Here are Thursday’s latest updates:
â– The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has announced the closure of its headquarters after 817 days of activity. The organization’s statement said that a dedicated team will continue to support the family of Ran Gvili, the last remaining deceased hostage in the Gaza Strip, until his body is returned.
â– In Australia, a Harbor Bridge fireworks display included a minute of silence for the victims of the Bondi Beach attack, projecting a menorah onto the Sydney landmark.
â– Defense Minister Israel Katz encouraged the IDF to examine the expansion of military operations across refugee camps in the West Bank, modelling Operation Iron Wall, which displaced tens of thousands of Palestinians and razed hundreds of buildings, according to UNRWA. Katz instructed commanders to “prepare to respond to a possible October 7 style attack on communities in Judea and Samaria.”
â– More than 700 university and college faculty members signed a petition calling for the dismissal of far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and his prosecution for incitement to violence following threats against Supreme Court President Isaac Amit to “run him over.”
â– The High Court of Justice issued an interim order on Wednesday suspending State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman’s investigation into the October 7 Hamas massacre, prohibiting him from summoning witnesses to provide testimony or documents. The order also stated that Englman cannot publish the reports or drafts he has compiled so far.
â– A group of anti-government protesters who gathered in front of a high school to protest the visit of Israel’s Education Minister on Wednesday were confronted by a group of the school’s students, who spat at the protesters and shouted “leftists to the ghetto.”