The Times of Israel liveblogged Sunday’s events as they unfolded.
Egypt and Qatar welcome the announcement by Hamas that it will release US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander from Gaza.
In a joint statement, the countries, who along with the US have mediated talks between Hamas and Israel, call it “a gesture of goodwill and an encouraging step toward a return to the negotiating table to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the release of prisoners and detainees, and ensure the safe and unhindered flow of aid to address the tragic conditions in the strip.”
US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff has added his voice to the growing chorus of officials denying the presence of any tensions between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump.
He commented on the matter in an interview with the right-wing Breitbart news site, conducted last week and published this evening.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli people are a staunch ally of the United States and it goes back the other way,” said Witkoff. “I’ve been at multiple meetings with the president and the prime minister—they’re friendly. They’re good friends in fact.”
He said that this does not mean they see eye-to-eye “on absolutely everything,” but that the media “hears about a small disagreement…then conflates that into some large article about massive issues that they have.”
“Israel is a great partner for the United States, strategically, economically, we think very much alike, we have very similar objectives,” the US envoy said. “They don’t want to see a weaponized nuclear state in the state of Iran. And so, I don’t think there’s much daylight between how they think and how we think from a foreign policy perspective.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects reports of widening gaps between him and US President Donald Trump, and says that his relationship with the president is “excellent,” in a video update on his X account.
“What can I say — it’s not Trump saying it and it’s not me saying it,” says Netanyahu, when asked about sources in the media claiming there is growing tension between Washington and Jerusalem amid the war in Gaza and the US-Iran nuclear talks.
מעדכן אתכם >> pic.twitter.com/IQIaxsQIjR
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) May 11, 2025
“It was his [Trump’s] spokesperson at the White House who said: ‘What is this nonsense?’” continues Netanyahu, referring to recent comments from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, saying that “She said the relationship is excellent, and I’m telling you — the relationship is excellent.”
“These spins — most of them are born here [in Israel.] They’re born in a certain media outlet that’s trying to promote a certain candidate. And in order to promote him, they need to say: ‘Trump and Netanyahu are no longer,” the premier claims.
He does not name the media outlet.
“I speak to him [Trump] from time to time. I won’t say every couple of days, but every two or three weeks, I talk to him. My people are in the White House — including just two to three days ago, they were there…We are currently blessed with a president and an administration that is very, very friendly. And we’re trying to coordinate both the big things, as well as the small things,” concludes Netanyahu.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Channel 13 reports this evening that people in Netanyahu’s inner circle have expressed unusually harsh criticism toward the Trump administration in recent weeks.
“There’s chaos in the Trump administration — the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing,” said a senior figure close to the premier, according to the report.
“It’s not even clear if this has anything to do with us. Everything operates according to the president’s whims. Sometimes that works in our favor, and sometimes it doesn’t,” the source said.
The premier’s office also expressed disappointment in the White House through Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, during a meeting last Thursday between the top Netanyahu adviser and Trump, the report adds.
The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirms that the US has informed Israel that Hamas will release hostage Edan Alexander “without any compensation or conditions,” and as a gesture of goodwill to the US.
“The US conveyed to Israel that this move is expected to lead to negotiations for the release of additional hostages, based on the original Witkoff framework—which Israel has already accepted,” says the PMO in a statement, referring to a proposal by the US special envoy, which provides for the release of around half of the living hostages in exchange for an extended truce.
Israel is making preparations for the possibility that the additional hostage release will materialize, the PMO says, adding that “in accordance with Israeli policy, the negotiations will take place under fire, with a firm commitment to achieving all the objectives of the war.”
The US did not brief Israel on the effort to release Alexander until after the deal with Hamas was reached, the source familiar with the negotiations says.
Israel was generally aware that efforts were ongoing, but only knew about them from its own intelligence operations.
US special envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff negotiated with top Hamas official Khalil Al-Hayya through an intermediary to secure the release of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, a source familiar with the matter tells The Times of Israel.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum says that the release of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander in the coming days “must be the start of a single agreement that will return all 59 hostages.”
“There is only one moral, proper, and necessary agreement: the immediate return of all the hostages and the end of the war,” says the forum, which has long been calling for the government to agree to a deal that will return all the remaining hostages at once, rather than in phases.
“Now is the time to bring about a breakthrough in negotiations. The responsibility lies with the Israeli government,” it adds. “Nobody can be left behind.”
The goal is for Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander to be released early this week — potentially as early as Monday, a source involved in the process tells The Times of Israel.
Certain security measures need to be taken in order for the release to move forward, such as Israel halting military operations and drone surveillance of parts of the Strip, as it has had to do in previous releases, the source says.
After Hamas confirms that it will release Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, which it is reportedly doing as a gesture of goodwill to US President Donald Trump during his visit to the region this week, Israeli journalist Barak Ravid says US special envoy Steve Witkoff will arrive in Israel tomorrow to facilitate the process.
Witkoff will “finalize the details ahead of the release of Edan Alexander, according to a source familiar with the matter,” writes Ravid on X.
The special envoy is currently in Oman after mediating nuclear talks between the US and Iran.
A source involved in the mediation effort bringing about American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander’s release tells The Times of Israel that Hamas has agreed to release him as a gesture of goodwill to the Trump administration in the hope that Washington will coax Israel to end the war in Gaza.
The source says Hamas has received assurances from the US through mediators that Alexander’s release “would go a long way” with US President Donald Trump who wants to see the remaining hostages released and for the war in Gaza to end.
Hamas officially announces that it intends to release hostage soldier Edan Alexander, who holds American citizenship.
In a statement, Hamas says the decision to release Alexander comes after recent talks with US officials and “intensified efforts to achieve a ceasefire, open border crossings, and allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.”
It does not say when Alexander will be released.
The terror group also says that it is prepared to enter intensified negotiations aimed at reaching a final agreement to end the war, establish a mutually “agreed prisoner exchange, and enable Gaza to be administered by an independent professional authority.”
Hamas uses the term “prisoner exchange” to refer to the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian security prisoners.
Unnamed sources within Hamas tell the Qatari Al-Araby channel that the final details of an agreement concerning the release of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander are currently being finalized.
Alexander is the only known American hostage still alive in Gaza.
The report comes shortly after an Arab official told the Times of Israel that Hamas is being pushed to release him unconditionally as a show of goodwill to US President Donald Trump, who is heading to the region this week.
Hamas is being pushed by mediators to release American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander unconditionally as a show of goodwill to US President Donald Trump, who is heading to the region this week, an Arab official familiar with the negotiations tells The Times of Israel.
Mediators are telling Hamas that releasing Alexander would go a long way with the the Trump administration, which would “put all issues on the table,” as far as Washington is concerned, including pushing Israel to agree to end the war in Gaza — something Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to do, arguing that it would leave Hamas in power.
Earlier today, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was said to have told the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Hamas may release Alexander during Trump’s visit.
US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff recently told families of Gaza hostages that he disagrees with Israel’s approach to the war in Gaza, and believes reaching a new ceasefire and hostage release deal is the correct next step to take, Channel 12 reports.
According to the report, Witkoff told the families that the US “wants to return the hostages, but Israel is not ready to end the war.”
“Israel is prolonging the war, even though we do not see where further progress can be made,” said Witkoff, the report adds, citing sources who attended the meeting.
“Still, there is currently a window of opportunity that we hope Israel and all the mediators will take advantage of. We are putting pressure on all the mediators and doing everything to return the hostages,” he reportedly said.
Channel 12 cites the families saying they’ve not heard this kind of criticism from Witkoff of Israeli government policy in the past.
The TV report also quotes unnamed senior Israeli officials warning: “If there are no agreements by the end of [President Donald] Trump’s visit to the Middle East, Israel will launch a ground operation and it will take several weeks until the next ‘exit point’. We won’t agree to quickly halt, once we have begun the intensified operation. Hamas will not determine the timeline.”
