🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 639, 2023

🎗️Day 639 that 50 of our hostages are still in Hamas captivity🎗️

There is nothing more important than getting them home! NOTHING!

“I’ve never met them,
But I miss them.
I’ve never met them,
but I think of them every second.
I’ve never met them,
but they are my family.
BRING THEM HOME NOW!!!”
We’re waiting for you, all of you.
A deal is the only way to bring
all the hostages home- the murdered for burial and the living for rehabilitation.

#BringThemHomeNow #TurnTheHorrorIntoHope

There is no victory until all of the hostages are home!
‎אין נצחון עד שכל החטופים בבית

Red Alerts - Missile, Rocket, Drone (UAV - unmanned aerial vehicles), and Terror Attacks and Death Announcements

8:20pm yesterday- Gaza envelope- IDF says it downed two rockets fired from Gaza. Following the siren that sounded a few moments ago in the community of Kissufim, the IDF says that two rockets were launched from southern Gaza toward Israeli territory. Both were intercepted by the Air Force. No injuries or damage have been reported

2:55am - Dead Sea area - Ballistic missile from Yemen- successfully intercepted. No reports of injuries or damage

Hostage Updates

Until the last hostage

A narrow window for peace in Gaza - by Gershon Baskin
With US pressure mounting and a tentative offer on the table, a deal to end the Gaza war could be struck within weeks – if key players act now

On Monday of next week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet President Donald Trump at the White House. Based on Trump’s social media post, he is likely to tell Netanyahu that the war in Gaza must end and that all of the hostages must be brought home.

From what we know – confirmed by first-hand sources – Hamas has four main demands:

A permanent ceasefire (i.e., an end to the war);
Withdrawal of all Israeli troops from Gaza;
Release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, including those convicted of killing Israelis;
A significant increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza.

In exchange, Hamas is reportedly prepared to release all of the hostages (50 in total, including the living and the bodies of the deceased) and to transfer governance of Gaza to a Palestinian civilian technocratic government.

Hamas has not, however, agreed to disarm, to hand over its weapons to the new Palestinian government, or to have its armed personnel leave Gaza with their families. Still, this is the deal that could be secured next week – first, if Trump compels Netanyahu to accept it, and second, if officials like Witkoff, along with Qatar and Egypt, press Hamas to accept and begin implementation. The war in Gaza could, theoretically, be over within one to two weeks.

After withdrawal: What Hamas might do

My assessment is that once Israeli soldiers are no longer in Gaza, Hamas’s armed personnel will have no immediate targets. Hamas lacks both the capacity and the motivation to continue launching rockets and mortars into Israel once the war is over.

Their priority will likely be protecting themselves from angry Gazans. For that reason, Hamas may hold onto their weapons until they feel secure or are prepared to leave. Disarming Hamas will take more time and must be overseen by a new, temporary Palestinian government in Gaza that is not Hamas.

That government can then invite Arab forces to help establish law, order, and basic governance. These forces – according to public statements – will only enter Gaza in coordination with an Israeli withdrawal.

The urgency of Palestinian leadership

What must happen now is this: PA President Mahmoud Abbas must appoint the head of the temporary Gaza government – or release a list of names for those who will lead it.

Back in March, the Palestinian Authority, with Egypt’s support, published a list of 15 technocratic candidates. Most of these names are reportedly acceptable to the Palestinian public. Different names could also be chosen. What matters is that this move happens immediately. There is no reason for Abbas to delay even a day longer in announcing either a leader or the full “Gaza Support Committee.”

Since Israel blocked a planned meeting of the foreign ministers of the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, and Turkey, Abbas should instead convene all foreign diplomats based in the Palestinian Authority and Israel in Ramallah. This meeting would allow them to voice support for the Palestinian plan to take over Gaza once the war ends.

Abbas would likely receive the backing of much of the international community, which is essential to addressing Gaza’s humanitarian crisis and rebuilding effective governance.

A chance to align with the global agenda

Reuniting Palestinian governance is, first and foremost, in the Palestinians’ interest. But it also aligns with wider regional and international priorities. If Palestinian leadership acts now, then forums like the rescheduled Franco-Saudi summit in Paris – or the September UN General Assembly under the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution (which includes over 90 countries) – would have a more concrete agenda for Gaza reconstruction and progress toward peace.

In his June 10, 2025 letter to President Macron, President Abbas laid out commitments that the international community can build on:

The disarming of Hamas;
Deployment of international forces under a UN Security Council mandate to protect Palestinian civilians;
A full peace agreement with Israel leading to a two-state solution;
Palestinian elections within one year;
A pledge to end payments to families of prisoners and martyrs.

A deal within reach

The war must end now. The hostages must return home. Hamas can no longer govern Gaza and, at this point, does not present an active threat to Israel.

Trump can assure Netanyahu that, should Hamas attempt to rebuild its military capabilities, Israel would retain the right to re-enter Gaza – with full US backing. At the same time, Trump can tell Hamas that as long as they refrain from rebuilding their military threat, the United States will help guarantee the ceasefire and the end of the war.

This outcome is within reach. But only if the key players act – immediately. link

Israel sends team to Qatar for hostage talks, but deems Hamas demands ‘unacceptable’
Hostage families demand comprehensive deal, comparing partial deals that leave some behind to ‘selection’ at Nazi death camps; PM set to discuss Gaza at Monday meeting with Trump

An Israeli negotiating team was set to travel to Qatar Sunday for indirect talks with the Hamas terror group on a hostage release and ceasefire deal, as mediators bear down on the sides amid intensifying efforts to clinch an agreement.

The Prime Minister’s Office announced the plans late Saturday, but also cautioned in a statement that Hamas had suggested several “unacceptable” amendments to a brewing US- and Israel-backed proposal.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dispatched the team to Qatar just as he was set to depart for Washington to meet with US President Donald Trump Monday for talks on Gaza, Iran and other subjects.

