π️Lonny's War Update- October 656, 2023 - July 23, 2025 π️
π️Day 656 that 50 of our hostages are still in Hamas captivityπ️
PIJ claims to lose contact with captors of Rom Braslavski; Family: ‘We demand answers’
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group claims in a statement that it has lost contact since yesterday with the captors holding Israeli hostage Rom Braslavski, and that his fate is currently unknown.
According to the organization’s statement, this occurred following an IDF maneuver in the area where he was being held.
Similar PIJ statements and claims have not always proven reliable, and Israel accuses the terror group of conducting psychological warfare.
A statement from the Braslavski family, published by the Hostage Families Forum, avers that “no one knows where Rom is — not the IDF, not Islamic Jihad. The only thing we were ever told is that he is being held alone.”
The family demands a meeting with a senior official, saying that nobody in the IDF or the government responds to their messages or provides them with any updates.
“We want to know where our son is. We want those responsible to sit with us and present the full picture — not fragments of information or partial truths,” the family says. “We are shattered and in pain. We demand answers from our country about our beloved Rom.” link. Since the beginning of the war, this have been great fears of the following scenarios:
1- hostages killed and buried in the rubble along with many Gazans who will never be found
2- As many hostages were held in families' apartments and not in caves, there has been the danger of things happening to the families and/or apartment buildings and contact with the captors and the hostages lost either temporarily or forever
3- Hamas or Islamic Jihad claiming that contact has been lost or that they have no idea where a hostage is just to keep that hostage at the end of the war and hostage deals in order to maintain bargaining power for a later time.
What is definite is that the IDF actions going on now in Deir al-Balah, an area that the IDF deliberately didn't bomb or conduct active fighting for fear of hurting or killing hostages, is now endangering any and all hostages no matter where they are. If they are in Deir al-Balah area, they are at very high risk of being killed by our bombing and at even greater risk of being executed by their Hamas terrorist guards if they believe or hear amy soldiers nearby. Along with executing the living hostages, the holding areas, the cage areas and tunnels are all booby trapped and will be exploded when there are soldiers in close proximity who will be killed.
Netanyahu knows this very well but doesn't care. As his advisor said, Netanyahu has no problem dealing with another 200 bereaved families (hostage families and soldiers' families). Zamir, the IDF Chief of Staff knows it very well, but he gets his marching orders from the Minister of Defense who is Netanyahu's lapdog, so Zamir must follow the orders of the political echelon. More military pressure kills the hostages!!!
**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
Red Alerts - Missile, Rocket, Drone (UAV - unmanned aerial vehicles), and Terror Attacks and Death Announcements
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- Witkoff hoping to travel to Doha this week to close hostage deal — source
After State Department spokesperson announces that US envoy is already heading to region, source clarifies that he hasn’t left yet and will only make trip if talks further progressUS special envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff hopes to travel to Doha by the end of the week to finalize a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas, a source involved in the mediation effort said on Tuesday.
The source spoke to The Times of Israel shortly after US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce announced that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had just informed her that Witkoff was already en route to the region and that Washington had high hopes for an agreement.
Witkoff “is heading to the region now — to the Gaza area,” Bruce said in a briefing with reporters. When pressed as to where exactly Witkoff was heading, she said that Rubio had not given her specifics.
But the source involved in the mediation effort said that Witkoff was actually still in the US and was only slated to depart on Wednesday — but for meetings in Europe, not Qatar where ongoing proximity talks have been taking place.
Witkoff’s presence in Doha has been framed as an indicator that talks are nearing a conclusion, as negotiators have said he only wants to join the negotiations when they reach a point at which they are ready for an agreement to be announced.
Also Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a situational assessment with the Israeli negotiating team in Doha, an Israeli official told reporters.
On Wednesday, a delegation of former hostages is slated to meet with senior Trump administration officials in Washington.
Proximity negotiations have been taking place since July 6, with the deal on the table envisioning the release of 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 slain hostages in exchange for a yet-to-be-agreed-upon number of Palestinian security prisoners during a 60-day truce. Once the temporary ceasefire commences, the sides will hold talks on the terms of a permanent ceasefire and the release of the remaining 22 hostages, around 10 of whom are believed to be alive.
Mediators expressed optimism last week about the chances for an imminent deal after Israel agreed to back off from demands regarding the scope of its troop presence in Gaza during the two-month truce. Since then, however, Hamas has been accused of dragging its feet in responding to the latest Israeli concessions and had yet to do so as of late Tuesday night, the source said.
Earlier in the week, the terror group claimed to mediators that it was unable to reach its leaders in Gaza, but that appeared to have been a stalling tactic, the source said, adding that mediators warned Hamas the US would withdraw its guarantees to keep Israel at the table during talks on a permanent ceasefire if the terror group didn’t respond constructively soon.
Still, an Arab diplomat familiar with the talks said the overall trajectory is positive and that a deal is possible within the coming days.
However, due to the delay in Hamas’s response, the sides have not held advanced negotiations regarding the identities of the security prisoners slated for release, the source said, acknowledging that an announcement about a deal being reached by the end of this week may be difficult.
The identity of the hostages who will be freed must also be determined, with Netanyahu earlier this month telling families of captives that Hamas will choose who to release. Two sources told the Haaretz daily however that intelligence on the conditions of the hostages is being given to Netanyahu’s office, and that Israel’s political leadership will decide on the order of release.
Bruce said Tuesday that the ceasefire deal under discussion will also include the establishment of a new humanitarian corridor to securely surge aid into Gaza.
She appeared to be referring to a separate track of negotiations that have been taking place in Cairo between Israeli and Egyptian negotiators to come up with a new mechanism for aid distribution during the truce.
The source said on Monday that those talks have been progressing well and that a meeting was being planned for Tuesday between Egyptian, Israeli, and UN officials to discuss the new mechanism. The goal is to move away from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, while still satisfying Israel, which argues that Hamas has exploited existing UN distribution mechanisms to divert aid, the source said.
Hamas has opposed GHF in what Israel says proves that the US- and Israeli-backed organization is effective in boxing the terror group out of the aid distribution process.
International aid organizations have also come out against GHF as its mechanism for aid distribution has forced Palestinians to walk long distances, while frequently dodging IDF fire in order to pick up aid.
While GHF has touted distribution of what it says has been roughly 85 million meals in roughly two months, the boxes it hands out are filled with dry food products that still need to be prepared elsewhere in a war-ravaged Strip with scarce clean water, cooking fuel or equipment.
Hamas-run health authorities in Gaza said earlier Tuesday that an unprecedented 20 Palestinians had died from starvation in the past two days, as concern about a metastasizing problem mounted.
Regional stakeholders have urged Israel to allow the Palestinian Authority to gain a foothold in Gaza, including in the aid distribution process. Netanyahu has rejected the idea outright, likening the PA to Hamas. The failure to stand up a viable governing alternative however has resulted in chaos and lawlessness filling the vacuums created by Israel’s depletion of Hamas’s military and governing capabilities. link. If Witkoff, in fact will be coming to Qatar, that means that a deal will be completed. The question remains if he will be coming. The US State Department doesn't even know the facts of his trip and whether he left already or not and whether he is going to meetings in Europe first. That makes for less good news.
In any case, the deal that he will come to close is a bad deal, a horrible and inhumane deal. There are 50 hostages in Hamas captivity, 20 of who are alive (to the best of our knowledge), 2 are of great concern to their status of alive or dead, and 28 are known to be dead. This horrible 5 phase deal will see 8 living hostages released on the first day of the 60 day ceasefire and 2 more on day 50, and 18 dead hostages are various phases. It is inhumane to the 2 hostages set for release on day 50 that they have to wait another 50 days. Who knows if they will survive those 50 days of hell? But the worst part of this deal is that the 10 remaining known living hostages will remain in captivity with no date of release and no definitive plan as well as the remaining 12 dead or presumed dead hostages whose families will continue to live in purgatory.
The phased releases are an invention of the failed prime minister Netanyahu. They are part of his war for his political survival and nothing more. It allows him to fend off his extremist ministers from bolting the government, allowing Netanyahu to stay in power and go back to fighting a now useless guerilla war of attrition all in the name of staying in power, nothing else. This is not my opinion. It is a fact known and acknowledged throughout Israel, in the population and in the halls of the Knesset as well as with every politician and diplomat the world over.
The only deal that should be made is a single deal to end the war and bring back all the hostages in a single phase, or at most over a very short period of time like 3 weeks in order to pull out our troops in an orderly fashion. There is no excuse for not doing so and the entire security establishment has pushed for this type of deal. Netanyahu, the autocrat is the single voice that decides and it is not in his political interests to do so.
- Mediators predict: Hamas will give response to latest deal proposal within a day
The United States, Egypt and Qatar, which are mediating the talks between Israel and Hamas to end the war in the Gaza Strip, estimate that the terrorist organization will deliver its response to the latest deal proposal within the next day. Against the backdrop of conflicting reports regarding progress in negotiations, Israeli officials claim that "there isn't really any progress" and that "the issue of criteria for prisoner releases hasn't been discussed yet." The Israeli delegation is still in Doha, but Israeli sources say they "aren't aware that Hamas is supposed to respond within the next day," and in any case there is still no indication that the U.S. Special Envoy for the Middle East, Steve Whitcoff, will arrive in Qatar. Saudi report: Israel and Hamas have overcome most disputed issues in ceasefire talks
Israel and Hamas have overcome most of the contentious issues in the negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza, including the key issue of the “keys” — referring to the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for the hostages, Saudi channel Al-Hadath reports.
According to the report, Israel has offered to release 125 prisoners serving life sentences and 1,100 prisoners who were arrested after October 7, 2023 — a proposal that is expected to be accepted.
