🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 601, 2023 - May 29, 2025 🎗️
- Let it be known - one of the mediators told me today that Hamas is willing to free all 58 hostages at one time but demand the end of the war. The mediator told me “Israel refuses to accept a permanent ceasefire”. I repeat what I have been saying for many months - negotiating any deal with Hamas that leaves hostages behind for any period of time puts them at risk and is a declaration by the government of Israel that they are willing to sacrifice the hostages so that Netanyahu can save his coalition. This war has been for a very long time “the war to save the coalition” and not the war to defend Israel. Netanyahu and his government continue to put their own political interests ahead of those of Israel. Israel continues to kill innocent people in Gaza. Gaza is totally destroyed - an entire civilization has been decimated by Israel in Gaza. The people of Gaza want Hamas out of their lives and want Israel to end this war. The people of Israel want this war to end and for the hostages to be brought home. This war must end now and the only way it will end is when President Trump finally tells Netanyahu to end the war, and to make a deal to bring the hostages home. The Palestinian people and the Arab neighbors will make Hamas pay for what they have brought to the Palestinian people. Israel cannot remove Hamas - but the people of Palestine can and they will once the war is over and once Israel leaves Gaza. Now not tomorrow! (Gershon Baskin, May 29, 2025)
WASHINGTON — US special envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff says he has “some very good feelings” about the chances for reaching a temporary ceasefire that leads to a long-term resolution to the conflict in Gaza.
“We’re on the precipice of sending out a new term sheet that hopefully will be delivered later today,” Witkoff tells reporters in the Oval Office. “The president is going to review it.”
Earlier today, a source familiar with the negotiations told The Times of Israel that Hamas sent its edits to Witkoff’s temporary hostage deal proposal back to the US for review. Witkoff subsequently went over the document with Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer yesterday. Hamas is now waiting to receive what Witkoff appears to refer to as a “term sheet.”
On Monday, Witkoff issued a statement declaring 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.”
“I have some very good feelings about getting to… a temporary ceasefire and a long-term, peaceful resolution of that conflict,” Witkoff tells reporters in the Oval Office. link Without knowing details of this proposal, what is known is that it will not be the final deal that includes ending the war and bringing home all the hostages at one time. That means, it is another bad deal. Obviously, it will be good for any of the hostages who will return on the first day but it is bad for the hostages who will return on the last day of the day and even worse for the hostages who remain in captivity with no date for their release. Hamas has given signs that an interim deal may be acceptable to them as long as it guarantees that the final deal, the end of the war will be part and parcel of that interim deal. The entire reason that Witkoff has been and is proposing these horrible interim deals is to appease Netanyahu who refuses to end the war. Therefore, it is unlikely that, without the sufficient pressure needed by Trump on Netanyahu, that Netanyahu will agree to any deal that includes ending the war, even if it is to be part of the discussion of the phase 2 of the deal. Both Hamas and the Americans will not allow a similar occurrence of what happened in the last deal that Netanyahu breached completely by refusing to enter the agreed upon negotiations on the 16th day of Phase 1 for Phase 2 which did include ending the war. Trump 'allowed' Netanyahu to get away with it the first time, he won't a second as it would make him look bad and he will not allow Netanyahu to make him look bad a second time. Without the strong pressure from Trump, this proposal, like the past ones will basically be dead on arrival.
Smotrich warns he ‘will not allow’ Israel to agree to Witkoff’s hostage deal proposal
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says that it would be “sheer madness” for Israel to accept a partial hostage deal, and warns he will not tolerate such a move, after US special envoy Steve Witkoff said he has “some very good feelings” about a new proposal the US expects to send out later today.
Asserting that Hamas has been “under tremendous pressure” due to the new aid distribution mechanism in Gaza and the IDF’s new offensive, the Religious Zionism leader demands that Israel “continue to tighten the noose around its neck and force it into a complete surrender deal.”
“It would be sheer madness to ease the pressure now and sign a partial deal,” he writes, insisting that doing so would allow the terror group to recover.
“I will not allow such a thing to happen. End of.”
His remarks appear to draw ire from within the coalition, as Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar says that Israel should make decisions about potential hostage deals “according to national interests, and not according to political pressure and threats.”
He does not mention Smotrich by name. link Besides being a disgusting excuse of a human being, Smotrich is full of crap. He will, of course be full of statements and threats that he will bring down the government if there is an agreement to end the war, but, unfortunately he will not carry through on his threats for a few reasons. If he leaves the government, he loses all his power and money to continue his messianic quest to settle the entire West Bank and then Gaza and push out the Palestinians through his planned internationally illegal ethnic cleansing program of 'voluntary emigration' and second and no less important to him, if the government does fall, all indicators show that he and his party have next to a zero chance of being elected to the Knesset in the next elections, let alone having power in any government, which also seems to be a nil chance, as all indicators show that Netanyahu will have almost a zero chance of a coalition majority to put together a government. These are too great a risk for Smotrich. Ben Gvir, on the other hand, would bolt the government as he already has done, but that won't bring down the government unless another party also bolts, which, unfortunately is not in the cards. Ben Gvir and his racist party are showing strength in all the polls as some of the population moved further right to the racist extreme as a result of October 7. It is still a small minority but enough to give Ben Gvir the votes to maintain or strengthen his Knesset representation. But here again, if the government will fall before the next scheduled elections in October 2026, Ben Gvir will not be part of any government that is formed because it will be a center-left government, according to all polls since the beginning of the war.
