Today's briefing covers continued commemorations for October 7 victims, a tense cabinet session over settler and Palestinian violence in the West Bank, fresh revelations about a Hamas plot targeting Jewish sites in Austria and Germany, and international developments including a Nazi salute scandal involving a pro-Israel Pacific leader and renewed Iranian statements on the Hormuz Strait.

Security

A ceremony was held at the Mount Herzl memorial site for victims of terror, commemorating those murdered in the October 7 massacre. President Isaac Herzog said Israel would "forever remember" the atrocities of that day, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed there would be "no forgiveness for the slaughterers and murderers" and promised to settle accounts with the perpetrators. The ceremony was interrupted by a bereaved father, Yaakov Godo, who lost his son Tom, and accused the prime minister of failing to protect his son and the 1,200 killed on October 7. Separately, Maj.-Gen. Shlomi Binder, head of IDF Military Intelligence, told the security cabinet that the IDF has killed two-thirds of the terrorists who invaded Israel on October 7, with roughly 2,000 remaining whom Israel intends to track down. In an operational update, the IDF and Shin Bet killed Ibrahim Mustafa Suleiman Abu Oweimer, a Hamas military wing commander who infiltrated Israel on October 7, in a joint operation that also saw weapons smugglers arrested in Nablus. A sharp confrontation broke out in the security cabinet between Settlements Minister Orit Strock and Shin Bet chief David Zini over violence in Judea and Samaria. Strock demanded greater attention to Palestinian attacks on shepherds, youths and settlers, accusing security officials of portraying Palestinians favourably while blaming only settlers. Zini hit back, telling her she was "disconnected" and that "Palestinians are not burning down Jewish homes here," while calling for clearer condemnations of settler violence. Separately, a Bar-Ilan University mathematics lecturer in his 60s was indicted for preparing to carry out a mass terror attack against Palestinians and Arab Israelis, alongside charges of extortion by threats and obstruction of justice. German investigative reporting revealed new details of a Hamas network allegedly preparing attacks in Europe, with potential targets including the Jewish Museum and the Austrian-Israeli association in Vienna. Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim was reportedly recorded discussing attack plans in Austria and Germany with his masked son, who vowed revenge against Israel, saying "blood will be spilled."

International

Laauli Leuatea Schmidt, the pro-Israel prime minister of Samoa who was sworn in with a tallit and shofar blast and this year announced plans to open an embassy in Jerusalem, has been forced to apologise after a 2007 video surfaced showing him performing a Nazi salute and shouting "Heil Hitler." He said the footage "does not reflect my beliefs or those of the Samoan people" and stressed his opposition to antisemitism. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran is still awaiting mediators to convey the United States' final position on an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, insisting that "only a negotiated agreement can resolve the crisis" and that any reopening depends on Iran's conditions being met. This follows comments from President Donald Trump on the matter. German intelligence chiefs warned parliament that Russia is prepared to carry out further sabotage and assassination operations across Europe, with the head of the BND stating that Vladimir Putin "can no longer stop the war in Ukraine without endangering his own rule" amid fears of a direct confrontation with Moscow. Ukraine reported using AI-guided jet drones to intercept Russian aircraft and claimed to have disabled 51% of Russia's oil refining capacity. In Britain, tens of thousands marked the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street, with anti-fascist marchers in east London chanting "Zionists are not welcome here," prompting renewed debate about the place of Jewish anti-fascists in that history. Separately, a landmark study found that October 7 has strengthened British Jews' ties to Israel and deepened fears of antisemitism, though it has not led to increased synagogue attendance. Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg also responded to controversy at the Green Party conference over antisemitism. New Zealand police are investigating time spent in the country by the flydubai hijacker, Mohammed Hammami, with reports noting that the Indian pilot he attacked aboard the flight, Captain Smit Machchhar, had also trained in New Zealand. Country singer Zach Bryan wore a "Free Palestine" shirt during a performance at Gillette Stadium, whose owner Robert Kraft had previously barred rapper Macklemore over similar comments.

Health

The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel, who identified a light-sensitive protein in single-celled algae, and American scientist Karl Deisseroth, who turned it into a "switch" enabling scientists to activate or deactivate individual nerve cells in a living brain.

Sources: Ynet, Walla, www.israelhayom.co.il, Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel