Oct. 8: Katz visited troops in Gaza City shortly before Hamas attacked nearby army post

Trump says planning to visit Middle East this weekend if Gaza deal is reached

US President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable meeting on antifa in the State Dining Room at the White House, October 8, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

US President Donald Trump says a deal ending the Gaza war is “very close” to being reached and that he plans to travel to the region this weekend if an agreement is finalized.

“We have a team of great negotiators, and they are unfortunately great negotiators on the other side also,” Trump says during an event at the White House.

He reiterates that the Arab and Muslim world is on board with his plan. “Our final negotiation is with Hamas. And it seems to be going well,” Trump says.

“If that’s the case, we’ll be leaving, probably on Sunday maybe Saturday,” he adds.

Houthi drone shot down over Israel-Egypt border

A drone launched by the Houthis in Yemen was shot down by an Israeli Air Force fighter jet over the Israeli-Egyptian border a short while ago, according to the military.

The IDF says no sirens were activated “according to protocol.”

Trump may visit region if deal reached on ending Gaza war, Rubio says

US President Donald Trump listens during a multilateral meeting with leaders of Qatar, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia, Egypt United Arab of Emirates and Saudi Arabia, during the United Nations General Assembly, September 23, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

US President Donald Trump may travel to the region if a deal ending the Gaza war is reached, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says.

“The president will have to make that decision, but I anticipate that he would be interested in doing so, if the timing could work,” Rubio tells reporters on Capitol Hill.

“Good progress has been made today. Events are moving in a good direction, but there’s still some work to be done,” the top US diplomat adds.

Hamas tells interlocutors it’s committed to securing Marwan Barghouti’s release — source

A picture shows a view of a section of Israel's security barrier in the West Bank city of Bethlehem painted with a portrait of convicted Palestinian terrorist Marwan Barghouti, held in an Israel jail, on December 24, 2024. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)

Hamas is committed to securing the release of former Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti as part of the agreement with Israel to end the war in Gaza, a source familiar with the matter tells The Times of Israel.

Hamas’s leadership has relayed to interlocutors that “Barghouti’s fate remains absolutely central to these talks,” the source says.

Barghouti is currently serving five cumulative life terms in an Israeli prison for planning attacks during the Second Intifada that killed five civilians. He has denied the charges against him while rejecting the Israeli court’s jurisdiction.

The 66-year-old has been described as a potential successor to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, as he has appeal among broad swaths of the Palestinian population, while maintaining support for a two-state solution.

Arab mediators said to give Israel, Hamas until Friday to sign first phase of Gaza deal

The mediating countries have given Israel and Hamas until Friday morning to sign the first phase of a Gaza deal, an Egyptian source tells Sky News Arabia.

It is not entirely clear what an ultimatum from the Arab mediators would mean, especially for Israel, over whom they have little leverage.

But it does show their desire to seal the hostage and prisoner release phase, and the IDF redeployment phase of the deal rapidly.

Report: Hamas may be unable to locate all slain hostages; Netanyahu aware this is the case

Hamas might not be able to find all the slain hostages in Gaza, three Israeli officials tell CNN.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has known that this is the case for months, say the officials.

“It’s been the case from the outset that they [Hamas] have not had control over all of the hostages,” says Barbara Leaf, former President Joe Biden’s Assistant Secretary of State for the Middle East. “It’s far more likely they can recover all of the living hostages,” she tells the outlet.

One official says that between 7-9 bodies might not be retrieved, while another says between 10-15.

The assessments are based on Israeli intelligence and information that is coming out of talks in Egypt, CNN says.

There is no way to know the exact number, however.

The officials have differing estimates on how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might react to some slain hostages not being returned, with one saying it could be used as a pretext to derail talks.

The Times of Israel has previously reported that the terror group has, in the past, told mediators it does not know where some of the bodies of slain hostages are located.

83% of all buildings in Gaza City destroyed in Israeli operations, UN analysis finds

Smoke rises following an Israeli military strike in Gaza City as seen from the central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Eighty-three percent of the buildings in Gaza City, including roughly 81,000 housing units, have been damaged by Israel’s operations in the area to date, a preliminary analysis from the UN Satellite Center finds.

The data is shared by UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric during a briefing with reporters.

Israel began an operation to conquer Gaza City last month, though, its forces have been operating there since the beginning of the war.

Last week, Israel agreed to halt some of its operations in the Strip, as the US advanced its plan to end the war, but the IDF has continued what it has branded as defensive operations, which have seen dozens of Palestinians reportedly killed daily.

Also during the briefing, Dujarric says that Palestinians in the West Bank cities of Nablus, Salfit and Qalqiliya have reported being unable to harvest their olive crop at the start of the season due to repeated attacks by Israeli settlers, including the uprooting of trees.

Signs coming out of Egypt talks are ‘positive,’ says Israeli official

Signs coming out of talks in Egypt are “positive,” an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.

“Possibly a statement tomorrow,” says the official.

Hamas has provided info on ‘roughly 20 living hostages,’ Israeli officials say

The 48 hostages held in Gaza: First row, from left: Rom Braslavski, Gali Berman, Ziv Berman, Elkana Bohbot, Matan Angrest, Avinatan Or, Yosef-Haim Ohana, Alon Ohel. Second row, from left: Eitan Mor, Segev Kalfon, Nimrod Cohen, Maxim Herkin, Eitan Horn, Evyatar David, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, Bipin Joshi. Third row, from left: Dror Or, Tamir Adar, Matan Zangauker, Bar Kupershtein, David Cunio, Ariel Cunio, Tamir Nimrodi, Omri Miran. Fourth row, from left: Meny Godard, Sgt. First Class Ran Gvili, Sahar Baruch, Uriel Baruch, Sonthaya Oakkharasri, Ronen Engel, Muhammad Alatrash, Guy Illouz. Fifth row, from left: Joshua Mollel, Sgt. Itay Chen, Col. Asaf Hamami, Tal Chaimi, Aryeh Zalmanovich, Inbar Heiman, Sgt. Oz Daniel, Lt. Hadar Goldin. Bottom row, from left: Yossi Sharabi, Sudthisak Rinthalak, Maj. Lior Rudaeff, Amiram Cooper, Cpt. Daniel Perez, Cpt. Omer Neutra, Eliyahu Margalit, Eitan Levy. (Combo photo by Times of Israel; pictures: Courtesy)

As an agreement on the hostage-release phase of the US plan for ending the war in Gaza appears close, Hamas has provided information on “roughly 20 living hostages,” Israeli officials tell Channel 12. The report adds that the terror group says it is still searching for some of the slain hostages — Israel has confirmed the deaths of 26 of the 48 hostages — and that it is not clear that all of them can be located.

Under the proposed deal, Israel is to begin releasing Palestinian security prisoners once the hostage-release phase is completed. The TV report says that the understanding currently appears to be that once Hamas hands over all of the living hostages and all the slain hostages it can locate, and makes clear it is not holding any as bargaining chips, then the prisoner releases will follow.

Israel will not free Hamas Nukhba terrorists who directly participated in the October 7 massacre, the report says. But there will be some “flexibility” on the issue of the release of some heavyweight terrorists serving life terms, many of whom Israel has refused to free in past deals. The TV report anticipates that negotiations on this extremely thorny issue will continue until the very end of the talks.

Under the emerging deal, there will be ‘cosmetic changes” to the lines of the interim IDF withdrawal as drawn on a map released by the White House last week, which showed the IDF deployed in some 57% of the Gaza Strip.

An Arab diplomat and a second source briefed on the negotiations has told The Times of Israel that mediators aim for the agreement to be signed on Thursday.

According to Channel 12, Israel’s government has already begun drafting the decision proposal that will be brought to a vote.

After Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi invited US President Donald Trump to come to Egypt for a potential signing ceremony, the TV report says Trump is considering doing so. The timing, if a ceremony is held on Friday, the report notes, would coincide with the announcement of the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize — an award Trump has long sought and claims he deserves. Channel 12 says it is not known whether Trump might also visit Israel.

The White House later tells Channel 12 reporter Barak Ravid, however, that Trump currently has no plans to travel to the Middle East to oversee the signing of a deal to end the war in Gaza.

Two senior White House officials quoted by Channel 12 are “very optimistic” that a deal is possible within days. It quotes other sources, which it specifies are not Israeli, saying Qatar is confident that there’ll be a deal by Friday, that Qatari ambassadors have started to brief their various host countries to this effect, and that hostage releases could begin at the start of next week.

US government shutdown forces Huckabee to skip Christian Zionist event in Jerusalem

Because of the government shutdown in Washington, DC, US Ambassador Mike Huckabee had to bow out of the International Christian Embassy of Jerusalem event honoring Israelis tonight, he says in a message.

Senior government officials are banned from making public addresses, says Huckabee in a message to the gathering of Christian Zionists.

Bipin Joshi’s teen sister hopes video from captivity will pressure sides into signing deal

Pushpa Joshi, 17, sister of Nepalese hostage Bipin Joshi, speaks to reporters in Israel from North Carolina, where she and her family are advocating for her brother's release. (Screenshot)

Pushpa Joshi, the sister of Nepalese hostage Bipin Joshi, speaks to reporters in Israel about the family’s decision to release a video of her brother that they received nearly a year ago.

“We decided to release it to show that he is in Gaza and alive, and maybe it can create a little bit of pressure on the negotiating teams to understand our feelings, our pain,” says Joshi. “It’s two years, it’s too much pain for us and the hostages and the other hostages’ families.”

Joshi was abducted by Hamas terrorists from Kibbutz Alumim, where he was studying farming. He was part of a group of Nepali students who had arrived in Israel only three weeks earlier as part of an academic program to care for orange and lemon orchards.

“When I saw the video, my mom was next to me and my father, and first I thanked God that I didn’t see any injuries on his face or his body and then my body was shaking and I couldn’t control my tears,” says Joshi, who is 17.

The video appears to have been filmed in November 2023, a few weeks after Joshi was taken captive. There have been no further signs of life or any new information about Joshi’s whereabouts since the video was released, says Joshi’s sister.

The family is currently staying with relatives in North Carolina, as part of an extended visit to the US, where they are advocating for their son and brother in Washington, DC, and at the United Nations. Their goal is to get to the White House, says an Israeli spokesperson for the family.

“We are here with hopeful hearts and we want to meet President Donald Trump and advocate for Bipin’s safe release,” says Joshi. “President Trump gave an ultimatum to Hamas and Israel to negotiate, so we’re very thankful for this. Thank you, Mr. President. We are totally dependent on you and really hope that your steps will give us our Bipin back.”

Two Israeli nationals were aboard latest Gaza flotilla, organizers say

Israeli activists detained on a flotilla to Gaza are seen in a graphic issued by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition on October 8, 2025. (Freedom Flotilla Coalition)

At least two Israeli nationals were aboard one of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s boats that attempted to break Israel’s maritime blockade on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip this morning, according to the organizers.

Forces of the Shayetet 13 naval commando unit and other Israeli Navy forces took control of nine vessels part of the flotilla, including one named Conscience, a 68-meter-long passenger ship. In all, some 150 activists were detained.

The FFC publishes images of many of the activists detained by the Israeli Navy, calling on others to contact their respective governments and demand their release.

The organization also publishes a graphic of two Israelis who it says were on board the Conscience, but it does not call to contact Israeli authorities to demand their release.

“Israeli passport holders will likely be processed differently by authorities and may not require embassy assistance if processed under Israeli law,” the FFC says.

They are named by the group as Zohar Chamberlain Regev and Omer Sharir.

At International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, Herzog thanks Trump for creating ‘horizon of hope for peace’

Speaking at the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem’s annual Feast of Tabernacles, President Isaac Herzog says that US President Donald Trump “has put forward a comprehensive plan for an end to the war, the release of all of our hostages, and a horizon of hope for peace in this region. I thank him.”

Addressing Christian Zionists from 71 nations — including Lebanon, Iran, Indonesia, and the UAE — Herzog says that “it is in these fateful moments that the choice must be made. In favor of partnership and cooperation. In favor of moderation and humanity. In favor of peace and harmony between nations and between people. “

He lauds Christian Zionists for “countering lies and libels about Israel, spreading the truth about the Jewish State, praying and fighting for our hostages, who are suffering terribly, and allowing a language of love to ward off hatred.”

Mediators aiming to sign deal tomorrow to immediately free living hostages, begin ceasefire — sources tell ToI

US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, right, and Jared Kushner arrive before President Donald Trump holds a news conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at which Trump unveiled a plan to end the war in Gaza, in the State Dining Room of the White House, September 29, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Mediators are currently planning for an agreement to be signed tomorrow between Israel and Hamas that will see the immediate release of remaining living hostages in exchange for a Gaza ceasefire, an Arab diplomat and a second source briefed on the ongoing negotiations in Egypt tell The Times of Israel.

Once the ceasefire is in place, Hamas will then be able to gather the bodies of the slain hostages for their subsequent return to Israel, the sources say.

There are currently 48 hostages remaining in Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to be alive.

The agreement the mediators are planning for Thursday will be on what stakeholders are referring to as the “first phase” of US President Donald Trump’s plan for ending the war, the sources say.

Family of Nepali hostage Bipin Joshi publish video from shortly after October 7

A still image, cleared for publication by the family of Bipin Joshi, from a recording of him discovered in Gaza that shows him in the weeks after his abduction from Israel. (Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

The family of Bipin Joshi, a Nepali agricultural student taken hostage by Hamas, has released a video of him that was filmed shortly after he was abducted in the October 7, 2023, attack on Kibbutz Alumim.

The video, which was recovered by the Israel Defense Forces and shared with the family, is thought to have been filmed in November 2023, according to a statement from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents relatives of most of the remaining 48 hostages.

No sign of life has been received for Joshi since that month. In May, Israel said his fate was unknown, but the family is holding out hope.

His family said earlier today that it would publish the video to mark the second anniversary of the Hamas massacre.

In the 33-second-long video, Joshi introduces himself in English, likely at the demand of his captors.

“My name is Bipin Joshi. I am from Nepal. I am 23 years old. I came here to Israel 25 days ago. I came here for the “Learn and Earn program,” I am a student,” he says. “I work in agricultural farm[ing] in citrus and lemon farm.”

At the end of the video, Joshi looks at something off-screen, without moving his head.

In a statement released via the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, Joshi’s family says the video has become “an anchor of firm faith that he is still alive.”

“It is not easy for us to release it to the world,” the family says of the video, “but we are in critical and historic days. Days that will decide whether the living hostages will return to their families and the fallen for a proper burial, or whether we will continue to wallow in pain.”

IDF rejects claim of reserves officer who insists he was ousted for revealing high-level ‘cover-up’ of Oct. 7 failures

Brig. Gen. (res.) Oren Solomon speaks in an interview with Channel 12 news, on an unknown date. (Screenshot: Channel 12 news)

The IDF rejects claims made against the army by a disgruntled senior reserves officer who was booted from the military earlier this year, and unrelatedly was under investigation for suspected “severe operational security violations,” which he has since been cleared of.

Brig. Gen. (res.) Oren Solomon — a member of the hawkish HaBithonistim group — had been involved in preliminary investigations carried out by the Gaza Division into its failures related to Hamas’s October 7, 2023. He has repeatedly said that he believes he was removed from reserve duty because he found fault in the IDF’s top command, a claim that the IDF has denied multiple times.

Solomon made a statement to the media today, saying that the Military Police investigation against him was launched “in an attempt to undermine me, silence me, and other officers, all because of the findings of the investigation I led as head of the war investigation team, in which I discovered the magnitude of the failure and the dysfunction of the senior command echelon.”

“But not only that, I also found concealment of information from the political level, and worst of all: [former] chief of staff [Herzi] Halevi and a small team conducted a systematic operation of cover-up, obfuscation, and minimizing their share in the failure, in a methodical and sophisticated manner,” he said.

In response, the IDF issues a statement saying it “strongly rejects the claims” made by Solomon.

According to the army, Solomon served as a combat operations officer in the Gaza Division and was appointed by the former division chief, Brig. Gen. Avi Rosenfeld — who has since resigned from the military — to lead the division’s October 7 debriefings. The IDF stresses that Solomon “did not serve as the head of a General Staff war investigation team or in any similar position,” referring to the army’s investigations that were officially mandated by former chief of staff Halevi.

In March 2024, the current division commander, Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram decided to end Solomon’s reserve service “unrelated to his conclusions in the investigations or to the Military Police investigation,” the IDF says. According to the military, the pair had personal disagreements. In a letter that month, Solomon accused Hiram of being an “immature and unreliable” person.

The IDF says that Solomon’s “heroism” on October 7 in the area of the Nova music festival “saved many lives, and the IDF appreciates him for that.” But it adds that “his statements harm the IDF and its commanders and cast doubt on the integrity of the hundreds of servicemembers who worked on the October 7 investigations.”

“Baseless claims that cast aspersions on the chief of staff or on the commanders who led the IDF during wartime, especially when made by a senior reservist, are inappropriate, particularly at this time,” the IDF says.

In March this year, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir appointed an external panel of former senior officers — led by Maj. Gen. (res.) Sami Turgeman — to evaluate the military’s probes into Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught, and oversee implementation of the findings.

“The establishment of this team does not stem from any doubt about the credibility of previous investigations, but rather aims to broaden and deepen their review to derive systemic lessons,” the military says, adding that Zamir is expected to conclude the committee’s findings in the coming weeks, “and their results will be presented transparently to the public.”

Regarding the Military Police investigation, the IDF says that “such investigations are conducted solely based on professional and factual considerations, and this was also the case here.”

“Any attempt to link the opening of the investigation to other matters is entirely unfounded,” the military adds.

