Aug. 2: Earthquake of magnitude 5.4 strikes Egypt, is felt in Israel

Earthquake of magnitude 5.4 strikes Egypt, is felt in Israel

An earthquake measuring magnitude 5.4 has struck off Egypt, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) says.

The quake hit at a depth of 10 km (6 miles), according to GFZ.

It was also felt across southern and central Israel.

The Egyptian Red Crescent says it activated its emergency response plan in the governorates where the quake was felt, but has so far received no reports of casualties or damage to property.

In a statement, the Red Crescent urged residents to avoid buildings showing signs of damage and to rely on official updates as authorities continue to assess the situation.

Hundreds have fled jihadist attacks in southwest Niger — officials

Hundreds of people have fled their homes in southwest Niger after a series of attacks in mid-July against their villages, state media and local sources say.

The movement of so many people is unprecedented in this part of Dosso, a region that borders Nigeria and Benin.

The border zone became the site of fresh jihadist violence in 2025, as groups affiliated with the al-Qaeda movement and the Islamic State group moved into the territory, according to conflict monitor ACLED.

One official in the region says the villagers were forced to flee “right in the middle of the farming season because of “a series of terrorist attacks” in mid-July.

Some survivors fled to the neighboring region of Tahoua, near the Nigerian border, while hundreds of others have taken refuge in Dogondoutchi, a major town about 100 kilometers (60 miles) away, state television reports.

“The first attacks happened in at least three villages on July 17 and left several dozen dead and wounded, all civilians,” a local source tells AFP.

According to the United Nations, Niger has more than 450,000 internally displaced people who have fled jihadist violence.

Trump says talks with Iran will start Monday on deal to reopen Hormuz

US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters onboard Air Force One while returning to the White House, August 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

US President Donald Trump says negotiations with Iran will begin on Monday to finalize a deal that reopens the Strait of Hormuz after he again called off a major attack on the Islamic Republic over the weekend.

“We’re talking to them in the form of a negotiation. It begins tomorrow afternoon, and we’ll see if it’s [good]. I’d love to do that. We’d save a lot of lives, save a lot of unnecessary power,” Trump tells reporters aboard Air Force One.

When he announced the latest walk-back of a threat to conduct a massive bombing campaign against Iran on Saturday, Trump claimed a deal with Iran to reopen Hormuz and “end” its nuclear threat.

Now, he declines to even give a timeline for when such a deal will be reached and says negotiations will only start tomorrow, even though mediators have been discussing such a deal for weeks.

He didn’t specify on Saturday which countries, besides Iran, had asked him not to launch the major bombing campaign, but he now identifies them as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. That contradicts reporting from the Wall Street Journal, which said the UAE actually wanted Trump to escalate against Iran.

Almost every time Trump has walked back threats to bomb Iran, he has claimed it was countries in the region that asked him not to go ahead, rather than suggest his own advisers didn’t think it would be a good idea.

“We were all set to go at this time right now, and it would have been a massive attack… but [then] the allies asked to call it off… The reason they ask is they think there’s a deal. There’s a deal on Hormuz, and then there will be a deal on the denuclearization of Iran,” Trump says, appearing to walk back his claim on Saturday that the deal on the table would address both Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear program.

His latest comments suggest that the nuclear file won’t be addressed until a subsequent deal, and that this first deal regarding Hormuz is only being made in order to restore the memorandum of understanding that was inked in June. That MOU gave the sides 60 days to reach a deal on Iran’s nuclear program, but now there are less than 30 days left in that window.

‘An unprecedented lowpoint’: Opposition blasts Katz for attempting to remove IDF commander unilaterally

Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot, interviewed on Channel 12 news, July 15, 2026. (Channel 12 screenshot)

Opposition leaders assail the government after Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on live TV that he was replacing IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, though he does not have the authority to do so.

“The spectacle that took place on [Channel 14] was an unprecedented lowpoint in relations between the political and military echelons — an improper and unlawful act,” Yashar party chief Gadi Eisenkot says on X. “The State of Israel is no one’s private property, and the IDF is not a tool to be used in primaries by politicians who’ve lost their way.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party is to hold primaries on August 17, at which its over 100,000 members will choose its Knesset slate ahead of the October 27 general election. Likud’s Katz is seeking a prominent placement.

Eisenkot, a former IDF chief of staff, says the current government “is not fit to safeguard the security of the state.” He adds that “very soon, the people of Israel will have worthy and responsible leadership, with Israel’s welfare and security as its sole concern.”

Together party leader Naftali Bennett says the government is acting “against its soldiers.”

“After dismantling the IDF from the outside and paving the way for mass draft evasion, the October 7 government has now decided to dismantle the IDF from within and guarantee complete chaos,” he writes. “Tonight, I say to every citizen of Israel, and to all IDF soldiers and commanders, both active-duty and reservists: Hold on tight — the reinforcements are on their way. Soon, we will replace them, and together we will set things right.”

Katz claims IDF chief recommended a successor for Bluth months ago

IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth watches as Palestinians pass through the Qalandia checkpoint on their way to attend Ramadan prayers at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, February 20, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Defense Minister Israel Katz’s office claims that IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir had already recommended a successor for Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth months ago, after he announced his intention to appoint a new officer to the role on live television this evening.

The statement says that at the end of April, Zamir recommended IDF Personnel Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa as the next Central Command chief, “and also asked him to interview him for the position.”

“The defense minister held a personal interview with Bar Kalifa during June, was impressed that he was the most suitable candidate to command the Central Command, and has now decided to announce that he has accepted the chief of staff’s recommendation and that the appointment is expected to be made in the next round of appointments,” Katz’s office says.

The statement adds that “the defense minister’s policy is to promote in the IDF commanders with a proven record of aggressiveness and success” in the war.

The IDF said earlier that Zamir has no intention of replacing Bluth currently, and that Katz does not have the authority to do so.

IDF says chief of staff will not be replacing top West Bank general, and that Katz does not have the authority to do so

Defense Minister Israel Katz (left) and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, June 2025. (Ariel Harmoni / Defense Ministry)

The military says that IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir will not be replacing Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth at this time, despite Defense Minister Katz announcing his replacement.

In a statement, the military says, accurately, that the defense minister does not have the authority to fire Bluth, and that the announcement was “not coordinated” with Zamir.

“The chief of staff has no intention of replacing commanders in key positions during this sensitive period, and if such a decision is made by the chief of staff, it will be approved in accordance with procedures,” the military says in a statement.

The IDF adds that “Bluth commands Central Command in a complex reality, with professionalism, courage, and dedication, and is fully trusted,” after Katz denounced him live on television.

Defense minister announces on live TV that he’s replacing IDF’s top West Bank general

From left to right: Central Command head Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai during a visit to the West Bank, December 31, 2025. (Shlomi Amsalem/Defense Ministry)

Defense Minister Israel Katz denounces IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth and announces a replacement for him on live television. He says Bluth contravened his policy by seeking to renew a restraining order against a violent settler, and that this is unacceptable.

Speaking with the right-wing Channel 14 news, Katz also asserts that he has “absolute” control over what is needed in the IDF.

Bluth has been Central Command chief for over two years, since July 2024. The role is normally two to three years, although it is unclear if Bluth intended to continue serving for three years.

Haaretz reports that the IDF is outraged by Katz’s decision, and that both Bluth and Bar Kalifa were unaware of the move before the defense minister announced it.

Katz says Bluth acted contrary to his stated policy over an administrative restraining order against a violent settler.

The order against Tal Yinon Dardik was repealed on a technicality, and Katz instructed Bluth not to renew it.

He says Bluth and the Military Advocate General’s Corps filed an appeal to the court against the release of Dardik, “contrary to my policy.”

“They did it against my position; it was the wrong step. [The IDF’s West Bank commander] must take my policy into account, and I will insist on this,” Katz says.

Katz declares that he has therefore decided to appoint IDF Personnel Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa as the next Central Command chief.

“In any case, it was intended — there is the general, Dado Bar Kalifa, who was the commander of the 36th Division… from the generation of heroes who take the offensive, and I announced that I decided to carry out the intention and to appoint him as the general in charge of Central Command,” Katz tells the live TV studio audience. “By the way, the chief of staff recommended him.”

Adds Katz: “In the north, the south and the center, I want an IDF that strives for decisive victory, an IDF that hurts its enemies, and protects the settlers … Nobody will compel the government to change policy that the prime minister brought to the cabinet and was unanimously approved.”

Israeli Navy to conduct drill off Israel’s coast from tomorrow morning until Tuesday evening

The Israeli Navy will conduct a drill starting tomorrow morning off Israel’s coast between Shavei Tzion in the north and Ashdod in the south.

The military says the pre-planned exercise will last through Tuesday evening.