Echoing Witkoff’s reported remarks, however, the officials agree that there is currently “a window of opportunity,” and state that the mediators have an obligation to make this clear to Hamas, according to Channel 12.
The report says Israel is open to various proposals — including what it says Israel is calling a “Witkoff proposal-minus” — but that if Hamas continues its refusal to agree to a deal there is “no alternative” to an intensified operation that will not end quickly. The Witkoff proposal provides for the release of some half of the living hostages in return for an extended truce.
It says Witkoff is holding conversations with various key players right now, trying to establish some kind of framework for a deal this week.
Walla news reports that Witkoff is currently holding talks with Hamas, Qatar, Egypt and Israel on a hostage deal and longer-term calm.
The IDF has issued an “urgent” evacuation warning for three Houthi-controlled ports in Yemen, ahead of possible airstrikes.
In a post on X, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee warns those at the Ras Isa, Hodeidah, and Salif ports on the western coast to evacuate.
“Due to the Houthi terror regime’s use of ports for its terror activities, we urge all those present at these ports to evacuate and stay away from them for your own safety until further notice,” he says.
The warning comes after the Houthis fired several ballistic missiles and drones at Israel in recent days, since the Israeli Air Force struck the Houthi-controlled airport in Sanaa and several other facilities last week.
#عاجل تحذير لكل المتواجدين في الموانئ البحرية التي يسيطر عليها النظام الحوثي الإرهابي
⭕️ميناء رأس عيسى
⭕️ميناء الحديدة
⭕️ميناء الصليف????أمامكم تحذير هام وعاجل????
نظرًا لقيام النظام الحوثي الإرهابي باستخدام الموانئ البحرية لصالح أنشطته الإرهابية نحث جميع المتواجدين في هذه الموانئ… pic.twitter.com/3ySkzXCYRR
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) May 11, 2025
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Jerusalem and Berlin will continue to strengthen their alliance during a meeting with Germany’s new foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem.
“We’ve had excellent relations, we’ll continue them in this conversation,” says Netanyahu, alongside Wadephul ahead of the meeting, in a video shared by the PMO.
“We have a lot of common interests, a lot of common values, and a lot of common challenges…I will send my best regards to [new German Chancellor] Friedrich Merz and to your joint efforts to continue the Israel–Germany alliance,” he continues.
Wadephul replies that “It’s a privilege to be here on the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between our countries.”
In his first phone call to the premier since assuming office, Merz discussed Gaza and regional issues with Netanyahu last Thursday, and also “reiterated that the existence and security of Israel are a part of German raison d’être,” according to a Berlin readout.
Senior PMO officials and the ambassadors of both countries were among the participants in today’s meeting, adds the PMO, without providing details on the content of the discussion.
Earlier today, Wadephul toured the Defense Ministry and Yad Vashem Holocaust museum with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who said he was invited to visit his counterpart in Berlin, and “will have the honor of visiting Germany very soon, hopefully in the beginning of June.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is said to have told a closed meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee today that Hamas may soon release American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, in a show of goodwill toward US President Donald Trump.
In leaked remarks picked up by Hebrew news outlets, Netanyahu is said to have told the committee that there is reason to believe that Hamas may release Alexander during Trump’s visit to the region this week, and welcomed the possibility.
Speaking to the Kan public broadcaster, officials present in the meeting say that Netanyahu sounded “optimistic” about the chance for Alexander’s release.
“These are very critical days,” he is said to have told the committee.
Channel 12 says Netanyahu also told the committee today that Israel has always supported the so-called Witkoff proposal, which provides for the release of some half of the living hostages in return for an extended truce, and would be pleased if it comes to fruition, but is also open to a narrower deal, including “symbollic releases” such as that of Alexander.
US President Donald Trump plans to accept a Boeing 747 as a gift from the Qatari royal family, and will use it as a new Air Force One before having it donated to his planned presidential library, allowing him to use it once he is out of office, according to various reports.
It was previously reported that the jet was being considered as a new presidential plane, but not that it would be given as a gift.
According to the reports, the Gulf State ruling family will donate the plane to the US Air Force, at which time it will be retrofitted by a military contractor. The process could be completed by the year’s end, allowing Trump to then use it for his official duties.
Then, no later than January 1, 2029 — shortly before the end of Trump’s term — the plane is to be transferred to Trump’s presidential library, so that he can continue using it as a private citizen, according to ABC News, citing familiar sources.
Government lawyers have determined that the unprecedented gift does not constitute bribery, according to ABC News, because the plane will not be given to Trump himself, even though he will use it both during and after his presidency.
The US Constitution’s Emoluments Clause bars at least some office-holders from receiving presents “from any king, prince, or foreign state” without the consent of Congress.
Trump was accused by Democratic lawmakers in his first term of violating the provision and faced several lawsuits, but the Supreme Court threw out the pending cases after he left office.
The American leader is expected to travel to Qatar later this week, during a Mideast trip that will also include stops in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, but not Israel.
Emergency services are gearing up for the coming Lag B’Omer holiday this week, when masses of revelers are expected to throng the tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai at Mount Meron.
The police, Magen David Adom responders and firefighters will run drills Monday night and Tuesday afternoon, simulating potential disaster scenarios ahead of the holiday.
Securing the pilgrimage site in the face of massive crowds has been a major concern since 2021, when a crowd crush killed 45 people, as they traversed a slippery walkway at the shrine.
First responders will recreate and respond to a variety of scenarios, including a terror attack, rocket fire from Lebanon, a crowd crush, and road blockages.
An MDA spokesperson says hundreds of their paramedics will be at the event Thursday evening, which is expected to draw hundreds of thousands to the northern site.
The Palestinian Authority has stopped paying stipends to at least 1,612 Palestinian security prisoners in Israeli jails, two Palestinian sources told The Times of Israel on Sunday, as Ramallah appeared to move forward with a reform of its controversial welfare system.
In February, PA President Mahmoud Abbas signed a decree cancelling legislation that established the old system, which included payments to the families of slain terrorists and the families of security prisoners based on the length of their sentence. The decree also established a new non-governmental body that was tasked with providing welfare payments strictly based on economic need.
Palestinians — including the families of prisoners and slain attackers — will be able to apply for welfare stipends and bureaucrats will adjudicate whether each applicant will receive payments and how much based on a series of economic-related criteria, Palestinian and US officials have told The Times of Israel.
The transition to the new system has taken time, but last month, senior Palestinian official Hussein al-Sheikh — who has since been formally appointed Abbas’s deputy — penned a letter to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio inviting the Trump administration to send a delegation to Ramallah from June 1 onward in order to certify that the PA has implemented the reform and is in compliance with US legislation that bars American aid that directly benefits the PA so long its previous prisoner payment system remained in place.
Palestinian sources told The Times of Israel in March and April that families of prisoners and slain attackers were still receiving stipends based on the old system, as the new system was not in place. But that is no longer the case for at least 1,612 prisoners, who did not receive any stipend for the month of May, the two sources said.
The sources did not know what that meant for the thousands of other prisoners and could not elaborate further on the figure.
Talks between Hamas and the US administration regarding a ceasefire in Gaza and the entry of humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave were underway, a senior Palestinian official familiar with the discussions told Reuters on Sunday.
There is no immediate comment from the US State Department.
The US had previously conducted discussions with Hamas on securing the release of US hostages held in Gaza, although the effort ultimately failed.
The IDF releases footage showing the moment the remains of Sgt. First Class Zvi Feldman were returned to Israel, nearly 43 years after he went missing in the First Lebanon War’s battle of Sultan Yacoub.
The video shows a coffin draped in an Israeli flag, as troops recite the Mourner’s Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead.
The remains, which were in a complex state, due to the passage of time, were taken for identification some two weeks ago. Once the identification process was completed early this morning, Feldman’s family was updated.
The tank soldier’s overalls were also recovered, and were identified by the head of the Intelligence Directorate’s missing persons unit, who himself served in the Armored Corps in his youth.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar briefs Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger on Israel’s plans in Gaza, including a decision to support the US-backed plan to allow humanitarian aid into the war-torn enclave.
