August 23, 2026Share to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeKey EventsAugust 23, 2026August 23, 2026Hormuz to remain closed until U.S. fulfills commitments, Iranian top security official saysIran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary-General Moshen Rezaei said overnight into Sunday that Tehran would not yield to U.S. economic pressure, telling Iranian state-run Press TV that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until Washington fulfills its commitments.Mohsen Rezaei, adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei and newly elected secretary-general of Iran's Supreme National Security Council. Credit: AFP/ATTA KENAREMohsen Rezaei, adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei and newly elected secretary-general of Iran's Supreme National Security Council. Credit: AFP/ATTA KENARE3 hours agoPolice shoot dead two people amid feud between East Jerusalem families, Palestinian sources sayThree people were killed by gunfire in East Jerusalem's Silwan overnight into Sunday, including two who were shot dead by police, after a dispute between two families escalated into arson attacks, according to Palestinian sources.The incident began when Essam al-Awar was shot dead by a member of the Abbasi family amid a feud between the two families, according to sources in Silwan. Both families live in the East Jerusalem neighborhood.Following the shooting, members of the al-Awar family began setting fire to homes belonging to the Abbasi family, the sources said.Screenshot from a video showing homes being set on fire in Silwan, East Jerusalem, overnight into Sunday. Credit: Used in accordance with Section 27a of the Copyright LawScreenshot from a video showing homes being set on fire in Silwan, East Jerusalem, overnight into Sunday. Credit: Used in accordance with Section 27a of the Copyright LawRead the full articleThe IDF's Gaza investigations are political theater, not a pursuit of justice | EditorialThe Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson's Unit issued a statement Wednesday detailing the results of an examination of five incidents in which noncombatants were killed during the fighting in the Gaza Strip. According to the statement, the five were among 150 incidents whose reviews by an IDF General Staff investigative mechanism have been completed.By a remarkable coincidence, all five incidents had topped international news broadcasts, drew condemnation and managed to break through the wall of indifference of Israel's mainstream media, which throughout the war had systematically ignored the harm caused to innocent civilians in Gaza.Three of the incidents involve international organizations: two in which employees of Doctors Without Borders were killed and a third in which aid workers from World Central Kitchen died. The two others involved Palestinians: the killing of Hind Rajab and members of her family, and the killing of several paramedics. They were among the most widely covered such incidents of the war, probably because they were documented in real time.People inspect the site where World Central Kitchen workers were killed in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, in April 2024. Credit: Abdel Kareem Hana / AP People inspect the site where World Central Kitchen workers were killed in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, in April 2024. Credit: Abdel Kareem Hana / AP Read the full articleRECAP: Israel says it warned Syria before airbase strike; IDF says it killed Hamas commander in Gaza strikeHere are Saturday's latest updates:■ Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel warned Syria before striking the Abu al-Duhur airbase over intelligence that Turkey planned activity there that could threaten Israeli security.■ Iran threatened to target the interests of countries that assist the U.S. in its "economic warfare" against Tehran, state media reported, citing a senior security official.■ Britain is considering banning trade in goods and services with Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Bloomberg reported, after Israel advanced plans for 1,200 homes in E1.■ The IDF said it killed Hamas commander Sharif al-Hasanat in central Gaza, saying he was involved in restoring the group's underground infrastructure and posed an "immediate threat."■ Gadi Eisenkot vowed no Palestinian state would be established under his leadership, drawing attacks from Benjamin Netanyahu and Bezalel Smotrich over his position on Palestinian statehood and construction in E1.■ Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians in two separate West Bank incidents, with several people reportedly wounded, according to Palestinian reports.Reports: Settlers attack Palestinians in two West Bank incidents, several woundedAn Israeli settler assaulted a Palestinian resident of Masafer Yatta who lost his leg after being shot by the security coordinator of a nearby settlement last year, according to Palestinian reports.Separately, settlers attacked Palestinians on the outskirts of the village of Arraba, south of Jenin, with several people reportedly wounded.Eisenkot vows no Palestinian state prompting criticism from Netanyahu and SmotrichYashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot said that a Palestinian state does not currently exist and pledged that one would not be established during his term in office.Eisenkot made the comments in response to United Arab List Chairman Mansour Abbas, who said most of the world recognizes Palestine as a state and that Israel and the United States should do the same.Mansour Abbas speaking at the United Arab List's 28th General Convention in Taibeh, August 22, 2026. Credit: Moti MilrodMansour Abbas speaking at the United Arab List's 28th General Convention in Taibeh, August 22, 2026. Credit: Moti MilrodPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu subsequently said that as long as he remains prime minister, "there will be no Palestinian state controlled by Iran – not in Gaza and not in Judea and Samaria. Period." Netanyahu also attacked Eisenkot and other opposition figures, accusing them of being willing to partner with the Muslim Brotherhood while rejecting Likud voters.Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also challenged Eisenkot over his remarks, calling on him to state whether he supports construction in the West Bank's E1 area that Smotrich recently approved.Smotrich said opposition to construction in E1 amounts to support for establishing a Palestinian state by preserving Palestinian territorial continuity from north to south, while backing the project would "take the two-state solution off the agenda." He asked Eisenkot whether he would commit not to halt construction between Ma'ale Adumim and Jerusalem.Smotrich speaking at a press conference on the occasion of the approval of the E1 plans, last week. Credit: Olivier FitoussiSmotrich speaking at a press conference on the occasion of the approval of the E1 plans, last week. Credit: Olivier FitoussiReport: Michigan GOP Senate nominee asks AIPAC not to advertise on his behalfRepublican nominee for U.S. Senate Mike Rogers speaks during a campaign event Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, in Detroit. Credit: Paul Sancya,AP Republican nominee for U.S. Senate Mike Rogers speaks during a campaign event Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, in Detroit. Credit: Paul Sancya,AP Allies of Michigan Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers have asked AIPAC not to run advertisements on his behalf in the general election against Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, triggering a rupture between the campaign and the pro-Israel group, Axios reported. According to Axios, AIPAC shelved an already-produced ad targeting El-Sayed after Rogers spoke with the group's chair, Michael Tuchin, last week. AIPAC had spent more than $30 million unsuccessfully trying to defeat El-Sayed in the Democratic primary and was prepared to spend millions more to help Rogers. Rogers' allies reportedly argued that AIPAC's primary spending had backfired by allowing El-Sayed, an outspoken critic of Israel, to campaign against the group's involvement. They instead proposed that AIPAC donors support pro-Rogers groups without putting AIPAC's name at the center of the campaign.Axios reported that direct talks between Rogers' campaign and AIPAC have since stalled, with Republican donors now seeking to mediate between the two sides. IDF says it killed Hamas commander in central Gaza who posed 'immediate threat'The IDF said it killed Sharif al-Hasanat, a company commander in Hamas' Deir al-Balah Battalion, in a strike in central Gaza on Saturday.According to the military, al-Hasanat had taken part in efforts to restore Hamas' underground infrastructure during the war and had recently advanced attacks against Israeli troops and civilians. The IDF said he posed an "immediate threat" to its forces.The military added that it took measures to mitigate harm to civilians before the strike, including using precision munitions and aerial surveillance.Report: Britain weighs sanctions regime banning trade with Israeli settlementsThe United Kingdom is considering a new sanctions regime that would ban trade in goods and services with Israeli settlements in the West Bank, as Prime Minister Andrew Burnham's government weighs a tougher response to Israel's settlement policies.The possible measures are being considered after Israel advanced plans to build 1,200 settlement homes in the E1 area of the West Bank, according to Bloomberg, which cited people familiar with the discussions.Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announcing plans for E1 construction of settlements in West Bank, in July. Credit: Olivier FitoussiFinance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announcing plans for E1 construction of settlements in West Bank, in July. Credit: Olivier FitoussiForeign Secretary Ed Miliband is weighing several options to increase pressure on Israel, including banning the exchange of goods and services with settlements and expanding existing human rights sanctions to cover obstruction of humanitarian aid.In the NewsBen-Gurion Airport Has Everything Israel Loves: Privilege, Racism and a Way OutNetanyahu's Answer to Election Trouble: Open a Front With Turkey and SyriaPolice Shoot Dead Two People Amid Feud Between East Jerusalem FamiliesNetanyahu Is Dragging Israel Into Another Pointless Confrontation – With TurkeyPolice Shoot Dead Two Amid East Jerusalem Family Feud, Palestinian Sources SayRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIIDF Marks Detained Palestinians With Numbers as Northern West Bank Raids ExpandThe American Jewish Establishment Is Defending an Israel That No Longer ExistsSo Will It Be a Problem if Miriam Adelson Flies to Israel to Vote?An Israeli Startup Is Reinventing Salmon Farming. It May Upend a Global IndustryIsraeli Army Orders Criminal Probes Into Killing of Hind Rajab, Gaza MedicsGo to Qusra to See What Israel Is Trying to Hide