Report: US pressed Israel to give up on Morag axis in negotiations, patience with Hamas 'running out'
Two sources familiar with the details of the hostage deal negotiations told CNN that the US pressured Israel to give up control over the Morag axis - and conveyed a message to Hamas that "our patience is running out, you must provide an answer soon." According to one source, if this does not happen, some American guarantees "will be at risk." The sources added that Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya, who is in Qatar and leading the negotiations on behalf of the terrorist organization, said in private conversations that he supports the latest proposal from the mediators - but is still waiting for approval from the leadership in the Gaza Strip. link At the start of every negotiation, Netanyahu came up with another issue that he called critical for Israel's security that was deliberately told to the negotiating team at the last moment in order to scuttle any possibility of making a deal. These 'critical security' issues were not discussed in the war cabinet, the security cabinet or with the heads of the security organizations. They were created as a make or break issue by the one and only deal killer, Netanyahu. Some of the past issues were Rafah, The Philidelphi Corridor, the Netzarim Corridor and in this negotiation, the Morag Corridor. The Americans were not made aware of this until it was announced immediately prior to negotiations. Every time Netanyahu has done this, at least one brave member of the negotiating team has come out anonymously stating that Netanyahu's demands will prevent them from being able to make a deal. Trump apparently wasn't having any of this and made it clear, not publicly, to get rid of this demand and magically, the Morag Corridor stopped being critical to Israel's security. We all know that Trump has the power to force Netanyahu to make a deal and end the war. We need him to stop being influenced by Netanyahu to allow him to do it his way and for the war to end and all the hostages to be brought home.
Senior Official on the Negotiation Team Admits: Hamas Will Determine the Order of the Released; Families of the Captive Soldiers: “Insist on Their Release”
As the days go by, the hell in which the families of the hostages find themselves becomes more and more agonizing • They do not know if and when there will be a deal – and who is expected to be released in the upcoming round • Families of the hostages: “They are severely wounded, undergoing interrogations and torture” • Senior member of the negotiation team: “The goal is to return from Doha with a deal, I estimate it will be soon” • The full quotesFor over a month, the families of the hostages have been living in a hell even harder than the one they have endured for the past year and a half. Every day they go to sleep hoping a deal will be signed – and wake up to a morning of negotiation delays and fears that the sides will cut off contact. To that is added the frustration that they have no idea whether their loved ones will even be part of the upcoming deal. Today (Tuesday) we revealed in the First Edition quotes from those families in conversation with senior members of the negotiation team – with a very clear bottom line: they demand answers now.
Demonstrators in favor of a hostage deal in a march to the U.S. Embassy | Photo: Erik Marmor, Flash 90Relative of a hostage: What is the assessment, when is a deal expected?
Senior official on the negotiation team: “The delegation has been in Doha for two weeks already, the goal is to return when there is a deal. I estimate it will be soon.”
Relative of a hostage: What about the lists? Israel must insist on all the severely wounded who are undergoing interrogations and torture, whether they are civilians or soldiers.
The families demand to receive the planned lists and to know who will determine the order of the released. The question arose: “Where does the deal currently stand?” The senior official on the negotiation team replied: “Israel has shown flexibility and is working on all fronts to achieve a deal. We passed Hamas the new maps, and now we’re waiting for their response. Then we will deal with the prisoners and the lists of hostages.”
Hostage transfer ceremony in Rafah | Photo: Ali Hassan, Flash 90The senior official on the negotiation team agrees – and emphasizes: “I hear, I listen, and I know that morally we must also bring back the soldiers. The assessment is that Hamas is expected to determine (the order of the released).”
Relative of a hostage: “We know from a senior cabinet minister that Israel has insisted in the past on specific hostages it wanted. You must insist this time also on the wounded soldiers. So far, you haven’t released any soldiers at all. What message does that send to the fighters?”
Senior official on the negotiation team: “I agree, and we are doing everything to release everyone.”
Alongside the question of whether there will be a deal hovers the question of who those ten hostages will be who are included in the deal – and which families will finally be able to escape this agonizing hell, assuming that Hamas is the one who will determine the list of hostages to be released. link
Avera Mengistu released from hospital 5 months after he was freed from Gaza captivity
Avera Mengistu, who was freed from captivity in the Gaza Strip in February after being held hostage by Hamas for more than a decade, has been released from hospital after five months of treatment.
In a statement from his family distributed to Hebrew media outlets, his sister, Alemnesh, says that she is “very proud of the path and the change he has been through since his return from captivity, with all the difficulties and ups and downs, he has been through a significant healing process.”
His family says that Mengistu expresses that he “is excited” over his release from the Ichilov Hospital, and will now move to an appropriate living situation. Mengistu, who has a history of mental illness, crossed into Gaza in 2014 and was held hostage ever since, released only in February amid a larger ceasefire deal with Hamas.
Avera after more than a decade in Hamas captivityWhen he was freed in February, his brother, Ilan, told reporters that Mengistu had a long path of recuperation ahead of him. link I know Avera's family. I was involved in the Forum to fight for his freedom for a number of years when the government cared absolutely nothing about his captivity or his family's suffering. Avera was a normal fun loving guy who had a complete breakdown when his brother, who he was very close to, suddenly died. He was hospitalized several times by his family but the psychiatric facilities failed him as they do so many others and they kept releasing him while he was still in a broken state. He would disappear from his family for days and then appear again. One day in September 2014, he walked along the Zikim Beach near the Gaza border. It was supposedly heavily guarded and under constant military surveillance. Both the IDF observers and soldiers at the beach saw him. Avera even waved to them as he continued walking and crossing into Gaza. There were video records that were released after many years showing the total negligence of the army that allowed him to cross into Gaza. He was captured by Hamas who claimed that he was an Israeli soldier. As far as Hamas has always been concerned, any Israeli, male or female within the army and reserve ages is a soldier and treated by the terrorists accordingly.
