Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued directives to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to develop comprehensive plans for a potential ground offensive in Rafah, the last remaining refuge for displaced residents of the Gaza Strip. The IDF is tasked with creating a well-coordinated strategy that ensures both the security of the region and the safety of the civilian population, which has... 

Israel’s Ministry of Health has signed an agreement with pharmaceutical giant Moderna to triple the number of vaccines it will purchase from the company in 2021 from 2 million to 6 million doses, according to a joint statement by the ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office: Six million doses will be sufficient to inoculate 3 million citizens, according to the statement. Israel had previously... 

Satellite imagery analysis reveals a staggering reality in Gaza, where more than 70 percent of residential buildings lie in ruins or bear the scars of bombings, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. The devastation extends beyond homes; the World Bank notes that nearly 80 percent of Gaza’s health facilities have suffered destruction or damage, leaving most of the 36 hospitals in dire straits. Israeli... 

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has exhorted President Joe Biden to withdraw his support for an additional $10 billion meant for Israel. The senator for the Green Mountain State issued this call in a Dec. 12 letter addressed to the chief executive. “The U.S. government has urged Israel to change its tactics, but we have done little but ask nicely while continuing to enable that campaign,” he... 

Egyptian intelligence officials warned their Israeli counterparts of a possible terror attack days before Hamas slaughtered at least 1,300 people, according to the Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee — who said Wednesday he doesn’t know how Israel and the US missed the signs. “We know the Egyptian intelligence service handed this off days before the terrorist invasion,... 

In the aftermath of a harrowing incursion into southern Israel by Hamas militants, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a resolute vow to defeat the extremist group. The violent episode, which unfolded with terrifying swiftness, saw Hamas gunmen brazenly seize hostages, including grandparents, children, and women, from the streets of Israel. The death toll soared to alarming heights... 

The anticipated closure of The Jewish Agency in Russia will have a serious impact on Russia-Israel relations, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid warned on Sunday. The quasi-governmental organization, which promotes the emigration of people with Jewish heritage to Israel, has been targeted by Russia’s Justice ministry over alleged violations of local law. “Prime Minister Lapid said in the meeting... 

Washington’s ambassador to Israel has said that a renewed nuclear pact with Iran will not bar the close US ally from taking action to “protect” itself, as negotiators attempt to revive the 2015 JCPOA agreement between Tehran and world powers. Speaking to Israel’s Channel 12, on Thursday, Ambassador Tom Nides outlined that the United States does not expect Tel Aviv to “sit quietly and not... 

A bizarre diplomatic back and forth between Ukraine and Israel erupted this past week after a top aide to President Volodymyr Zelensky told the media that Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett urged Kiev to accept Putin’s proposal for ending the war, effectively surrendering. “Bennett is basically telling us to surrender and we have no intention of doing that,” the unnamed senior Ukrainian... 

Germany has agreed to extend another $720m (648 million euros) to provide home care and supportive services for frail and vulnerable Holocaust survivors, according to the organisation that handles claims on behalf of Jews who suffered under Nazi Germany. The announcement came on Wednesday as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was in Israel for the first time since becoming the leader of his country. Scholz... 

Already in trouble with Jordan, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu escalated tensions with his country’s closest Arab ally on Friday by unilaterally rejecting its request to increase water supply to the drought-hit kingdom. Netanyahu’s decision – reportedly influenced by a souring of his personal relationship with Jordanian King Abdullah II – went against the security services recommendation... 

When a delegation of senior Israeli officials visited the Trump White House on February 13, 2017, they wanted to discuss several issues with their new American counterparts. Topping the list was a secret letter concerning a subject the Israelis had promised the Americans never to discuss publicly—Israel’s undeclared nuclear arsenal. In a recent piece for The New Yorker, I described a tense scene... 

Some 35 years after his arrest and conviction for spying for Israel, Texas-born Jew Jonathan Pollard has made aliyah to Israel with the intention of staying — where he is considered a ‘hero’ rather than a criminal who betrayed America’s military secrets to a foreign — and hostile — nation: Pollard and his wife Esther arrived on a private plane provided by American billionaire Sheldon Adelson... 

On Tuesday, President Trump presented Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu with a “ceremonial” gold key to not only the White House, but to the entire United States of America and the “hearts” of Americans, too: TRUMP: (A ceremonial gold key is presented.) This was a special token of affection, given by myself and the First Lady to the Prime Minister and the First Lady of Israel. And it’s... 

Several European leaders reportedly sent personal letters to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent days virtually begging him not to push ahead with plans to unilaterally annex parts of the West Bank: “I ask you, in a spirit of friendship, that your new government not take unilateral action [in the West Bank]. Such a move would destabilize the Middle East,” French President Emmanuel...