🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 554, 2023

🎗️Day 554 that 59 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

Tonight is the second passover that 59 hostages willl spend in the hell of Hamas captivity. This is the holiday of freedom, of redemption and reminds us that we were all slaves in Egypt. Unfortunately, the Pharoah who is not willing to 'let my people go' from Gaza is one of our own, our prime minister. Of course, it is the murderous, barbaric Hamas terrorists who kidnapped, tortured and killed our people and our holding our 59 hostages, but their fate truly rests in the hands of one person, Netanyahu. He, alone is the one who can make the deal to bring them all home if only he was a real leader concerned with the lives of the hostages who were taken in his watch and because he allowed Hamas to strengthen. If only he would put his own self interests behind the interests of the nation and the hostages, all of the hostages would be home for the living to be with their families during their most important holiday of redemption and the dead to be buried in our land and with dignity. But Netanyahu is a Pharoah ruling over his own people and will only do what is in his self interest.
Pharoah Netanyahu, Bring our hostages home! It is in your hands and your hands alone. BRING THEM HOME NOW!!!!

Red Alerts - Missile, Rocket, Drone (UAV - unmanned aerial vehicles), and Terror Attacks and Death Announcements

*IDF says it shot down drone ‘from the east’ over Dead Sea; no sirens triggered
A drone launched at Israel “from the east” was shot down by the Israeli Air Force a short while ago near the Dead Sea, the military says,
No sirens sounded as no towns were under any threat.
The drone is thought to have been launched from Yemen.
12:30pm- Gaza envelope- 3 rockets launched from southern Gaza intercepted -
Hamas takes responsibility for the rocket fire from southern Gaza a short while ago, claiming to have targeted the border community of Nir Yitzhak.

Hostage Updates

If a deal based on a "compromise" is preferred, then the first demand must be the return of all living hostages. That is a possible compromise. But negotiating the return of only some of the living hostages is a crime against the people of Israel and against the State of Israel.

It would be best to resolve everything and return the living hostages and the deceased in one phase, with the understanding that the price is ending the war, a full withdrawal from Gaza, and the large-scale release of Palestinian prisoners. Hamas is willing to release all the hostages but insists on ending the war.

Removing Hamas from power in Gaza and demilitarizing the Strip must happen—it is Israel's obligation to achieve these war objectives—but this can be accomplished after the hostages are returned.

We could have brought them all back many months ago, but our prime minister chose—and continues to choose—to prolong the war to extend his time in power. Whatever happens, Netanyahu will go down in history as the worst leader the Jewish people have ever had. Nothing will save him. At the very least, he should exit our lives after bringing back our sisters and brothers from the hell of captivity in Gaza.
(Gershon Baskin, 11.4.2025)

Qatar frustrated by slowed pace of hostage talks under Dermer — sources
Qatar is frustrated with the pace of hostage talks under the leadership of Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, an official with knowledge of the talks tells The Times of Israel.
Earlier today, a source involved in the negotiations told CNN that there is a “significant difference in momentum” since Dermer replaced Shin Bet head Ronen Bar and Mossad director David Barnea.
“There is a clear shift in [Israel’s] priorities,” the source told CNN. “Negotiations are seemingly being politicized from the Israeli team.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tapped Dermer — one of his closest confidants — to head the team in February after the premier sidelined Barnea and Bar.
In March, members of the negotiating team told Channel 12 that Dermer’s leadership of the efforts was ineffective.
An Israeli official rejected the idea that Dermer was slowing down talks, telling CNN: “To reach a deal, you need someone who actually represents the will of the government who will authorize said deal, not ‘dissent,’ which only served to undermine negotiations.”
However, an Israeli source tells The Times of Israel that Dermer doesn’t believe it will be possible to get all the hostages out and that he expressed this position to the White House during Netanyahu’s visit earlier this week. He is instead trying to set the stage for one more major release of living hostages.
There has been an improvement in discipline from the negotiators since Dermer has taken over from Bar and Barnea, says the Israeli source. Leaks have been dramatically reduced, especially those blaming Netanyahu for getting in the way of progress. link Contrary to the 'Israel source' (which means it came from Netanyahu), there is absolutely no improvement in anything having to do with the hostage negotiations. Dermer, as Netanyahu's closest advisor and lapdog will never do anything that Netanyahu doesn't want done, and Netanyahu doesn't want the war to end, so Dermer will never consider any talks where ending the war is the bottom line. Dermer has no interest in getting the hostages home because, to do so, he would have to go against his boss. He was Netanyahu's best choice to make sure nothing gets done against Netanyahu's will and the absolute worst choice to get the hostages home.
Israel submits slightly softened hostage deal offer ahead of Hamas delegation’s arrival in Cairo
Demonstrators protest for the release of hostages held by terrorists in the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, April 5, 2025. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)
Israel has come down slightly from an earlier demand for 11 hostages to be released as part of a deal with Hamas to revive the first phase of a ceasefire that collapsed last month, two officials familiar with the matter tell The Times of Israel.
Last month, Israel demanded the release of 11 living hostages in exchange for restoring the ceasefire. For its part, Hamas said it was willing to release five living hostages. For several weeks, both sides refused to compromise further, and the talks remained at an impasse as Israel widened its military campaign throughout Gaza, which it resumed on March 18.
Seeking to meet the sides halfway, Egypt, in recent days, began pushing a new proposal that would see eight living hostages released.
After meeting with US President Donald Trump earlier this week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to soften his demands, the two officials said.
On Thursday, Israel submitted to Egyptian mediators its response to Cairo’s latest proposal, the officials said, revealing that the number of hostages Jerusalem now seeks is slightly lower than the 11 it demanded last month.
However, Israel is demanding that the living hostages be released during the first two weeks of the 45-day ceasefire, rejecting previous Hamas demands that the releases be evenly distributed throughout the entire truce.
People stand outside their tent set up on the rubble of a destroyed building at the Jabalia camp for displaced Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip on April 8, 2025. (Bashar TALEB / AFP)
Moreover, the Israeli proposal seeks to lower the ratio of prisoners — including ones serving life sentences — who will be released for each hostage, one of the officials said.
In addition, the latest Israeli response seeks the release of 16 bodies of Israelis still held in Gaza, while offering to release the bodies of Gazans held by Israel in exchange.

Israel would also agree to allow the resumption of humanitarian aid deliveries into Gaza and withdraw its troops to where they were positioned in Gaza before it resumed fighting on March 18 and re-occupied large parts of the Strip.
The Israeli response includes a willingness to hold negotiations on the terms of a permanent ceasefire once the truce has been restored, said the two officials.
Hamas’s top priority is securing a permanent ceasefire, but an agreement by Israel to hold such talks would likely be viewed by Hamas as insufficient since Israel already agreed to hold similar talks during the first phase of the ceasefire and didn’t adhere to that commitment, one of the officials said.
To address Hamas’s concerns, US special envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff has told Arab mediators that Trump would be willing to issue a public statement expressing Washington’s commitment to holding negotiations for a permanent Gaza ceasefire.
US President Donald Trump greets Israeli hostages who were released from Gaza, during the National Republican Congressional Committee’s (NRCC) “President’s Dinner” at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC, on April 8, 2025. (SAUL LOEB / AFP)
Egyptian mediators plan to share Israel’s response later this weekend with a Hamas delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya, which will arrive in Cairo on Saturday night, the officials said.
Hamas is expected to push back on many of Israel’s demands, and no resolution is expected in the coming days, the officials said.
However, recent weeks have seen Hamas cave on its main assertion that it wouldn’t agree to an extension of the first phase.
It had long insisted that it would only release additional hostages as part of the second phase of the deal, which envisions the release of all remaining living hostages in exchange for a permanent ceasefire and a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
While Israel signed onto the phased framework that went into place in January, Netanyahu has long insisted that he would not agree to a permanent ceasefire nor a full withdrawal of Israeli forces until Hamas’s governing and military capabilities have been fully dismantled.
Accordingly, he largely refused to even hold negotiations regarding the exact terms of phase two, which the deal stipulates were supposed to have started on February 3.
Activists from the left-wing “Free Jerusalem” group protest the war in Gaza, in Jerusalem’s Paris Square, April 9, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Instead, he has sought to extend the first phase of the deal through proposals that would see the release of additional hostages while still allowing Israel to resume fighting against Hamas.
For its part, a senior Palestinian official told The Times of Israel earlier this month that Hamas is willing to release all of the hostages at once if Israel agrees to a permanent end to the war.
Netanyahu has long refused such an exchange, arguing that it would leave Hamas in power.
The premier is backed by many of his hardline coalition partners who have threatened to collapse his government if he agrees to end the war.
However, successive polls have indicated that the government is out of step with a majority of Israelis who back ending the war in exchange for the release of all 59 remaining hostages — 24 of whom are believed to still be alive. link This 'softening' of demands by Netanyahu is total bullshit. He needs to stop 'softening' his demands and just do what it absolutely necessary: ending the war in order to make a deal that will bring home all 59 hostages. This piecemeal crap is in the interest of one person, Netanyahu and has only been for him since the beginning.
Wife, daughters of hostage Omri Miran blow out his birthday candle without him

Lishay Miran Lavi blows out a candle on a birthday cupcake for her hostage husband Omri, along with her two daughers Roni and Alma at Channel 12's studio on April 11, 2025. (Screen capture/Channel 12)
Lishay Miran Lavi marks the 48th birthday of her husband, Omri, who is one of the 59 hostages still being held in Gaza.
Channel 12 opens its Friday night news broadcast with a monologue from Lishay, who symbolically opens the “present” she got her husband — a box filled with nothing but air.
She says air is something that Omri doesn’t have at all in the tunnel where he is being held in Gaza.
She begs the government to act to secure his release before time runs out.
With help from her two young daughters, Roni and Alma, she blows out a candle on a cupcake and wishes her husband a happy birthday, urging him to be strong. link This breaks the heart of anyone with a soul but it falls on deaf ears when it comes to Netanyahu. He has no heart and no soul and feels nothing for any of the hostages.
The reason for the slowdown in talks with Hamas - the appointment of Minister Dramer

Sources familiar with the negotiations for the release of the hostages spoke with CNN and claimed that placing Minister Dramer at the head of the negotiation team led to a "significant difference in momentum and politicization." An Israeli official dismissed the claims: "The negotiations should be judged by their results."

The Hostage Families Headquarters responded to reports that Dramer’s appointment harmed the talks: "Filled with concern, he should either bring a deal or resign."

This is the Egyptian proposal being discussed in Israel.

Sources involved in the hostage release negotiations said that the change Israel made in February regarding who leads the talks has slowed their pace, according to a CNN report today (Friday).

After the October 7 surprise attack, the talks were managed by security and intelligence officials. However, about two months ago, the authority to oversee negotiations was transferred to Minister Ron Dermer, a close associate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The report claims this move harmed the efficiency of the talks.

A source involved in the negotiations said that after Dermer’s appointment, there was a "significant difference in momentum" compared to his predecessors—Mossad chief David Barnea and Shin Bet head Ronen Bar—who had led the talks. "There was a real shift in Israel’s priorities," the source said. "The talks seem to have become politicized, and Dermer communicates less with mediators from Egypt and Qatar, who maintain direct ties with Hamas."

"Stop Whining": Bennett’s Response to Protesters

A source familiar with the details told CNN that the decision to replace security officials with Dermer was meant to give Netanyahu greater control over the negotiation process. An American official representing hostage families said: "The political considerations of the Israeli team led by Dermer are not having a positive effect."

In response, an Israeli official dismissed criticism of Dermer. "Negotiations should be judged by results, not by process," they explained. "To reach a deal, you need someone who truly represents the government’s will and can approve the agreement."

The Hostage Families Headquarters responded to CNN’s report that Dermer’s appointment as head of the negotiation team has stalled progress: "Deeply concerned by this report, which aligns with other news from the past two months about the stalled negotiations. This confirms what we’ve claimed—while we were promised Dermer’s appointment would bring a breakthrough, the reality appears different."

They concluded their statement by addressing the negotiation team leader: "If you cannot secure a full agreement that ends the war and brings back all hostages in one phase—step aside."

Yesterday, Prime Minister Netanyahu held consultations with top security officials regarding hostage deal efforts. Amid the political turmoil, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar also participated in the situation assessment.

During the meeting, Netanyahu discussed the Egyptian proposal, which includes the release of 8 hostages in exchange for a 50-day ceasefire and the start of discussions on "Phase Two" of the deal. In that phase, the parties would negotiate terms for ending the war. Senior Israeli officials said the chances of a deal are now higher than in recent weeks.

U.S. President Trump also addressed the hostage situation. Last night, he said the U.S. is "dealing" with Israel and Hamas, calling the terror group "a bunch of bad people." However, Trump did not provide further details on the negotiations. He was not directly asked about the hostages but volunteered the information during a conversation with reporters. "People who return from captivity will be scarred for life. We are close to bringing the hostages back."

Following CNN’s report, hostage families claimed that since Dermer’s appointment, he has refused to meet with them—unlike in the past, when they had full access to negotiation heads, including the Mossad chief and Nitzan Alon. Additionally, amid the collapse of talks and the resumption of fighting, sharp criticism emerged from within the negotiation team against Dermer, with some calling him a "failure." link
"Intensive Negotiations, But No Delegation for Now: 'Will Hamas Refuse? Pressure Will Mount'" – A Situation Report

Amid criticism against Dermer, Israel claims there are "intensive contacts," especially with Egypt, and is prepared for proximity talks: "The goal is to maximize the number of living hostages released." The reason for insisting on a "prolonged period" between the start and end of a deal—and the renewed wait for Hamas: "The ball is in their court; there is strong determination to seize this opportunity."

It has been 553 days since the hostages were taken captive, and Israel is once again waiting for Hamas' response to proposed deals for their release. The Israeli negotiation team is currently engaged in "very intensive contacts" with mediators, particularly Egypt, in coordination with the Americans. An Israeli official emphasized last night (Friday) that "the ball is in Hamas' court"—while the group has already signaled it will reject Israel's offer to release 11 living hostages, it has yet to respond to Egypt's new proposal, which involves freeing 8 living hostages.

Maximizing the Number of Hostages
The Israeli team is working to maximize the number of living hostages released at the outset of any potential deal. The negotiations hover between Hamas' latest offer—freeing 5 living hostages, including U.S. citizen Idan Alexander—and Israel's demand to adhere to the "Wittkopf framework," which calls for releasing 11 living hostages upfront, along with half of the deceased hostages. Egypt's proposal, attempting to bridge the two, also includes elements related to ending the war—which Israel opposes.

Israel insists on sticking to U.S. envoy Wittkopf's outline, where the second half of hostages would only be released after a temporary ceasefire, arguing that a prolonged interim period is needed to discuss major issues tied to ending the war, including Gaza’s demilitarization. Israel’s message to mediators is that the phased release model—freeing small groups of hostages every few days—is flawed, as it allows Hamas to violate the deal and avoid sustained, in-depth negotiations on critical issues, including what Hamas calls "Phase Two" (ending the war).

Thus, Israel believes Wittkopf’s original model is correct: half the hostages freed immediately, followed by extended talks on major sticking points—and if agreements are reached, the remaining hostages would be released. Without this "effective and prolonged" period for deep discussions, the focus would remain on Hamas' next violation rather than substantive negotiations.

Full Coordination with the U.S., Awaiting Hamas' Response
Israel has provided mediators a list of 59 hostages—24 living and 35 deceased—clarifying that negotiations concern all of them. Half would be released upfront, the other half after talks. Sources say tough negotiations with Hamas are ongoing via mediators: "Unfortunately, there’s no immediate deal. We wish there were. Israel is increasing military pressure on Hamas because, ultimately, the goal is to free the hostages."

Israel is waiting for Hamas' response, hoping military pressure will push them toward a deal. Officials claim this pressure is effective: "It moves things." The hope is to advance to detailed "proximity talks" in Cairo or Doha, with Israel ready to send a delegation if needed.

For now, talks continue without the team traveling abroad. "There’s strong determination to seize this opportunity and free hostages as quickly as possible," a source said. "I won’t frame it as optimism or pessimism—there’s relentless persistence. Every day is dedicated to this." They added that the team has "full leeway from the prime minister. We’re working to maximize the number of living hostages in the first half and create negotiations to free the rest."

Netanyahu’s Situation Assessment, Military Pressure to Escalate
On Thursday, PM Netanyahu held a situational assessment where the negotiation team presented updates. Top security officials—including Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, whose dismissal was temporarily frozen by the Supreme Court—attended. All praised IDF and Shin Bet operations, which maintain military pressure on Hamas. It was decided that pressure would intensify if no deal is reached.

A senior official vowed military pressure "will escalate without an agreement." Another added: "The ball is in Hamas’ court—Egypt’s and America’s proposals are on the table. Meanwhile, military pressure in Gaza continues, with ground operations and targeted strikes."

Report on Dermer’s Impact, Families’ Outrage
The Hostage and Missing Persons Directorate updated families: "Continuous contacts are underway between the negotiation team and mediators, fully coordinated with the U.S. Current talks with Egypt are particularly intensive, covering all negotiation issues. Last night, the team briefed the PM, and a situational assessment was held with security chiefs. Efforts will continue around the clock until all hostages are freed."

Netanyahu’s office denied a CNN report claiming talks had "significantly slowed" since Ron Dermer, Netanyahu’s confidant, took over negotiations. Sources alleged the change stemmed from Netanyahu’s desire for tighter political control. The PMO countered: "Minister Dermer works around the clock on the hostages. This orchestrated smear campaign against him is unworthy, misrepresents reality, serves Hamas propaganda, and harms hostage families."

Following the report, the Hostage Families Headquarters demanded Dermer secure a deal for all 59 remaining hostages—or resign:
"Hostage families are deeply concerned by this report, which aligns with past two months of stalled negotiations. It confirms our warnings—while Dermer’s appointment promised a breakthrough, the opposite seems true. On Passover’s eve, we repeat: ‘59, or resign.’ If you can’t deliver a full deal ending the war and returning all hostages at once, step aside. ‘Delaying redemption where it could be hastened is akin to bloodshed.’ Time is up. Their freedom is ours."  link

Hamas official: Senior delegation heading to Cairo for hostage-ceasefire talks
A Hamas official tells AFP that senior leaders from the group are heading to Cairo today for Gaza hostage-ceasefire talks with Egyptian mediators.
“We hope the meeting will achieve real progress toward reaching an agreement to end the war, halt the aggression, and ensure the full withdrawal of occupation forces from Gaza,” the official familiar with the ceasefire negotiations says on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

Gaza and the South

Gaza ‘hell on earth’ as hospital supplies running out, warns head of Red Cross

Palestinians walk to obtain clean drinking water amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, in the city of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. (Abed Rahim Khatib)
The president of the Red Cross describes the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “hell on earth” and warned that its field hospital will run out of supplies within two weeks.
“We are now finding ourselves in a situation that I have to describe as hell on earth …People don’t have access to water, electricity, food, in many parts,” Mirjana Spoljaric tells Reuters at the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva.
No new humanitarian supplies have entered the Palestinian enclave since Israel blocked the entry of aid trucks on March 2, as talks stalled on the next stage of a now broken truce. Israel resumed its military assault on March 18.
Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said 25,000 aid trucks had entered Gaza in the 42 days of the ceasefire and that Hamas had used the aid to rebuild its war machine, an allegation which the terror group has denied.
Spoljaric says supplies were running critically low.
“For six weeks, nothing has come in, so we will, in a couple of weeks’ time, run out of supplies that we need to keep the hospital going,” she says.
The World Health Organization says supplies of antibiotics and blood bags were dwindling fast. Twenty-two out of 36 hospitals in the enclave are only minimally functional, Dr. Rik Peeperkorn tells reporters in Geneva via video link in Jerusalem.
The Red Cross president also raises concerns about the safety of humanitarian operations.
“It is extremely dangerous for the population to move, but it’s especially also dangerous for us to operate,” Spoljaric says.
In March, the bodies of 15 emergency and aid workers, including eight members of the Palestinian Red Crescent, were found buried in a mass grave in southern Gaza.
The UN and Red Crescent accused Israeli forces of killing them.
The Israeli military said on Monday that an initial investigation showed that the incident occurred “due to a sense of threat” after it said it had identified six Hamas militants in the vicinity.
Spoljaric calls for an immediate ceasefire to release the remaining hostages held by Hamas and to address the grave humanitarian issues in Gaza.
IDF says it has captured Gaza’s Morag Corridor, cutting off Rafah from Khan Younis
The IDF announces that it has completed capturing the Morag Corridor in the southern Gaza Strip, cutting off the city of Rafah from Khan Younis.
Rafah is now completely surrounded by the military, with the 36th Division holding the Morag Corridor, and the Gaza Division operating in the Philadelphi Corridor, the Egypt-Gaza border area.
The 36th Division’s 188th Armored Brigade had pushed into the Morag Corridor from the northwest, while the division’s Golani Infantry Brigade entered from the border in the southeast. Overnight, the two units joined up.
Engineering forces are now constructing a road along the corridor, similar to the other corridors in Gaza captured by the IDF during the war.
The military will now operate inside areas of Rafah that it has not been in yet to defeat the remaining Hamas forces there. The IDF issued evacuation warnings for civilians in Rafah nearly two weeks ago.
Eventually, the IDF’s buffer zone in southern Gaza will stretch from the Egyptian border to the outskirts of Khan Younis — more than 5 kilometers away — and include the entire city of Rafah within it — around 20% of the Strip.
The IDF’s buffer zone elsewhere on the border with Gaza has also been expanded from several hundred meters to around 2 kilometers in most areas.
Over the past week and a half, during operations in the Morag Corridor area, the IDF says it has eliminated dozens of terror operatives and destroyed Hamas infrastructure, including tunnels.
Gazans say renewed IDF attacks cut off clean water for hundreds of thousands
Hamas-appointed authorities say military damaged Strip’s northern pipeline, effecting ‘real thirst crisis’; Israel: Pipe malfunctioning will be fixed as soon as possible
Palestinians line up to fill cans with water in Jabaliya, northern Gaza Strip, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Gaza City’s Hamas-appointed municipality has accused Israel of cutting off the city’s main clean water source with its renewed offensive in the Strip, depriving hundreds of thousands of residents of potable water.
It says many now have to walk, sometimes for miles, to get a small water fill after Israeli operations in Gaza City’s eastern Shejaiya neighborhood, in the north of the Strip, damaged the pipeline operated by Israel’s state-owned water company Mekorot.
“Since morning, I have been waiting for water,” 42-year-old Gazan woman Faten Nassar told Reuters. “There are no stations and no trucks coming. There is no water. The crossings are closed. God willing, the war will end safely and peacefully.”
Adel Al-Hourani, 64, said, “I walk long distances. I get tired. I am old, I’m not young to walk around every day to get water.”
In a statement, the IDF said the northern pipeline had malfunctioned and that the military was in contact with the relevant organization to repair the pipeline as soon as possible.
The IDF said a second pipeline, supplying southern Gaza, was still operating. According to the military, the water supply “is based on various water sources, including wells and local desalination facilities distributed throughout the Gaza Strip.”
According to the Hamas-appointed municipality, the northern pipeline supplies some 70% of Gaza City’s water, with most wells having been destroyed in the war sparked on October 7, 2023, when the terror group stormed southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages.
“The situation is very difficult, and things are getting more complicated, especially when it comes to people’s daily lives and their daily water needs, whether for cleaning, disinfecting, and even cooking and drinking,” said Gaza City municipality spokesperson Husni Mhana.
“We are now living in a real thirst crisis in Gaza City, and we could face a difficult reality in the coming days if the situation remains the same.”
Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have become internally displaced by the war, with many making daily trips on foot to fill plastic containers with water from the few wells still functioning in remoter areas — and even these do not guarantee clean supplies.
Palestinian and United Nations officials have said most of Gaza’s desalination plants were either damaged or stopped operations because of Israel’s power and fuel cuts.
The Gaza Strip’s only natural source of water is the Coastal Aquifer Basin, which runs along the eastern Mediterranean coast from the northern Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, through Gaza and into Israel. But its salty tap water is severely depleted, with up to 97% deemed unfit for human consumption due to salinity, over-extraction and pollution.

This aerial view shows tents housing displaced Palestinians set up in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip on April 2, 2025. (Bashar Taleb / AFP)
In a joint statement on March 22, the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority’s Water Authority and Bureau of Statistics said more than 85% of water and sanitation facilities and other assets in Gaza were completely or partially out of service.
“Due to the extensive damage incurred by the water and sanitation sector, water supply rates have declined to an average of 3-5 liters per person per day,” the statement said — a fraction of the 15 liters a day recommended by the World Health Organization for drinking, cooking and hygiene in humanitarian crises.
Israel cut off the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza on March 2, after the last Gaza truce’s first phase expired amid Hamas’s refusal to extend it and Israel’s refusal to negotiate a second phase. A week later, Israel announced it was disconnecting the only power line to a water desalination plant in the Strip that had been reconnected to Israel’s electric grid last year.
The IDF resumed operations on March 18, with a surprise series of massive airstrikes across the Strip. In Shejaiya last week, Israel issued evacuation warnings to residents ahead of a series of airstrikes that killed dozens of people, including the head of Hamas’s Shejaiya Battalion on Wednesday.
More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry. The figure cannot be independently verified and does not distinguish between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has killed some 20,000 gunmen in Gaza as of January, as well as some 1,600 terrorists inside Israel during the Hamas onslaught that sparked the war. link For the many who don't give a damn about the humanitarian crisis of the over 1 million Gaza refugees (there are too many who don't care but it is our moral duty as humans to care), think about the hostages. We know from all the returned hostages that when the situation gets worse for Gazans, it gets exponentially worse for the hostages both because of the lack of resources but more so out of punishment by their terrorist captors. Netanyahu has been told personally by the previous negotiating team members and by all the hostages that the military pressure and prevention of humanitarian aid causes major backlash directly on the hostages in the form of torture, further intentional starvation, tightening of their shackles and whatever other evil their captors can think of. Netanyahu and Katz, your stupid 'more military pressure' is killing our hostages! Make the f**king deal to end the war and bring back all the hostages!!!
IDF issues evacuation warning for Khan Younis after rocket fire
Following the Hamas rocket fire from the southern Gaza Strip on the border community of Nir Yitzhak, the IDF issues an evacuation warning for Palestinians in the Khan Younis area.
In a post on X, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, Col. Avichay Adraee, publishes a map of the area that is to be evacuated, saying that it is a “final warning” before the IDF carries out strikes there.
Three rockets were launched by Hamas in the attack, with the IDF reporting that it shot down all of them. No injuries were reported.

Northern Israel, Lebanon and Syria

Amid talks with Ankara, Israeli official says Jerusalem open to Turkey maintaining ‘limited’ military base in Syria
Israel is “very optimistic” about deconfliction talks with Turkey, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.
Jerusalem is even open to Turkey maintaining a “limited” military base in Syria, adds the official.
“The talks were held in good faith,” says the official, adding that there would be further discussions after the sides met this week in Azerbaijan.
A Turkish official offers a similar message of conciliation.
“Turkey’s concerns have always been the cross-border terrorist threat from Syria to Turkey,” the official tells The Times of Israel, pointing at ISIS and the Kurdish PKK
“Other than that, we do not want any conflict with any country.”
Most Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon handed over to Lebanese army, source in terror group says
Most military sites belonging to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon have been placed under Lebanese army control, a source close to the group says.
A November 27 ceasefire that ended more than a year of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, including two months of full-blown war, stipulated that only United Nations peacekeepers and Lebanon’s army should be deployed in the country’s south.
The deal required the Iran-backed terror group to dismantle its remaining military infrastructure in the south and move its fighters north of the Litani River, which is about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the Israeli border.
“Out of 265 Hezbollah military positions identified south of the Litani, the movement has ceded about 190 to the army,” the source says on condition of anonymity.
Under the ceasefire, Israel was to complete its troop withdrawal from Lebanon by February 18 after missing a January deadline, but it has kept troops in five places it deems strategic.
Israel has continued to strike what it says are Hezbollah infrastructure or members of the group in Lebanon, who are either violating the ceasefire or planning attacks.

West Bank, Jerusalem, Israel and Terror Attacks

Jordanian troops disperse pro-Palestinian rally on border of West Bank
Jordanian security forces disperse a demonstration in support of the Palestinians along the east bank of the Jordan Valley.
Protesters were planning on marching toward Jordan’s border with the Israel-controlled West Bank but were blocked by security forces who reportedly carried out dozens of arrests.
PA invites US to verify that controversial prisoner payment system no longer in place
After US expressed skepticism, top Abbas aide sends letter to Rubio encouraging Trump delegation to come to Ramallah after June 1 and certify new welfare system up and running
The Palestinian Authority has formally invited the Trump administration to certify that Ramallah’s reform of its controversial welfare system viewed as incentivizing terror is being implemented, a US official and a PA official revealed to The Times of Israel on Friday.

The invitation was extended in a letter that PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s top aide, Hussein al-Sheikh, sent on Wednesday to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The letter notes a decree Abbas signed in February canceling legislation that conditioned welfare payments to Palestinian prisoners on the length of their sentences in Israeli jails, instead basing stipends solely on the financial need of the recipient, the officials confirmed.

Sheikh states that the PA is fully committed to implementing the reform and would welcome a US delegation to come to Ramallah and begin certifying that the new system is in place starting on June 1.

While June 1 will be nearly four months after Abbas signed the decree, the two officials said time was needed to get the new system up and running, given that families need to re-apply and their requests need to be adjudicated based on a strict set of criteria.

“This is a major step demonstrating that this is not just talk, but action because an invitation would not be extended if we weren’t confident that the US will certify,” the PA official told The Times of Israel.

Asked to comment, a State Department spokesperson said, “We do not comment on diplomatic correspondence.”

“This abhorrent practice of compensation that provides benefits and payments in support of terrorism needs to end now. We want to see actions, not words,” the spokesperson added, repeating a statement it issued to The Times of Israel last month.

Abbas’s decree is designed to bring the PA into compliance with the Taylor Force Act, a 2018 congressional legislation that barred US economic aid that directly benefits the PA.

For such aid to resume, the US secretary of state is required to certify four conditions: (1) that the decree conditioning payments to prisoners on the length of their sentence has been revoked; (2) that those payments have actually ceased; (3) that the PA is taking steps to combat terror in the West Bank; and (4) that the PA is publicly condemning terror.

Abbas has met the first condition with his decree, and a US delegation will determine whether the second condition has been met come June 1.

As for the third condition, the PA official pointed to Ramallah’s continued security coordination with Israel and its efforts to crack down on armed groups in the northern West Bank.

As for the requirement that the PA condemn terror, the PA official highlighted recent statements made by Ramallah condemning Hamas.

A written letter of certification from Rubio is required for the PA to be deemed in compliance with the Taylor Force Act. Once that letter has been issued, it must be re-certified every 180 days.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with reporters following a meeting with G7 counterparts in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada, March 14, 2025. (Saul Loeb, Pool Photo via AP)
The practice of paying allowances to those convicted of carrying out terror attacks, and to the families of those killed while carrying out attacks, has been pilloried by critics as incentivizing terror, and held up by Israel as a symbol of PA corruption and its inability to serve as a partner for peace.

Palestinian leaders have long defended the payments, describing them as a form of social welfare and necessary compensation for victims of what they said is Israel’s callous military justice system in the West Bank.

While the State Department initially welcomed the decree signed by Abbas on February 10 as a “big win for the administration,” it has since sharpened its tone against the PA.

Monthly payments to the families of security prisoners and the families of wounded and slain attackers have occurred twice since Abbas signed the decree on February 10, two Palestinian sources directly familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel last month.

The Palestinian official explained that this was because the payments were from months before the decree was signed. With Ramallah’s funds limited due to Israel’s withholding of hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues, the PA was only able to transfer welfare recipients their payments for December in February, while the stipends for January were received earlier this month.

Accordingly, it will likely take another month or two until the new payment system kicks in, the Palestinian official said.

The Palestinian official speculated that the US administration’s shift in tone toward the PA reform likely stemmed from an initial expectation that the new payment policy would be implemented sooner.

“We still plan to uphold the decree that was signed,” the Palestinian official said.

Politics and the War and General News

Police release all 23 protesters arrested at last night’s anti-war rally in Haifa
All 23 demonstrators arrested in Haifa last night at an anti-war protest have gone free as of this morning.
Earlier today, the Haifa Magistrate’s Court rejected the police’s request to extend the detention of three protesters they held overnight.
Officers released the other 20 demonstrators a few hours after their arrest but sought to detain the remaining three for another five days.
Police claimed in court that the three assaulted police officers and disturbed the public peace, among other charges. However, Judge Eran Zeller rejected the request and ordered the protesters’ release without conditions.
In his decision, Zeller writes that “participating in a demonstration does not indicate a danger to anyone… unless during the participation serious offenses are carried out such as aggravated assault.”
“[However] it seems that this is not the issue before me,” he continues, as quoted by Haaretz.
Zeller adds that police forcefully shut down the demonstration soon after it began, concurring with those who partook in last night’s protest.
“The police dispersed the protest not even a minute after it started, says a demonstrator, who wishes to remain anonymous, to The Times of Israel.
She and the others detained were held in a police station until midnight, while the other three were held Kishon Detention Center.
link as in most other arrests of protesters, this is pure police harassment. They know they don't have a leg to stand on and every time, the judge involved orders the police to release the arrested protesters. However, the police keep doing it to attempt to deter protesters. I hope that one of these days, the judges will start to fine the arresting officers and their superiors for what is clearly false arrests and abuse of power. Maybe then, the police will reconsider this harassment tactic.

The Region and the World

Amid talks with Ankara, Israeli official says Jerusalem open to Turkey maintaining ‘limited’ military base in Syria
Israel is “very optimistic” about deconfliction talks with Turkey, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.
Jerusalem is even open to Turkey maintaining a “limited” military base in Syria, adds the official.
“The talks were held in good faith,” says the official, adding that there would be further discussions after the sides met this week in Azerbaijan.
A Turkish official offers a similar message of conciliation.
“Turkey’s concerns have always been the cross-border terrorist threat from Syria to Turkey,” the official tells The Times of Israel, pointing at ISIS and the Kurdish PKK
“Other than that, we do not want any conflict with any country.”

Personal Stories

IDF soldier walks again with help of cutting-edge exoskeleton after Gaza injury

With new technology, Sheba Hospital is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible

When D., a young Israeli soldier, was severely wounded during a battle in Gaza, doctors feared the worst. “They told my mother I’d probably be paralyzed from the neck down,” he recalled.

A bullet to the spine left him without feeling in his legs. But now, after months of intensive rehabilitation at Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv, D. is beginning to walk again—with the help of a cutting-edge robotic exoskeleton.

“I was in Gaza with my team,” he recounted. “We came to clear a house. One door was open, the other closed. As I approached the open one, I was shot from behind the closed door.”

Despite the life-threatening injury, D. never gave up. Like hundreds of wounded soldiers and civilians who have passed through Sheba’s rehabilitation center since the war began, he has undergone a grueling but inspiring journey back to life.

Since October 7, more than 2,000 wounded have been treated at Sheba, one of Israel’s most advanced hospitals. Thanks to expert medical care, 99.8% of them have survived—a staggering success rate that speaks to the skill and dedication of Israeli healthcare professionals. But survival is just the beginning. Sheba’s next mission is restoring their patients’ independence, dignity, and hope.

“I wasn’t expected to survive at all,” D. said. “Then they thought I’d be in a vegetative state. Today I’m taking a few steps. The robot moves with me—when I stop, it stops. I can move my legs in ways I couldn’t before.”

Walking again with futuristic tech

That robot is the Atalante X, a state-of-the-art exoskeleton developed by French-American company Wandercraft. Sheba is one of the few hospitals in the world using this innovative device, which allows patients with spinal injuries, paralysis, or limb amputations to stand and walk—no wheelchair, no crutches, no external support. video

“It’s not just about walking—it’s about quality of life,” said Hanania Sharon, head of physiotherapy at Sheba’s rehabilitation hospital. “This machine mimics natural walking patterns. When the patient initiates a movement, the robot responds. This kind of functional training doesn’t just rebuild physical ability; it revives motivation and hope.”

Sheba’s integrated rehabilitation hospital is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading centers for physical and psychological recovery. It brings together top experts from various disciplines and pioneers new methods of care using advanced medical equipment and breakthrough technology.

“We’re committed to giving our patients the best shot at returning to life,” Sharon added. “That means pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.”

A second chance at life

For D. and his fellow wounded—some soldiers, some civilians—this technology is more than equipment. It’s a symbol of resilience and renewal. “I’m already thinking ahead,” D. said. “To walking again. To finding a good job. To driving.”

As Israel continues to deal with the aftermath of a war that has shaken the country, the personal recovery of soldiers like D. is a powerful reminder that the battle does not end on the frontlines—it continues in hospital wards and rehab centers, where life is rebuilt one step at a time. link

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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