The Times of Israel liveblogged Sunday’s events as they unfolded.
‘No future for Jews’: Prominent French Jews decry far-left’s gains in vote
Prominent French Jews lament the electoral success of a political bloc that features a far-left party widely regarded as antisemitic in the country’s parliamentary elections.
This reaction is in response to news that the New Popular Front, which includes the Socialist Party and the France Unbowed far-left party, or LFI, garnered the highest share of the vote in today’s final round, with 175 to 205 seats according to a preliminary count, followed by the Ensemble! party of President Emmanuel Macron (150 to 175) and then the far-right National Rally (115-150).
Moshe Sebbag, a rabbi for the Synagogue de la Victoire, tells The Times of Israel that “it seems France has no future for Jews.” He advises young French Jews to leave for Israel.
“But people my age, who are 50, 60, we’ve made our life here and we fear for the future of our children,” he says. His assessment is not due solely to the left-wing bloc’s success, but to the mainstreaming of antisemitism in general in France, he says.
“The left is once again kidnapped by the infamous Melenchon. Divisive language. Hate of the republic on the lips. Around him right now are some incarnations of the new antisemitism. A chilling moment. A stain: Continue to fight against these people,” French-Jewish philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy writes on X.
Jean-Luc Melenchon is the leader of LFI, and in a 2017 speech called French Jews “an arrogant minority that lectures to the rest.” He is on record in an earlier speech as celebrating anti-Israel protesters days after some of them stormed a synagogue, condemning in that speech only French Jews who demonstrated to show solidarity with Israel.
“Melenchon’s victory is a terrible signal of impunity sent to the anti-Jewish Islamo-Faschists,” writes French-Jewish journalist Yohann Taieb on X.
The elections do not necessarily affect Macron’s presidency, but may make it more difficult to pass legislation and some executive actions.
Anti-government protesters gather at barricades around PM’s Jerusalem residence
Hundreds of protesters are marching through the streets of Jerusalem’s Rehavia neighborhood in an effort to reach the residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The march began with thousands of participants, but thinned out after briefly splitting into multiple directions throughout the neighborhood.
The police have erected barricades on Azza Street to prevent demonstrators from reaching Netanyahu’s residence.
Hillel Levi-Faur, one of the protest organizers, gives an impromptu speech directed at the police.
“You know us. We are non-violent protesters,” he says. “All these barricades and unnecessary blockades are a shame. Allow us to demonstrate in front of the Prime Minister’s Residence.”
“Bibi is abandoning the hostages!” shout the protesters, before reading off the names of the remaining Hamas captives in Gaza.
Le Pen vows that victory for France’s far-right has ‘only been delayed’
French three-time presidential candidate Marine Le Pen says the victory of the far right in France has only been postponed after projections show it lagging behind the left and center in legislative elections.
“The tide is rising. It did not rise high enough this time, but it continues to rise and, consequently, our victory has only been delayed,” Le Pen, who is expected to stand for the presidency again in 2027, tells the TF1 television broadcaster, adding she refused to be “disappointed by a result where we double our number of members of parliament.”
1 killed, 8 arrested in Eritrean brawl in south Tel Aviv
A seriously wounded man has died and eight have been arrested, due to a brawl in south Tel Aviv between pro-regime and anti-regime Eritrean migrants, police say.
Police say they used crowd dispersal means to break up the fight, which killed one individual and seriously wounded another, who has been hospitalized.
Such instances of violence between opposing groups of Eritrean asylum seekers have been seen on several occasions in south Tel Aviv.
French PM says he will resign after polls show left-wing coalition winning election
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal says he will hand his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron tomorrow morning, adding that he will carry out his functions as long as required.
Attal makes the comments after France’s left-wing New Popular Front coalition won the most seats in the second voting round of parliamentary elections, leading pollsters say, putting them on track for an unexpected win over the far right National Rally (RN) party but short of an absolute majority in parliament.
Official from mediating country slams Netanyahu’s demands as harming talk prospects
A senior official from one of the countries mediating between Israel and Hamas accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to sabotage the hostage deal, which has been gaining momentum in recent days, with his latest statement pledging to resume the war, even after the staged ceasefire deal goes into effect.
The senior official speaking to The Times of Israel on condition of anonymity says that this non-negotiable demand publicized by Netanyahu’s office hits at the most sensitive aspect of the ongoing negotiations, as Hamas is seeking assurances from the mediators that Israel will not resume fighting after the first stage of the ceasefire and hostage release deal.
The official says the mediators have succeeded in bringing Hamas down from an earlier demand for an up-front commitment from Israel to end the war upon the start of the first stage of the agreement.
They have instead kept in place relatively open-ended language regarding the transition from phase one to phase two that allows both Israel to feel comfortable enough that it has the ability to resume fighting if Hamas ceases to negotiate in good faith, and Hamas to feel comfortable enough that the mediators will prevent Israel from resuming the war instead of implementing the permanent ceasefire that is stage two of the deal.
“Statements like the one made by the prime minister severely harm efforts to maintain that ambiguity,” the senior official from the mediating country says.
“One cannot help but conclude that they are being made for purely political purposes,” the official adds, referencing Netanyahu’s desire to appease far-right coalition partners who oppose the hostage deal under discussion.
2 Eritrean citizens seriously wounded in clashes in south Tel Aviv, say police
Two Eritrean migrants are seriously wounded in a fight that broke out in south Tel Aviv, according to police.
A statement from the police says a violent argument broke out that included stone throwing and the use of clubs and spikes between warring Eritrean asylum seekers.
Two men in critical and serious condition were brought to a hospital for treatment, police say.
There has previously been similar violence among pro-regime and anti-regime Eritrean migrants in Israel, including major clashes in Tel Aviv last September, in which at least 170 people were hurt — including police officers. In May of this year, one man was killed and five others wounded in a similar brawl in south Tel Aviv.
Macron’s office says he is reviewing elections results before making any decision
French President Emmanuel Macron is currently analyzing the latest election results and will wait for the full picture to emerge in parliament before taking the necessary next decisions, the French Presidency says in a statement.
“The president, as guarantor of our institutions, will respect the choice of French people,” the statement adds.
France’s left-wing New Popular Front coalition won the most seats in the second voting round of parliamentary elections, leading pollsters say, putting it on track for an unexpected win over the far right National Rally (RN) party, but short of an absolute majority in parliament.
Chief Rabbinate again refuses to appoint women to political role reserved for ‘rabbis’
In a response to the High Court of Justice, the Chief Rabbinate reiterates its refusal to consider appointing women to a political position — on the body which selects chief rabbis — whose title includes the word “rabbi.”
The response by Rabbi Yaakov Roja, the interim president of the Council of the Chief Rabbinate, is to a High Court of Justice ruling from January that said women may also be considered “rabbis” for the purposes of the Chief Rabbi Election Assembly.
The ruling states that in the context of the 1980 law that codifies the chief rabbi election process, the term “rabbi” applies not only to the recipients of that title from the Orthodox Chief Rabbinate — which bestows it only on men — but also to individuals, including women, with knowledge of the Torah and Halacha, the Jewish legal code, comparable to that of the men.
The ruling and the Chief Rabbinate’s refusal to heed it are the main reason for the rabbinate’s refusal to appoint an electing forum to vote on new chief rabbis. Israel currently has none for the first time in a century, following the end of the term last week of Rabbis David Lau and Yitzhak Yosef, the former Ashkenazi and Sephardi chief rabbis, respectively.
“There is not a halachic possibility of appointing women as rabbis. Considering a woman for this role is also forbidden,” Roha writes in his reply. “Within the limits of my authority I can therefore appoint only rabbis under the word’s meaning, and not women.”
The electing assembly, which is an ad-hoc body convened by the Rabbinate ahead of each election, is made up of 150 delegates, 70 of whom are non-rabbis, a handful of whom are women. Out of the rabbis in the assembly, 70 are municipal rabbis affiliated with the Rabbinate. The remaining 10 rabbis, which are the subject of the High Court of Justice ruling, are personal appointees of the chief rabbis.
