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The Times of Israel liveblogged Wednesday’s events as they unfolded.
Israeli settlers reportedly torch farmhouse near Ramallah
Israeli settlers have torched a farmhouse in the village of Abu Falah near Ramallah, according to Palestinian media reports.
There are no arrests reported.
مستوطنون يحرقون مزرعة في قرية أبو فلاح شمال شرقي رام الله#دیوان #فلسطين_المحتلة pic.twitter.com/WGSwrKw2Bs
— ديوان (@DiwanDaily) May 7, 2025
???? BREAKING: Israeli settlers set fire to a Palestinian home and farm in the village of Abu Falah, near Ramallah in the West Bank.
The Israeli army later arrived—not to stop the attackers, but to seal off the village. pic.twitter.com/e7G92Z1hAJ
— Ihab Hassan (@IhabHassane) May 7, 2025
Syrian minister says Qatar to provide $29 million a month for salary payments
Qatar is set to provide Syria with $29 million monthly for three months that can be extended to pay salaries, the Syrian finance minister says in a statement.
Witkoff wraps up briefing to UN Security Council ambassadors, meets Danon
US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff attends talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, April 25, 2025. (Kristina Kormilitsyna, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
US special envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff has wrapped up a briefing he held with UN Security Council ambassadors at the US mission in New York City, a source familiar with the matter said.
The briefing touched on the new Israeli plan to resume the distribution of aid to Gaza along with other regional issues, the source tells The Times of Israel.
After the meeting with the UN envoys, Witkoff held a brief one-one-one meeting with Israel Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon, the latter’s office said.
Trump: Options on Iran’s centrifuges are ‘blow them up nicely or blow them up viciously’
US President Donald Trump waiting to greet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the West Wing of the White House, in Washington, May 6, 2025. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)
Asked whether the US has given Iran a choice between turning over its nuclear centrifuges and uranium or “get bombed,” US President Donald Trump responds, “It’s that simple.”
“I would much prefer a strong, verified deal where we actually blow them up… or just de-nuke them,” Trump tells conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt in an interview, apparently referring to Iran’s nuclear centrifuges.
“There are only two alternatives there, blow them up nicely or blow them up viciously,” the president adds.
Report: Arrested Iranian nationals were planning attack on Israeli Embassy in London
Illustrative image of British police officers standing guard outside the Israeli embassy in London during a protest on June 1, 2010. (AP/Matt Dunham)
Eight Iranian men arrested in the United Kingdom over the weekend are suspected of plotting to attack the Israeli Embassy in London, according to an unsourced report in The Times newspaper.
“Police have refused to publicize details of the alleged plot, but it is understood the embassy was the main target,” says the report, without naming sources.
“Dan Jarvis, the security minister, refused to give details of the immigration status of the suspects citing the continuing police inquiry,” the newspaper adds.
There was no immediate comment from Israel’s Foreign Ministry or the embassy.
After two separate arrests of the men were conducted in counter-terrorism operations on Saturday, British Interior Minister Yvette Cooper called the operations “some of the biggest counter-state threats” the country had seen in recent years.
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said earlier this week that “the investigation is still in its early stages and we are exploring various lines of enquiry to establish any potential motivation as well as to identify whether there may be any further risk to the public linked to this matter.”
British media on Tuesday reported mounting speculation that the seven Iranians and one other person arrested over the weekend had been “hours away” from carrying out an attack on a synagogue or a location linked to London’s Jewish community, though there was no confirmation of the reports.
Agencies contributed to this report.
2 seriously wounded in West Bank shooting attack were IDF reservists, says military
Security forces at the scene of a shooting attack near the Reihan checkpoint in the northern West Bank, May 7, 2025. (Courtesy)
Two IDF reservists were seriously wounded in the shooting attack earlier today near the Reihan checkpoint in the northern West Bank, the military says.
One of the soldiers served in the Home Front Command’s 5703rd Reserve Search and Rescue Battalion, while the second served in the Technology and Maintenance Corps’ 703rd Battalion.
Additionally, an officer in the Jordan Valley Regional Brigade’s 5016th Reserve Battalion was moderately wounded in a car-ramming and stabbing attack earlier today near Hebron.
All three soldiers were taken to hospitals for treatment.
Israelis in Kashmir should ‘leave immediately,’ says Foreign Ministry
The wreckage of a mosque is seen after Indian strikes in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, on May 7, 2025. (Sajjad QAYYUM / AFP)
The Foreign Ministry issues a warning for Israeli travelers amid the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.
The ministry calls on Israelis to avoid visiting the contentious Kashmir territory, with the exception of the Ladakh region.
It adds that any Israelis currently in Kashmir should “leave immediately” and obey the instructions of local security forces.
India and Pakistan exchanged heavy artillery fire along their contested frontier today, after New Delhi launched deadly missile strikes on its arch-rival. At least 43 deaths were reported in the fighting, which came two weeks after New Delhi blamed Islamabad for backing an attack on the Indian-run side of disputed Kashmir, which Pakistan denied.
AFP contributed to this report.
Anti-Israel Columbia students take over campus library
Illustrative: Pro-Palestinian college students participate in a protest at Columbia University campus in New York City on November 14, 2023. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images/AFP)
Anti-Israel student activists at Columbia University occupy the university’s main library, escalating the campus conflict yet again amid heavy pressure on the university from the Trump administration.
The campus coalition of protest groups, Columbia University Apartheid Divest, sends out a video of the protest on Telegram. The clip shows masked protesters chanting “Free Palestine” to the beat of a drum, led by a demonstrator standing on a table.
In an emailed statement, the group says it has “flooded” the library.
“The flood shows that as long as Columbia funds and profits from imperialist violence, the people will continue to disrupt Columbia’s profits and legitimacy. Repression breeds resistance,” the statement says.
The group issues demands, including “full financial divestment from Zionist occupation, apartheid and genocide,” a boycott of “complicit institutions,” and amnesty for all students and staff “targeted” with disciplinary procedures.
The takeover occurs during days set aside for studying ahead of the university’s final exams next week.
The university commencement is scheduled for May 21. Last year’s commencement was canceled due to protests.
BREAKING: THE BASEL AL-ARAJ POPULAR UNIVERSITY HAS JUST LAUNCHED, RECLAIMING BUTLER LIBRARY FOR THE PEOPLE pic.twitter.com/FHKRvgJThG
— CU Apartheid Divest (CUAD) (@ColumbiaBDS) May 7, 2025
Judge orders Trump admin to detail legal grounds to deport anti-Israel Columbia activist
Mohsen Mahdawi, left, and Mahmoud Khalil participate in a pro-Palestinian protest, anti-Israel at Columbia University, October 12, 2023, in New York. (AP/Yuki Iwamura)
A federal judge instructs the Trump administration to detail the legal precedent for its plan to deport Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist whose presence in the country the government alleges could harm US foreign policy interests.
District Court Judge Michael Farbiarz in Newark, New Jersey, orders the administration to supply a catalog of every case in which US officials have employed the law being used against Khalil, a former Columbia University graduate student who was a leader in anti-Israel protests on campus.
The judge asks to know the specifics behind US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s determination of the risks posed by Khalil’s presence in the US. He gave the government until 9:30 a.m. ET tomorrow to respond.
Khalil was arrested in March at his apartment building in New York City in the presence of his wife, a US citizen. Khalil became a permanent US resident last year and has been detained without charges since his arrest.
The administration is seeking to deport Khalil under a section of immigration law that allows for the deportation of “an alien whose presence or activities in the United States the Secretary of State has reasonable ground to believe would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences.”
World Central Kitchen says it is forced to halt aid operations in Gaza
File: A local volunteer of the World Central Kitchen carries a cooking pot to be used to cook meals for to needy Palestinians in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on May 3, 2024. (AFP)
The US-based World Central Kitchen charity says it has halted work in the Gaza Strip, saying it has run out of supplies and has been prevented by Israel from bringing in aid.
“After serving more than 130 million total meals and 26 million loaves of bread over the past 18 months, World Central Kitchen no longer has the supplies to cook meals or bake bread in Gaza,” it says on Wednesday in a post on X.
Israel has faced growing international pressure to lift an aid blockade that it imposed in March after the collapse of a ceasefire deal. Israel has accused agencies, including the United Nations, of allowing large quantities of aid to fall into the hands of Hamas, which seizes supplies intended for civilians for its own forces.
World Central Kitchen was founded by celebrity chef José Andrés. An April 2024 Israeli strike on a World Central Kitchen convoy killed seven aid workers, for which the IDF apologized.
Syrian president confirms indirect talks with Israel, aimed at ‘easing tensions’
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a joint press conference at the Elysee Palace in Paris, on May 7, 2025. (Stephanie Lecocq / POOL / AFP)
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa acknowledges that Syria is holding indirect talks with Israel through mediators, aimed at “easing tensions and preventing the situation from spiraling out of control for all involved parties.”
Speaking at a press conference in Paris following a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, Sharaa adds that “the Israeli intervention [military incursion into Syrian territory] constitutes a violation of the 1974 agreement” between Israel and Syria, and emphasizes that since taking office, he has been committed to upholding this agreement.
Sharaa also says his government is reaching out to any country with ties to Israel in an effort to pressure Jerusalem to halt what he calls the IDF’s interventions and attacks in Syria.
Earlier today, Reuters reported that indirect talks are taking place between Syria and Israel, mediated by the United Arab Emirates, and are focused on technical matters.
Trump says Houthis showed ‘bravery,’ believes they will honor truce deal
US President Donald Trump says he takes the Houthis at their word that they will honor the truce struck yesterday, which is supposed to see a halt in Houthi attacks on US vessels in exchange for a halt in US strikes on the Iran-backed rebels in Yemen.
“We take their word for it… We hit them very hard. They had a great capacity to withstand punishment,” he says. “You could say there’s a lot of bravery there.”
PM says ‘progress made’ in talks on Haredi IDF draft legislation
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf, right, arriving for a cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem on September 27, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finishes a meeting on ultra-Orthodox conscription, says his office.
