TRUMP BANS VISAS OF 80 ARAB TERRORISTS PLO AND ABBAS MEMBERS FROM COMING TO THE U.N IN SEPTEMBER.TRUMP IS SO SMART BANNING THESE TERRORISTS.

TRUMP BANS VISAS OF 80 ARAB TERRORISTS PLO AND ABBAS MEMBERS FROM COMING TO THE U.N IN SEPTEMBER.TRUMP IS SO SMART BANNING THESE TERRORISTS.

WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)

EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18

WORLD TERRORISM

GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)

ISAIAH 14:12-14
12  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14  I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)

JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)

GODS PROMISED LAND FOR ISRAEL.

And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE.

Joel 3:2-King James Version (YOU DIVIDE JERUSALEM IN HALF - YOUR POKING GOD IN THE EYE - GOD SAYS AN EYE FOR AN EYE AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH- YOU WANNA DIVIDE JERUSALEM IN HALF -  HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION 4 BILLION DIE ON EARTH.
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come (ROMANS IN AD 70) shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMANS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 And he( EU ROMAN, JEWISH DICTATOR) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:( 7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,( 3 1/2 YRS) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

OOH THE POOR LIBERAL SUCK HOLE ARABS AND ABBAS THE TERRORIST PLO LEADER AND 80 OTHER TERRORISTS VISAS ARE BANNED FROM THE USA IN SEPTEMBER. WHICH MEANS ABBAS AND HIS SO CALLED PALESTINIAN (ARAB TERRORIST GROUPS ARE NOT ALLOWED AT THE USELESS UNITED NATIONS THIS SEPTEMBER). TRUMP HAS BANNED THEIR VISAS.

Abbas decries move as 'contradiction to international law'US says it will ban PA’s Abbas, 80 other officials from attending UN General Assembly-Rubio says PA and PLO officials to be barred from visiting UN Headquarters in NYC next month over ‘efforts to secure unilateral recognition’ and failure to repudiate extremism-By Jacob Magid 29 August 2025, 7:53 pm

The United States said on Friday it will not allow Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to travel to New York next month for a United Nations gathering of world leaders, where several US allies are set to recognize Palestine as a state.A State Department official told The Times of Israel that a US visa ban on Palestinian officials planning to attend the United Nations General Assembly, announced earlier in the day, would cover Abbas along with 80 other PA officials.The unprecedented step came a month after the State Department first announced that it would pursue the policy, which it now appeared to be implementing.Abbas had been planning to travel to New York for the annual high-level UN General Assembly at UN headquarters in Manhattan. He was also set to attend a summit there — hosted by France and Saudi Arabia — where Britain, France, Australia and Canada are planning to formally recognize a Palestinian state.Abbas’s office said it was astonished by the visa decision and argued that it violated the UN “headquarters agreement.”Under a 1947 UN “headquarters agreement,” the US is generally required to allow access for foreign diplomats to the UN in New York. Washington, however, has said it can deny visas for security, extremism and foreign policy reasons.Explaining the move, the State Department announcement said, “It is in our national security interests to hold the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority accountable for not complying with their commitments, and for undermining the prospects for peace.”The State Department said that the Palestinian Authority’s mission to the UN, comprising officials who are permanently based there, would not be included in the restrictions.Abbas’s office expressed its “deep regret and astonishment” at the US decision, which it said “stands in clear contradiction to international law and the UN Headquarters Agreement, particularly since the State of Palestine is an observer member of the United Nations.”His office urged the US to reconsider and reverse the move, “reaffirming Palestine’s full commitment to international law, UN resolutions and obligations toward peace, as conveyed in President Mahmoud Abbas’s letters to world leaders, including US President Donald Trump.”UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the UN would discuss the visa issue with the State Department, “in line with UN Headquarters agreement between the UN and the US.”Under the agreement with the UN, the US is required to allow representatives of member states, officials working on behalf of the United Nations and those who received invitations to visit UN headquarters in New York City without hindrance.America has generally upheld this commitment over the years, even when administrations found certain world leaders objectionable, as in the case of former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who visited on several occasions in the early 2000s.The State Department said it was in compliance with the requirements as it would still allow Palestinian diplomats already based in New York to attend the event by granting them visa waivers.While the UN General Assembly recognizes a state of Palestine, it is designated as a non-member observer like the Vatican.The US previously restricted the movement of foreign officials from adversarial countries such as Russia, Iran and North Korea but didn’t ban them completely.In 1988, the US denied a visa to then-PLO leader Yasser Arafat, but this was before Israel recognized the PLO during the 1993 Oslo Accords. As a result of the 1988 ban, the UN moved a planned General Assembly session from New York to Geneva so Arafat could speak.“Before the PLO and PA can be considered partners for peace, they must consistently repudiate terrorism — including the October 7 massacre — and end incitement to terrorism in education, as required by US law and as promised by the PLO,” the US statement said.Abbas did condemn the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack for the first time in June, after facing intensive Israeli criticism for refusing to do so.Unlike the July 31 State Department announcement previewing the move, Friday’s statement did not mention the PA’s controversial welfare program that included payments to the families of security prisoners based on the length of their prison sentence. No explanation was given for the removal. Abbas had signed a decree in February ending the policy and replacing it with a new one, which the PA has begun implementing and invited the US to certify is now in place, though the Trump administration has yet to send a delegation to Ramallah.The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the change.“The PA must also end its attempts to bypass negotiations through international lawfare campaigns, including appeals to the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice, and efforts to secure the unilateral recognition of a conjectural Palestinian state,” the State Department statement continued.“Both steps materially contributed to Hamas’s refusal to release its hostages, and to the breakdown of the Gaza ceasefire talks,” the statement claimed.Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said France’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state led Hamas to raise its demands in hostage negotiations, which collapsed the talks on July 24. But an Arab diplomat and a second source involved in the negotiations told The Times of Israel that Hamas’s new demands were submitted several hours prior to French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement that Paris would recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September.Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon told The Times of Israel in an interview this week that France was the party leading the latest drive for countries to recognize a Palestinian state, not the PA.The State Department statement ended by saying that the “US remains open to reengagement that is consistent with our laws, should the PA/PLO meet their obligations and demonstrably take concrete steps to return to a constructive path of compromise and peaceful coexistence with the State of Israel.”The US decision was hailed by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who thanked Rubio for holding the PA and PLO “accountable for rewarding terrorism, incitement and efforts to use legal warfare against Israel.The foreign minister, who met with Rubio in Washington this week, said the Trump administration was “standing by Israel once again” with the “bold step.”Axios reported that Sa’ar had encouraged Rubio to take the step during their meeting in Washington earlier this week.“We’ve been very clear when it comes to our visa system that we are going to take all necessary steps to prevent our visa system from being used by individuals who may support or espouse terrorism or terrorist activity,” White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller told reporters later Friday.The announcement appeared to be the first relatively punitive step that Washington has taken in response to France, the UK and Canada advancing Palestine recognition plans — a move encouraged by Ramallah. The Trump administration, for now, appears to prefer punishing Ramallah directly, as going after more powerful Western governments may be more difficult. However, Trump did float blowing up trade talks with Canada over its decision.The denial of visas also appeared to be the most limited of four steps that the Trump administration had at its disposal if the PA was found in violation of 2002 legislation that requires the president to assess whether Palestinian entities are fulfilling their commitments to combat terrorism and support peace with Israel.The more forceful option that the US could have taken was to designate the PA as a foreign terrorist organization, which would have exposed Ramallah to crippling sanctions.Pressed on whether the US would also take steps against Israel, given that it is widely seen to be in violation of its commitments under the Oslo Accords due to its rampant settlement expansion, failure to withdraw from the West Bank and withholding of over $2 billion in Palestinian tax revenues, the State Department declined to comment on the matter last month. Unlike with the PA and PLO, there is no US law that provides the president with the tools to sanction Israel over such violations.The PLO is the internationally recognized representative of the Palestinian people and oversees the Western-backed PA, to which Israel granted limited autonomy in less than half of the West Bank. Abbas has led both entities for two decades after being democratically elected in 2005, but has refused to hold elections since. He pledged earlier this year to hold elections in 2026.The PA has been under pressure from Arab and Western states to undergo significant reform as they push for the body to replace Hamas as Gaza’s governing authority. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled out a future role for the PA in governing Gaza, but has failed to advance any alternative amid pressure from his far-right partners who want to establish settlements in the Strip.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

