Nov. 9: Qatar confirms halt to mediator role, claims reports of Hamas expulsion ‘inaccurate’

Trump says Haley and Pompeo won’t be part of his administration

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo looks on as US Ambassador to the United Nation Nikki Haley speaks at the US Department of State in Washington DC on June 19, 2018.(AFP Photo/Andrew Caballero-Reynolds)

President-elect Donald Trump announces that his former ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley and his former secretary of state Mike Pompeo will not be part of his next administration.

“I very much enjoyed and appreciated working with them previously, and would like to thank them for their service to our Country,” he says in a post on Truth Social.

In Arabic, IDF condemns video of troops in southern Lebanon burning Lebanese flag

The IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman issues a statement distancing the military from a video showing soldiers burning a Lebanese flag during the ground offensive against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

Col. Avichay Adraee condemns the burning of the flag as a violation of IDF rules and values while accusing Hezbollah of long desecrating Lebanese symbols.

The IDF has not commented in Hebrew on the incident.

South Lebanon |

Israeli soldiers from Golani’s special operations unit burning the lebanese flag pic.twitter.com/lQk8fTFuH2

— Younis Tirawi | يونس (@ytirawi) November 8, 2024

Public broadcaster says its journalists were trailed by anti-Israel youths in Amsterdam

The Kan public broadcaster says its reporter Michal Reshef and cameraman Micah Rizov were trailed by a group of anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian youths after filming a segment in Amsterdam.

In a video published by Kan, Reshef says the group approached them shouting “Free Palestine” right before her live report from the city’s Dam Square, but was “pushed back” by police.

After her broadcast, Reshef says the group “did a sort of wait in the alley” and began to follow her and Rizov as they were leaving, leading them to enter a store for safety and call the police. The video ends with the officers arriving to escort them to safety.

The incident came shortly after the National Security Council cited an assessment from Israeli security agencies that “the wave of violence” following the Maccabi Tel Aviv game in Amsterdam is over and that Israelis can again freely move around the city.

The NSC statement stressed however that due to continued concerns, Israelis should “hide Israeli symbols” and exercise increased vigilance.

"חיכו לנו בסמטה": צוות כאן 11 אוים על ידי פרו-פלסטינים באמסטרדם – ופונה בידי שוטרים@michalresh pic.twitter.com/jFhgdY8IKp

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) November 9, 2024

Speaking in Hebrew, German ambassador calls for hostages’ return at Tel Aviv rally

Demonstrators call for release of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip by Hamas, outside the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, November 9, 2024. (Tal Gal/Flash90)

Speaking in Hebrew at Hostages Square, Steffen Seibert, Germany’s ambassador to Israel, says that for some Israeli politicians, “the fate of the hostages is just one of the [war’s] aims, and certainly not the primary one.”

“And I say this as the representative of Germany and out of responsibility” to hostages with German citizenship, Seibert adds.

“I must admit that until now, we have failed to bring everyone home. All the talks with those who have influence on Hamas” have come to nought, he says.

Naming hostages who have German citizenship or are related to German citizens, Seibert says: “These are Germans, or family members of Germans, and we want them back.”

In an announcement on tonight’s rally, the Hostage and Missing Families Forum says it will feature speakers from a wide spectrum of Israeli society united in a call for a hostage deal.

Seibert is followed by Dolan Abu Salah, head of the municipal council of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, where 12 children were killed in a Hezbollah rocket attack in July; Rabbi Avidan Friedman, a settler from Efrat who led a hunger strike in front of the Knesset to demand a hostage deal; and journalist Shai Golden, whose departure from the right-wing Channel 14 drew rebukes from Netanyahu loyalists.

“I consider myself right-wing,” says Golden, “but I don’t come here as a right-winger — I come as an Israeli.”

He says Israel will continue fighting “the Nazis of Hamas” for generations to come, but must sign a hostage deal now, even if that means ending the war.

“What has gone wrong with your Jewish conscience, prime minister?” he says.

“Send your negotiating team wherever is necessary and say to them a single sentence: don’t you dare come back without a hostage deal,” adds Golden.

Friedman notes that in the past week’s Torah portion, the patriarch Abraham goes to war to save his hostage nephew Lot.

“Then as now the foremost fight of our existential struggle is to rescue all the hostages,” says Friedman.

Qatar confirms it’s halting mediator role, claims reports on Hamas office closure are ‘inaccurate’

Qatar officially confirms that it has informed Israel and Hamas of its decision to halt its mediation efforts for a ceasefire and hostage release deal, but frames the decision as reversible if the parties demonstrate willingness to reengage.

Yesterday, the Biden administration revealed that it had asked Qatar to close Hamas’s diplomatic office in Doha and expel officials from the terror group based there, pointing to its August execution of hostages and subsequent rejection of ceasefire proposals.

