Nov. 2: Qatari mediators back in Tehran for talks on deal with US, diplomat tells ToI

9 dead as small plane crashes in residential area in south Florida, US officials say

A Learjet 60 with nine people on board has crashed in a residential area near Cresthaven, Florida, the US Federal Aviation Administration says.

Everyone on board died when the aircraft crashed about 12:50 p.m. ET (1750 GMT), according to a social media post from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who calls the incident a “horrific tragedy.”

The plane took off from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was headed to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas, the FAA says in a statement, adding that the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident.

Woman killed in Petah Tikva; police suspect murder

A woman has been found dead in Petah Tikva after a violent incident, with police suspecting murder.

Magen David Adom medics found the 43-year-old without vital signs and pronounced her dead at the scene, according to the emergency group.

Police say forces have arrived and opened an investigation into the circumstances.

Trump on Iran conflict: ‘We’ll put it away very soon,’ either through deal or another US offensive

US President Donald Trump again claims that the conflict with Iran will end soon, either through a deal or another American offensive.

“We’ve had such a victory, and we’ll put it away very soon, one way or the other,” Trump tells the Right Side Broadcasting Network.

“Either they’ll make a deal, or we’ll just end it. End it — I guess you could say maybe the easy way,” he says, suggesting that another US offensive would be more successful than the previous ones.

Trump on Iran:

Iran will either make a deal, or we will end it. pic.twitter.com/ogwaC44ixO

— Clash Report (@clashreport) November 1, 2026

Later, Trump tells a campaign rally in Iowa that he may have to give Tehran “the hammer” at some unspecified time.

“And the only reason why I’m not finished with Iran is I want to be nice. I want to try and save all those lives if I can… But at some point we’re going to have to give them the hammer,” the 80-year-old president tells supporters ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.

Trump has been claiming that the Iran war would imminently end since just a few weeks into the conflict, which started on February 28 with joint US and Israeli strikes against the Islamic Republic.

More recently, he has predicted a swift end to the conflict after this coming Tuesday’s midterm elections.

AFP contributed to this report.

Police suspect man killed his wife with an axe in Petah Tikva, then died by suicide

The husband of a woman who was killed in a violent incident in Petah Tikva earlier tonight has also been found dead a few streets away, police say.

According to police sources cited by Hebrew media, the husband likely murdered his 43-year-old wife with an axe, while their four children were at home, and then died by suicide after being pursued by cops for an hour.

Police say forces are at the scene and conducting an investigation.

Tanker struck by two projectiles near Saudi Arabia, monitor says

A tanker traveling southeast through the Gulf has been struck by two unidentified projectiles on its port side, 72 nautical miles east of Saudi Arabia’s Ras al-Khafji, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency says.

All crew members are accounted for, and no environmental impact has been reported, the monitor adds.

Trump weighing who to scapegoat for failure to end Iran war so far — report

(L/R) US President Donald Trump, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine depart after speaking about the conflict in Iran in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on April 6, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)

A new American military operation against Iran may come soon after tomorrow’s US midterm elections, The Atlantic reports, amid weeks of reports and public remarks threatening renewed strikes.

The report says, citing two unnamed non-administration sources close to US President Donald Trump, that Trump is mulling over who to scapegoat for the failure to end the Iran war, after his advisers mistakenly assured him ahead of its February start that it would be over long before the midterms.

These include Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, the report says.

Hegseth is unpopular in the White House, with sources quoted as alleging his assessments have been overly optimistic to keep Trump happy. “Hegseth is good at telling the president what he wants to hear,” one of the outside advisers tells The Atlantic.

He has fired the Pentagon’s top military planner, Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, with Caine’s office appearing out of the loop by first issuing a statement thanking him for his decades of service, only to hours later say the previous statement “did not appropriately reflect the full circumstances.”

7 wounded in Saudi strikes on port and oil facility in Yemen, Houthis say

Yemen’s Houthis say that Saudi strikes targeted a key Red Sea port and oil facility in Hodeidah province, wounding seven people.

The Iran-backed group is fighting a Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government after a civil war reignited in one of the world’s poorest countries.

Saudi-coalition strikes on Ras Issa port wounded four civilians, while three more were hurt in an attack on an oil facility in Bajil district, Houthi health ministry spokesman Anees Alasbahi says in a post on X.

“These repeated attacks on oil facilities and vital ports constitute a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and add to the series of war crimes in Yemen that target civilians and critical infrastructure,” he says.

Report: Liberman met with Eisenkot, refused to commit to backing him for PM

Left: Yashar party leader and former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot campaigns ahead of Israel’s upcoming general election, in Kiryat Malachi, August 17, 2026. Right: Yisrael Beytenu chair Avigdor Liberman leads a faction meeting at the Knesset on July 7, 2025. (Amir Cohen/Reuters, Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Yisrael Beytenu’s Avigdor Liberman met with Gadi Eisenkot yesterday but refused to commit to recommending that the Yashar leader be tasked with forming the next government when he meets with President Isaac Herzog, the Kan public broadcaster says in an unsourced report.

Liberman met with B’Yachad’s Yair Lapid yesterday, Kan reports.

The outlet notes that Liberman is demanding MK Oded Forer from his seven-MK faction be appointed as Knesset speaker, a decision that would likely be opposed by the Arab parties. However, the so-called change bloc is said to be concerned that Liberman could torpedo the nomination of any other candidate.

Liberman has long said that his party will not join any coalition that includes the two Arab-led parties, but also that he will not sit in a government with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Herzog will meet with party heads on Wednesday to hear their nominations. Herzog has said “we must do everything we can… to avoid another round of elections,” implying support if necessary for a unity government with the anti- and pro-Netanyahu blocs. Coalition whip Likud MK Ofir Katz yesterday ruled out a rotation agreement in a potential government.

Kan reported yesterday that associates of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have told Eisenkot that there will not be talks for a unity government if Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana was to be replaced, or even if an attempt was underway to unseat him.

IDF: Hamas terrorist who invaded Nir Oz on Oct. 7, another operative killed in Gaza strikes

Two members of Hamas’s elite Nukhba Force, including a terrorist who invaded Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7 onslaught, were killed in separate strikes in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, the military announces.

One strike in Khan Younis killed Mohammed Kamel Maslih Qdeih, who, according to the IDF, raided Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, and as part of his role in Hamas, was responsible for the “operational readiness” of Nukhba terrorists.

Another strike in central Gaza’s Nuseirat killed Diaa Abdel Mohsen Mohammed Abu al-Rous, also a Nukhba operative, the IDF says.

The IDF says both operatives had recently been advancing attacks on troops and Israeli civilians and acted to restore Hamas’s capabilities, “in systematic violation of the ceasefire.”

צה"ל חיסל שני מחבלי נוח'בה: אחד מהם פשט לניר עוז בטבח 7 באוקטובר

צה"ל תקף שלשום במרחב חאן יונס וחיסל את המחבל מחמד כאמל מצליח קדיח שפשט לקיבוץ ניר עוז בטבח 7 באוקטובר ובמסגרת תפקידו היה אחראי על כשירות מבצעית של מחבלי נוח'בה.

בתקיפה נוספת שלשום במרחב נוציראת צה"ל חיסל את דיאא… pic.twitter.com/5NrYsvZrnQ

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

Saudi civil defense sounds all-clear after alerts in southern cities

Saudi Arabia’s civil defens authority says the danger had passed shortly after issuing alerts against threats in Khamis Mushait, Abha, Taif and Najran, amid weeks of hostilities with Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis.

Liberman set to meet with Golan today — report

(L) Yisrael Beytenu's Avigdor Liberman and (R) The Democrats leader Yair Golan. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90, Tal Gal/Flash90)

Yisrael Beytenu’s Avigdor Liberman is set to meet with The Democrats leader Yair Golan this morning, Channel 12 reports.

Both parties are in the opposition bloc, but while Golan has said a future coalition should include the two Arab-led parties, Liberman has said he will not accept such a situation.

Golan has reportedly pledged to back Yashar’s Gadi Eisenkot for prime minister, while an unsourced report on Kan says that Liberman is refusing to commit.

IDF: 4 more Hamas operatives, including Oct. 7 terrorist, killed in recent Gaza strikes

Four more Hamas operatives, including a terrorist who took part in the October 7 onslaught, were killed in recent strikes in the Gaza Strip, the military announces.

The IDF says that separate strikes on Saturday in northern Gaza killed Nabil Hamad, the head of a department in Hamas’s “recruitment apparatus,” and Mohannad Nader Mahmoud Dahdouh, a sniper commander.

Two other strikes in northern Gaza on October 22 killed Wael Naif Fahmi Muslim, a member of Hamas’s elite Nukhba Force who invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, and Arafat Kamal Muhammad Ar’air, a rocket squad commander, the IDF says.

Earlier, the IDF announced it had killed two Nukhba operatives, including a terrorist who invaded Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7 onslaught, in strikes on Saturday.

The IDF says all of the operatives had recently been advancing attacks on troops and Israeli civilians and acted to restore Hamas’s capabilities, “in systematic violation of the ceasefire.”

במספר תקיפות בצפון רצועת עזה: צה"ל חיסל ארבעה מחבלי חמאס שקידמו מתווי טרור

בשתי תקיפות שונות בצפון רצועת עזה שלשום צה"ל חיסל שני מחבלים מהזרוע הצבאית של חמאס:
* נביל חמד – ראש מדור במערך הגיוס שפעל לחיזוק הזרוע הצבאית ולהתעצמותה ברצועת עזה
* מוהנד נאדר מחמוד דחדוח – מפקד צליפה… pic.twitter.com/Z46CB2XJgR

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

IDF ends Hebron raid, 11 days after deadly shooting attack

Palestinians stand on a street littered with rubble in the Deir Baha area of Hebron in the West Bank, on November 2, 2026, as they return following their displacement in an Israeli military operation. (HAZEM BADER/AFP)

Israeli forces have completed an 11-day operation in Hebron, which was launched following a deadly shooting attack at a checkpoint on the outskirts of the West Bank city.

During the attack on October 23, Hebron residents Mohammad Jaaba and Firas Jaaba killed Staff Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman and Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem, and wounded three other troops, before they were shot dead.

In response, the military demolished illegally built structures in the vicinity of the checkpoint and raided the neighborhood where the two gunmen lived to demolish their homes, while also operating in other areas in the city.

Palestinian media outlets publish footage showing residents of Hebron returning to their homes. An Israeli flag can be seen at the entrance to one of the houses, apparently after soldiers had been stationed there.

بعد حصار دام 10 أيام، وتدمير المنازل ونهب الممتلكات، قوات الاحتلال تنسحب من الخليل.
حصار وعدوان تخلله تهجير سكان نحو 540 منزلا ووحدة سكنية، تحويل المنازل إلى ثكنات عسكرية، وتدمير البنى التحتية والمركبات والطرقات، فضلا عن نهب المنازل والمخلات وتخريبها! pic.twitter.com/XrTTuf9XFI

— ساحات 🇵🇸 (@Sa7atPl) November 2, 2026

The raid displaced thousands of residents. The IDF reported detaining dozens of suspects for questioning and capturing four firearms after scanning hundreds of buildings.

While the IDF has not issued an official statement, the military confirms to reporters that it has withdrawn troops from the neighborhood where the two gunmen lived, and wrapped up the operation.

It was reported last week that IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that there was no operational reason to continue the Hebron raid and that there was no legal rationale to keep Palestinians from returning home. Zamir reportedly recommended that Netanyahu end the operation just two days after it began, but the premier rejected the suggestion.

Reports: Man killed, woman and 2 children injured in IDF strike in southern Gaza

Hamas-affiliated Palestinian media outlets report that a man was killed and a woman and two children were injured in an IDF strike in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis.

The children’s ages were not reported.

There is no comment from the IDF.

Shfaram man to be charged with membership in terror group over alleged ISIS activities

A man is set to be charged with security offenses, including active membership in a terror organization, for allegedly pledging allegiance to the Islamic State terror group, police and the Shin Bet say.

According to the statement, 21-year-old Muhammad Sweitat, a resident of Shfaram, was arrested last month in a joint operation.

Sweitat was interrogated by police and the Shin Bet security agency, and investigators “found that the suspect had pledged allegiance to the ISIS terrorist organization on several occasions, while he expressed support for its ideology, and consumed its propaganda.”

The suspect also published online content related to ISIS, communicated with supporters of the terror group, and attempted recruit his friends, the statement says.

Bennett sign set alight outside south Tel Aviv home last week

A fire in the yard of Assaf Kazakov's home after a Naftali Bennett sign was apparently set alight on October 29, 2026 (Screengrab/Assaf Kazakov/Facebook)

A Tel Aviv man says that someone set fire to a sign supporting Naftali Bennett’s B’Yachad party that he had hung outside his house in a southern neighborhood of the city last week.

Video shows large flames engulfing the sign on Assaf Kazakov’s home in the Shapira neighborhood.

Kazakov tells Channel 12 he heard a noise late at night, and when the sound continued, he went to check what it was.

“I saw a massive blaze, exactly where the sign had been. It was very scary,” he says.

Kazakov says it was lucky that he was awake at the time, and that there were no young children in the house or elderly people who could have suffered from the large amounts of smoke.

Police say in a statement to Channel 12 that they have opened an investigation into the suspected arson attack, but will not provide further details.

Kazakov said on Facebook last week that when he hung the sign on the fence of his yard, “I had no illusions — Bennett is not very popular in the Shapira neighborhood in southern Tel Aviv, where I recently moved.”

He said that he hoped police would find the perpetrators: “The area is covered with cameras, and with just a little effort, the arsonists will be in custody over the weekend.”

“I want to believe that things can be better here. Help me continue to believe,” he said.

Iran says considering two-day plan to reopen Hormuz if US meets its ‘demands’

A cargo ship sails in the Arabian Gulf toward the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, October 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Iran’s foreign ministry says it is considering a two-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the US agrees to its conditions, having previously proposed a one-week timeline.

“The possibility of implementing this plan in two days is another indication of Iran’s good-faith approach. We have stated that, if Iran’s demands are met, it would be possible to restore security to the Strait of Hormuz and resume the negotiating process within a short period,” says foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei, adding that the “exchange of messages is still ongoing” via mediators.

Iran has been proposing a plan since September, so far rejected by US President Donald Trump, that calls for Washington to lift a blockade of Iranian ports, unfreeze assets and approve an Iranian-backed route through the Strait of Hormuz, after which the contested strait would be reopened.

Iranian negotiators left Doha talks yesterday, draft proposal is being circulated, official says

Iranian negotiators left Doha talks yesterday, but not due to difficulties in negotiations aimed at reaching a deal to end the US-Israeli war on Iran, an official briefed says.

A draft proposal was being circulated for feedback and a follow-up meeting is possible, the official adds.

Ukraine and Russia report fake emergency alerts after cyberattacks target apps

Authorities in Ukraine and Russia say their emergency alert mobile apps were targeted by cyberattacks, with users in Ukraine receiving false warnings of dangerously high radiation levels in the capital, Kyiv.

In a Telegram post, Ukraine’s air raid alert channel says “unauthorized parties” had interfered with the app’s operation and that the service had been temporarily suspended. It warned users not to click on links in “suspicious notifications.”

Authorities in Ukraine say the app, which Ukrainians rely on to seek safety amid daily Russian missile and drone strikes, was restored overnight. The alerts — making false claims of high radiation levels, a chemical threat and public disturbances in Kyiv — were written in English with spelling and grammatical errors as well as in a mix of Russian and Ukrainian.

In Russia, officials say that hackers had sent fake emergency alerts after gaining access to the Russian Emergency Ministry’s mobile app.

The ministry does not name who carried out the attack. In a statement, it reassures Russians that the wider public alert system is working normally, and that the mobile app acts as a supplementary service alongside alerts shared through SMS messages, media broadcasts and municipal sirens and loudspeakers.

Report: Likud mayors met with Liberman, who told them ‘I don’t trust Netanyahu. He needs to go’

Yisrael Beytenu party head Avigdor Liberman at the Democracy Festival, at the BIG mall in Glilot, ahead of the election, on October 13, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/FLASH90)

A delegation of Likud mayors met with Yisrael Beytenu’s Avigdor Liberman yesterday in an attempt to convince him to join a coalition headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Channel 13 news reports.

Liberman is said to have rebuffed the arguments of the officials, saying: “I recognize the need to form a government, but I don’t trust Netanyahu. He needs to go.”

The group, said to include Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon, reportedly tried to convince Liberman that joining a Netanyahu-led government would be good for the economy and social cohesion.

While Liberman appears to be unwilling to serve in a government with Netanyahu, he has also said he will not join a coalition with the two Arab-led parties.

The Yisrael Beytenu head is expected to give a public statement later today.

Court scraps restrictive conditions for suspect in alleged Ra’am vote-buying scheme

The Beersheba Magistrate’s Court cancels restrictive conditions placed on Sa’id Abu Sa’ad, one of four Bedouin men who were detained in the south on Thursday as part of an alleged vote-buying scheme for traditionalist Arab-led party Ra’am.

The court had released all four suspects to house arrest the day they were detained.

Following an appeal from Abu Sa’ad’s attorney, the court today also ends the terms of his house arrest. The other three suspects remain under house arrest.

Yesterday, the chair of the Central Elections Committee, Justice Noam Sohlberg, reiterated in a video message that last week’s national election was “conducted properly,” in a bid to quell claims of widespread voter fraud. Sohlberg appeared in the video alongside Shin Bet chief David Zini, CEC acting director-general Dean Livne, and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, with the four presenting a united front against the claims.

Defense Ministry inks $190 million deal with Elbit for new artillery training facility

A Ro'em self-propelled howitzer is seen in northern Israel, in a handout photo published by the military on April 16, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

The Defense Ministry says it has signed a NIS 600 million ($190 million) deal with the Elbit arms firm to establish a new artillery training facility for the military.

The 15-year agreement will see Elbit set up a dedicated training facility for the IDF Artillery Corps’ latest platforms, including the SIGMA self-propelled howitzer, known in the military as the Ro’em, and the PULS rocket launcher system, known as Lahav.

The ministry says the contract includes “the development and supply of some of the world’s most advanced technological training infrastructure, as well as comprehensive instruction, maintenance, and logistical support services.”

“The new training array will include physical infrastructure, advanced training classrooms, driving and mission simulators, and more,” the ministry adds.

Sheba Medical Center receives large donation for pediatric cancer center

The American Friends of Sheba Medical Center (AFSMC) says it received a large donation from New York-based Iranian-Jewish philanthropist Edward Khalily to build a new pediatric cancer center.

The Edward Khalily Pediatric Oncology Building at Sheba’s Edmond and Lily Safra Children’s Hospital will bring advanced cancer treatment, research, and family-centered care for children and teens together in one place.

“I have always felt that I am part of the Jewish people, and with that comes a responsibility to help Israel in every way I can,” Khalily says in a statement. “Sheba represents the strength, ingenuity, and humanity of Israel. By helping Sheba care for children with cancer, we are allowing them to grow, build their own lives, and become part of Israel’s future. I can think of no more meaningful legacy.”

Nahariya prayer hall serving Lebanese Maronites who fought alongside IDF vandalized

The Maronite Catholic prayer hall in Nahariya was vandalized last night by an unknown assailant who also left an apology.

Members of the 1200-strong community, made up of former South Lebanon Army members and their families, arrived at the prayer hall of Saints Peter and Paul at 5:45 p.m. on Sunday evening, community leader Father Rudy Noura tells The Times of Israel.

The South Lebanon Army was a Christian-led force that fought against Hezbollah alongside the IDF while Israel held a security zone in southern Lebanon from 1985-2000. Thousands of its members found refuge in Israel after the IDF pulled out of Lebanon.

Icons, including one of Jesus on the cross, were slashed, and statues were shattered.

“We consider this a grave and unacceptable attack, not only on Church property, but above all on the sanctity of a place dedicated to worship and on the right of the faithful to practice their religion freely, safely, and with dignity,” says the Maronite Archeparchy of Haifa in a statement. “Places of worship, whatever their denomination or religion, must be safeguarded and protected from violence, vandalism, and desecration.”

“The sanctity of God’s houses is not open to compromise or negotiation, and freedom of worship is a sacred right that must be respected and protected for everyone, without exception,” says the church.

In a bizarre twist, the vandal left an apology note on the altar. “To a deeply valued community,” the perpetrator wrote in English. “I am so sorry. I don’t know what came over me to make me do that.”

“Please forgive me,” the attacker concluded, adding a heart and cross.

Noura says he arrived at 6:10 p.m. and witnessed the destruction. “I said, this person, I am to forgive him, to love him, to hug him even.”

“We can repair everything,” the priest continues. “This is someone who needs love. Someone who is angry because something happened in his life.”

“God arranged this so we can be an instrument for this person to rejoice in his life,” says Noura.

He stresses that the Nahariya municipality, the police, and the Foreign Ministry were in touch immediately and have offered all the assistance the community needs.

“The vandalism of the Christian place of prayer in Nahariya is disgraceful. All the more painful because it belongs to a community of Lebanese Christians who stood alongside Israel and found a home here,” Ambassador George Deek, the Foreign Ministry’s special envoy to the Christian world, tells The Times of Israel.

“I spoke with Father Rudy Noura, head of the community, to express my solidarity and offer whatever assistance may be needed,” he says.

“Those responsible must be identified and brought to justice,” Deek continues. “There can be no tolerance for attacks on places of worship, anywhere or against anyone.”

“Any attack on a place of worship, of any faith, is an attack on the freedom and dignity we must protect.”

Herzog to start consultations with smallest parties first; Religious Zionism meeting set for Wednesday evening

President Isaac Herzog speaks at the President's Residence in Jerusalem, October 29, 2026. (Haim Zach/GPO)

President Isaac Herzog will begin consultations with the leaders of the smallest parties first, his office says, “in order to allow a broad examination of all the options on the table, before consultations are held with the large factions, and to generate out-of-the-box thinking,” on who to task with forming the next government.

“The president wishes to hear the positions of all factions, and to examine whether there are additional directions or alternatives that may help in forging agreements and forming a government,” says the President’s Residence in a statement. “This is based on the perception that at this time it is important to exhaust all possibilities, broaden the discourse, and examine every path that may advance the process.”

Herzog will meet first with leaders of the Religious Zionism-Zehut party at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday.

He will also sit with representatives from Shas and Yisrael Beyteinu on Wednesday evening.

On Thursday, he will continue his meetings with progressively larger parties.

He will begin with United Torah Judaism at 8:30 a.m., then Otzma Yehudit, the Democrats, Ra’am, the Joint List, and B’Yachad.

The day will end with evening meeting with the two largest parties, Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party.

Liberman says will not serve in government with Netanyahu under any circumstances

Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman says that he will not serve in a government with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under any circumstances, including as part of a rotation agreement in which Liberman would serve as prime minister first.

Speaking at a press briefing, Liberman adds that since the elections, he has been “approached by leaders from the coalition with the strangest proposals,” but that he hasn’t met with Netanyahu himself.

Lawyer says man accused in Ra’am vote-buying case was arrested even though warrantless search of his home found no cash

Saef Abu Raesh, one of three southern Bedouin men detained at dawn on election day over an alleged Ra’am vote-buying scheme, was taken into custody even though the warrantless police search of his home yielded no cash, says his attorney Ali Abu Laban.

Abu Laban makes the comments a day after the Beersheba Magistrate’s Court unconditionally ended Abu Raesh’s detention.

Police had claimed early on Tuesday, election day, that they arrested three southern Bedouin men who were found to possess envelopes containing tens of thousands of shekels in cash, allegedly with the aim of buying votes for the Arab-led party.

Speaking to Army Radio, Abu Laban says the total sum found in the two other suspects’ homes was NIS 12,000 ($3,830). The suspects have said the money was earmarked for charitable purposes.

The suspects’ homes were searched without a warrant, based on information that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief of staff Ido Norden had called in hours earlier to police top brass, according to Hebrew media.

Netanyahu in a video statement on that day said the allegations against what he described as the “three senior Ra’am money men” reflected an attempt “to steal the election from us.”

Contrary to Netanyahu’s claim, Abu Laban tells Army Radio that Abu Raesh, a doctor who runs a small clinic in Rahat, is not a Ra’am activist, but had instead advocated in the southern Bedouin town for people to go to the polls to change “the very difficult reality in Arab society.”

Abu Laban also says there is a “not good smell” to the court’s initial decision to extend his client’s remand until yesterday despite “no money and no envelopes” being found in Abu Raesh’s home.

“It’s not enough for police to act as though it’s political… the most important thing is that the court prevents it,” Abu Laban tells Army Radio.

Yesterday, the chair of the Central Elections Committee, Justice Noam Sohlberg, reiterated in a video message that last week’s national election was “conducted properly,” in a bid to quell claims of widespread voter fraud. Sohlberg appeared in the video alongside Shin Bet chief David Zini, CEC acting director-general Dean Livne, and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, with the four presenting a united front against the claims.

Reports: One killed, five wounded in strike in Gaza City

Hamas-affiliated Palestinian media outlets in Gaza report that one person was killed and five others were injured in a strike on a car in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City.

There is no comment from the Israel Defense Forces.

Asked how a government can be formed without Haredi or Arab parties, Liberman says maybe Likud MKs will defect

Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman speaks at a faction meeting in the Knesset on January 5, 2026. (Sam Sokol/Times of Israel)

Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman deflects when asked how he believes the opposition could form a government without relying on support from Arab or Haredi parties, which he has rejected.

“Maybe we’ll get defectors from Likud,” he says at a press briefing. “We’ll wait, we have patience. We need to take command of the Knesset. It’s critical to first replace the speaker.”

Reports: Elderly Palestinian man injured in settler attack

The Palestinian Red Crescent says it took an 84-year-old Palestinian man to a hospital after he was injured in a settler attack near the village of Ras Karkar in the Ramallah area.

According to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, the man sustained injuries after being beaten.

No further details about the incident are currently available.

Liberman says Eisenkot’s ‘egotistical’ campaign prioritized party over bloc

Yisrael Beiteinu party chairman MK Avigdor Liberman at the party’s election headquarters in Tel Aviv, on election night, October 27, 2026. (Tal Gal/Flash90)

Despite saying that he will recommend that Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot, Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman also blames the Yashar leader for the election results for the anti-Netanyahu bloc.

“We failed – 48 mandates is far lower than what we expected,” Liberman says, referring to the bloc that includes his own Yisrael Beytenu, Yashar, B’Yachad and the Democrats.

He accuses Eisenkot of running an “egotistical” campaign which prioritized being the largest party instead of the largest bloc, and harmed his partners more than his opponents.

First Lebanon-born Christian joins Foreign Ministry diplomats training course

Jonathan Elkhoury speaks at an event in New Jersey sponsored by DiploAct in September 2024. (Courtesy/DiploAct)

Lebanon-born Jonathan Elkhoury begins the Foreign Ministry Cadets Course for future diplomats, the first Lebanese Christian to do so.

Elkhoury, a Christian, fled Lebanon in 2001 at the age of 9 with his family, which includes members of the South Lebanon Army, which fought alongside the IDF in southern Lebanon until the IDF pulled out in 2000.

“For me, this was the most natural step in my life story, a direct continuation of the covenant that my parents signed with Israel in the 70s and 80s with the establishment of the SLA in South Lebanon,” Elkhoury writes on X.

Elkhoury has been a prominent pro-Israel advocate in recent years.

“The brotherhood covenant that was created for a shared goal of peace and good neighborliness is turning today into reality with the next generation that I’m a part of,” he continues, “in the country that has become my official and unshakable home, the sense of belonging that happened thanks to Israeli society and mainly out of the deep understanding that my fate and the fate of Israel are one.”

Thirty-six cadets began the course this week.

Security forces clash with settlers during evacuation of illegal outpost in West Bank

Settlers on the roof of a structure during an evacuation by security forces at the Givat Ora Yisrael outpost near the settlement of Rehelim in the West Bank, November 2, 2026. (Flash90)

Israeli security forces clash with settlers during the evacuation of an illegal outpost in the West Bank, according to activists and footage.

This morning, dozens of Border Police officers and Civil Administration personnel arrived at the Givat Ora Yisrael outpost, next to the settlement of Rehelim, to demolish it.

Settlement activists say that dozens of Israeli residents of the area protested at major junctions, causing traffic jams.

Meanwhile, footage shows an excavator demolishing a house at the outpost while settlers are holed up on the roof, and a car being destroyed by a backhoe.

Other images show fires set in the area, apparently by the settlers.

There is no immediate comment from the Border Police or Civil Administration on the evacuation.

כוחות גדולים של מג"ב הורסים את גבעת עורה ישראל בשומרון בה מתגוררות שתי משפחות. התושבים מדווחים על אלימות קשה, הרס בית כשתושבים על הגג, והריסת רכבים באמצעות מחפרון pic.twitter.com/6qrHQE6u6F

— אלחנן גרונר (@elchanangr) November 2, 2026

Givat Ora Yisrael has been evacuated by Israeli authorities in the past.

Over 200 illegal settlement outposts have been established in the West Bank during the four-year term of the outgoing government, many of which have reportedly been set up with the coordination of settlement municipal authorities, the IDF, and other state agencies.

A small percentage of outposts are set up without such coordination, and it is these outposts that are often the target of enforcement by the Civil Administration, an agency within the Defense Ministry controlled by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the architect of the government’s massive expansion of the settlement enterprise.

600 victims, survivors of Oct. 7 ask opposition to form government as soon as possible

More than 600 victims and survivors of the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror onslaught sign an open letter to the leaders of the change bloc parties — Gadi Eisenkot, Avigdor Liberman, Naftali Bennett, Yair Lapid and Yair Golan — asking them to establish a government of change as soon as possible.

“The election results are unequivocal: There is a clear majority that has no confidence in the October 7 government,” states the letter. “The public is demanding change and the replacement of the government responsible for the massacre and destruction.”

The signatories write that any kind of cooperation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the politicians who were part of his government legitimizes the abandonment shown by that government on October 7.

Those who signed the letter ask that the change bloc parties not give in to a “narrative of unity.”

“Convene the Knesset and swear in a government of change,” they write. “We have made our choice — now it is your turn to deliver.”

Court accepts police appeal against release of one of the Ra’am vote-buying suspects, extends remand by 2 days

The Beersheba District Court extends until Wednesday the remand of a suspect in the alleged Ra’am vote-buying scheme, accepting a police appeal against yesterday’s lower court decision to release him to house arrest.

The suspect, Ibrahim al-Garibi, is one of three Bedouin men detained in connection with the case hours before the polls opened on Tuesday.

Citing a confidential dossier submitted by police, District Court judge Dina Cohen lets police keep Garibi in custody for two more days to complete specific probes that police said were “corruptible” if Garibi were released.

The “dynamic” nature of the investigation justifies “extending the remand for investigative purposes, after the reasonable suspicion was sufficiently established even at this stage,” Cohen rules after hearing police’s appeal of the Beersheba Magistrate’s Court decision.

The Magistrate’s Court yesterday rejected police’s motion for an eight-day extension of Garibi’s remand, saying the suspicions against him had weakened and that investigators had failed to disprove Garibi’s explanation for the cash that police found in a warrantless search of his home.

The Magistrate’s Court ordered Garibi be released to house arrest, but delayed implementation until noon today to give police time to appeal.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II: ‘No security or stability’ in region without Palestinian state

Jordan’s King Abdullah II inspects a guard of honor during a state welcoming ceremony at the National Palace in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 12, 2026. (Hasnoor Hussain/Pool Photos via AP)

Jordan’s King Abdullah II says there will be no security in the Middle East region until the Palestinians’ right to a homeland is fulfilled.

“We reiterate, time and again, that there can be no security or stability in our region without upholding the Palestinian people’s right to their homeland,” he says at the opening of Jordan’s parliament.

“Despite international calls for an end to Israel’s violations, the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza continues, as do the relentless attacks in the West Bank and Jerusalem, whilst Israel’s expansionist ambitions remain the greatest threat to the region’s future and hopes,” the king says.

Netanyahu posts Likud claim of a ‘dark cloud’ hanging over the election results

Israeli Prime Minister and Likud party chairman Benjamin Netanyahu at the Likud party’s election headquarters at Binyanei HaUma (Jerusalem International Convention Center) in Jerusalem, following Israel’s general elections, early October 28, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party claims a “dark cloud” hangs over the election results.

“It is highly perplexing that Justice [Noam} Sohlberg describes the allegations of foreign funding as ‘very serious,’ yet simultaneously, and before the investigation has even concluded, preemptively determines that they have no impact on the election results,” reads a statement from the premier’s Likud party, reposted on Netanyahu’s X account.

“A mere 4,612 votes stood between a Knesset seat shifting from Ra’am to the right-wing bloc,” claims the premier, “a shift that would have completely altered the election results and the political landscape.”

Even if the calculation is correct, is not clear how a single seat would drastically alter the election result, as Likud claims, given that the pro-Netanyahu right-wing bloc received a combined 53 seats in the election, compared to the anti-Netanyahu bloc’s 67.

“We demand a swift and thorough investigation to safeguard the integrity of the Knesset election and the sovereignty of the people. Until the investigation is concluded, a dark cloud hangs over Israel’s election results,” the statement concludes.

Yesterday, Sohlberg, the chair of the Central Elections Committee, reiterated in a video message that last week’s national election was “conducted properly,” in a bid to quell claims of widespread voter fraud.

Sohlberg appeared in the video alongside Shin Bet chief David Zini, CEC acting director-general Dean Livne, and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, with the four presenting a united front against the claims.

Suspect charged with murder for allegedly luring man who was shot and killed in front of wife, 4-year-old

The Central District Attorney’s Office charges Abd el-Rahman Msarwa, 30, with murder after he allegedly lured Ziyad Bashara to the scene where two masked men pulled up on a motorcycle and shot the 57-year-old dead in front of his wife and her 4-year-old daughter on August 5, near a high school in the central Arab town of Taibeh.

According to the indictment filed at the Lod District Court, Msarwa used a phone he did not regularly use, equipped with a new SIM card, to contract Bashara to install a canopy just outside the Taibeh Sciences High School.

While driving around the school, Msarwa allegedly lied that he was on his way to the site with his son to meet Bashara, who had his wife and the young girl in tow.

In their last exchange, Msarwa allegedly said he was stopping to get coffee and would arrive within three minutes.

As Bashara waited in his car, the masked men — who wore long black clothes, gloves and helmets — pulled up near the passenger’s window, and one of them shot Bashara seven times at close range, killing him, the indictment says.

The two masked men are still at large, prosecutors say.

Democrats say they’ll recommend Eisenkot as next prime minister, joining opposition partners

The Democrats party says it will recommend Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot as the next prime minister.

Democrats chairman Yair Golan is the last leader of the four-party Zionist opposition bloc to publicly announce support for Eisenkot, following B’Yachad chairman Naftali Bennett’s announcement yesterday and Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman’s declaration earlier today.

President Isaac Herzog is widely expected to grant the mandate to form a government to whoever receives the most recommendations.

‘I should have killed you while I had the chance’: Student attacks conservative Jewish commentator at University of Michigan

A conservative Jewish commentator and activist was attacked by a student at the University of Michigan yesterday, when a so-called “free speech” event at the UMich Ann Arbor campus escalated into physical violence.

Liz Benichou, a Jewish pro-Trump activist, was on campus with a group of conservative figures, two of whom who were offering to debate students under the headline “Is Islam compatible with the West? Is Islam evil?”

In video footage posted online, a student can be seen arguing heatedly with the two men sitting at the debate table, before rounding on other activists and onlookers and decrying the “fucking anti-muslim people here.”

The student then turns to Benichou after she comments that she would “love to see you do this in Iran,” apparently referring to both the heated argument and the student’s clothes and facial piercings.

“You could see me put a hand on you; I won’t because I’ll get arrested but you could see me put a fucking hand on you,” the student threatens as she walks toward Benichou, who is standing off to the side with her hands in her pockets.

“Am I wrong? Am I wrong though?” Benichou asks another onlooker. “If she walked around like this in Iran, what would happen to her?”

The student then rushes toward Benichou and shoves her to the ground, pushing her onto her back.

A man immediately runs in and pulls the student off Benichou, restraining her until campus police arrive and cuff her.

The student struggles against the police officers as she is led away, yelling, “I would do it again every fucking time you stupid fucking c****!”

She then appears to address Benichou directly, saying, “I should have fucking killed you while I had the fucking chance, bitch.”

Another case of far-left violence on campus.

She decided to fight a police officer too and issue death threats on camera pic.twitter.com/W419VXpZdI

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) November 2, 2026

Benichou, in a statement posted online, says, “Today I was physically assaulted simply for showing up and exercising my First Amendment rights. Political violence has NO place in the United States of America.”

“I am now in a safe location receiving care, and I am going to be ok. If the intention was to intimidate me or silence me, it will not work.”

Mellanox founder Waldman warns Israel’s tech industry needs new government or else is in ‘serious trouble’

Mellanox founder Eyal Waldman speaks at Birthright Israel's international business summit in Tel Aviv, Nov. 2, 2026. (Shooka Cohen)

Prominent entrepreneur Eyal Waldman says a change in government is essential to ensure that Israel’s vaunted tech industry and human capital remain in the country.

“The current government we have is one of the worst we’ve ever had in Israel,” says Waldman, founder of Mellanox, the chipmaker acquired by Nvidia. “We have to take the current government of Benjamin Netanyahu out; if not, we will be in serious trouble.”

Although Israelis went to the polls less than a week ago, the question of who will lead the country’s next government remains unresolved.

The parties opposed to Netanyahu collectively hold 67 of the Knesset’s 120 seats, compared to 53 for the premier’s right-wing and ultra-Orthodox bloc. However, deep ideological divisions and conflicting campaign pledges leave the opposition without a clear path toward forming an alternative government.

Speaking at Birthright Israel’s international business summit in Tel Aviv, Waldman accuses the Netanyahu government of “taking the country down,” challenging democratic principles, and driving international isolation that harms the growth of companies wanting to work and invest in Israel.

“We see the international response and reactions, which is a big issue,” warns Waldman, a vocal critic of the government whose daughter was murdered at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023.

Waldman points to mounting pressure by Western countries to impose economic sanctions over the government’s policy towards Israeli West Bank settlements and criticism over the handling of rising settler violence.

“It was a very tough four years for all of Israel, and now a government must be formed without Netanyahu, and then we can start fixing the country and working with our neighbors,” Waldman tells The Times of Israel on the sidelines of the Tel Aviv summit. “Once we have a change in government, we will be much more acceptable around the world, and it’s going to be much easier for tech startups to raise money and grow in Israel.”

“Hopefully we will have a different government with much better leadership that will start improving all aspects of our lives, especially education levels, which have gone down,” says Waldman.

Iran’s president: Khamenei gave us ‘certain authorities’ in talks with US

Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has given “certain authorities” to the elected government in talks with the US and mediators, says President Masoud Pezeshkian, according to state media.

Iran seeks “to solve the problem with dialogue,” he says, according to the IRNA news agency.

Military drone crashes in southern Israel, causing fire but no injuries, IDF says

A military drone crashed near the southern town of Beit Shikma earlier today, sparking a fire in an open area, the IDF says.

The IDF says the drone crashed due to a “technical malfunction,” and further details are under investigation.

No injuries were caused in the incident.

Uzi among 10,000 weapons and equipment returned to army in no-questions-asked collection drive

More than 10,000 firearms, ammunition, and pieces of military equipment were returned to the IDF on the first day of a weapons return campaign, including an Uzi submachine gun that has not been in service for over three decades.

On Sunday, the IDF opened some 65 stations and collection points at bases across the country, where weapons and equipment can be returned — with no questions asked.

The IDF says that on the first day of the campaign, 10,000 items were collected, including an Uzi, which was “phased out of IDF service more than 30 years ago.”

“In accordance with the terms of the operation, the person who returned the weapon was not questioned, and their details were not recorded in the system,” the military says.

Ex-Mossad chief Yossi Cohen believes eventual ‘targeted operation’ against Iran is inevitable

Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen speaks at Birthright Israel's international business summit in Tel Aviv, Nov.2, 2027. (Shooka Cohen)

A renewed “targeted military operation” against Iran will take place sooner or later, given mounting concerns that Tehran continues to rebuild and expand its facilities and capabilities, former Mossad director Yossi Cohen predicts.

“I believe that another targeted military operation will eventually take place,” says Cohen at Birthright Israel’s international business summit in Tel Aviv. “Iran continues to advance its capabilities; it may be rebuilding or refurbishing facilities, and we must ensure that these capabilities do not remain in its hands.”

“Furthermore, the Iranians are not negotiating in good faith,” says Cohen.

President Donald Trump “insists on a good agreement and is unwilling to settle for a bad one,” Cohen adds.

The remarks come as Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly held a phone call over the weekend to discuss plans to resume strikes on Iran, and amid reports that the US warned its Gulf allies to prepare for a possible new conflict to begin as early as November 4, a day after the US midterms.

In late February, Israel and the US jointly launched the war on Iran in a bid to destabilize its regime and destroy its ballistic missile and nuclear programs.

“Seeing our forces on the ground in Iran and the US military striking its nuclear capabilities, ballistic missiles and factories is exactly the kind of cooperation we aspired to,” says Cohen. “One thing I have never agreed with is the idea that the Iranian regime can be overthrown from the outside.”

“I believe that is something the Iranian people themselves must do – I know how difficult and dangerous it is to take to the streets and demonstrate against the regime, but I think the regime is in a different position today,” Cohen says.

Opposition parties to meet for coalition talks Tuesday, as leaders unite behind Eisenkot

Left to right: Yair Lapid, Gadi Eisenkot, Yair Golan, Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Liberman meet at Lapid's Tel Aviv home, September 26, 2026. (Lihi Lapid)

The leaders of the four-party Zionist opposition bloc will hold their first joint meeting since last week’s election tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. at the Dan Accadia Hotel in Herzliya, the Yashar party says.

Yashar chair Gadi Eisenkot, Yisrael Beytenu chair Avigdor Liberman, Democrats chair Yair Golan, and B’Yachad chair Naftali Bennett and No. 2 Yair Lapid will meet to “discuss coordinating the bloc’s next steps,” according to a Yashar statement.

Liberman, Golan and Bennett have all said their parties will recommend Eisenkot as the next prime minister.

President Isaac Herzog is widely expected to grant the mandate to form a government to whoever receives the most recommendations.

The parties are also reportedly considering using their parliamentary majority to replace Likud MK Amir Ohana as Knesset speaker with Lapid, even before diving into efforts to form a government. Liberman told reporters earlier today that he would support the move.

Boy George meets Herzog, ex-hostage Elkana Bohbot at event honoring the British singer

L-R: President Isaac Herzog, former hostage Elkana Bohbot, and British musician Boy George at a ceremony honoring the singer for his public support of Israel and the Jewish people, at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, November 2, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

British musician and DJ Boy George meets with President Isaac Herzog and First Lady Michal Herzog in the President’s office in Jerusalem, after arriving in the country yesterday for his November 4 and November 7 performances in Tel Aviv.

Former hostage Elkana Bohbot, a survivor of the Nova music festival massacre on October 7, 2023, also attends the meeting.

Herzog presents Boy George with a symbolic sculpture of red anemones inspired by the memorial installations at the Nova desert rave site.

The dedication reads: “Presented to George O’Dowd (Boy George) by the President of the State of Israel, Isaac Herzog, in appreciation of your unwavering support for Israel and the Jewish people, and for your inspiring music and artistry, reminding us all that WE WILL DANCE AGAIN.”

Herzog tells Boy George — an outspoken supporter of Israel despite not being Jewish himself — that Israel and Jews around the world have suffered a terrible assault of antisemitism in the last three years.

“In the worlds of culture, art and music, which are supposed to bring people together, we have seen a particular kind of discrimination against Israelis and Jews,” says Herzog. “But you, Boy George, have stood with moral clarity and delivered a simple and profound message of decency.”

“The people of Israel love you,” adds Herzog, “and thank you for standing with us.”

During the meeting, Boy George speaks about growing up in a neighborhood with a strong Jewish presence, saying that in many ways his childhood felt “very Jewish,” and that he is glad to be able to show his support for the Jewish people and Israel.

Iranian spokesman: We don’t expect ‘new America’ after midterms; everything depends on US accepting our demands

Iran doesn’t expect a “new America” to emerge after tomorrow’s midterm elections, says Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei.

“America’s evil against Iran goes back more than 70 years,” he says during a weekly press briefing.

Iran intends to continue dialogue through mediators to advance its demands, says Baghaei. Everything, he stresses, depends on whether the US “carries out Iran’s demands and positions, and then we must discuss the next steps.”

Baghaei repeats antisemitic conspiracy theories about Israeli control of Washington, saying contradictory US statements about Iran “leave the international community confused as to which party is actually governing and making decisions in America’s system. Who should one talk to in America? Do all roads ultimately lead to Tel Aviv?”

Baghaei says that Iran will not cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency until it “settles debts.”

“The agency’s director general owes Iran a great deal,” says Baghaei of IAEI chief Rafael Grossi. “He must settle his previous debts and then we can discuss the way forward.”

He says that Grossi became “the face of the criminal and illegal action by America and the Zionist regime in attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities.”

Grossi, he adds, “took no position” and prepared “ambiguous reports” about the war.

The IAEA’s credibility has been “severely distorted,” he says.

Houthis say they launched drones at Saudi Arabia’s Dammam airport

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis say they launched drones towards Saudi Arabia’s Dammam airport as well as an early-warning radar in Jizan and a military transport aircraft at Jizan airport.

There is no immediate Saudi confirmation.

Palestinian journalist Samer Sweiha arrested; IDF claims he incited terrorist activity online

Palestinian media outlets report that Samer Khewira, a Palestinian journalist from Nablus, was arrested overnight.

The IDF tells The Times of Israel that “the suspect was arrested after inciting terrorist activity online. Following his arrest, he was transferred to the Israel Police for further investigation.”

Khewira is a Palestinian journalist who has been arrested several times in the past and spent nine months in administrative detention in 2025. He was eventually released in January 2026 without charges.

Less than a month ago, Khewira was interviewed for a Haaretz article in which he described the conditions in which Palestinian prisoners are held in Israeli prisons.

התקשורת הפלסטינית מפרסמת שסאמר חוירה, עיתונאי משכם, נעצר הלילה על ידי צה״ל. סאמר התראיין לכתבה של @nirhasson ושלי למוסף הארץ על התנאים המזעזעים בבתי הכלא בישראל.
טרם ידועים לי פרטים נוספים על מעצרו, אבל הסמיכות מטרידה ועצם העובדה שישראל עוצרת עיתונאים פלסטינים צריכה להדיר שינה…

— Hagar Shezaf (@hagar_shezaf) November 2, 2026

NYC Jewish school buses sprayed with swastikas, anti-Israel messages

Jewish school buses in Brooklyn are sprayed with swastikas and anti-Zionist graffiti.

Photos show the buses, in the Williamsburg neighborhood, defaced with the slogans “Fuck Israel,” “USA first,” and “Free Palestine.”

The buses are used to transport students to local yeshivas.

Lincoln Restler, a New York City council member for the area, says the NYPD and the Shomrim neighborhood watch group are investigating.

Anti-Semitic graffiti on our community’s school buses is truly obscene.

We are working with NYPD and Shomrim to track down those responsible.

The decade-long rise in anti-Semitic incidents must be stopped. https://t.co/OxnN0vQc1N

— Lincoln Restler (@LincolnRestler) November 2, 2026

“Anti-Semitic graffiti on our community’s school buses is truly obscene,” Restler says. “The decade-long rise in anti-Semitic incidents must be stopped.”

Jews are targeted in hate crimes far more than any other group in New York City, according to NYPD data.

Williamsburg is a home base of the Satmar Hasidic movement, which is anti-Zionist on theological grounds. Yeshivas are a cornerstone of the community.

Ben Gvir petitions High Court to let him interfere in police use of force, accuses police chief of wanting ‘blood’ at Haredi protests

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir (right) and police chief Danny Levy attend a ceremony at the Israel Police headquarters in Jerusalem, November 30, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir accuses police chief Daniel Levy of ordering “harsh violence” against Haredi protesters to appease the opposition following Tuesday’s election, and petitions the High Court to cancel an April injunction that forbids the minister from interfering in the police’s use of force.

The petition says “a quote from Levy saying he ‘wants to see blood’ reached the minister’s ears” over the past two weeks, and that as part of that policy Levy ordered officers “to make increased use of clubs and stun grenades to disperse demonstrations” by “extremist Haredi factions.”

Ben Gvir also accuses Levy of going abroad in recent days without the minister’s approval and of failing to show up to work meetings on unspecified occasions.

“The urgency of the request stems from genuine fear of a clear danger to human life and of bloodshed, given events over the past two weeks,” the petition says. “Canceling the injunction is required for the minister’s immediate intervention to rein in the means of enforcement in a proportionate and equitable manner.”

The petition singles out police action against Haredi anti-enlistment protesters in Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh and at the Geha Junction near Bnei Brak on Thursday and Sunday.

Ben Gvir also says that “as part of the chief commissioner’s recent moves,” Levy transferred the head of the police’s Dan precinct, which includes Geha and much of Bnei Brak, to command the Ayalon precinct, which covers the area of south Tel Aviv and sees fewer Haredi protests.

The officer, Commander Elad Klein, had good relations with the Haredi leadership and struck the proper balance between “the right to protest and the right to public safety,” the petition says, claiming that Klein’s transfer was not approved by Ben Gvir and was therefore illegal.

Ben Gvir “can’t look away while there is such a serious departure from protest enforcement policy… especially in comparison with protests by other groups from a different side of the political divide,” the petition says.

On X, Ben Gvir writes that Levy “was a chief commissioner who carried out my policy until the results of the election, and now it seems he’s preparing himself for Segalovitz of Ra’am.”

Yoav Segalovitz, an ex-MK and former senior police officer, mounted an unprecedented run this election as an avowed Zionist at no. 2 on the candidate slate of traditionalist Arab party Ra’am.

Ben Gvir, citing “the outlandish images from the Geha Junction,” accused Levy on Thursday of “sucking up to the leftists” after having “carried out my every request” over the previous 18 months.

Zamir says IDF has ‘obligation to be global leader’ in AI

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir speaks at a conference on integrating artificial intelligence into the military, November 2, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

Speaking at a conference on integrating artificial intelligence into the military, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir says the IDF has “an obligation to be a global leader” in AI and robotics.

“Artificial intelligence is a revolution that is changing the face of the 21st century. In recent years, the battlefield has undergone one of the fastest, deepest, and most dramatic changes in military history,” he says, according to remarks published by the IDF.

Zamir says that “to meet the challenges of war and achieve victory, the IDF has a responsibility and an obligation to be a global leader in innovation and transformation, including in the adoption and integration of advanced artificial intelligence and robotics capabilities.”

“As part of an innovative operational concept, the IDF will strengthen and develop its concept of integrated human-machine warfare,” he says, adding that “manned units will fight in coordination with unmanned systems to achieve an operational advantage and superiority on the battlefield.”

Lapid: Likud ‘pulling out all the stops’ to discredit election proves it knows it lost

Likud’s bid to delay the certification of the election results proves the party understands it has lost, asserts opposition leader and B’Yachad No. 2 Yair Lapid.

“They are pulling out all the stops — staging protests, concocting conspiracy theories and challenging the outcome of democratic elections that were signed off on by the head of the Shin Bet, whom they appointed, and Justice Sohlberg, whom they selected,” writes Lapid.

“This is an attempt to dismantle Israeli democracy and we will not let it happen,” he vows. “In a democracy, the winners form the government and the losers head to the opposition. That is what will happen.”

Trump reportedly in no rush to decide whether to resume war with Iran

US President Donald Trump stands on stage after speaking at a campaign rally at the Salina Regional Airport, in Salina Kansas, November 1, 2026. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

US President Donald Trump is in no rush to decide whether to resume the war against Iran, telling Channel 12 that US economic pressure is weakening Tehran and that the Iranian public is weary of the situation.

Trump says negotiations between Washington and Tehran, mediated by Qatar, are progressing well, but that the US is unsure who was making decisions in Iran and does not want to be strung along again, the network reports. He also says Iran’s leaders show less urgency than he had expected, though they wanted a deal more than at any point since the war began.

Trump is facing competing advice on how to proceed, Channel 12 reports. Some of his advisers, along with leaders of most Gulf countries, favor reaching a diplomatic agreement, arguing that another strike would not significantly change the situation.

Others favor resuming the war and completing its military objectives, a position backed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who allegedly pressed Trump to renew the fighting in a phone call between the two leaders on Saturday.

A third group of advisers, led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, is urging Trump to maintain the US naval blockade and economic sanctions and wait to see whether Iran softens its position in the coming weeks or months.

Trump has not made a final decision on the matter, Channel 12 reports.

Man killed, two moderately wounded in shooting in Rahat

A man was killed and two were moderately wounded in a shooting in the southern Bedouin town of Rahat this evening, police say.

Officers on the scene are searching for suspects, police say, adding that “the preliminary suspicion is that the background of the incident is a criminal dispute between families.”

Yashar officials said to oppose Lapid as Knesset speaker

Senior Yashar officials are opposing Yair Lapid’s candidacy to be Knesset speaker, saying the bloc should keep its options open by considering more pivotal figures like Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot or B’Yachad chairman Naftali Bennett for the post, according to Channel 12.

The position appears to clash with Yisrael Beytenu chief Avigdor Liberman’s comments earlier today, when he endorsed the idea of replacing Likud MK Amir Ohana with Lapid as speaker.

Of the three men, Lapid has the most political experience, having retained his seat since he first entered the Knesset in 2013 as the founder of Yesh Atid.

Bennett also entered the Knesset in the same 2013 election, but stepped away from politics in 2022 after the collapse of his short-lived government, and is now returning after four years away.

Eisenkot, by contrast, has very limited political experience and was first elected to the Knesset in 2022.

Joint List’s Jabareen: Opposition holdouts must face ‘political reality,’ cooperate to unseat Netanyahu

The leader of the largest Arab-majority party in the incoming 26th Knesset tells AFP that it is time for reluctant opposition members to acknowledge the “political reality” and join forces to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

After both main camps were denied a majority in last week’s vote, Yousef Jabareen of the Joint List says opposition holdouts “must deal with the political reality and the numbers in the Knesset. Given the current parliamentary arithmetic, Netanyahu’s government… cannot be replaced without coordination with the Joint List.”

Report: Woman entered Eisenkot’s building today to search for his apartment; Eisenkot still not protected by Shin Bet

An unidentified woman entered the Herzliya building where Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot lives and spent several minutes trying to locate his apartment today, Channel 12 reports.

Eisenkot was away at the time, but his wife, Hannah, was home. Neighbors reportedly noticed the woman and removed her from the building. Her motivations are unclear and the incident is said to be under investigation.

It comes a day after a protest outside the couple’s Herzliya home, where demonstrators called Eisenkot a traitor and accused him of being responsible for the death of his own son, Master Sgt. (res.) Gal Eisenkot, who was killed fighting in Gaza in December 2023. One protester also threatened Eisenkot’s wife.

The two incidents have renewed questions about Eisenkot’s security coverage. He is protected by a private security company operating under the Shin Bet, but is not personally guarded by the agency as he is not currently a sitting lawmaker.

Officials in the Shin Bet have reportedly criticized agency chief David Zini’s handling of the matter, accusing him of making questionable decisions, Channel 12 reports. The Advisory Committee for Personal Security, which operates under the Prime Minister’s Office, recommended in August that the agency directly protect Eisenkot, but that has yet to happen.

The Shin Bet tells Channel 12 that its stance on protecting party leaders was reached after professional discussions and an assessment with the relevant authorities.

Eisenkot will receive a state security detail once he is sworn in as a member of Knesset next week.

IDF: Israeli Navy to conduct drill at Zikim Beach near Gaza, starting tomorrow

The Israeli Navy will conduct a drill starting tomorrow morning at Zikim Beach near the Gaza Strip, the military says.

The drill will end Wednesday afternoon.

During the exercise, there will be an increased presence of security forces and vessels in the area, and sounds of gunfire and explosions may be heard, the army warns.

Shin Bet, Mossad close to completing probe of alleged Qatari funding for Arab get-out-the-vote effort — report

The Shin Bet and Mossad are close to completing their investigation into alleged Qatari funding for a get-out-the-vote campaign in Arab society, Channel 12 reports.

The network says the agencies have verified the movement of funds from Qatar to a “political actor” in the Arab-majority Joint List party to encourage Arab citizens to vote. Israeli political parties are strictly forbidden to receive funds from noncitizens.

The recipient of the funds will face legal proceedings, and the findings of the investigation are expected to be presented to Central Elections Committee chief Noam Sohlberg by the end of this week, Channel 12 says, adding that the funding would, in any case, not have been able to affect the results of the vote.

Separately, after Yisrael Beytenu chief Avigdor Liberman today accused Ra’am and the Joint List of receiving support from the Palestinian Authority, Channel 12 says the Shin Bet confirmed it is looking into unverified information that the PA had sent funds to the Arab parties.

It’s still unclear whether, how much, and to what end such funds were transferred, the network says.

Reports: PM’s chief of staff Braverman to be indicted for his part in classified documents leak affair

Tzachi Braverman attends a Memorial Day ceremony at the Kiryat Shaul Military Cemetery in Tel Aviv, April 21, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Authorities intend to file an indictment against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief of staff, Tzachi Braverman, for his part in the leak of classified documents to the German Bild newspaper in 2024, Hebrew media reports.

Braverman is suspected of holding a clandestine nighttime meeting with the chief suspect in the affair, Eli Feldstein, to inform him that an investigation was being conducted into the leak, and that he could quash it if it was connected to Feldstein.

Feldstein and another key suspect were arrested several days after the purported nighttime meeting and were subsequently indicted on charges of transferring classified documentation, among others, relating to the leak of the documents to Bild.

According to Hebrew reports, Braverman appeared for a hearing in the affair last month, after which Justice Ministry officials expressed intent to file an indictment against him for fraud, breach of trust, and obstruction of justice.

Braverman is also currently under investigation for suspected forgery and fraud over the illegal altering of records in the Prime Minister’s Office from October 7, 2023.

Qatari mediators arrive back in Tehran for talks with Iranian negotiators on deal with US — diplomat

A delegation of Qatari mediators arrived in Tehran this evening to resume talks with Iranian officials about a potential agreement to end the months-long conflict between the Islamic Republic and the US, a diplomat familiar with the negotiations tells The Times of Israel.

The agreement under discussion would see the swift reopening of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran in exchange for sanctions relief from the US, followed by comprehensive talks on Tehran’s nuclear program, the diplomat says.

Vance: Trump and I feel pretty good about prospects for negotiated settlement with Iran

US Vice President JD Vance speaks at a campaign rally at Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport, November 2, 2026, in Swanton, Ohio. (Tom Brenner/Pool via AP)

US Vice President JD Vance says he and US President Donald Trump “both feel pretty good about the prospects” of reaching a “negotiated settlement” with Iran to end the ongoing conflict between the two countries.

“We’ve had a number of good conversations with the Iranians,” Vance tells reporters at the Joint Base Andrews, adding that he had discussed the issue with Trump an hour earlier.

“We’re going to keep on working at it… The Iranians are always a little unpredictable,” he says.

Trump “retains kinetic options, he retains non-kinetic options, but we certainly made some progress. We’ll see if we can make some more,” Vance continues.

Asked whether the US has given Iran a deadline before Trump makes good on threats to resume strikes, Vance says that the US has not given such constraints.

The vice president goes on to claim that the US has already destroyed Iran’s nuclear program — even though Trump still talks about the possible need to bomb a number of other nuclear enrichment sites and even though Iran still maintains a stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

“Having destroyed their nuclear program, we want to make sure they don’t rebuild it or try to rebuild it. That’s what matters most to the United States,” Vance says. In the past, he has said Washington’s main priority is restoring the flow of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, whose effective closure by Iran has led global gas prices to spike.

“They care a lot about their sovereignty. They care a lot about economically rebuilding. We do think that there is a pathway there, but it really does require a firm and verifiable commitment that they don’t rebuild that nuclear program,” Vance says.

🚨 NOW: VP JD Vance declares Iran is NOT getting out of this unless they are blocked from ever rebuilding their nuclear program

President Trump and JD holding strong 🇺🇸

"He retains kinetic options, he retains non-kinetic, options. We've certainly made some progress…We want to… pic.twitter.com/CqqlWBIrRY

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 2, 2026

Trump: ‘Iran wants a settlement, as soon as possible. It could happen!’

US President Donald Trump claims on Truth Social that “oil prices are dropping like a rock” because “people feel that there will not be a war with Iran.”

“Iran wants a settlement, as soon as possible. It could happen!” he adds.