Oct. 29: 3 arrested after police clash with Haredi anti-enlistment protesters near Bnei Brak

Joint List reiterates it’s ready for ‘political cooperation to oust the Netanyahu government’

Yousef Jabareen, leader of the Arab-led Joint List political alliance, (Center-L) and other members cheer at the alliance’s campaign headquarters in Nazareth on October 27, 2026, as the first exit polls are announced on television during Israel’s legislative election. (AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP)

In a statement, the Arab-led Joint List party says it’s ready for “political cooperation to oust the Netanyahu government.”

The Joint List is projected to win 12 seats, making it tied for the third-biggest party in the Knesset, but most Jewish-led opposition parties have ruled out partnering with it to form a coalition.

“Our public understands the significance of the moment and went in droves to the polls,” the party says. “The Joint List will work with all its strength to bring an end to Netanyahu’s rule. We are ready for political cooperation to establish an alternative government, which will present a true alternative and commit itself to a true change of the current government’s racist policy.”

Earlier, Joint List chairman Yousef Jabareen told Channel 13, “Anyone who wants to offer a substantive and genuine alternative to Netanyahu’s government of bloodshed will have to talk to us in order to pave the way for the change that the Israeli public longs for.”

Report: Netanyahu looking to replace his acting chief of staff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's chief of staff Ido Norden (YouTube screenshot)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s acting chief of staff Ido Norden is on his way out, Channel 13 reports, saying the premier is not pleased with his performance.

Norden has been kept out of a number of meetings, according to the report, and Netanyahu is actively searching for a replacement.

The Prime Minister’s Office says in a statement the report is “incorrect.”

In April, Norden, the author of a book about Israel’s so-called “deep state,” replaced disgraced spokesman and chief of staff, Ziv Agmon, who offered his resignation after his derogatory remarks about Likud lawmakers of Middle Eastern, or Mizrahi, descent were leaked to the press.

Senate candidate El-Sayed: I oppose funding all foreign militaries, not just Israel

US Senate candidate Democrat Abdul El-Sayed speaks during the debate on October 21, 2026 at WXYZ Channel 7 in Southfield, Michigan. (Robin Buckson/Detroit News via AP)

Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan Abdul El-Sayed tells reporters after an event in a Detroit suburb that he wants US tax revenue to be spent “to build schools and opportunity here, rather than sent abroad to drop bombs on anybody.”

“I don’t think we should be funding foreign militaries generally,” El-Sayed says. “That’s Israel. It’s also Egypt. It’s also Saudi Arabia and Qatar and UAE.”

His answer comes in response to a question about a controversial ad published by Rebellion PAC, which El-Sayed disavowed, that features two people saying they can’t afford groceries because their money needs to go to Israel’s military.

“That has nothing to do with our campaign,” El-Sayed says. “It’s certainly not what I want to be talking about right now.”

Sporting visible scars, hero flydubai pilot honored by president of UAE

This handout picture provided by the UAE Presidential Court shows UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan embracing flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar, during a reception for him and other crew members of Flight 1073 in Abu Dhabi on October 27, 2026. (Abdulla AL-NEYADI/UAE PRESIDENTIAL COURT/AFP)

Smit Machchhar, the flydubai pilot who helped thwart a terror attack aboard a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv a month ago, is honored with a medal by the president of the United Arab Emirates.

UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan awards Machchhar and the rest of the crew with the First Class Order of Zayed II, “in recognition of their courageous efforts to ensure the safety of passengers,” his office says.

His office adds that the president praised “the crew’s courage and professionalism in ensuring the safety of passengers and securing the aircraft, affirming that protecting people’s safety and security remains a top priority for the UAE.”

Machchhar has previously recounted how he was struck in the back of the head with an emergency axe by his co-pilot, and struggled to shield himself from the blows and open the cockpit door to allow others inside to halt the attack.

The scars on the back of Machchhar’s head are clearly visible during his meeting with the UAE president.

If you haven’t seen something heartwarming today, watch this ????❤️

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed shares a sweet moment with Captain Smit Machchhar of flydubai flight FZ1073, joking about a jiu-jitsu session once he recovers.

Such a beautiful display of kindness and… pic.twitter.com/0RaWUkE7zt

— Mona Alhmoudi، منى الحمودي (@monaalhmoudi) October 28, 2026

Saudi-led coalition says it destroys Houthi ballistic missile fired towards kingdom

The Saudi-Led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthis says it destroyed a ballistic missile fired by the group towards the kingdom’s eastern region early this morning, as hostilities between both sides show no signs of abating.

The Saudi civil defense issued two alerts warning of potential danger in Najran, in southwestern Saudi Arabia, and in the Eastern Province, before saying minutes later that the danger has passed in both areas.

Hegseth fires Pentagon’s top military planner as Trump weighs new Iran strikes

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a meeting with Britain’s Defense Minister Wes Streeting at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on October 15, 2026. (Nathan Howard/POOL/AFP)

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired the Pentagon’s top military planner, a defense official says, the latest in a series of generals to be ousted and one that comes even as US President Donald Trump is weighing renewed strikes on Iran in the eight-month-long war.

Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia has been removed as head of strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is the second general to be ousted from the post, known in military circles as the “J5,” under Hegseth. His predecessor, Lt. Gen. Joseph McGee, was forced to retire last October.

The defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive personnel matters, says there is no immediate replacement for Sylvia and no reason has been given for the firing. The move was reported earlier by The Atlantic.

A spokesperson for the Joint Staff says “the Chairman, the Joint Staff, and the Joint Force extend our deepest gratitude to Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia and his family for their 32 years of distinguished service to our nation” and they “wish him and his family the best.”

Australia considering purchasing Israeli-made Iron Dome interceptor missiles

An Iron Dome interceptor missile is used during a US Marine Corps drill, October 2024. (Defense Ministry)

Australia is considering purchasing missile interceptors developed for Israel’s Iron Dome as it seeks to rapidly build an air defense shield, officials say.

Citing rapid changes in warfare seen in Ukraine and the Middle East, defense officials tell a parliamentary committee that Australia wants to have a ground-based missile defense system by the “early 2030s.”

Discussions are being held over the availability of the US Patriot missile defense system and interceptor missiles developed by Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems for the Iron Dome, recently used in a new US Marines system and jointly manufactured with US company Raytheon.

Truck-mounted medium-range interceptors were tested by the US Marines in the Pacific territory of Guam in June during a regional war game in which Australia also took part.

Australia does not supply weapons to Israel and its purchase of Israeli defense products has come under political scrutiny.

“The government will always seek to deliver the most suitable military technology,” government minister Murray Watt tells the committee when asked about the matter.

It is unclear why Australia would be considering purchasing the Iron Dome’s Tamir interceptor missiles without the compatible system, which Israel does not offer for sale. The US-made Patriot, which is also being considered by Australia, does not use Tamir missiles.

Israeli defense officials have said that Israel will not sell the Iron Dome to nations other than the US, or allow other countries to use it independently, due to the sensitive and proprietary technologies that make it work, which may fall into enemy hands and could be used to beat the system.

In a rare move during the war with Iran earlier this year, Israel deployed an Iron Dome battery to the United Arab Emirates and sent several dozen Israeli troops to operate it.

A joint Rafael-Raytheon plant in Arkansas recently began manufacturing SkyHunter, a US version of the Tamir, for the proprietary Marine Corps’ Medium-Range Intercept Capability (MRIC) air defense system.

Ra’am reported to gain a seat at expense of Joint List, but official figures unchanged

Boys hold dual Arabic- and Hebrew-language ballots of Ra'am and the Joint List outside a polling station in Qalansawe, October 27, 2026. (Noam Lehmann/Times of Israel)

Several Israeli media outlets are reporting that Ra’am has gained an additional seat at the expense of the Joint List, with 91% of votes counted.

According to the reports, Ra’am now has 8 seats (up from 7) and the Joint List 11 (down from 12), but together they remain on 19, with the rest of the blocs unchanged.

According to the latest official Central Elections Committee figures available to The Times of Israel (as of 5:57 a.m.), the two parties’ 19th seat — which is decided by the surplus-vote agreement they signed — still goes to the Joint List, with Ra’am some 1,200 votes short of taking it.

We will update as the committee publishes further results.

Police dismiss Likud’s claim that election was ‘stolen’ by Arab parties: ‘No supporting evidence’

Israel Police push back against claims by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party that the election was “stolen” by the Arab parties.

“Election day passed with very few irregular incidents concerning the integrity of the election, even when compared to previous elections,” a police source tells multiple Hebrew-language media outlets.

“It should be emphasized that there is no investigative- or intelligence-based supporting evidence for the claims,” the source says.

Yesterday, the claims of fraud were also dismissed by a Central Elections Committee (CEC) official.

With the count still ongoing, Arab parties won 19 seats in Tuesday’s election amid unprecedented turnout from the community.

Hebrew media reported ahead of voting that Likud planned to challenge results from Arab locales and claim the election was “stolen” if Netanyahu did not win, with the party drawing up in advance a number of complaints and fraud allegations.

Activist assaulted in clash with settlers, then arrested; police say 2 activists detained on suspicion of assault, stone-throwing

Jasper Nathaniel and Andrey Kharzhanovsky, two activist-journalists who assist Palestinians in the West Bank, were arrested by police overnight in the South Hebron Hills after footage showed them being attacked by two settlers, at least one of them armed.

Nathaniel is an American citizen, while Kharzhanovsky immigrated to Israel in 2022 and holds Israeli citizenship.

It is unclear how the confrontation began.

In footage published by a third activist who was at the scene, Adele Shoko, the two can be seen in a physical confrontation with two settlers.

Later, one of the settlers, who is armed and at one point appears to raise his weapon at Kharzhanovsky, forces the activist to sit on the ground and shouts, “Sit down, we’ll wait for the police.”

The settlers are subsequently filmed knocking Kharzhanovsky to the ground again.

According to Shoko, Kharzhanovsky lost consciousness several times during the incident but was not taken to a hospital, and instead was arrested alongside Nathaniel.

Footage appears to show Kharzhanovsky looking dazed and unable to sit upright as he is checked by a medic.

Police said in response that “Following a report of an assault and stone-throwing, officers arrived at the scene and detained two suspects for further questioning at the station. The investigation is ongoing. As for [Kharzhanovsky’s] medical condition, he was examined by medical personnel.”

The IDF said that “troops were dispatched to the scene to separate those involved in the confrontation and waited for police to arrive and carry out arrests.”

THIS EVENING: Settlers attacked @the_andrey_x , @AdeleShoko , and @infinite_jaz near the closed gate at the entrance to the village of Umm al-Khair. Andrey suffered a head injury and repeatedly lost consciousness, but was taken to a police station instead of a hospital pic.twitter.com/K3gX8AeblA

— מחוץ לעדר/ kivsa shchora (@masafering) October 28, 2026

???? TODAY: Settler-terrorists attacked Andrey, Jasper and me. This video shows the assault.

Andrey was severely beaten and lost consciousness several times in front of police. Despite this, he was denied hospital treatment. He was put in an ambulance—but instead of being taken to… https://t.co/rL9pBQRlkR pic.twitter.com/mG2raLKNPG

— Adele Shoko (@AdeleShoko) October 28, 2026

US warns allies to prepare for potential retaliation by Iran if military action renewed after midterms

US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One, October 28, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

US officials have told several Middle East countries and regional allies to be prepared for potential renewed military action against Iran after next week’s midterm elections in the United States — as well as the possibility that Iran will attempt to retaliate against them, according to two diplomats briefed on the matter.

Both of the diplomats speak on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to comment about the sensitive warnings conveyed by US diplomats and defense officials.

On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the US has informed several unspecified Gulf Arab countries to be ready for a short yet intensive military offensive against Iran following the midterms on November 3.

US President Donald Trump has not made a final decision on whether to carry out new strikes against Iran, the diplomats stress. The US president, however, has repeatedly said that he is weighing ordering new military action once the critical elections in the United States are over.

Those threats and the fresh US urgings for allies to prepare for potential retaliation are putting the region on alert that a return to major operations could now be on the horizon.

The White House and US officials decline to comment.

IDF says it airlifted military ballot boxes to Knesset due to floods in south

Military ballot boxes are loaded onto an Israeli Air Force helicopter in southern Israel, late October 27, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

Dozens of military ballot boxes were airlifted from the south of the country to the Knesset in Jerusalem on Tuesday night, due to major flooding.

Heavy rains poured down on southern Israel during the election, cutting off the main entrance to the southernmost city of Eilat.

The military says that due to the flooding and road closures in the Eilat and Arava region, dozens of ballot boxes that were stationed at army bases in the south were flown on an Israeli Air Force helicopter to the Knesset.

“The special transport operation was intended to ensure the ballot boxes reached the Knesset on time for the Central Elections Committee to count the votes,” the military says.

Sohlberg asks Shin Bet to investigate allegations of foreign interference in election

The chairman of the Central Elections Committee, 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 chair Justice Noam Sohlberg asks Shin Bet chief David Zini to investigate allegations of foreign interference in Tuesday’s election.

“Serious suspicions have been brought to my attention regarding improper influence on the elections — exerted through funding provided by foreign entities acting against Israeli interests,” Sohlberg writes. “While I cannot attest to the substance of these suspicions, it is my view that — given they involve foreign entities — there is an obligation to investigate them thoroughly.”

No further details are given of the suspicions or the countries allegedly involved.

“In light of this, I instruct you to do everything in your power to investigate these suspicions, utilizing the authority of the Shin Bet to uncover evidence that either substantiates or refutes them,” Sohlberg says. “Only in this way can we ensure public trust in the electoral process and the integrity of the democratic procedure.”

Sohlberg asks to be presented with any findings within a week.

Likud said to believe Qatar is source of funds allegedly sent to Arab get-out-the-vote groups

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party believes that Qatar is the source of money allegedly sent to get-out-the-vote groups for Arab citizens that is under investigation by the Shin Bet, Hebrew language media reports.

The investigation is based on intelligence that reached the Shin Bet and was presented to Central Elections Committee head Supreme Court Justice Noam Solberg, Channel 12 reports.

The channels used to ostensibly send funds to the organizations closely resemble those used to send money for terrorism in the past, according to the reports.

Solberg has instructed Shin Bet chief David Zini to open an investigation into “suspicions regarding foreign funding and suspicion of electoral bribery by foreign entities.”

On Tuesday, Zini said election day had proceeded “well so far,” adding that “voter turnout is high, and we can confidently tell the citizens of Israel that the elections are being monitored and conducted in a proper and inspiring manner.”

Hebrew media reported ahead of voting that Likud planned to challenge results from Arab locales and claim the election was “stolen” if Netanyahu did not win, with the party drawing up in advance a number of complaints and fraud allegations.

