Oct. 18: Hamas claims closure of Rafah Crossing delaying return of further hostages’ bodies

Hamas says closure of Rafah Crossing will delay return of further hostages’ bodies

The Hamas terror group says the closure of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza will cause significant delays in the handover of hostages’ remains.

In a statement, the group says the continued closure “blocks the entry of specialized equipment needed to search for those missing under the rubble and prevents forensic teams and tools required to identify bodies”, leading to “significant delays in the retrieval and transfer of remains.”

The statement comes around the same time that Hamas hands over two caskets to the Red Cross that it says contain the bodies of slain hostages. The IDF receives the caskets shortly thereafter.

Heckler at Tommy Robinson event says attendees hit, spat on, doused him with beer

A heckler who disrupted a Tel Aviv event featuring British anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson says he was physically assaulted by attendees after shouting at the controversial speaker.

The heckler, Raoul Wootliff, is a former employee of The Times of Israel.

He interrupted the event shortly after Robinson took the stage, shouting “Tommy Robinson is a racist!” before being escorted out of the venue.

In a post on X, Wootliff writes: “Just got repeatedly punched in the head, spat at and kicked while on the floor by Tommy Robinson supporters in Tel Aviv as I protested his presence in Israel.”

In the post, Wootliff also criticizes Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli of the Likud party, who is in attendance, calling him “a disgrace” for inviting Robinson to Israel — a move that has drawn sharp condemnation.

“We must stand up to Tommy Robinson’s disgusting racism and to the Israeli government’s growing embrace of the far-right,” Wootliff tells The Times of Israel.

“Israelis should be standing shoulder to shoulder with the UK Jewish community, which has fought for years against Robinson’s hate and his ilk — not giving him a platform,” he adds. “I attended to make that point.”

Just got repeatedly punched in the head, spat at & kicked while on the floor by Tommy Robinson supporters in Tel Aviv as I protested his presence in Israel. I told him to get out of our country & go back to where he came from. @AmichaiChikli is a disgrace for inviting him here pic.twitter.com/4DKHe0n9Mi

— Raoul Wootliff (@RaoulWootliff) October 18, 2025

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Wootliff recounts that on top of being spat on and hit, he was also doused with beer by participants.

“That tells you everything you need to know about the kind of hatred being welcomed into our country tonight,” he says.

Red Cross has collected two caskets from Hamas, said to contain slain hostages – IDF

The IDF says the Red Cross has notified the military that it has collected two caskets, with the apparent bodies of two slain hostages, from Hamas in the southern Gaza Strip a short while ago.

The Red Cross is now bringing the caskets to IDF troops inside Gaza, where a small ceremony, led by a military rabbi, will be held. The remains will then be taken to the Abu Kabir forensic institute in Tel Aviv for identification.

The military wing of Hamas announces that it has handed over two bodies of hostages to the Red Cross. The statement does not specify the identities of the hostages.

Netanyahu: War will ‘end for good’ after Hamas is disarmed, Gaza demilitarized

The war in Gaza “will end for good when the terms of the agreement that were accepted are implemented,” says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“That includes, first of all, stage one, the return of all of our hostages. We are working on that right now,” he says during his appearance on the pro-Netanyahu Channel 14.

“We are standing firm on the agreement being implemented in its entirety.”

Netanyahu says that if Hamas doesn’t agree to disarm, it will be done “the hard way.”

Only after Hamas is disarmed and Gaza demilitarized, “then the war will end.”

A fire alarm goes off in the studio during his appearance, causing a slight delay.

Government said to mull weaker, less independent probe into Oct. 7, rather than state commission of inquiry

The government is considering establishing a government commission of inquiry into the failures surrounding the October 7 attack, Channel 12 reports, rather than a state commission of inquiry, which would be totally independent of the government.

The government has long resisted establishing a state commission of inquiry, with cabinet ministers first arguing that such an investigation was inappropriate during wartime and then claiming it would not be impartial because its members would be appointed by the liberal Supreme Court President Isaac Amit.

According to the report, the government is considering appointing recently retired Supreme Court judge Yosef Elron, a hardline conservative who frequently ruled in favor of the government, to head the commission.

Elron, however, is only three weeks into a post-retirement period during which he must finish writing opinions on some cases he presided over in office, he said in a statement through the Supreme Court office. He will be focusing on those cases “and nothing else” until that period ends, the statement said.

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, which has petitioned the High Court of Justice demanding the establishment of a state commission of inquiry, said in response to the report that a government commission of inquiry “would be subject to the government’s political interests.”

“This is a transparent and blatant attempt to evade the establishment of an independent, impartial, state commission of inquiry whose role is to investigate the gravest failure in the history of the state,” the watchdog charged.

A state commission of inquiry is established by the government, but its members are then appointed by the Supreme Court president and are entirely independent of government control. It also has unique powers of investigation, including subpoena power.

In a government commission of inquiry, a cabinet minister approves the establishment of the panel and that minister appoints its members. A government commission of inquiry also has less power than a state commission of inquiry, unless the appointing minister appoints a retired judge to head it.

State commissions of inquiry have been established in the past to look into other military failures, including the events of the Yom Kippur War in 1973 and the Sabra and Shatila massacre in Lebanon in 1982.

A government commission of inquiry, in which the government appoints the members of the commission, was established to investigate the failures of the 2006 Second Lebanon War, although it was granted the powers of the more rigorous and independent state commissions, including the power to subpoena witnesses.

Red Cross heading to handover site in Gaza to pick up two hostages’ bodies

Red Cross vehicles are now heading to a handover site in the southern Gaza Strip to collect the bodies of two hostages from Hamas and bring them to the IDF, the military says.

A senior Red Cross official confirmed to The Times of Israel that its team is en route.

Hamas did not identify the hostages whose bodies it is set to hand over.

The terror group said that it had “retrieved” the bodies today.

