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Israeli War Cabinet Minister Lays Son to Rest Who Was Killed in Gaza
Israeli cabinet minister and former military chief Gadi Eizenkot is consoled by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, as he attends the funeral of his son Gal Meir Eisenkot, 25, an Israeli solider, who was killed in northern Gaza during the ongoing ground operation by Israel’s military in the Gaza Strip, in Herzliya, Israel, Dec. 8, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne
Israeli War Cabinet Minister Gadi Eisenkot eulogized his son on Friday morning, after he was killed in battle the prior day while fighting Hamas terrorists in Gaza.
First Sergeant Gal Eisenkot, 25, a medic and infantry fighter in Battalion 699 in the 551st Reserve Brigade, fell in combat in northern Gaza.
The elder Eisenkot, a former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff, spoke of his son’s love for his country and his ultimate sacrifice.
“I am sure that the State of Israel will be strong, developed, and just — as you always used to criticize things that you did not like about what is happening here,” he said. “Gal, beloved of our hearts, I promise you that we will continue to be a close-knit and happy family so that your sacrifice and that of the fallen was not in vain.”
Eisenkot choked up as he spoke to the crowd of thousands, which included Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, and other prominent members of the Israeli military and government.
“We love you forever — father, mother, and the whole family,” he said. “I salute you and pledge to you that we will do everything so that we will be deserving to contribute to the right decisions for those who sacrificed for your comrades in arms and for the entire Israeli people who embrace us in this difficult time.”
The former IDF chief of staff noted that his late son, the youngest of five children, was ready to act in defense of Israel immediately after Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israeli communities.
“On Oct. 7, we all woke up to a shocking event. You immediately began to organize equipment,” he said. “In a conversation about the war in Gaza, you told me that you and your comrades in the company feel that this is a just war. That we must return all the hostages and defeat Hamas after the barbaric and cruel event they committed. You also told me this in other conversations.”
The younger Eisenkot’s unit representative, Lt. Col. Eran Barkat, told the crowd that Gal “performed a significant service … We will continue to do everything in our power to restore peace and security to the State of Israel with the light of a wave accompanying our path.”
Benny Gantz — another member of Israel’s war cabinet, the leader of Eisenkot’s party, and a close friend of his — added, “What makes a young, talented guy, the joker of the family, leave everything and go into battle? The home. Your home, our home, the State of Israel, which is perhaps in its most difficult hour. The home from which they grew and grew, which teaches them to love it, to shout after it, and to follow it.”
He continued: “Gadi, when we approved [battle] plans we knew their meaning. We knew that the arrows on the maps could become arrows in the hearts of such good and dear families. You, my brother in arms, my partner, you, and your family are the embodiment of personal giving, of placing the national interest above all personal consideration. You understood the meaning very well. In the last few weeks, your big heart did not let you rest. In front of every family of a kidnapped or abducted [Israel], in front of every whole family, they were all your sons, they were all your daughters.”
Since the war’s outbreak on Oct. 7, about 400 Israeli soldiers have been killed fighting the Hamas terror group.
The post Israeli War Cabinet Minister Lays Son to Rest Who Was Killed in Gaza first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Trump Hosts Qatari Prime Minister After Israeli Attack in Doha
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani attends an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, following an Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, Sept. 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
US President Donald Trump held dinner with the Qatari prime minister in New York on Friday, days after US ally Israel attacked Hamas leaders in Doha.
Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with an attack in Qatar on Tuesday, a strike that risked derailing US-backed efforts to broker a truce in Gaza and end the nearly two-year-old conflict. The attack was widely condemned in the Middle East and beyond as an act that could escalate tensions in a region already on edge.
Trump expressed annoyance about the strike in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and sought to assure the Qataris that such attacks would not happen again.
Trump and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani were joined by a top Trump adviser, US special envoy Steve Witkoff.
“Great dinner with POTUS. Just ended,” Qatar’s deputy chief of mission, Hamah Al-Muftah, said on X.
The White House confirmed the dinner had taken place but offered no details.
The session followed an hour-long meeting that al-Thani had at the White House on Friday with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
A source briefed on the meeting said they discussed Qatar’s future as a mediator in the region and defense cooperation in the wake of the Israeli strikes against Hamas in Doha.
Trump said he was unhappy with Israel’s strike, which he described as a unilateral action that did not advance US or Israeli interests.
Washington counts Qatar as a strong Gulf ally. Qatar has been a main mediator in long-running negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza, for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza and for a post-conflict plan for the territory.
Al-Thani blamed Israel on Tuesday for trying to sabotage chances for peace but said Qatar would not be deterred from its role as mediator.
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Trump Urges NATO Countries to Halt Russian Oil Purchases
US President Donald Trump gestures during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, US, Aug. 26, 2025. Photo: Jonathan Ernst via Reuters Connect
i24 News – US President Donald Trump issued a letter to NATO nations on Saturday, impressing upon them to stop purchasing Russian oil and impose major sanctions on the regime of Vladimir Putin to end its war in Ukraine.
“I am ready to do major Sanctions on Russia when all NATO Nations have agreed, and started, to do the same thing, and when all NATO Nations STOP BUYING OIL FROM RUSSIA. As you know, NATO’S commitment to WIN has been far less than 100%, and the purchase of Russian Oil, by some, has been shocking! It greatly weakens your negotiating position, and bargaining power, over Russia,” the message read.
“Anyway, I am ready to ‘go’ when you are. Just say when? I believe that this, plus NATO, as a group, placing 50% to 100% TARIFFS ON CHINA, to be fully withdrawn after the WAR with Russia and Ukraine is ended, will also be of great help in ENDING this deadly, but RIDICULOUS, WAR. China has a strong control, and even grip, over Russia, and these powerful Tariffs will break that grip.”
Trump’s post comes after the recent flight of multiple Russian drones into Poland, widely perceived an escalatory move by Russia as it was entering the airspace of a NATO ally. Poland intercepted the drones, yet Trump played down the severity of the incident and Russia’s motives by saying it “could have been a mistake.”
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Netanyahu Says Getting Rid of Hamas Chiefs in Qatar Would Remove Main Obstacle to Gaza Deal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the US Independence Day reception, known as the annual “Fourth of July” celebration, hosted by Newsmax, in Jerusalem, Aug. 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that getting rid of Hamas chiefs living in Qatar would remove the main obstacle to releasing all hostages and ending the war in Gaza.
Israel on Tuesday targeted the Hamas leadership in Doha.