The Times of Israel liveblogged Saturday’s events as they happened.
Moldovan national stabbed to death in Tel Aviv apartment, partner detained for questioning
A 32-year-old Moldovan national was stabbed to death in his home in Tel Aviv earlier tonight, police say.
Police have opened a murder investigation, and the victim’s partner has been detained for questioning, along with three other people.
All suspects are Moldovan nationals, Hebrew media reports.
GHF says two aid distribution sites to be open Sunday afternoon, warns against showing up earlier
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says it will open two aid distribution sites tomorrow after keeping its sites closed yesterday over what it said were threats from Hamas against its staff.
The two sites in south Gaza’s Rafah will not open until noon, though, as the GHF still struggles to fully get off the ground.
The announcement on GHF’s Arabic Facebook page warns Gazans against showing up to distribution sites before they open, saying they may not be able to serve those who violate the rule.
Sites have seen massive crowding since they launched on May 26, highlighting the desperate humanitarian situation in the Strip, whose residents have been forced to sometimes walk dozens of miles to pick up heavy boxes of food.
The mechanism has been criticized by the UN and aid groups, who say civilians in need should not be forced to walk through IDF lines to pick up food. GHF, in turn, has blasted the UN for refusing to cooperate with the only initiative Israel is allowing for aid distribution at scale.
The GHF announcement also says women interested in picking up aid should approach staff for assistance, as men, for the most part, have been the only ones who have been able to fight through the crowds in order to pick up boxes of food.
Netanyahu condemns ‘violence of any kind’ after window shattered at Supreme Court
After a window is shattered at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem while a right-wing demonstration took place outside, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “strongly condemn any sign of violence of any kind, certainly against one of the government authorities.”
He calls law enforcement and civil leaders “to condemn and act decisively against all manifestations of violence and incitement — without exception.”
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid blamed Netanyahu’s government for the shattered window, which the premier did not directly mention in his statement.
After fleeing, man arrested on suspicion of murdering his mother in Nahariya
Police have arrested the man suspected of murdering his mother in the northern city of Nahariya, before fleeing the scene.
67-year-old woman in Nahariya stabbed to death; police searching for son on suspicion of murder
A 67-year-old woman critically hurt in a stabbing in the northern city of Nahariya has died of her wounds, paramedics say.
The announcement comes shortly after police launched a search for the woman’s son, who is suspected of killing her.
Mass anti-Israel march held in Rome to denounce Italian ‘complicity’ in Gaza war

Hundreds of thousands of people march through the streets of Rome to protest against Israel over the war with Hamas in Gaza, in a rally called by opposition parties denouncing the government’s alleged “complicity” in the conflict.
“Stop the massacre, stop complicity!” read a wide banner held by protesters at the start of the march, amid a sea of red, white and green Palestinian flags, peace flags and “Free Palestine” signs.
The peaceful protest attracted a massive crowd estimated by organizers at 300,000 people. Police later said those estimates are”largely confirmed,” according to Italian news agency AGI.
It made its way from Rome’s central Piazza Vittorio to San Giovanni, where speakers took to a stage to urge an end to the violence and denounce what some called the silence of the far-right Italian government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, Elly Schlein, calls the turnout “an enormous popular response” in opposition to the war.
Italy’s Five Star Movement and the Greens–Left Alliance were also behind the protest.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Lapid blames gov’t for shattering of Supreme Court window: ‘Direct result of its incitement’
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid blames the coalition for the shattering of a window at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, after the judiciary says the window was hit by a projectile fired from an airsoft gun or slingshot at the same time as a right-wing demonstration held outside the court building.
“It was the government who organized the rally,” Lapid says in a statement. “This incident is the direct result of its incitement. I already warned over a month ago: If the prime minister does not stop this, it will end in political murder.”
Brother of hostage soldier slams PM for failing to free male troops without foreign citizenship

Addressing some 1,500 people at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, Ofir Angrest, brother of captive soldier Matan Angrest, slams Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the fact that no male hostage soldiers have been returned to Israel except for Edan Alexander, a dual US-Israeli citizen, freed by Hamas as a gesture to the Trump administration.
“The only victory image will be when you bring back a Zionist Israeli soldier, wrapped in a blue-and-white flag, with no foreign citizenship,” he says. “Because until now, you’ve brought back zero.”
Angrest says Netanyahu told him in a meeting that he was unaware of the severe conditions in which Matan is held. “Asthma attacks after being interrogated and severely tortured, black eyes and facial fractures, and loss of consciousness a number of times when he was taken above ground moments before he choked to death.”
Bar Godard, daughter of slain captive Manny Godard, says, “Our country has decided not to bring the hostages home.”
She calls on the government to make a “brave, moral and human decision to end the war and bring everyone home.”
“Instead of that, we’re dragging ourselves into a never-ending war,” she says. “Prioritizing revenge over saving lives.”
Matan Zangauker’s mom says his blood ‘will stain hands’ of PM if he’s not freed from Gaza

Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, says in remarks addressed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that her son’s “blood will stain your hands” if the premier fails to bring him back.
Following Hamas’s publication of a photo of Matan next to what appears to be an IV bag, Zangauker tells the 1,000-strong crowd on Begin Road, “I’m very worried about Matan’s physical and emotional state. I’m very afraid of a deterioration in his condition.”
“Our heart is broken by the knowledge that without Netanyahu’s political calculations, all this would have been avoided,” she says.
A block south, cops clash with left-wing activists holding signs accusing Israel of war crimes in Gaza and calling on soldiers to refuse to serve in the Strip.
According to the activists, police blocked them for the second week running from joining other protesters on Begin Road.
MK Gilad Kariv yells at police that they are breaking the law as officers drag an activist to the sidewalk.
“The hostages are in our hearts, but there is a wider viewpoint,” says a man speaking through a megaphone to the 100-odd left-wing gathering. “It all starts with our apathy toward the occupation, our apathy toward the Palestinian issue.”
Levin slams shattering of Supreme Court window, refuses to recognize Isaac Amit as chief justice

Justice Minister Yariv Levin issues a statement denouncing the shattering of a window at the Supreme Court during a protest against the judiciary that he addressed.
“Violence of any type is grave and unacceptable,” he says.
The court authorities have said that the window was shattered by fire from an air rifle or a slingshot.
The statement comes shortly after an interview Levin gave to the Kan public broadcaster in which he claimed Supreme Court President Isaac Amit isn’t the chief justice and said he doesn’t recognize Amit’s authority.
Judiciary says window at Supreme Court building was shattered by airsoft gun or slingshot
The judiciary announces that investigators determined that a window at the Supreme Court that was shattered amid a right-wing protest on Thursday evening was damaged by an airsoft gun or a slingshot.
A statement from the courts says that investigators are working to track down suspects.
“This is an unusual, grave and unprecedented incident. The proximity to the demonstration held at the same time and the messages voiced during it against the Supreme Court are troubling,” says the statement.
The judiciary also says that if the window was shattered intentionally, “the matter must be treated with the necessary severity and those responsible must be brought to justice.”
“Harming the Supreme Court… crosses a red line and harms the basic values of Israeli democracy,” it adds.
IDF names two other soldiers killed Friday in southern Gaza explosion
The IDF names the other two soldiers killed in Friday’s explosion in the southern Gaza Strip, during which four troops were killed and five were injured.
The slain soldiers are named as:
Sgt. First Class Tom Rotstein, 23, of the Yahalom combat engineering unit, from Ramat Gan.
Staff Sgt. Uri Yhonatan Cohen, 20, of the Yahalom combat engineering unit, from Neve Yarak.
On Friday, the army announced the names of Sgt. Maj. (res.) Chen Gross and Staff Sgt. Yoav Raver, both were also killed in the incident.
According to the IDF, the soldiers entered the building in Khan Younis to clear it of possible terror infrastructure, including tunnels.
The building was booby-trapped, and the explosion caused the structure to collapse on the soldiers, killing four and wounding five others, including one seriously.
Hamas took responsibility for the attack.
Silent vigil held in Tel Aviv for Gazan children killed in IDF strikes

About 400 people lining both sides of Tel Aviv’s Kaplan Street hold up candles and pictures of Palestinian children who were killed in Gaza by the IDF since Israel resumed hostilities against Hamas on March 18.
Each child’s picture includes his or her name as well as date and place of death.
The activists continue standing silently as anti-government protesters pass by on their way from Habima Square to Begin Road.
The weekly Kaplan Street vigil did not take place last Saturday, with its organizer, the Peace Partnership coalition of numerous left-wing groups, urging activists to instead attend a large anti-war demonstration in Haifa.
IDF: Hamas used tunnel below Gaza’s European Hospital as a main command post on Oct. 7

A Hamas tunnel underneath the European Hospital in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis was used by the terror group as one of its main command centers during the October 7 onslaught, the military says.
A strike on the tunnel on May 13 killed Hamas leader Muhammad Sinwar, along with other top commanders in the terror group.
Trump threatens Musk with ‘serious consequences’ if he backs Democratic candidates
US President Donald Trump, in an interview with NBC News, says there will be “serious consequences” if billionaire Elon Musk funds Democratic Party candidates to run against Republicans who vote for Trump’s sweeping tax-cut bill.
Trump declines to say what those consequences would be in the phone interview, and goes on to add that he hasn’t had discussions about whether to investigate Musk.
Asked if he thought his relationship with the Tesla and SpaceX CEO was over, Trump says, “I would assume so, yeah.”
IDF: Head of Hamas-aligned Mujahideen Brigades killed; he invaded Nir Oz, directly tied to Bibas family killings