State attorney clarifies case against civilian charged with killing terrorist on Oct. 7
The State Attorney’s Office issues a rare clarification of a police investigation into a highly unusual case involving the suspected killing of an alleged Palestinian terrorist by a citizen who apparently caught the individual alive after he participated in the Hamas invasion of Israel on October 7.
The office says it is releasing a statement due to incorrect information reported about the case, which it says brought about “severe incitement” against staff from the State Attorney’s Office and the Israel Police.
According to the State Attorney’s Office, after two suspects, dubbed “S” and “R,” were questioned about stolen firearms, a video emerged of R beating a Palestinian in his vehicle. Forensic tests determined that the Palestinian was killed, although his body has not been found.
The Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court approved search and arrest warrants against R and others because there was “a reasonable suspicion that the crime of murder had been committed.”
R was indicted for stealing weapons from a special forces police officer who was slain during the October 7 attack, and was ordered to be held in custody until the end of legal proceedings against him.
The police investigation into the allegations of murder against him continues, and the State Attorney’s Office is “guiding” the process.
According to earlier media reports, on October 7 — as thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel in a shock assault — the suspects in the case made their way to the Gaza border communities to join the fighting there.
According to Walla, R was alleged to have seized a Palestinian, whom he identified as an operative in Hamas’s elite Nukhba force, interrogated him, and executed him at the end of the interrogation.
According to the Hebrew media reports, R says that he never seized or interrogated a Palestinian, and maintains that the alleged terrorist was alive when he transferred him to security forces.
Exit polls: Left-wing coalition ahead in French election runoff, but short of majority
France’s left-wing New Popular Front coalition won the most seats in the second voting round of parliamentary elections, leading pollsters say, putting them on track for an unexpected win over the far right National Rally (RN) party, but short of an absolute majority in parliament.
An IFOP estimate for broadcaster TF1 says the New Popular Front could win 180-215 seats in parliament in the second voting round, while an Ipsos poll for France TV projected 172-215 seats for the left-wing bloc.
An Opinionway poll for C News TV says the New Popular Front would win 180-210 seats, while an Elabe poll for BFM TV projects a range of 175-205 seats for them.
President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist bloc was seen narrowly ahead of Marine Le Pen’s RN party in the battle for second place, according to these polls. An absolute majority in the National Assembly, France’s lower house of parliament, would require 289 seats.
Drone from Lebanon shot down over Golan Heights, says IDF
A suspected drone that entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon a short while ago was shot down by air defenses over the Golan Heights, the military says.
Sirens sounded in several northern communities in the context of the incident.
Thousands of protesters march toward Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem
Thousands of anti-government protesters are marching toward Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem.
The marchers, who set out from Sacher Park, are heading both directions along Ben Zvi Boulevard, a major road in the city that runs alongside the park.
The procession to Netanyahu’s home is one of many demonstrations staged as part of a full day of anti-government protests across the country.
Members of the HaShomer HaTzair youth group are leading the march, chanting: “We won’t agree to the abandonment of the hostages!”
Police are flanking the protest and walking in front of the march. Mounted officers and a water cannon are stationed further down the road.
Rocket alert sirens sound in towns in Golan Heights
Rocket alert sirens sound in the Druze towns of Mas’ade and Buq’ata in the Golan Heights.
Lapid slams Netanyahu for issuing demands ahead of talks: ‘What is it good for?’
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid slams Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after his office releases a list of four non-negotiable demands ahead of renewed hostage-truce talks this week.
“I have one response to the announcement from the Prime Minister’s Office: What is it good for? We are at a critical moment in the negotiations, the lives of the hostages depend on it; why issue such provocative messages?” Lapid asks in a statement. “How does it contribute to the process?”
The PMO’s statement asserted that Netanyahu’s refusal to stop the IDF ground operation in Rafah “is what brought Hamas back to the negotiating table,” and that the prime minister “continues to stand firmly behind the principles that have already been agreed to by Israel.”
Several drones from Lebanon shot down by IDF over northern Israel, says military
Several suspected drones that entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon were shot down by air defenses over the Mount Dov and Kibbutz Dafna area in northern Israel a short while ago, the military says.
One explosive-laden drone struck the Mount Hermon area, the IDF adds.
No injuries were caused, it says.
Commander of IDF’s 52nd Battalion wounded during fighting in Rafah
The commander of the 401st Armored Brigade’s 52nd Battalion, Lt. Col. Daniel Ella, was moderately wounded during fighting in the Tel Sultan neighborhood of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, the military says.
The officer was wounded amid a clash with gunmen in the area.
He was taken to a hospital in Israel and his family was notified, the army adds.
Activists dangle cage with hostage’s mother inside at Tel Aviv protest calling for hostage release deal
Thousands of people gather at Begin Junction in Tel Aviv in support of calls to reach a deal to release the 120 Israeli hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza.
At the center of the junction, Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, enters a cage, wearing clothing with simulated bloodstains, and holding his photo.
The cage with Zangauker inside is hoisted high above the crowds.
The gathered protesters shout, “Now! Now!” and “We shall not abandon them.”
עינב צנגאוקר, אמו של החטוף מתן, נכנסה לכלוב שהתרומם מעל כביש בגין: "מדינת ישראל שבויה בשבי נתניהו בזמן ש-120 חטופים וחטופות שבויים בשבי חמאס. יש עסקה על השולחן שיכולה להציל את החטופים מהגיהנום, שיכולה להציל חיים, שיכולה להציל את כולנו"@AnnaPines_ @NOFARMOS pic.twitter.com/353Pzuukts
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) July 7, 2024
Slogans attached to the cage declare, “A deal will save the nation,” and “Netanyahu, it’s in your hands.”
Earlier, a female activist was in the cage, simulating a female hostage.
Major marches are planned for tonight in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as part of the protesters’ national “day of disruption,” marking nine months since the Hamas assault and the start of the war.
Netanyahu’s office issues list of non-negotiable demands ahead of renewed talks
Ahead of renewed hostage-truce talks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issues a numbered list of four demands it says are non-negotiable, as mediators prepare to meet this week in Cairo and Doha.
The list declares that:
1. “Any deal will allow Israel to return to fighting until its war aims are met.”
2. “Weapons smuggling to Hamas from the Gaza-Egypt border will not be possible.”
3. “The return of thousands of armed terrorists to the northern Gaza Strip will not be possible.”
4. “Israel will maximize the number of living hostages who will be returned from Hamas captivity.”
The statement states that Netanyahu’s refusal to stop the IDF ground operation in Rafah “is what brought Hamas back to the negotiating table,” and that Netanyahu “continues to stand firmly behind the principles that have already been agreed by Israel.”
The statement concludes that the “framework that was agreed by Israel and was welcomed by President Biden will enable Israel to return hostages without harming the other aims of the war.”
Hundreds protest outside Kirya ahead of hostage marches in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv
Hundreds gather in a rally outside the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv ahead of large protest marches calling for a hostage deal slated for this evening in both Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Large crowds are expected in both cities and many streets in the surrounding areas have been closed off, including the Azza thoroughfare which passes by the official Prime Minister’s Residence and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private home in the capital.
CIA director said to be planning visits to both Cairo and Doha this week
US Central Intelligence Agency director William Burns is expected to visit Cairo this week for Gaza ceasefire talks, Egypt’s Al Qahera News TV reports, citing a high-ranking source.
A source familiar with the matter said earlier today that Burns will also travel to Qatar this week, where he will hold a four-way meeting with Mossad chief David Barnea, Egyptian intelligence head Abbas Kamel, and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
Gallant: Ceasefire in Gaza won’t stop fight against Hezbollah in north
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says the IDF will continue to battle Hezbollah in Lebanon even if Israel reaches a truce in the Gaza Strip.
“I gave clear orders to the forces in both the south and the north, these are two separate sectors. Even if we reach a hostage deal, and I very much hope that we will be able to reach it in the south, it is not bound to what is happening here, unless Hezbollah reaches an agreement [with Israel],” he says to troops during a visit to the Mount Hermon region.
