🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 599, 2023 - May 27, 2025 🎗️

 

 

 🎗️Day 599 that 58 of our hostages are still
         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

*5:05am - Jordan Valley and West Bank- Ballistic missile from Yemen -successfully intercepted
*7:30am - Ballistic missile from Yemer intercepted with no alarms activated as no towns were under threat



Hostage Updates

Until the last hostage


Hostage families request meeting with Netanyahu on war day 600, told 'not possible'
At least three families of hostages requested to meet with the Prime Minister tomorrow, marking 600 days since the war began and their loved ones' captivity. The families were informed that "due to scheduling constraints, this cannot be arranged at present." link Except for members of the Tikva Forum of hostage families who fully support Netanyahu and continuing the war, Netanyahu has refused to meet with hostage families. In addition, the person who put in charge of the hostage negotiations, Minister Ron Dermer has never met with any of the hostage families and he doesn't respond to their requests. These are the people most responsible for the hostage situation and for bringing them home, yet they are totally removed from the situation and just see it as something on their 'to do' list. DISGRACEFUL!!!






Palestinian official: Hamas open to phased deal, but would free all hostages at once if war ends


A Palestinian official familiar with the hostage negotiations tells The Times of Israel that while Hamas is prepared to accept an interim ceasefire deal that leads to a permanent ceasefire, it remains willing to release all of the remaining hostages at once if Israel agrees upfront to end the war.

“All of this talk about the phases is because of [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu,” the Palestinian official says.

Hamas is “prepared to return all of the hostages now if [Netanyahu] agrees to end the war,” the official adds.  link As I have said many times, Netanyahu is the one who came up with the idea of phased releases of hostages, which is a tortuous issue since it started in November 2023. There needs to be an end to these damned phases and the only deal that needs to be made is a single deal to release all hostages at one time and end the war. That is the only deal that will bring home the hostages.





Witkoff denies Hamas accepted his truce proposal, says group’s stance ‘disappointing and unacceptable’ 


US special envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff denies claims from Hamas officials that the terror group has accepted his proposal for a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza.

“What I have seen from Hamas is disappointing and completely unacceptable,” Witkoff tells the Axios news site.

Witkoff says Israel is prepared to agree to a temporary ceasefire that would see half of the living and deceased hostages return “and lead to substantive negotiations to find a path to a permanent ceasefire, which I agreed to preside over.”

“That deal is on the table. Hamas should take it,” Witkoff says.

Hostages' parents criticize Netanyahu: 'Waging psychological terror against families'
Einav Tzangauker, mother of hostage Matan, responded to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statements, saying he is "waging psychological terror against the families. Netanyahu torments us day and night while my Matan is alone in a tunnel with muscular dystrophy. This happens repeatedly." Rubi Chen, father of hostage Itai Chen, said the families are "fed up with these statements. The Prime Minister can declare the end of the war today, after eliminating all of Hamas leadership, and release the 58 hostages who were taken during his watch."




Hostage families launch testimony project to uncover truth of October 7 Hamas attack
Relatives initiate independent testimony collection from civilians, soldiers and rescuers to expose gaps and clear details on Israel’s October 7 response
Forum Tikva, representing families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, launched a new initiative Monday to collect testimony from civilians, soldiers and rescue personnel who witnessed the October 7 Hamas assault.

The project invites anyone with firsthand experience—from emergency responders to ordinary residents—to share what they saw in order to build a clearer picture of the events leading up to the invasion and massacre. Organizers say all accounts will be handled sensitively and confidentially, with anonymity guaranteed for those who request it.



Nova music festival site

(Photo: JACK GUEZ / AFP)

"After a year and a half of pain and uncertainty, we must understand how this disaster happened," said Zvika Mor, a forum member and father of hostage Eitan Mor. "These testimonies are vital—not just to bring our loved ones home but to ensure such a tragedy never happens again."

Talik Gvili, mother of Israel Police officer Ran Gvili, whose body is held in Gaza, called the initiative "a significant step toward truth and accountability."

“We urge anyone with information—no matter how minor it seems—to come forward and speak,” she said. “The families need every piece of the puzzle to understand what happened on that terrible day.”



Gazans infiltrating into Israel through the breached border fence during the October 7 attack

(Photo: Screengrab)

Kobi Samarano, father of abducted IDF soldier Yonatan Samarano, said the families were left in the dark by Israeli authorities. “We have a full right to know exactly what happened that day and how thousands of terrorists stormed into Israel—murdering, raping, burning and kidnapping masses of Israelis,” he said.

“Security forces deliberately withheld information from us, including details that should have been investigated about the last minutes before our children were taken. They even lied, claiming my son was dead, despite evidence to the contrary. That’s why we’ve decided to establish an independent testimony center run by hostage families.” link. Netanyahu and his failed corrupt government has done everything to prevent a State Commission of Inquiry to come into existence, even attempting to pass a law in the Knesset to prevent it from happening. The Tikva Forum, which was formed through the Prime Minister's Office, of families of hostages who have been fully supportive of Netanyahu's actions and were against any deal, preferring more military pressure to bring the hostages home have rarely pushed for anything that goes against Netanyahu. We will have to see if this testimony project is looking for all the truth including everything that led up to October 7 or is only focusing on the day and the failures of the security forces. If it is focusing only on those failures and nothing having to do with what led up to October 7, it is playing into Netanyahu's hands as he has been attempting to write the narrative that October 7 and all that led up to it was due to failures of the security forces (IDF, Mossad, Shin Bet) and has nothing to do with the political echelon, specifically him. I sincerely hope that their love of the hostages and hatred for what happened to the country will lead them to investigate the whole picture and not only the military failures. What is desperately needed is an independent official State Commission of Inquiry that will investigate it all. That is known by all but refused by Netanyahu and his cronies. It will happen, though, sooner or later.

Ex-hostage says Israel ‘failed’ those still in Gaza as 600-day mark looms



A composite of Ayelet Samerano, left, Dalia Cusnir, center and Keith Siegel at a press conference marking almost 600 days of captivity for hostages in Gaza on May 27, 2025 (Courtesy)

Released hostage Keith Siegel; Ayelet Samerano, mother of Jonathan Samerano, who was identified as having been killed on October 7; and Dalia Cusnir, sister-in-law of hostage Eitan Horn, speak at an online press conference before marking 600 days of the hostages’ captivity on Wednesday.

Cusnir and Siegel emphasize the need to bring home the hostages and bring about an end to the war.

“I feel that we failed them,” says Cusnir. “Humanity, the democratic countries, the health organizations, we failed them and we need to fix this, this is the only way of moving forward.”

Siegel names US President Donald Trump, Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli government, the mediating countries and the leaders of the world, and urges them to get an agreement signed.

“We need to move forward in our lives and this can’t happen until all the hostages are brought home,” says Siegel.

Siegel says that after seeing fairly recent Hamas propaganda videos of two hostages, Matan Angrest and Omri Miran, with whom he spent time with in captivity, he sees how much they have deteriorated, physically and emotionally, since he last saw them.

“When I think about 600 days in captivity, I think about my experience, 484 days [in captivity], it’s hard for me to imagine surviving and to be able to cope with that,” says Siegel. “I cannot comprehend the difficulties they’re enduring for so long.”

Cusnir, who is married to Horn’s brother Amos Horn, notes that a third brother Iair Horn, who was also held hostage, marked 100 days of freedom on Monday.

“We were talking about he feels, and he said, ‘Don’t get me wrong, but I’m not really free because I left my little brother back in the tunnel,'” says Cusnir. “Iair is free in that he is walking around but his heart and mind and soul are in Gaza.”

Cusnir notes that 600 is a tough number, “but for hostage numbers, it’s just one more day,” she says. “Every day is horrible and painful. We knew Eitan was alive on February 15 but since then, everything can change, unfortunately. We think about them every single second of every day.”

Samerano, whose son was identified by intelligence as having been killed on October 7 and his body taken hostage by a UNRWA worker to Gaza, says she doesn’t yet know for sure that her son was killed when he was taken captive.

