🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 564, 2023 - April 22, 2025 🎗️

 

     

    🎗️Day 564 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

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

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    Hostage Updates
  • Former hostage Eli Sharabi tapped to light torch at state Independence Day ceremony
    Released hostage Eli Sharabi meets with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on March 5, 2025. (White House/X)
    Released hostage Eli Sharabi meets with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on March 5, 2025. (White House/X)

    Former hostage Eli Sharabi has been selected as another one of the torch lighters at the official state Independence Day ceremony at Mount Herzl.

    Despite having lost roughly 30 kilograms (66 pounds) during his horrific 490 days in 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.

    Sharabi then met with US President Donald Trump along with other hostages, as well as with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and has addressed the UN Security Council

  • Police ban photos of hostages and Gaza children at anti-war protest, then backtrack
    In unusual letter to organizers, officials briefly try to condition approval for rally this Thursday on absence of ‘incendiary’ slogans and imagery, but soon rescind demand

    Border Police officers stand guard during an anti-war sit in organized by Israeli left-wing activists, in front of the British Consulate General in Jerusalem on August 16, 2024. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)

    Police briefly sought to forbid anti-war protesters from displaying “hostages signs” or “pictures of children or babies from Gaza” as a condition for the approval of a demonstration scheduled for Thursday in Tel Aviv, but then backtracked on their demands.

    In a letter sent on Sunday to organizers and first obtained by Haaretz, police also tried to preemptively prohibit demonstrators from waving signs with the words “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing” on them.

    After Haaretz reached out to law enforcement about the letter, police stated that they had sent organizers updated instructions.

    Protest organizer Alon-Lee Green, co-director of the joint Jewish-Arab “Standing Together” movement, told The Times of Israel that it seemed police had backtracked on their initial demands by Sunday evening.

    “We’ll take them to the High Court if they persist, and we’ll win,” he added.

    Protest organizers told Haaretz earlier that the initial letter was an attempt to censor messages in protest of the war and the government, and that “police’s actions show that it is a political organization.”

    “Ever since Netanyahu decided to collapse the ceasefire deal in order to allow [far-right Otzma Yehudit party leader Itamar] Ben Gvir to return to the coalition, the release of the hostages held captive by Hamas has been halted, and many Palestinian children have died,” the group continued.

    Standing Together activists protest against the Israel-Hamas war, calling for a ceasefire, in Tel Aviv, on December 28, 2023. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

    In May of last year, while responding to a petition from the Association for Civil Rights in Israel regarding the confiscation of signs deemed “incendiary” at protests, police said officers on the ground are “not instructed to limit the content of the protest” nor limit the content of signs.

    But in practice, officers regularly seize what they deem provocative signs at anti-war protests, and often carry out widespread arrests.

    Earlier this month, police detained 23 protesters at a small anti-war demonstration in Haifa minutes after it started, tearing away signs that read “Stop bombing aid convoys” and “Stop the genocide.” video

    “The police dispersed the protest not even a minute after it started,” a demonstrator who wished to remain anonymous told The Times of Israel afterward.

    Officers later sought to extend the detention of three protesters but their request was rejected by the Haifa Magistrate’s Court.

    A few days prior to the protest in Haifa, police detained seven demonstrators in Jerusalem who had been partaking in a similar display, confiscating their placards. They were later released as well.  link. It is not a new thing that the police try to create laws against protesters that are politically motivated, and it has only gotten worse with the criminal minister of Internal 'Insecurity' who has turned the police into his political militia. The police regularly tear protest signs out of the hands of legal protesters, physically and verbally abuse the protesters and arrest them on made up charges in their attempts to deter protests. 

  • Israeli delegation currently in Cairo for ceasefire negotiations

    The Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reports that an Israeli delegation arrived in Cairo on Sunday evening to hold talks with mediators and seek a breakthrough in the negotiations with Hamas for a ceasefire and the release of hostages from Gaza.

    According to the report, the delegation met yesterday with senior Egyptian officials.

    Last week, Hamas rejected an Israeli ceasefire proposal that was conveyed to them but stated it is willing to discuss a broader deal that includes ending the war.

    Mediators Qatar and Egypt have reportedly proposed an outline for a ceasefire of between five and seven years, a formal end to the war, a complete IDF pullout from Gaza, and the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian security prisoners.  link The fact that this is not being talked about much, in other times, could be seen positively. The more radio silence there is about negotiations is always better than when we have the sides trying to get headlines all the time. But these are not normal times, nor do we have normal negotiations from either side. Hamas is certainly not a normal side in negotiations. They don't really negotiate. They state their bottom line at the very beginning and don't budge from it. They may be willing to have some flexibility in the middle stages but the end remains the same. We saw this many times, especially with the captivity of Gilad Schalit, where I have the inside scoop as my brother was finally accepted and appointed as the secret back door channel between the Israeli government and Hamas for direct talks. Hamas' demands were identical from the beginning of Gilad's captivity to the very end, five years and four months later. Today, Hamas demands the end of the war, IDF troop pullout from Gaza and the release of many Palestinian prisoners in order to release all of the hostages in one single release. On our side, we have a prime minister who has succeeded in being a defacto autocrat and the single voice of agreeing or non acceptance of any deal. This is supposed to be the job of the cabinet, government and Knesset. And for Netanyahu, there is only one thing that is important and that is his personal and political interests and most of the country and the world knows this. Therefore, the behind the scenes talks of a long term ceasefire with Hamas which leaves them in Gaza with them promising not to build weapons or tunnels for 7-10 years is a non starter for Netanyahu. Yes, it would bring home the hostages almost immediately but for Netanyahu, this would be a political loss that would cost him dearly and that is his only concern. Netanyahu's demands are purposely unclear, his 'total victory' is purposely undefined. He wants this war to go on for as long as he can because of his belief that the longer he has with the war, the longer he has to rehabilitate his image and legacy so that he can win again in the next elections. Most of the public will never let him forget his direct responsibility for October 7 and the mismanagement of the hostage crisis and the war.

    Mediators propose 5-7-year truce, complete IDF pullout from Gaza, hostages-for-prisoners swap

    Egypt and Qatar, the mediators in the Israel-Hamas negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage deal, have made a new proposal for a yearslong truce and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza alongside a hostages-for-prisoners swap, the BBC cites a senior Palestinian official familiar with the talks as saying.

    The reported offer includes a ceasefire of between five and seven years, a formal end to the war, a complete IDF pullout from Gaza, and the release of “all Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.”

    The report doesn’t say whether the remaining non-Israeli hostages — two who are believed alive, a Thai and a Nepalese, and the bodies of two Thais and a Tanzanian — would also be freed.

    The Palestinian source is cited as saying that Hamas has expressed willingness to cede control of the Strip to any agreed Palestinian entity, whether the Palestinian Authority or a newly formed administrative body. The official says the mediation effort is serious and that the terror group has shown “unprecedented flexibility.”

    The British broadcaster says Israel hasn’t commented on the plan, and that a senior Hamas delegation will head to Cairo for consultations.



  • Netanyahu: Won’t surrender to Hamas by ending war to get back hostages; can’t trick Hamas either
    PM insists fighting won’t end until terror group destroyed, derides ‘experts’ who say he could fool Hamas with fake promise to end war, get captives back, and then resume fighting

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Saturday night that he would not end the war with Hamas in Gaza until the terror group is removed from power, calling its current demands for a hostage release deal “capitulation conditions.”

    Speaking in a prerecorded video address that his office described the day before as a “special statement on a diplomatic matter,” Netanyahu argued that Hamas would rehabilitate its military capabilities if the conflict were ended.

    He asserted that it was not possible to “trick” the terror group into ending the war in return for the hostages and then resume military operations, due to “binding” international commitments Hamas was demanding as part of an end to hostilities. Those who were suggesting this “illusion of deception” had no idea how international politics works, he said.

    The prime minister also accused Hamas of stymying a recently proposed deal for the return of Israeli hostages due to its demands for a permanent end to the current war and a full Israeli retreat from Gaza, and argued that ending the war would reverse Israel’s achievements during the conflict.

    The prime minister further vowed in his 12-minute speech that he remained committed to preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, and slammed recent criticism of his failure to attack Iranian nuclear facilities as hypocrisy.

    The Hostages and Missing Families Forum accused Netanyahu of having “no plan” to bring back the hostages in response to the prime minister’s comments, and said the only solution was to end the war.

    ‘Hamas are not idiots’

    Netanyahu released his prerecorded video address — he hasn’t held a press conference with questions from the media in over four months — shortly after the end of the Passover holiday, and two days after Hamas publicly rejected an Israeli proposal for a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in return for the release of half the remaining living hostages and the remains of dead hostages. Major Hebrew TV Channels 11, 12 and 13, to whom Netanyahu has stopped giving interviews, did not show his video statement in full.

    Protesters demand the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, at a rally at Hostages Square, Tel Aviv, April 19, 2025. (Lior Rotstein/Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

    “We will not end the ‘war of revival’ before we destroy Hamas in Gaza, return all our hostages and ensure that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel,” averred Netanyahu, using his preferred name for the conflict started by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, terror onslaught in southern Israel.

    He said Hamas is demanding a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, including from the Philadelphi Corridor on the Egypt-Gaza border and the buffer zone Israel has established around the territory, and stated that Hamas is demanding “binding international guarantees” to ensure that Israel does not go back to war after the release of the hostages.

    “Those among us who are saying capitulate to the dictates of Hamas are saying ‘capitulate now, leave Gaza and the Philadelphi Corridor, deceive Hamas, promise you won’t go back to war, and when we have got all the hostages back, go back to war.’

    “Hamas are a group of despicable murderers, but they’re not stupid,” he went on. “They are demanding binding international guarantees which do not enable this illusion of deception which all these experts are suggesting.

    “These people have no idea how the international system works. No one, not the US, not China, not Russia, not others in the UN Security Council, will cooperate with this scam, something which will make returning to war impossible. We won’t have any legitimacy to do this. There is no ‘fake obligation’. If we obligate not to fight, we can’t go back to fighting in Gaza.”

    Speaking about Hamas’s demand for a hostage release deal, Netanyahu said that if Israel were to “capitulate to the dictates of Hamas,” it would lose all of its achievements during the conflict “which we achieved with the merit of our soldiers and our fallen and our heroic injured.”

    The prime minister argued that if Israel “does not complete the destruction of Hamas’s military capabilities,” its next attack on Israel and its next hostage taking effort will just be a matter of time.

    “Leaving Hamas in charge in Gaza would be a massive defeat for Israel and a massive victory for Iran,” said Netanyahu, who throughout 18 months of war has avoided laying out a concrete plan for postwar Gaza.

    Israeli hostage Elkana Bohbot in a Hamas propaganda video published on April 19, 2025.

    “As your prime minister, I will not capitulate to the murderers who committed the worst massacre against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Capitulation like this will endanger the country and endanger you.”

    He went on to denounce what he described as calls to “surrender” to Hamas’s terms, which he said have grown of late — an apparent reference to a stream of letters urging him to prioritize the return of all the hostages even at the price of ending the war.

    If he had heeded such calls, he claimed, Israel would not have entered the southern Gaza city of Rafah last year, taken control of the Philadelphi Corridor, carried out the exploding pager attack on Hezbollah, killed Hamas’s leaders, created the conditions for the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, or dealt “the harsh blow” it has delivered to Iran.

    Instead, he said, Israel would have continued “to live under existential threat.”

    ‘Won’t let up’ on Iran nukes

    Turning to the threat of Iran’s nuclear program, the prime minister insisted he remains committed to preventing Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons. “I won’t give up on this, I won’t let up on this, and I won’t withdraw from this — not a millimeter.”

    And he attacked critics who have slammed him of late for failing to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, asserting that these are the same people who opposed actions he took against Iran in the past.

    “It is amusing to listen to the criticism of those who opposed the actions I took to harm and delay Iran’s nuclear program in the past, actions without which Iran would have had a nuclear weapon 10 years ago,” claimed Netanyahu.

    Last week, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid accused Netanyahu of scuttling opportunities to hit Iran, while former prime minister Naftali Bennett said Netanyahu has failed to follow through on threats against Tehran.

    Their comments came against the background of a report that US President Donald Trump recently blocked an Israeli-proposed strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, which Netanyahu has not denied. Trump later said he was in no rush to green-light strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. The US is now engaged in negotiations with Iran on a new deal.

    Hostages’ families: There is no plan

    The Hostages and Missing Families Forum was strongly critical of Netanyahu’s comments about a hostage release deal, stating that the premier did not articulate any plan to free their loved ones from Hamas captivity.

    “Many words and slogans will not be able to hide the simple fact — Netanyahu has no plan,” the forum said.

    “It is no wonder the prime minister didn’t make time for questions. Otherwise, he would have to answer the basic question: What exactly is the State of Israel doing to return all 59 hostages immediately?

    “What kind of revival can happen without the return of the hostages kidnapped under his watch, and under his management of the war, are still held captive for over a year and a half?” the forum continued, adding that the only solution was an end to the war in exchange for the release of all the hostages.

    Earlier Saturday evening, Netanyahu’s spokesman Omer Dostri said the idea that all the hostages can be returned under one agreement was “spin,” during an interview with Channel 12’s “Meet the Press” show.

    “It is impossible to return everyone with one deal. This is a spin. There isn’t anyone who doesn’t want to return our hostages. We are doing everything to return the hostages, and the moment we return everyone, we will eliminate Hamas. It is impossible to do a deal for everyone. Hamas is demanding an end to the war,” said Dostri.

    Hamas has said it is ready to return all the hostages for an end to the war and the withdrawal of IDF troops from Gaza. In recent weeks, petitions signed by current and retired military reservists, as well as various sectors of Israeli society, have also urged a deal to return all the hostages, even if it means ending the war.  link It is so hard to address every single one of Netanyahu's spins and lies in this article, so I will address only a few. The first and most important is that Netanyahu has absolutely no plan to bring home the hostages. It is so low on his priority list, if it's even there at all. 
    Regarding the international guarantees to not go back into Gaza to fight if/when we get the hostages home after an agreement to end the war, Netanyahu states that it will be impossible to do so. That is the biggest load of crap that he tries to sell. Netanyahu is the first one to disregard any and all international backlash to his actions. He has shown this repeatedly throughout his career with illegal settlement building and government approvals and throughout the war. He has spat on our best friends and allies in order to pursue his own interests and never has Israel held back from defense or offense no matter what the international community has said. If there was such an agreement, even with international guarantees, when Hamas or any of the other terror groups on Gaza breaches the agreement, Netanyahu would have a big green light from his buddy, Trump to go back into Gaza, especially if he tells Trump that it is to continue in his quest to turn Gaza into Trump Gaza.
    Now to his statement about destroying Hamas. He has failed miserably in this quest. The first thing that needed and still needs to be done to defeat the political side of Hamas is to put in place an alternative governing body that is Palestinian and has the backing of the Arab countries, especially those that will be funding the rebuilding of Gaza. Netanyahu has prevented this from happening throughout the war. Only with an alternative can we have a Gaza without Hamas rule and military threat. Netanyahu knows that his 'goal' is unachievable and allows him to continue the war without an end in site. This is a coward, not a leader.



  • Shas MK in retort to Smotrich: Hostages ‘must come before everything else’

    Shas MK Yinon Azoulay joins the chorus of ultra-Orthodox coalition lawmakers pushing back against Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich for stating that “returning the hostages is not the most important thing” compared to defeating the Hamas terror group.

    Speaking with Radio Kol Hai this morning, Azoulay said that there was an obligation “to make every effort for the hostages,” who he insisted “must come before everything else.”

    During a radio interview on Monday morning, Smotrich argued that returning the hostages “is obviously a very important goal, but if you want to destroy Hamas so that there can’t be another October 7, you need to understand that there can’t be a situation where Hamas remains in Gaza.”

    On Monday evening, Deputy Transportation Minister Uri Maklev accused Smotrich of harming the families of the hostages and said it was impossible to “remain silent” in the face of efforts to make the hostages’ return a “secondary” priority.

    In a statement, Maklev also condemned Smotrich for engaging in “extremist” rhetoric that “causes division and strengthens polarization” and slammed his Religious Zionism party’s members for “defiantly ascending the Temple Mount.”

    United Torah Judaism MK Mosher Gafni, meanwhile, compared Smotrich to the Sicarii of the Second Temple period, a group of zealots for whom “the national issue was more important than human life.”

    Smotrich in response launched a fierce attack on Gafni, saying that only someone who still holds a “diaspora mindset” and doesn’t believe that the State of Israel is the rightful “return to Zion” is capable of “comparing the current reality to the period of the destruction of the Second Temple.”

    In a tweet, Religious Zionism MK Ohad Tal sniped at the ultra-Orthodox lawmakers’ public position on military issues, as three have pushed hard for a bill exempting yeshiva students from military service.

