Nov. 6: Kazakhstan says it’s ‘natural and logical’ for it to join Abraham Accords

AG accuses Levin of misuse of authority over pick to lead Sde Teiman leak probe; justice minister rejects claim

Judge Asher Kula at the Nazareth District Court, June 7, 2022. (David Cohen/Flash90)

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara informs Justice Minister Yariv Levin that his decision to appoint State Ombudsman for Judges Asher Kula as the official responsible for the criminal investigation into the leak of the Sde Teiman abuse video constitutes a misuse of authority, Hebrew media reports.

In a letter sent by her deputy, Gil Limon, says the choice “undermines the purity of the criminal process, and contributes to unnecessary delay in completing the investigation as soon as possible.”

Levin dismisses the letter in a reply, saying he “outright rejects everything it said.”

Syria thanks US after vote to remove UN sanctions on Sharaa

DAMASCUS, Syria — Syria thanks Washington following a vote by the UN Security Council backing a US resolution to lift sanctions on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, ahead of his White House visit next week.

“Syria expresses its appreciation to the United States and to friendly nations for their support of Syria and its people,” Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani says on X.

In a statement, his ministry also thanks the members of the Security Council and said the vote reflected “the growing confidence in the leadership of President al-Sharaa.”

Deputy IDF legal chief released to house arrest after questioning — report

Then-Col. Gal Asael, the Deputy Military Advocate General, in an official portrait taken on December 30, 2021. (Israel Defense Forces)

After being questioned under caution by the police, Deputy Military Advocate General Brig. Gen. Gal Asael has been released to house arrest, Channel 13 reports.

Asael was questioned as part of the investigation into the Sde Teiman abuse video leak. He oversaw an internal investigation in the Military Advocate General’s Corps into the leak, which did not implicate former MAG Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who resigned last week after admitting she was behind the leak.

Channel 13 adds that Asael has been suspended from the Military Advocate General Corps.

Maccabi Tel Aviv kick off soccer game against Aston Villa with Israeli fans banned; six said arrested outside

Maccabi Tel Aviv players arrive ahead of their Europa League soccer match between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Birmingham, England, November 6 2025. (AP Photo/Darren Staples)

Maccabi Tel Aviv begin their game against Aston Villa in Birmingham with their fans conspicuously absent from the stadium after they were banned.

A large swath of empty seats can be seen in the Villa Park stadium for the European game.

Meanwhile, outside the stadium, hundreds of pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel demonstrators protest against the Israeli team, with some heard chanting “Death to the IDF.”

Hundreds of police are present, with dozens seen surrounding a lone woman who held up an Israeli flag.

Sky News reports that so far six people have been arrested.

UN Security Council votes to remove sanctions on Syria’s Sharaa

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York City on September 24, 2025. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)

UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations Security Council votes in favor of a US resolution to lift sanctions on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, ahead of his White House visit next week.

“(The Council) decides that Ahmed al-Sharaa…and (Interior Minister) Anas Hasan Khattab are delisted from the ISIL and Al-Qaida Sanctions List,” says the resolution, approved by 14 council members. China abstained.

Kazakhstan says it’s ‘natural and logical’ for it to join Abraham Accords

WASHINGTON — Kazakhstan says it was “natural and logical” for it to join the so-called Abraham Accords, a move that is largely symbolic as the central Asian republic already has diplomatic ties with Israel.

“Our anticipated accession to the Abraham Accords represents a natural and logical continuation of Kazakhstan’s foreign policy course — grounded in dialogue, mutual respect, and regional stability,” the country’s government says in a statement.

5 arrested for storming pro-Israel student event in Toronto

A video screensoht shows anti-Israel activists disrupting a pro-Israel student event at Toronto Metropolitan University, November 5, 2025. (Video screenshot/X)

Police in Toronto, Canada, say that five people have been arrested for storming a pro-Israel student event featuring IDF veterans yesterday.

A police statement says that the protesters allegedly forced entry into a building holding a private event, damaged property, caused injuries from broken glass, caused attendants to fear for their safety, and assaulted a police officer.

The five people who were arrested range in age from 21 to 29, and were hit with charges including assaulting an officer, obstruction, forcible entry, and unlawful assembly.

Students Supporting Israel at Toronto Metropolitan University organized the off-campus event with IDF veterans.

The university’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine put out a call to target the meeting on social media.

The pro-Israel group released videos showing its members piling furniture in front of a glass window while the protesters gathered outside.

The two groups shouted at each other through the glass door before the glass was smashed. It was unclear which side broke the glass.

The pro-Israel group shared a video of blood seeping out of a sliced forearm, as a woman cried in the background.

Qatar hired intel firm to probe woman who accused ICC prosector of sexual abuse, failed to find links to Israel — report

International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan attends a United Nations Security Council meeting on Sudan and South Sudan at the United Nations headquarters in New York, January 27, 2025. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images/AFP)

A private intelligence firm targeted a woman who accused the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, of sexual abuse, in an operation aimed to find evidence to undermine her, and potentially link her to Israel, the Guardian reports.

Private firm Highgate, based in London, worked with at least one other firm in an operation “commissioned by a high-level diplomatic unit within the Qatari state,” the report says.

The operation did not find any evidence that the accuser was linked to Israel. Khan was responsible for seeking arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant last year.

While the report could not find evidence that Khan was directly involved in the operation, people familiar with the matter say that Highgate met with the prosecutor’s representatives.

The alleged victim tells the news outlet that the operation was “disturbing.”

“The idea that private intelligence firms have been instructed to target me is as incomprehensible as it is heartbreaking,” she says.

Highgate confirmed to the Guardian it worked on an operation connected to the ICC but claimed it had not “acted against any individual” and denied links to Qatar.

In a statement subsequently sent to The Times of Israel, Highgate added that: “Highgate never aimed at discrediting any individual, and we strongly believe that no alleged victim of serious crimes should ever be targeted nor their claims undermined.”

Kanye West meets Rabbi Pinto to apologize for antisemitic tirades

Rapper Kanye West, also known as Ye, apologizes for his antisemitic outbursts over the past few years, in a meeting with Israeli-Moroccan Orthodox Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto in New York.

“I’m really blessed to be able to sit here with you today and just take accountability,” West tells the rabbi, communicating to him through a translator.

“I was dealing with some various issues, bipolar, also, so it would take the ideas I had and had them, take them to an extreme where I would forget about the protection of the people around me, or myself,” he says.

“So it’s like if you left the house and left your kid at the house and your kid went and messed up the kitchen and messed up the garage, mess up the living room. Now, when you get back, it’s your responsibility, because that’s your child,” West says.

“And I really just appreciate you embracing me with open arms and allowing me to make amends. And this is beginning in the first steps, and the first brick by brick to build, to build back the strong walls,” he says.

“Judaism brought to the world a way for someone, when he regrets something that you have done wrong … you can regret and fix it,” the rabbi says through the translator.

West — the winner of 24 Grammys over the course of his career in hip-hop — in recent years has made repeated antisemitic and pro-Nazi statements. Earlier this year, he released a song titled “Heil Hitler,” promoting Nazism.

For years, West has spoken openly about struggles with bipolar disorder.

Oh!
Kanye West + Rabbi Pinto = Duo of the century
pic.twitter.com/xxwHtV6oYz

— Emily Austin (@emilyraustin) November 6, 2025

Witkoff claims Hamas officials told him and Kushner they would disarm

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff speaks at the American Business Forum at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, on November 6, 2025. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

US special envoy Steve Witkoff claims that Hamas officials told him and fellow Trump aide Jared Kushner that the terror group would disarm during their “famous meeting” hours before the ceasefire was inked on October 9.

“I hope that they keep their word because if they do, they’ll understand that the development plan that we have for Gaza is really terrific — a lot better than anyone has ever discussed before,” Witkoff continues, adding that it will include a “tremendous jobs program.”

Hamas officials have publicly taken a different stance, insisting either that the group will not disarm or have dodged the question entirely when pressed.

Privately, Arab diplomats familiar with the matter have told The Times of Israel that Hamas has indicated openness to give up their heavy weaponry, while holding on to lighter arms, in what likely would be a non-starter for Israel given that those same guns were used to mow down Israelis on October 7, while they have also been used to suppress internal dissent within the Strip.

Still, Witkoff tells a conference in Miami that the US is “in the middle of standing up a decommissioning process [for] weapons — a demilitarization and amnesty program.”

“Hamas has always said that we’re going to need the international security force to come in here and be the layer [that] they give the weapons to,” Witkoff says, adding that he hopes to stand up that force in the next three weeks.

“That’ll be the inflection point where we see if everyone’s going to do as they say and demilitarize,” he says.

Hamas has repeatedly come out against foreign troops entering Gaza.

Poll shows Netanyahu-led bloc slowly gaining ground against opposition

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the opening day of the Knesset's winter session, in Jerusalem, October 20, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

A Channel 12 news poll shows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s-led bloc slowly gaining ground, predicting it would win 52 seats to the Zionist opposition’s 58 if an election were to be held today.

The block was predicted to win 51 seats last week and 49 six weeks ago. Despite the gains, the parties forming the coalition elected in 2022 would not gain a majority.

The poll awards 27 seats to the ruling Likud party; 22 to former prime minister Naftali Bennett’s Bennett 2026; The Democrats 11; Yesh Atid 9; Yisrael Beytenu 9; Otzma Yehudit 9; Shas 8; United Torah Judaism 8; former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar 7; Hadash-Ta’al 5; and Ra’am 5.

Blue and White, Balad and the Reservist’s party fall below the electoral threshold.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism is also predicted not to win any seats, but is likely to partner with Otzma Yehudit with a joint list ahead of the election.

Channel 12 news also reports that Yonatan Shamriz, whose brother Alon was mistakenly killed by IDF troops in December 2032, along with two other hostages, Yotam Haim and Samar Talalka, will join politics and is considering forming his own party.

