Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-07-08 at 16:01

HEADLINES
Saudi reroutes IMEC, sidelines Israel
Yashar tops Likud in Channel 13 poll
IDF Private Yaakov Zrihan identified at last

The time is now 4:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

In Regional Impacts, Saudi Arabia is exploring a significant shift in the proposed India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor, seeking to sideline Israel from the trade initiative by rerouting the corridor through Syria instead, according to two sources familiar with the discussions who spoke to The Jerusalem Post. The IMEC, unveiled by then-US president Joe Biden during the G20 Summit in New Delhi in September 2023, was conceived as a transformative infrastructure and trade project linking India with Europe through the Gulf and the Eastern Mediterranean. The initiative envisioned a network of railways, ports, and shipping lanes connecting India to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, and Greece, providing a faster alternative to traditional maritime routes while strengthening economic integration across the region. From its inception, Israel's role in IMEC was viewed as inseparable from a broader US-backed effort to broker normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Under the original blueprint, freight would travel by rail from Saudi Arabia through Jordan into Israel before being shipped to European markets via the Port of Haifa, positioning Israel as a critical logistical hub. The war in Gaza and the collapse of momentum toward Israeli-Saudi normalization have forced Riyadh to reassess the route.

In Israeli Domestic Politics, the Yashar Party, led by Gadi Eisenkot, overtook Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party by a small margin in a Channel 13 poll released on Wednesday, the first time Likud has fallen below Eisenkot's Yashar after weeks of a tie between the two parties. This is a developing story. In another development, MK Moshe Gafni, leader of the haredi Degel HaTorah faction, demanded that Prime Minister Netanyahu advance the Basic Law: Torah Study bill unchanged, despite legal warnings that its current wording could provide Torah students who evade military service with benefits similar to those available to IDF reservists. The demand comes as the haredi coalition partners push for final readings ahead of a Knesset vote, raising tensions within Netanyahu’s coalition as lawmakers debate the House Committee proceedings and the path to law.

In Uplifting News, IDF Private Yaakov Zrihan, who was killed during Israel's War of Independence, has been identified after his remains were found in an unmarked mass grave in Kiryat Anavim, following a 15-year investigation by the IDF Missing Persons Branch. The grave contained the remains of seven other IDF soldiers who took part in Operation Harel. Zrihan, who immigrated to Israel from Casablanca, Morocco in 1947 and enlisted in the Palmach on April 12, 1948, is believed to have been part of a convoy to free the besieged city of Jerusalem and was likely killed near Shaar Hagai on April 20, 1948. A state ceremony will be planned for the late private, and his sister was updated by IDF officials. The swimming season has begun.

Thank you for tuning in to this Israel Today: Ongoing War Report update.
I'm Noa Levi. Stay safe and informed.
Keep in mind that this AI-generated report may contain occasional inaccuracies, so consult multiple sources for a comprehensive view. Find the code and more details in the podcast description.

SOURCES
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-901922
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-901932
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-901918
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-901913
https://worldisraelnews.com/idf-locates-burial-place-of-soldier-missing-since-1948-war-of-independence/
https://t.me/newssil/206211