🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 619, 2023 - June 16, 2025 🎗️
- From the October 7 Council:
Israel attacks in Iran, but the abductees are still in Gaza.
how did it happen Why not finish the Gaza front and bring everyone back?
A state commission of inquiry now - to prevent the next disaster.
WHY ARE THEY STILL IN GAZA?
STATE COMMISSION OF IQUIRY NOW! link
🎗️Day 619 that 53 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
*3:20pm yesterday- Jordan Valley -drone intrusion
*4:05pm yesterday- Red alert country wide - about 50 ballistic missiles barrage from Iran- air defenses succeeded in intercepting no reports of injuries or damage
One rocket launched from the southern Gaza Strip struck an open area in southern Israel a short while ago, the IDF says.
*8:35pm yesterday- country wide alert of ballistic missiles from Iran- 30 ballistic missiles - 4 missile hits, 2 in the Haifa area, 1 in open area around Beit Shemesh, 1 in the south with 4 lightly injured.
Fire in 2 buildings in Haifa from the missile hit
*4:10am - country wide red alert - ballistic missiles from Iran- reports of direct hits in 4 separate locations in the center and Haifa areas
*10:20am- south - ballistic missile from Yemen- A ballistic missile launched at Israel by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen fell short outside the country’s borders, the military says.
*10:45am- north - drone intrusion- continued for close to half an hour as it made its way toward Caesaria with an air force attack helicopter tracking until it was finally shot down
*11:40am - Golan Heights and north - hostile drone intrusion
- It has been announced that together with rescue of the body of Yair Yaakov, Aviv Atzili’s body was also rescued. The family requested not to make the announcement last week.
Body of Aviv Atzili, killed on Oct. 7, recovered from Gaza last week, IDF says
Aviv Atzili is identified as the hostage whose body was recovered by the IDF from southern Gaza’s Khan Younis last week, the military announces.Atzili, a warrant officer in reserves and a member of Kibbutz Nir Oz’s civil defense squad, was killed battling Hamas-led terrorists in the Gaza border community on October 7, 2023. He was 49.
According to the IDF, after being killed in battle, Atzili’s body was abducted by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad to Gaza.
During the operation on Wednesday, the IDF also recovered the body of slain hostage Yair Yaakov, who was also murdered in Nir Oz on October 7.
Israeli forces recover body of hostage Aviv Atzili in Gaza raid
IDF and Shin Bet say Atzili, killed on Oct. 7, recovered in Khan Younis; body of Yair Yaakov also retrieved in operation last week
Israeli forces have recovered the body of Aviv Atzili, a hostage taken by Hamas on October 7, during a special operation last Wednesday in the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza, the IDF and Shin Bet announced Sunday. The operation also brought back the body of another hostage, Yair (Yaya) Yaakov.Atzili, 49, a member of the alert squad in Kibbutz Nir Oz, joined the fight against Hamas terrorists who infiltrated the community. He was initially listed as abducted until early December, when his family was informed he had been killed during the October 7 attack—just one day after his wife, Liat, was freed from Hamas captivity in a prisoner exchange, following 54 days in captivity.Aviv Atzili and Yair (Yaya) YaacovThe couple had three children: Ofri, Neta and Aya. A central figure in his community, Atzili ran the kibbutz’s agricultural equipment garage, and was known as an artist, cyclist, nature lover and longtime volunteer in Israel’s alpine unit, where he served each year on Mount Hermon.Liat Atzili's time in captivity was the focus of a recent documentary. In an interview with Ynet, she reflected on the moment she returned home, recalling how she initially couldn’t process the loss. “I remember saying, ‘I don’t want to talk about Aviv now, let’s wait until the morning,’” she said. “Twelve hours after I got back, the message about Aviv arrived. I had a feeling—when someone close to you is gone, you feel it.”Liat and Aviv AtziliThe recovery operation was made possible by intelligence obtained during the interrogation of a captured Hamas operative. According to a joint statement from the IDF and Shin Bet, the operation was carried out by the 36th Division under Southern Command, with precise intelligence from the Hostage Task Force, Military Intelligence Directorate and Shin Bet. link Day 618 - October
A difficult morning 💔 The images of destruction from Tamra, Bat Yam, and Rehovot evoke terror and fear. Our hearts are with the wounded and the families of the murdered.Even in these painful moments, we must remember and remind: 53 hostages remain in the hell of Gaza 🆘. They have no Iron Dome, no "Red Alert" sirens.
