News Digest — 10/26/26
Nationwide Security Operation: Over 20,000 Police Officers To Deploy On Election Day
More than 20,000 police officers are expected to be deployed across Israel Tuesday (27th) as part of the Israel Police’s security preparations for the elections to the 26th Knesset.
On Sunday evening (25th), the police presented their security and operational readiness plan to Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg, who expressed satisfaction with the police preparations ahead of the opening of polling stations.
The meeting was attended by Israel Police Commissioner Danny Levy and BG Eli Pinto, the police official overseeing election preparations. They presented the operational plan to Sohlberg and the acting Director General of the Central Elections Committee, attorney Dean Livne.
The plan outlines measures designed to ensure the integrity of the elections, maintain public order, and allow citizens to reach polling stations safely.
The meeting was held as part of the ongoing cooperation between the Israel Police and the Central Elections Committee, following months of planning and preparations for Election Day.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Justice Sohlberg praised the police readiness and the coordination between the two bodies.
“I thank the Police Commissioner for his commitment. The police are prepared in the best possible way,” Sohlberg said.
He attributed the high level of preparedness to the close cooperation maintained with the Central Elections Committee throughout the process.
Attorney Dean Livne emphasized that police operations would not end when polling stations close, but would continue in the days following the vote until the election results are published.
Livne described the planned deployment of police forces as extensive and unprecedented.
Commissioner Levy, for his part, pledged that the police would work to ensure the proper conduct of the elections and protect the public’s right to vote.
He said the police commanders and officers had spent recent months carrying out thorough and professional preparations under the direction of the Police’s election administration.
“I have confidence in all the police officers, fighters, and volunteers who will act with the professionalism that characterizes the Israel Police and enable the public to exercise their right to vote,” Levy stated.
Israeli Forces Apprehend 40 Palestinian Suspects After Deadly Hebron Attack
Israeli security forces arrested some 40 Palestinian suspects across Judea and Samaria over the weekend in counterterrorism operations that spanned over 400 areas the Israeli Defense Forces said Saturday night (24th).
Among those detained are Palestinians affiliated with the terrorist organizations Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, as well as suspects involved in incitement, public disorder and rock hurling, the military said.
In Judea, Israeli forces continue to operate “extensively” at dozens of locations in Hebron and Halhul, from where a terrorist attack was carried out on Friday (23rd), claiming the lives of two IDF soldiers. Some 20 suspects have already been apprehended in this area, the IDF said.
A brigade-level operation executed in the Gush Etzion region, in the Judean Mountains north of Hebron, resulted in the arrest of suspects involved in planting explosive devices and advancing terrorist activity, including Hamas operatives, according to the army.
In Samaria, IDF soldiers and Border Police officers dismantled memorials commemorating terrorists who took part in attacks in which Israeli civilians were killed, the military continued.
The forces apprehended two suspects involved in a terrorist attack against Israeli civilians in the area of Burin and confiscated a rifle used by suspects in the area of Silat al-Dhahr, southwest of Jenin.
In the Binyamin area of Samaria, north of Jerusalem, IDF soldiers detained Palestinian terrorists affiliated with Hamas and individuals involved in public disorder in some 15 different locations, the IDF went on to say.
Troops moreover apprehended several suspects in the Ephraim region, which roughly stretches from Ramallah to Nablus in central Samaria.
The security forces will continue to operate with determination to prevent the entrenchment of terrorism in the area and thwart any threat to Israeli civilians,” the IDF stated.
Also in Hebron, the Israeli police arrested three residents from the Palestinian city on suspicion of online incitement and support for the Hamas terror group in the wake of Friday’s (23rd) deadly shooting, the forces said on Sunday (25th).
One of the Palestinians arrested in the overnight raid posted a photo of the Gunmen who killed the two Israeli soldiers with the caption “The right is mine and the land is mine, you have no place on our land,” according to police.
A second suspect called the attack “Operation Hebron,” and the third shared calls for Arab and Islamic armies to wage war against the “Zionist occupiers.”
Officers from the Ketz Yejuda unit of the Judea and Samaria Police District’s Yasam Special Patrol Unit raided the suspects’ homes. Their social media activity had been tracked by the IDF Central Command.
