Nov. 20: Netanyahu speaks with freed hostage Alon Ohel about his rehabilitation

Levin lashes out at court for freezing his appointment of Sde Teiman probe overseer

Justice Minister Yariv Levin hits out at the High Court of Justice for issuing an injunction halting his appointment of a retired judge to lead the probe into the former military advocate general.

“The whitewashing enterprise under the auspices of the Supreme Court broke a new record tonight for shame,” Levin says in a statement.

Trump tells freed hostage Matan Angrest he’s a ‘living testimony’ to toughness of Jewish people

US President Donald Trump singles out freed hostage Matan Angrest in his comments during a meeting at the White House with a group of former Israeli captives.

“Because of his service in the IDF, Matan was subjected to severe beatings, even at times losing consciousness. Alone and under special guard, he went through hell,” Trump says in a video from the meeting shared by the Hostages Families Forum.

במהלך הפגישה עם שורדי השבי, הנשיא טראמפ פנה למתן אנגרסט: "עברת גיהנום אמיתי; אתה עדות לחוסן של העם היהודי"@michalpeylan pic.twitter.com/ZXs84v8kSL

Advertisement

— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) November 20, 2025

“Matan never broke, and today he’s a living testimony to the toughness, heart, and faith of the Jewish people. I’m telling you, you’re a great inspiration to everybody,” Trump adds.

Addressing the group, which includes 26 former hostages, including 17 who were freed last month, the US president says that “it’s an honor to get to know all of you, I know some of you already, I know some of the previous hostages that we got out very well. We love you all, and our country loves you all… you’re amazing people.”

Trump also hands each of the freed hostages his presidential challenge coin, according to footage shared by the White House.

President Trump personally gives each freed Israeli hostage his presidential challenge coin ❤️ pic.twitter.com/fmVwKo4ERT

— Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) November 20, 2025

Pollard defends Huckabee after meeting leak, says ‘abhorrent’ Kushner, Witkoff working for Saudi and Qatar

Jonathan Pollard says he sought the recently revealed meeting with US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee to thank the Trump envoy for his efforts to secure his release from prison after the former US Navy analyst was convicted of spying for Israel.

He speculates in an interview with i24News that the meeting that Huckabee kept off the books was leaked to The New York Times by those in the Trump administration who are more isolationist or hostile to Israel to discredit the US ambassador and possibly have him removed from office.

“If I could guess, I would say it’s that [the American intelligence] community, particularly the CIA station in the embassy, that probably was the one that initiated this whole effort to discredit the ambassador,” Pollard says.

While Pollard defends Huckabee, he says he “despises” Trump’s other top aides, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff.

“For people like that to carry on with terrorists who murdered our people and who have organized efforts to discredit Israel, I find abhorrent,” Pollard says.

“Steve Witkoff can meet with the people who ordered our people to be butchered on October 7, and nobody seems to think that’s a problem because, ‘Well, he’s working on peace.’ No, he’s working on his bank account,” he continues.

“They did everything in their power to prevent us from winning in Gaza. They are representatives — not of the United States, but of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and secondarily, Turkey,” Pollard claims.

“If immediately after the living hostages were released, we unleashed, as he said, ‘hell’ on Hamas and finished them off. I would have said that everything that had led up to that point in terms of negotiating and discussions to secure the release of the hostages would have been worthwhile,” Pollard adds.

“But right now, the 20-point peace plan that the president has imposed on us undermines our independence and threatens the security of our country.”

PM says Israel will reopen Rafah crossing when all hostages returned, calls on Egypt to let Gazans exit

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will reopen the Rafah border crossing after it receives the three remaining deceased hostages from Gaza, adding that Israel is “very close to completing” the process.

“We agreed that we will open the crossing after we receive all our hostages. We are very close to completing this process — it’s set to happen — and once that is completed, we will open the crossing,” the premier says in his interview with the Abu Ali Express Telegram channel published this evening.

The remains of three hostages — Dror Or, Ran Gvili and Sudthisak Rinthalak — are still being held in Gaza.

Netanyahu adds that, once all the hostages are returned and the crossing is reopened, he “will be very happy to see Egypt allowing any Gazan who wants to leave [through the crossing] to do so — because that has not happened until today.”

“Any Gazan who wants to leave should be able to, and that right has been denied to them,” he continues, adding that Washington’s 20-point plan for Gaza “included that right: it sets out the principle that any Gazan who wants to leave can leave. You’re not expelling anyone, but if a person wants to leave, let them leave. If Egypt accepts that — I think that’s very positive.”

The Palestinian embassy in Egypt has pushed for the reopening of the crossing, which has been largely closed since Israeli forces entered Rafah in May 2024, to allow Palestinians residing in Egypt to return to Gaza. Egypt has repeatedly vowed to block any “displacement” of Gazans from the wartorn Gaza Strip, calling it a “red line” for Cairo.

IDF arrested Hamas doctor in July who knew of Hadar Goldin’s location, says military

A Hamas operative with knowledge of where the terror group was holding the body of Lt. Hadar Goldin in the Gaza Strip was captured by Israeli forces in a special operation in July, the IDF and Shin Bet reveal.

Dr. Marwan al-Hams — who is the head of the Gaza Strip’s field hospitals, a position within the Hamas-run health ministry — was nabbed by undercover Israeli forces on July 21 in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, while he was visiting a Red Cross hospital in the area.

According to the IDF and Shin Bet, al-Hams was “involved in declaring the death” of Goldin following his abduction in the 2014 Gaza War, and “is suspected of knowing where he was buried” in the major Hamas tunnel in the Rafah area.

The arrest of al-Hams was part of “dozens of covert operations” conducted over the past six months as part of efforts to return Goldin’s body for burial, the military says.

Ultimately, the IDF was unable to locate Goldin’s remains, which were returned by Hamas to Israel earlier this month.

Netanyahu: Enlistment bill will bring 17,000 Haredi soldiers into IDF in 3 years

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that the Haredi enlistment bill he wants to pass will bring 17,000 ultra-Orthodox soldiers into the IDF within three years.

“I expect the Haredi public to join this, to give this a chance. I want the rabbis to allow support” in the Knesset, he says in an interview with the Abu Ali Express Telegram channel.

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

Some 80,000 ultra-Orthodox men aged between 18 and 24 are currently believed to be eligible for military service, but have not enlisted. The IDF has said it urgently needs 12,000 recruits due to the strain on standing and reserve forces caused by the war against Hamas in Gaza and other military challenges.

PM shelved plan to strip Smotrich of control over PA banking after far-right minister threatened to resign

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shelved a plan to prevent Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from trying to collapse the Palestinian Authority after the far-right minister threatened to resign and collapse the government, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.

Netanyahu was planning to present a cabinet decision this evening that would have transferred some of Smotrich’s authorities to another minister. Smotrich is refusing to sign a waiver granting indemnity for Israeli banks to correspond with Palestinian ones.

Failure to sign a waiver by the end of the month risks collapsing the Palestinian banking system, which operates on Israeli shekels. The Trump administration has been pressuring Israel to sign the waiver, fearing that the financial crisis could lead to the PA’s collapse and major instability in the West Bank.

This isn’t the first time that this dynamic has unfolded, as Smotrich has tried to squeeze pro-settler concessions each time he signs a temporary extension to Israeli-Palestinian banking cooperation.

Netanyahu tried to solve the issue by passing a cabinet decision stripping Smotrich of his authority to adjudicate the matter, but the finance minister found out about the plan last night and threatened to resign, the Israeli official says, confirming a report in the Israel Hayom daily.

Not wanting to lose his government, Netanyahu has decided to hold off on bringing the cabinet decision to a vote, but it is unclear at this stage how the matter will be resolved.

Court issues temporary block on Levin appointing Ben-Hamo to oversee Sde Teiman leak probe

The High Court of Justice issues an interim order delaying Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s appointment of a retired judge to head the investigation into the former military advocate general.

The court issues a ruling after the Israel Democracy Guard filed a petition immediately after Levin, earlier today, officially submitted the appointment of Yosef Ben-Hamo to oversee the probe into Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi over her role in leaking a video purportedly showing Israeli soldiers abusing a Palestinian detainee.

According to the court ruling, the appointment of Ben-Hamo is temporarily stayed, and Levin, the attorney general, and the state attorney’s office have until Monday to respond to the petition.

