May 25: US said asking Israel to delay expanded Gaza offensive for time for talks with Hamas

Hamas-run authorities say 20 killed, dozens wounded in strike on Gaza City school-turned-shelter

Hamas-run health authorities in the Gaza Strip say at least 20 people were killed and dozens were wounded when an Israeli strike hit a school housing displaced people a short while ago.

Medics say the dozens of casualties in the strike on the school, at Daraj neighborhood in Gaza City, included women and children, although these figures could not be verified.

Some of the bodies were badly burned according to images circulating on social media, which Reuters cannot immediately verify.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Trump says US saw ‘real progress’ in latest nuclear talks with Iran, predicts ‘good news’ ahead

US President Donald Trump says American negotiators made “real progress” during “very good” nuclear talks with Iran earlier this weekend.

“I think we could have good news on the Iran front.”

“Likewise with Hamas on Gaza,” he adds, appearing to say that there could also be a positive development in the negotiations between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire in Gaza.

“We want to see if we can stop that, and Israel. We’ve been talking to them and we want to see if we can stop that whole situation,” Trump tells reporters before boarding Air Force One.

???? BREAKING: Trump has had talks with Iran this weekend. He says "good news" could be coming soon with Iran on the nuclear front.

"I have a feeling I might be telling you something good. We've had some serious progress." pic.twitter.com/JkKKNqPV28

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 25, 2025

In blow to Israeli-backed aid effort, CEO of group supposed to manage it resigns

Palestinians struggle to receive cooked food distributed at a community kitchen in the Muwasi area of Khan Younis, in the Gaza Strip, May 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

The CEO of the new Israeli and US-backed organization that was supposed to begin managing the distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza in the coming days has resigned.

“I am proud of the work I oversaw, including developing a pragmatic plan that could feed hungry people, address security concerns about diversion, and complement the work of longstanding NGOs in Gaza,” says Gaza Humanitarian Foundation CEO Jake Wood in a statement.

“However, it is clear that it is not possible to implement this plan while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon,” he adds.

GHF was created earlier this year as Israel tried to advance a new mechanism for distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza, while preventing its diversion from Hamas.

Israel wanted to create a small number of distribution sites in southern Gaza where pre-selected family representatives would be able to pick up a heavy box full of food for their families in a zone secured and operated by American private contractors.

While technically an American company, GHF was established in close coordination with Israeli authorities in order to manage the new aid initiative.

However, GHF still needed support and cooperation from existing humanitarian organizations as it sought to gain credibility on the ground. That backing has yet to come, though, with the UN and other international organizations in Gaza vowing not to cooperate with GHF, arguing that its aid initiative violated humanitarian principles by requiring Gazans to walk long distances in order to retrieve aid and limiting distribution to southern Gaza in what would forcibly displace the Palestinian population.

There were also questions about GHF’s funding, which has not been transparent, along with a memo it sent out to potential donors that named two individuals on its leadership who said they weren’t involved in the initiative and admitted to only being able to initially feed 60% of Gaza’s population.

Wood, a former Marine and social entrepreneur, tried to dispel concerns when he announced that Israel had agreed to GHF’s demands to allow for the establishment of additional distribution sites throughout Gaza and to restart the distribution aid through existing mechanisms last week until GHF is operational on the ground.

A senior Israeli official told The Times of Israel last week that GHF’s target date for beginning operations was this weekend, but that has not happened.

Further complicating matters, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said last week that in the third stage of Israel’s aid operations, distribution will be limited to a small area in southern Gaza that is secured by the IDF — in what would go against Wood’s assertion that he would not limit distribution to one part of the Strip.

Wood says he was approached about leading GHF two months ago due to his experience in humanitarian operations and stresses that he sought to “establish it as a truly independent humanitarian entity.”

“Like many others around the world, I was horrified and heartbroken at the hunger crisis in Gaza and, as a humanitarian leader, I was compelled to do whatever I could to help alleviate the suffering,” he adds.

Wood’s resignation marks a major blow to Israel’s effort to resume aid in Gaza on its own terms, and it’s unclear whether GHF will be able to march on.

His resignation is also likely to bury chances for GHF to be able to fundraise from countries abroad, as the reasons he gave for stepping down appeared to echo fears already voiced by the UN and international organizations already operating on the ground that were asked to cooperate with the foundation in order to ensure its success.

The American security contractors that GHF is working with already arrived in Israel earlier this month in order to enter Gaza and begin managing the distribution sites.

While Wood appeared willing to work within the strict provisions set up by Israel, his resignation statement indicated that his flexibility had reached a limit.

“I urge Israel to significantly expand the provision of aid into Gaza through all mechanisms, and I urge all stakeholders to continue to explore innovative new methods for the delivery of aid, without delay, diversion or discrimination,” he says.

“I continue to believe the only sustainable path for the long-term is for Hamas to release all hostages, for there to be a cessation of hostilities, and a pathway for peace, security, and dignity for all people in the region.”

PM meets with visiting US homeland security chief Kristi Noem

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during her visit to Israel, on May 25, 2025. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, shortly after the secretary landed for a visit in Israel, the Prime Minister’s Office says.

During the meeting, Noem “expressed unequivocal support for the Prime Minister and for Israel,” says the PMO.

She also “conveyed deep appreciation” for Netanyahu’s policy “regarding the construction of the border fence along the Egypt border and his management of the war” in Gaza, says the PMO.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and senior PMO officials also participated in the meeting.

During her visit, Noem will attend a memorial ceremony for the two US embassy staffers killed in Washington DC last week, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, as well as participate in Jerusalem Day celebrations.

Earlier today, Netanyahu met with Democratic Senator Jacky Rosen, adds the PMO.

US said asking Israel to delay expanded Gaza offensive for time for talks with Hamas

United States officials have requested that Israel delay its expanded ground operation in Gaza to allow negotiations with Hamas for a hostage and ceasefire deal to continue, some Hebrew media outlets report.

The IDF said earlier today that it aims to occupy 75 percent of the Gaza Strip’s territory within two months, as part of its new ground operation against Hamas, which began a week ago.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently holding security discussions with senior defense officials, given pressure from Washington – which is holding ongoing negotiations with Hamas — to provide more time to reach a deal before moving forward with the planned offensive, the Ynet news site reports.

The US has asked Israel to hold off on the full implementation of the plan and allow negotiations to continue alongside limited military operations, according to an earlier report from i24News citing two sources familiar with the matter.

The military has argued that prioritizing the defeat of Hamas would enable the release of the remaining 58 hostages the terror group is holding, up to 23 of whom are believed to be alive.

While US special envoy Steve Witkoff continues to mediate talks between Israel and Hamas, other American officials are still operating a separate backchannel, with the terror group through US-Palestinian businessman Bishara Bahbah.

Netanyahu called back the Israeli negotiation team from Doha last week, citing Hamas’s refusal to accept Witkoff’s proposal for a short-term ceasefire in exchange for the release of half the living hostages, which Israel agreed to.

A report this evening in the Saudi al-Hadath outlet claims Israel plans to send a team to Cairo tomorrow to continue the negotiations, but Army Radio cites an Israeli source saying there is no such plan.

Ex-hostage Liri Albag questioned for an hour at JFK due to system still recording her as hostage

Freed captive Liri Albag speaks during a rally calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, April 5, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/ Flash90)

Liri Albag, a former hostage released by Hamas in a deal earlier this year, was held up for around an hour today by US security guards at New York’s JFK Airport as she arrived with her family for a vacation, Hebrew media reports.

Albag was taken aside for questioning since the American computer system still recorded Albag as a hostage, the reports say.

Around an hour later and only after Israeli authorities urgently intervened, Albag was let go and allowed to enter the US.

Israeli racer crashes out of Indy 500 after losing control, hitting crewmates

Robert Shwartzman is introduced before the start of the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

Israeli IndyCar driver Robert Shwartzman’s day at the Indianapolis 500 is over after he crashes into a wall and knocks over several of his crew members, after losing control while coming into a pit stop.

