Sept. 8: Qatar PM urges Hamas to accept latest US-backed ceasefire deal, source says

Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel attends a replacing ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem on November 10, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Marking the fifth anniversary of the signing of the Abraham Accords, Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel departs for Abu Dhabi, says her office.

Her visit is meant to “continue strengthening and deepening relations between Israel and the UAE, expand cooperation in the economic, political, and security spheres, and advance the expansion of the Abraham Accords to additional countries in the Middle East and around the world,” according to her office.

She will meet UAE Chairman of the Foreign and Defense Committee Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, Minister of State at the Foreign Ministry Noura Al Kaabi, and Minister of State for International Cooperation and Reem Al Hashimy.

The delegation traveling with her will participate in an international conference of the European Leadership Network, where Haskell will deliver the keynote address on the expansion of the Abraham Accords.

7:54 am

Zohran Mamdani says he’d permanently divest NYC from Israel Bonds if elected

New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks at a rally with Hotel & Gaming Trades Council workers, in New York, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, says that if elected, he will oppose restoring the city’s historic investments in Israel Bonds.

He stops short of calling to divest from Israeli businesses, though he does not explicitly reject the position, either, explaining that New York should focus on where it is “directly implicated” in violations of international law.

“And in the city pension fund, purchasing Israel Bonds, that, to me, is something that is a clear indication of our values — and we know that our values are actually with international law,” Mamdani tells CBS New York.

The city’s investments in Israel Bonds — totaling some $39 million as of January 2022 — were cut off by Mamdani’s ally, city comptroller Brad Lander, who cited a general policy of avoiding debt to foreign governments, saying Israel had been an exception and was now being treated in accordance with the rule.

???? Mamdani tells @MKramerTV he backs Brad Lander’s decision not to purchase new bonds in Israeli government debt securities — known as Israel Bonds — as a political statement during his mayoralty.

The NYC comptroller oversees these investments.

More ⬇️ https://t.co/C0cy6kCIYb pic.twitter.com/YRTph1NeIE

— Jacob N. Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) September 7, 2025

Mark Levine, the Democratic nominee for comptroller, has said he will restore the bonds, and confirms after the comment from Mamdani — whom he endorsed — that he still intends to do so if elected.

Israel Bonds CEO Dani Naveh declines to respond to Mamdani by name, but says in a statement: “Israel Bonds is proud of the unprecedented outpouring of support — more than $5.5 billion in investments since October 7 — including major commitments from local governments around the country including the State of New York.”

In the interview, Mamdani also criticizes current NYC Mayor Eric Adams, saying he “had a meeting with Israeli settler leaders [and] promised greater cooperation between this city and that movement.”

Adams traveled to Israel in 2023, meeting with figures from across the political spectrum, including Binyamin Regional Council chair Yisrael Gantz.

“I did not go into conversations [about] settlements, it was not mentioned at all in the meeting, at no time did we talk about settlements, that is not why I’m here,” Adams told The Times of Israel, at the time.

7:57 am

Man in 30s seriously injured in violent incident, reportedly a shooting, near Nazareth

Paramedics on the scene at a suspected murder in Yafia on March 18, 2024. (MDA)

A man in his 30s was seriously injured in a violent incident in Yafia, an Arab town near Nazareth, paramedics say.

He was injured by gunfire, according to local Arabic reports.

The man, whose condition is unstable, is being taken to Nazareth’s English Hospital for medical treatment.

The reported shooting comes amid a spike in a violent crime wave which has claimed 12 lives over the past week.

The victims include 11 Arab citizens and a police officer, who was shot and killed last night in Zalafa, just north of Umm al-Fahm, while chasing down suspects. Police have not released the name of the slain officer.

Yesterday morning, 41-year-old Mahmoud Samir Khatib was stabbed and killed in Kafr Yasif, an Arab town in northern Israel.

8:10 am

New Gaza proposal said to include ‘highly significant guarantees’ against Israel resuming war amid talks

Palestinians inspect the damage after an Israeli army strike on a building in Gaza City, Sept. 7, 2025, after the Israeli army issued a prior warning. (AP/Yousef Al Zanoun)

The new American proposal for a hostage-ceasefire deal with the Hamas terror group includes “highly significant guarantees” that Israel won’t resume fighting so long as talks are ongoing for an end to the war, Ynet reports, citing sources privy to the details of the negotiations.

According to the sources, the IDF will not stay in its current positions if the proposal goes into effect, and a “rearrangement” is likely amid the ceasefire.

The proposal, which a source close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that Israel was “seriously considering,” reportedly calls for Hamas to release all 48 hostages, living and dead, on day one, while Israel would release hundreds of Palestinian terrorists with blood on their hands, and thousands of other prisoners.

In addition, the IDF would call off its conquest of Gaza City and would remain outside the city, according to the report.

The two sides would engage in talks over the end of the war under the personal oversight of Trump, and the ceasefire would continue as long as negotiations last.

8:19 am

EU asylum applications down 23% in 1st half of 2025, as fewer Syrians seek protection

By AFP

BRUSSELS, Belgium — Asylum applications to the European Union fell by 23 percent in the first six months of 2025, driven by a massive drop in Syrians seeking protection, the EU’s asylum agency said Monday.

Data from the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) showed Syrians lodged around 25,000 requests in the 27-nation bloc plus Switzerland and Norway (EU+), down 66 percent on the same period last year.

“This remarkable reduction is hardly due to policy changes in the EU+,” EUAA said in a report, crediting instead the ouster of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 by a coalition of Islamist-led rebels.

“With the new Syrian authorities advocating for stability and reconstruction, many displaced Syrians have evidently become more hopeful about returning to rebuild their communities,” the report added.

9:29 am

Defense minister: ‘Today, a powerful hurricane will strike the skies of Gaza City’

Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and other military and defense officials meet at Katz's office in Tel Aviv, August 14, 2025. (Shira Keinan/Defense Ministry)

Defense Minister Israel Katz posts on X: “Today, a powerful hurricane will strike in the skies of Gaza City, and the roofs of the towers of terror will shake.”

“This is the last warning to the murderers and rapists of Hamas in Gaza, and in luxury hotels abroad: Release the hostages, and put down your weapons — or Gaza will be destroyed and you will be obliterated,” he writes.

“The IDF is continuing with its plans — and we are preparing to expand the maneuver to defeat Gaza.”

The message comes as Israel sets the stage for a major offensive to take over Gaza City in the northern Strip, a city where some million residents were sheltering prior to the latest evacuations; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that over 100,000 people have left so far.

In recent days, the Israel Defense Forces have been striking one Gaza high-rise each day after evacuation warnings, asserting that the buildings were used by the Hamas terror group. The strikes have also been interpreted as part of an effort to motivate civilians to leave the city in advance of the takeover operation.

9:56 am

Lapid and Eisenkot meet, agree to convene leaders of ‘Change Bloc’ to plan next government

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid (L) meets with former MK Gadi Eisenkot, September 7, 2025. (Courtesy)

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid met with former Blue and White-National Unity number two Gadi Eisenkot last night, a spokesman for Lapid announces.

At the meeting, it was agreed to convene a meeting of all of the leaders of the the so-called “Change Bloc” to “deepen coordination and begin formulating the basic guidelines for the next government, following the talks and meetings that have taken place in recent days,” the spokesman says.

According to Lapid’s spokesman, the meeting will be attended by Lapid, Eisenkot, Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman, Bennett 2026 chairman Naftali Bennett, Blue and White-National Unity chief Benny Gantz and The Democrats head Yair Golan.

Eisenkot, who had been No. 2 in Blue and White, quit both the faction and Knesset over the summer, stating that while he and Gantz had worked together for many years and respect each other, their differences eventually drove them apart politically.

Eisenkot later called on Gantz to step down because his party was hovering around the electoral threshold and at risk of failing to return to the Knesset after the next election.

In addition to meeting with Lapid, Eisenkot also sat with Bennett on Sunday to discuss a new Israeli leadership, according to a statement from Bennett’s office reported by Hebrew media.

According to the Maariv daily, the two have held a series of meetings recently as part of Liberman’s larger effort to create a broad bloc to serve as an alternative to the current Likud-led coalition.

Liberman also met with Bennett last week as he sought to galvanize the “Zionist opposition party heads” to come up with a “basic outline” for the next government.

In leaked comments from a speech at a conference in Kfar Saba last week, published by the Walla news site on Sunday, Bennett declared that “we need to form a national Zionist unity government based on the ‘alliance of service’: those who serve and who accept the government’s guiding principles.”

“I have a role, and that is to unite the various centrist parties. We’ll talk to Liberman, to Eisenkot, and get everyone into one big party,” he said, telling the conference that their role is to “convince everyone to vote for this party and win a clear and decisive majority.”

Bennett also said that, if this party were elected, his plan would be to “lay down a constitutional foundation” and “pass a constitution for Israel,” something that he said he had thought was “unnecessary” in the past.

10:21 am

Suspected terror attack at entrance to Jerusalem, some 15 injured by gunfire

Medics are treating some 15 victims who were injured by gunfire in a suspected terror attack at the Ramot Junction entrance to Jerusalem, says the Magen David Adom ambulance service.

According to preliminary reports, at least two gunmen carried out the shooting.

10:30 am

Two terrorists ‘neutralized’ after shooting attack at entrance to Jerusalem

The two terrorists who carried out the shooting attack at the Ramot Junction entrance to Jerusalem were “neutralized,” police say.

At least 15 people were injured by the gunfire, including six in serious condition, according to Magen David Adom.

10:35 am

Netanyahu trial set to resume at noon, behind closed doors

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the Tel Aviv District Court before the start of his testimony in the criminal trial against him, June 3, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial is slated to resume today, as the court system returns from its August recess and after the premier missed the last scheduled hearings in July due to food poisoning.

A hearing is set to begin at noon and is expected to take several hours.

The hearing will take place behind closed doors, a security measure that’s been taken regularly throughout the trial due to sensitive information being discussed.

The trial, which is currently in its cross-examination phase, has been going on since 2020, and Netanyahu has been testifying twice a week since December, with countless of these hearings canceled or cut short for various reasons related to the premier’s responsibilities and to his fatigue and illnesses.

10:36 am

Herzog to leave tomorrow for 3-day ‘solidarity’ visit to London at invitation of UK Jews

President Isaac Herzog speaks during a public event on September 2, 2025 (Kobi Gideon/GPO)

President Isaac Herzog will take off tomorrow for a three-day visit to London, his office confirms after days of reporting on the trip in British media.

According to the President’s Residence, the visit is meant “to show solidarity with the Jewish community, which is under severe attack and facing a wave of antisemitism.”

Herzog’s office says he was invited by Jewish organizations to deliver speeches at communal conferences.

Herzog “will focus on advancing international efforts to secure the release of the hostages, alongside other political issues,” says his office, adding that he will meet with lawmakers, journalists, and influencers.

Notably, Herzog’s office does not say he will meet with Prime Minister Keir Starmer or senior ministers.

10:39 am

5 people in critical condition in Jerusalem; reports terrorists boarded bus, opened fire

Channel 12 reports terrorists in Jerusalem apparently boarded a bus and opened fire on passengers.

Five people are reported to be in critical condition, with several more seriously injured.

10:53 am

4 killed in Jerusalem shooting attack, 5 taken to hospitals in serious condition

First responders arrive at the scene of a shooting attack at the Ramot Junction entrance to Jerusalem, September 8, 2025. (Magen David Adom)

Four people were killed in the terror shooting attack at the Ramot Junction in Jerusalem, first responders say.

Magen David Adom says that five victims listed in serious condition have been taken to hospitals in the capital.

There are several others lightly hurt, who will be taken to hospitals soon, the ambulance service adds.

The two terrorists have been “neutralized,” officials have said. It is not yet clear whether they are dead.

11:03 am

Jerusalem shooters used makeshift ‘Carlo’ submachine gun, photos indicate

The terrorists who carried out the deadly terror shooting attack at the Ramot Junction in Jerusalem used a makeshift “Carlo” submachine gun, otherwise known as a Carl Gustav, according to images from the scene.

The improvised gun is commonly manufactured at illegal workshops in the West Bank, and has been used in numerous Palestinian attacks in the past.

Both gunmen were shot and “neutralized” at the scene. Their identities and conditions are not immediately known.

11:19 am

Netanyahu won’t testify at trial today, in wake of Jerusalem shooting attack

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s lawyers tell the Jerusalem District Court that the prime minister will not be able to attend today’s scheduled hearing for his testimony in his criminal trial due to the terror attack carried out in Jerusalem this morning.

His attorney Noa Milstein tells the court that “several severe security incidents at several scenes with fatalities” required Netanyahu to “participate in a series of consultations, security updates, [and] make urgent decisions.”

Milstein tells the court that the prime minister “will not be able to arrive for his scheduled testimony in court.”

She adds that if the court agrees an update can be provided to the court at 2 p.m. as to whether Netanyahu could testify between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Netanyahu’s testimony, the first hearing since the courts’ summer recess, was scheduled to begin at 12:00 p.m. behind closed doors.

11:20 am

Terrorists who carried out Jerusalem shooting were West Bank Palestinians

The terrorists who carried out the shooting attack at the Ramot Junction in Jerusalem are West Bank Palestinians, according to security officials. The pair are believed to have set out from villages in the Ramallah area.