Earlier today, police dismissed Likud’s claims that the election was “stolen” by the Arab parties, saying there was “no supporting evidence.”

4 Ra’am activists arrested in alleged election bribery scheme, police say

Four men were arrested this morning and are being interrogated by the Lahav 433 major crimes unit on suspicion of involvement in an alleged scheme to bribe voters, police say.

The scheme is the same one that led police to arrest three southern Bedouin men at dawn on Tuesday, election day, for allegedly planning to pay off people to vote for Ra’am, according to police.

Ra’am has identified the men as party activists and denied the allegations.

A police official cited by Channel 12 says the alleged scheme is unrelated to the Shin Bet investigation into alleged election interference by a foreign entity.

Liberman repeats pledge he won’t join government with ‘Bibi or Tibi’

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

Yisrael Beytenu chair Avigdor Liberman reportedly tells party activists that he will not join a government with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or the Joint List’s Ahmad Tibi.

“What we said before the elections is even more true after the elections. We will not sit with Bibi or with Tibi,” he says, mimicking a Likud slogan that uses the prime minister’s nickname. “There are too many developments and events. We will wait for the dust to settle and consider the steps forward.”

Liberman has long vowed that he will not join a government under Netanyahu, nor one that is reliant on Arab parties.

Reports: 2 killed in strike on vehicle in central Gaza

Hamas-affiliated media outlets in Gaza report that two people were killed and several were injured in an IDF drone strike on a vehicle in the Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.

There is no comment from the Israel Defense Forces.

عاجل | شهيدان ومصابون في قصف من مسيرة إسرائيلية لمركبة قرب مدخل مخيم المغازي وسط قطاع غزة. pic.twitter.com/ZQgJ0aq41J

— وكالة سند للأنباء – Snd News Agency (@Snd_pal) October 29, 2026

Balad chief accuses Netanyahu of laying groundwork to reject election results with ‘racist blood libel’

Sami Abou Shehadeh attends a hearing at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem on the Central Elections Committee’s decision to disqualify him from running in the upcoming Knesset elections, October 1, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Balad chairman Sami Abou Shehadeh accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies of laying the groundwork to reject Tuesday’s election results through unsubstantiated allegations of foreign interference and electoral bribery aimed at boosting Arab voter turnout.

“Netanyahu and his partners are dangerous people who are constructing a narrative to justify refusing to accept the results of one of the most decisive elections this country has seen in decades,” says Abu Shehadeh, whose party is part of the Joint List, but was himself barred from running by the Central Elections Committee and will not enter the next Knesset.

“In any functioning democracy, those who lose an election take responsibility and go home. In Israel, the losing side fabricates a racist blood libel and calls on security agencies to use force to overturn the election results,” he says.

Warning against attempts to “steal the election or drag the country into another election on the basis of false and outrageous allegations,” Abu Shehadeh declares: “You lost. Go home.”

With Netanyahu’s bloc projected to win 53 seats, compared to 48 for the opposition parties and a record 19 for the Arab parties, unprecedented Arab turnout has helped deliver Netanyahu’s opponents a parliamentary majority, leaving him without a clear path to forming a government.

3 oil tankers caught fire after hitting mines in Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard says

Three tankers exploded and caught fire after hitting sea mines while attempting to cross an unauthorized route south of the Strait of Hormuz over the past 24 hours, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard says in a statement shared by state media.

The tankers had switched off their radar and navigation systems and ignored warnings from the Guard’s navy, which says the vessels had been abandoned on the southern shores of the strait.

It is unclear whether there were injuries, or who had laid the ordnance.

European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde to step down in February

President of European Central Bank Christine Lagarde addresses the media during a press conference after an ECB governing council meeting in Frankfurt, Germany, Thursday, June 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde will step down in February 2027, several months before her term expires in October next year, the Frankfurt-based institution says.

“European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde today informed the Governing Council and the president of the European Council Antonio Costa that she will step down from her position on 7 February 2027,” the ECB says in a statement.

Herzog urges ‘thorough’ probe into alleged election interference, warns against ‘tarnishing’ Arab community

President Isaac Herzog visits the IDF’s Judea and Samaria Division headquarters near the settlement of Beit El in the West Bank, September 30, 2026. (Jonathan Shaul/Flash90)

President Isaac Herzog says he spoke with Central Elections Committee chief Noam Sohlberg and Shin Bet head David Zini regarding Sohlberg’s request to look into allegations of foreign interference in Tuesday’s vote, saying the issue must be “thoroughly investigated” while urging against “tarnishing” the Arab community as a whole.

“I am closely following developments in the investigation into the suspicions reported this morning,” Herzog says in Hebrew remarks at the President’s Residence.

“The integrity of elections is a paramount value in a democracy. The evidence and suspicions must be thoroughly investigated, and the offenders must be investigated and punished to the fullest extent of the law,” he continues.

“But even at a moment like this, we must avoid tarnishing an entire community that sought to exercise its right to vote and take an active part in democracy,” he adds, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies alleged electoral bribery aimed at boosting Arab voter turnout.

He reiterates his call for politicians to approach impending coalition talks with an “open” mind and seek to attain only “what is in the best interests of the country.”

Lebanon’s Aoun laments lack of progress on ceasefire, IDF withdrawal, urges European support for Lebanese army

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks while meeting with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House, July 21, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun says progress on key issues with Israel — namely a ceasefire, IDF withdrawal, border demarcation, and prisoner releases — has yet to materialize, a week after the latest round of US-mediated talks.

Speaking during a meeting with Germany’s minister for economic cooperation and development, Aoun calls for an end to Israeli strikes in Lebanon, warning that they undermine stability, according to an Arabic-language post from the presidency. The remarks come after a Lebanese military delegation presented Beirut’s demands for an end to Israeli military operations in Lebanon at a working-level trilateral meeting in Tampa, Florida, last week.

Aoun says the Lebanese state and army are prepared to address security concerns through “official mechanisms and established coordination channels” rather than military action, while urging greater European support for the Lebanese Armed Forces.

Lebanese officials have said continued Israeli strikes were hampering Beirut’s efforts to disarm Hezbollah, while Israel has argued that the Lebanese army has not yet proved capable of assuming the security role envisioned under their US-backed ceasefire agreement.

Aoun has also been voicing concerns about a security vacuum forming in southern Lebanon following the expected expiration of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon’s mandate later this year, and has said he would welcome international efforts to prevent it.

Shin Bet chief meets Netanyahu, Eisenkot to discuss probe into alleged election interference

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) in Jerusalem on September 7 and Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot in Rosh HaAyin on September 7, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/FLASH90)

Shin Bet chief David Zini met yesterday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the investigation into foreign interference in elections, Hebrew media reports.

The Shin Bet initiated the meeting, according to the reports, and had begun looking into the matter before the election.

This morning, Zini met with Yashar party chief Gadi Eisenkot, says the party.

“During the meeting, he was updated on the suspicions regarding foreign interference in the election in Israel. Eisenkot offered his support for the Shin Bet and law enforcement officials for a swift and transparent investigation,” the statement says.

Father of murdered hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin pans ‘irony’ of Netanyahu complaining of Qatari influence

Jon Polin, father of murdered hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, speaks at a religious Zionist rally in Jerusalem calling on the government to promote a deal to free all the hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, December 22, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Jon Polin, whose son Hersh Goldberg-Polin was taken hostage by Hamas terrorists during the October 7, 2023, attack in Israel, and later murdered in a Gaza tunnel, blasts Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for complaining of alleged Qatari influence in the election.

“Whether true or false, the irony of the man and the party who partnered with Qatar to fund the terror that murdered thousands of Israelis, including my son, now complaining that Qatar may have influenced Israeli elections…..,” he writes on X.

“For the integrity and unity of the State of Israel, across the religious and political spectrum, can we agree that Qatar’s involvement in Israeli affairs should be examined thoroughly and all implicated as having been influenced by this foreign actor (enemy state?) or involved in working with Qatar in a manner that led to the murder of Israelis should be prosecuted?” he adds.

The posts, which were in both Hebrew and English, refer to Netanyahu’s facilitation of the transfer of billions of dollars to the Hamas government in Gaza over the course of several decades — and to ties between the Gulf state and officials in the Prime Minister’s Office, a scandal referred to in Israeli media as Qatargate.

Several of the premier’s top aides have reportedly admitted to being on the Qatari government’s payroll even after the October 7, 2023, Hamas invasion that triggered the subsequent multifront war.

Some of the same aides were implicated in the Bild leaked documents affair, in which an internal Hamas memo was given to the German newspaper in the immediate aftermath of the murder of Goldberg-Polin and five other hostages in the summer of 2024. The document was leaked as Netanyahu came under backlash for failing to secure the captives’ release, and was reportedly distorted so as to downplay the terror group’s willingness to strike a deal.

Eisenkot: Qatari involvement in Israel is grave matter, whether in PM’s office or election

Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkott speaks during a conference organized by the Israel Democracy Institute in Tel Aviv, October 15, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to delegitimize the election, and shines a spotlight on alleged Qatari ties with the premier’s senior aides.

“I commend Netanyahu for finally condemning Qatari involvement in the State of Israel,” Eisenkot says sarcastically, referencing ongoing investigations into the Qatargate affair, in which former advisers Yisrael Einhorn and Yonatan Urich are accused of conducting public relations work for Qatar while they were employed by the Prime Minister’s Office.

“Foreign involvement in Israel is an unacceptable and gravely serious matter, especially when it involves a country that funds and supports the Hamas organization,” says Eisenkot. “This is grave when it happens in the Prime Minister’s Office and grave if it occurs in the election system.”

Eisenkot says that Netanyahu “has grown accustomed to dealing with reality through lies, information engineering, and sowing chaos” and is running “an illegitimate influence operation on the Israeli public aimed at delaying the publication of election results on time and creating fictitious delegitimization for the activities of the 26th Knesset.”

He says it is unacceptable that Netanyahu is trying to use a new investigation that has not been completed “to undermine the official election results.”

He calls for an “impartial, thorough, and immediate” investigation, and demands that “an iron fist” be used against anyone tampering with the integrity of the election.

“Every decision pertaining to the election must be made with utmost reverence and with the understanding that the convening of the 26th Knesset must take place on time,” Eisenkot stresses. “Realizing the will of the voter in democratic elections is a foundational component of Israeli democracy and national resilience.”

Unnamed officials say alleged electoral interference on a smaller scale than suggested

Unnamed officials tell Ynet and the Kan public broadcaster that the alleged electoral interference by Qatar is on a far smaller scale than reports would suggest.

“It’s a much smaller affair than is being made out. It’s not something that hasn’t happened in the past — it’s just that here it crossed a certain threshold of evidence that requires an investigation,” the source, described as “nonpolitical,” tells the Ynet news site.

Unnamed sources who have been updated on the details of the Shin Bet investigation into the alleged electoral fraud tell the Kan public broadcaster that the suspicions being examined are relatively small in scope.

Earlier today, Dean Livne, director general of the Central Elections Committee, told Kan that there is “no basis for the claims of election theft.”

“We received a list of claims, not evidence, from the Likud party and other parties. Some of them are real, and some of them may not be,” he says.

Questions over why Zini didn’t inform Sohlberg of fraud concerns before election day

(L) Central Elections Committee head Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg and (R) Shin Bet chief David Zini. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90, Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Channel 12 news reports that while the Shin Bet had intelligence about the possibility of electoral interference before Tuesday’s vote, the security agency did not inform anyone in the Central Elections Committee, including panel chair Justice Noam Sohlberg.

The outlet notes that there was an assessment held between the two bodies on Tuesday, as the vote was ongoing, and still Shin Bet chief David Zini made no mention of the alleged concerns.

The broadcaster says that unnamed legal sources have expressed puzzlement over why, if there were serious concerns, they not have been mentioned on the day.

On Tuesday, Zini toured the CEC’s central command center and said that the elections were going well.

“Voter turnout is high, and we can confidently tell the citizens of Israel that the elections are being monitored and conducted in a proper and inspiring manner,” he said after touring the facility.

Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot said earlier today that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was trying to undermine the election results.

Elections panel director says claims of widespread fraud appear to be baseless, vote was conducted lawfully

People walk through the Central Elections Committee offices at the Knesset in Jerusalem, October 29, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Acting Central Elections Committee director general Dean Livne rejects allegations of widespread fraud in Tuesday’s election as baseless, saying the vote was conducted lawfully and that to the best of its knowledge, there is no evidence of systematic irregularities.

“The Knesset elections were conducted lawfully. The integrity of the elections at polling stations was rigorously safeguarded, and to the best of our knowledge, there is no basis for allegations of systematic violations of election integrity,” Livne writes in a letter to Yesh Atid MK Vladimir Beliak, who sits on the committee.

Livne says that a request by CEC chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg for a Shin Bet investigation concerned classified intelligence that warrants further examination, and that the information has not yet been verified.

The clarification comes as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies are alleging, without publicly presenting evidence, that the election was stolen through foreign-funded efforts to boost Arab voter turnout.

Ra’am leader Abbas denies involvement in alleged election interference, accuses Netanyahu of incitement against Arabs

Lawmaker Mansour Abbas, leader of the Ra’am party, speaks to supporters during a campaign event ahead of Israel’s general election in the northern Israeli town of Baqa al-Gharbiyye, October 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Ra’am chairman Mansour Abbas denies any involvement in alleged foreign interference in Tuesday’s election, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of incitement against Arab citizens in response to the unprecedented electoral gains made by Arab parties.

“Ra’am has no connection whatsoever to the affair in question or to any other such affairs,” Abbas says in a statement, pledging to cooperate fully with law enforcement.

He welcomes Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg’s request for a Shin Bet investigation into suspected foreign funding aimed at influencing the election, saying “safeguarding the integrity of elections and upholding the rule of law are civic and democratic duties to which we are firmly committed.”

Invoking the Qatargate affair, Abbas says: “To Abu Yair [Netanyahu], who employs Qatari agents in his office, we have one message in response to the campaign of incitement and delegitimization he is waging against Arab citizens: There will be nothing [found], because there is nothing.”

“But unlike you, in our case, it is the truth and not just another lie,” he adds, referring to the corruption cases for which the premier is on trial.

Netanyahu aide Yonatan Urich, who remains employed by the premier, has acknowledged working for Qatar while also serving in the Prime Minister’s Office, both before and after October 7, 2023, and is under investigation along with other Netanyahu aides over the affair.

Sohlberg has presented no public evidence substantiating the suspicions or identifying the foreign entities involved, but Netanyahu’s Likud has seized on the investigation to accuse Arab parties of benefiting from foreign-funded vote buying.

Aid group: Food insecurity worsening in Gaza amid sharp cuts to operations over past month

Palestinians walk past buildings destroyed during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza City on October 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

The World Food Programme (WFP) tells The Times of Israel that food insecurity in Gaza is worsening following sharp cuts to its operations in the Strip and the West Bank since early October, due to declining donations.

The organization reduced the number of people receiving food assistance in Gaza from 1.6 million to 1.1 million, daily hot meals from 250,00 to 150,000, and monthly flour rations from 50 kilograms to 25 kilograms per family. The cuts began taking effect nearly three weeks before WFP publicly announced them on October 19.

WFP spokesperson Claire Neville says the impact is already being felt on the ground.

“People are resorting to negative ways of coping, like parents are forgoing meals so that their children can eat,” Neville tells The Times of Israel. “People are going back down to one meal a day,” she says, referring to the food situation during the war.

Neville adds that residents are resorting to “begging, searching for food in the rubble, sending children out to work, borrowing money or borrowing food on credit from shops.”

She explains that the cuts stem from a decline in donations specifically earmarked for the Palestinian territories, rather than a decision by WFP to redirect funding elsewhere. According to the organization, funding for its operations in Gaza and the West Bank has fallen by more than half in 2026 compared to previous years.

The decline comes amid broader cuts to international humanitarian aid. WFP says it needs an additional $450 million to sustain its operations in Gaza and the West Bank through March 2027

Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) tells The Times of Israel that 600 trucks carrying aid continue to enter Gaza daily, through humanitarian organizations or private traders, and that the amount of food entering the Strip is still twice the minimum amount the UN has determined is needed.

“We are aware of the reduction in WFP’s operations. We allow as much as [humanitarian organizations or private traders] want to bring in,” COGAT adds

ZIM vessel sinks in Black Sea after being hit by 3 suicide boat drones; no injuries

A crew member of the Liberian-flagged container ship Contship Jet, which was attacked by drones, is evacuated and transported to the port of Varna, Bulgaria, aboard the Bulgarian Navy rescue ship 'Proteo,' late October 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Petko Momchilov)

A vessel chartered by Israel’s ZIM Integrated Shipping Services sank last night after it was hit by three boat drones off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast.

The crew aboard the container ship, which departed from Haifa port en route to Constanta in Romania, was rescued and safely evacuated, Zim says.

All 18 crew members, 14 Filipinos and four Ukrainians, were rescued by Bulgarian naval and border police vessels and taken to the port city of Varna for medical checks.

Footage posted to social media appears to show one of the suicide boat drones streaking through the water before it begins to turn toward the vessel.

???????????????????????? Видео, заснето от борда на ударения вчера кораб CONTSHIP JET. pic.twitter.com/kQVKDPnNrJ

— DRM Journal (@remilitari) October 29, 2026

Other footage shows the Liberian-flagged ship as it sinks.

אוניית צים שיצאה מישראל הוטבעה בים השחור במתקפת רחפנים | תיעוד בלעדי pic.twitter.com/ZGnvpzoKnA

— TheMarker (@TheMarker) October 29, 2026

The 421 containers carrying high-value cargo were completely lost to the sea. Some of the containers on board were reportedly carrying hazardous materials, such as lithium-ion batteries and flammable liquids.

Bulgarian Navy teams report no signs of pollution after taking samples from several locations in territorial waters.

“In the face of boycotts and security threats — amidst global political instability — it is imperative to ensure that ZIM remains an Israeli company,” says Zim workers union head Oren Caspi. “Much remains unknown regarding this unusual attack, and we are still in the process of gathering the details.”

Earlier this year, German container shipping giant Hapag-Lloyd agreed to acquire Israel’s ZIM for $4.2 billion, but the deal remains subject to government approvals.

Qatar: ‘Ridiculous and dangerous’ to suggest Doha played role in alleged election fraud in Israel

Qatar firmly denies any interference in the Israeli election, calling such “ridiculous and dangerous” allegations “yet another disinformation campaign aiming to drag Qatar into Israeli political disputes following this week’s elections.”

“We categorically deny allegations that Qatar has interfered in Israeli elections or funded any activities intended to influence their outcome,” says Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari on X. “We reject the accusations made by certain Israeli politicians and their contacts in the media, who have launched yet another disinformation campaign aiming to drag Qatar into Israeli political disputes following this week’s elections.”

Ansari says that Israeli politicians “accuse Qatar of buying off Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli political left, and now, in this latest campaign, the Arab vote. If these claims were to be believed, Qatar would apparently own all of Israel.”

He calls the claim “ridiculous and dangerous in equal measure,” and says it “reveals an excessive obsession with our country among certain Israeli political and media figures.”

“Qatar should not be used as a scapegoat for the political failures of certain Israeli politicians,” says Mansari. “Rather than trying to shift attention onto Qatar, they would be better off focusing on their own voters, improving people’s everyday lives, and undoing the damage they’ve created in the region.”

“We reiterate that we have no involvement in Israel’s political or electoral competition,” he continues. “These are internal Israeli matters in which we do not interfere, and we will not accept any attempt to draw Qatar into its domestic political disputes.”

Acting Central Elections Committee director general Dean Livne has rejected allegations of widespread fraud in Tuesday’s election as baseless, saying the vote was conducted lawfully and that to the best of his knowledge, there is no evidence of systematic irregularities.

Joint List accuses Netanyahu of trying to steal election, urges opposition to reject incitement against Arabs

Yousef Jabareen, leader of Israel’s Arab-led Joint List political alliance, (C) and other members cheer at the alliance’s campaign headquarters in the northern Israeli city of Nazareth on October 27, 2026, as the first exit polls are announced on television.(AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP)

The Arab-majority Joint List party accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of attempting to undermine Tuesday’s election results through “baseless” allegations of fraud and foreign interference, calling on opposition leaders to reject what it described as his campaign of incitement against Arab voters and cooperate with Arab parties to replace his government.

“We are done apologizing and defending ourselves against filthy lies and baseless accusations from right-wing figures who refuse to accept the election results,” the Arab-led party says in a statement. “These racist accusations only demonstrate how afraid they are of the power of our community.”

The party accuses Likud figures of financing a coordinated campaign to delegitimize Arab political participation that began months before the election, including attempts to disqualify Arab parties and alleged intimidation of voters at polling stations.

“We turned out to vote in unprecedented numbers and achieved a historic result, both for our community and for the entire democratic camp,” it says. “No smear campaign will erase the Arab public’s achievement.”

With Netanyahu’s bloc projected to win 53 seats, the 19 seats secured by the Joint List and Ra’am give the 48-seat opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot a potential parliamentary majority, provided the parties agree to cooperate.

“We call on the leaders of the opposition bloc to stop cooperating with the filthy lies of Netanyahu and the racist Kahanists,” the Joint List says, urging them to demonstrate “political courage, not just in words but also in deeds.”

“Without us, you cannot win. With us, we can build a different future,” it adds.

The statement comes after Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg requested a Shin Bet investigation into alleged foreign funding aimed at improperly influencing the election. No evidence has been presented publicly substantiating the suspicions or implicating Arab parties, but Netanyahu and his allies have seized on the probe to allege that the election was stolen through foreign-funded efforts to boost Arab turnout.

Acting Central Elections Committee director general Dean Livne has rejected allegations of widespread fraud in Tuesday’s election as baseless, saying the vote was conducted lawfully and that to the best of his knowledge, there was no evidence of systematic irregularities.

Police: Palestinian woman found dead in Acre apartment, Nablus resident arrested

A Palestinian woman from the West Bank was found dead a short while ago in an apartment in Acre in northern Israel, police say.

Officers are gathering evidence on the scene and have arrested a Palestinian man from Nablus in connection with the case, police add.

As vote count continues, Likud gains a seat at expense of ally Shas; no change in blocs

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) reads a letter to Shas chair Aryeh Deri, informing Deri that he must remove him from ministerial office, at the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, January 22, 2023. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)

With double-envelope ballots still being counted, partial results published by the Central Elections Committee show the bloc distribution holding steady with the bloc led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at 53 seats and the one led by Yashar’s Gadi Eisenkot at 48.

Within the Netanyahu-led bloc, Likud gains a seat at the expense of the Haredi Shas party.

The Arab parties are steady at 19 seats, a record high.

So far, 295,607 double envelopes have been counted, of an estimated 430,000 to 480,000 in total, according to the Central Elections Committee. The results are partial and will change as counting continues.

Golan and Lapid meet as part of effort ‘to save Israel’ following election

The Democrats chairman Yair Golan meets with B’Yachad no. 2 Yair Lapid, as part of efforts to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the election.

“I am determined to make every effort, to turn over every stone and act with our partners in order to save Israel,” Golan writes in a post on X.

“We will continue to work in tandem. We won’t give up on the opportunity for change.”

יוצא מפגישה טובה עם חברי, יאיר לפיד.

אני נחוש לעשות כל מאמץ, להפוך כל אבן ולפעול עם כל שותפינו כדי להציל את ישראל.

נמשיך לעבוד בתיאום. לא נוותר על ההזדמנות לשינוי.

נעשה ונצליח ???????? pic.twitter.com/jQLZgv69Iz

— Yair Golan – יאיר גולן (@YairGolan1) October 29, 2026

Palestinian Authority’s Abbas hopes for ‘dialogue’ with new Israeli government

Cyprus’ President Nikos Christodoulides, right, and the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas talk during their meeting at the Presidential Palace in capital Nicosia, Cyprus, October 29, 2026. (Press and Informations Office/Pool Photo via AP)

NICOSIA, Cyprus — Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas says that he hoped the election of a new Israeli government will allow for the resumption of peace talks.

“For many years now, we have been extending a hand to the Israeli side in order to achieve peace with them, so that Israel and Palestine may live in security, stability and peace,” Abbas says during a meeting with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides in Nicosia.

“We hope that, immediately after a new Israeli government is formed, we will be able to engage in dialogue together,” he adds.

Support for the idea of negotiations for a two-state solution has all but been dropped from the mainstream political agenda in Israel.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

UTJ sources proposing to back Eisenkot from outside the government — report

United Torah Judaism party chairman MK Yaakov Asher speaks at the party’s election headquarters in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak, on election night, October 28, 2026. (Hilel Ben Or/Flash90)

Sources in the United Torah Judaism party are proposing to support a government led by Yashar party chair Gadi Eisenkot from the outside, Channel 12 news reports.

The ultra-Orthodox party, currently with seven seats according to the updated vote count tally, could support an Eisenkot government from the outside, in exchange for compromises on military draft exemptions, Channel 12 reports.

In such a situation, UTJ would be absent from Knesset votes and wouldn’t vote against the government, the report says.

Eisenkot would also be allowed to rely on the seven seats of the Islamic Ra’am party.

“We won’t receive anything from Netanyahu,” a UTJ source tells Channel 12.

“Our alliance with him has been exhausted, certainly in a situation where he does not have 61. Our interest is to return to being a decisive factor in the Knesset,” the source says, adding that the party may enter the opposition in the event of a unity government.

Eisenkot has set conditions for a coalition under his leadership, including committing to a Zionist government that backs universal military service — which UTJ opposes — and dismantling Hamas.

Thailand revokes citizenship of Chabad rabbi over passport use

Thailand has revoked the citizenship of the head of the Chabad movement in the country, according to local media.

Authorities found that Rabbi Yosef Chaim Kantor used his American passport 16 times to travel to Australia since he received Thai citizenship in 2013. Thai law provides for naturalized citizens to have their citizenship revoked if they continue to use their previous citizenship.

Kantor knew of this law when he traveled, the country’s Interior Ministry says.

Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul signed the order yesterday after the Department of Special Investigation discovered the breach of law. His last recorded trip was in January.

Rabbi Kantor arrived in Bangkok in 1993 and has spent more than three decades developing the Chabad movement across Thailand. The decision is being challenged through legal channels, Chabad says.

The decision comes amid a broader investigation into companies, property holdings and financial transactions linked to Chabad in Thailand. Authorities conducted searches at several locations earlier this month, although no criminal findings have been announced.

In recent months, the country has targeted Israeli-linked businesses and Israeli tourists amidst growing local public backlash and complaints.

Chabad of Thailand says in a statement, “We respect the Kingdom of Thailand, its laws, its institutions, and the Thai people, and we are grateful for the Kingdom’s hospitality over the years.”

“We are saddened by the decision to revoke Rabbi Kantor’s citizenship. We are addressing the matter through the proper legal channels, with full confidence in the Thai legal system,” the statement says.

Chabad houses and synagogues in Thailand are operating as usual.

Thai authorities have revoked the citizenship of Rabbi Yosef Chaim Kantor, who has led Chabad in Thailand for more than 30 years, citing his use of a U.S. passport. Full Story https://t.co/hr7b5jEduV

— COLlive News (@COLLiveNews) October 29, 2026

QatarEnergy buys LNG from US and others to hedge future Hormuz disruptions

DOHA, Qatar — QatarEnergy is buying long-term supplies of liquefied natural gas from the US and other suppliers as part of a strategy to build a trading and arbitrage hedge that would generate revenue if exports through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted in the future, CEO Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi tells Reuters.

“In a scenario where you have a closure of the strait, which is the true contingency that we’re looking to have, you’d immediately see a spike in gas price and you’ll be able to generate revenue for QatarEnergy that otherwise wouldn’t be generated,” Kaabi, who is also the minister of state for energy affairs, says of the plan.

Kaabi’s remarks reveal for the first time how Qatar, one of the world’s largest LNG producers, plans to offset lost income from the Iran war and protect revenue against future disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian media says Tehran received peace letter from Vance, but yet to respond

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Tehran has received a letter from US Vice President JD Vance, but it has not responded to it yet, Iran’s semi-official Tansim news agency says, after the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that Vance sent a letter to Iranian Security Chief Mohsen Rezaei in a bid to revive peace negotiations.

Tehran insists on its seven conditions being met by the US and “any position that contradicts this framework is unacceptable,” the agency adds.

Golan meets Eisenkot, says two understand ‘the magnitude of the responsibility now placed upon us’

Hours after meeting B’Yachad no. 2 Yair Lapid, the Democrats chairman Yair Golan meets Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot, the winner of the largest number of seats in the opposition bloc.

“The two of us dedicated long years to Israel’s security, and the two of us understand all too well the magnitude of the responsibility now placed upon us. Saving Israel is on the line,” Golan writes on X.

“We are partners on this path and in the commitment to ensure a better future for Israel,” he says.

מוקדם יותר היום נפגשתי עם חברי גדי איזנקוט.

שנינו הקדשנו שנים ארוכות לביטחון ישראל, ושנינו מבינים היטב את גודל האחריות המוטלת עלינו כעת. הצלת ישראל מונחת על הכף.

אנחנו שותפים לדרך ולמחויבות להבטיח לישראל עתיד טוב יותר.

אני נחוש לעשות כל מה שנדרש, באומץ ובאחריות, כדי לממש את… pic.twitter.com/CwIVAIrzQr

— Yair Golan – יאיר גולן (@YairGolan1) October 29, 2026

Shin Bet: Intel on alleged voter fraud did not come from political source; aspersions should not be cast on entire voting sector

People walk through the Central Elections Committee offices at the Knesset in Jerusalem, October 29, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The Shin Bet security agency says its investigation into suspected fraud during the election does not “accuse an entire sector that went out to vote democratically and legally,” amid claims that there had been foreign influence that led to high voter turnout among the Arab community.

The agency says that the information about the suspected voter fraud originated from intelligence it collected regarding foreign influence, and not from “any political party or political actor on either side of the political map.”

Aside from Central Elections Committee chair Justice Noam Sohlberg, no one outside the security agency had access to the information in question until the elections concluded, according to the Shin Bet.

The Shin Bet says it has not yet completed its investigation into the matter, and that “any statements concerning the content or nature of the suspicions do not reflect the agency’s position.”

Upon the completion of the investigation, the Shin Bet says it will present the findings to Sohlberg, “who is the authorized decision-maker on this matter.”

Amid claims that Qatar had sent significant funds to Israel to influence the Arab vote, where turnout was notably high on Tuesday, the Shin Bet says that the investigation is “focused and limited in scope, and does not cast aspersions on or accuse an entire sector that went out to vote democratically and legally.”

“Only those who acted in violation of the law will be dealt with,” the agency says.

The Shin Bet says it is only operating under its legal mandate, and all activities are being conducted by the agency’s professional personnel and legal advisers.

Additionally, the agency confirms that Shin Bet chief David Zini met over the past day with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot, and opposition leader Yair Lapid to personally brief them on the main suspicions under investigation.

The Shin Bet says the meetings were with the approval and at the request of Sohlberg.

Police clash with Haredi anti-enlistment protesters blocking traffic on highway neae Bnei Brak

Dozens of Haredi men are clashing with police on Route 4 near Bnei Brak in a protest against military enlistment, footage shows.

Police say they have declared the protest illegal and that officers are using force to clear the protesters off the road.

At least one protester was taken to a hospital after being injured by a police stun grenade, according to Hebrew media. Footage shows multiple wounded protesters, some of whom are bleeding from the head. Meanwhile, police say an officer was wounded after a stone thrown by protesters hit him in the head.

The road is blocked in both directions, and drivers are advised to take other routes, police say.

תיעוד: פינויים אלימים בהפגנת החרדים בכביש 4, המשטרה משתמשת ברימוני הלם@daniel_grovais https://t.co/qYItNFhEp5 pic.twitter.com/Hc0ZdsMOIF

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) October 29, 2026

After briefing, Lapid says election interference allegations not enough to warrant vote challenge

Opposition leader Yair Lapid attends the Shabtai Shavit World Summit on Counter-Terrorism at Reichman University in Herzliya, October 6, 2026. (Tal Gal/Flash90)

B’Yachad No. 2 Yair Lapid says he was briefed on the allegations of foreign election interference and indicates that they are not serious enough to justify challenging Tuesday’s election results or delay the swearing-in of a new Knesset.

“I spoke today with [Central Elections Committee chief] Judge Noam Sohlberg’s representatives at the CEC, and met with Shin Bet chief David Zini. Based on my familiarity with the material and the opinion of authorities dealing with the matter, there is no risk or [reason to] challenge the election results, and there is no impediment to swearing in the Knesset,” Lapid tweets.

Channel 12 cites multiple sources familiar with the Shin Bet investigation into the alleged election interference who tell the network that the matter at hand has been “completely blown out of proportion”

“The gap between the headlines and the reality on the ground is enormous,” the network says, citing the sources familiar with the probe.

Two Palestinians reportedly assaulted by settlers in northern West Bank

Palestinian media outlets report that two Palestinians were assaulted by settlers near the village of Jamma’in, south of Nablus, in the northern West Bank.

Footage shows the two receiving medical treatment, with one of them bleeding from his face.

No further details about the incident are currently available.

صور المزارعين الذين جرى الاعتداء عليهم من قبل المسـ.'ـتوطنين في منطقة "جراعة" ببلدة جماعين جنوب نابلس، قبل قليل. pic.twitter.com/qvuGC8C9pN

— فلسطين بوست (@PalpostN) October 29, 2026

IDF soldier charged over spying for Iran in exchange for cryptocurrency, authorities say

An Israeli soldier has been arrested and charged with carrying out a slew of espionage tasks on behalf of Iran in exchange for cryptocurrency, authorities announce.

The soldier had been arrested in September following a joint investigation carried out by the Shin Bet, Israel Police, and Military Police, which suspected him of committing “grave security offenses, including maintaining contact with Iranian intelligence operatives and carrying out tasks under their direction.”

Today, military prosecutors filed an indictment charging him with passing information to the enemy with the intent to harm state security and for the benefit of the enemy, as well as contact with a foreign agent.

The Shin Bet, police, and IDF say that during his interrogation, it emerged that the soldier had maintained contact with Iranian agents for about a year, during which he provided sensitive information about his unit’s military activities, the IDF’s readiness and call-ups, including details about his own call-up at the outbreak of the war with Iran earlier this year.

“The investigation also found that the soldier acted with awareness of the identity of his Iranian handler,” and that in exchange for the information he sent them, he received payment in cryptocurrency, the joint statement says.

Prosecutors say that the soldier sent the Iranian handler information about military bases and their coordinates, and also photographed interceptors, military vehicles and American refueling aircraft parked at an airport in Israel.

The soldier also “acted in a particularly grave manner and endangered those around him” by sending the Iranian handler details about his comrades and commanders, “knowing that the handler would seek to recruit them for espionage activities,” the statement says.

The investigation also found that the soldier sent his Iranian handler a Telegram group, known as “Kal Bakrav” (easy in battle), which is intended for young Israelis preparing to enlist in the military. The handler joined the group, according to the indictment.

The Iranian handler at one point instructed the soldier to install “malicious communications applications for conducting encrypted conversations,” and also offered to buy him a “dumb” phone and a pistol.

The soldier and Iranian handler also agreed to use codes in their conversations, “and construct a cover story in case he was discovered by security forces,” the statement says.

Prosecutors also say that the soldier was offered $200,000 to travel to Iran.

The soldier’s arrest has currently been extended by a military court until November 12, although he is expected to remain held until the end of legal proceedings.

Man killed, woman wounded in shooting in northern Arab town, police say

Illustrative: Police at the scene where two people were killed in Haifa, February 18, 2026. (Flash90)

A shooting toward a car in the northern Arab town of Reineh, near Nazareth, killed a man and moderately wounded a woman a short while ago, police say.

Officers on the scene are searching for suspects, police say, adding that the incident is of a “criminal” rather than nationalist nature.

Eisenkot and Bennett meet over efforts to form government

Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot meets with B’Yachad chairman Naftali Bennett at the latter’s home in Ra’anana.

The two discussed efforts “to establish a good government in Israel as quickly as possible,” according to a joint statement.

Democrats’ Golan meets Ra’am chair Abbas as efforts continue to oust Netanyahu

The Democrats chairman Yair Golan (R) meets with Ra'am chairman Mansour Abbas, October 29, 2026. (Courtesy)

The Democrats chairman Yair Golan meets with Ra’am chairman Mansour Abbas amid efforts to establish a new government.

Golan has held a series of meetings with opposition heads today as part of the push to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the election, in which the governing coalition lost its majority.

Golan is the only member of the Jewish-led anti-Netanyahu bloc of parties to openly support a coalition with Ra’am. Other members of the bloc oppose relying on the party to form a coalition.

Election panel director: ‘I see no likelihood’ allegations of election fraud will influence results

Asked on Channel 12 News if the allegations of foreign influence could lead to the cancellation of the elections or of the votes from entire polling stations, Dean Livne, the Central Elections Committee’s Acting Director General, says: “I don’t see a likelihood that [the allegations of foreign influence] will influence the results of the elections.”

Asked whether that means only some individual votes might be invalidated, he says, “That is correct,” and clarifies, “only if direct proof is found.”

Man who threw bombs at Colorado rally for hostages pleads guilty to hate crime

Suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman is seen as he launched an attack on demonstrators supporting Israeli hostages, at an outdoor mall, June 1, 2025, in Boulder, Colorado. (Lisa Turnquist via AP)

DENVER, Colorado — The man who lobbed gasoline bombs at a rally in support of Israeli hostages held by Palestinian terrorists in Gaza last year in Colorado, setting fire to several people, including a woman who later died from her burns, pleads guilty to federal hate-crime charges, the Associated Press reports.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 46, an Egyptian national, is already serving a life prison term for his guilty plea in May to more than 100 state charges, including first-degree murder.

Soliman pleads guilty to nine counts of hate-crime offenses and three explosives charges in federal court in Denver. The charges are punishable by life in prison after federal prosecutors declined to seek the death penalty, the AP reports.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Ra’am’s Abbas reportedly pessimistic over potential to establish minority government

Ra’am party leader Mansour Abbas believes the establishment of a minority government led by Yashar party chair Gadi Eisenkot, with the outside support of Arab parties, is weak or impossible, Channel 12 news reports.

Abbas reportedly expressed the feeling in a meeting with party members.

It comes after the Jewish-led bloc against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to win a majority in its own right in the election.

Only The Democrats have expressed openness to including Arab-majority parties.

Huckabee denies Tucker Carlson’s claim US embassy didn’t assist Palestinian-American filmed being brutally beaten by settlers

Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson posts footage of what he says was a violent settler attack on a Palestinian-American in the central West Bank town of Turmus Ayya earlier this month, claiming that US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee is aware of the case and has failed to assist.

“Ambassador Huckabee, this is unreleased video of an American who was beaten almost to death last week by Israeli settlers. You know his name because he came to you for help, but you blew him off. That’s disgraceful. Do your job,” Carlson writes on X.

Ambassador Huckabee, this is unreleased video of an American who was beaten almost to death last week by Israeli settlers. You know his name because he came to you for help, but you blew him off. That’s disgraceful. Do your job.@GovMikeHuckabee @SecRubio @davidamilstein… pic.twitter.com/U8sJeBR1Xx

— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) October 29, 2026

Huckabee responds with a lengthy post laying out the attempts by the US Embassy in Jerusalem to get in touch with the Palestinian man’s family, with limited success.

“Tucker Carlson is deranged. He accuses me personally of ignoring a US citizen allegedly attacked in Judea/Samaria by Israelis & says I ‘blew him off.’ Tucker knows how to contact me, but he’d rather make unfounded accusations than get facts,” Huckabee writes.

Please follow this entire thread.

Tucker Carlson is deranged. He accuses me personally of ignoring a US citizen allegedly attacked in Judea/Samaria by Israelis & says I "blew him off." Tucker knows how to contact me, but he'd rather make unfounded accusations than get facts.… https://t.co/4Eehehk8PB

— Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) October 29, 2026

Some Palestinian-Americans have accused the US embassy and the Trump administration of not doing enough to protect US nationals who have been among the victims in daily settler attacks that have gone overwhelmingly unpunished by Israeli authorities.

Huckabee has called the perpetrators terrorists, while insisting that they are not representative of the broader settler population.

CENTCOM chief presents Iran military options to Trump at White House — WSJ

Adm. Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, appears before a House Committee on Armed Services hearing on Capitol Hill, May 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

The US military’s senior officer overseeing the Middle East met US President Donald Trump at the White House today to outline military options in Iran, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing US officials and other people with direct knowledge of the meeting.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine join the meeting in which CENTCOM’s Adm. Brad Cooper presents the options.

Reuters cannot immediately independently verify the report.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

X-Men star Patrick Stewart dies at 86 after brief battle with Alzheimer’s

Patrick Stewart attends the 84th Annual Peabody Awards on June 9, 2024, in Beverly Hills, California. (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Patrick Stewart, the classically trained stage actor who scaled the Shakespearean canon and added gravitas to a “Star Trek” franchise and the “X-Men” films, has died. He was 86.

Stewart died yesterday in Los Angeles, following “a brief and poignant journey” with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy Body Dementia, spokesperson Kelly Bush Novak says.

While best known as Professor Charles Xavier and Captain Jean-Luc Picard from the “X-Men” and “Star Trek: The Next Generation” series and films, respectively, Stewart spent more of his career onstage than in the X-Mansion or on the USS Enterprise.

Besides playing everyone from Claudius to Macbeth, he often performed a one-man rendition of “A Christmas Carol” and did West End and Broadway runs of Harold Pinter’s “No Man’s Land” and Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” in repertoire with buddy Ian McKellen.

Stewart starred in the 2013 Israeli film “Hunting Elephants” and spent time in Israel while filming the movie.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Route 4 reopens after Haredi riot; three arrested, i24 team assaulted

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men block a road and clash with police during a protest against the jailing of yeshiva students who failed to comply with an army recruitment order, outside the city of Bnei Brak, October 29, 2026. (Flash90)

Route 4 has reopened in both directions after hundreds of Haredi men rioted near Bnei Brak, where they clashed with cops, “terrorized passersby” and assaulted journalists, police say in a statement.

Three people were arrested on suspicion of attacking police and disrupting order, the statement says, adding that three police officers were wounded, two of whom were hospitalized.

Rioters also threw a stone at i24 reporter Shany Weitzman, hitting her in the head, and attacked i24 photojournalist Nadav Abbas with a metal rod, according to police and the outlet.

Meanwhile, the United Hatzalah ambulance service says it treated over 30 people — both protesters and police — for moderate and light wounds as a result of the demonstration.

Eight of the wounded people were hospitalized, the ambulance service says.

Over 10 US military transports landed at Israeli airbases over past week, analysts say

More than 10 American military transport aircraft landed at Israeli airbases in southern Israel over the past week, according to analysts monitoring open-source flight tracking data.

Most of the recent cargo flights took off from Biggs Army Airfield in El Paso, Texas. According to the data, the planes were destined for the Israeli Air Force’s Nevatim and Ovda airbases in the south.

There have also been a number of other American military cargo flights to US bases in other Middle East countries in recent days, including Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait.

The contents of the transport planes are unknown, but are thought to be related to efforts by the US to improve its air defenses in the region ahead of a new possible round of fighting with Iran.

On Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the US military was sending a Patriot battery from Texas to bolster its air defenses in the region.

#USAF United States Air Force – Iran War 2026
Operation Epic Fury
29 October – 1125z

Movements primarily from Biggs Army Airfield continue this morning. Three C-17s are en route to/have arrived at Ovda Air Base in Israel, while two more are in-progress – this brings the total to… https://t.co/rt1kwlqE4r pic.twitter.com/caE3v0lBRs

— Armchair Admiral ???????? (@ArmchairAdml) October 29, 2026