The leader of the Mujahideen Brigades, Asaad Abu Sharia, was killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza City earlier today, the military confirms.
Palestinian media reported over 30 dead in the strike in the Sabra neighborhood.
According to the IDF, Abu Sharia invaded Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, onslaught and was “directly involved” in abductions and murders of civilians, including members of the Bibas family.
The IDF says Abu Sharia was also behind attacks in the Gaza Strip and directed attacks on Israel from the West Bank.
The Mujahideen Brigades is a relatively small Hamas-allied terror group in the Strip.
The terror group was responsible for the abduction and murder of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir; Gadi Haggai and Judih Weinstein; and Thai hostage Nattapong Pinta. The group is currently holding the body of another foreign national, the IDF says.
A separate strike in Gaza today killed Mahmoud Kaheel, another top member of the Mujahideen Brigades, the military says. The terror group also announced his death.
Kaheel also infiltrated Nir Oz on October 7 and was involved in holding members of the Bibas family in captivity, the IDF says.
Anti-government protesters at Habima Square rail against Haredi draft exemption, attacks on judiciary
Hundreds of anti-government protesters rally at Tel Aviv’s Habima Square.
Speakers rail against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s efforts to codify the Haredi community’s exemption from military service in order to prevent his ultra-Orthodox coalition partners from toppling the government.
Or Schwarzman, a 24-year-old who has clocked hundreds of days of reserve duty since the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023, slams Netanyahu for holding “intense negotiations” on the Haredi draft exemption even as “the negotiations for the hostages languishing in the tunnels don’t interest anyone in this government.”
“What is going through your head, that you even dare to talk about draft-dodging in days like these?” he asks.
Former deputy attorney general Dina Zilber accuses government ministers of inciting against protesters and the judiciary.
“Who are the top inciters?” she asks. “Not some crazy fringe, but the Israeli government and its head.”
The rally begins with a moment of silence for eight soldiers killed over the past week, including two whose names have not yet been made public.
In the middle of the square, protesters hold up a large piece of yellow cloth, curling it so that it looks like the ubiquitous ribbon symbolizing the fight for the captives’ release.
On the south side of the square, left-wing protesters hold their own small demonstration, unfurling a large banner calling for the creation of an independent Palestinian state. These protesters leave ahead of the main rally to attend a silent vigil for slain Gaza children on Kaplan Street.
Protesters from the main rally are set to march to the anti-government hostage families’ rally on Begin Road.
Hamas publishes new photo of hostage Matan Zangauker in captivity

Hamas publishes a new photo of Matan Zangauker in captivity, after claiming Israeli troops were “besieging” the area where he is held hostage in Gaza and threatening to execute him.
In the image, Zangauker is propped up on his side as a blanket covers his lower body, while an IV drip bag can be seen in the background.
Terror group behind murder of Oct. 7 hostages, including Bibas family, announces top member killed in IDF strike
A senior member of the Mujahideen Brigades was killed in an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip, the terror group announces.
The Mujahideen Brigades is a relatively small Hamas-allied terror group in the Strip.

According to the IDF, the terror group was responsible for the abduction and murder of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir; Gadi Haggai and Judih Weinstein; and Thai hostage Nattapong Pinta.
In a statement, the Mujahideen Brigades says Mahmoud Kaheel, a member of its leadership, was killed in an Israeli attack that also killed his wife, children, and other family members.
The IDF has not yet commented.
IDF releases video from Hamas tunnel under Gaza hospital where Muhammad Sinwar was killed
The IDF publishes footage showing a Hamas tunnel beneath the European Hospital in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, where the terror group’s leader, Muhammad Sinwar, was killed in a strike on May 13.
In a special operation carried out by the military and Shin Bet, troops reached the underground facility in recent days, where they located the bodies of several terror operatives, the IDF says.
The remains are still being identified, though the military believes that among them is the body of Sinwar.
The military says the tunnel featured command and control rooms, weapons, and other intelligence materials.
“Throughout the war, the IDF repeatedly exposed the use of hospitals across the Gaza Strip by the Hamas terror organization for terror activity and as hiding places for senior members of Hamas’s military wing,” the military says.
The IDF says the tunnel it reached “is located directly beneath the European Hospital in Khan Younis and was also built by Hamas.”
The strike on May 13 also killed Muhammad Shabana, commander of the terror group’s Rafah Brigade, and Mahdi Quara, commander of the South Khan Younis Battalion.
A Hamas tunnel underneath the European Hospital in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, where Hamas leader Muhammad Sinwar was killed, in a video published by the IDF on June 7, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
Ex-Mossad chief Yossi Cohen said considering forming new party before next elections

Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen is considering a run for the Knesset in the next elections, according to Channel 12 news.
The unsourced report says that though Cohen has received offers to join existing parties, he is leaning toward forming a new political faction.
Cohen has long been linked to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who appointed him as Mossad head after serving as the premier’s national security adviser, and reportedly has viewed him and fellow longtime confidante Ron Dermer as potential successors.
Gaza aid group says it couldn’t open distribution hubs today because of Hamas threats to its staff

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says it was unable to open its distribution sites today due to threats from Hamas.
The statement does not provide any further information on the threats, but a GHF spokesperson says they were directed at the foundation’s drivers and local Palestinian staff helping operate the distribution sites.
This is the fourth time this week that GHF operations have been disrupted, as the group struggles to get off the ground.
It is the second day that GHF sites have not operated at all, but the first time due to alleged Hamas threats, with the other work stoppages having been related to overcrowding and mass casualty incidents allegedly involving Israeli fire.
“Hamas is the reason hundreds of thousands of hungry Gazans were not fed today,” GHF says in its statement.
“The group issued direct threats against GHF operations. These threats made it impossible to proceed today without putting innocent lives at risk,” the foundation adds.
GHF says Hamas is bent on aid operations returning to the UN-backed mechanisms, which it was able to divert assistance from those in need.
However, the foundation says it is adapting its operations to overcome such threats and resume aid distribution.
Father of hostage Eitan Horn urges Witkoff to issue ultimatum to Netanyahu and Hamas

The father of hostage Eitan Horn appeals to US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to help secure his son’s release from Hamas captivity.
In a statement to the press outside the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, Itzik Horn urges Witkoff to “set aside the Netanyahu framework for extending the war” and instead push a proposal to free all the captives and end the fighting in Gaza.
“Mr. Witkoff, it’s possible. If you return everyone, you will be remembered as one of the greatest Jews of all time,” adds Itzik Horn. “Present Netanyahu and Hamas with an offer with an ultimatum to end the war. This is likely the only way to return the hostages and save the State of Israel.”
Al-Qaeda leader in Yemen threatens Trump, Musk over Gaza war: ‘There are no red lines’

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The leader of al-Qaeda’s Yemen branch has threatened both US President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip in his first video message since taking over the jihadist group last year.
The half-hour video message by Saad bin Atef al-Awlaki, which spread online this morning via supporters of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, also includes calls for lone-wolf terrorists to assassinate leaders in Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf Arab states over the war, which has decimated Gaza.
The video of al-Awlaki’s speech shows images of Trump and Musk, as well as US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of State Pete Hegseth. It also includes images of logos of Musk’s businesses, including the electric carmaker Tesla.
“There are no red lines after what happened and is happening to our people in Gaza,” al-Awlaki says. “Reciprocity is legitimate.”
Israeli forces detain prominent terror suspect in West Bank, foil imminent attack plan
Israeli security forces detained a prominent terror operative and foiled an imminent attack in separate West Bank operations over the weekend, the military, Shin Bet, and police say.
This morning, undercover Border Police officers raided the town of Wadi Burqin, next to Jenin, to detain Muslim Masarwa, who is identified by the Shin Bet as a prominent member of a terror network in the West Bank city.
Another two wanted Palestinians were detained with him, and a handgun was seized, the joint statement says.
In an operation yesterday in the northern West Bank area, forces of the police’s Yamam unit detained a “terrorist who was planning to carry out an imminent attack,” according to the statement.
The wanted man was shot while trying to flee, and he was nabbed alongside four others, the IDF adds.
IDF confirms troops operating inside Hamas tunnels in area where Muhammad Sinwar was targeted
The IDF confirms that troops are operating inside Hamas tunnels in the area of the European Hospital in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, where Hamas leader Muhammad Sinwar was targeted on May 13.
“During the activity, IDF troops reached an underground route that was struck three weeks ago, where Muhammad Sinwar and other terrorists were residing. In the area, bodies of terrorists who have not yet been identified were located,” the military says.
The IDF says it also located several findings “that prove the cynical use made by the Hamas terror organization of the hospital as a shield for its operations.”
Pro-Iran outlets claim that Tehran acquired trove of sensitive Israeli nuclear files
Pro-Iran media outlets claim that Tehran has obtained a trove of “strategic and sensitive” Israeli intelligence, including files related to Israel’s nuclear facilities and defense plans.
“Iran’s intelligence apparatus has obtained a vast quantity of strategic and sensitive information and documents belonging to the Zionist regime (Israel),” says the state broadcaster, citing informed regional sources.
The report, which is also carried by the Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese outlet al-Mayadeen and Iran’s Tasnim news agency, doesn’t include any details on the documents or how Iran had obtained them.
The intelligence reportedly included “thousands of documents related to that regime’s nuclear plans and facilities,” it adds.
According to state television, “the data haul was extracted during a covert operation,” and included a “vast volume of materials — including documents, images, and videos.”
The report says the data was thoroughly reviewed by Iranian authorities after being securely transferred to the country.
IDF says Islamic Jihad members targeted in hospital strike were ‘operating under the guise of journalists’
The IDF publishes the identities of two Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives killed in an Israeli airstrike on a hospital in Gaza City on Thursday, saying the pair were “operating under the guise of journalists.”
The strike on Thursday hit a press compound in the courtyard of the Al-Ma’amadani Hospital, also known as Al-Ahli, killing journalists Suleiman Hajaj, Samir al-Rifai, Ismail Badah, and Ahmed Qaljah, according to Palestinian media.
The IDF said Thursday that the compound was used by Islamic Jihad operatives to plan and carry out attacks on troops and Israeli civilians.
Hajaj, according to the IDF, was a deputy commander of an Islamic Jihad engineering cell, and al-Rifai was also a member of the terror group. The military does not comment on the other two reported fatalities.
https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1931338493457727608
Hamas says IDF troops ‘besieging’ part of Gaza where hostage Matan Zangauker is held
The Hamas terror group warns that Israeli troops are “besieging” an area in the Gaza Strip where hostage Matan Zangauker is being held.
“We affirm that the enemy will not be able to recover him alive. We have preserved his life for 20 months; if this prisoner is killed during an attempt to free him, the occupation army will be the one responsible for his death,” says Hudhaifa Kahlout — known by the nom de guerre Abu Obeida — the spokesman for Hamas’s military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades.
“This is a final warning,” he adds.
Hamas has previously said it will execute hostages if Israeli troops are seen approaching areas where they are being held. In August 2024, Hamas murdered six hostages in Rafah as Israeli forces were operating nearby.
Military officials have repeatedly said that every strike and ground operation in Gaza is carefully planned out in order not to endanger Israeli hostages.
Thailand says ‘deeply saddened’ by death of hostage Nattapong Pinta

Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it’s “deeply saddened” by the death of a Thai hostage in Gaza whose body was retrieved by Israeli forces.
Thai Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Nikorndej Balankura says in a video statement that the ministry “is deeply saddened to announce that today, the Royal Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv was informed by a representative of the Israeli government that Mr Nattapong Pinta, the last Thai hostage, has been confirmed dead.”
IDF believes it located body of Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar, killed in Gaza strike last month

IDF troops operating near the European Hospital in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, located in the past day the bodies of several terror operatives who were killed in an Israeli strike on a Hamas tunnel system on May 13, military officials say.
The military believes that one of the bodies may belong to Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar, who was killed in the strike.
The IDF last week denied that troops were operating “within the European Hospital compound.”
Report: UN conference to discuss steps toward recognition of Palestinian state rather than declaration

A New York conference later this month will discuss steps toward recognition of a Palestinian state rather than a declaration, unnamed diplomats tell The Guardian.
The British outlet says there has been a change in the aims of the confab, and that officials “will instead hope to agree on steps.”
The newspaper says the decision “marks a retreat.”
The report says that French officials told their Israeli counterparts earlier this week that the conference will not see recognition of a Palestinian state.
The international conference meant to resurrect the idea of a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict will take place from June 17 to 20 at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
The conference stems from a resolution approved in December by the UN General Assembly, and it will be co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that he expected the conference to take steps “toward recognizing Palestine,” without being more specific.
Macron said in April that Paris could recognize a Palestinian state in the coming months, possibly at the June conference. The French president’s statement drew a furious response from Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling it a “huge prize for terror.”
Agencies contributed to this report.
At least 5 killed in Russian strikes on Ukraine, officials say
Russian strikes on the Ukrainian cities of Kherson and Kharkiv early this morning killed at least five people, according to a regional governor and a mayor.
A strike on a high-rise building in Kherson killed a couple, according to regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin.
In Kharkiv, another three people were killed and at least 17 wounded in what Mayor Igor Terekhov calls “the most powerful attack” on his city since the start of the war.
Ceremony to be held at Ben Gurion Airport for repatriation of body of slain Thai hostage Nattapong Pinta

