Live updates (closed)
The Times of Israel liveblogged Saturday’s events as they unfolded.
NYC’s New School rejects student senate’s vote to defund campus Hillel
NYC’s New School rejects its student senate’s dismissal of Hillel
The New School, a private university in New York City, rejects a student government vote against the campus chapter of Hillel.
The New School’s student senate voted yesterday to cut funds and collaboration with the Jewish club, claiming violations of “international law” due to events connected to the IDF.
A spokesperson for the university tells The Times of Israel, “The New School’s University Student Senate does not have the authority to determine the recognition, funding eligibility, or official status of registered student organizations.”
“Our Hillel chapter remains, as it always has been, in good standing, eligible for funding, and supporting Jewish life at The New School,” the statement says. “The administration is taking immediate steps to address the USS’s action and ensure it acts within its actual purview, now and going forward.”
“The New School was founded on a rejection of violence, hate, and discrimination toward any individual or group, and a commitment to understanding, learning, and open dialogue. Those values apply to every member of our community, without exception.”
Netanyahu to convene security cabinet tomorrow as tensions simmer with Iran; report: return to Gaza fighting to also be discussed
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene his security cabinet tomorrow, the offices of one of the members tells The Times of Israel.
He last met with the small circle of senior ministers on Wednesday, including Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Defense Minister Israel Katz, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, and Shas chairman Aryeh Deri.
The meeting comes after US President Donald Trump on Friday said he was dissatisfied with a new ceasefire offer from Tehran and confirmed he had been briefed on ways to “blast the hell out of them” if no deal were reached. A senior Iranian official has since warned that a return to war with the US is “likely.”
According to the Kan public broadcaster, the meeting will also discuss a potential return to fighting in the Gaza Strip amid anger over the lack of progress in negotiations to disarm Hamas and move forward with the US-led Board of Peace’s ceasefire plan.
“Hamas is not complying with the disarmament agreement,” an Israeli source tells the outlet. “We are holding discussions with the mediators.”
Hamas presented Saturday morning in Cairo its response to Board of Peace High Representative for Gaza Nickolay Mladenov’s 15-point roadmap for the implementation of phase two of Trump’s Gaza peace plan, according to Asharq Al-Awsat.
According to the outlet, there was surprise by mediators and some non-Hamas Palestinian factions at Hamas’s amendments. Hamas is demanding a full ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
It did not accept Mladenov’s proposal for a staged disarming of Hamas, instead saying that “the issue of weapons would be handled in connection with the political rights of the Palestinian people, within a national framework, and in the context of establishing the necessary security arrangements as a basis for guaranteeing security for both sides,” according to the outlet.
It also called for “establishing a sovereign Palestinian state and securing the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.”
Mladenov left Cairo after Hamas submitted its response.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
AG expected to file indictment against PM’s chief of staff Tzachi Braverman in coming weeks – report
Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff Tzachi Braverman arrives for the funeral of Asher Hayon, a former chief of staff and adviser to Benjamin Netanyahu, at a cemetery in Modi’in, February 17, 2026. (Jonathan Sahul/Flash90)
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara is reportedly expected to announce her decision to file an indictment, subject to a hearing, against Tzachi Braverman, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief of staff, in the coming weeks.
According to a Channel 12 report, police have completed their investigation into Braverman. The official is suspected of having interfered with an investigation into Eli Feldstein, a former spokesman for the premier, over his alleged leak of a classified document to the German newspaper Bild.
Despite his proximity to the case, Netanyahu never gave testimony to investigators. Police made repeated efforts to coordinate with the premier, allowing him to pick any date and time for the testimony, but never managed to bring him in, the outlet says.
Police suspect that Braverman set up a nighttime meeting with Feldstein in the underground parking lot of the IDF’s Kirya military headquarters, where he both informed the former spokesman of the investigation into him and said he could put a stop to it.
The case has been passed to the State Attorney’s Office without Netanyahu’s testimony, according to Channel 12.
Hillel in talks with NYC’s New School after students vote to defund campus chapter; believed to be first such vote in US
File: Students and pro-Palestinian supporters rally outside The New School University Center building, April 22, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Hillel International says it is in talks with the New School, in New York City, after the university’s student government voted to strip funding and cut ties with the campus chapter of Hillel.
The New School’s student senate passed the measure against Hillel yesterday, shortly before Shabbat, alleging that the Jewish students had violated “international law” due to events with the IDF.
The vote appeared to be the first time a US student government had approved stripping funding from its Hillel chapter.
“The New School famously sheltered Jewish intellectuals fleeing Nazi persecution — and yet its student senate voted to deprive Hillel of funding unless it severs ties with Hillel International, the world’s largest and most inclusive Jewish student organization,” Hillel International CEO and President Adam Lehman says in a statement to the Times of Israel.
“Demonizing Hillel with false charges rooted in age-old antisemitic tropes is wrong, plain and simple. We are in active conversations with university leadership and Jewish community partners to ensure every Jewish student at The New School has access to the Hillel experience, support, and resources they deserve,” Lehman says.
Police chief allows senior officers to attend Ben Gvir’s birthday party; Bennett lambasts move, vows to dismiss ‘political’ public servants
Police chief Danny Levy is allowing senior officers in the force to attend a birthday party for National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir that is being held tonight.
In an internal memo from the chief commissioner obtained by Ynet, Levy writes that only members of the police senior command are permitted to go to the celebration, which is taking place at a reservable villa in southern Israel.
“Police officers who are not members of the senior command and have been invited to the event are not permitted to attend,” the memo reads.
Levy’s willingness to allow officers to attend the party raises further concern about Ben Gvir’s influence over law enforcement, which critics have warned is liable to undermine police’s independence from political forces.
רבבות שוטרות ושוטרי ישראל המסורים והטובים ראויים לפיקוד ישר, יעיל וממלכתי שמעניק דוגמא אישית.
אני מודיע:
משרת ציבור, בכל תפקיד ובכל ארגון ממשלתי, אשר יפר את חובת האמונים שלו למדינה וינצל את תפקידו בצורה פוליטית ולא ממלכתית, יודח באופן מיידי. pic.twitter.com/uO72LIUR66— Naftali Bennett נפתלי בנט (@naftalibennett) May 2, 2026
In a social media post, former prime minister Naftali Bennett lambasts Levy’s move and reiterates his vow to dismiss public servants who he deems serve political interests.
“Any public servant, in any role and in any government agency, who breaches his fiduciary duty to the country and exploits his role in a political and non-civic manner, will be immediately dismissed,” he writes.
Replying to the post, Ben Gvir insults Bennett. “Naftali has no friends, and also no work relationships, send him a cake from the party,” he retorts.
Yesh Atid MK Yoav Segalovitz, a former high-ranking police investigator, calls the permission granted to officers to participate in the celebration a “grave incident in the moral and ethical sense.”
Hundreds protest in Tel Aviv against ‘government of debacle and disaster’
Israelis hold signs in protest of the government, Tel Aviv's Habima Square, on May 2, 2026. (Jack GUEZ / AFP)
About 1,000 people rally at Tel Aviv’s Habima Sqaure against the government’s bid to codify the Haredi exemption from military service and its refusal to form a state commission of inquiry into failures surrounding the Hamas-led onslaught of October 7, 2023.
The rally is organized by the Movement for Quality Government, which has petitioned the High Court to compel the government to draft ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students and form a state commission of inquiry.
Former minister Izhar Shay, whose son Yaron was killed fending off the onslaught at Kibbutz Kerem Shalom, tells protesters that the “band of spineless suck-ups” in the government won’t be able to avoid an investigation for long.
“One day, when a state commission of inquiry is established,” he vows, “the ministers of the government of debacle and disaster will have to give a detailed explanation, under oath,” for their purported failure to keep tabs on the security of Israel’s failure ahead of the onslaught, says Shay.
He says he vowed at his son’s funeral “that I would do everything… to uncover the truth.”
“I wasn’t looking for revenge, and I’m not looking for revenge today, either,” says Shay. “But I did look for justice.”
Fellow former minister Orna Barbivai, who as the IDF’s first female general led the military’s Personnel Directorate, accuses “the government of crooks” of putting ultra-Orthodox interests over those of Israelis who serve in the army.
“The duty to obey the law applies only to us, who work and pay taxes and serve in the IDF,” she says. “In the crook government’s virtual reality, the ongoing erosion of people who serve in the IDF is less important than… those who would die and not draft,” she says.
Barbivai also accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of caving to US President Donald Trump’s declaration of a Lebanon ceasefire even as “residents of the north live under non-stop fire from Hezbollah.”
Moreover, she claims the government is failing to support the IDF as it “is forced to deal with Jewish terrorism every day” in the West Bank.
The West Bank violence is “un-Jewish and inhumane” and is carried out by “organized, funded gangs that harm our legitimacy to act” against enemies, says Barbivai.
She does not mention Palestinians in this section of her speech, and her comments come despite multiple instances of settler violence perpetrated either by active-duty reservists or with the cooperation of soldiers in the field.
Knesset defense committee to convene emergency meeting on Israel’s lack of Arrow 3 interceptor missiles – report
The Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee will convene an emergency meeting on Israel’s lack of Arrow 3 interceptors, Channel 12 reports.
Likud MK Boaz Bismuth, the committee’s chairman, has reportedly called the meeting after over a third of the body’s members signed a letter demanding a discussion be held on the subject of “the failure of the interceptors and the abandonment of the home front.”
The letter was drafted at the initiative of Democrats MK Efrat Rayten after it was reported on Channel 12 that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government repeatedly refused to increase funding for interceptor missiles amid rising tensions with Iran and multiple large-scale ballistic missile attacks.
The letter, referring to the investigation from last week, voices worry that Israel has “over the course of many months, avoided expanding assembly line production of Arrow 3 interceptors, despite two massive ballistic missile attacks by Iran.”
The Arrow 3 is Israel’s most advanced long-range defense system, meant to intercept ballistic missiles, like the type fired from Iran, while they are still outside the Earth’s atmosphere.
The lawmakers on the committee are requesting to summon both Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to answer the questions before the committee regarding the reported lack of interceptors. It is unclear when the meeting will be held.
IDF says it killed 3 operatives, wounded another, after they approached troops in Gaza
The IDF says it killed at least three terror operatives and wounded a fourth after they approached Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip today.
According to the IDF, in several incidents, troops of the Gaza Division stationed in the Strip’s south identified “four terrorists who crossed the Yellow Line and approached the forces in a manner that posed an imminent threat.”
The military says it “struck the terrorists to remove the threat,” adding that three were killed and the fourth “was hit.”
71-year-old Palestinian woman reportedly among three injured in settler attack near Hebron
The Palestinian news agency Wafa reports that three Palestinians were evacuated for medical treatment after settler extremists gathered in a village east of Hebron in the West Bank this afternoon, sparking a confrontation with local Palestinian residents.
A 71-year-old woman was among the wounded, the report says, adding that she suffered bruises from an apparent beating.
Footage shows settlers arriving in Jabel Jales and a confrontation breaking out between them and Palestinians.
هجوم للمستوطنين على جبل جالس في الخليل pic.twitter.com/ZbFjpoorm3
— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) May 2, 2026
The IDF says in response to a query by The Times of Israel that “forces were dispatched following a report of friction between Israeli civilians and Palestinians. Upon arrival, the forces acted to disperse the confrontation, and all those involved were dispersed”
Settlers were also filmed uprooting several olive trees from a Palestinian orchard in the South Hebron Hills.
In addition, footage shows extremist settlers throwing stones in the area of the village of Deir Jarir, near Ramallah. No injuries are reported in that incident.
مشاهد توثق هجوم المستوطنين على قرية دير جرير، شرق رام الله. pic.twitter.com/LleaqkvUHz
— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) May 2, 2026
Police arrest another teen suspect in Independence Day killing,16th suspect detained to date
Police have arrested another teenager in the killing of Yemanu Binyamin Zelka, bringing the number of suspects in the case to 16 total.
The suspect, a 16-year-old from the Sharon region, was arrested hours after police nabbed a 17-year-old implicated in the ambush and fatal stabbing.
Zelka, a 21-year-old Pizza Hut employee, was stabbed to death on the night of Independence Day amid an attack by a group of adolescents after he told them not to spray party foam in the restaurant.
After waiting outside for Zelka to finish his late-night shift, the youths ambushed and beat him, with one assailant taking out a knife and stabbing him. He later died of his wounds.
Police say they are continuing to search for more suspects in the killing.
IDF causes damage to Catholic convent in south Lebanon; army acknowledges, says has ‘no intention of harming religious buildings’
The Israeli military acknowledges that it caused some damage to a Catholic convent in southern Lebanon while working to demolish Hezbollah infrastructure, but denies that it “demolished” the site with bulldozers.
According to the IDF, during operations in the border village of Yaroun, forces caused damage to a structure that “had no external signs indicating it was a religious building.”
“After identifying religious indicators in the complex, the forces acted to prevent further damage,” the military says, attaching photos showing the intact structure.