This government chose to launch another war before finishing the ongoing war in Gaza—now at 618 days. Therefore, we have no choice but to keep protesting until everyone returns ‼️ We demand the same demand: End the war in Gaza and bring back ALL hostages in one phase ‼️
After Netanyahu revealed in an interview: this is the “loophole” in the contacts for a hostage deal
Prime Minister Netanyahu said in his interview to Fox News that there is “some progress” in the contacts for a deal • This progress is actually a response that Israel conveyed to the mediators, stating that it is willing to release 8 hostages on the first day of the ceasefire and 2 more in the middle of the truce period • The Prime Minister held a discussion on the matter also this evening – but there is still no breakthroughAfter in his speech to Fox News (today) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that there is progress in the contacts for a hostage deal, we are revealing that Israel conveyed a response to the mediators, stating that it is willing to release eight hostages on the first day of the ceasefire and to release two in the middle of the truce period. The Prime Minister held a discussion on the matter also this evening, but there is still no dispatch of a delegation since there is still no breakthrough.
As mentioned earlier today, the Prime Minister was interviewed on Bret Baier’s show “Special Report.” In his statements he referred mainly to the objectives of the strike in Iran and to the possibility that Israel would eliminate Khamenei, but revealed that there is “some progress” in the contacts for a hostage deal. “The reason the war is prolonged is the hostages – I am committed to getting them all out,” said Netanyahu in the interview. “Steve Witkoff proposed a framework, to which we agreed, within which half of the hostages would return – and there is some progress.”
All eyes are clearly focused right now on Iran and the home front, but in the political echelon they claim that there are constant attempts to advance matters regarding the hostages. The new Israeli response that was conveyed to the mediators, and from there to Hamas, speaks of the fact that Israel is basically ready for a different distribution of the return of the hostages within the Witkoff framework. Within the original framework, the release of ten hostages was supposed to take place on the first day of the truce, and at its end, after 60 days – the remaining hostages would be released. Hamas did not agree to this, because it wants to ensure that Israel does not return to fighting during those 60 days.
Israel’s new response partially agrees to Hamas’s demand: eight hostages will be released as stated on the first day, but the additional two not on day 60, rather between days 20–30 of the ceasefire. It is not yet known whether this will be sufficient to jump-start the talks, but it is clear that there are constant exchanges of drafts and proposals on this important issue. link I don't believe a single word that Netanyahu said in this interview or any other. He is a consummate liar and constantly uses the suffering of the hostages and the families for his political benefit. He just did it the other day when he lied about progress in order to divert Iranian attention from the upcoming attack. And he did the same a week earlier when he made a statement that there would be major news later that day or the next. That time, he lied to use it to try to keep his government from falling. I believe his lies today is to show as though he hasn't left the hostages behind and forgotten about them while he is waging his continuous War for Political Survival.
The families are afraid: “The war in Iran will take time and they will completely forget about the hostages”
“There is no way that Hamas will fold, certainly not in the situation that has currently developed,” says Rami Igra, former head of the Prisoners and Missing Persons Division in the Mossad, about the impact of the attacks in Iran on the matter of the hostages • Also among the families of the hostages there are concerns that Operation “With a Lion’s Heart” will push aside what is happening in Gaza – and nevertheless they are trying to remain optimistic • “Maybe Iran will be dealt with and the operation will allow the release of all of them,” says Anat Angrest, mother of the abducted soldier Matan AngrestMatan Angrest from Hamas' first video of Matan in captivityOperation “With a Lion’s Heart” has aroused mixed emotions among the families of the hostages. “There are two opposing scenarios here,” says Anat Angrest, mother of the hostage Matan Angrest, “either this campaign in Iran will continue for a long time and push aside what is happening in Gaza, which will leave the campaign there open. It is clear that this can go on for a long time and they will completely forget that our hostages are there – that they do not have time and some of them have already died because they do not have time. The opposite scenario, which I at least try to draw hope from, is that this time the campaign is planned and it is part of the strategy to weaken the main enemy – Iran – which also influences our ability to conduct the war in Gaza.”
“The feeling is, first of all, deathly fear of the bombings that could also reach there,” adds Dalia Kushnir, sister-in-law of the hostage Eitan Horn, “but there is also an optimistic scenario. And I try all the time to hold onto it.”
Rami Igra, former head of the Prisoners and Missing Persons Division in the Mossad, believes that the war in Iran will not promote the release of the 53 hostages in Gaza, 20 of whom are considered alive. “There is no way that Hamas will fold. Certainly not in the situation that has currently developed,” he says decisively. “From Hamas’s perspective, they will die by the sword as long as the State of Israel does not accept its two conditions – ending the war and the withdrawal of the IDF from the Gaza Strip. If the State of Israel does not accept these two things, it has no real reason to reach an agreement.”
“The claim that Iran is very involved in Hamas is a baseless claim”
“Iran does not significantly influence Hamas’s decisions,” says Igra, former head of the Prisoners and Missing Persons Division in the Mossad. “War in Iran, no war in Iran – pictures come out of Gaza that are very difficult for the Western eye to see. As long as these pictures come out of Gaza – it does not matter how right we are, not in Gaza and not in Iran.“The war in Iran does somewhat affect the Western world’s attitude toward Israel. Somehow, the images from Gaza will blur a bit in light of what is happening in Iran, which is perceived as just in the eyes of the world, but there is no real effect. We are standing exactly at the same point we stood nearly two years ago, and the State of Israel must make the decision: what do we do moving forward.”
Despite the pessimism, Igra also provides a positive scenario: “The Iranian matter brings the government of Israel to a situation – also political – that allows it to agree to a cessation of the war. The Americans have an interest in this too, and so do we. Can Netanyahu and his colleagues agree to stop the war? Politically, they probably could not until the start of the operation in Iran. Today, I think their political situation allows them to do it much more easily. The attention is on Iran – but in light of what is happening in Iran, the pointlessness in Gaza is becoming more prominent, not only among citizens who are against the current government of Israel, but also among the base.”
When asked whether there is a possibility that the war in Iran will lead to a softening of Hamas’s positions, he answers: “Everyone forgets that Hamas is a religious organization, not a national organization. As a religious organization, it fully believes that the path to paradise is the destruction of the State of Israel. So there is no reason now for it to suddenly change its belief. It is important to emphasize, the claim that Iran is very involved in Hamas is a baseless claim. These are Shiites versus Sunnis, these are two different worlds. It is true that the Iranians were happy about Hamas’s hatred of Israel, but that does not mean that Hamas grew from Iran or that Hamas is based on the Iranian regime.”
“What do the bombings do to them? The imagination runs wild and it simply hurts”
“We are first of all afraid that Eitan and the other hostages will be harmed by the attacks from Iran, the distance of Israel from Gaza is not so great,” says Kushnir, sister-in-law of the hostage Eitan Horn. “We have protected spaces and we have food and we are scared to death when we think about what they are going through, especially now. What do the bombings do to them? And what does the stress do to the terrorists? The imagination runs wild and it simply hurts. Also the fact that Iran essentially funds Hamas – under attack, it could be that they will feel at some point that they no longer have anything to lose.”Eitan Horn who remained in captivity, with his brother Yair who was released in the Hamas video
“They say that the strike in Iran was something that had to happen in order to ensure our ability to live here in the future. That is very important, obviously, but what about the national resilience of the people walking around here and knowing that there are still hostages who have not been returned for more than 600 days?”
“There is also an optimistic scenario,” adds Kushnir. “Israel proved some kind of superiority and Hamas says ‘okay, let’s close this.’ But for that there also needs to be a willingness from Israel’s side to go for it. I hope that in Israel they will say to themselves, ‘Let’s make an agreement in Gaza and deal with Iran.’ With all that we are capable of doing to Iran, it seems we will know how to manage with the Hamasniks, so let’s make an agreement and stop this war.’ That is the scenario I cling to most.”
“I hope the campaign in Iran is part of the strategy for the release of the hostages”
According to Kushnir, despite the war, the matter of the hostages has not gone off the agenda: “We know that most of the people still support a deal. They remember the hostages and care about them. Instead of shifts and protests, which were canceled, there are many Zooms. We feel that in the media we are being heard, despite the attack in Iran. We want to remind both the decision-makers and everyone else that when you run to the protected space, think about the hostages.”“The campaign in Iran can go on for a long time and push aside what is happening in Gaza,” says Anat Angrest, mother of the abducted soldier Matan Angrest. “But I want to hope that the 53 hostages are in the awareness of the decision-makers inside the bunker. I want to hope that what is happening now is coordinated with the United States. Because until today I have not seen a plan for a war in Gaza. All I saw is that we went into a war of revenge. I saw that we lost many soldiers and hostages and it has already been a year and nine months that everything is being conducted the same way.”
Anat and Haggai Angrest, parents of the abducted soldier Matan Angrest
“It could be that this campaign that was opened in Iran is part of a joint plan with the United States, strategic, and from here we can start to end the other campaigns. Even though everyone is being frightened that there will be another October 7th, we understand that Hamas is very very weakened – especially when all the leadership there was eliminated. What they have left in their hands is only the hostages. So maybe this really will allow the release of all of them, without existential fear for the State of Israel, as long as Iran is being dealt with. I really hope this is the scenario, that it is part of the strategy.” link
- "Profoundly apologetic, but this negligent man keeps raising the bar for failure."
- Efrat Saranga, 44 from Bat Yam is one of the people killed from the direct missile hit this morning in Bat YamMAY HER MEMORY BE A REVOLUTION!
- A massive destruction radius around the Weizmann Institute This is what it looks like
- IDF Home Front Command extends ban on gatherings; schools and workplaces to remain closed
Following a fresh assessment, the IDF Home Front Command says there are no changes to guidelines for civilians amid the conflict with Iran.
All gatherings are prohibited, and schools will not open. Workplaces are also closed, apart from those deemed critical.
The guidelines remain in effect until Tuesday night, when the Home Front Command will conduct another assessment.
- War with Iran costs Israel nearly $1 billion daily, ex-defense official saysBrig. Gen. (res.) Re'em Aminach says costs are split evenly between offense and defense, with indirect economic damage still uncalculated; finance officials warn the ongoing fighting could further strain a budget already hit by the war in Gaza
Israel’s war with Iran is costing the country about 2.75 billion shekels — roughly $725 million — per day in direct military expenses alone, according to a former senior defense official.Brig. Gen. (res.) Re'em Aminach, a former financial adviser to the IDF chief of staff, said the initial two days of fighting amounted to approximately 5.5 billion shekels ($1.45 billion), split evenly between offensive and defensive operations. The estimate excludes damage to civilian property and broader economic fallout.Offensive costs included Israel’s initial strike on Iran, which Aminach said cost about 2.25 billion shekels ($593 million) and covered flight hours and munitions. The remaining amount went toward defense measures such as interceptor use and reserve mobilization.“These are direct costs only,” said Aminach, who also served as head of the Defense Ministry’s Budget Department and the IDF’s economic division. “The indirect costs — including impact on gross domestic product — cannot be measured at this stage.”The Finance Ministry has set a deficit ceiling of 4.9% of GDP for the current fiscal year, or roughly 105 billion shekels ($27.6 billion). While the budget includes an emergency reserve, most of it was already depleted during the war in Gaza, and does not account for the conflict with Iran.Despite the rising costs, the ministry recently increased its tax revenue forecast, raising expected income from 517.1 billion shekels to 538.6 billion shekels — a gain of 21.5 billion shekels ($5.6 billion).Still, the war has triggered a downward revision in the country's economic outlook. The ministry cut its 2025 growth forecast from 4.3% to 3.6%, a figure based on the assumption that reserve duty call-ups will decline starting in the third quarter — a scenario that now appears increasingly unlikely, particularly as the government intensifies military operations in Gaza.Separately, the Israel Tax Authority’s Compensation Fund, which pays for damage to civilian property, disbursed 2.4 billion shekels from January through May 2025. Net withdrawals from the fund reached 3 billion shekels. Officials say additional funding will likely be required, given the extensive damage reported in multiple locations.Although Compensation Fund expenses are not counted in the official deficit — due to a longstanding and controversial accounting practice — they are classified as public debt and are included in assessments of the war’s total cost. link - Missile attack causes minor damage to US embassy in Tel Aviv, envoy says
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee says the US embassy branch in Tel Aviv suffered damage from a volley of Iranian missiles that targeted the area early Monday.