“There was progress in the meeting,” says the PMO. “It was decided that discussions would continue in an attempt to bridge the gaps.”
Trump: There’s ‘a lot of talk’ about Gaza, you’ll know more ‘in the next 24 hours’
US President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, May 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)
US President Donald Trump says “there’s a lot of talk going on about Gaza right now, so you’ll be knowing probably in the next 24 hours.”
Trump makes the comments to reporters in the Oval Office in response to a question he appears to have only partially heard about whether he’s planning on introducing a new hostage deal proposal before he heads to the region next week.
The State Department said yesterday that there would likely be an announcement later this week pertaining the resumption of aid into Gaza.
Asked whether the US position is to allow Iran to have a limited nuclear enrichment program, Trump responds, “We haven’t made that decision yet. We will.”
Earlier this week, Trump said that the aim of his administration’s nuclear talks with Iran is to achieve “total dismantlement” of Tehran’s nuclear program, but that he is open to letting the Islamic Republic pursue civilian nuclear energy.
Ya’alon calls to shut down the country, Histadrut chief says no national strike
Former defense minister Moshe Ya'alon speaks at a conference at Tel Aviv University on May 7, 2025. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)
Comparing members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to Nazis, former defense minister Moshe Ya’alon declares that “there will be no choice but to shut down the country in order to save it.”
“The State of Israel is currently experiencing the most severe crisis since its founding — perhaps since the dawn of Zionism. Understanding this crisis is the key to emerging from it. We are at a crossroads: either we return to being a Jewish, democratic, and liberal state, or we continue down a path that is messianic, racist, fascist, homophobic, misogynistic, corrupt and cursed,” Ya’alon tells a conference at Tel Aviv University.
“They are willing to prolong the war indefinitely — even at the cost of sacrificing the hostages. This is a chaotic situation. Abandoning the hostages is part of their worldview. They follow the teachings of Rabbi Dov Lior — an ideology of Jewish supremacy, a kind of Mein Kampf. I get goosebumps just saying that,” he says.
Lior is the former chief rabbi of the Kiryat Arba settlement and one of the most authoritative religious leaders among Israel’s ultranationalist movement.
“What gives us hope is that before October 7, the streets were full — 600,000 protesters who represented countless others. Every poll shows that the majority wants a Jewish and democratic state, the release of the hostages and elections. But after October 7, the protest weakened,” Ya’alon continues.
“In this reality, there will be no choice but to shut down the country in order to save it. For me, that means nonviolent civil disobedience — sitting around the Prime Minister’s Office, his home, the Knesset. Teachers, doctors, unions — everyone is crying out. We’ll need to paralyze the country.”
Addressing the same conference, Histadrut chief Arnon Bar-David rejects a general strike out of hand, adding that he did not support the recent teachers’ strike either.
“Some students can’t go to school, while others can. There’s a court ruling and an agreement with the union — they must go back to work. I don’t support the strike,” he says, saying there is a sense of “anarchy” amid the constant back and forth in the school system.
“It’s easy to demand that I declare a strike — but I have made a strategic decision not to sink the country in a time of war,” he says. “I could cause insane anarchy — but that’s not my way. There is a war going on, with soldiers killed and wounded – and at the same time we also have to manage the economy.”
Golani soldier seriously wounded in southern Gaza, says IDF
Troops of the 205th Reserve Armored Brigade operate in southern Gaza's Rafah, in a handout photo issued by the IDF on April 27, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
A soldier with the Golani Brigade’s reconnaissance unit was seriously wounded during fighting in the southern Gaza Strip earlier today, the military says.
Another soldier of the Golani reconnaissance unit and two troops of the Oketz canine unit were moderately wounded in the same incident.
According to an initial IDF probe, the troops were hit by an explosive device during operations in the Rafah area.
Netanyahu: 21 hostages definitely alive, there is ‘doubt’ about 3 others
Families of those held hostage in the Gaza Strip and activists protest at the Knesset in Jerusalem, May 5, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Israel knows “for certain” that 21 hostages are still alive, says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a video message posted on his X account.
“There are another three who, unfortunately, there is doubt if they are alive,” he says.
Israel is not giving up on any of them, Netanyahu pledges.
His comments come after US President Donald Trump said last night that only 21 hostages remain alive.
Netanyahu also projects confidence after Trump announced that the US and Houthis reached a bilateral ceasefire. He says Israel will be able to deal with the Houthis on its own: “Israel will defend itself by itself. We are doing this in Yemen, we are doing this in other places, at great distances. Israel has a very long arm, and we will know how to employ it.”
“If others join in, our American friends, even better,” he says. “If they don’t, we will defend ourselves by ourselves,” he repeats.
He calls Iran “a great challenge,” before returning to the mantra, “We will defend ourselves by ourselves.”
Report: IDF document lists returning hostages as least important war goal
Defense Minister Israel Katz (2nd from right) meets with IDF Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor (center), 162nd Division commander Brig. Gen. Sagiv Dahan (left) and Katz's military secretary, Brig. Gen. Guy Markizano (right), May 7, 2025. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)
Despite telling the Israeli public that returning the hostages is the IDF’s most important goal of the war, a military document stating the objectives of a planned offensive in Gaza places the Hamas-held captives in sixth and last place, Haaretz reports.
The objectives of the planned offensive were presented yesterday to commanders.
According to Haaretz, the document states the following objectives: 1. Defeating Hamas; 2. Operational control over the territory; 3. Demilitarizing the territory; 4. Striking Hamas government targets; 5. Concentrating and moving the population; 6. Returning the captives.
The list of objectives uses the word “captives” and not hostages.
IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said Monday that returning the hostages is the most important goal, and defeating Hamas is second. A senior IDF official made similar remarks to reporters last week.
The IDF does not immediately respond to the report.
Israel has ‘grave concerns’ over lives of 3 of 24 living hostages, say sources
Families of Israelis held hostage in Gaza hold a press conference in Tel Aviv on May 3, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
Israeli sources indicate that 24 hostages in Gaza are officially considered to be alive, but that Israel has “grave concerns” over the lives of three of them.
The comments come after US President Donald Trump appeared to boast last night of inside information indicating that only 21 of the hostages being held captive in Gaza are still alive, fewer than the official Israeli figure of 24.
Trump’s comments sent shockwaves through the family members of the hostages, who demanded they be provided with any updates.
The assessment is believed to stem from the fact that Israel has some information about the status of a number of hostages, but not enough to confirm that they are no longer alive.
Ahead of January’s ceasefire, Israel provided Hamas with a list of 33 hostages it considered to still be alive. Ultimately, 25 of them returned home, and Hamas also returned eight bodies, including those of the Bibas family, about whom Israel had long expressed “grave concerns.”
Zamir says IDF moving to ‘phase B’ of plan to defeat Hamas
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir speaks with officers, May 6, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir spoke yesterday with division and brigade commanders set to participate in the planned major offensive in the Gaza Strip, telling them that “we are moving to phase B of the plan to defeat [Hamas] — this is the need of the hour… this is a struggle over spirit and determination.”
Zamir says the “need for reserve mobilization is real and immediate. We are in a time trial, and the reservists will come. They will come because we are calling them, because they are needed, because there is no choice. They will come with an understanding of the gravity of the moment.”
“We must be proactive; we must initiate; we must be the ones to act first before the enemy does. We have no right to be passive, no right to stop or turn back, we do not have that privilege; it will not happen. Not under my command and not under yours, because we are all here together to complete the mission,” he says.
New Syrian president meets Macron during his first European visit
France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) greets Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa upon his arrival for their meeting at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris on May 7, 2025. (Ludovic MARIN / AFP)
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets French leader Emmanuel Macron on his first visit to Europe since overthrowing longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, despite alarm over deadly clashes that have overshadowed the new authorities’ first months in power.
“This meeting is part of France’s historic commitment to the Syrian people who aspire to peace and democracy,” the Elysee Palace says.
By welcoming Sharaa, Macron hopes to help the authorities on the way to “a free, stable, sovereign Syria that respects all components of Syrian society,” a French presidential official tells AFP.
The official says France is aware of “the past” of certain Syrian leaders and was demanding that there be “no complacency” with “terrorist movements” operating in Syria.
Sharaa headed the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which spearheaded Assad’s downfall after 14 years of civil war. The group formerly had links to Al-Qaeda.
He is still subject to a UN travel ban and France most likely had to request an exemption from the United Nations, as was the case for his recent trips to Turkey and Saudi Arabia, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The invitation for Sharaa has caused controversy in France, with far-right leader Marine Le Pen accusing Macron of hosting talks with “a jihadist” in a “provocative and irresponsible” meeting.
IDF hunting for Palestinian shooter in West Bank attack; 2 hospitalized
Security forces at the scene of a shooting attack near the Reihan checkpoint in the northern West Bank, May 7, 2025. (Courtesy)
In an update, the IDF says a Palestinian gunman opened fire on Israeli forces carrying out military activity near the Reihan checkpoint in the northern West Bank a short while ago.
According to first responders, two injured were taken to Rambam Hospital in Haifa.
The IDF says it has launched a manhunt for the assailant.
Separately, a Palestinian attempted to ram troops near the southern West Bank city of Hebron with his car, before getting out and stabbing troops.
Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem says one person in moderate condition was brought to the hospital from the attack near Hebron.
The assailant was shot, the IDF says, and he was taken to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba in critical condition, according to first responders.
Gazans say 48 killed in series of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City
Palestinians sift through debris following an Israeli strike in the Bureij refugee camp in the center of the Gaza Strip, May 7, 2025. (Eyad BABA / AFP)
Local authorities in Hamas-run Gaza report that at least 48 people were killed today in Israeli airstrikes on a school that housed families displaced by the conflict and which was located close to a crowded market and restaurant in Gaza City.
Medics say two strikes hit the Karama School in Tuffah, a suburb of Gaza City, killing 15. Later in the day, an Israeli strike near a restaurant and market in the city killed at least 33 people, including women and children, the reports say.
The death tolls provided by Hamas, which do not differentiate between civilians and combatants, cannot be verified.