Qatar didn’t immediately comment on the US revelation, but a diplomat familiar with the matter — who wasn’t from the US but spoke on condition of anonymity — confirmed to The Times of Israel that Qatar had indeed informed Hamas at the end of October that the terror group’s officials would have to leave Doha because it was ceasing its mediating role.

However, the diplomat indicated that Qatar’s decision had nothing to do with US pressure and was taken solely due to frustration with Israel and Hamas’s unwillingness to negotiate in good faith.

As media reports regarding Doha’s decision began to pile up, the Qatari foreign ministry weighs in on the matter publicly for the first time.

“The State of Qatar notified the parties 10 days ago during the last attempts to reach an agreement, that it would stall its efforts to mediate between Hamas and Israel if an agreement was not reached in that round,” the statement says.

However, the ministry stresses that “Qatar will resume those efforts with its partners when the parties show their willingness and seriousness to end the brutal war and the ongoing suffering of civilians caused by catastrophic humanitarian conditions in the Strip, [and will] be at the forefront of making every good effort to end the war and return the hostages and prisoners.”

The foreign ministry spokesperson makes a point of claiming that “media reports” on the topic and those specifically on Qatar’s decision to close the Hamas office in Doha are “inaccurate.”

However, the spokesperson doesn’t specify which reports he is referring to and doesn’t explicitly deny the decision to close the Hamas bureau, which he says has served as a useful tool in securing a previous hostage deal last November.

Hostage families rally in Tel Aviv to mark 400 days since their loved ones were abducted

Israelis demanding the return of hostages held by Hamas demonstrate in front of a sign that reads "Why are the still in Gaza? 400 days," during a rally in Tel Aviv on November 9, 2024. (Jack Guez/AFP)

Hundreds of people gather on Tel Aviv’s Begin Road, outside the IDF headquarters, to demand a hostage deal, as the families of captives held in Gaza mark 400 days since their loved ones were abducted.

The crowd appears slightly larger than in recent weeks. This weekend’s rally on Begin Road is the first since protests broke out Tuesday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ousted defense minister Yoav Gallant, who was considered a proponent for a hostage deal.

A massive sign reading “Why are they still in Gaza? 400 days” hangs from the pedestrian overpass down to street level.

Big white cardboard letters on the street spell out: “400 days — the shame of Netanyahu.”

Though partisan politics are usually absent from Begin Street, the youth wing of the opposition Yesh Atid party has set up an informational stand here.

Protesters chant: “There is nothing more important — every captive must return!”

A block away, some 500 people assemble at Hostages Square and stand in relative silence as they await the start of the main weekly rally organized by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

With a band of mothers clad in white, Niva Wenkert, the mother of hostage Omer Wenkert, kicks off the rally with a call to join “Shift 101,” a silent protest group.

Following her is actor Lior Ashkenazi, the regular MC at the forum’s rallies, who rails against the politicking at home while the captives have languished in Gaza for 400 days. He notes that tonight’s rally falls on the 86th anniversary of Kristallnacht, drawing a direct line between the Nazi pogrom and Hamas’s actions on October 7, 2023.

Dutch prosecutors impose fines on dozens of suspects in Amsterdam attacks on Maccabi fans

Prosecutors in Amsterdam say that four suspects remain detained on suspicion of violent acts, including two minors, and that 40 people had been fined for public disturbance and 10 for offenses including vandalism over the brutal assaults on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in the Dutch city.

The prosecutors add that they expect to make more arrests.

IDF says fighter jets hit several Hezbollah targets in Tyre and Baalbek

Israeli fighter jets struck several Hezbollah targets in the coastal city of Tyre and northeastern Lebanon’s Baalbek earlier today, the IDF says.

The targets included members of the terror group, apartments used by Hezbollah, and weapon depots, according to the military.

Over the weekend, the IDF says over 100 Hezbollah sites were struck, and dozens of operatives were killed.

מוקדם יותר היום מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר תקפו תשתיות טרור של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב צור ובעלבכ.
בין המטרות שהותקפו, מחבלים, דירות מבצעיות ומחסני אמצעי לחימה של הארגון pic.twitter.com/LT8EfEHe1L

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) November 9, 2024

Lebanese authorities say over 20 killed in Israeli strikes in the past day

Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon over the last day have killed more than 20 people including several children, Lebanese authorities say, after heavy Israeli bombardment pounded the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut overnight.

At least 16 of those were killed in Israeli strikes today across the eastern plains around the historic city of Baalbek, the area’s governor says in a post on social media platform X.

In Gaza’s Jabalia, Halevi says IDF operating there ‘to bring back the hostages, ensure security’

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi speaks to troops in northern Gaza's Jabalia, November 8, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi visited troops in northern Gaza’s Jabalia yesterday, telling them that “with the strength you are displaying here, we are ensuring the safety of our civilians and will bring back the hostages.”

“We are sending Hamas a very clear message: the IDF does not tire. The more we fight, the stronger we become, gaining more experience, capabilities, professionalism, values, and determination. We are progressing with great intensity. The fact that you are concluding three weeks here with approximately 1,000 terrorists killed and 1,000 terrorists captured is a significant achievement that deals Hamas a severe blow,” Halevi says in a video distributed by the IDF.

“We are providing the residents near the northern Gaza border with greater security and creating conditions for this security to endure, to not to be fleeting. Reaching an agreement is complex, but with the strength you are displaying here and the powerful way in which the IDF is fighting on seven fronts, in seven arenas, Israel is telling the entire Middle East — there is immense strength here, and incredible capability,” he continues.

“From this position of power, we are supporting our civilians and soldiers who are held hostage and are prepared to fight with tremendous determination, as well as pay a price to bring them home. We are not stopping or slowing down; this is to bring back the hostages, to ensure security for the surrounding communities.” Halevi adds.

As Trump set to return, Iran denies trying to kill him, claims it doesn’t seek nukes

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a meeting with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, in Tehran, Iran, August 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iran’s foreign minister is seeking to distance Tehran from the US Justice Department revelations that it sought to assassinate US President-elect Donald Trump, who reports indicate could renew the US “maximum pressure” campaign on the Islamic Republic when back in the White House.

“Remember the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran right after our President’s inauguration? Everyone knows who did it and why,” writes Abbas Araghchi on X, referring to the killing of the Hamas leader in late July that Iran has blamed on Israel.

“Now, with another election, a new scenario is fabricated with the same goal: as a killer does not exist in reality, scriptwriters are brought in to manufacture a third-rate comedy. Who can in their right mind believe that a supposed assassin SITS IN IRAN and talks online to the FBI?!”

Araghchi insists that Iran respects the American people’s choice of president, but “the path forward is also a choice. It begins with respect.”

He also claims: “Iran is NOT after nuclear weapons, period. This is a policy based on Islamic teachings and our security calculations. Confidence-building is needed from both sides. It is not a one-way street.”

Remember the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran right after our President's inauguration? Everyone knows who did it and why.

Now, with another election, a new scenario is fabricated with the same goal: as a killer does not exist in reality, scriptwriters are brought in…

— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) November 9, 2024

IDF video shows primed mobile rocket launcher that troops found in southern Lebanon

A loaded Hezbollah multiple rocket launcher found by troops of the 769th Brigade in southern Lebanon, in a handout photo issued on November 9, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF releases footage of a multiple rocket launcher located by troops of the 769th “Hiram” Regional Brigade during operations in southern Lebanon.

According to the military, the mobile launcher was loaded with 24 rockets and primed for an attack on the Galilee Panhandle.

The launcher was found during a raid on a Hezbollah weapons depot on the outskirts of a Lebanese village, the IDF adds.

A loaded Hezbollah multiple rocket launcher found by troops of the 769th Brigade in southern Lebanon, in a handout video issued on November 9, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

Home Front Command eases restrictions on gatherings in areas of northern Israel

The IDF Home Front Command says it is easing restrictions in several areas in northern Israel, following a fresh assessment.

The changes come despite repeated Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks.

As part of the changes, the Home Front Command has adjusted the activity scale in the southern Golan Heights (not including Katzrin and Kidmat Tsvi) and the central Galilee, from “partial activity” to “full activity.”

The changes there mean that gatherings are permitted up to 2,000 people.

There are no changes to other areas in the country.

Home Front Command guidelines issued on November 9, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

Senior Hamas official denies Doha told the terror group to leave town

File: Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani (R), in a meeting with Hamas politburo leader Ismail Haniyeh (L) and official Khaled Mashal in Doha, Qatar, October 17, 2016. (Qatar government handout)

A senior Hamas official tells that the terror group had received no indication from Qatar that it should leave the country, where its political office has been based for years.

“We have nothing to confirm or deny regarding what was published by an unidentified diplomatic source and we have not received any request to leave Qatar,” the official says from Doha, after a diplomatic source told AFP that Qatar had withdrawn as a key mediator in negotiating a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal and had warned Hamas its Doha office was “no longer” serving its purpose.

Meanwhile, an Israeli official welcomes Qatar’s decision to end its mediating role on the grounds that neither Israel nor Hamas is operating in good faith.

“There’s a logic to it. The moment that [the Qataris] expel Hamas there is no more advantage in mediation and it becomes superfluous,” says the official. “Hamas is a murderous terror organization that needs to be suppressed globally rather than receiving emergency lodgings in any country.”

“It’s been a while already that Israel and the US have been pushing for Qatar to expel Hamas,” adds the official.

Druze Maccabi Tel Aviv fan says he yelled in Arabic to distract Amsterdam assailants

Screenshot from a video shows violence on the streets of Amsterdam in which Israelis were attacked by pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel gangs on November 8, 2024. (X screenshot; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Melhem Asad, a resident of the northern Druze town of Kisra-Sumei who is fan of the Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer team, recalls to Channel 12 news how he yelled in Arabic at a group of assailants in Amsterdam to prevent them from attacking Jewish fans of the team.

