Today's briefing covers the IDF's move to formally recognise acts of heroism from the October 7 battles, police preparations for mass haredi protests expected to disrupt Tel Aviv traffic, and a diplomatic compromise between Israel and the UK over the status of the British consulate in East Jerusalem. Internationally, Ukraine continues to suffer heavy civilian casualties from Russian strikes, while Iran insists only a negotiated settlement can resolve tensions over the Strait of Hormuz.

Security

The IDF is to hold a commanders' conference this Wednesday, led by Major General Dado Bar-Kalifa and Brigadier General Orly Merkeman, to begin a formal process of reviewing and awarding citations and decorations for acts of heroism during the October 7 battles. Bereaved families have been briefed in advance, and acts of civilian heroism will also be referred to an advisory committee. Separately, police are bracing for mass haredi protests over the arrest of IDF draft evaders, with a Ramat Gan concert compounding concerns over heavy traffic congestion across the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. A new study has found that Hamas used double agents and deception to fool Israeli intelligence ahead of the October 7 massacre, maintaining an impression of routine in Gaza through the evening of October 6 while secretly arming and massing its forces. In a related security matter, an investigation has revealed that the Flydubai co-pilot who attempted to hijack a plane had planned months in advance to crash it into an Israeli target, such as Ben-Gurion Airport, citing the situation in Gaza. President Herzog is to award heroism medals to six Israelis — Tali Manes, Zvika Manes, Yaniv Hayoun, Dr Shota Musayev, Asaf Rajuan and Or Pardilov — for their role in foiling the hijacking attempt. Meanwhile, 117 reservist soldiers and commanders, from lieutenant colonel rank upward, have petitioned the High Court of Justice to halt the automatic freezing of service for those diagnosed with over 30% emotional disability, arguing the policy unnecessarily sidelines thousands of wounded combat veterans. Separately, the so-called 'October Council' has appealed to the Shin Bet chief, the Attorney General and the State Archives over alleged concealment of information relating to the events of October 7, with claims that officials pressured stenographers and conducted disproportionate collection of materials.

Politics

Israel and the United Kingdom have reached an agreement to keep the British consulate in East Jerusalem open, albeit as a limited diplomatic mission. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar confirmed that twenty British diplomats, including the consul-general, will leave Israel, while seven will remain under a reduced mandate. Israel had earlier stated that the consulate had 'ceased to function' in its previous form, though the compromise appears to leave the building and most of its services broadly intact.

International

Ukraine marked the 85th anniversary of the Babyn Yar massacre, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy among dignitaries commemorating the murder of more than 33,000 Jewish men, women and children over two days in 1941. Meanwhile, Russia continued its bombardment of Ukraine, with Kyiv reporting around 30 people killed after a strike hit passenger buses in Kramatorsk, a key logistics hub for Ukrainian forces on the Donetsk front. The attack came a day after 22 people were killed in a missile strike on the town of Pryluky, with Ukrainian officials describing the bus bombing as a war crime. Three more people were killed in further strikes on Kyiv, where bomb disposal teams defused two unexploded half-tonne missile warheads. In Iran, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran is still awaiting the United States' final position on its proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, stressing that 'only a negotiated agreement can bring a resolution to the crisis', following remarks by President Trump on the matter. In Britain, a major review has set out a roadmap for the future of Holocaust education, with Prime Minister Andy Burnham praising the Association of Jewish Refugees for the first study of its kind as the sector grapples with rising antisemitism, the loss of the survivor generation and funding pressures. At a London synagogue, an Israeli Arab Muslim teenager delivered a defiant message at a vigil marking the third anniversary of the October 7 attacks, joining hostage families and prominent activists. In New York, demonstrators overran and disrupted a peace vigil marking October 7, organised by the left-wing group Israelis for Peace and attended by mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, with protesters mocking and shouting at participants.

Other Developments

A court has sentenced a half-brother and cousin to 22 and 17 years in prison respectively, and the father to 15 years, over the murder of Aya Assayag (Abu Hajaj), who was stabbed more than 20 times while heavily pregnant and in front of her young children after refusing to return to live with her father in the Negev. The father was convicted of assisting the murder and of a separate assault on her; the unborn baby did not survive. Separately, Noa Argamani, who survived captivity in Gaza, returned for the first time to the site from which she was abducted at the Nova festival. She visited as part of the Christians and Friends of Israel ambassadors' conference, where she received the 'Hineni' award alongside fellow survivors Romi Gonen and Elkana Bohbot and bereaved sister Hila Avir.

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