Benjamin Netanyahu

Israel has 'no choice' but to continue fighting in Gaza, says Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced again Saturday that Israel has no choice but to continue fighting in Gaza and will not end the war before destroying Hamas, freeing the hostages and ensuring that the territory won't present a threat to Israel. The prime minister also repeated his vow to make sure Iran never gets a nuclear weapon. Netanyahu is under growing pressure at home not only from families of hostages and their supporters but also from reservist and retired Israeli soldiers who question the continuation of the war after Israel shattered a ceasefire last month. In his statement, he claimed that Hamas has rejected Israel's latest proposal to free half the hostages for a continued ceasefire. The prime minister spoke after Israeli strikes killed more than 90 people in 48 hours, Gaza's Health Ministry said Saturday. Israeli troops have been increasing their attacks to pressure Hamas to release the hostages and disarm. Children and women were among the 15 people

Netanyahu-Trump meeting reveals unexpected gaps on Iran, Gaza, tariffs

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Washington for a hastily organised White House visit bringing a long list of concerns: Iran's nuclear program, President Donald Trump's tariffs, the surging influence of rival Turkey in Syria, and the 18-month war in Gaza. Netanyahu appeared to leave Monday's meeting largely empty-handed a stark contrast with his triumphant visit two months ago. During an hourlong Oval Office appearance, Trump appeared to slap down, contradict or complicate each of Netanyahu's policy prerogatives. On Tuesday, Netanyahu declared the meeting a success, calling it a very good visit and claiming successes on all fronts. But privately, the Israeli delegation felt it was a tough meeting, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Netanyahu didn't hear exactly what he wanted to hear, so he returns back home with very little, said Nadav Eyal, a commentator with the Yediot Ahronot daily, w

Trump sets nuclear talks with Iran; Tehran says negotiations 'indirect'

Donald Trump says nuclear talks with Iran; warns of 'great danger' if they fail. Iran confirms participation but insists negotiations will be indirect via Oman

Will eliminate trade deficit with US, says Netanyahu amid tariff tensions

Netanyahu further expressed gratitude to President Trump for inviting him to the White House and praised him as a remarkable friend of Israel

Netanyahu to urge Trump for tariff relief during meeting in Washington

Netanyahu, who has spent the last few days visiting Hungary, departs for Washington on Sunday for an impromptu visit with Trump that is expected to take place on Monday

Hungary plans to withdraw from ICC as Netanyahu arrives despite warrant

Hungary said Thursday it will begin the procedure of withdrawing from the world's only permanent global tribunal for war crimes and genocide. Hungary will withdraw from the International Criminal Court, Gergely Gulys, who is Prime Minister Viktor Orbn chief of staff wrote in a brief statement. The government will initiate the withdrawal procedure on Thursday, in accordance with the constitutional and international legal framework. The announcement came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, despite an international arrest warrant against him over his conduct of the war in the Gaza Strip. Hungary's government, led by right-wing populist Orbn, extended the invitation to Netanyahu in November after the ICC, based in the Hague, Netherlands, issued the warrant accusing him of crimes against humanity. Orbn, a close Netanyahu ally, has called the arrest warrant outrageously impudent and cynical. Member countries of the ICC, such as Hungary

Netanyahu rocked by new scandal as aides arrested for links with Qatar

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office is once again ensnared in scandal after police arrested two of his close associates this week on suspicion of accepting money from Qatar to promote a positive image of the Gulf Arab state in Israel. The affair has gripped Israelis because Qatar, a country that many view as a patron of Hamas, and which has no formal diplomatic ties to Israel, appears to have penetrated the highest corridors of power. Qatar, which is a key mediator for Hamas in its ceasefire negotiations with Israel, denies backing the militant group. Netanyahu has given a statement to police on the matter but is not a suspect in the case, which he says is baseless and meant to topple his rule. The investigation is just the latest scandal to roil Netanyahu, who is the subject of a long-running corruption trial and regularly rails against a deep state that is out to get him. Critics say Netanyahu, the country's longest-serving prime minister, has worked in recent years to ...

Israel to create new Gaza security corridor to pressure Hamas: Netanyahu

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel is establishing a new security corridor across the Gaza Strip to pressure Hamas, suggesting it would cut off the southern city of Rafah, which Israel has ordered evacuated, from the rest of the Palestinian territory. The announcement came after Netanyahu's defence minister said that Israel would seize large areas of Gaza and add them to its so-called security zones. A wave of Israeli strikes, meanwhile, killed more than 40 Palestinians, including several women and children, according to Palestinian health officials. Israel has vowed to escalate the nearly 18-month war with Hamas until the militant group returns dozens of remaining hostages, disarms and leaves the territory. Israel ended a ceasefire in March and has imposed a monthlong halt on all imports of food, fuel and humanitarian aid. Netanyahu described the new axis as the Morag corridor, using the name of a Jewish settlement that once stood between Rafah and Khan ..

Israeli government passes 'no confidence' motion against attorney-general

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was prohibited from participating in the meeting because of a conflict of interest from his corruption trial

High Court in Israel issues order against sacking Shin Bet head Ronen Bar

In a significant development, the attorney general added that meanwhile, PM Netanyahu's involvement in the process for the appointment of a new chief for Shin Bet will be examined

Netanyahu govt approves removal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar amid distrust

The decision to remove Bar comes amid renewed military action in Gaza after two months of a ceasefire deal with Hamas. His sacking is also likely to invite widespread criticism

Fragile ceasefire shattered: Why did Israel resume its war in Gaza?

Israel has resumed its military operations in Gaza after ceasefire talks stalled, with Israel and the US pushing to revise the original deal with Hamas

Israel launches ground op to retake part of key corridor in northern Gaza

Israel said Wednesday it launched a limited ground operation in northern Gaza to retake part of a corridor that bisects the territory, and the country's defence minister warned that the army plans to step up the attacks that shattered a two-month ceasefire "with an intensity that you have not seen. The military said it had retaken part of the Netzarim corridor, which bisects northern Gaza from the south and from where it had withdrawn as part of the ceasefire with Hamas that began in January. Defence Minister Israel Katz warned Palestinians in Gaza that the army would again order evacuations from combat zones soon, and that its attacks against Hamas would become more fierce if dozens of hostages held for more than 17 months weren't freed. As Israel continued its airstrikes on Gaza Wednesday, the United Nations said an international United Nations staffer was killed and five others were wounded in a strike Wednesday on a UN guesthouse in Gaza. Jorge Moreira da Silva, head of the UN

Netanyahu blames Hamas after Israeli strikes kill over 400 in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Gazans to stay out of harm's way and move to safer areas, blaming every civilian casualty on Hamas

Strikes in Gaza that killed hundreds are 'only beginning', says Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Tuesday's airstrikes in Gaza are only the beginning and that all ceasefire negotiations will take place under fire. In a recorded statement broadcast on national television, Netanyahu said Israel would press ahead until it realises all of its war goals -- destroying Hamas and freeing all hostages held by the militant group. The previous releases proved that military pressure is a necessary condition for freeing hostages, he said.

Israel intensifies airstrikes on Gaza: What's behind the new offensive?

Israel has resumed large-scale airstrikes on Gaza, causing widespread devastation. With political and military motivations at play, what's driving this renewed offensive

UN accuses Israel of sexual violence, Netanyahu alleges anti-Israel bias

United Nations-backed human rights experts on Thursday accused Israel of "the systematic use of sexual, reproductive and other gender-based violence" in its war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The allegations came in one of the most extensive reports of its kind on the issue since Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel ignited the war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at the Human Rights Council, a UN-backed body that commissioned the team of independent experts, as an "anti-Israel circus" that "has long been exposed as an antisemitic, rotten, terrorist-supporting, and irrelevant body". His statement did not address the findings themselves. The findings by the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which seeks to document in minute detail the allegations and evidence of crimes to bolster accountability for perpetrators, could be used by prosecutors at the International Criminal Court or in other jurisdictions to try to bring justice

Israel cuts electricity supply to Gaza to push Hamas on ceasefire, hostages

The move follows Israel's decision last week to block all aid to the war-torn enclave, a step similar of its earlier measures at the onset of the conflict, when it declared a 'siege' on Gaza

Netanyahu thanks Trump for support, release of delayed munitions to Israel

Netanyahu praised Trump as the greatest friend that Israel has ever had in the White House

One killed, four injured in Israel stabbing attack; suspect shot dead

The attack in Israel happened amid heightened regional tensions over the ceasefire situation in Gaza