π️Lonny's War Update- October 644, 2023 - July 11, 2025 π️
π️Day 644 that 50 of our hostages are still in Hamas captivityπ️
Dismantling the claims of why the war in Gaza cannot end now
Israel has to end the war in Gaza now!
To the best of my knowledge, Hamas is prepared to release all of the hostage in exchange for an end to the war, the withdrawal of all Israeli troops from Gaza, the release of agreed to names and numbers of Palestinian prisoners, and the significant increase in humanitarian aid and construction materials to begin to rebuild Gaza.There are Israeli and regional-international conditions that also need to be met for this to happen. It has to be clear to Hamas that if they continue to be a military-security threat to Israel, including the shooting of rockets and mortars, or any attempt by Hamas to cross the border into Israel, Israel will be completely free to renew the fighting.
Until there is a reasonable and responsible security arrangement in Gaza, Israel can set up a security perimeter along the border on the Israeli side that would be a no-entry fire zone – anyone entering risks being shot. No Israeli soldier needs to remain in Gaza for this security zone inside of Gaza to be established by Israel.
The Rafah crossing needs a clear and reliable inspection mechanism to ensure that weapons and materials for the production of weapons will not enter Gaza. Surely the Egyptian must be doing this on their side of the border, but because Israel will not trust the Egyptian inspection on its own, there must be an international trustworthy inspection mechanism on the Gaza side of the crossing.
Egypt and Israel should be talking about inspection mechanism along the Philidephi crossing (about 14 kilometers long) to make sure that no smuggling takes place there. Perhaps the Multi-National Force in Sinai could play a role (MFO – just an idea).
Also, with the greatest urgency, the Palestinian leadership (President Mahmoud Abbas) needs to put forward a plan on who is going to govern Gaza until the Palestinians hold elections (within 12 months according to the Abbas letter to Macron and MBS). The failure to have this decision until now is a clear malfunction of the Palestinian leadership. Gaza must be led by a Palestinian government which is not Hamas. Hamas, according to the Hamas leadership is prepared not to be part of that government. The Gaza government apparently cannot be the present Palestinian Authority because it evidently will not be accepted in Gaza. But there are Palestinian personalities who would be accepted in Gaza and by the Arab states, and Israel could also accept them.
These credible people would be in the position to invite a temporary Arab-led international presence to Gaza to help to stabilize law and order. There are Arab countries that have indicated a willingness to send personnel if they are invited by a credible Palestinian government and if Israeli troops are no longer in Gaza. The new Palestinian government must be prepared to collect weapons from any armed personnel in Gaza who are not part of the new Palestinian government’s security-police force. The new Palestinian government should seek the backing of the international community with a Security Council Resolution in their support. The new government should be prepared to invite an international professional body/organization to collect and disable the tons of unexploded Israeli ordinances on the ground all around Gaza. They are an immediate danger to the people of Gaza and are also an abundant amount of explosive material that could be used against Israel.
Only when there is a new Palestinian government in Gaza can foreign personnel move in, coordinated with full Israeli withdrawal and the full release of Israeli hostages.
All of this can be done relatively quickly. There is no reason for the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah to wait for the war to end – their task of appointing the new government for Gaza or the head of the government of Gaza should have been completed many months ago.
The United States must pressure Israel to shorten the period of time required to end the war and to withdraw from Gaza. If there was a Palestinian plan internationally supported for the day after the war in Gaza, it would be a lot easier to dismantle Netanyahu’s claims that Hamas will continue to control Gaza and continue to be a threat to the security of Israel.
All of Netanyahu’s claims for continuing the war can be dismantled, except for the political claims that ending the war will bring down his government, and that claim cannot justify the killing of even one more Gazan citizen or one more Israeli soldier.
(Gershon Baskin, July 10, 2025)
Netanyahu to hostage families: Hamas will pick who goes free; Israel will negotiate for permanent truce
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told hostage families last night that Hamas will determine which hostages will be released during the 60-day truce, a source present at the Washington meeting tells The Times of Israel.
The source says Netanyahu told the families that as far as Israel is concerned, all of the hostages are considered “humanitarian” — meaning there is not a prioritization of some hostages over the others, as the well-being of each of them is equally dire.
However, two sources tell Haaretz that intelligence on the conditions of the hostages is being given to Netanyahu’s office, and that the political leadership will decide on the order of release.
Netanyahu told the hostage families that once the 60-day truce under discussion enters into effect, Israel will immediately hold negotiations on the terms for a permanent ceasefire — something he refused to do during the previous hostage deal, which led to its collapse in March.
“From the time the first eight living hostages are released until the last two living hostages are released… we will work to bring the entire war to an end,” Channel 12 quotes Netanyahu as having said.
However, the source present at the meeting tells The Times of Israel that Netanyahu insisted that he would not budge from his demands for Hamas to surrender, give up its arms and agree for its leaders to go into exile — conditions that the Palestinian terror group has long rejected.
While the hostage families expressed their opposition to the partial deal being negotiated — which will only see the release of roughly half of the hostages — Netanyahu asserted that a comprehensive deal is not possible, according to the source.
When families expressed concern that this could well lead to 22 hostages remaining in Gaza, Netanyahu asserted that he would keep fighting for their release, the source present at the half-hour-plus meeting recalls.
“There are things I cannot talk to you about. There are things being done quietly, and I will not share them with you because they must remain secret,” Channel 12 quotes Netanyahu as having said. “We are on the right path. Things are moving forward. It will take a little more time, but be patient.” LINK Why the hell isn't a single complete deal being made to start? We all know that final outcome - the end of the war and the return of all the hostages. Everything else can be negotiated right now. We don't need 60 days or 100 days to work out all the details. All of the security heads have stated repeatedly that they are in favor and are prepared for a single phase deal that does it all. They have been ready for this for a long time. Only Netanyahu stands in the way. There is nothing ideological preventing this deal. There are no security issues preventing it. On the contrary, the sooner the deal is made, our soldiers will stop being killed and maimed in Gaza. There is nothing but Netanyahu's War of Political Survival standing in the way and everyone involved knows this, including Trump. Trump wants an end to the war so he can get his Nobel Peace Prize, but he has given in to Netanyahu's time table of the horrendously inhumane phased deal with 5 separate hostage releases that will still leave at least 10 living hostages in captivity and other hostages who have died or been killed. I have no doubt that Netanyahu made a series of promises to Trump to convince him not to press for an immediate end of the war. Those promises, I'm sure consist of guaranteeing ending the war but along Netanyahu's plan and time frame which he believes will bring him to his most favorable point to call for early elections. As Trump is also interested in Netanyahu, his BFF staying as Prime Minister, he went along with it. I assume that it went something like this. Netanyahu told Trump that if he demands the war to end immediately, Netanyahu's government will surely fall with new elections within 3 months. The downside for Netanyahu and Trump would be the high probability that Netanyahu wouldn't win and would not continue as PM, and Netanyahu most likely convinced him that with the fall of the government, he would not be able to push the defunct government to end the war. This is 100% not true but because Trump has no understanding of our government construct, he would buy Netanyahu's story. In this case, if Trump believed Netanyahu, he would not get his end of the war, nor his Trump Gaza Riveria and would not have his BFF as PM anymore. On the other hand, he most likely sold this bill of goods. To give Netanyahu his time frame of 60 day ceasefire with 5 phases of hostage releases, while negotiating the next steps which would lead to ending the war and getting the rest of the hostages home. That would take about 60+ days and in the end, bring everything to the end of the year which is the period of time that Netanyahu plans to call for early elections towards the end of the first quarter of 2026. He sees this period till then as crucial to wipe the collective memories of Israelis of Netanyahu's role and responsibilities for October 7 and only focus on "His Successes" of Lebanon, Syria and Iran. And the cherry on top for Trump was Netanyahu's letter of recommendation to the Nobel Peace Prize committed for Trump to be nominated by Netanyahu. It is the epitome of irony for Netanyahu, the war criminal to nominate Trump for a Peace Prize. Netanyahu had Trump eating out of the palm of his hand.