Yesterday, the High Court declined a petition to delay Levin’s ability to appoint someone to the role, but said that once he does tap a supervisor for the investigation, the request may be evaluated.

Levin made the nomination after the court ruled on Sunday that he was allowed to make such an appointment, sidelining the attorney general — who he has accused of covering up an investigation into the leak — but invalidating his previous nominee.

The Israel Democracy Guard argued that the ruling earlier this week set an unprecedented principle enabling political involvement in a criminal process.

Israel wants to reach deal with Turkey, but ‘can’t rule out’ threat, says Netanyahu

Israel wants to reach an arrangement with Turkey, says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but can’t rule out the country becoming a threat to the Jewish state.

“I hope that threat doesn’t materialize, but we can’t rule it out,” Netanyahu says during an interview with the Abu Ali Express Telegram account.

Relations between the two countries — formerly close allies — collapsed once again during the two-year war in Gaza, as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan praised the Hamas terror group and accused Israel of committing genocide.

“We prefer a modus vivendi with Turkey,” Netanyahu continues. “They’re very stubborn and speak in an extreme way, and we push back on it. But in practice, we prevented their entry into southern Syria. They wanted to come in near our border — I said this will not happen. We also didn’t want them entering central Syria at the T-4 base — and we even struck that airfield.”

At the same time, says Netanyahu, Israel “maintains dialogue beyond the headlines, telling them there’s mutual interest in avoiding confrontation.”

Despite the attempts by Israel to find ways to reduce tensions, Israel’s military force design moving forward will be affected by what capabilities Turkey develops, he says.

“We do not intend to relinquish our military superiority,” Netanyahu stresses. “We’re not seeking enemies, but we won’t let any country in the region threaten us.”

Asked about the possibility of Turkey receiving the F-35 from the US after Saudi Arabia, Netanyahu says, “That possibility is extremely distant, if it even exists at all.”

Mamdani on synagogue protest: New Yorkers ‘should be free to enter house of worship without intimidation’

New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani issues a statement on last night’s caustic protest outside a Manhattan synagogue.

“The mayor-elect has discouraged the language used at last night’s protest and will continue to do so,” Mamdani spokesperson Dora Pekec tells The Times of Israel. “He believes every New Yorker should be free to enter a house of worship without intimidation, and that these sacred spaces should not be used to promote activities in violation of international law.”

Anti-Israel protesters outside a Nefesh B’Nefesh event at the Park East Synagogue last night shouted “Death to the IDF,” “We don’t want no Zionists here,” “Resistance you make us proud, take another settler out” and “From New York to Gaza, globalize the intifada.”

Netanyahu: Deal with Syria ‘preferable,’ but border defense will hold ‘with or without agreement’

A day after visiting an outpost in the IDF-held buffer zone in southern Syria, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that a security agreement with Damascus is “preferable,” but that Israel won’t compromise on border security and protecting minorities in the neighboring country.

“I believe Syria has an interest — no less than Israel, and perhaps even more — in reaching a security agreement with us,” the premier says in an interview with the Abu Ali Express channel on Telegram.

Asked about Syrian President Al Sharaa’s interest in such an arrangement, which has been under US-mediated negotiation, Netanyahu says, “There are various conditions involved — I won’t get into that.”

“But the important point is this: Israel is a very strong country. Israel is very determined. We will not allow threats to develop against us from southwest Syria, and we are also determined to protect our Druze allies” in the country, he says.

“Whether Syria wants to do this through an agreement — that is a separate question. In my view, an agreement is preferable. But the principles of defending our borders and defending our allies will be upheld in any case — with or without an agreement,” he says.

Shin Bet chief Zini said to alter agency’s stance, back death penalty for terrorists

In a major shift, Shin Bet Chief David Zini has informed the government that the security agency supports a bill to enact the death penalty for terrorists, Haaretz reports.

Zini was said to have endorsed the legislation on the security service’s behalf after being appointed to his role last month. His selection by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was controversial, with opponents citing Zini’s hard-right politics and the premier’s potential conflict of interest in nominating someone to head the agency.

The agency’s sudden backing signals a departure from the consensus of former Shin Bet heads, who largely opposed similar legislative actions in past years.

The death penalty bill, sponsored by MK Limor Son Har-Melech of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, passed its first reading last week. It is currently being debated in the Knesset’s National Security Committee, ahead of its second and third plenary readings.

PM: Israel aims to build independent arms production to reduce reliance on US

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is working on an initiative to develop Israel’s independent munitions production with minimal dependence on the US — Israel’s primary defense partner and arms supplier — in the coming decade.

“I’m currently holding discussions — including a very serious four-hour meeting yesterday — on our armament plans for the coming decade, and there are several components involved,” Netanyahu says in an interview aired this evening with the Abu Ali Express channel on Telegram.

“The most important thing is that we want to strengthen our independent capabilities… the central point is that I want to eliminate, or at least significantly reduce, our dependence on external supplies — even from very good and truly loyal friends like the United States. I want us to be as self-reliant as possible,” the premier continues.

Netanyahu says he wants the IDF’s combat capabilities to continue “surpassing every other actor in the region,” saying this “requires a complex reorganization — significant resources and many decisions.”

“We need to signal to every actor in the region — friendly, less friendly and hostile — that Israel is the strongest country here… That is the policy. It’s called peace through strength,” he says.

Police arrest convicted pedophile rabbi who fled to Israel from the US in 2001

Police arrested a convicted pedophile this morning in Jerusalem, after he fled the United States to Israel over two decades ago while on probation following his release from prison.

Mordechai Yom Tov, a Chabad-affiliated rabbi and teacher, is a wanted fugitive in the US and is due for extradition after committing severe sexual offenses against minors under his tutelage.

He was arrested in Los Angeles in 2001 and swiftly charged with 10 counts of indecent acts against three of his male students, ages 8-10. The victims claimed he molested them in a classroom during recess.

Yom Tov was only convicted on two of the counts, after prosecutors dropped the charges in exchange for a guilty plea. He could have served up to 40 years in prison, according to a local report from the time of his trial.

After being released from prison a year later, Yom Tov was put on probation, but violated the terms of his sentence by escaping to Israel, where he concealed his identity and avoided documentation. He was due to stand trial in another case, police say.

Extradition permits were issued several weeks ago for Yom Tov, and police arrested him this morning in his hideout in Jerusalem’s northern Tel Arza neighborhood.

His remand was extended this morning by a Jerusalem court until Wednesday next week, police say. The extradition process is ongoing.

Trump to freed hostages in White House: ‘Today, you’re heroes’

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump is currently meeting with a delegation of recently released hostages at the White House.

“You’re not a hostage anymore… today you’re heroes,” Trump is heard telling the group of former captives accompanied by their loved ones in footage released by the White House.

“You’re not a hostage anymore…today you’re heroes”

President @realDonaldTrump speaks to recently freed Israeli hostages and their families ❤️ pic.twitter.com/vd82KNwKvt

— Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) November 20, 2025

Security agencies said to push new plan to counter rising settler violence in West Bank

Israel’s security establishment has drafted a series of new recommendations aimed at curbing Jewish nationalist crime and settler violence in the West Bank, following a sharp rise in serious incidents over the past year, according to a Channel 12 news report.

According to the TV network, the IDF, Shin Bet and Israel Police have jointly outlined measures including the creation of a special investigative team for severe cases of “Jewish terrorism,” expanded military and police deployment in Palestinian villages within friction zones, and the establishment of 14 reinforced security hubs in areas identified as violence hotspots.

The plan also calls for broadening surveillance networks, installing additional cameras, and increasing enforcement tools against offenders, such as property seizures, fines and revocation of gun licenses.

Channel 12 says that Israeli security bodies recorded 752 incidents of nationalist crime and Jewish extremist violence in the past year, 99 of them classified as severe.

A year ago, Defense Minister Israel Katz declared the end of the use of administrative detention against extremist settlers.

The recently appointed Shin Bet chief, David Zini, has reportedly warned in internal discussions that the phenomenon must be confronted “with full force” and through close cooperation among all agencies.

Some recommendations still require approval from the political echelon and are expected to be presented to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the coming days.

Man arrested on suspicion of shooting 2 family members dead in Rahat

Police say they arrested a man suspected of opening fire on his family members in Rahat tonight, killing a 17-year-old boy and a 30-year-old man, and injuring three others.

The suspected assailant, a man in his 30s, was apparently spurred on by a romantic dispute between him and his cousins, police say. Police who searched the family’s home seized a handgun, which they suspect was used in the shooting.

He was arrested by officers from the city’s police station and fighters from the Sahar unit, established to crack down on Arab sector crime in southern Israel.

Netanyahu: ‘There will not be a Palestinian state,’ even at cost of Saudi normalization

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists that there will not be a Palestinian state, even at the cost of normalization with Saudi Arabia, as such a state would pose “an existential threat to Israel.”

“There will not be a Palestinian state. It’s very simple: it will not be established,” the premier says in his interview with the Abu Ali Express Telegram channel aired this evening.

Asked by the interviewer if his opposition holds even if it jeopardizes normalization with Riyadh — which insists on a credible pathway to Palestinian statehood in exchange for such ties –- Netanyahu says: “The answer is: a Palestinian state will not be established. It is an existential threat to Israel.”

Asked about what has prevented normalization with the Saudis, Netanyahu says the war in Gaza strained progress, but that “the conditions could develop” now that the war is winding down.

“But the conditions must be acceptable to both sides – terms that are good for both sides,” he says. “I know how to stand firm on our essential conditions and not endanger our security. And if this process ripens later on, excellent. And if not, we will safeguard our vital interests.”

White House ‘not aware’ of Huckabee’s meeting with Pollard, says press secretary

WASHINGTON — The White House was “not aware” of the meeting that US Ambassador Mike Huckabee held with former US Navy analyst Jonathan Pollard, who was convicted of spying on behalf of Israel, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says during a briefing.

“The White House was not aware of that meeting, but the president stands by Ambassador Huckabee and all that he’s doing for the United States and Israel,” Leavitt says in response to a question on a New York Times report revealing the meeting earlier this year, which was said to have angered the CIA and other senior officials in the administration.

Trump set to welcome 26 freed hostages to the White House

US President Donald Trump is set to welcome a group of recently freed hostages to the White House this afternoon.

The hostages who have joined the trip to Washington include Omri Miran, Eitan Mor, Matan Angrest, Nimrod Cohen, Avinatan Or, Bar Kuperstein, brothers Ariel and David Cunio and twins Ziv and Gali Berman — who were all freed last month from Gaza after two years of captivity.

The Hostages and Families Forum says that 17 former captives who were freed last month are taking part in the visit. Twenty hostages were freed under the ceasefire that went into effect last month.

Overall, 26 former hostages joined the group, including a number who were freed in past deals, including Keith and Aviva Siegel and Noa Argamani.

A number of the hostages are bringing gifts to the US president to express gratitude for him pushing through a ceasefire deal that led to them returning home. The group met with a bipartisan group of US lawmakers yesterday on Capitol Hill.

Settlers reportedly set fire to scrapyard in Palestinian town of Huwara

Israeli settlers set fire to a scrapyard in the northern West Bank Palestinian town of Huwara, south of Nablus, this evening, Palestinian media reports.

The official Palestinian WAFA news agency says that dozens of Israelis arrived from the nearby settlement of Yitzhar and attacked the northern part of Huwara, where they set fire to the vehicle scrapyard.

There is no immediate comment from Israeli authorities on the incident.

اتساع رقعة النيران بعد إحراق المستوطنين "مشطب سيارات" بين بلدتي حوارة وأودلا، جنوب نابلس. pic.twitter.com/GKTvpVl5Z5

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) November 20, 2025

Report: Hamas stalling release of slain hostages, fearing end of control in Gaza

Hamas is deliberately delaying efforts to locate and return the three remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza, amid growing internal assessments in Israel that the terror group is rattled by the recent UN Security Council decision outlining a postwar interim administration for the Strip, Channel 12 reports.

According to the network, Israeli officials believe Hamas views the UN plan — which envisions Gaza being overseen by an International Stabilization Force (ISF) — as a direct threat to its future control of the territory. Messages passed by Hamas to mediators in recent days indicate the group sees the resolution as “the beginning of the end” for its rule in Gaza, the report says.

In response, Hamas is said to be working to lower its profile and project compliance with the ceasefire framework set by US President Donald Trump, while avoiding large-scale attacks on IDF troops. Still, sporadic incidents continue, such as repeated instances in recent days of Hamas operatives crossing into the Israeli side of the Yellow Line in Gaza.

Channel 12 says Israeli assessments indicate Hamas suspects Israel could collapse the ceasefire at any moment, and is therefore intentionally dragging out the hostage release process despite having, at times, “significant” indications of the slain captives’ whereabouts.

Footage circulated by the group of purported search operations — including images from the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City earlier today — is often merely a “façade,” the report alleges.

Israeli officials believe the real aim is to stall for time as Hamas grapples with the expectation that it will be removed from Gaza in the next phase of the internationally backed plan.

The remains of three hostages — Dror Or, Ran Gvili and Sudthisak Rinthalak are still being held in Gaza.

Last month, the IDF published a drone video showing Hamas terror operatives staging the recovery of the partial remains of slain hostage Ofir Tzarfati in front of the Red Cross.

Netanyahu speaks with freed hostage Alon Ohel about his rehabilitation

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with freed hostage Alon Ohel, his office says.

Ohel, who was released from Gaza last month after two years in captivity, did not join his fellow captives on a trip to Washington to meet with US President Donald Trump today.

Netanyahu’s office says that during their conversation, the prime minister asked after Ohel’s “well-being and the process of his rehabilitation, and wished his family the best.”

IDF says it fired at two terror operatives who crossed ‘Yellow Line’ in Gaza

The IDF says it opened fire on two terror operatives who crossed the Yellow Line demarcating the military’s withdrawal and approached troops in the southern Gaza Strip today.

The military says the two operatives had been spotted crossing the line and approaching troops of the Kfir Brigade.

The operatives “posed an immediate threat” to the Kfir soldiers, who then opened fire “to remove the threat,” the military says, adding that a “hit was identified.”

The IDF says it remains deployed in Gaza “in accordance with the ceasefire agreement and will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat.”

Netanyahu says Rubio assured him Israel’s military edge will remain despite Saudi F-35 deal

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio guaranteed him that Israel’s “qualitative military edge” will remain intact in a phone call following US President Donald Trump’s announcement this week that he would sell F-35 warplanes to Saudi Arabia.

“Regarding the F-35, I had a long conversation with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who reiterated his commitment that the United States will continue to preserve Israel’s qualitative military edge in everything related to supplying weapons and military systems to countries in the Middle East,” Netanyahu says in a lengthy Hebrew-language interview with “Abu Ali Express,” a popular account on the Telegram messaging app.

Netanyahu says that Rubio assured him the US is “committed to maintaining Israel’s qualitative edge in all areas, including Israel’s advantage regarding the supply of F-35 aircraft,” adding that the advantage is anchored in US law.

“Beyond that, I prefer not to elaborate,” he adds.

Yesterday, US officials and defense experts told Reuters that the F-35 fighter jets to be sold to Saudi Arabia will be less advanced than those used by the IDF, after Israel expressed concerns on the matter.

Hamas navy chief and captor of hostages both killed in Israeli airstrikes, says IDF

The chief of Hamas’s naval forces and another terrorist who was involved in holding Israeli hostages captive in Gaza were killed in yesterday’s airstrikes in the Strip in response to an attack on troops, the IDF and Shin Bet announce.

Yesterday, Israeli forces stationed in the Khan Younis area came under fire from terror operatives. No injuries were caused. In response, the IDF launched a wave of strikes on Hamas targets.

The IDF and Shin Bet say they are able to confirm the deaths of Abdallah Abu Shamala, the Hamas naval forces chief, and Fadi Abu Mustafa, who took part in holding Nimrod Cohen, David Cunio and other hostages captive in Gaza, in yesterday’s strikes.

Abu Shamala was a senior Hamas commander who held various roles in the terror group’s naval forces over the years.

The IDF says Abu Shamala was involved in Hamas’s sea-borne infiltration in the Zikim area during the 2014 Gaza war, and he also took part in planning and training the naval forces for its infiltration of Israel during the October 7 onslaught.

The naval forces commander also advanced “numerous terror attacks throughout the war against IDF troops, and naval targets in particular,” the military says.