Shamriz has become a prominent activist since October 7, 2023, and is one of the leaders of Kumu (Rise Up), an organization of border community residents.

Witkoff confirms US pressuring Israel to grant amnesty to 100-200 Hamas terrorists stuck in Rafah in exchange for their arms

Troops of the Nahal Brigade operate in southern Gaza's Rafah, in a handout photo issued on November 1, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

US special envoy Steve Witkoff confirms The Times of Israel’s reporting that Washington is leaning on Israel to grant safe passage to 100 to 200 Hamas terrorists in exchange for them giving up their weapons.

In an on-stage interview at a conference in Miami, Witkoff says the initiative focused on the Hamas fighters currently holed up on the Israeli side of the Yellow Line in Gaza will serve as a “model” for the broader decommissioning and amnesty program that Washington is hoping to see implemented in the Strip, as envisioned by US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for ending the war.

“We may see the model of what we’re trying to do here… with these 200 fighters who are trapped in Rafah and whether they’re going to be able to raise their hands, walk out, turn over their weapons. This will be one of the tests,” Witkoff says, adding that he has been on the phone with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has publicly pushed back against the idea of granting safe passage to the Hamas fighters, though a Middle East diplomat told The Times of Israel that Jerusalem has not ruled out the idea in private.

Still, Israel is arguing that at least some of the Hamas fighters will have to be taken into Israeli custody at the very least, as they’re responsible for attacks on Israelis, the diplomat said.

For its part, the US fears that allowing Israel to kill all of those Hamas fighters would risk collapsing the fragile ceasefire in Gaza.

Witkoff says that if the US manages to “hold it together, then we’ll have even more credibility around the world. I’m very confident we will hold it together and we will complete the mission.”

Report: IDF wants okay to kill or accept surrender of 100 terrorists stuck in Gaza tunnels

The IDF is pushing for permission to eliminate, or accept the surrender of, around 100 Hamas terrorists holed up in tunnels in Israeli-controlled territory in the Gaza Strip, according to Channel 12. Any such move would need government approval.

The US has been pushing Israel to allow them safe passage to Hamas-controlled Gaza or overseas exile if they give up their weapons.

The operatives are commanded by a Hamas deputy battalion commander from Rafah, the IDF tells the outlet.

The mediating countries are able to communicate with the Hamas terror operatives, per the report.

Hebrew U dean slams arrest of man who heckled Ben Gvir at graduation ceremony

The dean of Hebrew University’s humanities faculty decries the arrest of a young man who heckled National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, as he attended a graduation ceremony where his wife was receiving a degree.

“I deeply regret the police’s decision to arrest him,” writes Prof. Elisheva Baumgarten in an email circulated to university staff, saying that the arrest was not something she was aware of “in real time” as she stood onstage.

“The right to protest is an important right, and the police’s decision to arrest the guest stands in complete contradiction to the position of tolerance and free expression upon which the university and the State of Israel as a democratic state are based,” her email reads.

According to Baumgarten, the university arranged security in advance for the far-right minister, anticipating his presence would spark protests from other guests. He and his wife sat separately from the rest of the crowd, close to the stage.

Ben Gvir and university administrators had apparently agreed that university security guards would deal with any problems that may arise from his attendance. Police escorting the minister would only intervene if a “serious issue” came about, Baumgarten says.

One of the guests, who was accompanying his girlfriend, who had been receiving a degree, began to shout at the minister, disturbing the ceremony. He was booted from the event by university security and did not return.

It was only after he was removed from the area that police accompanying Ben Gvir arrested the guest, Baumgarten claims.

הסניף הירושלמי של משטרת בן גביר בפעולה: צעיר נעצר ונאזק אחרי שצעק על איתמר בן גביר כשהגיע לטקס חלוקת תארים באוניברסיטה העברית בירושלים.
לפי עדי ראיה, האיש החל לצעוק על השר, הורחק ע"י מאבטחים וכפי שניתן לראות נאזק ע"י שוטרים בשטח האוניברסיטה ונלקח לחקירה. pic.twitter.com/8YExy3VYiE

— Josh Breiner (@JoshBreiner) November 6, 2025

Trump invites 20 hostages freed in deal to White House

US President Donald Trump invites the 20 hostages released on October 13 from the ceasefire deal to the White House, Channel 12 reports.

A US official confirms the report to The Times of Israel.

They will make the trip in two weeks, according to the report. The released hostages will also bring family members for the visit.

Trump is sending a US Air Force plane to fly the Israelis to Washington.

Witkoff says he’ll likely attend funeral of Staff Sgt. Itay Chen in Israel

US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff speaks to the media as US Vice President JD Vance and Jared Kushner stand next to him, in Kiryat Gat, Oct. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

US special envoy Steve Witkoff says he will likely be traveling to Israel over the weekend to attend the funeral of recently recovered Itay Chen, a slain Israeli-American hostage who was released earlier this week.

Staff Sgt. Itay Chen, 19, served in the 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion and was killed while battling Hamas terrorists in his tank during the morning of October 7, 2023, in the Nahal Oz area. His body was then abducted to the Strip, along with other members of his crew.

Major security operation outside Aston Villa stadium ahead of Maccabi game

Police officers escort a woman with an Israeli flag near anti-Israel protesters outside Villa Park in Birmingham on November 6, 2025, ahead of the UEFA Europa League league-stage football match between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv. (HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)

UK police are conducting a major security operation outside the stadium of English football team Aston Villa ahead of their game tonight with Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel groups planned mass demonstrations outside the stadium.

The threat of disturbance saw shops and schools around the Villa Park area close early today, with officers using Section 60 powers to stop and detain suspicious people, the BBC reports.

Images showed hundreds of people protesting against Israel with signs reading “show Israel the Red Card” and “Say no to baby killers in football.”

A few counter-protesters holding Israeli flags and Maccabi Tel Aviv scarves were surrounded by a heavy police presence.

Senior IDF officer: Strikes in Lebanon ‘preview’ of what to come if Beirut doesn’t disarm Hezbollah

People assess the damage at the site of an Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese village of Toura, on November 6, 2025. (Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP)

Israel’s threats against Hezbollah and the Lebanese state continue to grow, as a senior military official tells Channel 12 news that Israeli strikes in Lebanon today are “just a preview” of what is to come if the terror group is not disarmed.

“If the Lebanese army does not disarm Hezbollah and fails to meet the demands of the ceasefire,” says the IDF officer, “Israel, with US backing, will attack Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, including in Beirut.”

Israel has given Beirut an ultimatum that it will carry out a broad operation if the Lebanese Armed Forces don’t step up their efforts, according to the outlet.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his security cabinet tonight to discuss Hezbollah’s attempts to rebuild its military capabilities in recent months.

According to Channel 12, Israel handed evidence of Hezbollah’s rearmament and failure by the LAF to disarm the Shiite terror group to the US and France, who are both part of the mechanism monitoring the November 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.

Police chief says Maccabi Tel Aviv’s ‘significant levels of hooliganism’ reason for ban at Birmingham game

Anti-Israel protesters demonstrate outside Villa Park in Birmingham on November 6, 2025 ahead of the UEFA Europa League league-stage football match between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv. (HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)

“Significant levels of hooliganism” among Maccabi Tel Aviv fans is the reason for their ban at a match between the Israeli team and Aston Villa in Birmingham tonight, West Midlands Chief Superintendent Tom Joyce tells Sky News.

The UK government last month vowed to reverse the ban on Maccabi fans attending the Europa League match in the city in central England, which has a significant Muslim population, after widespread criticism of the decision that had been made by local safety advisers and police.

However, the Israeli club later announced it would decline to accept any tickets for its fans, citing safety concerns.

“We are simply trying to make decisions based on community safety, driven by the intelligence that was available to us and our assessment of the risk that was coming from admitting traveling fans,” Joyce says, ahead of tonight’s match.

“I’m aware there’s a lot of commentary around the threat to the [Maccabi] fans being the reason for the decision. To be clear, that was not the primary driver. That was a consideration,” he continues.

“We have intelligence and information that says that there is a section of Maccabi fans, not all Maccabi fans, but a section who engage in quite significant levels of hooliganism,” he adds.

Lebanese president on Israeli strikes: A despicable crime, Israel’s message has been received

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern Lebanese village of Tayr Debba, on November 6, 2025. (MAHMOUD ZAYYAT / AFP)

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun slams Israel’s wave of strikes in southern Lebanon as a violation of international law, in a post on X.

“What Israel did today in southern Lebanon is not only a crime under international law… but also a despicable political crime,” he writes.

He adds that while Lebanon remains open to negotiations, Israel continues its aggression against Lebanon.

He concludes: “Almost a year since the ceasefire came into effect, Israel has spared no effort to show its refusal of an arrangement between the two countries — your message has been received.”

Kazakhstan to join Abraham Accords, Trump administration official confirms to ToI

Then-Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev (L) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) inspect an honor guard during their meeting in Astana on December 14, 2016. (AFP PHOTO/ILYAS OMAROV)

Kazakhstan is the country that will join the Abraham Accords this evening, a senior Trump administration official confirms to The Times of Israel.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff revealed earlier this afternoon that a country would be joining the Abraham Accords normalization agreements brokered by the Trump administration between Israel and several of its Arab and Muslim neighbors.

But Kazakhstan will be the first country to join the accords that already has ties with Israel, establishing diplomatic relations with the Jewish state in 1992.

The Trump administration believes that adding the Muslim majority country to the Abraham Accords will revive the initiative that took a major hit as a result of the Gaza war, a US official tells The Times of Israel.

“It will become the alliance for Arab-Muslim ties with Israel,” the US official says, acknowledging that Washington no longer wants to limit the accords to countries that don’t yet have ties with Israel.

