IDF says Gaza terrorists launched rockets at aid distribution site in Rafah

JERUSALEM POST STAFF

Palestinians gather to collect aid supplies after trucks loaded with aid entered from Israel through central Gaza, in Gaza City, July 22, 2025
(photo credit: REUTERS/Khamis Al-Rifi)

European Muslim Leaders Visit Israel to Promote Peace, Condemn Extremism Amid Rising Antisemitism

Ailin Vilches Arguello

Israeli President Isaac Herzog meets with Muslim leaders from across Europe during a visit to promote interfaith dialogue and regional peace. Photo: Screenshot

In a bid to foster interfaith dialogue, a delegation of Muslim leaders from across Europe met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem on Monday, kicking off a week-long visit amid growing concerns over rising antisemitism worldwide.

Organized by the European Leadership Network (ELNET), a nongovernmental, nonpartisan group founded in 2007 to strengthen Israel-EU relations, the visit brought together Muslim leaders from France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, and England to promote interfaith cooperation.

In a post on X, Herzog praised the initiative, saying he was “moved and inspired” by his meeting with the delegation.

“They stand bravely against extremism, and speak out for coexistence and partnership between faiths,” the Israeli leader wrote.

“Here in Israel we live together side by side, Muslim and Jew, together with people of all faiths — and I urged them to take back with them to their communities a message of hope and peace for the future of the region,” Herzog continued.

“Inshallah, we will all see better days, with our hostages back home, and the end of conflicts and suffering in our region,” he said.

The 15-member delegation of Muslim imams from across Europe arrives at a time of rising global antisemitism and anti-Jewish hate crimes — particularly in Europe — following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel.

“The war that broke out after Oct. 7 is not a war between Israel and Hamas or Israel and Hezbollah but a war between two worlds,” Imam Hassen Chalghoumi, chairman of the Conference of Imams of France, told Herzog during their meeting.

“You represent the world of humanity and democracy,” the Muslim leader said. “You represent the world of brotherhood, humanity, and liberty.”

Imam Chalghoumi noted that members of the delegation were fully aware of the risks they faced due to their visit.

Herzog praised the group for their “courageous” visit. “We are all the sons of Abraham,” he said, expressing hope that regional peace would soon be within reach.

“I believe that the historic progress in our region is the result of dialogue — between Muslims and Jews and between Jews and Muslims,” the Israeli leader said. “Against the extremist forces trying to stop this progress of living together, there are other forces that are growing stronger every day, advancing this vision.”

The delegation also emphasized their message of solidarity and love for the Jewish people, expressing hope for the safe return of the hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.

“We want to see all the hostages home, and also to stop the suffering of the residents of Gaza and live a good life together,” Herzog told them.

After meeting with the Israeli leader, the delegation visited the Knesset and toured Jerusalem’s Old City.

The group is also scheduled to meet with Muslim victims of the Hamas onslaught, visit the Syrian and Lebanese borders, and tour sites in southern Israel impacted by the Oct. 7 attacks.

In a post on X, Noor Dahri, one of the imams in the delegation, praised the visit, saying it was “a great pleasure” to meet the Israeli leader.

“It was a peace journey from European Muslim Imams to Israel,” the Muslim leader said. “We want peace between both nations and strongly condemn political Islam and Islamist groups like Hamas, Hezbollah and others.”

IAF strikes Houthi terror targets across Yemen

JNS Staff

Israeli Air Force fighter jets carry out a series of strikes on Houthi terrorist infrastructure in Yemen, July 7, 2025. Credit: IDF.

Israeli Air Force fighter jets carried out a series of strikes overnight Sunday on Houthi terrorist infrastructure in Yemen, targeting facilities in the ports of Al Hudaydah, Ras Isa and Salif, as well as the Ras Kanatib power plant.

The operation involved approximately 20 aircraft and the deployment of more than 50 munitions.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, the operation was a direct response to ongoing attacks launched by the Houthis against the Jewish state, including repeated UAV and missile assaults on civilian areas.

