Around 200 far-right Israeli nationalists entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday, raising the Israeli flag and singing the national anthem under police protection, according to the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf. The group also performed Talmud-based prayers and took photographs near the Dome of the Rock, actions the Waqf described as provocative and in violation of established regulations governing the holy site.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites, operates under a long-standing status quo recognizing it as an exclusively Muslim place of worship administered by the Islamic Waqf under Jordanian supervision. Critics have long accused Israel of undermining this arrangement by facilitating frequent incursions by nationalist groups who conduct prayers and flag displays within the compound.

Omar Rajoub, media director of the Jerusalem Governorate, said the flag-raising and religious acts were part of a deliberate Israeli policy to alter the site’s historical and legal standing. He claimed the actions aimed to impose new realities in East Jerusalem and erase its Islamic and historical identity, calling them clear violations of international law.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly facing severe psychological and political pressure due to the ongoing situation in Lebanon. According to Andreas Krieg, a senior lecturer at the School of Security Studies at King’s College London, the United States and Iran are moving toward a memorandum of understanding that could include Lebanon, which has significantly increased pressure on Netanyahu.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Krieg stated that despite Israel’s public celebrations of certain tactical gains, the country has not achieved any substantial operational or strategic success in Lebanon. He explained that Netanyahu must demonstrate a major achievement to the public before being forced to halt military operations under U.S. pressure. This has led Netanyahu to emphasize symbolic victories in the media to justify a dignified troop withdrawal.

Krieg further added that Israel’s long-term or “permanent war” policy across Gaza and Lebanon has yielded very limited results for the country.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he has instructed the Israeli military to expand its operations in Lebanon. According to Reuters, Netanyahu stated that his directive aims to broaden the scope of military activities in areas previously controlled by Hezbollah. He emphasized the need for Israel to deepen and extend its control in those regions.

The statement comes at a time of heightened military activity by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon and growing international concern over escalating tensions with Hezbollah. The report, citing Al Jazeera, indicates that the situation has drawn global attention as cross-border hostilities intensify.

Further details about the expanded operations were not immediately available, and additional updates are expected as more information emerges.

Israel has announced it will sever all ties with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres after the UN added Israel to a blacklist of countries accused of sexual violence in conflict zones. The decision was revealed on Thursday in a video message posted on X by Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, who said Israel would no longer work with the Secretary-General. Danon criticized the upcoming UN report, calling the allegations that Israel used sexual violence as a weapon of war 'unreasonable.'

The UN report placed Israel among nations whose military and security forces have repeatedly committed acts such as rape against detainees or vulnerable populations. The Secretary-General had previously warned that such measures could be taken. In response, Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement labeling the UN as a 'political and corrupt organization' that systematically targets Israel and has abandoned its founding principles.

Israel stated it would not re-engage with the Secretary-General’s office until a new UN chief is appointed. Guterres’s current term is set to end on December 31.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly under growing pressure as U.S. President Donald Trump advances toward an interim agreement with Iran following their joint military strikes on February 28. While Netanyahu initially celebrated the operation as a symbol of unprecedented U.S.-Israel unity, he now finds himself sidelined in the American-led diplomatic process. Israeli sources told CNN that Netanyahu privately admitted Israel has little influence over the outcome of the U.S.-Iran talks.

Netanyahu has urged Trump to resume full-scale military action, arguing that sustained pressure could topple Iran’s regime. However, Washington appears to be moving in the opposite direction. Israeli officials fear the emerging deal may leave Iran’s uranium stockpile, missile program, and regional proxies largely unresolved while easing economic pressure on Tehran. Netanyahu’s far-right allies have called for a tougher stance, urging him to confront Trump directly.

The situation has exposed deep political and strategic strains for Netanyahu ahead of Israel’s upcoming election. Analysts say the outcome could undermine his long-standing Iran policy and weaken his image as a security leader, with polls showing declining public confidence in his handling of Iran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that while Israel faces delegitimization in many parts of the world, it continues to enjoy strong support in India. Speaking at a conference in the West Bank on Thursday, he described India as a special friend of Israel and claimed that Indians support Israel blindly. Netanyahu added that Israel has more followers in India than in any other country.