The IDF did not immediately comment, but generally says it targets Hamas terror infrastructure in the Strip, which is heavily embedded in the civilian population.
Witkoff set to brief UN Security Council members on Gaza, Iran
Steve Witkoff, White House special envoy, speaks during a TV interview outside the White House, March 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)
US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff plans to brief members of the United Nations Security Council today, diplomats say.
The briefing, to which all 15 members of the Security Council have been invited, would take place at the US Mission to the United Nations, the sources say, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Axios, which first reported the news, says Witkoff is expected to brief on US policy regarding the war in Gaza and nuclear talks with Iran. It said he was expected to focus primarily on Gaza and on a new aid mechanism proposed by Israel and the US.
Israel has so far given few details about the new mechanism. European leaders and aid groups have criticized Israel’s plans to take over the distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza and use private companies to get food to families after two months in which the military has prevented supplies from entering the Strip.
Doors of the Sistine Chapel close as conclave to elect new pope begins
Faithful watch a giant screen displaying the holy mass of cardinals to the Sistine chapel, at St Peter's Square on the first day of the conclave to elect the next pope, at the Vatican, May 7, 2025. (Stefano Rellandini / AFP)
The doors of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican close, signaling the start of a secret conclave where 133 cardinals from around the world will elect a new pope.
Latin chants and organ music had accompanied the cardinals as they processed into the frescoed chapel, with Michelangelo’s depiction of Christ delivering the Last Judgment dominating the 500-year-old room.
Laying their own hands on the Gospels, they took a vow of secrecy not to divulge anything about the conclave.
The master of ceremonies then shouted out the command “Extra Omnes” (Latin for “Everyone Out”), telling those not involved in the gathering to leave the room, with the chapel’s heavy wooden doors slamming shut on the outside world.
At least 1 dead after boat overturns in Eilat, search for others continues
A body has been recovered from the sea after a boat overturned in Eilat, according to first responders.
A search continues for anyone else who may have fallen overboard.
Earlier, medics were treating 10 others who were wounded in the incident, two moderately and the rest lightly.
According to conflicting initial reports, the boat either hit another boat before overturning or did so after taking a sharp turn in the water.
AG says court should not dismiss petitions over firing of Ronen Bar after his resignation
L to R: Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara at the President's Residence in Jerusalem, February 13, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90); Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the District Court in Tel Aviv, before the start of his testimony in the trial against him, March 12, 2025. (Tomer Appelbaum/POOL); Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar at the National Police Academy in Beit Shemesh, on July 14, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
The Attorney General’s Office opposes the government’s request to dismiss petitions against the firing of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, saying that a final ruling by the High Court is necessary to ensure that the next head of the security service can stand up to “illegitimate pressures.”
The government fired Bar on March 21, but the High Court froze that decision in order to hear petitions filed with the court asking it to annul Bar’s dismissal on the grounds that it was made due to the political and personal expediences of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Bar announced last month he would resign as Shin Bet head by June 15, leading the government to annul its decision to fire him in the first place and to then request that the petitions be removed from the court’s docket.
“It is extremely important that a ruling on the principle issues at the foundation of the petitions be issued, in particular the question of the normative framework which is applicable for dismissing the head of the Shin Bet by the government,” writes the Attorney General’s Office to the court.
The attorney general’s response adds that issuing a ruling despite the cancellation of Bar’s dismissal is necessary “in order to enable senior office holders in the security services and public service in general to continue to stand strong in fulfilling their duties in accordance with the law without fear and without worrying that if they present a professional opinion or make a decision that is not viewed favorably by the political echelon… they will be dismissed.”
IDF: Suspected car-ramming attack attempted near Hebron
The IDF says it has received reports of a suspected attempted car-ramming attack near Hebron in the southern West Bank.
First responders say one person was lightly wounded in the suspected attack. The assailant was shot.
8 wounded after two boats collide off the coast of Eilat, say medics
View of the Princess Hotel in Eilat, along the sea front, on June 1, 2014. (Yossi Zeliger/Flash 90)
Eight people have been wounded after two boats collided off the coast of Eilat, according to first responders.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service says that it appears two boats collided and one of them overturned near the Neviot Beach in Israel’s southernmost city.
Medics are providing medical care to eight people, two in moderate condition and six in light condition, says MDA.
8 פצועים בתאונה קשה בין שתי סירות באילת | תיעוד מהזירה >>> https://t.co/2HwmDaei2q@Itsik_zuarets pic.twitter.com/lU3SlCnt7R
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) May 7, 2025
4 wounded in shooting attack in northern West Bank
The IDF says it has received reports of gunfire in the Reihan Crossing near the city of Jenin in the northern West Bank.
Details are still under investigation.
According to medics, four people were wounded in the attack. Their conditions are not immediately clear.
The IDF has launched a manhunt in the area for the assailant or assailants.
Greece, Egypt agree to boost ties, back Gaza reconstruction plan
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, left, and Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, shake hands after signing bilateral agreements during their meeting in Athens, May 7, 2025. (AP/Petros Giannakouris)
Greece and Egypt sign a “strategic partnership” deal as they seek to step up political coordination to help safeguard stability in the Eastern Mediterranean amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
“Our bilateral cooperation is based on political, economic and cultural ties, which are deeply rooted in history and defined by our strong commitment to the values of peace and the full respect of international law,” Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis say in a joint statement.
The two leaders reaffirm their joint stance over the need to respect international law to promote peace in Gaza.
“The first priority is for hostilities to stop and restore the flow of humanitarian aid to civilians,” the joint statement continues.
Mitsotakis says Greece supports an Arab-backed plan for the reconstruction of Gaza once a ceasefire is achieved.
Elkin says Knesset must pass a Haredi draft law ‘with real teeth’
New Hope MK Ze'ev Elkin attends a conference at Tel Aviv University on May 7, 2025. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)
Without passing a “meaningful draft law” that ensures Haredi enlistment, “the model of ‘the people’s army’ will collapse entirely,” warns Ze’ev Elkin, a New Hope party MK and a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet.
Addressing a conference at Tel Aviv University, Elkin, a minister within the Finance Ministry, indicates approval of IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir’s instructions to the army’s Personnel Directorate to immediately provide a plan to drastically increase the number of draft orders sent to members of the ultra-Orthodox community, but indicates that such a move will not work unless enforcement against draft dodgers is significantly increased.
“The IDF chief of staff is currently acting in accordance with a law on a mandatory universal draft. But this issue concerns a historic mistake made decades ago, which exempted a large segment of the population from military service,” he says.
“Sending out tens of thousands of draft orders will not bring a positive result. 60,000 to 70,000 people will receive draft orders, but there will be no real enforcement. Eventually, the IDF will be forced to admit that it is not enforcing the law equally,” he argues, calling for the passage of a conscription law “with real teeth.”
“If we stay on the current path, the model of ‘the people’s army’ will collapse entirely,” Elkin warns. “For decades, nothing was done. Now we need a special law to get this moving. If this fails — we’ll be left with tens of thousands of draft orders and no capacity for the IDF to enforce them.”
Turning to politics, Elkin admits that he disagrees strongly with many of his cabinet colleagues in that he believes a national commission of inquiry into October 7 is necessary.
“I believe the government is making a mistake in not establishing this commission. I don’t think the commission would necessarily reveal any major new insights — but the public’s mistrust and polarization makes it necessary,” he says. “A state commission of inquiry would allow Israelis to feel that they’re not being misled—that something real is being done. It’s the right step, and we can’t ignore the existing crisis.”
Another fighter jet goes overboard in the Red Sea from USS Harry S. Truman
In this handout image provided by the US Navy, the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) transits the Strait of Gibraltar, November 25, 2024. (Michael Gomez/US Navy/AFP)
An F/A-18 fighter jet landing on the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in the Red Sea went overboard, forcing its two pilots to eject, a defense official tells The Associated Press.
The incident yesterday marks the latest mishap to mar the deployment of the Truman, which has been essential in the airstrike campaign by the United States against Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
The F/A-18 Super Hornet landed on the Truman after a flight, but “the arrestment failed,” says the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly about the incident now under investigation. “Arrestment” refers to the hook system used by aircraft landing on carriers, which catches steel wire ropes on the flight deck. It remains unclear what part of the system failed.
The two pilots on board were later rescued by a helicopter and suffered minor injuries in the incident, the official adds. No one on the flight deck was hurt.
Yesterday’s incident was the latest to see the Navy lose an F/A-18, which cost about $60 million. In April, another F/A-18 fighter jet slipped off the hangar deck of the Truman and fell into the Red Sea. In December, the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg mistakenly shot down an F/A-18 after ships earlier shot down multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile launched by the rebels.
Vance says US-Iran nuclear talks are on the ‘right pathway’
US Vice President JD Vance speaks during a discussion at the Munich Leaders meeting hosted by the Munich Security Conference at the Willard Hotel in Washington, DC, May 7, 2025. (Mandel Ngan/AFP)
US Vice President JD Vance says that talks on Iran’s nuclear program are heading in the right direction, saying Tehran can have civil nuclear power but not enrichment that can lead to atomic weapons.
“We’re on the right pathway,” Vance tells the Munich Leaders Meeting in Washington, describing the talks as “so far, so good.”
“We don’t care if people want nuclear power. We’re fine with that, but you can’t have the kind of enrichment program that allows you to get to a nuclear weapon, and that’s where we draw the line,” he says.
Missile launched from Yemen falls outside Israeli territory, says IDF
The IDF says it identified a ballistic missile launched from Yemen that fell outside of Israeli territory a short while ago.
No sirens sounded, the military adds.
It is not clear if the missile was aimed at Israel.
US, Israel discuss US heading temporary postwar administration of Gaza, say sources
Displaced Palestinians cross a checkpoint manned by US and Egyptian security at the Netzarim Corridor as people make their way from the south to the north of the Gaza Strip, on Salah al-Din road, in central Gaza, on January 29, 2025. (Eyad Baba/AFP)
The United States and Israel have discussed the possibility of Washington leading a temporary postwar administration of Gaza, according to five people familiar with the matter.