“Some minor damage from concussions of Iranian missile hits near Embassy Branch in @TelAviv but no injuries to US personnel,” he writes on X.
He says the American embassies and consulates remain closed, with a shelter in place order still in effect.
- At least 8 killed, nearly 300 hurt as Iranian missiles slam into Israeli cities
Elderly, children among casualties in Tel Aviv, Petah Tikva, Bnei Brak and Haifa; direct hits on homes leave widespread devastation
At least eight people were killed and hundreds injured early Monday as a massive Iranian missile strike pummeled multiple cities across Israel, with direct hits reported in Tel Aviv, Petah Tikva, Bnei Brak and Haifa. In Petah Tikva, four people were killed after an Iranian missile struck a residential tower. Despite taking shelter in a fortified room, three elderly residents—two women and one man in their 70s—were fatally injured when the missile made a direct hit.Hours later, rescue crews recovered the body of a man in his 80s from the wreckage of another building in nearby Bnei Brak, where a school was also damaged.Magen David Adom paramedic David Suissa, who assisted in rescue efforts there, said, “We found the man unconscious and trapped. Despite medical checks, we had to pronounce him dead at the scene.”n Haifa, a missile struck another residential area, where three individuals previously reported missing were later found dead under the rubble.Residential blocks in Tel Aviv also sustained direct hits. Over 100 people were injured in the city, including a 10-year-old boy in serious condition and a newborn baby. Medical teams responded to distressing scenes. In one case, friends of the newborn's mother brought the baby to emergency crews for examination. One medic checked his breathing and asked the women to stay with him until the mother arrived. Minutes later, she rushed over, still in pain from recent surgery, saying she had been delayed retrieving medications.One of the missiles exploded near the U.S. Embassy compound. Ambassador Mike Huckabee confirmed that the U.S. Embassy and consulate would remain closed under ongoing shelter-in-place orders. “Some minor damage from concussions of Iranian missile hits near the Embassy Branch in Tel Aviv,” Huckabee said, “but no injuries to U.S. personnel.”In Petah Tikva, MDA medic Alon Weiss described rescuing a mother and her one-year-old baby from a heavily damaged 20-story building. “They were in the safe room when the missile hit,” he said. “I helped them reach a safe location and, thankfully, they didn’t require further medical treatment.”By Monday morning, hospitals across Israel had received 287 people injured in the overnight strikes. According to health officials, one person was in serious condition, 13 were moderately wounded, 240 suffered light injuries and 11 were treated for shock. Another 25 were undergoing further evaluation. The Health Ministry directed clinics and mental health centers to boost psychological support services to reduce non-essential hospital visits.Defense Minister Israel Katz declared, “The boastful dictator in Tehran has become a cowardly murderer, deliberately targeting Israeli civilians to deter the IDF from continuing its campaign—which is collapsing Iran’s capabilities. The people of Tehran will pay the price—and soon.”Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes on Iran continued in retaliation. Officials said the IDF targeted key Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) facilities in Tehran.Missile impact sparks fire in Tel AvivThe IDF alerted everyone in Israel to remain near shelters ahead of an expected missile attack, after reports in Iran that Israeli fighters attacked the underground uranium enrichment facility at Fordow. Authorities later reported that two more bodies were pulled out from the site of Saturday's Iranian missile strike in Bat Yam, raising the death toll to nine. Earlier, Home Front Command issued updated safety instructions for residents across several regions, including Tel Aviv and the Dan region, Jerusalem, the Shfela, the Sharon, Judea and Samaria, the Yarkon area, Lachish, the Jordan Valley and Beit She'an, urging them to remain close to protected shelters ahead of an impending attack from Iran. Even after more than an hour, the IDF said the order is in place until further notice.Residential block in Tel Aviv destroyed in missile strike(Photo: Dana Kopel)The IDF advised minimizing public movement and avoiding gatherings. “Upon hearing a warning siren, enter a protected space immediately and remain there until an official update is issued,” the statement said.Shortly after the alert, the military announced that the Israeli Air Force was actively striking surface-to-surface missile sites in central Iran in what appears to be a preemptive operation.Iranian media reported that air defense systems were activated near key nuclear and military sites in Isfahan, Qom and Parchin, just prior to expected missile launches toward Israel.Meanwhile, a senior official told Reuters that Iran has informed Qatari and Omani mediators it will not enter ceasefire negotiations with Israel while strikes on its territory continue. The official said Tehran would only consider “serious talks” after completing its response to Israeli attacks. link - Report claims two Petah Tikva victims were in protected room that took direct hit
The scene where a ballistic missile fired from Iran hit a building in Petah Tikva, June 16, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)Two of the four people killed in Petah Tikva were sheltering in a protected space in their home, Army Radio reports, citing an initial investigation.
According to the report, the missile, carrying a large explosive payload, impacted a wall right between two reinforced rooms, which were unable to withstand the intensity of the blast.
Israeli authorities say reinforced rooms located inside apartments are suitable protective spaces in case of attack, though they are largely designed to protect against shrapnel, and unlike underground bunkers used for public shelters, cannot necessarily stand up to a direct impact of heavy explosives.
According to officials, reinforced rooms have saved countless lives in the missile barrages from Iran thus far.
The two other fatalities were reportedly outside of protective spaces when the missile struck. One person was on the floor above where the missile hit and the other was in a neighboring building hit by the blast wave, Army Radio reports.
There is no confirmation of the report. link
- 56% of the population do not have protected spaces in their homes or apartment buildings. In Tel Aviv, many people are using the 7 open underground lite train stations and sleeping there. The stations have air conditioning and bathrooms, although not enough for so many people over such long periods. Home Front command will be bringing chemical bathrooms in close proximity to the stations. The people staying in the stations have brought mattresses, bedding, food and games to entertain themselves. The reason that only 7 are open is due to the many train guards who have been called to reserve duty. As a result, the National Security Council have moved responsibility for the stations to the local municipalities. The home front command and the municipalities need to supply social workers to aid those who have panic attacks during the missile attacks. More stations will be opening.
Just moments ago, at the site of the devastating strike in Bat Yam (he should also visit Tamra... what do they say? "Visit"?), Netanyahu said:
"Imagine if they had 20,000 missiles."
You're right, Bibi. But hand on the pacemaker: You've been blathering and fearmongering about Iran for over 30 years!! Warning, threatening, pontificating, speechifying—what haven’t you done? Words like sand, slipping through fingers.
But as usual—just like with Hamas in Gaza, just like with Hezbollah in Lebanon, and especially with Iran—you hesitated, delayed, failed to act, ignored, talked again, babbled again, even funded some of them in certain places. You didn’t hear, didn’t listen, didn’t respond to the pleas and requests of defense chiefs for years. Too many years.
So now Iran has "only" 2,500 ballistic missiles, and we’ve seen what just one can do!
And you either don’t understand—or you do and are trying to manipulate public perception—of where you’ve brought us!!
And now, when you’ve finally mustered the courage to authorize the defense establishment to act—let them work, and you start focusing on a diplomatic exit strategy!! Because everyone knows Israel alone cannot dismantle Iran’s nuclear program. Start cooperating with the West on how to end this with a favorable deal for Israel! Instead of dragging us into a war of attrition that everyone knows we can’t sustain long-term.
You disgrace. link
- Gaza and the South
GHF again says Gaza aid sites to be open during hours that IDF says access routes will be closed
Despite previous repeated IDF announcements that access routes to Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution sites will be closed from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., GHF again says its distribution center opened during those hours.
GHF and IDF spokespeople have yet to explain the discrepancy, despite near-daily instances of Israeli soldiers opening fire at Gazans who were said to have strayed off the access roads or used them when they were supposed to be closed.
While the IDF was the one that issued statements in recent weeks, warning Gazans against using access roads to distribution sites between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., an army spokesperson refers The Times of Israel to COGAT for clarification. COGAT has yet to respond to request for comment.
GHF posted on its Arabic Facebook page that its Khan Younis site would be open at 6:15 pm this evening. The post was published shortly before the opening. An hour later, a post updated Gazans that the site was closed after all of the aid was distributed.
- GHF says it distributed 36,000 boxes of aid in Gaza today, most of them in Rafah’s Tel Sultan neighborhood
After pausing its activities for a day on orders from the IDF, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation opens three of its distribution sites in southern Gaza.
The GHF says it delivered 36,000 boxes today, totaling over 2.1 million meals. As is usually the case, the majority of meals were distributed at the site near the coast in Rafah’s Tel Sultan neighborhood, in southern Gaza.