“Israel endorses the American plan presented by [US Ambassador to Israel Mike] Huckabee on Friday. Aid, facilitated by a private fund, will be directly distributed to the people. Hamas must not benefit from it anymore!” writes Sa’ar in a post on X about the phone call with his Austrian counterpart.
Briefed Austrian FM @BMeinl on Gaza. Throughout the war, Israel facilitated the flow of humanitarian aid. But Hamas stole the aid from the people and also earned money from it. If that continues – the war will never end. Israel endorses the American plan presented by Amb.… pic.twitter.com/gzOdRKZ3nV
— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) May 11, 2025
“Throughout the war, Israel facilitated the flow of humanitarian aid. But Hamas stole the aid from the people and also earned money from it. If that continues, the war will never end,” says Sa’ar.
Earlier today, at a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, Sa’ar announced that Israel “fully endorses” the newly presented plan, which Huckabee said over the weekend should take effect soon, without giving many details.
“Humanitarian aid will be facilitated by a private fund — based on the principles laid out by the US administration. It will enable aid to go directly to the people. Hamas must not be allowed to get their hands on it,” Sa’ar said at the press conference.
Despite Sa’ar characterization of it as a US aid plan, officials involved in crafting the plan and those familiar with it tell The Times of Israel that Jerusalem was closely involved in its inception, including the establishment of the Swiss-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation that will be managing it, and that US involvement only came after the fact.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar says that Israel seeks “good relations” with the new government in Damascus, following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement today that Israeli forces had recovered the remains of Sgt. First Class Zvi Feldman, who went missing during the First Lebanon War in 1982
Asked during a Jerusalem press conference whether Israel received assistance from the Syrian government during the recovery mission, and if there is a growing alliance with Damascus following reports of indirect talks, Sa’ar says: “It seems that this question should go to the Prime Minister’s Office.”
“However, we would like to have good relations,” he continues. “We would like to have stability. We have, naturally, security concerns, and it is understood.”
He acknowledges that Israel has reason “to be skeptical with the current regime” in Syria, in particular due to “certain moves… with regard to minorities in the country” — an apparent reference to the recent violence against Syrian Druze that left dozens dead.
“But our intentions are good,” Sa’ar says. “We want it. We want security. We want stability. This is our wish.”
His comments appear to mark a shift in tone from the harsh rhetoric he has adopted to describe Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa and his government.
Earlier this month, after the deadly sectarian clashes in largely Druze areas of Syria, Sa’ar urged the international community to “protect minorities in Syria, and specifically the Druze, from the regime and its terrorist gangs.”
Similarly, back in March, after reports that over a thousand civilians were massacred in the country’s Alawite heartland, Sa’ar condemned the “pure evil” of Syria’s “jihadist” leadership.
“They were jihadists and remain jihadists, even if some of their leaders have donned suits,” he said at the time.
His comments today come after Sharaa confirmed last week that his country was currently taking part in indirect talks with Israel, which reports have said are being mediated by the United Arab Emirates.
Sharaa said that the backchannel negotiations are aimed at “easing tensions and preventing the situation from spiraling out of control for all involved parties.”
Footage published by Palestinian media of the killing of a wanted terror operative in the West Bank city of Nablus by undercover Israeli forces in the West Bank last week shows that the man had his hands raised in the air when he was shot.
Rami al-Kakhn, a member of the former Lion’s Den terror group, who Israel says was planning attacks, was killed by undercover Border Police officers on Thursday.
The video published by Palestinian media shows disguised officers opening fire at Kakhn, even as he raises his hands in the air.
A police statement last week said the officers opened fire after identifying Kakhn as armed, something that is unclear in the video. A handgun was recovered from his body, according to police.
ما تكشفه لقطات اغتيال الشاب رامي الكخن في وضح النهار، في قلب مدينة نابلس، يوم الخميس الماضي، لا يترك مجالًا للشك أو التأويل:
لم تكن نية "الاحتلال" تنفيذ اعتقال قانوني.. بل إعدام ميداني بدم بارد!
رفع رامي يديه عاليًا، في لحظة استسلام لا يختلف عليها اثنان..
لم يكن مسلحًا، لم يشكّل… pic.twitter.com/gQuupXX9Se— Khaled Safi ???????? خالد صافي (@KhaledSafi) May 10, 2025
The Israeli Air Force struck over 50 targets in the Gaza Strip over the past day, the military says, including cells of terror operatives and buildings used by terror groups to plan and carry out attacks.
Additionally, the IDF says ground forces targeted a Hamas command center, caches of weapons, and sniper positions.
Hamas authorities reported 19 killed and dozens wounded during the previous 24 hours.
US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are said to be increasingly at odds with one another over their contrasting visions for the Middle East, and in particular for the Gaza Strip.
Citing unnamed US officials, NBC reports that Trump is opposed to Netanyahu’s plans for a new, significantly expanded operation in the Gaza Strip, and has privately called it a wasted effort that will interfere with his vision to rebuild the enclave.
Netanyahu, meanwhile, is said to be growing increasingly frustrated with the US approach to Iran amid the nuclear talks and after Washington struck a deal with the Houthis, agreeing to end its intensive bombing campaign in return for an end to the Iran-backed group’s maritime attacks.
Speaking to NBC, one US official says Israel is “worried about any deal” that the US could sign with Iran to thwart its nuclear ambitions.
To that end, two US officials say Netanyahu has privately dismissed the negotiations as a waste of time, arguing that even if a deal is forged, Tehran will inevitably break it.
Israel would rather take action and strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, the report says, and believes that the opportunity to do so is shrinking more the longer talks continue.
Israeli and US officials have vehemently denied the reported tensions between Trump and Netanyahu, with US Ambassador Mike Huckabee calling the reports “reckless and irresponsible.”
Netanyahu is also said to have denied the reports of a growing rift between him and Trump, in leaked remarks from a closed meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee earlier today.
“There are no gaps between us and the Americans,” Netanyahu is quoted as saying by Channel 12 news pundit Amit Segel.
He adds that Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer is in the US “every few days,” and that reports about disagreements between the prime minister and his American counterpart over Iran or the Houthis “is a campaign” being spread “for political reasons.”
The premier is quoted as saying that Israel “didn’t ask for permission to attack the Houthis, and we’re not asking for permission for our war plans in Gaza. The Americans volunteered to get involved with the Houthis and said they would leave when it ‘stops.’”
Leaked remarks from a closed meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee today quote Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as saying that 10,500 ultra-Orthodox men would be conscripted into the IDF within the next two years, and that those who refuse to serve would face consequences
“It will be the first time that this has happened. Until now, nobody has succeeded,” he said of the efforts to bring Haredi men into the military. “Ten thousand five hundred within two years is the number that the military is able to absorb.”
“We will also implement heavy sanctions against individuals and institutions,” he is said to have told the committee, referring to both individual draft dodgers and the ultra-Orthodox yeshivas whose students do not serve.
Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee head Yuli Edelstein said last week that after months of deliberations, the committee was set to begin drafting its proposed bill regulating Haredi conscription, almost a year after the High Court of Justice ruled in June 2024 that there was no longer a legal framework for issuing blanket military service exemptions to ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students.
Currently, approximately 80,000 Haredi men between the ages of 18 and 24 are eligible for military service and have not enlisted.
The IDF has sent out 18,915 initial draft orders to members of the Haredi community in several waves since July 2024. As of late April, only 232 of those who received orders have enlisted.
Israel’s Kan public broadcaster files a complaint with Swiss police after a man was filmed threatening Yuval Raphael and the Israeli delegation during the Eurovision opening event in Basel.
In the video, filmed by a member of the Israeli delegation, a man waving a Palestinian flag and wearing a keffiyeh can be seen making a throat-slitting gesture and spitting toward the Israeli procession during the “turquoise carpet” event.
