May 12: IDF chief on Memorial Day: I&#8217;m responsible for those who fell on Oct. 7; I won&#8217;t forget

Israeli fighter jets struck two Hezbollah rocket launch positions in southern Lebanon’s Halta and Kafarhamam in the last few hours, the military says.

Two more sites belonging to the terror group were hit in the Kherbe area, the IDF adds.

The strikes come after Hezbollah launched several rockets, missiles, and drones at northern Israel today.

No injuries were caused in the attacks.

10:53 pm

PA says it can only pay 50% of public sector salaries this month as Finance Ministry still withholding tax revenues

By Agencies and ToI Staff

The Palestinian Authority says it will only be able to pay a part of public sector salaries this week as the Finance Ministry is continuing to withhold tax revenues that it collects for Ramallah.

Channel 12 reported over the weekend that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich had been holding NIS 170 million shekels ($46 million) in tax revenue for nine days, in protest of PA efforts “fighting against the State of Israel.” This was an apparent reference to reports that Ramallah has been pushing for the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants for top Israeli officials for alleged breaches of international law in Gaza during the ongoing war against Hamas.

The PA says it will pay public sector employees 50 percent of their March salaries on Tuesday, after Israel withheld the transfer due for the month of April, and that the arrears will be paid once the financial situation allows.

The Finance Ministry confirms it had been decided not to transfer tax revenues this month, but declines to provide details.

Israel collects hundreds of millions of shekels in Palestinian tax revenue, which Smotrich held up earlier in the war over concerns that the portion of the funds that Ramallah uses to pay for services and employees in Gaza — roughly NIS 260 million ($73 million) monthly — could wind up in the hands of Hamas.

Although Hamas wrested control of Gaza from the rival Fatah faction in 2007, the Palestinian Authority, which is dominated by Fatah, continues to fund some health and education services in the enclave.

An agreement was eventually reached in February to transfer the payments via Norway to ensure no money is diverted.

10:10 pm

Sullivan calls Hanegbi to mark Memorial Day, affirms ‘ironclad US commitment to Israel’s security’

Israeli and US National Security Advisers Tzahi Hanegbi (right) and Jake Sullivan speak with their UAE and Bahrain counterparts, via video from Jerusalem, on January 19, 2023. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan speaks with his Israeli counterpart, Tzachi Hanegbi, to express his condolences on behalf of US President Joe Biden and the American people on Israel’s Memorial Day.

Noting that this is the first Memorial Day commemorating the victims of Hamas’s October 7 massacre, in which some 1,200 Israelis were murdered, mostly civilians, Sullivan affirms “the ironclad US commitment to Israel’s security and the defeat of Hamas in Gaza,” according to a US readout from the call.

Sullivan and Hanegbi also discuss the ongoing war in Gaza and efforts to secure the release of 128 hostages kidnapped on October 7 and still held by Hamas.

The US national security adviser reiterates the Biden administration’s concerns over Israel’s planned major offensive in the crowded city of Rafah, which Hanegbi confirms are being taken into account, according to the readout.

Over one million Palestinians are sheltering in Gaza’s southernmost city, during the ongoing fighting, and the US is concerned about the feasibility of evacuating them to avoid civilian casualties and the potential use of high-payload bombs in urban areas. Biden withheld a shipment of high payload bombs last week amid fears they would be used in Rafah.

9:48 pm

Haniyeh meets Turkish intel chief in Doha, reportedly gives dossier for ICJ genocide case against Israel

By Agencies and ToI Staff

Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin met with Hamas leaders including Ismail Haniyeh in Doha today to discuss efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and the access of humanitarian aid into the Palestinian enclave, according to a Turkish security source.

Unverified posts on social media claim Haniyeh passed over a dossier to be used in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel in the International Court of Justice, which Turkey recently announced that it will join.

The ICJ ordered Israel in January to refrain from any acts that could fall under the Genocide Convention and to ensure its troops commit no genocidal acts against Palestinians, after South Africa accused Israel of state-led genocide in the ongoing war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas’s October 7 massacre.

It did not find that Israel was committing genocide.

9:39 pm

Erdogan says US, Europe not doing enough to pressure Israel on Gaza ceasefire

By Agencies and ToI Staff

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a joint statement to the media in Baghdad, Iraq, April 22, 2024. (Ahmad Al-Rubaye/Pool Photo via AP)

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan says that the United States and European countries are not doing enough to pressure Israel to agree a ceasefire in Gaza, after Hamas said it had no intention of budging from a proposal already rejected by Jerusalem.

Speaking to Muslim scholars in Istanbul, Erdogan says Hamas had accepted a ceasefire proposal by Qatar and Egypt in a “step in the path toward a lasting ceasefire,” and charges that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government does not want the war to end.

“The response of the Netanyahu government was to attack the innocent people in Rafah,” he says, referring to Gaza’s southernmost city, where the Israel is currently operating to root out the remaining battalions of Hamas and free over 100 hostages held by terror groups since October 7.

“It has become clear who sides with peace and dialogue, and who wants clashes continuing and more bloodshed,” he says.

“And did Netanyahu see any serious reaction for his spoiled behavior? No. Neither Europe nor America showed a reaction that would force Israel into a ceasefire.”

Turkey has denounced Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, called for an immediate ceasefire, and criticized what it calls unconditional support for Israel by the West.

Ankara has also halted all trade with Israel and said it had decided to join South Africa’s initiative to have Israel tried for genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

9:11 pm

Rocket alert sirens sound in Kissufim near Gaza border

Rocket alert sirens are sounding in the southern community of Kissufim, near the border of the Gaza Strip, warning of incoming rocket fire.

The sirens follow a number of earlier alerts in the area throughout the day, with some of the rockets intercepted by Iron Dome.

Red Alert [21:06:51] – 1 Alert:

• Gaza Envelope — Kissufim#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/QKzCN1aku8

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) May 12, 2024

8:57 pm

US envoy to Israel denies US-Israel ties have changed: Only ‘one set of munitions’ held back

US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew gives a speech at a rally calling for the release of hostages in Hamas captivity, Tel Aviv, January 13, 2024. (AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)

US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew insists that “fundamentally, nothing has changed in the basic relationship” between Israel and the US — despite the Biden administration’s decision last week to delay a shipment of high-payload bombs to Israel, and President Biden’s declaration that he would not supply offensive weapons to Israel for a major IDF offensive affecting population centers in southern Gaza’s Rafah.

Noting that military aid from Washington to Jerusalem has increased since war erupted in Gaza after Hamas’s October 7 attack, Lew stresses in a Channel 12 interview that only “one set of munitions” has been held back, and that “everything else keeps flowing.”

The two sides “need to keep talking through” issues that relate to the use of “large diameter bombs, heavy bombs, particularly when there’s the possibility of them being used in densely populated urban areas,” he says.

“But I think it’s a mistake to think that anything has fundamentally changed in the relationship,” he repeats.

Asked by interviewer Yonit Levy about Biden’s stated intention not to supply offensive weapons to Israel “if they go [into] these population centers,” Lew replies: “What the president said is that he doesn’t think it is a good idea to have a massive ground campaign in a heavily populated area. But he specifically said that 2,000-pound bombs shouldn’t be used in that setting.”

Lew notes, however, that Biden has made clear that Israel, thus far, has not engaged in the kind of major ground operation in Rafah that the US opposes. To date, the Rafah operation has not “crossed over into the area where our disagreements lie. I’m hoping we don’t end up with real disagreements.”

Pushed by Levy, who asks whether the president was really saying, stop the war and don’t topple Hamas, the ambassador demurs, and says the US had stressed from the start of the war that Israel has a responsibility to protect innocent civilians.

Asked whether the goal of the war remains to eliminate Hamas, he says the US “would never have used that language.”

“The challenge is to reduce Hamas to the point that it’s no longer a threat,” says Lew. “We have said consistently that Hamas should not be either a political or a governing body. That doesn’t mean that you’ve eliminated every last member of Hamas.”

“We’ve never said that it’s not a legitimate goal to go after the four battalions” that Hamas maintains in Rafah, adds Lew. “We’ve said there’s a better way to do it,” including through “targeted operations.”

Addressing criticism, including from within the Democratic Party, that Biden’s withholding of arms is pandering to the far-left and helping Israel’s enemies, Lew notes that the administration just endorsed continued military aid. (It did so, it said on Friday, despite concerns that some US weapons may have been used in instances inconsistent with international humanitarian law.)

Secretary of State Antony Blinken concluded “that there would be no interruption in US aid for Israel,” says Lew. “That’s of huge consequence. There’s a lot of people criticizing that decision. I think it was the right decision,” he adds, and advises: “You look at that in the context of one shipment of heavy bombs being delayed. You have to look at it in broader context.”

