Israel’s Netanyahu survives attempt by opposition parties to dissolve parliament

TEL AVIV, Israel — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government survived an attempt by opposition parties to dissolve parliament early Thursday, as tensions spiked over Iran’s nuclear program.

The bill was voted down 61 to 53 after hours of negotiation during which Netanyahu persuaded some ultra-Orthodox allies to stick with him despite their anger over attempts to draft religious men into the military, ending a long-time exemption. Details of the compromise weren’t immediately made available.

In a separate development, the U.S. ordered some staff to depart its embassy in Baghdad and authorized families of military service members to leave the region after Iran threatened to strike American bases if it’s attacked. CBS reported that U.S. officials have been told that Israel is fully ready to launch an operation into Iran.

The two religious parties, United Torah Judaism and Shas, who together hold 18 seats in parliament, are crucial to the survival of Netanyahu’s ruling coalition. While Shas backed the government in the vote, several UTJ members voted against Netanyahu.

If they leave the government, it will still have a majority. A new bill to dissolve parliament can’t be introduced in the next six months, according to the legislative procedures, with a few exceptions.

GHF: Hamas kills 8 aid workers

Eight Palestinian aid workers were killed and several injured when a bus they were traveling in was attacked by Hamas terrorists in central Gaza, a foundation backed by the U.S. and Israel said Thursday.

The vehicle was en route to an aid-distribution center west of the city of Khan Younis when it came under fire at 10 p.m. local time, according to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. It expressed concern that Hamas had taken some of the more than two dozen passengers hostage.

“We condemn this heinous and deliberate attack in the strongest possible terms,” the foundation said in a statement. “For days, Hamas has openly threatened our team, our aid workers, and the civilians who receive aid from us.”

GHF’s interim executive director, John Acree, said the group will continue food deliveries despite the attack.

The GHF, a Switzerland-based nonprofit, began operating in Gaza in late May following a 13-week-long Israeli blockade of the territory. It has been dispensing aid from centers in central and southern Gaza that have been inundated with people.

The Israeli military on Thursday released what it said were seized Hamas documents showing it takes aid.

One document, showing minutes from a meeting last year, included an item saying the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing, had previously taken 25 percent of the aid but had agreed to settle for 7 percent, with 4 percent going to the Hamas-run government and 4 percent to the political movement. It did not specify the source or quantity of the aid.

The documents also detailed Hamas’ efforts to keep traders from hoarding goods and charging inflated prices for them. One of them appeared to acknowledge that some such traders had links to Hamas.

Egypt blocked activists planning to take part in a march to Gaza, halting their attempt to reach the border and challenge Israel’s blockade on humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory before it could begin.

Egyptian authorities and activists both said Thursday that people planning to march across the Sinai Peninsula were deported.

The war began when Hamas-led terrorists attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostage.

On Wednesday, Israel said forces recovered the remains of two additional hostages held in Gaza.

Hamas terrorists are still holding 53 captives, less than half of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

Israel’s offensive has killed more than 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry, whose count does not distinguish between civilians or combatants.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces conducted an operation in southern Syria to detain several members of Hamas, the military said Thursday.

Syria TV, a local station, reported that a force of about 100 Israeli troops stormed the southern Syrian village of Beit Jin near the border with Lebanon and called the names of several people through loud speakers who were detained.

The Israeli military said that the detained people were Hamas terrorists who were planning attacks against Israel, and that they were taken to Israel for questioning, adding that its forces also found weapons in the area.

U.N. to vote on resolution

The U.N. General Assembly is expected to vote Thursday on a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages held by Hamas, and the opening of all Israeli border crossings for deliveries of food and other aid.

Israel opposes the resolution. In a letter to U.N. members sent before the vote, Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon said it makes a “false comparison” between Israeli victims and Hamas terrorists. The Israeli mission said he will tell the council that the resolution rewards Hamas and “is not a peace proposal — it is surrender.”

The Palestinian Authority is heading into a U.N. conference next week hoping to revive a long-defunct peace process.

Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa told journalists in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Thursday that next week’s gathering of diplomats and world leaders in New York provides the perfect place to revive peace efforts.

“We hope that this will be a new beginning for relaunching a serious, time-based, just peace track,” he said.

The conference, set to begin on Tuesday, is aimed at renewing support for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians. While any declaration would be largely symbolic, Mustafa said a large show of international support would underscore the authority’s relevance.

Milei receives Genesis prize

President Javier Milei of Argentina received the $1 million Genesis prize in Jerusalem on Thursday in recognition of his support for Israel as it faces a mounting international isolation over the war in Gaza.

Speaking in Spanish at the ceremony Thursday, Milei said: “In this difficult moment, I accompany you with a fraternal hug and a sincere ‘Am Yisrael Chai’,” using the Hebrew phrase for “the people of Israel live.” The crowd applauded and rose in a standing ovation.

A statement from the Genesis Prize said Milei will donate the award to launch an initiative aimed at improving diplomatic relations between Israel and Latin American countries and fighting antisemitism in the region.

It said the goal is to replicate the Abraham accords — a U.S.-brokered set of agreements aimed at winning broader recognition of Israel in the Arab world — with Latin American states.

Milei also has pledged to move Argentina’s embassy to Jerusalem, joining a handful of countries, including the U.S., to recognize the contested city as Israel’s capital.

Past laureates of the award include New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, actor Michael Douglas, billionaire Robert Kraft, entertainer Barbra Streisand and filmmaker Steven Spielberg.