🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 641, 2023 - July 8, 2025 🎗️

 🎗️Day 641 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

*Israel says drone from Yemen downed, though no alert

A drone launched from Yemen at Israel was shot down by the Israeli Air Force earlier today, the IDF says.

No sirens sounded, “according to protocol,” the military adds.

The attempted drone attack came hours after the Houthis in Yemen launched two ballistic missiles at Israel overnight, in the second attack in as many nights.

The IDF conducted airstrikes overnight in response to previous attacks by the Iran-backed group, which also sunk a ship in the Red Sea on Sunday.

*11:40pm yesterday- Gaza envelope- rockets-Nir Am 

*12:25am- Gaza envelope- rockets-Nir Am 



Five IDF soldiers killed, 14 wounded in northern Gaza ambush
Military says incident near Beit Hanoun saw unit from Kfir Brigade's Netzah Yehuda Battalion attacked with explosives and gunfire, with dedicated evacuation team also being hit
Five Israeli soldiers were killed and 14 others were wounded, two of them seriously, in an explosion and ambush during a military operation in northern Gaza, the Israeli military said Tuesday.
The troops were hit Monday night around 10 p.m. near the town of Beit Hanoun. According to a preliminary investigation by the military’s Southern Command, soldiers from the Netzah Yehuda Battalion of the Kfir Brigade were moving on foot in an area where Israeli tanks and engineering vehicles were operating when a series of explosive devices detonated.
As wounded soldiers were being evacuated, the rescue team came under fire in what officials described as a coordinated ambush by Palestinian terrorists.
The five fallen soldiers were identified Tuesday as Sgt. First Class (res.) Benyamin Asulin, 28, from Haifa; Staff Sgt. Noam Aharon Musgadian, 20, from Jerusalem; Staff Sgt. Meir Shimon Amar, 20, also from Jerusalem; Staff Sgt. Moshe Shmuel Noll, aged 21, from Beit Shemesh; and Sgt. Moshe Nissim Frech, 20, from Jerusalem. The latter four served in the Netzah Yehuda Battalion (97th) of the Kfir Brigade. The fifth soldier is Staff Sgt. Moshe Shmuel Noll, 21, of the Kfir Brigade’s Netzah Yehuda Battalion, from Beit Shemesh.



Soldiers killed in northern Gaza's Beit Hanoun on July 7, 2025: (L-R) Staff Sgt. Meir Shimon Amar, Sgt. Moshe Nissim Frech, Staff Sgt. Noam Aharon Musgadian, Sgt. First Class (res.) Benyamin Asulin, Staff Sgt. Moshe Shmuel Noll. (Courtesy) MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE A REVOLUTION


Since the start of Israel’s ground campaign in Gaza in late 2023, 446 Israeli soldiers have been killed, according to the military. A total of 888 soldiers have died since the beginning of the war. Thirty-nine of those deaths have occurred since the last hostage release deal.
The Netzah Yehuda unit had entered Beit Hanoun as part of a broader offensive launched Saturday night. A combined force from the 646th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade and the northern brigade of the Gaza Division targeted a fortified Hamas compound on the town’s outskirts. The area had been hit by Israeli airstrikes and artillery throughout the preceding week. The battalion, known in the past as the “Haredi Nahal” for its makeup of ultra-Orthodox soldiers, suffered its worst losses of the war in Monday’s incident. Prior to the attack, four of its soldiers had been killed since fighting began, including three in a roadside bombing in May.
The blast was the deadliest single incident for Israeli forces in Gaza since June, when eight soldiers were killed in Rafah by an anti-tank missile. It was also the most severe loss since a roadside bomb killed seven soldiers, including an engineering officer, in Khan Younis two weeks ago.
I am so God damned tired and broken hearing the sentence 'The Army Announced...." and then seeing the pictures of these young people whose whole lives should be in front of them. Their biggest problem should be what they want to study, where they want to live, when are they going to get married and have children, what to eat for dinner. It shouldn't be that their families are awakened in the middle of the night with knocks on the door and facing IDF officers who are there to inform them that their lives will never be the same, that they will never see their dear child smile again, they will never hear him laugh or cry again, that the birthdays they celebrated will forever be a day or mourning and longing, and a hole in their hearts will never be filled. And this heartbreak, this worst day in their lives was totally unnecessary and could have been prevented, it should never have happened. To know that they were killed, not to save and defend the country and their fellow citizens but to save and defend Netanyahu's coalition, to enable him to stay in his throne and wear the crown that he feels is his and his alone, and that no price is too high for him to stay on that throne. The war in Gaza is not now an existential war, it is no longer even a war to protect the Gaza communities. It's Netanyahu's War for Political Survival and should have ended quite some time ago. This guerilla war, this war of attrition has no winners, only losers and every drop of blood is directly on the hands of the War Criminal Benjamin Netanyahu. He cares not for the lives of the hostages or for the suffering of the hostage families. With the deaths of more and more soldiers, he makes empty 'consoling' statements that he and his 'dear' wife offer their thoughts and prayers for the bereaved families, and then he does just like the directions of a shampoo bottle, 'shampoo, rinse, repeat'. And we all know that the 'rinse, repeat' is just around the corner. The 'rinse, repeat' has now happened 39 times since the last hostage deal which could have and should have brought all the hostages home and ended this horrific war of everyone losses. But, for Netanyahu, the 'rinse, repeat' is a political life saver. It gives him more time to distance himself from October 7, continues to enable him in blocking a State Commission of Inquiry, allows his corrupt government to continue with their judicial overthrow which he believes will bring with it the cancelation of his criminal trials, and gives him the breathing room he so deeply needs to stay on his throne and prepare for the next elections, and he has already started his election campaign with his visit to Nir Oz and Ofakim. But for us, the little people, every death of a soldier is personal. We immediately want to know the soldier's name and where he/she lived to see if we know the family or if they live near us. The soldier can be our son or daughter, our neighbor, our friends. We also know that it won't be anyone close to Netanyahu for his son, the parasitic national embarrassment would never be in a position to danger or risk his life for his country. Oh, I almost forgot, his country is living the life of a wannabe billionaire in Miami on the backs of every Israeli tax payer. So, for us, the little people, we will continue to watch the 'shampoo, rinse, repeat' destruction and death that Netanyahu prescribes for us so that he may remain "King Bibi". (Lonny Baskin- July 8, 2025) This is one of the most difficult posts that I have written. I just heard on Galei Zahal radio, who I believe it was Yossi Levy, the Director General of the Nezeh Yehuda Association – the organization that works on drafting young Haredi men into army. Nezeh Yehuda is the name of the IDF unit with Haredi soldiers. At the end of his interview about the killing of 5 Haredi soldiers and the wounding of many others in Beit Hanoun, he said that the death of these young men has to bring us together as a people because they died as martyrs protecting the homeland. His words immediately reminded me of Abu Obaida – the spokesman of Ezz e-din al Qassam – the military wing of Hamas. This is a small sample of Abu Obaida: And never think that those who are killed in the cause of Allah are dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision. With great pride and honor, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades mourns the great martyr of Palestine and to the masses of our Arab and Islamic nation: The Mujahid who was martyred on the path to Jerusalem and Palestine—to which he dedicated his life and whose liberation—after being assassinated by the treacherous hand of Zionism. The five Israeli soldiers who were killed in Gaza and those Palestinian Gazans killed now in Gaza are being killed in vain. They are not defending the homeland. They are not liberating anything. They are not martyrs. They are pawns in an evil game being played by leaders who have lost their humanity and have no compassion for their own people. Hamas committed collective national suicide on October 7 without asking the Palestinian people if they are willing to pay the price that Hamas decided on their own to pay. The Israeli government and its Prime Minister are continuing to risk the lives of Israeli soldiers and hostages knowing that the overwhelming majority of Israelis want this war to end already. There is no military strategic reason to continue the war. The soldiers in Gaza are not defending the homeland – they are protecting Netanyahu and his coalition. The soldiers who die are not martyrs. The Hamas fighters killing Israeli soldiers are not defending the homeland, they are not liberating Palestine, they bring no honor to the Palestinian people. Hamas’s decision to continue the war in Gaza is one more reflection of the bankruptcy of Hamas as a political movement. There is no viable armed struggle - there never has been. Hamas will not surrender to Israel but they are willing to continue to sacrifice the lives of more Palestinians in Gaza and to call them heroes and martyrs. This is a sick reality – both for Israelis and for Palestinians. We have leaders who make decisions that are against the national interests of both peoples and show us every day that they don’t really care about us – the people of Israel and the people of Palestine. We, the people on both sides, have the duty to protect our homeland by removing these bad irresponsible leaders and replace them with people who are human being that actually want to protect their homeland knowing that the only way to really do that is by making peace. (Gershon Baskin, July 8, 2025)



Hostage Updates

Until the last hostage



Palestinians say Gaza talks stuck over entry of aid

Israel’s refusal to allow the free and safe entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza remains the main obstacle to progress in the ceasefire talks being held in Qatar, Palestinian sources tell Reuters.

The two sources say mediators hosted one indirect round of ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israeli officials earlier on Monday, and talks were expected to resume in the evening.

Israeli official denies Gaza talks stuck, says Doha parley ongoing


Denying that talks in Doha over a hostage release and Gaza ceasefire have reached a “dead end,” an Israeli official familiar with the details says that “the negotiating team is in constant contact with the mediating states.”

The talks are continuing today, says the official.

Gaza hostage-ceasefire talks resume in Doha, with focus on IDF withdrawal, aid


A third day of indirect negotiations on a Gaza ceasefire between Israel and  Hamas began in Doha today, a Palestinian source close to the talks says.

“Indirect negotiations are continuing this morning in Doha, with a fourth meeting being held… the discussions are still focused on the mechanisms for implementation, particularly the clauses related to withdrawal and humanitarian aid,” the source tells AFP.





Gershon Baskin's interview on CNN on the Hostage Negotiations, the end of the war and the Netanyahu/Trump discussions 

Hostages’ families rally for Gaza deal outside US embassy


People attend a rally calling for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip in front of the US embassy branch office in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, July 7, 2025. (AP/Oded Balilty)




Relatives of hostages and scores of protesters are gathered outside the US embassy branch in Tel Aviv rallying for a ceasefire deal ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House, during which the pair are expected to discuss efforts to reach an agreement.

Demonstrators hold a pink sign reading “President Trump — make history, bring them all home, end the war,” while others hold aloft giant pictures showing the faces of the 50 hostages still being held in the Strip.

“Hostage deal now,” protesters chant in English and Hebrew. Some hold American flags.

Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker and a leading voice in the movement, stands near the front of the crowd with a sign reading “Everyone in one go, end the war.”

Protesters are rallying for a deal that ends the war and brings home all the hostages, though officials say the agreement under discussion would see approximately half of the captives freed during a 60-day pause in hostilities, during which talks would take place toward ending the conflict and bringing the rest home.