The IDF says that Hezbollah had used the compound to launch rockets “multiple times” during the war, “which is why the forces operated there, with the aim of destroying the organization’s terror infrastructure.”
“The IDF takes care to destroy only terror infrastructure and has no intention of harming religious buildings,” the military adds.
#للتوضيح 🔸في إطار نشاط قوات جيش الدفاع في منطقة قرية يارون في جنوب لبنان، تعمل القوات على إزالة التهديدات وتدمير البنى التحتية الإرهابية التي أقامها حزب الله في المنطقة.
🔸بعد تدقيق الأمر تبين أنه في إطار نشاطات القوات في سبيل تدمير البنى التحتية الإرهابية تضرر أحد المنازل… pic.twitter.com/F33bHFYCiT
— Lieutenant Colonel Ella Waweya | إيلا واوية (@CaptainElla1) May 2, 2026
Gladys Sabbagh, the superior general of the Basilian Salvatorian Sisters, tells The Associated Press that the convent was a small compound housing just two nuns, who left because of the war. It had previously included a school and a clinic.
Sabbagh says they “heard” the convent “was destroyed with bulldozers.”
In its own statement, Israel’s Foreign Ministry says “claims that a monastery in Yaroun in South Lebanon was ‘demolished’ are false. The site is intact and safe.”
🚨 FAKE NEWS
Claims that a monastery in Yaroun in South Lebanon was “demolished” are false. The site is intact and safe.
Spreading unverified reports like this is reckless, fuels unnecessary tension, and distorts the reality on the ground.
Hezbollah has repeatedly used… pic.twitter.com/8k4dqaD1zK
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) May 2, 2026
AP contributed to this report.
IDF says it killed Hezbollah operatives, struck some 120 terror group sites over weekend
The IDF says it killed Hezbollah operatives identified near troops in southern Lebanon, as well as struck and destroyed some 120 Hezbollah sites over the weekend.
The targets included command centers where members of the terror group were operating, weapons depots, and other buildings used by Hezbollah to advance attacks, according to the IDF.
The military publishes footage of some of the strikes.
בין המטרות שהותקפו:
⭕️ מפקדות מהן פעלו מחבלי הארגון
⭕️ מחסן אמצעי לחימה
⭕️ מבנים בשימוש צבאי
⭕️ תשתיות טרור נוספות אשר שימשו את מחבלי ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה לקידום מתווי טרור נגד כוחות צה"ל ואזרחי מדינת ישראל.צה"ל ממשיך לפעול מול איומים על אזרחי מדינת ישראל וכוחות צה"ל, ובהתאם… pic.twitter.com/hDlRGvQgAf
— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) May 2, 2026
Hezbollah slams Lebanese TV outlet for ‘Angry Birds’ clip making fun of group’s leader
Hezbollah issues a public rebuke of a video published by a Lebanese TV outlet caricaturing Hezbollah’s leaders and fighters as characters from the “Angry Birds” mobile phone games, calling the clip “offensive.”
On social media, Hezbollah’s supporters condemn what they consider the ridiculing of leader Naim Qassem, who is also a Shia cleric, with some reacting by sharing images insulting Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai, the highest Christian authority in Lebanon.
The video, shared by the LBCI channel yesterday, depicts Qassem addressing his fighters — with all of them depicted as birds from the popular video games — as they fight the Israeli army, portrayed as the series’ green pigs.
https://x.com/LBCI_NEWS/status/2050198143162016202
Hezbollah says in a statement that the video contained “offensive and cheap insults that degrade political discourse to a repulsive level.”
The group also calls on supporters not to be “drawn into” the controversy “orchestrated by the enemies of the resistance.”
LBCI was founded in the 1980s by the Lebanese Forces, a Christian party opposed to Hezbollah. However, the channel distanced itself from the party years ago and has been trying to present a more independent image since.
“Before our holy symbols and our sheikh (Qassem), all holy symbols fall,” one Hezbollah supporter writes on X, referring to Maronite Patriarch Rai.
President Joseph Aoun in a statement “condemned and rejected any attacks on the heads of Christian and Muslim religious communities and spiritual figures in Lebanon.”
He also urges the public “to refrain from personal insults, given the negative repercussions of such practices, especially in the current circumstances the country is going through, which require broad national solidarity”.
Despite the relative freedom of expression enjoyed in Lebanon in comparison to other Arab countries, the media, artists and comedians have faced harassment over work deemed by some to be offensive to political or religious figures.
Lebanese army chief and US general meet in Beirut to discuss ‘security situation,’ Lebanese army says
Lebanese armed forces commander General Rudolf Haykal and US General Joseph Clearfield met today in Beirut to discuss the security situation in Lebanon and regional developments, the Lebanese army says in a statement.
Clearfield heads a committee monitoring a US-backed ceasefire in fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah. The participants at the meeting underlined the importance of the Lebanese army’s role and the need to support it during the current phase, the statement says.
Spain slams ‘illegal’ Israeli detention of Spanish citizen from Gaza flotilla
Spain condemns the “illegal detention” of one of its citizens who was taken to Israel after being detained during an Israeli military interception of a Gaza-bound flotilla in international waters off Crete earlier in the week.
Palestinian-Spanish citizen Saif Abu Keshek “must be released immediately so that he can return to Spain,” Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares tells Rac1 radio.
“We are facing an illegal detention in international waters, outside any jurisdiction of the Israeli authorities,” Albares says.
Abu Keshek and Brazilian national Thiago Ávila were the only two flotilla members detained and taken to Israel after their flotilla was intercepted, with Israel releasing the some 175 other activists aboard the ships to Greece.
Saif Abu Keshek is a leading member of the PCPA, a front for the Hamas terrorist organization. The PCPA is an organization designated and sanctioned by the United States.
Saif Abu Keshek serves as a liaison between senior Hamas officials and international actors, and he assists… pic.twitter.com/17U9KJ6wDI
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) May 1, 2026
According to Israel’s Foreign Ministry, Abu Keshek and Ávila are both members of the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA), “an organization designated and sanctioned by the United States as a Hamas front.”
The ministry has said the two will be taken for questioning by law enforcement authorities and will receive a consular visit from the representatives of their respective countries.
The Israeli Navy intercepted the latest flotilla, comprising 58 boats, overnight between Wednesday and Thursday off the coast of Crete, hundreds of nautical miles (over 1,000 kilometers) from Israel. During past attempts to challenge the naval blockade, the Navy has intercepted the boats much closer to Gaza’s shores, which the flotilla was expected to reach over the weekend.
The Foreign Ministry has said that “due to the large numbers of vessels participating in the flotilla and the risk of escalation, and the need to prevent the breach of a lawful blockade, an early action was required in accordance with international law.”
Students at NYC college vote in favor of stripping funding from Hillel chapter
File: Students and pro-Palestinian supporters rally outside The New School University Center building, April 22, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
The student senate at the New School, a private university in New York City, says it has decided to “suspend future funding and collaboration” with the campus Hillel chapter.
The decision appears to be the first time a student government has decided to strip funding from its Hillel chapter on a US campus.
The New School student senate, calling the move a “landmark decision,” decided on the move in a vote, a statement says. The group also releases a 38-page report on alleged violations by Hillel.
The statement says the senate’s registered student organization compliance committee has designated Hillel “not in good standing,” and that it was ineligible for funding from or collaboration with the senate, in any capacity, effective immediately.
The senate justifies the decision by claiming “extensive ties to violations of international law” by Hillel, due to connection to the IDF, such as a student trip where Hillel members volunteered on an Israeli air force base.
“To continue to fund Hillel at the New School would mean that your student fees would be used to support violations of international law,” the statement says. “Our shared values require us to enforce our policies until Hillel agrees to affirm and abide by international law.”
There have not been any international criminal law convictions against Israel.
To reinstate funding, Hillel must sever all ties with and renounce Hillel International, and end participation in Israel programs, the student senate says.
The New School is a private university in Manhattan with around 10,000 students.
The Anti-Defamation League, in its campus report card, gave the New School an “F” grade for antisemitism.
Oil tanker hijacked off coast of Yemen and diverted toward Somalia, Yemeni coast guard says
Unidentified attackers hijacked an oil tanker on Saturday off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden and directed it toward Somalia, the Yemeni coast guard says.
According to the agency, the tanker EUREKA was seized off Yemen’s Shabwa province by a group that “boarded, took control of it, then steered it… in the direction of the Somali coast.”
The coast guard, which is affiliated with Yemen’s internationally recognized government, not the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, vows to investigate the attack.
“The location of the tanker has been determined, and work is underway to monitor it and take the necessary measures in an attempt to recover it and ensure the safety of its crew,” it says, without identifying the crew’s numbers or nationality.
⭕️ The UAE-owned Oil Tanker "M/T Eureka" was hijacked off Yemen's Shabwa coast, according to a Yemeni coast guards' statement.
*the tanker departed Fujairah 8 days ago, and was anchored near Al Mukallah 2 days ago pic.twitter.com/E9yD19ZkZC
— MenchOsint (@MenchOsint) May 2, 2026
According to the website Marine Traffic, the EUREKA is a Togolese-flagged oil products tanker that was reported to have been in the UAE port of Fujairah in late March.
Piracy was rampant off the coast of Somalia in the 2000s, peaking in 2011 with hundreds of attacks, but was significantly reduced by international naval deployments and new tactics by commercial shipping.
But in recent weeks attacks have increased again, according to a report by the European Union naval mission deployed off the shores of the troubled east African country.
Operation Atalanta, the EU’s naval force for Somalia, monitored three attacks in late April, according to its information service, the Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean (MSCIO).
Since February 28, shipping in the region has also been disrupted by the US-Israeli war against Iran, but there is no immediate indication that today’s hijacking is linked to the conflict.
UK Green Party leader Zack Polanski is an ‘extremist,’ says Israel’s deputy FM
Green Party leader Zack Polanski speaks in Manchester, England, January 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
UK Green Party leader Zack Polanski is an “extremist” who “legitimizes violence against Jews,” charges Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel, after the British party leader sparked anger for his reaction to Wednesday’s antisemitic terror stabbing in London’s Golders Green that left two Jewish men seriously wounded.
After video of police subduing and kicking Essa Suleiman, the 45-year-old Somalia-born UK citizen who is suspected of behind behind the attack, went viral online, Polanski retweeted, without comment, a post on X alleging that officers were “repeatedly and violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head” when he was already incapacitated after being tased.
Asked if she agrees with an Israeli embassy source that labeled Polanski as an “extremist,” Haskel tells conservative British broadcaster GB News: “It is as simple as that.”
“Him and his party are continuing this path of conspiracy theories and hatred towards Jews and towards the Jewish community and toward British Jewish citizens,” she says.
“Sometimes an apology is too little, too late, especially when it comes to Polanski. When you choose to legitimize violence against Jews, you don’t just make a mistake – you cross a moral line that should never be crossed.”
“It normalizes hatred, emboldens others, and corrodes the standards that hold a society together. And once that line is breached, it cannot simply be undone with a few words of regret: you risk spending the rest of your life apologizing for it,” she adds.
Polanski, who is Jewish, apologized on Friday, saying that: “Everyone in leadership has a responsibility for lowering the temperature at a time of such tension, and I apologize for sharing a tweet in haste.”
Ahead of local elections next week, Polanski’s party has been embroiled in a string of antisemitic scandals.
Report: Hamas leadership vote concludes in Gaza; West Bank, diaspora set to vote later today
Right: Hamas’s Gaza leader Khalil al-Hayya; left: Hamas’s external leader Khaled Mashal (Press Presidency Press Service/Pool Photo via AP, AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Voting for Hamas’s next political leader has concluded in the Gaza Strip, according to a source speaking to the Qatari Al-Araby network, who says that the votes among Hamas members in West Bank and in the Palestinian diaspora are set to take place later today.
The two main candidates to take over the terror group’s leadership are current Gaza politburo chief Khalil al-Hayya, who has been the group’s top negotiator over the past several years, and Khaled Mashaal, a senior leader who headed Hamas from 1996 to 2017.
Hamas has not had an elected leader since July 2024, when a bomb planted by Israel in Tehran killed Ismail Haniyeh, who was elected to a second term as terror chief in 2021. Following the assassination, Hamas announced that Yahya Sinwar, its top official in Gaza, would take over as leader, without holding internal elections.
Sinwar, who is credited as the mastermind of the October 7, 2023, assault, only served as leader for three months before he was killed in the Rafah area. Since his death, Hamas has not formally named a successor or interim leader, instead reportedly being led by a quintet of senior officials based outside Gaza, primarily in Qatar and Turkey.
Hamas generally holds leadership elections every four years, but the latest vote, initially scheduled for 2025, was delayed by the war. During the war, Israel assassinated most of the terror group’s senior political and military commanders.
The elections have historically been conducted in secrecy, with only a few hundred to a few thousand senior members quietly casting ballots and Hamas keeping results under wraps to shield its operatives from exposure to Israeli assassination attempts.
Nurit Yohanan contributed to this report.
Rainbow halo seen around Sun as ‘sun dog’ atmospheric phenomenon graces Israel’s skies
A halo of light is seen around the Sun by people across Israel, as the rare atmospheric phenomenon known as “sun dog” graces the skies with a rainbow-like band.
חוף שבי ציון וקרית שמונה. תופעה נדירה בשמיים: קשת סביב השמש נצפית הבוקר לרוחב הגליל. ד״ר עמיר גבעתי, מנהל השרות המטאורולוגי, הסביר שהיא נוצרת כאשר יש ענני שרב בגובה רב, כמו היום. העננים הללו מגיעים מדרום בשכבות הגבוהות של האטמוספרה ומכיוון שהם מגובה רב מאוד הם עשויים מחלקיקי קרח.… pic.twitter.com/wWLC5bgVuo
— יואב איתיאל מדווח כי (@yoavetiel) May 2, 2026
Social media users across the country take pictures of the spectacular optical phenomenon.
The rare rainbow sun dog, also known as a 22 degree halo, is caused by light that is refracted through ice crystals. When sun light hits a crystal at a particular angle, it is refracted causing a halo with a radius of 22 degrees.
Settlers attack Palestinian village, set fire to electricity cables and reportedly lay road spikes to delay troops
A group of settlers attacked the West Bank village of Jalud this morning, setting fire to electricity cables and putting down road spikes to delay the arrival of security forces, Army Radio reports.
Some 15 rioters set fire to the electricity installation and threw rocks at a home, the report says.
There are no injuries reported.
A military vehicle dispatched to the scene ran over the spikes allegedly placed by the settlers.
Troops used riot dispersal means and arrested four suspects while the remainder fled, Army Radio says.
There is no immediate comment from the Israel Defense Forces.
IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth reportedly recently warned about rising settler violence, which he termed “Jewish terrorism.”
Critics accuse the government of turning a blind eye to violent attacks by settlers, which have become increasingly deadly in recent years.
The IDF has also faced criticism for often standing by while attacks unfold — with troops sometimes actively participating — or failing to prosecute those responsible.
הטרור היהודי ביו"ש: כ-15 פורעים יהודים הגיעו הבוקר לכפר ג'אלוד בבנימין, הציתו קווי חשמל בו ויידו אבנים לעבר בתים. רכב סיור של כוח צה"ל ומג"ב שהוקפץ למקום עלה על דוקרנים, שהניחו עפ"י החשד היהודים. הכוחות השתמשו באמצעים לפיזור הפגנות להרחקתם, ועצרו 4 מהם – היתר נמלטו@Doron_Kadosh pic.twitter.com/vpVupom1Zq
— גלצ (@GLZRadio) May 2, 2026
UAE says air traffic back to normal, lifts precautions implemented since start of Iran war
A plume of smoke caused by an Iranian strike is seen in the background an an Emirates plane is parked at the Dubai International Airport after its closure in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
The UAE’s aviation authority said air traffic in the country has returned to normal, the state news agency reports, after precautionary measures implemented on February 28 at the start of the Iran war were lifted.
The decision followed a comprehensive assessment of operational and security conditions in coordination with relevant entities, the General Civil Aviation Authority adds.
Rocket launched by Hezbollah at Israeli troops in south Lebanon was intercepted, IDF says
A rocket launched by Hezbollah at Israeli troops stationed in southern Lebanon a short while ago was intercepted, the military says.
The IDF says that Hezbollah launched several more rockets and explosive drones at troops in southern Lebanon today.
The projectiles exploded near the forces but did not cause any injuries, the army adds.
Lebanese media reports 7 killed in Israeli airstrikes in south
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Hezbollah in the southern Lebanese village of Zawtar on May 2, 2026. (AFP)
Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon kill at least seven people and wound others as hostilities continue between Israel and Hezbollah despite a ceasefire, Lebanese media reports.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reports an airstrike on a car in the village of Kfar Dajal that killed two people, while another hit a home in the village of Lwaizeh, killing three. NNA also reports a strike on the village of Shoukin that killed two people.
The reports do not say if the casualties are terror operatives or civilians.
The strikes came as Israel’s military issued a new warning for residents of nine other southern villages to evacuate ahead of airstrikes targeting the Hezbollah terror group.
Convicted killer sentenced for beating Jewish chaplain at UK prison
A convicted killer has been sentenced for an antisemitic attack in a British prison in which he broke the jaw of a Jewish chaplain.
Joseph Gynane shouted “Allah Akbar” as he attacked the chaplain at HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire in September.
“Gynane punched the man to the back of the head with such force that he was knocked to the floor and continued punching him,” Cambridgeshire Police say in a statement. “The chaplain told officers he believed the attack was religiously motivated due to him being Jewish and wearing a black skull cap at the time.”
The victim was later found to have a broken jaw and thumb.
According to police, Gynane, jailed in 2019 for murdering his friend and stabbing a 16-year-old boy, had graffitied his cell with “Free Palestine” and “Death to the IDF.”
He was sentenced to 11 years for the antisemitic attack on top of his existing life sentence.
At the hearing, Judge Andrew Hurst noted that Gynane converted to Islam in 2007 and it was clear he held “antisemitic, florid and ideologically disturbing” views.
Hurst said there was a “very high risk of future assaults” from Gynane, who “will seek to harm innocent members of the Jewish community,” police say in a statement.
Ship reports suspicious approach by 2 vessels off Yemen coast, maritime agency says
A bulk carrier reported a suspicious approach by a skiff accompanied by a fishing vessel, 84 nautical miles southwest of the port of Mukalla on the southern coast of Yemen, Britain’s maritime security agency UKMTO reports.
UKMTO WARNING 049-26
Click here to read the full warning⤵️https://t.co/cd8BXKcAeY#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/8KzRw1Gipj
— UKMTO Operations Centre (@UK_MTO) May 2, 2026
NATO says it’s working with US to understand details of troop reduction in Germany
NATO is working with the United States to understand the details of the US decision for a planned drawdown of US troops from Germany, NATO spokesperson Allison Hart says.
“We are working with the US to understand the details of their decision on force posture in Germany. This adjustment underscores the need for Europe to continue to invest more in defence and take on a greater share of the responsibility for our shared security – where we’re already seeing progress since Allies agreed to invest 5% of GDP at the NATO Summit in The Hague last year,” writes Hart on X.
“We remain confident in our ability to provide for our deterrence and defence as this shift towards a stronger Europe in a stronger NATO continues,” she adds.
