Political manoeuvring intensified in Israel on Monday as the Gur Hasidic community signalled a willingness to work with Gadi Eisenkot amid mounting pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu, while preparations for a multinational force in Gaza moved forward with an initial Israeli-approved deployment of 250 foreign troops. On the international front, US-Iran nuclear talks remain deadlocked, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissing Tehran's latest proposal as unacceptable.

Politics

A editorial in Hamodia, a newspaper associated with the Gur Hasidic community led by Rabbi Yaakov Goldknopf, carried open criticism of Netanyahu following the news that Yashar! leader Gadi Eisenkot received a mandate to form a government. The piece suggested that, given the circumstances, a mere written and signed commitment from Netanyahu would no longer suffice – a signal that the ultra-Orthodox faction may be prepared to explore cooperation with Eisenkot. Separately, a report examined the paths available to Eisenkot as he moves closer to potentially ousting Netanyahu, noting that each route carries significant political obstacles. Adding to the pressure, over 1,000 Diaspora Jews, including prominent British Jewish figures, published a letter within hours urging Israel's opposition to form a new government, explicitly calling for cooperation between Jewish and Arab parties to replace the current coalition.

Security

Israel has approved an initial deployment of 250 foreign troops as part of preparations for a US-led multinational force in Gaza, with foreign military officers already spotted in the area alongside American personnel. In Lod, eleven people were arrested following a brawl that erupted after a far-right 'sovereignty march' passed through an Arab neighbourhood. Mayor Yair Revivo condemned the march's organisers as outsiders who 'set the area on fire and disappear', leaving local residents to manage the fallout. Separately, a sanctioned Russian Tupolev Tu-154M aircraft, which has been on the US sanctions list since 2023, landed in Israel after departing from a military base near Moscow, raising questions about the circumstances of the flight.

International

Nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran remain stalled. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described Iranian demands as 'outrageous and ridiculous' ahead of a G7 meeting in France, saying talks have made no progress and warning the US would respond to threats against its forces. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei countered that Tehran's proposal remains the most reasonable on the table, while accusing a new American task force of being designed to distract from US midterm election results. Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a gathering of Jewish organisations in Washington that Israel had not intended to harm Palestinian civilians in Gaza, though he criticised Israel for having 'somewhat disregarded' their welfare, distinguishing this from any intent to eliminate them. Meanwhile, former President Trump cited his own unpopularity tied to perceptions of Israel and the Iran war as a factor in Republican losses in recent midterm elections, while insisting his personal popularity remained strong. In Washington, Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter accused senior New York Times editors of promoting modern-day blood libels against Israel, drawing historical parallels to pre-Holocaust demonisation of Jews. Elsewhere, Polish police confirmed the gunman behind Saturday's Krakow shooting, which killed six people and wounded at least 15, died of his injuries after being shot by police; authorities say he held extreme nationalist views. Greek coastguard officials reported 12 migrants found dead on a boat near Crete, with 18 survivors rescued and dozens more pulled from separate incidents nearby. In Spain, major unions have called a 24-hour general strike for 11 November over housing costs and working conditions, expected to disrupt flights, trains and businesses nationwide. Separately, reports from New York detail the deteriorating conditions faced by ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife in US custody in Brooklyn.

Technology

Nvidia is investigating whether CEO Jensen Huang may have been the target of an intelligence operation following his admitted affair with a former executive of a Singaporean firm suspected of helping Beijing obtain US-restricted AI chips.

Other Developments

Israeli police arrested approximately 50 suspects, including a sitting council head and an alleged organised crime leader, in a major operation involving roughly 500 officers targeting a protection racket. Investigators say the scheme inflated apartment prices by 100,000 to 200,000 shekels per unit across dozens of construction sites, as developers were forced to cover payments extorted by crime figures.

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