Their identities are still under investigation by Israeli security authorities.

11:23 am

Death toll in Jerusalem shooting attack rises to five

The death toll of the shooting attack at Ramot Junction in Jerusalem has risen to five, medical officials say.

Four victims were declared dead by the Magen David Adom ambulance service, while the fifth died at a hospital a short while ago.

At least seven others are listed in serious condition, two moderate and three light, according to MDA.

11:24 am

Jerusalem shooters said to have been killed by soldier, armed Haredi man

The two terrorists who carried out a deadly shooting at Ramot Junction in Jerusalem were shot and killed by a soldier and a young Haredi man who was armed, Channel 12 reports.

Police say that “a security officer and civilian who were present at the scene fired at the terrorists, and they were neutralized.”

In a statement, police add that the deputy police chief, Avshalom Peled, has arrived at the scene alongside large police forces. Police sappers are also operating at the scene of the shooting, checking for possible explosives.

11:29 am

Netanyahu holding ‘situation assessment’ with security chiefs after Jerusalem shooting

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently holding “a situation assessment” with the heads of the security establishment following the terror attack at the Ramot junction in Jerusalem this morning, says the Prime Minister’s Office in a statement.

11:30 am

‘Indescribable gunfire’: Woman recounts moment terrorists opened fire on bus

A woman who was on the bus in Jerusalem when terrorists opened fire on passengers recounts the harrowing moments of the attack.

“I was on the bus. The bus was packed,” the woman, who does not give her name, tells Channel 12. “The moment [the driver] opened the door… terrorists came. It was terrible. I was by the back door, I fell on everyone and escaped, I saved myself.”

She says she hid underneath another nearby vehicle until the shooting stopped and the terrorists were neutralized.

“There was gunfire there beyond anything imaginable. I can’t believe I’m standing here. Indescribable gunfire,” she says.

11:34 am

Lapid sends condolences, backs security forces after Jerusalem terror attack

Opposition Leader MK Yair Lapid leads a faction meeting at the Knesset on July 7, 2025 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid expresses support for Israeli security forces “in their efforts to thwart terrorism” following this morning’s shooting attack in Jerusalem.

In a post on X, Lapid sends his “deep condolences to the families of the murdered” and wishes for “a speedy recovery to the wounded” in the attack at the Ramot Junction, which left five dead.

11:47 am

‘Conquest, expulsion, settlement’: MKs cry ‘vengeance’ after Jerusalem terror attack

L-R: MK Limor Son Har-Melech on July 18, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90); MK Yitzhak Kroizer on June 24, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90); R: MK Zvi Sukkot, on January 20, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90); All photos taken at the Knesset in Jerusalem.

After a deadly shooting attack in Jerusalem, far-right lawmakers call for total war against “enemy” Palestinians.

Otzma Yehudit MK Limor Son Har-Melech tweets: “There is no difference between Gaza and Jenin and between Khan Younis and Ramallah. In every place, the enemy wants only one thing, and that is to kill us.”

In the face of such a reality, the only solution is: conquest, expulsion, and settlement. Only in this way will we restore security to the people of Israel and uproot terrorism.”

“Nazis are Nazis are Nazis,” posts fellow Otzma Yehudit MK Yitzhak Kroizer. “Destroy and eliminate [them], there is no other way.”

Religious Zionism MK Zvi Sukkot similarly declares that “Nazis are the same Nazis everywhere and need to receive the same treatment. There is no coexistence with them.”

“Vengeance,” he writes in a second tweet.

Far-right lawmaker Avi Maoz, the sole MK belonging to the anti-LGBT Noam party, blames the attack on the Israeli judiciary, calling it “a direct response” to yesterday’s High Court ruling that the state has failed to fulfill its legal obligations to adequately feed Palestinian security prisoners. That ruling “encourages terror,” Maoz tweets.

11:47 am

Hamas hails Jerusalem terror attack as ‘heroic operation’

Police and rescue personnel at the scene of a terror attack at Ramot Junction, at the entrance to Jerusalem, September 8, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/FLASH90)

Hamas praises the deadly terror attack at Ramot Junction in Jerusalem, calling it a “heroic operation.”

“We affirm that this operation is a natural response to the occupation’s crimes and war of extermination it is waging against our people,” the terror group says in a statement.

Hamas does not take responsibility for the attack, but calls on West Bank Palestinians to “escalate the confrontation with the occupation and its settlers.”

The deadly shooting was carried out by two West Bank Palestinians, who opened fire on civilians on a bus in the city’s north, killing five and wounding at least a dozen more.

11:51 am

Deputy FM: Jerusalem attack emphasizes ‘importance of arming civilians’

Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel condemns the terror attack in Jerusalem this morning and says that it underlines the “importance of arming civilians,” because increasing the number of gun-carrying Israelis will help stop such attacks and minimize casualties.

The shooters, two West Bank Palestinians, were reportedly shot by a soldier and an armed ultra-Orthodox man.

11:54 am

Spanish PM announces arms embargo, ban on West Bank goods; Sa’ar sanctions Madrid’s ministers

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks during a meeting with Spanish businessmen in Montevideo on July 22, 2025. (Santiago Mazzarovich / AFP)

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announces new measures against Israel over its wartime conduct in Gaza, including an arms embargo and a ban on some Israeli goods, as Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announces sanctions on two Spanish ministers and accuses Spain of antisemitism.

In a televised address, Sanchez says Spain will step up pressure on Israel by approving a legal arms embargo, imposing a ban on entry for those who participate in what he characterizes as a “genocide” against Palestinians, prohibiting Israel-bound ships and aircraft carrying weapons from docking at Spanish ports or entering Spanish airspace, and enforcing an embargo on goods produced in Israeli West Bank settlements.

Shortly ahead of Sanchez’s remarks, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announces sanctions on two Spanish ministers over what he describes as anti-Israel and antisemitic activity, in a Hebrew-language post on X.

“The government of Spain is leading a hostile, anti-Israel line, marked by wild, hate-filled rhetoric,” Sa’ar writes, accusing Sanchez’s “corrupt” administration of trying to “divert attention from grave corruption scandals” through its anti-Israel stance.

“It is no longer possible to avoid imposing personal sanctions on members of the Spanish government who have crossed every red line,” Sa’ar writes, declaring an entry and contact ban on Spanish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labor Yolanda Diaz and Minister of Children and Youth Sira Rego.

Sa’ar lists repeated statements and calls for actions against Israel by the two ministers made in the wake of the Hamas-led massacre of October 7, 2023, saying the different examples amount to calls for the destruction of Israel or support for terrorism and violence against Israelis.

“The entry of these ministers into Israel is prohibited, and Israel will not maintain any contact with them,” he says.

While “not every criticism of Israeli policy constitutes antisemitism,” Sa’ar adds, the criticism coming from Spain is “characterized by demonization, delegitimization, and double standards,” which he stresses “is antisemitism, according to the IHRA definition” — a framework for identifying and responding to contemporary antisemitism formulated in 2016.

“The statements of members of the Spanish government are tainted with all these elements. So is its policy. This is antisemitism. Therefore, I have decided to bring the issue of the overt antisemitism of the current Spanish government members before the plenary of the IHRA,” Sa’ar adds, warning that “Further decisions will be taken in due course.”

11:56 am

IDF troops encircling West Bank villages after deadly terror attack

Following the shooting attack at the Ramot Junction in Jerusalem, the IDF says troops are encircling several Palestinian villages on the outskirts of Ramallah in the West Bank.

The two Palestinian terrorists are believed to have set out from the villages of Al-Qubeiba and Qatanna, just west of the junction and over the Green Line.

The military says troops were also dispatched to conduct scans alongside police searching the area for potential accomplices.

12:01 pm

High Court rules social security subsidies for Haredi yeshiva students must end

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men block a road during a protest against the jailing of yeshiva students who failed to comply with an army recruitment order, in Jerusalem on August 7, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The High Court of Justice rules that subsidies enjoyed by ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students for payments to the National Insurance Institute, Israel’s social security agency, must be ended.

The subsidies amount to some NIS 100 million a year, according to the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, one of the primary petitioners in the case.

The court told the state to inform it within 30 days how much time it needs for a period of adjustment before the cessation of the subsidy.

The ruling was based on the High Court’s decision from June 2024, in which it ruled that there was no longer any legal framework for ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students to be exempted from military service, and that by extension, there was no legal framework to continue financial benefits granted by the state to such students.

In its petition, the Movement for Quality Government in Israel noted that yeshiva students need to pay around NIS 1,000 ($300) per year in National Insurance payments, but that the subsidy covers some 67% of those payments.

The organization argued in court that the government had no legal authority to continue granting the subsidy to ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students who are obligated to enlist for military service, in light of the June 2024 ruling.

Representatives of the state informed the court that they agreed with the petitions just before a hearing scheduled for this morning began, leading to the ruling.

“This is a significant victory for the principle of equality and the protection of public funds,” says Attorney Uri Hess, head of the Movement for Quality Government’s finance department.

“The High Court of Justice confirmed our position that draft evasion should not be financially rewarded. The decision will return more than 100 million shekels a year to the state treasury and strengthen the principle of equality in the burden [of military service]. This is a good day for Israeli democracy and for every citizen who believes in social justice.”

The Israel Hofsheet organization which was another of the petitioners against the subsidy also welcomes the ruling and the state’s acceptance of its position.

“We will stop all privileges for draft evaders, even if the government continues to drag its feet,” says Israel Hofsheet Executive Director Uri Keidar.

“Petition after petition, all incentives for those who choose to shirk their military service during wartime will be stopped. The time for equality has come.”

12:03 pm

Ben Gvir arrives at site of Jerusalem terror shooting for situational assessment

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has arrived at the scene of a deadly terror shooting at Ramot Junction in northern Jerusalem.

He is conducting a situational assessment with Deputy Police Commissioner Avshalom Peled and Jerusalem District Commander Amir Arzani, police say. Police sappers are still clearing the scene.

Police chief Danny Levy — who is currently in Germany on an official visit — is not present at the scene of the shooting.

Police are “currently trying to understand how they [the terrorists] got here, who brought them, and I believe that within a short time we will reach everyone who is involved,” says Assistant Commissioner Shlomi Bachar, who heads the Zion Region in Jerusalem, to Channel 12.

Police have blocked Route 1 through the Arazim Tunnel to eastbound traffic, law enforcement adds.

השר לביטחון לאומי איתמר בן גביר הגיע לזירת הפיגוע@inbartvizer pic.twitter.com/4w7BeAYxLS

— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) September 8, 2025

12:09 pm

Off-duty soldier who fired on Jerusalem terrorists is commander in new Haredi unit

An off-duty soldier who opened fire on the two terrorists in the attack at Ramot Junction in Jerusalem serves as a squad commander in the military’s new Hasmonean Brigade, a unit for ultra-Orthodox troops, the military says.

Another armed civilian also fired on the terrorists, according to police.

Both attackers, Palestinians from villages near Ramallah in the West Bank, were killed.

12:12 pm

Court cancels Netanyahu’s testimony today at criminal trial due to deadly shooting

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Tel Aviv District Court, July 14, 2025. (Reuven Kastro/ POOL)

The Jerusalem District Court cancels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s testimony in his criminal trial, which had been scheduled for today, due to the severe terror attack in Jerusalem this morning.

The court instructs Netanyahu’s lawyers to respond by 2 p.m. today to the prosecutor’s request that a hearing be held tomorrow instead.

12:14 pm

Partner of gay fallen soldier: Equality minister nixed LGBTQ programs to court far right

By Noam Lehmann

Social Equality Minister May Golan, at the Knesset plenum, in Jerusalem, January 8, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Omer Ohana, whose fiancé Maj. Sagi Golan, 30, was killed fending off the Hamas massacre at Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, 2023, says Minister for Social Equality and Women’s Empowerment May Golan (no relation) told him in a meeting months ago that she could not support programs planned by LGBTQ community groups because “they don’t have enough values, they’re lefty programs.”

“These are the words she told me,” Ohana tells a meeting of the Knesset State Control Committee, adding that the programs included an HIV clinic and support networks for trans people.

The meeting is being convened, in part, to discuss what activists say is the Social Equality Ministry’s failure to deliver some NIS 24 million ($7.2 million) worth of funding for LGBTQ programs — the remainder of approximately NIS 40 million ($12 million) originally earmarked for the ministry’s LGBTQ division before wartime budget cuts were applied across the board.

Ohana says he met with Golan after learning of conflict between her and LGBTQ community groups, hoping that he could help to bridge the gap.

“I sat with May and we spoke for hours,” he says, adding that the minister cried about his partner’s story. After her comment about the programs, he said, “we agreed to a set of values…. We adapted [the programs] to the set of values that May Golan agreed to.”

Reserve Captain Sagi Golan (left), who was killed in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, 2023, and his betrothed, Omer Ohana. (Screenshot)

Nonetheless, he says, Golan did nothing with the revamped programs, and “now she’s ghosting me,” says Ohana, raising his voice. “Months of work” went to waste, he adds.

Golan and her staff have “no ideological claim” in refusing to fund the LGBTQ projects, Ohana says, adding: “Sagi was not a ‘lefty’ when he helped every family in Be’eri.”

Noting praise Golan has garnered from anti-LGBTQ activists for purportedly safeguarding ‘Jewish values,’ Ohana says: “She sold the [LGBTQ] community because of a promise she gave to [Itamar] Ben Gvir,” the far-right national security minister.

The Ministry for Social Equality has been approached for comment.

12:17 pm

MDA says 11 being treated for injuries in deadly Jerusalem terror attack

Police and rescue personnel at the scene of a terror attack at Ramot Junction, at the entrance to Jerusalem, September 8, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/FLASH90)

The Magen David Adom ambulance service updates that 11 people are being treated for injuries in today’s terror shooting attack at the Ramot Junction at the entrance of Jerusalem.

Of those, six are in a serious condition, two are moderately hurt, and three are lightly injured.

Five people were murdered in the attack.

12:21 pm

Minister Elkin says terror attack attempts occur all the time, most are thwarted

Addressing this morning’s shooting attack in Jerusalem, which left five people dead, Minister Ze’ev Elkin says that “there are attempts to carry out an attack all the time, we are not aware of this because most of them are stopped before they come to fruition,” the Ynet news site reports.

Addressing a conference organized by the Yediot Aharonot newspaper, Elkin says that “despite unprecedented achievements” in the security sphere, “from time to time an attack still occurs — and unfortunately, this morning it happened again.”

12:22 pm

Netanyahu arrives at scene of deadly terror shooting in Jerusalem

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the scene of a deadly terror shooting in northern Jerusalem.

He is currently surveying the area alongside National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and MK Zvi Sukkot, after two terrorists opened fire on civilians at Ramot Junction, killing five people and wounding at least 11.

ראש הממשלה נתניהו הגיע לזירת הפיגוע בירושלים | ישירhttps://t.co/6V2H6BQrye pic.twitter.com/k9QiCImY18

— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) September 8, 2025

12:24 pm

Dashcam footage shows deadly terror attack unfold in Jerusalem

Dashcam footage shows the moments of the deadly shooting attack at Ramot Junction in Jerusalem.

Five people were killed and at least 11 others were wounded, including six seriously.

The terrorists, both West Bank Palestinians, were shot dead.

Dashcam footage shows the moments of the deadly shooting attack at Ramot Junction in Jerusalem.

Five people were killed and at least 11 others were wounded, including six seriously. Both terrorists, West Bank Palestinians, were shot dead. pic.twitter.com/w2OVu3cFOP

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) September 8, 2025

12:27 pm

Shaare Zedek says it is treating seven of those injured in Jerusalem terror attack

By Diana Bletter

Shaare Zedek Medical Center says that seven people injured in the terror shooting in Jerusalem were brought to its trauma unit. Of those, one is critical, four are serious, and two are in moderate condition.

Also, three people injured in the attack have been evacuated to the trauma units at Hadassah Ein Kerem and Hadassah Mount Scopus. At Hadassah Ein Kerem, a 30-year-old patient is in moderate condition with a gunshot wound.

At Hadassah Mount Scopus, a wounded man in his 20s with a gunshot wound is in moderate condition, and a wounded man in his 40s with a gunshot wound is in very serious and unstable condition.

Shaare Zedek Medical Center has opened a telephone hotline information center for families: Telephone: 1255125

12:33 pm

UN rights chief expresses alarm over ‘genocidal rhetoric’ by Israeli officials on Gaza

By AFP

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk (L) delivers a speech next to Human Rights Council President Juerg Lauber (R) during the opening of the 60th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, in Geneva, on September 8, 2025. (Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

GENEVA, Switzerland — The United Nations rights chief voices alarm at the overt “genocidal rhetoric” by Israeli officials about Gaza and calls for decisive international action to “end the carnage.”

He says the Palestinian enclave was already “a graveyard.”

Israel has fiercely denied it is carrying out genocide in Gaza, asserting military operations are focused on defeating the Hamas terror group and rescuing hostages.

In his opening address to the UN Human Rights Council’s 60th session, Volker Turk slams “Israel’s mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza (and) its infliction of indescribable suffering and wholesale destruction.”

“Israel’s mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza; its infliction of indescribable suffering and wholesale destruction; its hindering of sufficient lifesaving aid and the ensuing starvation of civilians; its killing of journalists, UN staff and NGO workers and its commission of war crime upon war crime, are shocking the conscience of the world,” he says.

“I am horrified by the open use of genocidal rhetoric and the disgraceful dehumanisation of Palestinians by senior Israeli officials.”

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stresses that nearly two years after the war erupted following Hamas’s deadly October 7, 2023, massacre in Israel, “the region is crying out for peace.”

“Gaza is a graveyard,” he tells the rights council.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

12:35 pm

Smotrich calls to dismantle PA in response to Jerusalem terror attack

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich calls to dismantle the Palestinian Authority following this morning’s shooting attack in Jerusalem, tweeting that “the State of Israel cannot accept a Palestinian Authority that raises and educates its children to murder Jews.”

“The Palestinian Authority must disappear from the map, and the villages from which the terrorists came should look like Rafah and Beit Hanoun,” he declares, praising the “bravery of the courageous soldier and Kollel student who engaged and neutralized the terrorists, thereby likely preventing an even larger attack.”

Smotrich’s statement comes only days after Smotrich unveiled a proposal for Israel to annex 82 percent of the West Bank in response to a range of Western countries’ plan to recognize a Palestinian state.

12:39 pm

IAEA chief says he hopes talks with Iran to renew nuclear inspections will succeed within days

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi attends the UN nuclear watchdog's Board of Governors meeting at its headquarters in Vienna, Austria, on September 8, 2025. (Joe Klamar / AFP)

VIENNA, Austria (Reuters) – Talks between the UN nuclear watchdog and Iran on how to fully resume inspections in the Islamic Republic have made progress, but time is running out, the watchdog’s chief, Rafael Grossi, says, adding that he hoped they would conclude within days.

“Progress has been made. It is my sincere hope that within the next few days it will be possible to come to a successful conclusion of these discussions,” Grossi tells a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s 35-nation Board of Governors, adding: “There is still time, but not much.”

12:50 pm

At scene of deadly shooting, Netanyahu says Israel fighting ‘mighty war against terror’

By Nava Freiberg and Charlie Summers

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the scene of a terror attack at Ramot Junction at the entrance to Jerusalem, September 8, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the scene of this morning’s deadly terror shooting at the Ramot Junction in Jerusalem, saying that Israel is in a “mighty war against terror.”

“A mighty war against terror is taking place on all fronts,” the premier says in an address to Israeli media at the site of the attack, offering his condolences to the families of the five murdered victims and wishing a speedy recovery to the additional 11 injured.

“We are now pursuing and encircling the villages where the terrorists came from,” he adds. The two terrorists, both West Bank Palestinians, hail from towns southeast of Ramallah — Qatanna and Al-Qubeibah.

“The fighting continues in the Gaza Strip,” Netanyahu continues, saying Israel “will destroy Hamas as we promised and free our hostages—all of our hostages.”

“Sadly, the war also continues in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria, where we have acted with great force,” he says, using the biblical term for the West Bank, adding that “The Shin Bet and the IDF thwarted hundreds [of attacks], and the Israel Police also thwarted hundreds this year.”

“But unfortunately, not this morning,” he says.

The premier’s remarks are cut off during the live footage, before he is heard saying, “They only increase our determination to complete our missions — also in Judea and Samaria, everywhere,” apparently referring to the terrorists.

Netanyahu thanks the press at the scene before immediately departing the area.

12:54 pm

Israel and India ink bilateral investment and trade deal in New Delhi

By Sharon Wrobel

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (left) signs a bilateral investment agreement in the presence of Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi, September 8, 2025. (Courtesy of Israel Finance Ministry)

Israel and India signed a bilateral agreement to facilitate mutual investment flows and encourage economic cooperation and trade between the two countries.

The bilateral investment treaty (BIT) was signed in New Delhi in the presence of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and his Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman to bolster investor confidence and support smoother financial interactions between the two nations.

“This is a strategic step that will open new doors for both Israeli and Indian investors, strengthen Israeli exports, and provide businesses on both sides with certainty and tools to develop in the world’s fastest-growing markets,” said Smotrich. “India is a growing economic power, and cooperation with it is a tremendous opportunity for Israel.”

Israel hailed the agreement as the first of its kind that India has signed with a Western-oriented economy among the countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Last year, India signed similar agreements with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Uzbekistan.

Smotrich is leading a government delegation that departed for India on Sunday night to promote economic collaboration between the two nations. The delegation includes the ministry’s chief economist, Shmuel Abramzon, Accountant General Yali Rothenberg, and Director-General Ilan Rom. Other key officials include Israel Securities Authority Chairman Seffy Singer.

12:59 pm

Interceptors fired in attempt to shoot down Houthi drone over Eilat

Interceptor missiles were launched a short while ago over the southernmost city of Eilat in an attempt to shoot down a Houthi drone from Yemen.

The IDF has not yet commented.

1:00 pm

Death toll of Jerusalem terror attack rises to six; one of victims named as Levi Yitzhak Pash

The death toll of the shooting attack at Ramot Junction in Jerusalem has risen to six, medical officials say.

Four victims were declared dead at the scene by the Magen David Adom ambulance service.

The fifth victim died at Shaare Zedek Hospital, and the sixth was pronounced dead at Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus a short while ago.

One of the slain victims is named as Levi Yitzhak Pash.

אחד הנרצחים בפיגוע בירושלים – לוי יצחק פש, עובד בישיבת "קול תורה"

יהי זכרו ברוך ???? pic.twitter.com/2Ca0PERXBi

— ynet עדכוני (@ynetalerts) September 8, 2025

1:01 pm

Herzog mourns victims on ‘painful and difficult morning’ after deadly terror attack

President Isaac Herzog laments “a painful and difficult morning” and offers a message of strength following the deadly shooting attack at the Ramot Junction in Jerusalem.

“Innocent citizens, children and adults, were murdered and injured in cold blood on a bus in the streets of a city at the hands of evil terrorists,” he writes in a Hebrew-language post on X, offering condolences to the families of the five murdered victims and wishing a full recovery to those injured.

“The shocking attack reminds us time and again that we are fighting absolute evil,” he continues, adding that “The world must understand what we are facing.”

“It must also internalize that terrorism will never subdue us and will not achieve its goals. The people of Israel are strong. The people of Israel live,” he says.

1:02 pm

Israel reportedly launches strikes on northeast Lebanon

Lebanese media report a series of Israeli strikes in the Hermel area of northeastern Lebanon.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF.

????????غارات إسرائيلية تستهدف جرود الهرمل pic.twitter.com/AAfRCYC90Y

— bintjbeil.org (@bintjbeilnews) September 8, 2025

1:03 pm

Sirens warn of suspected drone attack in towns near Ramon Airport

Sirens warning of a suspected drone infiltration sound in the southern towns of Be’er Ora and Elipaz, close to Ramon Airport.

The alerts come shortly after several interceptor missiles were launched over the Eilat area — just south of Ramon Airport — to shoot down a drone launched by the Houthis in Yemen at Israel.

The attack comes a day after a Houthi drone struck the terminal of Ramon Airport, causing damage and lightly injuring at least one person.

1:09 pm

Liberman, Golan praise Haredi soldier who fired at Jerusalem attackers

(Clockwise from top left): The Democrats chief Yair Golan, Yesh Atid chief and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, Blue and White chief Benny Gantz and Yisrael Beytenu chief Avigdor Liberman hold a joint press conference at the Knesset in Jerusalem, November 6, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman and The Democrats head Yair Golan both praise the IDF soldier who opened fire at the two terrorists during this morning’s attack at Ramot Junction in Jerusalem, noting that he is a squad commander in the military’s new ultra-Orthodox Hasmonean Brigade.

During the attack, which killed six Israelis, the terrorists were neutralized by the soldier and an armed Kollel student.

“The fighter who eliminated the despicable terrorists is a Haredi, a squad commander in the Hasmonean Brigade, who prevented an even heavier massacre and saved lives. A hero,” tweets Liberman, a fierce critic of the wider Haredi community’s refusal to enlist in the IDF.

The soldier “heroically engaged the enemy and acted to neutralize the terrorists,” tweets Golan, pointing out that he is Haredi and adding that Israel “will reach those responsible for the attack and those who sent them – and we will bring them to justice with full force.”

1:09 pm

IDF issues evacuation warning for Gaza City high-rise ahead of airstrike

The IDF issues an evacuation warning for Palestinians residing in the vicinity of a high-rise 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 IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, Col. Avichay Adraee, says.

Civilians are instructed to leave Gaza City for the Israeli-designated “humanitarian zone” in the Strip’s south.

#عاجل ‼️ إنذار عاجل إلى سكان مدينة غزة في البلوكات 783, 784, 785, 786 وتحديدًا في المبنى المحدد بالأحمر والخيم المجاورة له والواقع في شارع جمال عبد النصر

⭕️سيهاجم جيش الدفاع المبنى في الوقت القريب نظرًا لوجود بنى تحتية إرهابية لحماس داخله أو بجواره

⭕️من أجل سلامتكم أنتم مضطرون… pic.twitter.com/1vLkjVEg9l

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) September 8, 2025

1:13 pm

Houthi drone shot down by IAF near Ramon Airport, day after terminal hit

A drone launched by the Houthis in Yemen was shot down by the Israeli Air Force near Ramon Airport in southern Israel, the military says.

Sirens sounded in several towns near the airport, which was hit by a Houthi drone yesterday.

There are no reports of injuries or damage in today’s attack.

1:15 pm

Otzma Yehudit to push for death penalty for terrorists after Jerusalem shooting

Otzma Yehudit party chief Itamar Ben Gvir chairs a faction meeting in Knesset, November 18, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg FLASH90)

Following this morning’s shooting attack in Jerusalem, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit party announces it intends to raise the issue of implementing a death penalty for terrorists next week in the Knesset National Security Committee, chaired by party MK Zvika Fogel.

According to reports, the party believes the coalition has failed to advance the issue fast enough and the discussion needs to be expedited. In March 2023, lawmakers voted 55-9 in support of a bill advanced by Otzma Yehudit to impose the death penalty on terrorists who kill Israelis.

“A death penalty for terrorists is what every terrorist who goes out to murder Jews deserves. Until the law passes, prison conditions for terrorists have been toughened,” says Ben Gvir in a statement, only a day after the High Court determined Israel is not properly feeding Palestinian security prisoners.

“This is the first step towards restoring deterrence. We will continue to advance the law until its final approval,” says Otzma Yehudit MK Limor Son Har-Melech, the bill’s sponsor.

1:22 pm

Ben Gvir suggests High Court bears responsibility for deadly Jerusalem shooting

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir arrive at the scene of a terror attack at Ramot Junction, at the entrance to Jerusalem, September 8, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

At the scene of a deadly terror shooting in Jerusalem, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir inveighs against the High Court of Justice and implies it bears responsibility for the attack.

“Just yesterday, the High Court of Justice handed down a shocking, terrible decision that eases the conditions for the Nukhba terrorists,” he says, referring to yesterday’s court decision that determined Israel is not properly feeding Palestinian security prisoners.

“It is simply incomprehensible how the court hands down rulings like this,” he says. “They want to ease their [Palestinian prisoners’] conditions, and terror raises its head.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a similar statement in his remarks to reporters at the scene of the shooting, calling on the judicial system “to join the fight against terror,” per Channel 12 news.

Ben Gvir also calls on Israelis to arm themselves, lauding two Haredi men who shot and killed the pair of terrorists who opened fire on civilians earlier this morning. One of the men was an off-duty soldier in the Hasmonean Brigade, a new unit for ultra-Orthodox troops.

“I am proud of both Haredi men who, in the framework of our gun permit reforms, shot at the terrorists and ended the incident,” he says.

He tells reporters that Israel needs “to continue to crush and occupy, to expel, to encourage voluntary migration, to do what is needed,” in the Gaza Strip.

The minister urges Interior Minister Yariv Levin to deport families of terrorists, boasting that he himself signed 35 such orders under a law passed last year allowing the deportations, which still need final approval from the minister.

1:25 pm

Macron says he ‘strongly condemns’ deadly Jerusalem terror attack

French President Emmanuel Macron attends a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Toulon, southern France, August 29, 2025. (Manon Cruz/Pool via AP)

France “strongly condemns” the deadly terror shooting earlier today, says French President Emmanuel Macron on X.

“I extend my deepest condolences to the families of the victims and to the entire Israeli people,” he writes.

“The spiral of violence must come to an end. Only a political solution will bring back peace and stability for all in the region.”

Macron’s relationship with Israeli leaders has taken a turn for the worse in recent months, as he is leading the campaign to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations later this month.

1:26 pm

IDF says it struck sites belonging to elite Hezbollah unit in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley

The IDF confirms carrying out airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon’s eastern Beqaa Valley a short while ago.

According to the military, the Israeli Air Force strikes hit Hezbollah military compounds belonging to the terror group’s elite Radwan Force, where operatives were gathered and where weapons were stored.

The IDF says the sites were “used by the Hezbollah terror organization for conducting training, preparing terrorists for planning and carrying out terror attacks against IDF troops and the State of Israel.”

“As part of the training and preparation of the terrorists in the camps, the terrorists undergo shooting drills and additional training in the use of various types of weapons,” the military says.

The training and use of the sites by Hezbollah to store weapons are a “blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon and pose a threat to the State of Israel,” the IDF adds.

1:26 pm

Sirens sound in Dimona warning of suspected drone infiltration

Sirens warning of a suspected drone infiltration sound in the southern city of Dimona and nearby industrial zones.

The IDF says it is looking into the details.

Earlier, a drone launched by the Houthis in Yemen was shot down by the Israeli Air Force over southern Israel, near Ramon Airport.

1:35 pm

Sa’ar cites ‘horrific’ shooting attack as justification to prevent Palestinian state under PA

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, left, meets with his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto, right, at the Foreign Office in Budapest, Hungary, on September 8, 2025. (Attila KISBENEDEK / AFP)

Speaking at a press conference alongside his Hungarian counterpart in Budapest, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemns the “horrific” deadly terror attack at the Ramot Junction in Jerusalem this morning, citing the shooting incident carried out by two Palestinians from the West Bank as evidence for the need to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state under the Palestinian Authority.

“This morning, there was a horrific terror attack in our capital, Jerusalem. Two Palestinian terrorists murdered Jews on buses,” Sa’ar says somberly, referencing the six victims killed and the wounded — including a pregnant woman, he notes — and adding, “We pray for them.”

“We are in a war with radical Islamist terrorism. Europe and the international community, every country, must now make a clear choice. Are they on Israel’s side, or are they on the side of the jihadists?” Sa’ar continues. He points to Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó before adding that “We know that Hungary stands with us.”

Pivoting to address numerous Western nations moving planning to recognize a Palestinian state this month, Sa’ar says: “We completely reject the current attempts to force Israel to accept a Palestinian terror state in the heart of our tiny land. It will not happen.”

“The terrorists who struck this morning came from the Palestinian Authority territories. The establishment of such a state would have only one goal: the elimination of the State of Israel,” he argues.

“It must be made clear — the Palestinian Authority has never severed its ties to terror,” he goes on, backing this by repeating accusations he made alongside his Danish counterpart yesterday that the PA has failed to combat terrorism, address security concerns, or end incitement to terrorism in education facilities.

“Based on its actions, the PA does not deserve a state,” the foreign minister asserts.

Recognition of a Palestinian state “will only destabilize the region,” Sa’ar adds, repeating his warning that such a move “will push us toward steps too.”

1:40 pm

Court system slams Ben Gvir’s ‘regrettable’ comments blaming judiciary for terror attack

The court system hits back at National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir after he blames the High Court of Justice for this morning’s deadly terror attack.

“It is a shame that on the day when such a severe attack occurred, Minister Ben Gvir chooses to attack the High Court of Justice. This is a regrettable remark,” reads the statement as quoted by Ynet. “The judiciary shares in the grief of the victims’ families and wishes a full recovery to those wounded in the attack.”

At the scene of the shooting in Jerusalem, the far-right leader implied that the High Court was to blame for the attack.

He accused judges of encouraging terror to “raise its head” with a ruling yesterday that deemed Israel was not properly feeding Palestinian security prisoners. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made similar remarks, with less explicit wording.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid also criticizes the premier and Ben Gvir for their attacks on the judicial system in the wake of the shooting.

“Netanyahu and Ben Gvir will never change. While the victims lie before us, the government is already blaming the judicial system… instead of taking responsibility,” he says.

1:44 pm

Gantz repeats call for ‘hostage redemption government,’ calls for Israel to take latest US Gaza proposal

Blue and White-National Unity head MK Benny Gantz speaks during a press conference in Tel Aviv on August 23, 2025. (Tal Gal/Flash90)

Blue and White-National Unity chairman Benny Gantz reiterates his call for opposition leaders to form a temporary “hostage-redemption government,” insisting that Israel must negotiate for a comprehensive deal to free those remaining in captivity in Gaza.

Israel should officially announce that it accepts the latest American outline for an end to the war, “and send a negotiating team,” he says. “We must use the military pressure created on the ground and not waste it again.”

“We also understand the political limitations. Therefore, I call on my friends in the opposition today. Let’s do what the people need. A temporary government to redeem captives and support the troops is the right solution for the State of Israel,” he continues. “Our hostages and soldiers are more important than ‘just not Bibi.’ We weren’t elected to sit and shout from the stands, but so that we could get on the field and score.”

During a press conference last month, Gantz called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as fellow opposition leaders to establish a temporary emergency government tasked with tackling two of Israel’s most urgent challenges: securing the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and advancing legislation on the ultra-Orthodox military draft.

His proposal was rejected by his fellow opposition party leaders.

1:46 pm

Barkat calls to dismantle PA, blames it for Jerusalem terror attack

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Economy Minister Nir Barkat attend a Knesset Health Committee meeting, in Jerusalem, on July 17, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Economy Minister and former Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat blames the Palestinian Authority for this morning’s shooting attack in the nation’s capital, declaring that the time has come to shut down the Palestinian governing body.

“The blood of the murdered is on the hands of the Palestinian Authority, which funds and encourages terrorism. It is time to dismantle the Palestinian Authority,” Barkat tweets, commending the ultra-Orthodox soldier who “eliminated the terrorists and prevented an even greater disaster.”

1:54 pm

Lapid blasts Netanyahu, Ben Gvir for blaming terror attack on courts ‘instead of taking responsibility’

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid speaks at a Yesh Atid conference in Tel Aviv on September 1, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid slams Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir appear to blame the judicial system for this morning’s deadly shooting attack in Jerusalem.

“The opposition refrained from blaming the government for the terrible attack. We decided not to act as they did when we were leading the country in far safer days. Perhaps it is a political mistake, but in the face of the victims and the pain, we will not be like them,” tweets Lapid.

“But Netanyahu and Ben Gvir will never change. While the victims lie before us, the government is already blaming the judicial system…instead of taking responsibility. All that is left for us is to repeat what Netanyahu and Ben Gvir said time and again during the days of the ‘government of change’: You are responsible, this is on your account. You promised security to the citizens of Israel, and you have failed.”

Addressing reporters at the scene of the attack, Ben Gvir inveighed against the High Court of Justice and implied it bore responsibility for the attack.

“Just yesterday, the High Court of Justice handed down a shocking, terrible decision that eases the conditions for the Nukhba terrorists,” he said, referring to yesterday’s court decision that determined Israel is not properly feeding Palestinian security prisoners.

“It is simply incomprehensible how the court hands down rulings like this,” he said. “They want to ease their [Palestinian prisoners’] conditions, and terror raises its head.”

Netanyahu made a similar statement in his remarks to reporters at the scene of the shooting, calling on the judicial system “to join the fight against terror,” according to Channel 12 news.

2:00 pm

IDF chief orders boost in troop presence in West Bank after deadly terror attack

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir speaks during an assessment at a military base, September 8, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Following the deadly shooting attack in Jerusalem, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has issued an instruction to bolster forces in the West Bank and continue to encircle the villages from which the two terrorists set out, the military says.

The IDF says Zamir held an assessment with top officers after the attack, during which he emphasized that the Gaza Strip remains the military’s focus.

As a result of the shooting attack and other “operational developments on the various fronts,” Zamir is also postponing a ceremony for outstanding soldiers that was set to take place this evening, the IDF adds.

2:01 pm

Yaakov Pinto, Yisrael Matzner, and Rabbi Yosef David named as victims of Jerusalem terror attack

Three more victims of this morning’s deadly terror attack in Jerusalem are named as Yaakov Pinto, 25, Yisrael Matzner, 28, and Rabbi Yosef David, 43. All three were residents of the city.

A total of six people were killed at Ramot Junction in northern Jerusalem this morning, when two terrorists opened fire on civilians at a bus stop in the area.

הרב יוסף דוד והרב ישראל מנצר נרצחו בפיגוע הירי בירושלים >>> https://t.co/qhDDvNygvq @VeredPelman pic.twitter.com/emoK5OBsrV

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) September 8, 2025

הותר לפרסום שמו של נרצח נוסף בפיגוע בירושלים: יעקב פינטו, בן 25 שעלה מספרד >>> https://t.co/qhDDvNygvq @VeredPelman pic.twitter.com/BBulFNgWv8

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) September 8, 2025

2:02 pm

Three Houthi drones shot down in south within half an hour, IDF says

A total of three drones launched by the Houthis in Yemen were shot down by the Israeli Air Force over southern Israel within a half an hour, the military says.

One of the drones set off sirens in the southern city of Dimona and the nearby area.

The military says that drone was successfully downed, along with a second drone that did not set off any sirens “according to protocol.”

Shortly before that, another Houthi drone was intercepted by the IAF near Ramon Airport, the military says.

2:07 pm

Police say two suspects arrested in killing of cop during chase

Police Sgt. Niv Peretz, who was shot and killed during a chase in Zalafa, an Arab town near Umm al-Fahm, on September 7, 2025. (Israel Police)

The Israel Police announces that it has arrested two suspects in the fatal shooting of a police officer last night during a chase near Umm al-Fahm.

The two suspects were nabbed near the Haifa Port by officers in the Border Police’s Yamam counter-terror unit, operating on intelligence from the Shin Bet. They were transferred to the Shin Bet for interrogation.

The slain officer, 1st Sgt. Niv Peretz, was a 29-year-old police detective at the Umm al-Fahm police station. He lived in Afula and is survived by his parents, a brother, and a sister. His funeral will be closed to the press.

Police say he was shot and killed during an “operational activity to locate weapons” in Zalafa, an Arab town just north of Umm al-Fahm.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who oversees the police in his role, mourns Peretz and vows to bring the perpetrators to account.

“To all the criminals and offenders, know this: The blood of a police officer will not be forsaken. We will pursue you relentlessly, bring you to account until the end, and the law will reach you wherever you try to hide,” he tweets.

2:10 pm

EU says Jerusalem terror shooting proves need for ceasefire in Gaza

By AFP

Police and rescue personnel at the scene of a terror attack at Ramot Junction, near the entrance to Jerusalem, September 8, 2025. (Jamal Awad/Flash90)

BRUSSELS, Belgium — The EU condemns a deadly shooting by Palestinian terrorists at Ramot Junction in Jerusalem, and says it underscores the urgent need for a ceasefire as Israel wages war in Gaza.

“We condemn this attack, as we condemn all loss of lives,” European Union spokesman Anouar El Anouni says. “We call for de-escalation, and this shows how necessary and critical a ceasefire is.

“Civilians on both sides, both Palestinians and Israelis, have suffered for far too long and far too much. And this must end now, and it is high time to break this cycle of violence.”

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

2:19 pm

Spanish FM ‘strongly rejects’ Israel’s accusations of antisemitism

By AFP

MADRID, Spain — Spain says it “strongly rejects the false and slanderous accusations of antisemitism” by Israel after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced nine measures aimed at stopping what he called “the genocide in Gaza.”

The Spanish Foreign Ministry condemns the accusations — and a move by Israel to ban two Spanish ministers from entry — saying Spain “would not be intimidated in its defense of peace, international law and human rights.”

2:36 pm

Palestinian Authority indirectly condemns the Jerusalem attack, slamming ‘any harm’ to civilians

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the Palestinian National Council 23rd opening session in the West Bank city of Ramallah, at his presidential compound, April 30, 2018. (Flash90)

The Palestinian Authority presidency issues a statement of condemnation that refers indirectly to today’s terror attack in Jerusalem.

The statement says, “The presidency affirms its stance in rejecting and condemning any harm to Palestinian and Israeli civilians, and rejects all forms of violence, regardless of their source.”

This is an indirect reference to the attack, but still unusual for the Palestinian Authority, which in recent years has tended not to comment on attacks carried out by Palestinians.

The presidency further states that, “Security and stability will not be achieved without an end to the occupation,” and that the realization of the Palestinian people’s rights in an independent state “is the sole guarantee for ending the cycle of violence in the region.”

2:36 pm

UK, EU envoys to Israel blast ‘abhorrent’ Jerusalem shooting

The ambassadors of the United Kingdom and the European Union to Israel condemn this morning’s deadly shooting attack by Palestinian terrorists at the Ramot Junction in Jerusalem.

British ambassador to Israel Simon Walters calls the attack “abhorrent” in a post on X, extending his “deepest condolences” to the families of those killed and injured, adding that “The cycle of violence must end.”

The European Union’s envoy to Israel, Michael Mann, also takes to X to “strongly condemn” the attack, asserting that “Terrorism and violence against civilians are never justified.”

2:43 pm

EU says it doesn’t ‘encourage’ Gaza aid flotillas as some 20 boats head for Strip

By AFP

Vessels of a civilian flotilla, carrying pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel activists, moored at Barcelona port on September 1, 2025, after being forced to return due to bad weather (Lluis GENE / AFP)

BRUSSELS, Belgium — The European Union says it doesn’t “encourage” aid flotillas heading to Gaza, as vessels carrying humanitarian aid and pro-Palestinian activists, including Greta Thunberg, sail for the war-ravaged territory.

“We don’t encourage flotillas like this, because basically they can escalate the situation, and they also put their participants at risk,” EU spokeswoman Eva Hrncirova says.

She says the EU believes the “best way… to deliver the humanitarian aid” is via partner organizations working on the ground.

“This is what we try to achieve, to deliver the humanitarian aid in a larger scale, and we keep the channels with Israel open, and we talk to Israeli authorities,” she says.

A Gaza-bound flotilla of around 20 boats left Barcelona last week and is scheduled to reach its destination by mid-September.

It comes after Israel blocked two activist attempts to deliver aid to the devastated Palestinian territory by ship in June and July.

2:44 pm

Shin Bet nabs suspected accomplice in Jerusalem terror attack, police announce

The Shin Bet security agency has arrested a resident of East Jerusalem on suspicion of helping carry out this morning’s deadly shooting attack in Jerusalem, police announce.

The detained East Jerusalemite is suspected of smuggling the two gunmen into Jerusalem by car. He has had previous run-ins with law enforcement for trying to help Palestinians reside illegally in Israel, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

The two perpetrators of the attack, both West Bank Palestinians, opened fire on civilians at Ramot Junction, killing six and injuring at least 20 others.

Both terrorists were shot and killed at the scene by an off-duty soldier and armed civilians.

3:11 pm

UAE slams deadly Jerusalem shooting ‘in the strongest terms’

The United Arab Emirates condemns “in the strongest terms” the shooting attack by two Palestinian terrorists from the West Bank in Jerusalem this morning, in a statement from Abu Dhabi’s Foreign Ministry.

The statement reiterates the UAE’s “permanent rejection of all forms of violence and terrorism aimed at undermining security and stability,” and sends “sincere condolences” to “the families of the victims, and to the State of Israel and its people.”

Jerusalem and Abu Dhabi normalized ties in the 2020 United States-brokered Abraham Accords, though Abu Dhabi has recently warned those ties could be threatened as Israel reportedly weighs West Bank annexation in response to moves by Western countries to recognize a Palestinian state.

UAE Condemns Terrorist Shooting Incident Near Jerusalemhttps://t.co/HeDBUGWYq5 pic.twitter.com/LAY4b93wav

— MoFA وزارة الخارجية (@mofauae) September 8, 2025

3:22 pm

Kisch says Israel must ‘eliminate’ terrorists, deport families, after Jerusalem attack

Following this morning’s shooting attack in Jerusalem, Education Minister Yoav Kisch insists that Israel “must move from defense to deterrence” by “eliminating the terrorists and deporting their families immediately.”

“‏This is not revenge — this is the only way to save lives,” the cabinet minister declares.

Despite constitutional concerns, the Knesset last year passed a bill giving the interior minister the power to expel a first-degree relative of someone who carried out an attack if they had advance knowledge and either: (a) failed to report the matter to the police or (b) “expressed support or identification with an act of terrorism or published words of praise, sympathy or encouragement for an act of terrorism or a terrorist organization.”

3:24 pm

Rabbi Mordechai Steintzag, Sarah Mendelson named as last two victims in Jerusalem shooting

The victims of a deadly terror shooting in Ramot, at the entrance to Jerusalem, on September 8, 2025: Top L-R: Levi Yitzhak Pash, Yisrael Matzner, 28; Rabbi Yosef David, 43; Bottom L-R: Rabbi Mordechai Steintzag, 79; Yaakov Pinto, 25; Sarah Mendelson, 60. (Courtesy)

The last two victims of this morning’s deadly terror shooting in Jerusalem to be identified are named as Rabbi Mordechai Steintzag, 79, and Sarah Mendelson, 60.

Steintzag, who immigrated to Israel decades ago from the US, owned a well-known bakery in Beit Shemesh called “Dr. Mark’s Bakery.” He also worked as a cardiologist, according to a death notice shared by the establishment.

Mendelson was part of the leadership of Bnei Akiva, a religious Zionist youth movement. She managed relations with local authorities in the movement’s treasury. She had been on her way to work at Bnei Akiva’s Jerusalem office when she was killed, according to Hebrew reports.

A total of six people were killed in today’s attack at Ramot Junction in northern Jerusalem, and at least 20 others were injured. Both perpetrators, Palestinian residents of the West Bank, were shot dead at the scene by a soldier and an armed civilian.

3:34 pm

Katz says ‘heinous’ Jerusalem terror attack will have ‘severe and far-reaching consequences’

Defense Minister Israel Katz visits the Mahane Yehuda Market in Jerusalem, on September 2, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Defense Minister Israel Katz says that today’s “heinous” terror shooting in Jerusalem will have “severe and far-reaching consequences.”

“Just as we defeated Palestinian terrorism in northern Samaria — we will soon do the same in other terror camps,” he says, using the biblical name for the northern West Bank, where the IDF has conducted intense operations over the past year.

3:51 pm

Sa’ar charges Europe pushing ceasefire with no plan to end Hamas rule, blasts Sanchez and Macron

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar (L) and his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto (R) shake hands after delivering a joint press conference following talks at the Foreign Ministry Office in Budapest, Hungary, on September 8, 2025. (Attila KISBENEDEK / AFP)

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar says Israel is ready to accept a ceasefire and hostage-release deal with Hamas once its conditions for ending the war are met, while slamming European leaders for pushing a ceasefire “unconditionally” without offering any “practical suggestion” for how to disarm the terror group and end its rule in Gaza.

Speaking in Budapest alongside Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, Sa’ar notes that United States President Donald Trump “said it clearly yesterday. Israel said yes to his proposal. We are ready to accept a full deal that would end the war based on the cabinet’s decision.”

The conditions, he reiterates, are “the return of our hostages” and that Hamas “must lay down its arms.”

“But there are European leaders that call on us to end the war now, practically unconditionally,” he says. “Yet, at the same time, they support our position regarding the conditions to end the war – that Hamas must disarm and not play a role in the future of Gaza. And so I ask, how do these European leaders propose to resolve this contradiction? By politely asking Hamas to leave?” he asks rhetorically.

“I have not heard one practical suggestion from them,” Sa’ar says.

For its part, Israel has ruled out the Palestinian Authority taking over postwar Gaza, and has refused for much of the war to advance a viable alternative to Hamas or the PA.

Sa’ar praises Szijjarto — whom he notes is the counterpart he has met with most frequently since becoming minister, seven times in the last ten months — for Hungary’s “independent judgment” in contrast to other European leaders. Hungary has withdrawn from the International Criminal Court in support of Israel and has resisted the harsh rhetoric and punitive measures taken against Jerusalem by countries such as France and the United Kingdom since the war in Gaza began.

Taking a jab at domestic politics in those countries, Sa’ar says Spain and France turn to harsh rhetoric on Israel in part as a distraction: “Sometimes I feel, when I hear about their internal problems, that it’s easier for them to focus on our problems instead,” he says. “If they are so enthusiastic about establishing a Palestinian state, well, Spain and France have vast territories. If they are so eager, they can do it on their own soil.”

Sa’ar also addresses Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s announcement of nine measures against Israel this morning, including an arms embargo, over what Sanchez described as a “genocide” in Gaza: “If they want to halt defense ties with Israel, who do you think will lose from that? We don’t need Spain to defend the land of Israel. On the contrary, they probably need Israeli capabilities far more than we need theirs.”

Sa’ar also says he believes that French President Emmanuel Macron — whose prime minister, François Bayrou, is expected to lose a confidence vote today — “has huge problems in France — but that’s his business.”

3:53 pm

Palestinian reports: Perpetrators of Jerusalem terror attack are from village near Jerusalem

Palestinian media names the perpetrators of today’s terror attack in Jerusalem as Mohammad Taha and Muthanna Amro from the village of Qatanna near Jerusalem.

According to the reports, at least one of them — Amro — is a student at Birzeit University near Ramallah.

According to Palestinian media, the IDF has arrested Amro’s father in the last few hours.

The reports have not yet been confirmed by Israel.

3:59 pm

Britain’s FM says she’s ‘horrified’ by Jerusalem terror attack

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper says she is “horrified” by this morning’s terrorist attack by Palestinian terrorists at the Ramot Junction in Jerusalem, which claimed the lives of six victims and left nearly a dozen more injured.

I am horrified by the terrorist attack in Jerusalem.

My thoughts are with the victims and their families at this awful time.

— Yvette Cooper (@YvetteCooperMP) September 8, 2025

“My thoughts are with the victims and their families at this awful time,” writes Cooper on X, after replacing David Lammy as Foreign Secretary this week during a ministerial cabinet reshuffle by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

4:10 pm

Netanyahu to testify in court tomorrow after today’s session canceled due to terror attack

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will give testimony in his criminal trial tomorrow in the Tel Aviv District Court, after his testimony scheduled for today was canceled due to the terror attack in Jerusalem in which six people were murdered by a pair of Palestinian terrorists.

The hearing will be a closed-door session since it will deal with the issue of Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan’s efforts to secure a long-term US visa, allegedly with the help of Netanyahu. Hearings on this issue have, for the most part, been held behind closed doors due to diplomatic sensitivities surrounding the matter.

4:19 pm

Police, IDF arrest Palestinian freed in hostage deal for alleged online incitement to terror

Police and IDF troops this morning arrested a Palestinian woman who was recently released from Israeli prison, on suspicion of online incitement to terror.

The suspect, who police say is affiliated with Hamas, was freed in a hostage-prisoner exchange during this year’s Gaza truce. She resides in Yatta, a Palestinian city in the southern West Bank.

Police say she uploaded posts rejoicing over the death of an Israeli soldier in Gaza and lauding Iran’s ballistic missile attacks on Israel during the June war. Officers seized her phone and two computers upon her arrest, and she was transferred for questioning at the police station in Hebron.

4:42 pm

IDF strikes fourth Gaza City high-rise within days, claiming it was used by Hamas

By Stav Levaton

The Israeli Air Force once again struck a high-rise building in Gaza City a short while ago that the IDF says was being used by Hamas, after issuing several warnings for residents in the area to evacuate.

According to the military, Hamas operatives had placed observation posts and surveillance equipment in the building, along with explosive devices, with the building allegedly being used to target IDF forces throughout the war.

The army says the strike was carried out with precision munitions and aerial surveillance to minimize civilian harm.

This is the fourth high-rise in Gaza City hit by the IDF in as many days, with the military saying each of the buildings was exploited by Hamas for terror activity.

Breaking | Israeli occupation warplanes bomb the “Al-Ru'yaa” tower near Al-Azhar University in Gaza City. pic.twitter.com/YiB5fYSNIk

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) September 8, 2025

4:53 pm

Spain’s PM condemns Jerusalem terror attack, notes Spanish victim

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expresses his “strongest condemnation” of the shooting attack by Palestinian terrorists in Jerusalem this morning that killed six Israelis, including a Spanish citizen.

“I wish to convey my condolences to the Israeli people and, in particular, to the families of the victims, among whom is the Spanish citizen Yaakov Pinto,” writes Sanchez in a Spanish-language post on X.

“Violence is not the way. We are convinced that peace in the Middle East is possible,” he adds.

At the same time, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar blasts Sanchez on X for taking measures against Israel on the same morning that Pinto, a recent immigrant from Spain, was murdered.

“At the very same time that [Sanchez] attacked Israel — Palestinian terrorists attacked and murdered six Israelis, among them [Pinto]” writes Sa’ar on X.

“Sanchez and his twisted ministers who justified the [2023 Hamas-led] October 7 massacre, has long since chosen to stand with Hamas and against Israel. Disgraceful!” Sa’ar continues.

Sa’ar’s remarks come after Sanchez announced nine measures against Israel this morning, including an arms embargo and a ban on Israeli goods from the West Bank, in response to what the premier described as a “genocide” by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza.

Shortly before Sanchez’s announcement, Sa’ar issued a lengthy statement accusing Spain of antisemitism and announcing sanctions on two Spanish ministers, saying that the rhetoric they have issued since October 7 amounts to incitement to violence against Israelis and calls for the destruction of Israel.

Madrid rejected the accusations of antisemitism.

At the very same time that Spanish Prime Minister @sanchezcastejon attacked Israel – Palestinian terrorists attacked and murdered six Israelis, among them Yaakov Pinto, a new immigrant from Spain.
Sánchez and his twisted ministers who justified the October 7 massacre,
has long… pic.twitter.com/GDixio65Zd

— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) September 8, 2025

5:20 pm

Spain recalls ambassador from Israel after Sa’ar accuses Madrid of antisemitism

MADRID, Spain — Spain’s Foreign Ministry says it summoned its ambassador in Tel Aviv for consultations, hours after Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accused the Spanish government of antisemitism following its new measures against Israel-bound ships and aircraft over the war in Gaza.

In his statement, Saar also said the government used the measures to divert public attention from corruption scandals.

5:25 pm

Hundreds in film industry sign pledge to boycott Israeli film institutions implicated in ‘genocide’

Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel activists protest ahead of the opening ceremony of the 82nd Venice Film Festival at Venice Lido on August 27, 2025. (Tiziana FABI / AFP)

Hundreds of actors and filmmakers sign a petition committing to a boycott of Israeli film institutions they accuse of being implicated in “genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza.

The pledge is signed by several high-profile names, including Olivia Coleman, Mark Ruffalo, Ava DuVernay, Tilda Swinton, Javier Bardem, Ayo Edebiri, Riz Ahmed, and Cynthia Nixon.

“The world’s highest court, the International Court of Justice, has ruled that there is a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza, and that Israel’s occupation and apartheid against Palestinians are unlawful. Standing for equality, justice, and freedom for all people is a profound moral duty that none of us can ignore. So too, we must speak out now against the harm done to the Palestinian people,” the pledge reads.

The former president of the International Court of Justice, Joan Donoghue, clarified in an interview following the ruling that judges did not rule that the court believed it was “plausible” that Israel was committing genocide, but that “the Palestinians had a plausible right to be protected from genocide, and that South Africa had the right to present that claim in the court.”

“We answer the call of Palestinian filmmakers, who have urged the international film industry to refuse silence, racism, and dehumanization, as well as to ‘do everything humanly possible’ to end complicity in their oppression,” the film workers say in their petition.

“Inspired by Filmmakers United Against Apartheid who refused to screen their films in apartheid South Africa, we pledge not to screen films, appear at or otherwise work with Israeli film institutions—including festivals, cinemas, broadcasters and production companies—that are implicated* in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people,” it says.

A separate FAQ site says that there are “a few Israeli film entities that are not complicit.”

“For best practices, we encourage you to seek guidelines set by Palestinian civil society. We also encourage film workers to ask questions and do their own research about any entity they plan to work with,” it reads.

5:30 pm

Official says Herzog will meet with senior UK government member in London this week

President Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal arrive at Westminster Abbey in central London on May 6, 2023, ahead of the coronation of Britain's King Charles III. (Photo by Andrew Matthews / POOL / AFP)

President Isaac Herzog will meet with a senior member of the British government during his trip to London this week, according to a diplomatic official.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer will likely host him, and possibly Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, according to the official, but neither the UK nor Herzog’s office would comment on the plans. The President’s Residence would only say that he would meet “public representatives” during his three-day visit.

According to The Guardian, Labour Party lawmakers in the UK are urging Starmer and other members of the government to avoid meeting with Herzog, due to the ongoing war in Gaza.

5:34 pm

Far-left Jewish group IfNotNow endorses Mamdani for NYC mayor

By Luke Tress

Democrat mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks during a rally at the Hotel & Gaming Trades Council headquarters in New York, July 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

The far-left Jewish activist group IfNotNow endorses New York Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, a harsh critic of Israel, in his run for New York City mayor.

IfNotNow and its New York City chapter, IfNotNow NYC, say in a joint statement, “The endorsement is in recognition of Mamdani’s commitment to fighting for a city that is more livable, more affordable, and safer for all New Yorkers as well as his deeply-held commitment to the equality, freedom, and safety for all Palestinians and Israelis.”

The statement also applauds Mamdani’s “commitments to pushing back against the Trump regime’s authoritarian agenda.”

Activists with the group will canvas for Mamdani’s campaign and the members will train progressive Jews “to have difficult conversations with members of their own Jewish communities who are still unsure how they will vote in November,” the statement says.

“As the Trump administration ratchets up its attacks on our cities and our neighbors, we need political leadership who will fight back and put forward a bold vision that works for all of us,” says IfNotNow head Morriah Kaplan. “Zohran Mamdani embodies shared safety for Jewish, Muslim, immigrant, and LGBTQ+ New Yorkers and Palestinians and Israelis. This is how we defeat the Trump regime’s agenda: fighting for all of us, not rolling over in the face of authoritarianism.”

Mamdani caused repeated controversies with his rhetoric about Israel during the primary campaign, particularly his defense of the phrase “globalize the intifada,” which he has since said he would “discourage,” without condemning the slogan. He has identified in the past as an anti-Zionist.

He won a stunning upset in the Democratic party primary in July and is the heavy favorite to win the general election in November.

Mamdani is divisive among Jewish voters. He is the leading candidate among Jews in the four-way race, with around 37 percent support, according to a July poll by the pro-Israel New York Solidarity Network. That figure is similar to his support among the non-Jewish population.

While 60% of Jews are opposed to Mamdani, their support is divided among the other candidates — New York City Mayor Eric Adams, former governor Andrew Cuomo, and Republican Curtis Sliwa.

Slightly more than half of the city’s Jews believe Mamdani is antisemitic, and 58% believe the city will be less safe for Jews if Mamdani is elected, the poll found.

Far-left groups like IfNotNow, Jews for Economic and Racial Justice, and the anti-Zionist Jewish Voice for Peace have backed Mamdani, while Zionist Jewish groups have rallied against him.

5:36 pm

Sirens warn of suspected drone infiltration in southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem

Sirens warning of a suspected drone infiltration sound in the settlement of Mitzpeh Shalem, next to the Dead Sea in the southern West Bank, as well as in several settlements south of Jerusalem.

The IDF says it is looking into the details.

Earlier, the military said three drones launched by the Houthis in Yemen were shot down over southern Israel.

5:38 pm

Palestinian Authority’s school year opens late due to economic crisis

The Palestinian Authority’s school year began this morning after a one-week delay due to the late payment of teachers’ salaries.

Like other PA employees, teachers have been receiving their wages late and only partially. After they had gone about five weeks without pay, the PA announced the start of the school year would be postponed, apparently due to teachers’ refusal to open schools.

Yesterday, the PA Finance Ministry announced that June salaries would be paid that same day, leading the Palestinian Teachers’ Union to declare that the school year would start today.

שנת הלימודים בבתי הספר הממשלתיים של הרשות הפלסטינית נפתחה הבוקר באיחור של שבוע. הסיבה? איחור במשכורות. תשלום המשכורות לפקידים, בהם המורים הפלסטינים, הגיע לשפל – במשך חמישה שבועות לא שולמה המשכורת (שמשולמת חודשים אחורה ובאופן חלקי) בגלל שפל כלכלי ברשות – על כך בהמשך. אתמול הודיע… pic.twitter.com/mbqoCcBHQO

— Nurit Yohanan (@nurityohanan) September 8, 2025

5:40 pm

Authorities confirm Mohammad Taha, Muthanna Amro as Jerusalem attackers

Authorities confirm the identities of the perpetrators of today’s terror attack in Jerusalem as Mohammad Taha, 21, and Muthanna Amro, 20.

Both are residents of the Ramallah area, and have no prior arrests, Israel Police and the Shin Bet security service say in a joint statement

The two were slain after killing six people and injuring nearly a dozen in the attack.

5:48 pm

UN chief ‘strongly condemns’ deadly Jerusalem terror attack

By AFP

UNITED NATIONS — United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres denounces today’s “terror attack” in Jerusalem, which killed six people, his spokesman says.

“The Secretary-General strongly condemns today’s terror attack in Jerusalem,” Stephane Dujarric says in a statement, adding that the UN chief was conveying his “heartfelt condolences” to the victims’ families.

5:56 pm

IDF says it’s tracking suspected drone that set off sirens in West Bank

The military says it is tracking a suspected drone that entered Israeli airspace a short while ago, setting off sirens near the Dead Sea and in several West Bank settlements south of Jerusalem.

“The target is being tracked by the Air Force, and the incident is still ongoing,” the army says, calling on civilians to continue to follow the Home Front Command guidelines.

5:56 pm

Hezbollah official says four members killed in Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon

By AFP

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Lebanon’s Health Ministry says Israeli strikes on the country’s east killed at least five people today, after the Israeli military said it targeted Hezbollah positions.

“The Israeli enemy strikes on the Bekaa and the outskirts of Hermel led to a preliminary toll of five dead and five others wounded,” the ministry says, noting the toll was provisional.

A Hezbollah official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press, confirms four of the five killed were terror group members.

“ Series of Israeli airstrikes target the Hermel and Baalbek areas in Eastern Lebanon. ( Hezbollah drug cartels controlled ) “ pic.twitter.com/DcaMv1wFpD

— Nagi N. Najjar (@NagiNajjar) September 8, 2025

Times of Israel staff and AP contributed to this report.

6:00 pm

UN event spotlights history of Jewish refugees from Middle Eastern countries

By Zev Stub

As the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) session opens today, B’nai B’rith International and Justice for Jews from Arab Countries (JJAC) are hosting an event to raise awareness of the plight of former Jewish refugees from Arab and Muslim countries.

“Over the course of mere decades in the 20th century, most Middle Eastern lands were collectively emptied of some 99% of their Jewish population, pushed out by expulsion and persecution in one of modern history’s most dramatic but little-recognized mass displacements,” the organizations say in a statement.

The event at the Palais des Nations, the UN’s European headquarters in Geneva, will show that the number of displaced Jews in the Middle East exceeded that of the Palestinian Arab refugees, they add.

6:09 pm

US envoy offers condolences to families of victims of Jerusalem terror shooting

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee expresses horror over today’s deadly terror attack in Jerusalem.

“Horrified by this morning’s deadly terror attack in Jerusalem. Janet & I offer our heartfelt condolences to grieving families and pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. We stand with Israel against this savagery,” he writes on X.

Horrified by this morning’s deadly terror attack in Jerusalem. Janet & I offer our heartfelt condolences to grieving families and pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. We stand with @Israel against this savagery.

— Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@USAmbIsrael) September 8, 2025

6:19 pm

Jerusalem attack terrorists named; IDF chief says he ordered full closure of West Bank villages from which they set out

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir speaks to officers in the West Bank, September 8, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir visits a lookout point near two villages in the West Bank from which the two Palestinian terrorists set out to carry out this morning’s deadly shooting attack in Jerusalem.

“We are here after a very serious attack. I have ordered a full closure of the area from which the terrorists came out,” Zamir says at the scene, according to remarks provided by the IDF.

“We will continue with a determined and ongoing operational and intelligence effort, pursue the terror nests everywhere, and thwart the terror infrastructure and its organizers,” he adds.

Mohammad Taha, 21, from Qatanna, and Muthanna Amro, 20, from Qubeiba, named by the Shin Bet as the perpetrators of a deadly terrorist attack in Jerusalem on September 8, 2025.

The two gunmen are identified by the Shin Bet as Mohammad Taha, 21, from Qatanna, and Muthanna Amro, 20, from Qubeiba. The two villages are adjacent to each other on the outskirts of Ramallah, west of Ramot Junction, where the attack took place.

6:19 pm

IDF says West Bank sirens warning of suspected drone attack were false alarms

The IDF says suspected drone infiltration sirens that sounded in the Dead Sea area and in West Bank settlements south of Jerusalem were false alarms.

The Home Front Command has also given residents an all-clear.

6:42 pm

Hamas officials: It is not possible to release all hostages in a single day under American proposal

International Red Cross (ICRC) vehicles arrive at the scene shortly before Hamas fighters release of three Israeli hostages as part of the seventh hostage-prisoner swap, in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on February 22, 2025. (Eyad Baba/AFP)

Sources in Hamas tell the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat that Hamas informed the mediators it would not be possible to release all the hostages, both living and dead, on the first day of the ceasefire, as demanded by the new American proposal for a ceasefire deal.

The sources explain to the newspaper that “there are hostages who were killed in places where the IDF would need to cease fire (apparently for an extended period) in order to recover them from under the rubble, or who were buried in areas the IDF later entered” (and now controls).

7:00 pm

Israel soccer coach says he is ‘standing behind’ country amid calls to boot team from World Cup qualifiers

By AP

Israel's fans cheer during a group 1, World Cup qualifier soccer match between Moldova and Israel at the ZImbru stadium in Chisinau, Moldova, Sept. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurel Obreja)

DEBRECEN, Hungary — The coach of Israel’s national soccer team says he is “standing behind my country” amid calls for the team to be suspended from international competition because of the war in Gaza, adding that “we are in a very complicated situation.”

Israel “hosts” Italy in neutral Hungary in a World Cup qualifier today, and the Italian Soccer Coaches’ Association said last month that it had written a formal letter calling for Israel to be suspended.

“We have a super morale and amazing country,” Israel coach Ran Ben-Shimon says. “I trust my people. We are trusting our army and soldiers. And I’m standing behind my country.”

Ben-Shimon adds that he wasn’t paying attention to the criticism “in front of me,” because “I’m looking who is standing behind me, and this is our people. We are playing for them, to make them joyful, to make them a few moments of happy.”

Israel’s players were to wear black armbands for the game, UEFA confirms, after Palestinian attackers opened fire at a bus stop in Jerusalem this morning. Six people were killed and another 11 were wounded in the attack.

7:22 pm

Police said to seek 30-day extension on restrictions on Qatargate suspect Urich

Jonatan Urich, who was arrested in the so-called Qatargate investigation, arrives for a court hearing in Lod, August 19, 2025. (Jonathan Shaul/ Flash90)

Police are seeking to extend restrictive conditions on Jonatan Urich, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a key suspect in the so-called Qatargate scandal, after an additional suspicion that he wore a military uniform without permission, Hebrew media outlets report.

Police are seeking to extend the order on Urich to stay away from the Prime Minister’s Office for another 30 days, as it is set to expire on Wednesday, reports say.

Urich, Eli Feldstein, and a third adviser to Netanyahu, Yisrael Einhorn, are suspected of multiple offenses tied to their alleged pro-Qatar lobbying, including contact with a foreign agent and a series of corrupt actions involving lobbyists and businessmen, all while working for the prime minister. The investigation has also expanded to cover business connections of former security officials to Qatar.

7:40 pm

IDF announces four soldiers killed in Hamas attack on army camp outside Gaza City

L-R: Staff Sgt. Uri Lamed, Sgt. Amit Arye Regev, and Sgt. Gadi Cotal, who were killed in the Gaza Strip on September 8, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Four soldiers were killed in a Hamas attack on the outskirts of Gaza City early this morning, the military announces.

Three of the slain troops are named as:

Staff Sgt. Uri Lamed, 20, from Tel Mond.
Sgt. Amit Arye Regev, 19, from Modiin.
Sgt. Gadi Cotal, 20, from Kibbutz Afikim.

They all served with the 401st Armored Brigade’s 52nd Battalion.

The name of the fourth soldier is set to be released later, the army says.

Additionally, a soldier of the Nahal Infantry Brigade’s 50th Battalion was moderately wounded in the incident, the army adds.

According to a preliminary IDF probe, three Hamas operatives launched an attack on an army encampment in the Kafr Jabalia area, on the outskirts of Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighborhood at around 6 a.m. The incident took place shortly after troops had returned to the outpost following an overnight activity.

The operatives reached a tank at the entrance to the encampment and opened fire at the commander, who had his head outside the armored vehicle’s open hatch. The gunmen then hurled an explosive device inside the tank, leading to the deaths of the four soldiers, according to the initial investigation.

The probe also found that other soldiers stationed in the encampment returned fire at the fleeing gunmen, with at least two of them being hit. During the exchange of fire, the wounded infantryman was hit in the leg, according to the IDF.

7:48 pm

Netanyahu says ’50 terror towers’ destroyed in Gaza City, tells residents to ‘get out of there’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel has destroyed “50 terror towers” over the past two days and that it was “just a prelude” to its operation to conquer Gaza City.

Netanyahu vows to destroy all “nests of terror” in a video statement from the Israeli Air Force’s operations room, known as the pit, in the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv.

“I promised you a few days ago that we would destroy Gaza’s terror towers. This is exactly what we are doing. In the past two days, 50 of these towers have fallen. The air force brought them down. Now all of this is just an introduction, just a prelude, to the main intense operation — a ground maneuver of our forces, who are now organizing and gathering in Gaza City,” he says.

He adds: “And so I say to the residents of Gaza, I am taking advantage of this opportunity, and listen to me carefully: You have been warned. Get out of there!”

8:33 pm

Some tents enter Gaza but Red Cross says enclave needs many more

Tents house displaced Palestinians in Gaza City, on August 18, 2025. (Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

The Red Cross says it has distributed over 300 tents to displacement camps in southern Gaza in recent days, but warns that the current supply of shelter materials in the enclave falls far short of urgent needs on the ground.

Another 1,500 tents are expected to be delivered in the coming days, in addition to the 300, the Red Cross adds, but it says hundreds of thousands of people desperately need new tents or tarpaulins after months of wear and tear on existing supplies.

“Many displaced families are living in appalling conditions — some among the rubble of their destroyed homes, others in makeshift tents constructed from tarpaulins and scrap metal,” Sarah Davies, a spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross, tells Reuters.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) tells Reuters separately that humanitarian groups had sent “a limited number of tents” into Gaza in recent weeks, but many more were needed.

Over 1.3 million Gazans currently lack tents, according to the United Nations, and further displacement is anticipated as Israel conducts a major offensive in Gaza City, where hundreds of thousands of residents are living among the ruins.

COGAT, the Israeli defense agency that is in charge of civilian affairs in the West Bank and Gaza, tells Reuters that 5,000 tents have entered Gaza since restrictions on shelter materials were lifted near the end of August.

Aid organizations say Israel effectively blocked deliveries of materials for shelter for nearly six months, and despite the lifting of the restriction last month, international NGOs such as CARE International, ShelterBox, and the Norwegian Refugee Council report on Monday that they have yet to receive authorization to deliver such materials.

However, COGAT says, “Every organization that wants to enter tents is absolutely allowed to do so.”

8:38 pm

Palestinian reports: 2 Palestinian children killed in Jenin; IDF has yet to comment

Two Palestinian children are allegedly killed by Israeli soldiers in the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank this evening, reports WAFA, an official Palestinian news outlet.

WAFA identifies the two as Mohammad Sari Alawneh and Islam Abdul-Aziz Nouh Majarmeh, both 14.

The outlet says that IDF soldiers opened fire on a group of civilians who had attempted to return to their homes in the Jenin camp to retrieve some of their belongings.

The IDF has been deployed to the Jenin camp since earlier this year, as part of a major counterterrorism offensive. Residents of the camp have since been displaced and have not been allowed to return.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF on the incident.

ارتقاء الطفلين محمد سري عمر علاونة و إسلام عبد العزيز نوح مجارمة برصاص الاحتلال في مخيم جنين، وقد قام الاحتـ.لال بفتح نيـ،رانه باتجاه المواطنين أثناء محاولتهم الدخول لتفقد منازلهم بالمخيم. pic.twitter.com/HxWKAAVrLD

— ق.ض (@Qadeyah1) September 8, 2025

9:03 pm

Jerusalem hospitals treating 2 seriously injured in Ramot attack, among dozens of wounded

By Diana Bletter

Hadassah Medical Center says that four people wounded in today’s terror attack at Jerusalem’s Ramot Junction are being treated at Hadassah Mount Scopus, including one in moderate condition with a gunshot wound and three who were lightly injured.

At Hadassah Ein Kerem, there are likewise four wounded patients, one in moderate condition with a gunshot wound and three with light injuries.

Another six who were injured in the attack are hospitalized at Shaare Zedek Medical Center, including two in serious condition and four in moderate condition. Shaare Zedek also said 30 anxiety victims arrived for treatment during the day, of whom 11 are still receiving treatment.

9:14 pm

Macron to name new French PM ‘in next days,’ after premier ousted by parliament

By AFP

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou leaves the National Assembly after the result of a confidence vote over the government's austerity budget, at the National Assembly in Paris on September 8, 2025. (STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP)

French President Emmanuel Macron’s office announces that he will name a new prime minister in the next few days, hours after parliament ousted the government of Prime Minister Francois Bayrou after just nine months in office.

Bayrou, who has been in the job since December 2024, had blindsided even his allies by calling a confidence vote to end a lengthy standoff over his austerity budget, which foresees almost 44 billion euros ($52 billion) of cost savings to reduce France’s debt.

Bayrou is the first premier in the history of modern France to be ousted in a confidence vote rather than in a no-confidence vote. He will submit his resignation on Tuesday morning, according to a person close to him who asked not to be named.

In the vote in the National Assembly, 364 deputies voted that they had no confidence in the government, while just 194 gave it their confidence. “In line with article 50 of the constitution, the prime minister must submit the resignation of his government,” said speaker Yael Braun-Pivet.

Bayrou is the sixth prime minister under Macron since his 2017 election, and the fifth since 2022. Bayrou’s ousting leaves the French head of state with a new domestic headache at a time when he is preparing to recognize a State of Palestine at the United Nations, over Israeli and US objections, and is leading diplomatic efforts on the Ukraine war.

Macron “will meet Prime Minister Francois Bayrou tomorrow (Tuesday) to accept the resignation of his government. The president will appoint a new prime minister in the next days,” his office says.

According to a poll by Odoxa-Backbone for Le Figaro newspaper, 64 percent of the French want Macron to resign rather than name a new prime minister, a move he has ruled out. He is forbidden from standing for a third term in 2027.

Around 77% of people do not approve of his work, Macron’s worst-ever such rating, according to an Ifop poll for the Ouest-France daily.

9:33 pm

Trump reportedly tasks Jared Kushner with composing ‘day-after’ plan for Gaza

From left, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, US Attorney General Pam Bondi, US President Donald Trump, Arabella Kushner and Jared Kushner stand for the national anthem before the US Open tennis men's singles final on September 7, 2025. (AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

US President Donald Trump is tasking his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, with composing a plan for the day after the war in Gaza, Channel 12 reports.

Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer met with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Kushner in Miami today to discuss the ceasefire proposal and the US “day after” plan, according to the network, which reported that Kushner is emerging as a central figure in crafting US plans for the future of Gaza.

“Israel will have influence, but it won’t be the Bibi plan or the Dermer plan,” a US official tells Channel 12.

Kushner was a senior adviser to Trump during his first term from 2017 to 2021, and was central to brokering the Abraham Accords, the normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab countries. He does not currently hold an official position in the Trump White House.

Channel 12 also reports that new details have emerged about the new US proposal for a comprehensive hostage-release and ceasefire deal.

While reports indicated yesterday that the latest proposal sent to Hamas by US President Donald Trump would see all the Israeli hostages released on the first day of a ceasefire, the outlet is now reporting that the outline would see all living hostages freed in the first 48 hours.

US President Donald Trump (R) speaks with special envoy Steve Witkoff as he attends the men’s singles final tennis match between Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Italy’s Jannik Sinner on the last day of the US Open tennis tournament, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, in New York City, on September 7, 2025. (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)

The bodies of slain hostages will also be returned during the ceasefire, but the precise timeline will be set indirect talks between Hamas and Israel.

Hamas says it needs time to locate all the bodies, per Channel 12.

The ceasefire would last 60 days or until the end of talks, if they are still ongoing.

The talks will focus on the disarmament of Hamas, the makeup of the government that will rule Gaza after Hamas, and the details of the phased IDF withdrawal, according to Channel 12.

Under the terms of the proposal, the IDF would eventually withdraw fully from Gaza, including from a buffer zone around the borders. The pace of the withdrawal will depend on the new Gazan government’s ability to ensure security in areas Israel leaves.

Israel believes that Hamas officials are divided over the proposal. Some leaders feel that Trump’s guarantees cannot be trusted, and that Israel would be given too much control over the pace of its withdrawal,” per the outlet.

“Hamas has to understand from both Qatar and Egypt that the partial deal path doesn’t exist anymore,” a senior Israeli official tells Channel 12.

10:00 pm

London’s Heathrow Airport partly evacuates terminal due to possible hazardous material

By AP

A plane takes off at Heathrow Airport in London on March 22, 2025. (AP/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

Part of a terminal at Heathrow Airport in London is evacuated because of a possible hazardous material, authorities said.

The check-in area at Terminal 4 is closed and evacuated while emergency services respond, a Heathrow spokesperson said.

Crowds of passengers with luggage can be seen outside the terminal as firefighters respond to the scene.

The London Fire Brigade says the evacuation was a precaution.

The airport asks passengers not to travel to the terminal. All other terminals are operating.

10:22 pm

CBS News taps Jewish former head of conservative think tank to monitor bias

Former Hudson Institute president and CEO Ken Weinstein, pictured in 2019. (AP/Mary Altaffer)

CBS News announces that it has appointed Kenneth R. Weinstein, the former president and CEO of the conservative Hudson Institute, as ombudsman, a role monitoring bias at the network.

Weinstein, who has served in leadership positions at Washington, DC-area Jewish organizations, led the Hudson Institute from 2011 until 2020. He is currently the think tank’s Japan chair.

“We look forward to welcoming Ken as our new Ombudsman,” Paramount President Jeff Shell said in a statement. “At a time when trust in media is more important than ever, this new role reinforces our commitment to truth, trust, and accountability.”

The announcement comes days after the Paramount media company, CBS’s parent, was reported to be preparing to acquire The Free Press news site, founded by Jewish journalist Bari Weiss, for over $100 million.

10:24 pm

IDF investigating after troops kill two Palestinian children in Jenin refugee camp

Israeli soldiers stand next to an army armored vehicle in the Palestinian city of Jenin in the West Bank on May 21, 2025. (Mohammad MANSOUR / AFP)

The Israeli military says it has launched an investigation after two Palestinian children were killed by soldiers in the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank earlier today.

According to the IDF, during activity in the camp, soldiers spotted a group of Palestinians in an area that is declared prohibited by a military order.

“The suspects approached the forces and posed a threat to them,” the IDF says in response to a query on the incident.

The soldiers called on the Palestinians to disperse, and after they “did not comply with the forces’ instructions,” the troops began a “suspect arrest procedure,” which included opening fire at the group.

The IDF says further details are under investigation.

The official Palestinian news outlet WAFA identified the two slain Palestinians as Mohammad Sari Alawneh and Islam Abdul-Aziz Nouh Majarmeh, both 14.

The IDF has been deployed to the Jenin camp since earlier this year, as part of a major counterterrorism offensive. Residents of the camp have since been displaced and not allowed to return.

10:35 pm

Netanyahu: Four fallen soldiers fought ‘courageously and with dedication’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says “Israel bows its head” for the soldiers killed in battle near Gaza City earlier today.

“My spouse and I, together with all the citizens of Israel, send our condolences to the bereaved families, share in their pain, and embrace them,” Netanyahu says in a statement. “Our soldiers operated courageously and with dedication to the defeat of Hamas and the return of all of our hostages. In the spirit of their heroism, we will not desist from those missions until we achieve them.”

The soldiers were named as Staff Sgt. Uri Lamed, 20, from Tel Mond, Sgt. Amit Arye Regev, 19, from Modiin, Sgt. Gadi Cotal, 20, from Kibbutz Afikim, and a fourth soldier whose name has yet to be released.

10:51 pm

Democrats release suggestive letter to Epstein purportedly signed by Trump, which he denies

By AP

Democrats on the US House Oversight Committee release a sexually suggestive letter to Jeffrey Epstein purportedly signed by President Donald Trump, which the president has denied.

Trump has said he did not write the letter or create the drawing of a curvaceous woman that surrounds it. He filed a $10 billion lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal for a report on the alleged letter.

The letter was included as part of a 2003 album compiled for alleged sex trafficker Epstein’s birthday. The president has denied having anything to do with it. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee received a copy of the birthday album earlier today, as part of a batch of documents from Epstein’s estate.

The White House did not immediately respond to a message from the Associated Press seeking comment.

????????HERE IT IS: We got Trump’s birthday note to Jeffrey Epstein that the President said doesn’t exist.

Trump talks about a “wonderful secret” the two of them shared. What is he hiding? Release the files! pic.twitter.com/k2Mq8Hu3LY

— Oversight Dems (@OversightDems) September 8, 2025

After the letter’s release, White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich posts pictures on X of Trump’s signature and tags The Wall Street Journal’s parent corporation, News Corp., writing: “Time for @newscorp to open that checkbook, it’s not his signature. DEFAMATION!”

Time for @newscorp to open that checkbook, it’s not his signature. DEFAMATION! https://t.co/O6iKk4SYF5 pic.twitter.com/T0wlp36P9h

— Taylor Budowich (@TayFromCA) September 8, 2025

Trump has denied writing the letter and creating the drawing, calling a report on it “false, malicious, and defamatory.”

“These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures,” Trump said.

The letter released by the committee looks exactly as described by the The Wall Street Journal in its report.

The letter bearing Trump’s name and signature includes text framed by a hand-drawn outline of what appears to be a curvaceous woman.

“A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,” the letter says.

11:02 pm

Arab mediating source: Witkoff proposal unlikely to break hostage talks logjam

By Jacob Magid

US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff attends a meeting between US President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office at the White House, on July 14, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images via AFP)

An Arab mediating source tells The Times of Israel that they do not believe the proposed hostage deal crafted recently by US special envoy Steve Witkoff is likely to succeed.

The proposal envisions Hamas releasing all remaining hostages within the first 48 hours in exchange for an assurance from the US that Israel will not subsequently resume the war, along with the release of several thousand Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, the mediating source says

Hamas has pushed back on the idea of immediately releasing all remaining hostages without concrete guarantees that Israel will not be able to resume the war.

It has not found US assurances to be sufficient, the Arab mediating source says, pointing to the Trump administration’s backing for the Israeli decision to resume the war in March, rather than transitioning to the second phase of a ceasefire and hostage release deal that had been in place since January.

While US President Donald Trump said yesterday that Israel had accepted his terms for a hostage deal that ends the war, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to hold a cabinet meeting to discuss the exchange. The proposal could well face pushback from the prime minister’s far-right coalition partners over its requirement for the IDF to withdraw from Gaza, where many of them envision Israel reestablishing settlements.

11:07 pm

Qatar PM urges Hamas to accept latest US-backed ceasefire-hostage release deal, source says

Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani speaks during a press conference in Doha on June 24, 2025. (Karim JAAFAR / AFP)

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani pressed Hamas political leaders to “respond positively” to the latest US-proposed Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal during talks in Doha today, an official briefed on the talks tells Reuters.

“The Qatari prime minister pressed Hamas to respond positively to the latest American proposal, conveyed through mediators, and aimed at securing a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza,” the official says.

Hamas senior official Bassem Naim said today that the US’s Gaza ceasefire proposal amounted to “preliminary” ideas meant to elicit a rejection from the terror group.

“It is clear that the primary goal is to reach the refusal of the offer and not reach an agreement that leads to the end of the war,” he said in a post on his Telegram channel, without presenting the group’s official stance.

He added that Hamas is not interested in “signing a humiliating surrender document, and Hamas leadership does not include an emperor like Japan’s Hirohito,” a reference to Japan’s unconditional surrender to the US at the end of World War II.

Nurit Yohanan contributed to this report.

11:22 pm

Palestinian reports: Settlers set fire to structures in West Bank village, no casualties

Palestinian media report that settlers set fire to several agricultural structures in the village of Deir Sharaf, near Nablus in the northern West Bank. No casualties were reported.

It is also reported that in the past several hours, settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles on the road between Ramallah and Nablus. No casualties were reported there, either. Police and the IDF have yet to issue a response.

#فيديو| مشاهد من إشعال المستوطنين للنيران في "مشتل الجنيدي" على أطراف بلدة دير شرف، شمال غرب نابلس. pic.twitter.com/VSYC76zCot

— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) September 8, 2025

11:27 pm

IDF levels another Gaza City building, Palestinian reports say

The Israeli Air Force leveled another building in Gaza City a short while ago, according to Palestinian media.

The IDF has not yet commented on the strike, but warned last week it would be striking high-rises in Gaza City that are being used by Hamas, ahead of a major offensive.

Earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military had destroyed some 50 buildings used by Hamas in Gaza City over two days.

القصف لا يتوقف ولا يهدأ في مدينة غزة، وإسرائيل تُسقِط أطناناً من المتفجرات على المدينة وسكانها.

هذا المبنى قصفت إسرائيل نصفه في حرب 2014، ولم يُعد إعماره بسبب حصار غزة، واليوم استكملت تدمير نصفه الآخر. ولا نعلم إن كنا سنستطيع إعادة إعمار كل هذا الخراب يوماً ما.

أوقفوا هذا… pic.twitter.com/qDhBowa4rc

— Tamer | تامر (@tamerqdh) September 8, 2025

11:46 pm

Israel loses 5-4 to Italy in ‘crazy’ rollercoaster World Cup qualifier

By ToI Staff and Reuters

Italy's forward Matteo Politano and Israel's forward Manor Solomon (R) vie for the ball during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers Europe zone group I soccer match on September 8, 2025 in Debrecen, Hungary. (Attila KISBENEDEK / AFP)

Israel suffers a heartbreaking defeat to Italy in tonight’s World Cup qualifier, scoring four goals against the four-time World Cup winners but still losing the match.

Israel led 1-0 and again 2-1, before Italy soared to a seemingly invincible 4-2 lead. But Israel would not be beaten and scored twice to tie the match at 4-4, only for Italy to notch the winning goal in the final minutes.

Israel’s players wore black armbands during the playing of the national anthems, in honor of the victims of today’s deadly terrorist attack in Jerusalem.

Israel’s coach Ran Ben Shimon praises the tenacity and “courage” of his players after the game. “We have an amazing group” of players, he says.

He says he feels very proud, but acknowledges that the result feels “a little sour.”

“We didn’t win three points,” he says, “but we earned the trust of the people watching at home, and proved that we’re unbreakable.”

Some Italian fans turned their backs to the field during the playing of “Hatikvah.” Ben Shimon says he was not fazed. He says he hoped his team gave Israelis at home something positive on a terrible day.

The result dents Israel’s prospects of qualifying for next year’s World Cup. Israel now sits third in qualifying Group I, behind group leaders Norway and Italy.

The top team in each group qualifies directly for next year’s finals, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

Drama from start to finish

Italy almost fell behind in the fourth minute when Gianluigi Donnarumma punched the ball into his own net from a corner, but Israel’s Stav Lemkin was adjudged to have fouled the goalkeeper.

The Italians continued to look shaky at the back and Nicolo Barella’s lazy back pass was almost pounced on by Eliel Peretz before Donnarumma made a desperate clearance.

However, Israel took a deserved lead in the 16th minute. Eli Dasa passed to Dan Biton whose pull back from the byline was turned into his own goal by Locatelli.

Italy found the equaliser five minutes from the break.

Mateo Retegui laid a pass off to strike partner Moise Kean whose powerful low shot from outside the box found the bottom corner.

Kean forced Israel keeper Daniel Peretz into a save shortly after the interval with a shot on the turn, but it was Israel who took the lead again in the 52nd minute.

Manor Solomon twisted and turned his way into the area before laying off a pass which Dor Peretz whipped first time beyond the reach of Donnarumma.

Italy were almost immediately back on terms, with Kean once more to the rescue two minutes later. Retegui made the decisive pass and Kean smashed a half-volley from the edge of the area.

Retegui was the provider yet again when Italy went ahead for the first time in the 58th minute, as Matteo Politano poked home his deft back-heeled pass in the box.

Italy looked to have sealed the win when substitute Giacomo Raspadori netted with nine minutes remaining before Alessandro Bastoni’s own goal in the 87th handed Israel a lifeline.

Israel thought they had snatched a draw and dented Italy’s qualifying hopes when Dor Peretz headed his second past Donnarumma from close range in the 89th, but the drama was not over yet.

The game had just entered added time when Sandro Tonali took an opportunistic shot from outside the area which flew past the keeper, and Italy somehow kept their World Cup qualifying hopes ticking over.

“It was a crazy game,” Italy midfielder Manuel Locatelli said, at the final whistle.

11:53 pm

IDF confirms latest strike on Gaza City high-rise