IDF says it hasn’t received MK Bismuth’s outline for Haredi conscription law

The IDF says it has not yet received a copy of a document outlining the principles of a potential ultra-Orthodox draft bill written by Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Boaz Bismuth, which he has said will serve as the basis of a new law to be drafted in the coming days.

In a statement to national broadcaster Kan, the military states that the “updated draft of the proposed conscription law has not yet been submitted to the relevant professional bodies in the IDF, and therefore it is not possible to comment on it.”

“The IDF has broad and urgent manpower needs that are required to meet operational challenges. These needs have been presented numerous times in various committees and have not changed from how they were previously presented,” the statement continues.

“The IDF, as part of the committee discussions and other professional forums to which it was invited, addressed professional and technical issues that would enable the implementation of the agreed-upon framework in an efficient and effective manner,” the military adds.

Bismuth announced on Thursday evening that he had submitted an outline of principles for a new bill to committee legal adviser Miri Frenkel Shor.

The Likud lawmaker’s office said that “based on the document, a draft law will be formulated in the coming days that will guide the committee in the continuation of the legislative process to regulate the issue of conscription.”

According to Hebrew-language news reports, the document stipulates that within five years, 50 percent of the annual Haredi draft cohort will be conscripted, and the age of exemption will remain at 26.

Yeshiva budgets will only be cut for failing to meet enlistment quotas after a year, and personal sanctions will only go into effect after two years if the overall enlistment goal is not met, according to the reports.

Moreover, those sanctioned will not lose their driver’s licenses, although restrictions on issuing licenses to draft evaders will apply under the new proposal.

According to Kan, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed Bismuth to advance the legislation as part of an effort to bring the ultra-Orthodox Shas party back into the government.

Gaza family says it will take revenge on Hamas for the killing of one of its sons

Media outlets in Gaza report that Hamas members executed Hisham al-Saftawi in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

His relatives film themselves after his funeral, saying they will not open a mourning tent until they have avenged his death at the hands of Hamas, and that they know the name of the Hamas member who killed him.

A statement issued by the family and circulated online says he was executed in his home by a large force from Hamas’s military wing, who shot him, and that the family will settle accounts with them.

The reason for Saftawi’s killing is unclear.

Online reports claim he was affiliated with Fatah, and his relatives tell Al-Arabiya that during the war the family participated in “guarding aid,” possibly meaning they were paid to provide security for humanitarian aid and engaged in its illegal resale.

عائلة الشهيد المغدور هشام الصفطاوي في النصيرات، لا يوجد بيت عزاء إلا بالقصاص من حماس . pic.twitter.com/hpABlIdMjE

— Basem pal #Gaza (@Basem_gaza1988) October 18, 2025

In addition, a Telegram channel affiliated with Hamas publishes a video showing Hamas members throwing stones at the legs of a Gaza resident who, in recent months, was filmed thanking Trump and Netanyahu at Gaza Humanitarian Fund aid distribution centers.

In the new video, the resident — while being beaten — can be heard repeatedly saying “Hamas is not finished,” apparently under pressure from Hamas members.

Tommy Robinson denounced as a racist by protester at Tel Aviv event; many in crowd of 1,000 boo the heckler

British far-right and anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson is heckled during a speaking event in Tel Aviv, with an attendee shouting, “Tommy Robinson is a racist.”

The interruption is met with loud boos and chants of “shame on you” from many in the audience, followed by Robinson inviting the heckler to join him on stage.

“The far-left extremist has left the building,” Robinson declares as the protester exits.

The majority of the over 1,000 attendees appear supportive of Robinson, having greeted him with thunderous applause as he took the stage. Some approached him beforehand to thank him for his activism and vocal support of Israel, while others sported far-right insignia and apparel, including “Make America Great Again” and “Total Victory” hats.

The event is hosted by the Tel Aviv International Salon. Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli of the Likud party, who is in attendance at the talk, invited Robinson to visit Israel, and clashed with Anglo-Jewish leaders over the issue.

Red Cross official confirms team readying to pick up hostages’ bodies from Hamas

The Red Cross is about to head toward the handover point where it will receive the bodies of hostages from Hamas, a senior ICRC official tells The Times of Israel.

“Our team is about to start moving,” says the official. “We haven’t started yet.”

Earlier today, the terror group announced that it would hand over the bodies of two hostages, whose names were not specified, at 10 p.m. Israel time.

MK Gilad Kariv, in fiery anti-government speech, demands ‘final and total end to the war’

At a 100-strong anti-government protest in Tel Aviv, Labor MK Gilad Kariv specifically thanks demonstrators, saying they — who have protested throughout the war in explicit opposition to the government, rather than merely for the return of the hostages — are “the ember from which the grand democratic protest movement will reignite.”

The left-wing lawmaker hails “the protest that is not content with a truce, but demands a final and total end to the war; the protest that remembers the deep connection between the judicial overhaul and October 7; and that doesn’t forget that even now, Netanyahu prefers to dance the tango with Hamas and the Qataris instead of negotiating for peace” with the Palestinians.

Kariv adds that he is also addressing what he describes as excessively polite fellow opposition members.

“From now on, 100 percent determination, zero percent purism,” he says.

Kariv says that alongside the happiness at the return on Monday of the last 20 living hostages under the Gaza ceasefire, “we will never forget that this deal could have been reached many months ago… and we will never forget the bereaved families of fallen IDF soldiers who paid the dearest price because of the dragging on of this war.”

“And yes, we also do not close our eyes to what has happened in Gaza,” he adds.

Concluding, he slams the “political police” for its treatment of the so-called “trash bin detainees,” six anti-government activists arrested for setting fire to trash bins near Netanyahu’s Jerusalem residence during a protest there.

“There is selective enforcement in Israel and it’s directed at us,” he says, noting the police’s failure to similarly detain people who attacked a Reform synagogue in Ra’anana earlier this year, and the right-wing mob that stormed two military bases last year in protest of the arrest of reservists suspected of sexually abusing a Palestinian inmate.

Report: Red Cross en route to receive ‘several’ bodies of hostages from Hamas

The Qatari Al-Araby channel reports that a convoy of Red Cross vehicles is making its way through Gaza to receive “several” bodies of hostages from Hamas.

Earlier today, the terror group announced that it would hand over the bodies of two hostages, whose names were not specified, at 10 p.m. Israel time.

Cousin of slain hostage whose body is still in Gaza: ‘Our nightmare has come true’

At a 100-strong anti-government rally outside the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, Yael Or, cousin of slain hostage Dror Or, calls on the government to apply whatever pressure it can to return the remains of Dror and 17 other slain hostages still in Gaza.

However, she stresses that “we are absolutely not calling to renew the war. We’ve warned for two years that war would kill the living hostages and make the slain unfindable.”

“Our nightmare has come true,” she says. “What did you think would happen? You’ve killed and bombed and destroyed. Did anyone think about the consequences that the destruction would have?”

“You signed this deal. Make sure to complete it. Do everything you can to bring back everyone,” she says.

“Our story doesn’t have a happy ending. There is no catharsis, there will be no emotional embraces and tears of joy. But it might have an end,” she says. “True, we’re tired, but we have no choice but to go on and fight for this place. This is our home.”

Houthis deny attacking ship in Gulf of Aden, after explosion on gas tanker

A source in the Iran-backed Houthis’ ministry of defense tells Saba, the group’s official news agency, that it denies reports of an attack on a ship in the Gulf of Aden and that their forces had no connection to the incident.

According to reports, a ship caught fire earlier today in the Gulf of Aden, off Yemen’s coast. The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said the vessel was “hit by an unknown projectile.”

Government plan to change name of Gaza war would cost some NIS 2 million — report

The cost of renaming Israel’s two-year war against Hamas and Iranian proxies is estimated to cost NIS 2 million ($605,000), the Kan public broadcaster reports.

The cabinet is set to vote Sunday on a proposal to rename the campaign from “Swords of Iron” to “War of Revival,” at the suggestion of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz.

The premier is pushing for the name change due to “the fact that this war marks a milestone for the State of Israel’s revival,” reads the proposal’s explanatory notes, which were sent to cabinet ministers ahead of tomorrow’s discussion.

Netanyahu had already been seeking to change the war’s name two months on, and considered names such as “Genesis War”, “Gaza War” and “Simchat Torah War” alongside the one soon up for a vote, Kan reports.

He first suggested the name “War of Revival” during a cabinet meeting marking the first anniversary of the conflict last year, saying, “This is the war of our existence — the ‘War of Revival.'”

Critics have suggested that the government’s proposed name is part of an attempt to evade responsibility for any failures that occurred ahead of October 7, 2023, and on the day itself.

UK anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson, visiting at Chikli’s invitation, praises Israel as island of democracy

Talking to reporters ahead of a speaking engagement in Tel Aviv, British far-right, anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson says he is in Israel on a “fact-finding mission” amid what he describes as “a major propaganda campaign against the State of Israel and against Jews.”

Robinson rejects the claim that a genocide is taking place in Gaza, and he says his visit includes tours of Jerusalem, a Palestinian refugee camp and an upcoming trip to the West Bank, which he refers to as Judea and Samaria, using the Biblical names for the area.

Explaining his support for Israel, Robinson says, “I see Israel as a beacon of democracy surrounded by totalitarian, Sharia-driven hellholes.”

The event, hosted by the Tel Aviv International Salon, follows an invitation extended to Robinson by Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli of the Likud party.

The invitation drew condemnation from the most prominent organizations representing British Jewry, who called Robinson a “thug who represents the very worst of Britain” and Chikli “a Diaspora Minister in name only.”

The event is expected to draw more than 1,000 attendees.

Guy Gilboa-Dalal, Evyatar David reunite with fellow ex-hostages Tal Shoham, Omer Wenkert

Released hostages Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Evyatar David reunite on Saturday with their fellow captives, Tal Shoham and Omer Wenkert, who were released in February 2025.

“The moment we dreamed about while in the depths of the earth,” comments Shoham. “The four of us together again. Safe. Free. With our faces to the future.”

“Big win,” comments Wenkert.

Gilboa-Dalal and David also posted a picture of themselves holding new guitars gifted to them by Israeli guitar company Wild Guitars and the Israeli fan community of their favorite band, Avenged Sevenfold, all arranged by Wenkert.

While in captivity together, David told Wenkert about an electric guitar he had always dreamed of owning.

A video of Gilboa-Dalal speaking with Matt Sanders, lead singer of US band Avenged Sevenfold, is also making the rounds. In the video posted on social media, Gilboa-Dalal is seen staring in amazement at Sanders as the musician tells him how happy he is that Gilboa-Dalal is free and back in Israel.

Sanders has also been in touch with other Israeli fans whose loved ones were killed at the Nova desert rave on October 7.

Released hostage’s mother Einav Zangauker: Oct. 7 rehabilitation complete only when last bodies return, Netanyahu faces justice

Einav Zangauker, mother of recently released hostage Matan Zangauker, thanks thousands of people gathered at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square for their support, but stresses that “our struggle is not over until the last slain hostage returns to us.”

In an address that moves from gratitude to the public for its support to fury at the Israeli leadership, Zangauker denounces Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government for the failures of October 7, 2023, and for “failures that continue to this day,” and demands that they “go home” and “face justice” following a state commission of inquiry.

She opens by paying special tribute to soldiers and families whose loved ones were killed fighting in Gaza.

On October 7, 2023, when Matan and his partner Ilana Gritzewsky were abducted by Hamas, she charges, “there was no functioning government.”

Instead, Israelis “of all stripes got up on their feet and for two long years responded to every need,” she says.

