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2025 in Israel
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Events of the year 2025 in Israel.
Incumbents
Ongoing events
Events
January
- 1 January – Former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant resigns from the Knesset.[1]
- 5 January – The first 50 Haredi Jewish soldiers are drafted into the Hasmonean Brigade of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).[2]
- 6 January – Palestinian gunmen kill three Israelis and injure eight others in a mass shooting on a bus in al-Funduq, West Bank.[3]
- 17 January –
- The Cabinet of Israel approves a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal with Hamas.[4]
- Defense Minister Israel Katz announces that all Israeli settlers in administrative detention will be released in response to the release of Palestinian prisoners in the ceasefire deal.[5]
- 19 January –
- The ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal with Hamas comes into effect.[6] The first three female hostages are released by Hamas and returned to Israel.[7]
- Itamar Ben-Gvir resigns as Minister of National Security in protest against the ceasefire agreement with Hamas.[8] Two other members of his Otzma Yehudit party—Heritage Minister Amihai Eliyahu and Negev, Galilee and National Resilience Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf—resign from the coalition government alongside Ben-Gvir. Knesset members Zvika Fogel, Limor Son Har-Melech and Yitzhak Kroizer also resign from their positions.[9]
- The IDF announces that the body of Oron Shaul, who was killed and captured by Hamas during the 2014 Gaza War, was recovered in an operation in Northern Gaza.[10]
- 20 January –
- United States President Donald Trump signs an executive order lifting US sanctions on extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank.[11]
- 90 Palestinian prisoners are released by Israel as part of the ceasefire agreement.[12]
- 21 January –
- Herzi Halevi announces his resignation as IDF chief of staff effective 6 March to take responsibility for the IDF's failure to prevent the 7 October attacks.[13] Head of the Southern Command Yaron Finkelman also announces his resignation for the same reason.[14]
- The IDF conducts drone strikes and a ground raid in Jenin in a counterterrorism operation codenamed "Iron Wall", killing at least eight Palestinians and injuring 35.[15][16]
- The Knesset plenum passes a law criminalizing denial, trivialization, and celebration of the 7 October Hamas attack.[17]
- Four people are injured in a knife attack in Tel Aviv. The attacker, a Moroccan citizen with US residency, is shot dead.[18]
- 25 January –
- Four female IDF soldiers captured by Hamas during the 7 October attacks, including Naama Levy, are released by the group as part of the ceasefire agreement.[19]
- Two hundred Palestinian prisoners are released by Israel as part of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas.[20]
- 26 January –
- The initial deadline for Israeli forces to leave southern Lebanon under the 2024 Israel–Lebanon ceasefire agreement expires and is extended to 18 February.[21][22]
- Acting president Yitzhak Amit is elected as the permanent President of the Supreme Court after a delay of 16 months.[23]
- 30 January –
February
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- 1 February –
- Three Israelis captured by Hamas during the 7 October attacks are released by the group as part of the ceasefire agreement.[25]
- 183 Palestinian prisoners are released by Israel as part of the ceasefire agreement.[25]
- Prime Minister Netanyahu appoints retired Major General Eyal Zamir as IDF chief of staff.[26]
- 4 February – Two soldiers and a Palestinian gunman are killed and eight soldiers are injured, two seriously, in a shooting at the Tayasir checkpoint in the West Bank.[27]
- 5 February –
- Foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar announces Israel's withdrawal from the United Nations Human Rights Council over perceived discrimination against Israel.[28]
- A woman in Eilat dies from hypothermia during a winter storm that swept across Israel.[29]
- 6 February – US president Donald Trump imposes sanctions against the International Criminal Court in part over its issuance of an arrest warrant against Netanyahu over alleged war crimes committed in Gaza.[30]
- 8 February –
- 13 February – Yitzhak Amit is sworn in as President of the Supreme Court in a ceremony boycotted by Prime Minister Netanyahu, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, and Speaker of the Knesset Amir Ohana.[32]
Rally for the return of the hostages, Tel Aviv, 15 February 2025 - 15 February –
- 369 Palestinian prisoners are released by Israel as part of the ceasefire agreement.[33]
