Channel 14 News Israel

Category: Israel

  • Binyamin Town Legalized After 30 Years, Set to Expand

    Binyamin Town Legalized After 30 Years, Set to Expand

    A major push to expand the Israeli community in Judea and Samaria was unveiled today on Channel 14: Following a December 2025 political-security cabinet decision, Israel completed dramatic steps today to legalize and expand towns in Judea and Samaria, ending a years-long process.

    Judea and Samaria | Photo: Haim Goldberg, Flash 90

    At the center of the moves, authorities declared 285 acres of new state land for the expansion of Karmei Oz (Givat Harel) in the Binyamin Regional Council. The move will enable a dramatic expansion of the Israeli community, with the first master plan for over 600 housing units already underway.

    Alongside this, the Interior Ministry granted official community status to Karmei Oz and to the town of Sahlav in Samaria, thereby formally recognizing them as legal communities. These symbols join 37 community designations granted recently—39 total in about half a year. In Sahlav, which was declared a new community by the political-security cabinet in December 2025, a new city is planned on approximately 4,500 dunams. The move was completed after staff work by the Civil Administration and the Defense Ministry, and after Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth signed off on the communities’ jurisdictional boundaries.

    Judea and Samaria, Archive | Photo: Samaria Regional Council

    Finance Minister and Defense Minister Bezalel Smotrich praised the move: “Karmei Oz stood heroically for about 30 years waiting for the moment when the government of Israel would advance its legalization. Thank God we are privileged to complete the work. Facing the Eisenkot-Lieberman-Golan government that is planning to uproot communities and establish a ‘Palestinian’ state—we are declaring, planting and building throughout our land.” Binyamin Regional Council head and Yesha Council chairman Israel Gantz added that declaring the state lands at Givat Harel and completing the town’s legalization does historic justice to the heroic residents: “This is a clear and sharp message to our enemies: We will continue to hold onto this land, continue to develop and build it, and continue to establish thriving communities on it.”

  • Nine Towns Near Tel Aviv Approved for Gun Permits

    Nine Towns Near Tel Aviv Approved for Gun Permits

    Nine communities in the Sdot Dan Regional Council have been recognized as “eligible communities” for firearms after National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir approved the decision. Among the approved communities: Kfar Chabad, Tzafriya, Mishmar HaShiva, Zeitan, Nir Tzvi, Hemed, Yagel, Ahiezer, and Ganot. The decision came after staff work and professional review by the Israel Police and the Firearms Licensing and Supervision Division. Residents of the communities will be able to apply for a personal firearms license, subject to meeting the criteria and conditions set by law.

    According to data released, in 2021, only six communities were recognized as eligible for firearms. In 2019, 2020, and 2022, no communities were approved. In 2023, 23 communities were recognized; in 2024, 21 were recognized, and in 2025, 80 communities were recognized. Since the start of 2026, 126 communities have already been recognized. It was also reported that since the reform was expanded, more than 280,000 citizens have received personal firearms licenses, and more than 200 communities have been recognized as eligible for firearms.

    Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said: “We are continuing the gun revolution and expanding it to more and more communities across the country. Residents of Kfar Chabad, Tzafriya, Mishmar HaShiva, and the other Sdot Dan communities are entitled to the ability to defend themselves and their families. We will continue to add communities to eligibility and allow as many citizens who meet the criteria as possible to defend themselves. My policy is clear: guns in the right hands save lives.”

  • Three Injured in Terror Attack at Ranch in Samaria

    Three Injured in Terror Attack at Ranch in Samaria

    Three people were slightly injured today (Wednesday) at the Ram Ranch near Ma’ale Lavona, after a terrorist entered the farm area armed with a bat and pepper spray.

    The terrorist got out of a vehicle in the quarry area below the farm, climbed up on foot, and entered its territory. The IDF soldier and boys from the farm who approached him were attacked with pepper spray, and three of them were slightly injured.

    The injured did not require evacuation to the hospital. The terrorist was apprehended at the scene and handcuffed, and the police are investigating the circumstances of the incident and the background to the intrusion.

  • Israel Struck Syrian Base to Block Turkey’s Expansion Plans

    Israel Struck Syrian Base to Block Turkey’s Expansion Plans

    Yesterday’s predawn strike on a Syrian airfield wasn’t unusual in scale, but it carried a pointed message to Turkey: Israel won’t let Ankara expand its military footprint or move closer to the Golan Heights border.

    Turkish soldiers, archive | Photo: Reuters

    Turkey already controls roughly 5% of Syrian territory. The Turkish military is positioned in the country’s north, but Israel won’t tolerate a creeping Turkish takeover inside Syria—a slow deepening of Ankara’s grip that could eventually push toward the Golan Heights. Israel received solid intelligence that Turkey was planning to seize control of—or at least establish a significant military presence at—an airfield near the city of Idlib in northern Syria. Behind the scenes, efforts were made through American mediation with both Syria and Turkey to shut down the situation before Israel moved to serious military action.

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu | Photo: Haim Goldberg, Flash 90

    Message after message was sent from Jerusalem to Ankara through Washington, and from Jerusalem to Damascus through American intermediaries, but those messages went unanswered. So Israel decided to launch the strike—what you might call a Turkish ‘Deir Ezzor’ moment. The Turks are responding with words for now, not military action. Turkey is accusing Israel of stoking war in the region and endangering regional stability, and declaring that it will continue cooperating with Syria.

    Syrian ruler Abu Muhammad al-Julani | Photo: Reuters

    But what’s hiding behind those words and promises is President Erdoğan’s vision to revive the Ottoman Empire—in part by taking over Syria. For Israel, Turkish military expansion inside Syria is a scenario it can’t accept. It might start with slow, creeping advances, but if you don’t stop it while the presence is still small and distant, we could wake up one day to find Turkish soldiers on the Golan Heights border.

  • IDF Kills 4 Hamas Terrorists Involved in October 7 Massacre

    IDF Kills 4 Hamas Terrorists Involved in October 7 Massacre

    Military and Security correspondent Hillel Biton Rosen reported that IDF forces continue to operate in the Gaza Strip, and yesterday (Tuesday) they eliminated a terrorist commander and three terror squad commanders of the Hamas terrorist organization in the Beit Lahia area in the northern Gaza Strip.

    Photo: IDF Spokesperson

    The four terrorists who were eliminated were involved in the October 7 massacre. At the same time, our Air Force fighters attacked several additional commanders of the Hamas terrorist organization in the Shati area in the northern Gaza Strip, who were planning to carry out terrorist plots against our forces operating in the Gaza Strip.

    The terrorists were attacked in order to remove the threat to the forces, while our fighters in the Southern Command remain deployed in the area in accordance with the agreement and will continue to act with determination to eliminate any immediate threat.

  • Left’s ‘Zionist Government’ Pledge Exposed as Campaign Ploy

    Left’s ‘Zionist Government’ Pledge Exposed as Campaign Ploy

    Military analyst Noam Amir addressed politicians’ declarations about forming a “Zionist government,” calling it a manipulative campaign by the left designed to legitimize sitting with Mansour Abbas. “It’s a bluff and nonsense. They’ll claim the left-wing bloc is the Zionist one and has only four non-Zionist MKs—unlike the right-wing bloc that includes the ultra-Orthodox.”

    Terrorist in a suit, Mansour Abbas, archive | Photo: Flash 90

    Amir explained: “What are they really saying? In the end there will be two blocs. The right-wing bloc will include the ultra-Orthodox, and they don’t count the ultra-Orthodox parties as Zionist. On the other side is the left-wing bloc, which has only one anti-Zionist party. They’re talking about a Zionist majority.”

    “The left is using the term ‘Zionism’ and trivializing its value. All of this is designed for one thing only: to whitewash the connection with Mansour Abbas—from outside or inside the government. They’re putting the ultra-Orthodox parties opposite the Arab parties, and in the end they’ll say, ‘Look, we promised you a government with a Zionist majority,’” he concluded.

  • Netanyahu: Israel Struck Syria Over Turkey Troop Deployment

    Netanyahu: Israel Struck Syria Over Turkey Troop Deployment

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu officially confirmed Tuesday that Israel carried out an overnight strike on a military base in northwestern Syria, saying Damascus was preparing to violate the security status quo and threaten Israel’s security.

    The Prime Minister’s Office released a statement in English, taking responsibility for the strike and explaining that Syria had moved to allow Turkish troops to deploy at an air base near Aleppo—despite repeated Israeli warnings that such a deployment would constitute a threat.

    “Israel and Syria agreed to maintain the status quo on security matters, which Syria was about to violate by allowing Turkish forces to deploy at an air base near Aleppo,” the statement read. “Israel repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would constitute a threat to Israel’s security. Syria chose to ignore these warnings.” The statement concluded with an unequivocal message: “Israel will not tolerate threats to its security and would welcome a return to the status quo.”

  • Fallen IDF Soldier Yehuda Katz Finally Home After 44 Years

    Fallen IDF Soldier Yehuda Katz Finally Home After 44 Years

    After 44 years, the remains of Sgt. Maj. Yehuda Yekutiel Katz, an IDF armored corps soldier who fell during the Battle of Sultan Yacoub on June 11, 1982, during the First Lebanon War, have been returned to Israel and his family. In an operation led by IDF Intelligence and a joint effort with the Mossad, Katz’s remains were located and brought back to Israel. Following their return, an identification process was conducted at the Military Rabbinate’s identification center in cooperation with the IDF Medical Corps and Israel Police.

    Photo: IDF Spokesperson

    Katz’s family had been kept informed over the years about the continuing efforts to locate him and bring him home. With the mission now complete, his family was informed that their loved one had finally been returned. Tragically, Katz’s parents, Sarah and Yosef, did not live to receive the news.

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to his return: “For many years, I authorized numerous covert operations to locate those missing from Sultan Yacoub. I promised their families that we would never stop working to bring them home. Today, all of us—the entire people of Israel—embrace the Katz family. His beloved parents, Sarah and Yosef, of blessed memory, never stopped working to locate him and bring him home, and sadly, they have already passed away. We are returning dear Yehuda to you, his siblings Avi and Perachia—to you and to the soil of the Land of Israel that he loved so deeply.”

    Prime Minister Netanyahu | Photo: Chaim Goldberg, Flash90

    Katz was born in Ramat Gan to Yosef and Sarah Katz, Holocaust survivors. He studied at the Nehalim Yeshiva and later at the Kerem B’Yavneh Yeshiva under Rabbi Chaim Yaakov Goldvicht. From childhood, he demonstrated a particular talent for his studies, especially Jewish religious studies.

    Yehuda served as a soldier in the IDF Armored Corps. When the First Lebanon War broke out, he joined his comrades and fought in a tank alongside Lt. Zohar Lifshitz, the tank’s commander. On June 11, 1982, Katz and his comrades were sent into the Battle of Sultan Yacoub—just 10 days before he was scheduled to complete his military service.

    The late Yehuda Katz | Photo: None

    Lifshitz was killed in the battle, and his body was returned in a prisoner exchange with Syria on July 1, 1984. Katz, Zachary Baumel and Zvi Feldman remained classified as missing from the Battle of Sultan Yacoub for decades. Following Katz’s disappearance, the IDF and his family pursued numerous avenues in an effort to uncover information about his fate.

    According to IDF Intelligence, ‘Palestinian’ elements in Syria held the missing soldiers and information concerning their fate under the direction of the PLO and its then-leader Yasser Arafat. Arafat, together with his military deputy Abu Jihad, allegedly led an effort of concealment and deception intended to prevent Israel from discovering what had happened to Katz.

    Forty-four years after Yehuda Katz disappeared into the fog of battle, Israel has finally brought its soldier home.

  • Trump Hits Top ICC Judges With Sanctions Over Israel Probes

    Trump Hits Top ICC Judges With Sanctions Over Israel Probes

    The United States imposed sanctions Tuesday on Tomoko Akane, the Japanese judge serving as president of the International Criminal Court, and Judge Abdoulaye Seye, who led an investigation into activities in Judea and Samaria, according to the U.S. Treasury Department. The United States, which is not a member of the ICC, is continuing its campaign against the international court.

    The International Court of Justice in The Hague, archive | Photo: Reuters

    Last year, the United States imposed targeted sanctions on several senior ICC officials, including prosecutors and judges, citing the court’s arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as its previous investigation into American forces in Afghanistan.

    The sanctions freeze any U.S.-based assets held by the designated individuals and effectively cut them off from the American financial system, with which virtually all major international banks maintain extensive ties. The Treasury Department also issued a general license permitting the wind-down and termination of transactions involving Akane through September 17.

     US Secretary of State Marco Rubio | Photo: Shutterstock

    Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last month that the Trump administration would intensify efforts against the ICC, including through a diplomatic campaign aimed at persuading other countries to withdraw from the institution. Rubio argued that the court poses a threat to American personnel implementing Trump’s immigration policies or carrying out strikes against boats suspected of drug trafficking, as well as to other members of the U.S. military.

  • Poll: Netanyahu Dominates PM, Bennett-Lapid Party Crashes

    Poll: Netanyahu Dominates PM, Bennett-Lapid Party Crashes

    A new C14 poll released Tuesday evening paints a dramatically reshaped political landscape following the Likud primaries, with the right-wing bloc strengthening to a solid 63-seat majority. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud remains firmly in first place as Israel’s largest party with 32 seats, down one from the previous poll. Meanwhile, the left-wing bloc falls by two seats to 46, while the Arab parties receive a combined 11 seats.

    New 2026 Poll Results

    In the full breakdown, Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party comes in second with 24 seats, gaining one from last week. Shas follows with 10 seats, while the Democrats receive nine. Otzma Yehudit posts a significant gain, climbing two seats to eight. Yisrael Beytenu falls to seven seats, tying United Torah Judaism. The Religious Zionist Party remains steady at six seats, unchanged from last week.

    Naftali Bennett’s Beyachad party suffers a dramatic collapse, falling to just six seats and moving dangerously close to the electoral threshold. Among the Arab parties, Ra’am receives six seats, up one from last week, while Hadash-Ta’al receives five. Below the electoral threshold are Balad at 2.1%, Zionist Home Reservists at 1.2%, Zehut at 1.1%, Ofer Winter at 0.9%, Blue and White at 0.4%, and Gilad Erdan at 0.1%.

    New 2026 Poll Results

    When voters were asked who is best suited to serve as prime minister, Netanyahu scored a commanding victory with 55% support, leaving his nearest rival, Eisenkot, far behind at 35%. Bennett received just 6%, Avigdor Lieberman 3%, and Benny Gantz only 1%. In a direct head-to-head matchup between Netanyahu and Eisenkot, Netanyahu again leads, 55% to 45%.

    New 2026 Poll Results

    The poll was conducted via NEXT DATA with participation from 636 adults from the general population on August 18, 2026. Data analysis: Shlomo Filber.