Oren Levi

Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday in Jerusalem © Bundesrepublik Deutschland

A new United Nations report has laid bare the scale of the economic devastation unfolding in the Palestinian territories after two years of war in Gaza and unprecedented restrictions across the West Bank. 

Speaking at the Globes Israel Business Conference, Nadav Hanin, Vice President of Commercial and Industry Affairs at El Al, said the Israeli aviation sector is “slowly returning to normal” after months of severe disruption linked to the ongoing regional crisis.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and senior officials from the Finance Ministry are set to brief Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday on the proposed 2026 state budget and a series of structural reforms, the minister’s office announced.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made an unannounced visit to the buffer zone along the Syrian border, his office said on Wednesday. 

After a sharp contraction earlier this year, Israel’s economy roared back to life in the third quarter of 2025, posting an impressive 12.4% annualized growth, according to preliminary data released by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).

In a strongly worded message, Dr. Rafiq Halabi, a prominent Druze leader from Israel, is calling on New York voters to oppose the candidacy of Zohran Mamdani, whom he describes as a dangerous threat to the Jewish people and the State of Israel.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Monday that only countries “impartial” toward Israel should be allowed to contribute troops to a proposed international force for post-war Gaza—effectively ruling out Turkey.

American Airlines announced Monday that it will resume direct flights to Israel in March 2026, nearly two and a half years after suspending its New York (JFK) to Tel Aviv route following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack that sparked a prolonged conflict in Gaza.

An Egyptian convoy of vehicles and heavy construction machinery entered the Gaza Strip overnight from Saturday to Sunday to assist in the search for the bodies of Israeli hostages killed by Hamas, according to The Times of Israel.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has come under fire for remarks made Thursday, stating that Israel should reject any normalization deal with Saudi Arabia if it is conditioned on the creation of a Palestinian state, according to a report by Haaretz.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Thursday, the Israeli government confirmed on Wednesday.