Live updates (closed)
The Times of Israel liveblogged Thursday’s events as they happened.
Group of Druze protesters in Caesarea head toward Netanyahu’s home
Druze demonstrators head toward Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home in the coastal town of Caesarea as they call for Israel to help the Druze community in Syria.
The group numbers in the dozens, according to Hebrew media outlets.
המפגינים הדרוזים בקיסריה, בדרך לבית ראש הממשלה pic.twitter.com/Buu3iNpSMR
— יואב איתיאל מדווח כי (@yoavetiel) May 1, 2025
Druze protesters take to the streets, demand Israel step in to aid community in Syria
Druze protesters block roads in northern Israel during a protest calling for the government to assist the Druze community in Syria amid sectarian violence that has claimed dozens of lives in recent days.
The protesters shut down several key traffic routes in the north of the country, including a portion of Highway 6 between the Tel Kashish Junction and Ein Tut Junction. Highway 85 was also closed to traffic at the Rama Intersection, as was Highway 65 at the Tzalmon Interchange.
According to Ynet, a large number of those protesting are Druze IDF reservists who believe that Israel is failing their community inside Syria.
“We’re receiving increasing reports from our brothers that Sheikhs are going out to defend their villages themselves and are being slaughtered, while Israel stands by and doesn’t do anything to stop these atrocities as they promised they would,” one reservist tells the news outlet.
“There is a historic covenant between the Jews and the Druze, and just as we stood up to fight for the state and die if necessary, at every opportunity and in particular in the face of the horrors of October 7, we must stand up and stop the current atrocities in Syria that are directed at our brothers,” he adds.
♦️ כביש 6 חסום משני הכיוונים בצומת אליקים על ידי מספר מפגינים דרוזים שמבעירים צמיגים במחאה על רצח דרוזים בסוריה.
המשטרה בינתיים לא מתערבת. pic.twitter.com/adCuVbnamz— Asslan Khalil (@KhalilAsslan) May 1, 2025
France says no Europe-Iran meeting on Friday, after US nuclear talks postponed
There is no meeting scheduled between the Europeans and Iranians on Friday, as Tehran had suggested earlier in the week, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot says.
“A technical meeting was planned prior to, I believe, the third high-level meeting between the United States and Iran,” Barrot tells AFP in an interview, adding: “Since that meeting is not taking place, the technical meeting is no longer relevant, at least at that time.”
Trump threatens countries purchasing Iranian oil, petrochemicals with sanctions
“ALERT: All purchases of Iranian oil, or petrochemical products, must stop, NOW!” US President Donald Trump writes on Truth Social.
“Any country or person who buys ANY AMOUNT of OIL or PETROCHEMICALS from Iran will be subject to, immediately, secondary sanctions,” he continues. “They will not be allowed to do business with the United States of America in any way, shape, or form.”
Trump says he’ll nominate National Security Adviser Waltz as UN envoy; Rubio to replace him for now
US President Donald Trump announces that he will be nominating National Security Adviser Mike Waltz to become the next US Ambassador to the UN following reports that Waltz was being removed from his current post.
Trump says in a Truth Social post that Waltz will be replaced in the interim by Marco Rubio, who will also remain in his position as secretary of state.
Trump had tapped Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik to serve as UN envoy before pulling the nomination in March in order to shore up the thin GOP majority in the House of Representatives.
Trump said 30 people had expressed interest in the UN post, including his former ambassador to Israel, David Friedman.
Given that Waltz began today, apparently on his way out of the administration entirely, the ability to secure a cabinet post would indicate something of a win.
The White House National Security Adviser has been under fire since the March “Signalgate” scandal, after which he faced additional criticism from some Trump loyalists who resent his more hawkish foreign policy views.
IDF soldier accidentally abandoned in Gaza in ‘grave incident,’ military says
An IDF soldier was mistakenly abandoned in the Gaza Strip earlier this week, in what the military describes as a “grave incident.”
On Tuesday, troops of the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit wrapped up an operation in the Morag Corridor area between Rafah and Khan Younis and exited the Strip.
“During their return to Israel, an IDF soldier remained alone in the Gaza Strip for approximately 40 minutes,” the military says.
The soldier walked until he found troops of the Golani Brigade, while calling “IDF, IDF” so that he wouldn’t be fired upon.
“This is a grave incident that is under investigation, from which lessons will be drawn,” the military adds.
King Charles laments ‘immense pain and suffering’ of Gaza hostages, hopes for their return, in Independence Day letter to Herzog
Britain's King Charles III, left, speaks with President Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal during a reception at Buckingham Palace, in London, May 5, 2023 for overseas guests attending his coronation. (Jacob King/Pool Photo via AP)
Britain’s King Charles III writes to President Isaac Herzog to congratulate him on the occasion of Israel’s 77th Independence Day, and says he is praying for the return of the remaining Gaza hostages.