US President Donald Trump is already slated to host Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the White House this evening, along with the leaders of four other Central Asian countries, as Washington seeks to expand its influence in the region.

Earlier today, representatives of Kazakhstan and the US signed a memorandum of cooperation in the field of critical minerals at a meeting in Washington, according to a readout from the Central Asian country.

Deputy IDF legal chief questioned under caution over Sde Teiman video leak — report

Then-Col. Gal Asael, the Deputy Military Advocate General, in an official portrait taken on December 30, 2021. (Israel Defense Forces)

Deputy Military Advocate General Brig. Gen. Gal Asael is being questioned under caution by the police as part of the investigation into the Sde Teiman abuse video leak, Channel 13 news reports.

Asael oversaw an internal investigation in the Military Advocate General’s Corps into the leak, which did not implicate former military advocate general Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who resigned last week after admitting she was behind the leak.

IDF says it completed wave of airstrikes targeting elite Hezbollah unit in south Lebanon

The IDF announces that it has completed a wave of airstrikes against infrastructure and weapon depots belonging to Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force in southern Lebanon.

The airstrikes come after the IDF issued evacuation warnings for several sites in the towns of Kfar Dounine, Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, Ayta al-Jabal, Taybeh, and Tayr Debba.

“The Hezbollah terror organization continues attempts to restore terror infrastructure in southern Lebanon and is focusing on rebuilding the [Radwan Force’s] capabilities with the aim of harming the State of Israel,” the military says.

The IDF says it took steps to mitigate civilian harm in the strikes, including by issuing the evacuation warnings, using precision munitions, aerial surveillance, and other intelligence.

According to the military, the weapon depots were “located in the heart of a civilian population and serve as another example of the Hezbollah terror organization’s cynical use of Lebanese civilians as human shields.”

The IDF says the existence of the Hezbollah infrastructure and weapon depots constitutes a violation of the ceasefire deal.

צה״ל השלים גל תקיפות לעבר תשתיות טרור ומחסני אמצעי לחימה של יחידת ׳כוח רדואן׳ בדרום לבנון

צה״ל תקף בהובלת פיקוד הצפון ובאמצעות חיל האוויר, תשתיות טרור ומספר מחסני אמצעי לחימה של יחידת ׳כוח רדואן׳ בדרום לבנון.

ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה ממשיך בנסיונות שיקום של תשתיות טרור בדרום לבנון… pic.twitter.com/o5zHuxiS7i

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) November 6, 2025

Kazakhstan, which has full ties with Israel, set to join Abraham Accords — report

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Kazakhstan's president Nursultan Nazarbayev in Astana, December 14, 2016. (Haim Zach/GPO)

Kazakhstan, which has had diplomatic relations with Israel since 1992, is the country set to be announced as the latest signatory to the Abraham Accords, the Axios news site reports.

The central Asian country has an embassy in Tel Aviv, so Kazakhstan’s joining the accords will be a symbolic move.

US officials tell Axios that the announcement aims to repair Israel’s standing in the Arab and Islamic world following the war in Gaza.

“This is going to show that the Abraham Accords is a club that many countries want to be a member of and it will be a step for turning the page on the war in Gaza and moving forward toward more peace and cooperation in the region,” an official says.

The accords include Arab and Muslim countries that have normalized relations with Israel, first brokered by US President Donald Trump at the end of his first term in 2020.

IDF Northern Command head vows military won’t let Hezbollah rearm

As the IDF carries out a wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, the chief of the Northern Command, Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo says the military will not allow the terror group to rearm.

“We understand that we must be determined and continue to attack, strike, and destroy to keep Hezbollah weakened,” says Milo to mayors and leaders of local councils on the northern border.

“We will not allow Hezbollah to establish itself and reorganize on our borders; we will not let it recover. We will continue to attack and operate in the security area and on the front, as a buffer before the residents, and above all, we will continue to monitor every threat we see and act against it,” he tells the officials.

Milo adds that the IDF “will continue to operate intensively and offensively and persistently as we have operated over the last year, and as we acted today, for the continued maintenance of civilian routine in the communities and the growth of the north.”

Witkoff: US to announce additional country joining Abraham Accords tonight

From left, Bahrain Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US president Donald Trump, and United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan, sit during the Abraham Accords signing ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, in Washington, September 15, 2020. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The Trump administration will announce tonight that an additional country will join the Abraham Accords, US special envoy Steve Witkoff reveals.

“I’m flying back to Washington tonight because we’re going to announce another country coming into the Abraham Accords, ” Witkoff says during an on-stage interview at the America Business Forum in Miami.

Witkoff doesn’t reveal which country will be joining the Arab and Muslim countries that have normalized relations with Israel in the accords first brokered by US President Donald Trump at the end of his first term in 2020.

In August, Reuters reported that the Trump administration was eyeing Azerbaijan as the next country to join the Abraham Accords, along with other Central Asian allies of the US. Azerbaijan already has longstanding relations with Israel, meaning that an expansion of the accords to include them would largely be symbolic, focusing on strengthening ties in areas like trade and military cooperation, said the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss private conversations.

IDF reportedly strikes another southern Lebanese town after warning

Lebanese media reports that the IDF has carried out an airstrike in the southern town of Kfar Dounine a short while ago.

The strike comes nearly two hours after the military issued an evacuation warning for a Hezbollah site in the town.

IDF says commandos detained man planning terror attack in overnight West Bank raid

During an overnight raid in the Askar camp on the outskirts of Nablus in the northern West Bank, the IDF says commandos detained a Palestinian who was planning to carry out a terror attack.

The operation was carried out by troops of the Duvdevan commando unit, with support from the Shin Bet security agency, the military says.

צפו בתיעוד ממצלמות הגוף: לוחמי דובדבן עצרו בהכוונת שב״כ מחבל שתכנן לבצע פיגוע

במסגרת פעילות לילית בשכם שבחטיבת שומרון, לוחמי יחידת דובדבן בפעילות משותפת עם שב״כ, פעלו במרחב עסכר שבשכם ועצרו מחבל שתכנן לבצע פיגוע.

במהלך הפעילות נכנסו הלוחמים לשטח באופן מסוערב, סרקו מבנים ועצרו… pic.twitter.com/8vHuz6earc

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) November 6, 2025

Court rejects police request to hold on to Qatargate suspect’s devices, citing low chance he can access them

Jonatan Urich seen after a court hearing at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, October 27, 2025 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

The Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court has rejected the police’s request to hold onto three electronic devices belonging to Jonatan Urich, the central suspect in the Qatargate scandal.

Police have until Monday next week to appeal the decision. In March this year, officers seized two phones and a computer from Urich, an adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but have yet to access the content of the devices.

Urich, along with Netanyahu’s former spokesman Eli Feldstein, is accused of working for Qatar in order to cast the Gulf state in a positive light after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, despite Doha’s strong ties to the terror group.

In his decision, Judge Menachem Mizrahi notes the low likelihood that officers will manage to break into Urich’s devices.

Officers attempted to access the content of two devices without success, but made no attempt to unlock the third, Mizrahi writes.

The justice defends Urich’s choice not to disclose his password to police, saying it is his “constitutional right to take the path of refusal” and not incriminate himself.

Police said intending to release ex-IDF legal chief from custody tomorrow

Police intend to release former military advocate general Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi tomorrow on restrictive conditions, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

Yerushalmi has been held in custody since earlier this week after she went missing for several hours at a Tel Aviv beach. She had admitted on Friday to leaking a video purportedly showing the abuse of a Gazan man held in the Sde Teiman detention facility.

Journalist Chaim Levinson quits as co-host of talk show after Qatargate revelation

Journalist Chaim Levinson attends an event on November 11, 2019. (Moshe Shai/Flash90)

Journalist and commentator Chaim Levinson says he will cease his role as co-host of the “Ofira and Levinson” talk show on Channel 12 news, a week after it emerged that he had done work for the political consultancy company owned by Yisrael Einhorn, a key suspect in the Qatargate affair.

Levinson writes on X that he has submitted his resignation to the Keshet media group, and thanks co-host Ofira Asayag, “who is first of all a friend, and after that an excellent and special journalist, the best partner I could have asked for.”

Levinson was absent from last Friday’s broadcast over the affair.

Police search IDF top lawyer’s office over Sde Teiman leak case — reports

Police conduct a search of the IDF Military Advocate General’s office over the ongoing investigation into the Sde Teiman abuse video leak, Hebrew media outlets report.

Meanwhile, Israel Police Commissioner Daniel Levy tells officers that until a decision by the High Court of Justice is made on the matter, any information on the investigation should be brought to him, outlets report.

Following the reports, police issued a statement that Levy ordered the investigation to be conducted in a secret, professional manner, amid several leaks to the media.

Authorities are investigating after former military advocate general Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi admitted to leaking a video to the media that purports to show IDF soldiers severely abusing a Gazan detainee at the Sde Teiman detention facility.

IDF issues evacuation warning for fifth Hezbollah target ahead of airstrike in south Lebanon

The IDF issues an evacuation warning for a fifth site in southern Lebanon, ahead of an airstrike on Hezbollah infrastructure.

Residents of the town of Kfar Dounine are instructed to maintain a distance of 500 meters from the site.

Earlier, the IDF began a wave of airstrikes on Hezbollah targets after warning residents of four towns in southern Lebanon to evacuate four sites.

Netanyahu to hold security cabinet meeting at 6 p.m. on Gaza, Lebanon

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene his security cabinet at 6 p.m. in Jerusalem, the office of one of the senior ministers in the forum tells The Times of Israel.

The meeting will discuss the fragile ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon, as well as other theaters, says the official.

Energy minister meets US counterpart in Athens week after Wright backed out of Israel visit

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright listens as US President Donald Trump meets with Argentina's President Javier Milei in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, October 14, 2025. (AP Photo/ Alex Brandon)

After US Energy Secretary Chris Wright canceled his visit to Israel last week, he meets Energy Minister Eli Cohen at a regional energy summit in Athens.

