Nov. 15: IDF demolishes Hamas tunnel in north Gaza used in deadly 2024 attack on troops

Haredi rioters smash front window of Shas lawmaker’s car as he leaves lesson

Ultra-Orthodox extremists smash the front window of Shas MK Yoav Ben-Tzur’s vehicle as he leaves a weekly lesson in Jerusalem, footage shows.

The rioters appear to have targeted the lawmaker over his party’s apparent backing of the coalition’s Haredi conscription bill.

In a statement, Shas slams the “handful of rioters” that attacked the lawmaker’s vehicle.

“Violent actions like this, which desecrate God, are not the path of the Torah, and do not represent any God-fearing community,” the party says in a statement.

ברקע חוק הגיוס: חה״כ יואב בן צור מש״ס הותקף ביציאה מהשיעור השבועי ע״י מפגינים חרדים קיצוניים pic.twitter.com/oxbt7uiFPb

— יעקב הרשקוביץ | Yaakov harshkovits (@yaakov_hershko) November 15, 2025

Far-right MK Maoz accuses Trump of ‘advancing Palestinian terror state’ in West Bank

Noam MK Avi Maoz in the Knesset plenum, October 22, 2025. (Dani Shem-Tov/ Office of the Knesset Spokesperson)

Far-right lawmaker Avi Maoz, the sole MK representing the anti-LGBTQ, misogynistic Noam party, accuses US President Donald Trump of “advancing a Palestinian terror state in Judea and Samaria,” the Biblical name for the West Bank.

Maoz’s statement comes on the heels of a joint statement by several nations, organized by Washington, which said that Trump’s plan for post-war Gaza “offers a pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”

In a tweet, Maoz also accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “full-right-wing government” of working to halt the advancement of his bill to apply Israeli sovereignty to all West Bank settlements to its first reading in the Knesset plenum.

Maoz’s bill was approved in a preliminary reading in late October despite Netanyahu’s opposition. The vote was boycotted by all members of Netanyahu’s Likud party except for MK Yuli Edelstein, who was removed from his seat on the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee after casting the decisive vote in favor.

After being approved, Maoz’s bill was referred to the committee for further consideration. It is highly unlikely that Netanyahu will allow it to pass into law.

Earlier this week, Maoz appealed to committee chairman Boaz Bismuth (Likud) not to delay the bill.

Smotrich, Ben Gvir demand Netanyahu ‘make it clear’ Palestinian state won’t be established

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir (R) with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (L) at a 'Victory Conference' calling for renewed Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip, at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem, January 28, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Two of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right allies call on him to make a clear public statement that Israel will never accept the establishment of a Palestinian state, following the release of a US-organized joint statement by several nations asserting that President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for ending the Gaza war offers a pathway to Palestinian statehood.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich calls on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “make it clear to the entire world” that “a Palestinian state will never be established,” arguing that the premier’s “silence” on this issue has been a “diplomatic disgrace.”

“Two months ago, immediately after several countries announced their unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, you committed to respond decisively on the matter as soon as you returned from the United States. Since then, as mentioned, two months have passed during which you chose silence and a diplomatic disgrace. The deterioration we are now witnessing regarding this issue is dangerous and is your responsibility due to your silence,” tweets the far-right politician.

“Formulate immediately an appropriate and decisive response that will make it clear to the entire world [that] a Palestinian state will never be established on the territory of our homeland,” he declares.

In a separate statement, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir insists that “there is no such thing as a ‘Palestinian people'” and that “they certainly do not deserve a reward for the terror, murder, and atrocities they have sown everywhere, especially from Gaza — the place where they received self-rule.”

“The only real solution in Gaza is to encourage voluntary emigration, and certainly not a reward-state for terror, which would serve as a base for continued terrorism,” Ben Gvir states, asserting that his ultranationalist Otzma Yehudit party “will not be part of any government that agrees to this.”

“I call on the prime minister to make it clear that the State of Israel will not allow the establishment of a Palestinian state in any form,” he adds.

In a joint statement arranged by the US on Friday, multiple countries working toward an end to the Gaza conflict voiced backing for Washington’s UN Security Council resolution to establish an International Stabilization Force in Gaza, amid pushback from Russia and China.

The statement, supported by Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan, and Turkey, noted that the process “offers a pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”

“We emphasize that this is a sincere effort, and the Plan provides a viable path towards peace and stability, not only between the Israelis and the Palestinians, but for the entire region,” the joint statement continued. We are looking forward to this resolution’s swift adoption.”

Jacob Magid and Agencies contributed to this report.

Fallen soldier’s father: My girl has been gone for 2 years but those who should have protected her stay put

Eyal Eshel, whose daughter Roni was murdered on October 7, 2023, speaks at an anti-government protest at Habima Square, Tel Aviv, November 15, 2025. (Vardit Alon-Korpel/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

Eyal Eshel, whose daughter Roni was killed during the October 7 Hamas onslaught at the Nahal Oz base where she served as a surveillance soldier, says that the shock assault should have been followed by a wave of resignations in the government.

“Instead, we got a theater of shame,” he says at the anti-government protest at Habima Square. “The State of Israel is conducting itself like the most pathetic and degraded circus.”

