Most Israelis believe US dictating terms in Gaza: Poll

Israel’s Channel 12 has released a survey on Israelis’ views about US influence over Israel’s operations in Gaza.

According to the poll, 67 percent of Israelis believe the US is steering the Israeli military’s actions, while just 24 percent say Israel is in the driver’s seat. Nine percent are unsure.

During a recent visit to Israel, US Vice President JD Vance pushed back against suggestions that Israel is a “client state” of the United States, saying: “We don’t want a vassal state and that’s not what Israel is… We want a partnership.”

‘Sea change’ under way as Trump gives ear to Arab mediators

Israeli political analyst Ori Goldberg says Israel is losing “authority on the ground” in Gaza as the United States begins to listen more to Arab mediators on their post-war vision.

“This is a sea change. It’s impossible to exaggerate how dramatic this is,” Goldberg told Al Jazeera.

The Trump administration, which still lacks a clear post-war strategy, is likely to be “amenable” to an Arab-mediated proposal on how to move forward in the later stages of the ceasefire – even one that involves Hamas agreeing to decommissioning rather than full disarmament, Goldberg said.

Israel, he added, no longer has the ability to “veto Trump’s plans” and will likely have to accept, against its wishes, “both Qatari and Turkish participation” in a post-war security force in Gaza.

Jewish-American journalist describes witnessing torture in Israeli prison

Jewish-American journalist Noa Avishag Schnall was held in an Israeli prison at the same time as some of the Palestinian detainees recently returned to Gaza.

“We were in the same place where torture was going on,” she said. “What happened to us in the light does not hold a candle to what happens … to our Palestinian siblings in the dark.”

Learn more about her experience in our report below:

This U.S. journalist was held in an Israeli torture prison at the same time as some of the Palestinian detainees recently returned to Gaza: “What happened to us in the light does not hold a candle to what happens ... to our Palestinian siblings in the dark.” pic.twitter.com/XYT4uRRDCA

— AJ+ (@ajplus) November 1, 2025

International force in Gaza needs UN mandate, say Jordan and Germany

Jordan and Germany say an international force expected to support a future Palestinian police force in Gaza under Trump’s post-war governance plan should have a UN mandate.

“We all agree that in order for that stabilisation force to be able to be effective in getting the job done, it has to have a Security Council mandate,” Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said, speaking at a conference in Bahrain alongside his German counterpart Johann Wadephul.

Jordan, however, will not be sending its own forces to the Strip. “We’re too close to the issue and we cannot deploy troops in Gaza,” Safadi said, adding his country is still willing to cooperate with the international force.

Wadephul also supported a UN mandate, saying it would “need a clear basis in international law”.

“We understand that this is of utmost importance to those countries who might be willing to send troops to Gaza and for the Palestinians. Germany would also want to see a clear mandate for this mission,” Wadephul said.

Under the US-brokered ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, a coalition of mainly Arab and Muslim nations is expected to deploy forces to Gaza to train and support Palestinian police.

Turkiye ‘orchestrating regional powers’ to push ceasefire forward

Badly strained Turkish-Israeli relations are why Israel has refused to entertain the idea that Turkish forces will be deployed to Gaza as part of an international stabilisation force, an analyst says.

Israel has also denied Turkish engineers entry into Gaza to help with the clearance of rubble, said Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding.

“We also heard President Erdogan being very outspoken in a press conference with the German Chancellor Mertz earlier this week, and he said basically, ‘Can’t you see the genocide that has been going on in Gaza?'” Doyle told Al Jazeera, speaking from London.

Still, Turkiye is “orchestrating regional powers” to take forward President Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan by hosting a meeting on Monday of foreign ministers from various Muslim countries, said Doyle.

“[Turkiye is] going to need both troops from these countries that are attending but also funding, and that means that they have some influence,” he said.

Istanbul meeting crucial for highlighting Israel’s ceasefire violations

As we’ve reported, foreign ministers of some Muslim countries will meet in Turkiye on Monday to discuss the Gaza ceasefire and its next steps. Expected in attendance are Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Pakistan and Indonesia.

Chris Doyle, director of the UK-based Council for Arab-British Understanding, said the countries will likely push for phase one of the ceasefire to be implemented more stringently before moving to other phases.

“You cannot have a situation where really it’s a de-escalation – perhaps from the height of the genocide – rather than a proper ceasefire,” Doyle told Al Jazeera.

“And the aid has been getting in at roughly 100 trucks a day as opposed to 600 – so all of that’s got to change. That is something that can be done right now. But going forward, of course, they have huge influences to the shape and makeup and mandate, even of an international stabilisation force that could be involved in the way in which Gaza is demilitarised.”

Israeli forces launch incursion into southern Syria: Report

Israeli troops advanced into southern Syria’s Quneitra region, sending a convoy of military vehicles towards the strategic al-Tal al-Ahmar area.

At least 12 vehicles – including pick-up trucks, troop carriers, and jeeps – moved out from the occupied town of al-Hamidiyah and crossed into Ofaniya village before continuing towards the al-Tal al-Ahmar, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported.

In recent months, the Israeli army has staged several cross-border raids into Syria’s southern provinces, including Quneitra, despite international calls to halt violations of its sovereignty.

After the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in late 2024, Israel expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights by seizing a “buffer zone”, a move that violated the 1974 Disengagement Agreement with Syria.

Britain HELPED Destroy Gaza. Here’s How

British journalist Peter Oborne joins Mehdi Hasan for a wide-ranging interview to discuss the UK government’s complicity in Netanyahu’s war crimes, the Maccabi football controversy, Keir Starmer and the British media attacking protesters, and the influence of the pro-Israel lobby in Britain.

Oborne doesn’t hold back — watch the full video to hear him call out the media for its anti-Palestinian, anti-Muslim coverage, slam Tony Blair’s “offensive” role in Gaza, discuss facing backlash for his coverage of Israel, and break down his new book, ‘Complicit: Britain’s Role in the Destruction of Gaza’.

Israel Is Building Infrastructure Along 'Temporary' Border

The Israeli military is establishing infrastructure that further divides Gaza into two.

"GAZA CITY—The Israeli military is digging in along the cease-fire line inside Gaza, strengthening fortifications and establishing infrastructure that further divides the territory into two. For the first time Tuesday, the Israeli military took journalists to see the so-called yellow line that has separated the Israeli and Hamas-controlled areas of Gaza since the cease-fire came into effect earlier this month."

Displaced Palestinians in Gaza find shelter in Yasser Arafat’s damaged villa

The Gaza residence of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat stands in ruins, like most other buildings in the devastated territory, but the remains of the once-lavish villa now also host several displaced families.

Footage by AFP news agency shows the house, converted into a museum after the Palestinian leader’s death in 2004 and bearing murals in his honour, surrounded by rubble.

Located in the Remal neighbourhood in Gaza City, the house was heavily damaged by Israeli attacks during the two years of Israel’s war on Gaza.

Ashraf Nafeth Abu Salem, a university professor who found shelter in the residence with his own and other families, said he had decided to clean up the rubble inside the house’s courtyard, which was “largely destroyed and burned”.

“We belong to the generation of the first Intifada [1987-1993]. We grew up throwing stones,” he said.

“For us, President Abu Ammar was a model and a symbol of the Palestinian national struggle,” the professor said, referring to Arafat by the affectionate name used by his supporters.

Just to be clear: Intifada means Uprising or Rebellion, not 'death to all Jews' as I was taught when growing up...

Gaza children gradually return to school amid fragile ceasefire

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) announced this week that, following the start of the ceasefire in Gaza, it was reopening some schools in the territory, with children gradually returning to classes.

At Al Hassaina school in western Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip, classes had just resumed despite the shortage of available classrooms.

Warda Radwan, an 11-year-old student, said she was looking forward to returning to her learning routine. “I am in sixth grade now, but I lost two years of schooling because of displacement and the war,” she told the AFP news agency.

During Israel’s two-year war on Gaza, Al Hassaina, like many other UNRWA facilities throughout the territory, became a shelter for dozens of displaced families.

Jenin Abu Jarad, a relative of one of the students, said she was thankful to see the children back in classes.

“Since October 7, there hasn’t been any school for our children,” she said.

“During this time, all they could do was fetch water, get food, or play in the streets. But thankfully, about a week to 10 days ago, schools began reopening gradually,” she added.

Israeli forces shell the northern part of Beit Lahiya city

Palestinian media sources report that the Israeli military has shelled an area in the northern part of Beit Lahiya, a city in the north of the Gaza Strip.

Israel has repeatedly attacked areas across Gaza, despite the ceasefire. Earlier today, Israeli fighter jets, artillery, and tanks also shelled areas around Khan Younis, southern Gaza.

Gaza authorities deny US Central Command claims that Hamas looted aid

Gaza’s Government Media Office has denied claims by the US Central Command that members of Hamas looted humanitarian aid in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, describing it as a “media disinformation campaign”.

Oh this again?

U.S. analysis finds no evidence of widespread Hamas theft of Gaza aid
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/hamas-aid-theft-no-evidence-analysis-1.7594805

No Proof Hamas Routinely Stole U.N. Aid, Israeli Military Officials Say
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/26/world/middleeast/hamas-un-aid-theft.html

USAID analysis finds no evidence of widespread aid diversion by Hamas in Gaza
https://abcnews.go.com/International/usaid-analysis-finds-evidence-widespread-aid-diversion-hamas/story?id=124092822

German foreign minister says may ease Israel travel advice

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has expressed optimism about the further implementation of the Middle East peace plan and indicated that Germany’s travel advice for Israel will be revised.

His confidence in the peace process has “grown to such an extent” that he also of the opinion that Germany “can revise the travel advice concerning Israel,” the top German diplomat said after a meeting his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar, at the end of a trip to the Middle East.

Germany’s Foreign Office in Berlin currently strongly advises against all non-essential travel to Israel. Travelling to certain areas such as the Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank and the north of the country is also strongly advised against.

Wadephul said that by easing the travel restrictions, he wanted to help ensure that more dialogue between Israel and Germany could take place again.

“This is particularly important to me for the younger generation,” he added. Wadephul said he was disappointed that schoolchildren and students in particular were currently being prevented from travelling to Israel.

Oh yeah such a shame your schoolchildren and students don't get the chance to be submerged in a deeply racist supremacist and traumatized culture.

What you mean is, you're worried your younger generations don't believe your BS anymore.

US envoy calls Lebanon a ‘failed state’, would support ‘more aggressive’ Israeli stance

The US’s special envoy for Syria has called Lebanon “a failed state” in remarks underscoring Washington’s frustration with Beirut’s “paralysed government,” even as Syria inches towards closer ties with the United States.

Speaking at the Manama Dialogue summit in Bahrain, Tom Barrack hailed the developments in Syria after the downfall of leader Bashar al-Assad in December. He confirmed that Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa is expected to visit Washington on November 10, the first such visit by a Syrian president since the country’s independence in 1946.

Barrack also said that Syria is expected to join the US-led anti–ISIL (ISIS) group coalition, describing it as “a big step”, as well as “remarkable.” The coalition includes some 80 countries working to prevent the resurgence of ISIL.

As for Lebanon, Barrack pointedly said it was the only state in the region “not jumping in line” with the new Middle East realignments. “The state is Hezbollah,” he said, noting that, in a country where basic services like electricity and water are chronically unreliable, the Iran-backed group provides for its supporters and fighters in ways the Lebanese state cannot.

“It is really up to the Lebanese. America is not going to get deeper involved in the situation with a foreign terrorist organisation and a failed state dictating the pace and asking for more resources and more money and more help,” he said.

Barrack added that the US would not intervene in regional disputes, but would support its ally, Israel, “if Israel becomes more aggressive toward Lebanon”.

You were supposed to guarantee the ceasefire in Lebanon, yet Israel continues to bomb Southern Lebanon daily, prevents reconstruction and the Lebanese Army from setting up in Southern Lebanon.

Lebanon is trying but doesn't get the help it needs to expand their military control (cause Israel doesn't want that to happen) and Hezbollah doesn't want to disarm as long as Israel keeps attacking (which is exactly what Israel wants as an excuse to keep attacking)

USA is the failed state here.

Four killed in Israeli attack in southern Lebanon: Report

Israeli Army Radio reports that a short time ago, the Israeli military launched an air strike on a four-wheel drive travelling in the area of ​​the village of Kafr Rumman in southern Lebanon.

According to Lebanese reports, four people were killed in the attack.

Health Ministry confirms 4 killed, 3 wounded in Israeli strike in southern Lebanon

Lebanon’s Ministry of Health has now confirmed that four people have been killed and three wounded in the Israeli strike in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military says the target was an operative in Hezbollah’s Radwan Force.

Hezbollah has not yet responded to that claim.

Main events on November 1st

• Israeli fighter jets, artillery and tanks have hit areas around Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, despite the ongoing ceasefire.
• Gaza’s Government Media Office says the daily average of commercial and aid trucks entering Gaza since the ceasefire came into effect on October 10 has been 145, which it says is 24 percent of the agreed-upon number of 600 trucks that are supposed to enter daily, according to the deal.
• Lebanon’s Ministry of Health says four people have been killed and three wounded in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon.
• Israeli authorities say the remains of the three bodies transferred by Hamas last night do not belong to any of the remaining 11 Israeli captives in Gaza, according to Israeli media reports.
• Israeli settlers have shot and injured three Palestinians in the village of al-Maniya, near Bethlehem, the Wafa news agency reports.

Israeli defence firm opens in UAE

As boycotts grow against both Israel and the UAE, it appears as though the two governments are quietly tightening their defence ties. With Israel’s latest ceasefire breaches in Gaza - and amid accusations that the UAE is backing genocidal militias in Sudan - an Israeli state-owned defence firm has opened a new arm in Abu Dhabi.

Those who commit/support genocide together, stick together. Hence Israel wants the Arab countries in the international stabilization occupation force as they are all in the pocket of the USA.

