris begins
A meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Vice President Kamala Harris has begun.
An uncredited picture circulated among the Israeli press corps shows a smiling Netanyahu shaking Harris’s hand in her ceremonial office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
“We have a lot to talk about,” Harris says as she welcomes the Israeli leader. “We do indeed,” he replies.
The meeting has taken on added importance since Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee for president following Joe Biden’s exit from the race this week.
Netanyahu met tech mogul Musk following speech, PMO announces
Benjamin Netanyahu’s office reveals that met yesterday with Tesla CEO Elon Musk after the Israeli premier’s speech to Congress.
The two spoke about artificial intelligence and “opportunities for technological cooperation with Israel,” the Prime Minister’s Office says.
Earlier, Musk tweeted about “the clear reality that the Democratic Party is rapidly become openly antisemitic,” pointing to congresswoman Rashida Tlaib’s protest against Netanyahu during his speech, which Musk attended.
People who have been lifelong Democrats refuse to accept the clear reality that the Democratic Party is rapidly become openly antisemitic.
This trend is accelerating, not slowing down.
Knock, knock. Hello, Captain Obvious here! https://t.co/YspN1d4GQy
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 25, 2024
Hostage’s father: Biden gave us hope that ‘something will happen in coming days’
WASHINGTON — Hostage Itay Chen’s father Ruby tells reporters walking out of the White House that US President Joe Biden gave the American hostage families hope that “something will happen in the coming days.”
The families say Israel will submit an updated deal proposal to Hamas in the coming days.
“As a result of the conversations between the leaders and their staffs [before we met them], they are working as we speak to put together an updated Israeli proposal that will be sent back to Hamas. It is all within the framework of that three-stage proposed deal that the President announced at the end of May,” Sagui Dekel-Chen’s father Jonathan Dekel-Chen tells The Times of Israel.
He says he is “guardedly optimistic” about Netanyahu’s ability to agree to a deal moving forward, after being more skeptical in the past.
“I think the prime minister understands that not only are the eyes of the world on Hamas right now, they’re also on him. Because so many different sides — both within Israel, but also outside of Israel — are saying the conditions are there,” he says.
“There might need to be some minor adjustments, but additional time before the hostages come home is a potential death sentence for those who are still alive, and makes it much harder to recover the bodies of those that have already been murdered,” he says.
“They’ve also committed to try and narrow to the degree that it’s possible — obviously, you can’t force Hamas to do this — but to flatten those cycles of time between the responses on both sides,” Dekel-Chen adds.
Washington urges Israel to extend cooperation with Palestinian banks
The United States calls on Israel to extend its cooperation with Palestinian banks for another year, to avoid blocking vital transactions in the West Bank.
“I am glad that Israel has allowed its banks to continue cooperating with Palestinian banks, but I remain convinced that a one-year extension of the waiver to facilitate this cooperation is needed,” US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says, on the sidelines of a meeting of G20 finance ministers in Rio de Janeiro.
In May, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened to cut off a vital banking channel between Israel and the West Bank in response to three European countries recognizing the State of Palestine. On June 30, however, Smotrich extended a waiver that allows cooperation between Israel’s banking system and Palestinian banks in the West Bank for four months, in a move that saw Israel legalize several West Bank settlement outposts.
The waiver was due to expire at the end of June, and the extension permitted Israeli banks to process payments for salaries and services to the Palestinian Authority in shekels, averting a blow to a Palestinian economy already devastated by the war in Gaza. The Israeli threat raised serious concerns in the United States, which said at the time it feared “a humanitarian crisis” if banking ties were cut.
Couple who both lost legs in Hamas’s October 7 attack are married
A couple who each lost a leg in the October 7 Hamas attacks was married this evening, Walla reports.
Ben Binyamin and Gali Segal were attending the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im when Hamas terrorists stormed the Gaza border and began their massacre. The couple fled to a shelter that then came under attack by terrorists, who lobbed grenades into it.
Both lost their right legs in the explosions that followed. But both survived and were rushed to a hospital, where they recovered together.
Netanyahu-Biden meeting with hostages’ families ends
The American hostage families’ meeting with US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House has ended after roughly an hour.
Report: Israel seized damaging documents from NSO to prevent subpoena for US court case
Israel’s government seized key files from cyber-hacking firm NSO Group in 2020, in an apparent bid to prevent them from being subpoenaed for a US court case against the company, The Guardian reports.
The paper says documents leaked to it showed Jerusalem was concerned that information within those documents would cause “serious diplomatic and security damage” to Israel.
The lawsuit was brought against NSO by Meta-owned WhatsApp, in relation to its Pegasus spyware that enables governments to hack into virtually any phone and access its data, microphone and cameras. WhatsApp accuses NSO of hacking its servers for the purpose of accessing users’ phones.
The Guardian claims the Israeli seizure of documents from NSO was coordinated with the company and directly intended to thwart WhatsApp’s efforts to obtain them as part of the discovery process in the case. It also says the government hid that effort with the aid of a court-issued gag order on the details of its actions.
Netanyahu, Biden now meeting families of US hostages held by Hamas
The families of American hostages being held by Hamas are now meeting with US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the White House says.
Biden and Netanyahu had been meeting with their teams since after 1 p.m. local time. That meeting lasted an hour and a half, the premier’s office says.
The hostage families participating in the current meeting are the parents of Edan Alexander, the parents of Itay Chen, the parents of Omer Neutra, the parents of Sagui Dekel-Chen, the great aunt of former hostage Abigail Mor Edan, the wife and daughter of Keith Siegel and the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
Trump: ‘If Iran assassinates me, I hope America wipes it off the face of the Earth’
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump invokes the annihilation of US adversary Iran in a social media post reminiscent of his most incendiary outbursts while in the White House.
“If they do ‘assassinate President Trump,’ which is always a possibility, I hope that America obliterates Iran, wipes it off the face of the Earth — If that does not happen, American Leaders will be considered ‘gutless’ cowards!” he writes on his social media platform, Truth Social.
Trump makes the remarks alongside a brief video of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bringing up alleged Iranian plots against Trump in his address to Congress.
US media reported last week that the US Secret Service had increased security for Trump weeks ago after authorities learned of an Iranian plot to kill him, although it was not linked to the recent attempt on his life in which a 20-year-old American fired shots during a campaign rally. CNN reported that US authorities received intelligence from a “human source” on a plan by Tehran targeting the former president, causing protection to be boosted for Trump. Other US outlets also reported the plot.