She adds that if he was killed, she can’t be sure if his body will ever be found to be brought home for burial.

“We don’t know if he’s alive or not and will they find him for me? That’s how we feel,” says Samerano. “I never imagined we would wait 600 days. I’m begging, my son should be home, he should have been home a long time ago.”

PM suggests hostage deal imminent, then walks back remark; families denounce ‘abuse’

Netanyahu claims he wasn’t speaking literally when saying he hoped to make an announcement on the captives ‘today or tomorrow,’ sparking flood of inquiries from desperate families


Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu infuriated hostage families on Monday after declaring that he hoped to make an announcement regarding the hostages “today or tomorrow,” only to later assert he was not speaking literally.

“I really hope we can announce something regarding the hostages, if not today, then tomorrow,” Netanyahu said at the tail end of a video statement. He has been issuing near-daily videos in recent weeks updating the public on his efforts as premier while tearing into various accusations against him, particularly those criticizing his handling of the war.

The remarks prompted a flood of anxious inquiries from hostage families surprised to hear that a breakthrough in the long-stalled negotiations with Hamas was on the horizon.


Recognizing that his comment had quickly made waves, the Prime Minister’s Office sent a statement to reporters in the name of a “senior official” that attempted to walk back Netanyahu’s remark.

The “official” claimed the prime minister’s comments should not be seen as a signal of an impending deal.

“The prime minister meant that we will not give up on freeing our hostages, and if we don’t achieve that, hopefully in the coming days, we will achieve it later on,” the statement said, adding that, as of now, “Hamas continues to cling to its refusal.”


Hostage families lashed out at Netanyahu for getting their hopes up.

“We feel like we’re being abused,” said a statement attributed to “hostage families” that was aired on Channel 12. “Every comment like this makes our already broken hearts leap. The expectation, when it comes to such a sensitive subject, is that they will show the minimum sensitivity and choose their words carefully.”


“What Netanyahu is doing here is psychological terrorism against the families,” hostage Matan Zangauker’s mother Einav tweeted. “Netanyahu is abusing us day and night, while my Matan is alone in the tunnel.”

Netanyahu also falsely claimed in the Monday video that the last hostage deal in January was signed after he replaced the heads of the Shin Bet and Mossad with his confidant, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, as head of Israel’s negotiating team. In fact, that shake-up did not take place until February. Since then, only American-Israeli hostage soldier Edan Alexander has been freed, but Dermer was not involved — or even initially aware of — the US efforts to secure his release from Hamas captivity.

Apparently acknowledging that the anonymous statement issued by his office was insufficient in assuaging the hostage families’ anger, Netanyahu addressed the issue himself in a speech during the Jerusalem Day state ceemony held at the capital’s Ammunition Hill.

“The task in Gaza, including the task of returning our hostages, keeps us busy every day and every night,” he said. “We aren’t letting go of this, and if we don’t fulfill it today, we will do it tomorrow. And if not tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow.”

Families of Israelis held hostage in Gaza hold a press conference in Tel Aviv on May 24, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

He went on to accuse Hamas of being “stubborn” and rejecting offers for ceasefires, arguing that US special envoy Steve Witkoff also says so.

Earlier Monday, Witkoff denied claims that Hamas had accepted his hostage deal proposal, calling on the terror group to agree to a temporary ceasefire offer that he said Israel will approve.

Several foreign media sites earlier in the day cited unnamed Hamas officials declaring that the terror group had accepted an updated proposal from Witkoff.

But Witkoff poured cold water on the apparent breakthrough, telling the Axios news site, “What I have seen from Hamas is disappointing and completely unacceptable.”

The US envoy went on to assert that “Israel will agree to a temporary ceasefire that would see half of the living and deceased hostages return “and lead to substantive negotiations to find a path to a permanent ceasefire, which I agreed to preside over.”

“That deal is on the table. Hamas should take it,” Witkoff said.

US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff arrives for a signing ceremony at the Royal Palace in Doha on May 14, 2025. (Karim JAAFAR / AFP)

The deal being discussed would see around 10 living hostages and 10 bodies of hostages, along with hundreds of Palestinian security prisoners, released in two stages during a roughly two-month ceasefire. During that time, Israel and Hamas would hold negotiations on the terms of a permanent truce, with the US providing assurances that it will keep Israel at the table, officials familiar with the matter have told The Times of Israel.

Hamas is seeking guarantees from the mediators that Israel will hold negotiations on the terms of a permanent ceasefire after it had agreed to do so as part of the last hostage deal signed in January but ultimately refused, with Netanyahu ordering the resumption of the war in March.

Terror groups in the Gaza Strip are holding 58 hostages — 57 of the 251 abducted by Hamas-led terrorists on October 7, 2023, when some 1,200 people were killed.

The remaining hostages include the bodies of at least 35 confirmed dead by the IDF, and 20 are believed to be alive. There are grave concerns for the well-being of three others, Israeli officials have said. The body of an IDF soldier killed in Gaza in 2014 is also being held.  link Netanyahu is a man who measures every word and carefully scripts everything that comes out of his mouth. And when he wants his words or sentiments to come out but not directly from his mouth, he has his 'unnamed officials' speaking for him. And this announcement that he made was not an off the cuff announcement. It was a pre-recorded carefully scripted announcement that probably had many 'takes' as he goes over his pre-recorded announcements very carefully and does many takes. There was nothing accidental in his announcement. His message was abusive to the hostage families for whom he cares very little. It's all about politics for him and his personal position. Unfortunately, we are far away from elections, but for Netanyahu, every day is a election publicity ad, especially as he works tirelessly to rewrite the narrative of October 7, the hostages and the entire war. We saw it blatantly last week in his carefully scripted press conference about us being attacked by Gazans wearing flip-flops. His personal political position and survival are the most important things on his agenda and he and his team of cronies work very hard on the strategy and tactics to rewrite the narrative and reform his legacy. There are some who buy it but most of the population has finally woken up to who Netanyahu is, what he stands for and what he cares about. We all know that it is all about him and everything else be damned. We desperately need elections to send him and his failed and corrupt government home. In every poll since the beginning of the war, we see that Netanyahu has no chance to put together a government if elections were held and the percentages are great. He refuses to go to early elections because he needs as much time as possible to rebuild himself and it doesn't matter a bit to him what the country wants. He is an illegitimate prime minister and his government is illegitimate. He always says that the people chose this government. Let's put it to the test!

Gaza and the South



About half of essential medicines, medical equipment at ‘stock zero’ in Gaza, WHO says


The majority of stocks of medical equipment have run out in Gaza, while 42% of basic medicines, including pain killers, are out of stock, the World Health Organization says.

“We are at stock zero of close to 64% of medical equipment and stock zero of 42% of essential medicines and vaccines,” Hanan Balkhy, the WHO’s regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, tells reporters in Geneva.  link As the situation in Gaza gets worse, so does the treatment of the Hamas terrorist captors towards our hostages. We know from all the hostages who have returned that when things got worse in Gaza (less or no humanitarian aid, stopping negotiations, military pressure, etc), their treatment by their terrorist captors got worse: harsher torture, worse conditions in the tunnels, less or no food and water.

Hamas-led groups execute four for looting aid trucks amid some Gaza dissent


Hamas has executed four men for looting some of the aid trucks that have begun entering Gaza, sources familiar with the incident say, as a clan leader in southern Gaza issues a challenge to the Palestinian terror group over guarding the convoys.

One source says the four were involved in an incident last week in which six security officials were allegedly killed by an Israeli airstrike as they were working to prevent gang members from hijacking aid trucks.

“The four criminals, who were executed, were involved in the crimes of looting and causing the death of members of a force tasked with securing aid trucks,” one of the sources tells Reuters.

Seven other suspects are being pursued, according to a statement issued by an umbrella group identifying itself as the “Palestinian Resistance.”

Aid groups have said that deliveries have been hampered by looting, claiming Israel is to blame for creating a situation in which hundreds of thousands of people have been driven to desperation by aid blockade.

