July 30: UK chief rabbi says Starmer’s threat to recognize Palestine encourages Hamas to refuse deal

Police said refusing to release body of Palestinian activist allegedly killed by settler

Israeli police are reportedly refusing to release the body of a Palestinian activist who was allegedly shot dead by an Israeli settler earlier this week, demanding his family commit to a series of conditions before doing so.

Awdah Hathaleen’s body was initially held by Israeli authorities so that they could perform an autopsy amid the ongoing investigation into his killing in the southern West Bank on Monday.

But the autopsy was completed at noon on Wednesday, and the Israel Police have yet to return Hathaleen’s body to his family in the village of Umm al-Kheir, Haaretz reports.

Police have told the family that they will release the body only if it agrees to a series of conditions, including not to erect a mourning tent near the family home and capping Hathaleen’s funeral at 15 people.

The IDF has issued a closed military zone order covering the entire village of Umm al-Kheir, claiming that the directive is to maintain public order. Locals say the army is punishing them and preventing the family from receiving condolence visits.

Hathaleen’s family is refusing to agree to the IDF’s conditions for releasing his body, Haaretz says.

Man shot dead in Ramle

Police officers secure the scene of a deadly shooting that killed a man in his 20s in Ramle on July 30, 2025. (Israel Police)

A young man was shot dead outside a gas station in the city of Ramle this evening, say police and paramedics.

The victim, in his 20s, was critically wounded by the gunfire and taken by paramedics to Assaf Harofeh Medical Center in neighboring Be’er Yaakov, says the Magen David Adom emergency service.

Medical staff at the hospital pronounced him dead soon after he arrived for treatment.

Police have opened an investigation but have not yet arrested any suspects involved in the shooting.

US hits Iranian shipping network with major new sanctions

Iranian oil tanker Fortune is anchored at the dock of the El Palito refinery near Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, May 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Ernesto Vargas, File)

The US Treasury Department announced fresh sanctions on over 115 Iran-linked individuals, entities and vessels, in a sign the Trump administration is doubling down on its “maximum pressure” campaign after bombing Tehran’s key nuclear sites in June.

The sanctions broadly target the shipping interests of Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, the son of Ali Shamkhani, who is himself an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The US Treasury described the move as the most significant Iran-related sanctions action since 2018, during President Donald Trump’s first administration.

According to Treasury, Shamkhani controls a vast network of container ships and tankers through a complex web of intermediaries that sell Iranian and Russian oil and other goods throughout the world.

Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani sits in a meeting in Tehran, Iran, on June 12, 2021. (Vahid Salemi/AP)

Treasury accused Shamkhani of using personal connections and corruption in Tehran to generate tens of billions of dollars in profits, much of which is used to prop up the Iranian regime.

Overall, the new sanctions target 15 shipping firms, 52 vessels, 12 individuals, and 53 entities involved in sanctions evasion in 17 countries, ranging from Panama to Italy to Hong Kong.

A US official says the new move would make it “much more difficult” for Iran to sell its oil, but added that the administration did not anticipate any sustained disruption to global oil markets.

French university rejects Gaza student over ‘hateful’ online posts against Jews

A top French university says it canceled the enrollment of a woman student from Gaza because of her social media posts that the country’s interior ministry called “hateful.”

Authorities did not release the content of the messages, but screenshots shown on social media indicated the young woman had reposted messages calling for the death of Jewish people and glorifying Adolf Hitler.

The woman had been offered a place at the Sciences Po Lille university following a recommendation by the French consulate in Jerusalem, the establishment said.

Sciences Po Lille said that after consultations with the education ministry and regional authorities, it “has decided to cancel this student’s planned registration at our establishment.”

Some of the posts “come into direct contradiction with the values upheld by Sciences Po Lille, which fights against all forms of racism, antisemitism and discrimination, as well as against any type of incitement to hatred, against any population whatsoever,” the university added in a post on X.

Accounts in the woman’s name have been closed.

A peine les premiers réfugiés de Gaza arrivés.. on tombe sur une "pépite"..
Glorification d'Hitler, relaie des appels à "tuer les juifs" et "exécuter les otages????????"..
Elle est hébergée par le directeur de Science Po Lille..
➡️L'islamo-gauchisme à l'université existe.#facealinfo pic.twitter.com/64ggb75kec

— Oxi (@Oxitan30) July 30, 2025

French ministers have demanded an investigation into the case.

“A Gazan student making antisemitic remarks has no place in France,” says Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, who added that he had ordered an internal inquiry.

Washington Post lists names of 18,500 Palestinian children said killed in Gaza war

Activists hold up photos of children killed during the war in Gaza, in Tel Aviv, April 26, 2025. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

The Washington Post publishes the names and ages of 18,500 Palestinian children who have been killed in Gaza since Hamas’s October 7 onslaught almost 22 months ago.

The Post takes the numbers from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, which says that it relies on hospital and morgue records, vetted reports from victims’ families and reliable media outlets to document each death. The ministry also presents the ID numbers of every single Palestinian it says has been killed in the war.

Israel argues that the ministry is an arm of Hamas that disseminates propaganda that can’t be trusted, though it has not provided alternative figures for Gaza deaths, beyond rough estimates for how many terror operatives it says it has killed. The current figure, released in January, is 20,000. Hamas says 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in total.

“Some were killed in their beds. Others, while playing. Many were buried before they learned to walk. Gaza is the most dangerous place in the world to be a child, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF),” the Post writes.

The Post lists those up to age 17.

A breakdown of the figures indicates that 915 of the Palestinian children documented were killed before their first birthday. Each age year between 0 and 12 had at least 800 children who were killed. There were roughly 1,000 children killed for each of the ages between 13 and 17.

Top ultra-Orthodox rabbis double down on rejection of any Haredi enlistment to IDF

Haredi rabbis attend a conference against efforts to draft ultra-Orthodox youths into the IDF in Kibbutz Ma'ale Hahamisha, on July 30, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/FLASH90)

The top rabbinic leadership of the ultra-Orthodox community rejects any conscription legislation containing quotas or enlistment targets for yeshiva students, declaring that it was “forbidden to go to any military framework.”

‘No sanctions and decrees, punishments and arrests will affect us in any way to divert us from our ways,” the rabbis say in a statement following a gathering at the central Israeli kibbutz of Ma’ale Hahamisha.

The meeting, which is the initiative of several Hasidic leaders, is aimed at coming to an agreement regarding how to advance efforts to obtain service exemptions for members of their communities.

Rabbi Meir Tzvi Bergman, an influential member of the rabbinical advisory panel steering the United Torah Judaism party, tells attendees of the conference that “a Haredi who enters the army does not leave the army as a Haredi” and that there is “an absolute prohibition against joining the army, and one must be willing to give their life for this,” Radio Kol Barama reports.

In a video tweeted by Ynet reporter Shilo Freid, Rabbi Yitzchok Zilberstein, a prominent posek, or decisor of Jewish law, could be heard saying that it is preferable to leave Israel rather than serve in the army.

“Listen, I am telling you to desecrate Shabbat on Shabbat eve and to flee the country,” he declares.

Both the Ashkenazi United Torah Judaism and Sephardic Shas parties have been pushing hard for the passage of legislation enabling most ultra-Orthodox males to continue to avoid military conscription or other national service, in the wake of last year’s High Court decision that such exemptions are illegal on equality grounds.

Earlier this month, UTJ quit the coalition after being presented with a copy of a proposed enlistment bill prepared by the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee’s then-chairman, Yuli Edelstein. It was quickly followed by Shas, which, while quitting the government, has remained part of the coalition.

According to Channel 13, while they were initially slated to attend the conference, Shas chairman Aryeh Deri prevented members of his party’s ruling Council of Torah Sages from taking part in order not to create difficulties should the Haredi faction decide to return to the government.

At the same time as the conference in Ma’ale Hahamisha, Rabbi Dov Lando, the spiritual leader of UTJ’s Degel Hatorah faction, meets with Kollel student who was told by the army that he will be arrested if he does not report for duty in the coming days.

“Don’t go, don’t go at all,” the 94-year-old rabbi declares.

A second gathering of yeshiva deans is scheduled for tomorrow in the central Israeli city of Bnei Brak under the auspices of the Vaad HaYeshivot (Yeshiva Committee), which was until recently the Haredi community’s primary vehicle for coordination between ultra-Orthodox yeshivas and the Defense Ministry in matters of service deferments. A Times of Israel investigation this March found that the group has been actively advising yeshiva students to ignore enlistment orders in apparent violation of the law.

UK chief rabbi says Starmer’s threat to recognize Palestinian state encourages Hamas to refuse deal

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks with Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, at the Holocaust Education Trust appeal dinner, in London, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (Isabel Infantes/Pool via AP)

UK Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis criticizes the British government for saying it will recognize a Palestinian state unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the war and humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

Mirvis says UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision encourages Hamas to refuse a ceasefire-hostage deal.

“Our Government has announced its intention to recognise a Palestinian State – even if terrorists remain in power and hostages remain captive in tunnels,” Mirvis says in a post on X.

“This can only disincentivise Hamas from agreeing to a ceasefire. It therefore fundamentally undermines the cause of peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis alike. The asymmetry of establishing a clear ultimatum for Israel but not for Hamas is an unfathomable misstep,” Mirvis says.