According to GHF, which employs inconsistent math in daily statements about its distribution efforts, each box contains nearly 58 meals, which it says is enough to feed 5.5 people for 3.5 days.
There were no reports of violence at the sites.
“Our team was pleased to return to normal delivery operations today to provide emergency food for the Palestinian people in Gaza,” says GHF interim executive John Acree in a statement.
“Since we stood down operations due to security concerns yesterday, we were able to repair our distribution site in Khan Younis and continue operations there and at our other sites today. We continue to do all we can in Gaza to conduct operations at all four sites to help all beneficiaries receive food aid safely.”
- Politics and the War and General News
Rescue flights for Israelis will begin within 72 hours | The agreement between Transportation Minister Regev and the Ministry of Defense
More than one hundred thousand Israelis are still stuck abroad since the skies were closed – and we published on N12 that the Ministry of Defense approved for Transportation Minister to begin the outline within 3 days • Regev: the return of the Israelis from abroad will be done gradually, there are about 150 thousand who are stuck abroad • Rescue flights are expected to depart from three continents back to Israel • The outline that was formulated will provide a partial solution: it involves the landing of only two planes per hour and only during daylight
The skies are still closed, but soon they are expected to open, even if partially: this morning (Monday) we published for the first time on N12 that the Ministry of Defense approved for Transportation Minister Miri Regev to begin operating rescue flights for more than one hundred thousand Israelis who are stuck abroad.
According to the agreement, the flights will begin in no more than 72 hours, when the main destinations that are emerging from which the flights to Israel will depart are: Athens, Larnaca, New York and Bangkok. There will be an announcement 6 hours before the opening of Israel's airspace.
The Israeli airlines will distribute throughout the day organized links for registration, which will essentially be for a waiting list for a flight, including the selection of the destination from which they intend to fly. The one expected to decide on prioritizing the people who will be selected to board the flights is the National Emergency Authority (RAHEL), whose criteria have not yet been published. In any case, Israelis will not be able to fly from Israel abroad – it is only about flights to Israel.
In a statement to the media, Transportation Minister Miri Regev said: “An intelligence and operational window of opportunity has been created to deal with the threat of Iran. I am aware of the distress of one hundred thousand Israelis wanting to return home, but we must understand – we will not take a risk of bringing a plane and, God forbid, there will be an event on the ground that we will have to explain how we approved it to land with more than 300 dead.”
“We will carry out the return of the Israelis to Israel in a gradual and coordinated manner with the Ministry of Defense. We will not approve departures of Israelis at this stage. Those who are leaving Israel are people who came to visit, such as tourists, Birthright participants, or diplomats. We are working to return the 100–150 thousand who are abroad in various locations... we will return them home in a gradual and organized way.”
In an address to the many Israelis who are abroad, she said: “I raised to the cabinet the option of compensation, but I ask for patience from the people abroad. There is no need to panic. You are abroad. Enjoy.”
Even though it is a positive development, it is still only a partial solution for more than 100 thousand Israelis who cannot return home, since this outline includes the landing of only two flights per hour, and only during daylight hours. According to estimates, there are even about 150,000 Israelis stuck abroad.
Ben Gurion Airport has been closed to air traffic since Thursday, the airlines announced the cancellation of their flights to and from Israel – and masses remained abroad without the ability to return to Israel. Now the situation is expected to change, even if slowly. The meaning is that the pace of returning all the Israelis will be especially slow and may take many weeks, and even far beyond that.
In an interview with News 12 on Saturday night, Director of the Civil Airports Authority Shmuel Zakai said: “We will not renew aviation at full pace, it will be slow, gradual, it can be stopped for periods of time. The first goal is to prevent harm to people and planes.” According to Zakai, “At the Airports Authority we prepared for the event for many months, the first thing we did was to evacuate as quickly as possible all the aircraft fleet from Israel in order to ensure its survival.”
