News Digest — 12/17/25
Bondi Beach Hanukkah killer charged with 59 offenses including terror, 15 counts of murder
The surviving gunman in Sydney’s Bondi Beach terror attack at a Jewish community event was charged Wednesday with 59 offenses, including 15 charges of murder, as Australian authorities were investigating the two perpetrators’ links to the Islamic State terror group.
Two terrorists slaughtered 15 people on Sunday in a mass shooting targeting Jews celebrating Hanukkah at Bondi Beach, and nearly 20 other people are still being treated in hospitals.
As investigations unfold, Australia faces a social and political reckoning about antisemitism, gun control, and whether police protections for Jews at events such as Sunday’s were sufficient for the threats they faced.
(Read more at timesofisrael.com)
Mossad chief warns Iran still seeks Israel’s destruction despite nuclear setbacks
Mossad Director David Barnea said on Tuesday that Iran “has not abandoned its aspiration to destroy the State of Israel,” speaking at a Mossad excellence awards ceremony at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem on Tuesday night.
He warned that Tehran would “surge forward” the moment circumstances allow and cautioned against attempts to advance another “bad” nuclear agreement.
“The ayatollahs’ regime woke up in a moment to discover that Iran is exposed and thoroughly penetrated, yet Iran has not given up its aspiration to destroy the State of Israel,” Barnea said. He spoke during a ceremony honoring Mossad employees for their unique contributions and exceptional work for Israel’s security.
(Read more at jpost.com)
Four years later: Huge new Jerusalem neighborhood on the table for approval
Today (Wednesday), the Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee is scheduled to convene to decide on one of the largest and most strategic new neighborhoods ever to be built in the Holy City.
The plans to build up Atarot, in north-northwestern Jerusalem, call for no fewer than 9,000 housing units for over 30,000 residents – though it is likely to reach 50,000. By way of comparison, Har Homa in southern Jerusalem initially began with only 2,500 housing units. Har Homa’s approval by the Netanyahu government in 1997 was seen as a controversial but brave move to secure “the southern gateway to Jerusalem” (in Netanyahu’s words); the neighborhood now has a total of 25,000 residents.
Along those lines, Atarot can be called “the northern gateway to Jerusalem,” and the need to secure it as such is equally acute. Just this past week, a security incident occurred there, involving the wounding of an Arab infiltrator. But of course, this is merely the shadow of an inkling of the threat posed by the tens of thousands of Arabs living in areas surrounding Atarot.
(Read more at israelnationalnews.com)
Former Israeli PM’s phone hacked by Iranian group – report
A group of pro-Iranian hackers managed to gain remote access to former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s personal cellular device, the group claimed on Wednesday.
In a statement, the Handala group, whose name is borrowed from a symbol of Palestinian rejectionism of Israel’s existence, said they managed to “easily” hack into Bennett’s iPhone 13 device.
The digital infiltration was dubbed “Operation Octopus,” apparently in reference to Bennett’s past references to Iran as the “head of the octopus” of the anti-Israel coalition in the Middle East.
“You once prided yourself on being a leading light of cybersecurity, and displayed your expertise to the world,” Handala said in its statement, seemingly referencing the former premier’s Bennett’s previous career as a cybersecurity company executive.
“And even so, how ironic that your iPhone 13 fell so easily into the hands of Handala,” the group added.
“Despite all of your pride and boasting, your digital fortress is nothing more than a paper wall waiting to be broken.”
(Read more at worldisraelnews.com)
Israel blocks Canadian MPs due to terror-linked funding
Israel refused entry on Tuesday to a Canadian delegation, including six members of parliament, attempting to cross into Judea and Samaria via the Allenby Bridge because the group’s trip is sponsored by The Canadian Muslim Vote, a non-profit registered in Canada that allegedly has ties to an Israeli-designated terrorist entity. The lawmakers had planned to meet with civil society groups, Palestinian refugees, and displaced persons, as well as representatives of the Canadian government and the Palestinian Authority.
The six parliamentarians in the delegation include Liberal MPs Fares Al-Soud, Iqra Khalid, Aslam Rana, Gurbux Saini, and Sameer Zuberi, alongside NDP MP Jenny Kwan. Prior to the trip, Kwan told CBC News she suspected the group might face entry refusal given the deterioration in relations between Ottawa and Jerusalem over the past two years.
(Read more at israelhayom.com)
