July 29: Army chief condemns ‘borderline anarchy’ after right-wing mobs riot at IDF bases

US military says it destroyed Houthi drone that threatened ships off Yemen’s coast

CAIRO, Egypt — US Central Command (CENTCOM) says its forces successfully destroyed one Iranian-backed Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicle in a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen in the past 24 hours.

“It was determined this weapon presented an imminent threat to US coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region,” CENTCOM’s statement adds.

UK advises its citizens to leave Lebanon, avoid travel there

LONDON — The UK advises British nationals to leave Lebanon and not to travel to the country, as diplomats race to contain any escalation between Israel and Hezbollah.

“We are advising British nationals to leave Lebanon and not to travel to the country. This is a fast-moving situation,” UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy posts on X.

We are advising British nationals to leave Lebanon and not to travel to the country.

This is a fast-moving situation. FCDO staff are working round the clock to help ensure the safety of British nationals. https://t.co/47BeXyvG6V

— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) July 29, 2024

Herzog: This is a country of laws; MKs must restore calm after invasion of bases

President Isaac Herzog stresses this is a country of laws and urges lawmakers, “especially those responsible” to calm passions after two military bases were invaded by right-wing protesters today.

“The police must intervene and act immediately to restore law and order,” Herzog writes on X. “I call on the demonstrators: leave the army base, and allow the IDF to work and win.”

“We are in one of the most difficult and challenging weeks regarding security — we must not burden our soldiers and commanders any longer. Let’s back the IDF and its commanders and defend them against all the chants that only make our enemies happy,” he adds.

זו מדינת חוק.

אני דורש מכלל חברי הכנסת ובמיוחד מהנושאים באחריות – לממש אותה ולהביא להרגעת הרוחות באופן מיידי.

על משטרת ישראל להתערב ולפעול מיידית להשבת החוק והסדר.

אני קורא למפגינים: צאו מן המחנה ותנו לצה״ל לעבוד ולנצח.

אנחנו באחד השבועות הקשים והמאתגרים ביותר מבחינה…

— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) July 29, 2024

Smotrich backs right-wing protests, but calls on activists not to break into army bases

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says right-wing protests at army bases today were justified, after reserve soldiers were arrested for allegedly abusing a Palestinian detainee. He also cautioned against breaking into the bases, however.

“In contrast to the hypocritical left who made breaking the law, refusing to serve, and burning the state their method for a year and a half under the auspices of the attorney general, we have a responsibility to the state,” he writes on X, appearing to refer to anti-judicial overhaul protests.

“Therefore: I call on everyone to uphold the law and the integrity of the army and nation. Don’t break into bases and don’t clash with our brothers, the soldiers and policemen, and stay within the limits of protest,” he adds.

Lapid: ‘We are not on the brink of the abyss, we are in the abyss’

Ultranationalists protest against the detention of Israeli reserve soldiers suspected of assaulting a Hamas terrorist, at the Beit Lid military base near Beersheba, July 29, 2024. (Chen Leopold/ Flash90)

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid says, “We are not on the brink of the abyss, we are in the abyss,” after ultranationalist protesters today invaded two military bases together with Knesset lawmakers.

“All the red lines were crossed today. MKs and ministers who participated in the invasion of violent militias into military bases constitute a message to the State of Israel: they are done with democracy, they are done with the rule of law,” he says in a statement.

Israeli soldiers and police clash with far-right protesters, after they broke into the Beit Lid army base over the detention for questioning of military reservists who are suspected of abuse of a Palestinian terror suspect detained there, on July 29, 2024 (Oren Ziv / AFP)

“A dangerous fascist group threatens the existence of the State of Israel. They are the best thing that happened to [Gaza ruler Yahya] Sinwar and [Hezbollah chief Hassan] Nasrallah. If we don’t stand up to them, the country will fall apart. If Netanyahu does not fire the ministers who participated in these violent raids today, he is not fit to represent the State of Israel,” the statement reads.

US pushes diplomats to convince Israel not to attack Beirut or Lebanon infrastructure

The United States is leading a diplomatic dash to prevent Israel from striking Lebanon’s capital Beirut or the country’s major civil infrastructure in response to a deadly rocket attack on Majdal Shams, five people with knowledge of the drive says.

The focus of the high-speed diplomacy has been to constrain Israel’s response by urging it to avoid targeting densely populated Beirut, the southern suburbs of the city that form Hezbollah’s heartland, or key infrastructure like airports and bridges, say the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss confidential details that were not previously reported.

The five people with knowledge of the diplomatic push over the past two days have either been involved in the conversations or briefed on them. They say the efforts aim to achieve a calibrated approach similar to that which contained April’s exchange of missile and drone attacks between Israel and Iran, sparked by an Israeli strike that killed a senior IRGC commander in Damascus.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

6 children injured in Hezbollah rocket attack remain hospitalized in serious condition

People at the scene of a deadly Hezbollah missile attack at a soccer field in the Druze town of Majdal Shams, in the Golan Heights, July 29, 2024, in which 12 children were killed. (Michael Giladi/Flash90)

Six children who were wounded in the rocket attack in the northern Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights are in serious condition in three northern hospitals.

Ziv Medical Center says that two wounded children are in critical condition in the pediatric intensive care unit. Both are sedated and ventilated. Another child is in moderate condition. All have abdominal injuries, chest injuries, and limb fractures.

Five children aged 8-15 are in moderate condition in the pediatric ward,
mainly suffering from shrapnel injuries.

Another child is in moderate condition with shrapnel injuries, after abdominal surgery. His condition is stable.

The hospital has treated 39 wounded patients, including a 36-year-old man with shrapnel injuries to his ear and face, who is in mild condition.

There is a 12-year-old child in critical but stable condition at Tsafon Medical Center (Pouriya) near Tiberias.

Another child is in moderate condition and a third child is expected to be released soon.

A 22-year-old man is now in moderate condition and is expected to be released during the week.

Rambam Hospital in Haifa says that three children there are in critical condition after undergoing surgeries on Saturday night. They are sedated and ventilated. Another two children are in moderate condition. All are in the Ruth Rappaport Children’s Hospital.

Hezbollah’s Saturday’s attack on a soccer pitch killed 12 young people, aged 10-20.

It was the single deadliest Hezbollah attack on northern Israel since fighting there began in October.

TV report: Detainee allegedly abused at Sde Teiman suffered severe injury to buttocks

An undercover military police investigation into soldiers for abuse of a detainee began after the prisoner arrived at Beersheba’s Soroka Medical Center with a severe injury to the buttocks, medical officials tell Channel 12 news.

The officials say the detainee was barely able to walk. His injuries were not hemorrhoids or fissures, and could not have been self-inflicted, the report says.

Senior officials in the Military Prosecutor’s Office tell Channel 13 that the suspects “critically wounded” the detainee.

Gallant says Beit Lid break-in harms democracy, ‘plays into the hands of our enemy’

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant condemns the break-in at the IDF’s Beit Lid base this evening, saying it is a “serious incident that seriously harms Israeli democracy and plays into the hands of our enemy in times of war.”

Gallant says he spoke with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and told him that the IDF has his full support to “take measures and act immediately to prevent unauthorized citizens from entering IDF bases.”

“I call on the Israel Police to act immediately against those breaking the law and on all elected officials to refrain from irresponsible statements that drag the IDF into the political arena,” he adds.

מפגיני הימין מנסים לפרוץ את הכלא כדי לשחרר את העצורים. איפה הצבא? איפה המשטרה? איפה השב״כ? pic.twitter.com/FuBrHmLDp1

— Yoav Ribak (@YoavRibak) July 29, 2024

FM Katz calls on NATO to expel Turkey after Erdogan threatens to invade Israel

Foreign Minister Israel Katz calls for NATO member states to kick Turkey out, after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatens to invade Israel.

“The US and the Western world must denounce Erdogan and curb his destructive actions,” says Katz in a statement, accusing Turkey of joining Iran’s “axis of evil.”

Iran and Turkey are both regional Muslim powers and cooperate on many issues while clashing over others, including the Syrian Civil War and sectarian violence in Iraq.

Police disperse ultranationalist mob that broke into IDF’s Beit Lid base

Police say that they have dispersed the mob that broke into the IDF’s Beit Lid base in central Israel.

In a statement, police claim that “a number of citizens” breached the base and that they were “dispersed in a matter of minutes.”

Dozens of ultranationalists breached the base where nine soldiers are being questioned on suspicion of abusing a Palestinian detainee.

בתי הדין הצבאיים בבסיס בית ליד

צילום: איציק שאג pic.twitter.com/Oqd5mrnQ7f

— יענקי כהן | Yanki Coen (@yankicoen) July 29, 2024

Macron tells Iran’s president he has role to play in calming regional tensions

BRUSSELS, Belgium — French President Emmanuel Macron tells his new Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian in a phone call that his nation has a role to play to avoid escalation in Lebanon-Israel tensions by halting support for destabilizing players, the Elysee palace says in a statement.

The Hezbollah terror group, which has been attacking Israel since October 8 in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, is backed by Tehran, along with other militias in the Middle East that have launched strikes on the Jewish state.

Iran should also stop the worrying escalation of its nuclear program and comply with international organizations, Macron adds.

Finally, releasing three French hostages would be a must in order to improve Franco-Iranian relations, he says.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report./

TV report: Gallant warns cabinet updated proposal may spoil chance for hostage deal

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned in last night’s security cabinet meeting that Israel’s updated proposal could result in “missing the opportunity” to close a hostage deal, reports Channel 13.

“We already decided to allow the movement to the north [of Gazan civilians], and if it doesn’t happen, there won’t be an agreement,” he reportedly said, referring to a key Hamas demand.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir asked, “Then you don’t have a problem with armed terrorists going north?”

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich insisted that the Israeli proposal from May 27 that US President Joe Biden had presented was not formally approved.

According to the report, both Science and Technology Minister Gila Gamliel, and Transportation Minister Miri Regev stress the urgent need to free the hostages, as they are dying in captivity.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ended the conversation by pointing out that the focus of the conversation is Israel’s response to Hezbollah, and that another meeting can be called to debate hostage talks.

Right-wing protesters break into IDF’s Beit Lid base over questioning of soldiers

Dozens of right-wing protesters have broken into the IDF’s Beit Lid base in central Israel, where nine soldiers are being questioned over their alleged involvement in the serious abuse of a Palestinian detainee.

The soldiers were taken for questioning earlier today from the Sde Teiman detention facility in southern Israel.

A mob, including ultranationalist lawmakers and ministers, then infiltrated Sde Teiman in protest, before heading to Beit Lid where the soldiers are currently held.

כאוס: פעילי ימין פרצו לבית הדין הצבאי בבית ליד pic.twitter.com/0BXLDoNAAt

— הוד בראל Hod Barel (@hod_barel) July 29, 2024

Gallant tells Austin ‘Hezbollah will be held responsible’ for deadly rocket attack

File: Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, standing right, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, standing left, listen to the playing of the Israeli National Anthem during an arrival ceremony at the Pentagon in Washington, June 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant tells his US counterpart on Monday that Iran-backed Hezbollah would be held responsible for a rocket strike that killed 12 children and teenagers in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant briefed US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Saturday’s rocket attack, Gallant’s office says.

“Minister Gallant noted that the attack on Saturday is a significant escalation and that Iranian proxy Hezbollah will be held responsible,” his office said.

Jordan calls on citizens to avoid travel to Lebanon

Jordan’s Foreign Ministry calls on its citizens to avoid travel to Lebanon, “in light of the developments taking place in the region at the present time.”

After Hezbollah killed 12 children in a rocket strike in the Golan on Saturday, Israeli leaders have pledged to respond forcefully.

White House: Fears of all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah ‘exaggerated’

People at the scene of the deadly missile attack at a soccer field in the Druze town of Majdal Shams, in the Golan Heights, July 29, 2024. (Michael Giladi/Flash90)

WASHINGTON — The United States is confident that a wider war between Israel and Hezbollah can be avoided, despite a deadly rocket attack in the Golan Heights that killed 12 children, the White House says.

US and Israeli officials had conversations at “multiple levels” over the weekend following the attack and the risk of a full-blown conflict is “exaggerated,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby says.

“Nobody wants a broader war, and I’m confident that we’ll be able to avoid such an outcome,” Kirby says in a call with reporters.

“We all heard about this ‘all-out war’ at multiple points over the last 10 months. Those predictions were exaggerated then; quite frankly, we think they’re exaggerated now.”

Legal aid group says reservists accused of abusing detainee were attacked first

The right-wing Honenu legal aid organization, which represents four of the reservist soldiers arrested today for allegedly abusing a Palestinian detainee, claims their clients acted in self-defense in the incident that left the prisoner hospitalized.

The group says in a statement that the detainee attacked and bit the soldiers while he was being transferred from Ofer Prison to the Sde Teiman detention facility nearly a month ago, adding that one of the reservists was injured in the incident.

In response to Hamas, PM accuses terror group of ‘preventing an agreement’

Illustrative: Families of Israelis held hostage in the Gaza Strip attend a joint meeting of the State Control Committee and the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on July 29, 2024. (Oren Ben Hakoon/ Flash90)

After Hamas accused Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday of preventing a ceasefire in Gaza by adding new conditions and demands to a US-backed truce proposal, the Prime Minister’s Office puts the blame squarely on Hamas.

“Hamas’s leadership is preventing an agreement,” says the PMO in a statement.

“Israel did not change nor did it add any conditions to the proposal,” it continues. “Quite the opposite, up to this point Hamas is the one that demanded 29 changes and did not respond to the original proposal.”

The PMO stresses that Israel continues to stand by the conditions Netanyahu laid out earlier this month — “maximizing the number of living hostages [released], Israeli control over the Philadelphi Route, and the prevention of terrorists and weapons moving to the northern Gaza Strip.”

“It is clear from what the mediators conveyed that Netanyahu has returned to his strategy of procrastination, evasion, and avoiding reaching an agreement by setting new conditions and demands,” Hamas said in a statement earlier today.

The terror group accused Netanyahu of retreating from a proposal previously presented by mediators, which it said had already been based on an “Israeli paper.”

TV report: Military prosecutor set to indict reservist arrested in June for abusing Sde Teiman detainees

In the coming days, the military prosecutor will indict a reservist arrested in June over footage of the soldier abusing imprisoned terrorists at the Sde Teiman detention facility, Channel 12 reports.

This case is separate from the ongoing investigation of soldiers that prompted far-right activists to break into the military base today.

The Channel 12 reporter describes the alleged abuse of terrorists as very serious and it is only part of a range of incidents that have occurred at the base.

IDF says it killed 2 Hezbollah operatives in south Lebanon drone strike

The IDF confirms carrying out a drone strike earlier today in southern Lebanon’s Mays al-Jabal, killing two Hezbollah operatives.

Separately, the IDF says fighter jets struck Hezbollah infrastructure in Kfarhamam, used in a rocket attack on the Mount Dov area.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah launched a barrage of 20 rockets at the Gome Junction area, just south of Kiryat Shmona, earlier today. The IDF says the rockets hit open areas, and no injuries were caused.

A short while after the attack, a Hezbollah site in southern Lebanon’s Houla, used to carry out the rocket barrage, was struck by fighter jets, the IDF adds.

במהלך היום, מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר בשיתוף אוגדה 210, תקפו תשתית של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה בכפר חמאם, ממנה בוצעו שיגורים למרחב הר דב>> pic.twitter.com/mloCWp4R1a

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) July 29, 2024

Lapid: Army base break-in is attempted coup against ‘weak’ PM who can’t control government

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “weak” and has lost control over his government, after lawmakers broke into the Sde Teiman military base earlier.

“The prime minister asked two hours ago to calm passions. Since then, journalists have been beaten, posters reading ‘the military advocate general to prison’ have been waved, and masked uniformed men with guns demonstrated against the IDF base of Beit Lid,” the statement reads.

“This is not a riot, this is an attempted coup by an armed militia against a weak prime minister who is unable to control his government,” Lapid adds.

Israel downs drone fired from Lebanon over waters in north

Earlier today, a drone launched from Lebanon was shot down by the Israeli Navy over Israel’s territorial waters in northern Israel, the military says.

The drone was intercepted by one of the Navy’s Sa’ar 6-class corvettes.

Over the weekend, another Hezbollah drone, thought to be heading toward Israeli offshore gas infrastructure, was shot down by the Navy.

מוקדם יותר היום ספינת טילים של זרוע הים מסוג ״סער 6״ של שייטת 3 בשיתוף חיל האוויר, יירטה כלי טיס בלתי מאויש שעשה את דרכו משטח לבנון במרחב המים הכלכליים של ישראל pic.twitter.com/KHQlrzje2C

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) July 29, 2024

Condition of child seriously hurt in Majdal Shams attack improves

Rambam Medical Center in Haifa says the condition of one child seriously wounded in the attack on the northern Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights has improved and is now classified as moderate.

He was transferred from pediatric intensive care to a regular pediatric ward for further hospitalization.

Smotrich says reoccupation of south Lebanon is only way to end Hezbollah attacks

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich insists there is no solution to the crisis in the north, short of the Israeli reoccupation of southern Lebanon.

During a speech in Jerusalem’s Old City, Smotrich continues to beat the war drums, saying that “there is no way to restore security to the residents of the north without a war that will destroy Hezbollah, that will reoccupy southern Lebanon, and that will return the security strip that is today in our territory back to the territory of Lebanon.”

Israel occupied a strip of land in southern Lebanon from the early 1980s until the IDF’s withdrawal in May 2000.

“The Israeli people are ready for this. They see with their own eyes the results of flight and withdrawal. It started in Oslo, then the flight from Lebanon and Gush Katif and the thought that it is possible to gather behind walls, fences, and sensors and build on international guarantees,” he says.

סמוטריץ׳: "אין דרך להחזיר את הביטחון לתושבי הצפון ללא מלחמה שתשמיד את חיזבאללה, שתכבוש את דרום לבנון מחדש ושתחזיר את רצועת הביטחון שנמצאת היום בשטח שלנו חזרה אל השטח של לבנון"@DaphnaLiel pic.twitter.com/tw9lvRcOif

— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) July 29, 2024

White House says Israel has every right to respond to deadly Hezbollah rocket attack

WASHINGTON — Israel has every right to respond to Hezbollah after a rocket strike in the Golan Heights on Saturday, although the US does not believe it needs to result in escalation, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby says.

Kirby also says the Golan incident should not affect ongoing negotiations to clinch a ceasefire in Gaza and secure the release of hostages held there by Hamas.

Additional Israeli drone strike reportedly targets vehicle in southern Lebanon

Lebanese media report another Israeli drone strike against a vehicle, in the southern town of Kfar Roummane.

According to reports, at least four people were injured.

متابعة لخبر كفررمان :

الغارة إستهدفت دراجة نارية وصودف مرور سيارة مما ادى إلى إصابة ٤ اشخاص بجراح عملت جمعية الرسالة للإسعاف الصحي والهيئة الصحية على نقلهم إلى مستشفيات المنطقة pic.twitter.com/zOuRvS8w6J

— مصدر مسؤول (@fouadkhreiss) July 29, 2024

Rocket sirens blare in Western Galilee communities

Incoming rocket sirens are sounding in the Western Galilee communities of Shtula and Netua.

Red Alert [18:30:50] – 2 Alerts:

• Confrontation Line — Shtula, Netua#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/vsm3wcorDO

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) July 29, 2024

Report says alleged abuse of Sde Teiman detainee took place around 3 weeks ago

The Palestinian detainee who was allegedly abused by Israeli reservist troops at the Sde Teiman detention facility had been arrested by the IDF in the Gaza Strip several weeks ago and was allegedly involved in acts of terrorism.

According to an Army Radio report, the abuse itself took place some three weeks ago at Sde Teiman.

The report says that the terror suspect was found at the military base in critical condition and taken to a hospital for treatment and surgery. He is now no longer in life-threatening condition.

Over the last three weeks, Military Police investigators collected evidence on the incident and decided today to take the suspects in for questioning, the report says.

Ten suspects are allegedly involved, nine of whom were detained today at Sde Teiman.

Army Radio says they are all suspected of “serious abuse of the detainee,” and they all likely carried out the abuse together.