Netanyahu meets hostage families, tells them he and Trump making ‘utmost efforts’ to free every one
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara met last night in Washington, DC, with families of hostages held in Gaza, including relatives of Itay Chen, Matan Angrest, Segev Kalfon and Elkana Bohbot.
According to Netanyahu’s office, he told the families that the hostage issue was discussed at length in his meetings with US President Donald Trump, and that “the utmost efforts are being exerted at all times to free all the hostages, both living and dead.”
Hamas says updated map of IDF withdrawal unacceptable, but source still thinks deal possible within days
Hamas is not satisfied with the new set of maps that Israel submitted earlier this week demarcating the exact parameters of the IDF’s partial withdrawal from Gaza during the 60-day truce under discussion, a Palestinian official tells The Times of Israel.
Israel submitted a new set of maps after coming under US pressure to reduce the IDF’s presence in Gaza, particularly in the Morag Corridor adjacent to where Jerusalem is planning to establish a controversial “humanitarian city.”
While mediators felt the new maps allowed for a breakthrough on what has become the main sticking point in negotiations, Hamas negotiators have poured cold water on the optimism, saying they won’t accept the wide buffer zone Israel is still trying to maintain in Gaza, the Palestinian official says.
The updated maps submitted by Israel still envision the IDF maintaining control of roughly one-third of the Strip during the ceasefire.
Nonetheless, a source involved in the negotiations says the gaps are bridgeable and that a deal is still possible within days — not a week or two as suggested by a senior Israeli official who briefed reporters in Washington yesterday.
Hamas says it opposes IDF troops staying in buffer zones, confining Gazans to ‘isolated enclaves’Hamas says it opposes any ceasefire deal that includes a large Israeli military presence in Gaza, describing disagreements over the withdrawal and free flow of aid into Gaza as sticking points, as well as its demands for “real guarantees” for a lasting truce.
Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim tells AFP: “We cannot accept the perpetuation of the occupation of our land and the surrender of our people to isolated enclaves under the control of the occupation army. This is what the negotiating delegation is presenting to the occupation so far in the current round of negotiations in Doha.”
Hamas is particularly opposed to Israeli control over the southern city of Rafah, on the border with Egypt, and the so-called Morag Corridor between Rafah and Khan Younis, he adds.
Israel announced earlier this year that the army was seizing large areas in Gaza and incorporating them into buffer zones cleared of their inhabitants, as a way of pressuring Hamas to release the hostages it is holding.
Naim also says the Palestinian terror group wants an end to the current delivery of aid by the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a system that has allegedly seen scores killed while seeking handouts.
Netanyahu Recordings: If the Deal Proceeds, Negotiations on Ending the War "Will Begin Immediately"
The Prime Minister emphasized to the families he met with at Blair House that he is "committed to bringing everyone back," and effectively explained that the current framework will ultimately lead to the end of the war and the release of all hostages. At the same time, Netanyahu claimed that Hamas determines who is released: "We don’t have an organized list, that’s not the situation. First of all, we want to reach an agreement on the release."
In a meeting with hostage families at Blair House last night (Wednesday), Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that it was not possible to reach a comprehensive deal at this time, but that he and U.S. President Donald Trump have "plans" he would not elaborate on. Nevertheless, he stressed to the families: "We are committed to bringing everyone back. If this framework goes into effect – negotiations on the end [of the war] begin immediately, not at the end of 60 days. Immediately."
Netanyahu clarified that Israel has a shared position with the U.S., and added: "And also added strength, both toward Hamas and especially toward the mediators – particularly one mediator who has leverage and it’s important, her name starts with a Q (Qatar)." Despite this, he said: "I am not celebrating a done deal or even a beginning when there is no beginning. We are progressing toward a beginning; I wish I could already report to you before we take off, but we shall see."
"It seems to me we are getting closer, but until you close it – it isn’t closed. With Hamas, you know how it is," said Netanyahu. "We know what we want to achieve and we are progressing step by step. We will have news." The Prime Minister essentially explained that the release of 10 live hostages and 18 bodies over the first 60 days of the deal is part of the process, whose end is expected to be the conclusion of the war and the release of the remaining hostages. That is the goal, and "you need to be patient," he told the families.
He said: "We are going to discuss with them ending the war, if they surrender to our conditions – which obligate us to ensure our existence: that there will be no more kidnappings, murders and massacres, beheadings and invasions." He emphasized firmly: "I do not accept Hamas. They will not be there. We will bring everyone back – and they will not be there. I insist on that. I will not leave those murderers there, those monsters. I am willing to stand on that with full force. I will not abandon the lives and security of our citizens, for the sake of our future."
"Who comes out first, who second, and how it will happen. It's torment, really I wish I could strengthen you," Netanyahu added. A father of a kidnapped soldier told Netanyahu: "We want to know who comes out last, when everyone will come out," and the PM responded: "I can’t give you a date, but we will act to make it as early as possible. I do not intend to give up on him. We intend to bring everyone back, the living and the dead alike."
At the same time, when the families tried to press Netanyahu during the conversation and understand how the hostages to be released will be chosen, the Prime Minister replied that Israel has no real control over that – and Hamas is the one that determines the lists. "Hamas intends to assemble [the list], we don’t have an organized list, that’s not the situation. First of all, we want to reach a situation where there is agreement on the release," Netanyahu said.
He later added: "My commitment is absolute and I am not willing to give up. I am acting, and I pledge to you. We are working to bring people back, even people we lost in battles 40 years ago. But I don’t intend to wait 40 years. Actions speak, right now I am focused on the mission, which is a difficult mission."
The Prime Minister referred to his conversations with the U.S. President, saying there are gaps between what is truly said and what "comes out." According to him: "There are very tough conversations, and they are recorded. We are talking these days about once a day. One day this will come out and be compared to what was reported publicly – and you will be amazed. I do not disclose what is said in the conversations."
Ofir, the younger brother of kidnapped soldier Matan Angrest, introduced himself at the meeting and said that in six months he is supposed to enlist in the IDF as well. He turned to the PM and asked, "How am I supposed to enlist when my brother is still there? Broken and tortured in interrogations – and everything here continues as normal. My brother is in hell, I want to put on a uniform and know who I am fighting for. Who is behind me, strong and brave leaders who know how to make decisions." Matan’s father added that his son is humanitarian, and the Prime Minister replied: "They are all humanitarian."
Later in the conversation, Netanyahu also addressed the war with Iran, saying that "victory creates opportunities." According to him, "There are cracks in the axis, they feel the destabilization."
The Prime Minister addressed the meeting with the families this evening and said in a recorded statement: "We are determined to bring everyone back. I told them that. I told them that we are currently trying to achieve the release of half of the living hostages and the bodies, in exchange for a temporary ceasefire of 60 days. At the beginning of this ceasefire, we will enter negotiations for a permanent end to the war. That is, a permanent ceasefire."
He emphasized: "In order to achieve this, this must be done under the minimum conditions we set: Hamas lays down its weapons, Gaza is demilitarized, no more governing or military capabilities for Hamas. These are our basic conditions." He added: "This is the last day of a historic visit after the historic victory in the war against Iran. What was agreed between President Trump and me, regarding issues related to Gaza, the region, and even beyond the region, will yet be told."
Netanyahu after the meeting with Trump: "We focused on efforts to free the hostages"
The Hostages Headquarters published a response to Netanyahu's remarks on the composition of the release lists with an urgent appeal to the government: "We demand to receive full information on how it will be determined which hostages will be released, and who will be left to continue enduring torture and immediate risk; we request to know who the decision-makers are in this matter and what are the criteria on which the decision will be based." In the appeal, the families protested the "selection" and the conflicting reports and demanded clarifications.
A senior Israeli official who spoke with journalists this morning in Washington said that a ceasefire in Gaza is possible within a week or two, but it is not "a matter of a day." The official spoke anonymously, during the Prime Minister’s visit to the U.S. He said that both sides agree on a 60-day ceasefire – and Israel will use that time to advance a permanent ceasefire under which Hamas will be required to disarm. "If Hamas refuses, we will proceed with military operations," he threatened.
During the U.S. visit, Netanyahu met twice with Trump, and although there was progress in the talks – which some in Jerusalem and Washington even described as significant – there was no breakthrough that led to an agreement on the details of a hostage deal. In Doha, where proximity talks between Israel and Hamas are taking place indirectly since Netanyahu's arrival in Washington, they are now awaiting the arrival of Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff – and all parties, especially the mediators, hope he will be the one to "give the needed push" toward a deal. His arrival is expected in the coming days, according to estimates. link. Netanyahu never stops his lies. He is perfectly capable of making a deal to end the war and bring home all the hostages in a single phase. He lies about the list or hostages to be released. It is not Hamas who prepares the lists and he has been caught in this lie several times before. Both the Defense and Health ministries have told the political echelon that they will not prepare the list because every single one of the living hostages is considering humanitarian, each is in danger of dying and/or being killed. Prior to his flight to Washington, Netanyahu was provided with the medical situation of each of the hostages and it was said that the political echelon will use this information to prepare the list. It is possible that Netanyahu will not have the politicians prepare the list and let Hamas decide who will be released and when, so that he can claim that it was not in his hands. The bottom line is that no list should have to be prepared and the only deal that should be made is a single deal to bring back all the hostages, living and dead at once. But that doesn't fit Netanyahu's political survival time table and plans so he continues to insist that only a phased deal can be made and there is no timing to when the last hostage will be brought home.
After meeting in DC, hostage’s brother-in-law says not convinced the captives are PM’s main priority
After taking part in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with hostage families in Washington on Wednesday, the brother-in-law of captive Omri Miran says he’s “not convinced” that the Israeli premier has placed the hostages at the top of his priorities.
Moshe Lavi publishes the critique in response to an X post from Netanyahu, which summed up the meeting the prime minister held with the hostage families.
“Their pain is the pain of an entire nation,” Netanyahu wrote, adding that he made sure that the issue remained on the agenda throughout his meetings with Trump in Washington.
“We are working with all our might to return all the hostages — both living and dead. We will not rest until we bring everyone home,” the premier wrote.
In his response to Netanyahu, Lavi shares what he told the prime minister during their Wednesday meeting: “the fate of the hostages and our social contract are at stake if you choose a partial [hostage deal] again, and not the formula that the Trump administration claims is possible — the return of all 50, even at the cost of ending the war.”
Trump officials have not publicly come out against the partial ceasefire framework that Netanyahu prefers in order to hold onto the option of resuming the war. However, hostage families have told The Times of Israel that US officials have told them that they believe Israel is in a position to end the war and deal with what is left of Hamas’s military capabilities at a later period.
Hamas officials have said they would release all remaining Israeli hostages in one batch if Israel agrees to a permanent ceasefire.
Netanyahu has rejected the exchange, insisting that he will only end the war if a varying list of conditions are met, namely Hamas surrendering and giving up its arms. He also faces pressure from far-right coalition partners who have threatened to collapse his government if he agrees to end the war. link Moshe Lavi is being kind in saying that he is not convinced that Netanyahu's main priority is not the main focus. He, all the hostages families, the majority of the Israeli population and most of the all, the hostages all know that the hostages are not now, nor have they ever been Netanyahu's main focus. In any proper civil society where leaders take responsibility for their own actions and those of their government's, the leader and the government would have resigned immediately after October 7 and taken responsibility, at the very least for being at the helm when the worst attack on the State of Israel occurred. In this case, Netanyahu and his government bear direct responsibility for the abandonment for years and particularly for that day and for the past 643 days. A proper and responsible prime minister would have made the return of all 251 hostages the main priority for the entire government and security forces and done whatever was necessary to bring them all back at once. Unfortunately for the entire nation, we have a prime minister who's single focus and single priority is his own political survival and legacy. And his priorities, words and actions throughout this horrible war have proven that time and time again.
His government has given him the reigns to be an autocratic leader where he alone makes all the decisions. He is constantly threatened by his messianic extremist senior criminal ministers Smotrich and Ben Gvir who may lead him by the nose, but it is his decision in the end because he allows them to control his decisions for his own survival and not for the benefit of the State. The only times that he brings major decisions such as hostage deals to his cabinet is when he wants them to reject the deal so he can have deniability on his side when telling our negotiator partners (Qatar, Egypt, US) that his government is against the deal. When he wants something to be done, he presents it (sometimes) to his cabinet as a fait accompli.
