Israel and Hamas: 1) Israeli envoy says communications with Ottawa have ‘deteriorated’ under Carney; 2) (Updated) Trump orders Israel to stop bombing Gaza after Hamas partially accepts his peace plan;3)(Updated) Israeli navy intercepts boats attempting to break Gaza blockade and arrests activists; 4)(Updated) Man kills 2 and wounds 4 in car ramming and stabbing at English synagogue on Jewish holy day

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press

By Dylan Robertson, October 2, 2025

Israel’s envoy to Canada says dialogue between his government and Ottawa has “deteriorated” since Prime Minister Mark Carney took office — and suggests his “hard line” on Gaza explains why Carney still hasn’t spoken by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Since the government of Carney came into place, the level of dialogue between the two countries slowly but surely deteriorated,” Israel Ambassador Iddo Moed told The Canadian Press on Monday.

Carney’s office referred questions about Moed’s comments to the office of Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, which declined to provide a response.

Ottawa co-signed a statement with the United Kingdom and France in May demanding that Israel end its war in Gaza, which Moed said amounted to a “very hard line towards Israel.”

The joint statement promised “concrete actions … including targeted sanctions” if Israel did not end its military campaign and lift restrictions on humanitarian aid entering the enclave.

The ambassador said his office has attempted more than once to engage directly in “consultations” with the Carney government on Gaza and Palestinian statehood, to no avail.

Carney said in July his government would formally recognize a State of Palestine. Moed said his embassy “tried to reach out to the government and convey our position on recognition,” before that but the outreach was unsuccessful.

Moed said the problem persisted since the announcement in July, and even after the declaration was officially made in September.

“My impression is that once the decision was made, there was no room for any further dialogue,” he said. “We did try, however. We did propose to have a conversation about this, and I was disappointed to learn that that did not materialize.”

Moed said he didn’t want to attribute the lack of communication to either Global Affairs Canada or cabinet.

He did say Israel has reached out to Carney’s government through normal channels, and has not escalated the issue to a formal démarche or a diplomatic note.

“At this point in time, there is less appetite for dialogue with Israel,” he said.

Moed said Carney’s decision to sign the joint letter in May “probably” explains why Netanyahu has never spoken by phone with the prime minister since he took office in March.

“Since Carney came in very quickly with a response — with the threats to Israel, very quickly after he was elected — I don’t think there was much appetite from Israel to reach out to somebody who has not even, at the very minimum, tried to say we seek each other’s friendship because both of us believe in the same values, and so on,” he said.

Moed’s comments come just days after former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert blasted Netanyahu for his criticism of Carney, which has included accusations that he is “emboldening Hamas” through his comments about Israel.

“I would advise him not to declare (that) Canada is an enemy of Israel,” Olmert said of Netanyahu in a Sept. 25 interview with The Canadian Press.

Olmert, a fierce critic of Netanyahu, also said Carney is right to pursue a two-state solution, despite Netanyahu’s wholesale rejection of the concept.

“Canada is a friend of Israel and the prime minister of Canada is a friend of Israel,” Olmert said.

The Canadian Press has asked Netanyahu’s office why he hasn’t spoken to Carney and why he did not congratulate the prime minister on his April election win. There has been no response.

Senior Canadian officials — who were authorized to brief media about Palestine statehood on the condition they not be named — said on Sept. 19 there have been multiple attempts to schedule a call between Netanyahu and Carney, but none have happened to date.

Carney did speak briefly with Israeli President Isaac Herzog during the papal inauguration in May at Vatican City, they noted.

Netanyahu publicly criticized Carney during the election campaign in April, calling on him to retract a statement he made during a rally after a protester shouted that Israel was perpetrating a “genocide.”

Carney said in reply that he was “aware, which is why we have an arms embargo.” The prime minister said the next day he hadn’t heard clearly what the protester said.

Carleton University political scientist Jonathan Malloy said Canadian politicians have little to gain by talking about the Middle East at length. He said people’s views on the conflict have polarized and are not shifting.

“Domestic considerations drive so much of foreign policy in this country, and I think that the parties probably feel that they have a lot more to lose than gain (by) speaking out much on Israel-Palestine issue,” he said.

“More and more, I think you’re seeing Canadian parties almost try to avoid the issue more than anything.”

He noted the NDP has been outspoken on Palestinian rights, while the Conservatives have generally supported Israel but raise the issue less often.

Malloy said the Liberal party has been “torn apart” by tensions between its Jewish and Arab constituencies, putting the caucus “under tremendous strain, and it can only get worse for the party.”

2) (Updated) Trump orders Israel to stop bombing Gaza after Hamas partially accepts his peace plan

Courtesy Barrie360.com and The Associated Press

By Wafaa Shurafa, Bassem Mroue And Joseph Krauss, October 3, 2025

Hamas says it accepts some elements of Gaza peace plan after Trump issues ultimatum

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday ordered Israel to stop bombing the Gaza Strip after Hamas said it had accepted some elements of his plan to end the nearly two-year war and return all the remaining hostages taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack.

Hamas said it was willing to release the hostages and hand over power to other Palestinians, but that other aspects of the plan require further consultations among Palestinians. Senior Hamas officials suggested there were still major disagreements that required further negotiations.

There was no immediate response from Israel, which is largely shut down for the Jewish Sabbath, and Hamas’ response fell short of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s demands that the group surrender and disarm.

But Trump welcomed the Hamas statement, saying: “I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE.”

“Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly! Right now, it’s far too dangerous to do that. We are already in discussions on details to be worked out,” he wrote on social media.

Hamas said aspects of the proposal touching on the future of the Gaza Strip and Palestinian rights should be decided on the basis of a “unanimous Palestinian stance” reached with other factions and based on international law.

The statement also made no mention of Hamas disarming, a key Israeli demand included in Trump’s proposal.

Trump’s plan would end the fighting and return hostages

Trump appears keen to deliver on pledges to end the war and return dozens of hostages ahead of the second anniversary of the attack on Tuesday. His peace plan has been accepted by Israel and welcomed internationally.

Key mediators Egypt and Qatar welcomed the latest developments, and Majed Al Ansari, a spokesman for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, said they would “continue discussions on the plan.”

A spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he “urges all parties to seize the opportunity to bring the tragic conflict in Gaza to an end.” French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on social media that “the release of all hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza are within reach!”

Earlier, Trump had warned that Hamas must agree to the deal by Sunday evening, threatening an even greater military onslaught.

“If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas,” Trump wrote Friday on social media. “THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.”

Under the plan, which Trump unveiled earlier this week alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas would immediately release the remaining 48 hostages — around 20 of them believed to be alive. It would also give up power and disarm.

In return, Israel would halt its offensive and withdraw from much of the territory, release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and allow an influx of humanitarian aid and eventual reconstruction. Plans to relocate much of Gaza’s population to other countries would be shelved.

The territory of some 2 million Palestinians would be placed under international governance, with Trump himself and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair overseeing it. The plan provides no path for eventual reunification with the Israeli-occupied West Bank in a future Palestinian state.

Palestinians long for an end to the war, but many view this and previous U.S. proposals as strongly favoring Israel.

Hamas officials air objections in TV interviews

Trump’s proposal “cannot be implemented without negotiations,” Mousa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official based outside of Gaza, told the Al Jazeera network.

The Hamas statement said it was willing to return all remaining hostages according to the plan’s “formula,” likely referring to the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange. It also reiterated its longstanding openness to handing power over to a politically independent Palestinian body.

But Abu Marzouk said it might be difficult for Hamas to release all the hostages within 72 hours as the proposal dictates, because it could take days or weeks to locate the remains of some of the captives.

He said Hamas was willing to hand over its weapons to a future Palestinian body that runs Gaza, but there was no mention of that in the official statement.

Another Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, told Al Araby television that Hamas would refuse foreign administration of the Gaza Strip and that the entry of foreign forces would be “unacceptable.”

US and Israel seek to pressure Hamas

Israel has sought to ramp up pressure on Hamas since ending an earlier ceasefire in March. It sealed the territory off from food, medicine and other goods for 2 1/2 months and has seized, flattened and largely depopulated large areas.

Experts determined that Gaza City had slid into famine shortly before Israel launched a major offensive aimed at occupying it. An estimated 400,000 people have fled the city in recent weeks, but hundreds of thousands more have stayed behind.

Olga Cherevko, a spokesperson for the U.N. humanitarian office, said she saw several displaced families staying in the parking lot of Shifa Hospital during a visit on Thursday.

“They are not able to move south because they just cannot afford it,” Cherevko told The Associated Press. “One of the families had three children and the woman was pregnant with her fourth. And there were many other vulnerable cases there, including elderly people and people with disabilities.”

Most of Hamas’ top leaders in Gaza and thousands of its fighters have already been killed, but it still has influence in areas not controlled by the Israeli military and launches sporadic attacks.

Hamas has long insisted it will only release the remaining hostages — its sole bargaining chip and potential human shields — in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Netanyahu has rejected those terms, saying Hamas must surrender and disarm.

Second anniversary approaches

Thousands of Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, attacking army bases, farming communities and an outdoor music festival, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians. They abducted 251 others, most of them since released in ceasefires or other deals.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants. It says women and children make up around half the dead.

The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.

The offensive has displaced around 90% of Gaza’s population, often multiple times, and left much of the territory uninhabitable.

Both the Biden and Trump administrations have tried to end the fighting and bring back the hostages while providing extensive military and diplomatic support to Israel.

Mroue reported from Beirut and Krauss from Ottawa, Ontario. Associated Press writers Fatma Khaled in Cairo and Chris Megerian in Washington contributed.

3)(Updated) Israeli navy intercepts boats attempting to break Gaza blockade and arrests activists

Courtesy Barrie360.com and The Associated Press

By Ibrahim Hazboun And Renata Brito

Israeli navy intercepts boats attempting to break Gaza blockade and arrests activists

Hundreds of Israeli police officers were deployed Thursday to the southern port of Ashdod to process some 450 international activists detained by Israeli naval forces hours earlier in the Mediterranean Sea, Israeli authorities said.

The activists, including European lawmakers, were taking part of a flotilla attempting to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza when their vessels were intercepted, drawing widespread condemnation and sparking protests around the world.

The Global Sumud Flotilla was the largest yet to try to break the blockade, and it comes at a time of growing criticism of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, where its offensive has laid waste to wide swaths of territory and killed tens of thousands of people.

Activists had said they hoped that the sheer number of boats would make it more difficult for Israeli authorities to intercept them all — but Israel’s Foreign Ministry declared the operation over on Thursday afternoon.

Israeli police shared a video showing some 600 officers working on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, considered the holiest in the Jewish calendar, to register the detained activists ahead of their expected deportations.

Widespread protests

Thousands of people supporting the flotilla took to the streets in several major cities after news of the interception broke to decry the Israeli operation and the ongoing offensive in the Gaza Strip. Italy’s largest union called for a one-day general strike on Friday.

While the majority of marches were peaceful, clashes erupted between police and pro-Palestinian protestors in Paris and in Barcelona, Spain.

The flotilla, which started out with more than 40 boats and some 450 activists, was carrying a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Its main goal, they said, remained “to break Israel’s illegal siege and end the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people.”

Israel’s Foreign Ministry dismissed it as a “provocation,” saying that various countries have offered to deliver the aid the boats were carrying. Israel has come under intense criticism for how much aid it lets into Gaza and how it distributes the goods. It has vehemently denied it is committing genocide.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commended his nation’s navy and soldiers for stopping the flotilla on Yom Kippur, saying in a statement that “Their important action prevented dozens of vessels from entering the war zone and repelled a campaign of delegitimization against Israel.”

Flotilla organizers said at least 41 of their boats were intercepted or assumed intercepted in the nightlong Israeli operation. Israeli authorities later said only one boat remained “at a distance” and would be intercepted if it approached.

The flotilla has streamed its voyage online via live cameras aboard different boats, though most connections were lost as Israeli authorities began boarding them in international waters on Wednesday evening.

An ongoing war and an even longer blockade

The Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, triggered this war. Militants killed some 1,200 people that day, while 251 others were abducted. Forty-eight hostages are still held in Gaza — around 20 believed to be alive.

Israel’s ensuing campaign has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and militants in its toll. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government and whose figures are viewed by experts as the most reliable estimate, has said women and children make up around half the dead.

Israel has maintained varying degrees of blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power in 2007, saying it is necessary to contain the militant group. Critics deride the policy as collective punishment.

After the war started, Israel tightened the blockade but eased up later under U.S. pressure. In March, it sealed the territory off from all food, medicine and other goods for 2 1/2 months, contributing to Gaza’s slide into famine.

The flotilla said it wanted to establish a humanitarian corridor by sea, given the little aid that was reaching Gaza by land.

Activists and European lawmakers detained

Israeli forces detained and removed dozens of people — including Greta Thunberg, former Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau and European Parliament member Rima Hassan — from the flotilla.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry posted photos and videos of some of the detainees saying in a statement that they were “safe and in good health” and would be transferred to Israel for deportation.

Earlier, live broadcasts from the activists showed Israeli boats approaching their vessels, spraying them with water canons and flashing bright lights before troops boarded the flotilla.

Anticipating the interceptions, activists wearing life jackets sat in circles and raised their hands in the air. Some managed to stream the moment live from their cellphones before tossing their devices into the sea.

This combination of images released by the Israeli Foreign Ministry shows Greta Thunberg, second from right, with other flotilla activists after the Israeli navy intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. (Israeli Foreign Ministry via AP)

Many decry flotilla’s interception

Turkey, Colombia, Pakistan and others condemned Israel’s interception of the flotilla.

Italy, France, Poland and other European nations, which had warned the activists not to continue the journey and avoid confrontation with Israel, said they were working with Israeli diplomatic authorities to ensure their citizens were transferred to land and deported home swiftly.

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, one of Israel’s staunchest allies, on Thursday slammed Italian unions for their decision to call a general strike on Friday in solidarity with the flotilla.

“I continue to believe that all this brings no benefit to the Palestinian people. On the other hand, I understand that it will bring a lot of problems to Italian citizens,” Meloni told reporters upon her arrival in Copenhagen for a summit.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry described the interceptions as an “act of terrorism” and a severe breach of international law in a statement late Wednesday.

The detention of activists was part of Israel’s “ongoing aggression,” the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said, adding that Israel’s blockade of Gaza had caused “immense suffering” for more than 2 million Palestinians in the strip.

Israel has argued its actions constitute a lawful naval blockade needed to prevent Hamas from importing arms, while critics consider it collective punishment of Palestinians in Gaza.

Whether the blockade is militarily justified is a point of contention. But the flotilla argues they are a civilian, unarmed group and that the passage of humanitarian aid is guaranteed under international law.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced late Wednesday that his government would expel Israel’s diplomatic delegation in the South American country and terminate a free trade agreement with Israel over the interception. Two Colombian citizens are taking part in the flotilla.

Petro has repeatedly described Israel’s siege of Gaza as an act of genocide, something Israel vehemently denies.

___ Brito reported from Barcelona, Spain. Associated Press journalists Giada Zampano in Rome; Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey; Munir Ahmed in Islamabad and Regina Garcia Cano in Caracas, Venezuela, contributed to this report.

4)(Updated) Man kills 2 and wounds 4 in car ramming and stabbing at English synagogue on Jewish holy day

Courtesy Barrie360.com and The Associated Press

By Pan Pylas, Brian Melley And Ian Hodgson, Oct. 2, 2025

Car and knife attack at UK synagogue on Yom Kippur kills 2 and injures 3

Emergency services at the scene of a stabbing at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue, in Crumpsall, Manchester, England, Thursday Oct. 2, 2025. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

An assailant drove a car into people outside a synagogue Thursday in northern England and then began stabbing them, killing two and seriously wounding four in a terrorist attack on the holiest day of the Jewish year, police said.

Officers shot and killed the suspect outside Manchester, police said, though authorities took some time to confirm he was dead because he was wearing a vest that made it appear as if he had explosives. Authorities later said he did not have a bomb.

The Metropolitan Police in London, who lead counter-terrorism policing operations, declared the rampage a terrorist attack.

Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said two other suspects were arrested, though he provided no further information on the arrests. He said police believe they know the identity of the man who carried out the attack but have not confirmed it.

The attack took place as people gathered at an Orthodox synagogue in a suburban neighborhood of Manchester on Yom Kippur, the day of atonement and the most solemn day in the Jewish calendar. Police said the two people killed were Jewish.

People react close to the scene of a stabbing incident at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue, in Crumpsall, Manchester, England, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer denounced the “vile” assailant who “attacked Jews because they are Jews.” He promised the Jewish community that he would do “everything in my power to guarantee you the security that you deserve, starting with a more visible police presence.”

“I promise you that over the coming days, you will see the other Britain, the Britain of compassion, of decency, of love,” Starmer said. “I promise you that this Britain will come together to wrap our arms around your community and show you that Britain is a place where you and your family are safe, secure and belong.”

Antisemitic incidents in the U.K. have hit record levels following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and Israel’s ensuing military campaign in Gaza, according to Community Security Trust, an advocacy group for British Jews that works to eliminate antisemitism.

More than 1,500 incidents were reported in the first half of the year, the second-highest six-month total reported since the record set over the same period a year earlier.

“This is every rabbi’s or every Jewish person’s worst nightmare,” said Rabbi Jonathan Romain, of Maidenhead Synagogue and head of the Rabbinic Court of Great Britain. “Not only is this a sacred day, the most sacred in the Jewish calendar, but it’s also a time of mass gathering.”

Witnesses describe a car driving toward the synagogue and then a stabbing attack

Greater Manchester Police said they were called to the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue around 9:30 a.m. — shortly after services had begun.

Chief Constable Stephen Watson said the man drove directly at pedestrians outside the synagogue and then attacked them with a knife.

Chava Lewin, who lives next to the synagogue, said she heard a bang and thought it might be a firework until her husband ran inside their house and said there had been a “terrorist attack.”

A witness told her that she saw a car driving erratically crash into the gates of the house of worship.

“She thought maybe he had a heart attack,” Lewin said. “The second he got out of the car, he started stabbing anyone near him. He went for the security guard and tried to break into the synagogue.”

Minutes later, police fired shots, hitting the assailant.

Video on social media showed police with guns pointed at a person lying on the ground beneath a blue Star of David on the brick wall of the synagogue.

A bystander could be heard on the video saying the man had a bomb and was trying to detonate it. When the man tried to stand up, a gunshot rang out and he fell to the ground.

On the sidewalk outside the synagogue gate nearby, the body of another person lay in a pool of blood.

Watson credited security guards and congregants for their bravery in preventing assailant from getting inside the prayer service.

Police later detonated an explosion to get into the suspect’s car.

Manchester was the site of Britain’s deadliest attack in recent years, the 2017 suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande concert that killed 22 people.

Authorities declare an emergency

Immediately after the attack, police declared “Plato,” the national code word used by police and emergency services when responding to a “marauding terror attack.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was appalled by the attack and that additional police officers would be deployed at synagogues across the U.K.

He flew back to London early from a summit of European leaders in Copenhagen, Denmark, to chair a meeting of the government’s emergency committee.

“The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific,” Starmer said on the X platform.

King Charles III said he and Queen Camilla were “deeply shocked and saddened″ to learn of the attack “on such a significant day for the Jewish community.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this appalling incident, and we greatly appreciate the swift actions of the emergency services,’′ he said on his social media feed.

Pylas and Melley reported from London.