🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 590, 2023 - May 18, 2025 🎗️
Einav Zangauker: Netanyahu is ‘angel of death’ dragging Israel to ‘political war’ that will kill hostages and soldiers
Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is held hostage in Gaza, attends a committee meeting at the Knesset on May 5, 2025 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)At a weekly press conference in Tel Aviv, Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is held hostage in Gaza, denounces Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “the angel of death” for captives.
Zanguaker says, “Netanyahu is dragging us to a political war that will lead to the death of hostages and soldiers,” as the military initiates a new operation in the Gaza Strip aimed at defeating Hamas.
She says that ceasefire-hostage release deal negotiators, currently in Doha, have a duty to reach a deal to bring back all the hostages.
Zangauker expresses concern for those held in Gaza, surrounded by “explosions that will lead only to the death of hostages.”
Calling out to her son, Zangauker says, “I know you are alone now, we both know that the prime minister is doing everything so that you won’t return alive. But I want you to know, your mother is fighting for you! The people of Israel are fighting for you!”
“Also, President [Donald] Trump and his envoy [Steve] Witkoff are fighting for you and all the hostages, fighting the prime minister who has turned into the angel of death for hostages,” she says.
Two-month truce during which talks to be held on end to war being discussed in Doha
Negotiators in Doha are discussing a two-month truce deal, during which talks will be held on ending the war, a senior Hamas source tells the Qatari al-Araby al-Jadeed news site.
According to the source, there will be clear involvement from Washington that the agreement will be implemented.
An Israeli official tells Channel 12 news that the talks in Doha are “serious,” but that “Hamas needs to understand that they must agree to the Witkoff framework, and if not, the ground offensive will begin soon” in Gaza.
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff proposed in March a temporary ceasefire of some 40 days, in exchange for the release of about half of the remaining living hostages, and Israel has hoped to advance such an agreement.
Hamas has so far rejected partial deals, instead insisting on an agreement that would permanently end the war.
Father of the oldest living hostage: "Smotrich controls Netanyahu"
What feelings rose in him when he watched the video of his son released by Hamas on Holocaust Remembrance Day, what he thought of the criticism toward the family of Idan Alexander after his release – and why he does not trust the Prime Minister. Danny Miran, father of Omri Miran, who has been held hostage in Gaza for over 580 days, in a WhatsApp interview full of pain and hope with Moshe Nussbaum.Moshe Nussbaum
Hello to Danny Miran, father of Omri Miran, who was kidnapped and is held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza for already more than 580 days. Tuesday, 14:45. Where am I catching you?Danny Miran
I am in the family room at Beit Ariella, near the Hostages Square.Moshe Nussbaum
And this is usually your daily routine?Danny Miran
Every day for me is different. In the morning I had a radio interview, then I met with 11th and 12th grade classes in Rishon LeZion. I met with Witkoff, and in the evening I am on television on Channel 12.Moshe Nussbaum
I will start with a question that might sound cliché, but I will ask anyway: yesterday, when you saw Idan Alexander hugging his parents – what did you think?Danny Miran
Great joy for every hostage who returns.Moshe Nussbaum
And not a shred of frustration or jealousy that it is them and not you?Danny Miran
Not at all, my son will arrive in due time.Moshe Nussbaum
What is, in your opinion, “in due time”?Danny Miran
They are conducting negotiations and then they will tell me.Moshe Nussbaum
You said yesterday in the Hostages Square that you do not address Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Why?Danny Miran
I believe that in the next deal my son will be the first to be released because he is the oldest, 48 years old with two little daughters.Moshe Nussbaum
And what is the reason you decided not to approach the Prime Minister?Danny Miran
Because for 17 months he did not know how to seize opportunities to make a deal.Moshe Nussbaum
Do you still hold the opinion that the one who decides in the country is Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and not Prime Minister Netanyahu?Danny Miran
Smotrich said with his own mouth in Nahal Oz: “I am the majority – and the majority does not want the return of the hostages in exchange for ending the war.”Moshe Nussbaum
And why do his views and positions carry more weight than those of Netanyahu?Danny Miran
He holds Bibi by the balls with a constant threat that if he stops the fighting, he will dissolve the coalition.Moshe Nussbaum
If you met him, what would you answer him?Danny Miran
A. You are not “the majority,” only 7 seats.B. The majority of the people very much want, demand the return of the hostages.
