Thursday brought a mix of political manoeuvring, security alerts and diplomatic friction. Fresh polling data suggests a tightening race ahead of the 2026 elections, even as opposition figures traded barbs over strategy. In the north, air raid sirens were activated in Manara and Margaliot, while reservists in the Carmeli brigade voiced fury over abrupt changes to their service status. Internationally, Canada’s push towards closer EU ties drew a sharp rebuke from President Trump, and the New York Times faced renewed scrutiny after quietly editing a controversial line about Israeli victimhood.

Security

Air raid sirens were activated in the northern communities of Manara and Margaliot on Thursday; the IDF said details were still being examined. Separately, confusion continued within the Golani-affiliated Carmeli reserve brigade after hundreds of soldiers were told their operational service was being cancelled and they would be released just a week after mobilisation. Overnight, an updated decision froze the reduction of forces, ordering already-discharged soldiers back into service ‘for the time being’. Troops described the reversal as humiliating, saying families had upended their lives to report for duty. Meanwhile, a source close to the international Board of Peace initiative told the Jerusalem Post that Israel’s targeted killings of Hamas officials would not achieve the group’s complete elimination, warning that dismantling individual leaders is not the same as dismantling Hamas as an organisation.

Politics

A flurry of new polls ahead of the 2026 elections points to a tightening race. One television survey showed Netanyahu’s coalition bloc narrowly ahead with 54 seats against the opposition’s 52, though neither side has a clear path to forming a government. President Herzog said he would do everything possible to avoid a repeat election. Other polling averages still show Eisenkot’s Yashar party leading Likud, though the gap has narrowed considerably. Tensions flared within the opposition after Eisenkot accused Bennett and Liberman of damaging its electoral chances by refusing to commit to backing the largest party’s candidate for prime minister, prompting a sharp response from Yisrael Beytenu. In a separate debate hosted by Ynet, Likud’s Miki Zohar clashed with Yashar’s Shaul Meridor over government policy towards the Haredi community, economic direction and whether today’s Likud still reflects Jabotinsky’s founding values, with Meridor calling the party ‘a pale shadow’ of its former self. Separately, the political and legal fallout continued over the controversial ‘NAZA’ documentary, with Israel’s Foreign Ministry urging diplomats to tone down public criticism of the film. Commentators drew comparisons with the earlier ‘Jenin Jenin’ controversy, urging the state to invest properly in a coordinated legal response. The New York Times, meanwhile, quietly removed a line from a recent article that described Israelis as merely ‘viewing themselves’ as 7 October victims, citing an editing error, a move that has drawn continued criticism from Israeli commentators over perceived bias in international coverage.

International

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is pressing ahead with a historic push to formally associate Canada with the European Union, reducing Ottawa’s reliance on Washington. The move has drawn threats of steep tariffs and warnings of ‘hostile action’ from President Trump, though Carney and European leaders have presented a united front, insisting the goal is not to build a rival power bloc but to strengthen sovereignty. In the UK, it emerged that Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy pressed ahead with West Bank-related sanctions against explicit advice from the Foreign Office and intelligence officials, who warned that timing the move ahead of Israeli elections could carry serious diplomatic risks. In Italy, a rabbi in Milan was attacked by three men while waiting for a bus; police arrested a 20-year-old Tunisian suspect on charges of religiously motivated violence, with two others still under investigation. In the United States, veteran Jewish Democratic figure Sander Levin threw his support behind Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed despite the candidate’s refusal to endorse a two-state solution, a move that has unsettled some local Jewish voters. In the UK, a Church of England rector at Leeds Minster faced criticism after describing the history behind the murdered Bibas children as ‘complex’ when questioned during a Gaza-themed tapestry exhibition.

Economy

The Israel Land Authority has marketed five new plots in the Kiryat Gat industrial park for approximately 52.5 million shekels, paving the way for roughly 52,000 square metres of new commercial, industrial and employment space, as part of a wider plan to develop some 1,200 dunams in the area. Separately, healthcare provider Clalit announced plans to invest around 400 million shekels in a new logistics centre in Beersheba, to be built on 23 dunams and expected to employ more than 100 people, supporting hospitals, clinics and pharmacies across southern Israel. The announcement was framed as a vote of confidence in Beersheba as a key national hub, coming ahead of the third anniversary of the war.

Other Developments

A political row broke out in Ramat Gan after National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir distributed gun-shaped bottle-opener keychains to students during a campaign event at Bialik High School; a city council member called on the education department to intervene, criticising the use of schools as political venues without oversight. Separately, a serious road accident on Route 20 near the Keren Kayemet interchange in Tel Aviv left a 70-year-old man critically injured after a collision between a bus and a car; four other people, including a 69-year-old with a head injury, were also hurt. Children’s entertainer Mayki has filed a compensation claim of roughly 300,000 shekels against Likud, alleging the party used her song ‘Squishmallow Party’ in a campaign video without permission, and is demanding both payment and a public apology.

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