Israel News

Israel’s political crisis deepened this week as former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett renewed demands for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign over what critics have dubbed the “Qatargate” affair—claims that Netanyahu’s office and allies firmly reject as a manufactured scandal already dismissed by the courts.

Israeli officials are preparing to brief President Donald Trump on new military options against Iran when he meets later this month with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, amid growing concern that Tehran is rapidly rebuilding its ballistic missile program and restoring damaged air defenses, according to an NBC News exclusive citing a person with direct knowledge of the plans and multiple former U.S. officials.

Israel, Greece, and Cyprus have agreed to accelerate a long-discussed regional energy and security partnership, pledging deeper cooperation amid rising instability in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean.

Jerusalem will host a high-level trilateral summit on Monday as Israel, Greece, and Cyprus move to deepen security, energy, and strategic cooperation amid growing concern over Turkey’s expanding military posture in the eastern Mediterranean.

In an emotionally charged appeal, Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid urged Jews worldwide not to surrender to hatred after at least 15 people were killed and dozens injured in what officials and Jewish leaders described as one of the deadliest antisemitic attacks against Jews abroad in years.

Several people were detained for trying to interrupt a pro-Israel demonstration at Dam Square in Amsterdam attended by around 2,000 people, police and organizers said.

The United States has secured commitments from Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany to have their leaders join U.S. President Donald Trump on a proposed “Board of Peace” tasked with overseeing the postwar management of Gaza, according to officials familiar with the discussions.

Israel has signed the largest natural gas agreement in its history, approving a landmark deal with Egypt valued at NIS 112 billion (approximately $34.7 billion), Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Wednesday night. The agreement is expected to funnel roughly NIS 58 billion ($18 billion) directly into Israeli state coffers over the life of the deal, significantly boosting public revenues and cementing Israel’s status as a regional energy power.

Mossad Director David Barnea said Tuesday that Israel bears a responsibility to ensure Iran never restarts its nuclear program, six months after Israeli and U.S. strikes severely damaged Tehran’s atomic facilities during a 12-day war.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a proclamation significantly expanding the United States’ travel ban, barring individuals traveling on Palestinian Authority–issued passports from entering the country and imposing full or partial restrictions on dozens of additional nations, the White House announced.

A remarkably rare, 1,300-year-old lead pendant decorated with a seven-branched menorah has been uncovered during archaeological excavations beneath the southwestern corner of the Temple Mount, shedding new light on Jewish presence in Jerusalem during a period when Jews were officially barred from entering the city.

The Israel Defense Forces said Saturday that a targeted airstrike in Gaza City killed senior Hamas commander Raad Saad, one of the terror group’s most influential remaining military leaders, in what Israeli officials described as a direct response to repeated ceasefire violations by Hamas.

The Trump administration is preparing to appoint an American two-star general to command the newly formed International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza, according to a report published Thursday by Axios citing U.S. and Israeli officials.

The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly advanced the fiscal year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), approving nearly $900 billion in defense spending and a broad slate of U.S.-Israel security initiatives. The bipartisan vote was 312-112, sending the legislation to the Senate, where it is expected to pass.

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the long-anticipated announcement of the Gaza “Board of Peace” will take place early next year, marking a delay from earlier expectations that the rollout would occur before Christmas.

Evangelical Christian backing for Israel is “more vital than ever” as the Jewish state confronts a surge of antisemitism and anti-Israel activism worldwide, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told a visiting delegation of Christian leaders this week.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet U.S. President Donald Trump on Dec. 29 to determine the next steps of the Gaza ceasefire plan, Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian said Monday during an online briefing.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a series of airstrikes in southern Lebanon late Monday targeting Hezbollah infrastructure, including a training site used by the group’s elite Radwan Force, the military said in a statement Tuesday.

Archaeologists have uncovered one of the longest and best-preserved sections of Jerusalem’s Hasmonean-period city wall, a massive fortification dating to the Maccabean era, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Monday.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Shin Bet on Sunday unveiled what they say is a sophisticated, Iran-directed Hamas financial network operating from inside Turkey, funneling vast sums to the terrorist group as it seeks to rebuild and expand its capabilities.