As such, Netanyahu could easily end the war and bring all the hostages home in a single deal and in a single phase, if he wanted to. It is obvious that he never wanted to do that. The phased deals are his invention so, as the article states, because he always wants the option to return to fighting as he has done at every occasion.
Hamas has stated to my brother on multiple occasions, to the public and to the US that they are prepared to return all 50 hostages at one time as long as it is accompanied with the ending of the war. Of course, they have other not insignificant demands, such as the release of Palestinian prisoners as has been the case with every hostage release, and pull back of all Israeli troops. All of our security organizations have repeatedly told Netanyahu that this is what should be done and they can handle anything that happens afterwards, including going back to fighting if need be. Netanyahu has rejected all of that for the last year because it doesn't fit with his War of Political Survival.
"“We are working with all our might to return all the hostages — both living and dead. We will not rest until we bring everyone home,” the premier wrote." This statement says everything: "we will not rest until we bring everyone home"! He doesn't say how long it will take because it will take as long as is good for Netanyahu's political survival. That is the bottom line!!!!From the Hostage and Missing Families Forum
Time Is Up - Bring Them All Home Now!We are in critical days, at a decisive crossroads – and we urge the Government of Israel and the Trump Administration to act with determination to bringall the hostages home through a comprehensive and complete deal.The only way to ensure their return is by ending the fighting and securing a deal that brings all the hostages home - with a clear and binding timeline.Amid this deep pain, the families embrace those of the fallen and woundedsoldiers in Gaza - our hearts are broken.Over 640 days have passed since October 7th, nearly 4,000 since Hadar Goldin was kidnapped - and the nightmare is far from over.It is time for a brave decision that brings everyone home – only then can we achieve a full and just Israeli victory.
Bring them home. End the war.- ‘Held in harshest conditions’: Details on Segev Kalfon's time in captivity
With son held for 643 days in Hamas captivity, Galit Kalfon urges Israeli leaders to act swiftly and fairly as reports emerge about his deteriorating condition and the extreme conditions in which he and other hostages are being held in GazaKalfon, 27, was abducted by Hamas terrorists during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on the Nova music festival near Re’im in southern Israel. His mother, Galit Kalfon, said she has been living through a “terrible roller coaster” since then.
“Sometimes it feels like things are moving further away, other times closer,” she told Ynetnews. “What comforts us is that things are happening. That gives us a little hope—something we’ve hardly had in almost two years.”The Israeli government is reportedly weighing a phased agreement that could see some hostages released in exchange for a pause in fighting or other concessions. Kalfon said her son’s condition requires urgent attention and that his name must be included in any initial group freed.“Segev was kidnapped while suffering from post-trauma. He’s a combat veteran with PTSD and has an old orthopedic injury,” she said. “Of course we’re worried about whether he’ll be in the first group of 10 to be released.” Kalfon questioned the logic behind a partial deal, saying it unfairly divides hostage families. “I don’t understand it,” she said. “Both paths lead to the same outcome—ending the war. That’s what Hamas wants. Why should some families be told their loved ones are coming home, while others are left behind? We’ve all become one family.” Kalfon said she submitted her son’s medical files to the authorities two weeks after his abduction, requesting that he receive the treatments he was on before he was taken. “I begged them to make sure he’d get his medication. But nothing reached him. They didn’t get any of it.” She also shared testimony from Ohad Ben Ami, a former hostage who had been held with Segev and was released in a previous exchange. Ben Ami reportedly told the family that Segev’s condition had deteriorated and urged that he be released as soon as possible.“He said Segev can’t take it anymore. His mind is breaking,” Galit Kalfon said. “Segev viewed Ohad as a father figure. He needed him during his nighttime panic attacks. Ohad told us Segev would have dissociative episodes, fits of rage—things he couldn’t describe.” She said Segev is being held under especially harsh conditions. “His group was among those kept in the worst conditions in Gaza. All the officials know it. Everyone there is exhausted, starving, beaten. They all need to come home. But Segev went in already traumatized. I can’t imagine what he’s been through.” Kalfon urged Israeli decision-makers to act responsibly. “I hope those working on the intelligence file and those deciding who is released take everything into account. That they be responsible and ethical. That they—not Hamas—decide who comes home.” She also referenced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with U.S. officials and families of hostages in Washington on Wednesday. “They met last night, but due to the time difference, I haven’t had a chance to speak with my husband yet,” she said. “I know the prime minister asked to meet with the families who were there.” She said the meeting was reported to have been positive, though not personal. “From what I know, it was a good meeting. They were optimistic.” Kalfon ended with a message to Israeli ministers who oppose the deal. “I wouldn’t wish this on anyone—not even them. If their child were there, I doubt they’d speak this way. I hope they wake up every morning regretting what they’ve said. It’s awful. I hope they come to regret it.” As of July 2025, out of 50 hostages held in Gaza, roughly 20 are still believed to be alive. link
**There is nothing more important than getting them home! NOTHING!**
“I’ve never met them,But I miss them. I’ve never met them,but I think of them every second. I’ve never met them,but they are my family. BRING THEM HOME NOW!!!”
We’re waiting for you, all of you.
A deal is the only way to bring
all the hostages home- the murdered for burial and the living for rehabilitation.
A deal is the only way to bring
all the hostages home- the murdered for burial and the living for rehabilitation.
#BringThemHomeNow #TurnTheHorrorIntoHope
#BringThemHomeNow #TurnTheHorrorIntoHope
There is no victory until all of the hostages are home!ΧΧΧ Χ Χ¦ΧΧΧ Χ’Χ Χ©ΧΧ ΧΧΧΧΧ€ΧΧ ΧΧΧΧͺ
IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE ORIGINAL NY TIMES ARTICLE, READ THE ARTICLE "Levin Cried on 10/7, Netanyahu to Biden Administration on Hostage Deal Supporters: "They Are Not My Voters"" IN THE POLITICS AND WAR SECTION. I HAVE WRITTEN IN THE PAST ABOUT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE POINTS MADE, SHOWING HOW NETANYAHU'S PRIORITY HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO KEEP HIS GOVERNMENT TOGETHER AND EVERYTHING ELSE WAS AND STILL IS SECONDARY
Red Alerts - Missile, Rocket, Drone (UAV - unmanned aerial vehicles), and Terror Attacks and Death Announcements
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Victim of West Bank attack named as Shalev Zvuluny, 22, from Kiryat Arba
Shalev Zvuluny, killed in a terror attack at Gush Etzion Junction in the West Bank on July 10, 2025. (Courtesy)
MAY HIS MEMORY BE A REVOLUTION
The security guard killed today in the terror attack at a shopping compound at the Gush Etzion Junction in the West Bank is named as Shalev Zvuluny, 22, from Kiryat Arba.