The “high-level” consultations have centered around a transitional government headed by a US official that would oversee Gaza until it has been demilitarized and stabilized, and a viable Palestinian administration had emerged, the sources say.
According to the discussions, which remain preliminary, there would be no fixed timeline for how long such a US-led administration would last, and it would depend on the situation on the ground, the five sources say.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to discuss the talks publicly, compare the proposal to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq that Washington established in 2003, shortly after the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
The authority was perceived by many Iraqis as an occupying force and it transferred power to an interim Iraqi government in 2004 after failing to contain a growing insurgency.
Other countries would be invited to take part in the US-led authority in Gaza, the sources say, without identifying which ones. They say the administration would draw on Palestinian technocrats but would exclude Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.
Iran welcomes end of US attacks on Yemen, foreign ministry says
People assess the damage following overnight strikes attributed by the Yemeni media to the United States, in the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa on April 27, 2025. (Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP)
Iran welcomes the end of US attacks on Yemen, its Foreign Ministry spokesperson says, after US President Donald Trump announced Washington would stop bombing the Iran-aligned Yemeni Houthi rebels.
Tehran says it “welcomed the cessation of US aggression against the country,” praising Yemenis for their “legendary resistance.”
Trump said Yemen’s Houthis had agreed to stop disrupting important shipping lanes in the Middle East.
Under the agreement, neither the US nor the Houthis would target the other, including US vessels in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, mediator Oman said.
The Houthis, however, maintained that they will continue to launch direct attacks on Israel.
Mother of Gaza hostage says anyone who remains silent is ‘complicit’
Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, attends a conference at Tel Aviv University, May 7, 2025. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)
Addressing a conference at Tel Aviv University, Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, says she feels betrayed by the state.
“I used to believe there was a contract between the state and its citizens,” she says, “but that illusion was shattered on October 7.”
“Parents don’t put a price on their children’s lives — and neither should the country,” she continues, blaming not only the government but people of influence who fail to protest. “As long as you are silent in the face of a war that serves only one man, you are complicit.”
Spain to present resolution at UN to ‘stop killing’ in Gaza, says PM
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez gestures as he delivers a speech during a press conference following a Council of Ministers meeting at the Moncloa Palace in Madrid, Spain, April 22, 2025. (Javier Soriano / AFP)
Spain will present a draft resolution at the UN General Assembly aimed at “proposing urgent measures to stop the killing of innocent civilians and ensure humanitarian aid” in Gaza, says Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
Sanchez tells the Spanish parliament that “the international community cannot remain indifferent to what is happening” in the Strip, where intense fighting continues between Israel and the Hamas terror group.
Herzog heckled at conference, says his role is to be ‘a bridge’ to government
President Isaac Herzog attends the Tel Aviv conference at Tel Aviv University, May 7, 2025. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)
President Isaac Herzog is heckled at a conference at Tel Aviv University by a protester demanding that he call on the public to take to the streets to protest the current government.
“The hostages are in Gaza for 579 days and you are sitting here,” the protester yells.
“There is a question here: Is it possible to have a serious discussion or a heated discussion? If the gentleman wants to shout, let him shout. I think the people of Israel expect a respectful, serious and respectful discussion, and I also think that if we want to hear answers, we need to know how to listen,” Herzog replies to applause.
Herzog then says that the protester should be removed, prompting some among the audience to boo.
Asked if he would resign to protest the fact that the government has refused to establish a state commission of inquiry into October 7, Herzog responds “resignation is the last step to take.”
“I remain on the bridge. To be a bridge, I demand a state commission of inquiry. I think it’s the most appropriate thing to do,” he adds.
Six European nations reject ‘any demographic or territorial change’ in Gaza
People transport their belongings along the Al-Rashid road linking northern and southern Gaza, April 2, 2025. (Bashar Taleb / AFP)
Six European countries say that they “firmly reject any demographic or territorial change in Gaza” after Israel announced plans to expand its military offensive in the Strip.
Israel’s plan “would mark a new and dangerous escalation” in the war, the foreign ministers of Spain, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway and Slovenia say in a joint statement.
The foreign ministers, who apart from Luxembourg represent countries that have recognized a Palestinian state, say the plans would “cross another line” and “endanger any perspective of a viable two-state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
A military escalation would “worsen an already catastrophic situation” for Palestinian civilians and endanger the lives of hostages held in Gaza, they add.
The ministers also ask Israel to “immediately lift the blockade” it has imposed on Gaza-bound humanitarian aid that has caused shortages of food, fuel and medicine and increased fears of famine.
“What is needed more urgently than ever is the resumption of the ceasefire and the unconditional release of all the hostages,” they say.
US envoy Huckabee tours West Bank settlement of Shiloh
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee (center) visits the West Bank settlement of Shiloh on May 7, 2025. (Baruch Greenberg/ Binyamin Council)
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visits the West Bank settlement of Shiloh with the Yesha Council, an umbrella organization representing settlement municipal authorities in the West Bank, marking his first official visit to the area as a US representative.
“[US] President [Donald] Trump loves this land. You have sacrificed so much to live in these places — you’ve paid in blood, sweat and tears. This place is a miracle,” Huckabee says in a statement from the Yesha Council.
“I have never used any term other than ‘Judea and Samaria,” he adds, referring to the biblical term for the West Bank, saying that “to use any other terminology would be a historical injustice and a denial of the Bible.”
A US Embassy spokesperson tells The Times of Israel that “for the first time, at the invitation of the Yesha Council, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee made an official visit to the ancient Shiloh site in Binyamin,” and that he met with its chairman and the heads of local regional councils.
The Yesha Council adds that “during the visit, Ambassador Huckabee recited the Prayer of Hannah at the site of the Tabernacle, in ancient Shiloh, praying for the release of the hostages and for the safety of Israeli soldiers.”
Archaeological finds have indicated that Shiloh is the site where the Bible says the Tabernacle — a portable temple that was used before the First Temple was built in Jerusalem — stayed for 369 years after the ancient Israelites entered the Holy Land.
“I can’t imagine being in Israel and not seeing Shiloh because it is one of the most important biblical sites that validates the Jewish connection to the homeland going back 3,500 years… this is an extraordinary place where so much of the history of the Jewish people was really formed,” Huckabee tells Israel Hayom at the site.
Trump’s previous ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, made several visits to West Bank settlements during his tenure as envoy, altering the status quo of the pre-Trump era in which US ambassadors did not make visits to Israeli areas over the Green Line.
Huckabee’s Shiloh visit marks the first time a US ambassador holds an official meeting in the West Bank with the Yesha Council, as opposed to Friedman’s own tours in the area with the organization, which were considered “private,” rather than “official,” according to Ynet.
British Airways says no Israel flights until mid-June
A British Airways flight takes off from Ben Gurion International Airport, September 3, 2014. (Moshe Shai/FLASH90)
British Airways says it is extending the suspension of its flight services to Tel Aviv through June 14, amid fears that Yemen’s Houthi rebels will again target Ben Gurion airport with ballistic missiles after Israel destroyed Sanaa’s international airport yesterday.
“We continually monitor operating conditions and have made the decision to suspend our flights to and from Tel Aviv, up to and including 14 June,” says British Airways in an emailed statement. “The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our priority.”
Several airlines suspended flights to Tel Aviv after a Houthi missile impacted inside the airport on Sunday — the first successful attack on the facility, which has been targeted repeatedly throughout the war.
Macron says ‘unacceptable’ for Israel to ignore rules in Gaza, calls aid crisis ‘critical’
French President Emmanuel Macron says the humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached “critical” levels unseen in the past and that it is urgent to allow the distribution of humanitarian aid to the Gaza strip.
Macron also says that while Israel is entitled to fight a terrorist organization, it is “unacceptable” for it to act without respecting any rules.
The comments come ahead of Macron’s first meeting with Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Paris.
The presidential Elysee Palace says Macron will restate France’s support for “a free, stable, sovereign Syria that respects all components of its society,” while emphasizing the importance of regional stability — particularly in Lebanon — and the fight against terrorism.
Katz says still time for deal to head off Gaza op, but no stopping once it starts
Defense Minister Israel Katz (2nd from right) meets with IDF Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor (center), 162nd Division commander Brig. Gen. Sagiv Dahan (left) and Katz's military secretary, Brig. Gen. Guy Markizano (right), May 7, 2025. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)
Defense Minister Israel Katz says once Israel launches a major offensive planned in Gaza after next week it will not stop until it reaches its goals of conquering and holding the Strip.
“Operation Gideon’s Chariots is intended to defeat Hamas and bring about the release of all the hostages. We will act with great force to destroy all of Hamas’s military and governmental capabilities, while creating strong pressure for the release of all the hostages,” Katz says in remarks published by his office following an assessment with the IDF’s 162nd Division, which is due to take part in the offensive.
He says that “unlike in the past, the IDF will remain in every area [it conquers] to prevent the return of terrorism and to clear and thwart any threat.”
“From the moment the maneuver begins, we will act with great force and will not stop until all objectives are achieved, including the voluntary emigration plan for the residents of Gaza,” Katz adds.
He says the campaign will not be launched until US President Donald Trump wraps up a trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates slated for May 13 to May 16, indicating it could still be called off if a hostage deal is reached.
The current preparation phase “allows a window of opportunity until the end of the US president’s visit to the region to carry out a hostage deal,” he says.
He says that Israeli troops will remain in a buffer zone inside Gaza “in any temporary or permanent arrangement,” as it is intended to protect Israeli communities and prevent Hamas from smuggling weapons.
Lawmakers mull doing away with ‘nuisance’ film fund rule
Culture Minister Miki Zohar says he wants to do away with a database established to ensure a diversity of voices would be involved with vetting film projects that seek financial support from state-backed film funds.
“The database caused harm,” Zohar says during a meeting of the Knesset Education, Culture and Sports Committee. “The Israeli audience will decide who deserves funding.”
The comments come during a meeting to discuss an amendment to the Cinema Law that would abolish the database, before it goes to the Knesset for final passage.
