HEADLINES
- Naval Academy lockdown after gunfire reported
- Doha strike targets Hamas leadership draws reaction
- Yemen cross-border strikes persist as missiles intercepted
The time is now 7:00 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
This is the 7:00 PM news update. Tonight we review a shifting security picture from home to the region and the latest developments that are shaping the conflict and diplomacy around Gaza, Iran and its proxies.
A campus lockdown at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis is in effect after a former midshipman reportedly returned with a weapon and gunfire was heard inside Bancroft Hall. The incident prompted a campus-wide lockdown and an ongoing investigation, with officials urging the public to avoid the area as authorities review surveillance video and gather evidence.
In the Middle East, the war in Gaza continues to reverberate across the region as actors recalibrate strategies in the wake of a high-profile strike against Hamas leadership. Israeli officials say there is no sanctuary for terrorists anywhere, including in Doha or Tehran, and insist that leaders of Hamas remain a primary target as part of Israel’s broader security objective to deter and dismantle militant command structures. The strike in Doha drew an international response, with the United Nations Security Council, backed by the United States, issuing a rare joint statement condemning the attack, urging de-escalation and the release of hostages, while stopping short of naming Israel. Israel defended the operation as a signal that Hamas leadership cannot evade accountability, and stressed the importance of pressuring leadership responsible for the aggression.
Mediation efforts remain delicate. Qatar continues to play a central role, with Arab diplomats noting that some diplomatic channels have paused in the wake of the Doha strike as negotiators seek a path back to hostage releases and a broader de-escalation. The Security Council statement underscored the need to protect civilians and for all sides to seize opportunities to achieve peace, while reaffirming support for the mediation efforts led by Qatar, Egypt and the United States.
In Yemen, the cross-border dimension of the Gaza war remains active as well. Yemen’s Houthis report continued strikes and attacks in solidarity with Gaza, and the Israeli military says it intercepted a missile and a drone launched from Yemen earlier in the day. The Health Ministry in Sanaa, controlled by the Houthis, said the number of those killed in Israeli attacks rose to 46, with 165 wounded. The latest flare-up follows a sequence of exchanges that have included Israeli strikes on Houthi-controlled areas and retaliatory attacks at sea and in the air, highlighting the spillover risk of the Gaza conflict across the region.
Turning to domestic and international reactions, security officials in the United States have tightened measures after the shooting involving Charlie Kirk, with reports that a Pentagon ceremony and other presidential events will be conducted with heightened security. President Donald Trump said he hopes the Doha strike does not derail hostage talks, signaling ongoing concern about the humanitarian component of the conflict and the broader diplomatic effort to secure the hostages’ safe return. Meanwhile, US and allied analyses emphasize a policy framework described by some as pursuing peace through strength, with close coordination between Washington and Jerusalem on security steps and on regional diplomacy with key partners in the Gulf and Egypt.
Separately, declassified Hamas documents examined by NGO Monitor and reported in The Times of Israel outline how Hamas has long used hospitals in Gaza as part of its military and security infrastructure. The documents describe leadership and military activity taking shelter in hospitals and using...