“As the father of Roni Eshel, a heroic surveillance soldier from the Nahal Oz base who stood her ground and warned of the approaching enemy, and who persisted in her mission until she fell in the defense of the homeland — I’ve been getting up every morning for two years, with the hand that searches for her and shatters in the face of reality,” he says. “Two years that my girl is gone, but everyone who was responsible for protecting her is still there — on the job, in the chair, in front of the cameras, and especially, in the headlines.”

Referring to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he says: “The one who abandoned Roni won’t escape responsibility, won’t hide behind flags. We won’t let him. This person will not rewrite history.”

His speech is interrupted by chants of “Seventh of October — the Netanyahu massacre.”

Speaking later in the protest, former Deputy Chief Justice Elyakim Rubinstein demands that Netanyahu establish a state commission of inquiry.

“The blood of our brothers and sisters cries out to us from the ground,” he says. “Is there a single normal person who thinks there should not be an investigation?”

Noting that Netanyahu last month broke with his justice minister and acknowledged that Chief Justice Yitzhak Amit is, in fact, the High Court president, Rubinstein says, “now he needs to do the right thing and establish a state commission of inquiry.”

The rally ends with families of the October 7 victims leading the crowd in singing the national anthem, “Hatikva.” Organizers say another rally will be held at the same time and place next week.

Gali and Ziv Berman vow to be ‘voice’ for slain hostages still held in Gaza

Freed hostages Gali and Ziv Berman speak at a rally for the release of hostages, at Sha'ar HaNegev Junction, November 15, 2025. (Erez Volach/Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

Freed hostage brothers Gali and Ziv Berman say they have a duty to campaign for the release of the remaining three deceased hostages held in Gaza, at a rally in Sha’ar HaNegev Junction, near the border with the Strip.

The brothers thank hostage families and their supporters for holding weekly demonstrations for their release, owing their release to the campaign.

“The road to rehabilitation is still long, but the fact of our presence here, in front of you, is proof of the power that we have as a nation and as a council,” he says, referring to the regional council on the Gaza border.

The brothers were kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, which is under the jurisdiction of the Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Council.

“And now, after we have returned, we understand our duty that was born within us: to continue to be the voice of those who have not yet had the opportunity to return,” they say.

A month since their release, Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Maxim Herkin vow ‘one last push’ for 3 last hostages

Released hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal attends a rally at Hostages Square, Tel Aviv, November 15, 2025. (Lior Rotstein/Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

Guy Gilboa-Dalal, one of the last 20 living hostages who were released on October 13 as part of the Gaza ceasefire, tells the crowd at Hostages Square that footage he saw from there before being taken down into Hamas’s tunnel complex gave him hope throughout “two years of darkness.”

“You gave me hope and strength,” he says. “The people of Israel, who don’t forget about their brothers.”

He also thanks IDF troops and pays tribute to two of his friends, Idan Haramati and Ron Tzarfati, who were murdered at the Reim-area Nova music festival, from which he and fellow recently released hostage Evyatar David were abducted during the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023.

Only on the day of his release did Gilboa-Dalal learn of Tzarfati and Haramati’s fate, he says, adding: “They’ll forever be in my heart.”

He vows not to forget the remaining three deceased hostages in Gaza, Dror Or, Ran Gvili, and Sudthisak Rinthalak.

“Their families and the entire nation of Israel are waiting for them,” he says. “The deed is not done until everyone is back, down to the last hostage.”

Maxim Herkin, another of the living hostages released on October 13, also speaks at Hostages Square. He says he hasn’t prepared a speech and is instead “speaking from the heart.”

“Two years I’ve dreamed of this moment,” he tells the crowd. “You brought me home.”

Watching the Hostages Square rallies from the tunnels in Gaza, he says, he wanted to hug every last citizen of Israel.

“Almost all the guys” are back from Gaza, says Herkin. “We’ll give one last push and get to the finish line.”

Israeli civilian attacked, lightly hurt two soldiers in Hebron yesterday, IDF says

Settlers in Hebron for an annual pilgrimage to mark the Torah reading of Chayei Sarah, November 15, 2025 (HAZEM BADER / AFP)

Two IDF soldiers were lightly injured after being assaulted by an Israeli civilian in the West Bank city of Hebron late Friday, the military says.

The incident took place as thousands of Jewish Israelis spent the weekend in the city for an annual pilgrimage tradition.

The man, who was apparently drunk, attacked the two servicewomen near the Cave of the Patriarchs.

The IDF says the soldiers and other security forces at the scene detained the man and handed him over to the police for further questioning. He is currently being held and will be brought to a court for a remand hearing tomorrow.

Both servicewomen were taken for further medical treatment, the military adds.

Bismuth appears to confirm conscription bill would exempt full-time yeshiva students, gradually draft half of those not learning

MK Boaz Bismuth attends a Knesset House Committee meeting, August 4, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The latest draft of the government’s controversial legislation regulating ultra-Orthodox conscription is “more or less ready” and enjoys the backing of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Boaz Bismuth announces.

The “locomotive is ready to leave the station [and is] waiting for passengers,” he says. “I am in full coordination with the prime minister. The prime minister wants this law, very much so.”

Speaking with Channel 12’s “Meet The Press,” the Likud lawmaker rejects media reports regarding the contents of the bill — widely seen as intended to codify draft exemptions for much of the Haredi community, impose weak sanctions on evaders and pave the way for the ultra-Orthodox parties to return to the coalition — insisting that he “will present the final text to my colleagues on the committee” and that “the fake news I keep hearing is simply not true.”

