Yair Lapid News

Final election results in Israel have confirmed a clear victory for former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which should herald a triumphant comeback for the veteran politician at the head of a solidly right-wing alliance.

hostage release deal outlined by US President Joe Biden.

Israel and Hamas that would potentially free dozens of women and children held hostage in Gaza in exchange for a five-day pause in fighting. “We have not reached a deal yet, but we continue to work hard to get to a deal," the White House National Security Council spokesperson said.

Netanyahu Sunday retracted and apologized for a post on platform X (formerly known as Twitter), in which he took a jab at his intelligence chiefs saying they never warned him that Hamas was planning its wide-scale attack on October 7, 2023, reported Reuters. "At no time and no stage was a warning given to Prime Minister Netanyahu regarding war intentions of Hamas. On the contrary, all security officials, including the head of army intelligence and the head of the Shin Bet, estimated that Hamas was deterred and interested in an arrangement," Netanyahu had said in his post on X, (around 2300 GMT on Saturday).

Benjamin Netanyahu announced Wednesday an «emergency government» with an opposition party leader, Benny Gantz, for the duration of the war with Gaza militants. «Following a meeting… held today, the two agreed on establishing an emergency government and war cabinet,» said a joint statement by the premier and Gantz, a former defence minister and army chief. The three-member «war cabinet» would include Netanyahu, Gantz and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. Gadi Eisenkot, also a former army chief from Gantz's party, and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer will serve as observers, according to the statement. Opposition leader Yair Lapid has not joined his former ally Gantz, but the statement said a seat would be «reserved» for him in the war cabinet. Netanyahu's extreme-right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish allies would remain in government. The premier has agreed to freeze the hardline government's divisive judicial overhaul, which had triggered mass street protests — the biggest in the country's history. «During the war, no bills or government-sponsored motions that are unrelated to the war would be advanced,» the statement said. Gantz last served in a Netanyahu administration in 2020-2021 under a rotation agreement that was meant to see him take the helm for the second half of the government's tenure, but early elections had been called before he was to become prime minister.

unity government to deal with the complex situation after the unprecedented attack by Hamas militants that has left at least 300 Israelis dead. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz spoke on Saturday and discussed the possibility of joining Netanyahu's government because of the emergency created by Saturday's infiltration and rocket attacks from Gaza, Ha'aretz newspaper reported. The two opposition leaders expressed their willingness, but Lapid demanded far-right leaders and ministers, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, be removed.

release from the hospital, where he had undergone the implantation of a pacemaker, adding yet another dramatic twist to the ongoing events. While Netanyahu's supporters celebrated their triumph and pledged to proceed with further reforms, thousands of protesters took to the streets in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv to express their opposition.  Moreover, opponents of the law stated their intentions to challenge it in the Supreme Court, signaling a continued struggle over the proposed changes in the country's justice system.  “It’s a sad day," Associated Press quoted Opposition leader Yair Lapid as saying after the vote.

Germany's chancellor Olaf Scholz slammed Mahmoud Abbas after the Palestinian president accused Israel of committing “50 Holocausts”.

Israel unleashed a wave of airstrikes in Gaza on Friday, killing at least 10 people, including a senior militant, and wounding dozens, according to Palestinian officials. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologised for Moscow's controversial remarks about the Holocaust, according to a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's office.

Israel blasted the Russian foreign minister on Monday over his "unforgivable" comments about Nazism, Hitler and the war in Ukraine.