Mirvis says many in the UK Jewish community view the step as “a profound betrayal of Israel’s quest to live free of terror on its borders.”

“And as is often the case, when the Jewish state appears more vulnerable, extremists at home and abroad are emboldened, and Jewish people are more vulnerable as a result,” he says.

Mirvis urges the UK to apply pressure to Hamas, not Israel.

Our Government has announced its intention to recognise a Palestinian State – even if terrorists remain in power and hostages remain captive in tunnels.

This can only disincentivise Hamas from agreeing to a ceasefire. It therefore fundamentally undermines the cause of peace…

— Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis (@chiefrabbi) July 30, 2025

IDF says it sent out additional 54,000 draft orders to ultra-Orthodox men

Ultra-Orthodox demonstrators clash with police during a protest against the drafting of Haredi youth near Bnei Brak, June 5, 2025. (Erik Marmor/Flash90)

The IDF says it has completed sending out an additional 54,000 draft orders to ultra-Orthodox men who are eligible for military service and have not yet enlisted.

The orders, which constitute the first stage in the screening and evaluation process that the army carries out for recruits ahead of enlistment in the military in the coming year, come after a landmark High Court ruling in June 2024 that said there was no longer any legal framework allowing the state to refrain from drafting Haredi yeshiva students into military service.

Currently, approximately 80,000 Haredi men between the ages of 18 and 24 are eligible for military service and have not enlisted.

Between July 2024 and May 2025, the IDF issued 24,000 draft orders to Haredi men up to the age of 28, though only a small percentage were actually drafted.

This past month, the IDF says it sent out another 54,000 orders. This means that all Haredi men who previously had exemptions for being yeshiva students have now received a conscription order.

In addition to those orders, the IDF is also sending out first draft orders to all Israelis who turn 16.5, without exempting Haredim as it previously did. (Soldiers only join the military from age 18, but the recruitment process begins earlier.)

“The IDF will continue to operate in accordance with the law and the directives of the political echelon and will do everything in its power to expand recruitment and adapt the conditions for the Haredi population serving, while preserving their way of life,” the military adds.

The issue of Haredi exemptions from the army is particularly volatile in Israel amid the ongoing war, with the burden of service falling on the secular and national religious communities. The army has also stated that it is facing a manpower shortage and currently needs some 12,000 new soldiers — 7,000 of whom would be combat troops.

Hundreds protest in Jerusalem, calling to push forward with Gaza war until Hamas defeated

Wounded Israeli soldiers and supporters of the war march toward the Knesset in Jerusalem, calling for the military campaign in Gaza to continue until Hamas is defeated, July 30, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Hundreds of protesters calling for the continuation of Israel’s war in Gaza march to the Knesset in Jerusalem. They are led by wounded soldiers, alongside bereaved families of soldiers and hostage families from the right-wing Tikvah Forum.

“We’ve come to deliver a clear message: there is no other way, Hamas must be defeated. Only victory will bring true security to the residents of the south, the Gaza border communities, and the citizens of Israel,” declares Lt. Col. Itamar Eitam, a reservist brigade commander, outside Shaare Zedek Hospital before the march sets out to the Knesset.

“The prices we paid, with our limbs, the scars we bear, the blood of our comrades, these cannot be wasted with retreats. It is our duty to bring the hostages home and crush Hamas,” he continues.

Ofir Engelsman, a soldier who lost his leg in a car-ramming attack in Hebron, tells the crowd that he would have “been willing to lose the other if he knew it would lead to total victory.”

“This is my demand of the prime minister: to finish this war to the end. To erase Hamas and achieve victory,” he says.

Police do not report any arrests over the course of today’s march.

Witkoff speaks to Egyptian FM on stalled Gaza ceasefire talks

Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty attends an Arab officials' meeting in Riyadh on January 12, 2025. (Fayez Nureldine / AFP)

US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty discussed the need to intensify pressure to reach a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal as soon as possible, according to a readout from Cairo about a phone call the pair held earlier today.

The call was held before Witkoff departs for Israel, where he will meet with officials in Jerusalem on Thursday to discuss efforts to secure the release of the hostages, end the war, and alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Witkoff and Abdelatty “exchanged views on the joint efforts of the three guarantor parties—Egypt, the United States, and Qatar—to secure a ceasefire by intensifying pressure so that an agreement to be reached as soon as possible,” the Egyptian readout says.

Abdelatty stressed that the “humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip resulted from blatant Israeli violations and the use of starvation as a weapon against Palestinians,” the readout adds. Israel has denied using hunger as a weapon, arguing that it has facilitated the entry of enough aid into the Strip, but this is after it maintained a blockade for 78 days.

Air Force shoots down Houthi drone near border with Egypt

A drone launched at Israel by the Houthis in Yemen was intercepted by the Israeli Air Force a short while ago, the military says.

The drone was shot down over the Egyptian border area. Sirens were not activated in any towns.

Netanyahu meeting top aides to discuss Gaza deal, said to warn Hamas Israel will annex parts of Gaza if no hostage release

Visitors at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv. July 30, 2025. (Miriam Alster/FLASH90)

Israel sent a message to Hamas that if it doesn’t accept the proposal on the table for a ceasefire and hostage release deal in the coming days, Israel will start to annex territory around Gaza’s perimeter, senior Israeli officials tell Channel 13.

The report of the warning comes as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting with his small group of top aides and ministers to discuss ongoing attempts to make some progress toward a hostage release and ceasefire deal with Hamas.

Israel sent a document with its red lines around IDF troop deployments and prisoner releases to Hamas through the mediating countries, according to Channel 12.

Israel says in the document that it will not leave the Phildelphi corridor or the buffer zone around the Gaza border, will not allow the opening of the Rafah Crossing, and will not agree to a prisoner release that is so far-reaching that it will make it difficult to get Hamas to release the last batch of hostages in a potential ceasefire.

Israel assumes Hamas will not show any further flexibility, according to the report.

“Israel will not be patient for much longer,” says a senior Israeli official.

However, Channel 12 reports that there is currently no appetite in the White House to greenlight an Israeli move to annex parts of the Strip.

Hezbollah says those demanding it disarm are ‘serving’ Israel

A handout picture released by the Iranian presidency shows the deputy chief of Lebanon's Hezbollah group, Naim Qassem, during a meeting with Iran's new president in Tehran on July 29, 2024 (Iranian Presidency / AFP)

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem says that those demanding its disarmament are “serving the Israeli project,” accusing US envoy Tom Barrack of “intimidating” Lebanon.

In a televised address marking the first anniversary of the targeted killing by Israel of senior commander Fuad Shukr, Qassem says, “anyone calling today for the surrender of weapons, whether internally or externally, on the Arab or the international stage, is serving the Israeli project.”

He accuses Barrack of using “intimidation and threats” with the aim of “aiding Israel.”

US confirms Witkoff traveling to Israel

US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff (L), accompanied by White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles (R), speaks during a dinner with US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Blue Room of the White House on July 7, 2025 in Washington, DC (Andrew Harnik / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

The Trump administration confirms that US special envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Israel tomorrow.

Witkoff “will meet with officials to discuss next steps in addressing the situation in Gaza,” a US official says in a statement to reporters.

Top ultra-Orthodox rabbis meeting on efforts to secure Haredi draft exemptions

Haredi rabbis attend a conference against efforts to draft ultra-Orthodox youths into the IDF in Kibbutz Ma'ale Hahamisha, on July 30, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/FLASH90)

Senior Haredi rabbis belonging to the Hasidic, Lithuanian and Sephardic communities — including spiritual leaders of the Shas and United Torah Judaism parties — are currently gathered at the central Israeli kibbutz of Ma’ale Hahamisha to hold a joint discussion regarding the conscription of ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students.

The meeting, which is the initiative of several Hasidic leaders, is aimed at coming to an agreement regarding how to advance efforts to obtain service exemptions for members of their communities. According to Avraham Friend, a reporter for the ultra-Orthodox news site Behadrei Haredim, Shas has been trying to prevent its rabbinic leadership from attending the gathering, as it could impede potential efforts to rejoin the government.

The conference is expected to end with declarations opposing legislation containing enlistment quotas and a ban on IDF enlistment, Channel 13 reports.

A second gathering of yeshiva deans is scheduled for tomorrow in the central Israeli city of Bnei Brak under the auspices of the Vaad HaYeshivot (Yeshiva Committee), which was until recently the Haredi community’s primary vehicle for coordination between ultra-Orthodox yeshivas and the Defense Ministry in matters of service deferments. A Times of Israel investigation this March found that the group has been actively advising yeshiva students to ignore enlistment orders in apparent violation of the law.

Both the Ashkenazi United Torah Judaism and Sephardic Shas parties have been pushing hard for the passage of legislation enabling most ultra-Orthodox males to continue to avoid military conscription or other national service, in the wake of last year’s High Court decision that such exemptions are illegal on equality grounds.

Earlier this month, UTJ quit the coalition after being presented with a copy of a proposed enlistment bill prepared by the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee’s then-chairman, Yuli Edelstein. It was quickly followed by Shas, which, while quitting the government, has remained part of the coalition.

