Live updates (closed)
The Times of Israel liveblogged Thursday’s events as they happened.
Auburn basketball coach says call to free Edan Alexander about ‘survival,’ not politics
Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl speaks during a news conference, March 27, 2025, in Atlanta, ahead of the Sweet 16 in the NCAA college basketball tournament. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
ATLANTA — Auburn coach Bruce Pearl says he wasn’t mixing politics with sports last week when he called for the release of an American hostage in Gaza.
“It’s not political. It’s survival,” Pearl tells The Associated Press on Thursday following his news conference ahead of No. 1 seed Auburn’s NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game against No. 6 Michigan on Friday night.
After Auburn’s 82-70 second-round win over Creighton on Saturday night in Lexington, Kentucky, Pearl opened his postgame news conference by calling for the release of Edan Alexander, the last living American being held hostage in Gaza by Hamas.
Pearl, who is Jewish, says he received approval from his players to address the issue last week.
“First of all, number one I don’t want to take away from Auburn,” Pearl says. “I don’t take away from the student-athletes and so I asked their permission if I could start that press conference and mention the name Edan Alexander. And they understood. And it didn’t.”
Pearl says it was a rare request.
“I really hadn’t done that on the podium since maybe two or three years ago when Israel and Iran were in an entanglement,” he says.
Fire service says Haredi demonstrators pushed burning dumpsters at firefighters, injuring them
The Israel Fire and Rescue Service says firefighters were attacked by Haredi demonstrators in Jerusalem while working to extinguish objects that were set ablaze during a protest against enlisting ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students in the military.
The fire service says the demonstrators pushed five burning dumpsters toward the firefighters and threw objects at them. It adds that firefighters were hurt but doesn’t specify their conditions.
Police, meanwhile, say six officers were hurt while responding to the rioting and arrested two demonstrators.
6 שוטרים פצועים שחלקם פונו לטיפול רפואי, כבאים שכיבו פחים שהוצתו הותקפו ונזקקו לחילוץ ו-2 עצורים בלבד בהפרת סדר אלימה הערב בצומת הרחובות שמואל הנביא – יחזקאל בירושלים שהתפתחה בסיום עצרת מחאה נגד גיוס חרדים לצה״ל pic.twitter.com/1UJyG8iGW8
— שלומי הלר | Shlomi Heller (@Heller_shlomi) March 27, 2025
Hamas holds talks with Egyptian and Qatari mediators on reviving Gaza ceasefire
Palestinian sources close to Hamas tell AFP that talks are underway between the terror group and mediators from Egypt and Qatar to revive a ceasefire and hostage release deal for Gaza.
“A meeting began this evening between the Egyptian delegation responsible for negotiations in Doha and a Hamas delegation in an effort to solidify a ceasefire,” says a source who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly on the issue.
Mediators from Qatar are also involved in the discussions, the source adds.
Talks are focusing on the possibility of implementing a truce during the Eid al-Fitr and Jewish Passover holidays, as well as ensuring the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, the source says.
“Mediators are engaging in intensive discussions with all parties to cement the ceasefire and move toward the second phase of the agreement,” he adds.
He says Hamas has expressed a willingness to respond “positively” to any proposal that halts the fighting.
Another Palestinian source close to Hamas says that despite the discussions, “no breakthrough” has been achieved so far.
“A prisoner exchange and ceasefire agreement are possible, but their success depends on [Israel’s] approval and its willingness not to obstruct the process,” the source says.
“Mediators are presenting proposals that are currently under review.”
PM: ‘It’s fact and not a conspiracy’ that Ronen Bar knew hours before that Oct. 7 invasion was likely, but didn’t wake me
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, on April 4, 2023. (Kobi Gideon/GPO/File)
After previously doing so anonymously, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims without evidence that Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar knew several hours before Hamas’s October 7, 2023, atrocities that an invasion by the terror group was likely but did not alert the premier.
“This is a fact and not a conspiracy,” says the statement from the premier’s office, asserting that at 4:30 a.m. that morning “it was already clear to the outgoing Shin Bet head that an invasion of the State of Israel was likely.”
“Why at that moment did he not wake up the prime minister? Why didn’t he warn the community heads in the Gaza periphery? Why was the prime minister’s military secretary only updated minutes before the start of the attack?”
The statement comes after Netanyahu acknowledged earlier this month that his intelligence officer received an IDF memo detailing suspicious Hamas activity three hours before the terror onslaught but did not pass it on. The Prime Minister’s Office argued at the time that this was justified given what it said was the document’s non-urgent framing.
Iranian FM says response to Trump’s letter sent through Oman
Iran has sent a response through Oman to US President Donald Trump’s letter that had urged it to reach a new nuclear deal, the state news agency IRNA reports, citing the Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.
Tehran reiterated its stance on not negotiating directly while under pressure, but is open to indirect talks, Araqchi is reported as saying.
Security forces still searching for alleged terrorist behind botched Tel Aviv bus bombings
More than a month after the botched bus bombings in the Tel Aviv area, the Palestinian terrorist behind the attack is still on the lam, according to the Ynet news site.
Citing court documents, the report says the suspect is a resident of the West Bank and that security forces are still searching for him.
Israel provided intel for US strike on Houthi official mentioned in Signal chat — WSJ
US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz speaks with the media following meetings with a Ukrainian delegation in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, March 11, 2025. (Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP)
Israel provided intelligence from a human source in Yemen about a senior Houthi figure who was targeted in the American airstrike that US President Donald Trump’s national security adviser discussed in a group chat on the Signal messaging app, the Wall Street Journal reports.
A US official quoted in the report says Israeli officials have privately complained that the texts were exposed, after Atlantic magazine editor Jeffrey Goldberg was mistakenly added to the group.
The text in question says: “Typing too fast. The first target — their top missile guy — we had positive ID of him walking into girlfriend’s building and it’s now collapsed.”
Trump pulls Stefanik’s nomination for UN envoy due to GOP’s slim majority in House
Republican Representative Elise Stefanik of New York speaks at CPAC, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, February 22, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
US President Donald Trump announces that he has pulled his nomination of Elise Stefanik to be his ambassador in the UN in order for her to remain in the House of Representatives where Republicans have a razor-thin majority.
“With a very tight Majority, I don’t want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise’s seat,” Trump writes on Truth Social.
“There are others that can do a good job at the United Nations. Therefore, Elise will stay in Congress, rejoin the House Leadership Team, and continue to fight for our amazing American People,” Trump adds.
Stefanik made headlines for her hard questioning of University presidents last year during a hearing on antisemitism on college campuses. The lawmaker has quickly become a fan-favorite among establishment, pro-Israel groups.
US and Qatar reportedly working on new proposal to jumpstart hostage talks
Citing Arab sources, Channel 12 news reports that the US and Qatar are working on a new proposal to jumpstart negotiations on a hostage and ceasefire deal.
The reports says that the proposal would see Hamas free hostage soldier Edan Alexander, the last living captive with American citizenship, in exchange for US President Donald Trump publicly declaring the need for negotiations to resume.
The proposal hasn’t been formally presented to Israel, according to the network, which quotes the Prime Minister’s Office saying it isn’t familiar with the matter.
A separate report by the Walla news site describes the offer as an American proposal that was relayed to Hamas via Qatar.
Bipartisan group of US lawmakers nominates hostage families forum for Nobel Peace Prize
Lishay Miran Lavi (center) at the Knesset on March 18, 2025 (Hostages Families Forum)
A bipartisan group of 14 members of the US House of Representatives send a letter to the Nobel committee nominating the Hostages and Missing Families Forum for the Nobel Peace Prize.
“Through unfathomable anguish and heartbreak, these families have become the conscience of the world, steadfastly reminding the world that their loved ones are not bargaining chips or statistics, but human beings—each with names, stories, and families waiting to embrace them,” the representatives write in their letter. “Undaunted by the horrors of their loved ones’ captivity and the dashed hopes of promised rescue agreements always just over the horizon, the members of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum have not only shown extraordinary grace and humanity, they have helped the world see the humanity of all those suffering the devastation of war.”
“The Nobel Peace Prize has long honored those who elevate humanity’s highest ideals in the face of oppression. In honoring the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the committee would reaffirm a fundamental truth: that every life is sacred, that no act of terror can erase our shared humanity, and that the pursuit of justice must never waver. Their nomination is not just about the hostages. It is about the essential principle that the world cannot look away.”
Rubio says US has revoked the visas of over 300 anti-Israel ‘lunatics’
GEORGETOWN, Guyana — US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he has canceled the visas of more than 300 “lunatics” in a crackdown against anti-Israel activism on American university campuses.
Asked during a visit to Guyana to confirm reports of 300 visas stripped, Rubio says: “Maybe more than 300 at this point. We do it every day, every time I find one of these lunatics.”
Egyptian security sources claim Israel gave positive signals about new Gaza proposal
Egypt, one of the mediators in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations, has received positive indications from Israel over a new ceasefire proposal that would include a transitional phase, security sources tell Reuters.
The proposal suggests Hamas release five Israeli hostages each week, sources say.
Asked about the latest proposal, a Palestinian official close to the mediation efforts says, “There are some offers that look better than the previous ones.”
When asked if he expects an announcement today on a breakthrough, he replies: “Maybe not yet.”
PM calls antisemitism a ‘disease,’ says he was ‘surprised’ by October 7 massacre
Antisemitism is a “disease” threatening all civilized societies, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells the Israeli government’s international conference on combating antisemitism in Jerusalem.
Before the Holocaust, Netanyahu says many people understood that growing European antisemitism would destroy not only Jewry but also the surrounding civilizations.
“Today we issue a similar warning — the fate of free societies is tied to their willingness to fight the scourge of antisemitism.”
Now, Netanyahu says, this hatred has reemerged in the form of Hamas and radical Islam in Yemen, Iran, Lebanon, and Gaza.
“On October 7, we were surprised by a terrible massacre,” Netanyahu says. “What we learned that day, for those who needed to learn, was that if they could, these savage Hamas terrorists would have murdered every last man, woman, and child.”
Before Hamas’s 2023 attack, Netanyahu notes that former Hezbollah head Hassan Nasrallah said Israel was like a spider web. “Now, a year and a half later, Nasrallah is gone, Haniyeh is gone, and Hamas has been brought to its knees.”
Netanyahu turns to international guests attending the conference, including a group of controversial right-wing European politicians.
“Thank you for coming to Jerusalem,” he says. “Thank you for standing with Israel. Thank you for standing with the forces of civilization against the forces of barbarism.”
IDF and Shin Bet confirm killing Hamas spokesman in Gaza strike
Hamas spokesman Abdelatif al-Qanou speaking to an Arabic television station on October 7, 2018. (Screenshot: Youtube)
The IDF and Shin Bet, in a joint statement, confirm killing Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif al-Qanou in an airstrike in the northern Gaza Strip last night.
According to the military and Shin Bet, Qanou also served as an operative in the terror group’s military wing, in addition to being one of Hamas’s “key inciters” as its spokesman.
“Qanou systematically used media platforms for propaganda purposes, psychological terror, and the distribution of false information regarding Hamas’s activities in the Gaza Strip and outside of it,” the statement says.
“For years, Qanou was one of Hamas’s key spokesmen, spreading lies, inciting terrorist activities, and advancing the terrorist organization’s agenda, which calls for the destruction of the State of Israel,” it adds.
Zelensky says he wants US to help boost Ukraine’s position in talks with Russia
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says that he wants the US to help Ukraine be in a strong position for negotiations with Russia.
Speaking in Paris, Zelenskiy says he’s not afraid of any format of talks to end the three-year war.
IDF says drone strike targeted 2 Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon
The IDF says it carried out a drone strike on two Hezbollah operatives who were spotted in southern Lebanon’s Baraashit a short while ago.
It releases footage of the strike.
חיל-האוויר תקף לפני זמן קצר שני מחבלים של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה שפעלו במרחב ברעשית שבדרום לבנון. pic.twitter.com/pL3IX9Rj6o
— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) March 27, 2025
Trump’s ex-envoy says US ‘in for big shock’ if his immigration policies don’t pan out
If US President Donald Trump’s plan to reform immigration policies doesn’t work out, “America is in for a big shock,” former United States Ambassador to Israel David Friedman tells the Israeli government’s international conference on combating antisemitism in Jerusalem.
Failure to stem immigration will make America like Europe, Friedman says. “We’re not quite yet where Europe is yet, no offense to Europe.”
Friedman says he “loves” Trump’s proposal for the US to take over and rebuild Gaza while expelling residents.
“Number one, Gaza is uninhabitable. It’s got unexploded ordnance, and it’s got homes that are unlivable,” he says. “The other reason, maybe more important, is that the only way that Israel really wins the war, the way that radical Islam is, like the way ISIS and Hamas define winning and losing, which is when they lose their land. They have to lose their land.”
Friedman notes that Israel’s Abraham Accords have survived the current war because the United Arab Emirates and other Arab nations share a common enemy.