“My wife and I wanted to send Your Excellency and the people of The State of Israel our congratulations on the auspicious occasion of your seventy-seventh Independence Day,” the letter begins.
“We are all too aware of the immense pain and suffering still being endured by those who remain hostage in Gaza,” Charles writes. “Our special thoughts and prayers remain with them and their families, as well as with all those whose lives have been so dreadfully devastated by this conflict.”
He adds that it is his “profound hope that they are able to return home to their loved ones and that there is peace in the region.”
King Charles III’s April 30, 2025, Independence Day letter to President Isaac Herzog.
Ex-hostage Mia Schem says she is complainant in rape case against well-known personal trainer
Former hostage Mia Schem attends a press conference ahead of a concert in memory of the victims murdered at the Nova festival by Hamas terrorists on October 7, in Tel Aviv, March 11, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
Mia Schem, who was taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and released after 54 days in captivity, says that she filed a police complaint back in March against a well-known personal trainer.
The case had been reported on previously, but most details, including the identities of the parties, were placed under a gag order.
Schem tells Channel 12 that she decided to go public with the rape complaint against the personal trainer after realizing that she is “not the one who has to hide” from it.
In the police complaint filed in late March, Schem alleged that the personal trainer had drugged and raped her in her own home.
A friend found her there, hours later, without any clear memory of what had occurred.
While the personal trainer has maintained his innocence, Channel 12 says that inconsistencies have been found in his version of events.
Last month, Ynet reported that he was caught lying during a polygraph test on several occasions, including in response to a question about sexual assault.
Fire service said to suspect negligence, not arson, caused Jerusalem hills wildfire
A preliminary assessment from the Fire and Rescue Service indicates that the massive wildfires that raged in the Jerusalem hills for close to 30 hours were caused by negligent hikers, not arson, Hebrew media reports.
According to the reports, the assessment found that a higher-than-average number of hikers had passed through the Mesilat Zion area, where the fire began, in the hours leading up to it.
Channel 13 says, however, that the fire service believes additional fires that broke out later in the day may have been arson attacks.
In response to the reports, the Fire and Rescue Service says it has not yet determined what caused the fires, as the investigation is still in the beginning stages.
Trump: I understand that fewer than 24 hostages are now alive
US President Donald Trump speaks during a National Day of Prayer event in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, May 1, 2025. (Mandel Ngan/AFP)
US President Donald Trump says he has recently learned that fewer than 24 hostages are alive in Gaza.
“Out of 59, you had 24 that were living, and now I understand that it’s not even that number,” Trump says during a national day of prayer event at the White House.
For months, Israel has said it believes 24 of the 59 hostages are alive, though earlier this week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife Sara, interrupted him during a public event to say that the number was lower than the official figure. The prime minister had said there were “up to 24” living hostages.
The incident angered hostage families who demanded that Netanyahu’s office share whatever updated intelligence it had on the fate of the captives.
Yael Alexander, left, and Adi Alexander, parents of Edan Alexander, an American-Israeli being held hostage by Hamas, listen as President Donald Trump speaks during a National Day of Prayer event in the Rose Garden of the White House, May 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Trump makes the comments while giving a shoutout to the parents of Edan Alexander, the last American-Israeli hostage believed to be alive, who are in the audience on the White House lawn.
“We don’t know how he’s doing, really…. We think we know, and hopefully [it’s] positive,” Trump says. “Two months ago, we were pretty sure. It looked like he was getting out. But they’ve toughened up a little bit. And it’s a terrible thing, I know, what you’re going through.”
טראמפ: לא יודעים מה מצבו של עידן אלכסנדר, חשבנו שישוחרר אך חמאס הקשיח עמדות@itamargalit pic.twitter.com/ue4bOZ4CLh
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) May 1, 2025
“We’re working very. very hard to save your son,” he continues. “We have news coming out — both good and bad.”
“Things are heating up there,” Trump adds.
The president goes on to reiterate comments he regularly makes about his interactions with released hostages; what they shared with him about the horrific conditions in which they were held; and how the parents of slain hostages are just as desperate to retrieve the bodies of their loved ones as the parents of captives who are still alive.
Two more Syrian Druze wounded in sectarian violence evacuated to Israel for treatment
Two Syrian Druze, who were apparently wounded during sectarian violence in the country, were evacuated by the Israeli military to a hospital earlier today, the IDF says.
The two were taken to Ziv Hospital in Safed, where three other wounded Syrian Druze were taken yesterday.
The military says troops are “deployed to southern Syria and prepared to prevent hostile forces from entering the area and Druze villages.”
“The IDF continues to monitor the developments, while maintaining readiness for defense and different scenarios,” the military adds.
Katz again warns Syrian government to prevent sectarian violence against Druze population
Defense Minister Israel Katz issues another warning to Syria’s new government against harming the Druze population amid sectarian violence in Syria.
“I again warn the head of the Syrian regime, Jolani: If the harm to the Druze in Syria does not stop, we will respond very harshly,” he says in a statement, referring to the country’s leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa.
WHO deputy director: We are ‘breaking the bodies and minds’ of Gaza’s children
The minds and bodies of children in Gaza are being broken, the executive director of the World Health Organization’s health emergencies program says, following two months of a total ban on aid deliveries to Gaza and weeks of renewed strikes.
“We are breaking the bodies and minds of the children of Gaza. We are starving the children of Gaza. We are complicit,” Deputy Director General Michael Ryan tells reporters at the WHO’s headquarters.
“As a physician, I am angry. It is an abomination,” he says.
“The current level of malnutrition is causing a collapse in immunity,” Ryan says, warning that cases of pneumonia and meningitis in women and children could increase.
Israel halted all aid deliveries to Gaza on March 2 following the conclusion of the first phase of a since-collapsed ceasefire and hostage release deal. It has repeatedly said that it won’t lift the blockade until Hamas releases the remaining 59 captives.
Last week, the World Food Programme said it had run out of food stocks in the Strip, although Israel has denied that there is a hunger crisis in the enclave.
The United Nations warned this week that acute malnutrition among Gaza’s children was worsening.
IDF says it foiled attempt to smuggle guns across border from Egypt by drone
The IDF says it foiled yet another attempt to smuggle 10 assault rifles into Israel from Egypt earlier today, using a drone.
The drone had been identified crossing the border from Egypt into Israel before it was downed by troops.
The drone and guns were handed over to police for further investigation.
In recent months, there have been frequent attempts to bring weapons and drugs over the Egypt border using drones. There have also been attempts to smuggle similar contraband from Israel into Gaza using drones.
כוחות צה״ל סיכלו ניסיון הברחת אמצעי לחימה ממצרים לישראל
מוקדם יותר היום, תצפיות צה״ל זיהו רחפן שניסה להבריח אמצעי לחימה משטח מצרים לשטח ישראל במרחב חטיבת פארן.
הרחפן הופל על ידי כוחות צה"ל.
לוחמי צה״ל שהגיעו לנקודה איתרו את הרחפן, שנשא עשרה כלי נשק מסוג ‘M16’.אמצעי הלחימה… pic.twitter.com/1afMTMLuO6
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) May 1, 2025
Jerusalem hills wildfire brought under control after more than 24 hours
Firefighters work to extinguish a massive wildfire in Latrun, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, on May 1, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Firefighters have gained control over the fire in the Jerusalem hills after more than 24 hours, the Fire and Rescue Service says.
It says that firefighters will continue working over the coming hours, albeit at a lower intensity than they had been, to prevent new fires from cropping up.
With the blaze under control, the fire service says it has opened an investigation into the cause of the fire.
Earlier today, the Jewish National Fund, or Keren Kayemet L’Yisrael, said around 20,000 dunams (5,000 acres) of land had been destroyed.
That area includes around 13,000 dunams (3,000 acres) of forest.
White House national security adviser Mike Waltz to leave post, source says
US President Donald Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz and his deputy, Alex Wong, will be leaving their posts, sources briefed on the matter say, in the first big shakeup of Trump’s inner circle since he took office in January.
A 51-year-old former Republican lawmaker from Florida, Waltz, took criticism inside the White House when he was caught up in a March scandal involving a Signal chat among top Trump national security aides.
It is not immediately clear who would take over from Waltz, but one option included US special envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, who has also been involved in both Russia-Ukraine diplomacy, a second source says.
Iranian official says future of nuclear talks depends on US approach
After the fourth round of talks between the United States and Iran, which was due to take place in Rome on Saturday, were postponed, a senior Iranian official tells Reuters that a new date will be set “depending on the US approach.”
“US sanctions on Iran during the nuclear talks are not helping the sides to resolve the nuclear dispute through diplomacy,” the official tells Reuters. “Depending on the US approach, the date of the next round of talks will be announced.”
Earlier, Iran accused the US of “contradictory behaviour and provocative statements” after Washington warned Tehran of consequences for backing Yemen’s Houthis and imposed new oil-related sanctions on it amid nuclear talks.
Oman, which mediated earlier sessions of US-Iran talks, said earlier that the next round of the nuclear discussions provisionally planned for May 3 would be rescheduled for logistical reasons.
Separately, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson says Tehran will continue to engage “seriously and resolutely” in result-oriented negotiations with the US, state media reported.
Source says US hadn’t confirmed participation in fourth round of talks with Iran
The United States never confirmed its participation in a fourth round of Iran talks on Saturday in Rome, a source familiar with the matter says, after the negotiations were postponed.
The source tells Reuters that the timing and venue of the next round of talks have yet to be confirmed but are expected in the near future. Oman said earlier in the day that the next round of US-Iran nuclear talks, which had been provisionally planned for Saturday, would be rescheduled for logistical reasons.
Fourth round of US-Iran talks on Saturday postponed for logistical reasons
A fourth round of talks between the United States and Iran, which was due to take place in Rome on Saturday is being rescheduled due to logistical reasons, Oman says.
Washington and Tehran have been conducting negotiations over the past month on a deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program in return for the lifting of financial sanctions.
The new dates will be announced when mutually agreed, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi says in a post on X.
The postponement was first reported earlier today by an Axios correspondent, who said that as a result, a meeting planned for Friday with Iran and Britain, France and Germany, collectively known as the E3, may also be pushed back.
At Independence Day event, Herzog wishes for peace with enemy states
President Isaac Herzog speaks during an event for outstanding soldiers as part of Israel's 77th Independence Day celebrations, at the President's Residence in Jerusalem on May 1, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Speaking at his annual Independence Day celebration for foreign diplomats, President Isaac Herzog expresses hope for peace with enemy states, including Syria and Lebanon.
“I pray for the moment when we will be able to come to agreements with more nations in this region,” he says, “including Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Syria, and the Palestinians.”
The Abraham Accords’ “anchors of security and wellbeing have held amidst terrible turmoil,” Herzog notes.
Herzog calls on the diplomats present at his Jerusalem residence to help end the captivity of the hostages in Gaza.
“I call upon all of your nations, all of your governments, and upon all people of morality, to see in this moment the moment to act swiftly and decisively to end this horrendous crime,” he says. “And bring all of them home. Every last one. Urgently.”
IDF says two Hezbollah operatives killed in southern Lebanon drone strikes
The IDF says it killed two Hezbollah operatives in drone strikes in southern Lebanon today.
The first strike in Mays al-Jabal targeted a member of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force, according to the military.
The second strike, also in Mays al-Jabal, targeted a member of the terror group who was carrying out surveillance operations along the border, the IDF says.
The military publishes footage of the strikes.
מוקדם יותר היום, צה"ל תקף וחיסל באמצעות כלי טיס, מחבל ב'כוח רדואן' של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב מיס אל ג'בל שבדרום לבנון.
כמו כן, צה"ל תקף וחיסל מוקדם יותר היום באמצעות כלי טיס, מחבל נוסף של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב מיס אל ג'בל שבדרום לבנון, אשר פעל במרחב הגבול ואסף מודיעין… pic.twitter.com/8H4bvdWSLa
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) May 1, 2025
Interior minister urges PM to intervene in ongoing sectarian violence against Syrian Druze
File: Interior Minister Moshe Arbel attends a Knesset committee in Jerusalem on April 1, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Interior Minister Moshe Arbel appeals to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for “urgent intervention” in Syria amid ongoing sectarian violence against the Druze population.
More than a dozen people were killed in the predominantly Druze town of Jaramana near the Syrian capital on Tuesday, in clashes said to have been sparked by a purported recording of a Druze man cursing the Prophet Muhammad that angered Sunni gunmen. On Wednesday, the sectarian violence spread to the nearby town of Sahnaya.
In a letter to the premier, Arbel says that he believes footage emerging from Syria indicates “an immediate and tangible danger to the lives of the Druze community in Syria.”
“I want to ask for your immediate intervention and instruction for all relevant parties to carry out necessary and immediate action to stop the massacre, through both diplomatic and military means,” writes the Shas lawmaker.
“IDF officers and brave fighters from the Druze community were among the first to stand up and defend the State of Israel on October 7, and in all of Israel’s wars,” Arbell recalls. “Right now, their families are in immediate and tangible danger.”
“The State of Israel must not stand idly by in the face of the brutal massacre currently taking place,” he adds.
Israel has warned the Syrian government that it will not tolerate violence against the Druze community. On Wednesday, it carried out a drone strike on an armed group in Sahnaya, which it said was planning to attack the town’s Druze population.
Israel has also taken in three Syrian Druze for treatment after they were apparently wounded during the violence. They are being treated at Ziv Hospital in Safed.
Hostages Families Forum says PM’s stance is against that of most Israelis
Families of Israelis held hostage in Gaza hold a press conference at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv on April 29, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
After Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “victory” was a more important goal than returning the hostages, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum reacts in fury.
“Prime minister, returning the hostages is not ‘less important,’ it is the supreme goal that should guide the Israeli government,” the group says in a statement.
The organization says it is alarmed that Netanyahu appears to be aligning himself with far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, “in opposition to the overwhelming majority of the Israeli public who want the return of the hostages above all else.”
