🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 610, 2023 - June 7, 2025 🎗️
- IDF recovers body of Thai hostage presumed alive Nattapong PintaMAY HIS MEMORY BE A REVOLUTION!Pinta was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre and was murdered in captivity by the terror group Kataeb al-Mujahideen shortly after the war began
In a joint operation by the Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet security agency, the body of Thai hostage Nattapong Pinta was recovered Friday from the Rafah area in southern Gaza and brought back to Israeli territory. The total number of hostages held in captivity, both alive and dead, now stands at 55. Pinta was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre and was murdered in captivity by the terror group Kataeb al-Mujahideen shortly after the war began. This is the same group whose members held Shiri Bibas and her children, Ariel and Kfir, and killed them in captivity.According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, speaking on behalf of the Coordinator for Hostages and Missing Persons, Brig. Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch, Pinta’s family in Thailand was informed earlier Friday by the Thai Embassy and Hirsch. “Together with all citizens of Israel, we extend our condolences to Nattapong’s family and to the Thai people. Our deep thanks and appreciation go to our brave commanders and soldiers for this important and successful mission. We will not rest until we bring all our hostages home — both the living and the fallen,” the statement said. The body of slain hostage Nattapong Pinta, who Hamas-led terrorists abducted on October 7, 2023, was recovered in a joint Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet operation in the southern Gaza Strip, officials announced Saturday morning. Pinta, a Thai national, was kidnapped alive by terrorists of the Mujahideen Brigades — a relatively small terror group in the Strip and somewhat allied with Hamas — from the Gaza border community of Kibbutz Nir Oz, where he worked as a farmhand.IDF troops operate in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, in a handout photo issued by the military on June 5, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
The IDF said it believed that the terror group murdered Pinta in captivity during the first months of the war.Intelligence obtained during a Shin Bet interrogation of a Palestinian terror operative who was detained in Gaza led the IDF to the location of Pinta’s body in Rafah, the military said.
The IDF said the exact circumstances of his death and date were currently unknown and were under investigation.
Pinta was among three hostages whom Israel had grave concerns for their lives, though had not until now officially declared Pinta dead.
Intelligence obtained during a Shin Bet interrogation of a Palestinian terror operative who was detained in Gaza led the IDF to the location of Pinta’s body in Rafah, the military said.
The IDF said the exact circumstances of his death and date were currently unknown and were under investigation.
Pinta was among three hostages whom Israel had grave concerns for their lives, though had not until now officially declared Pinta dead.
The Mujahideen Brigades is a relatively small terror group in the Strip that was also responsible for the abduction and murder of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, as well as Gadi Haggai and Judih Weinstein, whose bodies were recovered from Khan Younis early Thursday.
The terror group is still holding the body of another foreign national, according to the IDF.
Israeli soldiers walking next to buildings destroyed by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, near the Israeli-Gaza border, in southern Israel, November 21, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)Nir Oz was one of the worst-hit communities during Hamas’s October 7 terror onslaught.
In all, 47 people were killed in the kibbutz during the onslaught. Another 76 were abducted by the terrorists to Gaza. Currently, four hostages are presumed alive, and the bodies of seven captives from Nir Oz remain held in the Strip.
Known as ‘Nick’ on his Facebook page, Pinta was working in the avocado fields of Kibbutz Nir Oz, saving up to pay off a debt and help his wife open a coffee shop.
He left his wife and young son in Thailand, a year and a half before the onslaught, to work on the avocado and pomegranate farm.
On the morning of October 7, Pinta called his wife, Narissara Chanthasang, to tell her there was shooting, and that he was running away.
Pinta was among 31 Thai nationals working in agriculture abducted by terrorists on October 7. Another two foreign farmhands, from Nepal and Tanzania, were also kidnapped. Hamas has since released 29 of them amid hostage deals with Israel.
In all, terror groups in the Gaza Strip are holding 55 hostages, including 54 of the 251 abducted by Hamas-led terrorists on October 7, 2023.
They include the bodies of at least 33 confirmed dead by the IDF, and 20 are believed to be alive. There are grave concerns for the well-being of two others, Israeli officials have said.
