March 5: White House confirms US has been holding direct talks with Hamas, in unprecedented step

Trump to ‘sick and twisted’ Hamas: ‘Release all of the Hostages now, or it is over for you’

US President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (Win McNamee/Pool Photo via AP)

US President Donald Trump issues a new ultimatum to Hamas to immediately release all remaining hostages or be destroyed.

“‘Shalom Hamas’ means Hello and Goodbye – You can choose,” Trump writes on Truth Social.

“Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you,” he says.

“Only sick and twisted people keep bodies, and you are sick and twisted!”

“I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job, not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don’t do as I say,” he warns.

“I have just met with your former hostages whose lives you have destroyed.”

“This is your last warning! For the leadership, now is the time to leave Gaza, while you still have a chance,” Trump says.

“Also, to the People of Gaza: A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are DEAD! Make a SMART decision. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW, OR THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER.”

"'Shalom Hamas' means Hello and Goodbye – You can choose. Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you. Only sick and twisted people keep bodies, and you are sick and twisted! I am… pic.twitter.com/88EjVAyWAe

— President Donald J. Trump (@POTUS) March 5, 2025

‘We’ll get them out,’ Trump tells group of released hostages meeting him in the Oval Office

A group of released hostages meets US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on March 5, 2025. (Screen capture/X)

US President Donald Trump has wrapped up a meeting at the White House with a group of eight released hostages.

The hostages line up in front of the Resolute Desk where he is sitting, with several of them offering brief messages to the president during the short meeting.

“You’ve been sent by god to release them. You can really help. You have the power to do it,” says Omer Shem Tov.

“You were our hope when we were there, and now you’re their hope,” says Naama Levy.

“So you didn’t think until I came along — you didn’t think you were going to get out?” Trump asks the group. Several of the hostages reply, “No.”

“Once you were elected, we heard that you want to do everything to make a deal as soon as possible… You gave us hope,” Levy says.

“Well, we said, ‘You better let us have those people back, you better let them out.’ We did say that and something happened, right. Now we’ve got to get the rest out,” Trump says.

“Please do it again,” says Eli Sharabi.

“Thank you all. We’re working on it very hard,” Trump says, as he shakes each of the freed hostages’ hands. “We’ll do the best we can… Horrible stories. Not even believable… We’ll get them out. Watch. We’ll get them out.”

He tells several of the freed hostages to take care of themselves as they thank him and leave the Oval Office.

To Shem Tov, the last to thank him, Trump says: “You’ve got a good future. I’m telling you.”

Shem Tov leaves with a broad smile.

הנשיא טראמפ פגש את השורדים מהשבי בבית הלבן: pic.twitter.com/RppTHSOOgk

— יונה לייבזון yuna leibzon (@YunaLeibzon) March 5, 2025

Report: Mossad chief blocked Foreign Ministry campaign to tarnish Qatar’s image after October 7

Shortly after the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas and the start of the ongoing war, the Foreign Ministry prepared a plan to damage Qatar’s public image, Haaretz reports.

The plan was blocked by Mossad chief David Barnea, according to the report. Barnea argued that Israel would need Qatar’s mediation to get hostages out of Gaza.

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen had signed off on the initiative, which would have used social media, diplomats, and messages to the press to portray Qatar as a sponsor of terror.

The plan was prepared by an outside consultant who had been a senior member of the security services, according to Haaretz.

Last week, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara ordered a criminal investigation into ties between officials working in the Prime Minister’s Office and Qatar.

Israel does not have diplomatic relations with Qatar, but the two countries established trade relations in 1996, which lasted until 2009 when Doha severed them due to a previous round of fighting between Israel and Gaza.

Earlier today, Qatar lambasted a probe by Israel’s Shin Bet security agency that named the Gulf state’s money to Gaza over the years as having contributed to Hamas’s buildup of its forces for the October 7 onslaught.

Doha insisted that “no aid has ever been delivered to Hamas’s political or military wing” and accused the Shin Bet of “scapegoating Qatar” in the agency’s report about failures leading up to Hamas’s onslaught.

Barnard protesters distribute Hamas pamphlets during library takeover

Anti-Israel protesters at New York’s Barnard College, an affiliate of Columbia University, distribute Hamas pamphlets during an invasion of a campus library.

Footage shared by protesters shows masked activists waving Palestinian flags, chanting, and waving an effigy of the university president at the Milstein Library.

“Shut it down,” the protesters chant in a megaphone while beating on a drum.

Jewish students at the scene share photos showing the protesters distributing pamphlets by the “Hamas media office,” photos of the late Hezbollah terror chief Hassan Nasrallah, and writing “Death to America” in the library guest book.

Happening now: protesters @BarnardCollege are handing out pamphlets written by the Hamas Media Office justifying October 7th.

This is terrorist support in its rawest and most obvious form. pic.twitter.com/1t2V9HDNvw

— Elisha (Lishi) Baker (@LishiBaker) March 5, 2025

Barnard administrators hand out letters saying the disruption and library blockage is an “unauthorized activity” and that the protesters have refused to disperse, despite multiple warnings.

The letter warns the protesters that campus security will “review your identification and escort you off of the Barnard campus.”

Columbia says Barnard is a separate institution, although it is affiliated, and calls the disruption “not acceptable conduct.”

The protest comes a day after the Trump administration threatened to cut off more than $50 million in contracts with Columbia due to antisemitism.

The House Committee on Education and the Workforce, which has grilled universities over antisemitism since October 7, called the protest “shameful.”

Protests on the campus have reignited after Barnard expelled two students for disrupting an Israeli professor’s class at the start of the semester.

FM Sa’ar says AG’s become ‘political actor,’ gave Levin no choice but to oust her

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar leads a faction meeting of his New Hope party in the Knesset, February 17, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

In a lengthy statement, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar says removing the attorney general is “an unusual step,” but that Gali Baharav-Miara’s behavior as attorney general has been “extremely unusual” as well, and justifies the move by Justice Minister Yariv Lavin to initiate her ouster.

Baharav-Miara “has become a full-fledged political actor, working systematically against the government, with the clear aim of toppling it,” Sa’ar says.

“Anyone who wants to topple the government supports her, and vice versa,” he adds, saying this is not an appropriate role for an AG to occupy.

Sa’ar — who, in 2023, denounced Levin’s apparent efforts to oust Baharav-Miara, calling them an extremist threat to the state — describes the office of the attorney general as “dear to my heart.”

He says he was right to support the attorney general’s original appointment, based on the non-activist legal philosophy he says she advocated at the time.

But Baharav-Miara has “changed her approach 180 degrees,” he says, citing her position on two recent legal controversies as evidence.

In the process, the office of the attorney general has “turned into a political institution, which only enjoys the trust of half the nation, in accordance with political affiliation,” he says.

“AG Baharav-Miara left the justice minister no choice,” he declares.

Sa’ar adds that in addition to ousting the attorney general, the government should promote reforming the office of attorney general.

Poll shows Netanyahu bloc sinking, with most Israelis wanting him to resign, launch state commission of inquiry

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the Tel Aviv District Court to testify in his corruption trial, February 24, 2025. (Moti Milrod/Pool)

A Channel 12 survey shows the pro-Netanyahu bloc in the Knesset would take a further hit if elections were held today and former prime minister Naftali Bennett ran, as widely expected.

In this scenario, the seat breakdown would be as follows: Likud: 24; Bennett’s party: 24; Yesh Atid: 11; The Democrats: 10; National Unity: 9; Shas: 9; United Torah Judaism: 8; Yisrael Beytenu: 8; Otzma Yehudit: 7; Hadash-Ta’al: 5; Ra’am: 5; Religious Zionism: 0.

The pro-Netanyahu bloc would be at just 48 seats in the 120-member Knesset — down from the previous poll that put it at 51.

If elections were held today with the current parties, the pro-Netanyahu bloc would win 54 seats, with the parties scoring as follows: Likud: 25; National Unity: 16; Yesh Atid: 14; The Democrats: 14; Yisrael Beytenu: 12; Shas: 9; United Torah Judaism: 8; Otzma Yehudit: 8; Hadash-Ta’al: 5; Ra’am: 5; Religious Zionism: 4.

According to the poll, 60% of the public thinks Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should resign, compared to 31% who think he should stay and 9% who are unsure. Among coalition voters, 24% think he should resign and among opposition voters, 94% think he should resign.

Sixty-four percent of respondents think Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar should resign, compared to 18% who think he should remain and 18% who are unsure. Among coalition voters, 75% think he should resign, compared to 55% of opposition voters who feel the same.

A whopping 75% of the public supports the launching of a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 onslaught, compared to just 15% of the public that backs Netanyahu’s opposition to such a probe.

New IDF chief Zamir orders recheck of Oct. 7 probes, dissolving Iran directorate, placing photos of hostages in office

New IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir meets with the IDF General Staff Forum, March 5, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

The new IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, holds a first assessment this evening with the General Staff Forum, making a series of decisions, including appointing an external panel of experts to evaluate the military’s October 7 probes, closing the IDF’s Iran directorate, and the formation of a new tank brigade.

During the meeting, Zamir states that 2025 will be a year of war, with a focus on the Gaza Strip and Iran, while “preserving the achievements and deepening them in the other arenas.”

Zamir tells the generals that returning the hostages is “a moral duty,” and the IDF will act to return all of them home.

The new IDF chief announces the beginning of a new multi-year plan for the military, the planning of which will start in the second half of this year.

Maj. Gen. (res.) Sami Turgeman, a former head of the Southern Command, is appointed by Zamir to head a panel that will examine the IDF’s October 7 investigations, and draw conclusions and lessons that can be implemented. The team will present its findings to Zamir in the coming months.

Zamir says the IDF will also work in “transparency and in full cooperation” with any external investigatory body.

Zamir’s deputy, Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai will also serve as “chief of force build-up,” the new IDF chief decides.

Zamir has ruled to close the Strategy and Third-Circle Directorate — which is tasked with the military’s Iran file — in the coming month and disperse it among other units while “improving effectiveness in addressing Iran, foreign relations, and strategy.” The unit was established only in 2020 by former chief of staff Lt. Gen. (res.) Aviv Kohavi.

The IDF chief has instructed to evaluate shuttering the General Staff Corps and instead activating the Ground Forces as a corps in emergencies.

Zamir, who began his service in the Armored Corps, instructs the formation of a new tank brigade and the evaluation of a new infantry brigade.

He also instructs to reestablish the Armored Corps’ patrol companies, which were shuttered several years ago, as well as evaluate making one of the companies for ultra-Orthodox troops.

Lastly, Zamir has decided to place the photos of hostages in his office until they are returned.

US feds open civil rights probe into antisemitism at University of California public system

The US Department of Justice opens a civil rights investigation into antisemitism at the University of California, one of the leading public university systems in the US.

The federal Task Force to Combat Antisemitism says the probe will investigate whether the university system has violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination.

“This Department of Justice will always defend Jewish Americans, protect civil rights, and leverage our resources to eradicate institutional Antisemitism in our nation’s universities,” says US Attorney General Pamela Bondi.

Most federal probes into campus antisemitism are filed under Title VI, which prohibits discrimination in institutions that receive federal funding.

Jewish legal groups are also seeking to expand the use of Title II, a law that prohibits discrimination in public spaces.

In response to the investigation, the University of California said it “is unwavering in its commitment to combating antisemitism and protecting everyone’s civil rights.”

“We continue to take specific steps to foster an environment free of harassment and discrimination for everyone in the university community,” the university said in a statement.

Netanyahu’s office says it conveyed to US Israel’s stance regarding the Trump admin’s direct talks with Hamas, without elaborating

After the White House confirms that the Trump administration has been holding direct talks with Hamas, Israel says that it has let its feelings be known to Washington about the contacts but provides no further details.

“In our contacts with the US,” says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, “Israel expressed its stance on direct talks with Hamas.”

The White House said earlier this evening that Israel was consulted on the talks.

In first appointments, Zamir taps Yaniv Asor to head IDF’s Southern Command and Itzik Cohen to head Operations Directorate

In his first move as chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has made two senior appointments in the military.

Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor, the former head of the Personnel Directorate, is appointed as the next chief of the Southern Command. He will be replacing Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, who is resigning over the October 7 attack.

Brig. Gen. Itzik Cohen, the commander of the 162nd Division, is appointed as the next head of the Operations Directorate. He will be promoted to the rank of major general and replace Maj. Gen. Oded Basiuk, who is also resigning.

Defense Minister Israel Katz has approved the appointments.

White House confirms US has been holding direct talks with Hamas, in unprecedented step

The White House confirms that the Trump administration has been holding direct talks with Hamas.

“The special envoy who is engaged in those negotiations does have the authority to talk to anyone,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says, referring to hostage envoy Adam Boehler in response to a question on the matter during a briefing.

“Israel was consulted on this matter,” she adds.

“Dialogue and talking to people around the world to do what’s in the best interest of the American people is something that the president has proven that he believes [in],” Leavitt says.

Asked whether those talks with Hamas discussed freeing American hostages or Trump’s plan to talk over Gaza, she declines to comment, saying the discussions are “ongoing” and that there are “American lives at stake.”

Plurality of Israelis think government should fire attorney general — poll

Channel 12 airs a poll that it conducted before Justice Minister Yariv Levin announced the initiation of proceedings to fire Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.

The poll reveals that 42% of Israelis back the move, compared to 41% who oppose it and 17% who are unsure.

Among coalition voters, support for the AG’s ouster stands at 75%, compared to 12% among opposition voters.

‘I went into survival mode’: Liri Albag recalls October 7 Hamas kidnapping

Former hostage Liri Albag is interviewed on Channel 12 on March 5, 2025. (Screen capture/Channel 12)

Former hostage Liri Albag gives her first interview since her release in January.

“The truth is that October 7th feels like one long nightmare, and I’ve been waiting for someone to wake me up, for someone to tell me I was dreaming. But it didn’t happen. Unfortunately, this has all been real,” she tells Channel 12.

Albag recalls the day she was kidnapped along with other female surveillance soldiers at the Nachal Oz military base.

“You see evil and hatred in their eyes,” she says.

“I was sure that the moment we stood there tied up that they were going to slaughter us — shoot us one by one,” Albag says. “I went into survival mode.”

“They told us, ‘If you listen to us, we won’t kill you. You’re coming with us to Gaza.’ And we told them, ‘Yes, take us to Gaza.'”

Released hostages meet with Witkoff in Washington, still hoping for face time with Trump

A delegation of seven freed hostages has just wrapped up a meeting in Washington with the Trump administration’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff, a source familiar with the matter tells The Times of Israel.

The group is hoping to also get a meeting with US President Donald Trump, but one has yet to be finalized, the source says, adding that the hostage families are disappointed that Trump didn’t devote more attention to the issue during his address to Congress last night.

Channel 12 reports that Witkoff has asked Israel to hold off on returning to the war in order to give him more time to try and reach a breakthrough in talks.

However, they appear stuck, with Witkoff again delaying a planned departure to the region, as a result, an Arab diplomat says.

Channel 12 says Israel believes that time is running out and that it will soon have no choice but to resume fighting. Netanyahu’s office believes that Trump will back whatever choice Israel will make, the network adds.

Released Israeli Hostages in DC hoping to meet @POTUS during their visit pic.twitter.com/sx38FPsWSq

— יונה לייבזון yuna leibzon (@YunaLeibzon) March 5, 2025

Talks have been stuck for weeks, with Israel refusing to abide by the terms of the deal regarding phase two that it had agreed to in January. The sides were supposed to start negotiations regarding the terms of phase two a month ago, but Israel has largely refused to do so, as it doesn’t want to accept a permanent end to the war that leaves Hamas in power, even if it can get all of its hostages back.

It is instead offering to extend the ceasefire through Ramadan and Passover during which the remaining hostages would be released in two batches at the beginning and end of the period, but Hamas has rejected the idea, insisting that it will only release hostages as part of the framework that the sides signed onto in January.

Opposition MKs pan Levin’s ‘criminal, violent and unconstitutional’ step toward firing AG

Opposition Leader MK Yair Lapid, head of the Yesh Atid party, leads a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on February 17, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Opposition lawmakers blast Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s initiation of proceedings to oust Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid writes on X: “Yariv Levin decided to divide Israeli society at a time of war.

“Levin, one of those chiefly responsible for the October 7 disaster, hasn’t learned a thing. He is harming the state, harming the rule of law and harming the war effort,” he says, calling the move “criminal, violent and unconstitutional.”

National Unity leader Benny Gantz posts: “In a functional country, a justice minister who destroys democracy, harms the unity of Israel and is among those responsible for the greatest disaster in the history of the State of Israel — would be fired. In the October 7 government — he asks to fire the AG.