Hamas: Palestinian Authority has halted payments to 7 senior operatives imprisoned in Israel

The Palestinian Authority has halted payments to the families of seven Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad prisoners held in Israel, Hamas’s Prisoners Ministry said recently, identifying the seven prisoners by name.

The Hamas statement does not specify when the PA halted the payments to their families.

Among those named are Abbas al-Sayed, who planned the 2002 Park Hotel bombing during the Second Intifada; Jamal Abu al-Hija, a senior Hamas figure in the West Bank; and Bilal Barghouti, a Hamas operative who planned the 2003 Sbarro restaurant bombing. All are serving multiple life sentences. Al-Sayed’s name has recently surfaced in reports as one of the prisoners Hamas is demanding be released in a hostage exchange deal.

The Hamas announcement is consistent with The Times of Israel’s reporting from last month, which revealed that the PA has completed the establishment of a new welfare program and finished phasing out a previous system that critics claimed incentivized terror attacks against Israelis.

Turkish FM says Gaza ceasefire could be declared this evening if sides reach agreement by then

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan tells reporters that a ceasefire could potentially be declared today if Israel and Hamas reach an agreement this evening.

“If the consensus is reached today, the ceasefire will be brokered,” says Fidan.

“The parties showed great will for the release of the prisoners and the hostages,” he says alongside Syria’s foreign minister.

He says that talks are focusing on four priorities, on which “a lot of progress has been obtained thus far”: the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, the lines of IDF withdrawal, humanitarian aid, and the conditions of a potential ceasefire.

Katz visited troops in Gaza City shortly before Hamas attacked nearby army post

Defense Minister Israel Katz (center) speaks with officers, including Southern Command chief Maj, Gen. Yaniv Asor (right) and 36th Division commander Brig. Gen. Moran Omer, in Gaza City, October 8, 2025. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)

Defense Minister Israel Katz visited troops in Gaza City’s Sabra neighborhood earlier today, shortly before Hamas launched an attack on a nearby army position.

Katz’s office says the defense minister was briefed by commanders on the IDF’s activities in the area and he “praised them for their powerful actions, which created the conditions for negotiations to secure the release of all the hostages and the achievement of the war’s objectives.”

Hamas attempted to attack a Golani Brigade position on the southern outskirts of Gaza City after Katz’s visit. At least three gunmen were killed in the attempt, and two fled, according to the IDF.

Israel slams France for organizing ‘harmful’ summit on post-war Gaza, despite close ally Rubio’s plan to attend

Israel calls tomorrow’s ministerial meeting in Paris on Gaza’s post-war transition “unnecessary and harmful.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a staunch supporter of Israel, is slated to attend the summit.

“‏We see this as another attempt by President Macron to divert attention from his internal problems at the expense of Israel,” says Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on X.

“‏I hope that the current move by the French government will not harm the critical negotiations for the release of the hostages, as has already happened in the past,” he continues.

He blasts Macron for inviting “governments openly hostile to Israel,” singling out Spain.

“‏The participants can of course discuss any issue they wish – but no arrangements in Gaza will be formulated without Israel’s consent,” Sa’ar stresses.

“‏The French hypocrisy is especially astonishing in light of the fact that France has established the principle that ‘the future of Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine,'” Sa’ar adds.

In letter to Herzog, UK’s King Charles III expresses ‘deep sorrow’ over Manchester synagogue terror attack

Britain's King Charles III (left) shakes hands with President Isaac Herzog on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai, December 1, 2023. (Courtesy)

President Isaac Herzog’s office tells The Times of Israel that he received “a heartfelt and reassuring letter” from the UK’s King Charles III, “reaffirming the King’s deep commitment to fighting antisemitism and standing with Jewish communities around the world.”

Herzog wrote to Charles days before the deadly attack on a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur, raising concern over “the rise of antisemitism and anti-Israel hatred in the UK, and in other Commonwealth countries including Australia and Canada.”

According to the President’s Residence, the king wrote of “his deep sorrow and concern following the terror attack against the Jewish community in Manchester, and stressed that every Jewish person should be able to live without the threat of prejudice, discrimination, or fear.”

Herzog’s office says that King Charles shared Herzog’s letter with Australian, British, and Canadian leaders, who also pledged to fight antisemitism.

“The President noted His Majesty’s words were powerful and deeply appreciated,” says his office.

Positive statements from Egypt, the US don’t reflect state of Gaza negotiations, Israeli official cautions

An Israeli official cautions that positive statements coming from the US and Egypt seem designed to push talks forward instead of actually reflecting the state of negotiations, and that Israel is far more cautious in its assessments.

The arrival of top officials from the mediating countries is also not necessarily an indication of an impending deal, says the official, but is also designed to increase the chances of some sort of deal being signed.

The issue of the release of senior Palestinian terrorists including Marwan Barghouti is a major focus of indirect talks right now, according to the official.

The official also downplays reports that Israel is preparing for a potential visit by US President Donald Trump should an agreement be reached.

IDF: Hamas tried to attack army position in central Gaza; 3 operatives killed, 2 others fled

Weapons left behind by Hamas operatives following an attempted raid on an army post in central Gaza, October 8, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Hamas tried to raid an IDF position in the Netzarim Corridor area of central Gaza, south of Gaza City, earlier today, the military says.

The attempted attack on the encampment where troops of the Golani Brigade’s reconnaissance unit were stationed was carried out by at least five Hamas gunmen who had emerged from a tunnel, according to preliminary findings by the military.

The IDF says the troops, with air support from the Israeli Air Force, struck and killed at least three of the Hamas gunmen who were seen approaching the Golani position.

Scans are being carried out to locate the other two terror operatives, who, according to the IDF’s probe, likely fled back into the tunnel.

The IDF says no soldiers were injured in the incident.

The attack comes amid ongoing indirect ceasefire talks in Egypt between Israel and Hamas.

Palestinian, Israeli sources say sides are close to inking deal on ending Gaza war

Demonstrators lift placards during a protest calling for a ceasefire and the return of hostages from Gaza, in front of the Likud party building in Tel Aviv on September 30, 2025. (Jack GUEZ / AFP)

Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas in Egypt are trending positively toward an agreement within the next day or two, a Palestinian source familiar with the negotiations tells The Times of Israel.

The talks are focused on the release of the remaining 48 hostages in exchange for roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners along with a partial Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the source says, adding that issues pertaining to Hamas’s disarmament and the post-war management of Gaza will be finalized in subsequent rounds of negotiations.

Separately, an unnamed Israeli source similarly tells the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya news outlet that negotiators are “cautiously approaching” an agreement on the first phase of the plan.

He says that US President Donald Trump is “exerting pressure” on all parties to produce results.

Sky News Arabia reports, meanwhile, that Washington’s increased involvement in the negotiations comes after it received “positive signals” from Qatar and Egypt about the developments on the ground.

It cites an anonymous source as saying that there are “clear indications that negotiations have reached their final stages.”

Police say Manchester synagogue attacker pledged allegiance to Islamic State during terror rampage

Jihad al-Shamie,who carried out a deadly terrorist attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Manchester, UK, on Yom Kippur, October 2, 2025. (Image circulated on social media)

The terrorist who carried out the deadly attack on a Manchester synagogue during Yom Kippur last week made an emergency call to police during the rampage to “pledge allegiance” to the Islamic State group, UK counter terrorism police say.

“In the initial stages of the attack outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, a call was made by the attacker to police claiming to pledge allegiance to the so-called Islamic State,” a spokesperson for Counter Terrorism Policing in northwest England says.

The attacker, identified as Jihad al-Shamie, 35, was shot dead by police within seven minutes of the attack, in which two Jewish people were killed — one likely by a stray police bullet.

‘Fake news’: PM’s office denies that a Qatari official wrote his apology for the Doha strike

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office dismisses a Politico report that the White House, with input from a Qatari interlocutor, wrote the premier’s apology last week to his Qatari counterpart for the Israeli strike against Hamas leaders in Doha on September 9 as “fake news.”

“This is fake news. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s remarks in his conversation with the Qatari Prime Minister were determined by the Prime Minister himself, in consultation only with his professional team,” says the Prime Minister’s Office in a statement.

“As for the Qatari official — he was present only during the call at the invitation of the American team, and there was no contact whatsoever with the Israeli team,” the PMO adds.

According to the report, which cited three people familiar with the call, “a powerful Qatari interlocutor and close ally of the country’s prime minister” was in the Oval Office with Trump and Netanyahu to make sure the premier stayed on script.

Shortly after the apology took place, Trump released his plan for ending the war and announced at a press conference alongside Netanyahu that Israel and the Arab world had accepted the plan.

Witkoff, Kushner arrive in Egypt to join negotiations on Trump’s Gaza plan

White House special envoy Steve Witkoff, right, and Jared Kushner wait for the arrival of US President Donald Trump at Teterboro Airport in Teterboro, New Jersey, en route to attend the Club World Cup final soccer match, July 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, have arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to join negotiations over Trump’s plan to free the hostages and end the war in Gaza.