In a statement, Kan says it also sent a message to the European Broadcasting Union asking for help in identifying the man. Asked to comment, the EBU says it is a matter for Swiss police.
At a protest outside the Education Ministry against the potential dismissal of a teacher who has been active in protesting for fair pay, demonstrators emphasize that they are fighting not only for teachers’ rights but are also part of what they see as a broader struggle for democratic values.
“The protest is addressing two crises: the status of teachers and education, but also the defense of democracy — something that this government doesn’t value,” the principal of Tel Aviv’s Ironi Alef High School, Yoav Pridan, tells The Times of Israel.
Pridan, who heads one of the largest arts high schools in Israel, is on sabbatical but says he came to support his fellow educators.
“Teachers and the education system in general are a low priority for this government, which has politicized this issue,” he says. “This isn’t — and shouldn’t be — an issue of the left or right. It shouldn’t be political at all.”
Also in attendance at the protest is MK Naama Lazimi (The Democrats).
“We have to stand in solidarity with teachers,” she tells The Times of Israel. “They are fighting for their right to earn a respectable living and for our children’s future.”
“As a mother, and as someone married to a teacher, it’s important to be here. There’s no state without public service — it has to be developed and supported.”
The IDF’s Nahal Brigade has been withdrawn from the West Bank after three months of operations, ahead of an upcoming major offensive in the Gaza Strip, the military says.
“Now, the Nahal Brigade is preparing as part of the 162nd Division for additional missions in the Gaza Strip ahead of the expansion of the fighting in the Strip,” the army says.
According to Israeli officials, the planned offensive, dubbed “Gideon’s Chariots,” will see the IDF “conquering” Gaza and retaining the territory; moving the Palestinian civilian population toward the south of the Strip; attacking Hamas; and preventing the terror group from taking control of humanitarian aid supplies.
The Al Jazeera news network reports that a joint US-Qatari search team, with the assistance of Syrian security forces, has uncovered the remains of missing US journalist Austin Tice in the Aleppo region of Syria.
The report, which cites an unnamed official Syrian source, says two other bodies were also found at the site.
Tice has been missing since 2012 after traveling to Syria to document the early days of the Syrian civil war. He disappeared near Damascus and has not been heard from since, other than in a video weeks later, in which he was blindfolded and held by armed men.
Al Jazeera reports that a former Islamic State operative revealed the location of the burial site to the search team.
Efforts to locate Tice have stepped up since the regime of former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad fell to Islamist insurgents in December. Assad’s government had previously denied that it was holding him.
In response to the reports, Hostage Aid Worldwide, which has been leading the search for Tice on behalf of his family, urges the public and the media to “refrain from speculation” as to his whereabouts and condition.
“We would like to clarify that only the Tice family will issue official comments or statements regarding any ongoing developments,” it says. “These statements will be made either directly by the family or through Hostage Aid, and only once information has been verified and confirmed.”
Iran says it has concluded the fourth round of nuclear talks with the United States, describing it as “difficult.”
“The fourth round of indirect Iran-US negotiations is concluded; difficult but useful talks to better understand each other’s positions and to find reasonable and realistic ways to address the differences,” says foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei in a post on X.
A senior US official, meanwhile, describes the latest talks with Iran over its nuclear program positively, saying another round would take place soon.
The discussions in Oman led by US special envoy Steve Witkoff “were again both direct and indirect, and lasted over 3 hours,” a senior administration official says, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“Agreement was reached to move forward with the talks to continue working through technical elements. We are encouraged by today’s outcome and look forward to our next meeting, which will happen in the near future,” the official adds.
The Supreme Court upholds a lower court decision and decides that the legal parents of Sophia, an infant girl born in 2022 following an embryo implantation mistake, are her birth mother and her partner, and not her genetic parents.
In the four-to-one decision, the court also approves the Lod-Central District Court’s determination that a special framework be established to enable Sophia’s genetic parents to keep in close contact with her.
Writing for the majority, Judge Yael Wilner says that there is a lacuna in the law for the embryo implantation mistake situation. But since a clause in the law for surrogacy establishes that the birthing mother is the legal mother of a baby if she withdraws from the surrogacy agreement with the genetic parents, that law can be applied to the current case, writes Wilner.
The judge also writes that Sophia’s birth mother and her partner had already established a parental connection to the baby before her genetic parents were able to seek custody.
The judge writes that the good of the child justifies leaving her in the care of her birth mother and partner due to “the fact that the young girl has lived with them from the day of her birth and sees them as her father and mother,” a summary of the ruling issued by the court says, as well as Sophia’s “complex medical situation.”
The mix-up at Rishon Lezion’s Assuta Medical Center in 2022 was discovered when the then-in-utero fetus was determined to have medical problems. After undergoing tests, it was discovered that neither the woman carrying the child nor her partner could be her biological parents.
The Rishon Lezion Family Court ruled in November 2024, based on a professional opinion submitted to the court, that Sophia’s genetic parents were her “natural parents” and that it was “best for a child to be raised by them.”
A second professional opinion had recommended that Sophia remain with her birth parents.
The Lod-Central District Court ruled in March this year that the parental rights of the birth mother and her partner should be given preference over those of the genetic parents. This was appealed by the genetic parents, resulting in today’s Supreme Court ruling.
Some 100 teachers, activists and supporters are gathered in Tel Aviv to protest the potential dismissal of a teacher who they say is being punished for demanding fair wages.
The protest, organized by the grassroots group We’re Stopping, is taking place outside Education Ministry offices on HaShlosha Street.
The teacher, Storm Tzemach, was summoned to a pre-dismissal hearing by the Education Ministry. Organizers say the disciplinary action stems not from misconduct, but because Storm has been active in the protest movement for teachers’ rights and fair pay. The case, they argue, reflects a broader attempt to silence public sector employees, particularly educators, who are striking against deteriorating conditions.
“A teacher in Israel has been summoned to a pre-dismissal hearing for one reason only – he demanded his rights,” says a message published by the group. “A man who chose to dedicate his life to educating our children is now facing the loss of his life’s work simply because he dared to speak his mind.”
“In Israel in 2025, asking for fair pay is considered a criminal offense,” the statement continues.
Last Monday, 117 schools closed in Tel Aviv and 155 closed in the central district as part of nationwide strikes against salary cuts, according to the Ynet news site. Then, on Wednesday, thousands of teachers called in sick as an act of protest.
Standing alongside German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul at a press conference in Jerusalem, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar says Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities “must be dismantled,” and that the US and Israel agree on this issue.
“The most dangerous regime must not be allowed to obtain the world’s most dangerous weapon. Its uranium enrichment facilities must be dismantled,” says Sa’ar at the Foreign Ministry.
Sa’ar says he “agrees very much” with comments made over the weekend by US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who is set to take part in the fourth round of US-Iran nuclear talks today. Witkoff had said that the Islamic Republic’s uranium enrichment facilities “have to be dismantled” for Washington to take it at its word that it does not want nuclear arms.
“I think this is the right approach and we hold the same view on the matter,” says Sa’ar.
Asked whether Israel is concerned about recent foreign policy moves by US President Donald Trump that seem to sideline Jerusalem on key regional issues, Sa’ar says, “We are coordinated. It doesn’t mean we must fully agree one hundred percent on every issue.”
“The US is a sovereign state, Israel is a sovereign state. But I believe that we have very, very big common grounds with positions in this US administration, more than in the past…I think the US is our greatest friend and President Trump is a great friend of Israel, and we will work together, we are working together,” he adds.
Sa’ar notes that “there is no other world leader” with whom Trump has spent more time than Netanyahu, echoing remarks made by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee over the weekend, asserting Trump’s alliance with the Jewish state.
Next to Sa’ar, Wadephul says “Iran is an issue that greatly concerns” Germany.
“We share the common position with Israel, as well as with our E3 partners, that Iran must not come into possession of nuclear weapons — and Iran knows that. There is an ongoing discussion. I will certainly address this question throughout the course of May,” he says.
“I represent the common position of the three [E3 partners] who have consistently taken this stance and voted accordingly, and the coordination will continue,” he says.
He adds: “I will also be meeting a colleague tomorrow in London — someone in the UK who could speak directly to this matter — and who will make clear once again that we stand firmly behind this position.”
Earlier today, the two foreign ministers took a tour of Israel’s Arrow missile defense system at the Defense Ministry’s Directorate of Defense, Research and Development, and visited Yad Vashem, Israel’s national Holocaust memorial and museum, according to the Foreign Ministry.
Ahead of US President Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar this week, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar notes that “there have been talks about an initiative to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state,” and warns that “such initiatives are not constructive, but counterproductive.”
“They will only serve as a prize for Hamas’s terror,” he says during a press conference with his German counterpart in Jerusalem.
He adds that any attempt to unilaterally recognize Palestinian statehood “will only harm future prospects for a bilateral process – and will push us to unilateral actions in response.”
Last night, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called reports claiming Trump was set to recognize a Palestinian state during his visit “nonsense.”
Israel’s Yuval Raphael walks the “turquoise carpet” event officially kicking off the Eurovision Song Contest week in Basel, Switzerland.
Palestinian flags can be seen flying in the crowd and along the procession route, the most visible flag being waved by spectators. This year, Eurovision organizers relaxed their rules on flags at official events, allowing any flag legal under Swiss law — unlike last year, when only flags of participating countries were allowed.
A smattering of boos can be heard as Raphael steps onto the carpet.
Last year, Israel’s contestant Eden Golan skipped the turquoise carpet event due to security concerns as well as its overlap with Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Raphael, a survivor of Hamas attack on the Nova music festival massacre, will perform in the second semifinal on Thursday evening, hoping for a spot in Saturday’s grand final.
The IDF announces its support for the government’s approval of a NIS 3 billion ($838 million) benefits plan for reservists, calling it a reflection of national recognition for their “exceptional contribution” and a response to the needs raised by commanders and families.
In a statement, the IDF says it is committed to the well-being of its reserve soldiers and will work with relevant bodies to implement the new benefits. Reservists “are a key pillar of the IDF’s strength,” the military says.
The plan, unveiled by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior ministers today, includes tax breaks, employer grants, housing assistance, and priority access to government services. It comes amid plans to expand ground operations in Gaza and growing concern over reservists’ economic and social hardships.
The operation to recover the remains of Sgt. First Class Zvi Feldman from Syria was carried out by non-Israeli Mossad agents, according to defense officials.
The team members operated deep inside Syria, dozens of kilometers from the Israeli border, to retrieve the body, risking their lives.
Defense officials say that the agents, operating on behalf of the Mossad, had a cover story and had been inside Syria for several years.
In the past five months, following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime, there were breakthroughs in Feldman’s case and an opportunity to recover his remains, the officials say.
The team of Mossad agents went to a graveyard several times, bringing back various findings that were brought to Israel for identification.
Eventually findings matched Feldman’s DNA. The team also found the remains of the tank soldier’s overalls.
Officials say the team operated “under fire” during the mission.
After five months of operations in southern Syria, the Paratroopers Brigade is being deployed to southern Israel ahead of an upcoming major offensive in the Gaza Strip, the military says.
The paratroopers have been operating in the Golan Heights and inside Syria since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December.
The military says the brigade has concluded its operations and is now preparing with the 98th Division for “additional missions in the Gaza Strip ahead of the expansion of the fighting in the Strip.”
A reservist brigade will be replacing the paratroopers in the Golan and southern Syria, the army adds.
The government approves a “comprehensive benefit plan” for IDF reservists worth around NIS 3 billion ($838 million), Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Defense Minister Israel Katz and Justice Minister Yariv Levin announce in a joint statement.
The plan, they state, “includes a series of economic and social benefits aimed at strengthening reservists, their families, and their employers in light of their significant contribution to national security, and in particular in anticipation of the expected expansion of ground maneuvers” in the Gaza Strip.
These benefits include unspecified tax credits, grants for employers of reservists, priority in government housing programs at a discount, support for small businesses, and priority in receiving services from government ministries, among other things.
“Our reservists do everything for the country. We need to give them everything. Our rule is simple: Whoever contributes to the country will be rewarded with compound interest,” Netanyahu says.
This move promotes “justice for reservists,” states Katz, while Levin adds that the government “will continue and do our best to honor our precious reserve soldiers.”
Given the soldiers’ sacrifices, this is “the least we can do,” says Smotrich, adding that this is the latest in a series of large allocations for reservists.
The announcement comes amid a storm over government moves to legislate military draft exemptions for Haredi men.
According to survey by the government’s Israeli Employment Service reported by Channel 12 in March, 75% of reservists who responded said they have been hurt economically, and 41% of respondents said they were fired or had to quit their jobs or close their businesses. The service noted, however, that these figures did not constitute a representative sample of the 1,000 reservists who were surveyed.
Police say they discovered a suspicious object in an open area near Kiryat Shmona that they believe to have been left over from the war with Hezbollah on the northern border.
Hebrew outlet reports that the object is a wing from a drone presumably downed during the hostilities.
Law enforcement closed a section of Route 90 near Kiryat Shmona to traffic in both directions as police sappers neutralize the device. The road has since been reopened.
For months since October 8, 2023, Hezbollah-led forces attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the terror group saying it was doing so to support Gaza amid the war there. Hostilities largely ended with a November ceasefire.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar says Israel “fully endorses” a recently announced US-initiated plan for providing aid to the Gaza Strip.
“Israel fully endorses the Trump administration’s plan, presented on Friday by US Ambassador to Israel Mr. Mike Huckabee,” says Sa’ar at a joint press conference with Germany’s new foreign minister, Johann Wadephul in Jerusalem.
This weekend, ahead of US President Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to the Middle East this week, Washington’s envoy to Israel said that a US-backed mechanism for distributing aid into Gaza should take effect soon, without giving many details.
“Humanitarian aid will be facilitated by a private fund — based on the principles laid out by the US administration. It will enable aid to go directly to the people. Hamas must not be allowed to get their hands on it,” Sa’ar continues.
“During the war, Israel allowed humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza, and facilitated it. But Hamas stole that aid from the people and earned its money from it… Therefore we will stop making these efforts in a manner that Hamas could use because it undermines Israel’s objectives in this just war,” says Sa’ar.
“IDF soldiers will not allocate aid — they will secure the perimeter. This plan allows for aid to flow based on international humanitarian law and its principles, which we are committed to,” says Sa’ar, adding that Israel “would like to cooperate with as many countries and NGOs as possible on the matter.”
Wadephul commends Israel’s decision, telling Sa’ar that “I welcome your announcement today to support US efforts” to provide humanitarian aid in Gaza.
“If this path ensures adequate humanitarian care, then the German government will support it. We are open to this approach, and I will be discussing it with the United Nations — especially with Secretary-General [Antonio] Guterres — this Tuesday in Berlin,” says Wadephul.
Officials familiar with the plan have told The Times of Israel that the Israeli government and military have been heavily involved in putting together its details, even though a new international organization — the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation — will be managing the initiative and the Israel Defense Forces won’t be distributing the aid.
The United Arab Emirates has rejected an Israeli request to bankroll the new initiative, saying it fails to address the humanitarian crisis in the Strip.
Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu of Otzma Yehudit, MK Nissim Vaturi of Likud, and MK Zvi Sukkot of Religious Zionism have been summoned by police for questioning for breaking into the IDF’s Sde Teiman base in southern Israel last July, Hebrew media reports.
According to Haaretz, the three were asked to appear for questioning at the Beersheba police station.
Vaturi and Eliyahu have previously said they do not plan to present themselves for questioning, while Sukkot is said to be considering his options on the matter.
“I have a very simple message for them – do not intimidate us and I will continue to come whenever and wherever necessary to protect the rights of our fighters,” Sukkot says in a video on X.