According to Asad, Maccabi fans were escorted by police to the match against Ajax due to anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian demonstrations but after the game “the local police just screwed up.”

“They didn’t guard us, we felt really exposed,” he says.

Asad says that he had nearly made it safely back to his hotel after the brutal attacks started when he encountered a group of Arabic-speaking suspects planning to assault Maccabi fans.

“I told them that no Jews are still here, that they escaped. I did everything to confuse them… I directed them the other way and then ran toward groups of Israelis and warned them that there are immigrants who are looking to hurt them,” he tells the network, explaining he told his fellow Maccabi supporters to take off their blue and yellow jerseys so they couldn’t be identified.

Asad says the violence reminded him of Hamas’s October 7 onslaught last year.

“I feel that God sent me at the right time and to the place to save whoever was possible,” he adds.

ערבות הדדית בהתגלמותה -מלחם אסעד, תושב הכפר שלי כסרא-סמיע, אוהד מכבי תל אביב היה באמסטרדם
כשהתחיל הפוגרום ברחובות העיר, ובזכות התושייה שלו ניצל את העובדה שהוא דובר ערבית על מנת להטעות את הפורעים ולהציל אוהדים רבים.
גאים בך מלחם! שנזכה לחוות ערבות הדדית במשך השנה ולא רק ברגעי אסון pic.twitter.com/0iR5sOBgmQ

— Lorena Khateeb | لورينا خطيب (@kh_lorena) November 9, 2024

Israel says warning of Gaza famine based on ‘biased data and superficial sources with vested interests’

Israel rejects a group of global food security experts’ warning of famine in parts of northern Gaza where it is waging war against the Hamas terror group

“Unfortunately, the researchers continue to rely on partial, biased data and superficial sources with vested interests,” the military says in a statement.

The Independent Famine Review Committee said on Friday in a rare alert that there was a strong likelihood of imminent famine in parts of north Gaza with immediate action required from the warring parties to ease a catastrophic situation.

Israel’s military said it had increased aid efforts including opening an additional crossing on Friday.

In the last two months, 39,000 trucks carrying more than 840,000 tons of food have entered Gaza, it said, and meetings were taking place daily with the UN, which had 700 trucks of aid awaiting pickup and distribution.

With some critics decrying a starvation tactic in north Gaza, Israel’s main ally the US has set a deadline within days for it to improve the humanitarian situation or face potential restrictions on military aid.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Lamenting both sides’ refusal to negotiate in good faith, diplomat says Qatar is ceasing Gaza hostage-ceasefire mediation role

From L to R: Senior Hamas official Zaher Jabarin, the chairman of the group's consultative council Mohammed Ismail Darwish, known as Abu Omar Hassan, and the Palestinian movement's senior official Khaled Mashaal receive condolences during the funeral of the Palestinian movement's political leader Ismail Haniyeh in the Qatari capital Doha on August 2, 2024. (Mahmud Hams/AFP)

Qatar has decided to end its role as mediator between Israel and Hamas, a diplomat familiar with the matter tells The Times of Israel.

The diplomat confirms yesterday’s revelation by the US that Doha had told Hamas officials late last month to leave the country but appears to deny that the decision was taken due to a request from the Biden administration.

The diplomat — not from the US — tells The Times of Israel that Qatar made the decision on its own, determining that it could not continue mediating between Israel and Hamas if neither side was willing to negotiate in good faith. And if it is no longer mediating, there is no purpose for Qatar to allow Hamas to maintain its offices in the country, the diplomat says.

The diplomat laments that the ceasefire and hostage release negotiations “became more about politics and elections” for both Israel and Hamas, as opposed to a “serious attempt to secure peace.” The diplomat claims that both sides backed out of commitments that they had made throughout the negotiations, and were only engaged in them for the purpose of “political optics.”

Earlier this week, former defense minister Yoav Gallant suggested to the families of hostages held in Gaza that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has kept the war going for political reasons, not security ones, in what has prevented a ceasefire and hostage release deal.

Once the decision was made by Qatar to cease its mediation role and kick Hamas officials out of the country, it first informed the other mediators — the US and Egypt — and then informed Hamas, the diplomat says, adding that the notification was given at the end of October.

No timeline was given for when Hamas will leave Doha, but it is not something that can happen overnight, the diplomat says.

The diplomat notes that Qatar’s decision isn’t necessarily permanent and could be reversed if both sides demonstrate a sincere willingness to negotiate in good faith.

This is what happened in April, when Qatar quietly kicked out Hamas from the country, the diplomat says. The terror group’s leaders went to Turkey, but the US and Israel asked Doha to bring them back in order to resume talks after attempts to do so with Hamas in Ankara did not succeed.

Indeed, two government officials revealed that sequence of events to The Times of Israel last May.

The diplomat speculates that after Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination in Tehran, Hamas officials will once again head to Turkey. This could place Ankara in a difficult position, though, as the Biden administration made clear yesterday that it doesn’t want its allies hosting the terror group.

Several rockets fired from Lebanon hit open areas in Mount Meron area, 5 fired at Metula

The IDF says that several rockets were launched from Lebanon at the Mount Meron area an hour ago, which all impacted open areas.

Five more rockets were launched at Metula, some of which were intercepted and at least one impacted the area, according to the military.

More than 50 rockets have been launched by Hezbollah at northern Israel today.

Lebanon says 7 killed in overnight Israeli strikes in Tyre, rescuers still searching rubble

Rescuers and first responders gather at the site of overnight Israeli airstrikes in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre on November 9, 2024. (Kawnat Haju/AFP)

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Lebanon’s health ministry says seven people including two children were killed in Israeli strikes on the southern city of Tyre yesterday, with rescuers still searching for missing people under the rubble.

Israel has been carrying out airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon alongside its ground offensive in the south of the country.

“Israeli enemy strikes on the city of Tyre killed seven people including two girls, and injured 46 others,” the ministry says, adding that body parts had been found and will be “identified with DNA testing.”

It adds that rubble was being cleared following the strikes as part of ongoing efforts to locate missing persons.

The ministry had on Friday reported a toll of three killed and 30 injured in the strikes.

AFP photos show rescuers carrying bodies on stretchers amid the wreckage in Tyre, as rubble and twisted metal were strewn across the street.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Drone sirens in Tel Aviv, surrounding towns were false alarms, IDF says

Suspected drone infiltration sirens that sounded in Tel Aviv and nearby towns a short while ago were false alarms, the IDF says.

8 rockets launched from Lebanon at Galilee; no injuries reported

Eight rockets were fired from Lebanon at the Galilee a short while ago.

The IDF says one impact was identified in the Even Menachem area, while the rest of the rockets were either intercepted or hit open areas.

There are no reports of injuries.

Hezbollah has fired over 40 rockets at Israel today, according to an IDF tally.

Drone infiltration sirens activate in Tel Aviv

Suspected drone infiltration sirens are sounding in Tel Aviv.

The IDF is looking into the details.

IDF says some 25 rockets launched from Lebanon at Galilee, Haifa Bay area

Illustrative: An air defense system fires interceptor missiles at rockets fired from Lebanon, as seen from Mitzpe Netofa, northern Israel, November 3, 2024. (Ayal Margolin/Flash90)

A barrage of some 25 rockets was fired from Lebanon at the Galilee and Haifa Bay area an hour ago.

The IDF says some of the rockets were intercepted by air defenses, while the rest hit open areas.

Since this morning, Hezbollah has fired over 35 rockets at northern Israel, according to an IDF tally.

FM Sa’ar hails German court conviction of woman who made ‘from the river to the sea’ Instagram post

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar welcomes a decision by Berlin’s Regional Court this week to convict an Iranian national and graphic designer for incitement for writing “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” on her Instagram.

Following the October 7 massacre by the Hamas terror group, the 42-year-old woman expressed identification with Hamas along with the slogan on her social media account, media reports say.

The court said she had made use of terror and unconstitutional symbols. She was fined 1,300 euros and her phone was confiscated, the reports say.

Sa’ar writes on X that “the new antisemitism based on denying the right of the Jewish state to exist must be uprooted.”

Rocket sirens blare across north

Incoming rocket sirens are triggered in the northern city of Acre, Krayot area, and Western Galilee communities.

צבע אדום (09/11/2024 13:56-13:59): גורן, אדמית, יערה, מנות, בצת, מצובה, שלומי, עבדון, נווה זיו, אילון, ערב אל עראמשה, אזור תעשייה שער נעמן, אזור תעשייה קריית ביאליק, קריית ביאליק, קריית ים, קריית מוצקין, כפר מסריק, עין המפרץ, עכו – אזור תעשייה pic.twitter.com/CIpKHo3Dk6

— צופר – צבע אדום (@tzevaadom_) November 9, 2024

Qatari media report denies Hamas ordered to leave Doha; officials tell ToI report false

Hamas has not been informed they are unwelcome in Doha, the Qatari Al-Araby news outlet reports, citing informed sources.

Al-Araby says that information reported by media outlets, including The Times of Israel, is inaccurate.

However, an Arab official tells The Times of Israel that the Al-Araby report is false, calling it a “smokescreen” put on by sources who do not support the decision to oust Hamas.

Senior Biden administration officials told The Times of Israel overnight that Qatar informed Hamas over a week ago that it must close its diplomatic office in Doha.

Qatar has hosted Hamas officials in Doha since 2012, when the terror group moved its headquarters out of Damascus amid the Syrian civil war and after successive US administrations from both parties urged Qatar to serve as a conduit to the terror group.