The database, created through Amendment No. 5 to the Cinema Law by previous culture minister Miri Regev, requires the Film Council to operate a database of critics with an academic degree in theater, literature or communications, in order to ensure diverse representation of voices in Israeli society. The database currently includes 1,300 critics and evaluators, whose job is to examine and evaluate scripts submitted to government-supported film funds as part of financial aid applications from filmmakers.
According to data presented in the discussion, NIS 86.5 million was distributed through 11 film funds in 2024 for 328 Israeli films, including 37 full-length films.
The proposed bill seeks to abolish the database, allowing film funds that receive government support to hire or contract critics independently.
“The reform we made in the world of cinema brings about a situation where the Israeli audience will provide feedback to the film funds – the more Israeli audience views a film, the higher its rating from the fund, and as a result, the need for critics is gone,” says Zohar. “There is no longer a need to fear that the funds will be biased and fund scripts that promote only one agenda. If they fund a particular agenda that the audience doesn’t like, their budget will decrease or even disappear.”
A representative of the Israeli Film Council, Kifna Kifnis, expresses support for abolishing the critics database, as does Yoav Abramovich, CEO of the Ravinovitch Foundation for the Arts, one of the large film funds, who says that doing so will reduce the bureaucratic burden.
“Six years ago, when Miri Regev was culture minister, she changed the law and set up the critics database, and we were against it,” says Lior Tamam, CEO of the Screenwriters Guild. “But in reality, the database didn’t harm anyone and didn’t add anything, it just became a bureaucratic nuisance. We are pretty indifferent to leaving it because the market has already gotten used to it. The current amendment simply returns things to how they were before the Regev amendments.”
Israel and Syria holding secret talks via UAE on security, intel
Israeli soldiers stand guard as Druze men demonstrate in solidarity with the Syrian Druze community, near the border barrier in the village of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights on April 30, 2025. (Jalaa Marey/AFP)
The United Arab Emirates has set up a backchannel for talks between Israel and Syria, three people familiar with the matter says, as Syria’s new rulers seek regional help to manage an increasingly hostile relationship with their southern neighbor.
The indirect contacts, which have not been previously reported, are focused on security and intelligence matters and confidence-building between two states with no official relations, a person with direct knowledge of the matter, a Syrian security source and a regional intelligence official say.
The first source describes the effort, which began days after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited the UAE on April 13, as currently focused on “technical matters,” and says there is no limit to what may eventually be discussed.
The senior Syrian security source tells Reuters the backchannel is limited strictly to security-related issues, focusing on several counterterrorism files.
The source says that purely military matters, particularly those concerning Israeli army activities in Syria, fall outside the scope of the current channel.
The intelligence source says UAE security officials, Syrian intelligence officials and former Israeli intelligence officials were involved in the mechanism, among others.
Syria’s presidency and the UAE foreign ministry do not respond to a request for comment. The Israeli prime minister’s office declines to comment.
The mediation effort precedes Israeli strikes in Syria last week, which Israel says are aimed at protecting the Druze minority, and Reuters cannot establish if the mechanism has been used since the strikes occurred.
Informal mediation between Israel and Syria aimed at calming the situation has taken place in the last week via other channels, according to one of the sources and a regional diplomat. They decline to elaborate.
The explosive revelation comes as Sharaa arrives in Paris on his first official trip to Europe. He is expected to meet French leader Emmanuel Macron later in the day.
Kafr Qara man shot to death in West Bank village
Police say they are investigating after an Arab citizen of Israel was shot dead in the West Bank village of Barta’a earlier today.
The victim, a resident of Kafr Qara in his 30s, is named by local Arabic outlets as Muhammad Ibrahim Kabha.
He was reportedly driving to the village, just east of the Green Line, to do some shopping when he was shot by assailants.
Paramedics say they found him with several bullet wounds and declared him dead at the scene.
Police say they are conducting a probe alongside the army and currently operating in the village to arrest suspects.
In court, Netanyahu denies backing law that would have hobbled Israel Hayom for rival publisher
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that he tried to halt, not advance, the so-called Israel Hayom law, as he testifies on the last day of direct questioning by his defense team in his criminal trial.
Netanyahu’s comments refer to legislation at the center of one of three cases he is charged in, in which he is accused of trying to formulate an illicit quid pro quo agreement with the publisher of the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper that would hobble rival tabloid Israel Hayom.
The indictment alleges that Yedioth publisher Arnon Mozes offered to scale back criticism of the prime minister in his newspaper in return for the passage of a law restricting the distribution of Israel Hayom, a free paper published by Sheldon and Miriam Adelson that is widely seen as reflective of Netanyahu’s views.
Such a law was advanced in Knesset during 2014 by the opposition Labor party but ultimately never passed.
“I wanted to offer him [Mozes] another solution, a different path, in order to get out of this maze, a softened law,” Netanyahu says of a meeting he held with Mozes in 2014, Channel 12 News reports.
“I wanted to prevent this law, which would have collapsed the coalition. I very much wanted that the coalition would not collapse,” he adds.
Netanyahu says that Mozes was trying to “conquer the Knesset,” and that MKs were afraid of negative coverage in Yedioth.
Netanyahu to meet key political players in bid to advance Haredi conscription bill
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is slated to hold an emergency meeting this evening with Shas chairman Aryeh Deri, Defense Minister Israel Katz and Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Yuli Edelstein in an attempt to arrive at a compromise regarding a long-delayed bill regulating Haredi military enlistment.
Spokespeople for two of the participants confirmed the meeting, which comes after IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir instructed the Personnel Directorate on Tuesday to immediately provide a plan to drastically increase the number of draft orders sent to members of the ultra-Orthodox community.
Ultra-Orthodox parties in the coalition were reportedly furious at the move, which was aimed at providing the army with up to 80,000 potential conscripts, according to Hebrew media reports.
Earlier this week, both Shas and fellow ultra-Orthodox party United Torah Judaism threatened to boycott votes on coalition bills today in order to protest the lack of legislation exempting yeshiva students from military service, causing the coalition to withdraw its bills from today’s Knesset agenda.
Despite the prime minister’s assurances to his ultra-Orthodox allies, legislation dealing with the issue of Haredi conscription — scorned by critics as an “evasion law” — has long been held up in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, with Edelstein pledging to “only produce a real conscription law that will significantly increase the IDF’s conscription base.”
According to Edelstein, work on rewriting the law is slated to begin next week following months of hearings.
Initial Hebrew media reports do not list United Torah Judaism chairman Yitzchak Goldknopf as among those attending this evening’s meeting. Representatives of UTJ, Shas and Netanyahu’s Likud have not replied to inquiries regarding the party’s participation.
Gaza aid mechanism subject of ‘very, very big’ Trump announcement — diplomat
A “very, very big announcement” US President Donald Trump plans to make during his Middle East trip next week will likely be about an international aid mechanism for the Gaza Strip, a foreign diplomat tells The Times of Israel.
Trump made a coy reference to the announcement during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney yesterday, saying it would be “one of the most important announcements that have been made in many years about a certain subject,” and that it would be “very positive.”
Rahat mayor angrily confronts Ben Gvir over police raid photo op after city hall nearly bombed
Rahat mayor Talal Alkernawi shouts at National Security Itamar Ben Gvir during a police operation in the city, accusing him of endangering municipal workers' lives after explosive is found in the city hall on May 7, 2025. (Screenshot/Ynet)
Rahat Mayor Talal Alkernawi says National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir endangered the lives of hundreds of municipal workers by trying to turn a major police raid into a photo op, inadvertently tipping off criminals who seized the opportunity to plant a bomb at city hall.
Alkernawi angrily confronts Ben Gvir hours after an explosive device was found in the city’s municipal complex.
The device is thought to have been left in Rahat’s city hall by criminals who knew a large-scale police operation would take place in the area today, due to the raid being announced to the press ahead of time in order to garner coverage.
According to a Ynet report, police intelligence indicated that the culprits knew beforehand about the operation and sought to send a message to the mayor of the Bedouin city, which has contended with rampant organized crime in recent years.
“500 workers could have been killed today, and this is what matters to you?” he shouts at Ben Gvir, while the far-right minister watches as a makeshift home is demolished by law enforcement. “Our lives don’t matter to you, shame on you. You are a disgrace to the State of Israel. As a citizen who has done more for the country than you, I am ashamed of you.”
A confrontation occurred between Itamar #Ben_Gvir and the mayor of #Rahat in the occupied #Negev, Talal Al-Qarnawi, who accused the Minister of National Security in the occupation government of coming to the area to carry out house demolitions, not to fight crime gangs.@qudsn… pic.twitter.com/wROm7ctfAJ
— ⚡️???? World News ????⚡️ (@ferozwala) May 7, 2025
Over a thousand officers — including police, border cops and National Guard fighters — descended on Rahat today, raiding compounds and businesses, carrying out “targeted economic enforcement” in the city, a spokesman says. Ben Gvir and police chief Danny Levy were on hand to oversee the operation.
Alkernawi tells a Ynet reporter that “the minister, who is supposed to protect our safety, came here to take a photo next to some pitiful shack,” before the interview is cut off by law enforcement.
The police operation seems to focus mostly on financial crime and illegal construction in Rahat and its surrounding area. According to police, 60 vehicles worth approximately NIS 20 million were seized.
Addressing officers today in the Southern District, police chief Danny Levy says the operation is being conducted with the aim of restoring “governance and sovereignty to the State of Israel.”
Houthis tally damage from Sanaa airport attack at $500 million, say terminals, planes destroyed
Israel’s attack on the airport in Yemen’s Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa destroyed terminal buildings and caused $500 million in damage, its director tells Houthi media.
“Around $500 million in losses were caused by the Israeli aggression on Sanaa airport,” its general director Khaled alShaief tells the rebels’ Al-Masirah television.
“The enemy destroyed the terminals at Sanaa airport, including all equipment and devices,” he says, adding that a warehouse was also “completely leveled.”
Yemenia Airways lost three planes, he says, adding that six planes in total had been destroyed.
“There are alternatives to temporarily reopen the airport, and we need a long time to rehabilitate it and restore operations,” he says.