For the past year, the Haredi leadership has pushed to pass a law keeping its constituency out of the IDF, after the High Court ruled that decades-long blanket exemptions from army duty traditionally afforded to full-time Haredi yeshiva students were illegal.

Bismuth’s version of the bill was set to be presented to his committee nearly a month ago, but has repeatedly been postponed.

Bismuth appears to confirm hints that the bill will allow those enrolled full-time in yeshiva to continue their studies without fear of conscription, stating that “within five years, 50 percent of those not in yeshiva” will enlist in the army — a development which he calls “huge.”

He further states that there will be an “oversight mechanism” and sanctions, and that only 10% of those mobilized will serve in national service, as opposed to military service. However, Bismuth rejects the idea of a “revolution” in Haredi enlistment, comparing it instead to the gradual increase in female combat troops over the years.

Two decades ago, there were debates over women in combat, but “today, when my daughter comes back from Gaza with a red beret, it’s obvious. It’s the same with Haredim — each one who enlists is an ambassador,” he says.

Father of returned slain hostage Itay Chen: Opponents of state commission of inquiry will bear ‘mark of Cain’

Demonstrators call for the return of the remaining three deceased hostages held in Gaza, at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, November 15, 2025. (Paulina Patimer/Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

Ruby Chen, the remains of whose soldier son Itay were returned from Hamas captivity last week, calls for the return of the remains of Ran Gvili, Dror Or, and Sudthisak Rinthalak, the last three hostages still in Gaza.

“We understand just how much bringing back Itay was lifesaving — it saved my family’s life,” he tells thousands of people gathered at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square. “In that same way, we need to save the lives” of the families of the last three hostages abducted in the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023, he says.

“I believe the October 7 war is an inflection point in the history of the State of Israel. This is a war that will determine what are the values leading the nation of Israel forward,” says Chen. “The question is: Will we be able to adopt the values of mutual accountability and helping each other, or will we let our elected officials go back to focusing on the three P’s — power, profits, and prestige — at our expense?”

For true national recovery, he says, the October 7 onslaught must be investigated thoroughly by a state commission of inquiry, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposes because it would be formed by the judiciary.

“Those who don’t want a state commission of inquiry, I warn you: history will judge you harshly. Your name will bear the mark of Cain for generations to come after the public kicks you out.”

“Something different can and must be built here, and I’ll be here to make sure that happens, so that the sacrifice of my son and the other heroes will not have been in vain,” says Chen.

Putin, Netanyahu hold phone call to discuss Middle East issues

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) with a bouquet of flowers and then-prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Kremlin in Moscow on January 30, 2020. (Maxim Shemetov/Pool/AFP)

MOSCOW, Russia — Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discuss the situation in the Middle East, including developments in Gaza, Iran’s nuclear program, and Syria, in a phone call, the Kremlin says.

Putin initiated the phone conversation with Netanyahu, according to the Israeli readout.

The call was the latest in a series of recent conversations, according to Netanyahu’s office. The calls “dealt with regional issues,” says the PMO, without elaborating.

US eyeing skipping Gaza demilitarization, starting Strip’s reconstruction — report

US President Donald Trump, right, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participate in a press conference in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC on September 29, 2025. (Jim WATSON / AFP)

The Trump administration is interested in forgoing the stage of its Gaza peace plan involving deploying a stabilization force to disarm Hamas and implementing the reconstruction of the Strip, officials involved in discussions with Washington tell Channel 13 news.

The potential change in direction is sending talks with Israel on the future of Gaza to “deadlock,” the sources say.

“There can be no rehabilitation before demilitarization. It is contrary to Trump’s plan. Gaza must be demilitarized,” a security official says.

Israel wants F-35 sale to Saudis conditioned on normalization — report

Israeli Air Force F-35I fighter jets depart for strikes in Iran, June 13, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Israel does not object to the United States supplying Saudi Arabia with F-35 stealth fighter jets but insists that any transfer of such advanced aircraft be conditioned on the normalization of relations between Riyadh and Jerusalem, Channel 12 and Axios report.

The report, by journalist Barak Ravid, cites two Israeli sources involved in the matter who state that Jerusalem views Saudi Arabia obtaining the jets differently than it does with countries such as Turkey, which has sought them to make up ground on regional rivals such as Israel.

“We told the Trump administration that the supply of F-35s to Saudi Arabia needs to be subject to Saudi normalization with Israel,” Axios quotes an Israeli official stating, insisting that not conditioning the sale on diplomatic progress between the two nations would be “counterproductive.”

“Unlike the supply of F-35s to Turkey that we strongly oppose, we are less concerned about such a weapons system in Saudi Arabia if it’s part of a regional security cooperation as part of the Abraham Accords, like we have with the United Arab Emirates,” Axios quotes a second official as saying.

Israel has expressed concern in the past over the potential sale of the advanced F-35 fighter jets to nearby countries, as it is anxious to preserve its qualitative military edge in the region. Today, Israel is the only country in the Middle East with F-35s in its arsenal, currently operating 45 of the aircraft with another 30 units on order.

“It takes minutes for an F-35 to fly from Saudi Arabia to Israel,” one of the officials tells Axios, insisting that Israel requires that any Saudi F-35s not be stationed in the west of the country.

On Friday, US President Donald Trump said that he was considering agreeing to a deal to supply Saudi Arabia with the jets, several days ahead of a planned trip by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. They are expected to sign economic and defense agreements.

Trump repeated that he hopes Saudi Arabia will soon join the Abraham Accords, which have normalized relations between Israel and Muslim-majority nations. Riyadh has resisted such a step absence of an agreement on a roadmap to Palestinian statehood.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Father of Oct. 7 victim: State inquiry of ‘holocaust in heart of the country’ should have been self-evident

Anti-government protesters gather for a weekly rally at Habima Square, Tel Aviv, on November 15, 2025. (Raya Barkan/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

About 2,000 people gather at Tel Aviv’s Habima Square for a demonstration organized by the October Council of families of victims of the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023, who are demanding a state commission of inquiry.

The demonstration comes after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated on Monday his opposition to such a committee because it is formed by the judiciary, which he claims the public doesn’t trust, despite repeated opinion polls showing the opposite.

The Hamas onslaught was “not just an attack, it was a Holocaust in the heart of the country,” says Rafi Ben Shitrit, whose son Elroi was killed in the onslaught. “Out of the ashes, we must rise up and demand the one thing we thought was self-evident: a deep, thorough investigation of the procedures, of the debacle.”

Disparate anti-government causes are represented in the crowd, from protesters demanding the military enlistment of Haredi men, through activists against the government’s judicial overhaul, and left-wing activists waving signs with condemnatory slogans about “occupation” and “settler violence.” A man bearing a shirt of Brother in Arms, a pro-enlistment reservist protest group, and a woman from one of the left-wing clusters get into a shouting match over whether the left-wing protesters belong here.

“They need to send the same message” as the other protesters, says the man. “We have to unite the struggles,” the woman replies.

Several people bear shirts and signs of The Democrats. Other political parties do not appear to be represented.

Anti-government protesters rally nationwide, calling for state probe into Oct. 7

Anti-government protesters march in Tel Aviv, carrying a manner reading, "The government isn't above the law. Democracy!" on November 15, 2025. (Vardit Alon-Korpel/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

Anti-government protesters rally in cities and towns nationwide for weekly rallies, with activists calling for a state commission of inquiry into the October 7, 2023, massacre.

Protesters are marching from Begin Gate, outside the Defense Ministry headquarters, for the main rally in Tel Aviv’s Habima Square.

Demonstrators are also rallying in Haifa, at the northern Karkour Junction, and other areas across the country.

Despite polls consistently showing a substantial majority of Israelis want a state commission of inquiry to be established, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition have rejected attempts to establish one. They say a commission should only be set up after the war is concluded, and reject a state commission appointed by the Supreme Court chief, claiming it would be biased against them.

Syrian civil society holds rare dialogue on country’s tensions with transitional government, EU officials

A panel interacts during a day of dialogue with Syrian civil society, the Syrian government and the European Union, at Conference Palace near Damascus, Syria, on November 15, 2025. (LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)

DAMASCUS, Syria — Representatives of Syria’s civil society hold rare open discussions in Damascus in the presence of officials from the European Union and the transitional government. They touch on sensitive topics, including sectarian tensions, ethnic divisions, and people killed by different sides.

The EU-organized meetings known as “The Day of Dialogue” are the first to be held in Damascus after taking place in past years in Brussels. Today’s meetings come nearly a year after the fall of the 54-year Assad family rule in Syria in a stunning offensive by insurgent groups in early December.

The meetings that used to take place within the framework of the Brussels Conferences were mostly boycotted by then-president Bashar Assad’s government.

The EU says today’s meetings were organized in cooperation with Syrian civil society and the Syrian transitional authorities.

“The meeting that used to be held to talk about Syria is now being held in Syria,” Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani says in a speech at the opening session held at a conference center in the southern outskirts of Damascus.

Shibani adds that today’s meetings represent “a solid partnership with the civil society and our partners in the European Union.”

Michael Ohnmacht, chargé d’affaires of the EU delegation to Syria, says 500 people from Syria’s different religious and ethnic groups took part in the meetings and “this is something very positive.”

“This is what we hope for Syria’s future, to see this inclusive state which will be a state in the form of all its citizens,” Ohnmacht says.

Zohar calls for deal with Saudis without commitment to Palestinian state

Minister of Culture and Sports Miki Zohar attends Education, Culture, and Sports Committee meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem, May 7, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Culture Minister Miki Zohar calls for a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia without committing to a Palestinian state, something which Riyadh has demanded as a prerequisite for establishing diplomatic ties.

In a statement, the Likud politician says that a normalization agreement “is a paramount Israeli interest and would change the future of the Middle East for generations to come — naturally while preserving the principles important to Israel and without recognizing a Palestinian state that would endanger our security.”

“Israel is a security power that operates together with the Gulf powers — this is the great nightmare of Israel’s enemies,” Zohar states.

According to Axios, US President Donald Trump urged Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in a phone call last month to normalize relations with Israel following the October 9 Gaza ceasefire deal.

Normalization, which seemed to be in the cards before the war in Gaza, has more recently faltered on Riyadh’s insistence that Israel commit to Palestinian statehood, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposes, and which the Israeli public is even less likely to accept in the wake of the past two years.

Last month, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared that he wouldn’t agree to a normalization agreement if it meant the establishment of a Palestinian state, disparagingly saying the Saudis could “keep riding camels.”