Despite PM’s claim, police sources say only 3 arrested for arson, not linked to Jerusalem blaze
View of a massive wildfire near Latrun, April 30, 2025. (Yossi Zamir/Flash90)
While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed earlier today that 18 people had been arrested on suspicion of arson, police sources tell Hebrew media outlets that only 3 people have been arrested.
Furthermore, the sources suggest that those 3 are not suspected of involvement in the massive wildfires outside Jerusalem, but of trying to set other unrelated fires elsewhere.
Fire and Rescue Services have said they do not yet know the source of the massive blaze.
Netanyahu says the ‘supreme goal’ of the war is victory, not the return of the hostages
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a state memorial ceremony for fallen Israeli soldiers, at Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem, April 30, 2025. (Marc Israel Sellem/POOL)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says there is a “superior objective” to bringing the hostages home in the war against Hamas.
“We have many goals, many goals in this war. We want to bring all our hostages home, we’ve brought back so far 147 alive, and 196 total,” says Netanyahu in his comments at the annual Bible Contest in Jerusalem to mark Independence Day.
“There are another up to 24 alive, 59 total, and we want to return the living and the dead. It’s a very important goal. War has a supreme goal. The supreme goal is victory over our enemies, and this we will achieve.”
Navy commando reservists form ’59’ along beach to urge return of hostages
Divers make an installation calling for the release of Israeli hostages held captive in the Gaza Strip, May 1, 2025 on the beach in Caesarea. (JACK GUEZ / AFP)
A group of active and retired Navy commando reservists take part in a symbolic dive urging the return of the 59 hostages still being held in Gaza.
After the dive, they form the number 59 on the beach in Caesarea.
The group says they are among hundreds of former and current Shayetet 13 reservists who wrote a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urging him to return all of the hostages, even at the cost of ending the war against Hamas.
Netanyahu says 18 people have been arrested on suspicion of arson tied to wildfires
Firefighters try to extinguish a massive wildfire at Canada Park national park on April 30, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reveals that 18 people have been arrested so far on suspicion of helping to ignite wildfires outside Jerusalem, which continue to blaze in some areas.
Speaking at the annual Bible Contest in Jerusalem, Netanyahu avers that one of the suspects was caught in the act of arson.
The Fire and Rescue Services has so far said that the cause of the massive fires is not yet clear.
Netanyahu says the blaze “is not a simple thing, there is harm to nature and also harm to people, and we’re holding 18 people at the moment who are suspected of arson, one of whom was caught in the act.”
The prime minister says he is “sure that we will succeeded in dealing with this challenge as well. We’re doing everything we can to thwart the fire and rehabilitate what was destroyed.”
Lebanon says one killed in Israeli strike on vehicle in south
Lebanese soldiers inspect the site near a burnt-out vehicle hit by an Israeli drone strike in Ghazieh, near Sidon, April 18, 2025. (Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP)
Lebanon’s health ministry says one person has been killed in an Israeli drone strike on a vehicle in the country’s south today.
The ministry says in a statement that an “Israeli enemy” drone strike on a vehicle in the southern town of Mais al-Jabal killed “a Lebanese and wounded two Syrians.”
There was no immediate comment from the IDF.
Firefighting planes from abroad set to arrive in Israel in coming hours, says IDF
A firefighter airplane drops flame retardant while trying to extinguish a forest fire near Beit Shemesh, May 1, 2025. (Ahmad GHARABLI / AFP)
The IDF says firefighting aircraft from several countries that have committed to providing assistance to Israel will be landing at the Hatzor Airbase in the coming hours.
The foreign aircraft will assist the Israel Fire and Rescue Service in battling the major blaze near Jerusalem.
Ukraine, Spain, France, Romania, Croatia, and Italy have committed to sending planes.
Trump in Independence Day letter: US-Israel ties steadfast ‘through conflict and peace’
(R-L) US First Lady Melania Trump, US President Donald Trump, opposition leader Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal Herzog at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem in 2017. (Haim Zach/GPO)
US President Donald Trump sent a letter wishing Israel a happy Independence Day, according to the office of President Isaac Herzog.
The letter from Trump notes that the US support of Israel since its establishment 77 years ago “has remained resolute. The strength and importance of the United States-Israel relationship is evident in our historic partnership and in the enduring ties of our peoples,” Trump wrote.
“Through conflict and peace, the United States remains your steadfast partner, promoting Israel’s security against its many threats. I am proud of all we have accomplished together, and I look forward to deepening our friendship,” the president added, according to Herzog.
Herzog also received similar letters from the heads of state in China, Italy, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Portugal and others, his office says.
UAE to lift ban on its citizens traveling to Lebanon
Passengers check their flight times at the Beirut International Airport in Beirut on August 25, 2024. (ANWAR AMRO / AFP)
The United Arab Emirates will lift a ban on its citizens traveling to Lebanon that was imposed during a diplomatic row in 2021, according to a joint statement.
The decision is announced a day after Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met with his UAE counterpart Mohamed bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi.
“The two sides agreed to allow citizens to travel after taking necessary measures to facilitate movement between the two countries and putting in place appropriate mechanisms,” the statement says.
In 2021, the UAE imposed a travel ban on its citizens and withdrew diplomats from Beirut in solidarity with Saudi Arabia after a Lebanese minister criticized the Riyadh-led military intervention in Yemen.
Lebanese citizens were not banned from traveling to the UAE, although some experienced difficulties obtaining visas.
British police probing Irish band Kneecap over videos praising Hamas, Hezbollah
A member of Irish band Kneecap wears a Hezbollah flag at a concert in London on November 21, 2024. (Screen grab/YouTube)
London police say a counter-terrorism probe has been opened into online videos of Irish-language rappers Kneecap in response to claims the band supported Hamas and Hezbollah and incited violence against politicians.
The capital’s Metropolitan Police says two videos had been “referred to the Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit for assessment by specialist officers, who have determined there are grounds for further investigation into potential offenses linked to both videos.”
The band denies the allegations.
The accusations first surfaced after the band projected “Fuck Israel, Free Palestine” on stage while performing at Coachella last month.
IDF continues to assist rescue services in battling Jerusalem-area fires
Fire and Rescue Services chief Eyal Caspi (left) and Home Front Command chief Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo assess the fires outside Jerusalem via helicopter, May 1, 2025. (IDF)
The IDF says it continues to provide rescue services with assistance as major fires continue to burn in the Jerusalem area.
Four Israeli Air Force C-130J Super Hercules heavy transport planes operated throughout the night, dropping over 95 loads of fire retardant material, the military says. The IAF also sent ground firefighting teams.
More than 50 fire engines were also provided by the Home Front Command and Technological and Logistics Directorate. The Home Front Command also drafted reservist firefighters to assist with the efforts.
The Technological and Logistics Directorate also provided more than 300,000 liters of water, along with equipment and food for the firefighting teams. The directorate also set up three rest stops for the troops and other rescue forces.
Additionally, the military says that overnight it used dozens of heavy construction vehicles to prevent the fires from spreading.
The Military Intelligence Directorate is also assisting, with its Unit 9900, which specializes in VISINT, or visual intelligence, carrying out several aircraft and satellite sorties over the fires to map out the main blaze sites.
The Israeli Air Intelligence Group — the IAF’s intel unit — set up a taskforce to analyze the blazes, and the Intelligence Directorate’s Operational Operations Division “is synchronizing a variety of resources to help analyze the area of the fires and direct fire and rescue forces,” the IDF adds.
All evacuated residents allowed home following fires, though officials warn of possible resurgence
An Israeli fire helicopter flies over the Roman Catholic Trappist monastery where fire crew is battling a wild fire in Latrun, Israel, outside of Jerusalem Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Israeli authorities have decided to allow all residents of towns evacuated due to wildfires to return home, a spokeswoman for the Fire and Rescue Service says.
She adds that a number of countries are expected to send planes to help Israel combat the blazes, which broke out yesterday morning in the forested hills surrounding Jerusalem.
Evacuated residents can now return to the towns of Sha’ar Hagai, Mesilat Zion, Beit Meir, Shoresh, Neve Ilan, Yad Hashmona and Nataf, northwest of Jerusalem.
Residents of Mevo Horon, a West Bank settlement near Modiin, were permitted to return home earlier this morning following a police assessment. Yesterday, residents of Eshtaol and Mishmar Ayalon — both of which were evacuated — were also allowed to return to the towns.
Though this morning has seen a drop in temperatures and a chance of a slight drizzle, officials warned that fires could surge again in the afternoon with winds expected to pick up and temperatures to increase.
5,000 acres of land destroyed in wildfires, says KKL
Damage seen from wildfires outside Jerusalem, May 1, 2025. (KKL-JNF)
Around 20,000 dunams (5,000 acres) of land has been destroyed in the ongoing fires around Jerusalem, says Keren Kayemet L’Yisrael.
That area includes around 13,000 dunams (3,000 acres) of forest.
Among the areas devastated by the blaze, the large Canada Park near Beit Shemesh has been hardest hit, the organization adds.
Train service to Jerusalem fully resumes
A new train line between Jerusalem and Modiin opened on Thursday, March 31, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Train service to and from Jerusalem has been restored after it was halted yesterday due to fires raging in the area.
Israel Railways says in a statement that train workers together with firefighters and police have ensured the safety of the tracks and infrastructure, and that service is restarting with their approval.
Firefighters battling flames in six main areas as blaze continues near Jerusalem
Israeli fire crews battle a wildfire in Latrun, outside of Jerusalem, May 1, 2025. (AP/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Firefighting teams are continuing to operate in six main areas to battle flames outside Jerusalem, the Fire and Rescue Services says in an update, including Canada Park and Eshtaol near Beit Shemesh.
