The Times of Israel is liveblogging Sunday’s events as they unfold.
‘It’s now or never’: Trump shares photo of crowd at Hostages Square rally for Gaza deal
US President Donald Trump posts a photo from the rally earlier tonight at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv urging the government to close the deal he proposed for ending the Gaza war and returning all the hostages.
The photo shows the crowd from above, holding a banner that reads: “It’s now or never.”
Trump has taken note of the protests before, including at the September 29 White House unveiling of his proposal to end the war in Gaza.
Trump noted the widespread support in Israel for a hostage deal that ends the war, demonstrating a level of familiarity with domestic Israeli politics that has led him to squeeze Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into accepting his proposal, even though it places the premier at odds with his far-right coalition partners who want to continue the war and permanently occupy Gaza.
New media post from Donald J. Trump
(TS: 04 Oct 18:35 ET) pic.twitter.com/NTsR1ZF2Us
— Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) October 4, 2025
Diaspora minister trashes UK’s main Jewish group, amid row over far-right activist
Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli, on X, lashes out at the Board of Deputies of British Jews, which together with the UK’s Jewish Leadership Council, condemned him for inviting far-right, anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson to Israel.
The two organizations are the main representative groups for Jews in the UK.
“The Board of Deputies has, regrettably, become first and foremost a political organization – openly aligned with left-wing, woke, pro-Palestinian parties,” Chikli writes.
“Just hours after Jews were murdered in Manchester, instead of demanding protection or holding the government accountable, the Board rushed for a photo-op” with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, he alleges, referring to the deadly terror attack Thursday on a synagogue, as congregants were gathered for the Yom Kippur holy day.
Chikli continues: “Once proudly Zionist, now politically adrift, If only they showed the same energy attacking Britain’s recognition of a Palestinian terror state as they do attacking me and [Tommy Robinson].”
The Board of Deputies — together with the Jewish Leadership Council — issued a statement after the attack Thursday, in which they “call[ed] on all those in positions of power and influence to take the required action to combat hatred against Jewish people.”
The groups said they would “be working with the authorities on a series of additional measures to protect our community over the coming days.”
Both groups are vocally pro-Israel, campaigning for the release of the hostages and condemning much of the rhetoric employed against Israel’s campaign in Gaza. Both groups also condemned Starmer’s recent decision to recognize a Palestinian state.
‘Tommy Robinson is a thug’: Leading UK Jewish groups slam Chikli for hosting far-right firebrand
The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the UK’s Jewish Leadership Council slam Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli for praising anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson as a “courageous leader” and announcing he will host Robinson later this month.
“Tommy Robinson is a thug who represents the very worst of Britain,” the two leading UK Jewish groups say in a joint statement. “His presence undermines those genuinely working to tackle Islamist extremism and foster community cohesion.”
“Minister Chikli has proven himself to be a Diaspora Minister in name only. In our darkest hour, he has ignored the views of the vast majority of British Jews, who utterly and consistently reject Robinson and everything he stands for,” the groups add.
In a post on Friday, Chikli called Robinson “a courageous leader on the front line against radical Islam,” and “a true friend of Israel and the Jewish people.”
The 42-year-old Robinson — whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon — has long been a familiar sight at far-right rallies in England, but his influence was thought to be waning after various legal and other woes. In mid-September, however, an anti-immigration protest in central London that he organized drew some 100,000 participants.
He has been vocal in his support for Israel amid the ongoing war against Hamas, and has described himself as a Zionist.
“Tommy Robinson is a thug who represents the very worst of Britain. His presence undermines those genuinely working to tackle Islamist extremism and foster community cohesion. Minister Chikli has proven himself to be a Diaspora Minister in name only. In our darkest hour, he has… https://t.co/BswfB4mXZ6 pic.twitter.com/LZ1rkPFzOe
— Board of Deputies of British Jews (@BoardofDeputies) October 4, 2025
Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya makes first appearance since being targeted in Doha strike
The Qatari Al Araby channel shows video of top Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya, who was among the senior leaders in the terror group whom Israel targeted in an airstrike on September 9 in Doha.
Several lower-level Hamas members were killed in the strike, as was one Qatari guard, but Israel failed to kill the senior officials it was targeting.
خاص – الظهور الأول لرئيس وفد حماس المفاوض خليل الحية منذ محاولة إسرائيل الفاشلة لاغتياله#التلفزيون_العربي pic.twitter.com/BhlscRxxz3
— التلفزيون العربي (@AlarabyTV) October 4, 2025
PM said to hold 2-hour meeting with Ben Gvir and Smotrich, as government holding together
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu concludes a meeting with National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir after about two hours, the Walla news site reports.
Ben Gvir, who leads the Otzma Yehudit party, said earlier tonight that his faction will leave the government if Hamas “continues to exist” after the return of the hostages held in Gaza.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was also present for some of the meeting, according to Walla.
Smotrich, who like Ben Gvir has opposed previous hostage-ceasefire deals, said earlier that Netanyahu made a “serious mistake” by agreeing to halt offensive military operations in Gaza at the request of US President Donald Trump.
However, neither has actually pulled out of the government at this stage.
The two far-right ministers have been among the fiercest voices against ending the war as part of previous deals, even in exchange for all the hostages, and both have advocated annexing the Strip and settling it, a proposition that Trump’s Gaza plan explicitly rejects.
Opposition figures have said that they will make sure there is a majority in the Knesset to approve the Trump deal, even if the ministers pull out of the government in opposition.
The Haaretz daily reports that in recent days, Netanyahu and the two ministers have been in closer contact than was outwardly visible. The premier has been updating them regularly, it says, and spoke to them throughout Shabbat.
Sources close to the prime minister tell Haaretz that Netanyahu would rather see the hostages released, even if his government falls, than keep his government together at the expense of freeing the hostages — though other statements to this effect have been met with skepticism in the past.
20-year-old man shot and killed in Rahat, in suspected blood feud incident
A 20-year-old man was shot and killed in Rahat this evening, police and paramedics say. Police suspect the incident is part of an ongoing blood feud between rival families in the southern Bedouin city.
The shooting also moderately wounded a 29-year-old man. After reaching the scene, paramedics transported both to the hospital where the younger victim was pronounced dead.
Large police forces are currently deployed in the area and actively searching for the perpetrators, law enforcement says.
Israeli delegation, led by Dermer, to include hostage point-man, senior security officials
The Israeli negotiating team in Egypt will be made up of Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, government hostage point-man Gal Hirsch, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s foreign policy adviser Ophir Falk, senior Shin Bet official “Mem,” and senior Mossad official “Dalet,” a member of the team tells The Times of Israel.
The latter two figures are identified publicly only by their first Hebrew initials.
They will be joined by staff from the Mossad, IDF, and Shin Bet.
Talks are set to be held in Egypt on Monday on the release of all hostages held by Hamas and other terror groups in Gaza and the release of terrorists and other Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel, in accordance with US President Donald Trump’s plan for ending the war.