Security forces preparing ‘extensive’ Yom Kippur operations in West Bank after terror attack

Italy to ban burqas in schools, limit number of foreign students per class, Meloni says

Italy will ban burqas and niqabs in schools and limit the number of foreign students per class, far-right prime minister Giorgia Meloni says.

Italy is a frontline country for migration, and integration is a major campaign issue ahead of a general election next year.

“A measure will soon be presented to a cabinet meeting to legally establish a maximum number of foreign students per class,” Meloni tells a gathering of the youth wing of her Brothers of Italy (FdI) party.

“It also requires parents of foreign students facing serious difficulties integrating into the school system to learn Italian, and bans burqas and niqabs in schools,” she says.

A crackdown on the use of burqas in schools was called for in July by the National Future (FN) party. The FN, which is not part of the governing coalition, is further to the right than Meloni’s and has emerged as a major challenger, rising sharply in the polls since launching in February.

While there is no law in Italy that expressly bans burqas, either in schools or in public places, a 1975 law prohibits the use of helmets or garments that make identification difficult without a justified reason.

In 2008, Italy’s highest administrative court clarified that full-face veils may be worn for religious or cultural reasons provided that the face is revealed when identity verification is required.

The anti-immigrant League party, which is part of Meloni’s coalition, submitted a bill to the Senate earlier this year that would ban helmets or garments except in certain circumstances, such as sporting events or places of worship.

The limit on the number of foreign students per class already exists under Italian law, and Meloni does not spell out how that would change.

Foreign students account for just under 12% of those enrolled in Italian schools, according to the National Statistics Institute (ISTAT).

Since 2010, the number of foreign students has been limited to 30 percent of a class and of a school’s enrolment.

The limit can be raised in cases involving foreign students with adequate language skills, such as foreign students born in Italy, or lowered when foreign students have a poor command of Italian.

Prominent Iran reform advocate Tajzadeh granted temporary leave from prison

Jailed reformist Iranian politician Mostafa Tajzadeh has been granted temporary leave after more than four years in prison, his wife is quoted by local media as saying.

Tajzadeh “has been granted a few days’ leave from today,” Fakhrossadat Mohtashamipour tells the ISNA news agency, without specifying the duration of his temporary leave.

Tajzadeh, 69, is a prominent member of Iran’s reformist camp and has campaigned for several years to establish a democratic government in Iran.

He was deputy interior minister from 1997 to 2005, under reformist former president Mohammad Khatami.

In 2009, following the contested reelection of hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Tajzadeh was one of several reformist leaders who were sent to jail after he was convicted of harming state security and propaganda against the state. He was released in 2016.

Tajzadeh has been serving another five-year sentence at Tehran’s notorious Evin prison since July 2022, following a new conviction of undermining state security. He was also charged with propaganda against the state in 2024 in a new case brought against him.

While imprisoned at Evin, Tajzadeh has regularly published open letters criticizing the government’s policies. He has called for democracy and for authorities to enact “structural changes” in the Iranian political system.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Likud member’s company produces high school election panels with hosts from right-wing Channel 14 — report

A company run by a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party has received public funds to produce high school Knesset election panels moderated by hosts from the right-wing Channel 14, Haaretz reports.

The Activities Productions panels, which feature candidates from various parties, have reportedly taken place at over 20 high schools across Israel ahead of the October 27 election. They are available to schools as part of Gefen, the Education Ministry’s slate of funded extracurricular programming vendors that school administrators can choose from.

The company’s CEO is Acre resident Eran Shechter, who Haaretz says has a “history of political activity in the Likud” in the years 2018-2022, including announcing in 2018 that he would run in the party primaries for a spot reserved for candidates from the Haifa region.

The Education Ministry responds to Haaretz that it “does not look into the party affiliation of vendors, but rather their compliance with guidelines that apply to all Gefen programs. To the extent the program is found to have strayed from those, the matter will be handled appropriately.”

Activities tells the newspaper it complies with Education Ministry guidelines and makes sure “to present various positions substantively and fairly.” The company also says it “employs various hosts with media experience from a variety of networks, including Channels 12, 14 and 16.”

Troops find gun used by terrorist in deadly shooting attack at West Bank spring, military says

The gun used by the Palestinian terrorist in today’s deadly shooting attack at a spring in the West Bank was located a short while ago by troops, the military says.

The terrorist had fled the scene following the shooting near the Neve Tzuf settlement and dropped the gun at some stage in the process.

Commandos captured the gunman at a hospital in the Ramallah area hours later, although he was unarmed.

The gun was found by Israeli forces a short while ago, the IDF says.

Meanwhile, speaking from the scene of the attack, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir says that the military is “on high alert, deployed and prepared with reinforced forces across all sectors, including during the [Yom Kippur] fast.”

Ukraine fires over 1,000 drones at Russia, including ‘largest ever’ such attack on Moscow, officials say

Ukrainian forces fired more than 1,000 drones at Russia overnight, including hundreds that were launched toward Moscow, officials say.

Moscow’s mayor describes the wave of drones as the “largest ever” drone attack on the Russian capital and says there was damage to a Moscow oil refinery and a residential building.

Across the wider Moscow region, the attack killed two people and wounded 20, local governor Andrei Vorobyov says. The dead were a 74-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman, he says.

Writing on social media, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Kyiv used a range of missiles and drones in the attack — including Ukraine’s domestically made Flamingo and Pelican missiles — to hit oil and logistics facilities.

“These are billions of dollars that sustain the war machine,” Zelensky says, referring to the financial pressure that Kyiv hopes to put on Russia’s economy.

Ukraine also continued to fend off Russian attacks, Zelensky says. A Russian drone strike hit a monastery in Ukraine’s Kherson region Saturday, killing a member of the clergy and wounding four people, he says.

A Russian attack on the Ukrainian capital also killed two children and their mother on Saturday evening, says Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv regional state administration. He later says another child wounded in the same attack died in hospital on Sunday.

Ben Gvir demands terrorist behind deadly shooting attack at West Bank spring be executed

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir demands that the Palestinian terrorist who killed an Israeli man at a natural spring in the central West Bank today be put to death in accordance with a law the Knesset passed in March.

“This is the first instance in which the ‘death sentence for terrorists’ law can be put into action,” Ben Gvir says in a statement. “In this case, there’s a mandatory penalty. A law is a law.”

The law, which was championed by Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party, requires that people convicted of deadly terrorist acts who are prosecuted in a military court must be put to death unless the court finds special circumstances allowing for life imprisonment.

The legislation effectively enshrines capital punishment for West Bank Palestinians alone, as it explicitly excludes Israeli citizens or residents, and only Palestinians are tried in military courts.

European Commissioner discusses ‘shared interest’ in Mideast stability with Sa’ar

The European Commissioner for the Mediterranean says she discussed the European Union’s relationship with Israel, regional stability and Gaza recovery efforts with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.

Dubravka Suica says in a post on X after the call that they discussed EU-Israel “relations and our shared interest in security and stability across the Middle East. This includes a reformed and functioning Palestinian Authority.”

When it comes to Gaza, “I focused on the urgent need to advance early recovery,” she says, adding that “our continued cooperation is key to delivering early recovery projects on the ground.”

The commissioner announced in July that the EU and like-minded partners launched an initiative to help fund Gaza’s early recovery focused on restoring essential social and economic services, rehabilitating critical infrastructure and strengthening governance.

Sa’ar said in June that he was severing “all contact” with EU foreign policy chief Kaja ‌Kallas over what he said were remarks attributed to her comparing Israel to apartheid-era South Africa.

IDF: 3 Hamas operatives, including two Oct. 7 terrorists, killed in weekend Gaza strikes

Two Hamas terrorists who invaded Israel during the October 7, 2023, onslaught and another member of the terror group’s elite Nukhba Force were killed in recent strikes in the Gaza Strip, the military and Shin Bet security agency announce.

A strike on Saturday killed Yahya Hamdouna, identified by the IDF and Shin Bet as a member of Hamas who invaded Israel on October 7.

The military and security agency say a separate strike over the weekend killed Mohammad Rafa’i, a member of Hamas’s Daraj-Tuffah Battalion who invaded Israel on October 7, and Basir al-Barsh, a Nukhba commander.

The three terrorists had been advancing attacks on troops and Israeli civilians, and acting to restore Hamas’s capabilities, “in systematic violation of the ceasefire,” the joint statement says, adding that they were killed “to remove the threat.”

CIA chief meets Egyptian President Sissi in Cairo

US Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe meets Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in a rare visit to Cairo, as the United States warned of rapid escalation in the Middle East war.

Sissi’s office says today’s meeting, attended by Egypt’s spy chief Hassan Rashad, discussed the wars in Iran, the Gaza Strip and Sudan, as well as attacks on Gulf countries and threats to maritime security.

Sissi stressed “the paramount importance of settling regional crises through political and diplomatic tracks,” according to a presidency statement.

Ratcliffe’s visit comes days after de facto Saudi leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Sissi in Cairo.

Sissi’s office says Ratcliffe “lauded Egypt’s pivotal role in supporting efforts aimed at reaching peaceful, comprehensive settlements to regional crises.”

Palestinian who carried out deadly West Bank shooting captured at hospital, says IDF

IDF commandos captured the Palestinian terrorist who carried out the deadly shooting attack at a natural spring in the West Bank this morning, after locating him at a hospital in the Ramallah area, the military says.

Shortly after the terror attack, the combat tracker for the military’s Binyamin Regional Brigade opened fire on the gunman as he fled, injuring him, according to the IDF.

The IDF says soldiers of the Duvdevan Commando Unit located the terrorist a short while ago at a hospital near Ramallah, not far from where the attack took place.

Liberman, responding to Neve Tzuf shooting, says IDF must ‘flatten’ terrorist’s village

Avigdor Liberman, chair of the hawkish Yisrael Beytenu party, responds to the deadly shooting near the Neve Tzuf settlement, writing on X that “the IDF must enter the village the terrorist came from and flatten it.”

“We must impose a heavy cost — there is no forgiveness for terrorism,” he adds.

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett, who heads the opposition B’Yachad party, writes: “Israelis need to be safe everywhere in our land. We must get to the terrorist and those who sent him, and eradicate terrorism with an iron fist.”

And Gadi Eisenkot, chair of the Yashar party, posts that “we will continue to pursue those who seek our harm, everywhere and at all times,” adding that “an entire nation’s heart aches at this difficult time.”

Netanyahu after West Bank attacks: We will hold all terrorists accountable

After a pair of terrorist attacks in the northern West Bank, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that “no terrorist is immune, nor are those who assisted them.”

“We will hold them all accountable — in Gaza, in Lebanon, and in Judea and Samaria,” he says in a statement released by his office shortly after a man was killed in a terror shooting near the Neve Tzuf settlement.

He says he instructed Israeli security forces to sent reinforcements to the West Bank, and to impose closures and carry out arrests. Netanyahu also orders that the home of a terrorist who was shot and killed after a separate attempted ramming attack today be demolished immediately.

“On behalf of all the citizens of Israel, my wife and I send our deepest condolences to the family of the victim of the attack and share in their profound grief,” says Netanyahu.

Meanwhile, President Isaac Herzog says in statement that terrorism will not break Israelis’ spirit.

“I bow my head in memory of the victim murdered in the terror attack,” says Herzog. “I share wholeheartedly in the grief of his family and community and pray for the recovery of the wounded.”

“On the eve of this sacred festival, let it be stated clearly: Terror will not break us, and it will not shake our spirit,” he continues. “We will stand against terror together, united, resolute, and full of faith.”