Trump’s post recalls a controversial episode in 2019 when, as president, he threatened the “obliteration” of Iran if the country carried out an attack on “anything American.”
US says shipment of 2,000-lb bombs to Israel remains withheld
The one withheld US shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel remains so, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says, when asked whether there’s an update after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took a subtle dig at the administration in his speech to Congress on the matter.
Netanyahu urged the US to fast-track its weapons shipments to Israel so that it could win the war against Hamas faster.
“There’s no change in that policy at this time,” Kirby says, adding that only one shipment has been held up and that all other transfers are continuing.
US President Joe Biden has said he has withheld the shipment because he doesn’t want Israel to use such high-payload bombs in densely populated areas.
Lebanese media: Hezbollah fires anti-aircraft missiles at Israeli fighters
Lebanese media report that Hezbollah fired anti-aircraft missiles at Israeli fighter jets over southern Lebanon a short while ago.
It marks the second night in a row that Hezbollah is firing on Israeli jets.
There have been no reports of Israeli aircraft being hit in the incidents.
US spokesman: Something is seriously wrong when people march through Washington carrying Hamas banners
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller urges participants in yesterday’s anti-Israel protests in Washington to consider what would happen if they tried to protest Hamas in Gaza.
The charge is used frequently by Israeli officials but does not seem to have been used before by a Biden administration official.
“We’ve seen in the past when people have protested Hamas’s rule in Gaza how Hamas has responded. They’ve responded with a brutal crackdown, with arrests, with violent repression,” Miller says during a press briefing.
The State Department spokesperson clarifies that the administration supports Americans’ right to protest, particularly against the government’s policies.
Related: Harris blasts ‘hate-fueled’ anti-Israel protests where US flag and PM effigy burned, Hamas hailed
“Something is seriously wrong when we see people marching through the streets of Washington carrying Hamas banners, carrying Hamas flags, spray-painting on the fountains that ‘Hamas is coming,’ displaying signs calling for the death of Jews and burning American flags,” Miller says.
The protests saw the burning of an American flag and an effigy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as he spoke in Congress. They also featured Hamas flags and signs, and a placard urging the “Final Solution” for Zionists.
“It’s despicable, hateful and contrary to values of this country,” he says, while acknowledging that the vast majority of the thousands of protested are patriotic Americans.
White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby issues his own condemnation. “When [protests] turn violent, and when you burn an American flag… that’s just absolutely unacceptable, and, obviously, we condemn all of that,” he says.
Gaza war protesters demonstrate against Netanyahu outside White House
After a mass demonstration yesterday outside the Capitol, Gaza war protesters have turned their focus to the White House, where US President Joe Biden is meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The protesters chanted, “Arrest Netanyahu,” and bring an effigy of Netanyahu with blood on its hands and wearing an orange jumpsuit.
The jumpsuit reads, “Wanted for crimes against humanity.”
A small number of counter-protesters wear Israeli flags around their shoulders.
EU foreign policy chief calls Israeli move to outlaw UNRWA ‘nonsense’
EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell urges Israel to revoke its decision to outlaw the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), calling it nonsense.
“Outlawing UNRWA and labelling it as terrorist, which it is not, amounts to targeting regional stability and human dignity of all those benefiting from the UN agency work,” he says on social media platform X.
“We join many partners in urging the Israeli government to halt this nonsense.”
On Monday, the Knesset gave preliminary approval to a bill declaring UNRWA, the main UN relief organization for Palestinians, a terrorist organization and proposing to sever relations.
“It’s another attempt in a wider campaign to dismantle the agency,” UNRWA spokesperson Juliette Touma had previously said of the bill. “Such steps are unheard of in the history of the United Nations.”
Israel has said several UNRWA employees were involved in the October 7 terror attack on Israel, while maintaining that hundreds of others have ties to terror groups.
State Dept.: Nothing in Netanyahu speech ‘made us more or less concerned about deal’
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says there wasn’t anything in Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech yesterday that “made us any more or less concerned about our chances to reach a ceasefire deal.”
Netanyahu only briefly mentioned the ongoing hostage negotiations, pledging to continue working to bring all captives home.
US army chief: We’ve not seen a detailed post-war Gaza plan from Israel
The top US general says Israel still has not shared much of its “day after” planning for Gaza once the war with Hamas ends.
The remarks by Air Force General C.Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, follows the speech to Congress by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that sketched only a vague outline for a “deradicalized” post-war Gaza.
“There’s not a lot of detail that I’ve been able to see from a plan from them,” Brown tells a Pentagon press conference. “This is something that we’ll continue to work with them on.”
For months, Washington has repeatedly urged Israel to craft a realistic post-war plan for Gaza and warned that the absence of it could trigger lawlessness and chaos as well as a comeback by Hamas in the Palestinian territory.
“As far as the day after, we have talked to the Israelis about this, how to make a transition. We’ve talked to them a number of times,” Brown says.
White House spokesman believes Netanyahu capable of reaching hostage deal
Kirby is pressed on whether the US still believes Netanyahu is willing and capable of agreeing to a hostage deal, amid pushback from his far-right coalition partners.
Kirby insists that he is, arguing that Netanyahu has continued working with the US to try and secure a deal.
However, he acknowledges that gaps remain and that the US is working to close them.
White House: Biden ‘feels deeply and strongly we’ve got to get hostage deal in place’
WASHINGTON — White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby enters the press briefing room wearing a dog tag that he received from one of the American hostage families.
He says US President Joe Biden is conveying in his ongoing Oval Office meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “how deeply and strongly he president feels that we’ve got to get this hostage deal in place and get a ceasefire — at least for phase one for those first six weeks.”
Kirby reiterates that gaps remain, but that they’re bridgeable if there’s leadership and willingness to compromise and make the effort.
“Today is the 293rd day that these hostages have been held captive by Hamas and you just have to assume that it is in the most horrific of circumstances,” the White House spokesperson laments.
He says the two leaders are also discussing tensions between Israel and Hezbollah and trying to prevent the opening of a full-blown war.
Kirby adds that Biden is also raising the “critical need for stability in the West Bank.”
“We’re still seeing violence in the West Bank that the president has been absolutely steadfast calling out as unacceptable,” he says, apparently referring to settler violence. Biden has levied a series of sanctions at those behind attacks amid little Israeli action.
The White House spokesperson clarifies that the US still maintains an “ironclad” commitment to Israel’s security and to helping it combat threats from Iran and its proxies.
