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| World News |
| Iran and Oman make progress on a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, officials say |
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Iran and the Gulf Arab state of Oman have made progress toward a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a potential breakthrough that could help wind down the war in the Middle East, regional officials say. Under the emerging agreement, ships would enter the Persian Gulf through an Iranian-controlled route and exit through a route controlled by Oman, with service fees charged for providing security and preserving the maritime environment, two regional officials tell The Associated Press. They say negotiations are still underway and that the final agreement could take a different form, with any deal linked to lifting the US blockade on Iran’s ports. The officials speak on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations unfolding behind closed doors. The comments echo US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s statement earlier today that “there’s been progress made in those talks, but not finality yet.” A US official familiar with the negotiations says that any “temporary” routes established through the strait would not involve approvals by Iran or charges. The official, who is also speaking on condition of anonymity, says the US remains committed to returning to the status quo in which “no party controls the lanes or the ability to transit through them.” |
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| Israel News |
| Senior Hamas figure falsely claims terror group didn’t intentionally kill, abduct civilians on Oct. 7 |
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Senior Hamas member Ghazi Hamad denies that the terror group targeted civilians and children in its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. He makes his claim despite the fact that many of the atrocities were captured on camera by the terrorists themselves, and that Hamas held civilians whom it had kidnapped hostage in the Gaza Strip for years after the assault. Appearing on the “Piers Morgan Uncensored” program, Hamid asserts that Hamas “never commit crimes; we never kill civilians.” When pressed about the hundreds of civilians whom Hamas terrorists killed at the Nova music festival and in house-to-house assaults throughout the Gaza border area, Hamad says “maybe some mistakes happened.” Morgan asks Hamad about the kidnapping of 9-month-old Kfir Bibas. The baby was taken hostage alongside his 4-year-old brother Ariel, and wife Shiri, all of whom were murdered in captivity. His father was also abducted. The Hamas spokesman responds that, at the beginning of the war, the terrorist group “proposed to release all the civilians, but Israel refused that.” Israel demanded, on a daily basis, the unconditional release of its hostages, however Hamas insisted on the release of thousands of terror convicts and an end to the war in exchange for returning them. At the time, Hamad himself vowed that the October 7 attack would be “just the first time, and there will be a second, a third, a fourth.” Morgan also asks Hamad why, if Hamas did not target civilians, terrorists gunned down hundreds at a music festival. The terror spokesman says this “was not the plan.” Then, Hamad cites a Haaretz report from shortly after the attack, that cited an unnamed police source as suggesting that an Israeli military helicopter “apparently harmed a few partygoers who were in the area.” More than 300 Israelis were gunned down by Hamas-led terrorists at the site. Asked about the Board of Peace’s disarmament deal, Hamad says that the terrorist organization has agreed to it due to the difficult circumstances in Gaza, but that its “mentality” has not changed, and argues with Morgan when the latter asserts that Israel should not be destroyed. |
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| Netanyahu announces Israel ‘didn’t agree’ to Board of Peace’s plan to disarm Hamas |
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In his first public comments on the matter, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel has not agreed to the Board of Peace’s disarmament plan, which was accepted by Hamas last week. Reiterating comments in recent days attributed to “senior Israeli officials,” Netanyahu says in a video posted to Facebook that Israel will not withdraw “from our current lines” in Gaza “until Hamas is completely disarmed.” This would appear to go against the disarmament plan, which requires Israel to pull back to the original Yellow Line in Gaza. Israel withdrew to that line as part of the October 2025 ceasefire-hostage release deal with Hamas, but has since expanded its control of the Strip from 53 percent to over 60%. While the Board of Peace indicated that Israel would not have to carry out withdrawals beyond the original Yellow Line until Hamas at least begins to hand over its weapons, Netanyahu asserts that Israeli forces will not move at all, as his election campaign kicks into gear. “President Trump thinks — or his team thinks — that they can get Hamas to disarm and demilitarize Gaza. We are looking into it. They sent us a draft. We did not agree to it. It was not our draft. We sent back our comments,” Netanyahu says in the video statement. The “draft” Netanyahu describes isn’t supposed to be open for debate with Israel, as it was the result of separate negotiations with Hamas. As senior US official briefing reporters last week said that the disarmament proposal is an extension of Trump’s 20-point plan for ending the Gaza war, which Israel already accepted last fall. Accordingly, Israel is only being asked to maintain its adherence to the 20-point plan, the US official said. But with Israel opposing the Hamas disarmament proposal, the Board of Peace indicated Monday that it may reopen the terms of the deal for deliberation, issuing a statement that suggested it was changing the terms of the Israeli withdrawal in Jerusalem’s favor after the US-led panel’s top envoys held a meeting with Netanyahu. Acquiescing to Israeli demands for amendments, however, risks losing Hamas’s backing for the proposal, which took months to secure. The disarmament proposal also requires Israel to immediately halt all military operations in Gaza once the plan takes effect. While Israel has pushed back on this condition, it did reportedly agree to tighten the rules of engagement in Gaza, requiring the approval of the IDF chief of staff before any single strike can go ahead. Netanyahu does not deny that policy change, but insists, “we are instructing IDF soldiers to do whatever is necessary to defend themselves, defend our territory and defend people.” |
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| Major wildfire between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem causes closure of central highways |
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Two of the busiest highways in the country have been closed due to a major wildfire raging in the Ben Shemen area, between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, police say. Route 6 has been completely blocked in both directions, with traffic being redirected to Route 444. Route 1 eastward has been blocked in the Ben Shemen area, with traffic redirected to Route 443. Police ask drivers to avoid approaching the closed-off areas, expect heavy traffic, not obstruct rescue forces and be patient and responsible. The Fire and Rescue Service says 21 firefighting teams and four firefighting planes are currently battling the blaze, and have managed to contain its spread for now. |
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