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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly refused to hold a vote on a proposed hostage-ceasefire deal at a stormy cabinet meeting that went on until the early hours of Monday morning, saying it was not on the table and that US President Donald Trump had pushed him not to accept a partial deal.

The premier’s dismissal of the topic came despite far-right ministers pressing him to hold a vote to officially reject the deal, while the chief of staff and some cabinet ministers pushed for it to be accepted, according to multiple leaks from the closed-door meeting that were published on Monday.

The security cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv, which lasted almost six hours, focused almost entirely on the Israel Defense Forces’ plans to take over Gaza City, according to reports in Hebrew media.

Belgium will recognize the state of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly in September, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot announces.

“Palestine will be recognized by Belgium at the UN session! And firm sanctions are being imposed against the Israeli government,” Prevot writes on X.

In July, French President Emmanuel Macron said France would recognize a Palestinian state at the UN meeting, due to be held from September 9 to 23 in New York. More than a dozen other Western countries have since called on others to do the same.

US Ambassador Mike Huckabee visited Efrat in the West Bank on Friday, the Efrat Municipality announced. 

Huckabee returned to the town for a social visit following a previous declaration to buy a house there, and participated in Shabbat prayers at the Shirat David synagogue.

"US Ambassador Mike Huckabee's visit to Efrat strengthens settlement in Judea and Samaria and illustrates the importance of Efrat as a central axis in settlement," Efrat Council Chairman, Col. (res.) Dovi Shefler said on the visit.

Ahead of the meeting, Israel Hayom has learned that contrary to the hopes of several government ministers, the plan being advanced by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer in discussions with senior US officials envisions only partial sovereignty, limited to the Jordan Valley.

A post-war blueprint for Gaza, reportedly developed within the Trump administration and disclosed by The Washington Post, outlines a proposal to place the territory under U.S. trusteeship for at least a decade. 

The 38-page plan envisions transforming Gaza into a hub for tourism and technology, branding it the future “Riviera of the Middle East.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar rebuked on Saturday his Belgian counterpart Maxime Prévot over the latter’s support for the Palestinian Authority, saying that it “serves only the interests of the terrorists, not dialogue, not peace.”

The P.A. has never stopped compensating Palestinian terrorists and their families and inciting violence against the Jewish state, policies that stand in clear violation of its diplomatic commitments, Sa’ar tweeted.

“Therefore, your support for a Palestinian state is clearly a support of a terror state, a basis for further attacks on Israel and October 7-like atrocities,” Israel’s top diplomat continued, referring to the Hamas-led massacre in 2023.

Britain, France, and Germany urged Iran at the United Nations on Friday to meet three requirements so their threat of reimposing UN sanctions can be delayed to allow space for talks on a deal to address their concerns about Tehran's nuclear program.

UN envoys for the three countries - known as the E3 - issued a joint statement before a closed-door Security Council meeting, a day after they launched a 30-day process to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran over its disputed nuclear program.

The E3 offered to delay reinstating sanctions - known as snapback - for up to six months if Iran restored access for UN nuclear inspectors, addressed concerns about its stock of enriched uranium, and engaged in talks with the United States.

The US State Department announced Friday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was denying and revoking visas from Palestinian officials ahead of next month’s United Nations General Assembly.

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.

The US announcement did not name which individuals would be barred and if Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was among them, though the New York Post cited an internal US State Department memo recommending that the visa ban be applied to him.

Against the backdrop of plans by several Western countries to recognize a Palestinian state next month, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to hold on Friday a first discussion on detaching the city of Hebron from the Palestinian Authority, i24NEWS learned.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged allies on Friday to swiftly elevate talks on security guarantees for Ukraine to the level of leaders, as European Union defence ministers pledged to train Kyiv's troops on Ukrainian soil in the event of a truce.

Turkey has decided to completely sever all commercial and economic ties with Israel and is closing its airspace to Israeli planes, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Friday.

While the economic consequences of this move are yet to be seen, detours caused by the closed airspace could increase the travel time of flights from Israel to countries such as Georgia and Azerbaijan by almost two hours.

An Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post: "Turkey has already announced severing economic relations with Israel in the past (and the relations continued)."

Israel is working to create a demilitarized zone in Syria stretching from the Golan Heights to south of Damascus, alongside a humanitarian corridor, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday.

“Right now we are focused on three things,” Netanyahu declared during a visit to Julis in Israel’s north, where he met with the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel, Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, as well as local leaders and members of Knesset from the village.

Jerusalem’s goals include protecting the Druze in Syria’s Sweida region and beyond; establishing a security zone from the Golan Heights south of Damascus, including Sweida; and creating a humanitarian corridor that will allow the delivery of aid, including “food, building materials, everything needed, as well as large-scale medical assistance,” he said.

France, Germany and the United Kingdom’s decision on Thursday to return sanctions on the Iranian regime drew praise from U.S. and Israeli leaders and from Jewish organizations.

The trio, which is referred to as the E3, had said in August that it would reimpose sanctions if the Islamic Republic didn’t reach a nuclear deal by the end of the month.

The three countries “have laid out a clear case of Iran’s continuing ‘significant non-performance’ of its nuclear commitments, establishing a strong basis for initiating snapback,” stated Rubio, who is also the U.S. national security advisor. “Moreover, the E3 could have initiated snapback at any point since 2019 but chose instead to first pursue intensive outreach and engagement, to provide Iran with a diplomatic off-ramp from its strategy of nuclear escalation.”

Hebrew media outlets report that Israel carried out its most dramatic strike yet in Yemen earlier today, aiming to wipe out the Houthi leadership.

According to the reports, citing unnamed security officials, Israeli intelligence learned at around 1 p.m. that 10 Houthi ministers, including the minister of defense, and senior officials had gathered outside Sanaa to hear a speech by the group’s leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi.

The IDF then launched a strike targeting the meeting. It remains unclear if the Houthis’ chief of staff, Muhammad Al-Ghamari, was present, the reports say.

US President Donald Trump was presiding over a policy meeting on the Gaza war on Wednesday with input from former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and former Trump Middle East envoy Jared Kushner, a senior White House official said.

Trump, top White House officials, Blair, and Kushner were discussing all aspects of the Gaza issue, including escalating food aid deliveries, the hostage crisis, post-war plans, and more, the official told Reuters.

The official described the session as "simply a policy meeting," the type frequently held by Trump and his team.

(photo: AP)

US President Donald Trump will chair a “large meeting” at the White House on Wednesday to discuss the “comprehensive plan” that the administration is putting together for the postwar management of Gaza, his special envoy Steve Witkoff announced.

Tuesday’s remarks appeared to be the first time that Witkoff has revealed the existence of a US plan for the so-called day after, as Washington has largely deferred on the issue to its Arab allies in the region — following Trump’s February remarks on his vision to take over Gaza and permanently relocate its residents. While Israel welcomed the idea, it was roundly rejected by US partners in the Middle East which Trump had hoped would be willing to take in Palestinian refugees.

“Many people are going to see how robust it is and how well meaning it is, and it reflects President Trump’s humanitarian motives,” Witkoff said in a Fox News interview, without elaborating further.

When asked why he was optimistic about reaching a hostage and ceasefire deal, Witkoff stated that the Trump administration expects the conflict to end by 2026.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara confirmed on Wednesday that two children were killed and 17 others were injured, 14 of whom were children. Additionally, O'Hara said police believe the assailant took his own life.

(photo: AP)

U.S. special envoy Thomas Barrack met Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the Baabda Palace on Tuesday, accompanied by State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus, for high-stakes talks on the future of Hezbollah’s arsenal.

Barrack emphasized Washington’s concern that Lebanon could slide back into internal conflict if no progress is made, saying that “no one wants to see a new civil war erupt in Lebanon.” He confirmed that Beirut is expected to unveil by August 31 a formal proposal addressing Hezbollah’s disarmament.

The diplomatic push comes on the heels of Barrack’s visit to Israel earlier this week, where he conferred with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israeli officials, he noted, are closely watching Lebanon’s next steps, particularly whether Hezbollah will comply with the demand to hand over its weapons.

A new round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the three European powers of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom concluded on Tuesday in Geneva, with no agreement reached, Axios reports. 

The discussions come as the European powers consider reimposing United Nations sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program.

Deputy foreign ministers from Iran and the so-called E3 met following earlier talks in Istanbul last July, where European officials had proposed a potential six-month delay on sanctions in exchange for certain diplomatic commitments from Iran

Israel stands ready to support Lebanon in its efforts to disarm Hezbollah, and to work together towards a more secure and stable future for both nations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Monday.

The premier hailed Beirut’s early-August approval of a U.S.-backed plan as a “significant step” and a “momentous decision.” The plan directs the army to begin working toward the disarmament of Hezbollah and all other non-state armed groups by the end of 2025.

“If the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) take the necessary steps to implement the disarmament of Hezbollah, Israel will engage in reciprocal measures, including a phased reduction of IDF presence in coordination with the U.S.-led security mechanism,” said Netanyahu.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said on Sunday that Europeans must pick a side—either stand with Israel or with jihadists.

“Europe must choose: Israel or Hamas. Every action against Israel directly serves the jihadist axis in the Middle East,” Sa’ar posted to X.

Israel’s foreign minister noted Hamas’s praise of Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp, and of French President Emmanuel Macron for his efforts to build a coalition of states to recognize a Palestinian state.