Their arrival is captured on video.

Yesterday, a senior US official told Channel 12 news that the two men would not leave Egypt without an agreement in hand.

لقطات خاصة لوصول الوفود المشاركة في لقاءات اتفاق غزة بشرم الشيخ#eXtranews pic.twitter.com/O81hPWlSjZ

— eXtra news (@Extranewstv) October 8, 2025

IDF approves removal of protective measures from Ashkelon-Sderot train route, allowing full service to resume

Following a fresh assessment, the IDF says it has approved the removal of “protective railcars” that had been positioned along the Ashkelon–Sderot railway line to protect against anti-tank fire from the Gaza Strip.

“The removal of these protective railcars, which are stationed on one of the tracks, will enable the full reopening of the train line,” the military says.

The military says the move, in coordination with Israel Railways, was made possible “following significant operational activity carried out by IDF troops” in the northern Gaza Strip area, and “after a comprehensive operational review conducted in recent weeks.”

“The IDF regards the railway as a vital national and strategic infrastructure for the State of Israel and a key component in the rehabilitation of the western Negev. Therefore, every effort was made in order to enable its reopening in the safest and most efficient manner possible,” the army adds.

The Ashkelon-Sderot train line reopened on February 1, nearly two years after the vital route was scrapped amid persistent rocket fire from Gaza.

The Sderot train station was shuttered in May 2023 due to security concerns, and its reopening was delayed after it sustained rocket damage during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught.

When the station reopened in March 2024, amid the gradual return of evacuated residents, northbound lines were not renewed, due to their proximity to Gaza.

Authorities demolish Beersheba apartment complex damaged in Iranian missile strike

A high-rise residential building in Beersheba that was hit by an Iranian missile on the final day of the war in June, 2025, is demolished, on October 8, 2025. (Tsafrir Abayov/Flash90)

Authorities in Beersheba are demolishing an apartment complex in the southern city that was hit directly by an Iranian ballistic missile in the final hours of June’s 12-day war.

The missile strike on June 24 killed four, including Cpl. Eitan Zacks, 18, his mother, Michal Zacks, 50, and his girlfriend, Noa Boguslavsky, 18, along with a neighbor, Naomi Shaanan, 73.

The large apartment building was relatively new, and its homes had reinforced rooms. However, the missile directly hit two safe rooms on the sixth floor, causing extensive destruction, including the collapse of part of the building. One of the bomb-safe rooms was destroyed by the impact of the estimated 500-kilogram warhead.

The building is being razed by demolition excavators, footage shows.

החלה הריסה מבוקרת ובטיחותית – ללא פיצוצים של בניין המגורים בשכונת נווה זאב בבאר שבע, שנפגע ישירות מטיל איראני במהלך מבצע "עם כלביא" ביוני האחרון. בפגיעה הקטלנית נרצחו ארבעה תושבים: רב"ט איתן זקס, מיכל זקס, נעמי שאנן ונועה בוגוסלובסקי@Itsik_zuarets pic.twitter.com/KXCUWqlnJh

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) October 8, 2025

Barcelona rejects request from Israeli basketball team to train at its facilities

Illustrative: An Israeli Basketball Premier League game between Hapoel Tel Aviv and Hapoel Jerusalem at Pais Arena in Jerusalem on January 31, 2020. (Flash90)

Barcelona has rejected a request from an Israeli basketball team to train at its facilities next week, a club source confirms to AFP.

The Catalan club says it was for logistical and public order reasons that they would not allow the team to train on their Palau Blaugrana court before a match against Baxi Manresa on October 15 in the EuroCup competition.

“We don’t want to have any problems,” explains the club source, after an increase in protests against Israel because of the Gaza war.

The source says preparations are also scheduled to begin for a Barca handball match in the Champions League that day, and that Manresa were obliged to allow their opponents’ use of their court.

Valencia Basket is due to face Hapoel Tel Aviv, another Israeli team, in the EuroLeague competition on the same day.

The pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel BDS movement, calling for boycotts, divestment, and sanctions against Israel, has called for that match to be canceled.

Spain’s government has labeled Israel’s actions a “genocide,” and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called last month for Israeli teams to be excluded from international sport.

Israel has strongly denied accusations of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Shin Bet says it foiled Iranian attempt to smuggle advanced weapons to West Bank terror ops

Iranian weapons smuggled into the West Bank and captured by Israeli forces, in a handout image published October 8, 2025. (Shin Bet)

The Shin Bet security agency reveals that it recently foiled an attempt by Iran to smuggle large amounts of advanced weapons to terror operatives in the West Bank to be used in attacks on Israeli targets.

The recently seized shipment — similar to those busted by the Shin Bet in March 2024 and November 2024 — included 29 Claymore-type explosive devices; four drones, including two explosive-laden; 15 anti-tank rockets, along with an RPG launcher and three RPGs; 20 hand grenades; 53 handguns; seven assault rifles; nine machine guns; and 750 bullets, according to the security agency.

The case began several months ago, when a weapons dealer was detained by IDF troops in the Ramallah area of the West Bank. The Shin Bet says its interrogation of the dealer led the security agency to weapon smugglers, and eventually to the shipment itself. The Shin Bet does not provide further details on where the shipment was captured.

According to the Shin Bet, behind the plot — and the previously foiled attempts — was Iran’s Unit 4000, the Special Operations Division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ Intelligence Organization, headed by Jawad Ghafari, and the special operations unit of the IRGC’s Quds Force in Syria, known as Unit 18840, which is subordinate to the head of Iran’s clandestine Unit 840, Asghar Bagheri.

Also involved in attempts to smuggle weapons from Iran to the West Bank were Salah al-Husseini and Muhammad Shuayb, two IRGC operatives who were killed in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon in July, the Shin Bet says.

“This shipment, like its predecessors, is part of an ongoing Iranian effort to undermine security in the region by arming terror cells on the ground whose purpose is to carry out attacks against Israelis and IDF troops,” the Shin Bet adds.

Report: Israel preparing for possible Trump visit if Gaza deal is signed

Israel is preparing for the possibility that US President Donald Trump visits Israel if an agreement is reached on a hostage release deal and ending the war in Gaza, Ynet reports.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sissi publicly invited Trump to visit if a deal is reached.

The Prime Minister’s Office did not respond to requests for comment.

Saudi Arabia condemns Ben Gvir over ‘storming’ of the Temple Mount

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir is seen at the entrance to the Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City. October 8, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/FLASH90)

The Saudi Foreign Ministry issues a condemnation of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s ascent to the Temple Mount earlier today.

The statement does not mention Ben Gvir by name, but says that Saudi Arabia condemns “the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound by Israeli officials and settlers under the protection of the occupation forces.”

“Saudi Arabia stresses its rejection of any tampering with the historical and legal status of Jerusalem and its holy sites, and demands that the international community hold the Israeli occupation authorities accountable for their dangerous and ongoing violations against the holy places,” it adds.

Ben Gvir led prayers atop the flashpoint site and declared that Israel was now “the landlords on the Temple Mount.”

10 cabinet ministers to celebrate holiday with convicted criminal turned party activist

Then-Herzliya city council candidate Rafi Chaim-Kedoshim speaks at a September 2023 campaign event in the city as ministers, including Galit Distel Atbaryan (left) look on. (Screenshot used in accordance with clause 27a of the copyright law)

Ten cabinet ministers belonging to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party are slated to attend a holiday event organized by party activist and convicted criminal Rafi Chaim-Kedoshim on Thursday in Herzliya.

According to the Haaretz daily, Defense Minister Israel Katz, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, Culture Minister Miki Zohar, Housing Minister Haim Katz, Regional Cooperation Minister David Amsalem, Economy Minister Nir Barkat, Transportation Minister Miri Regev, Environment Protection Minister Idit Silman, Science and Technology Minister Gila Gamliel and Social Equality Minister May Golan will be in attendance.

The gathering in memory of the 18th-century spiritual leader Rabbi Nachman of Breslov will reportedly feature “prayers for the return of the hostages, music and a barbecue,” the newspaper reported.

Kedoshim, a member of the Kedoshim crime family, has served four prison sentences over convictions for acts of violence, kidnapping and extortion. He was also involved in cashing checks in the gray market. According to Channel 12 news, his last jail term was about 20 years ago.

He has become a prominent figure in Likud’s Herzliya branch in recent years after signing up hundreds of new members to the party.

A number of senior Likud ministers previously gave their vocal backing to Kedoshim when he ran for the Herzliya city council, with Katz, Zohar, Distel-Atbaryan and others attending his campaign launch in September 2023.

That March, Kedoshim hosted a Purim gathering attended by a number of Likud ministers, including Justice Minister Yariv Levin, which raised eyebrows at the time.