Motti Babchik, a senior adviser to United Torah Judaism chairman Yitzhak Goldknopf, said on Monday that UTJ would ask its rabbis about coming back only “after the law on the arrangement of the status of yeshiva students is passed” while Shas spokesman Asher Medina told The Times of Israel last week that for his part to return to the government “there must be a law on the table that is agreed upon by us and has a majority.”

Firing of Attorney General on Monday’s cabinet agenda

Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara attends a hearing of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee at the Knesset in Jerusalem, April 27, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The agenda for the upcoming cabinet meeting on Monday published today, includes an item for firing Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.

The government has been advancing a new process for firing the attorney general since June this year, and a ministerial committee set up as part of that process recommended last week that the government indeed dismiss her from office.

The government argues that Baharav-Miara has repeatedly blocked government policies, appointments, and legislation on political grounds, and that it can no longer work with her due to “substantive and ongoing differences of opinion” between the two sides.

Baharav-Miara has argued, however, that she has simply restrained the government from acting unlawfully and from advancing unconstitutional legislation, and that in the overwhelming majority of cases in which she and the government have clashed and which have come before the High Court of Justice, the court has ruled in her favor.

Critics of the government have argued that the government is undermining the rule of law by seeking to fire an attorney general who has acted lawfully, pointing to her victories in the High Court as proof that the government’s grounds for firing her are not legitimate.

The High Court has ruled that any decision to fire Baharav-Miara will not come into effect immediately, and that the decision will be frozen until the court issues a final ruling on petitions against the new dismissal process.

The government is, however, gearing up to boycott Baharav-Miara by not inviting her to cabinet meetings, security cabinet meetings, and other key government forums as soon as she is fired.

IDF court extends remand of suspected Palestinian stone-throwers after settler accused of shooting dead activist released to house arrest

Relatives of Awdah Hathaleen mourn his death after he was fatally shot during a clash with Israeli settlers near the village of Umm al Kheir, in the West Bank, on July 29, 2025. (Wisam Hashlamoun/Flash90)

A military judge has granted an eight-day extension to the remand of four Palestinians suspected of stone-throwing in an incident in which Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen was shot dead, even though the suspected Israeli killer was released on Tuesday to house arrest.

The rulings highlight the differences in treatment between settlers who enjoy full Israeli civil rights and Palestinians who are under Israeli military rule.

Israeli law requires suspects to be brought before a judge for a remand hearing within 24 hours, whereas Israeli military law allows authorities to wait 96 hours before bringing Palestinians before a judge.

Accordingly, Levi’s hearing was held at the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday — a day after Hathaleen’s killing — while the Palestinians detained in the incident had to wait until Wednesday before seeing a judge for the first time.

Nasser Odeh, who is representing the four Palestinian suspects, tells the judge at the Ofer Military Court in the West Bank that they had been held with their hands and feet shackled for 13 hours at a military base after their arrest on Monday.

In requesting an additional remand extension against the four Palestinians, the Israel Police’s representative points to damage incurred to Levi’s bulldozer and vehicle, while arguing that Levi felt that his life was in danger when he fired his weapon.

The representative does not explain why Levi had encroached on privately-owned Palestinian land on the edge of Umm al-Khair in the West Bank, where residents have long reported near-daily harassment by settlers from nearby illegal outposts.

Last night, the IDF arrested nine more Palestinians on suspicion of involvement in the incident in which Hathaleen was allegedly shot by Levi — an extremist settler formerly sanctioned by the US under the Biden administration, and still sanctioned by Canada, the UK, and the European Union.

Ultranationalsts who want to re-establish settlements march to Gaza border

Right-wing activists attend a rally calling for the re-establishment of Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip, near the border in southern Israel, Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Groups of ultranationalist activists hoping to establish new Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip have set out from a meeting point close to Sderot and are walking westward toward a lookout point less than a kilometer away from the border with the Gaza Strip.

The activists are part of several cadres that have been formed by the Nachala settlement organization to establish a number of new settlements in the event that authorization for such a move is approved by the government.

Earlier on Wednesday, six cabinet ministers and 16 coalition MKs requested that Defense Minister Israel Katz approve a scouting mission for the activists inside Gaza as part of Nachala’s plan to re-establish Jewish settlements in the war-torn territory.

Katz has yet to publicly respond.

“The idea is to advance the idea of settlement in Gaza. Zionism, settlement, security,” said Nachala chairwoman and veteran settlements activist Daniella Weiss in a video message issued this morning by the organization.

Weiss said that one thousand families who are part of the settlement cadres would march toward the lookout point over Gaza, some of whom would enter the territory if Katz approves.

“They will enter inside the northern demarcation line, see the remnants of what used to be the settlements, the remnants of buildings built by the Gazans and which were destroyed, and mark where we hopefully very soon will establish new settlements,” said Weiss.

Israel calls on more nations to airdrop aid into Gaza

Humanitarian aid is airdropped to Palestinians over Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

As Arab partners conduct airdrops of humanitarian aid into Gaza, the Prime Minister’s Office urges more countries to join the effort.

“Hamas stole food from its own people,” writes the PMO on X. “Israel acted. We airdropped aid to Gazan civilians, and we called on other nations to join us. Some have already done so.”

“We secured the skies, secured the drops, and made sure the food got through,” the PMO continues. “Any country that truly wants to help is welcome to join us.”

On Sunday, Israel announced new humanitarian aid measures in Gaza after mounting criticism, including from close allies.

Earlier, the IDF said that the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Egypt airdropped 32 aid packages today.

ICRC says it could take weeks for Gaza food situation to stabilize

Palestinians carry humanitarian aid they received at the Rafah corridor as they walk in the Mawasi area of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on July 30, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

The International Committee of the Red Cross says that despite Israeli efforts to step up aid to the hunger-ridden Gaza Strip, including humanitarian pauses in fighting, it could take weeks for enough aid to enter to stabilize the situation.

“A humanitarian pause is necessary but insufficient,” the ICRC says in response to a query from The Times of Israel. “It is extremely welcome for the population and the aid providers. But a pause is insufficient. What is needed is a sustained and sustainable agreement. The amount of food that needs to come in is so substantial that it will take weeks for the situation to stabilize.”

The ICRC s says that stocks of some basic foodstuffs that were brought in during the last ceasefire are also starting to run out.

“The entry of some specialized goods was a saving grace in that sense, because some products have a long shelf life and are still available, but the problem is that even that is now running out,” it says.

It also says that the Israel- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s sites are difficult for people to access and dangerous.

“The food distribution areas are hard to access, and it’s difficult for most people to understand how to even get there, as some are located close to, or in, evacuation zones,” the ICRC says. “The Red Cross Field Hospital is close to one distribution center and not far from another, and we’ve received large numbers of gunshot victims who tell us they’re coming from those sites.”

Arab nations continue Gaza air drops

Palestinians rush to collect humanitarian aid airdropped into Zawaida in central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Aircraft from the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Egypt airdropped 32 aid packages, containing food, in the northern and southern Gaza Strip in the last few hours, the Israeli military says.

The IDF says the airdrops were carried out “in accordance with the directives from the political echelon and as part of the cooperation between Israel, the UAE, Jordan, and Egypt.”

The airdrops are part of a “series of actions aimed at improving the humanitarian response in the Gaza Strip,” the military says.

“The IDF will continue to work in order to improve the humanitarian response in the Gaza Strip, along with the international community, while refuting the false claims of deliberate starvation in Gaza,” it adds.

‘Shame on you’: Former hostage Emily Damari slams UK decision to recognize Palestinian state

Released hostage Emily Damari lights a torch at the prerecorded opening event of Israel's 77th Independence Day, broadcast on April 30, 2025 (Screenshot)

Former hostage Emily Damari says she is deeply saddened by the announcement that the UK will recognize a Palestinian state.

“As a Dual British-Israeli citizen who survived 471 days in Hamas captivity, I am deeply saddened by your decision @Keir_Starmer to recognise Palestinian statehood,” Damari posts on X.

“This move does not advance peace—it risks rewarding terror. It sends a dangerous message: that violence earns legitimacy,” she says.

“By legitimising a state entity while Hamas still controls Gaza and continues its campaign of terror, you are not promoting a solution; you are prolonging the conflict. Recognition under these conditions emboldens extremists and undermines any hope for genuine peace,” she writes. “Shame on you.”

As a Dual British-Israeli citizen who survived 471 days in Hamas captivity, I am deeply saddened by your decision @Keir_Starmer to recognise Palestinian statehood. This move does not advance peace—it risks rewarding terror. It sends a dangerous message: that violence earns… https://t.co/G4DF5AWgjT

— Emily Damari (@EmilyDamari1) July 30, 2025

Anti-Israel UN rapporteur Albanese bemoans effects of US sanctions on her life

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza, is interviewed by the Associated Press in Rome, Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Anti-Israel UN rapporteur on Palestinian rights Francesca Albanese, who was sanctioned by the US earlier this month for “political and economic warfare” against the US and Israel, bemoans the effects of the sanctions.

Albanese, an outspoken critic of Israel who has been accused of antisemitic and pro-terror rhetoric, says the sanctions will have serious impacts on her life and work.

“It’s very serious to be on the list of the people sanctioned by the US,” Albanese tells The Associated Press in Rome, adding that individuals sanctioned by the US cannot have financial interactions or credit cards with any American bank.

When used in “a political way,” she says the sanctions “are harmful, dangerous.”

“My daughter is American. I’ve been living in the US, and I have some assets there. So of course, it’s going to harm me,” Albanese says. “What can I do? I did everything I did in good faith, and knowing that, my commitment to justice is more important than personal interests.”

Israel said to give mediators response to Hamas’s unsatisfactory stance on hostage deal

Visitors at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv. July 30, 2025.(Miriam Alster/FLASH90)

Israel gave mediators on Tuesday night a document with its key points in response to Hamas’s unsatisfactory reply last week, a senior Israeli official tells Channel 12. The document was given to Hamas.

The development comes as US special envoy Steve Witkoff is scheduled to land in Israel tomorrow, with a focus on the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

He will also discuss frozen talks to achieve a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas.

Dermer to meet Syrian FM al-Shaibani in Azerbaijan on Thursday

Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer attends a Knesset plenum session in Jerusalem on January 22, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

A Syrian-Israeli ministerial meeting is set to take place Thursday in Baku, Azerbaijan, with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer in attendance, a diplomat tells AFP.

The diplomat, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, says the meeting will focus on “the security situation, particularly in southern Syria.”

This comes on the heels of a similar meeting between the two ministers in Paris last week and will take place after Shaibani’s unprecedented visit to Moscow on Thursday.

‘Don’t worry,’ Netanyahu tells under-investigation prisons chief; Ben Gvir says charges are ‘baseless’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voices his support for prisons chief Kobi Yaakobi, currently under probe for ethical violations, during a filmed speech to prison guards earlier today.

“Kobi, don’t worry,” says the premier in a low voice while speaking to guards staffing Ayalon Prison’s high-security Rafeket Wing, receiving wide applause from the audience. “You are on the right path, you are displaying leadership,” he continues.

He toured the prison, located in the central city of Ramle, together with Yaakobi and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

Yaakobi faces possible criminal charges as of earlier this month, when Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara announced her intent to file an indictment against him, subject to a hearing.

Speaking after Netanyahu, Ben Gvir concurs with the premier, linking the prime minister’s ongoing corruption trials with Yaakobi’s case. “Just as they invented a case against you, Mr. Prime Minister, and are pursuing a baseless indictment against you, they are also pursuing Kobi,” he said.

“The deep state is not prepared to accept the head of a security agency who implements the policy of the elected leadership. They simply don’t understand what democracy is,” he added.

Yaakobi is suspected of informing indicted West Bank police officer Avishai Muallem of a covert probe into the latter’s alleged interference to stymie investigations into settler violence.

He will have an opportunity to present evidence in his defense to state prosecutors before they decide whether to formally charge him with breach of trust, fraud and obstructing an investigation.

רה"מ נתניהו לנציב שב"ס קובי יעקובי שמצוי תחת חקירות: "קובי, אל תדאג". pic.twitter.com/XXuNaNDjji

— ינון מגל (@YinonMagal) July 30, 2025

Knesset speaker tells parliamentarians at Geneva meet that countries that want a Palestinian state should set them up in their own capitals

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana speaks at the Inter-Parliamentary Union's Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva on July 29, 2025 (Noam Moskowitz, Office of the Knesset Spokesperson)

The leaders of nations considering recognizing a Palestinian state should establish one in their own capitals, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana declares in a speech at the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva.

“Rewarding Hamas, by recognizing a Palestinian state in light of October 7, will not bring stability, coexistence and cooperation. It will bring more murder of Israelis and Jews. If you wish for that, if you wish what you call a Palestinian state, put it up in London, Paris, in your [own] countries,” he says.

“The so-called peace that some European countries advocate will only result in more war. But the war we are fighting will result in peace,” he continues, urging his international counterparts to “stand for truth over propaganda” and “stand on the right side of history – our side.”

Parliamentarians from Iran, Yemen and the Palestinian Authority leave the hall during Ohana’s speech

Ohana’s comments come after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Tuesday that the UK could recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Israel improves the situation in Gaza and takes steps toward peace.

France had announced the same days earlier, although without any conditions, and Starmer’s announcement prompted Malta to follow suit.

Since October 7, Norway, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia have all recognized Palestine.

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana at the IPU's Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva:

"Rewarding Hamas, by recognizing a Palestinian state in light of Oct 7th, will not bring stability, coexistence and cooperation. It will bring more murder of Israelis and Jews." pic.twitter.com/atGm8E0Psx

— Sam Sokol (@SamuelSokol) July 30, 2025

Jordan’s king says Gaza crisis worst in ‘modern history’

Jordan's King Abdullah II addresses a press conference with the German Chancellor at the Chancellery in Berlin on July 29, 2025. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP)

Jordan’s King Abdullah II says that the “humanitarian catastrophe” unfolding in the Gaza Strip was the worst in modern history.

“Gaza is witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe that exceeds anything we have witnessed in modern history,” Abdullah says, adding that Jordan was in contact with international partners “to pressure for an end to the war,” now in its 22nd month.

IDF reviewing eligibility for service for reservists suffering mental health challenges, PTSD

Reservists of the Jerusalem Brigade operate in the northern Gaza Strip, in a handout photo issued by the IDF on May 15, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF has begun reviewing the eligibility of reservists suffering from significant mental health disabilities, including post-traumatic stress disorder, following months of internal delays and mounting public pressure.

Under the new policy, quietly implemented last week, soldiers formally recognized by the Defense Ministry as having a 30% or greater mental health disability will be assessed by IDF mental health officers to determine if they are fit for continued reserve service.

The reviews come amid growing concern over the deployment of traumatized soldiers — including those unknowingly sent back to combat due to gaps in data-sharing between the IDF and the Defense Ministry.

At least 17 active-duty soldiers have died by suicide in 2025, according to Haaretz.

No formal discharges have yet been finalized, but at least one reservist told Ynet he was informed by phone mid-deployment that his service was terminated, describing the interaction as lacking “explanation or preparation” and having “zero sensitivity,” with the IDF describing it as an “isolated incident.”

Troops shoot, wound masked Israeli teen who was throwing rocks at cars in West Bank

A masked Israeli teenager who was hurling stones at motorists in the central West Bank was shot by a Border Police officer, a military official says.

The reservist policeman had spotted a group of masked suspects hurling rocks at cars that were stuck in a jam on Route 60, close to the settlement of Beit El and the illegal outpost of Oz Zion.

In response, the officer fired in the air. Moments later, the masked suspects began throwing stones at the police officer, who returned fire, hitting one of the suspects, the official says.

Medics report that the suspect, an Israeli 17-year-old boy, is in light-to-moderate condition after being shot.

Recent months have seen a significant rise in attacks by settler extremists against Palestinians in the West Bank, with troops often reluctant to intervene.

Israeli forces routinely shoot Palestinians throwing rocks at vehicles in the West Bank, saying they are endangering the lives of the motorists.

Cabinet minister hints at Israel annexing parts of Gaza if Hamas won’t agree to a hostage deal

Minister Ze'ev Elkin attends a Subcommittee for Rehabilitation of Tkuma Region, in the Knesset in Jerusalem on November 25, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Israel could threaten to annex parts of Gaza to increase pressure on Hamas, cabinet member Ze’ev Elkin says.

The comment came a day after Britain said it would recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Israel takes steps to relieve suffering in Gaza and reaches a ceasefire in the war with Hamas.

Accusing Hamas of trying to drag out ceasefire talks to gain Israeli concessions, Elkin tells the Kan public broadcaster that Israel may give the group an ultimatum to reach a deal before further expanding its military actions.

“The most painful thing for our enemy is losing lands,” he says. “A clarification to Hamas that the moment they play games with us they will lose land that they will never get back would be a significant pressure tool.”

Knesset committee to vote Monday on Bismuth replacing Edelstein on key panel to advance Haredi draft law

Likud MK Boaz Bismuth (left) speaks with party colleague Yuli Edelstein during a discussion on a non-binding proposal to apply sovereignty over the West Bank, in the Knesset on July 23, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The Knesset House Committee is set to vote on Monday on appointing MK Boaz Bismuth as chairman of the powerful Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

In a move widely seen as aimed at soothing troubled relations with the Knesset’s ultra-Orthodox factions and enabling the advance of a law enshrining the exemption from IDF service of most ultra-Orthodox males, lawmakers belonging to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party voted overwhelmingly last week to replace current committee chairman Yuli Edelstein with fellow Likud MK Boaz Bismuth.

Edelstein was ousted over his refusal to advance a conscription bill based on a compromise reached with the Haredi parties last month, under which most ultra-Orthodox males would continue to avoid IDF or other national service.

Netanyahu had been under growing pressure from within Likud to oust Edelstein, after the two Haredi parties, Shas and United Torah Judaism, bolted the government earlier this month, blaming the lawmaker for his attempts to advance a version of the bill that would guarantee significant draft quotas and sanctions for evaders.

If approved by the House Committee, Bismuth’s appointment will still need to pass a vote in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee itself.

The House Committee is also slated to hold votes on candidates to chair the labor and interior committees as well as the Special Committee for the Rights of the Child and the Special Committee for Bridging Social Gaps in the Periphery. It has not yet announced when a vote will be held on a candidate to head the Ethics Committee, which until recently was chaired by UTJ’s Moshe Roth.