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar updated his Thai counterpart, Maris Sangiampongsa, on the details of the military operation to recover the body of hostage Nattapong Pinta, Hebrew-language media reports.
Sa’ar said that a ceremony will be held at Ben Gurion Airport when Pinta’s body is repatriated.
Pinta was taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023. The military believes he was kidnapped alive but murdered in captivity a few months into the war. He is survived by his wife and young son.
Hostage forum: Return of hostage Nattapong Pinta’s body from Gaza underscores urgency for a deal

With the recovery of the body of slain Thai hostage Nattapong Pinta from Gaza, the Hostage and Missing Families Forum reiterates the urgency of all the captives being brought home.
“The return of Nattapong Pinta is a fulfillment of a basic human moral obligation, which will allow his family to close the necessary circle,” the forum says.
“While the pain is great, his family will finally have certainty, after 20 terrible and agonizing months of difficult question marks – a necessary certainty to which every family is entitled to begin a personal healing journey,” the forum says.
“We once again remind you on this day that decision-makers must do everything necessary to bring about an agreement that will return all 55 remaining abductees – the living for rehabilitation and the dead for a proper burial,” the forum says.
Activist aid ship carrying Greta Thunberg reaches Egyptian coast as it heads for Gaza

A high-profile activist mission sailing to Gaza with 12 activists on board, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, has reached the Egyptian coast and is nearing the Strip, organizers say.
The Madleen, part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, left Sicily last week with a cargo of relief supplies “to break Israel’s blockade on Gaza.”
“We are now sailing off the Egyptian coast,” German human rights activist Yasemin Acar tells AFP.
“We are all good,” she adds.
In a statement from London, the International Committee for Breaking the Siege of Gaza — a member organization of the flotilla coalition — says the ship has entered Egyptian waters.
The group says it remains in contact with international legal and human rights bodies to ensure the safety of those on board, warning that any interception would constitute “a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.”
The Israeli Navy is expected to block the vessel should it enter Israel’s territorial waters.
Clashes aboard the Madleen, which was organized by the pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel Freedom Flotilla Coalition, would likely spark diplomatic outrage.
Britain has so far rejected Israeli requests to prevent the boat, flying under a UK flag, from reaching Israeli waters, an official in Jerusalem has told The Times of Israel.
CEO of Boston Consulting Group said to apologize for involvement in Gaza aid mechanism

The CEO of the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), a US management consulting firm that helped establish the new American- and Israeli-backed aid distribution mechanism in Gaza, apologizes for the company’s involvement in the initiative.
In an email obtained by The Washington Post, Christoph Schweizer says that his company had fired two partners involved in the project and has launched a “formal investigation” to ensure “this does not happen again.”
“I deeply regret that in this situation, we fell short — of our own standards and of the trust that you, our clients and our broader communities place in BCG,” he says. “I am sorry for how deeply disappointing this has been to many BCGers around the world.”
Last week, a BCG consultant said the company, responsible for setting the payment and procurement rates for a network of contractors tasked with constructing four aid distribution centers in southern Gaza, ended its contract with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the body running the mechanism.
BCG said it had offered its services to the humanitarian effort on a pro bono basis and did not receive any compensation for its work. However, another individual familiar with the project disputes this claim, asserting that BCG submitted monthly invoices exceeding $1 million.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu worked for BCG in the United States prior to his political career.
Following a nearly three-month aid blockade on the territory, Israel announced last month the start of the new system, which is meant to keep aid from reaching Hamas members.
But the Israeli-backed efforts to supply aid to the strip continue to be chaotic, with operations beset by deadly incidents.
Additionally, the mechanism has come under harsh condemnation from the United Nations, rights groups and foreign countries who say it does not sufficiently address the humanitarian needs in Gaza.
IDF believes Thai hostage Pinta Nattapong was abducted alive, murdered in captivity
Intelligence obtained during a Shin Bet interrogation of a Palestinian terror operative who was detained in Gaza led the IDF to the location of slain Thai hostage Pinta Nattapong, whose body was recovered from southern Gaza’s Rafah yesterday, the military says.
The IDF believes that Nattapong was abducted alive by Mujahideen Brigades terrorists from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, and was murdered in captivity during the first months of the war.
The exact circumstances of his death and date are currently unknown and are under investigation, the military says.
Nattapong was among the hostages whom Israel had grave concerns for their life, though had not until now officially declared him dead.
The IDF says the operation in Rafah yesterday was carried out using “precise intelligence” obtained by the Shin Bet from its interrogation and other information collected by the Hostages Headquarters unit and the Intelligence Directorate.
The Mujahideen Brigades is a relatively small terror group in the Strip that was also responsible for the abduction and murder of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, and well as Gadi Haggai and Judih Weinstein, whose bodies were recovered early Thursday.
The terror group is still holding the body of another foreign national, according to the IDF.
Body of Thai hostage Pinta Nattapong recovered from Gaza in IDF, Shin Bet operation

Israeli troops recovered the body of hostage Pinta Nattapong in a special IDF and Shin Bet operation in the Gaza Strip, the Prime Minister’s Office announces.
Nattapong, a Thai national, was abducted by Hamas-led terrorists from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023.
According to the statement, Nattapong was murdered in captivity by the Mujahideen Brigades, a relatively small terror group in the Strip, which was also responsible for the abduction and murder of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir. The group also held the bodies of slain hostages Gadi Haggai and Judih Weinstein until they too were recovered earlier this week.
Nattapong’s body was recovered from southern Gaza’s Rafah, according to Defense Minister Israel Katz.
Nattapong was among the hostages whom Israel had grave concerns for their life, though had not until now officially declared them dead.
The IDF has not yet commented.
12 killed in overnight strike on Khan Younis tent camp, Palestinian media reports; no comment from IDF
Palestinian media reports that 12 people were killed and some 40 were wounded in an overnight strike on a tent camp for displaced Gazans in the Khan Younis area.
The reports cite a medical source at Nasser Hospital.
There is no immediate comment from the IDF on the strike.
Israeli officials: Lebanon army was told about Hezbollah drone sites a week before strikes, but failed to act

Lebanese authorities were told of Hezbollah’s underground drone manufacturing facilities in Beirut, but failed to act, unnamed Israeli officials tell the Kan public broadcaster.
The officials say that the Lebanese army was told about the facilities about a week before the Israel Defense Forces carried out a series of strikes on several buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Thursday evening, after issuing an evacuation warning.
The strikes in Beirut hit several underground drone manufacturing facilities belonging to Hezbollah’s aerial forces, also known as Unit 127, according to the military.
Ahead of the strikes, the IDF said it had “identified that Hezbollah’s aerial unit is working to produce many thousands of UAVs, under the guidance and funding of Iranian terror officials.”
This was happening, the military said, “despite the understandings between Israel and Lebanon” as laid out in a November ceasefire agreement that halted more than a year of fighting along Israel’s northern border.
Panama president calls in archbishop, rabbi in bid to mediate with striking banana workers

Panama’s José Raúl Mulino appeals to a higher power, calling in an archbishop and a rabbi to deliver a message to striking banana workers after nearly two months of social protest that have roiled the country.
Mulino has said he won’t reverse controversial changes to Panama’s social security system. Courts have deemed the strike illegal and top banana Chiquita Brands fired nearly 5,000 striking workers last month in the western Bocas del Toro province.
But nothing has stopped the protests.
So at his weekly news briefing, Mulino says he had met with Archbishop José Domingo Ulloa and one of Panama’s leading Jewish figures, Rabbi Gustavo Kraselnik, to enlist them as intermediaries. He gave Ulloa a personal letter to bring to Francisco Smith, the leader of the striking banana workers’ union.
In the letter, Mulino says he committed to sending proposed legislation to the Congress that would be favorable for the country’s banana sector, above all its workers. But he conditioned the proposal on former workers lifting their protest.
Man, 14-year-old boy killed in collision between vehicle, police car near Segev Shalom
A man aged around 40 and a 14-year-old boy are pronounced dead after a collision between a police car and a vehicle in the south.
A woman aged around 30 is seriously injured in the incident near Segev Shalom.
Police say they have opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deadly crash near the desert town, also known as Shaqib al-Salam.
Pentagon watchdog investigating if staffers were asked to delete Hegseth’s Signal messages

