π️Lonny's War Update- October 662, 2023 - July 29, 2025 π️
π️Day 662 that 50 of our hostages are still in Hamas captivityπ️
Trump: Gaza hostage deaths not a price US or Israel willing to accept
As hostage talks stall, Trump warns military action in Gaza risks killing captives, highlights US aid efforts as part of humanitarian push; 'We gave $60 million, nobody said even thank you. other nations are going to have to step up'
U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that the lives of Israeli hostages held by Hamas are a central concern in the ongoing war in Gaza, stressing that their potential deaths are a price he's unwilling to pay.Speaking at a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump acknowledged the complexity of Israel’s military challenge, noting that as long as Hamas holds approximately 20 living hostages, it maintains what he called a "protection" against military escalation.“If they [Hamas] didn't have the hostages, things would go very quickly... we know where they have them in some cases,” Trump said. “You don't want to go riding roughshod over that area because that means those hostages will be killed. Now, some people say, 'Well, that's the price you pay,' but we don't want to say that. And I don't think the people of Israel want to say that either."He added that freeing the hostages through military means was too risky and that negotiations remained the most sensitive path. Trump claimed that in the most recent round of talks, Iran had signaled to Hamas to harden its position, further complicating efforts for a deal.Trump emphasized that the hostage issue continues to dominate his conversations with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “I’m speaking to Bibi Netanyahu, and we are coming up with various plans. It’s a difficult situation,” he said.While reaffirming humanitarian support for civilians in Gaza, Trump also expressed frustration over Hamas’s appropriation of aid. He announced plans to establish “food centers” in Gaza in cooperation with international partners, saying, “We’ve raised trillions of dollars. We’re going to spend some of it on food. There are children who are starving—it’s a real hunger you can’t fake.”He criticized Hamas for diverting aid and reiterated that the U.S. had already provided $60 million in food assistance in recent weeks. “We gave $60 million, nobody said even thank you,” Trump remarked. “Other nations are going to have to step up.”Trump’s comments come as Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi travel to the United States for high-level talks with Trump’s advisers. The discussions are expected to focus on a potential hostage deal, a ceasefire framework, and the status of indirect negotiations with Iran. Prime Minister Netanyahu reportedly agreed to the visit in coordination with Trump.As the humanitarian situation in Gaza worsens, with images of emaciated children circulating widely, Trump pushed back on Netanyahu’s recent claim that there is “no starvation in Gaza.” “From what I see on TV, I can say those kids look starving,” he said. “We’re sending a lot of money and a lot of food. The children in Gaza must receive food and security immediately.”Earlier, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi appealed to Trump directly in a speech, declaring that only Trump is “capable of stopping the war.” Reiterating Egypt’s opposition to voluntary resettlement plans reportedly supported by Trump and Israel, Sisi said: “We reject the idea of uprooting Palestinians from their land.”Egypt continues to mediate ceasefire and hostage deal negotiations alongside Qatar. “In recent days, I’ve heard calls concerning the situation in Gaza,” Sisi said. “We have always taken a positive stance, calling for an end to the war, a two-state solution and a resolution to the Palestinian issue. Gaza normally needs 600 to 700 aid trucks per day. In recent months, we’ve worked to get as much aid into the Strip as possible.”“Egypt cannot and will not play a negative role toward our Palestinian brothers," he added. "Our role is honorable and committed. I call on all countries to do everything they can to stop the war and send aid.”On aid access, he emphasized, “We have a large number of Egyptian trucks ready to enter Gaza. There’s nothing blocking aid delivery except the need for the Palestinian side of Rafah to remain open. Our efforts in recent months have focused on delivering assistance to Gaza, which is experiencing tragic conditions.”A the deadlock in hostage deal negotiations continues—despite ongoing mediation efforts—Netanyahu, his ministers, and U.S. figures like Trump and envoy Steve Witkoff have increasingly hinted at Israel preparing for a full-scale military takeover of Gaza.Likud MK Moshe Saada said Monday that “there’s no choice now but to occupy the entire Gaza Strip from end to end,” adding that Israel had received a green light from Trump: “I think we’re finally heading toward occupying the enclave. The prime minister wanted a partial deal and did everything to achieve it, even at heavy costs. Now he realizes that a partial deal isn’t happening.”Defense Minister Israel Katz echoed the tone with a renewed warning: “If Hamas does not release the hostages, the gates of hell will open in Gaza.” LinkExtreme heat puts Gaza hostages at increased risk, families warn
Hostage families issue emergency report warning extreme Gaza heat could cause severe health decline or death, hinder recovery of remains of deceased; 'They are out of time'
As Israel faces a wave of extreme heat on Monday, concerns are growing over the condition of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza, with hostage families warning that soaring temperatures may pose an immediate threat to their lives.The warning comes as IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir declared a halt to military training exercises due to the nationwide heatwave. Hostage family representatives emphasized that this marks the second summer endured in captivity by the hostages, many of whom are believed to be held in harsh and enclosed conditions with little ventilation or access to clean water.According to a new emergency report compiled by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum’s health task force, the combination of extreme heat and dehydration could result in acute medical collapse, and potentially irreversible chronic conditions. The report warns that these conditions may impair both cognitive and emotional function, affecting not only the hostages but also their captors, potentially worsening the already brutal treatment hostages endure.Findings suggest that prolonged confinement in poorly ventilated, humid, underground spaces—combined with insufficient hydration and nutrition—places hostages at high risk of serious health deterioration or death. The report also warns of heightened risk of infectious diseases due to poor hygiene, contaminated water and lack of essential nutrients.Survivors of previous captivity experiences have described severe physical symptoms during periods of extreme weather, with some reporting long-term medical consequences even months after release. These challenges are believed to have worsened for those still held after more than 660 days in captivity.The report also highlights concerns regarding the bodies of deceased hostages. Exposure to heat and humidity—particularly in tunnels without cooling—accelerates decomposition, undermines future identification efforts and reduces the chance of providing them with proper burial.