Asked about the state of the hostage-truce negotiations, Lew says, “People are misunderstanding” what has happened in the last week. “A proposal that Israel, the United States, Egypt, and Qatar put together to send to Hamas came back with changes. The changes are not acceptable to Israel. And we’ve said they’re not acceptable, but you can continue to negotiate… We’re still pushing all parties to stay engaged.”

Relating to a report that the US is offering sensitive information on Hamas leaders’ whereabouts to Israel, with the implication that it has been withholding such intel thus far, Lew says, “We’ve been helping for some time on these things,” and that the US and Israel have a “common objective to defeat Hamas, to find the leaders of Hamas, to close the border to smuggling… We’re sharing quite broadly.”

Lew says he cannot answer when asked how the war will end, but notes it is “already Israel’s longest war since the War of Independence” and Israel has “paid a dear price.”

“Everyone wants this war to end, I hope. We certainly want it to come to an end that leaves Israel safe and secure, so that your sons and daughters don’t have to go and fight, and people can get back to their homes and live in their homes. And that ought to be our common goal.”

8:39 pm

‘I carry with me every day the memory of the fallen; I am responsible’: IDF chief of staff on Memorial Day

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi speaks at a Memorial Day ceremony at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, May 12, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

Speaking at the Memorial Day ceremony at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi says he is responsible for providing answers to the families of slain troops.

“As the commander of the Israel Defense Forces during the war, I bear responsibility for the fact that the IDF failed in its mission to protect the citizens of the State of Israel on October 7. I feel its weight on my shoulders every day, and in my heart, I fully understand its meaning,” he says.

“I am the commander who sent your sons and daughters to the battle from which they did not return, and to the posts from which they were kidnapped,” Halevi says, in reference to the October 7 onslaught and the ongoing ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.

“I carry with me every day the memory of the fallen, and I am responsible for answering the sharp questions that keep you awake,” he says.

“I did not know all the fallen, but I will never forget them. I did not have time to visit their homes, but I will always be committed to you — the parents, daughters and sons, brothers and sisters, spouses, grandfathers and grandmothers,” he continues.

“I stand humbly in the face of your bravery to stand up to the pain, to find the strength in everything in the shadow of the heavy loss, and to bring new meaning into the void that opened up,” Halevi says.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and President Isaac Herzog attend a ceremony marking Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror, at the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City, on May 12, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)

The IDF chief vows, “In this war, we are determined to complete the mission, even though we understand the cost.”

“As long as our enemies rise up against us, we will be on guard, we will be ready and alert, we will respond strongly to any attempt to harm us, and we will strike back at those who seek to kill us,” he adds.

8:28 pm

IDF: Iron Dome intercepts rocket launched at Sderot from Gaza during Memorial Day ceremony

A rocket launched from the Gaza Strip at the southern city of Sderot a short while ago was intercepted, the military says.

Sirens had sounded in the city for the second time today.

There are no reports of damage or injuries.

The rocket was launched at Sderot just minutes after a siren sounded to mark the beginning of Memorial Day.

Red Alert [20:06:29] – 5 Alerts:

• Gaza Envelope — Sderot, Ibim, Nir Am, Nachal Oz, Nir Am Shooting Range#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/quQ7hZXmjH

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) May 12, 2024

8:26 pm

Herzog on Memorial Day: ‘As long as our enemies seek to destroy us, we will not lay down our swords’

President Isaac Herzog at a Memorial Day ceremony in the Old City of Jerusalem, May 12, 2024. (Maayan Toaf/GPO)

The Jewish people has always dreamed of peace but as long as it remains under attack “we will not lay down our swords,” President Isaac Herzog declares at a Memorial Day ceremony at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

“I stand here, next to the remnants of our Temple, in torn garments. This tearing – a symbol of Jewish mourning, it is a symbol of the mourning and sorrow of an entire people in this year — a year of national mourning. A symbol of a blood-drenched rend in the heart of the people. A tear in the heart of the State of Israel – shattered, bereaved, crying bitter tears, refusing to be comforted for its sons and daughters — soldiers and civilians, civilians and soldiers… A great tragedy has befallen us,” he says.

“I turn from here, in this holy moment, to our brothers and sisters held hostage, and to their families: throughout these national days, we never forget that there is no greater commandment than redeeming captives. The entire nation is with you. We must summon courage and choose life. Not to rest and not to be quiet until they all return home.”

Herzog recalls the sacrifices made by hundreds of fallen soldiers buried throughout the country since Hamas’s October 7 massacre and the ensuing war in Gaza, noting that only hours earlier, “we brought five of our beloved to their eternal rest.”

“Believe me, my sisters and brothers, I would — with all my heart — like to tell about each and every one of our fallen loved ones, from all of Israel’s wars, from all the security forces, from all over the country. About their goodness, their beauty, their bravery. But the fracture is so great, and our losses are too many, too many indeed,” he continues, describing “the long hours of heroic battles in all the towns and communities of the western Negev,” waged by both civilians and soldiers.

“Hundreds fell on October 7 and throughout the entire campaign… some by fire and some by suffocation, some by sword and some by beast. Some at the doorstep of their home, and some in armored personnel carriers, some in the warmth of their bed and some in the streets, some at a guard-post and some in the battlefield, some at a bus stop and some at a police station. Some in a car and some in an armored vehicle, some on the kibbutz pathways, some in the pasture and some at a party, some in the shopping mall and some in missiles and rockets, some in tunnels, and some in hiding. Forever, forever we remember them.”

“Citizens of Israel, at this sacred moment, I remind us and the entire world: we never wanted nor chose this terrible war. Not this one nor its predecessors,” Herzog declares.

“All we wanted was to return to Zion from which we were forcibly expelled, and to renew our freedom there — in a Jewish and democratic state. To build a life here. A future. A hope. We always dreamed of peace and good neighborliness with all the peoples and countries in the region, and no less than that forever. But as long as our enemies seek to destroy us, we will not lay down our swords.”

8:24 pm

Shas chair Deri tweets Memorial Day prayer for fallen members of ‘holy and pure security forces’

Shas chair Aryeh Deri tweets a prayer for the souls of the “thousands of soldiers and members of the holy and pure security forces, who bravely sacrificed their lives for the defense of the people and the country,” as well as the thousands of victims of terrorism.

“They are resting in paradise,” he writes, quoting a memorial prayer for the dead.

Deri has previously rejected statements by ministers from his ultra-Orthodox party who have called for limited enlistment of Haredi youth, stating that only rabbis of the Council of Torah Sages can decide policy on this issue.

In an interview with ultra-Orthodox media earlier this year, Rabbi Moshe Maya, a senior member of Shas’s leading Council of Torah Sages, argued that Haredi Torah learning provides the basis for Israel’s right to exist and that military service would lead ultra-Orthodox soldiers to abandon religion.

8:22 pm

Ben Gvir eulogizes 62 Israeli police officers who have died since October 7

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir attends the funeral of Border Police officer Sgt. Shay Germay at the cemetery in Karmiel on January 7, 2024. (David Cohen/ Flash90)

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir eulogizes the 62 Israeli police officers who have died since October 7.

“On the morning of Simhat Torah, immediately upon receiving the report of the terrorists’ infiltration, the policemen went into battle for their lives. fighting for the home,” he writes in a Facebook post. “To a battle from which unfortunately many of them did not return home.”

“Those heroes went out without thinking twice, eliminated terrorists, treated the wounded, drove civilians to safety, closed roads, and with their very bodies prevented the continuation of the massacre and rape campaign of the Nazis from the [elite Hamas] Nukhba [unit] toward the center of the country,” he writes.

“In addition, this year, we also grieve for the five firefighters who fell in the Swords of Iron War, heroes who gave their lives for the salvation of the people of Israel,” he continues.

“I ache for every policeman and policewoman, for every fighter, for every firefighter who fell holy and pure. I send consolation, strength and a warm and a loving hug to the members of their dear families. My brothers, heroes of glory, we will remember and never forget you,” he says.

8:04 pm

On eve of Memorial Day, outgoing Labor chief accuses Netanyahu of ‘endangering our soldiers’

Outgoing Labor chief Merav Michaeli slams the government’s management of the war in Gaza on the eve of Memorial Day, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “endangering our soldiers.”

“On the eve of Memorial Day, the IDF chief of staff tells Netanyahu that the IDF is forced to fight again and again in the same places, putting our soldiers at risk, because there are no policy decisions about the day after. The minister of defense criticizes Netanyahu for not holding any strategic discussion about the day after,” Michaeli posts on X, formerly Twitter.

“The understanding that the lack of decision-making is endangering our soldiers makes it clear — we must do everything possible to prevent their deaths. Our brave heroes must not fall in vain. Loss has never been so painful and close as it is today. The pain has never been so searing. We will remember each and every one of them, and we will do everything so that their deaths will not be in vain,” she insists.

Michaeli’s comments come after IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi reportedly tore into Netanyahu during security consultations over the weekend for the failure to develop and declare a so-called “day after” strategy for who will rule Gaza after the war, according to Channel 13 news.

8:00 pm

Memorial Day begins with sirens sounding around the country

Soldiers place flowers and flags on graves of fallen IDF troops in Kiryat Shmona Military Cemetery, on May 12, 2024, ahead of Memorial Day. (Ayal Margolin/Flash90)

Israelis mark the beginning of a particularly somber Memorial Day, in the shadow of Hamas’s October 7 massacre and the ongoing war in Gaza.

Sirens ring out around the country, bringing the country to a stop for a minute’s silence.

A second siren will sound tomorrow morning at 11 a.m.

Ceremonies are being held at cemeteries, community centers, and schools across the country.

According to figures released by authorities last week, 1,600 soldiers and civilians have been killed in combat or by terror since last Memorial Day, marking the deadliest year for the country’s security forces and civilians in five decades.

7:58 pm

Anti-government protesters shout at Netanyahu’s motorcade in Tel Aviv, calling for hostage release deal

Protesters block Begin Street in Tel Aviv, calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, May 12, 2024. (Danor Aharon/ Pro-Democracy Movement)

Around 100 anti-government protesters block Tel Aviv’s Begin Street for several minutes, calling for a deal to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza since October 7.

Dressed in black to mark Memorial Day, which begins tonight, the protesters shout at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s motorcade as it passes, according to the Israeli Pro-Democracy Movement that organized the protest.

The protesters wave signs including, “No hostages — no independence,” “Redeem prisoners at any cost” and “Deal now.”

7:11 pm

IDF announces opening of new crossing with northern Gaza for aid deliveries

An aerial view of the new crossing with the northern Gaza Strip, near Kibbutz Zikim, May 12, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The Israeli military and Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announce that a new crossing with the northern Gaza Strip has been opened for humanitarian aid deliveries.

The so-called Western Erez Crossing is located in the Zikim area, on the coast.

The crossing was built by the Defense Ministry’s engineering department, the ministry’s crossings authority, and IDF engineering units.

The IDF says the crossing was opened “as part of the effort to increase aid routes to the Gaza Strip, and to the northern Gaza Strip in particular.”

It says that dozens of trucks ferrying flour from the World Food Program were delivered from Ashdod Port to the Gaza Strip via the new crossing, after “undergoing security checks.”

7:10 pm

Netanyahu offers inclusive message for Memorial Day: ‘We all fight together’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a ceremony on the eve of Memorial Day for Israel's fallen soldiers and victims of terror, at Yad Labanim in Jerusalem, May 12, 2024. (Amit Shabi/POOL)

Speaking at the Yad Labanim ceremony in Jerusalem ahead of Israel’s Memorial Day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offers an inclusive message, in the presence of Druze and Bedouin leaders.

“The strong commitment to our country encompasses all of our fighters in this difficult war,” he says, “Jews, Druze, Christians, Muslims, Bedouins, Circassians.”

About the war on Hamas, Netanyahu says, “We have completed about half of it, but we are committed to completing this sacred task.”

“We all fight together. Because this is the only way to defeat the monsters of Hamas, who want to destroy us.”

7:04 pm

Students walk out of Duke University commencement ceremony to protest guest speaker Jerry Seinfeld

By Agencies and ToI Staff

Dozens of students walk out of Duke University’s commencement ceremony to protest its guest speaker, comedian Jerry Seinfeld, for supporting Israel throughout the war in Gaza, according to videos of the event posted on social media.

Some students can be heard booing and chanting “free Palestine” while others shout “Jerry! Jerry!” as the Jewish actor receives an honorary degree and delivers his speech without major interruptions.

Duke invited a Jewish speaker to graduation and Pro-H@mas graduates walked out. The speaker? Jerry Seinfeld.
pic.twitter.com/5p3YWl1b2V

— @amuse (@amuse) May 12, 2024

Seinfeld visited Israel and has vocally supported it since October 7, when some 3,000 terrorists burst across the border by land, air and sea, killing some 1,200 people and seizing 252 hostages, mostly civilians, many amid acts of brutality and sexual assault.

The walkout is the latest manifestation of anti-Israel protests that have roiled US campuses as students call for universities to divest from arms suppliers and other companies doing business with Israel, and amnesty for students and faculty members who have been disciplined or fired for protesting.

6:53 pm

International donors pledge over $2 billion for Gaza at Kuwait conference

By AFP

Kuwait City — A conference of international donors in Kuwait pledges over $2 billion in aid for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip over seven months into the war between Israel and Hamas.

Organized by the International Islamic Charitable Organization (IICO) and the UN’s humanitarian coordination agency OCHA, the conference says the funds would be dispersed over two years, with the possibility of extension, in efforts to support life-saving humanitarian interventions in the Palestinian territory.

6:49 pm

‘Noble resistance in Gaza’: Protesters chant anti-Israel slogans outside US consulate in Istanbul

Demonstrators chant slogans during an anti-Israel protest outside the US consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, May 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Anti-Israel protesters gather outside the US consulate in Istanbul to protest against Washington’s support for Jerusalem amid the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.

Turkish state media reports that protesters carry signs reading “Noble resistance in Gaza” and “Israel is a murderer” and chant anti-Israel slogans including, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

The protest is organized by Gaza Solidarity Platform, according to the Anadolu news agency.

Earlier today, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Adolf Hitler would be “jealous” of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for what he called Israel’s “genocidal methods” in the Gaza Strip, doubling down on his past comparisons of the Israeli premier to the Nazi dictator.

The Turkish president has been one of the most virulent critics of Israel since the start of the war in Gaza, which began on October 7 when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists burst into Israel by air, land and sea, killing some 1,200 people and kidnapping 252, amid acts of brutality and sexual assault.

6:29 pm

Egyptian FM says peace treaty with Israel is a ‘strategic choice’ — report

File: Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry attends a panel discussion during the World Economic Forum Special Meeting in Riyadh on April 29, 2024. (Fayez Nureldine/AFP)

The peace treaty between Egypt and Israel is a “strategic choice,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry is quoted as saying during a press conference, seemingly contradicting earlier comments from Cairo that the pact was at high risk.

“The peace agreement with Israel has been Egypt’s strategic choice for 40 years, and it represents a main pillar of peace in the region to achieve peace and stability,” Shoukry is quoted by the Turkish Anadolu news agency.

He adds that there are “set mechanisms” for dealing with any violations of the treaty, according to Anadolu.

His comments come after a senior Egyptian official told The Associated Press that Cairo had lodged protests with Israel, the United States and European governments, saying the Rafah operation has put its peace treaty with Israel — a cornerstone of regional stability — at high risk.

Yesterday, the Israeli military began calling on Palestinians in additional neighborhoods of Rafah to evacuate the area, as it pressed on with an operation against the Hamas terror group in the city in the southern Gaza Strip.

6:22 pm

IDF: Iron Dome intercepts another rocket fired from central Gaza at Sderot

Another rocket was launched from the Gaza Strip at the southern city of Sderot.

The IDF says the rocket, fired from central Gaza, was intercepted by the Iron Dome.

The rocket did not trigger missile alert sirens.

Earlier, two more rockets were launched at the city.

6:19 pm

Senior Hamas operative killed in Gaza airstrike — IDF, Shin Bet

A senior Hamas operative in the terror group’s Shati Battalion was killed in an airstrike in Gaza on Friday, the military and Shin Bet announce.

Naim Ghoul, according to the IDF and Shin Bet, was involved in rocket fire at Israel, and was among those responsible for guarding hostage Cpl. Noa Marciano in the Gaza Strip.

Marciano, who was abducted on October 7, was later killed by Hamas at Shifa Hospital. Her body was recovered by the IDF in November.

In February, the IDF had said it killed Ahmed Ghoul, another Shati Battalion commander who was involved in guarding Marciano.

בפעילות משותפת של שב״כ וצה"ל ביום שישי האחרון חוסל המחבל נעים גול, פעיל צבאי בארגון הטרור חמאס בגדוד שאטי ברצועת עזה.

במסגרת פעילותו היה מעורב בירי רקטות לעבר שטח ישראל וכן היה אמון על החזקתה של רב״ט נועה מרציאנו ז"ל, אשר נחטפה במהלך אירועי ה-7.10 ונרצחה בבית החולים שיפאא>> pic.twitter.com/aNh0W3jnwk

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) May 12, 2024

6:03 pm

Hamas: Biden’s call for terror group to release hostages is a ‘setback’ for negotiations

By Agencies and ToI Staff

Demonstrators protest calling for the release of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip outside Hakirya Base in Tel Aviv, May 8, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Remarks by US President Joe Biden that a ceasefire in Gaza would be possible if Hamas releases hostages held since October 7 are a “setback” to negotiations, the Palestinian terror group says in a statement.

Biden told a small fundraising event yesterday, “Israel said it’s up to Hamas; if they wanted to do it, we could end it tomorrow. And the ceasefire would begin tomorrow.”

“We condemn this position by the US president. We consider it a setback from the outcomes of the latest round of negotiations, which led to the movement’s agreement to the proposal put forward by mediators,” the statement says.

Hamas adds that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “rushed to overturn” the last round of talks by launching an offensive in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah.

The latest round of indirect talks between Israel and Hamas over a deal to halt fighting in the Strip and free the hostages appeared to break up with no discernible progress this week, as the terror group said it had no intention of budging from a proposal already rejected by Israel.

5:47 pm

Blinken urges Israel to lay out postwar plan: ‘We want to make sure Hamas can’t govern Gaza again’

By Jacob Magid and ToI Staff

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at the RSA Conference in San Francisco, May 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Israel needs to have a plan for postwar governance in Gaza; otherwise, he says, there will be “a vacuum that’s likely to be filled by chaos, anarchy, and ultimately by Hamas again.”

In an interview with CBS’s “Meet the Nation,” the top US diplomat says that while Israel might have some “initial success” in a potential military operation in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah, the “high cost to civilians” would not be worth it.

Furthermore, he says that without a plan for who will take over Gaza after Hamas is defeated, Israel “will be left holding the bag on an enduring insurgency because a lot of armed Hamas [fighters] will be left, no matter what they do in Rafah.”

“If they leave and get out of Gaza, as we believe they need to do, then you’re going to have a vacuum that’s likely to be filled by chaos, anarchy, and ultimately by Hamas again,” he says.

Asked if the U.S. is pausing any weapons shipments to Israel apart from 3,500 so-called ‘dumb bombs,’ @SecBlinken says “The answer to that is no,” but adds that if Israel invades Rafah, “there's certain systems that we're not going to be…supplying for that operation.” pic.twitter.com/yLQHpkG0lQ

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) May 12, 2024

Blinken’s comments echoed previous statements from the Biden administration encouraging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to develop and announce a so-called “day after” strategy for who will rule Gaza after the war.

IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi reportedly tore into Netanyahu during security consultations over the weekend for failing to make such a plan.

Netanyahu and his government have long faced criticism over their refusal to make a plan for the management of the Strip after the war, and the prime minister has refused to hold substantive cabinet discussions on the matter due to concerns they could collapse his coalition.

Netanyahu has rejected efforts to include the Palestinian Authority in postwar planning, arguing that the more moderate foil to Hamas, which publicly backs a two-state solution, is no different from the Gaza-ruling terror group in that it too refuses to accept Israel’s existence and promotes hatred of the Jewish state.

“We have the same objective as Israel,” Blinken states. “We want to make sure that Hamas cannot govern Gaza again. We want to make sure it’s demilitarized. We want to make sure that Israel gets [Hamas’s] leaders… We have a different way, and we think a more effective, durable way of getting that done. We remain in conversation with Israel about exactly that.”

The Washington Post reported yesterday that the Biden administration has offered to give Israel “sensitive intelligence” on the whereabouts of senior Hamas leaders if it agrees to hold off on its long-promised major military operation in Rafah.

5:26 pm

IDF: US CENTCOM chief in Israel over weekend for ‘operational situation assessment’ with Halevi

US CENTCOM chief Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla arrived in Israel over the weekend to meet with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, the military says.

Kurilla and Halevi “held an operational situation assessment, discussed the operational developments and the strengthening of coordination and cooperation between the armies.”

The visit comes amid tensions with Washington, after US President Joe Biden threatened that some arms shipments to Israel would be frozen if the IDF launches a major offensive in southern Gaza’s Rafah.

מפקד פיקוד המרכז של צבא ארצות הברית (CENTCOM), הגנרל (****) מייקל קורילה, הגיע בסוף השבוע לישראל כאורחו הרשמי של הרמטכ״ל, רב-אלוף הרצי הלוי.
המפקדים קיימו הערכת מצב מבצעית, דנו בהתפתחויות המבצעיות ובהידוק התיאום ושיתוף הפעולה בין הצבאות pic.twitter.com/eHqholn1WL

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) May 12, 2024

5:25 pm

Arab party chair lambasts policies of ‘confrontation and incitement’ against Bedouin communities

File - United Arab List chair MK Mansour Abbas leads a faction meeting at the Knesset, Jerusalem, on February 19, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The government’s policies are “characterized by confrontation and incitement against the Bedouin population,” United Arab List chairman Mansour Abbas declares, less than a week after the demolition of dozens of buildings in the unrecognized southern Bedouin village of Wadi al-Khalil.

Last Wednesday’s demolition, which razed 47 homes, “led to widespread displacement, rendering hundreds of villagers, including children, women, and men, homeless,” Abbas states in an open letter arguing that “the current governmental stance, spearheaded by [National Security Minister Itamar] Ben Gvir, is marked by a lack of recognition for the village and a failure to either halt the road construction or provide fair compensation.”

Police accompany Real Estate Enforcement Division tractors as they bulldoze the Wadi al-Khalil neighborhood in the southern Bedouin village of Umm Batin, May 8, 2024. (Israel Police)

“This stance reflects a broader policy characterized by confrontation and incitement against the Bedouin population, rather than addressing the fundamental challenges of settlement regulation,” he says.

“Recent declarations by Minister Ben Gvir have underscored an increase in the demolition of Arab homes under his administration, further intensifying public protests and drawing attention to the hardships imposed on the Bedouin communities in the Negev.”

Unrecognized Bedouin villages are regularly served with demolition orders as they were built without permits. However, many have existed on the same plots of land for generations, sometimes after being evicted by Israeli authorities from other areas. Securing building permits for Bedouin communities is nearly impossible and their leadership regularly accuses the state of discriminatory practices and neglect.

The far-right Ben Gvir has pushed hard to transfer authority over the government’s Real Estate Enforcement Division to the National Security Ministry, an effort recently torpedoed by ultra-Orthodox lawmakers.

Michael Horovitz contributed to this report.

5:18 pm

French official denies report Hezbollah rejected proposal for ceasefire with Israel

Illustrative: A picture taken from the southern Lebanese village of Alma al-Shaab shows smoke rising from an Israeli military outpost after a rocket attack by Lebanon's Hezbollah terror group, on April 6, 2024. (Kawnat Haju/AFP)

A French official denies a Channel 12 report from last week claiming that Hezbollah rejected in writing a French proposal for a ceasefire with Israel.

“The report is inaccurate and wrong,” the official tells The Times of Israel.

“There are no negotiations,” the official continues. “Hezbollah refuses to negotiate while the war in Gaza is going on.”

At the same time, says the official, France has ways to get its messages to Hezbollah.

Channel 12 reported last week that Hezbollah had rejected a French proposal through the Shiite Amal party, which included a series of watchtowers for the Lebanese army along the border.

The French effort, said the report, complicated American efforts to find a way to end the escalating fighting in the north.

The French official says there was never any proposal for watchtowers in a French effort to facilitate a ceasefire.

“One wonders who spread the reports, and who has an interest in getting in the way of a solution,” says the official.

5:13 pm

Blinken denies US has double standards when assessing Israel’s compliance with international law

By Jacob Magid and ToI Staff

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken denies that Washington has double standards when assessing Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law.

“We treat Israel, one of our closest allies and partners, just as we would treat any other country,” he says in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Blinken was speaking two days after the publication of a State Department report to Congress that found “credible and reliable” assurances from Jerusalem that it will use US weapons in accordance with international humanitarian law, allowing for the further transfer of American arms amid Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.

WATCH: @SecBlinken says the U.S. does not apply “double standards” to Israel when it comes to holding the country accountable for actions in Gaza.

“We treat Israel, one of our closest allies and partners, just as we would treat any other country.” pic.twitter.com/mU9VGLuq6T

— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) May 12, 2024

“I would invite people to read the report,” Blinken says during the NBC interview. “You have an enemy that intentionally embeds itself with civilians, hiding under and and within schools, mosques, apartment buildings; firing at the Israeli forces from those places. It’s very, very difficult in the heat of war to make a definitive assessment about any individual incident.”

He says that while the report found that “it’s reasonable to conclude that there are instances where Israel has acted in ways that are not consistent with international humanitarian law,” the US investigates each incident “critically.”

“So does Israel,” he adds, noting that there are “hundreds, as we understand it, of open inquiries, into particular incidents that have taken place since October 7. There are criminal investigations that are going forward.”