“Once again, they are talking about a deal, once again the words are not everyone, later, and then the heart simply breaks,” former hostage Doron Steinbrecher says in a statement released by the Hostage Families Forum. “I know what it’s like, I was there. I know what it is to think you are coming home, only to discover that you are staying there, in the tunnels, behind, fighting for your life.”




Hostage relatives rally for deal in DC


Relatives of hostages protest in front of the Capitol in Washington, DC, on July 7, 2025. (Tyler Stewart/Hostages Forum)




Family members of several hostages still held captive in Gaza are gathered in front of the Capitol in Washington, DC, as US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepare to meet in the White House on Monday evening.

The family members call on both leaders to secure a comprehensive deal that brings home all 50 remaining hostages held in Gaza, rather than the partial deal being discussed that would free 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 hostages.

Terror groups in Gaza are still holding 50 hostages, 20 of whom are believed to be living.

“A partial deal would mean that some of the hostages would stay in the tunnels for more time and this is would be a death sentence,” says Ilan Dalal, father of hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal. “Please make a deal that will bring all the hostages home.”

The family members in Washington include Hagai Angrest, father of hostage soldier Matan Angrest; Rotem Cooper, son of Amiram Cooper, 84, who was killed and his body still held hostage in Gaza; Ruby Chen, father of Itay Chen, a soldier who was killed on October 7 and his body taken hostage.





Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal 'possible' by Thursday

Palestinian sources say Israeli refusal to allow unrestricted humanitarian aid entry remains main obstacle, while U.S. pressure mounts ahead of Netanyahu-Trump meeting
Indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas resumed Monday in Doha, Qatar, with Palestinian sources expressing cautious optimism that a deal—including a truce and a hostage deal—could be finalized by Thursday. The talks come ahead of a scheduled meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House.

Hamas described the current negotiations as more serious than previous attempts and emphasized that progress depends largely on Israel’s willingness to meet key Palestinian demands. These include a comprehensive ceasefire, full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, unrestricted humanitarian aid and an end to the blockade affecting more than two million Palestinians.



However, Palestinian sources told Reuters that Israel’s refusal to agree to provisions allowing the free and safe entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza remains the main obstacle preventing progress in the talks.

Saudi-owned Al Arabiya and Qatar’s Al Araby networks reported that Hamas is insisting on including all of its proposed amendments in the agreement, which has stalled progress. Meanwhile, Qatar-based Al Jazeera cited senior Palestinian leaders who believe joint mediation efforts by Qatar and Egypt could help secure a binding agreement with international guarantees.

Egypt’s Al-Rad channel reported that Israel insists on channeling humanitarian aid through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and aims to establish additional distribution centers. So far, discussions have focused mainly on aid delivery, without advancement on other core issues.

Despite the hurdles, Hamas sources remain hopeful due to clear American pressure to reach a swift deal. Mediators are continuing their efforts to finalize an agreement that could come into effect by the end of the week if Israel agrees to the Palestinian terms. link

Netanyahu surprises Trump with Nobel recommendation, as leaders stress coordination

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented US President Donald Trump on Monday with a letter he sent to the Norwegian Nobel Committee nominating the latter for a Nobel Peace Prize.

At the opening of their White House dinner, Netanyahu rose to his feet and surprised Trump with the letter.

“It’s well deserved, and you should get it,”  Netanyahu said.  full article Netanyahu went to Washington to wrap Trump around his little finger. He knew very well that Trump intended to push him into ending the war as soon as possible, which would also bring home all the hostages. Netanyahu wants to end the war only in about 4-5 months to fit his election plans as well as having his poisonous corrupt coalition finish the Judicial overthrow which he fully expects will mean the cancellation of his criminal trials. The fact that soldiers are dying and being injured daily in Gaza and that the hostages' lives are in danger means absolutely nothing to him. They are dying on the alter of his coalition's survival. That is the real bottom line. He presented the letter nominating Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize was the easiest way to kiss Trump's ass and get him to go along with Netanyahu's plans. It also meshes with Trump's desire for Netanyahu to remain as Prime Minister. He doesn't really care about the hostages, he just wants to do whatever he needs to do to win the Nobel Peace prize and Netanyahu is feeding his narcissistic needs. 

Keith Siegel at Knesset discussion: 'I witnessed a female hostage being tortured - it haunts me to this day'
Hostage survivor Keith Siegel told the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee about his time in the Gaza Strip: "I was held together with Omri Miran. They threatened to kill me several times, put a gun to my head and I saw male and female hostages who experienced severe violence and death threats. I witnessed a female hostage being severely tortured - they pressed a sharp rod against her forehead and a gun to her head." He added that "these images haunt me to this day, and it's becoming harder and harder."




Qatar says ‘we will need time’ for Gaza hostage-ceasefire deal


Negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas will “need time,” Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman says.

“I don’t think that I can give any timeline at the moment, but I can say right now that we will need time for this,” Majed Al-Ansari says as discussions continued into a third day in Doha.

“What is happening right now is that both delegations are in Doha. We are speaking with them separately on a framework for the talks. So talks have not begun, as of yet, but we are talking to both sides over that framework,” he tells a Doha news conference.  link Of course, more time is needed because Netanyahu won over Trump with his letter of recommendation to the Nobel Peace Prize committee. Netanyahu was very nervous that Trump would push him to end the war immediately which is against his personal political self interests, but a narcissist knows best how he can win over a fellow narcissist: grovelling and telling Trump just how great he is and the letter for the Peace Prize is the highest Netanyahu can reach with the knowledge that this prize is what Trump has been dreaming and bitching about for 8 years (longer actually, he's been bitching about it since the second that Obama received it). All of our hopes for ending the war quickly and getting our hostages home at once have gone up in smoke with Netanyahu's letter of recommendation for Trump.









Israel and Iran







Gaza and the South



Katz calls for plan to confine all Gazans in ‘humanitarian city’ to be built over Rafah’s ruins


Defense Minister Israel Katz tells reporters in a briefing today that he instructed the IDF and the ministry to bring forward a plan to establish a new “humanitarian city” in the southern Gaza Strip, on the ruins of Rafah.

The idea of the humanitarian area, according to Katz, is to accommodate initially some 600,000 Palestinians who have been living in the Mawasi area on the coast after being displaced from elsewhere in the Strip, after screening them to ensure Hamas operatives are not entering.

Palestinians will not be allowed to leave the zone, he says.

Eventually, the idea is to bring the entire Palestinian civilian population to the zone while the IDF secures it from a distance, as international bodies work to manage the area. An additional four aid distribution sites would be established in the area, according to Katz.

Katz also emphasizes his ambition to encourage Palestinians to “voluntarily emigrate” from the Gaza Strip to other countries, saying this plan “should be fulfilled.”

It’s unclear if the zone would be used as a transit point, as described in a Reuters report earlier today that detailed plans for “Humanitarian Transit Areas” where Gazans could “temporarily reside, deradicalize, re-integrate and prepare to relocate if they wish to do so.”

The director general of the Defense Ministry, Amir Baram, has already begun advancing planning for the zone, which Katz stresses will not be run by the IDF, but instead by international bodies.

Katz doesn’t specify which international organizations would operate the city, and other than the Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, it is unlikely that any will cooperate given that the plan aims to displace the entire Palestinian population of the Strip.

There are also concerns that Israel will establish settlements in the areas it forcibly evacuates. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that is not his plan, but he is beholden to far-right coalition partners who are determined to see it through.

Katz says Israel seeks to hold on to the Morag Corridor, north of Rafah, in a hostage deal with Hamas. During a potential 60-day ceasefire, Israel would work to establish the new humanitarian zone south of the corridor, he says.

Katz says in the briefing that the IDF is holding onto nearly 70% of the Strip’s territory.  link This is one of the most unbelievable and despicable disgraces I have heard coming from this failed and corrupt government. Katz, Netanyahu, Smotrich, Ben Gvir and the other fascists of this government are talking about and planning a huge concentration camp for 600,000-2 million Gazan refugees. It's not enough that we have made 2 million people refugees without any plan to end their refugee status and situation. Now, these war criminals are going to put them into a concentration camp. Yes, the fascist leaders of the Jewish State, 75 years after WW2 and the Holocaust are going to put the Gazans into a concentration camp and the only way they will be able to leave is if they 'volunteer to emigrate' another international war crime that is part of the Ethnic Cleansing section of the laws against genocide. These criminals are acting in the name of every Israeli citizen and they claim to represent the Jewish People. As such, they are implicating the entire population in their war crimes and working very hard on placing the final nails of turning Israel into a pariah country.

IDF issues fresh evacuation order for Gaza’s Khan Younis area
The IDF issues a new evacuation warning for Palestinians residing in the Khan Younis area, further expanding a no-go zone.

“Due to terror activities in the area, the IDF with its maneuvering troops and intensive firepower is expanding actions in your area,” says Col. Avichay Adraee, the military’s Arabic-language spokesperson, on X.

Palestinians are instructed to head west.

Northern Israel, Lebanon and Syria


IDF says Lebanon strikes killed two Hezbollah members, including elite commander
Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon yesterday killed a commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force and another member of the terror group, the IDF announces.
The first drone strike in the Deir Kifa area killed Ali Abd al-Hassan Haidar, a commander in the Radwan force who the IDF says was involved in advancing numerous attacks on Israel, including Hezbollah’s “plan to conquer the Galilee.”
“In recent months, Haidar was involved in efforts to reestablish Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon,” the military says.
Two hours after the strike, another member of Hezbollah was killed in a drone strike near Beit Lif, the IDF says.  video
Syrian leader al-Sharaa met with Israeli national security advisor
Sources describe meeting as 'significant step' in Syrian-Israeli relations, noting that it was not the first meeting between the two
Syrian President Ahmad al‑Shara reportedly met Monday with Israel’s National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi in Abu Dhabi, Syrian sources said. One source called the meeting “a significant step in the Syrian‑Israeli negotiations.” The report noted this was not the first time the two officials had met.
Last week, diplomatic sources said Syria was advancing “quiet” talks with Israel—not aimed at peace, but at a limited security agreement. The interests of Syria’s president, who is seeking foreign investment and sanctions relief, and Israel’s concern for northern border security, appear to be aligned. This would not entail a warm peace or the opening of embassies, but a security pact, not full normalization.
“Anyone imagining eating falafel in Damascus should keep dreaming,” one source said.
The expected agreement could include security guarantees, a pledge to counter terrorist activity, measures to curb Iranian influence, and a restriction of terror operatives near the border. According to foreign reports, Israel has already used Syrian airspace to strike Iranian targets—suggesting informal coordination between the two nations, even if not official.
These discussions are rooted in the 1974 separation-of-forces agreement that ended the Yom Kippur War and subsequent War of Attrition. That accord defined borders, troop deployments and monitoring mechanisms—withstanding tense periods since then. Officials in Jerusalem believe the agreement could be updated to address present-day threats—provided Syria shows real restraint and detachment from Iranian sway.
About two months ago, U.S. President Donald Trump also met with al‑Shara, reportedly the first encounter between a U.S. president and a Syrian president in 25 years. The White House said Trump urged al‑Shara to join the Abraham Accords with Israel and expel Palestinian terrorist groups. Following that meeting, Trump told reporters that Washington was exploring normalization with Syria’s new government, starting with the presidential meeting. He affirmed that sanctions relief was intended to give Syria a fresh start.
After the historic meeting, al‑Shara said, “Syria is committed to being a country of peace and cooperation and faithful to every good hand extended toward it.” He added: “Syria will no longer be a battleground for power struggles or a stage for foreign ambitions. We will not allow Syria to be divided or revive the narratives of the former regime that sought to fracture our people. Syria belongs to all Syrians.”