2 activists who led Gaza flotilla have been transfered to Israel for questioning, Foreign Ministry says
Brazilian activist Thiago Avila speaks during a press conference by the Global Sumud Flotilla, in Tunis, early on September 10, 2025. (YASSINE MAHJOUB / AFP)
Two activists who led an aid flotilla bound for Gaza have arrived in Israel, the Foreign Ministry says, after it was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters off Crete earlier in the week.
“Saif Abu Keshek, a leading member of the PCPA — an organization designated and sanctioned by the United States as a Hamas front — and Thiago Ávila, who operates with the PCPA and is suspected of illegal activity, have arrived in Israel,” the ministry says in a tweet, without providing evidence.
The ministry says the two will be taken for questioning by law enforcement authorities, and will receive a consular visit from the representatives of their respective countries.
Abu Keshek, a Palestinian-Spanish citizen, and Ávila, a Brazilian citizen, are members of the Global Sumud Flotilla’s steering committee, which is behind the repeated attempts to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza.
Some 175 other activists, who had been aboard the flotilla and were detained when Israel intercepted many of the ships, disembarked in Crete.
The latest attempt to reach Gaza comes less than a year after Israeli authorities foiled the previous effort by the group.
Israeli officials repeatedly denounced the flotillas as publicity stunts, saying they brought insignificant amounts of aid.
Settler fires IDF-issued gun at Israeli paraglider after mistaking him for terrorist; no injuries
A reservist settler armed by the Israel Defense Forces opened fire on an Israeli paraglider in the West Bank this morning, after assuming it was a terrorist infiltration.
The reservist is serving in one of the IDF’s so-called area defense forces, known by its Hebrew acronym Hagmar. Such units comprise local settlers serving in reserve duty.
According to the IDF, the reservist “identified a powered paraglider that entered the airspace of an Israeli community in eastern Gush Etzion.”
“The soldier fired at the paraglider,” the military says, adding that “no damage was caused and there were no casualties,” and that the paraglider then moved away from the area.
The IDF says that the paraglider had coordinated his flight with the military, but after taking off from the Jordan Valley area, he “deviated from the airspace assigned to him.”
“The incident is under investigation,” the military adds.
US troop drawback underscores European defense responsibility, German defense minister says
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius speaks at the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Yokosuka Naval Base on March 22, 2026, in Yokosuka, near Tokyo.(David Mareuil/Pool Photo via AP)
Europeans must take greater responsibility for their own security, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius says in response to the announcement of plans to withdraw 5,000 US troops from Germany.
“Germany is on the right track” in this regard, Pistorius says, pointing to the expansion of its Bundeswehr armed forces, greater and faster procurement of equipment and the construction of infrastructure.
“It was foreseeable that the US would withdraw troops from Europe, including Germany,” he says.
Starmer says some pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel marches could be banned
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (C) and Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley (R) meet first responders from Shomrim North West London during. Two Jewish men were wounded in stabbings in north London on April 29, investigated by police in the British capital as a "terrorist incident", after a series of antisemitic attacks in recent weeks. (Photo by Stefan Rousseau / POOL / AFP)
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says that banning some pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel marches could be justified, and that the chant of “globalize the intifada” is unacceptable.
Starmer is under pressure to act amid soaring antisemitic attacks.
“I’m a big defender of freedom of expression, peaceful protests,” he tells the BBC. “But when there are chants like ‘globalize the intifada,’ that’s completely off limits.
“Clearly, there should be tougher action in relation to that.”
Starmer says he will always defend the right to protest, but there were worries about the impact on the Jewish community.
“I think it’s time to look across the board at protests and the cumulative effect,” he says. “In relation to the repeated nature of the marches, many people in the Jewish community have said to me, it’s the repeat nature, it’s the cumulative effect.
“Now, I accept that, which is why we intend to deal with cumulative effects,” says the former human rights lawyer and chief public prosecutor.
“I will defend the right of peaceful protest very strongly and freedom of speech,” Starmer says. “I’m not saying, of course, that there aren’t very strong, legitimate views about the Middle East, about Gaza. We all have deep concerns about it.”
Should some protests be banned to protect Britain’s Jewish communities?
Sir Keir Starmer tells @bbcnickrobinson he wants to deal with the 'cumulative effect'. pic.twitter.com/Lb1JGmvR3F
— BBC Radio 4 Today (@BBCr4today) May 2, 2026
17-year-old arrested on suspicion of involvement in Independence Day murder of pizzeria worker; 15 suspects detained to date
A child walks in front of a memorial mural of Yemanu Zelka, who was stabbed to death in Petah Tikva on Independence Day a week earlier, Ashdod, April 28, 2026. (Liron Moldovan/Flash90)
Police say they have arrested a 17-year-old boy suspected of involvement in the fatal attack on pizzeria worker Yemanu Zelka on Independence Day in Petah Tikva.
Fifteen suspects have now been arrested, police say.
Earlier, it was reported that a 15-year-old suspect turned himself in to police.
Police say that the suspect is thought to have been involved in the “mass brawl that led to the murder.” In fact, video footage appears to show a large group of teens attacking Zelka, rather than a brawl taking place.
Iran executes 2 men it accuses of spying for Israel
Iran executed two men accused of spying for Israel, including one accused of gathering intelligence near the Natanz nuclear site in central Isfahan province, Iranian media reports.
They quote the judiciary as saying Yaghoub Karimpour and Nasser Bakarzadeh were hanged after being found guilty of intelligence cooperation with Israel and its spy agency, Mossad.
They say Karimpour passed sensitive information to a Mossad officer, while Bakarzadeh is accused of collecting details on government and religious figures and key sites, including in the Natanz area.
Opposition outlet Iran International says the two men were hanged.
Iran often executes individuals it accuses of spying, without providing evidence.
Iran executed two more men on Saturday after the Supreme Court upheld their death sentences for spying for Israel and cooperating with the Mossad intelligence service.
The judiciary’s media center said Yaghoub Karimpour and Nasser Bekrzadeh were hanged in Urmia Central Prison… pic.twitter.com/kRRwlJmMML— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) May 2, 2026
15-year-old suspect in Independence Day murder at pizzeria turns himself in to police
Yamenu Binyamin Zelka, who was stabbed and killed at his Pizza Hut job in the early hours of Independence Day. (Social media, undated; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
A 15-year-old suspected of involvement in the fatal attack on pizzeria worker Yemanu Zelka on Independence Day in Petah Tikva has turned himself in to police, Hebrew-language media reports.
Police tell the Ynet news site that they had known of the teen’s involvement.
The Kan public broadcaster says 14 suspects have now been detained in connection with the killing.