After their meeting with their teams, Biden and Netanyahu will meet with the families of some of the eight American-Israelis being held by Hamas. This will be Biden’s second meeting with those families.
State Dept. says Biden telling Netanyahu it’s time to seal Gaza deal
WASHINGTON — The US message to Israel in President Joe Biden’s ongoing meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is that it’s time to bring the hostage release and ceasefire deal over the line, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says.
“We need to get this deal over the line. We’ve been working on it for some time. It’s been a tough negotiation. We’ve made progress. We’ve got a framework for an agreement done. We now need to bridge the final differences and get a deal in place so we can all move forward,” Miller says in a briefing with reporters.
Biden is joined by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer, US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew, White House Mideast czar Brett McGurk and White House special envoy Amos Hochstein.
Joining Netanyahu are Strategic Affairs Minsiter Ron Dermer, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Herzog, Netanyahu’s chief of staff Tzachi Braverman, the premier’s military secretary Roman Gofman and his foreign policy adviser Ophir Falk.
Six hostage relatives who wore protest shirts to Congress get US court summons
Six relatives of hostages who were detained yesterday for wearing protest shirts during Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress have been summoned to a US court hearing in mid-August, Channel 12 reports.
Standing the gallery, the six wore bright yellow shirts on which was written: “Seal the deal NOW.” They are planning to fly back to Israel imminently and are attempting to sort the matter so they are not forced to present themselves to the court in person.
Channel 12 says the Israeli Embassy is also trying to assist the six in the matter.
The six are Michael Levy, brother of hostage Or Levy; Alon Gat and Gil Dickman, brother and cousin of hostage Carmel Gat; Carmit Palty Katzir, sister of slain hostage Elad Katzir; Leat Corinne, aunt of hostage Omer Shem-Tov; and Shahar Mor, nephew of hostage Avraham Munder.
Netanyahu to Biden at the White House: ‘I look forward to discussing the great issues before us’
WASHINGTON — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanks US President Joe Biden for 50 years of support for Israel in very brief remarks in front of reporters in the Oval Office ahead of their meeting.
The statement to the press is incredibly short. The pair don’t take any questions from reporters.
“Welcome back Mr. Prime Minister. We’ve got a lot to talk about. I think we should get to it. The floor is yours,” says Biden.
“Mr. President, we have known each other for 40 years, and you’ve known every prime minister for 50 years, from Golda Meir. From a proud Jewish Zionist, to a proud Irish-American Zionist, I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the state of Israel,” Netanyahu says as Biden cracks a smile.
“I look forward to discussing with you today, and working with you in the months ahead, on the great issues before us,” Netanyahu adds, noting they’ve known each other for 40 years.
“I look forward to it as well,” Biden says.
“By the way, that first meeting with Prime Minister Golda Meir, she had an assistant sitting next to her named Rabin. That’s how far back I go. I was only 12 then,” Biden quips.
Reporters then call out numerous questions to the pair, who sit patiently but answer none of them.
‘I’ll always remember you’: Noa Argamani eulogizes Arnon Zmora, killed in rescue op
Noa Argamani, who was rescued from Gaza last month, has written an Instagram post honoring Arnon Zmora, the special forces soldier who was kille during her rescue.
“I didn’t have the opportunity to know or see you, but I obviously could not have been writing these lines if you had not put your life on the line in the heroic operation to free Shlomi Ziv, Andrey Kozlov, Almog Meir Jan and me.
“I asked about you,” she writes. “I was told you were a moral person, charming, loved, pure, a family man, an amazing partner and perfect dad.”
She thanks him “from the bottom of my heart for not thinking twice and setting out on the rescue… I promise you I will always remember you.”
Netanyahu arrives at White House for meeting with Biden
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has arrived at the White House for his meeting with US President Joe Biden.
Netanyahu arrives in a black Chevrolet. Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer rides with him.
The rest of the prime minister’s aides arrive in separate vehicles and walk in after him.
Former US ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk dies at age 73
Former US ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk has died at age 73, The Washington Institute announces.
Indyk was the institute’s founding executive director. He served as US envoy to Israel in 1995-1997 and 2000-2001.
He was also the Obama administration’s special Middle East envoy and was involved in efforts to renew the peace process in 2013-2014, which were ultimately unsuccessful.
Fellow veteran Mideast diplomat Dennis Ross writes that Indyk died of cancer, which he battled “the way he lived his life, with purpose and an unrelenting spirit.”
Indyk had recently been highly critical on social media of the current Netanyahu government and its handling of the war in Gaza and ties to the US.
Usually a frequent tweeter, he had not posted since June 20.
Current Washington Institute Executive Director Robert Satloff says Indyk was “a true American success story” who “came to Washington to have an impact on the making of American Middle East policy and that he surely did – as pioneering scholar, insightful analyst and remarkably effective policy entrepreneur.
“He was a visionary who not only founded an organization based on the idea that wise public policy is rooted in sound research, he embodied it. His contributions to the growth and development of The Washington Institute — and to the definition and execution of US Middle East policy, more generally — are both legendary and immeasurable.”
Army strikes Hezbollah in south Lebanon
Israeli fighter jets struck a building used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon’s Aitaroun and other infrastructure in Ayta ash-Shab a short while ago, the IDF says.
It publishes footage of the strikes.
מטוסי קרב תקפו לפני זמן קצר מבנה צבאי של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב עיתרון ותשתית טרור של הארגון במרחב עייתא א-שעב.
בנוסף, צה״ל תקף בארטילריה מספר מרחבים שונים בדרום לבנון pic.twitter.com/zDiHsHS2Ku
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) July 25, 2024
Several apparent drones from Lebanon strike northern Israel
Several apparent drones launched from Lebanon struck northern Israel in the past hour.
The IDF says it fired interceptor missiles at the suspected drones, but failed to down them.
Several fires were sparked in the Galilee as a result of shrapnel from the interceptor missiles, the IDF says.
There are no reports of injuries in the incident.
Harris blasts ‘despicable acts’ after anti-Israel protesters back Hamas, burn US flag
WASHINGTON — US Vice President Kamala Harris blasts the “despicable acts and dangerous hate-fueled rhetoric” by “unpatriotic” anti-Israel demonstrators who rioted outside the Capitol yesterday in protest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to a joint session of Congress.
At least six people were arrested in the protest of thousands, which featured antisemitic and pro-Hamas slogans and signs, the vandalism of property, the torching of an effigy of Netanyahu and even the burning of an American flag.