During his decade in captivity, the government did nothing buy give lip service about bringing him home. To them and to many Israelis, he had 2 things going against him. He is an Ethiopian Jew (and Israeli society is a very racist society overall) and he went into Gaza of his own accord. It didn't much matter that he ended up in Gaza due to mental illness. He went over the border by himself and that is all that mattered. The family was told by the authorities to not say anything publicly and especially not to the press and to allow the authorities to do their work. The family, as simple and good citizens believed them and were silent for the first years. Members of the family contacted my brother who was already well known for being the official secret back door channel between the Israeli government and Hamas to release the soldier Gilad Schalit. They asked him what they should do. I was present at this meeting. He immediately told them that they need to stop being silent and to stop listening to the 'authorities' who did absolutely nothing on Avera's behalf. It was also at that time, that I got involved in the forum for Avera's release. The years of fighting and pleading with the government got nowhere. There were sympathetic ears in the Knesset and even a Knesset Committee was founded to address Avera's captivity and fight for his release. That Committee became nothing more than a blip that didn't accomplish anything.
It took October 7 for the plight of all the hostages to include Avera and 3 others who were in long term captivity (an Israeli beduin, also with psychiatric problems and 2 soldiers who were killed and their bodies were kept hostage). There is still one soldier, Hadar Goldin in captivity.
Smotrich claims he discussed ‘security annexation’ of Gaza Strip with IDF chief; says Israel will make Gaza ‘inseparable part’ of state
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich claims he discussed the possibility of annexing parts of the Gaza Strip with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, while speaking at a Knesset conference called “The Gaza Riviera – from vision to reality.”
“The chief of staff told us last week that there needs to be a security annexation,” he says. “I truly believe there is a tremendous opportunity here. We can start with the northern border and establish three communities there. We are already talking about it.”
The conference, organized by MKs Zvi Sukkot (Religious Zionism) and Limor Son Har-Melech (Otzma Yehudit), presents plans for reestablishing Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip. The conference is aimed at presenting “a Zionist, security, and ethical response” to Israel’s 2005 disengagement from Gaza, which they strongly criticized, and the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.
“We will occupy Gaza and make it an inseparable part of the State of Israel,” continues Smotrich, who heads the coalition’s far-right Religious Zionism party.
Attendees include government ministers, Knesset members, heads of regional councils, security personnel, bereaved families, relatives of hostages, researchers and activists. Speakers call for making Jewish settlement in Gaza a binding government policy.
Smotrich also notes that “we have great support from the president of the United States to turn Gaza into a prosperous strip, a resort town with employment. That’s how you make peace.” He adds that a proposed plan to relocate Gazans to other countries will serve as a means of facilitating the settlement of the strip.
The remarks come months after US President Donald Trump proposed that all of Gaza’s residents be moved indefinitely while the Strip is rebuilt. He shared an AI-generated music video to his Truth Social platform in February, showing a version of his stated vision for a Gaza Strip “riviera.”
Arab countries and much of the Western world strongly opposed the idea, while Smotrich and many others in the governing coalition enthusiastically supported it. link This is one of Smotrich's greatest dreams based on his racist extremist messianic ideologies that he has been given the power to realize by the corrupt prime minister in order to keep his throne. Smotrich and his extremist colleagues and followers care nothing about the expulsion of 2 million Palestinians. On the contrary, it is their goal to do in Gaza, the West Bank and finally to get rid of the Arab citizens of Israel. Just as the Nazi ideology was to have Germany Judenrein (cleaned from Jews), these extremists want Israel and the occupied territories to be annexed and to be Palestinianrein (cleaned from Palestinians and Arabs). Annexation of Gaza would come at astronomical costs or about $7billion/year as per the economists of the IDF who have 58 years of historical data of the economic costs of occupying the West Bank, the international cost of becoming a full pariah state, the indictments to come for war crimes of the war and of genocide and ethnic cleansing for expelling the Gazans under their 'voluntary emigration' (ethnic cleansing falls into the international crimes of genocide from the Geneva convention of 1948 and 1951 of which Israel is a signatory and was determined based on the Holocaust and planned genocide of Jews by the Nazis. Smotrich, Ben Gvir and their ilk care nothing about any of these costs as long as they are able to manifest their ideological racist and messianic dreams, and the entire State of Israel, the people of Israel and world Jewry will pay the price.
In Gaza They Struggle to Survive: “Living in Hunger, Prices Are Astronomical”
While the hostage deal continues to be delayed, residents in the Gaza Strip report hunger, the collapse of basic services, and violence from Hamas • A Gazan in conversation with N12: “There is no food or goods, there is great chaos” • Documentation: Gazans who went to collect food packages – were humiliated and stripped by terroristsIn Gaza, they chase after flour, and whoever stands in line for food packages – may pay with his body. Residents of the Strip describe the situation as one of real distress. Food prices are exorbitant, there is a severe shortage of food, water, and basic services, and at the same time – Hamas chases down, arrests, and sometimes even publicly humiliates those who try to collect aid. N12 with voices from the inside.
