Podcast Episode Details

Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2025-10-27 at 18:07

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HEADLINES
Netanyahu defense threat to withdraw over hearings
UK to supply 20 Typhoons to Turkey
Hamas remains exchange drives Gaza ceasefire talks

The time is now 2:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

This is your 2:00 PM update. In Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s defense team has warned they may withdraw from representing the prime minister if the court does not reduce the weekly pace of hearings. Court officials have set four hearings per week, with Netanyahu expected to testify in three of them, a schedule the defense argues is incompatible with their ability to provide effective representation amid ongoing security challenges for the country. The dispute centers on balancing the demands of a long running trial with the exigencies of wartime leadership, and it is not yet clear how the court will adjust the schedule.

In regional security developments, Turkey and Britain announced a deal for Britain to supply 20 Eurofighter Typhoon jets to Turkey, a major element in Ankara’s plan to modernize its air power. The United Kingdom’s government described the agreement as a milestone, with first deliveries expected in 2030. Turkish defense officials indicated that Turkey intends to purchase a total of 44 Typhoon jets, with 20 from Britain and additional aircraft from regional partners. The moves come as Turkey seeks to bolster its military capabilities in a complex security environment that includes tense relations with Israel over the Gaza conflict and long-standing regional rivalries.

Back in Israel, political life continues to grapple with security pressures. Former prime minister Naftali Bennett criticized the Education Ministry as part of a broader critique of educational gaps, while rival parties debate the balance between national service and political rights. In the Knesset, opposition leader Yair Lapid said his bloc would seek to revoke the voting rights of ultra-Orthodox Israelis who do not enlist, a proposal that has drawn sharp criticism from other lawmakers. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said his faction would press for a law imposing severe penalties on those who do not serve, raising questions about the trajectory of coalition policy on national service. The debate sits alongside a broader conversation about integrating yeshiva students into the army while preserving space for religious study, with a legislative process aimed at reforming conscription moving ahead in some form.

On the Gaza front, efforts to manage hostages and remains continue to frame conversations about any future ceasefire stage. Families of missing Israeli hostages pressed for a pause in the next phase of any Gaza ceasefire plan until Hamas returns the bodies of captives killed or held, noting that 13 remain unaccounted for out of the 48 initially listed. Egyptian rescuers have joined search efforts as the fight over the fate of the missing intensifies. Reports circulating late today suggested that Hamas could be prepared to return the body of another hostage by tonight, though other sources described ongoing logistical and diplomatic complexity around such a handover. The Red Cross has been involved in discussions about access and timing as negotiators weigh the next steps.

In Washington, US officials reiterated that certain Israeli actions in Gaza are viewed as self-defense within the framework of the ongoing ceasefire agreement and stressed that such actions are not seen as violations of the ceasefire. The discussions also touch on the broader questions of how to handle hostage recovery, international mediation roles, and the future structure of any enforcement or stabilization mechanisms in Gaza. Meanwhile, the US continues to monitor and respond to Palestinian Authority policies, including debates over funding practices and how such decisions influence perceptions of accountability and a pote

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Published on 1 week ago