Iran’s Pezeshkian tells Macron potential Israeli strike on Lebanon will have ‘serious consequences’

Iran's president-elect Masoud Pezeshkian attending a meeting with Iranian members of parliament, in Tehran on July 21, 2024. (KHAMENEI.IR / AFP)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Any possible Israeli attack on Lebanon will have serious consequences for Israel, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a phone call with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, Iran’s state media reports.

Israeli has vowed a heavy response against Hezbollah for a rocket attack that hit a soccer ground in the Golan Heights on Saturday, killing 12 children and teenagers.

“Any possible Israeli attack on Lebanon will have serious consequences for Israel,” Pezeshkian is quoted by Iranian state media as saying.

“We are willing to improve our relations with France on the basis of mutual trust,” Pezeshkian adds in his conversation with Macron.

Macron spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, the French presidency said, as Paris seeks to prevent a broader escalation between Israel and Hezbollah.

The presidency said Macron had reminded Netanyahu that France was fully committed to doing “everything to avoid a new escalation in the region by passing messages to all parties involved in the conflict.”

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Far-right minister claims MKs are allowed to break into military bases

Far-right Negev, Galilee and National Resilience Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf claims that parliamentary immunity applies to lawmakers who break into military bases, after far-right activists and MKs burst into the Sde Teiman military base.

Wasserlauf, of the Otzma Yehudit party, who was present at the protest outside the base, tells 103FM radio that he himself did not enter the base and discouraged those protesting the arrest of nine soldiers over alleged abuse of a Palestinian detainee from doing so.

“In my eyes, it does not help pass on the message,” he said. “I can’t support an illegal break-in. I am a minister of the State of Israel.”

But, he adds: “Knesset members have immunity. They are allowed to enter.”

Earlier, Shanna Orlik of the Hitorerut organization filed a police complaint against Religious Zionism MK Zvi Sukkot for breaking into Sde Teiman, which she points out is a criminal offense punishable by a prison sentence, demanding that he be investigated.

השרים וסרלאוף ואליהו וח"כ ואטורי מחוץ לשער בשדה תימן@Doron_Kadosh pic.twitter.com/JTENfUjqKG

— גלצ (@GLZRadio) July 29, 2024

Jeremy Sharon contributed to this report.

Bar association chief describes Sde Teiman break-in as ‘sedition’

Head of the Israel Bar Association Amit Becher speaks at a hearing of the Knessdet Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, March 18, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Head of the Israel Bar Association Amit Becher condemns the break-in at the Sde Teiman military base and detention center, describing it as an act of “sedition” that “tramples on the rule of law.”

“The severe riots and acts of sedition happening right now at Sde Teiman are anarchy and the trampling of the rule of law,” says Becher.

“We are all for the IDF soldiers and the reservists but when suspicions of severe criminal violations are raised there is no escape from an independent investigation,” he adds.

Becher adds that Israel is in the midst of a huge onslaught of legal attacks in the international courts in The Hague, where the country insists that it is “a state of the rule of law in which violations of the laws of war are credibly investigated.”

The IBA head says: “The current riots at Sde Teiman are nothing less than a severe injury to the security of the State of Israel,” and calls on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Justice Minister Yariv Levin to intervene.

Separately, Shanna Orlik of the Hitorerut organization files a police complaint against Religious Zionism MK Zvi Sukkot for breaking into Sde Teiman, which she points out is a criminal offense punishable by a prison sentence, demanding that he be investigated.

“After he endangered the lives of soldiers in his Succah in [the West Bank Palestinian town of] Huwara [on October 6, 2023, the criminal anarchist Zvi Sukkot has again harmed the army and the country,” says Orlik.

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel watchdog group also condemns the riot at Sde Teiman, saying it does “severe damage to the rule of law and to the most fundamental democratic principles.”

“The break-in to a military base and the attempts to intervene in legitimate investigative proceedings, especially by elected officials, have no place in a democratic country,” says the organization, adding that it condemns “any attempt to exert political pressure on the military law enforcement system.”

The organization calls on the attorney general to open up criminal investigations against all those involved in the break-in, “including MKs and ministers who participated in it.”

Protesters rally at base where 9 soldiers are held over alleged abuse of Palestinian detainee

Protesters are gathering outside the IDF’s Beit Lid base in central Israel, where nine soldiers are being questioned over their alleged involvement in the abuse of a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman detention facility.

Earlier, far-right activists and lawmakers breached the Sde Teiman base in protest of the soldiers’ detention.

מפגינים חוסמים את הכניסה ויציאה ממחנה בית ליד, לשם הועברו החיילים משדה תימן שעוכבו לחקירת מצ"ח. המשטרה במקום@hadasgrinberg pic.twitter.com/ecgRI2m3iW

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) July 29, 2024

Herzog says IDF’s moral standing paramount, pans elected officials for stirring up Sde Teiman break-in

As Israel’s senior leadership weighs in on the growing political fight, President Isaac Herzog writes on X that “the morality of the IDF and its soldiers has always been our pride, toward ourselves and toward the family of nations and international law.”

“This morality has stood and is being tested even in the face of cruel enemies, including the cursed Nukhba terrorists, hatred of whom is surely understandable and justified,” says the president. “Let us not forget that our enemies try to persecute us again and again, including in the international legal arena – the commanders, the fighters, and the elected officials. It is forbidden in any way to give them grounds against the IDF and the State of Israel.”

Herzog stresses that “breaking into a military base by civilians, and certainly when it is done with the encouragement and involvement of elected officials, is a serious, dangerous, illegal and irresponsible act, which first and foremost harms us as a people and as a country.”

Herzog calls on elected officials “to show leadership – to relax and calm down.”

He expresses confidence that investigations will get to the truth. “I trust our IDF, its commanders and soldiers to act accordingly,” Herzog says.

He calls on the public to support soldiers and security forces as they fight a difficult war. “The IDF is fulfilling its role,” says the president. “We are at war and it is important to remember this all the time.”

Hamas-run health ministry declares polio epidemic in Gaza

CAIRO, Egypt — Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry declares a polio epidemic across the Palestinian enclave, blaming Israel’s military offensive.

The World Health Organization said last week there is a high risk of the poliovirus spreading across the Gaza Strip and beyond its borders due to the dire health and sanitation situation in the war-ravaged Palestinian enclave, but has yet to declare an epidemic.

Israeli drone reportedly strikes vehicle in south Lebanon

Lebanese media report an Israeli drone strike against a vehicle in southern Lebanon’s Kounine.

No further details are immediately available.

الطيران الإسرائيلي المسير استهدف سيارة في بلدة #كونين pic.twitter.com/Uonb8Y1WIC

— هنا لبنان (@thisislebnews) July 29, 2024

AG backs law enforcement over arrest of soldiers at Sde Teiman, says allegations must be probed

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

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara defends the law enforcement agencies that ordered and carried out the arrest of IDF soldiers at the Sde Teiman detention facility on suspicion of abusing terrorist detainees, saying that the army must act in accordance with the law and suspicion of criminal behavior must be investigated.

“I give my full backing to the Military Advocate General, the law enforcement agencies in the IDF, and the Israel Police, who are working professionally and fairly for the sake of abiding by the law,” says the attorney general.

“The law enforcement agencies are obligated to examine suspicions of criminal activity,” she adds.

Hamas says Netanyahu ‘procrastinating’ in hostage talks, new demands stray from past proposal

Protesters call for the release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip since October 7, outside the IDF's Kirya base in Tel Aviv, July 28, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

CAIRO, Egypt — Hamas accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday of preventing a ceasefire in Gaza by adding new conditions and demands to a US-backed truce proposal, after the latest talks conducted through mediators.

The group says it has received the latest response from Israel, following talks in Rome involving Israel, the United States, Egypt, and Qatar.

“It is clear from what the mediators conveyed that Netanyahu has returned to his strategy of procrastination, evasion, and avoiding reaching an agreement by setting new conditions and demands,” Hamas says in a statement.

The terror group accuses Netanyahu of retreating from a proposal previously presented by mediators, which it said had already been based on an “Israeli paper.”

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

PM calls for calm, ‘strongly condemns’ break-in to Sde Teiman base

As tempers flare around the questioning of IDF reservists by military police, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu releases a statement calling for “an immediate calming of passions in the Sde Teiman base.”

He also “strongly  condemns” the break-in into the IDF base where Hamas terrorists are held.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also comes out against the break-in of the IDF’s Sde Teiman base by far-right activists and lawmakers, saying that “even in times of anger, the law applies to everyone.”

“The IDF will continue and act in accordance with the law. We must allow the authorized parties to carry out the necessary investigations while maintaining the dignity of our soldiers,” he says, referring to the questioning of nine soldiers over an incident of suspected serious abuse of a Palestinian detainee.

Avshalom Peled pulls candidacy for Israel Police commissioner

Avshalom Peled at the Israel Police Independence Day ceremony at the National Headquarters of the Israel Police in Jerusalem May 9, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)

Deputy Israel Police Commissioner and interim police chief Avshalom Peled tells far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir he is withdrawing his candidacy to run the force.

In a statement, Peled thanks the minister for giving him his confidence, but after being invited to multiple hearings at the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee, he says it would be best to pull his candidacy.

“This decision is not easy for me, but after consultations and deep consideration, I concluded that this is the right and appropriate step for me and for the organization under the circumstances,” he says, adding he will continue to serve in the force.

Peled was a controversial choice for chief of police after he was investigated for bribery in 2015. The case was eventually closed, but the Department of Internal Police Investigations recommended not promoting him. He was promoted regardless.

Israeli mountain cyclist finishes 29th place in Olympic men’s cross-country

Israel's Tomer Zaltsman competes in the men's cross-country mountain bike event in the 2024 Paris Olympics on July 29, 2024. (Olympic Committee of Israel)

Israeli cyclist Tomer Zaltsman finishes the men’s cross-country mountain biking Olympic event in 29th place out of 36 competitors with a time of 1:34:47. He was slowed down after having to stop midway for a tire puncture.

The race is won by Tom Pidcock from the UK, while France’s Victor Koretzky takes silver and South Africa’s Alan Hatherly the bronze in the event.

Zaltsman broke his arm last month and underwent surgery and extensive rehab to be cleared to compete in Paris just days before departure.

Israel made its mountain biking debut at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where Shlomo Haimy finished 29th in the men’s cross-country mountain biking event after suffering a tire puncture. At the Tokyo Games, Haimy finished 33rd in the race.

IDF chief says Sde Teiman break-in unacceptable, endangers Israel’s security; backs probe into alleged abuse of detainee

MK Zvi Sukkot (Religious Zionism) pictured after breaking into the IDF's Sde Teiman detention center, July 29, 2024. (X screenshot, used in accordance with clause 27a of the copyright law)

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi denounces the infiltration by far-right lawmakers and other activists into the Sde Teiman detention facility by far-right activists and lawmakers.

“The incident of breaking into the Sde Teiman base is extremely serious and against the law. Breaking into a military base and disturbing the order there is serious behavior that is not acceptable in any way. We are at war, and actions of this kind endanger the security of the country,” Halevi says in remarks published by the IDF.

UPDATE: Right-wing Israeli politicians, including MK Zvi Succot of the Otzma Yehudit party, breached the IDF's Sde Teiman base in protest after 9 soldiers were detained for questioning regarding the mistreatment of a terrorist. https://t.co/6lEVFHNE0b pic.twitter.com/WR79v2nOgw

— Breaking News (@TheNewsTrending) July 29, 2024

Halevi says he supports the Military Advocate General and Military Police’s investigation into suspected serious abuse of a Palestinian detainee.

“It is precisely these investigations that protect our soldiers in Israel and the world and preserve the values ​​of the IDF,” he adds.

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

IDF troops and police officers are currently working to detain those who broke into the base in protest of nine soldiers being held for questioning over the serious abuse incident.

Levin argues arrest of 9 soldiers justifies renewal of judicial overhaul effort

Justice Minister Yariv Levin attacks the High Court of Justice for the arrest of nine soldiers suspected of abusing a Palestinian detainee, arguing that it justifies the revival of his since-suspended judicial overhaul effort.

“I was shocked to see the difficult pictures of soldiers being arrested at Sde Teiman the way dangerous criminals are arrested,” he says, arguing that the servicemen in question had been engaged in “holy work” and that their arrest was the result of a “moral distortion that starts from the top, from judgments and decisions of the High Court.”

“Today, many are voicing the demand for a fundamental change in the situation. The time has come for this justified public outcry to find a listening ear among the Knesset members who in the past refrained from supporting the implementation of the necessary changes,” he declares.

Police detain activists who broke into Sde Teiman base

Police officers have arrived at the Sde Teiman detention facility in southern Israel to detain suspects who breached the military base.

Dozens of right-wing activists and some coalition lawmakers broke into the base after Military Police took nine soldiers in for questioning over the alleged serious abuse of a Palestinian detainee.

מפגינים שפרצו לבסיס שדה תימן בצעקות מוות לערבים, אחריהם צועד בשמחה השר עמיחי אליהו מעוצמה יהודית. המשטרה מגיעה מהכיוון השני, עושים לה שלום וממשיכים. pic.twitter.com/rHttnxLaKv

— יובל שדה Yuval Sade (@SadeYuval) July 29, 2024

Hostage deal activists hold demonstrations in IKEA stores across country

Hostage release activists swamp three IKEA branches with pictures of those held by the Hamas terror group in Gaza.

The pop-up campaign, organized without the prior knowledge of the furniture and home design giant, seeks to remind shoppers that those kidnapped from the Gaza border area on October 7 are still enduring hell in the coastal enclave.

The move takes place in branches in Netanya and Beit Shemesh in central Israel, and Beersheba in the south.

In the Netanya store alone, 250 placards were distributed.

Each is accompanied by a personal, handwritten message.

One activist tells the Times of Israel that a group of citizens came together, independently of hostage families, to show that “we’re all part of the fight.”

It is 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. Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014.

Shas casts arrest of 9 soldiers accused of abuse of Palestinian detainee as ‘grim sight’

The ultra-Orthodox Shas party condemns the arrest of nine soldiers accused of abusing a Palestinian detainee.

“The grim sight of masked military policemen raiding an IDF base and arresting soldiers like criminals should disturb every citizen in the country. Our dear soldiers who sacrifice their lives in a difficult war against the murderous enemy of Hamas should receive full support and total respect and appreciation,” the party says in a statement.

Lapid slams break-in to Sde Teiman base as ‘despicable and dangerous criminality’

File: Opposition Leader Yair Lapid leads a Yesh Atid faction meeting at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on July 22, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid condemns lawmakers who broke into the IDF’s Sde Teiman base alongside far-right activists after nine soldiers were taken from there earlier today for questioning for allegedly abusing a Palestinian detainee.

Their actions constitute “despicable and dangerous criminality” that only serves to “weaken” the IDF and state and “eats away at the foundations of our power from within.”

“The politicians who abandoned the hostages, abandoned security and destroyed Israeli society are now destroying the chain of command. The country is in existential danger if these people do not leave power,” he declares.

Ben Gvir demands IDF legal officer ‘take her hands off the reservists’

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir releases a video appeal to IDF Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi “to take her hands off the reservists.”

“As in the Israel Prison Service so in the IDF. Our fighters deserve full backing,” he says.

Ben Gvir’s statement comes as far-right lawmakers and activists break into the IDF’s Sde Teiman base after nine soldiers were taken from there earlier today for questioning for allegedly abusing a Palestinian detainee.

Among those who broke into the base, which serves as a detention facility, is MK Zvi Succot of the far-right Religious Zionism party.

Drone sirens sound in Upper Galilee; determined to be false alarm

Sirens warning of an incoming drone attack are activated in the Upper Galilee community of Dishon.

A short while later, the IDF says the sirens were triggered by a “false identification,” meaning not a threat.

Red Alert [15:59:06] – 1 Alert:

• Confrontation Line — Dishon#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/tw9R4NAiKS

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) July 29, 2024

Northern rehabilitation czar says there’s no central database tracking location of evacuees

The government currently has no central authority keeping track of the whereabouts of the tens of thousands of residents of the north who have been displaced by the fighting, the official tasked with overseeing the rehabilitation of Israel’s northern communities tells a joint hearing of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense and State Control Committees.

“Currently, there is no body in the State of Israel that has information on where the people are,” says Navy Vice Admiral (res.) Eliezer Marom, whose appointment was approved by the government last week.

Announcing the establishment of a new information center for the displaced, Maron explains that “people move all the time.” Keeping track of their whereabouts is a basic prerequisite for any attempts to return them to their homes or reopen schools.

“We have an obligation as a state to give them the conditions to return home,” he declares.

During the special hearing on the protection of the residents of the north, lawmakers and residents slammed the government’s handling of the crisis.

“There is no routine, it is impossible to live under nonstop fire. There is no time to waste,” says State Control Committee chairman MK Mickey Levy.

Momi Bar Kalifa of Moshav Manot, a town near the Lebanese border that has not been evacuated, rails at lawmakers and claims that his community had been abandoned.

“When you come to visit us, the army does not give you permission to move around even with an armored vehicle. But our children? No problem moving there all day,” he yells.

“We live in terrible hardship, without a livelihood, without camps for children, forced to collect charity to survive. For months we only hear talk, receive visits as if we are a petting zoo, but there are no real solutions. Children are locked up in their homes without the possibility of summer camps. We came to hear practical and immediate solutions and no more empty promises.”

Far-right MKs, activists break into Sde Teiman base amid probe into soldiers’ alleged abuse of detainee

MK Zvi Sukkot (Religious Zionism) pictured after breaking into the IDF's Sde Teiman detention center, July 29, 2024. (X screenshot, used in accordance with clause 27a of the copyright law)

Far-right lawmakers and activists breached the IDF’s Sde Teiman base after nine soldiers were taken from there earlier today for questioning for allegedly abusing a Palestinian detainee.

Among those who broke into the base, which serves as a detention facility, is Zvi Succot of the ultranationalist  Religious Zionism party.

In a video filmed at the base, Sukkot declares that “we cannot investigate the soldiers until we investigate those who failed” to prevent October 7.

Taking up a megaphone, he tells protesters: “We have no other army, this is an important demonstration, let’s go outside and not fight with the soldiers.”

ח"כ צבי סוכות פרץ לבסיס שדה תימן – יחד עם עשרות אזרחים | תיעודhttps://t.co/D8xf92kPSa pic.twitter.com/WstXplnx29

— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) July 29, 2024

8 החיילים הנחקרים מזמן בדרך למשרדי מצ"ח בבסיס נווה צדק ליד נתניה. בהמשך יוחלט אם לעצור אותם pic.twitter.com/WHEFmKana9

— יואב זיתון (@yoavzitun) July 29, 2024

Netanyahu visits site of deadly Majdal Shams attack, vows ‘harsh response’; some locals tell him to leave

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits at the scene of a missile attack on a soccer field in the northern Druze village of Majdal Shams that killed 12 children two days earlier, July 29, 2024. (Michael Giladi/Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the soccer field in Majdal Shams where a rocket killed 12 children on Saturday, and pledges a “harsh response.”

“Hezbollah, with Iranian backing, launched an Iranian rocket here, which took the lives of 12 pure souls,” says Netanyahu at the site. “Twelve boys and girls who played soccer here and unfortunately could not get to the shelter. The heart is torn apart by the severe tragedy. We embrace the families who are going through indescribable suffering.”

“These children are our children, they are all the children of all of us, ” he says, according to his office. “Israel will not and cannot let this simply pass on by. Our response will come, and it will be harsh.”

Netanyahu lays a wreath at the site as well.

Netanyahu says that Jews and Druze are brothers: “We have a covenant of life, but unfortunately it is also a covenant of moments of bereavement and grief. We embrace you.”

He urges the Druze community not to lose hope, and pledges that Israel will stand by their side, “today, tomorrow and forever.”

The visit was under censorship until he left the town.

Netanyahu, accompanied by Shin Bet director Ronen Bar, IDF Chief of Staff Tzachi Braverman, PMO director General Yossi Shelly, military secretary Maj. Gen. Roman Goffman, Israeli Druze spiritual leader Muafek Tarif, and the heads of the Majdal Shams and Ein Qiniya local councils, also visits with grieving family members.

A crowd of locals clad in black — about ten rows deep — pushes up against barriers as Netanyahu tours the site, some yelling out to the premier to leave.

Others hold up signs calling Netanyahu a war criminal, while a larger group claps their hands and chants, “Out! Out!”

מאות תושבי הגולן הדרוזי מסרבים להגעתו של ראש הממשלה נתניהו למגדל שמס ולזירת נפילת הטיל שגבה חייהם של 12 ילדים. התושבים קוראים קריאות נגד הממשלה והעומד בראשה pic.twitter.com/tATf7akv5k

— Yanal Jabarin ينال جبارين | ינאל ג׳בארין (@JbareenYanal) July 29, 2024

Hezbollah has started moving precision-guided missiles amid Israel threat — Lebanese official

Hezbollah has started moving precision-guided missiles as Israel threatens to launch a reprisal on Lebanon following the weekend strike that killed 12 children in the northern Druze village of Majdal Shams on Saturday.

An official with a Lebanese group tells The Associated Press that Hezbollah’s stance has not changed and that the Iran-backed group does not want a full-blown war with Israel, but if war breaks out it will fight without limits.

The official, who speaks on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military activities, says Hezbollah started moving some of its “smart precision-guided missiles” to use if needed yesterday.

Since the war in Gaza began in October, Hezbollah has fired thousands of rockets and scores of explosive drones into Israel. Israel estimates that Hezbollah has an arsenal of 150,000 rockets and missiles, including precision-guided missiles.

US reiterates ‘ironclad commitment to Israel’s security against threats from Iran’ after Majdal Shams attack

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks with President Isaac Herzog to express condolences for the 12 children killed by a Hezbollah rocket attack in the northern village of Majdal Shams on Saturday, and wishes a speedy recovery for those injured.

Blinken also reaffirms Washington’s “ironclad commitment to Israel’s security against threats from Iranian-backed terrorist organizations, including Hezbollah,” according to a statement from his office.

Blinken and Herzog also discuss ongoing efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and secure the release of hostages held by Hamas since October 7, the statement adds.

Turkish official accuses Israel of trying to ‘hide war crimes’ by targeting Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan talks during a military parade, in the Turkish-occupied area of the divided capital Nicosia, Cyprus, July 20, 2024. (AP/Petros Karadjias)

ISTANBUL  — A senior official in Ankara accuses the Israeli government of trying to “hide your war crimes” by targeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after he seemingly threatened to invade Israel.

Fahrettin Altun, Erdogan’s head of communications, writes on X that those who threaten the Turkish president “do so at their own peril.”

He also accuses Israel of “ongoing genocide in Palestine.”

In televised remarks to ruling party officials late last night, Erdoğan appeared to threaten to invade Israel in support of the Palestinians and to put an end to the nearly 10-month-old war Israel is fighting against Hamas in Gaza.

Turkey must be “very strong so that Israel can’t do these things to the Palestinians,” the Turkish leader said of the war. “Just as we entered [Nagorno-]Karabakh, just as we entered Libya, we might do the same to them. There is nothing we can’t do. We must only be strong.”

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report. 

IDF: Nine soldiers detained for questioning over suspected abuse of terror detainee at Sde Teiman

Nine soldiers suspected of seriously abusing a terror detainee have been detained by Military Police officers at the Sde Teiman detention facility, the IDF says.

The soldiers are being taken for questioning.

At least ten soldiers are suspected of abusing the detainee, meaning there is a tenth suspect who has not yet been arrested.

The IDF says the incident at the base has ended.

‘IDF soldiers deserve respect’: Smotrich decries detention of servicemen suspected of abusing prisoners

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich rails against the arrest of IDF servicemen suspected of mistreating prisoners at the Sde Teiman detention facility.

“IDF soldiers deserve respect,” he states in a video message insisting that they not be treated as “criminals” and calling on IDF Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi to “take your hands off our heroic warriors.”

The Military Police officers sought to detain soldiers who were guarding terrorists from the Gaza Strip, as part of an investigation into an incident of suspected “serious abuse of a detainee.”

MK announces emergency Knesset debate on arrest of IDF soldiers at Sde Teiman facility

Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Yuli Edelstein announces that he will hold an urgent hearing tomorrow to discuss the arrest of IDF servicemen at the Sde Teiman detention facility.

“I will not lend a hand to scenes like the one seen today at the base in Sde Teiman,” Edelstein says.

“A situation in which masked military policemen raid an IDF base is not acceptable to me and I will not allow it to happen again. Our soldiers are not criminals and this contemptible pursuit of our soldiers is unacceptable to me.”

Judo federation to probe why Algerian judoka failed weigh-in for bout with Israel’s Tohar Butbul in Paris

Algeria's Messaoud Redouane Dris competes in the men's under 73 kg category elimination round bout during the 2022 World Judo Championships at the Humo Arena in Tashkent on October 8, 2022. (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP)

PARIS – Judo’s governing body is to investigate why Algeria’s Messaoud Redouane Dris failed the weigh-in for his under-73 kg bout with Israel’s Tohar Butbul at the Paris Olympics, saying athletes can become “victims of broader political disputes.”

The International Judo Federation says Dris arrived for the weight control session yesterday 10 minutes before the deadline and was found to be 400 grams over the allowed weight limit to compete today.

The head of Israel’s Olympic Committee Yael Arad brands it a “disgrace” and calls for the North African delegation to be punished.

Algerian media and the delegation sponsor hail Dris.

“Following the Olympic Games, a full review and investigation of the situation will be conducted and further action will be taken if needed,” the IJF says in the statement.

“We believe that sport should remain a realm of integrity and fairness, free from the influences of international conflicts. Unfortunately, athletes often become victims of broader political disputes which are against the values of sport,” it adds.

Far-right lawmakers head to Sde Teiman detention center to protest detention of soldiers suspected of abuse

Members of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit party announce that they are on their way to the Sde Teiman detention facility in southern Israel to protest the detention of IDF soldiers suspected of mistreating prisoners.

“Ministers and members of Knesset from the Otzma Yehudit faction are now making their way to Sde Teiman, with a demand to stop the disgraceful arrest of IDF soldiers there,” the party says in a statement.

A heated argument erupted between soldiers at the controversial facility after Military Police investigators arrived to detain suspects for questioning.

ראשוני: התנכלויות ומעצרים מצד המשטרה הצבאית נגד לוחמי צה"ל (כוח 100) ששומרים על מחבלי הנוחבה בשדה תימן.
ככל הנראה פצ"רית הנוחבות עוד פעם דואגת לזכויות החמאס ופוגעת בלוחמי צה"ל. pic.twitter.com/Q7ClS1HTgb

— תורת לחימה (@Torat_IDF) July 29, 2024

The Military Police officers sought to detain soldiers who were guarding terrorists from the Gaza Strip, as part of an investigation into an incident of suspected “serious abuse of a detainee.”

“The spectacle of military police officers coming to arrest our best heroes at Sde Teiman is nothing less than shameful,” says Ben Gvir, whose ministry controls the Israel Police and Israel Prison Service.

“I recommend that the defense minister, the [IDF] chief of staff and the army authorities back the fighters and learn from the prison service,” he declares. “The summer camps and patience for the terrorists are over. Fighters should get full backing.”

West Bank celebrations for high school exam results canceled amid Gaza war

The Palestinian Ministry of Education releases results for the high school matriculation exam, known as tawjihi, a standardized test that plays a pivotal role in determining what they can study in university.

The announcement is usually accompanied by fireworks and celebratory gunshots throughout the West Bank and East Jerusalem, where many schools teach the Palestinian Authority curriculum. In the Gaza Strip, the ruling terror group Hamas prohibited shooting in the air in celebration in recent years.

This year, however, no public festivities were held in the West Bank due to the war against Hamas in Gaza. Palestinian news agency Wafa published images of the empty streets of Ramallah and Bethlehem, an exceptional sight on this day.

Isolated celebrations reportedly took place in some parts of East Jerusalem.

Fifty thousand high school students took the exam this year in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Palestinian schools abroad, according to Ramallah’s Education Ministry. The test was canceled for 39,000 pupils in Gaza, and the ministry pledged to hold it in a special session after the war.

Shouting erupts at Sde Teiman as Military Police seek to question soldiers about suspected abuse of detainee

A heated argument erupts between soldiers at the Sde Teiman detention facility in southern Israel after Military Police investigators arrived to detain suspects for questioning.

The Military Police officers sought to detain soldiers who were guarding terrorists from the Gaza Strip, as part of an investigation into an incident of suspected “serious abuse of a detainee.”

The IDF says that the Military Police investigation into suspected serious abuse was opened per the orders of the Military Advocate General, Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi.

צה"ל מאשר: נפתחה חקירה בחשד להתעללות חמורה בעצור אשר הוחזק במתקן הכליאה בשדה תימן@ItayBlumental @ItayBlumental pic.twitter.com/dZRPttp9LC

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) July 29, 2024

Germany calls on citizens to leave Lebanon ‘urgently,’ says air travel could be cut off

Amid fears of a major Israeli military response to Saturday’s deadly rocket attack on the Golan Heights, Germany updates its travel warning to Lebanon, saying that air travel could be cut off.

German citizens are “urgently requested to leave Lebanon.”

“A further escalation of the situation and expansion of the conflict cannot be ruled out,” Germany’s Foreign Office writes. “This applies in particular to the southern parts of Lebanon, including the southern urban areas of Beirut, and the Bekaa Valley, including the Baalbek-Hermel district. A further escalation could also lead to a complete suspension of air traffic from Rafiq Hariri Airport. Leaving Lebanon by air would then no longer be possible.”

Germany has also been warning against travel to Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Drone alert sirens sounding in several communities near Lebanon border

Drone alert sirens are sounding in several northern communities near the border with Lebanon.

Alerts are activated in largely evacuated cities and towns including Kfar Yuval, Kiryat Shmona, Margaliot, Metulla, Tel Hai, Kfar Giladi, Beit Hillel, Manara, Misgav Am and Ma’ayan Baruch.