French ministers condemn ‘excessive use of force’ after Jewish youths were removed from plane in Spain

Security forces are seen arresting a woman, said to be the director of the French Kinneret summer camp, after her group of some 50 kids was removed from an airplane in Valencia, Spain, on July 23, 2025. (X; used in accordance with article 27a of the Copyright Law)

A summer camp counselor has accused Spanish law enforcement officers of using brute force against her during the removal of a group of French Jewish teenagers from a plane bound for Paris from Spain, French government ministers and her lawyer say.

Ministers Aurore Bergé and Benjamin Haddad met with the counselor yesterday after French authorities last week contacted the CEO of the Spanish low-cost airline Vueling and the Spanish ambassador to France to determine whether the youngsters had been discriminated against on the basis of their religion.

Forty-four minors and eight adult French passengers were kicked off flight V8166 from Valencia to Paris on July 23, for what Spanish police and the airline described as unruly behavior.

But the ministers say the counselor, who asked to remain anonymous and is described as “shocked,” disputed that account. They say she described the crew as hostile from the outset, saying a child briefly sang but stopped when asked, and claimed no behavior warranted the group’s removal or the Civil Guard’s response.

“No action justified the disembarkation or the excessive and brutal use of force by the Civil Guard against the young woman, who has just been notified of 15 days of total incapacity to work,” the ministers say in a statement, adding that her testimony had been corroborated by other passengers on board.

The counselor’s lawyer, Muriel Ouaknine Melki, tells The Associated Press that she was left with bruises on her legs, arms and body after she was brutally handcuffed and held in an arm lock. Ouaknine Melki said her team is collecting evidence before lodging a complaint.

A Vueling spokesperson said the passengers were removed after the minors repeatedly tampered with the plane’s emergency equipment and interrupted the crew’s safety demonstration. A Civil Guard spokesperson said the plane captain ordered the group’s removal at Valencia’s Manises Airport after they repeatedly ignored crew instructions.

Bergé and Haddad also lashed out at a statement from the Spanish minister of transport “equating French children of Jewish faith with Israeli citizens, as if that somehow justified the treatment they received.” Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente has deleted a tweet from July 26 in which he called the minors “Israeli brats.”

Australian police arrest suspect in Melbourne synagogue arson attack

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (C) and members of the local Jewish community visiting the torched Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne on December 10, 2024. (DEPARTMENT OF PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET / AFP)

Australian police say they have arrested one of three men they suspect are responsible for an arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue that marked a major escalation in antisemitic violence across the nation.

A 21-year-old Melbourne man was arrested at a house today on suspicion that he had set fire to the Adass Israel Synagogue in December, Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Wendy Steendam says. The predawn attack destroyed the synagogue and left a worshiper with minor burns.

The arrest is a major breakthrough for investigators in the Victorian Joint Counter-Terrorism Team that is treating the attack as politically motivated.

The team involves Victoria state and federal police as well as Australia’s main domestic spy agency. More than 220 law enforcement officers have devoted more than 50,000 hours to the investigation.

The suspect, who has not been named, was being questioned about offenses including arson, conduct endangering life and car theft, Steendam says.

An arson conviction carries a potential maximum of 15 years in prison, while the other two offenses are each punishable by 10 years imprisonment. The suspect has yet to be charged.

“This investigation remains ongoing and we anticipate there’ll be further arrests,” Steendam tells reporters.

“I want to reassure Victorians, particularly those in the Jewish community, that we remain relentless in our pursuit in finding all those responsible for this crime and holding them to account,” she added.

Mossad chief said in US for talks, seen visiting NY grave of Lubavitcher Rebbe

Mossad chief David Barnea in Tel Aviv, on February 25, 2025. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

Mossad chief David Barnea is in the US for talks with American officials in Washington, DC, according to Ynet.

He was also seen in New York City on a visit to the grave of Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the report says.

Palestine Action’s co-founder wins bid to challenge UK terror group ban

Police officers monitor protesters holding a banner during a protest in support of anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action, in Trafalgar Square, central London, on June 23, 2025. (HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)

The co-founder of a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel campaign group wins her bid to bring a legal challenge against the British government’s decision to ban the group under anti-terrorism laws.

Huda Ammori, who helped found Palestine Action in 2020, asked London’s High Court to give the go-ahead for a full challenge to the group’s proscription, which was made on the grounds it committed or participated in acts of terrorism.

Earlier this month, the High Court refused Ammori’s application to pause the ban and, following an unsuccessful last-ditch appeal, Palestine Action’s proscription came into effect just after midnight on July 5.

Proscription makes it a crime to be a member of the group, carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.

Judge Martin Chamberlain granted permission for Ammori to bring a judicial review, saying her case that proscription amounted to a disproportionate interference with her and others’ right to freedom of expression was “reasonably arguable.”

Palo Alto Networks to buy CyberArk for $25 billion, in 2nd largest ever deal for an Israeli company

CyberArk staff and Nasdaq officials celebrate the company's IPO in June 2014 (Photo credit: Courtesy)

Palo Alto Networks, a Santa Clara, California-based cybersecurity firm founded by American-Israeli entrepreneur Nir Zuk, says it will acquire Israeli firm CyberArk in a deal worth a staggering $25 billion.

This marks the second largest acquisition of an Israeli company, following Google’s $32 billion purchase of Wiz.

Traded on the Nasdaq stock exchange since 2014 with a market cap of almost $22 billion, CyberArk specializes in identity security, including privileged accounts on corporate servers, to help businesses protect sensitive data and critical infrastructure against external attackers and malicious insiders.

“Today, the rise of AI and the explosion of machine identities have made it clear that the future of security must be built on the vision that every identity requires the right level of privilege controls,” says Palo Alto chairman and CEO Nikesh Arora. “CyberArk is the definitive leader in Identity Security with durable, foundational technology that is essential for securing the AI era.”

Under the terms of the agreement, CyberArk shareholders will receive $45 in cash and 2.2005 shares of Palo Alto Networks common stock for each CyberArk share.

US envoy Witkoff making first Israel visit in 3 months amid US concerns over Gaza aid crisis

US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff attends a meeting between US President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office at the White House on July 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images via AFP)

US special envoy Steve Witkoff is slated to travel to Israel today, reports Axios, citing two US officials.

An Israeli official confirms the visit to the Times of Israel.

“The president wants to know more about what the humanitarian situation in Gaza is in order to know how to get more assistance to civilians in Gaza,” one official tells Axios, after US President Donald Trump stressed the importance of getting Gazans fed during his trip to Scotland.

Witkoff might enter Gaza and see distribution sites belonging to the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to the report.

He was last in Israel in May.

Witkoff was expected to travel to the Middle East last week amid hostage talks in Doha, but canceled that leg of his trip as negotiations unraveled.

Ex-hostage Eli Sharabi honored as book recounting his captivity becomes a bestseller

Former hostage Eli Sharabi receives a Platinum Award for his bestselling book, 'Kidnapped,' on July 30, 2025 (Credit Rafi Dluya)

Former hostage Eli Sharabi is honored with a Platinum Award for his bestselling book, “Kidnapped,” which sold more than 70,000 copies in its first five days, making it a bestseller in the Israeli market.

“I didn’t believe there would still be hostages when the book was released,” says Sharabi at a ceremony for the award.

“Kidnapped” was published by Rotem Sela in May.

Sharabi says he hoped the book would be a memory from the past when he wrote it. It is the first testimonial book written by a released hostage after the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack.

“Even 173 days after I was released from captivity — they’re still there,” says Sharabi, referring to the remaining hostages. “Every day I think about them — what they eat, how they survive, how they deal with the constant hunger. We must not get used to this situation. We must not pretend that life goes on while they are not here.”

Sharabi said he hopes the upcoming English translation of the book, being published by HarperCollins in the US ahead of the second anniversary of October 7, will help Americans understand the reality of the hostages.

Israeli fighter jet dropped fuel pods off coast of Ashkelon last week due to malfunction, IDF says

An Israeli Air Force fighter jet released fuel pods over the Mediterranean Sea, just off the coast of Ashkelon, due to a technical malfunction during a training flight last week, the military says.

The IDF says the jet safely landed at an airbase in central Israel following the incident, and there were no injuries.

One of the fuel pods was found today at a beach in central Israel. The IDF says forces are working to remove it from the area.

Survey reveals growing divide between Israeli and American Jews over Gaza war, politics

A new survey by the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) reveals a deepening rift between Israeli and American Jews over Israel’s war in Gaza and its broader security policy, including the recent campaign against Iran’s nuclear program.

According to JPPI’s “Voice of the Jewish People” Index, 45% of American Jews say Israel is too aggressive in Gaza. Among those identifying as “very liberal,” 44% agree with accusations that Israel is committing genocide — an assertion widely rejected in Israel. In contrast, 70% of Jewish Trump voters say Israel is not aggressive enough.

While 54% of Israeli Jews believe Israel is winning the Gaza war, only a third of US Jews agree, the report says. Similarly, Israelis overwhelmingly rate the Iran operation as a success, while just 7% of American Jews gave it the highest possible rating.

