July 26: Israel said to boost ties with Middle East nations amid Iran threat

Government appointee resigns as head of broadcasting regulatory body after court freezes her tenure

The government-appointed head of the Second Authority, the commercial broadcasting regulatory body, announced this evening that she was resigning her position, months after the High Court of Justice froze her appointment.

Earlier this year the court halted the entry of Yifat Ben Hai Segev into the role, as well as two other government appointees to the body, as it examined petitions against their appointment claiming they were part of an effort to politicize the council and muzzle the media.

“There’s an absurd situation here,” Ben Hai Segev said on pro-government network Channel 14. “There is still no ruling from the High Court of Justice. Four months have passed. I didn’t take the position for the sake of the position. I saw myself as a representative of the public. In such an absurd situation, I can’t just sit on the sidelines, because silence is complicity.”

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has said Ben Hai Segev’s appointment should be annulled, citing potential conflicts of interest and improper procedure.

Ben Hai Segev is a former chair of the Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Council who also served on the advisory board for Channel 13. She was a witness for the prosecution in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s criminal trial, but reversed her testimony in court in 2022 from what she had originally told investigators before the premier was indicted in 2020.

She has railed at media outlets and the attorney general, while accusing them of engaging in a plot against her.

The other two appointees are outspoken supporters of Netanyahu.

The Union of Journalists has claimed that the changes to the regulatory council were made, in part, “to thwart” a proposed buyout of Channel 13, and said that three new members of the Second Authority council appointed by the government have “clear political ties to the prime minister.

“The Second Authority Council should be staffed by professionals, for the benefit of the entire public, and not political appointees who act in the interests of the government,” the Union of Journalists told the High Court injunction.

“This is an exceptional, distorted situation that must not be normalized,” Ben Hai Segev said this evening. “We have entered a recurring pattern in which the government makes an appointment, someone goes to the High Court, and the High Court stops it.”

Police called after suspicious bag found outside MK’s home; contained photo equipment

Police were called to the Jerusalem home of far-right MK Avi Maoz this evening after a suspicious bag was found outside it.

The bag was found to contain photography equipment. It was taken for examination.

Syria’s president says his country seeks security deal with Israel

Syria is seeking to reach a security agreement with Israel with the participation of several countries, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa says in an interview with Al Jazeera.

He said the success of the deal could pave the way for comprehensive peace, without compromising Syria’s right to the Golan Heights.

Settlements Minister Strock tops Religious Zionism vote as party unveils Knesset slate

The far-right Religious Zionism party unveils the results of its internal vote, with incumbent lawmakers largely filling the only realistic spots on the party’s Knesset slate, beginning with Settlements Minister Orit Strock. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was reelected to lead the roster in a vote by the central committee last year and did not participate in today’s vote.

Strock is followed by MKs Simcha Rothman, Zvi Sukkot, Ohad Tal, and newcomer Omer Rahamim, who heads the Yesha Council, an umbrella organization representing West Bank settlements, supplanting incumbent lawmaker Michal Woldiger, who falls to seventh place.

Next in line were Rabbi Shmuel Sasson, Petah Tikva Deputy Mayor Tzvika Weizengrad, Rosh Haayin Deputy Mayor Eitan Tam, and Natan Zaubman, who heads a program assisting French immigrants to Israel.

The list is not yet final, however, as Smotrich controls two reserved spots in the party’s top 10 and is expected to use one of them for Tzvika Mor, the father of former hostage Eitan Mor, who joined the party in May.

Voting was limited to members of the party’s central committee, rather than its full membership.

Polls project the party to win just four or five seats — or fail to cross the threshold altogether — unless it mounts a joint campaign with fellow far-right party Otzma Yehudit, as it did in the 2022 election.

Despite the polls, Smotrich asserts tonight that the party will win 10 seats in the October 27 election. Hailing the internal vote results, he warns that “the right and the national camp are in a slumber reminiscent of the 1992 election on the eve of the accursed Oslo Accords,” adding that if Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s main rival, is elected, the country will “wake up the day after the election with a dangerous left-wing government backed by the Arab parties.”

Eisenkot “will destroy everything we have built in Judea and Samaria and, together with his left-wing partners, return to the Oslo path of establishing a Palestinian state,” he says. Eisenkot has called the notion of Palestinian statehood “irrelevant” after the October 7 attack, and has largely voiced centrist and center-right positions.

Amid rising violence, including ongoing daily settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank, Smotrich pledges to continue strengthening “the pioneering settlers and the heroic farm outposts,” and to “cancel the Oslo Accords and abolish the division of the Land of Israel into Areas A, B, and C.”

‘Dialogue is growing stronger’: Israel said to boost ties with Mideast nations amid Iran threat

Israel has intensified its communications with various Middle East nations amid the ongoing uncertainty over the direction of the Iran war, with security officials holding frequent conversations with their counterparts to boost defense ties and prepare for the possibility of escalation, Kan news reports.

An unnamed Israeli official tells Kan that during the war that began in February, “Israel was in contact with countries in the region — countries that understood the danger posed by the Iranian regime. Dialogue with those countries is continuing and growing stronger.”

Suspect in Berlin Pride terror attack shot and killed by police

A known Islamist suspected of driving a minivan into a crowd near a major LGBTQ Pride gathering in Berlin was shot dead during a police operation at an allotment garden complex in the city’s Spandau district, broadcaster RBB reports.

Police confirm his death on X.

The attack happened in the Tiergarten park near the Brandenburg Gate at about 10 p.m. (2000 GMT) on Saturday, not far from one of Europe’s biggest annual LGBTQ celebrations, Christopher Street Day. One person was killed and 29 were injured, authorities said.

Berlin police had identified the suspect as Abdul B, 21, and published his picture, asking the public for information on his whereabouts.

The suspect had “attracted attention in the past through a high number of criminal offences, through radicalization, through membership of the Islamist scene,” German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said earlier, adding that he was a German citizen of Lebanese heritage, born in Germany in 2005.

It was the latest in a series of vehicle attacks on crowds in Germany in recent years that have intensified debate around security and immigration amid a surge in support for the far-right.

Ahead of a memorial service at St Mary’s Church in Berlin, center-right Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged Germans to protect liberal values.

“We will defend the freedom, openness, and liberal spirit of our lives and our society with everything we can do,” he said.

Report: CENTCOM chief urged halt to Hormuz campaign unless US prepared to escalate

CENTCOM commander Brad Cooper recommended halting the US bombing campaign against Iran around the Strait of Hormuz unless Washington was prepared to escalate into a broader military campaign, arguing that the operation had largely reached the limits of its effectiveness, Axios reports, citing two sources familiar with his assessment.

The report comes after the second night in a row without US strikes on Iran, after nearly two weeks of nightly attacks and retaliations by Tehran targeting US allies across the region.

According to Axios, Cooper gave his recommendation to the Pentagon, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the White House, ahead of a Friday meeting between Trump and senior advisers, during which the president decided to pause the attacks. Cooper said the campaign had significantly degraded Iran’s ability to attack ships in the Strait, noting that designated bombing targets had been mostly exhausted, the sources tell Axios.

The sources add that Cooper raised the possibility of resuming major combat operations against a remaining 20 percent of targets that the US military had designated, but did not strike during the US-Israeli campaign against Iran, and that, absent that move, there was no point in continuing the campaign in Hormuz.

According to reports from The New York Times and CNN, Vice President JD Vance and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine both raised concerns about escalating the war in Iran as Trump weighed the possibility on Friday, amid concerns in the administration about expanding the conflict as defense stockpiles are being depleted and while there is a risk of alienating Middle East Gulf allies, affecting energy supplies and the global economy.