Abu Mustafa, according to the IDF, was responsible for tunnel digging in Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade. He also took part in holding Cohen, Cunio, and additional hostages captive in Gaza, the military says.

An airstrike targets the commander of Hamas’s naval forces in the Gaza Strip, November 19, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Measles patient flew from Moldova to Tel Aviv this week, says Health Ministry

The Health Ministry says that a person infected with measles flew from Chisinau, Moldova, to Tel Aviv on Tuesday, on an El Al flight that left at 12:30 p.m. and arrived in Ben Gurion Airport at 3 p.m.

Passengers who were on this flight were asked to ensure that they were vaccinated in accordance with the ministry’s guidelines.

The current outbreak, which began in May, is active throughout the country. At least eight children have died since the start of the outbreak. All were healthy individuals, younger than two and a half, with no underlying diseases, and who had not received the measles vaccine.

The areas currently defined as having an outbreak are Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Bnei Brak, Harish, Modi’in Illit, Nof HaGalil, Kiryat Gat, Ashdod, Safed, Netivot, Haifa, Tiberias, Mateh Binyamin Regional Council and the community of Tekoa.

Settlers establish illegal outpost southeast of Bethlehem overnight

Israeli settlers founded a new illegal West Bank outpost southeast of Bethlehem last night, with the backing of settlement authorities in the region.

The outpost, called Shdema, is in its “initial stages” and currently consists of three families, says a spokesman for the Gush Etzion Regional Council.

Council chairman Yaron Rosental says the new settlement is “an important strategic point” that will ensure Jewish continuity between the Gush Etzion settlement bloc and Jerusalem, as construction booms in the area.

The site, which sits atop a hill, used to house an IDF base that was abandoned two decades ago. Since then, many settlement activists have vied to establish a Jewish presence there, despite opposition from Palestinians in the neighboring village of Beit Sahour.

Anti-settlement watchdog group Peace Now condemns the establishment of Shdema, claiming it was undertaken without government authorization. The group has filed a police complaint demanding that authorities probe the regional council’s involvement in illegal settlement construction.

The area was designated around 15 years ago for the construction of a US-funded children’s hospital to serve nearby Palestinian locales; however, settlers were able to thwart the plan, according to the organization. The group says Shdema intends to “choke the Palestinian town of Beit Sahour and prevent its development, as part of an effort to deny Israel the chance for a future of peace and two states.”

It further alleges that the speedy construction was approved to shield the settlement council from criticism, after it backed the demolition of several illegal settlement structures.

Shdema was erected just days after the IDF evacuated several makeshift structures built by settlers in the illegal Tzur Misgavi outpost, at the regional council’s behest due to “anarchy” in the area. The demolitions led to fierce clashes between security forces and settlers, which saw six activists arrested and several officers wounded.

EU official: Palestinian Authority has made reforms, but work ‘remains to be done’

More international support is needed to stabilize the Palestinian fiscal situation, the European Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica says, adding that the bloc recognizes the progress made by the Palestinian Authority on key reforms in “exceptional circumstances.”

During a press conference alongside the Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, she also says that those reforms are a prerequisite for a viable two-state solution, and that work “remained to be done.”

2nd man dies of wounds following shooting outside mall in Rahat

A 30-year-old man critically injured in a shooting in Rahat has died, the Ynet news site reports. He was taken to the hospital by paramedics, where he succumbed to his wounds.

The shooting also claimed the life of a 17-year-old boy and injured three others. All victims belong to the same family, the outlet says.

Police suspect the assailants were spurred on by a romantic dispute between cousins in the southern Bedouin city.

No arrests have been reported so far in connection with the shooting. Police say their forces are conducting a manhunt for suspects.

Saudi Arabia condemns yesterday’s Israeli airstrikes in Gaza

Saudi Arabia issues a condemnation of Israel’s latest airstrikes in Gaza that the IDF says came in response to Hamas operatives opening fire on its troops yesterday.

Twenty-five children were reportedly killed in the strikes, including three young children from the same family.

Further highlighting that a normalization deal between the two countries appears to be far off, the Saudi foreign ministry statement blasts “the Israeli occupation’s continued flagrant violations in the region.”

The statement also pans Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit yesterday to the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, where IDF troops have remained in several key points, which it says is necessary to secure Israel’s borders.

Gaza tunnel where Hadar Goldin’s body was held is 7km long, has 80 rooms, says IDF

The IDF publishes footage showing a major Hamas tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip, where it says the body of Lt. Hadar Goldin had been held by the terror group in recent years, before his remains were returned to Israel last week.

The military describes it as “one of the most significant and complex” tunnels found by the IDF to date in the Strip.

It spans over seven kilometers, goes down some 25 meters deep, and includes around 80 separate rooms, according to the military.

“The route runs beneath a densely populated residential neighborhood near the Philadelphi Corridor and continues through sensitive civilian areas, including a UNRWA compound, mosques, clinics, kindergartens and schools,” the IDF says.

The IDF says the tunnel was uncovered by the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit and the Shayetet 13 naval commando unit, as other forces of the Southern Command operated in the surrounding area.

The roughly 80 rooms found in the tunnel included those used by Hamas operatives to reside in for long periods, to store weapons, and to plan attacks, the military says.

The IDF says it also found rooms used as command posts by senior terror commanders, including the former commander of Hamas’s Rafah Brigade, Muhammad Shabana, who was killed alongside top Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar in May.

Hamas earlier this month said that it recovered Goldin’s body from a tunnel in Rafah, an area currently under IDF control. The Israeli military in the past year had searched the area for Goldin’s body, although it did not have intelligence on the exact location.

The terror group, a day later, returned Goldin’s remains, more than 11 years after he was killed and abducted by Hamas gunmen during the 2014 Gaza War.

Footage released by the IDF on November 20, 2025, shows a major Hamas tunnel in southern Gaza, where it says the body of Lt. Hadar Goldin had been held by the terror group in recent years. (Israel Defense Forces)

Teenager shot and killed outside Rahat shopping center

A 17-year-old boy has been shot and killed outside a shopping center in Rahat, near a major thoroughfare in the southern Bedouin city.

The shooting injured five people in total, including a 30-year-old man currently in critical condition as paramedics attempt to resuscitate him. All have been taken to Soroka Medical Center in neighboring Beersheba.

The teenage boy was rushed to the hospital, but soon succumbed to his wounds. Hospital staff declared him dead on arrival.

Police say the shooting was the result of a romantic dispute between cousins.

Large forces from the Southern District and Rahat police station are currently operating in the area and conducting a manhunt for suspects in the shooting, law enforcement adds.

Levin officially appoints retired judge to head investigation into ex-MAG, amid ongoing court battle

Justice Minister Yariv Levin officially submits his nomination for retired district court judge Yosef Ben-Hamo to head the investigation into the former IDF military advocate general.

Levin announced the appointment earlier this week, following a ruling by the High Court of Justice on Sunday allowing him to make the appointment. Ben-Hamo, who retired in 2020, will head the investigation into ex-military advocate general Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi’s leak of a surveillance video last year purporting to show the abuse of a Palestinian security detainee by IDF soldiers at the Sde Teiman military facility.

Levin had chosen State Ombudsman for Judges Asher Kula to oversee the investigation, but the court ruled that the pick was invalid since the law explicitly bans the ombudsman from serving in any other position, or carrying out any other function, while in office.

Last night, the court declined a petition to delay Levin’s ability to appoint someone to the role, but said that once he does tap a supervisor for the investigation, the request may be evaluated, and an additional hearing is likely.

Immediately following Levin’s official appointment, the Israel Democracy Guard petitions the court against the nomination, seeking a delay in its implementation.

The court’s ruling stipulated that the supervisor have no political affiliation, be an expert in legal affairs, and have a job closely connected to criminal investigations or prosecutions. However, the High Court ruling also stipulated that the supervisor be a “senior public servant,” which Ben-Hamo is not. Levin claimed that he could not find such an individual suitable for the role.

Jeremy Sharon contributed to this report.

Freed hostages meet bipartisan group of US lawmakers on Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON — A delegation of released hostages and their family members met with a bipartisan group of over a dozen US lawmakers on Capitol Hill yesterday to thank them for their efforts to secure the release of Israeli captives from Gaza.

“During the discussion, members of Congress expressed their support for the released hostages and their families, as well as their commitment to continue working toward securing the return of the three remaining deceased hostages still held by the Hamas terrorist organization,” according to a readout from the Israeli Embassy in Washington, whose representatives accompanied the hostage families

“To our great hostages who now carry a weight, a story and experience that you never asked for,” Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens said during the meeting. “We will be your friends for life. We will be your advocates for life. We will continue to wear our pins, and we will continue to tell your story.”

“Today we were able to bring both sides of the House, Democrats and Republicans together, into one room,” said Danny Miran, the father of recently released hostage Omri Miran, who was also part of the delegation. “This is an opportunity to thank you, American Jewry, and all those who took the trouble and labored and made efforts to bring these wonderful children home. In less than a month, we will be celebrating Hanukkah – the Festival of Lights – thank you very much for all these lights you have lit for us.”

Those in attendance also included freed hostages Eitan Mor, Matan Angrest, Nimrod Cohen, Avinatan Or, Bar Kuperstein, brothers Ariel and David Cunio and twins Ziv and Gali Berman.

The delegation of released hostages will be meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House later today.

LGBTQ group outraged by reported plan to appoint man who praised 2015 Pride Parade murder as senior cop

The Aguda LGBTQ umbrella group expresses “devastation and outrage” following a report that National Minister Itamar Ben Gvir seeks to appoint a man who praised the fatal stabbing at the 2015 Jerusalem Pride Parade, as a senior police officer.

Sources cited by i24 News yesterday say the unnamed leads the pack to head the police’s new administration for the recruitment of ultra-Orthodox officers.

According to i24, the man has a robust criminal record including charges of assault, property damage and race-based offenses.

Both the Israel Police and Ben Gvir himself are said to support the candidate for the role, which will carry the rank of deputy commissioner.

In a statement on the reported candidacy, the Aguda says: “This is a moral and public red line, and will use every means at our disposal to ensure it isn’t crossed.”

“An appointment like this engenders irrevocable damage to the the already destabilized trust between the LGBTQ community and the police, and will further degrade the security felt by anyone the police is supposed to protect,” says the Aguda.

“We demand the minister immediately retract the planned appointment, disavow this dangerous and destructive message and understand that someone who supports murder, violence, racism and LGBTQ-phobia does not belong in police or civil service at all,” the organization says.

Israel says it will maintain qualitative military edge despite F-35 sale to Saudis

Israel expects to maintain access to more advanced US weaponry, a government spokesperson says when asked about Washington’s plan to sell F-35 warplanes to Saudi Arabia.

Israel is the only Middle East country operating the F-35, one of the most advanced warplanes ever built. US law guarantees Israel a “qualitative military edge” in the region.

“The United States and Israel have a long-standing understanding, which is that Israel maintains the qualitative edge when it comes to its defense,” Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian tells reporters.

“That has been true yesterday, that has been true today, and the prime minister believes that will be true tomorrow and in the future,” she adds.

Bedrosian’s remarks are the first official comment from the Israeli government on the Saudi sale, announced earlier this week by US President Donald Trump.

Hamas, Red Cross said to search IDF-controlled Zeitoun for body of hostage

Hamas operatives, alongside Red Cross representatives, were allowed into the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City earlier today to search for the body of a hostage, according to Palestinian and Arab media reports.

The neighborhood is under IDF control as part of the ceasefire. Like previous similar cases, Israel granted the Hamas gunmen permission to enter the IDF-held areas for the searches.

Al Jazeera reports a short while ago that the searches ended, seemingly without any bodies being recovered. The remains of three hostages are still in Gaza — Dror Or, Ran Gvili and Sudthisak Rinthalak.

#صور| فريق من الصليب الأحمر وكتائب القسام يستأنف البحث عن جثة أسير إسرائيلي في حي الزيتون بغزة. pic.twitter.com/ZiiWq7WVM8

— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) November 20, 2025

Iran: No IAEA access to bombed nuclear sites without a concrete deal

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says that the UN’s nuclear watchdog will not be given access to Iranian nuclear sites attacked during the recent war with Israel without a concrete deal being agreed.

“The facilities that were attacked have their own story, and until a decision is made and a conclusion is reached between us, the IAEA, and others, cooperation is not possible,” he says in an interview posted on his Telegram channel today.

In the interview, conducted before a resolution was adopted by the International Atomic Energy Agency demanding access to the sites, Araghchi does not elaborate on what such an agreement would entail.

Police interrogate anti-government activist over road-blocking protest

Police announce that they have finished interrogating noted anti-government activist Moshe Radman on suspicion of disorderly conduct during a protest this month.

Radman allegedly encouraged protesters to stray from a preplanned route and block a separate street during a march in Tel Aviv on November 8, according to law enforcement’s statement on the matter.

Protest leaders denounce the police summons as politically motivated. Many showed up to protest at the Tel Aviv police station where he was questioned, including The Democrats MK Naama Lazimi.

Police reject allegations of political bias, saying that “any claim that the investigation is driven by ulterior motives is baseless.”

5 Palestinians reported killed in Israeli airstrikes in southern Gaza

Five Palestinians were killed in purported Israeli airstrikes in the southern Gaza Strip today, according to Palestinian media and Hamas authorities.

The Hamas-run Gaza Civil Defense agency claims that an airstrike on a home in the Khan Younis suburb of Bani Suheila early this morning killed three people, including an infant, and wounded a further 15.

Another strike in Abasan al-Kabira, also near Khan Younis, killed two other people, Palestinian media reports.

The military confirms it conducted strikes today on Hamas infrastructure in Khan Younis, on the eastern side of the Yellow Line — meaning IDF-held territory under the ceasefire — but says it is unaware of any casualties caused.

Europeans want to revive nuclear diplomacy with Iran, says France

France, Britain and Germany want to reopen the door of diplomacy with Iran over its contested nuclear program, France’s foreign ministry spokesperson says.

Spokesperson Pascal Confavreux tells reporters that despite the Europeans pushing for the return of United Nations sanctions in September, those three powers had always wanted to maintain dialogue with Iran.

Three diplomats have said the European powers are hoping to hold talks with Iran before the end of the year, although it is not clear whether Tehran is open to them in the immediate term.

France calls for Israel to pull out of Syria, expresses concern over Lebanon strikes

France is concerned about the intensification of Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon and is also calling on the IDF to respect Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, a French foreign ministry spokesperson says.

“We are concerned about this intensification of Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon. We condemn the Israeli strikes that are killing civilians in the south. Our position is one of respect for the ceasefire of 27 November 2024,” he says.

The IDF stepped up airstrikes in south Lebanon yesterday, killing at least one person as it pressed a campaign of near-daily attacks which it says is designed to block a military revival by Iran-backed Hezbollah in the border area. Israel said the individual killed was a Hezbollah operative who was building up the terror group’s operations in the south.

“We are following developments in the Golan Heights with great concern. France calls for the withdrawal of the Israeli army and respect for Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the spokesperson said about Syria.

Senior police official at center of investigation to take weeklong leave

The head of the Israel Police’s top investigative unit, who is currently the subject of a criminal probe, will take a weeklong break from his post, police announce.

Israel Police chief Commissioner Danny Levy signs off on the decision, allowing Deputy Commissioner Manny Binyamin to temporarily leave the helm of the Lahav 433 major crimes unit.

Investigators in the Department for Internal Police Investigations launched a probe into Binyamin last week on suspicion he interfered in an investigation in which he had a conflict of interest. He is suspected of breach of trust and abuse of authority, and was questioned for the second time yesterday.

He was released after his initial interrogation, subject to restrictions including a nine-day ban on entering police facilities and contacting those involved in the case.

IDF publishes footage of Hamas tunnel shaft located inside abandoned school in northern Gaza

The IDF publishes footage recovered from the camera of a Hamas operative, showing armed members of the terror group operating in an abandoned elementary school in the northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun.

Within the school compound, as the footage shows, is an apparent tunnel shaft that the operatives are seen entering. According to the IDF, the shaft leads to a Hamas tunnel that is part of a wider underground network in Beit Hanoun.

This undated video released by the IDF on November 20, 2025, shows Hamas gunmen operating in a school in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF says Hamas built a wide tunnel network under Beit Hanoun, which crosses the entire town and runs underneath homes and other civilian sites.

In addition, the military says that “thousands of structures above ground were identified as having been used by the Hamas terror organization as weapons storage facilities, firing positions, and command centers for terrorists.”

Nearly every structure in Beit Hanoun was razed by the IDF during its ground operations against Hamas in the past two years. The IDF says it operated in the town “systematically and thoroughly, and neutralized the terror infrastructure that posed a direct threat to the residents of the western Negev.”

Defense Ministry signs multibillion-dollar contract with Rafael to expand Iron Dome system

Israel’s Defense Ministry says it has signed a multibillion-dollar contract with the Rafael defense firm to expand the serial production of the short-range Iron Dome air defense system.

The procurement order was signed by Defense Ministry Director General Amir Baram today, following “comprehensive negotiations” between ministry officials and Rafael.

The deal will see Rafael deliver a “substantial quantity” of Iron Dome interceptors to the Israeli military, the ministry says.

The funds come from an $8.7 billion US aid package to Israel that was approved by Congress in April 2024. The package allocated $5.2 billion toward enhancing Israel’s air defenses.

The Iron Dome is the lowest layer of Israel’s multi-tiered air defense system, and it has downed tens of thousands of rockets, mortars, and drones launched at Israel since 2011, mostly during the current war.

The Israeli Air Force’s Aerial Defense Array has four Iron Dome battalions, including two that were reestablished during the war. The Israeli Navy also has a version of the Iron Dome aboard its four Sa’ar-6 class corvettes.

NYT: Huckabee met with ex-spy Jonathan Pollard in Israel, alarming US officials

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee met in July with Jonathan Pollard, a former US Navy analyst who spent three decades in US prison for spying for Israel, Pollard confirms to The New York Times.

Pollard tells the outlet that the interaction was “a friendly meeting,” during which he thanked Huckabee for calling for his release over a decade ago and discussed “a lot of things,” but he declined to elaborate further.

American officials cited in the report say the unusual meeting caught many US officials by surprise, including the US Central Intelligence Agency’s station chief in Israel.

The CIA declined to comment on the meeting, and White House officials tell the outlet that the White House was not aware of it in advance, and that senior officials were alarmed to learn it had taken place.

The US embassy in Israel did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report

Pollard, who is 70 years old and Jewish, was greeted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upon his arrival in Israel in 2020, weeks after his parole ended and 35 years after he was arrested for sending US secrets to the country during the Cold War, causing a strain in relations between Jerusalem and Washington.

Beersheba resident indicted on charges of spying for Iran during military service

Prosecutors indicted a 22-year-old from Beersheba this morning on suspicion of spying for Iran during his mandatory military service.

The suspect, Rafael Reuveni, allegedly maintained contact with an Iranian intelligence agent who recruited him to take videos in a park near his home, and photograph a bus station and a shopping mall in the southern city.

He also sent his handler a photo of his military ID and provided him with information about his army base, according to the indictment.

Prosecutors write that at one point, his handler sent him to a supermarket to buy a pack of cigarettes, which he then was told to hide in a park alongside a 20-shekel bill with a note that read: “Go to Jordan.”

He was also allegedly sent to Rishon Lezion to check whether a gun hidden in a location, presumably by another Iranian-recruited Israeli agent, was real or a toy. He refused to transfer the gun to another person, but agreed to move it to another location for a payment of NIS 2,000 ($614).

In total, Reuveni received roughly $2,700 from the Iranian agent, which was transferred to his digital wallet, prosecutors say. He was arrested last month by police, based on intelligence collected by the Shin Bet.

Prosecutors are requesting that the Beersheba District Court order his remand until the end of legal proceedings.

Syrian media reports Israeli fighter jets flying over southern Syria

Syrian media reports that at least eight Israeli Air Force fighter jets are flying over southern Syria.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF.

خاص "المدن": تحليق أكثر من 8 طائرات حربية إسرائيلية فوق #الجنوب_السوري

تصوير: نور الحسن pic.twitter.com/fJdUgeFxdJ

— Al Modon – المدن (@almodononline) November 20, 2025

Seven men indicted on suspicion of smuggling arms from Syria into Israel

State prosecutors file charges against seven men on suspicion of smuggling arms from Syria earlier this year, during clashes between government forces and Druze in the country’s south.

Masses of Druze Israelis, mostly young men, poured into southern Syria during the fighting to protect their brethren, and police arrested a handful as they crossed the border to return home.

Now, four Druze Israelis and three Syrian nationals are accused of “exploiting the conflict in Syria to smuggle weapons into Israel” under the guise of “humanitarian activity.”

In two separate indictments, the defendants are charged in the Nazareth District Court with importing and possessing arms, weapons trafficking and conspiracy. They were arrested alongside five IDF soldiers who allegedly helped spirit the contraband from Syrian territory to criminal elements in northern Israel.

The indictments come a day after the Shin Bet, IDF and police announced they had uncovered the weapons smuggling ring and arrested 12 suspects involved. The Syrian citizens, from the Druze village of Hader, were detained by the IDF in Syria last month during an overnight operation.

One indictment is filed against Rami Abu Shaah, from Shefa-Amr, and the three Syrian Druze, who allegedly sold the former an AK-47 which he smuggled back into Israel for his own personal use. Abu Shaah later recruited an IDF soldier serving in southern Syria to smuggle another handgun and 200 rounds of ammunition on his behalf, prosecutors write.

Abu Shaah also allegedly conspired to import a cache of army-grade weapons into Israel, transferring money to the Syrian defendants for them to purchase two RPG launchers, ten RPG grenades, two assault rifles and two ammunition crates. The Syrian defendants tried to find someone to transport the weapons, but were arrested before they could follow through with the plan.

The other indictment, filed against three Druze Israelis from Yarka, accuses the defendants of conspiring with two soldiers and the same Syrian defendants in order to smuggle arms into Israel.

The exchange was allegedly carried out via an army truck driver who brought the weapons, including seven assault rifles and two handguns, to an IDF base in the Golan Heights, where they were picked up by the defendants.

Israel begins expropriating 1,800 dunams of West Bank land to develop archaeological site

The Civil Administration, a branch of the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator for Government Affairs in the Territories (COGAT) unit, says it has begun to expropriate 1,800 dunams (445 acres) of land in the West Bank for the “preservation and development” of an archaeological site.

The lands being expropriated surround the archaeological site of Sebastia, near Nablus, which is thought to have been the capital of the northern Israelite kingdom in the 9th and 8th centuries BCE.

The Civil Administration says the expropriation is “expected to enable infrastructure development, the expansion of archaeological excavations, and the uncovering of additional historical findings.”

“The expropriation will be carried out in areas of the archaeological site located in Area C” of the West Bank, which is under full Israeli security and civil control, “and is being implemented following intentional neglect by the landowners and the Palestinian authorities,” it says.

The Defense Ministry body says Civil Administration officials have notified landowners of the beginning of the process and the transfer of the land surrounding Sebastia to the management of the Civil Administration’s archaeology unit.

“This is being done in accordance with the law, and as part of a broad project led by the Ministry of Heritage, which includes an investment of roughly NIS 32 million to upgrade the site, improve visitor access, and develop the archaeological area,” the Civil Administration says.

Sebastia’s archaeological site features remains from several periods, from the Iron Age (1200 – 586 BCE) to modern times. Its overlapping layers of history date back nearly 3,000 years, from biblical kings to Roman conquerors, Crusaders, and Ottomans. Fragments of houses, walls, and a palace (which some associate with Israel’s biblical kings) from the Iron Age remain, as well as many ruins from Roman times.

Both Israelis and Palestinians lay claim to the site as part of their cultural heritage, though it has largely remained undeveloped and unexcavated for decades.

Rossella Tercatin contributed to this report

Israeli tourist drowns off coast of Koh Phangan after jumping into sea to rescue son

An Israeli tourist is confirmed to have drowned off the coast of Koh Phangan while on vacation on the Thai island with his wife and four children.

Sagi Mor, 45, drowned after entering the sea to rescue his son, who had been caught up in a strong current while swimming, Hebrew-language media reports.

He managed to pull his son out of the water and hand him off to another tourist who had seen what was happening and dove in to help, Channel 12 says, but was carried further out by a wave.

According to Kan, he shouted to his wife, Inbal, who was on the coast, that he would swim toward nearby rocks and pull himself out from there, but before he could reach them, he was pulled under by another wave and didn’t resurface.

An impromptu search party was immediately organized by Israelis living in Koh Phangan, alongside a search operation organized by local police.

The search was briefly suspended overnight due to inclement weather, but resumed earlier today with hundreds of volunteers combing the area until Mor’s body was located and identified.

Kan reports that the Foreign Ministry is assisting the family with bringing Mor’s body back to Israel for burial.

Elderly man detained on suspicion of sexually harassing internet personality Hadar Muchtar

Police detained a man this morning on suspicion of sexual harassment, after he was filmed making vulgar remarks to internet personality Hadar Muchtar during a Tel Aviv protest.

He was brought to the Lev Tel Aviv police station for interrogation after Muchtar filed a complaint against the man, who is reportedly 80 years old.

In footage from the incident, Muchtar is heard asking the man: “Why are you touching me?”

He responds to her, “Because you’re terribly beautiful and it’s fun to touch you.”

He was released after his interrogation, subject to restrictions, police say.

Building an Alternative, a women-run protest group, condemns the incident, saying it “doesn’t matter which party she votes for or runs with… you have no right to sexually harass her.”

Muchtar, a well-known TikTok personality, is known for frequenting anti-government protests to argue with participants.

למה האיש שהטריד את הדר מוכתר עדיין לא נחקר?
מאתמול רץ ברשת תיעוד מצולם של מפגין מטריד את הפעילה עם המילים הדוחות "את נורא יפה, כיף לגעת בך". מה עוד צריך בשביל שהמשטרה תפתח בחקירה? pic.twitter.com/LnuhVrn7qC

— איגוד מרכזי הסיוע לנפגעות ולנפגעי תקיפה מינית (@ARCCIsrael) November 17, 2025

Qatar warns Israeli strikes on Gaza threaten to upend ceasefire agreement

Qatar, a key mediator in the Israel-Hamas war, condemns yesterday’s Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, saying they were threatening to upend the fragile weeks-long truce.

Qatar condemns “brutal attacks by the Israeli occupation in the Gaza Strip… and considers them a dangerous escalation that threatens to undermine the ceasefire agreement,” its foreign ministry says in a statement.

Israel said yesterday that it launched the intense wave of airstrikes in response to terror operatives firing on troops in the Khan Younis area.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

IDF: Primed rocket launcher found by troops on Israeli side of Yellow Line in Gaza

A primed rocket launcher that was aimed at Israel was located by troops operating in the Gaza Strip amid the ongoing ceasefire, the military says.

The launcher, which had eight barrels and was loaded with four rockets according to the military, was found by troops of the Kfir Brigade on the eastern side of the Yellow Line — meaning in IDF-held territory.

Images released by the IDF show that the launcher was damaged, apparently during its discovery by the forces.

The IDF says that the Kfir forces also located other weapons belonging to Hamas operatives, including firearms, grenades, explosives, and other military equipment.

“IDF troops in the Southern Command will continue to operate to clear the area, remove any immediate threat to the forces, and destroy terror infrastructure that could pose a threat to the forces, to the residents of the western Negev, and to the citizens of the State of Israel,” the military adds.

Two teens arrested on suspicion of attacking Bedouin community in the West Bank

Police arrested a pair of teenage Israeli settlers suspected of attacking a Bedouin community near Mukhmas, a Palestinian village in the West Bank, last night.

The minors were two of six masked attackers who reportedly pepper-sprayed residents and left-wing Israeli activists. They also damaged one of the activists’ cars, puncturing the vehicle’s tires and breaking its windows, according to police.

Officers who arrived at the scene spotted the two while conducting searches near the access road to the Bedouin village, and nabbed them before they could flee the scene in their vehicle. The suspects were found in possession of pepper spray and balaclavas.

The two were transferred for interrogation. Police are continuing to search for additional suspects in the attack.

Lebanese PM says Israel refusing to negotiate on border disputes, will raise issue with the US

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam charges that Israel is refusing to engage in negotiations over border disputes and charges that it is not abiding by the terms of the ceasefire, in an interview with Bloomberg published this morning.

The interview comes days before the one-year anniversary of a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that ended more than a year of fighting with the Hezbollah terror group. The ceasefire has remained largely intact, although Israel regularly strikes what it says are Hezbollah threats in southern Lebanon, as it says it is allowed to do per the agreement.

Now, however, Salam charges that Jerusalem has been unwilling to engage with Beirut to resolve a border disagreement that has seen IDF troops remain stationed at five key points on the Lebanese side of the border even after the rest of the Israeli military withdrew.

“They ask for negotiations and when we show readiness, they don’t agree to the rendes-vouz,” Salam tells Bloomberg, adding that he plans to raise the issue with the US, which has overseen the ceasefire.

He argues that the locations still held by Israel within Lebanon “have no military or security value,” and that they are instead being used as “a tool to pressure the Lebanese.”

Responding to Israeli criticism that the Lebanese army isn’t deploying quickly enough in southern Lebanon, Salam argues that his country’s military is working as fast as it can, but has limited resources.

“We need to recruit more people into the army and we need to better equip the army and we need to be able to raise the salaries of the army,” he says.

Nevertheless, he says, Beirut is still “on track” to deploy fully across the country’s south by the end of the month and demilitarize Hezbollah there — a condition of the ceasefire agreement that the Iran-backed terror group has repeatedly said it will not agree to.

9 houses catch fire in Beersheba overnight; police probe suspected arson

House fires broke out in nine separate buildings in Beersheba overnight, in what officials suspect to be a string of arson incidents throughout the southern city.

Firefighters rescued 15 people from the burning buildings and extinguished blazes that broke out in building lobbies, electrical cabinets and bomb shelters, says a Fire and Rescue Service spokesman.

Fire and Rescue Service investigators are present at the scenes and say that initial findings show at least two of the nine fires were set intentionally.

Police have arrested a 16-year-old boy on suspicion of causing the fires, Hebrew outlets report.

Protest leader Moshe Radman summoned for police questioning; activists blast ‘political interrogation’

Prominent anti-government activist Moshe Radman is being summoned for questioning by police, in what protest groups are denouncing as a “political interrogation.”

He is due to appear at the Lev Tel Aviv police station this afternoon. Gaby Lasky, an attorney and former Meretz MK, will accompany him.

Police have not yet responded to a request for comment regarding the exact suspicions against Radman.

Protest leader Ami Dror announces that a demonstration will be held outside the station at 2 p.m. to oppose the summons, which he dubs an attempt by the government “to intimidate the democratic majority that refuses to let them hijack the country.”

The Democrats MK Naama Lazimi announces she will attend the protest, urging others to come as well. “Anyone who thinks this is marginal, or that they are immune to tyranny and the political police, is wrong — we all need to resist,” she writes on X.

Far-right minister criticizes journalists for ‘whining’ about harassment amid uptick in violent threats

Far-right Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu refuses to condemn rising incitement against journalists and instead criticizes those targeted for “whining” about it, a day after broadcast agencies warned of a sharp uptick in incitement against journalists.

Threatening graffiti was spray-painted outside the offices of the Channel 13 news network in Tel Aviv yesterday, and a week ago right-wing activists were filmed harassing Channel 12 correspondent Guy Peleg.

Peleg has come under fire from the right over his airing of leaked footage from the Sde Teiman holding facility last year depicting soldiers’ alleged abuse of a Gazan detainee.

“I want to condemn Guy Peleg and his whining,” Eliyahu tells Kan radio when asked specifically if he wants to condemn the increasing threats against media personalities.

“So they’re harassing him,” Eliyahu says dismissively, claiming that Peleg himself contributed to the harassment of public officials and right-wing journalists. “He tarnished IDF soldiers and the State of Israel around the world.”

“There is no protest without public disturbances,” he says, paraphrasing remarks made by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara about the anti-government protest movement, and suggesting that the harassment of the veteran Channel 12 journalist should be viewed as legitimate public protest.

“He could ask for forgiveness from all the people of Israel, and I assume then they’ll stop [harassing him],” he suggests.

Asked if he is going so far as to endorse the threats against Peleg and against journalists as a whole, Eliyahu appears to respond in the affirmative, warning that “the media should not think of itself as a protected flower here in Israel.”

IDF: Palestinian gunmen fired on troops in Nablus area overnight, wounding reservist

Palestinian gunmen fired on Israeli troops during an overnight raid in the Nablus area in the northern West Bank, moderately wounding a reservist, the military says.