An underground tunnel in Gaza (Photo: IDF)Prof. Hagai Levine, head of the health task force, warned that time is running out. “Fifty hostages are being held under extreme conditions in Gaza. We’ve long warned of the cumulative deterioration in their health. The extreme heat could be a tipping point. Any further delay in bringing them home increases the risk of losing the living and the disappearance of the dead beneath Gaza’s rubble,” he said. “There must be an immediate deal to return the hostages—both the living for rehabilitation, and the dead for burial. They are out of time.”Earlier Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump addressed the hostage issue during a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, saying that Hamas is using the hostages as "protection.""That's an ongoing process. Hamas has become very difficult to deal with in the last couple of days because they don't want to give up those last [hostages], because they think as long as they have them, they have protection," Trump said. "I’m speaking to [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, and we are coming up with various plans. It’s a difficult situation.”“If they [Hamas] didn't have the hostages, things would go very quickly... we know where they have them in some cases,” he added. “You don't want to go riding roughshod over that area because that means those hostages will be killed. Now, some people say, 'Well, that's the price you pay,' but we don't want to say that. And I don't think the people of Israel want to say that either." LinkQatari PM says Doha still continuing to work toward ceasefire-hostage release deal
Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Abdulrahman al-Thani says Doha is continuing its efforts to try and secure a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal.
He insists in remarks at the UN conference promoting a two-state solution that mediators Qatar, Egypt, and the US have had success, referencing two previous agreements they brokered that saw the release of hostages and a surge of aid in Gaza.
“Despite multiple obstacles and attempts to block humanitarian aid and to demonize the mediators, we continue in our path toward a permanent ceasefire to end the crisis and to start the reconstruction and recovery effort for,” al-Thani says. Link I will be the first to say that Qatar has been a major part of the problem and the major financiers historically of Hamas. However, since October 7, they have been trying to show the world a different picture, albeit distorted that they are the good guys. Good guys they’re not, but I don’t care as long as they are honest brokers working diligently to get our hostages home. The irony is that they have been working harder than our own government to get the hostages home and it is emphasized so much more when we have our own self serving prime minister who has all but pulled back from all negotiations while working to convince his BFF Trump that the only way to go forward is to further decimate Gaza even at the expense of sacrificing all the hostages. How much lower can he get? That seems to be the question each time he reaches new depths of disgrace and inhumanity.
Israeli negotiators still in contact with Arab mediators, awaiting US decision, says diplomatContact between mid-level Israeli negotiators and Egyptian and Qatari mediators has continued on a daily basis since Israel and the US decided to recall their teams from Doha last week, an Arab diplomat tells The Times of Israel.
The US is still deciding whether to proceed with the negotiations, and US President Donald Trump has indicated that he supports Israel moving ahead with military operations against Hamas. But he has also expressed growing alarm at the humanitarian situation in Gaza that has resulted from such military operations, leading to questions regarding the coherence of Washington’s policy.
The Arab diplomat says Egypt and Qatar are still waiting for directives from US special envoy Steve Witkoff, while simultaneously working independently to revive the negotiations.
Witkoff is reportedly meeting today with Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, who departed Israel yesterday for the US. link While the contacts may be continuing, the actual negotiations are worse than at a standstill. This Israeli government doesn't stop making inflammatory statements about their intentions with Gaza and refusal to continue to negotiate with Hamas. At the same time, Netanyahu has once again convinced Trump that Hamas is totally at fault and Trump buys all of is BS instead of forcing Netanyahu to do what Trump said he wanted just a few short weeks ago: and end to the war and all the hostages home. As long as Trump doesn't force Netanyahu, no real deal will ever be made and the hostages lives will be sacrificed on the Alter of Netanyahu's political survival.
85-year-old man dies of wounds sustained in Iranian missile attack last month
An 85-year-old man who was wounded when his home was hit by an Iranian missile in Rehovot during last month’s 12-day war has died of his wounds, according to Hebrew media reports.
The reports do not identify the man, who was reportedly rescued in moderate condition from the building and treated at Kaplan Medical Center in the city, where his condition was said to have fluctuated over the past six weeks.
Two weeks ago, Philippine national Leah Mosquera succumbed to her wounds, one month after being injured in the same missile attack.
Today’s death brings the number of victims killed in Israel by Iranian missiles to 30.
UN: Over 5,000 Gazans under 5 have been treated for malnutrition in past month
Over 5,000 children under five-years old in the Gaza Strip have received outpatient treatment for malnutrition this month, UN spokesperson Farhan Haq says, adding that the Strip’s only four treatment centers are overwhelmed and nearing collapse.
Haq says during a briefing that of the UN’s 17 requests to Israel on Sunday to transfer humanitarian aid from the Kerem Shalom Crossing into southern Gaza, three were denied outright, two were later cancelled after being approved while four were impeded but still succeeded in their mission.
Explaining why most aid is looted after entering Gaza before reaching its intended destination, the UN spokesperson says the supply of humanitarian assistance is unpredictable and Gazans lack confidence it will reach them.
“The only way to mitigate for this situation is by having a sustained flow of aid over a period of time. This was evident during the ceasefire, when such incidents did not occur,” Haq says. link Let's say for the sake of argument that these figures are inflated and let's even say that they are inflated by 100%. That still means that at least 2500 children under 5 would have been treated for malnutrition in Gaza. Even if it's 'just' 2500 children, that figure is 2500 too much. This is inexcusable. Netanyahu and his failed government can blame Hamas as much as they want, but we are responsible for the situation and for rectifying it. We destroyed 90% of Gaza; we created a monumental humanitarian crisis; we made 2 million people refugees multiple times over in the last 22 months; we have prevented humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza; we set up a failed distribution system with only 4 distribution points far from any centers of population; we have been shooting and killing refugees approaching the distribution points.
Cabinet reportedly weighing multiple paths on Gaza, including full occupation
Israel’s cabinet is considering a full military occupation of the Gaza Strip, alongside a tightened siege on certain city centers within the territory, reports Channel 12 news.
On the agenda for discussion in tonight’s limited security cabinet meeting are the possibility of conquering the Strip or imposing a siege on cities where Hamas is active, according to the TV network.
A siege would mean halting the entry of aid, shortly after Israel announced it would dramatically increase access to aid in the Strip. Officials are also reportedly considering cutting off electricity to the Strip.
If carried out, the plan would mean that IDF troops would operate in areas where hostages are believed to be held – a move largely avoided by Israel until now. The IDF recently claimed it already holds control over some 75 percent of the Gaza Strip.
Regarding talks for a truce with Hamas, a senior security official tells the network: “The US needs to put a gun on the table and force Qatar to choose between Hamas’s interests and its own. The US is the only actor that can bring Hamas back to the negotiating table. If it doesn’t act, the situation will remain unchanged.”
