El Al says today’s repatriation flights canceled due to UAE pulling approval
Earlier, Transportation Ministry said flights would be delayed, but proceed * Yemen air force says it carried out 20 strikes on Houthis * Settlers filmed vandalizing olive tree in West Bank
US Rep. Chuy Garcia, progressive of Illinois, calls for release of Marwan Barghouti
US Rep. Chuy Garcia, a progressive Democrat from Illinois, calls for the release of Palestinian terror convict Marwan Barghouti, asserting he did not receive a fair trial and accusing Israel of torturing him.
“I support the release of Marwan Barghouti. He did not receive a fair trial and has been tortured in Israeli prison for over 20 years. He is a popular and unifying voice for the Palestinian people, and as we push to end Israel’s atrocities, his release would help advance freedom and self-determination for Palestine. Marwan — and everyone unjustly detained by Israel — must be released,” Garcia writes on X.
Barghouti, a prominent Fatah figure during the Second Intifada, was convicted by an Israeli court in 2002 and sentenced to five cumulative life terms plus 40 years in prison for helping plan terror attacks during the Second Intifada that killed five civilians. Barghouti has denied the charges and also denied the jurisdiction of the Israeli court to try him as a member of the PA’s parliament.
He is seen by many Palestinians and some members of the international community as a potential successor to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
A week ago, Rep. Ro Khanna became the first US lawmaker to call for Barghouti’s release. The Democrat from California did not assert Barghouti was tried unfairly — though he floated the idea, citing “a number of human rights groups” — but rather argued that peace processes often involve figures with violent pasts, including some who have done “terrible things.”
Hamas’s Northern Brigade chief, killed this week, held numerous hostages in captivity during war – IDF
The commander of Hamas’s Northern Gaza Brigade, who was killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza City earlier this week, had been responsible for holding numerous hostages in captivity, the military says.
The IDF says that “following extensive intelligence research,” it can reveal that Izz al-Din al-Bik, who was killed on Tuesday, “commanded the captivity of Israeli hostages during the war.”
The hostages under Bik’s responsibility included Mia Schem, Hisham al-Sayed, Amit Buskila, Uriel Baruch, Corporal Nik Beizer, Sergeant Ron Sherman, Elia Toledano, Shani Louk, Michel Nisenbaum, Staff Sergeant Tamir Nimrodi, Yitzhak Gelerenter, Eitan Levy, Hanan Yablonka, Ron Benjamin, and Orion Hernandez.
Bik had been in the role since the previous Northern Gaza Brigade commander, Ahmed Ghandour, was killed by Israel on November 10, 2023, according to the military and Hamas.
Before that, he held other top roles, including chief of intelligence in the Northern Gaza Brigade and commander of the Western Jabalia Battalion.
“In these roles, he advanced and financed numerous attacks against Israeli civilians and was among the founders of Hamas’s Nukhba forces in northern Gaza,” the military says.
In addition, Bik “commanded and participated in the infiltration into Israeli territory” during the October 7, 2023, onslaught, according to the IDF.
IDF on shooting of 51-year-old Palestinian: Soldiers opened fire at stone-throwers
The IDF responds to Palestinian reports that a 51-year-old man was shot dead yesterday in the village of Yasuf in the western West Bank, saying that soldiers “carried out a suspect arrest procedure that included opening fire at terrorists who were throwing stones. Hits were identified.”
According to the IDF, Palestinians had earlier thrown stones at Israelis on the outskirts of the village and subsequently at IDF troops who were dispatched to the scene. An Israeli was injured as a result and evacuated for medical treatment.
The IDF adds that troops were conducting searches for the stone-throwers and other suspects who were at the scene.
El Al says repatriation flights today canceled, due to UAE pulling approval
Israel’s flagship airliner El Al says its repatriation flights to bring home Israelis stranded in Dubai have been canceled for today, after the United Arab Emirates withdrew its authorization for the flights.
Overnight, it was reported that the UAE had withdrawn its approval. Shortly thereafter, the Transportation Ministry said that delays were expected, but the flights would ultimately proceed.
In a notification linked at the top of El Al’s website, the carrier now says that “due to the cancellation of approval for Israeli companies to land in Dubai, as was reported by the authorities in Israel, we are forced to cancel, at this stage, our rescue flights (LY974-1 LY972) for tomorrow, Friday, October 2.”
Flights next week remain scheduled, according to the notice. However, these are all sold out.
According to Channel 12, the official cancellation comes after “long hours of conversations between senior officials in Israel and officials in the Emirates did not reach final agreements and approvals for Israeli carriers’ planes to land in the country.”
Yemen air force says it carried out 20 strikes on Houthi targets in Taiz province
Yemen’s armed forces spokesperson says that air force warplanes carried out 20 precision strikes over the past three hours targeting Houthi movements, reinforcements, gatherings, personnel, vehicles and military equipment in Taiz province.
The strikes hit hostile targets directly and inflicted losses on Houthi militia personnel, equipment and military movements, the spokesperson says in a post on X.
US deploys two more Patriot batteries to Saudi Arabia and Qatar to defend energy sites — report
The United States military recently deployed two extra Patriot missile defense system batteries to Saudi Arabia and Qatar to defend their oil and gas facilities, two US officials and one regional source tell the Axios news site.
The delivery occurred last month, according to the report.
According to the report, the US will need to use Saudi airspace if it resumes significant operations against Iran, but will likely be denied if Riyadh feels that its energy facilities will be exposed to Iranian attacks.
A US Central Command spokesman declines to comment on the report.
After hiccup, Israeli UAE repatriation flights to go ahead today, but delays expected
Transportation Ministry says that rescue flights by Israeli carriers to bring citizens stranded in the United Arab Emirates back home will go ahead today, after earlier reports that the Gulf country pulled its authorization.
However, the ministry says it expects a delay in the scheduling “due to the need to complete the necessary preparations and coordination by defense officials.”
Flights between the countries were canceled due to an alleged attempt by a flydubai copilot to hijack and crash a plane yesterday between Dubai and Tel Aviv.
UAE pulls authorization for Israeli rescue flights; officials working to resolve issue, reports say
The United Arab Emirates has canceled its authorization for Israeli carriers to carry out rescue flights for Israelis stranded in the Gulf country after services were suspended due to Wednesday’s alleged attempted hijacking of a flydubai flight, Hebrew media outlets report.
El Al and Arkia had geared up to launch repatriation flights later today.
The defense establishment and Israel’s Civil Aviation Authority are working to resolve the issue through the night with UAE officials, reports say.
Loud blasts heard in Houthi-run Yemeni capital Sanaa amid reported Saudi attack
SANAA, Yemen — Loud explosions were heard this evening in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, which is controlled by pro-Iranian Houthi forces, an AFP correspondent says.
The Saba agency, which is affiliated with the anti-government fighters, speaks of “Saudi aggression” on X.
After several years of calm, Yemen plunged back into war in July with the Houthis, who control Sanaa and Yemen’s Red Sea coastline, against the government backed by Riyadh.
Herzog speaks with Palestinian man assaulted by ultra-Orthodox mob in Jerusalem
President Isaac Herzog speaks with Ahmed al-Husseini, the Palestinian man from East Jerusalem who was assaulted by an ultra-Orthodox mob outside the Old City’s Damascus Gate earlier this week.
Husseini’s assault was livestreamed on social media, with the person filming the incident heard declaring in delight, “Wow, they’re f**cking up an Arab.”
“I wanted to express my deep sorrow to you,” says Herzog, according to the President’s Residence. “I was truly saddened to see what happened to you, and I think the entire people of Israel were deeply pained to see this incident. This should never happen. No elderly person, and no person whatsoever, should be treated this way. I strongly condemn the violence against you.”