🚨 Large Red Alert [13:24:21] – 10 Alerts:

• Confrontation Line — Kfar Yuval, Kiryat Shmona, Margaliot, Metulla, Tel Hai, Kfar Giladi, Beit Hillel, Manara, Misgav Am, Ma'ayan Baruch#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/gGFhjWKYc1

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) July 29, 2024

Officials say Israel wants to hurt Hezbollah but not drag Middle East into all-out war

People at the scene where a missile fired by Hezbollah struck a soccer field in the Druze village of Majdal Shams, killing 12 chldren, in the Golan Heights, July 28, 2024. (Michael Giladi/Flash90)

Israel wants to hurt Hezbollah but not drag the Middle East into all-out war, two Israeli officials say, as Lebanon braces for retaliation after a Hezbollah rocket strike killed 12 children and teens in the Golan Heights on Saturday.

Two other Israeli officials say Israel is preparing for the possibility of a few days of fighting following Saturday’s rocket strike at a sports field in the northern Druze village of Majdal Shams.

All four officials, who included a senior defense official and a diplomatic source, speak on condition of anonymity and gave no further information about Israel’s plans for retaliation.

“The estimation is that the response will not lead to an all-out war,” says the diplomatic source. “That would not be in our interest at this point.”

Israel and the United States have blamed the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group for the strike. Hezbollah has denied any role.

Israeli judokas Timna Nelson-Levy, Tohar Butbul end individual Olympic runs in Paris with match losses

Azerbaijan's Hidayat Heydarov and Israel's Tohar Butbul (blue) compete in the judo men's -73kg round of 16 round bout of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Champ-de-Mars Arena, in Paris, July 29, 2024. (Jack GUEZ / AFP)

Israeli judokas Timna Nelson-Levy and Tohar Butbul both end their individual Olympic runs at the 2024 Paris Games with match losses.

Nelson-Levy loses to South Korea’s Huh Mi-mi, who is ranked third in the world in the under-57kg weight class. Earlier, Nelson-Levy beat Slovenia’s Kaja Kajzer in her initial match.

A tearful Nelson-Levy tells the Sport5 channel, “I put my heart on the mat today, sadly it wasn’t enough.” She says, “I guess today wasn’t my day, even though I went in feeling great… I prepared my whole life for this moment, and this is it. It will take me time to let it sink in.”

Butbul loses to Azerbaijan’s Hidayat Heydarov, the top-ranked judoka in the world under-73kg weight class. Butbul was supposed to first face Algeria’s Messaoud Dris, but Dris disqualified himself from the competition by showing up over 73kg to the weigh-in last night rather than face the Israeli judoka.

Butbul and Nelson-Levy are both likely to compete in the judo mixed team event on Saturday.

IDF: Barrage of rockets fired from Lebanon at Gomeh Junction area land in open areas; none hurt

A barrage of rockets was fired from Lebanon at the Gomeh Junction area, just south of Kiryat Shmona, the IDF says.

No sirens sounded as the rockets struck open areas.

There are no reports of injuries.

Hezbollah terror group announces death of second member killed in IDF drone strike in southern Lebanon

The Hezbollah terror group announces the death of a second member killed in the IDF drone strike near Shaqra in southern Lebanon.

He is named as Abbas Salami, from Khirbet Selm.

His death brings the terror group’s toll since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip to at least 383.

Gallant tells mourners in Majdal Shams: ‘Hezbollah will pay a price for this – our actions will speak volumes’

Defense Minister Yoav Gallants visits bereaved families in the northern Druze village of Majdal Shams after 12 children were killed in a Hezbollah rocket attack on the weekend, July 29, 2024. (Elad Malcha/Defense Ministry)

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visits bereaved families in the northern Druze village of Majdal Shams, after a Hezbollah rocket attack on Saturday killed 12 children on a soccer field.

“To me, there’s no difference between a Jewish child who was murdered in the south of Israel on October 7 and a Druze child who was murdered in the Golan Heights. It’s the same thing, these are our children,” Gallant tells the mourners.

“We will do everything to restore security and let life continue as it should. Hezbollah will pay a price for this – our actions will speak volumes,” he adds.

The security cabinet last night authorized Gallant and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to decide on the “manner and timing” of Israel’s response to the deadly strike.

Hezbollah announces death of member killed in alleged Israeli strike in southern Lebanon

The Hezbollah terror group announces the death of a member killed “on the road to Jerusalem,” its term for operatives slain in Israeli strikes.

The announcement comes after a reported Israeli drone strike on a car and a motorcycle in southern Lebanon, between the towns of Mays al-Jabal and Shaqra.

The strike, according to Lebanese media, killed two people.

The operative is named as Abbas Hijazi, from Majdel Selm.

His death brings the terror group’s toll since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip to at least 382.

He is the first operative killed in an alleged IDF strike since Saturday, when four members of the terror group’s elite Radwan force were killed, prompting Hezbollah to carry out a deadly rocket attack on the Golan Heights town of Majdal Shams, killing 12 children.

المقــ ـاومـ ـة الإسـ ـلامـ ـية تزف الشهـ ـيد عباس فادي حجازي "عباس الحر" من بلدة مجدل سلم في جنوب لبنان#ملحق pic.twitter.com/0PqMtsTLfD

— Mulhak – ملحق (@Mulhak) July 29, 2024

Israeli swimmer Anastasia Gorbenko fails to qualify for women’s 400m individual medley final in Paris

Anastasia Gorbenko, of Israel, competes during a heat in the women's 400-meter individual medley at the 2024 Summer Olympics, July 29, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (AP/Matthias Schrader)

Israeli swimmer Anastasia Gorbenko fails to qualify for the final of the women’s 400m individual medley at the 2024 Paris Olympics, finishing 6th in her heat and 10th overall with a time of 4:41.64.

Yesterday, Gorbenko qualified for the semifinal in the 100m breaststroke but opted to sit it out to focus her energies instead on today’s race, one of her strongest, which ends with a disappointment. Gorbenko is slated to compete in several other swimming events throughout the Games.

Gorbenko tells Israel’s Sport5 channel that she felt good going in but the first 200m “took a lot of strength out of me,” and she found it hard to recover for the second half. “I gave everything I had… I’m very disappointed because I worked very hard this year, in particular for this event, so it’s very disappointing.”

Israeli swimmer Aviv Barzelay finishes first in her heat in the women’s 100m backstroke but 25th overall with a time of 1:02.30, failing to qualify for the semifinal.

Two people killed in Israeli strike in southern Lebanon this morning were Hezbollah members – Saudi report

Two people reported killed in an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon this morning were Hezbollah members, according to the Saudi-owned Al Hadath news outlet.

Lebanese rescue services earlier today said the drone hit the southern Lebanese town of Shaqra, killing two people and wounding three, including a child.

This was reportedly the first deadly Israeli strike on Lebanon since a Hezbollah rocket attack on Saturday killed 12 children in the Golan Heights.

The IDF has not yet commented on the alleged drone strike.

Iran congratulates Venezuelan president Maduro on reelection

Venezuelan citizens chant "Freedom!" as they wait for the results of their nation's presidential election in Quito, Ecuador, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Carlos Noriega)

Nasser Kanaani, a spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, sends well wishes to Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro on his reelection.

“We congratulate the people and government of this country on the successful holding of the presidential elections in Venezuela, as well as the elected president of the Venezuelan people,” Kanaani says, according to a report in Tehran’s official news agency IRNA.

Kanaani further notes that the elections were held despite cruel and unjust threats and sanctions imposed on Caracas, and stresses Iran’s strong bilateral ties with the socialist Latin American country.

Maduro has been declared the winner of the presidential election with 51.2 percent of votes, but opposition leaders and various Latin American countries have cast doubts over the result.

Venezuela forged close ties with the Islamic Republic in the late 1990s under Maduro’s predecessor Hugo Chávez. Cooperation between the two oil-rich countries is robust in energy production, infrastructure and industrial cooperation. Both regimes have shaped their foreign policy in opposition to the US.

Britain ‘welcomes’ Lebanese government’s call for end to violence between Israel, Hezbollah

A man stands near a damaged gate after a Hezbollah rocket strike on a soccer field that killed 12 children in Majdal Shams on July 28, 2024 (Menahem Kahana / AFP)

Britain welcomes the Lebanese government’s call for a cessation of all violence after a deadly attack on the Golan Heights, Britain’s foreign minister says following a call with Lebanon’s prime minister.

The comments come after a rocket fired from Lebanon killed 12 children in the Druze town of Majdal Shams on Saturday evening. Israel has vowed retaliation against the Lebanon-based Hezbollah terror group for the fatal attack.

“I spoke to (Lebanese) Prime Minister Najib Mikati today to express my concern at escalating tension and welcomed the Government of Lebanon’s statement urging for cessation of all violence,” David Lammy writes on X.

“We both agreed that widening of conflict in the region is in nobody’s interest.”

Lebanon has supported Hezbollah’s denial of involvement with the strike and called for an international probe into the incident, though the terror group claimed multiple attacks on Israeli military positions during the day on Sunday.

IDF and US intelligence have stated that Hezbollah fired the deadly projectile, though it has not been determined whether the terror group aimed at that target or misfired.

Olympic Committee of Israel says team refuses to be cowed by threats against athletes

Israel's delegation with Israel's flag bearers Peter Paltchik (2R) and Andrea Murez (R) sails on a boat during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024. (Damien Meyer/AFP)

In response to reports yesterday about threats against several members of the Israeli delegation, the Olympic Committee of Israel says it will focus on sports and not hate at the Paris Olympics, and refuse to be cowed by any threats.

“Unfortunately, a wave of hate and threats is taking place against our athletes,” the OCI says in a statement to reporters, thanking Israeli and French authorities for “working tirelessly to ensure our safety.”

“Our response will be given on the sporting field, and the Israeli delegation will continue to represent Israeli and Olympic values with pride, dedication and fairness,” the statement adds.

The Paris prosecutor’s office said yesterday that France had opened an investigation into death threats against three Israeli athletes after threatening emails were sent to the Olympic delegation.

Lufthansa extends Beirut flight suspension to August 5

A Lufthansa Airbus A380 lands in Frankfurt, Germany, February 14, 2019. (AP/Michael Probst)

German airline group Lufthansa says it has extended the suspension of services to Beirut until August 5, after Israel threatened reprisals for a rocket strike launched from Lebanon that killed 12 children and teenagers in the northern Druze village of Majdal Shams.

The group’s flights to Lebanon were canceled as a result of “current developments in the Middle East,” a Lufthansa spokesman tells AFP.

The deadly rocket strike on Saturday has added to concerns that Israel and the Iran-backed terror group could engage in a full-scale war.

Hezbollah has denied firing the rocket, but Israel has dismissed the denial, noting the group had said it fired at the area and presenting evidence that the munition used was Iran-made and exclusively used by Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Last night, Israel’s security cabinet authorized the government to respond to the strike, the deadliest in Israel since Hamas’s October 7 terror assault in southern Israel, which sparked the war in Gaza.

Israeli judoka Timna Nelson-Levy wins initial match in under-57kg weight class in Paris

Israel's Timna Nelson Levy and Slovenia's Kaja Kajzer (blue) compete in the judo women's -57kg at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Champ-de-Mars Arena, in Paris, July 29, 2024. (Luis ROBAYO / AFP)

Israeli judoka Timna Nelson-Levy beats Slovenia’s Kaja Kajzer in her initial match in the under-57kg weight class at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Next up she’ll face South Korea’s Huh Mi-mi, who is ranked third in the world.

Report: Israel ‘doubtful’ negotiators will pass updated hostage-ceasefire proposal to Hamas

Protesters call for the release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip since October 7, outside the IDF's Kirya base in Tel Aviv, July 28, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Israel is “doubtful” that the updated proposal for a hostage release-ceasefire deal with Hamas that Israel relayed to the White House on Saturday will be passed on to the terror group by mediators, according to a senior Israeli official cited by Hebrew media.

“It is very doubtful that this proposal will pass the mediators. It is doubtful that they will agree to roll the proposal over to Hamas in light of the fundamental change in it,” the senior official is quoted as saying by Channel 12 news.

The outlet reported yesterday that the proposal demands an inspection mechanism be put in place to ensure Hamas combatants are not able to move to the Strip’s north; sees Israel remaining on the Gaza-Egypt border known as the Philadelphi Corridor during the first phase of the deal; and insists on Israel receiving a list of all living hostages Hamas will release as part of the deal.

This morning’s report adds the proposal had been updated on the recommendation of the Biden administration, on the understanding that a clarifying document could push the negotiations forward.

The Prime Minister’s Office released a statement last night saying that talks around the hostage deal would continue “in the coming days,” after Mossad director David Barnea returned from meetings in Rome with top negotiators from the US, Egypt, and Qatar on the updated proposal earlier in the day.

Israeli Olympic team holds moment of silence to honor 12 victims of Majdal Shams rocket attack

Israel’s delegation to the Paris Olympics observes a moment of silence to honor the victims of Hezbollah’s deadly rocket attack on the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights that killed 12 people, most of them kids and teens.

Channel 12 News posts a photo on social media of the team in the Olympic village.

המשלחת הישראלית התכנסה בכפר האולימפי לדקה דומיה שהוקדשה לזכר הילדים שנרצחו בטבח במג'דל שמס@Elad_Si pic.twitter.com/EJ5QMTZKwt

— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) July 29, 2024

Maduro declared winner in Venezuelan election, but opposition and neighbors reject result

Venezuelan President and presidential candidate Nicolas Maduro delivers a speech next to Deputy of the National Assembly Diosdado Cabello (R), following the presidential election results in Caracas on July 29, 2024. (Yuri Cortez/AFP)

CARACAS, Venezuela – Nicolas Maduro has been declared the winner of Venezuela’s presidential election, but the opposition and key regional neighbors immediately reject the official results.

Maduro won re-election with 51.2 percent of votes, while opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia received 44.2%, the electoral council announces.

Maduro, 61, addresses supporters at the presidential palace minutes after the announcement to celebrate the declaration from his loyalist electoral authority.

“I can say, before the people of Venezuela and the world, I am Nicolas Maduro Moros, the re-elected president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,” Maduro says.

But Venezuela’s opposition coalition insists it has garnered 70% of the vote, rejecting the figures from Maduro’s loyalist electoral authority.

“We want to say to all of Venezuela and the world that Venezuela has a new president-elect and it is (candidate) Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia,” opposition leader Maria Corina Machado tells journalists, adding: “We won.”

Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves also denounces the official result as “fraudulent,” while Chile’s president describes it as “hard to believe.” Peru announces it has recalled its ambassador for consultation over the results.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expresses “serious concerns” that the result did not reflect the will of Venezuelan voters.

Independent polls had predicted yesterday’s vote would bring an end to 25 years of “Chavismo,” the populist movement founded by Maduro’s socialist predecessor and mentor, the late Hugo Chavez.

Report: US border agents arrested 3 Palestinians suspected of ties to terror groups

Illustrative - Asylum seekers wait in line to be processed by the Border Patrol at a makeshift camp near the US-Mexico border east of Jacumba, San Diego County, California, January 2, 2024. (Guillermo Arias / AFP)

US Border Patrol agents have detained three Palestinian men and a Turkish man suspected of ties to terror groups who turned themselves over to authorities in San Diego, the New York Post reports, citing unnamed sources.

According to federal law enforcement sources quoted in the report, one of the suspects had “salacious” photos on their cellphone, including a picture of a man wearing a mask and holding an AK-47.

The FBI is investigating, according to the Post.

The report does not mention which terror group the suspects are suspected of being affiliated with, though it notes that agents in the San Diego sector have been warned to be on the lookout for individuals tied to Palestinian terror groups after Hamas’s October 7 massacre in southern Israel.

The report also quotes an anonymous Border Patrol agent as saying that authorities are overwhelmed and lacking essential tools to vet migrants crossing into the US, especially around San Diego, California.

“I wanted to get into Border Patrol and protect from terrorists. And it’s like, well, I probably let terrorists in the country,” the agent is quoted as saying.

Funeral underway for 12th child killed in Majdal Shams rocket strike

Gevara Ebraheem, 11, killed in a rocket strike from Lebanon on the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights on July 27 2024. (Courtesy)

The funeral for the 12th boy killed in a Hezbollah rocket strike on a soccer field in the Druze town of Majdal Shams on Saturday is underway, Channel 12 reports.

Gevara Ebraheem, 11, had been considered missing for some 24 hours following the Saturday afternoon strike in northern Israel that killed 11 other children and teenagers, all of whom had been on a soccer field when the Iranian-made rocket impacted, cutting them down before they could make it to safety.

Police said last night that new findings at the scene of the strike had confirmed that Ebraheem was also killed, putting an end to his family’s hope that he had fled the scene of the strike and survived, according to Channel 12.

Funerals were held Sunday for the other 11 victims, 10 of them in Majdal Shams, on the southern slope of Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights, and one in nearby Ein Qiniyye, amid a mix of grief and anger in the devastated Druze community.

Druze women mourn by a coffin during a funeral of a child killed in a rocket strike from Lebanon a day earlier, that Israeli authorities said killed 12 people including children in the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, on July 28, 2024. (Photo by Menahem Kahana / AFP)

Far-left suspects likely behind rail sabotage — French interior minister

Soldiers patrol outside Gare du Nord train station at the 2024 Summer Olympics, July 26, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

PARIS — Paris is leaning towards the likelihood that far-left extremists were behind last week’s sabotage of the country’s SNCF rail network that coincided with the Olympic Games opening ceremony, according to French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin.

“We have identified the profiles of several people,” Darmanin tells France 2 TV, regarding the hunt for those saboteurs.

He adds that the saboteurs’ mode of operation bore the hallmarks of far-left extremists.

Two dead, three wounded in Israeli drone strike — Lebanese rescue services

An Israeli drone strike outside the southern Lebanese town of Shaqra has killed two people and wounded three, including a child, according to Lebanese rescue services.

The rescue service does not say whether the dead were fighters or civilians.

This was reportedly the first deadly Israeli strike on Lebanon since a Hezbollah rocket attack on Saturday killed 12 children in the Golan Heights.

The IDF has not yet commented on the alleged drone strike.

Elbit Systems wins NIS 815 million contract to supply Defense Ministry with Iron Sting mortar system

This image released by the Defense Ministry on July 29, 2024, shows an Iron Sting guided mortar in a test. (Defense Ministry)

Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems has been awarded a NIS 815 million ($190 million) contract to supply the Defense Ministry with an advanced mortar system, the company announces.

Elbit says supply of the Iron Sting laser and GPS-guided 120mm mortar will be carried out over a two-year period.

The Defense Ministry in a statement says the mortars will be used by the IDF Ground Forces.

The Iron Sting is already in use by the IDF, including amid the fighting in Gaza.

Elon Musk accuses Google of interfering with US elections by ‘banning’ search term ‘President Donald Trump’

Tesla CEO Elon Musk accuses Google of interfering with the US presidential elections, in a post on his X platform showing a screenshot for the search term “President Donald.”

The image shows the first search results coming up as “President Donald Duck” and “President Donald Regan,” insinuating that Google is penalizing Republican presidential candidate and former US president Donald Trump.

“They’re getting themselves into a lot of trouble if they interfere with the election,” Musk, who has endorsed Trump, writes.

Wow, Google has a search ban on President Donald Trump!

Election interference? pic.twitter.com/dJzgVAAFZA

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 29, 2024

IDF: Jets, drones struck over 35 targets across Gaza in past 24 hours as troops advance in Khan Younis, Rafah

IDF troops seen operating in the Gaza Strip in this handout photo published on July 29, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

Israeli fighter jets and drones struck more than 35 targets across the Gaza Strip over the past day, the military says.

The IDF says the targets include cells of gunmen, buildings used by terror groups, booby-trapped buildings, and other infrastructure.

The strikes come as troops continue to advance in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis and Rafah.

The IDF says troops with the 162nd Division killed several gunmen in close-quarters combat and by directing airstrikes in Rafah in the previous 24 hours.

Many more terror operatives were killed in clashes and airstrikes amid operations by the 98th Division in Khan Younis, the IDF adds.

Health Ministry: Number of patients diagnosed with West Nile virus rises to 710

The number of patients diagnosed with West Nile virus in Israel has risen to 710, according to an update from the Health Ministry yesterday.

A total of 46 people who were diagnosed with the virus have died since the outbreak began in June.

West Nile Fever has been known in the country for many years and occurs mainly between June and November. This year, the incidence started earlier than usual, likely due to climate changes in Israel and worldwide.

West Nile fever is a disease caused by the West Nile virus. The virus is primarily transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes, particularly species of mosquitoes that feed on birds. The virus does not spread from person to person.