Fire chief Eyal Caspi says in a statement that the firefighters have been “working in difficult conditions, with heroism, dedication and self-sacrifice.”
Caspi adds that the “teams have been working for long hours, almost without any breaks, from yesterday morning until now, and will continue to work with great intensity.” He says the firefighters have “proven again and again that the people of Israel have someone to rely on.”
Keren Kayement L’Yisrael stresses that people should not come to any national forests in the center of Israel, and that doing so is putting their lives and the lives of others in danger. The Nature and Parks Authority says that a number of national parks surrounding Jerusalem are shut and people should stay away.
IDF chief: ‘We have far more that unites us than divides us’
President Isaac Herzog (right) and IDF chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir at an Independence Day ceremony in Jerusalem, May 1, 2025. (Elad Malka)
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir emphasizes national unity during his speech at the annual president’s ceremony for outstanding soldiers, stating that the military serves as a reminder of what unites Israelis rather than what divides them.
“The IDF is a living reminder that we have far more that unites us than divides us,” Zamir said. “Within this uniform, there is no left or right, no center or periphery — there is one people, with one goal: mutual responsibility and peace.”
The ceremony, held every year on Independence Day at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, honors outstanding soldiers for exceptional service and dedication.
Herzog says fires are part of ‘climate crisis’ that must be addressed
President Isaac Herzog speaks during an event for outstanding soldiers as part of Israel's 77th Independence Day celebrations, at the President's Residence in Jerusalem on May 1, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
President Isaac Herzog says that the ongoing fires outside Jerusalem are part of a larger climate issue that Israel must deal with.
“This fire is part of the climate crisis, which must not be ignored,” he says during an Independence Day ceremony at his residence. “It requires us to prepare for serious and significant challenges and to make decisions – including appropriate legislation.”
Herzog thanks the firefighters who have been “risking their lives for almost a full day now to save lives and contain the great fire.”
The president stresses that despite the celebrations, “we cannot celebrate independence with a whole heart when our brothers and sisters [who are held hostage in Gaza] are not with us. Israel as a nation longs for them, for their freedom.”
Herzog says that “even in times of deep disagreements, our courage and our unity are intertwined, dependent on one another. One thing is clear: Even when we have differences of opinion, we must keep the IDF — which belongs to all of us — above and outside all political disputes.”
Despite fires, Herzog moves ahead with Independence Day fete of IDF soldiers
President Isaac Herzog greets soldiers at his resident in Jerusalem on Independence Day, May 1, 2025. (Tzippora Bibi)
President Isaac Herzog opens the annual ceremony for outstanding IDF soldiers at his residence in Jerusalem, despite the ongoing blazes outside the capital.
“Soldiers and commanders of the IDF, on air, land and sea. In the name of the people of Israel I offer you strength and gratitude,” he says at the start of the ceremony. “Your bravery and determination is the hope and future of our country.”
Residents of Mevo Horon allowed to return home following evacuation order
View of a massive wildfire near Mevo Horon, April 30, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
The residents of Mevo Horon, between Jerusalem and Modiin, have been allowed to return to their homes, police say, 18 hours after they were evacuated due to fear of spreading flames from wildfires in the areas.
A number of other communities in the area are still evacuated.
8 firefighting planes slated to arrive today from Italy and Cyprus
A firefighting plane try to extinguish a large fire near Ein Nakuba, May 11, 2024. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90)
Firefighters are still battling blazes at 11 locations on the outskirts of Jerusalem, the Fire and Rescue Service says in an update. Seven towns remain evacuated.
10 firefighting planes are taking part in the effort along with 119 firefighting teams, the statement says.
Eight firefighting planes are slated to arrive today from Cyprus and Italy, the Fire Service adds.
Hadassah Hospital says it is not in danger from flames, returning to full activity
View of Hadassah Medical Center in Ein Kerem, Jerusalem on August 17, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Hadassah Medical Center in Ein Kerem says it has returned to full routine activity after an assessment that it is no longer in danger from the flames burning near Jerusalem.
Last night, the hospital asked non-urgent patients to leave and told the public to stay away amid concerns.
Huge swaths of land burned in fires near Jerusalem, shows video
Aerial video from the site of fires that burned outside Jerusalem yesterday and today show huge swaths of land turned black from the flames.
The fire service said earlier this morning that 155 firefighting teams are continuing to battle the major fires, with planes again taking part in the effort to extinguish the blazes after the sun came up.
תיעוד מהאוויר: כך נראה הנזק העצום מהשרפה באזור ירושלים@inbartvizer pic.twitter.com/9MI4KhlGbt
— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) May 1, 2025
Hostage solidarity flyover canceled due to ongoing fires
A private flyover planned for today to express solidarity with the hostages being held in Gaza has been canceled due to the ongoing fires around the country.
The annual Israel Air Force flyover, generally held every Independence Day, was canceled months ago due to the ongoing war against Hamas.
Fire service says over 150 firefighting teams still working to extinguish blazes
The fire service says 155 firefighting teams are continuing to battle the major fires, with planes again taking part in the effort to extinguish the blazes after the sun came up.
“At this stage we still have not gained controlled [of the fires],” says a statement from the Israel Fire and Rescue Service.
It says 17 firefighters have suffered injuries, including two taken to hospitals.
Police say all roads closed due to fires have reopened to traffic
Police announce that all roads closed as a result of the fires in the Jerusalem area have now been reopened to traffic.
Police say nationwide ban on lighting fires, grills to be in force on Independence Day
A senior officer in the police’s Jerusalem District says a nationwide ban on lighting fires and grills in public areas will be in force throughout Independence Day.
Eliyahu Levy, head of operations in the district, adds in remarks quoted by the Ynet news site that firefighting efforts are expected to continue into the evening.
Pentagon chief Hegseth warns Iran ‘will pay the consequences’ for supporting Houthis
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth listens during a cabinet meeting at the White House, April 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warns Iran that it will face consequences for supporting the Houthis, a group that controls northern Yemen and has struck shipping in the Red Sea in what it says is solidarity with the Palestinians.
“Message to IRAN: We see your LETHAL support to The Houthis. We know exactly what you are doing,” Hegseth writes on X. “You know very well what the US Military is capable of — and you were warned. You will pay the CONSEQUENCE at the time and place of our choosing.”
Firefighters rescue 3 people from blaze at Bat Yam senior home
Firefighters have rescued three people from a fire that broke out at a senior living facility in the central coastal city of Bat Yam, according to the Israel Fire and Rescue Service.
The fire service says several people were taken to hospitals with light injuries, including an 80-year-old man.
Fire service stresses ban on visiting national parks and forests on Independence Day
The fire service issues a statement stressing that visitors are banned Thursday from national parks and forests in areas where the fires are blazing, as firefighters continue to battle the fires overnight.
National parks typically draw large crowds on Independence Day as Israelis gather for barbecues and to celebrate the holiday.
Meanwhile, Route 1 remains closed though other roads in the area have been partially reopened to traffic.
Trump suggests US may not award further grants to Harvard for ‘really not behaving well’
WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump suggests his government may stop giving grants to Harvard University, which has refused to concede to his demands regarding hiring, administration and speech regulation.
“And it looks like we are not going to be giving them any more grants, right Linda?” Trump says in remarks while referring to US Education Secretary Linda McMahon and without elaborating.
“A grant is at our discretion and they are really not behaving well. So it’s too bad.”
Harvard and the US Education Department do not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s remarks.
Ukraine and US sign minerals deal that commits Trump administration to Kyiv
US President Donald Trump welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House in Washington, February 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
The United States and Ukraine signs a minerals deal after a two-month delay, in what President Donald Trump’s administration calls a new form of US commitment to Kyiv after the end of military aid.
Ukraine says it secured key interests after protracted negotiations, including full sovereignty over its own rare earths, which are vital for new technologies and largely untapped.
Trump had initially demanded rights to Ukraine’s mineral wealth as compensation for the billions of dollars in US weapons sent under former president Joe Biden after Russia invaded just over three years ago.
After initial hesitation, Ukraine accepted a minerals accord as a way to secure long-term investment by the United States, as Trump tries to drastically scale back US security commitments around the world.
Announcing the signing of the deal in Washington, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says it shows “both sides’ commitment to lasting peace and prosperity in Ukraine.”
“This agreement signals clearly to Russia that the Trump administration is committed to a peace process centered on a free, sovereign and prosperous Ukraine over the long term,” Bessent says.
“And to be clear, no state or person who financed or supplied the Russian war machine will be allowed to benefit from the reconstruction of Ukraine.”
The Treasury statement notably mentions Russia’s “full-scale invasion” of Ukraine — diverging from the Trump administration’s usual formulation of a “conflict” for which Kyiv bears a large degree of responsibility.
In Kyiv, Prime Minister Denys Shmygal says on national television that the agreement was “good, equal and beneficial.”
In a post on Telegram, Shmygal says that the two countries would establish a Reconstruction Investment Fund with each side having 50 percent voting rights.
“Ukraine retains full control over its subsoil, infrastructure and natural resources,” he says.
Meeting a key concern for Kyiv, he says Ukraine will not be asked to pay back any “debt” for the billions of dollars in US weapons and other support since Russia invaded in February 2022.
“The fund’s profits will be reinvested exclusively in Ukraine,” he says.
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