In footage distributed today (Tuesday) on Gazan networks, crowds of Gazans are seen gathering around flour trucks that entered the Strip through the Zikim crossing, trying to get bags of flour.
In another video published yesterday by Palestinian activist Hamza al-Masri, a disturbing image is shown from the south of the Strip: Gazans who returned from the aid distribution center of the American foundation encountered members of Hamas’s “Arrow” unit – who stripped them of their clothes, took their food packages, physically assaulted them, and humiliated them. According to him, when they asked “Why?” – they were told it was an order from Hamas leadership.
“There is a shortage, Hamas does not care about anyone”
Despite the fear that Hamas sows in the Strip, there are still those who dare to speak. Sami Obeid, a resident of Gaza, spoke today with N12 and said in his own voice: “The problem in Gaza is that there is a shortage of goods, the residents have no money and the prices are astronomical. A 25-kilogram bag of flour costs 2,000–3,000 shekels, a kilogram of sugar costs 400 shekels, a cigarette costs 70 shekels, a liter of olive oil is sold for 100 shekels, a kilogram of eggplants for 50 shekels, a kilogram of potatoes for 70 shekels, and a kilogram of tomatoes for 100 shekels.”He added: “I hate Hamas and am against Hamas, but there are thieves and looters, there is great chaos all over Gaza. I was in Zikim and close to the soldiers at a distance of 100 meters, I saw Gazans dying in front of my eyes and a man getting a bullet in the head and a shell.”
According to Obeid: “Israel says it’s pressuring Hamas, but Hamas doesn’t care about anyone. Do you think Khaled Mashal who lives in Doha cares about Gaza’s residents? No one cares about them. The Israeli government is also to blame for this – what does the fighting do besides destroying homes? We are living in hunger and there is no work.”
He claimed: “Gaza is completely destroyed. We will continue to be hungry as long as the Israeli government continues to close the crossings and doesn’t bring in enough goods.”
At the market in Nuseirat in the center of the Strip, there was a moment of civilian uprising at the beginning of the week. A Gazan crowd pounced on merchants, after they were caught selling flour that was distributed for free as humanitarian aid. The rage erupted in the market when the Gazans recognized the bags and attacked the sellers.
“The situation is very tragic, everything is missing in the markets”
Khaled, a resident of the Strip known for his consistent opposition to Hamas and who openly criticizes the terrorist organization, continues to express his position even as the reality around him becomes more dangerous. “The current situation in the Gaza Strip is very tragic, everything is missing in the markets and the situation is very frightening. Why hasn’t Hamas responded to the Israeli demands to reach a deal – even a partial and temporary one? The last time I ate a full meal, something that could be called a meal, just rice – that was two months ago,” he said in a conversation with N12.He said he also sees Hamas as guilty in the situation: “Hamas has thrown us into the harshest hell imaginable since the renewal of the fighting in March. Most of us can’t even get one meal a day. Everyone is suffering from hunger – it’s the most common thing in Gaza, and now there is also a water crisis. There is no drinking water.”
Khaled claimed: “There have been people who died from hunger in the current situation in Gaza. The right thing now is to get food to the civilians in Gaza. We’ve reached the stage of starvation. We live day-to-day searching for every bite that could fill us, mainly for the children. The adults are no longer looking for food – they’re just trying to get some very simple meal, something that contains maybe a few calories, just enough to stay alive.”
Gazans who came to pick up aid packages of food in Khan Younis were humiliated by HamasAccording to him: “If I had someone from Hamas in front of me now, I would tell him: ‘You are a terrorist, a spy. I don’t know what your agendas are, but they’re definitely not Palestinian – they are Iranian and Qatari. You don’t serve the Palestinian people. You serve yourself. You protect only your own life and that of your close ones.’”
Khaled wanted to send a message to the world: “Save us from Hamas. From the chaos that Hamas has brought upon us. We want to reach an end – the end of suffering, the conflict – but not the people. We want urgent food. We ask to separate between the civilians in Gaza and Hamas. If Hamas wants to protect itself – let it protect itself, but it cannot be that the fate of Gaza’s civilians depends on the fate of Hamas.”
Karim, a young Gazan, described the reality around him: “The situation is very hard. Hunger has reached its peak. If you have money – you beg. If you don’t – you die.” According to him, the feelings in the Strip are especially grim. “The hunger is visible on the faces of the people in the street. It needs no explanation – just look at them.” link. There is little doubt that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens by the day. Although there is some aid coming in and being distributed, it is not nearly enough to feed 2 million people. The Israeli government has only allowed 4 distribution centers to open and it is impossible to maintain and control the situation. Four distribution centers are not capable or equipped to handle the mobs of refugees coming to get food and nor nearly enough centers for all of Gaza. This is a deliberate move by the government to force all Gazans into 4 areas and continue to make their lives miserable so they will 'voluntarily emigrate'. Add to this Hamas which wants to maintain control and show their strength while continuing to terrorize the population. They have never cared for the needs of their own people and dying Gazan refugees are good for their public relations. In the end, it will be the Gazans who will get rid of Hamas, but only after an alternative Palestinians governing body is put in place, something that Netanyahu has prevented since the beginning of the war.
