June 26: State Department okays $30 million for funding of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

Four detained at Tel Aviv anti-government rally calling for hostage deal, end of war

Police have arrested at least four anti-government protesters on Tel Aviv’s Begin Road, according to a lawyer group offering pro bono services to people detained at anti-government demonstrations.

Three protesters were taken to the nearby Lev Tel Aviv police station, and another was put into a police car before being taken to a police station, the Protest Detainee Legal Support Front says.

Haaretz reports that protesters were detained for blocking traffic on Namir Road, a major route that feeds into Begin.

Protesters marched to the area, outside the IDF headquarters, after demonstrating at Rabin Square. The rally and march were led by soldiers’ mothers who are demanding an end to the war in Gaza.

PA says several aid trucks reached warehouses in northern Gaza on Thursday

The Palestinian Authority’s foreign ministry says that despite reports of a halt on aid deliveries in northern Gaza, several humanitarian aid trucks successfully reached warehouses in that area of the Strip.

The ministry doesn’t say which crossing the aid came from and when.

The boxes pictured in a tweet published by the ministry show the logo of an Emirati aid organization. Israel has made a point of ensuring that aid from the UAE is delivered into the Strip.

Earlier today, a UN spokesperson told The Times of Israel that its teams were barred by Israel from reaching the Zikim Crossing in northern Gaza in order to pick up assistance.

Yesterday, former prime minister Naftali Bennett published a tweet showing gunmen on top of an aid convoy in northern Gaza, claiming they were Hamas operatives. The clip sparked uproar, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he had directed the IDF to take steps within 48 hours to ensure that Hamas cannot steal aid. There were then reports that Israel had decided to block aid from entering the Strip in the interim, though those proved to be at least partially false after the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has been distributing about half of the aid entering Gaza over the past month, continued operations on Thursday.

Meanwhile, clan leaders in northern Gaza issued a statement insisting their members were the gunmen atop the aid trucks in Bennett’s tweet — not Hamas operatives — and that they were securing the convoy, not looting it.

Humanitarian aid reaches Gaza’s northern warehouses amid ongoing Israeli blockade

GAZA, June 26, 2025 – The Government Operations Room for Emergency Interventions in the Gaza Strip announced today the successful delivery of several humanitarian aid trucks to warehouses in… pic.twitter.com/6ScDK3gyD7

— State of Palestine – MFA 🇵🇸🇵🇸 (@pmofa) June 26, 2025

State Department approves $30 million for funding of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

The US State Department has approved $30 million in funding for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the State Department says, calling on other countries to also support the group delivering aid in war-torn Gaza.

“This support is simply the latest iteration of President Trump’s and Secretary Rubio’s pursuit of peace in the region,” State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott says.

The $30 million falls well below the $500 million that the US reportedly considered giving GHF earlier this month.

The group has touted being able to deliver over 40 million meals since its May 26 launch, but it has been marred by reports of near-daily shootings of Palestinians trekking long distances while crossing IDF lines to reach the small number of GHF distribution sites.

Katz: Israel launched war against Iran without knowing whether US would join

In an interview with Channel 12, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel launched its war against Iran without knowing whether US President Donald Trump would participate in the offensive.

However, he noted that Israel was confident the US would assist in defending the country.

“In defense, we knew they [the US] were with us — and they did an amazing job,” Katz said.

Katz also admitted that Israel does not know the location of all of Iran’s enriched uranium but claimed its military strikes destroyed Tehran’s enrichment capabilities.

“The uranium itself, the material, was not a target for attack,” he said.

Reiterating comments he made to other news outlets, Katz said Israel would have assassinated Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “if he had been in our sights.”

New York Mayor Adams officially announces reelection bid alongside Jewish community leaders

New York City Mayor Eric Adams officially announces his reelection bid in a press conference at City Hall.

The announcement comes after democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, a state assemblyman from Queens, won a stunning upset over former governor Andrew Cuomo in the city’s Democratic mayoral primary. Mamdani is a member of the far-left Democratic Socialists of America and a harsh critic of Israel, while Adams is a firm supporter of Israel with long ties to Jewish communities.

Adams highlights his experience in politics and as a police officer. Mamdani, 33, was elected to the state assembly in 2021 and has a relatively thin resume.

“They have a record of tweets, I have a record on these streets, a record of results,” Adams says.

He vows to protect houses of worship.

“When hate appears in our community, it doesn’t matter if it’s our Sikh members, our Jewish members, our Christian members,” he says. “I’m there front and center, leading.”

“This diversity, everything from a yarmulke to a kuffi to a hijab, is why I am running for reelection,” he says.

He contrasts his working-class roots with Mamdani’s privileged upbringing. Adams was raised by a single mother in a poor neighborhood in Brooklyn, while Mamdani’s father is a Columbia University professor and his mother is an accomplished film director.

“This election is a choice between a candidate with a blue collar and one with a soup silver spoon, a choice between dirty fingernails and manicured nails,” he says. “It’s a choice between real progress and empty promises, a future for working people, not a fantasy state.”

“This is not a city where you use idealism to state you’re giving everything to everyone for free. There’s no dignity in giving everything for free. There’s dignity in giving you a job so you can provide for your family,” he says. “This is not a city of handouts, this is a city of hands up.”

There is some heckling in the crowd that is drowned out by chants of “Four more years.”

He is introduced by religious representatives, including Orthodox community leader Rabbi Moshe Melamed and Mijal Bitton, a Sephardic Jew from Manhattan’s Downtown Minyan.

Melamed highlights the community’s strong ties with Adams and his administration.

“Our community has gone through very, very trying times, and only through this relationship with the mayor and his fabulous team have we managed,” he says.

Bitton, an immigrant from Argentina, says she has seen what happens “when socialist promises collapse economies and destroy lives.”

“I want us to walk freely in our streets, to pray in our houses of worship, to raise families in peace, and I say this as an American Jew who understands that Jewish safety is tied to the safety of my neighbors,” she says.

Secret deal to end Netanyahu’s trial fell apart over PM’s refusal to step down — source

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Supreme Court president Aharon Barak at a September 1998 Supreme Court ceremony marking 50 years of the Israeli court system. (GPO via Wikipedia)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s attorney Amit Hadad sought to reach an arrangement to bring an end to his criminal trial several months ago through the mediation of former Supreme Court president Aharon Barak.

In a January meeting in Barak’s home with Hadad, Prof. Barak Medina of Hebrew University, and the attorney for Netanyahu’s co-defendant Shaul Elovitz, Hadad sought to have Barak serve as a mediator with the prosecution, a source familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel, confirming a Channel 12 report.

The idea was to have Netanyahu plead guilty to a charge relating to Case 1000, in which Netanyahu is accused of fraud and breach of trust in the luxury gifts scandal.

Hadad insisted, however, that Netanyahu would not accept a finding of moral turpitude in such a plea bargain, which comes with a seven-year ban on holding public office, or an agreement whereby he would retire from public office.

Barak, for his part, insisted that Netanyahu must step down from the premiership for him to agree to mediate.

According to a source familiar with the meeting, the effort to reach an agreement broke down over that issue.

Hundreds attend first in-person rally for hostages since Iran ceasefire

Hundreds of anti-government protesters gather at Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square to demand a ceasefire-hostage deal in Gaza.

The demonstration, the first of its type since the Iran ceasefire on Tuesday following a 12-day war, highlights the plight of mothers of soldiers stationed in the Strip. It comes a day after the IDF announced seven Combat Engineer Corps soldiers were killed in Khan Younis.

One of the organizing groups of the protest is Ima Era (Wide-awake mother), which brings together mothers with soldiers.

The group’s name alludes to mothers’ difficulty sleeping knowing their children could be killed at war — a fear that speakers say is foreign to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and many of his ministers.

All the speakers are women, most of them mothers of soldiers.

Opening the protest, a choir of soldiers’ mothers sings “Hatikva,” Israel’s national anthem.

Labor MK Efrat Rayten, herself the mother of a combat soldier who has served in Gaza, calls for Israel to “end the war now and strive toward a diplomatic settlement.”

She harks back to the history of Rabin Square, the site of some of Israel’s largest anti-war demonstrations, when mothers of soldiers demanded an end to Israel’s 1982-2000 military presence in southern Lebanon.

“This square has seen mothers get their sons out of the morass of Lebanon. Now it’s our turn to get them out of the morass of Gaza,” she says.

“It’s not our children who should pay the price of the failed leadership,” she says. “It’s the government. And they’ll pay the price.”

Ima Era activist Michal Hadas Rubin, whose son is a combat soldier in Gaza, says the government is “buying day after day of political survival, and paying with the lives of our children.”

She says she taught her children to enlist in the IDF out of a feeling of national responsibility, but that’s “not a blank check to sacrifice our children.”

“The military mission ended long ago, but it can be completed only through diplomatic action,” she says. “Wars end with agreements.”

After the speeches, protesters march to the Begin Road entrance to the IDF headquarters to continue the demonstration there. Many of the protesters hold small battery-powered toy candles. Backing up the march is a mock funeral procession with eight faux coffins.

הדם על הידיים של ממשלת הדמים!
צועדים מכיכר רבין לשער בגין. pic.twitter.com/lu4oHUvIej

— Ami Dror 🇮🇱 עמי דרור (@AmiDror) June 26, 2025

Leavitt: Netanyahu has expressed interest in visiting White House; Trump open to idea, but no date set

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed interest in coming to Washington to meet with US President Donald Trump.

Trump is open to the idea, but a date has not been set, she says.

No date set yet for US-Iran talks, but efforts ongoing — White House

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says no date has been set yet for negotiations with the US and Iran, but efforts are ongoing in order to put something on the calendar.

US President Donald Trump said yesterday that the US and Iran would meet next week, while noting that a nuclear deal would not be necessary because Tehran’s nuclear program had been completely destroyed in the Sunday US strikes.

US officials are saying that the goal of the meetings with Iran is to secure broader regional peace, while stressing that they are willing to accept an Iranian civil nuclear program that is prevented from any enrichment of uranium.

Report: Trump’s call for ending PM’s trial part of broader initiative to end Gaza war, expand Abraham Accords

A senior Israeli official tells the Kan public broadcaster that US President Donald Trump’s Truth Social post calling for the end of Netanyahu’s trial “wasn’t sent out for no reason.”

“It is part of a larger move that is meant to bring an end to the war in Gaza, the release of all the hostages, an end to Netanyahu’s trial, and a serious regional move,” says the official.

There are “discussions about dramatic moves in the Middle East,” senior Israeli officials tell Channel 13.

Houthi missile launched at Israel falls short, IDF official says

A ballistic missile launched at Israel by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen fell short outside the country’s borders, according to a military official.

The IDF identified the launch, but no sirens sounded in Israel because the missile did not pose a threat.

US says it monitored all Iran nuke sites before strike and didn’t see any enriched uranium moved

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says the US was monitoring all of Iran’s nuclear facilities — not just the main underground one at Fordo — in the days leading up to its strike on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear facilities and did not identify any enriched uranium being moved out of the facilities.

PM: Win over Iran created opportunity to expand peace deals that must be seized

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a video statement on June 26, 2025. (Screen capture/X)

Hours after a report emerged that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump agreed on a vision that would see the war in Gaza end within two weeks and Arab states sign peace deals with Israel, the premier releases a video stressing that Israel has the chance to attain the “dramatic expansion” of its normalization accords.

“We fought valiantly against Iran – and achieved a great victory,” says Netanyahu. “This victory opens up an opportunity for a dramatic expansion of the peace agreements. We are working hard on this.”

“Along with the release of our hostages and the defeat of Hamas,” he continues, “there is a window of opportunity here that must not be missed. Not even a single day can be wasted.”

Slain hostage Ofra Keidar laid to rest in Kibbutz Be’eri after IDF recovers her body in Gaza

Kibbutz Be'eri member Ofra Keidar, 71, killed on October 7 and taken hostage to Gaza, is buried on June 26, 2025 at Be'eri after her body was recovered by IDF forces. (Maya Mashal)

Former slain hostage Ofra Keidar, whose body was recovered by Israeli troops earlier this week, was laid to rest earlier today by her family and community in Kibbutz Be’eri.

The 71-year-old was murdered by Hamas-led terrorists while on an early morning walk near her home on October 7, 2023. Her body was then taken into Gaza.

Keidar’s children speak at the funeral about the closure of their personal journey since October 7 and of their appreciation to the IDF forces for rescuing her body for proper burial.

“After they told us you had been recovered from Gaza, I couldn’t stop replaying our last phone conversation in my head — the photos and videos I saw, the situation we were in at home, and the state you were in when you faced the terrorists,” says her son Elad Keidar, who apologizes for not being able to help her on October 7.

His sister, Yael Keidar, a woman with special needs, speaks as well, telling her mother that she misses her hugs and continues on her mother’s path, swimming, caring for animals and giving love to all of those around her.

“My dear brothers Elad and Oren are always by my side, even when things are difficult for me,” says Yael Keidar.

The slain kibbutznik was remembered by friends and family as a lover of exercise who never missed her morning walks, loved gardening, swimming and animals — and worked for decades in the kibbutz’s dairy farm, milking cows.

Einav Keidar, Ofra’s daughter-in-law, says her children miss their grandmother.

“Today, we are granted this moment to bid you farewell in peace,” says Einav Keidar. “You are deep within our thoughts and hearts. We love you, and ask that you watch over us from above because we are very tired.”

“I long for days of unity and unconditional love among our people, but above all, our moral obligation and ability to heal ourselves will come only after the return of the remaining hostages: those who are alive for rehabilitation and those for proper burial in the land of Israel.”

Amit Shalvi, a fellow Kibbutz Be’eri member and friend, notes that Keidar’s family now has a grave they can visit. He says there are five Be’eri members, Yossi Sharabi, Ilan Weiss, Dror Or, Manny Godard and Sahar Baruch among the 50 remaining hostages in Gaza, 20 of whom are assumed to be alive and 30 deceased.

PM said looking to score another White House invite to celebrate bombing of Iran’s nuke program

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is looking to score another White House visit in the coming weeks in order to celebrate the joint US-Israeli bombing of Iran’s nuclear program with US President Donald Trump, Axios reports, citing three Israeli officials familiar with the matter.

IDF says it demolished home in south Lebanon that Hezbollah used to survey troops

A home in the southern Lebanon town of Houla, allegedly used by Hezbollah to observe Israeli forces, was demolished by IDF troops overnight, the military says.

According to the IDF, the home belonged to Ahmad Ghazi Ali, a Hezbollah operative killed in a drone strike in Houla a week ago.

“The structure was used by the Hezbollah terror organization for military activity, including attempts to gather intelligence on IDF troops,” the military says, adding that “the terrorists’ activity in the structure constituted a clear violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”

The military says the demolition was carried out by the 769th “Hiram” Regional Brigade in a special operation.

Earlier today, two Hezbollah operatives were killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon.

בפעילות מיוחדת אמש (ד') של כוחות חטיבה 769, ובעקבות מידע מודיעיני מקדים, הושמד מבנה בכפר חולא שבדרום לבנון ששימש את ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה לפעילות צבאית, לרבות נסיונות איסוף מודיעין על פעילות כוחות צה"ל. פעילות המחבלים במבנה מהווה הפרה בוטה של ההבנות בין ישראל ללבנון.

המבנה היה גם… pic.twitter.com/p6kGMQhjPc

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) June 26, 2025

IAEA says no word yet from Iran on bill to reduce its cooperation

The UN nuclear watchdog says it has not received an official communication from Iran about a parliamentary bill to suspend cooperation with it that, according to media reports earlier in the day, had received final approval.

“We are aware of these reports. As of now, the IAEA has not received an official communication from Iran on this matter,” the International Atomic Energy Agency says in a statement.

Israel halts aid into northern Gaza, officials say, as clans deny Hamas stealing it

Israel has stopped aid from entering northern Gaza but is still allowing it to enter from the south, two officials say, after images were circulated of masked men on aid trucks, who clan leaders say are protecting aid and are not Hamas stealing it.

Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer tells reporters that aid is continuing to enter from the south, but did not specify whether any supplies were entering from the north.

A Gaza Humanitarian Foundation spokesperson says the group is exempt from a two-day suspension of humanitarian aid deliveries into the territory.

The Higher Commission for Tribal Affairs, which represents influential clans in Gaza, says that trucks had been protected as part of an aid security process managed “solely through tribal efforts.” The commission says that no Palestinian faction, a reference to Hamas, had taken part in the process.

Hamas, the terror group that has ruled Gaza for more than two decades but now controls only parts of the territory after nearly two years of war with Israel, denies any involvement.

Throughout the war, numerous clans, civil society groups, and factions – including Hamas’ secular political rival Fatah – have stepped in to help provide security for the aid convoys.

Clans made up of extended families connected through blood and marriage have long been a fundamental part of Gazan society.

Amjad al-Shawa, director of an umbrella body for Palestinian non-governmental organizations, says the aid protected by clans on Wednesday was being distributed to vulnerable families.

There is an acute shortage of food and other basic supplies after the nearly two-year military campaign by Israel that has displaced most of Gaza’s two million inhabitants.

Aid trucks and warehouses storing supplies have often been looted, frequently by desperate and starving Palestinians. Israel accuses Hamas of stealing aid for its own fighters or to sell to finance its operations, an accusation Hamas denies.

“The clans came … to form a stance to prevent the aggressors and the thieves from stealing the food that belongs to our people,” Abu Salman Al Moghani, a representative of Gazan clans, says, referring to Wednesday’s operation.

Gulf shipping costs drop as Israel-Iran ceasefire holds

Shipping costs for the Gulf have fallen in the past two days after a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Iran, although rates could rebound if tensions increase, shipping and insurance industry sources say.

The conflict had raised concerns that Iran could close Hormuz, the strait between Iran and Oman through which around 20% of global oil and gas demand flows, amid broader fears that oil could soar to $100 a barrel.

Shipping rates for supertankers, which can carry 2 million barrels of oil, jumped over the past week before the ceasefire, more than doubling to over $60,000 a day. Rates were quoted around $50,000 a day on Thursday, freight data shows.

“Tanker rates … have been pulling back following the halt to hostilities between Israel and Iran,” Jefferies analyst Omar Nokta says.

EU urges Gaza ceasefire, hostage release; will hold talks on alleged Israel rights abuses

Leaders from the European Union’s 27 member countries call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and say discussions will continue on a report on Israel’s compliance with the terms of an agreement with the bloc.

“The European Council calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the unconditional release of all hostages, leading to a permanent end to hostilities,” the leaders say in written conclusions after a discussion on the Middle East in Brussels.

The EU’s diplomatic service says last week there were indications that Israel had breached its human rights obligations under the terms of a pact governing its ties with the bloc.

“The European Council takes note of the report on Israel’s compliance with Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement and invites the Council to continue discussions on a follow-up, as appropriate, in July 2025, taking into account the evolution of the situation on the ground,” the leaders write.

Hostage families urge US intervention to end war in Gaza like it did with Iran

Orna and Ronen Neutra, parents of Omer Neutra, taken hostage and killed in Gaza on October 7, 2023, during a June 26, 2025 press conference. (Screen capture)

Four hostages’ family members, Ilan Dallal, Dalia Cusnir-Horn, Orna and Ronen Neutra and Lea Goldin, speak to reporters during a virtual press conference organized by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum and MediaCentral on Thursday about the need to press for a hostage deal with Hamas now that the 12-day war with Iran had ended with a ceasefire.

“The war needs to end for the whole region to be able to move forward,” says Orna Neutra, whose son, Omer Neutra, was taken captive on October 7 and killed in a Gaza tunnel, where his body is still held hostage.

“We feel that the war in Gaza is prolonged for political reasons,” says Omer’s father, Ronen. “So we’re asking President Trump to intervene and do what he did with Iran and put pressure on Hamas and Israel. The people are tired, it’s time to end this conflict.”

The family members emphasized that there is an opportunity now to push for a deal with Hamas following the ceasefire with Iran.

Ilan Dallal, father of hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalla, during a June 26, 2025, press conference (Screen capture)

“There’s this amazing success that Israel just had in Iran, and we need to leverage that,” says Dalia Cusnir-Horn, whose brother-in-law, Eitan Horn, is still held hostage while her other brother-in-law, Iair Horn, was released in February.

“We’re being told all the time that negotiations are taking place but that Hamas is not willing to change,” says Cusnir-Horn. “What we’re trying to tell the US administration and President Trump is that something needs to change. Israel also has to take this agreement, just like it did with Iran. Maybe this conflict with Iran didn’t end the way Israel wanted, but just as the US intervened with Iran, this is the kind of leadership we ask for from President Trump with Hamas.”

Fast-spreading fire burns down three buildings in central city of Ness Ziona

A building goes up in flames due to a wildfire that broke out in Ness Ziona, a city in central Israel, on June 26, 2025. (Fire and Rescue Service)

A quickly-spreading wildfire has burned down three buildings in the central city of Ness Ziona this afternoon as firefighters struggle to extinguish the blaze.

There are 21 firefighting squads currently working to put out the conflagrations, including several teams from other districts called to assist the Central District forces.

A spokeswoman for the Fire and Rescue Service says the first row of houses nearest to the fire has been evacuated, adding that “extensive efforts” are underway to protect nearby buildings and prevent harm to civilians.

Ex-court chief Barak expresses support for either plea bargain or pardon for PM after Trump weighs in

Former Supreme Court president Aharon Barak at an event held by the Hebrew University, March 30, 2017. (Miriam Alster/FLASH90)

Former Supreme Court president Aharon Barak expresses support for either a plea bargain or a pardon for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s call for the premier’s criminal trial to be canceled.

“I’m in favor of an agreement with Netanyahu. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a pardon or a plea bargain. The most important thing is that we come to an agreement. It can bring about calm,” he tells the Mekor Rishon newspaper.

“I don’t know why it doesn’t happen. If it were up to me, I would make an effort to come to an agreement,” he added.

However, Barak was critical of Trump’s intervention, calling it “very troubling.”

Barak has previously supported a plea bargain for Netanyahu and mediated an agreement with then attorney-general Avichai Mandelblit and the prime minister, although Netanyahu ultimately rejected it.

Following Trump’s comments, the head of the Israel Bar Association, Amit Becher, says that if Netanyahu requested the US president’s intervention, it would be a criminal violation.

“If Trump’s tweet in favor of stopping Netanyahu’s trial was coordinated with the prime minister, as the media has reported, then it’s a criminal offense,” Walla reported.

Becher said such actions would constitute prohibited intervention in an ongoing trial, and an attempt to pressure and influence the judges and the State Attorney’s Office.

GHF says it was only group permitted by Israel to distribute aid in Gaza on Thursday

A Palestinian child transports food parcels donated by the United Arab Emirates, from a distribution point supervised by volunteers from Palestinian families organized in committees to prevent theft, in Gaza City on June 26, 2025. (Photo by Bashar TALEB / AFP)

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation interim executive director, John Acree, says his organization was the only one allowed by Israel to distribute aid in the Strip today after a partial halt by Jerusalem amid concerns over Hamas looting.

“Our hope is this will be a temporary pause and all other aid organizations will soon be able to resume distribution in the region,” Acree says in a statement. “However, it is imperative that aid be distributed in a responsible way directly to the people who need it.”

GHF says it distributed 38,880 boxes of food at three of its sites on Thursday.

GHF says its boxes contain enough food for 5.5 people for 3.5 days, but the contents are dry food products that require preparation elsewhere in war-ravaged Gaza, where community kitchens and cooking supplies are limited.

A UN spokesperson confirms to The Times of Israel that Israeli authorities blocked its teams from accessing the Zikim Crossing in northern Gaza where they had been seeking to pick up assistance.

The partial halt on aid deliveries came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Hamas was continuing to steal aid and ordered the IDF to address the issue within 48 hours.

Netanyahu’s statement came hours after former prime minister Naftali Bennett posted a video showing gunmen on top of an aid convoy making its way through northern Gaza and claimed they were Hamas operatives stealing aid.

There was no confirmation that the gunmen were indeed Hamas operatives, and the Haaretz daily cited witnesses on the ground who claimed the gunmen were members of a clan securing the aid from looters as the trucks made their way to a UN warehouse in northern Gaza.

The UN has acknowledged that its convoys have been plagued by looting, but has blamed armed gangs rather than Hamas and has insisted that the solution is for Israel to allow much more aid into Gaza so that demand decreases.

An average of just 56 trucks have been entering Gaza per day since Israel partially lifted its blockade after 78 days on May 19. The UN says several hundred are needed daily to address the dire need in the Strip.

GHF argues that its model is more effective, asserting that its aid convoys have not been looted, as it has its gunmen who prevent such takeovers.

But the US- and Israeli-backed organization only operates up to four distribution sites for the entire Strip, and Gazans have been forced to walk long distances, while crossing IDF lines to pick up aid. There have been near-daily mass casualty incidents in which the IDF has opened fire on Palestinians it claims strayed off approved access routes or were using them when forbidden. Some of these incidents have taken place on roads used by the UN for aid distribution and are not near GHF sites.

The clip shared by Bennett appeared to be from northern Gaza, where GHF doesn’t operate. One month ago, it said it had received approval from Israel to open a distribution site in northern Gaza but that has yet to come into fruition.

UK college apologizes for allowing ‘culture’ of antisemitism, launches improvement plan

Goldsmiths, a college in the University of London, has apologized to its Jewish students and staff for allowing a “culture” of antisemitism to build up on its campus over recent years.

Following an independent inquiry commissioned by the school’s governing council, it will now work to implement a two-year action plan to tackle the problem, the school says.

“The inquiry sets out a disturbing picture, and I am sorry that our community and culture fell short of the behaviors we expect,” says the school’s Vice-Chancellor Frances Corner.

The report laid out a set of 17 recommendations to be implemented by 2027 that will improve support services for students, upgrade reporting and tracking mechanisms, and rethink staff training, the school says.

Antisemitism has spiked in the UK and around the world since Hamas launched its war against Israel on October 7, 2023. A report presented by StandWithUs UK to the UK Parliament’s House of Lords in May showed that Jewish university students across Great Britain are facing unprecedented levels of antisemitism, with many reporting being attacked, threatened and intimidated on campus.

In 2022, Goldsmiths said it would investigate allegations of antisemitism after a Jewish professor, David Hirsh, was publicly attacked as a “far right white supremacist” and a “Zionist Goldsmiths academic.”

Farmers demand relief plan as US pressures Israel to drop tariffs after Iran war – report

After joining Israel’s offensive against Iran earlier this week, US President Donald Trump’s administration has begun pressuring Israel to announce within the coming days the removal of tariffs on American agricultural goods, leading some Israeli agricultural sectors to demand compensation for damages they expect to suffer as a result, Walla reports.

The pressure comes as the US seeks to present Israel as the first country to comply with its global tariff demands, according to Walla.

In early April, Netanyahu hoped to avoid Trump’s newly declared policy to impose levies on global imports, but the president nonetheless hit Israel with a 17% tariff, despite Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich removing all customs duties on US imports.

Netanyahu appointed Prof. Avi Simhon, chairman of the National Economic Council in the Prime Minister’s Office, to coordinate the plan across government ministries.

Asked by Walla whether the tariff cancellation would be announced today, Simhon replied that the issue is still under government discussion and isn’t likely to be announced soon.

Agricultural sectors likely to compete with American imports — such as apples, pears, almonds, industrial-use potatoes and wine grapes — are demanding compensation for damages they expect to suffer, the report continues.

Yesterday, members of the Knesset’s agricultural lobby, led by former agriculture minister MK Alon Schuster, sent an urgent letter to the prime minister, finance minister and economy minister, warning that canceling tariffs poses “a serious threat to the survival of several agricultural sectors.”

The lobby is demanding the establishment of a comprehensive, long-term support network for local agriculture. The Agriculture Ministry and farmers’ organizations have already formulated a plan, but the Finance Ministry is failing to advance its implementation, the report says.

According to Walla, despite the Agriculture and Economy ministries’ general support for compensating affected sectors, the Finance Ministry prefers to avoid reaching a compensation agreement, hoping that American pressure will lead to a swift announcement, leaving farmers with weakened bargaining power and allowing the state to reduce the scope of compensation.

Report: Netanyahu agreed to end Gaza war within two weeks after US strike on Iran

After the US strike on Iran earlier this week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump agreed on a rapid end to the war in Gaza and expansion of the Abraham Accords, Israel Hayom reports, citing “a source familiar with the conversation.”

According to the outlet, Trump and Netanyahu agreed in a phone call that the war in Gaza would end within two weeks. Four Arab states, including the UAE and Egypt, would jointly govern the Gaza Strip in place of Hamas. The terror group’s leadership would be exiled, and all hostages would be released.

However, Arab allies have repeatedly asserted that they will not take part in the postwar rehabilitation of Gaza absent Israeli acquiescence to the Palestinian Authority gaining a foothold in Gaza as part of a pathway to a future two-state solution, but Netanyahu has flatly rejected any PA role in the Strip.

Moreover, Hamas’s leaders have also long rejected demands to go into exile.

Trump and Netanyahu were joined on the “euphoric” call late Monday night by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, says Israel Hayom.

Gazans who wish to emigrate would be absorbed by several unnamed countries, says the report.

Saudi Arabia and Syria would establish diplomatic ties with Israel, and other Arab and Muslim countries would follow suit.

Israel, for its part, would express its support for a future two-state solution, conditioned on reforms made by the Palestinian Authority. Meanwhile, the leaders agreed that Washington will recognize Israeli sovereignty in some parts of the West Bank.

The heady plan could explain Trump’s fury over Israel’s planned retaliation to Iran’s violation of the nascent ceasefire on Tuesday, and his Truth Social post calling for an end to Netanyahu’s corruption trial.

Russia, Ukraine carry out new round of prisoner swaps, officials say

Russia and Ukraine completed another round of prisoner exchanges as part of an agreement struck in Istanbul recently between the two sides, officials in both countries say.

Settlers filmed attempting to raid Palestinian village; exchange of stone throwing at entrance

Footage shows Israeli settlers apparently attempting to raid the Palestinian village of Turmus Ayya in the central West Bank before running into a group of locals trying to keep them out.

The footage shows the sides throwing stones at each other, with some of the settlers masked.

There are no immediate reports of injuries or IDF arrival at the scene.

The incident comes a day after a deadly settler rampage through the village of Kafr Malek.

عاجل | الشبان يتصدون لهجوم المستوطنين على أطراف بلدة ترمسعيا، شمال شرق رام الله. pic.twitter.com/pTyY2C8e2v

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) June 26, 2025

Hamas-linked Gaza rescuers say Thursday’s death toll from Israeli fire rises to 56

Gaza’s Hamas-linked civil defense agency says Israeli forces killed 56 people in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory on Thursday, updating a previous toll of 35.

Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal tells AFP that 56 people were killed by Israeli fire across Gaza, including six who were waiting for aid in two separate locations.

The IDF has not commented on its strikes today.

Report: Iran moved uranium from Fordo before US strikes, EU capitals believe

Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile remains largely intact following US strikes on its main nuclear sites, European capitals believe, the Financial Times reports.

The newspaper, citing two people briefed on preliminary intelligence assessments, says European capitals believe Iran’s stockpile of 408 kilograms (900 pounds) of uranium enriched close to weapons-grade levels was not concentrated in Fordo, one of its two main enrichment sites, at the time of last weekend’s attack.

US President Donald Trump claimed yesterday that Iran didn’t have time to remove the stockpiles before the American strike on Sunday morning.

Trump says nothing was taken out of Iran nuclear facility

US President Donald Trump says nothing was moved from an Iranian nuclear facility, echoing his defense secretary who earlier today said he is unaware of any intelligence suggesting Iran had moved its uranium to shield it from US strikes over the weekend.

“The cars and small trucks at the site were those of concrete workers trying to cover up the top of the shafts. Nothing was taken out of facility. Would take too long, too dangerous, and very heavy and hard to move!” Trump, without providing evidence, writes on his social media platform.

No known intelligence that Iran moved uranium, US defense chief says

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says he is unaware of any intelligence suggesting Iran had moved any of its highly enriched uranium to shield it from US strikes on Iran’s nuclear program over the weekend.

“I’m not aware of any intelligence that I’ve reviewed that says things were not where they were supposed to be, moved or otherwise,” Hegseth says.

GHF says its aid distribution continued Thursday despite reported halt

Despite reports of an Israeli decision to halt the distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza amid concerns of Hamas diverting the supplies, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation continued its distribution today, a spokesperson tells The Times of Israel.

GHF’s aid makes up about half of the assistance entering Gaza each day, with the other half belonging largely to UN-backed organizations. It’s unclear if that latter half was halted, amid allegations that the UN aid has been more prone to looting. A UN spokesperson doesn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sweden Democrats apologize for past Nazi links, antisemitism as election nears

The anti-immigration Sweden Democrats apologize for the party’s past Nazi links and antisemitism, part of efforts to present a more moderate, mainstream image to voters ahead of a national election next year.

The Sweden Democrats were presenting the results of a specially commissioned study that found Nazi and antisemitic views to have been common at party functions and in its printed materials in the 1980s and 1990s.

“That there have been clear expressions of antisemitism and support for National Socialist ideas in my party’s history I think is disgusting and reprehensible,” Mattias Karlsson, a member of parliament often described as the party’s chief ideologist, tells a news conference.

“I would like to reiterate the party’s apology, above all to Swedish citizens of Jewish descent who may have felt a strong sense of insecurity and fear for good reasons.”

The commissioning of the study sought to acknowledge and break with a past that has long hindered its cooperation with Sweden’s mainstream political parties. The Sweden Democrats hope to join a future coalition government after the 2026 election.

The party entered parliament in 2010 and currently supports Sweden’s governing right-wing coalition government but has no members in the cabinet.

Netanyahu requests two-week break in his trial testimony

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requests a two-week hiatus in his trial testimony, with defense attorney Amit Hadad stating that Netanyahu must devote his time to “diplomatic, national and security issues of the first order,” in the wake of the recent war with Iran which ended Tuesday.

Those issues include “managing the war in Gaza and dealing with the issue of the hostages,” writes Hadad to the Jerusalem District Court, where Netanyahu is being tried on charges of fraud and breach of trust, and accepting a bribe in the form of media coverage.

Hadad says the defense team will “make an effort” to have other defense witnesses testify twice a week if the request is granted.

The court orders the State Attorney’s Office to respond to the request by 10 a.m. tomorrow, after which it will make a decision.

The request comes a day after an unprecedented call by US President Donald Trump for the cancellation of Netanyahu’s trial.

US defense secretary rejects intel report suggesting US strikes on Iran were ineffectual

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other military officials hold a morning news conference to respond to an early leaked intelligence report suggesting US strikes against Iran likely put the country back mere months.

The defense secretary minimizes the importance of a preliminary intelligence assessment that concluded US strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities had damaged but not permanently destroyed them.

“President Trump directed the most complex and secretive military operation in history, and it was a resounding success,” he says.

Hegseth scolds the media for “breathlessly” focusing on an assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency even though the DIA is part of the Defense Department.

He says the assessment was preliminary and had not been coordinated with other agencies in the intelligence community. He says other intelligence assessments have been more bullish in their assessments of damage to the sites.

The news conference began with Hegseth, a former Fox News host, criticizing the media for “hunting for scandals all the time.”

Hegseth: "President Trump directed the most complex and secretive military operation in history, and it was a resounding success."

Move over D Day! pic.twitter.com/2fRUVdQ6eV

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 26, 2025

He accused reporters of failing to acknowledge “historic moments” from the NATO summit in The Hague, like improved military recruiting and increased spending on European defense by US allies on the continent.

He then shifted to attacking the “fake news” for reporting on the preliminary assessment.

Israeli officials say the damage to Iran’s nuclear program has been severe.

IDF says it killed two Hezbollah operatives in south Lebanon strikes

The IDF says it eliminated two Hezbollah operatives today in separate airstrikes in southern Lebanon within the span of two hours.

According to an IDF statement, one of the targets was a commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, who was killed in an airstrike in the Baraachit area.

Shortly afterward, a second strike targeted and killed a member of the group’s observation unit in the Beit Lif area.

Israeli military forces launched a barrage of missiles targeting Jabal Blat in southern Lebanon. pic.twitter.com/9peUkMLByJ

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) June 26, 2025

Beitar Illit resident charged with Jerusalem synagogue arson

Damage to the Or Habib synagogue in Jerusalem from an arson attack, June 8, 2025. (Israel Police)

State prosecutors filed charges today against a 23-year-old resident of Beitar Illit, the suspect in an arson attack on a Jerusalem synagogue frequented by former chief rabbi Yitzhak Yosef.

He is accused of plotting two separate arson attacks overnight on June 8 in Jerusalem’s Sanhedria neighborhood, targeting the Or Habib synagogue and a nearby apartment building.

The suspect’s name remains barred from publication under a gag order implemented at the time of his arrest.

According to the indictment, the defendant first tried to set fire to an apartment building adjacent to the prominent synagogue. He vandalized residents’ doors with spray paint before dousing a door and elevator with flammable liquid and setting them alight. Residents extinguished the fire before it could do significant damage.

Later that night, at around 4 a.m, he allegedly broke into the synagogue and poured flammable liquid on the chair of the esteemed Sephardi rabbi, then set it on fire.

With no one to put it out, the blaze spread, scorching holy books and causing significant damage to the building’s AC and electrical systems.

In the indictment filed today in the Jerusalem District Court, prosecutors charge the suspect with arson and intentional property damage. They are requesting to extend his remand until the end of legal proceedings.

The arson attack, which received widespread condemnation from across the political field, was initially probed by the Shin Bet as a terror incident.

Many ultra-Orthodox politicians blamed the incident on anti-Haredi “incitement” related to the fight over the conscription of yeshiva students. This seems to be in doubt due to the suspect being from Beitar Illit, a Haredi city.

Russia says it wants cooperation between Iran and IAEA to continue

Russia wants Iran to continue its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says.

Iran’s parliament approved a bill yesterday to suspend cooperation with the IAEA, the UN’s nuclear watchdog, after Israel and the United States bombed Iran’s nuclear sites with the aim of preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Russia, which has a strategic partnership with Iran, has condemned the Israeli and US strikes and says Tehran has the right to a peaceful nuclear energy program.

Netanyahu thanks Trump for saying his corruption trial should be nixed

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the Tel Aviv District Court before the start of his testimony in the criminal trial against him, June 3, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanks US President Donald Trump for his earlier statement praising the Israeli leader’s actions against Iran and calling for the premier’s corruption trial to be canceled.

“Thank you, President Trump, for your moving support of me and your tremendous support for Israel and the Jewish people,” Netanyahu writes in a Hebrew-language post on X, attaching a translation of Trump’s Truth Social post.

“We will continue to work together to defeat our common enemies, free our hostages, and swiftly expand the circle of peace,” Netanyahu says.

In his post, Trump described Netanyahu’s trial as “politically motivated” and a “witch hunt,” and said it “should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero, who has done so much for the State.”

The remarks drew praise from members of Netanyahu’s cabinet, while opposition figures criticized the comments as inappropriate interference in Israel’s judicial process.

Three Negev residents accused of stealing large amounts of weaponry from IDF bases

The Southern District Attorney’s Office has filed indictments against three residents of Bir Hadaj in the Negev — Nissim Suarka, 24, Wael al-Hatarsa, 24, and Juma’a Azzama, 22 — for their alleged involvement in a series of large-scale weapons thefts from the IDF.

According to the charges filed at the Beersheba District Court, the three suspects were responsible for stealing tens of thousands of items, including ammunition, bullets, and other various types of weapons.

The thefts were carried out in a range of circumstances — from IDF vehicles in transit with soldiers inside, at firing ranges, and, in one case, by snatching a weapon from beneath the head of a sleeping soldier.

The suspects were arrested in a joint operation by the police and Shin Bet.

In first TV speech since truce, Khamenei claims victory over Israel: ‘Surrender will never happen’

This image grab taken from footage broadcast by Iran's IRIB news on June 26, 2025, shows the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addressing the nation (IRIB NEWS AGENCY / AFP)

In his first televised message since a ceasefire ended Iran’s 12-day war with Israel earlier this week, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei claims victory over Israel and says his country “delivered a hand slap to America’s face.”

Khamenei speaks in a video broadcast on Iranian state television, his first appearance since June 19, looking and sounding more tired than he did a week ago.

As in the previously reported tweets, he tells viewers that the US had only intervened in the war because “it felt that if it did not intervene, the Zionist regime would be utterly destroyed.”

He says Iran’s armed forces managed to break through Israel’s multilayered defense and target urban and military sites.

He claims the US “achieved no gains from this war,” asserting that US President Donald Trump had “exaggerated” the impact of US strikes on nuclear sites.

“They attacked our nuclear facilities, which of course would merit criminal prosecution in international courts, but they did nothing significant,” he says.

Khamenei says Trump “exaggerated events in unusual ways, and it turned out that he needed this exaggeration — anyone who has heard these words has understood that there is another truth behind these words.”

The Iranian leader adds: “Trump, in one of his speeches, said Iran needs to surrender. This is too big for him to ask. Trump has unveiled the truth that the US will only be satisfied with Iran’s surrender.”

He says Iran’s enemies “use excuses like missiles or the nuclear program, but are actually looking for our surrender. Surrender will never happen. Our nation is powerful.”

Khamenei also says that Iran’s ability to potentially reach major US military bases is a considerable achievement and adds that such actions could be repeated if aggression is renewed.

“The Islamic Republic was victorious and, in retaliation, delivered a hand slap to America’s face,” he says, in apparent reference to an Iranian missile attack on an American base in Qatar on Monday, which was telegraphed to Washington in advance and which caused no casualties.

The 86-year-old Khamenei hasn’t been seen in public since taking shelter in a secret location after the outbreak of the war on June 13, when Israel attacked Iranian nuclear facilities and targeted top military commanders and scientists.

Khamenei warns that any future aggression against Iran will come at a great cost.

Pope Leo laments ‘diabolical intensity’ of Middle East conflicts

Pope Leo XIV leads an audience on the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican on June 26, 2025. (Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)

Pope Leo says conflicts in the Middle East are raging with an unprecedented “diabolical intensity” and appeals for greater respect for international law, in comments to Catholic bishops and aid agencies operating in the region.

At a meeting in the Vatican, the pontiff says countries in the region are being “devastated by wars, plundered by special interests, and covered by a cloud of hatred that renders the air unbreathable and toxic.

“Today, violent conflict seems to be raging… with a diabolical intensity previously unknown,” he says, adding that the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza is “tragic and inhumane.”

Leo, elected on May 8 to replace the late Pope Francis, appealed last month for Israel to allow more humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. He does not name Israel in his remarks today.

The US-born pope also does not directly address the recent 12-day war between Israel and Iran that also saw the United States bomb Iranian nuclear facilities, but he calls for countries to show better respect for international law.

“It is truly distressing to see the principle of ‘might makes right’ prevailing in so many situations today, all for the sake of legitimizing the pursuit of self-interest,” he says.

“It is troubling to see that the force of international law and humanitarian law seems no longer to be binding, replaced by the alleged right to coerce others,” Leo adds.

Mossad said to offer medical assistance to Iranian citizens in social media post

A post on a Persian-language X account, purporting to be linked to Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, offers medical assistance to Iranian citizens hurt in the recent conflict, encouraging them to reach out via WhatsApp, Telegram, or Signal.

“The ceasefire has been implemented. Now, the extent of the damage is becoming apparent. At this moment, the regime is focused on its higher education, not on taking care of its citizens,” the post reads.

According to the statement, the Mossad is offering a range of services — from access to specialist doctors to basic first aid — aimed at helping those affected by the recent conflict. It is not clear how such services would be provided.

It is not clear if the account is actually linked to the Mossad, which does not operate any other social media accounts. There is no response from the Prime Minister’s Office.

مردم عزیز ایران،
آتش بس به اجرا گذاشته شده است. اکنون ابعاد خسارت آشکار می شود. در این لحظه، رژیم بر درصات ارشد خود متمرکز است، نه بر مراقبت از شهروندانشان.
ما در کنار شما هستیم و تیمی از پزشکان متخصص، از جمله متخصصان قلب، دیابت، بیماری های ریوی، بیماری های عفونی، انکولوژی و… pic.twitter.com/Wkg5VoB6St

— Mossad Farsi (@MossadSpokesman) June 26, 2025

Khamenei: US entered war as it feared Israel ‘would be completely destroyed if it did not’

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in the capital Tehran, June 13, 2025. Above him is a portrait of his late predecessor Ruhollah Khomeini. (KHAMENEI.IR / AFP)

On X, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei claims the US entered the war because it felt that if it did not, Israel would be “completely destroyed.”

“However, it achieved nothing from this war,” he says. “Here too, the Islamic Republic emerged victorious and, in return, delivered a hard slap to America’s face.”

“With all that commotion and all those claims, the Zionist regime was practically knocked out and crushed under the blows of the Islamic Republic,” he argues.

Turkey hopes for progress on F-35 jets after Trump meeting, Erdogan says

A Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II takes part in an air display on the opening day of the Farnborough International Airshow 2024, south west of London, on July 22, 2024. (JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey has not given up on acquiring F-35 fighter jets from the United States and has conveyed its desire to rejoin the program from which it was removed over its purchase of Russian defense systems.

Speaking to reporters on a return flight from a NATO summit in The Hague — where he met US President Donald Trump — Erdogan says he hopes for progress following their discussions on the issue.

“We have not given up on the F-35s. We are discussing our intention to return to the program with our counterparts,” he is cited as saying by his office. “We discussed the issue in our meeting with Mr. Trump, talks at a technical level have started. God willing, we will make progress.”

Washington imposed sanctions on its NATO ally Ankara in 2020 over its purchase of Russian S-400 missile defense systems while also removing it from the F-35 program, where it was both a buyer and manufacturer. Turkey has repeatedly said its removal was unjust and demanded to be reinstated or reimbursed.

Iran panel backs bill to suspend cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog

A parliamentary bill to suspend Iran’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was ratified by the Guardian Council, Iran’s Young Journalist Club news outlet reports, referring to a panel of clerics and jurists who vet legislation.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei to speak in video message soon

After spending nearly two weeks in hiding during Israel’s campaign against Iran, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will upload a televised speech in the coming minutes, according his official X account.

In a post following the announcement of the speech, his first message since the ceasefire began between Israel and Iran this week, Khameini writes, “I offer my congratulations on the victory over the fallacious Zionist regime.”

🔴 Imam Khamenei's important televised message will be released in minutes.

— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) June 26, 2025

Head of Republicans Overseas Israel warns Trump comments on PM’s trial could set dangerous precedent

Marc Zell, the head of Republicans Overseas Israel, attends a Constitution, Law and Justice Committee meeting in the Knesset in Jerusalem, on August 7, 2024 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Marc Zell, chairman of Republicans Overseas Israel, criticizes US President Donald Trump for calling for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s criminal trial to be canceled, saying it could set “a dangerous precedent” for US interference in Israel’s judicial processes.

“I am a staunch supporter of Prime Minister Netanyahu and believe that the legal proceedings against him are baseless and politically motivated — which is likely why President Trump issued such a strong statement criticizing the prosecution,” says Zell. He accuses the Democratic Party of doing “the exact same thing” to Trump.

“That said, Israel is a sovereign country. Its judicial system — for all its flaws — is solely its own responsibility.

“While the President of the United States is entitled to express his opinion, he must not interfere in ongoing legal proceedings in Israel. Doing so could set a very dangerous precedent. Likewise, Israel should not interfere in judicial processes taking place in the United States.”

France says it intercepted Iranian drones on their way to Israel during war

The French military targeted drones sent by Iran to attack Israel before a ceasefire was reached in the 12-day conflict, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu says.

“I can confirm that the French army intercepted less than 10 drones in the last few days during the different military operations conducted by the Islamic Republic of Iran against Israel, either by ground-to-air systems or via our Rafale fighter jets,” Lecornu says at a parliamentary debate over the situation in the Middle East.

Sharing a clip from the debate in a post on X, Lecornu writes, “Our armed forces did not take part in the strikes on Iran. But we are protecting our bases in the region, in legitimate self-defense.”

France “intercepted several Iranian drones whose trajectory toward Israel passed over our installations,” he adds.

According to the IDF, Iran launched about 550 ballistic missiles and 1,000 drones at Israel during the conflict, which ended with a US-brokered ceasefire on Tuesday.

Firefighters battle blaze near Route 1 at entrance to Jerusalem

Firefighters are working to prevent the spread of a forest fire that broke out near Route 1 adjacent to Jerusalem’s Har Hamenuhot cemetery, near the city’s entrance, says the Fire and Rescue Service.

Several firefighting planes are assisting Jerusalem District firefighters in putting out the blazes, Ynet reports.

שריפה מתפתחת ביער סמוך לכניסה לעיר ירושלים ובית העלמין הר המנוחות. צוותי כיבוי ממחוז ירושלים הוקפצו לסיוע בהשתלטות על האש pic.twitter.com/scST65QObC

— שלומי הלר | Shlomi Heller (@Heller_shlomi) June 26, 2025

Reports in Gaza: Aid in north Gaza distributed under armed groups linked to Hamas

Footage published by Palestinian media shows trucks distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza City, in the northern part of the Strip. According to reports, the aid is being distributed by local clans and “security committees,” both of which operate under the authority of Hamas.

توزيع المساعدات الإنسانية على المواطنين في مدينة غزة بعد إدخالها وتأمينها من قبل العشائر ولجان التأمين أمس. pic.twitter.com/0WFl1ndc2c

— شبكة فلسطين للحوار (@paldf) June 26, 2025

Yesterday footage was also published on social media in Gaza showing humanitarian aid trucks being escorted by armed men from clans affiliated with Hamas.

תיעוד של המשאיות מאובטחות בידי החמולות בעזה כביכול, שתומכות בחמאס. בדיר אל-בלח ובעיר עזה, היום ואתמול. נראה לי חמאס מצאו את השיטה גם לקבל קרדיט על הסיוע וגם לוודא שהוא מגיע למי שרוצים שיגיע https://t.co/WUKzE376N1 pic.twitter.com/2z0TuaC7iK

— Nurit Yohanan (@nurityohanan) June 26, 2025

The Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation currently does not operate an aid distribution center in northern Gaza, as it does in south and central Gaza. Those currently responsible for distributing humanitarian aid in northern Gaza are humanitarian organizations operating under the UN framework, such as the World Food Programme.

In a joint statement yesterday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said that “following information received today indicating that Hamas is once again taking control of humanitarian aid entering northern Gaza and stealing it from civilians, the prime minister and the defense minister have instructed the IDF to present within 48 hours an operational plan to prevent Hamas from taking over the aid.”

Opposition MK Karine Elharrar: Rule of law in Israel must remain independent

Yesh Atid MK Karine Elharrar, the only opposition member of the Judicial Selection Committee, slams calls to cancel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ongoing criminal trial.

“The rule of law in Israel must continue to operate independently and without any interference from foreign leaders, regardless of our appreciation for those leaders and regardless of any major and positive political deals,” she tweets.

Defense official to Kan: IDF commandos did not operate inside Iran during war

IDF commandos did not operate inside Iran during the 12-day war, an unnamed senior defense official tells the Kan public broadcaster.

The report comes after last night, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said ground commando forces “operated covertly deep in enemy territory and carried out operations that granted us operational freedom of action.”

Zamir did not specify whether he was talking about Iran, nor whether he was referring to Mossad agents who, at the start of the operation, carried out actions in Iran to neutralize Iranian air defenses and ballistic missiles.

The Kan report suggests that the commandos may have actually operated in a nearby enemy state.

The IDF has declined to clarify.

Activists, scholars blast Trump’s call to end Netanyahu trial

US President Donald Trump arrives for a social dinner at the 'Huis ten Bosch' Royal Palace during a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Heads of State and Government summit in The Hague, on June 24, 2025 (JOHN THYS / AFP)

Pro-democracy activists, legal scholars, and organizations strongly criticize US President Donald Trump’s call for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s criminal trial to be canceled, with some accusing the prime minister of having actively sought Trump’s intervention.

“Netanyahu sold Israel as a protectorate of Trump in exchange for personal gestures,” alleges key pro-democracy activist Nava Rozolyo.

She accuses Netanyahu of having gotten Trump to “incite against the Supreme Court and the legal system,” and alleges that in return for the prime minister fulfilling Trump’s demands regarding the military campaign against Iran, Trump agreed to “throw out a word about a ‘witch hunt’ against Netanyahu the defendant.”

Rozolyo concludes that the two are in “an alliance of crazy dictators.”

The Democratic Right organization, a liberal right-wing association, expresses concern in light of Trump’s comments that Netanyahu’s legal problems might be influencing Israel’s foreign policy.

“As a society, we must not accept a situation in which diplomatic relations, security decisions, or diplomatic concessions are driven by motives that are not in the best interests of the state, but in the best interests of the individual,” says the organization.

“The basic principle is: the rule of law comes first. Even when it comes to a prime minister.”

And Ronit Levine-Schnur, a lecturer at Tel Aviv University’s Faculty of Law, says Trump’s comments are reflective of new types of leaders who “present themselves as champions of peace and prosperity, even while distancing themselves from the norms and values of liberal democracy.”

Says Levine-Schnur: “Just as Trump is unable to respect the independence of the American judiciary when it does not align with his unconstitutional ambitions, he likewise fails to grasp the principle of judicial independence in a system where all individuals — regardless of stature — are equal before the law.”

Sa’ar: Netanyahu’s trial long ago lost any value, can anyone say Trump is wrong?

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar attends a conference organized by the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem on March 27, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar backs Trump’s call to cancel Netanyahu’s ongoing criminal trial, calling it a farce.

“While the prosecution labored on preparing the cross-examination of the prime minister, Netanyahu was focused on discussions and preparations for Israel’s historic campaign against Iran,” Sa’ar writes in a lengthy post on X in which he complains that Netanyahu was forced to divide his attention between military planning and the need to “appear daily to give his testimony in a ‘trial’ that long ago lost any value.”

Noting that the judges in Netanyahu’s trial told prosecutors in the case that the bribery charge against the premier will be difficult to prove and should be reevalujated, Sa’ar complains that the remaining charges of fraud and breach of trust “should have been erased from the law books long ago.”

“What is the value in continuing to conduct Netanyahu’s trial? How many more years will it take to conclude,” he asks, recalling that when he was in the opposition, he had called to end the trial via a plea bargain.

That, he says, “was before the harsh and greatest war in Israel’s history broke out on October 7, 2023,” he continues. “The prime minister, who is managing this historic campaign around the clock with dedication, is forced to continue his trial in parallel and, recently, his testimony as well.

“Everyone understands that this is an unreasonable distortion that is contrary to the basic sense of justice,” he declares.

“The public prosecutor’s office and its head have a plethora of legal options to end this farce. For example, they could have long ago used the authority provided by law to stay the proceedings. That hasn’t happened either,” Sa’ar says.

As justice minister in 2022, Sa’ar recommended the appointment of current Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who opposes a plea deal in the Netanyahu case. His initial list of candidates included then-deputy attorney general Raz Nizri, who supported a plea deal in the Netanyahu case. But Sa’ar did not ultimately back his candidacy.

“Since the prosecution refuses to consider any of the options available to it to end this saga, it’s no wonder that the call for a pardon is gaining traction. So when the president of the United States calls for the trial to be canceled or for a pardon, is there anyone who can say he is wrong?”

Likud lawmaker says Trump should sanction Israeli legal officials

Likud MK Tally Gotliv speaks during a committee meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, March 11, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Likud lawmaker Tally Gotliv goes further than her coalition colleagues, calling on US President Trump to impose sanctions on Israel’s attorney general and Supreme Court president after Trump called for the cancellation of the “politically motivated case” against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Dear President Trump, you are, of course, correct in every word, but the court in Israel — how shall I put it delicately — is not particularly impressed. I suggest, Mr. President, that you impose personal sanctions on the persecutors of the prime minister who are acting out of malicious and political motives… to weaken the strength of Prime Minister Netanyahu,” the firebrand legislator posts on X.

“First and foremost, I suggest imposing sanctions on Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and on Supreme Court President Isaac Amit, who are severely undermining the ability of the government led by Netanyahu to govern and lead Israel to defeat its enemies,” she continues.

Both Baharav-Miara and Amit are “striving in every way” to harm the authority of the prime minister, “who has led Israel and the world alongside you to security and strength,” Gotliv adds.

Hamas authorities say Israeli attacks kill at least 21 people in Gaza

Smoke plumes rise during an Israeli strike as Palestinians riding a horse-pulled cart speed along the Salah al-Din road near the Nusseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, on June 25, 2025. (Eyad BABA / AFP)

Israeli gunfire and airstrikes killed at least 21 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip today, Hamas-run health authorities say, as mediators reach out to Israel and Hamas to seek a resumption of ceasefire talks to end the war.

Authorities say an Israeli airstrike killed at least nine people at a school housing displaced families in the Sheikh Radwan suburb in Gaza City, while another strike killed nine people near a tent encampment in Khan Younis in the south of the enclave.

Three other people were killed by Israeli gunfire and dozens were wounded as crowds awaited UN aid trucks along a main route in central Gaza, medics say, the latest in a series of multiple fatalities at aid distribution points.

There is no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Israel says its operations seek to eliminate terror operatives who hide behind Gaza’s civilian population.

Bosnian official apologizes after hotel cancels Conference of European Rabbis meeting

After the Conference of European Rabbis’ biannual meeting was canceled by a Sarajevo hotel earlier this month, a representative of Bosnia’s government has apologized for the incident, the organization says.

Borjana Krišto, the chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia & Herzegovina, sent a letter to CER head Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt expressing “my sincere regret regarding the recent cancellation of events” and inviting him to visit, CER says in a statement.

About 50 Jewish leaders had been scheduled to meet at the Swissotel in Sarajevo June 16-18 before the hotel notified CER the week before that it was canceling the event due to “recent developments and significant public attention.”

That followed an open letter published by Bosnian Federal Minister of Labor and Social Policy Adnan Delic calling on “citizens and civil society organizations not to remain silent in the face of this attempt to morally humiliate our capital and our country.” He also referred to Israel as a “genocidal entity” committing “shameful crimes against humanity.”

The meeting was ultimately held in Munich instead.

CER says it welcomes Krišto’s apology, but that Delic should be the one apologizing.

“Any meaningful apology must come from those responsible,” the organization says. “If [Delic] refuses to apologize, we call on the government to publicly dismiss him. Anything less shows tolerance for intolerance at the heart of the government, despite letters they may send to us privately.”

‘Daddy’s home’: White House celebrates Trump’s NATO trip with Usher music video

The White House has tweeted a video of US President Donald Trump at the NATO summit in The Hague to the tune of Usher song “Hey Daddy.”

The odd tribute appears to be a reference to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte yesterday likening Trump to a “daddy” intervening in a schoolyard brawl between children after the US leader used profanity when describing the war between Israel and Iran.

“Daddy’s home… Hey, hey, hey, Daddy,” the White House says.

🎶 Daddy’s home… Hey, hey, hey, Daddy.

President Donald J. Trump attended the NATO Summit in The Hague, Netherlands. pic.twitter.com/asJb5FD2Ii

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 26, 2025

Ministers come out in support of Trump’s call to cancel Netanyahu’s trial

Members of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s cabinet welcome US President Trump’s call to cancel the premier’s ongoing criminal trial, dismissing the charges against the premier as political persecution against a leader who they argue has saved the country from destruction.

“President Trump is right – it’s time to cancel the trial,” tweets Culture Minister Miki Zohar, arguing that the cases against the premier “are collapsing anyway.”

According to Zohar, who posts an AI-generated image of Trump and Netanyahu standing shoulder to shoulder with a roaring lion behind them, “the president of the world’s greatest superpower, and a true friend of the Jewish people, Donald Trump, is voicing what many Israeli citizens feel in their hearts.”

“The legacy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be etched in the annals of history as one who saved the Jewish state from a proven existential threat and a real danger of annihilation, and as one of the greatest leaders in its history,” he writes. “Especially in these days, when we all need to focus on the return of the hostages and the defeat of our enemies, it is time to put an end to the inconceivable injustice and personal persecution against him – and to cancel the baseless trial immediately.”

הנשיא טראמפ צודק – הגיע הזמן לבטל את המשפט!

נשיא המעצמה הגדולה בעולם, וחבר אמת של העם היהודי, דונלד טראמפ, מבטא בקול את מה שרבים מאזרחי ישראל חשים בליבם – דווקא ובמיוחד בעיצומם של ימים היסטוריים בתולדות המדינה.

מורשתו של ראש הממשלה בנימין נתניהו תיחקק בדברי הימים כמי שהציל את… pic.twitter.com/VlNn3qiHHv

— Miki Zohar מיקי זוהר (@zoharm7) June 26, 2025

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi tweets that “for all that I would love to see Netanyahu continue to crush the political prosecution in the trial, this show has long since cost us the security of the state.”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir says, “Israel is indeed an independent and sovereign state, but President Trump is absolutely right — it’s time to cancel the absurd trial that the deep state concocted in an attempt to stage a coup against democracy. An urgent reform of the judicial system is a must.”

Pushing back against Trump’s statement, MK Naama Lazimi (The Democrats) posts that Netanyahu “is so ‘not guilty’ that he’s recruiting Trump to cancel his trial. If there’s anything that exemplifies to us how an entire country is being held hostage by a criminal defendant — it’s Trump’s announcement.”

Lapid: We’re grateful to Trump, but he should not interfere in our legal process

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid leads a Yesh Atid faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, May 26, 2025. (Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90)

While Israelis appreciate US President Donald Trump, he should not involve himself in internal Israeli judicial issues, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid tells the Ynet news site, in the wake of the American leader’s call to cancel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ongoing criminal trial.

“We are grateful to President Trump but as [MK] Simcha Rothman said – the president should not interfere in a legal process in an independent country,” Lapid states — adding that he assumes weighing in on Netanyahu’s legal problems is a form of “compensation” from Trump, “because he is going to bend [Netanyahu] on the Gaza issue, to end the war.”

In an overnight post on his Truth Social platform, Trump called the corruption probe against Netanyahu a “politically motivated case” and said that his trial “should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero, who has done so much for the State.”

MK Rothman: Trump shouldn’t intervene in Israeli justice — but PM’s trial should be canceled

Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman leads a vote during a Constitution, Law and Justice Committee meeting at the Knesset, on March 26, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

US President Donald Trump’s call to end Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ongoing criminal trial is inappropriate even if he is correct in his position against it, Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee chairman Simcha Rothman declares in a lengthy post on X.

“The Israeli judicial system has many flaws, and the Netanyahu trial is perhaps an example of the accumulation of many such flaws,” Rothman writes, citing what he says are “fabricated cases, the prosecution’s and judges’ disconnection from reality in continuing the trial during wartime, preoccupation with trivialities, and more.

“And yet, it is not the role of the president of the United States to intervene in legal proceedings in the State of Israel. The independence of the State of Israel and the independence of its judicial system are values important to us all, including Benjamin Netanyahu,” writes the Religious Zionism MK, one of the moving forces behind the coalition’s judicial overhaul agenda.

But, he adds, while it is not the US president’s place to intervene, Israel’s own president should do so. The president has the power to pardon offenders (and commute sentences).

Rothman calls on President Isaac Herzog to “stop this foolish saga.”

“If he does not do so, the Knesset can and should do it,” Rothman asserts, appealing to Herzog to “give this country justice already.”

While the Knesset does not have the authority to cancel the prime minister’s trial, pro-Netanyahu lawmakers have threatened to legislate the removal of the crime of fraud and breach of trust from the criminal code. In the highly unlikely event that the Knesset were to do so — and assuming such legislation would apply retroactively to ongoing cases — Netanyahu would only be left facing the charge of bribery in Case 4000.

Ben Gurion University student accused of plot to attack public figure at Iran’s behest

Ben Gurion University campus in the southern city of Beersheba on May 28, 2023. (Michael Giladi/Flash90)

Police and Shin Bet agents have arrested a Ben Gurion University student on suspicion of attempting to attack a public figure at the behest of an Iranian agent, authorities announce.

Bashar Hassan Qassem Musa, a 22-year-old resident of the Galilee village of Deir al-Asad studying information systems, is accused of maintaining contact with Iranian intelligence operatives over the course of months prior to his arrest. He allegedly carried out several missions for them, including an attempted attack on an unnamed public figure, scattering nails on a major route in Beersheba, and “encouraging divisive discourse.”

Police say he was ideologically motivated, spurred on by Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza. As is usually the case with Iran-sponsored espionage, the suspect received financial compensation from his contact.

State prosecutors in the Southern District Attorney’s Office are expected to file charges against him in the coming days following a monthlong investigation conducted by the Shin Bet and Northern District police investigators.

Russia: European arms supplies to Ukraine increase threat of destabilization

Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov says European supplies of arms and mercenaries to Ukraine has increased the threat of destabilization in Europe, the Interfax news agency reports.

“Attempts to prolong military actions by supplying Ukraine with arms and mercenaries increase the threat of destabilization. Including in Europe itself,” Belousov is quoted as saying.

With ceasefire in place, Iranians wonder at Khamenei’s continued absence

A demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei while gathering with others during a rally in solidarity with the government against Israel's attacks on Iran at Enghelab (Revolution) Square in Tehran on June 14, 2025. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)

The New York Times reports on growing concerns in Iran over the continued absence of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has not been seen in public nor heard from in nearly a week and who has not emerged despite the ceasefire between Iran and Israel.

Khamenei is believed to have been taken into hiding when the open conflict erupted on June 13. The paper says he is likely still in hiding due to fears Jerusalem could try to assassinate him even during the truce, but no updates have been given on his condition, and it is unclear whether he is still overseeing decisions.

It notes that when asked about the matter during an interview, Mehdi Fazaeli, an aide who leads Khamenei’s archives office, said: “We should all be praying. The people who are responsible for protecting the supreme leader are doing their job well. God willing, our people can celebrate victory next to their leader, God willing.”

The report adds that with Khamenei absent and silent, power struggles are emerging between Iran’s conservative and moderate forces as to the policies Tehran should adopt going forward.

NBA’s Brooklyn Nets draft Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf with back-to-back picks

The Brooklyn Nets select Israeli guard Ben Saraf and American-Israeli forward Danny Wolf with back-to-back picks in this year’s NBA draft.

Saraf, who played this past season for Germany’s Ratiopharm Ulm, is taken 26th in the first round, while Wolf, who starred at University of Michigan last year after playing two seasons at Yale, is drafted with the 27th pick.

Israel said to halt Gaza aid deliveries in wake of Smotrich threat to quit government

Gunmen are seen on trucks carrying aid after they entered the northern Gaza Strip from Israel, west of Beit Lahia on June 25, 2025. (Bashar Taleb/AFP)

Israel has halted aid deliveries into Gaza, according to Channel 12 news, which cites an Israeli official.

The report comes shortly after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that he ordered the military to present a plan within the next two days on how to keep Hamas from stealing humanitarian assistance.

The Israeli official quoted by Channel 12 says the statement from the Prime Minister’s Office came after Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened that he could no longer remain in the government if immediate action wasn’t taken to prevent aid from reaching Hamas.

The official say the pause on aid deliveries will remain in place until the IDF presents its plan.

NYC mayor on Mamdani’s primary win: ‘The Jewish community should be concerned’

New York mayoral candidate, State Rep. Zohran Mamdani, speaks to supporters during an election night gathering at The Greats of Craft LIC on June 24, 2025 in the Long Island City neighborhood of the Queens borough in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images via AFP)

New York City Mayor Eric Adams says Jews in the city should be concerned about yesterday’s Democratic party mayoral primary win by Zohran Mamdani, a harsh critic of Israel.

Adams says Mamdani “has been unwilling to just address some of the basic issues as just the acknowledgement of Israel and his real unwillingness to talk about some of the behavior that has played out on our streets.”

“During some of the protests [it] was really disrespectful. In some cases, I think it is antisemitic rhetoric, and so I think that the Jewish community should be concerned,” Adams tells RUSA Radio, a station catering to Russian-speakers.

“If the Jewish community cannot feel safe in the city where it’s the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, then when can they feel safe? And I think it’s problematic when you have a socialist who is displaying antisemitic views to be able to run and be elected in New York City,” Adams says, according to a transcript from the mayor’s office.

Mamdani, a state assemblyman from Queens and a member of the far-left Democratic Socialists of America, is the presumed candidate for the party in the November mayoral general election. His leading opponent, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, conceded the race yesterday.

Adams, a firm supporter of Israel who has longstanding ties to Jewish communities, is running as an independent in the general election.

Likud spokesperson puts out translation of Trump’s call for end to Netanyahu’s trial

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the site of an Iranian ballistic missile impact at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, June 20, 2025. (Itai Ron/Pool/Flash90)

Guy Levy, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, shares a translation of US President Donald Trump’s demand that the Israeli justice system drop its graft case against Netanyahu.

Levy posts a Hebrew translation of Trump’s lengthy statement on X.

דונלד ג’יי. טראמפ
Truth Social, 25 ביוני 2025, 18:27 (שעון מזרח ארה”ב)

חדשות מתפרצות… הייתי בהלם לשמוע שמדינת ישראל, שידעה זה עתה אחד מהרגעים הגדולים בתולדותיה, בהובלתו האיתנה של ביבי נתניהו, ממשיכה בציד המכשפות המטורף נגד ראש ממשלתה בזמן מלחמה!

ביבי ואני עברנו יחד דרך גיהנום,… pic.twitter.com/eswasdRiJu

— גיא לוי Guy levy (@levyguy77) June 25, 2025

Innovation, Science, and Technology Minister Gila Gamliel, also of Likud, posts the English version of Trump’s statement on her X account.

There is no immediate response from Netanyahu.

After Iran leak, White House aims to limit sharing of classified intel with Congress

A B-2 bomber arrives at Whiteman Air Force Base Mo., Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP/David Smith)

The White House is aiming to limit the sharing of classified material with Congress, according to a senior White House official who was not authorized to comment publicly on the matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The official does not provide details on how the administration would limit the flow of classified information to lawmakers.

Congressional lawmakers have the authority to receive classified information as part of their legislative and oversight duty. The change seems certain to be challenged by Congress members.

The move, first reported by Axios, comes after the publication of details of a Defense Intelligence Agency assessment that determined Iran’s nuclear program has been set back only a few months after US strikes.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt doesn’t directly answer reporters on whether the administration intended to limit lawmakers’ access to classified material, but she makes clear the administration wants to take action after the leak.

“We certainly don’t want people that are hostile to this government and are trying to undermine our national security to have classified intelligence in their hands if they’re not going to be responsible with it,” Leavitt says.

Trump demands end to PM’s graft trial: ‘The US saved Israel, and now is going to save Bibi’

US President Donald Trump (left) welcomes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House in Washington on April 7, 2025. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP)

US President Donald Trump demands the Israeli justice system drop its corruption case against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“I was shocked to hear that the State of Israel, which has just had one of its Greatest Moments in History, and is strongly led by Bibi Netanyahu, is continuing its ridiculous Witch Hunt against their Great War Time Prime Minister!” Trump writes in a lengthy post on Truth Social.

Trump calls the corruption probe a “politically motivated case.”

“Bibi Netanyahu’s trial should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero, who has done so much for the State,” Trump says.

“It was the United States of America that saved Israel, and now it is going to be the United States of America that saves Bibi Netanyahu. THIS TRAVESTY OF ‘JUSTICE’ CAN NOT BE ALLOWED!” he says.

Donald J. Trump Truth Social 06.25.25 06:27 PM EST

BREAKING NEWS…I was shocked to hear that the State of Israel, which has just had one of its Greatest Moments in History, and is strongly led by Bibi Netanyahu, is continuing its ridiculous Witch Hunt against their Great War…

— Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) June 25, 2025

Trump writes that he “just learned that Bibi has been summoned to Court on Monday.” It’s unclear what hearing he is referring to; Netanyahu’s cross-examination, which began earlier this month, is due to resume after the courts went on emergency footing amid the war with Iran, with only urgent proceedings taking place.

Hegseth to hold ‘irrefutable’ Thursday news conference on Iran strikes, Trump says

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon in Washington, Sunday, June 22, 2025, after the US military struck three sites in Iran, directly joining Israel's effort to destroy the country's nuclear program. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will hold a “major” news conference on Thursday morning, US President Donald Trump says, as his administration pushes to quell doubts over the damage done by US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

“Hegseth, together with Military Representatives, will be holding a Major News Conference tomorrow morning at 8 A.M. EST at The Pentagon, in order to fight for the Dignity of our Great American Pilots,” Trump says in a post on Truth Social.

“The News Conference will prove both interesting and irrefutable,” he says.

Netanyahu says Hamas taking control of humanitarian aid in Gaza

Palestinians carry sacks and boxes of food and humanitarian aid unloaded from a World Food Program convoy that had been heading to Gaza City, in the northern Gaza Strip, Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Hamas is taking control of humanitarian aid entering the northern Gaza Strip and stealing it from Gazan civilians, says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz in a joint late-night statement.

They instruct the IDF to present to them within 48 hours a plan to keep Hamas from stealing aid, according to the statement.

The announcement comes an hour after former prime minister Naftali Bennett, who looks to be a leading challenger to Netanyahu in the next election, posted on X a video of armed men he says are Hamas operatives riding on trucks full of humanitarian aid that they had taken over. He wrote that soldiers in the ground told him their orders are to let trucks in to Gaza with no attempt to control what happens to them.

Witkoff repeats prediction that additional countries will soon join Abraham Accords

US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff reiterates his belief that additional countries will join the Abraham Accords.

“We think we will have big announcements on countries that are coming into the Abraham Accords,” he tells CNBC in an interview.

He made a similar prediction at an Israel Independence Day event last month. “We think [we] will have some, or a lot of announcements, very, very shortly, which we hope will yield great progress by next year.”