“Even if there is a ceasefire [in Gaza], here we continue to fight and do everything necessary, and this is what brings the results,” Gallant says.
Gallant says Hezbollah and allied terror groups in Lebanon have lost 450 members to IDF strikes, including 15 brigade-level commanders and three at the division level: “It is a very, very significant thing and the results are visible,” he says.
The defense minister says, “These are critical days” and that “our enemy only understands force.”
“Things can happen. We do not aspire to it. We are ready for anything, but we are prepared for the fact that if they come to attack us, or if they try to harm us, or if they do not allow us to return our citizens safely to their homes — we will act,” Gallant adds.
Drone alert sirens sound in Upper Galilee towns
Sirens warning of a potential drone infiltration sound in a number of towns in the Upper Galilee, including Kfar Blum and Sde Nehemia.
IDF says 10 rockets fired at Safed earlier from Lebanon, struck open areas
A barrage of 10 rockets was launched from Lebanon at the northern city of Safed earlier.
According to the IDF, the rockets struck open areas.
There are no reports of injuries.
Hamas official tells AFP talks possible for deal without ‘permanent ceasefire’
A top Hamas official tells AFP that the terror group is ready to discuss a hostage deal and an end to the Gaza war without a “complete and permanent ceasefire.”
Hamas has long insisted that Israel “agree to a complete and permanent ceasefire” to start talks on a hostage release deal, the official tells AFP, adding that “this step was bypassed, as the [Qatari] mediators pledged that as long as the prisoner negotiations continued, the ceasefire would continue.”
IDF calls on residents of several neighborhoods in Gaza City to evacuate
The Israeli military is calling on Palestinians in several neighborhoods of Gaza City to evacuate the area and head toward shelters in the western part of the city, near the coast.
Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, publishes a list of the zones that need to be evacuated alongside the announcement.
The zones include the Tuffah, Daraj, and Old City neighborhoods of Gaza City.
The announcement comes amid an ongoing IDF operation against Hamas in Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighborhoods.
#عاجل ‼️الى كل السكان والنازحين المتواجدين في مناطق التفاح، البلدة القديمة، والدرج في بلوكات: 604-606, 608, 609
⭕️من أجل أمنكم – عليكم الاخلاء بشكل فوري الى المآوي المعروفة في غرب مدينة غزة pic.twitter.com/s0VBnyyNud
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) July 7, 2024
IDF major killed during fighting in Rafah today, says military
An IDF officer was killed during fighting in southern Gaza’s Rafah earlier today, the military announces.
The slain soldier is named as Maj. Jalaa Ibrahem, 25, a company commander in the Combat Engineering Corps’ 601st Battalion, from the Druze town of Sajur.
His death brings Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip to 326.
Police officers forcibly remove settlers from illegal West Bank outpost
Border Police forces arrive at the illegal outpost of Tzur Harel to remove seven settler activists from the site, located in the Benjamin Region north of Jerusalem.
Tzur Harel was the site of severe violence by radical settler activists last week who threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at a large contingent of Border Police officers during an evacuation of the outpost and the demolition of the rudimentary buildings at the site.
Following that incident, the IDF declared the land in and around the outpost a closed military zone, prohibiting civilians from entering.
Settler activists say that today’s evacuation is the sixth since the original evacuation and demolition last week.
Paratroopers seen battling Hamas gunmen in Shejaiya in latest IDF footage
The IDF releases footage of soldiers of the Paratroopers Brigade’s reconnaissance unit battling Hamas gunmen in Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighborhood.
Bodycam footage shows paratroopers engaged in a close-quarters battle with several gunmen.
Another clip from a drone shows the paratroopers identifying several more gunmen.
The IDF says that in all, seven gunmen were killed by the paratroopers and by tank shelling in the incident.
Rocket sirens sound in Safed, other towns in Upper Galilee
Incoming rocket sirens are sounding in the northern city of Safed and several nearby towns in the Galilee.
There are no immediate reports of injuries in what appears to be another Hezbollah attack on northern Israel.
Cabinet approves NIS 500 million budget cut to fund aid to displaced residents
The cabinet approves a half billion shekel ($135 million) budget cut across a range of government ministries in order to redirect funds toward aid for displaced residents of the north and south.
This includes tens of millions of shekels from the health, welfare and education ministries.
The discussion of the budget cuts comes less than a week after the Knesset Finance Committee allocated hundreds of millions of shekels in “surplus” coalition funds to government ministries — including several deemed superfluous by the Finance Ministry.
The Prime Minister’s Office did not directly announce the cuts, instead announcing the extension of government aid to residents of southern communities within a range of seven kilometers (4 miles) of the Gaza Strip and 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Lebanon.
A spokesman for the PMO did not immediately respond to an inquiry regarding why these coalition funds were not used for the displaced.
Asked for comment, a spokesman for the opposition Yesh Atid party decries what he calls “a reckless government that distributes funds to itself at the expense of the middle class, the reservists and the taxpayers.”
Iranian warship capsizes during repairs at southern port city
The Iranian navy frigate Sahand capsized during repairs in the southern port of Bandar Abbas, Iranian state media reports.
“As Sahand was being repaired at the wharf, it lost its balance due to water ingress. Fortunately… the vessel is being returned to balance quickly,” the official news agency IRNA reports, citing a navy statement.
It does not specify when the accident occurred. State media carried a picture of a capsized ship and said several people were taken to hospital with minor injuries.
IRNA reports that an unspecified number of injured people were transferred to hospital. It does not elaborate.
IDF soldier and two civilians — including American — wounded in Hezbollah attack
Three people, including an IDF soldier, were wounded in an anti-tank guided missile attack against an army post near the northern community of Zar’it earlier today, the military and medics say.
According to the IDF, two missiles were fired from Lebanon in the attack.
The three victims were taken to Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, where one, an American civilian aged 31, is listed in serious condition. The other two, a civilian and a soldier, were lightly hurt.
The IDF is investigating why the two civilians were at the army post.
Hezbollah took responsibility for the attack.
IDF says it struck Hamas weapons manufacturing site inside Gaza City school
A Hamas weapon manufacturing site embedded within a school in Gaza City was struck earlier today, the military says.
The IDF says fighter jets struck a compound within a school in Gaza City where Hamas operatives were gathered. A separate site in the school used by Hamas to manufacture weapons was also hit, it adds.
Before carrying out the strike, the IDF says it carried out “many steps” to mitigate harm to civilians, including using aerial surveillance and other intelligence.
“The Hamas terror organization systematically violates international law, systematically exploiting civilian buildings and the civilian population as human shields for terror activity against the State of Israel,” the military adds.
Mossad and CIA chiefs to meet Egyptian and Qatari officials in Doha this week
A four-way meeting between Mossad chief David Barnea, CIA director William Burns, Egyptian intelligence head Abbas Kamel and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani will be held in Doha on Wednesday, a source with knowledge of the details tells Kan news.
Barnea was in Doha over the weekend for initial talks on restarting intensive negotiations over a potential hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas. Months of talks aimed at reaching a deal had largely stalled until last week, when Hamas responded to the latest outline and Israeli officials suggested there was now room to move forward with negotiations.
Likud minister says far-right Strock would have been able to prevent October 7 if she were in charge
During a contentious cabinet debate on boosting the IDF’s wartime manpower, Environment Minister Idit Silman reportedly calls for the appointment of Haredim to senior positions in the military and insists that far-right Settlement and National Projects Minister Orit Strock would have been able to prevent October 7 if she had been in charge of the IDF.
As the coalition debates a proposed measure to lengthen men’s mandatory military service to three years, Silman declares that if Strock “were the IDF chief of staff then there wouldn’t have been October 7,” according to a report in the Walla news site.
Strock, of the Religious Zionism party, was filmed last night telling settler leaders that she was delighted by the “miracle period” of settlement expansion during the current government.