The IDF says it had operated in several villages near Nablus to locate weapons and detain wanted Palestinians suspected of terror activity.

During the raid, gunmen fired on the troops, wounding one reservist moderately. The IDF says he was taken to a hospital for treatment, and his family was notified.

32 femicide cases recorded in Israel in 2025, up from 20 the previous year

There have been 32 instances of femicide in Israel in 2025, in a sharp uptick from the previous year, when 20 cases were recorded, according to an annual report published this morning by the Israel Observatory on Femicide.

Femicide refers to the intentional murder of women or girls because of their gender.

An additional 12 women were murdered in non-femicide-related cases throughout the past 11 months, bringing the total number of women murdered in Israel between January 1 and November 18, 2025, to 44.

The report, published ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on November 25, finds that 18 Jewish Israelis were murdered in cases deemed to be femicide in 2025, up from 10 Jewish Israelis last year.

In the Arab Israeli sector, there is a slight increase, with 13 cases of femicide this year, compared to 10 in 2024.

The most common weapon used to murder women in 2025 was a firearm, the observatory finds, which was used in 14 separate instances. In most cases, the guns were illegally obtained, but in three instances, Jewish women were murdered with a registered firearm.

In light of the rising femicide cases, the observatory, led by Prof. Shalva Weil, recommends that the Knesset pass new legislation aimed specifically at combating violence against women.

It also notes that Israel has not signed onto the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence — known colloquially as the Istanbul Convention — and urges it to do so.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar had supported the push to join the landmark treaty while serving as justice minister from 2021 to 2022, but there have been no attempts under the current government to join.

Huckabee denounces recent settler violence as terrorism, calls those responsible ‘thugs’

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee brands the latest spate of violence by Israeli extremists against Palestinians in the West Bank as “terrorism,” but insists that the perpetrators are a small number and that Israel is dealing with the issue.

“I think there is an escalation,” Huckabee tells NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas Reports, branding the attacks “acts of terrorism.”

“Israelis can carry out terrorism as well. But most of these people are not actual settlers who live there… This is a very small number, mostly of youth, angry and disaffected. These are thugs. Many of them don’t even live in Judea and Samaria. They come into there to create havoc,” Huckabee says, referring to the West Bank by its biblical names.

Huckabee notes that the settler attacks have been condemned by Israel’s leaders and that Jerusalem is pledging to bring those accountable to justice. There have been a handful of arrests in recent days following repeated attacks involving well over 100 Israeli extremists, but no indictments have been filed and many of the suspects have been released.

Asked about the latest exchange of fire in Gaza, Huckabee says he thinks the ceasefire is still holding and that such incidents are to be expected.

“Israel is within its rights. They have to strike back when they are attacked by Hamas, when they break out of those tunnels,” he says. “But I think, overall… the president’s plan is moving along very, very effectively.”

He dismisses the idea that Israel is concerned about the US sale of F-35s to Saudi Arabia, arguing that Jerusalem “knows that there’s still statutory requirements from the United States that Israel has a superiority in terms of defense mechanisms and US weapons.”

“We have an agreement with Israel that they are supposed to have military superiority in the Middle East. I think that they believe that the U.S. is going to honor that,” Huckabee says.

“Selling some F-35s to the Saudis to give them the ability to protect themselves, perhaps against Iran, is not in and of itself something that would be offensive to Israel,” he adds.

Trump says he will host Mamdani at the White House on Friday

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump says he will meet New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani at the White House.

“We have agreed that this meeting will take place at the Oval Office on Friday, November 21st,” Trump says on social media.

Donald J. Trump Truth Social Post 08:29 PM EST 11/19/25 pic.twitter.com/mUFmdzwNvW

— Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) November 20, 2025

Trump signs bill requiring release of US government files on Jeffrey Epstein

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump announces he has signed a bill requiring his administration to release documents on late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump, who previously opposed the legislation but did an about-face after it appeared to be heading toward passage in Congress, says on his Truth Social platform that he “JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES.”

Protesters chant for an intifada and accost Jews at New York City synagogue

Anti-Zionist protesters heckle Jews and chant for an intifada outside a New York City synagogue.

The protesters gather outside the Park East Synagogue in Manhattan to protest an event by Nefesh B’nefesh, a group that helps Jews immigrate to Israel.

The protesters chant, “There is only one solution, intifada revolution,” “No peace on stolen land,” and , “We don’t want no two states, we want ‘48.”

“Palestine is Arab,” they chant in Arabic. One woman holds a sign that says “Zionism is a death cult.”

One woman shouts “You fucking Jewish pricks” at Jews walking past. Another shouts “you’re a Fucking rapist and racist the two worst things in the fucking world” at a man with an Israeli flag.

Jewish counterprotesters gather across from them, in front of the entrance to the synagogue. Police and metal barricades separate the two sides.

The Jewish group shouts, “Fuck Hamas,” “You’re cowards,” and, “you’re protesting at a synagogue.”

Protesters chant “death to the IDF,” “resistance is glorious,” and “intifada revolution” at New York City synagogue pic.twitter.com/P6DgtHvifM

— Luke Tress (@luketress) November 20, 2025

Settlers filmed slashing car tires, hurling stones through store windows in Christian town

Israeli settlers are filmed slashing the tires of vehicles and hurling stones through shop windows in the Christian Palestinian town of Taybeh in the central West Bank late Wednesday night.

Previous attacks on Taybeh have caught the attention of US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, himself an ordained pastor, who visited in July and called for those targeting the town to be prosecuted. No indictments were filed, as they rarely are against those taking part in the near-daily settler attacks in the West Bank.

The latest attack in Taybeh was caught on security camera, while a separate incident involving the theft of construction equipment in the nearby village of Turmus Ayya was reported by the Palestinian Authority’s official Wafa news site.

BREAKING: Israeli settler terrorists are attacking the Christian village of Taybeh in the West Bank again. They vandalized two cars and attacked a residential building, terrorizing its residents. pic.twitter.com/vhlMpcHhWv

— Ihab Hassan (@IhabHassane) November 19, 2025

Haredi extremists chant ‘traitor’ and bang on the door of Shas lawmaker’s apartment

A group of Haredi extremists opposed to any conscription of ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students demonstrates inside the apartment building where Shas MK Yinon Azoulay lives in the southern city of Ashdod.

Video shows the group yelling and banging on Azoulay’s door as a neighbor confronts them, telling them to go downstairs. They ignore her and then break into chants of “traitor” as she tells them she called the police.

The incident came as lawmakers from Shas and the fellow ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party have increasingly been targeted for cooperating in the advancement of a bill to regulate conscription for yeshiva students.

בקריאות "בוגד": חרדים קיצוניים הפגינו בבניין המגורים של ח"כ ינון אזולאי מש"ס@shlomoraichman pic.twitter.com/26qnGuTinr

— גלצ (@GLZRadio) November 19, 2025

US appears to side with Israel after deadly exchange of fire in Gaza

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration appears to side with Israel after a deadly exchange of fire in Gaza earlier Wednesday.

The IDF said the salvo began when Hamas operatives opened fire on Israeli troops in Gaza, leading the army to carry out a wave of strikes that reportedly left 24 killed, including three children from the same family.

“After the United Nations overwhelmingly endorsed President Trump’s 20 Point Peace Plan, Hamas is clearly lashing out and is now attempting to break the ceasefire and not fulfill their commitment to demilitarize and surrender control of the Gaza government. These desperate tactics will fail,” a US official tells The Times of Israel in a statement.

The US has claimed Hamas leaders committed to disarm during a meeting on the eve of the Gaza ceasefire signing last month, but the terror group has repeatedly and publicly said it would not do so.

Hamas says Israeli strikes in Gaza are ‘dangerous escalation,’ risk the ceasefire

The Palestinian Hamas terror group denounces a series of Israeli airstrikes earlier today as a “dangerous escalation,” warning that they jeopardized a fragile ceasefire.

Israel has said it launched the strikes across the Gaza Strip in response to terror operatives firing on IDF troops in southern Gaza.

“We consider this a dangerous escalation through which the war criminal [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu seeks to resume the genocide against our people,” Hamas writes in a statement.

The IDF said earlier today that the attack on troops on the eastern side of the Yellow Line — meaning IDF-held territory in Gaza — “constitutes a violation of the ceasefire agreement.”