US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, was also at the summit, as were Greek Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou and Cypriot Energy Minister George Papanastasiou.

Wright backed out of his Israel trip last week after Cohen refused to sign off on a massive gas export agreement recently agreed upon between Jerusalem and Cairo.

According to Cohen’s office, the summit focuses on creating the India-Middle East Economic Corridor. The corridor aims to extend from India across the Arabian Sea to the United Arab Emirates and through Saudi Arabia before connecting through Jordan and Israel to Europe. India and the UAE signed a framework agreement for the project last year.

IMEC was announced on the sidelines of a summit of the leaders of the Group of 20 major economies in September 2023 and was seen as a US alternative to China’s Belt and Road push on global infrastructure. War broke out a month after the announcement, following the Palestinian terror group Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

“This route would serve as an alternative to existing trade paths, one of which currently passes through Iran, while the other is vulnerable to Houthi attacks,” according to Cohen’s office.

The attendees also discuss moving forward with a natural gas pipeline from Israel to Cyprus, says the Israeli readout, which would eventually reach Greece and the rest of Europe.

They talk about making progress on an undersea electricity cable to connect Israel to Europe’s energy grid through Cyprus.

“We are expanding cooperation with our ally, the United States, and with regional countries, strengthening Israel’s status as a regional energy power, and turning Israel into a bridge between East and West, between Europe and the Gulf states,” says Cohen.

Iran’s Pezeshkian blames own government for country’s soaring inflation

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian visiting the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, in Tehran, November 2, 2025. (Handout / Iranian Atomic Organization (IAEO) / AFP)

TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian blames his own government for rising consumer prices, boosting pressure on the managers of the sanctions-hit economy.

The annual inflation rate stood at nearly 49 percent in September, according to Iran’s official statistics center.

Pezeshkian says the country’s inflated bureaucracy was fueling inflation

“We, the government, are the cause of inflation,” Pezeshkian says during a speech in the western Kurdistan province.

“We have bloated the government. Everyone has taken a position as a chief, manager or something similar,” he notes, adding that efforts were underway to cut spending and curb inflation.

Iran’s economy has been crippled by sanctions imposed after the United States and Western capitals accused Tehran of seeking to weaponize its nuclear program.

On anniversary of Rabin’s murder, Ben Gvir swapped slain PM’s portrait with that of assassinated far-right minister — report

As Israel marked the anniversary of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s killing earlier this week, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir reportedly swapped the slain premier’s portrait with that of assassinated tourism minister Rehavam Ze’evi in his ministry’s offices.

The Hebrew outlet Walla reports that ministry staff who came to work Tuesday morning were met with a portrait of Ze’evi, known by the nickname “Gandhi,” who was assassinated by Palestinian gunmen on October 17, 2001.

Responding to the outlet, the ministry states that it “respects everyone,” adding that “at the minister’s direction, the ministry also commemorated the late Gandhi at the conclusion of the memorial day for the late Rabin,” despite the fact that the anniversary of the latter’s death was last month.

Ze’evi established and led the far-right Moledet party, known for advocating the voluntary transfer of Palestinians out of the West Bank. Next to his portrait, a message on the screen reads: “His memory and actions will forever serve as a beacon for love of the land and unending dedication towards its construction and fortification.”

במקום רבין – גנדי: עובדי המשרד לביטחון לאומי גילו לאחר האזכרה לרה"מ לשעבר כי על קיר ההנצחה הופיעה תמונתו של השר לשעבר רחבעם (גנדי) זאבי, אף שלא היה זה יום הזיכרון שלו. תגובת המשרד: "בהנחיית השר הוחלט להנציח גם את גנדי בתום יום האזכרה של רבין". pic.twitter.com/V9zcgNUyzX

— אבי סולומון (@avisol2025) November 6, 2025

AG seeking to hand over Sde Teiman investigation to state attorney – report

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara speaks at a Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee hearing, September 30, 2025. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90)

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara is seeking to turn over responsibility for the criminal investigation into the Sde Teiman abuse video leak to State Attorney Amit Aisman, Hebrew media reports.

Earlier today, the legal adviser to the Justice Ministry wrote in a legal opinion that Baharav-Miara should not be involved in the investigation since she had been responsible for supervising an internal probe by the Military Advocate General’s Office into the affair, which determined that the case be closed without a criminal investigation.

Alongside the attorney general’s intention to have Aisman oversee the investigation, Justice Minister Yariv Levin announces that he has formally “appointed” State Ombudsman for Judges Asher Kula to direct it.

It appears that it will be the High Court of Justice which will ultimately adjudicate who oversees the probe, since it is set to hear two petitions on the matter, one asking that it order Baharav-Miara not to be involved in the case and one asking it to invalidate Levin’s appointment of Kula and his effort to sideline the Attorney General’s Office.

Haredi protesters rally against arrest of draft dodger in Jerusalem

Dozens of ultra-Orthodox protesters are rallying in Jerusalem against the arrest of an individual suspected of ignoring an IDF conscription order.

The protest at the Kikar Hashabbat intersection is causing increased rush-hour congestion and bus delays.

כבר שעתיים שמרכז ירושלים חסום בגל הפגנת קיצונים pic.twitter.com/Np28gwPyzm

— הפרגוד (@moshepargod) November 6, 2025

IDF issues warning for fourth site ahead of strike on Hezbollah target

The IDF issues an evacuation warning for a fourth site in southern Lebanon, ahead of an airstrike on Hezbollah infrastructure.

Residents in the town of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah are instructed to distance themselves 500 meters from the site.

A short while ago, the IDF began a wave of airstrikes on Hezbollah targets after warning residents of three towns in southern Lebanon to evacuate three sites.

Footage shows Israeli strike in Lebanese town of Tayr Debba

Footage published by Lebanese media shows an Israeli airstrike in the southern town of Tayr Debba.

The IDF had warned residents of the town that it was going to target a Hezbollah site.

غارة عنيفة.. لحظة استهداف المبنى المهدد في طيردبا pic.twitter.com/5HAxG2ChhE

— هنا لبنان (@thisislebnews) November 6, 2025

Nancy Pelosi announces she will leave US Congress at next election

WASHINGTON — Nancy Pelosi, a towering figure in US politics and the first female speaker of the House of Representatives, announces that she will be stepping down at the next election.

“I will not be seeking reelection to Congress,” the 85-year-old Democrat says in a video heavily targeted at her hometown constituents in San Francisco.

“With a grateful heart, I look forward to my final year of service as your proud representative.”

Thank you, San Francisco. pic.twitter.com/OP8ubeFzR6

— Nancy Pelosi (@TeamPelosi) November 6, 2025

2025 set to place among top three hottest years on record — UN

Firefighters monitor flames caused by the Hughes Fire along Castaic Lake in Castaic, California, January 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

GENEVA, Switzerland — An alarming streak of exceptional temperatures is continuing, with 2025 set to be among the hottest years ever recorded, the United Nations says, insisting, though, that the trend could still be reversed.

While this year will not surpass 2024 as the hottest ever recorded, it will rank second or third, the UN’s weather and climate agency says, capping more than a decade of unprecedented heat.

Meanwhile, concentrations of greenhouse gases grew to new record highs, locking in more heat for the future, the World Meteorological Organization warns in a report released ahead of next week’s COP30 UN climate summit in Brazil.

Together, the developments make “it clear that it will be virtually impossible to limit global warming to 1.5°C in the next few years without temporarily overshooting this target,” WMO chief Celeste Saulo says in a statement.

The 2015 Paris climate accords aimed to limit global warming to well below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels — and to 1.5°C if possible.

Saulo insists that while the situation was dire, “the science is equally clear that it’s still entirely possible and essential to bring temperatures back down to 1.5°C by the end of the century.”

IDF says it began wave of strikes on Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon

People assess the damage at the site of an Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese village of Toura, Lebanon, on November 6, 2025. (MAHMOUD ZAYYAT / AFP)

The IDF announces that it has begun a wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.

The strikes come after the IDF issued evacuation warnings for sites in southern Lebanon’s Ayta al-Jabal, Taybeh, and Tayr Debba.

بالفيديو: استهداف المبنى المهدد في طيردبا pic.twitter.com/uaGx35aWjt

— هنا لبنان (@thisislebnews) November 6, 2025

Father of deceased hostage Joshua Loitu Mollel offers thanks to hostages’ families, Israelis

Loitu Sinduani Mollel, father of Tanzanian national Joshua Loitu Mollel, whose body was returned by Hamas to Israel on Wednesday night, sends an audio message of thanks to the Hostages Forum.

Sinduani Mollel says he is still waiting to receive his son’s body and bury him at home in Tanzania.

“I really appreciate what the hostages’ families and the Israeli nation did to spread the information about my son Joshua, and I’m very happy for his body to be found,” he says.

Mollel, 21, an agricultural intern at Kibbutz Nahal Oz near the border with Gaza, was seized alive, then murdered by Hamas terrorists on the morning of October 7, 2023, and his body was taken to Gaza.

He is survived by his parents and four siblings.

“Please pass my deep thanks,” says Sinduani Mollel. “I have nothing to give in return but that God should bless them.”

IDF issues warning to 3rd town in south Lebanon ahead of strikes against Hezbollah

The IDF issues a warning to a third site in southern Lebanon, ahead of an airstrike on Hezbollah infrastructure.

Residents in the town of Ayta al-Jabal are instructed to distance themselves 500 meters from the site.