Haaretz says the questioning of the three lawmakers was approved by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and State Prosecutor Amit Aisman.
The lawmakers were among dozens of far-right activists who rioted outside the base on July 29, 2024, after 10 IDF soldiers were detained by Military Police investigators amid allegations of severe abuse against a Palestinian terror detainee.
Five of the IDF reservists were indicted in February for severely beating and assaulting the prisoner after he was brought to the detention facility on July 5, leaving him with severe injuries, including broken ribs and an internal tear in his rectum.
In response to the investigation, Eliyahu and Vaturi both vowed not to show up for questioning and railed against the attorney general — whom the government is working to fire.
An IDF soldier was killed in a clash with Hamas operatives in the Gaza Strip in recent weeks after his unit warned that its location had been compromised, Channel 12 reports.
According to the report, the unit had been conducting a planned ambush from inside a house in a Gaza neighborhood and had eliminated several terrorist operatives the day before the fatal encounter.
The soldiers later believed their position had been discovered and requested a relocation, telling higher command that “if we stay here — a disaster will happen,” but the request was reportedly denied.
The following day, a clash occurred inside the building, resulting in the unnamed soldier’s death.
Security officials tell Channel 12 that a situational assessment had concluded there was no intelligence confirming exposure of the force, leading to the decision to keep it in place.
In response, the IDF says: “The event is under operational investigation. The IDF shares in the grief of the bereaved families.”
Anat Cohen, the sister of Sgt. First Class Zvi Feldman, welcomes the return of his body from Syria, nearly 43 years after the IDF soldier went missing during the First Lebanon War.
“We always believed that Zvika would return, and indeed Zvika did,” she says, according to the Ynet news site.
“This is a happy day for us and for the entire people of Israel. The unbelievable has happened,” Cohen says. “My heart is bursting with excitement and we are trying to digest it. I am extremely excited.”
Earlier today, the IDF and Mossad announced that Feldman’s body had been recovered from “the heart of Syria” in a special operation.
Feldman went missing in the battle of Sultan Yacoub in 1982.
The battle was a skirmish between the IDF and the Syrian army in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley. It claimed the lives of 21 Israeli servicemen, and injured more than 30.
Feldman, a tank soldier, went missing during the battle along with Sgt. First Class Yehuda Katz and Sgt. First Class Zachary Baumel. Baumel’s remains were recovered and returned to Israel in 2019.
Pope Leo XIV appeals to the world’s major powers for “no more war” in his first Sunday message to crowds in St. Peter’s Square since his election as pontiff.
The new pope calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza with the release of hostages and delivery of humanitarian aid.
“Never again war!” Leo says from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Recalling the end of World War II 80 years ago, Leo quotes Pope Francis in denouncing the number of conflicts ravaging the globe today, saying it is a “third world war in pieces.”
The new pope, elected on May 8, also calls for an “authentic and lasting peace” in Ukraine and welcomes the recent ceasefire between India and Pakistan, saying he is praying to God to grant the world the “miracle of peace.”
Top Iranian and US negotiators have resumed talks to address disputes over Tehran’s nuclear program, Iranian state media reports, in a push for progress as Washington hardens its stance ahead of US President Donald Trump’s Middle East visit.
Though Tehran and Washington both have said they prefer diplomacy to resolve the decades-long dispute, they remain deeply divided on several red lines that negotiators will have to circumvent to reach a new nuclear deal and avert future military action.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff are holding the fourth round of talks in Muscat through Omani mediators, despite Washington taking a tough stance in public that Iranian officials said would not help the negotiations.
Araghchi, before departing for Muscat, told Iranian state TV that “Iran has well-known positions based on clear principles… We hope to reach a decisive stance in Sunday’s meeting.” He added that Iran’s expert team was in Oman and “will be consulted if necessary.”
Two weeks after her IDF soldier great-grandson was killed fighting in northern Gaza, 96-year-old Holocaust survivor Magda Baratz died on Friday, it is announced.
On April 24, IDF reservist Master Sgt. (res.) Asaf Cafri was killed by sniper fire in the Beit Hanoun area of Gaza, in an attack that wounded three others.
At the time Cafri was killed, Baratz was attending a Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where she was honored as a survivor of the death march from Auschwitz to Bergen-Belsen. She traveled there with her grandson Hagai, Cafri’s father.
Both only learned of Cafri’s death upon their arrival back in Israel, reports said.
Baratz died on Friday, leaving behind three children, 10 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren, the family says.
She will be buried today at 5 p.m. at the Ganei Esther Cemetery in Rishon Lezion.
Cafri, a tank driver in the 14th Reserve Armored Brigade’s 79th Battalion, from Beit Hashmonai, was standing outside his tank when he and three others were shot, according to an initial IDF investigation.
Judges are extending the detention of a man suspected of murdering his sister and burying her body in the backyard of her home, Ynet reports.
The suspect, 44-year-old Dan Cohen, will remain in custody for another 10 days, rules the Hadera Magistrate’s Court, after he underwent a psychiatric examination and was found fit for imprisonment. Police describe him as “extremely dangerous.”
Cohen reportedly had a history of violent behavior toward his older sister, 49-year-old Mia Cohen, having threatened her and broken into her house just a month ago, which led to a restraining order against him.
Mia Cohen’s body was discovered by an acquaintance who went looking for her after failing to reach her over the phone. He instead encountered her brother inside her house, who told him that his sister had gone to the beach.
While searching around the yard, the friend came upon a mound of dirt and began digging. He soon discovered Cohen’s lifeless body with stab wounds in the neck area.
The woman’s brother denies having murdered her.
Speaking to Israel Hayom, Cohen’s friend Shelly Glickman says she and others had encouraged the murdered woman to “set boundaries to protect herself.”
“She really loved him, but the situation was not calm. She didn’t think that he would hurt her — she thought he would maybe steal, but not murder,” she tells the outlet.
A Portuguese Jewish community leader and military officer, disgraced by false and antisemitic accusations in the 1930s, has been posthumously honored by the International Observatory of Human Rights (OIDH), in partnership with B’nai B’rith Portugal.
Captain Arthur Carlos de Barros Basto (1887-1961) was an army officer and writer who helped establish the Jewish community in Porto.
In 1937, serving in the Portuguese army during a time of rising Catholic conservatism and nationalism, he was falsely accused of sexually abusing men he circumcised and stripped of his army rank after a secret military trial.
He is often referred to as “the Portuguese Alfred Dreyfus” – a reference to the French army captain whose wrongful conviction for treason catalyzed Theodor Herzl to found the modern Zionist movement.
A 2012 Portuguese National Assembly resolution stated that his army career was terminated “due to a generic climate of animosity” motivated by “the fact that he was Jewish.” However, a motion in 2023 to posthumously reinstate him to the army was rejected by the Portuguese government.
“Captain Barros Basto is more than a historical figure,” says OIDH president Luís Andrade at a ceremony with the officer’s family in Porto. “He is a timeless example of how personal sacrifice, national and cultural pride, and moral conviction can shape a better, more fraternal world.”
Several Arab newspapers report that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun will join US President Trump’s meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this Tuesday.
According to the report in the UK-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper, the initiative came from the Saudi crown prince and was accepted by Trump.
Riyadh, Doha and Abu Dhabi are expected to pull out all the stops for Trump, who’s making his first major overseas trip after briefly attending the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome. His visit is due to begin on May 13 in Riyadh.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said yesterday that Trump’s decision to skip Israel in his upcoming visit to the Middle East was not an indication of a deteriorating relationship between Washington and Jerusalem.
Israel has set Trump’s trip as the deadline for a ceasefire deal with Hamas before launching a planned major offensive in Gaza.
Times of Israel staff and agencies contributed to this report.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterates that Tehran’s right to enrich uranium is “nonnegotiable,” ahead of talks with the United States.
“Enrichment capability is one of the honors and achievements of the Iranian nation,” says Araghchi in a video before departing to Muscat to attend the fourth round of talks with the US, adding that it is “nonnegotiable.”
Araghchi also says he hopes the talks will reach a “decisive point.”
“We had more consultations in Tehran this morning and in this round we hope to reach a decisive point,” he says.
Both sides have reported progress after previous talks, but there have been some delays and disagreements over Iran’s right to enrich uranium, which a US envoy has called a “red line.”
Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 percent purity — far above the 3.67 percent limit set in the 2015 deal with the United States and other world powers, and a short technical step from the 90% needed for weapons-grade material. Tehran regularly threatens to destroy Israel, and its uranium enrichment level is far higher than necessary for civilian uses.
A 59-year-old woman was killed when she was hit by a garbage truck this morning in Petah Tikvah.
Paramedics found her with multiple systemic injuries and pronounced her dead at the scene.
Police say they are investigating the circumstances of the incident.
Iran says it will seek sanctions relief and the right to peaceful nuclear energy in the fourth round of talks with the United States.
“The delegation … will spare no effort to protect the Iranian nation’s interests and safeguard our precious achievements in the field of peaceful nuclear energy, while simultaneously lifting the sanctions,” says foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei.
The negotiations, mediated by Oman and held in its capital Muscat, follow earlier rounds that began nearly a month ago, marking the highest-level contact between the two foes since Washington withdrew from a landmark nuclear deal in 2018 during US President Donald Trump’s first term.
Both sides have reported progress after previous talks, but there have been some delays and disagreements over Iran’s right to enrich uranium, which Tehran says is “nonnegotiable” but a US envoy has called a “red line.”
Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 percent purity — far above the 3.67 percent limit set in the 2015 deal with the United States and other world powers, and a short technical step from the 90% needed for weapons-grade material. Tehran regularly threatens to destroy Israel, and its uranium enrichment level is far higher than necessary for civilian uses.
The Hostages Forum, which represents the majority of relatives of those held captive in Gaza, welcomes the return of the body of Sgt. First Class Zvi Feldman, which the IDF and Mossad said was recovered from “the heart of Syria.”
“The families of the hostages would like to extend a big hug to the Feldman family and to every family that is privileged to bring their loved one to burial,” the statement reads.
“The return of Zvi Feldman is a moral, ethical and national reminder to the prime minister and members of the government — a grave is not a privilege, but a basic duty of the state to its citizens and fighters. In Israel, no one is left behind,” the forum says.
“As a society, we must not normalize a situation in which families have to wait over 40 years or more to be reunited with their loved ones,” the forum says.
“It is possible, necessary and obligatory to return all 59 hostages today — the living for rehabilitation and the dead for burial, without endangering a single fighter from the security forces for this. The only correct way is via a single deal that will end the war and return them all. Prime minister – the choice and ability are in your hands,” the forum says.
Terror groups in the Gaza Strip are holding 59 hostages, including 58 of the 251 abducted by Hamas-led terrorists on October 7, 2023. They include the bodies of at least 35 confirmed dead by the IDF, one of whom is a soldier killed a decade ago. Israel has said there are grave concerns for the lives of a further three.
The Health Ministry reports that 32 measles cases have been diagnosed in Israel since April 20.
The diagnosed patients were from Modiin Illit, Emek Hefer, Or Akiva, Bnei Brak, Jerusalem, Baqa al-Gharbiya, Beit Yitzhak and Rehovot.
Of the 32 patients, 26 are not fully vaccinated, and three are still under epidemiological investigation.
After the ministry’s call to get vaccinated, there was a 37% increase in vaccinations in places with high morbidity including Modiin Illit, Bnei Brak and Jerusalem.
According to the Hebrew news outlet Ynet, the ministry has approached rabbis to enlist their support for the vaccination campaign ahead of the Lag B’Omer celebrations at Mount Meron on May 16.
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease characterized by fever, general malaise, runny nose, and a rash, and it can cause serious and even life-threatening complications.
The IDF and Mossad says the remains of Sgt. First Class Zvi Feldman were recovered from “the heart of Syria” in a special operation, nearly 43 years after he went missing alongside two other soldiers in a battle in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley.
In a joint statement, the military and Mossad say the “complex and covert operation” was made possible by “precise intelligence” and other capabilities.
The body of another soldier killed in the 1982 battle of Sultan Yacoub, Sgt. First Class Zachary Baumel, was recovered in 2019 with Russian assistance from the Yarmouk refugee camp, home to one of the largest Palestinian refugee communities in Syria.
The IDF and Mossad have recovered the body of Sgt. First Class Zvi Feldman, who has been missing since the 1982 First Lebanon War’s battle of Sultan Yacoub, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces.
Feldman went missing along with Sgt. First Class Yehuda Katz and Sgt. First Class Zachary Baumel, the latter of whom whose remains were recovered and returned to Israel in 2019.
The battle of Sultan Yacoub, nearly 43 years ago, was a skirmish between the IDF and Syrian army in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. It claimed the lives of 21 Israeli servicemen, and more than 30 were injured during it.
“For decades, Zvika was missing, and the efforts to locate him, along with the other missing soldiers from that same battle, never ceased for a moment,” Netanyahu says in a statement.
He says Israel will not stop until Katz is also returned.
No further details are provided on the covert operation.
The Health Ministry issues a warning ahead of the extreme heat that is expected to sweep the country today.
The ministry calls on the general public — the elderly population and patients with chronic diseases in particular — to be careful and avoid exposure to heat and sun as much as possible.
In addition, people should be sure to drink water frequently and to remain in air-conditioned places as much as possible. Non-essential physical exertion should be avoided both outdoors and indoors, the ministry says.
The ministry says that people are recommended to wear a wide-brimmed hat and light, comfortable clothing when outside, in addition to applying sunscreen with a protection level of at least SPF 30.
The ministry also recommends against hiking trips, including educational activities.
The Education Ministry confirms that schools and kindergartens will be closed on Friday as part of an agreement reached between the union and Finance Ministry over proposed salary cuts that led to a week of strike action that shuttered hundreds of educational institutions.
Under the new plan, teachers’ monthly wages will be cut by 0.95 percent instead of the originally planned 3.3%.
Also, two additional vacation days will be added for teachers, on the Lag B’Omer festival this year and next year. This year, the festival falls on Friday.
US President Donald Trump says he will “continue to work with both sides” to end the conflict in Ukraine, following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal for direct talks with Kyiv and calls from European leaders for a ceasefire.
“A potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine!” Trump posts on his Truth Social platform.
“Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending ‘bloodbath’ hopefully comes to an end… I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens.”
The comment comes after Putin proposed direct talks with Ukraine on May 15 in Turkey that he said should be aimed at bringing a durable peace.
President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office and Ukraine’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the proposal.
The Israel Defense Forces announces that a military drill will take place today in the area of Rehovot.
The IDF says there will be increased military traffic in the area.
The military notes that the drill is part of planned military exercises.
The Wall Street Journal details some of the allegations of sexual assault leveled against International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan and says that he announced his intention to issue arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-defense minister Yoav Gallant just 2.5 weeks after he heard about the accusations against him.
The report says that Khan was coming under increasing pressure to take action over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza in the days and weeks after the Hamas-led October 7 onslaught, and that he had been lashing out at his team.
A Malaysian lawyer in her 30s reportedly asked to meet with Kahn to ask him to change his manner of interactions with the staff.
According to the Journal, the woman testified to UN officials that Khan started to touch her in a sexual manner, something that she said had occurred for a number of months.
“She said she attempted to leave the room several times, but he took her hand and eventually pulled her to the bed. Then he pulled off her pants and forced sexual intercourse, according to the testimony,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“He always holds on to me and leads me to the bed,” she said in testimony reviewed by the Journal. “It’s the feeling of being trapped.”
The report says the woman said it was one of multiple incidents of “coerced sexual intercourse” but that she stayed in the job because she felt it was an important role in human rights and she was additionally paying for medical care for her mother. The report says she also began to fear retaliation if she were to complain.