Trust in US President Donald Trump on Israel-related matters has increased among American Jews, with 57% now expressing at least some trust, including 35% of those who voted for former vice president Kamala Harris in November, the survey found.

In New York, nearly 70% of American Jews oppose the candidacy of Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, and 61% view him as both anti-Israel and antisemitic, the survey finds.

“The survey shows that even among American Jews – who are generally predisposed to support Israel – the country is failing to explain and justify its positions effectively,” says JPPI director general Dr. Shuki Friedman.

Belgium coordinating with Jordan to airdrop food aid, medical supplies to Gaza

Belgium will take part in a multi-country operation coordinated by Jordan to airdrop aid to Gaza, the government announces.

A Belgian plane carrying medical supplies and food worth some 600,000 euros ($690,000) will fly “soon” to Jordan, and will remain on standby to conduct airdrops in coordination with Amman, the defense and foreign ministries say in a statement.

Right-wing influencer Yosef Haddad detained on suspicion of firing gun during brawl in Jaffa

Yoseph Haddad. (Courtesy)

Police detained right-wing Arab Israeli influencer Yosef Haddad earlier today after he allegedly fired his handgun during a brawl with another man in Jaffa.

Police comment on the incident, saying they received a report of a “fight between drivers on a road in Jaffa, during which gunshots were also reported.”

Nobody was hurt in the altercation.

Police say they detained both people involved for questioning, “including a suspect with a licensed handgun.”

Police are probing the circumstances of the incident.

Shas, UTJ pledge to support any hostage deal brought to a vote despite quitting government

The ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism parties announce that they will support any deal to bring back the hostages placed before the Knesset, saying that “there is no more important mitzvah than the ransoming of captives.”

“Despite the fact that we were forced to withdraw from the government due to repeated violations of agreements by our coalition partners, we are fully committed to our brothers and sisters, the captives in the tunnels in Gaza, both the living and the dead,” the Haredi factions declare in a joint statement.

“Therefore, the factions will provide support for any proposal for a hostage agreement that is brought to the government and the Knesset. There is no more important mitzvah than the ransoming of captives. We once again call on the prime minister to do everything in his power to return our kidnapped brothers and sisters, without exception, to their families as soon as possible.”

Earlier this month, UTJ quit the coalition after being presented with a copy of a proposed enlistment bill prepared by the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee’s then-chairman, Yuli Edelstein. It was quickly followed by Shas, which, while quitting the government, has remained part of the coalition.

Opposition parties submit request for special Knesset session on Haredi conscription

Head of The Democrats party Yair Golan, head of National Unity party Benny Gantz, head of Yesh Atid party Yair Lapid and head of Yisrael Beytenu party Avigdor Liberman hold a joint press conference at the Knesset, November 6, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The leaders of the opposition announce they have gathered enough signatures to hold a special Knesset session during the current recess to discuss the coalition’s efforts to pass legislation exempting ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students from military conscription.

In a joint statement, the opposition heads write that they have submitted a “25 signatures” request to the Knesset secretariat’s table calling for “an emergency meeting of the Knesset plenum to discuss the following topics: advancing the evasion law during wartime, bringing back the hostages, and advancing an immediate deal to end the fighting in Gaza.”

A date for the special session will be determined later, the statement says.

Despite being part of the opposition, neither the Arab-majority Hadash-Ta’al party nor Islamist Ra’am is involved in the initiative.

Both the Ashkenazi United Torah Judaism and Sephardic Shas parties have been pushing hard for the passage of legislation enabling most ultra-Orthodox males to continue to avoid military conscription or other national service, in the wake of last year’s High Court decision that such exemptions are illegal on equality grounds.

Earlier this month, UTJ quit the coalition after being presented with a copy of a proposed enlistment bill prepared by the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee’s then-chairman, Yuli Edelstein, which it argued had violated the terms of a supposed compromise reached the previous month.

They were quickly followed by Shas, which, while quitting the government, has remained part of the coalition.

The Knesset entered a nearly three-month-long recess on July 27. It will reconvene on October 19 for the winter session.

Some 80,000 ultra-Orthodox men aged between 18 and 24 are currently believed to be eligible for military service, but have not enlisted. The Israel Defense Forces has said it urgently needs 12,000 recruits, due to the strain on standing and reserve forces amid the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza and other military challenges. Some 2,700 Haredim enlisted over the past year, far short of the IDF’s goal of 4,800.

Hostage forum condemns ‘dangerous’ choice to recognize Palestinian state before hostages are freed

Protesters call for a ceasefire and hostage release deal, on Begin Road in Tel Aviv, July 29, 2025. (Yoav Loeff/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum condemns the growing trend of European countries recognizing a Palestinian state, arguing that such diplomatic initiatives endanger the hostages.

“Recognizing a Palestinian state while 50 hostages remain trapped in Hamas tunnels amounts to rewarding terrorism. Such recognition is not a step toward peace, but rather a clear violation of international law and a dangerous moral and political failure that legitimizes horrific war crimes,” declares the group, which represents the families of the hostages.

“The abduction of men, women, and children, who are being held against their will in tunnels while subjected to starvation and physical and psychological abuse, cannot and should not serve as the foundation for establishing a state.”

“If the international community truly desires peace, it must join US efforts by demanding first the release of all hostages, followed by an end to the fighting,” the forum continues.

“Recognition of a Palestinian state before the hostages are returned will be remembered throughout history as validating terrorism as a legitimate pathway to political goals,” it adds. “The essential first step toward ensuring a better future for all peoples must be the release of all hostages through a single, comprehensive deal.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Tuesday that the UK  could recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Israel improves the situation in Gaza and takes steps toward peace.

France had announced the same days earlier, although without any preconditions, and Starmer’s announcement prompted Malta to follow suit.

Since October 7, Norway, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia have all recognized Palestine.

The UK has rebuffed criticism, including by US President Donald Trump, that it is rewarding Hamas.

Two teens charged with reckless manslaughter over fatal shooting of friend

Magen David Adom medics attend to a 14-year-old boy who was injured apparently while playing with a gun, near Rishon Lezion, June 8, 2025. (MDA)

State prosecutors file charges against two teenage boys for reckless manslaughter after one of them accidentally shot and killed their 14-year-old friend last month.

The two defendants, ages 14 and 17, had been playing with a handgun belonging to the older boy’s father. The three gathered on June 8 after school on Rishon Lezion’s sand dunes to test the firearm.

The 14-year-old fired the gun several times and accidentally shot their friend, Uri Portal, in the chest, critically wounding him, prosecutors say.

Paramedics who took Portal to the hospital said they arrived at the scene to find him unconscious with no vital signs. He died of his wounds two days later in Holon’s Wolfson Medical Center.

The two teens were detained for questioning soon after the incident and indicted today. Prosecutors charge the pair with reckless manslaughter, illegal possession of a firearm and illegal discharge of a firearm.

Prosecutors also request the court extend the defendants’ house arrest and prohibit them from leaving the country. The minors’ identifying details are barred from publication.

Opposition leaders fume, demand firing of minister who called hostages ‘prisoners of war’

Opposition leaders slam Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu for suggesting that Israel define the 50 remaining Gaza hostages as “prisoners of war” rather than hostages, arguing that such rhetoric endangers the hostages’ lives.

Speaking with Radio Kol Chai this morning, Eliyahu, a member of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, said that “the hostages should be defined as prisoners of war. Prisoners of war are only dealt with at the end of the victory. First, Hamas should be defeated.”

“After proposing to drop an atomic bomb on Gaza, and wipe out Gaza, now Amichay Eliyahu proposes abandoning the hostages to their deaths,” declares Opposition Leader Yair Lapid. “If he is not fired today, then the Israeli government is admitting to abandoning the hostages.”

Blue and White-National Unity chief Benny Gantz declares on X that “Israelis kidnapped in the greatest failure in the state’s history are not prisoners of war, and the very comparison endangers their lives and plays into Hamas’s narrative.”

“Also, in order to destroy Hamas’s rule and face all the challenges ahead, we must act to return all the hostages in a single comprehensive framework,” he adds.

“Amichay Eliyahu is simply saying openly what the government is doing and hiding. They decided long ago to sacrifice the hostages and prolong the war indefinitely. For them, this is a time of miracles,” writes Democrats head Yair Golan, in an apparent reference to Settlements and National Projects Minister Orit Strock’s statement last summer that the war had been “like a time of miracles” for the settlement movement.

“The vast majority of Israelis want to live in security and have the hostages back home. The Ben Gvir and Smotrich government wants messianic visions of expulsion, erasure, and settlement. We must fight these people and send them home,” Golan declares.

Ministers tell High Court they had no choice but to create new process to fire AG, as old one wouldn’t have worked

Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli tell the High Court of Justice that the government had to redesign the dismissal process for Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara because none of the 21 living former justice ministers and attorneys general were willing to sit on the original dismissal advisory committee, or had already expressed an opinion about Baharav-Miara’s dismissal, or the government deemed them hostile to its agenda.

The ministers were responding to comments made by High Court Judge Noam Sohlberg in a technical decision on the issue on Tuesday, in which he recommended the government abandon its new dismissal process and revert to the original method to remove an attorney general, with a public, professional advisory committee that includes a former justice minister or attorney general.