Hamas has said that it remains interested in negotiating a deal. The terror group denies claims by Israel and the US — which the two countries cited as the reason for pulling their teams from Doha last week — that they are being unserious in the talks. link This atrocious government is seriously weighing all types of options for Gaza except that only one that should be on the table; to end the war and bring home all the hostages. Every single other option is criminal in nature and law and will have devastating impact on Gaza, Palestinians, and Israel. Every single one of their criminal options means more soldiers killed, more reserve duty for reservists who have already done hundreds of days which has already caused total upheaval of their lives not even to mention the trauma that so many thousands of soldiers and reservists are dealing with, sacrificing the lives of the hostages and worsening the suffering of the hostage families, total destruction of the Israeli economy with further harder hitting impacts through taxes on the middle and lower classes of society and none of this about the Palestinians. They will continue to live in catastrophe conditions which will certainly worsen, be forced from their land after being forced from their homes and being left with nothing, thousands of more will die from the fighting and we will see those suffering and dying of malnutrition skyrocket. And all this while this failed and corrupt government that only serves their own interests will continue to thumb their noses at the world and at the Israeli population which wants this all to end. The protests in Israel against the government will strengthen while the police, which is now the militia of the convicted criminal minister Ben Gvir will continue to take the law into their own hands by manufacturing charges and non existent laws to viciously attack and arrests more and more people who are sick and tired of this fascist government and want it to end as well. If this is the direction this government is going in, there is greater likelihood that Netanyahu will find excuses to cancel the legally scheduled elections of October 2026 by declarations of national emergencies that he creates. The implications of the cabinet's deliberations and final decisions will be so far impacting that they may change the face of Israel forever and not for the better. These are very scary times for the people of Israel as we continue to be ruled by the autocrat who is the most dangerous person in Israel today.
**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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Gaza and the South
- Experts say Gaza at ‘worst-case scenario,’ famine about to cause ‘widespread death’
Calling for ‘urgent action now,’ Integrated Food Security Phase Classification says situation in the Strip is ‘unlike anything we have seen in this century’The “worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip,” the leading international authority on food crises said in a new alert Tuesday, predicting “widespread death” without immediate action.
The alert, still short of a formal famine declaration, follows an outcry over images of emaciated children in Gaza and reports of dozens of hunger-related deaths after nearly 22 months of war.
The international pressure led Israel over the weekend to announce measures, including daily humanitarian pauses in fighting in parts of Gaza and airdrops of supplies. The United Nations and Palestinians on the ground say little has changed, and desperate crowds continue to overwhelm and unload delivery trucks before they can reach their destinations.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, said Gaza has teetered on the brink of famine for two years, but recent developments have “dramatically worsened” the situation, including “increasingly stringent blockades” by Israel.
The IPC has issued several similar warnings during the war in Gaza, including one in May, which Israel dismissed as “flawed.”
Israel said in response at the time that “even according to the IPC’s own analysis,” there was no famine in Gaza, and noted that previous IPC projections about impending famine have “repeatedly failed to materialize.”
However, over the past year, conditions have worsened to the point where the IPC has issued its highest level of warning, without officially declaring that famine is present in Gaza.
A formal famine declaration, which is rare, requires the kind of data that the lack of access to Gaza and mobility within has largely denied.
The IPC has only declared famine a few times — in Somalia in 2011, South Sudan in 2017 and 2020, and parts of Sudan’s western Darfur region last year.
But independent experts say they don’t need a formal declaration to know what they’re seeing in Gaza.
Somoud Wahdan looks at the camera as she sits with her child in an area in the northern Gaza Strip, while waiting for trucks with humanitarian aid to arrive, in Gaza City, Friday, July 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)“Just as a family physician can often diagnose a patient she’s familiar with based on visible symptoms without having to send samples to the lab and wait for results, so too we can interpret Gaza’s symptoms. This is famine,” Alex de Waal, author of “Mass Starvation: The History and Future of Famine” and executive director of the World Peace Foundation, told The Associated Press.
What it takes to declare famine
An area is classified as in famine when all three of the following conditions are confirmed: At least 20 percent of households have an extreme lack of food, or are essentially starving. At least 30% of children six months to 5 years old suffer from acute malnutrition or wasting, meaning they’re too thin for their height. And at least two people or four children under 5 per 10,000 are dying daily due to starvation or the interaction of malnutrition and disease.
The report, based on available information through July 25, said the crisis has reached “an alarming and deadly turning point.” It said data indicate that famine thresholds have been reached for food consumption in most of Gaza — at its lowest level since the war began — and for acute malnutrition in Gaza City.
The report said nearly 17 out of every 100 children under the age of 5 in Gaza City are acutely malnourished.
Mounting evidence shows “widespread starvation,” and essential health and other services have collapsed, the report found. According to the UN’s World Food Program, one in three people in Gaza is going without food for days at a time.
Hospitals in Gaza have been reporting a rapid increase in hunger-related deaths in children under 5.
The IPC’s previous analysis in May warned that Gaza would likely fall into famine if Israel failed to lift its blockade and stop its military campaign. Its new alert called for immediate and large-scale action and warned: “Failure to act now will result in widespread death in much of the strip.”
The World Food Program warned Tuesday that the disaster unfolding in Gaza was reminiscent of last century’s famines seen in Ethiopia and Biafra in Nigeria.
Naima Abu Ful poses for a photo with her 2-year-old malnourished child, Yazan, at their home in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, July 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)“This is unlike anything we have seen in this century,” WFP emergency director Ross Smith told reporters in Geneva.
“It reminds us of previous disasters in Ethiopia or Biafra in the past century,” he said, speaking via video-link from Rome. “We need urgent action now.”
While the IPC did not officially classify the situation as “famine,” Jean-Martin Bauer, WFP’s food security and nutrition analysis director, insisted that “what we’re seeing is mounting evidence that a famine is there.”
“All the signals are there now,” he added.
What aid restrictions look like
Israel has restricted aid to varying degrees throughout the war. In March, it cut off the entry of all goods, including fuel, food and medicine, to pressure Hamas to free hostages.
Israel eased those restrictions in May and pushed ahead with a new US-backed aid delivery system, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, that has been wracked by chaos and violence. The traditional, UN-led aid providers say deliveries have been hampered by Israeli military restrictions and incidents of looting, while criminals and hungry crowds swarm entering convoys.
While Israel says there’s no limit on how many aid trucks can enter Gaza, UN agencies and aid groups say even the latest humanitarian measures are not enough to counter the worsening starvation. In a statement Monday, Doctors Without Borders called the new airdrops ineffective and dangerous, saying they deliver less aid than trucks.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said no one is starving in Gaza and that Israel has supplied enough aid throughout the war, “otherwise, there would be no Gazans.” The Israel Defense Forces on Monday criticized what it called the “false claims of deliberate starvation in Gaza.”While the premier has acknowledged that the situation facing Gaza’s residents is “difficult,” he said that “Hamas benefits from attempting to fuel the perception of a humanitarian crisis.”
“As such, they have been releasing unverified numbers to the news media while circulating images that are carefully staged or manipulated,” he said.
The premier did not offer evidence to back up the claim that images of starving children that have circulated globally were “staged” by Hamas (though the veracity of one image was debunked by the IDF). In contrast, US President Donald Trump said earlier Monday that the images of starvation in Gaza are “real,” adding: “You can’t fake that.”
The reports of an increasingly dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip — including growing levels of malnutrition, and children dying by starvation — led Israel on Sunday to declare that it would implement a “tactical” pause in daily military operations in densely populated areas of Gaza, along with several other changes, to allow for the safe distribution of humanitarian aid.
At the same time, Israel has denied using hunger as a weapon of war, and accused the United Nations and other aid agencies of failing to pick up and distribute supplies delivered to Gaza’s border crossing points. link To think that Israel, that Jews could be responsible for a mind boggling situation like this is unfathomable. Jews around the world have always been on the forefront of calling out humanitarian tragedies such as this and raising both money and awareness for the world to wake up to end such travesty that is preventable. These are the reasons that Israelis and Jews have not been able to wrap our heads around the fact that we, Israel are the culprits, the bad guys who have caused this, fully responsible for this, the absolute criminals who have 'allowed' this to happen in our name. Netanyahu will always be filled with denials and try to show proof that these are lies, but the problem is that everything coming out of his mouth are lies, lies and more lies. Who can forget his statement about the hostages that they are suffering but no one is dying, after knowing that many had been killed in captivity already. Anything that makes him and his rule look bad are lies, as far as he and his cronies are concerned.
Jews of the world who have supported Israel, mostly without question. Open your eyes to the crimes of this government and through it, the crimes that the army has committed in this war and is continuing to commit by order of the political echelon. These criminals in the government, our 'leaders' have led us down the worst possible path as a nation, as a people. They have committed these sins in our name and all because we have a prime minister who is too weak to do anything that will jeopardize what he thinks is his god given right to be prime minister. He allows the criminals and would be mass murderers, Smotrich and Ben Gvir to be the tail that wags the nation and they, even to this day when the starvation is known by all, continue to demand cutting off aid to Gaza. They publicly have stated that the goal is to empty Gaza from Palestinians. They don't care how it's done, via starvation or 'voluntary emigration', anything that will make their lives so miserable that they will want to leave. There is absolutely no doubt that they will all be indicted for the war crimes of genocide or which they are most deserving of this designation. But the worst of it is that is has all be done in our names and we are becoming a pariah nation, if we have not already reached that status. Palestinian death toll in Gaza war passes 60,000, Hamas-run health ministry says
Prominent Palestinian activist shot dead during clash with Israeli settlers in West Bank
Awdah Hathaleen, 31, a prominent Palestinian activist featured in the film “No Other Land,” was allegedly shot and killed earlier this evening near the village of Umm al-Kheir, during clashes with Israeli settlers in the West Bank, at whom a group of Palestinians were allegedly throwing stones.
Hebrew media outlets identified one of the Israelis involved in the clash as Yinon Levi, an extremist settler on whom the United States, under the Biden administration, placed sanctions — measures that were lifted by US President Donald Trump.
Levi allegedly shot toward a group of Palestinians near the settlement of Carmel in the South Hebron Hills. Hathaleen was seriously wounded in the upper body during the clash and later succumbed to his injuries at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba.
At least two other Palestinians were reportedly wounded in the incident. The Ynet news site reported that Levi was in the area doing permitted construction on a new neighborhood in Carmel, when, according to his account, dozens of rioters threw stones at him and several other Israelis, from nearby Umm al-Khair.
In a statement, the Israel Police say that it is investigating the incident and that an Israeli citizen involved in the shooting was detained at the scene and later arrested by police. Four Palestinians were also detained by the IDF, as well as two foreign tourists, police add.
Following the alleged killing, Labor MK Gilad Kariv asserts that the current Israeli government and the IDF have allowed “armed Jewish militias to operate unchecked.”
“[National Security Minister Itamar] Ben Gvir has paralyzed the police, [Defense Minister Israel] Katz has blocked the Shin Bet’s operations, and the army continues to turn a blind eye,” Kariv writes on X.
“The bloodshed is already a terrible disaster and demands action, but let no one be under any illusion—this will not stop at the Green Line,” he warns.
Unauthorized home of relative of slain hostages said bulldozed in Negev
Israeli bulldozers have been used to destroy a building reportedly belonging to members of the extended Ziyadne family — four of whom were kidnapped on October 7.
According to reports, state authorities have destroyed the home in an unrecognized Bedouin village in the Negev of Khaled Ziyadne, whose brother Yousef was taken hostage and murdered in captivity.
Israel Hayom cites a statement from the Israel Lands Authority saying that only the kitchen and a storage area were destroyed, as part of the implementation of a court decision from 2023 to evacuate an unauthorized home.
Yousef Ziyadne was kidnapped while working at Kibbutz Holit on October 7, along with his children Hamza, Bilal, and Aisha. Bilal and Aisha were freed in November 2023, and Youssef and Hamza were slain in captivity and their bodies retrieved by the IDF in January 2025.
Soliman Ziyadne, a member of the extended family, writes on Facebook that the family has “gone through bereavement, loss and kidnapping… and now they’re destroying their home. Because in this country, even if you’re a hostage, a victim, a fighter or an exemplary citizen, if you’re an Arab you have no privileges.”
