The Independent and Reuters cover the fighting overnight in the West Bank and along the Israel-Gaza border (more details below in the Israeli media summary).

Reuters analyses US President Biden’s push for a Middle East “grand bargain”, including normalisation between Israel and Saudi Arabia. “This marks a dramatic reversal,” it writes, “for a president who had spent much of his term shying away from deeper diplomatic involvement in the region’s troubles, raising questions about why he has committed to such a challenging goal, what he stands to gain and whether he might end up paying too high a price.”

The Guardian features Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi’s speech to the UN yesterday, and the reaction of Israeli ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, who walked out, accusing the UN of rolling out the red carpet for “the butcher of Tehran”. Elsewhere at the UN, on the sidelines Iran’s political director Bagheri Khani met with political directors from the E3 nations – France, Germany and the UK. A joint statement from the E3 with the US later read: “Iran continues to expand its nuclear activities. It is now also deliberately hampering the normal planning and conduct of Agency verification and monitoring activities in Iran required under Iran’s Nuclear Proliferation Safeguards Agreement. This is at a time when the International Atomic Energy Agency has serious, longstanding, and unresolved questions related to undeclared nuclear materials and activities in Iran that Iran has failed to address for more than four years”.

The Independent reports that an army commander stationed in the West Bank has been sentenced to ten days in prison after an incident last week in which a Palestinian driver was shot. “The Israeli military said that security forces stationed at the Israeli settlement of Rimonim, east of Jerusalem, had received reports of gunshots in the area and, sometime later, spotted a Palestinian vehicle fleeing the scene that they believed to be behind the shooting. The forces opened fire at the Palestinian man’s car, the military said, hitting and wounding the 23-year-old driver, Mazen Samarat. The army arrested him and took him to a hospital for treatment before releasing him the next day. An Israeli military investigation determined the army’s shooting was the result of mistaken identity. ‘This is a serious incident in which the force acted contrary to procedures.’”

The BBC covers X (formerly Twitter) owner Elon Musk meeting with several world leaders over the last few days. In addition to his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Musk spoke with the leaders of France, Italy, India, South Korea, and Turkey. The meetings illustrate, says the BBC, that Musk “wields – and increasingly asserts – influence over global geopolitics.”

All the Israeli media covers six Palestinian killed by the IDF in two separate locations overnight and this morning. Kan Radio reports that four were killed during an Israeli raid in the Jenin refugee camp involving the use of a Maoz suicide drone. No troops were injured, though an IDF vehicle was damaged by a roadside bomb during the withdrawal from Jenin. Channel 12 details Palestinian sources claiming that the target of the raid was the home of Muhammad al-Bahaa, an Aqsa Martyrs Brigades leader. An Israeli security official said, “We’re talking about the arrest of one of the most significant activists in the Jenin refugee camp.” He added, “Defense Minister Yoav Gallant supported the troops’ [decision to] use a drone to counter terrorism.” Kan Radio also reports that one of those killed was a member of the military wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

A fifth Palestinian was shot dead by troops early this morning in the Aqbat Jabr refugee camp outside Jericho, and the sixth was killed during violent demonstrations held along the Israeli border inside the Gaza Strip yesterday. The IDF are investigating whether he was killed by IDF fire or by explosives he was carrying. Kan Radio cites Palestinian sources reporting that the demonstrators threw bombs at the border and set tires on fire, with some outlets also reporting that incendiary balloons were launched from the Khan Yunis area. The station also reports Hamas Spokesman Mushir al-Masri telling Al Jazeera that: “the enemy needs to understand that security in Tel Aviv is connected to security in Jenin.” Israel Hayom’s Dana Ben Shimon attributed the recent rise in activity on the border to tensions between Hamas and Qatar, after the Gulf state reportedly cut its financial aid to Gaza in response to its displeasure with Hamas’s decision to resume relations with Syrian President Bashar Assad. “Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar wants to exploit the current tensions with Qatar to extract more from Israel,” she writes. “The question remains whether he will be able to manoeuvre successfully and do so without precipitating a major escalation in hostilities, which could end up costing Hamas more in terms of reduced civilian-economic relief measures.” Channel 12 confirms that yesterday morning, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi opted after a situation assessment meeting to keep the Erez crossing closed to Palestinian labourers entering Israel for another 24 hours. This is meant as a means to apply economic pressure on Hamas to restrain the rioting on the border.

Army Radio reports that from the end of 2023, female recruits to the IDF will have the option of applying to serve in the elite Sayeret Matkal commando unit. The decision comes after the Supreme Court raised a query in response to a petition questioning the existing restriction, and will see the launch of a special pilot programme. The IDF is optimistic that, given results from previous pilot programmes in the search and rescue Unit 669 and the Yahalom combat engineering unit, enough female recruits able to pass the entrance criteria will be found. Haaretz reveals that pilot programmes were also announced which will see women combat driving teams and additional combat roles in the Armoured Corps. Forum Dvorah, an organisation that works to advance the integration of women in the national security decision-making process welcomed the news, while noting that it still left other areas closed to women. “We are certain,” it said, “that the exceptional and highly motivated women who will integrate into these units will benefit them immensely.”

Ynet reports that the IDF is to gradually replace the Merkava Mark IV with its successor, the Mark V Barak (Lightning). With the Mark IV having been in operation for some twenty years, the Mark V recently finished a one-month trial run in a unit belonging to the IDF’s Armoured Corps and possesses “significantly enhanced survivability and defensive capabilities.” The four-person vehicle will “include features such as a windbreaker (anti-tank missile protection system), and will have the ability to detect and engage enemy threats, such as anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), even before they are fired, allowing for rapid response and interception.” Defence Ministry official Brig. Gen. Oren Giber said: “This will be the most advanced tank in the world… We’ve created an unbreakable armoured platform, with all of its software infrastructure designed for continuous improvement and upgrading in future versions.”

Channel 12 reports a meeting yesterday between Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi and the Deputy Chief of Mission at the American embassy, Stephanie L. Hallett. While Karhi’s statement on the meeting trumpeted talk of “expanding cooperation” between the countries and “connecting their industries,” the channel reports that Hallet had asked Harkhi “difficult questions about his so-called media reform,” which opponents have argued will greatly restrict press freedom in Israel.