Army orders special probe into grenade accident in Gaza that wounded 3 reservists

The chief of the Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor, and the chief of the Ground Forces, Maj. Gen. Nadav Lotan, have ordered the establishment of a panel of experts to examine yesterday’s accidental grenade blast in the southern Gaza Strip, which wounded three reservists, including two seriously.

The military says the team will be headed by the commander of the 5th Reserve Brigade, a colonel.

The incident took place at around 8 a.m. on Tuesday at an IDF post in the Khan Younis area. A grenade exploded due to unclear circumstances inside a room where soldiers were residing and sleeping.

Islamic Jihad confirms delegation headed to Egypt tonight for Gaza talks

The Islamic Jihad terror group announces that a delegation of senior officials will arrive tonight in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to participate in negotiations regarding “ending the aggression in Gaza, the withdrawal of the occupation army, reaching a prisoner exchange deal, and bringing aid into Gaza,” according to the organization’s statement.

Representatives of Islamic Jihad also took part in previous rounds of negotiations regarding a ceasefire.

Erdogan urges Syria’s Kurds to integrate with new government, in wake of truce announcement

Mourners attend the funeral in Qamishly of two Kurdish Syrian Democratic forces (SDF) fighters, killed days earlier in battle with Turkish-backed Syrian forces in the northern city of Manbij, on January 2, 2025. (Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urges Syrian Kurds to “complete their integration” with Syria’s new government after the announcement of a comprehensive ceasefire.

“The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) must keep their word. They must complete their integration with Syria,” Erdogan tells Turkish journalists late Tuesday on board a plane returning from Azerbaijan.

Syria announced a comprehensive ceasefire with Kurdish forces after a meeting on Tuesday between Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi that followed deadly clashes in the northern city of Aleppo.

Syria’s authorities, who took power last year after overthrowing Bashar al-Assad, have rejected Kurdish demands for a decentralized government.

The issue has added to tensions with the Kurdish administration that controls swathes of the north and northeast, while differences between the two sides have held up implementation of a March 10 deal on integrating the Kurds’ civil and military institutions into the state.

Erdogan said: “Syria’s territorial integrity is non-negotiable for us. We cannot accept any stance against this.”

Turkey has been a key backer of Syria’s new rulers, led by Sharaa.

Rubio to attend Paris meeting on Gaza transition, diplomatic sources say

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on as US President Donald Trump meets with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on October 7, 2025. (Jim WATSON / AFP)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to attend a ministerial meeting to be held on Thursday in Paris with European, Arab and other states to discuss a transition of power in Gaza, three diplomatic sources said on Wednesday.

The meeting, which will happen in parallel to negotiations between Israel, Hamas and mediators in Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, aims to discuss how to implement a plan proposed by US President Donald Trump and assess collective commitments from countries.

The plan calls for an interim, “technocratic” government to take control of Gaza from the Hamas terror group, which Israel has been battling for two years.

The negotiations in Egypt are currently focused on the first stage of the plan, which calls for Hamas to return all 48 of the hostages it is holding, while Israel is to release 250 Palestinian security prisoners serving life sentences and some 1,700 Gazans detained amid the war, amid a ceasefire.

The US embassy in Paris is not immediately available for comment.

Qatari PM’s close ally helped US write Netanyahu’s apology, was present for the call – report

US President Donald Trump (R) hosts a phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani (not pictured), in the Oval Office, Washington, DC, September 29, 2025. (White House)

The White House — with input from Qatar — wrote Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s apology last week to his Qatari counterpart for the Israeli strike in Qatar on September 9, Politico reports, citing three people familiar with the call.

According to the US outlet, “a powerful Qatari interlocutor and close ally of the country’s prime minister” was in the Oval Office with Trump and Netanyahu to make sure the Israeli leader stayed on script.

The failed strike targeted the Hamas terror group’s political leadership.

The apology took place in a phone call made from the Oval Office that Trump organized and was present for during a meeting between him and Netanyahu. Shortly after the phone call, the White House released its plan for ending the war. Trump, at a press conference alongside Netanyahu, then said Israel and the Arab world had accepted the plan.

The Prime Minister’s Office did not respond to requests for comment.

US scientist of Palestinian descent among three winners of Nobel Prize in chemistry

(L to R) Heiner Linke, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, Hans Ellegren, Secretary General of The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and Olof Ramstroem, Member of the Nobel Committe for Chemistry, address a press conference to announce Japan's Susumu Kitagawa, UK-born Richard Robson and American-Jordanian Omar M. Yaghi as the winners of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden, on October 8, 2025. (Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP)

Omar M. Yaghi wins the Nobel Prize in chemistry, together with Susumu Kitagawa of Japan and UK-born Richard Robson of Australia, for work in the development of metal-organic frameworks.

Yaghi, born to Palestinian refugee parents in 1965 in Amman, Jordan, is affiliated with the University of California, Berkeley. He moved to the US by himself at 15 for an education, according to a profile from the California university. He also holds Saudi citizenship.

Hans Ellegren, secretary-general of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, announces the chemistry prize in Stockholm. It is the third prize announced this week.

Police arrest 4 Lod residents over fatal shooting of 72-year-old man this morning

Police arrest four Lod residents suspected of the fatal shooting of a 72-year-old man in the city this morning.

The victim, a resident of Lod named Ali Abu Ghanem, was shot dead in his car in what police suspect is related to a dispute between rival clans in the city.

Detectives from the Central District’s investigations and intelligence unit worked with local officers to track down the four suspects, all men in their 20s, and arrest them.

Police intend to bring the four before a court to request an extension on their remand, depending on interrogators’ findings, law enforcement says in a statement.

Beit Shemesh man in his 20s indicted for punching bus driver amid verbal argument

A man suspected of attacking a bus driver last month was indicted earlier this week by police prosecutors, law enforcement announces.

The defendant, a resident of the city in his 20s, was detained on suspicion of hitting the driver repeatedly with his fists, then with his phone, following a brief verbal argument between the two.

Police, who received a report of the incident the morning of September 28, tracked down the suspect and detained him for questioning.

He was released to house arrest late last month, police say. He will stand trial in the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court.

Labor advocates have warned that bus drivers are becoming increasingly frequent target for beatings while working their routes. Anti-Arab sentiments have underpinned many recent attacks, though the ethnicity of the bus driver in this instance is unclear.

This past July, bus driver Ahmad Shehadeh landed in the hospital after being assailed by three Jewish youth, who beat and choked him, breaking his nose, while he worked a route at 1 a.m.

In May, Jewish fans of the Beitar Jerusalem soccer team returning home from a lost match assaulted two bus drivers while shouting “Death to Arabs.”

Police announce their prosecution unit has indicted a a man in his 20s, from Beit Shemesh, for attacking a bus driver late last month pic.twitter.com/352yZAA65Z

— charlie summers (@cbsu03) October 8, 2025

Smotrich joins march celebrating 50 years of settlements in northern West Bank, urges annexation

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (c) joins a celebration in the Samaria region of the northern West Bank, marking 50 years since the founding of the Kedumim settlement there, October 8, 2025. (Roei Hadi)

Thousands of people are participating in a march and rally celebrating 50 years of settlement in the Samaria region of the West Bank, when in 1975 activists from the Gush Emunim settlement movement succeeded in obtaining permission to establish the settlement of Kedumim after trying to settle close to the area of ancient Sebastia and the Ottoman era train station in the area.

Lauding the Gush Emunim and broader settler movement, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is participating in the march to the old Sebastia railway station, says that the next 50 years will be symbolized by the effort to annex the West Bank or “apply Israeli sovereignty” over the region, as Smotrich refers to the process.

“After having built settlements, and taken hold [of the territory], we are continuing to take hold with our feet of the Land of Israel with many pioneers, many heroes, and hundreds of thousands of settlers who live in this part of the land,” says the Finance Minister. “We need to normalize it and make it eternal.”

Also on the march are Science and Technology Minister Gila Gamliel, head of the Samaria Regional Council Yossi Dagan, and Benny Katzover, one of the founders of Gush Emunim.

“We are continuing our tradition, history, the Bible, this is our life, the Land of Israel, the holy land,” says Ohad Shlomo, a 30-year-old resident of the nearby settlement of Einav who is on the march with his wife and four young children.

“I’ve just come out of Gaza from reserve duty, and I believe in the value of holding on to the land and continuing in the way of our forefathers. The land is an inseparable part of the people. There is no people without the land.”

Erdogan: Hamas has ‘clearly demonstrated its commitment to peace’; Israel ‘went beyond what Hitler did in terms of genocide’

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives at the beginning of a summit of European leaders in Tirana, Albania, May 16, 2025. (Leon Neal/Pool via AP)

Hamas has “clearly demonstrated its commitment to peace by responding very positively to Trump’s peace plan,” says Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in an address to AK Party members in Ankara.

“The talks in Sharm el Sheikh are of critical importance,” he says. “We hope to receive good news.”

