IDF says it targeted terror cell in West Bank drone strike; Palestinians: Four killed (2024)

French President Emmanuel Macron has warned Israel against allowing the conflict with Hezbollah on the northern border to escalate into a full-blown war. The French president spoke Tuesday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to an official statement issued by office.

The statement added that the two leaders also discussed the situation in Gaza, efforts to reach a deal for the release of the hostages and Iran's progress toward a nuclear capability.

Meanwhile, U.S. officials confirmed that Amos Hochstein, the Biden administration's de facto point person on the Israel-Hezbollah tensions, will meet with French officials in Paris on Wednesday to discuss U.S. efforts to de-escalate tensions on the Lebanon border.

For the third time in as many days, an Israeli military drone has launched an attack on terrorists near Tul Karm in the West Bank, according to a statement issued on Tuesday night. According to the IDF, the attack on Tuesday targeted a terror cell that was planting incendiary devices near the Nur Shams refugee camp.

At least four people were killed in the strike, the Palestinian health ministry said.

The FBI and police in Cincinnati are investigating the damaging of nearly 180 gravestones at two Jewish cemeteries.
The tombstones, some dating back to the late 1800s, likely were knocked over between June 25 and Monday, according to the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati.

The damage was found in two Jewish sections of the Covedale Cemetery complex on Monday. Some of the tombstones cracked in half, the organization said. Most were pushed face-down.

"Our hearts go out to the families affected by this senseless vandalism. The Jewish community in Cincinnati is resilient, and we are committed to repairing the damage and restoring the sanctity of these sacred spaces," the federation said in a statement.

It asked anyone with information to come forward and help with the investigation. The vandalism comes amid a surge in antisemitism in the U.S. and abroad

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and the state prosecutor's office are examining whether statements made by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir during the war constitute incitement against the residents of Gaza. State Prosecutor Amit Eisman is leaning towards recommending opening an investigation against Ben-Gvir and other senior officials for incitement, but the decision has not yet been finalized.

Among Ben-Gvir's statements that are being examined are his remarks on transferring Gazans from the Strip. "We must promote the solution of encouraged immigration of Gaza's residents," said the minister, "encouraged immigration allows us to return the southern border residents to their homes and the [Jewish settlers] of Gush Katif [Gaza]."

Israeli security sources said that approximately 50 masked settlers are throwing stones towards vehicles of Palestinians, and a gas station at the West Bank Ali Junction. According to the sources, three Palestinians were lightly wounded.

Two hundred and sixty-eight days into Israel's war with Hamas, thousands of Israelis queued at the entrance Tel Aviv's Menora Mivtachim Arena on Monday night, waiting to enter an event called "It's Time: The Great Peace Conference." The rally was organized by a confederation of some 50 organizations and individuals from Israel's left and pro-peace camp, with a message that revolved around the arena's LED screens: "It's time to reach a deal. To stop the war. To make peace."

The attendees represented a mixture of organizations, from Peace Now and Breaking the Silence to the anti-judicial overhaul protest groups. Some wore shirts reading "Bring them home now," a call for a deal to return the hostages to Israel; others depicted watermelons, a stand-in for the Palestinian flag, which Israel's police largely prohibit waving. A group of high schoolers in hijabs toted iced coffees, and a man in red and yellow Buddhist monk robes climbed over the barriers into the orchestra section to greet friends.

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IDF Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi said during a visit at the Logistics Center near Rafah that the battle in the city is "an effort to destroy Hamas' infrastructure and underground infrastructure, and it takes time. That's why it is a long battle."

According to Halevi, the army killed over 900 Hamas members, including commanders - at least one battalion commander and several company commanders - during the combat in Rafah.

He added that "when we move to the next stage, we will adapt to it, with new methods and strategies, and employ logistical support that will be suited for that stage. All these ultimately depend on us being determined, patient, and exhausting the other side."