The Times of Israel is liveblogging Thursday’s events as they happen.
Sirens sound in Western Galilee due to suspected hostile aircraft
Air raid sirens have been activated in numerous communities in the Western Galilee, with the IDF’s Home Front Command reporting a suspected enemy aircraft along the Lebanon border.
Trump and Netanyahu reportedly hold call about Gaza hostage-ceasefire deal
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump spoke on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday and discussed the Gaza hostage-ceasefire deal, Axios reports, citing two US sources.
One of the sources is quoted saying the aim of the call was for Trump to encourage Netanyahu to agree to the mediated deal with Hamas, but it’s not clear what in fact the former US president told the premier.
The news site says Netanyahu’s office did not deny the call, while Trump’s campaign declined to comment.
The call was held a day before negotiations are set to resume Thursday in Doha, which is being cast by some officials as the last potential chance on the near horizon to secure a deal to end the fighting in Gaza and free the hostages seized during the October 7 attack on Israel that sparked the war.
Columbia University president resigns amid criticism over her response to anti-Israel protests
Minouche Shafik, the Columbia University president whose campus became an epicenter of unrest this year following Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, has resigned weeks before the start of the school year.
Shafik’s resignation, tendered Wednesday, comes after widespread, sustained criticism of how she handled pro-Palestinian protests that convulsed the Ivy League university since October 7.
“This period has taken a considerable toll on my family, as it has for others in our community,” Shafik writes in a message to the Columbia community. “Over the summer, I have been able to reflect and have decided that my moving on at this point would best enable Columbia to traverse the challenges ahead.”
Shafik, an economist, says she’s taking a role with the British government, resuming work that she had done before being taking the helm at Columbia just 13 months ago.
White House says Biden and Harris received national security briefing on Mideast
US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were just briefed in the situation room by their national security teams about developments in the Middle East, the White House says.
“They were updated on US military efforts to support the defense of Israel. They were also briefed on continued diplomatic efforts to de-escalate regional tension and to bring the ceasefire and hostage release deal to a conclusion,” the White House adds.