Netanyahu Tells Trump: We're Profoundly Grateful

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu REUTERS/Sebastian Scheiner/Pool
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu REUTERS/Sebastian Scheiner/Pool
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Netanyahu Tells Trump: We're Profoundly Grateful

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu REUTERS/Sebastian Scheiner/Pool
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu REUTERS/Sebastian Scheiner/Pool

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed US President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to move the US embassy to the city as a "historic event."

The Israeli army announced a state of alert in Jerusalem and the West Bank to counter expected angry Palestinian reactions to the resolution.

Netanyahu published a pre-taped video that was broadcast right after Trump had finished speaking, suggesting that the Israeli leader was closely familiar with Trump’s speech content.

"This is a historic day," the Israeli PM said. "So it's rare to be able to speak of new and genuine milestones in the glorious history of this city. Yet today's pronouncement by President Trump is such an occasion."

"We're profoundly grateful for the President for his courageous and just decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to prepare for the opening of the US embassy there. This decision reflects the president's commitment to an ancient but enduring truth, to fulfilling his promises, and to advancing peace."

He called on the nations of the world to "follow the example of the United States." However, he stressed that the declaration "will not change the status quo," vowing to "preserve freedom of worship in Jerusalem."

The US consulate in Jerusalem called on its citizens to refrain from reaching areas of gatherings in Jerusalem and the West Bank, as well as areas where the presence of the army and police has been strengthened.

It also prevented its administrative staff and their families from traveling to these areas, and said that official travel would only take place if it was vital and would be subject to security measures.

Hours after recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital Wednesday, and saying he had instructed the State Department to begin preparation to relocate the US embassy there, Trump signed the waiver putting off any such move by another six months.

In 1995, the US Congress passed the so-called Jerusalem Embassy Act recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and stating that the US Embassy should be moved there.



Gaza Civil Defense Says Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 29

A Palestinian girl, wounded in an Israeli strike that killed people, who gathered to collect water from a distribution point, according to medics, receives treatment at Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip July 13, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer
A Palestinian girl, wounded in an Israeli strike that killed people, who gathered to collect water from a distribution point, according to medics, receives treatment at Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip July 13, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer
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Gaza Civil Defense Says Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 29

A Palestinian girl, wounded in an Israeli strike that killed people, who gathered to collect water from a distribution point, according to medics, receives treatment at Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip July 13, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer
A Palestinian girl, wounded in an Israeli strike that killed people, who gathered to collect water from a distribution point, according to medics, receives treatment at Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip July 13, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer

Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli airstrikes on Sunday killed at least 29 Palestinians, including six children near a water distribution point.

The attacks came with apparent deadlock in a week of indirect talks in Qatar between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas for a ceasefire in the territory.

Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that Gaza City was hit by several strikes overnight and in the early morning, killing eight, "including women and children" and wounding others.

An Israeli airstrike hit a family home near the Nuseirat refugee camp, south of Gaza City, resulting in "10 martyrs and several injured", Bassal said.

In central Gaza, six children were among eight people killed when a drone "hit a potable water distribution point in an area for displaced people" in the Nuseirat camp, he added.

Several other people were wounded, he said.

In the territory's south, three people were killed when Israeli jets hit a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians in the coastal Al-Mawasi area, according to the civil defense spokesman.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which has recently intensified its operations across Gaza, more than 21 months into the war triggered by Hamas's October 2023 attack.

On Saturday, the military said fighter jets had hit more than 35 "Hamas terror targets" around Beit Hanun in northern Gaza.

The vast majority of Gaza's population of more than two million people have been displaced at least once during the war, which has created dire humanitarian conditions in the territory.

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the civil defense agency and other parties.