Israel Financial News

By Medha Singh

BRUSSELS—With a war raging nearby and the threat that a second Trump administration could pull the U.S. out of NATO, Europe has ratcheted up military spending. Arms manufacturers are working around-the clock, and new factories are going up to meet demand.

moon lander built by Houston-based aerospace company Intuitive Machines was launched from Florida early on Thursday on a mission to conduct the first U.S. lunar touchdown in more than a half-century and the first by a privately owned spacecraft. The company's Nova-C lander, dubbed Odysseus, lifted off shortly after 1 a.m. EST (0600 GMT) atop a Falcon 9 rocket flown by Elon Musk' SpaceX from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral.

Canada, Australia and New Zealand on Thursday called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, according to a joint statement released in response to reports about Israel's planned military operation in Rafah. «We are gravely concerned by indications that Israel is planning a ground offensive into Rafah. A military operation into Rafah would be catastrophic,» the statement by the Prime Ministers of the three countries said.

Retired U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter pilot Lt. Col. Darin Gaub says the only hope to mitigate conflict in the Middle East is for Israel to uphold its defense.

Explosions have struck a natural gas pipeline in Iran

Hamas. PM Modi met with UAE leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, where the war and conflict in the Red Sea featured heavily in discussions, according to India’s Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra. Both leaders agreed, though, to take the first step to operationalize part of the ambitious India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, or IMEC, he said.

World Health Organization on Wednesday warned that an Israeli military offensive against Rafah in southern Gaza would cause an «unfathomable catastrophe» and push the enclave's health system closer to the brink of collapse. «Military activities in this area, this densely populated area, would be, of course, an unfathomable catastrophe… and would even further expand the humanitarian disaster beyond imagination,» said Richard Peeperkorn, WHO representative for Gaza and the West Bank.

Bloomberg has reported. His comments came in a forum which was held on X Spaces. In the forum, the discussions included opponents of a Senate bill that would provide further assistance for Ukraine to continue battling the full-scale Russian invasion that began two years ago.

Investing.com-- Oil prices fell in Asian trade on Wednesday after industry data pointed to an outsized build in U.S. crude inventories, while markets were also reeling from a hot inflation reading that further dented bets on early rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. 

Israeli ground invasion of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, saying an offensive could «lead to a slaughter» in the southern region of the Palestinian enclave where more than 1 million people are sheltering. Israel says it wants to flush out Hamas militants from hideouts in Rafah and free Israeli hostages being held there, and is making plans to evacuate trapped Palestinian civilians. «Military operations in Rafah could lead to a slaughter in Gaza. They could also leave an already fragile humanitarian operation at death's door,» said U.N. aid chief Martin Griffiths. «We lack the safety guarantees, the aid supplies and the staff capacity to keep this operation afloat.

Donald Trump's imploring Republicans to pass fresh aid for Ukraine. “For God sake, it’s dumb, it’s shameful, it’s dangerous, it’s un-American," Joe Biden said on Tuesday at the White House, referring to the former president’s comments. Donald Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential frontrunner, said that he would not want the US to come to the defense of NATO allies who did not meet the alliance’s targets for defense spending if Moscow attacked them.

Quiver Quantitative — The Democratic-controlled Senate's recent passage of a $95.3 billion aid package, heavily backed by President Biden, represents a significant moment in the United States' foreign policy landscape. This comprehensive package, earmarking substantial funds for key allies including Israel and Taiwan, showcases a concerted effort to assert a robust American presence on the global stage. However, as this legislative victory unfolds, it encounters a complex web of political challenges, particularly with the bill's forthcoming battle in the GOP-dominated House. Speaker Mike Johnson's call for modifications, potentially reviving border security debates, underscores the intricate balance between international support and domestic policy priorities.

By Makini Brice

Restaurant Brands International beat Wall Street estimates for quarterly results on Tuesday, lifted by signs of a turnaround at its Burger King business and robust demand at coffee chain Tim Hortons.

Joe Biden said he's pushing for a six-week pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas to allow for the release of hostages, saying that could lay the groundwork for broader peace. Such a pause «would bring an immediate and sustained period of calm into Gaza for at least six weeks, which we could then take the time to build something more enduring,» Biden said Monday following a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II at the White House.

By David Morgan

The Blockchain Association has sent a second letter to the House Financial Services Committee and Senate Banking Committee expressing concerns over a bill sponsored by Senator Elizabeth Warren.

Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza has also wreaked havoc on the Palestinian economy in the West Bank

Israel's finance minister has slammed a decision by the financial ratings agency Moody’s to downgrade Israel’s credit rating

Switzerland’s main Jewish organization has denounced an antisemitic sign put up at a local ski shop near Davos, barring Jews from renting equipment from the store