“Israel, unlike many other countries, has both the means and the will to try to police itself,” Blinken says.

5:10 pm

Netanyahu tells Independence Day torch-bearers: Israel’s most important weapon is ‘the spirit of our nation’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with the 44 torch-bearers ahead of Israel's 76th Independence Day, May 12, 2024. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)

Speaking to the 44 torch-bearers ahead of the Independence Day ceremony tomorrow night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that Israel’s most important weapon against its enemies doesn’t come from foreign allies, but from “the spirit of our nation.”

“That is our secret weapon, we don’t have any other,” says Netanyahu, alongside Transportation Minister Miri Regev.

“There are [other weapons],” he corrects himself, “but without this weapon we are nothing.”

“We will defeat our enemies,” Netanyahu continues, “we have no other choice. We can only do that together.”

The premier lauds the civilians, soldiers, police officers, and rescue services who jumped into action on October 7 without being ordered to. “We moved immediately to the offensive, and the heroes, our hero soldiers, are fighting there.”

Netanyahu recounts meeting wounded soldiers who are waiting for a prosthesis so they can get back into the fight. “I told my American friends,” he recounts, “if necessary, we will fight with our fingernails. We have much more than fingernails.”

5:08 pm

Rocket alert sirens sounding in Sderot for second time in an hour

Rocket alert sirens are sounding in communities near the Gaza border for the second time in an hour.

Missile alert sirens can be heard in Sderot, Ivim and Nir Am.

Red Alert [17:05:23] – 3 Alerts:

• Gaza Envelope — Sderot, Ibim, Nir Am#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/IlxZUKC8rd

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) May 12, 2024

5:08 pm

Knesset speaker: October 7 ‘one of the most horrific manifestations of evil in history’

Knesset speaker Amir Ohana speaks at a pre-Memorial Day Ceremony at Yad Labanim, May 12, 2024. (Noam Moskowitz, Office of the Knesset Spokesperson)

Hamas’s October 7 massacre was “one of the most horrific manifestations of evil in history,” Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana declares at a pre-Memorial Day ceremony, adding that the only way to be worthy of the sacrifice of the fallen is to banish “the cursed virus of strife and hatred from the country.”

Speaking at Yad Labanim, an organization representing bereaved families, Ohana says that the Hamas attack “reminded us of things we wanted to forget. Things about which we swore ‘Never Again.’ And yet, for a whole day, they happened to us more, and more, and more.”

“Many hundreds of brave soldiers, whose whole future was ahead of them, were lost to us this year in the storm of battle. Hundreds more of civilians were murdered in medieval brutality by neighbors bathed in bloodlust, for whom there is no forgiveness and will never be,” he says.

Soldiers place flowers and flags on graves of fallen troops in Kiryat Shmona Military Cemetery, on May 12, 2024, ahead of Memorial Day. (Ayal Margolin/Flash90)

“We will be worthy of them when we send away the cursed virus of strife and hatred from the country. We will be worthy of them when we make it clear to all our enemies: the State of Israel is strong. The IDF is strong. Israeli society is strong and together we will win,” he says.

Ohana is currently caught up in a dispute with Transportation Minister Miri Regev regarding his role in Monday evening’s Independence Day torch-lighting ceremony and has instructed the Knesset Guard not to cooperate in preparations for the annual event.

4:37 pm

Egypt announces intention to join South Africa’s lawsuit against Israel in UN’s top court

Egypt announces it will support South Africa’s lawsuit in the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.

The announcement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry comes as Israeli troops continue to operate along the Egypt-Gaza border, a move that Cairo has warned could endanger the peace treaty between the two countries.

Egypt’s statement says the decision “comes in light of the worsening severity and scope of Israeli attacks against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, and the continued perpetration of systematic practices against the Palestinian people, including direct targeting of civilians and the destruction of infrastructure in the Strip, and pushing Palestinians to flee.”

Egypt has said it would not open its borders to allow large numbers of Gazans to escape the fighting. It has also closed the Rafah Crossing to humanitarian aid to protest the IDF operation there.

The statement calls for the international community to push for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the Rafah operation.

4:27 pm

Al-Araby journalists said detained at Tel Aviv protest last night on suspicion of working for Al Jazeera

Communications Ministry inspectors detained journalists from London-based news outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed during protests calling for a hostage deal in Tel Aviv last night, according to social media posts, on suspicion that they may be working for Al Jazeera, which was recently banned in Israel.

An Israeli journalist from the left wing +972 Magazine, Oren Ziv, shares video and photos on X, formerly Twitter, purporting to show Arab journalists from the Qatari-owned outlet being questioned by the inspectors, who had reportedly seen live footage of the Tel Aviv protests being broadcast on Al Jazeera.

1/2 The Israeli Ministry of communication confirmed that its workers arrived yesterday to a protest calling for a hostage deal, after they saw a live video of the protest on Al Jazeera. They didn't locate the source, but police detained Al Araby crew to check if they work for AJ pic.twitter.com/0PsfUT9HBN

— Oren Ziv (@OrenZiv_) May 12, 2024

The government last week approved a decision to temporarily shutter Al Jazeera’s offices in Israel on the grounds that it has harmed national security.

Another +972 journalist, Haggai Matar, notes on social media that Al Jazeera broadcasts live content from international news agencies, which was likely the source of the footage in question.

The Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reporters were released after questioning, according to the social media reports.

4:25 pm

Rocket alert sirens sound in Sderot, nearby towns; no injuries or damage

By Emanuel Fabian and ToI Staff

Rocket alert sirens sounded a short while ago in communities near the Gaza border, warning of incoming rocket fire.

The sirens could be heard in towns and cities including Sderot, Ivim, Nir Am, Gavim and Sapir College.

The IDF says one rocket was intercepted by the Iron Dome, while the other struck an open area. No injuries or damage were caused.

???? Rocket Alerts [16:00]:

• Gaza Envelope – Gavim, Sapir College, Sderot, Ibim, Nir Am pic.twitter.com/Q3H74GBwsQ

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) May 12, 2024

3:58 pm

Rocket alert sirens sounding near northern border with Lebanon

Rocket alert sirens are sounding near the northern border with Lebanon, warning of incoming rocket fire.

Sirens are sounding in the largely evacuated community of Yiftah in the Upper Galilee.

Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war against the Hamas terror group there.

Red Alert [15:52:03] – 1 Alert:

• Confrontation Line — Iftach#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/hZI414z1j1

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) May 12, 2024

3:52 pm

Jordan launches ‘Eager Lion’ war games with 33 countries including US, UK, France

By AFP

File - US and Saudi tanks take part in the "Eager Lion" multinational military maneuver, in the Al-Zarqa governorate, some 85 kilometers (52 miles) northeast of the Jordanian capital Amman, on September 14, 2022. (Khalil Mazraawi/AFP)

The Jordanian military announces the launch of the “Eager Lion” military exercise, with ground, naval and air forces from 33 countries — 10 Arab and 22 foreign countries in addition to Jordan — represented, including the United States, France and Britain. Israel is not taking part in the drill.

The drills, set to end on May 23, include anti-terrorism and air defense training, army spokesman Colonel Mustafa al-Hiyari tells a news conference.

He says that “Eager Lion” is intended to help fight “terrorist organizations,” and respond to “the proliferation of drones, and biological, chemical and nuclear weapons of mass destruction” as well as major disasters and aiming “to confront the emerging and cross-border threats of this era.”

The exercise, “the largest” since the first “Eager Lion” edition in 2011 according to Hiyari, comes at a time of soaring regional tensions as the war between Israel and Hamas war rages in the Gaza Strip.

#EagerLion May 12-23, 2024 ???????? pic.twitter.com/5gxFKhHKtv

— Antoine D (@AD1968F) May 12, 2024

Jordan, along with the US, the UK and France all helped to intercept a massive barrage of drones and missiles Iran fired at Israel last month.

But the spokesman says that the drills “have nothing to do with regional developments.”

Some of the countries participating include Poland, Norway, Romania, Japan and Australia alongside several Arab states such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Morocco and Lebanon.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

3:06 pm

Private ambulance driver caught trying to smuggle 8 Palestinians from West Bank into Israel

By Renee Ghert-Zand

A private ambulance driver was caught last night trying to smuggle eight Palestinians without permits into Israel.

The private ambulance was stopped at the Ofer checkpoint between the West Bank and Israel. The driver and Palestinians were arrested and the ambulance seized and taken to a Border Police base.

Health Minister Uriel Buso condemns the event, emphasizing that ambulances are to be reserved for transporting the sick and injured. “Any other use amounts to endangering public health,” he says.

Buso demands that the licenses of the ambulance driver and ambulance company be revoked and that law enforcement agencies carry out legal proceedings against them so that such an occurrence does not recur.

