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As international figures were on their way to the Middle East in the hope of negotiating a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu made the rounds of television news shows explaining Israel’s position in the wake of the continuing ground war in Gaza. Netanyahu appeared on three TV news channels – Sky…

A 25-year-old man was shot and seriously wounded on Monday night at the Rechelim junction, near the Shomron city of Ariel, in what may have been a terrorist attack. Magen David Adom paramedics treated the victim at the scene and then took him to the Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva. Police believe the man was…

Several international powers called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on Monday, calling for an “end to violence.”  “The new dangerous cycle of violence has shown with absolute clarity the need for a ceasefire,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement as the United States and the United Nations demanded an immediate ceasefire. “Now we…

Hundreds of people protested in Jaffa Monday night against Operation Protective Edge, demanding that the IDF stop its campaign against Hamas terrorists. The protests were part of a national “Day of Rage” declared by Arab groups, consisting of protests and demonstrations in Arab cities and towns against the IDF operation. Right-wing activists attempted to conduct a…

A barrage of seven rockets was fired from Gaza towards southern Israel on Monday evening, around 11:00 p.m. The rockets exploded in open regions in the city of Be’er Sheva, causing no physical injuries or damages. Two rockets were also fired towards the city of Ashdod. One rocket was intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile…

Jewish groups in New York will be protesting the presentation of an opera called “The Death of Klinghoffer,” which they say is anti-Israel and anti-Semitic. According to a spokesperson for Americans for a Safe Israel (AFSI), “this opera should be entitled, “The Murder of Klinghoffer.” First produced in Brussels and New York in 1991, the…

Turkey declared three days of national mourning on Monday, in a “solidarity move” for “Palestinian victims” of Israel’s self-defense operation in Gaza, which it called a “massacre.”  “We condemn Israel’s massacre of the Palestinian people,” Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc told reporters in Ankara in televised comments after a cabinet meeting. “In a show of solidarity with the…

Several hundred protesters gathered in Budapest Monday at a controversial new World War II monument which Jewish groups say glosses over Hungary’s active role in the Holocaust, AFP reports.  The government said Monday it was canceling a planned official inauguration of the monument — put up under the cover of darkness early onSunday after months of protests – which it says marks all the…

Israel must “do more” to protect civilians caught up in the crossfire of its assault on Hamas in the Gaza, the White House said Monday. “We would like the Israelis to take even greater steps to ensure the protection of civilians,” spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters. His comments came as US Secretary of State John Kerry headed to the region…

The IDF Spokesperson’s Office stated Monday night that seven additional soldiers and officers have been killed in Gaza, as the fourteenth day of Operation Protective Edge draws to a close.  Their families have been notified. Sergeant First Class Yuval Dagan, 22, from Kfar Saba, served in the Golani Brigade.  Dagan’s funeral will be held Monday…

In a recorded speech broadcast on Hamas television, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh on Monday announced that Hamas would not agree to a cease-fire unless Israel agreed to its terms. “Our resistance is bravely holding back the Zionist murderers,” Haniyeh said. “Our fighters are defending the Palestinian nation.” Haniyeh listed ten demands that Israel would have…

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu) vowed to stop major Arab broadcaster Al Jazeera from broadcasting in Israel on Monday, arguing that it is a mouthpiece for Hamas propaganda.  “Qatar has become a global problem,” he stated, in a meeting with the Rwandan Foreign Minister. Several Hamas leaders have fled to Qatar since Israel began cracking…

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal issued a joint appeal for an end to “Israeli aggression” in Gaza during talks in Doha on Monday. Meeting for the first time since the start of Operation Protective Edge on July 8, the two men also called for Israel to lift its blockade of theHamas-controlled territory. They…

Among the demands Hamas has demanded that Israel fulfill in exchange for a cease-fire is the continued unlimited supply of free electricity by Israel to terrorists-run Gaza. The electricity demand was one of “ten commands” Hamas has put forth, the terror group said. Hamas owes the Israel Electric Company (IEC) hundreds of millions of shekels,…

A report in London-based Arabic language newspaper Al-Arab  Monday said that Israeli planes over the weekend destroyed a warehouse in Sudan that was holding a large number of long-range Iranian missiles. The missiles belonged to Hamas, and were to be used against Israel after they were smuggled into Gaza. According to the report, eyewitnesses said they…

Abu Dhabi has accused the Al-Jazeera TV channel and websites close to Qatar of “fabricating” information suggesting UAE supported Israel’s operation in Gaza, in the latest tensions between both countries, AFP reports Monday.  Relations between Qatar and its Gulf neighbors Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain sank to a new low in March when the three governments withdrew their ambassadors from Doha,…

Germany’s Jewish community on Monday condemned an “explosion of evil and violent hatred of Jews” at a recent string of pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the country, AFP reports.  Protesters waving Palestinian flags and signs of late leader Yasser Arafat have in recent days openly shouted angry anti-Semitic slogans at rallies against Israel’s Gaza offensive, according to German media. Exclaiming “Allahu Akbar” (God is…

The IDF on Monday released photos and videos that offered irrefutable proof that Hamas terrorists were indeed using civilian neighborhoods and facilities – including hospitals – to fire rockets at Israel. The IDF spokesperson released the materials on its Twitter account Monday afternoon. Israel has long insisted that Hamas uses Gaza civilians as human shields,…

Some 500 people on Monday staged a silent protest in Tokyo against the bloodshed in Gaza, the biggest such gathering in the Japanese capital since the violence began early this month, organizers told AFP. As night fell demonstrators holding candles formed huge letters spelling “Gaza” in a city park, and offered a one-minute prayer for victims of the violence in the Palestinian…

The official Facebook page of Fatah, the terror movement and political organization headed by Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas, has published photos from Tulkarem, in Samaria, showing Fatah activists passing out sweets to people in the street to celebrate the alleged abduction of an IDF soldier in Gaza. The claim regarding the abduction was circulated…

A group of New Yorkers gathered in Manhattan on Sunday for a spontaneous demonstration in support of Israel. Thousands of people came by to express support for the Jewish state amid its military operation against Hamas’s terrorist infrastructure in Gaza. Loading…

United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged Israel on Sunday to “exercise maximum restraint” and spare civilian lives in its campaign in Gaza, AFP reports. He also condemned what he called the “atrocious action” of Israel in Shejaiya, near Gaza City, where 62 people were killed in an Israeli attack on Hamas terrorists. The…

The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting late Sunday on the situation in Gaza. According to AFP, diplomats said the meeting was requested by council member Jordan, following a call by Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. As regional leaders met in Doha for urgent talks on a ceasefire, Abbas said that…

The IDF cleared for publication on Sunday night the names of five of the 13 officers and soldiers who were killed in an attack on an APC in Gaza. Captain Tzafrir Bar-Or, a commander in the Golani Brigade, 32, of Holon. His funeral will be held Monday at 1:00 p.m. in the military section of…

French newspaper Le Figaro reported Sunday that a synagogue at Sarcelles, in the Val d’Oise area of Paris, was targeted by a molotov cocktail. Flames licked the building but the fire did not take. The incident reportedly took place Sunday during a demonstration in support of Palestinian Arabs in Gaza which had been banned by…

British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour’s declaration was in the form of a letter to a leader of the British Jewish community.  It stated:  Balfour speaking at the founding of Hebrew University.Behind him sit Chaim Weizmann and Chief Rabbi Avraham Kook The British Army had just captured Be’er Sheva  after months of trying to break through the Ottoman army’s Gaza-Be’er Sheva defense line. The…

At a press conference shortly before news of the deaths of 13 IDF soldiers overnight Saturday was released, IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz said that the army was determined to complete its mission of restoring quiet to southern Israel by delivering a devastating blow to Hamas’ military capabilities. A substantial blow had already been…

A prominent Salafi Islamist cleric in Egypt has called on Egyptians not to support Hamas in its war against Israel, accusing the Muslim Brotherhood-aligned terrorist group of being part of a joint Shia-communist plot to harm the “Palestinian people”. While reminding viewers that “driving the Jews out of Palestine is, indeed, a duty”, cleric Talaat…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addressed the nation and answered reporters’ questions Sunday evening during the prime time newscasts after 8:00 p.m., and spelled out relatively modest aims for Operation Protective Edge in Gaza, which completes its 13th day Sunday night. In response to a question, Netanyahu said that Israel has embarked on a gradual process…

A 32-year-old man was killed Saturday when a rocket fired by Gaza terrorists hit a small Bedouin community near the city of Dimona. The man has been identified as Alouj Ouda. His wife, son, daughter, and sister-in-law were wounded in the attack. Ouda’s wife suffered shrapnel injuries to several parts of her body, and is…

US Secretary of State John Kerry Sunday blamed Hamas for the continuation of the conflict in Gaza, saying the Islamic terrorists were refusing all ceasefire efforts. “Israel is under siege by a terrorist organization that has seen fit to dig tunnels and come through those tunnels with handcuffs and tranquilizer drugs, prepared to try to…

The IDF Spokesperson’s Office announced a large expansion of ground forces in Gaza overnight Saturday/Sunday, as part of the ongoing self-defense operation against Hamas, Operation Protective Edge. The decision was made after an emergency meeting by Israel’s foremost political leaders, according to the IDF – which emphasized that the ground operation could expand even further…

The UN agency for Palestinian Arab “refugees,” UNRWA, has caused outrage by apparently giving rockets to Hamas. On Thursday, UNRWA confirmed that 20 rockets had been found in one of its vacant schools in Gaza.  UNRWA staff said last week that they had “informed the relevant parties and successfully took all necessary measures for the…

The chief editor of a Sudanese newspaper was badly beaten, according to Al-Arabiya, for the sole crime of calling for normalization of ties with Israel.  Osman Mirghani, chief editor of Sudanese daily Al-Tayar, was admitted to Al-Zaytouna hospital in Khartoum Saturday night after seven men raided his office and beat him over his pro-Israel views. The attack…

Golani Brigade commander, Colonel Raslan Alian, was seriously wounded overnight Saturday-Sunday during the fighting in Gaza and was evacuated for medical treatment.   Col. Alian fought in the Second Lebanon War and was wounded fighting Hezbollah. Alian is the first Druze to have been appointed commander of the Golani Brigade. He is married and father…

Sagit Greenberg, widow of Res. Major Amotz Greenberg hy”d, stated that her husband Amotz was dedicated to protecting his soldiers – and understood that the line of duty could involve risking his life.  “The army was something that was always in our lives,” Sagit stated Sunday, in an interview with IDF Radio. “We sat here on…