Hamas released 30 hostages — 20 Israeli civilians, five soldiers, and five Thai nationals — and the bodies of eight slain Israeli captives during a ceasefire between January and March, and one additional hostage, a dual American-Israeli citizen, in May as a “gesture” to the United States.
A house is on fire in Kibbutz Nir Oz during an attack by Palestinian terrorists from the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023. (AP/Hassan Eslaiah)The terror group freed 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November 2023, and four hostages were released before that in the early weeks of the war.
In exchange, Israel has freed some 2,000 jailed Palestinian terrorists, security prisoners, and Gazan terror suspects detained during the war.
Eight hostages have been rescued from captivity by troops alive, and the bodies of 44 have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the Israeli military as they tried to escape their captors, and the body of a soldier who was killed in 2014.
The body of another soldier killed in 2014, Lt. Hadar Goldin, is still being held by Hamas and is counted among the 55 hostages. link
Ceremony to be held at Ben Gurion Airport for repatriation of body of slain Thai hostage Nattapong PintaForeign Minister Gideon Sa’ar updated his Thai counterpart, Maris Sangiampongsa, on the details of the military operation to recover the body of hostage Nattapong Pinta, Hebrew-language media reports.
Sa’ar said that a ceremony will be held at Ben Gurion Airport when Pinta’s body is repatriated.
Pinta was taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023. The military believes he was kidnapped alive but murdered in captivity a few months into the war. He is survived by his wife and young son.
Hostage forum: Return of hostage Nattapong Pinta’s body from Gaza underscores urgency for a deal
With the recovery of the body of slain Thai hostage Nattapong Pinta from Gaza, the Hostage and Missing Families Forum reiterates the urgency of all the captives being brought home.
“The return of Nattapong Pinta is a fulfillment of a basic human moral obligation, which will allow his family to close the necessary circle,” the forum says.
“While the pain is great, his family will finally have certainty, after 20 terrible and agonizing months of difficult question marks – a necessary certainty to which every family is entitled to begin a personal healing journey,” the forum says.
“We once again remind you on this day that decision-makers must do everything necessary to bring about an agreement that will return all 55 remaining abductees – the living for rehabilitation and the dead for a proper burial,” the forum says.
Most Israelis doubt Gaza ops. will return hostages or defeat Hamas - Survey
According to the survey, only 37% of Israelis believe the operation will bring the hostages home, while only 38.5% think Hamas will be defeated in Gaza.
As the IDF progresses in the Gaza Strip as part of Operation Gideon's Chariots, a survey by the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI), published on Friday, shows that most Israelis are skeptical the campaign will achieve its two main objectives: Bringing home the hostages and defeating Hamas.
According to the May 2025 Israeli Voice Index, conducted by the Viterbi Family Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research, only 37% of Israelis believe the operation will succeed in bringing the hostages back, and just 38.5% think it will defeat Hamas and end its rule in Gaza.
Arab Israelis are even more skeptical: only 27.5% believe the hostages will return, compared with 39% of Jewish Israelis; and 31% believe the operation will defeat Hamas, compared with 40% of Jewish Israelis.
Voter affiliation significantly influences these views. Among supporters of parties in the current coalition, 65% of Religious Zionist Party voters believe the fighting will bring the hostages home, and 64% believe it will defeat Hamas. By contrast, among voters for the opposition Labor Party — now called The Democrats, only 7% believe either goal will be achieved.
Even among voters for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party, there is significant doubt: only 27% believe the hostages will return, and 31% believe the operation will defeat Hamas.
Divided views on Trump’s commitment to Israel’s security
The survey also asked about US President Donald Trump’s commitment to Israel’s security. When asked, “To what extent do you think Israel’s security is one of President Trump’s central considerations?” the public was divided: 47% believe that Israel’s security is a central consideration to a fairly large or very large extent, while 46% say it is a central consideration only to a fairly small or very small extent.
This marks a notable shift from immediately before and after Trump’s election, when a larger proportion of Israelis believed that Israel’s security would be a guiding light for his policy decisions. For example, in November 2024, 63% of respondents held that view.
Mixed opinions on Gaza humanitarian aid
The survey also revealed mixed opinions on humanitarian aid to Gaza. When asked whether Israel should increase the flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, 54% said it should not, while 38% said it should.