Officers seized the suspects phones and computers and the three men were taken to the Hebron police station for questioning.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday (24th) that he instructed the IDF and the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) to draw up a “daring comprehensive” plan unlike anything seen since the Six-Day War in 1967, aimed at uprooting terrorism in Judea and Samaria.
He spoke during an interview with broadcaster Channel 14, in which he was asked about the deadly shooting attack on Friday (23rd).
Explaining his directive to the IDF and the Shin Bet, Netanyahu said that his government knows that “the Palestinian Authority is a body hostile to the State of Israel that seeks to eliminate us in various ways.”
On Oct. 8, 2026, Defense Minister Israel Katz told ministers at the weekly Cabinet meeting that the IDF had been ordered to prepare for a scenario in which PA security forces and the Fatah-affiliated Tanzim organization “turn their guns” against Israeli civilians and IDF troops in Judea and Samaria.
“In such a case, war would be declared against the Palestinian Authority, and the IDF would launch a comprehensive offensive in accordance with a detailed plan formulated and approved by Prime Minister Netanyahu and by me,” Katz said, adding that the campaign “would be short and forceful” and modeled on the Gaza and Lebanon campaigns.
Meanwhile, on the backdrop of heightened security tensions in the region, the IDF decided to implement a two-day entry ban on Palestinian workers into Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley that started Sunday (25th), the military said.
Industrial zones and a limited number of other approved areas are excluded from the ban, the IDF added.
In addition, a ban was approved by the government on the entry and exit of Palestinian workers throughout Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley, including industrial zones, as well as the closure of all land crossings, throughout Election Day on Oct. 27, the military said.
(jns.org)
Israeli, Greek Navies Drill In Mediterranean , In apparent Message To Turkey
The Israeli Navy held a joint drill with the Hellenic Navy in the Mediterranean this week, the military said on Saturday (24th), in an apparent message to Turkey.
The drill involved Israeli missile boats and naval vessels from several Greek units, and was led by Israeli Navy chief Vice Adm. Eyal Harel and his counterpart, Vice Adm. Dimitrios-Eleftherios Kataras, along with the chief of Hellenic National Defence General Staff, Gen. Dimitrios Choupis.
The IDF said the forces “practiced a variety of operational scenarios” during the drill, including “identifying and thwarting threats in the maritime domain, sailing as a joint force, and sinking an enemy vessel using missile fire.”
“The exercise constitutes another step in deepening operational cooperation between the Israeli Navy and the Hellenic Navy, with the aim of strengthening joint readiness and preserving freedom of action in the Mediterranean,” the ministry said, adding that it also “marks a significant leap forward in naval military cooperation between the two countries.”
Israel, in remarks published by the IDF, said, “the strategic partnership with Greece is a significant force multiplier, strengthening our ability to operate together, defensively and offensively to safeguard security and freedom of navigation in the Mediterranean.”
The drill’s announcement came days after the ratification of a maritime-boundaries deal between Libya and Turkey in the Mediterranean, which Israel, Greece and other nations oppose.
Israel’s naval ties with Greece have deepened in recent years, particularly amid deteriorating relations with Turkey, once a regional partner of Israel and Greece’s traditional foe.
Turkey was the first Muslim-majority country to recognize Israel and the two countries formerly had robust trade, but their ties have become increasingly strained in recent years.
Ankara has become a severe critic of Israel’s war in Gaza, sparked by Palestinian Islamist terror group Hamas’ October 7, 2023. Attack. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a longtime Hamas backer, has frequently accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of committing genocide in Gaza, a charge vehemently rejected by Israel.
Netanyahu’s office, meanwhile, has described Erdogan as an “antisemitic dictator.”
Europe’s Israel Boycotts Crush The Palestinians – Khaled Abu Toameh
On Sept. 8, 2026. Canada, Britain, and 10 other European countries announced their intention to introduce national restrictions on trade with Israeli communities in the West Bank or support European-level measures. To many Palestinians, all of Israel is one big settlement to be dismantled.