Rocket fragments fell throughout Rishon LeTzion on Sunday, after the Iron Dome intercepted a large volley fired on the heavily-populated Gush Dan region.  But as shrapnel rained on the unsuspecting populace, one kindergarten was narrowly missed by a large fragment – an open miracle, as Channel 2 reports.  Some 20 children and staff headed into a protected…

France’s prime minister on Sunday defended a controversial decision to ban a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Paris that went ahead anyway and degenerated into violence. The rally Saturday in a northern district of the French capital was initially peaceful, but scores of men later clashed with riot police, throwing stones and bottles at security forces who…

After tens of thousands of people participated over the past several days in violent protests against Israel in London, Paris, and other locations around the world, with protestors in Paris attacking a synagogue last week, Jewish communities in the Diaspora aren’t taking any chances. Many have asked local police for extra patrols around synagogues and…

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas “political leader” Khaled Mashaal will meet in Qatar Sunday to discuss a truce in Gaza, day 13 of Israel’s self-defense operation, an official said. The official close to Abbas, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said: “The president will meet Mashaal to discuss ways of reaching a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.” Hamas categorically…

A rocket probably fired from the Gaza hit Egypt’s Rafah border crossing with the embattled Palestinian enclave on Saturday, wounding a soldier, a  security official told AFP.  The rocket “was most likely fired from Gaza and fell into Egyptian territory by mistake,” the official said.  An estimated 1,600 rockets have been fired from Gaza since Operation Protective…

As of Saturday night, the IDF has uncovered 34 terror tunnels, including 5 which extend from Gaza far into Israel, the IDF Spokesperson’s Office announced Saturday night. The tunnels have been neutralized and are in the process of being destroyed, it said. Seventy terrorists have been killed – including 20 on Saturday alone – and…

Palestinian Arabs deliberately cut electricity lines in the Dolev-Talmonim Bloc in Binyamin on Saturday, causing power outages throughout several communities over Shabbat.  Power was finally restored since the early evening hours in Dolev, Talmon, Harsha, Neria, Horesh, Yaron, and Nahaliel.  The terrorists uploaded footage of the attack on social media, confirming suspicions that the power…

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius insisted on Saturday that his country’s “absolute priority” is to secure a truce in Gaza, saying an Egyptian initiative for ceasefire enjoys international support. At a joint news conference with his Jordanian counterpart, Nasser Judeh, Fabius said his regional tour seeks to help “break the spiral of violence and to protect the civilian population as much as…

Parts of central London were brought to a standstill on Saturday as thousands of pro-Palestinians marched in protest against Israel’s offensive in Gaza, while in Paris a banned demonstration descended into violence. Organizers of the London rally claimed that “tens of thousands” of people joined the march from Prime Minister David Cameron’s office to the Israeli embassy, many of them chanting “Israel…

Israeli Arab MK Hanin Zoabi (Balad) continued to openly encourage Hamas in the battle against Israel’s self-defense operation, giving another inflammatory interview to Al-Jazeera Saturday ” ” .  “The Israeli Home Front Command is afraid of casualties rising following a ground operation,” Zoabi said. “The Israeli public cannot stand [the idea that] confrontation will injure more and…

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) expressed alarm at the increasingly hostile environment toward Israel in Turkey Saturday, warning that the escalation of anti-Semitism against the Turkish Jewish community is rising and calling on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to address the situation.  “We are alarmed by the growing hostility toward Israel in Turkey, which is increasingly…

An IDF reserve officer, Col. Amotz Greenberg, 45, of Hod Hasharon, and Sgt. Adar Bersano, 20, of Nahariya, were killed Saturday morning after a terrorist squad infiltrated from Gaza into Israel through a tunnel. The terrorists engaged an IDF motorized force that passed near the location where they emerged from the tunnel, firing at a…

Since the ground operation in Gaza began, the IDF has attacked 260 terror targets, according to updated statistics released by the IDF Spokesperson on Friday night. Among the targets that were hit are leadership and governance infrastructure, weapons production and storage sites, tunnels and homes of senior Hamas officials. So far, according to the IDF,…

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will fly to the Middle East on Saturday in an effort to end the latest violence in Gaza, a top official told the Security Council on Friday, according to AFP. Under secretary general for political affairs Jeffrey Feltman said a two-state solution to the conflict was the only way…

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday slammed Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as an “illegitimate tyrant” and said Cairo could not be relied upon to negotiate a truce with Israel. “Is Sisi a party (to a ceasefire)? Sisi is a tyrant himself,” Erdogan was quoted by the AFP news agency as having told…

U.S. President Barack Obama got to hear an incoming rocket siren during a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Friday. As the two were speaking, a siren was heard in the background, indicating that rockets were being fired towards Tel Aviv. Netanyahu remarked to Obama that this is the reality in which Israelis…

MK Hanin Zoabi took part in a demonstration held by Arabs in Haifa on Friday evening against Operation Protective Edge. Clashes broke out between the demonstrators and police forces when the protesters, who numbered approximately 400, tried to block streets. Police noted that the protest was not authorized by them and that they found out…

The European Union on Friday said it was “very concerned” over the escalation of violence in Gaza and reiterated a call for an immediate ceasefire, AFP reports. “We are very concerned about the escalation in the Gaza Strip including the resumption of rocket fire into Israel and the Israeli ground operation,” said a statement issued…

Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud Abbas on Friday urged support for an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire proposal in Gaza, as he held talks with Turkey’s leaders on a brief stopover after a visit to Cairo. “Israel accepted the ceasefire proposal. We (the Palestinians) must also accept it so that we can put the Israeli side at unease,” Abbas told…

The number of displaced Gazans has almost doubled in the past 24 hours, hitting 40,000 people since Israel began a major ground operation, the UN agency for Palestinian Arab “refugees,” UNRWA, said Friday. “The number of people coming to UNRWA seeking sanctuary from the fighting in Gaza has nearly doubled today. It has risen from…

Hamas terrorists fired a large salvo of rockets towards Israel on Friday evening. The rocket attacks targeted both southern Israel as well as central Israel, as sirens were heard in the Tel Aviv area. The Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepted three rockets over Ashdod. A fourth rocket exploded in an open area. Four rockets were…

Two rockets fired by Gaza terrorists exploded outside a community in the Eshkol region of southern Israel on Friday evening. There were no physical injuries. Around 9:15 p.m., sirens were heard in Tel Aviv and in the Gush Dan region, for the third time in several hours. At least three rockets were intercepted by the…

CNN has removed correspondent Diana Magnay from covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict after she tweeted that Israelis who were cheering the bombing of Gaza, and who had allegedly threatened her, were “scum.” “After being threatened and harassed before and during a liveshot, Diana reacted angrily on Twitter,” a CNN spokeswoman said in a statement to The…

Dozens of neo-Nazis demonstrated in Warsaw, Poland on Thursday in front of the Israeli embassy, demanding an end to Operation Protective Edge to protect Israeli civilians from Hamas’s rocket fire.  The demonstrators called to “bring Israeli flags back into the crematoria chimneys.” The Polish Jewish community staged a counter-protest, along with Chief Rabbi Michael Sodrich…

Itamar Avnon, a young Israeli and veteran IDF paratroopers, died in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over the Russia-Ukraine border on Thursday, along with 294 others, his family announced.  “Unfortunately, I must share with all of my Facebook friends the sad news that my son Itamar was on the plane that crashed over…

Bulgarian prosecutors revealed for the first time Friday the identity of the bomber in a deadly attack on Israeli tourists in the Bulgarian sea resort of Burgas in 2012. Five Israeli tourists were killed in the attack as well as the driver of the bus and the bomber, while more than 30 other Israelis were injured.…

One week before he was killed in Gaza, First Sergeant Eitan Barak was interviewed in military magazine Bamahane, as a platoon commander in the Nahal Brigade who took part in Operation Brother’s Keeper. The IDF scoured Judea and Samaria in that operation in search of three abducted yeshiva students, and conducted arrests of Hamas terrorists.…

Since their entry into Gaza Thursday night, IDF forces have attacked 150 targets, including tunnels, rocket launch sites and the homes of senior officers. Sirens sounded in Be’er Sheva and nearby communities Friday morning, as terrorists continued to fire at Israel. The Iron Dome system intercepted three rockets in the sky. A soldier who was…

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Israel on Thursday to “do far more” to spare civilians after it launched a ground offensive in Gaza. “I regret that despite my repeated urgings, and those of many regional and world leaders together, an already dangerous conflict has now escalated even further,” Ban told reporters, according to…

Hamas continues to receive military and political support from Iran, it was revealed Friday. Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal spoke to Iranian Parliament chairman Ali Larijani Thursday night, shortly after the Israeli government announced it would launch a ground offensive into Gaza. Mashaal reportedly said that Hamas could deal with every possible scenario, boasting that their…

The IDF has released a summary of the last eight hours of Operation Protective Edge’s ground offensive in Gaza on Friday morning, after tens of thousands of soldiers were called up to enter Gaza and destroy Hamas’s arsenals and terror tunnels. The IDF eliminated 15 terrorists overnight; 103 terror targets were eliminated, including 20 buried…

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke at length about the ground offensive in Gaza on Friday, as Operation Protective Edge against Hamas enters its eleventh day.  “This is the tenth day that Israel has had to endure terrorism on its cities and its citizens,” he said. “The IDF is operating against Hamas in Gaza by sea,…

The solidarity mission of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) traveled to the south of Israel Thursday, to meet with Israelis living under the constant threat of Hamas rocket fire. President Shimon Peres, WJC President Ronald Lauder and the other members the 78-strong WJC delegation paid a visit to Kibbutz Zikim near Gaza, where the IDF…

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas was to head to Turkey to push a ceasefire in Gaza on Friday, after Hamas rejected Egyptian-mediated negotiations and Israel launched a ground operation. Egypt, under recently-elected President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, has moved to isolate Hamas, accusing it of backing the Muslim Brotherhood on its own territory.  It has worked instead to bolster…

Violent protests erupted at the Israeli embassies in Istanbul and Ankara on Thursday night, with throngs of shrieking Turkish demonstrators hurling rocks at the embassy and at staff, screaming hate slurs, and waving pro-Palestinian flags and banners.  Hundreds of protesters attacked the Israeli consulate in Istanbul while similar numbers sought to break into the residence of…