Shwartzman, a rookie who started the race as the pole sitter, led for eight laps before falling to the middle of the pack. The first-ever Israeli to take part in the high-profile race, Shwartzman hung in for nearly 100 laps, but largely failed to make up ground before the accident on pit row knocked him out of the Brickyard 500.

???????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????? has major issues in the pits after hitting several crew members

It appears that everyone is okay at this time. His car is damaged and his day is over

???? #INDYCAR #INDY500 pic.twitter.com/0L9LNrKQAW

— Hickey (@Hickey93) May 25, 2025

He tells an on-track reporter that his brakes seized up while coming into the stop, blaming cold weather, which has led to a number of issues on the track that have knocked out several other racers as well.

According to Shwartzman, all crew members are fine, though one suffered an unspecified minor injury.

“This is what happens, this is Indy, and hopefully next year, we’ll come and have a proper battle for the win,” he says.

Robert Shwartzman joins @JamieLittleTV to discuss what happened when he hit the wall on his pit stop. pic.twitter.com/LTvZeiosJS

— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) May 25, 2025

US National Security Council staff fired en masse, including Mideast, Israel, Iran chiefs

The top US National Security Council (NSC) officials for the Middle East, Israel and Iran were among many dozens of officials dismissed from their roles as part of a major overhaul of the White House body by Donald Trump’s administration, a source familiar with the matter confirms to The Times of Israel.

NSC Middle East and North Africa senior director Eric Trager and NSC Israel and Iran director Merav Ceren were among those pushed out on Friday, May 23, as part of a purge aimed at significantly downsizing the NSC staff, the source says, confirming reporting in the Axios news site and Jewish Insider.

The move is expected to elevate the importance of the State Department and Pentagon in advising Trump on important foreign policy moves. But, ultimately, Trump relies on his own instincts above all else when making decisions.

There were roughly 395 people working at the NSC, including about 180 support staff, according to one official. A large chunk of those being ousted are policy or subject-matter experts seconded from other government agencies. They will be given an opportunity to return to their home agencies if they want.

Many of the political appointees will also be given positions elsewhere in the administration, the official said.

The NSC has been in a continual state of tumult during the early going of Trump’s second go-around in the White House.

Trump previously ousted National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, weeks after he fired several NSC officials on the day after the influential far-right activist Laura Loomer raised concerns directly to him about staff loyalty. Loomer has in the past spread 9/11 conspiracy theories and promoted QAnon, an apocalyptic and convoluted conspiracy theory centered on the belief that Trump is fighting the “deep state,” and she took credit for the ouster of the NSC officials that she argued were disloyal.

Trager and Ceren were both hired by Waltz. They were seen to have held more traditionally Republican, hawkish and pro-Israel views, as opposed to the more isolationist, MAGA wing in the GOP that is more loyal to Trump and has gradually expanded its influence in the administration.

AP contributed to this report.

Shin Bet officials said threatening to quit over Zini appointment; recordings show he favors victory over returning hostages

Maj. Gen. David Zini visits families of fallen Israeli soldiers during Memorial Day at Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem on April 30, 2025. (Arie Leib Abrams/ Flash90)

Some Shin Bet officials have threatened to resign if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s nominee for Shin Bet chief, IDF Maj. Gen. David Zini, is appointed, according to a report by the Kan public broadcaster.

In closed conversations over the weekend, Shin Bet field coordinators responsible for the Jerusalem and West Bank sectors reportedly described Zini’s nomination as politically motivated, expressing concern that his “messianic” views conflict with the agency’s core values and would damage its nonpartisan character.

As of now, no resignation letters have been formally submitted. The Shin Bet declined to comment, but emphasized that it is a national institution operating solely to protect the security of Israeli citizens, according to Kan.

Separately, Channel 12 airs recordings of Zini in a recent conversation with residents of Gaza border communities, revealing contrasts with the approach of outgoing Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, according to the network.

In the recordings, Zini addressed the war’s stated goals, saying: “We haven’t yet completed or fulfilled the primary goal of the war: to ensure that no threat is posed to the residents of Israel from the Gaza Strip. It’s a big question how to accomplish that.”

“The biggest issue is to destroy Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and every other terrorist entity. That’s the most important part — and that’s what we’re working on,” he said, before referencing the biblical story of Ishmael and Isaac, saying that the theme of “evil Muslims against good Jews” has existed “since Ishmael — and until further notice.”

Zini reportedly spoke about “the tremendous tension” between the objectives of destroying Hamas and recovering the hostages since the start of the war, saying: “If I look ahead, I need to do everything as fast as possible so that they [the enemies] end up on the other side… On the other hand, I have the goal of bringing back all the hostages as quickly as possible.”

“And right now, the two — doing everything quickly and bringing everyone back — don’t necessarily go hand in hand. We’re doing both. But some elements compete for resources, for operational methods, and we’ve been living in that tension for a year and a half,” he said.

“It’s clear… to anyone in Israel who understands the reality, that the major efforts we’re making to bring back all the hostages as quickly as possible are delaying the achievement of the second objective,” Zini continued.

Addressing the future security expectations for residents of the Gaza border towns, Zini said: “If someone promises you, ‘From now on, there won’t be any threats,’ I suggest you make them take a polygraph test. We’ve already had our failure, all right? Now we’re busy fixing it.”

“This isn’t a threat that developed in a single day; it was built up over years,” Zini explained, saying that reaching a situation where there is “no threat at all to the residents of the [border towns] and to the citizens of Israel from the Gaza Strip” is “a task for several more years.”

Zini also addressed Israel’s limited military resources, saying: “There isn’t enough force deployment across all areas of combat. There just isn’t. The IDF doesn’t have it. Israel doesn’t have the capabilities, no matter how you try to spin it.”

“Even if you draft all the reservists at once and deploy them in a line along the entire border, it’s not enough. Even with the Haredim. I’m doing a lot to recruit Haredim and I spend many hours on it, but that’s not where the state’s resources are,” he continued.

“The reason you’re living in relative quiet, along with millions of other citizens, is because… we [employ] risk management, all the time. That’s our profession,” Zini said.

“In this case, we failed badly, okay? But if, for every bit of intelligence or fragment of information, we placed a squad of soldiers in every town, that would mean the entire country would be in uniform from now until further notice,” he said, while emphasizing that “there will always be soldiers between the enemy and the civilians.”

Zini’s remarks mark a departure from the outlook of his predecessor, indicating a shift in how Netanyahu envisions the Shin Bet’s role in the ongoing war and his broader defense strategy, notes Channel 12.

US homeland security chief Kristi Noem lands in Israel, visits Western Wall

US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem pauses after placing a note at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, during a visit on May 25, 2025. (Alex Brandon / POOL / AFP)

US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visits the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem shortly after landing in Israel.

Noem was welcomed at the airport by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who tweets that she will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tomorrow and become the first ever US cabinet secretary to “participate in Jerusalem Day.”

US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, right, speaks with US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee as after she landed at Ben Gurion Airport, May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)

She is also set to attend a memorial ceremony alongside Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar in honor of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, the two staffers at the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC, who were murdered last week in a shooting attack, according to a statement from Israel’s Foreign Ministry.

Knesset panel rules that MK’s calls early in the war to ‘burn Gaza’ didn’t breach ethics rules

MK Nissim Vaturi attends a Constitution, Law and Justice Committee meeting at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on August 11, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)

The Knesset’s Ethics Committee rejects a complaint filed by Hadash-Ta’al MK Ofer Cassif over a series of calls by Likud MK Nissim Vaturi in late 2023 and early 2024 to “burn Gaza.”

The committee, which can hand down disciplinary punishments to lawmakers, says it “examined the remarks and believes they are of political nature and accurately reflect the Knesset’s member’s ideology.”

It adds: “The committee believes the remarks do not add respect to the Knesset as an institution, particularly in light of his being a deputy Knesset speaker, but due to the importance of safeguarding freedom of speech, there is no justification for ruling that he violated the ethics rules.”

Israel says 107 aid trucks entered Gaza today, bringing total in past week to 495

Humanitarian aid slated to Gaza sit on a truck at the Kerem Shalom crossing between southern Israel and the Gaza Strip, on May 22, 2025. (Jack GUEZ / AFP)

The Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announces that 107 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered the Gaza Strip today.

