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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2025-12-31 at 14:06
HEADLINES
Israel blocks 37 Gaza aid groups
Lapid challenges billion-shekel Haredi transfer
Save a Child’s Heart aids Somaliland kids
The time is now 9:01 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
This is your 9:00 a.m. update on the Middle East and related international developments.
Humanitarian and medical ties between Israel and Somaliland continue to illustrate a long-standing pattern of humanitarian collaboration that predates any formal recognition. The Israeli NGO Save a Child’s Heart has for more than two decades provided pediatric cardiac care, coordinating patient referrals to Wolfson Medical Center in Holon for life-saving surgeries. This program has become a concordant strand of cooperation that underscores how humanitarian needs cross political and diplomatic boundaries even as broader political questions about recognition and policy remain unsettled.
Turning to travel and tourism, preliminary data for 2025 show a rebound in visitors, totaling about 1.3 million. The United States remained the largest source market with around 400,000 travelers, followed by France with roughly 159,000 and the United Kingdom with about 95,000. The rebound signals a return to pre-pandemic mobility patterns in many sectors, even as security considerations and regional tensions continue to shape visitor experiences and sector planning.
On the defense budget, the Defense Ministry’s director general has urged caution in fiscal policy, arguing that Israel’s defense establishment faced underfunding when the Treasury moved back toward the pre-October 7 budget posture. The concern is that a rapid reversion to prior spending levels could strain defense industries and long-term readiness, contributing to debt in sectors tied to security and procurement.
In Australia, New Year’s Eve events in Sydney carried a dual theme: celebration and solemn remembrance. Fireworks lit the harbor as crowds gathered under heightened security in the wake of a deadly antisemitic attack on Bondi Beach weeks earlier. Police and security forces were deployed in force, and the city offered a minute of silence to honor the victims, underscoring how antisemitic violence abroad resonates within Jewish communities and governments worldwide.
Domestically, the government in Israel is preparing a response to a High Court petition challenging a transfer of about 1 billion shekels to Haredi institutions. The petition, filed by opposition leader Yair Lapid and other lawmakers, questions the legality and scope of budget allocations approved by the Knesset Finance Committee, highlighting ongoing tensions over fiscal policy and social funding priorities in a period of national security concerns.
There were reflections on the ongoing debate over trust and accountability in public institutions in other locales as well. In the United Kingdom, West Midlands Police formally apologized for asserting that Birmingham Jewish representatives had supported a ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv. Investigations into the accuracy of the intelligence cited in the report have been underway, illustrating how misstatements can escalate into reputational and communal tensions.
Rumors and verified reports alike continued to unfold around protests in Iran. While rumors circulated about a protester killed in the southern city of Fasa, authorities and independent observers have emphasized that the situation remains fluid and contested. In a separate note, Iranian protests have continued to populate the public square, with a visible role for social media and international commentary. In a related development, the Mossad this week indicated online support for Iranian demonstrators, signaling a rare public acknowledgement of cross-border interest in domestic Iranian events.
On the international stage, New Year’s coverage across the Pacific and beyond
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