Pictures from Gaza that Shock the World – and the Collapse of Israel’s Public Diplomacy System
Even though 50 hostages are being held in cruel captivity for nearly two years, the images arriving daily from Gaza flood the screens, take over the social networks, and lead to fierce protests in many capitals around the world. While Israel is fighting in Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, and Iran, it seems it has completely abandoned the arena of public diplomacy. Experts warn: “The damage to the image will be long-term and difficult to repair.”The change in Israel’s policy regarding humanitarian aid to Gaza was apparently meant not only to ease the situation on the ground, but also to change the negative narrative spreading in the world media. But judging by the nature of the coverage so far – it seems this is not succeeding. Although Israel eased the siege and allowed increased aid to enter, and although the IDF began aerial supply drops to Gaza, an unusual move on an international civilian scale – the global consciousness image has not changed.
The aid drops actually aroused broad criticism. It was claimed they are an expensive, inefficient, and sometimes dangerous way of delivering aid, especially in areas where it is difficult to ensure that the supplies reach the right hands. Even if the intention was humanitarian – the images from the ground continue to convey harsh feelings. The humanitarian pauses and the transfer of aid through the Rafah Crossing received worldwide coverage, but this did not stop the sense – not in Gaza, not in the reports, and not in the diplomatic arena – that it is too little and too late.
In Israel, public diplomacy professionals admit the difficulty. Noa Tishby, who previously served as Israel’s special envoy for public diplomacy, reflects the depth of the crisis: “It is impossible to explain the humanitarian situation in Gaza from the Israeli side,” she says. “The situation is so severe, the pictures so harsh, and really, people are at a loss. I have never received more inquiries from friends, acquaintances, and people I work with, from the entertainment industry to journalists, who ask me: what can we say about this issue?” According to her, the failure in public diplomacy is so deep, “that right now we are truly... in dire straits.”
“There is no starvation – but there is hunger”
The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is complex: there are not enough basic goods, the aid that enters is not in the required scope, and the distribution mechanisms subject to Israeli approval and supervision are not functioning optimally. All this, within a reality where Hamas exploits the situation for its own needs and amplifies the distress for psychological warfare purposes. But this distinction, rational as it may be – fails to penetrate the wall of images from Gaza. Hunger has become not only a real threat to the residents of the strip, but also a particularly powerful cognitive tool – and one that Israel, it seems, is not adequately prepared for.Pro-Palestinian protest in New York. “We should have made sure in advance and understood this could blow up in our faces” | Photo: ReutersEmmanuel Nahshon, former Israeli ambassador to Belgium and deputy director-general of the Foreign Ministry, describes the magnitude of the problem: “What we are seeing from Gaza are horrifying and very harsh pictures that are extremely difficult to explain. Although there is no starvation, there is hunger. And this is something we should have taken care of in advance and understood that it could blow up in our faces.”
“The spokespeople are without ammunition – completely exposed”
Jonathan Conricus, former IDF spokesperson for international media, identifies one of the central failures: “We are perceived as the big and strong, and the Palestinians are perceived as the weak and miserable,” he says. “And with that, the State of Israel needs to deal much better.” In this reality, the Israeli spokesperson is left almost powerless to explain. “On the public diplomacy front, Israel’s supporters are left without ammunition, completely exposed,” he adds.Pro-Palestinian protest in London. “We are perceived as the big and strong, and the Palestinians are perceived as the weak” | Photo: ReutersThe image damage caused to Israel in recent weeks is deep and hard to describe: “In my opinion, what the State of Israel needs to do is first of all define the issue of spokesmanship and diplomacy as a national enabling issue, one that gets priority in resources, in manpower. In the hierarchy of what ministers and decision-makers say and do not say – in Hebrew and in English,” Conricus explains.
Tishby: “We are becoming a pariah state, there cannot be such a failed policy” | Photo: ReutersNoa Tishby also emphasizes that this is not just blind antisemitism: “We are truly becoming a pariah state,” she says. “And people tend to dismiss it and say: ‘Come on, everyone’s antisemitic, everyone…’ That is not true. I have worked in the field of antisemitism for close to 20 years, I know that there really is an issue of antisemitism, but you cannot constantly cry that everyone is antisemitic all the time. There cannot be such a failed policy, for such a long time. It just does not work.”
Even the United States – Israel’s most important ally – is narrowing the space for diplomatic protection. Eitan Dangot, Major General (Res.) and former Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, warns: “In my view, the current administration in the United States remains, in fact, Israel’s protective wall in terms of its international standing, and we are now on a steep decline.”
The flotilla to Gaza by anti-Israel activists | Photo: ReutersAt the same time, in the global public arena, the pressure is increasing. Prominent public figures have joined the calls against Israel. Lewis Hamilton, Formula 1 legend, wrote to his 40 million followers: “We must no longer remain silent, ceasefire now.” Singer and actress Ariana Grande, with 374 million followers, wrote: “Starving people to death is a red line, and the Israeli government is crossing the red line before our eyes.”
Palestinians unload sacks of humanitarian aid in Gaza City | Photo: APIn the shadow of this assault, all sides agree – public diplomacy is not a substitute for policy, but a direct result of it. Even if the policy is changing – the question that remains open is whether it is not too late to change global public opinion about Israel, even years into the future. link The statement by the former ambassador to Belgium is no more than propagation of the lies of the government, "there is no starvation, there is hunger." We need to look at the facts and tell the truth; there is hunger and there is starvation. People, mostly children are actually dying each day due to starvation. Don't sugar coat it, don't tell half lies, tell it like it is and what our government is committing in Gaza - war crimes!
Noa Tishby, who has been doing the job that the government has totally failed with, public diplomacy cannot hide what is happening in Gaza, nor the people who are causing it. We have created the world's worst humanitarian crisis and each day, we, our government and army are making it worse with no end in site. Yes, they are slowly allowing more humanitarian aid in, yes, they have given permission for a water pipeline from Egypt to Gaza which will take time to construct, yes, they have begun a humanitarian ceasefire to enable Gazans to get food; but none of this amounts to dealing with the problem in its entirely. That can only be done by ending the war which should have happened quite some time ago. Netanyahu is and has been preventing the end of the war for his own political purposes and survival and Trump, who should be forcing Netanyahu to end the war, continues to buy what Netanyahu sells him and allows Netanyahu to continue with his war crimes against the Gazan population and against the Israeli public. Yes, his war crimes are against us as well as he has prolonged a war that should have ended, prevented the return of all the hostages, caused more and more soldiers to die and be maimed , has lied every single day to the Israeli population and committed war crimes in Gaza in our name. He has turned us all into war criminals by his actions and total lack of caring about anything other than himself. That means that he has committed war crimes against us. Netanyahu, LEAVE US BE ALREADY!