Sanaa’s airport reopened to international flights after a six-year gap in 2022, offering regular service to Jordan’s capital, Amman, on the homegrown Yemenia airline.
Those flying out of Sanaa have included Yemenis seeking emergency medical treatment abroad.
Houthi health ministry spokesman Anees Alasbahi tells AFP the attack will “increase human suffering for sick people who need to travel abroad for treatment” and could make it harder to bring medical supplies in.
Eyeing comeback, Lapid calls for return to big-tent coalition
The next government must include parties from across the political spectrum that are willing to focus on “efficiency, integrity and functional governance without discretionary funds for the coalition and unnecessary government ministries,” Opposition Leader Yair Lapid declares.
“People need to know that the government is looking out for them, not for itself. They need to believe that the government cares about them,” Lapid tells a conference at Tel Aviv University.
“In order to fix things, we need to build and create an entirely new kind of Israeli coalition. It needs to include people from the right, center, and left, who understand that hope is action,” he continues, insisting that “the next Israeli coalition should be decent, moderate, efficient. Truly democratic, truly Jewish.”
In 2021, Lapid cobbled together a government composed of parties from across the political spectrum — but not including the ultra-Orthodox — opposed to Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu, making history by including the Arab party Ra’am. The coalition fell apart after a year under the weight of mounting political differences.
“Democracy is a way of life, Judaism is a reason for life,” Lapid states at the conference. He indicates that his vision includes resisting ultra-Orthodox efforts to legislate military draft exemptions for the Haredi community. “The next coalition will engrave on its banner equal sharing of burden, because Haredi evasion – under the auspices of the government, in a time of war – is turning us into a state that disdains the sacrifice of its fighters and citizens. We must not accept that.”
Lapid asserts that the next government will prioritize the interests of the middle class taxpayer and that “whoever gives more, will receive more.”
The next government must also “commit from day one to the basic principles: obedience to the law, separation of powers, the values of the Declaration of Independence, equal rights and duties,” he says.
He adds, “There is another small but important thing: we need to speak more nicely to each other. Less poison. For this to happen, the first step is to recognize that we need and want to work with people who are different from us.”
Instead of focusing on the 20% of issues on which the country disagrees, the focus should be on the 80% on which there is a consensus, he urges, repackaging a refrain used to help keep his former coalition together.
“It is true that it fell prematurely,” he says of that coalition, “but that was not the end – it was the beginning. We started, we made mistakes, we know today what needs to be fixed and what to do differently.”
Houthis: US deal ’embarrasses’ Israel, attacks will continue
The ceasefire agreement between the Houthis and the US “serves the Palestinian cause and embarrasses Israel,” an unnamed spokesperson for the Iran-backed rebel group tells Al Jazeera, as officials confirm that the deal will not halt attacks on Israel.
“We will continue targeting Israeli ships until aid is delivered to Gaza,” the spokesman continues, saying, “We will assess any future American support for Israel and determine our position accordingly.”
“Our response to the Israeli entity is inevitably coming,” he adds, after Israeli Air Force fighter jets bombarded the international airport in the capital Sana’a, the Hodeida port and a concrete factory in Houthi-controlled areas over the last two days.
Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the chief Houthi negotiator, tells Reuters that “the agreement does not include Israel in any way, shape or form.”
He tells Yemen’s Al-Masirah network that “the agreement was to halt American aggression against Yemen in exchange for stopping attacks on American ships — with no mention whatsoever of targeting the territory of the Zionist regime.”
An Israeli official tells the Associated Press that the deal came as a surprise to Jerusalem, which is concerned because of what it means for the continuation of hostilities between it and the Houthis.
Eurovision offers peek at Israel’s Herzl-inspired set
Singer Yuval Raphael at a Eurovision rehearsal in Basel, Switzerland, in an image released on May 7, 2025. (Alma Bengtsson/EBU)
Eurovision organizers publish the first images of Israeli contestant Yuval Raphael from her rehearsal in Basel, Switzerland, yesterday, providing a sneak peek into her staging.
The images show Raphael, who will perform her ballad “New Day Will Rise” in the second semifinal next Thursday, dressed in all black and alone onstage.
She is performing alongside a two-level 5.5-meter (18-foot) chandelier, with stairs she climbs during the performance, accompanied by dramatic lighting.
Singer Yuval Raphael at a Eurovision rehearsal in Basel, Switzerland, in an image released on May 7, 2025. (Alma Bengtsson/EBU)
On the second level of the chandelier is a balcony that Israel’s Kan public broadcaster said is meant to be a “symbolic nod” to the famous image of Zionist visionary Theodor Herzl looking out from a balcony in Basel during the Fifth Zionist Congress in 1901.
German foreign minister to visit Sunday over Gaza aid situation
Berlin’s new foreign minister Johann Wadephul will visit Israel on Sunday, the German embassy in Israel says.
Last night, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told ARD television that he was concerned about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and that he was sending Wadephul to relay Berlin’s stance to Israel.
“It must be clear that the Israeli government must fulfil its obligations under international law and that humanitarian aid must be provided in the Gaza Strip,” Merz said, adding that “we view the developments of the last few days with considerable concern.”
Gazans say 13 killed in Israeli strikes on school where displaced sheltering
Israeli strikes on a school housing displaced families in northern Gaza killed 13 Palestinians, health authorities in the Hamas-run enclave say, as Israeli forces continue to demolish homes and buildings in Rafah in the south of the Strip.
Medics say two strikes targeted the al-Karama School in Tuffah, a suburb of Gaza City. Among those killed was a local journalist, Nour Abdu, Palestinian media claims. There is no immediate comment from the Israeli army.
Two Israeli airstrikes on another school, housing displaced people in central Gaza, killed at least 29 people, including women and children, yesterday, local health authorities say. The Israeli military says it struck “terrorists” operating from a command center in the compound.
The death tolls provided by Hamas, which do not differentiate between civilians and combatants, cannot be verified.
In the area of Rafah, near the border with Egypt, residents and Hamas sources say Israeli forces, who have taken control of the city, are continuing to blow up and demolish houses and buildings.
Israel recently approved a plan to intensify its operations in Gaza, which would include seizing the Strip, holding on to captured territories, forcibly displacing Palestinians to southern Gaza and taking control of aid distribution along with private security companies, though it says the plan will be gradual and will not be implemented until after US President Donald Trump wraps up his visit to the region later this month.
Bennett appears to confirm 2026 run for PM in tweet bashing Ben Gvir
Incoming prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, former prime minister Naftali Bennett, center, and the leader of the Otzma Yehudit party, Itamar Ben Gvir, attend the funeral of Rabbi Chaim Druckman on December 26, 2022. (Gil COHEN-MAGEN / AFP)
Former premier Naftali Bennett appears to confirm he will challenge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the next election. Bennett recently registered a new party under the temporary name “Bennett 2026.”
Dismissing a media report that he said paid “hush money” to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, Bennett accuses his political opponents of operating “a machine of lies and poison that will do everything to harm Bennett, because they understand that he is the only one capable of winning and replacing the shameful government and restoring Israel.”
“This time we will not remain silent in the face of fake [news], this time we will fight the machine with all our might, because millions of Israelis are tired of this bullying, the lies, and the violence,” he tweets, promising that “change will come.”
The Kan public broadcaster reported earlier this morning that NIS 35,000 ($9,755) Bennett paid Ben Gvir as part of a defamation settlement was intended to keep Ben Gvir from going public with potentially damning dirt on Bennett.
According to Kan, after suing for defamation over unfounded accusations by Bennett’s wife Gilat, Ben Gvir began publicly claiming to have damaging information about Bennett that could “could tear a family apart. ” A month later, the two sides reached a settlement.
Kan quoted anonymous sources claiming that Bennett has since been less critical of Ben Gvir than he of coalition leaders.
In a lengthy response on X, Bennett replies that “there is not and never has been any hush money,” calling any claim to the contrary a “complete lie.”
“In a mediation process, a compromise was agreed upon that included compensation, and this was implemented. That’s it. No hush money, no blackmail, nothing,” he writes.
“Ben Gvir is a particularly failed minister of national security, who engages in the gimmicks and PR that characterize this government, and therefore during his tenure, murders in Israel (not including the 7/10 massacre) doubled,” Bennett adds.
Ben Gvir also denies the Kan report, stating that “Naftali Bennett never paid me ‘hush money’ — he paid compensation for false slander that his wife Gilat spread against me and against Otzma Yehudit activists (what he usually calls: ‘the poison machine’).”
Adding that he donated the money “to the heroic IDF soldiers,” Ben Gvir accuses Bennett of being “a particularly failed prime minister, who deceived right-wing voters, stole their votes, and with their help established a government with [Ra’am party leader Mansour] Abbas-Hamas, in which he boasted that he allowed workers from Gaza to enter Israeli territory, based on the concept of ‘economic peace in exchange for security peace,’ which blew up in our faces during the October 7 massacre.”
Gantz appalled by Haredi attempts to pressure Netanyahu over IDF draft
Protesters clash with police during a demonstration against Haredi conscription into the IDF, outside the recruitment center at Tel Hashomer, in central Israel, on April 28, 2025 (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
National Unity chairman and former IDF chief of staff Benny Gantz says he is “very worried” by ultra-Orthodox parties’ refusal to support any bills advanced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, “not because of the threat to the coalition, but because it is part of negotiations to continue exempting our ultra-Orthodox brothers from conscription in times of war.”
“It’s inconceivable that a year and a half after the October 7 massacre, we’re even having this discussion,” he tweets.
The ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism announced on Monday that they would boycott all government bills during today’s Knesset plenum session, leading to the removal of the legislation from the agenda. On Tuesday evening, tensions ratcheted up even higher after IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir instructed the Personnel Directorate to immediately provide a plan to “expand and maximize” the number of draft orders sent to members of the ultra-Orthodox community.
Ultra-Orthodox parties in the coalition were reportedly furious at the move, which was aimed at providing the army with up to 80,000 potential conscripts, according to Hebrew media reports.