He recalled his 2018 visit to India with his wife Sara, calling it a “love fest” and praising the extraordinary respect Indians have for Israel. In a separate interview with CBS News’ program 60 Minutes, Netanyahu said that India, with its population of over 1.4 billion, remains one of the few places where Israel is still respected. He also mentioned that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was warmly welcomed in Israel.

Recent Pew Research Center data cited in the report showed declining support for Israel in the United States, while Netanyahu blamed Pakistan for using social media bots to spread anti-Israel sentiment online.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that public support for Israel in India is so strong it amounts to ‘fandom-level enthusiasm’. Speaking at a conference in the West Bank on Thursday, he described India as a ‘major power’ and emphasized the special importance of relations between the two countries. Netanyahu noted that while Israel faces controversies and legitimacy challenges in many parts of the world, such issues are absent in India. He also claimed that his social media following is higher in India than in any other country.

Netanyahu recalled his 2018 visit to India with his wife Sara as a moment of ‘love and warm reception’ and mentioned Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel, which he said was met with similar warmth. He has previously discussed his popularity in India, including in an interview with CBS’s ‘60 Minutes’, where he highlighted India’s strong interest in Israel.

Analysts cited in the report said Netanyahu’s renewed focus on India-Israel ties comes as public support for Israel in the United States gradually declines.

Israel has incurred financial losses of 248 million dollars over the past two months due to the presence of US military aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport, according to a report by Israel’s public broadcaster Kan. The airport is being used by the United States for military operations, significantly limiting its civilian capacity.

Sharon Kedmi, Director General of the Israel Airports Authority, stated that the airport is currently operating at only one-third of its capacity because of the space and equipment occupied by US military refueling planes. He noted that nearly 70 percent of the airport’s operations have been restricted as a result of Washington’s ongoing military activities.

Kedmi warned that if the current situation continues, Israel’s financial losses could reach billions of dollars and more flight cancellations may follow in the coming days.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed the country’s military to expand its control over 70 percent of the Gaza Strip, according to footage broadcast by Israel’s Channel 12. In the recording, Netanyahu stated that Israel currently holds 60 percent of Gaza and aims to increase that to 70 percent. When an audience member called for full control of Gaza, Netanyahu replied that the expansion would proceed gradually, beginning with 70 percent.

Reports from The Times of Israel and Al Jazeera indicate that Israel had already extended its control beyond the “yellow line” established in the October 2025 ceasefire agreement mediated by the United States. By March, Israeli forces had expanded their presence to 64 percent of Gaza. The ongoing occupation has left Palestinians unable to access nearly two-thirds of their territory, worsening conditions for the enclave’s two million residents.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs described Gaza’s humanitarian situation as extremely fragile, with displaced families living in overcrowded shelters and facing severe shortages of clean water. UN envoy Nickolay Mladenov warned that the crisis risks becoming permanent and urged international action to enforce the ceasefire and ensure humanitarian access.

UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Reem Alsalem, has welcomed the decision to include Israel on the United Nations blacklist for alleged sexual violence against Palestinians. In a post on social media platform X, Alsalem said the listing was long overdue and expressed disappointment that it had taken so long to happen.

She stated that independent documentation and verification had confirmed widespread, systematic, and horrific sexual violence committed by Israeli forces against Palestinian women, men, and children. The decision follows reports that Israel announced it would cut all communication with UN Secretary-General António Guterres after being added to the list of countries linked to sexual violence in conflict zones.

Human rights organizations have previously reported extensive and systematic sexual violence during Israel’s ongoing attacks in Gaza and against detained Palestinians, particularly in Israeli detention facilities, raising international concern.

On May 28, 2026, the Palestinian Prisoners Club reported that 360 Palestinian children, including three girls, and 84 women spent the holy Eid al-Adha day in Israeli prisons. The organization stated that a total of 9,400 Palestinians are currently held under Israeli custody, facing severe mistreatment and deprivation of food and basic necessities.

According to the club’s head, Abdullah al-Zaghari, Israel is targeting detainees through unprecedented repression and abuse. He claimed that since the start of the Gaza war, more than 100 prisoners and detainees have died, with 89 of them identified so far. Al-Zaghari also alleged that Palestinian prisoners are being denied adequate food and that incidents of sexual assault and rape have occurred in detention centers.

He further accused Israeli authorities of preventing families from visiting detainees, isolating them from the outside world to break them mentally and physically.

An Israeli soldier was killed and two reserve soldiers were injured in a Hezbollah drone attack near Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, according to a statement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The soldier killed was identified as Sergeant Rotem Yanai. The incident occurred despite a ceasefire declared between Lebanon and Israel on April 16.

Since the ceasefire, Israel has continued to carry out strikes inside Lebanon, while Hezbollah has launched retaliatory attacks. The IDF reported that 11 Israeli soldiers have been killed since April 16, seven of them in explosive drone attacks. The renewed violence highlights the fragility of the truce and the persistence of hostilities along the border.

Earlier this week, an IDF official told CNN that Israel’s intensified operations in Lebanon aim to push Hezbollah’s explosive drone capabilities further from the border, suggesting that cross-border military activity may continue in the near term.

The United Nations has added Israel to its blacklist of countries accused of committing sexual violence in conflict zones. According to a report by the Jerusalem Post, several Israeli authorities, including the country's prison service, have been included in the list. The blacklist already contains groups such as Hamas.

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, strongly condemned the decision and announced that Israel would suspend cooperation with the office of UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The decision follows reports from human rights organizations indicating a sharp rise in sexual violence by Israeli soldiers and settlers in Gaza since the start of the war.

The inclusion of Israel in the UN blacklist marks a new escalation in international scrutiny of its actions in Gaza and may further strain relations between Israel and the United Nations.

Israeli soldiers are using fishing nets to protect themselves from Hezbollah’s first-person-view (FPV) kamikaze drone attacks in Lebanon, according to a senior Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officer quoted by The War Zone on Monday. Due to a shortage of standard protective mesh, troops have been purchasing nets from fishermen in Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee, as well as from coastal areas such as Acre and Haifa. The officer described the drone threat as a nightmare for field units.

The report notes that after widespread use of FPV drones in the Ukraine war, the IDF has adopted similar netting to shield vehicles and equipment from explosions. However, Hezbollah’s use of fiber-optic-controlled drones and thermal cameras has limited Israel’s electronic warfare capabilities and allowed nighttime strikes. The combination has immobilized Israeli forces along the border and inside Lebanon, preventing them from targeting Hezbollah’s logistics networks.

The situation has been further complicated by political pressure from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for visible operations in southern Lebanon, while U.S. commitments have constrained military flexibility, creating what one officer called a “catch-22” scenario.

Israel has ordered the seizure of land encompassing the Prophet Solomon (Sulaiman) Mosque and tomb site in the occupied West Bank. The decision, announced on Tuesday, involves the acquisition of 28 acres that include the Palestinian town of Beit Iksa and the historic mosque. The Israeli Civil Administration, under the Defense Ministry, stated that the area is being taken for 'public interest' and that a development project will be launched to preserve the archaeological site believed to be the tomb of Prophet Solomon.

Palestinian analysts have condemned the move as another example of the 'Judaization' of Islamic heritage sites. The Prophet Solomon site holds religious significance for Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike. Historically, the Byzantine Emperor Justinian ordered a church built there, and later Muslim rulers constructed various structures in Solomon’s memory. The current mosque features Ayyubid and Mamluk architectural elements and includes a tomb revered by Muslims as Solomon’s resting place.

Experts note that since Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, it has gradually altered the area, including building a synagogue in the underground chamber believed to house Solomon’s tomb and reducing Muslim prayer space.