'The fire helped us a lot in understanding the site'Ruins revealed by wildfire boost Galilean site’s claim as New Testament’s Bethsaida-3-day blaze clears vegetation concealing parts of el-Araj on northern shore of Sea of Galilee, adding kindling to theory that location was hometown of St. Peter visited by Jesus-By Rossella Tercatin-Today, 9:16 am-AUG 30,25

On a sweltering Thursday afternoon last month, Prof. Mordechai Aviam of Kinneret College drove to el-Araj, an archaeological site on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, hauling buckets, tarps and digging tools to prepare for his team’s 2025 excavation season.By Friday, those plans had gone up in flames, literally, as a wildfire swept through the area. It was still burning on Sunday, the day he had hoped to kick off the dig.When the archaeologists were finally allowed back, they found devastation — and unexpected opportunities.The flames destroyed the team’s equipment, but in the process, they also cleared out the dense vegetation that had long concealed parts of the site. What emerged was evidence that could bolster the archaeologists’ long-held argument that el-Araj is in fact the ancient village of Bethsaida, celebrated in the New Testament as the hometown of St. Peter and a place where Jesus walked and performed miracles.“The fire helped us a lot in understanding the site,” Aviam told The Times of Israel over the phone.The archaeologist explained that for at least the past century, and likely longer, the area had been either densely cultivated or overgrown with thick vegetation, and often flooded by the nearby lake, making it impossible to determine the village’s boundaries.“After the fire, we carried out a ground survey and saw that the site was much larger than we realized,” he said. “We identified remains of private houses as well as architectural elements typical of public buildings, including pillar drums, two Corinthian capitals, two Doric capitals, and several cornices.”Aviam said the remains can be dated to the Roman period, based on both nearby buildings that his team has already excavated and the style of the architectural elements uncovered.The site’s considerable size supports its identification as Bethsaida, he added, because it aligns with the way the village is described in “Antiquities of the Jews” by first-century CE Jewish-Roman historian Josephus.“Philip [son of Herod the Great] advanced the village Bethsaida, situated at the lake of Gennesareth, unto the dignity of a city, both by the number of inhabitants it contained, and its other grandeur, and called it by the name of Julias, the same name with Caesar’s daughter,” reads a passage from the work.“In light of what Josephus says, Bethsaida could not have been a small village,” Aviam noted.El-Araj is not the only candidate for the site of the elusive Galilean town where, according to the Gospels, the apostles Peter, Andrew, and Philip were born.About two kilometers (1.2 miles) away, the site of e-Tell has been claimed to be Bethsaida since 1987, when Rami Arav launched the “Bethsaida Excavations Project,” which has been active ever since.Arguments for a third possibility, al-Mesydiah, located roughly two kilometers from the mouth of the Jordan River, have lost ground in recent years in favor of the other two sites.Aviam, who serves as archaeological director of the excavation at el-Araj, has been digging at the site since 2016, together with his co-director Prof. Steven Notley, a historical geographer who teaches at Pillar College in New Jersey.“He was the one who initiated the excavation, suggesting that el-Araj could be Bethsaida,” Aviam said.Soon after digging began in 2016, the team uncovered the remains of a Roman bathhouse, showing that the settlement was already active in the Roman period. In later seasons, they unearthed a fifth-century church with colorful mosaic floors, further strengthening their case.According to Aviam, the most decisive evidence came with the discovery of a Greek inscription dedicating the church to the “Head and Leader of the Heavenly Messengers” and “Keeper of the Keys,” titles traditionally associated with St. Peter.The scholars argue that Byzantine Christians built the church on that spot because they believed it marked the house of Peter described in the New Testament, much like what happened at another key Galilean site, Capernaum.The researchers dedicated the 2025 summer excavation season to exploring several areas of el-Araj — including underneath the church’s floor — to shed more light on life there during the Roman period.Aviam said the team immediately uncovered the remains of Roman buildings. The walls, still visible beneath the fifth-century church, made it clear that the church’s builders had recognized the older structure.“We don’t have proof that this was Peter’s house,” Aviam said, “but the builders may have believed it was the home of Peter and Andrew. It’s exactly like Capernaum, where the church was constructed directly over what they called Peter’s house. Peter was born in Bethsaida, but he moved to Capernaum because his wife was from there.”Aviam said that el-Araj shows evidence of occupation from the Hellenistic and Hasmonean period (second century BCE) through the end of the Roman period (third century CE).“Between the third and fourth centuries, the Jewish village was abandoned, possibly because rising lake levels caused flooding,” he noted. “Later [in the fifth century], the first Christians who came to the site identified it [as Bethsaida] and began building the church.”Consistent with the New Testament description of Bethsaida, the scholars identified the settlement as Jewish based on three types of evidence: Hasmonean coins, stone vessels — which Jews used because they did not become ritually impure — and a very small number of pig bones.While the fire has been useful for Aviam’s research, he said the team will likely not excavate structures revealed by the blaze.“Archaeology is a science of destruction, because when you expose something, it starts to deteriorate,” he said. “So if we already have the answers we need, we are already certain that the structures are from the Roman period, between the first century BCE and the first century CE, we do not need [to excavate] more houses to prove it,” he said.The team plans to return to el-Araj for the second part of the excavation season in October.“We will excavate deeper in the area where we believe the bathhouse was located, as well as in other parts of the site, with the goal of learning more about life here during the Roman period,” Aviam said.

Troops raze 1-km-long tunnel, kill 'terror squad' in Zeitoun-‘Dangerous combat zone’: IDF nixes daily humanitarian pauses in Gaza City, as takeover looms-Military says it will continue supporting aid efforts in rest of Gaza apart from northern city, where about half the population of the Strip is currently gathered-By Stav Levaton-and ToI Staff 29 August 2025, 2:40 pm

The Israel Defense Forces announced Friday that the localized tactical pauses of military activity that have been taking place daily in several locations throughout the Gaza Strip to facilitate the distribution of humanitarian aid would no longer apply to Gaza City, ahead of a major offensive there.The military described the area as a “dangerous combat zone” in a statement announcing the change.In late July, amid surging food prices in Gaza and international outcry over widening starvation, Israel announced a series of measures to increase the supply of humanitarian aid available to civilians in the enclave. Among the moves was the institution of ten-hour daily pauses in fighting in swathes of the Strip, as well as the creation of new aid corridors and airdrop operations. The IDF said Friday that it would continue supporting aid distribution efforts across the enclave — with the exception of Gaza City — while simultaneously carrying out “offensive operations against terror groups in Gaza to protect Israeli civilians.”The military is gearing up for an offensive which aims to capture Gaza City, where an estimated one million Palestinians — or roughly half of the enclave’s population — are currently centered. The IDF has urged civilians to evacuate the city and move south.Jerusalem is moving forward with the plan, despite broad international opposition — with the exception of the US — as well as anger at home among many citizens who feel the move poses unjustified risk to the remaining hostages, as well as to soldiers, and favor a comprehensive deal with the Hamas terror group to return the captives in exchange for an end to the war.On Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met United Nations World Food Programme executive director Cindy McCain in Jerusalem, and said in a joint statement that they had agreed to “redouble efforts to expedite and sustain the entry of humanitarian goods into Gaza given the dire needs on the ground.” The meeting came days after the global hunger monitor Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) declared for the first time that famine had struck the densely populated northern Gaza Strip, a finding rejected by Israel. IDF: Terror squad killed in Zeitoun, observation post struck-Also Friday, the IDF said in a statement that troops operating in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City had “identified a squad of terrorists who were hiding in a military structure about 100 meters (yards) from them.”The Israeli troops “directed an Air Force aircraft to attack the structure and eliminated the terrorists,” the statement said, attaching video of the incident.Additionally, an observation post aimed at IDF forces was struck, the military said, publishing footage of that attack as well. On Thursday night, the military said IDF troops operating in Zeitoun had discovered and destroyed a roughly one-kilometer-long (0.6 miles) Hamas tunnel equipped with living quarters and weapons.Soldiers from the 7th Brigade, under the 99th Division, located the underground tunnel during operations on the outskirts of Gaza City. According to the IDF, the tunnel was used by Hamas operatives for military purposes.In addition, the brigade, working alongside the Israeli Air Force, dismantled other terrorist infrastructure, seized additional weapons and neutralized several terror operatives who posed a threat to troops in the area, the IDF said.The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists invaded Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, of whom 48 are still held, 20-22 of whom are believed to be alive. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 62,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has killed over 22,000 combatants in battle as of August and another 1,600 terrorists inside Israel during and immediately following the October 7 onslaught.Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools and mosques.Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 460. The toll includes two police officers and three Defense Ministry civilian contractors.

Southern Lebanon strike kills senior member of Hezbollah’s Radwan force — IDF-Army accuses Ahmad Naeem Maatouk of violating arrangements between Israel and Lebanon; also says troops operated in Syria overnight, doesn’t comment on reported Damascus raid-By Stav Levaton,Lazar Berman-and ToI Staff 29 August 2025, 11:05 pm

The Israel Defense Forces said Friday that it killed a senior Hezbollah operative in a strike on southern Lebanon, and that troops carried out a series of overnight operations in southern Syria.Ahmad Naeem Maatouk, a member of the Iran-backed terror group’s elite Radwan Force, was targeted in an attack on the municipality of Sir El Gharbiyeh, just north of the Litani River, the IDF said. English-language news outlet L’Orient Today published what it said was footage from the scene showing a group of people inspecting a bombed-out car.According to the IDF, Maatouk served as operations officer in a Radwan battalion and advanced multiple terror plots against Israel during the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war that ended with a November 27 ceasefire agreement.The IDF said Maatouk’s actions violated arrangements between Israel and Lebanon.Under a November ceasefire deal, Lebanon’s army has been deploying in the country’s south and dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure there with the support of UN observers.The Lebanese government is expected on Sunday to come up with a plan to convince Hezbollah to disarm, US envoy Tom Barrack said Tuesday.Speaking in Tel Aviv after visiting Lebanon, US Senator Lindsey Graham said Thursday that if Hezbollah does not agree to disarm, it should face military action.“If we cannot reach a peaceful disarmament solution for Hezbollah, then we need to look at plan B,” the South Carolina Republican said at a press conference. “Plan B is disarming Hezbollah by military force.”The US should support the Lebanese Armed Forces in that effort, said Graham, who is considered a close ally of US President Donald Trump.“If we have to use military force to disarm Hezbollah, I think it’s in America’s interest to make sure the Lebanese army is successful,” he said.Hezbollah began launching near-daily attacks on Israel border towns on October 8, 2023 — a day after fellow Iran-backed terror group Hamas invaded southern Israel, sparking the war in Gaza.Hezbollah’s rocket attacks displaced some 60,000 residents of northern Israel. In a bid to ensure their return home, Israel in September stepped up operations in Lebanon, leading to two months of open warfare that ended with the November truce.IDF touts Syria op but doesn’t address reported Damascus raidThe IDF said Friday that its forces carried out a series of overnight operations in southern Syria, uncovering weapons and detaining several suspects accused of advancing terror activity against Israeli troops in the area.The statement did not address reports by Syrian state media on Thursday that Israeli commandos raided a Syrian military installation near Damascus following two days of airstrikes. The IDF has yet to comment on those reports.According to the IDF, the raids overnight Thursday-Friday were conducted by the 226th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade under the 210th Bashan Regional Division with assistance from field investigators in Military Intelligence’s Unit 504.The IDF said troops remain on the Syrian side of the Israeli-Syrian buffer zone.Citing concern that the buffer zone would fall into the wrong hands, Israel seized the area in December following the ouster of Syria’s Iran-backed president Bashar al-Assad at the end of a 14-year civil war.A bipartisan trio of US lawmakers who visited Damascus criticized on Thursday what they said were Israel’s “destabilizing” strikes on Syria.“The Syrians are prepared to move forward with Israel to advance peace,” they said in a statement. “It is unclear how long the door to this opportunity will remain open.”

IDF says strike killed highest-ranking ISIS official in Gaza-Hamas says 5 more people die of starvation, 48 killed over 24 hours; Netanyahu’s office criticizes WFP chief, claims her statements on hunger contradicted what she said at meeting By Stav Levaton and ToI Staff Today, 3:34 am-AUG 30,25

The Israeli military said Friday evening it had eliminated the highest-ranking ISIS official in the Gaza Strip, Muhammad Abd al-Aziz Abu Zubaida, in a strike carried out in the past week in the Al-Bureij area of central Gaza.According to the Israel Defense Forces, the strike was carried out using aerial assets under the direction of Southern Command and under guidance from the Military Intelligence Directorate.Abu Zubaida served as the head of ISIS’s Palestine District and was responsible for policy, planning and implementation of the group’s operations in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula.The military said the organization has actively engaged in combat against IDF forces and facilitated the transfer of weapons and terror funding from the West Bank into Gaza.Also on Friday, the IDF said alerts were activated in open areas of the Gaza border region due to a false identification of a rocket launch. According to the military, an interceptor missile was launched and alerts were sounded according to standard policy.Earlier in the day the military said it had stepped up armed operations around Gaza City, ending temporary pauses there that had allowed for aid deliveries as it pushed ahead with a plan to take full control of Gaza City.“The local tactical pause in military activity will not apply to the area of Gaza City, which constitutes a dangerous combat zone,” the military said. The assault on Gaza City has gradually intensified over the past week as Israel has urged civilians to leave for the south of the Palestinian enclave.The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said Friday that five people, including two children, had died from malnutrition and starvation over the previous 24 hours, bringing the total alleged number of deaths from such cases to 322 since the start of the war. Israeli fire across the besieged Palestinian enclave killed 48 people on Friday, local health authorities said.Last week a global hunger monitor that works with the United Nations and major aid agencies said it had determined there was famine in Gaza. Israel has rejected the report as “fabricated” and based on manipulated data.Two days after meeting UN World Food Programme executive director Cindy McCain in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office criticized her Friday for what it claimed were statements that contradicted what she said in their sit-down.“Ms. McCain agreed that the aid looted by Hamas does not reach its intended humanitarian destination and that Hamas seizes the aid and sells it at exorbitant prices,” the PMO said.“McCain said that during her recent visit to Gaza, she observed a dramatic improvement: food was available, prices had dropped and markets had sufficient goods at reasonable prices,” Netanyahu’s office continued. “It is unfortunate that since the meeting, Ms. McCain has issued statements that contradict what she said in Jerusalem during that meeting.”The PMO did not specify which allegedly contradictory statements of McCain’s it was referring to. McCain did speak multiple times publicly about starvation in Gaza, but did not appear to directly point the finger at Israel.US Senator Lindsey Graham was at the meeting, and said that it went very well.“I met starving children receiving treatment for severe malnutrition – and I saw photos of when they were healthy. Today they are unrecognizable,” McCain said, according to the WFP.“What we need is a ceasefire. My heart goes out to the mothers in Gaza, as well as to the mothers of the Israeli hostages, whose children are currently starving. Enough is enough,” McCain said during a visit to Ramallah. “We can quickly scale up humanitarian aid to reach the most vulnerable inside Gaza, support the return of all hostages, and lay the foundation for peace and stability.”Netanyahu and McCain had released a joint statement after their meeting, calling it “constructive” and noting the recent increase in aid going into Gaza.The World Health Organization said Friday it had run out of critical medical supplies in Gaza that it needs to treat a surge in cases of a rare paralysis-causing syndrome in the Palestinian enclave.There have been 94 documented cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome in Gaza since June, resulting in 10 deaths, although GBS had rarely been seen in the enclave before the Israel-Hamas war began nearly two years ago, it said.GBS is a rare condition that involves a person’s immune system attacking the peripheral nerves. Severe cases can result in near-total paralysis and breathing problems, the WHO said.The fatalities include four children under 15 and six older patients with an average age of 25, the WHO said. Two of the victims had received no treatment, reflecting critical shortages in essential treatment supplies, it added.The surge in GBS has primarily been driven by gastrointestinal and respiratory infections, closely linked to deteriorating water, sanitation and hygiene conditions, it said.The IDF said Friday that it would continue supporting aid distribution efforts across the enclave — with the exception of Gaza City — while simultaneously carrying out “offensive operations against terror groups in Gaza to protect Israeli civilians.”The military is gearing up for an offensive which aims to capture Gaza City, where an estimated one million Palestinians — or roughly half of the enclave’s population — are currently centered. The IDF has urged civilians to evacuate the city and move south.Jerusalem is moving forward with the plan, despite broad international opposition — with the exception of the US — as well as anger at home among many citizens who feel the move poses unjustified risk to the remaining hostages, as well as to soldiers, and favor a comprehensive deal with the Hamas terror group to return the captives in exchange for an end to the war.Also Friday, the IDF said in a statement that troops operating in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City had “identified a squad of terrorists who were hiding in a military structure about 100 meters (yards) from them.”The Israeli troops “directed an Air Force aircraft to attack the structure and eliminated the terrorists,” the statement said, attaching video of the incident.Additionally, an observation post aimed at IDF forces was struck, the military said, publishing footage of that attack as well. On Thursday night, the military said IDF troops operating in Zeitoun had discovered and destroyed a roughly one-kilometer-long (0.6 miles) Hamas tunnel equipped with living quarters and weapons.The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists invaded Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, of whom 48 are still held, 20-22 of whom are believed to be alive. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 62,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has killed over 22,000 combatants in battle as of August and another 1,600 terrorists inside Israel during and immediately following the October 7 onslaught.Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools and mosques.Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 460.

Gaza-bound flotilla set to sail from Spain on Sunday, with Greta Thunberg again in tow-Organizer of what is expected to be largest flotilla yet urges governments to pressure Israel to let activists break naval blockade of the Strip-By Reuters and ToI Staff 29 August 2025, 11:32 pm

Activists set to sail from Spain for Gaza on Sunday have called on governments to pressure Israel to let their flotilla through the naval blockade on the enclave.The Global Sumud Flotilla, the largest to date, is expected to include dozens of boats carrying aid and hundreds of people from 44 countries. Sumud means “perseverance” in Arabic.Among the activists set to take part in the flotilla are Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who was detained and then deported by Israel after the IDF intercepted a separate Gaza-bound boat she joined in June. Also set to participate in the flotilla is left-wing Portuguese lawmaker Mariana Mortagua.Israel has scuppered numerous attempts by international activists to penetrate the nearly 20-year-long blockade, including in 2010, when nine Turkish citizens were killed in a clash with IDF naval commandos who intercepted the Mavi Marmara flotilla.The new flotilla comes after a UN hunger monitor said last week that parts of Gaza were suffering from famine. Israel, which stopped the flow of aid into Gaza for nearly three months until mid-May, has rejected the report as a “modern blood libel” and accused Hamas of looting aid deliveries.Saif Abukeshek, one of the organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla, said the ball was in the politicians’ court to put pressure on Israel to let the activists through this time.“They need to act to defend human rights and to guarantee a safe passage for this flotilla,” said Abukeshek, who is a Palestinian resident of Spain, in an interview with Reuters in Barcelona on Thursday.Israel has dismissed previous activist flotillas, including the British-flagged yacht carrying Thunberg in June, as a propaganda stunt in support of Hamas.Israel imposed the naval blockade on Gaza in 2007, when Hamas took control of the Strip two years after Israel withdrew from it. According to Israel, the blockade was necessary to prevent Hamas from smuggling arms by sea.The blockade has remained in place through conflicts, including the current war, which began when Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel on October 7, 2023, to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages.Israel’s retaliatory offensive has since killed almost 63,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.The toll, which cannot be independently verified, does not distinguish between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has killed over 22,000 combatants in battle as of August and another 1,600 terrorists inside Israel during the October 7 onslaught.

Hamas calls to 'escalate punitive measures' against Israel-Israeli airlines say they’re still traversing Turkish airspace despite declared closure-Diplomat clarifies only overflights of planes ferrying Israeli officials or weapons to Israel are blocked from Turkey’s skies, after its FM claimed airspace closed and trade ‘totally cut’By Lazar Berman-and Agencies 29 August 2025, 7:59 pmUpdated at 10:04 pm

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Friday said Ankara has “totally cut” trade with Israel and closed Turkey’s airspace to Israeli planes, though Israeli airlines said they received no new instructions.A Turkish diplomatic source later clarified that Fidan only meant Israeli government flights and flights carrying weapons to Israel would be barred from Turkey’s skies.“The minister’s comments refer to official Israeli flights and flights carrying weapons or ammunition to Israel. This does not apply to transit commercial flights,” the source said.The clarification came after Israeli officials earlier told The Times of Israel that they believed Fisan was simply laying out, with some inaccuracies, actions Turkey already took against Israel over the war against Hamas in Gaza.“We have totally cut our trade with Israel, we have closed off our ports to Israeli ships and we are not allowing Turkish vessels to go to Israel’s ports,” Fidan told an extraordinary parliamentary session on Israel’s attacks on the Strip.“We are not allowing container ships carrying weapons and ammunition to Israel to enter our ports, and airplanes to go into our airspace,” he added, without giving details.Fidan also said Turkey was set to carry out airdrops of aid to Gaza. “Our planes are ready; once Jordan gives its approval, we will be in a position to go,” he told lawmakers.The Israeli government did not immediately comment on Fidan’s remarks, which came a day after Saudi outlet Al-Hadath reported that an Israeli raid in the Damascus area overnight Wednesday-Thursday dismantled Turkish surveillance devices intended to monitor Israel.Responding to Fidan’s statement, Hamas urged “Turkey, as well as Arab and Islamic countries and the free nations of the world, to escalate punitive measures against [Israel]” and “sever all relations with it, and work to isolate it — to compel it to halt the genocide and destruction of Gaza.”Despite Fidan’s statement, Israeli airplanes were still operating in Turkish airspace on Friday and received no instructions to do otherwise, Army Radio reported.“Following reports about Turkey’s decision to close its airspace to Israeli planes, Arkia is in contact with the relevant authorities,” the Israeli airline told The Times of Israel. “At this stage, no operational instructions have been received.”Israir also told The Times of Israel that “the airspace has not been closed.”“Our flights are operating as scheduled with no changes, and we are in regular contact with the Civil Aviation Authority,” said the carrier.Shipping sources already told Reuters last week that Turkish port authorities had started informally requiring shipping agents to provide letters declaring that vessels are not linked to Israel and not carrying military or hazardous cargo bound for the country.A source had also said that Turkish-flagged ships would be prohibited from calling at Israeli ports.Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak, a Turkey expert at Tel Aviv University’s Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies, nonetheless considered Fidan’s latest statement to be credible and dramatic.“Turkey is adopting a gradual punishment strategy against Israel,” said Yanarocak. “When Israel declared its intention to launch an invasion of Gaza City, Ankara imposed naval sanctions that barred Israeli ships from visiting Turkish ports. And today, following news that the IDF launched an extraterritorial raid against Syrian army outposts, where Turkey had intelligence devices to track the activities of Israeli troops, Ankara made a new decision and shut down its airspace to Israeli planes.”“This move is certainly unprecedented, and it will not be easy to reverse in the future,” he said.Turkey, a leading supporter of Hamas, has been one of the harshest critics of Israel’s conduct in Gaza.Last year, Turkey said it was stopping all exports and imports to and from Israel, though some are said to have quietly continued.The two countries had a trade volume of $6.8 billion in 2023, and Turkey was Israel’s fifth-largest source of imported goods. Israel and Turkey have free trade agreements from the mid-1990s that are now being abrogated.Istanbul had also long been a popular destination for Israeli tourists, many of whom traveled on Turkish Airlines and used Turkey’s Atatürk Airport as a cheaper option for connecting flights to destinations in Europe and elsewhere.Before the Hamas massacre in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the war in Gaza, Turkish Airlines was the fourth-largest carrier at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport. In April, Turkish carriers waived their flight slots at the airport.Sharon Wrobel and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.