According to Channel 13 news, Defense Minister Israel Katz told the Haredi parties that he had not been involved in the decision. He has previously endorsed an enlistment outline under which the number of Haredim drafted into the military would be increased gradually year-over-year until it hits 50 percent of the annual eligible Haredi draft cohort in 2032.
“Yesterday, the defense minister reprimanded the chief of staff for seeking to uphold the law and issue orders. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of patriots are once again lining up for the expansion of the operation in Gaza. Have we gone crazy?” Gantz asks, referring to a new large call-up of reservists.
“This is what a government that puts politics above security looks like,” he continues, adding that “only a national consensus government that serves the entire public will be able to make amends.”
Army confirms killing senior Hamas terrorist in southern Lebanon
Lebanese army soldiers and rescue workers gather next to a damaged car after an Israeli strike, in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, early Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP/Mohammed Zaatari)
The IDF confirms carrying out an airstrike in the southern coastal Lebanese city of Sidon this morning, killing a prominent Hamas member.
According to the military, the target, Khaled Ahmad Ahmad, served as chief of operations in Hamas’s western sector in Lebanon.
The IDF says Ahmad advanced numerous attacks on Israeli civilians and troops during the war. “Recently, he worked to transfer weapons and to carry out terror attacks against the State of Israel,” the military says.
The strike was carried out because “Ahmad’s activities posed a threat to the State of Israel and its citizens,” the IDF adds.
Revived air defense battalion to aim new weapons at drone threat in north
Troops of the newly established 947th Air Defense Battalion pose in front of an air defense system in northern Israel, May 6, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
The Israeli Air Force says it has revived a defunct air defense battalion to operate new anti-drone systems.
The 946th Air Defense Battalion, which previously operated the US-made Chaparral surface-to-air missile system, had been shuttered in 2003.
A ceremony was held yesterday to rededicate the unit, whose new goal is to “provide a new operational solution… for the threat of UAVs and drones in the northern arena,” the military says.
Hezbollah fired hundreds of drones at Israel from Lebanon during the war, dozens of which made it through Israeli air defenses and caused casualties and damage.
The IDF says the 946th Battalion will be made up of hundreds of soldiers, both male and female, and will be an “integral part” of the 91st “Galilee” Regional Division — responsible for the Lebanon border area.
“They will operate along the border line, at sensitive sites and frontier posts,” the military says, adding that the battalion is also training to operate alongside maneuvering forces inside enemy territory
The IDF does not detail which systems the battalion will be using, but it describes them as “adapted to the threat” and mobile, allowing them to be moved around quickly alongside troops.
Last year, The Times of Israel reported that the IAF was preparing to redeploy gun-based air defense systems to counter Hezbollah’s drones from Lebanon. The IDF used systems like the M163 Vulcan, an air defense machine gun, before it was retired in 2006.
The ground-based systems would be deployed to defend specific points, such as military bases or sensitive infrastructure, against Hezbollah drones. Such gun-based systems are not effective at covering wide areas.
In October, the Defense Ministry said that an in-development high-powered laser interception system, dubbed Iron Beam, is expected to be operational within a year.
The Iron Beam is designed to work in tandem with systems like Iron Dome and shoot down smaller projectiles, like drones.
Hostages’ parents decry ‘unbearable’ frustration, concern after Trump lowers tally of living captives
Parents of hostages in Gaza are expressing frustration and anger at their treatment after US President Donald Trump said only 21 hostages remained alive, contradicting Israel’s official estimate that 24 remain living.
Danny Miran, father of hostage Omri Miran, tells the Kan public broadcaster that the way families are being jerked around is “unbearable.”
“Ever day is another message, different numbers of living and dead and you don’t know what’s going on with your son. It messes with your head,” he says. “Now we are returning to a war that can wind up harming the hostages. This isn’t a stable way to live.”
Alon Nimrodi, father of hostage Tamir Nimrodi, tells Army Radio that it feels like families have been stabbed in the back.
“What does Trump know that we do not?” he asks. “This is hard to see and hear, I’m losing sleep over it, it’s heartbreaking.”
Kobi Ohel, father of hostage Alon Ohel, tells 103FM that Trump’s comments only express more sharply the danger the hostages are in.
“His comments scare me because they emphasize the deplorable situation of the hostages still alive in Gaza,” he says. “When we hear Trump, what he says, we also hear IDF chief [Eyal Zamir] saying what the ramifications of a renewed offensive in Gaza are.”
Yehuda Cohen, father of hostage Nimrod Cohen, aims fire at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the confusion.
“The fact that Trump mentioned the number in passing is just another sign of how [the hostages] have been abandoned by the Netanyahu government,” he tells the Ynet news site. “There’s sensitive information circulating in the open around the world, and anyone can name whatever number they want like they are talking about a commodity. An open market on the backs of the hostages’ families and their feelings. Netanyahu is just sitting and calculating his profits from it.”
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid tells Army Radio, “Someone in Israel gave them that number. I hope it didn’t come from the government.” He notes that Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer is in Washington. “I hope he didn’t tell them that.”
Drone, apparently from Yemen, downed by Israel
A drone launched at Israel “from the east” was intercepted by the Israeli Air Force a short while ago, the military says.
The drone was apparently launched from Yemen.
Sirens did not sound in Israel.
Lod woman shot dead overnight, several suspects arrested
A woman in her 50s was shot dead in her car in Lod last night, police and paramedics say.
The victim, Sahar Abu Hajjaj, was pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene of the shooting outside her house.
Police say they have arrested several suspects in relation to the murder. No suspected motive is given.
Since the start of the year, 88 Arab Israelis have been killed as a result of violent crime, five of them women.
Abu Hajjaj was reportedly under threat and her situation was known to police. Law enforcement claim she had previously refused assistance despite officers’ attempts to reach out.
Last week, 40-year-old Susan Abdelqader Bishara was shot dead in her car in the city of Tira. She was a known social activist who had been a candidate in the central city’s municipal elections.
Qatar and Egypt say they are working together on Gaza truce, reject reports of rift
Qatar and Egypt say in a joint statement that the two countries are working together “with a shared vision to bring an end to the unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Gaza” by securing a ceasefire.
The statement also pushes back against what it describes as recent attempts to create a rift between the “sister countries” via the media.
Reports have surfaced in recent months portraying strained ties between the countries, with each downplaying the others’ contribution to efforts to end the fighting in Gaza and free the hostages.
The allegations came to the fore in connection with the so-called Qatargate scandal in Israel, which revolves around suspicions that advisers to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received money from Doha to launch a media campaign aimed at undermining Egypt’s role as mediator and bolster Qatar’s influence in the ceasefire negotiations.
Families demand answers after Trump lowers estimate of living hostages
The 24 hostages presumed to be alive who are still held by Hamas: Top row, from left: Elkana Bohbot, Matan Angrest, Edan Alexander, Avinatan Or, Yosef-Haim Ohana, Alon Ohel. Second row, from left: Evyatar David, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, Bipin Joshi, Rom Braslavski, Ziv Berman, Gali Berman. Third row, from left: Omri Miran, Eitan Mor, Segev Kalfon, Nimrod Cohen, Maxim Herkin, Eitan Horn. Bottom row, from left: Matan Zangauker, Bar Kupershtein, David Cunio, Ariel Cunio, Tamir Nimrodi, Pinta Nattapong. (Hostages Families Forum)
Relatives of the 59 hostages still held in the Gaza Strip renew their call for Israeli officials to tell them if there is updated intelligence on the fates of their loved ones, after US President Donald Trump said that only 21 hostages remained alive, three fewer than Israel’s official estimate.
“The number of living hostages as is known to the families, provided to them by official sources, is 24,” the Hostage Families Forum says in a statement.
“We demand again from Israel — if there is new intelligence being kept from us, pass it to us immediately,” it adds.
The comment echoes the families’ response after Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said at a meeting last week that “fewer” than 24 hostages remained alive.
“As of today, it’s 21 [who are still alive]. Three have died,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Tuesday evening, without providing additional details.
Gal Hirsch, the government point person on hostages, said shortly afterward that Israel’s official number remained 24.
The families’ statement also calls on Netanyahu to pause the military campaign in Gaza until all hostages are returned.
Dead Sea highway, Ein Gedi reserve closed amid ongoing cleanup from Sunday deluge
Workers repair a flood-damaged road near the Dead Sea on May 6, 2025. (Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90)
Police say a section of a highway running along the Dead Sea remains closed as authorities clean up following floods that damaged the area Sunday.
Police do not give a timeline for when they hope to reopen Route 90, which is blocked off in both directions between Mitzpe Shalem and Metsuke Dragot, along with southerly traffic from Lido Junction at the northern end of the Dead Sea. The closed-off section is largely inside the West Bank.
Work is taking place to clear the road of boulders and other debris and to repair the roadway, which was inundated by flash floods as runoff from heavy rains on Sunday gushed toward the lowest spot on Earth.
An update is expected later in the day following a situational assessment, police say.
Sunday’s downpours also caused major damage to the Ein Gedi nature reserve, including an ancient synagogue, the Nature and Parks Authority says following a survey of the desert oasis, which is now closed to visitors.
“The flood that hit the Ein Gedi reserve was an extreme event of the type not seen in years,” the INPA says in a statement. “Many walking trails have completely disappeared, and some suffered significant damage from the runoff and strength of the flood.”
Flood damage is seen at an ancient synagogue in the Ein Gedi nature reserve, in a photo published on May 7, 2025. (Robbie Moyal/INPA)
It adds that ruins of a third-century synagogue were inundated and will need to undergo extensive restoration and preservation work.
Extensive damage is also reported to roads leading into the reserve and other infrastructure.
Pakistan says 26 killed in Indian strikes on alleged terror camps, vows to ‘settle score’ as jets downed
The wreckage of a mosque is seen after Indian strikes in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, on May 7, 2025. (Sajjad QAYYUM / AFP)
Pakistan says 26 civilians were killed in strikes carried out by India and in firing along the border, while India says at least eight were killed by Pakistani shelling, in the most serious fighting in decades to break out between the nuclear-armed rivals.
India says it carried out “precision strikes at terrorist camps” at nine sites in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and in Punjab state, days after it blamed Islamabad for backing a deadly attack on the Indian-run side of the disputed region.