West Bank, Jerusalem, Israel and Terror Attacks


IDF says key arms dealer among two Palestinians killed by troops in West Bank raid
A Palestinian arms dealer and another wanted terror operative were killed by troops in the northern West Bank yesterday, the military says.
According to the IDF, commandos of the Duvdevan unit and soldiers of the Samaria Regional Brigade raided the town of Salem near Nablus following intelligence provided by the Shin Bet on the whereabouts of a “central arms dealer involved in multiple weapons and drug deals.”
The IDF says troops attempted to detain the arms dealer. It does not elaborate why the forces opened fire.
“During the activity, the soldiers fired toward the wanted terrorist and an additional terrorist who was with him,” the military says. It does not say what the second man is suspected of.
The IDF says troops also found a handgun and ammunition in the arms dealer’s car.
No soldiers were injured.

Politics and the War and General News



Yair Golan shrugs off ‘petty’ coalition-backed bill to strip him of rank


Leader of the Democrats party Yair Golan at a faction meeting at the Knesset on July 7, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)





Democrats chairman Yair Golan dismisses a proposed law denying him of his military rank and privileges as a retired general due to his criticism of the way the war in Gaza is being fought, calling it “some petty uproar surrounding an unimportant law by an unimportant MK who wants to deny me rights.”

On Sunday, the Ministerial Committee for Legislation backed a bill by Likud MK Ariel Kallner aimed at penalizing former high-ranking security officials who call for desertion or slander the military, after Golan caused widespread outrage in May by accusing Israel of killing babies in Gaza “as a hobby.”

He also tells his faction that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “wreaking havoc on Israel.”

“A prime minister who refuses to end the war, who passes a draft evasion law, whose son fled to Miami dares to pay for his survival with the blood of others” and “will not defeat Hamas,” Golan tells reporters ahead of his party’s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset.

“The prime minister of neglect and destruction is leading a violent coup d’état, because he knows that he will not win in free and fair democratic elections. And in the face of this real danger, we must not remain silent. We, the opposition, and all of us citizens of Zionist and democratic Israel, must fight and resist. Our mission is existential: to ensure that the next elections are truly democratic, so that we can replace this government and save the State of Israel,” Golan declares.  link It is important to remind everyone that on October 7, Yair Golan, a retired general and former deputy IDF chief of staff, put on his uniform, grabbed his weapon and drove south to fight the Hamas terrorists and save lives, while the failed and corrupt government had abandoned the country and froze. They had no idea what to do and did nothing. It was civilian ad hoc organizations that filled in for just about everything the government was supposed to do. It was brave people like Yair Golan who took responsibility and did what needed to be done and continue to do so in opposition to a failed and corrupt government that does whatever they need to do to put more money in their own coffers and save the coalition at any price and to hell with the real needs of the country.

Gantz says he won’t join coalition; says public wants ‘real’ Haredi conscription, not current draft law being pushed


Lapid says he hopes Netanyahu will end war with full hostage deal, slams efforts to pass Haredi ‘draft evasion law’

Liberman: All soldiers killed in recent months died ‘on the altar of preserving the coalition’; Haredi ‘draft-dodging law’ is a ‘betrayal’





Golan says Ben Gvir and Smotrich are not Zionists or Jews, says they dance on the blood of fallen soldiers


Far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich are neither Zionists nor Jews, declares The Democrats chairman Yair Golan, following an incident in which five IDF troops were killed by a roadside bomb in Gaza.

“Smotrich and Ben Gvir heard about the death of five fighters and immediately jumped to dance on their blood,” Golan posts on X, using a Hebrew expression which means to gloat.

“Just more and more death, more blood, more war for the sake of clinging to power and messianic delusions. They are not Zionists. Nor are they Jews. End the war. Bring back all the hostages. Save Israel,” Golan writes.

Following the overnight attack, in which five soldiers died in Gaza’s Beit Hanoun, Finance Minister Smotrich insisted that despite the pain of losing so many troops, Israel must continue fighting in Gaza or risk “far greater bloodshed” in the future.

National Security Minister Ben Gvir, in turn, called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bring back the team negotiating a hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas in indirect talks in Doha.

“We should not negotiate with those who kill our soldiers,” said Ben Gvir, calling for “a complete siege, crush them militarily, encouraging [Palestinian] immigration and [Jewish] settlement.”

• "The right to serve the state belongs to everyone – but so does the duty": Reservists speak out about the abandonment of the exemption-from-conscription law

  While Edelstein presented the law that the ultra-Orthodox are pushing to pass during the current Knesset session – the reserve duty organizations were left out • According to them, the core of their demands was not included in the draft of the law – and therefore they intend to escalate their protest • Some of them spoke with N12 and shared the difficulty of bearing the burden – and the disappointment from decision-makers • "Why do the politicians not rise to the gravity of the moment and surrender to a small minority?" asked one of them

  
  IDF soldiers in the Gaza Strip, archive | Photo: Yonatan Zindel, Flash 90

  The battle over the exemption-from-conscription law continues to deepen, and the ultra-Orthodox are pushing – during the current Knesset session – to pass a law that will return to them various benefits. Last night (Sunday), the chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Knesset member Yuli Edelstein, met with the ultra-Orthodox representative Ariel Atias and presented to him the draft of the emerging outline.

  Meanwhile, the organizations of those who serve are furious: they say they should have been the first to see the draft of the law – and claim that personal sanctions and mandatory conscription for all, the heart of their demands – are not included in the draft. Therefore, they are threatening to escalate their protest.

  
  Ultra-Orthodox protest outside a draft office, archive | Photo: Tomer Neuberg, Flash 90

  Various reserve soldiers who spoke today with N12 shared their feelings and thoughts about the law and the IDF’s plan to recruit the ultra-Orthodox. Captain N’, operations officer in a special unit and a member of the movement "The Fourth Quarter", said: “October 7th caught me abroad with a backpack, at the start of what is called ‘the big trip’. We left everything and came back to the country – and like us, thousands of other Israelis. We enlisted for the war for the sake of the state, for the sake of the hostages, for the sake of the fallen and the wounded, for the future of our children. In uniform, no one asks you who you voted for. Left, right, secular, religious – we all fought together and are still fighting every day.”

  N’ continued: “In a few days, we will mark Tisha B’Av. The people of Israel already experienced destruction because of baseless hatred – this is our time for unity, there is no other choice. I am calling on our public representatives, Knesset members, the government – and also on the ultra-Orthodox public: do not abandon us. The right to serve the state belongs to everyone – but so does the duty.”

  
  Captain N’, operations officer in a special unit and a member of the movement "The Fourth Quarter"

  Staff Sergeant Nir Yeshashar, also a member of The Fourth Quarter movement, has already completed 250 days of reserve duty since October 7th. Today he went up to the Knesset along with additional reservists from the movement and from the serving organizations – with the goal of getting their hands on the draft of the exemption-from-conscription law that was presented yesterday to the ultra-Orthodox. “It happened over our heads,” he said. “We will try to meet with the heads of the coalition factions, who are supposed to approve the proposal in the coming days, to understand whether it is a framework that will serve the public of those who serve – or whether it is a political compromise meant to please the wheeler-dealers.”

  “Based on the way they are trying to hide the draft from us, it seems the law will not meet the needs of security and the army,” Yeshashar added. “Around me are people with tens of thousands of reserve days accumulated. In the coming days, we will know whether the leadership of the state is repaying those who served it faithfully, at the risk of their lives – or abandoning them.”

  Sharon Shanahel from the Forum of Reservist Women joined the statements: “It’s already been 21 months since the day when everything started and our lives completely fell apart. There is no routine – everything is upside down. With the escalation against Iran, this was already our fourth call-up. And while we have to carry this burden, others are not even called to serve – and receive a legal exemption. How is it possible to maintain the motivation to give when we feel everything is falling apart, and when we are the last ones still holding on to this thing called ‘the army’ – while around us they are doing everything to leave the burden only on us?”

  “As time passes, we understand how much this takes a toll on us that cannot be measured,” Sharon added. “It is grinding and dangerous. They tell us this is a war of rebirth – so why is not everyone participating? Why do the politicians not rise to the gravity of the moment and surrender to a small minority – instead of doing what is necessary so that this country will be strong and united, under a principle of equality and contribution, even decades from now? The feeling is of deep disappointment and a violation of every social contract.”

  Michal Barkai Brody, founder of “The Maneuverers,” told N12: “While my friends and I have been maneuvering for almost two years to protect our private and national home, a conscription law is being proposed that was written with the ultra-Orthodox and not with those who serve. It feels like the ground is falling out from under us when the most basic covenant between the state and its most loyal citizens is being violated. In the most fateful days for the future of the Jewish people, we are seeing who is truly fighting for the future of the people of Israel – and who is selling us out for a mess of pottage. Yuli Edelstein, now is the time to decide: politicking or mission, life or death, Zionism or cynicism.”  link

• "Wandered Among the Corpses": The Prosecution Demands Prison Sentences for the Nova Looters

  The prosecution requested prison sentences of 3.5 to 5 years for Liran Yakubov, Nataniel Aviv, and Oz Chai Rahum, who were convicted of theft from the Nova site. The defense attorneys argued: "An ugly act, but does not justify such a punishment." The judge: "It was premeditated, and everyone knew there were corpses there."

  A year and nine months after the October 7th massacre, the prosecution asked the Be'er Sheva Magistrate's Court to impose prison sentences of three and a half to five years, as well as to rule compensation for the victims of the crime, on the three young men – Liran Yakubov, Nataniel Aviv, and Oz Chai Rahum – who were convicted of stealing property from the massacre site at the Nova party.
  

  
  The area of the Nova Music Festival after the massacre

  She added that part of the property looted by the defendants belonged to innocent civilians who, during the massacre, fled for their lives – and even to those who were murdered during it, and said:
  “They desecrated and violated the dignity of those who were murdered, when some of the bodies were still lying in the field. Their actions stand in contradiction to the most basic social norm that exists in human society.”

  “The defendants wandered among corpses and burned cars at the scene of the massacre – and gathered whatever came to hand,” said today (Monday) the representative of the prosecution, Adv. Tehila Niddam, during the sentencing arguments hearing.In addition to the prison sentence, the prosecution is requesting to impose a financial fine in the amount of 80,000 shekels on the defendants.

  “To anyone who seeks to go out and plunder the property of innocent and helpless civilians – not only will he come out at a loss, but he will pay for it doubly,” said Niddam.

  The defense, which disputed the prosecutor’s claim, interrupted Niddam’s remarks, and said that the claim that the defendants were present next to corpses is not mentioned in the indictment.
  “Who said they wandered near corpses? To come and say that there were corpses or burned corpses there, when it is not written in the indictment, is to come and throw sand in the eyes of the court,” argued one of the defense attorneys.

  The defense further added in its remarks that the punishment is not proportionate.
  “There is ugliness in the acts of the defendants, but it is not such that justifies the requested punishment,” it said.

  Judge Shosh Shitrit replied to the defense that
  “It is known to all that there were corpses there, even on October 8. Present your arguments in due time.”
  She further added that the act of the three was planned – and thus the claim that it was “stupid” or “childish” – is not quite understandable.

  The verdict is expected to be given at the end of September.

  
  
  

  
  Burned vehicles that remained in the parking lot near the party complex (Photo: Reuters / Amir Cohen)

  The three defendants who were in the courtroom also spoke during the hearing.

  Liran Yakubov said: "I take full responsibility for the act. I am very sorry we went there. We really wanted to do a good deed and it turned out we did a bad one. Even what we took, we intended to return – and some of the items we did return. I am very sorry about it. I see posts against us, I am very well known in the city."

  Nataniel Aviv added: "I ask forgiveness for this ugly act. I do not know why we went there."
  Oz Rahum said: "My sister from Kibbutz Kfar Aza is a survivor. I take full responsibility. Everything around me collapsed."

  Liran Yakubov, Nataniel Aviv, and Oz Rahum are accused of, one day after the massacre at the Nova party, lying to a police officer in order to enter the closed military zone with the intention of stealing a large amount of property belonging to civilians who were murdered or fled from the terrorists, including a bag with thousands of shekels.

  Yakubov, Aviv, and Rahum are not the first to be arrested and prosecuted for theft of property from participants of the party in Re'im.
  In October 2023, an indictment was filed against Amir Tiyas (44), a resident of Be’er Sheva, who was accused of entering the party site after the massacre under the pretense of helping to locate bodies, and then stealing from it a caravan in which the party organizers had stayed. Later, he stole a wallet containing $10,000, a driver's license, and a credit card.

  In addition, a month after the indictment against Tiyas, five other suspects were arrested: Ram Sha'in, Yasser Matni, Daniel Hasson, Adham Aburukun, and San Tevel – in Kalansuwa, Daliyat al-Karmel, and Usfiya, on suspicion of looting the property of Matan Lior, the music coordinator of the "Nova" festival, who was murdered in the Hamas attack on October 7.

  She (the prosecutor) added that part of the looted property was owned by innocent civilians who, during the massacre, fled for their lives – and even some who were murdered during it – and said:
  "They looted and desecrated the dignity of those who were murdered, while some of the bodies were still lying in the area. Their actions contradict every most basic social norm that exists in human society."

  The defense, disputing the prosecutor’s claim, interrupted Niddam's statements, saying that the claim that the defendants were present near corpses is not mentioned in the indictment.
  "Who said they were wandering near corpses? To come and say that there were corpses or burned corpses there, when it is not written in the indictment, is to cast dust in the eyes of the court," argued one of the defense attorneys.

  The defense further added that the punishment is disproportionate.
  "There is ugliness in the defendants’ actions, but it is not of the kind that justifies the requested punishment," it said.

  Judge Shosh Shitrit responded to the defense that "It is known to all that there were bodies there, even on October 8. Present your arguments in time."
  She further added that the act committed by the three was premeditated – so the claim that it was “stupid” or “childish” – is not quite understandable.

  The verdict is expected to be handed down at the end of September.  link

The Region and the World



• Cargo ship in Red Sea ‘under continuous attack’: monitor

  A cargo ship has been under attack in the volatile Red Sea since Monday after losing power and suffering major damage, a maritime monitor says.

  “The vessel has sustained significant damage and has lost all propulsion. The vessel is surrounded by small craft and is under continuous attack,” the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations says in a statement.

  Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have again stepped up attacks against shipping in recent days.

• Two crew reported killed in Houthi attack on Greek vessel

  Two crew members of the Liberia-flagged, Greek-operated, bulk carrier Eternity C were killed after an attack by sea drones and speedboats off Yemen yesterday evening, Liberia’s shipping delegation told a meeting of the UN shipping agency IMO on Tuesday.

  The deaths, the first since June 2024, bring the total number of seafarers killed in attacks on vessels by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea to six

  
  