“I condemn any individuals associating with the brutal terrorist organization Hamas, which has vowed to annihilate the State of Israel and kill Jews. Pro-Hamas graffiti and rhetoric is abhorrent and we must not tolerate it in our nation,” Harris says in a statement.
“I condemn the burning of the American flag. That flag is a symbol of our highest ideals as a nation and represents the promise of America. It should never be desecrated in that way.”
“I support the right to peacefully protest, but let’s be clear: Antisemitism, hate and violence of any kind have no place in our nation,” adds the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
Leftist protesters in DC chant “Allahu Akbar!” as they burn an American flag: pic.twitter.com/PXvxje9hGp
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) July 24, 2024
Soldier dies, 2 others badly hurt in Gaza, apparently after inhaling toxic fumes
A soldier died and two more were seriously hurt overnight in a non-combat incident in the southern Gaza Strip that is under Military Police investigation, the IDF announces.
The soldier is named as Staff Sgt. Noam Douek, 19, of the 401st Armored Brigade’s 9th Battalion, from Kiryat Motzkin. Two more soldiers of the 9th Battalion are listed in serious condition.
The military suspects that Douek was killed and the other soldiers were hurt by toxic fumes from a generator in the room they were sleeping in overnight.
Further details are under investigation by the Military Police.
Herzog to meet Macron Friday ahead of Olympics opening ceremony
President Isaac Herzog will meet French President Emmanuel Macron tomorrow at noon in Paris ahead of the Olympics opening ceremony, the Élysée Palace says.
In light of the civilian casualty toll and the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Macron will “call for achieving without delay an immediate and sustained ceasefire in order to allow for the release of all the hostages,” and the introduction of massive amounts of aid into Gaza, says his office.
The two leaders will discuss “the search for a diplomatic solution to the conflict on the basis of two states,” according to the Élysée.
Macron will also discuss with Herzog efforts to combat antisemitism, and will affirm his commitment to guaranteeing the safety of Israeli athletes at the Olympics in Paris.
Supposed Palestinian threat to Olympics is fake, possibly of Russian origin — experts
A video that has been widely shared on social media showing a purported Palestinian threatening attacks on France during the Olympic Games in Paris is a fake and could be of Russian origin, security sources and experts say.
The video has emerged with France preparing to stage an unprecedented opening ceremony along the River Seine on Friday and some sporting action already underway since Wednesday.
The video, posted on social networks including X and Telegram, shows a man with his face covered by a keffiyeh scarf and only his eyes exposed threatening “rivers of blood” during the Olympics.
With a Palestinian flag pinned to his front, the man says such attacks will be retribution for what he describes as French support of Israel in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the presence of Israeli athletes at the Olympics.
An anonymously released Israeli propaganda video has circulated online, claiming to be a threat from Palestinians against the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The video features a man wearing the Palestinian Kuffiyeh, speaking in a poorly imitated accent that does not resemble that of… pic.twitter.com/7KnceHrIqh
— MintPress News (@MintPressNews) July 23, 2024
He finishes by brandishing a mock bloodied head which appears to be that of Marianne, the symbol of the French Republic.
But while the video was widely shared, many were also quick to cast doubt on its authenticity, noting it was not the style of groups like Hamas to make such videos and also questioning the quality of the speaker’s Arabic.
A security source, who asked not to be named, tells AFP “the first analyses point to a Russian operation under a ‘false flag.'” The source says “several clues” pointed to this interpretation.
Bodies of 5 Israelis were in tunnel in Gaza’s Israeli-designated humanitarian zone
The bodies of five Israeli hostages brought back to Israel yesterday were recovered from a tunnel located in the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in the southern Gaza Strip.
The IDF ahead of the operation in Khan Younis adjusted the zone and ordered Palestinian civilians in the part where the tunnel was located to temporarily evacuate.
In the operation yesterday, the bodies of Ravid Katz, 51, Oren Goldin, 33, Maya Goren, 56, Sgt. Kiril Brodski, 19, and Staff Sgt. Tomer Yaakov Ahimas, 20 — all of whom were killed on October 7 — were recovered.
The IDF says that in recent weeks it obtained intelligence, including from Shin Bet interrogations of detained terrorists in Gaza, on the location of the tunnel where Hamas was holding the bodies of the hostages.
The tunnel was 200 meters long and about 20 meters deep, and featured several rooms where the bodies were being held, according to the military.
Electricity reform allowing all consumers to choose providers enters into effect
A major electricity industry reform comes into force, allowing all consumers, including those without smart meters, to choose between different providers.
Energy Minister Eli Cohen claimed the competition will see household energy bills dropping by 5-20%, with electricity costs as a whole going down by NIS 2 billion to NIS 3 billion ($550 to 820 million) yearly.
A smart meter records electricity use constantly, allowing a reading and remote transmission of consumption data at least every quarter of an hour.
The Electricity Authority is aiming to have smart meters installed everywhere by 2028.
As of now, any owner or renter of a residential property with an electricity meter can choose to leave the Israel Electric Corporation for any of seven private suppliers.
These consist of three companies already involved in energy (Pazgas, Amisragas, and Electra) and four in the telecommunications sector — Bezeq, HOT, Cellcom, and Partner.
Two additional private companies have been established for the business sector.
The measures, described by Cohen as “historic,” form part of a wider structural reform of the electricity industry introduced starting 2018.
Dahlan says won’t play role in Gaza without democracy, pathway to statehood
Reacting to reports he is being considered as a possible leader in the Gaza Strip after the war, Mohammad Dahlan writes on X: “We will not support any choice that has not been reached based on Palestinian national understandings.”
This, he says, must be based on rebuilding Palestinian politics through a democratic process and a plan for “the creation of [an] independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.”
He adds that “I have repeatedly refused to accept any security, governmental or executive role.”
In the meantime, he says, he is focused on providing relief to Gaza “throughout this ongoing dirty genocide.”
In pre-Oct. 7 photo, slain hostage Maya Goren is seen feeding kidnapped baby Kfir Bibas, still missing
Following the announcement that hostage Maya Goren’s body was recovered from Gaza, along with four others, a photo has emerged online showing Goren feeding Kfir Bibas, a baby who was kidnapped to Gaza with his mother and older brother, and whose fate remains unknown.
The photo is undated but was taken at Kibbutz Nir Oz before October 7.
Goren was a preschool and nursery teacher at the kibbutz.
The Bibas family were all kidnapped from the kibbutz on October 7. Shiri and Yarden and redheaded children Ariel (4) and Kfir (9-months old at the time of the kidnapping) have become a symbol of the hostages’ plight, with video widely circulated of a terrified Shiri holding her children as they were taken from their home by terrorists.