Thousands in Tel Aviv rally against Gaza war, ‘demand to stop the starvation’
Thousands of protesters marched to the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, demanding an end to the ongoing Gaza war and calling attention to allegedly rising starvation in the Palestinian enclave.
Setting out from Habima Square, demonstrators marched through the city’s downtown carrying bags of flour and photos of Gazan children who reportedly died from hunger over the course of war.
“We are holding photos of Gazan Palestinian children who died of starvation, who simply starved to death,” says protest organizer Alon Lee-Green during the march. “They died as Israel blocks aid to Gaza, we are here demanding to stop the starvation.”
Israel has repeatedly dismissed reports of widespread famine in Gaza, saying it is permitting humanitarian aid, including food, to enter.
“They tell us there’s no starvation, these are lies. There’s pictures here of kids starving,” one protester says in a video from earlier this evening, pointing back to the photos of malnourished children.
No arrests were reported at the march.
IDF says 120 terror sites struck in Gaza over past day
The Israeli Air Force struck some 120 terror targets in the Gaza Strip over the past day, including cells of operatives, booby-trapped buildings, tunnels, and other infrastructure, the military says in a daily update.
Dozens of casualties were reported by media outlets in Gaza in the past day, but there are no immediate tolls from the Hamas-run health ministry or other health officials. Yesterday, the Hamas health ministry reported that 77 people were killed in the previous 24 hours.
The strikes come as five IDF divisions continue ground operations across the Strip. link Every single day, the IDF reports on over 100 terror sites struck in Gaza over the past day. We have been fighting in Gaza for over 21 months, the longest war in our history. I find it astounding that we still have so many terror sites to destroy after so long. I have no doubt that the army and the airforce have succeeded in decimating a large percentage of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad strongholds as well as the terrorists. The fact that there are still so many targets shows one of two things or both, which is more likely. The first is that our government (Netanyahu) totally ignored the major terror infrastructure buildup in Gaza for so many years (this is a fact, not an assumption) and they turned all of Gaza into a terrorist site. The second is that the war has changed it face entirely and is now a guerilla war where all the rules of the game have changed. The newly recruited terrorists don't need a lot of training to be guerilla fighters. The pop up from tunnel shafts, rubble, remnants of buildings and start shooting a close range, or plant IEDs in all the places they know the soldiers are going as they are spending a good deal of their time observing our troop movements, habits and weaknesses, as well as secondary shooting after an IED explosion when soldiers are pulling out wounded or killed soldiers. Because these new recruits are not well trained and many have joined the ranks because it is the best way for them to get food, water and housing for their families, they are highly expendable as well, so many of their guerilla actions are basically suicide missions and their goal is to kill and maim as many soldiers as possible. History has shown that when a guerilla army is fighting a greater power and they have all the time in the world, the guerillas always win.
This is the war now. It is Netanyahu's war of Political Survival and there is no reason for us to continue fighting and having our soldiers killed and maimed and risking the lives of all the hostages. We need to end this war immediately, get our hostages home, bring all our soldiers out of the Gaza quagmire with reserves going home, have an alternative Palestinian governing body in place and then Hamas will become what it should be, an Arab problem for them to route out, disarm and offer a better future for Palestinians. There is no other way.Over 100 aid and human rights groups warn ‘mass starvation’ spreading in Gaza
More than 100 aid organizations and human rights groups warned on Wednesday that “mass starvation” was spreading in Gaza.
A statement with 111 signatories, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Save the Children and Oxfam, warns that “our colleagues and those we serve are wasting away.”
The groups call for an immediate negotiated ceasefire, the opening of all land crossings and the free flow of aid through United Nations-led mechanisms.
Even after Israel began easing a more than two-month aid blockade in late May, Gaza’s population is still suffering extreme scarcities.
Israel says humanitarian aid is being allowed into Gaza and accuses Hamas of exploiting civilian suffering, including by stealing food handouts to sell at inflated prices or shooting at those awaiting aid.
It also accuses UN organizations of not properly distributing aid, noting hundreds of trucks are awaiting collection on the Gazan side of the Kerem Shalom border crossing.
The controversial US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said in a statement that the UN, which refuses to work with it, “has a capacity and operational problem” and called for “more collaboration” to deliver life-saving aid.
In their statement, the humanitarian organizations say warehouses with tons of supplies were sitting untouched just outside the territory, and even inside, as they were blocked from delivering the goods.
“Palestinians are trapped in a cycle of hope and heartbreak, waiting for assistance and ceasefires, only to wake up to worsening conditions,” the signatories say.
“It is not just physical torment, but psychological. Survival is dangled like a mirage,” they add.
“The humanitarian system cannot run on false promises. Humanitarians cannot operate on shifting timelines or wait for political commitments that fail to deliver access.”
Gaza and the South
- Minister Levin and Religious Zionism: We will vote tomorrow for a historic decision on sovereignty in West Bank
Justice Minister Yariv Levin wrote on his Facebook account that "tomorrow the Knesset will vote on a historic decision in favor of Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria. I will be there and vote in favor!" Afterward, the Religious Zionism party issued a statement saying that "*the faction will vote tomorrow in favor of MK Simcha Rotman's proposal - a historic decision supporting the application of Israeli law in the West Bank." The proposal to be raised tomorrow is a motion for the agenda and not a bill, and the decision on extending sovereignty rests with the political leadership - not with the Knesset. In the past, the coalition has defeated bills to apply sovereignty in the West Bank that were proposed by the Yisrael Beiteinu party. link Justice Minister Yariv Levin and MK Rotman do not care one bit about the implications of a move like this, just as they didn't and don't care about the implications from the judicial overthrow that they jointly led. The judicial overthrow is what brought about 10 months of the largest demonstrations in Israel's history and caused great societal divisions. The entire episode preceding October 7 was a major factor in the timing of the October 7 attack and massacre on the part of Yihya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas. Netanyahu was warned about the dangers by all of the security heads and disregarded all of them. The situation will be the same here. Declaring sovereignty over the West Bank is another name for annexation and it will certainly cause immediate and long term disturbances in the West Bank and within Israel through uprising and/or terrorist attacks.
For Levin and Rotman, an uprising by Palestinians will be seen as proof of the need to annex the West Bank and take an even firmer hand against the Palestinian population which could include attempting to destroy the Palestinian Authority.
All of this, of course has the unequivocal backing of the extremist messianic ministers Smotrich and Ben Gvir who never care about any implications and damages to the State and the citizens in order to achieve their racist messianic goals.
In addition, this is a move that Trump will likely tell Netanyahu not to allow. While he is trying to reach calm and peace in Syria, peace in Gaza with the end of the war, annexation of the West Bank will throw a wrench into the plans and harm his goal of getting the Nobel Peace Prize.
TIME FOR ACTION - NOT MORE LETTERS OF CONDEMNATION
A paper condemning Israel that is committing war crimes in Gaza, even if signed by 28 countries is still just a piece of paper. Into the trash bin of history is the way that the State of Israel treats it - along with the Israeli media -calling it antisemitic. It is not antisemitic, but it also has no impact. Yesterday's "incident" in which am Israeli cruise ship carrying more than 1000 Israelis being unable to dock on a Greek Island because of pro-Palestinian demonstrations, and the questioning by Belgium police of two young Israelis waving IDF flags at a music and dance festival is just the first taste of what we Israelis are going to be facing all around the world - and it is not antisemitism - it is against the State of Israel which is committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. You cannot starve a whole population, you cannot destroy a whole civilization, you cannot destroy the homes and institutions including schools, universities, public building, water and electricity infrastructure of more than two million people and get away with it. Israel's crimes have a price tag and we will begin to see that price tag being cashed in more and more.
To the 28 countries who signed the document - we don't need more documents - good as they may be - we need action. This war must end now - not one day longer should Israel be allowed to continue to kill and destroy in Gaza. It is not good enough to say that "the world is watching" and "all eyes on Gaza". The majority of Israelis know that what Israel is doing is wrong and criminal - but they are still in trauma and exhausted by this war - they are not yet able to take action - I hope that they will and that it will not take too long before they wake up and understand the depth of the crimes that the State of Israel is committing. Now, the world needs to take action - even if the United States continues to back Netanyahu and his criminal government. There is no excuse for the world to sit by and watch another genocide take place without taking action.
(Gershon Baskin, July 23, 2025)
- PR failure? As accusations pile up, Israel stays silent and the world demands war’s end
Israel’s limited public diplomacy response to accusations of civilian deaths and starvation fuels global outrage and calls from 25 countries to end the conflict and allow safe, unrestricted aid access to civilians
Israel is grappling with a growing international public relations crisis following multiple deadly incidents in Gaza, where civilians seeking humanitarian aid were reportedly shot by Israeli forces.Global media outlets and more than 25 countries have sharply criticized Israel’s military actions and humanitarian policies, while Israeli authorities have been slow or limited in responding publicly, deepening concerns over its communication strategy amid the ongoing war.Just days after a strike on a Catholic church in Gaza sparked worldwide outrage and led Israel to issue an apology, IDF operations in the Gaza Strip have again drawn international scrutiny. Leading news organizations, including Reuters, CNN, BBC, The Washington Post, The Guardian and The New York Times have widely reported on dozens of Palestinians killed near aid distribution points, citing Gaza’s Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas.The Gaza Health Ministry reported that dozens of civilians, mostly in Gaza City, were killed by IDF fire while waiting for humanitarian aid trucks near distribution centers, including aid entering through the Zikim crossing. Israeli officials initially delayed commenting but later said that warning fire was used to remove immediate threats to troops, disputing the reported casualty numbers. Despite widespread media coverage, Israel’s public diplomacy has been largely limited to brief statements from IDF spokespersons, with little comprehensive official narrative to counter the growing international criticism.CNN described the incidents as among the deadliest involving aid seekers in recent weeks. The United Nations World Food Program said a convoy of aid trucks came under fire from IDF tanks, snipers and other forces while approaching a crowd awaiting food.BBC coverage featured eyewitnesses describing children dying from hunger and people surviving on water and salt, with reports of “deadly overcrowding” and claims that IDF tanks and snipers fired randomly at civilians.The New York Times reported two