Report: New US proposal would see 9 live hostages freed, 60-day truce, option for war to resume
The new US proposal for a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas would entail the release of nine live hostages — one less than in a previous offer — and 18 bodies of captives, Channel 12 reports, without citing a source.
The unconfirmed report says those hostages would be freed in two batches within one week — without saying whether or how many Palestinian security prisoners would go free — and that Jerusalem would commit to a 60-day truce during which negotiations would take place for an end to the war.
If there is no agreement at the end of this period, Israel would have the option of resuming fighting or of extending the ceasefire in exchange for more hostages, the report says. This is a crucial detail since the main disagreement has reportedly been Hamas’s insistence on any deal permanently ending the war, and Israel rejecting this as long as Hamas isn’t dismantled.
According to the reported deal, humanitarian aid responsibilities would return to the UN, and the IDF would withdraw from areas it took over in its latest expanded operation. link As is stated, this is an unconfirmed report. Therefore it is pure spin and speculation as what happened with each round of proposals and negotiations. I will hold off on comments right now as I have already commented above about partial interim deals.
Israeli official confirms details of new US Gaza outline, which doesn’t include Israeli pledge to end war
The new US proposal from special envoy Steve Witkoff would see the release of 10 living hostages held in Gaza and the return of the bodies of 18 deceased hostages, in exchange for a 60-day ceasefire, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel, confirming reports in Hebrew media.
In the proposal, the United Nations would resume providing humanitarian aid to the Palestinians.
The text of the agreement will not contain an Israeli promise to end the war, says the official. link This may very well be the agreement that Witkoff is presenting but currently it is still not official and the statements here are not from anyone in an official capacity. It confirmation by an anonymous Israeli official of news reports, not any confirmation by Witkoff, an Israeli government office or even Hamas, so it is still in the frame of speculation. However, if this is the basis for the proposal, Israel will accept it and Hamas will absolutely not accept it. As I have said too many times to count, Hamas does not change their bottom line. They may offer certain flexibility in interim agreements but not make even minor changes to what they present at the very beginning, no matter how much pressure is applied or by whom. They view this as the interim agreement that must have the terms for the final agreement which means to end the war, pull back of all troops, release many Palestinian prisoners and have international guarantees. Anything short of a guarantee and deal to end the war will not be accepted by Hamas. Netanyahu knows this and again will claim that Hamas is not agreeing to a deal. Of course it is true that Hamas won't agree to a deal like that but everyone knows it. While it is unfair that we have to give up on major issues and Hamas is not, fairness has no place in this 'game'. Hamas holds the aces, our hostages and they will fight to their death and not give in on their bottom line, no matter how many of their senior leaders we kill. The only way to get our hostages home is to end this horrible war. Witkoff knows all of this and is getting tired of Netanyahu and Dermer's games and drama. He is doing more to get our hostages home than our own supposed leaders, but it has been the case since October 7 that others have made much greater efforts to get our hostages home. For many month's of the beginning of the war, Netanyahu was not even willing for the return of the hostages to be a goal of the war. He saw them as a side issue and as being expendable. Even when he keeps them in as a goal, they are never the first goal, always after his 'total victory' over Hamas, whatever that means, knowing that the 2 goals are not compatible and almost virtually exclusive, so he has stayed on the path of willing to let the hostages die for his own self interests and the Americans are also tired of that. Let's hope that Trump will feel that same frustration and, instead of giving up, apply the ultimate pressure on Netanyahu that will force him into the deal we need to bring home the hostages.
🎗️Day 601 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.
A deal is the only way to bring
all the hostages home- the murdered for burial and the living for rehabilitation.
#BringThemHomeNow #TurnTheHorrorIntoHope
#BringThemHomeNow #TurnTheHorrorIntoHope
There is no victory until all of the hostages are home!אין נצחון עד שכל החטופים בבית
From Gaza to Yemen, this is what it looks like for Israel after 600 days of war
The Gaza offensive proceeds slowly with limited forces, with the aim of destroying the remaining Hamas commanders and weaponry, while the government fails to consider alternatives to Hamas rule; forces hold on to ground in Lebanon and Syria while Israel has reached a dead end against the Houthis; and in the West Bank, terrorist groups have been dismantled - at the cost of permanent residence in refugee camps.