“They’re watching on TV that Israel is killing women and children, and there was an easy excuse for them to call off of the agreement, but that didn’t happen for a single reason: if you ask them what the agreement is about, it’s about the common battle that Israel and the Emirates and other moderate countries are facing against radical Islam.”
High Court agrees to hear petitions against law overhauling judicial appointments
The High Court of Justice agrees to hear petitions filed against the law passed by the Knesset overhauling Israel’s judicial appointments process and greatly boosting political control over the selection of judges.
Justice Ruth Ronen orders Justice Minister Yariv Levin, the government, and all other parties to file their responses by June 4.
Six petitions were filed today against the law by the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, the Israel Democracy Guard, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, Yesh Atid MKs Karine Elharar and Yoav Segelovitch, the Israel Bar Association, and an independent group of citizens.
At least three of those petitions argue that the law undermines judicial independence and violates Israel’s form of democratic government, making it unconstitutional.
Ronen rules that all six petitions will be heard in one case before the court.
The court’s decision to hear the petitions will likely spark condemnation from Levin and other members of the government who assert the High Court does not have the power of judicial review over Basic Laws and amendments to them such as the new judicial appointments law.
In January last year, the High Court struck down a Basic Law — which require only a simple majority to pass — for the first time in history. The law banned the judiciary from using the reasonableness judicial standard in reviewing government actions, but the High Court ruled it violated Israel’s democratic character and was therefore unconstitutional.
White House official says Trump may withdraw Stefanik’s nomination for UN ambassador
US Representative Elise Stefanik, a Republican from New York, testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on her nomination to be ambassador to the United Nations, on Capitol Hill in Washington, January 21, 2025. (Saul Loeb/AFP)
WASHINGTON — Discussions are being held on whether Representative Elise Stefanik should step away from her nomination to be President Donald Trump’s US ambassador to the United Nations, a White House official says.
Pulling her from the nomination would be done in part because of concern about Republicans’ tight majority in the House of Representatives, which she would leave if confirmed for the post.
CBS News first reported that Stefanik’s nomination was in jeopardy.
‘Time is running out’: Gallant calls to prioritize hostages’ return over destroying Hamas
Former defense minister Yoav Gallant calls for Israel to prioritize the return of hostages over destroying Hamas.
“Time is running out. First return the hostages and then replace Hamas rule. If we act in the opposite way, there won’t be anyone to return,” Gantz says during an event at Netanya Academic College, according to Hebrew media reports.
“I am not sure that the national need to return the hostages will outweigh the political considerations,” he adds.
French far-right leader: Israel and France must ‘join forces’ to fight antisemitism
France's National Rally leader Jordan Bardella speaks during a conference on antisemitism in Jerusalem on March 27, 2025. (Menahem Kahana/AFP)
France must work with Israel in its fight against antisemitism, says the leader of France’s far-right National Union party at the Israeli government’s international conference in Jerusalem on combating antisemitism.
“In the face of the disturbing resurgence of anti-Jewish hatred throughout Europe and the world, and in the face of terrorism that intends to destroy our lives and our values, we French believe more than ever that our nations must unite their voices and join forces in the fight,” Jordan Bardella says.
“I am aware of the symbolic importance of my invitation here, and the responsibility of my party to history in the war against barbarism — which is also our war,” he adds.
PM to convene security consultation as Egypt pushes new Gaza ceasefire proposal
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene a security consultation tonight at 8 p.m., the offices of two of the attendees tell The Times of Israel, as Egypt continues to push its proposal for a new ceasefire in Gaza.
Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar will participate despite ongoing attempts by Netanyahu to fire him.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir is invited, as is Mossad director David Barnea.
Senior cabinet ministers will also attend, including Defense Minister Israel Katz, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.
Candidate for Shin Bet chief says PM delayed Rafah offensive due to Biden’s pressure
One of the candidates Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering for the next Shin Bet chief publishes an op-ed blaming the Biden administration for Israel’s failure to secure the hostages abducted by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, terror onslaught.
Eyal Tsir Cohen, a former Mossad official who is now a researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, writes with his co-author Jesse R. Weinberg in Real Clear Defense that due to American pressure last year, Netanyahu delayed the Israeli ground incursion into Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah. Netanyahu has publicly claimed that US pressure was not the reason for the postponement.
“During the negotiations, a surge in Israel’s offensive before Ramadan in the spring of 2024 could have brought Hamas to a breaking point and led to a breakthrough in the negotiations,” the opinion piece asserts. “Instead, in direct contravention to Israel’s combat doctrine, which places at its epicenter a quick and offensive approach, as well as the strategy laid out by the Prime Minister, Israel was forced to pull back as American pressure and diplomatic considerations limited Israel’s room to maneuver.”
Popular outgoing IDF spokesman says public trust ‘is most important asset’; urges ‘all parts of society’ to enlist
IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari gives a statement to the media in Tel Aviv on October 16, 2023. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
Popular outgoing IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says public trust “is the most important asset” of the military, as he’s replaced in his post after being passed over for a promotion by the new chief of staff.
“Our mission over the past year and a half was rehabilitating public trust in the IDF” following October 7, Hagari says, while calling “to keep the army above any argument, dispute or any other attempt which poses a true danger to the trust [in the army] and its ability to realize its mission.”
Hagari also calls for “all parts of society” to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces, in an apparent reference to the widespread non-service of the ultra-Orthodox community.
“We already need more soldiers in the IDF, not just in a few more years; the war is going on now,” he says.
Orange-hued tombstone unveiled for Shiri Bibas and her sons Ariel and Kfir
A joint gravestone has been placed for murdered hostages Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and baby Kfir, a month after they were buried together in southern Israel following the return of their remains from Gaza.
30 יום לקבורתם של שירי, כפיר ואריאל ביבס. הוצבה מצבה משותפת, סלע בגווני כתום.
ליד כל שם על המצבה נכתב שם החיבה. שירי נכתב: בת אישה אמא ואחות הכי טובה שיכלנו לבקש, מצחיקה רגישה אוהבת ושומרת על כולם תמיד.
כפיר: אוהב חיבוקים וכירבולים, תינוק מתוק וכובש.
אריאל: בן מדהים ושובב עם… pic.twitter.com/8l0BgEF3KQ— אסף פוזיילוב (@pozailov1) March 27, 2025
In a nod to the color of their hair, which became a sign of support for the family, the tomb stone is orange-hued and includes the names and nicknames of the mother and her sons, along with epitaphs.
Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas (Courtesy)
“It was you who made living all worth while, oh lovin’ you it’s the best,” reads an inscription in English.
Yarden Bibas covering the coffin of his wife Shiri and sons Ariel and Kfir during the slain hostages’ funeral near Kibbutz Nir Oz, February 26, 2025. (Eitan Uner/Hostages and Missing Families Forum)
UK minister’s speaking appearance interrupted by protest against Israel arms sales
LONDON — British business and trade minister Jonathan Reynolds is interrupted by two pro-Palestinian protesters opposing arms sales to Israel who storm the stage as he is about to speak at a think tank event on trade.
London for a Free Palestine, one of three campaign groups that organized a rally outside Chatham House where Reynolds is speaking, says the on-stage protest is intended to keep pressure on the government to halt all arms exports to Israel – especially of parts for F-35 fighter jets.
“They have not stopped the trade in F-35s,” one individual shouts. One protester accuses the government of being complicit in genocide.
Reynolds remains in his seat and says Britain has suspended arms exports to Israel.
????BREAKING: Pro-Palestine activists have disrupted UK business secretary Jonathan Reynolds' speech at Chatham House.
Reynolds has granted licences for F-35 parts that can be sent to Israel to commit atrocities. pic.twitter.com/AB8D05sAcW
— Declassified UK (@declassifiedUK) March 27, 2025
In September, the government suspended 30 of its 350 arms export licences to Israel. At that time, it said parts for F-35 fighters would be largely exempted because it was not possible to suspend these exports without prejudicing the jets’ entire global program.
Reynolds tells the protesters: “We haven’t suspended F-35s because they’re integral to our national security and particularly the defense of Ukraine.”
He later tells the audience the exemption for F-35s had been announced in parliament.
“Specifically on arms exports, we have a very stringent regime which we have applied as a government, and that has led to restrictions, particularly in relation to arms exports to Israel,” Reynolds says.
Egyptian security delegation heads to Qatar for Gaza hostage-ceasefire negotiations
A security delegation from Egypt, one of the mediators in Gaza negotiations, has headed to Qatar for talks on releasing hostages, admitting aid into the enclave and moving toward a second phase of a ceasefire, state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV says.
Lebanon reports 3 killed by Israeli drone strike in south
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency says an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon killed three people.
There is no comment from the Israeli military. The National News Agency says today’s strike occurred in the Yohmor area in south Lebanon.
IDF troops in southern Gaza’s Rafah uncover multiple rocket launcher with 25 barrels
A handout photo shows a multiple rocket launcher that Israeli forces uncovered in southern Gaza's Rafah, March 27, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
IDF troops operating in southern Gaza’s Rafah located a multiple rocket launcher with 25 barrels, the military says.
The launchers were located by troops of the 14th Reserve Armored Brigade in the Tel Sultan neighborhood.
Cops extend closure of Bat Yam ice cream shop where suspect in bus bombing attack illegally worked
Israeli security forces at the scene of a bus bombing, in Bat Yam, central Israel, February 20, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
Police last month arrested a Palestinian man illegally residing in Israel on suspicion he helped carry out last month’s botched bus bombing attack in the Tel Aviv area, Ynet reports.
According to the report, the suspect was employed at a Bat Yam branch of the Golda ice cream chain, where he was arrested during his shift four days after the attempted terror attack. He has been held in administrative detention for around a month.
Police temporarily shuttered the branch soon after arresting the suspect and arrived again around noon today to close the ice cream parlor after filing a request with the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court to extend the closure.
According to the report, the suspect worked at the chain for around a month without proper documentation and was paid in cash.
Tel Aviv District commander Haim Sargrof writes in the request that the branch “employed an illegal resident and provided him with a substantial source of income, even though he poses a clear threat to national security and is currently under administrative detention.”
“The respondent acted illegally, driven by cynical economic motives and blatant disregard for the public interest, especially at a time when the State of Israel is fighting for its existence,” his request continues.
The police investigation into the attempted terror attack was subject to a court-issued gag order, which Ynet claims has been lifted in recent days.
IDF chief cancels officer’s appointment as new head of Paratroopers Brigade
Col. Ephraim Avni, outgoing commander of the 551st Reserve Paratroopers Brigade, during a handover ceremony December 13, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has decided not to appoint Col. Ephraim Avni, the operations chief at the IDF Southern Command, to head the Paratroopers Brigade.
Avni had been appointed to the position by former chief of staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, but Defense Minister Israel Katz refused to approve it, citing his possible involvement in the army’s failures relating to Hamas’s October 7 onslaught.
The military says that Zamir decided, ahead of a discussion on appointments on Monday, to not promote Avni until the IDF’s October 7 investigations that relate to the officer are completed and examined.
Another officer will be appointed to command the Paratroopers Brigade while Avni may be promoted in the future.
Effie Defrin takes over as new IDF spokesman from Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari
Incoming IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin (left) Operations Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Oded Basiuk (center) and outgoing spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari at a handover ceremony at an army base in Tel Aviv, March 27, 2025. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)
Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin has taken over as the new IDF spokesman from Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, who served in the role for the past two years.
At the handover ceremony, Defrin says he will do “everything to strengthen the public trust in the IDF.”
Minister apologizes to European far-right leaders for conference controversy
Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli opens the International Conference on Combating Antisemitism at Jerusalem's International Convention Center, March 27, 2025 (YouTube screenshot)
Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli opens the Israeli government’s International Conference on Combating Antisemitism at Jerusalem’s International Convention Center with an apology to far-right European politicians for the controversy surrounding their participation in the event.
“First and foremost, I want to thank our friends and allies, especially our friends of the European Parliament, who have chosen to come to Israel during wartime,” Chikli says in his welcome address. “I apologize for the lies spread against you by those who slander the State of Israel worldwide. Thank you for being with us here in Jerusalem, Israel’s eternal capital. Gracias. Merci. Todah.”
Chikli accuses Israel’s left-wing Haaretz newspaper of generating the controversy around the inclusion of members of far-right parties from France, Spain, Sweden, and Hungary at the confab. Several high-profile figures withdrew from the confab last week due to those politicians’ inclusion.
He then discusses the threat of radical Islam, citing a University of Maryland report that over 90% of deadly attacks worldwide were committed by radical Islamists. He links radical Islam to historical antisemitism, saying that Hamas’s ideology is a continuation of Nazi racial doctrines, and criticizes Western leaders for not taking concrete actions against antisemitism.
IDF chief thanks outgoing spokesman Hagari for communicating war ‘with sensitivity and composure’
IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari gives a statement to the media in Tel Aviv on October 16, 2023. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
With Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin taking over as the new IDF spokesman from Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir says Hagari “was the one who delivered both the difficult and the good news to the public every evening, doing so with courage, sensitivity, and composure. I thank you for your significant operational service.”
Hagari served as IDF spokesman for the past two years and became a very familiar face in Israel for his frequent media briefings amid the war in Gaza and Lebanon. Hagari previously served in top positions in the Israeli Navy.
Defrin, 53, is a former commander in the Armored Corps and chief of the military’s international cooperation unit.
Zamir also wishes success to Defrin, saying he faces an important mission and expressing confidence in his success.
Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, the head of the IDF’s international cooperation unit, in an undated official portrait. (Israel Defense Forces)
Houthis claim responsibility for two ballistic missiles launched at Israel
The Houthis have claimed responsibility for launching two ballistic missiles toward Israel earlier, claiming one targeted Ben Gurion Airport and another a “military target” in Tel Aviv.
Additionally, the Houthis claim to have attacked the American aircraft carrier USS Truman with rockets and drones.
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree states that “this is only the beginning” of their attacks against Israel.
Watch the Diaspora Ministry’s controversial antisemitism conference live
The Diaspora Ministry’s International Conference on Combating Antisemitism, taking place today in Jerusalem, can be watched live here.
The summit has courted controversy for the inclusion of far-right European politicians, leading to cancellations by multiple European figures who had been slated to attend.
Reports: Anti-Hamas demonstration held in northern Gaza for 3rd consecutive day
Anti-Hamas media in Gaza report that dozens of demonstrators have gathered in Jabalia in northern Gaza, calling for the overthrow of Hamas’s rule.
According to footage, the protesters carry signs that read: “Hamas out” and “Hamas are terrorists,” as well as “The people want to overthrow Hamas.”
This is the third consecutive day that such rare demonstrations are being held in Gaza.
معسكر جباليا #الثورة_والثوار ينتفض
.#اوقفوا_الحرب pic.twitter.com/E3BGxhGubQ— الناشط حمزة المصري (@hamza198708) March 27, 2025
In Israel, hard-right Spanish MEP says antisemitism is a threat to the Western world
Vox MEP Hermann Tertsch in Jerusalem, March 27, 2025 (Zev Stub/Times of Israel)
Antisemitism is a threat to societies throughout Europe and a danger for the entire Western world, Hermann Tertsch, member of the European Parliament for Spain’s hard-right Vox party, tells The Times of Israel.
Speaking at the Israeli government’s controversial international conference on combating antisemitism at Jerusalem’s International Convention Center, which is being boycotted by several prominent figures over the inclusion of far-right European politicians, Tertsch explains why he felt compelled to participate.
“I’m here because the fight against antisemitism is a very important question that affects us all,” Tertsch says. “Whole countries are infected by the alliance between the left and the Islamists. It’s not only here in Israel. We have places in Catalonia and other parts of Spain where they have taken control, and that’s an enormous existential danger.”
Last week, several high-profile figures withdrew from the event due to concerns that the participation of hard-right figures like Tertsch would help legitimize movements with histories of antisemitism, Holocaust denial and racism.
“These accusations are ridiculous,” Tertsch says. “I was a journalist for 40 years, and I was recognized by the Jewish Community of Madrid for my work. We are fighting a very serious fight, and what we are doing is annoying other parties that don’t see the danger. Conservative parties don’t do anything because they think it is nothing, and they condemn Israel for defending itself.
“We don’t stop working,” Tertsch continues. “Our organization is militant in the fight against antisemitism. Every day there is something to do to create awareness that we have to defend ourselves against this virus of the mind.”
Hundreds of fungi species threatened with extinction, global conservation body says
Illustrative: A mushroom from the genus Crepidotus is seen growing on dead tree branch during a mushroom biodiversity survey near Port Angeles, Washington, on October 17, 2024 (Robyn Beck / AFP)
Deforestation, farming and climate-fueled fires are driving increasing threats to fungi, the lifeblood of most plants on Earth, the International Union for Conservation of Nature warns.
At least 411 fungi face extinction out of the 1,300 varieties whose conservation status is well understood, according to the latest update of the IUCN’s authoritative “Red List of Threatened Species.”
“Fungi are the unsung heroes of life on Earth, forming the very foundation of healthy ecosystems, yet they have long been overlooked,” says IUCN director general Grethel Aguilar. “Now it’s time to turn this knowledge into action and safeguard the extraordinary fungal kingdom, whose vast underground networks sustain nature and life as we know it.”
This assessment, by the global authority on the status of the natural world, concerns only a fraction of the approximately 150,000 fungal species recorded to date, out of an estimated 2.5 million on Earth. But it illustrates the strains that human activity places on this distinct individual kingdom, which is neither plant nor animal.
“While fungi mainly live hidden underground and inside wood, their loss impacts the life above ground that depends on them,” says Professor Anders Dahlberg, who coordinated this latest assessment.
IDF chief, state comptroller agree on framework for examination of October 7
State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman attends a Knesset Finance Committee meeting in Jerusalem, January 6, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
New IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman announce they’ve reached an agreement on a framework for Englman’s examination of the events of October 7, 2023, and the events leading up to it.
“This framework builds upon the agreements reached in November 2024, based on which dozens of reviews have been conducted within the IDF in recent months, covering 70 percent of the topics,” they say in a joint statement.
“As part of the agreement between the comptroller and the chief of staff, it was clarified that the State Comptroller’s Office will consider operational needs and the dynamic operational reality, engaging in discussions with the IDF to regulate the audit workload. Additionally, it was determined that the investigations and documents on which the audit is based will be transferred from the IDF to the State Comptroller’s Office by the end of April.”
Police walk back claim judicial officials failed to notify them of probe into politicians
Police walk back their earlier claim that top judicial officials failed to notify them directly regarding a probe into several right-wing politicians for breaking into the IDF’s Sde Teiman base last July.
“We clarify that the Attorney General’s approval to open an investigation was sent to the head of the investigations and intelligence unit yesterday evening,” a spokesman says, adding that he “had not yet managed to update the police chief regarding the matter,” leading to the confusion.
The spokesman adds that police maintain “excellent working relations” with the attorney general and State Attorney’s Office.
Yesterday, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and State Prosecutor Amit Aisman announced they had approved an investigation into two government members and one former lawmaker regarding their role in a riot and subsequent break-in at the base. Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu (Otzma Yehudit), MK Nissim Vaturi (Likud), and former MK Zvi Sukkot (Religious Zionism) were set to be questioned under caution as part of the probe.
But law enforcement purported earlier today that the officials had not reached out directly to the police before going to the media — a claim that turns out to have been false.
Russia remands Jewish billionaire Moshkovich in custody for two months on fraud charges
File: Jewish Russian billionaire Vadim Moshkovich in 2018 (Video screenshot; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Jewish Russian farming billionaire Vadim Moshkovich has been remanded in custody for two months by a Moscow court following his detention on suspicion of large-scale fraud, the highest-profile arrest in years of a major businessman in Russia.
Moshkovich, who Forbes says has a fortune of $2.7 billion, appeared in a glass cage in Moscow’s Meshchansky court, handcuffed and carrying a copy of David Eagleman’s book “The Brain” and a bottle of water.
Court documents show that Moshkovich is accused of large-scale fraud and could face up to 10 years in jail if convicted. Moshkovich pleaded not guilty to the charges.
“Vadim Moshkovich, the founder of Rusagro, was sent to the pre-trial detention center,” Moscow’s court service says, adding that the court dismissed appeals from his lawyers for him to be granted house arrest or bail.
The arrest of Moshkovich, who started out selling computers amid the chaos of post-Soviet Russia before building one of Russia’s most powerful agricultural holdings, sent shockwaves through Russia’s business elite.
There was no comment from the Kremlin on the arrest. It is the highest-profile arrest of a Russian businessman since the 2018 arrest of Summa shipping and logistics group founder Ziyavudin Magomedov and the 2014 house arrest of AFK Sistema shareholder Vladimir Yevtushenkov.
IDF says it successfully intercepted 2 Houthi missiles from Yemen
Two ballistic missiles launched at Israel by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen were successfully intercepted by air defenses, the military says.
The IDF says the missiles were shot down before crossing the country’s borders.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage in the attack.
Sirens sounded across central Israel, in Jerusalem and numerous surrounding towns, as well as in several West Bank settlements.
It marks at least the seventh Houthi attack on Israel since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
In hostage-style video, Einav Zangauker asks captors, in Hebrew and Arabic, to keep son safe
Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, in a video addressing Hamas and world leaders, March 27, 2025. (Screenshot/Twitter used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, 25, releases a video addressing the US president and her son’s captors.
“We, like our sons, also feel that we are captives of Hamas, for over 500 days,” Einav states in the video, which was filmed in a similar style to a Hamas propaganda video of Matan in captivity published last December. In that clip, which was the first and, to date, last sign of life from Matan, the 25-year-old Zangauker identified himself and called on the Israeli public to continue protests in support of a deal with Hamas.
Einav speaks in both Hebrew and Arabic in her video, asking commanders of Gaza’s Qasam Brigade to provide proof of life for the remaining hostages and to “keep them safe until the implementation of a ceasefire.”
She also appeals to US President Donald Trump, stating, “Please do everything in your power [to release the hostages],” adding that the Israeli government must ensure the return of all the remaining hostages, “otherwise the war will not end.”
עינב צנגאוקר, בסרטון שמדמה את הסרטון של בנה מתן מהמנהרה בדצמבר, במסר לשובים של מתן מהחמאס ולנשיא טראמפ:
אני עינב, אמא של מתן צנגאוקר.
אנחנו, כמו הבנים שלנו, גם מרגישות בשבי החמאס, כבר מעל 500 ימים. הפחד והבדידות הורגים אותם והורגים גם אותנו. האם הבנים שלנו גם יזכו לחזור הביתה?… pic.twitter.com/QCeZyCHOMR— Bar Peleg (@bar_peleg) March 27, 2025
Sirens sound in central Israel, Jerusalem as 2 ballistic missiles launched from Yemen; both said intercepted
Two ballistic missiles have been launched from Yemen at Israel.
Sirens are sounding across central Israel and the Jerusalem area.
The IDF is looking into the details.
Initial reports say both missiles have been intercepted and there are no immediate reports of casualties.
Rebuking judicial chiefs, police says won’t probe politicians without official request
Chief of Israel Police Daniel Levy seen at a National Security committee meeting at the Knesset on November 13, 2024. (Chaim Goldbergl/Flash90)
In an unusual statement, the Israel Police rebukes top judicial officials, saying it will not investigate politicians for breaking into the IDF’s Sde Teiman base last July before “an official request is received” from Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and State Prosecutor Amit Aisman.
Yesterday, Baharav-Miara and Aisman announced they had approved an investigation into two government members and one former lawmaker for breaking into the Sde Teiman base last July.
According to a Channel 12 report, Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu (Otzma Yehudit), MK Nissim Vaturi (Likud), and former MK Zvi Sukkot (Religious Zionism) were set to be questioned under caution about their role in the riot and subsequent break-in at the base.
“It saddens us that the State Attorney’s Office and the attorney general are choosing to contact the Israel Police via the media and not directly and openly,” the police statement says.
It adds that officials “have not received an official request regarding the investigation of ministers and Knesset members, and therefore no investigation will take place” until a request is received, as is customary.”
Report: IDF raising concerns over deepening crisis in reserves force
Reservists of the 8th Armored Brigade operate in southern Lebanon, in a handout image published on November 6, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
The IDF has raised concerns over a deepening crisis within the reserves force as the military prepares to escalate operations in the Gaza Strip, Haaretz reports.
Tens of thousands of reservists are expected to be called up, but officials report a decline in motivation, with an increasing number indicating they will not report for duty, due to a combination of weariness, a lack of clarity on the goal of continued fighting and anger at government policies.
A senior reservist commander tells Haaretz that brigade and battalion leaders are handling numerous cases of reservists declaring their refusal to report, adding that the primary reason cited is a perception that the government has not done enough to free the hostages, followed closely by opposition to plans for a law exempting ultra-Orthodox from conscription and concerns over the government’s judicial overhaul.
According to a reserves officer who spoke to Haaretz, both fighters and commanders are experiencing significant exhaustion after completing hundreds of reserve days over the past year. He noted that many reservists are struggling to commit to additional deployments, not only due to political concerns but also because of sheer fatigue.
Among those refusing to serve is combat navigator Alon Gur, who publicly announced his resignation from the Air Force last week after 16 years of service. “The line was crossed,” he wrote online, accusing the government of prioritizing politics over human lives. Gur’s subsequent removal from duty has since prompted other reservists to follow suit, raising concerns within the military leadership.
According to the IDF, the rate of reservists showing up for duty, as of February, was 85 percent. In contrast, the IDF reported at the start of the war that more than 100% of reservists called up for duty had shown up, marking the largest-ever call-up of reservists in Israel’s history.
The military has said that the reserve army is operating at the relevant level of competency and is fulfilling its missions.
Border Police find monkey tied to dumpster in East Jerusalem
During an operation in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan earlier today, Border Police officers discovered a monkey chained to a large trash dumpster.
It is the 21st monkey to be located by Israeli authorities as part of an ongoing investigation into a wildlife smuggling ring, though most so far have been rescued from the Negev area.
“The forces provided care for the monkey — who appeared slightly injured — while attempting to determine how it ended up tied to the dumpster,” a police spokesman says.
Representatives of the Nature and Parks Authority are en route to the scene to provide further treatment to the injured monkey, the spokesman adds.
לוחמי מג״ב איתרו קוף קשור לפח אשפה בשכונת סילוואן בירושלים pic.twitter.com/iJijeABoMe
— לירן תמרי | Liran Tamari (@liran__tamari) March 27, 2025
IDF says overnight drone strike in southern Lebanon killed senior Hezbollah commander
The IDF confirms carrying out a drone strike last night in the Tyre District of southern Lebanon, killing a senior Hezbollah commander.
According to the IDF, the strike in the village of Derdghaiya, adjacent to Maaroub, killed Ahmed Adnan Bajija, a battalion commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force.
The military says the commander was involved in directing numerous attacks on Israel and IDF troops during the war and that in recent months, amid the ceasefire, he “continued to engage in advancing terror attacks against the Israeli home front.”
The IDF publishes footage of the strike.
כלי-טיס של חיל-האוויר, בהכוונת אוגדה 91, תקף במהלך הלילה בדרום לבנון וחיסל את המחבל אחמד עדנאן בג'יג'ה, מפקד גדוד ב'כוח רדואן' של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה. pic.twitter.com/XPbvZ3wKVi
— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) March 27, 2025
Education minister names recipients of Israel Prize for contribution to society
Education Minister Yoav Kish announces the recipients of this year’s Israel Prize in the field of Lifetime Achievement – Special Contribution to Society and the State as Nina Avidar-Weiner and Ronny Douek.
Avidar-Weiner is one of the founders of the International Sephardic Education Foundation, which seeks to reduce educational gaps in Israel. According to the ministry, she has “tirelessly worked to develop social and academic leadership through financial support for acquiring higher education and realizing the potential of young people from the periphery, leading them to academic excellence in research, medicine, law, governance, academia, business, and more.”
Douek, the ministry says, is a social entrepreneur and “visionary who, over three decades, has led groundbreaking solutions to major national challenges, changing the lives of many Israelis” in the fields of education, social initiatives, employment, and more.
The Israel Prize is handed out annually on Independence Day — which this year falls on May 1 — for significant cultural contributions.
Petitions filed to High Court against law overhauling judicial selection process
The plenum hall of the Knesset during a vote on a law to remake Israel's Judicial Selection Committee, March 27, 2025 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Three petitions have been immediately filed to the High Court of Justice against the government’s controversial law, passed this morning, to overhaul the judicial selection process.
All of the appeals argue that the legislation politicizes the appointment of judges and will, therefore, undermine judicial independence, which is a key component of Israel’s form of democratic government.
The petitions are filed by the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), and the Yesh Atid party, and argue that the law, an amendment to Basic Law: The Judiciary, is an unconstitutional constitutional amendment, in that it violates what the petitioners assert are the basic democratic values of the State of Israel as laid out in the Declaration of Independence.
“The amendment exceeds the authority of the Knesset as the constituent authority since it is an unconstitutional constitutional amendment, which does severe damage to the core components of the State of Israel as a democratic state, to the rule of law, to the independence and impartiality of the judicial branch, and the separation of powers,” writes the Movement for Quality Government in its petition.
“This change will allow politicians almost complete control over the identity of judges at all levels, create a dangerous dependence of judges on political figures, and cause judges to constantly fear that their independent rulings could harm their chances for promotion,” ACRI writes in announcing its petition.
“The Supreme Court is the last and only barrier against majority tyranny. The politicization of judicial appointments will lead to a situation where every judge, from the lowest ranks to the Supreme Court, will depend on politicians’ favor for promotion and will fear ruling against government positions,” ACRI adds.
Yesh Atid MK Karine Elharrar says that judges “must be appointed according to professional considerations, not political ones alone. They are supposed to serve the public, not the regime, to work in accordance with the law, not in accordance with the government’s authority.”
Ukraine’s air force says Russia launched 86 drones, one ballistic missile overnight
The Ukrainian air force says Russia launched 86 drones and an Iskander-M ballistic missile during overnight attacks.
The air force shot down 42 drones and another 26 did not reach their targets, likely due to electronic warfare countermeasures, the statement posted on Telegram says.
It does not specify what happened to the remaining 18 drones.
IDF says it struck Hezbollah operatives moving weapons in Lebanon
The IDF says it carried out an airstrike earlier today in southern Lebanon, targeting a group of Hezbollah operatives who were identified moving weapons around in the Yohmor area.
Lebanese media reports casualties in the strike.
It comes after a separate strike on a car last night in the town of Maaroub, which according to Lebanese media, killed one. The IDF has not yet commented on that strike.
Hamas, in 1st response to protests, claims they are against Israel, not itself
Palestinians take part in an anti-Hamas protest, calling for an end to the war with Israel, in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, March 26, 2025. (Flash90)
Hamas issues its first official response to the demonstration against the organization, claiming they are actually against Israel and that “there are those who are trying to divert the spontaneous protests to serve the occupation’s agenda.”
Senior Hamas official Basem Naim tells the Qatari channel Al-Araby that “demonstrations are expected from people facing extermination, against war and destruction… People are calling to stop the aggression, but the enemy and other parties with political agendas are diverting the spontaneous protests to serve the occupation’s agenda and trying to portray it as if the demonstrators are against the resistance” — a reference to Hamas and other terror groups in Gaza.
This is Hamas’s first on-the-record response to the anti-Hamas and anti-war demonstrations in Gaza in the last few days.
Leaders of opposition vow to repeal new judicial selection law in next government
In a joint statement, leaders of the opposition vow to repeal the new law changing the makeup and powers of the Judicial Selection Committee in the next government.
“The government of Israel has just approved a law with one goal — to ensure that judges become subject to the will of politicians,” they say.