Following Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, the US informed Qatar that Doha would not be able to maintain “business as usual” with the terror group. However, the administration held off on asking the Gulf state to shutter the Hamas office, viewing the communication channel with Hamas to be as critical as ever in brokering a ceasefire and hostage release deal.

A US official told The Times of Israel that Hamas’s execution of American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin along with five other captives in late August and subsequent rejection of more ceasefire proposals are what led the administration to change its approach regarding the terror group’s continued presence in Doha, deeming it “no longer viable or acceptable.”

Jacob Magid contributed to this report.

IDF’s elite alpine troops find Hezbollah tunnels, weapons in southern Lebanon

Reservists of the Alpinist Unit operate in the Chebaa area of southern Lebanon, in a handout photo issued on November 9, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

Over the past week, the IDF says the elite reserve Alpinist Unit, under the 810th “Mountains” Regional Brigade, led an operation on the Lebanese side of Mount Dov and on the outskirts of the town of Shebaa.

The reservists located Hezbollah tunnels, rocket launchers, and weapon depots amid the operation in the area, according to the IDF.

Reservists of the Alpinist Unit operate in the Shebaa area of southern Lebanon, in a handout video issued on November 9, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

Volley of 5 rockets fired from Lebanon at Western Galilee, IDF says

A barrage of five rockets was launched from Lebanon at the Western Galilee a short while ago.

The IDF says that some of the rockets were intercepted and the rest hit open areas.

There are no reports of injuries.

Rocket sirens sound in Nahariya, surrounding towns

Rocket sirens are triggered in the northern city of Nahariya and surrounding communities.

צבע אדום (09/11/2024 12:42-12:43): בן עמי, בצת, מצובה, שלומי, נהריה, גשר הזיו, איזור תעשייה מילואות צפון, לימן, עברון, מזרעה pic.twitter.com/vstvzMYdZX

— צופר – צבע אדום (@tzevaadom_) November 9, 2024

Palestinian shot dead by IDF troops in West Bank, PA says

One Palestinian was shot dead during an Israeli military raid in the West Bank today, Palestinian Authority health officials say.

PA state media reports that Israeli forces surrounded the man’s home in the West Bank town of Aqaba just before killing him. His body is being held by Israeli forces.

The Israeli military says it was looking into the reports.

IDF says 11 trucks of aid transferred to Jabalia and Beit Hanoun

Humanitarian aid is distributed in northern Gaza's Jabalia and Beit Hanoun, in a handout photo published November 9, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The Israeli military says 11 trucks of humanitarian aid were delivered to northern Gaza’s Jabalia and Beit Hanoun on Thursday, where several thousand Palestinians are estimated to still be.

The IDF says it has been working to evacuate the civilian population from towns north of Gaza City, in order to operate against Hamas there without harming innocents. Several hundred are estimated to remain in Jabalia, and several thousands more in other towns in the area.

In a joint statement, the IDF and the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories say that the 11 trucks of food, water, and medical equipment were delivered to distribution centers for the remaining population in Jabalia and Beit Hanoun, “in accordance with a directive of the political echelon, and as part of the commitment to transfer humanitarian aid to the northern Gaza Strip.”

Additional aid is entering other areas of northern Gaza, including Gaza City. COGAT says that since the beginning of October, 713 aid trucks entered northern Gaza via the Erez West Crossing.

Iran’s FM warns Middle Eastern wars could spread

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks during a meeting with ambassadors of foreign countries in Iran, in the capital Tehran on October 29, 2024. (Atta Kenare/AFP)

TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warns that the wars in Gaza and Lebanon, where Israel is battling Iran-backed terror groups, could spill over beyond the Middle East.

“The world should know that in case of the expansion of war, its harmful effects will not be limited only to the West Asia region; insecurity and instability can spread to other regions, even far away,” Araghchi says in a speech aired on state TV.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Drone launched from Iraq shot down before crossing into Israel overnight, IDF says

A drone launched at Israel from Iraq was shot down by the Israeli Air Force overnight.

According to the IDF, the drone was intercepted before crossing into Israeli airspace.

The Iran-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq takes responsibility for launching the drone.

Sirens had sounded in several Golan Heights towns amid the incident.

IDF says fighter jets struck Hezbollah sites in Beirut overnight

Overnight, Israeli fighter jets struck Hezbollah command rooms, weapons manufacturing sites, and other infrastructure in Beirut’s southern suburbs, the IDF says.

The Hezbollah sites were located “in the heart of a civilian population,” the military says, accusing the terror group of using human shields.

Before the strikes, the IDF issued evacuation warnings to civilians in the area.

במהלך הלילה, מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר בהכוונת אגף המודיעין תקפו מפקדות, אתר ייצור אמצעי לחימה ותשתיות נוספות בשימוש ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב הדאחייה בביירות >> pic.twitter.com/a9bP90k2rL

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) November 9, 2024

Five rockets fired from Lebanon at north, IDF says

The IDF says five rockets were fired from Lebanon a short while ago, triggering sirens in the Upper Galilee and Haifa Bay area.

Some were shot down, while the rest fell in open areas, the military says.

Rocket sirens sound in Acre, Krayot area

Incoming rocket sirens are sounding in the northern city of Acre and the Krayot area north of Haifa.

Correction: Pro-Israel demonstration in Amsterdam’s Dam Square last month

Note: This item has been corrected and updated.

Footage disseminated by the Foreign Ministry earlier today showed pro-Israel protesters singing Naomi Shemer’s “Jerusalem of Gold” with Dutch lyrics while flying Israeli flags in Amsterdam’s Dam Square.

The ministry, as an earlier version of this item reported, tweeted that the footage showed a pro-Israel solidarity rally last night in the square, a day after hundreds of Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer fans were attacked by anti-Israel mobs. In fact, the footage was from an event held in the square on October 7, 2024, marking the anniversary of the Hamas invasion and massacre in southern Israel.

The ministry has now removed its tweet.

https://twitter.com/Israel/status/1855096081899573251?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1855096081899573251%7Ctwgr%5Ee0f6ddc79bd8878c4fba5faba3e8e1aa74469434%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.maariv.co.il%2Fbreaking-news%2FArticle-1146584

Rocket sirens sound in Safed, Upper Galilee

Incoming rocket sirens are sounding in the northern city of Safed and surrounding communities as well as areas in the Upper Galilee.

Iran foreign ministry says Trump assassination plot claim ‘totally unfounded’

Republican presidential nominee and former US president Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden, in New York, October 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Iran’s foreign ministry describes as “totally unfounded” US accusations of a plot by Tehran to assassinate president-elect Donald Trump.

The foreign ministry “rejects allegations that Iran is implicated in an assassination attempt targeting former or current American officials,” spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei says in a statement after US prosecutors announced charges over the alleged plot.

Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball game in Italy ends without incident after Israelis urged to stay away

A basketball match in Italy involving Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv has ended without incident after Israeli authorities called on fans to stay home following anti-Israel violence in Amsterdam the previous night against Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer fans.

“Calls continue on social media to harm Israelis and Jews, and there are concerns that the events of the last 24 hours may lead to a wave of copycat actions and further disturbances and attacks against Israelis abroad,” the Prime Minister’s Office says in a statement.

“In light of this, the National Security Council is advising Israelis to avoid attending Maccabi Tel Aviv’s game in Bologna and to avoid displaying visible Israeli or Jewish symbols as much as possible.”

In the end, there were no incidents at the EuroLeague match which Virtus Bologna won 84-77.

Ahead of the game, Bologna’s police chief further reinforced security, which was already high, and assigned a special escort to the Israeli team, Italian media reports.

“Growing antisemitism is unacceptable and horrible, and it is our duty to guarantee complete security to all our citizens of the Jewish religion,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says in a statement.

Jewish Democratic lawmaker in Florida says suspected assassin arrested with antisemitic manifesto

Rep. Jared Moskowitz, Democrat-Florida, speaks during a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 20, 2024. (Jose Luis Magana/AP)

US Representative Jared Moskowitz says he was informed by police of a potential plot on his life and that a suspect was arrested not far from the Democrat’s Florida home with a rifle and a manifesto that included antisemitic rhetoric.

Moskowitz, who won reelection on Tuesday in Florida’s 23rd congressional district, says in a social media post that a convicted felon with a suppressor and body armor was apprehended by authorities. A target list that had only Moskowitz’s name on it was also found with the suspect, according to the lawmaker.

“I am deeply worried about congressional member security and the significant lack thereof when we are in the district,” Moskowitz writes.

There has been growing concern about political violence in the United States.

Republican President-elect Donald Trump was wounded on an ear in an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania in July. A man was charged with attempted assassination in September after allegedly positioning himself with a rifle outside one of Trump’s Florida golf courses.

Suspected drone alerts sound in pair of southern Golan towns

A suspected drone triggers sirens in a pair of communities in the southern Golan Heights.

Syria says several soldiers hurt, damage caused in Israeli strike in Aleppo and Idlib area

Syria’s state-run SANA news agency says several soldiers were wounded and damage was caused in an Israeli airstrike a short while ago in the Aleppo and Idlib area.

There is no comment from the IDF on the strike.

Syrian state media reports explosion in Aleppo countryside

An explosion was heard in the vicinity of the city of Al-Safira in the countryside of Aleppo, Syria, state news agency SANA reports early Saturday.

At US behest, Qatar has ordered Hamas to leave Doha — Biden officials

Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani (L), ruler of Qatar since 2013, in a meeting with Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh (R) and Khaled Mashal in Doha, October 17, 2016 (Qatar government handout)

Qatar told Hamas that it must close its diplomatic office in Doha roughly ten days ago following a request by the US, senior Biden administration officials tell The Times of Israel.