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif says Islamabad struck back and downed five “enemy aircraft.”
“The retaliation has already started,” Asif tells AFP. “We won’t take long to settle the score.”
An Indian senior security source says three Indian fighter jets crashed on Wednesday on home territory without giving a cause.
Wreckage of an Indian fighter jet is seen by an AFP photographer at Wuyan — on the Indian controlled side of Kashmir.
Debris from the jet fell on a school and a mosque compound, according to Srinagar police and residents. Firefighters struggled for hours to douse the resulting fires.
“There was a huge fire in the sky. Then we heard several blasts also,” says Mohammed Yousuf Dar, a Wuyan resident.
Another aircraft is seen wrecked in an open field in Bhardha Kalan village near southern Akhnoor town, close to the Line of Control in Indian-controlled Kashmir shortly after the strikes.
Fire fighters douse smoke coming out from the debris of an aircraft near Akhnoor on the outskirts of Jammu, India, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP/Channi Anand)
Village resident Sachin Kumar tells The Associated Press he heard massive blasts followed by a huge ball of fire.
Kumar says he and and several other villagers rushed to the scene and found two pilots with injuries who were later taken away by the Indian army.
Delta says Israel flights grounded until May 20
US airline Delta says it is extending the suspension of its Tel Aviv route through May 19, citing the “ongoing conflict in the region.”
Daily nonstop service to Tel Aviv from New York’s JFK airport remains on hold, the carrier announces, “with service scheduled to resume on May 20.”
“Delta is continuously monitoring the evolving security environment and assessing our operations based on security guidance and intelligence reports and will communicate any updates as needed,” the US airline says.
A flurry of foreign airlines canceled flight services to Israel after a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday. Israel responded with sweeping airstrikes on the international airport in the Houthi-controlled capital of Sanaa, knocking out service to the airport until at least May 20, officials in Yemen said.
US official confirms Israel was not informed of ceasefire with Houthis
A US official says the Trump administration did not notify Israel ahead of time of an agreement with Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels to halt attacks.
Israel learned of the ceasefire when Trump announced it publicly during an oval Office meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
The comment from the US official confirms Hebrew-language media reports citing Israeli officials saying Jerusalem was caught off guard by the announcement.
Hamas man said killed in Israeli strike on southern Lebanon
Rescue workers inspect a damaged car after an Israeli strike in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, early Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP/Mohammed Zaatari)
One person was reportedly killed in an Israeli drone strike in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon just before dawn.
Security officials at the scene tell The Associated Press that the man was a member of the Hamas terror group.
The country’s state-run National News Agency says an “enemy drone” hit a car in the city’s Villas neighborhood, near the Imam Ali Mosque.
Pictures shared online show a Renault on fire.
A Rapid car was targeted in the villas area of Sidon, south Lebanon. pic.twitter.com/yC8SR0LcqM
— ???????? (@ebnday3a2000) May 7, 2025
There is no Israeli comment on the alleged strike.
Two killed in Russian drone attack on Kyiv, Ukraine says
A Russian drone attack on Ukraine’s capital killed two people and wounded several others, Ukrainian officials say.
Falling debris from destroyed drones sparked fires in apartments and buildings across three of Kyiv’s districts, killing two people in the busy, urban Shevchenkivskyi district, Ukraine’s emergency service says on the Telegram messaging app.
Four children were among seven people who sustained injuries as a result of the drone attack on Kyiv that came just hours after Russia fired missiles at the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko says on the messaging app.
Five more people were injured in Kyiv’s Dniprovskyi district, the head of Kyiv’s military administration Timur Tkachenko said on Telegram.
Moscow’s key airports remained out of operation for most of the night after Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that Russian air defense units destroyed at least 14 Ukrainian drones late Tuesday, with no damage reported.
The assaults come as the Russian capital readies itself for a long holiday weekend and a May 9 parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies in World War II, with Putin set to hold several world leaders, including China’s Xi Jinping.
US reviews occupation of University of Washington building by pro-Palestinian protesters
Illustrative: Anti-Israel demonstrators protest the arrest of Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil and show support for Palestinians during a "Fight for Our Rights" demonstration by Shut It Down for Palestine (SID4P) and various local groups at the University of Washington campus in Seattle, Washington, on March 15, 2025. (Jason Redmond/AFP)
The US government says it will review an incident at the University of Washington in which pro-Palestinian protesters occupied a university building while demanding the school cut ties with Boeing BA.N over its contracts with the Israeli military.
The Trump administration labeled the incident as antisemitic activity. While it praised the university and law enforcement officials for their response, it urged the school to take enforcement actions and make policy changes.
The university says thirty pro-Palestinian protesters who occupied the building late on Monday were arrested, and charges of trespassing, property destruction and disorderly conduct would be referred to prosecutors.
Boeing gave the school a $10 million donation for an engineering building in 2022.
“The Task Force’s review is in response to the eruption of antisemitic harassment and violence that occurred Monday, May 5 at UW’s campus in Seattle,” the US Education Department, Health Department and General Services Administration says in a statement.
The university had no immediate comment after the Trump administration statement.
The protest group, called Super UW, said police had removed the students who occupied the building. It also said 30 people were taken into custody but some were released.
The Trump administration has threatened universities with federal funding cuts over pro-Palestinian campus protests against Israel’s military assault on Gaza following Palestinian Hamas militants’ October 2023 attack in Israel.
The administration has attempted to deport some protesters, and rights advocates have raised free speech and academic freedom concerns.
Trump casts the protests as antisemitic and as sympathetic to Hamas.
Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say the government wrongly conflates their criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza with antisemitism and their advocacy for Palestinian rights with support for extremism.
Explosions heard in Port Sudan, as army launched anti-aircraft missiles
Explosions are heard in the Sudanese city of Port Sudan early on Wednesday, a Reuters witness reports, adding that the Sudanese army launched anti-aircraft missiles.
Fires and explosions had rocked the Sudanese wartime capital on Tuesday, part of a days-long drone assault that has torched the country’s biggest fuel depots and damaged its main gateway for humanitarian aid.
Trump plans to announce the US will call the Persian Gulf the Arabian Gulf
President Donald Trump speaks before Steve Witkoff is sworn as special envoy during a ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
US President Donald Trump plans to announce while on his trip to Saudi Arabia next week that the U.S. will now refer to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia, two US officials tell The Associated Press.
Arab nations have pushed for a change to the geographic name of the body of water off the southern coast of Iran, while Iran has maintained its historic ties to the gulf.
The Persian Gulf has been widely known by that name since the 16th century, although usage of “Gulf of Arabia” and “Arabian Gulf” is dominant in many countries in the Middle East. The government of Iran — formerly Persia — threatened to sue Google in 2012 over the company’s decision not to label the body of water at all on its maps.
On Google Maps in the US, the body of water appears as Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf). Apple Maps only says the Persian Gulf.
The US military for years has unilaterally referred to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf in statements and images it releases.
The name of the body of water has become an emotive issue for Iranians who embrace their country’s long history as the Persian Empire. A spat developed in 2017 during Trump’s first term when he used the name Arabian Gulf for the waterway. Iran’s president at the time, Hassan Rouhani, suggested Trump needed to “study geography.”
“Everyone knew Trump’s friendship was for sale to the highest bidder. We now know that his geography is, too,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote online at the time.
Trump can change the name for official US purposes, but he can’t dictate what the rest of the world calls it.
The move comes several months after Trump said the US would refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
Flights in and out of Sanaa suspended following ‘wild’ Israeli attack, airport says
All flights to and from Yemen’s Sanaa International Airport have been suspended until further notice due to extensive damage following an Israeli strike, the airport’s general director says in a post on X.
A notice to airmen, or NOTAM, issued by the airport Tuesday evening announced the facility was closed “due to the wild damage caused by barbaric Israeli aggressive bombardment.” The notice is active until May 20 at least.
The Israeli military carried out an airstrike on Yemen’s main airport in Sanaa on Tuesday, its second attack in two days on Iran-aligned Houthi rebels after a surge in tensions between the group and Israel.
Indian army says three civilians killed by Pakistani artillery fire
India’s army says that three civilians had been killed overnight by artillery fired by Pakistan’s army along their de facto Line of Control border with contested Kashmir.
“During the night of May 06-07… Pakistan Army resorted to arbitrary firing including artillery shelling from posts across the Line of Control and IB (international border) opposite Jammu and Kashmir”, the army says in a statement.
“Three innocent civilians lost their lives in indiscriminate firing/shelling,” it adds, saying that the Indian army is “responding in proportionate manner.”
Death toll from Indian strikes on Pakistan jumps to 8 civilians
The death toll from Indian strikes on Pakistan has increased to eight, the country’s military spokesman says, as India fired missiles at Pakistani territory and Islamabad vowed to “settle the score.”
“In total in at six locations there were 24 impacts in Pakistan. In these 24 impacts eight Pakistanis have been martyred and 35 have been injured and two are missing,” Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry says, adding one 3-year-old girl is killed in a mosque in Punjab province.
Hamas-linked Gaza rescuers say 9 killed in new Israeli strike on school sheltering displaced
Gaza’s Hamas-linked civil defense agency says that nine people were killed in a fresh Israeli strike on a school sheltering displaced people in the center of the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.
“Nine dead and dozens of injuries in a new airstrike that targeted the northern side of Abu Humeisa School, which shelters displaced people in Al-Bureij camp,” Ahmad Radwan, a media officer from the Hamas-linked Gaza civil defense, tells AFP after rescuers said an earlier Israeli strike on the same site killed 22.
The IDF has yet to comment on the latest strike but has long insisted that it takes precautions to avoid civilian casualties.
Blackstone president to donate $125 million to Tel Aviv University’s medical school — NYT
The president of the Blackstone investment firm will donate $125 million to Tel Aviv University’s health science and medical school, The New York Times reports.
The donation from Jonathan and Mindy Gray’s family foundation is the largest ever to TAU and will allow for enrollment in the medical school to increase by a quarter, amid a shortage in Israeli doctors, The Times says.
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