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The Times of Israel liveblogged Friday’s events as they happened.
El Al, Israir to send rescue flights to Romania for stranded Hasidic pilgrims
Hasidic Jewish pilgrims pray at the tomb of Rabbi Nachman, ahead of the Jewish new year of "Rosh Hashanah", in Uman, central Ukraine, on September 22, 2025. (Photo by Genya SAVILOV / AFP)
El Al and Israir announce that they will operate special rescue flights to bring back hundreds of Israeli pilgrims stranded in Romania who had traveled to the small central Ukrainian city of Uman as part of an annual pilgrimage.
Hundreds of Israeli Jews, mainly Hasidim, who made their way back from Uman via Tulcea in Romania in recent days, are stranded without the possibility of returning to Israel due to congestion and significant delays at border crossings that led to the cancellation of their flights with foreign airlines, El Al says in a statement.
On Saturday evening, after Shabbat ends, El Al expects to operate a 300-seat aircraft from Bucharest to Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion airport. The decision was made after a discussion with Shas Chairman MK Aryeh Deri, Transportation Minister Miri Regev, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, to facilitate the return of Israelis to the country.
Starting Sunday morning, Israir plans to operate three flights with seat availability to bring back 540 passengers from the airports in Bacau and Bucharest in Romania to Israel.
Every year, tens of thousands of Jews head to Uman from all around the world to visit the tomb of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav (1772-1810) for Rosh Hashanah — the Jewish New Year — celebrated this year on September 23-24.
Iran dismisses impending reimposition of nuclear sanctions as ‘legally void’
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi looks on during a meeting with Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, at Tahrir Palace in Cairo, September 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Khaled Elfiqi)
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi calls the imminent reimposition of UN sanctions on his country over its nuclear program “legally void” after a push by China and Russia to delay them was voted down.
The European countries’ “pursuit of the so-called snapback is clear and consistent — it is legally void, politically reckless and procedurally flawed,” he tells the UN Security Council.
UN Security Council rejects Russia and China’s last-ditch effort to delay sanctions on Iran
Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
The UN Security Council rejects another last-ditch effort to delay the reimposition of sanctions on Iran, a day before the deadline, after Western countries claimed that weeks of meetings with officials failed to result in a “concrete” agreement.
It comes a day before a series of UN “snapback” sanctions are set to take effect as outlined in Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
That would again freeze Iranian assets abroad, halt arms deals with Tehran and penalize any development of Iran’s ballistic missile program, among other measures, further squeezing the country’s reeling economy.
Palestinian Authority says Netanyahu’s UN speech ‘saturated with lies’
Dozens of countries leave empty seats as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City on September 26, 2025. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)
A Palestinian foreign ministry official slams Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech at the United Nations on Friday, saying it was “saturated with lies and falsifications.”
“It was the speech of a defeated man, a desperate leader who once again tried to rally a West that has increasingly distanced itself from a genocidal state, using fear as his only argument,” the director of the ministry’s European affairs department, Adel Atieh, tells AFP.
“This speech showed neither vision nor perspective: it only reflected growing isolation, a headlong rush forward, and the anxiety of a power that knows it stands on the wrong side of history,” he adds.
At UN, Ireland says Israel’s actions in Gaza ‘an abandonment of all norms’
Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Friday, Sept. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Addressing the UN General Assembly shortly after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin called Israel’s actions in Gaza “an abandonment of all norms, all international rules and law.”
“What is happening in Gaza cannot be justified or defended. It is an affront to human dignity and decency. It is an abandonment of all norms, all international rules and law,” he says.
Ireland, which recognized a Palestinian state last year, has been one of the countries most critical of Israel.
Martin accuses Israel of weaponizing hunger.
“Babies starving to death while aid rots at the border, people shot while desperately seeking food for their families,” he says, repeating accusations that Israel is committing genocide.
Martin says that while Hamas “must answer for its crimes” and have “no role in the future governance of Palestine, but no crime, however heinous, can justify genocide.”
Israel strenuously rejects accusations of genocide and says hunger in Gaza is caused by the failure of UN agencies to deliver it, along with Hamas looting.
UN says Israel has stepped up Gaza City offensive with relentless airstrikes
Smoke rises following an Israeli military strike in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, Friday, Sept. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Israel has stepped up its military operations in Gaza City over the last 24 hours, and is conducting airstrikes every eight to nine minutes on average in addition to shelling, chopper fire and gunfire toward those waiting for aid, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric says during a briefing, citing humanitarian staff on the ground.
Roughly 16,500 people fled Gaza City yesterday alone, heeding evacuation orders that have been in place for weeks, while departing on journeys with unclear destinations, given the shrinking space and limited resources in Gaza for civilians, Dujarric says.
“Still, hundreds of thousands of people remain in Gaza City amid extreme insecurity. They are heavily reliant on humanitarian assistance as more critical services there have been forced to close or move,” the UN spokesperson says.
Only seven of 15 humanitarian missions were completed due to Israeli restrictions, according to Dujarric.
Teams were able to collect fuel, medical items, and other supplies from the Kerem Shalom Crossing, among other humanitarian missions, but were prevented from trucking water to northern Gaza and were not allowed to access other crossings, including to collect food, he says.
Doctors without Borders suspends Gaza City activity due to Israeli offensive
Palestinians transport humanitarian aid they received at a distribution center run by the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), at the so-called "Netzarim corridor", in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip, on September 26, 2025. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
Medical charity Doctors without Borders (MSF) says it had been forced to suspend its work in Gaza City because of the ongoing Israeli offensive there.
The statement came after the Israeli military pressed its offensive against Hamas in Gaza City, where several hundred thousand people are believed to remain.
Israel has been urging residents to flee to safer areas and estimates that some 700,000 of the 1 million population have left.
“We have been left with no choice but to stop our activities as our clinics are encircled by Israeli forces,” says Jacob Granger, MSF emergency coordinator in Gaza.
“This is the last thing we wanted, as the needs in Gaza City are enormous, with the most vulnerable people — infants in neo-natal care, those with severe injuries and life-threatening illnesses — unable to move and in grave danger.”
At UN, Greek PM warns Israel risks losing friends over continued Gaza war
Greece Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Friday, Sept. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, a key partner of Israel within the European Union, warns that Israel risks losing its remaining friends with its destructive war in Gaza.
Addressing the UN General Assembly, the center-right Greek leader says Israel had a right to self-defense after the October 7, 2023, massacre by Hamas, but cannot “justify the death of thousands of children.”
“Greece maintains a strategic partnership with Israel, but this does not prevent us from speaking openly and frankly,” Mitsotakis says.
“The continuation of this course of action will ultimately harm Israel’s own interests, leading to an erosion of international support,” he says.
“I tell my Israeli friends they risk alienating all their remaining allies if they persist on a path that is shattering the potential of a two-state solution.”
Greece did not join European powers, including France and Britain, which in recent days recognized a Palestinian state as they voiced exasperation with Israel.
Netanyahu reportedly to meet senior UAE official in New York
This handout image provided by United Arab Emirates News Agency (WAM) shows the UAE's Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan (R) receiving Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar in Abu Dhabi on April 6, 2025. (Photo by WAM / AFP)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with a senior official from the United Arab Emirates in his hotel in New York after his speech to the UN General Assembly, Channel 12 reports.
The report says the UAE official was most likely Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The report notes that Israel anticipates the UAE playing a major role in post-war Gaza.
The reported meeting also comes amid widespread anger in the Gulf over Israel’s apparent botched strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar, and the UAE’s warning to Israel that annexing the West Bank would be a “red line.”
NYC mayor meets Netanyahu, thanks him for ‘defending the Western world’
New York City Mayor Eric Adams meets Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the United Nations General Assembly, September 26, 2025. (Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with New York City Mayor Eric Adams, after Netanyahu delivered a speech to the UN General Assembly.
“For decades, world leaders have convened in New York City for the United Nations General Assembly to pursue diplomacy and peace,” Adams says in a statement. “Allowing everyone to speak freely is who we are as a city and as a nation — and while many may try to reject that notion today, I will continue to embrace it.”
“That is why, of all the world leaders we have greeted this week, I was particularly proud to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after his address to the United Nations, to thank him for defending the Western world and our way of life,” Adams says. “Prime Minister Netanyahu laid out a clear case that those who call for the death of Jews across the globe are also calling for the death of Americans.”
“At a time when much of the world is turning its back on the Jewish State of Israel, the mayor of the largest Jewish community outside of Israel must remain steadfast in our support for Israel, its right to defend itself, eliminate Hamas, and bring every single one of their hostages home,” Adams says.
Adams is a firm supporter of Israel who is running for reelection ahead of the mayoral election in November.
Adams is in third place behind the frontrunner, Zohran Mamdani, a far-left, harsh critic of Israel, and former governor Andrew Cuomo, another Israel supporter who has voiced some criticism of the war in Gaza in recent weeks.
Senior Israeli official: Netanyahu never intended to annex West Bank, Trump ‘pulled his chestnuts out of the fire’
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich gestures toward a map of the West Bank during a press conference at the Finance Ministry in Jerusalem, September 3, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
A senior government official tells Channel 12 correspondents traveling with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York that Netanyahu never intended to annex parts of the West Bank in response to Western nations recognizing a Palestinian state.