Silman, who was previously elected with the Jewish Home party before joining Likud after the collapse of the last government, also reportedly accuses the opposition of hypocrisy for opposing the current Haredi enlistment bill.
“All those who were members of the previous government are hypocrites,” the Hebrew daily Maariv reports Silman as saying. “When I was the chairman of the [previous] coalition, I [advanced] the conscription law, the exact same law, everyone was in favor of it and today they are suddenly against it.”
Members of the opposition say the previous legislation is no longer relevant in the wake of the IDF manpower deficit amid the ongoing war.
Turning to representatives of the ultra-Orthodox parties, Silman calls on them to “bring holiness to the IDF. You need to be in senior positions, including in the General Staff.”
Iran detains outspoken lawyer who criticized crackdown following Mahsa Amini’s death
An outspoken Iranian lawyer who has publicly criticized how the government handled the 2022 protests has been arrested, state media reports.
The unrest at the time followed the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini who was detained by the police for allegedly not properly wearing her mandatory hijab. Her death triggered massive protests that quickly escalated into calls to overthrow Iran’s four-decade-old Islamic theocracy.
The judiciary’s Mizan news agency says that Mohsen Borhani had been previously sentenced, but did not give further details on his case or jail time issued.
Borhani, also a university professor, became popular on social media for his critical views of the Iranian government during the 2022 demonstrations that shook the Islamic Republic and sparked a security crackdown that killed more than 500 people and saw over 22,000 detained.
The arrest came a day after reformist president Masoud Pezeshkian was elected to lead the country.
Pezeshkian promised to ease enforcement of the country’s mandatory headscarf law and reach out to the West after years of sanctions and protests squeezing the Islamic Republic.
In phone call, new UK PM Starmer urges Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire in Gaza
Keir Starmer, the UK’s newly elected prime minister, tells Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a call this morning that he looks forward to “further deepening the close relationship between the two countries,” according to the British readout.
Starmer stresses the “clear and urgent need for a ceasefire” in Gaza, as well as a return of hostages and increase in humanitarian aid reaching Gazans.
The British premier says it is important “to ensure the long-term conditions for a two-state solution were in place, including ensuring the Palestinian Authority had the financial means to operate effectively.”
The two also discuss “regional security in the Middle East.” According to 10 Downing Street, Starmer says he is committed “to continuing the UK and Israel’s vital cooperation to deter malign threats.”
Starmer calls the ongoing fighting between Israel and Hezbollah along the Lebanon border “very concerning,” and says it is crucial that all parties act with caution.
Netanyahu’s office has yet to comment on the call.
Deputy Hamas labor minister reported killed in Israeli airstrike in Gaza
The deputy head of the Hamas-run labor ministry, Ihab al-Ghussein, was killed in a recent Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Palestinian media reports.
No further details are immediately available, and the IDF has not yet commented on the strike.
▪️ تغطية صحفية: " إرتقاء وكيل وزارة العمل المهندس إيهاب الغصين بعد غارة للاحتلال على مدينة غزة، وكان الاحتلال قد اغتال زوجته وبناته قبل أسابيع." pic.twitter.com/ZHwhvVD3oB
— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) July 7, 2024
At cabinet meeting, PM and ministers criticize Gallant over plan to increase service time for conscripts
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of his government harshly criticize Defense Minister Yoav Gallant while discussing a proposal to lengthen the terms of those performing mandatory military service, during today’s cabinet meeting.
In an effort to grapple with manpower deficiencies, Gallant and the Israel Defense Forces are pushing to extend mandatory service for men to three years, several years after it was reduced to 32 months.
According to leaked quotes published by national broadcaster Kan, Karhi questions why Gallant is ready to extend soldiers’ service by several months without bringing the opposition on board, but won’t support legislation dealing with ultra-Orthodox conscription without a broad consensus that includes former war cabinet minister Benny Gantz, who is now in the opposition.
After all, Karhi argues, failing to pass an ultra-Orthodox enlistment bill “will lead to the overthrow of the government, which will harm the security of the country and give a victory to [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar.” He calls the idea of seeking broad agreement on the matter “a code for giving Gantz an opening to overthrow the government.”
According to Kan, Netanyahu agrees, stating that “the need to give Benny Gantz a veto is [an act of] politics. They [Gantz’s National Unity party] don’t want the recruitment of the ultra-Orthodox, they want a crisis.”
Environment Minister Idit Silman also weighs in, telling the meeting that “in the previous government I was in, no one sought a broad consensus. Not even Defense Minister Gantz.”
Relations between Gallant and Netanyahu have been tense ever since Netanyahu announced he was firing Gallant in March 2023 over his criticism of the government’s judicial overhaul — before reversing course two weeks later under intense public pressure.
Members of the current government have called on Netanyahu several times to fire the defense minister.
Erdogan says he is open to hosting Syria’s Assad for reconciliation talks
Turkey will extend an invitation to Syrian President Bashar Assad “any time” for possible talks to restore relations between the two neighbors, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan says.
“We will extend our invitation [to Assad]; with this invitation, we want to restore Turkey-Syria relations to the same level as in the past. Our invitation may be extended at any time,” Erdogan says, according to a presidency readout of an interview by Turkish media.
Turkey severed ties with Syria in 2011 after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, in which it supported rebels looking to oust Assad.
Speaking to reporters on his flight back from Berlin, Erdogan also said Ankara would reciprocate any positive steps from Damascus, and that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani could contribute to facilitating the contact.
“We have now arrived at a point where if Bashar Assad takes a step towards improving relations with Turkey, we will also show that approach towards him,” Erdogan says.
Herzog: An absolute majority of the nation supports a hostage deal
In a post on X marking 9 months since the Hamas attack of October 7 during which 251 hostages were taken to Gaza, President Isaac Herzog stresses that it is “the country’s duty is to bring them back, and it is at the heart of the consensus.”
“The entire nation wants their return, and an absolute majority supports a hostage deal,” he says.
“Our commitment to return the hostages is absolute and supreme,” the president continues. “We do not forget them for a moment. The nation of Israel does not forget them for a moment. In every home and family, in every synagogue, in every community, at every public and private event – we hear from all sides the concern for the hostages, the prayer and the cry – for their quick return home.”
After months without progress, Israel’s top negotiators are in touch with the mediator countries about restarting talks in the wake of Hamas’s response to an Israeli proposal last week.
Man dies of encephalitis caused by rare amoeba, in Israel’s 2nd-ever recorded case
A man who had Israel’s second-ever recorded case of Naegleria fowleri, a rare amoeba that causes encephalitis, has died, Beilinson Hospital announces.
The otherwise healthy 26-year-old man could have come into contact with the amoeba while swimming at Gai Beach in Tiberias. He was admitted to Sharon Hospital on Tuesday with symptoms of fever, headaches, and vomiting.When his condition worsened, he was transferred to Beilinson.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control, it is commonly called the “brain-eating amoeba” because it can cause a brain infection when water containing the amoeba goes up the nose.
Naegleria fowleri thrives in warm water. In most cases, nothing happens to those who swim in water sources where the amoeba is present. Health Ministry investigators conducted samples at the beach where he bathed and found no evidence of amoeba contamination.
The mortality rate from encephalitis due to this amoeba is very high. While infection is extremely rare, with only some 400 cases diagnosed worldwide, it is often fatal.
Symptoms often include headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, stiff neck, and neurological symptoms such as confusion, seizures, and hallucinations. It requires immediate medical attention.
A 36-year-old man died in Israel in August 2022 of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, a brain infection caused by the same amoeba.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Katz to represent Israel at NATO summit in Washington to mark alliance’s 75th anniversary
Foreign Minister Israel Katz will take off tonight to represent Israel at the NATO summit in Washington, DC, marking 75 years since the alliance’s founding.
NATO support for Ukraine, and the embattled country’s future relationship with the alliance, will dominate the summit. But Israel’s top diplomat is expected to try to keep a certain focus on Iran, which is backing Russia’s war in Ukraine, and both Hamas and Hezbollah as they fight Israel.