Arkia CEO Oz Berlovich addressed the outline and said: “The state must understand that the current aviation crisis is a national crisis, and it must prepare accordingly,” said Berlovich. “The current outline does not suit the reality. I call on decision-makers to update it immediately and to enable a broad and significant air bridge back to Israel.” link Miri Regev is quite possibly the worst transportation minister in the annals of the state. For the last 2 years, during the war, she has been out of the country on her junkets as much as she has been in the country and has tried to hide various side trips that she had from the press and the guards assigned to protect this minister on her junkets. Throughout the war, with the many airlines canceling their flights and El Al price gouging, she did absolutely nothing to repair, remediate or fix the situation: total failure and not even excuses for why she doesn't do her job. Her side job of being in change of State Ceremonies such as Independence and Memorial Days are far more important to her and are referred to as Miri Regev Productions. And now with the situation of having nearly 200,000 Israelis stranded abroad, her efforts are minimal and she has the gall to say:
"There is no need to panic. You are abroad. Enjoy.” The Israelis who are trying to get home don't want to 'enjoy'. They want to be with their families in these trying times. From personal experience of being out of the country on October 7, being away is worse than being here. The anxiety is unbearable and all the attempts to get home are excruciating. Like most of this failed government, Regev is totally disconnected from the reality that the public is living in. They have been disconnected since October 7 and do nothing to catch up.
- Police detain at least 3 at small Tel Aviv protest against operations in Iran, Gaza
Police detain at least three people at a roughly 35-person protest against the war in Gaza and Israel’s attacks on Iran, at Tel Aviv’s Habima Square.
Among those arrested is anti-war activist Itamar Greenberg. Officers push his face against a car and accuse him of resisting arrest, as he shouts that he is not.
Some three dozen police officers showed up as the protesters appeared set to shout slogans at the mostly empty road.
The officers declare the protest illegal under IDF Home Front Command rules, which forbid public gatherings due to the threat of missiles from Iran, and give the protesters five minutes to disperse.
The protesters then spread out across the square, standing in silence with signs bearing slogans against the Gaza and Iran offensives.
Officers form a row and comb across the plaza as the protesters refuse to disperse, snatching any signs they come across.
Some of the few pedestrians egg on the cops and curse the protesters.
Businesses at the central square are almost entirely closed because of the missile threat. The announcement for the protest included a caveat that there is a safe room nearby.
Some 20 remaining protesters wait about 15 minutes until police leave and begin chanting “Stop the genocide” while beating a drum.
- Police, Shin Bet say two Jewish Israelis arrested on suspicion of carrying out missions for Iran
Security forces arrested last night two Jewish Israelis suspected of carrying out missions for Iran, say the police and Shin Bet.
The two suspects are just one of 22 incidents of Iranian espionage thwarted by authorities since the outbreak of the war, according to spokespeople for the agencies.
The suspects’ identifying details remain barred from publication after a gag order was placed on the investigation.
“With a campaign against Iran in full swing, firing at population centers and strategic locations in Israel, we are witnessing the damage and danger posed by cooperating with the Iranian enemy, which exploits the information that these Israelis transferred in order to harm Israel,” says the Shin Bet in a statement.
The two suspects were arrested in an overnight raid by Shin Bet agents and officers in Yamam, the Border Police’s elite counter-terror unit.
They were interrogated by investigators in the police’s Lahav 433 major crimes unit and are being held on suspicion of committing grave security offenses, police say.
- Kibbutz Re’im members leave temporary homes in Tel Aviv, head home to ‘safer’ south
One of the two Tel Aviv apartment towers housing evacuated Kibbutz Re'im residents for the last 14 months, with a banner reading, 'Re'im on the way home,' on January 14, 2025. (Jessica Steinberg/Times of Israel)In a bizarre turn of events, many residents of Kibbutz Re’im, a Gaza border community targeted in the October 7, 2023, onslaught, have over the past two days left their temporary accommodation in two towers in south Tel Aviv and headed home, according to the kibbutz secretary.
“Most of the community is in Re’im at the moment,” Zohar Mizrahi tells The Times of Israel. She adds, “It’s not clear whether they will stay or go back to Tel Aviv.”
Re’im is the first of eight border communities to which the state expects members and residents to return this summer, following renovations to buildings damaged during the Hamas-led invasion and massacre.
Until Friday, when Israel attacked Iranian nuclear and military targets and the Islamic Republic began firing ballistic missiles at the Jewish state in retaliation, around 200 out of 428 residents had returned to Re’im, with 170 still residing in the Tel Aviv tower blocks or elsewhere in the country.
However, the damage caused by Iranian missiles that have made it past Israel’s aerial defenses has so far been to buildings in the center and north of the country.
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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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