    “Reservist generals Yinon Azoulay, Uri Maklev, and Moshe Gafni, they’re waiting for you at the Bakum [military induction base],” he wrote.  link All of these 'do gooders' of the ultra religious parties are not even that - they are talkers, no action. They not only don't serve in the army, they are pushing bills to make sure that none or almost none of their constituencies will ever serve. They have threatened to bring down the government if these bills of total military exemption don't pass. On the other hand, none of them have ever threatened to bring down the government if they don't bring home the hostages. Ben Gvir and Smotrich, the messianic extremists have constantly threatened to bring down the government if they pass hostage heals that will end the war. So, other than talk about the hostages, they are nothing. Their voices amount to nothing. Until we see them take real action, they are nothing.

  • Egypt has taken lead in Gaza hostage release talks in place of Qatar — official

    Egypt has taken the lead in Gaza hostage release talks, an official familiar with deliberations tells The Times of Israel.

    Both Israel and the Trump administration pushed for Egypt to take the reins instead of Qatar, says the source, believing that Cairo can more effectively put pressure on Hamas to agree to a deal.

    Israel remains optimistic that military pressure in Gaza is working and that Hamas wants a deal to end the fighting, says the source. A working-level Israeli team was in Cairo yesterday to talk with mediators.  link Unfortunately, I don't expect much to change. Egypt's power over Hamas is more limited than ever before. They have less to hold over them than ever, but even so, Hamas leaders have always been more afraid of Egypt than Qatar. Egypt tends to believe that they can bring about an interim agreement for a very limited hostage release and cease fire but not the final agreement that will bring home all the hostages and end the war. Perhaps they can if they are in the lead. But the underlying problem in the negotiations is really Netanyahu. No amount of pressure from anyone is going to change Hamas' bottom line and the only one who has any chance of forcing Netanyahu's hand to make that kind of agreement is not the Egyptians; it is Trump. Trump forced Netanyahu to go along with the last agreement even though Netanyahu totally breached it and refused to go on to Phase 2 and bring home all the hostages. Netanyahu's government is certainly not going to force an agreement on him. The only ministers who have put their feet down are the extremists who promise to bring down his government if he agrees to end the war. Without Trump's pressure, I don't see anything changing with Egypt in the lead position.



    Gaza and the South

  • Gazans were recorded eating sea turtle: "They can't find anything to eat"
    Residents of the Gaza Strip claim hunger is worsening in Gaza, and last week renewed protests against the terrorist organization Hamas. U.S. Ambassador to Israel in response to a request from a World Health Organization official to allow aid into the Strip: "The pressure should be directed at Hamas—to sign an agreement allowing aid entry and the release of hostages."

    Gazans eat river turtle due to the lack of food

    Residents of the Gaza Strip published today (Monday) a photo of Gazans eating sea turtles, claiming this is due to hunger in the Strip and food shortages during the war. Last week, it was reported that a wave of protests against Hamas had resumed—with hundreds of Gazans leaving their homes to demonstrate against members of the terrorist organization. "Our children are dying and we can't find anything to eat. We demand an end to the war," said one Gazan who participated in protests at the end of March.

    U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee reported that over the weekend he received a call from a WHO official who asked him to pressure Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. Huckabee responded to the official: The pressure should be directed at Hamas—to sign an agreement that would allow aid to reach those in need and release the hostages.

    The Voices of Gazans
    "A year and a half of war and no one feels our pain. Hand Gaza over to any willing party that can govern us justly and not oppress us like these [Hamas] oppress," said one protester during demonstrations in the Strip several weeks ago.

    "Would anyone have dared to speak out against Hamas before?" he wondered. "Today it no longer matters—let them shoot us and call us spies." Another Gazan added: "People are tired of displacement, killing, and destruction. They've gone mad and are under pressure—that's why they're calling for an end to the war."

    Gazani influencer Hamza al-Masri posted a video from his home in Turkey, claiming he had received death threats from senior Hamas officials due to his involvement in amplifying and publicizing protests against the organization. He claimed this video serves as his "will," delivered in the face of mortal danger.

    Protesters against Hamas in Beit Lahia in the Gaza Strip 

    He said he is proud of everything he has done and that his actions have always prioritized the Gaza Strip. "For the first time, by Allah's grace, I see Gazans speaking, their voices being heard." He condemned Hamas and all Shiites, hinting at a connection between them, and declared he would be proud to die at the hands of "those who harmed the honor of the Prophet Muhammad." He claimed he has always supported Sunnis, wherever in the world they suffer from oppression.  link 

  • Hamas-controlled civil defense agency says seven killed in Israeli airstrikes

    Gaza’s Hamas-controlled civil defense agency claims seven people were killed in fresh Israeli airstrikes across the territory.

    “The occupation launched violent airstrikes on Gaza City and the towns of Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun and Khan Younis, killing seven civilians,” civil defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal tells AFP. Hamas’s casualty figures consistently conflate civilians with terror operatives.

    Four people are killed in the Al-Rimal area near Gaza City, two in Al-Sabra west of Gaza City and one in Khan Younis, he asserts.

    “The occupation also destroyed more than 10 homes east of Gaza City and in Rafah,” he adds.


    Northern Israel, Lebanon and Syria

  • Rehabilitation Attempts Under the Guise of Residents Returning to Villages – What's Behind the Increase in IDF Attacks in Lebanon?  
  • The military has identified attempts by the terrorist organization to rebuild its infrastructure in southern Lebanon. Over the past week, four terrorists were eliminated in one sector alone. The attacks aim to preserve gains and prevent the organization from returning to the border. The IDF emphasizes: operational freedom is maintained, and actions are taken to ensure the security of northern residents.  
    IDF attack in Lebanon from the last few weeks | Photo: Reuters

    The IDF has observed that, under the cover of residents returning to villages in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah has also resumed its activities in the area—beginning attempts to restore its infrastructure. This explains the recent increase in the elimination of Hezbollah operatives returning to operate in the southern part of the country. In just the past week, four terrorists were eliminated in a single sector.  
    Using intelligence capabilities and daily information gathering, the IDF is accumulating more and more targets for strikes—both terrorists and terror infrastructure. The military views any area or facility used by Hezbollah as terror infrastructure and a legitimate target for attack. According to the ceasefire agreement, the Shiite terrorist organization is prohibited from operating south of the Litani River, and when violations are identified, the IDF responds with open fire and strikes.  
    The situation in Lebanon is completely different from what it was before October 7, and the IDF now enjoys nearly full operational freedom, striking anything perceived as a threat. The attacks are not a response to increased Hezbollah activity in the villages but are instead aimed at preventing a return to the era of "equations" with the organization.  
    Colonel D., Fire Brigade Commander of the 91st Division, told N12: "With the 'Arrows of the North,' we have struck nearly all of Hezbollah’s infrastructure in the frontline area. We entered the ceasefire agreement under conditions where there is no civilian population and no terrorists near the border. Our task now is to preserve these achievements and thwart any attempts at rehabilitation. Just last week, the division eliminated four operatives. Over the weekend, we took out the deputy commander of the terror sector, Muhibb, who was acting as the sector commander after we eliminated the entire command structure in the area during the operation."  
    The military views any area or facility used by Hezbollah as terror infrastructure and a legitimate target for attack. Lebanon Border | Photo: Eyal Margolin, Flash 90  
      
    He added, "There is an agreement with very clear terms, but when we identify a violation or an immediate threat, we strike. It’s important to emphasize that the frequent attacks are not due to Hezbollah growing stronger, but because we now better understand how they are trying to operate during the ceasefire. Our daily strikes make it difficult for Hezbollah to attempt rehabilitation. The situation today is not what it was a year and a half ago, and we are doing this so that northern residents can be safe in their homes—and it’s important they know that."  link

    • In first, Syrian regime arrests senior PIJ officials

      Palestinian media reports that the new Syrian regime has arrested Khaled Khaled, in charge of the Syrian arena in the Palestinain Islamic Jihad terror organization, and Abu Ali Yasser, responsible for the organization’s executive committee in Syria.

      There is no official confirmation from Syrian authorities on the matter.

      Until the fall of the Assad regime, senior PIJ officials including leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah were based in Syria. Shortly before the regime’s fall, al-Nakhalah fled the country, but according to Arab media reports, some operatives remain active in the country.  link. If we had proper leaders and politicians who are capable of looking beyond their own self interests and were able to read a geopolitical map, they would see this and what is happening in Lebanon with the understanding that our neighborhood has new opportunities that may not reappear again in the near future. The new Lebanese leadership are trying to disarm Hizbollah and weaken their political power even more and don't want war with Israel or anyone else. The new Syrian leadership have stated that they will not allow Syrian territory to be used to fight others' wars and want peace in their own backyard. All of these factors should cause our leadership to make all attempts at opening up communication channels with both countries, ideally keeping these as secret back door and direct communications. Instead, our government goes out of its way to talk negatively about the new Syrian leadership and issues warnings to the US and Europe about them. Regarding Lebanon, the IDF continues to attack Hizbollah positions and infrastructure, which definitely needs to be done, but we should have channels open and work in conjunction with the Lebanese army, in secret to help them take over the job of putting down Hizbollah. But we don't have leaders who are diplomats or who have real strategies for our future. Our prime minister has never had any strategy in all of his years in power except where it comes to his own personal and political interests. For that, he has a well oiled poison machine that goes into action within seconds but only for his sake and not for the sake of the country or the people.


    • IDF confirms Lebanon strike, says it targeted operative advancing attacks against Israel

      The IDF confirms carrying out a drone strike in the Lebanese coastal town of Haret en-Naameh, just south of Beirut, earlier today, killing a prominent member of the Al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group) organization.

      According to the IDF, Hussein Izzat Mohammad Atwi was also affiliated with Hamas in Lebanon, and worked alongside the Palestinian terror group to advance attacks on Israel.

      Atwi was behind rocket fire over the years, and had also directed terror cells in Lebanon to launch attacks on Israel, including infiltrations, the IDF says.

      He also acted to advance attacks against Israeli targets abroad, the military adds.

    • Commander in group tied to Muslim Brotherhood killed in Lebanon strike
      West Bank, Jerusalem, Israel and Terror Attacks

    • IDF says it arrested 20 suspects in overnight West Bank counterterror op

      The IDF says it carried out a series of counterterrorism operations overnight across the West Bank, arresting 20 wanted suspects.

      As part of an ongoing counterterrorism operation in the northern West Bank, IDF troops discovered and destroyed a cache of explosive devices in the Nur Shams refugee camp, according to a military statement.

      Meanwhile, in the refugee camp of Al-Arroub north of Hebron, security forces say they arrested six suspects accused of throwing stones.

      The IDF says the suspects have been transferred for further questioning.

    • Palestinian family claims soldiers used boy to pressure wanted father to turn himself in

      A Palestinian family alleges that Israeli forces used a 12-year-old boy as leverage to pressure his wanted father to turn himself in, according to a family member’s testimony shared on X earlier this week.

      The incident reportedly occurred during a predawn raid in the northern West Bank town of Kafr ad-Dik. Soldiers stormed the home of the al-Deek family, searching for Ahmad Abdul Karim al-Deek, who is wanted by Israeli authorities but who was not present at the time.

      According to the family, troops blindfolded and restrained his 12-year-old son, also named Ahmed, and took photos of the child. The images were allegedly sent to the father via WhatsApp, with threats to arrest his son and other family members if he did not surrender himself to authorities.

      In addition, the family claims the boy was forced at gunpoint to record a voice message pleading with his father to surrender out of fear for his safety.  Palestinian news outlets reported that al-Deek is a released detainee.

      The IDF has not immediately responded to a request for comment.


      Politics and the War and General News

    • Opposition leaders say Netanyahu’s conduct, as described by Bar, endangers Israel
    • The leaders of the Knesset’s Jewish opposition parties accuse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of placing Israel in existential danger, after Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar alleges that the premier demanded his personal loyalty.

      In a court filing, Bar said that it has been made clear to him that he needed to obey Netanyahu and not the Supreme Court in the event of a constitutional crisis.

      In a formal statement to the court regarding petitions against the government’s decision to fire Bar, the Shin Bet head insisted he had been fired because of his refusal to meet those expectations of loyalty owing to decisions he made regarding investigations into the prime minister’s aides; his refusal to help Netanyahu avoid testifying in his criminal trial; and the political fallout from the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.

      In a joint statement, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, National Unity chairman Benny Gantz, Yisrael Beytenu chief Avigdor Liberman, and The Democrats head Yair Golan stated that Netanyahu’s conduct, as described by Bar, “puts our future and existence in danger and harms the security of the state.”

      The statement added that the four had agreed on an unspecified “series of joint actions on the issue” and would demand an emergency Knesset plenum session focused on Bar’s allegations.

      The Yesh Atid, National Unity and Yisrael Beytenu parties have largely refused to cooperate with the majority-Arab Ra’am and Hadash-Ta’al parties, which are also part of the opposition bloc.

      In court filing, Bar denies Shin Bet withheld Oct. 7 warning from PM, calls accusations ‘incitement’

      Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar strongly rejects allegations by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others that the agency had advance warning of the October 7 Hamas attack and failed to alert the premier and other security services, and provides precise details of the steps he took during the evening of October 6 and the early hours of October 7.

      Writing in a formal statement to the High Court of Justice regarding his dismissal by the government, Bar acknowledges failures by the Shin Bet but says the claims he failed to update the prime minister were part of “institutional incitement” against him and the Shin Bet.

      As a prelude, Bar points out that the Shin Bet “strongly warned” the government that the societal divisions that erupted around the coalition’s judicial overhaul agenda in 2023 were being seen by Israel’s enemies as an opportune moment to attack, and that the agency recommended carrying out a series of “targeted attacks” to “prevent the collapse of the balance of deterrence.”

      Bar also says he warned Netanyahu in July 2023 of the severity of the security situation and of a “war alert,” which he says was an irregular and unprecedented comment from a Shin Bet chief.

      On the night of October 6, Bar says, after receiving “unusual but not unambiguous indications” the commander of the IDF’s Gaza Division and its intelligence unit, and the IDF’s Southern Command, were alerted by telephone of the unusual activity that had been identified at 11 p.m.

      At 3:03 a.m. on October 7, all security agencies were issued an alert about “unusual preparations and the possibility of offensive intentions by Hamas,” although he said that the level of this alert was wrong and a represented a failure of the Shin Bet.

      Bar says he went to the Shin Bet headquarters at 4:30 a.m., and at 5:15 gave instructions for the prime minister’s military secretary to be updated about the events.

      “It is with pain that I emphasize that no one evaluated that an attack like this would erupt and certainly not on that morning,” writes Bar.

      “However, the attack was ‘not coordinated by us,’ our teams were not ‘sent in order to save Shin Bet personnel,’ and on that night nothing was ‘hidden from the security establishment or the prime minister,'” insists Bar.

    • Ronen Bar Did What None of His Predecessors in the Shin Bet Dared to Do 
    For the first time in the country's history, a sitting Shin Bet chief issues a real-time warning and presents reality as it is: Prime Minister Netanyahu's conduct endangers Israel • Guy Peleg, Opinion  
    Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar wrote today (Monday), in so many words, to the Supreme Court justices—and effectively to the entire public—that Prime Minister Netanyahu is dangerous for Israel. In his own words, Bar told the justices and, by extension, the entire public that Netanyahu is a threat to free, liberal, democratic Israel. This was not a briefing to journalists, nor was it an off-the-record statement by a "security official." It was a sworn affidavit, of which we are only seeing the public portion—partially redacted, backed by verifiable data. Among other things, for example, Bar referenced a document he was asked to sign in an attempt to obstruct the Prime Minister’s testimony in his own trial.   

    To read the public portion of Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar’s affidavit, click here (in Hebrew)  
    For months, Ronen Bar has been the target of a vicious and ugly campaign. Some falsely portray him as someone clinging to his position for a few extra days, desperate to hold on to power. Nothing could be further from the truth. Ronen Bar is an intelligent man. He understands that even if he were to personally secure the release of every hostage, even if he were to eliminate every Hamas terrorist one by one—despite being one of Israel’s bravest fighters, despite dedicating his entire life to combat in the elite units of the security establishment—it would not change a thing. A man who began as a fighter in Sayeret Matkal and later as an officer in the unit, then as an operative in the Shin Bet and Mossad, who commanded the Shin Bet’s operational division and eventually the entire organization, knows that in the end, he will be remembered first and foremost as the Shin Bet chief of October 7. No achievement, no matter how great, will atone for that or diminish the magnitude of the failure.  
    In that sense, he had no personal interest in remaining in his position, enduring the filth hurled at him, or facing the horrific campaign waged against him. The only reason Ronen Bar has not resigned to this day—despite admitting his own failure and that of the organization he leads—is a sincere and profound concern for Israel’s security. It is the deep understanding that Israel is in one of its most difficult hours.  
    Netanyahu knew the Shin Bet chief was in distress, carrying the weight of deep failure, torment, and immense responsibility for the fate of the hostages and the soldiers. Netanyahu could have fired Ronen Bar long ago. It seems he chose to keep him in the role because he expected a "weakened" security chief to capitulate to his demands—to obstruct testimony in the trial by signing a false professional opinion, to use the Shin Bet’s draconian tools to suppress legitimate protests against him and his government.  
    But Ronen Bar, unlike Netanyahu, has always put the country’s interests far above his own. He refused these illegitimate requests. When suspicions arose of serious criminal offenses by the Prime Minister’s close advisors, he did not hesitate to investigate them. When Netanyahu realized his efforts to tame the principled security chief had failed, he fueled a vile conspiracy theory, hiding behind the label "senior security official." He dared to claim that the Shin Bet director knew about Hamas’s attack, did nothing, and failed to alert the Prime Minister.  
    Former senior security officials were appalled by these claims. Some openly stated that Netanyahu was inciting against Ronen Bar. But Bar, who has spent his entire adult life facing dangers and risking himself for the country, today did what none of his predecessors dared to do—speak the truth, in real time, as it is. Netanyahu is dangerous for Israellink