Zelka, a 21-year-old Pizza Hut employee, was stabbed to death on the night of the holiday last week amid an attack by a group of adolescents after he told them not to spray party foam in the restaurant.
After waiting outside for Zelka to finish his late-night shift, the youths ambushed and beat him, with one assailant taking out a knife and stabbing him. He later died of his wounds.
IDF says it killed Hezbollah operatives near troops in south Lebanon yesterday, destroyed 50 terror sites
The IDF says it killed Hezbollah operatives identified near troops in southern Lebanon yesterday, as well as struck and destroyed some 50 Hezbollah sites.
The targets included command centers where members of the terror group were operating, and other buildings used by Hezbollah to advance attacks, according to the IDF.
Hezbollah also fired several more rockets at Israeli troops stationed in southern Lebanon yesterday. The IDF says the rockets hit open areas, causing no injuries.
כ-50 תקיפות ביממה האחרונה: צה"ל ממשיך לפגוע בתשתיות טרור ולחסל מחבלים בדרום לבנון
אתמול, צה"ל תקף מהאוויר מטרות טרור בדרום לבנון וחיסל מחבלים שפעלו בסמוך לכוחות צה"ל. במסגרת התקיפות הושמדו כ-50 תשתיות של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחבים שונים.
בין המטרות שהותקפו: מפקדות מהן פעלו… pic.twitter.com/dm9F3TLOap
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) May 2, 2026
Spirit Airlines goes out of business after 34 years as fuel prices soar amid Iran war
A Spirit Airlines 319 Airbus approaches Manchester Boston Regional Airport for a landing, June 2, 2023, in Manchester, New Hampshire (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)
Bankrupt discount carrier Spirit Airlines ceases operations, the industry’s first casualty linked to the Iran war, after failing to secure creditor support for a US government bailout plan.
The collapse of the first carrier due to a doubling in jet fuel prices during the two-month-old Iran war will cost thousands of jobs.
It is a blow to US President Donald Trump, who had proposed $500 million to save Spirit despite opposition from some of his closest advisers and many Republicans in Congress.
Trump floated the idea of a bailout last week after the airline found itself in bankruptcy proceedings for the second time in less than two years, with jet fuel prices soaring because of the Iran war.
No US carrier of Spirit’s size — it accounted for 5 percent of US flights at one point — has liquidated in two decades. Spirit helped keep fares lower in markets where it competed against major carriers.
Senior Iranian military official says renewed conflict with US ‘likely’
An Iranian military official says that a renewed conflict with the United States is “likely,” as peace talks remain stalled and US President Donald Trump criticized Iran’s latest proposal in negotiations.
“A renewed conflict between Iran and the United States is likely, and evidence has shown that the United States is not committed to any promises or agreements,” Mohammad Jafar Asadi of the military’s central command centre, Khatam al-Anbiya, is quoted as saying by Iran’s Fars news agency.
UK’s top police officer: British Jews facing their greatest ever threat amid ‘epidemic’ of antisemitism
Police cordon of an area in the Golders Green neighborhood of north London, on April 29, 2026, after two Jewish people were stabbed, and a suspect arrested. (Justin Tallis / AFP)
The UK’s top police officer says British Jews are facing their greatest ever threat, with social media fueling an “epidemic” of antisemitism.
“If you overlay three things now — hate crime, terrorism and hostile state activity — you add all that together, that combined effect with that building of ideology online, that is really dangerous and troubling,” says Mark Rowley, head of London’s Metropolitan Police.
“And Jewish communities feel that and you can see that in how they talk, how it’s making them change their lives. That’s an appalling state of affairs,” he says.
He tells The Times that British Jews are on the “hate” list of every racist and extremist group.
“Whether you’re extreme left, whether you’re Islamist terrorist, whether you’re right-wing terrorist, and some hostile states as well now with some sort of Iranian-related threats. There’s a sort of ghastly Venn diagram that they’re at the middle of,” he says.
Asked if the British Jewish community faces its greatest threat, Rowley responds:“That has to be true”
.
The comments come after the Metropolitan Police said that it has charged a man with attempted murder after two Jewish men were stabbed on Wednesday, the latest in a series of attacks targeting the community.
Britain has raised its national terrorism threat level to “severe,” signaling that a terrorist attack is considered highly likely.
IDF issues evacuation warnings for 9 villages in south Lebanon ahead of Hezbollah airstrikes
The Israel Defense Forces issues evacuation warnings for nine villages in southern Lebanon ahead of airstrikes targeting the Hezbollah terror group.
Residents of Jibshit, Habboush, Ebba, Doueir, Harouf, Deir ez-Zahrani, Kfar Jouz, Aadshit al-Shaqif and Qaaqaait al-Jisr are instructed to evacuate at least a kilometer away.
“Hezbollah activities are forcing the IDF to act against it, as it does not intend to harm you,” says army spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee.
Police raid Hadash offices in Umm al-Fahm, confiscate Palestinian flag ahead of May Day rally
A police officer confiscating a Palestinian flag from the Hadash youth center in Umm al-Fahm on May 1, 2026. (X, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Police raided the Umm al-Fahm offices of the youth wing of the Arab-majority Hadash party and tore down and confiscated a Palestinian flag ahead of a May Day rally, Haaretz reports.
The Hadash party and the Communist party tell the outlet that the officers did not identify themselves and it was unclear if they had a search warrant for the premises.
Activists tell the newspaper that raids are not uncommon ahead of events such as rallies.
Hadash-Ta’al lawmaker Ofer Cassif writes to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara to demand an investigation.
“Breaking into a club belonging to a legal party on the eve of a legal protest march has a significant chilling effect on freedom of expression and association,” Cassif writes.
Senior Hadash official Yousef Jabareen tells Walla that he holds far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who is in charge of policing, responsible.
“It is a provocative and thuggish step with no legal basis whatsoever. This behavior is a continuation of the Ben Gvir police’s policy of silencing and suppressing freedom of expression,” he says.
Displaying a Palestinian flag is not illegal, but police regularly confiscate them, claiming they disturb the peace.
*רגע לפני צעדת האחד במאי: פשיטת משטרה מעוררת מחאה באום אל-פחם*
בשיא ההכנות לצעדת האחד במאי שתתקיים מחר בנצרת, כוחות משטרה פשטו על מועדון חד״ש והמפלגה הקומוניסטית באום אל-פחם באופן שעורר מחאה בקרב פעילים, ובמהלך הפשיטה השוטרים החרימו דגלי פלסטין ממועדון המפלגה הקומוניסטית. גם… pic.twitter.com/WoNoXdskqf
— יואב איתיאל מדווח כי (@yoavetiel) May 1, 2026
Israel set to swelter under heatwave today, with sharp drop in temperatures tomorrow
The sun sets over the forest near Jerusalem on September 2, 2021. (Nati Shohat/Flash90)
Israel is set to sizzle under a heatwave today, with a steep drop in temperatures expected tomorrow and rain expected in some parts of the country.