Katz will take part in two events hosted by US President Joe Biden, and one by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. He will meet his European counterparts on the sidelines of the summit.
In addition to Israel, many of Washington’s Arab allies were invited as well, including Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain — with which Israel has diplomatic relations — and Qatar and Tunisia, which do not recognize Israel.
Katz may well meet some of his Arab counterparts in Washington. Qatar is mediating hostage talks between Israel and Hamas, so a meeting between Katz and Qatari FM Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani is not out of the question.
Katz is also expected to meet US legislators including South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul.
IDF: 2 anti-tank missiles fired from south Lebanon’s Ayta ash-Shab toward Shtula
Earlier today, two anti-tank missiles were launched from southern Lebanon’s Ayta ash-Shab at the Shtula area in northern Israel.
The IDF says no injuries were caused in the attack, and a short while later, fighter jets struck a building used by Hezbollah to carry out the missile fire.
A separate building used by Hezbollah in Maaroub, and infrastructure in Naqoura, were also struck, the IDF adds.
Earlier today, two anti-tank missiles were launched from southern Lebanon's Ayta ash-Shab at the Shtula area in northern Israel.
The IDF says no injuries were caused in the attack, and a short while later, fighter jets struck a building used by Hezbollah to carry out the missile… pic.twitter.com/KREyEUKaao
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) July 7, 2024
Special adviser to Syria’s Assad dies following car crash under unclear circumstances
A close adviser to Syrian President Bashar Assad has died after a car accident left her hospitalized for a number of days, the president’s office says in a statement.
Luna al-Shibl, a former journalist, had worked as the director of Assad’s political and media offices and as a special adviser to the president. She was slapped with US sanctions in 2020 along with five other Syrian military, government and financial officials, and later was also sanctioned by the United Kingdom.
Syria’s state-run news agency SANA reported last week that al-Shibl had been in an accident that “caused the car she was in to swerve off the road, and she was subjected to several collisions.” She was hospitalized in Damascus and admitted to intensive care with “severe injuries” including a head hemorrhage.
The UK-based opposition war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported at the time that another car had hit al-Shibl and its driver was arrested. Official statements on the crash did not mention another car.
Al-Shibl initially rose to regional prominence as an anchor for Al Jazeera, but left the Qatar-based news network in 2011 following the outbreak of the Syrian anti-government protests that spiraled into a civil war after the Assad government’s brutal crackdown on demonstrators. Al Jazeera took a stance supportive of the Syrian opposition.
Al-Shibl was formerly married to Sami Kleib, a prominent Lebanese journalist with a wide following around the Middle East.
Assad’s office says in a statement that “the Presidency extends its sincere condolences and sympathy to her family and loved ones.”
NEW – #Assad media advisor Luna al-Shibl has been taken to hospital after a major car crash in #Damascus.
Some reports say she may be dead & the crash was caused intentionally.
She’s in the closest circle in the Presidential Palace. pic.twitter.com/q55sg5A6ix
— Charles Lister (@Charles_Lister) July 2, 2024
Hundreds of right-wing activists, including MKs, join prayer service at illegal West Bank outpost Evyatar
Hundreds of settlers and right-wing activists participate in a celebratory prayer service at the illegal West Bank outpost of Evyatar in honor of a cabinet decision just over a week ago to legalize the site, along with four other outposts.
The service, accompanied by a band and much raucous dancing, kicked off at 5 a.m., attended by MKs Tzvi Succot and Moshe Solomon of the far-right Religious Zionism party, head of the Shomron Regional Council Yossi Dagan, and Chief Rabbi of Safed Shmuel Eliyahu.
“A week ago [US President Joe] Biden said that Evyatar was a red line and that it should not be legalized under any circumstances,” says Eliyahu after the service, in reference to reports of opposition by the US administration to the legalization of the five outposts.
“But it looks like there was someone above this giant… This victory teaches us that it is not because of a government decision that the legalization of five settlements was decided; it is [because of] God’s counsel.”
Dagan said that Evyatar, which has been established and evacuated on several occasions, was not just a settlement but “an idea in which we break the wall that prohibits us from establishing new settlements in Judea and Samaria and the Land of Israel.”
Said Dagan, “We are standing here and saying to the government of Israel and to the entire world that there will be many, many more Evyatars in Samaria.”
Evyatar was most recently repopulated in June 2023 following a terror attack outside the nearby settlement of Eli, and the government tacitly consented not to evacuate the outpost ever since, until a cabinet decision at the end of June retroactively approved its establishment.
Evyatar and the other four outposts legalized in the same decision will need retroactive approval from the Civil Administration for the construction of residential buildings at the sites before they can be formally considered to be legal, although it is highly unlikely to be rejected.
Rocket sirens sound in northern border towns
Sirens sound in communities close to the northern border, warning of incoming rocket fire.
Hezbollah has already fired two large barrages of projectiles from Lebanon today, seriously injuring a man.
Thousands march in Tel Aviv calling for hostage deal, elections
Thousands of protesters begin to march in Tel Aviv toward Kaplan Street as part of a nationwide day of demonstrations calling for a hostage deal and elections.
A number of roads in the coastal city are blocked by the crowds.
Some 150 companies have said they will allow employees to demonstrate today, which is a work day in Israel.
וזוהי רק ההתחלה – אזרחי ישראל לא יתנו לנתניהו והממשלה לטרפד עוד עסקה ולהמשיך להפקיר את החטופים
אלפי מפגינים בצעדה על אבן גבירול בתל אביב
| צילום: גיל לוין. pic.twitter.com/A71PBr8CyK— Restart Israel (@restart_israel) July 7, 2024
צומת קפלן תל אביב.
את כולם – עכשיו!צילום: יפעת יוגב pic.twitter.com/BhhRFvpmeq
— אחים לנשק ????️ (@ahimlaneshek1) July 7, 2024
FM Katz sends best wishes to France on election day, says respects French democracy
As France heads to the polls in run-off elections that could bring Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally to power in parliament, Foreign Minister Israel Katz issues his best wishes to the country on X, and adds the cryptic line: “The State of Israel is not involved in the French elections and respects French democracy – as we always expect other countries to respect Israeli democracy.”
Last week, Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli seemed to endorse Le Pen as future leader of France. “It is excellent for Israel that she will be the president of France, with 10 exclamation marks,” he said in an interview.
Asked whether his party leader, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, agrees, Chikli said: “I think I and Netanyahu are of the same opinion.”
Le Pen’s next opportunity to run for president is in 2027.
IDF assesses 20-40 rockets fired from Lebanon at Israel in most recent barrage
Between 20 and 40 rockets were launched from Lebanon at the Mount Meron area in northern Israel a short while ago, according to initial IDF assessments.
There are no reports of injuries in the attack. A man was badly injured in an earlier barrage.
Footage shows the Iron Dome shooting down some of the rockets, while others strike the mountain, atop which sits a sensitive Israeli air traffic control base.
Several rocket interceptions and impacts reported in the Mount Meron area, following a barrage launched from Lebanon by Hezbollah. https://t.co/9Yfq9iFLoO pic.twitter.com/BnxNqcCyCm
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) July 7, 2024
State Attorney’s Office rejects PM’s request to delay corruption trial testimony until March 2025, gives him until Nov. 1
The State Attorney’s Office rejects a request by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to delay his testimony in his corruption charge until March 2025, saying to do so would mean to freeze the criminal case for eight months.
The State Attorney’s Office says therefore that Netanyahu’s testimony should start no later than November 1, saying this would give him enough time to prepare.
Netanyahu’s attorney requested two weeks ago that the prime minister needed more time than was previously expected to prepare him for his testimony in court because of his management of the ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza, among other reasons.
“The overriding public interest in this [legal] process is the completion of the criminal proceedings and a ruling… Delay in the completion of the process causes substantial damage to the public,” the State Attorney’s Office says in response, noting that the indictment against Netanyahu was filed four and a half years ago.
