May 22: Security chiefs said caught off guard by PM’s announcement of next Shin Bet head

Lapid urges PM’s Shin Bet appointee not to accept role

Opposition leader Yair Lapid urges Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pick to head the Shin Ben domestic security agency to turn down the appointment, saying the process was tainted by conflict of interest.

Lapid in a statement calls on David Zini “to announce that he cannot accept his appointment until the Supreme Court rules on the matter,” adding that “Netanyahu has a serious conflict of interest in the matter of appointing a Shin Bet chief due to the Qatargate scandal in which the people closest to him received money from an Arab country that supports terrorism.”

Gaza health system at breaking point as Israeli hostilities intensify, WHO says

The World Health Organization (WHO) says that Gaza’s health system is at a breaking point as Israel’s intensified military operations continue, amidst worsening mass population displacement and acute shortages of basic necessities.

Four major hospitals in Gaza have had to suspend medical services in the past week due to their proximity to incidents. WHO missions attempting to reach Al-Awda Hospital and the Indonesian Hospital were impeded, it says.

Only 19 of the Gaza Strip’s 36 hospitals remain operational while at least 94% of all hospitals are damaged or destroyed, the WHO said, adding that only 12 are in a condition to provide a variety of health services.

‘Sometimes in war accidents happen’: PM expresses regret for shots fired at diplomats in Jenin

Foreign diplomats run as IDF troops fire warning shots as a group conducts a tour in the West Bank city of Jenin on May 21, 2025 (Screen grab via social media)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Hamas’s propaganda campaigns and false reports of atrocities being committed by the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza helped contribute to the murder of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington last night, in an English-language video shared by his office.

He says that the shooting attack on Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim was not a “random crime” but perpetrated by an anti-Zionist and antisemitic “terrorist…who wanted to kill Jews” and chanted “Free Palestine!” as he was arrested.

He says the international community has “bought into Hamas’s propaganda that says Israel is starving Palestinian children,” explaining that, “Since October 7, Israel has sent 92,000 aid trucks into Gaza…That includes 1.8 million tons of aid,” and that much of this aid was stolen by Hamas to resupply its terrorist members.

He says, “Many international institutions are complicit in spreading this lie,” and that “a few days ago, a top United Nations official said that 14,000 Palestinian babies would die in 48 hours,”

“The press repeats it. The mob believed it. And a young couple is then brutally gunned down in Washington,” says Netanyahu.

He rejects initiatives by other nations to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state, saying Hamas terrorists “don’t want a Palestinian state. They want to destroy the Jewish state.”

The premier says he “could never understand how this simple truth evades the leaders of France, Britain, Canada,” who issued a joint statement earlier this week calling on Israel to end its war in Gaza, lift aid restrictions, halt West Bank settlement expansions and begin working toward a two-state solution.

“As for the hostages,” adds the premier, “we’ll do our effort to secure them. I’m ready for a temporary ceasefire to get more out but we demand, and you should demand, that all of our hostages be released and released immediately… We’re in an intense seven front war that was launched against us by Iran and its proxies. Sometimes in war, accidents happen.”

“One such incident happened the other day in Jenin,” says Netanyahu, referencing the warning shots fired by IDF troops near a delegation of Arab and European diplomats touring the West Bank, which sparked outrage from many of the participating countries, leading several to summon their Israeli envoys for a dressing-down.

“Thankfully, no one was hurt. Our military has expressed its regret over the event because we don’t target civilians or diplomats. We target terrorists. Exactly the opposite of Hamas… But I don’t hear that coming from any of those countries that criticize Israel,” says Netanyahu.

Downplaying Qatari aide he facilitated, PM says Hamas used cheap weaponry on Oct. 7

Ismail Shakhshah, a Hamas terrorist responsible for hurling of grenades at the Re'im junction roadside bomb shelter during the October 7, 2023, onslaught. (Israel Defense Forces)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responds to media criticism over remarks he made last night regarding elections and the role of Qatar in financing the October 7 massacre in a Hebrew-language video posted on his X account.

He denies that he neglected to confirm during a Jerusalem press conference yesterday that elections will be held on time next year, saying, “I hope they will be held on time – I’m doing everything so that they do not happen ahead of time.”

“But I can tell you one thing — [elections] won’t happen after the deadline. It won’t happen. Do you know why? Because we are democrats. We believe that the public has the right to choose,” he says, contrasting this with political opponents and others who, in his words, believe “so what if you were elected — we will decide,” and who try to impose “all sorts of things contrary to the existing law.” He cites his legal disputes with the Attorney General over his authority to appoint the Shin Bet chief and the Civil Service Commissioner as examples.

Netanyahu also clarifies statements that seemed to downplay the lethal capabilities of Hamas during the October 7, 2023, attack.

Denying that money transferred by Qatar to Hamas-ruled Gaza at his request enabled the terror group’s unprecedented onslaught, Netanyahu said yesterday that invading Hamas members “attacked us in flip-flops and with AK-47s and pickup trucks, which cost scraps.”

He now clarifies that he “asked: what weapons did they even use? What did they use that required money? Pickup trucks. Kalashnikovs. RPGs. That doesn’t cost anything. And really, it wasn’t some huge rocket stockpile. You know what they do — they take metal barrels, put explosives inside, and that’s it. A small unit can do it. It doesn’t cost money,” he says.

“The Qatari financial aid was a small part of a much larger stream of funding that reached Hamas. It came from the United Nations, from international agencies, from European countries, from Iran — it came from everywhere. The Qatari money was just a small part of it,” he says.

“That aid was intended for 100,000 Gazans living below the poverty line. It was meant to deal with sewage, to prevent disease… to provide minimal electricity, etc. That’s what it was. So no, that money didn’t really build weapons or anything like that,” he continues.

“So this wasn’t a financial issue, and it wasn’t about the Qatari money. It was a matter of failures, and we still need to ask what happened there. Why? Why didn’t [the IDF] deploy the standby squads? Why didn’t they activate the Air Force in time? Why didn’t they inform the Prime Minister — me? Who made that call?” says Netanyahu.

“There are many questions — and those are the ones that must truly be investigated. And I want to investigate them. Everything. Let them ask everything — about Qatar, about whatever they want. Everything. And there are answers,” he says, referring to the need to establish a commission of inquiry into the attack.

The government has not formed any commission of inquiry into the events surrounding October 7 for 19 months, and opposes a state commission of inquiry, which successive polls show is the preferred option for most Israelis.

Netanyahu adds that the questions about the IDF’s directives are the most pressing, “these are the most important questions: How did this disaster happen? And we will find out.”

Security chiefs said caught off guard by PM’s announcement of next Shin Bet head

The IDF was reportedly surprised by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement to appoint Maj. Gen. David Zini as the next Shin Bet head.

According to reports from Army Radio and the Kan public broadcaster, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir was not consulted before the appointment was made, and was notified of the move just minutes before the PMO issued a statement on the matter.

Zini, the head of the IDF Training Command and General Staff Corps, was reportedly being considered to head the Northern Command before being poached by Netanyahu for the role of Shin Bet chief.

FBI examines writings linked to suspect in killing of two Israeli embassy aides

The suspect in the shooting of two Israeli Embassy staffers at the Capital Jewish Museum, Elias Rodriguez, shouts 'Free Palestine' as he is arrested, May 21, 2025. (Screenshot: X; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

FBI and police investigators are poring over apparent writings and political affiliations of a man arrested as the lone suspect in the fatal shooting of a pair of Israeli embassy aides outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington.

The Chicago-born suspect, Elias Rodriguez, 30, is accused of opening fire on a group of people on Wednesday night as they left an event for young diplomats hosted by the American Jewish Committee, an advocacy group that supports Israel and confronts antisemitism.

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino posts on social media that investigators were “aware of certain writings allegedly authored by the suspect” and hoped to soon have updates regarding their authenticity.

Bongino’s statement appears to refer to a manifesto signed with Rodriguez’s name that was posted to an anonymous X account on Wednesday night shortly before the shooting.

Posted with the title “Escalate For Gaza, Bring The War Home,” it condemned Israel’s killing of tens of thousands of Palestinians since the October 2023 Hamas attacks, and discussed the morality of “armed” action.

FBI Director Kash Patel called the bloodshed an “act of terror,” although US Attorney General Pam Bondi told reporters that authorities believe the suspect acted alone.

Investigators are also delving into the apparent political affiliations of the suspect, who worked for a healthcare nonprofit and was believed to have had past ties to far-left groups.

FBI agents are seen at his apartment in Chicago on Thursday, where law enforcement blocked off the street.

Rodriguez was once affiliated with a far-left group in Chicago, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, according to a post from the group on X. The group said that Rodriguez had a brief association with a PSL branch that ended in 2017 and that they knew of no contact with him in more than seven years.

Rodriguez was also identified in a 2018 local news report as a member of the Chicago branch of a national group called ANSWER, an acronym for Act Now to Stop War and End Racism, which has organized demonstrations in solidarity with Palestinians.

Rodriguez worked at the healthcare nonprofit American Osteopathic Information Association, the organization confirmed in a statement expressing sympathy for the victims.

He had also worked as an oral history researcher at The HistoryMakers, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving African American stories, according to a now-deleted biography on the group’s website.

Rodriguez was born and raised in Chicago and graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago with an English degree, the deleted page said. He previously worked as a content writer for commercial and noncommercial technology firms, the page said.

Barnea and Dermer to meet with Witkoff on sidelines of Iran nuclear talks in Rome

Mossad chief David Barnea and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer will travel to Rome tomorrow in order to meet with US special envoy Steve Witkoff on the sidelines of the fifth round of Iran nuclear talks, Axios reports.

Barnea and Dermer are seeking to coordinate positions with Witkoff and be briefed immediately after the talks wrap up, Axios says.

No nuclear deal if US wants to end Iran uranium enrichment, Iran foreign minister says

If the United States wants to end Iranian uranium enrichment, then there will be no nuclear deal, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says, as the two nations headed for a fifth round of talks slated for Friday in Italy.

Qatar condemns killing of Israeli embassy staffers in Washington

Qatar, a key mediator in the Israel-Hamas war, condemns the killing of two Israeli embassy staff in Washington — which was carried out by a gunman who shouted “free Palestine” when arrested.

“The state of Qatar condemns and denounces the shooting incident in front of the Jewish museum in Washington that led to the killing of two Israeli embassy employees,” the Qatari foreign ministry says in a statement, offering the country’s “condolences” to the families of the victims.

Stressing conflict of interest, AG says PM violated orders by appointing Shin Bet chief

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has acted “in contravention of legal instructions,” in announcing this evening that he is appointing a new Shin Bet chief, and that there is a “heavy concern that he acted while having a conflict of interest, and that the appointments process is flawed.”

The High Court on Wednesday ruled Netanyahu had a conflict of interest when he fired the outgoing Shin Bet head, Ronen Bar. Baharav-Miara then immediately told Netanyahu he could not appoint a new Shin Bet chief under the current circumstances.

Justice Minister Yariv Levin welcomes Netanyahu’s decision to defy the attorney general, describing it as a “courageous, necessary, and crucial decision,” which he says “finally restores proper democratic order.”

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel says however that Netanyahu’s announcement is “brazen and defiant,” and accuses him of showing contempt for the High Court of Justice and the attorney general.

“This is unprecedented contempt for the High Court’s rulings and the attorney general’s instructions, and the continuation of the dangerous trend of harming the rule of law for the sake of narrow, personal interests,” says the organization.

The Movement for Quality Government, which was one of the primary petitioners against the government’s decision to fire Bar, vows to submit a new petition to the High Court in the coming days “against this invalid appointment.”

Report: Netanyahu previously passed on appointing David Zini because he was ‘too messianic’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) and IDF Maj. Gen. David Zini in an undated photo. (GPO)

Last year, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to appoint IDF Maj. Gen. David Zini to become his military secretary, telling confidants after interviewing him that he was “too messianic,” Haaretz reports.

Zini is a member of the national religious community.

Netanyahu’s wife Sara was pushing for Zini to be appointed the next IDF chief of staff, Haaretz says.

Earlier this evening, Netanyahu announced that he had appointed Zini to become the next head of the Shin Bet.

Defying AG, PM appoints head of IDF Training Command as next Shin Bet chief

Maj. Gen. David Zini, head of Training Command and General Staff Corps, attends a handover ceremony at the IDF Central Command headquarters in Jerusalem on July 8, 2024. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has appointed Maj. Gen. David Zini as the next Shin Bet chief.

Zini currently serves as the head of the IDF Training Command and General Staff Corps. He has also been responsible for advancing the draft of Haredi soldiers to the military.

A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office notes that Zini, in March 2023, wrote a report for the then-commander of the Gaza Division “to examine how the division is prepared for a complex surprise event, with an emphasis on a surprise raid, and to identify weaknesses.”

“As part of the report’s conclusions, Zini wrote that in almost any sector, a surprise raid on our forces could be carried out,” the PMO says.

Current Shin Bet head Ronen Bar has said he will step down on June 15.

Just yesterday, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara informed Netanyahu that he is barred from appointing a new Shin Bet chief while she works out the implications of a High Court ruling which stated that a cabinet decision to fire Bar was made “improperly” and that the premier has a conflict of interest due to the ongoing Shin Bet investigations into his close aides.

Freed hostage launches fundraiser to rebuild life

Doron Katz Asher and her daughters Raz and Aviv after their release from Hamas captivity on November 24, 2023.(Israel Defense Forces)

An Israeli woman who was held hostage in Gaza with her two young daughters says she has launched a fundraiser to help rebuild her life, collecting more than $600,000 in a single day.

Doron Katz-Asher, 36, was among 251 people abducted during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that triggered the war in the Gaza Strip.

She was released in November of that year during a series of prisoner-hostage exchanges that accompanied a brief truce.

“Today, I’m putting shame aside. I refuse to let my captivity define me. I choose to heal and to rebuild. But now, at my most vulnerable point, I realise I can’t do this alone,” she says in an Instagram post with a link to the fundraiser.

“The emotional burden is heavy, and the financial fears are real. I never thought I would ask for help,” Katz-Asher writes.

By Thursday afternoon, the donation counter showed she had raised more than 2.3 million shekels (about $640,000), close to her target of 2.5 million shekels.

Katz-Asher was abducted along with her two daughters, aged four and six, from Kibbutz Nir Oz, where she had been visiting her mother.

Her mother, Efrat Katz, was killed during the attack, as was her brother, Ravid.

Her mother’s partner, Gadi Moses, 80, was also taken hostage and freed during a second ceasefire in January this year.

During her captivity, which Katz-Asher described in her Instagram post as “the heart of hell,” she was treated for a gunshot wound without anesthesia.

“I didn’t know if we would survive,” she says in the post.

She also describes how, after her release, she separated from her husband Yoni while pregnant with their third child.

“I separated from my partner and realized that I would be giving birth alone — without the mother who had always stood beside me,” she writes. “I may have been freed from captivity, but have not regained my previous life.”

Trump administration revokes Harvard’s right to enroll foreign students

US President Donald Trump’s administration says it has revoked Harvard’s right to enroll foreign students amid an escalating fight between the president and the prestigious university.

“Effective immediately, Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor (SEVIS) Program certification is revoked,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem writes in a letter to the Ivy League institution, referring to the main system by which foreign students are permitted to study in the United States.

Some flour reaches Gaza as blockade eases, aid groups call for more

Flour and other aid started reaching some of Gaza’s most vulnerable areas on Thursday after Israel let some trucks through, but nowhere near enough to make up for shortages caused by an 11-week blockade, Palestinian officials say.

Many other trucks were still at the border, and people were still waiting to receive food, amid fears that desperate crowds would try to loot the vehicles when they arrived, the Palestinian Red Crescent warns.

Israel said it allowed 100 trucks carrying baby food and medical equipment into the enclave on Wednesday, two days after announcing its first relaxation of the restrictions under mounting international pressure.

“Flour arrived from the [UN] World Food Program, and we immediately started working,” baker Ahmed Al-Banna says as flatbreads passed by on a conveyor belt behind him at his base in Deir al-Balah on Thursday.

Bakeries across the south of the enclave started ovens that had been shut for two months, he adds. “God willing, bakeries in northern Gaza will soon resume work.”

Bread distribution would start later on Thursday, Amjad al-Shawa, director of the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network in Gaza, tells Reuters.

He says just 90 trucks had gotten through. “During the ceasefire, 600 trucks used to enter every day, which means that the current quantity is a drop in the ocean, nothing.”

Bakeries backed by the WFP would produce the bread and the agency’s staff would hand it out – a more controlled system than previously when bakers sold it directly to the public at a low cost, he adds.

On Wednesday night, boys and young men gathered after one vehicle arrived in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, but kept back as men, some holding guns, watched over the unloading of sacks.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said it had got one truck of medical supplies through to replenish its field hospital in Rafah, but more was needed.

“A trickle of trucks is woefully inadequate. Only the rapid, unimpeded, and sustained flow of aid can begin to address the full scope of needs on the ground,” the organization says in a statement.

Medic survived Gaza ambulance shooting by pleading to IDF troops in Hebrew, Red Crescent says

The head of the Palestinian Red Crescent says that a paramedic who survived an attack that killed 15 aid workers was spared because he asked Israeli soldiers for mercy in Hebrew, adding that he hoped the man’s testimony would help win justice.

Assad Al-Nassasrah, a Red Crescent paramedic, survived shootings that killed 15 emergency and aid workers on March 23 in southern Gaza in an incident that drew international condemnation. Their bodies were found buried in a shallow grave a week later by Red Crescent and UN officials who accused Israeli forces of killing them.

Al-Nassasrah went missing and then was freed from Israeli detention on April 29 and has not yet publicly commented. One other paramedic survived.

Younis Al-Khatib, president of the Palestine Red Crescent Society, tells reporters in Geneva that Al-Nassasrah was spared after he pleaded in Hebrew and said his mother was a Palestinian citizen of Israel.

“What does Assad say in Hebrew? ‘Don’t shoot. I am Israeli.’ And the soldier got a bit confused,” he tells reporters. “That confusion … made him survive.”

“Assad will be a witness that can put all the Israeli stories in shambles,” he adds.

Asked how Al-Nassasrah was treated in custody, Al-Khatib says: “like a Palestinian”. He says Al-Nassasrah had been interrogated and that he had mental health issues, but did not elaborate further.

Social media footage shared by the Palestinian Red Crescent, dated the day after his release, showed Al-Nassasrah crying as he hugged medics and looking dazed while being examined in a Gaza hospital. Eight of those killed were from the PRCS, which provides medical aid in Gaza and is part of the world’s largest humanitarian network.

Al-Khatib says the organization was working with lawyers and considering formal submissions to international courts and the UN Security Council.

“We think the international community is responsible for providing justice to those killed,” he says. “We don’t train our people to go and die.”

Washington attacker was inside event before deadly shooting, ambassador says

The entrance to the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, May 22, 2025. (Luke Tress/Times of Israel)

Israel’s ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, says the attacker who killed two embassy workers in Washington, DC, last night was inside the event before the attack.

“He milled around inside the event. We still don’t know exactly what he said, but he said enough that they removed him,” Leiter says from the scene of the attack. “He went outside, waited for embassy workers to come out, and shot them.”

Three others escaped the shooting unharmed, Leiter says.

“The person who shot these two young people dead last night shouted ‘Free, free Palestine.’ This was done in the name of a political agenda to eradicate the State of Israel,” he says. “The State of Israel is now fighting a war on seven fronts. This is the eighth front in the war to demonize, to delegitimize, to eradicate the right of the State of Israel.”

White House: Trump, Netanyahu discussed potential Iran deal, as talks ‘moving in right direction’

US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed a potential deal with Iran in a call earlier today, the White House says, adding Trump believes the talks are “moving in the right direction.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, speaking to reporters in a briefing, says the two leaders also discussed the killing of the two Israeli embassy aides in Washington.

Apologizing to Alexander, Shin Bet chief tells ex-hostage he was freed ‘because of Witkoff, not us’

Channel 12 reports what it says are quotes from a meeting outgoing Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar held earlier today with former American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander.

Bar apologized to Alexander for failing to prevent his kidnapping on October 7.

“I want to apologize to you that you were taken captive, also because of us… and that you were released thanks to [US special envoy to the Mideast Steve] Witkoff and not thanks to us,” Channel 12 quotes Bar as having said.

IDF says it struck Hezbollah weapons depot in Lebanon’s eastern Beqaa Valley

The IDF says its fighter jets bombed a Hezbollah facility in Lebanon’s eastern Beqaa Valley a short while ago. The strike is separate from the one it carried out in the southern Lebanese village of Toul.

The Beqaa Valley site contained rocket launchers and other weapons, according to the military. Hezbollah activity was identified at the facility, and therefore it was struck, the IDF says.

Additionally, the IDF says it struck Hezbollah rocket launchers in southern Lebanon.

The military says the presence of weapons and activity by Hezbollah “constitutes a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”

Yuval Raphael performs her Eurovision song at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square

Yuval Raphael, Israel’s Eurovision 2025 representative, and singer-songwriter Keren Peles, who co-wrote this year’s song, “New Day Will Rise,” perform the piece in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square on this evening.

The song, which was performed by Raphael at the Eurovision finale on May 17, won second place at the song contest in Basel, Switzerland.

Raphael and Peles’ performance takes place ahead of “Evyatar’s Jam,” a weekly Thursday evening event organized by the family and friends of hostage Evyatar David, who is still held captive and was taken hostage from the Nova desert rave on October 7 with his best friend, Guy Gilboa-Dalal.

שיזרח כבר יום חדש ????????

יובל רפאל וקרן פלס הערב בכיכר החטופים pic.twitter.com/ep70wLoHtb

— הקופסה ???? (@Hakufsah) May 22, 2025

Foreign Ministry orders diplomats abroad not to participate in public events until further notice

The Foreign Ministry orders its diplomats abroad not to participate in any public events until further notice after yesterday’s deadly shooting of two embassy staffers in Washington, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

Kan says the decision was taken amid fears of copycat attacks.

GOP congressman calls for ‘nuking’ Gaza like US did to Japan

Rep. Randy Fine, R-South Brevard County, closes on a gambling bill during a special session, May 19, 2021, in Tallahassee, Florida. (AP Photo/Steve Cannon)

Freshman GOP Rep. Randy Fine calls for “nuking” Gaza in an interview on Fox News.

“The fact of the matter is the Palestinian cause is an evil one,” he says, following last night’s deadly shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers who were outside the Capitol Jewish Museum in Washington where an American Jewish Committee event was being held.

“The only end of the conflict [in Gaza] is complete and total surrender by those who support Muslim terror,” Fine says.

“In world war two, we did not negotiate a surrender with the Nazis. We did not negotiate a surrender with the Japanese. We nuked the Japanese twice in order to get unconditional surrender,” he says. “That needs to be the same here. There is something deeply, deeply wrong with this culture, and it needs to be defeated.”

Following evacuation order, local media reports IDF strike in south Lebanon village

Following the IDF evacuation warning in the southern Lebanese village of Toul, Lebanese media report an Israeli strike in the area.

The IDF warned it would target a Hezbollah site in the village.

???????? مشاهد من موقع الغارة في بلدة تول الجنوبية pic.twitter.com/B1ZG2NBXWi

— Al Jadeed News (@ALJADEEDNEWS) May 22, 2025

PMO: Trump expressed support for our war aims in phone call with Netanyahu

US President Donald Trump expresses support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s current objectives in the Gaza war, as well as the need to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, during a phone conversation between the leaders today, the Prime Minister’s Office says in a statement.

Netanyahu and Trump “discussed the war in Gaza,” and “President Trump expressed support for the objectives set by Prime Minister Netanyahu: to secure the release of all our hostages, to eliminate Hamas, and to advance the Trump Plan,” says the PMO.

At a press conference last night, Netanyahu included for the first time the implementation of Trump’s postwar plan for the relocation of Gazan civilians as a condition for ending the war.

The two also “agreed on the need to ensure that Iran does not obtain nuclear weapons,” reads the statement.

The phone call follows the shooting attack on two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, DC, last night, and Trump “expressed deep sorrow over the horrific murder” of the victims, says the PMO.

Netanyahu thanked his American counterpart “for the efforts he and his administration are making to combat manifestations of antisemitism in the United States,” adds the PMO.

IDF says it killed Hezbollah operative in south Lebanon drone strike

The IDF says it killed a Hezbollah operative in a drone strike in southern Lebanon’s Rab Thalathin earlier today.

More than 150 Hezbollah operatives have been killed in Israeli strikes since the start of the November 2024 ceasefire in Lebanon.

UN food agency says ‘a handful’ of bakeries reopen in Gaza

The UN food agency says that a handful of bakeries it supports in south and central Gaza have resumed bread production after trucks were finally able to collect cargo from the Kerem Shalom crossing point.

“We are in a race against time to prevent widespread starvation,” says WFP Country Director Antoine Renard in a statement to journalists.

IDF issues evacuation warning in south Lebanese village ahead of strike on Hezbollah asset

The IDF issues an evacuation warning for a building and the surrounding area in the southern Lebanese village of Toul, near Nabatieh, ahead of an airstrike on a Hezbollah asset.

In a post on X, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, Col. Avichay Adraee, publishes a map showing the location of the building.

“To everyone present in the building marked in red, as shown on the map, and the buildings near it: You are located near facilities belonging to Hezbollah,” he says.

The statement calls on civilians to evacuate at least 500 meters from the building for their safety.

#عاجل ????تحذير عاجل للمتواجدين في قرية تول في جنوب لبنان وتحديدًا لكل من يتواجد في المبنى المحدد بالأحمر وفق ما يُعرض في الخارطة والمباني القريبة منه
????تتواجدون بالقرب من منشآت تابعة لحزب الله الارهابي
????من أجل سلامتكم وسلامة أبناء عائلاتكم, أنتم مضطرون لإخلاء هذه المباني فورًا… pic.twitter.com/epivtfrwX8

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) May 22, 2025

IDF soldier learns in Gaza that his father was killed fighting Russian forces in Ukraine

The son of a Jewish Ukrainian soldier killed in battle against Russian forces last week was informed of his father’s death while fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine says in a statement today.

Maxim Nelipa, an actor and TV presenter well-known in Ukrainian media, was killed in combat at age 48 last week after enlisting in his country’s military in March 2022, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine.

His son, Artem Nelipa, currently serving in the IDF Golani Brigade, became aware of his death while stationed in Gaza, and it remains unclear whether he will be able to attend his father’s funeral tomorrow, due to conscription obligations in Ukraine, says the federation.

The Nelipa family initially considered cremating Maxim’s body, which is strictly prohibited in Jewish law, but after efforts by FJCU rabbis, it was decided that Maxim would be buried in accordance with Jewish tradition, the federation adds.

Israeli envoy: Our ties with countries in Europe eroding; efforts to justify war no longer land

Israel’s ambassador to the European Union, Haim Regev, warned Israeli journalists in Brussels this morning about the “diplomatic erosion” between Jerusalem and the EU, as well as other challenges with Israeli public diplomacy, an Israeli source familiar with the discussions says, confirming earlier Hebrew media reports.

“There is no diplomatic tsunami, but there is certainly a diplomatic erosion that must be addressed,” Regev told the reporters during a press briefing in Brussels, according to Walla.

Regev said that the Foreign Ministry is “working” and “running a highly intensive diplomatic campaign,” according to the official, but acknowledged the fading sympathy for Israel as its war in Gaza drags on.

The EU agreed on Tuesday to review its Association Agreement with Israel, citing alleged human rights abuses in Gaza. Regev confirmed reports that diplomatic efforts by Israel’s Foreign Ministry succeeded in stopping the bloc from suspending the pact, agreeing instead to reexamine it, by enlisting the support of 10 out of the 27 member states.

“I can say with a fairly high degree of certainty that there won’t be consensus for a full cancellation of the agreement — not even for a partial one,” Regev said about the pact according to Walla, despite faltering support from the EU, which has called on Israel to halt its war in Gaza and demanded a lifting of restrictions on humanitarian aid in the enclave.

“Europe is seeing horrific images and struggling to deal with them. The support we had at the beginning of the war is no longer there,” said Regev, explaining that harrowing images from the war-torn Strip are influencing European public opinion and pressuring decision-makers to take action, Walla wrote.

While not too worried about the EU-Israel Association Agreement, Regev did warn that the French-Saudi initiative to recognize a Palestinian state during a United Nations conference in June is a significant diplomatic challenge, added Walla.

According to Israel Hayom, Regev said that throughout the war, his embassy has repeatedly brought the plight of the hostages to the forefront and screened footage of the atrocities committed by Hamas in the October 7, 2023, attack that sparked the conflict.

“We showed the horror film. We wore them out with the hostages,” but “this understanding has faded,” said Regev in the report.

He acknowledged that the IDF does not publish its own casualty data from Gaza, leading international bodies to rely on alternative sources like the Hamas-run health ministry, and emphasized that the renewal of humanitarian aid to Gaza could improve diplomatic ties.

IDF tank commander seriously wounded in northern Gaza

A tank commander in the 401st Armored Brigade’s 52nd Battalion was seriously wounded during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip earlier today, the military announces.

The soldier was taken to a hospital and his family was notified.

In a separate incident today, a soldier was lightly hurt after a grenade exploded during operations in southern Gaza, the military says.

Gaza ambulance fleet down to a third, Palestinian Red Crescent says

The head of the Palestinian Red Crescent says its operations in Gaza may stop within days in the absence of fresh supplies, and its ambulance fleet was running at only a third of capacity due to fuel shortages.

Flour and other aid began reaching some of Gaza’s most vulnerable areas on Thursday after Israel let some trucks through, but nowhere near enough to make up for shortages caused by an 11-week Israeli blockade, Palestinian officials say.

Israel says it let in 100 trucks carrying baby food and medical equipment on Wednesday, two days after announcing its first relaxation of the blockade under mounting international pressure amid warnings of starvation in Gaza.

Asked how long his organization could continue operating in Gaza, Palestine Red Crescent Society President Younis Al-Khatib tells reporters in Geneva: “It’s a matter of time. It could be days.

“We are running out of fuel. The capacity of ambulances we work with now is one third,” he adds, saying its gasoline-powered ambulances had already halted, but it had some that were running on solar power provided by the United Nations.

Al-Khatib criticizes the small amount of aid Israel has allowed into Gaza so far, warning of the risk of mob attacks.

“I think that is an invitation for killing. These people are starving,” he says.

He adds his voice to criticism of a US-backed organization that aims to start work in Gaza by the end of May, overseeing a new model of aid distribution. “It’s not up for discussion. No, no, no,” he says.

“The world should not give up on the system as we know it.”

The Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation intends to work with private US security and logistics firms to provide aid to 300,000 people from distribution hubs in Gaza’s south.

Hostage’s father: Ministers gave Trump officials false data showing public against hostage deal

The father of hostage Matan Angrest tells Army Radio that Israeli ministers had been passing along incorrect information to Trump officials that led them to believe that Israeli public opinion was against a hostage deal.

Haggai Angrest says that on his last visit to the White House, he showed officials polls that found that roughly 70% of Israelis back a deal that ends the war in Gaza in exchange for the release of the remaining hostages.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the exchange, arguing that it leaves Hamas in power.

DC shooting victim was involved in group promoting Israeli-Palestinian collaboration

Yaron Lischinsky, right, and his partner Sarah Milgrim, both employees of the Israeli Embassy in the US who were killed in a shooting in Washington, DC, on May 21, 2025, in an undated photo. (Israeli Embassy in Washington)

Sarah Milgrim, the Israeli embassy staffer shot dead alongside her boyfriend and colleague Yaron Lischinsky, was involved in Tech2Peace, a group that brought together Israelis and Palestinians in the tech industry.

Born in Overland Park, Kansas, Milgrim “was warm and compassionate, committed to peacebuilding and passionate about sustainability and people-to-people relations,” the American Jewish Committee says in a statement.

Lischinsky was a staffer in the Israeli embassy’s political affairs department. He always had a smile on his face and a welcoming presence,” AJC says.

Army says 98th Division started operations in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis

Troops of the 98th Division operate in the Khan Younis area of the southern Gaza Strip, in a handout photo issued on May 22, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF’s 98th Division has returned to operating in the Gaza Strip, the military announces.

The elite formation of paratrooper and commando units — made up of thousands of soldiers — is operating in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, as part of the IDF’s new offensive against Hamas.

The military says the division is working to establish “operational control” and destroy Hamas’s infrastructure in Khan Younis, both above and below ground.

So far, the IDF says the division’s troops killed dozens of terror operatives, including in close-quarters combat and by directing airstrikes. Some 200 infrastructures were demolished, including tunnels, the army adds.

According to the IDF, five divisions are currently operating in Gaza.

Court rejects police appeal against release of Qatargate suspect Urich from house arrest

The Central-Lod District Court rules that Jonatan Urich, a key suspect in the Qatargate affair, be released from house arrest, upholding a lower court ruling from yesterday.

The police appealed yesterday’s ruling with their representative arguing in court today that house arrest was needed for Urich to prevent the possibility that he could interfere with their investigation.

Urich is suspected of having violated several corruption laws by allegedly working as a senior adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while at the same time doing work to improve Qatar’s image as a hostage negotiations mediator.

Zakaria Sinwar — brother of Yahya and Muhammad — said to succumb to wounds from IDF strike

Zakaria Sinwar, the brother of late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and his successor Muhammad Sinwar, has succumbed to wounds sustained in an Israeli airstrike on Saturday night, Palestinian media reports.

Zakaria was initially said to have been killed in the strike, but media reports later said he had been critically injured.

Yahya was killed by the IDF in October and Muhammad was targeted in an Israeli strike earlier this month. Israel believes the latter was killed in that strike but his death has not been confirmed.

New York steps up security at Jewish sites in response to Washington killings

Authorities in New York step up security at Jewish sites in response to the killings in Washington, DC, although there are no known threats.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams says he has ordered the NYPD to “increase security at sensitive locations for the Jewish community” in New York City.

Adams ties the murders to the pro-Palestinian protest movement, saying, “This act of hateful violence is exactly what it means to globalize the intifada,” quoting a common chant at anti-Israel protests in the city.

Adams is also hosting an interfaith event to “denounce the antisemitic murders” this afternoon.

The NYPD says the attack has “no known nexus to NYC,” but police are increasing their presence at religious sites with patrols, heavy weapons teams and counter-terrorism officers.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul says, “In an abundance of caution, we are increasing security measures at houses of worship and other vulnerable sites across the state.”

Witkoff, Anton to represent US in fifth round of nuclear talks in Rome — source

US special envoy to the Mideast Envoy Steve Witkoff and State Department policy planning director Michael Anton will travel to Rome on Friday for a fifth round of nuclear talks with Iran, a source familiar with the matter tells reporters.

Discussions are expected to be both direct and indirect, as in previous rounds, the source says.

‘Stargate UAE’ AI datacenter to begin operation in 2026

The first phase of a massive new artificial data center in the United Arab Emirates will come online in 2026, likely with 100,000 Nvidia chips.

The “Stargate UAE” project is part of a deal brokered last week by US President Donald Trump to build the world’s largest set of AI data centers outside the United States, despite previous US restrictions on sending advanced technology to the UAE because of its close ties to China.

The 10-square-mile (26-sq-km) site in Abu Dhabi will eventually host 5 gigawatts’ worth of data centers.

The first phase of that project will be the 1-gigawatt Stargate UAE project, built by state-backed UAE firm G42 in partnership with US firms OpenAI, Oracle, Nvidia and Cisco Systems, as well as Japan’s SoftBank Group.

The companies say that the Stargate UAE project will use Nvidia’s Grace Blackwell GB300 systems, currently the most advanced AI server that Nvidia offers.

The first 200 megawatts of capacity will go live in 2026, the companies said. The group did not give a number of servers, but analyst firm TrendForce estimates that GB300 servers with 72 chips each consume about 140 kilowatts of power, which equates to about 1,400 servers or 100,000 Nvidia chips.

52 Gazans killed in Israel strikes Thursday — Hamas-run civil defense agency

Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defense agency says Israeli strikes killed at least 52 people since dawn Thursday across the territory, where Israel has ramped up its military offensive in recent days.

Agency official Mohammed Al-Mughayyir tells AFP there had been “52 martyrs and dozens injured as a result of airstrikes carried out by the occupation in various areas of the Gaza Strip since dawn today.”

Hamas death tolls are unverified and do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

UAE ‘strongly condemns’ shooting of Israeli embassy staff in Washington

The United Arab Emirates condemns a shooting in Washington that killed two Israeli embassy staff.

“The UAE strongly condemned the shooting incident that killed two employees of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, expressing its utter denunciation of these criminal acts,” says a foreign ministry statement published by official news agency WAM. It also expresses “solidarity with the families of the victims and with the Israeli people over this heinous attack.”

Palestinian accused of spitting on soldier released to house arrest

The Palestinian man accused of spitting on a female IDF officer on a bus headed to Ramat Gan has been released to house arrest, Ynet reports, after police requested to keep him in custody until the end of proceedings.

Issuing the decision, Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court judge Benyamin Hirschel-Doron explains that “despite the strong sense of disgust” he feels for the defendant’s actions, it is difficult to say he poses a danger justifying extended custody.

Ahmad Muhammad, 24, from the West Bank town of Huwara, turned himself in to the police Monday night after his family received a call from the cops regarding the spitting incident.

Police suspect Muhammad was the young man who spat on a female IDF officer Sunday morning, while on a bus headed to Ramat Gan. The entire incident was filmed by a bus security camera, which showed the young man alighting from the bus immediately afterwards.

Muhammad is accused of assaulting a public servant and illegally residing in Israel, but reportedly insists that he wasn’t in Israel at the time of the spitting incident and is a victim of mistaken identity.

A young man spits on an Israeli female soldier before getting off the bus. #Israel #IDF #WestBank #BreakingNews pic.twitter.com/XO4zC7urya

— Ali Shunnaq (@schunnaq) May 18, 2025

Police criticize Hirschel-Doron’s decision to release Muhammad to house arrest, complaining that the ruling will “undermine deterrence” and legitimize attacks on soldiers in uniform.

At the start of today’s hearing, the defendant’s public attorney accused police of beating Muhammad while he was in detention. The judge ordered the complaint be further examined.

Yesterday, Muhammad was moved from a criminal detention center to a security facility at the behest of Prison Service chief Kobi Yaakobi.

Footage of his transfer to the facility shows the blindfolded suspect as he is unloaded from a truck by four masked prison guards and carried into the detention center.

תיעוד: החשוד ביריקה על קצינת צה”ל הועבר מבית מעצר פלילי למתקן ביטחוני בהוראת נציב שב״ס קובי יעקובי pic.twitter.com/FzViaeQmC7

— לירן תמרי | Liran Tamari (@liran__tamari) May 21, 2025

PM speaking to parents of embassy staffers killed in DC shooting

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is speaking with the parents of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, the Israeli embassy staff members who were murdered in a shooting attack in Washington DC last night, the Prime Minister’s Office says in a statement.

“The prime minister told the families that he shares in their deep sorrow, together with all the people of Israel,” says the statement.

The PMO adds that in Netanyahu’s earlier conversation with US Attorney General Pam Bondi, she “pledged that the murderer — and all who collaborated with him — will be brought to justice, and that the American administration will continue to fight antisemitism forcefully.”

US House advances Trump tax cuts mega-bill

The Republican-led US House of Representatives has voted to approve President Donald Trump’s sprawling tax relief and spending cuts mega-bill that critics warn would decimate health care while ballooning the debt.

The “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act” — which now moves to the Senate — would usher into law Trump’s vision for a new “Golden Age,” led by efforts to shrink social safety net programs to pay for a 10-year extension of his 2017 tax cuts.

The mammoth package passed along party lines — 215 votes to 214 — after Republican leadership quelled a rebellion on the party’s right flank that threatened its passage.

It is the centerpiece of Trump’s domestic policy agenda that could define his second term in the White House, and he took to social media to celebrate its success.

“‘THE ONE, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ has PASSED the House of Representatives!” Trump posted. “This is arguably the most significant piece of Legislation that will ever be signed in the History of our Country!”

But the package had faced skepticism from Republican fiscal hawks who say the country is careening toward bankruptcy, with independent analysts warning it would increase the deficit by as much as $4 trillion over a decade.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) predicted it would boost the incomes of the richest 10 percent while making the bottom 10 percent poorer, through hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to health care and food aid.

The White House Council of Economic Advisors has made hugely ambitious projections, well outside the mainstream consensus, that the package will spur growth of up to 5.2 percent.

And Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed the bill “does not add to the deficit,” and would actually save $1.6 trillion through spending cuts.

But investors were unconvinced as the yield on the 10-year US Treasury note surged to its highest level since February on Wednesday, amid worries over the budget-busting bill’s bottom line adding to the $36 trillion US debt burden.

France and Saudi Arabia said to propose plan to disarm Hamas, but allow it limited political power

Paris and Riyadh are devising a plan to have the Hamas terror group disarmed, but let it retain political influence over the Gaza Strip, according to a Bloomberg report.

Saudi officials have been in touch with Hamas over the initiative, according to unnamed sources familiar with the discussions, but it remains unclear if France has been in contact with the Iran-backed group, which is designated a terrorist organization by the European Union, says Bloomberg.

The goal is to turn Hamas “into a purely political entity that can still play some role in future Palestinian governance,” in order to make the terror group more open to disarmament, the report reads.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman plan to hold a joint conference at the United Nations next month to promote the two-state solution as the best path forward from the current conflict, and to potentially announce unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state — a move Israel rejects and says would amount to an award for Hamas’s unprecedented October 7, 2023, attack.

IDF urges Gazans to stay away from sites in Deir al-Balah where Hamas operatives located

The IDF issues an unusual warning to Palestinians in the Deir al-Balah area of central Gaza, telling them to stay away from several locations where the military claims Hamas operatives are.

The IDF also names three prominent Hamas operatives in its announcement.

“To the residents of Deir al-Balah, this is a warning about Hamas elements hiding among you!” says Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman.

“The attached image shows how Hamas terrorist elements operate in your area, using your civilian infrastructure and positioning themselves in your vicinity,” he says.

The map lists Deir al-Balah’s municipality building, an educational institution, a hospital, and a tent camp.

“Hamas exploits your civilian infrastructure and resources for its terror activities. We call upon you to expel the terrorist elements from among you and to stay away from the Hamas structures that are near you,” Adraee adds.

#عاجل ‼️ إلى سكان دير البلح هذا تحذير من عناصر حماس المختبئة بينكم!
⭕️الصورة المرفقة تُظهر طريقة عمل عناصر حماس الإرهابية في منطقتكم حيث يستخدمون البنى التحتية المدنية لديكم ويتموضعون في محيطكم.
⭕️تستغل حماس البنى التحتية المدنية والموارد الخاصة بكم لصالح أنشطتها الإرهابية… pic.twitter.com/ED4hiBD4KK

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) May 22, 2025

Lengthy online statement appears to be manifesto by DC shooting suspect

A statement posted on X Wednesday night appears to be a manifesto signed by someone with the same name as the suspect in a deadly shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington. It has not been verified.

The approximately 900-word statement — written in the clear language of an English major, dated May 20 and published online around the same time the shooting occurred — mentions the high death toll in Gaza and notes the ineffectiveness of nonviolent protests against Israel, including the self-immolation of US Air Force serviceman Aaron Bushnell. It also expresses dissatisfaction with American support for Israel.

The essay ends with what appears to be a defense of “the morality of armed demonstration,” with the author — purporting to be Elias Rodriguez, the arrested suspect in the shooting — claiming that his actions would have been morally justified even if taken in response to the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas, which is when he says he became aware of the conflict. He expresses the belief that his actions will now be viewed by many Americans as “highly legible” and “the only sane thing to do.”

It is posted by an account rife with violent anti-Israel sentiments, including references to taking violent actions against Israelis and a “joke” about bombing the New York Times. It also includes messages in support of Hamas and Hezbollah. Several posts reference Chicago, where the suspected shooter was born and raised.

Israel said returning its entire negotiating team from Qatar over deadlock in hostage-ceasefire talks

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to recall the entire Israeli delegation from Qatar due to the continued impasse in indirect negotiations with Hamas for a ceasefire and hostage deal, multiple Hebrew media outlets report.

Some of the outlets quote an unnamed Israeli official saying that Hamas “hasn’t responded to the American proposal that Israel accepted, and is sticking to its refusal [to reach a deal]. If there is a change and Hamas accepts the offer, the delegation will head immediately to wherever needed.”

On Tuesday, Netanyahu announced that high-level members of the negotiating team were returning after a week of “intensive” hostage talks in Doha, while a number of working-level representatives were remaining in the Qatari capital.

Iran warns of ‘devastating and decisive response’ if Israel attacks

Israel will receive a “devastating and decisive response” if it attacks Iran, Tehran’s Revolutionary Guards say, after several reports said US intelligence believes Israel is making preparations to strike Iranian nuclear facilities.

“They are trying to frighten us with war but are miscalculating as they are unaware of the powerful popular and military support the Islamic Republic can muster in war conditions,” Guards spokesperson Alimohammad Naini says, according to state media.

Japan summons Israeli envoy to protest West Bank warning shots, Gaza war policies

Japan’s Foreign Ministry says it has made “a severe protest” to Israel over its military’s firing of warning shots at a diplomatic delegation, including Japanese diplomats, that was visiting a refugee camp yesterday in the West Bank.

Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Takehiro Funakoshi summoned the Israeli ambassador, Gilad Cohen, to request a full explanation and preventive measures. Fukakoshi tells Gilad the incident is “deeply regrettable and should not have happened.”

Funakoshi also reiterates Japan’s strong concern over what he describes as Israel’s attempted reoccupation of the Gaza Strip and the expansion of military operations, urging it to allow a full and immediate resumption of aid into Gaza, the foreign ministry says.

Funakoshi also offers his condolences on the killing of two Israeli Embassy staff in Washington, stating that “terrorism is not tolerated anywhere in the world.”

Iran says US would bear responsibility for any Israeli attack on nuclear facilities

The United States will bear legal responsibility in the event of an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claims in a letter to the UN chief, amid reports that Israel may be preparing strikes on Iran.

PA minister claims 29 Gazans died in recent days from starvation-related causes

The West Bank-based Palestinian Authority health minister claims that 29 children and elderly people have died from starvation-related deaths in Gaza in recent days and that many thousands more are at risk.

“In the last couple of days we lost 29 children,” Majed Abu Ramadan tells reporters, describing them as “starvation-related deaths.” He later clarifies that the total includes elderly people as well as children.

Asked to react to earlier debunked comments by the UN aid chief to the BBC that 14,000 babies could die within 48 hours without aid, he alleges that “the number 14,000 is very realistic, may be even underestimating [the scale].”

US envoy blasts France’s and UK’s ‘hypocrisy’ for demand Israel end war: ‘They need to remember their history’

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee holds a press conference at the US Embassy in Jerusalem, May 9, 2025. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90)

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee launches a broadside against France and Britain for their escalating rhetoric and actions pressuring Jerusalem to end the war in Gaza and alleviate the humanitarian crisis there.

Speaking to Army Radio, Huckabee declines to say whether the US is planning actions to defend Israel from the measures, but he does say he’s “outraged” by the actions of the UK and France, “who were attacked by the Nazis in World War II.”

The two countries “need to go back and remember their history,” he charges, adding that rather than settle for a “draw,” those countries “bombed the heck out of Germany, and that’s what ended the war, it was a decisive victory.”

He slams the “hypocrisy” of Paris and London for now demanding that Israel end the war without completely defeating Hamas, letting the terror group “claim they won.”

France orders enhanced surveillance at Jewish-linked sites after Washington shooting

France’s interior minister tells police to “step up surveillance at sites linked to the Jewish community” after a gunman shot and killed two Israeli Embassy employees in Washington.

The security measures must be “visible and dissuasive,” Bruno Retailleau says in a message seen by AFP.

‘Dangerous combat zones’: IDF orders Palestinians to leave wide swaths of northern Gaza

The IDF issues a wide evacuation warning for the northern Gaza Strip, as part of its new offensive against Hamas.

In a post on X, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, Col. Avichay Adraee, calls for Palestinians residing in Sheikh Zayed, Salatin, Beit Lahiya, Jabalia and nearby towns to evacuate south.

He warns that the IDF is operating “with great force” in these areas, and they are considered “dangerous combat zones.”

#عاجل ‼️ انذار عاجل الى كل سكان قطاع غزة المتواجدين في شمال القطاع في أحياء غبن، الشيماء، فدعوس، المنشية، الشيخ زايد، السلاطين، الكرامة، مشروع بيت لاهيا، الزهور، تل الزعتر، النور، عبد الرحمن، النهضة ومعسكر جباليا
⭕️جيش الدفاع يعمل بقوة شديدة في مناطق وجودكم حيث تواصل المنظمات… pic.twitter.com/p0NMFfD24l

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) May 22, 2025

Hamas ministry purports to publish full list of 16,503 children and teenagers killed in Gaza war

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry publishes a list of 16,503 children and teenagers aged 0–18 it claims were killed as a direct result of the war in Gaza, meaning as a result of gunfire and bombings.

The full list includes names, ID numbers, birth dates, and information on how the data on their deaths was collected — either from hospital casualty lists or updates provided by their families to the ministry.

There is no independent verification of the data. In the past, studies have pointed to inaccuracies and errors in the lists and figures published by the Hamas-controlled authorities in Gaza, which routinely don’t differentiate between combatants and civilians, and allegedly include some killed by misfired Palestinian rockets or from natural causes.

UN confirms aid groups have picked up aid from some 90 trucks that entered Gaza

A worker unloads cargo from a truck carrying humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip at the offload area of the Kerem Shalom border crossing between Israel and Gaza, May 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Aid groups have collected humanitarian aid carried by about 90 trucks, out of a total of nearly 200 that have entered Gaza since Israel began allowing limited goods in earlier this week, the United Nations confirms.

Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Humanitarian agency OCHA, says the trucks that entered carried medicine, wheat flour and nutrition supplies.

Aid groups have faced significant challenges distributing the aid because of insecurity, the risk of looting and coordination issues with Israeli authorities, Laerke adds.

Most of the supplies have been sitting on the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel.

Firefighters battling blaze near northern town, coastal highway

Firefighters are working to extinguish a brush fire that broke out this morning in HaBonim, a coastal moshav in northern Israel.

The Fire and Rescue Service says 12 firefighting squads are operating in the area, alongside four planes. They are currently trying to prevent the fire’s spread to Route 2, a major highway running along the coast.

Israel’s Kan rejects allegation of fraud in Eurovision vote as ‘non-collegial’ and counterfactual

Israeli singer Yuval Raphael performs during the dress rehearsal for the second semifinal of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, at the St. Jakobshalle arena in Basel on May 14, 2025. (Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

Israel’s Kan public broadcaster says the allegation that its Eurovision contestant, Yuval Raphael, did not fairly win the competition’s public vote is “irrelevant, non-collegial and does not align with the facts.”

“We are very proud of the achievement of Yuval Raphael and the Israeli song, ‘New Day Will Rise,’ at the Eurovision in Switzerland,” says Kan in a statement, five days after Raphael won second place in the competition and first in the popular vote. The Israeli delegation “followed all the rules of the competition and acted respectfully and collegiately to all the other delegations and artists.”

Kan continues that “any hint to the contrary is irrelevant, non-collegial and above all does not align with the facts — the public in Europe loves Yuval and the Israeli song,” adding that it “congratulates Austria with all its heart” for winning the contest.

The European Broadcasting Union also dismissed claims that there was any voter fraud, saying that all results were “checked and verified by a huge team” as well as an “independent compliance monitor.” Some countries that expressed dismay at the vote pointed to the ability to vote 20 times, something encouraged by the EBU for more than a decade, and an Israeli ad campaign for Raphael, something the EBU said does not break any rules.

Last night, Austria’s JJ told a Spanish newspaper that he hopes Israel will not be allowed to compete in the contest next year and said that the Eurovision “needs to make changes to the voting system,” including providing “greater transparency.”

Macron sends condolences to Herzog over US shooting

French President Emmanuel Macron says he has expressed to President Isaac Herzog his condolences for the families of the two Israeli embassy staffers killed in the shooting attack in the US capital.

“Two members of the Israeli embassy in Washington lost their lives in an antisemitic attack in front of the Jewish Museum,” writes Macron in a French post on X.

“To President [Isaac Herzog], I have conveyed our thoughts for the families and loved ones of the victims,” he says.

Earlier this morning, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot condemned the attack as “an abhorrent act of antisemitic barbarity,” adding that “nothing can justify such violence.”

Sa’ar says flags to be flown at half-staff today after US shooting, blames it on ‘toxic antisemitic incitement’

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar holds a press conference at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, May 22, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar says the deadly shooting of two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington, DC, is a direct consequence of rising global antisemitism and anti-Israel incitement.

“My condolences go to their families and the staff of the Israeli Embassy in Washington,” Sa’ar says in a statement to reporters at the Foreign Ministry.

The Foreign Ministry confirms the two victims as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim in a Jerusalem press briefing.

The pair, Israeli Embassy staffers, were leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum when the suspect, identified as Elias Rodriguez, approached a group of four people and opened fire, Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said at a news conference.

Sa’ar says he told Lischinsky’s father today that “his son was a warrior on the diplomatic front who fell just like a soldier on the battlefield.”

“This is the direct result [of] toxic antisemitic incitement against Israel and Jews around the world,” he says, warning that Israeli missions and representatives are increasingly targeted in terrorist attacks that have “crossed all red lines.”

“I was worried… that something like this would happen — and it did,” Sa’ar adds.

He announces that flags will be flown at half-staff today in memory of the victims, and expresses his solidarity with Foreign Ministry personnel: “I am proud to lead these devoted people.”

Sa’ar attributes the attack to antisemitic and anti-Israel rhetoric, describing it as “modern blood libels.”

“This is what happens when leaders across the world surrender to the Palestinian terrorist propaganda,” he says, placing full blame for the ongoing war on Hamas. “Stop your incitement against Israel. Stop your false accusations,” he urges world leaders.

Sa’ar says US Ambassador Mike Huckabee updated him on the “intensive investigations” currently underway.

“We will not surrender to terrorism,” Sa’ar declares.

He also announces an international conference against antisemitism in Jerusalem next week, which will be attended by ministers from member states of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).

Addressing the Israeli public, he concludes: “Hold your heads high,” adding: “Let us try to strengthen the unity among us.”

Widower of terror victim says IDF killing of perpetrator is ‘a drop in the ocean’

Hananel, the husband of Tzeela Gez who was murdered in a shooting terror attack in the West Bank, is seen before his wife's funeral, at Har HaMenuchot Cemetery in Jerusalem, May 15, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Following the IDF announcement that it has killed the terrorist who murdered pregnant woman Tzeela Gez in a terror shooting last week, her widower Hananel welcomes the development but says it is a “drop in the ocean.”

“How can one be happy with it?” he says in a video posted online. “There is a nation of murderers living among us, who day after day only want to kill us. Jews are still afraid and do not feel safe. We’re playing a ping pong of terror attack and then elimination, again and again. What did we think? That eliminating one [terror] cell will fix everything?”

Gez urges leaders to “radically change” their outlook and to “get this evil out of our Land of Israel, 100%. Only this way will we be able to live here securely.”

IDF says it successfully intercepted missile from Yemen

A ballistic missile launched at Israel by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen was successfully intercepted by air defenses a short while ago, the military says.

Sirens had sounded in the Jerusalem area, southern West Bank settlements, and communities near the Dead Sea. Preceding the sirens by about a minute, an early warning was issued to residents, alerting civilians of the long-range missile attack via a push notification on their phones.

It marks the second Houthi missile attack on Israel today.

Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen have launched 37 ballistic missiles and at least 10 drones at Israel. Several of the missiles have fallen short.

IDF: Missile launched from Yemen; sirens sound Jerusalem area

A ballistic missile has been launched from Yemen at Israel, the military says.

Sirens then sound in the Jerusalem area and central Israel.

The IDF says it is working to shoot down the projectile.

EU top diplomat ‘shocked’ by Washington Jewish museum shooting

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, says she is “shocked” by the shooting outside a Jewish museum in Washington that killed two Israeli Embassy staffers.

“There is and should be no place in our societies for hatred, extremism, or anti-Semitism. I extend my condolences to the families of the victims and the people of Israel,” Kallas posts on X.

Herzog urges end to ‘mudslinging’ after Israeli politicians blame each other for US shooting

President Isaac Herzog attends the Tel Aviv conference at Tel Aviv University, May 7, 2025. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

President Isaac Herzog appeals to the Israeli public and to politicians not to politicize the fatal shooting of two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington, DC, after politicians on the right and left accused each other of being responsible for the tragedy due to their rhetoric.

“When it comes to the despicable murder in Washington, domestic Israeli political views have no significance,” Herzog tweets, arguing that the shooter, identified as Elias Rodriguez, had set out to commit “a criminal act of terror out of antisemitism and deep hatred.”

“On a sad and difficult morning of a very serious terrorist attack, and at a time when the State of Israel is facing many threats, I appeal to the public in Israel: Stop this ugly mudslinging. I am asking you to understand the magnitude of your responsibility at this time, to restrain your statements and do only what contributes to and strengthens the State of Israel and supports Jewish communities around the world,” Herzog adds.

Herzog’s comments come after far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu, as well as Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli and others, blamed Yair Golan, the chairman of the left-wing opposition The Democrats party, for the attack, arguing that his claim this week that Israel “kills babies as a hobby” had emboldened antisemites.

In response, Golan argued that the discourse of government ministers, including supporters of racist rabbi Meir Kahane, enabled the shooting attack.

In a separate statement, National Unity chairman Benny Gantz echoes Herzog, asserting that the shooting was committed by “a despicable murderer full of hatred and antisemitism.”

“The blood is on his hands and that of those who spread wild incitement against Jews around the world who grew [such hatred] within themselves,” he continues. “We have enough external enemies. The greatest gift we can give them is to fight among ourselves and become enemies at home.”

China slams Israel for warning shots near diplomats in West Bank

China says it “firmly opposes any acts endangering the safety” of diplomats, after Israeli troops fired warning shots when foreign envoys strayed from their approved route while visiting the West Bank.

“We demand the launch of a full investigation so that similar incidents do not happen again,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning says at a regular press briefing in Beijing.

‘Antisemitic barbarity’: French, British, German top officials condemn US shooting

The foreign ministers of France and Britain, as well as the German chancellor, condemn the shooting death of two Israeli Embassy staffers in the US capital.

France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot condemns the attack as “an abhorrent act of antisemitic barbarity,” adding that “nothing can justify such violence.”

British Foreign Minister David Lammy says he is “horrified,” adding: “We condemn this appalling, anti-Semitic crime. Our thoughts are with the victims, their families and colleagues at this awful time.”

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz calls the shooting it “a despicable act.”

Merz posts on X that he condemns the attack “in the strongest terms” and that “at the moment we must assume there was an anti-Semitic motive.”

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul also expressed his “shock” at the shooting and condemned it as “treacherous” on his X account.

Speaking later at a press conference alongside his Nigerian counterpart Yusuf Tuggar, Wadephul says: “We see again and again that Jews are exposed to unacceptable dangers across the world.”

The shooting occurred at an annual reception hosted by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) for young Jewish professionals and the Washington diplomatic community.

Irish rappers Kneecap deny Hezbollah support after terror charge

A member of Irish band Kneecap waves a Hezbollah flag at a concert in London on November 21, 2024 (Screen grab/YouTube)

Irish rappers Kneecap deny supporting the Hezbollah terror group and vow to “vehemently defend ourselves” after a member of the band was charged with a terror offense for displaying a Hezbollah flag at a London concert.

“We deny this ‘offence’ and will vehemently defend ourselves. This is political policing. This is a carnival of distraction,” the band says on X.

Cop convicted of assault over 2023 whipping of anti-government protester in Tel Aviv

The Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court convicts a police officer of assault after he repeatedly whipped a protester during an anti-government protest in the city some two years ago.

The incident occurred on April 1, 2023, as anti-government demonstrators were blocking the Ayalon Highway. Police ordered protesters to disperse from the thoroughfare. Not long after, the mounted officer, Shai Peretz, was filmed riding up to the complainant Yael Reuveni and cornering her up against one of the highway’s guardrails.

The cop on horseback trampled Reuveni’s foot, injuring her, then proceeded to whip her repeatedly with his riding crop as she tried to limp off the road and move away from him.

דיווח שקיבלנו זה עתה – פרש מכה מפגינה. חוויתם או הייתם עדים לאלימות הערב – דווחו לנו ב https://t.co/84mN8qiN6v pic.twitter.com/JRRUhmqIAa

— אלימות ישראל (@Alimut_Israel) April 1, 2023

Reuveni had been walking in the direction the police had instructed, per the ruling, and was complying with law enforcement’s orders when Peretz attacked her.

Peretz pleaded innocent against the allegations. His attorneys insisted that he had been acting in self-defense as he “felt his life was in danger and feared losing control of the horse.”

His lawyers further claimed that Reuveni sought to harm and confront him out of purported animus toward police officers.

Last month, a similar incident occurred in which a mounted officer appeared to whip a Haaretz photojournalist during an anti-government protest.

Several videos uploaded to social media showed a policeman on horseback hitting Itai Ron with his riding crop, causing the photographer to lurch backwards.

Second DC shooting victim named as Sarah Milgrim, as Israeli Embassy mourns staffers

Yaron Lischinsky, right, and his partner Sarah Milgrim, both employees of the Israeli Embassy in the US who were killed in a shooting in Washington, DC, on May 21, 2025, in an undated photo. (Israeli Embassy in Washington)

The second victim of the shooting attack in Washington, DC, is Sarah Milgrim, a Jewish American employee at the Israeli Embassy in the US.

“Yaron and Sarah were our friends and colleagues,” the embassy tweets. “They were in the prime of their lives. This evening, a terrorist shot and killed them as they exited an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in DC.”

“The entire embassy staff is heartbroken and devastated by their murder. No words can express the depth of our grief and horror at this devastating loss. Our hearts are with their families, and the embassy will be by their side during this terrible time.”

Milgrim worked in the public diplomacy department at the embassy. She held a master’s degree in international studies from American University and an additional master’s degree in natural resources and sustainable development from the United Nations University of Peace.

“My passion lies at the intersection of peacebuilding, religious engagement, and environmental work,” Milgram wrote on her LinkedIn page. “While working with Tech2Peace in Tel Aviv, Israel, I conducted comprehensive research on peacebuilding theory, emphasizing grassroots initiatives in the Israeli-Palestinian region. My diverse experiences, including facilitating insightful discussions on geopolitics in Israel and Palestine as a Jewish Educator, and researching an array of environmental topics in India and Central America, reflect my commitment to fostering understanding between different peoples.”

DC shooting suspect Elias Rodriguez was member of far-left group

Elias Rodriguez, in checkered shirt, seen in coverage of a protest outside the home of Rahm Emanuel in 2017. (screen capture: liberationnews.org)

The suspect in the shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers at an event in Washington, DC, was apparently a member of a radical left-wing group that advocated on behalf of Palestinians.

The man, identified as Elias Rodriguez, 30, of Chicago, was detained by event security after he walked into the Capital Jewish Museum right after opening fire at a group of people leaving the event, Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said at a news conference. “The suspect chanted, ‘Free, free Palestine,’ while in custody,” she said.

Rodriguez attended a 2017 protest outside the home of then-Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel as a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, according to the group’s Liberation newspaper. On Wednesday, the Marxist-Leninist group urged followers online to sign a pledge aimed at stopping Israel’s “genocide” against Palestinians. The 2017 protest was not thought to be tied to Emanuel’s Israeli heritage.

Sign the pledge against genocide!

A new campaign launched by Palestinians in the diaspora and in the region is aiming to gather 1 million signatures to show the massive opposition that exists around the world to the U.S.-Israeli massacre in Gaza

Sign the pledge here:… pic.twitter.com/ZrnIzCLGiZ

— Party for Socialism and Liberation (@pslnational) May 21, 2025

According to a LinkedIn profile Rodriguez worked since 2024 as an administrative specialist for the Chicago-based American Osteopathic Association.

Prior to that he was an oral history researcher for The History Makers, an online repository for accounts of African American lives started by Carnegie Mellon University. A profile on the History Makers website says Rodriguez was born and raised in Chicago and “enjoys reading and writing fiction, live music, film, and exploring new places.”

According to the profile, Rodriguez is a resident of the Avondale neighborhood of Chicago and a graduate of the University of Illinois.

Israeli politicians say US shooting stems from Western leaders emboldening ‘forces of terror’

Israeli politicians link the shooting of two embassy staffers outside an event in Washington to the pro-Palestinian protest movement, describing the attack as a continuation of Hamas’s onslaught of October 7, 2023.

“The terrorist reportedly shouted ‘Free Palestine’ before opening fire. Let us be absolutely clear: ‘Free Palestine’ is not a cry for liberty – it is a cry for murder. That was proven in blood today,” Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli declares in a statement, arguing that the slogan “parroted by activists, academics and influencers, has become a banner not for peace but for hatred, violence, and the demonization of the Jewish state.”

“Anyone who uses it now, in the wake of this attack, is not just echoing antisemitism – they are legitimizing the murder of Jews and Israelis,” he says, slamming “irresponsible leaders in the west” like French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney for having “emboldened the forces of terror through their failure to draw moral red lines.”

“This cowardice has a price – and that price is paid in Jewish blood,” he asserts, praising US President Donald Trump’s “swift and unequivocal condemnation of this heinous act.”

National Unity party chairman Benny Gantz tweets that “what starts as ‘Globalize the intifada’ on college campuses, not surprisingly, ends in cowardly murder shouting ‘Free Palestine’ on the streets.”

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich calls the double murder the “continuation of the murder in Bruchin and massacre in Nir Oz.”

Bruchin in the West Bank was the site of a terror shooting last week that killed Tzeela Gez, a 30-year-old pregnant woman, while Nir Oz was one of the communities attacked by Hamas on October 7.

“Terrorism has no borders,” states Likud MK Yuli Edelstein, the chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. “Anyone who thinks that terrorism is only directed against Jews will soon discover that terrorism will also arrive at their doorstep.”

Event targeted in DC shooting was AJC’s Young Diplomats Reception, about responses to humanitarian crises

The event Wednesday night at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, outside of which the deadly shooting of two Israeli Embassy staffers occurred, was the American Jewish Committee’s Young Diplomats Reception. The victims were shot as they were exiting the event.

It was organized by AJC ACCESS, the organization’s young professional division, which says it empowers Jewish leaders to advocate on behalf of critical domestic and global issues facing the Jewish community.

The annual reception brings Jewish young professionals aged 22–45 together with the diplomatic community.

This year’s theme was “Turning pain into purpose.” Attendees heard from members of the Multifaith Alliance and IsraAID nonprofits on humanitarian diplomacy and how a coalition of organizations — from the region and for the region — are working together in response to humanitarian crises throughout the Middle East and North Africa.

Yaron Lischinsky named as one of the victims of Washington, DC, shooting

Yaron Lischinsky, 28, an employee of the Israeli Embassy in the US, killed in a shooting in Washington, DC, on May 21, 2025, in an undated photo. (Instagram)

In a post on X, Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli names Yaron Lischinsky as one of the Israeli Embassy employees murdered outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC.

Lischinsky, 28, who was Christian, worked in the political department of the Israeli Embassy in Washington.

According to the bio on his Times of Israel blog, Lischinsky had a master’s degree in Government, Diplomacy & Strategy from Reichman University and a bachelor’s in International Relations from Hebrew University.

He wrote on his LinkedIn page: “I’m an ardent believer in the vision that was outlined in the Abraham Accords and believe that expanding the circle of peace with our Arab neighbors and pursuing regional cooperation is in the best interest of the State of Israel and the Middle East as a whole. To this end, I advocate for interfaith dialogue and intercultural understanding.”

The second victim, Lischinsky’s partner, who was also a staffer at the embassy, has not yet been named.

הציוץ האחרון של ירון לישינסקי הי״ד, עובד השגרירות שנרצח בפיגוע בוושינגטון – מאבק בעלילת הדם של האו״ם על סכנה מיידית למוות מרעב של 14,000 תינוקות בעזה. עלילת דם שקיבלה בימים האחרונים חיזוק מהאמירות המופקרות של יאיר – רוצחי תינוקות כתחביב- גולן, אהוד אולמרט ותועמלני אש״ף וחמאס… pic.twitter.com/C2bqon72hZ

— עמיחי שיקלי – Amichai Chikli (@AmichaiChikli) May 22, 2025

German FM expresses shock over killing of Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington

Germany’s foreign minister expresses his shock at the killing of two members of staff from the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC.

“Nothing can justify anti-Semitic violence. I am shocked by the dastardly murder of two employees of the Israeli Embassy in #Washington,” Johann Wadephul writes in a post on X.

ADL head Greenblatt: DC shooting will not ‘intimidate’ Jews

Responding to the US shooting attack that killed two Israeli Embassy staffers outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt promises that the Jewish community will not be intimidated by the attack.

“This shooting strikes a nerve because it comes after an unrelenting, ongoing campaign of hate and harassment targeting the Jewish community simply because of who we are and what we believe,” Greenblatt writes on X. “Our hearts break for the families of those who were murdered even as our will hardens in the face of those who threaten us.”

However, Greenblatt writes, “What they fail to grasp is that we will not be intimidated. We will not be silenced. We will not cower or quiver or shake. Without a doubt, we will mourn and we will grieve and then we will press on with renewed determination and resolve. We will fight for our rights. We will defend our beliefs. We will protect our community, now and forever.”

Netanyahu: Security to be upped in Israeli missions; US attack is the price of ‘blood libels against Israel’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a press conference at his office in Jerusalem on May 21, 2025. (Alex Kolomoisky/Pool/Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says security will be stepped up at Israeli embassies around the world, after two Israeli embassy staff members were killed in a shooting outside an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC.

In a statement by his office, Netanyahu says he’s “shocked by the horrifying antisemitic murder,” adding that he was updated on the details by the Israeli ambassador to the US and by US Attorney General Pam Bondi, the latter of whom said America will bring the murderer to justice.

Netanyahu thanks Bondi and US President Donald Trump “for standing clearly against antisemitism.”

“We are witnessing the terrible price of antisemitism and the wild incitement against the State of Israel,” Netanyahu says. “The blood libels against Israel are costing us blood and must be fought relentlessly.”

He adds: “My heart aches with the families of the young couple, whose lives were cut short by a despicable antisemitic murderer. I have ordered security arrangements to be boosted in Israeli diplomatic missions around the world and around representatives of the state.”

Yair Golan says the government’s rhetoric, not his, fuels antisemitism and attacks on Jews

The Democrats party chairman Yair Golan holds a press conference in Tel Aviv, May 20, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

The Democrats party chief Yair Golan sends condolences to the families of the victims of the US shooting attack that killed two Israeli Embassy workers.

Responding to a far-right minister’s claim that his rhetoric is to blame for the attack, the left-wing leader counters that the discourse of government ministers, including supporters of racist rabbi Meir Kahane, enabled it.

“The government of Kahane Chai” — referring to Kahane’s Kach party that was outlawed in the 1980s — “is the one that fuels antisemitism and hatred of Israel, and the result is unprecedented diplomatic isolation and danger to every Jew at every point on the globe,” Golan asserts.

He vows to replace the government and “restore security to all Jews, in Israel and anywhere around the world.”

Reports say some 90 aid trucks entered Gaza last night after 2-day delay

Trucks carrying aid wait to enter the Gaza Strip from the Israeli Kerem Shalom crossing, on May 20, 2025. (Jack GUEZ / AFP)

Palestinian media reports that around 90 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered the Gaza Strip last night and were transferred to UN centers across the Strip.

In the past two days, trucks had entered the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing, but there was a delay in distributing the aid within the Strip.

The UN said yesterday that the route offered to them by the IDF is not safe and that it fears looting, which is why the distribution was delayed.

دخول شاحنات مساعدات عبر معبر كرم أبو سالم إلى قطاع #غزة pic.twitter.com/D8fuvW3erf

— وكالة قدس نت للأنباء (@qudsnet) May 21, 2025

الغد ترصد إدخال شاحنات المساعدات لقطاع #غزة.. إليكم التفاصيل#قناة_الغد pic.twitter.com/taMDeFL6vF

— قناة الغد (@AlGhadTV) May 22, 2025

Eyewitnesses on US shooting: People brought water to man in distress, only to learn he’s the suspect

The suspect in the shooting of two Israeli Embassy staffers at the Capital Jewish Museum, Elias Rodriguez, shouts 'Free Palestine' as he is arrested, May 21, 2025. (Screenshot: X; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Yoni Kalin and Katie Kalisher say they were inside the Capital Jewish Museum when they heard gunshots outside and a man came inside looking distressed.

Kalin says people came to his aid and brought him water, thinking he needed help, without realizing he was the suspect in the shooting, which killed two Israeli Embassy employees.

When police arrived, he pulled out a red keffiyeh and repeatedly yelled, “Free Palestine,’” Kalin says.

“This event was about humanitarian aid,” Kalin says. “How can we actually help both the people in Gaza and the people in Israel? How can we bring together Muslims and Jews and Christians to work together to actually help innocent people? And then here he is just murdering two people in cold blood.”

Last week, the Capital Jewish Museum was one of the local nonprofits in Washington awarded funding from a $500,000 grant program to increase its security. The museum’s leaders were concerned because it is a Jewish organization and due to its new LGBTQ exhibit, according to NBC4 Washington.

“We recognize that there are threats associated with this as well,” Executive Director Beatrice Gurwitz tells the TV station. “And again, we want to ensure that our space is as welcoming and secure for everybody who comes here while we are exploring these stories.”

AJC ‘devastated’ by deadly shooting outside its event, as Jewish groups voice horror

The American Jewish Committee (AJC), which was hosting an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, when the shooting attack that killed two Israeli Embassy staffers occurred outside, says it is “devastated,” as Jewish organizations express shock at the attack.

“We are devastated that an unspeakable act of violence took place outside the venue,” says AJC CEO Ted Deutch. “At this moment, as we await more information from the police about exactly what transpired, our attention and our hearts are solely with those who were harmed and their families.”

The Jewish Federations of North America says it is “horrified,” adding: “Our hearts go out to the victims and to our colleagues at AJC.”

“We are working closely with the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington and our security partners to monitor the situation, gain a fuller picture of what transpired, and keep our communities informed,” it adds. “The safety and security of the community is our top priority and we will not rest until that safety is fully restored.”

The ZAKA emergency organization expresses its sorrow and solidarity with the families of the victims.

“Sadly, many countries still turn a blind eye to Israel’s just struggle and the challenges faced by the Jewish people,” it says. “Today, just after the March of Support in New York, we were once again reminded of how vital it is to stand united against terror.”

The Combat Antisemitism Movement says: “This murder didn’t happen in a vacuum, but is the direct result of the incessant hatred by those who call to ‘Globalize the Intifada.’ For those who wondered about the context of whether a particular chant was hate speech or anti-Semitic, this is what it looks like when physically manifested. We have warned about the growing violence of the far-left, and now it seems that our deepest fears have come true.”

“The murderer did not know his victims were Israeli, he just knew they attended a Jewish event. When we say that the anti-Semites don’t hate Jews because of Israel, but rather, they hate Israel because it is the Jewish homeland, this is what we mean.”

The Betar US movement calls on the US to “expedite the deportation of illegal pro-Hamas agitators nationwide and prevent the next terror attack against our people.” It adds: “Sadly as we mourn this loss we remind Jews Aliyah is the best solution.”

Settlers said to torch a car, try to set fire to mosque in West Bank village

Palestinian media reports that settlers have attempted to set fire to a mosque and torched a vehicle in the village of Aqraba in the northern West Bank.

There are no casualties.

Footage shows the vehicle being set on fire, signs of arson at the entrance to the mosque, and Hebrew graffiti sprayed on the mosque’s outer walls reading, “The nation of Israel lives,” and “Jewish blood is not worthless.”

The police have not yet issued a response.

عاجل| مستوطنون يضرمون النيران بمركبة ويخطون عبارات على جدران مسجد أبي بكر الصديق في بلدة عقربا جنوب نابلس. pic.twitter.com/gnGyx8BBB7

— Alhadath Newspaper|صحيفة الحدث الفلسطيني (@Alhadath_news1) May 22, 2025

مستوطنون يضرمون النيران بمركبة ويخطون عبارات على جدران مسجد أبي بكر الصديق في بلدة عقربا جنوب نابلس. pic.twitter.com/jYwu1E9eU3

— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) May 22, 2025

IDF razes West bank home of Palestinian terrorist who killed Israeli man last year

Medics and IDF troops at the scene of an attack at the Bar-On industrial park in the West Bank, during which a civilian security guard was hit over the head with a hammer by a Palestinian terrorist, August 18, 2024; inset: Gidon Peri, who was killed in the attack. (Magen David Adom; courtesy)

During operations overnight in the West Bank village of Baqat al-Hatab, the IDF says it demolished the home of a Palestinian terrorist who killed an Israeli last year.

In the attack on August 18, 2024, Sultan al-Jani attacked Gidon Peri, 38, with a hammer in an industrial park near the settlement of Kedumim. Peri, a civilian security guard, was fatally wounded.

As a matter of policy, Israel demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out deadly attacks.

כוחות הביטחון הרסו הלילה את ביתו של המחבל שביצע את הפיגוע באיזור התעשייה בראון בו נרצח גדעון פרי ז״ל

כוחות צה״ל מחטיבת אפרים וכוחות יהל"ם הרסו הלילה את ביתו של המחבל סולטאן אל גאני בכפר באקה אל חטב שבגזרת חטיבת אפרים.
המחבל ביצע ב-18 באוגוסט 2024 פיגוע טרור חמור באיזור התעשייה… pic.twitter.com/f3vZ25SjKE

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) May 22, 2025

Palestinian reports: 3 prisoners freed in hostage deal rearrested last night, including veteran terrorist

Palestinian media reports that three Palestinian security prisoners who were freed as part of the recent hostage deal were rearrested by Israel last night.

The three are named as Mahdi Akas, Saeed Diab and Ibrahim Atiya. Atiya had served a life sentence for his involvement in a shooting terror attack in which a 7-year-old girl was murdered in 2003, as part of his membership in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club, a Palestinian organization representing those who are in jail in Israel, announced yesterday, prior to the arrests last night, that a total of 13 Palestinians released in the deal had been rearrested, 6 of whom remained in detention as of yesterday.

Far-right minister blames US shooting on Yair Golan: ‘The blood is on your hands’

Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu attends the funeral of Israeli soldier Captain Israel Yudkin at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem, May 23, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Far-right Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu blames the US attack that killed two Israeli Embassy staffers on left-wing The Democrats party head Yair Golan, who said this week that Israel “kills babies as a hobby” before saying he was referring to politicians’ statements allegedly legitimizing such killings.

“Yair Golan’s blood libels are echoed by Nazis and Israel haters around the world,” Eliyahu tweets. “We’re now paying the price with the murderous terror attack in Washington and history teaches us that we will pay more down the line. Yair, the blood of the embassy employees is on your hands and on those of your friends.”

Rubio condemns DC shooting, vows to ‘track down those responsible and bring them to justice’

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio tweets his condemnation “in the strongest possible terms” of the shooting that killed two Israeli Embassy staff members.

“Our prayers are with their loved ones,” he says. “This was a brazen act of cowardly, antisemitic violence. Make no mistake: we will track down those responsible and bring them to justice.”

Responding to Netanyahu, Hamas rules out exiling its leadership or giving up its weapons

Hamas spokesman Jihad Taha told the Qatari Al Jazeera channel last night, in response to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech in which he presented a list of preconditions for ending the war, that the terror group will not give up the “weapons of the resistance,” referring to the weapons of Hamas and other terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip.

He further states that the group refuses to exile its leadership from the Strip, as they are part of the Palestinian people.

Herzog condemns US shooting, says ‘hate won’t break us’; Sa’ar: ‘Israel won’t give in to terror’

President Isaac Herzog reacts to the murder of two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington, DC, calling it a “despicable antisemitic terror attack” and adding that Israel stands with the US Jewish community.

“America and Israel will always stand united in defending our peoples and common values. We won’t let terror and hate break us.”

US Ambassador to Israel calls the incident a “horrific act of terror that the people of Israel are waking up to this morning.”

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar laments the “terrible news,” writing on X that he has spoken to Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter and is in contact with US authorities.

“Israel won’t give in to terror,” he says.

Trump: DC shooting ‘based obviously on antisemitism,’ hatred has ‘no place in the USA’

US President Donald Trump reacts to the killing of two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington, DC.

“These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!” he says in a post on Truth Social. “Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA. Condolences to the families of the victims. So sad that such things as this can happen! God Bless You ALL!”

Officials say both victims of DC shooting were embassy staffers, were a couple about to get engaged

Emergency personnel work at the site where two Israeli Embassy staff members were shot dead near the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, May 21, 2025. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)

Tal Naim Cohen, a spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC, says two of its staff members were shot “at close range” while attending a Jewish event at the Capital Jewish Museum.

The Israeli embassy does not immediately respond to questions about the shooter, the victims or the motive for the attack, but other officials provide details and say the victims were a couple about to be engaged.

“The couple that was gunned down tonight in the name of ‘Free Palestine’ was a couple about to be engaged,” says Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, adding that the man had bought a ring last week with the intention of proposing next week in Jerusalem.

US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed two Israeli embassy staff members were killed.

“We are actively investigating and working to get more information to share,” Noem wrote in a post on X.

“We will bring this depraved perpetrator to justice.”

Washington, DC, Police Chief Pamela Smith says that “despite all life-saving efforts, both victims succumbed to their injuries.”

She says both victims were exiting an event at the museum.

“Prior to the shooting, a suspect was observed pacing outside of the museum,” she says, adding that he opened fire at a group of four, killing a man and a woman.

“The suspect chanted, ‘Free, free Palestine,’ while in custody. The suspect has been identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, Illinois,”she says.

???????? — VIDEO: Alleged footage of the D.C. Jewish museum attacker Elias Rodrigues being arrested. pic.twitter.com/iRa9JtLLNr

— Belaaz News (@TheBelaaz) May 22, 2025

Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser says there’s no active threat.

She says US President Donald Trump, via a phone that Attorney General Pam Bondi handed him, said “his administration is going to do everything it can possibly do to fight antisemitism and the hatred, the demonization and delegitimization of the State of Israel.”

Washington Jewish Museum shooter yelled ‘Free Palestine’ while being arrested — NBC

The Foreign Ministry says the assailant who carried out the shooting near the Jewish Museum in Washington has been apprehended.

Citing senior law enforcement sources, NBC News reports that the suspect shouted “Free Palestine” while he was apprehended.

US homeland secretary says 2 Israeli Embassy staffers killed in shooting outside DC Jewish Museum

US Homeland Secretary of State Kristi Noem identifies both of those killed in the shooting outside the Jewish Museum in Washington as staffers at the Israeli Embassy.

“We are actively investigating and working to get more information to share. Please pray for the families of the victims,” she writes on X. “We will bring this depraved perpetrator to justice.”

Two Israeli Embassy staff were senselessly killed tonight near the Jewish Museum in Washington DC. We are actively investigating and working to get more information to share. Please pray for the families of the victims.

We will bring this depraved perpetrator to justice.

— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) May 22, 2025

Israeli Embassy staffer among 2 killed in shooting at Jewish Museum in Washington

Two people were killed in a shooting at the Jewish Museum in Washington, with a spokesman for Israel’s envoy to the UN confirming at least one of them was a staffer at the Israeli Embassy.

The museum was hosting an American Jewish Committee event at the time of the shooting, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Ambassador Danny Danon denounces the shooting as “a depraved act of antisemitic terrorism.”

“Harming diplomats and the Jewish community is crossing a red line. We are confident that the US authorities will take strong action against those responsible for this criminal act,” he says. “Israel will continue to act resolutely to protect its citizens and representatives – everywhere in the world.”

Washington, D.C. – developing story, active shooter involvement outside The Capital Jewish Museum. 10:36 PM — details to come. @alanhenney pic.twitter.com/wdAPzQLRPQ

— Anthony Peltier (@_anthonypeltier) May 22, 2025

Hostage families warn Israel increasingly at risk of ‘missed opportunity of the century’

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum slams Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his remarks on the war in Gaza at a press conference, calling on him to immediately reach a deal with Hamas for the return of the remaining captives and end to the war.

“We are heading toward the ‘missed opportunity of the century,’ Those who will pay the price are the people of Israel, the hostages, the evacuees, and tens of thousands of reserve soldiers and their families,” the group says in a statement. “After more than 19 months of war, there is no end in sight; no chance for recovery and rehabilitation on the horizon. The truth is that there can be no national revival without the return of all hostages, down to the very last one.”

“President Trump has put a plan on the table. Prime Minister Netanyahu needs to listen to the will of his entire nation – to sign an agreement that will immediately bring back all hostages and end this war,” the group adds.

IDF says Yemen missile was successfully downed

The IDF says that it successfully downed a missile launched at Israel from Yemen.

“The alerts were activated in accordance with policy,” it adds, referring to the warning sirens that were activated in communities across central Israel.

Sirens sound in central Israel as IDF says it’s working to down missile fired from Yemen

The military says it has identified a missile launched from Yemen toward Israel, which air defense systems are working to intercept.

The ballistic missile attack sets off sirens in wide swaths of central Israel.

Israel said readying to quickly strike Iranian nuclear sites if US-Iran talks collapse

Israel is getting ready to quickly strike Iran if ongoing talks between the United States and the Islamic Republic over the latter’s nuclear program break down, Axios reports, citing a pair of Israeli sources.

“Bibi is waiting for the nuclear talks to collapse and for the moment Trump will be disappointed about the negotiations and open to giving him the go ahead,” says one of the sources, using Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s nickname.

According to the sources, the Israeli intelligence community now thinks talks could soon collapse, after previously believing an agreement was close. One of the sources says the military believes the window to attack Iran may soon slam shut, requiring Israel to move fast if the negotiations do not pan out, without saying why the IDF thinks that.

The news site also says that both sources confirmed a CNN report that Israel is preparing for potential strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, while adding any attack would require a week-long campaign and not be a one-off.

“There was a lot of training and the US military sees everything and understands Israel is preparing,” one of the sources is quoted as saying.

Canadian PM denounces ‘totally unacceptable’ IDF warning shots in West Bank

OTTAWA, Ontario — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney calls shots fired by Israeli forces during a visit by diplomats, including four Canadians, to the West Bank “totally unacceptable.”

“We expect an immediate explanation of what happened. It’s totally unacceptable,” Carney tells a news conference, adding that his foreign minister, Anita Anand, has summoned Israel’s ambassador to Ottawa to demand answers.