After a day of sweltering temperatures, strong winds will pick up in coastal areas from late afternoon, and there could be snow on the Hermon region overnight.
Trump says US Navy ‘like pirates’ when it seizes Iranian oil tankers
US President Donald Trump speaks at the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach, Florida, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump says the US Navy was acting “like pirates” in carrying out Washington’s naval blockade of Iranian ports during the US and Israel’s war against Iran.
Trump made the comments while describing the seizure by US forces of a ship a few days ago.
“We took over the ship, we took over the cargo, we took over the oil. It’s a very profitable business,” Trump says in remarks. “We’re like pirates. We’re sort of like pirates but we are not playing games.”
Some of Tehran’s vessels have been seized by the US after leaving Iranian ports, along with sanctioned container ships and Iranian tankers in Asian waters.
Rioting, incitement charges laid against 4 anti-Israel protesters who crashed pro-Israel event in Toronto
Toronto Police say charges were laid on Monday against four anti-Israel protesters who broke into an event with IDF veterans at Toronto Metropolitan University in November.
Two activists are charged with public incitement of hatred against the Israeli community, while all faced various rioting and unlawful assembly charges.
Students Supporting Israel at Toronto Metropolitan University posted videos on social media showing the altercation between the pro-Israel students and masked protesters at the off-campus event at which former IDF soldiers were due to speak.
An anti-Israel activist chanted, “We refuse to allow war criminals in our city,” while the pro-Israel students shouted, “Get out,” and “Call 911.”
Other videos showed the pro-Israel students barricading themselves behind a glass door with furniture as the masked protesters gathered on the other side.
The two groups shouted at each other through the glass door before the glass was smashed. It was unclear from the videos which side broke the glass.
The pro-Israel group shared a video of blood seeping out of a sliced forearm, as a woman cried in the background.
Toronto Metropolitan students were attacked today in Toronto, while holding a peaceful event featuring Israeli soldiers, hosted by TMU SSI as part of the national “Combat on Campus” tour.
Minutes before the event began, a masked mob forced their way into a private venue,… pic.twitter.com/Ts2tZ1rS38
— StandWithUs Canada (@StandWithUsCA) November 5, 2025
Two men shot dead near Ramle in apparent underworld hit
Police and medics at the scene of a double homicide near Ramle, May 2, 2026. (Israel Police)
Two men have been shot dead while driving near the central city of Ramle, medics and police say, in an apparent underworld hit.
Paramedics who arrived on the scene declared the two men, around 25 years old, dead at the scene, the Magen David Adom ambulance service says.
Police say the shooting is linked to an “ongoing blood feud” between crime families, and officers are on the hunt for suspects.
According to the Ynet news site, the identity of the victims is known to the police. The report also says that a burning vehicle — likely used by the hitmen — was found in the nearby city of Lod after the killings.
US approves arms sales of over $8.6 billion to Mideast allies, including Israel
Illustrative: Military equipment is loaded off a cargo ship at Ashdod Port, in footage released by the Defense Ministry on April 30, 2026. (Defense Ministry)
WASHINGTON — The US State Department says it was approving military sales worth a total of over $8.6 billion to Middle Eastern allies Israel, Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.
The announcement comes as the US and Israel’s war against Iran marked nine weeks since its start and more than three weeks since a fragile ceasefire in the Iran war came into effect.
Hezbollah fires at least four drones at north, all shot down by IDF
Hezbollah launched at least four drones at northern Israel a short while ago, the military says.
According to the IDF, the Israeli Air Force shot down two drones launched from Lebanon which had triggered sirens in the Galilee Panhandle and Golan Heights.
The drones did not cross into Israeli territory, and the sirens sounded unnecessarily, the military says, adding that the incident is under further investigation.
A short while later, two more suspected drones launched from Lebanon were intercepted before crossing into Israeli territory, the military says. No sirens had sounded.
Additionally, the IDF says it launched interceptor missiles following alerts of rocket fire in the Kiryat Shmona area. The results of the interceptions are under review, and the incident is under further investigation, the IDF adds.
US said to tell European allies to expect delays in arms deliveries as Iran war drains stockpiles
WASHINGTON — Washington has warned European allies, including the UK, Poland, Lithuania, and Estonia, to expect long delivery delays for US weapons as the war against Iran drains stockpiles, the Financial Times reports, citing people familiar with the matter.
Reuters reported last month that US officials have informed some European counterparts that some previously contracted weapons deliveries are likely to be delayed as the Iran war continues to draw on weapons stocks.
US believes Iran has lost $4.8 billion in oil earnings due to blockade — report
US forces patrol the Arabian Sea near M/V Touska, April 20, 2026, after the Iranian-flagged vessel attempted to violate the US naval blockade (US Navy photo)
The Pentagon estimates Iran has lost $4.8 billion in oil revenue due to the US Navy’s blockade of its ports, the Axios news site reports, citing unnamed Pentagon officials.
Two tanks have been seized amid the blockade. Additionally, 31 tankers carrying 53 million barrels of oil are now “stuck in the Gulf,” according to the officials.
Some ships are sailing “a costlier and longer route to deliver oil to China for fear of US maritime interdiction,” the officials tell Axios.
The US imposed its blockade on Iranian ports amid a temporary truce as part of an effort to force Iran to accept a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire to permanently end the war that has raged between Israel, the US, and Iran.
Iran said last month that it fully reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial vessels after a 10-day truce was announced between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon, but then reimposed it when the US refused to lift its blockade until a permanent agreement to end the war with the US was reached.
Agencies contributed to this report.
US pulling 5,000 troops from Germany amid spat over Iran war
US Vice President JD Vance visits with service members during a refueling stop at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, April 24, 2025. (Kenny Holston/Pool Photo via AP)
WASHINGTON — The United States is withdrawing 5,000 troops from Germany, the Pentagon announces, in an apparent US rebuke to the close NATO ally amid a widening rift between President Donald Trump and Europe over the Iran war.
Trump had threatened a drawdown in forces earlier this week after sparring with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said on Monday the Iranians were humiliating the US in talks to end the two-month-old war.
Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell says the withdrawal was expected to be completed over the next six to twelve months.
read more: