Live updates (closed)
The Times of Israel liveblogged Friday’s events as they unfolded.
IDF convoy carrying body of presumed hostage exits Gaza en route to forensic institute for ID
The casket containing the apparent remains of a dead hostage has been brought out of the Gaza Strip by troops, the military says.
The body is now escorted by the police to the Abu Kabir forensic institute in Tel Aviv for identification, a process which officials have said may take up to two days.
Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad did not provide the identity of the hostage they handed over.
If the body is confirmed to belong to a hostage, it would mean that the remains of five hostages are still held in Gaza.
Body of presumed hostage en route to Israel after Red Cross hands it over to IDF
IDF troops in the Gaza Strip have received a casket, with the apparent body of a dead hostage, from the Red Cross a short while ago.
The casket had been collected by the Red Cross from Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in southern Gaza.
The IDF is set to inspect the casket before draping it in an Israeli flag and holding a short ceremony led by a military rabbi.
The remains will then be taken to the Abu Kabir forensic institute in Tel Aviv for identification.
Red Cross has collected casket, purportedly containing body of slain hostage, from Hamas
The IDF and Shin Bet say the Red Cross has notified the military that it has collected a casket, with the apparent body of a slain hostage, from Hamas in southern Gaza a short while ago.
The Red Cross is now bringing the casket to IDF troops inside the Strip, where a small ceremony, led by a military rabbi, will be held.
Ex-IDF legal chief tells police no official outside her office knew she leaked classified video
Now-former military advocate general Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi attends a ceremony for outgoing Supreme Court judge Yosef Elron at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem on September 18, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Former military advocate-general Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who resigned after admitting she leaked a classified video, told police this week that she successfully concealed her identity as the leaker, and no one outside her office was involved in the leak or knew that she was behind it, the Kan public broadcaster reports.
No evidence has emerged during the investigation that anyone in the offices of the attorney general, state attorney, or IDF chief of staff was aware of Tomer-Yerushalmi’s involvement, Kan adds.
The leaked video purported to show IDF soldiers severely abusing a Gazan detainee at the Sde Teiman facility last year. It was shared with media after military police arrested several soldiers suspected to have participated in the alleged abuse, and the arrests sparked several riots at military bases amid demands for the soldiers’ release.
Red Cross heading to handover site in southern Gaza to collect purported remains of slain hostage
Red Cross vehicles carrying the bodies of three deceased hostages handed over by Hamas make their way toward the border crossing with Israel, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, November 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Red Cross vehicles are now heading to a handover site in the southern Gaza Strip to collect the apparent remains of a deceased hostage from Hamas, the IDF says.
Hamas said earlier that the body had been located in the Khan Younis area. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad is also involved in the handover, indicating that the hostage was held by the Hamas-allied terror group.
IDF seizes dozens of handguns it says were being smuggled from Egypt
Weapons seized by the Paran Regional Brigade near the Israel-Egypt border, on November 7, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
The IDF says it foiled another attempt to smuggle weapons into Israel from Egypt today.
Troops of the Paran Regional Brigade conducted scans in areas where smuggling activity took place and located a package containing dozens of handguns, the army says.
The weapons were handed over to the police.
Istanbul prosecutor issues arrest warrant for Netanyahu, others over ‘genocide’ in Gaza
L-R: Defense Minister Israel Katz, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir at the IAF's command center, August 24, 2025. (Ma'ayan Toaf/GPO)
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issues warrants for the arrest of 37 people, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, alleging genocide in connection with the war in Gaza.
According to Turkiye Today, which cites a press statement from the prosecutor’s office, others on the list include Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.
The prosecutor’s office reportedly alleges systematic violence against civilians in the Strip, amid Israel’s war against the Hamas terror group following the latter’s October 7, 2023, attack.
It is said to cite specific incidents beginning early in the war, including the October 17, 2023, incident at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, which Israeli and US intelligence determined was the result of a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group.
Israel denies all claims that it targets civilians, and regularly points as evidence to its efforts to evacuate noncombatants ahead of strikes and to facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid. Turkey’s president is an outspoken supporter of Hamas and frequently compares Netanyahu to Hitler.
Transportation minister: My office is advancing de facto annexation of West Bank
Transportation Minister Miri Regev attends a ceremony marking the beginning of construction of the Israel Railways line from Kiryat Shmona, in the northern Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona, August 18, 2025. (Ayal Margolin/Flash90)
Transportation Minister Miri Regev says that while US President Donald Trump slammed the brakes on the Israeli right’s plans to formally annex the West Bank, her office is advancing its de facto implementation on the ground in the West Bank.
“I believe that at the end of the day, there will be [Israeli] sovereignty” in the West Bank, Regev tells Channel 12.
“The American administration also understands that there’s no other way,” she claims after Trump has repeatedly asserted that he opposes Israel annexing the West Bank.
“Unfortunately, it’s not the time, but it’ll happen. And by the way, we in the Transportation Ministry are doing de facto sovereignty in Judea and Samaria anyway. If you look over there, you’ll see the number of roads and bypass roads [for settlers] and lighting that we’re building there,” she says.
Irish soccer authority to vote tomorrow on requesting Israel be suspended from European contests
Irish soccer’s governing body will vote on Saturday on whether to submit a formal motion to the Union of European Football Associations requesting the immediate suspension of Israel from European competitions, according to an agenda of the meeting seen by Reuters.
The resolution, proposed and supported by some member clubs, cites the Israel Football Association’s (IFA) alleged violation of two independent provisions of the UEFA statutes, including organizing clubs in Palestinian territories without the consent of the Palestinian Football Association.
The second violation regards the alleged failure of the IFA to implement and enforce an effective anti-racism policy. The motion would also call on UEFA to publish transparent criteria for the suspension or exclusion of member associations.
US taking all-or-nothing approach on its Gaza plan, warns UN truce will collapse otherwise – NYT
US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz speaks at a Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the question of Palestinian statehood, during the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on September 23, 2025, at UN headquarters in New York City. (SPENCER PLATT/ Getty Images via AFP)
The US is urging the UN Security Council to back a version of Trump’s peace plan for the Gaza Strip, presenting its resolution as the only alternative to a collapse of the current ceasefire, The New York Times reports.
Seven diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity, tell the newspaper the US has left little room for negotiation, including over a desire by some member states to clarify how exactly Gaza will be demilitarized, or how a pathway might be created to Palestinian statehood.
The US president’s 20-point peace plan for the Strip calls for Hamas’s disarmament, the enclave’s demilitarization, and the institution of a temporary, technocratic government that can eventually hand control to a reformed Palestinian Authority. It is vague, however, on the implementation of all these points.
According to the Times report, representatives of Pakistan, Denmark, and Somalia asked US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz for clarification on the PA’s role in Gaza’s imagined future, and Waltz told them they could find the answers in Trump’s 20-point plan.
Likewise, a diplomat from Guyana is said to have asked Waltz whether Security Council members will know the makeup of the planned Board of Peace when they vote on the resolution; Waltz reportedly said he didn’t know, but that the resolution must be passed right away to keep the truce in place.
Waltz reportedly expressed confidence that deploying international forces in the Strip will trigger an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and told diplomats from Slovenia and Algeria that he would take into consideration their concerns about how the Board of Peace will be held accountable.
Hostage’s body will be handed over at 9 p.m., PIJ and Hamas say
After Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s announcement earlier today that it will hand over the body of a hostage, PIJ and fellow terror group Hamas specify they will do so at 9 p.m. Israel time.
According to Hamas, the body — it is not specified whose — was found today in Khan Younis.
Azerbaijan will only send peacekeepers to Gaza if fighting stops completely, source says
Azerbaijan does not plan to send peacekeepers to Gaza unless there is a complete halt to fighting there between Israel and Hamas, according to an Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry source.
“We do not want to put our troops in danger. This can only happen if military action is completely stopped,” the source says.
As part of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, the US has been speaking to Azerbaijan, Indonesia, the UAE, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey about possible contributions from those countries to an International Stabilization Force (ISF) of around 20,000 troops.
US collected intel on IDF lawyers’ warnings about evidence to support Gaza war crimes charges – report
Five former American officials tell Reuters that the US gathered intelligence last year saying Israel’s military lawyers warned there was evidence that could support war crimes charges over actions in the Gaza Strip.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, don’t provide details on what the evidence was that the lawyers were concerned about.
The intelligence prompted an interagency meeting at the National Security Council, at which officials and lawyers debated how and whether to respond to the findings, the report says.
Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter declines to comment for the story. Neither the Prime Minister’s Office nor the IDF spokesperson immediately respond to Reuters’ requests.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad says it will hand over body of unspecified hostage tonight
The six deceased hostages whose bodies were still held in Gaza as of November 6, 2025: (Top row from left) Meny Godard, Ran Gvili, Dror Or; (Bottom row) Sudthisak Rinthalak, Lior Rudaeff, Hadar Goldin. (Collage by Times of Israel; Photos: Courtesy)
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group announces that it will hand over the body of a hostage to Israel tonight.
The terror group does not identify the hostage.
The bodies of six slain hostages are still held in Gaza.
US army seeks to buy at least a million drones in next 2-3 years, build own supply chain
The US Army says it aims to buy at least a million drones in the next two to three years, and to build its own supply chain to produce more in the future.
It currently acquires about 50,000 drones annually.
US Army Secretary David Driscoll says his priority is getting the United States into a position where it can produce enough drones for any future war, stimulating domestic production of everything from brushless motors and sensors to batteries and circuit boards.
Much of that manufacturing is dominated by China today.
The ramp-up comes as tiny, inexpensive drones have proven to be one of the most potent weapons in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Ukraine and Russia each produce roughly 4 million drones a year, but China is probably able to produce more than double that number, Driscoll says.
Iran’s president said to warn unprecedented water crisis could force Tehran evacuation
A picture taken on June 1, 2025 shows the low water inlet of the river upstream of the Amir Kabir dam along the Karaj river in Iran's northern Alborz mountain range. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)
Iran’s president has warned that the capital is facing an unprecedented water and energy crisis as reservoirs have plunged to historic lows, threatening supplies of drinking water and electricity generation, it was reported on Friday.
“If it doesn’t rain in Tehran by late November, we’ll have to ration water. And if it still doesn’t rain, we’ll have to evacuate Tehran,” President Masoud Pezeshkian was cited as saying on Thursday by the SNN.ir semi-official news agency.
Pezeshkian described the situation as “extremely critical,” citing reports that Tehran’s dam reservoirs have fallen to their lowest level in 60 years.
The city has entered its sixth consecutive year of drought, with some dams at less than 10% of capacity.
Officials say that in the east of Tehran, the Latyan Dam — one of five key reservoirs — is only about 9% full.
“Latyan’s water storage is just nine million cubic meters,” Deputy Energy Minister Mohammad Javanbakht said recently, calling the situation “critical.”
Iran plotted to kill Israeli ambassador to Mexico, US and Israeli officials say
Israeli Ambassador to Mexico Einat Kranz Neiger speaks in a March 2025 interview. (Screen capture via Revista Cámara - Periodismo Legislativo on YouTube)
The United States and Israel accuse Iran of plotting to assassinate Israel’s ambassador to Mexico, Einat Kranz-Neiger, but say the threat is over.
Mexican security services foiled the plot, US and Israeli officials tell Axios.
A US official says that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards’ elite Quds Force initiated the plot in late 2024 and that it was disrupted this year.
Axios reports it was led by an operative from the IRGC’s Unit 11000, who spent years at Iran’s embassy in Venezuela recruiting Iranian agents from across Latin America.
“The plot was contained and does not pose a current threat,” a US official tells AFP on condition of anonymity.
In Israel, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Oren Marmorstein says: “The Israeli intelligence and security community will continue to work tirelessly, in full cooperation with security and intelligence agencies around the world, to thwart terror threats from Iran and its proxies against Israeli and Jewish targets worldwide.”
The Iranian mission to the United Nations declines to comment.
UAE envoy says aid to Gaza will be scaled up, Cyprus is key route
A crane loads food aid for Gaza onto the container ship Sagamore docked at Larnaca port, Cyprus, May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
The United Arab Emirates is preparing to increase aid deliveries into Gaza, an envoy says, noting that a sea corridor from Cyprus is essential alongside land and air access.
“Maintaining multiple entry points into Gaza remains incredibly important,” Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh says after an inspection of aid accumulating at the port of Limassol in Cyprus.
“As this plan moves forward, access to Gaza by land, air and sea is going to remain critical,” she tells reporters.
Despite the ceasefire, far too little aid is reaching Gaza, humanitarian agencies charged on Tuesday.
Some 22,000 tons of pre-screened aid have been dispatched from Cyprus under the so-called Amalthea Initiative launched last year. Some of it reached Gaza directly via a short-lived temporary pier set up by the US last year, while other shipments have been dispatched to the port of Ashdod in Israel.
Settlers filmed cutting down olive trees, said to ignite farmland, in West Bank
Footage appears to show settlers cutting down olive trees in the South Hebron Hills, on November 7, 2025. (Screen capture via X, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Footage circulating on social media appears to show Israeli settlers tearing down olive trees in the South Hebron Hills.
WAFA, the Palestinian Authority’s official news outlet, reports that “Israeli colonists damaged more than 15 ancient olive trees,” citing local activist Osama Makhamra, who says the trees were centuries old and belonged to members of the Nawajaa family.
Israeli forces “raided the village” after the incident, WAFA adds. The PA organ also reports settler violations of two agricultural sites near Nablus.
Separately, WAFA reports, citing local sources, that Israelis set fire to tracts of farmland near Jenin, which also damaged several olive trees. Palestinian Civil Defense members are fighting the flames, according to the report.
The news bulletin adds that amid the fire, Israeli forces “raided the town of Arraba,” carrying out a search.
Israeli settler terrorists vandalized dozens of Palestinian olive trees near the village of Susya in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank.
Not humans, animals, or even trees are spared from their terrorism. pic.twitter.com/64ObMNtqc9
— Ihab Hassan (@IhabHassane) November 7, 2025
The incidents come after settlers reportedly threw stones on Thursday at homes in Hebron, wounding a Palestinian boy in the face, who was brought to a hospital.
Trump ally Elise Stefanik launches bid for New York governor, blasts NYC mayor-elect as ‘antisemitic’
US Representative Elise Stefanik, a New York Republican, questions university leaders during a House Committee on Education and Workforce Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, in Washington, DC, July 15, 2025. (AP/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
US Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Trump ally known in part for excoriating university presidents about campus antisemitism, announces she will run for governor of New York state.
The move, widely expected, comes in the wake of democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani’s election as mayor of New York City, despite warnings from some Jewish leaders that electing the former anti-Israel activist could inflame antisemitism in the city.
Stefanik’s announcement video blasts incumbent Democrat Kathy Hochul as responsible for a supposed wave of migrant crime, and denounces the newly elected Mamdani as a “defund the police, tax-hiking antisemitic communist.”
Kathy Hochul is the Worst Governor in America. Under her failed leadership, New York is the most unaffordable state in the nation with the highest taxes, highest energy, utilities, rent, and grocery bills. When New Yorkers were looking for leadership from our Governor, she bent… pic.twitter.com/HXyQlNIjEj
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) November 7, 2025
Nearly 100 people abducted or disappeared in Syria since January, says UN
Syrian women walk past a privately owned electricity generator in the Ain Tarma area, on the eastern outskirts of the capital Damascus, on November 4, 2025. (LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
At least 97 people have been recorded as abducted or disappeared in Syria since the start of the year, with reports of new enforced disappearances continuing, the UN human rights office says.
The latest number is in addition to the more than 100,000 people who went missing under ousted president Bashar al-Assad, spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Thameen Al-Keetan tells reporters in Geneva.
The UN human rights office says that the volatile security situation in Syria, following outbreaks of violence in coastal areas and the southern, Druze-majority city of Sweida, made it difficult to find and trace missing persons as some are scared to speak.
Some people faced threats for speaking to the UN, Al-Keetan adds.
The OHCHR has raised the case of the disappearance of the Syria Civil Defense volunteer Hamza Al-Amarin, who went missing on July 16 while supporting a humanitarian evacuation mission during violence in Sweida, and called for international law to be respected.
Indonesian officials say 17-year-old student suspected to be behind blast at school mosque
Indonesian officials indicate the explosion in the capital Jakarta that injured dozens of people during Friday prayers could have been an attack, with a 17-year-old student identified as the suspected perpetrator.
Police say 55 people are in hospitals with a range of minor to serious injuries, including burns, after the blasts at the mosque inside a school complex in the Kelapa Gading area.
Deputy House Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, speaking to the media after visiting a hospital, says the young male suspect is undergoing surgery, without giving more details or a possible motive.
Indonesia’s national police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo says the suspect is a student at the adjacent school, and an investigation is underway into his background and motive.
“We have identified the suspected perpetrator, and we are currently investigating the perpetrator’s identity, his environment, including his home and other things,” he says.
IDF thwarts latest attempt to smuggle weapons from Egypt using drone
Weapons and a drone seized by IDF troops following an attempted smuggling on the Egyptian border, November 7, 2025 (Israel Defense Forces)
An attempt to smuggle weapons into Israel from Egypt using a drone was foiled this morning, the military says.
The drone was identified crossing the border by soldiers monitoring surveillance cameras. Troops of the Paran Regional Brigade then downed the device.
According to the IDF, the drone was found to be ferrying three assault rifles. The weapons were handed over to the police for further investigation.
In the past year, there have been frequent attempts to bring weapons and drugs over the Egyptian border using drones.
On Thursday, Defense Minister Israel Katz said he was “declaring war” on weapon smuggling via drones over the Egyptian border, instructing the military to declare a closed military zone in the area and the Shin Bet to define such attempts as terrorism.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said the military would focus efforts and resources on countering the threat.
Britain removes sanctions on Syria’s president, EU to follow
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks onstage during the 2025 Concordia Annual Summit at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, in New York City, September 22, 2025. (Riccardo Savi/Getty Images for Concordia Annual Summit/AFP)
Britain removes sanctions on Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a day after the United Nations Security Council did the same ahead of his meeting with US President Donald Trump next week, with the European Union confirming it will follow suit.
Britain says in a notice on the government’s website that it is also lifting sanctions on Syria’s interior minister Anas Khattab.
Both men had formerly been subject to financial sanctions targeted at Islamic State and al-Qaeda.
A European Union spokesperson says the UN decision will be reflected in EU measures.
Britain lifted some sanctions on Syria in April, while the bloc lifted its economic sanctions in May, but restrictions related to arms and security remain in place.
“We remain committed to supporting a peaceful and inclusive Syrian-led and Syrian-owned transition to help build a better future for all Syrians,” a European Commission spokesperson says.
Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani, became Syria’s president in January after insurgent forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) ousted Bashar al-Assad in a lightning offensive. Sharaa, once a senior figure in HTS and previously affiliated with al-Qaeda, was sanctioned by the UN and Britain in 2014, which included a travel ban, asset freeze and arms embargo.
The UN Security Council lifted those measures on Thursday, citing a lack of active ties between HTS and al-Qaeda. The move came ahead of Sharaa’s planned meeting with Trump at the White House on Monday.
Four arrested after protesters disrupt Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra concert in Paris
Four people were arrested after protesters used flares to disrupt a concert by the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra in Paris on Thursday night, the latest in a wave of anti-Israel incidents linked to the Gaza conflict, French officials say.
In footage posted on social media, protesters were seen lighting flares and chanting pro-Palestinian slogans in La Philharmonie concert hall in northern Paris as some audience members and security personnel tried to remove them.
צפו: פרו-פלסטיני הדליק אבוקה בקונצרט של הפילהרמונית הישראלית בפריז, הצופים הכו אותו. צילום: לפי סעיף 27 א'https://t.co/1wL9oWcpRu pic.twitter.com/yuOkUnGLFc
— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) November 7, 2025
Despite the chaos and several interruptions, the concert went ahead after the protesters were evacuated.
“I strongly condemn the actions committed last night during a concert at the Philharmonie de Paris. Nothing can justify them,” Interior Minister Laurent Nunez says on X.
“I thank the personnel from the Paris police who enabled the rapid arrest of several perpetrators of serious disturbances inside the venue and contained the demonstrators outside. Four people have been placed in custody,” he adds.
Iran’s Pezeshkian says Tehran seeks peace, but will not bow to coercion
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian takes questions from the media at a press briefing in New York, September 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian says that Iran seeks peace, but will not bow to coercion, adding that Tehran will not abandon its nuclear program, state media reports.
US President Donald Trump said yesterday that Iran had been asking if US sanctions against the country could be lifted.
Likud MK pans police chief for refusal to hand over Sde Teiman materials to judge
File: Police chief Danny Levy at the Jerusalem Pride Parade, June 6, 2025 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Likud MK Moshe Sa’ada has penned an angry letter to Israel Police chief Danny Levy today, after the top officer reportedly refused to share investigation material into the Sde Teiman leak affair with Judge Asher Kula, tapped by Justice Minister Yariv Levin to head the investigation, in an attempt to bypass the authority of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.
Levin named Kula, the state ombudsman for judges, to lead the investigation in an effort to sideline Baharav-Miara, who the Likud minister claims is legally barred from involvement in the case due to purported conflicts of interest and potential involvement. Baharav-Miara has insisted Levin does not have the authority to appoint Kula, calling his claims baseless. The High Court of Justice is slated to issue a ruling as to who will oversee the probe.
Hebrew outlets report that Kula yesterday demanded that police provide him access to their investigation materials for review, and allow him to meet with the head of the investigations and intelligence department, Boaz Blatt. He was denied by police chief Levy, who is awaiting the court’s decision on the matter.
Sa’ada is now threatening to file a complaint against Levy over his refusal to loop Kula into the investigation.
Explosion at mosque in Indonesian capital injures dozens, police say
Bomb squad officers stand guard at the entrance of a school in Jakarta on November 7, 2025 (CANDRA / AFP)
An explosion at a mosque in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta during Friday prayers injured dozens of people, police say, without giving any early indication of the cause.
Jakarta city police chief Asep Edi Suheri tells reporters that 54 people were admitted to hospitals with a range of minor to serious injuries, including burns from the blast at the mosque inside a school complex in the Kelapa Gading area.
An investigation is underway.
“We have taken several measures such as investigating the crime scene, setting up a police line and sterilizing the area,” Suheri says.
The complex is located in a crowded area of North Jakarta on largely navy-owned land, home to many military personnel and retired officers. There is no indication whether the explosion might have been an accident or an act of malice.
Indonesia does have a history of attacks on churches and Western targets, but not mosques, and Islamist militancy has largely been suppressed in recent years.
Omer Neutra’s parents: You told your friends we’d do anything for you, and you were right
The family of Cpt. Omer Neutra during his funeral at the Kiryat Shaul Military Cemetery, in Tel Aviv, on November 7, 2025 (Jack GUEZ / AFP)
Ronen Neutra, Omer Neutra’s father, speaks of his son’s final battle on October 7, 2023, and the “chaos he could never have prepared for.”
He speaks of how much his son loved his tank crew and how much they relied on him and loved him back.
“You were something rare, an American open heart with a warm Israeli heart,” Ronen says.
He thanks all who fought to bring Omer back, who didn’t give up, thanking the IDF soldiers, the commanders, the intelligence units, the communities in Israel and abroad, and the Hostages Forum. In English, he thanks the American administration and its envoys.
To his son, he says, “Thank you for being ours for 22 years minus one week.”
Omer’s mother, Orna, speaks of her “perfect, complete boy.”
She says her son was known for his warmth and his light, the hummus he made, his humor, his love of hamburgers with all toppings, his delight in crunching ice between his teeth.