Israel has accused Hamas of stealing aid, and says aid needs to be tightly controlled to prevent it from helping the terror group, which is still holding 58 hostages.

Israeli military officials say the security teams put in place by Hamas are there to take delivery of the supplies, not to protect them.

Hamas, which took power in Gaza by force in 2007, has long cracked down hard on signs of dissent among Palestinians in Gaza but it has faced sizable protests in recent months over the war and challenges to its control by armed groups of looters, some of whom it has punished by shooting them in the legs in public.  link. This is a act by Hamas to terrorize the local population and make it clear that only they can have control of the humanitarian aid, of which they steal a good deal of it. The only way to prevent this from happening is to have a proper distribution system in place that has taken the failed Israeli government over 19 months to even deal with this situation. They enabled Hamas' looting of large percentages of the aid.





IDF says troops killed Gaza terror operatives who fired mortars at them


The IDF says it “eliminated” a cell of terror operatives that launched several mortars at troops during operations in the northern Gaza Strip today.

According to the military, several mortars were fired at troops of the 401st Armored Brigade, without causing any injuries. After just one minute, the troops identified the cell behind the attack, which had withdrawn to a building.

The troops then called in an airstrike on the building, killing the members of the cell, the IDF adds.  video

Opening of first Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid distribution point delayed, won’t happen today


After the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and Israeli officials earlier said the first distribution point supervised by the body would begin operations in the Strip today, Hebrew media says it was delayed due to logistical issues.

Channel 12 and Ynet cite unnamed officials as saying the problems originate not with Israel, but with the American firm set to distribute the aid.

Israel’s security establishment hopes the aid distribution will begin tomorrow, when a situation assessment will be held to see if it is possible, the reports say.

Israel had blocked food, fuel, medicine, and all other supplies from entering Gaza since early March, only lifting the blockade last week to allow limited numbers of aid trucks to enter, amid a worsening humanitarian crisis for 2.3 million Palestinians there.

Experts have warned of a high risk of famine, and even the United States, a staunch ally, has voiced concerns over the hunger crisis.





Aid group says nearly 180,000 Gazans displaced in last 10 days


A renewed Israeli military offensive has forcibly displaced almost 180,000 people in the 10 days before May 25, the International Organization for Migration says, as Israel pursues a renewed offensive aimed at taking control of most of the territory.

In a statement on behalf of the UN-backed Global Camp Coordination and Camp Management Cluster, the group expresses deep alarm and denounces direct attacks on shelters, which it says have become “common.”

Nearly 616,000 people have been displaced since the end of a ceasefire on March 18, the statement says. During the ceasefire, around half a million Palestinians were able to return home, but “that fragile progress has now been reversed,” it says.

“With the ongoing aid blockade, there has been no guarantee of shelter, assistance, or protection for civilians. Constant movement restrictions and indiscriminate strikes on civilian infrastructure, including shelters, schools, hospitals, and tents, over the last 19 months have continuously exposed civilians to immense danger and raise grave concern,” the IOM states.




This picture taken from a position in southern Israel, on the border with the Gaza Strip, shows smoke billowing above destroyed buildings during an Israeli bombardment on May 27, 2025. (Jack GUEZ / AFP)

Gazans report strikes in northern Gaza, Khan Younis


Media outlets in Gaza say Israeli airstrikes in recent hours have targeted Jabalia and Beit Lahiya in the northern part of the Strip, as well as the Khan Younis area in the southern part of the enclave.



Gazan reports say five people have been killed in strikes in Khan Younis since this morning, though it is unclear if they are civilians or combatants.

There is no comment from the Israeli military.

New Gaza aid body starts operating, pans Hamas threats toward those cooperating with it
GHF doesn’t reveal how much aid so far delivered, but says amount will increase each day; group names new CEO after previous one resigns due to concerns over Israeli restrictions


Palestinians pick up boxes of humanitarian aid at a distribution site managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation on May 26, 2025. (GHF)





The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said it commenced operations in the Gaza Strip on Monday, delivering truckloads of food to newly established distribution sites, from which the supplies were then distributed to a number of Palestinians.

The announcement followed Hebrew media reports claiming that the US- and Israel-backed GHF did not manage to begin operating in Gaza on Monday as initially planned.

The GHF statement did not specify how much aid was distributed, but it did include photos of a number of Gazans picking up boxes of aid from a distribution site. It said more trucks will be delivered on Tuesday and that the flow of aid will increase each day.


The foundation made a point to condemn what it said have been Hamas death threats against aid groups who have agreed to cooperate with GHF, as well as efforts to block Palestinians from reaching distribution sites.

“It is clear that Hamas is threatened by this new operating model, and will do everything in its power to see it fail,” GHF said.

GHF also announced that John Acree has been named its interim executive director, after its previous chief resigned on Sunday and indicated that Israeli restrictions were preventing the initiative from being able to adhere to humanitarian principles.

Palestinians pick up boxes of humanitarian aid at a distribution site managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation on May 26, 2025. (GHF)


Palestinians pick up boxes of humanitarian aid at a distribution site managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation on May 26, 2025. (GHF)

Acree is a “senior humanitarian practitioner with more than two decades of global field experience in disaster response, stabilization programming, and civil-military coordination,” GHF said.

While technically an American company, GHF was established earlier this year in close coordination with Israeli authorities who felt existing aid distribution mechanisms led by the UN and other international organizations were insufficient in preventing the diversion of aid by Hamas.


Israel wanted to create a small number of distribution sites where pre-selected familial representatives would be able to pick up a heavy box full of food for their families in a zone secured and operated by American private contractors.

GHF still needs support and cooperation from existing humanitarian organizations, as it seeks to gain credibility on the ground. That backing has yet to come, though, with the UN and many other international organizations in Gaza vowing not to cooperate with the GHF, arguing that its aid initiative violates humanitarian principles by requiring Gazans to walk long distances in order to retrieve aid and limiting distribution to southern Gaza, in what would forcibly displace the Palestinian population.

UN officials have also raised concerns that the organization could be used to “weaponize” aid by restricting who is eligible to receive it.

A small number of lesser-known organizations have agreed to cooperate with the GHF thus far, including the US-based aid group Rahma Worldwide, whose logo was seen in the photos of boxes being distributed to Gazans on Monday.



Palestinians transport their belongings as they flee the northern Gaza Strip toward the south, along the coastal al-Rashid road on May 25, 2025. (Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

GHF says it is made up of former humanitarian, government and military officials. It has said its distribution points — three in southern Gaza and one in central Gaza — will be guarded by private security firms and that its aid will reach a million Palestinians — around half of Gaza’s population — by the end of the week.

Under pressure from allies, Israel began allowing a trickle of humanitarian aid into Gaza last week after blocking all food, medicine, fuel or other goods from entering since March 2. Aid groups have warned of famine and say the aid that has come in is nowhere near enough to meet mounting needs.

Hamas warned Palestinians on Monday not to cooperate with the new aid system, saying it is aimed at furthering those objectives.

Earlier Monday, Hamas executed four men it claimed had looted some of the aid trucks that have begun entering Gaza, according to sources familiar with the incident.

One source said the four were involved in an incident last week in which six security officials were allegedly killed by an Israeli airstrike as they were working to prevent gang members from hijacking aid trucks.

Aid groups have said that deliveries have been hampered by looting, claiming Israel is to blame for creating a situation in which hundreds of thousands of people have been driven to desperation by aid blockade.



Children watch as others inspect the damage at the Fahmi Al-Jarjawi School in Gaza City on May 26, 2025, following an Israeli strike. (Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

Israel has accused Hamas of stealing aid, and says aid needs to be tightly controlled to prevent it from helping the terror group.

Gaza’s health ministry said Monday that at least 3,822 people had been killed in the territory since the latest ceasefire collapsed on March 18, taking the war’s overall toll to 53,977 — a figure that cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters.

The war broke out on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led terrorists invaded Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping 251. Terror groups in the Gaza Strip are still holding 58 hostages, including 57 of the 251 abducted on October 7.    link

Northern Israel, Lebanon and Syria



Israeli strike reported deep in Lebanon


Lebanese media reports an Israeli airstrike near the village of Brital in the northeastern Beqaa Valley.  There is no immediate comment from the IDF.