The IDF has killed 17 terrorists, it announced Friday afternoon, and taken in an additional 13 – who surrendered – for questioning.  In addition, they have uncovered four terror tunnels and destroyed 21 rocket launchers, it said.  Earlier, Palestinian Arab sources claimed that the IDF is actively working to destroy two terror tunnels Friday, as…

Four days after helping his German Arsenal team win soccer’s World Cup, Mesut Ozil is donating his game winnings to “the children of Gaza,” reports said. The funds represent the bonuses he received for playing through the World Cup series games, with $300,000 of the sum awarded to him in the aftermath of the final…

The IDF authorized for publication Thursday morning that soldiers had successfully prevented a major terrorist incursion into Israel by Gaza Arab terrorists, who had attempted to sneak into Israel via a terror tunnel. The terrorists had managed to dig their way into a kibbutz near the border, IDF officials said.  In the early morning hours…

Former Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Al-Arabi said Thursday that Hamas was not serious about a cease-fire – and that the terror group was deliberately trying to embarrass Egypt. Speaking in an interview in an Egyptian newspaper, Al-Arabi blamed Hamas for not only failing to come to a cease-fire, but for “shedding the blood of innocent…

Osama Hamdan, who is in charge of foreign affairs in Hamas, has presented an uncompromising stance regarding the war against Israel. In the course of the meal breaking the daily Ramadan fast, Hamdan said that Hamas can hold on for many months, and that it is manufacturing a new missile for every one that is…

A Malaysia Airlines jet crashed near the Russia-Ukraine on Thursday, killing 295 people on board – and sparking questions about the role of the ongoing civil war between the Ukrainian army and pro-Russian militants in the crash.  Both the Russian and Ukrainian government denied being involved in the crash of the Boeing-777, bound to Kuala…

While the government pushes for a cease-fire in the current round of fighting with Hamas, Israelis around the country took to the streets Thursday demanding a more definitive ending to Operation Protective Edge – at the very least turning off the electricity in Gaza in order to bring about a fall of Hamas control of…

Adi Ya’akubov, a resident of New York City’s Borough of Queens, wanted to show his solidarity with Israel as Hamas rockets rained down on Israeli cities – so he moved up a family trip planned for the High Holidays to July. The trip was meant to celebrate the Bar-Mitzvah of his son Yosef, but the…

Clinton would not go there. “Well, and they’re trapped by their leadership,” she retorted. “Unfortunately it’s a two-pronged trapping. They have leadership that is committed to resistance and violence and therefore their actions are mostly about how do we get new and better missiles to launch them at Israel, instead of saying ‘hey, let’s try…

Popular pop star Rihanna on Tuesday posted a tweet in support of Palestinian Arabs, then deleted it and said the tweet was made by mistake. The British Independent reported that the singer, who is from Barbados, posted the hashtag “#FreePalestine” on her official feed on Tuesday morning. She deleted it within eight minutes, the report…

As Israel launched a ground operation in Gaza on Thursday, Egypt blamed Hamas – but also Israel – for the latest escalation and for the deaths of civilians. According to Kol Yisrael radio, the Egyptian government said it was placing the responsibility on Hamas for “the possible deaths of Palestinian civilians”, citing Hamas’s refusal to…

Cabinet ministers from the right and the left expressed their support on Thursday night for Israel’s ground operation in Gaza. Communications Minister Gilad Erdan (Likud) said in an interview on Channel 2 News that the decision to expand Operation Protective Edge into a ground assault was reached unanimously among the entire Cabinet. “A few days…

The IDF shot down a Hamas aerial drone Thursday evening. The drone was brought down by Patriot missiles. The Navy is looking for remains of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).  This is the second time a UAV has been shot down this week. An enemy UAV, apparently laden with explosives, was shot down by the IDF near the port city…

Cleared for publication: three Arab residents of Shfar’am, two of them minors, were arrested on suspicion of public disorder and throwing Molotov cocktails at police car in Shfar’am last Sunday. The three arrests were made possible through joint cooperation of the Israel Security Agency (ISA or Shin Bet) and the Northern District of the Israel…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu explained on Thursday evening that the ground operation in Gaza was meant to hit the terrorist tunnels leading from Gaza into Israeli territory. In a statement issued after he and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon instructed the IDF to embark on a ground assault into Gaza, Netanyahu noted that the operation was…

IDF spokesman Brigadier General Moti Almoz said on Thursday night that the IDF was dealing the terrorists in Gaza a powerful blow. Addressing the media as the IDF launched a ground operation in Gaza, Almoz called on the residents of Gaza to stay away from areas in which Israeli troops are operating. “We are entering…

The Prime Minister’s Office has issued a statement that says the IDF has embarked on a ground assault into Gaza against Hamas’s tunnels. The operation is deemed as “limited” and will probably not go further than two or three kilometers into Gaza’s territory. This is deemed to be deep enough in enemy land to find…

The medical condition of a soldier seriously injured last week by a mortar shell near the Kerem Shalom crossing has deteriorated significantly Thursday. First Sergeant Mordechai Yamin, 22, who serves in the Combat Engineering Corps, was seriously wounded Thursday near Gaza. He was on pre-discharge leave, and about to complete his mandatory service, when he went to his…

Hamas terrorists fired nearly 100 rockets into southern Israel on Wednesday alone, including seven at Ashdod and nineteen at Ashkelon.  Of those, twenty were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system; four landed in open areas. Two rockets also hit one site in each city – slamming into a school in Ashdod and a…

Israel has accepted a request by UN envoy Robert Serry to enact a six-hour “humanitarian ceasefire” starting Thursday morning. Serry submitted the request to both the Israeli government and Hamas on Wednesday evening in order to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip; while Israel accepted immediately, Hamas has yet to respond. The IDF spokesman…

Finance Minister Yair Lapid said on Wednesday that it was Hamas, whose terrorists regularly uses civilians as human shields, was responsible for the deaths of children in Gaza. “Unlike previous times, the world understands that Hamas is to blame for these unfortunate and terrible deaths, and that is why we still have a wide international…

The Hamas terrorist group has published another Hebrew-language video in which it threatens Israelis. After previously releasing a Hebrew version of a popular Hamas battle song calling to ‘exterminate’ Jews and Israel, Wednesday’s video directly threatens IDF soldiers and warns them not to launch a ground assault on Gaza. “Zionist soldier, don’t move. You’re in…

U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday reiterated that Washington supports Israel’s right to defend itself from Gaza rocket attacks, as he said he and the world were “heartbroken” by the deaths of civilians in Gaza. According to AFP, Obama also said he backed Egypt’s efforts to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza,…

Former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar visited IDF soldiers at the border with Gaza Wednesday as the military continues preparations for a possible ground offensive to stamp-out rocket fire on Israeli civilians. Many of the soldiers have been waiting anxiously at the border for as long as week, and Rabbi Amar – who is considered one…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu reiterated Israel’s right to self-defense Wednesday, in a meeting with Italian Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini. “Those who shoot at us are not looking for a political solution, they want the destruction and disappearance of Israel,” Netanyahu stated Wednesday afternoon. “We have only one answer for them: we will fight you and defeat…

Two Palestinian Arab brothers suspected of involvement in rocket attacks on northern Israel have been arrested by the Lebanese army, the military said on Wednesday. “Khalil and Hassan Kharraz were arrested on Tuesday. They admitted to transporting rockets on July 13 and 14 to the area from where they were launched” at Israel, the army said in a statement. At least…

Paris police have banned pro-Palestinian activists from demonstrating this Saturday night, an official told AFP Wednesday, after violent protestors blockaded French Jews in a local synagogue and attacked them earlier this week.  Saturday night’s protest was planned for the Barbas–Rochechouart metro station near the northern Gare du Nord train station, the official said.  However, Paris police oppose…

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon vowed on Wednesday that Israel will continue its operation in Gaza until Hamas understands that it was a mistake to fire rockets towards Israel. “Even at this hour, Hamas and other terrorist organizations in Gaza continue to fire missiles and rockets at Israel and try to carry out terror attacks,” he…

The United States is doing “everything in our power” to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday, according to AFP. “Our concern is to have a legitimate ceasefire and see if we can find a way to stop the conflict and killing so we can get to the real issues…

An Israeli delegation will leave for Cairo on Thursday, where it will participate in talks for a ceasefire mediated by Egypt, it was reported Wednesday night. The members of the delegation are Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) chief Yoram Cohen, senior Defense Ministry official Amos Gilad, and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s personal envoy, Attorney Yitzhak…

Hamas agreed on Wednesday night to a temporary humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, but not before firing another salvo of rockets towards Israel. “The group agrees to a ceasefire for five hours,” starting from 10:00 a.m. local time Thursday, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement quoted by the AFP news agency. “The Palestinian…

Iran’s foreign minister suggested on Tuesday that six world powers are leaning towards extending nuclear talks with Tehran beyond a July 20 deadline, Reuters reported. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said “serious differences” remained in nuclear talks with the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China. He added, however, that the text of a…

Israel’s special pardons commission ordered on Tuesday that six terrorists who were freed in the Shalit deal in October of 2011 and were recaptured during Operation Brother’s Keeper be returned to prison and serve their full sentence. In its decision, the commission accepted the Attorney General’s request to cancel the release of the six, all…

A group of 30 prominent American Jewish leaders, led by Robert G. Sugarman, chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, and Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, arrived in Israel on Monday for a two-day solidarity visit. The delegation, which was organized on 24 hours’ notice, met with government leaders, defense forces…

Terrorists from Gaza fired rockets towards the city of Kiryat Gat, located 56 kilometers (35 miles) south of Tel Aviv, on Tuesday night, shortly after 11:00 p.m. Three rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system. A fourth rocket exploded in an open region, causing no physical injuries or damages. Hamas claimed responsibility for…

The IDF has warned residents of northern Gaza to evacuate their homes, Al Arabiya reported on Tuesday night. According to the report, the warning was given to residents of the Sajaiya and Zeitoun neighborhoods. The IDF traditionally warns innocent civilians ahead of an airstrike so that they are unharmed. Earlier this week, the IDF dropped leaflets above…

An Israeli airstrike on Tuesday night targeted the home of senior Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar, security officials told the AFP news agency. There was no one in the house, in western Gaza City, at the time the airstrike hit, the security sources and witnesses said. Witnesses said at least two missiles hit Zahar’s home, flattening…

A U.S. Senate panel on Tuesday approved a 50 percent funding boost for the Iron Dome anti-missile system, AFP reported. The measure, if it becomes law, would provide $621.6 million for Israeli missile defense programs for the 2015 fiscal year starting in October, including $351 million for the short-range Iron Dome system that has been…

Turkey has stepped up diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, AFP reported on Tuesday. According to the report, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu spoke separately by telephone with Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal to discuss the ceasefire process. Abbas is due to meet Turkish Prime Minister Recep…

The majority of the Israeli public is against a ceasefire with Hamas at this time, a poll conducted for Channel 2 News on Tuesday found. 53% of respondents said they opposed a ceasefire with Hamas, while 35% said they support it. 12% said they did not know or refused to answer. At the same time,…

New IDF air and tank strikes in Gaza early Wednesday killed several people, medics said, bringing the death toll from Israel’s operation in the Palestinian Arab territory to 204. One Israel has been killed in the campaign thus far: Dror Hanin, 38, of Beit Aryeh. An IDF strike on a house in the southern city…

Hamas fired a large salvo of rockets Wednesday morning at the Greater Tel Aviv area. Four rockets were intercepted. Sirens and explosions sounded throughout Tel Aviv, Bat Yam, Petah Tikva, Herzliya, Raanana and Kfar Shemaryahu. There is no report of injuries. Nine people were treated for emotional shock in Tel Aviv, Bnei Brak, Holon, Petach…

The IDF Spokesman said Wednesday morning that the military attacked 39 terror targets in Hamas-run Gaza overnight. Over 1,750 terror targets have been hit since Operation Protective Edge began, on July 7. In particular, last night the IDF carried out targeted attacks on four prominent terrorist leaders, and additional attacks on operational infrastructures that serve…

Some 400 French Jews will be making aliyah to Israel Wednesday, undeterred by the ongoing rocket fire and conflict with terrorist groups in Gaza. The group is set to arrive aboard two special flights organized by The Jewish Agency for Israel and the Ministry of Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption, and notably is comprised largely of families…

As Israel’s security forces remain embroiled in the ongoing conflict with Hamas along the country’s southern border, students at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya (IDC) are engaged on another equally important front: hasbara, or public diplomacy. The Student Union at the IDC opened a “Hasbara Room” on Thursday – the first day of Operation Protective…

MK Danny Danon (Likud) received the letter firing him from his position as Deputy Defense Minister Wednesday morning. The letter reached the media Tuesday night, however, he says. It does not include any explanations regarding the dismissal, only one laconic line informing him of the decision to let him go. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu also…

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman is continuing to call for a ground invasion of Gaza, implicitly criticizing the government’s official position during a visit to the embattled southern city of Ashkelon with his Norwegian counterpart. “A normal summer for our children can only be ensured with a ground operation in Gaza,” Liberman said. But he qualified…

The IDF has issued demolition orders for the homes of the terrorists who kidnapped and murdered three Jewish teens – Gilad Sha’ar, Eyal Yifrah and Naftali Frenkel hy”d. Marwan Kawasmeh and Amer Abu Aisha, who abducted and murdered the three boys last month in Gush Etzion, live with their families in Hevron and have disappeared…

An unconfirmed number of Israelis – including several Arutz Sheva staff members – received a “warning” via text message from Hamas’s “military wing” on Wednesday afternoon, threatening continued violence against civilians.  In the last few minutes it has been revealed that the majority of recipients were residents of the Binyamin Region in southern Samaria (Shomron), with residents…

Dramatic video footage has emerged showing French Jews clashing with Muslim extremists outside the Don Yitzchak Abarbanel Synagogue in eastern Paris on Sunday, after anti-Israel protesters violently attacked the synagogue and attempted to force their way in. The attack left the Jewish community “shocked”, one community member told Arutz Sheva, noting that even amid the…

Economics Minister Naftali Bennett rejected criticism from leftist NGOs over Israel’s military operation against terrorist rocket fire from Gaza, and said the moment Hamas decided to invest in improving the lives of the people of Gaza instead of attacking Israel, the Jewish state would be first in line to help. In an interview with the…

Israeli Air Force jets launched targeted attacks on Tuesday afternoon against roughly 30 terrorist hotspots throughout the Gaza Strip. Among the targets hit were 20 hidden rocket launching pads, including a medium-range missile launching pad, terror tunnels, a munitions storage facility, terrorist activity locations and the operational infrastructure of a senior member of the Palestinian…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addressed the security situation in Israel on Tuesday night, threatening a full ground invasion in the event that escalation from Gaza continues. “If Islamic Jihad and Hamas do not respond to the Egyptian[-mediated] ceasefire, I will tell the IDF to act against them with great force,” he said. “And this is…

Terrorists in the Gaza Strip launched a fresh barrage of rockets on central and southern Israel Tuesday afternoon, fatally wounding an Israeli civilian in his thirties near the Erez Crossing on the border with Gaza. Hatzalah paramedics rushed to the scene and provided emergency first aid, after which the victim was rushed to a nearby…

In a dramatic development Tuesday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has fired his Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon. Danon, who is a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party, has been a consistent and sometimes harsh critic of the prime minister’s leadership. Sources close to the PM say Danon’s scathing criticism of the government’s decision to sign up…

Sirens were heard in the resort city of Eilat on Monday night, shortly after 1:30 a.m. Two rockets were fired towards the city, one of them hitting a parked car near one of the city’s hotels. A second rocket exploded in an open region. Two people were lightly wounded from shrapnel and were taken to…

In the video below, IDF Spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner explains the difficulties Israel faces in its struggle against the Hamas terror organization. While the IDF obligates itself to abide by international law and makes a huge effort to minimize civilian casualties, Hamas intentionally puts the population in harm’s way while attacking Israeli civilians. “This…

Nine Yeshiva University (YU) undergraduates have been selected to participate in the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP), an advanced biomedical research program at YU’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Directed by Dr. Victoria Freedman, Einstein’s associate dean for graduate programs in the biomedical sciences, and Dr. Barry Potvin, professor of biology at Yeshiva College and…

France stepped up security on Monday, a day after protesters demonstrating against Israel’s operation in Gaza tried to storm two Paris synagogues. According to the AFP news agency, President Francois Hollande warned that he did not want to see “the Israeli-Palestinian conflict imported into France” after two Jewish men were hurt in clashes that erupted…

Hamas rejected Egypt’s proposed ceasefire in Gaza on Monday night, as Arab foreign ministers in Cairo called on “all parties” to accept the proposal. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said the group would not accept a truce without a fully-fledged deal to end hostilities, according to AFP. “A ceasefire without reaching an agreement is rejected. In…

Hamas has been hiding its headquarters and arsenals in a new type of building, a special report from the Center for Intelligence and Counterterrorism revealed Tuesday. Mosques and minarets in Gaza have been converted to centers of war, according to the report, which was penned after Hamas officials leveled accusations against Israel after the Israeli Air…

The Security Cabinet has agreed to Egypt’s proposal for a cease-fire with Hamas, beginning at 9:00 am IST – despite the fact that Hamas categorically rejected the offer on Monday night.   “The cabinet has decided to accept the Egyptian initiative for a ceasefire starting 9am today,” Ofir Gendelman, spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Twitter. The decision…

US Secretary of State John Kerry urged Hamas to accept Egypt’s ceasefire proposal to halt fighting with Israel in Gaza. In a brief statement released by the State Department on Tuesday, Kerry welcomed Israel’s decision to accept the proposal. “The Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire and negotiations provides an opportunity to end the violence and restore calm,” Kerry…

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) bombed several terror targets in the city of Quneitra, Syria overnight Tuesday, following a volley of rockets on the Golan Heights, Syrian media reported.  Between four and twelve people were killed in the airstrike; exact numbers have varied among news outlets. “Israeli planes flying over the occupied Golan Heights launched…

According to the IDF, at least 47 rockets have been fired on Israel since 9:00 am Tuesday, when an Egyptian-brokered truce was meant to come into effect. A direct hit was scored on a house in Ashdod but no one was injured. Five rockets were fired at Rishon Letzion and intercepted. Between 10:00a.m. – 11:00…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said he expects “full support” from world leaders for Israel’s military operation to end rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, after Hamas rejected ceasefire proposals and fired a barrage of rockets at Israeli towns and cities Tuesday. Speaking before a meeting with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Netanyahu pointed out that…

Terrorists from the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s “military wing”, were able to take over the broadcast of Israel’s Channel 10 on Monday evening. Some viewers who tuned in to the channel reported seeing wounded persons from Israeli airstrikes on Gaza. The pictures of the wounded were accompanied by the following text, “Your government chose…

Egypt proposed a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas to start at 0600 GMT (9:00 AM IST) Tuesday and be followed by talks on easing the flow of goods into Gaza. Hamas officials stated later Monday that no truce has been officially agreed upon.  “There are efforts and communications on the issue of a truce deal but until…

The Salem Military Court sentenced the murderer of 19 year-old IDF soldier Eden Atias on Monday, court documents revealed, to life imprisonment and an additional three years.  Hussein Rawadara, a 16 year-old Jenin native, stabbed Atias multiple times in the neck and chest near the Afula central bus station last November, in a premeditated terror attack which…

The United States on Monday warned against any Israeli ground invasion of Gaza, saying it would put even more civilians at risk than are currently in the crossfire of attacks on Hamas. But the White House stopped short of criticizing Israel over the civilian toll so far in Gaza, saying the government had a “right” and “responsibility” to defend their citizens…

Three people were seriously injured from rocket fire in Be’er Sheva on Monday, including two teenage sisters.  The sisters, ages 10 and 13 respectively, were hit by shrapnel after a rocket landed in a Bedouin village close to Be’er Sheva.  They were admitted to Soroka Medical Center shortly after the attack, according to Walla! News. One,…

Since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge, some 475 new immigrants have arrived in Israel – and another 400 are expected in two days. Speaking at a meeting of the Knesset State Control Committee, Immigration and Absorption Minister Sofa Landver said that the immigrants had arrived from a wide variety of countries, including the US,…

Nearly alone among European leaders, Milorad Dodik, the President of Republika Srpska (the Bosnian Serb Republic), has expressed unqualified support for Israel and its counter-terror operation in the wake of ongoing Palestinian rocket fire. In a letter sent to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Dodik condemned the rocket attacks against Israel and noted his “complete understanding…

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier called on Monday for Hamas to “immediately” stop rocket fire on Israel, as diplomatic pressure to halt a flare-up of violence around Gaza intensified. “Firing rockets on Israel by Hamas should stop immediately,” Steinmeier told a joint news conference with his Jordanian counterpart Nasser Judeh in Amman. “If we want to see an end to this violence,…

The Mukhtar (Islamic religious leader) of the Jerusalem neighborhood of Sur Baher on Monday praised Israel for defending the city – and particularly the Al-Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount – from Hamas rockets. Just days after wide-scale riots by Jerusalem Arabs over the murder of Arab youth Mohammed Al-Khder, Zuheir Hamadan said that Hamas,…

A swastika and a Jewish star on the same banner is usually a sign of anti-Semitism.  However, one cult group who flew banners bearing both claim that the juxtaposition is a symbol of peace.  Beachgoers in New York and New Jersey were startled to see banners bearing the two symbols, along with the traditional “peace…

Neil Young and Crazy Horse have cancelled their upcoming concert in Tel Aviv due to the security situation in Israel, Variety magazine reported on Sunday. The band’s Israeli concert, scheduled for July 17, was to be held at Hayarkon Park. A spokesperson for the Canadian singer was quoted by Variety as having said, “It is…

As the counterterrorism Operation Protective Edge enters its seventh day on Monday, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit has released a summary of the operation thus far. Since the start of the operation, over 940 rockets have been fired towards Israel, the IDF said Sunday night. Of them 740 hit Israel and nearly 187 have been intercepted…

An enemy Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), apparently laden with explosives, was shot down by the IDF near the port city of Ashdod Monday morning. The interception caused a strong explosion to rock Ashdod and triggered air raid sirens at around 6:30 a.m.. The Navy is reportedly looking for remains of the UAV. The IDF Spokesman said…

A pro-Israel rally came under attack Sunday night outside the Federal Building in Westwood, Los Angeles – the latest in a worrying string of similar instances in the US and Europe. More than 2,000 supporters of Israel were demonstrating peacefully against terrorist rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, and in support of the Jewish state’s…

With rockets raining on Israel, particularly in the south, residents are trapped in shelters with little or no access to food and basic supplies, particularly as many stores are closed due to the constant bombings.  Responding to the crisis, Yad Ezra V’Shulamit, a food distribution organization that delivers food to 10,000 needy people every month,…

Gaza terrorists fired several volleys of rockets at Israel’s southern cities and communities Monday morning. Starting at 11:00 a.m., rockets were fired at Ashkelon and the industrial area next to it, Ashdod, and communities in the Hof Ashkelon, Hevel Yavneh, Yoav, Be’er Tuvia and Shaar Hanegev regions. Two of the rockets were successfully intercepted by…

The Ministerial Law Committee on Monday authorized for legislation a proposal by Hatnu’a MK Elazar Stern that would require the Rabbinate to give kashrut certificates to businesses that remain open on Shabbat, if they fulfill the requirements of kashrut. The law would require local Rabbinates from certifying restaurants and other food establishments as kosher as…

The main suspect in the gruesome murder of 16-year-old Mohammed Abu Khder is a 29-year-old resident of a community near Jerusalem who is known to have mental problems, it was released for publication Monday. Along with the main suspect, two other youths, both aged 17, are suspected in the murder. The three were remanded in…

Islamist anti-Israel protesters used a police car’s speakers to broadcast messages of hate during a march against Israel’s defensive operation in Gaza. The rally, which took place in the center of Frankfurt on Saturday, was mainly attended by Muslim youths and featured signs reading “Israel kills children” and “Allah is great”, alongside more openly anti-Semitic…

Muslim rioters reportedly surrounded Don Yitzchak Abarbanel Synagogue in the 11th arrondissement of Paris on Sunday, and threw rocks into the house of worship. Large scale police forces were called to extricate the Jews. Clashes erupted in Paris on Sunday as thousands of people protested against Israel and in support of terrorist groups in Gaza, where…

Seventy thousand Gazans from Khan Younis and Deir el-Balah were in the dark Sunday night after a Hamas rocket hit the power line that supplies electricity to those places. It’s not clear when Israel Electric Company workers will be able to repair the system, but they are apparently in no rush to do so. Prime…

A mortar attack in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula killed at least eight people on Sunday night, according to The Associated Press (AP). According to the report, the mortar rounds were fired at a military post in the provincial capital of el-Arish, killing a soldier as well as seven civilians, including a child. The military post is…

Key players in talks on Iran’s nuclear program warned on Sunday that big gaps remain between Iran and world powers, with only a week left to strike a deal, the BBC reports. Arriving in Vienna for the talks, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said “significant differences” remain – a view echoed by France and…

The condition of First Sergeant Mordechai Yamin, of the community of Itamar in Samaria, has improved. He is fully conscious, and has been transferred out of the Intensive Care Unit at Be’er Sheva’s Soroka Hospital and into the Surgical Ward. Yamin, 22, who serves in the Combat Engineering Corps, was seriously wounded Thursday near Gaza.…

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued the following statement in response to the situation in Israel: “The indiscriminate rocket attacks from Gaza on Israel are terrorist acts, for which there is no justification. It is evident that Hamas is deliberately using human shields to further terror in the region. “Failure by the international community to…

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie laid some of the blame for the violence between Israel and Hamas at the doorstep of President Barack Obama, whom he accused of not supporting Israel sufficiently. “This has been a symptom of this administration for the last six years, that Israel is not sure that they have America’s support…

Hamas’s latest salvo of rockets, around 8:00 p.m. On Sunday, appears to have been aimed at Jerusalem and the Binyamin/Samaria region to its north. Rocket warning sirens went off in Ariel, Shilo and Eli in Samaria, as well as Psagot – for the first time in recent memory. The Diplomacy and Security Cabinet is in…

A mortar shell from Syria was fired on Sunday evening towards the Israeli side of the Golan Heights and exploded near the Druze village of Mas’ade. The mortar shell exploded in an open area, causing no physical injuries or damages. The IDF responded with artillery fire towards Syrian military posts, and the IDF Spokesman said…

A salvo of rockets was fired on Sunday night, just before midnight, towards southern Israel. The Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepted seven rockets that were fired towards the city of Ashkelon and the Hof Ashkelon region. An hour earlier, a rocket launched by Gaza terrorists exploded in the Eshkol Council region. No injuries or damage…

Three rockets exploded in the western Galilee region on Sunday night. The rockets hit open areas, causing no physical injuries or damages. Sirens were heard in the city of Nahariya and throughout the region before the explosion. The IDF responded with artillery fire towards the area of Lebanon from which the rockets were fired. A…

Soldiers from the Shayetet naval commando unit on Saturday night raided a Gaza compound from which long-range rockets had been fired towards Israel. Terrorists who were in the compound opened fire towards the soldiers, who returned fire. Four soldiers suffered light wounds and were taken to a hospital in Israel for treatment. Three Hamas terrorists…

Phone calls and text messages were also sent to Beit Lahiya residents, the IDF said.  It should be noted that a Hamas spokesperson called for Gaza residents to act as human shields on live television earlier this week, calling the move “an effective strategy” in the PR war against Israel and encouraging Palestinian Arabs to stay in their homes…

The Jerusalem Light Rail has been restored along several stops damaged in rioting earlier this month, and will now be running from the Givat HaMivtar to Pisgat Ze’ev stops as usual.  The light rail will skip Arab neighborhoods, however, after the damage Arab rioters inflicted on the light rail system during the course of the…

The ‘Caliphate’ established by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) published a full-length propaganda video earlier this week, showing the “different faces” of the Islamist state – including governmental, educational, and religious activities.  One of the islamists, a citizen of Kosovo, spoke at a passport-burning ceremony for foreign nationals, who then accepted…

Five rockets landed in open areas throughout the Eshkol region near the border with Gaza at roughly 9:00 am Sunday, causing no immediate injuries.  However, a brushfire has started near one of the impact sites; firefighters are currently rushing to the scene to contain the blaze.  Earlier, sirens sounded across much of Israel on Sunday…

The number of births in Israel has risen dramatically over the past week, Walla! News reports Sunday, due to the stress of constant rocket fire from Hamas in the south.  Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva has seen a 10% increase in patients admitted while in labor over the past week, according to the daily –…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addressed Operation Protective Edge on Sunday, opening his weekly Cabinet meeting with several harsh words for Hamas. “Israel is conducting a vigorous military campaign against Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the other terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip,” Netanyahu began. “Hamas has chosen to attack our cities with massive and indiscriminate rocket fire.”…

There’s no love lost between the new government of Egypt and Hamas, with the former rejecting the latter over Hamas’ support of the Muslim Brotherhood, the arch-enemy of newly-elected Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the ex-army chief who toppled the Brotherhood’s Mohammed Morsi last year. So far, Egypt has largely stayed out of the conflict…

The government on Sunday authorized the transfer of NIS 417 million ($120 million) in economic benefits to Israeli towns in the Gaza border area. About half the money will go to Sderot. The transfer is part of an overall government program to enhance the security of towns in the area over the next two years.…

More than two dozen Red Color warning sirens sounded in cities in central Israel Sunday afternoon, as Hamas terrorists fired a major volley of rockets at Israel. Rockets were fired at Tel Aviv, Bat Yam, Holon, Rishon Lezion, Raanana, Kfar Sava, Hadera, Netanya, and other communities. At least two rockets were intercepted over the skies…

The UN’s special refugee agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, reported Sunday that about 4,000 residents of northern Gaza have fled their homes after the IDF told them to do so, starting last night. In addition, about 850 Palestinians with foreign nationalities are leaving Gaza through the Erez checkpoint. Three hundred of these had already done so…

IAF struck several targets in northern Gaza on Sunday, including a senior Hamas official responsible for the constant barrage of rocket fire on Israeli citizens.  The Hamas official, who has not been officially named as of 2:00 pm IST, was targeted in the Jabaliya “refugee camp,” which operates as a terrorist training camp. The IAF…

Pope Francis on Sunday appealed for peace in Gaza during his weekly Angelus prayer, calling for “concrete gestures to build peace” as the deadly six-day offensive escalated. In an address to thousands of pilgrims on St Peter’s Square Francis spoke of the “tragic events of the last few days.”  “I urge all interested parties and all in local and international…

A Delta Airlines flight from from Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York was forced to make an emergency landing Sunday. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot had noticed that several flaps on the Boeing 747 would not retract. But after trying in vain for an hour to fix the…

The Ansar Bayt Al-Makdis terror organization, which identifies ideologically with Al Qaeda, published a video Friday allegedly documenting the launching of five 107 mm rockets at Israel. The launch took place in the Sinai peninsula, south of the Egyptian city of Rafah. The rockets were apprently fired on Wednesday, and were aimed at an Israeli…

An Al Aqsa Brigades video showing rocket fire from Gaza displayed another way in which terror groups for camouflage rocket launchers, to avoid detection. The video shows a Brigades member pushing a cart of the kind that is used to sell “beigeleh” type bread in Jerusalem’s Old City and elsewhere. The cart is covered with…

Sirens sounded Saturday evening in northern Israel as rockets were apparently fired from Lebanon into the Jewish state. The sirens sounded in Nahariya, Rosh Hanikra, Shlomi, Kabri and Hanita, along the border with Lebanon. Initial analysis said that the rockets were apparently fired from Lebanon by a Palestinian Lebanese terror group. “Two rockets fired from Lebanon…

The IDF has begun dropping leaflets on certain parts of Gaza, telling residents to leave their homes, reported Channel 2 Saturday night. The move is being interpreted as a preparation for a possible ground offensive by the IDF. Channel 2 also reported that the IDF is carrying out a combined large-scale operation by fighter jets, attack helicopters…

Gazans danced in the streets Saturday evening to celebrate a missile strike on Tel Aviv, ignoring the fact that the missiles failed to hit their targets and either exploded in uninhabited spaces or were shot down by the Iron Dome system. Hamas television relayed the signal from Israeli television, in the hope that it would…

The IDF is carrying out a “dramatic” large scale strike in the skies of Gaza, Channel 2‘s military correspondent Ronny Daniel reported Saturday evening. Hamas launched dozens of rockets at Israel over the Sabbath, striking the Judea region south of Jerusalem for the first time – but in areas under Palestinian Authority control. A salvo was…

Brig. Gen. (res.) Dr. Danny Gold, former head of research and development at the Defense Ministry, is Israel’s current hero and media darling, and the man receiving most of the credit for the development of the Iron Dome anti-missile system. Also receiving credit is MK Amir Peretz, who selected Iron Dome over other systems as…

As rocket fire from Gaza continues, the defense establishment received a reinforcement on Friday in the form of an additional Iron Dome anti-missile battery. The new battery, the eighth one to be acquired by the IDF, was given to the Israel Air Force on Friday afternoon. The battery became operational in the evening hours and…

Authorities in Lebanon arrested on Friday two suspects in the early morning rocket attack on Israel, The Daily Star reported. The Internal Security Forces detained a suspect allegedly behind the rocket fire into Israel, security sources told the newspaper. Hussein Izzat Atwe from the Hasbaya village of Hebbarieh was arrested in Al-Bire Hospital in the…

The United States on Friday said that it was ready to leverage its relationships in the Middle East to try to bring about a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, AFP reported. The offer came a day after President Barack Obama called Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to offer to facilitate an end to Hamas rocket…

Thousands of pro-Palestinian Arab demonstrators turned out on the streets of London and Paris on Friday to call for an end to Israeli military strikes on Gaza. According to The Associated Press (AP), several thousand people crowded the streets outside the Israeli Embassy in west London, waving placards that read “Gaza: End the Siege” and…

The United States reiterated on Thursday its support for Israel in defending itself. Speaking to reporters, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki reminded that Hamas was responsible for civilian deaths because of its rocket attacks against Israel. “Civilians have been killed, and certainly that’s of concern to us, and that’s one of the reasons that we…

U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday told Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu he was worried that the fighting with Hamas in Gaza could escalate, and offered Washington’s help to broker a ceasefire, AFP reported. “The president expressed concern about the risk of further escalation and emphasized the need for all sides to do everything they can…

As the rocket fire from Gaza terrorists continues to pelt southern and central Israel, a new front appears to have opened Friday morning as a Katyusha rocket was fired on the northern tip of Israel, north of Kiryat Shmona. The rocket landed in open territory in the upper Galillee. Apparently the IDF estimates it was…

A rocket fired by terrorists in the Hamas enclave of Gaza hit a gas station in the coastal city of Ashdod on Friday morning, causing at least one serious injury. The rocket, which came as part of a salvo of roughly 20 rockets, appears to have damaged a gas tanker truck, reports Yedioth Aharonoth. The explosion…

Iraq warned the United Nations (UN) on Thursday that in capturing large portions of the country last month, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) also seized nuclear materials used in research at a university in Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city. Iraqi Ambassador to the UN Mohammed Ali Alhakim wrote in a letter…

After a lengthy Security Cabinet meeting, Israel’s military leaders spoke about the road ahead for Operation Protective Edge, which has already hit 930 terror targets in the Hamas enclave of Gaza. “Hundreds of targets have been destroyed including the homes of militants, government institutions, launchers, rockets and other war materiel,” said Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon after…

Hamas fired a rocket on a gas station in the center of Ashdod on Friday, sparking a fire and causing at least one serious injury.  Officials at the scene spoke to Arutz Sheva about the rocket hit on Friday afternoon, noting the open miracle that no civilians or staff were killed in the attack.  “A rocket fell…

It has been cleared for publication Friday that an accident involving a fatality in the Shave Shomron area, near Kedumim, killed an IDF soldier.  An IDF jeep was overturned in the accident, about which very few details are currently known. Another IDF soldier was seriously injured in the accident and a third suffered light injuries. …

A French-Algerian man suspected of carrying out a deadly shooting at the Jewish Museum in Brussels has dropped an appeal against his extradition to Belgium, his lawyer said on Friday. Mehdi Nemmouche, 29, had filed an appeal against the June ruling that ordered his extradition from France, but his lawyer Apolin Pepiezep said he had decided not to go ahead…

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay attacked Israel’s right to defend itself on Friday, casting into doubt Israel’s right to stop the constant rocket fire from Gaza under international law.  “We have received deeply disturbing reports that many of the civilian casualties, including of children, occurred as a result of strikes on homes,” Pillay…

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Vienna this weekend to join ongoing world power nuclear talks with Iran, the State Department said Thursday, according to AFP. Kerry “will see if progress can be made on the issues where significant gaps remain and assess Iran’s willingness to make a set of critical choices…

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz visited an IDF paratrooper base in the south on Friday, and outlined to journalists the next steps planned by the IDF as part of Operation Protective Edge. “We will widen the operation as required, to the required intensity,” remarked Gantz according to Walla!. The Chief of Staff spoke about…

A popular Turkish female pop singer was under pressure Friday to make a public apology after she posted a succession of anti-Semitic tweets in response to Israel’s air campaign to stamp out rocket fire by terrorists in Gaza. Yildiz Tilbe, who has been making folk-influenced hit albums since the 1990s, praised Hitler in the tweets…

As Operation Protective Edge enters its first Shabbat since starting Monday, and as the over 500 missiles fired by Gaza terrorists in that period continue without a let-up, Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi David Lau on Friday released guidelines for observing the Shabbat. In the halakhic (Jewish legal) guidelines, Rabbi Lau discussed the balance between keeping the…

A rocket fired from Gaza hit a home in the southern Israeli city of Be’er Sheva on Friday evening. A woman in her 80s suffered mild injuries and was taken to the Soroka Hospital for treatment. Extensive damage was caused to the building. A salvo of rockets hit southern Israel earlier on Friday evening, with…

The condition of the man who was seriously injured on Friday when a Gaza rocket hit a gas station in Ashdod has improved. The man underwent surgery at the Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva and doctors were able to avoid having to amputate his hand. His condition is now listed as stable and his life…

The Israel Air Force (IAF) on Friday night launched several airstrikes in Gaza, hitting the launcher from which rockets were fired towards Tel Aviv earlier in the evening. A second airstrike targeted a gathering of Hamas terrorist in the Sajaiya neighborhood in Gaza City. Palestinian Authority media reported that several people were wounded in the…

Residents of the Samaria town of Itamar are praying for the recovery of Mordechai Yemin, a resident of the town and IDF soldier who was seriously wounded on Thursday by mortar shells fired by Gaza terrorists. Yemin was wounded while in the Eshkol Regional Council area, near Kerem Shalom, in an attack that left another soldier…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that he would not bow to world entreaties to stop Operation Protective Edge, until rocket fire from Gaza terrorists ceased. “This is the fourth day of Operation Protective Edge. The IDF, the ISA and the security forces are fighting Hamas with increasing intensity. As of now, we…

A siren was heard on Friday evening in central Israel, including in Tel Aviv and the region, sending residents to protected spaces. Shortly afterwards, a rocket that was fired from Gaza was intercepted over Holon, near Tel Aviv, by the Iron Dome anti-missile system. A barrage of rockets was later fired towards southern Israel. At…

Two more rockets were fired from Gaza towards the Gush Dan region of central Israel shortly before 9:00 p.m. on Friday evening. The rockets set off sirens in Tel Aviv, Holon and Bat Yam. The two rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system. There were no physical injuries or damages. The latest attack…

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday met with a delegation of rabbis, led by Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, former Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar, and rabbis of the Rabbinical Center of Europe (RCE). “I follow closely what’s going on in Israel,” said Putin during the long meeting, which…

Fears that a 16-year-old hareidi youth had been abducted by terrorists in the Golan Heights on Thursday were later ruled out, after it was found that the unfortunate teen had drowned to death. The youth, a member of a well-known family of the Vizhnitz hassidic dynasty, had gone missing in the area of the El-Al…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu delivered a short statement Thursday evening after a lengthy session of the Security-Diplomacy cabinet, which was devoted to Operation Protective Edge against Hamas’s terror machine in Gaza. “The campaign is proceeding as planned,” he said, “but additional stages await us. We have struck Hamas and the sons of terror forcefully, and…

A new support campaign has been launched for the four hareidi soldiers arrested last Thursday for calling to “eliminate the terrorists,” as part of a grassroots protest after the murder of Eyal Yifrah, Gilad Sha’ar and Naftali Frenkel by Hamas terrorists. The four were sentenced to ten days in jail for posting a picture to…

Despite the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant’s (ISIS) statements that it will not join the attack on Israel for now, a new video by the Sunni Jihadist group claims to show its terrorists are in fact firing rockets on Israel. In the video, which was uploaded to YouTube, alleged members of ISIS’s “Bayt el-Maqdis” (Jerusalem) unit in…

A video of an Israeli air strike on a home of a Gaza terrorist provides solid support to the IDF’s claim that it provides early warning to Gaza civilians before striking a target in a residential area. The footage is shot from a cellphone. It is clear that the person holding the phone knows that…

US Senator Rand Paul said Wednesday that the American government was “potentially” funding Hamas, through its donations to the Palestinian Authority. With the PA government now including Fatah, he said in an interview on an American radio show, it stood to reason that part of the “several hundred million dollars” in US funds given to…

According to Hamas spokesperson Moussa Abu Marzuk, the fact that some 70 Gaza Arabs have been killed in the latest round of fighting between Israel and Hamas is all the fault of US Secretary of State John Kerry. Kerry, said Abu Marzouk, gave Israel carte blanche “to kill at will” in Gaza when he said…

The IDF on Thursday afternoon contacted by phone Arab residents of Gaza living near the security border, warning them to evacuate their homes immediately. The phone calls were sent to a total of roughly 100,000 Arab residents of the Hamas stronghold. Among the cities and towns targeted in the phone warning were Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun,…

The Islamic State, or ISIS, has responded to critics who have questioned why its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is not actively supporting Hamas in fighting Israel. After capturing vast swathes of Iraq and Syria, ISIS declared the regions under its control as a “Caliphate”, or Islamic state, and appointed Baghdadi as “leader of the Muslims”.…

Iran said on Wednesday it wants to greatly expand its uranium enrichment program despite Western fears that it could be used to make atomic arms, reports The Associated Press (AP). The position outlined by Iranian nuclear agency head Ali Akbar Salehi appeared to be the most detailed yet of what Tehran wants at its closed-door…

Since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge three days ago, the IDF has over 750 terror targets in Gaza – more than in the entire six days of 2012’s Operation Defensive Shield. In just the past 24 hours, the army said, 322 terror targets were destroyed, including 217 rocket-launching sites, as well as the homes…

As hundreds of thousands of commuters were traveling into the Tel Aviv area Thursday morning, Gaza terrorists fired at least four rockets at the Gush Dan region. Warning sirens were heard in Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, Bnei Brak, Holon, and Bat Yam. Hamas took responsibility for at least two of the rockets, with Islamic Jihad…

Despite the ongoing rocket fire by Gaza terrorists, Israel has not halted the entry of trucks into Gaza – and on Thursday, some 200 trucks carrying food and “basic supplies” entered Gaza. The government said that the trucks were allowed to pass through for “humanitarian purposes,” and were inspected and found not to be carrying…

The IDF has said it eliminated a leading Hamas commander Thursday, who was responsible for the Islamist group’s rocket arsenal. If true, Ayman Siam would the most senior terrorist figure killed by Israel since Operation Defensive Edge began three days ago. But Hamas’s “military wing” Ezzadine al-Kassam, denied the report. “He is continuing in his…

Hamas terrorists on Thursday afternoon launched yet another heavy barrage of rockets at Israeli cities in the center of the country. Sirens were heard in Ramle, Lod, Nes Tziyona, Yavne, and other areas south of Rishon Lezion. Several of the missiles were destroyed in mid-air by the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system, while others fell…

The security officers of the Checkpoints Authority arrested, early Thursday afternoon, a Palestinian Arab man who was apparently transporting a bomb in his car and who they believe was en route to carrying out a terror attack in central Israel. The car was stopped for a routine check at the checkpoint on Highway 5 that…

Hamas has instructed Gaza residents to ignore text messages and phone calls urging them to evacuate buildings, in an apparent effort to grow its supply of “human shields.” The calls and messages are sent by Israeli military officials in order to give civilians time to evacuate the area, and are communicated before the IDF targets a…

Having crushed the Muslim Brotherhood, Cairo’s new government has taken a back seat as Israel pounds Hamas, the Egyptian movement’s Islamist allies across the border in Gaza, analysts said. Egypt, which has a peace treaty with Israel, brokered a 2012 truce between it and Hamas that favored the terrorist group, which is the Palestinian branch…

IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, has approved all of the plans for an IDF ground offensive into Gaza, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Moti Almoz said Wednesday evening. He added that the pressure on Gaza will grow in the coming hours and the IAF attacks will become even more intense.  According to statistics…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke on Wednesday with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and US Secretary of State John Kerry, and released the following statement to the international community: “Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza are firing rockets on cities throughout the State of Israel –…

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was in China on Wednesday but that did not stop him from engaging with Mideast leaders and others in a bid to halt escalating Israeli-Palestinian Arab violence, according to AFP. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that Kerry had asked both Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority (PA)…

The IDF has published photographic evidence of the use of human shields by Hamas. An IDF bird’s eye video shows civilians gathering on a roof of a terrorist’s house after the IDF fired a warning shot to indicate it was about to bomb it. Hamas achieved its aim in this case, because the IDF decided…

Terrorists from Gaza fired a salvo of at least 40 rockets towards southern Israel on Wednesday night, shortly after 11:00 p.m. Sirens were heard in Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ein Tsurim, Kiryat Malachi and the Be’er Tuvia Regional Council. At least four rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system over Kiryat Malachi. One more rocket…

Arab envoys to the United Nations requested an urgent Security Council session on the situation in Gaza during a meeting Wednesday with the peace and security body’s president, AFP reported. Kuwaiti ambassador Mansour al-Otaibi urged the council to “stop the Israeli aggression and collective punishment of the Palestinian people,” amid the IDF’s Operation Protective Edge…

The IDF released on Wednesday night a summary of the second day of the counterterrorism Operation Protective Edge. According to the summary, since midnight on Tuesday, 82 rockets have exploded in Israel, of which 21 were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system. Since the beginning of the operation, 234 rockets have exploded in Israel,…

Some 120 rockets from Gaza were fired at Israel on Tuesday, the first day of the IDF’s Operation Protective Edge. IDF Spokesperson Peter Lerner told the AFP news agency that 23 of the rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system, with most of the rest exploding on open ground causing no damage…

A senior terrorist in the Islamic Jihad was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday night, Gaza medics told AFP. According to Gaza emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra the airstrike in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza killed six people, including two women and two children. The killed terrorist was a “senior commander” in the Al-Quds…

The White House on Tuesday strongly condemned the incessant rocket fire from Gaza towards Israel and reiterated that Washington supports Israel’s right to self-defense. “We strongly condemn the continuing rocket fire inside of Israel and the deliberate targeting of civilians by terrorist organizations in Gaza,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in a statement. “No…

France on Wednesday presented a bill aimed at strengthening anti-terrorism laws to stop increasing numbers of aspiring jihadists from travelling to fight in Syria.   The new bill, presented by Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve to the council of ministers, came as a 48-year-old woman was charged under anti-terrorism laws after visiting Syria thrice where her…

The IDF is purposely targeting the homes of top Hamas officials, experts say. According to commentary on Israeli media Wednesday, the water supply at the “refugee camp” neighborhood of Shati in Gaza has been cut off by the Israeli attacks. This is seen as personally targeting Hamas “Prime Minister” Ismail Haniya, who lives in Shati.…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu held security consultations at IDF Southern Command headquarters in Be’er Sheva Wednesday, along with Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz and GOC Southern Command Maj.-Gen. Sammy Turgeman. Following the consultations, Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “We have decided to further increase the assault on Hamas and the terrorist organizations…

In the course of Operation Protective Edge on Tuesday night 160 terror targets were hit in Gaza by the IDF, bringing the total to 434 targets struck since the start of the operation on Monday night. “Color Red” rocket warning sirens were sounded in the coastal Gush Dan region early on Wednesday morning, sending residents…

The US embassy in Tel Aviv has minimized its hours and avised staff to stay at home until further notice due to recent rocket fire there, according to a statement released Tuesday night. “As a result of the July 8 rocket attacks on Tel Aviv and the potential for further attacks, [the] U.S. Embassy Tel…

David Azrieli, the billionaire owner of the Azrieli Group which manages dozens of malls throughout Israel, passed away on Wednesday in Canada at the age of 92. The businessman, architect and philanthropist was born in 1922 in Poland, and managed to escape the genocidal Nazi war machine at the age of 17. His parents, brothers…

Despite outgoing President Shimon Peres’s protestations Tuesday that Fatah wants peace and Hamas wants terror, Fatah seems to disagree; On Wednesday the faction of Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas declared it and Hamas share “one goal.” A post on the official Facebook page of Abbas’s Fatah faction on Wednesday showed a picture of terrorists in…

Economics Minister and Jewish Home Chairman Naftali Bennett stated Wednesday that Operation Protective Edge would continue for as long as necessary – until the IDF has ensured a definitive end to rockets on the State of Israel.  “The IDF has been gearing up in recent days,” Bennett said. “The Israeli Air Force, led by the…

A Hamas Grad Katyusha terror rocket was intercepted in the skies over Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv, Wednesday afternoon, according to Channel 2. One other rocket fell harmlessly in an unpopulated area. Sirens sounded near Haifa in Hadera, Zikhron Ya’akov, Caesarea and Hof HaBonim on Wednesday afternoon – at least 45 kilometers (almost 30…

Three Israeli teenagers kidnapped and murdered by Hamas were the victims of a premeditated execution by their captors, and were never meant to be used as bargaining chips to free imprisoned terrorists, according to a US official involved in the case.  The American official also claimed that investigators believe the two terrorists were disguised as…

Singapore on Wednesday expressed concern at the risk of terrorist attacks posed by local and foreign jihadists returning to Southeast Asia after fighting in Syria. Interior Minister Teo Chee Hean said returning fighters have the skills to carry out terror attacks or support others planning them. “The presence of former foreign fighters in our region…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addressed the citizens of Israel Tuesday evening, as the first day of Operation Protective Edge drew to a close. “The state of Israel is in the midst of a campaign to bring back peace and security to our citizens,” he said. “We will not stand for rocket fire on our cities…

Hamas has vowed revenge after an attempt to use Palestinian civilians as human shields resulted in several fatalities, as Israeli Air Force planes targeted the home of a Hamas commander. Gazan emergency services claim Israeli strikes on Gaza killed 15 people on Tuesday and wounded 80 others, as the military began an aerial campaign against…

Residents of the kibbutz community of Kerem Shalom were warned of a possible terrorist infiltration Tuesday morning and told to remain inside their homes. At the same time, Hamas’s armed wing said it had blown up a tunnel in the region. The IDF later confirmed that there had been a “security-related incident” at the location,…

Four Hamas terrorists breached the Gaza security border on Tuesday amid the ongoing shower of rockets, which have continued raining on Israel after IDF Operation Protective Edge was launched the previous night. The terrorists entered Israel by sea and were on their way to Kibbutz Zikim, located roughly a kilometer and a half (around one mile) north…

Terrorists from Gaza fired a fresh salvo of around 30 rockets at Israel, and upped the ante further by striking deeper into the country than before. For the first time, Color Red air raid sirens sounded in Jerusalem, and residents reported hearing at least three explosions. AFP claims its correspondents in the capital saw “four…

A 15-year-old girl reported to police on Tuesday that two Arab youths tried to convince her to get in their car near the village of Abu Gosh, located just to the west of Jerusalem, in what appears to be a kidnapping attempt. Fearing that she was in danger of being abducted, the girl fled and…

Foreign European dignitaries on Tuesday condemned the wave of rocket fire engulfing Israel, after the IDF launched Operation Protective Edge the previous night to squelch the attacks emanating from the Hamas-enclave of Gaza. British Foreign Secretary William Hague condemned the rocket fire on Israeli civilian population centers, but stopped short of calling those firing the lethal…

Tel Aviv came under fire twice Tuesday, from missiles launched by Hamas, but the IDF’s Iron Dome batteries successfully intercepted both rockets. Following the sirens in Tel Aviv and instructions from IDF Home Front Command, the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality has begun working in a state of emergency and has opened all of the shelters for…

The IDF has launched “Operation Protective Edge” in Gaza, in order “to stop the terror Israel’s citizens face on a daily basis,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said on Twitter Monday night. As part of the operation, Israeli media reported, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) launched intensive airstrikes on targets in Gaza.  “Hamas will not be…

Tourism Minister Uzi Landau (Yisrael Beytenu) on Tuesday morning spoke about Operation Protective Edge, which was launched the night before in response to the relentless barrage of rocket fire from the Hamas enclave of Gaza. “We don’t want to enter Gaza. But the current dynamics, if they don’t change, will lead to that. We can’t continue…

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum vowed his terror organization will continue firing rockets on Israel Tuesday, dismissing claims of de-escalation. “Today there is no intention of relaxation and calm,” Barhoum stated. “Palestinian blood has been spilled.” “There is no place for talking about peace with the Israeli occupation,” he added. “If they want to protect their…

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon spoke on Tuesday about Operation Protective Edge, which was launched Monday night after Gaza highly escalated its rocket fire on Israel, causing sirens to be heard deep in central Israel. The minister’s comments came shortly after concluding a meeting with Maj. Gen. Eyal Eizenberg of the Homefront Command, Defense Ministry Director…

The IDF Spokesperson’s Office released an informative video Tuesday, explaining Hamas’s ever-increasing range of rocket fire and the full impact it could have on Israeli civilians.  According to the video, Hamas’s current stockpile is capable of hitting more than 40% of the Israeli population – some 3.5 million people.  Israel launched Operation Protective Edge against…

The Security Cabinet has approved IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz’s request to call up 40,000 reservists to the Gaza border, in the clearest signal yet that the IDF is planning a ground offensive into the Hamas-controlled territory in response to ceaseless rocket-fire on Israeli civilians. “We have been instructed by the political…

President Shimon Peres insisted that Hamas and Fatah are two separate entities Tuesday morning, headlining the “Israeli Peace Conference” by contrasting the two despite both their unity pact and the recent escalation from Gaza.  Peres began his speech by addressing the current security situation, including Operation Protective Edge.  “IDF soldiers are operating, even in the…

Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Sherif Ismail, sees no problem with allowing the British BG Group to import gas from Israel, he told Daily News Egypt Wednesday. “This is a must”, he added, explaining that without imports, gas companies working in Egypt might resort to international arbitration and sue the government. “As the…

A special heart and lung machine known as an ECMO saved the life of a 37-year-old mother of three from the Golan Heights last Thursday after she was stung by a bee. Orly Goren, who was apparently unaware that she is allergic to bee venom, was stung when she was inside her car. She developed an acute…

Not to be outdone by the Hamas terrorists in Gaza who have been showering rockets on southern Israel, Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah faction has stepped up its threatening rhetoric against Israel. Fatah threatened death against Israelis by telling them to “prepare body bags,” writing on its official Facebook page Monday “Sons of…

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) published a short report Tuesday in which it warned that many of the graphic images that are being shared on social media, purporting to show destruction that the IDF is wreaking in Gaza, are not in fact photos from Operation Protective Edge. “Over the past week the hashtag #GazaUnderAttack has…

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), which is now known as the “Islamic State” after declaring an Islamic caliphate, says it won’t fight Israel – for the time being. According to Israel’s Channel 2 News, an ISIS spokesman said Monday on Twitter, in response to questions about the organization’s intentions with regards…

Hamas has no intention of caving in to Israel and allowing the Jewish state to “impose conditions on the Palestinian people”, its spokesman said on Monday evening. Directly addressing Israeli citizens, the spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said, “Our people will not give in to your crimes. You will pay a heavy and painful price.” He…

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Monday demanded that Israel stop the airstrikes on Gaza. In an official statement published by the PA’s WAFA news agency and in which Abbas was described as “the President of the State of Palestine”, the PA head called on the international community to immediately intervene to stop what…

The IDF has launched “Operation Protective Edge” in Gaza, in order “to stop the terror Israel’s citizens face on a daily basis,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said on Twitter Monday night. As part of the operation, Israeli media reported, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) launched intensive airstrikes on targets in Gaza. “Hamas will not be…

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Ron Prosor, said on Monday night that it was time for the UN Security Council to condemn Hamas’s indiscriminate attacks against millions of Israeli civilians. “In a single hour earlier today, Hamas and other terrorists fired over 65 rockets towards Israeli homes, schools, and hospitals – that is…

The United States on Monday night condemned the rocket fire by Hamas against Israel. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Monday night in the wake of the heavy rocket fire on Israel. Kerry asked Netanyahu to “act with restraint” in his response to Hamas’ pounding of southern Israel. With that,…

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) conducted an airstrike against three terror targets in northern Gaza on Monday afternoon, the IDF Spokesperson’s Office announced.  “The IDF is prepared to defend the citizens of Israel from any threat and will continue to act decisively and as long as necessary until peace returns to daily life,” the statement…

As rocket fire from Gaza shows no sign of letting up, the cabinet on Monday authorized the IDF to increase its military pressure on Hamas. The IDF intends to add more troops to the brigades it already has poised on the borders of Gaza, officials said. So far an additional 1,500 reserve troops have been…

In the five days of unrest that have ensued since the discovery of the burned body of Mohammed Abu Khder, Israeli police have arrested 220 Israeli Arab rioters. Police are again on high alert, preparing for another night of rioting in Jerusalem, as well as in Arab towns and cities in the lower Galilee. Police…

As Israel prepares for a possible military action in Gaza, residents of Ashdod and Beersheva have been told to not to conduct public gatherings of more than 500 people, while residents of Gaza border communities have been told to remain within 15 seconds of protected areas, in order to take cover in the event the…

Hamas fired over 30 rockets in a ten-minute period into Israel on Monday, with hits reported in Sha’ar HaNegev, the Eshkol Region, Netivot, Sderot, and Be’er Sheva between 8:00 – 8:10 pm IST.  The rocket count has escalated to over 80 on Monday evening alone, Walla! News reports close to 10:30 pm Monday; the Iron Dome missile…

Police Monday morning have said that three of the six suspects arrested over the murder of Arab teen Mohammed Abu-Khder have admitted to the crime, and have even reenacted it for police. The development came after one of the suspects admitted to the murder soon after being arrested on Sunday. After confessing he also apparently…

Two terrorists were killed in an Israeli airstrike on central Gaza late Sunday, the Bethlehem-based Ma’an news agency reports. According to the report, two members of Al-Quds Brigades, the so-called “military wing” of the Islamic Jihad group, were killed as Israeli warplanes struck the al-Bureij neighborhood. The two were identified by Ma’an as Mazen al-Hadba…

Officials in the United States said on Sunday they will not allow uncharged electronic devices onto U.S.-bound airplanes at some overseas airports, according to Sky News. The announcement by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is part of the agency’s efforts to bolster airport security amid suggestions of a plot by Islamic extremists to blow up…

More than 60 women and girls abducted last month by Boko Haram in northeast Nigeria have escaped their captors, sources said Sunday, according to AFP. Local vigilante Abbas Gava said he had “received an alert from my colleagues … that about 63 of the abducted women and girls had made it back home” late Friday.…

A senior Hamas source spoke to Walla! news on Monday, revealing the conditions his terrorist organization demands from Israel in order to stop the recent round of terror against Israeli civilians, in which over 120 rockets have been fired on Israel from Gaza since last Wednesday. According to the source, Hamas will not follow Israel’s condition of…

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) conducted an airstrike against three terror targets in northern Gaza on Monday afternoon, the IDF Spokesperson’s Office announced.  “The IDF is prepared to defend the citizens of Israel from any threat and will continue to act decisively and as long as necessary until peace returns to daily life,” the statement…

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), which has in recent days expanded its hold after capturing large portions of Iraq last month, and last Sunday declared itself an Islamic “caliphate,” has threatened foreign journalists with death if they dare write against the Islamist group. The message was written on a Twitter account associated with ISIS, which…

Terrorists in the Hamas stronghold of Gaza continue to launch rockets at civilian populations in southern Israel on Monday, after a 24-hour ultimatum issued by Israel last Thursday came and went unheeded, and Israel Air Force (IAF) airstrikes Sunday night merely elicited more threats. Two rockets were launched early on Monday morning at the Eshkol…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu visited the homes of the three murdered Israeli teens Naftali Frenkel, Eyal Yifrah and Gilad Sha’ar on Sunday; the three were abducted and murdered by Hamas terrorists on June 12. While there with his wife Sarah, Netanyahu gave the Sha’ar, Yifrah and Frenkel families the book “Yoni’s Letters,” a collection of…

There is tension in the political and miltary air as the possibility of a concentrated Israeli strike on Gaza is becoming more realistic in recent days.  Photos by Flash 90, approved for publication by the IDF, show a gathering of tanks, APCs and ground forces, identified as a Bedouin unit, on the outskirts of Gaza.…

Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi David Lau on Monday condemned the murder of Mohammed Abu Khder, an Arab teenager from Jerusalem who was found burned to death last Wednesday. Rabbi Lau’s statements, made at the start of a Chief Rabbinate Council meeting, came in response to reports Monday morning that three of the six suspects who were…

Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry arrived in Israel on Sunday to sign an Industrial RD (Research and Development) Collaboration Agreement with Israel, making the Jewish state the first country Japan has signed such an agreement with. Toshimitsu Motegi, the Japanese minister, met with Economics Minister Naftali Bennett while accompanied by a delegation of…