Unlike the IDF's incursion into Gaza in the early days of the war following the Hamas massacre on October 7, the current offensive is meant to partition the Strip, to allow forces to slowly advance into Hamas strongholds in a relatively safer manner. The military has suffered fewer injuries but at the cost of a months-long operation.
Israel's legitimacy eroding
There are multiple reasons for the slow pace of advance, including allowing for negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage exchange agreement to yield results. The military has also been fighting with a limited and exhausted force after 20 months of war on multiple fronts.
IDF forces in the Gaza (Yedioth Ahronoth)In official statements, the IDF says it is deploying five divisions to the war in Gaza, but on the ground, there are fewer troops compared to the size of the force that was deployed when the war began.
The IDF's aim is to reach the remaining Hamas armaments, including thousands of rockets, dozens of which have the ability to reach Tel Aviv. The military also intends to kill the remaining commanders of the terror group, specifically the commander of northern Gaza, Izz ad-Din al-Haddad, who survived multiple assassination attempts.
Although the IDF has entered areas that had been fought over seven or eight times in the past, the government has yet to advance any option for an alternative to Hamas as the political leadership in Gaza and its over two million residents remain in the enclave.
A senior IDF officer said this week that the operation currently underway would be completed within two months, but previous estimates have been proven unrealistic. Meanwhile, the aerial bombardments of the Strip have increased and the civilian casualties are mounting, including children being killed.
Images emerging from Gaza are horrific and damaging to Israel and are threatening to end any legitimacy the country had to wage the war.
Gazans storm food distribution center
Gazans storm food distribution center
Among Israelis, the consensus that the war remains just, after the massacre, is also eroding. There is public debate over the humanitarian crisis in the Strip and the resumption of aid deliveries after Israel suspended aid deliveries.
Between 100 and 200 trucks carrying food, fuel and medicines enter the Strip daily. Half are intended for the distribution centers operated by an American NGO and the rest are sent to the same aid storage facilities, especially in northern Gaza, which have been used in the past and had been a source of income for Hamas.
The riots that broke out on Tuesday, when a mass of Gaza residents stormed the distribution center that had just opened in Gaza, did not surprise officials in the military. "Similar attempts to control the movement of civilians at the Netzarim Corridor also failed," said one. "This is not the fault of the American company hired to do the job. It is the fault of the government that defined the mission under the existing conditions."
The declared goal of ministers like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is for Israel to occupy Gaza and establish a military government, 20 years after Israel pulled out of the Strip.
IDF targets Hezbollah
Israeli troops are also deployed across Israel's northern borders in Lebanon and Syria.
The IDF operates nearly daily against Hezbollah targets, mostly in South Lebanon, and thus far the Iranian proxy has not responded militarily. Over 400 Hezbollah operatives have been killed since the ceasefire last November. If and when the terror group retaliates, it will likely target the five outposts held by the military inside Lebanon in strategic points to protect the communities along the border.
Israeli troops in Lebanon(Photo: Yoav Zitun)
Israeli troops in Lebanon(Photo: Yoav Zitun)
Hezbollah has been using the time to regroup and rebuild its capabilities after suffering the consequences of the war, through the smuggling of arms and cash. The IDF has been partially successful in combating these efforts.
Although the Galilee has been calm since the ceasefire agreement was reached, many of the residents evacuated at the start of the war have not yet returned.
Officials in the military were encouraged by the apparent success of the international mechanism put in place to ensure Hezbollah does not return to the border. The IDF provides intelligence on where weapons are stored and the soldiers of the Lebanese army arrive and destroy them under the watchful eye of the IDF and the supervision of the U.S.. But Hezbollah is still present south of the Litani River.
Syria is deceptively calm
There are nine outposts held by the IDF in Syria, after the military moved across the border during the fall of the Assad regime last July.
Brigade 474 fighters on the Syrian border(Photo: Effie Sharir)
Brigade 474 fighters on the Syrian border(Photo: Effie Sharir)
Although there appears to be calm near the Israeli border, there are still villages where weapons are being held by Islamist supporters of ISIS, especially near the convergence of Israel, Syria and Jordan borders. Attempts to enter these villages were met with gunfire that thankfully did not cause injury.
Meanwhile, there are reports of discussions between representatives of Israel and the new Damascus regime on agreements that would ensure the border between the two countries remains peaceful.
Yemen: A dead end
Since the start of the war, Israel has come under attack from the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Once the fighting in Gaza resumed, the attacks increased with missile fire, sending millions of Israelis into shelters nearly every other day.
On Wednesday, the IDF carried out a strike on the airport in Sanaa, Yemen in response to missile fire targeting Israel. The airport just resumed operations after an earlier strike this month.
The destruction at Sana'a airport after an Israeli attack(Photo: Osamah Abdulrahman/AP)
The destruction at Sana'a airport after an Israeli attack(Photo: Osamah Abdulrahman/AP)
After U.S. President Donald Trump announced he was ending his attacks on the rebel army and had reached a deal ensuring safe passage for American vessels in the Red Sea, Israel has been the only country that continued to attack rebel targets, but to little avail.
Although most of the Houthi missile and drone fire had been intercepted, it took just one missile to breach aerial defenses, which are not 100% impenetrable, to fall in the Ben-Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv, for international airlines to suspend operations in Israel.
West Bank: Here to stay
On the West Bank, the IDF's counter-terrorism operations and like in other arenas, have held on to positions to prevent terrorists from returning to refugee camps and strongholds.
IDF troops operate in the West Bank(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
IDF troops operate in the West Bank(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
The Jenin and Tulkarm camps have been under IDF control and the military succeeded in chasing the terrorists out and creating a buffer between the troops and the civilian population that is able to continue normal lives, while some of the restrictions that had been imposed on them earlier in the year have been lifted.
According to the military, despite the fatal terror attack last week, killing Tzeela Gez, who was on the way to the hospital to deliver her baby, there were fewer attempts to carry out terror attacks than in previous months. The test will be when the IDF hands responsibility for security in the refugee camps to the Palestinian Authority. link
Red Alerts - Missile, Rocket, Drone (UAV - unmanned aerial vehicles), and Terror Attacks and Death Announcements
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Protesters, cops face off outside Likud HQ-turned-‘Qatar Embassy’ after dozens storm building; at least 57 said arrested
Anti-government protesters face off with police officers, some on horseback, outside Metzudat Zeev, the Likud party headquarters in central Tel Aviv, where at least 57 activists were arrested after dozens of people stormed the building, according to a group of lawyers representing anti-government protesters pro bono.
During the protest, activists projected a Qatari flag with the caption “Embassy of Qatar” in Hebrew and Arabic onto the building, which is named for Revisionist Zionist leader Zeev Jabotinsky and houses an institute that published his writings.
A Qatari flag is projected onto the side of the Likud headquarters by anti-government protesters in Tel Aviv, on May 28, 2025. (Danor Aharon/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)Senior aides to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who leads the Likud party, are suspected of committing multiple offenses while working for a pro-Qatar lobbying firm.
The Detainee Support Organization says those detained at “Metzudat Zeev Tel Aviv, turned this evening into the Qatari embassy,” have been taken to the Salame police station in the city’s south.
Cops at Metzudat Zeev drag protesters from the road to the sidewalk. Some of the protesters wear orange jumpsuits and masks with Netanyahu’s face.
The stench of horse droppings hangs heavy in the air, and a cloud of smoke is yet to dissipate from a fire the protesters had lit. The protesters chant “Civil rebellion” and “Ben Gvir is a terrorist,” referring to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who oversees the police.
Marking 600 days since Oct. 7, ex-hostages recall those they left behind, demand ceasefire
Iair Horn, who was released from Hamas captivity in February as part of the latest Gaza ceasefire, says he is unsure if his younger brother Eitan Horn, who is still captive, is alive.
Speaking at the Hostages Square rally marking 600 days since the Hamas onslaught, Horn recounts the fear of instant death in captivity. “In the tunnels, you can’t know if a terrorist will get up one morning and just shoot you, or if the tunnel where you’re sleeping will be blown up because of a bomb,” he says.
During one Israeli air raid, he says his captors “grabbed us and we started running in a totally crooked tunnel, which could collapse at any moment, trying to escape the bombing and toxic fumes.”
“We run and run until Eitan sits, with all his 100 and something kilos… and tells me: ‘I’ve come this far. Leave me,” says Horn. “I grabbed him by the arm and dragged him, dragged as much as I could, until my strength ran out.”
Then, says Horn, he told his brother: “‘If you don’t start moving, we’ll both die here.'”
“So he got up,” says Horn. “Now I’m not there to drag him by the arm.”
“We were saved by luck, but the luck has run out,” he says. “Instead of luck, we need to sign off on an end to the war. Instead of luck, we need to bring back the 58 hostages, now — drag them out by the arm to a safe place back home.”
“We can’t sacrifice anymore — enough,” he says. “Enlisted soldiers giving their body and soul — I’d rather they be on vacation. Brave, experienced reservists — I’d rather they took their kids to kindergarten every morning.”
“So I address you, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” he says, as the crowd jeers the premier’s name. “You brought me back home. Do it again.”
Ex-hostage Ohad Ben Ami speaks at a rally in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, May 28, 2025. (Paulina Patimer/Hostages and Missing Families Forum)Ohad Ben Ami, who was released along with Yair Horn, speaks about the five hostages with whom he was held in an underground tunnel — Yosef-Haim Ohana, Bar Kuperstein, Elkana Bohbot, Segev Kalfon and Maxim Herkin — who remain there, “in the same cold nights, the same daily fear.”
