Suspect who daubed ‘Gaza Holocaust’ on Kotel nabbed for doing it again at Church of Holy Sepulchre

The man suspected of spray-painting “There is a Holocaust in Gaza” on Jerusalem’s Western Wall earlier this month was arrested earlier tonight for allegedly daubing the same slogan on the nearby Church of the Holy Sepulchre, police say.

Officers caught the man with a can of spray-paint, and police say he will be brought before a judge later Tuesday for a remand hearing.

The suspect is a 27-year-old Haredi man who is said to be suffering from severe mental health issues.

Amnesty urges war crimes probe into Israeli destruction in Lebanon

Amnesty International says the Israeli army’s extensive destruction of civilian property in south Lebanon, including after a ceasefire with Hezbollah was struck, should be investigated as a war crime.

“The Israeli military’s extensive and deliberate destruction of civilian property and agricultural land across southern Lebanon must be investigated as war crimes,” Amnesty says in a statement.

The rights group’s Erika Guevara Rosas says in the statement that the destruction had “rendered entire areas uninhabitable and ruined countless lives.”

Israel has said its military action targeted Hezbollah sites and operatives, and it continues to strike Lebanon over what it says are Hezbollah violations of the November 2024 ceasefire. The Lebanese terror group began launching rockets at Israel shortly after Hamas’s October 7 onslaught.

Amnesty says it sent Israeli authorities questions in late June about the destruction but had not received a response.

The group says its analysis covered from October 1 of last year until late January of this year, and showed “more than 10,000 structures were heavily damaged or destroyed during that time.”

It notes that “much of the destruction took place after November 27”, when the truce took effect.

“Israeli forces used manually laid explosives and bulldozers to devastate civilian structures, including homes, mosques, cemeteries, roads, parks and soccer pitches, across 24 municipalities,” it says.

The rights group says it used verified videos, photographs and satellite imagery to investigate the destruction.

“In some videos, soldiers filmed themselves celebrating the destruction by singing and cheering,” it says.

It adds that much of the destruction was done “in apparent absence of imperative military necessity and in violation” of international humanitarian law.

Amnesty notes that “the previous use of a civilian building by a party to the conflict does not automatically render it a military objective”.

In March, the World Bank put the war’s total economic cost on Lebanon at $14 billion, including $6.8 billion in damage to physical structures.

Authorities in cash-strapped Lebanon have yet to launch reconstruction efforts and are hoping for international support, particularly from Gulf countries.

Former hostages join thousands for pre-High Holiday prayers at Western Wall

Former hostages Keith Siegel and Yelena Trufanov joined thousands of Israelis for the pre-High Holiday selichot service at the Western Wall.

Siegel tells reporters he is participating for the first time after becoming closer to God while in captivity. Trufanov has described a similar experience.

The organizers of the selichot prayers begin the service with a prayer for the release of the remaining 50 hostages.

מעמד סליחות ראשונות ברחבת הכותל המערבי בהשתתפות בני משפחות חטופים ושורדי השבי. pic.twitter.com/EmtmvFpuFG

— זירת החדשות (@ZiratNews) August 25, 2025

עצרת הסליחות בכותל המערבי הלילה הוקדשה לתפילה להשבת 50 החטופים והתקיימה בהשתתפות בני משפחות חטופים יחד עם שורדי השבי קית׳ סיגל, ולנה טרופנוב. pic.twitter.com/DG0YDICoIF

— מה חדש. What's new❓ (@Gloz111) August 25, 2025

Security cabinet to meet Tuesday to discuss Gaza

The Israeli security cabinet will meet Tuesday evening in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesman says, with local media reporting that it will discuss renewing negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal.

Responding to a request from AFP, spokesman Omer Mantzour does not provide any details on the meeting’s agenda.

The security cabinet approved in early August a plan for the military to take over Gaza City, but according to Hebrew media, Tuesday’s meeting is expected to focus on resuming negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of hostages still being held in the Strip.

Netanyahu on Thursday said that he had ordered immediate talks on the release of all remaining captives in Gaza.

That came days after Hamas said it had accepted a new ceasefire proposal put forward by mediators that would see the staggered release of hostages over an initial 60-day period in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Israel has yet to respond to that proposal, but has indicated it is only interested in a deal in which Hamas releases all of the hostages at once and effectively surrenders to Israel.

Canada ‘horrified’ by deadly strike on Nasser Hospital

OTTAWA, Canada — Canada condemns an Israeli strike on a Gaza hospital on Monday that reportedly killed at least 20 people, including five journalists, and says Israel had an obligation to protect civilians in the combat zone.

“Canada is horrified by the Israeli military strike at the Nasser Hospital in Gaza, which killed five journalists and many civilians, including rescuers and health officials. Such attacks are unacceptable,” Canada’s Foreign Ministry says.