As Israel approaches Yom Kippur, the security establishment continues operations against Hamas and Hezbollah while a politically explosive report reignites debate over pre-war intelligence warnings ignored by the Prime Minister. Internationally, Iran has set out conditions for ending its confrontation with Washington, and diplomatic manoeuvring continues over Greenland and the Red Sea. Domestically, President Herzog's decision to expunge Elor Azaria's criminal record has drawn mixed reactions.

Security

The IDF confirmed it eliminated two senior Hamas military wing commanders in Gaza over the past week. Mohammed Suleiman Biyuk, who took part in the 7 October assault on Israel and continued planting explosives targeting Israeli forces throughout the war, was killed in Khan Younis on Thursday. Separately, Na'el Abu Abeid, deputy commander of the Rafah brigade who was involved in the abduction and captivity of Israeli soldiers and civilians — including Staff Sgt. Nimrod Cohen and Lt. Hadar Goldin — was also killed. In the north, the IDF struck Hezbollah sites after a roadside bomb lightly wounded two Israeli soldiers. UNIFIL has warned of a looming security vacuum as peacekeepers prepare to withdraw from Lebanon.

Politics

A Yedioth Ahronoth investigation has renewed pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu after it emerged that Israeli intelligence agencies, the Shin Bet and Egypt repeatedly warned him from 2019 onward that Qatari funds he had backed transferring into Gaza were being diverted to bolster Hamas's military wing, eventually estimated at 40–50% of the wing's budget, with additional covert funding channels also uncovered. Netanyahu's office responded that he acted in the state's interest. Separately, President Isaac Herzog signed off on erasing the criminal record of Elor Azaria, the soldier convicted a decade ago of manslaughter for killing a neutralised Palestinian attacker. The move, backed by Defence Minister Israel Katz but opposed by IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, was described by Herzog as fitting 'the spirit of the season of forgiveness and mercy' ahead of Yom Kippur.

International

Iran's Security Council chief Mohsen Rezaei said Tehran has conveyed conditions to Washington for reengaging in talks and ending hostilities, including a halt to fighting on all fronts, the unfreezing of Iranian funds and the lifting of the US naval blockade. Separately, a Gulf source told Israel Hayom that Iran is actively obstructing a Houthi–Saudi ceasefire, seeking to prolong the blockade of the Bab al-Mandab strait, while the US, Egypt, Pakistan and Turkey have avoided direct intervention, fuelling Saudi fears of a ground incursion in the south. In Washington, CNN, Politico and MSNBC reporters say they were denied White House access and had press badges confiscated after President Trump accused them of 'fake news', with the networks expected to appeal. Trump also announced a deal granting the US 'full security control' over Greenland, having previously pushed for outright sovereignty over the Danish territory. Meanwhile, North Korea's state media showed Kim Jong Un touring weapons plants and ordering expanded use of artificial intelligence, unveiling mass production of suicide drones, some bearing resemblance to Israel's 'Harop' model.

Other Developments

In the West Bank village of Kusra, Palestinian residents reported settlers roaming freely near homes and discovered antisemitic graffiti, alongside stone-throwing and property damage in nearby Burqa and a cut water pipe affecting 700 residents in the southern Hebron hills. Gazan photographer Motaz Azaiza said he withheld footage of the 7 October attacks to avoid 'ruining the lives' of Palestinians who participated, while also criticising Hamas's leadership for months of refusing a ceasefire deal. Ahead of the first anniversary of the Manchester synagogue attack that killed Melvin Cravitz and Adrian Daulby, Britain's Chief Rabbi issued a special Yom Kippur prayer in their memory. In London, a man was arrested after an alleged imitation firearm scare forced a Jewish school into lockdown; police recovered the object for testing.

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