West Bank: Israeli settlers raid a Palestinian family’s home in Jalud. US condemns the attack

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has today filed several defamation suits against media outlets and journalists who, in recent days, have published reports relating to the alleged warning from the United Arab Emirates and Egypt regarding a possible attack by Hamas prior to 7 October 2023. “The United Arab Emirates have denied it, as have the Egyptians; these are outright lies, which, not coincidentally, are being spread on the very eve of the elections by political opponents and hostile foreign elements,” stated Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office in a press release announcing the complaint against the newspapers Haaretz, Yediot Ahronot, Ynet, Channel 12 and six other Israeli journalists, including Barak Ravid.

“There is no limit to the hypocrisy of terrorism’s supporters around the world. Bono did not compare Hamas terrorists to Himmler, but only those who are defending the Jews from the next massacre.” This was written in X by the far-right minister Itamar Ben Gvir, after the U2 frontman had attacked him in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine. “The Hamas attack on 7 October is a heinous crime, but I am particularly shocked by the words of Itamar Ben Gvir, who said that there are people in Gaza who do not deserve to live, who are not even human. This rhetoric reminds me of Himmler. He is a government minister and he is not in prison. Because Netanyahu needs him to maintain his majority,” said Bono in an excerpt from the interview reported by the Israeli media. “Many of the people who have broadened my horizons, changed my outlook, made me laugh, broken my heart with their songs or lifted my spirits, are Jewish. And Ben Gvir is casting a heavy shadow over their religion,” added the singer. For his part, Ben Gvir stated, “I have some news for him: Jews have stopped apologising for their right to live. We can do without your compassion for dead Jews; we’d rather stay alive and face your criticism.” “If you truly care about the people of Gaza, help them move to Ireland. They are begging to be allowed to emigrate from Gaza. In the next government, I intend to serve as Israel’s Minister of Defence, to fight terrorism without mercy, to encourage emigration from Gaza, and to act with determination and strength to protect the citizens of Israel,” added Ben Gvir.

Telephone conversation between Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Mohamed bin Salman Al-Saud. The Prime Minister expressed Italy’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia. According to a statement from Palazzo Chigi, the two leaders ‘discussed the situation in the region, the possibilities for reducing tensions and pursuing diplomatic solutions, whilst reaffirming the central importance of freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait’.

Two people have died and at least six have been injured, including a child, in an attack by the Israeli Defence Forces in Jabalia, in the north of the Gaza Strip. This has been reported by the Palestinian media, which added that another person died in a drone strike in the Tuffah neighbourhood of Gaza City.

“Even the leaders of the terrorist organisation who are abroad are in our sights: none of these despicable murderers, who played a central role in the massacre of 7 October, will die quietly in their beds.” This was stated by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz in a video message in which he claimed responsibility for the assassination, which took place last night, of the commander of Hamas’s Northern Brigade, Izz al-Din Bik.

He dismisses it as a collection of “lies”, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is obsessed with Naza, the documentary (in Italian cinemas until tomorrow) by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, two of the directors from the collective that won the Oscar for No Other Land in 2025. The film reveals the details of the system underpinning the mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. Winner of the Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival, Naza has had a huge media impact and will be available free of charge online (probably from November) “as part of the news organisation’s commitment to promoting independent journalism” on the website of *The Guardian*, which co-produced it alongside Jonathan Glazer (*The Zone of Interest*).

Qatar continues to play a mediating role and to convey messages between the United States and Iran “to build common ground that brings their positions closer together and leads to a peaceful solution”, said Anjed Al-Ansari, spokesperson for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Qatar is working towards “de-escalation and the restoration of full freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz”, he continued during the press briefing.

“There are signs that, in the run-up to the elections, our enemies will try to attack us.” This was stated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a visit to ground crew and pilots at the Tel Nof Air Force base. “From here, from this Air Force base, from the long arm of the State of Israel, I send this message: do not turn against us, neither now nor ever. Our long arm will reach you wherever you are and at any time,” warned Netanyahu, as quoted by Ynet. “There is enormous pressure on us to give up the great achievements we have made. I will not allow that to happen,” added the Israeli Prime Minister.

Iran is expecting a US response by tomorrow to the proposals discussed with Qatar regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. This was emphasised by the Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, who reported that during yesterday’s meeting with the Qatari mediator, “ideas on how to fulfil the conditions” for reopening the Strait were examined. According to the minister, the proposals “will be submitted to the US side and their response will be conveyed via Qatar”. Araghchi, who has left New York to return to Tehran, added that, should there be a US response, “the decision will be taken in Tehran”. The Islamic Republic’s foreign minister then denied rumours of a possible shift in Iran’s position, stressing that there had been no discussion of greater flexibility on the nuclear issue. “I firmly state that there has been no change in Iran’s positions,” he said. “There has been no discussion on other issues involving flexibility.” “At present, our discussion concerns only the issue of the Strait of Hormuz,” added Araghchi, emphasising that “the reopening of the Strait is conditional upon the fulfilment of the conditions we have announced”.