#عاجل ‼️ إنذار عاجل إلى سكان جنوب لبنان وتحديدًا في قرية عيتا الجبل (الزط)
🔸سيهاجم جيش الدفاع على المدى الزمني القريب بنى تحتية عسكرية تابعة لحزب الله الإرهابي وذلك للتعامل مع المحاولات المحظورة التي يقوم بها حزب الله لإعادة إعمار أنشطته في المنطقة

🔸نتوجه إلى سكان المبنى… pic.twitter.com/FFiAr2GpIz

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) November 6, 2025

IDF warns residents of 2 south Lebanon towns ahead of strikes against Hezbollah

The IDF issues a warning to residents of two towns in southern Lebanon ahead of airstrikes against Hezbollah infrastructure.

“The IDF will attack military infrastructure belonging to the Hezbollah terror organization throughout southern Lebanon, in response to its prohibited attempts to rebuild its activities in the area,” warns Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman.

With the announcement, the IDF publishes maps showing the locations of sites that are going to be targeted in the towns of Taybeh and Tayr Debba.

“For your safety, you are required to evacuate those buildings and the adjacent buildings immediately and distance yourselves from them by no less than 500 meters,” Adraee says.

Israeli evacuation warnings before strikes in Lebanon have been relatively rare since a November 2024 ceasefire. The last such warning was issued on September 18 ahead of strikes in southern Lebanon.

#عاجل ‼️ إنذار عاجل إلى سكان جنوب لبنان
🔸سيهاجم جيش الدفاع على المدى الزمني القريب بنى تحتية عسكرية تابعة لحزب الله الإرهابي في أنحاء جنوب لبنان وذلك للتعامل مع المحاولات المحظورة التي يقوم بها حزب الله لإعادة إعمار أنشطته في المنطقة
🔸نحث سكان المباني المحددة بالأحمر في… pic.twitter.com/lPxBh1pUyf

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) November 6, 2025

Netanyahu meets Singapore FM in Jerusalem for talks encouraging bilateral ties

Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan (L) meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on November 6, 2025 (Maayan Toaf / GPO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar held separate meetings today with Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, encouraging strong bilateral ties with the Southeast Asian island, according to their offices.

In a readout of their meeting this afternoon, Netanyahu hails Israel’s “historic friendship with Singapore,” expressing his will to “continue advancing our shared goals of prosperity, peace, and security.”

Sa’ar, who met with his Singaporean counterpart earlier in the day, writes on X that the two discussed “the situation in the Middle East, Israel’s diplomatic and security challenges, and the relations between our countries.”

Sa’ar adds that he thanked Balakrishnan for Singapore’s “responsible decision” not to recognize a Palestinian state ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in September, saying that “the only path now is the Trump plan,” referring to the US president’s comprehensive peace plan in Gaza.

In September, Balakrishnan announced that Singapore would impose targeted sanctions on leaders of Israeli settler groups, calling on the government “to cease settlement construction and expansion,” but would not join other Western nations in unilaterally recognizing a Palestinian state, advocating for “a negotiated settlement” to reach a two-state solution.

Justice Ministry legal adviser says AG can’t be involved in Sde Teiman leak investigation

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara attends a hearing of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee at the parliament in Jerusalem, September 30, 2025. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90)

In a striking development, the legal adviser to the Justice Ministry writes in a legal opinion that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara must not be involved in the investigation of the Sde Teiman abuse video leak scandal due to the “possible linkage” of that investigation to an earlier, internal probe by the Military Advocate General’s office into the leak that Baharav-Miara oversaw.

First reported by Channel 12 News and i24 News, the legal opinion states that it does not come to “cast aspersions” regarding the attorney general’s involvement in the investigation, but rather “to ensure the independence of the investigative process.”

The legal opinion, which was requested by Baharav-Miara herself, greatly bolsters Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s claim that Baharav-Miara must be sidelined from dealing with the investigation, as well as a High Court petition to that effect.

The High Court had given Baharav-Miara until noon today to respond to that petition, but her office requested an extension until 10 p.m. — possibly due to the legal opinion, which the court will likely defer to.

Levin has insisted that all officials in the Attorney General’s Office are barred from dealing with the investigation, and has appointed the State Ombudsman for Judges Asher Kula to oversee the probe, a move Baharav-Miara has strongly objected to.

It remains to be seen if the High Court will approve Levin’s choice of Kula, or empower one of the deputy attorney generals to oversee the investigation.

Father of Oz Daniel praises Halevi at son’s funeral: ‘You know how to take responsibility’

Former IDF chief of staff Herzi Halevi at the funeral of Staff Sgt. Oz Daniel, at the military cemetery in Kfar Saba, November 6, 2025 (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

At the funeral of Staff Sgt. Oz Daniel, his father Amir praises former Israel Defense Forces chief Herzi Halevi for taking responsibility for the October 7 failures.

“Of all the high-ranking officials sitting here, I choose to address you – former chief of staff Herzi Halevi. I think you are one of the most moral and significant people in the State of Israel,” says Amir Daniel. “Despite, and perhaps because of, all the burden you carry on your shoulders, you know how to take responsibility.”

The comment appears to swipe at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government, who have been accused of working to absolve itself of any responsibility for the October 7 failures.

“I am the proudest father in the world, there is no one prouder than me in the world, but also the most in pain. We feel Oz always within us, he is with us, hears us and is with us,” Amir Daniel says. “In the midst of all this, we choose to be strong — this is Oz’s will and this is the will of the people of Israel. These are not slogans. This is how I raised my children.”

Halevi stepped down in March over the devastating October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, and has continued to take responsibility for failings to stop the onslaught in conversations with bereaved families and with the relatives of hostages.

Daniel, 19, of the 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion was killed on October 7 while battling the Hamas invasion of southern Israel, and his body was taken captive to Gaza, where it was held for over two years.

Large police presence in Birmingham ahead of Maccabi Tel Aviv game; ‘Zionists not welcome’ signs put up near stadium

More than 700 police are deployed across the British city of Birmingham as protests are planned for a soccer game between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Aston Villa, with visiting Israeli fans barred from attendance.

The UK government last month vowed to reverse the ban on Maccabi fans attending the Europa League match in the city in central England, which has a significant Muslim population, after widespread criticism of the decision that had been made by local safety advisers and police.

However, the Israeli club later announced it would decline to accept any tickets for its fans, citing safety concerns.

Villa have said they are not selling tickets for the vacant away end of the Villa Park stadium.

Birmingham, the UK’s second-largest city, has been the scene of regular pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel rallies over the last two years.

Local police said protests by different groups were scheduled near Villa Park, including a pro-Palestinian demonstration demanding Israel be excluded from international soccer.

A pro-Israeli group has also organized a Maccabi Solidarity Rally, with both protests set to kick off around 6 p.m. (1800 GMT) amid a heavy police presence, two hours before the game is due to begin.

“We are experienced at policing high-profile football matches and demonstrations, and for many weeks now, we have been working closely with different faith and local community groups to listen to their views and concerns,” West Midlands Police says in statement.

Videos on social media showed signs near the stadium reading “no war games allowed” and “Zionists not welcome,” while far-right channels spearheaded by Tommy Robinson have made Islamophobic statements about the game and planned protests.

Birmingham extremists plastered the city with posters saying “Give Zionism the Red Card” and “#Zionistsnotwelcome”. All because an Israeli team is coming to play football.

It isn’t your city. It’s a free city in Britain.

Actually, you’re not welcome.

h/t @sirwg202110 pic.twitter.com/CEi1IxLVoS

— Heidi Bachram 🎗️ (@HeidiBachram) November 5, 2025

Dutch court quashes bid by activists to ban arms exports to Israel over Gaza war

Tens of thousands of red-clad protesters march demanding their government do more to halt Israel's campaign in Gaza against Hamas, during a demonstration in The Hague, Netherlands, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

A Dutch court threw out a case brought by pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel activists seeking to force the Netherlands to halt trade and weapons exports to Israel over the war against Hamas in Gaza.

A group of 10 organizations had accused the Dutch state of doing too little to prevent what they described as “genocide” in Gaza with a “clearly unlawful” foreign policy toward Israel. Israel has denied all accusations of genocide.

The NGOs urged judges to impose a blanket ban on weapons exports to Israel, a ban on exporting military dogs, and a ban on trading in “occupied territories.”

The Appeals Court in The Hague dismisses all the grounds for appeal made by the organizations and orders them to pay legal costs.

“While it is plausible that there is a risk of genocide and serious human rights violations, it is not, in principle, up to the court to prescribe to the State what measures must be taken to prevent this,” says the court in a statement.

The court also notes that the Dutch state had already taken a number of measures.

For example, authorities do not grant an export license for military goods if there is a risk they will be deployed in Gaza, the court says.

During hearings, lawyers for the government had denied Dutch foreign policy toward Israel was unlawful and stressed authorities always reviewed on a case-by-case basis whether to grant export licenses.

The Appeals Court in The Hague was originally scheduled to render its verdict on October 8 but judges decided to delay until a Supreme Court ruling in a similar case.

In that verdict, the Supreme Court said it was up to the Dutch government to decide whether it would export parts used in Israeli F-35 fighter jets in Gaza.

Following the Supreme Court ruling, the Dutch government decided to keep in place its existing ban on shipping such parts.

Abbas, Pope Leo discuss ‘urgent need’ for assistance to Gazan civilians at Vatican meeting

This photo taken and handed out on November 6, 2025 by The Vatican Media shows Pope Leo XIV during a meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in The Vatican. (Handout / VATICAN MEDIA / AFP)

Pope Leo XIV held his first meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas, where the Vatican says they discussed the “urgent need” to help the civilian population in Gaza.

The visit comes almost a month into a fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, following two years of war triggered by the Palestinian terror group’s October 7, 2023, attack.

“During the cordial talks, it was recognized that there is an urgent need to provide assistance to the civilian population in Gaza and to end the conflict by pursuing a two-state solution,” the Vatican says in a statement afterwards.

It notes that the meeting came 10 years after the Holy See formally recognized the state of Palestine through an agreement signed in 2015.