Hamas claimed in November that Shiri and her two children had been killed. The IDF has not confirmed this, but said there is “grave concern” for them.
מיה גורן הגננת המיתולוגית של ניר עוז שגופתה הוחזרה אתמול, מאכילה את כפיר ביבס pic.twitter.com/5K9YAGn9or
— Restart Israel (@restart_israel) July 25, 2024
Incoming IDF intel chief promoted to rank of major general
Shlomi Binder, the incoming chief of the IDF’s Military Intelligence Directorate, has been promoted to the rank of major general.
Binder is replacing Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, who is quitting the IDF over his involvement in the failures that led to Hamas’s October 7 terror onslaught.
The ceremony earlier today was attended by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, as well as other generals.
Binder is due to enter the role next week, the IDF says.
His appointment to the role has been seen as controversial, as Binder previously served as head of the Operations Division under the Operations Directorate — and may have been involved in failures related to October 7. There is an ongoing High Court petition against his appointment.
Report: New UK government to withdraw its objection to ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu
The new UK government, led by the Labour party, is reportedly expected to back away from the last government’s objections to the International Criminal Court prosecutor’s request for an arrest warrant against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the war in Gaza.
Citing “two people briefed on the government’s deliberations,” the New York Times reports that the decision by new UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is likely to come by the end of this week.
Last week London announced that it will resume funding to the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA after the government under Rishi Sunak had frozen it in the wake of Israeli allegations that agency staffers took part in Hamas’s October 7 massacre.
Trump to Fox News: Israel should end war fast, return hostages
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, a day before he is set to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calls for a quick end to Israel’s war against Hamas and a return of the hostages, adding that the country has to better manage its “public relations.”
The war should end fast “because they are getting decimated with this publicity, and you know Israel is not very good at public relations,” says Trump during an interview with Fox News.
The former US president also criticizes those who protested Netanyahu’s speech yesterday to a joint session of Congress, and calls for a one-year jail sentence for desecrating the US flag — saying countries like Russia, China and North Korea are laughing at the US over its loose crackdown on such activity.
Israelis flood hospitals amid scare of brain-eating amoeba at northern water park
More than 100 Israelis show up at hospitals in northern Israel after a 10-year-old boy was hospitalized and a 25-year-old man died after contracting a dangerous brain-eating amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, while swimming in Gai Beach Water Park in Tiberias, according to Ynet.
The Health Ministry ordered the park closed yesterday after its connection to the cases was discovered. Environmental health inspectors had examined the beach after the first case was reported, but no initial evidence of amoeba contamination was found.
The ministry calls on anyone who has visited the water park during the past two weeks and is experiencing fever, headache, blurred vision or vomiting to contact their healthcare provider for a referral before going to the emergency room.
The mortality rate from encephalitis, an infection of the brain, caused by the amoeba is extremely high, and while infection is extremely rare, it is often fatal.
The boy hospitalized at Ziv Medical Center is the third-ever case of an amoebic infection diagnosed in Israel. The hospital reports that the child’s condition remains critical and he is sedated and ventilated.
IDF strikes Hezbollah operative spotted at rocket launching site in south Lebanon
A Hezbollah operative spotted at a rocket launching site in southern Lebanon’s Rab al-Thalathine was struck by a drone a short while ago, the military says.
The IDF says the operative was identified by troops of the 869th Combat Intelligence Collection Unit, and a short while later the airstrike was carried out.
כוח מיחידה 869 זיהה מחבל של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב רב א-תלתין ממנו בוצעו שיגורים לעבר צפון הארץ, זמן קצר לאחר מכן כלי טיס של חיל האוויר תקף את המחבל.
בנוסף, צה"ל ירה באמצעות ארטילריה למרחבים שבעא ועייתא א-שעב pic.twitter.com/dtRrTIYXRj
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) July 25, 2024
Israeli archer Mikaella Moshe finishes Olympic ranking round in 18th position
Israeli archer Mikaella Moshe finishes a ranking round at the Paris Olympics in 18th place overall out of 64 competitors in the individual women’s competition.
Moshe, who trained for years as a rhythmic gymnast before picking up archery in 2022, will next compete on July 30.
Israeli archer Roy Dror is up this afternoon in his own ranking round for the men’s individual competition.
Hamas-run health ministry says 39,175 killed in Gaza since start of war
The Hamas-run health ministry says that at least 39,175 people have been killed since the start of the war in Gaza, and 90,403 people have been wounded.
The toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has killed some 15,000 combatants in battle and some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel during the October 7 attack.
Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 327.
Belgium arrests seven people linked to suspected terror plot
Police in Belgium arrested seven people today on suspicion they were preparing a “terrorist attack,” federal prosecutors say, adding that 14 raids were conducted nationwide.
A spokesman for the prosecutors’ service says there is no evidence at this stage of any link to the 2024 Paris Olympics, whose opening ceremony takes place tomorrow under unprecedented security.
There are “no details at this time as to the locations or targets but what was found leads us to believe an attack was being prepared,” the spokesman, Arnaud d’Oultremont, tells AFP.
The suspects arrested were to appear in court today before the anti-terrorist judge who ordered the raids to determine whether they would remain in custody or not, the prosecution service says in a statement.
It said all of them “are suspected of participation in a terrorist group’s activities, financing of terrorism and preparation of a terrorist attack.”
Shin Bet releases images from operation to recover hostages’ bodies in Gaza
The Shin Bet security agency releases images from the operation to recover the bodies of five Israeli hostages from the Gaza Strip yesterday.
“It’s hard to describe in words how an operation of this kind feels. The sense of responsibility, the magnitude of the moment, the understanding of the importance of the task, everything boils down to one moment when you realize you’ve arrived at the right place,” a Shin Bet agent who participated in the operation says.
The Shin Bet security agency releases images from the operation to recover the bodies of five Israeli hostages from the Gaza Strip yesterday. pic.twitter.com/rAUjshf9T6
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) July 25, 2024
IDF troops and members of the Shin Bet recovered the remains of Ravid Katz, 51, Oren Goldin, 33, Maya Goren, 56, Sgt. Kiril Brodski, 19, and Staff Sgt. Tomer Yaakov Ahimas, 20, in Khan Younis, all of whom were killed and abducted by Hamas terrorists on October 7.