The council of the Hebron-adjacent settlement mourns Zvuluny as “a special person, beloved by those who knew him,” sending condolences and support to the family.
IDF officer killed in apparent accidental explosion in southern Gaza
An IDF officer was killed in an apparent accident in the southern Gaza Strip yesterday, the military announces.
The slain soldier is named as Cpt. Reei Biran, 21, a team commander in the Golani Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, from Shorashim.
According to an IDF probe, the incident took place during an ongoing offensive in Khan Younis.
During the operation, troops worked to rig up buildings with mines that are suspected to be used by Hamas for terror activity, in order to demolish them.
Around two hours after the buildings were mined, an explosion occurred, and Biran was hit, possibly by shrapnel or debris. He was declared dead a short while later.
The IDF says the incident is under further investigation.
ENOUGH ALREADY. NO MORE DEATH.
#END THIS GOD DAMNED WAR.
- Israel will strike Iran again if threatened, Katz says
Defense minister warns Tehran that Israel will strike with even greater force if threatened again; 'Israel's long arm will reach you in Tehran, Tabriz, Isfahan and anywhere you try to threaten or harm Israel,' he says. article Why is Katz making provocative statements like this now? If Katz is making the statements, it means it's coming from Netanyahu. Katz is Netanyahu's yes man and will not cross Netanyahu. That's why Netanyahu put him there. There are a few possible reasons for these inflammatory statements that should be sending shivers down the spines of every Israeli who went through the 12 days of heavy ballistic missiles launched at us every day and the destruction, death and fear that accompanied these days. The first reason is that Netanyahu wants either the threat or the actual attack for his personal political reasons, such as staving off the fall of his government by the Haredi parties who are threatening just that because they have not succeeded in getting their IDF exemptions for their people at a time that the country needs these soldiers more than ever. The other reason is to cover up the lie that Netanyahu and Trump have both told that the Iranian nuclear program has been set back years as opposed to what the experts say that it only pushed it back by months and at most a year. Both Netanyahu and Trump will be aligned with another attack to do more damage to align with what they claim which is not the truth.
And the third reason is what Netanyahu constantly does and that is to divert what is in front of us and is not positive PR for Netanyahu, so he creates different crises to take everyone's attention from what he doesn't want to be on the front pages. Sa’ar: Plan to move Gazans into ‘humanitarian’ zone aims to protect civilians, not force emigration. - LIES, LIES, LIES. 2 days ago, Defense Minister Katz said exactly that the 'humanitarian zone' will help with the 'voluntary' emigration. Saar is an opportunist and has proven that time and time ago. Here, again, he is using his microphone to spread the lies of the government which has shown that they, starting with Netanyahu, are interested in emptying Gaza from Palestinians giving into the messianic extremists of the government and Trump's ridiculous Trump Gaza fantasy. This is nothing less than ethnic cleansing by this criminal government.
- IDF says troops blocking roads, surrounding town near site of West Bank terror attack
Israeli troops are surrounding the West Bank town of Halhul and blocking roads in the area, following the deadly terror attack at the nearby Gush Etzion junction, the military says.
According to the IDF, the two terrorists who carried out the attack were shot dead by troops and other security forces in the area.
The assailants had stabbed a security guard outside a supermarket and snatched his handgun.
- Gazans reject Trump’s displacement plan despite destruction: ‘This is our land’
‘Our children who were martyred in the war are buried here,’ one resident says, after Netanyahu and US president indicate at White House meeting that the proposal is advancing
Illustrative: A boy looks over a Palestinian tent city in the al-Mawasi area in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, July 6, 2025. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)Whenever Mansour Abu Al-Khaier stares across Gaza, all the 45-year-old Palestinian man sees is death and destruction in the tiny enclave after nearly two years of war between Hamas and Israel.
But even though Palestinian lives have been shattered during the course of Israeli airstrikes and heavy bombardment, Al-Khaier and others flatly reject US President Donald Trump’s Israeli-backed plan to displace Gaza’s 2.3 million population.
“This is our land. Who would we leave it to, where would we go?” asked Al-Khaier, a technician.
Trump, hosting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday, indicated progress on a highly disputed initiative to relocate Palestinians out of the coastal enclave, citing “great cooperation from… surrounding countries.”
Speaking to reporters at the start of a dinner between US and Israeli officials, Netanyahu said the United States and Israel were working with other countries that would give Palestinians a “better future,” suggesting that Gazans would be able to move to neighboring nations.
In an exchange with Trump, Netanyahu said: “You know if people want to stay, they can stay. But if they want to leave they should be able to leave. It shouldn’t be a prison. It should be an open place and give people free choice.”
He added: “We’re working with the United States very closely about finding countries that will seek to realize what they always say, that they wanted to give the Palestinians a better future. I think we’re getting close to finding several countries.”
Asked about Netanyahu’s remarks, UN human rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told a Geneva press briefing: “This raises concerns with regards to forcible transfer — the concept of voluntary transfers in the context that we are seeing in Gaza right now [is] very questionable.”
Five days after becoming US president in January, Trump said Jordan and Egypt should take in Palestinians from Gaza, while suggesting he was open to this being a long-term plan.
Cairo and Amman quickly rebuffed Trump’s idea to turn impoverished Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” and so did Palestinians and human rights groups who said the plan would amount to ethnic cleansing.
When asked this week about displacing Palestinians, Trump said the countries around Israel were helping out. “We’ve had great cooperation from… surrounding countries… So something good will happen,” Trump said.
A man hoists a sign reading “No to displacement” at a demonstration against US President Donald Trump’s plan to take over Gaza, on the Egyptian side of the Strip’s Rafah Border Crossing, January 31, 2025. (Kerolos Salah / AFP)Saed, a 27-year-old Gaza Palestinian, woke up troubled to the news that Trump and Netanyahu were once again floating the displacement idea.
“We have the right to leave of our own free will and visit other countries, but we reject the plan of displacement as Palestinians,” he said.
A proposal seen by Reuters and bearing the name of the controversial US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation described a plan to further Trump’s “vision” for Gaza with “Humanitarian Transit Areas” inside — and possibly outside — the Strip to house the Palestinian population,
The plan, which GHF denied having promoted, outlined a framework for “replacing Hamas control over the population in Gaza.”
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)Gaza resident Abu Samir el-Fakaawi was not having any of it.
“I will not leave Gaza. This is my country,” he said. “Our children who were martyred in the war are buried here. Our families. Our friends. Our cousins. We are all buried here. Whether Trump or Netanyahu or anyone else likes it or not, we are staying on this land.”