Israel resumed daily aid deliveries to Gaza on May 19, after a pause since March 2. Since then, 495 trucks of aid have entered the Strip.

COGAT says the aid delivery comes “following the recommendation of professional IDF officials and in accordance with the directive of the political echelon.”

Today’s trucks include flour and food, COGAT says.

The aid underwent an inspection by Israeli authorities before entering Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing.

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

US indicts American-German man for attempted firebombing of US embassy’s Tel Aviv branch

A 'suspicious bag' and its contents, left by a 27-year-old American-German tourist near the US embassy branch office in Tel Aviv on May 19, 2025. (Israel Police)

A dual US-German national attempted to firebomb the Tel Aviv branch office of the US embassy in Israel last week, the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York reveals.

The suspect, Joseph Neumeyer, was arrested at the scene of the incident on May 19 and was deported yesterday to the US.

Earlier today, Neumeyer was charged with attempting to destroy, by means of fire or explosive, the US embassy mission.

Neumeyer arrived in Israel in April. On the day of his arrest, he posted on his Facebook account, “Join me this afternoon in Tel Aviv we are burning down the US. embassy” and “join me as I burn down the embassy in Tel Aviv. Death to America. Death to Americans and f—k the west,” according to court documents unsealed by the district attorney’s office.

That same day, Neumeyer arrived outside the embassy branch office carrying a backpack. He approached an embassy guard and spat on him. The guard then attempted to detain Neumeyer, who fled the scene, but left his backpack containing several Molotov cocktails inside.

Law enforcement then tracked him down to his hotel and placed him under arrest.

Neumeyer’s social media accounts also contained posts calling for the assassination of US President Donald Trump.

If convicted, Neumeyer faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years in prison, the district attorney’s office says.

Indy 500 underway, with first-ever Israeli in US race leading the pack

Robert Shwartzman, of Israel, waits in the pit area before the start practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, May 19, 2025. (AP Photo/ Michael Conroy)

The Indianapolis 500, America’s most high-profile open-wheel race, is underway after a rain delay, with Israeli rookie Robert Shwartzman leading the pack of 33 drivers, as the green starting flag drops.

Shwartzman, 25, is the first Israeli ever in the premier IndyCar race’s 109-year history, and only the third rookie ever to make pole. A small Israeli flag sits on the side of his Italian-themed car’s cockpit.

The Tel Aviv-born driver, who grew up in Russia but switched to racing under an Israeli flag following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, shocked the racing world by taking pole position for Italy’s Team Prema during qualifiers last week, despite having never raced on an oval track.

The 200-lap contest is taking place in front of the first sold-out crowd at “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” since 2016. Despite sitting pole, the Israeli is far from the favorite, with oddsmakers placing several racers ahead of him.

“I don’t want to put much expectation on my side,” Shwartzman told Motorsport.com last week. “It’s my first-ever oval [race], so I don’t know exactly how to defend and overtake. I’ll have to learn it through [the week].”

Though Shwartzman and Prema are mostly unknown in the US, in Europe the team has a reputation as a top contender. After winning the Indy qualifiers, Shwartzman, who began racing in the US after failing to find a place in the Formula One circuit, mentioned preferring the adulation of American crowds to Europeans, who he said were sometimes unhappy with his origins.

“Here, I feel really good with the fans,” he said then. “In my couple years in Europe, it was a bit more tense for me, I have to admit,” he said. “Some fans supported me, but some were against me. There were very tough moments in my life where I didn’t do anything bad. I didn’t support anything. I generally support people from my country, but all people with respect, and some people were saying bad things just because of where I was born.”

Netanyahu and IDF chief Zamir repeatedly butting heads in meetings, eroding trust — report

Left to right: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a press conference at his office in Jerusalem, May 21, 2025. (Nava Freiberg/Times of Israel); IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir in Jerusalem on March 5, 2025 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Relations between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir have been increasingly tense over the past few weeks, with the two verbally clashing and the premier subsequently deciding to blindside Zamir with the nomination of Maj. Gen. David Zini as Shin Bet chief, Channel 12 reports, quoting unnamed sources close to Netanyahu.

Netanyahu only updated Zamir about the decision to nominate Zini shortly before this was publicly announced.

The reason for this, a source close to the premier tells the network, is that Netanyahu “didn’t trust [Zamir] to not torpedo the appointment, and wanted this to be a fait accompli.”

The source adds that the relationship between Netanyahu and Zamir is “complex.”

“The chief of staff has repeatedly butted heads with him and the feeling is that he goes mad every time the prime minister says ‘I ordered’ or ‘I instructed,'” it says. “The prime minister holds his professionalism in high regard and is satisfied with him, but feels like he’s being spiteful and trying to prove he’s strong and unwavering, even though nobody thinks otherwise. This causes tension in meetings.”

Ex-hostage says Hamas captors sprayed him in the face with pest spray, intentionally starved him

Released hostage Omer Wenkert speaks to the Israel Bar Association conference on May 25, 2025. (Screen capture via Walla)

Freed hostage Omer Wenkert recalls the conditions of his captivity in Hamas’s tunnels worsening with the Israeli offensive on Rafah, in southern Gaza, in May 2024.

“They intentionally starved me,” he tells the Bar Association conference, adding that he was fed half a pita a day for two or three weeks.

“Around the entry to Rafah, [there was] intentional starvation, and intentional abuse,” he says. “They did things that seriously endangered my life, for fun.”

“One of them brought insect repellent, stood me up at the end of the corridor, and sprayed me in the face, with my eyes open,” Wenkert recalls, adding that his captor ensured everything the captive would touch was also sprayed.

“He also decided to hit me with an iron rod,” he adds.

Wenkert says he was alone for six and a half months, saying his captors would “approach me once in a while.”

Illustrative: A Hamas tunnel in the central Gaza Strip, in a handout image published by the military on February 26, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

He says that around the 80th day of his captivity, he was moved from one underground corridor to another, which he describes as “a dark room with a little lamp.”

“They tried to drive me crazy — to damage my sense of time,” he says. “When they put down food for me, they told me to turn around, so they could leave. Bathing was once in 50 days, with a little bottle. Only after nine and a half months did I bathe for real.”

The tunnel he was kept in for most of his captivity was “about 90 centimeters (35 inches) wide, and about 9-10 meters (29-32 feet) long,” with a hole as a bathroom, he recalls.

“I was on a small mattress, with my back against the wall. I was there for 420 days, I think,” he says.

On June 13, 2024, his captors brought fellow hostages Evyatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal to the same corridor in which Wenkert was kept. They are both still held in Hamas captivity, 597 days since their abduction on October 7, 2023.

Hostages Evyatar David (left) and Guy Gilboa-Dalal speak in a Hamas propaganda video filmed at the site and time of the release ceremony in Gaza for three other captives, February 22, 2025. (Screenshot: Telegram)

“My mental situation settled down [with their arrival], but it became more crowded; we split food and water, the physical conditions worsened — but the abuse stopped,” Wenkert says.

Wenkert was released on February 22, 2025, after 505 days in Hamas captivity, as part of a hostage release, ceasefire, and prisoner release deal between Israel and the terror group that ultimately collapsed after its first phase.

Police suspect murder-suicide, as man and woman found dead in Jordan Valley kibbutz

Police are investigating a shooting incident in Ashdot Yaakov, in the northern Jordan Valley, after a man and woman were discovered lifeless in an apartment on the kibbutz.

According to Hebrew outlets, police suspect that the man, 67, murdered his 54-year-old wife and then shot himself dead. The couple was not previously known to social services.

Red Cross says 2 of its members killed in strike on Gaza home

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announces that two of its staff members, Ibrahim Eid and Ahmad Abu Hilal, were killed in a strike on their home in Khan Younis yesterday.

According to a statement from the ICRC’s delegation in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Eid was employed as a weapon contamination officer, while Abu Hilal was a security guard at the Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah.

“We extend our profound condolences to their families, friends, and colleagues. Their loss leaves a deep hole in our hearts,” the statement reads.

The ICRC condemns the rising civilian death toll in Gaza, describing the killings as “intolerable” and reiterating calls for a ceasefire. They also demand the “protection of civilians, including medical humanitarian relief, and civil defense personnel.”

