There is no victory until all of the hostages are home!
אין נצחון עד שכל החטופים בבית
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Hostage Updates
Senior Hamas official says group has shown enough flexibility in negotiations for ceasefire to resume
Senior Hamas official Taher al-Nunu tells Al-Jazeera that indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas to reach a renewed ceasefire have not stopped, and efforts to reach a point that would allow the deal to be put back into effect are ongoing.
According to al-Nunu, Hamas has shown sufficient flexibility to resume the agreement, but Israel has refused these attempts.
Israel resumed fighting in Gaza earlier this week after talks for a temporary extension to the first phase of a multi-stage ceasefire and hostage release deal failed, with Hamas insisting it would not deviate from the agreed-upon second phase of the truce.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has since declared that any further negotiations with Hamas will only take place “under fire.”
Head Held High: After 482 Days in Captivity, Gadi Moses Speaks for the First Time
These are moments that cannot be forgotten: when Gadi Moses and Arbel Yehud reached the point of release from captivity, surrounded by thousands of armed men, it was unclear how it would end. Then, suddenly—the 80-year-old kibbutznik walked upright through a sea of masked terrorists. He survived completely alone for 482 days and is the only man of his generation from Kibbutz Nir Oz to return alive. Now, he also speaks for those who remain behind.
Gadi Moses has returned to Nir Oz, the kibbutz he built, to the land he plowed and sowed with his own hands—determined to rebuild. He was 20 years old when he arrived at the kibbutz with a group from the movement, and nearly 80 when he was abducted to Gaza. In an interview with Ilana Dayan, he speaks for the first time, differently from what others have recounted before him, about 482 days alone in captivity, about the unforgettable encounter with Arbel Yehud just hours before their release—and about moments of fear in Khan Younis, during an event that spiraled out of control.
With heartrending simplicity, Moses recounts his captivity. Without grand words, without a hint of self-pity. As he unpacks what he endured, after being shuffled between ten hiding places, one can begin to understand what nearly 500 days of loneliness and terror look like. "The depth of what fear is, the depth of being disconnected from the world, the depth of the unknown—it’s impossible to convey. Everything that happened to me was psychological abuse," he shared. "They tried to suppress me. They tried to break me. I was constantly on edge, focused only on how to avoid being hurt. How to survive."
"They tried to suppress me, to break me. I was constantly on edge, focused only on how to avoid being hurt," Gadi Moses | Photo: From "Uvda"
**"No matter what happens, I won’t let him humiliate me."**
On one of those days in captivity, one of his captors hit him and threatened him. "He punched me in the shoulder. I told him: 'Listen, if you touch me again, I’ll beat you to a pulp, and I don’t care what these weapons will do to me, but you won’t touch me. No matter what happens, I won’t let him humiliate me.'"
To his friends, Moses wrote the letter that was published a few days ago, calling for the restoration of Nir Oz and the return of all the hostages. "I understand very well that I am the only elderly person who survived and returned alive. But I also understand very well the suffering and torture that all the people who were there and were released went through, the people who died there, and the people who are still there." link
Released captive says Hamas guards laughed as they told him his brother was killed in captivity, describes being abandoned by international humanitarian organizations
Eli Sharabi, a former hostage, speaks during a United Nations Security Council meeting recounting his time in Hamas captivity in Gaza on March 20, 2025 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images/AFP)
Eli Sharabi, a former hostage, speaks during a United Nations Security Council meeting recounting his time in Hamas captivity in Gaza on March 20, 2025 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images/AFP)
Released hostage Eli Sharabi on Wednesday addressed the UN Security Council, describing how the Hamas terror group stole humanitarian aid and withheld it from Israeli captives and Gazan civilians, and detailing the torture he experienced at the hands of his captors.
Sharabi, who was released from captivity on February 8, told members of the security council that, “Hamas eats like kings while hostages starve,” at a special session on the issue of the hostages.
“I know you discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza very often,” Sharabi said at the UNSC, which held a meeting on the topic of aid entering Gaza on Tuesday, “but let me tell you as an eyewitness, I saw what happened to that aid: Hamas stole it.
Released hostage Eli Sharabi on Wednesday addressed the UN Security Council, describing how the Hamas terror group stole humanitarian aid and withheld it from Israeli captives and Gazan civilians, and detailing the torture he experienced at the hands of his captors.
Sharabi, who was released from captivity on February 8, told members of the security council that, “Hamas eats like kings while hostages starve,” at a special session on the issue of the hostages.
“I know you discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza very often,” Sharabi said at the UNSC, which held a meeting on the topic of aid entering Gaza on Tuesday, “but let me tell you as an eyewitness, I saw what happened to that aid: Hamas stole it.
“I saw Hamas terrorists carrying boxes with the UN and UNWRA emblems on them into the tunnels, dozens and dozens of boxes, paid for by your government,” Sharabi continued.
“They would eat many meals a day from the UN aid in front of us, and we never received any of it,” Sharabi said.
According to Sharabi, hostages received “one bath a month” with a bucket of cold water, were fed “a piece of pita, maybe a sip of tea,” at best, and endured brutal beatings and ridicule at the hands of their captors.
He described the psychological and physical torture he endured in captivity, including being held “50 meters underground” in “chains so tight they ripped my skin.”
Sharabi told the Security Council that just before his release, Hamas terrorists showed him a picture of his older brother, Yossi, laughing as they told him that he had been killed in captivity. “It was like they brought a massive hammer down on me,” said Sharabi.
Yossi’s body is still being held by Hamas in Gaza. An IDF probe said last year he was likely killed as the result of an airstrike, but could not rule out that he was murdered.
Sharabi also described to members how he was abandoned to his fate by international humanitarian organizations.
“Where was the UN? Where was the Red Cross? Where was the world?” Sharabi asked. “Every day [Hamas] told us: The world has abandoned you, no one is coming.”
Eli Sharabi, a former hostage, holds up a photo of his family’s grave as he speaks during a UN Security Council meeting concerning the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question at the United Nations headquarters on March 20, 2025 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images/AFP)
Holding up a picture of his family members’ graves, Sharabi described the moment he discovered, after returning to Israel in February, that rather than waiting for him at home, his wife Lianne and their daughters, Noiya, 16, and Yahel 13, had been murdered by Palestinian terrorists on October 7, 2023, in their home’s safe room at Kibbutz Be’eri.
He recalled the day they were murdered, saying “As they dragged me out, I called out to my girls, I will be back. I had to believe that. But that was the last time I ever saw them. I didn’t know I should have said goodbye, forever.”
“I’m here today because I survived and I prevailed,” Sharabi said, “but that is not enough…not when 59 hostages are still there.”
“I am not a diplomat. I am a survivor,” he told the UN officials, after the gruesome account.
“If you stand for humanity, prove it,” he concluded. “Bring them all home.”
He called for the UN to work tirelessly for the remaining 59 hostages in Gaza, who were being “chained, starved, beaten, and humiliated” in captivity.
“No more excuses, no more delays,” Sharabi said. “Bring them all home.”
Eli Sharabi, a former hostage speaks during a press conference at the United Nations headquarters on March 20, 2025 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images/AFP)
Speaking ahead of his address to the Security Council, Sharabi said he “was treated worse than an animal” while in captivity.
“No one in Gaza helped me. The civilians saw us suffering, and they cheered our kidnappers. They were definitely involved,” Sharabi said. “Where was the Red Cross? Where was the United Nations?”
“Now I will stand before the UNSC to say this: no more excuses, no more delays, no more moral blindness,” Sharabi added, just before entering the meeting.
Despite having lost roughly 30 kg (66 pounds) during his horrific captivity, Sharabi has quickly joined the campaign for the release of the remaining hostages, giving a harrowing interview with Channel 12’s “Uvda” investigative program late last month about his time in Hamas’s Gaza tunnels.
‘Only one deal is actually important’: Cyber unicorn Wiz, acquired by Google, calls for hostages’ return
Israeli-founded cybersecurity company Wiz, which was acquired earlier this week by Google’s parent company Alphabet for $32 billion, has sponsored a large billboard on the side of the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv calling for the return of the hostages.
The text on the digital billboard alternates between: “Only one deal is actually important,” in Hebrew and “Bring them home now!” in English.
Gaza and the South
Return to warfare 'endangers the live of the hostages' — Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin
Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin, from the International Communities Organization, spoke to DW about the renewed fighting and the sentiment of many Israelis who have taken to the streets to protest.
On the topic of the latest strikes being part of Israeli military strategy or addressing domestic political concerns of the Netanyahu administration, Baskin said: "Its obviously a combination of the two, but I think its mostly led by the political needs of Prime Minister Netanyahu to stay in power. There is no military strategy which brings about the total victory that Netanyahu has talked about."
Baskin said the return to "active warfare endangers the lives of the hostages."
"The only way of eliminating Hamas as a force that controls Gaza, both a political force and a military force, is by providing a political alternative to Hamas," which was something Baskin said the Netanyahu government had refused to do.
Considering how things stand currently with resumed hostilities, Baskin said: "What's happening in Israel on the streets today is an indication of what the Israeli public is feeling."
Over 100,000 people took to the streets of Israel on Wednesday to protest against Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Baskin said the demonstrations were "increasing in their intensivity and in their anger of the Israeli public, who don't want this war to be renewed, who want the hostages home."
IDF says it has expanded Gaza ground operation in Rafah
Troops of the Gaza Division operate in the southern Gaza Strip, in a handout photo issued on March 20, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
The IDF says it has expanded its ground operations in the southern Gaza Strip.
In the past few hours, troops advanced into the Shaboura camp in Rafah, and destroyed “terror infrastructure,” the military says.
Meanwhile, troops continue to operate on the coast in the Strip’s north and the Netzarim Corridor area of central Gaza.
In northern Gaza, the IDF says soldiers destroyed infrastructure that was used by Hamas as a command center in recent months to plan and launch attacks on troops and civilians.
Additionally, airstrikes were carried out across Gaza in the past few hours, targeting Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad sites, the military adds.
**Hiding in the Shadows, Deflecting Criticism: Hamas' Strategy Amid the Renewed Fighting in Gaza**
Since the resumption of Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, there has been a dramatic shift in Hamas' conduct, as the organization has disappeared from the public sphere. Meanwhile, the prices of basic goods have skyrocketed by tens of percent, and the terror group is blaming merchants. A Gaza influencer told N12: "Residents are now angrier at Hamas—they see it as the reason for the continuation of the war."
disappeared from the public sphere. Hamas terrorists in Gaza Photo: Ali Hassan, Flash 90
Since the Israeli military renewed its strikes on the Gaza Strip, Hamas has altered its operational patterns and adapted to the fighting. The terror organization, which used the ceasefire to rebuild its civilian and military systems, has vanished from the public sphere in Gaza. The movement of residents evacuating from attack zones has resumed, prices of goods have surged by tens of percent, and Hamas is facing complex challenges—doing everything it can to deflect blame.
**"They’ve Returned to Their Tunnels Like Rats"**
When the ceasefire began, Hamas operatives took to the streets, openly roaming in uniforms. However, as soon as the Israeli military resumed its attacks, they disappeared underground as if they never existed. The blue-uniformed police, internal security forces, and government officials all went into hiding in the shadows almost instantly. They fled the streets and are now primarily present on Palestinian social media and in statements to the press.
The people of the organization are mainly in the networks. A Hamas policeman in Gaza
A Gaza influencer told N12 this morning: "Residents in Gaza are now angrier at Hamas and see it as the reason for the continuation of the war. Hamas operatives, of course, have returned to their tunnels and are hiding like rats at our expense."
**Emergency Guidelines Following the Wave of Targeted Killings**
A source within Hamas' security apparatus claimed yesterday that most of the targeted killings carried out by the Israeli military were directed at individuals using mobile phones and social media accounts. As a result, Hamas channels disseminated guidelines to its operatives:
- **Beware of Israeli media reports:** "Do not broadcast the enemy's narrative, as every word could serve their propaganda goals."
- **Verify before publishing:** "Do not contribute to spreading rumors, as false information can cause more harm than an attack."
- **Create awareness, not frustration:** "Do not give the enemy free ammunition by publishing content that weakens morale or sows fear."
**Hamas Blames Merchants for Price Hikes**
The economic reality in Gaza is becoming increasingly challenging. After two weeks of closed crossings and no humanitarian aid entering, the prices of basic goods—cooking gas, flour, and other essentials—have surged by tens of percent. Meanwhile, Israel claims that there is currently no real shortage of food or water in the Gaza Strip.
**Price Increases in Gaza**
Fearing that public anger over rising prices will be directed at it, Hamas has developed a clear strategy: shifting the blame to merchants. The terror organization is publicizing cases of merchants who have exceeded set prices and reporting the confiscation of goods or the arrest of "price-gouging" merchants. This is a deliberate tactic aimed at diverting attention from the organization itself.
**Gaza Residents Evacuate Attack Zones**
With the resumption of attacks, residents of the Strip have once again begun moving within Gaza, following Israeli military instructions. N12 learned yesterday that around 20,000 Gazans have left the Beit Hanoun area in the northern Strip, and residents have also evacuated certain areas east of Khan Younis and east of Rafah. It is evident that the movement of the population is stressing the Gazan public, which fears a return to full-scale fighting.
**Accelerated Reconstruction During the Ceasefire**
During the ceasefire, Hamas seized the opportunity to rapidly rebuild its systems. The organization reestablished planned shelters in strategic areas—in Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun, and along the Nitzarim corridor—though it has not been able to fully staff many of them.
Gazans Evacuate Beit Lahia (Photo: Reuters)
Hamas invested significant efforts in rebuilding the civilian system: paying salaries, appointing people to fill vacant roles, reviving the education and healthcare systems, and operating government offices that ostensibly provide basic services to residents. The organization also restored civilian mechanisms—police and internal security—enforcing price controls and collecting taxes.
**Hamas at a Crossroads**
Hamas now stands at a complex crossroads. The renewed attacks have forced it to change tactics—from displaying open control in the streets to returning to covert and decentralized operations. However, it would be a mistake to view this solely as a retreat.
During the ceasefire, Hamas rebuilt a significant portion of its control mechanisms and restructured them. Its new guidelines reflect an ability to adapt and an effort to preserve the power it has built, which will allow it to continue operating—albeit in a different manner. LINK
Egyptian president says he is willing to temporarily relocate half a million Gazans to Sinai
The Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reports that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi informed other Arab leaders that he is willing to temporarily relocate half a million residents from Gaza to a designated city in the northern Sinai as part of the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
This step would require opening the border crossings between Sinai and Gaza for those who wish to leave.
According to the report, these statements were made during meetings held by Arab leaders in recent weeks in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
There is no confirmation of this report from any other source. linkUnder other circumstances, this could be a good thing but it is a dangerous move for the future of Gaza and the Israel/Palestine conflict. It seems like a very humanitarian move but we must remember that in the Middle East, temporary solutions turn out to be never ending. The adage 'nothing is more permanent than and temporary solution' is emphasized in the Middle East. This move begins the alignment of the ridiculous, idiotic and illegal Trump Gaza plan of relocating all of the Palestinians from Gaza. Those half million Gazans would end up moving from one refugee camp to another that will never be a home to them. Egypt will make sure of that. This is Egypt's attempt to assuage Trump so he won't cut off the US aid to Egypt that is imperative to their economy and the stability of the regime. As far as the impact to our conflict, it takes a half million refugees who have lost everything and many blame Hamas much more than Israel and makes them eternal enemies of Israel and gives Hamas a breeding ground in Sinai where they may have a somewhat free hand to recruit and train a new generation of terrorists.
The Egyptian State Information Service announces that Cairo categorically and completely denies allegations that it is prepared to temporarily transfer half a million Palestinians from Gaza to a city in the northern Sinai as part of reconstruction efforts in the Strip.
“Egypt’s position is firm in its absolute and final rejection of any attempt to displace Palestinians,” it says.
Footage shows IDF destroyed Turkish hospital in central Gaza; COGAT says site was used by Hamas
The IDF blows up the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital in the central Gaza Strip, in a video circulated on social media on March 21, 2025. (Screenshot: X, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
The Israeli military demolished the so-called Turkish hospital in the central Gaza Strip, footage circulating on social media shows.
When the IDF was previously deployed to the Netzarim Corridor of central Gaza, it used the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital as a base of operations, according to a report by the Washington Post.
Last year, the IDF published that it had uncovered a Hamas tunnel network that passed under the hospital.
The military does not immediately comment on the destruction of the hospital, but the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) confirms the IDF worked to “dismantle” Hamas infrastructure there.
“Another hospital can be added to the list — in recent months, Hamas terrorists exploited a site in northern Gaza which previously served as the ‘Turkish’ hospital as a command and control center, from which they directed and carried out terrorist attacks against IDF troops and Israel,” COGAT says.
“The IDF operated in response to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure,” it adds. video of the bomb explosion
In Gaza, Hamas is seen as a "cancerous growth," and suggestions are offered on how to defeat it.
It is worth listening to the voices emerging from Gaza to understand how the leaders of the terrorist organization think. Even if military pressure leads to a ceasefire and the release of hostages, we will soon find ourselves back in the same predicament because the hostages are the only card left to ensure Hamas's continued rule in the Strip. Ohad Hemo, Analysis.
"We didn’t believe this was happening to us," a Gazan friend told me this week in a tired and broken voice on the morning fighting resumed. He had returned just two months ago to what was once his home in the northern Strip, now largely burned and destroyed. "We didn’t sleep all night, bombs near the house, everywhere. And this time," he added, "you can see everything, simply because there aren’t many buildings left standing in the area, so you can see for kilometers, even to the sea."
"Hamas won’t stop until they destroy everything here." Gazans among the ruins
Conversations with Gazans often sound generic at first: descriptions of a chaotic, impossible reality. But then comes the first twist: "They won’t stop until they destroy everything here and kill everyone," he said. "Hamas only cares about Hamas. Instead of releasing the prisoners they hold and leaving us in peace, they continue to hold them until Gaza is destroyed."
By this point, he was in a rage: "You won’t understand the twisted way they think and operate. If you’re not one of them, you’re worth nothing in their eyes. They’ve regained control here. They shoot people in the streets just for criticizing them."
"If you’re not one of them, you’re worth nothing in their eyes." Hamas terrorists | Photo: Abd Rahim Khatib, Flash 90
After defining the problem, he offered his solution: "These heroes," he said with bitterness and sarcasm, "hide among the people so that all these bombings won’t help. The only way for you to get rid of them is to create Hamas-free zones, say in our area in northern Gaza. Give us the aid, we’ll be responsible for distributing the food. You’ll see that if we have one successful pilot, all of Gaza will want to enter these areas—and then you can fight them without civilians around. That’s the only way to defeat them. They’re a cancerous growth, and this is how you fight cancer—don’t give chemotherapy that kills all of us."
It’s worth listening to these voices coming out of Gaza. These are people who know Hamas well, much better than we do. They live among them, share the same public spaces, and sometimes even private ones. Sometimes their neighbors or relatives are Hamas members. They meet them at universities, weddings, workplaces: many of them have also been arrested by Hamas for various reasons, and Israel would do well to leverage their knowledge and insights about the shared enemy we face.
As of the time of writing, it’s hard to call what Israel did this week a "return to war." It’s more accurate to say a "resumption of fighting": targeted airstrikes, significant hits on Hamas’s civilian-administrative leadership in Gaza, the people responsible for Hamas’s governance. After all, the Gazan terrorist organization is not just a military wing—it’s much more than that. It’s a state. And to destroy a state, you need to target the high-ranking officials, those in government offices who are the core of Hamas’s statehood. Those who pay salaries, oversee the movement’s formidable security apparatus, continue to shoot people in the legs and arrest others just for criticizing Hamas, and run Gaza’s courts.
Israel is facing a different, weakened Hamas. Destruction in the Gaza Strip | Photo: Abd Rahim Khatib, Flash 90
For now, the bombings are focused mainly on airstrikes and artillery, alongside targeted ground operations in the northern Strip, along the coastal road, and in Rafah. But Israel is already preparing the ground for an expanded maneuver and issuing threats. Residents of Beit Hanoun in the northern Strip and eastern Khan Younis have already been told to leave their homes—and once again, for who knows how many times in the past year, images emerge of civilians loading their belongings and fleeing. These images have a limited effect on Hamas, as we’ve learned, an organization that has brought disaster upon its people. But if Israel convinces Hamas that a large-scale ground invasion is a real possibility, it could add another layer of pressure on their decision-makers.
The blow to Gaza’s head is meant to bend the arm in Cairo. The goal is to pressure Hamas to be more flexible, which could then extend the ceasefire. The Hamas of old would have shut down negotiations for a long time this week. It was a movement driven by a different sense of time. They dragged out the Shalit deal for five years, negotiated over the bodies of Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul for nearly a decade, and it failed.
"We didn’t sleep all night, bombs near the house, everywhere." Destruction in the Gaza Strip | Photo: Reuters
But today, Israel is facing a different Hamas. Weakened, isolated (note Hezbollah’s response—condemnation and a promise to stand by Hamas, but no action, and it’s doubtful they’ll follow through as they deal with internal struggles over their position in Lebanon), aware of its limitations, and especially fearful of American support for Israel. That’s why Hamas leaders continue to declare on every platform their desire for the full implementation of the agreement.
This morning (Thursday), the Qatari newspaper Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed reported that senior Hamas officials claim: We’ve informed the mediators that the organization will agree to release hostages, provided the second phase of the ceasefire agreement is implemented. And here we get to the crux of the matter: even if Hamas shows flexibility this time, agrees to release three or four hostages to extend the quiet and delay the end, they also know that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is determined not to enter the second phase of the agreement, as it would mean the end of the war while Hamas remains standing in Gaza. Therefore, even if the ceasefire is extended, in a few weeks we’ll be back in the same situation, the same cruel Catch-22. Hamas understands that the Prime Minister is determined not to end the war as long as the terrorist organization remains in the Strip, even if it means dozens of civilians, soldiers, and others held captive won’t return home soon. And perhaps some never will.
Israel is already preparing the ground for an expanded maneuver. IDF activity in the southern Strip | Photo: IDF Spokesperson
Anyone who thinks Hamas will continue releasing hostages indefinitely in exchange for extending the ceasefire, even if the war resumes, is deluding themselves. The only card left in the hands of the Gazan terrorist organization is live Israeli hostages, a guarantee for the survival of their rule or at least the personal survival of their members. And so, the two main goals of the war—toppling Hamas’s rule and bringing back all the hostages—even today, more than a year and a half after October 7, do not align. And once again, we’re back to square one. The one that, in truth, has never left us throughout this war. link
Gaza fuel shortages leave less than half of Palestinian Red Crescent emergency vehicles operational — Red Cross
Fuel shortages in the Gaza Strip have rendered more than half of Palestinian Red Crescent emergency vehicles in the enclave inoperative, the Red Cross says.
Of 53 vehicles in total, 23 remain operational after aid supplies into Gaza, including fuel, were halted in early March, Tommaso Della Longa from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies tells reporters in Geneva. linkAnother not a big surprise. With all the Qatar funded fuel that entered Gaza in the last 2 months under the ceasefire, Hamas confiscated most of it along with most of the rest of the humanitarian aid. This did not have to happen but Netanyahu allowed it to happen by not having an alternative governing body in Gaza and allowing the fuel and aid in without proper systems in place to make sure they didn't fall into the hands of Hamas.
Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah/Syria
What’s driving the escalating violence at the Syria-Lebanon border?
Hezbollah smuggling thrived under Assad, but al-Sharaa regime crackdown sparks heavy border clashes with Lebanon; despite ceasefire announcement, fighting continues as both sides send reinforcements to border region At least seven Lebanese civilians have been killed amid reports of Hezbollah abducting and killing Syrian soldiers, heavy exchanges of fire and widespread looting and arson targeting homes.
In the past week, the conflict along the Syria-Lebanon border has escalated, an area already marked by tension since the fall of the Assad regime in December and the rise to power of jihadist rebels led by Ahmad al-Sharaa.
Several Syrian soldiers have been killed since the outbreak of the clashes on Sunday. However, Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported on Wednesday that the death toll on the Syrian side has risen to between 40 and 50 "gunmen," though their connection to the new Syrian army remains unclear. The report also confirms the deaths of seven Lebanese civilians. Exact casualty figures couldn't be independently verified amid conflicting reports from both sides.
The clashes are taking place in a region northeast of Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, an area predominantly inhabited by Shiite communities that are closely associated with Hezbollah.
The Lebanese terrorist group was a key ally of the Assad regime and provided significant support during Syria's 14-year civil war. Since the fall of the regime, which was brought down by a surprise offensive led by jihadists and coincided with Israel's military pressure on Hezbollah, tensions with Syrian forces loyal to al-Sharaa have intensified.
During Assad's rule, the western Syrian border served as a corridor for drugs and arms trafficking facilitated by Hezbollah and loyalists. The area is home to both legal and illegal crossings, which have facilitated the smuggling operations. Israel, aiming to disrupt the supply routes to Hezbollah from Iran, attacked these crossings during the war. The collapse of the Assad regime dealt a significant blow to Hezbollah's smuggling network, and last month, al-Sharaa's regime launched an operation to curb smuggling activities.
The flags of Syria and Lebanon
The Syria-Lebanon border stretches approximately 375 kilometers (230 miles), with large stretches lacking clear demarcation. This geographical and demographic overlap is particularly pronounced around the Qusayr region and the western countryside of Homs, where many Lebanese citizens reside within Syrian territory.
According to a report by the Arabic-language Independent, the total population of these villages is estimated at 10,000 people. Many villagers own agricultural lands on the Syrian side, further tying them to the area.
While sporadic clashes have been reported in recent weeks, tensions boiled over on Sunday. Syria's defense ministry issued a statement accusing Hezbollah operatives of killing three Syrian soldiers and abducting them into Lebanon. Hezbollah denied the allegations. A Lebanese security official told Reuters that the Syrian soldiers were killed only after crossing into Lebanon and were shot by locals who feared their community was under attack.
Fighting has persisted despite Lebanese Defense Minister Michel Mnassa and Syrian counterpart Marahaf Abu Qasra announcing a ceasefire on Monday.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem and Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa
According to the Lebanese newspaper Al-Joumhouria, around 35,000 Lebanese have been internally displaced to areas including Hermel, the Bekaa Valley and Beirut. Despite ongoing communication between the Syrian and Lebanese defense ministries, clashes along the border persist, forcing the Lebanese army to mobilize forces on both the southern and eastern fronts.
A political source told Al-Joumhouria that small groups of unknown affiliation have been "kidnapping, looting and burning homes indiscriminately in the border area with Syria." The source suggested these groups may include foreign fighters, referencing the fact that many
jihadist rebels in Hayat Tahrir al-Sham—al-Sharaa's former militia, which was officially dissolved and integrated into Syria's security forces—are Muslim combatants who traveled from other countries to join the Syrian civil war.
Lebanese army forces recently arrived in the disputed village of Khush al-Said Ali, where they were met with hostility from locals who accused the military of betrayal. According to a report by Hezbollah-aligned Lebanese network Al Mayadeen, Syrian gunmen set fire to civilian homes in the village. A convoy of approximately 60 Lebanese army vehicles was deployed there, but a video broadcast by Lebanon's Al-Jadeed TV showed villagers chanting in support of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and calling the army "traitors."
Al-Akhbar reported that, under the ceasefire agreement, Syrian gunmen are expected to withdraw from the Lebanese part of Khush al-Said Ali, while the Lebanese army will patrol the area without establishing permanent checkpoints due to its contested status.
Syria also mobilizes forces to the border with Lebanon
(Photo: Reuters/Karam al-Masri)
Additionally, the bodies of two Lebanese civilians allegedly killed by Syrian gunmen in the Syrian village of al-Fadliya were reportedly returned through the Jousieh border crossing on Tuesday in exchange for the bodies of two Syrian fighters.
The Lebanese army is reportedly bolstering its presence along the border and has formulated a plan to manage the situation in 22 villages considered to be the "contact line."
On Tuesday, Al Mayadeen reported that a shell fell near a Lebanese army position in Khush al-Said Ali, prompting the army to respond to the source of the fire.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, addressing the escalating violence, stated that he instructed the army to retaliate against any aggression from Syria. "What is happening along the eastern and northeastern borders cannot continue," Aoun declared. He issued another statement on Wednesday demanding the implementation of the ceasefire and tighter control over the border region. link
IDF strikes Hezbollah facilities in eastern Lebanon
The IDF says it carried out airstrikes on Hezbollah facilities in Lebanon’s eastern Beqaa Valley, after identifying activity by the terror group there.
One site included underground infrastructure, and another was used to store rocket launchers, according to the military.
West Bank and Jerusalem and Terror attacks within Israel
Politics and the War (general news)
IDF officer whose Oct. 7 probe blames army’s command dismissed from reserve duty A report says a senior reservist IDF officer probing the Gaza Division’s failures surrounding Hamas’s onslaught of October 7, 2023, was booted from reserve duty last week.
Brig. Gen. (res.) Oren Solomon has told those close to him that it is because he found fault in the higher echelons of the military, Channel 12 says. His probe has not yet been made public.
He reportedly found that the chief of staff did not speak to the Gaza Division commander a single time on October 7, and that senior IDF commanders did not function until early that afternoon.
Solomon, a member of the hawkish HaBithonistim group, also reportedly charges that the situation in the IDF today is no less grave than it was on the eve of the assault.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit says in response that Solomon worked on the probe for a year with full support, that the end of his reserves service is unrelated to the probe, and that the probe is still going on.
It adds that the probe will be presented to the relevant communities and the public when finished, as all probes are.
Thousands brave rain to protest outside Netanyahu’s office ahead of vote to fire Shin Bet chief
Israelis attend a rally against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to dismiss the head of the Shin Bet internal security service, and calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, outside the Knesset, Israel's parliament in Jerusalem on Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Thousands of people are protesting in front of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office where the cabinet is set to meet to vote on firing Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar.
The demonstrators march from Netanyahu’s residence to the nearby office amid driving rain.
The demonstrators are also protesting the government’s efforts to renew highly controversial legislation to increase political power over the judiciary, and the collapse of the Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal.
Speaking at the protest former Likud minister Dan Meridor says Netanyahu is a danger to democracy.
“I am convinced that when [former Prime Minister] Yitzhak Shamir called Netanyahu an angel of destruction, he did not imagine the destruction Netanyahu would bring to Israeli society,” Meridor says.
“The destruction he is trying to bring on the country — it happened in Turkey and Hungary, and now it is happening in Israel. Our democracy is in danger,” says Meridor, a former justice minister.
The demonstration comes after a day of protests that saw clashes with police who used water cannons on protestors.
Police seen breaking windows of cars at Jerusalem anti-government protest
Police are seen using hammers and rocks to break windows of cars blocking roads at a protest in Jerusalem against the government’s plans to fire Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar.
Bar says firing him a ‘fundamentally invalid’ attempt to undermine Shin Bet as it probes Qatar’s influence on PM’s office
In a scathing letter to cabinet ministers explaining why he won’t attend the meeting tonight in which they vote on his dismissal, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar blasts the government’s “unfounded claims that are nothing more than a cover for completely different, extraneous and fundamentally invalid motives designed to disrupt the ability of the Shin Bet to fulfill its role.”
He warns that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is taking steps that weaken the country “both internally and against its enemies.”
Bar pushes back on the idea that there is a breakdown in trust between him and Netanyahu, which the premier presented as a central reason to replace his spy chief.
“There has been intensive and effective cooperation between the Shin Bet under my leadership and the Prime Minister, which is leading to significant results in thwarting terrorism,” Bar writes.
Backing up his claim, Bar says that the recent hostage release deal with Hamas came about because of a “unique action that I personally led, with the knowledge of the Prime Minister.”
Bar says there is no basis for Netanyahu’s insistence that there is no trust between them, “except if the real intention, which I apparently failed to understand, was to negotiate without reaching a deal.”
He adds that Netanyahu’s decision to remove him and Mossad chief David Barnea from the hostage negotiations “harmed the team and did not advance the release at all.”
Turning to “Qatar-gate” – what Bar calls the “ongoing complex, extensive, and highly sensitive investigation currently underway into Qatar’s involvement in the heart of Israeli decision-making, the Prime Minister’s Office” — the Shin Bet chief says that completing the investigation in full is “a public duty of the highest order.”
Dismissing the Shin Bet head during the investigation, Bar argues, is tainted with “extraneous considerations and a personal and institutional conflict of interest that could not be more serious.” It risks jeopardizing the investigation, he says, which is a danger to the country’s security.
He also pushes for a state commission of inquiry into October 7: “The urgent national need for such an investigation cannot be subordinated to the personal considerations of those involved in the matter, as it is the only way to ensure that such a multi-system failure will not occur again.”
Bar says the government meeting tonight was convened in contradiction of Israel’s laws and against the attorney general’s position.
“My decision not to attend the government meeting stems solely from my understanding that this is a discussion that is not in accordance with the provisions of the law and the rules concerning the termination of the term of office of any employee, let alone one holding a senior position, and the position of head of the Shin Bet in particular,” he explains.
“A substantive response to such claims requires an orderly process, including the presentation of relevant documents, and not a seemingly premeditated process whose outcome is predetermined,” says Bar
Cabinet fires Shin Bet chief; PM claims lack of trust in Bar, who calls move invalid
In letter to ministers, Ronen Bar says Netanyahu intentionally sabotaged hostage deal, warns his ouster risks undermining investigation into Qatari influence in premier’s office. article
Israel Business Forum says it will ‘shut down Israel’s economy’ if government defies High Court
The Israel Business Forum, which represents most private sector workers from 200 of the country’s largest companies, warns that it will “shut down the Israeli economy” if the government does not respect the High Court of Justice’s temporary injunction against Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar’s dismissal.
“If the Israeli government does not honor the order and leads Israel into a constitutional crisis, we call on the entire Israeli public to stop respecting the government’s decision…and we will shut down the Israeli economy,” it says.
Earlier this week, the forum urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to walk back his “destructive” decision to dismiss Bar, warning that the “last thing” Israel needed was more internal division.
Ex-Shin Bet chief says PM asked him to carry out ‘illegitimate acts,’ worries agency’s next head won’t refuse such demands. article
Herzog criticizes government, PM for attacking civil servants, opposing state Oct. 7 probe
Without mentioning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by name, President Isaac Herzog blasts the government for pursuing “divisive” and “unilateral” policies at the same time as it returns to fighting in Gaza.
“It is impossible not to be deeply troubled by the harsh reality unfolding before our eyes,” says the president in a video message.
“Thousands of reserve call-up orders have been issued recently. It is inconceivable to send our sons to the front while at the same time pursuing controversial moves that deepen division within the people.”
Netanyahu is convening his cabinet tonight to vote to dismiss Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar.
“It is impossible to renew the fighting to fulfill the sacred command to bring back the hostages, and at the same time not listen to and support their desperate families who are going through hell on earth,” Herzog continues, as massive protests continue in Jerusalem against Bar’s firing and against the end of the Gaza ceasefire.
He says that he meets bereaved families that “are begging and crying out to avoid deepening the rift and division, asking for unity, love of Israel, asking to preserve the state, asking for a full, thorough, and independent investigation of the terrible disaster.”
Netanyahu opposes a state commission to investigate the October 7 attacks, arguing it will be biased against him.
“Unfortunately,” Herzog continues, “we are witnessing a series of unilateral actions, and I am deeply concerned about their impact on our national resilience.”
As Netanyahu releases a series of videos and speeches blasting the “deep state,” Herzog says Israel’s civil servants “are the target of an ongoing campaign against them.”
“These are dedicated civil servants who do their job faithfully, including reservists, bereaved families, and the neighbors of each of us,” he says, adding that “they should not be the subject of slander.”
“I demand that every step be carefully considered and examined to see whether it contributes to national resilience, and especially whether it contributes to the war effort and the return of the hostages,” he concludes.
Ex-Supreme Court chief Aharon Barak says he fears Israel headed to civil war Israel’s most revered jurist, the former Supreme Court president Aharon Barak says that he fears the government’s latest actions, including efforts to fire the Shin Bet chief and attorney general, are pushing the country to civil war.
Speaking to the Ynet news site about the moves by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Barak says that “the main problem is Israeli society is the eighth front,” a reference to Israel’s battles against Iranian proxies on seven fronts.
“And that’s the severe rift between Israelis and themselves,” he says.
This rift is deteriorating and in the end, I fear, it will be like a train that goes off the tracks and plunges into a chasm causing a civil war,” he says.
“We have to prevent the tyranny of the majority,” he says. linkAharon Barak, our most brilliant jurists, world reknown and respected. Any normal person would stop in their tracks, listen to what Barak has to say and make fateful decisions taking all he said into consideration. Unfortunately, we have a wannabe dictator who has spent the last years making the judicial system the enemy of his government and convincing his followers the same further dividing the nation. We will most likely hear Netanyahu attack Barak's statements of warnings as being a leftist out to destroy democracy. Netanyahu, the great divider in chief has one goal and one goal only, to stay prime minister no matter what the cost, even civil war.
Smotrich suggests removing task of ‘preserving democracy’ from Shin Bet’s purview
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is said to have suggested during last night’s cabinet meeting on the dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar that the responsibility of “preserving democracy” should be removed from the security agency’s purview.
“We should exclude the job of preserving democracy from the Shin Bet’s statute,” he is quoted by the Kan public broadcaster as saying.
The far-right Religious Zionism leader also claimed during the meeting that “the entire Shin Bet command thinks that Ronen Bar should go,” and said that the Supreme Court did not have the right to “force” Netanyahu to work with him, Kan reports. linkThis is coming from the extremist unqualified Minister of Finance who has never had an understanding or desire to understand what democracy really is because he has no interest in democracy. Therefore, it is no wonder and no surprise that this messianic extremist wants to fire the key gatekeepers of democracy, the Attorney General and the Head of the Shin Bet. He and the criminally indicted prime minister are taking very strong leads from the US democracy destroyer who sits in the White House today, not that they needed his guidance before to try to destroy the little democracy that we have left in this country. But they certainly get encouragement by the actions in the US and are holding those actions up as a beacon to where they want to take us.
Cabinet to debate motion of no confidence against attorney general on Sunday. full article This has been going on for a while. The attorney general is one of the most important gatekeepers to make sure the government stays within the law in its actions and the laws it tries to pass. But this government and the prime minister don't want any gatekeepers and have said it out loud so many times. Their claim is that they are the elected government and can do whatever they want, even change the system of government if they desire. This corrupt government wants to overthrow the judicial system and be above them, destroy democracy, fill the coffers of their parties, their ministries, tax the hell out of the people, continue the war, not have a commission of inquiry, stop Netanyahu's criminal trials, and worst of all, allow the rest of the hostages to continue to suffer and die in Hamas captivity. These are some of the things we are facing together with the majority of the people who don't support this failed government and want early elections and are against the firing of the attorney general and head of the Shin Bet.
The Region and the World
US said to ask Israel not to respond to Houthi missile attack amid American campaign
This image taken from video provided by the US Navy shows an aircraft launching from the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea before airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, March 15, 2025. (US Navy via AP)
The US has asked Israel not to respond to an overnight missile attack by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, the Ynet news site reports citing an Israeli official.
The request comes as the US has carried out widespread strikes against the Houthis in recent days.
According to the report, the US told Israel to “let them deal with it.”
The Israel Defense Forces said earlier that it downed a missile fired from Yemen before the projectile entered Israeli airspace overnight, with the Houthis claiming responsibility for its second attack on the country this week.
The attack triggered sirens across a wide swath of central Israel, including the Tel Aviv and Jerusalem areas, sending millions scrambling to reach bomb shelters at 4 a.m
US reportedly launches four strikes on Yemen’s Hodeidah
Yemen’s Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV reported at least four US strikes on the Al Mina district of the city of Hodeida, an area that houses the port and the headquarters of the naval forces.
The US strikes launched in response to the Houthis’ attacks on Red Sea shipping are the biggest US military operation in the Middle East since President Donald Trump took office in January.
Shortly after the report of the raids, the Houthis launched a missile at Israel that was intercepted by the IDF.
Personal Stories
Killed on Oct. 7, a modern-day Israeli Romeo and Juliet unite their families — and nation
The new Niv Nirel Center realizes the vision of Nirel Zini and Niv Raviv, who came from families on the opposite sides of the religious spectrum and together wanted to help society
On a late February morning, Amir Zini stood outside the burned-out dwelling in Kibbutz Kfar Aza where his son Nirel was murdered with his girlfriend Niv during the Hamas-led terror onslaught on October 7, 2023. Noticing a group of high school students walking by, Zini asked their teacher if they would like to hear a bit about Nirel and Niv.
His opening remarks were greeted by a look of surprise on the students’ faces.
“For eight years, Nirel and Niv were a couple. But for that whole time they were afraid that we would meet her parents or that her parents would meet us,” said Zini. “Today, it sounds strange to say that, and when we and Niv’s parents ask why that was, there is no one to answer.”
Zini, 60, who wears a kippa and has a lengthy rabbinic-style grey beard, paused and then added a word of caution: “Our families come from opposite ends of Israeli society, but this was not a situation we should ever be in.”
Zini went on to describe how Nirel, who was 31 at the time of his murder, and Niv, who was 27, were army officers. Both had been focusing their university studies on career paths aimed at helping soldiers suffering from war-related trauma.
Noting the age of his listeners, Zini added that Nirel, motivated by having been originally rejected from serving in the army because of “youthful misdeeds,” eventually went on to a decade-long career as a combat soldier, reaching a high-ranking position. Nirel later also did volunteer work with teenagers on the margins of society who were at risk of being disqualified from army service.
After the group departed, Zini entered the small courtyard of the cabin-size quarters Nirel and Nir had rented in a kibbutz neighborhood for young couples.
“They chose to live here because they thought it was one of the most peaceful and beautiful places in Israel,” said Zini.
Their neighborhood, surrounded by the bucolic green fields of the kibbutz farms, is indeed strikingly quiet, with perhaps an extra layer of silence added by the emptiness of the destroyed homes.
Tragedy unfolds
Zini lives on Moshav Tlamim, about 23 kilometers (14 miles) from Kfar Aza. On October 7, he called Nirel when he heard the bombardment going on at the Gaza border settlements. Nirel told him he had tried to get a weapon from the kibbutz armory, but it was surrounded by terrorists, some of whom were now on the roof of their house. All he had was a knife.
“I told him to keep the door to the safe room closed and to look after Niv,” Zini said. “It was 10:04 a.m. and that was our last conversation.”
Amir Zini stands inside the destroyed house where his son, Nirel Zini, lived with his girlfriend, Niv Raviv, in a neighborhood for young families at Kibbutz Kfar Aza, February 2025. (Bernard Dichek)
a February army briefing for Kfar Aza family members in which the IDF presented its investigation into the events that took place at the kibbutz on October 7, Zini learned that more than 250 terrorists had invaded the community of 950 people. Only a 14-member security team was initially present, and even after army reinforcements arrived, it took three days until all the terrorists, some who fortified themselves in kibbutz homes, were eliminated.
By then, 62 residents were killed and 19 abducted to the Gaza Strip. In all, some 1,200 people in southern Israel were slaughtered that day and 251 kidnapped to Gaza.
As Zini entered the blackened safe room in Nirel and Niv’s home, he cited one detail in the long list of failures revealed in the IDF probe that especially irks him.
“When I was a soldier, we were taught that once you secured a territory, you stayed there until reinforcements arrived,” he said, referring to the finding that security personnel had reached Nirel and Niv’s neighborhood in the early morning, but then went on to other places.
Left unsaid is the likelihood that when those forces arrived, Nirel and Niv were still alive.
After Zini lost contact with his son, he began a flurry of phone calls to senior officers in the army whom he knew personally, but no one could find any sign of Nirel and Niv. They were assumed to have been kidnapped.
Nirel Zini, left, and Niv Raviv in an undated photo. (Courtesy)
Connected in sorrow
Zini also made frequent phone calls to Niv’s parents, Tami and Yoel Raviv. Suddenly, the two families were in close contact with each other.
Six days later, on Friday morning, Tami Raviv called Zini and said army representatives had come to inform her that Niv was not alive and that the funeral would take place Saturday night.
“I told her that if Niv wasn’t alive then I was sure that Nirel also wasn’t,” recalled Zini. “I turned to my wife Osnat and asked her if she wanted them to be buried together. She said that it was unthinkable that they should ever be separated. So I asked Tami if she agreed that they be buried together.”
Tami Raviv, founder and CEO of The Niv Nirel Center, stands outside on the center’s pastoral grounds, February 2025. (Bernard Dichek)
Zini said Tami tried to convince him not to give up hope, but he decided to prepare for the worst.
He went outside his home to where nobody could hear him and phoned the Hevra Kadisha, the religious burial society, and inquired about the procedure for organizing a joint burial — if one was requested.
Several hours later, just before Shabbat began, army personnel arrived to inform Zini that Nirel’s death was confirmed.
“I turned off my phone and told my children that the war had ruined my previous Shabbat, but now that I know Nirel’s fate, I want to observe Shabbat and not be disturbed,” Zini said.
On Saturday night, the Zinis headed out to the Ravivs’ home in Netanya. “I set Waze with the address Tami gave me. We had never been to their home before,” Zini said.
What happened next would overwhelm both families.
“It started with meeting the Zini family, which was of course very emotional,” recalled Tami Raviv. Sitting in her office in Beit Yanai, north of Tel Aviv, nearly a year and a half later, she still spoke of that evening in an awe-stricken voice.
“We go outside on our way to the cemetery and I see a religious woman with a baby in her arms holding a sign saying, ‘Niv is in our hearts.’ I want to stop and thank her for coming, but then I see that she is not alone,” said Raviv. “There is a huge crowd behind her with people holding flags. The entire way to the cemetery is packed with people waving flags, holding torches and singing [Israel’s national anthem] ‘Hatikva.’ I am thinking that this is such an honor for Niv and Nirel by people who don’t even know us.”
Amir Zini stands inside the destroyed house where his son, Nirel Zini, lived with his girlfriend, Niv Raviv, in a neighborhood for young families at Kibbutz Kfar Aza, February 2025. (Bernard Dichek)
Unknown to the Raviv and Zini families, word about the tragedy had spread throughout the city and more than 30,000 people, according to police estimates, lined the streets. Sadly, other massive processions of grief have been repeated throughout the country in the past year and a half, but Niv and Nirel’s funeral may have been the first.
“At the cemetery, in the eulogy hall, you can’t miss the difference between the very religious and secular people,” continued Raviv. “They are all crammed together, but with a lot of respect for each other. We start to walk to the burial plot and it is very dark. Out of nowhere, it starts to rain. No one has an umbrella. People are soaking wet, but everyone keeps on going.”
“Suddenly, at the grave, there is a big beam of light,” she said. “You could see the rain striking — a completely surrealistic situation. Then my sister, a secular person who had been very active in the demonstrations [against the government’s proposed judicial overhaul] turns to me and in the middle of the ceremony says: ‘Tami, Niv and Nirel were chosen to unite our nation.’ It was such a powerful moment. Then I look outside the cemetery. Everything is dry. It seems impossible. There was pouring rain. But it was like the cloud was just over our heads.”
When the two families returned to the Raviv home, Tami discovered that Nirel’s parents shared the same feeling.
“We feel we have a role to play in uniting our nation,” she recalled them telling each other. “We just don’t know how to do it.”
A devastated home in the neighborhood for young couples on Kibbutz Kfar Aza, where Nirel Zini and Niv Raviv lived, photographed in February 2025. (Bernard Dichek)
A vision fulfilled
Fast-forward to August 2024. In a pastoral setting in Beit Yanai, with a lawn overlooking the Mediterranean, the Niv Nirel Center opened its doors. There, a 15-member staff offers holistic treatment to individuals affected by war events with an array of methods aiding the healing process. The CEO is Tami Raviv, who has given up a successful career in the international business world in order to make the families’ vision come true.
Raviv helped design the center in collaboration with medical director Dr. Kfir Feffer, a psychiatrist specializing in war trauma, and the Lev Hasharon Mental Health Center, which aids in running the clinic. Among the funders were Israel’s Health Ministry and Jewish Federations of North America’s Israel Emergency Campaign.
The center’s activities, Raviv said, reflect what might have been Niv and Nirel’s joint mission.
“Niv had a very therapeutic soul. She was always helping people. That’s why she studied psychology,” Raviv said.
One of the people Niv was helping was Nirel, who had suffered from PTSD after sustaining a life-threatening injury in a major battle in 2015.
Nirel was studying law, Raviv explained, because of another battle: his lengthy fight to obtain war-injury benefits from the government bureaucracy. He hoped to assist fellow soldiers get the assistance they required.
People can come to the center without being identified as suffering from PTSD, noted Raviv. “They are just people who because of the war feel that something inside them has changed,” she said.
Interior of the Niv Nirel Center with view of the Mediterranean Sea through the window, photographed in February 2025. (Bernard Dichek)
But as one soldier pointed out, even recognizing that they are suffering can be difficult.
“When I came back, I was nervous all the time. I fought with my boss and lost a high-paying job. I didn’t think I had anything to complain about because there were lots of soldiers who were injured and in bad shape,” said Gilad Bremer who came to the Center last November after serving with an artillery unit on the Lebanese border.
“I was skeptical and didn’t show up the first time I was supposed to be there,” he recalled. “But when I did go I realized there were people there who could see from the side what I couldn’t see.”
Four months later, Bremer made these observations at a cafe, sitting beside his girlfriend, Nastya, and their dog, Biggy. “Once I realized I wasn’t alone in my situation I was able to move on and get a new job,” he said, adding with a smile, “Nastya and I found a place to live together and we got a dog.”
Raviv has achieved a lot in a relatively short period of time, bringing innovative therapies to the Center, some involving state-of-the-art technology, and initiating collaborations with international trauma centers.
Niv Raviv (left) and Nirel Zini. (courtesy)
Summing it all up, she returns to the inspiration she got the night of the funeral.
“Niv and Nirel have given us this big mission that we need to carry on. I understand now that we can’t all believe in the same tradition, but we are all Jews. There is something that unites us that words can’t explain.”
That sentiment was echoed by Amir Zini when he concluded his talk with the high school students at Kfar Aza.
“I don’t know why they were afraid to bring us parents together,” said Zini. “Yet the fact that they were able to connect with each other is proof that it is possible for these two worlds to connect.”
Acronyms and Glossary
COGAT - Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories
ICC - International Criminal Court in the Hague
IJC - International Court of Justice in the Hague
IPS - Israel Prison System
MDA - Magen David Adom - Israel Ambulance Corp
PA - Palestinian Authority - President Mahmud Abbas, aka Abu Mazen
PMO- Prime Minister's Office
UAV - Unmanned Aerial vehicle, Drone. Could be used for surveillance and reconnaissance, or be weaponized with missiles or contain explosives for 'suicide' explosion mission
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🎗️Day 260 that 120 of our hostages in Hamas captivity **There is nothing more important than getting them home! NOTHING!** “I’ve never met them, But I miss them. I’ve never met them, but I think of them every second. I’ve never met them, but they are my family. BRING THEM HOME NOW!!!” There is no victory until all of the hostages are home! אין נצחון עד שכל החטופים בבית
🎗️Day 361 that 101 of our hostages in Hamas captivity **There is nothing more important than getting them home! NOTHING!** “I’ve never met them, But I miss them. I’ve never met them, but I think of them every second. I’ve never met them, but they are my family. BRING THEM HOME NOW!!!” We’re waiting for you, all of you. A deal is the only way to bring all the hostages home- the murdered for burial and the living for rehabilitation. #BringThemHomeNow #TurnTheHorrorIntoHope There is no victory until all of the hostages are home! אין נצחון עד שכל החטופים בבית
🎗️Day 239 that 125 of our hostages in Hamas captivity **There is nothing more important than getting them home! NOTHING!** “I’ve never met them, But I miss them. I’ve never met them, but I think of them every second. I’ve never met them, but they are my family. BRING THEM HOME NOW!!!” There is no victory until all of the hostages are home! אין נצחון עד שכל החטופים בבית
Red alert area from the Houthi ballistic missile
Eli Sharabi, a former hostage, holds up a photo of his family’s grave as he speaks during a UN Security Council meeting concerning the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question at the United Nations headquarters on March 20, 2025 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images/AFP)
Eli Sharabi, a former hostage speaks during a press conference at the United Nations headquarters on March 20, 2025 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images/AFP)
disappeared from the public sphere. Hamas terrorists in Gaza Photo: Ali Hassan, Flash 90
The people of the organization are mainly in the networks. A Hamas policeman in Gaza
It is worth listening to the voices emerging from Gaza to understand how the leaders of the terrorist organization think. Even if military pressure leads to a ceasefire and the release of hostages, we will soon find ourselves back in the same predicament because the hostages are the only card left to ensure Hamas's continued rule in the Strip. Ohad Hemo, Analysis.
"If you’re not one of them, you’re worth nothing in their eyes." Hamas terrorists | Photo: Abd Rahim Khatib, Flash 90
Israel is facing a different, weakened Hamas. Destruction in the Gaza Strip | Photo: Abd Rahim Khatib, Flash 90
"We didn’t sleep all night, bombs near the house, everywhere." Destruction in the Gaza Strip | Photo: Reuters
Israel is already preparing the ground for an expanded maneuver. IDF activity in the southern Strip | Photo: IDF Spokesperson
The flags of Syria and Lebanon
Niv Raviv (left) and Nirel Zini. (courtesy)
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