IDF sources implied that Hamas’s recent information about where Gvili might have been buried, may have been misdirection.

(read more at jpost.com)

Netanyahu holds urgent talks as Smotrich calls for elections over budget vote delay

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Monday reportedly dared the Haredi parties to dissolve the Knesset, declaring that if they cannot support the 2026 state budget, Israel should hold early elections.

Speaking with the Ynet news site, a source close to Smotrich said that the far-right politician was “no longer willing to link the budget law to the [ultra-Orthodox] draft law.”

“If they are not willing, then they should bring a law to dissolve the Knesset,” the source stated, adding that “there is a country here to manage. If we don’t want to vote on a budget, we will go to elections.”

According to Channel 12, Smotrich sent a similar message to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, declaring that if the budget didn’t pass its first reading on Monday the Knesset should be dissolved.

Earlier in the day, a spokeswoman for coalition whip Ofir Katz announced in a statement, without providing any reason, that Monday evening’s planned first reading of the budget bill had been postponed until Wednesday.

(read more at timesofisrael.com)

Jewish graves smashed in Barcelona

Several gravestones were desecrated at the Jewish cemetery in the Les Corts neighborhood of Barcelona, the city’s Jewish community reported on Sunday.

According to the community, multiple headstones were smashed and vandalized by unknown individuals.

Photos taken at the scene show shattered graves, headstones ripped from their bases, and extensive damage throughout the cemetery.

The Jewish community in Barcelona said authorities had failed to address growing incitement against Jews, particularly since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas massacre.

“We have seen how, at demonstrations, online and on the street, hate speech against Jews became routine. Then signs appeared across the city. Later, posters were hung on public buildings with slogans. After that, a map was published marking Jewish targets, including a school. And now, the desecration of graves. This is not random. This is an escalation. From slogans to marking. From marking to threats. And from threats to action,” the community said.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the attack. “We condemn the desecration of the Jewish cemetery in Barcelona. This despicable act is the result of an anti-Israeli campaign by the Sanchez government. We stand with the Jewish community in Spain. The normalization of antisemitism must not be allowed and must be firmly rejected in all societies,” the ministry said.

(read more at israelnationalnews.com)

IDF carries out multi-wave strikes on Hezbollah targets across Lebanon

The IDF said it carried out a series of targeted strikes in southern Lebanon on Sunday and into the night, eliminating two senior Hezbollah terrorists and later expanding attacks on additional military infrastructure used to rebuild the terrorist group’s capabilities.

According to the military, the first strike targeted the al-Bazourieh area in southern Lebanon, where the IDF said it killed terrorist Mohammad al-Husseini, identified as Hezbollah’s artillery commander in the village of Arzoun.

The IDF said al-Husseini was simultaneously employed as a teacher at a Lebanese school in the village while serving in the terrorist organization.

During the war, the IDF said, al-Husseini advanced “numerous firing plans” against Israel and IDF forces, and in recent weeks worked “to restore Hezbollah’s artillery capabilities” in southern Lebanon.

In a separate strike carried out in the Bir a-Sanasel area, the IDF said it eliminated terrorist Jawad Basma, a Hezbollah terrorist who was active at a weapons production site.

The military said the terrorists’ activity “constituted a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” and stressed it will “continue to act to remove any threat to the State of Israel.”

(read more at worldisraelnews.com)

War’s toll: Life expectancy drops as disability, depression rates surge across Israel

The Central Bureau of Statistics released data examining Israel’s population following the outbreak of war on October 7, 2023, providing a social and economic snapshot of Israel and the Gaza and Lebanon border regions through 2024.

A total of 1,076 Israelis were killed in the October 7 attack. In 2023, the war claimed 1,377 lives, including 828 civilians and 509 soldiers. In 2024, 406 people were killed, including 96 civilians and 310 soldiers.

As a result of the war, a significant increase was recorded in the number of people with disabilities in Israel. In 2024, approximately 1.32 million people with various disabilities were included in the registry, representing 13.1% of the total population, compared to approximately 1.163 million in 2023, who represented 11.7% of the population.

Among IDF disabled veterans, significant increases were also recorded in mental injuries, from 13,600 in 2023 to 16,100 in 2024, an increase of 18.1%. The report’s data reflects the price paid by reserve soldiers after a long period of war and hundreds of days of reserve duty.

Against the backdrop of the war, life expectancy in 2023, excluding civilians and soldiers killed in the war, stood at 83.8 years in the general population, 81.7 years among men, and 85.7 years among women. Life expectancy including war casualties was half a year lower and stood at 83.3 years. In 2024, life expectancy excluding war casualties stood at 83.4 years, slightly lower than in 2023, while life expectancy including war casualties was slightly lower among men and unchanged among women.

(read more at israelhayom.com)