IDF reservist, son of Israeli envoy to US, seriously wounded in car-ramming terror attack

www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-909470

Neria Leiter underwent multi-hour brain surgery and remains in very serious condition, while his father, US Ambassador Yechiel Leiter, returned to Israel following the attack.

By MIRIAM SELA-EITAM SEPTEMBER 23, 2026 17:08 Updated: SEPTEMBER 24, 2026 19:09 

IDF reservist Neria Leiter, an American citizen and son of Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, was seriously wounded in a car-ramming terrorist attack at Bell checkpoint on Route 443 on Wednesday. 

In 2023, one of Leiter’s other sons, Maj. (res.) Moshe Yedidya, was killed in Gaza. He was a company commander in the 551st Brigade’s 697th Battalion.

Neria Leiter is currently in serious condition and is being treated at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem. In a Wednesday night statement, the hospital announced that Neria had undergone a multi-hour brain surgery, alongside other treatments, and that "his condition remains very serious, and his life is in danger."

“Neria continued to serve in the reserves after losing his older brother, Moshe Yedidya Leiter, of blessed memory. Since October 7, he has served hundreds of days in the reserves on multiple fronts.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Neria Leiter’s family at the hospital before leaving for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). At the same time, Yechiel Leiter is returning to Israel from the United States. He will not join Netanyahu at the UNGA on Thursday.

“I am grateful to the IDF, to the medical team at Shaare Zedek who are now fighting to save the life of Neria Dov ben Chana, and for the prayers of the people of Israel,” Leiter wrote on X/Twitter on Wednesday. “I believe in the power of prayer, and I believe that when the people of Israel unite, miracles happen. Neria needs a miracle.

“Palestinian terrorism seeks to uproot the people of Israel from their land. They choose death – we choose life,” Leiter said.

In a post on X, Netanyahu said he and his wife, Sara, “together with all the people of Israel, are praying for a miracle. Yechiel, my dear, we are all with you.” US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said that he is standing with Leiter and his family. "Pray for Yechiel Leiter & entire family. They lost a son in Gaza, killed by Hamas. Now a Palestinian terrorist attempts to murder IDF soldiers at a checkpoint. Standing w/ Yechiel Leiter," Huckabee wrote on X. Yechiel, my dear friend, my heart is with you, Chana, and your entire family," Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, shared on X. "All of Israel is praying for your son, Neria Dov ben Chana, who was critically wounded in today’s heinous terrorist attack. May God heal him and give your family strength."

Defense Minister Israel Katz sent his support to Leiter’s family and prayers for Neria’s speedy recovery.

“Yechiel, I stand with you and your family, and I pray alongside the entire nation of Israel for your son’s recovery,” Katz said. “I commend the heroic fighters who eliminated the terrorist. To the soldiers of the IDF and the security forces: I believe in you and trust you; we will not allow terror to rear its head.”

"Yechiel, you are a warrior, and your sons are warriors," wrote Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar on X. "My heart and prayers are with you."

President Isaac Herzog also offered a "prayer for the complete and speedy recovery of Neria Leiter, a reservist soldier who was run over today in a heinous terror attack at the Maccabim checkpoint."

“Neria Leiter is the brother of Major Moshe Leiter, of blessed memory, a hero of Israel who fell at the beginning of the Swords of Iron War in Gaza," Herzog wrote in an evening statement. “We send our wishes for a complete recovery to Neria, and strength to his wife and to his parents, Hannah and Yechiel Leiter, Israel's Ambassador to the United States."

"Neria is fighting for his life at this very hour, and we will pray for his recovery. We all stand with this dear family and send them our strength.”

Police Commissioner Daniel Levi, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Economy and Industry Minister Nir Barkat, and Ofir Akunis, Israel's consul general in New York, also offered Leiter their support.

“We join all the residents of Samaria in praying for the victim’s recovery and offer our support to his family during this difficult time,” Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan said. “The Council will assist the victim’s family, and together with the community, we will embrace and support them in every way possible. The entire nation of Israel is united in prayer for his recovery.”

“We must respond to murderous terrorism with a firm hand and restore deterrence. We send our support to the security forces on the front lines who are protecting the citizens of Israel.”

IDF troops kill 29-year-old terrorist 

The terrorist was killed by IDF troops who were at the scene as he attempted to flee. He has been identified as Muhammad Mahmoud Suleiman, 29, a resident of Beit Ur al-Tahta.