The IDF has yet to respond to a request for comment on the incident.

Bereaved and hostage families urging Oct. 7 state inquiry demand PM meet them, or struggle will be escalated

The October Council, a group that says it represents some 1,500 October 7 survivors, former hostages, and victims’ families, sends what it describes as an “urgent” message to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding for the third “and last” time that he meet its representatives regarding its demand for the immediate formation of a state commission of inquiry into the 2023 Hamas onslaught.

In the public letter, the group says the government’s continued campaigning against such a commission “constitutes obstruction of justice and might prevent the truth from coming out in the future as well,” cautioning that this “severely harms Israel’s security.”

“Without learning the necessary lessons, the next disaster is at our doorstep,” it continues.

The group laments that the premier has been meeting other groups representing bereaved families and relatives of hostages, “but not us.”

If Netanyahu does not respond by Tuesday, the October Council says it will hold a press conference announcing the escalation of its struggle for a state inquiry, without elaborating.

Netanyahu has steadfastly refused to establish a state commission of inquiry, claiming that the public would dismiss such a commission’s findings as politicized, despite polls consistently showing majority support for one. The premier has said that the government will establish a non-partisan inquiry that will be trusted across the political spectrum, but there has been no explanation on the specifics of this, 19 months after the unprecedented failure.

On Jerusalem Day eve, US envoy Huckabee hails city’s reunification, bilateral alliance

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

On the eve of Jerusalem Day, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee releases a video statement from Jerusalem reaffirming American solidarity with Israel and highlighting the historical and spiritual significance of the holiday, as well as the enduring alliance between the two nations.

“The United States is proud to join our close ally, Israel, in celebrating the 58th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem” during the Six Day War in 1967, Huckabee says in the video posted to X.

https://twitter.com/USAmbIsrael/status/1926623250336846197

He goes on to frame the day as the fulfillment of a centuries-old hope: “After 2,000 years of exile, yearning and praying toward Jerusalem, God fulfilled the prayer, ‘Next year in Jerusalem,’ by restoring the eternal capital of the Jewish people under Israeli sovereignty.”

Referencing US President Donald Trump’s decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem during his previous term, Huckabee says the move “reaffirmed the historic connection of the Jewish people to Jerusalem that goes back over 3,500 years” and showed “moral clarity” in recognizing the city as Israel’s eternal capital.

He closes his message with a pointed reference to the ongoing war in Gaza: “On this Jerusalem Day, as thousands of Israeli soldiers are away from their families courageously fighting terrorists in Gaza, and 58 hostages are still being held captive in the dungeons of Gaza, I want the people of Israel to know that America stands with you. Your fight is our fight. Your enemies are our enemies. Israel’s victory is our victory — and together we will prevail and we will pray for the peace of Jerusalem.”

In message to PM, Herzog warns against disobeying High Court: ‘Rule of law isn’t a recommendation’

President Isaac Herzog speaks at an event at the President's Residence in Jerusalem, May 25, 2025. (Haim Zach/GPO)

President Isaac Herzog warns Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the government not to even consider defying High Court rulings, in an implicit reference to the recent ruling finding that Netanyahu has a conflict of interest in firing Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar.

“I warn and caution that no one should think of disobeying either the rulings of the courts, nor the instructions of the law,” says Herzog, during a Bible study class at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, ahead of tomorrow’s Jerusalem Day.

“In the Jewish and democratic State of Israel, the rule of law is not a recommendation but an existential principle. Anyone who even discusses the possibility of violating the law and the rulings of the court harms not only the cohesion of our people and Israeli democracy, but also Israeli statehood and sovereignty.”

The High Court ruled on Wednesday that Netanyahu had a conflict of interest in firing Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, and the attorney general told the prime minister immediately afterwards that the ruling meant he could not appoint a new Shin Bet head until she had drawn up legal instructions.

Netanyahu nevertheless went ahead on Thursday and announced that he had chosen IDF Maj. Gen. David Zini to take up the position, which Bar will vacate on June 15.

Several cabinet ministers, including Justice Minister Yariv Levin, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, either encouraged Netanyahu to ignore the High Court ruling or praised him for his selection of Zini.

Funeral of Israeli Embassy staffer killed in DC attack starts near Jerusalem

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)

The funeral of Yaron Lischinsky has started in Beit Zayit, west of Jerusalem, pastor Chad Holland says during the weekly meeting of the Messianic congregation King of Kings in Jerusalem.

As a teenager, Lischinsky used to be a member of the Hebrew-speaking King of Kings congregation, to which his parents still belong.

Lischinsky was killed alongside his partner, Sarah Lynn Milgrim, in a shooting at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, on Wednesday night.

Both were employees at the Israeli Embassy in Washington.

At the family’s request, the funeral is closed to the press, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Malta to recognize Palestinian state next month, country’s leader says

Prime Minister of Malta Robert Abela speaks to journalists at the Mediterranean College of Sport in Birkirkara, Malta, May 4, 2025. (Rene Rossignaud/AP)

Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela has announced that his country will recognize a Palestinian state, according to local media.

Speaking at a political event in Mosta today, Abela indicated that the move will take place during next month’s French-Saudi conference promoting a two-state solution at the United Nations headquarters in New York, according to the English daily Times of Malta.

Malta hosts a Palestinian ambassador and voted in April of last year for full Palestinian UN membership at the Security Council, but has yet to formally recognize a Palestinian state.

US homeland security chief Noem set to visit Israel for memorial for slain embassy staffers

US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a news conference at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters, April 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem is expected to arrive in Israel by tomorrow morning, following last week’s shooting attack on two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington, DC.

Noem will participate in a memorial ceremony tomorrow alongside Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar in honor of the murdered embassy employees, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, after which a tree will be planted in the young couple’s memory, according to a statement from Israel’s Foreign Ministry.

Sa’ar and Noem will also meet privately, before delivering joint statements together with US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, adds the ministry.

IDF chief visits Gaza, says battle against Hamas is ‘not an endless war’

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir in southern Gaza's Khan Younis, May 25, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

During a visit to the Gaza Strip this morning, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said the fighting against Hamas is “not an endless war,” according to the IDF.

“We are intensifying our activity in accordance with the orderly plan. Hamas is under tremendous pressure; it has lost most of its assets and its command and control,” Zamir says during a tour of Khan Younis with Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor.

“We will activate all of our tools so that we can return the hostages home, defeat Hamas, and dismantle its rule,” he says.

“This is not an endless war,” Zamir says, “we will act to shorten it per the fulfillment of its objectives.”

“We seek to achieve a decisive victory, and we will do so with determination, thoroughness, and while ensuring the safety of our forces,” he adds.

Zamir’s remark comes after Channel 12 news reported Friday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s nominee for Shin Bet head, Maj. Gen. David Zini, told colleagues in the military: “I’m against hostage deals. This is an eternal war.”

Israel issues security warning for Jews and Israelis in Canada

The National Security Council (NSC) has issued a Level 2 travel warning for Canada, urging Israelis living in or visiting the country to take increased precautions. The NSC advises people to avoid wearing visible displays of Israeli or Jewish identity, such as symbols or flags, and to remain highly alert in public spaces.

The warning comes as anti-Israel protests are scheduled for today in cities like Toronto and Waterloo, with authorities noting a sharp escalation in rhetoric and threats surrounding these protests, the NSC says.

The advisory follows a rise in threats and attacks targeting Israeli and Jewish communities over the past 18 months, including shootings, Molotov cocktail attacks, and direct threats against Jewish institutions and individuals, the NSC notes.

Those attending public events are advised to follow instructions from local police and security services and avoid confrontations with demonstrators.

Footage shows dozens attempting to loot humanitarian aid truck in Gaza

Media outlets in Gaza have published footage showing dozens of people attempting to loot a truck carrying humanitarian aid in downtown Gaza City.

The video shows crowds trying to unload aid from the vehicle before gunfire is heard, prompting the crowd to disperse. Whether the truck ultimately reached its intended destination or was looted remains unclear.

A similar incident was reported yesterday in Khan Younis, where, according to reports, dozens of people surrounded another aid truck and took its contents.