“Netanyahu, I warned you in the past and I am warning you now, when we face enormous security challenges, quit dividing the nation. Don’t give our enemies presents.”

The Democrats chair Yair Golan tweets: “Yariv Levin launched a targeted assassination attempt today — not against the attorney general, but rather against the entire rule of law.”

Meanwhile, former national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir welcomes the announcement, writing: “Better late than never. The time has come!”

Katz holds first meeting with new IDF chief Zamir

Defense Minister Israel Katz (right) and new IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir (left) meet with the IDF General Staff Forum, March 5, 2025. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)

Defense Minister Israel Katz and new IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir met with the IDF General Staff Forum this evening.

“We must ensure the ability of the State of Israel to protect itself on its own, against any threat,” Katz says to the forum, made up of the IDF’s top generals as well as some civilian members.

“We are doing everything to bring back the hostages. In the end, Hamas can’t be in Gaza. The US president’s support is a strategic asset that must be preserved,” he adds.

Shin Bet chief reportedly warned in mid-2023 that Gaza war was inevitable; PM responded that Hamas was deterred

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, on April 4, 2023. (Kobi Gideon/GPO/File)

Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu five months before October 7, 2023, that a war in Gaza is inevitable, according to Haaretz.

The two met in late May, after Operation Shield and Arrow against Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza.

According to the report, Bar told Netanyahu that the days-long campaign was only “the first round against the Shiite axis.”

“We must prepare for an opening strike, for a round of assassinations,” Bar continued. “Hamas is the next challenge before us, there will be no escaping from a campaign in Gaza.”

Netanyahu, says Haaretz, argued that Hamas was deterred, citing “a strong balance of terror against Hamas.”

Bar insisted that Israel would face a decision around launching a campaign against Hamas, possibly in reaction to a major operation in the West Bank.

“There is strong balance of terror against Hamas,” Netanyahu reportedly replied, noting that Hamas had stayed out of fights between Israel and PIJ since the 2021 Operation Guardian of the Walls.

In response, Netanyahu’s office calls the report “more fake news. The truth is completely the opposite.”

The Prime Minister’s Office acknowledges the meeting, but says that Bar argued that “Hamas is deterred and strives to maintain stability in the Gaza Strip, and focuses on pressuring Israel in Judea and Samaria.”

The PMO says that Bar recommended “doing nothing,” or reducing the number of Palestinian workers entering Israel.

Netanyahu, says his office, “ordered preparations to exact a heavy price from Hamas, and emphasized that the component of precise assassinations of terror leaders — as demonstrated in Operation Shield and Arrow- lies at the heart of Israeli deterrence, and that preparations must continue to be made to assassinate senior Hamas figures – from [Mohammed] Deif to [Yahya] Sinwar.”

Levin initiates proceedings to oust AG, in move likely to spark massive backlash

Justice Minister Yariv Levin, right, and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara atted a farewell ceremony for then-acting Supreme Court President Uzi Vogelman, at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, October 1, 2024. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Pool)

Justice Minister Yariv Levin initiates proceedings to remove Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara from office and accuses her of having politicized her office to thwart the will of the government, in a move which will likely spark huge political backlash.

Levin, who has long threatened to take action against Baharav-Miara, sent letters to the Knesset speaker and the cabinet secretary, instructing them to fill the empty positions on the statutory committee for appointing, and dismissing, the attorney general.

Levin sends an additional letter to the cabinet secretary asking him to put the attorney general’s dismissal on the government’s agenda, and asking him to set a date in short order.

“The attorney general acts as the long arm of the government’s opponents, and spares no effort to thwart the will of the voter,” writes Levin in his motion to dismiss Baharav-Miara.

“She has used the political divide in Israel as a spade to dig out two legal systems — one for the government’s supporters and the other for its opponents.”

The attorney general has repeatedly opposed the government on its proposed legislation, appointments and actions, arguing on numerous occasions that the measures taken by the government contravened the law and undermined the rule of law in different ways.

‘Didn’t like direction ship was heading’: Head of US office for Palestinians in Jerusalem to resign

Hans Wechsel, who heads the US Embassy in Jerusalem’s Office for Palestinian Affairs, informed staff on Tuesday that he would be resigning from his post at the end of the month, a US official says, confirming a report in Jewish Insider.

Wechsel told staff that he “didn’t like the direction the ship was heading,” JI reported.

Wechsel is a career diplomat who only arrived in Jerusalem in August of last year.

The Trump administration created the Office for Palestinian Affairs, folding it into the embassy after shuttering the US Consulate in Jerusalem — an independent mission serving the Palestinians. The move was widely seen as a downgrade of US-Palestinian ties.

While former US president Joe Biden campaigned on reopening the consulate, Israel blocked the move, and he sufficed to again separate the diplomatic reporting channels between the embassy and the US office for Palestinian Affairs.

After Biden boycott, Smotrich meets US treasury secretary in DC

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (L) and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent meet in Washington on March 5, 2025. (Finance Ministry)

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich meets with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington in the former’s first meeting with a US official after he was boycotted by the previous Biden administration, which didn’t want to legitimize his far-right views.

Hamas source confirms group has met with Boehler and Witkoff in recent weeks

Al Arabiya cites an unnamed Hamas source who confirms to the network that the terror group has held direct contacts with the Trump administration’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff and hostage envoy Adam Boehler in recent weeks.

Axios, which broke the story, had not made mention of Witkoff’s involvement.

IDF says it demolished home of Palestinian assailant who killed soldier in September ramming

During operations in the West Bank town of Rafat today, the IDF says it demolished the home of a Palestinian assailant who killed a soldier in a car-ramming attack in September.

On September 11, Hayil Dhaifallah, 58, rammed a fuel tanker he was driving into an army post next to a bus stop on Route 60 outside the settlement of Givat Assaf, killing Staff Sgt. Geri Gideon Hanghal, 24.

Dhaifallah’s home was demolished by troops of the Kfir Brigade’s Nahshon Battalion, where Hanghal served, along with Border Police forces.

As a matter of policy, Israel demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out deadly attacks.

כוחות צה"ל מחטיבת בנימין ומגדוד 90 של חטיבת כפיר, בו שירת סמ״ר גרי גדעון הנגהל ז״ל, בשיתוף עם כוחות מג"ב, פעלו במהלך היום בכפר ראפאת שבחטיבת בנימין והרסו את ביתו של המחבל האיל דיף אללה>> pic.twitter.com/GZTDwKSKzw

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 5, 2025

Israeli envoy welcomes report that US holding direct talks with Hamas to free hostages

Science Minister Ofir Akunis arrives for a Likud party meeting in Jerusalem on May 28, 2019. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Israel’s Consul General in New York Ofir Akunis welcomes an Axios report — confirmed by The Times of Israel — that the Trump administration has been holding secret, direct talks with Hamas aimed at securing the release of American hostages and bringing about a permanent end to the war in Gaza.

“There is a new attitude from the White House…against Hamas. They can talk with Hamas, that’s okay,” Akunis tells Fox News.

An Israeli source familiar with the matter tells The Times of Israel that when the prospect of direct talks between the US and Hamas came up during the Biden administration, Israel expressed its opposition and Washington refrained from taking the step. Under Trump, though, Jerusalem feels less in a position to come out against the idea. It also wasn’t fully briefed on Trump envoy Adam Boehler’s talks ahead of time to begin with, the source says.

“President Trump actually changed the whole idea. Instead of putting Israel under pressure, President Trump is putting Hamas under pressure, and this is the right thing to do,” Akunis says.

“If the White House wants to talk directly to Hamas and put them under pressure to release more hostages, we will be very happy to see more hostages with our families,” he adds.

“If it’s a direct negotiation with Hamas… more than welcome,” Akunis says.

US issues new Houthi-related sanctions, Treasury Dept. says

The United States has imposed sanctions on seven senior members of Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement, the Treasury Department said.

The individuals smuggled military-grade items and weapon systems into Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and negotiated buying weapons from Russia, Treasury says in a statement.

Treasury also designated Abdulwali Abdoh Hasan Al-Jabri and his company Al-Jabri General Trading and Investment Co for recruiting Yemenis to fight in Ukraine on behalf of Russia and raised money to support Houthi military operations, it said.

“The US government is committed to holding the Houthis accountable for acquiring weapons and weapons components from suppliers in Russia, China and Iran to threaten Red Sea security,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce says in a statement.

On Tuesday, the State Department said it was implementing the designation of the Houthi movement as a “foreign terrorist organization” after President Donald Trump called for the move earlier this year.

The move, however, triggered concerns it could impact regional security and worsen Yemen’s humanitarian crisis because importers fear being hit with US sanctions if supplies fall into Houthi hands.

In first act upon completing tenure as IDF chief, Halevi visits Hostages Square

Immediately after today’s handover ceremony, former IDF chief of staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, along with his wife Sharon, went to Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square.

“I think it is very clear in the IDF that we are committed to bringing everyone home,” Halevi says to families of hostages and activists.

אחרי טקס החילופים בקרייה, הרמטכ"ל הרצי הלוי הגיע יחד עם רעייתו שרון לכיכר החטופים בתל אביב @ItayBlumental pic.twitter.com/TulyGJrb4k

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) March 5, 2025

UN report recognizes hostage families as victims of Hamas

Family members of hostages held in Gaza attend an event at the United Nations in Geneva marking the presentation of a UN report that recognizes hostage families as victims of Hamas psychological terror.

The event — “Prohibition of Torture: The Need to Recognize Hostages and Their Families as Direct Victims” — is attended by Rebecca Bohbot, wife of current hostage Elkana Bohbot, and Lishay Miran-Lavi, whose husband Omri is still held in Gaza.

The International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists organized the event and played a key role in the legal aspects of the report.

UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Alice Edwards, who presented her report to the UN Human Rights Council yesterday, visited Gaza and met with families of the hostages in December, before detailing the torture that captives faced in a report published in February.

“Armed and terrorist groups continue to violently abduct civilians, in mass hostage-takings,” Edwards warned the UN on Tuesday, citing “the 7 October 2023 abductions by Hamas and other armed groups in Israel” as evidence.

At the event, Edwards calls for the UN to appoint a special representative who deals solely with hostages.

The recognition gives the families greater ability to pursue legal action against Hamas and other groups that took hostages. According to Daniel Meron, Ambassador of Israel to the UN in Geneva, one of the goals of the event is to create legal tools with which to hold hostage-takers accountable.

In 1st, US holding secret direct talks with Hamas aimed at freeing American hostages, deal to end war

US President Donald Trump speaks alongside former hostage Noa Argamani and his hostage envoy Adam Boehler during the inaugural parade inside Capital One Arena, in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025. (ANGELA WEISS / AFP)

The Trump administration is holding direct talks with Hamas aimed at securing the release of American hostages held in Gaza as well as a broader deal to end the war, Axios reports, citing two sources with direct knowledge of those negotiations.

A source familiar with the matter confirmed the report to The Times of Israel.

The secret talks being held by Trump’s hostage envoy Adam Boehler are unprecedented, as the US has never before engaged directly with Hamas, which Washington designated as a terror group in 1997.

The talks have been taking place in Doha in recent weeks, Axios says, adding that no deal has been reached.

In January, senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouq said publicly that the terror group is prepared to open a dialogue with the Trump administration.

While the US consulted with Israel about the possibility of engaging in talks with Hamas, Israel only learned about specific aspects through other channels, Axios says.

There is one remaining American hostage in Gaza who is believed to still be alive, Edan Alexander. Hamas is also holding the bodies of American-Israeli hostages Itay Chen, Gad Haggai, Judi Weinstein and Omer Neutra.

The Trump administration’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff was planning to meet with Qatar’s prime minister in Doha Thursday, but has held off on doing due to the lack of progress in the hostage talks more broadly, the source confirmed to The Times of Israel.

The Prime Minister’s Office and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Eyal Zamir formally replaces Herzi Halevi as IDF chief in handover ceremony at Kirya

Incoming IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir (left), outgoing chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi (right), and Halevi's office manager Lt. Col. Matan Fedelman (center) salute at a handover ceremony at the military's Kirya headquarters in Tel Aviv, March 5, 2025. (Screen capture/Israel Defense Forces)

Incoming IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir formally takes over from outgoing chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi in a short handover ceremony at the military’s Kirya headquarters in Tel Aviv.

Due to the war, the ceremony is being held without the usual large crowd, motorcade, and red carpet.

The IDF also forwent dress uniforms, and both Halevi and Zamir wore their work uniforms, known in the military as Madei Bet.

The ceremony begins with a moment of silence for the IDF’s fallen troops.

US pauses intelligence sharing with Ukraine

The United States has “paused” intelligence sharing with Ukraine after a dramatic breakdown in relations between Kyiv and the White House, CIA director John Ratcliffe says.

US President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky had a public falling-out in the Oval Office last week, followed by Ukraine’s top ally suspending crucial US military aid.

Ratcliffe confirms that intelligence sharing had also been frozen as Ukraine seeks to beat back the Russian invasion.

“President Trump had a real question about whether President Zelensky was committed to the peace process,” Ratcliffe tells Fox News.

Ratcliffe says the pause “on the military front and the intelligence front” was temporary, and the United States will again “work shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine.”

Trump said Tuesday that Zelensky told him Kyiv was ready for talks with Moscow and the finalization of a US minerals deal, as Ukraine works to move on after the Oval Office spat.

Zelensky has sought to bring Trump back onside, posting on social media that their clash was “regrettable” and he wanted “to make things right.”

In his address to US Congress later on Tuesday, Trump read aloud from a letter from Zelensky.

“The letter reads, ‘Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians,'” Trump told US lawmakers.

Yahli Gur, 17-year-old injured in last week’s Pardes Hanna terror ramming, dies of her wounds

Emergency forces seen at the scene of a ramming attack at Karkur Junction, February 27, 2025 (Magen David Adom)

Yahli Gur, a 17-year-old girl injured in a car ramming terror attack in northern Israel on Thursday, died of her wounds today.

The teenage girl was taken to the hospital in critical condition after the attacker steered his car into a crowd of people at a bus stop near Pardes Hanna, injuring 13 people.

“This evening we said goodbye with deep sorrow to the late Yahli Gur, 17, a resident of our community who was critically injured in the car ramming attack at Karkur junction six days ago,” announces Pardes Hanna-Karkur mayor Yoni Hakimi on Facebook.

A 60-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman were seriously injured with head injuries, while an 18-year-old was moderately injured, the Magen David Adom emergency service said on Thursday. Six others were lightly wounded.

The perpetrator, a 53-year-old Palestinian from Jenin, was shot and killed by police after fleeing the scene.

US Supreme Court rejects Trump bid to freeze $2 billion in foreign aid payments

A divided US Supreme Court has rejected a bid by President Donald Trump to freeze some $2 billion in foreign aid payments.

The court, in its first significant ruling on a legal challenge to Trump, votes 5-4 to uphold a lower court ruling requiring the administration to make payments on contracts which have already been completed.

Sa’ar to UK counterpart: Half of Hamas budget comes from aid trucks

Foreign Minister Sa’ar speaks with his British counterpart about the impasse in Israel’s ceasefire with Hamas and the reasoning behind Israel’s recent decision to block trucks carrying humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

Sa’ar writes on X that he told UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy during their call that “during the 42-day phase one, 25,000 aid trucks entered Gaza – half of Hamas’s budget in Gaza comes from these trucks! Hamas is restoring its military capabilities and recruiting new, young terrorists. This cannot continue!”

Sa’ar says he stressed to Lammy that Hamas rejected a proposal from US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to extend the temporary ceasefire through Ramadan and Passover on condition that Hamas release more hostages.

I spoke with UK Foreign Secretary @DavidLammy and stressed that Israel accepted U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff's proposal to extend the temporary ceasefire through Ramadan and Passover, provided that Hamas release hostages. Hamas rejected the offer. During the 42-day phase one,… pic.twitter.com/67Bju408Oe

— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) March 5, 2025

Alongside Halevi and Zamir, president calls for state inquiry into October 7

Incoming IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir (left) and outgoing Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi (right) meet with President Isaac Herzog at the President's Residence in Jerusalem, March 5, 2025. (Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)

Hosting the outgoing IDF chief of staff and his replacement, President Isaac Herzog calls for a state commission of inquiry into the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks.

“I completely agree with you,” he tells Lt. Gen. (res.) Herzi Halevi, who stepped down today, “a state commission of inquiry must be established in order to learn, draw lessons, know how to improve, and how to prevent such disasters in the future.”

Halevi stressed the need for such a commission in his farewell speech. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu adamantly opposes such an inquiry, arguing it would be partisan and biased.

Addressing the new IDF commander, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, Herzog says Israel’s enemies are “a bit confused.”

“As usual,” Herzog says, “[they] do not know how to understand Israel and Israeli society, which is determined to win the campaign and, first and foremost, to bring home its son, the hostages in Gaza, down to the very last one.”

Turning to the Israeli public, Herzog calls for politics to be taken out of the army: “The IDF belongs to all of us. We have no other army that can protect us, we only have one army and it belongs to all of us, both regular and reserve. I call on the public and certainly the leaders of the public, to take politics out of the IDF and to take the IDF out of politics. Do everything possible to avoid staining it with unnecessary statements and false claims.”

Incoming IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir (left) and outgoing Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi (right) meet with President Isaac Herzog at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, March 5, 2025. (Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)

Halevi and Zamir visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem before meeting the president.

Halevi responds that the lessons learned from October 7 “can be used today by the IDF… to grow stronger moving forward and to continue acting for the defense of the country under Eyal’s command.”

“We do not have an enemy,” says Zamir. “We have enemies, who are everywhere and we need to deal with these enemies.”

To defeat Israel’s enemies, continues Zamir, “we need to act with strength, unite the ranks and be united.”

“Being united is not just a social issue; it is a security issue for Israel. When our enemies unite against us, our strength is the internal cohesion of the Israeli people,” Zamir says, using the Hebrew word likud, which is also the name of Netanyahu’s ruling party.

“We have a sacred mission to return the hostages. It is always before us in everything we do. We will continue to protect the people until the hostages are returned and we bring security to the people of Israel.”

French ambassador lays flowers by casket of murdered French-Israeli hostage

At the funeral of murdered Israeli hostage Ohad Yahalomi, France’s Ambassador to Israel Frédéric Journès lays flowers by the casket of the dual French-Israeli national.

Yahalomi, who was killed in Hamas captivity, was buried in Kibbutz Nahal Oz today after his body was returned from Gaza by the Hamas terror group last week.

The French Embassy in Israel shares on X a photo of the ambassador at the funeral, sharing France’s condolences over “our fellow countryman.”

“To his family and loved ones, we once again express our deepest sorrow,” the post continues.

Upon confirmation of Yahalomi’s death last week, French President Emmanuel Macron said in a post on X that “the barbaric acts of Hamas must end” and that “France lost 50 of its children in the infamy of October 7.”

הבוקר, שגריר צרפת בישראל, פרדריק ז'ורנס, והקונסול הכללי של צרפת בתל אביב, מתיו קלובל, חלקו כבוד אחרון לבן עמנו אוהד יהלומי.

למשפחתו וליקיריו, אנו שבים ומביעים את כאבנו העמוק. pic.twitter.com/HecyZNV6dj

— La France en Israël (@franceenisrael) March 5, 2025

IDF says it carried out drone strike against people loading weapons in south Lebanon

The IDF says it identified a group of suspects loading up vehicles with weapons in the Naqoura area of southern Lebanon earlier today.

One of the vehicles was targeted in a drone strike, the military says.

“The activity of the suspects is a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” the IDF adds.

Lebanese media report that two people who were “collecting scrap metal” were wounded in the strike.

Police investigating after video of people driving with monkey and lion cub in car

Police launch a probe after videos circulate of people driving with a monkey and a lion cub on March 5, 2025 (Screencapture/ X)

Negev police launch a probe after videos circulate of people driving with a monkey and a lion cub in their cars, in breach of Israel’s animal welfare, and presumably vehicle, laws.

Police opened the investigation after several videos circulated on social media depicting those involved driving with the two exotic animals — the monkey chained on the car dashboard and the lion cub in a passenger’s lap.

The suspects also took photos of the animals, placing the monkey near a pack of cigarettes for comedic effect.

A spokesman for Negev District police says that officers are trying to locate those involved and are investigating the circumstances of the incidents.

גן החיות החדש – ברכב: תועדו נוסעים עם קוף וגור אריות. המשטרה חוקרת את המקרה@Itsik_zuarets
(צילום: באדיבות המשטרה) pic.twitter.com/S25TSU5pU8

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) March 5, 2025

Trump may lift hold on Ukraine aid pending confidence-building measures, White House says

US President Donald Trump will consider restoring aid to Ukraine if peace talks are arranged and confidence-building measures are taken, White House national security adviser Mike Waltz says.

“I think if we can nail down these negotiations and move towards these negotiations, and in fact, put some confidence-building measures on the table, then the president will take a hard look at lifting this pause,” Waltz says in an interview with Fox News.

UN food agency says it has under 2 weeks’ worth of supplies in Gaza

Palestinians shop at Sheikh Radwan Market, west of Gaza City, before the Iftar, the fast-breaking meal, during the holy month of Ramadan on Monday, March 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

The World Food Program says it only has enough food supplies in the Gaza Strip to keep public kitchens and bakeries open for less than two weeks.

Israel halted the entry of food, fuel, medicine and other supplies to the territory, home to some 2 million Palestinians, over the weekend to try and pressure Hamas to accept an alternative ceasefire arrangement six weeks into their fragile truce.

Israel allowed a surge of humanitarian aid during the first six weeks of the ceasefire. But the WFP says that its stocks are low because it prioritized delivering food to the population. The UN agency also warns that its fuel stocks would only last for a few weeks.

Palestinians say prices spiked as people rushed to markets to stock up on supplies after Israel announced the measures.

Lebanon state media says two wounded in Israeli drone strikes on vehicle

Lebanese official media says two people were wounded when Israeli drones struck a vehicle in the south, a day after a deadly raid and despite an Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire.

“Israeli drones carried out more than one strike on a vehicle in Ras Naqura, near a rubbish dump” south of a United Nations peacekeeping position, the National News Agency (NNA) says.

“Two siblings who were collecting scrap metal” were wounded and taken to hospital, it adds.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF

The strikes come a day after Israel’s military said it killed a Hezbollah navy commander in the south, accusing him of violating the November 27 ceasefire.

An Israeli drone strikes a vehicle in Naqura, southern Lebanon, on three separate occasions. pic.twitter.com/nYI8RispYP

— Josep Goded (@josepgoded) March 5, 2025

Slain hostage Ohad Yahalomi buried at kibbutz where he was abducted

Batsheva Yahalomi (C-L), the wife of Ohad Yahalomi, mourns with his sister Efrat (C-R) outside the morgue in Rishon Lezion where his body was been kept ahead of his funeral on March 5, 2025. (Jack GUEZ / AFP)

Ohad Yahalomi, who was killed in Hamas captivity and returned to Israel last week is buried at Kibbutz Nahal Oz, his home from where he was taken hostage.

His wife Batsheva eulogizes him.

“My Ohadi, 16 years of togetherness; 16 years you were an anchor, with support, love and courageous friendship; 16 years of joy and light, and the light has gone out now. And I walk in the shadows, groping. How do I move forward without you? Where am I going?” she says.

“Over the past year, we have missed you in every decision, in every way we have behaved. In every decision, I tried to think about whether you would approve. The children and I missed your laughter, your cooking, and in general, everything about you,” she says.

“All that time, we had enormous hope that you would return — because who can beat you? We were sure that if anyone could survive the difficult captivity, it would be you. Because there is no one stronger than you, both in body and spirit. We even imagined that your captors liked you, because of who you are.”

Hundreds of people lined the roads leading to the funeral, waving Israeli flags.

Rights group says Israel demolished a record 181 Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem last year

Israeli machinery demolishes a Palestinian home in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan on May 10, 2022. (Ahmad GHARABLI / AFP)

Ir Amim, an Israeli rights group, says Israel demolished a record number of Palestinian homes — 181 — in East Jerusalem last year.

It says  that more recently, Israel appears to have dropped a longstanding policy against demolishing homes during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began this past weekend. It said a residential building and three apartments have been destroyed over the past week.

The Jerusalem municipality did not respond to a request for comment.

Israel captured East Jerusalem, along with the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Mideast war. It annexed East Jerusalem and views it as part of the undivided capital of Israel.

Israel says the buildings were constructed illegally without planning permission.

Rights groups say discriminatory policies make it nearly impossible for Palestinians to expand or redevelop their neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, forcing many to build without permits. Israel also demolishes the family homes of Palestinians who carry out terror attacks.

Sa’ar calls new IDF chief Eyal Zamir ‘right person’ for role

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar welcomes incoming IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir amid ceremonies in which he will officially assume the role.

“I extend my best wishes of success to the IDF’s 24th chief of staff,” says Sa’ar in a statement released by his office.

“The existence of Israel depends on the strength of the IDF,” he continues. “The future of the Jewish people depends on the existence of Israel. The role of the IDF chief of staff is always a decisive and challenging one — all the more so in these times.”

Sa’ar thanks outgoing Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi “for his many years of service dedicated to Israel’s security,” and says Zamir “is the right person to lead the IDF at this time. He, and we, face immense challenges.”

Greek top court orders release of Israeli mining magnate Steinmetz

French-Israeli diamond magnate Beny Steinmetz looks on as he arrives for the third day of his appeal against a corruption sentence linked to mining rights in Guinea, at the Geneva's courthouse, on August 31, 2022. (Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

Greece’s top court has ordered the release of Israeli mining magnate Beny Steinmetz, who has been held in Greece since October, ruling against his extradition to Romania on an arrest warrant, a source with knowledge of the legal case tells Reuters.

Kremlin says Iran’s nuclear program will be subject of future Russia-US talks

Centrifuges line a hall at the Uranium Enrichment Facility in Natanz, Iran, in a still image from a video aired by the Islamic Republic Iran Broadcasting company on April 17, 2021, six days after the hall had been damaged in a mysterious attack. (IRIB via AP)

The Kremlin says that future talks between Russia and the United States would include discussions on Iran’s nuclear program, a subject it said had been “touched upon” in an initial round of US-Russia talks last month.

Bloomberg reported yesterday that Russia has agreed to assist US President Donald Trump’s administration in communicating with Iran on various issues, including on Tehran’s nuclear program and its support for regional anti-US and Israeli proxies.

The Kremlin has not confirmed that, but has made clear that Iran is now one of the subjects that will be discussed in more detail by Washington and Moscow.

Full text: The Arab-backed plan for Gaza reconstruction

An AI image of the reconstructed Gaza Strip from Egypt's "Early Recovery, Reconstruction, Development of Gaza" program, March 4, 2025 (Egyptian Presidency)

This is the full text of the Early Recovery, Reconstruction, and Development of Gaza plan proposed and adopted by Arab nations in Cairo.

The $53 billion plan is seen as a counter-proposal to US President Donald Trump’s reconstruction plan, which calls to relocate Gazans.

Incoming IDF chief Zamir says he will lead the military to victory

Incoming IDF chief Eyal Zamir speaks at the command changeover ceremony at the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv. March 5, 2025. (Screenshot: GPO)

Incoming IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir in his first speech says he will lead the military to victory.

“The task, which I am receiving today, is clear: Lead the IDF to victory,” he says.

In comments aimed at the ultra-Orthodox community, Zamir says he “urges all parts of Israeli society to participate in the mitzvah [religious commandment] of defense of the homeland. This is a shared responsibility.”

“The IDF is the army of the people. Facing external threats, we must have cohesion of the ranks. We will work to expand the ranks. The defensive missions must be divided,” he says.

Addressing the families of hostages still held by the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip, Zamir says, “Your loved ones are in front of my eyes. Our moral duty is clear; Bring everyone back home, in any way possible and as quickly as possible.”

Qatar slams Shin Bet for suggesting aid from Doha contributed to Oct. 7

A Palestinian man receives financial aid at a supermarket in Gaza City on September 15, 2021, as part of the UN's Humanitarian Cash Assistance program, supported by the state of Qatar. (MAHMUD HAMS / AFP)

Qatar slams Israel’s Shin Bet security agency for suggesting that aid from Doha to Gaza was partly responsible for the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

In the Shin Bet’s report on its role in failing to prevent the onslaught released yesterday, the agency noted the flow of money from Qatar to Gaza and its delivery to Hamas’s military wing as one of the reasons Hamas was able to build up its forces.

“False accusations made by the Shin Bet security agency linking Qatari aid to the October 7 attack are yet another example of deflection driven by self-interest and self-preservation in Israeli politics,” says a statement from Qatar’s International Media Office.

“It is well known within Israel and internationally that all aid sent from Qatar to Gaza was transferred with the full knowledge, support, and supervision of the current and previous Israeli administrations and their security agencies – including the Shin Bet,” the statement says. “No aid has ever been delivered to Hamas’s political or military wing.”

“At this critical juncture, the Shin Bet and other Israeli security agencies should focus on saving the remaining hostages and finding a solution that ensures long-term regional security, rather than resorting to diversionary tactics such as scapegoating Qatar for political longevity. Claims that Qatari aid went to Hamas are entirely false and serve as evidence that the accusers are intent on prolonging the war,” Qatar says, adding that it “will continue to mediate towards peace because of its belief in diplomacy as the only way forward to a better future for both Palestinians and Israelis.”

Halevi slams incessant criticism of the military, says it erodes trust

Outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi in his speech also slams incessant criticism of the military from some politicians and members of the public, which he terms the “tongue-lashing” against the military, both before the war and during it.

“This does not help us to be better. It may harm the soldiers’ trust, and their commanders’,” he says.

“Some of those preaching about a lack of courage and determination have never felt a cold trigger at night in front of an enemy, never heard the breath of a wounded friend on a stretcher in enemy territory,” Halevi says.

Netanyahu at IDF ceremony: Israel will achieve victory over Iran and its proxies

Speaking at the IDF Chief of Staff Handover Ceremony, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that Israel must “achieve the aims of the war in full.”

He adds that Israel is “determined to achieve decision and victory” over Iran and its proxies.

Netanyahu lists “an attack mindset, crushing force, persistence, confidence, and a sense of righteousness” as the basis for ensuring Israel’s security.

The prime minister notes that this is the third time he has recommended Gen. Eyal Zamir — the incoming chief of staff — as IDF commander.

He recalls Zamir’s tenure as his military secretary in 2012-2015. He says he was struck by “the Zionism that beats within you… and the professional commitment as the link between the IDF and other security officials to the prime minister.”

Netanyahu notes the importance of Zamir’s time as director general of the Defense Ministry during the ongoing war, during which he led major procurement processes.

“With the support of our friends in the US,” says Netanyahu, “first and foremost President Trump, we are bringing to Israel right now a lot of weapons that are critical to our security.”

He adds that Israel is also ramping up its domestic defense production capacity. “This will reduce the pressure and dependence on outside actors,” he stresses.

“I wish you all the luck,” concludes Netanyahu.

Outgoing IDF chief Halevi calls for state commision of inquiry into Oct. 7

Outgoing IDF chief Herzi Halevi speaks at the ceremony appointing Eyal Zamir as next IDF chief of staff at the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv. March 5, 2025. (Screenshot: GPO)

Outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi calls for establishing a national commission of inquiry into the October 7 onslaught.

“The establishment of a state commission of inquiry is necessary and vital. Not to find someone to blame, but first and foremost to reach the source of the problems and allow for repair,” Halevi says at a handover ceremony.

“On October 7, the IDF failed. It was a deep failure. But such a failure on this scale cannot only be investigated in the IDF and the Shin Bet,” he says.

He makes his comments in front of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has strongly resisted such a probe.

Katz tells incoming IDF chief that security challenges mean he will not have a minute of grace

Defense Minister Israel Katz speaks at the ceremony appointing Eyal Zamir as next IDF chief of staff at the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv. March 5, 2025. (Screenshot: GPO)

Speaking at the chief of staff handover ceremony, Defense Minister Israel Katz tells the IDF’s new commander, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, that he will not have a minute of grace.

“The security challenges around us do not leave the new chief of staff 100 minutes of grace. In fact, Eyal, you don’t have even one minute of grace,” he says.

Katz tells Zamir that outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi’s “ceiling is your floor.”

“And I am convinced that you will raise it higher and higher,” he says.

Katz also says that if Hamas does not release the remaining hostages it still holds, “we will return to fighting, and it will face the IDF with strength and methods that it did not know, until [Hamas] is totally defeated.”

“We will not allow Hamas to rule in Gaza,” Katz adds.

At IDF ceremony, Netanyahu says nation wants victory and will get it

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the ceremony appointing Eyal Zamir as next IDF chief of staff at the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv. March 5, 2025. (Screenshot: GPO)

Speaking at the IDF chief of staff handover ceremony, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that “the nation wants victory, and it is receiving, and will receive, victory.”

He promises that “all of [the hostages], we will bring home.”

Netanyahu offers his remarks at the ceremony marking the end of Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi’s tenure as IDF commander, and the beginning of Gen. Eyal Zamir’s.

General Michael E. Kurilla, head of the United States Central Command and close friend of Halevi’s, is present as well.

Netanyahu praises Halevi’s four decades as a commander in the IDF. Many of the operations he led, says Netanyahu, “will remain secret for a long time.”

“Thank you Herzi, the 23rd chief of staff, for your important role in our string of achievements after the attack of October 7,” says Netanyahu.

Halevi was in charge of Israel’s military during the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, but also led the campaigns in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and beyond.

Netanyahu praises his leadership in the aftermath of the Hamas onslaught. “We did not break. We recovered, we defined missions for active and reserve forces, and the IDF under your command killed tens of thousands of terrorists.”

“As I promised we would,” says Netanyahu, “we changed the face of the Middle East, and the next stage will come.”

Eyal Zamir promoted to lieutenant general as IDF chief handover ceremony begins

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and Defense Minister Israel Katz (right) confer incoming IDF chief of staff Eyal Zamir with the rank of lieutenant general as his wife Orna watches, at the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv. March 5, 2025. (Screenshot: GPO)

Incoming IDF chief of staff Eyal Zamir is promoted to the rank of lieutenant general at a ceremony at the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv.

Zamir is taking over from outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, who is resigning over the military’s failure to prevent Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught.

Because the handover ceremony is taking place during a war, the IDF forwent dress uniforms. Both Halevi and Zamir are wearing work uniforms, known in the military as Madei Bet.

IDF demolishes West Bank homes of 2 Palestinians who killed 7 in Tel Aviv attack

The house of a Palestinian terrorist who carried out a deadly attack against Israelis in October 2024 in Jaffa is blown up by Israeli security forces in Hebron in the West Bank on March 5, 2025. (HAZEM BADER / AFP)

During operations in the West Bank city of Hebron overnight and this morning, the IDF says it demolished the homes of two Palestinian terrorists who murdered seven people and wounded 15 in Tel Aviv in October.

The terrorists, Ahmed Himouni, 25, and Mohammad Mesek, 19, went on a shooting and stabbing spree at a light rail station in the Jaffa area of the city on October 1, just minutes before Iran launched a massive missile attack on Israel.

Mesek was shot dead by a municipal security officer, and Himouni was seriously wounded after being shot by armed civilians.

The seven civilians murdered in the attack were Victor Shimshon Green, 33; Revital Bronstein, 24; Shahar Goldman, 30; Inbar Segev Vigder, 33; Nadia Sokolenco, 40; Ilia Nozadze, 42, a Georgian citizen; and Jonas Chrosis, 26, a Greek citizen.

Members of the IDF’s elite Yahalom combat engineering unit and the Judea Regional Brigade demolished the homes of the two terrorists this morning.

As a matter of policy, Israel demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out deadly terror attacks.

כוחות צה״ל מחטיבת יהודה ולוחמי יחידת יהל״ם הרסו הלילה את בתיהם של המחבלים אחמד הימוני ומחמד מסק בחברון.

המחבלים ביצעו ב-1 באוקטובר 2024 פיגוע טרור בתחנת הרכבת הקלה ביפו, בו נרצחו שבעה ישראלים ותושבים זרים ונפצעו 15 נוספים>> pic.twitter.com/mVFt0B0yJm

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 5, 2025

AG tells defense minister to enact sanctions on draft-dodging ultra-Orthodox

Ultra-Orthodox Jews clash with police during a protest against the draft outside the IDF recruitment center at Tel Hashomer, in central Israel, January 15, 2026.(Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara tells Defense Minister Israel Katz he should hold discussions on how to apply sanctions to individual ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students who have failed to enlist to the IDF, through a government resolution or administrative order.

The attorney general says that in a Monday meeting, security officials pointed out that enlistment figures for 2024-2025 did not fulfill the IDF’s needs.

The purpose of the meeting was to prepare an update for the High Court of Justice on implementation of the court’s June 2024 ruling that ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students are legally obligated to enlist in the IDF and that the government must begin to draft them.

Officials from the defense establishment, the Finance Ministry, and the Justice Ministry said in that meeting that increasing personal sanctions on draft dodgers, including revoking privileges and increasing administrative and economic sanctions, were critical for boosting enlistment figures.

Baharav-Miara says of the proposals presented, “A substantial proportion of them could be advanced immediately, including just by a government resolution or administrative decision, without the need for legislation.”

She tells Katz, “In this situation, as the minister in charge of the military on behalf of the government, it is necessary for you to hold an urgent hearing on the matter, led by you, to make decisions regarding the needs of the IDF and the targets presented by the state to the High Court.”

Pope resting after sleeping through the night with a ventilation mask as he battles pneumonia

Candles are lit at the statue of John Paul II outside the Gemelli University Hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized with pneumonia, in Rome on March 04, 2025. (Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP)

Pope Francis was resting after sleeping through the night with a ventilation mask as he undergoes hospital treatment for double pneumonia.

In its latest update, the Vatican says that the pope rested well overnight, waking up shortly after 8 a.m. Pope Francis remained in stable condition, with a guarded prognosis, meaning he was not out of danger.

The 88-year-old pope, who has chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, had two respiratory crises on Monday in a setback to his recovery.

On Tuesday, he was breathing with just the help of supplemental oxygen after respiratory crises a day earlier, but resumed using a ventilation mask at night, the Vatican says.

Francis’ hospitalization began on Feb. 14 and is the longest of his 12-year papacy.

Syria FM to join meeting of chemical weapons watchdog

People sit across from a poster depicting Syria's president Bashar al-Assad in a gas mask during an event in the rebel-held northern city of Afrin, on August 20, 2023, marking the 10-year anniversary of chemical attacks that killed over 1,400 people in Ghouta, near the capital. (Rami al Sayed/AFP)

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani says he will take part in a meeting today of the international chemical weapons watchdog in the Netherlands, nearly three months after Bashar al-Assad’s ouster.

“Today, for the first time in Syria’s history, I am attending the executive council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague,” Shaibani says in a statement on X, adding that “this participation reaffirms Syria’s commitment to international security and honors those who lost their lives suffocating at the hands of the Assad regime.”

Adidas all out of Yeezy sneakers after Kanye antisemitism row

File: A sign advertises Yeezy shoes made by Adidas at Kickclusive, a sneaker resale store, in Paramus, New Jersey, October 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Adidas sold its last remaining pair of Yeezy sneakers in the fourth quarter, it says, ending the process of liquidating stock of the lucrative shoe line developed with rapper Ye, whom the sportswear brand cut ties with in October 2022.

Adidas has been trying to put the Yeezy episode behind it since public antisemitic rants by Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, forced it to end the highly profitable partnership, denting revenues and driving the company to an annual loss in 2023.

The company started selling off its remaining stock of Yeezy shoes in May 2023, pledging to donate part of the proceeds to organizations combating antisemitism, including the Anti-Defamation League.

In annual results, Adidas says its revenues from selling off Yeezy sneakers were 650 million euros ($690 million) in 2024, with profits of around 200 million euros.

That’s down from the year before, when Adidas made 750 million euros in revenue from Yeezy inventory, generating 300 million euros in operating profit.

Funeral procession begins for slain hostage Ohad Yahalomi

Kibbutz Nir Oz resident Ohad Yahalomi, taken October 7, 2023, by Hamas terrorists. (Courtesy)

The funeral procession begins for slain hostage Ohad Yahalomi whose body was returned by Hamas from Gaza last week.

The procession starts in Rishon LeZion and will make its way to Kibbutz Nir Oz where the family will hold a private funeral.

The public are encouraged to line the streets of the route with Israeli flags to pay their respects to Yahalomi, who was returned along with fellow slain hostages Itzik Elgarat, Shlomo Mantzur, and Tsahi Idan as part of the hostage-ceasefire deal.

The funeral procession will follow the following route:

– 8:15 AM: Rishon LeZion, 1 Ehad Ha’am Street
– 8:45 AM: Rishonim Interchange, on the ramp to Road 431 West
– 9:00 AM: Yavne Interchange
– 10:00 AM: Yad Mordechai Junction
– 10:15 AM: HaKshatot Junction
– 10:30 AM: Sa’ad Junction
– 10:45 AM: Gamma Junction and Nir Oz Junction

Yahalomi was kidnapped at age 49, and turned 50 in April 2024. He was killed at some point in the past 10 months.

In a statement on his release, Kibbutz Nir Oz said that “Ohad, who was 50 at the time of his death, was a devoted and loving family man. He was a passionate sportsman and an avid traveler, intimately familiar with every trail and path in the desert he so dearly loved.”

Anti-Israel demonstrators protest former PM Bennett at Columbia University

An anti-Israel protester holds up a sign outside the campus of Columbia University in New York City on March 4, 2025, to protest a speech by former prime minister Naftali Bennett (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)

More than 200 pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protesters gather in front of Columbia University in New York to demonstrate against former prime minister Naftali Bennett, who was at the campus for a speaking engagement.

“The decision to host a man with such a violent and openly discriminatory record sends a message that the university values some voices over others,” a spokesperson for Columbia Palestine Solidarity Coalition — one of the groups taking part in the protest — says in a statement.

None of the individual protesters at the event, many of whom wore masks or traditional Palestinian keffiyehs, agree to speak with AFP journalists.

Police at the scene worked to separate the protest from a small group of pro-Israel counter-demonstrators nearby, though the two demonstrations passed without any incident.

The protest was held at the same time as US President Donald Trump’s administration threatened federal funding for the New York university over its failure to combat antisemitism.

The federal government on Monday said it was considering ending contracts it has with Columbia worth over $50 million, blaming it for failing to protect its Jewish students from amid antisemitism the protests.

“All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests,” Trump wrote yesterday on his platform Truth Social.

“Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on …the crime, arrested,” the post continued.

Second Australian nurse charged for threatening to kill Israeli patients in viral clip

Screen capture from an undated video of Israeli influencer Max Veifer (left) during a conversation with two nurses from a hospital in Sydney, Australia. (X: Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

SYDNEY — A second Australian nurse has been charged over alleged antisemitic threats made in an online video chat with an Israeli influencer, police say.

Footage posted to social media last month by Israeli content creator Max Veifer allegedly showed a male and a female nurse making antisemitic remarks as they spoke to him from their Sydney hospital.

The 27-year-old male nurse, Ahmad Rashad Nadir, was arrested Tuesday and charged with using a carriage service to menace or harass, as well as one count of illegal drug possession, police say in a statement.

He was given bail until a Sydney court hearing scheduled for March 19.

Last week, police charged the other nurse at the southwest Sydney hospital — 26-year-old Sarah Abu Lebdeh — with three counts including using a carriage service to threaten to kill.

She is also due in court on March 19.

“Detectives have overcome many challenges — including huge public expectation — to put these individuals before the court,” says New South Wales police commissioner Karen Webb.

The two nurses were removed from their jobs in February over the video.

‘We are bringing back our hostages from Gaza,’ Trump tells US Congress

With several released hostages and the families of freed captives in the audience during his address to a joint session of Congress, US President Donald Trump touts his efforts to return hostages from Hamas captivity in Gaza.

“In the Middle East, we are bringing back our hostages from Gaza,” Trump says.

“In my first term, we achieved one of the most groundbreaking peace agreements in generations, the Abraham Accords, and now we’re going to build on that foundation to create a more peaceful and prosperous future for the entire region,” he says.

“A lot of things are happening in the Middle East… [a] rough neighborhood,” Trump adds.

After considerable anticipation in Israel, this ends up being the only remark about the hostages and the Middle East in the entire speech, which lasts over an hour and a half and is light on foreign policy.

While a handful of individuals in the audience received personal shout-outs from Trump, none of the former hostages — among them US-Israeli citizen Keith Siegel — enjoyed such attention.

Trump calls for US to develop a ‘Golden Dome’ missile defense system

US President Donald Trump raises his fist as he addresses a joint session of Congress at the US Capitol in Washington, on March 4, 2025. (Win McNamee/Pool/AFP)

US President Donald Trump says he is asking Congress to “fund a state-of-the-art golden dome missile defense shield to protect our homeland.”

“Other places — Israel has it,” Trump says during an address to a joint session of Congress. “We should have it. We want to be protected.”

WATCH: Trump addresses joint session of US Congress

Trump’s speech to Congress expected to touch on efforts to free the Hamas hostages

US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump have left the White House and entered his armored limousine for the short drive to the Capitol, where he will address Congress and the American people as he lays out his plans for the months ahead.

A senior White House official says the theme of Trump’s speech is the “renewal of the American dream.” The speech is akin to a State of the Union address but not called that in a president’s inaugural year.

The official says Trump’s topics will include laying out his plans to end the Ukraine war and gain the release of hostages abducted from Israel by Hamas terrorists and held in Gaza.

Rejecting Arab plan, White House says Trump ‘stands by his vision to rebuild Gaza free from Hamas’

Journalists watch a screen displaying Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, center, with Arab Leaders, at the press center hall of the emergency Arab summit at Egypt's New Administrative Capital, just outside Cairo, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

The White House comes out against the Arab plan for the post-war management of Gaza and sticks to US President Donald Trump’s plan to take over the enclave and relocate all of its two million residents.

In a statement to The Times of Israel, National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes says the Arab plan released Tuesday “does not address the reality that Gaza is currently uninhabitable and residents cannot humanely live in a territory covered in debris and unexploded ordnance[s].”

“President Trump stands by his vision to rebuild Gaza free from Hamas,” Hughes adds.

“We look forward to further talks to bring peace and prosperity to the region,” Hughes says, appearing to leave the door open for further talks with Arab allies.

The Arab plan envisions the establishment of an independent committee of Palestinian technocrats to temporarily manage the Gaza Strip before handing it over to the Palestinian Authority.

The plan stresses that Palestinians will be able to remain in Gaza, rejecting Trump’s proposal to relocate the Strip’s residents.

It doesn’t explicitly tackle the issue of Hamas and how the terror group will be disarming, leading to criticism from the US and Israel, which are demanding that Hamas be fully dismantled.

White House: Trump welcomes Arab nations’ ‘input’ on his Gaza proposal

The White House says it welcomes “input” from Arab nations on US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, while insisting Hamas cannot remain in power.

“President Trump has been clear that Hamas cannot continue to govern Gaza,” White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said Monday. “While the president stands by his bold vision for a post-war Gaza, he welcomes input from our Arab partners in the region. It’s clear his proposals have driven the region to come to the table rather than allow this issue to devolve into further crisis.”

A spokesperson for Israel’s Foreign Ministry, Oren Marmorstein, posts on X that the Egyptian plan “fails to address the realities of the situation” and said the summit’s joint communique does not mention Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack that sparked the war or condemn the terrorist group. The plan, he said, remains “rooted in outdated perspectives.”

Marmorstein reiterates Israel’s support for Trump’s plan to resettle Gaza’s population elsewhere, describing it as “an opportunity for the Gazans to have free choice based on their free will.”

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty blasts Israel’s rejection as “unacceptable,” describing its position as “stubborn and extremist.”

“There will be no peace neither to Israel or to the region” without establishing an independent Palestinian state in accordance with United Nations resolutions, he says. He says “Israel violates all international law rules … the international law must be imposed.”

“No single state should be allowed to impose its will on the international community,” Abdelatty says.

Report: Hostage Matan Angrest is injured, being held in dark cellar, starved, tortured

Hostage Matan Angrest in a first image released by his family from Hamas captivity, March 3, 2025. (Courtesy)

Hostage Matan Angrest has been held for a long time in a dark cellar with little air, and is suffering from untreated severe burns and bruises as well as harm to his eyes as a result of injuries he sustained during his kidnapping from a burning IDF tank in Nahal Oz on October 7, 2023, Channel 12 reports.

The account isn’t attributed to anyone but comes after many captives were released recently, including five female soldiers who have said service people are being tortured by Hamas for intelligence. It also comes a day after Angrest’s family published the first photo of him from captivity, from a video received from Hamas.

The report says Angrest is forced to treat his injuries by himself, and that his Hamas captors are purposely starving him.

Angrest’s father told the Kan public broadcaster earlier today that if the family feels like it is necessary, it will also publish the full video of Matan, which he contended will “shock the country.”

“Matan’s face is completely broken, the boy is completely broken and this is just the face,” he said. “We know he treated his own body.”

Arab leaders to establish fund for Gaza reconstruction

Arab leaders agree to establish a trust fund that would finance the reconstruction of war-battered Gaza, urging international contribution to speed up the rebuilding process.

According to the final communique of the Arab League summit in Cairo, seen by AFP, the fund would “receive financial pledges from all donor countries and financing institutions” to carry out reconstruction projects in the territory.