Qatar has hosted Hamas officials in Doha since 2012, amid requests from successive US administrations who felt it was important to have a communication channel with the terror group.

Following Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, the US informed Qatar that it would not be able to maintain “business as usual” with the terror group. However, it held off on asking Doha to shutter the Hamas office, viewing it as critical for the negotiations toward a ceasefire and hostage deal.

Those talks succeeded in a week-long deal last November, but they have failed to secure a permanent ceasefire or the release of the remaining 101 hostages.

A US official tells The Times of Israel that Hamas’s late August execution of American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin along with five other hostages and its subsequent rejection of more recent ceasefire proposals are what led the administration to change its approach regarding the terror group’s continued presence in Doha, deeming it “no longer viable or acceptable.”

The US decision also coincided with its unsealing of indictments against Hamas officials, including one of its top leaders Khaled Meshaal, who is known to reside in Doha, the US official says.

File: Senior Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal (L) and senior Hamas member Mousa Abu Marzouk attending a meeting between Iran’s Foreign Minister and Hamas’ political bureau chief in Doha, October 31, 2023. (Iranian Foreign Ministry/AFP)

“After rejecting repeated proposals to release hostages, its leaders should no longer be welcome in the capitals of any American partner,” a second senior administration official tells The Times of Israel.

Hamas showed no signs of budging from “unrealistic positions” in the negotiations, including conditions that would have effectively ensured its ability to remain in power in Gaza — “something the US and Israel will never accept,” the US official says.

Two weeks ago, the US asked Qatar to kick out Hamas, the US official says, adding that Doha agreed and gave the notice around October 28.

Details regarding when the expulsion of Hamas officials will actually take place and where they will be ordered to go are still being worked out, the US official says.

Some of the potential landing spots raised in the past have been Turkey, Iran, Oman, Lebanon, Algeria; but each comes with certain drawbacks as far as the US is concerned.

The US official stresses that the Biden administration is continuing to pursue a number of initiatives to secure a hostage deal before the end of President Joe Biden’s term and argues that the expulsion of Hamas will place more pressure on the terror group, along with sanctions and other tools at Washington’s disposal.

Israelis attend a rally calling for the release of those held hostage by the Hamas terror group in Gaza, at “Hostage Square” in Tel Aviv, November 2, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

For its part, Qatar has yet to confirm that it has ordered Hamas officials to leave the country, but Qatari officials repeatedly told The Times of Israel throughout the past year that it was prepared to oust the terror group and would do so if Washington submitted a formal request to do so.

The US official stresses that Doha has played an “invaluable role” as a mediator throughout the conflict. It’s unclear what role Doha will be able to play moving forward, once it no longer is hosting Hamas leaders.

Qatar has come under fire from Congressional Republicans who have been less praiseworthy of Doha’s role in the conflict and argued that the Islamist Gulf state could have placed more pressure on Hamas in order to secure a deal.

The Biden administration has repeatedly pushed back against this criticism, as it has relied on Qatar’s mediation role in several other conflicts in addition to one in Gaza.

IDF says it downed another drone launched from Lebanon at north

Another drone launched at Israel from Lebanon was shot down by air defenses a short while ago, the IDF says.

Sirens had sounded in the Western Galilee amid the incident.

Strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs after IDF evacuation calls

Lebanese media report a series of Israeli airstrikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs — a known Hezbollah stronghold — after the IDF called to evacuate six sites in the area.

Footage posted by Lebanese media outlets shows smoke rising from the targeted sites.

9 غارات إسرائيلية استهدفت الضاحية حتى الآن pic.twitter.com/Zw3dPnqB0I

— هنا لبنان (@thisislebnews) November 8, 2024

IDF says strike near Tyre hit Hezbollah command rooms where operatives were gathered

Earlier this evening, the IDF says it struck several Hezbollah command rooms where operatives were gathered, near the Lebanese coastal city of Tyre.

The Hezbollah sites were located “in the heart of a civilian population,” the military says.

The IDF in a statement says that “Hezbollah systematically takes control of civilian areas and infrastructures throughout the country and embeds commanders and operatives in civilian areas in order to plan and carry out terror attacks, putting Lebanese civilians in harms way.”

Separately, the IDF says dozens of Hezbollah operatives were killed during fighting in southern Lebanon today, and rocket launchers used in an attack on the Acre area were hit in airstrikes.

Several weapon depots and other buildings used by Hezbollah were also struck in southern Lebanon today, the military adds.

מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר תקפו הערב, בהכוונה מודיעינית של אגף המודיעין ופיקוד הצפון מפקדות של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה מהם פעלו מפקדי ומחבלי חיזבאללה בלב המרחב האזרחי סמוך לעיר צור שבדרום לבנון >> pic.twitter.com/e88iL6YYdE

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) November 8, 2024