Yesterday, a UAE-affiliated aid organization announced that of the 24 trucks it had sent into Gaza in recent days carrying humanitarian supplies — primarily flour and baking materials — 23 were stolen and never reached their intended destinations, such as bakeries or storage warehouses in the Strip.

היום בעיר עזה: עשרות מנסים להגיע למשאיות עם סיוע הומניטרי, נשמעות יריות והם מתפזרים. לא בטוח שהאירוע הסתיים כך והמשאית הגיעה ליעדה בסוף (מחסנים של אירגונים), היו כל מיני דיווחים בנושא pic.twitter.com/rfMp7Ud4lu

— Nurit Yohanan (@nurityohanan) May 25, 2025

https://twitter.com/Hakeam_ps/status/1926352662724747359

IDF says it killed Hamas navy commando who infiltrated Israel on Oct. 7

A May 25, 2025, IDF graphic announcing the killing in Gaza of Hamas navy commando Ahmad Osama Hassan Al-Lahouni, who took part in the October 7, 2023, onslaught. (IDF)

A Hamas terrorist who infiltrated Israel during the October 7, 2023, onslaught was killed in a recent strike in the Gaza Strip, the military says.

The IDF says Ahmad Osama Hassan Al-Lahouni, who served in Hamas’s naval commando unit, was killed in a strike carried out jointly by the Southern Command, Israeli Air Force, Intelligence Directorate, Navy and Shin Bet.

Lahouni had infiltrated the Kerem Shalom area on October 7, according to the IDF.

State says it will appeal conviction, sentencing of educators over 2018 flash flood disaster

Rescue forces near the scene where young Israelis were swept away in the flooding of the Tzafit riverbed near the Dead Sea in southern Israel, on April 26, 2018. (Maor Kinsbursky/Flash90)

The State Attorney’s Office announces that it intends to file an appeal against both the conviction and the sentencing of two educators found guilty of the negligent manslaughter of 10 pre-military academy students in the Tzafit riverbed disaster in 2018.

The pair was accused of disregarding multiple inclement weather warnings ahead of a trip to the desert riverbed, insisting on going ahead with the plan and scorning safety concerns. Flash floods later caused the 10 deaths and injured many others.

Yuval Kahan, the former principal of the Bnei Zion premilitary academy, and Aviv Bardichev, a former teacher at the institution, were found guilty by the Beersheba District Court of negligent manslaughter in November, but were acquitted on the more serious offense of negligent homicide.

The court sentenced the two to seven years in prison in April, but the State Attorney’s Office had sought a 12-year prison sentence.

The families of the victims and the attorneys of Kahan and Bardichev have been informed of the decision to appeal, the State Attorney’s Southern District says in a statement.

Envoy to US to be summoned for hearing over comments bashing PM’s political opponents

Israeli Ambassador the US Yechiel Leiter appears on the PragerU "Real Talk" broadcast in an interview released on May 22, 2025. (YouTube screenshot)

The Foreign Ministry announces that Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter will be summoned for a hearing following media backlash over the envoy’s politically charged interview with right-wing non-profit PragerU, during which he criticized Israeli political opponents of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and dismissed the corruption charges against the premier as “trumped up.”

Director General of the Foreign Ministry, Eden Bar Tal, will summon Leiter “for a hearing regarding remarks he made during a media interview,” in accordance with “the directive of the Senior Director of the Disciplinary Division at the Civil Service Commission,” says the ministry in a statement.

In the interview published over the weekend, Leiter claimed that “the extreme left and the media” are doing everything in their power to topple Netanyahu, and that political opponents of the premier, who have accused him of dragging on the war in Gaza for political benefit, are guilty of a “blood libel.”

Ministers back bill to form special tribunal for trying Oct. 7 terrorists, but difficulties remain

Hamas terrorists attack an army base next to the Erez Crossing, on October 7, 2023, in footage released by the terror group. (Screenshot: Telegram)

Government ministers decide to give their backing to a bill that would establish a special tribunal for putting on trial terrorists who participated in the October 7, 2023, atrocities and for charging them with acts of genocide against the Jewish people.

The bill is co-sponsored by coalition MK Simcha Rothman, head of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, and by MK Yuli Malinowsky of the opposition Yisrael Beytenu party. It is approved by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation, meaning the legislation will be backed by the coalition when it comes to the Knesset for its preliminary reading.

Israel captured hundreds of the Hamas-led terrorists who participated in the October 7 massacres, but has yet to issue indictments against them due to the complications of trying such large numbers of people and the difficulties involved in trying them under regular criminal procedures.

The new legislation would therefore establish a special tribunal, composed of 15 judges in total, which would hear cases in panels of three or five judges, depending on the type of indictment filed.

Crucially, the bill enables the tribunal to “deviate” from the accepted legal processes and evidentiary standards in Israel’s regular courts, to effectively try the large numbers of terrorists suspected of involvement in the atrocities.

Israel’s Law for Preventing and Punishing Genocide from 1950 provides for the death penalty for anyone found guilty of violating its provisions.

Hebrew media has reported that the Attorney General’s Office opposes the legislation, saying it contravenes foundational principles of criminal law in Israel, and could harm the international legitimacy of legal processes that state prosecutors have already taken and will take against the October 7 perpetrators.

Netanyahu denies previously calling his nominee for Shin Bet chief ‘too messianic’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) and IDF Maj. Gen. David Zini at the Tzeelim training base in southern Israel, May 8, 2025. (GPO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defends his nomination of Maj. Gen. David Zini as the new Shin Bet chief, following reports that he had disapproved of Zini in the past, amid legal conflict with Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara over the promotion process, in a Hebrew-language video shared on his X account.

Netanyahu denies allegations that last year, he refused to appoint Zini as his military secretary due to him being “too messianic,” adding that the senior IDF official had been at “the top of my list” for that position, that he had followed Zini’s career for 18 years, and felt after interviewing him for the role that “this man deserves to rise higher and higher — and now the opportunity has come.”

The premier again cites Zini’s March 2023 report on the IDF Gaza Division’s readiness for a surprise raid as evidence of his suitability for the role. He responds to critics questioning why he didn’t act on the report, saying: “Because it was a classified report. It went from the division commander to the Southern Command. It didn’t reach me — and it’s a shame it didn’t influence others.”

The premier hails current Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, who announced he would resign in June after Netanyahu initiated his removal from the position, for his “excellent” decision to call Zini and give an initial briefing, saying: “That’s essentially the start of a handover, and it’s important. Very good.”

Netanyahu criticizes the legal delays in the appointment process, arguing that “the law is crystal clear: the prime minister brings his candidate [for Shin Bet] to the government.”

“This needs to be quick — get it done and stop looking for excuses about supposed conflicts of interest,” he says, repeating his assertion that “the attorney general herself is caught in numerous conflicts of interest.”

He says the next step should be to bring Zini’s nomination to the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee, headed by retired Supreme Court Justice Asher Grunis.

“I have no doubt he’ll pass it immediately, and we can finally bring in a new Shin Bet chief. That’s what the country needs. That’s what our security needs,” says Netanyahu.

Hadera police chief indicted for assaulting anti-government protester last year

Hadera police station commander, Chief Superintendent Amit Pollak (L) seen after a court hearing at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, April 1, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Prosecutors filed an indictment against Hadera police chief Amit Pollak and his wife earlier today, after he was filmed a year ago attacking a civilian ahead of an anti-government protest in Caesarea. He allegedly tried to conceal evidence in the case along with his wife following the incident.

According to the indictment filed by the Department of Internal Police Investigations (DIPI) in the Haifa Magistrate’s Court, Pollak assaulted an anti-government demonstrator ahead of a planned protest outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence in April 2024.

Before the demonstration, a group of elderly Yom Kippur War veterans took a mock cardboard tank to Caesarea on the back of a truck.

They stopped for coffee at the home of the complainant, Shemi Attar, a member of the group who also planned to protest that day. The truck with the tank was parked in the driveway.

Pollak, along with several other officers, arrived at the complainant’s house, ordered the truck removed from the driveway, and proceeded to assault Attar by pushing and choking him. Pollak then ordered officers to arrest Attar. Pollak went on to assault another individual present at the scene, the indictment reads.