Hamas rockets fell short and struck UNRWA-run school in Gaza’s Khan Younis, says IDF
Rockets launched by Hamas yesterday from the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in the Gaza Strip struck a United Nations-run school in Khan Younis, killing and wounding Palestinians, the IDF says.
According to the IDF, it received reports from international aid organizations that two civilians were killed and several more were wounded after the rockets struck UNRWA’s Al-Qarara school.
The IDF says the rockets were fired by Hamas from the humanitarian zone, but failed to cross the border into Israel, falling short on the school in Khan Younis.
In a move coordinated by COGAT and the World Health Organization, the wounded Palestinians were taken to a field hospital run by the International Medical Corps in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah, the IDF adds.
IDF reservist who leaked clip of hostage bodies’ recovery handed 10-day jail sentence, ousted from army
An IDF reservist who yesterday filmed and circulated a video showing the recovery of the bodies of five hostages will be jailed for 10 days and permanently dismissed from reserve duty, the military says.
The video filmed by the reservist showed five body bags in a military vehicle driving out of the Gaza Strip.
The clip circulated on social media very shortly after the bodies were recovered from Khan Younis, and hours before the remains were identified.
“The IDF views such incidents with severity, and condemns behavior that endangers the security of our forces, and harms the families of the hostages,” the military says.
The IDF says the reservist acted “completely against” military protocol, and was therefore sentenced by the commander of the 98th Division to 10 days in military prison and dismissed from reserve duty.
Israel warns France of plot by ‘Iranian terrorist proxies’ to attack Israelis at Olympics
Foreign Minister Israel Katz sends a letter to his French counterpart, Stéphane Séjourné, warning him of an Iranian-backed plot to attack the Israeli delegation to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“There are those who seek to undermine the celebratory nature of this joyous event,” writes Katz. “We currently have assessments regarding the potential threat posed by Iranian terrorist proxies and other terrorist organizations who aim to carry out attacks against members of the Israeli delegation and Israeli tourists during the Olympics.”
Katz expresses “gratitude” to French officials for the “unprecedented security measures” to protect Israelis at the Games, as well as the French government’s rejection of calls to ban Israel from the Olympics.
The 88 Israeli athletes at the Paris Games are subject to round-the-clock protection from French security services, and are also being guarded by Shin Bet officials, amid a spate of threats to the delegation and the proceedings.
Report: Some US, Israeli, Arab officials see Mohammad Dahlan playing role in postwar Gaza
A report in the Wall Street Journal suggests that a number of officials, including in Israel, are pushing for Mohammad Dahlan, a former leader of Fatah, to oversee Gaza in a postwar era.
The news outlet suggests that “some US, Israeli and Arab officials” are putting Dahlan forward as a “temporary solution to a dilemma facing postwar Gaza.”
The news outlet cites Israeli political analysts saying that he is a figure Jerusalem could work with, and quotes “Arab and Hamas officials” saying that Dahlan has been holding conversations with Hamas and Fatah over potentially overseeing aid distribution in a future Palestinian-run Gaza.
In February, Dahlan — who served as Gaza security chief in a former Fatah government and now lives in Dubai — told the New York Times that an independent Palestinian leader backed by Arab peacekeepers could oversee the reconstruction of Gaza.
IDF says three wounded in West Bank shooting attack are soldiers
Three soldiers were wounded in the drive-by shooting attack earlier today near the West Bank village of Nabi Ilyas, the IDF says.
The soldiers were carrying out a patrol along Route 55 amid the attack.
One soldier is moderately wounded, while another is listed in good condition. A third soldier was treated at the scene for minor injuries.
The IDF says it is searching for the gunmen, bolstering forces in the area, and encircling nearby Palestinian towns.
Herzog arrives in Rome to meet with Italian president, PM and FM
President Isaac Herzog has arrived in Rome, his office says, and is meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella.
He is slated to meet later today with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as well as Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.
Herzog is then scheduled to return to Paris to attend the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics tomorrow evening. He arrived in Paris yesterday and met with Israeli athletes at the Olympic village before attending the Israel-Mali soccer game last night.
Russia and Chinese military planes conduct joint patrol near Alaska
China and Russia organized joint air strategic patrols over the Bering Sea today, according to an annual military engagement plan, a spokesperson for China’s defense ministry says.
It deepened strategic mutual trust and coordination between the two militaries, and did not target any third parties, says Chen Xiaogang, adding it had “nothing to do with the current international situation.”
The Russian RIA state news agency also reports that Russian and Chinese military planes conducted joint patrols near the US state of Alaska, citing the Russian defense ministry.
The planes did not violate the airspace of other countries, RIA says.
Israel hits more than 60 targets across Gaza in airstrikes over past day, says IDF
More than 60 targets were struck by Israeli Air Force fighter jets, attack helicopters and drones in the Gaza Strip over the past day, the military says, as ground troops continue operations in Khan Younis, Rafah and the Netzarim Corridor area.
In Khan Younis, the IDF says troops with the 98th Division killed numerous gunmen and destroyed some 50 sites belonging to terror groups over the past day.
Putin sits down in Moscow with visiting Syrian President Assad
Russian President Vladimir Putin met Syrian President Bashar Assad in the Kremlin, the president’s press service says.
“I am very interested in your opinion on how the situation in the region as a whole is developing,” Putin tells Assad. “Unfortunately, there is a tendency towards escalation, we can see that. This also applies directly to Syria.”
The Kremlin says the meeting took place yesterday.
“Considering all the events that are taking place in the world as a whole and in the Eurasian region today, our meeting today seems very important to discuss all the details of the development of these events, to discuss possible prospects and scenarios,” Assad tells Putin through a Russian translator.
IDF launches manhunt for suspects behind West Bank shooting attack
The IDF says it has launched a manhunt for the assailants behind a drive-by shooting attack in the West Bank a short while ago.
The attack took place on the Route 55 highway, near the Palestinian village of Nabi Ilyas.
According to an initial probe, the gunman opened fire from a vehicle and fled the scene.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service says it is taking to the Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba a 25-year-old man in moderate condition and a 34-year-old man who is lightly hurt, both by gunfire.
Another man was treated at the scene for minor injuries, MDA adds.
IDF shoots down suspected drones from Lebanon over northern Israel, says military
A suspected drone that entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon was shot down by air defenses over the Bar’am area on the border, the IDF says.
Sirens had sounded in the Upper Galilee amid fears of falling shrapnel.
Separately, another suspected drone was shot down by air defenses over the sea just off the coast of Nahariya, the IDF says.
There are no injuries in the incidents.