The war in Gaza was sparked on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel to kill more than 1,200 people and take 251 hostages.
According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 57,000 people in the Strip. The toll, which cannot be independently verified, does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Palestinians inspect the damage after an airstrike in the Bureij camp, in the central Gaza Strip, July 4, 2025. (Eyad BABA / AFP)Israel says it has killed some 20,000 combatants in battle as of January and another 1,600 terrorists inside Israel during the October 7 onslaught.
Some Palestinians who have faced relentless Israeli airstrikes and severe shortages of food, fuel, medicine and water are looking for a way out, according to findings by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, which is based in Ramallah and funded by Western donors.
The think tank reported in May that almost half of Gaza’s population was willing to apply to Israel to help them leave for other countries. link
UNICEF says 1-year-old killed in IDF strike on Gaza medical clinic spoke first words hours before
Among the children killed in a Thursday Israeli strike on a medical clinic in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah was a 1-year-old boy who spoke his first words hours earlier, says the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The boy was with his mother, who UNICEF says was critically injured in the strike and “now lies in a hospital bed clutching [her son’s] tiny shoe.”
UNICEF says it is “appalled” by the “unconscionable” Israeli strike that reportedly killed 15 Palestinians, including nine children and four women.
The IDF said it targeted a Hamas operative who took part in the October 7 onslaught. Footage of the strike verified by Reuters showed the bodies of women and children lying in pools of blood amid dust and screaming. One clip showed several motionless children lying on a donkey cart.
The medical aid that the victims were seeking to pick up was provided by Project Hope, a UNICEF partner organization.
“These were mothers seeking a lifeline for their children after months of hunger and desperation.”
“The lack of aid means children are facing starvation while the risk of famine grows. The number of malnourished children will continue to rise until life-saving aid and services are resumed at full scale,” the UN agency adds.
“We call on Israel to urgently review its rules of engagement to ensure full compliance with international humanitarian law, notably the protection of civilians, including children, and to conduct a thorough and independent investigation of this incident and all allegations of violations,” UNICEF says, reiterating its call for a ceasefire and release of all hostages.
IDF publishes footage of drone strike, demolition of Hamas tunnel in Khan Younis, southern Gaza
The military releases footage showing a recent drone strike on what it says is a cell of terror operatives in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis.
The IDF says the armed cell was spotted approaching forces of the 188th Armored Brigade during operations in the area in recent days.
In the same area, the military says the brigade, along with the Yahalom combat engineering unit, located and demolished a kilometer-long Hamas tunnel.
UN says at least 798 people killed while seeking food aid in Gaza since May
This photo, provided by an American contractor on condition of anonymity because they were revealing their employers’ internal operations, shows a woman slumped over in a donkey cart after the contractor said she was hit in the head with part of a stun grenade at a food distribution site in Gaza run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in June 2025. (AP Photo)At least 798 people have been killed while trying to receive food aid in Gaza since the end of May, the United Nations Human Rights Office says.
Of the total number of people killed while receiving food assistance since May 27, 615 were in the vicinity of sites operated by the controversial US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) tells reporters.
The other 183 were killed on the routes of aid convoys, the spokesperson says.
The controversial GHF has faced harsh criticism from the UN and other aid organizations, which charge that it fails to meet the needs of Gaza’s population.
Gazans have reported near-daily incidents in which groups trying to reach GHF facilities are shot at by Israeli forces, leading to mass casualties.
Israel has accused Hamas of attacking Gazan aid seekers and falsifying death tolls, but has also acknowledged that “several” Palestinian civilians have been killed by the IDF near GHF aid distribution sites. The IDF says troops have been issued new instructions following what it called “lessons learned.”
IDF says Islamic Jihad commander who invaded Israel on Oct. 7 killed in recent strike
The commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Shejaiya sector, who had invaded Israel during the October 7 onslaught, was killed in a recent strike in the Gaza Strip, the military and Shin Bet announce.
Fadl Abu al-Ata, according to the IDF and Shin Bet, previously served as the deputy commander of the Shejaiya sector, and during the war was promoted to head the Islamic Jihad regional unit.
“Abu al-Ata was one of the key coordinators between terror organizations in the Shejaiya sector, and he directed numerous terror attacks against IDF troops,” the military says, adding that he infiltrated Israel on October 7, 2023.
A separate strike killed Hamed Kamel Abd al-Aziz Iyad, who the IDF says was responsible for engineering and explosives in Islamic Jihad’s Turukman Battalion.
The military says he was “responsible for planning and executing terror and explosive attacks against IDF troops.”
Hamas airs video of killing, attempted abduction of soldier that appears to contradict IDF version of events
This screenshot from a Hamas video published July 10, 2025, shows terror operatives attacking Israeli troops carrying out demolition work in southern Gaza's Khan Younis, on July 9, 2025. (Hamas, via Telegram)A video released by Hamas of the killing and attempted abduction of a soldier in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis on Wednesday appears to contradict the army’s version of events.
The IDF said earlier this week that several Hamas operatives had emerged from a tunnel and attacked Israeli troops. During the attack, the gunmen attempted to abduct Master Sgt. (res.) Abraham Azulay, who had been operating an excavator.
Azulay “struggled with them and the terrorists shot and killed him,” said the military, adding that other Israeli forces guarding the area opened fire on the operatives, thwarting an attempt to abduct his body.
The video published by Hamas shows a squad of terror operatives hiding in a damaged building and observing Israeli forces carrying out demolition work.
The squad then sneaks up to the troops, as one launches an RPG at the excavator Azulay was operating. The soldier is seen jumping out of the unarmored construction vehicle while coming under fire from the operatives from over a dozen meters away. The video then shows two operatives reaching the excavator where Azulay’s body lies on the ground.
The operatives are then seen taking Azulay’s weapons, shooting him again, while gunfire is heard in the background, possibly from the Israeli forces returning fire.
Hamas said that its gunmen had attempted to capture the soldier, but that the “field conditions did not allow for it, so they killed him and seized his weapon.”
The Hamas video is edited, and it is unclear if any of the operatives were hit by the Israeli gunfire.
The IDF says it is investigating the incident further, including the deployment of troops who were supposed to be guarding the demolition work. link I saw the video. It is very clear that kind of war that Hamas is fighting now. It is purely guerilla warfare with a few terrorists or less surprising our troops from within the rubble and tunnel piers, quick attack with RPGs and automatic rifle fire and then a quick retreat. The Hamas terrorists are watching the troops very carefully, where they're positioned, what coverage they have, their vulnerabilities and then attack and retreat. The Hamas military leadership has been decimated and they are now being led by lower level leaders, if any and feel they have very little to lose, so they take chances with the purpose of killing as many soldiers as possible. They are purely tactical to kill and have no strategic plan. As has been seen in guerilla warfare, the enemy can go on like this for years. They don't need large amounts of troops, they aren't massing for major battles and the training needed for this kind of warfare is minimal, so they can use newly recruited troops. Unfortunately, our leadership has no strategy other than prolonging the war and having more soldiers killed and maimed, just to help Netanyahu's War of Political Survival.