“Everyone is still alive — with the operative word being ‘still,'” says Ben Ami.
“In the latest videos [published by Hamas] I saw them, but not like I knew them,” says Ben Ami. “The fear I saw in their eyes doesn’t leave me. Their physical condition is awful, their mental condition is still more awful.”
In the tunnels, he says, “we lived off of scraps, physically and emotionally, and while I’m here talking to you, they’re still there, breathing, but barely,” he says.
“Don’t let them be forgotten,” he says. “Don’t let day 601 come as though nothing happened.”
As Ben Ami departs the stage, the crowd chants: “Hero!”
Protesters call for Dermer’s resignation as hostage deal remains elusive
Several hundred protestors gather at Jerusalem’s Park HaMesila before marching to the home of Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who has been heading hostage negotiations.
“Alive, alive, we want them alive!” call the protestors. “There will be no forgiveness for a government that abandons its people.”
As the protesters approach Dermer’s home, police officers move a set of barricades, allowing the marchers to move closer to the front.
“Ron Dermer, quit, there is no other option,” they chant in front of his house.
Shlomo Alfasa, brother-in-law of Avner and Maya Goren, both Kibbutz Nir Oz members who were killed on October 7, with Avner’s body found in the fields and Maya’s body taken captive to Gaza, speaks outside Dermer’s house.
Alfasa says that Netanyahu and Dermer should bring home the 58 hostages, and stresses that he is not right wing or left wing, but a centrist.
“Our prime minister didn’t have results, so he got rid of the defense minister, and then-IDF chief of staff Herzi Halevi and then the Shin Bet chief, and now it is time to get rid of Ron Dermer,” says Alfasa.
“Dermer, Dermer, quit!” chant the protesters. “We don’t want you anymore.”
Alfasa concludes his remarks by noting that Dermer has never met with any of the hostage families. “I’m here, come out and talk to me,” he says. link I was at this protest last night with my daughter, as we are at the Saturday night protest in Jerusalem every week. This protest meant less to me as the only reason for it was to protest outside of the house of the do nothing Minister who has top responsibility for the hostage negotiations. He is Netanyahu's closest advisor and deliberately stays out of the limelight. Most Israelis don't even know what he looks like. He is a relatively new immigrant from the US and has spent most of his years as an Israeli outside of Israel. He was Netanyahu's US ambassador and again, most Israelis didn't even know his name. He only does what Netanyahu wants and was put in the position of being the head of the negotiations to make sure that nothing that Netanyahu doesn't want is even discussed, let alone negotiated. That wasn't the case when the security chiefs of the Mossad and Shin Bet were in charge. Back to the protest. None of these protests have any impact on these corrupt and failed government leaders. They are purposely blind and deaf to the will of the people and totally ignore all of the protests. I go religiously to the Saturday night protests, not to influence these corrupt politicians, because it doesn't, but to support the hostage families and the hostages, many of the returned hostages said that they saw and heard the demonstrations during their captivity. For the hostage families, we give support and offer some strength. For the hostages themselves who do get to see them, it offers them hope and gives them some strength to carry on and survive until their eventual redemption. The demonstration outside of Dermer's house is strictly to influence and to publicize the plight so the chances of influence are nil.
If, on the other hand, there were a million people in the streets protesting, that would make a difference. It wouldn't have any direct effect on Netanyahu and his ilk but it would impact on some of the coalition partners and get them to rethink their actions and hopefully push and force Netanyahu to make a deal to end the war and bring home the hostages, or for them to leeave the government and then for a deal to be made. If the government falls and new elections are called, Netanyahu would certainly make a deal to show that he, alone could bring home the hostages and claim that all his goals of 'complete victory' were attained. It would all be BS but he would do it just the same.Thousands crowd Hostages Square to mark ‘600 days of abandonment’
Some 3,000 people crowd into Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square and the adjacent Shaul HaMelech Road for a rally marking 600 days since the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023.
Actor Lior Ashkenazi, who regularly emcees the Hostage Families Forum’s rallies at the Square, kicks off tonight’s rally with an angry tirade against the government’s failure to reach a ceasefire-hostage deal in Gaza or probe the security failure that sparked the war there.
“Six hundred days since the failure, and another 600 days of failure,” he says, as the crowd jeers and hoists pictures of the remaining captives. “Six hundred days of abandonment, of fleecing the public, of covering up the investigation of the greatest failure in our history,” says Ashkenazi.
The rally is set to feature speeches from captivity survivors Ohad Ben Ami and Yair Horn, both of whom were released in the latest ceasefire, the first phase of which ended on March 2 amid Israel’s refusal to negotiate the second. Horn’s younger brother Eitan is still held captive. Idit Ohel, mother of hostage Alon Ohel, will also speak.