“The government and its head, Benjamin Netanyahu, are responsible for the October 7 debacle. They are responsible for the fact that kids were snatched from their beds in pajamas, that for long hours families needed to hide in safe rooms and even hide among corpses until help arrived, and help arrived late,” she says.

They are responsible, she adds, for the hostages who died in captivity in Gaza. “They are responsible for the fact that soldiers were killed fighting in places [in Gaza] that we supposedly conquered time after time.”

Alluding to Netanyahu’s plan to rename the war as the “War of Revival,” she adds: “They can change the name of the war as much as they want, but they will never evade responsibility.”

“The return of the slain hostages and end of the war are only the first act in fixing the failure and healing the country,” Zangauker says. “The rehabilitation will be complete only when all those responsible for the debacle go home and face justice.”

She hails activists who stood alongside the hostage families, and the whole nation for its support: “Let every Hebrew mother know that she has an entire nation behind her,” she says, paraphrasing a quote by Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion. She says the nation demands the return of all the fallen hostages and the return of every soldier from Gaza.

“Now, for the first time in two years, I will let myself fulfill my dream — going back to being a mom to Matan, Natali and Shani,” she concludes.

Matan Zangauker was freed on Monday along with the last 19 living hostages in Gaza. The bodies of 18 fallen hostages are still held there.

Avi Dichter, who is on security cabinet, says IDF should have occupied Gaza City early in war

Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter, a member of the government’s security cabinet, says the IDF should have occupied Gaza City earlier during its war with Hamas, insisting such a move would have pressured the terror group into agreeing to a hostage deal sooner.

“In combat, there is an iron rule that says: ‘The main effort must be done in the beginning.’ We should have occupied Gaza City from the beginning,” the Likud minister says in an interview with Channel 12 News.

“We didn’t occupy Gaza, we didn’t occupy a great many neighborhoods [in the Strip],” he goes on to say. “When it became clear that Hamas was misleading us in the partial deal, we should have opted for another move, and it was clear that Gaza City was a game-changer.”

Speaking of the current deal, now facing hurdles due to the slow pace at which Hamas is returning deceased hostages, Dichter accuses the terror group of purposefully delaying handovers.

“They understand that the more they can slow down the pace of the deceased hostages’ return, the longer they delay the execution of the second phase: laying down arms,” says the former Shin Bet chief. “For them, this is not a red line, it is a red corridor.”

IDF says it foiled attempt to smuggle weapons from Syria into Lebanon last night

The IDF says it foiled an attempt to smuggle weapons from Syria into Lebanon in the Mount Hermon area late Friday night.

Troops of the 810th “Mountains” Regional Brigade and field interrogators of the Intelligence Directorate’s Unit 504 detained several suspects near the peak of Mount Hermon during the overnight operation, the military says.

According to the IDF, the suspects were trying to smuggle grenades, handguns, RPGs, and ammunition into Lebanon.

The suspects were taken for further questioning.

The IDF has been deployed to nine posts inside southern Syria since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024, mostly within a UN-patrolled buffer zone on the border between the countries. Two posts are on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon.

Troops have been operating in areas up to around 15 kilometers deep into Syria, aiming to capture weapons that Israel says could pose a threat to the country if they fall into the hands of “hostile forces,” including Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

‘We’re okay’: Freed hostages Ziv and Gali Berman thank ‘wonderful nation’ for fighting to return them

Recently freed hostages Ziv and Gal Berman post a message on social media as they prepare to be released from Sheba Hospital.

“To our wonderful nation, we want to stop and say thank you to the family and friends, and all who were there for us, for our mother to support her,” say the brothers. “We felt it in the tunnels; you gave her courage to go on.”

They speak about the bereaved families who lost the most important people in their lives on October 7 and about the remaining hostages whose bodies haven’t yet been released to Israel.

They thank the soldiers who fought, and those whose lives were lost, and thank their families as well.

“We thank you for your courage, dedication and heart,” say the twin brothers. “We know you fought so we can hug and breathe again.”

“Now we’re home, safe with family and friends, wrapped in love.”

Released hostage twins Gali and Ziv Berman thanking the people of Israel for the fight to bring them home. 🇮🇱💜 pic.twitter.com/Tr4h0lxZ30

— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) October 18, 2025

They also thank the Israeli nation for their love and dedication.

“We’re one nation and we have nowhere else to go,” say the brothers.

At the end of their statement, the Bermans joke that Israelis are confused as to which of them is Ziv and which of them is Gali, and jokingly identify themselves as the other.

“We’re okay,” adds Gali Berman. “We have some rehabilitation ahead of us, but we’re free to leave the hospital, and we are so thankful to the hospital staff for their love and care.”

Ziv Berman adds that once they leave the hospital, they’ll go to the beach and see their beloved Maccabi Tel Aviv team, and, he says, figure out what is this ChatGPT thing that everyone keeps talking about.

“Am Yisrael Chai,” say the brothers.

Hamas says it will return two more hostages’ bodies tonight, doesn’t identify them

Hamas’s military wing announces that at 10 p.m. Israel time, it will hand over the bodies of two hostages it managed to locate.

The terror group does not identify whose bodies they are.

The remains of 18 dead hostages are still in the Strip.

Hostage families hail reported visit by Vance, Witkoff; urge action to return loved ones’ bodies

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum invites US Vice President JD Vance and US special envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with the families of hostages and to visit Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square during a reported trip to Israel next week.

“Your visit to Israel gives us hope,” state the hostages’ families in a letter to Vance and Witkoff. “We fear that our loved ones will be forgotten, and that their fate will remain unknown for decades or even forever.”

Thank you to President Trump, to you, and to the administration for the 30 hostages who were returned to us for rehabilitation and burial. Now, please help us finish the mission and bring our 18 loved ones home,” they continue.

On Monday, all remaining living hostages were released. Ten bodies of dead hostages have been returned since then. The remains of the last eighteen are still in the Strip.

‘Until the last hostage’: Protesters in Tel Aviv demand return of bodies of 18 still held in Gaza

Crowds of protesters gather in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square for tonight’s protest, calling for the remaining 18 hostages’ bodies to be returned to Israel.

Some hold signs with photos of Itay Chen, one of the soldiers killed on October 7, whose body was taken captive by Hamas to Gaza. Other signs read, “You are not alone, we are with you, until the last hostage.”

Protests for the remaining hostages are taking place in Haifa, Zichron Ya’akov, Jerusalem and other locations.

At the Tel Aviv protest tonight, Einav Zangauker, mother of released hostage Matan Zangauker, will speak, followed by Ela Haimi, who is still waiting for the body of her husband, Tal Haimi, the head of the Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak emergency response team, who was killed on October 7.

Other speakers include Roy Baruch, brother of Uriel Baruch, whose body was taken from the Nova festival on October 7 and released earlier this week; Yotam Cohen, brother of released hostage Nimrod Cohen; Orna and Ronen Neutra, who are still waiting for the body of their son, soldier Omer Neutra, killed on October 7, and Ayelet Goldin, whose brother, Hadar Goldin, was killed in 2014 and whose body is still held in Gaza.

Ben Gvir says he gave PM deadline to dismantle Hamas, enact death penalty for terrorists

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has given Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a deadline to dismantle Hamas and enact the death penalty for terrorists, threatening that if his conditions are not met, his far-right Otzma Yehudit party will quit the government.

“What I want, and this is also what Netanyahu promised me, the dismantlement of Hamas and if he doesn’t dismantle Hamas he knows very well what will happen,” Ben Gvir tells Channel 12’s “Meet The Press” in an interview.

Asked if he presented the premier with a deadline, Ben Gvir replies that he has, but declines to specify what it was.

The far-right minister says his demands include implementing a death penalty for terrorists, something he says was promised to him in his party’s coalition agreement. He says that doing so is “moral” and will prevent future kidnappings.

“Netanyahu promised me this for the last two years. Every time I asked, our dear prime minister, whom I respect very much, told me: ‘Listen, Ben Gvir, we have hostages, the hostages will be released alive and we will do it.’ Now there are no excuses. The prime minister knows I am serious,” he adds.

Ben Gvir recently threatened to bolt the government if Hamas “continues to exist” after the hostages are freed. Earlier this year, Ben Gvir’s party quit the coalition for several months to protest the acceptance of a previous, partial deal.

Turning to the issue of crime in the Arab sector, Ben Gvir brags about his policies despite a rise in murders under the current government and claims that “the majority” of Arab murder victims come from “crime families, one fighting the other.”

Hostage families hail PM’s move to keep Rafah Crossing closed, demand pressure on Hamas to return bodies

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum praises the prime minister’s move to indefinitely close the Rafah Crossing between Egypt and Gaza, accusing Hamas of failing to live up to its side of the ceasefire deal.

The government “must take a firm stance against Hamas and demand the return of all 18 [deceased] hostages without exception, and use every lever at its disposal,” the Forum says in a statement.

“The government must declare that it will not proceed with implementing the agreement until all the fallen hostages are returned, in accordance with the Trump framework,” the statement continues.

Earlier tonight, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced the crossing would remain shuttered, after it was scheduled to open for the movement of Palestinians in and out of the Gaza Strip.

The crossing’s reopening will be considered “based on the extent to which Hamas fulfills its part in returning the fallen hostages, and in implementing the agreed-upon framework,” Netanyahu’s office said.

White House may send JD Vance to Israel on Monday; Witkoff, Kushner to join at some point

The White House is considering sending US Vice President JD Vance to Israel on Monday to hold meetings with top Israeli officials on implementing subsequent phases of Washington’s Gaza ceasefire deal, a US official tells The Times of Israel.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff and fellow adviser to US President Donald Trump Jared Kushner were initially slated to head the American delegation, the official says, adding that the pair are still slated to join Vance at some point on his trip.

The planned trip was reported earlier by Channel 12.

Two IDF soldiers moderately wounded by bomb thrown at them in West Bank

Two IDF soldiers were moderately wounded by an explosive device hurled at them by a Palestinian during operations in the West Bank town of Tubas this evening, the military says.

The IDF says the incident took place during “offensive activity” in the area. Troops are continuing to operate in Tubas in search of the assailant.

The two soldiers were taken to a hospital and their families were notified, the army adds.

Houthis raid UN compound in Yemen, all staff reportedly safe

The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels raided a UN facility in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, a UN official says. All staff are reported to be safe.

Jean Alam, a spokesman for the UN resident coordinator for Yemen, says Houthi security forces entered the UN compound in Sanaa earlier today.

He tells The Associated Press there were 15 UN international staff members in the facility at the time of the raid, and that “according to latest information all staff in the compound are safe and accounted for and have contacted their families.”

The rebels raided UN offices in Sanaa on August 31 and detained 19 employees, according to the UN. They later released the deputy director of the UNICEF office in the country.

“The United Nations is taking all necessary measures and is in contact with the relevant authorities and counterparts to ensure the safety and security of all personnel and property,” Alam says.

Another UN official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the raid, says the building is operated by the UN.

The employees belong to multiple UN agencies, including the World Food Program, UNICEF and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, says the official.

On Thursday, the rebels’ leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi accused the UN in a speech of working against the group.

Nurit Yohanan contributed to this report.

PM’s office: Rafah Crossing to be closed indefinitely, reopening to be based on Hamas adherence to hostage deal

The Rafah Crossing between Egypt and Gaza will remain closed indefinitely, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says, citing Hamas’s failure to live up to the ceasefire deal.

“Its reopening will be considered based on the extent to which Hamas fulfills its part in returning the fallen hostages, and in implementing the agreed-upon framework,” says the Prime Minister’s Office.

The statement contradicts an earlier announement by the Palestinian embassy in Egypt, which said the crossing would open on Monday.

The crossing was set to open for the movement of Palestinians in both directions as part of the ceasefire, not for the entry of aid.

Eighteen bodies of dead hostages remain held in the Gaza Strip.

IDF says it killed Hezbollah operative in southern Lebanon strike

The IDF says it killed a Hezbollah operative in a drone strike in southern Lebanon earlier today.

The member of the terror group had been operating heavy machinery in the village of Kfar Dounine, in an attempt to restore Hezbollah infrastructure in the area that had been destroyed during the fighting last year, the military says.

The IDF says the “terrorist’s activities constituted a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon. ”

It publishes footage of the strike.

צה"ל חיסל מחבל מארגון הטרור חיזבאללה שניסה לשקם תשתיות טרור של הארגון בדרום לבנון

מוקדם יותר היום, צה"ל בהובלת פיקוד הצפון, תקף וחיסל באמצעות כלי טיס של חיל האוויר, מחבל מארגון הטרור חיזבאללה.

המחבל ניסה לשקם בעזרת כלי הנדסי, תשתיות טרור שהותקפו במהלך מבצע "חיצי צפון", במרחב… pic.twitter.com/BFIB0VW1qz

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) October 18, 2025

Crowds gather for anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ protests across US

The first of what “No Kings” organizers expect to be more than 2,600 protest events begins in the United States and other countries, a mass mobilization against President Donald Trump’s policies on immigration, education, and security that organizers say are pushing the country toward autocracy.

The protests — big and little, in cities, suburbs, and small towns across the US — follow mass demonstrations in June and reflect the frustration of opponents of an agenda that Trump has rolled out with unprecedented speed since taking office in January.

Today’s rallies started outside the US, with a couple of hundred protesters gathering outside the US embassy in London, and roughly hundreds more holding demonstrations in Madrid and Barcelona.

By this morning in Northern Virginia, many protesters were walking on overpasses across roads heading into Washington, DC, and several hundred people gathered in the circle near Arlington National Cemetery, near where Trump is considering building an arch across the bridge from the Lincoln Memorial.

Rafah Crossing to reopen Monday, Palestinian embassy in Egypt says

Gaza’s Rafah Border Crossing with Egypt will be reopened on Monday, the Palestinian embassy in Egypt says in a statement.

The crossing, which has been largely closed since May 2024, will allow Palestinians residing in Egypt to return to Gaza, the embassy says.

Previous announcements on the opening of the crossing since the ceasefire began a week ago have been premature.

COGAT said this week that preparations were ongoing with Egypt to open the crossing for the movement of people, with the date to be announced at a later stage.

Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.

Azerbaijan prepared to contribute troops to Gaza stabilization force, officials tell ToI

Azerbaijan has agreed to contribute troops to an International Stabilization Force that will help secure the Gaza Strip after the war, three government officials familiar with the matter tell The Times of Israel.

To date, Indonesia is the only country to publicly commit to contributing troops to the ISF, declaring that it would send 20,000 soldiers as part of a UN-mandated mission.

But the US has also been in talks with other countries and has privately secured a similar commitment from Azerbaijan, the three sources say.

Azerbaijan’s embassies in Washington and Tel Aviv did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

During a multilateral meeting on the UN General Assembly sidelines last month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told US President Donald Trump that Ankara was also prepared to send forces to Gaza, two sources familiar with the matter say.

It’s unclear whether Israel will allow the presence of Turkish forces in Gaza, though, amid the collapse of ties between the two countries since the start of the Gaza war.

Egypt expected to lead UN-backed Gaza stabilization force — report

Egypt is expected to lead a planned international stabilization force to manage security in Gaza after it is given backing by the UN Security Council, diplomats tell the Guardian.

According to the report, European powers and the United States are preparing a motion that will give the force a UN mandate, without it being an actual UN peacekeeping force.

The force is part of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan, and is meant to secure the Strip during a transitional postwar period, while the Strip is managed by a technocratic Palestinian government and the Hamas terror group is disarmed.

The plans for the first are in line with former UK prime minister Tony Blair’s plan for Gaza, revealed by The Times of Israel last month.

Image shows freed hostage Alon Ohel playing piano in hospital

An image on social media shows freed hostage Alon Ohel playing piano in the hospital.

Earlier this week, his mother, Idit, told Channel 12 that Ohel played for the first time after returning from captivity on Monday.

“The music is heard again and beats, just like the spirit that was not broken,” a post by the alon.is.home Instagram page reads, along with the picture.

Ohel’s families used donated pianos around the world as a way to raise awareness of his plight while he was being held hostage.

Seeing Alon Ohel back at the keyboard is such a beautiful and healing sight.

May it bring him so much peace and joy. @N12News pic.twitter.com/N69t9IZIsR

— Heidi Bachram 🎗️ (@HeidiBachram) October 18, 2025

Jewish film festival says event postponed after Malmo cinemas refused to screen films

STOCKHOLM, Sweden — The organizers of the Jewish International Film Festival say they were forced to postpone the event because cinemas in Malmö, Sweden, would not screen the films, with some citing safety and security concerns.

This year’s Jewish International Film Festival was supposed to celebrate 250 years of Jewish life in Sweden and was scheduled to run November 29 through December 2, according to its website.

The organizers, in a statement posted Thursday to the festival’s website, said they were “stonewalled by all commercial and art-house cinemas in the city.”

They said they would “pause to gather strength” before starting the process of finding a venue again. They added that they had received “heartwarming” support in recent days.

Ola Tedin, one of the organizers, told Swedish broadcaster SVT that some of the cinemas offered safety and security concerns for their refusal because they were worried something might happen to endanger their staff or audiences.

In a statement today, cinema chain Filmstaden says its decision against screening the films was made in the spring.

“In this particular case, after thorough assessment, we concluded that we could not host the festival due to safety concerns,” the statement says. “Our priority is always to ensure a safe and positive experience for both our guests and employees.”

Other cinemas, as well as the Swedish minister of culture, does not immediately respond to a request for comment today.

The film festival was founded last year.

Man shot dead in vehicle in northern village

A man was found shot dead in a vehicle in the northern village of Yarka, medics and police say.

Medics who arrived on the scene say they found the man without signs of life, and declared him dead on site, the Magen David Adom ambulance service says.

Police are investigating the deadly shooting.

Hamas delivered letters to now-freed hostages’ families via Red Cross after filming propaganda video — report

Hamas handed over letters written by now-freed hostages Alon Ohel and Guy Gilboa-Dalal to the Red Cross, to be delivered to their families, when filming a propaganda video outside one of the organization’s centers in Gaza City, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

On August 28, when Hamas filmed a propaganda video of Gilboa-Dalal and Ohel outside a Red Cross center, his captors used the opportunity to pass on the letter to the organization, which then brought the letter to his family two weeks later, Kan reports.

The handing over of the letter, the first such case of letters written by a hostage being brought to their relatives, was kept secret by the families until he was released this week.

“I miss you a lot. I want and hope to return before Gaya’s birthday in December. I saw Gal and Eli together in a television report with our shirts. I can’t stop thinking about you, and those thoughts give me strength. I worry about mom, that she isn’t anxious,” Gilboa-Dalal’s letter read, Kan reports.

British maritime agency says vessel hit by fire off Yemen’s coast, causing fire

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency says it received a report of an incident 116 nautical miles (214 km) east of the Yemeni port of Aden, in which a vessel was hit by an unknown projectile, causing a fire.

Authorities were investigating, UKMTO adds.

Footage shows anti-Israel protesters disrupting Oct. 7 memorial event at California college

Anti-Israel protesters interrupted an October 7 massacre memorial event at California’s Pomona College, footage circulating on social media shows.

Yoni Viloga, who survived the massacre at Kibbutz Mefalsim, was sharing his story on Wednesday evening when anti-Israel protesters wearing keffiyehs stormed the event, chanting slogans, accusing Israel of “genocide,” and saying “Zionists not welcome here.”

Those inside the event physically pushed back the protesters from the event, while campus security did not intervene, The Claremont Independent reports.

Pomona College President Gabi Starr said in a statement that the school’s administration saw videos of the “shocking and deeply disturbing.”

“It is both outrageous and cruel to interrupt a space where members of our community come together to mourn. Antisemitic hate cannot be tolerated here. Our community is better than this,” she says.

“While we have not yet identified the individuals, we are examining video footage taken during the event, as well as security footage to determine how access could have been gained,” she adds.

On Wednesday, masked protestors at Pomona College interrupted an October 7 memorial featuring a survivor of the attack.

They yelled, “Zionists are not welcome here,” and accused the attendees of being “complicit in genocide.”

Expel the disruptors. This harassment has to end. pic.twitter.com/pCeIneBEuz

— Steve McGuire (@sfmcguire79) October 17, 2025

After he asked to see the sky, people around world dedicate photos of the heavens to freed hostage

After Rom Braslavski requested to be able to see the sky, social media users around the world posted pictures of the sky in their location, dedicated to the freed hostage.

Braslavski’s cousin, Liron Oberlander, told Channel 12 news earlier this week that upon returning, “he asked for one little thing. To see the sky. After all the time he was locked up without a window, this is the first thing he wanted.”

The request was answered by several people around the world, who dedicated photos of the sky in their location to Braslavski.

The family of captivity survivor Rom Braslavski said he just wanted to look at the sky.

People from around the world are posting on X with a photo of the sky where they are adding well wishes for Rom: pic.twitter.com/fihJmxWSnV

— Iris (@streetwize) October 18, 2025

Israel returns 15 Palestinian bodies to Gaza, Hamas-run ministry says

Israel returned the bodies of 15 Palestinians to Gaza, bringing the total number handed over to 135, the Hamas-run health ministry in the Strip says.

Under a ceasefire deal brokered by US President Donald Trump, Israel was to turn over the bodies of 15 Palestinians for every deceased Israeli returned. Late on Friday, Hamas handed over the body of another Israeli hostage.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Hamas authorities say nine killed after IDF opened fire on ‘suspicious’ bus yesterday

Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defense agency says that Israeli forces killed nine people in an attack on a bus yesterday, while the military stated it had fired at a “suspicious” vehicle that crossed the Yellow Line — to which the military withdrew under the terms of the current ceasefire.

“Civil defense crews were able to recover nine bodies following the Israeli occupation’s targeting of a bus carrying displaced persons east of the Zeitun neighborhood yesterday,” Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for the agency, which operates under Hamas authority, tells AFP.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Maritime incident reported off Yemen’s coast

British maritime security firm Ambrey says it is aware of an ongoing incident off the coast of Yemen’s Ahwar, without giving further details.

Vance to visit Israel on Monday to discuss advancing Trump’s Gaza plan — report

US Vice President JD Vance plans to visit Israel on Monday to discuss the progress of the deal to return slain hostages in Gaza and end the war, Channel 12 news reports.

Vance will also discuss advancing to the second stage of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan, which concerns the Hamas terror group’s disarmament and the establishment of an alternative authority to administer Gaza.

IDF: Navy vessel fires warning shots at Palestinian boats violating Gaza blockade

An Israeli Navy vessel fired warning shots at several Palestinian boats that “violated the naval blockade and posed a threat” to troops off the coast of the southern Gaza Strip earlier today, the IDF says.

The Gazan vessels turned around after the warning shots were fired, the military says, and there are no reports of injuries in the incident.

IDF: Reports of gunfire near West Bank settlement last night; no injuries caused

The IDF says it received reports of gunfire near the West Bank settlement of Evyatar last night, with no injuries or damage caused.

Troops were dispatched to the scene, began searches in the area, and imposed closures on several nearby Palestinian villages, the military adds.

As 2015 deal expires, Iran says no longer bound by ‘restrictions’ on its nuclear program

Iran says that it was no longer bound by restrictions on its nuclear program as a landmark 10-year deal between it and world powers expired, though Tehran reiterated its “commitment to diplomacy.”

From now on, “all of the provisions (of the 2015 deal), including the restrictions on the Iranian nuclear program and the related mechanisms, are considered terminated,” Iran’s foreign ministry said in a statement on the day of the pact’s expiration. “Iran firmly expresses its commitment to diplomacy,” it added.

In June, the US joined Israel in striking Iranian nuclear facilities after five rounds of indirect nuclear talks with Tehran that stalled over issues including nuclear enrichment.

Israel said its sweeping assault on Iran’s top military leaders, nuclear scientists, uranium enrichment sites and ballistic missile program was necessary to prevent the Islamic Republic from realizing its avowed plan to destroy Israel.

Iran has consistently denied seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. However, it enriched uranium to levels that have no peaceful application, obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities and expanded its ballistic missile capabilities. Israel said Iran had recently taken steps toward weaponization.

Netanyahu’s office urges Hamas to abide by deal and return remaining hostage bodies

After military representatives notified the family of Eliyahu Margalit, 75, that his body was returned to Israel by Hamas last night, following his identification by forensic experts, the Prime Minister’s Office says Hamas must abide by the deal and return the remains of the other 18 slain hostages still held in Gaza.

The IDF says that according to its intelligence information, Eliyahu was murdered on October 7, 2023, and his body was abducted to Gaza, from the horse stables in Kibbutz Nir Oz. His death had been confirmed by the military in December 2023.

A statement issued by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says “the Government of Israel shares in the deep sorrow of the Margalit family and all the families of the fallen hostages.”

It says that Israel is “determined, committed, and working tirelessly” to bring back all of the dead hostages for burial, adding that Hamas is “required to fulfill its commitments to the mediators and return them as part of the implementation of the agreement.”

The military says that it “continues to devote all efforts to the return of the fallen hostages, and is preparing for the continued implementation of the agreement.”

“Hamas is required to fulfill its part of the agreement and make every necessary effort to return the fallen hostages to their families for proper burial,” the IDF adds.

Returned body identified as Eliyahu ‘Churchill’ Margalit, 75, from Nir Oz

The Hostage Family Forum says that the body returned by the Hamas overnight has been identified as that of  Eliyahu “Churchill” Margalit, 75.

Margalit was murdered by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023 and his body kidnapped.

On December 1, 2023, the IDF announced that Eliyahu had been killed and his body was being held in Gaza.

The military said it made its declaration “based on findings that were collected, and intelligence.” His daughter, Nili Margalit, 40, was also kidnapped on October 7, and was released from Hamas captivity on November 30.

He is survived by his wife, Daphna, children Noa, Danny and Nili and three grandchildren.

Loved ones reported that Eliyahu left his home early that Saturday morning to feed his beloved horses in the kibbutz stable and that his horses were also taken along with him.

Eliyahu was responsible for many years for the kibbutz’s cattle.

Following the return of Margalit’s body, 18 bodies of dead captives still remain in the Gaza Strip after 28 were held there at the start of the current ceasefire.

PM’s office demands Hamas ‘adhere to 20-point plan’ amid push for remaining dead hostages, terror group’s disarmament

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says Israel is committed to the ceasefire agreement with Hamas and continues to uphold and fulfill its side of the plan, after a senior member of the terror group said it could not commit to disarm.

“Hamas is supposed to release all hostages in stage 1. It has not. Hamas knows where the bodies of our hostages are. Hamas are to be disarmed under this agreement. No ifs, no buts. They have not. Hamas need to adhere to the 20-point plan. They are running out of time,” the PMO says in a statement to Reuters.

Trump’s September 29 plan calls for Hamas to immediately return all hostages before committing to disarmament and ceding governance of Gaza to a technocratic committee overseen by an international transitional body.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supported the plan, saying it would dismantle Hamas’s military capabilities, end its political rule, and ensure that Gaza would never again pose a threat to Israel.

However, the ceasefire agreement signed by Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Hamas and mediators in Sharm el-Sheikh on October 9 does not address the terrorist group’s disarmament or require it to free all the deceased hostages before Israel released Palestinian prisoners.

Witkoff and Kushner say they ‘felt a little bit betrayed’ by Israeli strike in Qatar

US President Donald Trump felt the “Israelis were getting a little bit out of control” after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a strike on Hamas’s leaders in Doha last month, his son-in-law and top adviser Jared Kushner says.

“I think both Jared and I felt, I just feel we felt a little bit betrayed,” US special envoy Steve Witkoff tells CBS’s 60 Minutes in a joint interview with Kushner, which will air in full on Sunday.

“It had a metastasizing effect because the Qataris were critical to the negotiation, as were the Egyptians and the Turks,” Witkoff continues. “We had lost the confidence of the Qataris. And so Hamas went underground, and it was very, very difficult to get to them.”

Kushner says that the strike led Trump to realize “that it was time to be very strong and stop them from doing things that he felt were not in their long-term interests.”

Body of apparent dead hostage to be ID’d after soldiers retrieve casket from Gaza

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 did not provide the identity of the hostage it handed over.

If the body is confirmed to be a hostage, the remains of 18 dead hostages would still remain held in Gaza.

Israeli troops in Gaza receive casket with apparent remains of dead hostage

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 Prime Minister’s Office announces.

The casket had been collected by the Red Cross from Hamas in Khan Younis.

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 to confirm they belong to a slain hostage.