Three wounded in West Bank shooting attack, say medics
The Magen David Adom ambulance service says three people are light-to-moderately wounded in the drive-by shooting attack on the Route 55 highway in the West Bank, near the village of Nabi Ilyas.
MDA says its medics are treating two men aged 30 and 25 who were hit by gunfire, and a third man who sustained light trauma wounds.
2 lightly wounded in suspected shooting attack along West Bank highway
Two people are lightly wounded in a suspected shooting attack on the Route 55 highway in the West Bank, near the Palestinian village of Nabi Ilyas, the IDF and medics say.
According to the Rescuers Without Borders emergency service, the shooting was carried out by a passing vehicle.
The military says the details are under investigation.
Israeli jets strike Hezbollah sites in south Lebanon overnight, says IDF
Overnight, Israeli fighter jets struck Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon’s Odaisseh, Mays al-Jabal, and Chihine, the IDF says.
Additionally yesterday, the military says it struck buildings used by Hezbollah in Khiam.
Sirens sound in towns next to Lebanon border
Air raid sirens sound in communities next to the Lebanon border, including Kibbutz Baram, Kibbutz Yir’on and Rehaniya, indicating an incoming missile attack.
Herzog on recovery of bodies of 5 hostages: ‘It is our duty to bring them all home’
President Isaac Herzog issues a statement thanking the IDF troops who recovered the bodies of five Israeli hostages from Gaza yesterday, and expressing solidarity with their families.
“It is our duty to bring them all home — those who are alive, and those who we must return for burial in Israel,” says Herzog. “May the memories of Ravid, Oren, Maya, Tomer and Kiril be blessed.”
IDF names 5th hostage whose body was recovered by troops in Gaza as Ravid Katz
The body of a fifth hostage, Ravid Katz, was also recovered by the IDF from southern Gaza’s Khan Younis yesterday, the military announces.
Katz was a member of the Kibbutz Nir Oz security team who battled the terrorists on October 7 before being killed and his body abducted.
His body was recovered from Khan Younis along with four other hostages slain on October 7: Maya Goren, 56, Oren Goldin, 33, Sgt. Kiril Brodski, 19, and Staff Sgt. Tomer Yaakov Ahimas, 20. All five had previously been declared dead by the IDF.
It is now believed that 111 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of 39 confirmed dead by the IDF.
Officer injured in July 14 ramming attack dies of wounds
An Israeli officer seriously wounded in a car-ramming attack outside a military base in central Israel earlier this month has succumbed to his wounds, the IDF says.
Cpt. Ariel Topaz, 24, from Pardes Hanna, was one of four off-duty soldiers wounded in the terror attack on July 14 at the Nir Tzvi junction.
Topaz served as an officer in the Military Intelligence Directorate’s Research Department.
IDF confirms bodies of four hostages recovered, including soldier killed October 7
The Israel Defense Forces confirms that troops recovered the bodies of three hostages Wednesday and announces that the body of Sgt. Kiril Brodski, 19, was also brought back to Israel.
The hometowns of hostages Maya Goren, 56, Oren Goldin, 33, and Staff Sgt. Tomer Yaakov Ahimas, 20, had earlier announced that their bodies had been recovered in a military operation without providing details.
All four were killed by Hamas terrorists on October 7, and their bodies were kidnapped to the Gaza Strip. The military had previously announced their deaths, based on intelligence information and other findings following the onslaught.
On October 7, Brodski was serving alongside Ahimas in the forward command team of Col. Asaf Hamami, the commander of the Gaza Division’s Southern Brigade. All three were killed while trying to defend Kibbutz Nirim amid the onslaught and their remains were abducted. Hamami’s body still remains in Gaza.
The IDF says it had accurate intelligence that allowed troops with the 98th Division and members of the Shin Bet security agency to reach a site in Khan Younis where the bodies had been hidden, amid a new offensive in the city in the southern Gaza Strip.
It is now believed that 112 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of 40 confirmed dead by the IDF.
Brodski, from Ramat Gan, was declared dead on November 28 and a funeral for him was held a day later.
“Everything he achieved in his short life, he achieved on his own,” his mother Elana said at the funeral.
Goren, a Nir Oz kindergarten teacher, was setting up the kibbutz kindergarten space early on October 7 when Hamas terrorists attacked the community, killing her and kidnapping her body.
Goldin was a member of the Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak security team, and was also killed battling the terrorists.
Australia slaps sanctions on seven hardline settlers
Australia says it is imposing financial sanctions and travel bans on seven Israeli settlers and a youth group involved in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
The seven are named in Australian media as Yinon Levi, Zvi Bar Yosef, Neria Ben Pazi, Elisha Yered, David Chai Chasdai, Einan Tanjil and Meir Ettinger, some of whom have been subject to sanctions by other Western countries in recent months.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the seven were involved in beatings, sexual assault and torture and in some cases death.
Australia also says it is sanctioning a group called Hilltop Youth, which Wong says is responsible for inciting and perpetrating violence against Palestinians,
No such organization called Hilltop Youth is known to exist. The term hilltop youth is used to refer to young religious hardliners who attempt to set up illegal outposts throughout the West Bank and have been known to use violence against Palestinians and Israeli security forces.
“We call on Israel to hold perpetrators of settler violence to account and to cease its ongoing settlement activity, which only inflames tensions and further undermines stability and prospects for a two-state solution,” Wong says in a statement.
White House decries anti-Israel protests as ‘disgraceful’
WASHINGTON — The White House is tearing into the conduct of anti-Israel protesters who rioted and clashed with police outside the Capitol building where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress, saying “antisemitism and violence are never acceptable.”
“Identifying with evil terrorist organizations like Hamas, burning the American flag, or forcibly removing the American flag and replacing it with another, is disgraceful,” deputy press secretary Andrew Bates says in a statement.
“Every American has the right to peaceful protest. But shamefully, not everyone demonstrated peacefulness today,” he adds.
Biden explains exit from race to Americans, says he will keep working to end Gaza war
WASHINGTON — US President Joe Biden says he is “passing the torch to a new generation” as he explains his abrupt departure from the 2024 presidential race to Americans for the first time on Wednesday night, in an Oval Office address capping over 50 years in politics.
“I revere this office,” Biden says. “But I love my country more.”
“I have decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. That is the best way to unite our nation,” Biden says.
He reiterates that he is going to “keep working to end the war in Gaza, bring home all the hostages and bring peace and security to the Middle East.”