2:51 pm

IDF launches Jabaliya operation after Hamas identified as regrouping; clashes in Gaza City’s Zeitoun

Israeli troops operating in the Gaza Strip in an undated image released by the military on May 12, 2024 (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF launched an operation against Hamas in northern Gaza’s Jabaliya overnight, after it says Hamas was identified as regrouping in the area.

Ahead of the entry of the 98th Division into Jabaliya, fighter jets and other aircraft struck some 30 Hamas targets, killing several operatives, the military says.

The IDF says it had “intelligence information about the presence of terrorists and the restoration of terror infrastructure of the Hamas terror group in the area.”

Meanwhile, the 162nd Division continues to operate in southern Gaza’s Rafah, including on the Palestinian side of the Rafah Crossing with Egypt.

The IDF says troops discovered and destroyed several tunnel shafts and rocket launchers primed for attacks on Israel.

Some 10 Hamas gunmen spotted by troops in the area were killed in an airstrike, the military says.

Separately, the 99th Division is battling Hamas in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood, where the military identified operatives regrouping.

Several gunmen were killed in close-quarters combat and in airstrikes in Zeitoun, the IDF says. Strikes were also carried out against Hamas infrastructure, it adds.

Across Gaza, airstrikes were carried out against more than 150 targets, according to the military.

The targets included rocket launchers, cells of gunmen, weapon depots, observation posts, tunnels, and other infrastructure.

2:37 pm

Egyptian official: Cairo warned Israel, US that Rafah operation puts peace treaty at high risk

By AP and ToI Staff

Smoke rises above buildings during an early morning Israeli strike on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on May 11, 2023. (AFP)

A senior Egyptian official tells The Associated Press that Cairo has lodged protests with Israel, the United States and European governments, saying the Rafah operation has put its peace treaty with Israel — a cornerstone of regional stability — at high risk.

The official is not authorized to brief media and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Wall Street Journal reported in February that Egyptian officials had warned the decades-long peace treaty between Egypt and Israel could be suspended if Israel Defense Forces’ troops were to enter Rafah, or if any of Rafah’s refugees are forced southward into the Sinai Peninsula.

In an effort to forestall a massive influx of refugees, Egypt has stationed tanks near its border with Gaza, after reinforcing the border wall since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas, both structurally and with surveillance equipment.

2:27 pm

Hamas-run health ministry says over 35,000 killed in Gaza since Oct. 7

Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip from a position in southern Israel on May 12, 2024 (Menahem KAHANA / AFP)

At least 35,034 Palestinians have been killed and 78,755 injured since the start of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza sparked by the Hamas October 7 onslaught, according to figures released by the Strip’s Hamas-run health ministry says.

The figures have not been independently verified and include at least 15,000 Hamas gunmen Israel says it has killed in battle. Israel also says it killed some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.

A total of 272 IDF soldiers have been killed in the army’s Gaza ground operation.

2:14 pm

Rocket sirens sound in Ashkelon

Sirens sound in the coastal city Ashkelon, warning of incoming rocket fire.

Last night a rocket directly struck a home in the city, lightly injuring three people.

2:01 pm

IDF: Iron Dome intercepted 2 rockets fired from Rafah toward Kerem Shalom area

Two rockets launched from southern Gaza’s Rafah at the Kerem Shalom area were intercepted by the Iron Dome, the military says.

There are no reports of damage or injuries.

1:44 pm

Rocket sirens sound in Kerem Shalom near Gaza border

Sirens sound at Kerem Shalom near the Gaza border, warning of incoming rocket fire.

In recent days, Hamas has repeatedly attacked the Kerem Shalom area and the nearby border crossing.

The key crossing with the southern Gaza Strip for humanitarian aid deliveries was reopened last week after having been shuttered days earlier following a deadly Hamas rocket attack.

1:41 pm

Gunman from Lion’s Den terror group said killed in IDF raid near Nablus in West Bank

A Palestinian gunman was reportedly killed by Israeli troops during a raid in the West Bank’s Balata camp, near Nablus overnight.

He is named by Palestinian media as Samer Rummaneh, a member of the Lion’s Den terror group.

The IDF says troops returned fire at gunmen amid a counter-terrorism raid in Balata.

#متابعة

مجموعات عرين الأسود: ننعى الشهيد سامر رمانة أحد مقاتلينا الذي استشهد خلال اقتحام جيش الاحتلال لمخيم بلاطة pic.twitter.com/pCuAISVrSD

— Newpress | نيو برس (@NewpressPs) May 12, 2024

1:14 pm

Herzog, Levin announce pardon program for soldiers, reservists, those impacted by Oct. 7

By Jeremy Sharon

Isaac Herzog (left) and Yariv Levin at the Knesset in Jerusalem, June 2, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

President Isaac Herzog and Justice Minister Yariv Levin announce ahead of Independence Day a special, expanded program of pardons and clemencies for soldiers, reserve soldiers and others who have contributed to Israel’s security, as well as people affected by the October 7 atrocities and the current war.

Criminals currently serving a prison sentence will be eligible to have their sentence reduced if they have already served half of their prison term and have either a first-degree relative who was killed on or since October 7; a first-degree relative who is or was a hostage or a missing person following October 7; or several other extenuating circumstances.

Anyone who harmed state security, or whose crimes are subject to the jurisdiction of the military courts, cannot be considered for clemency.

Reserve soldiers who fought for at least 90 days during the current war; were not sentenced to more than 18 months in prison; and for whom five years have elapsed since they served time in prison will be eligible to apply for their criminal record to be expunged, as long as their crimes did not include harming state security, manslaughter, severe physical violence, sex offenses, and traffic offenses.

And an already existing program to reduce fines incurred by IDF soldiers and reservists, bereaved families, the families of hostages, and those who have been evacuated from their homes or whose homes have been damaged during the fighting, will continue until May 1, 2025, Herzog and Levin also note.

“We will soon celebrate the 76th Independence Day of the State of Israel, and this year the sense of mutual responsibility and belief in the righteousness of our path are accompanied by intense and profound feelings of pain, and an unending determination to return the hostages to their homes,” says Herzog on announcing the expanded clemency program.

“Reality changed on October 7… At a time when Israeli society has revealed itself in its full strength, we must remember those who have mobilized and are still mobilized for the security of the nation and the country.

“This year, the use of the power of clemency will be broader than usual, and we will extend a helping hand to those who have made a significant contribution to the security of the state. This is another way to instill hope and spirit in our people. This is another way for the state and its institutions to reflect the values of society and support those who need such help.”

12:40 pm

Fighter jets rehearse Memorial Day salute over Jerusalem

Israeli fighter jets fly over soldiers standing next to comrades graves during a rehearsal on the eve of the country's Memorial Day for fallen soldiers at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem, May 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Fighter jets seen and heard over the Jerusalem area are part of IDF preparations for Memorial Day ceremonies.

The military announced last night that it would be carrying out training over the area, warning the public of unusual aircraft movement.

The Israeli Air Force will not be holding its annual Independence Day flyover this year, but four fighter jets will still fly over the Mount Herzl military cemetery and Har Tayyasim as a salute on Memorial Day.

12:35 pm

Senior IDF officer moderately wounded during fighting in Gaza City on Friday

Then-Lt. Col. Yogev Bar Sheshet, the outgoing commander of the Nahal Brigade's 50th Battalion, in June 22, 2016. (Israel Defense Forces)

The deputy defense establishment comptroller, Brig. Gen. Yogev Bar Sheshet, was moderately wounded by gunfire shrapnel in Gaza City on Friday, the military says.

Bar Sheshet had been with the Nahal Infantry Brigade chief’s forward command team in the Zeitoun neighborhood.

He is the most senior IDF officer to be wounded during fighting in the Gaza Strip amid the war.

Five Nahal soldiers were killed fighting Hamas in Zeitoun on Friday.

12:28 pm

Erdogan: ‘Netanyahu’s genocidal methods would make Hitler jealous’

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to the media during a press conference following the Friday noon prayer in Istanbul, May 3, 2024. (Khalil Hamra/AP Photo)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “has reached a level that would make Hitler jealous with the genocidal methods he has put forward.”

In comments to Greece’s Kathimerini newspaper, cited by Turkey’s Anadolu News, Erdogan claims Gaza was an “open-air prison, not just after October 7, but for years before, like a concentration camp.”

It is not the first time Erdogan has compared Netanyahu to the Nazi leader. In December he said the Israeli premier was worse than Hitler, drawing countercharges that he himself was guilty of genocide.

Erdogan and Netanyahu have a long history of public attacks on each other, which have ebbed and flowed alongside Israel and Turkey’s on-again, off-again alliance. The attacks had halted as Jerusalem and Ankara ties warmed, but the détente has seemingly fallen apart over the Israel-Hamas war.

