Oct. 15: Report says Netanyahu opted against targeting Hamas leaders weeks before Oct. 7

Senior Iranian official: Despite talks, Iran must be prepared to ‘fight courageously’

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf gives a press conference at an event marking 40 days since the burial of the late Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, at Imam Hassan al-Mujtaba Mosque in Iraq’s central holy shrine city of Karbala on August 20, 2026. (Karar Jabbar/AFP)

Iran must be prepared for war even as it negotiates with the US, says the country’s parliament speaker.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says in a televised speech that his country’s main concern is preventing the United States from attacking again. But he adds that a signed agreement with Washington is no guarantee.

“They break their promises,” says Ghalibaf. As a result, Iran must be prepared to fight “against a bullying enemy,” and “we must truly fight courageously on the battlefield.”

“That is when we will have achieved sustainable deterrence,” he says. “America must be punished. America must change its behavior. It must understand that it has to come to terms with the Iranian people.”

Israel said blocking US firm from breaking ground on Gaza base for international troops

Palestinian commercial trucks are seen parked in an area in Deir al-Balah near the Kissufim crossing in the Gaza Strip as they wait for permission to receive a cargo of goods for sale in the enclave, January 27, 2026. (AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Israel is holding up the construction of a military base in Gaza intended for international forces as part of the US-led Board of Peace’s plan for the coastal enclave, according to a report in the Guardian.

Citing a person with knowledge of the matter, the British newspaper says Jerusalem hasn’t authorized construction to begin on the project, two months after a US company won a tender to build an outpost for 150 troops, with contractors and trucks blocked from Gaza.

“Israel won’t open the border,” the source is quoted as saying, lamenting that without the deployment of the International Stabilization Force in Gaza, “You can’t rebuild.”

“There’s no security. There’s no deliveries of construction equipment. You can’t even start putting utilities. You can’t start putting in basic life-support facilities you know because without the ISF you can’t go in,” the source continues, adding that the Board of Peace believes Israel will give the go-ahead for the project after the Knesset elections on October 27.

Trump shows off new Air Force One, defends taking it as gift from Qatari royal family

Air Force One with US President Donald Trump aboard flys past before landing for a campaign rally at the Laughlin Bullhead International Airport, October 14, 2026, in Bullhead City, Ariz. (AP Photo/John Locher)

US President Donald Trump shows off the new Air Force One and defends accepting the luxury jet from the Qatari royal family as he campaigns for Republicans in an economically struggling corner of rural Arizona.

His first substantive comments after he gets off the plane to address the airport rally describes learning that the Qataris had “the best of all the 747s.” He says he called to ask the country’s leader to borrow the aircraft before the emir offered it instead as a gift.

Trump accepted the airplane last year despite strong bipartisan criticism, including from some of his staunchest Republican supporters.

“When you’re given gifts, you take ’em, right?” Trump tells the crowd in Bullhead City. “When they give you a 747 you say two words: ‘thank you.’”

Trump is on his second day of a Western campaign swing and is headed to a Republican-leaning US House district in Montana after Arizona, continuing a midterm roadshow designed to rally the GOP. He campaigned in Alaska on Tuesday and in Ohio on Monday.

Report: US military has plans to deploy ‘mother of all bombs’ against Iran if fighting resumes

The US military has developed strike plans that could include using the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb, also known as the “mother of all bombs,” against Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites if President Donald Trump orders renewed combat operations, CNN reports, citing US officials familiar with the matter.

The potential deployment of the largest non-nuclear bomb in the US arsenal would mark a significant escalation in the conflict, although officials familiar with military planning discussions tell CNN questions remain over its effectiveness in achieving Washington’s strategic objectives.

Reuters cannot immediately verify the report.

Trump jokes that he took out too many of Iran’s leaders during recent war

US President Donald Trump departs a campaign rally at Majestic Valley Arena, October 14, 2026, in Kalispell, Montana. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

US President Donald Trump jokes that he took out too many of Iran’s leaders during the US-Israeli war with the Islamic Republic, during an appearance at a campaign rally in Arizona ahead of the midterm elections next month.

While talking about the Iran war, the president starts polling the crowd, asking facetiously if any of them would like to be the new leader of Iran.

Joint US-Israeli strikes early in the war took out Iran’s supreme leader and much of its top echelons of leadership.

“So I probably went a little too far. I’m sorry, because I don’t know who the hell we’re dealing with anymore, but, that’s going to end very soon,” Trump says.

He also suggests during the rally that people who leak information about the government, including about the timing of strikes in Iran, “should be shot.”

“In my opinion, leakers should be shot,” he says. “In the old days, we used to shoot leakers, you know?”

He goes on to call people who leak “the scum of the earth” and says they should be “dealt with very, very strongly.”

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Education Ministry lifts ban on field trips along northern border after Monday’s deadly blast

Israeli security and rescue forces evacuate injured people near the site where unexploded ordnance detonated during a school trip, near Kibbutz Yiftah in the Ramim Ridge area, close to the Israeli border with Lebanon, October 12, 2026. (Ayal Margolin/Flash90)

The Education Ministry says schools are allowed to resume field trips in northern Israel after they were halted earlier this week due to a deadly incident in which students and teachers came across unexploded ordnance on a hike near the Lebanon border.

The ordnance, believed by the IDF to be a cluster submunition from a Hezbollah rocket, detonated, killing 9th grader Elazar Yair Wilensky, 13, and injuring 24 school students and teachers from ORT Ma’alot.

One of the students had picked up the ordnance shortly before it detonated.

Following Monday’s incident, Education Minister Yoav Kisch announced a ban on all school hikes along the northern border until further notice.

The Education Ministry says the ban is now lifted and instructs educational staff to review safety guidelines, particularly in relation to a strict ban on touching suspicious objects or unexploded ordnance.

IMF warns Gulf economies will not return to prewar growth in near future

The International Monetary Fund expects energy-rich Middle Eastern economies to bounce back, but not in the medium term, the organization’s regional chief says, as fighting continues between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis.

The statement comes as the IMF projects a widespread contraction in Gulf economies following months of war that began in Iran and has now spread to Saudi Arabia and Yemen, with maritime energy traffic still impacted.

“We will not go back to the prewar trajectory in the medium term because this shock will have a scarring impact on various sectors and also will disrupt a certain number of infrastructure, and will require additional spending in order to increase resilience,” IMF regional director Jihad Azour tells reporters.

The warning comes as officials and experts huddled in Bangkok this week to discuss headwinds facing the global economy, including stubbornly high energy costs and questions over the sustainability of the artificial intelligence boom.

The IMF on Tuesday released projections showing that the Middle East and Central Asia region — directly exposed to the Iran war — is expected to contract 0.3 percent in 2026.

Saudi Arabia is among the worst affected, with its economy projected to shrink 3.3 percent.

The projection points to a rare recession for the Gulf kingdom, which has long been buffered by robust energy exports.

On Wednesday, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva warned that ongoing attacks targeting Saudi Arabia could affect people “everywhere.”

A violent battle between a Saudi-led coalition and Yemen’s Houthis has sharply escalated in recent days, with fatal missile strikes hitting airports and energy facilities, as well as the headquarters of the kingdom’s state oil giant Aramco.

Second worker dies of wounds sustained in Intel plant blast in southern Israel

Israeli fire and rescue forces at the Intel factory in Kiryat Gat, southern Israel, following an explosion that left three workers seriously injured, October 14, 2026. (Liron Moldovan/Flash90)

A second worker, aged 49, has died of wounds sustained in a blast at the Intel factory in Kiryat Gat yesterday, Soroka Medical Center says.

The worker, along with two others, was seriously injured in the blast, apparently caused by a gas cylinder that exploded at the plant.

All three of the men suffered severe burns from the blast. One succumbed to his wounds hours later.

The third worker injured in the blast, a man in his 20s, remains hospitalized in serious condition, sedated and on a ventilator, Soroka says.

Following the second death, Intel says it is “deeply saddened by the loss of two workers following the tragic incident at our Kiryat Gat site.”

“Our thoughts are with their families, friends and colleagues during this difficult time, and we hope for a full recovery for the third worker who was injured.”

“We continue to cooperate fully with the authorities investigating the incident and remain focused on supporting the families and those affected,” Intel adds.

Poll: Support for Hamas continues to decline among Palestinians; over 50% support two-state solution

Palestinians carry the bodies of Hamas terrorists Mohannad Abu Foul and Izz al-Din al-Bik, during their funeral after they were killed in an Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, September 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Support for Hamas among Palestinians continues to decline, according to a poll published yesterday by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, headed by Khalil Shikaki in Ramallah.

Overall, 19% of respondents said they support Hamas, compared to 24% in a poll conducted this August, and 35% in August 2025.

Among Gaza residents, 27% said they support Hamas, down from 33% in August and 41% in October last year. Support was lowest in the West Bank, where just 13% of respondents said they support Hamas, compared to 32% in October last year.

Similarly, the proportion of Palestinians who believe Hamas emerged victorious from the war with Israel, which erupted with the terror group’s October 7, 2023, massacre, continues to decline.

Just 16% of respondents said Hamas emerged victorious from the war, compared to 39% in October 2025 and 70% in December 2023, early in the war. Meanwhile, 17% now believe Israel emerged victorious, while 62% believe neither side won.

Some 53% of respondents said they support a two-state solution involving a Palestinian state along the 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital — 56% in the West Bank and 48% in Gaza — while 44% opposed it.

Regarding the future of the Gaza Strip, 42% of respondents expressed confidence in the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), the proposed technocratic committee.

There was a significant gap between Gaza and the West Bank: 60% of respondents in Gaza expressed confidence in the NCAG, compared to just 29% in the West Bank.

The poll was conducted between October 7 and 11, 2026, with 1,400 respondents interviewed face-to-face — 909 in the West Bank and 488 in Gaza.

Herzog on visit to embassy in Baku: Elections aren’t a civil war

President Isaac Herzog (right) meets with Israeli Ambassador to Azerbaijan Ronen Kraus at the embassy in Baku as voting for diplomats opens ahead of the October 27 election, on October 15, 2026. (Maayan Toaf/GPO)

Elections aren’t a “civil war,” President Isaac Herzog says during a visit to the Israeli embassy in Azerbaijan as diplomats begin voting.

“The state’s representatives here are among the first people in the world to vote in the elections for Israel, and they are now about to cast their ballots properly and in accordance with the law as the polling station opens,” he says.

“These elections are a celebration of democracy in Israel and at its embassies abroad,” he continues, calling on “all citizens of the state to exercise their right to vote and, of course, to help shape Israel’s future.”

“Elections are not a civil war,” Herzog continues. “On the contrary, this is our true process for influencing our lives and determining the direction in which the country is headed.”

IDF says troops demolished Hamas tunnel that crossed into Israeli-controlled part of Gaza

A Hamas tunnel that crossed into the Israeli-held portion of the Gaza Strip was recently demolished by combat engineers, the military says.

The IDF says the tunnel, which featured several rooms where Hamas operatives would reside, spanned a kilometer and a half and crossed the Yellow Line.

Combat engineers of the Gaza Division and the elite Yahalom unit in a recent operation blew up and sealed the underground passage, the military says.

הושמד תוואי תת-קרקעי שחצה את מרחב הקו הצהוב: פעילות כוחות החטיבה הדרומית ויהל"ם ברצועת עזה

כוחות החטיבה הדרומית בפיקוד יחידת ההנדסה של אוגדת עזה (143) ופיקוד הדרום, ממשיכים לפעול לטיהור מרחב הקו הצהוב מתשתיות טרור בדרום רצועת עזה.

כוחות ההנדסה בשיתוף יחידת יהל"ם אטמו והשמידו… pic.twitter.com/N2dFcNb6Rd

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) October 15, 2026

Saudi coalition says missile intercepted in Medina region, after Houthis promised not to target Islam’s holy city

The Saudi-led military coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthis says it intercepted a cruise missile in the Medina region — home to one of Islam’s holiest cities, which the Houthis previously vowed not to target.

“Interception and destruction of a cruise missile in the Medina region,” coalition spokesman Turki Al-Malki writes on X, with the statement also published by state media.

Supreme Court Justice Yael Willner appointed to Judicial Selection Committee

Supreme Court Justice Yael Willner presides over a hearing on a petition filed by the Likud party against the Central Elections Committee Chairman Noam Sohlberg's decision to prohibit the real-time transfer of information on voters who have cast their ballots during Israel’s general election, September 2, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The Supreme Court chooses Justice Yael Willner to serve on the Judicial Selection Committee in place of Justice Daphne Barak Erez, who has now completed a three-year term on the powerful panel that makes all judicial appointments to Israel’s courts.

The three justices who serve on the nine-member committee are usually selected by seniority on the Supreme Court.

Justice David Mintz was appointed three months before Willner in 2017, but the law requires that at least one of the three Supreme Court justices on the committee be a woman.

Since the other two members of the court are men – Supreme Court President Isaac Amit and Deputy President Noam Sohlberg – Willner is chosen as the new member.

The committee will in all likelihood not convene until a new government is formed after the upcoming election. Legislation passed by the outgoing government changing the composition of the panel and the judicial appointments process will then go into effect.

Under that law, the committee would still have three Supreme Court justices, but the new law enables the panel to appoint new Supreme Court judges without input from the three justices — meaning the votes of the other six members of the panel will be enough —  severely reducing their influence on the committee and boosting that of politicians on the panel.

Opposition parties have vowed to repeal the law if they form a government after the elections.

Hezbollah admits explosives shipment seized by Lebanese authorities belongs to group

A Hezbollah MP acknowledges that a 500-kilogram shipment of explosives seized last week by Lebanese authorities belonged to the group, a rare admission by the Iran-backed terror organization.

“The vehicle and its cargo belong to the resistance” against Israel, lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah says. He says Hezbollah also called for the immediate release of those arrested over the seizure.

Israel earmarks NIS 25 million to help women progress in high-tech, reduce gender pay gap

Israel earmarks NIS 25 million ($8.1 million) for programs to help women climb the ranks in tech and narrow the persistent gender pay gap.

As part of the initiative by the Israel Innovation Authority and the Labor Ministry, 15 programs were selected to train women for senior leadership positions, deep-tech careers, workforce reentry, and career advancement following maternity leave.

“Today, women still face significant barriers throughout their careers, from entering technological roles and overcoming salary gaps to advancing professionally and reaching management and leadership positions,” says Hanan Brand, VP and head of the startup division at the IIA.

“Israel cannot afford to forgo half of its innovation potential.”

“Our challenge is not only to increase the number of women in high-tech, but to ensure that more women can build meaningful careers in the sector, advance professionally, and lead companies and breakthrough technologies,” Brand adds.

While women make up more than a third of employees in the tech workforce, the ratio decreases the higher up the ladder of seniority one looks.

Men in tech still earn about 44 percent more per month than women, according to IIA data. Women in the sector earn an average of NIS 23,000 ($7,400) a month, compared with NIS 33,000 ($10,600) for men.

Netanyahu on Jordan border: We have plan to confront drone threat

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with Defense Minister Israel Katz (L) on a visit to the Jordanian border, October 15, 2026. (Screenshot/Omer Meron/GPO)

Israel has plans for confronting the cross-border drone threat, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says during a visit to the Jordanian border.

“We are surrounding Israel with a huge barrier, but it is not just that,” he says. “There are forces here, there is a work plan, there are plans for dealing with drones — I won’t elaborate.”

He says the efforts represent “maximum protection so that we can defend Israel’s citizens and not allow anyone to even think about invading Israel.”

“There is a huge amount of work here — enormous engineering work, enormous logistical work,” says Netanyahu. “There is a mobilization of the IDF, there is a mobilization of the reserves. All this force is here to say to Israel’s enemies: Don’t test us.”

Netanyahu tours the new barrier being constructed along the border with Jordan, joined by Defense Minister Israel Katz, head of the Borders and Security Fence Directorate Maj. Gen. Eran Ofir, and 96th Division Commander Brig. Gen. Oren Simha.

Katz says that the barrier and deployment of forces complement “the main thing — an offensive, proactive policy led by the prime minister, by the state, by the IDF, against Iran in the distance and against nearby threat.”

“First and foremost, attack, destroy the enemy, eliminate threats, and, alongside it, provide strong defense for Israel’s citizens,” says Katz.

Germany jails two men for planned attacks on pro-Israel, Jewish figures

A German court on Thursday jails two men convicted of planning attacks on prominent pro-Israel public figures and spying on Jews on behalf of Iranian secret services.

The court in Hamburg sentences a Danish national named as Ali S. to eight and a half years in prison for planning deadly attacks on targets including the head of the German-Israeli society, Volker Beck, and the head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster.

An Afghan accomplice, Tawab M., is sentenced to four and a half years. Prosecutors say he had agreed to recruit a third man and provide him with a weapon for the attack on Beck.

S. took orders from the Quds Force, the foreign operations branch of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in early 2025, prosecutors say.

The two men were remanded in custody in Germany following their arrests and extraditions last year in Denmark.

When the charges were announced in May, Beck called on Berlin to expel the Iranian ambassador as well as consular officials.

“Jewish life and a commitment to the Jewish and democratic state are repeatedly threatened with murder and attacked by the regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran on German soil,” he said at the time.

In July 2025, the foreign ministry summoned Iran’s ambassador to Germany to protest following Ali S.’s arrest in Denmark.

When the two men were charged, the Iranian embassy in Berlin released a statement rejecting what it called “unfounded allegations made at the behest of Iran’s enemies.”

Herzog urges closer ties with Asian nations at Baku summit; meets Chinese FM

President Isaac Herzog addresses the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia summit in Azerbaijan, on October 15, 2026. (Maayan Toaf/GPO)

President Isaac Herzog calls for expanding Israel’s diplomatic and economic ties with Asian nations during his address at the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia summit in Azerbaijan.

“I say to all neighboring countries, to all nations in this region and in Asia, that Israel desires and strives to enhance collaboration and to broaden the circle of peace. But it must be clear: Peace cannot exist with terror, and cooperation cannot thrive with boycotts,” Herzog tells the summit of international leaders.

“Members of this institution have the right to live freely and peacefully, without their existence being constantly threatened,” he declares.

The president urges forging relationships based on “common interests,” hailing the success of the Abraham Accords normalization agreements, which he says show “how converging interests can transform political realities,” and nodding to the Bahraini and Emirati representatives in the audience.

“Israel has much to contribute to Asia here in the 21st century, in technology and science, water management and innovation, advanced agricultural practices, energy, tourism, fintech, healthcare, AI, and more,” Herzog continues. “We truly see ourselves as part of the Asian continent and want to contribute to it.”

When Herzog began his speech, representatives from Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, the Palestinian Authority and Kuwait left the hall. Qatari Emir Tamim Al Thani remained.

Following his speech on the sidelines of the summit, Herzog meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to discuss “bilateral relations,” with an emphasis on “economic, trade, and cultural ties,” according to Herzog’s office. He met yesterday with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al Zayani.

Liberman rejects unity government with Netanyahu, vows coalition of Zionist parties only

Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman says he will not join a government with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under any circumstances and wants a coalition of Zionist parties only, ruling out Arab and ultra-Orthodox participation.

“Our position is sharp and clear: We will form a coalition made up only of Zionist parties,” Liberman says in a post on X. “Without Ra’am, without Joint List, without Shas and without United Torah Judaism.”

Likud could be “a significant partner” without Netanyahu, he adds, but “with Netanyahu – even if the world turns upside down, we will not sit with him under any circumstances.”

Fellow opposition leaders Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot, B’Yachad chairman Naftali Bennett and Democrats chairman Yair Golan have all publicly ruled out joining a government with Netanyahu. Three of the four Jewish-led parties opposing him have also rejected sitting in a coalition with Arab parties; Golan is the only one to endorse the possibility.

Netanyahu and Likud have repeatedly accused the opposition of planning to form a government with Arab parties and establish a Palestinian state.

Liberman also reiterates his opposition to the formation of a minority government, “even a transitional minority government.” Frontrunner Eisenkot has floated the possibility of a minority coalition, which Liberman has already rejected in the past.

Recent polls show that neither Netanyahu’s presumed bloc nor the four-party opposition bloc is close to winning a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.

“I believe we’ll achieve a solid majority in the upcoming elections, despite the polls,” Liberman says, adding that he knows several Likud lawmakers who understand that Netanyahu has turned them into “subcontractors” of the ultra-Orthodox parties. According to Liberman, those Likud members would be willing to join the Zionist opposition bloc.

Pope’s doctors say chest X-ray shows ‘good recovery’ of lung

A mosaic of Pope Leo XIV is displayed inside a shop selling religious items near St. Peter’s Square, in Rome, October 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Leo’s doctors say a chest X-ray showed “good recovery of the operated lung,” two days after the pontiff underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor.

“This morning, the Holy Father underwent routine checkups, which yielded normal results,” say his doctors, Luigi Carbone and Stefano Margaritora, adding in the note published by the Vatican that Leo’s recovery is “progressing as expected.”

Ilhan Omar’s phone seized, relatives subpoenaed in criminal probe, source tells AP

US Rep. Ilhan Omar takes questions during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, January 13, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Federal authorities investigating US Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota seized the Democratic lawmaker’s phone and have issued more than a dozen grand jury subpoenas, including to some of her relatives, according to a person briefed on the probe.

The subpoenas were issued for a grand jury collecting evidence in Minnesota as federal authorities probe potential fraud in Omar’s immigration paperwork, says the person, who speaks on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation. The investigation led to federal agents searching Omar’s Washington, DC, home on Monday just weeks before the November midterms, in which Omar is seeking reelection.

The scope of the investigation into Omar is unclear, though Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has suggested that authorities are examining potential crimes related to her family’s immigration paperwork.

On Tuesday, Washington DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said in a Fox News interview that “there are several investigations going on” related to Omar and that her office is also probing issues concerning the lawmaker’s financial disclosures.

“If there was a crime that was committed, it will be prosecuted,” Pirro said.

The search of Omar’s home so close to next month’s US midterm elections, which will determine control of the House and the Senate, was swiftly condemned by Democrats, who accused the administration of targeting the Democratic lawmaker for political purposes.

Omar, in a statement on X on Tuesday, called the search an “attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement.”

“For 10 years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation,” she said. “I will not be silenced.”

Though the Republican focus on Omar’s background dates back years, the search notably took place three weeks before the November midterms, in which Omar is seeking reelection. The Justice Department has historically sought to avoid public investigative actions involving a candidate within 60 days of a primary or general election.

Board of Peace’s Gaza rep calls Hamas intimidation of merchants ‘unacceptable’

The high representative for Gaza under US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace, Nickolay Mladenov, addresses a press briefing in Jerusalem on May 13, 2026. (Photo by Ahmad GHARABLI / AFP)

The Board of Peace’s top Gaza representative calls Hamas’s intimidation of the enclave’s merchants “unacceptable” after they reportedly paused coordination with Israel over the entry of private sector goods into the Strip.

“As I have warned repeatedly, such practices are unacceptable and must end immediately,” says Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative for the Strip under the US-backed body tasked with implementing the October 2025 ceasefire plan that ended the Israel-Hamas war. “The intimidation of merchants and interference in the supply chain only deepen the suffering of Gaza’s civilians.”

Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said yesterday that private-sector merchants in Gaza announced that they are suspending coordination for the entry of goods into the Strip until further notice, following what it described as a forced taxation mechanism imposed by Hamas and escalating threats against merchants.

Mladenov called for a Board of Peace-backed Palestinian technocratic committee, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, to take charge in the Strip, secured by a multinational peacekeeping force.

“These developments demonstrate why the rapid deployment of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, supported by the International Stabilization Force, is urgently needed,” Mladenov continues on X. “Civilian supplies, humanitarian assistance and commercial activity must be protected from coercion, exploitation and interference.”

Mladenov calls for the implementation of the Gaza peace plan, “including the arrangements required for NCAG and ISF operations in Gaza. This includes the decommissioning of weapons, the transition to legitimate transitional governance and the protection of humanitarian and commercial supply chains.”

Trump cheered in prerecorded video address to Michigan synagogue about antisemitism

US President Donald Trump addresses Congregation Shaarey Zedek by video as part of an event to address antisemitism in Southfield, Michigan, October 14, 2026. (Andrew Lapin/JTA)

US President Donald Trump addressed a Michigan synagogue by video last night as part of an event orchestrated by Leo Terrell, chair of his administration’s task force for combating antisemitism, and the right-leaning Zionist Organization of America.

Trump’s greeting, which was prerecorded, was met with applause from the estimated 500 Jews who had come to Congregation Shaarey Zedek, a Conservative synagogue in the Detroit suburbs, amid a pivotal Senate election in the state between Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, a harsh critic of Israel, that has prompted deep anxieties among its Jewish population.

Trump told the crowd that Terrell “speaks for our country” and “speaks for a lot of people, a lot of people that love Israel but really, more than anything else, they don’t want to see false and inaccurate statements made about this horrible subject of antisemitism.”

The event was billed as the first stop on Terrell’s “American Tour Against Hate” and was staged by the US Justice Department, while also serving as a fundraiser and booster for ZOA. Attendees were handed donation forms for ZOA’s Michigan chapter. The organization’s national director, Mort Klein, is close with Terrell and said he intends to participate in all future stops on the tour.

Several other Trump officials, including Terrell and US Attorney General Todd Blanche, would address the crowd over the course of the night to emphasize the administration’s efforts to combat antisemitism.

October 7 survivors, bereaved families plan mass anti-government rally 3 days before election

People protest at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, calling for the release of slain hostages Ran Gvili and Sudthisak Rinthalak, whose bodies are still held by Hamas in Gaza, November 29, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

The October Council, an organization of October 7 survivors, former hostages, and bereaved families critical of the government, will hold a massive rally three days before Israel’s October 27 election at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv.

The event, titled “In Three Days, We Vote for a State Commission of Inquiry!”, is meant as a call for a full investigation into the failures surrounding the Hamas-led October 7 attack by the country’s highest investigative authority. The group wants the issue to be at the center of the public agenda.

Opposition party leaders who support the establishment of a state commission of inquiry will speak at the rally, including Gadi Eisenkot, the leading anti-Netanyahu candidate and chair of the centrist Yashar party. Also speaking will be former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, both of the B’yachad party, Avigdor Liberman of Yisrael Beytenu and Yair Golan, chairman of the Democrats.

The organizers describe the rally as the last major public event before the election and promise “surprises” during the event.

“Three years later,” states the Council, “we are not prepared to give up.”

Iran’s army says oil tanker on fire in the Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s army says a “violating” oil tanker is on fire in the eastern part of the Strait of Hormuz, according to a statement carried by state media.

“This rogue tanker, having disabled its tracking systems, was attempting to pass through the restricted area in the Gulf of Oman,” the army statement adds.

Saudi Arabia says Houthis declined to meet in Oman, struck Riyadh airport 20 times

Flames burn at a facility belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco south of Riyadh on October 3, 2026. (AFP)

A Saudi foreign ministry official says the country reached out to Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis in recent weeks as fighting escalated between the two sides, but the group refused to meet in Oman.

“At the beginning of this escalation, we asked them to meet in Muscat, Oman, and they refused. This was the last communication, which happened a few weeks ago,” says Dr. Rayed Krimly, deputy minister for public diplomacy at the foreign ministry, during a virtual briefing with reporters.

In addition, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said the group has attacked Riyadh’s airport 20 times in October as it escalated its strikes on the kingdom’s transport hubs and oil facilities.

During a presentation in Riyadh covering the strikes, coalition spokesman Turki Al-Malki says “the Houthis must immediately cease all terrorist operations targeting civilians and civilian facilities, including airports, ports, oil facilities, and infrastructure.”

Israeli firm used online ads to run vast spy operation, researchers say

Illustrative: A person types on a laptop keyboard, June 19, 2017. (AP/Elise Amendola/File)

Israeli digital advertising agency Discover-Tech spied on internet users through a sprawling network of online ads that it used to track targets and help hack their devices, two research groups say.

Its services gave Israel’s Candiru — a spyware company blacklisted by the US government — as well as other Israeli surveillance firms access to advertising platforms run by Google, Comcast, Russia’s Yandex and others, according to separate reports from Canadian cyber watchdog group Citizen Lab and New York advertising security firm Confiant.

The reports show how the online advertising business, long a subject of privacy concerns, can also serve as a channel for sweeping espionage campaigns.

“The way online advertising works today is a systemic security threat,” Wolfie Cristl, a senior researcher at Citizen Lab, tells Reuters. “For states, the private sector, civil society and everyone else alike.”

Discover-Tech’s online ads — often for ordinary products such as phones or earpods — reached more than 120,000 websites and 75,000 apps through its various partnerships, Citizen Lab says.

Users who visited sites or used apps with the malicious ads could be identified and tracked by Discover-Tech, which would sometimes also try to extract phone numbers from some smartphone users, the researchers say. Ads only needed to load on a website for the spying to occur.

Some ads would be used to help plant spyware from Candiru on users’ devices, both research groups say, though Confiant said that ads it tied to Candiru were a tiny fraction of Discover-Tech’s overall volume.

Discover-Tech, which was founded in 2020, does not return messages left via its contact form. A LinkedIn message and emails sent to its chief executive, Dekel Boni, are not returned.

Reuters’ attempts to reach Candiru’s owners are not successful. The US Commerce Department blacklisted Candiru in 2021 for allegedly supplying spyware that was used to maliciously target government officials, journalists, activists and academics.

Suspected Palestinian arms dealer nabbed in Jenin commando raid — IDF

Illustrative: Israeli military vehicles deploy during a house demolition operation in the Palestinian village of Kafr Dan, west of Jenin in the West Bank, on September 3, 2024. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP)

An alleged Palestinian arms dealer was captured by Israeli commandos during a raid in the West Bank city of Jenin this morning, the military says.

Troops of the Duvdevan Commando Unit raided Jenin, following intelligence provided by the Shin Bet, and captured an unnamed Palestinian who the military says was a member of a former terror network in the area.

“The terrorist served as a key weapons dealer and acted to procure and transfer weapons to the terror network,” the IDF says.

Record number of medical students begin academic year — Health Ministry

Medical students at the Technion's American medical program get hands-on experience in a lab in August 2022. (Technion)

A record 1,649 students began medical studies in Israel this year, up about 14 percent from last year’s 1,448 enrolled students, the Health Ministry announces.

The surge follows data showing that some 1,370 Israeli physicians left the country for at least 12 months between 2023 and 2025, according to a recent Tel Aviv University study, raising widespread concern about a deepening brain drain in the national healthcare system.

In total, the number of medical students in Israel has jumped about 82% since 2021 following a joint initiative by the Health Ministry, the Council for Higher Education, the Planning and Budgeting Committee, and medical schools.

Based on current cohorts, the total number of medical students is projected to reach approximately 1,700 by 2030, more than double the 820 in 2020.

The Health Ministry and the Finance Ministry have also allocated NIS 230 million ($74 million) toward training programs in hospitals and in the healthcare professions.

“An 82% increase in the number of medical students over five years will have a significant impact on strengthening the healthcare system,” says Health Ministry Director-General Moshe Bar Siman-Tov. “Alongside expanding training, for the first time we are advancing a long-term national plan for the distribution of physicians around the country.”

The goal is to ensure a sufficient number of physicians and other healthcare professionals to meet the population’s needs and help narrow gaps in access to medical care across the country, the ministry says.

Houthi attack on presidential palace in Yemen’s Aden kills 4 — government sources

At least four people were killed and 10 more wounded in a Houthi missile attack on the presidential palace in Yemen’s Aden, which also serves as the internationally recognized government’s headquarters, three government military sources tell AFP.

The Iran-backed Houthis are fighting a Saudi-led coalition that supports the internationally recognized government.

Media affiliated with the Iran-backed Houthis said earlier that the group attacked a “headquarters of military operations” at the Al-Maashiq Palace in Aden, the southern city that is the government’s interim capital.

Turkey floats earlier 2028 vote that would clear way for Erdogan to run again

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a press conference after the conclusion of the G20 Leaders' Summit at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, November 23, 2025. (Marco Longari / AFP)

Turkey will probably hold its 2028 elections earlier than expected, a presidential adviser says, a move which would allow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to sidestep constitutional limits and run again for office.

The next presidential and parliamentary votes are currently scheduled to take place in May that year. “It is now almost clear that the 2028 elections would be held in March or April,” Erdogan’s adviser, Mehmet Ucum, tells reporters in Ankara.

Ucum does not spell out what that means for the president’s plans. But it is the closest a senior figure has come to publicly backing a proposal floated by Erdogan’s allies to reschedule the vote to let him run one more time.

Erdogan has ruled Turkey for nearly 23 years, first as prime minister and then as president.

A 2017 ​referendum brought in a new executive presidency system that allowed Erdogan to be re-elected as president two more times in 2018 and 2023.

Though that new system set a two-term limit, the constitution would allow him to run again if parliament calls an election early, before he has served the whole of his last five-year term.

Turkey’s opposition has also called for an early vote — but say they want it to give them a chance to challenge Erdogan’s economic policies rather than to give him another chance to run.

“Reducing the issue to ‘how can we get Tayyip Erdogan re-elected as president’ is, from our point of view, simply unacceptable,” main opposition leader Ozgur Ozel said last week.

Inflation declined more than expected in Israel in September, data shows

Illustrative — photo of the new 100 Israeli Shekel bill. December 31, 2017. (Nati Shohat/Flash90)

Consumer prices retreated slightly more than expected in September, led by declines in the costs of foreign travel, hotel stays, and petrol prices, data released by the Central Bureau of Statistics shows.

On a monthly basis, the consumer price index (CPI), a measure of inflation that tracks the average cost of household goods, fell in September by 0.5 percent, compared to analysts’ expectations for a decline of between 0.3% to 0.4%.

The monthly reading takes annual inflation over the past 12 months to 1.6%. The inflation rate is well within the government’s annual target range of between 1% and 3%.

In September, drops were seen in the prices of culture and entertainment, which fell 2.7%, transportation costs retreated 2.5%, and clothing and footwear fell 0.9%. Expenses for travel abroad dropped by 14%, hotel stays by 14.2%, and petrol by 2.2%.

These were offset by an increase in the cost of fresh vegetables, which rose by 6.6%, while education services increased by 0.8%, and rents were up by 0.4%.

Rents on lease renewals jumped 2.4% in September, and rents on new leases surged 5.3%.

US feds investigate letters with ‘suspicious substances’ sent to congressional, election offices

An FBI seal is displayed on a podium before a news conference at the field office in Portland, Oregon, January 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

US Federal authorities are investigating letters with “suspicious substances” that have been mailed to congressional and election offices nationwide.

Authorities are urging recipients to treat the letters as “potentially hazardous.”

The Senate was informed of the investigation by a message from the Senate Sergeant at Arms, obtained by The Associated Press.

The mailings come just three weeks before the US midterm elections on November 3 and are reminiscent of a similar threat in 2023, when several election offices received envelopes containing the powerful opioid fentanyl.

In the US Congress, the situation appears isolated to the Senate, but the House was monitoring, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly.

Mailed packages containing a powdery substance led to the evacuation this week of election offices in at least two states, Louisiana and Oklahoma. The Ohio secretary of state says the Postal Service intercepted a package containing a white powder intended for its office and notes that similar mailings had been sent to election officials in multiple states.

The National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors issue a joint statement condemning what they say are threats against election staff.

“Those who administer our elections should never fear for their safety while carrying out their essential duties,” they say in their statement.

Reports: Settlers set fire to Palestinian car in southern West Bank; no injuries reported

Palestinian media outlets report that settlers set fire to a Palestinian car parked near a house in the area of as-Samu, in the South Hebron Hills.

There are no reports of injuries.

🟨مستوطنون حرقوا مركبة المواطن محمود الدغامين واعتدوا على منزله في منطقة واد اجحيش ببلدة السموع جنوب الخليل. pic.twitter.com/6sBgVXF3Wb

— شبكة يافا الإخبارية (@yaffa_ps) October 15, 2026

School roof collapse in Pakistan kills at least 35 and injures more than 50

Rescue workers carry an injured boy after rescuing him from the rubble of a roof collapse at a private school, in Peshawar, Pakistan, October 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Muhammad Zubair)

The roof of a private school collapsed in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, killing at least 34 children and a teacher and injuring more than 50 other people in the deadliest incident of its kind in the country, authorities and a hospital official say.

The children killed or injured at Al-Khair school were between 6 and 12 years old, while the oldest was 14, Lady Reading Hospital spokesperson Mohammad Asim says. Some of the injured were in critical condition, he adds. The hospital declares an emergency as medical staff treated the wounded.

Hours after the collapse in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, emergency services spokesperson Bilal Faizi says that everyone trapped beneath the rubble had been pulled out and crews had cleared debris.

He tells The Associated Press that the roofs of two classrooms collapsed when second- and third-grade children were in them with their teachers. Faizi says ambulances and disaster management personnel arrived from a nearby facility within five minutes of being alerted.

Nearly 100 rescuers eventually joined the operation, he said. Panicked, grieving parents were trying to help when crews arrived, Faizi says. He credits the rapid evacuation with saving at least 40 lives. More than a dozen children suffered minor injuries, he says.

Building collapses are common in Pakistan, where construction standards are often poorly enforced. Many structures are built with substandard materials, and safety regulations are frequently ignored to reduce costs.

Elections panel orders Yashar to change or remove digitally altered video of Netanyahu congratulating Sinwar

The Central Elections Committee orders Yashar to label or remove a digitally manipulated video posted by party leader Gadi Eisenkot that depicts Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking by phone with late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the October 7, 2023, onslaught, and congratulating him.

The IDF killed Sinwar in 2024 in Gaza.

In an interim order, the CEC says the video requires a disclosure that digital means were used to create or edit it. The order follows a petition by Likud under the Elections Law (Propaganda Methods). The hearing is ongoing.

The video ends with a title card showing Netanyahu covering his eyes alongside the words: “Netanyahu, you were warned, and you didn’t prevent [it],” a reference to reports that Netanyahu received warnings about an impending attack before October 7, but did not act on them. Netanyahu denies the reports.

https://x.com/gadi_eisenkot/status/2110660430658253098

Hadassah Medical Center opens new medical facility in Cyprus

A photo of the new Hadassah Medical Center in Limassol, Cyprus, October 15, 2026. (Courtesy)

In a first, Hadassah Medical Center has opened a new facility in Limassol, Cyprus, the hospital announces.

This is the first medical center built outside of Israel to bear the name of an Israeli hospital.

The move comes against the backdrop of warming relations between Israel and Cyprus in energy, defense, the economy, innovation, research, and tourism. The nearby island also has a growing population of Israeli residents.

The new medical center offers innovative diagnostic imaging (MRI and CT scans), cardiology, neurology, laboratory services, specialist clinics, rehabilitation, and preventive medicine. Plans for a second hospital in Nicosia, the country’s capital, have also been approved.

Limassol is the second-largest city in Cyprus and serves as the country’s major coastal port, financial center, and tourism hub.

“This partnership in Cyprus reflects Hadassah’s commitment to sharing Israel’s medical breakthroughs with the world, improving lives across national borders, and strengthening our belief that medicine serves as a bridge to peace,” says Carol Ann Schwartz, president of Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America.

Flydubai passengers move to file initial class-action suit over thwarted terror attack — report

Illustrative: A flydubai Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft prepares for landing at Ben Gurion Airport, near Tel Aviv, on September 30, 2026. (Jack Guez/AFP)

A request for approval of a class action lawsuit in the amount of NIS 2.5 million (about $800,000) was filed by passengers who were aboard flydubai Flight 1073, which underwent a thwarted terror attack, according to Channel 12.

The class-action lawsuit, filed this week against the airline, reportedly alleges that flydubai shielded itself from responsibility for compensating passengers after all flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv were suspended.

This does not appear to be the large class-action suit being planned by around 100 of the 174 passengers, most of them Israeli. That suit is expected to seek hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.

The suit, if approved, will seek damages for the September 30 incident on flydubai Flight 1073, on which the Omani copilot attacked the captain and attempted to crash the plane, only to be stopped by the wounded captain and several Israeli passengers.

Netanyahu again rules out making Ben Gvir defense minister; Otzma Yehudit fires back

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir seen in the Knesset on July 16, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated his pledge that he will not appoint Itamar Ben Gvir as defense minister following the October 27 election, ruling out a position openly sought by the far-right politician and drawing an angry response from Ben Gvir’s party.

Speaking at a campaign event in Acre today, Netanyahu also says that both the National Security Ministry, currently helmed by Ben Gvir, and the Education Ministry would be controlled by Likud in the next government. Likud’s Yoav Kisch is the current education minister.

Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party fires back, accusing Netanyahu of planning to exclude it from the next coalition and form a government with Netanyahu’s top rival, Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot, instead.

“The cat is out of the bag,” Otzma Yehudit says, claiming Netanyahu’s remarks reinforce its suspicion that “a decision has been made to exclude Ben Gvir and Otzma Yehudit from the next coalition, bring in Eisenkot instead, and hand these portfolios over to the left.”

“Dear Prime Minister, only the people will decide,” the party adds. “Strong Ben Gvir, strong Israel!”

The remarks come a day after Netanyahu indicated to Army Radio that Ben Gvir would not become defense minister, despite his demands for the portfolio. “I know he wants it, but he doesn’t decide,” Netanyahu said, insisting that the ministry would remain in Likud’s hands.

Ben Gvir has said he will demand the Defense Ministry for himself and the Justice Ministry for his party’s No. 2 candidate, former Likud MK Tally Gotliv. In recent days, he has repeatedly accused Netanyahu of seeking to sideline Otzma Yehudit in favor of a unity government with Eisenkot.

Both Netanyahu and Eisenkot say they are not seeking a unity government.

Gaza strike kills 2 weapons smugglers, IDF says

Two Palestinian weapons smugglers were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip yesterday, the military says.

The IDF says the strike in Khan Younis killed Basel Nabil Abd al-Rahman Kashta and Ahmad Raja al-Shaer, “who were involved in smuggling weapons and additional military equipment into the Gaza Strip.”

The strike killing the pair was carried out “to remove a threat” to Israeli civilians and to IDF troops stationed in Gaza, the military says.

צה"ל ושב"כ חיסלו שני מחבלים שקידמו הברחות אמצעי לחימה וציוד צבאי לשטח רצועת עזה

צה"ל ושב"כ תקפו אתמול במרחב ח'אן יונס שבדרום רצועת עזה וחיסלו את המחבלים באסל נביל עבד אלרחמאן קשטה ואחמד רג'א אלשאער, שעסקו בהברחות אמצעי לחימה וציוד צבאי נוסף לשטח רצועת עזה.

במסגרת תפקידם היו… pic.twitter.com/j4NNV3gHa2

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) October 15, 2026

US issues fresh Iran-related sanctions, Treasury website shows

The Trump administration has issued fresh Iran-related sanctions targeting 16 individuals and 10 entities, according to a notice posted on the US Department of Treasury website.

Knesset speaker rejects genocide charge in address to European leaders, gets applause

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana addresses European parliamentary leaders in Rome, Italy, on October 15, 2026. (Noam Moskowitz/Knesset Spokesperson's Office)

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana rejects accusations that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza while addressing European parliamentary leaders in Rome, accusing world leaders of spreading falsehoods for political gain.

“Everyone in this room knows the truth – Israel is not committing genocide. Enough with this despicable lie,” Ohana, a Likud lawmaker, declares at the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament, a two-day summit bringing together parliamentary leaders from the Council of Europe’s 46 member states and beyond to discuss threats to democracy and the future of the rules-based international order.

The Council of Europe is a human rights and democracy organization separate from the 27-member European Union. Israel is not a member, but the Knesset holds observer status with its Parliamentary Assembly.

Ohana holds up a copy of And Every Single One Was Someone, a 1,250-page book containing the word “Jew” printed six million times to commemorate the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust. “This is what real genocide looks like,” he says.

“Many world leaders proclaim the importance of their values, yet when the moment of truth arrives, only a few are willing to defend them,” he says, accusing some leaders of knowingly endorsing “false propaganda” to secure “fleeting electoral applause in their simmering streets.”

Ohana goes on to describe the war in Gaza, which was sparked by the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack, as “a global clash of civilizations, a battle between the forces of darkness, radicalism and extremism, and those of freedom, liberty and democracy.”

The war entered a ceasefire a year ago, which halted major fighting, though Israel has continued striking Hamas operatives.

“Some of the member-states represented here have a deeply dark place in the history books. I urge you this time to stand on the right side of history, fighting for freedom with us,” he says.

His remarks are met with applause and Petra Bayr, president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, thanks him in Hebrew.

Report: Mossad official says he arranged meet with Qatari at request of Netanyahu aides

Aides Yisrael Einhorn (left) and Jonatan Urich (center) with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2019. (Courtesy/ File)

Jonatan Urich, a senior aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and former Netanyahu adviser Yisrael Einhorn asked to meet senior Qatari official Ali al-Thawadi during the Gaza war, Channel 12 reports, citing testimony and interrogation transcripts.

“Shin,” a senior Mossad official, told investigators, “I arranged the meeting. I arranged it at the request of Urich and Einhorn,” the network reports.

Einhorn and Urich are suspects in the Qatargate affair, which concerns allegations that people employed by the prime minister were simultaneously doing public relations work for Qatar, the longtime host of Hamas’s political leadership.

Urich denied asking to meet Thawadi, saying, “I didn’t ask to meet him. I also don’t know the name you’re telling me,” but acknowledged traveling abroad and said Einhorn had told him to join a meeting.

Investigators also reportedly said Urich had told Thawadi and other Qataris that he was the prime minister’s adviser. Urich denied knowing the men, adding “I think Google knows I’m the prime minister’s adviser.”

When investigators said case materials showed he had met the men, Urich replied, “I don’t know them, certainly not by name,” noting that he may recognize them if he were shown a picture.

Channel 12 reported yesterday that Urich metThawadi at least twice in Europe in July 2024. One meeting was also attended by Einhorn and American lobbyist Jay Footlik, another suspect in the Qatargate affair.

Chaim Nadel, retired Israeli general, dies at 92

Maj. Gen. (ret.) Chaim Nadel in an undated photo. (Israel Defense Forces)

Retired Israeli general Chaim Nadel died today at the age of 92, the military announces.

Maj. Gen. (ret.) Nadel, born in Poland in 1933, served in the IDF for three decades, with his last role being president of the IDF’s Court of Appeals in 1983.

He joined the military in 1952, initially serving in the Paratroopers Brigade.

Later in his military career, Nadel served as chief of staff of the Southern Command and as commander of the 146th Division.

Nadel is survived by his wife and three children.

He is set to be buried tomorrow at the Kiryat Shaul military cemetery.

Report: 1 in 4 Israelis is consulting with AI on which party to vote for

A photo taken on September 1, 2025 shows the letters AI for Artificial Intelligence on a laptop screen (R) next to the logo of the ChatGPT application on a smartphone screen in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany. (Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP)

One in four Israelis is using AI chatbots such as ChatGPT or Gemini to decide on their vote in the October 27 election, according to a new report cited by Channel 12.

The study, by the Israel Internet Association, created different demographic profiles of Israeli voters, then asked the chatbots to recommend which parties would be best at addressing various issues, such as lowering the cost of living. Different chatbots gave completely different responses, according to Channel 12.

The chatbots’ divergent responses suggest that political operatives may be posting content online so that the chatbots find it and then pass on its information to voters, the network says.

IDF publishes letter said written by Sinwar’s son expressing desire to ‘shoot Jews’

An image from a letter the IDF says was written to Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar by his son in 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

Marking two years since its troops killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the IDF publishes a letter it says was written by the terror chief’s son, Ibrahim, at the start of the Gaza war, when he was 10 years old.

The army says the letter had been recovered by soldiers operating in the Strip in 2024.

“Beloved father, I miss you very much! I want to hug you and see you victorious, and I want to proclaim ‘Allah is the greatest,’ hold a Kalashnikov, and shoot Jews,” writes Ibrahim in the letter, according to a translation provided by the military.

The letter includes drawings by Ibrahim depicting an assault rifle, Israeli tanks along the Gaza border barrier, and rockets being launched toward Israel.

“When will you come back and sleep with your arms around me? I am constantly making pistols, tanks, and Kalashnikovs out of paper and cardboard,” the letter reads.

“My Lord, I wish the war would end and that I see you well. May Allah protect you, father. I want you to pray for me. Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings,” it adds.

The military says the letter and drawings illustrate how “Sinwar’s murderous ideology is reflected in the upbringing of his children, revealing the impact of Hamas’s values of hatred and violence on the younger generation in the Gaza Strip.”

‼️ EXPOSED: A LETTER WRITTEN BY YAHYA SINWAR’S 10 YEAR OLD SON

“I want to hold a Kalashnikov and shoot Jews.”

In a letter to his father, Ibrahim wrote that he makes “guns, tanks, and Kalashnikovs out of paper and cardboard” in his spare time and expressed his desire to shoot… pic.twitter.com/hktia46HY9

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 15, 2026

According to the IDF, on the night before the October 7, 2023, onslaught that he masterminded, Sinwar fled to an “underground fortress” in Khan Younis that he had built for himself and his family under his home.

The military reached Sinwar’s main tunnel in February 2024, but he had already fled, likely to another tunnel in the Khan Younis area and later to Rafah. According to the IDF, Sinwar spent most of his time during the war underground in the area between Khan Younis and Rafah, surfacing only briefly to escape potential capture while accompanied by bodyguards, and with money and weapons.

On October 16, 2024, troops carrying out mop-up operations in Rafah encountered a cell of Hamas operatives and eliminated them in an exchange of fire. Only the following morning did it emerge that among the terrorists was the Hamas chief.

Houthis hit Saudi coalition command center in Aden attack — Yemeni minister

A Yemeni government minister says on condition of anonymity that a Houthi missile attack on the presidential palace in Aden had hit a command center of the Saudi-led coalition fighting against the group.

The minister says the Houthis hit a command center for Yemeni government “forces with three missiles, and the headquarters of the Saudi-led coalition forces at the presidential complex with two missiles,” adding that there were Yemeni and Saudi casualties, without providing a specific toll.

China to keep advocating for Palestinians, backs 2-state solution — foreign minister

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks at a press conference during the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing May 30, 2024. (Wang Zhao/Pool Photo via AP)

China’s foreign minister voices support for Palestinians, saying China will continue to speak up for the Palestinian cause, according to a ministry statement.

“The Palestinian issue should not be marginalized,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Palestinian counterpart, Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, in Baku, the statement says.

Wang urged “all peace-loving countries” to support the two-state solution, according to the statement.

Earlier, Wang met with President Isaac Herzog.

Gas export pipeline targeted in northeastern Syria, fire erupts, SANA reports

The Jbessa gas export pipeline in northeastern Syria was targeted in the al-Arabidi area, causing a fire, state news agency SANA reports, citing the director of the Syrian Petroleum Company’s media office.

The company says in a statement that the 16-inch pipeline exploded at 5:15 p.m. in an area about 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the city of Shaddadi. It does not specify the cause of the explosion.

Technical teams isolated the damaged section by closing valves at the Jbessa gas plant and the Deir Ezzor gas station in the al-Bughailiya area, while firefighting and safety crews headed to the site to secure the area, the company says.

The extent of the damage and whether gas supplies had been disrupted are not immediately clear.

The explosion follows a separate incident this morning in which the Baniyas-Homs oil products pipeline was damaged near the village of Hudeida in the western Homs countryside in what the company describes as sabotage aimed at stealing fuel.

That incident caused a gasoline leak, the company says, adding that work is continuing to repair the damage and restore the line to service.

Right-wing protesters storm Joint List’s Tel Aviv HQ during screening of film on conscientious objection

Right-wing protesters stormed the Joint List party’s campaign headquarters in Tel Aviv and clashed with people who gathered there for an event on conscientious objection to military service, footage shows.

The dozen or so protesters include far-right provocateur Mordechai David and his sidekick Viktor Shriki, both prominent supporters of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit party.

Zo HaDerekh, a communist publication affiliated with the Joint List’s Hadash faction, reports that only after the protesters left did police show up on the scene at the Left Bank, a central Tel Aviv club that houses several left-wing civil society groups and is serving as a base for the Joint List.

*בריוני ימין פרצו באלימות למטה הבחירות של הרשימה המשותפת בתל אביב: ״שיא חדש באלימות הפוליטית. הכתובת על הקיר״* פעילי ימין המזוהים עם מפלגת עוצמה יהודית, המעורבים בקמפיין הבחירות שלה, פרצו הערב למקום והפעילו אלימות כלפי פעילים ובני נוער שהשתתפו באירוע שהתקיים במקום. רק לאחר pic.twitter.com/pP5R5mnDw8

— זו הדרך (@zoha_org_il) October 15, 2026

The club was hosting the screening of a film by left-wing group Mesarvot (Hebrew for “refusers”), which calls for youth to refuse to serve in the IDF.

The Joint List says in a statement that the attack on its headquarters “marks a dangerous new escalation in political violence in Israel, and poses a real threat to the integrity of the upcoming elections.”

“We would demand that the Israel Police act decisively, investigate the attack and hold those responsible accountable,” the statement says. “But sadly, those sending the thugs are the same people who control the police.”

The police do not immediately comment.

Car-ramming reported near West Bank settlement; 1 said injured

The military says it has received a report of a car-ramming incident near the West Bank settlement of Ateret.

At least one person is said to be injured.

Troops were dispatched to the scene to search for the driver, who reportedly fled.

The army says further details are under review.

Argentine students clash with police at demo over university funding

Argentine demonstrators clash with police at a protest in Buenos Aires over budget-slashing President Javier Milei’s education spending, AFP reporters say.

The demonstration by thousands of students, teachers, trade unionists and opposition activists was peaceful until groups of hooded demonstrators began lobbing stones and other projectiles at the police, who used tear gas and water cannons to disperse them.

Rubio spoke with Lebanon’s Aoun about confiscation of explosives from Hezbollah — US official

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks alongside Paraguay’s Vice President Pedro Alliana (not pictured), in the Treaty Room at the US State Department, August 4, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tierney L. Cross)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun about the confiscation of hundreds of kilograms of explosives from Hezbollah, a State Department official says.

Rubio urged Aoun to hold accountable those who ordered, financed and directed the shipment, and “underscored that returning explosives to [Hezbollah] should be out of the question,” the State Department official says.

‘Desecration of God’s name’: Haredi MKs regret backing Ohana, a gay lawmaker, as Knesset speaker

Speaker of the Knesset MK Amir Ohana attends a plenum session at the assembly hall of the Knesset in Jerusalem, January 21, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Yitzhak Pindrus, a lawmaker for the Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party, says appointing Amir Ohana, a gay lawmaker, as Knesset speaker was a “desecration of God’s name.”

“There’s one thing that, in my opinion, was an error,” Pindrus says in an interview with Mishpacha, a Haredi outlet. “They voted for a Knesset speaker, which, on some level, I think involves a desecration of God’s name.”

“I think this desecration of God’s name comes with a price,” he adds, saying that rabbinic authorities should have been consulted on Ohana’s appointment, and that he doubts they were. “There are things about which it is written [in the Torah], ‘And the land shall not spit you out.'”

Ohana, a Likud lawmaker, has been speaker of the Knesset since late 2022.

A later report on Channel 13 says Aryeh Deri, chair of the Sephardi ultra-Orthodox Shas party, expressed regret over supporting Ohana’s appointment in private conversations.

Deri has called Ohana’s elevation to the post a mistake multiple times, according to the report.

“We have no divine assistance because we helped appoint Ohana,” the network quotes Deri as saying. “We shouldn’t have supported him as speaker of the Knesset.”

Ohana does not appear to have addressed the statements publicly.