A Propaganda Film By Betar USA

The Grayzone presents a behind-the-scenes portrait of Betar USA, the militant Zionist street group that claims credit for guiding the Trump administration's jailing and attempted deportation of pro-Palestine student activists.

After joining Betar, the producer of this documentary filmed a series of intimate interviews with Ronn Torossian, a famed New York public relations professional who helped establish Betar USA as a vehicle for advancing the ideology of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane in the US.

Presenting Torrossian and his henchmen in their own words, without an editorial filter or narration, this film offers a raw, bracing portrait of the most radical edge of American Zionism.

A Liberated Palestine Means the End of US Control Over the Middle East! (Prof. Jason Hickel)

Prof. Jason Hickel, Co-Creator of the Global Inequality Project, discusses the US’ historical and contemporary real motivations for supporting Israel to crush Arab national liberation movements and protect Western economic interests.

The Gaza genocide being a mask-off moment for Western liberalism
The global apartheid of international law only applying to the global majority and not the West
The destruction of Gaza’s environment and the silence of the environmental lobbies and NGOs
The need to rebuild institutions such as the UN Security Council to give the global majority more power
The profound anti-democratic nature of capitalism and it being the root of the major problems we face today
Why the capitalist system does not address the threat of climate change
Why China has been able to make huge strides in the development of renewable energy
The high level of trust of the Chinese people in their government compared to Western countries
The Trump Administration’s push for a regime change war on Venezuela
The devastating effect of sanctions, and much more.

Fallout intensifies after Israeli army lawyer leaks abuse video

The Israeli military’s top lawyer, Major-General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, has resigned after admitting to leaking footage showing the gang-rape of a prisoner at the Sde Teiman prison facility in August last year.

At least nine soldiers were arrested in connection with the man’s rape. All but five were released relatively quickly.

In her resignation statement on Friday, Tomer-Yerushalmi blamed pressure from the right-wing on her rape investigation for her decision to leak the footage, claiming she was countering “false propaganda directed against the military law enforcement authorities”.

In the leaked footage, soldiers can be seen grabbing and leading away a blindfolded Palestinian prisoner before surrounding him with riot shields to obscure the rape.

“For 15 minutes, the accused kicked the detainee, stomped on him, stood on his body, hit him and pushed him all over his body, including with clubs, dragged his body along the ground, and used a taser gun on him, including on his head,” the original indictment stated.

According to medical information obtained by the Israeli daily Haaretz, the victim suffered a ruptured bowel, severe anal and lung injuries, and broken ribs as a result of the assault. He later required surgery.

What happened to the soldiers?

At least nine soldiers were detained in connection with the man’s rape. All but five were released relatively quickly. In February, the remaining soldiers were indicted for “severely abusing” the detainee, but not raping him. The trial is ongoing.

A United Nations commission, reviewing the change of indictment and other instances of Israel’s use of sexual and gender-based violence, determined that the decision to downgrade the indictments, despite the evidence, “will inevitably result in a more lenient punishment” if there is a conviction.

Why weren’t Israeli politicians calling for accountability?

Because they determined that doing so was somehow unpatriotic. A number of Israel’s far-right politicians, including Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, were among those who stormed the Sde Teiman prison in protest at the arrest of the soldiers for rape.

Israel’s hard-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir appeared to address Tomer-Yerushalmi directly in July 2024, writing in Hebrew, “The Military Advocate General, take your hands off the reservists!” he said, referring to the soldiers accused of rape.

Ben-Gvir’s fellow traveller on the far-right, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, was equally active on social media at the time, writing that the alleged rapists should be treated like “heroes, not villains”.

Returning to social media during the furore following the rape, Smotrich chose to ignore the credible accusations of rape and instead called for “an immediate criminal investigation to locate the leakers of the trending video that was intended to harm the reservists and that caused tremendous damage to Israel in the world, and to exhaust the full severity of the law against them”.

_{Far-right protesters hold signs during a demonstration against Israeli military prosecutors and defending reservists detained over allegations of abusing a Palestinian detainee, near a military court on July 30, 2024}


Have other crimes been committed at Sde Teiman against Palestinians?

At least 135 of the mutilated bodies returned to Palestinian officials in Gaza by Israel last week as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal, had been held at Sde Teiman, documents that accompanied each corpse showed.

Several of the bodies had been left with blindfolds on, and some had their hands still tied behind their back. One had a rope around its neck.

The same UN report that examined the reduced indictment against the soldiers also noted that detainees at Sde Teiman – including children – were regularly shackled, forced into stress positions, denied toilets and showers and beaten.

Some were subjected to sexual violence, including the insertion of objects, electric shocks and rape.