     

    • 2 arrested, several hurt by cops at rally against PM after Shin Bet head’s court filing
      Thousands gather in Tel Aviv, say Netanyahu ‘unfit’ to serve after Bar said premier urged him to curb protesters; mounted police whip photojournalist, allegedly hurt protest leader
      People take part in a rally against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government and in support of Shin Bet head Ronen Bar at Habima Square, in Tel Aviv, April 21, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni//Flash90)

      Thousands of anti-government protesters rallied at Tel Aviv’s Habima Square Monday night in an impromptu demonstration called after Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a court filing of having sought to use the domestic security agency against activists opposed to the premier.

      “The Shin Bet chief revealed today a dangerous attempt by Netanyahu to turn the Shin Bet into a tyrannical tool for persecuting Israeli citizens. He ordered monitoring of citizens, asked for information about them, and in secret talks demanded that the Shin Bet head obey him rather than the law,” a statement from protest leaders said, summing up some of the details included in Bar’s court submission.

      “This is a clear and immediate danger to Israeli democracy, posed by someone whose office received money from Qatar, Hamas’s chief sponsor, during wartime,” they argued, echoing suspicions at the basis of the Qatargate affair.

      “Netanyahu has lost all legitimacy to lead,” they charged. “He’s unfit to serve.”

      Speakers at the event included The Democrats party leader Yair Golan, former defense minister Moshe Ya’alon, and various protest leaders.

      A group of lawyers who give pro bono representation to anti-government activists said two protesters were arrested at the Begin-HaHashmonaim intersection and taken to central Tel Aviv’s Lev police station.


      People take part in a rally against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government and in support of Shin Bet head Ronen Bar at Habima Square, in Tel Aviv, April 21, 2025. (Yair Palti/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

      According to Haaretz, they were among a group of protesters who marched from Habima toward the Ayalon Highway. The two were detained after sitting down on the street and refusing police orders to clear the road, Haaretz reported.

      A mounted police officer appeared to whip a Haaretz photojournalist during the stormy protest. Several videos uploaded to social media showed a policeman on horseback hitting Itai Ron with his riding crop, causing Ron to lurch backwards. video

      Footage showed mounted officers bumping up against protesters who had already vacated the road and were standing on the sidewalk, in compliance with the police orders.

      When marchers reached Begin Road, Lev Tel Aviv station chief Deputy Superintendent Micha Gafni declared the demonstration illegal and called for the “arrests of the protest leaders” through a megaphone.


      Anti-government protest leader Moshe Radman receives medical treatment after he was allegedly injured by mounted police in Tel Aviv during a protest, April 21, 2025. (Tal A. M./Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

      A police horse also trampled on the foot of prominent anti-Netanyahu activist Moshe Radman, who required treatment from a volunteer medic, organizers said.

      Radman shared on Facebook a picture of his foot in a cast, writing that he was on his way to Ichilov Hospital after “the mounted officers were a little excited today at the march.”


      People take part in a rally against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government and in support of Shin Bet head Ronen Bar at Habima Square, in Tel Aviv, April 21, 2025. (Zohar Bar-Yehuda/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

      Bar was fired in a cabinet decision on March 21 at Netanyahu’s recommendation after the prime minister said he had lost faith in Bar’s ability to do his job. However, several government watchdog groups have alleged that the decision was tainted by a conflict of interest amid Shin Bet investigations into Netanyahu’s aides, as well as by severe procedural problems in the dismissal process.

      The High Court of Justice froze Bar’s dismissal and told the government and the Attorney General’s Office to work out a solution for resolving the procedural failures, while also inviting Bar to submit his version of events to the court.

      Bar submitted an eight-page public statement on Monday via the State Attorney’s Office, along with a 31-page classified statement with five appendices providing greater detail and documentation of his claims.  link


      The Region and the World

    • Jordan crackdown on Iran-backed Palestinian terror cell highlights regional tensions
      Analysis: Western intelligence agencies, working closely with Jordan’s General Intelligence Directorate, spent months tracking the four cells in complete secrecy
      Jordanian security forces this week surprised many by suddenly arresting Khaled al‑Juhani, secretary‑general of the Islamic Labor Party tied to the Muslim Brotherhood. No reasons were given at the time. A day later, Information Minister Mohammad al‑Muamini revealed at a news briefing that investigators suspect al‑Juhani of channeling money from overseas Brotherhood operatives to 16 Jordanians accused of plotting attacks inside the kingdom. Those suspects are said to belong to four clandestine terror cells that allegedly manufactured rockets and unmanned aerial vehicles in southern Lebanon before storing them in two underground depots in the city of Zarqa. Defense attorney Abd al‑Kader Khatib, representing two of the detainees, says his clients intended only to smuggle arms to Palestinians in the West Bank “against the Zionist enemy” and denied any plan to threaten public safety in Jordan. Still, the State Security Court in Amman is already gearing up for their trial, even as government ministers, opposition parliamentarians and other public figures call to ban the Islamic Labor Party, strip it of its seats and declare it a terrorist organization. Western intelligence agencies, working closely with Jordan’s General Intelligence Directorate, spent months tracking the four cells in complete secrecy. The suspects were arrested three months ago, interrogated and held in solitary confinement that Khatib calls “unprecedented cruelty.” Jordanian officials finger Iran as the mastermind behind the scheme, saying Tehran recruited, funded and armed the cells. Interrogators learned that one suspect traveled abroad to collect tens of thousands of dollars sent from Iran for weapons purchases. Jordan’s spymasters have warned their Western counterparts that Iran is bent on destabilizing the kingdom, overthrowing King Abdullah II and targeting senior officials and ordinary citizens alike.
      Despite a diplomatic chill between Amman and Jerusalem—King Abdullah and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have not spoken in more than two years—Jordan’s intelligence service and Israel’s Mossad maintain robust working ties.
      Sensitive reports flow regularly between the two agencies for review at the highest levels. Jordan’s attorney general, Col. Ahmed Talaat, has hinted that more arrests are on the way.
      In recent days, King Abdullah II called Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to press for cooperation against terror training camps in southern Lebanon. And on a surprise trip to Damascus, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi warned Syrian President Ahmad al‑Sharaa of “unusual Iranian activity” in Syria, including plans to host and train Jordanian terror‑cell members.

      Personal Stories

      'They turned me into a puppet, I begged them not to rape me': hostage survivor recounts
      Ilana Gritzewsky, freed in the first hostage deal, recalls physical and psychological abuse and sexual harassment: ‘They touched me the entire way to Gaza. Hamas men said I would marry them and never leave’
      'They turned me into a puppet, I begged them not to rape me': hostage survivor recounts
      Ilana Gritzewsky, freed in the first hostage deal, recalls physical and psychological abuse and sexual harassment: ‘They touched me the entire way to Gaza. Hamas men said I would marry them and never leave’

      Hamas captivity survivor Ilana Gritzewsky shared on Wednesday details from her time in Gaza and the abuse she endured there, including sexual harassment.

      "They detonated a grenade near my ear, causing me to lose hearing in my left ear. And as if that wasn’t enough, I endured sexual harassment," she told the crowd about the journey to Gaza in a speech at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv. "They touched me the entire way to Gaza. At that moment, I physically and mentally collapsed. I could endure humiliation, but not the harassment."
      Gritzewsky was kidnapped during the October 7 Hamas-led attack from her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, along with her partner, Matan Zangauker, who remains in captivity. The last sign of life from him came in a Hamas propaganda video released in December.
      Speaking at the gathering, Gritzewsky recounted her life on the kibbutz before the massacre and the sense of security she felt living in the Gaza border region—until the horrific surprise attack by Hamas. "I always trusted my army, the one I served in. I never imagined something like this could happen, that someone would abduct me. I fled Mexico to avoid being kidnapped—and in the end, I was kidnapped here."

      Gritzewsky shared the terrifying experience of the morning of October 7. She and Zangauker barricaded themselves in the safe room of their home, with him holding the door handle as she tried to keep their dog quiet. "The terrorists went house to house, like Russian roulette," she said. "You sit there waiting for your turn, wondering when they will reach you." After three hours of holding out hope that the terrorists would bypass their home, they arrived. 

      "They came with rifles, shooting in all directions. Bullets pierced the safe room door, leaving us with no choice but to escape through the window," she recounted. "They dragged me, loaded me onto a motorcycle, covered my head with plastic and pressed my leg against the exhaust pipe. They grabbed me by the hair, kneed me in the stomach, knocking the air out of me. They dragged me on the ground, threw me against a wall and wanted to film me on my phone."
      Ilana and Matan (Photo: Private album)

      Once in Gaza, she was held in a destroyed house guarded by seven Hamas terrorists. "I begged them not to rape me. I sat there alone with Hamas men who told me I was beautiful, that I was going to marry them, and that I would never leave," she said. Later, they moved her to another house and warned her that the building she was in would soon be bombed.
      "We slept on the floor with insects, without food, water or showers, wearing the same clothes. The Hamas men watched me 24/7, and I couldn’t even go to the bathroom without their permission. I vomited, had diarrhea and fainted. I lost 24 lbs. in 55 days. Today, I suffer from colitis," she shared.
      Gritzewsky also spoke of the psychological and physical torture she endured during her captivity. "I went through interrogations in the middle of the night and suffered psychological abuse. Several times, they told me I was going to be released. On one occasion, they took me to a hospital where I saw other hostages. They locked us in a small room, and we had to beg to leave for the bathroom or to ask for food when we were hungry."

      Later, she was transferred to a tunnel, where she discovered her partner Matan was alive. "No matter how much I begged, they wouldn’t let me see him. They turned me into a puppet. When they came to tell me I was being released, I refused because I knew my soul would remain there with Matan."
      Frame from a Hamas propaganda video of Matan Zangauker   

      Since her release in November 2023, as part of the first hostage exchange deal, Gritzewsky has been actively advocating for the return of the remaining hostages. "We are not giving up. They cannot take away our hope, our spirit or our faith. That’s what gives us the strength to continue," she emphasized. "I will not give up on the promise I made to my friends in the tunnel—that I will be their voice until they are brought home. They too deserve freedom, and they too deserve to celebrate the holiday."
      She also shared that her mother immigrated to Israel last year. "I lost so many friends in this war, and if there hadn’t been hostages or October 7, I would have been called up for reserve duty. I will always defend my country," she said. Addressing the crowd at Hostages' Square, she added, "Continue to stand with us. Don’t abandon us for a moment. I refuse to accept this reality in our country. Hamas didn’t break me, and no one will break me until I bring my partner and the 59 hostages back home."
      Concluding her remarks, she addressed her partner directly: "If Matan hears me, I know he is strong. If he’s watching me, then he also sees all the people here. I want him not to lose hope or faith, to see how many people are here, to see that the nation is with him. He has a lioness of a mother who won’t stop until he’s back home. This is also a message to every hostage who might be watching us now: the entire nation is here! Everyone is just waiting for you!"  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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