In the meantime, Trump’s top envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, are holding talks with the Iranians, both directly and through mediators, according to Axios and Channel 12 reporter Barak Ravid.

For now, the sides have reached an informal understanding of “quiet for quiet,” meaning neither side will fire as long as the current calm holds, Channel 12 reports, noting that Oman and Iran continue efforts to reach an agreement regarding the Strait of Hormuz, though there is no guarantee that Trump will accept any such agreement.

France, Spain battle ‘unpredictable’ wildfires as 325,000 evacuated

France is fighting an “unpredictable” wildfire close to Bordeaux, as Spain warns of “difficult hours” in its own fiery battle, with evacuations from danger zones in both countries mounting to well over 325,000 people.

The forest infernos, raging for days unchecked in France’s southwest and in central Spain near Madrid, are among the worst each nation has seen in peacetime.

France’s major fire has caused an unprecedented “pyrocumulonimbus”: a gigantic, untamable fire cloud that creates its own winds and packs lightning that causes more blazes, according to the National Firefighters Federation of France (FNSPF).

“It’s a David-versus-Goliath scenario. The idea is that, at some point, we’ll find a weak spot and strike there,” says FNSPF spokesman Eric Brocardi.

French President Emmanuel Macron has called a crisis cabinet meeting for Monday morning to discuss responses to the fires, his office says.

Spanish officials voice optimism that they are starting to get a grip on some of their fires — though over the weekend, they were confronted with a new fire front, near the eastern coastal city of Valencia, that forced 15,000 people to flee.

Iran’s FM claims Ukraine attacked Iranian vessel ‘at Israel’s behest,’ promises response

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says a Ukrainian attack on an Iranian commercial vessel “cannot go unanswered.”

Yesterday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned a Ukrainian attack on an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea, saying it resulted in an explosion that killed one sailor and injured another.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine’s forces had carried out “long‑range strikes in the Caspian Sea – including vessels used in military cargo shipments involving Iran.”

Throughout the war in Ukraine, Kyiv has had to counter Iranian-designed drones deployed by Moscow. Kyiv has offered its drone interception expertise to countries in the Middle East that have suffered strikes from Iran.

Araghchi says on X that the strike was “a blatant UN Charter violation done at Israel’s behest to drag Europe into its war.” He does not offer evidence of Israeli involvement, nor explain why Ukraine would do Jerusalem’s bidding.

He adds that he “made clear” to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in calls that “what the freeloader in Kyiv did CANNOT GO UNANSWERED.”

Tehran described the attack on its vessel as an act of aggression and said it would defend its national interests and security, while accusing Kyiv of seeking to expand the war in Ukraine.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires in Tehran to convey its protest over what it described as a “hostile and criminal” attack, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported.

The Iranian denunciation coincided with comments by Zelensky that Kyiv had noted Russia was passing on its satellite observations in the Middle East to Iran to enable it to direct strikes in the region.

Knesset legal adviser calls law freezing arrest of Haredi draft dodgers fundamentally flawed

Knesset legal adviser Sagit Afik tells the High Court of Justice that legislation freezing criminal enforcement against ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers has fundamental procedural flaws and should not have been advanced through the legislative process used by the coalition.

The law, passed as part of the coalition’s end-of-session legislative blitz two weeks ago, bans arrests, investigations, and other enforcement measures against draft dodgers enrolled in yeshiva study until November 30, but will actually extend to February 2027, due to legal reasons tied to the upcoming elections.

The High Court has already temporarily frozen implementation of the law, after several petitions were filed immediately after its passage, while Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara urged the court on Friday to block it entirely. The court is expected to hear the petitions before an expanded panel of justices.

Afik argues that the law violates the quasi-constitutional Basic Law: The Knesset because the legislation ultimately enacted differs substantially from the original bill, which was intended to establish a comprehensive framework governing Haredi enlistment, including recruitment targets, enforcement mechanisms and sanctions designed to increase military service, all of which were ultimately stripped from the final law.

Afik also says the legislative process “did not meet the high standard” required after the October 7 attack because lawmakers failed to adapt the original enlistment bill to “the updated data and needs of the IDF and the defense establishment.” She points to a pre-vote letter from IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, who called the legislation “inconceivable” and warned that it was “clearly and unequivocally inconsistent with the IDF’s needs.”

None of those injured in Berlin Pride attack are ‘in mortal danger’ — Merz

None of the people injured in a deadly attack near Berlin’s Pride parade is at risk of succumbing to their injuries, Chancellor Friedrich Merz says.

“My thoughts are with the woman who died and her family, as well as those injured in Berlin’s hospitals, from whom we thankfully hear that no one is at risk of death anymore,” Merz says while addressing a memorial service for the victims at Berlin’s Marienkirche church.

New rules requiring labels on AI-generated election content take effect

Election campaigns must begin labeling AI-generated or AI-manipulated content that could be mistaken for authentic material starting today, under new rules issued by Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg.

The regulations apply to campaign materials published from today onward and require disclosures on content depicting “a person, place, event, document or object that could appear to have been authentically documented when it was not.”

In other words, not every use of artificial intelligence requires disclosure. Rather, the requirement applies only to digitally created or substantially altered content that could mislead viewers into believing it is real.

Any such materials must include a written disclosure stating that the content was created or substantially edited using digital tools, including AI, or use one of two standardized black-and-white “AI” disclosure labels introduced by the committee: one indicating that content was AI-generated, and another indicating that authentic content was digitally manipulated or substantially altered.

Written disclosures must be prominently displayed, with high contrast and in a legible font, while labels in videos must remain visible throughout the relevant footage. Audio-only content must include an audible disclosure at both the beginning and the end of the recording.

The committee warns that publishing campaign material without the required disclosure “may be considered a violation of the law.”

It says the rules are “an important and innovative step” intended to provide clarity to voters, “preserve public confidence in the electoral process even in the age of artificial intelligence,” and, among other things, “address attempts to improperly influence voters and undermine the integrity of elections.”

The regulations are a temporary measure that will remain in force until one year after the October 27 election.

They follow several recent controversies amid the growing use of AI-generated campaign content, including an AI-generated Likud video depicting rival Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot embracing Ra’am chief Mansour Abbas after rejecting a figure resembling his late son, who was killed fighting in the Gaza war.

UN chief urges immediate removal of all Syria sanctions

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres urges the removal of all sanctions imposed on Syria during the era of ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad, as he concludes a two-day visit to the country.

Syria’s new authorities, who took power in December 2024, are trying to turn the page after more than 13 years of war, and to reboot the economy and rebuild infrastructure and institutions.

Western countries, including the United States, have announced the easing of sanctions on Syria, but investors have remained cautious, while the World Bank has estimated the country’s postwar reconstruction could cost $216 billion.

“I welcome steps that have eased sanctions, and opening new possibilities for economic recovery, but all these sanctions must be removed immediately,” Guterres tells a press conference in Damascus, concluding what he calls a “deeply meaningful and productive visit.”

“The United Nations stands with the people of Syria at this pivotal moment. And I came carrying the strongest possible appeal to the international community, an appeal to spare no effort to support the Syrian people and to support the Syrian government,” Guterres says.

Guterres is the first UN chief to visit Syria since his predecessor Ban Ki-moon in 2009, two years before the start of Syria’s war, which killed more than half a million people.

“Syria today is at a crossroads,” he says. “Syria needs investment in its people, its economy and its institutions. Syria needs support to restore essential services, rebuild infrastructure, revive livelihoods.”

It also needs help “for the safe, voluntary and dignified return of refugees and internally displaced people,” he adds.

Trump giving Iran talks ‘some space,’ America’s UN envoy says

US President Donald Trump is giving negotiations with Iran “some space,” his UN ambassador says, after two nights passed without strikes on the country.

UN ambassador Mike Waltz tells “Fox News Sunday” that the United States remained “locked and loaded” for more attacks and that “more assets have gone into the region,” but that Trump is “giving talks some space — he’s giving it a little bit of room.”

Prior to Friday, the US military had announced strikes on Iran for 13 consecutive nights, in the largest rekindling of the war since an April ceasefire.

Israeli official: Cabinet approved legal framework for Gaza force, with some 200 troops from ‘friendly’ countries

A senior Israeli official says that the security cabinet has approved key legal measures related to the entry of the International Stabilization Force to Gaza under US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan for the Strip.

The cabinet approved granting the ISF immunity under Israel’s “Immunities of International Organizations Law,” according to the official, who adds that the force will operate in “full coordination with the IDF” in areas that are outside of IDF control.

The entry of any ISF personnel will still be subject to the specific approval of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, the official adds, apparently indicating that the decision does not authorize the immediate deployment of the force.

“Israel maintains that the IDF will continue to hold the Yellow Line [to which forces withdrew last October], and there will be no [further] withdrawal whatsoever until Hamas has been completely disarmed and the Gaza Strip has been fully demilitarized,” the official says.

The cabinet also decided that Israel will determine which countries are permitted to contribute personnel to the force, the official continues, saying “only countries with which Israel has a peace agreement, and which are not acting against the State of Israel or its officials in international forums, will be eligible.”

That condition would seem to preclude Indonesia, which has no formal diplomatic ties with Israel, and had initially vowed to contribute some 8,000 troops to the force, though it backed away in recent months due to domestic backlash and doubt regarding the Gaza plan’s progress.

“At this stage, the force is expected to consist of approximately 200 personnel from friendly countries such as Uganda and Morocco,” the official says.

Earlier, officials told The Times of Israel that the cabinet was voting on measures intended to advance a proposed pilot humanitarian zone in the Rafah area of southern Gaza, where ISF personnel would initially deploy along the zone’s borders.

Under the Board of Peace-backed plan, vetted Gazans would be allowed to relocate there from Hamas-controlled territory. The project has faced delays as Hamas continues to refuse to disarm and Israel has withheld approval for several key elements of the plan.

Netanyahu: Iran conflict ends when regime falls or gives up its nuclear program; Mamdani fomenting hate against Jews

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that the conflict with Iran will end when the regime falls, or once Iran “realize[s] that the cost of wreaking economic chaos through the world, murdering thousands of its own citizens, and shooting at everyone… when this regime is either toppled or it is sufficiently weakened that it knows it has to end its nuclear program.”

Speaking to Fox News, Netanyahu says that “with a deal or without a deal,” Iran’s nuclear program must come to an end.

Netanyahu warns Iran that Israel will hit the Islamic Republic hard if it is targeted.

“If Iran or its proxies attack Israel,” Netanyahu says, “it will make a terrible mistake, because our response, Israel’s response, will be very, very forceful.”

He says that in his planned meeting with US President Donald Trump, he is not focusing on presenting new information, because the two intelligence communities are cooperating so closely. “It’s a good thing to have the opportunity to sit with our good friend President Trump and to hear what he has in mind,” Netanyahu says of the future of the Iran conflict, “because I think in many ways it’s his decision.”

Netanyahu says he is “absolutely” coming to New York for the United Nations General Assembly in September, and that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is “fomenting hate” against Jews.

“I intend to come and speak the truth, speak for Israel and the Israeli-American alliance from the podium of the United Nations,” he says.

Netanyahu says Mamdani is “supporting the Hamas murderers.”

He says he is “very concerned” about losing the Democratic party.

Netanyahu alleges that mainstream Democrats are joining the party’s anti-Israel “fringe” because their families are being harassed by activists.

He says that Trump was “absolutely right” to say that Saudi Arabia would only get “a civilian” nuclear deal in exchange for normalization with Israel, adding, “I stress ‘civilian’ because the last thing we want, and I’m sure the last thing the president wants, is a military nuclear program in Saudi Arabia.”

IDF says Hamas UAV commander killed in Gaza strike on Saturday

A Hamas unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) unit commander was killed in an Israeli strike in the central Gaza Strip yesterday, the military announces.

The strike killed Hamam Eid, who headed a UAV cell in Hamas’s military wing. The IDF says he was tasked with the production of UAVs intended to be used in attacks on troops and Israeli civilians.

Previously, Eid headed a drone cell in central Gaza, and participated in attacks on Israeli forces, the military says.

“Recently, Eid attempted to restore the aerial capabilities of the Hamas terror organization, in violation of the ceasefire agreement,” the IDF adds.

The IDF publishes a photo of Eid, which it says was found by troops during operations in the Strip.

צה"ל חיסל את מפקד חוליית הכטב"מים של ארגון הטרור חמאס במחנות המרכז

צה"ל תקף במרכז רצועת עזה אתמול, וחיסל את המחבל המאם עיד, מפקד חוליית הכטב"מים בזרוע הצבאית של ארגון הטרור חמאס במחנות המרכז.

במסגרת תפקידו, עיד היה אחראי על ייצור הכטב״מים שנועדו לפגיעה באזרחי מדינת ישראל וכוחות… pic.twitter.com/voEECOSCcV

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) July 26, 2026

Israeli security cabinet okays limited International Stabilization Force entry into Gaza for pilot

The Israeli security cabinet has voted to approve the limited entry of the International Stabilization Force under the Board of Peace-led plan for Gaza, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir voted against the proposal, while Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar voted in favor, the official says, without elaborating on the exact proposal or whether there was any timeline for deploying the fledgling force.

ISF troops would first deploy along the borders of a pilot humanitarian zone in Gaza being planned by the Board of Peace.

Shortly before the vote took place, the Israeli official and a Board of Peace official told The Times of Israel that the cabinet would vote on measures aimed at advancing elements of the humanitarian pilot project proposed by the US-backed Board of Peace.

The Board of Peace has been promoting the plan for several months. It envisions the establishment of a pilot humanitarian zone in the Rafah area of southern Gaza, from which Israeli troops would withdraw and be replaced by personnel from a not-yet-deployed International Stabilization Force. The arrangement would allow an initial group of vetted Gazans to relocate from Hamas-controlled territory. Hamas has so far refused to disarm as envisioned under US President Donald Trump’s 20-point framework for Gaza, and the Board has been struggling to get Israeli approval on certain key components of the plan.

Last week, Nickolay Mladenov, Board of Peace High Representative for Gaza, and Aryeh Lightstone, special advisor to the Board, met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to brief him on plans for the pilot project, and received a “positive” response from the premier, the Board official says.

Much of what was expected to be discussed in today’s cabinet meeting surrounded proposals outlined in a private letter Lightstone sent to the Israeli government last month, the Board official said, confirming an earlier Kan news report on the letter. According to the report, the letter called for relaxation of certain restrictions on “dual-use” humanitarian aid items entering Gaza as well as the signing of agreements that would allow troops from ISF contributing countries to enter Gaza, and approval of measures related to the vetting and entry of a Palestinian police force to be deployed under the Trump plan.

While Arab diplomats and Israeli officials have told The Times of Israel that moving forward with the humanitarian zone has been difficult with Israeli elections approaching — as Netanyahu’s coalition remains wary of reconstruction beginning while Hamas remains armed in half the Strip — the Board official said Israel has been broadly cooperative, but admitted that even with cabinet approval of certain measures, meaningful progress on the pilot zone will be further down the line.

“These pieces are all moving forward. It just takes a little time,” the official said, saying the Board understands “the reality” of Israeli elections, but that nonetheless “we’re seeing that things can move forward, at least from an approvals process or from a cooperation process, even if implementation doesn’t happen 24 hours later.”

Petition against IDF stint-lengthening law claims Haredim getting preferential treatment

A petition has been filed to the High Court of Justice against a law passed by the Knesset this month lengthening mandatory military service from 30 to 32 months, arguing that the measure constitutes unlawful discrimination against those serving in the army since the government has failed to draft over 70,000 ultra-Orthodox men into any service at all.

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, which filed the petition, argues that in extending the period of mandatory service, the government is further increasing the burden of military service on those who do enlist while at the same time, with another law, trying to make it easier for ultra-Orthodox men to avoid enlisting.

The organization is referring to legislation passed two days before the military service extension law, which barred the IDF and police from arresting ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers for a seven-month period. The High Court immediately froze implementation of that law, however, and it seems likely to be struck down.

The Movement for Quality Government notes in its petition that the new law will affect soldiers who enlisted from July 2024 onwards, some of whom were just several months away from being released from military service before the new law was passed. Those enlisting from now until June 2029 will also be required to perform the extra two months of service.

The organization argues that the legislation freezing the arrests of Haredi draft dodgers and the service extension law must be addressed as a whole, noting that they were discussed jointly at the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in the same hearing.

This “creates a reality in which the state is removing enforcement from one group, and increasing the burden on the other group,” the petition says.

The organization argues further that this reality “exacerbates the discrimination” between those who serve and those who do not and harms the principle of equality before the law.

“The State of Israel is saying to the soldier who has returned from two years of war on several fronts: ‘Carry on for another two months.’ And to the person who has never reported for service, it says: ‘Don’t worry, no one will touch you,'” says Stav Livne Lahav of the MFQG.

“One person’s blood does not have greater value than another’s, and there is no obligation that applies to one part of the public while exempting another. Equality in sharing the burden is not a slogan — it is a legal obligation that the Supreme Court already established three decades ago.”

Herzog speaks with Bahrain’s King Hamad about ‘regional developments’

President Isaac Herzog speaks by phone with Bahrain’s King Hamad Al Khalifa. King Hamad initiated the phone call, The Times of Israel has learned.

It is notable that Bahrain has been attacked daily by Iran since tensions with the US escalated earlier this month, and made the decision to initiate as well as publicize a call with Israel’s head of state while under threat from the Islamic Republic.

The two leaders discuss “international and regional developments, as well as the bilateral relations between the two countries within the framework of the Abraham Accords, in a way that contributes to security, stability, and prosperity in the region,” according to the Bahraini readout.

“Bahrain is an important country in the Middle East, and I congratulated the king on his bold leadership and vision for the region,” says Herzog.

Bahrain has come under daily missile and drone fire from Iran in recent weeks.

Herzog visited Bahrain in December 2022.

Report: Netanyahu talked Graham out of lobbying Trump to join war on Hezbollah; late senator doubted Kushner, Witkoff

US President Donald Trump was thrilled at the beginning of the Iran war, the late senator Lindsey Graham told a film crew in unaired footage seen by The Wall Street Journal.

“I talked to Trump this morning, he’s jacked, he said, ‘Best thing I have ever done.’ He loves blowing stuff up,” Graham said just after the war began, in footage obtained by The Journal.

Graham also seemed to suggest that top White House aides Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff couldn’t be trusted in diplomatic efforts in the Middle East.

“I can’t do it with Jared, and I can’t do it with Witkoff. They’re just too conflicted. It’s gotta be [US Secretary of State Marco] Rubio,” he told Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan, according to the report.

It was unclear whether Graham was referring to conflicts of interest the two had, or saying they were internally conflicted in some manner.

At one point in March, Graham planned to fly to Florida in order to convince US President Donald Trump to join Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talked him out of it in a March 4 call.

“We’re concentrating right now on Iran,” Netanyahu said in the footage, according to The Journal. “If we tell Hezbollah that we’re going all the way, we threaten them, but if we actually do it, then they have no reason not to go all the way against us. And right now that’s not our interest.”

Graham also told Netanyahu that it would be time to normalize ties with Saudi Arabia once the Iranian regime falls, but the prime minister said to focus on Iran first.

Graham said he was fighting with “a lot of people inside” the Trump administration who were against the Iran war, and that Republicans weren’t backing the war firmly enough.

“Very few people are out selling this war from the administration. I’m shocked,” he said.

Graham also flew to Saudi Arabia to try to get Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s support for the Iran war.

Only weeks before he passed away in July, Graham worried that Trump was flubbing the war effort. “He’s letting this thing slip away,” the senator said. “I got to go talk to him.”

Iran to halt attacks as long as US maintains latest pause, Iranian source says

Iran will halt its own attacks as long as the United States maintains its pause on strikes, but Tehran remains skeptical of US intentions, a senior Iranian source tells Reuters.

“Iran’s position remains ‘attack for attack’: if the attacks stop, Iran will also halt its operations. That message has already been conveyed to the United States,” the source says, a day after Washington halted attacks following 13 successive nights of airstrikes.

“There is more skepticism than optimism about the halt in attacks. The prevailing view is that the pause is tactical rather than genuine,” the source adds.

9/11 victims’ families want Mamdani barred from tribute, citing ties to terror apologists

A petition signed by hundreds of families of victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York City is calling to bar New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani from attending the annual commemoration, The New York Post reports.

The petition castigates the mayor’s ties to individuals who have been apologists for jihad, extremism and terrorism, and who have minimized the atrocities committed on 9/11. It notes his own comments blaming the US for encouraging attacks on itself, and his tendency to fraternize with people and political candidates who disrespect American institutions and symbols.

“The 25th anniversary should remain centered on remembrance, unity, and an unambiguous rejection of the violence and extremism that defined that day,” the petition declares. “Ensuring that all participants reflect these principles is essential to preserving the integrity of the commemoration.”

“This day is sacred to us,” Giovanni Galante, whose wife Grace Catherine Galante was killed in the attacks, tells the paper. “It is not political, and it is not a platform for those connected to such views. His presence would be deeply hurtful and inappropriate — like an unwelcome guest at a deeply personal ceremony.”

Cheri Sparacio, who lost her husband Thomas, says the mayor’s presence would be “disrespectful” to the families.

According to the Post, some 300 families of victims are among the 5,500 signatories to the petition so far.

Organizers tell the outlet the mayor is among various officials invited, and will not be speaking. The mayor’s office says he plans to attend.

Trump family and allies stand to gain from Saudi nuclear energy deal — NYT

US President Donald Trump and his relatives and associates could stand to gain financially from his administration’s push for a nuclear energy deal with Saudi Arabia, The New York Times reports.

The Times notes that Trump’s sons are invested in nuclear fuel companies, while his media company is looking to merge with a nuclear energy startup. Meanwhile, top cabinet officials as well as Trump donors have ties to nuclear energy companies that could benefit from such an accord.

A White House spokeswoman denies any ulterior motives for the administration’s efforts, saying “the media’s continued attempts to fabricate conflicts of interest are irresponsible and reinforce the public’s distrust in what they read.”

The Saudi deal is currently in doubt, after the president said it would not move forward without Riyadh normalizing ties with Israel.

Lebanese army says IDF destroying infrastructure, firing on their positions in south Lebanon

The Lebanese Armed Forces accuses the IDF of a series of violations in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military, says the LAF on X, is engaging in “a systematic destruction and bulldozing of homes, as well as shelling and combing operations with machine guns in several southern areas… alongside the seizure of rubble in the border areas, the blowing up of the water project affiliated with the Litani River National Authority in the town of Markaba — Marjayoun, and the burning of ancient olive trees and vast agricultural lands.”