Police investigating after shots fired amid alleged Jerusalem stone-throwing incident

Police say shots were fired in East Jerusalem’s Silwan after “a group of youths that passed through the area” was allegedly pelted with stones and one member “fired shots in the air to get the suspects away.”

No one was injured, police say, adding that officers on the scene are carrying out “widespread scans to locate the suspects and other findings.”

The statement does not specify the nationality of the youths or the suspects.

Footage from the scene, in Silwan’s Wadi Hilweh neighborhood, shows Jewish youths admonishing officers for questioning them instead of going after people off-camera who the youths claim hurled stones at them.

جولات استفزازية لمستوطنين بحماية قوات الاحتلال خلال اقتحامهم حي وادي حلوة في سلوان. pic.twitter.com/HcOJNDpaoz

— شبكة فلسطين للحوار (@paldf) September 20, 2026

Police: Man shot in West Bank terror attack dies of his injuries

The Israeli man seriously injured in the shooting attack near the West Bank settlement of Halamish has succumbed to his injuries, police say.

The man, in his 30s, had been inside his car at a natural spring in the area when a Palestinian gunman opened fire on bathers and fled.

Police say the man was taken to a hospital, where his death was declared a short while ago.

Police officers are operating at the scene alongside IDF troops to locate the terrorist.

Israelis at site of terror attack were immersing in spring ahead of Yom Kippur, says settler leader

Israel Ganz, the head of the Benjamin Regional Council, says the Israelis at the natural spring targeted in a terror attack this morning were there to immerse in the waters ahead of the Yom Kippur fast this evening, a traditional practice before the Day of Atonement.

“This is a very difficult incident, but we are strong and we will get through it. God willing, this [upcoming] Sukkot will be full of tourists. No one is going to run away from here,” says Ganz, who also serves as the head of the Yesha Council settlement umbrella organization.

According to the Samaria Regional Council, the person severely wounded in the attack near Neve Tzuf was a resident of one of the settlements in its jurisdiction.

Yossi Dagan, the head of the Samaria Regional Council, calls on the security services to “increase the force of activities within [Palestinian] villages, go house to house collect illegal weapons, and dismantle the terror infrastructure.”

Adds Dagan: “The State of Israel must go from defense to offense and restore deterrence and security for residents. The settlements will never be broken.”

IDF chief sends more troops to Halamish area to pursue terrorist shooter

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has ordered additional troops to be sent to the Halamish area of the West Bank to hunt down the terrorist who opened fire on Israelis at a natural spring this morning, seriously injuring one man.

Zamir held an assessment on the attack a short while ago, the military says, during which he ordered the bolstering of troops.

Meanwhile, footage posted to social media shows the moment of the attack.

The video shows Israeli bathers at the spring ducking for cover as sounds of gunshots ring out in the area.

Footage shows the moment of the shooting attack at a natural spring near Halamish. pic.twitter.com/1lmJK5Sx3z

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) September 20, 2026

Troops shoot dead Palestinian who tried to ram soldiers in West Bank, says IDF

The IDF says troops shot dead a Palestinian who allegedly attempted to ram the forces with their vehicle in the northern West Bank a short while ago.

The incident took place at the site of the formerly evacuated settlement of Ganim.

Soldiers of the Paratroopers Brigade’s 890th Battalion stationed in the area opened fire on the car, killing the driver, according to the IDF. A second Palestinian in the car was apprehended by the soldiers.

The army says no soldiers were injured in the incident.

IDF: Terrorist in West Bank attack opened fire from vehicle, then fled on foot

The Palestinian terrorist who carried out a drive-by shooting on Israelis at a natural spring near the West Bank settlement of Neve Tzuf, also known as Halamish, fled on foot, according to a preliminary investigation by the army.

The terrorist had opened fire from a vehicle toward the spring, hitting a man in his 30s who was inside his car. According to the IDF’s initial probe, the terrorist then got out of the car and fled on foot, still armed.

Numerous IDF troops, including special forces, are searching for the gunman on foot and also using drones, according to the military. Israeli Air Force aircraft were also dispatched to the area to assist with the scans.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service says the injured Israeli man is being taken to Beilinson Hospital in serious condition.

IDF launches manhunt after man critically wounded in West Bank shooting

The IDF says it has launched a manhunt for a terrorist who opened fire on Israelis at a natural spring near the West Bank settlement of Neve Tzuf, also known as Halamish, before fleeing.

A man in his 30s was critically injured by the apparent drive-by shooting, first responders say.

“Numerous IDF troops have launched a pursuit after the terrorist and are carrying out roadblocks in the area,” the military says.

Man said to be critically wounded in suspected West Bank shooting attack

One person was severely wounded in a suspected drive-by shooting attack near the West Bank settlement of Neve Tzuf, also known as Halamish, first responders say.

A man in his 30s is being treated in critical condition, according to medics.

Initial reports claim the gunman had opened fire from a vehicle on Israelis near a natural spring, close to the settlement, before fleeing.

Report: Nonprofit founded by Shas candidate for bereaved families diverted funds to yeshiva students

Millions of shekels in public funding awarded to a nonprofit founded by Shas Knesset candidate Dror Amos to assist bereaved families were instead used primarily to fund stipends for married yeshiva students, while relatives and associates of Shas officials benefited from jobs and contracts linked to the organization, according to a Channel 12 investigation.

Amos, a reserve IDF major who heads the Haifa Religious Council, was recently given the No. 6 spot on the ultra-Orthodox party’s Knesset slate ahead of the upcoming election.

The nonprofit received NIS 4.8 million ($1.45 million) in 2024 ostensibly to assist bereaved families in the wake of the October 7 attack. Yet numerous bereaved families and affected communities told Channel 12 they had never heard of the organization. Instead, more than NIS 2.5 million ($760,000) was reportedly spent on stipends for yeshiva students.

The investigation also found indications that multiple public bodies — mainly Shas-linked local authorities and religious councils — paid the nonprofit for services already funded by the Shas-controlled Religious Services Ministry, raising suspicions of double funding. It also alleged overlaps between the nonprofit, Amos’s relatives and private family companies.

Amos reportedly left the nonprofit over conflict-of-interest concerns after becoming head of the Haifa Religious Council in May 2025, but was replaced by his brother.

Shas denounces the report as a “false investigation” intended to harm the party, while the Religious Services Ministry says Amos’s conflict-of-interest arrangement “was duly approved in accordance with the law” and that “nothing was concealed.”

Religious rights group ITIM says it will ask Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara to open a criminal investigation into the allegations.

The group earlier this week petitioned to disqualify Amos from the election, arguing that he illegally remained in his public post as head of the Haifa Religious Council after joining Shas’s slate rather than resigning by the required deadline.

IDF responding to reports of gunfire near West Bank settlement

The IDF says it is responding to reports of gunfire near the West Bank settlement of Neve Tzuf, also known as Halamish.

“IDF troops were dispatched to the scene,” the military says.

No further details are immediately available.

Reports: Settlers wound 2 Palestinians, smash car windows in West Bank

The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reports that settlers attacked Palestinians from the village of Lubban ash-Sharqiya in an area near the village this morning.

The Palestinian Red Crescent reports that two Palestinians were injured: a 58-year-old man who was struck in the head by a stone, and one who was stabbed in the thigh.

Additionally, Palestinian media outlets report that settlers smashed the windows of several Palestinian vehicles in the village, which is south of Nablus. It is unclear whether the incidents are connected.

متابعة | مستوطنون يحطمون عدة مركبات، خلال هجومهم على قرية اللبن الشرقية، جنوب نابلس. pic.twitter.com/93cO9T7SBK

— شبكة فلسطين للحوار (@paldf) September 20, 2026

COGAT denies blame for blocking equipment from entering Gaza, points at Hamas

COGAT, the Israeli body responsible for coordinating activity in the West Bank and Gaza, denies that it is to blame for the lack of shelter materials in the Gaza Strip.