IDF ground troops operate near southern Lebanon town, local media reports


Lebanese reports say IDF ground forces have operated near the town of Mays al-Jabal in southern Lebanon.

Lebanese army troops are patrolling the area, some of the reports say.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF.

Kill zones, daily attacks and citizens returning: The new routine on the Lebanese border
As calm gradually returns to northern frontier, IDF shifts from wartime footing to routine defense, handing control back to the Galilee Division while maintaining heightened readiness against Hezbollah threats
For the first time since war erupted in October 2023, Israel is shifting back to routine military operations along its northern frontier. The Galilee Division, known formally as the IDF’s 91st Division, is once again assuming full control of the Lebanon border. This move marks the most substantial reorganization of Israeli defenses in the north in nearly two years, signaling a tentative stabilization in the ongoing conflict with Hezbollah.
The change comes as the 146th Division, a reserve unit deployed during the height of the fighting, begins its withdrawal. Its departure from the western sector ends a high-alert deployment that began in the early days of the war, during which Israeli forces launched ground maneuvers and expanded their troop presence in response to Hezbollah provocations.



While the shift doesn’t reduce the number of soldiers on the ground, it represents a broader strategic recalibration. A senior IDF officer described it as a “return to a smarter, more sustainable security framework” that reflects the new reality along the border.
Quiet returns, cautiously
Signs of normal life are slowly returning to Israel’s northernmost communities. Businesses are reopening. Tourism sites like Rosh Hanikra are welcoming visitors again. Hotels and guesthouses reported high occupancy over Passover. The northbound highway, once deserted, is bustling again.
Across the border, a very different picture emerges. Many southern Lebanese villages remain without power or running water. Residents—often Hezbollah operatives themselves—tread cautiously, unarmed and avoiding Israeli positions. Scrap collectors move among ruins. The specter of conflict still lingers.
Despite these quiet moments, the military front is far from dormant. Israeli forces continue to target Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon, averaging one strike per day. Two field commanders from the Shiite militia were killed just last week.
A strategic handoff
The 146th Division, Israel’s largest reserve unit, was brought in last fall to counter Hezbollah’s Radwan force, an elite unit that suffered significant setbacks during the IDF’s ground operations. With the front stabilizing, Northern Command determined it was time for the Galilee Division to resume its role.
“This is the last of the maneuvering divisions to rotate out,” said Lt. Col. K., the operations officer for Division 146, speaking on condition of partial anonymity due to security protocols. “We’ll only return if there’s a major escalation.”
The division has also played a key role in the quiet cooperation developing with the Lebanese Armed Forces. Under U.S. oversight, Israeli officers routinely share intelligence about Hezbollah weapons caches and rocket launchers, which Lebanese units are now destroying themselves—often within hours.
“It’s something I never thought I’d see,” K. said. “We give them a target and they act. If they don’t—or if it’s urgent—we handle it directly.”
The border’s new reality
Still, not every threat presents itself so clearly. K. recounted a recent incident in which a Hezbollah operative returned to his ruined home on a motorcycle, paused to survey nearby Israeli troops and continued on his way. In such cases, split-second decisions are not always possible.
“Our mission is to prevent direct lines of fire and observation from Lebanon into Israel,” K. explained. “That means constant engineering work—destroying potential infiltration routes, reinforcing outposts and reshaping the terrain.”
The IDF has created what it calls a “mini-security zone” along the border, reminiscent of the buffer it once maintained in Lebanon in the 1990s. Any suspicious approach to the fence is prohibited. But the arrangement exists in a delicate balance with Lebanon’s sovereign government, which remains officially responsible for its side of the border.
“Our goal is to maintain a five-kilometer threat-free buffer,” K. said. “There are still Hezbollah elements farther in, even south of the Litani River, but they’re not an immediate threat.”
Hezbollah, he added, “has lost a lot—fighters, commanders, capabilities. But it hasn’t lost its motivation. That’s why we’re staying vigilant.”
Looking ahead
With the Galilee Division back in command, the IDF plans to deploy at least three regional brigades along the border. Troop numbers will remain at least double what they were before October 7, a signal that the army intends to sustain a high level of readiness.
Drone units, including a new one modeled after the elite Maglan forces, now operate continuously to gather intelligence and conduct precision strikes. “We can’t allow Hezbollah’s terror infrastructure to regrow,” K. said.
The long-term goal, he added, is to make sure the IDF does not sink back into the kind of costly, open-ended engagement that defined its Lebanon operations in the 1990s. That era ended with Israel’s withdrawal in 2000—after hundreds of soldiers had died.
As Israel looks toward the start of the school year this September, military officials are hopeful that more families will return to the north. That will depend on how quickly reconstruction progresses—and how much support the government provides.
“Ultimately,” said K., “security remains in our hands alone.” link
Israel’s new buffer zone in Syria begins to stabilize, but the ground is shifting fast
Ynet reporter at Syria security zone on border in Golan Heights: Months after Assad's fall and the IDF's entry into Syria, a fortified buffer zone is taking shape; 'No reckless missions,' says the 474th Golan Brigade commander, who monitors his troops' performance via Syrian social media
Nearly six months have passed since the collapse of Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria, after which IDF forces began entering Syrian territory. The new security buffer zone Israel has established along the border in the Golan Heights is beginning to take shape, but the atmosphere remains tense, and the situation is evolving faster than history is accustomed to.
Take Tel Kodna, for example—once a Syrian outpost, it has overnight become a forward Israeli control post. “We’ve gone back to the days of border outposts, like in South Lebanon,” says Col. Benny Kata, commander of the 474th Golan Brigade. “This is an outpost. It operates like one. It’s a combat zone, with ready machine-gun positions, fragmentation grenades and missiles.”

IDF forces in Syria


There’s no small military canteen here, no vending machines. As a deep combat post, civilian suppliers and services don’t come near it. Entry and exit are conducted only via secured convoys, much like the final years of Israel’s presence in southern Lebanon. Touring the new line of positions beyond the border, where the IDF now operates freely, Kata says: “If I’m physically sitting here on the ground, I’m protecting the Golan much better—and that’s our mission.”
Lessons from Lebanon, eyes on Syria
The fears and memories of the security zone in southern Lebanon, with its high costs and fierce public debate, still linger. Kata doesn’t ignore the comparison, but tries to extract relevant lessons. “Even in Lebanon, it wasn’t intense combat every day in the outposts,” he says. On the surface, the operations may seem similar, but today’s technology, intelligence, and defense capabilities are worlds apart.
“We have fighters here who served in the outposts of the Lebanese buffer zone and told us about the protocols and operations there so we could learn from them,” Kata says. “When more senior commanders came to visit, I heard more than one of them say, ‘Wow, this feels just like going up to Gedalyula [a well-known outpost in Lebanon].’ In the end, our goal today is the same as it was back then—to defend the territory and prevent infiltration. Back then, it was Kiryat Shmona and its surroundings; today, it’s the Golan Heights.”

Ynet's Yair Kraus with IDF troops


But in Kata’s view, the key difference between the situation in Syria and what was in Lebanon lies not just in technology. “This reality is different because we chose the places where we operate. We didn’t overreach—we went into specific points that provide real defense for the Golan residents. Every decision we make is guided by one principle: what serves the mission of defense. If something doesn’t have real value, we don’t go chasing adventures.”
Reservists called up, morale remains high
Recently, the Alexanderoni Reserve Brigade replaced the regular troops of the Paratroopers Brigade at Tel Kodna and other outposts, after the latter redeployed to Gaza. Maj. (res.) D., commander of the Kodna Company, has logged around 350 reserve duty days since October 7. He says morale and commitment remain strong despite the strain. “The most important thing I want to say is how heroic and brave the women and families we leave behind are,” he says. “Despite the challenges, the enlistment rate in our brigade is extremely high. We were supposed to start our 70-day reserve rotation in June, but it was brought forward a month, and they kept the original end date. So we’re talking about roughly 110 days. Even so, our company had a 98% turnout. Nearly everyone showed up. Everyone understands how important it is to be here, to free up regular forces, and to take part in this mission so we can end it.”


The atmosphere across the chain of outposts reflects constant vigilance and efforts to understand the rapidly changing environment. For the reservists, the challenge is not just operational—it’s also maintaining cohesion and professionalism. “We’re reservists; we understand the complexities of life,” says Maj. D. “I’ve been company commander here for five years and know these fighters inside and out. When someone has personal challenges, we handle it. This battalion now operates like a regular unit in terms of gear, capabilities, skill, and spirit. The longer these fighters serve together, the stronger the bond, and the deeper their commitment to one another.” The locals and the limits of responsibility One of the most sensitive challenges is interaction with local Syrian civilians. “The population here is a major factor in our defensive effort,” explains Kata. “They’ve lived under tyranny and dictatorship their whole lives.” He recalls the brigade’s first entry into a village: “We arrived on December 9 and told the residents, ‘We’re here—hand over your weapons.’ We left with two truckloads. There isn’t a house here without a Kalashnikov.” Kata emphasizes a deliberate approach, avoiding dependency. “That kind of dependency could create responsibility, and I don’t want to be responsible for the population. They are Syrian citizens. I’m here to defend Israeli citizens.” Aid to local Syrians is provided only in ways that align with Israel’s security interests. To Kata, the Syrian sector is strategic and critical, and holding key terrain on the Syrian side of the Golan is essential for protecting Israel’s mountainous terrain. “This area, in my eyes, is the most strategically important for defending the Golan. The number of changes here on a daily basis is staggering.” This includes monitoring Syrian social media as part of IDF intelligence practices in 2025. “Sometimes when I want to assess how our forces are performing, I check Syrian networks. It’s vital we stay connected to that reality,” he says. “Even when I was in the Kfir Brigade, if I wanted to know whether troops were mishandling their weapons after signing them out for the first time, I’d see it on TikTok. You have to stay in tune with these things. I don’t post anything myself, but I’m there, watching what matters. And just as we monitor them, we have to be aware of what they can pick up from us—operational security is critical. We assume they see everything.” Despite the relative quiet, the threats are ever-present. “The Iranian axis and the route to Lebanon have nearly ground to a halt—but we know this situation can flip. That Syrian guy living down there in Kodna—someone hostile could give him 50 bucks to photograph something or plant something against us. The poverty and desperation here make that all too possible.” Faced with these realities, Kata tries to instill a clear operational ethos. “I tell all my commanders: before every operation or activity, ask yourself one simple question—does this serve the mission of defense? If yes, it’s relevant. Go for it.” On the shoulders of Col. Kata, Maj. D., the reservists, and all the soldiers on the Syrian front rests the heavy responsibility of carrying out this complex policy, hoping that this time, the “Syrian mud” doesn’t swallow Israel the way the “Lebanese mud” once did. link

West Bank, Jerusalem, Israel and Terror Attacks


• West Bank village sues to stop settlers from erecting outpost, chasing off residents
  

  Residents of a southern West Bank hamlet have filed a petition to the High Court of Justice after the police and army refused to evict settlers who erected a tent over the home of a Palestinian man.

  Settlers erected the canopied structure over a cave near the village of Khilet al-Daba in the South Hebron Hills that locals say is used as a home by a resident of the village, located some 200 meters away.

  Jaber Dababseh, a resident of the village, tells The Times of Israel that around 20 settlers have moved into the area, and in recent days, have thrown stones and damaged residents’ property.

  He adds that one resident was forced to leave his cave due to settler threats.

  Footage from the area shows settlers walking around and allowing sheep to graze in the courtyards of village homes.
  

  Residents contacted the army and police yesterday, demanding that the settlers be removed, but received no response, so have turned to Israel’s court system for an injunction.

  In response to the petition, police state, “The cave is located on state land and appears to be abandoned; forces observed Israelis in the area and warned them not to enter the cave.”

  The army also tells the court that the tent is not a settler outpost.

  “There is no known outpost at the site. The so-called outpost mentioned by the petitioners is most likely a blue tarpaulin erected by an Israeli shepherd who positioned himself in a cave outside the village. It is a makeshift shelter for his personal use.”

  Khilet al-Daba is located within a designated IDF firing zone, and the Israeli High Court ruled nearly three years ago that residents there could legally be evicted. However, Israeli authorities have yet to carry out any evacuations.

  Palestinians say West Bank settlers seeking to expand their footprint in the territory have stepped up efforts to force Bedouin off the land in recent months, intimidating residents while herding sheep in close proximity to areas where Palestinians live.

  Last week, settlers established an outpost adjacent to a Bedouin community near Ramallah. Within four days, 150 residents fled the area fearing for their safety, according to locals.  link There is no end in site of the Israeli corrupt government sanctioning of the ethnic cleansing efforts by the Jewish Settler terrorists upon the Palestinians who live there. The police do nothing, the army does next to nothing and the government gives the green light and full encouragement to these Jewish terrorists. I hope that their turning to the High Court of Justice has some impact.

Politics and the War and General News


• Arab party chief demands that defense minister explain Gaza strike that reportedly killed 9 kids
  

  MK Ayman Odeh, leader of the predominantly Arab Hadash party, demands in a parliamentary question that Defense Minister Israel Katz explain the circumstances behind an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis on Friday in which nine children from the same family were reportedly killed.

  In his question, Odeh demands to know who gave the order to bomb the building; what the criteria were for giving that order; what the military policy is regarding “bombing homes with civilians inside them”; and what the policy is for evacuating civilians from their homes.

  “Nine children under the age of 12 were burned to death inside their home,” says Odeh. “We demand accountability. This crime is not an ‘operational error’ — it is a government waging a war of extermination against civilians. We will not remain silent in the face of war crimes.”

  Cabinet ministers are obligated to respond in writing to parliamentary questions within 21 days of their submission.

  In response to the reports, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed it carried out a strike in Khan Younis, saying it targeted several suspects observed at a building near where ground troops were operating.

  “The Khan Younis area is a dangerous combat zone that the IDF ordered civilians to evacuate for their safety before the start of the operation,” the military said, referring to a warning issued a week ago, adding that it was looking into the claims of civilian deaths.  link All of Ayman Odeh's demands for answers are extremely justified and I highly doubt that we will get these answers. If the IDF gave answers to these questions (what the criteria were for giving that order; what the military policy is regarding “bombing homes with civilians inside them”; and what the policy is for evacuating civilians from their homes), they would be legally limited to these policies which would become public. In addition, it would present answers that would probably not be acceptable to many countries around the world.

  
  
  

• The government will extend the Tzav 8 (emergency call up) orders: Hundreds of thousands of reserve soldiers will be recruited until the end of August
  The government approved the extension of the Tzav 8 orders until the end of August for the recruitment of up to 450 thousand reservists. A legal opinion warns of legal difficulty, due to the lack of steps to increase the recruitment of the ultra-Orthodox to the IDF.

  The government approved today (Monday) another extension of the Tzav 8 orders – this time until August 31, and for an amount of up to 450 thousand reserve soldiers. This is an emergency recruitment according to Clause 8 of the Reserve Service Law, which allows exceptional call-ups even outside the frameworks of routine. Since the beginning of the war in October 2023, several extensions have already been approved for the recruitment of reservists, with tens of thousands of soldiers continuing to serve beyond the regular time. According to the new wording, the Minister of Defense will be able to approve recruitments of up to 25 additional days – according to the security needs on the ground, including: the continuation of the activity in Gaza, the threat in the north, border defense, and more. In the document attached to the proposal, it is written that the need for the extension stems from ongoing threats, and that the state will act to ensure compensation and economic reliefs for the reserve servicemen, including updating service periods, tax exemptions, and more.

  But within this decision a crack is also hidden: A legal opinion written by the Deputy Legal Adviser to the Defense Establishment warns that the step raises a problem of inequality – especially in light of the fact that at the same time, no significant progress has been recorded in the recruitment of members of the ultra-Orthodox public. "There is a substantial difficulty in approving such an extension without a real action by the government to increase the integration of the ultra-Orthodox into the IDF," it is written in the legal opinion.

  Reserve Major Yaya Fink, founder of the Reservists Headquarters:
  "Unthinkable, the shirker government of Ben Gvir, Goldknopf and Smotrich extends the Tzav 8 orders for reservists and at the same time exempts 80 thousand ultra-Orthodox. Shame is lost."  link This decision by the failed corrupt government is a slap in the face of every soldier that has fought in this war. There are reserve soldiers who have served 250, 300, 400 days of reserve duty while the government seeks ways to continue to exempt the entire Haredi community from any military service, and now they have more call ups hanging over their heads. Another in the continuous machine of disgraces of this failed and illegitimate government.

  
  
  
• Inside the heads of terrorists: Does Israel know its enemies? 
  

  To explore this root cause of October 7, the Report interviewed Prof. Arie Kruglanski, a world expert on the psychology of terrorism and extremism.
  

  
  A Palestinian Hamas terrorist displays guns on the day of the handover of hostages, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, February 22, 2025.
  
  

  The ancient Chinese general Sun Tzu, author of The Art of War, wrote this some 2,500 years ago:

  “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained, you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

  On October 7, we learned that Israel neither knew the enemy nor knew itself. Despite having imprisoned Yahya Sinwar for over two decades, we failed to learn, understand, and pay attention to his intentions – even though he declared them openly.
  

  And despite some 15 major operations and wars against Gaza since 1948, Israel and the IDF did not come to know themselves – applying strategies that repeatedly failed, while building blindly on assumptions (the enemy is deterred) that were visibly and obviously false.

  To explore this root cause of October 7, I interviewed Prof. Arie Kruglanski, a world expert on the psychology of terrorism and extremism.
  

  Interviewing Arie Kruglanski, a world expert on terrorism and extremism

  Born in Lodz, Poland, he came to Israel with his parents as a child and served in the IDF. He was a psychology professor at Tel Aviv University for 15 years, then moved to the US, where he co-founded the National Center for the Study of Terrorism and the Response to Terrorism. He is a pioneer in the psychological study of closed-mindedness and the motivational underpinnings of terrorist activity.

  ‘Extremism is not a phenomenon limited to a group of crazy people who have lost their minds. Under certain circumstances, anyone, even you and I, is capable of becoming extremists or of doing extreme things.’ This is a quote from your talk last year to the Israel Psychological Association annual meeting.
  

  For many years, Israel has faced terror and extremism on its borders, from Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, Houthis, Islamic Jihad, ISIS, and others. What in your view is the root cause? And does Israel bear partial responsibility for it?

  The issue is Palestinian versus Jewish statehood, which can only be achieved through sovereignty over land. However, on a deeper level, it all goes back to human nature and individual psychology, and in particular to everyone’s need for significance and mattering, the ‘mother of all social motivations.’

  The quest for significance can be accomplished in two basic ways: (a) through individual accomplishments for which one is rewarded with respect and prestige; and (b) through one’s social identity. For different reasons, the Jews and the Palestinian Arabs were unable to achieve much respect through their individual accomplishments. The history of the Jews, the pogroms, and ultimately the Holocaust convinced many that their individual attainments would not matter and that they would always be treated on the basis of their disrespected social identity as Jews.

  The Palestinian Arabs, too, were treated with disrespect as natives throughout the centuries of their domination by the Ottoman Empire. The wave of nationalism in the late 19th century gave hope to both the Jews and the Palestinians of elevating their sense of significance and mattering by enhancing their social identity through statehood. Tragically, the statehood of both peoples could be accomplished through sovereignty over the same area of land.

  The Palestinian cause was adopted by other Arabs and ultimately Muslims worldwide who (partially) shared their social identity (i.e., as Arabs or Muslims), fueling the Arab-Israeli wars and the general moral, diplomatic, and material support of Arabs and Muslims for Palestinian desire for statehood.

  Given the unswerving commitment of both Arabs and Jews to their statehood, the only practical solution that seemed feasible was a division of the land between the two peoples, and ultimately a two-state solution. This was suggested time and time again, accepted by the Jewish side but rejected by the Arabs, who felt that by the force of sheer numbers and over time they are bound to prevail. In the same way that the Crusaders kingdom of Jerusalem was founded in 1099 and finally conquered by the Muslims in 1291, succumbing finally, so would Israel finally fall and the Jews would be killed or forced to flee.
  

  That kind of narrative fueled the violent approach to the conflict, initiated first by the Arabs and responded to in kind by the Jews. Violence is the primordial route to dominance and hence significance, and over time it overshadowed completely alternative, more peaceful approaches, like that attempted in Oslo in 1993. However, the extremists on both sides, and in particular Hamas, torpedoed the agreements and kept pushing militancy and violent ‘resistance’ as the only way to go.

  
  

  Israel’s response to Palestinian violence was the demeaning occupation imposed on the Palestinians and the settlement movement, which further humiliated the Arabs and fueled their desire for vengeance.

  
  

  The continued intransigence and violence encouraged reciprocal violence on the Israeli side and the adoption of the narrative that ‘there is no partner to talk with.’ These encouraged increased brutality by the Israelis as well, contributing to the spiral of violence whose manifestations we have seen from October 7, 2023, onward.

  
  

  The appeal to the Israelis of the nationalist narrative, whereby the Jews have the biblical right to all of Eretz Israel, increased in proportion to the decline of the appeal of the conciliatory narrative owing to continued violence and the humiliation it bestowed on both sides. This was yet abetted by divisions in the Israeli society and its growing religionization.

  
  

  Could things have been done differently? And who is more blameworthy? These are unanswerable questions at this point. Unless both sides are tired of the violence and are willing to give an alternative a chance, little can happen.

  
  

  Defeating the Hamas organization and driving it out of Gaza, along with setting up an alternative, more conciliatory regime, along with Israeli readiness to make serious concessions such as dismantling settlements, etc., might have a chance.

  
  

  Yahya Sinwar, Hamas leader, spent 22 years in Israeli jails until his release in 2011 in a prisoner exchange. Some 10,000 other Palestinians were held in our jails. They were interrogated, but apparently no effort was made to moderate their extreme views. On the contrary: Prison deepened their hatred and extremism. As an expert on extremism, do you believe we could have used those 22 years to rehabilitate Sinwar and others?

  
  

  In our work and the work of others on deradicalization, we have learned one lesson. Deradicalization has a chance to succeed when the violent route to significance is taken off the table and shown as likely to bring shame rather than pride or respect. Otherwise, the appeal of violence and the demonstration of power as the path to glory is extremely powerful and hard to compete with.

  
  

  In our work on the successful deradicalization of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka in their detention camps, we have seen a readiness to deradicalize by most of the detainees – but this was after their organization was demolished on the ground, and their charismatic leader Velupillai Prabhakaran was killed.

  
  

  The Egyptian terror organizations Gamma Islamiyah and Al Jihad deradicalized once they were defeated on the ground, their leaders were jailed, their weapons caches were confiscated, and the Egyptian population turned against them. At that point, the leaders ‘saw the light’ and realized that the Koran actually prohibits the killing of innocent civilians; they published pamphlets to that effect and went on lecture tours of prisons to dissuade their followers from violence.

  
  

  Given these considerations, it would have been difficult to deradicalize the thousands of Palestinians in Israeli jails, given that the resistance movement is strong and prestigious, significance affording, among the Palestinians and the alternative, conciliatory approach, is not very popular or significance affording at this time. More generally, deradicalization must not be understood as a de-contextualized process carried out by psychologists in isolation of the larger societal trends that are taking place.

  
  

  Even if you separated in prisons the leaders of the movement like Sinwar from their followers and tried to deradicalize the latter, upon their release they would find out immediately and painfully that their deradicalized attitudes brand them as traitors and cowards and bring them quickly to re-adopt the general prevailing norms of their society.

  
  

  In your talk to the Israel Psychological Association last year, you asked a core question that troubles many people: ‘Why is there so much extremism in the world these days?’ (I would personally include the current president of the United States in this category.)

  
  

  You state: ‘Our research shows that the imbalance stems from the basic human need for dignity and personal meaning. For various reasons, this basic need is not being met by many millions of people around the world.”

  
  

  The right-wing Israeli government under Netanyahu has been in office since March 2009, except for a brief period under Bennett and Lapid. Netanyahu and many of his more extreme ministers attach no importance to finding ways to restore dignity to the Palestinians – hence, many Palestinians find personal meaning in extreme violence against Israel. A doom loop emerges, in which Palestinian violence has elicited (with justification) Israeli violence, and so on.

  
  

  How can Israel break this doom loop and at least begin to mitigate the endless violence?

  Again, the challenge is twofold: (1) convincing the Palestinians that violence will not ultimately bring significance and statehood but, on the contrary, will bestow on them additional humiliation and ignominy.

  
  

  The moderate Arab states – Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon to some extent, the Saudis, and the United Arab Emirates – are more willing to listen to such moderate narratives than at present are the Palestiians, enthralled as they are by the October 7 humiliation of the Israelis. Enlisting the Arab moderates’ support for ending the violence is essential to convincing their Palestinian brethren that ultimately there is a better way than violence. (2) Accordingly, an alternative must be outlined and found sufficiently acceptable, and significance affording. Though many people have pronounced the two-state solution as dead, there is, in my opinion, no viable alternative to ending the violence. Mere economic development is unlikely to convince the Palestinians to lay down their arms and desist from violent struggle. The economy isn’t everything, contrary to the popular conception. Being rich and affluent is significance bestowing but not if you are stateless and lacking national pride. Palestinians’ pride and significance quest would continue demanding realization of their national aspirations for an independent state.

  
  

  Wise Israeli leaders should realize that and promote policies that are based on that assumption. But so should the Palestinians realize that Israelis aren’t going anywhere and that the approach of eliminationism (of one side by the other) is an unrealistic pipe dream likely to promote and prolong the suffering of both parties and their continued humiliation by each other. ■
  The writer heads the Zvi Griliches Research Data Center at S. Neaman Institute, Technion. He blogs at www.timnovate.wordpress.com.
  link
  

  
  

• "You saved the State of Israel": "The anonymous battle" that stopped 50 armed pickups on their way to the center of the country on October 7

  
  The fighting at the Shaar HaNegev intersection on 7.10 Photo: Police spokeswoman

  What began as a route-security mission by the Gidonim unit turned into a battle of survival. Six fighters found themselves facing dozens of terrorists: “30–40 vehicles with five terrorists in each”
  • After the battle, the force continued to Kfar Aza, and afterward to the Nova site
  • A unit commander in Yamam told of more than 30 hours of fighting during which they succeeded in eliminating “over 150 terrorists”
  • The full testimonies

  For many long hours on October 7, while attention was focused on the atrocities that took place in Be’eri, Kfar Aza, and the Nova party compound, another anonymous battle was being waged – which, according to testimonies from senior police officials, saved the State of Israel from a much greater catastrophe.

  From a new operational investigation that was revealed today (Tuesday), just hours after the IDF investigation on the battles in the area of the Black Arrow memorial, Sha’ar HaNegev junction, and Kibbutz Mefalsim, testimonies emerge about blocking battles carried out by the elite police units – Yamam and Gidonim 33 – in those same areas. According to the findings, a small force of police fighters succeeded in stopping a convoy of 30–40 armed pickups that was intended to reach the center of the country.

  
  The soldiers of the Israeli Navy who fought at the Shaar HaNegev intersection | Photo: Police spokespersons
  
  
  Chief Inspector A., from a unit in Gidonim 33, described in his testimony the dramatic moment when his forces encountered the terrorists near the Black Arrow memorial: “Full disclosure – we were surprised by them and they were surprised by us, and in fact this disrupted their plans.” What began as a route-security mission quickly turned into a desperate survival battle. Six fighters found themselves facing dozens of terrorists armed with machine guns: “40–50 vehicles with an average of five terrorists in each.”

  The fighters had to cope with “a battlefield with fire from four directions” – not only from the terrorists, but also from IDF forces who shot through them, knowing there were terrorists in the area. “We were getting hit from behind, from the soldiers shooting through us, and also from the terrorists themselves, from two directions,” described A.

  After the battle at the memorial, Chief Inspector A.’s force continued toward Kfar Aza. According to him, families initially refused to evacuate, until a human connection was made through a local fighter. “The moment we connected through one of my fighters to the community WhatsApp group, they agreed to come out,” he said. They rescued civilians while engaged in battles with terrorists who remained in homes, and afterward also moved to the Nova area, where they worked on identifying bodies.

  150 terrorists eliminated in 30 hours

  Chief Inspector S., a unit commander in Yamam, told of fighting that lasted over 30 continuous hours, during which his forces managed to eliminate “over 150 terrorists” in ten different zones. But the price was heavy – nine fighters from his unit were killed in the battles.

  The hardest battle took place at the Sha’ar HaNegev junction, where S. arrived with only eight fighters after receiving a report of wounded: “We understood the whole junction was swarming with terrorists. There were ambushes, camouflage nets, explosive devices, and RPGs,” he said. In the battle fought against well-armed terrorists in dense vegetation, six fighters were killed within a quarter of an hour: Avraham Elkin (of blessed memory), Yorai Cohen (of blessed memory), Moshe Dror (of blessed memory), Sivan and Avshalom Peretz (of blessed memory). “The junction opened only at 8:46, and allowed continued movement of additional forces toward the communities,” said S.

  
  The fighting at the Sha’ar HaNegev junction on October 7 | Photo: Police Spokesperson’s Office

  A problem with ammunition supply – and the assistance that never came

  According to the testimonies, in the early stages there was a serious problem in the supply of ammunition. “We had to collect ammunition from soldiers we met along the way and from what they left in the field,” admitted a senior official in Yamam. Air support also arrived too late – planes appeared only around 11:30 in the Black Arrow area.

  The fighters acted without prior organization, going out to battle directly from their homes with only personal equipment: “A police force of fighters jumped into contact from private vehicles, while moving – and began to fight,” described a senior official in the Gidonim unit.

  The central finding that emerges from the investigation by Lahav 433 is that the fighting conducted by the police blocked the infiltration of 40–50 armed pickups that were intended to reach the center of the country. “The repulsion of these vehicles – by a very small force of fighters – saved the State of Israel from a much broader terrorist attack,” emphasized a senior police official. According to the findings, the terrorists had planned to penetrate northward and reach the central region, but the battle in the Black Arrow and Sha’ar HaNegev area stopped them: “You saved the State of Israel,” the official told the fighters.

  The heavy price

  In total, more than 70 police officers have fallen since the beginning of the war. On the day of the attack itself, the police lost 58 officers, among them 7 Yamam fighters in the battle at Sha’ar HaNegev and a Gidonim fighter who was severely wounded in the head in the Black Arrow battle. “These are the two elite units of the police,” say senior police officials. “The heroism of the officers – the officers physically blocked the spread of the terror attack northward.” Chief Inspector S. summed up the difficult day: “All nine fighters who were killed made possible with their bodies the lives of dozens of others. We must not forget them.”  link

The Region and the World


• Germany’s Merz: Israeli strikes on Gaza can no longer be justified as fight against Hamas
  

  German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says that Israel’s recent strikes on Gaza are taking a humanitarian toll on civilians that can no longer be justified as a fight against the Hamas terror group.

  “Harming the civilian population to such an extent, as has increasingly been the case in recent days, can no longer be justified as a fight against Hamas terrorism,” he tells broadcaster WDR in a televised interview.

  Merz also says he “no longer understands” the Israel Defense Forces’ objective in Gaza amid a stepped-up offensive in the Palestinian territory.

  “I no longer understand what the Israeli army is doing in the Gaza Strip, with what goal the civilian population is being impacted to such an extent,” he says.

  Merz adds he plans to hold a call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week to tell him “to not overdo it,” though for “historical reasons,” Germany would always be more guarded in its criticism than some European partners.

  Germany has long been a strong supporter of Israel as it seeks to atone for the Holocaust.

  However, the war against Hamas in Gaza, sparked by the terror group’s October 7, 2023, massacre in Israel, has cast a shadow over relations, with Germany at pains to carefully calibrate its response.  link We, Israel are in a free fall with regard to our international relations and the view of Israel by most of the world. Netanyahu's continuing war with the continuous and deliberate bombing of Gaza with its growing numbers of civilian deaths of women and children is pushing Israel to be a pariah nation in the company of North Korea, Myanmar, Afghanistan and others.

Personal Stories


Ex-captive Doron Katz-Asher recalls watching her mother die in her arms on Oct. 7
36-year-old says she has gotten over guilt of missing her mother’s funeral while in captivity: ‘I was there with her in her final moments, and I really did say goodbye’


Freed hostages Doron Katz-Asher, left, sits near the grave of her mother Efrat Katz, alongside Efrat's partner, former hostage Gadi Mozes, in Kibbutz Revadim, during an interview broadcast by Channel 12 on May 23, 2025. (Screen capture: Channel 12)

Doron Katz-Asher, who was released with her two young daughters from Hamas captivity in November 2023, has described watching her mother Efrat Katz die after an Israel Defense Forces helicopter fired at the vehicle in which they and other Kibbutz Nir Oz members were snatched to Gaza on October 7, 2023.
“I saw a helicopter, and it was firing, it fired 170 shells at a meter-by-meter [yard-by-yard] trolley carrying nine hostages,” Katz-Asher said as she and her mother’s partner, freed captive Gadi Mozes, visited Efrat’s grave in Kibbutz Revadim. “When I picked up my head, I couldn’t move… I was hit in my back, my hip. I remember screaming as the shots were fired.”
Katz-Asher, 36, was speaking in an interview broadcast Friday on Channel 12, whose reporters had documented her as she prepared for the birth of her third daughter in March. In that time, she also separated from her husband, Yoni Asher.

“Giving birth without a mother and without a husband is not something I imagined would happen,” she said. “But sometimes I sit… in the evening and think, ‘Wow, I haven’t thought about my brother for a few days.”
Katz-Asher’s half-brother, Ravid Katz, was killed defending Kibbutz Nir Oz as thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel on October 7, 2023, to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages, sparking the war in Gaza. Ravid Katz’s body was captured and later recovered by the IDF.
“It’s too much,” Katz-Asher told Channel 12. “My pain for him and for my mom and for my home that’s falling apart, but on the other hand, I’m happy about the pregnancy and… Gadi,” who was released as part of the Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal in late January, weeks before Katz-Asher gave birth.


Doron Katz-Asher and her two young daughters Raz, 4, and Aviv, 2, are reunited with husband and father Yoni, on November 25, 2023. (Schneider Children’s Hospital)
Katz-Asher has recently appealed to the public for financial help to get her back on her feet. On Channel 12, she spoke candidly about the economic hardships she has faced amid the trauma, calling the government stipend she gets “not enough.”
She told the network she has been unable to resume her job as an accountant, or even prepare food, since being abducted. “My whole sense of security and stability has come undone,” she said. “I need help.”

The last meal she prepared, Katz-Asher told Channel 12, was the holiday meal she and her mother had cooked in Nir Oz the night before the Hamas onslaught, which coincided with the holiday of Simhat Torah. Katz-Asher, a native of the kibbutz, had taken her two daughters to visit her mother there, while Asher stayed home in Nordia, near Netanya.
Nir Oz was destroyed in the Hamas onslaught, with roughly one in four of its 400-odd members murdered or kidnapped. During the onslaught, terrorists snatched Doron, her mother and two daughters, Raz, 5, and Aviv, 2, from Efrat Katz’s home. Gadi Mozes had gone out earlier to defend the kibbutz and was abducted by members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Doron, Efrat, Raz and Aviv were loaded onto a wagon with five other Nir Oz members — Neomit Dekel-Chen, Shani Goren, spouses David and Sharon Aloni Cunio, and their 3-year-old daughter Emma, whose twin Yuli was missing and reunited with the family only inside Gaza. An IDF helicopter shot at the wagon, killing the terrorists and likely also Efrat Katz, according to a military probe last year.
With their captors shot dead, Katz-Asher stayed with Efrat as everyone else fled. Dekel-Chen and Aloni Cunio each took one of Katz-Asher’s daughters.


Released hostage Gadi Mozes, right, is pictured with his partner Efrat Katz, who was killed on October 7, 2023. (Courtesy)


Dekel-Chen, whose son Sagui was kidnapped separately and released in February, has said they called out for Doron to join them, but Doron wouldn’t leave her mother: “She kept weeping: ‘Mama died in my arms, and I didn’t protect the girls.'”
Katz-Asher, herself wounded, tried to tend to her mother. She cleared out a space amid “the equipment, bicycles, all the things they’d stolen, and I tried to lie her down and see what I could to help.”

“I tried to see where she was hit and I didn’t see much, she was clean on the front part of her face,” she recounted, as Mozes, a stoic octogenarian farmer, burst into tears.
“She wasn’t talking, her eyes kept opening and closing,” she said. “I realized I had no way to help at this stage and I tried to close her eyes, but they were opening and closing. I just laid her down there and told her that I love her and that I’m going to the girls.”
The fleeing captives soon ran into more terrorists. Dekel-Chen, who was hit with shrapnel while escaping, avoided captivity by playing dead. The others were abducted on a tractor that the terrorists had stolen from her.
Of those captives, all but David Cunio were freed in the weeklong truce-hostage deal in November 2023, in which Hamas released 105 women and children in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners. Cunio remains captive.


Sharon Aloni Cunio, 34, her husband David Cunio, 34, and their twin daughters, Yuli and Emma, 3, were abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023. Sharon, Yuli, and Emma were released on November 27, 2023. (Courtesy)
Katz-Asher told Channel 12 that she and her daughters had paper and writing materials in captivity, but their captors warned that “if they find things in Hebrew on us, we won’t be released,” she said.
She and her daughters flouted the rules. “I hid a lot of things Raz wrote and drew… underneath the pretty dresses,” she told the network, showing some examples of Raz’s handiwork. She smuggled the papers out of Gaza in her bra, she said: “I hoped they wouldn’t go there.”
Katz-Asher shared an excerpt from a letter she wrote to Yoni: “Nothing will go back to be the way it was, but you and I will give our daughters a happy, loving home.”
“That’s still my goal: A happy and loving home, even if by other means,” she said. “I don’t want to be a victim of life, I don’t want to feel alone. I want to get back up on my feet, for me and for my girls.”


Doron Katz-Asher and her daughters, Raz and Aviv, after their release from Hamas captivity on November 24, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)


During the interview, Katz-Asher said it had weighed on her for a time that she had missed the funeral of her mother, who was buried in late October 2023, before Katz-Asher was released.
“I carried it for a time, that I hadn’t said a proper goodbye, that I didn’t accompany her on her final journey,” said Katz-Asher. “But then I suddenly said to myself, ‘I was there with her in her final moments, and I really did say goodbye.'”
She noted that Efrat had been buried in a temporary grave as the family waited for the return of Efrat’s partner, Gadi Mozes.
Sitting alongside Katz-Asher at the Kibbutz Revadim cemetery, Mozes revealed to her that he and Efrat had been gearing up to get married. “That’s the first time I’m hearing this, that she wanted it, that it was important to her,” said Katz-Asher.
“Efrat had wanted us to get married, and I said to her, ‘What does it matter? We love each other and are happy,'” said Mozes, adding that Efrat wanted to “make the relationship official.”
“You should know I was planning the wedding there, when I was in captivity,” before learning that Efrat had been killed, Mozes said. “I dreamt there of a wedding — who will come, where everyone will sit, what we’ll say — and suddenly the world came crashing down on my head.”  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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