According to the Health Ministry, about 80 percent of people infected with West Nile virus show no symptoms. About 20% may experience varying symptoms, including fever, headaches, and body aches.

Less than 1% of those infected will have possible rare complications such as acute inflammation of the brain or meningitis.

The Ministry recommends using mosquito repellent products and suitable devices to repel mosquitoes in living areas.

Lebanese reports: One killed, four wounded in Israeli strikes on two vehicles; IDF yet to comment

Smoke billows following an Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese border village of Chihine on July 28, 2024. (Kawnat Haju/AFP)

Lebanese media reports say one person was killed and four were wounded in Israeli airstrikes on a car and a motorcycle in southern Lebanon, between the towns of Mays al-Jabal and Shaqra.

The IDF has not yet commented on the reports.

Safed hospital says two kids hurt in Saturday Hezbollah attack in critical condition, one in moderate condition

Residents rush to help injured children moments after a rocket attack hit a soccer field in the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, July 27, 2024. (Hassan Shams/AP)

Ziv Medical Center in Safed says that two children who were seriously wounded in a Hezbollah rocket attack on the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights on Saturday are in critical condition in the pediatric intensive care unit. They are sedated and ventilated. Another child is in moderate condition.

All three have abdominal injuries, chest injuries, and limb fractures.

There are five children (ages 8-15) who were lightly wounded, mainly suffering from shrapnel injuries, in moderate condition.

One child is in moderate condition with shrapnel injuries, after abdominal surgery. His condition is stable.

A 50-year-old woman who was lightly wounded by shrapnel injuries is in moderate condition in the orthopedic department.

A 36-year-old man who was lightly wounded by shrapnel injuries to the ear and face is in moderate condition.

IDF to test siren systems in Hukok, Migdal, and Mitzpe Ilan

The IDF says it will test siren systems in the northern localities of Hukok, Migdal and Mitzpe Ilan today.

The sirens will sound in the communities of Hukok and Migdal near the Sea of Galilee at 10:05 a.m. and 12:05 p.m. respectively and at 10:35 a.m. in Mitzpe Ilan near Haifa.

In the case of an actual attack, the sirens will sound twice, the military says.

Lebanese media reports Israeli drone strike on vehicle in southern Lebanon

Lebanese media outlets report an Israeli drone strike on a vehicle between the southern Lebanon towns of Mays al-Jabal and Shaqra.

No further details are immediately available.

Trump quotes Netanyahu as saying Jews vote blue out of ‘habit,’ reiterates claim that ‘Democrats hate Israel’

Republican presidential candidate former US president Donald Trump meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago estate, July 26, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP/Alex Brandon)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump reiterates his assertion that “Democrats hate Israel,” speaking at a donor event in New Jersey last night.

The former US president says he asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when the two met in Florida on Friday why Jewish people vote for the Democratic party and that the Israeli premier answered, “It’s a habit.”

????????✡️ — BELAAZ EXCLUSIVE: Donald Trump told a group of Jewish donors in Deal, NJ tonight that he asked Israeli PM Netanyahu during their meeting at Mar-a-Lago on Friday – “Why do Jews still vote for Democrats?”

According to Trump, Netanyahu replied, “It's a habit.”

Trump then… pic.twitter.com/CnTVf4bCRH

— Belaaz News (@TheBelaaz) July 29, 2024

Trump’s comments — publicized in a recording obtained by Belaaz News — come after he said over the weekend that Jews who support presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris or the Democratic Party should “have their head examined,” after the VP’s “terrible and insulting” meeting with Netanyahu on Thursday and her absence from the prime minister’s speech to Congress on Wednesday.

He has a history of accusing Jewish Democrats of betraying their religion and Israel. In April, when Joe Biden was still the presumptive Democratic nominee, Trump had also said that Jewish Biden voters “should have their head examined.”

Turkey again compares ‘genocidal Netanyahu’ to Hitler, after Erdogan appears to threaten to invade Israel

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan talks during a military parade, in the Turkish-occupied area of the divided capital Nicosia, Cyprus, July 20, 2024. (AP/Petros Karadjias)

The Turkish Foreign Ministry issues a statement comparing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hilter, hours after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan — who has a long history of public sparring with the Israeli premier — appeared to threaten to invade Israel in support of the Palestinians and to end the ongoing war in Gaza.

“Just as the genocidal Hitler met his end, so will the genocidal Netanyahu,” the statement reads.

“Those who tried to eliminate the Palestinians will be held accountable, just like the genocidal Nazis. Humanity will stand with the Palestinians. You will not be able to eliminate the Palestinians.”

The statement comes after Erdoğan said last night that his country must be “very strong so that Israel can’t do these things to the Palestinians,” the Turkish leader said of the war. “Just as we entered [Nagorno-]Karabakh, just as we entered Libya, we might do the same to them. There is nothing we can’t do. We must only be strong.”

His bizarre statement came as Israel mulled its response to a rocket strike in the Golan Heights that killed 12 children and teens on Saturday, which Israel and the United States have blamed on Hezbollah.

IDF says drone from Lebanon shot down

The Israel Defense Forces says it shot down a drone that crossed into the Western Galilee from Lebanon.

The interception triggered pre-dawn rocket sirens in the towns of Yaara and Adamit due to fears of falling shrapnel, according to the IDF.

No injuries are reported.

Beirut-based airline changes more flight schedules amid reprisal worries

Planes at the Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, on March 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)

Beirut based Middle East Airlines has announced it is delaying several of its flights to and from Lebanon, a move widely seen as related to preparations for a possible expansion of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

As with six affected flights announced earlier, MEA says it is not canceling the flights but merely delaying them, in some cases by as little as an hour. The move, it says, is “due to technical reasons related to the distribution of insurance risks for aircraft between Lebanon and other destinations.”

According to flight tracking website Flightradar24, Rafic Hariri airport is experiencing average delays of over 400 minutes for departures and over 150 minutes for arrivals. There have also been a smattering of cancellations, but most flights schedules remain intact.

Rafic Hariri Airport, Lebanon’s only international facility, was hit early in the last war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006.

However, the head of MEA said earlier he was not worried about a repeat sortie.

“We’re not afraid that the airport will be hit, nor do we have any information in that regard. If we were scared, we wouldn’t have left any flights (operating),” MEA chairman Mohamad El-Hout told local broadcaster Al-Jadeed.

Lufthansa and Lufthansa’s Eurowings have cancelled three flights to Beirut scheduled for Monday afternoon, according to the information board at the airport and Flightradar24.

Turkish Airlines also cancelled two flights overnight on Sunday and Turkey-based budget carrier SunExpress, Turkish Airlines subsidiary AJet, Greek carrier Aegean Airlines, Ethiopian Air and MEA have also cancelled flights scheduled to land in Beirut on Monday, Flightradar24 shows.

The airlines do not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Rocket sirens sound in northern towns

Rocket sirens are sounding in two towns in northern Israel, amid high tensions that wider hostilities could break out on the Lebanese border.

The sirens are activated in the towns of Yaara and Adamit, both near the Lebanon border in the Western Galile.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF.

Israel said to shell southern Lebanese town

Sources in Lebanon say Israel is carrying out heavy shelling in the town of Houla, the Palestinian Quds news site reports.

The reported attack on Houla, which sits less than a kilometer over the border from the Galilee panhandle, comes as much of southern Lebanon is bracing for an Israeli reprisal to a rocket strike on a Golan soccer field that killed 12 kids from the Druze community Saturday.

There is no comment from the military on the reports of shelling in Houla or earlier reports of Israeli strikes elsewhere in southern Lebanon.

Calls for condemnation, removal from NATO after Erdogan threat

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid says on X that “Israel won’t accept threats from a wannabe dictator” in response to Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan warning he could order an invasion of Israel.

“President Erdogan is ranting and raving again. He is a danger to the Middle East,” Lapid writes on X. “The world, and especially NATO members, must strongly condemn his outrageous threats against Israel and force him to end his support for Hamas.”

President Erdogan is ranting and raving again. He is a danger to the Middle East.

The world, and especially NATO members, must strongly condemn his outrageous threats against Israel and force him to end his support for Hamas.

We won’t accept threats from a wannabe dictator.

— יאיר לפיד – Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) July 28, 2024

Also weighing in, Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders calls for Turkey to be removed from NATO over his comments.

“Islamofascist Erdogan threatens to invade Israel. This guy is totally nuts,” Wilders tweets. “Turkey should be kicked out of NATO.”

UK’s Starmer says he pushed Herzog on Gaza ceasefire during Paris meet

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Israel’s President Isaac Herzog there needed to be “immediate steps” towards a ceasefire in Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza, London says.

“The Prime Minister said there must be immediate steps towards a ceasefire, so that hostages can be released and more humanitarian aid can get in for those in desperate need,” Starmer’s office says in a statement.

“The Prime Minister reiterated his ongoing support for Israel’s right to self-defence in accordance with international law,” the statement says.

Starmer met Herzog in Paris where both were attending the Olympics.

IDF said to deny Ben Gvir receiving footage of hostages being tortured

Military sources quoted by Hebrew language media deny a report claiming that National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir was sent video footage of hostages being tortured by Hamas in Gaza along with a demand to ease treatment of Palestinian detainees.

Channel 12 news reports that the army informed families of hostages that Ben Gvir was not sent any such videos.

Ynet quotes a military source adding that “there are constantly intelligence materials and other [evidence] about the hostages and their conditions. All the updates regarding them go through Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israeli surfer Lelior wins heat to keep Olympic hopes afloat

Israel's Anat Lelior competes in the 8th heat of the women's surfing round 2, during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in Teahupo'o, Tahiti, July 28, 2024. (Jerome BROUILLET / AFP)

Israeli surfer Anat Lelior has advanced to the round of 16 at the 2024 Paris Olympics after winning her Round 2 heat against Spain’s Janire Gonzalez-Etxabarri with 11 points.

Lelior will next compete tomorrow in a heat against Australian Tyler Wright for a chance to advance to the surfing quarterfinal.

The competition is taking place in Tahiti, French Polynesia — thousands of miles from Paris but home to waves sought by surfers the world over.

Lelior competed for Israel at the Tokyo Games, where surfing had its Olympic debut, but failed to advance to the third round after she was knocked out of contention following her first two heats.