“COGAT regularly facilitates and encourages the entry of shelter supplies into the Gaza Strip in coordination with international organizations,” it says in a statement. “In the past month alone, more than 20,000 new tents have entered the Gaza Strip as part of ongoing efforts to replenish and maintain shelter stocks.”

However, the Defense Ministry body says that there are “genuine security concerns that Hamas could exploit certain components used to construct shelters to rebuild its terrorist infrastructure and strengthen its capabilities, as it has done in the past with resources intended for the civilian population.”

Therefore, COGAT says, it works with aid organizations “to identify suitable alternatives and establish appropriate monitoring and oversight measures… Claims that Israeli policy is the primary obstacle to improving conditions in the Gaza Strip are not only factually inaccurate, but also divert attention from Hamas’s continued role in obstructing progress and exploiting humanitarian aid for its own political and military purposes.”

After a building collapsed last week in Gaza City, killing more than 20 people, some officials blamed the lack of heavy machinery for hampering efforts to rescue people.

Brazilian court shoots down petition to extend voting hours on Simchat Torah

Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court rejects a request to extend voting hours to accommodate observant Jewish voters who will be unable to vote during the Simchat Torah holiday, which coincides with the country’s first-round elections on October 4.

The request was filed by São Paulo attorney Monica Rosenberg, a Jewish community member and candidate for the state legislature with the Social Democratic Party. She had sought an extension of voting hours until 8 p.m. at polling stations serving registered observant Jewish voters, or, alternatively, designated polling stations in cities with religious populations.

The court rules that voting hours are established by law and cannot be changed administratively without legislative action. The ruling also cites technical and logistical concerns about modifying election systems on short notice.

Voters who cannot vote because of religious observance may submit an individual justification after the election, which will be reviewed by an electoral judge, the ruling says.

Brazil has around 90,000 Jews, making it the 10th-largest Jewish population in the world and the second-largest in South America, behind Argentina. Rosenberg’s petition collected more than 7,000 signatures, she says.

UK chief rabbi composes prayer for victims of last year’s Yom Kippur attack

British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis has written a special prayer commemorating last year’s terrorist attack at Heaton Park Synagogue in north Manchester, to be recited at UK synagogues on Yom Kippur tomorrow.

The prayer is intended to be read alongside Yizkor, the memorial prayer for the dead traditionally recited in synagogues four times a year, including on Yom Kippur.

On last year’s Yom Kippur, Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53, were killed and three others were injured in an attack outside the synagogue in Crumpsall. The assailant, Jihad Al-Shamie, a Syrian-born British citizen, attempted to enter the synagogue after ramming people with a car and stabbing victims. He was shot dead by police.

This year, I have composed a special prayer to be recited at Yizkor time on Yom Kippur, which marks the first anniversary of the Heaton Park Synagogue attack.

For a printable version, visit https://t.co/lgQ5pJJsCL pic.twitter.com/VzXUuNwuje

— Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis (@chiefrabbi) September 18, 2026

Iran says Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until its conditions are met

Iran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and US commitments are implemented, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.

Iran must both fight and negotiate, Ghalibaf says, adding that Tehran would use military force to push back its enemies and diplomacy to consolidate battlefield gains when the time is right.

North Korea fires unidentified projectile into East Sea, says Seoul

North Korea fired an unidentified projectile off its east coast today, says South Korea’s military.

“The North has fired an unidentified projectile into the East Sea,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff say in a brief statement, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.

2 said killed in Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow region amid parliamentary election

Two people died in Ukrainian drone attacks in the Moscow region and an oil refinery in Russia’s capital was hit, authorities say, as Russia enters the final day of parliamentary elections.

Ukraine and Russia have continued attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure despite an announcement by US President Donald Trump on Monday that they had agreed to stop.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin says on his Telegram channel that the biggest Ukrainian drone attacks had been thwarted with Russia downing more than 1,600 drones since yesterday, including 450 headed for Moscow.

Several drones reached the premises of the oil refinery and one hit an apartment, Sobyanin says, adding there are no casualties in the city.

“The unprecedented attack was clearly planned with the aim of disrupting the elections,” he says. “The adversary failed to achieve this.”

Ed Sheeran says situation in Gaza ‘unjustifiable’ after pro-Palestinian rapper Macklemore booted from tour

Pop star Ed Sheeran says the situation in Gaza is “unjustifiable,” following a wave of criticism that he had failed to back his opening act’s pro-Palestinian comments.

“What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate,” he says as he opens his show in Philadelphia without rapper Macklemore, who was booted from the Loop Tour after shouting “Free Palestine” at a New Jersey concert earlier this month.

“I’ve had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes, and I’m so, so sorry,” an emotional Sheeran says.

Sheeran, 35, has denied being behind the decision to remove Macklemore, instead blaming the tour promoter.

Four supporting acts subsequently walked out on the “Shape of You” singer, issuing public statements citing their support for Palestinians.

At a time when a growing number of artists are speaking out against the conflict in Gaza, sparked by the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, and against West Bank settler violence, Sheeran has maintained his apolitical stance.

“I have my personal views on this devastating conflict. Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn’t mean I don’t have them,” the British performer said Tuesday on Instagram.

However, he said, “those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum.”

US says it killed four people in strike on vessel in Caribbean

The US Military says it killed four people in a strike on a vessel in the Caribbean on Saturday, alleging that the vessel was involved in drug trafficking.

“Confirmed intelligence revealed the vessel’s active involvement in narco-trafficking,” the military’s Southern Command posts on X.

The attack is the latest in a campaign dating back to last year that targets what the Trump administration describes as “narco-terrorists.” Rights groups have labeled the attacks “extrajudicial killings.”

‘Israel cannot survive with no friends’: Pro-Israel US rep. says polls showing declining support for Jewish state should be translated to Hebrew

Pro-Israel US Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) calls for recent polls showing declining support for Israel among Americans to be translated into Hebrew, saying that most Israelis “don’t realize what is at stake.”

The poll was first published by CNN in July but has been circulating online again in recent days.

The poll shows that in between March and July 2026, a significant decline in how people view Israel was recorded across multiple polls. An IPSOS poll found that favorability was down by 10 points since March, while a Fox News poll put that number at -11. The Marquette Law School Poll put that drop at 20 points, and a Pew Research poll found that Israel’s favorability had dropped by 23 points since March.

“We’re not just talking about the Democratic base anymore, we’re talking about the general electorate as well. The general electorate has turned against Israel,” CNN’s Harry Enten says in the July report. “This is not just a left issue; this is an American issue when it comes to opinions on Israel.”

Every Israeli official and voter should watch this clip, and it needs to be translated into Hebrew. Yesterday, I spoke with the Israeli Ambassador. I don’t think he or the majority of Israelis realize what is at stake. (1/3) https://t.co/G6tburwM3j

— Congressman Brad Sherman (@BradSherman) September 18, 2026

Sherman shares a clip on X of the CNN report on the findings, and suggests that “every Israeli official and voter” should watch it, “and it needs to be translated into Hebrew.”

He adds that he spoke earlier this week with Israel’s ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, saying that “I don’t think he or the majority of Israelis realize what is at stake,” if the US-Israeli relationship continues to decline.

“It’s not just $3.8 billion of traditional annual aid. It’s access to US weapons and diplomatic support,” writes Sherman.

Outlining what he believes to be the problem, Sherman says “Israel has been unwilling to take even a few steps to improve its image around the world.”

“They don’t fund their foreign ministry,” he claims.

He also cites far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir as a cause for the declining support, saying his presence in the cabinet “poses an existential threat,” as well as unchecked settler violence against Palestinians.

“Israel cannot survive with no friends in the world,” adds Sherman.