Oct. 25: Palestinian Authority says 2,670 displaced in Israel’s Hebron operation

Car crash in central West Bank kills one, wounds 3, police say

A collision involving a truck and two private vehicles killed a driver and moderately wounded three passengers a short while ago on Route 465, near the Palestinian village of Aboud in the central West Bank, Israeli police say.

The dead man is about 35 years old, according to the Magen David Adom ambulance service. It adds that two of the wounded have been taken to a hospital by the Red Crescent, indicating they are Palestinian. The statements don’t specify whether the other casualties are Israeli or Palestinian.

Officers are on the scene, and traffic inspectors are en route to investigate the crash, police say, adding that the road has been shut down in both directions.

IDF to impose lockdown on West Bank, bar Palestinians from settlements until after election day

The Israeli military will be imposing a lockdown on the West Bank during Israel’s national elections on Tuesday, as well as preventing Palestinian laborers from entering settlements on Sunday and Monday.

The IDF says that following a fresh assessment, on Sunday and Monday, Palestinians with work permits will not be allowed to enter Israeli settlements across the West Bank and Jordan Valley, with the exception of industrial zones and a “limited number of other approved areas.”

According to data from last year, some 9,000 Palestinians have permits to work in settlements or nearby industrial zones.

Additionally, Israel’s political leadership has approved the defense establishment’s recommendation to impose a complete ban on Palestinian workers entering all settlements and industrial zones on election day, as well as shuttering all West Bank land crossings with Israel for Palestinians, the military says.

The crossings will reopen and the ban on Palestinian workers will be lifted after election day.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir last week placed the military on its “highest state of alert” and canceled soldiers’ leave, saying the IDF’s mission was to ensure that Tuesday’s election could take place safely and on schedule “without external interference.”

The IDF also said it would be conducting a major military drill on Sunday and Monday in the north and center of the country.

Reports: Hamas explicitly threatens Israel with another Oct. 7-style attack

Palestinians wave the national flag and celebrate by a destroyed Israeli tank at the southern Gaza Strip fence east of Khan Younis on October 7, 2023. (AP/Yousef Masoud)

Hamas recently delivered an unusually blunt message to Israel that it is prepared to carry out another attack resembling the onslaught of October 7, 2023, with a top Israeli military official filing an urgent update on the matter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, multiple Hebrew media outlets have reported.

Senior members of the Palestinian terror group conveyed the message last week to UN humanitarian coordinator Ramiz Alakbarov during a meeting in the latter’s office in the Gaza Strip, and asked for it to be delivered to Israel, the Ynet news outlet reported on Thursday.

Alakbarov then met and conveyed the Hamas message to the IDF’s chief liaison to the Palestinians, who penned the urgent letter to Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, an excerpt of which was published Saturday evening by Channel 13 news.

“Senior group members claimed that IDF activity in the Gaza Strip, the moving of the Yellow Line, and the cancellation of the [Palestinian] elections by the Palestinian Authority are leading Hamas to lose control in the field, and clarified that they are unwilling to accept the continuation of this situation,” Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Maj Gen. Yoram Halevy reported wrote.

“Against this backdrop, they threatened that, as they see fit, Hamas is ready to again carry out an attack such as the October 7 attack, and that it is prepared to act in this vein on any front in which this becomes possible — in the State of Israel, in Judea and Samaria, and abroad,” he added, using the biblical name of the West Bank.

“This is an unusual threat message, which hasn’t been previously conveyed in this level of bluntness and directness.”

Israel’s security establishment is checking if such an attack can be carried out in practice given the extensive IDF presence in the Strip, Channel 13 reports, though such an attack could materialize in the distant future as well.

Ynet reported that the security cabinet has been presented with security briefings saying Hamas has recently made increased preparations for the option of renewed fighting, including stockpiling weapons and transferring them to civilian areas, recognizing that Israel’s hands are tied on launching large-scale new operations until after the US midterm election on November 3.

Implementation of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza has stalled, with Hamas refusing to disarm and Israel refusing to withdraw from any part of Gaza until that condition is fulfilled.

Meanwhile, the IDF continues to carry out daily strikes on what it says are terror operatives readying imminent attacks, and it has steadily moved the Yellow Line — which separates the IDF-held part of the territory from the Hamas-ruled portion where pretty much all Gazans are staying in — westward, enlarging the IDF-held areas.

Saudi-led coalition says it downed Houthi missile launched toward Riyadh

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthis says it has downed a ballistic missile launched by the group toward the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

“Air defenses intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the terrorist Houthi militia toward Riyadh,” the coalition posts on X.

IDF launches pre-planned drill simulating multifront attack, 2 days before election

The IDF began a drill simulating a multifront attack this morning, two days before Israel’s national elections.

The exercise will last through tomorrow in the north and center of the country, with the participation of the Israeli Air Force, Northern Command and Central Command. There will be an increased presence of security forces and aircraft in those areas, the IDF warns.

The IDF says the drill aims to “maintain the forces’ alertness and readiness, strengthen the ability to defend communities, and make full use of aerial capabilities for defense in the area.”

On Friday, the IDF said troops would practice “a variety of scenarios, including a surprise attack and infiltration into Israeli territory by air and land,” including implementing lessons learned from the October 7, 2023, onslaught.

The IDF says the drill was pre-planned, and there is no fear of a security incident.

Reports: Settlers vandalize Palestinian cars in West Bank

Palestinian media outlets report that settlers vandalized several Palestinian cars overnight in the village of Sinjil, near Ramallah.

Footage shows the vehicles with smashed windows.

No injuries have been reported.

There is no comment from the IDF or Israel Police.

#متابعة |مستوطنون يحطمون مركبة فلسطينية في بلدة سنجل شمال رام الله. pic.twitter.com/QUBlPt4Lep

— شبكة فلسطين للحوار (@paldf) October 25, 2026

Tehran targeted Iranian Kurdish base in Iraq with drones, Iranian media reports

Iran’s armed forces attacked bases belonging to an Iranian Kurdish opposition group in Iraq’s Kurdistan region using drones, a media outlet in Tehran reports.

“As part of a drone operation carried out by the Revolutionary Guards’ ground forces, the headquarters of the terrorist and separatist group Komala, located in the Balisan region, was targeted last night,” the Mehr news agency says.

The semi-autonomous region hosts camps and bases belonging to several groups of Iranian Kurdish militants, which Iran has targeted repeatedly since the start of the war in February.

The Revolutionary Guards have not immediately claimed responsibility for the strikes on these fighters, whom Iran accuses of being supported by Israel.

In the most deadly recent attack, nine Komala members were killed on July 17 near the city of Sulaymaniyah.

Police chief summoned for meeting with Netanyahu, Ben Gvir to discuss electoral integrity – reports

Israel Police Commissioner Danny Levy attends a ceremony at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, September 6, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Police Chief Commissioner Daniel Levy is expected to meet today with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to discuss police preparations to secure the integrity of Tuesday’s election after being summoned by the premier, according to Hebrew media reports.

No representatives from the opposition or Central Elections Committee were invited, according to the reports.

Levy had reportedly refused a similar meeting with just Ben Gvir on Thursday.

Sources cited by Haaretz at the time said the meeting was unusual because Ben Gvir has largely neglected office work to campaign.

The sources expressed concern that Ben Gvir would make political use of what he would learn at the meeting, according to Haaretz.

Manhunt underway after weapon snatched from Givat Shmuel school security guard — police

A weapon was snatched from a security guard at a school in Givat Shmuel, police say.

Officers rushed to the scene and are searching the area for the suspect, police say, adding that no one was hurt and the incident is under investigation.

יורד מהקורקינט, לוקח את הנשק – ובורח: תיעוד חטיפת הנשק בגבעת שמואל @uri_sela pic.twitter.com/HHJLlkQudX

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) October 25, 2026

2 days before election, Democrats say Shin Bet will protect Golan; Winter reportedly also to receive security

Democrats leader Yair Golan (L) and People of Israel leader Ofer Winter. (Tal Gal/Flash90, Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

The Shin Bet will begin providing state-funded security protection to Democrats chairman Yair Golan, two days before Tuesday’s election, his party announces.

People of Israel leader Ofer Winter will also receive protection, according to Hebrew media reports.

“The Shin Bet has informed the office of Democrats chairman Maj. Gen. (res.) Yair Golan that, starting this morning, his security will be provided under the responsibility of the Shin Bet and funded by the state,” the party says in a statement.

There is no statement from People of Israel.

The protection will be provided by a private security firm operating under the Shin Bet’s direction, reports say.

Yashar announced yesterday that its chairman, Gadi Eisenkot, will receive similar protection starting today.

Unlike sitting Knesset members, who are protected by the Knesset Guard, or former prime ministers, whose security is handled by the Shin Bet, Golan, Eisenkot and Winter do not fall under an established framework for state-provided protection.

The decision follows months of demands by the Democrats for Golan to receive protection after police classified the threat against him at level 4 out of 6, amid dozens of death threats. The party argued that the lack of security was hampering his ability to campaign ahead of Tuesday’s election.

Earlier this month, the Democrats petitioned the High Court of Justice, seeking to compel Shin Bet chief David Zini to assume responsibility for Golan’s security as part of the agency’s statutory duty to safeguard Israel’s democratic institutions.

However, Supreme Court President Isaac Amit urged Golan to withdraw the petition, saying the court could not intervene in professional security matters handled by the Shin Bet. State representatives presented a security plan and pledged to update it in accordance with ongoing threat assessments.

“That has now happened, two days before the election,” the Democrats say.

Yashar calls on election committee, AG to stop Netanyahu’s meeting with police chief on election integrity

Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot attends a demonstration at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, calling for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre, three days ahead of the election, October 24, 2026. (Flash90)

Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party calls on the Central Election Committee (CEC) and the attorney general to cancel a meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Police Commission Danny Levy in which the premier wishes to discuss the integrity of the upcoming election.

According to Hebrew media reports, Netanyahu has summoned Levy to a meeting today that will also reportedly include National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on the issue of election integrity.

“The prime minister heads one of the party lists [in the elections], is not responsible for election integrity, and the police commissioner is not subordinate to him on the issue,” an attorney for the Yashar party writes to the attorney general, adding that from a check he conducted no such meeting has occurred before previous elections.

“We have reasonable grounds to believe that the purpose of this meeting is to create a false public perception of flaws in the integrity of the elections, without any basis,” Yashar alleges in its letter, and adding in a statement to the press that this could be designed to undermine public trust in the election results in the event that Netanyahu and the coalition lose.

“Netanyahu knows that he is going to lose, and there is now a concern that he is trying to assert pressure on public servants to advance his political interests,” the Yashar party alleges in a statement to the press.

Palestinian home taken over by settlers set on fire as troops remove ‘Israeli rioters’ from West Bank village

Israeli settlers who took over a Palestinian home on the outskirts of Jalud in the West Bank clashed with soldiers yesterday, according to the military and residents, during which the structure was set on fire under unclear circumstances.

The military says troops were dispatched to Jalud on Saturday after “the identification of Israeli civilians in a closed military zone in violation of the law.”

“Violent rioters are residing in the area, which is in Area B, at an illegal outpost subject to a closed military zone order, from which violent and illegal acts have been carried out,” the military says.

The soldiers acted to remove the settlers from the Palestinian village using riot dispersal means, and “a fire subsequently broke out at the site,” according to the IDF.

Elisha Yered, a key organizer of illegal settlement outposts, claims that Israeli forces “burned a house with tefillin (phylacteries) and holy books” in the Jalud area.

The military says that the “circumstances of the fire are being investigated,” but that “given that the area is designated a closed military zone and the structure belongs to Palestinians, equipment owned by Israeli civilians should not be present there.”

Jalud Mayor Raed al-Haj Mohammed tells The Times of Israel that the house belongs to an East Jerusalem resident, and had been taken over by settlers in recent months. It is near the home of the Tubasi family, which settlers took over in July.

According to Mohammed, residents of the village have been unable to approach the area recently due to the military’s presence.

Last night residents witnessed clashes between soldiers and settlers at the site, during which soldiers also fired tear gas, he says.

The army says that the presence of the settler “rioters” at the outpost in Jalud “diverts the attention of security forces from defensive activities and counterterrorism efforts and harms the population living in the area.”

“Security forces are working to prevent Israeli civilians from returning to the area, enforce the order, and will continue to act to maintain law and order,” the IDF adds.

Likud denies Netanyahu meeting with police chief concerns election integrity

Likud denies that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned meeting with Police Commissioner Danny Levy concerns election integrity, responding to a demand for an explanation from Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg.

“The meeting with the police commissioner is a follow-up to a security discussion held with all the heads of the security establishment in light of security threats, and is not about election integrity,” Likud says in a statement.

“Justice Sohlberg is welcome to send a representative of the Central Elections Committee to participate in the discussion,” the party adds.

Earlier today, Sohlberg ordered Netanyahu and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara to respond by 10:30 a.m. to a petition by Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party calling for the meeting’s cancellation.

According to Hebrew media reports, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir is also expected to attend the meeting, which was reportedly called to discuss the integrity of Tuesday’s election.

Yashar alleges that the meeting is intended to create a false impression of irregularities in the electoral process, potentially laying the groundwork for Netanyahu to challenge the results if his coalition loses.

Saudis intercept Houthi cruise missile fired at southern city

The Saudi Arabia-led ​coalition fighting Yemen’s ‌Houthis says it destroyed a cruise missile fired ​by the Iran-backed ​group toward Khamis Mushait, a city near the Yemen border.

Earlier this morning, the Joint Forces Command said it downed a missile launched at the capital Riyadh.

IDF: 2 terror operatives involved in funding Hamas killed in Gaza strikes last week

Two terror operatives involved in funneling millions of shekels to Hamas were killed in strikes in the Gaza Strip last week, the military says.

The IDF says one strike on Wednesday in Gaza City killed Alaa Ibrahim Nimer Arshi, a cell commander in Hamas’s military wing, and a strike on Tuesday in Nuseirat killed Karam Riyad Hassan Abu Butaihan, a Palestinian Islamic Jihad operative.

Both operatives were involved in transferring millions of shekels from Iran and Turkey to Hamas’s military wing, according to the military.

“Recently, these funds helped the organization in its attempts to rebuild its military capabilities and advance terror attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians, in systematic violation of the ceasefire,” the military says, adding that the “terrorists were killed in airstrikes to eliminate the threat.”

Separately, the IDF says it bombed three Hamas weapon depots in the central Gaza Strip on Thursday.

The sites had been used by Hamas to store various weapons, including Kalashnikov rifles, rockets, and a rocket launcher, the military adds.

צה"ל חיסל שני מחבלים שהעבירו מיליוני שקלים לארגון הטרור חמאס והשמיד מחסן אמצעי לחימה

צה"ל תקף במרחב העיר עזה בשבוע שעבר וחיסל את המחבל עלאא' אבראהים נמר ערשי, מפקד חולייה בזרוע הצבאית של ארגון הטרור חמאס.

בתקיפה נוספת במרחב נוציראת בשבוע שעבר, צה"ל חיסל את כרם ריאד חסן אבו… pic.twitter.com/VVrh0KzoqW

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) October 25, 2026

Saudis say they intercepted 10 Houthi ballistic missiles

The Saudi Arabia-led ​coalition fighting Yemen’s ‌Houthis says it intercepted 10 ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis in Yemen at the southern part of the kingdom.

The Joint Forces Command has announced a series of interceptions of Houthi missiles this morning.

AG says no justification for meeting between Netanyahu, police chief over election integrity before Tuesday

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara (L) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R). (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90, Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara says there is no justification to allow a meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Police Commissioner Danny Levy on election integrity in the days before the election on Tuesday, insisting that the proper conduct of the election is under the authority of the Central Elections Committee and not politicians.

“There is no place whatsoever for involvement by the political leadership or any of the election candidates” in matters related to “the management of the election, preserving public order on election day, and ensuring the integrity of the election,” the attorney general writes to the Central Elections Committee (CEC).

Baharav-Miara is responding to petitions to the CEC asking it to ban Netanyahu from holding a meeting with Levy, to which the premier reportedly summoned the police chief today to discuss election integrity issues.

She adds that she is unaware of any meeting between a prime minister and a police chief s on election integrity in the days before past elections.

Sohlberg rejects petition against Netanyahu-police chief meeting, but warns against election interference

Chairman of the Central Elections Committee and Supreme Court Deputy President Noam Sohlberg arrives for a CEC hearing at the Knesset in Jerusalem on September 23, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg rejects a petition seeking to block a planned meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Police Commissioner Danny Levy over concerns of potential election interference, but stresses that neither politician has the authority to direct police operations relating to Tuesday’s election.

Sohlberg says there is insufficient evidence to establish that the meeting itself would constitute interference in the election, but warns that political officials must not overstep their authority.

“The prime minister, and certainly the national security minister, are permitted to meet with the police commissioner on general matters of maintaining public order and to ask him to present the police’s preparations,” Sohlberg writes in his ruling. “However, the authority to instruct him regarding election integrity, preparations for the elections and the activities of the Israel Police in this regard does not rest with them.”

“The integrity of the elections, their management and their conduct fall under the authority of the Central Elections Committee and its chairman,” he continues, adding that he expects “all parties to take particular care not to exceed their authority in matters relating to the elections.”

Sohlberg adds that he and the acting director-general of the Central Elections Committee are scheduled to meet with Levy this evening to discuss police preparations for the election, during which “decisions and instructions will be issued as necessary.”

The ruling follows a petition by Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party to cancel the meeting over concerns that it constituted election interference, allegations Likud denied.

Riyadh reopens its international airport as attacks by Iran-backed Houthis persist

The King Khalid International Airport says it has opened terminals 1 and 2 for domestic and international flights.

The airport announcement comes as the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen continue to fire drones and missiles toward the Saudi capital.

Saudi military spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki says the Saudis intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile and a drone fired by the Houthis today.

In early October, Houthi strikes hit a complex housing two other terminals, killing 17 people and wounding over 330.

Last week, the Riyadh airport opened to limited domestic flights.

Sara Netanyahu scrubs bathroom reference from Instagram tribute to husband after backlash

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara Netanyahu, visit a restaurant in the northern Israeli city of Safed, September 9, 2026. (David Cohen/Flash90)

Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, raised eyebrows with an Instagram post on Thursday night in which she declared that she knows her husband “better than anyone,” including when he is in the bathroom.

“Even when he’s in the bathroom and the security guards are running after him and I’m left alone with my coffee, I know that everything he does, he does for us. For our children, for the people of Israel. And I’m not afraid to say it out loud,” she wrote.

Some critics took to the post’s comment section to poke fun at the suggestion that Netanyahu’s security guards follow him into the bathroom, while others joked that the phrasing implied the premier was “shitting on” his constituents.

Following the online backlash over the unusual phrasing, Sara edited the post to remove the bathroom reference, instead saying that she sees “firsthand the heavy responsibility he carries.”

Iran’s parliament speaker calls for cutting gas consumption by 10% as winter nears

Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf calls for a campaign to cut gas consumption by at least 10 percent, with officials anticipating shortages as winter approaches.

While a major producer, Iran has long suffered shortages of natural gas, essential for powering heating systems, which have been exacerbated by war with the United States and Israel that began in February.

During the most intense phase of the fighting, which lasted nearly 40 days, the two countries struck key Iranian infrastructure including natural gas refineries, according to Tehran.

Winter in Iran often sees temperatures drop below freezing, especially in the country’s north.

“To get through the approaching winter, a nationwide effort is essential… to reduce gas consumption by at least 10 percent,” says Ghalibaf in a video carried by Iranian media.

“Anyone who saves gas, regardless of the amount, will immediately receive the corresponding proceeds in their bank account, allowing everyone to see the tangible impact of those savings on their household budget.”

Man shot dead in northern Arab town of Yafia, first responders say

A man of around 25 was shot dead in the northern Arab town of Yafia a short while ago, first responders say.

Officers are searching the area for suspects, police say, adding that the shooting is not thought to be nationalist in nature.

The man has not yet been identified, police say. Medics declared him dead at the scene, according to the Magen David Adom ambulance service.

Brazil heads to polls in runoff between Lula and Bolsonaro Jr.

A supporter of opposition presidential candidate Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro holds a sign that reads 'Free Jair,' referring to his father, former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, during his final campaign rally a day before the presidential runoff election in Rio de Janeiro, October 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Lucas Landau)

Brazilians head to the polls in a tight runoff vote that could shift Latin America’s largest nation sharply rightward, bringing it closer to the United States as part of a broader conservative shift across the region.

The runoff pits leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva against right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of convicted former president Jair Bolsonaro. Flavio scored a major upset at the start of the month by defying pollsters to lead voting in the first round.

A victory for Bolsonaro, 45, would extend a wave of right-wing victories for Latin American candidates friendly to US President Donald Trump, while a fourth mandate for Lula would be a disappointment in Washington, which has clashed with his government over trade and security.

The election race has been dominated by corruption scandals, economic anxiety and accusations of US meddling, which Washington denies. It has also been colored by fallout from Jair Bolsonaro’s 2025 conviction for plotting a 2022 coup, with Flavio pledging to free his father if he is elected.

Trump has called the case a “witch hunt” and imposed a 50 percent tariff on Brazil in 2025, in a decision explicitly linked to Jair Bolsonaro’s trial. While many of those were later watered down, Trump unleashed new levies against Brazil this year, citing unfair trade practices.

Lula has cast the Trump administration’s proximity to the Bolsonaro clan as part of an attempt to sway the election, while labeling tariffs and other punitive measures as bullying.

On economic issues, despite falling inequality and unemployment, Lula has struggled to win over an electorate grappling with high living costs and heavy household debt. Endemic gang violence also weighs on voters’ minds.

Bolsonaro has sought to capitalize on cost-of-living concerns and has also promised a heavy-handed approach to fighting crime, pledging maximum-security jails and chemical castration for serious sexual offenses.

In new video, bereaved families ask Israelis to remember their loved ones when voting

Ahead of Election Day, bereaved family members whose loved ones were killed on October 7, 2023, in Gaza captivity, or in battle, release a video calling on Israeli citizens to remember those losses when voting.

The families participating in the video include Gadi and Rauma Kedem, whose daughter Tamar Kedem Siman Tov, son-in-law Jonny Siman Tov, their three grandchildren and Jonny’s mother, Carol Siman Tov, were killed in Kibbutz Nir Oz.

Other participants include Yona Adam, mother of Mapal Adam, who was murdered at the Nova music festival; Eyal Eshel, father of IDF surveillance soldier Sgt. Roni Eshel, who was killed at the Nahal Oz military base; and Sigal Mantzuri, the mother of Norelle and Roya, her two daughters who were murdered at the Nova music festival.

The video also features Hagit and Ruby Chen, parents of Staff Sgt. Itay Chen, who fell defending the Nahal Oz military base, his body abducted to Gaza and returned after 760 days; former hostage Yocheved Lifshitz and widow of Oded Lifshitz, who was murdered in captivity.

Following Lifshitz is Hadas Kalderon, daughter of Carmela Dan and aunt of Noya Dan, murdered in Nir Oz and the mother of Sahar and Erez Kalderon, who were abducted along with their father, Ofer Kalderon, and survived captivity; Yasmin Porat, the partner of Tal Katz, who was murdered in Kibbutz Be’eri; Michel Illouz, the father of Guy Ilouz, who was murdered in captivity and Noam Peri, daughter of Chaim Peri, who was murdered in captivity.

The three others in the video are Noam Alon, sister of soldier Dor Sadeh, who fell in battle at Kfar Aza; Danny Elgarat, the brother of Itzik Elgarat, from Nir Oz, who was murdered in captivity and Devorah Shani, the mother of soldier Ido Shani, who fell defending the Gaza border communities.

For first time since Oct. 7, Red Cross confirms it received list of Palestinians in Israeli detention facilities

Hamas Nukhba Battalion terrorists captured during the October 7 massacre are seen in a jail cell at a prison in central Israel, where high-risk Hamas prisoners captured during the recent war are being held, February 17, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) tells The Times of Israel that it “recently received from the Israeli authorities a list of names of people held in Israeli detention facilities,” referring to Palestinian detainees from the West Bank and Gaza, including those arrested during the war in the Strip.

“Our teams are in contact with the detainees’ families and are updating them on the matter. We will continue to update families if additional information becomes available in the future,” the ICRC says.

The Times of Israel has learned that this is the first time since the October 7 massacre and the outbreak of the war that Israel has provided the Red Cross with complete information about Gazan detainees held in Israel.

For decades, the Red Cross received lists of Palestinians held in Israeli custody and conducted regular visits to prisons. Following the October 7 massacre, Israel halted both practices.

In 2024, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, Physicians for Human Rights Israel, HaMoked: Center for the Defence of the Individual, and Gisha petitioned the High Court of Justice, demanding that the procedures be reinstated.

In June 2026, the High Court ruled in favor of the petition. However, the ICRC confirmed to The Times of Israel that prison visits have not yet resumed.

“We are continuing our dialogue with the authorities with the aim of resuming prison visits, in accordance with the ICRC’s standard working procedures,” the organization tells The Times of Israel. “We hope to be able to resume the visits soon, but that has not yet happened.”

Health Ministry announces national clinical trial of psychedelic substances for treatment of PTSD

The Health Ministry announces plans for a first of its kind national clinical trial to integrate psychedelic substances into psychotherapy for people suffering from chronic post-traumatic stress disorder not helped by other treatments.

Tens of thousands of people are thought to have developed PTSD following the Hamas terror invasion of southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent multifront wars.

The trials will focus on MDMA, the active substance in ecstasy, and psilocybin, found in so-called magic mushrooms.

Both substances help to reboot the brain, but need to be combined with psychotherapy and lifestyle changes to have long-term effect.

The trial will span several years and involve hundreds of patients with moderate-to-severe chronic conditions.

It will include preparatory meetings, drug administration in authorized clinics in the presence of therapists and doctors, and sessions in which emotional breakthroughs from the drugs can be internalized and analyzed.

The plan aims to stem a growing tide of PTSD sufferers seeking unregulated, illegal black-market psychedelic treatments.

The compounds will be dispensed from hospital pharmacies directly to authorized therapists on the morning of each treatment to prevent them being used in the wrong way or passed on to others, as has happened with medical cannabis.

In Israel, as in most of the West, MDMA and psilocybin are legal for clinical research, including trials, but not for prescription and regular clinical use.

Keren Tzarfaty, co-founder and CEO of MAPS Israel, which focuses on psychedelic research and education, welcomes the move, saying she hopes it will be another step on the way to regulating the field and basing it on research.

Chair of submarines affair commission of inquiry steps down for health reasons

Former Supreme Court president Asher Grunis (Alex Kolomoisky/Flash90)

Former Supreme Court president Asher Grunis steps down as chairman of the state commission of inquiry into the submarine affair due to medical reasons.

Supreme Court President Isaac Amit appoints former Supreme Court justice Zvi Zylbertal, who has been serving on the commission since it was established in 2022, as the new chairman.

Amit also appoints president of the Central-Lod District Court Ruth Lorch as a new member of the inquiry.

“I wish to express my deep appreciation to (former) President Asher Grunis for his dedicated and professional work, and for his significant contribution to leading the commission’s efforts from its inception to the present day, and I wish him strong health,” says Amit.

“I thank retired Supreme Court justice Zvi Zylbertal for his willingness to assume the role of chair, and Judge Ruth Lorch for her willingness to join the committee as a member. I am confident that the commission will continue its work with professionalism, independence, and thoroughness, and I wish its members success in completing the task.”

The so-called submarine affair centers on allegations of a massive bribery scheme in the multibillion-shekel state purchase of naval vessels from German shipbuilder Thyssenkrupp in the early 2010s. The case led to a number of indictments against close confidants of  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but not the premier himself.

The inquiry is also dealing with the sale of naval vessels by allies of Israel to third-party countries with Israeli approval, which the commission has already found was conducted “in chaos and without clear direction, in a manner that endangered state security.”

‘Etched in my heart forever’: Second soldier killed in Hebron attack laid to rest

Family members, friends and mourners attend the funeral of Israeli soldier Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem, 20, who was killed in a shooting attack near the West Bank city of Hebron on October 23, at the military cemetery in Hod Hasharon, October 25, 2026. (Tal Gal/Flash90)

Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem, 20, who was killed in an attack on Friday near the West Bank city of Hebron, is laid to rest in the military cemetery of Hod Hasharon, his hometown.

Hundreds attend the funeral in the central city, according to Hebrew reports.

“You will be etched in my heart forever,” his sister Shira says in her eulogy, according to Israel National News. “I won’t give terrorists the joy of breaking my spirit.”

She says she and her brother shared “a secret language, a language of deeds. We always knew how to have each other’s backs, to laugh at each other and to listen.”

Ynet quotes his parents as saying, “Our home is broken, we aren’t living, they’ve taken our souls.”

Staff Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman, 23, the other soldier killed in the attack, was laid to rest in Ashkelon earlier today.

Qatari mediators in Tehran in US-coordinated effort to ease tensions, official says

Qatari mediators were in Tehran today as part of an effort to de-escalate regional tensions in coordination with the United States, an official briefed on the situation tells Reuters.

IDF strike on Gaza university reportedly kills three

Three Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike targeting the Islamic University in Gaza City today, according to medical officials in the Strip.

Palestinian media identifies the dead as Ashraf Dahlan, Shadi Abu Ataya, and Sami Baroud.

Shifa Hospital in Gaza City says it received three bodies and treated eight people who were wounded in the strike, and two sources at the Islamic University say those killed were administrative staff and the injured were students.

The Israeli military tells The Times of Israel that the strike targeted terror operatives, and further details would be provided later.

AFP contributed to this report.

France’s far-right frontrunner Le Pen kicks off presidential campaign in wake of unrest

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen arrives to attend a mass celebrated by Pope Leo XIV at Place de la Concorde, Paris, France, on September 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Marine Le Pen, France’s far-right candidate to succeed President Emmanuel Macron in elections in six months, is preparing to give her first campaign speech today, a day after protests sweeping the country again flared into violence.

Le Pen — the frontrunner according to surveys — is seen to be benefiting in the polls from the convulsions France has been going through for weeks, punctuated by mass rallies and violent clashes yesterday and a week earlier.

More than 400,000 people marched in major French cities yesterday to protest against the rising cost of living, with clashes erupting after groups of masked protesters broke away from the demonstrations.

Police made more than 1,300 arrests and Interior Minister Laurent Nunez blamed much of the violence on “ultra-left” extremists.

Similar nationwide protests a week earlier also descended into unrest, following four weeks of student demonstrations over the poor state of France’s schools.

Unions and Yellow Vest protesters have vowed to keep up their street marches in the weeks ahead, pointing to a febrile period as the elections draw near.

Le Pen, who will address 10,000 members of her National Rally (RN) party in the city of Orleans, has accused Macron’s centrist government of being soft on violent protesters and lacking authority.

Police today are filtering traffic going into Orleans, after thousands of counter-protesters opposed to Le Pen and her anti-immigration, nationalist RN marched in the city yesterday chanting anti-fascist slogans.

Police put their numbers at 13,000, while organizers estimated the turnout at twice that.

IDF troops seal homes of 2 gunmen who killed 2 soldiers near Hebron

IDF troops seal the Hebron home of one of two Palestinian gunmen who carried out a deadly shooting attack near the West Bank city, early October 25, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF troops sealed the homes of the two Palestinian gunmen who carried out Friday’s deadly shooting attack against soldiers at a checkpoint in the West Bank city of Hebron.

The military says that overnight, troops operating in Hebron sealed the homes of Mohammad and Firas Jaaba, who killed Staff Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman and Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem and wounded three other troops in the shooting attack. Both gunmen were shot dead.

As a matter of policy, Israel demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out deadly terror attacks. Sealing the homes of attackers is often a replacement or stopgap for demolishing them. In general, the demolition process takes several months, as the High Court must address appeals by the family, and security forces often wait for an optimal time to enter Palestinian cities or neighborhoods for the operation.

The IDF says the temporary sealing of the homes was approved by Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, and that the military “intends to continue to advance the process of demolishing their homes.”

Meanwhile, the army says that troops apprehended 12 suspects overnight, seized “illegal vehicles,” and captured several weapons during the ongoing operations in Hebron.

Soldiers nab Palestinian suspected of planning imminent terror attack — IDF

A Palestinian suspected of planning an imminent terror attack in the West Bank was apprehended by Israeli troops a short while ago, the military says.

The suspect was detained in the Ramallah area following intelligence provided by the Shin Bet, the IDF says, without providing further details on where he was apprehended.

The IDF says the man is suspected of planning an “imminent terror attack along a major road.”

He was handed over to the Shin Bet for further questioning, the military adds.

Trump: Do I make a deal with Iran or ‘finish them off’?

US President Donald Trump speaks at a dinner at his Mar-a-Lago club, October 17, 2026, in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

US President Donald Trump says he is facing a crucial decision on Iran.

“Do I make a deal with them or do I finish them off?” he tells Fox News. “That’s the only question.”

“We now control the Hormuz Strait,” Trump continues, referring to the critical pathway for the global oil and gas supply, which Iran has sought to obstruct since the beginning of the war in late February. “We get everything, they get nothing.”

Trump says that the US knows “exactly what’s going on at Pickaxe Mountain,” referring to a key Iranian nuclear site that hasn’t been attacked. “We can read the badge on somebody’s shirt.”

Leading UK Jewish group declares Green Party racist after it said Zionism is racism

The Board of Deputies of British Jews has voted overwhelmingly to declare the Green Party of England and Wales a racist party, following the party’s approval of a resolution describing Zionism as racism and calling for Israel to be replaced with a Palestinian state.

The board, an umbrella group for British Jews, passed the motion 118-1 at its October plenary meeting today. It means the country’s representative Jewish body will treat the Greens as it would other parties it considers racist.

It will view any party that cooperates politically with the Greens as “failing to take antisemitism with the requisite seriousness.” But it says it “will engage with and support” any member of the party who rejects the “Zionism is racism” resolution and calls for it to be reversed.

The decision follows the Greens’ October 4 adoption of a resolution equating Zionism with racism, while effectively calling for the erasure of Israel. The resolution has been condemned by Jewish and Israeli leaders, along with the European Green Party and some members of its own party.

“The Green Party’s policy brands much of our community, including our synagogues and communal organisations, with that slur,” says Board of Deputies President Phil Rosenberg. “It gives prejudice against Jews a political licence.”

He calls on the party’s leadership to reverse the policy and address antisemitism within its ranks.

The Board of Deputies will continue to challenge antisemitism in political and public life, it says.

At our October Plenary Meeting, The Board of Deputies of British Jews has overwhelmingly voted to declare that the Green Party of England and Wales, by having adopted an antisemitic platform, has become a racist party.https://t.co/ruxi07H4We pic.twitter.com/tBoaxDq4tS

— Board of Deputies of British Jews (@BoardofDeputies) October 25, 2026

Police chief vows to protect integrity of election, doesn’t mention meeting with PM, Ben Gvir

Israel Police Commissioner Daniel Levy at the scene of a shooting incident in Ramle, May 11, 2026. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)

Police Commissioner Daniel Levy vows to protect the integrity of Tuesday’s election in a statement that does not mention his controversial meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir about the issue.

“We’ve prepared for months for this national mission, and we’ll employ our full strength to ensure a free, fair and safe election,” Levy says in the statement. “Anyone who tries to harm the integrity of the election, intimidate voters or thwart the democratic process ahead, during or after the election will find themselves confronted by a strong, determined, nonpartisan and unyielding police.”

The preparations also include coordinating with the Shin Bet on responding to possible terrorist attacks, and preserving public order as the election results come in, according to the statement.

The statement comes after Levy reportedly met with Netanyahu and Ben Gvir. Levy was summoned by Netanyahu to the meeting after the police chief on Thursday rejected a summons from Ben Gvir, which senior police officials found unusual and possibly inappropriate, according to Hebrew media.

No representatives of the opposition or the Central Elections Committee were invited to today’s meeting, the reports said, raising concerns of election interference.

Today’s three-way meeting was okayed by the Central Elections Committee over the objection of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.

The attorney general had said there was no justification for a meeting on election integrity in the days before the vote, and noted that the proper conduct of the election is under the authority of the CEC, not politicians.

Report: Central Elections Committee overwhelmed as complaints surge to record high

The acting director-general of the Central Elections Committee, Attorney Din Livne attends a House committee meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem on, June 1, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

A record number of complaints regarding the election campaign have been filed with the Central Elections Committee ahead of Tuesday’s vote, with more than 276 petitions submitted so far – nearly five times as many as in the 2022 election, Ynet reports.

By comparison, the previous five CEC chairs handled a total 288 petitions combined, according to the report. Last week alone, committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg ruled on 31 petitions.

The unprecedented volume has reportedly placed a heavy burden on the committee, forcing it to prioritize urgent cases and potentially delay rulings on less pressing matters.

The report highlights the limitations of election campaign laws enacted decades ago, which have struggled to keep pace with the rise of social media, where campaigns have posted a stream of videos and ads, many of which use AI. Even when the committee orders content removed, it cannot prevent others from redistributing it.

Election committee pulls ballot slips of fringe Haredi party Achi after it drops out

Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Abergel addresses supporters at the launch party for the Achi party, in the southern city of Netivot, July 14, 2026. (Tsafrir Abayov/Flash90)

Ballot slips for the fringe ultra-Orthodox Achi (My Brother) party will not appear in polling stations on election day Tuesday, the Central Elections Committee announces, after all candidates on the party’s slate formally withdrew from the race.

The committee says election officials have been instructed to remove Achi’s ballot slips from voting booths and mark them with an X on posters displaying the competing parties.

Any votes cast for Achi will be declared invalid, including ballots already submitted by IDF soldiers and Israeli diplomats stationed abroad.

The same measures were taken last week after Benny Gantz’s Blue and White party withdrew from the race. Neither party was slated to receive enough votes to enter the Knesset.

Achi announced Friday that it was dropping out of the election with just four days to go, amid a push by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his partners for small right-wing and religious factions to quit the race, fearing that the parties will not enter the Knesset and that their votes will be thrown out.

The party was launched as in June by disciples of the late Rabbi Yoram Abergel.  Its spiritual leader is Abergel’s son Haim Yosef Abergel, head of the late rabbi’s yeshiva network, who was arrested in August last year on suspicion of sexual offenses against young girls.

Billionaire Trump backer says Ben Gvir, Smotrich shouldn’t serve in next government

Illustrative: Bill Ackman, investor, watches as Emma Raducanu of Great Britain plays against Maria Sakkari of Greece during their Women's Singles semifinals match on Day Eleven of the 2021 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City, on September 09, 2021. (Elsa/Getty Images/AFP)

Billionaire American investor Bill Ackman says far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich should not serve in Israel’s next government, saying the two have caused enormous damage to the country’s reputation.

Ackman, who is Jewish, is a prominent hedge fund manager and vocal supporter of Israel who visited the country last week. Together with his wife Neri Oxman, he owns five percent of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

Ackman supported Donald Trump’s candidacy for president in 2024, and has backed Trump’s efforts to penalize universities over antisemitism on their campuses.

Last week, Trump publicly endorsed Netanyahu for prime minister. Smotrich and Ben Gvir are allies of the premier.

Ackman writes on X that from the perspective of someone with an understanding of how Israel is perceived in the United States, “Ben-Gvir and Smotrich have caused Israel enormous reputational damage with their statements and actions.”

The founder of Pershing Square Capital Management, who praised Netanyahu last week, says a government without the two ministers will send a message that Israel is “turning a new page.”

“This will allow Israel to rebuild lost credibility, increase the opportunity for an expansion of the Abraham Accords, and enjoy a better relationship with Democrats and Republicans and Americans at large,” he says, referring to the normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab countries.

Representatives for Ben Gvir and Smotrich do not immediately respond to requests for comment.

IDF says 22,500 tons of olives harvested in West Bank this season, amid settler attacks

Palestinians harvest olives in the West Bank under IDF protection, in a handout photo published on October 25, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

The Israeli military says over 220,000 dunams of olive groves have been harvested by Palestinians in the West Bank so far during this harvesting season, amid attacks by Israeli settlers on the harvest.

There have been around 100 coordinated sites where harvesting has been carried out under the protection of troops, according to the army.

The IDF says that the estimated volume of produce harvested so far is approximately 22,500 tons of olives, from which approximately 5,500 liters of olive oil have been produced.

The announcement comes days after the IDF briefly detained dozens of Jewish American and Israeli activists, including rabbis and a Jewish US congressional candidate, who were accompanying Palestinians harvesting olives in the central West Bank. It also comes after the Yesh Din NGO reported that more than 670 incidents of settler violence have taken place since the start of the harvest.

The military says that “flashpoints” account only for “a few percent of the olive-harvesting areas,” and that the vast majority of coordinated harvests under army protection have proceeded without incident.

The military significantly bolstered troops in the West Bank ahead of and during the olive harvest season. “Forces are deployed throughout the sector to provide optimal protection, thwart terrorism and prevent clashes,” the army says.

The IDF says it treats the violence and “attempts to undermine security on the ground by any side very seriously.”

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report. 

At soldier’s funeral, Ben Gvir calls for deporting terrorists’ families, likens PA to Nazis

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir calls for the execution of Palestinian terrorists and for their families to be deported, and likens the Palestinian Authority to Nazis, while speaking at the funeral of Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem, one of two IDF soldiers killed in a shooting attack on Friday.

“These terrorists, may their names be erased, are human scum, cowards,” Ben Gvir says, touting his efforts to worsen conditions for Palestinian security prisoners in Israeli jails.

“Putting an end to the lawlessness that prevailed here for 40 years, abolishing the pampering conditions and putting an end to the hotel they had in the prisons are important things,” he says.

“But we have a greater mission, and that is to kill the terrorists who remain alive – to execute them,” he continues.

Both Palestinian gunmen who carried out Friday’s attack were killed by Israeli forces during the ensuing firefight.

“Those who didn’t survive – very good! Our soldiers, you are heroes for killing them. But as for those who remain alive, I pray, I hope, and I will do everything I can to ensure that we have the privilege of executing them,” Ben Gvir says.

The Knesset in March passed a controversial law championed by Ben Gvir mandating the death penalty for West Bank Palestinians convicted of carrying out deadly terror attacks.

During the funeral, Ben Gvir also calls for the deportation of terrorists’ families and the dismantling of the West Bank-based PA, which he calls the “Palesti-Nazi Authority,” accusing it of glorifying violence.

“They are Nazis! They educate children to murder and name public squares after murderers. They cannot continue to be here,” he says. “I hope that, with God’s help, we will succeed in doing this.”

המחבלים האלה, יימח שמם, הם חלאות אדם, מוגי לב. אני רואה אותם בבתי הסוהר כשאנחנו עושים להם גיהנום. הפסקת ההפקרות שהייתה כאן במשך 40 שנה, ביטול התנאים המפנקים וסיום בית המלון שהיה להם בבתי הסוהר הם דברים חשובים.

אבל יש לנו שליחות גדולה יותר, והיא להרוג את המחבלים שנשארו בחיים… pic.twitter.com/wv0VLWdFZI

— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) October 25, 2026

Shortly after his remarks at the funeral, Ben Gvir claims in a post on X that Palestinian security prisoners at Lavi Prison, formerly known as Ketziot, had been secretly saving portions of their limited food rations to make a makeshift cake to celebrate if he and the pro-Benjamin Netanyahu bloc lose Tuesday’s election.

Ben Gvir says Prison Service Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi and prison staff discovered the cake, disciplined the prisoners and placed them in solitary confinement.

“They had already planned the celebrations, but under us, the party is over,” he writes, urging voters to back his Otzma Yehudit party.

המחבלים בכלא לביא ישבו ואגרו מהמעט מזון שיש להם. כף ריבה ועוד כף ריבה, פרוסת לחם ועוד פרוסת לחם, כך במשך כמה ימים, הכל כדי להכין עוגה מאולתרת ולחגוג ביום שלישי, במידה ולא אבחר.

אלא שנציב שב״ס המצוין ואנשיו איתרו את העוגה, והאסירים הועמדו לדין משמעתי, והועברו לצינוק.

הם כבר… pic.twitter.com/KKYeKaKGmm

— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) October 25, 2026

Trump says US won’t strike Iran today, amid rising tensions

US President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before boarding Air Force One, October 25, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

The United States will not attack Iran today, says US President Donald Trump in response to a question from a reporter.

“The answer is no,” he tells a press gaggle outside the White House. “There will not be a strike today.”

Tensions have been rising in the US-Iran war, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly warned of possible attacks by Iran in the leadup to Tuesday’s election.

Yesterday, two Iranian officials, one of them a Revolutionary Guards member, confirmed to The New York Times that the Islamic Republic is preparing to target US diplomats and personnel, the newspaper said.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report. 

IDF releases footage of troops killing gunmen who committed attack near Hebron

Footage published by the IDF shows the moments Israeli troops shot dead the two Palestinian gunmen who had attacked a checkpoint on the northern outskirts of the West Bank city of Hebron on Friday.

The two gunmen, Mohammad and Firas Jaaba, killed Staff Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman and Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem, who served with the 775th “Ari” Battalion of the Home Front Command’s Search and Rescue Brigade, at the checkpoint, before retreating behind a structure.

The deputy commander of the Ari Battalion, a company commander, and an officer of the Paratroopers Brigade’s 101st Battalion who was stationed nearby and rushed to the scene, flanked the two gunmen and killed them.

The video shows the latter exchange of fire between the troops and the two gunmen.

Footage shows the moments Israeli troops shot dead the two Palestinian gunmen who had attacked a checkpoint on the northern outskirts of the West Bank city of Hebron on Friday. pic.twitter.com/EFrG26a85i

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) October 25, 2026

Iran says messages are still being passed to the US amid war concerns

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei holds a weekly press conference in Tehran, Iran, on October 28, 2024. (ATTA KENARE / AFP)

As concerns rise about a return to an all-out US-Iran war ahead of elections in the United States and Israel, Iran says messages are still being passed to the US and that Tehran remains open to diplomacy.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, says Tehran has not closed the window of diplomacy, and messages are being passed to the US via intermediaries. Negotiations over the war have appeared to stall for weeks.

State media says Baghaei spoke in an interview with a German broadcaster. He said the US appears to persist in making unilateral demands and that Trump and US officials repeatedly use the phrase “complete surrender,” which Baghaei said no Iranian accepts.

Concerns are rising among Iranians about a possible return to all-out war as Israel and the US face elections in the coming days. Israel’s election is on Tuesday and US midterm elections are a week later.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report. 

Sri Lanka rescues 40 Iranian sailors, spokesman says

A fisherman paddles his boat along the shoreline in Arugam Bay, east of Sri Lanka, on September 27, 2020. (Ishara S. Kodikara/ AFP/ File)

Sri Lanka coordinated the rescue of 40 Iranian sailors from multiple commercial ships in international waters off the coast of the country and supported their return to Iran, a spokesman for the island nation’s foreign ministry says.

The ministry received a request from the Iranian embassy via diplomatic channels to rescue the sailors, Thushara Rodrigo, a spokesman for the ministry, says, adding that they had been suffering unspecified medical emergencies.

The ministry does not give any further details of why they had to be rescued, but local media, including the Indian national newspaper The Hindu, report they were on board vessels which were US-sanctioned oil tankers.

Washington has imposed a blockade on Iranian shipping as part of its war with Iran, and in response to Iranian efforts to obstruct the Strait of Hormuz.

The sailors from 19 ships were brought ashore at Galle Harbour, about 126 kilometers (78 miles) from the commercial capital, Colombo, and were given medical treatment before returning to Iran early this morning, the spokesman adds.

Sri Lanka’s navy and coast guard typically provide support during humanitarian efforts, a government source with direct knowledge of the rescue tells Reuters.

Earlier this year, Sri Lanka rescued dozens of Iranian sailors on humanitarian grounds after the Iranian warship IRIS Dena was sunk by a torpedo from a US submarine on March 4.

The bodies of more than 80 sailors who died in the attack were flown back to Iran in mid-March. Thirty-two survivors of the sunken ship, as well as 208 crew members from another vessel, were returned to Iran in April.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report. 

IDF says strike in Gaza, reported to kill 3, was diverted to avoid harm to bystanders

The Israeli military says its airstrike in Gaza City earlier today was diverted because of bystanders identified in the area.

The strike reportedly hit the Islamic University, killing three people.

In response to a query by The Times of Israel, the IDF says it launched a strike on a Hamas military wing operative.

“Following the identification of uninvolved individuals in the area, the munition was diverted to minimize harm to them,” the IDF says.

It is unclear if the target of the strike is among the dead.

Leading Shas rabbi suggests forming Haredi bloc, including extremists, to maximize demands

Rabbi Moshe Maya leaves the venue of a meeting of the Shas Torah Sages Council in Jerusalem on February 20, 2019. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90/File)

Moshe Maya, a senior member of Shas’s ruling Council of Torah Sages, says Haredi voters should form a bloc to maximize how much they will be able to demand in coalition talks following Tuesday’s election.

At present, the Haredi parties, Shas and United Torah Judaism, are close allies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and have been members of successive governments of his. They are often aligned in their policies, including staunch opposition to requiring Haredi men to serve in the military.

In remarks at an educational conference in Jerusalem, Maya suggests that, rather than committing to Netanyahu, Haredim of different backgrounds and ideologies unite to form a bloc that could act as a kingmaker in the election. He specifies that such an alliance should include the extremist Jerusalem Faction, which organizes street protests against Haredi enlistment.

“Including the Jerusalem Faction, we’ll be 25 seats [in the Knesset]. We won’t enter any government,” he says. The Haredi parties are collectively polling at 15 to 17 seats in the 120-seat parliament.

“You don’t go with anyone, not Bibi and not Eisenkot,” he continues, referring to Netanyahu and opposition frontrunner Gadi Eisenkot. “Whoever will give more.”

With polls opening in some 36 hours, it is unlikely that Maya’s speech will have a significant impact on the Haredi vote.

IDF says it launched interceptor at target over south Lebanon

The IDF says it launched an interceptor missile a short while ago toward a “suspicious aerial target” identified over an area of southern Lebanon where troops are operating.

No sirens sounded in any towns, as no threat was posed to Israeli civilians.

There have been several such incidents in recent weeks.

Election panel says Hesder students can’t campaign, but doesn’t penalize parties

Supreme Court Deputy President Noam Sohlberg presides over a hearing at the High Court of Justice on petitions against the law freezing arrests, investigations, and enforcement measures against Haredi draft evaders, July 28, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Central Elections Committee Chairman and Deputy Supreme Court President Noam Sohlberg decides not to penalize the Religious Zionism and Likud parties, or the Union of Hesder Yeshivas and the Union of High School Yeshivas, following a petition by the Israel Education Watch organization over concerns that the parties’ campaigns will use students at the publicly funded yeshivas, or take advantage of other public resources.

Sohlberg says the petitioners did not demonstrate that yeshiva students had participated in election campaign activities or that the yeshivas had used public funds in election campaigns.

Sohlberg notes, however, that Hesder yeshiva students, who combine yeshiva study with military service, are indeed considered to be soldiers throughout their service, and are therefore not permitted to engage in election campaigning.

The CEC chairman orders Israel Education Watch to pay the respondents’ and state’s legal fees, because the CEC rejected another petition by the same organization just four days before its latest petition was filed, which he said was based on “many of the claims” of the first petition.

Israel Education Watch filed the petition against the backdrop of a declaration by Likud and Religious Zionism to send 2,000 activists to polling stations in Arab communities, which the group claimed would include Hesder yeshiva students.

Report: Cybersecurity company linked to Shin Bet thwarted Russian election interference bid

A Russian attempt to influence Tuesday’s Israeli elections was thwarted in recent days by a “civilian cyber company” that works alongside the Shin Bet security agency, Channel 12 news reports.

According to the network, the plan was to activate fictitious social media profiles to spread “violent and divisive discourse” to influence the results of the election.

Channel 12 says some 80 accounts that were part of the Russian campaign were “dealt with” by the company.

The report does not identify the civilian company or provide any source for the details.

Last week, the Shin Bet said that numerous social media profiles used as part of a “foreign influence campaign” were removed from the internet ahead of the election.

Despite pressure from Netanyahu, Ofer Winter’s rabbi stands by him

Rabbi Eli Sadan speaks during a protest in front of the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem on February 21, 2016. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)

Rabbi Eli Sadan, the spiritual mentor of Ofer Winter, stands by the right-wing politician, despite a request from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the rabbi to push Winter to end his campaign.

Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich met with Sadan last week to ask him to pressure Winter to drop out. In response, Winter vowed to stay in the race through Tuesday’s election.

In a recording aired today on Channel 12, Sadan praises Netanyahu, but says he hopes Winter’s party, People of Israel, exceeds the 3.25 percent threshold of votes needed to enter the Knesset.

“I strive not to get involved in elections,” says Sadan, who heads the right-wing pre-military academy in the West Bank settlement of Eli. “Benjamin Netanyahu was an excellent prime minister. I would really want him to continue being prime minister. I assume that he’ll get through this election successfully as well.”

He adds, “I hope for Ofer Winter to pass the electoral threshold. Only then will Bibi have a fully right-wing government.”

Netanyahu and his Likud party have repeatedly attacked Winter and pushed for him to drop out, claiming that he will not support Netanyahu’s reelection and will join the premier’s opponents. People in Netanyahu’s camp are also worried that he will fail to get 3.25% of the vote, which would mean that all of his party’s votes would be wasted.

US CENTCOM chief flies over Strait of Hormuz, says it’s free of mines

Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command (left), and Maj. Gen. Brandon Tegtmeier, 82nd Airborne Division commander (right), fly over the Strait of Hormuz in a US Army CH-47 Chinook, October 25, 2026. (US CENTCOM)

Adm. Brad Cooper, who heads US Central Command, flew over the Strait of Hormuz today, while declaring that the waterway remains “free and clear of Iranian sea mines.”

Cooper observed CENTCOM’s deployment in the strait from a US Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter, according to a statement from the American military.

CENTCOM says that over 3,000 commercial vessels have successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz with its support over the last six months, exporting more than 1.5 billion barrels of crude oil, amid an ongoing US blockade against Iran. Iran has attempted to obstruct the strait since the beginning of the war nearly eight months ago.

Since clearing the strait’s international shipping lanes of sea mines laid by Iran, “momentum has continued to build,” the American military says.

According to CENTCOM, over 95 percent of ships navigating the strait “have sailed through safely despite the IRGC’s unwarranted aggression, clearly demonstrating that the United States and regional partners control the international waterway.”

“Today, primary transit routes in the Strait of Hormuz remain free and clear of Iranian sea mines thanks to incredible efforts by our people,” Cooper says in remarks published by CENTCOM, adding that his forces “remain intensely focused on keeping commercial traffic flowing as we work with our teammates in the US interagency, Gulf Cooperation Council, and shipping industry.”

Cooper also met with American soldiers who took part in the mine-clearing operations, according to CENTCOM.

Report: Urich was paid over $500,000 for pro-Qatar work, police suspect

Jonatan Urich arrives for a court hearing at the Rishon Lezion Magistrate's Court, January 14, 2026. (Jonathan Shaul/ Flash90)

Jonatan Urich, a top aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was paid NIS 1.9 million (over $500,000 at 2024 exchange rates and some $600,000 at current rates) between January and September 2024 for what police suspect was work on the pro-Qatar influence campaign, for which Urich is under investigation, Channel 12 reports.

The report followed the network reporting earlier this evening that Netanyahu secretly met one-on-one with the most senior Israeli on Qatar’s payroll in the summer of 2024.

The money was transferred to Urich by a former Netanyahu adviser, Yisrael Einhorn, the report says. Israel Police in January declared the Serbia-based Einhorn a “fugitive criminal” and said there was an arrest warrant out for him. Einhorn, like Urich, is a suspect in both the Qatargate influence campaign case and the Bild leaked documents scandal.

According to a Channel 12 report last week, Urich has admitted to investigators that he received “hundreds of thousands of shekels” from Qatar, and that he had no moral qualms working for Doha both before and after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack. That earlier report did not cite the alleged sums involved or precisely when Urich was allegedly paid.

In response to this evening’s reports, former prime minister Naftali Bennett, leader of the opposition B’Yachad party, steps up his denunciations of Netanyahu over the affair, demanding that the prime minister “explain to the public his connection to Qatar, why he advanced Qatar’s interests in wartime, and why the person closest to him, even now, is a Qatari agent who carried out the gravest act of treason in the history of the state.”

The answers to all the questions, which Netanyahu “is trying to hide,” Bennett vows, will be uncovered “in the state commission of inquiry that we will establish” following Tuesday’s election.

Houthis say they targeted Riyadh airport, Saudi naval base, airbase

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis say they launched attacks targeting Riyadh’s international airport hours after its reopening, as well as an airbase and naval base elsewhere in Saudi Arabia.

“The Yemeni armed forces conducted three military operations with dozens of ballistic missiles,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree says on X, saying the strike on the airport “achieved its target.”

He adds that they targeted King Khalid air base in Khamis Mushait and a naval base in Jazan.

‘Catastrophe’: Former Israeli chief banker slams Netanyahu’s warning about sanctions

Former Bank of Israel chief Jacob Frenkel speaks to Channel 12 on July 28, 2023. (Channel 12 screenshot: used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Former Bank of Israel governor Jacob Frenkel says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s warning that Israel could be facing sweeping banking sanctions are a “catastrophe” for Israeli consumers and the local economy.

“Fear and uncertainty paralyze the economy,” Frenkel tells Channel 12. “We want to boost the economy, and we want investors, but what are we telling them? ‘Invest with us, when we are going to be under sanctions and our system is unstable.'”

On Friday, Netanyahu said Israel should prepare for potential international sanctions on its banking system, and could use cryptocurrency and blockchain technology to circumvent them.

“When I heard the remarks, I was shocked and asked myself, where was the staff work and consultation that led to such a conclusion?” says Frenkel. “I don’t know a single serious professional who would support this approach.”

Frenkel cautions that potential sanctions on the financial system could affect cross-border transactions, including the transfer of funds by tech investors to the country, and credit card use by Israeli consumers to make online purchases on Amazon or other global e-commerce platforms.

“There are no tricks. If you leave the international financial clearing system, you are a leper,” Frenkel says. “It means that everyone takes their distance from you, and changing that image after you declared yourself a leper would be very difficult.”

“Every citizen will suffer if we are cut off from the world,” Frenkel says.

Palestinian Authority says 2,670 displaced in Israel’s Hebron operation

The Palestinian Authority says nearly 2,700 people were displaced by an Israeli military operation in the city of Hebron, which the IDF launched after Palestinian gunmen killed two soldiers in an attack in the area.

Following Friday’s attack, Israeli troops entered the Hebron neighborhood of Ein Deir Baha, where the assailants lived, and ordered residents to pack up and leave, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged a major operation in the territory.

“More than 2,670 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced from their homes in Hebron by Israeli occupation forces, the majority of them women, children, and elderly people, according to data from Hebron Municipality,” the Palestinian prime minister’s office says on X.

Trump says Jews who vote for Michigan’s El-Sayed should be ‘ashamed of themselves’

US President Donald Trump says Jewish voters who support Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan, should be “ashamed of themselves.”

El-Sayed is a harsh critic of Israel, accuses the country of committing genocide, and opposes the US providing weapons to it. He is locked in a tight race with the Republican nominee, Mike Rogers, ahead of the November 3 US midterm election.

“Any Jewish person that supports this guy should be ashamed of themselves,” Trump says at a campaign rally. “You should never speak to them again.”

TRUMP: Any Jewish person that supports El-Sayed should be ashamed of themselves. I'm polling at 99% in Israel and I cannot how anybody who's Jewish can even think about voting for this guy pic.twitter.com/bJkLWVGFt8

— Acyn (@Acyn) October 25, 2026

Trump claims to be “polling at 99 percent in Israel.” In fact, while Trump has historically scored high marks in surveys of Israelis, his popularity has fluctuated this year, particularly when he pursued an agreement to end the war with Iran. A poll by Channel 12 in June found that 71% did not trust Trump to look out for Israeli interests in an agreement with Iran.

“I cannot understand how anybody who’s Jewish can even think about voting for this guy,” Trump says. And he’ll get some.”

Trump frequently targets El-Sayed at his rallies, and has repeatedly made fun of the candidate’s name.

Serbia’s strongman leader Vucic concedes defeat to student-led movement in seismic political shift

Aleksandar Vucic, leader of the right-wing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) speaks at the party headquarters, conceding defeat in the parliamentary election in Belgrade, Serbia, October 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

The long-serving strongman leader of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, concedes defeat in an election that pitted him and his right-wing party against a diverse student-led opposition movement that spent two years protesting his government.

It is a seismic political shift in the Balkan country where Vucic, who had been endorsed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and who denounced the student movement as a foreign-led attempt to unseat him, led with virtually absolute power for 14 years.

Almost immediately, crowds flooded the streets of the capital Belgrade and other Serbian cities in an outburst of euphoric celebration.

High turnout and gathering tensions marked the highly contested parliamentary election that was a showdown between Vucic and his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party and university students, who, accusing the government of corruption and dismantling democracy, had built a popular following across the country.

Serbia’s 6.4 million voters were electing lawmakers to the 250-member parliament. In conceding the election, Vucic says his party projects that his opponents, the youth-backed Students’ List, will take between 135 and 140 seats while his SNS party will have around 105.

“The Students’ List has won,” Vucic tells supporters at his party’s election night event, though he blames Serbia’s independent media as well as alleged interference by unnamed European countries and an ”American deep state” for the loss.

Supporters of the Students’ List drive around Belgrade in cars, honking horns, singing, shouting and chanting: “Aleksandar is gone,” referring to Vucic. Crowds swiftly dismantle the fences and tents at a park in central Belgrade where Vucic’s loyalists had been camping for over a year and had gathered earlier on Sunday.

Brazil counts votes in presidential election, with Lula da Silva taking early lead over Bolsonaro

Supporters of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva gather on runoff election night in Sao Paulo, Brazil, October 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Brazil resumes counting votes in a tight presidential runoff following a two-hour extension requested by both President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his right-wing challenger Flavio Bolsonaro.

The first counted votes had appeared on the top electoral court’s website before a Supreme Court judge ordered the extension. The results are expected within hours.

Incumbent Lula da Silva has taken an early lead over Bolsonaro, official results show.

With 5.02% of ballots tallied, the leftist incumbent had 51.16 percent of the valid votes — which exclude blank and null ballots — against the right-wing challenger’s 48.84%, according to Brazil’s electoral authority.

Woman charged for suspected antisemitic stabbing in New York City

Anna Mochalova, 32, is charged in a suspected antisemitic stabbing incident in New York City, the NYPD says.

On Wednesday, Mochalova allegedly approached a Jewish man in Manhattan’s Diamond District and stabbed him in the back with an “unknown sharp object,” police say.

Security footage released by the Manhattan Shomrim Safety Patrol showed the alleged incident.

???? HATE CRIME INVESTIGATION: Manhattan Shomrim and the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force are actively investigating a stabbing that occurred today around 5:45 PM at 47th St. and 5th Ave.

​We are asking for the public's assistance. If you were in the Diamond District/Midtown area… pic.twitter.com/EELGa2ViXO

— Manhattan Shomrim Safety Patrol (@msspshomrim) October 22, 2026

The 26-year-old victim was taken to a hospital in stable condition.

Police add that Mochalova is suspected of another hate crime that took place several hours earlier, also in midtown Manhattan.

Mochalova “deliberately collided” with a Jewish man, and when the Jewish man confronted her, she allegedly struck him with a sharp object, slicing his forearm, then fled the scene.

The victim refused medical treatment at the scene, police say.

The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating both incidents.

Mochalova, a Brooklyn resident, is charged with hate crime assaults, hate crime menacing, criminal possession of a weapon and aggravated harassment based on race or religion, court records show.

She pleads not guilty and is released on $150,000 bond.

Bolsonaro pulls ahead of Lula da Silva in Brazilian presidential election

SAO PAULO, Brazil — Brazilian right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro overtakes leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and holds a narrow lead in the presidential election runoff, an early vote count from the country’s electoral authority shows.

With 13.65 percent of ballots tallied, Bolsonaro has 50.01% of the valid votes — which exclude blank and null ballots — against Lula’s 49.99%, according to Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court.