Abbas met several times with Leo’s predecessor, pope Francis, who died in April.

In the final months of his pontificate, Francis hardened his rhetoric against Israel’s assault on Hamas in Gaza, but his successor has so far adopted a more measured tone.

Abbas will tomorrow meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Report: US to establish military presence in Damascus to monitor potential Israel-Syria security pact

The United States is preparing to establish a military presence at an airbase in Damascus to help enable a security pact that Washington is brokering between Syria and Israel, six sources familiar with the matter tell Reuters.

The US plans for the presence in the Syrian capital, which have not previously been reported, would be a sign of Syria’s strategic realignment with the US following the fall last year of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Iran.

The base sits at the gateway to parts of southern Syria that are expected to make up a demilitarized zone as part of a non-aggression pact between Israel and Syria. That deal is being mediated by US President Donald Trump’s administration.

Trump will meet Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House on Monday, the first such visit by a Syrian head of state.

Reuters spoke to six sources familiar with preparations at the base, including two Western officials and a Syrian defense official, who confirm the US is planning to use the base to help monitor a potential Israel-Syria agreement.

The Pentagon and Syrian foreign ministry do not immediately respond to requests for comment on the plan. The Syrian presidency and defense ministry do not immediately respond to questions about the plan sent via the Syrian information ministry.

A US administration official says the US is “constantly evaluating our necessary posture in Syria to effectively combat ISIS (Islamic State) and (we) do not comment on locations or possible locations of (where) forces operate.”

The official requested that the name and location of the base be removed for operational security reasons. Reuters has agreed to not reveal the exact location.

The new US plans appear to mirror two other new US military presences in the region monitoring cessation of hostilities agreements: one in Lebanon, which closely watches last year’s ceasefire between Lebanese terror group Hezbollah and Israel, and one in Israel that monitors the truce between Palestinian terror group Hamas and Israel.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Mother of Oz Daniel: ‘You are finally here, on the soil of the land you loved so much’

Soldiers carry the coffin of Staff Sgt. Oz Daniel, whose body was returned from Gaza, at the Kfar Saba Military Cemetery on November 6, 2025 (Adar Eyal/Hostages Forum)

The mother of Staff Sgt. Oz Daniel remembers her son as someone who had “heroism, belief, loyalty to your values ​​and to your people,” as thousands attend the funeral of the soldier whose body was taken hostage by Hamas.

“You always smiled, you gave yourself without limit, you listened, you hugged, you loved,” says Merav Daniel, whose son’s body was returned by Hamas earlier this week.

“This is not how I hoped to meet you again, this is not how I imagined the day I would welcome you back,” she says. “But in this heartbreak, there is a moment of comfort, a breath of relief, of knowing deep down that you are finally here, on the soil of the land you loved so much, the land you swore to protect. And with your body, you kept this vow to the fullest.”

“My Ozi, for two years we have been waiting for you. An entire people all over the world have been waiting with us. A people who walked this long road with us, who got up with us every morning and thought of you, who carried you in their hearts, in their prayers, in their songs, and in their tears,” she says. “Today, this entire nation is here, standing by your side. And I say to you, welcome home. And I say to you, thank you.”

She says that she had discussed the possibility with her son that he could be taken hostage.

“You told me firmly: “Mom, if I come across someone and they try to kidnap me, I will resist with all my might and do everything to avoid being taken,” she says, adding that she had told him to act wisely. “But you stood before me with your beautiful, shining eyes, insisted and said “Mom, I will do everything, but I will not remain hostage.”

“Thank you, my child, for all that you were, and for all that you are,” she says.

Officials in attendance at the funeral include President Isaac Herzog, former defense minister Yoav Gallant and former IDF chief of staff Herzi Halevi, as well as Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz and Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter.

Former hostage Sgt. Nimrod Cohen, who was in the same tank as Daniel, is also at the funeral.

Daniel, 19, of the 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion, from Kfar Saba, was killed on October 7 while battling the Hamas invasion of southern Israel, and his body was taken captive to Gaza, where it was held for over two years.

Oz was stationed that morning with his comrades at the so-called “White House” IDF post between Kibbutz Nir Oz and Kibbutz Nirim. When the Hamas attack began, he set out in their tank with his commander, Cpt. Omer Neutra, along with Sgt. Shaked Dahan and Cohen.

Neutra’s body was returned to Israel on Sunday and Cohen was one of 20 living hostages released last month. Neutra is set to be buried at the Kiryat Shaul Military Cemetery in Tel Aviv tomorrow.

Far-right MK demands police rescind his summons for questioning over break-in at Sde Teiman base

Religious Zionism MK Zvi Sukkot protests against the detention of Israeli reserve soldiers accused of severely abusing a terror suspect, at the Sde Teiman military base near Beersheba, July 29, 2024. (Dudu Greenspan/Flash90)

Religious Zionism MK Zvi Sukkot demands the cancellation of his pending appearance for questioning over his actions in breaking into the IDF’s Sde Teiman base last summer, claiming the integrity of the investigative process is in question due to the recent arrest of former military advocate general Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi.

The far-right lawmaker received a police summons last week regarding the part he played in a mob that rioted at the military base in July 2024, after Military Police detained several reservists on suspicion of severely abusing a Palestinian terror detainee held there.

During the break-in, Sukkot was filmed pushing through the gates of the base despite efforts by troops to block his entrance.

Days after the incident, Sukkot doubled down on his actions in the Knesset, insisting that he had been doing his job and that he was permitted to enter “any place in the State of Israel” for the purpose of oversight.

In a letter reported by Channel 12, Sukkot’s attorneys demand that his questioning be cancelled due to the “corruption” highlighted by Tomer-Yerushalmi’s recent admission that she leaked a video to the media that purports to show IDF soldiers severely abusing a Gazan detainee at the military facility.

Sukkot’s attorneys also claim that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has “a conflict of interest” in the matter and that under her the law enforcement system “does not have the moral integrity to conduct an investigation into any matter related to the Sde Teiman affair and its ramifications.”

In a tweet, the right-wing Honenu legal aid organization, which is representing Sukkot, says that any investigation of the lawmaker “cannot be conducted with integrity in a system that, he says, is tainted by corruption and a serious conflict of interest.”

“At this time when the house of cards of the Sde Teiman events has collapsed and the corruption that accompanied the case from its inception has been exposed, the last thing the Israel Police should do is to investigate Knesset members for their activities… to monitor and prevent harm to IDF soldiers,” the group writes.

Border cop arrested on suspicion of forging entry permits for West Bank Palestinians

Investigators arrested a Border Police officer in Jerusalem yesterday on suspicion of forging entry permits for West Bank Palestinians who want to cross into Israel, in exchange for bribes.

The officer allegedly impersonated intelligence officers and coordinators, signing their name on the fake permits, says the Department for Internal Police Investigations.

He is being probed on suspicion of accepting bribes, impersonation, forging documents and breach of trust, prosecutors say.

The suspect will be brought before the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court today, where law enforcement will request that he be kept in custody.

IDF confirms Lebanon airstrike, says it targeted Hezbollah’s so-called construction unit

The IDF confirms carrying out an airstrike in the Tyre area of southern Lebanon a short while ago, saying it targeted operatives in the terror group’s so-called construction unit.

The operatives were targeted while gathered at a Hezbollah site, which the IDF says was used to “produce equipment used by the organization’s terrorists to restore terror infrastructure” that was destroyed in the fighting last year.

The military adds that the operatives’ activities constitute a violation of the ceasefire.

צה״ל תקף מחבלים שפעלו בתשתית טרור של יחידת הבינוי בארגון הטרור חיזבאללה

צה״ל תקף לפני זמן קצר, בהובלת פיקוד הצפון ובאמצעות חיל האוויר, מחבלים שפעלו בתשתית טרור של יחידת הבינוי בארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב צור שבדרום לבנון.

התשתית שימשה לייצור ציוד שבעזרתו מחבלי הארגון פעלו… pic.twitter.com/DxCQs2HjpB

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) November 6, 2025

Israeli airstrikes reported in Tyre area of southern Lebanon

Lebanese media reports Israeli airstrikes in the Tyre area of southern Lebanon.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF.

مشاهد للغارات الإسرائيلية على العباسية ووادي يقع بين طورا وطيردبا pic.twitter.com/tFDyueC3FG

— هنا لبنان (@thisislebnews) November 6, 2025

Hezbollah tells Lebanese leaders: Focus on forcing Israel to comply with ceasefire, not disarming us

A bulldozer removes the wreckage of a vehicle targeted by an Israeli drone strike in the southern Lebanese village of Doueir near the city of Nabatiyeh, on November 3, 2025. (Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP)

The Hezbollah terror group publishes an open letter to Lebanon’s three top officials — the prime minister, the president and the parliament speaker — saying that Lebanon should concentrate on ensuring the ceasefire with Israel is implemented and forcing Israel to comply, rather than “being drawn into political negotiations with the Zionist enemy.”

In the letter, Hezbollah says that “the government’s hasty decision regarding the monopoly of arms” — meaning the decision to disarm the terror group — allowed Israel to exploit the situation and make the disarmament a condition for ending its “violations” of the ceasefire.

It adds that the issue of weapons “should be discussed within a national framework and not as a response to a foreign demand or Israeli blackmail.”

The terror group began near-daily missile and drone attacks on northern Israel on October 8, 2023 — a day after fellow Iran-backed terror group Hamas invaded southern Israel, sparking the Gaza war.

Under the November 27 ceasefire deal, which followed over a year of hostilities, Hezbollah was required to vacate southern Lebanon and be replaced by the Lebanese military. Israel, which invaded southern Lebanon late September last year, was also required to withdraw, but regularly strikes what it says are Hezbollah targets breaching the ceasefire, and maintains a troop presence in five strategic locations.