Erdogan, a Hamas backer who has led criticism of Israel on the world stage, implicitly criticizes US President Donald Trump’s plan for being too slanted in Israel’s favor: “Peace is not a bird with a single wing. It is neither just, nor correct, nor a realistic approach to place the entire burden of peace on Hamas and the Palestinians. A ceasefire and a just peace are the most reasonable choices.”

He says that Israeli attacks are “the biggest obstacle currently standing in the way of the path to peace.”

Erdogan also accuses Israel of being worse than the Nazis: “For the last two years, they indeed even went beyond what Hitler did in terms of genocide.”

All 6 main opposition heads meet for first time, vow safety net for Trump plan, tease plans to topple government

Left to right: Yisrael Beytenu chair Avigdor Liberman leads a faction meeting at the Knesset on July 14, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90); Opposition Leader Yair Lapid leads a faction meeting at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on August 4, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90); Former prime minister Naftali Bennett visits at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City, May 26, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90); Former MK Gadi Eisenkot holds a press conference after announcing his resignation from the Knesset and his departure from the National Unity party, in Tel Aviv, July 1, 2025. (Erik Marmor/Flash90)

Following a first such meeting, the leaders of all six parties in the so-called change bloc call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to implement US President Donald Trump’s proposal to end the war in Gaza and return the hostages, appearing to rally behind Opposition Leader Yair Lapid’s offer of a political “safety net” to ensure Israeli backing.

The participants did not issue a photograph of their session.

The bloc comprises right-wing, centrist and left-wing parties that seek to provide an alternative to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s current, hard-right coalition.

Today’s meeting was attended by Lapid, former prime minister Naftali Bennett, Blue and White-National Unity chief Benny Gantz, Yisrael Beytenu party chairman Avigdor Liberman, “Yashar! With Eisenkot” chief Gadi Eisenkot, and The Democrats head Yair Golan. Bennett and Gantz had stayed away from a previous meeting last month.

In a joint statement, the leaders of the bloc state that they had discussed “coordinating moves to bring down the government as early as the upcoming winter [parliamentary] session and establish a government of repair and healing in Israel.”

The Knesset began the current, nearly three-month-long recess on July 27. It will reconvene on October 19.

“The party leaders called for the implementation of President Trump’s plan to return all 48 hostages and emphasized their proposal for a safety net for the deal,” the statement adds, indicating that all of the members of the bloc have apparently backed Lapid’s recent offer to Netanyahu.

The Yesh Atid chairman earlier this week reiterated his longstanding offer to give the premier political backing for a deal, stating that he was willing to agree on a date for the next elections and to provide the premier with “insurance against his extremist and irresponsible partners,” a reference to far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

The change bloc also says that a follow-up meeting has already been scheduled, but their statement does not specify when.

Following a meeting attended by most, but not all, of the leaders of the bloc on September 19, it was announced that they would establish a “professional body” aimed at dealing with “the basic guidelines of the next government,” such as drawing up a national constitution, enshrining universal military conscription and “preserving the character of the State of Israel as a Jewish, democratic and Zionist state.”

Speaking at an event prior to this morning’s meeting, Eisenkot complained that the opposition was not united in terms of “ideas nor in understanding who will lead,” Channel 12 reported.

Family of Nepali hostage Bipin Joshi to share clip of him in captivity, from late 2023

A still image, cleared for publication by the family of Bipin Joshi, from a recording of him discovered in Gaza that shows him in the weeks after his abduction from Israel. (Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

The family of Nepali hostage Bipin Joshi — who was in Israel studying agriculture when terrorists kidnapped him to Gaza amid the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack — approve for publication a still image taken from a recording of him in the weeks after his abduction.

The full clip, which runs about thirty seconds, will be released at 7:55 p.m., Israel time.

The recording was obtained by the military and shared with the family by intelligence officials, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum says in a statement.

“The sign of life that was found in Gaza, which we are sharing with you today, anchors our strong faith that he is alive,” his family say in a statement, shared by the forum.

Joshi is one of two hostages whom Israel has expressed “grave concern” about, but whom the military has not confirmed dead.

Report: Islamic Jihad, PFLP delegations to join negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh

Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists stand near Red Cross vehicles arriving in Khan Younis ahead of the release of three hostages on February 15, 2025 (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

The Saudi channel Al-Hadath reports that a delegation from the Islamic Jihad terror group will join the Gaza hostage-truce negotiations today in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

A delegation from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine — a less powerful group, but one that is still active and represents one of the “factions” of the Palestinian terror front – will also join.

Yesterday, Qatar announced that its prime minister would attend the talks, and it was also reported that Turkey’s intelligence chief would take part.

Today, the leader of Islamic Jihad says in a speech marking the second anniversary of the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack that it is possible “to reach agreement on the clauses in the deal relating to the release of prisoners” — referring to hostages, who will be exchanged for terror convicts and other Palestinian security prisoners and detainees — “within the coming days, thereby stripping Israel of its pretexts for aggression.”

El-Sissi says mediators’ reports ‘very encouraging;’ invites Trump to Egypt if deal reached

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi speaks during a press conference after his meeting with the French president at the Presidential Palace in Cairo, Egypt, on April 7, 2025. (Ludovic Marin/Pool/AFP)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sissi says he has received “very encouraging” messages from mediators about the ongoing negotiations to end the war in Gaza.

“Yesterday, delegations from Qatar, Egypt, and envoys of President Trump arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh, and the messages I received from them are very encouraging,” he said at a graduation ceremony for Egyptian police officers in Cairo.

He told the graduates that Egypt is working tirelessly to bring about an end to the war, and repeatedly expressed his deep appreciation for US President Trump’s efforts.

“A ceasefire, the return of prisoners and detainees, the reconstruction of Gaza and the launch of a peaceful political process that leads to the establishment and recognition of the Palestinian state means we are on the right path to lasting peace and stability,” he said.

He urged Trump to continue working to end the war, and invited the American president to Egypt to sign an agreement on Gaza in person, if such a deal is reached.

Hamas condemns Ben Gvir’s visit to Temple Mount as ‘deliberately provocative,’ ‘fascist’

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir speaks atop the Temple Mount in Jerusalem during the Sukkot holiday on October 8, 2025. (Screenshot/Office of Itamar Ben Gvir)

Hamas says in a statement that National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s visit to the Temple Mount was “a deliberately provocative move that reflects the fascist thinking of the Israeli government.”

The statement adds that the visit, which took place on the same date as the Temple Mount riots (“the Al-Aqsa massacre,” as Hamas calls it) on October 8, 1990, was a hostile message meant to impose control over the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The visit also took place the day after the second anniversary of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, in which terrorists killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, starting the ongoing war in Gaza. The terror group called that attack “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.”

The visit came as Israeli and Hamas negotiators are in Egypt for indirect talks on the return of the hostages, release of Palestinian security prisoners, and a ceasefire, as part of US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war.

Ben Gvir says Israel ‘victorious’ on Temple Mount two years after Oct. 7, leads prayers at site

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir leads prayers on the Temple Mount, October 8, 2025. (Screen capture via Itamar Ben Gvir on X)

Speaking from the Temple Mount, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir says Israel is “victorious” at the site two years after October 7.

“We are now two years since the terrible massacre… Every house in Gaza has a picture of the Temple Mount, and now, two years later, we are victorious on the Temple Mount, we are the landlords on the Temple Mount,” says the minister, standing before the Dome of the Rock.

Footage shared by his office shows Ben Gvir leading prayers near the eastern wall of the Temple Mount complex.

Under a status quo arrangement between Israel and Jordan, Jews are ostensibly barred from praying at the site.

But the past year has seen a major shift on the ground, with police permitting Jewish worshipers to pray and even prostrate themselves in certain areas further from the Dome of the Rock.

The far-right politician further calls on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ensure the destruction of Hamas and “total victory” in Gaza, amid fast-moving talks for a hostage and ceasefire deal.

Erdogan says Trump asked Turkey to ‘persuade Hamas’ on Gaza peace

This handout photograph taken and released by Turkish Presidency Press Office on October 7, 2025, shows Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attending a session of the 12th Summit of the Organization of Turkic State (OTS) in Gabala, Azerbaijan. (Mustafa Kamaci / Turkish Presidency Press Office / AFP)

US President Donald Trump asked Turkey to “persuade” the Hamas terror group to accept his plan for ending the Gaza war, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tells Turkish journalists, according to a transcript shared by his office.

“Both during our visit to the United States and in our most recent phone call, we explained to Mr. Trump how a solution could be achieved in Palestine. He specifically requested that we meet with Hamas and persuade them,” Erdogan says late Tuesday on board a plane returning from Azerbaijan.

“Hamas responded by telling us that it is ready for peace and negotiations. In other words, it did not take a contrary stance. I consider this a very valuable step. Hamas is ahead of Israel,” Erdogan adds.

“Our colleagues are in Sharm El-Sheikh right now,” he says, referring to the site of ongoing, indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas. “We have always been in contact with Hamas throughout this process. We are still in contact now.”