According to KAN News, Suleiman was very familiar with the area and carried out the attack on his own using a stolen Israeli license plate taken from a car that had been taken off the road several months ago.

He is not known for prior security-related offenses, had not applied for a work permit within Israel, and was not supposed to be inside the Green Line, KAN reported, citing security officials.

IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) have reportedly questioned Suleiman's family members as part of the ongoing investigation into the attack.

Israel Police stated that the terrorist had hit a police patrol vehicle belonging to the Judea and Samaria District. An officer and a soldier were inside the vehicle as part of a joint operation.

“United Hatzalah’s dispatch center sent us to the scene of a vehicular ramming attack near Bell checkpoint,” United Hatzalah paramedics Itzik Kara and Netanel Cohen said. “Assisted by IDF medical teams, we provided initial medical treatment at the scene, including respiratory support, the administration of life-saving medication, bandaging, and splinting to a man who was subsequently transported to the hospital in serious condition.”

Palestinian shot after reported car-ramming attack attempt near Hebron

Earlier on Wednesday, two Palestinians reportedly attempted to run over the owner of a farm in the Hebron Hills.

The farm owner began shooting at them in accordance with the “suspect arrest procedure,” wounding one of the individuals in the leg, according to reports.

IDF troops were deployed to the area, N12 News reported, adding that the incident is under review.

Avi Ashkenazi contributed to this report.

Animal Rising Rustlers Who Stole the King's Sheep Convicted

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16157571/Animal-activists-stole-Kings-lambs-Sandringham-guilty-theft.html

Three animal rights activists who took lambs from the King’s estate in Sandringham and claimed Charles would have approved were convicted of theft today.

Rose Patterson, 37, along with Rosa Sharkey and Sarah Foy, both 26, spirited away three lambs during an early morning visit to Appleton Farm in Norfolk.

Footage of the women, who wore pink t-shirts bearing the name of pressure group Animal Rising, was released online afterwards.

They were also shown brazenly standing outside Windsor Castle with signs stating they had taken the sheep before handing themselves in to police.

Rose Patterson, 37, along with Rosa Sharkey and Sarah Foy, both 26, took three lambs during an early morning visit to Appleton Farm in Norfolk

The case follows other trials where activists have been cleared of offences, leading MPs to warn such verdicts provide a ‘green light’ for people to commit crime.

But a jury took just three hours and 48 minutes to find the defendants guilty of the charge. None showed any emotion as the verdicts were read out.

During sentencing shortly afterwards, the court heard all three women already had a range of convictions for offences including public disorder, aggravated trespass and possessing an article with intent to damage property - connected to other protests.

Sharkey's previous convictions included wilful obstruction of a highway in relation to the Grand National at Aintree in April 2023, for which she was fined £250 and a further £100 for breaching a conditional discharge. 

Judge Anthony Bate said: 'The defendants are not strangers to the criminal justice system. They are all, to varying degrees, seasoned campaigners.' 

Conservative MP Sir John Hayes, the founder of the Common Sense Group of parliamentarians, condemned the defendants’ actions, telling the Daily Mail: ‘Anyone who keeps animals needs the protection of the law.

‘The distorted understanding of the relationship between humans and animals is evident in the fact that they carelessly took these babies from their mothers.’

He also branded the claim that Charles would have supported the lambs’ ‘rescue’ as ‘impertinent’, adding: ‘It’s hard to think the King would want anyone to steal animals.’

Immediately after the theft on May 24, 2023, livestock experts and farmers condemned the stunt.

A National Sheep Association spokesman said the distressed ewes would have been ‘scouring the field for their lambs, bleating endlessly with no hope of finding them’.

The activists said they target the King because he said he was 'an environmentalist and an animal lover'

Gareth Wyn Jones, a sheep farmer for over five decades, added: ‘These people are absolutely bonkers.

‘It’s distressing for these animals to be handled wrongly by amateur strangers.’

The lambs have never been recovered as they were taken to an undisclosed sanctuary where, Norwich Crown Court was told, they had begun ‘socialising with other animals and had made friends with goats’.

During the trial, jurors were told that the King was the official owner of the lambs, which were worth £400-500, but they were in the care of head stockman Gordon Robinson.

Charles, who was then the Prince of Wales, admires sheep being judged at The Great Yorkshire Show in July 2021

The defendant was previously arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance after being flagged in the group’s plot to sabotage the Grand National.