Personal Stories


'I was the first to leave the bomb shelter heading to the bunker because I realized it was a death trap'
On October 7, Sergeant First Class (res.) A. made a split-second decision to be the first to leave the shelter under fire, reaching a bunker where he began transmitting critical intelligence in the earliest days of the war—and has continued doing so ever since. That same day, Max, a soldier in an elite unit, was urgently deployed from his southern moshav to join the fighting. Since then, he has returned to reserve duty repeatedly, leaving behind his wife and two-year-old daughter. Meet Max and Sergeant First Class (res.) A., members of Israel’s war generation—those who rise to serve again and again, even at the cost of their personal lives and dreams. And meet the nonprofit organization giving them space to rediscover them 
Young Israelis, raised amid national disasters and devastating wars, are paying an unbearable price. Since the October 7 terrorist attack, twenty-somethings have largely abandoned the traditional post-army trip abroad. Instead of yoga retreats and silent meditation workshops in India, they are cycling through endless reserve duty, coping with trauma, mourning fallen friends and putting their careers and dreams on hold.
To help them reconnect with themselves and resume their lives, the nonprofit Masa El HaOfek (Journey to the Horizon) was established by former Navy commander Ram Rothberg and social activist Alan Freeman. Founded in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense, the organization runs a two-and-a-half-month program offering tools for emotional recovery, career planning and academic direction.
Participants engage with leading Israeli companies, attend lectures and workshops and receive one-on-one coaching to help identify and pursue their personal goals. “They served us,” Rothberg said. “Now it’s our turn to serve them.”
Among those who gave everything on October 7 is Sergeant First Class (res.) A., a 23-year-old Druze from Daliyat al-Karmel who serves in an intelligence unit in southern Israel. That day, he endured prolonged trauma after leaving the bomb shelter under heavy fire to reach a bunker and relay intelligence—while surrounded by terrorists for several days.
“I was the first to leave the bomb shelter heading to the bunker because I realized it was a death trap,” he recalled. “I understood I wanted to live. You can’t hesitate—it’s a risk to step out under rocket barrages. It was a real battlefield. I never imagined anything like it. I never thought I’d walk the thin line between life and death.”
How did you know to get out of the shelter? “Intuition. I grabbed everyone and told them, ‘Guys, we have to get out of here. We can’t just sit and wait for death.’ We didn’t have any magazines. It was a risk calculation. My gut told me the terrorists would get here. And that’s exactly what happened.”
How did you manage to escape the terrorists? “The terrorists were just 200 meters from me. As we ran from the bomb shelter, I heard bursts of gunfire—AK-47s. A rocket landed right next to me, and I was thrown backward,” A. recalls. “While running, I yelled to the guys, ‘Keep running—don’t look back.’ I couldn’t believe it was real, but we kept transmitting from the bunker. I know how valuable I am as an Arabic speaker—how critical my intelligence can be in real time. Every second of that kind of information can mean life or death.”

The platform that gives young people a chance to build a future
(Photo: Natan Shalev)
Between reserve duty rotations, A. joined the Masa El HaOfek program. “The program helped pull me out of the depression I was in and brought back the light,” A. explains. “Meeting people my age again, seeing joy, realizing that not everything is about terrorists and war—that you can plan life ahead. At first, it felt strange because I constantly live with the noise in my head from what happened, from everything I saw. But they managed to quiet it.”
During the program, A. discovered that the degree he had always wanted to pursue was closer than he thought. Today, he’s finishing his first year of information systems studies at the University of Haifa.
“The program gave me a path to a degree without needing a psychometric exam,” he says excitedly. “That’s usually a tough process, so getting it handed to me on a silver platter through the program—it was amazing. I’m now finishing my first year of university. I couldn’t be happier. I’ve made progress in life. The program introduces us to academic institutions— being there is completely different than just seeing them on a screen.”
The program also helped A. realize another dream. “As I ran to the bunker under fire, not knowing what would happen to me, I thought about her—the woman I hadn’t met yet, to whom I’d give my soul. The program helped me understand that truly living, for me, means starting a family.” Three months after completing the program, he met his fiancée. “She’s the love I was waiting for. The program prepared me for it, pointed me toward it—and right after, it happened.”
In addition, A. has started writing books and working on a documentary film. He credits this creative surge to the program as well, which helped him reconnect with himself. “Ram (Rothberg) told me, ‘You’re special—I know you’ll succeed.’ Those little things—they can change everything.”

Max Kaplansky


Even the mentors of the Masa El HaOfek program are not immune to the ongoing challenges of war. Among them is Max Kaplansky, 30, a husband, father of one and a reserve major in an elite unit who fought on October 7. He lives in Moshav Klachim, near Netivot, where he was raised.
“We’re guiding a group of 20 to 25 young men and women from the Gaza border communities,” he says. “I can sense a gap in their resilience, in their sense of capability. It’s getting worse because the situation creates a deep sense of uncertainty. A survival mindset is embedded in everyone who grew up in the Gaza border region—especially after October 7.” The group meets twice a week, in addition to one-on-one sessions with a coach and meetings with leaders from the business and employment sectors. “We also do ‘A Day in the Life,’ where participants can shadow someone, like a cybersecurity expert. It exposes them to different fields so they can start figuring out what they want to do. This group has been largely neglected by our society. They come out of their army service not knowing who they are or what they want.” Kaplansky knows firsthand how difficult the transition from combat reserve duty to civilian life can be. “You live from one round of fighting to the next. There’s always this cloud of uncertainty hanging over you. It shakes your mental balance. Even when I’m back in civilian life, my heart is still in the war and with the hostages.” Amid the chaos of Israel’s never-ending wars, he finds a sense of normalcy through his work with the nonprofit. “I believe this project is more essential than ever,” he stresses. “It gives me a sense of purpose and fulfillment. It forces you out of survival mode. We’ve helped reservists from Ashkelon, Netivot and the Gaza border region regain peace of mind and self-confidence.”

Guidance for the future: Young men and women in a workshop by the Masa El HaOfek nonprofit (Photo: Courtesy) “For example, a 20-year-old woman who had contributed immensely to the country after October 7 came to us lacking confidence, shy and quiet,” he said. “Suddenly, she started speaking in front of an audience. She told us, ‘Without this program, I don’t know how I would have moved forward.’” Kaplansky explains what keeps him grounded during these turbulent times. “It’s the feeling of being part of something bigger,” he says. “Every young man and woman needs to see how they’re connected to the State of Israel, the people of Israel and the enormous change we want to create here. This project isn’t just about helping people become career-driven or make millions. We want to build a strong society—one with resilient young people who not only succeed personally but also contribute to the State of Israel.” 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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