“We are explaining what the most reasonable path is and what needs to be done for Palestine to move forward with confidence into the future,” he adds.

Erdogan also says that in any post-war scenario, Gaza must remain part of a Palestinian state and that it must be governed by Palestinians.

72-year-old man shot and killed in Lod, amid ongoing violent crime wave

A man was shot and killed in Lod earlier today, police and paramedics say.

Paramedics found the 72-year-old victim unconscious when they arrived at the scene of the shooting and pronounced him dead.

Police say they have launched an investigation and are searching for suspects.

The shooting comes amid a persisting violent crime wave rocking Arab locales in Israel.

Last night, a man opened fire on a shop in the northern town of Kabul and was shot by police. The assailant succumbed to his wounds after being taken to hospital.

The man he attacked was moderately injured as a result of the gunfire.

Hamas says it’s given Israel list of prisoners it wants exchanged for hostages

Protesters lift flags and placards depicting leading member of the Fatah party Marwan Barghouti, the most high-profile Palestinian terrorist jailed by Israel, during a march supporting him in the West Bank city of Ramallah, August 19, 2025. (Zain JAAFAR / AFP)

Senior Hamas official Taher Nunu says in a statement that during today’s negotiations in Egypt, lists of “prisoners” to be released were exchanged between the sides, based on agreed criteria and numbers.

It appears this refers both to lists of hostages — which Hamas refers to as “prisoners” — and of Palestinian security prisoners — including terror convicts and others serving life sentences, as well as Gazans detained amid the ongoing war — exchanged between the two parties.

Nunu adds that the talks are focusing on mechanisms to end the war and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, noting: “The mediators are making great efforts to remove every obstacle to the implementation of a ceasefire, and there is an optimistic spirit among everyone.”

In a written statement by a senior Hamas official that was published on the terror group’s official channels, it was written that Nunu is himself currently in Sharm el-Sheikh, where the talks are being held.

Turkey calls intercepting Gaza flotilla an act of piracy, says it has lawmakers aboard

Turkey’s foreign ministry calls Israel’s interception of an activist flotilla seeking to breach the blockade on Gaza an act of piracy, and a grave violation of international law.

It says the flotilla included Turkish nationals and lawmakers, and its interception showed that the “genocidal” Israeli government targets all peaceful measures and heightens tensions in the region while damaging peace efforts.

Turkey adds in its statement that all initiatives are being taken for Turkish citizens held by Israel to be freed and returned to Turkey, and that it is coordinating with other countries regarding their citizens too.

The flotilla, the second to be intercepted in a week, said it sought to breach Israel’s blockade on Gaza — imposed to stop arms imports to Hamas after the terror group took over the Strip in 2007 — and deliver symbolic humanitarian aid.

Israel has invited flotillas to drop aid off at the Ashdod port, for delivery to Gaza in coordination with international groups. The flotillas have refused.

Benny Gantz slams ‘detached’ government for ministers’ absence at Oct. 7 memorial events

Benny Gantz speaks during press conference in Tel Aviv on August 23, 2025. (Tal Gal/Flash90)

Blue and White-National Unity chair Benny Gantz calls the current coalition a “disengagement government” after writing that he did not see any ministers present at public civilian-led ceremonies marking the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks yesterday.

Gantz, who has partly resided at Kibbutz Yad Moredechai in the south since the Hamas terror group’s attacks, writes that he visited ceremonies held throughout the region, and “at none of the ceremonies or memorial sites did I see any government ministers who came to show solidarity. To light a candle. To [offer an] embrace. I hope I missed it.”

“Before all the disagreements and politics, we deserve for our government ministers to be part of the people,” he adds. “This is the second Disengagement Government — detached from its people and from its responsibility. We deserve a government that is connected, that will repair, that can unite all of Israeli society.”

The phrase “disengagement government” is a reference to the government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, which oversaw Israel’s 2005 territorial disengagement from the Gaza Strip, when all settlers and troops were withdrawn unilaterally.

Dozens of ceremonies were held across the country yesterday to mark the second anniversary of the massacre, with some 30,000 people attending the nation’s largest memorial ceremony in Tel Aviv, which also did not include participation from government officials.

The government has opted instead to recognize a national day of remembrance corresponding to the Hebrew anniversary of the Hamas attack. Since it happened on the Jewish holiday of Simhat Torah, and the following day is a transition day known as Isru Chag, the annual remembrance day is marked two days after the actual Hebrew anniversary, on the 24th of the month of Tishrei, which falls this year on Thursday, October 16.

Ben Gvir visits Temple Mount, says he prayed for ‘destruction of Hamas,’ return of hostages

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visits the Temple Mount this morning in Jerusalem during the Sukkot holiday.

He goes up to the flashpoint site to pray for “victory in the war, the destruction of Hamas and the return of the hostages,” his office states.

Earlier this morning, the far-right minister was seen praying at the Western Wall with fellow Otzma Yehudit lawmakers MKs Amichai Eliyahu and Limor Son Har-Melech.

השר לביטחון לאומי איתמר בן גביר בהר הבית לרגל חג הסוכות. צילום: מינהלת הר הבית pic.twitter.com/h73QWJGH30

— Bini Aschkenasy ביני אשכנזי (@BiniAshcknasy) October 8, 2025

Egyptian FM says more Arab states will make peace with Israel if Gaza war ends

Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty attends an Arab officials' meeting in Riyadh on January 12, 2025. (Fayez Nureldine / AFP)

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty tells the Saudi channel Al-Arabiya that “additional Arab countries will sign peace agreements with Israel if the war in Gaza comes to an end.”

He adds that the main guarantor for the success of the talks in Egypt is US President Donald Trump himself.

He also says that the current talks in Sharm el-Sheikh are focused on the first stage of the US plan: ending the war, bringing in aid, returning the hostages, and releasing Palestinian security prisoners.

Hamas demanding bodies of Yahya, Muhammad Sinwar – WSJ report

Yemenis brandish rifles and hold a picture of slain Hamas terror leader Yahya Sinwar during a rally in solidarity with Gaza in the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa on November 29, 2024. (Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP)

Hamas is demanding the bodies of its slain leaders Yahya and Muhammad Sinwar be among those released by Israel, alongside living terror convicts and detainees, in exchange for the 48 hostages held by terror groups in Gaza, according to a Wall Street Journal report yesterday.

The demand has been made before, and Israel has rejected it, the newspaper notes.

US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan would see the terror group release the remaining 48 hostages — some 20 of whom are believed to be alive — within 72 hours, in exchange for 250 life-term Palestinian prisoners; 1,700 Gazans detained since the October 7 massacre, which sparked the Gaza war; and the remains of 15 slain Gazans in exchange for each deceased hostage.

Indirect negotiations over the plan are ongoing in Egypt.

Trump aides worked to evacuate US Navy reservist’s mother from Gaza, report details

Smoke rises following an Israeli military strike in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, September 30, 2025. (Ali Hassan/Flash90)

US President Donald Trump’s administration was closely involved in the recent evacuation of a US Navy reservist’s mother from the Gaza Strip, The Washington Post reports.

Ahlam Firwana, 59, whose son Younis Firwana became a naturalized US citizen last year, was protected by surveillance assets and a “coordinated pause in Israeli military strikes” as she made her way from Gaza City to the Kerem Shalom border crossing on September 17, the newspaper says.

The effort, supported by the Special Operations Association of America veterans group, had involved US deputy Mideast envoy Morgan Ortagus, herself a Navy reservist, and top officials at the US Embassy in Jordan. The US National Security Council was also notified.

The veterans’ group has supported the evacuation of some 1,100 people from Gaza since the start of the war, according to the report.

A member of the organization used connections in the Israeli military and security agencies to ensure “they didn’t target [Firwana’s] location” as she was evacuating, he said.

A lawyer representing Palestinian-Americans seeking to get loved ones out of Gaza says the Trump administration has helped military families, but otherwise declined to aid in evacuations. The lawyer shares emails in which the US Embassy in Jerusalem cited “US national security” as a reason not to evacuate the children of Salsabeel Elhelou, a client of hers who is a US citizen.

The Trump administration announced in August it would halt visitor visas to people from Gaza, after far-right activist Laura Loomer called wounded Palestinian children and their caregivers arriving in the US a “national security threat.” Firwana, the reservist’s mother, is now in Jordan,  seeking visa approval.

Qatar seeks ‘strong, written international guarantees’ Israel won’t resume Gaza war

Qatar's Foreign Mininstry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari looks on at a press conference during the 2025 Arab-Islamic emergency summit in Doha on September 15, 2025. (Mahmud HAMS / AFP)

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari tells Saudi news outlet Al-Arabiya that “strong, written international guarantees” are required to ensure Israel carries out its obligations.

He says Qatar wants to ensure that what is currently being negotiated in Egypt — the return of hostages, release of Palestinian security prisoners, and a pause in fighting— will lead to Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, the entry of more aid, and a permanent end to the war.