C. Take off the kippah from your head, you disgrace the religion of Israel that preaches the redemption of captives before everything.
Moshe Nussbaum
You could say you predicted what would happen: that U.S. President Donald Trump would push for the return of hostages more than our government. Do you think Trump is more committed to the hostages than Prime Minister Netanyahu?Danny Miran
At this time Trump’s capabilities are greater.Moshe Nussbaum
The question is whether – as you see the grim reality – you also believe that Trump’s commitment to the hostages is greater than Netanyahu’s.Danny Miran
I really do not know, but Trump promised he would not abandon until the last hostage returns.Moshe Nussbaum
Netanyahu posted on X about his trip to Hungary and wrote that he and the Hungarian president spoke “also about the Hungarian hostage.” How did you feel when the Prime Minister referred to your son Omri that way, without mentioning his name?Danny Miran
A week ago I met the President of Cyprus, the man came after doing his homework, he knew everything about my son, about my daughter-in-law and about me, and after a long conversation he concluded with a recommendation: “If you are not united, the country will fall apart. Do everything for unity, and not to reach civil war.”Moshe Nussbaum
Your daughter-in-law Lishi said that the head of the negotiation team, Minister Ron Dermer, ignores you. Have you since met or spoken with him?Danny Miran
I never met him. Moreover, I know that the man is the whisperer to Bibi. He is his envoy and does his bidding – he received an appointment from Bibi as a stopper to every deal.Moshe Nussbaum
What do you think about the government’s decision to move to a more intense phase in the fighting in Gaza immediately after Trump’s visit to the Gulf?Danny Miran
I hope it does not happen. I am concerned about harm to the hostages and additional deaths of soldiers.Moshe Nussbaum
That will not happen only if there is a breakthrough in the talks in Doha. Do you believe there will be?Danny Miran
I expect a breakthrough.Moshe Nussbaum
Three weeks ago, on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Hamas released the second video of Omri from captivity. After watching the video, did you understand anything about Omri’s condition that we cannot see and understand?Danny Miran
I saw a boy with swollen face, sunken eyes, pale, spoke fluently, did not rant. The swelling, I was told, is from malnutrition, he is pale because he has not seen sunlight.Moshe Nussbaum
Hi Danny, a day has passed, shall we continue the conversation?Danny Miran
Yes.Moshe Nussbaum
What feelings arose in you when you heard about the attempted assassination of Mohammed Sinwar?Danny Miran
If he really was killed, it seems that it will bring the release of the hostages closer, because he is one of the greatest stubborn ones remaining. He held Gilad Shalit with stubbornness. I hope the man I am thinking of will take command, I cannot mention his name.Moshe Nussbaum
I assume you heard the criticism toward the mother of Idan Alexander after she did not thank Netanyahu. What did you think when you encountered that? As someone who does not spare Netanyahu from criticism, even here in the conversation, what do you have to say to her?Danny Miran
I do not respond to statements by families of hostages, and I rejoice in their joy.Moshe Nussbaum
I am talking about the criticism she took from right-wing supporters, just because she did not thank Netanyahu too.Danny Miran
The Alexander family is a Zionist family, unlike many of those who appear on Channel 14. Their son came out of Zionism, ideals, love of this land. Even though he did not grow up here, he came and enlisted in the army to contribute his part. The soldier’s parents during all this terrible period met with many people and figures to free their son. Presumably only they know who truly helped them and who sabotaged along the way.Moshe Nussbaum
Keith Siegel was with Omri in captivity, he also addressed him in the last Hamas video. What did you hear from him about your son’s condition?Danny Miran
There are no words.Moshe Nussbaum
I accept your decision not to get into it. Danny Miran, thank you very much for the conversation, I wholeheartedly hope that soon you will see Omri and he will again hug his little daughters.Danny Miran
Thank you. linkMediators hold 'urgent meetings' in Qatar as Israel prepares Gaza escalation
Israel and Hamas resume indirect talks as international pressure mounts for ceasefire; IDF expands operations in northern Gaza, destroying tunnels and targeting terror infrastructure amid growing global concern over humanitarian crisis
Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas have resumed in the Qatari capital of Doha, even as the Israel Defense Forces continue preparations for a broader ground operation in the Gaza Strip.Taher al-Nounou, a senior Hamas official, told Reuters that both parties are “discussing all issues without preconditions.” The renewed dialogue comes amid increasing international pressure on Israel to avoid a full-scale incursion and instead pursue a resolution that would end the war, remove Hamas from power, and secure the release of hostages without reoccupying the enclave.Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes targeted the eastern part of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza on Saturday, as international calls for restraint intensified.Italy’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, said his country does not want to see the Palestinian population suffer further. “Enough with the attacks—let’s move toward a cease-fire,” he said. “Free all the hostages and leave in peace those who have become victims of Hamas. We must tell the Israeli government: enough.”The Dutch government also expressed concern and urged the European Union to reconsider its agreements with Israel. In the United Kingdom, conservative commentator Piers Morgan—who has previously backed Israel—called the situation in Gaza a “horrific massacre” in a post to his 8.8 million followers on the social media platform X, adding, “Netanyahu is out of control and must be stopped.”A Hamas source told the Qatari news outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the group had entered an “urgent meeting” with Qatari mediators to discuss a proposed two-month partial deal, during which talks would continue on a broader agreement to end the conflict. The source said the current round includes more stringent guarantees, including “clear” commitments from the United States to enforce the deal.Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi confirmed to the outlet that talks in Doha remain ongoing and are open to all subjects, without reference to previous Israeli proposals. A separate Hamas official told the Saudi newspaper Asharq that the group is prepared to reach an immediate agreement if a permanent cease-fire and full Israeli withdrawal are guaranteed.A senior Israeli official familiar with the negotiations said Hamas has not accepted the original framework proposed by Special U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, which included the release of 10 hostages on the first day of a truce, followed by additional negotiations. “They’re willing to present their positions, but the chances of progress are slim,” the official said. “We’re not optimistic.”On Friday, leaders of Ireland, Iceland, Luxembourg, Norway, Spain, Malta, and Slovenia issued a joint statement condemning what they called a “man-made humanitarian disaster” in Gaza. “More than 50,000 men, women, and children have lost their lives,” the statement said. “Many more may die of starvation in the coming days and weeks unless immediate action is taken.”The leaders called on Israel to “immediately reverse its current policy, refrain from further military operations, and fully lift the blockade,” while ensuring safe and unhindered humanitarian aid throughout Gaza.Earlier in the week, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described Israel as a “genocidal state” during remarks in his country’s parliament. The Israeli ambassador to Spain was summoned for a formal reprimand, according to Israeli media.U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking Friday in Abu Dhabi alongside Emirati President Mohamed bin Zayed, said “a lot of people are starving in Gaza” and that “bad things are happening.” He added, “We’re looking at Gaza—and we will deal with it.”Secretary of State Marco Rubio, one of Israel’s most outspoken supporters in the Trump administration, echoed those concerns. Speaking to reporters in Turkey, Rubio said he had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and emphasized that the United States is “concerned” about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.“The United States is not immune to the suffering in Gaza,” Rubio said. He also responded to criticism of Washington’s aid distribution plan, which involves American contractors delivering assistance directly to Gaza residents to avoid diversion by Hamas. He said he is “open to other suggestions” after aid groups raised concerns that the plan would not effectively reach all civilians.On Saturday, the Israeli military announced it had destroyed a strategic two-kilometer Hamas tunnel in northern Gaza. In a video released from the Morag corridor in the south, IDF Arabic-language spokesperson Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee said Hamas was “under heavy fire and pressure—from north to south, underground and above ground.”“We will not stop until the hostages are returned and Hamas’ rule is dismantled,” Adraee said.The IDF said its Northern Brigade, under Division 252, continues operations in the northern Strip. Dozens of militants were killed, and extensive terror infrastructure was destroyed. Combat engineers from the elite Yahalom unit located and demolished the underground route, the army said.Troops also uncovered tunnel shafts, explosives, rocket launchers, and other Hamas weapons including rockets and grenades. “The IDF will continue to act against terror organizations in the Gaza Strip to protect the citizens of the State of Israel,” the military said. LinkPM’s office: Doha team examining potential deal to end war, release all hostages, disarm and exile Hamas
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says Israel’s hostage negotiation team in Doha is exhausting “every possibility” for a deal, including a potential agreement that would see the end of fighting, in an apparent shift in approach.
The PMO says that the team is working toward the possibility of either US special envoy Steve Witkoff’s proposal for a short-term ceasefire and limited hostage exchange, or an agreement to end the war through a comprehensive release of all hostages in Gaza and the complete surrender and exile of Hamas.
“Under the prime minister’s direction, even at this hour, the negotiating team in Doha is working to exhaust every possibility for a deal — whether according to the Witkoff outline or within the framework of ending the war, which would include the release of all hostages, the exile of Hamas terrorists, and the disarmament of the Gaza Strip,” writes the PMO in a statement.
“Thanks to [Netanyahu’s] policy of exerting military and diplomatic pressure, the government has so far succeeded in bringing home 197 hostages, and is doing everything possible to return the 58 remaining captives,” the PMO says.
Israel has consistently said that the war will not end without the destruction of Hamas as a military and governing power. Netanyahu has previously insisted on only agreeing to a temporary ceasefire of roughly 45 days, which would begin with Hamas releasing about 10 hostages.
Before addressing the negotiations in Qatar, the PMO statement begins by criticizing former Israeli hostage negotiator, Brig. Gen. (res.) Oren Setter, who resigned from the team in October and said in a February interview that Netanyahu had missed two opportunities last year for a hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas.
In a Hebrew interview with the Kan public broadcaster this morning, Setter said that he sees an opportunity, under the current combined military and diplomatic pressure, to reach a comprehensive deal for the return of all hostages, but is “concerned it’s going to be missed — that once again, we’ll end up with a partial agreement.”
Setter “undermined government policy through deliberate leaks and biased briefings from within the Cabinet that harmed the negotiations, endangered our hostages, and echoed Hamas’s false propaganda,” writes the PMO, echoing its initial response in February denying his statements.
“His claims that an agreement could have been reached earlier are completely baseless. As senior American officials have repeatedly testified, Hamas refused for many months to enter negotiations and was the sole obstacle to a deal,” the statement reads. link. This announcement by the PMO is so filled with lies, it's sickening. The negotiating team currently in Doha has no mandate to negotiate anything other than the 'Witkoff' proposal of 2 months ago that Hamas already rejected. This is an interim agreement that would see the release of about 10 living hostages and some dead (maybe) and a 2 month ceasefire. This deal is a bad deal. There shouldn't be any more interim agreements. We need all the hostages to be brought up in a single deal on a single day and for the war to end. Netanyahu made sure that this team would not be able to negotiate anything more than that. It is the reason that lower level people were sent as well as his watchdog (one of his close advisors) to make sure that nothing Netanyahu does not want discussed, will be discussed. Netanyahu has no intention of ending the war and that is the main barrier for making a deal to bring the hostages home.
Lapid: Attack on protesters in Rehovot result of ‘violent poison machine leading the government’
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid says an attack on protesters demanding a hostage deal in the central city of Rehovot this evening is the result of the “violent poison machine leading the government.”
“We won’t stop and won’t abandon the hostages until everyone returns home,” he writes on X.
The “poison machine” is the name some avowed critics of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu use for what they say is a network of pundits, journalists, influencers, and activists dedicated to besmirching the premier’s political rivals. video of the Netanyahu cult attacking protestors for the hostages
Germany says it fears Israeli offensive could endanger lives of hostages in Gaza
BERLIN, Germany — Germany is “deeply concerned” about the situation in Gaza, where it said an intensified Israeli offensive could endanger the lives of hostages, including Germans, their Foreign Ministry says.
The offensive “could put the lives of the remaining hostages, including those of German hostages, in danger,” a ministry statement says.
“A broad military offensive also risks worsening further the catastrophic humanitarian situation for Gaza’s population and the remaining hostages,” it adds.
IDF says it demolished 2 km ‘strategic’ Hamas tunnel in Gaza
The IDF says it demolished a 2-kilometer-long Hamas tunnel during recent operations in the northern Gaza Strip.
The military describes the tunnel as “strategic.” It was located and destroyed by troops of the Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade and Yahalom combat engineering unit. Link
PA’s Abbas calls on Hamas to abandon Gaza rule, relinquish arms
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas calls on Hamas to abandon power in Gaza and, along with other terror groups, to hand over weapons to the PA, in an address at the Arab League summit in Baghdad.
As quoted by the Iraqi News Agency, Abbas says, “The Palestinian cause is facing existential dangers and the genocidal crimes it is facing today in Gaza are part of a colonialist project that undermines the project of an independent Palestinian state.”
“The Palestinian vision supports the adoption of an Arab plan that supports stopping Zionist attacks and achieving peace in the region,” he says.
“The Palestinian Authority is proceeding with a comprehensive reform process that includes all its institutions,” Abbas adds.
Hamas violently seized control of Gaza from Abbas’s Western-backed PA in 2007, and reconciliation attempts between the rivals have repeatedly failed
Body of Hamas leader Muhammad Sinwar found in Gaza tunnel struck by IDF
The Saudi channel Al-Hadath reports that the body of Muhammad Sinwar, the de facto commander of Hamas’s military wing in Gaza, was found in a tunnel in Khan Younis where the terror leader was targeted by the Israel Defense Forces last week.
According to the report, the bodies of 10 of Sinwar’s aides were found with him.
It is also reported that there is evidence that the commander of the Rafah Brigade in Hamas’s military wing, Mohammad Shabana, was also killed in the strike.
Israel has not confirmed the deaths of either Sinwar or Shabana.
The strikes on Tuesday targeted an underground command compound below the European Hospital where Sinwar was believed to be sheltering. The IDF later bombed the area several more times, in an apparent attempt to prevent anyone from approaching the tunnel.
Sinwar, a senior Hamas military commander, is the younger brother of the former Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by the IDF in southern Gaza last October.
Following the killing of Hamas’s top military commander, Muhammad Deif, last July, Muhammad Sinwar took charge of the terror group’s military wing. Later, after Sinwar’s older brother was killed by IDF troops, he became the de facto leader of the terror group in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli officials have described Muhammad Sinwar as obstinate with regard to negotiations with Hamas for the release of hostages, and an obstacle to reaching a ceasefire deal.
The younger Sinwar is also wanted for terrorist actions against Israel and has been active in Hamas for decades.
He was jailed by Israel in the 1990s for nine months and spent an additional three years in a Palestinian Authority prison in Ramallah, from which he escaped in 2000. In 2006, Sinwar was part of a Hamas cell that abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. He also previously commanded Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade.
Most of Hamas’s leadership has been eliminated by Israel during the ongoing war, which was sparked when the terror group stormed southern Israel on October 7, 2023, to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages. link As so far, there is no confirmation by the IDF, Hamas or any other group that Mohammed Sinwar was, in fact killed in the tunnel that we bombed.
Hamas-run health ministry says all public hospitals in northern Gaza ‘out of service’
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says all public hospitals in the north of the Strip are now “out of service” amid Israeli military action near the Indonesian Hospital.
“The Israeli occupation has intensified its siege with heavy fire around the Indonesian hospital and its surroundings, preventing the arrival of patients, medical staff, and supplies — effectively forcing the hospital out of service,” the ministry says.
“All public hospitals in the North Gaza governorate are now out of service,” it adds.
There is no immediate comment from the Israel Defense Forces.
Israel has repeatedly pointed to the Hamas’s activities in and around medical facilities. Hamas has fought from within hospitals throughout the war and even periodically hid some of the Israeli hostages inside.
Human rights group have accused Israel of systematically destroying Gaza’s health care system.
International law prohibits targeting hospitals during wartime, but hospitals can lose this protection if they are being used for military purposes.
IDF plan sees Gazan civilians moved into 3 areas of Strip separated by military-controlled zones
The Israel Defense Forces plans to move civilians in Gaza into three strips of land separated and bookended by four zones controlled by the military if a ceasefire is not reached in the coming days, London’s Sunday Times reports.
The British news outlet says it has seen a map that was leaked by diplomats who were briefed on the proposal.
According to the report, the map shows military areas in the north, center and south of the Palestinian enclave, with civilian zones sandwiched in between.
The veracity of the map is not confirmed nor denied by the IDF to the newspaper.
The report says foreign companies assigned to distribute and manage humanitarian support, which were also briefed on the plan, say that if implemented, it would prevent the free movement of Palestinians between different areas of Gaza.
The map also shows up to 12 locations that appear to be distribution points for humanitarian aid.
In an attempt to get around the Hamas terror group, which Israel says has been seizing humanitarian aid meant for civilians, Israeli officials have been closely involved in the establishment of a new organization called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), advancing a new initiative where aid will only be distributed from a small number of sites in southern Gaza that are secured by American contractors.
Aid organizations currently operating in Gaza have come out strongly against the GHF plan, arguing that it violates humanitarian principles, forces mass displacement of Palestinians who aren’t currently living near the humanitarian zone, ignores vulnerable populations, and doesn’t adequately address the humanitarian crisis.
Aid hasn’t entered Gaza since March 1, with Israel arguing that sufficient humanitarian assistance entered the Strip during a six-week ceasefire and that Hamas has been stealing much of that aid. In recent weeks, though, some officials in the Israel Defense Forces have begun warning the political echelon that the enclave is on the brink of starvation. link This is likely a plan that the IDF drew up based on orders from the political echelon, i.e. Defense Minister/Prime Minister. The purpose of this plan, in my opinion is multifaceted: for distribution of humanitarian aid, to keep Hamas from taking over humanitarian aid, which this government allowed them to do throughout the war; to make the Gazan's life worse in order to push them towards their messianic and illegal 'voluntary emigration' and to set Gaza up for Military control and Military government since Netanyahu has refused to plan for an alternative Palestinian governing body that is not Hamas.
At least 100 killed in widespread Gaza strikes over past day, Hamas-run authorities say
Gaza’s Hamas-run authorities says widespread Israeli airstrikes overnight and into this morning killed at least 100 people, as the death toll continues to rise.
The figures cannot be independently verified and do not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
There is no immediate comment from the IDF.
The strikes come at the start of a widened Israeli offensive in Gaza.
According to Israeli officials, the operation will see the IDF “conquer” Gaza and retain the territory, attack Hamas, prevent the terror group from taking control of humanitarian aid supplies, and move Palestinians from Gaza’s north to its south. link Every single day of this war that needs to end and the hostages brought home, we are killing more and more Gazan civilians (women, children, elderly). No matter how many time the IDF says that they are making every effort to minimize the civilian casualties, our 'minimizing' is amounting to 100's going into the 1000's. That is not minimizing!!!
Report: In days prior to Oct. 7, Yahya Sinwar said ‘extraordinary act’ needed to derail Saudi normalization
Then-Hamas chief in Gaza Yahya Sinwar told associates in the days prior to October 7, 2023, that an “extraordinary act” would be required to derail normalization talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia, according to a document found by the IDF in Gaza and seen by the Wall Street Journal.
Arab intelligence officials familiar with Hamas tell the Journal that the document appears to be genuine.
It is not the first time that documents ostensibly found in Gaza have been leaked to the international press.
The Journal does not publish any images of the documents. There is no official Israeli comment.
The minutes of a meeting of Hamas’s political bureau in the Strip on October 2, 2023, cite Sinwar saying, “There is no doubt that the Saudi-Zionist normalization agreement is progressing significantly.” He warned a deal would “open the door for the majority of Arab and Islamic countries to follow the same path.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, Sinwar said that it was time to activate the plan for an attack that the terror group had been planning for some two years “to bring about a major move or a strategic shift in the paths and balances of the region with regard to the Palestinian cause.”
Without directly quoting the document, the Journal says Sinwar expected other Iran-backed terror and proxy groups to join the fighting.
Other documents apparently seized by the IDF and reviewed by the newspaper include one from September 2023 that recommended escalating the violence in the West Bank and Jerusalem to decrease the chances of normalization between Jerusalem and Riyadh.
The report also says that Saudi pledges to uphold the interests of Palestinians are “weak and limited steps to neutralize” Hamas and stop it working against normalization.
An internal briefing marked “secret” from August 2022, apparently written by Hamas’s military leadership, says: “It has become the duty of the movement to reposition itself to… preserve the survival of the Palestinian cause in the face of the broad wave of normalization by Arab countries, which aims primarily to liquidate the Palestinian cause.”
The documents also apparently include an October 2022 advertisement for a vacancy for a position for an individual to lead diplomatic efforts to derail the normalization.
Last year, German tabloid Bild published content from an ostensible document apparently found by the IDF in Gaza. That report on the document is a key element of a leaked intel scandal at the Prime Minister’s Office.
The document reported on by Bild was allegedly unlawfully removed from the IDF’s military intelligence database by a reservist — a noncommissioned officer (NCO) — who gave it to Eli Feldstein, an aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who saw to it that it was transferred to Bild, though he was aware that it was obtained illicitly and that the military censorship had barred the information from publication.
The German current affairs show “Panorama” said yesterday it had acquired the full, highly classified document reported by Bild in September, claiming that the publication seriously distorted the file.
While Bild presented the document as evidence that Hamas was not interested in reaching a serious ceasefire-hostage deal with Israel, “Panorama” said the full document showed Hamas was ready to be flexible in arrangements and sought a truce for 84 days with a pathway to ending the war.
The Bild report excluded this information and presented Hamas as indifferent to whether the ongoing war ended quickly. It reported that it instead prioritized maintaining the terror group’s military capabilities, “exhausting” Israel’s military and political apparatuses, and increasing international pressure on Israel.Syrian government forces raid Islamic State hideouts in Aleppo
Security source says new regime forces targeted sleeper cells in four locations, with one Islamic State terrorist blowing himself up and another killed in clashes
Syrian security forces raided Islamic State hideouts in Aleppo on Saturday, killing at least one militant and arresting others, authorities said, the first time the Islamist-led government has announced such an operation in Syria's second city.A member of the security forces was also killed, a statement issued by Interior Ministry spokesperson said. The security forces seized weapons, bombs and uniforms with the security forces' insignia.A security source said the raids had targeted sleeper cells in four locations, and 10 people had been arrested. One Islamic State militant had blown himself up, and another had been killed in clashes, the source said.Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who once led a branch of al Qaeda, has long been an adversary of Islamic State, and battled the group's self-declared caliphate during the Syrian war.U.S. President Donald Trump met Sharaa earlier this week, and praised him as an "attractive guy with a very strong past" after the encounter in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.Trump also declared the United States would lift sanctions, a major U.S. policy shift that should help revive the shattered economy and marked a major boost for Sharaa.Sharaa seized power in Damascus in December after the ousting of Bashar al-Assad. Sharaa cut ties with al Qaeda in 2016.Islamic State controlled swathes of Syria and Iraq at the height of its power, before being beaten out of the territory by enemies including a U.S.-led military alliance.In January, the Syrian authorities announced they had foiled an attack by Islamic State on the Sayeda Zeinab shrine in a Damascus suburb, a site of mass pilgrimage for Shi'ites, and had arrested members of the cell.Islamic State terrorists killed five members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in eastern Syria last month, in one of their deadliest attacks in a while. Link
🎗️Day 590 that 58 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
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
*2:05am- central Israel, Gush Dan areas- ballistic missile from Yemen - intercepted, no reports of injuries or damage -
Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen have launched 35 ballistic missiles and at least 10 drones at Israel. Several of the missiles have fallen short.
Gaza and the South
Israeli soldiers at a staging area near the Israeli-Gaza border, southern Israel, May 18, 2025 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
What is preferable – Saudi Arabia or Ben Gvir? It seems Netanyahu has already chosen -Ohad Hemo, commentary
Trump’s visit to the Middle East signals the region’s new winners and opens doors for countries that not long ago the U.S. was still attacking. Netanyahu is not part of this party, while Saudi Arabia’s status continues to rise – in a zero-sum game whose outcomes are beginning to become clear. Is Israel missing the train?
This week, several Palestinians called me trying to verify whether the rumor was true that Hudhayfa Kahlut, also known as Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson for Hamas’s military wing, was eliminated in a strike on a Hamas tunnel that stretched beneath the European Hospital in Khan Yunis. The panic in their voices was unmistakable as they hoped the rumors – which spread in Israel as in Gaza – had no substance. What’s interesting is that no matter how hard I racked my memory, I could not recall receiving such calls even after assassination attempts on the highest-ranking figures, not even after the bombing that reached the phantom – Muhammad Deif. Indeed, the reader might wonder – why would a man serving as a spokesperson gain such fame, far surpassing any other Hamas commander?The answer is that Abu Ubaida has become Hamas’s undisputed symbol – an enigmatic, iconic, revered figure, a role model for children and the theme of chants at adult demonstrations. More than Yahya Sinwar, more than Ismail Haniyeh. Even more than Muhammad Deif. It is hard to count the number of times I heard in the territories – from Jenin to Hebron through East Jerusalem – admiration for this man. But he has become a "brand" that extends far beyond the borders of the territories – across the Middle East, from Morocco to Iran, his image has already become myth.
And why is this interesting? Because in the Middle East, images are extremely important – often no less than reality itself. The image of a winner, strong and undefeated – that is what the masses love and look up to. An image of weakness can condemn you to a death sentence.
By contrast, fate had it that on the exact same day, another image was imprinted in the Middle East – of a new-old winner: Saudi Arabia. The wealthy giant state entered a manic state with the visit of U.S. President Donald Trump. The euphoria in Riyadh somewhat resembled that of Trump’s previous visit in May 2017, but this time, the language became even more decisive.
Indeed, commentators in the kingdom competed over who would give the visit the most flowery descriptions – but in the deeper currents there is a shared understanding that cannot be ignored: the understanding that Riyadh has become a true strategic partner of the Trump administration in the Middle East.
“Saudi Arabia has become a significant regional power offering a new model for building a geopolitics of stability in the Middle East,” was written in Asharq Al-Awsat. In the Okaz newspaper, it was written further: “This is a partnership of shared interests, a shared future vision. The kingdom has become a center of gravity and a cornerstone in the new global order.” They write it and they mean it.But it’s not just Saudi Arabia. Across the chaotic Middle Eastern neighborhood, a movement of dialogues and discourse has begun. Smile offensives between countries – and between them and the Americans. Syria, with sanctions lifted and a future that suddenly seems less bleak; Erdoğan, who is also becoming a favorite of the Americans and this week received a gift in the form of the disintegration of the Kurdish underground; the Houthis, an extreme terror organization that under our nose closed a deal with the United States, which stopped its strikes on them; and of course the Iranians, who are talking to the “Great Satan” about their future, hoping for the removal of the choking sanctions.
And when the political bureau members of Hamas, those from the luxury hotels of Qatar and the airs of the wider world, see this trend – they also want in. So they sit with the Americans, offer them a token (not a plane, but something far more significant – a hostage), and hope to score some points in Washington, to dissolve the demonization the organization has suffered since the terror attack of October 7, and to be perceived, at the very least, as a group one can do business with. Their grand prize, of course, would be American pressure on Israel to end the war.
But just like in a zero-sum game, when one rises, another falls. Saudi Arabia is an economic asset, whereas Israel, with an unending war that threatens only to expand after 19 months, maybe less so. And where do we fit into this reshaping Middle East forming before our eyes? The reader might ask himself. Well – we do not.
The key is undoubtedly Saudi Arabia. A peace agreement with this state would be dramatic. Not only economically, but perceptually. It would mean that the Sunni Middle East acknowledges our right to exist here. But Riyadh continues on a very clear path: an end to the war in Gaza and a directional statement regarding a Palestinian state are the basic conditions for normalization, for opening markets, for recognition of Israel, for an embrace, and for bringing the Jewish state into the region. But along the way, there are a few small issues – what is Saudi Arabia compared to Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, what are markets worth billions compared to the integrity of the coalition, what are the Abraham Accords on steroids compared to Elon Moreh and Yitzhar?
And if we are dealing with images, in recent months Israel has restored the image of the power it lost on October 7 – the one that almost alone is crushing the entire Shiite axis, leaving Iran exposed, severely harming the Hezbollah terror organization, striking with pinpoint accuracy every point in the Middle East, and reaching almost every last one of its enemies. But every military achievement needs a diplomatic complement – one that converts victory on the battlefield into hard currency. That translates the army’s achievements into political gains. And that, unfortunately, the Israeli leadership still is not doing – and hopefully, it will not miss the train. link
Ex-PM Ehud Barak calls for ‘civic revolt’ against Netanyahu, who is ‘acting like a caged animal’
Former prime minister Ehud Barak calls for “civic revolt” to bring down the government of incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who he says is “acting impulsively like a caged animal.”
“A black flag of illegitimacy flies over every one of its actions, and it’s our civic duty to act in every way possible toward its downfall, before it marches us into the abyss,” says Barak, speaking before some 1,000 anti-government protesters at Habima Square.
To applause, Barak calls on National Unity chief Benny Gantz not to be tempted once more to join the government should Netanyahu urge him to do so “when he feels his seat teetering.”
He expresses support for a plan reminiscent of the Egyptian framework for Gaza’s construction: “A technocratic government alongside a Palestinian bureaucracy, with Saudi and Emirati funding and Egyptian oversight… no Hamas member could take part in the arrangement.”
Barak says the framework could have led to Israeli-Saudi normalization and “intimate Israeli involvement in shaping the future of the region.”
“Instead, Netanyahu announced today that he was beginning a foolish war,” says Barak.
The former premier, who in 2000 offered a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, makes no mention of Saudi Arabia’s conditioning of normalization on there being a viable pathway to Palestinian statehood.
The Region and the World
Acronyms and Glossary
ICC - International Criminal Court in the Hague
IJC - International Court of Justice in the Hague
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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