IDF issues evacuation warnings for northern Gaza, Shas expected to leave gov't

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems’ new family of lasers, which started to be rolled out last week and will continue to be presented to the public by the end of 2025, could eliminate the need for Israelis to run to bomb shelters during most aerial threats, the defense company revealed on Wednesday.

According to Rafael, a major advantage of its lasers – Iron Beam, Iron Beam M, and Lite Beam – is that they can shoot down enemy rockets and drones much earlier in the threat process, such that most of the time, no sirens or bomb shelters would be necessary.

This is because the light energy of the laser travels much faster than any interceptor in Israel’s arsenal and would already potentially destroy the enemy aerial threat shortly after it launches, invariably while it is still in enemy territory.

The IDF on Wednesday warned Gaza civilians against returning to the northern areas of the Gaza Strip, IDF Arabic Spokesperson Avichay Adraee said in a post on Twitter/X.

The warning follows reports of Gazans returning to or planning to return to the areas of Beit Lahiya, Jabalya, Beit Hanoun, and other neighbourhoods.

These areas are "dangerous combat zones," where the IDF continues to operate "with very heavy force," the post said.

The IDF struck several Hamas terror targets in Beit Lahiya in the Gaza Strip in recent weeks, the military announced on Wednesday. 

The military said that the Nahal Brigade, under the command of the IDF's 162nd Division, had struck several pieces of terror infrastructure in northern Gaza. 

"In recent weeks, numerous terror targets have been attacked from the air and ground, including terrorists, weapons depots, booby-trapped structures, launchers, and tunnel shafts," the release noted. 

Underground infrastructure in Khan Yunis was attacked multiple times on Wednesday. It is being investigated whether high-ranking Hamas officials were under the rubble.

This is a developing story. 

The Israel Police are investigating a suspicious object incident at the Elifelet light rail station in Yarkon, according to initial reports from the police spokesperson.

The station has been evacuated, and sappers are working on the scene.

The "Madleen" ship, sailing to the Gaza Strip as part of the international flotilla to break the blockade, broadcast a distress signal after spotting a drone flying over the ship on Tuesday night.

The hysterical call for help was unnecessary because the drone belonged to the Greek Coast Guard.

Activists on the flotilla to the Gaza Strip, including the Swedish pro-Palestinian activist Greta Thunberg and "Game of Thrones" star Liam Cunningham, called on the international community to protect them after they identified a drone hovering over the "Madleen" ship.

According to the organizers, the incident occurred about 68 kilometers outside Greece's territorial waters, but it was later revealed that the drone was a "Heron" type belonging to the Greek Coast Guard, which left the area shortly thereafter.

The "Madleen," which departed on Sunday from Sicily, is carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, including baby formula, diapers, flour, rice, water filters, hygiene products, and medical equipment. Several human rights organizations organized the flotilla to break the maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The IDF is preparing for the arrival of the ship. IDF spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Effie Defrin said at a press conference, "The IDF is prepared to operate on all fronts, including in the maritime arena," and added: "We will act accordingly."

#FreedomFlotilla #BreakTheSiege #AllEyesOnDeck pic.twitter.com/n5yHQ2xdOj

— Freedom Flotilla Coalition (@GazaFFlotilla) June 3, 2025

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday Tehran will not abandon its uranium enrichment, rejecting a key US demand aimed at resolving a decades-long nuclear dispute, that he said was against the Islamic Republic’s interests.

The US proposal for a new nuclear deal was presented to Iran on Saturday by Oman, which has mediated talks between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.

After five round of talks, several hard-to-bridge issues remain, including Iran's insistence on maintaining uranium enrichment on its soil and Tehran's refusal to ship abroad its entire existing stockpile of highly enriched uranium - possible raw material for nuclear bombs.

"Uranium enrichment is the key to our nuclear programme and the enemies have focused on the enrichment," Khamenei said in a televised speech. The US proposal "contradicts our nation's belief in self-reliance and the principle of 'We Can'," he said.

"The rude and arrogant leaders of America repeatedly demand that we should not have a nuclear programme. Who are you to decide whether Iran should have an enrichment?," he added.

Israelis set out from Tel Aviv and walked towards the Gaza border Wednesday, as part of a protest against the continuation of the Gaza war organized by Standing Together. "We are marching because the destruction, starvation, and abandonment must stop," the grassroots peace organization said.

The group, made up of a few dozen people, set out from near the Kirya IDF military headquarters and marched South. The march is expected to take place over the course of three days, ending near the Gaza border, as those marching join a protest organized by the It's Time coalition of peace organizations.

"We are in Jaffa, continuing towards Bat Yam, and thinking about the longer road - from death to agreement, from destruction to hope," Standing Together added.

"This is not the simple path, but we are walking it together."

The march is the latest in a series of recent actions by Standing Together aimed at promoting peace and pushing to end the Israel-Hamas War.

An explosion was reported at the Hama Airport in Syria, local sources said. 

This is a developing story.

Tom Barrack, US President Donald Trump’s envoy for Syrian affairs and US Ambassador to Turkey, has arrived in Israel to meet with senior Israeli officials on Wednesday.

The discussions will focus on the situation in Syria and the ongoing tensions between Israel and Turkey, a source with knowledge told The Jerusalem Post.