Also set to speak is Miriam Lapid, a founder of the 1970s settler movement Gush Emunim, who became a symbol of national trauma in 1994 when her son and husband were murdered by Hamas near Hebron in the West Bank.
At the time, she was a leading member of slain IDF general Rehavam Zeevi’s Moledet party, which campaigned for Israel to “transfer” Palestinians abroad.
Lapid raised some eyebrows on the right in March, when she railed against the government at a Jerusalem protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s motion to oust Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar. She later told religious news site Kipa that the speech, in which she urged religious people to join the demonstrations, had been improvised after someone in the crowd recognized her and asked her to speak.
Ex-hostage Liri Albag has decided to return to the military, father says, months after release from Gaza
Released hostage Liri Albag wants to return to the IDF and complete her military service, her father Eli Albag tells several Hebrew media outlets.
Albag was abducted from the Nahal Oz military outpost, where she served as a surveillance soldier, during the Hamas-led invasion on October 7, 2023. She was released during a ceasefire and hostage release deal in January.
Speaking to Ynet, Eli Albag says his daughter decided “two or three weeks ago” that she wanted to return to the army in one way or another.
“What’s good for her is good for us,” he says. “She wants to experience the army, to feel the army, and to some extent, she wants to settle accounts with those who held her.”
He says she intends to serve “in a very special place,” and has already been in contact with relevant military officials about returning to serve.
- Official: Witkoff-Dermer call meeting ‘uneasy,’ US envoy growing impatient with Israel
The Washington meeting between Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and US special envoy Steve Witkoff on Iran and Hamas hostages earlier this week was “uneasy,” an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.
Witkoff is getting impatient with Israel, especially around the “drama,” says the official.
The official points to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s video on Monday in which he said he hoped to make an announcement regarding hostages held in Gaza “today or tomorrow.”
GHF denies reports of deaths and mass injuries, says Hamas and others pushing false claims to harm it
A Palestinian child smiles to the camera as carries a bag of rice delivered by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, after receiving the supplies in Rafah, as he arrive in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)The Gaza Humanitarian Fund denies reports of deaths, mass injuries and chaos at its aid distribution sites, saying that only two people have been injured at its compounds since it began operating in Gaza three days ago.
“To-date two Gazans have required medical care that was delivered on-site — one relating to dehydration and another who was injured by others seeking aid,” says a GHF statement.
It says Hamas and other parties are bent on GHF failing and spreading false reports in order to harm the US and Israeli backed organization. One of those false reports claimed that GHF halted operations due to gunfire at one of its site earlier Wednesday.
While GHF urges journalists to verify sources before publishing developments pertaining to GHF, the organization yesterday issued a statement claiming that only a “small number” of Palestinians overran one of its aid sites when footage showed that thousands looted their sites.
In reviewing that incident in its latest statement, GHF avoids downplaying the scope of yesterday’s overrun, but says it was anticipated due to “acute hunger and Hamas-imposed blockades.” link While this new method of handing out humanitarian aid is still far from a great success, it is a big threat to Hamas. Hamas is making great efforts to see its failure and prevent Gazan refugees from getting the aid. For Hamas, they don't want to lose control of the humanitarian aid and to steal a large amount of it. It has been a major source of income for them throughout the war, thanks to Netanyahu's failure to implement any other method
- Hamas-run Gaza authorities claim 44 killed today in Israeli attacks
Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defense agency says Israeli attacks have killed 44 people today, including 23 in an attack on a home in the Strip’s center.
“Forty-four people have been killed in Israeli raids on the Gaza Strip,” civil defense official Mohammad Al-Mughayyir tells AFP. “Twenty-three people were killed, others injured and several [are] missing following an Israeli strike on the Qreinawi family’s home east of Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza.”
Hamas-given death tolls cannot be verified and routinely do not differentiate between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has killed some 20,000 combatants in battle as of January and another 1,600 terrorists inside Israel on and immediately after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attak on Israel. Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools and mosques.
- IDF tells central Gaza residents to stay away from Hamas sites, says operatives ‘hiding among you’
The IDF issues an unusual warning to Palestinians in the Nuseirat area of central Gaza, telling them to stay away from several locations where the military claims Hamas operatives are.
The IDF names six prominent Hamas operatives in its announcement.
“Stay away from Hamas operatives hiding among you and expel them before it’s too late!” says Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman.
- IDF says dozens of Gaza terror targets struck in past day
The Israeli Air Force struck dozens of targets in the Gaza Strip over the past day, the military says.
According to the IDF, the targets included terror operatives, buildings used by terror groups, observation and sniper posts, tunnels and other infrastructure.
The airstrikes come as five IDF divisions operate in Gaza.
The IDF says ground forces killed several operatives and destroyed weapons and other terror infrastructure, including tunnels, in the past day.
- Footage from central Gaza shows hundreds gather at newly opened aid distribution center
Displaced Palestinians carrying relief supplies from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a private US-backed aid group, return from aid distribution centers in Rafah to their tents in the southern Gaza Strip on May 29, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Footage circulating on social media shows hundreds of Gazans arriving in the past few hours at a newly opened aid distribution center in the central part of the Strip, near Netzarim Corridor.The center is part of the new aid mechanism initiated by the United States and Israel and operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
The footage shows people gathering inside a fenced area, with some seen leaving carrying food packages.
- IDF demolishes long Hamas attack tunnel with several booby-trapped exits, kills operatives
The IDF says it recently demolished a Hamas attack tunnel during operations of the Gaza Division and the Yahalom combat engineering unit in the southern Gaza Strip.
The tunnel was hundreds of meters long and had several exits, some of them rigged with explosives, the army says.
During the efforts to uncover and demolish the tunnel, the IDF says troops spotted a cell of operatives emerging from one of the shafts. The troops killed the cell, according to the IDF. video
Gaza and the South
- US envoy says Syria-Israel peace achievable, should start with non-aggression pact
US envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack says the United States believes peace between Syria and Israel is achievable, suggesting it should commence with a non-aggression agreement and a definition of borders and boundaries.
Barrack says US President Donald Trump will declare that Syria is not a state sponsor of terrorism. link. I have been saying for a while now that the situation in Syria looks to have change monumentally but the problem on our side is that we don't have leaders, only petty politicians who need to be led by their noses to something positive full of regional impact. So it was with the original Abraham Accords and so it hopefully will be with Syria and possible Lebanon down the road. Syria's new regime has made so many statements and indirect messaging of earth shaking changes that they would like to see. If we had proper leadership, they would have initiated back channel and direct discussions to see how serious the new Syrian regime is and how far they were willing to go. But we don't have them so we need to rely on the American and others to make these connections indirectly and hopefully reach a point that we can talk directly and reach a real peace both between nations and between peoples.
- Lebanese army said dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure near Israel border at better-than-expected pace
Lebanon’s army has dismantled most of Hezbollah’s posts and weapons stockpile in the country’s south, with the help of Israeli intelligence passed along by the US, and Israeli and American officials are pleasantly surprised by the progress, according to The Wall Street Journal, which also cites Arab officials in its report.
The army still faces the challenge of completing the job in the south — in accordance with last year’s ceasefire agreement — and implementing its plan to disarm the Iran-backed terror group and assert its control over the entire country.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam says in an interview with the US outlet that his government has achieved 80% of its objectives in disarming militias in the south.
“All over the Lebanese territory, the state should have a monopoly on arms,” Salam says, banging his fists on a table. “We don’t want to put the country onto a civil-war track, but believe me, this is not going to affect our commitment to the need to extend and consolidate the authority of the state.”
An IDF official is quoted as saying: “We do see a lot of areas where the Lebanese army is way more effective than expected. The IDF is generally pleased by this trend and we are expecting it to continue.”
- IDF says it struck Hezbollah member trying to restore previously hit site in southern Lebanon
The IDF says it struck a Hezbollah operative near the Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon a short while ago.
According to the military, the operative was attempting to restore a major Hezbollah site in the area that had been struck several times in recent weeks.
More than 180 Hezbollah operatives have been killed in Israeli strikes since the start of the November 2024 ceasefire in Lebanon.
Defense Ministry confirms ministerial approval of 22 new West Bank settlements
The Defense Ministry confirms that ministers approved the construction of 22 new West Bank settlements, which will include a series of new communities and the legalization of several wildcat outposts.
A ministry statement describes the cabinet vote “as a historic decision,” asserting the settlements will “strengthen the strategic grip on all parts of Judea and Samaria [West Bank]” and “prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.”
“This is a big day for the settlement movement and an important day for the State of Israel,” says Minister in the Defense Ministry Bezalel Smotrich. “Settling our homeland is the defensive shield of the State of Israel.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz says the move “strengthens our hold [on the territory] and is a decisive response to Palestinian terror.” link This is the first part of the messianic ministers wet dream of expanding Jewish settlement in the West Bank. It means stealing more Palestinian lands to build and expand these internationally illegal settlements and deliberately making the lives of the Palestinians harder and harsher which is part of their plan to make things so bad, the Palestinians will want to 'voluntarily emigrate'. The West Bank is occupied territory and, for the Palestinians, it is governed by the Military as international law demands. Therefore, settlement and forced emigration are internationally illegal. That has never stopped the settlement movement as they claim biblical rights to the land over the Palestinians who have only live there for hundreds of years. The settler movement and this failed government also care nothing for the international implications. Now, they care even less than ever because of the damage that this government has already caused Israel in the international community. So, they say, what else can they do to us. Their messianic goals overtake anything and don't care what damage it does to the country. That is what this government is all about.
- Politics and the War and General News
Protesters, cops face off outside Likud HQ-turned-‘Qatar Embassy’ after dozens storm building; at least 57 said arrested
Anti-government protesters face off with police officers, some on horseback, outside Metzudat Zeev, the Likud party headquarters in central Tel Aviv, where at least 57 activists were arrested after dozens of people stormed the building, according to a group of lawyers representing anti-government protesters pro bono.
During the protest, activists projected a Qatari flag with the caption “Embassy of Qatar” in Hebrew and Arabic onto the building, which is named for Revisionist Zionist leader Zeev Jabotinsky and houses an institute that published his writings.
A Qatari flag is projected onto the side of the Likud headquarters by anti-government protesters in Tel Aviv, on May 28, 2025. (Danor Aharon/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)Senior aides to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who leads the Likud party, are suspected of committing multiple offenses while working for a pro-Qatar lobbying firm.
The Detainee Support Organization says those detained at “Metzudat Zeev Tel Aviv, turned this evening into the Qatari embassy,” have been taken to the Salame police station in the city’s south.
Cops at Metzudat Zeev drag protesters from the road to the sidewalk. Some of the protesters wear orange jumpsuits and masks with Netanyahu’s face.
The stench of horse droppings hangs heavy in the air, and a cloud of smoke is yet to dissipate from a fire the protesters had lit. The protesters chant “Civil rebellion” and “Ben Gvir is a terrorist,” referring to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who oversees the police.
- The Region and the World
- Shin Bet says it foiled 85 Iranian cyberattacks, including phishing attempts posing as Israeli official
The Shin Bet announces that it has thwarted 85 Iranian cyberattacks since the beginning of 2025, aimed at high-profile Israeli civilians, including security officials, politicians, academics and journalists.
The cyber campaigns, largely phishing attempts, sought to gain access to victims’ digital devices and accounts to collect sensitive personal information.
According to the Shin Bet, Iran’s goal is to use this intelligence to carry out targeted attacks within Israel, possibly through locally recruited operatives. The phishing attempts often came via email, WhatsApp or Telegram, using fake Google Meet links or disguised apps to steal credentials and install spyware.
A security official says that while these attacks are sophisticated, they are preventable.
“The public is urged to remain vigilant and cautious, as these cyberattacks can be prevented before they occur through awareness, caution, skepticism and responsible online behavior,” the official says, emphasizing the importance of avoiding unfamiliar links.
In one case, an Iranian operative posed as Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs in an attempt to lure an Israeli citizen. However, the individual’s vigilance and quick report to security authorities thwarted the attack before any damage was done, the Shin Bet says.
‘Annual spectacle of unchecked violence’: UAE issues rare warning to Israel over flag march
WASHINGTON — The United Arab Emirates lays into Israel over this week’s Jerusalem Flag March, characterizing it as an “annual spectacle of unchecked violence and extremist provocation” and issuing a rare warning against Israel if Jerusalem doesn’t take “decisive steps” against the phenomenon.
“It is utterly unfathomable that, amid the ongoing carnage in Gaza, the Israeli government — underscored by the presence of one of its ministers — continues to permit” the flag march an Emirati official tells The Times of Israel in a statement issued shortly after Abu Dhabi summoned Israel’s ambassador to the Gulf country for a rare reprimand.
It was the second time an Israeli envoy has ever been summoned by Emirati authorities and the first time since the war in Gaza began. A second source familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel that the meeting at the Emirati foreign ministry saw the harshest rebuke that Abu Dhabi has ever conveyed to an Israeli official.
The Emirati anger was particularly notable, given that the country has differentiated itself from Israel’s other Arab allies, who have downgraded ties in various ways amid the war. While it has limited some public demonstrations of the relationship, the UAE has kept its ambassador in Tel Aviv, maintained daily flights to Israel and even boosted economic cooperation.
But the scenes at Monday’s flag march appear to have been too much for Abu Dhabi to quietly accept.
Hundreds, if not thousands of young religious nationalist participants were filmed chanting racist slogans such as “death to Arabs” and “may your village burn” as they marched through the Muslim Quarter of the Old City.
Participants verbally harassed and physically assaulted Palestinian locals. Revelers also vandalized property, though they made an exception for a number of ATMs that had signs on them explaining to participants that they belonged to Jews.
A far-right group participating in the march even unfurled a banner calling for the mass expulsion of Palestinians in Gaza. Several far-right ministers participated in the march, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to participants at a ceremony capping off the event.
Israel’s police commissioner said that no arrests were made and that only a small number of participants were briefly detained, claiming that those misbehaving made up only one percent of revelers.
No government officials condemned the scenes that have become commonplace at the annual flag march.
“This is not an isolated incident. It happens every year, and year after year, they allow it to unfold without consequence,” the Emirati official says.
“We have made clear — in no uncertain terms — that we expect them to take decisive steps to put an end to this.”
“They would do well to take that expectation extremely seriously,” the official warns.
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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