Israel has made threats to do so in recent days. However, yesterday, US President Donald Trump announced that he will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank.
“In the equation of annexation as an appropriate Israeli response to international recognition of a Palestinian state, we are left with recognition and no Israeli response,” the official tells Channel 12.
“There will not be annexation and Netanyahu never intended for there to be an annexation, because he won’t endanger the Abraham Accords,” the official says, referring to Israel’s normalization deals with the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco.
The official says Trump’s announcement helps Netanyahu stave off pressure from far-right elements in his government, like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Public Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.
“Trump pulled [Netanyahu’s] chestnuts out of the fire. What will Smotrich and Ben Gvir say now? Annex, even though Trump said no,” the official says.
Turkish Football Federation urges FIFA, UEFA to ban Israel from competitions
Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protesters gather ahead of a Europa League soccer match between PAOK and Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv in the port city of Thessaloniki, northern Greece, Wednesday, September 24, 2025. (AP/Giannis Papanikos)
Turkish Football Federation President Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu has written to FIFA, UEFA and national soccer association chiefs urging them to impose a ban on Israel from participating in sporting competition, local media reports.
The request comes as European soccer’s governing body UEFA appears poised for an emergency vote next week on suspending Israel from its tournaments, with national federations coming under mounting political pressure following calls for action.
“Despite positioning themselves as defenders of civic values and peace, the sporting world and football institutions have remained silent for far too long,” Haciosmanoglu writes in the letter, according to the Anadolu Agency.
“Guided by these values, we feel compelled to raise our deep concern regarding the unlawful [and more importantly, completely inhumane and unacceptable] situation being carried out by the State of Israel in Gaza and its surrounding areas.”
Hamas says walkouts before Netanyahu UN speech show Israel ‘isolation’
Dozens of countries leave empty seats as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City on September 26, 2025. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)
Hamas says a mass walkout of delegations before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech at the United Nations on Friday showed Israel’s “isolation” as a result of the Gaza war.
“Boycotting Netanyahu’s speech is one manifestation of Israel’s isolation and the consequences of the war of extermination,” Taher al-Nunu, the media adviser to the head of Hamas’s political bureau, says in a statement.
IDF says Eilat sirens a false alarm
The suspected drone infiltration sirens that sounded in Eilat a short while ago were false alarms, the IDF updates.
Lapid derides ‘tired and whining’ prime minister, presenting tired gimmicks instead of a plan to end Gaza war
Opposition Leader and Yesh Atid chairman MK Yair Lapid attends a Yesh Atid party conference in Tel Aviv, September 1, 2025.(Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
Opposition leader Yair Lapid slams Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly, saying it was all gimmicks and no clear policy.
“The world saw a tired and whining Israeli prime minister today, in a speech too loaded with tired gimmicks,” Lapid posts on X.
“Netanyahu did not present a plan for the return of the hostages, did not present a way to end the war, did not explain why, after two years, Hamas has yet to be defeated,” Lapid says.
“Instead of stopping the political tsunami – Netanyahu today worsened the situation of the State of Israel,” he says.
Smotrich hails Netanyahu UN speech: There will never be a Palestinians state
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich gestures toward a map of the West Bank during a press conference at the Finance Ministry in Jerusalem, September 3, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich hails Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to the United Nations General Assembly as “important declarations.”
“He laid down once again necessary and clear principles, both morally and practically: We will not stop until Hamas is defeated and the hostages are returned. And we will never agree to a Palestinian state.
“Even if it is difficult, even if there is a price, and even if it takes time,” says Smotrich, who is one of the principal proponents of the war.
Drone infiltration sirens sounding in Eilat
Sirens warning of a suspected drone infiltration sound in Eilat.
The IDF says it is looking into the details.
The Houthis in Yemen have targeted Eilat with drones numerous times. Earlier this week, a Houthi drone hit the resort city, wounding over 20 people.
Zamir visits troops in Gaza, says IDF focused on returning hostages, defeating Hamas
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir speaks to troops in southern Gaza, September 26, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir visited troops in the southern Gaza Strip today, reiterating that the military is “doing everything to bring the hostages back quickly and to defeat Hamas.”
“We are operating on all fronts, but the main focus of effort by the IDF and the Shin Bet is here, in the Gaza Strip,” he says, in remarks published by the military.
Netanyahu upbeat on peace with Syria, Lebanon; says victory over Hamas will enable ‘dramatic expansion of Abraham Accords’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City on September 26, 2025. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)
In the final passages of his speech to the UN, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moves away from the Palestinian issue to other regional matters.
He says Israel’s “victories over the Iranian terror axis have opened up possibilities for peace that were unthinkable two years ago.”
On Syria, he says, “the very idea of peace between Israel and Syria seemed unimaginable” for decades. But today, “we have begun serious negotiations with the new Syrian government. I believe an agreement can be reached that respects Syria’s sovereignty and protects both Israeli security and the security of the minorities in the region, including the Druze minority.”
He refers to the Druze as Israeli Jews’ brothers in arms. “That’s why I couldn’t sit idly by, nor could Israel sit idly by, while the Druze were being slaughtered by jihadists [in Syria],” he says. “I instructed our forces to stop the massacre, which they promptly did.”
He says peace between Israel and Lebanon “is possible as well,” and calls on the Lebanese government to also begin direct negotiations with Israel. “I commend it for its declared aim to disarm Hezbollah, but we need more than words. If Lebanon takes genuine and sustained action to disarm Hezbollah, I’m sure we can achieve a sustainable peace,” he says. “Of course, until that happens, we will take whatever action we need to defend ourselves and to maintain the conditions of the ceasefire which was established in Lebanon.”
Further afield, he says, while “victory over Hezbollah has made peace possible with our two Arab neighbors in the north, victory over Hamas will make peace possible with nations throughout the Arab and Muslim world.”
He says it would enable “a dramatic extension and expansion of the historic Abraham Accords, which President Trump brokered between Arab leaders and myself five years ago.”
He notes the “encouraging words spoken here by the president of Indonesia” earlier this week, highlighting the imperative for Israel to have security. “This is the country with the largest Muslim population of all nations, and it’s also a sign of what could come.”
“Forward-looking Arabs and Muslim leaders know that cooperating with Israel will provide them with ground-breaking Israeli technologies, including in medicine and science, in agriculture and water, in defense, and AI, and so many other fields,” he says.
Now he moves on to Iran: “I believe that in the coming years, the Middle East will look dramatically different. Many of those who wage war on Israel today will be gone tomorrow. Brave peacemakers will take their place. And nowhere, nowhere will this be more true than in Iran. The long-suffering Iranian people will regain their freedom. They will make Iran great again. Our two ancient peoples, the people of Israel and the people of Iran, will restore a friendship that will benefit the entire world,” he predicts.
Concluding his address, Netanyahu says horrors such as those perpetrated by Hamas on October 7 had “happened countless times during the centuries of my people’s exile among the nations. Jewish blood was cheap. Jews were killed with impunity. We had to beg others to defend us. The rise of Israel did not mean that the attempts to destroy us would end. It meant that we could fight back against those attempts. And that is exactly what Israel has done,” he says.
“Our sons and daughters fought like lions. Our brave soldiers donned their uniforms and rushed into battle. They were armed with the dreams of the hundred generations of Jews who came before them: The dream of living as a free people in the land of Israel, our beloved homeland for more than 3,000 years. The dreams of living in our own independent state, the dream of having an army to defend ourselves, and the dream of being a light unto the nations, a beacon of progress, ingenuity, innovation, for the benefit of all humanity.
“On October 7,” Netanyahu concludes, “the enemies of Israel tried to extinguish that light. Two years later, the resolve of Israel and the strength of Israel burn brighter than ever. With God’s help, that strength and that resolve will lead us to a speedy victory and to a brilliant future of prosperity and peace.”
IDF says it hit a Gaza City high-rise being used by Hamas after evacuation warning
Following an evacuation warning, the IDF says it struck a high-rise tower in Gaza City that was being used by Hamas for surveillance.
According to the military, Hamas set up observation posts in the building, which were used to advance attacks on Israeli troops in the area.
Netanyahu to gutless Western leaders: ‘Israel will not allow you to shove a terror state down our throats’
Members of Israel's delegation applaud as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City on September 26, 2025. (UN screenshot)
Stepping up his criticism of world leaders recognizing Palestine, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his UN addresses, charges that “what you’re doing is giving the ultimate reward to intolerant fanatics who perpetrated and supported the October 7 massacre.
“Giving the Palestinians a state one mile from Jerusalem after October 7,” he says, “is like giving Al Qaeda a state one mile from New York City after September 11. This is sheer madness. It’s insane, and we won’t do it.”
With blistering rage, Netanyahu says: “I want to give a message to those Western leaders. Israel will not allow you to shove a terror state down our throats. We will not commit national suicide because you don’t have the guts to face down a hostile media and antisemitic mobs demanding Israel’s blood.”
He also says that this is not only his stance, and that of his coalition, but that it represents the will of the Israeli people. “Last year, there was a vote in the Knesset, our parliament, on whether or not to oppose the imposition of a Palestinian state. You want to guess what the results were? Out of 120 members of our parliament, 99 voted against and only nine supported. That’s over 90%.
“It’s not a fringe. It’s not the prime minister who himself is extreme, or he’s held hostage by extreme parties to his right. It’s over 90% of Israelis. My opposition to a Palestinian state is not simply my policy or my government’s policy. It’s the policy of the state and people of the State of Israel.
“Western leaders may have buckled under the pressure,” he says, concluding this passage of his remarks. “I guarantee you one thing, Israel won’t.”
Netanyahu: World leaders recognizing Palestine are encouraging terrorism against Jews and innocent people everywhere
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City on September 26, 2025. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his UN address, denounces the leaders of “France, Britain, Australia, Canada, and other countries” for recognizing Palestinian statehood this week.
“They did so after the horrors committed by Hamas on October 7,” he fumes. “Horrors praised on that day by nearly 90% of the Palestinian population,” he claims. “They celebrated. They danced on the rooftops. They threw candies. That’s both in Gaza and in Judea Samaria, the West Bank, as you call it.” He says the Palestinians did the same on 9/11.
He says leaders who recognized Palestine this week sent the message to the Palestinians that “Murdering Jews pays off. Well, I have a message for these leaders. When the most savage terrorists on Earth are effusively praising your decision, you didn’t do something right. You did something wrong, horribly wrong. Your disgraceful decision will encourage terrorism against Jews and against innocent people everywhere. It will be a mark of shame on all of you.”
He derides the world leaders’ talk of a two-state solution, “where the Jewish state of Israel will live side by side in peace with the Palestinian state. There’s only one problem with that. The Palestinians — they don’t believe in this solution. They never have. They don’t want a state next to Israel. They want a Palestinian state instead of Israel,” he declares.
“Every time they were given territory, they used it to attack us,” Netanyahu charges. “They effectively had a Palestinian state in Gaza. What did they do with that state? Peace? Coexistence? No. They attacked us time and time again. Totally unprovoked. They fired rockets into our cities. They murdered our children. They turned Gaza into a terror base from which they committed the October 7 massacre.”
“Here’s the uncomfortable truth,” he sums up on this issue. “The persistent Palestinian rejection of a Jewish state in any bout is what has driven this conflict for over a century. It is still driving it. It’s not the absence of a Palestinian state. It’s the presence and existence of a Jewish state.”
He says the Palestinian Authority, and not just Hamas, rejects a Jewish state. “You should know that the Palestinian Authority pays terrorists to slay Jews,” he declares. (The PA has insisted that it has halted this policy.)
“The more Jews the terrorists slay, the more the Palestinian Authority pays. The Palestinian Authority names its government buildings, its public squares, its schools after the mass murderers of Jews, which they glorify as martyrs.”
As for PA promises of reform, Netanyahu says, “We’ve heard these promises for decades. They always promise. They never deliver… They use the same textbooks as Hamas… They teach their children to hate Jews and destroy the Jewish state. Christians don’t fare much better.”
Israel-Syria talks said to hit snag over Israeli demand for humanitarian corridor to the Druze
Syrian government security forces set up a checkpoint in the town of Busra al-Hariri, east of the city of Sweida, on July 20, 2025, to prevent armed tribal fighters from advancing towards the city. (Omar Haj Kadour / AFP)
Efforts to reach a security pact between Syria and Israel have hit a last-minute snag over Israel’s demand that it be allowed to open a “humanitarian corridor” to the Druze in Syria’s southern province of Sweida, four sources familiar with the talks tell Reuters.
Syria and Israel had come close in recent weeks to agreeing on the broad outlines of a pact after months of US-brokered talks in Baku, Paris and London that accelerated in the lead-up to the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week.
The pact was intended to create a demilitarized zone that would include the province of Sweida, where sectarian violence in July killed hundreds of people from the Druze.
Israel, which has a 120,000-strong Druze minority whose men serve in the Israeli military, has said it will protect the sect and carried out military strikes in Syria under the banner of defending it.
In earlier talks in Paris, Israel asked to open a land corridor to Sweida for aid, but Syria rejected the request as a breach of its sovereignty.
Israel reintroduced the demand at a late stage in the talks, according to two Israeli officials, a Syrian source and a source in Washington briefed on the talks.
The Syrian source and the source in Washington say the renewed Israeli demand had derailed plans to announce a deal this week. The new sticking point has not been previously reported.
The State Department, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Syria’s foreign ministry did not respond to questions on the contours of the deal or the sticking points.
Netanyahu slams ‘weak-kneed’ Western leaders who ‘appease evil,’ dismisses false genocide accusations as ‘blood libels’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City on September 26, 2025. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)
Regrettably, says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, European leaders “send a very different message” than US President Donald Trump.
Right after October 7, he acknowledges, they showed support. “But that support quickly evaporated, what Israel did what any self-respecting nation would do in the wake of such a savage attack.”
“We fought back.”
In Gaza, he says, Israel is “wiping out the terror regime of Hamas and ensuring that this savagery will never threaten Israel again.”
He says that many world leaders “buckled under the pressure of a biased media, radical Islamist constituencies, and antisemitic mobs.”
For many countries, he says, “when the going got tough, you caved.”
“As we fight the terrorists who murdered many of your citizens, you are fighting us,” he laments. “You condemn us. You embargo us. And you wage political and legal warfare, lawfare, against us.”
“This is not an indictment of Israel. It’s an indictment of you. It’s an indictment of weak-kneed leaders who appease evil rather than supporting a nation whose brave soldiers guard you from the barbarians at the gate. They’re already penetrating the gate.”
“When will you learn? You can’t appease your way out of jihad. And you won’t escape the Islamist storm by attacking Israel.”
He addresses “the false charge of genocide.”
He quotes West Point urban warfare expert John Spencer, who said that Israel is “applying more measures minimizing civilian casualties than any military in history.”
The civilian-to-combatant ratio is “astoundingly low,” he argues, lower than NATOs ratio in Afghanistan and Iraq.
He says that in Gaza City, Israel dropped millions of leaflets, sent millions of text messages, and made countless phone calls telling civilians to leave the city.
Hamas, on the other hand, “uses civilians as human shields and as props in its propaganda war against Israel, a propaganda war that the Western media buys hook, line, and sinker.”
Almost 700,000 Gazans have evacuated Gaza City, he says. “Would we tell them, ‘Get out,’ if we wanted to commit genocide?”
“Did the Nazis ask the Jews to kindly leave, go out?”
Genocidal Hamas, he says, “is given a pass….While Israel, who does everything it can to get civilians out of harm’s way, Israel is put in the docket.”
“What a joke.”
He says the accusation that Israel is starving the people of Gaza is another Gaza, and that “Israel is deliberately feeding the people of Gaza.”
Hamas loots trucks and steals food, he says.
He says that those who “peddle blood libels and lies against Israel are no better than those who peddled blood libels against Jews in the Middle Ages.”
“These antisemitic lies, they have consequences,” he says, pointing to attacks on Jews in Canada, Australia, The Netherlands, France, the UK, and the US.
He praises the Trump administration for forcefully fighting antisemitism, while other leaders “reward the worst antisemites on earth.”
Trump: I think we have a deal on Gaza — we’re very close
US President Donald Trump makes his way to board Air Force One before departing from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on September 26, 2025. Trump is heading to Farmingdale, New York to attend the Ryder Cup golf competition. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP)
US President Donald Trump says a deal to end the Gaza war and free the hostages is “very close.”
“I think we have a deal on Gaza — very close to a deal on Gaza,” he tells reporters before departing the White House to attend the Ryder Cup golf tournament in New York. “It’s looking like we have a deal on Gaza. We’ll let you know.”
“It’s going to be a deal that will get the hostages back. It’s going to be a deal that ends the war. It’s going to be peace,” Trump continues. “I think we have a deal.”
Yesterday, Trump indicated that he would have to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on Monday before the deal can be finalized.
On Tuesday, Trump presented to Arab and Muslim leaders the US plan for ending the war, releasing the hostages and establishing a non-Hamas governing body in Gaza to administer the Strip.
While the Arab and Muslim leaders welcomed the plan, Israel and Hamas have yet to publicly do the same.
Netanyahu’s remarks before the UN General Assembly earlier today, pledging to continue the war until all of Israel’s aims have been met indicated that the premier is not yet ready to accept the Trump plan.
‘Israel is fighting your fight,’ Netanyahu tells world leaders who oppose Gaza war
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a sign as he speaks during the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City on September 26, 2025. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that the war in Gaza has “everything” to do with people around the world. “Our enemies are your enemies,” he argues.
He says he is going to do a pop quiz, then holds up a poster with the question, “Who shouts ‘Death to America’?”
The answer is All of the Above – Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iran.
The audience shouts out a similar answer for the question, “Who has murdered Americans and Europeans in cold blood?”
“Our enemies hate all of us with equal venom,” he says. “They want to drag the modern world back to the past, to a dark age of violence, fanaticism, and terror.”
“You know deep down that Israel is fighting your fight,” he says, adding that leaders who publicly condemn Israel say behind closed doors that they value Israel’s intelligence services that have repeatedly prevented attacks in their capitals.
President Trump, he says, understands better than any other leader that “Israel and America face a common threat.”
He showed Iran that “there is a price to pay” for funding armed terrorist groups, killing Americans, and plotting to assassinate him, says Netanyahu.
Families of the hostages lead protest outside UN during Netanyahu’s speech
Hostage deal protesters rally outside the United Nations in New York City, September 26, 2025. (Luke Tress/Times of Israel)
Several hundred protesters led by the families of hostages in Gaza lead a protest outside the UN during Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech.
The protesters hold signs with the images of the hostages and yellow flowers, and chant, “Bring them home, all of them now,” and, “They’re running out of time.”
A delegation of the families came to New York to bring awareness to the hostages and meet with representatives from the EU, France and UK.
The families include the parents of hostages both living and deceased, such as Nimrod Cohen, Omer Neutra, and Lior Rudaeff.
Several of the speakers accuse the Netanyahu government of neglecting their family members in Gaza.
The crowd includes both Israelis who came for the UN General Assembly, Israeli expats in the US, and American Jews.
The event closes with the crowd singing Israel’s anthem, “Hatikvah.”
In a separate statement, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum accuses Netanyahu of making a “ridiculous attempt to rewrite history” after he reads out the name of just 20 of the 48 hostages being held in Gaza.
“The families of the fallen and the families of the hostages whose lives are in grave danger are outraged that only the names of the living hostages are being read out,” it says, accusing the premier of choosing “time and again to torpedo, thwart and bomb the chances of returning them home.”
‘We have not forgotten you’: Netanyahu addresses hostages in Hebrew from UN podium
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, September 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is going to speak directly to the hostages through massive loudspeakers along the Gaza border “in the hope that our dear hostages can hear my message.”
Speaking in Hebrew, then English, Netanyahu says, “Our brave heroes – This is Prime Minister Netanyahu speaking to you live from the United Nations. We have not forgotten you, not even for a second. The people of Israel are with you. We will not falter and we will not rest until we bring all you home!”
He says that his words are being streamed to the cellphones of Gazans, although reports in Gaza have contested this.
“To the remaining Hamas leaders, and to the jailers of our hostages,” he says, “I now say – lay down your arms. Let my people go. Free the hostages. All of them. The whole 48. Free the hostages now.”
“If you do, you will live. If you don’t, Israel will hunt you down,” he growls.
“If Hamas agrees to our demands, the war could end right now,” he says. “Gaza would be demilitarized. Israel would retain overriding security control. And a peaceful civilian authority would be established by Gazans and others committed to peace with Israel.”
Father of hostage Bar Kuperstein removed from UNGA hall after interrupting PM’s speech
NEW YORK — The father of hostage Bar Kuperstein twice shouts in agony from his wheelchair in the upper deck of the UN General Assembly hall gallery at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the premier mentions the plight of the captives at the beginning of his speech.
Tal Kuperstein suffered a stroke following a serious car accident and has difficulty speaking.
Kuperstein is escorted out of the hall after his second interruption.
Most of the hostage families have fumed at Netanyahu throughout the war, arguing that he has prioritized his government’s survival over the return of their loved ones, while cynically using their plight abroad to gain international sympathy.
בזמן שנתניהו מנה את שמות החטופים החיים שמוחזקים בעזה, אביו של בר קופרשטיין, שצעק כמה פעמים לעברו במשך הנאום, עזב את האולם pic.twitter.com/8iXjREXkV4
— Liza Rozovsky (@lizarozovsky) September 26, 2025
Israel ‘not done yet’ with fight against Hamas, PM says, or it will carry out Oct. 7 ‘again and again and again’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City on September 26, 2025. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that Israeli forces carried out “one of the most stunning military comebacks in history,” but “we’re not done yet.”
“The final remnants of Hamas are holed up in Gaza City,” he says.
Israel must finish the job, he says, because Hamas promises to carry out October 7 “again and again and again.”
“That is why we want to do so as fast as possible.”
Much of the world “no longer remembers October 7,” Netanyahu insists, “but we remember. Israel remembers October 7.”
He asks viewers to use the QR code on his lapel to “see why we fight and why we must win.”
Netanyahu says that the 20 remaining living hostages are “starved, tortured, deprived of any daylight. Deprived of humanity.”
He reads out the names of the 20 living hostages, but does not include Tamir Nimrodi or Bipin Joshi, neither of whom has been confirmed as dead but for whom there are grave concerns.
PM’s office claims IDF has ‘taken control’ of cell phones in Gaza to stream UN speech; no confirmation of claim
Technicians work to send Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech at the United Nations General Assembly to the phones of Gaza on September 26, 2025. (Prime Ministers Office)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office claims that the IDF has “taken control of the phones” of Palestinian civilians and Hamas operatives in Gaza, and his UN speech is “now being broadcast live via those devices.”
Gaza residents reportedly received text messages with a link to Netanyahu’s speech, and there is no immediate confirmation of devices being taken over.
In his speech, Netanyahu addresses Palestinians in Gaza — in English — saying that the war in Gaza can end immediately with the return of the hostages, the disarmament of Hamas, and the demilitarization of the Strip.
Netanyahu’s speech is also broadcast live via loudspeakers, some on the border with Gaza, operated by a civilian company, and some deep in the Strip, which were placed by the IDF at military encampments.
At UN, Netanyahu thanks Trump for ‘bold and decisive action’ against Iran in June
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lifts up the map he used in his speech last year, showing the Middle East with Iran-dominated areas in red.
He starts using a black marker on the map, titled “The Curse,” to indicate where Israel has taken out key enemy leaders in Iran, Yemen, Lebanon, and Syria. The same will happen to Iraqi militia leaders if they attack Israel, he says.
Netanyahu lauds Israel’s pilots for their success in the 12-day war against Iran in June.
“I want to thank President Trump for his bold and decisive action,” Netanyahu declares. “President Trump and I promised to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, and we delivered on that promise.”
“We lifted a dark cloud that could have claimed millions and millions of lives,” he argues. “But, ladies and gentlemen, we must remain absolutely clear-minded and vigilant.”
“We must not allow Iran to rebuild its military nuclear capacity,” he says, adding that Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles must be eliminated and UN Security Council sanctions on Iran “must be snapped back.”
QR code pinned to Netanyahu’s lapel brings viewers to footage of Oct. 7 attacks
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds up a map while speaking at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, September 26, 2025, at UN headquarters. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
During his United Nations speech, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is wearing a QR code on his lapel.
The QR code links to footage of atrocities carried out by Hamas on October 7, says his office.
Netanyahu touts Israel’s achievements against Iran and its proxies over past year
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the UN General Assembly, September 26, 2025 (UN Screenshot)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recounts the threats surrounding Israel. He says that Iran’s massive ballistic missile and nuclear program were meant “not only to destroy Israel. They were meant also to threaten the United States, and blackmail nations everywhere.”
He recounts that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar “dispatched waves of Hamas terrorists” into Israel on October 7, 2023, to commit acts of unspeakable savagery.
From Lebanon, Hezbollah “launched thousands of missiles and rockets at our cities, terrorizing our citizens.”
In Syria, says Netanyahu, Bashar Al-Assad hosted Iranian forces, “tightening the noose of deaths around our throats.”
The Houthis in Yemen launched ballistic missiles at Israel “while choking global trade at the mouth of the Red Sea.”
Over the past year, however, things have changed, says Netanyahu. “We’ve hammered the Houthis, including yesterday. We’ve crushed the bulk of Hamas’s terror machine. We crippled Hezbollah, taking out most of its leaders and much of its weapons arsenal.”
“We paged Hezbollah and believe me, they got the message,” he says. “Thousands of terrorists dropped to the ground.”
“We destroyed Assad’s armaments in Syria. We deterred Iran’s Shiite militias in Iraq. And most importantly…We devastated Iran’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles programs.”
Netanyahu begins UN speech, acknowledging families of hostages in the audience
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the UN General Assembly, September 26, 2025 (UN Screenshot)
NEW YORK — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu begins his UN address by acknowledging the families of the hostages in the audience.
The last time he stood at this podium, Iran was rapidly developing a massive nuclear weapons program and ballistic missile program to destroy Israel, while Tehran’s proxies Hamas and Hezbollah were continuing to target Israel, Netanyahu says.
Since then, however, Israel has neutralized those threats.
Hundreds of diplomats stage walkout from UN General Assembly as Netanyahu enters to speak
Delegates walk out of the UN General Assembly hall as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to address the hall, September 26, 2025 (UN Screenshot)
NEW YORK — Several hundred diplomats from around the world are staging a walkout from the UN General Assembly hall as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu enters to deliver his speech.
Those walking out include representatives from Arab, Muslim and African countries but also several from European states.
Netanyahu’s supporters try to draw attention away from the spectacle by loudly applauding and standing for several minutes.
Joining the premier’s entourage in the side-gallery with Sara Netanyahu is New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
IDF confirms it was told by PM’s office to air UN speech across Gaza to ‘influence’ civilians, Hamas
IDF trucks with loudspeakers seen on the border of the Gaza Strip, apparently preparing to enter, readying to broadcast Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech at the UN to Palestinians, September 26, 2025. (Social media; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
The IDF confirms that it was ordered by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office to broadcast the premier’s UN speech to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, as part of an “influence campaign.”
Netanyahu’s office said it had instructed the military to place loudspeakers on trucks on the Israeli side of the Gaza border only, without risking the lives of troops, though the IDF says it also brought such loudspeakers into the Strip.
It is unclear if the IDF violated the prime minister’s instruction by bringing the loudspeakers into Gaza or if the statement from the Prime Minister’s Office had false information.
The military says a total of nine loudspeaker systems were deployed for the “influence campaign,” aimed both at the Palestinian civilian population in the Strip and against Hamas.
The campaign is also part of efforts to influence the hostage talks in Israel’s favor, the military says, adding that other tools are being used, which it refuses to elaborate on.
The loudspeakers were placed on cranes and trucks and taken to army encampments inside the Strip, the military confirms, though the IDF says none are being brought to the front lines. Others were placed along the border with Gaza.
WATCH: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the UN General Assembly
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu takes the podium on the fourth day of the General Debate at the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Watch his speech live:
Comparing Netanyahu to Kim Jong Un, Lapid suggests IDF disobey order to air UN speech in Gaza
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid lambastes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “megalomaniacal” decision to broadcast his UN General Assembly speech through loudspeakers placed across the Gaza Strip and calls for the IDF to disobey instructions to do so.
“Unfortunately for Netanyahu, he is not Kim Jong Un and the Israeli military should not broadcast the ruler’s speeches over loudspeakers while risking soldiers in the field,” writes Lapid on X.
“This is megalomaniacal madness that is unsuitable for a democratic country.”
UN adds 68 companies to blacklist for business ties to Israeli settlements in the West Bank
The United Nations has added nearly 70 more companies to a blacklist of firms from 11 countries that it says are complicit in violating Palestinian human rights through their business ties to Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
The new list spotlights companies that do business that’s deemed supportive of the settlements, which are considered by many to be illegal under international law. It includes an array of companies like vendors of construction materials and earth-movers, as well as providers of security, travel and financial services.
The list, formally known as a “database of companies,” now contains 158 companies — the vast majority Israeli. The others are from the United States, Canada, China, Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
Newcomers to the list include German building materials company Heidelberg Materials, Portuguese rail systems provider Steconfer, and Spanish transportation engineering firm Ineco. Among those still on the list are travel-sector companies US-based Expedia Group, Booking Holdings Inc. and Airbnb, Inc.
While 68 new companies were added on Friday, seven were taken off. A total of 215 business enterprises were assessed in this round, but hundreds more could get a look in the future.
“Businesses working in contexts of conflict have a due diligence responsibility to ensure their activities do not contribute to human rights abuses,” says Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson of the UN human rights office. “We call on businesses to take appropriate action to address the adverse human rights impacts of their activities.”
She says countries also have a responsibility to make sure that companies operating in such areas aren’t contributing to rights abuses.
The companies in the updated list are active mainly in sectors like construction, real estate, mining and quarrying. The UN human rights office, which compiled the list, has advised the companies of their listing and given them a right of reply.
Among the seven companies taken off the list were transportation company Alstom of France, and travel service providers eDreams of Spain and Opodo of Britain.
This is the first revision to the list since 2023, when 97 companies were listed — down from 112 in the original list published in 2020. Among those 15 taken off last time were US-based food and cereal giant General Mills.
Body of unknown woman found by firefighters near Na’ura, northern Israel
The scene of a brush fire in which a woman's lifeless body was found by firefighters on September 26, 2025. (Fire and Rescue Service)
A woman’s lifeless body was found near the northern Arab town of Na’ura by firefighters who had been extinguishing a fire in the area, emergency services say.
Police have launched an investigation and are working alongside paramedics and firefighters to determine the circumstances of the woman’s death.
Contrary to claim by PM’s office, loudspeakers placed inside Gaza, not on Israeli side of border
Contrary to a statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, the loudspeakers from which the premier’s UN speech will be broadcast — ostensibly to Gazans — were placed inside the Gaza Strip, and not only on the Israeli side of the border.
Loudspeakers are mounted on a crane at an army post in the northern Gaza Strip to broadcast Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech at the UN to Palestinians, September 26, 2025. (Social media; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
The loudspeakers were mounted on trucks and cranes and taken into Gaza, according to testimonies from soldiers and footage. Some of the loudspeakers were brought to army posts, including those several kilometers deep in the Strip.
A reservist is cited by i24 News as saying that they were woken up in the morning for a mission to escort trucks with loudspeakers: “We didn’t know the real reason, they only told us it was to move the population. They asked for it to be as close to the civilians as possible.”
It is unclear if any Gazans will actually be able to hear Netanyahu’s UN speech.
Biden-era Iran envoy says probe into alleged mishandling of classified information has been closed
Robert Malley, the Biden's administration special envoy for Iran, waits to testify about the Iran nuclear deal during a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations on Capitol Hill in Washington, on May 25, 2022. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/File)
The Biden administration’s Iran envoy, Rob Malley, has revealed that the State Department investigation into his alleged mishandling of classified information was recently closed.
“I didn’t know what they were looking at. The claim was that I mishandled classified information. I don’t know what they were referring to. They never told me what they were referring to. I still don’t know what they’re referring to. I may never know what they were referring to or looking at,” Malley said during a Carnegie Endowment for International Peace webinar yesterday, according to Jewish Insider.
“I do know that after roughly two years of the situation, the Justice Department notified my lawyers that they had closed the investigation,” Malley said.
Malley was suspended from his post in April 2023 over the investigation and never returned to the administration.
PMO says speakers will broadcast UN speech from Israeli side of Gaza border in ‘public diplomacy’ effort
As parents of soldiers in Gaza fume at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to send loudspeakers on trucks to broadcast his English-language United Speech into the Strip, Netanyahu’s office explains in a statement that it’s “part of the public diplomacy effort.”
“The Prime Minister’s Office instructed civilian entities, in cooperation with the IDF, to place loudspeakers on trucks on the Israeli side of the Gaza border only,” says the PMO, “with the aim of broadcasting Prime Minister Netanyahu’s historic speech today at the UN General Assembly into the Gaza Strip.”
According to the statement, Netanyahu “explicitly ordered that this operation must not endanger IDF soldiers.”
Parents and some officers told Hebrew-language media that having soldiers secure the trucks for the effort needlessly put them at risk.
London court throws out terror-related charge against member of Irish band Kneecap
Members of the band Kneecap arrive at Woolwich Crown Court in London on September 26, 2025. (AP/Joanna Chan)
A London court has thrown out a terror-related charge against a member of the controversial Irish-language hip-hop group Kneecap, basing its decision on a technical error in the way the charge was brought forward.
Rapper Mo Chara, whose real name is Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, had been charged with a single count for waving a flag of the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah, which is banned in Britain as a terrorist organization, during a London concert last year.
But chief magistrate Paul Goldspring sitting at Woolwich Crown Court says the case should be thrown out following a technical error in the way the charge against the rapper was brought.
“These proceedings were instituted unlawfully and are null,” he says.
The three-member Kneecap, which hails from Belfast, Northern Ireland, has faced criticism for statements that critics say glorify terror groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. Hungary and Canada have previously banned the group.
Kneecap has accused critics of trying to silence the band because of its support for the Palestinian cause throughout the war in Gaza, and denies that it supports Hamas and Hezbollah.
Ó hAnnaidh, 27, had claimed the prosecution was a politically motivated effort to silence the band’s support for Palestinians.
Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill welcomes the move, saying the charges were part of “a calculated attempt to silence those who stand up and speak out against the Israeli genocide in Gaza.”
“Kneecap have used their platform on stages across the world to expose this genocide, and it is the responsibility of all of us to continue speaking out and standing against injustice in Palestine,” she adds.
Parents of soldiers blast PM for using their sons in his ‘meglomaniac’ plan to broadcast UN speech across Gaza
IDF trucks with loudspeakers seen on the border of the Gaza Strip, apparently preparing to enter, readying to broadcast Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech at the UN to Palestinians, September 26, 2025. (Social media; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
A protest group representing mothers of combat soldiers slams Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for ordering the IDF to hook up loudspeakers throughout the Gaza Strip to broadcast his speech to the UN General Assembly live to its residents.
“How long will you use our sons for your personal campaign? They are not just extras in your war [movie] frame. They are not scenery in your megalomaniac show,” the Ima Era (Wide-awake Mother) group says in a statement.
“We appeal and demand from the chief of staff and also from the general of the Southern Command: The responsibility for the lives of the troops is in your hands. You must not give in to this madness,” they add.
The unusual and controversial move has also been met with angry responses from families of several hostages held by Hamas.
The IDF declines to comment and has directed journalists to contact the Prime Minister’s Office, which has not yet issued a response.
Ashdod beach evacuated after shark spotted off the coast
A shark has been spotted off the coast of Ashdod, in southern Israel, prompting city authorities to evacuate the beach.
Other beaches in the city remain open for now, although swimming is not permitted.
The municipality says lifeguards are monitoring the situation.
In April, a man was killed in a shark attack off the coast of Hadera while diving to document sharks.
הכריש שגרם לבהלה באשדוד והוביל לסגירת כל החופים בעיר: ככל הנראה כריש -לוויתן. באשדוד בודקים אם לא הווה סכנה לפני שיפתחו מחדש את החופים
צילום: עיריית אשדוד pic.twitter.com/IrLdgCW0ql— almog boker (@bokeralmog) September 26, 2025
Acting Shin Bet chief congratulates incoming chief David Zini after candidacy approved by committee
Acting Shin Bet chief “Shin”, who can only be identified by his first initial in Hebrew, spoke with former IDF general David Zini, who is slated to enter the role after the cabinet approves his appointment.
The Shin Bet says the acting agency chief congratulated Zini and wished him success in his role, adding that “he would assist in whatever is needed to learn and enter this important role in the best possible way.”
Tehran signs $25 billion agreement with Russia for four nuclear power plants in Iran
Iran has signed a $25 billion agreement with Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom to build four nuclear power plants in Iran, IRNA news agency said on Friday.
Rosatom said on Wednesday it signed a memorandum of understanding on the construction of small nuclear power plants in Iran, without giving a number.
‘Psychological abuse’: Relatives of hostages slam Netanyahu’s plan to air UN speech across Gaza
Families of the Gaza hostages slam the decision to broadcast Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s UN General Assembly speech across the Gaza Strip, suggesting that the premier should instead use the opportunity to speak to the hostages.
“Instead of the Gazans, I would prefer to speak to those who are longing for a voice of hope — the hostages and the soldiers,” writes Lishay Miran-Lavi, the wife of hostage Omri Miran, on X.
“If they’ve already set up loudspeakers, I would be happy to transmit a recording of myself to Omri so that I can tell him, and all the hostages and soldiers, that the people of Israel are fighting for them and with an overwhelming majority want an agreement that will bring them home and end the fighting,” she writes. “Would you agree?”
Anat Angrest, the mother of hostage Matan Angrest, also takes to X to warn the premier that there is a chance the hostages may also hear his speech over the loudspeakers.
“Any sentence other than ‘I came to the United States to sign a deal that brings you all home’ is psychological abuse for them,” she writes. “Don’t destroy their hope, if they still have any.”
לוחמי אוגדה 99 נערכים להשמעת נאום נתניהו ברמקולים לתושבי עזה pic.twitter.com/U7uZNRKRjZ
— איתי בלומנטל ???????? Itay Blumental (@ItayBlumental) September 26, 2025
Meanwhile, an image posted online by Kan’s military correspondent shows army vehicles with loudspeakers mounted on them in preparation for Netanyahu’s speech.
Senior Hamas official insists Oct. 7 helped the Palestinian cause, as it exposed Israel’s ‘brutality’
Ghazi Hamad, a member of Hamas's political bureau, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Beirut, Lebanon, October 26, 2023. (AP/Bilal Hussein)
Senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad insists that the October 7, 2023, assault on Israel was a “benefit” to the Palestinian cause, despite the deadly war still raging in the Gaza Strip, two years after the massacre in southern Israel.
In an interview with CNN aired Thursday, Hamad says that the cross-border assault, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage, created a “golden moment” for the future of the Palestinians, as the subsequent war has exposed Israel’s “brutality” to the world.
“You know what is the benefit of October 7 now?” Hamad asks. “If you look to the [UN] General Assembly yesterday, when about 194 people opened their eyes and looked to the atrocity, to the brutality of Israel, and all of them, they condemned Israel.”
“We waited for this moment for 77 years,” he says. “I think this is a golden moment for the world to change history.”
According to Hamas’s own figures, which cannot be independently verified, more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 7.
Asked by CNN whether Hamas is in any way responsible for these deaths, given that it unleashed war with Israel by launching its October 7 assault, Hamad denies that this is the case, and suggests there had been no alternative way to advance the Palestinian cause.
“I know the price [is]so high, but I’m asking again, what is the option?” he inquires.
He also rejects the insistence by Western states that Hamas must have no place in a future independent Palestinian state, saying that the world could not “exclude” the terror group, as it is “playing a positive role” to advance the cause.
Anti-government protesters rally against David Zini’s appointment as Shin Bet chief outside Har Hamor Yeshiva
Protesters demonstrate against the nomination of retired IDF general David Zini to head the Shin Bet, after his candidacy for the position was approved by the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee on September 26, 2025. (Courtesy)
Dozens of anti-government protesters demonstrate in Jerusalem outside the ultraconservative Har Hamor Yeshiva in opposition to the appointment of former IDF general David Zini as Shin Bet chief.
Zini, who studied at the yeshiva, is Netanyahu’s contentious pick to helm the internal security agency. His candidacy was approved by a key committee this morning, effectively guaranteeing him the position.
Protesters gathering outside the yeshiva in East Jerusalem, call Zini an “illegitimate candidate” and are imploring the High Court of Justice to nullify his candidacy, arguing his views should preclude him from heading the Shin Bet.
“There are preconditions that a gatekeeper must meet,” says demonstrator Matanel Ciechanowski, who accuses Zini of following “a very extremist ideology that is also connected to a certain party which advances homophobia, Jewish supremacy.”
Rabbi Zvi Tau, who heads the Har Hamor Yeshiva that Zini attended, is also the spiritual leader of the far-right, anti-LGBTQ Noam party.
Zini himself is a self-styled “messianic” and has reportedly derided the judicial system as a “dictatorship” that rules over the State of Israel.
Students at the yeshiva are filmed pouring water on the protesters from the upper floors of the building, but the demonstrators remain where they are on the front steps of the yeshiva.
‘The people of Palestine and Israel deserve better’: UK’s Lammy calls for ‘durable’ peace plan in UN speech
Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom David Lammy addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, September 25, 2025, at the UN headquarters. (AP/Pamela Smith)
Palestinians and Israelis deserve better than the “indefensible” war in Gaza and the “horrific acts” carried out by Hamas on October 7, 2023, British Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy told the UN General Assembly in New York overnight.
Lammy, who was recently promoted to deputy prime minister from his previous post as foreign secretary, addressed the UN just days after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that the UK would recognize an independent Palestinian state.
Calling Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip, where it has battled Hamas for the past two years, “indefensible” and “inhumane,” Lammy told the UN that “The people of Palestine, whose state we proudly recognized this week, and the people of Israel, deserve better.”
“Better than the horrific acts by Hamas on October 7th that left children without their parents, and parents without their children,” he said. “Better than the torment of families waiting desperately for the return of their loved ones from the most barbaric captivity.”
“Better than the fanatical rule by Hamas, a vile, pitiless terrorist organisation that must have no future in Gaza. Better than Israel’s denial of life-saving humanitarian aid and the catastrophic famine that it has caused,” Lammy continued.
“There can be no answer to these horrors but concerted diplomatic action,” he said, confirming the UK’s support for US President Donald Trump’s efforts to “build a consensus around a durable plan for peace.”
“There can be no answer except for the hostages out, now,” he reiterated. “Aid in, now. And a ceasefire, now.”
He added that the UK “will not rest” until there are “two states living side by side in peace and security.”
IDF issues evacuation warning for building in Gaza City ahead of strike
The IDF issues an evacuation warning for Palestinians residing in the vicinity of a building in Gaza City ahead of an airstrike.
“The IDF will strike the building soon due to the presence of Hamas terror infrastructure inside or nearby,” the military’s Arabic-language spokesman, Col. Avichay Adraee, says.
For weeks, the IDF has called on Palestinian civilians in all areas of Gaza City to head for an Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in the Strip’s south, amid a new offensive against Hamas in the area.
Out of the one million Palestinians who were residing in Gaza City, more than 700,000 have evacuated, according to IDF estimates.
#عاجل ‼️ انذار عاجل إلى كل من لم يخل بعد منطقة ميناء غزة وحي الرمال في البلوكات 724, 725, 777, 835, 704, 702, 709 بالقرب من البرج المحدد بالأحمر والخيم المجاورة له في شارع أمين الحسيني
⭕️سيهاجم جيش الدفاع المبنى في الوقت القريب نظرًا لوجود بنى تحتية إرهابية لحماس داخله أو بجواره… pic.twitter.com/yyqZ95y4Fr
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) September 26, 2025
Germany’s far-right AfD evicted from Berlin headquarters
A Berlin civil court has ruled that the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party will have to vacate its national headquarters in Berlin next year after a dispute with the owner.
The Austrian owner of the building had complained that the AfD breached conditions of its rental contract during a national election night party in February when it celebrated a record result.
The ruling comes after conciliation proceedings between the landlord, Lukas Hufnagl, and representatives of the AfD regarding the use of the property failed last week.
The landlord had applied for an immediate eviction, which was rejected because he had not issued the party with a formal warning.
Hufnagl had complained to the authorities after the AfD had projected its election score of 20.8 percent and its party logo onto an outside wall of the building on the election night.
Tight police protection at the time also blocked other tenants from entering the building in Berlin’s Reinickendorf district, Hufnagl said.
The owner then gave notice to the AfD, but the party refused to vacate the premises.
The AfD had behaved as if it owned the property, Hufnagl charged in a Politico podcast interview.
The anti-immigration party welcomes the fact that it would not have to vacate the building immediately and slammed the proceedings as “political.”
“The court confirmed our legal opinion: the termination without notice was legally unfounded and was rightly dismissed today,” says AfD spokesman Kay Gottschalk.
Katz congratulates Zini on candidacy for Shin Bet chief
Defense Minister Israel Katz says he spoke with former IDF general David Zini to congratulate him on his candidacy for Shin Bet chief being approved by a vetting panel.
“The IDF has lost an outstanding major general, and the Shin Bet has gained an excellent leader, who I am convinced, together with the exceptional people within it, will know how to navigate this highly important organization with talent and strength during the challenging period we are in,” Katz says on X.
“We agreed to work together for the security of the State of Israel,” he adds.
Iran warns it will scrap agreement with UN nuclear watchdog if sanctions reimposed
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says that Tehran would scrap an agreement to let the International Atomic Energy Agency inspect its nuclear sites if Western powers reinstate UN sanctions.
A set of UN sanctions on Iran are due to be reimposed at 00:00 GMT (2 a.m. Israel time) on Saturday after Britain, France and Germany accused Tehran of violating a 2015 deal with major powers aimed at preventing it from developing a nuclear weapon.
The IAEA had been trying to rebuild cooperation with Tehran and resume inspections of its nuclear facilities after Israel and the United States bombed the sites in June.
But in a post on Telegram, Araghchi says a deal signed in Egypt this month “will remain valid as long as no hostile action is taken against Iran, including the reinstatement of United Nations Security Council resolutions that have been annulled.”
He adds: “Otherwise, the Islamic Republic of Iran will consider its practical commitments terminated.”
The Security Council is to vote today on a resolution proposed by Russia and China to delay the reimposition of sanctions under the so-called “snapback mechanism” for six months, but diplomats say it is unlikely to pass.
The mechanism, enshrined in Security Council Resolution 2231, allows any party to the 2015 agreement with the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany to unilaterally restore the UN sanctions that were suspended by the deal.
Tehran has long denounced the provision as a political weapon that undermines diplomacy.
IDF confirms striking Hezbollah missile manufacturing site in eastern Lebanon
The IDF confirms carrying out an airstrike in Lebanon’s eastern Beqaa Valley a short while ago, saying it targeted a Hezbollah precision missile manufacturing site.
The Hezbollah facility has been targeted by the IDF several times before. The military says its existence is a violation of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
It issues footage of the strike.
צה״ל תקף אתר לייצור טילים מדוייקים של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה בלבנון
צה״ל תקף לפני זמן קצר, באמצעות כלי טיס של חיל האוויר ובהכוונה מודיעינית של אמ״ן, אתר לייצור טילים מדוייקים של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב הבקעא שבלבנון.
קיומו של האתר שהותקף מהווה הפרה של ההבנות בין ישראל ללבנון.… pic.twitter.com/tvDNGgjTAv
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) September 26, 2025
IDF ordered to broadcast Netanyahu’s UN speech across the Gaza Strip, reports say
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledges audience applause after his address to the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
The Prime Minister’s Office has instructed the IDF to hook up loudspeakers throughout the Gaza Strip so that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to the UN General Assembly can be broadcast live to its residents, Hebrew news outlets are reporting.
According to Channel 12, the army has voiced opposition to this order, as it would require soldiers to leave their posts and enter areas of the Gaza Strip that put them at increased risk of being targeted by Hamas operatives.
Still, the Haaretz newspaper reports that the army will not defy the PMO’s request, and is preparing to broadcast Netanyahu’s speech across Gaza.
One military official tells Haaretz that the move is an act of psychological warfare.
Netanyahu’s speech is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. Israel time, and is expected to primarily focus on blasting Western recognition of an independent Palestinian state.
The IDF declined to comment on the reports, and directed journalists to contact the Prime Minister’s Office, which has not yet issued a response.
Charges filed against US-Israeli citizen suspected of spying on public figures for Iran
Dual American-Israeli citizen Yaakov Perl, an alleged spy for Iran who was arrested by authorities on September 4, 2025, speaks at an anti-Israel protest in Rabat, Morocco on November 9, 2023. (Screenshot/Youtube)
State prosecutors file charges against dual American-Israeli citizen Yaakov Perl, a Hasidic man who allegedly spied on Iran’s behalf on several public figures including ex-IDF chief Herzi Halevi and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.
The defendant is a member of the Satmar Hasidic movement and harbors a deep antipathy towards the State of Israel, which drove him to reach out to Iranian intelligence operatives online, prosecutors say.
Perl had been living in Morocco for several years, where he took part in protests against Israel and published articles condemning Zionism.
He appears to have garnered attention in the Arab world shortly after October 7 during an anti-Israel protest in Morocco’s capital Rabat, where he declared to an interviewer that “the real Judaism and the real Jews are against Zionism.”
After making contact with the agent, Perl attempted several times to recruit Israelis and foreign workers to spy on his behalf, but to no success. In July of this year, he moved to Israel himself for espionage purposes and settled down in Beit Shemesh.
According to prosecutors, Perl traveled across the country to carry out missions for his Iranian operator, filming Halevi’s home and gathering intelligence on the security arrangements around Ben Gvir’s residence.
The defendant went so far as to consider renting an apartment near the homes of both Halevi and Ben Gvir in order to spy on them for an extended period of time.
He also collected information on an organization that campaigns for Jewish prayer rights on the Temple Mount, which Ben Gvir and his wife are supposedly members of.
Perl declined to go up to the Temple Mount when asked to do so by his operator, citing the commonly held belief among Haredim that Jews are prohibited from ascending to the holy site.
Like most other Israeli agents recruited by Iranian operators, Perl was compensated in cryptocurrency for the missions he carried out on Tehran’s behalf and made at least $15,000.
He was arrested on September 4 and is charged in the Tel Aviv District Court with the offenses of aiding the enemy during wartime, providing intelligence to the enemy with the intent of harming national security and providing intelligence to the enemy that could benefit them.
Israeli airstrikes reported in eastern Lebanon; no comment from IDF
Lebanese media reports Israeli airstrikes in the eastern Beqaa Valley area.
There is no immediate comment from the IDF.
ثلاث غـ.ـارات جرود النبي شيت _ ماسا pic.twitter.com/9poiJmQHGA
— مصدر مسؤول (@fouadkhreiss) September 26, 2025
140 targets hit in Gaza over past day, IDF says, as ground troops tackle Gaza City
IDF troops are seen operating in the Gaza Strip in an image published on September 26, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
The Israeli Air Force struck over 140 targets in the Gaza Strip in the past day, the military says.
The targets hit by the IAF included terror operatives, tunnels, buildings used by terror groups, and other infrastructure, according to the IDF.
The Hamas-run health ministry reported yesterday that 83 Palestinians were killed over the previous 24 hours.
In Gaza City, the military says the 98th, 36th, and 162nd divisions continue to destroy Hamas sites — including tunnels — kill operatives, and locate weapons amid a new offensive against Hamas.
In addition to the IAF strikes, the 282nd Artillery Regiment shelled some 35 sites in Gaza City, including buildings used by Hamas and operatives, as part of support for the 36th Division, the IDF adds.
Elsewhere in north Gaza, outside of Gaza City, the military says troops of the 99th Division killed several operatives who approached forces.
Donor nations agree on emergency financial aid package for the Palestinian Authority
A group of nations providing financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority has agreed to an emergency package increasing the support, Norway’s foreign ministry says.
Saudi Arabia, Spain, Britain, Japan and France are among the nations supporting the initiative dubbed the Emergency Coalition for the Financial Sustainability of the Palestinian Authority.
It is not immediately clear how much funding the initiative would raise.
The Norwegian government says its contribution is for 40 million Norwegian crowns ($4.0 million).
“This coalition was established in response to the urgent and unprecedented financial crisis confronting the Palestinian Authority (PA),” the foreign ministry says in a statement.
The immediate purpose is to stabilize the PA’s finances and preserve its ability to govern, provide essential services and maintain security, it adds.
The countries participating in the scheme also call on Israel to release funds belonging to the PA.
For four consecutive months, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has been refusing to transfer clearance revenues that Israel collects on the PA’s behalf. These funds make up the majority of Ramallah’s budget and their withholding has brought the PA to the brink of collapse.
Norway has for decades chaired the international donor group to the Palestinians known as the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC).
Jacob Magid contributed to this report.
Samaria Regional Council head urges Netanyahu to defy Trump, annex the West Bank
Shomron Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, left, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right at the Knesset, in Jerusalem on December 11, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Yossi Dagan, the head of the Samaria Regional Council, urges Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to defy Washington and annex the West Bank, after US President Donald Trump said that he will “not allow” Israel to do so.
“Netanyahu must tell Trump: ‘We will not arrive at October 7, 2025 — I am applying sovereignty,'” says Dagan, in comments quoted by Ynet.
He claims that “the ball is always in Netanyahu’s court” and that there’s no reason he shouldn’t be able to convince a “sympathetic US administration” to come around to his point of view.
His call to defy Trump on the issue has been echoed by others, including MK Avi Maoz, the only Noam party lawmaker in the Knesset, who says that “with all due respect” to the US, “the decision to apply sovereignty lies with the Israeli government and Knesset.”
Central Elections Committee director said negotiating over early departure from role
Central Elections Committee director general Orly Ades on November 1, 2022. (Screenshot)
Orly Ades, director-general of the Central Elections Commission, is negotiating over the terms of an early departure from her office, Ynet reports.
According to the news site, Supreme Court Judge Noam Sohlberg, who serves as the chairman of the commission, is looking to shorten Ades’s term, such that she will remain in office until about a year after the coming elections, scheduled for October 2026.
Sohlberg is looking to reduce the director-general’s role on the commission, by appointing a new figure who would take on some of Ades’s responsibilities regarding personnel appointments, Ynet says.
It also reports Sohlberg is looking into the possibility of limiting the director-general role, in general, to 10-year terms.