The defendants stood outside Windsor Castle with signs admitting what they had done before handing themselves in to police

Mr Robinson said in a statement read to the court: 'We unapologetically rear forest-fed lambs to sell for consumption.'

And Mr Clark told the jury in his closing speech: ‘The views of the defendants are all controversial views.’

It might be that farming practices should change, he added, but there are ‘plenty of ways to change the law [and] plenty of ways to campaign lawfully’.

What the defendants didn’t have, he concluded, was permission to ‘take property that belongs to other people’. 

So-called Open Rescue, where activists 'rescue' animals in captivity, was first used by protesters in Victoria, Australia.

Earlier this year, four defendants took 18 beagle puppies in an ‘open rescue’ at an animal testing site in Cambridgeshire in December 2022.

Other activists include three Extinction Rebellion members who were accused of obstructing the railway after climbing onto a Docklands Light Railway train in East London in 2022.

The Sandringham Estate consists of 2,400 hectares of farmland, with an additional 4,000 hectares rented by tenant farmers. There are around 3,000 royal sheep at present.

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16157571/Animal-activists-stole-Kings-lambs-Sandringham-guilty-theft.html

Israel Slams Jordan for Denying Palestinians Rights After King’s Scathing UN Speech

jewishpress.com/israel-slams-jordan-for-denying-palestinians-rights-after-kings-scathing-un-speech/

(Sept. 23, 2026 / JNS) The Israeli Foreign Ministry criticized Jordanian King Abdullah II on Wednesday, following his speech at the United Nations General Assembly against Israel’s policies in Gaza and Judea and Samaria, which he claimed violate international law.
“It is particularly amusing to hear King Abdullah II of Jordan speak so passionately about international law and the rights of Palestinians in Judea and Samaria,” the ministry wrote on X, invoking the orders of his father, King Hussein, in 1988 to revoke the citizenship of Palestinians living in Judea and Samaria “overnight” and “in complete violation of international law.”

“Palestinians in Judea and Samaria lost the right to vote or run for the Jordanian parliament, work in the Jordanian civil service, or receive funding from the Hashemite Kingdom. Their Jordanian passports were confiscated or not renewed. They were classified as foreign nationals. Their entry into Jordan and their ability to remain there were restricted,” the ministry continued.

“Tell us more about international law,” it added.
Another clash between King Hussein and the Palestinians took place in 1970, known as “Black September.” The Jordanian Army was ordered to take action against the Palestine Liberation Organization, comprising of Palestinian fedayeen guerrillas that relocated to Jordan after the Six-Day War in 1967 and had engaged in terrorist activities within the Hashemite Kingdom.

Inflicting thousands of casualties on PLO forces, led by Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian militants were ultimately compelled to leave Jordan in 1971. Relocating to Lebanon via Syria, the PLO then became involved in the Lebanese Civil War from 1975 to 1990, while continuing to carry out terror attacks against Israel.

King Abdullah spoke at the General Debate of the 81st Session of UNGA in New York on Tuesday, dedicating the bulk of his address to lash out at the Jewish state.

He accused Israel of implementing an expansionist policy in Gaza, Judea and Samaria, and Syria, “testing how far it can go.”

He went as far as saying that “This Israeli government’s expansionist appetite is now a regional threat” and its “sense of impunity has reached terrifying levels.”

The Jordanian leader then told the delegates in the hall that they have tools such as “sanctions, asset freezes, embargoes, diplomatic isolation” that have been used elsewhere.

“Any threat to our northern border or our water security is a threat to our national security,” King Abdullah added, claiming that Israel has imposed “new facts on the ground,” including around “vital water resources.”

Jerusalem and Amman signed a peace treaty in 1994, as Jordan became the second Arab country to normalize relations with the Jewish state after Egypt.

The treaty includes Israel’s agreement to provide Jordan with 50,000,000 cubic meters of water per year and to help Jordan use desalination technology, as well as for Jordan to own 75% of the water from the Yarmouk River, which runs through Jordan, Syria, and Israel.

Colombia Withdraws from ICJ Genocide Case Against Israel

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-909355

Colombia officially withdraws from South Africa's ICJ genocide case against Israel

Israeli ambassador to Colombia Vivien Aisen echoed the remarks, saying Colombia chose "the right side of history" and made "a brave and responsible decision that we deeply appreciate."

Colombia has withdrawn from South Africa's genocide case against Israel in the International Court of Justice, the court announced Tuesday.

In a statement, the ICJ said Colombia informed the Court that it had decided to withdraw the Declaration of intervention that it had filed under Article 63 of the Statute of the Court on 5 April 2024 in the case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel).

Colombia's Foreign Ministry then confirmed the withdrawal, but said the decision does not change Colombia’s status as a State Party to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, nor does it affect the validity, scope or binding force of the international obligations assumed under that instrument.

‎Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar already mentioned the matter on Friday, thanking new Colombian President ‎Abelardo De la Espriella for the "withdrawal from South Africa's false and malicious lawsuit against Israel at the ICJ, which was made during the antisemitic Petro era."

Sa'ar also said he had discussed the matter during a July meeting with his counterpart Omar Bula Escobar in Washington.

Colombia, Israel ties revitalized in recent months

"The friendship between Israel and Colombia is stronger than ever," Sa'ar said.

Israeli ambassador to Colombia Vivien Aisen echoed the remarks, saying Colombia chose "the right side of history" and made "a brave and responsible decision that we deeply appreciate."

The move comes as part of a wider effort by the administration of President Abelardo De la Espriella to undo some of the hostilities of the previous president, and restore ties with Israel.

After being sworn in at the start of August 2026, de la Espriella announced the immediate resumption of full diplomatic relations with Israel, underlined by a landmark commitment to move the Colombian Embassy to Jerusalem.

Colombia also recognized Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-909355

Katz claims Hamas plotting to kidnap soldier; threatens to depopulate, raze Gaza City

www.timesofisrael.com/katz-claims-hamas-plotting-to-kidnap-soldier-threatens-to-depopulate-raze-gaza-city/

Defense Minister Israel Katz attends a memorial ceremony for fallen Israeli soldiers of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, at the National Hall of Remembrance at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, September 22, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

1 million Gazans will be relocated south if terror group again abducts an Israeli, defense minister warns; IDF hits Hamas sites after bomb strikes engineering vehicle

Hamas is planning new kidnappings of Israelis, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday, citing “various intentions and intelligence,” and threatened to flatten Gaza City if the terror organization acts upon those plans.

Katz, speaking at an annual memorial ceremony for soldiers killed in the 1973 Yom Kippur War at the Mount Herzl military cemetery, directed his warning to Hamas and two of its backers, Iran and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

His warning came amid continued conflict in the Strip between Hamas and the IDF, despite a nearly year-old ceasefire that saw the release of all of the terror group’s remaining hostages, living and dead. In its October 7, 2023, attack nearly three years ago, Hamas and other terrorists who invaded Israel took 251 people captive, a mix of soldiers and civilians including children and the elderly. The hostage-taking sparked a crisis that agonized Israel, prompted a global activist movement, and was at the center of the subsequent war.

“I warn the terror organization and its supporters, from Iran to Erdogan: if even one Israeli soldier or civilian is kidnapped, the entire Gaza City’s… one million residents will be evacuated southward,” Katz said.

He also threatened to take out the city’s “homes and terror towers.”

Gaza City is a major population center in the Strip, along with the al-Mawasi area to the south. Israel controls much of the enclave, but almost all of its population is in areas controlled by Hamas.

Tents sheltering displaced Palestinians and a market surround a heavily damaged building in Gaza City, September 17, 2026. (AP/Jehad Alshrafi)

Katz’s threat to flatten the city is his latest bout of bellicose language in the lead-up to the October 27 election. He has also floated facilitating emigration from in Gaza and boasted of destroying villages in Lebanon.

“This is the language that the jihadist terror organizations in Gaza and Lebanon understand, and this is the language we speak: evacuating the population, destroying the infrastructure and taking the territory,” Katz said.

“It will be dealt with in the same way that Rafah and Beit Hanoun and 70 percent of the Gaza Strip were dealt with, until [any future captives] are returned,” he continued, referring to sections of the Strip that the IDF razed during the war against Hamas following the October 7 onslaught.

An IDF soldier occupies a military position overlooking the Yellow Line in the central Gaza Strip, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Referring to the line dividing Gaza between Israeli and Hamas control, Katz reiterated that the IDF “will not withdraw from the Yellow Line in Gaza to new lines of deployment inside Gaza as long as Hamas has not been eliminated and Gaza has not been disarmed of weapons and tunnels.”

IDF strikes Hamas sites after bomb hits engineering vehicle

On Monday evening, the IDF confirmed carrying out strikes against Hamas infrastructure sites in the Gaza Strip in response to a bomb that struck an engineering vehicle earlier in the day.

During routine operations on the Israeli side of the Yellow Line in northern Gaza, an unmanned engineering vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb, the army said.

No injuries were caused in the incident, which the IDF called a “blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement by the Hamas terror group.”

In response, several Hamas sites used by the terror group to advance attacks on troops and Israeli civilians were struck, the military said.

National Association of Muslim Police Defends Terrorists

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16149107/Police-impartiality-Muslim-staff-defend-Hamas.html

Police impartiality 'is under threat from Muslim staff groups who defend Hamas'

Muslim police who defend Hamas are damaging forces' impartiality.

The warning came in an analysis of police officer associations, which highlighted how some are entering 'contested ideological, religious or political territory'.

The Policy Exchange think-tank has raised concerns about police neutrality after the official body representing Muslim cops in Britain published a report defending Hamas and attacking Israel.

The National Association of Muslim Police (NAMP) complained of 'unverified stories about acts of violence by Hamas' during the October 7 terror attacks in a 39-page document.

The same report, written by the association's then-vice-president Khaldoun Kabbani, also described the Israel Defence Forces as a 'Zionist terrorist group' and compared Israel's treatment of Palestinians to the Holocaust. The Jewish Leadership Council described the claims as 'grossly offensive' when they were revealed by The Spectator magazine in June.

A report has raised concerns about police neutrality after the official body representing Muslim police officers in Britain published a report defending Hamas and attacking Israel

The document's publication raised concerns about the impartiality of police officers, who are required to treat all members of the public equally under the law.

Its report also claims that Muslim staff groups in local forces are platforming controversial figures and promoting contentious views. In one instance, the Metropolitan Police's Association of Muslim Police invited Husam Zomlot, now Palestine's ambassador to the UK, to speak at an annual meeting.

In another example, the vice-chairman of the West Midlands Association of Muslim Police, who also holds a senior role in the force's counter-terrorism unit, reposted messages on social media about 'questions of morality'.

Policy Exchange's report also accused the National Police Chiefs' Council of watering down proposed rules on police impartiality for staff networks. Its authors have called for a new 'Police Impartiality Act', setting out requirements for police forces, associations and members.

In an endorsement, Baroness Falkner of Margravine, the former chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission said: 'Too often, as this paper shows, we see staff networks straying into contested ideological, religious or political territory. If the public no longer believe they can trust that the police will always... act without fear or favour, we would see risks to the rule of law itself.'

Chris Donaldson, a founding member of the Black Police Association, said staff networks were created purely to support their members and warned they 'are going way over the line'.

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16149107/Police-impartiality-Muslim-staff-defend-Hamas.html

Report: Israel eyes major submarine expansion as Turkish Navy grows

www.israelnationalnews.com/news/433468

Israel's defense establishment recommends expanding the Navy to eight submarines, citing Turkey's growing fleet, the regional shift and October 7 lessons.

The Israeli defense establishment has formulated a new professional opinion that was delivered to the political echelon, unequivocally recommending that it expand the Navy's submarine fleet to eight in simultaneous service, Galei Tzahal reported on Tuesday.

The decision reflects a significant change in approach: instead of replacing older vessels with new ones while maintaining the current quota, the defense establishment is now seeking to expand the fleet in total, which currently numbers five active submarines and is expected to grow to six upon the upcoming arrival of the newest vessel.

The defense establishment's change in course stems from close tracking of the Turkish Navy's growth in recent years. Turkey currently has 14 active German-made submarines, similar in design to Israel's, and is expected to expand its fleet to 18 in the coming years. Along with the growing Turkish threat, the defense establishment's new position is influenced by the new regional reality and by lessons learned from the October 7th attacks.

The size of Israel's submarine fleet is a sensitive topic in the country, among other things, because the state commission of inquiry into the Submarine Affair (Case 3000) found that in the past no professional and orderly staff work was conducted regarding the required size of the fleet. While past internal debates in the defense establishment suggested that five or six submarines would suffice, it has now reached an official position supporting an expansive fleet.

Each submarine is estimated to cost approximately one billion euros. Under the latest procurement agreement signed with Germany, Israel retains an option to purchase a seventh submarine at the original price, an option that has not yet been exercised.

The defense establishment recommends exercising the option as soon as possible to avoid the expected price increase, then procuring an eighth submarine.

Senior officials have clarified that the broader initiative will not be advanced immediately because of the upcoming elections. However, the defense establishment intends to present it to the next government and push for its orderly implementation.