separate deadly shootings near aid sites within days, calling them symptoms of broader systemic problems. The paper noted that IDF forces used live ammunition rather than non-lethal means to control crowds desperate to avoid starvation under the Israeli siege imposed since March.The Wall Street Journal detailed chaotic scenes at aid centers, describing thousands of hungry Palestinians rushing gates as American security contractors struggled to maintain order. The ensuing disorder led to violence and shortages, with reports of shots fired and aid quickly exhausted.CNN also reported the death of a 4-year-old girl from starvation after Israel reduced food supplies. Palestinian health officials claim dozens of children and adults have died of malnutrition since the conflict began, with the World Health Organization confirming most deaths occurred after the siege’s imposition in early March.Israel’s public diplomacy challenges are compounded by prior incidents such as the deadly attack on a food distribution center in Rafah. Global media widely reported the event as a massacre while Israel remained silent for hours, allowing damaging narratives to take hold without official rebuttal. Subsequent IDF investigations cleared soldiers of deliberate wrongdoing but the reputational harm persists amid accusations of executions and forced killings.Amid these developments, over 25 countries—including Britain, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Japan and France—issued a joint statement condemning the “drip” of aid and the “inhumane killing” of civilians seeking basic necessities. The statement called on Israel to lift restrictions on humanitarian aid immediately and urged all parties to uphold international humanitarian law. It also demanded the unconditional release of hostages held by Hamas for more than 650 days.Israel’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the statement as disconnected from reality and accused Hamas of prolonging the war and escalating violence against civilians seeking aid. The ministry saiHamas started the conflict and is responsible for the continued suffering on both sides. link Years ago, Israel's 'Hasbara' (information) efforts were well known and the many offices acted as fairly well oiled machines. Just about every ministry had Hasbara people, if not an office and the Jewish Agency also had nice budgets for Hasbara. With the years, especially during Netanyahu's premiership of almost 2 decades, these departments and budgets were cut and eliminated. The only office that has continued to have a type of Hasbara department is the Prime Minister's Office but the goals there are vastly different than the bygone Hasbara departments of yesteryear. Those departments were all geared to put out positive messaging about Israel in all sorts of ways in the low tech days. And since the outbreak of the war almost 2 years ago, we have seen an extremely well oiled PR machine from Hamas that was built and heavily funded over many years and supported primarily by Qatar. All of the 'spontaneous' demonstrations, protests and media campaigns that started on the same day of the attack were anything but spontaneous. There have been many articles and press reports about the years of planning and preparation done, particularly on campuses across the US and in Europe, ranging from donations and endowments which also gave the 'donors' the position to set curriculums and even strong recommendations for faculty. The curriculums were directed to be anti Israel and pro Palestinian with faculty matching those directives. In addition, multiple NGOs and Student organizations were formed including Students for Palestine, all with funding from the same place and the funding for Hamas was coming from, Qatar. The impact and influence was growing and strengthening over a decade plus and the plans for all of the 'spontaneous' demonstrations were in place long before October 7. And Israel's reaction or counter to all of this? a big fat nothing. This government failed in every single facet of everything that a government is supposed to do including the Hasbara/PR to paint a (hopefully) real picture and counter the false information coming from the Hamas supporting machines. Citizens of Israel, both in Israel and abroad and Jews worldwide had to pick up the broken pieces of the government's inaction and are still the majority of the PR and Hasbara today, almost 2 years later. This failed government basically gave up the entire arena and is totally indifferent to all of the damaging and much of the time, false information. We know that there are entire factions of this corrupt and failed government who don't care a bit about the information, implications and impact of the outside world on our actions and statements but there are still some saner people who understand, but still do almost nothing. Here, too the opposition has surrendered to the inaction of the government and has failed to pick up the gauntlet to be the voice of Israel to the world. Perhaps they either waited for the government to continue to fail or they wanted to watch the government continue to fail, but they failed miserably as well. If they had chosen to be the 'voice of Israel' their internal and external impact and power could have been a mighty machine to be reckoned with, but they didn't seize the hidden opportunity. Between the government failing to do what they are supposed to do and the opposition failing to help Israel in this quest, we are left with no formal and official body to argue our position vs. Hamas to the world. As such, Hamas, the barbaric terror organization has come out in front of Israel and as a result, we have seen the levels of anti Israel sentiment and anti semitic acts grow exponentially around the globe. We are witnessing on a daily basis, attacks on Israelis and Jews around the world in as distant places as Australia and even Japan. And still, the government does nothing.
- The Region and the World
US unveils latest wave of sanctions against Houthi financers
The United States imposes sanctions on what it says is a Houthi-linked petroleum-smuggling and sanctions-evasion network across Yemen and the United Arab Emirates in fresh action targeting the Iran-backed terror group.
The US Treasury Department in a statement says the two individuals and five entities sanctioned are among the most significant importers of petroleum products and money launderers that benefit the Houthis.
“The Houthis collaborate with opportunistic businessmen to reap enormous profits from the importation of petroleum products and to enable the group’s access to the international financial system,” says Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Michael Faulkender.
“These networks of shady businesses underpin the Houthis’ terrorist machine, and Treasury will use all tools at its disposal to disrupt these schemes.”
- Personal Stories
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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