The station chief is charged with assault, as well as obstruction of justice, after allegedly attempting to conceal his phone from investigators. When Pollak was summoned for questioning by DIPI officials after the incident in Caesarea, he arrived without the device and falsely claimed it was broken, prosecutors say.

In March this year, after a Supreme Court decision ordering Pollak to hand over his phone to DIPI investigators, his wife took it, drove to the beach, and threw the phone into the sea. His wife, Shlomit Pollak, is also charged with obstructing justice.

Katz asserts IDF’s top lawyer won’t attend conference after military says it approved her participation

Defense Minister Israel Katz at the Knesset in Jerusalem, April 24, 2025. (Arie Leib Abrams/Flash90)

Defense Minister Israel Katz announces that he will not permit IDF Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi to participate in the upcoming Israel Bar Association conference, citing the need for her to focus on her operational duties during the war in Gaza.

“After considering all aspects, I have decided not to approve the participation of the Military Advocate General, Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, in the Bar Association conference — based on the reasons I have detailed,” Katz said in a statement.

In an earlier statement, Katz said it would be better if the IDF’s top legal officer “dedicates her time to fulfilling her role in the IDF, including completing investigations into issues for which the public expects answers, and assisting IDF commanders and soldiers in refuting domestic and foreign fabrications regarding the conduct of IDF soldiers in the war in Gaza.”

Katz’s decision came despite prior approval from IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, who authorized Tomer-Yerushalmi’s appearance, emphasizing the importance of publicly explaining the IDF’s efforts to operate within international law amid the conflict.

Katz claims that he informed Zamir of his decision before announcing it publicly, and asserts that the authority on the matter lies solely with him as defense minister.

Swiss authorities mulling probe into new Gaza aid group after NGO’s request

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)

GENEVA, Switzerland — Swiss authorities say they were exploring whether to open a legal investigation into the activities of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organisation that plans to oversee aid distribution in the Palestinian enclave.

The move comes after a Swiss NGO submitted a request for a probe into GHF’s aid plan, which the United Nations has opposed, saying it is not impartial or neutral and forces further displacement and exposes thousands of people to harm.

The GHF, which has said it hopes to start work in Gaza by the end of May, tells Reuters it “strictly adheres” to humanitarian principles, and that it would not support any form of forced relocation of civilians.

TRIAL International, a Switzerland-based NGO, on Friday said it had filed two legal submissions asking Swiss authorities to investigate whether the Swiss-registered GHF complies with Swiss law and international humanitarian law.

The submissions were made to the Swiss Federal Supervisory Authority for Foundations and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) on May 20 and 21.

The FDFA confirms to Reuters that both authorities had received the submissions.

TRIAL International says it asked the Swiss FDFA to explain if the GHF had submitted a declaration, in accordance with Swiss law, to use private security companies to distribute aid, and if it had been approved by Swiss authorities.

The FDFA tells Reuters it is investigating whether such a declaration would be required for the foundation.

It says that the Federal Supervisory Board for Foundations cannot review whether foundations comply with their statutes until they start their activities.

The GHF tells Reuters that though using private security firms represents a change from prior aid delivery frameworks, it would ensure aid is not diverted to Hamas or criminal organizations.

Hours after Katz forbade IDF’s top lawyer’s attendance at conference, military says it gave approval days ago

Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi attends a meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, August 11, 2024. (Noam Moskowitz, Office of the Knesset Spokesperson)

The IDF confirms that Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir approved Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi’s participation in the Israel Bar Association conference several days ago, citing the importance of publicly explaining the IDF’s efforts to uphold international law during the ongoing war.

According to the military, Tomer-Yerushalmi was set to discuss how legal frameworks enable the IDF to fight Hamas while remaining within the bounds of international law.

The IDF adds that the Military Advocate General’s office has supported commanders throughout the war to help lawfully achieve operational objectives.

The statement comes hours after Defense Minister Israel Katz said he is forbidding her from participating in the conference.

Spanish FM proposes international sanctions on Israel to stop war in Gaza

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares listens as he meets with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the Treaty Room of the State Department in Washington, DC, on May 22, 2025. (Drew ANGERER / AFP)

MADRID, Spain — The international community should look to sanction Israel to stop the war in Gaza, Spain’s foreign minister says, ahead of a Madrid meeting of European and Arab nations today to urge a halt to its offensive.

Madrid will host 20 countries as well as international organizations on Sunday with the aim of “stopping this war, which no longer has any goal,” Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares tells France Info radio.

Humanitarian aid must enter Gaza “massively, unimpeded, neutrally, so that it is not Israel who decides who can eat and who cannot,” he says.

A previous such gathering in Madrid last year brought together countries including Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, as well as European nations such as Ireland and Norway that have recognized a Palestinian state.

Sunday’s meeting, which also includes representatives from the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, will promote a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

After the European Union decided this week to review its cooperation deal with Israel, Albares says, “We must consider sanctions, we must do everything, consider everything to stop this war.”

Turkish media says Ankara to establish military bases in Syria to fight Islamic State

Turkey will establish military bases in Syria and assist the new government in establishing security forces, Turkish media reports.

Turkey will establish air, naval and ground force bases in Syria in order to fight against the Islamic State group, Syrian security sources tell the Turkiye Gazetesi and ODATV channel.

The reports come days after Israel and Turkey were said to have reached an agreement in principle aimed at preventing any unwanted incidents between both countries’ militaries operating in Syria.

Hamas-run authorities say at least 20 killed in strikes across Gaza

IDF troops of the 401st Armored Brigade operate in the northern Gaza Strip in a handout photo published on May 25, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

CAIRO, Egypt — Israeli military strikes killed at least 20 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, including a local journalist and a senior rescue service official, local Hamas-controlled health authorities say.

The latest deaths in the Israeli campaign resulted from separate Israeli strikes in Khan Younis in the south, Jabalia in the north, and Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip, medics said.

The toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters.

Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas, including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques.

In Jabalia, they say local journalist Hassan Majdi Abu Warda and several family members were killed by an airstrike that hit his house earlier in the day.

Another airstrike in Nuseirat killed Ashraf Abu Nar, a senior official in the territory’s civil emergency service, and his wife in their house, medics add.

There is no immediate comment by the Israeli military.

The Hamas-run Gaza government media office says that Abu Warda’s death raised the number of Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023, to 220.

The armed wing of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad say in separate statements that fighters carried out several ambushes and attacks using bombs and anti-tank rockets against Israeli forces operating in several areas across Gaza.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Israel’s Sylvan Adams named one of world’s top 100 philanthropists

Philanthropist Sylvan Adams announcing a $100 million donation to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, at an event in Toronto, Canada, on December 3, 2023. (Liora Kogan/Courtesy)

Canadian-Israeli philanthropist Sylvan Adams has been named to Time magazine’s inaugural TIME100 Philanthropy List of the world’s most influential donors.

The real estate entrepreneur, who was recently named president of the World Jewish Congress Israel Region, gave $100 million to Ben-Gurion University following the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre in one of the largest gifts to an academic institution in Israeli history.

He has given at least that much each year since he moved to Israel in 2016, supporting education, sports facilities, initiatives for the elderly, afterschool programs, and health care. Notable investments include funding a children’s hospital in Holon in 2020 and the Sylvan Adams Emergency Hospital in Tel Aviv in 2022.

Adams tells Time magazine his giving is based on a Jewish tradition called tikkun olam, which in Hebrew means repairing the world.

The June 9 TIME100 Philanthropy issue names former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg the biggest donor of 2024 after he gave away $3.7 billion during the year.

Shin Bet chief Bar congratulated PM’s pick for his successor, explained handover process — report

Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar attends a ceremony held at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem, April 23, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Outgoing Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar congratulated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s nominee for the position, Maj. Gen. David Zini, in a phone call, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

Bar informed Zini of the expected handover process, which he will carry out if his nomination is approved by the cabinet and Senior Appointments Advisory Committee, the report says.

Bar announced last month he was stepping down, and is expected to end his term as head of the security agency on June 15.

