Israel

United States President Donald Trump has issued a public endorsement of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, nine days before the country's parliamentary elections, praising him as a strong ally in the war against Iran and warning that only Netanyahu can prevent the United States from having to 'do this work ourselves.'

The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, has denounced the settler attack that left Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine beaten and requiring surgery as a 'despicable act of terror,' while Benjamin Netanyahu faces growing international condemnation and a domestic political challenge days before elections.

Prices of basic goods are climbing daily across Gaza as Israeli restrictions on commercial imports enter a fifth consecutive day, pushing families to stockpile what they can afford and leaving the poorest unable to buy even flour and eggs. The closure follows a dispute over fees involving Palestinian merchants and Hamas, which still holds some authority in the strip.

A series of attacks by Israeli settlers on European diplomats and an American journalist in the occupied West Bank has sparked condemnation from the European Union and raised concerns about the safety of foreign nationals and Palestinians in the territory. The incidents, which occurred during the olive harvest season, come weeks before Israel heads to the polls on October 27.

A senior Iranian security official has warned that Tehran has a new operational plan ready to respond to any renewed U.S. or Israeli attack, while separate incidents involving commercial vessels in waters around the Arabian Peninsula have raised concerns about maritime security. President Donald Trump said he does not intend to use nuclear weapons or deploy ground troops in Iran.

The European Union has condemned Israeli settler attacks on EU diplomats and Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, calling for accountability and an end to settlement expansion, as a surge in violence during the olive harvest season draws international concern. The condemnation follows weekend attacks in which masked Israeli settlers assaulted a French mayor and targeted diplomats from France, Belgium and Poland, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Israel to take stronger action after an American photojournalist was beaten.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced on October 8 that Colombia would move its embassy to Jerusalem, a move Saar described as a diplomatic victory and a signal of warming relations with Latin America. He added that Brazil might soon follow, making it the latest in a series of right-led governments realigning toward Israel.

Israeli drone attacks killed at least six Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Saturday, according to Palestinian medical and emergency workers, as deadly raids continue despite a ceasefire now a year old. The strikes hit northern, central and southern Gaza, including near the Jabalia refugee camp and in Rafah.

Prominent Israeli Rabbi Dov Lior has issued a Jewish religious ruling permitting settlers to steal olives from Palestinian orchards in the occupied West Bank, claiming Palestinian landowners have been sufficiently compensated for lost harvests and that the land rightfully belongs to the Jewish people. The ruling comes amid a wave of settler attacks on Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest season, with at least 19 people injured in 34 separate attacks on Friday alone.

Syrian civilians in southern Syria are living under constant fear of Israeli military raids, arrests and shelling, with released detainees describing torture and prolonged detention. Al Jazeera has confirmed at least 51 Syrians remain held in Israeli detention facilities, many transferred from the notorious Sde Teiman military prison. Daily artillery fire into fields has prevented farming and killed livestock, while UN peacekeepers appear unable to restrain Israeli activity.