“These ports are used by the Houthi terrorist regime to transfer weapons from the Iranian regime, which are employed to carry out terrorist operations against the State of Israel and its allies,” the IDF said in a statement.

Israeli Air Force fighter jets carry out a series of strikes on Houthi terrorist infrastructure in Yemen, July 7, 2025. Credit: IDF.

The military described the strikes as part of a broader campaign to disrupt the Houthis’ ability to operate in the maritime domain. The Iranian-backed terror group has used Yemen’s coastline to threaten international shipping routes and launch attacks on vessels transiting the Red Sea.

Among the IDF targets was the Galaxy Leader, a commercial vessel seized by Houthi terrorists in November 2023. According to the IDF, the Houthis installed a radar system on the ship and have used it to track maritime traffic for potential attacks.

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“The same rule applies to Yemen as to Tehran,” said Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz. “As part of Operation ‘Black Flag,’ the IDF has launched a powerful strike against terrorist targets belonging to the Houthi regime.

“As I have warned,” he continued, “anyone who tries to harm Israel will be harmed, and anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have that hand cut off. The Houthis will continue to pay a heavy price for their actions.”

During the operation, sirens sounded across several areas in Israel following the launch of two missiles from Yemen. The IDF said interception attempts were made, though the outcome remains under review.

Overnight Saturday, the IDF intercepted another ballistic missile launched by Houthi terrorists in Yemen. The attack triggered sirens across Judea and the Dead Sea region. There were no reports of injuries or damage.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee highlighted the persistent threat posed by Houthi missile attacks on Israel, suggesting that the American planes that bombed Iranian nuclear sites last month could be used against Tehran’s terror proxy.

“We thought we were done with missiles coming to Israel, but the Houthis just launched one over us. … Fortunately, Israel’s incredible interception system means we go to the shelter and wait until the all clear. Maybe those B2 bombers need to visit Yemen!” he wrote.

The Houthis have launched dozens of ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones toward Israel in support of Hamas, following the Palestinian terror group’s massacre on Oct. 7, 2023.

Between November 2023 and January 2025, the Houthis also launched missile and drone attacks on over 100 merchant ships in the Red Sea, resulting in the sinking of multiple vessels and the deaths of four sailors, according to the Associated Press.

Jerusalem has conducted multiple rounds of strikes against the Houthis, including a recent operation called “Golden Jewel” targeting the airport in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.

Israel to Issue 54,000 Call-Up Notices to Ultra-Orthodox Students

Reuters and Algemeiner Staff

Haredi Jewish men look at the scene of an explosion at a bus stop in Jerusalem, Israel, on Nov. 23, 2022. Photo: Reuters/Ammar Awad

Israel’s military said it would issue 54,000 call-up notices to ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary students following a Supreme Court ruling mandating their conscription and amid growing pressure from reservists stretched by extended deployments.

The Supreme Court ruling last year overturned a decades-old exemption for ultra-Orthodox students, a policy established when the community comprised a far smaller segment of the population than the 13 percent it represents today.

Military service is compulsory for most Israeli Jews from the age of 18, lasting 24-32 months, with additional reserve duty in subsequent years. Members of Israel’s 21 percent Arab population are mostly exempt, though some do serve.

A statement by the military spokesperson confirmed the orders on Sunday just as local media reported legislative efforts by two ultra-Orthodox parties in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition to craft a compromise.

The exemption issue has grown more contentious as Israel’s armed forces in recent years have faced strains from simultaneous engagements with Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthis in Yemen, and Iran.

Ultra-Orthodox leaders in Netanyahu’s brittle coalition have voiced concerns that integrating seminary students into military units alongside secular Israelis, including women, could jeopardize their religious identity.

The military statement promised to ensure conditions that respect the ultra-Orthodox way of life and to develop additional programs to support their integration into the military. It said the notices would go out this month.