Smotrich says government improving Israel’s security, diplomatic situation since Oct. 7

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich speaks at the Knesset on May 19, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says the government is significantly improving the country’s security and standing in the Middle East after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre.

“We are responsible for the huge disaster of October 7,” the Ynet news site quotes him telling a real estate conference organized by Mishpacha, a Haredi weekly magazine.

“We are greatly improving the security, diplomatic, and geopolitical situation of the State of Israel after decades of conceptual errors of the security forces,” he adds.

IDF soldier suspended from combat after beating comrade in Gaza

The soldier involved in last night’s altercation with another troop in the northern Gaza Strip has been suspended from combat service, the military says.

He will remain suspended until the end of an investigation into the incident, during which another soldier was seriously wounded. Afterward, a decision will be made regarding his matter.

According to a preliminary probe, the soldier beat his comrade with a kettle, and hit him over the head with it, at an encampment in north Gaza. The circumstances are under investigation.

The Military Police has also launched a criminal investigation into the incident.

Debris from intercepted Houthi missile lands in South Hebron Hills

Debris from an intercepted Houthi ballistic missile that landed in the South Hebron Hills area of the West Bank, May 25, 2025 (Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

An image shows debris from the intercepted Houthi ballistic missile fire earlier that landed in the South Hebron Hills area of the West Bank.

Baha’i in Qatar have faced decades of state ‘discrimination and intimidation,’ Human Rights Watch says

With the city skyline in the background, a man sits at Doha corniche in Doha, Qatar, November 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Human Rights Watch accuses Qatar of discriminating against the Baha’i religious minority, citing arbitrary detentions and warning of a threat to the community’s survival in the Gulf state.

“The Baha’i community of Qatar has endured decades of government discrimination and intimidation, and authorities have consistently ignored community leaders’ repeated efforts to engage the government in dialogue and seek redress,” says Michael Page, HRW’s deputy Middle East director.

“This state-sponsored discrimination poses a threat to the very existence of the Baha’i community of Qatar,” he says in a statement.

The Baha’i faith, whose global headquarters is in Israel, claims more than seven million followers worldwide.

It is based on the teachings of Bahaullah, who was born in Iran in 1817 and is considered the prophet and founder of their monotheistic faith.

Between 2003 and 2025, Qatar “deported as many as 14 members of the group for no apparent reason other than individuals belonging to the Baha’i faith,” HRW says.

Illustrative: The Baha’i Gardens, in Haifa, March 30, 2020. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)

It cites the case of an Iranian Baha’i born in Qatar who was forced to leave in March 2025 under threat of expulsion for “disrupting public order,” without a written explanation.

The New York-based rights group also mentions Remy Rowhani, arrested and detained on April 28 over posts from an X account linked to the Baha’i community, under Qatar’s cybercrime law.

Rowhani, chair of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Qatar, had already been released in January 2025 after serving a one-month prison sentence, HRW adds.

The group says Baha’is had also faced job rejections and the denial of official documents.

Bar association head: Defense minister should focus on security, releasing hostages, instead of public relations

Amit Becher, the head of the Israel Bar Association, attends a Constitution, Law and Justice Committee meeting at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on December 10, 2024. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90)

The head of the Israel Bar Association accuses Defense Minister Israel Katz of participating in the “systematic boycott” of the justice system and “dismantling” of state institutions after he bans the military advocate general from attending the association’s annual conference.

“I suggest that the defense minister deal with security, the release of hostages, equality in the burden [of military service], and reservists, and not public relations announcements for his needs at primaries,” Amit Becher writes on X, accusing Katz of announcing the measure as a way of promoting himself ahead of possible primary elections in his Likud party.

IDF says it shot down ballistic missile fired from Yemen

Illustrative: An Arrow 3 interceptor is launched over central Israel during a ballistic missile attack from Yemen on May 22, 2025. (Courtesy/Etai Davidovich)

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 five minutes, an early warning was issued to residents, alerting civilians of the long-range missile attack via a push notification on their phones.

Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen have launched 39 ballistic missiles and at least 10 drones at Israel. Several of the missiles have fallen short.

Sirens sound in Jerusalem, West Bank, and Dead Sea area, after missile fired from Yemen

Sirens are sounding in the Jerusalem area, southern West Bank settlements, and communities near the Dead Sea following the launch of a ballistic missile from Yemen.

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

Ballistic missile fired from Yemen at Israel; IDF working to shoot it down

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

Sirens are expected to sound in the Jerusalem area, southern West Bank settlements, and communities near the Dead Sea in the coming minutes.

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

IDF says soldier seriously hurt in fight with comrade in north Gaza

An IDF soldier was seriously wounded in an altercation with another soldier in the northern Gaza Strip last night, the military announces.

The Military Police has launched an investigation into the incident, the findings of which will be sent to the Military Advocate General for examination.

The soldier served with the Nahal Brigade’s 931st Battalion. He was taken to a hospital and his family was notified.

US says new Syrian government will help locate missing Americans

DAMASCUS, Syria — Syria’s new authorities have agreed to help the United States locate and return Americans who went missing in the war-torn country, a US envoy says.

“The new Syrian government has agreed to assist the USA in locating and returning USA citizens or their remains. The families of Austin Tice, Majd Kamalmaz, and Kayla Mueller must have closure,” US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack writes on X.

A powerful step forward. The new Syrian government has agreed to assist the USA in locating and returning USA citizens or their remains. The families of Austin Tice, Majd Kamalmaz, and Kayla Mueller must have closure.

— Ambassador Tom Barrack (@USAMBTurkiye) May 25, 2025

Katz forbids IDF’s top lawyer from attending bar association conference

Chief Military Advocate Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi at a farewell ceremony for retiring acting Supreme Court President Uzi Vogelman, at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem on October 1, 2024. (Photo by Oren Ben Hakoon/POOL)

Defense Minister Israel Katz says he is forbidding the IDF’s top lawyer from participating in an upcoming annual conference hosted by the Israel Bar Association.

Katz says it would be better if the Military Advocate General, Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, “dedicates her time to fulfilling her role in the IDF, including completing investigations into issues for which the public expects answers, and providing assistance to IDF commanders and soldiers in refuting domestic and foreign fabrications regarding the conduct of IDF soldiers in the war in Gaza.”

“There is no place for IDF officers to appear these days on stages with polemical and political content. In this challenging and complex period of political debates and disputes, it is appropriate for the IDF to distance itself as much as possible from public controversies,” he adds.

At least nine killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, Palestinian media reports

IDF troops of the 401st Armored Brigade operate in the northern Gaza Strip in a handout photo published on May 25, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Palestinian media reports at least nine dead in Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip since this morning.

The figures cannot be independently verified and do not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

Israeli strikes are reported in Khan Younis, Jabalia, and other areas of the Strip.

The IDF has not yet commented.

Trump defends barring foreign students from Harvard after judge blocks measure

Anti-Israel demonstrators gather on Cambridge Common to protest Harvard's stance on the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and show support for the Palestinian people, outside Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, April 25, 2025. (Joseph Prezioso/AFP)

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump defends his administration’s move to block foreign students at Harvard after a judge suspended the action, branded by the top university as unlawful.

“Why isn’t Harvard saying that almost 31% of their students are from FOREIGN LANDS, and yet those countries, some not at all friendly to the United States, pay NOTHING toward their student’s education, nor do they ever intend to,” Trump posts on his Truth Social platform.

“We want to know who those foreign students are, a reasonable request since we give Harvard BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, but Harvard isn’t exactly forthcoming.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday revoked Harvard’s ability to enroll foreign nationals, throwing the future of thousands of students and the lucrative income stream they provide into doubt.

She had threatened last month to block international students at the school unless it turned over records on visa holders’ “illegal and violent activities.”

But a judge quickly suspended the move after the university sued to “stop the government’s arbitrary, capricious, unlawful, and unconstitutional action.”

The White House is cracking down on US universities on several fronts, justified as a reaction to what the administration says is uncontrolled antisemitism and a need to reverse diversity programs aimed at addressing historical oppression of minorities.