Significant differences emerged between Jewish and Arab respondents: more than three-quarters of Arab Israelis believe aid should be increased, while less than a third of Jewish Israelis agree. Among Jewish Israelis, support for increased aid is highest on the Left (75%), compared with 42% in the Center and just 17% on the Right.
About half of the respondents said responsibility for transferring and distributing humanitarian aid should lie with an international force. Approximately a quarter believe the responsibility should fall to the IDF or another Israeli agency. Smaller percentages favor the Palestinian Authority (9%) or private companies (8%).
Similar patterns were found among both Jewish and Arab samples, though Jewish respondents were more likely to support Israeli or international responsibility, while Arab respondents more often favored giving this task to the Palestinian Authority or private companies.
Flight cancellations attributed to security concerns
The survey also asked about the recent wave of flight cancellations to Israel by foreign airlines. Approximately 60% of both Jewish and Arab respondents believe the cancellations are due to the objective security situation, while just over a quarter attribute them to disagreement with Israel’s conduct in Gaza.
Among Jewish respondents, political orientation again played a role: a majority in all camps attributed the cancellations to the security situation, with the highest proportion on the Left (69%), compared with 62% in the Center and 58% on the Right.
The May 2025 Israeli Voice Index was prepared by the Viterbi Family Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research at the Israel Democracy Institute. The survey was conducted via the internet and by telephone between May 26 and 29, 2025, with 601 Hebrew-speaking and 150 Arabic-speaking adults, constituting a nationally representative sample of the Israeli adult population aged 18 and over. The maximum sampling error was ±3.58% at a 95% confidence level. Fieldwork was carried out by Shiluv I2R. link45 US citizens were killed on Oct. 7, father of Itay Chen reminds the world
With the return of Judith Weinstein Haggai and Gadi Haggai, both of whom were murdered on Oct. 7, Itay Chen is now one of just two American citizens still held in Gaza; His father, Ruby Chen, hasn’t given up the fight to bring his son back home
Nearly 20 months ago, Israeli-American Itay Chen was kidnapped by Hamas while serving in a tank battalion on the Gaza border. Along with around 250 other individuals, at least 10 of whom also had American citizenship, Itay was then brought into Gaza, where he is still being held. Forty-five American citizens were among the 1,200 or so killed in the October 7 attacks.On Thursday, the bodies of Israeli-American dual citizens Judith Weinstein Haggai and Gadi Haggai, who were murdered on October 7, 2023, were rescued from Gaza. Itay is now one of just two US citizens still held in Gaza. A total of 56 hostages remain in Gaza, only about a third of whom are believed to be alive.A native of New York City, Chen compared his emotional experience to a ride on the Cyclone, the famous Coney Island roller coaster.“You know, we have those big ups and downs,” he said. “And it's difficult to process. We were notified, it came out on the news, that two US citizens were going to come back via an IDF operation. That means that two US citizens are remaining in captivity. One of them is my son. And I hope that I expect that the administration does whatever it can to get the two remaining US citizens out of captivity as well.”After 20 painful months, Chen is exhausted. “We feel like this ordeal has gone on long enough,” he said. “And we are just simple people. And we feel like we are collateral damage from big issues. And it's a humanitarian thing. There's no competition. You just need to get them out.”He said that he and his family have attended dozens of meetings in Washington, DC, with the family of Judith and Gadi. “We just pray for them that they have their closure and can start their rehabilitation,” he said. “I like to say that we, the hostage families, have been beamed up to an alternative universe. And now, at least the family gets a ticket back into this universe. And we're still waiting to come back to this universe.”ITAY CHENFor Chen, the way to secure the return of the remaining hostages is clear. “I think everyone understands, including the Israeli government, that the way to get the remaining 56 hostages is not via operations, military operations with the IDF,” he said. “That can only happen in an agreement. And on the other side, there's a very bad actor, a terrorist organization. But we, as Jewish people, we've survived for thousands of years by valuing life as a virtue. And that means something. And there needs to be a way to get the last hostage out.”After ensuring that all the hostages are back home, Israel can work on solving other issues, he said.“We're simple family people,” he said. “My son is not the son of a president, a minister, or a prime minister. What we want is to have closure. And I think after 600 days, it's more than enough for the government of Israel to find a way to get a deal that gets all of the hostages out, and not in phases.”Among the ups and downs Chen has dealt with over the past 20 months is the changing administration in the US. He described the ceasefire that took effect in January, during which 33 hostages were released, as “a bipartisan effort.”