Hamas on Friday gave a “positive” response to the framework proposal on the table, which would see about half of the living hostages and about half of the dead hostages held by terror groups in Gaza returned to Israel over 60 days, in five separate releases.

According to a source involved in the mediation efforts, Hamas proposed three amendments to the proposed framework.

The source said that Hamas wants the agreement to say that talks on a permanent ceasefire will continue until an agreement is reached; that aid will fully resume through mechanisms backed by the United Nations and other international aid organizations; and that the IDF withdraw to positions it maintained before the collapse of the previous ceasefire in March.

The PMO, in response, said that the proposed changes were delivered Friday night, and “are not acceptable to Israel,” but that a delegation would nevertheless head to Doha on Sunday.
It did not specify which of the changes were deemed unacceptable.
As the country waits to find out if a hostage deal will truly materialize, and what shape it will take if it does, families of the hostages and allies rallied across the country on Saturday night, urging the government to seal a deal for the release of all the hostages at once even at the cost of agreeing to Hamas’s demand for a permanent end to the war.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, in a statement prior to the rallies, criticized the partial deal that appears to be taking shape, which, if finalized, will leave a number of hostages behind in Gaza after the 60-day truce period.

“At this critical time, we must not conform to the various ‘Schindler’s lists’ being dictated, as if it wasn’t possible to bring them all back long ago,” the forum said, invoking the memory of the roughly 1,200 Jews who survived the Holocaust by being chosen to work in Oskar Schindler’s factory.

The Forum said the method of releasing hostages via selective lists and in phases creates “unbearable uncertainty” for the families.
“All of the hostages could have been returned for rehabilitation and burial many months ago, if only the government had chosen to do so rather than operate based on considerations of political survival.”

Hostage families have previously compared partial deals — such as the weeklong truce in November 2023, which saw 105 hostages released, and the two-month pause in fighting during the first months of 2025, when 30 hostages were released — to the Nazi “selection” of Jews who arrived at death camps, between those who were sent straight to the gas chambers and those who were kept alive for forced labor.

Speaking at the forum-led rally at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square on Saturday night, Maccabit Meyer, the aunt of twin-brother hostages Gali and Ziv Berman, invoked the reference, telling a 2,000-odd crowd: “It’s time for a deal that saves everyone, living and fallen — a deal without ‘selection.’”

Demonstrators call on the government to strike a deal with the Hamas terror group to secure the release of hostages, at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, July 5, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Yuval Sharabi, daughter of slain hostage Yossi Sharabi and niece of released hostage Eli Sharabi, told protesters that Israel’s accomplishments over the 12-day war with Iran last month “were incredible, but if we don’t leverage that to a single comprehensive deal, it’ll be an unbearable diplomatic failure.”
“This country, Dad, is not the one you knew,” she said. “We’re working every day to bring back the values that used to be self-evident. To remind people that the living hostages have to return before we lose them like we lost you.”
Terror groups are still holding a total of 50 hostages in the Strip. Twenty of them are believed to be alive, and 28 have been confirmed dead; Jerusalem has reported “grave concerns” about another two.

Even as both sides are engaged in intense talks about a cessation of hostilities, fighting has continued to rage in the Gaza Strip, and two rockets were fired toward Israel, triggering sirens in the border community of Kissufim. Both were intercepted by the Israeli Air Force, and there were no reports of injuries or damage.

Hostage’s brother blasts ‘terrorists’ Ben Gvir, Smotrich
At a separate, anti-government demonstration led by hostage families on Tel Aviv’s Begin Road, Yotam Cohen, the brother of captive soldier Nimrod Cohen, assailed the emerging deal.
“Why the hell are we going for a partial deal?” he fumed, addressing a crowd of some 1,500 demonstrators. “A deal that will leave Hamas in place for at least two months takes and will take a heavy toll on the Israeli economy, and worst of all — leave 10 living hostages in captivity.”
Cohen accused National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich — who have opposed previous hostage-truce deals and threatened to collapse the government if the war is allowed to end with Hamas still governing the Strip — of dragging Israel into an interminable “religious war.”

“We must not let the terrorists Ben Gvir and Smotrich sacrifice more soldiers [and] sentence more hostages to death on an altar of settlements and messianism,” said Cohen.

According to the Kan public broadcaster, Netanyahu, who hopes to avoid the two ultranationalist ministers from following through on their threats to resign, has told them that he will not allow the war to end without the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.
He has also urged them to hold off on resigning as the Knesset breaks for the summer at the end of July, Kan reported, and to see how the first 60-day phase of the ceasefire pans out before making any decisions.

Itai Shteinmetz, 25, a reservist combat medic, also addressed anti-government protesters at the Begin Road protest, where he called for an end to the war in the name of weary soldiers.
“We are demanded to go from 0-100 so many times, that we seem to have forgotten what it’s like to live in a proper country, in a country where the aim of a war is to stop fighting,” he said.
“Our leadership thinks that we live here with the aim of fighting forever for their seats; they have it all wrong. Their job is to do everything they can so we don’t have to fight anymore.”

Hamas demands ceasefire last until it’s made permanent
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his security cabinet around 10 p.m. on Saturday to discuss the hostage negotiations; at the meeting, it was decided that Israel would send a negotiating team to Doha, Qatar on Sunday, despite the changes Hamas suggested to the framework.

Among the changes demanded by the terror group, according to a source involved in the mediation efforts, is the provision that talks on a permanent ceasefire will continue until an agreement is reached.

Jerusalem has refused to agree to any deal that would end the war with Hamas still in control of the Strip. A previous hostage-truce deal, reached in January, outlined a three-phase process that would end with a permanent ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal from the Strip; Israel declined to enter negotiations on an end to the war, and the ceasefire collapsed after the first phase.

According to the same source, Hamas is demanding that aid fully resume through mechanisms backed by the UN and international aid organizations.
Jerusalem, which maintains that Hamas often commandeers these aid shipments, has instead backed the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US- and Israel-backed group that seeks to avoid exploitation by terror groups; GHF, however, has seen near-daily mass casualty events at or near its distribution sites, amid acknowledged IDF fire and reported Hamas fire; on Sunday, terror group operatives attacked a GHF site, wounding two American contractors.

Palestinians gather at an aid distribution point set up by the privately-run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), near the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on June 25, 2025. (Eyad BABA / AFP)

Finally, according to the source, Hamas wants the Israel Defense Forces to withdraw to positions it maintained before the collapse of the previous ceasefire in March.
In May, the IDF launched an operation called Gideon’s Chariots, seeking to take control of over 75% of the Strip; IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said late last month that the offensive would soon “reach the lines” set out for it.

PM flying to Washington on Sunday; Trump ‘optimistic’
With hostage deal talks ramping up and an Israeli delegation headed for Doha, Netanyahu will also depart Israel for Washington on Sunday, where he is expected to meet with Trump the following day.
The premier is currently scheduled to fly back on Thursday, but regularly extends his visits abroad over Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest, at the taxpayers’ expense.

Early Saturday Israel time, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he had not yet been briefed on Hamas’s response to the proposal; but, he said, “I think they’re going to be positive about it. We have to get it over with.”

“There could be a Gaza deal next week,” Trump added. “I’m very optimistic. But, you know, look — it changes from day to day.” link It is very clear what the majority of Israel wants: an end to the war and the return of all the hostages at once, not in any phased deal. Netanyahu is finally succumbing to pressure by Trump when he agreed that this deal will include negotiations to end the war. Although he already agreed to that in the last 2 phased deal, he breached that deal immediately and refused to send any negotiators to discuss the end of the war. This time, he doesn't have any choice. Trump will not let him off the hook. So, Netanyahu wants the original Witkoff proposal that now includes 5 phases of hostage releases, which is inhumane to the hostages and their families. That doesn't impact Netanyahu at all. His political survival is the only thing that has importance to him.
That is his primary reason for going to Washington. Of course, he wants all the PR he can get when they publicly talk about the successes of Iran for which he will take all of the credit along with giving credit to his BFF Trump. But for him, the most important task at hand is to convince Trump to enable him to drag out the process for as long as Netanyahu deems necessary for his political survival. Netanyahu will guarantee to Trump that he will end the war but according to his timing for political benefit. That means that the earliest that war can end is October or November. The first part of this ceasefire is for 2 months, which takes up into mid to end September and they have yet to negotiate the second part which is the part where agreements to end the war will take place. Trump wants the ceasefire and negotiations to continue even if agreement hasn't been reached by the end of the 60 day ceasefire. We have been in this situation before when a ceasefire has been extended, yet no hostages were being released. For the sake of argument, let's say that an agreement is reached within the 60 days. The ending of the war and release of the remaining hostages will once again be a phased agreement because that suits Netanyahu, so we can expect another 60 days and that brings us to the end of the year which is precisely when Netanyahu will go into full election mode as elections will most likely be towards the end of the first quarter of 2026 or the very beginning of the 2nd quarter.
Netanyahu currently is facing Smotrich and Ben Gvir's threats to bring down the government if he agrees to any deal to end the war. He is busy telling them to wait, at least a month or two while the first phase is going on to see that he is not giving up and will accomplish what they want. Smotrich will definitely give in to Netanyahu because he can't afford to leave the government. Ben Gvir may or may not give Netanyahu those months but even if he doesn't, Ben Gvir's departure will not bring down the government.
Trump, for his part wants an end to the war as it will help him keep a campaign promise as well as bring him a step closer nomination and possibly winning the Nobel Peace Prize, which plays a huge part of his calculations. He wants Netanyahu to stay prime minister and win the next elections, so the chances are very good that he will give in to Netanyahu's timed plan. Netanyahu will put it to him that with the timed plan lasting 4-5 months, he will guarantee Trump his win and keep Netanyahu in place. He will further convince Trump that if he were to go with a deal to immediately end the war and bring home the hostages, the cabinet will not approve the plan and the government will fall which will put Netanyahu's future in question. He will make it very simple for Trump because Trump needs to have things explained in simple terms. If he pushes for immediate deals to end the war, everything can blow up. If he allows Netanyahu to play out his political game (at the expense of the hostages and the whole country), both Trump and Netanyahu will get their wins big time. Trump, like all narcissists wants immediate gratification but Netanyahu will temper that by giving him a close to exact date of when it will all come together and that will most likely satisfy Trump.
Despite the needs of the hostages, the hostage families, the country, Netanyahu will always do what's good for him first and he will likely convince Trump as well.

Israeli team at hostage talks is high level, but does not include senior-most officials — report

Israel’s delegation to Doha includes government hostage point man Gal Hirsch, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political adviser Ophir Falk, deputy Shin Bet chief “Mem,” and a senior Mossad official, Army Radio reports.

The delegation is high-level, but at this stage does not include the senior-most officials who have been involved in talks — Mossad chief David Barnea, acting Shin Bet head “Shin” and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer. link There are a number of reasons that Netanyahu didn't send the top members and leaders of the negotiating team. First, about 2 of the people he did send: Gal Hirsch, who is supposedly the point man for the hostage negotiations. Hirsch is eminently unqualified for the position and it was purely a political appointment by someone who is beholden to Netanyahu. At most, he has been someone to talk to (sometimes) the hostage families and doesn't really have any role in the negotiations. Ophir Falk is an advisor and confidant to Netanyahu and is there now, as he has been present in other negotiations that Netanyahu made sure would fail, to make sure that no one in the negotiations will bring up any issue that Netanyahu doesn't want brought up. At this stage, before Netanyahu's meeting with Trump and their closing ranks, Falk's presence means that any discussions about ending the war will not come up. That may change following Netanyahu's meeting with Trump, but if it does, Falk will make sure that any discussion will be 100% aligned with Netanyahu's orders, not a millimeter more.

Ahead of PM’s White House visit, Herzog urges Netanyahu to seal hostage deal even if ‘the cost is not simple’ - Herzog as president is a figurehead only and has no power, political or otherwise. He can only make statements, as he has done now. For most of the war, all of his statements about the hostages and negotiations were, at best, vanilla and didn't mean anything. In keeping with his past history as a politician, he was a total wimp. In the last 6 months or so, he has finally come out more forceful in his statements to the political echelon to make a deal, like he said today. However, other than making some headlines, there is nothing to back up his words. Netanyahu is being 'polite' in listening. He doesn't make any arguments or other statements because it means nothing and doesn't serve Netanyahu politically at all.

Brother of hostage Nimrod Cohen calls on Trump: 'We want end to war - only you can'
Yotam Cohen, brother of hostage Nimrod Cohen, said during the hostage families' statement at Begin Gate in the Kirya in Tel Aviv that "everyone knows Hamas has been defeated. Everyone understands we can operate in Gaza exactly as the IDF operates in Lebanon and will operate in Iran and that this is the time to leverage achievements. Ending the war and returning all hostages is Israel's clear interest. This is total victory." He addressed U.S. President Donald Trump in English: "The people of Israel want an end to the war and peace in the Middle East - only you can bring life to a region of death. Do not hesitate."

Hamas, Israel prepare to send delegations to Doha for hostage-ceasefire talks, report says

Israel at a crossroads: After terror group gives preliminary nod to deal, mediators push to launch fresh round of negotiations as Netanyahu convenes Cabinet

Both Israeli and Hamas delegations are expected to arrive in Doha as early as Sunday for renewed talks on a proposed ceasefire and hostage release agreement, two Palestinian sources close to Hamas told Saudi channel Al-Sharq on Saturday.

Hamas reportedly submitted a “positive” response to the proposal on Friday, with some qualifiers and additional demands attached.

The initiative follows months of mediation by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt, aimed at securing a 60-day truce that would include phased hostages–prisoners exchanges, a gradual Israeli withdrawal and significantly expanded humanitarian aid—as presented by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Late Friday, the Security Cabinet convened to review the draft deal. Sources suggest that a full delegation may head to Qatar as early as Sunday, pending a final decision later in the day.

Meanwhile, the Hostages Families Forum issued a rare public statement on Saturday warning against a “partial deal” or selective release of captives. The group criticized any structure they likened to a “Schindler’s list,” saying it would prolong the agony of 50 hostages—20 still alive, two in critical condition and 28 deceased. The statement demanded a comprehensive agreement ensuring the return of all captives, calling it “the moral, Zionist act.”

Current draft terms reportedly call for an initial release of 10 living hostages and 18 bodies, with further phases tied to prisoner exchanges and a mechanism to finalize a comprehensive deal within 60 days.
The government awaits the formal proposal delivery by Qatari and Egyptian mediators before authorizing its delegation. U.S. President Donald Trump, who has pushed for the deal and hopes to see it finalized next week, called Israel’s agreement to the conditions a breakthrough.

Israeli official says negotiating team to head to Doha for talks with Hamas on hostage deal

Demonstrators demand a deal to release hostages held in Gaza, at Hostages Square, Tel Aviv, July 5, 2025. (Paulina Patimer/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

Israel will send a negotiating team to Doha tomorrow, the office of a senior Israeli minister tells The Times of Israel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene his security cabinet at 10 p.m. tonight to discuss the upcoming proximity talks, and Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, DC tomorrow.

Netanyahu will take off at 4 p.m. from Ben Gurion Airport, and is expected to meet US President Donald Trump on Monday. He is currently scheduled to fly back on Thursday, but regularly extends his visits abroad over the Jewish Sabbath.

Israeli officials tell the Kan public broadcaster that Hamas has eased its demands due to pressure from mediators Qatar and the United States, adding that, “there is something to work with.”

The Israeli delegation is set to head to Doha tonight or tomorrow.

Israel and Iran

'They betrayed the country': Inside Israel's new prison wing for Iranian spies
Held in isolation and cut off from the outside world, detainees accused of aiding Iran are treated like enemies in every sense; Israel’s prison service says it’s fighting a war on sovereignty—behind bars
In a secluded corner of Damon Prison, behind iron gates and among heavily guarded wings housing Palestinian terrorists, a new ward has recently opened—a response to a troubling new trend worrying Israel’s security officials: a growing number of Israeli citizens suspected of spying for Iran.
“This is a war for sovereignty and we’re part of it—even if it’s happening behind bars,” said Deputy Commissioner Zohar Tsarfati, the prison’s commander, in an interview with Ynet.

These are not Hamas or Islamic Jihad prisoners but Israeli citizens, some with no prior criminal record, accused of collaborating with Iranian agents. The surge in such cases over the past year forced the Israel Prison Service (IPS) to address this unique phenomenon.

The suspects have been placed in an isolated wing, known as Wing 21, under exceptionally strict conditions in one of the prison’s most secure compounds. Until recently, these individuals were scattered across various prisons nationwide, but their increasing numbers, the sensitivity of intelligence concerns and the fear of sensitive information leaks prompted the creation of this separate wing.

Here, detainees are held under constant surveillance, with cameras installed inside their cells. A specially vetted, non-rotating staff oversees them and the compound is surrounded by a high fence. No visits or phone calls are permitted, ensuring maximum compartmentalization.
A large sign hangs in the wing’s courtyard: an image of a bombed Iran with the caption “New Iran,” a practice reminiscent of security wings holding Palestinian terrorists, where images of destruction in Gaza are displayed. The detainees spend much of their time writing petitions to the courts, primarily to improve their detention conditions.

‘Spies in every sense’
Initially, their conditions mirrored those of Palestinian prisoners, but recent court rulings, including some from the Central District Court, have granted certain requests for better treatment.
The IPS recognizes this is not a series of isolated incidents but an expanding phenomenon requiring a distinct response to an unusual internal threat. “We’re dealing with a completely different population from anything we’ve known before,” Tsarfati explained.

“These aren’t terrorists from the West Bank—these are Israeli citizens, born and raised here, some of whom led normal lives but chose to switch sides. Some have admitted to ties with Iranian intelligence; others have already passed information. To me, they’re spies in every sense.”
Unlike other security wings, Tsarfati noted, these detainees are sophisticated and understand the system well. “They’re intelligent, manipulative and know how to operate under the radar,” he said. “We’ve found hidden items on some of them. They know how to conceal and maneuver, which requires us to maintain constant vigilance, even when they’re in their cells and things seem quiet.”

Some argue these individuals were motivated solely by financial gain. “I hear that a lot: ‘What’s the big deal? They only took money,’” Tsarfati responded. “I don’t agree. Any contact with a hostile entity is a betrayal. These people opened the door to the enemy. It doesn’t matter how much they were paid—they sold out the country. We don’t know, but it’s not impossible that the information they passed was used in the recent conflict with Iran.”
Tsarfati described the small, enclosed wing: “It’s highly isolated, surrounded by iron fences, with cameras in the cells. The permanent staff consists of wardens who underwent special security vetting and don’t rotate to maintain maximum secrecy. No visits, no phone calls and letters are delivered only after inspection. It’s run like an elite unit, requiring silence, restraint and the highest level of professionalism.”
‘They don’t look different, but chose to act against you’

Dealing with these prisoners is challenging, the IPS says. “It’s not easy to look them in the eye,” Tsarfati shared. “They speak like you, they don’t look different, but you know they chose to act against you. It demands mental resilience. The staff must stay focused, not get emotional, and remain professional at all times.”
The complexity intensified during Operation Rising Lion, when Iran launched missiles at Israel. “During the escalation, one detainee asked me, ‘Is everything okay in the country?’ He didn’t know exactly what was happening but heard explosions and understood something was up,” Tsarfati recounted.
“A warden facing them in those moments struggled to continue serving in the wing. Looking into the eyes of people accused of passing information to the enemy while missiles were fired here—it’s an incredibly tough situation.”
The reality has changed and the IPS is adapting. “We’re not just securing—we’re a line of defense,” Tsarfati said. “When the threat comes from within, the responsibility is even greater. This is a war for sovereignty, and we’re part of it, even if it’s behind bars.”
A 20-year-old female warden, identified only as L., works in this special wing and faces one of the IPS’s most complex populations. “It’s a very challenging group,” she shared. “These aren’t like anyone we’ve dealt with before. Every interaction requires thinking three times, separating emotions and showing no weakness.
“They look like me, talk like me, some live near my home, yet they act against our country. You wonder how this happened.” She emphasized the need for resolve: “You have to treat them firmly, not react to provocations, and stay calm. We treat them like Palestinian prisoners.

“In the wing with female terrorists, where I also serve, the challenge is different—it’s a sensitive population where a small incident can escalate into a diplomatic crisis. Some of those terrorists arrived after October 7, and I have friends injured in Gaza, so it’s not easy. But even when emotions run high, we must stay professional.”
During the conflict with Iran, L. noted, the detainees’ motivations seemed more complex than mere greed. “I worked during the Iranian missile attacks—it was intense,” she said. “Some expressed joy over the strikes, showing that for some, it wasn’t just about money. They don’t know what Israel did in Iran, but I do—and that’s a huge difference.”
One detainee in the wing is Ardler (Israel) Amoyal, a 23-year-old from Jerusalem, arrested on suspicion of working for an Iranian agent. He allegedly purchased a camera, recorded footage, sought information on acquiring a gun and materials for explosives and offered to target critical infrastructure.

Amoyal has filed numerous petitions to improve his conditions, some of which were granted by the Central District Court, which ruled that his conditions “significantly exceed what is permissible” and ordered improvements, including additional food and three daily cigarettes, deemed a basic need.
The IPS has responded to the growing number of petitions and exceptional accommodations by creating a new legal category: “special prisoners.” Signed by IPS chief Commissioner Kobi Yakobi, this designation distinguishes these suspects from traditional security or criminal prisoners, with a specific set of restrictions.
No phone calls are allowed, visits require security approval and letters are subject to inspection. Families can deposit up to 500 shekels ($130) monthly for the canteen and detainees may keep up to six books after content review, along with board games for leisure.
Harsh conditions
Detainees describe harsh conditions. Asher Benjamin Weiss from Bnei Brak said he spends 23 hours a day in a stifling, cockroach-infested cell without air conditioning or a shower, sharing it with six others but only three stools and a low table 30 cm (12 inches) high.

He demands a reasonably sized table and chairs with backrests for “civilized sitting and eating.” Amoyal claimed his conditions since last November are “unlike any prison in the world,” with no TV, calls or visits, and “horrible” food.
Artyom Zolotarev from Nof HaGalil reported a severe clothing shortage, with only two shirts, two pairs of socks and two pairs of winter pants unsuitable for summer. Alexander Sadikov from Haifa requested three daily cigarettes, like Weiss, saying, “I’ve smoked for 50 years; it’s very hard without them.”
The new legal definition, shaped by court rulings recognizing the need to distinguish these detainees from Palestinian prisoners, led to a revised incarceration policy. The IPS established a dedicated canteen list, revealed here for the first time, including crackers, sports shoes, socks, honey, sausage, sweet biscuits, wafers, chocolate cakes, cornflakes and coffee.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir commented on the detainees’ conditions: “The fate of Iranian spies should be the same as that of Hamas terrorists. I expect some courts not to obstruct and to adopt my policy of zero tolerance for the enemy and its agents. I fully support IPS Commissioner Kobi Yakobi, who implements the policy of the minister in charge and has turned prisons from summer camps into real prisons.” link

Gaza and the South

Hundreds of soldiers' mothers in protest march: 'War has no purpose, our children in constant danger'
Hundreds of soldiers' mothers joined a protest march from Herzliya to Habima Square in Tel Aviv, demanding to "stop the purposeless fighting and save the lives of their children who are in Gaza." Dr. Yiska Lansberg, a gynecologist and mother of four soldiers whose husband also serves in the reserves, said that "this government is no longer capable of making brave and correct decisions. It is not acting based on security considerations, but political ones – to maintain coalition stability. There is no objective, no purpose, no horizon. Meanwhile, our children are there in constant danger."

Hundreds in Tel Aviv hold silent vigil for slain Gaza children

Left-wing activists hold up candles and pictures of slain Gaza children as protesters march from one anti-government protest to another, on Tel Aviv's Kaplan Street, July 5, 2025. Hadash MK Ofer Cassif is second from the left. (Noam Lehmann/The Times of Israel)

Some 400 left-wing protesters hold a silent vigil for slain Gaza children on Tel Aviv’s Kaplan Street.

The protesters stand on the sidewalk holding up candles and pictures of children Israel has killed in the Strip since renewing hostilities there on March 18. Each picture includes the child’s name, date, and place of death where they were killed.

The silence is punctuated when anti-government protesters from the Habima demonstration march through en route to a hostage families demonstration on nearby Begin Road. Afterward, the left-wing activists march in silence to that protest.

Among them is MK Ofer Cassif of the binational communist Hadash party.

This is the first such silent vigil since the 12-day war with Iran last month, during which an Iranian ballistic missile hit an adjacent building and forced shut part of the sidewalk usually used by the vigil-holders. Last weekend, left-wing activists flocked instead to Haifa for a large anti-war rally.

Cabinet okays plan to allow more aid into north Gaza, Israeli official confirms to ToI

Leader of militia in Gaza fighting Hamas confirms cooperating with IDF

Members of the Abu Shabab gang in Gaza are seen in a video posted by the group. (screen capture: Facebook, 27a clause of the copyright law)

The head of a militia operating in an area of Gaza under Israeli military control, Yasser Abu Shabab, gives an interview to the Israeli public broadcaster’s Arabic-language radio station Makan, in which he says his fighters are young men of Palestinian origin living in the heart of the Strip, with no affiliation to any political ideology or organization.
The interview marks the first time the militia chief has given a live interview. In the past, he has provided voice recordings of himself reading statements and has given email interviews.
“We’ve tasted the bitterness and injustice inflicted on us by Hamas, and we’ve taken it upon ourselves to confront this aggression. We don’t rule out confrontation with Hamas and we don’t rule out civil war, no matter the cost,” he says.
In the interview, Abu Shabab confirms for the first time that his forces are cooperating at some level with the IDF.
“We didn’t have any security like we do in zones under Israeli control. We entered these areas and carried out operations beyond expectations. As long as the goal is support and assistance (from the IDF), and nothing more, when we go on a mission, we inform them — nothing beyond that — and we carry out the military operation,” he says. link Netanyahu has failed on so many levels in this war in Gaza which is now the Netanyahu War for Political Survival. He has refused to enable the placement of an alternative to Hamas since the beginning and lately has been actively supporting Gazan clans/Warlords with weapons and most likely money to fight Hamas. This is a recipe for disaster. It serves Netanyahu's goal of not having the Palestinian Authority in Gaza as the alternative governing body, which it should be, but Netanyahu never has any strategy and no exit plan, as usual. There has never been a good outcome when War Lords initially serve as allies, or at least not as direct enemies. These War Lords/ head of clans are known for their criminal activities: drugs, human trafficking, black market, and yes, interactions with Hamas when it has served their purposes, such as tunnel building or paying for the use of tunnels for smuggling. These war lords are not our allies or friends and this will certainly come back to bite us. The only solution is to have a Palestinian governing body, such as a reformed PA or a Technocratic government appointed by the PA or aligned with the PA. It is the only possibility for success in getting rid of Hamas and building a better future for both Gaza and Israel.

Gaza hospital officials say 33 killed in Israeli airstrikes

Smoke billows east of Gaza City, in the central Gaza Strip during Israeli bombardment on July 6, 2025. (Bashar TALEB / AFP)
Israeli airstrikes killed at least 33 Palestinians in Gaza, hospital officials say, after the military said it had struck over 100 terror targets in the embattled enclave in the past day.
Twenty people were killed and 25 wounded after Israeli strikes hit two houses in Gaza City, according to Mohammed Abu Selmia, the director of Shifa Hospital that serves the area.
In southern Gaza, 13 Palestinians were killed by strikes in Mawasi, an area on Gaza’s Mediterranean where many displaced people live in tents, officials at Nasser Hospital in nearby Khan Younis tell The Associated Press. Five of the dead belonged to the same family, according to the hospital.
The figures offered by hospital officials do not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
The military had no immediate comment on the individual strikes, but said it struck 130 terror targets across the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours.
It said the strikes targeted Hamas command and control structures, storage facilities, weapons, and launchers, and that they killed a number of terror operatives in northern Gaza.

IDF says forces struck more than 130 terror sites over past day
The IDF announces that troops operating across the Gaza Strip struck over 130 terror targets in the past 24 hours, including command centers, weapons depots, rocket launchers, and terrorist cells. The aerial strikes were carried out in coordination with ground troops engaged in active operations throughout the Strip.
In the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, combat teams from the Kfir Brigade and the 188th Armored Brigade raided multiple Hamas positions, locating and seizing combat equipment. Meanwhile, the IDF’s Gaza Division uncovered tunnel shafts and dismantled terror infrastructure in Rafah’s Jenina neighborhood.
Further north, the 98th Division, an elite formation of paratroopers and commando units, eliminated terrorists in Gaza City and struck military compounds, while the Commando Brigade destroyed surveillance equipment and additional infrastructure.
The 99th Division continued its operations to locate and demolish both surface and subterranean terror assets, including an explosives warehouse hit by the IDF’s 990th Reserve Artillery Regimen. Northern Brigade forces also struck several military structures.
In parallel, the 162nd Division reported the elimination of terrorists in the Jabaliya area and the outskirts of the Daraj and Tuffah neighborhoods.

Northern Israel, Lebanon and Syria

West Bank, Jerusalem, Israel and Terror Attacks

Politics and the War and General News

At weekly Tel Aviv rally, reservist tells crowd: Government must do everything so we don’t have to fight anymore

Anti-government protesters attend a weekly rally at Habima Square, in Tel Aviv, July 5, 2025. (Adar Eyal/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

Protesters rally at Habima Square for a weekly demonstration against the government, calling for a deal to end the war and the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

Itai Shteinmetz, 25, a reservist combat medic, tells the crowd, “We are demanded to go from 0-100 so many times, that we seem to have forgotten what it’s like to live in a proper country, in a country where the aim of a war is to stop fighting.”

“Our leadership thinks that we live here with the aim of fighting forever for their seats; they have it all wrong. Their job is to do everything they can so we don’t have to fight anymore,” he says.

Protesters at the square light a small bonfire on the street as others march onto the Begin Road hostage families’ protest following the demonstration here.

A handful of activists stand around the fire and yell: “A raised fist, everyone resists.”

Though there are several police officers in the area, none of them intervene to put out the fire or arrest protesters on the street, which is still open for traffic. One woman from the protesters puts out the fire with water from her bottle.

The Region and the World

Personal Stories

Tank crew that killed over 100 terrorists on October 7: 'Everyone we saw, was eliminated'

'We entered the tank as four people — and became one': Lt. A’s crew stayed on duty for the holiday and found themselves under a barrage of anti-tank missiles and drones, facing the wave of terrorists that swept through the Gaza border communities; 'We said, no one goes in, no one comes out, and managed to prevent abductions'; Maj. Roey Chapell and his command team saved dozens of civilians, and His mother, who later listened to his radio recordings, said: 'I know his commands by heart'
On the morning when the skies fell, the voice of Maj. Roey Chapell was an island of stability. Amid relentless rocket and mortar fire, as hordes of armed terrorists charged toward the western Negev in convoys of pickup trucks and motorcycles, the commander of the Nahal Reconnaissance “Orev” Company embodied the elusive concept of “commander’s spirit” over the radio. Months into the war, his mother, Orit Tzuk, received audio recordings of Roey’s final communications. “I already know the orders he gave by heart,” she said. At 6:37 a.m., in a calm and authoritative voice, Roey was heard instructing the lone tank crew in his sector: “Four, this is the command. We have an armed infiltration. You’re cleared to fire on anything you identify. This is a complex situation. You’re the target, no one else.” Thirty-three minutes later, at 7:10, Roey was killed.

“His radioman, who was severely wounded, grabbed the radio and reported, ‘Roey has fallen,’” recalled Lt. A., then a tank platoon commander with the 77th Battalion’s Vulcan Company. “We all heard it inside the tank. No one spoke. We kept fighting—just like Roey instructed.”

At that same moment, in her home in Zichron Yaakov, Orit awoke with a jolt. “I didn’t yet know about the Hamas surprise terror attack,” she said, “but I felt something had happened to Roey. I picked up my phone, saw the headlines, and I knew—Roey was gone.”

Lt. A’s platoon, consisting of three tanks, was under Roey’s command, holding the sector near the kibbutzim of Sufa, Holit, and Nir Yitzhak. On Simchat Torah, only one tank crew remained on alert—A’s. The others had gone home. The Nahal Recon's command staff was also operating at minimum capacity. With just a handful of soldiers at the Sufa outpost, a mortar team from the 50th Battalion, and that lone tank crew—whose actions will be etched in history—Roey and his men tried to halt the onslaught of Hamas’ Nukhba fighters on that Saturday morning.

The tank crew that elminated over 100 Hamas terrorists (Photo: IDF)

In the early hours of the assault, the entire command chain collapsed: Company commander Roey Chapell and his deputy, Maj. Ido Israel Shani were killed in the initial fighting. Reconnaissance Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Yehonatan Tzor and Nahal Brigade Commander Col. Jonathan Steinberg also fell in gun battles. Southern Brigade Commander Col. Asaf Hamami was killed in Kibbutz Nirim; his body was taken to Gaza.

With no commanding officers left, no reinforcements arriving until noon, and no one to consult, Lt. A. found himself alone—but with a tank crew he could trust with his life. I met them this week along the border fence near the Sufa outpost, where they fought for three and a half hours under anti-tank fire and explosive drone attacks, firing, ducking, reloading, and firing again. They fired 38 shells and thousands of machine-gun rounds until their ammo nearly ran out. The outcome: over 100 Hamas terrorists killed in their sector, and countless others retreated before even crossing the fence, perhaps believing they were facing a full tank company.

Major Roey Chapell

Three of the crew members are still in active service: Lt. A from Ashdod, the commander; Sgt. B from Metula, the driver; and Sgt. N from Tel Aviv, the gunner. Their former loader, Sgt. (res.) A, from the moshav Tifrah near Ofakim, joined the interview in civilian clothes. Explosions echoed nearby—airstrikes and artillery. “Nice one!” A quipped after one loud boom.

On the morning of October 7, they were stationed at the Sufa outpost, just a few hundred meters away. “We’d been on the line for three months—we knew the terrain, the procedures, and each of us knew our role perfectly,” said Lt. A. “At 5:30 a.m., we were already at the tanks, on dawn alert. We were sitting in a little shack we had when we suddenly heard rockets whistling and exploding directly above us. Within seconds, we jumped into the tank and drove to the ridge you see there.”

The ride took three minutes but felt like an eternity. “We drove on the armored vehicle path—it’s full of potholes,” B recalled. “I floored the gas. The guys in the back got their heads knocked against the turret. But I still had in my head: If I damaged the road, the company commander would kill me. Rockets or not, we’re not overdoing it.”

Three are still serving; one has already been discharged. The tank crew (Photo: IDF)

They didn’t yet realize the rocket barrage was just a diversion for the massive ground assault. “We thought we’d reach the position, fire two warning shots, and head back,” said N, the gunner. Once outside the outpost, A ordered the hatches closed. “That saved us,” said B. “I slowed so they could load a shell, and two seconds later I saw an explosion just meters in front of us.” It was a drone with an explosive head. Because they slowed down, it hit the ground in front of the tank. Another drone dropped a grenade directly onto the closed hatch. “If it had entered the turret, we wouldn’t be here,” said B.

Despite it all, they reached the position and fired their first shell—at an empty Hamas position from their target bank. “It was the first real shell we fired in combat,” said N. “Felt like we were launching a rocket to the moon,” B added.

Then Roey came over the radio: “Go up to the position. Tell me what you see. I’ll clear you to fire.” They scanned the fence and spotted a white pickup truck trying to breach it. N zoomed in and fired. “Blew it up,” he said. “Then I shifted slightly and saw a convoy of four pickups, motorcycles, and men sprinting. I realized instantly—they were terrorists.”

“We were under fire from dozens of terrorists,” said B. “We understood we couldn’t stay exposed. My job was to minimize how long the tank was visible. I’d stop mid-slope, they’d load, we’d fire, and I’d drive back down. One second too long—and you get hit. And we did.”

An anti-tank missile hit their engine. From that point on, B had to use emergency gear. “Three and a half hours: up-fire-down, again and again. No rest. A loading shells like mad, N shooting, A commanding. Four of us became like one person,” he said.

“When the missile hit, smoke filled the turret. A and I looked at each other like, ‘You alive? I’m alive? Keep going,’” said A. “From the moment we reached the ridge, no terrorist crossed the line. Everyone we saw—dead.”

While they held the line in their sector, terrorists breached others and reached area kibbutzim. The toll was devastating: 13 were murdered in Holit, seven in Nir Yitzhak (with four abducted), and three in Sufa. But Roey’s Orev Company and A’s tank crew prevented a massacre on the scale of Be’eri, Kfar Aza, or Nir Oz.

At some point, the tank crew heard on the radio that terrorists had taken the Sufa outpost. With Roey gone, Orev fighters were trapped in the dining hall, now a makeshift shelter, surrounded by 60 Hamas terrorists. A faced a dilemma—stay at the fence or return to help?

(Photo: Jack Guez/ AFP)

Just then, a pause in the fighting gave them the chance. The convoys stopped. After consulting his team, A decided to head back.

They drove through the fields under tank smoke cover. “I saw irrigation pipes flying,” said B. “I whispered an apology to the farmer whose field I was plowing.” At the outpost entrance: white trucks, a mass of motorcycles, and a sobbing soldier over the radio: “They’re here, we have nothing, help us.” Echoes of voices from 50 years earlier—October 6, 1973.

“For us, it was a hostage situation,” said B. “They were trapped in the dining hall—whoever went out was shot. I’m a tank, I don’t know who’s where. I didn’t want to shoot a room and hit our guys. We figured the trucks were waiting to take bodies or hostages to Gaza. We said, ‘No one in, no one out.’ We patrolled around the outpost and killed several terrorists.”

By early afternoon, reinforcements arrived. Caracal Battalion commander Lt. Col. A took over the sector. At 2 p.m., the elite navy unit Shayetet 13 forces arrived. “We picked up the rear phone, ‘Hey, what’s up? We’re here to rescue the outpost,’” said N. A got off the tank to meet them. “They told me, ‘Whatever happens, you go in first. We’re behind you.’ I said, ‘Fine, we’re in.’ Gave them confidence.”

B added, “I rolled in a few meters and saw this huge terrorist with a Kalashnikov, stunned. He didn’t expect a tank. Other terrorists were lounging inside the outpost like it was theirs. I backed out, we regrouped, and stormed in with the Shayetet on our sides.” Two hours of combat later—caught on body cams—the outpost was retaken.

Elite navy unit Shayetet 13 in the Sufa outpost (Photo: IDF)

But it wasn’t just tanks and commandos that saved the soldiers. It was Roey’s quick thinking, too. “At dawn, Roey was outside with his HQ team,” said his mother. “He called a junior officer at the outpost and told him to get everyone in full gear—terrorists were coming. That officer came to the funeral on crutches, leaned on me, and said, ‘Roey saved us.’ That one instruction allowed them to gear up, arm themselves, and hold out.” The soldiers fought from the dining hall for eight hours, holding off dozens of terrorists.

In his last 40 minutes, Roey made a series of decisions that saved lives. He was killed trying to rescue another recon team trapped at the Dangur memorial, surrounded by dozens of terrorists. His radioman, Tomer Yaakov Mizrahi of Hoshaya, also fell. Their driver, Roni, was severely wounded and lost a leg. But they managed to kill dozens of terrorists in that battle.

Orit Chapell, Roey's mother near his memorial site (Photo: Sharon Tzur)

Roey, a graduate of the Haifa military academy, was 25. In April, his grandmother, Hedva Tzuk, suffered a stroke while watching a TV report about the battle—a segment aired without IDF coordination. She died 12 hours later.

Lt. A’s tank platoon has since fought in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria. “From the outpost in Lebanon, I could see my house in Metula,” said B. His family had been evacuated for over a year. But the three and a half hours on the Gaza border, facing endless waves of terrorists, were, the soldiers said, the most meaningful of their lives. link

Acronyms and Glossary

COGAT - Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories

ICC - International Criminal Court in the Hague

IJC - International Court of Justice in the Hague

IPS - Israel Prison System

MDA - Magen David Adom - Israel Ambulance Corp

PA - Palestinian Authority - President Mahmud Abbas, aka Abu Mazen

PMO- Prime Minister's Office

UAV - Unmanned Aerial vehicle, Drone. Could be used for surveillance and reconnaissance, or be weaponized with missiles or contain explosives for 'suicide' explosion mission

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