Israel unveils planned 0% tax rate for 2026 immigrants for their first 2 years

Immigration and Absorption Minister Ofir Sofer speaks as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich listens at a ceremony at the Nefesh B'Nefesh office in Jerusalem on November 6, 2025 (GPO/Sivan Shahor)

New immigrants and returning residents will be offered a zero-percent income tax rate for their first two years if they move to Israel in 2026, under a dramatic new tax reform unveiled today.

The reform, introduced as part of the 2026 state budget, is designed to attract skilled professionals, entrepreneurs and investors at a time of rising antisemitism abroad and shifting tax policies in Western countries such as Britain, the plan’s architects say.

“This is a Zionist and economic revolution,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says at a ceremony at the offices of Nefesh B’Nefesh, an organization that supports immigration to Israel. “It’s worth being a new immigrant.”

Under the plan, immigrants and returning residents who move to Israel in 2026 will pay no income tax in 2026 and 2027. Their tax rates will gradually increase to up to 10% in 2028, up to 20% in 2029 and up to 30% in 2030.

These rates will apply up to an annual income cap of NIS 1 million (about $305,000).

Returning residents will need to have been abroad for at least ten consecutive years, meaning that Israelis who left the country over the past few years, during the planned judicial overhaul and the war with Hamas, will not be eligible.

The new benefits will be added to existing incentives for immigrants, including a 10-year exemption on taxes from foreign income and various tax credits, the Finance Ministry says.

BBC Mideast editor got death threats after Owen Jones article slamming ‘pro-Israel’ Gaza coverage, libel case documents show

Owen Jones (C) after attending a demonstration in central London on January 12, 2019, against austerity measures (Daniel LEAL / AFP)

The BBC’s Middle East editor Raffi Berg got death threats in the wake of an article in which hard-left commentator and activist Owen Jones accused him of interfering with BBC coverage of the Gaza war to make it more pro-Israel, according to documents submitted in a High Court libel claim.

Berg is suing Jones over the article, titled “The BBC’s Civil War Over Gaza,” which was published on the Drop Site website in December, the Jewish News reports.

According to the report, the Drop Site article claimed that BBC staff told Jones that Berg “plays a key role in a wider BBC culture of ‘systematic Israeli propaganda.’”

Jones’s article additionally claimed staff had told him that Berg “reshapes everything from headlines, to story text, to images” and “repeatedly seeks to foreground the Israeli military perspective while stripping away Palestinian humanity.”

Berg denies the allegations.

According to the Jewish Chronicle, the article led to a flood of comments online claiming that Berg, who is Jewish, worked for the Mossad. The outlet said online posts responding to Jones’s article called Berg a “pig,” “Zionist scum,” “Nazi” and “child killer” and accused the BBC journalist of being a child abuser.

In court documents seen by the PA news agency, Berg’s lawyer said the article’s claims caused his client to suffer “an onslaught of hatred, intimidation and threats,” including death threats, and “strike at the claimant’s professional reputation as a journalist and editor.”

Jones, a prominent ally of former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, said he looked forward to “vigorously defending” his reporting.

Joshua Loitu Mollel, whose body was returned by Hamas: ‘A big smile that never left his face’

Joshua Loitu Mollel (Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum pays tribute to Joshua Loitu Mollel, whose body was returned to Israel by Hamas last night.

The forum says the 21-year-old’s family said he was polite, kind, very hardworking, and had a big smile that never left his face.

“The families of the hostages and the returned embrace the family of Joshua Loitu Mollel at this difficult time, following the return of their beloved Joshua yesterday so he may be laid to rest,” the forum says in a statement.

“Amid their grief and the knowledge that their hearts will never fully heal, Joshua’s return offers some comfort to a family that has endured unbearable uncertainty for over two years,” the forum says. “We will not rest until every hostage comes home.”

Mollel arrived in Israel as an agricultural intern at Kibbutz Nahal Oz just 19 days before October 7, 2023.

When the Hamas-led attack began, Mollel was working in the kibbutz’s barn, where he was murdered and his body taken to Gaza.

He is survived by his parents and four siblings.

Body of Tanzanian national Joshua Loitu Mollel returned to Israel by Hamas last night

Joshua Loitu Mollel (Courtesy)

Military and Foreign Ministry representatives notified the family of Tanzanian national Joshua Loitu Mollel that his body was returned to Israel by Hamas last night, after forensic experts completed their identification.

Mollel, 21, an agricultural intern at Kibbutz Nahal Oz, was murdered by Hamas terrorists on the morning of October 7, 2023, and his body was abducted to Gaza.

The bodies of six slain hostages now remain held in the Strip — five Israelis and one foreign national: Meny Godard, Lt. Hadar Goldin, Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, Dror Or, Lior Rudaeff, and Sudthisak Rinthalak.

“The Israeli government shares in the deep sorrow of the Mollel family and of all the families of the fallen hostages,” the Prime Minister’s Office says in a statement.

The PMO says that Israel is “determined, committed, and working tirelessly” to bring back the remaining six slain hostages for burial, adding that Hamas is “required to fulfill its commitments to the mediators and return them as part of the implementation of the agreement.”

US to reduce flights from tomorrow as record government shutdown drags on

A person looks at a flight schedule screen in Terminal 8 at JFK Airport on August 29, 2025 in New York, New York (Michael M. Santiago / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

US officials say the scheduled capacity for flights is being cut by 10 percent in 40 busy air traffic areas nationwide from tomorrow, as the longest government shutdown drags on.

Federal agencies have been grinding to a halt since Congress failed to approve funding past September 30, with some 1.4 million federal workers, from air traffic controllers to park wardens, still on enforced leave or working without pay.

“There is going to be a 10 percent reduction in capacity at 40 of our locations,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy tells a White House news briefing.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) chief Bryan Bedford says the cuts will be at “40 high traffic environment markets.”

According to a proposed list provided to CBS News, some of the nation’s busiest airports in Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles and New York City could be among those hit.

Environmental Ministry: Israel won’t send delegation to COP30 climate confab

A visitor learns about BlueGreen water technologies at the Israeli pavilion at the UN climate conference, COP29, held in Baku, Azerbaijan, November 14, 2024. (Sue Surkes/Times of Israel

The Environmental Protection Ministry announces that unlike last year, there will be neither an Israeli pavilion nor a delegation to this month’s UN climate conference, COP30, set to be held in Belem, Brazil.

It says the decision is due to “the diversion of resources resulting from the ongoing war and diplomatic campaign.”

Last year, even though Israel had already been at war against Hamas for a year, a delegation of over a hundred people was sent, with a pavilion that showcased 20 climate tech projects.

Just two ministry officials will attend this year’s event, which runs from November 10-21 in Belem, a gateway to the lower Amazon region in Brazil’s northeast.

The head of the Climate Resilience Division will cover the first week, to be replaced by the head of the International Relations Division during the second.

The two will represent Israel in negotiations and other formal discussions, and promote Israeli climate solutions as well as integration into international initiatives, according to the ministry.

Officials in Israel will provide the two with information and support, and join some sessions online.

One initiative that Israel will join deals with preventing forest fires.

World leaders, scientists, and civil society activists from over 190 countries will converge at COP30, where there has been controversy over a lack of accommodation and sky-high prices for the rooms that do exist, with poor countries saying they cannot afford to send delegations.

While wishing to draw world attention to the importance of the Amazon rainforest, Brazil is increasing the drilling of oil — one of the fossil fuels that helps drive climate change. It is set to become a top oil producer by 2030.

The US will not be sending any high-level officials this year, in view of US President Donald Trump’s stated opinion that climate change is a “hoax.”

Katz instructs IDF to declare Israel-Egypt border area a closed military zone over drone smuggling threat

View of the Israeli-Egyptian border. September 9, 2025 (Yaniv Nadav/FLASH90)

Defense Minister Israel Katz says he has instructed the IDF to declare the Israel-Egypt border area a closed military zone and adjust its open-fire rules, in light of the ongoing drone threat in the area.

The IDF has yet to announce any new closed military zones along Israel’s 200-kilometer-long border with Egypt.

In the past year, there have been frequent attempts to bring weapons and drugs over the Egyptian border using drones. Yesterday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir instructed the military to focus efforts and resources on countering the threat.

Katz also held a meeting yesterday with IDF, police, and Shin Bet officials on the matter.

During the meeting, Katz “instructed the IDF to turn the area adjacent to the border into a closed military zone and to adjust the rules of engagement in order to strike any unauthorized party that penetrates into the prohibited area, in order to hit the operators and smugglers of the drones,” according to his office.

Katz’s office also says that the Defense Ministry’s Directorate of Defense Research & Development and the Israeli Air Force will develop new “technological solutions” to counter the drone threat, and the National Security Council will assist with changing licensing requirements and legislative amendments regarding the use, purchase, and possession of drones.

The defense minister also spoke with Shin Bet chief David Zini on the matter, and it was agreed that the security agency will “define the issue of weapon smuggling threats via drones on the Israel–Egypt border as a terrorist threat,” which will enable security bodies to use “appropriate tools to combat the threat,” Katz’s office says.

Senior Hamas officials met Turkish intelligence chief in Istanbul, terror group announces

Hamas announces that a delegation of its representatives, led by senior official Khalil al-Hayya, met yesterday in Istanbul with Ibrahim Kalin, the head of Turkish intelligence.

According to the statement, the meeting focused on the ceasefire in Gaza, including “the continuation of attacks and shootings in areas controlled by the occupation forces, the ongoing closure of the crossings, and the need to rebuild Gaza’s infrastructure — sewage, roads and electricity.”

The statement adds that the Hamas delegation emphasized its commitment to implementing the ceasefire agreement, including transferring Gaza’s administration to an independent Palestinian committee.