“It's not as if the United States is just a facilitator,” he said. “They have equity in this, meaning justice needs to be seen. And yes, my son is a US citizen, and I pay taxes in the United States, no different than anybody else in the United States. And there's an expectation, a legal obligation, that this administration needs to find a way to get my son back.”More Americans need to be aware of the American death toll on October 7, 2023, Chen said. He recounted running into Palestinian protesters at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, during which Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin gave a speech about their son, Hersh, who was taken hostage by Hamas.“I decided that I wanted to go outside and speak to them,” Chen said of the Palestinian protesters. “And I started by saying, Are you a proud US citizen? Are you a patriotic US citizen? And of course, the answer was yes. And then I shared with them, are you aware of the fact that 45 US citizens were killed on October 7? And that's when they take a step back a second, and they need to process that.”Ruby ChenThe US needs to put enough pressure on both Hamas and Israel to get to a deal, Chen said. “Then they could keep on doing what they've been doing for decades and decades, talking about the Palestinian issue,” he explained. “I think we need to decouple that issue, which is a very challenging topic, from the fact that this is a humanitarian issue. There are also people in Gaza who have been suffering for too long, being used as human shields by a terrorist organization that has no care whatsoever for the people in Gaza, and there needs to be a better future for all of us.”He also called for the hostage issue to be decoupled from the very real issue of antisemitism.“In the White House, meeting President Biden at the time and speaking to him about the topic, he shared the same sentiment that there's a need for change and better education of the people of the United States,” Chen said. “And it's a big question to tackle. But going back to our small topic, you know, we're very focused on our issue and want to end this conflict. Without antisemitism and without coupling it with other issues, we just want to decouple this issue of hostages from antisemitism or anything else.As part of his efforts to bring Itay home, Chen addressed the UN Security Council last month.“The UN exists and we can't attempt to ignore it,” he said. “Neither does the United States. Even the prime minister of Israel goes to the UN and speaks at the General Assembly. I intend to be back at the UN next week, following up on some of the relationships that were generated following my speech at the Security Council.”He characterized the problem of missing people in conflict zones as “one of the core issues that the UN should focus on to try to solve,” noting that a 2019 UN resolution calls on countries to carry out search efforts for those who have gone missing.That resolution, Security Council Resolution 2724, compels countries to return the remains of those killed in a conflict zone.“There should be an exchange of the deceased to provide the final dignity that any person on this planet should have, and that is to bring him back to burial,” Chen said, describing the UN resolution. “That is something that is said in all of the religions, including Islam. So we look at the situation in Gaza, where dozens of hostages were notified that they had been killed on October 7. And it is the lowest type of psychological warfare for a terrorist organization to hold dead people as negotiation chips. And I don't care what religion you are. That is something that you just can't do.”Qatar has been involved in negotiating a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, a role that Chen expressed ambivalence about.“It is known that they are financial and ideological supporters of the Islamic Brotherhood, a very extreme organization that believes in killing Jews wherever they are,” he said of Qatar. “And it's a topic that I think needs to be solved shortly. But the focus at the moment should be the release of the hostages and getting calm in the region, which is the United States' strategic interest. The United States and Qatar have a very good diplomatic relationship, but I think it's time to reassess that relationship. But at the moment, they are acting as a positive influence to get the hostages out.”That’s the message that’s been communicated to hostage families by special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, Chen said.Since the October 7 attacks, Chen has devoted himself to the mission of advocating for the hostage families. “I got to know very influential people who were willing to take a call with me, whatever time in the day, to be helpful,” he said.“At the end of the day, I'm not going to be able to change an individual in his beliefs, and if this topic is something that is not his high priority, it's not something that I'm going to be able to change because I said something,” Chen said. “I need to just be able to identify those people that have that inner belief that this is the most important topic, and that they are willing to do whatever is needed to get the hostages out.”He highlighted Witkoff as one individual doing his all to bring the hostages back. “When we met him the first time, my wife and I in a very private setting, he shared with us that he lost his son about a decade and a half ago. And it's a very special bond between us,” he said.After so many months of trying to bring his son home, Chen isn’t sure what life will look like once he finally succeeds.