Orna reads from a letter she wrote to her son in 2019, when he left for Israel to become a lone soldier. She describes the need to allow her son to be independent, to evolve on his path, even as they would worry about him throughout his service.
“‘My parents would do anything for me,'” you told your friends on the beach, two days before you were taken from us. And you were right,” says Orna. “And that sentence became our compass through two years of struggle — to bring you home.”
Omer Neutra’s brother: ‘You asked for backup but no one came’
Daniel Neutra, brother of Cpt. Omer Neutra, speaks during his funeral at the Kiryat Shaul Military Cemetery in Tel Aviv, on November 7, 2025 (Jack Guez/AFP)
Daniel Neutra, brother of the deceased hostage Omer Neutra, speaks in English at his brother’s funeral in Tel Aviv.
He remembers the infrequent reunions as a family after his brother became a lone soldier in Israel.
“Here we are, all together again, after two and a half years, the longest time we’ve ever been apart,” says Neutra.
He says a friend asked if his brother would be buried in America, but his brother had chosen Israel. “He refused to say that he was a ‘lone soldier’ because he couldn’t stand the looks of reverence,” says Neutra. “And ultimately, that’s why you’re here instead of there,” he says, pointing at his brother’s grave.
He notes this isn’t the first funeral held for his brother, as a memorial service was held for him in December 2024 after it was confirmed that he had been killed.
“It’s like your bar mitzvah — we did one here and one there,” says Neutra.
He says there was something wrong with sitting shiva for his brother last year, as the family didn’t have the privilege of thinking about moving on afterward. He speaks of hearing the recording from his brother’s tank as they faced overwhelming forces, and his brother battled smoke to speak on the radio.
“You asked for backup but no one came,” says Neutra.
He says that others have told him he looks like his brother, something that wasn’t always true. “I did the math,” says Neutra. “We’re the same age now. Today I’m exactly three days older than you were the last time we embraced.”
Neutra remembered as ‘a bridge and a spirit that surges within all of us’
The family of Cpt. Omer Neutra, whose body was returned from Gaza, at his November 7, 2025 funeral at the Kiryat Shaul Military Cemetery in Tel Aviv (Danor Aharon/Israeli Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)
At Captain Omer Neutra’s funeral in Tel Aviv, attended by thousands, the ceremony is led by comic Guri Alfi, a friend of the family.
“He became a bridge and a spirit that surges within all of us,” says Alfi.
Neutra is also eulogized by IDF commanders, cousins and lifelong friends from the US, by his childhood rabbi from Long Island, and by artist Ishay Ribo, who sings at the funeral.
Former IDF chief of staff Herzi Halevi, former defense minister Yoav Gallant and released hostage Nimrod Cohen, who was a member of Neutra’s tank crew, are all present at the funeral.
His commander notes that Neutra could have had “a much easier life, but chose something else” so that he could serve the land he loved.
Head of CENTCOM honors Neutra at funeral: ‘He ran toward the sound of gunfire’
Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of the United States Central Command, eulogized deceased hostage and soldier Omer Neutra, who had American citizenship.
He says that as a soldier, commander and father, he honors the life of Omer. “Everyone who has worn a uniform understands the possibility of the ultimate sacrifice,” says Cooper. “We sweat and lead and hope it never comes. Omer made the ultimate sacrifice in service to a higher cause.”
“You embodied the best of both countries,” says Cooper. “You cemented your place in history as a hero of two countries, part of America’s promise and Israel’s defense.
He speaks about the Neutra family’s long nights, the sunrises that brought renewed prayer, and the conflicts brought about at each sunset.
אלפים מלווים את סרן עומר נאוטרה למנוחות. בין הנוכחים בקהל – מפקד סנטקום, אדמירל בראד קופר, שנשא הספד: "הצטרפתי לאומה שלמה כאן בישראל ומעבר לאוקיינוס בארה"ב – באבל, בגאווה ובמטרה שהזיכרון של עומר יחזק את הברית הבלתי שבירה של ארה"ב ושל ישראל"@ItayBlumental @ishayb2003 pic.twitter.com/tb4QF8GXDR
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) November 7, 2025
“You chose to be a warrior, a ‘lohem,'” says Cooper, using the term in Hebrew for a combat soldier when referring to Omer.
Cooper speaks about Neutra’s choice to serve in a Merkava tank, to lead a tactical unit, and describes part of the battle that day.
“He did what the bold and courageous do, he ran toward the sound of gunfire,” says Cooper. “He could have waited, rested, done nothing, but that’s not who this hero was.”
Cooper reads the commandment from the Torah, “‘Do not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor’ — he lived those words,” says Cooper.
He sends condolences from Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and their hopes that the burial provides some closure and peace. Cooper also mentions the remaining six deceased hostages who need to be brought back to Israel.
“Omer, welcome home. You will not be forgotten,” says Cooper, and uses the Hebrew phrase “Yehi zichro baruch” — may his memory be a blessing.
‘You came here alone, enlisted and fought”: President eulogizes tank commander Omer Neutra
Omer Maxim Neutra is brought to burial in Tel Aviv on November 7, 2025 (Danor Aharon/Israeli Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)
Tank commander Omer Maxim Neutra is laid to rest at the Kiryat Shaul cemetery in Tel Aviv.
His parents and brother recited the Kaddish prayer, dressed in black t-shirts bearing Omer’s image, with yellow ribbon pins and pieces of masking tape with the number 763, to mark the days of captivity of the remaining six deceased captives.
President Isaac Herzog gave the first eulogy, offering his deep thanks to the “hero” finally being brought to rest.
“Most of us here didn’t get to meet you personally,” says Herzog. “But all of us, the whole nation, feel that you are an indelible part of our lives because you chose us when you came here alone, enlisted and fought.”
Herzog speaks of Neutra’s Zionism and decision to postpone college studies to become a lone soldier and then a combat soldier.
“We waited to bury you, to give you, the Neutra family, a place to honor and cry and unite with Omer after more than two years of pain,” says Herzog. “It’s a certain kind of painful closure.”
Herzog describes the battle that Neutra’s tank crew fought on October 7, “from Nirim to Nir Oz.”
“You knew you were risking your lives but fought, preventing many more terrorists from entering more of Israel’s territory,” says Herzog. “It was a battle of life and death.”
He speaks of the courageous struggle on the part of each member of the Neutra family, how they “knocked on every door,” and became known in every place where decisions are made.
“I promise you that Omer’s memory will be engraved in our memories forever,” says Herzog.
Military Advocate General’s Corps temporarily under command of Personnel Directorate
The Military Advocate General’s Corps has been temporarily placed under the command of the Personnel Directorate chief, Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa, the army says.
The decision was made by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir as most of the top command of the MAG Corps is under investigation for the Sde Teiman abuse leak.
Former military advocate general Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi resigned a week ago over the scandal. Her deputy, Brig. Gen. Gal Asael, was questioned under caution yesterday before being released to house arrest and being suspended from the MAG Corps. And other senior officers in the unit have also been suspended and investigated by police.
Bar Kalifa will head the MAG Corps until Itai Ofir, an attorney who recently served as legal advisor to the Defense Ministry, enters the role of military advocate general. The IDF says an acting military advocate general will be appointed “as soon as possible.”
Bar Kalifa will only be commanding the MAG Corps in a technical sense, and he is not authorized to make any legal decisions.
The military says that Zamir “sees utmost importance in stabilizing the Military Advocate General’s Corps and ensuring its continuous and professional functioning.”
Iran condemns ‘savage’ Israeli attacks on Lebanon
Lebanese soldiers and local residents stand at the site of an Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese village of Toura on November 6, 2025. (Mahmoud Zayyat / AFP)
Iran strongly condemns what it calls “savage” Israeli attacks on Lebanon, after the IDF hit targets belonging to the Tehran-backed Hezbollah terror group.
In a statement, the Iranian foreign ministry urges “the United Nations, the international community and regional countries to confront the warmongering” of Israel while offering “condolences on the martyrdom of Lebanese citizens during the savage attacks.”
Israel said yesterday it struck a series of targets belonging to the group in its stronghold in southern Lebanon.
Israel says it retains the right to strike Hezbollah targets in violation of the ceasefire agreement, as the organization attempts to rebuild its capabilities in south Lebanon.
Woman in her 50s found phone likely belonging to former MAG
A woman in her 50s found the phone at a beach near Tel Aviv this morning, which is suspected to belong to former military advocate general Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, Channel 12 news reports.
“I was swimming this morning at Hatzuk Beach, and at some point in the shallow water near the shore, I saw something that looked like a phone. I picked it up and realized it was an iPhone. I immediately got out of the water, opened it, and saw a picture of the military advocate general,” she is cited by Channel 12 news as saying.
“I reported it to the police, the forces arrived, and I was summoned to give testimony,” she adds.
A police source also tells the network that “it is definitely the military advocate general’s phone.”
Army says 2 Palestinians shot dead while hurling Molotov cocktails at road in West Bank
Two Palestinians who hurled Molotov cocktails at a highway near Ramallah in the West Bank last night were shot dead by troops, the military says.
The IDF says soldiers of the 636th Combat Intelligence Collection Unit were waiting in an ambush near the Palestinian village of al-Judeira when they identified the two suspects.
Within seconds after the two Palestinians set fire to a firebomb and hurled it, they were shot dead, the army says, attaching a video of the incident.
תיעוד: מחבלים משליכים בקבוקי תבערה לציר אזרחי מרכזי – ומחוסלים תוך שניות
אמש , במהלך מארב ירי של יחידה 636 בהובלת חטיבת בנימין במרחב ג׳דירה, זוהו שני מחבלים אשר הציתו ויידו בקבוקי תבערה לעבר ציר אזרחי מרכזי.
הכוח חיסל את שני המחבלים.
אין נפגעים לכוחותינו pic.twitter.com/ReutWzmP2I— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) November 7, 2025
Police checking whether phone found on Tel Aviv beach belongs to IDF’s former top lawyer
Civilians found a phone in the sea at Hatzuk Beach near Tel Aviv this morning, which may belong to former military advocate general Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, five days after its disappearance there.
Images circulating on social media show the phone turned on, with the lock screen wallpaper displaying an image of Tomer-Yerushalmi and her daughter.
Police say officers reached the scene and took the phone for further investigation.
Tomer-Yerushalmi has admitted to responsibility for leaking a video to the media that purported to show IDF soldiers severely abusing a Gazan detainee at the Sde Teiman facility. She is suspected of trying to obstruct an investigation into the leak.
The disgraced official went missing at the Tel Aviv coast for several hours Sunday, leading police to fear she had taken her own life. When she was found in Herzliya that night, officers were unable to locate her phone and now suspect that the incident may have been an attempt to stage a suicide while disposing of digital evidence related to the leaking and subsequent cover-up.
The phone’s disappearance was followed by days of searches in the area, including by divers.
טלפון נייד אותר בחוף הצוק – המשטרה בוחנת האם הוא שייך לפצ"רית@_Gitsis_ pic.twitter.com/7AnECHU0om
— גלצ (@GLZRadio) November 7, 2025
Former military advocate general released to house arrest
Now-former military advocate general Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi attends a ceremony for outgoing Supreme Court judge Yosef Elron at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem on September 18, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Five days after her arrest, a judge has instructed that former military advocate general Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi be released to house arrest for a period of 10 days. Tomer-Yerushalmi is barred from contacting anyone involved in the case for 55 days.
Tomer-Yerushalmi is suspected of fraud and breach of trust, abuse of her office, obstruction of justice, and unlawful disclosure of material over her role in the leak of a video to the media that purported to show IDF soldiers severely abusing a Gazan detainee at the Sde Teiman facility last year.
Three men murdered overnight across Israel, 2 seriously wounded in Tel Aviv Brawl
Three Arab Israelis were murdered in separate incidents across Israel overnight.
In East Jerusalem, a 19-year-old was shot and critically wounded in the A-Tur neighborhood. He was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A 22-year-old from Haifa was shot by unidentified assailants while on his way back from Umm al-Fahm. He was taken to a hospital and later died of his wounds.
In Wadi Ara, a 32-year-old man was shot dead while at work. According to witnesses, the killer exited a car, greeted the victim, and then opened fire. Medical teams pronounced him dead at the scene.
Police were investigating all three cases. The Arab community has continued to suffer a wave of deadly violence, with over 200 murders so far this year.
Separately, in Tel Aviv, two young men were stabbed and seriously wounded in a brawl that erupted outside a club in the city center. Police were investigating.
North Korea fires unidentified ballistic missile — Seoul military
North Korea has fired at least one ballistic missile, Seoul’s military says, around a week after US President Donald Trump approved South Korea’s plan to build a nuclear-powered submarine.
Analysts have said Seoul’s plan to build one of the atomic-driven vessels would likely draw an aggressive response from Pyongyang.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff says North Korea fired an unidentified ballistic missile towards the East Sea, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.
The missile landed in the sea outside Japan’s economic waters and no damage or injuries have been reported, says Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
North Korea has significantly increased missile testing in recent years, which analysts say is aimed at improving precision strike capabilities, challenging the United States as well as South Korea, and testing weapons before potentially exporting them to Russia.
Trump claims Iran asking for US sanctions to be lifted
US President Donald Trump claims that Iran has been asking if US sanctions against the country can be lifted.
“Iran has been asking if the sanctions could be lifted. Iran has got very heavy US sanctions, and it makes it really hard for them to do what they’d like to be able to do. And I’m open to hearing that, and we’ll see what happens, but I would be open to it,” Trump tells reporters late on Thursday at the White House.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York does not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday that cooperation between Iran and the United States is not possible as long as Washington continues to support Israel, maintain military bases, and interfere in the Middle East.
After taking office for his second term in January, Trump restored his “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran, which includes efforts to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon. In June, the U.S. bombed Iran’s nuclear sites.
The two countries held five rounds of nuclear talks before a 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June. However, discussions between the two sides have faced major stumbling blocks, such as the issue of uranium enrichment on Iranian soil, which Western powers want to bring down to zero to minimise any risk of weaponization – a plan that Tehran has rejected.
Trump says foreign force for Gaza will be established ‘very soon’
Asked when the International Stabilization Force will be stood up in Gaza, US President Donald Trump says, “very soon.”
Speaking to reporters in the White House, Trump reiterates his claim that many countries have been volunteering to contribute troops to the force to take on Hamas if necessary, contradicting what Arab diplomats are saying behind closed doors — that they don’t want to send their troops into Gaza if it means clashing with Hamas, which refuses to disarm.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the administration is working to pass a Security Council resolution in the coming weeks to provide the legal framework for countries to join the ISF.
Vance says Kazakhstan joining Abraham Accords gives initiative ‘momentum’
US President Donald Trump (2L) speaks during a dinner with Central Asian leaders in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on November 6, 2025. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP)
US President Donald Trump is pressed by reporters on the significance of Kazakhstan joining the Abraham Accords, given that the country has held ties with Israel for over three decades.
Trump asks US Vice President JD Vance to answer the question for him during a dinner with the leaders of five Central Asian countries at the White House.
“What the president has done is signal that the momentum of the Abraham Accords is alive and well in the second administration. It’s not just going to be Kazakhstan, but also several other countries that join in the months to come,” Vance says.
Chiming in, Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the Abraham Accords go beyond bilateral relationships between Israel and the member countries.
“You’re now creating a partnership that brings special and unique economic development on all sorts of issues… The strength of it is to have majority Muslim countries and the Jewish state able to partner on things to show the world that it is possible,” Rubio says.
Asked whether he’ll discuss the Abraham Accords with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa when the latter visits the White House on Monday, Trump avoids answering directly.
Instead, he reiterates that Sharaa is doing a “very good job” in a “tough neighborhood,” which is why he chose to remove US sanctions over Damascus.
100 Democratic lawmakers urge Netanyahu to reverse demolition plan for Palestinian village
Caravans and simple structures for residents of the West Bank Bedouin village of Umm al-Khair, are seen at the entrance on July 10, 2024. (AP /Maya Alleruzzo)
Over 100 Democratic lawmakers have signed on to a letter urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt plans to demolish buildings in the Palestinian village of Umm al-Kheir in the West Bank
“We are gravely concerned that any further actions by settlers, vigilantes or the government to destroy the village of Umm Al-Kheir will traumatize this peaceful community and jeopardize the prospect of long-term peace, mutual security and self-determination for Israelis and Palestinians at this critical moment,” reads the letter led by Reps. Jamie Raskin, Jerrold Nadler, Jim Himes, Sara Jacobs and Dan Goldman.
“These demolitions would make vulnerable families homeless, including elderly people and children, just as the chill of winter descends on this desert community… This action, in service of making room for more settlers, settlements, and land only for Israelis, would be cruel, unjustified, and in naked violation of international law,” the lawmakers argue.
Residents of the village in the South Hebron Hills held a press conference earlier this week to raise awareness about the pending demolition, asserting that the structures earmarked for razing are built on private Palestinian land.
Residents say that the Civil Administration told them that 14 structures in the village, most of them homes, are slated for demolition since they were built illegally.
Khalil Hathaleen, the brother of Awdah Hathaleen — who was shot dead during a confrontation with a settler in the village in July — says that the residents belong to the Bedouin Jahalin tribe and have lived in the area since 1948, while “only in 1981 the first [Israeli] settlement was established near Umm al-Khair.”
Nurit Yohanan contributed to this report.
‘More to come’: Trump announces Kazakhstan first country to join Abraham Accords in his 2nd term
(From L-R) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump and Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. (Collage/AFP)
US President Donald Trump confirms that the Central Asian, Muslim-majority country of Kazakhstan is the first country to join the Abraham Accords in his second term.
Trump writes on Truth Social that he just held a phone call with Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the matter.
“This is a major step forward in building bridges across the World. Today, more nations are lining up to embrace peace and prosperity through my Abraham Accords,” Trump writes.
“We will soon announce a signing ceremony to make it official, and there are many more countries trying to join this club of STRENGTH,” he continues.
“So much more to come in uniting countries for stability and growth — real progress, real results. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!”
Jewish Iranian-American sentenced to prison in Tehran for Israel visit
Iran has sentenced a Jewish dual Iranian-American national to prison for traveling to Israel 13 years ago to celebrate his son’s bar mitzvah, his family tells The New York Times.
Kamran Hekmati, a 70-year-old jeweler who traveled to Iran in May for a brief visit, has been held in Tehran’s infamous Evin prison since July, his family members told NYT.
Hekmati, who immigrated to the US when he was 13, was sentenced to four years in prison in late August, the family says, evidently having waited until now to go public with the story. His sentence was reduced by half in September.
An appeal has been filed on his behalf, but a court date has not yet been set.
His family says he suffers from poor health and is fighting an aggressive bladder cancer.
Ministers said to oppose plan for ‘model’ Gazan city on Israeli side of Yellow Line
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly faced pushback from ministers during tonight’s cabinet meeting when he raised the US proposal to create a “model city” on the Israeli side of the Yellow Line in Gaza that will be demilitarized and rebuilt for Palestinians in the Strip.
Netanyahu said the goal of the city is to separate Hamas from the civilian population, who will be screened before being allowed to move into the newly constructed town, Ynet reports, relying on leaks from the cabinet meeting.
Several ministers pushed back on the idea, including Gila Gamliel, Orit Strock, Ze’ev Elkin and Miri Regev, claiming that it wouldn’t be safe for such a city to exist on the Israeli side of the Yellow Line, according to Ynet.
Netanyahu reportedly replied that the International Stabilization Force would first be deployed in the Mawasi coastal area on the side of the Yellow Line that is de facto run by Hamas.
Arab diplomats have told The Times of Israel that the US is indeed looking to deploy the ISF on the Hamas side of the Yellow Line, but it’s unclear whether countries will be willing to contribute troops if the mandate of the force will be disarming Hamas through kinetic force.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff said earlier Thursday that Washington is working on a decommissioning and amnesty program for Hamas fighters that won’t require the use of force, although it’s far from clear that Hamas will agree to such an initiative. Witkoff claimed that its leaders did so during a meeting last month, hours before the ceasefire was reached.
Apparently recognizing the pressure from Washington to allow the safe passage of Hamas fighters holed up on the Israeli side of the Yellow Line, Defense Minister Israel Katz proposed during the cabinet meeting that the terror operatives be exiled outside of Gaza. However, he received pushback from IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, who said the terror operatives can either surrender or die, Ynet reports.
Maccabi Tel Aviv loses 2-0 at Aston Villa, with its fans banned and protests outside stadium
Police officers secure a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel demonstration outside Villa Park in Birmingham, central England, on November 6, 2025, ahead of the UEFA Europa League league-stage football match between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv. (HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)
Aston Villa defeats Maccabi Tel Aviv 2-0 in a Europa League soccer match played amid tight security in Birmingham, central England, with visiting Israeli fans barred.
Ian Maatsen gave Villa the lead in first-half stoppage time, steering the ball in from a tight angle. Donyell Malen then sealed the result from the penalty spot a minute before the hour mark after Elad Madmon had fouled Ezri Konsa.
More than 700 police were deployed across Birmingham as some 200 pro-Palestinian and a few dozen pro-Israel protesters held separate demonstrations outside Villa Park stadium in the run-up to kick-off.
Police made six arrests. They said a 21-year-old man was arrested for failing to comply with an order to remove a face mask, while a 17-year-old boy was arrested for failing to comply with a dispersal order. Three others were arrested for racially aggravated public order offenses and another for breach of the peace.
Before the match, around 200 protesters, including members of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, gathered near a children’s playpark adjacent to Villa Park’s Trinity Road stand. Palestinian flags and banners calling for a boycott of Israel had also been placed on the ground beside Trinity Road amid “Free Palestine” and pro-Gaza chants.
Around 40 protesters, one carrying an Israeli flag, and others carrying posters saying “keep antisemitism out of football,” also gathered on a basketball court close to the Doug Ellis Stand to hear various speakers opposing the ban. Police escorted them away shortly before the match kicked off at 8:00 pm (2000 GMT).
Five vehicles were also driven past the ground before kick-off, carrying electronic billboards showing messages opposing antisemitism.
One of the messages, beside a Star of David, read “Ban hatred not fans” while another carried a quote from French soccer legend Thierry Henry saying football is not about goals but bringing people together.
The atmosphere became particularly heated when police officers briefly formed a cordon to prevent a surge of protesters after an Israeli flag was reportedly waved by a passerby.
Villa announced last month that no Maccabi fans would be allowed at the match following a police risk assessment.
The decision sparked criticism, including from Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who set about trying to reverse the move, but the Israeli club later announced it would decline tickets for its fans anyway, citing safety concerns.
Birmingham, the UK’s second-largest city and home to a significant Muslim population, has been the scene of regular pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel rallies over the last two years.
Police classified Thursday’s fixture as “high risk,” citing “violent clashes and hate crime offences” during a Europa League match in Amsterdam between Maccabi and local team Ajax last November.
There was a large visible police presence outside Villa Park, with officers wearing protective padding and carrying riot helmets. Police horses were also deployed.
“We are experienced at policing high-profile football matches and demonstrations, and for many weeks now, we have been working closely with different faith and local community groups to listen to their views and concerns,” West Midlands Police said.
Signs were hung near the stadium reading “no war games allowed” and “Give Zionism the Red Card”, while channels spearheaded by far-right activist Tommy Robinson had made Islamophobic statements about the match and planned protests.
Maccabi Tel Aviv has criticised “hate-filled falsehoods” about its supporters.
Ayoub Khan, the independent MP for the area covering Villa Park, who was elected last year on a pro-Palestinian ticket, said there was a “large concentration of Muslims” in the local area who had voiced fears about racism.
Aston Villa urged supporters not to display political symbols during the match — a practice banned under protocols issued by UEFA, the governing body of European football.
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