BBC News, The Guardian and The Times report that the Turkish prosecutor in charge of the trial of 26 Saudi nationals involved in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi has asked to halt the trial. The trial has been ongoing for nearly four years and Saudi Arabia has refused to extradite the defendants. The Turkish prosecutor said the trial should be moved to Saudi Arabia. The decision is largely seen as a move by Turkey to amend ties with Saudi Arabi and comes ahead of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Saudi Arabia.

The Guardian reports that a 19-month-old Palestinian baby from Gaza with a hole in her heart died after her treatment was delayed. Her family had waited five months for Israel to issue a permit allowing her to leave Gaza for the lifesaving surgery, but it never came. According to the World Health Organization, in February Israel approved 69 per cent of permits applications for patients in Gaza.

The Economist reports on the unprecedented summit Israel hosted in the Negev, which followed a notable meeting between leaders of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel in Sharm al-Sheikh. The paper notes that while the Negev summit “was long on symbols but short on promises … the twin summits were part of a broader flurry of diplomacy, some of it rooted in a feeling that America is no longer a reliable partner”.

The Financial Times reveals that state funds from the UAE were used to purchase the Israeli NSO group, a company notorious for its Pegasus spyware. Mubadala Capital, a state-owned investment company in Abu Dhabi and chaired by Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, was one of the largest investors in the €1bn private equity fund that bought NSO three years ago. NSO’s Pegasus spyware has been used to hack and track the phones of journalists and human rights activists. It was also found on the phone of the estranged wife of Dubai’s ruler.

The Times reports that 2,000 Iranian women and girls were refused entry into Iran’s World Cup qualifying match against Lebanon, despite having tickets for the game. Some women were even pepper-sprayed by security guards. Many have called for FIFA to ban Iran from the 2022 World Cup in light of the events during the match. Iran secured their place in the tournament after defeating Lebanon 2-0. FIFA threatened to suspend Iran previously, which prompted the regime to allow women to watch football since 2019, but this policy has not been fully implemented.

The Times reports on the trial for the last of the ‘ISIS Beatles’ as the longest held survivor of the group gave testimony in a US court this week. Federico Motka, an aid worker, was captured and held for 14 months. He described how he was subjected to waterboarding, forced to fight other hostages and was regularly beaten by his captors.

Kan Radio News reports that Umm el-Fahm Mayor Samir Mahamid rescinded his resignation last night after having announced his resignation during a live interview. He resigned after the municipality’s media department posted on Facebook its condolences over the deaths of the two terrorists who were behind the attack in Hadera on Sunday. Mahamid said the post was a mistake, and that he firmly condemned the terror attack.

Writing in Yediot Ahronot, Giora Eiland, a former director of the National Security Council, outlines the five steps he believes the security establishment must take to prevent further attacks: “1) The barrier around Judea and Samaria, which was contiguous and effective for 18 years, has become full of holes and breached over the years. There is no alternative to investing in concrete and iron to close the existing breaches; 2) The illegal residents have been an issue not only because of the breaches in the fence, but because hundreds of (Jewish and Arab) Israelis have been employing them in order to cut costs. The lenient legislation and lax enforcement must change; 3) We cannot settle for sporadic raids by the police to confiscate illegal weapons. This calls for a broad action against whoever possesses such arms, including serious financial sanctions and property confiscation; 4) Punishment: the perpetrators of the terror attacks in Beer Sheva, Hadera and Bnei Brak had previously been incarcerated for terrorist activity. If they had been sentenced to ten years in the three cases, these [latest] attacks would not have happened; 5) Intelligence: just two months ago, around the time of the NSO affair, many were outraged that the police has been listening in on Israelis. Well, an essential condition for counterterrorism is expanding the police and the GSS’s ability to violate the privacy of suspected terrorists. The technology exists, so it’s a question of resources and legislation.”

Also in Yediot Ahronot, Sima Kadmon argues that the current wave of terror attacks should be kept in proportion. She writes: “There is nothing written here to detract from the pain of losing 11 people in three terror attacks. But given the hysteria that has broken out all over the place — from the media to local council heads to cities that have bowed to an atmosphere of fear and all the way to the prime minister calling on people licenses to carry guns to carry them on the street — the question cannot be avoided: Have we lost our minds? If three terror attacks like this can destabilize our power of resilience, what’s going to happen when a war breaks out, Heaven forbid, with Hizbullah? Or if the wave of terror continues and claims more lives, as it did in 2015 – seven and a half months of a ‘knife Intifada’ during which 47 Israelis were murdered?”

Ehud Yaari argues in Channel 12 News that Israel must launch a “political operation Defensive Shield, which is designed to change the conditions in the arena so as gradually to create a meaningful change in the map of terrorism”. He outlines what Israel should do: “Israel must make it clear that moving forward it will not do business with any party that refuses to condemn terrorism unequivocally and in Arabic. Doing so is risky and costly, but it also could potentially yield results … Israel ought to tell the US, the European Union, the UN and the Arab countries that have made peace with us that moving forward we will insist that they not express any tolerance for terrorism, and certainly that they refrain from encouraging and egging terrorists on.”

Ynet reports that Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said yesterday that a gas pipeline between Israel and Turkey would not be possible in the short-term. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told Turkish media yesterday that he was hopeful Turkey and Israel can reach an understanding on energy cooperation. He added: “If we discuss this subject with Bennett after Ramadan and we take steps immediately, the process will accelerate for Israel-Turkey cooperation, east Mediterranean crude oil, and natural gas.”

The Jerusalem Post reports that Israel and India have collaborated on missile defence system tests. The paper notes that “the trial included two interceptors that were launched from a portable land-based system and two others from a naval-based system – and the system’s radar managed to detect all four”. The trials were carried out by the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO).

The Times of Israel reports that the US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides said Israel’s “hand are not tied” if a new JCPOA deal is signed. He also added that Israel would not be faced with any restrictions from the US if it decides to act against Iran.

Ynet reports that while Israel reported over 14,000 daily COVID cases on Wednesday, the reproduction number has continued to decrease. The reproduction number now stands at 1.15, a slower rate than in early March. The number of patients in severe condition stands at 272 with 105 on ventilators – another figure the paper notes points to a “moderate decline”.