Gaza and the South
IDF says Hezbollah artillery commander killed after ‘blatant violation’ of ceasefire
The commander of Hezbollah’s artillery forces in the coastal sector of southern Lebanon was killed in an Israeli airstrike earlier today, the IDF announces.
Muhammad Jamal Murad, the Hezbollah commander, was killed in the Mansouri area, south of Tyre.
During the war, the IDF says Murad was responsible for numerous rocket attacks on Israel, and in recent months was involved in efforts to restore Hezbollah’s artillery capabilities in the coastal sector.
“Murad’s activity posed a threat to the State of Israel and constituted a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” the IDF adds.
- Lebanon's president: 'Normalization is not part of the country's current foreign policy'
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun addressed a delegation from the Council for Arab and International Relations, stating that "the decision to concentrate weapons in the hands of the state is irreversible." According to him, "peace is a state of no war and that's what's important to us in Lebanon right now. Normalization is not part of Lebanon's current foreign policy."
Levin Cried on 10/7, Netanyahu to Biden Administration on Hostage Deal Supporters: "They Are Not My Voters"
A comprehensive six-month investigation by the New York Times reveals: Netanyahu chose to rely on his coalition partners and preserve his rule—even at the cost of torpedoing a possible hostage deal. "If you bring a deal—you don’t have a government," warned Smotrich. Netanyahu responded: "There is no such thing." Before the strike on Iran, the PM called Gafni and revealed the secret: "He prevented the dissolution of the Knesset." Also: the call Biden furiously hung up.
More than 110 senior officials from Israel, the U.S., and the Arab world, dozens of documents, protocols, and cabinet meetings: A wide-ranging New York Times investigation published today (Friday) reveals how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu managed to survive politically and even gain strength, while Israel plunged into a prolonged war in the Gaza Strip. The findings paint a troubling picture: how he ignored warnings, shifted blame to security officials, prolonged the war to preserve his rule—and ultimately succeeded in rebuilding his political power precisely through opportunities exploited during the regional escalation of the conflict.
According to the investigation, Netanyahu’s conduct worsened the threat prior to the October 7 attack, thwarted opportunities to end the fighting early—and at the same time helped expand the war to additional arenas. What quickly became a dangerous escalation turned, from his perspective, into a surprising political-military achievement. He refused proposals for a settlement, rejected partnership with the opposition, and his aides tampered with documents while he and they tried to shift blame onto the military—ultimately leading to a regional escalation that weakened Iran, Hezbollah, and Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
Netanyahu after the Hamas attack: "You struck 1,000 targets? I want 5,000"
In July 2023, while recovering from heart surgery in the hospital, Netanyahu received an unusual warning from senior security officials: Hamas and other enemies of Israel were perceiving the internal political crisis as an opportunity to strike.
Netanyahu ignored it and instead told the Shin Bet chief: "Deal with the protesters." Hours later, his government passed the law limiting the reasonableness clause, deepening the chaos. Two days later, according to a secret protocol from Hamas leadership discussions—the terror organization decided to move forward—and on October 7 launched its deadly surprise attack.
At 6:29 AM on October 7, Netanyahu was awakened by a WhatsApp message from a senior military officer, notifying him Hamas had opened fire. Minutes later, in a secured and documented call, Netanyahu ordered the elimination of the Hamas leadership. In that call, he asked: "Can we take down their leadership?"—a stark contrast to his opposition before the war, when security chiefs pushed for an immediate strike on Gaza. After the surprise attack, Netanyahu shifted his approach. When the IDF Chief of Staff updated him about striking 1,000 targets in Gaza, he scoffed: "A thousand? I want five thousand."
From the early moments after the attack began, Netanyahu already hinted at how he would attempt to deflect responsibility. In one of his first calls, he said: "I saw nothing in the intelligence." According to the investigation, he was already weaving what became a calculated plan to retain power. His team briefed close allies and influencers against senior officers—chief among them Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi—prevented official recordings of meetings with the PM, ordered searches of senior officers for recording devices—and later, one aide retroactively altered official records of Netanyahu’s conversations on the day of the attack.
At the same time, a classified document was leaked to a foreign newspaper, bypassing censorship mechanisms, in an attempt to undermine the credibility of his critics—including hostage families. According to the investigation, Netanyahu sought to deflect the spotlight and erase evidence that could pin responsibility on him for the initial failure.
Levin sat on the stairs—and cried
During those days, as Israel descended into chaos, even senior Likud officials grasped the scale of the disaster. Justice Minister Yariv Levin, the architect of the judicial overhaul, reportedly sat on a stairwell and wept—according to two witnesses, including Moti Babchik, senior adviser to former Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf. Levin’s spokesman denied he cried. At the same day’s cabinet meeting, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich summed up the sentiment: "Within 48 hours they'll call for our resignation because of this mess," he said. "And they'll be right."
In the first hours after the attack, Netanyahu rejected the opposition’s offer to form a broad unity government with most of the opposition—and chose to remain dependent on his far-right partners, Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir. The direct result: throughout the war, he had to align with their demands, including firm opposition to deals with Hamas.
Non-essential objectives—to keep the war going
According to the investigation, during critical stages of the ceasefire negotiations, Netanyahu suddenly introduced military objectives that, according to the army, were not essential at that time in light of the heavy cost to hostages’ lives—such as capturing Rafah and controlling the Philadelphi Corridor—moves that enabled the continuation of the war. These goals had not previously interested him—but became a strategic tool to delay a hostage release deal.
In fact, in April last year, such a plan was almost presented to the cabinet. Netanyahu considered agreeing to a six-week ceasefire during which over 30 hostages would be released, and a window would open for negotiations on a permanent arrangement. Saudi Arabia at that time signaled willingness to promote normalization—an act that could have cemented Netanyahu’s historical legacy. The plan was kept secret, off the official agenda, intending to surprise ministers and make opposition harder.
But during the meeting, when the position paper was quietly placed before Netanyahu, Minister Smotrich interrupted and warned: "If such a deal is presented—you no longer have a government." The time was 17:44. Netanyahu had to choose between a political settlement and coalition unity—he chose the coalition. "No, no—there's no such thing," he told Smotrich. Later in the meeting he whispered to his security advisers: "Don’t present the plan."
That same week, even as Netanyahu sent the IDF into Rafah against U.S. wishes, the Biden administration tried to lure the PM to end the war—mainly with "carrots." National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan flew to Saudi Arabia, where Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman opened a binder of documents and said: "Let’s finish this." According to the investigation, the Saudis clarified that the deal with Washington—including normalization with Israel—also depended on a ceasefire commitment and progress toward Palestinian sovereignty.
