The legal officials clarified that since Israel has declared a naval blockade, it must be consistently enforced without exceptions, and therefore the flotilla must not be allowed to pass. Security officials noted that the ships might contain ammunition that would aid Hamas, making it mandatory to inspect the contents before they are permitted to pass. For these reasons, it was decided that the new flotilla will be handled in a manner very similar to how the previous flotilla was managed.

Accordingly, once the flotilla reaches the maritime border of Gaza, IDF forces, led by the Israeli Navy, will operate according to international regulations and will warn the boats not to advance further. If they cooperate, they will be redirected to one of Israel's ports. If they refuse, the IDF will forcibly seize control of the boats and tow them to Israeli shores. Following their arrival in the country, the participants will undergo a legal procedure similar to what took place the last time. However, urgent discussions are being held in Israel on the question of whether to release them, especially regarding participants for whom this will be their second attempt to breach the blockade, such as Greta Thunberg.

It should be noted that based on intelligence information gathered in Israel, the flotilla is not only designed to assist Hamas propaganda but was also funded and organized by the organization, meaning the flotilla was intended to be a media gimmick from start to finish. Against this backdrop, alongside the operational preparation, there is an extensive and coordinated public relations effort by the Foreign Ministry, the IDF, the Israel Police, and the other agencies that are monitoring the flotilla and preparing to address it. This is intended to provide a real-time media response to any expected provocation from the participants. It should be noted that already, Israel's messages regarding the flotilla have garnered millions of views on social networks, whereas the participants' publications are receiving comparatively little and small attention.

Israel and Italy have offered the flotilla participants the option to unload the contents of the boats at legitimate ports in the Middle East, so that the contents could undergo a security inspection and then be transferred to the Gaza Strip through the conventional routes. Nonetheless, all the offers were rejected by them. Foreign Ministry Director General Eitan Bar Tal stated on Thursday in a response during a press conference for the foreign media, "The flotilla's refusals prove once again that its real purpose is not the transfer of humanitarian aid, but rather provocation and service to the terrorist organization Hamas. Israel reiterates: the entry of vessels into an active combat zone will not be permitted and the violation of the lawful naval siege will not be allowed."

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The head of Germany's largest police union delivers an unequivocal message about protecting Jewish communities in the wake of October 7, while calling for expanded powers to combat rising antisemitism and extremism across the country. In an exclusive interview with Israel Hayom, Jochen Kopelke details his organization's commitment to ensuring Jewish security and outlines necessary reforms to prevent the spread of hate on German streets.

Jochen Kopelke, 41, leads the German Police Union GdP (Gewerkschaft der Polizei), the world's largest organization of its kind. The union represents more than 210,000 police officers, police employees, and security forces personnel – both past and present. Since the outbreak of war, these officers have been standing on the front lines confronting violent anti-Israel demonstrations.

"We serve as the last line of defense in the streets against Hamas supporters. If we fail to stop them – they will overflow the streets and bring back dangers we've already witnessed in German history," he says. "Our mission is to prevent this. We show no tolerance for antisemitic expressions and calls for Israel's destruction. I believe even Hamas supporters are beginning to grasp this reality."

Drawing from more than two decades of experience in the German police force, and as one of the system's most influential figures, he delivers a clear message to German Jews and Israelis residing in the country. "We recognize there's a concerning trend causing Jews to fear walking in the streets. There are areas where Jews and LGBTQ+ community members face genuine threats. As a police officer, I find this situation absolutely unacceptable. It demands fundamental change, which we are actively pursuing."

Kopelke outlines his vision for this transformation. "It includes expanding police authority to confront those who act against our state's values," he explains and addresses Jews and Israelis directly: "We want you visible in our streets, speaking Hebrew without fear, feeling secure in your daily lives."

He faces the complex historical context head-on. "We acknowledge the German police's past, but we've transformed. Our present mission is protecting Jews, and our union communicates this message without ambiguity. If you feel threatened – contact the police, identify yourself as Jewish, and express your concerns, and we will respond, protect, and safeguard you. We maintain zero tolerance for antisemitism. That chapter of history is firmly closed."

The path to police leadership began with synagogue security. Kopelke advanced through various field and staff positions before assuming leadership of the police union. His role encompasses overseeing the professional and general interests of all police employees, past and present. One of his earliest assignments involved securing Jewish communities in Bremen. This experience, combined with his background in demonstration management, provides him unique insight into the new challenges facing German streets since October 7, 2023.

"We witness our officers facing attacks during these demonstrations, but they maintain professionalism, understanding this work is challenging yet essential. Those breaking laws should expect no leniency. Despite numerous officers sustaining injuries during pro-Hamas demonstrations, we remain undeterred. We'll continue providing enhanced security at synagogues and Jewish institutions, maintaining our resolve against protesters. As I mentioned: they're learning where we draw the line and the futility of testing our resolve."

Kopelke demonstrates clear awareness of the complex situation, highlighting the combined threat to Jewish communities from pro-Hamas supporters on the extreme left and antisemitism from the extreme right. "The statistics are stark – antisemitic attacks doubled within a year after October 7. This widespread phenomenon emerges from multiple sources: antisemitism from both extreme left and right. At pro-Hamas demonstrations, we observe Middle Eastern immigrants alongside extreme left and right elements. This coalition generates legitimate fear within Jewish communities. We require enhanced tools to counter this wave of hatred."

This conversation follows a special conference organized by the German Justice Ministry and Simon Wiesenthal Center. Kopelke participated in the event, moderated by Liron Glickman, a Holocaust survivors' granddaughter, civil diplomat, and international business development consultant recognized in Israeli and global tech circles.
"The October 7 Hamas massacre of Jews and Israelis has had direct repercussions in Germany – this crime transcends borders. We're seeing threats, hate crimes, and antisemitic graffiti. Lifelong Jewish residents suddenly fear walking our streets. While we've strengthened security at Jewish institutions, we're simultaneously pursuing legislation to better protect our society from those who make it unsafe for others. We're explicitly asking politicians to equip police with additional tools for protecting vulnerable populations."

Implementation challenges stem from Germany's federal structure of 16 states. For instance, artificial intelligence for suspect identification is permitted in Bavaria but prohibited in Berlin and elsewhere. Notably, Berlin, despite facing large demonstrations, operates under more restrictive police guidelines. "We need unified standards for German police forces, enabling firm action against lawbreakers, preventing situations where we observe demonstrations without authority to address criminal behavior."

He emphasizes that "Pro-Hamas demonstrations created an impression of tolerating October 7 events support." His stance is resolute: "This crime must receive no legitimacy, whether through symbols or disguised rhetoric. Munich police possess tools for swift criminal apprehension through artificial intelligence. We advocate extending these capabilities to all German police forces."

Kopelke expresses optimism about potential changes following the February 23 elections. "Progress seems likely as the Bundestag advances new legislation addressing terrorism from Islamist groups, Hamas, and supporters undermining German democracy. We need police capability to address all forms of hate speech, antisemitism, and cybercrime. Denmark's model of police presence on social media offers a template – German police need similar tools, as online activity frequently manifests in street demonstrations."

"Expressions like 'from the river to the sea' must be prohibited throughout Germany, including social media, with consequences for violations. Our challenge has been politicians discussing these issues without creating sufficient legal framework for combating these phenomena. We anticipate post-election changes. German police officers reject passive observation – they seek active engagement against these threats to ensure a better society and sustained Jewish life in Germany."

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A Juneteenth celebration in Oakland, California, turned violent when several people were shot. The Lake Merritt event on Wednesday night was largely peaceful, with as many as 5,000 in attendance, until a sideshow involving motorbikes and vehicles took place around 8:15 p.m. on the north side of the lake, police said in a news release Thursday.

A fight broke out down the street from the sideshow and a crowd gathered in the area of the brawl. "During that fight, multiple shots rang out," said Paul Chambers, OPD's strategic communications manager. While it was not immediately clear how many people were injured, police said at least four were struck by gunfire and were taken to a hospital.

BREAKING NEWS OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA: TOTAL CITY COLLAPSE. LAWLESSNESS ERUPTS AS MULTIPLE GUN BATTLES TAKE PLACE ON JUNETEENTH

Oakland, CA - In a shocking turn of events, multiple gun battles broke out across the city of Oakland during Juneteenth celebrations, leaving numerous… pic.twitter.com/NHPXJrsemg

— World Peace Movement (@darren_stallcup) June 20, 2024

As officers tried to get the crowd to safety several people struck OPD officers, Chambers said. At least one person was taken into custody for assaulting an officer, he said. Participants in the celebration were seen verbally harassing police with some people criticizing police response, saying they didn't respond quickly enough when people were injured, KTVU reported.

In 2021, a shooting during a Juneteenth celebration at Lake Merritt left several people injured and a 22-year-old San Francisco man dead.

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In a heart-stopping scene captured on video, a Florida sniper is seen taking down a bank robbery suspect who was holding two people hostage at knifepoint. The footage, recently released by the Lee County Sheriff's Office, shows the incredible moment the sniper shot the suspect through a computer monitor, with the bullet traveling between the two hostages before fatally striking the man.

The harrowing incident unfolded on February 6 when a 36-year-old man attempted to rob a Bank of America in Fort Myers. After police arrived on the scene, the suspect took two people hostage inside an office, crouching behind them and using them as human shields.

Video: Sniper shoots through computer screen / Credit:

According to Lt. Todd Olmer of the Lee County Sheriff's Office, the suspect had claimed to have a bomb on him and held a knife to one hostage's throat, prompting officers to take action.

In the video, SWAT officers are seen positioned outside the bank's doors while a sniper steadies his rifle on the shoulder of another officer, aiming at the suspect's head, which is barely visible over a computer monitor.

WATCH: Harrowing video shows moment sniper shoots through computer monitor and in between 2 hostages, taking out hostage-taker at Florida bank pic.twitter.com/jt2anv3fo0

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) June 9, 2024

 "Keep talking to me, keep talking to me, I want to know what's going through your head right now," a negotiator can be heard saying. Moments later, the sniper pulls the trigger, and the bullet pierces through the computer monitor before striking the suspect, who crumples to the floor as the hostages scatter for cover.

"Due to the suspect's limited exposure, the sniper took a planned and deliberate shot through a computer monitor, striking the suspect in the center of the forehead, killing him instantly," Olmer explained. He added, "Firing through barriers is a trained and routinely practiced skill by the Lee County Sheriff's Office special operations unit snipers. The .308 caliber bullet used is specifically selected due to its known ballistic reliability traveling through intermediate barriers."

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Sarah and Liba Goldschmidt, the eight- and twelve-year-old Israeli-American girls whose whereabouts were unknown this week due to a likely custody battle, were found in northern Israel on Tuesday. 

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The two had stayed with the mom under a visitation arrangement with their father, but she did not hand them back as agreed, resulting in widespread searches. Upon their discovery on Tuesday morning in the Haifa area, the mother was arrested on kidnapping charges. The father was given back custody over the two after arriving in the apartment. 

Video: A custody battle over a minor (File) / Credit: Israel Police

Police believe the grandmother is involved in the scheme to have them stay longer with the mother. 

Originally from Israel, the couple had moved to the US about a decade ago, where they had three children. They eventually divorced, and the father – a US national – got full custody over their two girls and one boy. This summer, a US judge gave the mother permission to take the girls for a vacation in Israel on the condition that she would have to bring them back to the father, who arrived in Israel 10 days after them. 

But the woman could not be reached when the time had come and she did not meet him at the agreed-upon location: The Tel Aviv Savidor Train Station. The father ultimately contacted law enforcement, which began a search. At one point, there was concern that their lives were in danger.  

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The Shin Ben internal security agency will assist the police in tackling crime in the Arab sector, the Prime Minister's office announced Wednesday following a meeting by a ministerial panel established to address the spiraling crime wave.

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Although normally in charge of matters of national security, the Shin Bet will be brought in "against criminal organizations in all matters related to municipal elections."

Video: The scene of Tuesday's shocking quadruple murder in Abu Snan / Credit: Magen David Adom emergency medical services

According to Kan News, the agency has already identified 15-20 Arab localities in which candidates, voters, or elected officials are being threatened by criminal elements.

The panel – chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – convened following the murder of two political figures from the Arab community in just two days.

Netanyahu said the shooting of the figures "crossed a line."

"We will use all means, including the Shin Bet and the police, to defeat this criminal phenomenon. We have eliminated organized crime in the Jewish sector in Israel and we will eliminate organized crime in the Arab sector as well," he said. "Every citizen of Israel must feel secure and not under the shadow of the threat of internal terrorism."

Similarly, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has called for the Shin Bet to investigate all violent crimes in the Arab sector and demanded the use of administrative detention that would enable holding suspects for extended periods of time without charge.

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The Israel Police denied allegations Saturday that officers beat a Palestinian during a recent arrest, imprinting the Star of David on his cheek, saying the reports on the incident were "biased and distorted."

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The suspect, in his 30s from the Shuafat refugee camp, was arrested last week on suspicion of drug possession with intent to distribute.

According to an official statement, "materials suspected to be drugs were confiscated in an amount not intended for personal use," including over two pounds of substances believed to be hashish, ecstasy, methadone, and other drugs.

The police said officers had no choice but to use force as the detainee violently resisted arrest and that the mark on his cheek was most likely made by a boot pressed against his face.

"At a certain point, the suspect began to lose control, and violently attacked officers and resisted arrest," the statement said. "Due to his actions, police were forced to use reasonable force until the arrest process was completed.

"As part of the investigation, the suspect's detention has been extended by the court until August 20. If there are complaints about a particular behavior, they should be examined by the relevant authorities," it said.

The suspect's attorney, however, accused the officers of brutality and racial animus – allegations that the forces denied.

None of the sixteen officers involved in the arrest had their body cameras on at the time, reportedly due to a technical problem.

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Israel Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai will step down from his post, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announced on Sunday. 

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In a short video message, Ben-Gvir referenced his continued dispute with Shabtai, saying "it's no secret that we haven't always seen eye to eye," adding that Shabtai was an excellent and loyal servant to Israel. 

Shabtai, who has served in his current role for the better part of three years and under three different administrations, confirmed he would not continue under the current political climate.

It is understood that Ben-Gvir has long ago decided against extending Shabtai's term for another year, as the two clashed over the minister's efforts to expand his control over the police.

The deteriorating relationship between the two is due to a number of disagreements, including over Ben-Gvir's initiative to enlist the Shin Bet agency in the task of combating skyrocketing crime rates in the Arab sector. 

Most recently, Ben-Gvir on Sunday instructed police to investigate what he called the collective punishment imposed on the Jewish community of Ateret in Samaria the day before.

"It is forbidden to punish an entire public. Given that it wasn't permissible to seal off Issawiya [a Palestinian neighborhood in Jerusalem], it's not clear why it was possible to seal off the settlement of Ateret," said a statement released by Ben-Gvir's office.

He demanded an explanation of why police blocked the entry to the community and carried out inspections of all those entering and leaving.

The police apparently sealed the community in connection with the burning by Jews of at least two homes and two cars in the nearby Arab village of Umm Safa on Saturday. Clashes between the two sides resumed later on nearby Highway 60.

Shabtai also came under heavy pressure to resign in April 2022, when 45 people died in a stampede during celebrations at Mt. Meron.

i24NEWS and JNS.org contributed to this report.

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Several members of the public were hurt on Sunday after a bomb detonated on a motorcycle in what appears to be an attempt to assassinate a person as part of gang feuds, or alternatively an accident by the would-be assassin.

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The motorcycle driver, a 28-year-old man, sustained severe wounds when the explosive device went off on Rashi Street in Ramat Gan, apparently while he was attempting to ignite it.

The injured man, who is known to the police investigating crime in the area, was taken to the Ichilov Hospital with serious injuries to his limbs. The passers-by who were injured suffered only minor wounds from shrapnel.

"We saw the motorcycle on the side of the sidewalk, with the rider, a 28-year-old man lying next to it. He was conscious and suffered severe injuries. We gave him life-saving medical treatment that included stopping the bleeding and placed a tourniquet, and we evacuated him to the Ichilov Hospital in critical condition," said two medics from the Magen David Adom first responder service who had arrived at the scene

The unusual event joins quite a few recent criminal events in the city. On Thursday, a pipe bomb exploded outside the door of an apartment, but ended without injuries. About a week ago, a shooting was reported on a different street for the third time that week.

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The government authorized on Sunday a national guard sought by far-right security chief Itamar Ben-Gvir to focus on Arab unrest, but held off on giving him direct command after political rivals voiced concern the force could become a sectarian "militia."

The previous government began setting up an auxiliary police force to tackle internal violence following pro-Palestinian protests in mixed Jewish-Arab areas during the Gaza war of May 2021. That government fell before the new force was finalized.

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Having recanted some of his views, he joined Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition with an expanded law-and-order portfolio that he pledged would include a beefed-up national guard for use mainly in crime- and rioting-hit Arab communities.

"It will deal with this exclusively. The police does not deal exclusively with this. It's busy with a thousand and one things," he told Army Radio.

The initiative was jump-started last week when Netanyahu agreed to bring Ben-Gvir's national guard for cabinet approval after the security minister backed his pause of a judicial overhaul proposal that had triggered nationwide street protests.

But having voted in favor on Sunday, the cabinet said in a statement that the question of whom the national guard would be subordinate to remained open. It appointed a multi-agency panel to submit recommendations on this and other issues in 90 days.

That appeared to be in response to criticism by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara that the cabinet decision was made without first establishing the parameters of the national guard.

Israel's police chief, Inspector-General Yaacov Shabtai, has expressed misgivings that the national guard, if not under his own force's control, "could prove most costly and even harm the security of the citizenry," according to the Ynet news site.

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid last week scorned the proposed national guard as "a private militia for a dangerous Tik-Tok clown" – a reference to Ben-Gvir's volubility on social media.

"Why does the State of Israel - which has an army, police, military intelligence, the Shin Bet, Mossad, National Security Council, Prisons Service, riot police, a SWAT team – need another national guard?" tweeted Arab lawmaker Ayman Odeh.

Ben-Gvir said he wants control of the national guard because, in his view, it had been neglected by police chiefs. But he told Army Radio he was willing to consider letting them stay in charge "if they're serious and really want it."

The national guard will take months to get off the ground, he said, with an initial intake of 1,850 personnel that could include seconded or reservist police officers and volunteers, from both Arab and Jewish sectors.

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