“The prime minister made clear that his service as prime minister would not influence the management of the legal process,” the State Attorney’s Office says. “There is for sure no place for such influence on the prime minister’s testimony and the beginning of the defense’s case, and there is for sure no place for a de facto halt to the trial or for its suspension.”
The Jerusalem District Court is to hold a hearing on Netanyahu’s request on Tuesday and then decide whether to accept it.
Rocket sirens sound in Mount Meron area amid apparent Hezbollah attack from Lebanon
Incoming rocket sirens are sounding in the Mount Meron area in northern Israel, amid what appears to be another attack by Hezbollah from Lebanon today.
The alerts are activated in several towns surrounding the mountain, including Beit Jann.
The Lebanese terror group has attacked Mount Meron, located some eight kilometers (5 miles) from the Lebanon border, several times amid the ongoing war, launching large barrages of rockets at the mountain, as well as guided missiles at a sensitive air traffic control base that sits atop it.
5 arrested at protest near Tel Aviv calling for hostage deal, elections
Police say five anti-government protesters were arrested for disturbing the peace in a demonstration at the Kfar Hayarok interchange, north of Tel Aviv.
An additional 12 people received tickets for disturbances or using their vehicles to block traffic. Police say the protest was illegal.
There were also minor confrontations between demonstrators and police at the Rokach/Namir interchange in north Tel Aviv.
Roads have been blocked throughout the day nationwide as part of a “day of disruption” on the nine-month anniversary of Hamas’s shock attack, with 120 hostages still held in Gaza. Protesters are calling for a hostage deal and elections.
The protests began this morning at 6:29 a.m., the exact time the devastating terror onslaught began on October 7.
The day will culminate with a mass protest outside military headquarters in Tel Aviv.
Ministries face cuts to fund evacuees from northern, southern border towns
The cabinet is expected to approve wide-ranging budget cuts today in order to redirect funds to aid for displaced residents of the north and south.
According to Hebrew media reports, all government ministries will have their budget slashed by 1.03 percent, prompting warnings from some ministers that vital services could be impacted.
This is not the first time that such a cut has been implemented and “this time it may seriously harm precisely those citizens for whose sake the cuts are being sought,” declares Health Minister Ariel Busso, whose ministry is set to lose NIS 32 million ($8.6 million).
“In the war it was proven that the Health Ministry is just as important as the Defense Ministry,” he says.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir also complains about the pending cuts, arguing that they will negatively impact the procurement of equipment for police and civilian security squads as well as hobble efforts to expand prison capacity strained by the ongoing war in Gaza.
The government has repeatedly allocated funds to Ben Gvir’s ministry in an attempt to add additional space for prisoners — most recently in April when a NIS 225 million ($60 million) budget cut intended to pay for expanding the prison system went into effect across the government at his insistence.
The discussion of the budget cuts comes less than a week after the Knesset Finance Committee allocated hundreds of millions of shekels in “surplus” coalition funds to government ministries — including several deemed superfluous by the Finance Ministry.
Avidgor Liberman, the leader of the opposition Yisrael Beytenu party, complains that the government is set to cut “the health, welfare and education budgets for the benefit of the residents of the south and the north, but is jealously guarding the budgets of the unnecessary ministries for the sake of the integrity of the coalition.”
“The time has come for a different leadership,” he tweets.
Matan Angrest’s mom says hostage son was bruised in Hamas video discovered in November
The mother of hostage Matan Angrest, who says she saw her son in video found by IDF soldiers operating in the Strip around November, says the footage shows that he was bruised.
“Seeing your child who was with you for a holiday a week earlier, festive and smiling, suddenly bruised with a Hamas banner behind him, this is a very shocking situation when you have no way to help him,” Anat Angrest tells the Kan public broadcaster.
“It’s a raw video that Hamas didn’t have time to edit. [In the video] Matan says ‘Netanyahu, I trust you to get me out of here,'” she says. “He is one of his voters.”
IDF soldier Matan was on duty at the Nahal Oz base on the morning of October 7, when some 3,000 terrorists burst across the border into Israel by land, air and sea, killing some 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages amid acts of brutality and sexual assault.
Palestinian official: Qatar told Hamas it would get Israeli response to proposal within days
Hamas is waiting for a response from Israel on its hostage and ceasefire proposal, two officials from the Palestinian terror group say.
“We have left our response with the mediators and are waiting to hear the occupation’s response,” one of the two Hamas officials tells Reuters, asking not to be named.
The three-phase plan was put forward at the end of May by US President Joe Biden and is being mediated by Qatar and Egypt.
Another Palestinian official, with knowledge of the ongoing deliberations, says Israel is in talks with the Qataris.
“They have discussed with them Hamas’ response and they promised to give them Israel’s response within days,” the official, who asked not to be named, tells Reuters.
Hamas has given initial approval for the proposal for a phased truce and hostage deal, dropping a key demand that Israel give an upfront commitment for a complete end to the war, a Hamas and an Egyptian official said yesterday.
At the same time, a key stumbling block appeared to be Hamas’s desire for “written guarantees” from mediators that Israel will continue to negotiate a permanent ceasefire deal once the first phase of a ceasefire goes into effect.
Israel has voiced cautious optimism in recent days that Hamas’s position makes a deal more likely. A source in Israel’s negotiating team, speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Friday there was now a real chance of achieving an agreement. That was in sharp contrast to past instances in the 9-month-old war in Gaza, when Israel said conditions attached by Hamas were unacceptable.
Reports of airstrikes in Lebanon after Hezbollah rocket barrage on northern Israel
After Hezbollah’s rocket barrage on the Lower Galilee, Lebanese media outlets report Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon.
Strikes are reported in the town of Maaroub, in the Tyre district, around 20 kilometers from the Israeli border.
عاجل – مسيرة إسرائيلية تشن غارة على بلدة #معروب #جنوب_لبنان pic.twitter.com/S3qUyRlL1k
— nbnlebanon (@nbntweets) July 7, 2024
Minor scuffles between police, anti-government protesters in Jerusalem
There are minor scuffles in Jerusalem as police remove protesters trying to block the light rail amid a day of demonstrations calling for elections and a hostage deal.
ירושלים עוצרת pic.twitter.com/7XcNbYnV4K
— Tikva – תקווה (@YallaTikva) July 7, 2024
Hezbollah claims it targeted IDF base near Tiberias in missile barrage
Hezbollah takes responsibility for the rocket barrage on the Lower Galilee this morning, claiming to have targeted an Israeli military base near Tiberias.
The terror group says the attack was a response to the assassination of one of its members in an IDF drone strike in northeastern Lebanon yesterday.
The rocket attack seriously wounded an Israeli civilian near the town of Kfar Zeitim.
Yesterday’s drone strike killed a key member of Hezbollah’s air defense unit.
EU naval mission says it destroyed two drones in Gulf of Aden
The EU naval mission protecting ships crossing the Red Sea says its frigate Psara destroyed two unmanned aerial vehicles in the Gulf of Aden.
The Aspides mission began in February in response to drone and missile attacks on vessels by Iranian-aligned Houthi terrorists. The Houthis describe the attacks as acts of solidarity with Palestinians in Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
Other countries, including the United States, also have naval forces operating in the area.
IDF says Hezbollah fired some 20 rockets in barrage targeting Lower Galilee
According to the IDF, some 20 rockets were launched in the Hezbollah barrage at the Lower Galilee this morning.
Several of the rockets were shot down by air defenses, it says. One impact near the community of Kfar Zeitim seriously wounded a man, and other strikes sparked fires.
Earlier today, a suspected drone was shot down by air defenses over the border community of Ramot Naftali, the IDF says.
Sirens had sounded in the community at around 5:30 a.m., due to fears of falling shrapnel.
There were no injuries in that incident.
The IDF publishes footage of the interception.
בהמשך להתרעות שהופעלו בצפון הארץ לפני זמן קצר, זוהו כ-20 שיגורים שחצו משטח לבנון למרחב הגליל התחתון, חלקם יורטו בהצלחה על ידי לוחמי ההגנה האווירית>> pic.twitter.com/r7AqhJNmEX
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) July 7, 2024
IDF says drone strike targeted Khan Younis municipality building used by Hamas
The Khan Younis municipality building in the southern Gaza Strip was hit by a drone strike overnight, with the military saying the site was used by Hamas operatives.