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid responds on X to the Ynet report, writing: “The report about efforts to weaken and harm the independence of the Central Elections Commission director-general and to lead to her retirement are bothersome. The commission is the last bastion defending the purity of elections and the trustworthiness of their results.”
“The director-general must remain in her position until the end of the coming elections. Sohlberg must promise that it will be so, and not collaborate with any efforts by the coalition to lead to her dismissal,” he adds.
Trump declares TikTok sale ready and values it at $14 billion, far below analysts’ estimates
US President Donald Trump holds a signed executive order regarding TikTok in the Oval Office at the White House, on September 25, 2025, in Washington. (AP/Alex Brandon)
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order declaring that his plan to sell Chinese-owned TikTok’s US operations to US and global investors will address the national security requirements in a 2024 law.
He also delays, until January 20, enforcement of the law that bans the app unless its Chinese owners sell it.
The new US company will be valued at around $14 billion, Vice President JD Vance said, putting a price tag on the popular short video app far below some analyst estimates.
TikTok’s Chinese parent, ByteDance, currently values itself at more than $330 billion, according to its new employee share buyback plan. TikTok contributes a small percentage of the company’s total revenue.
According to Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives, TikTok was estimated to be worth $30 billion to $40 billion without its algorithm as of April 2025.
Trump’s order says the algorithm will be retrained and monitored by the US company’s security partners, and the operation of the algorithm will be under the control of the new joint venture.
Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping had indicated approval of the plans. “I spoke with President Xi,” Trump said. “We had a good talk, I told him what we were doing and he said go ahead with it.”
“This is going to be American-operated all the way,” Trump says.
Chinese media paint a different picture of the TikTok agreement, suggesting ByteDance will continue to play a major or operational role.
Iran likely carried out undeclared missile test, satellite photos analyzed by AP show
This satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC shows a scorched launch pad at Iran's Imam Khomeini Spaceport in Semnan province, Iran, on September 24, 2025. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran has likely carried out an undeclared missile test at its Imam Khomeini Spaceport, satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press show.
Iran has not formally acknowledged last week’s test at a circular pad that has hosted other major launches by the country’s civilian space program.
A single lawmaker in Iran’s parliament, however, claimed, without offering evidence, that Tehran tested a possible intercontinental ballistic missile.
On September 18, Iranian social media users posted images of the sky over Semnan province, showing what appeared to be a rocket’s contrail at sunset.
Iranian officials did not acknowledge what caused the contrail, nor did Iranian state media report on the incident.
Launch pad shows scorch marks, at scale of solid-fuel missile
Satellite photos taken prior to that by Planet Labs PBC showed the circular pad at Imam Khomeini Spaceport — about 230 kilometers (145 miles) southeast of Iran’s capital, Tehran, in Semnan — painted blue ringed with red, white and green lines — the colors of the Iranian flag.
But in satellite images since September 18, the pad appeared discolored, though it wasn’t fully clear until a more-detailed Planet image requested by the AP taken this Wednesday.
That image shows significant scorch marks, the pattern of which resemble scorching seen at the pad following past launches. When rockets launch, the flames from their engines pour down onto pads.
Fabian Hinz, a research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, who studies missiles, says the scale of the scorching suggested Iran launched a solid-fuel missile, as burning aluminum oxide particles cause such marks.
The north-south marks suggest a blast deflector being used as well to channel the flames, he says.
Tony Blair eyeing leading role in managing post-war Gaza under Trump peace plan — report
Britain's former prime minister Tony Blair speaks during a session at the World Economic Forum in Tianjin on June 24, 2025. (Jade Gao/AFP)
Former British prime minister Tony Blair seeks a senior role in running postwar Gaza under a peace plan being developed by the Trump administration, the Financial Times says, citing people briefed on the proposal.
Reuters cannot immediately verify the report, which comes after The Times of Israel revealed Blair’s role in crafting a US-backed proposal for ending the Israel-Hamas war and establishing a transitional governing body.
Blair had been proposed to chair a supervisory board called the “Gaza International Transitional Authority,” the paper adds.
Blair was part of a late August meeting Trump presided over to tackle Israel’s war in Gaza and post-war plans for the territory.
In July, the paper says the Tony Blair Institute participated in a project to develop a post-war Gaza plan.
The think-tank had said none of its talks with different groups on post-war reconstruction of Gaza had included the idea of forcible relocation of people from the area.
The Haaretz daily reported earlier Thursday that the US is interested in having Blair head up the GITA’s international advisory board.
Netanyahu meets with Argentina’s Milei, who calls for swift release of Hamas hostages
After his meetings with the leaders of Paraguay and Serbia, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Argentinian President Javier Milei on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
There is no immediate statement from Netanyahu on his talks with Milei, who has been a vocal supporter of Israel.
Milei’s office releases a video from the meeting, which it says primarily focused on the plight of the hostages held by Hamas-led terrorists in Gaza, with the Argentine president calling for their swift release and expressing his willingness to help Israel secure the captives’ freedom.
The 48 hostages remaining in Gaza include Israeli-Argentine dual nationals Eitan Horn and brothers Ariel Cunio and David Cunio. A fourth, Lior Rudaeff, was killed on October 7, 2023, and his remains have been held in Gaza since.
El Presidente Javier Milei mantuvo una reunión con el Primer Ministro de Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, durante la cual abordaron principalmente la situación de los rehenes cautivos en Gaza.
El Presidente de la Nación reiteró su "firme compromiso de colaborar en todas las… pic.twitter.com/vdZZXmgZoA
— Oficina del Presidente (@OPRArgentina) September 26, 2025
US Justice Department charges ex-FBI chief and Trump opponent James Comey with ‘serious crimes’
Former FBI director James Comey talks with 'Fox News Sunday' anchor Chris Wallace, December 15, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
Former FBI director James Comey is charged with “serious crimes” linked to the disclosure of sensitive information, the US Department of Justice says.
The indictment handed down by a federal grand jury alleged Comey obstructed a congressional investigation and made a false statement, the department says in a statement.
If convicted, Comey faces up to five years in prison, according to federal prosecutor Lindsey Halligan, who was appointed by US President Donald Trump just days ago.
Trump hails the indictment of Comey, a prominent critic of the US president, proclaiming “JUSTICE IN AMERICA!”
“One of the worst human beings this Country has ever been exposed to is James Comey, the former Corrupt Head of the FBI,” Trump says on his Truth Social platform.
“He has been so bad for our Country, for so long, and is now at the beginning of being held responsible for his crimes against our Nation.”
Likud MK: Israel loves Trump but West Bank annexation ‘solely the Jewish people’s decision’
Likud MK Dan Ilouz at the Knesset in Jerusalem, July 22, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
A lawmaker from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party rejects US President Donald Trump’s declaration that he won’t allow Israel to annex the West Bank, stating that the matter “is solely the decision of the Jewish people.”
“We love and appreciate President Trump for standing alongside Israel over the years,” MK Dan Ilouz tweets. “But the State of Israel is a sovereign country.”
“No international figure, even a great and beloved friend, can dictate to us how to relate to our land.”
Far-right MK calls for Israel to annex West Bank despite Trump’s opposition
Religious Zionism MK Zvi Sukkot speaks at the 'Israel's Return to the Temple Mount' conference at the Knesset in Jerusalem, July 24, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Without mentioning US President Donald Trump, a lawmaker from the far-right Religious Zionism party calls for Israel to go ahead with annexing the West Bank before the next elections are held in defiance of the American leader.
“The Jewish people’s sovereignty over the Jewish homeland does not depend on any external source. Even one as loving and friendly as can be,” MK Zvi Sukkot writes on X.
“Faced with European countries’ insane recognition of a Palestinian terror state, we must apply sovereignty [over the West Bank] already in this term,” he adds.
Trump says he won’t allow Israel to annex West Bank: ‘It’s not going to happen’
US President Donald Trump speaks to the press in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on September 25, 2025. (Saul Loeb/AFP)
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, US President Donald Trump declares that he “will not allow Israel will to annex the West Bank,” in his first-ever public comments on the matter.
“It’s not gonna happen,” he stresses when asked to confirm reports that he had assured Arab and Muslim leaders of the stance during a multilateral meeting on Tuesday on the UN General Assembly sidelines.
Trump says he spoke to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the issue.
“There’s been enough. It’s time to stop now,” the US president adds.
BREAKING: Trump:
I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. No, I will not allow, not going to happen.
It’s been enough, it’s time to stop now. pic.twitter.com/SwZjuRqE9j
— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 25, 2025
Zamir congratulates former general David Zini after candidacy for Shin Bet chief approved
David Zini at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City on August 6, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir congratulates former general David Zini on his candidacy for Shin Bet chief being approved by a senior vetting panel, the military says.
In a call with Zini this evening, Zamir says he is “confident that Zini will bring his personal abilities, leadership and the experience he has gained as a combat commander in the IDF also to Shin Bet,” according to an IDF readout.
Additionally, Zamir noted that “the cooperation between the organizations is critical to the security of the state and that the IDF, and he personally, will stand behind him as much as necessary for him to succeed in his position.”
Zini also thanked Zamir for the years of service in the IDF under his command, the military says, adding that the pair agreed to meet soon.
Zini had been dismissed from the military by Zamir for holding talks regarding the Shin Bet chief role with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu behind his back.
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