“It's going to be a long process to figure out exactly what we do from here,” he said. “At the moment, all of our energy is focused on one thing, and I think it should be. As any father or parent, when your kid disappears on you, the only thing you can think is, I need to get him back, whatever his physical status is. And then we could deal as a family together with what lies ahead for us and the challenges that we face. It's just impossible to leave this as an open issue and try to think of the future.”He said that his wife, Hagit, is having an especially hard time. “A mom and a son, it's a very special bond,” he said. “He was always a favorite. I would typically have disagreements with Itay. Itay is the middle sibling. He has an elder sibling and a younger sibling, so he was the more challenging one, so to speak. We would have our fights, and he would at one point say to me, Dad, why are we wasting energy? You know, I'm going to go to my mom. Mom's going to say yes anyway. So why waste all this time and all this energy? And he would typically be correct in his assessment.”Chen and his son liked to watch basketball together, the father supporting the Knicks and the son supporting the Celtics. “So in an alternative universe, we would have been watching the NBA, the Knicks against the Celtics, and just having any type of father-son type of evening. But we were beamed up to this universe, and it's so unfortunate that it's taken so long,” he said.“He's a very avid basketball player, and he loves playing basketball. And there's every father's moment in time where you play basketball with the kid, and you know, you let him beat you to give him, you know, a positive experience,” Chen said. “But there was that day when he was about 15 and a half when I didn't give in, and he beat me. That was a very difficult day for me. You saw his emotions and how proud he was about putting in that hard work and, you know, being able to make that shot and being able to do what he wanted to do.”As a father, he said, his goal was to give his son the foundations to build his own life. “We weren't able to protect him enough,” he said.Chen noted that Itay was serving in the military not as his profession but because of Israel’s mandatory enlistment policy. “It's something that everyone who lives here does,” Chen said. “And my family is Holocaust survivors, as well as my wife's family, and we understand the need to protect the Jewish state. And I very much believed in that. And, you know, it was a ceasefire. They were at the border, just protecting civilians, and this happened.”He called on American citizens to ask their representatives to bring the hostages back home.“Just call up your senator, call up your congressman, say, you know, this hostage issue needs to end. There are still US citizens out there. Ask What have you done today? And get those hostages out and just keep on doing until we see an end to this humanitarian crisis,” he said. Link16 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza on Friday, Hamas health officials say
Sixteen Palestinians were killed by the Israeli military in Gaza today, according to local Hamas health authorities.
The IDF had no immediate comment on the reports of deaths in war-shattered Gaza. Hamas health authorities say strikes had killed people in Gaza’s Jabalia, Tuffah and Khan Younis areas.
Witnesses and medics tell Reuters that Israeli planes and tanks had intensified strikes on Jabalia and nearby Beit Hanoun since the early hours.
The Israeli military issued evacuation orders to residents of certain blocks in northern Gaza on Friday, spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted on X.
Report: Israel contributed NIS 700m to Gaza aid mechanism it claims not to fund
Prime Minister’s Office denies Kan’s assertion that funds were transfered quietly to prevent public from knowing
The Israeli government has transferred hundreds of millions of shekels to fund the new humanitarian aid mechanism in the Gaza Strip, Kan news reported Wednesday, contradicting government officials who have insisted that Israel has no part in its funding.
According to the report, the government approved the transfer of NIS 700 million (some $280 million) last month to an unclear source, identified by the government only as “the defense establishment.”
Citing unnamed officials, Kan reported that the money was being used to fund the new aid mechanism, run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, and that the decision to transfer the funds was made under the radar in an attempt to keep the public from finding out — ostensibly since doing so would be highly unpopular with the government’s hard-right base.
The Israel- and US-backed GHF began operating in Gaza late last month, with Jerusalem saying it would serve as an alternative to previous aid distribution mechanisms, as a way to prevent Hamas from hoarding aid and using it to control the population.
At the same time, the organization and US officials have maintained that it is an independent and neutral body.
The government has insisted that it has no part in funding GHF, which has faced scrutiny due to the lack of information regarding its funds.
The organization claimed to have received more than $100 million in commitments from a foreign government donor but did not name the donor.
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid suggested last week that the government was secretly funding the aid group through foreign “shell companies,” but this was quickly shot down by the Prime Minister’s Office.
“Israel does not fund the humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesman Omer Dostri said. “Israel and the United States are working in full coordination and through various channels to cut off aid from reaching Hamas.”
In response to the Kan report, the Prime Minister’s Office and the office of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich insisted that the country “is not funding humanitarian aid to Gaza.”
The New York Times reported late last month that the organization was conceived by several Israelis, including businessmen with close links to the government. The report said the project wasn’t merely built in coordination with Israel, but is “an Israeli brainchild.”
The idea was first proposed in late 2023 at “private meetings of like-minded officials, military officers and business people with close ties to the Israeli government” who believed the government lacked a long-term Gaza strategy, the report said.
The report posited that the “project’s genesis” occurred when “hundreds of thousands of Israeli civilians rejoined the military as reservists, many of them reaching positions of influence,” following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks.
This created “a huge cohort of Israelis with one foot in the military and another in civilian life, blurring the boundary between the two worlds.”
The group’s central idea was to bypass traditional aid channels like the UN by hiring private contractors to distribute aid in pockets of Gaza under Israeli control, thus weakening Hamas’s grip without formally assuming responsibility for Gaza’s civilian population.
The first days of the GHF’s operations have been mired by violence.
On Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, the IDF said it fired warning shots toward Palestinians outside an aid distribution site after they approached troops while straying off a pre-approved path. Hamas officials and the Red Cross claimed dozens were killed and hundreds wounded from gunfire. The IDF asserts that those figures are exaggerated, while saying it is investigating the allegations.
GHF did not open its sites on Wednesday, after eight consecutive days of operation. It said the temporary shutdown was implemented in order to carry out logistical work in order to more safely accommodate more Palestinians at distribution sites.
To support civilian safety outside distribution sites, a spokesperson said GHF had asked the IDF to introduce measures that guide foot traffic in a way that minimizes confusion or escalation risks near the IDF-operated perimeter around the sites; develop clearer IDF-issued guidelines to help Palestinians safely reach the distribution sites; and boost IDF training and refine internal procedures to ensure the safety of Palestinians. Link I know that I sound like a broken record when I say for the umpteenth time that Netanyahu is once again lying through his teeth. I sometimes question is he can still tell the difference. It seems that he has taken another lesson from his buddy, Trump that it becomes all too natural to lie that the truth no longer matters. Then when he gets caught in the lies, he says it was out of context, then when that is proven false, he changes to what difference does it make or it's a good thing. No admission of lying ever.
- 12 killed in overnight strike on Khan Younis tent camp, Palestinian media reports; no comment from IDF
Palestinian media reports that 12 people were killed and some 40 were wounded in an overnight strike on a tent camp for displaced Gazans in the Khan Younis area.
The reports cite a medical source at Nasser Hospital.
There is no immediate comment from the IDF on the strike.
At Israel’s request, US mulls giving $500M to fund Gaza aid group’s operations — Reuters
The State Department is weighing giving $500 million to the new foundation providing aid to war-shattered Gaza, according to two knowledgeable sources and two former US officials, a move that would involve the US more deeply in a controversial aid effort that has been beset by violence and chaos.
The sources and former US officials, all of whom request anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, say that money for Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) would come from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which is being folded into the US State Department.
The plan has met resistance from some US officials concerned with the deadly shootings of Palestinians near aid distribution sites and the competence of the GHF, the two sources say.
The State Department and GHF do not immediately respond to requests for comment.
One source with knowledge of the matter and one former senior official say the proposal to give the $500 million to GHF has been championed by acting deputy USAID Administrator Ken Jackson, who has helped oversee the agency’s dismemberment.
The source says that Israel requested the funds to underwrite GHF’s operations for 180 days.
The Israeli government doesn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The two sources say that some US officials have concerns with the plan because of the overcrowding that has affected the aid distribution hubs run by GHF’s contractor, and violence nearby.
Those officials also want well-established non-governmental organizations experienced in running aid operations in Gaza and elsewhere to be involved in the operation if the State Department approves the funds for GHF, a position that Israel likely will oppose, the sources say.
- Israeli officials: Lebanon army was told about Hezbollah drone sites a week before strikes, but failed to act
Smoke and fire erupt from the site of an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs, June 5, 2025. (IBRAHIM AMRO / AFP)Lebanese authorities were told of Hezbollah’s underground drone manufacturing facilities in Beirut, but failed to act, unnamed Israeli officials tell the Kan public broadcaster.
The officials say that the Lebanese army was told about the facilities about a week before the Israel Defense Forces carried out a series of strikes on several buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Thursday evening, after issuing an evacuation warning.
The strikes in Beirut hit several underground drone manufacturing facilities belonging to Hezbollah’s aerial forces, also known as Unit 127, according to the military.
Ahead of the strikes, the IDF said it had “identified that Hezbollah’s aerial unit is working to produce many thousands of UAVs, under the guidance and funding of Iranian terror officials.”
This was happening, the military said, “despite the understandings between Israel and Lebanon” as laid out in a November ceasefire agreement that halted more than a year of fighting along Israel’s northern border.
- Israel agrees to Syrian forces deployment near buffer zone, reportUAE report says Israel approved forces deployment under US pressure, but will keep troops in the buffer zone
The Emirati site Aram News reported Friday that the Syrian General Security apparatus has begun preparations to deploy its forces in several areas in southern Syria near the buffer zone with Israel, marking the first such deployment since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime. Syrian sources cited in the report said the deployment follows Israeli approval and U.S. pressure.
Meanwhile, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa visited the Daraa region in southern Syria for the first time since taking office. According to the Sham FM radio station, al-Joulani met his aunt during the visit — their first meeting in 30 years.
Sources speaking to Aram News explained that the Syrian forces will maintain security in cities adjacent to the buffer zone to prevent any attacks toward Israel. This comes after two rockets were launched from Syrian territory toward the Golan Heights, exploding in open areas. In response, the IDF struck regime weapons depots in southern Syria.Additionally, the report stated that under Israeli approval, the Syrians will mostly carry light weapons. According to the sources, the decision to allow Syrian forces to deploy is tactical, not strategic, and the IDF will remain in the buffer zone.The recent rocket fire toward the Golan raised concerns that the security vacuum in the area poses a growing threat to Israel if Syrian forces are not allowed to deploy. This concern reportedly pushed the shift in Israel’s stance, from outright refusal to coordination regarding the deployment of Syrian security forces.The rockets were fired from the Tasil area, a Palestinian village in southern Syria, which the IDF has recently targeted multiple times to destroy weapons caches. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by an unknown group called the “Muhammad Deif Martyrs Brigades,” which has not previously claimed responsibility for any attacks against Israel.Following the sirens, the IDF said it responded with artillery fire. Syrian reports mentioned a fire in the rural area west of Daraa city in southern Syria. Local Syrian sources told the Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen network, associated with Hezbollah, that “Israeli drones are flying over the rural areas of Quneitra and Daraa.” link
🎗️Day 610 that 55 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!!!”
There is no victory until all of the hostages are home!אין נצחון עד שכל החטופים בבית
Red Alerts - Missile, Rocket, Drone (UAV - unmanned aerial vehicles), and Terror Attacks and Death Announcements
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4 IDF soldiers killed, 5 wounded after booby-trapped south Gaza building collapses — army
Four Israeli soldiers were killed and five were wounded by an explosion in a building in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis this morning, the military announces.
Two of the slain soldiers are named as:
Sgt. Maj. (res.) Chen Gross, 33, of the Maglan commando unit, from Gan Yoshiya.
Staff Sgt. Yoav Raver, 19, of the Yahalom combat engineering unit, from Sde Warburg.
According to an initial IDF probe, the soldiers entered the building to clear it of possible terror infrastructure, including tunnels.
The building was booby-trapped, and the explosion caused the structure to collapse on the soldiers, killing four and wounding five others, including one seriously.
Gaza and the South
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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