During the drill, there will be an increased presence of naval vessels and security forces in the area, the IDF warns.

11 died in mass crossing to Spain; migration fueled by misinformation of court ruling — Moroccan Interior Ministry

Relatives and friends wait by a fence topped with barbed-wire for the return of people who had previously crossed into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta, at Morocco’s Bab Sebta border crossing, on August 2, 2026. (Abdel Majid BZIOUAT/AFP)

RABAT, Morocco — Morocco’s Interior Ministry says that recent mass crossings to the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla were fueled by misinformation on social media, human trafficking networks, and misinterpretation of a Spanish ruling banning immediate returns of migrants intercepted at sea.

About 40,000 people were involved in the mass crossing into Ceuta, and 1,135 were stopped from entering Melilla, the ministry says in a statement.

Eleven people died, mostly by drowning while crossing, the ministry says, noting that it was fact-checking reports on deaths from the other side of the border.

Dahlan: We knew Netanyahu would try to block Gaza disarmament roadmap

Then-Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan gestures as he speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah, January 3, 2011. (AP Photo/ Majdi Mohammed, File)

Amid growing frustration with Israel from the Board of Peace, exiled Palestinian politician Mohammed Dahlan says the mediators expected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to try to undermine the Gaza disarmament roadmap that Hamas agreed to.

“We had been aware since yesterday that Netanyahu would do everything in his power to kill the opportunity that President Donald Trump worked on in collaboration with Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey,” says Dahlan on X. “We worked for weeks and warned against the criminal behavior of the occupation and what Netanyahu might resort to, and today the entire world sees the gravity of the massacre he committed to block the path to the greatest promising opportunity to begin ending the war and establishing security for our people in Gaza and for all parties.”

Dahlan, a former top Fatah official who has served as a key go-between in negotiations involving Palestinians, was referring to Israeli airstrikes in Gaza over the weekend.

“We pledge to our people that we will work night and day to stop the aggression and save our people from the crimes of Netanyahu and his government,” says Dahlan.

Board of Peace envoy laments recent Gaza strikes amid efforts to implement Trump plan

Palestinians try to extinguish a burning car after an Israeli military strike in Gaza City, August 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Board of Peace Gaza envoy Nickolay Mladenov laments the past two days of Israeli strikes in Gaza that “have killed civilians and destroyed medical supplies that people depend on.”

“This comes after intense efforts by the Board of Peace and the mediators (Egypt, Turkiye, Qatar and the US) to bring the Palestinian factions in Gaza to agree to a Roadmap on the full implementation of President Trump’s plan, to hand over civilian governance and to decommission their weapons,” Mladenov tweets.

“Both parties carry obligations under (US President Donald Trump’s 20-point) Comprehensive Plan (for ending the Gaza war and the (October 2025) Sharm El Sheikh (ceasefire) deal that secured the release of all hostages,” he adds.

“My team and I are working around the clock with the parties, the mediators, and regional partners to de-escalate and create the space for the full implementation of the president’s plan,” Mladenov insists.

“Achieving a lasting peace is hard, but achievable if everyone makes their best efforts,” he says.

The post appears carefully worded to avoid criticizing either side. His remark about the Gaza strikes does not even note that Israel is the one behind them.

The Board of Peace hoped that Hamas’s approval of its disarmament plan on Thursday after months of negotiations would immediately trigger its implementation.

However, Israel has indicated that it does not approve the plan and will not cooperate with it, leaving its implementation in question.

Board of Peace official: We’re in a tense moment; we’re trying get all sides to stop fighting in Gaza

US President Donald Trump, center, poses with international leaders after the signing of a Gaza Board of Peace charter during the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

A Board of Peace official tells The Times of Israel that “we’re in a tense moment,” as Israel continues to carry out lethal airstrikes in Gaza, and senior Israeli officials stress that they have not agreed to suspend attacks against Hamas.

“There’s been a lot of rhetoric and a lot of things said, and now quite a few actions in the last hours,” says the BoP official. “We’re trying to get over the hurdle and just get some calm in because I think that’s a critical first step.”

Israeli airstrikes overnight and today killed at least nine people, according to local health officials, and Energy Minister Eli Cohen vowed that strikes in the territory will not stop despite Hamas signing a US-backed disarmament plan and earlier reports that Israel agreed to halt attacks.

“It’s very clear that the plan shows that cessation of military operations is a key element that we work to get to,” says the official.

The official says that Israel was briefed “extensively” as the deal came together.

“If you look at the roadmap from when we started this negotiation to when we concluded, very little has changed,” says the official. “We’ve stuck to the principles that we started with at the beginning. This is an implementation of the comprehensive peace plan that President Trump unveiled last year that was enshrined by the UN Security Council. Israel agreed to both. And they’ve been fully kept fully abreast on the sequencing of it.”

American Airlines won’t resume Israel flights before March 27

An American Airlines plane makes an emergency landing at Ben Gurion Airport on August 2, 2021. (Screen capture)

American Airlines has announced that it will not resume flights to and from Israel before March 27, 2027, Channel 12 reports.

A check of the AA website confirms that nonstop flights can only be booked from March 28, 2027.

As things stand, United Airlines is currently not set to return to Israel before September 7, 2026, and Delta not before September 5, 2026.

Sa’ar denies Haskel’s claim New Hope whip ordered MKs to film state comptroller vote

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar during a press conference in Prague, Czech Republic, May 20, 2026. (AP/Petr David Josek)

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar denies claims by New Hope MK Sharren Haskel that she was instructed by the party’s whip to record themselves casting ballots for Michael Rabello in the vote for state comptroller in June, in an affidavit submitted to the High Court of Justice.

The document charges that Haskel’s claims “not only lack daylight, but they also lack relevance and are designed to create a media provocation.”

It insists there was no such demand by the ruling Likud party, while noting that Sa’ar, who was overseas at the time of the vote, made clear to party members that they were not supposed to video themselves casting their ballots.

A source familiar with the investigation was cited by Kan earlier as saying that Haskel told police investigators today that the instructions came down from New Hope MK Michel Buskila, the party whip.

Rabello, who is Netanyahu’s attorney, had trailed in the inconclusive first round, but won in the second after at least six coalition lawmakers recorded themselves casting their ballots. The Supreme Court has since annulled the vote, finding it violated the required secrecy.

Noam Lehmann contributed to this report.

Hezbollah responsible for blast that wounded five Lebanese soldiers today — IDF

An explosion that wounded five Lebanese soldiers earlier today was caused by a bomb planted by Hezbollah, the Israeli military says.

Earlier, the Lebanese Armed Forces said five of its troops were lightly hurt after a blast struck their vehicle in the town of Kafra. The LAF initially blamed an Israeli strike, but walked back that claim a short while later, saying the blast was caused by a “suspicious object.”

“Following a review and contrary to claims, it was confirmed that the explosive device did not belong to the IDF,” the Israeli military says, adding that “according to the information available to the IDF, the explosive device is assessed to have belonged to the Hezbollah terror organization.”

The IDF says Israeli troops never had any presence in Kafra, which is located outside the military’s south Lebanon buffer zone.

Israeli officials: We were left in the dark on nixed Iran attack; we don’t know what Trump’s endgame is

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) meets with Defense Minister Israel Katz (L) and IDF chief of staff Eyal Zamir at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv on May 26, 2026. (Maayan Toaf/ GPO)

Israel was left in the dark for hours about an expected joint attack with the US against Iran yesterday, senior defense and diplomatic officials tell Channel 12.

“For hours, we were in real uncertainty,” a senior official says. “President Trump left us in the fog. Senior officers were updated about what was happening from Trump’s social media.”

“The feeling was, they left us behind,” says the official, after Trump posted that he was cancelling the attack.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and other senior officials also discovered Trump was calling off the strike from his Truth Social post.

Israel thought it was an attempt to lull the Iranians into a false sense of security, but eventually military and diplomatic officials were able to reach their American counterparts to verify that Trump had indeed changed his mind about the strike.

“The moment we lower our alert level, it takes a lot of time to reorganize,” says a senior Israeli official. “It is frustrating to commit all our resources to one theater, and then to discover that we had been on high alert for nothing. We don’t understand what the president’s endgame is.”

Israel believes Trump could change his mind in an instant, and Israeli forces remain on high alert, reports Channel 12.

World’s 2nd most expensive Big Mac: Israel jumps six spots to No. 2 on Economist index

View of the McDonalds in Tzur Yigal-Kochav Ya'ir, December 24, 2025. (Yossi Aloni/ FLASH90)

Israel has leaped to No. 2 on The Economist’s Big Mac Index, a list that ranks the relative cost of the McDonald’s burger across the world from most expensive to least expensive.

Israel ranked No. 8 on the list in January, but jumped six spots to have the second most expensive Big Mac, following only Switzerland.

The Globes financial news outlet explains that the soaring relative price of the Israeli Big Mac is the result of the price increase, from NIS 20 ($6.36) in January to NIS 23 in February, a margin of 15 percent, as well as the strengthening of the shekel against the dollar in recent months.

The strengthening of the dollar means that the cost of a Big Mac is now equivalent to $7.67. A Big Mac costs an average of slightly less than $6 in the US.

Coming 2nd in the index does not mean that The Economist is indicating Israel is the world’s 2nd most expensive country. The index, which it has published for 40 years, does provide an insight into relative purchasing power, however, since in theory the Big Mac, which comprises numerous varied ingredients and involves an array of costs from wages to transport to taxes, should cost more or less the same worldwide.

‘Israel was supposed to be part of Iran strike’ — US official

US President Donald Trump backed off from a massive attack on Iran around 24 hours before it was supposed to begin, Channel 12 reports.

Planning for the attack began on Wednesday, a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with Trump in the White House, according to the report.

The US Central Command prepared an attack plan on Iranian energy infrastructure. “Israel was supposed to be part of the plan,” a US official tells Channel 12.

Israel told the US that if the attack did not significantly damage Iranian economic and regime targets, there would be no point in carrying it out.

On Friday and Saturday, the Qataris engaged in intensive talks with Iran, the US, and Oman to try to head off the attacks and open the Strait of Hormuz, per the report.

They told Trump yesterday that they needed another day to reach a solution with Iran, and he agreed. Later in the day, Qatar told Trump that Iran agreed to a proposal to open the strait.

Meanwhile, Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman called Trump to urge him not to strike, and Trump then posted on Truth Social that he was calling off the attack and that Iran had agreed to open the strait and end its nuclear program.

Knesset finance panel to vote on transferring millions to Haredi community, West Bank settlements, despite recess — report

Finance Committee chair MK Hanoch Milwidsky leads a committee meeting at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, June 9, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The Knesset Finance Committee is scheduled to convene on Tuesday, despite the current legislative recess, to vote on transferring hundreds of millions of shekels from the 2026 state budget to the ultra-Orthodox and West Bank settlements, Channel 12 reports.

Last Wednesday, opposition lawmakers blocked the transfer of an approximately NIS 392 million ($116 million) budget earmarked primarily for Haredi education and the Settlements Ministry, preventing a vote after an 11-hour Knesset Finance Committee marathon session ran past the allotted time allowed for parliamentary meetings during a recess.

The transfers failed to secure approval due to a filibuster by opposition lawmakers, who deliberately prolonged the debate. Opposition lawmakers accused the government of trying to further shore up the ruling coalition ahead of the election by doling out public funds to political allies.

The gambit was also aided by internal disagreements between Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich — whose Religious Zionism party draws much of its support from the settlement movement — and ultra-Orthodox parties over the distribution of coalition funds between their respective constituencies.

The Finance Committee has previously sought to divert funds to Haredi institutions despite legal and procedural objections. In March, it approved nearly NIS 100 million ($33 million) for Haredi educational institutions as part of a broader NIS 1 billion ($331 million) transfer that had been frozen by the High Court of Justice in December, after opposition lawmakers argued that the government was funding schools that do not teach the core curriculum required by law.

Likud court probing if Netanyahu’s ballot in key internal vote forged — report

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu casts his vote during the elections for the Likud Central Committee, at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem, November 25, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)

An internal Likud party court is currently investigating whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ballot in last week’s Central Committee vote was forged, after a petitioner against the results presented evidence that a vote was cast in the premier’s name despite the fact that he did not do so, the Ynet news site reports.

A spokesman for Likud denies the report, stating that, “of course, this is fake news. There is no such review by the tribunal.”

Last week, Likud’s roughly 4,500-member Central Committee approved a proposal to significantly expand Netanyahu’s control over the party’s Knesset slate, granting him eight reserved slots in the top 29 places on the list ahead of the October 27 election.

The vote came a day after Likud’s internal court struck down Netanyahu’s bid to allow the party to cancel its August 17 primary in the event of a “wartime situation” and instead select candidates through an appointed committee controlled by the premier.

The motion passed despite rare public dissent from within Likud, led by MK David Bitan, who argued it would push incumbent lawmakers down the list in favor of Netanyahu’s handpicked candidates.

Members of the Central Committee also narrowly approved another proposal regarding allowing party incumbents to run in the upcoming party primary in specific districts.

According to Ynet, the possibility of a fraudulent vote cast in Netanyahu’s name came up during a hearing in an internal party court examining complaints that the vote on the second proposal was tainted, as its passage had originally been said to have been by a majority of five votes but later examination showed only a majority of two. There have been multiple allegations of fraud by party members.

Deal being mediated to revive US-Iran MOU, open Hormuz for 60 days without fees — report

A deal is being mediated to return the United States and Iran to the memorandum of understanding it signed last month, sources aware of the details tell Channel 12 news’s Barak Ravid.

The deal would ensure the Strait of Hormuz remains open for 60 days without fees and renew a ceasefire between the two sides, according to the Channel 12 report.

The MOU signed last month collapsed amid competing claims over the Hormuz, with US President Donald Trump insisting it would be open, while Tehran believed the deal allowed it to dictate the route taken by ships through the key waterway.

Iran’s FM says talks with Oman on mutual Hormuz mechanism in final stages

Small boats line the shore as cargo ships and other commercial vessels appear anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, July 27, 2026. (Razieh Poudat/ISNA via AP)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Negotiations between Iran and Oman over a mutual mechanism to govern the Strait of Hormuz are in their final stages, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says, according to official news agency IRNA.

New Hope MK Haskel says order to film Rabello vote came from her own party, not Likud — report

Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel speaks to the media as she announces her resignation at the Knesset in Jerusalem, July 14, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)

New Hope MK Sharren Haskel claimed in her police testimony today that it was her own faction, rather than Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud, that instructed New Hope MKs to record themselves casting ballots for Michael Rabello in the vote for state comptroller in June, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

A source familiar with the investigation is cited by Kan as saying that Haskel told investigators that the instructions came down from New Hope MK Michel Buskila, the party whip.

Police are expected to collect testimony from other New Hope MKs who would have received the same instructions, Kan says. It notes that, in an interview with the broadcaster last week, New Hope MK and Minister Ze’ev Elkin denied receiving such instructions.

Haskel testified after saying in a Supreme Court affidavit last month that she had received instructions to record herself voting for Rabello in the second round of voting.

Rabello, who is Netanyahu’s attorney, had trailed in the inconclusive first round, but won in the second after at least six coalition lawmakers recorded themselves casting their ballots. The Supreme Court has since annulled the vote, finding it violated the required secrecy.

Court freezes transfer of crocodiles to Ben Gvir prison moat after animal rights petition

Senior prison officials tour the crocodile farm at Hamat Gader in northern Israel, January 2026. (Via social media)

The Jerusalem District Court places a temporary injunction preventing the transfer of crocodiles to the Ketziot Prison as part of a campaign spearheaded by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to introduce the large reptile into security wings.

A final decision on the matter will be made when the state responds to the petition by Let the Animals Live, an Israeli animal rights group that protested the move.

Digging a moat for the crocodiles began last month, after Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman issued a ministerial decision to reclassify the Nile crocodile as a “tended wild animal” to allow for their presence in security facilities, flouting the opposition of her ministry’s legal counsel.

Silman’s move also encountered stringent opposition from career environmental officials in the Nature and Parks Authority, which stressed that the move has “no professional or scientific basis” and poses physical danger to guards and prisoners alike.

Police officer said questioned over far-right rapper’s alleged abuse of ties with force

Rapper Yoav Eliasi "The Shadow" shows his "inspector" insignia, July 15, 2024. (via Facebook)

The Department of Internal Police Investigations questioned an officer today in connection with claims from a Haaretz exposé that said far-right rapper Yoav Eliasi abused his relationship with the police.

The officer’s interrogation lasted several hours, and he was released under restrictive conditions, Haaretz says.

Recordings and other material cited in the exposé last week indicated that Eliasi, who goes by the stage name “The Shadow,” used his ties with police to avoid harsh repercussions after violent incidents in a Tel Aviv club where he was part-owner.

Eliasi was the captain of the Tel Aviv area’s civilian security team and is a vocal supporter of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who has championed the volunteer squads following the Hamas-led onslaught of October 7, 2023.

The rapper was suspended from his role in the security team following the Haaretz exposé.

Iranian MP says mediators trying to revive MOU with Washington

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian displays a memorandum of understanding signed with US President Donald Trump, in Tehran, Iran, early on June 18, 2026. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)

TEHRAN, Iran — An Iranian lawmaker says that mediators were seeking to revive a deal that briefly halted the war between Iran and the United States in June.

Hassan Ghashghavi, spokesman for parliament’s national security commission, says in a video interview that “there is an effort underway to revive the 14-point Islamabad agreement, particularly by the mediators.”

“They know that the main issue and, in fact, the key to the matter right now is the issue of the Strait of Hormuz, so yes, there is an exchange of views,” he says.

The agreement, known as the Islamabad memorandum of understanding, was reached with the involvement of Iran’s Gulf neighbor Qatar and eastern neighbor Pakistan, with negotiating sessions held in Islamabad, without the involvement of Israel.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Fire near Beit Shemesh brought under control, no one hurt

Firefighters gain control of the Beit Shemesh-area wildfire that forced some residents of Moshav Ksalon to evacuate, first responders say.

The flames caused some property damage, but no one was hurt, police say.

Routes 395 and 375, which were sealed off because of the fire, have reopened, according to police.

The Fire and Rescue Service says it’s still working to put out flames in two points inside the moshav, and carrying out scans to make sure the blaze doesn’t reignite.

The service “reiterates its call to the public to act responsibly and avoid lighting fires in open areas and forests, especially in days of heavy heat and strong winds.”

Elections committee chair stresses importance of ‘election integrity’ in meeting with legal officials

Central Elections Committee acting director general Dean Livne (left) and chairman Noam Sohlberg meet with Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara in the Knesset, August 2, 2026. (Central Elections Committee)

The conservative Deputy Supreme Court President Noam Sohlberg, who chairs the Central Elections Committee, emphasizes the importance of “election integrity” during a pre-election meeting with Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and other government legal officials, insisting that law enforcement agencies’ commitment to enforcing election laws is critical in protecting Israeli democracy.

“The integrity of the elections is not just a legal principle; it is a fundamental condition for the public’s trust in democracy. The Central Elections Committee is preparing for all the challenges involved in holding the elections, in close cooperation with all state authorities,” Sohlberg says in a statement.

“The commitment of law enforcement agencies to resolute and effective enforcement of election laws is a central element in ensuring a proper election process, and in protecting the right of every citizen to vote and be elected,” he adds.

Sohlberg’s comments come less than a month after Shin Bet chief David Zini stated that his agency was subordinate to the Central Elections Committee when it comes to the upcoming national vote, in the wake of a controversy in which he said he was loyal to the country’s “elected leadership.”

In a statement, the Central Election Committee says that Sohlberg and his team met with Baharav-Miara, State Attorney Amit Aisman, and the Justice Ministry’s election team and “all bodies responsible for managing Election Day and enforcing the law, with the goal of ensuring the proper process, election integrity, public trust, and the realization of every citizen’s right to vote.”

“During the meeting, the parties discussed the commitment of all law enforcement authorities to maintaining election integrity and ensuring a proper, free, and fair election process. Within this framework, ways to increase enforcement against criminal offenses related to election laws were discussed,” the statement says, adding that “election integrity is a supreme national effort requiring close cooperation among the Central Election Committee, the law enforcement system, and all state authorities to ensure the proper conduct of the election process and public trust in it.”

“Safeguarding election integrity is one of the cornerstones of Israeli democracy. All law enforcement bodies will act in full cooperation with the Central Elections Committee to ensure a proper, equal election process free from improper influences,” says Baharav-Miara, offering her “full support to the employees of the Elections Committee” while emphasizing their “professionalism and dedication.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party has repeatedly criticized the election watchdog ahead of the upcoming election, which is scheduled for October 27.

Following the meeting, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir calls on Sohlberg to prevent Baharav-Miara’s participation in election-related matters.

“Wherever the hand of the criminal, case-fabricating attorney general touches, it will be intentional sabotage of the purity of the elections and public trust. I call on Justice Sohlberg to remove her from any involvement in the elections,” Ben Gvir posts on X.

IRGC mulling preemptive strikes if talks with US fail — report

Illustrative: Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on February 16, 2026, shows troops standing at attention during the IRGC's drill in the Persian Gulf. (Sepahnews via AP/ File)

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is weighing launching preemptive strikes if diplomatic efforts with the United States fail, an Iranian diplomat tells the Wall Street Journal.

The report does not specify if this would include attacks on both US assets in the region and Israel.

Video shows officers turning away Turkish citizen from Al Aqsa prayers; police say they are investigating

A Turkish Muslim worshiper was barred by Israeli police from reaching the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, with multiple officers telling him he could not pass once they learned he was Turkish.

“Turkish, it’s closed, okay?” says an officer in a video shared by the Turkish TRT World outlet.

The man — who resides in Germany — is directed to another gate, but the police there shake their heads when he says he is Turkish, and tell him to come back for the next prayer.

There is no policy banning Turkish citizens from praying on the Temple Mount, Israel Police tells The Times of Israel, and the incident is being looked into.

‘Turks are not allowed to enter’

Israeli occupation police prevented a Turkish citizen from entering the courtyards of Al Aqsa Mosque in Occupied East Jerusalem pic.twitter.com/ZB9qMCP9nz

— TRT World (@trtworld) July 31, 2026

UAE pushed Trump to escalate against Iran — report

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (right) welcomes his US counterpart Donald Trump upon arrival at the presidential terminal in Abu Dhabi on May 15, 2025. (Giuseppe Cacae/AFP)

While Saudi Arabia pushed US President Donald Trump not to carry out a major attack on Iran over the weekend, the United Arab Emirates lobbied him to take “more decisive action,” the Wall Street Journal reports, citing senior Gulf officials familiar with the discussion.

They argue that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps won’t budge on its demands without an escalation by the US, including Washington taking control of the Strait of Hormuz and possibly a ground incursion.

The UAE has carried out its own strikes against Iran, and hosted Israeli air defense troops on its soil to help counter Iranian attacks.

Israel found out Trump canceled major Iran attack through his Truth Social post, which said Jerusalem was on board — report

Israeli Air Force F-35I fighter jets head to carry out strikes in Iran, in a photo published by the military on March 15, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

Israeli officials found out that US President Donald Trump had decided to call off a major planned attack on Iran through his Truth Social post, Channel 12 reports.

Trump said late Saturday that he had called off a major attack on Iran after being assured by Tehran and other Middle East countries that a framework for a deal to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz and “end the Iran nuclear threat” had been reached. He added that Israel was also on board.

The US military’s Central Command also was not told ahead of time, says the Israeli outlet.

Fire raging near Beit Shemesh; homes evacuated in Moshav Ksalon

A wildfire is raging in a forest near Beit Shemesh, and first responders are evacuating homes in the nearby Moshav Ksalon that are nearest to the flames, the Fire and Rescue Service says.

About 30 squads and six aircraft are working to put out the flames, the service says.

Spain’s migrant crisis was framed as global antisemitic conspiracy online — report

Following Spain’s migrant crisis in Ceuta last week, posts accusing Israel and Jewish people of orchestrating the crisis spread quickly on social media, reaching an estimated 103 million people on X within 72 hours, according to an analysis by the Combat Antisemitism Movement’s Antisemitism Research Center (ARC).

The report examines 173 high-impact posts from 119 influencer accounts published after more than 50,000 migrants crossed into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta on July 30.

Together they generated 57.5 million views, an estimated reach of 103.1 million, 1.9 million likes, and 368,400 shares in two days, ARC calculates.

Posters falsely claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed migrants into Spain due to its policies regarding Israel. In one, viewed 5.3 million times, an AI-generated image shows Netanyahu with a line of migrants filing from his open mouth onto a Spanish beach, ARC says.

Another account claimed Israel had “admitted” engineering the migration through Mossad.

“This is not a story about a few bad actors,” says CAM CEO Sacha Roytman Dratwa. “It is a story about a platform whose design rewards the fastest and most inflammatory explanation available, and on X that explanation is increasingly a Jewish conspiracy.”

If we're being honest about what's going on in Spain: pic.twitter.com/lSiUjg3kmy

— Forbidden HQ 🐇 (@WearForbidden) July 31, 2026

IDF strikes kill three terrorists planning attacks on troops in Gaza, military says

Three terror operatives who were advancing attacks on Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip were killed in recent strikes, the military announces.

One strike in Gaza City yesterday killed Alaa Imad Khamis Tarams, a member of the Army of Islam terror group, and Hassan Ibrahim Shehadeh Qahman, a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, according to the IDF.

A separate strike last week in the Strip’s north killed Ahmad Khudar, a commander in Hamas’s Jabalia Battalion, the military says.

The IDF justifies the strikes amid the ceasefire by saying that the three terror operatives were advancing attacks, and they were “eliminated in order to remove the threat.”

צה"ל חיסל שלושה מחבלים שקידמו מתווי טרור נגד כוחותינו ברצועת עזה

צה"ל תקף במרחב העיר עזה אתמול, וחיסל את עלאא עמאד חמיס תראמסי, מחבל מארגון הטרור 'צבא האסלאם', ואת חסן אברהים שחדה קחמאן, מחבל מארגון הטרור גא"פ.

בתקיפה נוספת בצפון הרצועה בשבוע שעבר, חוסל המחבל אחמד חדרי, מחבל… pic.twitter.com/8fbQzzlmKN

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) August 2, 2026

Israel shared ‘serious security concerns’ with US over Hamas disarmament deal, PM’s office spokesman says

Armed Hamas members are seen guarding an area in Gaza City on November 3, 2025. (Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

Israel has shared “serious security concerns” with the White House regarding the proposed disarmament deal with Hamas, an Israeli official tells The Associated Press, in some of the first public comments since US President Donald Trump announced the agreement earlier this week.

Doron Spielman, spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office, tells the AP that Israel’s intelligence assessment is that Hamas remains committed to rebuilding its military rather than genuinely demilitarizing. He says the IDF will not withdraw from Gaza — where it controls more than 60 percent of the territory — before Hamas disarms.

“Our assessment is that if we redeploy before Hamas is truly disarmed, it will quickly expand its presence throughout Gaza, rebuild its terrorist infrastructure, once again threaten Israeli communities, and seek to carry out another October 7-style attack,” he says, referring to the massacre in 2023 that triggered Israel’s war in Gaza.

“Disarming means physically giving up the weapons. Nothing less,” Spielman says.

A Board of Peace plan that emerged late last week would see Hamas disarm and Israel pull out of Gaza, allowing a technocratic administration to take control of the Strip.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to comment publicly on the plan, but a pair of statements attributed to a “senior Israeli official” had indicated that Jerusalem did not deem the proposal sufficient and was unprepared to retreat militarily.

Israeli soccer star Turgeman scores goal amid Montreal crowd’s chants of ‘Death to Israel’

In the face of chants of “Death to Israel,” Israeli striker Dor Turgeman responded with a goal last night in a Major League Soccer match between his New England Revolution and CF Montréal that ended in a 2-2 draw.

Throughout the match at Montreal’s Stade Saputo, a section of fans targeted the 22-year-old star with anti-Israel slurs, according to reports. But Turgeman delivered his response on the pitch in the 36th minute, with a goal that doubled New England’s early lead to 2-0.

Turgeman then celebrated directly in front of the opposing team’s fans with his arms outstretched. That escalated tensions on the field.

As fans threw cups and bottles on the field, Montréal goalkeeper Sebastian Breza confronted and shoved Turgeman to the ground, drawing a yellow card.

Turgeman, raised in Ashdod, signed with the New England Revolution last year after winning two Israeli Premier League titles with Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Sebastian Breza is shown a yellow card for getting into it with Dor Turgeman after the striker scores the #NERevs' second goal of the night. pic.twitter.com/ea3qzifqtp

— Seth (@SethMan31) August 2, 2026

Man killed as minibus crashes into car in Golan Heights, medics say

A 35-year-old man was killed when a minibus crashed into a car near the Afik Junction in the Golan Heights, the Magen David Adom ambulance service says.

Medics on the scene declared the man dead and took nine injured people to Poriya Medical Center — a moderately injured 30-year-old and eight others who were lightly hurt, MDA says.

The statement does not say if the man who was killed was in the minibus or the private vehicle.

Slamming PM after reported comments, Goldknopf says law halting draft evader arrests was ‘spin’

United Torah Judaism MK Yitzhak Goldknopf speaks during a protest as thousands of anti-draft Haredim demonstrate outside the military prison near Kfar Yona, July 20, 2026. (Tal Gal/Flash90)

United Torah Judaism chairman Yitzhak Goldknopf slams Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after Hebrew media reported that he had asserted that a controversial law passed by his coalition halting the arrest of ultra-Orthodox draft evaders had failed.

Netanyahu reportedly stated that he will not pursue further legislation seeking to exempt ultra-Orthodox men from arrest or sanctions for draft dodging should he form a new government after elections.

Netanyahu’s statement “only confirms what was clear to us from the very first moment: the prime minister does not intend to regulate the status of yeshiva students and does not plan to introduce a conscription law, which is why we left the government,” Goldknopf states.

United Torah Judaism quit the government and coalition in July 2025 over the Knesset’s failure to pass a bill reinstating conscription exemptions for yeshiva students struck down by the High Court of Justice the previous year.

“The ‘arrests law’ was just another spin that was not meant to solve anything, and it is a shame it came into being. After the elections, we will only go with whoever regulates the status of yeshiva students and kollel scholars,” says Goldknopf.

Speaking with the Ynet news site, a senior UTJ source states that Netanyahu had failed to meet his commitments to the Haredim and that as a result “we would prefer to sit in the opposition and let others pass a law that Netanyahu is unable to pass.”

It is highly unlikely the Haredi parties would sit with the current opposition, which has pledged to enforce ultra-Orthodox conscription.

Ben Gvir moves to arm Beersheba residents

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir announces that residents of part of the southern city of Beersheba are set to become eligible to carry personal weapons.

The decision, which was made following a professional review by the Israel Police, “means that tens of thousands of city residents will be able to apply for a personal weapon license,” a spokesman for the minister says in a statement.

The spokesman adds that since Ben Gvir began his push to increase the number of weapons in private hands following October 7, “more than 280,000 citizens have already received a personal firearms license, and more than 200 localities have been recognized as eligible for weapons.”

“I am proud to continue the firearms revolution and expand it to the capital of the Negev. The residents of Beersheba, like all citizens of the State of Israel, have a fundamental right to protect themselves and their families,” says Ben Gvir, promising to expand eligibility for gun ownership to residents of additional cities in order to “ensure that as many citizens as possible can protect themselves and the State of Israel.”

Israel generally only grants gun permits for those who can show a need for national security reasons or for work. Ben Gvir has attempted to expand eligibility, especially following October 7, and has also pushed for policy changes that puts domestic crime in the Negev’s Arab community on par with nationalist terror.

Police arrest six for spitting on Armenian patriarchate in Jerusalem

Six religious Jews — five minors and one adult — were arrested after banging and spitting on the entrance to the St. James Monastery in the Old City of Jerusalem’s Armenian Quarter, say Israel Police.

They also threw stones at the wall of the compound, which is the headquarters of the Armenian Church in the region and the home of its top local cleric.

According to an Armenian journalist, the suspects saw an Armenian woman filming them, and yelled at her, “Get back inside, you daughter of a whore!”

Video of the incident shows one suspect hurling stones, reportedly at the woman filming them.

🚨BREAKING: On Sunday at around 1:00 a.m., six Jewish Israelis attacked the entrance to the Saint James Monastery in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem.

They took turns spitting at the monastery entrance. When they noticed an Armenian woman filming the incident from her home,… pic.twitter.com/kXHgO0JJDK

— Kegham Balian (@kbalian90) August 2, 2026

“Upon receiving the report, officers from the David Precinct were dispatched to the scene and launched extensive searches, assisted by Mabat 2000 observation center officers,” Israel Police say in a statement.

Three of the attackers were barred from Jerusalem’s Old City for 15 days, and the other three are being brought before the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court, where police are asking that their detention be extended.

“The Israel Police views all manifestations of violence and racism with the utmost severity and will continue to act decisively to locate those responsible, bring them to justice, and safeguard public safety,” says the police.

Israel has been struggling to stop spitting attacks on Christian clergy and vandalism of church property in the Old City.

Speaking to Fox News yesterday, President Isaac Herzog said Israel was “dealing with it aggressively.”

“And there’s a major reduction in moments of friction…” he continued. “We are dealing with it as well. And I’m here for any Christian community that needs support of any kind. People know it. And I speak to their leaders all the time.”

Police arrest suspect in Netivot gangland killing

Police announce the arrest of a Netivot resident in his 40s on suspicion of involvement in a deadly shooting in the southern town last night.

The shooting claimed the life of a man in his 30s and lightly wounded a 29-year-old man, according to first responders. Officers nabbed the suspect overnight, police say.

הנרצח בנתיבות הוא אושר קדושים בן 36 שבעבר התגורר בבאר שבע. pic.twitter.com/YzInPynER1

— אמברגו (@embargo1news) August 1, 2026

The slain man is identified in Hebrew media as Osher Kedoshim, 36. He was reportedly involved in criminal activity and was known to police. According to the reports, Kedoshim moved to Netivot from Beersheba some six months ago, angering rivals in Netivot.

Footage from the shooting circulating online shows the killer waiting by a vehicle as Kedoshim arrives, accompanied by the 29-year-old.

The killer, wearing a baseball cap, briefly speaks with Kedoshim before shooting him repeatedly at close range, while the other man flees.

תיעוד הרצח בנתיבות של אושר קדושים pic.twitter.com/UJs4IvQzBj

— אמברגו (@embargo1news) August 1, 2026

Netanyahu opponents blast attempt to distance himself from Haredi draft evasion as ‘pitiable spin’

Politicians seeking to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in upcoming elections accuse him of engaging in disingenuous “spin” by indicating that his next government would take steps to conscript members of the ultra-Orthodox community, after recently passing a series of laws aimed at preventing enforcement against Haredi draft evaders.

“Netanyahu thinks the serving public is dumb,” and his comments walking back recent legislative efforts are a “pitiable spin,” declares former prime minister Naftali Bennett in a statement.

In closed-door comments published in the Hebrew press, which the Haaretz daily says were distributed by Netanyahu’s Likud party, the prime minister reportedly promised that if reelected he would pursue conscription legislation that meets the IDF’s needs, but also indicated that full-time yeshiva students would be exempted from having to serve. In the comments, he also distanced himself from an unpopular law his coalition passed ordering police to end arrests of Haredi draft dodgers.

“After 4 years of personally preventing the recruitment of Haredim, ignoring the warnings of the chief of staff and the cries of the reservists who ask for reinforcements, Netanyahu thinks that this time the people of Israel will believe him,” Bennett says, adding that the premier “knows that he will not be able to recruit even one Haredi” because Shas chairman Aryeh Deri “doesn’t allow him.”

In a post on X, Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot accuses Netanyahu of evading responsibility for his actions only weeks after passing “a despicable evasion law that weakens the IDF and Israeli society as a whole” while simultaneously having “prevented a real conscription law.”

Netanyahu’s comments are more “vile and cynical spin by a man who has lost all connection to Israel’s security,” posts The Democrats chairman Yair Golan.

Yisrael Beytenu chief Avigdor Liberman says that Netanyahu “has no government without the draft dodgers,” referring to his political alliance with Haredi parties.

MK Dan Illouz, an opponent of the legislation who recently quit Likud due to what he described as its ongoing betrayal of its voters, posts that “this arrogance toward the voter, and the treatment of him as an idiot, will only worsen Likud’s situation.”

Lebanon backpedals after blaming Israel for troop injuries

The Lebanese army walks back its claim that the Israeli military struck its soldiers in southern Lebanon a short while ago.

An examination at the scene determined that the explosion that lightly wounded five Lebanese soldiers “was caused by a suspicious object,” the Lebanese Armed Forces says.

Further details are under investigation, the LAF adds.

The IDF had said it was unaware of any strikes in the Kafra area of southern Lebanon, after the Lebanese army blamed it for injuring the troops.

Senior minister: Israel did not agree to stop strikes in Gaza

Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli airstrike near al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, August 1, 2026. (AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)

There is no agreement by Israel to stop military strikes in Gaza, says Energy Minister Eli Cohen, who is a member of the top-level security cabinet.

Speaking to Army Radio, Cohen says that “there has not been a cabinet discussion [on the Gaza plan] in the past 72 hours.”

“Any armed actor who operates, threatens, that is involved with terrorism, we will eliminate him,” says Cohen.

A Board of Peace plan that emerged late last week would see Hamas disarm and Israel pull out of Gaza, allowing a technocratic administration to take control of the Strip.

Early Sunday, Palestinian politician Mohammad Dahlan claimed that top White House aide Jared Kushner told him that he had succeeded in coaxing Israel to halt its strikes on Gaza starting Sunday, as part of that process.

Dahlan has since walked back that claim, with Israel continuing to carry out airstrikes on Saturday and early Sunday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to comment publicly on the plan, but a pair of statements attributed to a “senior Israeli official” had indicated that Jerusalem did not deem the proposal sufficient and was unprepared to retreat militarily.

Cohen says he doesn’t believe that Hamas will go along with the Board of Peace disarmament plan released last week, despite its ostensible agreement.

“We will of course give the opportunity” for it to succeed, says Cohen, noting that Israel prefers that Hamas disarm through diplomatic means.

Lebanon says five soldiers hurt in Israeli strike

A Lebanese soldier uses binoculars to look toward Zawtar al-Sharqiyah village, occupied by Israeli forces, from Zawtar al-Gharbieh, southern Lebanon, July 28, 2026. (AP/Hassan Ammar)

The Lebanese army says five soldiers were lightly injured by an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon a short while ago.

The strike took place in the town of Kafra, while the Lebanese troops were assisting locals, the Lebanese Armed Forces says.

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

Earlier, Lebanese media reported a large blast in the town of Kounine, apparently the result of the IDF demolishing Hezbollah infrastructure.

Netanyahu says draft dodger arrest freeze law failed, plans new law exempting yeshiva students from IDF — report

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (center), Justice Minister Yariv Levin (left), and Defense Minister Israel Katz (right), with ultra-Orthodox MKs Yitzchak Goldknopf, Moshe Gafni and Meir Porush behind them, seen in the Knesset shortly before the vote on a law banning arrests of ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers and legitimizing ongoing mass ultra-Orthodox non-enlistment, July 14, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly told associates that he will not pursue further legislation seeking to exempt ultra-Orthodox men from arrest or sanctions for draft dodging should he form a new government after elections.

In comments from a closed-door meeting reported by the Ynet news site, Netanyahu says a controversial law passed by his coalition halting the arrest of ultra-Orthodox draft evaders did not pan out as hoped.

It “was intended to lower the level of the flames and increase the number of Haredi enlistees [but] in practice it did not work, and therefore there will be no such law in the next government,” Netanyahu is quoted saying.

Implementation of the law was quickly frozen by the High Court, with a decision pending on whether to strike it down entirely.

“After the elections, we will form a broad national government that will immediately pass a full draft law that will meet the needs of the IDF,” Netanyahu says, indicating that he will continue to pursue legislative changes that would allow full-time yeshiva students to receive exemptions from military service.

“Anyone who does not study Torah will enlist or go to prison,” he is quoted saying.

Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox men aged 18 to 24 are currently eligible for military service, but have ignored conscription orders, despite manpower shortages in the army and anger among the general population over an unequal sharing of the burden of defending the country.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad agrees to Gaza disarmament plan — report

A Palestinian Islamic Jihad operative stands as PIJ and Egyptian workers ostensibly search for the bodies of hostages, north of Nuseirat, in the Gaza strip, on November 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group has agreed to the Board of Peace Gaza disarmament plan, Arab sources tell the Saudi Al-Arabiya newspaper.

Hamas officially agreed to the plan last week. Islamic Jihad, which is closely linked to and funded by Iran, is smaller and less powerful than Hamas, but still a major player in the Strip.

The plan calls for terror groups to lay down their weapons and for Israel to pull back from the Strip, allowing a nascent technocratic government to assume a monopoly on arms and administrative power.

Israel has been more circumspect about the deal, stressing that it will not withdraw until Hamas is truly disarmed.

The sides are currently in a 14-day period in which the parties are meant to finalize the timeline for implementing each step of the proposal.

Iranian media denies deal on opening Hormuz; outlets mock Trump’s climbdown

Iran’s semi-official Fars news quotes a member of the country’s negotiating team denying that the country has reached an agreement regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

A report in Israeli media claiming that Tehran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had agreed to a US-Qatari deal dividing control of the strait between Iran and Oman is “false,” the report in Fars says.

The outlet also quotes an Iranian military source insisting that the vital waterway remains closed to any ship that does not coordinate with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

The hardline militia is seen as a significant obstacle to reaching a deal and there are questions regarding how much it is aligned with Iranian diplomats trying to negotiate a deal with the US.

The Kayhan media outlet mocked Trump, saying he “backed away from his positions once again, after about a week of boasting and threats against Iran, claiming that an agreement was close.”

So, too, did semi-official media outlet Mehr, saying, “Trump once again backed away from his hollow threats and presented his retreat to the world as a favor.”

Women win bronze at world lacrosse championships

Israel’s women’s lacrosse team wins bronze at the international lacrosse championship in Tokyo.

Israel beats the Haudenosaunee 7-4 to secure the third-place finish at the World Lacrosse Women’s Championship in Japan.

Moments that last a lifetime 🇮🇱🥉#WLWC #Toyo2026 pic.twitter.com/NrULYGJSJY

— World Lacrosse (@WorldLacrosse) August 2, 2026

The result is the best ever for both Israel and the Haudenosaunee, also known as the Iroquois Confederacy. The victory gives Israel its first-ever women’s lacrosse medal.

Canada and the US will play for the gold medal later today.

Teens beat Arab bus driver unconscious in Jerusalem

Teenagers assaulted a driver of a public bus in Jerusalem last night, beating him unconscious and knocking out four of his teeth, a labor advocacy group says.

The driver is identified by his family as an Arab man, Moatasem al-Qaq. The last year has seen a rash of attacks on Arab bus drivers by ultra-nationalist Jewish youths, many of them in and around Jerusalem.

Police say they launched an investigation into the assault. No arrests have been reported.

According to the Koach LaOvdim labor group, Qaq was piloting an empty No. 2 bus when he stopped at a red light, at which point teens began banging on his vehicle.

When he opened his window, the group assaulted him through the portal, and he was knocked out for around two minutes.

“When I came to, I felt blood in my mouth. Around me were curses and yelling and faces full of hate,” the driver is quoted saying. “I got frightened and drove past the junction, but still wasn’t fully conscious and felt that I was losing control. Fortunately, I managed to park the bus.”

After he escaped, the driver contacted police and was taken to a hospital, the labor group says.

Israel rolls out rules mandating graphic images on all tobacco and smoking products

Mandatory images on smoking products as of August 2, 2026. (Courtesy/Israel Cancer Association)

New regulations mandating graphic warning images on all smoking products, including traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes, rolling tobacco, hookahs, and nicotine pouches have gone into effect as of this morning.

Rather than marketing material, packages of cigarettes and related products are now covered with explicit photos depicting the health consequences of using tobacco or nicotine. Under regulations now in effect, the pictures must cover at least 75% of the packaging.

The remaining 25% will remain the same color that Israel mandated in 2020 to eliminate brand logos and attractive design elements.

The Health Ministry says it designed the images to account for local cultural and religious sensitivities while maintaining graphic impact across all demographics.

Companies or importers that distribute non-compliant packaging face criminal charges and severe financial penalties of up to NIS 452,000 ($123,000) for corporations and NIS 226,000 ($61,400) for private businesses.

Israel signed the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2003 and ratified it in 2005, and is now one of 140 countries that have implemented full graphic photo warnings on tobacco packaging.

“The image creates an immediate connection between health damage and a product that claims over 1,000 lives every month in Israel,” says Moshe Bar-Haim, CEO of the Israel Cancer Association, in a statement.

Iran treats all threats as credible, even if meant as scare tactic, defense minister says

Tehran views every threat from its adversaries as “real and credible” even if made as part of psychological warfare, Iran’s acting defense minister Majid Ibn al-Reza, says, according to state media.

“We will neither be caught off guard nor remain passive,” he says, adding that Iran will use threats as a basis to increase its military readiness, strengthen deterrence and enhance its military capabilities.

Saudis confirm crown prince pitched Trump on Iran diplomacy over concerns war could widen

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a phone call with US President Donald Trump in which he stressed the importance of talks and avoiding allowing the conflict with Iran to widen, Saudi Arabia’s state news agency says, confirming earlier reports.

The crown prince “emphasized the necessity of prioritizing dialogue to de-escalate tensions and the importance of exerting all possible efforts to achieve a truce that paves the way for diplomatic solutions,” the Saudi Press Agency says.

Bin Salman, who is seen as Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, told Trump that reaching a deal would keep the region “from being drawn into a wider conflict whose repercussions would affect regional and international security and stability.”

According to a source familiar with the call, which occurred before Trump announced that he had called off planned strikes to allow a truce deal to take shape, the Saudis expressed concerns that Iran could respond to a US strike with attacks on the energy infrastructure of the kingdom and other Gulf countries.

A White House official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and requested anonymity, confirmed the leaders spoke Saturday but did not offer any detail.

Lawmaker begins police testimony over dueling claims around muffed comptroller vote

Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel speaks to the media as she announces her resignation at the Knesset in Jerusalem, July 14, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)

New Hope MK Sharren Haskel has arrived at the police’s Lahav 433 major crimes unit to give testimony regarding her claims about a controversial Knesset vote in June in which Michael Rabello was elected state comptroller, Hebrew media reports.

The election was marred by at least six coalition MKs recording their vote, which opposition parties and government watchdog groups allege was done on the instructions of senior Likud officials.

The High Court of Justice ruled that these MKs had violated the legal requirement that the vote be held by secret ballot, regardless of whether they had been instructed to record their vote.

During the course of the High Court case, several Likud MKs filed affidavits to the court declaring that they had not been instructed to vote for Rabello, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s long-time lawyer and adviser.

But two weeks ago, Haskel testified in her own affidavit in the framework of a different legal process in the High Court that members of New Hope had been instructed to video themselves voting for Rabello, and that the MKs were also instructed to show the video of their vote to Netanyahu.

Following the submission of Haskel’s affidavit, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara instructed police to probe the conflicting affidavits and explore the possibility of launching a criminal investigation for perjury into whomever is found to be lying.

Iran’s Araghchi agreed to deal opening Hormuz, leading Trump to cancel attack — report

Tankers and cargo vessels are seen in the Gulf of Oman, along shipping routes linking the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo)

Israel’s Channel 12 news reports that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi agreed to a compromise deal on opening up the Strait of Hormuz, leading to US President Donald Trump calling off a planned attack on Iran.

According to the report, based on two diplomats familiar with the situation, the compromise deal put together by Qatar and the US, ships will enter the Persian Gulf on the Iranian-controlled side of the strait, and exit via the Omani side.

Oman has agreed to the deal but has sought assurances that the agreement would be respected by Iran’s hardline Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which the Qataris are attempting to secure, according to the report, which comes from Barak Ravid, a well-connected journalist for the channel and US outlet Axios.

Mercury climbs as heat wave bakes country for second day

People enjoy a waterfall flowing into the Sea of Galilee near Kfar Nahum, northern Israel, August 1, 2026. (Michael Giladi/Flash90)

Temperatures are starting to heat up across the country as Israel enters the second day of a stifling heat wave blanketing parts of the country and the West Bank.

As of 9 a.m., temperatures in Sodom, on the Dead Sea’s southern evaporation pool, had climbed to 35.5º C (95.9º F), with the mercury expected to reach into the low 40s Celsius (105º to 112º F) in the afternoon.

The Jordan Valley and the eastern flank of the country stretching from Eilat to Metula are under an extreme heat warning issued by the Israel Meteorological Service. The warning covers part of the Galilee and Golan Heights as well as other parts of the interior.

The rest of the country is under moderate and mild heat warnings, with temperatures expected to largely remain below 35º C (95º F).

While marking the hottest days of the year so far, the temperatures are only a few degrees off the seasonal average, and well below record levels, which have topped 49º C (120º F).

On Saturday, temperatures in the region topped out at 45.2º C (113.4º F), recorded at Gilgal in the West Bank’s Jordan Valley. Inside Israel, both Sodom and Kfar Nahum near the Sea of Galilee hit a high 43.6º C (110.5º F).

Temperatures nationwide are expected to slide closer toward seasonal averages starting Tuesday, though they will remain slightly elevated.

The heatwave comes as parts of Europe and East Asia are experiencing record heat, with scientists warning that extreme weather events such as heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense as a result of human-induced climate change.

IDF says it killed Hamas cell leader who invaded Nir Oz on October 7

A Hamas terrorist who invaded Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7, 2023, onslaught was killed in an Israeli strike in the southern Gaza Strip yesterday, the military announces.

The strike killed Salem Jamal Abd al-Rahman Abu Labad, head of a cell in Hamas’s elite Nukhba Force, who infiltrated Nir Oz on October 7, according to the IDF.

A separate strike in central Gaza on Friday killed Muhammad Abd al-Nasser Muhammad Khatib, identified by the IDF as a Hamas commander in the terror group’s Maghazi Battalion.

The military justifies the strikes amid the ceasefire by saying that both terror operatives had been advancing attacks on troops.

“The terrorists were eliminated in precise aerial strikes to remove the threat,” the army adds.

צה״ל חיסל מחבל מארגון הטרור חמאס שפשט לקיבוץ ניר עוז בטבח ה-7 באוקטובר

צה"ל תקף אתמול בדרום רצועת עזה וחיסל את המחבל סאלם גמאל עבד אלרחמן אבו לבד, ראש חוליית נוח'בה בארגון הטרור חמאס.

המחבל פשט לקיבוץ ניר עוז במהלך טבח ה-7 באוקטובר.

בתקיפה נוספת במהלך סוף השבוע במרכז רצועת… pic.twitter.com/VEwQQHCUqm

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) August 2, 2026

Gaza health officials linked to Hamas said at least two people were killed in strikes Saturday. Israel said earlier that it targeted weapons depots in strikes.

Iranian sources push back at Trump claim Tehran sought retreat from fight

A statue of Palestinians stands with Iranian flag as a banner shows newly elected Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya, center, alongside the late leaders Ismail Haniyeh, right, and Yahya Sinwar, with writing in Hebrew reads: 'From Sinwar’s generation, the new leader on the ground,' and in Arabic: 'Khalil al-Hayya, the occupiers’ nightmare” at Palestine Square in downtown Tehran, Iran, August 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iranian military officials quoted in the country’s heavily state-controlled media push back on the claim from US President Donald Trump that Tehran asked for planned attacks to be called off as a deal to end the war comes together.

The unnamed sources call the claim a “lie” and accuse Trump of attempting to extort and pressure Gulf leaders.

Iran’s forces are at the highest level of readiness, the sources say, warning that should fighting take place, it will be “decisive” and show who holds the real power, presumably referring to themselves.

Trump said late Saturday night that he was ordering American forces to hold off on new strikes against Iran, claiming Mideast allies had reached the parameters of a deal to end the five-month old war.

The emerging deal “would include the Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran’s nuclear threat,” Trump wrote in a social media post.

The post came after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke with Trump by phone Saturday and raised concerns about the US potentially escalating the conflict with Iran, according to a person familiar with the leaders’ discussion.

Grenade tossed at Japanika in Hadera, in latest attack on sushi syndicate

A grenade was thrown at a branch of the Japanika sushi restaurant in Hadera, according to police and media reports, marking the latest underworld attack on the popular chain.

There are no injuries in the attack, according to police, who confirm that authorities in Hadera received a report of an attack on an unnamed under-construction business in the city.

Hebrew-language media reports identify the business as a branch of Japanika, a sushi chain which has been hit with grenade and shooting attacks at several locations around the country in recent weeks, apparently as part of an ongoing gangland feud.

The business, which has over 40 locations across Israel, is owned by Barak Abramov, who also owns the Beitar Jerusalem soccer team and is thought to have ties to the warring mob families.

Police say the attack is being investigated as a criminal matter.

Palestinian interlocutor walks back claim Israel agreed to halt Gaza strikes

Palestinians inspect destroyed buildings at the scene of an Israeli airstrike, at al-Maghazi refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, August 1, 2026. (AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Exiled Palestinian politician Mohammad Dahlan reverses course after earlier claiming in a social media post that top White House aide Jared Kushner told him that he had succeeded in coaxing Israel to halt its strikes on Gaza Sunday.

An updated post by Dahlan, a former top Fatah official who has served at times as a key go-between in negotiations involving Palestinians, effectively acknowledges that Israel has yet to give any commitment to halt its strikes as part of a Hamas disarmament deal and that talks are still ongoing.

“Mr. Jared Kushner has informed us that he is working with the Israeli side to halt the attacks on Gaza,” Dahlan writes in the updated post.

The original post put online some seven hours earlier, since deleted, had garnered significant attention, given that Dahlan has rarely issued public comments on Gaza talks and because Israel had not yet revealed a decision to halt its Gaza strikes.

Overnight, Israel carried out a wave of strikes in the Strip, killing eight people, according to Hamas-controlled Gaza officials.

The US announced Thursday that Hamas had agreed to the Board of Peace’s disarmament plan, which envisions such strikes ending immediately once it is in place.

There is no comment from the Israel Defense Forces or Prime Minister Benjamin Nertanyahu’s office regarding Dahlan’s claims.

Death toll in overnight Israeli strikes in Gaza rises to 8

Overnight Israeli strikes on Gaza have hit multiple residential buildings and killed at least eight people, authorities in the Strip claim, despite Hamas saying it agreed to the latest stage of a deal to end the war.

Gaza civil defense officials — a body linked to Hamas, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants — say eight people were killed in strikes around midnight that hit multiple residential buildings.

In one attack near the central Gaza Strip, a man and his wife were killed and several others were wounded when an Israeli military helicopter struck an apartment, a civil defense spokesman says.

An elderly man and a child were killed in another attack on an apartment west of Gaza City, and three people, including a child, were targeted when a strike hit another apartment northwest of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

Trump says he and Israel have called off Iran attack after receiving assurance that deal is imminent

US President Donald Trump waves as he walks from Air Force One at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, New Jersey, July 31, 2026, from Camp David, the presidential retreat. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

US President Donald Trump says he has called off a major attack on Iran after being assured by Tehran and other Middle East countries that a framework for a deal to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz and “end the Iran nuclear threat” has been reached, adding that Israel is also on board with holding off on a major strike against the Islamic Republic.

“The USA is locked and loaded and ready to go against the Islamic Republic of Iran, at levels of military terror, strength and Power not seen since World War II,” Trump writes on Truth Social.

“Despite this, we have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern countries to hold off any attack in that the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to,” he continues.

“This would include the Immediate, complete, and total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT and an end to Iran’s nuclear threat,” Trump claims.

“Based on this request, I have agreed, for the future benefit of the WORLD and, likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran, to cancel the attack, subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL,” he adds.

“The country of Israel joins me in this commitment. Get to work, everybody, and get it DONE,” he adds.

Since the outbreak of the Iran war, Trump has repeatedly threatened to carry out major threats against Iran’s energy sites only to walk it back, claiming mediators had assured him of an imminent breakthrough in negotiations for a diplomatic settlement.

Saudi leader said to urge Trump to abandon plan for major strikes on Iran

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has reportedly urged US President Trump to abandon his plan for a massive escalation against Iran, Axios reports, citing two unnamed US officials and another source with knowledge of the details.

According to the report, Riyadh’s de facto leader spoke Saturday to Trump and “expressed concern and asked for clarity” about the president’s plan for large-scale new strikes on the Islamic Republic, and called on him to take a step back.

Palestinians say 4 killed in IDF strikes in Gaza — including woman and child — despite Trump-announced breakthrough

Israeli airstrikes continue in Gaza for a second straight day, allegedly killing at least four Palestinians, despite US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a breakthrough in efforts to implement last year’s Gaza ceasefire agreement.

Palestinian health officials say Israeli warplanes have carried out separate nighttime strikes in Gaza City and Deir al-Balah.

A man and his wife were killed and four people were wounded in an airstrike on an apartment in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, while two more people, including a child, were killed in a strike on an apartment in Gaza City, medics say.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF, which generally says its strikes are aimed at terror operatives posing a threat to Israel and its forces.

Senior Palestinian figure says Kushner assured him Israel will stop striking Gaza on Sunday

Mohammad Dahlan during a TV interview on March 18, 2021 (video screenshot)

Israel has agreed to halt strikes in Gaza starting on Sunday, senior Palestinian figure Mohammad Dahlan announces, revealing that he received assurances to that effect from US President Donald Trump’s top aide Jared Kushner.

“After Hamas and the Palestinian factions agreed on the 15-point [disarmament] document, Mr. Jared Kushner confirmed to us that he agreed with the Israeli side that it will stop the attacks on Gaza starting tomorrow morning,” Dahlan writes in a Facebook post.

The post represents a highly rare public weigh-in by Dahlan, a former Gaza security chief for the Palestinian Authority, who is living in exile in the United Arab Emirates.

Dahlan has become a close adviser to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, and Kushner has also closely consulted with him while advancing his plan for the postwar management of Gaza.

Dahlan has preferred to largely remain behind the scenes, but one of his aides confirmed his involvement in the Hamas disarmament talks for the first time earlier this week.

Hamas accepted the Board of Peace’s disarmament plan on Thursday, in a major breakthrough for the US-led body overseeing the postwar management of Gaza.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to comment publicly on the plan, but a pair of statements attributed to a “senior Israeli official” have indicated that Jerusalem does not deem the proposal sufficient and accordingly will not carry out any withdrawals from Gaza as the plan requires. Meanwhile, Israel conducted a wave of bombings in Gaza on Saturday.

3 killed, including bomb-carrying woman, and 21 injured in blast near Moscow restaurant

A homemade bomb has killed three people — including the woman carrying the bomb, who reportedly may not have been aware she was carrying explosives — and injured at least 21 in an explosion near an upscale restaurant in central Moscow, authorities say.

The explosion occurred just before 8 p.m. local time close to an Italian restaurant located in one of Moscow’s seven Stalin-era skyscrapers at Kudrinkskaya Square, the police say.

Russia’s Anti-Terrorism Committee says that an unidentified woman tried to get into the restaurant but was stopped by a security guard, the state RIA news agency reports.

It says the security guard and a customer at the Balzi Rossi Italian restaurant were killed in the blast that followed, along with the woman who had been carrying the bomb.

Those injured received wounds of varying seriousness, the police say.

The authorities do not name those killed or injured, nor do they say who they think might have been responsible.

The Kommersant daily newspaper cites its own sources as saying that the bomb had been intended to maim and kill guests who were enjoying themselves on the restaurant’s summer terrace outside.

It suggests that the bomb was set off by someone else remotely and that the woman carrying it may not have known that it was an explosive device.

The restaurant’s website says the venue had been closed for a private event.