The Pentagon’s watchdog is looking into whether any of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s aides were asked to delete Signal messages that may have shared sensitive military information with a reporter, according to two people familiar with the investigation and documents reviewed by The Associated Press.
The inspector general’s request focuses on how information about the March 15 airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen was shared on the messaging app.
This comes as Hegseth is scheduled to testify before Congress next week for the first time since his confirmation hearing. He is likely to face questions under oath not only about his handling of sensitive information but also the wider turmoil at the Pentagon following the departures of several senior aides and an internal investigation over information leaks.
Hegseth already has faced questions over the installation of an unsecured internet line in his office that bypassed the Pentagon’s security protocols and revelations that he shared details about the military strikes in multiple Signal chats.
One of the chats included his wife and brother, while the other included US President Donald Trump’s top national security officials and inadvertently included The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg.
Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson has no comment, citing the pending investigation. The inspector general’s office would not discuss the details of the investigation but says that when the report is complete, their office will release unclassified portions of it to the public.
Besides finding out whether anyone was asked to delete Signal messages, the inspector general also is asking some past and current staffers who were with Hegseth on the day of the strikes who posted the information and who had access to his phone, according to the two people familiar with the investigation and the documents reviewed by the AP. The people were not authorized to discuss the investigation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Democratic lawmakers and a small number of Republicans have said that the information Hegseth posted to the Signal chats before the military jets had reached their targets could have put those pilots’ lives at risk and that for any lower-ranking members of the military it would have led to their firing.
Hegseth has said none of the information was classified. Multiple current and former military officials have said there is no way details with that specificity, especially before a strike took place, would have been OK to share on an unsecured device.
Iran claims US travel ban shows ‘deep hostility toward Iranians and Muslims’
Iran’s foreign ministry says a US travel ban that includes Iran shows “deep hostility of American decision-makers toward the Iranian people and Muslims,” the ministry posts on the X platform.
Trump insists nuclear deal won’t let Iran enrich uranium

US President Donald Trump asserts that Iran won’t be allowed to enrich uranium, despite reports that the deal Washington has proposed would allow Tehran to do so at low levels for a temporary period.
“They won’t be enriching. If they enrich, then we’re going to have to do it the other way,” Trump tells reporters, hinting at a military strike against Iran’s nuclear sites if a deal doesn’t pan out, while reiterating that a diplomatic agreement is his preferred option.
At Israel’s request, US mulls giving $500M to fund Gaza aid group’s operations — Reuters

WASHINGTON — The State Department is weighing giving $500 million to the new foundation providing aid to war-shattered Gaza, according to two knowledgeable sources and two former US officials, a move that would involve the US more deeply in a controversial aid effort that has been beset by violence and chaos.
The sources and former US officials, all of whom request anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, say that money for Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) would come from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which is being folded into the US State Department.
The plan has met resistance from some US officials concerned with the deadly shootings of Palestinians near aid distribution sites and the competence of the GHF, the two sources say.
The State Department and GHF do not immediately respond to requests for comment.
One source with knowledge of the matter and one former senior official say the proposal to give the $500 million to GHF has been championed by acting deputy USAID Administrator Ken Jackson, who has helped oversee the agency’s dismemberment.
The source says that Israel requested the funds to underwrite GHF’s operations for 180 days.
The Israeli government doesn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The two sources say that some US officials have concerns with the plan because of the overcrowding that has affected the aid distribution hubs run by GHF’s contractor, and violence nearby.
Those officials also want well-established non-governmental organizations experienced in running aid operations in Gaza and elsewhere to be involved in the operation if the State Department approves the funds for GHF, a position that Israel likely will oppose, the sources say.
US Supreme Court allows DOGE broad access to Social Security data
The US Supreme Court has permitted the Department of Government Efficiency, a key player in President Donald Trump’s drive to slash the federal workforce, broad access to personal information on millions of Americans in Social Security Administration data systems while a legal challenge plays out.
At the request of the Justice Department, the justices put on hold Maryland-based US District Judge Ellen Hollander’s order that had largely blocked DOGE’s access to “personally identifiable information” in data such as medical and financial records while litigation proceeds in a lower court. Hollander found that allowing DOGE unfettered access likely would violate a federal privacy law.
The court’s brief, unsigned order did not provide a rationale for siding with DOGE. The court has a 6-3 conservative majority. Its three liberal justices dissented from the order.
DOGE swept through federal agencies as part of the Republican president’s effort, spearheaded by billionaire Elon Musk, to eliminate federal jobs, downsize and reshape the US government and root out what they see as wasteful spending. Musk formally ended his government work on May 30.
Two labor unions and an advocacy group sued to stop DOGE from accessing sensitive data at the Social Security Administration, or SSA, including Social Security numbers for Americans, bank account data, tax information, earnings history and immigration records.
The agency is a major provider of government benefits, sending checks each month to more than 70 million recipients, including retirees and disabled Americans.
In their lawsuit, the plaintiffs argued that the Social Security Administration had been “ransacked” and that DOGE members had been installed without proper vetting or training and demanded access to some of the agency’s most sensitive data systems.
IDF reservist moderately wounded by mortar fire in Gaza City
A reservist with the 646th Paratroopers Brigade was moderately wounded by a mortar impact fired by terror operatives in Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighborhood earlier today, the military says.
He was taken to a hospital where his condition has since improved.
Following the attack, the IDF issued an evacuation warning for a small area in Gaza City, though it is an area that was already ordered to be evacuated earlier.
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