The far-right Religious Zionism party leader apologized a few hours later, with a caveat that it expected the Saudis “not to do us harm and not to deny our heritage, our tradition and the rights of the Jewish people to its historic homelands in Judea and Samaria, and to establish true peace with us.”

IDF demolishes Hamas tunnel in north Gaza used in deadly 2024 attack on troops

The IDF says it demolished a kilometer-long Hamas tunnel in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun, which had been used by the terror group to stage a deadly attack on troops nearly a year ago.

The Hamas attack in December 2024 killed Cpt. Ilay Gavriel Atedgi, 22, Sgt. First Class (res.) Hillel Diener, 21, and Staff Sgt. Netanel Pessach, 21, who served in the Kfir Brigade’s Shimshon Battalion.

Troops of the Shimshon Battalion have been operating in the Beit Hanoun area — on the Israeli side of the Yellow Line — in recent weeks to demolish remaining Hamas infrastructure, including the tunnel used in the deadly attack.

The IDF says the tunnel was around a kilometer long and dozens of meters deep.

Footage released by the IDF on November 15, 2025, shows the demolition of a Hamas tunnel in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun. (Israel Defense Forces)

Lebanon to file complaint to UN Security Council over Israel’s border wall

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Lebanon will file a complaint to the UN Security Council against Israel for constructing a concrete wall along Lebanon’s southern border that extends beyond the “Blue Line,” the Lebanese presidency says.

The Blue Line is a UN-mapped line separating Lebanon from Israel and the Golan Heights. Israeli forces withdrew to the Blue Line when they left South Lebanon in 2000.

PA’s Abbas orders delegation to UNESCO to discuss Palestinian curriculum

The Palestinian flag is raised outside the headquarters of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris, in a formal ceremony marking Palestine’s full admission into the organization as its 195th member, in December 2011. (UN/UNESCO/Danica Bijeljac)

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has instructed that a high-level delegation be sent on behalf of the PA to discuss the Palestinian curriculum with UNESCO, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reports.

According to the report, the consultations are intended to align the curriculum with the international standards established by UNESCO, as part of the “State of Palestine’s efforts to develop its educational system,” the report says.

The announcement was made during a phone call between Abbas and UNESCO President Khaled El-Anani.

The PA’s curriculum has faced years of criticism following studies showing it includes anti-Israel content and material that encourages terrorism.

Over the past year, the Palestinian Authority has committed to the United States to carry out various reforms, including in the field of education.

Israel to donate ultrasound devices to Jamaica in wake of hurricane, Sa’ar says

Residents make their way past piles of debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa in Black River, Jamaica, October 30, 2025. (AP/Matias Delacroix)

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar says he spoke with his Jamaican counterpart Kamina J. Smith about Israeli humanitarian efforts in the Caribbean island nation in the wake of Hurricane Melissa.

“I updated her that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will donate ultrasound devices to hospitals in Jamaica to enable rapid medical response,” he writes in an English post on X.

“Israel will continue to provide assistance and share its expertise with countries around the world facing emergency situations. Israel and Jamaica have long-standing relations, and we stand by Jamaica in its time of need,” he adds.

First rains soak makeshift Gaza tent camp

Muhannad Abu Muharib, 27, reinforces his tent after it was damaged by the storm at a temporary camp on the beach in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, November 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

The first heavy rainfall of the season sends water cascading through the sprawling al-Mawasi tent camp in the Gaza Strip, as the embattled enclave struggles to cope with flooding and devastated infrastructure from two years of war.

Residents attempt to dig trenches to direct the water from flooding their tents, as rain drips through tears in tarpaulins and makeshift shelters. The first rain of the season pounded down in intermittent bursts, soaking the scant belongings families have managed to save. Strong winds can also topple tents and destroy families’ attempts to gather food and supplies as another bleak winter sets in.

Two weeks ago, Bassil Naggar bought a new tent from the black market for 2,300 NIS ($712.50), because the scorching summer sun had worn his old tent thin. Still, rainwater leaked through his tent.

“I spent all (Friday) pushing water out of my tent,” Naggar says, adding that his neighbors’ tents and belongings were completely wrecked. “Water puddles are inches high, and there is no proper drainage,” he says. Barefoot children splash in puddles as women make tea outside under dark clouds.

Thousands march for climate action at COP30; some carry giant Palestinian flag

Activists carry a huge Palestinian flag during the so-called "Great People's March" in the sidelines of the COP30 UN Climate Change Conference in Belem, Para State, Brazil, on November 15, 2025. (Mauro PIMENTEL / AFP)

BELEM, Brazil — Thousands of people march through the streets of Belem to press for action from negotiators holding tough talks at the UN’s COP30 climate conference in the Amazonian city.

Under a baking sun, Indigenous people mixed with activists gather in a festive atmosphere, blasting music from speakers, carrying a giant beach ball of Earth, and holding a flag of Brazil emblazoned with the words “Protected Amazon.”

It is the first major protest outside the annual climate talks since COP26 four years ago in Glasgow, as the last three gatherings were held in locations with little tolerance for demonstrations — Egypt, Dubai, and Azerbaijan.

Branded the “Great People’s March” by organizers, the Belem rally comes at the halfway point of contentious negotiations and follows two Indigenous-led protests that disrupted proceedings earlier in the week.

“Today we are witnessing a massacre as our forest is being destroyed,” Benedito Huni Kuin, a 50-year-old member of the Huni Kuin Indigenous group from western Brazil, tells AFP.

“We want to make our voices heard from the Amazon and demand results,” he says. “We need more Indigenous representatives at COP to defend our rights.”

Tyrone Scott, a 31-year-old Briton from the anti-poverty group War on Want, says it was an “Indigenous-led, movement-led, people-powered march.”

“It’s just really exciting and a little bit of a nice antidote to the staleness and sterileness of the inside of the COP,” Scott tells AFP.

Their demands include “reparations” for damage caused by corporations and governments, especially to marginalized communities.

Some also hold a giant Palestinian flag and a “free Palestine” banner. One protester on stilts dressed as Uncle Sam denounces “imperialism.”

Hamas authorities confirm remains of 15 Palestinians received in return for body of Meny Godard

Bodies of unidentified Palestinians returned from Israel as part of the ceasefire deal are buried in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Nov. 14, 2025.(AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza confirms it received the bodies of 15 Palestinians under the terms of the US-brokered ceasefire exchange deal, in exchange for the remains of 73-year-old hostage Meny Godard, which the terror group returned on Thursday.

“The Ministry of Health announces the receipt of 15 bodies of martyrs who were released yesterday, Friday, by the Israeli occupation through the Red Cross. This brings the total number of bodies received to 330,” as part of the deal, the Gaza ministry says, adding it had so far identified 97.

The remains of 25 hostages have been returned to Israel since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began on October 10. There are still three more in Gaza that need to be recovered and handed over. Hamas returned 20 living hostages to Israel on October 13.

For each hostage returned, Israel has released the remains of 15 Palestinians, an exchange central to the ceasefire’s first phase.

Report: Trump Organization in talks over joining Saudi government-owned real estate project

US President Donald Trump, left, arrives with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the group photo with Gulf Cooperation Council leaders during the GCC Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 14, 2025. (Alex Brandon/AP)

The Trump Organization is holding discussions to potentially bring a branded building to a Saudi government-owned project worth some $63 billion, The New York Times reports.

“Nothing announced yet, but soon to be,” Jerry Inzerillo, chief executive of the Diriyah development and a longtime friend of US President Donald Trump tells the outlet, saying it is “just a matter of time” until the agreement is inked.

The Times says neither the Trump Organization nor Eric Trump, who oversees the business, responded to questions on the matter, but notes that “it can be hard to separate hype from reality in international real estate discussions.”

The report comes as Trump plans to host Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House next week, when they are expected to sign economic and defense agreements. Trump said yesterday that he was considering agreeing to a deal to supply Saudi Arabia with F-35 stealth fighter jets and that he hopes Riyadh will normalize relations with Israel.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps confirms seizing oil tanker off UAE coast

People walk past a large banner of depicting British Royal Navy personnel who were captured by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps in previous years, at Enghelab (Revolution) Square in the capital Tehran on November 11, 2025. (ATTA KENARE / AFP)

Iran confirms its Revolutionary Guard Corps seized a tanker carrying petrochemical cargo bound for Singapore in Gulf waters yesterday.

Following inspections, authorities say “the tanker was in violation for carrying unauthorized cargo.”

They do not provide further information.

Details offered by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre and the private security firm Ambrey corresponded to a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker called Talara, which had left Ajman in the United Arab Emirates bound for Singapore.

The ship suddenly turned toward Iran without explanation, ship-tracking data showed. The ship’s Greek owners did not respond to requests for comment.

Protesters to rally for return of slain hostages Dror Or, Ran Gvili, Sudthisak Rinthalak

The three slain hostages whose bodies were still held in Gaza as of November 14, 2025 (L-R): Dror Or, Ran Gvili, and Sudthisak Rinthalak. (Collage by Times of Israel; Photos: Courtesy)

Protesters are set to gather in Tel Aviv this evening to call for the release of the final three hostages whose bodies are held by terrorists in the Gaza Strip: Dror Or, Master Sgt. Ran Gvili and Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak.

“Together we will stand as one nation and we will continue to call for the return of our… brothers who remain in Hamas captivity,” the Hostages and Missing Families forum says in a statement.

The rally will feature speeches by former hostages Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Maxim Herkin; Ayelet Goldin, sister of Lt. Hadar Goldin; Noam Katz Rudaeff, daughter of Lior Rudaeff; and Ruby Chen, the father of Staff Sgt. Itay Chen.

Tribal clashes in central Iraq kill eight, security official says

Tribal clashes over agricultural land in central Iraq have killed eight people and injured another nine, a security official in Wasit province says.

The dispute broke out early in the morning in the village of Kheshan between members of a Bedouin tribe, the official says, requesting anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.

“Eight people were killed and another nine injured,” the official says, adding they were all involved in the fighting.

Security forces have surrounded the area, though skirmishes have not yet ceased.

Tribal feuds are common in Iraq, a war-scarred country awash with weapons where petty rows can turn into deadly clashes.

Tribes wield significant influence and often operate under their own moral and judicial codes, and they possess huge caches of arms.

Iraq has only recently begun to regain a sense of stability after decades of violence that followed the 2003 US-led invasion that ousted long-time ruler Saddam Hussein.

Iran judiciary calls for tougher stance on women not covering their hair

Women watch as a man plays trombone as people listen at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, Iran, Oct. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iranian judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei has called for stricter methods to tackle “social anomalies,” local media reports, pointing in particular to more relaxed attitudes towards wearing the mandatory hijab.