She alleged that Khan carried out “nonconsensual sex acts” in New York, Colombia, Congo, Chad and Paris, as well as at a residence owned by his wife in The Hague, the report says.
Khan, through his lawyers, tells the newspaper that it is “categorically untrue that he has engaged in sexual misconduct of any kind.”
The newspaper says that just 2.5 weeks after Khan learned of the allegations, he announced his intention to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant over the war in Gaza, in addition to Hamas leaders.
“The timing of the announcement has spurred questions about whether Khan was aiming to protect himself from the sexual-assault allegations. The day before announcing the warrant application, Khan abruptly canceled a trip to Israel and Gaza that he had previously said was important to make his decision,” the report says.
According to the Journal, Alan Dershowitz had been organizing a meeting that was set to take place during the trip between Khan and Netanyahu.
Lawyers for Kahn deny any connection between the allegations and the warrants.
Khan said the fact that the ICC judges approved the warrants shows that the evidence for them “met the rigorous legal threshold required.”
However court officials tell the newspaper that the arrest warrants shored up support for Khan from anti-Israel countries if the allegations were to become public and additionally discouraged his accuser from coming forward.
The woman allegedly told investigators that Khan informed her that her accusations would harm the investigation into the Gaza war.
“Think about the Palestinian arrest warrants,” she said he told her, according to her testimony.
Last month, it was reported that United Nations investigators examining the allegations of sexual misconduct were also looking into allegations that Khan retaliated against staff who reported the allegations or were critical of his handling of the matter.
Khan has alleged that the accusations against him were part of an effort to undermine the ICC. The report says that court officials were concerned that the Mossad was operating at The Hague. No further details are given.
Khan remains in his position.
A Tufts University student from Turkey who was swept up in the campaign by US President Donald Trump’s administration to deport pro-Palestinian campus activists, returns to Massachusetts after spending more than six weeks in an immigration detention center in Louisiana.
Rumeysa Ozturk, who was arrested after co-writing an opinion piece criticizing her school’s response to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, tells reporters after arriving at Logan International Airport in Boston that she is excited to get back to her studies and community after a judge ordered her immediately released.
“This has been a very difficult time for me,” she says at a press conference with her lawyers and local members of Congress.
Ozturk thanks her supporters, including professors and students who have sent her letters, and urges the public not to forget about hundreds of other women still housed in the detention center.
“America is the greatest democracy in the world,” she says. “I have faith in the American system of justice.”
The 30-year-old PhD student was arrested on March 25 by masked plainclothes officers on a street in the Boston suburb of Somerville, Massachusetts, near her home, after the US Department of State revoked her student visa.
The sole basis authorities have provided for revoking her visa was an opinion piece she co-authored in Tufts’ student newspaper criticizing the school’s response to calls by students to divest from companies with ties to Israel and to “acknowledge the Palestinian genocide.”
Her lawyers at the American Civil Liberties Union argued that her arrest and detention were unlawfully designed to punish her for speech protected by the US Constitution’s First Amendment and to chill the speech of others.
“There is no evidence here as to the motivation, absent the consideration of the op-ed,” US District Judge William K. Sessions III said during her bail hearing. He added, “There is absolutely no evidence that she has engaged in violence, or advocated violence, she has no criminal record.”
Last month, 27 Jewish groups filed an amicus brief expressing concern over Ozturk’s arrest, and Jewish students at Tufts said they did not support her detention. The government’s effort to deport her amid what they say is a crackdown on antisemitism on campus, will proceed after she is freed.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Police have opened an investigation after three ministers from the Likud party accused right-wing media personality Jacob Bardugo, considered a close association of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, of attempting to blackmail them, the Kan public broadcaster reports.
The accusations were made last week by Justice Minister Yariv Levin, Culture Minister Miki Zohar and Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi. Bardugo allegedly made threats of unspecified consequences for noncompliance.
According to Kan, the three ministers were approached by police over the weekend.
The broadcaster says it remains to be seen “whether the fear of Bardugo and Netanyahu will take its toll and they will avoid giving testimony.”
Haaretz reports that Levin does not intend to appear, Zohar said that he is flying abroad in the coming days and will update police, while Karhi told law enforcement he will be in contact in the coming days.
Kan says the decision to open an investigation was made after consultations between Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, State Attorney Amit Aisman and head of the police investigations department, Deputy Commissioner Boaz Blatt.
Last week Levin was the first to public accuse Bardugo.
“Because of personal matters, he obsessively slanders me from every platform and every day. It’s disrespectful, it’s not appropriate. It mainly helps one person, the one who calls himself the president of the Supreme Court. He wants me to be weakened from within,” Levin charged during an interview with Radio Galey Israel.
“When a person comes to me with demands that no decent person would agree to and tells me ‘if you don’t meet these demands…’ I don’t want to use the words he said,” Levin added, without elaborating.
Bardugo has recently been highly critical of Levin, as well as Karhi and Zohar, for the coalition’s failure to advance its legislative agenda and for graffiti sprayed on his home — creating a months-long public feud. Levin, Karhi and Zohar are all prominent members of Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party.
“Jacob Bardugo does not represent the right – he represents himself,” Karhi tweeted, describing the pundit as “a powerful figure who is trying to run the country according to his personal interests.”
“The threats, the pressures, and the lies are well-known and familiar. But we will not be deterred. We were not elected to please commentators with a microphone – but to serve the people of Israel,” Karhi wrote, calling on Levin to “not be afraid.”
In a separate post, Zohar offered his support to Levin, “who is vigorously leading the important reform to fix the judicial system and is dealing with threats from home and abroad.”
“Like other ministers, I too have encountered the phenomenon of threats from Jacob Bardugo, who has vested interests and has intimidated the elected representatives of the right in a despicable manner,” Zohar wrote.
Iran and the United States are set to attend a fourth round of talks over Tehran’s nuclear program today, as US officials have voiced increasing opposition to Iranian enrichment.
The negotiations, mediated by Oman and held in its capital Muscat, follow earlier rounds that began nearly a month ago, marking the highest-level contact between the countries since Washington withdrew from a landmark nuclear deal in 2018, during US President Donald Trump’s first term.
Both sides have reported progress after previous talks, but there have been some delays and disagreements over Iran’s right to enrich uranium, which Tehran says is “non-negotiable” but a US envoy has called a “red line.”
The fourth round was initially set to take place on May 3 but has been rescheduled. Mediator Oman cited “logistical reasons” for the delay, which was announced after the United States imposed new sanctions on Iran.
Palestinian media reports claim eight have been killed, including children, in Israeli strikes overnight near Khan Younis in southern Gaza, amid escalating fighting between the IDF and the Hamas terror group in the Strip.
A drone strike is also reported hours later in Khan Younis’s Al-Amal neighborhood.
There is no immediate word from the IDF.
Ukraine’s air defense units are trying to repel a Russian air attack on Kyiv, the city’s mayor says, after Ukraine’s air force warned of a drone attack on the capital.
The attack comes hours after Russia’s President Vladimir Putin proposed direct talks with Ukraine on May 15 in Istanbul, which he says should be aimed at bringing a durable peace.
Reuters witnesses hear blasts in Kyiv from what sounds like air defense units in operation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin proposes direct talks with Ukraine on May 15 in Istanbul.
“It was not Russia that broke off negotiations in 2022. It was Kyiv. Nevertheless, we are proposing that Kyiv resume direct negotiations without any preconditions,” Putin says.
“We offer the Kyiv authorities to resume negotiations already on Thursday, in Istanbul.”
Russia’s 72-hour ceasefire in Ukraine, which Kyiv said Moscow violated hundreds of times, has ended.
President Vladimir Putin announced the ceasefire to coincide with Moscow’s grand May 9 military parade marking the end of World War II. Ukraine, which is calling for a full 30-day ceasefire, dismissed it as theatrics and never said if it would follow it.
