Who is Jonatan Urich, Netanyahu's aide facing indictment over Gaza leak?
Their intent, she said, was to shape public opinion of Netanyahu and influence the discourse about the slaying of six Israeli hostages by their Palestinian captors in Gaza in late August 2024.The hostages' deaths had sparked mass protests in Israel and outraged hostage families, who accused Netanyahu of torpedoing ceasefire talks that had faltered in the preceding weeks for political reasons.Netanyahu vehemently denies this. He has repeatedly said that Hamas was to blame for the talks collapsing, while the militant group has said it was Israel's fault no deal had been reached.Four of the six slain hostages had been on the list of more than 30 captives that Hamas was set to free were a ceasefire to be reached, according to a defence official at the time.The Bild article in question was published days after the hostages were found executed in a Hamas tunnel in southern Gaza.It outlined Hamas' negotiation strategy in the indirect ceasefire talks and largely corresponded with Netanyahu's allegations against the militant group over the deadlock.Bild said after the investigation was announced that it does not comment on its sources and that its article relied on authentic documents.A two-month ceasefire was reached in January this year and included the release of 38 hostages before Israel resumed attacks in Gaza. The sides are presently engaged in indirect negotiations in Doha, aimed at reaching another truce.- Ends
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First Post
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- First Post
Israel admits mistake in Gaza strike that killed children collecting water, expresses ‘regret'
After an Israeli airstrike killed eight Palestinians, including children, at a water collection point, Israel has said that it was a mistake. Officials said that Israeli strikes killed 139 Palestinians in the past 24 hours. read more A Palestinian child, wounded in an Israeli strike that killed people, who gathered to collect water from a distribution point, according to medics, receives treatment at Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip July 13, 2025. (Reuters/Stringer)1 At least eight Palestinians, most of them children, were killed and more than a dozen were wounded in central Gaza when they went to collect water on Sunday, local officials said, in an Israeli strike which the military said missed its target. The Israeli military said the missile had intended to hit an Islamic Jihad militant in the area but that a malfunction had caused it to fall 'dozens of metres from the target'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved civilians,' it said in a statement, adding that the incident was under review. The strike hit a water distribution point in Nuseirat refugee camp, killing six children and injuring 17 others, said Ahmed Abu Saifan, an emergency physician at Al-Awda Hospital. Water shortages in Gaza have worsened sharply in recent weeks, with fuel shortages causing desalination and sanitation facilities to close, making people dependent on collection centres where they can fill up their plastic containers. Hours later, 12 people were killed by an Israeli strike on a market in Gaza City, including a prominent hospital consultant, Ahmad Qandil, Palestinian media reported. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the attack. Gaza's health ministry said on Sunday that more than 58,000 people had been killed since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in October 2023, with 139 people added to the death toll over the past 24 hours. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and fighters in its tally, but says over half of those killed are women and children. Ceasefire? US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said on Sunday that he was 'hopeful' on Gaza ceasefire negotiations underway in Qatar. He told reporters in Teterboro, New Jersey, that he planned to meet senior Qatari officials on the sidelines of the FIFA Club World Cup final. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire have been stalling, with the two sides divided over the extent of an eventual Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian enclave, Palestinian and Israeli sources said at the weekend. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to convene ministers late on Sunday to discuss the latest developments in the talks, an Israeli official said. The indirect talks over a US proposal for a 60-day ceasefire are being held in Doha, but optimism that surfaced last week of a looming deal has largely faded, with both sides accusing each other of intransigence. Netanyahu in a video he posted on Telegram on Sunday said Israel would not back down from its core demands — releasing all the hostages still in Gaza, destroying Hamas and ensuring Gaza will never again be a threat to Israel. The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages into Gaza. At least 20 of the remaining 50 hostages there are believed to still be alive. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Families of hostages gathered outside Netanyahu's office in Jerusalem to call for a deal. 'The overwhelming majority of the people of Israel have spoken loudly and clearly. We want to do a deal, even at the cost of ending this war, and we want to do it now,' said Jon Polin, whose son Hersh Goldberg-Polin was held hostage by Hamas in a Gaza tunnel and slain by his captors in August 2024. Netanyahu and his ministers were also set to discuss a plan on Sunday to move hundreds of thousands of Gazans to the southern area of Rafah, in what Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has described as a new 'humanitarian city' but which would be likely to draw international criticism for forced displacement. An Israeli source briefed on discussions in Israel said that the plan was to establish the complex in Rafah during the ceasefire, if it is reached. On Saturday, a Palestinian source familiar with the truce talks said that Hamas rejected withdrawal maps which Israel proposed, because they would leave around 40 per cent of the territory under Israeli control, including all of Rafah. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Israel's campaign against Hamas has displaced almost the entire population of more than 2 million people, but Gazans say nowhere is safe in the coastal enclave. Early on Sunday morning, a missile hit a house in Gaza City where a family had moved after receiving an evacuation order from their home in the southern outskirts. 'My aunt, her husband and the children, are gone. What is the fault of the children who died in an ugly bloody massacre at dawn?' said Anas Matar, standing in the rubble of the building. (This is an agency copy. Except for the headline, the copy has not been edited by Firstpost staff.)
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Blast in residential block blast near Iran's Qom injures seven
An explosion at a residential building injured seven people in the Pardisan neighbourhood of Qom city, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported, going on to quote an unnamed source saying it was not the result of any Israeli attack. "Four residential units were damaged in the blast. Initial assessments show that the cause of the incident was a gas leak, and follow-ups are continuing in this regard," the director of Qom's fire department told Fars. The agency said the residents of the building were ordinary citizens. Also read | Israel has failed to solve the Persian puzzle Iran's regional arch-rival Israel has a record of assassinating Iranian nuclear scientists, whom it considers part of a programme that directly threatens Israel. Tehran maintains its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes. Since the end of a 12-day air war last month between Iran and Israel, in which Israel and the United States attacked Iran's nuclear facilities, several explosions have occurred in Iran, but authorities have not blamed Israel. "People should not worry about rumours [of Israeli attacks]. If a hostile action occurs in the country, the news will immediately reach the people and alarm bells will simultaneously be activated in the Occupied Territories," Fars quoted an unnamed Iranian source as saying following the blast in Qom.
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Israel stock market: TA-35 index declines 1% as focus shifts towards Gaza, nuclear talks between US & Iran
Key Israeli stock index TA-35 index declined nearly 1% in intraday trade on Monday, following a fresh attack by the country's military forces on Gaza and amid the possibility of renewed nuclear talks between the US and Iran. Other stock indices, such as the TA-125 index and the TA-All Share index, also plunged amid a sharp 18% surge in volatility. After its ceasefire with Iran, Israel has shifted its focus back to the war with Palestine. The latest Israeli strike killed at least eight Palestinians, most of them children, and wounded a dozen more in central Gaza when they went to collect water on Sunday, according to a Reuters report. The Israeli military said the missile had been intended to hit an Islamic Jihad militant in the area, but that a malfunction had caused it to fall "dozens of metres from the target". Hours later, 12 people were killed by an Israeli strike on a market in Gaza City, including a prominent hospital consultant, Ahmad Qandil, the Reuters report added. The action coincided with US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff's statement that he was "hopeful" on Gaza ceasefire negotiations underway in Qatar. Negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza are stalling, with both sides divided over the scope of an Israeli withdrawal. The indirect US-brokered talks in Doha, focused on a 60-day ceasefire, have lost momentum as both sides accuse each other of intransigence. In a Telegram video, Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel's core demands: release all hostages, destroy Hamas, and ensure Gaza never threatens Israel again. Meanwhile, Iran's foreign minister has said the US is trying to revive nuclear talks with Tehran. Tehran is weighing its options regarding the timing, location, and structure of potential talks, but is 'in no rush to enter into reckless negotiations,' said Abbas Araghchi, according to Bloomberg. Araghchi served as lead negotiator in talks with the US, which collapsed after Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran's nuclear sites on June 13. The strikes killed several top military and nuclear officials, and hit densely populated urban areas as well as Tehran's Evin Prison. The US joined the Israeli assault on June 22, striking three Iranian nuclear facilities. Against this backdrop, the TA-35 index declined 0.82% to a low of 2,960.96 in intraday deals on Monday. The index closed at 2,963.23 in the last trading session Meanwhile, TA-125 index was down 0.80%. It hit a low of 3,024.86 as against its last close of 3027.17. Meanwhile, the TA Allshare index lost 1.10% to hit a low of 2764. (With inputs from agencies) Disclaimer: This story is for educational purposes only. The views and recommendations made above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, and not of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.