The LAF also accuses Israel of firing near Lebanese positions, “which obstructs the execution of its missions.”

Germany says fatal Berlin Pride attack believed to be act of Islamic extremist terror

A van ramming and stabbing near Berlin’s Pride festival that left one person dead and many others injured yesterday is believed to have been an Islamic extremist terror attack, Germany’s interior minister says.

The suspect in the attack remains at large. Authorities issued a wanted notice and warned people against approaching Abdul Ballout, a German citizen with Lebanese roots, saying that he may be armed and dangerous.

Authorities say he is believed to have injured several people with a van in a park near the Pride festival’s closing party. Several people were also apparently stabbed.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt says the suspect is believed to have injured people with a machete.

Iran’s Tasnim says oil tanker exploded after hitting naval mine in Strait of Hormuz

An oil tanker exploded in the Strait of Hormuz after colliding with a naval mine, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reports.

Tasnim said the tanker struck the mine after leaving the route designated by Iran in the strategic waterway.

There was no immediate official statement from Iranian authorities regarding the incident.

Berlin Pride attack suspect reported to be Islamic State supporter

The chief suspect in a deadly attack near Berlin’s Pride parade on Saturday night is a supporter of the so-called Islamic State (IS) group and was previously convicted for related offenses, German media report.

The 21-year-old man named by police as Abdul B. last year traveled to the Middle East in a failed attempt to join the group, according to the Bild and Spiegel newspapers. He was then convicted in Germany of “preparing a serious act of subversive violence,” the papers report.

Katz: West Bank operations to expand, Yair Golan spreading ‘blood libel’ about settlers

Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting, Defense Minister Israel Katz says that counterterrorism operations in the West Bank are expected to expand.

“In addition to the operations currently underway,” he says, “similar measures are now being considered by identifying where terrorist activity is being organized and where we need to strike in order to disrupt it and prevent it from continuing.”

Katz also takes the opportunity to launch an attack on The Democrats party chief Yair Golan.

“Yesterday, I was sorry to hear — though not surprised — that someone who was once a senior IDF officer and is now one of the leaders of the opposition, perhaps even their candidate for defense minister judging by the way he speaks, publicly curses the prime minister and me, and blames the residents of Judea and Samaria for Palestinian terrorism,” he says.

Referring to a Friday West Bank shootout, Golan accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Katz of deliberately turning the West Bank “on the eve of the election into a violent arena that endangers human life.”

“Our soldiers’ blood that has been spilled, and that unfortunately is yet to be spilled, is on their hands,” Golan said.

Katz accuses Golan of spreading a “blood libel” about settlers which he says, will only motivate terrorists to carry out more attacks.

“Saying such things about the settlers,” says Katz, “who today help protect all the population centers in Israel, and saying such things about our soldiers, only makes our duty to suppress terrorism even greater.”

US and Iran said to submit responses to Qatari-Pakistani proposal for return to talks

Amid a pause in back-and-forth strikes, the US and Iran submitted responses to a proposal from Pakistan and Qatar to return to negotiations, the Saudi Al Arabiya outlet reports.

Citing a Pakistani government source, the Turkish Anadolu newspaper says that both Washington and Tehran “communicated their consent for dialogue and diplomacy to end the latest hostilities, and return to negotiations.”

According to the Turkish outlet, the proposal calls on the sides to return to their positions before the recent outbreak of hostilities. That would mean a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to US sanctions on Iranian oil.

Herzl’s grandparents’ remains to be reinterred in Jerusalem next week

The remains of the grandparents of Theodor Herzl will be brought to Israel and reinterred next to his grave on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, according to Hebrew media reports.

The bodies of Shimon and Rivka Herzl will be brought from Belgrade and buried in a ceremony on August 5.

The burial will be held 77 years after the date that Herzl, widely considered the father of modern Zionism, was buried in Jerusalem in 1949. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog are expected to attend the ceremony.

The initiative, spearheaded by World Zionist Organization (WZO) Chairman Yaakov Hagoel along with Serbian authorities, had been postponed several times over the past four years due to the security situation, the Hebrew daily Israel Hayom reports.

Herzl’s grandparents are believed to have influenced his early attachment to Zionism. Shimon Herzl was a Jewish community leader in Belgrade and was close to Rabbi Yehuda Alkalai, an influential figure in the Zionist world at that point.

Herzl, who founded the Zionist Organization (later the WZO) in 1897, was buried in Vienna after he died of a heart ailment in 1904. In 1949, his remains were taken to Israel and reinterred on Mount Herzl, named in his honor.

High Court rejects petition by parents of mistakenly slain hostage to recognize him as fallen soldier

The High Court of Justice rejects a petition by the parents of slain hostage Alon Shamriz for him to be recognized by the IDF as a fallen solider.

Shamriz was abducted from his home in Kfar Aza on October 7, 2023, during the Hamas invasion and atrocities it perpetrated that day, and taken hostage into Gaza.

Shamriz, together with two other hostages, succeeded in escaping captivity in December 2023 in northern Gaza’s Shejaiya neighborhood, but all three were mistakenly shot and killed by IDF forces operating in the area.

The three victims were recognized as victims of terrorism, but Shamriz’s parents asked the army to recognize him as a fallen soldier which would entitle him to a military burial and enable themselves to be recognized as parents of a fallen soldier.

The parents argued that since Shamriz had received reserve duty orders on October 7 which, they said, he would have obeyed, since he was active in reserve duty before the war, and because he demonstrated military training and capabilities in extracting himself and his fellow hostages from captivity, he should be recognized as a fallen soldier.

The High Court ruling says that in confining itself strictly to the letter of the law, it found that the army’s decision not to recognize Shamriz as a fallen soldier was a lawful decision, and that the court therefore has no authority to intervene.

“This ruling does not detract in any way from the profound appreciation due to the late Alon, who demonstrated extraordinary and exceptional courage under unimaginably difficult circumstances,” adds the court.

“We join in honoring his memory and wish to express our condolences to the petitioners and to his family.”

Lebanese military: IDF strikes keeping us from carrying out mission in south

The Lebanese army condemns continued Israeli strikes near its positions in southern Lebanon, saying they are keeping it from fulfilling its mission.

“Continuation of the attacks hinders the completion of the army’s deployment, prevents the return of the local population, and obstructs the establishment of stability in the south,” says the LAF, according to local media.

Israel and Lebanon agreed that the LAF would move into positions vacated by the IDF as part of a pilot program meant to ensure that southern Lebanon is free of Hezbollah fighters and weapons.

Netanyahu: Trump and I will discuss range of issues during our meeting, including Iran

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will discuss with US President Donald Trump “all the issues currently on the agenda, including the situation in Iran.”

Noting that he will also attend the funeral of Lindsey Graham, Netanyahu calls the late senator “one of Israel’s greatest friends since the state’s establishment, and it is fitting that we pay him this honor.”

Speaking at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu says that he spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio last night, who promised that the US intends to act against the International Criminal Court, “which endangers justice around the world and also threatens the right of democratic, sovereign states to exercise their sovereignty.”

Netanyahu says the court, which issued an arrest warrant for him and former defense minister Yoav Gallant, is “trying to subordinate [democratic states’] security to the decisions of corrupt bureaucrats in The Hague.”

He says that disgraced ICC prosecutor Karim Khan issued the warrants “to divert attention, to rally all of Israel’s enemies around him, and essentially to create a protective shield for himself. That shield has now been torn away, exposing both his true motivation and the lack of justice and deep corruption not only in the Prosecutor’s Office but throughout the International Criminal Court.”

Turning to IDF operations in the West Bank after a deadly clash on Friday, Netanyahu says that “the instructions we gave were to enter villages, search them, seize weapons, and make arrests.”

He adds that Israel is “prepared to act more broadly against terrorist strongholds.”

Yemen’s Houthis say they downed Saudi reconnaissance drone

Iran-backed Houthi rebels say they downed a Saudi drone over the northwest of Yemen, a day after the Yemeni group claimed it attacked oil facilities in the Gulf kingdom.

The Houthis’ military spokesman Yahya Saree says the group “successfully shot down a Turkish-made… armed reconnaissance drone belonging to the Saudi enemy while it was conducting hostile operations.”

Syrian president: We won’t intervene militarily in Lebanon; working on a security deal with Israel

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa tells Al Jazeera that Syria has no intention of intervening militarily in Lebanon, amid Lebanon’s continued difficulties in dealing with Hezbollah and following reported US proposals that Syria assume a security role there in place of Israel.

Sharaa also says that Syria is working toward a security agreement with Israel with the involvement of several countries. If successful, he says, such an agreement could pave the way for comprehensive peace without Syria relinquishing its claim to the Golan Heights.

He adds that Syria has no interest in a confrontation with Israel and is seeking to avoid one.

Police arrest two in connection with settler attacks last night

Police say they have arrested two people on suspicion of involvement in extremist violence last night, when settlers rampaged through several Palestinian towns in the West Bank.

In a terse statement, police say the two suspects are undergoing interrogation and will be brought before a judge today, where officers will request to extend their remand.

The arrests come after assailants torched two mosques, a home and several vehicles overnight in the West Bank, scrawling graffiti calling to avenge the killing of Benayahu Mellet, a civilian security squad member from the Havat Gilad settlement, by a Palestinian during a violent clash Friday.

An IDF commander and four Palestinians were also killed during the gunfight, which broke out on the outskirts of Tell, a Palestinian village in the northern West Bank, after a group of settlers entered the area.

Police arrest man who called for hunting settlers ‘like pigs,’ find ammo in his home

Police have arrested a man on suspicion of incitement to terror after he called on social media to hunt down Israeli West Bank settlers “like pigs.”

The 39-year-old man, from the northern town of Maghar, made a post that read, “We have to hunt them down like pigs, God will curse you all so that not a single settler pig is left,” according to police.

The post was made in reference to Friday’s gunfight that killed two Israelis and four Palestinians in the northern West Bank, police say, which broke out after settlers illegally entered the Palestinian village of Tell.

Officers who raided the man’s home to arrest him discovered two M16 assault rifle magazines full of ammunition and confiscated them, police add.

He was brought to court this morning for a remand hearing, where a judge decided to extend his detention until Tuesday.

Maghar has a mixed Druze, Christian, and Muslim population; the police did not indicate what the background of the perpetrator was.

Hamas: Israel kills senior Gaza security official, another officer in central Gaza strike

Hamas’s Interior Ministry says Israel killed Wael al-Ladawi, head of the Internal Security Service in central Gaza, in a strike targeting a vehicle in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.

According to the statement, al-Ladawi held a rank equivalent to colonel and headed the Internal Security Service in the central governorate, one of Hamas’s security agencies in Gaza.

The ministry adds that another security officer, Tawfiq Abu Zureiq, who held the rank of major, was also killed in the strike, which according to other reports was carried out about half an hour ago.

🎥 فيديو | اللحظات الأولى لاستهداف الاحتلال مركبة مدنية في دير البلح وسط قطاع غزة pic.twitter.com/WBPXarpZtX

— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) July 26, 2026

Iran’s army says it’s stopped attacking amid lull in US strikes

Iran’s army says it’s halted its attacks amid a lull in US strikes, and says American strategy is not even clear to US decision-makers.

“Americans stopped their attacks over the past two nights. Since our strategy has been entirely retaliatory, we also stopped our retaliatory operations,” says spokesman Amir Akraminia, as quoted by Iran International.

Akraminia adds that “the US strategy is unclear even to the country’s own officials. This is evident in the remarks of US officials, particularly the US president, as well as in the actions of US Central Command.”

New UK PM Burnham’s freshly appointed solicitor general met with Hamas in 2010

One of the first appointments by new UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham is already under fire for having met with members of Hamas in 2010.

Andy Slaughter, who was appointed solicitor general days after Burnham took office as the country’s seventh prime minister in a decade last Monday, joined then-Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn on a fact-finding trip to the Palestinian territories in November 2010, sponsored by Friends of Al-Aqsa and the pro-Palestinian nonprofit Middle East Monitor.

In his new position, Slaughter would wield significant power over decisions related to the prosecution of proscribed terrorist organizations, including Hamas itself, British media noted. His appointment to that post was “an absolute disgrace,” Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy said, accusing Slaughter of showing “sympathy for Hamas.”

According to The Telegraph, during the 2010 visit, the delegation met representatives of Hamas and rival party Fatah. Photographs from the visit show Slaughter alongside Palestinian politicians Mohammed Totah, Ahmed Attoun and Khaled Abu-Arafeh, all of whom held positions associated with Hamas.

Slaughter also met Hamas Justice Minister Faraj al-Ghoul and Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmed Yousef during a separate visit to Gaza in March 2010. After that visit, he wrote an article in The Guardian arguing that negotiations with Hamas should take place “without preconditions.”

In a statement to The Telegraph, the UK Attorney General’s Office rejected criticism of Slaughter’s appointment, saying that Slaughter has consistently condemned Hamas, supports a two-state solution, and will carry out his duties with political impartiality and adherence to the rule of law.

IDF seals West Bank home of Palestinian involved in deadly Friday shooting

IDF troops sealed the home of a Palestinian who was involved in the deadly shooting in the West Bank village of Tell on Friday, the military says.

Soldiers over the weekend mapped out the home of the Palestinian who opened fire with a gun snatched from an Israeli security officer, killing civil defense squad member Master Sergeant (res.) Benayahu Mellet, 32, and IDF officer Maj. Yuval Ezra, 27, before being shot dead.

Overnight, the home was sealed ahead of its planned demolition, the army says.

As a matter of policy, Israel demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out deadly terror attacks.

Sealing the homes of attackers is often a replacement or stopgap for demolishing them. In general, the demolition process takes several months, as the High Court must address appeals by the family, and security forces often wait an optimal time to enter Palestinian cities or neighborhoods for the operation.

The IDF says the temporary sealing of the home was approved by Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, and that the military “intends to continue to advance the process of demolishing the house.”

Also over the weekend, the military measured the home of a Palestinian who snatched the gun to begin with, who was shot and wounded in the incident and later captured by IDF commandos in a hospital in Nablus.

Syrian media reports IDF shelling in buffer zone, incursions into two towns

Syrian media reports that the Israeli military fired artillery shells near a village in Israel’s buffer zone in southern Syria, and conducted incursions into two other towns, located about a kilometer (0.6 miles) from the border with Israel, this morning.

The IDF has been deployed to nine army posts inside southern Syria since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024. The posts are mostly within a UN-patrolled buffer zone on the border between the countries.

Syria’s state-run SANA news agency says four artillery shells hit agricultural land near the village of Trinjeh, in the Quneitra area, “without causing injuries or material damage.‎”

In addition, Israeli forces operated in the villages of Ma’ariya and al-Aridah, in the southern portion of the border, and established a military checkpoint in the area, SANA reports.

Such incidents have been commonplace in Syria in the past year and a half. IDF troops have been operating in areas up to around 15 kilometers (some nine miles) deep into Syria, aiming to defend the border and capture weapons that Israel says could pose a threat to the country if they fall into the hands of “hostile forces.”

Likud court overturns Netanyahu bid to cancel party primaries in wartime

Likud’s internal court overturns Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bid to cancel the upcoming party primary if it cannot be held because of a possible “wartime situation,” and to select its Knesset slate through an appointed committee controlled by the premier.

In its ruling, the court says there is “no room to open even the slightest door to canceling the primary,” which is currently set for August 17, arguing that Likud “is not a one-man party and will lose its character if it becomes one.”

The judges rule that if security conditions make it impossible to hold the vote as scheduled, the preferred solution is to postpone it or use electronic voting — though this is not currently permitted under the party’s constitution. Either, according to the decision, would be “a thousand times preferable, in our view, to a wholesale violation of the party constitution by not holding a vote at all.”

The court also notes that the party’s constitution already allows primaries to be postponed during an emergency and says it will rule again should unforeseen circumstances arise.

The decision overturns a measure approved by the Likud Constitution Committee last week allowing Netanyahu to appoint a five-member committee of Likud mayors to determine the party’s Knesset slate if a wartime emergency prevented the primary from being held, effectively capitulating to the premier’s monthslong push for unprecedented control over the party’s candidate list.

At the time, Netanyahu said that he supported holding a primary, but that “there is a possibility that we could find ourselves in an exceptional security situation” that would make campaigning and voting impossible.

The committee also agreed to Netanyahu’s demand to grant him eight reserved slots on the Knesset list, seven of them within the first 30 places, to install handpicked candidates.

Netanyahu had previously threatened to cancel the primary if his demand for more reserved seats was not met.

Far-right Religious Zionism party opens internal election for Knesset slate

The far-right Religious Zionism party opens the internal vote for its Knesset slate ahead of the upcoming October 27 national election.

Ten candidates are competing for places on the party’s list, including incumbent Settlements Minister Orit Strock and MKs Simcha Rothman, Ohad Tal, Zvi Sukkot and Michal Woldiger.

Also seeking slots are Omer Rahamim, who serves as CEO of the Yesha Council, an umbrella organization representing West Bank settlements, Rosh Haayin Deputy Mayor Eitan Tam, Petah Tikva Deputy Mayor Tzvika Weizengrad, Rabbi Shmuel Sasson, and Natan Zaubman, who heads a program for the absorption of French immigrants.

Voting is limited to members of the party’s central committee rather than its full membership. It does not include a race for party leader, as party chairman Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was reelected in a vote by the central committee last year.

Under the party’s rules, he also gets to reserve two spots in the top 10 of the party’s slate for candidates of his choosing and is expected to use one of them for Tzvika Mor, the father of former hostage Eitan Mor, who joined the party in May.

Voting is taking place at polling stations in Shoham and Jerusalem, while reservists and members granted special authorization may cast ballots remotely through a secure online system. Smotrich and party director general Yehuda Wald are expected to announce the results at 8 p.m.

Polls project the party to win just four or five Knesset seats, or fail to cross the threshold altogether, unless it mounts a joint campaign with fellow far-right party Otzma Yehudit, which it did in the 2022 election.

Man’s body found near beach in Ashkelon, believed to have drowned at sea

Police have located a man’s lifeless body near Hofit Beach in Ashkelon after launching searches for him yesterday.

He is believed to have drowned at sea, according to law enforcement.

The body will be transferred to the Abu Kabir forensic institute for identification.

On the same beach last week, a four-year-old boy went missing and was later found alive and healthy after a daylong search involving police, rescue services and civilian volunteers.

Drone that crashed near Ben Gvir’s home was child’s toy, has been returned to owner

A small drone that crashed over the weekend near the home of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir in Kiryat Arba, a settlement next to the Palestinian city of Hebron, turned out to be a toy.

Kan news reports that the toy drone belonged to an Israeli boy who lives near the minister. On Friday, the drone fell near Ben Gvir’s house, and it was found over the weekend by security forces.

The drone was returned to the child, according to Kan.

Iran army says war to ‘expand further’ if US attacks restart

Iran’s army warns that the Middle East war will widen if the United States chooses to press ahead with attacks on the Islamic Republic.

His comments come after a second night without US strikes, and ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned trip to Washington on Tuesday to meet with President Donald Trump and attend the funeral of senator Lindsey Graham.

“I believe that if the Americans once again fall for the Zionists’ deception, or move in line with them, and insist on continuing the war, particularly through airstrikes, geographically this will expand further,” Iranian army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia tells state television.

IDF names two more Hamas operatives killed in Gaza strikes last week

Two more Hamas operatives were killed in Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip last week, the military announces.

According to the IDF, one strike in the Strip’s north on Tuesday killed Fares al-Masri, a commander in Hamas’s weapons production division.

The military says al-Masri was involved in “the production of weapons as part of Hamas’s efforts to rebuild its capabilities, in violation of the ceasefire agreement.”

Another strike in northern Gaza on Tuesday killed Mohammad Abu Shakian, a member of Hamas’s elite Nukhba Force, according to the IDF.

The IDF says both operatives worked to advance attacks on troops and Israeli civilians, and they were killed to “remove the threat.”

Authorities in Germany issue wanted notice for suspect in van ramming near Pride

Authorities in Germany issue a wanted notice for a suspect in the van ramming near Berlin’s Pride festival.

The suspect is a 21-year-old whom police identify as “Abdul B.”

“The suspect is known to police. He is known to us as a member of Islamic circles here in Berlin, and our search for this person is proceeding at full speed,” police spokesperson Florian Nath says, as quoted by ABC News.

She adds that “we still have no information whatsoever regarding his specific motives, the exact sequence of events, or his role in the crime itself.”

The notice warns against “direct contact” with the suspect, saying he may be armed.

Yesh Atid MK Ron Katz leaving Knesset, to be replaced by Arab community leader

Opposition lawmaker Ron Katz, of Yesh Atid, announces he is resigning from the Knesset, and will not seek reelection.

The party picks a relatively unknown Arab Israeli community figure to replace him.

“After 15 years of significant public service, the time has come for me to take a break from public life and open a new chapter,” Katz says, adding that he tendered his resignation before the formal end of the Knesset term to avoid receiving a public salary after already making the decision to leave. Lapid and the party thank Katz.

Yesh Atid announces Katz will be replaced by Muhammad Shoko Elhega, a “person of education and social initiative, with more than 20 years of experience in education, youth, and integration of Arab young people into Israeli society.”

The incoming lawmaker is “founder of the Atidna youth movement, the first Arab-Zionist youth movement in Israel,” the party says in a statement.

He currently serves as director of the informal education department in the Tamra municipality, in the Lower Galilee, the party notes, as well as treasurer of the Council of Youth Organizations in Israel and head of the party’s Arab headquarters.

Israeli troops dispatched to Palestinian village where settlers set fire to mosque

Israeli troops were dispatched to the West Bank village of Qusra overnight, after Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque and spray-painted Hebrew graffiti reading “Revenge.”

The IDF says troops scanned the area for suspects, but they “had fled before their arrival.” The soldiers also spotted the “arson and graffiti” in the village.

Later, Israel Police officers are set to enter the village with IDF escort to “collect testimony, findings, and evidence for the investigation.”

The army says it and other Israeli security forces “strongly condemn incidents of this kind, including harm to religious institutions, and will continue to act decisively to maintain security and order in the area.”

A mosque in the village of Kur, near Tulkarm, was also set on fire overnight, with Hebrew graffiti reading “Jewish blood is not free.” The IDF has not yet commented on that incident.