It has also moved to revoke visas and deport foreign students involved in protests against the war in Gaza, accusing them of supporting the Hamas terror group.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Firefighters bring Rosh Ha’ayin blaze under control after daylong battle

A brush fire in Rosh Ha’ayin has been brought under control after burning for around a day, Fire and Rescue services say.

Firefighters are investigating the cause of the blaze, the service says.

Activists say Peru opened Gaza war crimes investigation against Israeli citizen

Soldiers duck for cover after Combat Engineering Corps troops detonate a Hamas tunnel in the northern Gaza Strip, November 7, 2023. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)

Peru has opened a war crimes investigation into an Israeli citizen who served in the war against Hamas in Gaza, the Belgium-based Hind Rajab Foundation says in a statement.

The foundation says the combat engineering soldier “is alleged to have played a direct role in the methodical and systematic destruction of civilian neighbourhoods in the Gaza Strip during the 2023–2024 military offensive.”

​“Justice is not optional. Justice is imperative,” said foundation chairman Dyab Abou Jahjah. “This investigation marks a decisive step in the dismantling of Israeli impunity,” he added.

Launched in September 2024, the Hind Rajab Foundation has used social media posts by Israeli soldiers, officers and reservists in an attempt to have them arrested for alleged war crimes when they travel abroad.

War erupted in the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, when Hamas led over 5,000 attackers to invade southern Israel, killing 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and taking 251 as hostages to Gaza.

Israel responded with a military campaign to destroy the terror group, remove it from power in Gaza and save the hostages.

Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas, including homes, hospitals, schools and mosques.

Firefighting plans deployed to fight blaze in Rosh Ha’ayin

Firefighting planes are deployed to a brush fire in an open area in Rosh Ha’ayin, Fire and Rescue Services say.

Firefighters are attempting to bring the blaze under control.

There is currently no danger to nearby buildings, the service says.

4 killed in overnight Russian drone strikes in Ukraine

KYIV, Ukraine — Russian strikes killed four people overnight in Ukraine’s western Khmelnytskyi region, the deputy head of the regional military administration says.

“Last night, the Khmelnytskyi region came under hostile Russian fire, which resulted in the destruction of civilian infrastructure… Unfortunately, four people were killed,” Sergiy Tyurin says in a Telegram post, adding that five people had also been wounded.

Report: Hamas sources say group may be facing most difficult crisis since founding

Illustrative: Hamas terrorists carry their guns in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip, ahead of the release of Israeli hostages on February 22, 2025. (Bashar Taleb/AFP)

Hamas is facing perhaps the most difficult crisis since its founding, amid a cash crunch and the ongoing Israeli military offensive against it, London-based Arabic daily Asharq Al-Awsat reports, citing sources inside and outside the terror organization.

The crisis in funds and military strength comes amid a drop in popular support, the paper says.

The terror group is finding it hard to pay salaries to its operatives and to government employees in Gaza, it says, with the former not having received pay in three months and the latter getting around NIS 900 ($250) a month.

The paper also says services tied to the Hamas government have been decimated and are largely unable to function.

Hamas sources cited by the outlet claim that though conditions are disastrous, the group will be able to slowly recover once the war ends.

Settlers said to raid Palestinian village for 2nd time in 3 days, wounding locals

Israeli settlers have raided the Palestinian village of Bruqin in the northern West Bank, torching several vehicles and homes, resulting in injuries to a number of residents, according to the Al Arabiya news outlet.

Bruqin has been targeted several times by settlers since one of its residents carried out a shooting attack that killed Israeli Tzeela Gez as she headed to the hospital to give birth earlier this month.

Residents tell Al Arabiya that the IDF arrived at the scene as settlers were carrying out their latest attack but did not intervene or carry out any arrests.

The IDF has not immediately commented on the overnight attack.

Eight Palestinians were reportedly wounded in a similar raid of Bruqin on Thursday. Then too, no arrests were made by Israeli authorities.

A photo shows Israeli settlers and Israeli army soldiers together after carrying out a pogrom in the village of Burqin in the West Bank—setting several homes on fire, injuring children and the elderly, and terrorizing the entire village. pic.twitter.com/HjytFi7cxO

— Ihab Hassan (@IhabHassane) May 25, 2025

????BREAKING: A Palestinian elderly woman from the village of Burqin was injured and is receiving first aid after Israeli settlers tried to burn her and her family alive.

She was rescued just moments before the flames engulfed their home. pic.twitter.com/bitwz8oFAz

— Ihab Hassan (@IhabHassane) May 25, 2025

هجوم للمستوطنين على قرية برقين غرب سلفيت احراق منازل ووقوع اصابات بين الاهالي pic.twitter.com/8FHhJ6dbJv

— galeb sami (@galebsami) May 24, 2025

All IDF standing infantry and armored brigades in Gaza as it prepares to ramp up combat

IDF troops operate in the Gaza Strip, in an image released on May 24, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

As a new week dawns, the IDF has said that all of its standing army infantry and armored brigades are now deployed to the Gaza Strip, as Israel prepares to further intensify its offensive against Hamas.

In addition to the Golani, Paratroopers, Givati, Commando, Kfir, Nahal, 7th, 188th, and 401st brigades, a small number of reserve units are also in the Strip.

The IDF had previously announced that five divisions were operating in Gaza, amounting to tens of thousands of troops.

Israeli officials have warned that as long as Hamas refuses to agree to a hostage deal, the IDF will ramp up its offensive against the terror group.

Mia Schem wears hostages pin on Cannes red carpet as she comes to raise awareness

Freed hostage Mia Schem walked the red carpet at the closing ceremony of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on Saturday night, where she wore a yellow hostages pin.

Schem was invited to the event by the Jewish community of Cannes to raise awareness of the plight of the hostages still held in Gaza. While there, she also spoke before the Nice city council.

At the ceremony, Schem says she was prevented by security from wearing a ribbon with the message “Bring Them Home Now.”

“I came to support the struggle to bring back the hostages. Unfortunately, at the entrance to the red carpet, the festival organizers confiscated the ribbon I was supposed to wear. I refused to concede. I took a yellow hostage pin from one of the delegation members and wore it on my dress,” she says.

https://twitter.com/tous7octobre/status/1926331122499101176

Malaysia slams world’s ‘double standards’ on Gaza

Malaysia’s foreign minister condemns “atrocities” in Gaza, saying they reflect “indifference and double standards” on the plight of the Palestinian people.

“They are a direct result of the erosion of the sanctity of international law,” Mohamad Hasan tells his counterparts from the regional ASEAN bloc.

After controversy, Yair Golan says ‘of course Israel doesn’t’ kill Gaza babies as a hobby

Leader of The Democrats party Yair Golan heads a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, May 19, 2025. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90)

Democrats party chairman Yair Golan has further walked back comments in which he appeared to accuse Israel of killing babies in Gaza “as a hobby,” saying he did not, in fact, believe Israel had done so, but rather was expressing his fear that extremist politicians in the government sought to.

During a Channel 12 interview, Golan was asked whether he believed Israel has killed any babies in Gaza for sport, and replied, “Of course not.”

“I wasn’t speaking about the military at all. I didn’t say that,” Golan said.

He held up a paper with quotes by far-right ministers and politicians who had called at various points to “destroy” and “erase” Gaza.

“I said something simple: that it’s unacceptable that we’re resuming fighting in Gaza, and that the political goals set for the IDF, which unfortunately are not goals connected to Israel’s national security at all… are shaped by people with such a worldview.”

In the Tuesday interview that caused a political firestorm, the retired general told Kan that “Israel is on the way to becoming a pariah state, like South Africa was, if we don’t return to acting like a sane country. A sane country does not fight against civilians, does not kill babies as a hobby, and does not give itself the aim of expelling populations.”

During his Channel 12 interview, Golan was asked about comments he himself made in October 2023, days after the October 7 attack, when he suggested that all aid to Gaza must be cut off. “We need to tell them, listen, until these [hostages] are released, as far as we care you can starve to death — it’s completely legitimate,” Golan said then.

Confronted with that quote, Golan asserted on Saturday he had not called to starve Gazans but rather to pressure Hamas.

“What may have been the right move on October 13th… as an opening act for war, is not the right move after 20 months of fighting,” he said.