“This is happening while 59 hostages are still held in Gaza. Instead of focusing all efforts on bringing them home and healing the divisions in the nation, this government is once again engaging in the very legislation that divided the public before October 7,” they add. “The government has learned nothing from the disaster. It continues to undermine national resilience, deepen division, and ignore its real tasks: security, the economy and unity.”
They promise that “In the next government, we will ensure that the law changing the Judicial Selection Committee is repealed, restoring the selection of judges to a fair and professional committee.”
Knesset passes contentious law to increase political control over judicial appointments
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and ministers seen at the assembly hall of the Knesset during a vote on a bill to remake Israel's Judicial selection committee, March 27, 2025 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
The Knesset has passed the highly controversial bill to change the makeup of the judicial selection committee, which will greatly increase political power over the judicial appointments process in Israel.
The legislation removes the two representatives of the Israel Bar Association currently on the nine-member Judicial Selection Committee, which makes all judicial appointments, and replaces them with one lawyer to be directly chosen by the coalition and another chosen by the opposition.
It also gives political representatives from the coalition, opposition and judiciary on the nine-member Judicial Selection Committee veto power over lower court appointments, as opposed to the current system where no side has a veto. And it removes any influence of the three judges on the committee over appointments to the Supreme Court while granting the coalition and opposition vetoes.
Critics say the bill, which will only take effect in the next Knesset, will politicize judicial appointments.
The debate on the bill ahead of the final votes in back-to-back second and third readings lasted through the night, due to the unprecedented 71,023 objections the opposition filed against the legislation.
The opposition boycotted the final votes on the bill, with MKs leaving the plenum as the coalition voted.
Opposition boycotts final vote on changing makeup of judicial appointments committee
Opposition parties have left the plenum in protest as the coalition carries out the final vote on the bill to change the makeup of the judicial appointments committee.
Voting on judicial appointments bill begins
After opposition members decide to end their objections to the judicial appointments bill earlier than scheduled, forcing coalition lawmakers to speak at length while waiting for other MKs to arrive, the final readings the legislation must clear to become law have begun.
Israeli strikes reported in Syrian coastal city of Latakia
The Syrian National News Agency reports Israeli airstrikes in the northwestern Syrian coastal city of Latakia.
There is no immediate word on any casualties.
Knesset holds overnight session on judicial appointments bill ahead of final votes
Ahead of the final votes, Knesset members continue to deliberate the coalition’s highly contentious bill to greatly increase political control over the judicial appointments process in Israel, with opposition lawmakers addressing the plenum to voice their objections to the legislation.
Simcha Felder wins lopsided race against Heshy Tischler for NY City Council seat
New York State Senator Simcha Felder handily won the election to fill a vacant City Council seat representing Borough Park, Brooklyn, beating the theatrical radio host Heshy Tischler.
Felder is a veteran politician who has represented the heavily Orthodox area for about 20 of the past 23 years, serving in the New York State Senate as well as a previous stint in the City Council. He took upwards of 80% of the vote Tuesday, according to City and State. He is a conservative Democrat who caucused for a time with the Republicans, and is filling the seat held by Kalman Yeger, who was elected to the State Assembly last year.
Tischler, his opponent, is perhaps best known for leading raucous protests against COVID-era restrictions in 2020, which led to a conviction for incitement.
Hamas says spokesman Abdul Latif al-Qanou killed in Jabalia by Israeli strike
Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif al-Qanou (used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Hamas announces that the terror group’s spokesman Abdul Latif al-Qanou has been killed in an Israeli strike in northern Gaza’s Jabalia.
عاجل| استشهاد الناطق باسم حركة حـــماس عبداللطيف القانوع جراء قصف الاحتلال خيمته في جباليا البلد شمال غزة pic.twitter.com/TyY64MGdbj
— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) March 26, 2025
Israeli drone strike reportedly hits car in southern Lebanon
An Israeli drone carried out an airstrike on a car in the southern Lebanese town of Maaroub, near Tyre.
Images from the scene show the destroyed vehicle in flames.
חלוקה לילית: דיווחים בדרום לבנון על תקיפה ישראלית לעבר רכב בכפר מערוב במרחב צור בדרום לבנון. לפני כן תקיפות אמריקניות באזור צנעא, בירת תימן pic.twitter.com/n00ShnpXJO
— roi kais • روعي كايس • רועי קייס (@kaisos1987) March 26, 2025
Trump: ‘The Houthis want peace because they’re getting the hell knocked out of them’
US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, March 26, 2025. (Mandel Ngan/AFP)
US President Donald Trump claims Yemen’s Houthi rebels now “want peace” after more than a week of US airstrikes, which he says have “been very, very strong.”
“The Houthis are looking to do something. They want to know, ‘How do we stop? How do we stop? How can we have peace?’ The Houthis want peace because they’re getting the hell knocked out of them,” he says.
“The Houthis are dying for peace. They don’t want this… They were knocking ships out of the ocean…. In the Suez Canal, they only have about 20% of the ships going through. They have to go through a different way, which takes weeks of travel, and that really affects commerce.”
“But the Houthis have been hit hard, and they want to negotiate peace,” Trump continues. “The Houthis have been horrible to the world. They’ve killed a lot of people and knocked out a lot of ships and planes and anything else… They have been hit harder than they have ever been.”
He suggests the US strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen may continue for some time.
“They want us to stop so badly… They’ve got to say, ‘No mas.’ But I can only say that the attacks every day, every night… have been very successful beyond our wildest expectations… We’re going to do it for a long time. We can keep it going for a long time,” Trump says.
Trump also backs his embattled National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after a scandal erupted over top security officials’ use of a civilian messaging app to discuss an imminent air attack on the Houthis.
“It was Mike, I guess, I always thought it was Mike,” Trump tells reporters in the Oval Office. He says Hegseth “is doing a great job, he had nothing to do with this,” while branding criticism a “witch hunt.”
Argentine bookseller to stand trial for printing, selling publications on Nazi ideology
An Argentine publisher and bookseller will go on trial for printing and selling publications on Nazi ideology through a local e-commerce platform and across social media networks, including Facebook and Instagram, reports La Nacion newspaper.
A federal prosecutor in the affluent Buenos Aires suburb of San Isidro, opened an investigation against the publisher, Adrian Giorgetti, 47, after the Delegation of Argentine Israeli Associations (DAIA) presented its findings to the Argentine anti-terror police unit.
The Jewish organization says the seller posted on the site, known as Mercado Libre, that “we make room for marginalized books from the most popular bookstores regardless of their tendency. Especially on all types of national and forgotten ancient history.”
It was reported that in recent months, Giorgetti sold nearly 700 copies of various publications.
read more: