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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - September 17, 2026, 08 AM Eastern · Israel Today: Ongoing War Report

• 0:08
  Speaker 1: You're listening to Israel Today ongoing war report. I'm Noah Levi.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: In Gaza, rescue efforts have concluded following the collapse of
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: a six-story residential building in Gaza City. 21 people were killed,
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  Speaker 1: including eight children, and 45 were rescued from the rubble.
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  Speaker 1: Among the dead was Mahmoud Sada, a former bodyguard of
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  Speaker 1: Ismail Haniyeh and his family. Sources opposed to Hamas claim
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  Speaker 1: that recent work on an old Hamas tunnel beneath the
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  Speaker 1: building led to its collapse. The bomb-damaged building had sustained
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: previous damage, and the incident highlights the dire housing situation
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  Speaker 1: in Gaza, with many survivors living in damaged structures due
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  Speaker 1: to slow reconstruction. Palestinian and UN officials blame Israeli restrictions
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: for the lack of heavy machinery for rebuilding, while Israel
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  Speaker 1: cites security concerns. Meanwhile, Jewish and pro-Israel billionaire Robert Kraft
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: announced a $ 2 million donation to combat the humanitarian crisis
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: in Gaza, matching a contribution from Ed Sheeran. This follows
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: controversy involving rapper Macklemore's critical remarks about Israel. In Lebanon,
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  Speaker 1: Hezbollah lawmakers withdrew from a confidence vote for Prime Minister
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  Speaker 1: Nawaf Salam's government. Lebanese journalist Yousef Diab described this as
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  Speaker 1: an attempt to save face, given Hezbollah's perceived weakened position.
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  Speaker 1: Other MPs, including Michael Mowad, directly accused Hezbollah of bringing
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  Speaker 1: Israeli occupation upon Lebanon through its wars and refusal to disarm.
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  Speaker 1: While MPs from the Amal movement voted in favour of
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  Speaker 1: the government, some expressed regret. Heated exchanges also occurred on
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  Speaker 1: the floor regarding reconstruction and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
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  Speaker 1: We turn now to a disturbing incident in Milan, where
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  Speaker 1: a 60-year-old rabbi from the city's Jewish community was assaulted
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  Speaker 1: while waiting for a bus. Three young men identified him
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  Speaker 1: by his clothing, surrounded him, cursed him, kicked and punched
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: him and removed his hat. A 20-year-old Tunisian man has
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  Speaker 1: been arrested on suspicion of religiously motivated violence. The Jewish
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  Speaker 1: community's president, Walker Magnaghi, described the attack as violence unlike
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  Speaker 1: anything we have seen. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned
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  Speaker 1: the incident as cowardly and unacceptable. And the Israeli embassy
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  Speaker 1: in Rome noted that antisemitism in Europe is growing and
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  Speaker 1: becoming more violent. Domestically, Israeli politics remain divided just weeks
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  Speaker 1: before elections. Five recent polls show a fragmented landscape, with
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  Speaker 1: Gadi Eizenkot's Yashar party holding a slight lead over Likud
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: at the party level, but no clear majority for either bloc.
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: Ofer Winter's People of Israel party has reportedly crossed the
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  Speaker 1: electoral threshold. Meanwhile, Haredi parties are reportedly considering a strategy
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  Speaker 1: of refraining from recommending a prime minister and sitting in
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  Speaker 1: opposition for their first year in office. potentially to navigate
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  Speaker 1: the deadlock over the draft law. In a related development,
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  Speaker 1: Gadi Eisenkot has accused his allies Naftali Bennett and Avigdor
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: Liberman of harming the opposition's chances by refusing to commit
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  Speaker 1: to supporting the leader of the largest party. Separately, former
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  Speaker 1: Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit may testify in Prime Minister Benjamin
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: Netanyahu's criminal trial, with the defence requesting specific dates in
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: October 2026. In the north, alerts for hostile aircraft infiltration
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  Speaker 1: were issued for the communities of Menara and Margoliet, coinciding
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: with the second anniversary of the Pager attack. There are
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: also reports of an interceptor launch in the north. The
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  Speaker 1: Home Front Command has since updated its directives, permitting individuals
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  Speaker 1: in protected areas in Menara and Margoliet to leave. Finally,
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  Speaker 1: in US policy news, the Texas State Board of Education
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  Speaker 1: has approved revised high school social studies standards, scheduled for
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: implementation in 2030. These standards will teach Israel's establishment in
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: 1948 as occurring in the ancestral homeland of the Jews,
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  Speaker 1: and emphasise the influence of Judeo-Christian traditions. The changes have
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: drawn opposition from Muslim advocates concerned about potential prejudice against
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: Muslim students. For continuing coverage of antisemitism around the world,
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: listen to Antisemitism, Watch from Clockwork Media. Find it at clockworkmedia.org
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: slash watch. I'm Noah Levi, thank you for listening to
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: Israel Today ongoing war report. Stay safe and informed. Follow
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: Israel Today ongoing war report in your podcast app so
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: you don't miss the next update. Keep in mind that
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: this AI generated report may contain occasional inaccuracies, so consult
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: multiple sources for a comprehensive view.