As European governments increased economic pressure on Israel, Palestinians working in businesses in Israeli communities lost their jobs. Industrial zones such as Barkan, Mishor Adumim, and Ariel, where Israel-owned factories employ Palestinians from surrounding West Bank communities, are particularly vulnerable.
Avraham Novogroticki, president of the Manufacturers Association of Israel, said, “In practice, those paying the price are thousands of workers and their families who are losing a stable and dignified source of income. Instead of building economic bridges between Israelis and Palestinians, some are choosing to tear them down. Industry creates jobs, stability and hope, while the boycott creates exactly the opposite.”
European politicians may see these restrictions as a statement of principle. For a Palestinian father who loses his job, however, the consequences will be measured in lost wages, unpaid bills and difficulty supporting his family.
In 2017, the International Labor Organization (ILO) reported that average wages earned by Palestinians working in Israel and Israeli West Bank communities were more than twice those earned in the Palestinian Authority. This year, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics reported that the number of workers in Israeli communities reached 17,600 in the first quarter of 2026.
Do the Canadian and European governments intend to offer these Palestinian workers comparable jobs? Have they established programs to help Palestinian businesses absorb thousands of displaced employees? Have they pledged funds to replace the incomes that may disappear as a result of their policies? Not a bit. (Gatestone Institute)
Islamic Extremists Massacre Christians At Jordanian Church
Nine people were killed and approximately 40 others wounded on Friday (23rd), when masked terrorists opened fire on mourners attending a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in southern Jordan, with survivors describing how the attackers returned to shoot people who had already fallen to the ground.
The attack occurred at St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church in the village of Hamoud, in Jordan’s Karak governorate. Two critically wounded victims subsequently died, bringing the total to nine on Saturday (24th), according to Jordanian Health Minister Ibrahim al-Bdour.
Witnesses said at least three masked gunmen armed with automatic weapons arrived outside the church and began shooting at mourners gathered for a funeral. Surveillance footage showed the attackers approaching the entrance before opening fire.
Saed al-Halaseh, who survived by dropping to the ground and crawling behind a parked car, described how the gunmen continued attacking people even though they had been wounded.
“They returned to finish off those who had already been hit,” he told the Associated Press.
Al-Halaseh said the terrorists also fired repeatedly at the church building, striking its facade, while terrified mourners attempted to escape. Several people he knew were shot in the head or back.
Another survivor, Shar al-Halsa, told Reuters that she had hidden behind a pillar when the shooting began. Emerging amid the chaos, she discovered her Cousin Assem lying wounded outside the church. She said he opened his eyes before dying. She said she believed divine intervention had saved her life.
Another witness, Dirgham al-Halasah described the devastating impact on the small community.
“We have victims, we have wounded, we have great pain,” he told ABC.
Jordanian authorities condemned the shooting as an act of extremist terrorism, although no organization had claimed responsibility as of Sunday (25th). Security forces continued searching for the gunmen with investigators saying it was too early to determine whether the attackers were affiliated with established terrorist organizations.
King Abdullah II ordered security forces to pursue those responsible, promising a forceful response.
“The security and safety of Jordanians are a red line,” the monarch declared Saturday (24th) during a National Security Council meeting.
He added that “the hand of justice will reach every terrorist.”
Jordanian Prime Minister Jafar Hassan announced three days of national mourning, with flags lowered to half-mast at government buildings and public institutions.
The attack has shaken Jordan’s Christian minority, particularly residents of Karak, a region known for longstanding coexistence between Christian and Muslim communities.
Christians account for approximately 2% to 3% of Jordan’s population, and large-scale attacks against religious minorities are relatively uncommon in the kingdom.
However, Karak has previously experienced deadly terrorism. In December 2016, ISIS terrorists carried out a series of attacks in the governorate, killing security personnel, civilians and a Canadian tourist before being killed by Jordanian forces.
As families prepared to bury the victims of Friday’s shooting, local religious leaders emphasized their determination to preserve the community’s tradition of coexistence.
Pastor Yuhanna Hamati, speaking ahead of Sunday’s funerals (25th), said the church would continue delivering a message of “love, peace, and reassurance,” despite the killings.