Earlier this month, Ankara announced it would stop all exports and imports to and from Israel, in a highly impactful move against Jerusalem over the war against Hamas.

Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza was triggered by the October 7 terror onslaught, in which thousands of Hamas-led terrorists burst into the country, killing some 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and seizing 252 hostages under the cover of thousands of rockets.

In response to the deadly assault, Israel launched an aerial campaign and subsequent ground operation, vowing to destroy Hamas and end its rule in the Gaza Strip.

11:22 am

Eden Golan, back in Israel, refers to hostages: ‘I was a voice for everyone who needs to be brought home now’

Eden Golan arrives back at Ben Gurion Airport after the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden, on May 12, 2024. (Alon Talmor)

Eden Golan, back in Israel after securing fifth place in last night’s Eurovision Song Contest, tells reporters that she considered it an honor to represent the country.

“It is a huge privilege that I am here and that I had the opportunity to represent our country, especially in moments like this,” she says.

“I felt the love from the people, and you cannot understand how much it helped me,” says Golan, who was repeatedly booed whenever she performed and faced calls to be excluded from the contest, as well as unprecedented protests against her presence in Malmo.

“I represented the country and was our voice for everyone who needs to be brought home now,” she says, referring to the hostages held by terrorists in the Gaza Strip.

Golan thanks all who were involved in her participation, with special mention to the “security services who kept us safe.”

11:07 am

UK’s FM: Hostage deal is ‘right answer’ to ending war, the ‘problem goes back to Hamas’

Britain's Foreign Secretary David Cameron reacts as he leaves Westminster Abbey in London, at the end of the annual Commonwealth Day service ceremony, on March 11, 2024. (Daniel Leal/AFP)

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron says that a deal to secure the release of the hostages held in Gaza is “the right answer” to end the war between Israel and Hamas.

“My view is that the right answer is to try and stop the fighting by having a hostage deal, achieving a pause in the fighting and then using that to build a sustainable ceasefire without going back to further conflict,” Cameron tells Sky News.

“But the problem is it goes back to Hamas,” he says. “Hamas have been offered a deal which would release hundreds of prisoners from Israeli jails, that would provide a pause in the fighting… and they’re not taking that deal.”

“The real pressure should be on Hamas to agree that hostage deal. The fighting could stop tomorrow,” he says.

Cameron tells the UK outlet that he was pressed to declare an immediate arms embargo, and days later a “massive Iranian attack” was launched at Israel.

“I don’t think it would have been a wise path, and I still don’t think it would be a wise path,” he says.

“I mean, if I announced that today, it might help me get through this television interview, but actually it would strengthen Hamas,” he says. “It would weaken Israel. I think it probably makes a hostage deal less likely.”

Cameron also says says that Israel must not launch a widespread offensive in the southern Gaza city Rafah without plans to safeguard the civilian population there.

11:01 am

Defense Ministry updates number of soldiers killed since last Memorial Day to 766

The funeral of Staff Sergeant Haim Sabach at the Holon Military Cemetery on May 9, 2024 (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

The Defense Ministry has updated the number of soldiers killed since last year’s Memorial Day, following recent fighting in the Gaza Strip.

According to the ministry, 766 soldiers were killed while serving in the military during the past year. Another 61 disabled veterans died due to complications from injuries sustained during their service in previous years.

The annual figures include all soldiers, police officers, Shin Bet agents, and civilian security officers who died during their service in the past year, whether in the line of duty, or as a result of an accident, illness, or suicide.

The numbers bring the total to 25,040 of those who have died during service to the country since 1860.

The latest update includes five troops killed during fighting against Hamas in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood, and one soldier killed in a car crash.

According to the National Insurance Institute, 834 names were also added to the list of civilian terror victims who perished in attacks during the past year, bringing the total toll of slain soldiers and civilians since last Memorial Day to 1,600.

10:11 am

UN chief calls for ‘immediate’ Gaza humanitarian ceasefire, unconditional hostage release

By AFP

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks during a press conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, at the foreign ministry headquarters in the Egypt's New Administrative Capital, March 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urges an immediate halt to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, the return of hostages and a “surge” in humanitarian aid to the Strip.

“I repeat my call, the world’s call, for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages and an immediate surge in humanitarian aid,” Guterres says in a video address to an international donors’ conference in Kuwait.

“But a ceasefire will only be the start. It will be a long road back from the devastation and trauma of this war,” he says.

9:46 am

Explosive-laden drone launched from Lebanon apparently strikes beach near Rosh Hanikra

An explosion is seen on northern Israel’s coast near the community of Rosh Hanikra, after sirens warned of an incoming drone launched from Lebanon.

There are no reports of injuries after what appears to be an explosive-laden drone struck the beach.

The IDF attempted but apparently failed to intercept the drone.

תיעוד: כטב״מ הנפץ ששוגר ע״י חיזבאללה מדרום לבנון התפוצץ סמוך לחוף ראש הנקרה
(אורלי אלקלעי) pic.twitter.com/1WWD7TN8b0

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) May 12, 2024

9:45 am

Israel readying to mark Memorial Day, set to begin Sunday evening

A woman mourns at the grave of a solider killed during the war, Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem, on May 10, 2024 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Israel is readying to mark Memorial Day for the first time since the October 7 onslaught and the ensuing war.

The national day of remembrance is set to begin this evening with a siren at 8:00 p.m.

A second siren will sound Monday morning at 11 a.m.

Ceremonies will be held at cemeteries, community centers and schools across the country.

One thousand five hundred and ninety-four soldiers and civilians were killed in combat or by terror since Israel’s last Memorial Day, according to figures released by authorities on Thursday, marking the deadliest year for the country’s security forces and civilians in five decades.

Since then, five more soldiers have been killed in combat.

The vast majority of the deaths came amid the terror onslaught and during Israel’s ongoing ground offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

9:32 am

Police said to release 29 protesters detained at Tel Aviv rallies; 1 still in custody

Demonstrators clash with police during a protest calling for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip and against the government near Hakirya Base in Tel Aviv, May 11, 2024 (Itai Ron/Flash90)

Twenty-nine of the protesters who were detained during last night’s protests in Tel Aviv have been released overnight, the Walla news site reports.

The demonstrators were calling for a hostage deal and new elections.

Those detained and later released included Ayala Metzger, the daughter-in-law of hostage Yoram Metzger.

According to the outlet, one person remains in custody on suspicion of assaulting a police officer.

9:23 am

Suspected ‘price tag’ arson attack on home in West Bank town Duma

A house was set on fire in an apparent anti-Palestinian arson attack in the West Bank town of Duma near Ramallah overnight, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

The words “Regards from Benjamin” were sprayed on the house, the outlet says.

https://twitter.com/adinitay/status/1789516640037621902

The graffiti is apparently a reference to 14-year-old Benjamin Achimeir, who was found dead on April 13, a day after setting out from an illegal West Bank outpost to herd sheep.

A resident of Duma, Ahmed Dawabsha, 21, is suspected of involvement in the teen’s killing in what authorities described as a terror attack.

Arrests of perpetrators in such so-called “price tag attacks” by extremists are exceedingly rare and rights groups lament that convictions are even more unusual, with the majority of charges in such cases being dropped.

A security source tells the outlet that “such actions dramatically harm the security and stability of the area.”

Achimeir went missing on April 12 after setting out in the early morning hours from a farm near the outpost, Malachei Shalom, to go shepherding. Hours later, the sheep returned without him. His body was found a day later, and the killing was termed a terror attack.

Amid the searches for his body, Israeli settlers rampaged in al-Mughayyir, a Palestinian village next to Malachei Shalom. The settlers set fire to houses and cars and sparked clashes between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers. A Palestinian man was killed and dozens of others were injured during the clashes.

Three members of one family were killed in Duma in an arson attack in 2015.

8:15 am

Palestinian media reports renewed fighting in northern Gaza’s Jabaliya

There is renewed fighting in northern Gaza’s Jabaliya, Palestinian media reports.

Yesterday, the IDF said it was also preparing to launch a new operation in the area, after identifying attempts by Hamas to regroup there.

An evacuation order was given for the Jabaliya area, where the IDF estimated between 100,000 and 150,000 Palestinians were.

According to a Channel 13 news report, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi cited the need for troops to return to Jabaliya when he tore into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during security consultations over the weekend for failing to develop and declare a so-called “day after” strategy for who will rule Gaza after the war.

“We are now operating once again in Jabaliya. As long as there’s no diplomatic process to develop a governing body in the Strip that isn’t Hamas, we’ll have to launch campaigns again and again in other places to dismantle Hamas’s infrastructure,” Halevi was quoted by Channel 13 as saying. “It will be a Sisyphean task.”

