Search focused on the Middle East

26+ min ago (367+ words) Former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman issued a stark warning regarding the shifting political landscape in the United States while forcefully defending Donald Trump's record on Israel, during a wide-ranging discussion at the Israel Hayom Summit. Speaking with'Israel Hayom'diplomatic commentator Ariel Kahana, Friedman addressed the erosion of bipartisan support for Israel, the viability of a "Puerto Rico model" for Judea and Samaria, and revealed details regarding US military cooperation against Iran. Friedman began by pivoting off remarks made earlier by Hillary Clinton regarding generational divides. He argued that focusing solely on political parties misses a deeper demographic shift, illustrating his point with the election of Zohran Mamdani, a socialist state assembly member in New York known for his critical stance on Israel. "When people think about the election of Zohran Mamdani, they say 30% of Jews voted for him. But…...

38+ min ago (145+ words) The first squad commanders for the haredi Hashmonaim Brigade graduated their preparatory course Tuesday night, led by Col. A., their brigade commander. Attending the graduation were the commanders and the graduates' families. Around 70 soldiers completed the training, during which they underwent combat exercises in both urban and open terrain, navigation across the country, advanced professional instruction, and also took part in the fighting in Gaza. This is the brigade's first commanders' course for soldiers from the haredi sector and is part of the ongoing effort to integrate haredi youth into the IDF. The proposed Draft Law would continue these efforts, requiring the IDF to establish service tracks tailored specifically to the lifestyle of haredi-sector recruits. Under the bill, an advisory committee will be formed to evaluate the law's implementation and report to the Knesset and the security establishment every six months....

38+ min ago (34+ words) Real time news brief - Watch: Hashmonaim Brigade's first squad commanders graduate course - Israel National News flashes around the clock are waiting for you on the site Watch: Hashmonaim Brigade's first squad commanders graduate course...

56+ min ago (1326+ words) ISRAEL AT WAR - DAY 789 As locals made their way along the winding, tree-lined paths of Kibbutz Bar'am on their way to the communal dining room for lunch, visitors could see that most of the displaced residents of this small farming collective in the Upper Galilee have returned home. Inside, over a lunch of schnitzel and rice, kibbutz member Avi Ifergan gestured around the spacious dining hall. "You see it in here," he said. "It's like everything is back to normal." The Times of Israel visited the kibbutz on the eve of the first anniversary of the November 2024 ceasefire with the terror group, after more than a year of war had left much of Israel's north heavily damaged and deserted. The community, which lies just 300 meters (roughly 1,000 feet) from the border with Lebanon, was evacuated in its entirety on October 9, 2023, two…...

57+ min ago (32+ words) Real time news brief - Evidentiary basis formed against captured Hamas terrorists - Israel National News flashes around the clock are waiting for you on the site Evidentiary basis formed against captured Hamas terrorists...

57+ min ago (155+ words) The prosecution succeeded in building a significant evidentiary basis against most of the Hamas forces imprisoned in Israel who were involved in the October 7th massacre, Kan Reshet Bet reported. The evidence was assembled despite a serious concern at the start of the investigation that it would be difficult to prove the involvement of many of the suspects. The prosecution believes it can prove the terrorists' participation using, "a solid body of evidence." Documents submitted to the Constitution Committee indicate that analysis of the evidentiary framework is already in advanced stages, and that draft indictments have been prepared against some of those involved in the massacre. Currently, about 300 terrorists suspected of direct involvement in the October 7 events are being held in Israel. In the Constitution Committee, a joint proposal by Knesset members Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionist Party) and Yulia Malinovsky (Yisrael…...

58+ min ago (737+ words) ISRAEL AT WAR - DAY 789 GENEVA, Switzerland "A Doctors Without Borders official has pleaded for countries to open their doors to tens of thousands of Gazans in dire need of medical evacuation, warning that hundreds have already died waiting. "The need is really huge," said Hani Isleem, who coordinates medical evacuations from Gaza for the charity, known by its French acronym MSF. The numbers taken in by countries so far remain "just a drop in the ocean," Isleem told AFP in an interview on Tuesday. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 8,000 patients have been evacuated out of Gaza since the war erupted following the Hamas-led massacre inside southern Israel on October 7, 2023. It says more than 16,500 patients still need to be taken for treatment outside of the Palestinian territory. Speaking at the MSF headquarters in Geneva after accompanying seriously ill…...

1+ hour, 6+ min ago (42+ words) Real time news brief - PM's Office: Remains transferred to Israel not of any deceased hostages - Israel National News flashes around the clock are waiting for you on the site PM's Office: Remains transferred to Israel not of any deceased hostages...

1+ hour, 7+ min ago (157+ words) The Prime Minister's Office on Wednesday morning announced that the remains transferred Tuesday to Israel are not of any deceased hostages. "Following the completion of the identification process at the National Center of Forensic Medicine, it was determined that the findings brought yesterday for examination from the Gaza Strip are not linked to any of the fallen hostages," a statement read. "An update has been delivered to the families of the two fallen hostages. The effort to return them will not cease until the mission is complete - to bring them to proper burial in their homeland." On Monday, the Hamas terror organization found remains while searching for the bodies of the remaining hostages. Gaza terror groups are still holding the bodies of two deceased hostages: Yassam officer Ran Gvili and Sudthisak Rinthalak, a Thai agricultural worker. Last week, the body…...

1+ hour, 23+ min ago (144+ words) Israel is preparing for a significant escalation in Lebanon following Hezbollah's continued military buildup in the country, Kan News reported. According to the report, Israel presented US envoy Morgan Ortagus with evidence of Hezbollah's ongoing entrenchment and expansion in Lebanon, warning that continued activity will lead to responses from the IDF. The US is attempting to calm tensions, but Israeli sources say an escalation "appears inevitable." Meanwhile, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz is expected to arrive in Israel next week, likely as part of US efforts to prevent an escalation. On Tuesday, at an Israel Hayom conference in New York, Waltz stressed that, "Israel has the right to defend itself" and that Hezbollah must be disarmed and remain so. "The opportunity is huge," he added, noting that although the US administration desires peace, "tough steps" will be taken…...