Page 2 - Benjamin Netanyahu

Netanyahu appoints Eyal Zamir as new chief of Israel Defense Forces

With this announcement, Zamir has become the 24th Chief of Staff of IDF, replacing Lt Gen Herzi Halevi following his resignation last month

Trump invites Israel's Netanyahu to meet with him at White House next week

President Donald Trump has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House next week as the first foreign leader to visit in Trump's second term, Netanhayu and the White House said Tuesday. The announcement came as the United States pressures Israel and Hamas to continue a ceasefire that has paused a devastating 15-month war in Gaza. Talks about the ceasefire's more difficult second phase, which aims to end the war, begin next Monday. The White House letter shared by Netanyahu's office, dated Tuesday, said I look forward to discussing how we can bring peace to Israel and its neighbours, and efforts to counter our shared adversaries. The meeting on February 4 is a chance for Netanyahu, under pressure at home, to remind the world of the support he has received from Trump over the years, and to defend Israel's conduct of the war. Last year, the two men met face-to-face for the first time in nearly four years at Trump's Florida Mar-a-Lago estate. Israel is the larg

Netanyahu hopes to meet Trump in US as soon as next week, say officials

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hoping to meet with President Donald Trump in Washington as early as next week, according to two US officials familiar with preliminary planning for the trip. Should the trip come together in that timeframe, Netanyahu could be the first foreign leader to meet with Trump at the White House since his inauguration last week. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the planning remains tentative, said details could be arranged when Trump's special Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, travels to Israel this week for talks with Netanyahu and other Israeli officials. The White House had no immediate comment on the plans, which were first reported by Axios. Netanyahu's spokesman, Omer Dostri, said Monday on the social platform X that the Israeli leader has not yet received an official invitation to the White House. An Israeli official, however, said Netanyahu is expected to go to the White House in February but did not have a dat

Families of hostages appeal to Trump to pressure Netanyahu to end war

Families of hostages who remain in captivity in Gaza are appealing to US President Donald Trump to pressure Israel's prime minister into ending the war and bringing their loved-ones home. Under the deal, about one third of the hostages are to be released during the six-week first phase. The release of the remaining hostages, along with an end to the war, are to be negotiated during a second phase. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has signalled readiness to return to the war after the first phase is complete, and hard-liners in his coalition have threatened to bring down the government if he does not resume the war. Hostage families gathered Saturday and appealed to Trump to make sure that Netanyahu ends the war. The radicals in the coalition are threatening to bring down the government and demand the renewal of the war, said Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is a hostage and not scheduled to be released during the first phase. She urged Trump to demand that Netanyahu implement the

Netanyahu defends Musk amid 'Nazi salute' row, calls him 'great friend'

Calling Musk a 'great friend of Israel,' Netanyahu recalled how the Tesla CEO visited Israel after the October 7 attack and supported its right to defence and thanked him for it

Israel's top general resigns citing security failures during Oct 7 attack

Israel's top general resigned on Tuesday, citing the security and intelligence failures related to Hamas' surprise attack that triggered the war in the Gaza Strip. Israel meanwhile launched a large military operation in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on Tuesday that the Palestinian Health Ministry said had killed at least six people and wounded 35. Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi is the most senior Israeli figure to resign over the security breakdown on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led militants carried out a land, sea and air assault into southern Israel, rampaging through army bases and nearby communities for hours. The attack killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250. More than 90 captives are still being held in Gaza, around a third of whom are believed to be dead. In his letter of resignation, Halevi said the military, under his command, had "failed in its mission to defend the State of Israel. Halevi, who began what was meant to be a ...

Gaza ceasefire: Hamas frees hostages, Israel releases prisoners on day 1

Israeli military said Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari had been reunited with their mothers and released a video showing them in apparent good health

Israel committed to getting all hostages: Netanyahu after 3 women released

Three women who had been in captivity for 471 days since October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel killing over 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting over 200 others

Gaza ceasefire deadline passes as Hamas fails to provide hostages' names

Hamas blamed the delay in handing over the names on technical field reasons

Israel's Cabinet approves deal for ceasefire in Gaza, release of hostages

Israel's Cabinet approved a deal early Saturday for a ceasefire in Gaza that would release dozens of hostages held there and pause the 15-month war with Hamas, bringing the sides a step closer to ending their deadliest and most destructive fighting ever. Mediators Qatar and the US announced the ceasefire Wednesday, but the deal was in limbo for more than a day as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted there were last-minute complications that he blamed on the Hamas militant group. The ceasefire just the second achieved during the war will go into effect Sunday, though key questions remain, including the names of the 33 hostages to be released during the six-week first phase of the ceasefire and who among them is still alive. The Cabinet met well past the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath, in a reflection of the moment's importance. In line with Jewish law, the Israeli government usually halts all business for the Sabbath except in emergency cases of life or death. Netanyahu ...

Palestine ready to assume 'full responsibility' in Gaza: President Abbas

Presidency urges the international community to offer urgent humanitarian aid to enable the government to shoulder its responsibilities towards the Palestinian people, a statement said

Hostage deal sealed in Gaza conflict: Netanyahu confirms agreement

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed a hostage exchange deal involving Palestinian prisoners, coupled with a ceasefire to address the ongoing Gaza conflict

Cabinet won't meet over ceasefire until Hamas drops new demands: Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Thursday his Cabinet won't meet to approve the agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of dozens of hostages until Hamas backs down, accusing the group of reneging on parts of the agreement in an attempt to gain further concessions. His office did not elaborate. Meanwhile, Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip have killed at least 72 people since the ceasefire deal was announced, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Palestinians in Gaza reported heavy Israeli bombardment overnight as people were celebrating the ceasefire deal. In previous conflicts, both sides have stepped up military operations in the final hours before ceasefires go into effect as a way to project strength. Under the deal expected to begin Sunday, 33 hostages are set to be released over the next six weeks, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. The remainder, including male soldiers, are to be released in a second ..

'Last minute crisis' with Hamas holding up Gaza truce approval: Netanyahu

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that a "last-minute crisis" with Hamas was holding up Israeli approval of a long-awaited ceasefire that would pause the fighting in the Gaza Strip and release dozens of hostages. Israeli airstrikes, meanwhile, killed at least 72 people in the war-ravaged territory. Netanyahu began signalling there were issues with the deal just hours after US President Joe Biden and key mediator Qatar announced it was complete. The objection created a dual reality: War-weary Palestinians in Gaza, the relatives of hostages held there and world leaders all welcomed an agreement, expected to begin Sunday, even as Netanyahu said it was not yet finalised. It was not yet clear if Netanyahu's statements merely reflected jockeying to keep his fractious coalition together or whether the deal was at risk. Netanyahu's office said his Cabinet won't meet to approve the deal until Hamas backs down, accusing it of reneging on parts of the agreement in an attempt to

Ceasefire agreement not complete, working on final details, says Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late Wednesday that the ceasefire agreement with Hamas is still not complete and the final details are being worked out. Netanyahu's statement comes hours after the United States and Qatar announced the deal, which would pause the devastating 15-month war in Gaza and clear the way for dozens of hostages to go home. The conflict has destabilized the Middle East and sparked worldwide protests. Large crowds of joyful Palestinians took to the streets in Gaza when the agreement was announced, cheering and honking car horns. No one can feel the feeling that we are experiencing now, an indescribable, indescribable feeling, said Mahmoud Wadi in central Gaza's Deir al-Balah before joining a chanting crowd. The Israel Hamas-war has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to health authorities there. The Health Ministry does not distinguish between fighters and civilians, but says women and children make up more than half the ...

Biden, Netanyahu discuss efforts to reach Israel-Hamas war ceasefire

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden spoke on Sunday about efforts to reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal in the Israel-Hamas war, a sign of the intensifying push to reach a deal before Donald Trump's inauguration next week. Talks mediated over the past year by the US, Egypt and Qatar have repeatedly stalled at moments when they seemed close to a deal. Still, in recent days, US officials have expressed hope of sealing an agreement. Sunday's call between Biden and Netanyahu came as the head of Israel's Mossad foreign intelligence agency, David Barnea, and Biden's top Mideast adviser, Brett McGurk, were both in the Qatari capital Doha. Barnea's presence, confirmed by Netanyahu's office, meant high-level Israeli officials who would need to sign off on any agreement are now involved in talks. McGurk has been working on final details of a text to be presented to both sides, Biden's national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, told CNN's "State of the .

Netanyahu sends director of Mossad for Gaza ceasefire talks in Qatar

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved sending the director of the Mossad foreign intelligence agency to ceasefire negotiations in Qatar, his office said Saturday, in a sign of progress in talks on the war in Gaza. It was not immediately clear when David Barnea would travel to Qatar's capital, Doha, for the latest round of indirect talks between Israel and the Hamas militant group. His presence means high-level Israeli officials who would need to sign off on any agreement are now involved. Just one brief ceasefire has been achieved in 15 months of war, and that was in the earliest weeks of fighting. The talks mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar have repeatedly stalled since then. Netanyahu has insisted on destroying Hamas' ability to fight in Gaza. Hamas has insisted on a full Israeli troop withdrawal from the largely devastated territory. On Thursday, Gaza's Health Ministry said over 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, the majority women and

US House passes bill to sanction ICC for Israeli PM, Gallant arrest warrant

The bill, titled the 'Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act,' passed with a vote of 243 to 140, signalling strong support for Israel

Donald Trump to Sunita Williams: Who were the top newsmakers of 2024

From Mukesh Ambani hosting one of the most extravagant weddings to Gisele Pelicot's mass rape trial in France, here is a list of all the top newsmakers of 2024

Behind the dismantling of Hezbollah: Decades of Israeli intelligence

Worried that the operation would be exposed, top intelligence officials persuaded Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to give the order to detonate them