Minister Strook: If not leading to victory - no point in right-wing government
Minister Orit Strook said at the war wounded encampment near the Knesset that "our position is that if we're not heading toward victory, not in a timeframe of years, but in a timeframe of days, of a few weeks, if the Prime Minister doesn't show us how we are moving toward victory, then we have nothing to do there and we see no point in the existence of a right-wing government." She added: "We are determined that now is the time to achieve victory and nothing else." Link this is the same disgusting extremist messianic minister who has repeatedly stated that she is willing to sacrifice all the hostages’ lives in order to continue the war. Her and her messianic partners are not only not adverse to war, they see wars as opportunities to achieve their colonialist messianic racist dreams of ridding territories of Palestinians and making them for Jews only. It is my and the hope of most of the population that she and the others of her ilk will see that there is no path to their distorted victory and will leave the government post haste so that early elections will happen as soon as possible. Every single poll except for one since the start of this horrid war almost 2 years ago have shown that her messianic racist party will not reach the threshold to be elected to the Knesset, let alone be ministers, so there is great hope that she will not have a chance to hold any position of power and influence if they were to make good of their threat. Unfortunately, they have made so many threats without any intention of following through because they know their very low chances in the next election. It would be nice if these disgusting ministers and Knesset members would act according to their words, but that is unlikely to happen because they are vile politicians who serve themselves and not the public. If we are so lucky that they would stand by their word - GOOD RIDDANCE! LET THEM NEVER BEAR THEIR SHADOW OVER US AGAIN!How Israel failed to turn October 7 military gains into political success
Opinion: Everyone warned: military victories in Gaza must be translated into lasting political gains; Everyone understood—except Netanyahu, and now Israeli soldiers, hostages, and our global reputation are paying the price
Much has already been said and written about the intelligence, military, and political failures of October 7. But the colossal political failure Israel has experienced in the months—and especially the recent weeks—since May now may be overshadowing even that horrific day.On October 7, the IDF, Shin Bet, Military Intelligence, and political and military leadership were all caught off guard by Hamas’ brutal massacre. But when it comes to the challenge of transforming tactical battlefield gains into strategic political outcomes, this was no surprise. Everyone saw it coming. Everyone warned about it.Former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, former IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, and former Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar—all those who were deeply burned on October 7 and admitted their failures—cautioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly: without a clear plan for the “day after” in Gaza, any military victory would be rendered meaningless.Again and again, across media channels and news outlets, the message was clear—Israel must create a new political reality in Gaza. That requires thinking ahead about post-war governance and viable alternatives. Yet Netanyahu systematically blocked every diplomatic effort because almost all included a role for the Palestinian Authority.This wasn’t due to security concerns. He knows, like everyone else, that among all the bad options, the Palestinian Authority is likely the least bad. He blocked those efforts for political reasons—to avoid reaching a ceasefire that would inevitably lead to the formation of a state commission of inquiry and likely force him into new elections. His far-right coalition partners, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, had already threatened to topple the government if he pursued such a path.So Netanyahu refused. And now Israel finds itself at a dead end. In Gaza, soldiers are injured and killed nearly every day. Hostages remain captive. Famine spreads. And the international community—including the United States—now views Israel as dangerously close to regimes like Iran and Assad’s Syria. Israelis can no longer travel safely abroad. They are targets almost everywhere.Meanwhile, France has officially recognized a Palestinian state, and more EU countries are likely to follow. On the ground, nearly three-quarters of Gaza lies in ruins. Hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians are starving and homeless. Hamas, meanwhile, has not collapsed. It refuses to surrender.The military and its leadership likely understood long ago that the IDF has no strategic purpose left in Gaza. But the political leadership—led by Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Israel Katz—continues to order them forward. They recycle empty slogans about “total victory” (no longer fashionable) or “opening the gates of hell”—as if anyone in Gaza still believes paradise was ever an option.IDF soldiers are dying and being maimed—and for what? Meanwhile, Hamas is gaining global legitimacy, fed by images of f humanitarian crisis. For the organization, every day of growing civilian suffering is a win. It knows that as the humanitarian disaster deepens, Israel will be forced to allow more aid into Gaza, without receiving anything in return, not even the release of hostages.Israel tried to apply pressure by creating a joint U.S.-Israel mechanism to distribute aid directly to civilians without Hamas involvement. But that move backfired. It ended up digging its own grave, allowing massive aid to enter Gaza without oversight, control, or any reciprocal concessions from Hamas.This is no longer simple negligence. It’s not just political foolishness. It’s a prolonged, massive and historic failure that began on October 7 and hasn’t stopped since. And it’s seeping into the public consciousness. It’s reaching the troops.The Nahal Brigade soldiers who refused to return to Gaza won’t be the last. They, too, understand they’re being sent to the front—not to change reality in southern Israel, not to eliminate Hamas—but to preserve Netanyahu’s rule. Nothing more. Link I find the most interesting part of this and many other articles and opinion pieces about the state of the war and Netanyahu’s actions is that my brother and I have been saying exactly these same points since the beginning of the war.I vividly remember one of my brother’s early interviews on an Israeli news channel where there was a panel of people including the former general Amos Yadlin. While my brother was talking, Yadlin interjected that he didn’t know how my brother was allowed to talk and not being arrested for what he says and his contacts in Hamas to negotiate hostage releases. Hiw comments were both dismissive and vile. Here’s the irony. Already for more than 6 months, if anyone listening to him taking on any news programs would compare his statements of today to my brother’s statements them would see very little sunlight between the two.There is nothing new but more and more people are finally opening their eyes to Netanyahu’s actions and motivations and are fully aware of all the damage that Netanyahu and his failed extremist messianic government has done to the entire country admins population.
- Nahal Brigade commander meets with three soldiers who refused to enter Gaza: They will be transferred to other roles
The Nahal Brigade commander met with the three brigade soldiers who were sentenced after refusing to enter Gaza. During the conversation, the brigade commander expressed his appreciation to the soldiers for their actions during the war while emphasizing that soldiers are expected to maintain military discipline and fulfill their mission - fighting on the battlefield - during wartime. In light of the circumstances, the commander decided to commute their prison sentence. As an alternative to imprisonment, the soldiers will serve base confinement. After the confinement period, they will be transferred from combat positions to other roles, alongside a process of support and treatment from their commanders and mental health professionals in the unit. Link. Unfortunately, the army has always been slow to learn from its own mistakes especially when wrong decision making and bureaucratic stubbornness caused the loss of life. This is not the first case of soldiers either asking/begging or refusing to go back into Gaza. And it is not being done for any political or ideological reasons. The soldiers and reserves who are begging not to be sent back into Gaza have already fought for hundreds of days in this hellish war. They are worn out and traumatized. We have already had several soldiers and reserves who have committed suicide as a result of having to return to Gaza. Instead of recognizing the dire psychological situation of these soldiers, the army stands on its hind legs demanding obedience to orders and disregarding the mental health of these fighters. In the event of an officer who can see a bigger picture, then thought can go into the process and the needs of the soldiers may be considered but this needs to be the rule and not the exception. Until that happens, we will continue to see soldiers and reserves being put into horrific situations of having to choose obedience or their mental health which could end up in the worst possible scenario, suicide.
Once again, Israel tried to restrict Gaza aid. Once again, its policy failed miserably
The Netanyahu government’s spectacular reversal points to an ongoing lack of a coherent strategy, and raises serious questions about Israel’s ability to win the war
A year and a half later, Israel is still making the same mistakes over humanitarian aid in Gaza.In the confused days after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, Israeli leaders took to the microphones to boast about how vigorously they would block aid into the Gaza Strip.
Two days after the horror, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared: “I have ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip. There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed.”
That quickly proved unrealistic. Less than two weeks into the war, the siege was lifted, and the first aid trucks bearing food and medicine crossed in from Egypt.
By mid-November, pressure from the US and international organizations pushed Israel to reverse course on fuel as well, and trucks started to bring in fuel tanks for hospitals, aid trucks, water pumps, desalination plants, bakeries and sewage plants.
Fuel would also go to the Paltel telecom company so that Gazans could have phone and internet service.
Israel also promised that no aid would come in through the Kerem Shalom crossing or Ashdod Port, as if the route through which the aid traveled made some difference to the outcome of the war.
Predictably, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu relented under US pressure on Kerem Shalom in December 2023, then allowed a massive shipment of aid to go through Ashdod Port the next month.
After a deadly erroneous IDF strike on World Central Kitchen workers in April 2024, Israel went further, advertising that Kerem Shalom would be open for longer hours and that Ashdod Port would be permanently open for aid.
Humanitarian aid is lifted by a crane operated by soldiers assigned to the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary) from a Navy causeway at the Port of Ashdod, May 14, 2024. (Staff Sgt. Malcolm Cohens-Ashley/US Army via AP)“Israel’s response has been to instinctively deny each request, then ultimately agree to those same demands when circumstances on the ground leave little choice. That approach, which seems built around domestic political calculations, is causing Israel to bleed support even as victory doesn’t seem especially imminent,” this writer noted shortly after the WCK incident. “Instead of showing its allies that it is leading the aid effort, Israel is seen as dragging its feet as the humanitarian situation in the Strip gets worse. That perception — not at all unfounded — is putting the entire campaign in danger.”
Those same words could have been written today.
Creating a crisis
In March, Israel declared that a two-month ceasefire with Hamas had ended, and with it the entry of massive amounts of humanitarian aid.
“Israel has decided to stop letting goods and supplies into Gaza, something we’ve done for the past 42 days,” Netanyahu said on March 2. “We’ve done that because Hamas steals the supplies and prevents the people of Gaza from getting them.”
People walk with sacks of flour delivered after trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered northern Gaza on July 27, 2025, coming from the Zikim border crossing. (Photo by Bashar Taleb/AFP)“It uses these supplies to finance its terror machine, which is aimed directly at Israel and our civilians – and this we cannot accept,” he said.
The next day, government spokesman David Mencer was even more pointed: “Food intended for widespread distribution has been feeding the guards that starve our own hostages.
“Get real. The aid we send is used to kill. No more.”
This photo, provided by an American contractor on condition of anonymity because they were revealing their employers’ internal operations, shows Palestinians behind gates before entering a food distribution site operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in May 2025, shortly after the start of the organization’s distribution sites. (AP Photo)As concerns about famine in Gaza grew in the ensuing months, the Israeli and US governments prepared for a new civilian outfit, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, to become the primary vehicle for aid to civilians.
Shortly before the GHF began operations in late May, Defense Minister Israel Katz said that under the new initiative, the civilian population would be evacuated to southern Gaza, where three of the four distribution sites were set up, to drive a wedge between them and Hamas terrorists.
The GHF succeeded in distributing almost 100 million meals in two months. But there were almost daily killings of Gazans on their way to GHF sites, drastically undermining any chance that the effort would have the strategic benefit Israel desired.
Other organizations, like the United Nations World Food Programme, distributed far more food than the GHF over the same period, but regularly used the means of “self-distribution” — a euphemism for letting civilians storm the trucks and grab what they can.
Addressing UN confab on 2 states, PA PM urges Hamas to free hostages, cede Gaza control and weapons
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Muhammad Mustafa calls for the release of all hostages and for Hamas to end its control of Gaza and transfer its weapons to the PA, during an address to a UN conference aimed at promoting a two-state solution.
“All countries bear the responsibility to act now to end the war against our people in Gaza and throughout Palestine, to ensure the release of all hostages and prisoners, and to ensure the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces,” he says.
Mustafa adds that the PA is prepared to welcome and coordinate with an international Arab force that will help stabilize Gaza after the war.
While Israel has expressed openness to assistance from Arab countries like the United Arab Emirates, those countries have conditioned such support on the PA’s involvement, which Israel has long rejected, likening the more moderate Ramallah to Hamas.