Under rules imposed after the 1979 Islamic revolution, all women in Iran must cover their hair in public with a hijab, or headscarf, and wear modest, loose-fitting clothing.

But in major cities, particularly Tehran, many women now walk around without the head coverings, often sporting jeans and sneakers, which has become a point of contention for conservatives.

“I have ordered the prosecutor general and all prosecutors in the country to ask the security and law enforcement agencies to identify organized and foreign-related movements in the field of social anomalies and introduce them to the judiciary,” Ejei is quoted as saying by the newspaper Etemad.

“One manifestation of the enemy’s efforts lies in the issue of nudity and not observing hijab.”

The term “nudity” generally refers to clothing deemed inappropriate.

This phenomenon of forgoing the hijab has become more visible in Iran since the protests that followed the death in custody of Mahsa Amini in September 2022.

UN Security Council calls for member states to beef up Houthi arms embargo efforts

Supporters of Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels brandish weapons during an anti-Israel rally in Sanaa on October 17, 2025. (Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP)

The UN Security Council calls for an end to cross-border and maritime attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels and urges member states to beef up efforts to implement an arms embargo against them.

In a resolution renewing sanctions against the group, the Council condemned the attacks and demanded an end to all such actions, “including those against infrastructure and civilian targets.”

The text was adopted in a 13-0 vote, with permanent members China and Russia abstaining.

Targeted sanctions were extended until November 14, 2026, including a freezing of assets and travel bans currently in place against about 10 people, most of them high-ranking Houthi officials and the group as a whole.

The text says that sanctions could now affect those who launch cross-border attacks from Yemeni territory using ballistic and cruise missile technology, or attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea or the Gulf of Aden.

Member states were asked to “increase efforts to combat the smuggling of weapons and components via land and sea routes, to ensure implementation of the targeted arms embargo.”

The Houthis have controlled large swathes of the country, including the capital Sanaa, for more than a decade, and have signaled they’ve stopped their attacks against Israel and shipping in the Red Sea as a shaky ceasefire holds in the Gaza Strip.

The Houthis — whose slogan calls for “Death to America, Death to Israel, [and] a Curse on the Jews” — began attacking Israel and maritime traffic in November 2023, a month after the October 7 Hamas massacre, which sparked the war against Hamas in Gaza.

Syrian officials locate rocket launch site after 2 Katyushas fired at Damascus

A Syrian Internal Security Forces officer inspects a home in Damascus, Syria, Nov. 14, 2025, after it was hit by rockets, according to state media (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

The Syrian Defense Ministry says it has located the site from which two Katyusha rockets were fired at a home in Damascus overnight, wounding several people and causing damage, the Ynet news site reports.

An official tells the SANA news agency that “the treacherous assault on areas of Damascus was carried out using missiles launched from a mobile platform.”

It wasn’t immediately clear who carried out the attack on the Syrian capital’s western neighborhood of Mazzeh 86.

Apple preparing for CEO Tim Cook to step down as soon as next year — report

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks on stage during an announcement of new products at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Apple is stepping up its succession planning efforts as it prepares for Tim Cook to step down as chief executive of the tech giant as soon as next year, the Financial Times reports.

John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, is widely seen as Cook’s most likely successor, the FT reports, citing several people familiar with discussions.

Apple does not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The newspaper quoted people familiar with discussions inside the iPhone maker as saying its board and senior executives had recently intensified preparations for Cook to hand over the reins after more than 14 years.

Apple is unlikely to name a new CEO before its next earnings report in late January, which covers the critical holiday period, the FT says.

Trump says will sue BBC for up to $5 billion over video edit of 2021 US Capitol speech

US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Palm Beach, Florida, on November 14, 2025 (Jim WATSON / AFP)

US President Donald Trump says he will sue the BBC for up to $5 billion after the British broadcaster apologized for a misleading edit of one of his speeches but said it would not pay damages.

“We’ll sue them for anywhere between a billion and five billion dollars, probably some time next week. I think I have to do it. They’ve even admitted that they cheated,” Trump tells reporters aboard Air Force One.

Trump’s lawyers sent the BBC a letter Monday accusing it of defaming the president with the video of the speech before the 2021 US Capitol riot and giving it until Friday to apologize and pay compensation.

“The people of the UK are very angry about what happened, as you can imagine, because it shows the BBC is fake news,” Trump says.

He adds that he plans to raise the BBC issue with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has backed the broadcaster’s independence while avoiding taking sides against Trump.

“I’m going to call him over the weekend. He actually put a call into me. He’s very embarrassed,” Trump says.

On Monday, the BBC apologized for giving the impression in a documentary aired last year that Trump had directly urged “violent action” just before the assault on the US Capitol by his supporters on January 6, 2021.

The firestorm over the video edit has led the BBC director-general and the organization’s top news executive to resign.

The BBC said Thursday that its chairman Samir Shah had sent “a personal letter to the White House making clear to President Trump that he and the corporation are sorry for the edit of the president’s speech.”

However, it added: “While the BBC sincerely regrets the manner in which the video clip was edited, we strongly disagree there is a basis for a defamation claim.”

UN Security Council to vote Monday on resolution backing Trump’s Gaza plan — diplomats

The UN Security Council will vote Monday on a resolution to endorse US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, diplomats say.

Last week, the Americans launched negotiations within the 15-member Security Council on a text that would follow up on the ceasefire in the two-year war between Israel and Hamas and endorse Trump’s plan.

The United States and several Arab and Muslim-majority nations, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, have called for the UN Security Council to quickly adopt the resolution.

Trump withdraws endorsement of ‘wacky’ anti-Israel GOP lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene

President Donald Trump greets Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., after addressing a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

US President Donald Trump says that he is withdrawing his support and endorsement of Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene.

“I am withdrawing my support and endorsement of ‘Congresswoman’ Marjorie Taylor Greene, of the great state of Georgia,” Trump posts on Truth Social.

“All I see ‘Wacky’ Marjorie do is COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN!”

Greene, a member of the House of Representatives, has long been a reliable ally and fierce defender of Trump but in recent weeks she has taken positions at odds with the White House and some of her fellow Republicans, particularly on Israel, which she has accused of “genocide” in the war against Hamas in Gaza.

US judge blocks Trump from immediately slashing funding to University of California

Children play outside Royce Hall at the University of California, Los Angeles, campus, August 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

The Trump administration cannot immediately cut federal funding to the University of California or issue fines against the school system over claims it allows antisemitism and other forms of discrimination, a federal judge rules.

US District Judge Rita Lin in San Francisco grants a preliminary injunction sought by labor unions and other groups representing UC faculty, students and employees.

Messages sent to the White House and the US Department of Justice are not immediately returned.

The unions argue in a lawsuit that the administration is using funding cuts, and the threat of cuts, to silence opposing viewpoints at UC in violation of the Constitution and federal law. US President Donald Trump has decried elite colleges as overrun by liberalism and antisemitism.

His administration has launched investigations of dozens of universities, claiming they have failed to end the use of racial preferences in violation of civil rights law. The Republican administration says diversity, equity and inclusion efforts discriminate against white and Asian American students.

Over the summer. it fined the University of California, Los Angeles $1.2 billion and froze research funding after accusing the school of allowing antisemitism on campus. UCLA was the first public university to be targeted by the administration over allegations of civil rights violations.

It has also frozen or paused federal funding over similar claims against private colleges, including Columbia University.

Trump says he’s weighing Saudi request to purchase F-35s: ‘They wanna buy a lot of jets’

US President Donald Trump boards Air Force One on November 14, 2025, at Joint Base Andrew, Maryland. (Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images/AFP)

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump says that he is considering agreeing to a deal to supply Saudi Arabia with F-35 stealth fighter jets, which are made by Lockheed Martin.

“They wanna buy a lot of jets,” Trump tells reporters aboard Air Force One.

“I’m looking at that. They’ve asked me to look at it. They want to buy a lot of ’35’ — but they want to buy actually more than that, fighter jets.”

The potential sale comes as Trump plans to host Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House next week, when they are expected to sign economic and defense agreements.

Asked about the talks, Trump tells reporters it’s “more than meeting, we’re honoring” Saudi Arabia.

He repeats that he hopes Saudi will soon join the Abraham Accords, which have normalized relations between Israel and Muslim-majority nations. Riyadh has resisted such a step absent agreement on a roadmap to Palestinian statehood.

A Pentagon intelligence report has raised concerns over the potential F-35 deal, warning that China could acquire the aircraft’s technology if the sale proceeds, the New York Times reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the assessment.

US warns of ‘real human cost’ if UN Security Council doesn’t back its Gaza resolution

US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz addresses the High-Level Security Council on Palestinians and Israel during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, September 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis, File)

The United States calls the Gaza ceasefire “fragile,” warning of the risks of not adopting its draft UN Security Council resolution endorsing US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for the enclave.

“Any refusal to back this resolution is a vote either for the continued reign of Hamas terrorists or for the return to war with Israel, condemning the region and its people to perpetual conflict,” the US ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, writes in The Washington Post.

“Every departure from this path, be it by those who wish to play political games or to relitigate the past, will come with a real human cost.”

Rocket attack in Damascus wounds several people, causes damage

A TV crew films at a home in Damascus, Syria, November 14, 2025, after it was hit by rockets, according to state media. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

DAMASCUS, Syria — Rockets were fired at a home in Syria’s capital on Friday night, wounding several people and causing damage, state media reports.

It’s not immediately clear who was behind the rocket attack in Damascus’ western neighborhood of Mazzeh 86.

The Syrian defense ministry says in a statement that two Katyusha rockets were launched from the outskirts of the city toward residential neighborhoods in the Mazzeh area and that it is searching for the launch sites.

An Associated Press journalist at the scene says that security forces cordoned off the area and prevented anyone from getting close to the building that was struck. Journalists were later allowed in to film the damaged building.

State television reports that one woman was wounded in the blast, which was caused by an attack by “unknown assailants,” adding that security forces are investigating. The defense ministry statement later says that “a number of people” are injured without giving more details.

During Syria’s 14-year civil war, explosions and bombings in Damascus were not uncommon, but since the fall of president Bashar Assad’s government in December last year by insurgents who took over his seat of power, calm has largely prevailed.

A rocket attack in the capital is highly unusual.

There have been other attacks since Assad’s fall however, including a suicide bombing that targeted a church on the outskirts of Damascus in June.

Israel has also carried out hundreds of airstrikes around the country since the end of the 54-year Assad dynasty, mainly targeting assets of the Syrian army, although it has not struck the capital in recent months.