According to the IDF, within the municipality building, there is a tunnel shaft that connects to Hamas’s underground network in Khan Younis. It also says the building was used by Hamas operatives as a staging ground.
Before carrying out the strike, the IDF says it took “several steps” to mitigate harm to civilians, including evacuating Palestinians from the area.
“Hamas operates within the humanitarian area and regularly violates international law, systematically exploiting civilian buildings and the civilian population as human shields for terror activity against the State of Israel,” the military adds.
Meanwhile, the IDF says it killed a terrorist who launched a rocket from Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighborhood at the Israeli border town of Nahal Oz yesterday. The strike was carried out a short while after the rocket attack.
Also in Shejaiya, the IDF says troops with the 98th Division killed several gunmen, destroyed sites used by terror groups, and located weapons over the past day.
In southern Gaza’s Rafah, the IDF says troops with the 162nd Division killed more than 30 gunmen in close-quarters combat and by calling in airstrikes in the past day.
Another airstrike in Rafah targeted a primed rocket launcher, the military adds.
Man seriously wounded in Hezbollah rocket attack on Lower Galilee
An Israeli man is seriously wounded by shrapnel from a rocket impact in the Lower Galilee, medics say.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service says the 28-year-old is being taken to Baruch Padeh Medical Center in serious condition.
The rocket impact occurred in an open area near the northern community of Kfar Zeitim, according to authorities.
Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets from Lebanon at northern Israel in the attack.
The rocket attack also sparked fires in several areas in northern Israel.
The Fire and Rescue Service says it is battling blazes near Kidmat Galil industrial park, Kfar Zeitim, Lavi, and HaZorim.
Dozens of rockets fired at north in barrage from Lebanon
Dozens of rockets were launched from Lebanon in the attack a short while ago on northern Israel, according to initial IDF assessments.
The barrage comes after a prominent Hezbollah member was killed in an Israeli drone strike in northeastern Lebanon yesterday.
There are no immediate reports of injuries in the attack.
Rocket sirens in Lower Galilee in apparent major attack by Hezbollah
Incoming rocket sirens are sounding in several communities in the Lower Galilee, in what appears to be a major rocket attack by Hezbollah.
The alerts sound as far as Sde Ilan, located some 35 kilometers from the Lebanon border.
Residents of the Galilee area report seeing several Iron Dome interceptions.
Several interceptions reported over the Galilee.
Sirens had sounded as far as Sde Ilan, located some 35 kilometers from the Lebanon border. https://t.co/znvgVQS4i4 pic.twitter.com/inON1avkjW
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) July 7, 2024
Far-right minister: Past few months have been ‘like a time of miracles’ for settlement movement
Settlements and National Projects Minister Orit Strock says that the last several months have been “like a time of miracles” for the settlement movement, after the government recognized eight illegal West Bank outposts within a week.
In a video published by Army Radio, Strock, a longtime settlements activist, can be heard telling residents of the newly recognized Givat Hanan outpost that she feels like someone stuck at an intersection when “a green light” goes on.
“It is not clear that the government will last,” she warns, adding that for as long as the government remains in power “we want to do as much as possible.”
Strock’s comments come after Israel’s recognition of the illegal outposts of Mahane Gadi, Givat Hanan and Kedem Arava on Thursday, a week after the cabinet voted to legalize five other West Bank outposts.
On Wednesday, Israel announced its largest appropriation of land in the West Bank since the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, designating 2,965 acres of land as state land.
During a speech in Jerusalem last week, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the leader of Strock’s far-right Religious Zionism party, said that the government’s decision to legalize outposts and impose sanctions on Palestinian Authority leaders was aimed at preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state, which would pose “an immediate, existential danger to the State of Israel.”
Sister, aunt of Bibas family: My new baby is symbol of the 9 months they’ve been gone
Ofri Bibas Levy, whose brother Yarden Bibas and his family are held hostage in Gaza, says her newborn baby is a reminder of the nine months since her relatives were kidnapped.
“My baby symbolizes that nine months that have passed,” she tells the Ynet news site.
On October 7, Yarden was taken hostage to Gaza, and his wife, Shiri, and their two redheaded children, Ariel, 4 and Kfir, then 9 months old, were abducted separately from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz.
“On the days when there is talk about a deal, I’m at my lowest,” Ofri says.
“We are flooded and surrounded by irresponsible statements, sometimes by one political entity, sometimes by another military entity… We are so prone to disappointment,” she says.
Polls open in 2nd round of French parliament vote expected to see far-right success
Polling stations open across mainland France for a second round parliamentary vote that is expected to be won by far-right leader Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN).
While the anti-immigration, eurosceptic party may not win an outright majority, a hung parliament would leave a divided France in political limbo and weaken its international standing.
Voting was to continue to 6 p.m. local time, or 8 p.m. in major cities, when voting estimates will be released.
Protesters block highways, gather at interchanges nationwide in call for elections, hostage deal
Anti-government protesters begin to block highways and gather at interchanges across the country in a call for elections and hostage deal.
Protest organizers say roads will be blocked at various times of the day nationwide as part of a “day of disruption” as Israel marks nine months since Hamas’s shock attack, with 120 hostages still held in Gaza.
The protests began this morning at 6:29 a.m., the exact time the devastating terror onslaught began on October 7.
The day will culminate with a mass protest outside military headquarters in Tel Aviv.
Anti-government protesters rally outside home of union head, calling on him to declare strike
Protesters begin to gather outside the home of Arnon Bar-David, the head of the powerful Histadrut labor federation, calling for him to declare a general strike to demand elections.
Demonstrators hold signs saying “enough talking, it’s time for action.”
In May, Bar-David said he had lost trust in the government, but said that timing was key for any drastic action to force a national vote.
France set to go to polls in election that could see far right become largest party
French voters face a decisive choice today in the runoff of snap parliamentary elections that could produce the country’s first far-right government since the World War II Nazi occupation — or leave it with no majority emerging at all.
Centrist President Emmanuel Macron called the snap elections three years ahead of time after his candidates were trounced in June’s legislative elections, a gamble which many observers believe backfired.
After coming out on top in the June 30 first round of the polls, the far right of three-time presidential candidate Marine Le Pen was confident her National Rally (RN) could win an absolute majority in parliament and crown her protege and party leader Jordan Bardella, 28, as prime minister.
But the last week saw more than 200 tactical-voting pacts between centre and left wing candidates in seats to prevent the RN winning in a return of the anti-far right “Republican Front” first summoned when Marine Le Pen’s father Jean-Marie faced Jacques Chirac in the run-off of 2002 presidential elections.
This left the latest polls projecting that the RN would fall well short of the 289 seats needed for an outright majority in the 577-seat National Assembly, while still being the largest party in parliament.
Jon Landau, Oscar-winning ‘Titanic’ and ‘Avatar’ producer, dies at 63
Jon Landau, an Oscar-winning producer who worked closely with director James Cameron on three of the biggest blockbusters of all time, “Titanic” and two “Avatar” films, dies aged 63.
No cause of death is given.
Landau’s partnership with Cameron led to three Oscar nominations and a best picture win for 1997’s “Titanic.” Together the pair account for some of the biggest blockbusters in movie history, including “Avatar” and its sequel, “Avatar: The Way of Water.”
Cameron, in a statement, remembers “a dear friend, and my closest collaborator of 31 years.” “A part of myself has been torn away,” says Cameron.
“His zany humor, personal magnetism, great generosity of spirit and fierce will have held the center of our Avatar universe for almost two decades,” says Cameron. “His legacy is not just the films he produced, but the personal example he set — indomitable, caring, inclusive, tireless, insightful and utterly unique.”
Born into a Jewish family in New York on July 23, 1960, Landau was the son of film producers Ely and Edie Landau. The family moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s, and Landau went on to graduate from the University of Southern California’s film school.
Jon Landau is survived by his wife of nearly 40 years, Julie; their sons, Jamie and Jodie; and two sisters and a brother.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
‘Blood on the hands of the right-wing government’: Protesters demonstrate outside ministers’ homes
Anti-government protesters are demonstrating outside the homes of government ministers and MKs as part of a “day of disruption” calling for elections.
Lawmakers targeted in the protests include Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Foreign Minister Israel Katz, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, Economy Minister Nir Barkat, Transportation Minister Miri Regev, Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter and Negev, Galilee and National Security Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf.
Outside Ohana’s Tel Aviv home, demonstrators shout: “Blood is on the hands of the right-wing government.”
9 חודשים לתחילת המלחמה: מפגינים נגד הממשלה הגיעו למחות מול בתי שרים וח"כים – "הדם על הידיים של ממשלת הימין"@NOFARMOS (בתיעוד: מפגינים מול ביתו של ח"כ אוחנה) pic.twitter.com/93glb83c3i
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) July 7, 2024
Medics fighting to save life of man with encephalitis caused by rare amoeba
The condition of Israel’s second ever recorded case of Naegleria fowleri, a rare amoeba that causes encephalitis, has deteriorated, Beilinson Hospital announces.
The otherwise healthy 26-year-old man could have come into contact with the amoeba while swimming at Gai Beach in Tiberias. He was admitted to Sharon Hospital on Tuesday with symptoms of fever, headaches and vomiting. When his condition worsened, he was transferred to Beilinson.
“The hospital staff continues to fight for his life,” the spokesperson says.
According to the CDC, it is commonly called the “brain-eating amoeba” because it can cause a brain infection when water containing the amoeba goes up the nose.
The amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, thrives in warm water. In most cases, nothing happens to those who swim in water sources where the amoeba is present. Health Ministry investigators conducted samples at the beach where he bathed and found no evidence of amoeba contamination.
The mortality rate from encephalitis due to this amoeba is very high. While infection is extremely rare, with only some 400 cases diagnosed worldwide, it is often fatal.
Symptoms often include headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, stiff neck, and neurological symptoms such as confusion, seizures, and hallucinations. It requires immediate medical attention.
A 36-year-old man died of Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis in August 2022, a brain infection caused by the same amoeba.
Ritchie Torres: If you’re tearing down hostage posters, ‘you’re not pro-Palestinian — you’re pro-Hamas’
New York Representative Ritchie Torres, one of Israel’s staunchest supporters in Congress, decries the vandalization of Democratic Rep. Brad Schneider’s Capitol Hill office last week.
In a photo shared by Schneider on X, posters of the 116 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza since October 7 could be seen “ripped from the wall, shredded and tossed across the hallway.”
Responding to the act of vandalism, Torres writes, “If you’re tearing down the posters of hostages, you’re not “pro-Palestinian.” You’re pro-Hamas. You’re not just Anti-Israel. You’re Antisemitic.”
“There’s a special place in hell for those who vandalize posters of the kidnapped,” he adds.
My colleague Brad Schneider—who has been the leading advocate for hostages in Congress—had his office vandalized, with posters of the hostages torn down.
If you’re tearing down the posters of hostages, you’re not “pro-Palestinian.” You’re pro-Hamas. You’re not just… pic.twitter.com/RSOqVoE2a4
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) July 6, 2024
Activists release black, yellow balloons near Gaza border, marking 9 months since Hamas massacre
Kicking off a “day of disruption” planned by protest groups, activists gather at Kibbutz Or Haner near the Gaza border to release black and yellow balloons marking nine months since Hamas’s October 7 massacre.
The balloons are released from signs representing the southern communities attacked on October 7, when thousands of terrorists burst across the border into Israel by land, air and sea, killing some 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages, mostly civilians, many amid acts of brutality and sexual assault.
It is believed that 116 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza — not all of them alive — after 105 civilians were released from Hamas captivity during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released prior to that. Seven hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 19 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military.
The IDF has confirmed the deaths of 42 of those still held by Hamas, citing new intelligence and findings obtained by troops operating in Gaza.
One more person is listed as missing since October 7, and their fate is still unknown.
Rocket alert sirens sounding in Ramot Naftali near border with Lebanon
Sirens are sounding in the northern community of Ramot Naftali near the border with Lebanon, warning of incoming rocket fire.
Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.
Red Alert [05:34:42] – 1 Alert:
• Confrontation Line — Ramot Naftali#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/Gb5IuujYFd
— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) July 7, 2024
Anti-government protest groups gear up for ‘day of disruption’ to demand early elections
Anti-government groups are gearing up for a “day of disruption” to demand new elections, as Israel marks nine months since Hamas’s shock October 7 attack, with 116 hostages still languishing in captivity in Gaza.
Today’s demonstrations will form part of the “week of resistance” protest groups kicked off at their weekly protests last night.
The protesters have said they will block major throughways including Routes 2, 4 and 6, and hold rallies across the country, culminating in a mass demonstration outside the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv.
There will also be a rally outside the Histadrut’s labor federation’s Tel Aviv offices to call on the union to strike in solidarity with the protest groups’ demand for the government to step down.
Also this morning, a demonstration is set to gather outside the Kiryat Ono home of Histadrut chief Arnon Bar-David, who has previously indicated his support for the anti-government protests.
Some of Israel’s leading companies, mainly from the tech and finance sectors, have said they will employees take time off to protest.
London police arrest 5 at anti-Israel rally; far-left MP Corbyn demands Gaza ceasefire
Metropolitan police say they have arrested four protesters at an anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian rally for breaching public order and another “on suspicion of inciting racial hatred in relation to a placard.”
The area of the protest, outside freshly-elected British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s official residence at 10 Downing St, has been cleared of protesters, police say in a post on X.
Tens of thousands of protesters joined the protest, which was organized by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, calling for an immediate ceasefire in the ongoing war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas’s October 7 massacre in southern Israel.
Photos show pro-Israel counterprotesters near the rally holding a sign comparing Hamas’s rampage at the Supernova music festival on October 7 to the 2017 Manchester Arena terror attack that left 22 dead.
The terrorist from that attack, Salman Abedi, reportedly supported the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which is backed by re-elected far-left MP Jeremy Corbyn.
The Guardian reports that Corbyn attended the London protest, telling protesters that “a change in government doesn’t change the facts that the people of Gaza are still being murdered in their sleep.”
“We said it to the Tories, and now we will say it to Labour: a government that sells arms to Israel is a government that is complicit in crimes against humanity.”
Hamas expected to attempt major attack in Gaza or West Bank soon to stymie hostage-truce talks — report
The Israeli defense establishment believes Hamas will try to carry out a major attack in the coming weeks in an attempt to stymie renewed efforts to close a hostage-ceasefire deal, according to an unsourced Hebrew media report.
The attack could be inside Gaza, near the border with the Strip, or in the West Bank, the report adds, without giving further details.
The Channel 12 report also says that Egyptian mediators will likely increase their involvement in the US and Qatar-led negotiations, after Hamas said it has given initial approval for the latest proposal for a phased truce and hostage exchange deal.
Police detain several at Ayalon Highway blockage and in Jerusalem after anti-government protests
Police detain several people in Jerusalem and on the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv, where hundreds of people participated in a road blockage following the weekly anti-government protest on Kaplan Street.
The detentions in Tel Aviv follow the arrival of a crowd of protesters to the northbound lanes of the traffic artery. Police use water cannons on some protesters as officers detain and carry off others, including Noy Erez, a spokeswoman of Yair Golan, chairman of the Democrats Party, a newly established merger of the Labor party under Golan and Meretz.
In Jerusalem, police arrest protesters en route the Prime Minister’s Residence on Aza Street, where hundreds of people marched to call for an early election.
In a video from the protest, Erez is seen lying on the road carrying a sign reading “bring them back home and go home” as a police officer orders her to get up. Photos from event show Erez being carried away by police officers.
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