Al-Ansari notes that the Trump plan now being discussed explicitly rules out the displacement of residents from Gaza, as well as an end to talk of annexation and occupation.

He says that the parties have agreed on 20 principles but “the devil is in the details, as they say in English.”

Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Abdulrahman Al Thani is expected in Egypt today to join the ongoing, indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

Malaysia demands release of nationals on latest intercepted Gaza flotilla

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says he strongly condemns the Israeli military, after it intercepted several boats trying to breach Israel’s blockade on the Gaza Strip and deliver symbolic humanitarian aid.

Ibrahim demands that Malaysian activists taking part in the flotilla mission be released.

Trump envoy Witkoff, son-in-law Kushner said to arrive in Egypt for Gaza hostage-truce talks

White House special envoy Steve Witkoff, right, and Jared Kushner wait for the arrival of US President Donald Trump at Teterboro Airport in Teterboro, New Jersey on July 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law and Middle East adviser Jared Kushner have arrived in Egypt’s Sharm el Sheikh to join the indirect Israel-Hamas talks aimed at reaching a long-sought Gaza ceasefire deal, reports Barak Ravid of Axios.

Witkoff and Kushner were architects of Trump’s 20-point plan, which calls for a gradual Israeli withdrawal and the release of all remaining hostages within 72 hours of the start of a truce, among other conditions.

Israel says it intercepted latest Gaza flotilla, with all passengers safe and set for deportation

Israeli Navy forces board one of the Freedom Flotilla's boats in the Mediterranean Sea, early October 8, 2025. (Screenshot: X)

Israel says a new flotilla that attempted to break the maritime blockade on Gaza has been prevented from realizing its goal, with its vessels and passengers intercepted and taken to an Israeli port.

“Another futile attempt to breach the legal naval blockade and enter a combat zone ended in nothing,” says the Foreign Ministry on X. “The vessels and the passengers are transferred to an Israeli port. All the passengers are safe and in good health. The passengers are expected to be deported promptly.”

The nine-boat flotilla organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, said to include about 100 activists on one of the boats named Conscience, set sail from Italy some two weeks ago.

The organizers of the Conscience said earlier this morning that “Our vessel is currently being attacked by an Israeli military helicopter while the 8 sailboats are being illegally intercepted and hijacked.”

Footage published by the activists shows Israeli Navy forces boarding the vessels.

🚨Interception of the FFC x TMTG flotilla has started 🚨

The Israeli military has no legal jurisdiction over international waters. Our flotilla poses no harm. We carry vital aid worth over $110,000 USD in medicines, respiratory equipment, and nutritional supplies that were… pic.twitter.com/H61WsbZc3b

— ICBSG | اللجنة الدولية لكسر الحصار عن غزة (@ICBSOFGAZA) October 8, 2025

عاجل | نؤكد أن ثلاث سفن – غزة صن بيردز، آلاء النجار، أنس الشريف – قد تعرضت لهجوم واعتراض غير قانوني من قبل الجيش الإسرائيلي عند الساعة 04:34 فجرًا، على بُعد 220 كم من شواطئ غزة
* الفيديو للحظة الهجوم على قارب صن بيردز ومحاولة إخفاء الجريمة عبر ضرب الكاميرا بالسلاح… pic.twitter.com/BBxa2p43yl

— ICBSG | اللجنة الدولية لكسر الحصار عن غزة (@ICBSOFGAZA) October 8, 2025

🆘The Conscience Boat and Thousand Madleens to Gaza — part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition — have just been intercepted!

Please share! Please keep your eyes on the Flotilla! pic.twitter.com/6AR1a5djoE

— Censored Humans (@CensoredHumans) October 8, 2025

The development comes a week after the Navy intercepted 42 vessels that formed the Global Sumud Flotilla, the largest to challenge the Gaza blockade to date. Israel has deported most of the 479 activists who took part in that armada, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.

New Gaza aid flotilla says Israeli forces attacked convoy, intercepted several boats

The Gaza Freedom Flotilla says its vessels are “under attack” by the Israeli military, with several boats intercepted while sailing toward the Strip.

The IDF is jamming signals with at least two boats being boarded, the flotilla says on Instagram.

Cops shoot, injure East Jerusalemite who aimed pistol at them during chase

Police officers shot and injured an East Jerusalem man who pointed a pistol at them during a chase a short while ago, police say in a statement.

Police say cops demanded that a driver stop after suspecting he had illegal weapons, but he refused and tried to escape.

At one point, near the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan, the suspect exited the car and fled on foot. The officers chased him and initiated an arrest protocol during which they fired shots in the air.

The suspect then allegedly turned toward the cops, brandishing the pistol, and the police officers shot him.

Police say the 28-year-old man has been taken to a hospital in serious condition.

The incident is criminal in nature, not terror-related, the pistol has been seized and the circumstances are being probed, the statement adds.

Detention of cop thought to have accidentally fired gun, killing IDF soldier, extended by five days

The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court has issued a five-day extension to the remand of a police officer who accidentally discharged his gun, killing an IDF soldier in his home on Monday night.

The soldier was on furlough in his home in the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba, near Hebron, when he was killed by an apparent accidental discharge of the police officer’s gun.

According to the Walla news website, the officer is being charged with negligent homicide.

‘We will rise’: Brother of hostage killed by IDF vows to build a better future

Yonatan Shamriz, brother of hostage Alon Shamriz, who was mistakenly killed by IDF troops in Gaza in December 2023, speaks at the national memorial ceremony in Tel Aviv founded by his organization, Kumu, marking two years since Hamas's October 7, 2023, onslaught, on October 7, 2025. (Oshrit Zinger/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

Yonatan Shamriz, the brother of Alon Shamriz, taken hostage and accidentally killed by IDF troops in December 2023, recounts at the national memorial ceremony how he sat in his Kibbutz Kfar Aza safe room with his pregnant wife and their two-year-old child, celebrating her birthday on October 7, 2023.

In his last conversation with his brother, Alon told him that terrorists had entered his apartment. He didn’t hear from him again after that.

“Right there, in the safe room, I made myself a promise: We will rise,” says Shamriz, who founded Kumu (Rise), the organization that put together the national memorial ceremony in Tel Aviv marking two years since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught.

“We emerged into a country where the only thing still functioning was the people. The people of Israel clothed us, fed us, and fought for us.”

“They were there when no leader showed up.”

When his brother Alon was killed, says Shamriz, he couldn’t find the energy to rise.

Three weeks later, his son Lavi was born, and he promised his two young children, “We will rise.”

“October 7 is not only a day of remembrance for those we lost,” says Shamriz. “It is a day of remembrance for negligence, for failed leadership, and for the abandonment of responsibility. On that day, a new commitment was born: To lead the State of Israel to a better reality — a far better one.”

“It’s not what we wanted, but it’s what fate has placed in our hands.”

He says the first step in rebuilding is bringing home the remaining hostages.

Noting that hostages listened to last year’s ceremony from the tunnels of Gaza, he says he hopes those still held hostage can hear this: “When you come home, and when this war is over, our generation will take off its uniforms, shake the ashes of the burned houses from its shoulders, and wash away the failures left to us by those before us,” says Shamriz.

The audience stands and applauds Shamriz.

“Our generation —Which inherited a country bleeding, isolated, fractured, and in pain — Will be the one to fix it,” says Shamriz. “It will be the best version of Israel, one that sanctifies the lives of its residents, that is built on truth, accountability and mutual responsibility.”

Shamriz says his generation will ensure that a state commission of inquiry is established — offering “a generation that will cultivate and lead a leadership that is unifying, egalitarian, principled, and Zionist.”

“We will bring back life. We will bring back hope. We have risen.
The people of Israel have risen,” says Shamriz.

Edan Alexander and family of slain hostage Omer Neutra meet with Trump at White House

The family of slain hostage Omer Neutra met with US President Donald Trump at the White House earlier today, along with released hostage Edan Alexander and his family, amid the ongoing negotiations in Egypt on the president’s plan to end the war in Gaza.

Speaking to the press after the meeting, Ronen Neutra, Omer’s father, says they spoke to Trump as representatives of the “28 bereaved families who are among the 40 total hostage families.”

“We reminded him how important it is that the deceased are also returned for burial,” says Neutra.

Omer Neutra, a dual US-Israeli citizen, was killed and his body taken to Gaza from a tank stationed on the Gaza border on October 7, 2023.

Both Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have, in recent weeks, referred to only the 20 living hostages in their pledges to secure their freedom, without mention of the deceased.

Regarding the ongoing negotiations in Egypt and the chance for a deal to free the hostages and end the war in Gaza, Neutra says he believes Trump is “hopeful, but he said we should ‘wait and see what happens in the coming days.'”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt publishes a photo of the meeting on X.

On the 2nd anniversary of October 7th, President Trump met with Edan Alexander and his family, and the family of Omer Neutra, whose body is still in Gaza. 💛 pic.twitter.com/jFw2nVVQax

— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) October 7, 2025