Last week, the same Hamas representatives met in Istanbul with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Body returned by Hamas identified as one of the hostages; name not yet announced

Gunmen from Hamas and Egyptian workers search for the bodies of hostages in the Shijaiyah neighborhood of Gaza City, Nov. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

The body Hamas returned to Israel last night has been identified by forensic experts as one of the hostages.

Their name has not yet been permitted for publication.

This means that the bodies of six slain hostages now remain held in the Gaza Strip.

Father of Itay Chen, whose body was returned on Tuesday: ‘It’s our responsibility to bring them all home’

Staff Sgt. Itay Chen (Courtesy)

The father of Staff Sgt. Itay Chen, whose body was returned from Gaza by Hamas on Tuesday, says the family can now start to move forward with a sense of closure, but that the fight goes on to secure the release of the remaining hostages.

“We always looked as ourselves as one large and special family,” Ruby Chen says of the hostage families. “The [ceasefire] deal spoke of 48 hostages, not 45 or 42, and it is our responsibility to bring them all home so the country can open a new chapter of rehabilitation.”

Chen tells Channel 12 that has received many messages of support from US officials, both current and also from the Biden administration.

Itay Chen, 19, of the 7th Armored Brigade’s 75th Battalion, from Netanya, was killed on October 7 while battling the Hamas invasion of southern Israel, and his body was taken captive to Gaza.

Itay was stationed near the Gaza border that Saturday morning – he had swapped weekends off with another comrade so he could ensure he would be home for his younger brother’s bar mitzvah a week later.

While Itay was initially considered a living hostage, the IDF determined in March 2024 that he had been killed during the initial onslaught and his body taken captive to Gaza.

Egypt’s Enany set to be confirmed as UNESCO head, despite criticism of heritage record

Khaled El-Enany, Egyptologist and former Minister of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt, and candidate to become head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) speaks during an interview with AFP at a hotel in Paris on April 10, 2025. (Xavier GALIANA / AFP)

Egypt’s former tourism and antiquities minister Khaled El-Enany is set to be confirmed as head of UNESCO later today, despite criticism from heritage groups that he had failed to protect cultural treasures at home such as Cairo’s “City of the Dead.”

Enany, 54, was elected last month by UNESCO’s 58-member Executive Board with 55 votes, beating Edouard Firmin Matoko of Congo-Brazzaville. His appointment as the first Arab director-general of the UN cultural and education agency will be put to a formal confirmation vote of all 194 member states at the agency’s general conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

The Berlin-based NGO World Heritage Watch last week urged countries to reconsider the appointment, arguing that Enany’s record as minister raised questions about his commitment to preserving cultural sites.

In a letter signed by more than 50 organizations and experts, it cited the demolition of parts of Cairo’s historic necropolis, the “City of the Dead,” and the expansion of tourism works near St Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai, both UNESCO World Heritage sites.

“It is irresponsible to entrust someone with such a past with the top job at the organization responsible for preserving world heritage,” the group said.

Reuters was unable to reach Enany directly for comment. Before last month’s executive board vote, his campaign said he was too busy to respond to questions sent by Reuters about criticism of his record. The campaign added in a statement that “the unfortunate mega-project that the government decided to carry out in the St Catherine’s area is currently halted.”

Following his election, the campaign declined to comment further and referred the questions to the UNESCO Secretariat, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

German lawmakers accuse far-right AfD of harboring Russian ‘sleeper cell’

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives for an awards ceremony marking the National Unity Day at the Kremlin in Moscow on November 4, 2025 (MAXIM SHIPENKOV / POOL / AFP)

German lawmakers accuse the far-right AfD of harboring a Russian “sleeper cell,” in the latest claim that the party is spying for Moscow, prompting a denial in parliament.

The AfD has faced accusations since October of using parliamentary questions to collect sensitive details on critical infrastructure, security and military matters, particularly in the eastern state of Thuringia.

Marc Henrichmann, a lawmaker for Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU, says the questions covered arms deliveries to Ukraine, power stations, drone production and army bases.

“At the very least, they have a sleeper cell loyal to Russia in their ranks,” he says. “How lucky for Vladimir Putin that the AfD exists in Germany.”

AfD politicians reject the accusations as “embarrassing” and “malicious” but do not offer justifications for the enquiries.

After criticism, Heritage Foundation head vows to call out antisemitism ‘even when my friend Tucker Carlson needs challenging’

Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, speaks in Washington, April 12, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The head of the Heritage Foundation in Washington apologizes for hitting out at a “venomous coalition” while defending Tucker Carlson against criticism for hosting an avowed Jew hater on his podcast, and appears to create some daylight between his conservative think tank and the former Fox News host.

“My use of the phrase was a terrible choice of words. It caused justified concern, especially among friends and allies who know how seriously Heritage has fought, and continues to fight, against the rise of antisemitism,” says Kevin Roberts in a new video statement.

“Everyone has the responsibility to speak up against the scourge of antisemitism, no matter the messenger. Heritage and I will do so, even when my friend Tucker Carlson needs challenging,” he adds, saying “the conservative movement must be willing to wrestle with hard conversations, not avoid them.”

Leadership requires owning the moments where we fall short, then using them to reset, refocus, and recommit.

Here is what we are focused on moving forward. Join us. Let’s go win! pic.twitter.com/3xtuP8NDkq

— Kevin Roberts (@KevinRobertsTX) November 6, 2025

The video comes after Roberts apologized to his staff earlier in the day for refusing to condemn Carlson over his friendly interview with Nick Fuentes.

During a tense, two-hour all-hands meetings, staff members challenged Roberts’ leadership, questioned Heritage’s credibility, and warned that his stance had gravely damaged the foundation’s relationships with Jewish partners and donors

“I made a mistake and I let you down and I let down this institution. Period. Full stop,” Roberts said.

The meeting, audio and video of which were leaked online, laid bare deep divisions inside America’s most influential conservative think tank, torn between Roberts’ attempt to mend fences and a staff revolt from within its senior ranks.

Several Heritage employees, including longtime fellows and legal scholars, told Roberts they no longer had confidence in his leadership. Others said his refusal to draw moral lines between Carlson and antisemites like Fuentes had caused lasting reputational harm.

“I made the mess, I want to clean it up,” Roberts told employees, adding that he had offered his resignation to the board but felt a “moral obligation” to stay and repair the damage.

Several staffers demanded that Roberts publicly repudiate Carlson. Two called for him to resign.

FBI names 3rd Michigan man charged in Halloween terror attack plot; 2 suspects in NJ also indicted

LANSING, Michigan — US investigators say a third Michigan man is now facing charges in a plot to stage a terror attack on Halloween. He traveled to Cedar Point, an amusement park in Ohio, to scout the location, they say.

Ayob Nasser, 19, was arrested Wednesday. He is accused of participating in the planning of a possible attack on LGBTQ+ bars in suburban Detroit that was inspired by the Islamic State, federal authorities have said.

Also on Wednesday evening, acting US Attorney Alina Habba in New Jersey says in a video posted to social media that her office charged two more people “connected” to the alleged plot. Court documents detailing the charges aren’t immediately available.

Nasser, his brother Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud are charged with conspiracy to provide material support and resources to a designated terrorist organization and receiving and transferring guns and ammunition for terrorism, according to court documents.

Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud were arrested Friday. Investigators say two minors, identified only as Person 1 and Person 2 in court documents, were also involved in the discussions.

Freed hostage Rom Braslavski says Islamic Jihad captors sexually assaulted and tortured him

Rom Braslavski on his way back to Israel after two years in captivity in Gaza, October 13, 2025. (Government Press Office)

Freed hostage Rom Braslavski reveals that the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists who held him captive in Gaza repeatedly sexually assaulted and tortured him.

In an excerpt that the Daily Mail published of an interview with Israel’s Channel 13’s “Hazinor” investigative program, which is due to be aired in full Thursday night, Braslavski says that his captors stripped him naked and tied him up before starving him.

“I was torn apart, dying, with no food,” he is quoted as saying. “I prayed to God, ‘Please, save me, get me out of this already.’ And you just say to yourself, ‘What the f***?'”

“It was sexual violence — and its main purpose was to humiliate me,” he continues. “The goal was to crush my dignity. And that’s exactly what he did.”

Braslavski’s testimony appears to make him the first male former hostage to report being sexually assaulted in captivity, which a number of freed female captives have recalled suffering.

“It’s hard for me to talk about that part specifically. I don’t like to talk about it. It’s hard, It was the most horrific thing,” Braslavski adds. “It’s something even the Nazis didn’t do. During Hitler’s time, they wouldn’t have done things like this. You just pray for it to stop. And while I was there — every day, every beating — I’d say to myself, ‘I survived another day in hell. Tomorrow morning, I’ll wake up to another hell. And another. And another. It doesn’t end.'”

“I came back from meeting the devil.”

Days after he was freed from Gaza last month, Braslavski’s mother said he was whipped and beaten “with things that I will not even mention,” and that his captors also pressured him to convert to Islam, offering him extra food and better conditions, but he resisted. They also told him, falsely, that Israelis were too weak or uninterested to protest on his behalf, while inflating the IDF’s death toll and the damage inflicted on Israel.

Trump says Mamdani ‘has to be a little bit respectful of Washington,’ is ‘off to a bad start’

US President Donald Trump says the incoming New York City mayor gave an “angry speech” after his victory and should be “very nice to me” because the federal government has to approve things that Mamdani wants.

“He’s off to a bad start,” Trump says.

Asked if he will reach out to Mamdani, Trump demurs.

“It would be more appropriate for him to reach out to us,” he says.

IDF says Palestinian killed after throwing explosive device at troops in northern West Bank

A Palestinian who allegedly hurled an explosive device at Israeli soldiers during a raid in the northern West Bank town of Yamun this evening was shot dead, the military says.

The IDF says the forces of the Paratroopers Brigade’s reconnaissance unit were not hurt by the bomb.