US official says hostage deal close, but some issues remain
WASHINGTON — Negotiations on a ceasefire and hostages deal in the Gaza conflict appear to be in their closing stages and US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will discuss remaining gaps on Thursday, a senior US official says.
The official says the remaining obstacles are bridgeable but a deal is close in which a six-week ceasefire would take place in exchange for the release of women, elderly men and wounded hostages over a 42-day period.
“There’s a deal ready to move ahead on phase one if we get the arrangements worked out,” the official says during a phone briefing with reporters.
Among the remaining issues are the requirement for Hamas to provide a list of who it will free and when, and how many inmates it wants released from Israeli prison in exchange.
“We need some things from Hamas, including the hostages who are going to come out. We’re not going to do a deal until we know exactly the hostages who are coming out and the schedule that they’re coming out,” the senior administration official explains.
This was a sticking point raised by Israel months ago but has more recently been absent from public comments and leaks regarding the state of the negotiations.
“It’s a very different negotiation now than just a month ago when we had some fundamentally unbridgeable issues,” the official says.
The official clarifies that tomorrow’s meetings won’t be about getting Netanyahu to sign onto a finalized deal.
“I don’t expect the meeting to be a yes or no,” he says, adding that it will instead be aimed at closing gaps in the talks.
The official notes that there will be subsequent critical in-person meetings between stakeholders in Washington over the coming week.
Hezbollah claims late night shelling of northern kibbutz
A rocket siren triggered in kibbutz Hanita on the northern border just after midnight was caused by at least three projectiles launched from Lebanese territory, according to Hebrew media reports.
No injuries or damage are reported.
The Hezbollah terror group says in a statement it shelled Hanita with artillery at 12:30 a.m.
The group also claims to have fired anti-aircraft missiles at Israeli warplanes in Lebanon, forcing them to retreat.
There is no comment from the Israel Defense Forces.
Hostage’s father: Netanyahu said after speech he wants to squeeze Hamas a little more before deal
Adi Alexander, father of hostage Edan Alexander, reflecting on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s mention of the hostages during his Wednesday afternoon address at the Capitol, asks, “Where’s the deal?”
“How do they cross the finish line with the deal that’s on the table?” says Alexander in a phone interview with The Times of Israel. “Where do we stand, how close are we? Three months? Three years? It took five and a half years to get Gilad Shalit out.”
Alexander and his family, who were with the other families of US hostages in the gallery of the Capitol during Netanyahu’s address, says they met with Netanyahu during a reception following the speech hosted by House Speaker Mike Johnson.
He was told by Netanyahu that the prime minister wants to squeeze Hamas a little bit more.
“The ball right now is on the Israeli side,” says Alexander, who along with the other families of American hostages, also met with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin earlier this week. “And when we talk about Israel, we’re talking about one person, Benjamin Netanyahu. He needs to decide if it’s ‘yes’ right now, or if he wants to achieve a little bit more.”
Alexander and the other families of American hostages will meet Thursday with US President Joe Biden and Netanyahu together, presumably following Biden and Netanyahu’s one-on-one meeting.
“I’ll try to get some answers tomorrow,” says Alexander. “We need to make sure that everyone does his job. It’s an American law to get hostages out, but there’s no kind of law like that in Israel.”
Blinken, Qatari PM discuss resolving hostage talks logjams
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a phone call earlier today with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al Thani to discuss efforts to secure a hostage release and ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, the State Department says.
The pair “discussed the remaining issues on the table and practical solutions to bridge the differences between the parties,” according to a State Department readout.
Blinken “reiterated that the United States will continue to work to ensure an agreement is reached,” the readout continues, adding that the secretary thanked the Qatari prime minister for Doha’s efforts.
The two also discussed planning for the post-war management of Gaza, the US says.
Netanyahu critic Nadler calls congressional address ‘dishonest’
WASHINGTON — Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler tells The Times of Israel that he thought Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to a joint session of Congress earlier today was “dishonest,” but that he is still glad he went.
“He talked about seeking victory and that he wants the hostages home, but he’s been throwing more conditions in and he actually wants to prevent a deal,” says Nadler.
Yesterday, the veteran Jewish lawmaker branded Netanyahu “the worst leader in Jewish history since the Maccabean king who invited the Romans into Jerusalem over 2100 years ago.”
Before today’s speech he posted a picture of himself reading “The Netanyahu years” by Ben Caspit, a prominent Israeli journalist and Netanyahu critic. Nadler brought the book with him into the chamber as well, but says he didn’t read it while Netanyahu was speaking.
Nadler claims Netanyahu doesn’t want a hostage deal because this would hasten the launch of an inquiry into his conduct surrounding the war. “The moment he’s out of office, he’ll be prosecuted,” he says.
Nadler says he went to the speech to support Israel, not the prime minister and thinks there are better ways to show disagreement with Netanyahu than boycotting the speech, as some 70 other Democrats did.
Six relatives of hostages released after arrested at Netanyahu address
Six relatives of hostages removed from the congressional gallery and arrested during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech have been released, a spokesperson for the group says.
The six were removed and detained after rising to display bright yellow T-shirts calling on Netanyahu to “Seal the deal” with Hamas to free captives held in Gaza.
The six are identified as Michael Levy, brother of hostage Or Levy; Alon Gat, brother of Carmel Gat; Gil Dickmann, cousin of Carmel Gat; Carmit Palty Katzir, sister of Elad Katzir who was murdered in captivity; Leat Corinne, aunt of hostage Omer Shem Tov; and Shahar Mor, nephew of hostage Avraham Mundar.
The six were released following the intervention of Jewish senators, the US-based branch of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum and the American Jewish Committee, the spokesperson says.
The US Capitol Police said earlier that the six were removed and arrested for disrupting Netanyahu’s address.
Several arrests reported after anti-Israel protesters clash with cops in DC
Several activists protesting the war in Gaza have been arrested in Washington, according to media reports, after scuffles broke out between cops and demonstrators who held large marches to shut down areas near the US Capitol.
Capitol Police say they used pepper spray on a group of protesters who became violent and refused police orders to move behind a line.
The fighting broke out near Union Station as US Park Police tried to clear out demonstrators who burned flags and an effigy of Netanyahu, according to local station WUSA, which aired footage of the fisticuffs. Park Police said it had revoked a permit that had been issued for the gathering.
Police do not announce any arrests.
A fountain at Union Station is left daubed with graffiti in support of the Hamas, including an upside-down red triangle used by the terror group’s propaganda arm to boast of its attacks on Israelis.
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