7:48 am

Tel Aviv Eurovision fans decry juries’ snub of Israel as ‘obviously political’

By AFP

People watch the final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) 2024 at a bar in Tel Aviv on May 12, 2024 (GIL COHEN-MAGEN / AFP)

Music fans in Tel Aviv decry juries’ snubs of Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest as “obviously political.”

The mood was electric at the packed Layla bar in Tel Aviv as the show got underway, with the crowd going wild when Israel’s contestant Eden Golan appeared on screen.

But as votes started ticking in, and it became clear that few of the juries representing the 37 countries with voting rights were offering Golan even a handful of votes, spirits fell.

Fans went from jumping around and waving Israeli flags to sitting downcast, some with their heads in their hands.

“This is clearly political,” says Guy, a 20-year-old who declined to give his last name.

“Eden was amazing… But there are people who hate us. They don’t see the whole picture,” he says.

“We didn’t get much from the countries. That’s obviously a political thing,” Layla manager Tal Shur agrees.

“No one wants to show that they support us.”

While the country juries largely snubbed Israel, a separate and equally important vote by the public provided Israel with a massive boost, catapulting it to fifth place in the end.

When the public vote came in, the fans in Tel Aviv went wild again.

“It was amazing,” Shur says, hailing Golan’s performance as “perfect.”

“It was nice to see how people got emotional when she came on stage… She did something to us.”

“When Israel was given super-high points, I was feeling very happy because it’s (about) music,” not politics, says Nelly Bernardi, 41.

However, she tells AFP she found the first part of the voting “shameful”.

“The (jury) points were given in a political way… It was quite obvious.”

6:56 am

Colombia’s Petro trades barbs with Netanyahu again: ‘Dropping bombs on innocents doesn’t make you a hero’

Colombian President Gustavo Petro speaks during a popular assembly in Cali, Colombia, on May 10, 2024. (Joaquin Sarmiento/AFP)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Colombian President Gustavo Petro are trading barbs again on social media, a week after Bogota severed diplomatic ties with Israel over the war against Hamas in Gaza.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, addressed to Netanyahu, Petro writes, “Dropping bombs on thousands of innocent children, women and elderly people does not make you a hero. You remain alongside those who killed millions of Jews in Europe.”

“A genocide is a genocide no matter regardless of religion. Try to at least stop the massacre,” he adds.

On Friday, Petro called for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue an arrest warrant for Netanyahu. He has has repeatedly lambasted Israel’s actions in Gaza, refusing to condemn Hamas’s October 7 onslaught — in which some 1,200 people were murdered and 252 taken hostages, mostly civilians. Just three days after the massacre, he likened top Israeli officials to Nazi Germany.

The Colombian president’s comments this morning follow a tweet from Netanyahu last night, in which he wrote, “Israel will not be lectured by an antisemitic supporter of Hamas, a genocidal terrorist organization that massacred, raped, mutilated and burned alive 1,200 innocent people on October 7. Shame on you President Petro!”

6:52 am

Rocket alert sirens sounding in northern communities near Lebanon border

Rocket alert sirens are sounding in northern communities near the border with Lebanon, warning of incoming rocket fire.

The sirens can be heard in Gesher HaZiv, Lehman, Achziv Miluot Industrial Zone and Nahariya.

There are no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Red Alert [06:44:59] – 4 Alerts:

• Confrontation Line — Gesher HaZiv, Nahariya, Achziv Miluot Industrial Zone, Lehman#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/xYK59Jh2mS

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) May 12, 2024

6:27 am

US downs 3 drones from Houthi area of Yemen ‘to protect freedom of navigation’

By Reuters and ToI Staff

US Central Command (CENTCOM) says it has destroyed three drones launched from a Houthi controlled area of Yemen into the Red Sea.

“It was determined that these UAS [uncrewed aerial systems] presented an imminent threat to both coalition forces and merchant vessels in the region,” CENTCOM says in a statement.

“These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US, coalition, and merchant vessels.”

CENTCOM also reports that a drone was launched from a Houthi controlled area of Yemen into the Gulf of Aden yesterday, with no injuries or damage reported by American, coalition, or commercial ship.

The Iran-aligned Houthi rebels say their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab Strait and Gulf of Aden in recent months are aimed at pressuring Israel to end its war against Hamas in Gaza, which the terror group claims has killed almost 35,000 Palestinians there.

The war began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing some 1,200 people and taking 252 others hostage, mostly civilians.

6:15 am

Report: Cabinet secretary says it could take 10 years to reach Haredi draft goals in government’s proposal

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men near a sign reading 'army recruitment office' during a protest against the drafting of Haredim to the military, in Jerusalem, May 1, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs believes it will take 10 years to reach the goals detailed in a draft plan aimed at regulating the enlistment of ultra-Orthodox men that the government is expected to present to the High Court this week, according to a Hebrew media report.

The Israel Hayom newspaper cites Fuchs as telling cabinet ministers over the past few days that the outline in discussions would allow for around 6,000-7,000 Haredi recruits per year.

Ultra-Orthodox men of military age have been able to avoid being conscripted to the Israel Defense Forces for decades by enrolling in yeshivas for Torah study and obtaining repeated one-year service deferrals until they reach the age of military exemption.

But the law allowing for blanket military service exemptions expired in June 2023, and a subsequent government resolution instructing the IDF not to enforce conscription on such men despite the expiry lapsed in April.

Israel Hayom reports that the government will likely approve the legislation on Wednesday before presenting it to the court on Thursday.

5:50 am

Israel said to receive top points in Eurovision public televote from 14 countries

Eden Golan of Israel enters the arena during the flag parade before the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Israel’s entry in the Eurovision Song Contest did not receive the maximum 12 points from any country’s jury in last night’s tally, but it did get top points in the popular vote from over a dozen countries, according to the Eurovision World fan site.

The countries that awarded Israel 12 points included France, Belgium, Germany, Australia, Switzerland the UK, Italy, Luxembourg, and Portugal, according to the fan site tally.

Israel finished in fifth place overall in the competition, which was engulfed by politics and controversies amid the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.

In total, Israel received 323 points in the televote, trailing only Croatia, which received 337 and wound up in second place overall.

A detailed graph of public and jury votes by country for Israel. Surprisingly, the Irish public gave Israel 10 points (12 is max). Amazing how many countries gave Israel max public points and zero jury points. pic.twitter.com/6GothPlgBb

— Uri Kurlianchik (@VerminusM) May 12, 2024

2:49 am

Ashkelon hospital: 3 lightly hurt in direct rocket strike on home in southern city

Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon says three people were admitted to the medical center after being injured in a direct rocket strike in the southern city.

They are listed in good condition, the hospital says.

The rocket, fired from Gaza, struck a home in the city.

???? A short time ago an alarm was sounded in the city of Ashkelon.

A report of a direct hit to the house with no casualties and one interception.

And if I'm already reporting it. So I did get to see the rocket in the sky myself while I was on my way home. Luckily I managed to… pic.twitter.com/hUWPxVkZr5

— Eli Afriat (@EX1LEISR) May 11, 2024

2:45 am

Hundreds of anti-Israel protesters arrested in New York after blocking traffic on Manhattan Bridge

An anti-Israel protester is arrested by NYPD officers during a march to mark the 76th anniversary of Nakba, or the "catastrophe" of the creation of Israel, in the Brooklyn borough of New York on May 11, 2024. (Leonardo Munoz/AFP)

Hundreds of anti-Israel protesters have reportedly been arrested in New York, after blocking traffic on the Manhattan Bridge.

The New York Post reports that the protesters initially “blew off” police officers who tried to set up barricades to block the demonstration.

There is no immediate comment on the arrests from the New York Police Department.

The protest comes ahead of Israel’s Independence Day this week, which Palestinians call the “Nakba,” Arabic for “catastrophe” and amid the ongoing war against the Hamas terror group in Gaza.

Anti-Israel activists take part in a march to mark the 76th anniversary of the creation of the State of Israel, called the “Nakba,” or the catastrophe by Palestinians, in the Brooklyn borough of New York on May 11, 2024. (Leonardo Munoz/AFP)

Protesters, including anti-Zionist, ultra-Orthodox Jews, march through the the Brooklyn borough of New York waving Palestinian flags and wearing keffiyeh scarves.

Some protesters carry anti-Israel signs such as “Unending Nakba, unyielding intifada,” a reference to periods of deadly Palestinian terror attacks against Israeli civilians in the late 1980s and early 1990s and again in the early 2000s.

NOW: Hundreds of protestors arrested after crossing the Manhattan Bridge.

NYPD met them from the other side and loaded them into corrections busses. pic.twitter.com/urHd0xJHJk

— Peter Hambrecht (@peterhvideo) May 11, 2024

1:48 am

Rocket launched from Gaza struck building in Ashkelon — IDF, municipality