Writing to the court, Levin and Chikli note that there are seven living former attorneys general, but that all of them issued a public position paper arguing against dismissing Baharav-Miara in March when the government began the initial dismissal process.

This, the ministers said, meant they could not be objective members on the dismissal advisory committee. All five members of the newly formed ministerial committee for dismissing Baharav-Miara had also previously expressed their opinion about firing her before the committee was established.

Levin says that he also found that 11 of the 14 former justice ministers were either “prevented from filling the role” on the committee, had expressed themselves publicly against firing Baharav-Miara, or were “clear opponents of the government’s policies.”

There were, therefore, only three relevant candidates, the ministers insisted, but despite Levin’s efforts to convince them, they refused to sit on the committee.

The ministers say that this left the government with no choice but to change the dismissal process, which they argued it was legally entitled to do under the terms of the 1959 Law for the Civil Service and the 1981 Law of Interpretations.

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, one of the organizations which has petitioned the High Court against the government’s new dismissal process, says the ministers’ response demonstrated that the new method had been designed to fit Baharav-Miara “personally,” and constituted “drawing the target around the arrow” in order to get to the desired result.

And Yesh Atid MK Karine Elharrar comments on X, “If you didn’t find members for the committee who will agree to the dismissal, it is worthwhile understanding what everyone else understands: dismissing the attorney general is an illegitimate process designed entirely to harm the rule of law, and no thinking person will give a rubber stamp to such illegal actions.”

22 ministers, lawmakers demand Katz allow settlement group to tour northern Gaza, check locations for future settlements

Head of the Nachala settlements advocacy organization Daniella Weiss stands by a sign declaring "Gaza is ours forever," in the southern city of Sderot, December 26, 2024. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)

Twenty-two cabinet ministers and coalition lawmakers sign a letter asking Defense Minister Israel Katz to approve a tour of northern Gaza by settlement groups in order to examine possible sites for future Israeli settlements.

The letter, signed by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, Culture Minister Miki Zohar and Social Equality Minister May Golan, among others, calls on Katz to “approve a patrol into the northern border area of the Gaza Strip as part of an initiative by the Nachala Movement’s settlement cadres to examine settlement options in the area.”

The Nachala organization is involved in the construction of illegal settlement outposts. Its leader, Daniella Weiss, has been sanctioned by Canada and the UK.

“The Gaza Strip is no longer a geographical area — it is the living heart of the Land of Israel, an area with deep biblical, historical, and national roots. The return of the Jewish people to these places is not just a strategic step — but a return to Zion in the deepest and most practical sense,” they continue, arguing that Israel should resettle northern Gaza because it is under full IDF control and “empty of Gaza residents.”

Noting that residents of nearby Israeli towns and communities close to the Gaza border have been allowed to return home, the nationalist politicians argue that “in the absence of a security impediment to the move, preventing the tour from entering could be perceived as taking a political stance and silencing the right, which is calling on the government to act to resettle Gaza.”

“We would like to join the tour in question ourselves,” they add.

Among the other signatories to the letter are Likud MKs Dan Illouz and Afef Abed, the party’s only Druze lawmaker, as well as Otzma Yehudit’s Limor Son Har-Melech and Religious Zionism’s Ohad Tal.

In a post on X, Nachala says the letter indicates support from a third of the coalition for its mission.

“The demand is being made as part of the call to settle the northern sector as an immediate first step toward reconquest, expulsion, and settlement of the entire Gaza Strip,” it says.

“The northern border was conquered and expelled — now is the time to settle.”

One of Yemen’s last remaining Jews moves to Israel

One of the last remaining Jews in Yemen has immigrated to Israel, according to Hebrew media reports.

Badra Ben Youssef left Yemen in June, a year after her husband Yahya passed away, Ynet reports, citing a source in Yemen. The couple had no children, and Yahya was buried by his Muslim neighbors, the report says.

Only four Jews now remain in Yemen, including one who was arrested in late 2015 on accusations of smuggling a Torah scroll to Israel, the report says.

Jews have lived in Yemen for over 2,000 years, with some traditions claiming that Jewish settlement in the region dates back to the time of King Solomon (10th century BCE) or shortly after the Babylonian exile in the 6th century BCE.

About 49,000 Yemeni Jews were airlifted to Israel during Operation Magic Carpet in 1949–1950.

Egyptian FM: Cairo training hundreds of Palestinians for security jobs in postwar Gaza

In a clip from a yet-to-be-aired interview, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty tells the Saudi Al Arabiya news channel that Egypt has a clear plan for security and governance arrangements in Gaza after the war ends, and that it is training “Palestinian operatives” who will be deployed in the Gaza Strip and assume security roles once the war is over.

He does not specify in the clip if the Palestinians being trained are part of any formal organization, such as the Palestinian Authority.

Abdelatty also says that Egypt holds daily talks with Qatar and the United States amid efforts to forge a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas.

The foreign minister slams Israel for its actions in Gaza, accusing it of using food as a weapon of war and saying that the level of hunger in the Strip is “beyond imagination.”

UK rejects criticism that move to recognize Palestinian state rewards Hamas

Britain rejects criticism that it is rewarding the Hamas terror group by laying out plans to recognize a Palestinian state unless Israel takes steps to improve the situation in Gaza and bring about peace.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s ultimatum, setting a September deadline for Israel, prompted an immediate rebuke from his counterpart in Jerusalem, who said it rewarded Hamas and punished the victims of its October 7, 2023, assault.

US President Donald Trump also said he did not think Hamas “should be rewarded” with recognition of Palestinian independence.

Asked about that criticism, British Transport Minister Heidi Alexander — designated by the government to respond to questions in a series of media interviews on Wednesday — said it is not the right way to characterize Britain’s plan.

“This is not a reward for Hamas. Hamas is a vile terrorist organization that has committed appalling atrocities. This is about the Palestinian people. It’s about those children that we see in Gaza who are starving to death,” she tells LBC radio.

“We’ve got to ratchet up pressure on the Israeli government to lift the restrictions to get aid back into Gaza.”

Milwidsky resigns as deputy Knesset speaker following appointment as Finance Committee chair

Following his appointment as chairman of the powerful Knesset Finance Committee, Likud MK Hanoch Milwidsky submits his resignation as deputy Knesset speaker to Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana.

He writes that the decision was made in order to focus on and show “full commitment” to his duties as committee chair.

Lawmakers on the Knesset Finance Committee on Tuesday voted 10-7 to appoint Milwidsky as their new chairman on Wednesday despite an ongoing police investigation against him on suspicion of rape and witness tampering.

Milwidsky replaced former chairman MK Moshe Gafni, whose United Torah Judaism party quit the coalition earlier this month over its failure to pass a law exempting yeshiva students from military service.

The committee is one of the most powerful parliamentary panels, exercising oversight over issues relating to the state budget, taxation and banking.

Far-right minister calls for categorizing hostages as ‘prisoners of war,’ so that defeating Hamas can come first

Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu speaks during a Knesset Education, Culture, and Sports Committee meeting, in Jerusalem, on July 7, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu suggests that Israel should define the 50 remaining Gaza hostages as “prisoners” rather than hostages, which would allow for their release to be delayed until “victory” has been achieved over Hamas.

“The hostages should be defined as prisoners of war. Prisoners of war are only dealt with at the end of the victory,” the ultranationalist Otzma Yehudit minister tells Radio Kol Chai. “First, Hamas should be defeated.”

He laments that, in his eyes, the government is “confused” about its strategy in Gaza, and says that this has led to the hostages being “stuck” for longer than they would have been otherwise.

“Many people prioritize the hostages over victory — this is a mistake,” Eliyahu continues. “I’m calling to release the prisoners of war after the defeat [of Hamas], not before.”

The far-right lawmaker also called for Israel to apply sovereignty to the Gaza Strip, claiming that doing so “would be good for both Jews and Arabs.”

“Gaza should be Jewish, and then the Arabs will be better off too,” he said.

Eliyahu has drawn outrage for other comments on Gaza in the past.

Two said killed, others wounded in shooting near Gaza aid site

Media outlets in Gaza report that two people were killed and several wounded by Israeli fire near an aid distribution center operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the Netzarim Corridor area.

In addition, there are reports this morning of eight people wounded by Israeli fire at the al-Nabulsi junction in western Gaza City, where they had been waiting for the arrival of humanitarian aid trucks.

The IDF has not yet responded to the reports.

Eight residents of Umm al-Kheir arrested overnight after Palestinian activist shot dead in clash with settlers Monday

Eight residents of the Palestinian hamlet of Umm al-Kheir in the South Hebron Hills region were arrested overnight, following an incident on Monday in which activist Awdah Hathaleen was allegedly shot dead by Yinon Levi, a sanctioned, extremist settler who runs an illegal farming outpost in the region.

According to Peace Now, the head of the village was among those arrested.

Activists say that the army entered Umm al-Kheir around 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning with two military jeeps to carry out the arrests.

The IDF says it is looking into the reports.

Hathaleen was killed during a confrontation between Levi and residents of Umm al-Kheir.

According to testimony from eyewitnesses reported by the Mekomit news website, Levi’s bulldozer entered the village and began uprooting trees and a fence, leading residents to throw stones at the vehicle.

Levi then exited the vehicle and fired off several shots from his sidearm, one of which struck Hathaleen in the chest, killing him.

A police representative said in a hearing in the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, however, that “it appears” Levi’s life and that of a minor driving the vehicle had been in danger, although further investigative work was needed.

The judge said Levi’s claim of self-defense was backed by two “objective” eyewitnesses.

Levi was released to house arrest until Friday.

Four men arrested for throwing stones at Levi’s bulldozer on Monday remain in detention in the Ofer prison and will be brought to a military court on Thursday.

Ex-US contractor who accused IDF of war crimes at aid sites ‘falsified documents’ to spread ‘false narrative,’ GHF says, sharing evidence

Former Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid worker Anthony Aguilar in an interview with BBC, aired July 25, 2025. (Screenshot/BBC)

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation accuses an American former contractor who alleged that he had seen fellow contractors and Israeli soldiers use “indiscriminate” force against civilians at aid sites of deliberately spreading a “false narrative” after he was fired for performance reasons.

The contractor, former US special forces soldier Anthony Aguilar, alleged in an interview on Friday that he had witnessed “war crimes” being committed by IDF troops near GHF aid distribution sites, which have been plagued with near-daily reports of mass casualty incidents.

“In my entire career, I have never witnessed the level of brutality and use of indiscriminate and unnecessary force against a civilian population, an unarmed, starving population,” he had told the BBC.

In the aftermath of the interview, GHF holds a press briefing to present evidence that Aguilar “falsified documents” and “presented misleading videos to push his false narrative.”

In the briefing, GHF spokesperson Chapin Fay shares the content of text messages that show that Aguilar was “terminated for misconduct,” and did not, as he claimed, resign from GHF’s security partner UG Solutions by choice.

After he pleaded to be rehired and was turned away, he “threatened UG Solutions with retribution,” Fay says, citing a message sent by Aguilar on June 15 in which he warned that he could be the company’s “best friend or worst nightmare.”

After the pleas failed to yield results, Aguilar turned to the press, Fay says.

Palestinians carry humanitarian aid packages near the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution center operated by the US-backed organization in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, June 26, 2025. (AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)

The GHF spokesperson also accuses Aguilar of falsifying a memo sent to his superiors in which he raised concerns about UG Solutions’ policies in Gaza.

While Aguilar claimed to have sent the memo on May 28, Fay shares metadata showing that he only sent it on June 21, after he was fired, and then backdated it to the previous month. The metadata also shows that he sent the memo to UG Solutions’ senior staff and to the press at the same time.

“Notably, on May 29, one day after Mr. Aguilar claims to have sent this memo to UG leadership, he sent a flurry of messages to the team, praising them for their work,” Fay says, sharing screenshots of these messages.

“It’s a privilege and an honor to see America’s best doing America’s most important work in places most Americans will only ever see on TV or read about,” one such message reads.

“Your efforts have brought families back together and have severely weakened the image of Hamas,” reads another.

Fay wraps up the briefing by noting that Aguilar worked for UG Solutions for just 27 days, “and more than half of that time he spent in a hotel in Israel instead of on the ground at distribution sites.”

“Not only did the events that he recounted never happen, but he wasn’t even in the right place or at the right time to have seen the things that he claims to have seen,” he says.

Along with the evidence presented in the briefing, GHF publishes a signed affidavit from UG Solutions staff members who worked with Aguilar and who contradict his claims.

Magnitude 8.8 quake in Russia’s Far East causes tsunami, Japan and Hawaii order evacuations

A magnitude 8.8 earthquake has struck off Russia’s Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, damaging buildings and generating a tsunami of up to 4 meters (13 feet) that has prompted warnings and evacuations stretching across the Pacific Ocean.

Several people are injured in the remote Russian region, while much of Japan’s eastern seaboard — devastated by a powerful earthquake and tsunami in 2011 — is ordered to evacuate.

“Today’s earthquake was serious and the strongest in decades of tremors,” Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov says in a video posted on the Telegram messaging app.

Kamchatka’s geophysical service says on Telegram: “The strongest earthquake since 1952 has just occurred in the Kamchatka seismic zone… Given the scale of the event, strong aftershocks with a magnitude of up to 7.5 should be expected.”

The US Geological Survey says the earthquake was shallow at a depth of 19.3 km (12 miles), and was centered 119 km (74 miles) east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a city of 165,000.

Japan’s weather agency says it expects tsunami waves of up to 3 meters (10 feet) to reach large coastal areas starting around 0100 GMT.

Tsunami alarms sound in coastal towns across Japan’s Pacific coast, with authorities urging people to seek higher ground.

Gaza annexation ‘not really on the table,’ minister reportedly says

Reported Israeli plans to annex parts of Gaza are extremely unlikely to materialize and are only being leaked to the press in order to threaten Hamas into softening its demands regarding a hostage and ceasefire deal, according to a government minister and a senior coalition member quoted by Haaretz.

“It’s not really on the table,” the unnamed minister is quoted as saying by the outlet.

The similarly unnamed coalition member adds: “I find it very unlikely to happen. Right now, [we are] trying to threaten Hamas where it would be pained the most — losing land.”

Bennett accuses NYT of ‘blood libel’ after outlet notes emaciated Gazan kid had underlying illness

Hidaya, a 31-year-old Palestinian mother, cradles her sick 18-month-old son Mohammed al-Mutawaq, who is also displaying signs of malnutrition, inside their tent at the Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, on July 24, 2025. This caption was updated on July 30, 2025 to reflect new information about al-Mutawaq’s condition (Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett accuses The New York Times of promoting a “blood libel” against Israel after the leading American newspaper appended an editors’ note to a story highlighting the plight of malnourished Gazan children, acknowledging that a kid whose gaunt image drew global outrage had preexisting health problems.

Following claims by Israel and pro-Israel activists that images of Palestinian kids with underlying illnesses have been misleadingly used by international media to exaggerate the scale of hunger in the Strip, The New York Times says in its note that Mohammed Zakaria al-Mutawaq, 5, “also had pre-existing health problems.”

“This is simply unbelievable,” reacts Bennett. “After generating a tsunami of hate towards Israel with that terrifying picture, the NYT now quietly admits that the boy has preexisting conditions. NYT, you knew that Hamas uses babies with preexisting illnesses. We’ve been saying this for months now. You knew exactly what this picture would cause. This is a blood libel in 2025. Have you no shame?”

This is simply unbelievable.

After generating a tsunami of hate towards Israel with that terrifying picture, the NYT now quietly admits that the boy has preexisting conditions.

NYT, you knew that Hamas uses babies with preexisting illnesses.
We’ve been saying this for months… https://t.co/SOwZ0LMtyS

— Naftali Bennett נפתלי בנט (@naftalibennett) July 29, 2025

As Trump promises new Gaza aid plan, White House says details forthcoming

Palestinians receive meals from volunteers in Gaza City, on July 28, 2025. (Ali Hassan/Flash90)

Details on a new aid plan for Gaza promised by US President Donald Trump are forthcoming, White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly tells The Times of Israel.

During a Monday press conference with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump declared: “We’re going to set up food centers where people can walk in and [there are] no boundaries.”

“People [currently] see the food from thirty yards away… but they’ve got fences set up so nobody can even get it. It’s crazy,” Trump said on Monday.

Israel has yet to confirm that such a plan is in the works.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday, Trump is asked when the new food centers will be set up.

“Very soon,” he responds, noting that the US has donated $60 million to the cause.

He is apparently referring to the $30 million that the US has donated to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). It’s not clear whether the new food centers he spoke about would be related to the current three that are already being run by GHF.

Asked who will be running the food centers, Trump responds: “We’re going to be dealing with Israel.”

Israel to date has sought to avoid directly running aid distribution centers, instead preferring to have the IDF secure the perimeter around them.

Trump says he last spoke to Netanyahu two days ago, and the Israeli premier also wants food to be properly distributed to Gazans.

“We think [Israel] can do a good job of it… They want to preside over those food centers to make sure the distribution is proper,” Trump says. “They don’t want Hamas stealing the money or stealing the food… [Israel] will do a good job. The food will be properly [distributed].”

Asked for more information on the new aid plan referenced by Trump, Kelly says in a statement: “President Trump wants to alleviate suffering for the people of Gaza because he has a humanitarian heart. He announced a new aid plan to help Gazans obtain crucial access to food — details are forthcoming.”

Asked separately aboard Air Force One whether he still stands behind his February plan to relocate Gazans outside of the Strip, Trump claims some loved the idea while others didn’t. He says many Palestinians want to leave the enclave, adding: “We really have to see how it all works out before we do that.”

Hamas political leaders said to fear Israeli assassination attempts amid bid to restart talks

Hamas leaders are bolstering security around themselves over fears that Israel may try to assassinate Politburo members abroad, the Haaretz daily reports, citing Palestinian sources.

Sources also tell Haaretz they worry Israel could launch raids aimed at rescuing hostages.

According to the report, sources say they received conflicting messages in recent hours from countries involved in mediating ceasefire talks regarding the possibility that indirect negotiations with Israel could restart.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier that Hamas’s obstinacy was the main hurdle blocking a ceasefire deal, and US President Donald Trump said yesterday that the “fight will have to be a little bit different” given Hamas’s unwillingness to negotiate.