“We must all work to reunify the Gaza Strip with the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, without occupation, siege, settlements, forced displacement or annexation,” Mustafa says. “We must rebuild Gaza with and for our people, end the occupation, achieve Palestinian independence, and implement the two-state solution, where Palestine and Israel live side by side, in peace and security, towards achieving regional peace, security, and prosperity.” link
- The Region and the World
The United States rejected holding a UN conference focused on the two-state solution. US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said, "This is a PR stunt that comes in the middle of delicate diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. Instead of promoting peace, the conference would prolong the war and strengthen Hamas." Link it is time for the US and the rest of the world to smell the roses. Any country that supports ending the Israel/Palestine conflict by way of the Two State Solution must recognize the State of Palestine. They cannot continue to support this solution without this recognition. It will not change anything on the ground, but it will change certain integral parts of the equation. Firstly, it will remove the false belief that Israel has the veto over recognition of the Palestinian State and will force discussion the world over that Israel, even under the leadership of someone like Netanyahu, must come to the table to begin solving the conflict instead of constantly 'managing it' when we all know that there is no such thing as managing this conflict. Netanyahu has spent his entire political career preventing any discussion or negotiations towards solving the conflict. It is directly because of his actions in this that brought us to October 7. He has done all he could to weaken, but not destroy the Palestinian Authority in able to say that they body that represents the Palestinian people is too weak to really represent them and therefore cannot possibly be a partner for discussions and negotiation. He has constantly enabled Hamas and made sure that sufficient monies were continually flowing into Gaza to keep Hamas strong enough to show that the terror organization that wants to destroy Israel cannot be a partner for discussion and negotiation. Therefore, we must always live by the sword and manage the conflict. If October 7 taught us anything, it is that the conflict cannot be managed. There cannot be any expectation that 5 million people will live under an unjust military occupation that prevents them from having civil and human rights will continue to do so happily and quietly. This cannot be managed. This cannot be continued. October 7 must be the strongest guide that we must solve this conflict and there is only one right way to solve it - a 2 State Solution where each side recognizes the rights of the other and will work toward a goal that they will live side by side in peace and with the rights to have civil and human rights and better futures.
- European Union: Proposal submitted to partially suspend Israel from Horizon research program
A proposal has been submitted to the European Commission to partially suspend Israel's participation in the Horizon research program that funds scientific research following the situation in the Gaza Strip Link
Saudi FM: Establishment of Palestinian state is only path to ‘sustainable peace’
Saudi Arabia reiterates its stance that normalization with Israel “can only come through the establishment of a Palestinian state.”
Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of a UN conference promoting a two-state solution that Riyadh is co-sponsoring with Paris, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan says this was the same position that was expressed over a year ago by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
“It is based on a strong conviction that only through the establishment of a Palestinian state, and only through addressing the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination, can we have sustainable peace and real integration in the region,” Prince Faisal says.
Israeli officials have long insisted that Riyadh would be willing to settle for less, perhaps even mere lip-service to a two-state solution in exchange for normalizing ties with Israel.
Saudi officials have pushed back on such assumptions, while demanding that Israel establish an irreversible, time-bound pathway to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Israel under the current government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long rejected such a framework and has taken steps toward formally annexing West Bank lands that Palestinians hope would be part of their future state.
Armed Palestinians sit on trucks carrying humanitarian aid near the Zikim border crossing between Israel and Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, June 25, 2025. (Ali Qariqa/Flash90)Throughout that two-month period, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza steadily worsened, as international criticism grew in proportion. It reached a crescendo last week as 28 Western allies, including the UK, Australia, Canada, France, and Italy, said in a joint statement that the war in Gaza “must end now,” arguing that civilian suffering had “reached new depths.”
“We condemn the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food,” said the statement, calling it “horrifying” that “over 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid.”
The pressure kept mounting.
A malnourished child is seen along with his mother at the Al-Rantisi Children’s Hospital in Gaza City, Gaza, on July 24, 2025. (Mahmoud Issa / Anadolu via Reuters)More than 100 aid organizations and human rights groups warned on Wednesday that “mass starvation” was spreading in Gaza. Hundreds of rabbis worldwide signed a letter on Friday calling for Israel to stop using starvation as a “weapon of war.” Even the Israel Medical Association (IMA) sent letters to top defense officials calling for medical equipment and basic humanitarian conditions for Gazans.
Israel’s aid policy since March achieved none of its goals. It didn’t cause Hamas to accept proposals for a hostage deal, nor did it isolate the population from Hamas. The terror group didn’t surrender, and victory doesn’t appear to be any closer.
In fact, Israel’s aid policy rendered a victory even less likely, as it gave most of the world renewed urgency to end the war at any cost in order to stop the shooting and starving deaths of Gazans.
Back to feeding Hamas, apparently
And now, once again, Israel is boasting about the amount of aid it is pumping into Gaza.
The IDF announced on Sunday that it would conduct daily 10-hour pauses in densely populated areas. There would be new aid corridors, and Arab countries would resume airdrops into Gaza. Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories proudly stated that work had begun on a water pipeline from Egypt to the southern Gaza Strip.
Israel even itself dropped aid into Gaza for the first time.
People gather as a C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft drops humanitarian aid on the northern Gaza Strip on July 27, 2025. (Bashar Taleb/AFP)The about-face raises serious questions about Israel’s previous claims. How exactly is anyone going to prevent Hamas from taking over aid dropped from the sky or in the heart of densely populated cities? The government’s recent concerns about feeding Hamas’s guards and funding its terror machine seem suddenly not so pressing. Or, even more worryingly, Israel has backed itself so deeply into a corner that it is willing to allow Hamas to enrich itself in order to relieve international pressure.
Netanyahu has repeatedly announced new aid policies, enforced them just long enough for criticism to reach a fever pitch, then reversed course entirely.
“The wheel must be broken at some point,” said Bar Rapaport of Mitvim: The Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies.
“Israel needs to manage the humanitarian effort in a proactive fashion,” instead of hastily announcing new policies in crisis mode, she urged.
Netanyahu can regain some legitimacy to finish the job against Hamas by showing initiative. That would include opening crossings, appointing a humanitarian aid czar, conducting regular meetings with aid organizations, and even establishing field hospitals on the border.
Most importantly, Israel has to decide what it wants an alternative ruler to Hamas in Gaza to look like.
“There is no one today holding a strategic discussion on what needs to happen on the day after,” said Rapaport.
If there was a clear postwar vision on who replaces Hamas, Israel would have an interlocutor through which to send aid, thereby creating facts on the ground and slowly establishing areas of Gaza ruled by someone other than Hamas.
So far, the government is avoiding that politically sensitive discussion, but it will have to engage in it at some point.
Otherwise, Israel will just keep hearing more promises that the government has finally landed on the key to defeating Hamas, and that victory is right around the corner.
- Gallup: Most Americans disapprove of Israeli military action in Gaza, though Republicans broadly supportive; Netanyahu gets lowest rating since 1997
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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