Cabinet meetings today moved underground, at security officials’ direction

Cabinet meetings to be held today have been moved to a secure, underground location, at security officials’ direction, an Israeli official confirms to The Times of Israel.

The official doesn’t specify the exact threat, but the move comes amid concern over a possible escalation amid the war with Iran.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is slated to meet with the full cabinet, then at 1 p.m. with the security cabinet.

The meetings are scheduled ahead of Netanyahu’s planned trip to Washington, to meet with US President Donald Trump and attend the funeral of late senator Lindsey Graham.

He is slated to depart for the US on Monday.

The meetings, and Netanyahu’s trip, come as the US weighs its next steps on Iran after pausing its nightly strikes over the weekend.

IDF measures homes of two Palestinians involved in Friday shooting, for demolition

The Israeli army says it has measured the homes of two Palestinians involved in the deadly shooting in the West Bank village of Tell on Friday, ahead of their planned demolition.

Troops over the weekend mapped out the home of the Palestinian who opened fire with a gun snatched from an Israeli security officer, killing civil defense squad member Master Sergeant (res.) Benayahu Mellet, 32, and IDF officer Maj. Yuval Ezra, 27, before being shot dead.

The IDF says it also measured the home of the Palestinian who snatched the gun to begin with, who was shot and wounded in the incident and later captured by IDF commandos in a hospital in Nablus.

“The homes of the two terrorists were mapped in preparation for the temporary sealing of the houses, which is expected to be carried out as a preliminary step before their demolition,” the IDF says, adding that “decisions regarding the temporary sealing will be made in accordance with the recommendations of the security authorities and through an orderly process that includes all the required approvals.”

Israel regularly demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out deadly terror attacks as a matter of policy. The efficacy of the policy has been hotly debated even within the Israeli security establishment, while human rights activists denounce the practice as unjust collective punishment.

Iran says talks held with Oman over shipping in Hormuz, ‘progress made’ but no change yet

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei says talks were held with Oman on Friday and Saturday over shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

“The two sides exchanged views on common principles and operational mechanisms for managing the safe passage of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz while respecting the sovereign rights of the two coastal states,” he says, according to Iran International.

Baghaei reports that “the talks were useful and progress was made,” but notes that “technical and political consultations between the two sides will continue.”

He says that “at present, there has been no change in the status of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.”

Settlers torch two mosques, block roads in West Bank

Palestinian media report that settlers set fire overnight to two mosques and spray-painted Hebrew graffiti reading “Benayahu’s Revenge,” along with a Star of David and other messages, in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus.

No injuries are reported in the arson.

The vandalism is an apparent reference to Benayahu Mellet, the civilian security squad member from the Havat Gilad settlement who, along with an army commander, was shot and killed in the Palestinian village of Tell on Friday.

Mellet, whose squad had been called to the scene, had his rifle grabbed from him amid a confrontation between residents of the village and a group of Israelis, which included armed men and minors. The army has said the Israelis did not coordinate with them before entering the area, which is off-limits to Israelis; Palestinians have said the Israelis attacked the village before the deadly confrontation.

عاجل | مستوطنون يضرمون النيران في مسجد، ويخطّون شعارات معادية خلال هجومهم على بلدة قصرة، جنوب نابلس. pic.twitter.com/YJb97EJIjg

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) July 26, 2026

Palestinian media report that another mosque, in the village of Kur, near Tulkarm, was also set on fire overnight. Hebrew graffiti reading, “Jewish blood is not free,” is spray-painted on the walls. Footage is also published showing unidentified individuals attempting to set fire to a house near Nablus. No injuries are immediately reported as a result of either arson.

It is reported that settlers set fire to several vehicles near the village of al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah.

Additionally, reports say settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles and blocked several roads across the West Bank overnight. In one video circulated by Palestinian media, settlers are seen standing at the entrance to a Palestinian village and forcing an approaching vehicle to turn back.

اعتداءات لا تتوقف.. مستوطنون يهاجمون مركبات الفلسطينيين على طريق "وادي قانا" بين مدينتي سلفيت وقلقيلية. pic.twitter.com/x1tv5BXqLA

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) July 25, 2026

Tel Aviv-Lod trains halted due to electrical fault

The train line between Tel Aviv and the central city of Lod has been temporarily suspended due to an electrical fault, Israel Railways says.

Israel Railways says technicians are working to bring the line up and running, but advises passengers to find alternate modes of transportation between the two cities.

Interceptor shortages main concern in deliberations before Trump held off on escalating Iran campaign — NYT

Concerns over depleted interceptor stockpiles were the focus of discussions between US President Donald Trump and his top advisers before the administration decided to hold off on escalating its campaign against Iran over the weekend, The New York Times reports.

While Trump indicated Friday he would escalate the air campaign, the president decided to hold off, for now, on an expanded operation after consulting with top advisers, the report says, citing two people briefed on the discussion.

Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Dan Caine privately said that while the military was capable of launching major combat operations against Iran, interceptors available to CENTCOM would be exhausted, officials tell the Times.

Another senior US official tells the outlet that there were doubts in the administration that an intensified campaign would pressure Iran into talks; rather, recent strikes have kept Iran united and focused on a foreign threat.

Friday marked the first day of calm in some two weeks, during which the US launched nightly airstrikes on Iranian military strikes, which Tehran responded to with attacks on US military assets in the region.

Berlin mayor says city’s ‘freedom has come under attack’ after deadly car ramming at Gay Pride

BERLIN, Germany — The mayor of Berlin says the city’s “freedom has come under attack in the most horrific way” after a car hit and killed one person and injured others near the city’s Gay Pride parade.

Kai Wegner says in a post on X that the “gathering for a tolerant and peaceful Berlin has been most brutally attacked” after the incident late yesterday in the Tiergarten park, near the end of the parade route.

Fire causes millions in damage to Chabad center in Ukrainian town where founder buried

A large fire ripped through the Rabbeinu HaGadol visitors complex in the Ukrainian town of Hadiach near the cemetery where the founder of Chabad Hassidism is buried on Friday night, according to reports.

The fire caused millions of dollars in damage to the Chabad visitor center, near the resting place of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, reports say.

It is unclear what caused the fire.

US says it disabled ship trying to run Iran blockade after it ignored warnings

The US military says that it has redirected 12 commercial vessels trying to run its renewed blockade of Iranian ports, as of yesterday.

Two ships that didn’t comply with its orders were “disabled,” while two others were boarded  “to ensure total compliance,” US Central Command says in a statement.

“Earlier today [Saturday], US forces completed a verification boarding aboard Comoros-flagged M/T Charminar in the Arabian Sea, and the tanker is now continuing its journey,” the statement reads.

“CENTCOM forces disabled Mozambique-flagged M/T Lavine in the Gulf of Oman, July 24, after the crew attempted to violate the blockade multiple times and ignored repeated warnings. The ship is no longer transiting to Iran,” it says, posting footage of it firing at the vessel.

The U.S. naval blockade against Iran remains in full effect. As of July 25, CENTCOM has redirected 12 commercial vessels trying to run the blockade, disabled 2 that didn't comply, and boarded 2 to ensure total compliance.

Earlier today, U.S. forces completed a verification… pic.twitter.com/eyp1N2B9sO

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 25, 2026

One killed, 15 hurt after car drives into crowd near Berlin Gay Pride Parade

BERLIN, Germany — At least one person has been killed and around 15 injured, “some seriously,” after a car is believed to have driven into a crowd on the outskirts of Berlin’s Gay Pride parade, police say.

The vehicle has been abandoned at the scene in Tiergarten Park — a wooded area of the capital where the parade ends — and police are searching for the occupant or occupants, it says.