- Three Israelis captured by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad during the 7 October attacks are released by both groups as part of the ceasefire agreement.[34]
- 16 February –
- An American shipment of 1,800 Mark 84 2,000-lb bombs arrives in the Port of Ashdod.[35]
- The IDF completes its probes into the 7 October attacks and announces that its findings will presented starting the following week.[36]
- 18 February – The IDF withdraws from all but five positions in southern Lebanon under the 2024 Israel–Lebanon ceasefire agreement which expires the same day.[37]
- 19 February – A 70-year-old Jewish woman is injured in an axe attack in the Old City of Jerusalem after being mistaken as a Christian. The perpetrator is later arrested in northern Israel.[38][39][40]
- 20 February –
- Hamas returns the bodies of Kfir and Ariel Bibas and Oded Lifshitz, who were captured during the 7 October attacks but later died in captivity, as part of the ceasefire agreement. A fourth body, which Hamas claimed was Shiri Bibas, is later found to have been misidentified as a hostage.[41] Hamas subsequently says that Shiri's remains had been mixed with those of other victims following an Israeli airstrike[42][43] and that it will examine allegations over Shiri's remains, while asking Israel to return the body, which it identifies as a Palestinian woman.[44][45]
- The Knesset passes a law imposing an entry ban into Israel for people who deny the Holocaust and the 7 October attacks, as well as those who support legal punishment against Israelis over actions committed during IDF service.[46]
- Three buses explode and two explosive devices are found by authorities in a suspected militant attack in Bat Yam. No casualties are reported.[47]
- 21 February – Hamas says that it had handed over the remains of Shiri Bibas, which are subsequently identified by forensic experts.[48][49]
- 22 February – Four Israelis captured by Hamas during the 7 October attacks and two others held in captivity after entering the Gaza Strip on their own in 2014 and 2015 are released by the group as part of the ceasefire agreement. They are the final living hostages held by Hamas to be released in the first phase of the deal.[50][51]
- 24 February – MEPs Rima Hassan and Lynn Boylan are denied entry to Israel as part of an EU-Palestine delegation, with Israeli authorities citing Hassan's support for anti-Israel boycotts.[52]
- 25 February – The IDF launches airstrikes on military installations outside Damascus and in Daraa Governorate in southern Syria, killing at least two people.[53]
- 27 February –
- Hamas returns the bodies of four hostages captured during the 7 October attacks but later died in captivity, as part of the ceasefire agreement.[54]
- More than 600 Palestinian prisoners are released by Israel as part of the ceasefire agreement.[55]
- A combined vehicle ramming and stabbing attack in Pardes Hanna-Karkur injures 13 people, including a teenage girl who died six days later. The attacker is shot and killed by police.[56][57]
- The IDF releases its internal report into the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel.[58]
- Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara orders a criminal investigation into alleged links between Prime Minister's Office officials and Qatar.[59]
March
- 2 March –
- Israel blocks all humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip after Hamas refuses to temporarily extend the first phase of the ceasefire.[60]
- No Other Land, a documentary directed by two Israeli and two Palestinian filmmakers about Israeli demolitions in Masafer Yatta, West Bank, wins an Oscar for Best Documentary at the 97th Academy Awards.[61]
- 3 March –
- A stabbing by an Israeli Druze assailant at the Haifa Bay central bus station kills one person and injures four others.[62]
- Israel assumes presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, with Dani Dayan being appointed as chairman.[63]
- 5 March – Eyal Zamir is officially appointed as the 24th Chief of the General Staff, succeeding Herzi Halevi.[64]
- 11 March –
- Opposition MKs Gilad Kariv, Karine Elharrar, and Yoav Segalovitz file an unprecedented 71,023 reservations to a proposed judicial reform bill.[65]
- The Yemeni Houthis announce that they will continue their attacks against Israeli ships in response to Israel's ban of aid to Gaza.[66]
- Four captives taken by Israel during its war against Hezbollah are released and repatriated to Lebanon.[67]
- 13 March –
- The UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory accuses Israel of committing genocidal acts by destroying health facilities and of using sexual violence as a strategy of war during the Gaza war, which Israel denies.[68]
- The IDF carries out an airstrike on the home of PIJ leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah in Damascus, killing one person.[69][70]
- A fifth Lebanese captive taken by Israel during its war against Hezbollah is released and repatriated.[71]
- Foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar announces that Israel sent 10,000 humanitarian aid packages to the Druze community in southern Syria in recent weeks.[72]
- 14 March – A group of 60 Syrian Druze clerics enter Israel to make pilgrimage to Nabi Shu'ayb, marking the first time Druze figures crossed into Israel from Syria since 1948.[73][74]
- 18 March –
- Israel conducts extensive strikes across Gaza after accusing Hamas of rejecting hostage deal proposals from mediators, killing at least 400 people.[75]
- In the largest purchase of an Israeli technology company, Alphabet Inc. reaches a deal to buy cloud security company Wiz, Inc. for $32 billion USD.[76]
- Gal Gadot becomes the first Israeli actor to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[77]
- 19 March –
- Over 40,000 people in and around Habima Square and tens of thousands in Jerusalem protest against Netanyahu's intentions to fire Ronen Bar as the chief of the Shin Bet.[78][79]
- Israel resumes its ground offensive in Gaza, partially retaking the Netzarim Corridor.[80]
- 20 March – Ronen Bar is dismissed as head of the Shin Bet by Netanyahu, citing "persistent loss of professional and personal trust" during the Gaza war.[81] However, the dismissal is suspended by the Supreme Court of Israel the next day.[82]
- 22 March – In the first rocket attack from Lebanon since December 2024, at least five rockets are fired at Metula, causing no casualties.[83] In response, the IDF launches airstrikes on southern Lebanon, killing one person.[84]
- 27 March – The Knesset approves a judicial reform law increasing powers by elected officials to select judges.[85]
- 31 March – Netanyahu appoints former Israeli Navy commander Eli Sharvit to head the Shin Bet, defying the Supreme Court order suspending the dismissal of his predecessor Ronen Bar.[86] However, the appointment is rescinded by Netanyahu the next day.[87]
April
- 3 April – Netanyahu visits Hungary in his first trip to a member state of the International Criminal Court since it issued arrest warrants against him.[88]
- 5 April – British MPs Yuan Yang and Abtisam Mohamed are denied entry and deported from Israel upon arrival, with the Israeli government accusing them of seeking to "spread anti-Israel hatred".[89]
- 10 April – The IDF announces that it will dismiss hundreds of Israeli Air Force reservists who signed a letter calling for an end to the Gaza war.[90]
- 12 April – Hapoel Tel Aviv B.C. wins the EuroCup Basketball after beating CB Gran Canaria, marking the first time an Israeli team won the tournament.[91]
- 15 April – The Maldives passes legislation banning the entry of Israeli citizens into the country.[92]
- 20 April –
- The deputy commander of the Golani Brigade's reconnaissance division is dismissed over the killing of 15 paramedics in Rafah by the IDF on 23 March.[93]
- The government cancels the visas of 27 French MPs and local politicians on suspicion of acting against Israel.[94]
- 21 April – One person is killed off the coast of Hadera in the country's first fatal shark attack.[95]
- 23 April – A wildfire breaks out in the area of Beit Shemesh, lightly injuring nine people and causing several towns to be evacuated.[96]
- 24 April – Nechama Grossman, the oldest known Holocaust survivor in Israel, dies at 109.[97]
- 28 April – Ronen Bar tenders his resignation as director of the Shin Bet effective 15 June, citing responsibility for failing to prevent the 7 October attacks.[98]
- 29 April – The Central Bureau of Statistics reports that the total population of Israel and its settlements in the occupied West Bank surpassed 10 million since last year's Independence Day.[99]
- 30 April – At least 5,000 acres (20 km2) of land are destroyed in one of the largest wildfires in Israel's history, injuring over a dozen people and causing the evacuation of several towns near Jerusalem.[100][101]
May
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- 4 May – A Houthi ballistic missile strikes the area of Ben Gurion Airport, injuring eight people and briefly halting the airport's operations.[102]
- 5 May – Israel launches airstrikes on the Hudaydah Port and nearby Bajil in Yemen in retaliation to the attack on Ben-Gurion Airport the previous day.[103]
- 6 May – Israel launches airstrikes on the Sanaa International Airport in Yemen, leaving the facility "completely destroyed", according to an official.[104]
- 7 May – One person is killed and nine others are injured after a boat capsizes off Eilat.[105]
- 11 May – The body of Zvi Feldman, a missing in action soldier killed during the battle of Sultan Yacoub of the 1982 Lebanon War, is recovered from Syria by the IDF and Mossad.[106]
- 12 May – Edan Alexander, an Israeli-American soldier held captive in Gaza, is released by Hamas and returned to Israel following a deal mediated by the United States.[107]
- 14 May – A pregnant Israeli woman is killed and her husband is lightly injured in a shooting by a Palestinian gunman in the West Bank settlement of Brukhin.[108] The woman's baby, who was delivered in an emergency C-section, dies on 29 May after two weeks in serious condition.[109]
- 16 May – The IDF launches the first phases of Operation Gideon's Chariots, a major military offensive seeking to "seize strategic areas" in Gaza.[110]
- 17 May – Yuval Raphael, representing Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, achieves first place in the public vote and second place overall with her song "New Day Will Rise".[111]
- 18 May –
- 20 May – The United Kingdom sanctions two Israeli outposts and three "extremist" settlers, including settler leader Daniella Weiss.[114] It also suspends trade talks with Israel due to its offensive in Gaza.[115]
- 21 May –
- The IDF fires warning shots near a delegation consisting of diplomats from almost two dozen countries visiting Jenin, claiming that they deviated from an approved route and entered an unauthorized area. It later apologizes for the incident.[116]
- The Supreme Court declares Netanyahu's dismissal of Shin Bet director Ronen Bar in March "unlawful".[117]
- Two employees of the Israeli embassy in Washington DC are shot dead in an attack believed to have been carried out by a man yelling "free Palestine".[118]
- More than a dozen governments condemn the Israeli military firing in the direction of a diplomatic delegation with representatives from 31 countries including Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, the European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, the Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay.[119]
- Canada, France, Italy, Spain, the UK, and Uruguay summon their Israeli ambassadors over the incident in the occupied West Bank. Canada, the EU, and Turkey call for the launch of an official investigation.[120][121][122]
- 22 May – Netanyahu appoints major general David Zini as the next Shin Bet chief.[123]
- 28 May – Thousands of people across Israel protest in support of a hostage deal to mark the 600th day of the Gaza war, including 3,000 in Hostages Square. During the protests, 62 people are arrested after storming Metzudat Ze'ev, the Likud headquarters.[124]
- 29 May – The Ministry of Defense announces that the government approved the establishment of 22 settlements in the West Bank.[125]
- 31 May – The IDF says that Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar was assassinated in an airstrike on 13 May.[126]
June
![Thumb](#/media/File:אבוקות_המפעלים_הפטרוכימיים_ליד_בז"ן_בוערות_ב-16_ביוני_2025_בשעות_שונות_ביממה_01.jpg)
- 3 June – Militants fire rockets at the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria for the first time since the fall of the Assad regime, causing no casualties.[127]
- 9 June – The Madleen, which was en route to Gaza in an attempt to break the blockade and carried prominent activists such as Greta Thunberg and Rima Hassan, is raided by Israeli forces and diverted to Israel, with its passengers detained.[128] Thunberg and several passengers are deported from Israel the next day.[129]
- 10 June –
- The Israeli Navy launches attacks on Houthi territory in Yemen for the first time, targeting the port of Hodeidah.[130]
- The UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway announce travel bans and sanctions against far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, accusing them of inciting settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.[131]
- In response to the sanctions, Smotrich orders the cancellation of a policy allowing correspondence between Israeli and Palestinian Authority banks, which is crucial for sustaining the Palestinian economy.[132]
- 11 June – The Knesset votes 61–53 against a bill to dissolve the Netanyahu government and force early elections.[133]
- 12 June –
- Argentine President Javier Milei is awarded the Genesis Prize by Israel in a ceremony in Jerusalem.[134]
- Housing and Construction Minister and United Torah Judaism leader Yitzhak Goldknopf resigns from the government after the failure of a bill exempting most Haredi men from mandatory IDF service.[135]
- The United Nations General Assembly votes 149–12 in support of a ceasefire in Gaza, with 19 countries abstaining.[136]
- 13 June –
- Israel conducts airstrikes against Iran's nuclear program and military leadership, killing key Iranian commanders such as Hossein Salami and Mohammad Bagheri.[137] A state of emergency is declared in anticipation of an Iranian response.[138]
- Iran launches airstrikes at Israel in response to the previous airstrikes.[139]
- 15 June – Ronen Bar's term as the chief of the Shin Bet ends, and his deputy, who is identified only by the Hebrew initial "Shin", takes over as the acting chief.[140]
- 24 June – A ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump to end the Iran–Israel war comes into effect.[141]
July
- 7 July – Israel launches aerial attacks on Houthi territory in Yemen.[142]
- 14 July –
- An attempt to expel Arab Hadash–Ta'al MK Ayman Odeh from the Knesset fails, with only 73 out of the required 90 lawmakers voting in favor of the motion.[143]
- United Torah Judaism leaves the government and Netanyahu's coalition amidst a dispute over the conscription of yeshiva students into the IDF.[144]
- 16 July –
- Israel launches airstrikes on the Syrian Ministry of Defense building in Damascus amidst deadly clashes between Druze and government forces in Suwayda.[145]
- Shas leaves the government and Netanyahu's coalition amidst a dispute over the conscription of yeshiva students into the IDF.[146]
- 17 July – Slovenia imposes sanctions on National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and declares them "persona non grata" over their role in human rights violations against Palestinians.[147]
- 24 July – Eight IDF soldiers are injured in a car-ramming at a bus stop at the Beit Lid junction near Kfar Yona.[148]
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Art and entertainment
Holidays
Source:[149]
- 13 April – Passover
- 19 April – Seventh day of Passover
- 1 May – Independence Day
- 2 June – Feast of Shavuot
- 23–24 September – Rosh Hashanah
- 2 October – Yom Kippur
- 7 October – Sukkot
- 14 October – Simchat Torah
Deaths
- 2 January – Ágnes Keleti, (b. 1921), Hungarian-born artistic gymnast, Olympic champion (1952, 1956).[150]
- 5 January – Clinton Bailey, (b. 1936), American-Israeli political scientist.[151]
- 9 January – Shulamith Shahar, (b. 1928), Latvian-born historian.[152]
- 18 January – Ze'ev Revach, (b. 1940), Moroccan-born actor (Charlie Ve'hetzi, Hagiga B'Snuker, The Farewell Party) and comedian.[153]
- 29 January – Gideon Spiro, (b. 1935), journalist and activist.[154]
- 9 February – Amal Nasser el-Din, (b. 1926), Druze author and politician, MK (1977–1988).[155]
- 14 February – Avi Assouly, (b. 1950), French-Israeli journalist and politician, French deputy (2012–2014).[156]
- 26 February – Renen Schorr, (b. 1952), film director, screenwriter and film producer.[157]
- 3 March – Dore Gold, (b. 1953), American-Israeli political scientist and diplomat, permanent representative of Israel to the UN (1997–1999).[158]
- 8 March – Nota Schiller, (b. 1937), American-born rabbi.[159]
- c. 21 March – Shmuel Agmon, (b. 1922), mathematician (Agmon's inequality).[160]
- 22 March –
- Alexander Mashkevitch, (b. 1954), Israeli-Kazakh businessman and investor.[161]
- Asaf Lifshitz, (b. 1942), sculptor.[162]
- 25 March – Eric Minkin, (b. 1950), American-Israeli basketball player (Maccabi Tel Aviv, Hapoel Galil Elyon, national team).[163]
- 26 March – Stef Wertheimer, (b. 1926), German-born industrialist and politician, MK (1977–1981).[164]
- 3 April – Daniel Kluger, (b. 1951), writer.[165]
- 5 April – Avigdor Yitzhaki, (b. 1949), politician, MK (2006–2008).[166]
- 14 April – Aliza Magen-Halevi, (b. 1937), intelligence officer, deputy director of Mossad (1997–1999).[167]
- 15 April – Reuma Weizman, (b. 1925), socialite, first lady (1993–2000).[168]
- c. 19 April –
- Meir Mazuz, (b. 1945), Tunisian-born rabbi.[169]
- Meir Nitzan, (b. 1931), Romanian-born politician, mayor of Rishon LeZion (1983–2008).[170]
- c. 4 May – David Karako, (b. 1945), football player (Maccabi Tel Aviv, national team) and manager (Hapoel Yehud).[171]
- 20 May – Gadi Kinda, (b. 1994), Ethiopian-born footballer (Ashdod, Sporting Kansas City, national team).[172]
- 25 May – Yair Vardi, (b. 1948), dancer and choreographer.[173]
- 31 May – Stanley Fischer, (b. 1943), Israeli-American economist, governor of the Bank of Israel (2005–2013) and Vice Chair of the Federal Reserve (2014–2017).[174]
- 1 June – Aharon Amram, (b. 1939), Yemeni-born singer, composer, and poet.[175]
- 3 June –
- Gidon Graetz, (b. 1929), Swiss-Israeli sculptor.[176]
- Valery Panov, (b. 1938), Soviet-born ballet dancer and choreographer.[177]
- 3 July – Zelig Eshhar, (b. 1941), immunologist and cancer researcher.[178]
- 11 July – Moshe Zar, (b. 1937), religious Zionist and convicted terrorist.[179]
- 14 July – Zvi Dror, (b. 1926), historian.[180]
- 19 July – Giora Epstein, (b. 1938), Israeli Air Force officer and fighter ace.[181]
- 20 July –
- Shmuel Goren, (b. 1928), military officer, commander of Unit 504 (1962–1968).[182]
- Hagit Benbaji, (b. 1966), philosopher.[183]
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References
External links
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