Sullivan relayed the message to Netanyahu in Jerusalem, and days later Israel renewed its offer for a deal. The new draft included a gradual withdrawal from Gaza and the start of talks on a permanent ceasefire—with the blessing of Egypt and Qatar. But when Hamas demanded binding guarantees, and Netanyahu simultaneously signaled to the UAE his intention for civilian control in Gaza, the process blew up.
Ben Gvir, who hadn’t received the draft text, burst into the "Aquarium" (PM's secure meeting room) and demanded to see the document. On July 28, hours before a signing meeting in Rome, Netanyahu added six new conditions—including opposition to withdrawing from the Philadelphi Corridor—which caused the talks to collapse. "Stop stalling me," Biden lashed out in an August 1 call.
"Not 50% of my voters"
In May 2024, advanced talks were held between the U.S., Saudi Arabia, and Israel. Saudi Arabia signaled a historic readiness to normalize relations if Israel ended the war, the U.S. provided incentives, and the process included progress toward recognition of a Palestinian state. Netanyahu refused, and ties with the Biden administration deteriorated.
In one especially tense call—President Biden hung up in anger. When White House officials presented Netanyahu with polls showing more than 50% of Israelis supported a hostage deal—he replied: "Not 50% of my voters." According to the investigation, this response reflected his political strategy throughout the war—preferring to rely on a loyal support base, even at the cost of disconnecting from broad public consensus.
At first, Netanyahu avoided escalation with Hezbollah and Iran, but a series of intelligence successes led to the assassination of senior Hezbollah officials, followed by the killing of the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah and an incursion into southern Lebanon, which destroyed much of Hezbollah’s arsenal. Later, Israel destroyed large parts of Iran’s air defense system—leaving Tehran vulnerable, and allowing Syrian rebels to oust President Bashar Assad, Iran’s longtime ally.
Called Gafni—and revealed a military secret: "He prevented the Knesset’s dissolution"
Alongside the internal struggle, Netanyahu began preparing for a strike on Iran. To prevent the passage of a bill dissolving the Knesset amid disputes over the draft exemption law—which could thwart the operation—Netanyahu executed a political maneuver characteristic of his style: a quiet but dramatic play.
At his office in the Kirya base in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu asked his aide to call MK Moshe Gafni from United Torah Judaism. Netanyahu summoned Gafni urgently, and when he arrived, presented him with a page to sign. It was a confidentiality agreement, a familiar document in the defense establishment that obligates the signer to keep a military secret. Anyone exposed to highly sensitive information in Israel must sign such a form, which allows prosecution for leaks. Gafni signed, and Netanyahu told him: Within four days—Israel would launch a strike on Iran.
Gafni left the meeting worried, unsure whether this was a manipulative political move or a genuine plan. He feared it was a bluff, yet also feared a real strike was imminent and that a vote to dissolve the Knesset might derail it. Two days later, Gafni’s party voted against dissolving the Knesset—and Netanyahu survived. Less than 24 hours later, Israeli fighter jets took off for Iran—beginning what the investigation describes as "the largest chapter in Netanyahu’s political career."
The investigation concludes that this "multi-pronged maneuver" showcased Netanyahu at the height of his political power. It highlighted the constant interplay between political survival, coalition partner manipulation, and appeasing American officials—often happening simultaneously. It also reflected the overlap between personal interest, political survival, and national interest. Above all, the investigation points to how Netanyahu turned war—whether in Gaza, Lebanon, or in this case Iran—into a political tool for regime survival.
In Israel, the operation in Iran was celebrated as a crushing failure for the enemy—and for the first time since the war, Likud rose in the polls to a stronger position than it had held since October 2023. link
The Region and the WorldHouthi leader says policy of targeting ships deemed Israel-linked is still in place
Yemeni Houthi militia leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi claims no company can be permitted to transport goods related to Israel through designated areas at sea.
He reiterates that a Houthi decision to attack ships the Iran-backed group sees as associated with Israel through the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea remains in place.
The Iran-aligned Houthis sank two ships in the Red Sea this week after months of calm.
Netanyahu once tried to get Germany’s Merkel to fire her top adviser over pro-Palestinian demands, report reveals
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tried to get Germany’s leader to fire a top adviser more than a decade ago, a new German report reveals.
The incident happened during negotiations for a submarine deal between the countries, a deal that has since become mired in a major corruption probe that has ensnared top Netanyahu advisers, but not the premier himself.
According to the Panorama TV magazine, during talks in 2010 and 2011 between Israel and German conglomerate Thyssenkrupp, then-German chancellor Angela Merkel’s top foreign policy adviser Christoph Heusgen demanded that any deal to supply the Jewish state with submarines be conditioned on Jerusalem halting all settlement construction in the West Bank and agreeing to the establishment of a Palestinian state — conditions that angered Netanyahu.
The report cites multiple sources, including Heusgen himself, former Israeli ambassadors to Germany Yacov Hadas-Handelsman and Yoram Ben-Zeev, and former senior Israeli Defense Ministry official Amos Gilad.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tried to get Germany’s leader to fire a top adviser more than a decade ago, a new German report reveals.
The incident happened during negotiations for a submarine deal between the countries, a deal that has since become mired in a major corruption probe that has ensnared top Netanyahu advisers, but not the premier himself.
According to the Panorama TV magazine, during talks in 2010 and 2011 between Israel and German conglomerate Thyssenkrupp, then-German chancellor Angela Merkel’s top foreign policy adviser Christoph Heusgen demanded that any deal to supply the Jewish state with submarines be conditioned on Jerusalem halting all settlement construction in the West Bank and agreeing to the establishment of a Palestinian state — conditions that angered Netanyahu.
The report cites multiple sources, including Heusgen himself, former Israeli ambassadors to Germany Yacov Hadas-Handelsman and Yoram Ben-Zeev, and former senior Israeli Defense Ministry official Amos Gilad. link
In a precedential decision, a Be’er Sheva family court has granted Sharon Eisenkot, mother of fallen Golani Brigade soldier Maor Cohen Eisenkot, permission to use his sperm to conceive a grandchild. Maor was killed in Gaza during a military operation.
Acronyms and Glossary
ICC - International Criminal Court in the Hague
IJC - International Court of Justice in the Hague
MDA - Magen David Adom - Israel Ambulance Corp
PA - Palestinian Authority - President Mahmud Abbas, aka Abu Mazen
PMO- Prime Minister's Office
UAV - Unmanned Aerial vehicle, Drone. Could be used for surveillance and reconnaissance, or be weaponized with missiles or contain explosives for 'suicide' explosion mission
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