Russia does not want Iran to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The Kremlin made this statement after Iranian MPs threatened to consider withdrawing from the agreement in response to pressure aimed at bringing the country’s nuclear programme to an end. According to reports, the threat was reiterated by the deputy speaker of the Iranian parliament, Ali Nikzad. “This statement requires further clarification. We would not want Iran to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty,” said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. The treaty commits Tehran not to develop or acquire nuclear weapons. Iran maintains that its nuclear programme is peaceful, but it has enriched uranium to levels close to those required for the production of nuclear weapons, raising doubts about its intentions. Russia and Iran maintain close ties under a strategic cooperation treaty between the two countries.

The Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, “held a telephone conversation today with the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Mohamed bin Salman Al-Saud”. This was reported in a statement from Palazzo Chigi, which explained that the Prime Minister “wished first and foremost to express Italy’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia”. The two leaders “then discussed the situation in the region, the possibilities for reducing tensions and pursuing diplomatic solutions, whilst reaffirming the central importance of freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait”, the statement added.

Spain is open to the idea – also supported by Italia and France – of launching a new European mission in Lebanon, in view of the expiry of the UNIFIL mandate at the end of the year. Madrid is also proposing a second solution, which, however, currently appears unlikely to be feasible as it is not supported by the US and Israel: the renewal of the UN mission.

No explosives were found in the three vans stopped on Sunday following the alleged attack plot near the British RAF airbase at Fairford, which is also used by the US in the war against Iran. This has been reported by the Mirror, amongst others, after anonymous sources quoted by other media outlets had ruled out the discovery of ‘functional explosives’. The rumour comes against a backdrop of contradictions and doubts surrounding the incident, and following the surprise release on bail yesterday of all five British nationals – aged between 23 and 25 – who had been arrested the day before on suspicion of “planning a terrorist attack”.

Muhammad Tubasi, whose family was attacked by a group of Israeli settlers whilst trying to return home to Jalud under IDF escort, told the Times of Israel that his home had been set alight by the violent mob and that the rioters had also set fire to his car, adding that they managed to escape unharmed only because IDF soldiers rescued them and transferred them to a military vehicle. The Tubasi family were evicted from their home by a group of settlers at the end of July, following a siege lasting several weeks, and their home was subsequently occupied.

“I firmly deny that Iran has any flexibility” regarding the nuclear deal, and “at present, the only issue on the table is the Strait of Hormuz”. This was stated by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi whilst speaking to the Iranian press in New York. According to the minister, any statements to the contrary form part of “a propaganda campaign that began a few hours ago in certain media outlets, which were making claims and attributing statements to Iran”.

Oil prices are rising sharply on the markets, which fear yet another deadlock in negotiations between the US and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz. WTI crude from Texas is up 1.88 per cent at $94.30 per barrel, whilst Brent is up 2 per cent at $107.

A commander of Hamas’s military wing has been killed in an Israeli air strike on a flat in Gaza City. Palestinian sources told Al Jazeera that the man was al-Bik, who had taken command of the Qassam Brigades during Israel’s war against Gaza, succeeding Ahmed al-Ghandour, Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz had issued a statement confirming that al-Bik had been killed.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has formally confirmed his visit to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, stating that the talks focused on strengthening bilateral relations and key regional issues.

“The visit focused on strengthening relations between the two countries and on regional challenges,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s office reported on X. The UAE news agency WAM had previously reported that Netanyahu had travelled to the United Arab Emirates to discuss bilateral relations with the UAE President.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied that the Prime Minister received warnings from Egypt about an imminent Hamas attack prior to 7 October 2023 and has announced that it will take legal action for defamation in relation to the reports published on the matter.

On Sunday, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing Egyptian officials, that Cairo had warned the Israeli authorities on three occasions of the possibility of a Hamas attack. According to the newspaper, the warnings reportedly included a telephone call from the head of Egyptian intelligence, but the information was not taken seriously by the Israeli leadership. “In the months leading up to 7 October, Prime Minister Netanyahu did not meet or speak with Abbas Kamel, who was then head of the Egyptian General Intelligence Service, and no Israeli intelligence official passed on a warning from Egypt to the Prime Minister,” Netanyahu’s office stated on X.

“What might have happened in the UK over the weekend is a very serious situation. It is a situation in which a foreign actor is clearly involved.” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio made these remarks to Fox News in relation to the suspected terrorist plot foiled at RAF Fairford in the UK. “What happened this weekend could have been, and was, I believe, a very serious threat,” Rubio added.

“I haven’t offered Iran anything.” Donald Trump said this, refuting the rumours reported by Axios. “Axios has just published a report claiming that Trump offered Iran an easing of sanctions and the release of frozen funds. That is not true. I haven’t offered anything. The Axios report, like most of the others, is a hoax, spread solely to satisfy their pathological obsession with Trump,” said the President.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said he expects an official response from the United States today to Tehran’s proposal on opening the Strait of Hormuz, according to state media reports. The Qatari mediators “have put forward some ideas and we have discussed them. They must raise the issue again with the US side, after which the US’s final response will be conveyed to us via the Qatari mediator,” said the foreign minister. “The Qataris hope this will happen by tomorrow (Tuesday, local time),” said Araghchi, who is in New York. (