π️Lonny's War Update- October 682, 2023 - August 18, 2025 π️
- ‘We want them back’: Israelis strike and protest in call for hostage deal, end of war
Over 30 demonstrators arrested at multiple protests, water cannon deployed near Jerusalem as roads blocked nationwide; Herzog: ‘People of Israel want our brothers and sisters back home’Protesters poured into the streets across Israel on Sunday morning with the start of a nationwide general strike called by bereaved families and the relatives of hostages, and gathered at dozens of sites to call for a halt to the war in Gaza and the return of all those held captive by terror groups in the Strip.
As of early afternoon, police said they had arrested more than 30 protesters across the country as activists blocked streets and in some cases clashed with officers who were trying to reopen them.
Outside Jerusalem, police deployed a water cannon to disperse protesters who sat on the ground inside a tunnel along Route 16, which leads to the capital. In Tel Aviv, 11 demonstrators were arrested after they “violated public order and significantly impaired freedom of movement” on the roads, law enforcement officials said.
Throughout Sunday morning demonstrators shut down portions of Route 1, the main Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway, as well as Begin Boulevard in Jerusalem, the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv, Route 4 at Ra’anana Junction, routes 65, 75 and 89 in northern Israel, and Routes 443, 40 and 44 in central Israel.
Demonstrators also rallied outside the homes of a number of government ministers, including Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer’s home in Jerusalem, Justice Minister Yariv Levin in Modiin, Economy Minister Nir Barkat in the capital, Education Minister Yoav Kisch in Hod Hasharon and Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel in Kfar Saba.
The protest was called by the October Council, a group of family members of hostages and those killed on October 7 as well as survivors of the attack, who are demanding the end of the war in Gaza and the return of the 50 hostages being held there. They initiated the protest after the cabinet voted earlier this month to conquer Gaza City despite warnings by the IDF that it would endanger the hostages.
Demonstrators calling for a hostage release and ceasefire deal near the Jerusalem home of Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer on August 17, 2025. (Charlie Summers/Times of Israel)Hundreds of local authorities, businesses, universities, tech companies and other organizations announced that they were joining the strike or will allow employees to join if they wished to.
The Histadrut, the central labor union, said it would not be joining the strike, but its chief, Arnon Bar-David, visited Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on Sunday with a message of solidarity.
“This is not an issue of left and right,” he said. “This is an issue of bringing people back, bringing back people who were kidnapped, kidnapped from their bed, kidnapped from their shift and from their tank.”
The central activities of the day were held in Hostages Square, where hundreds streamed in and out of the plaza, including the families of living and slain hostages and a number of Israeli officials.
Anat and Haggai Angrest, parents of hostage Matan Angrest, at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on August 17, 2025. (Ariela Karmel/Times of Israel)Speaking in the square, President Isaac Herzog said everyone in the country was united in wanting every hostage home as soon as possible.
“There’s no Israeli who doesn’t want them back home,” he said. “We can argue about philosophies, but truly, the people of Israel want our brothers and sisters back home.”
In a message to the 50 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, at least 20 of whom are thought to be alive, he said: “We haven’t forgotten you for a moment. We’re making every effort to bring you back home.”
President Isaac Herzog and his wife, Michal, appear in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv as part of a nationwide protest, August 17, 2025. (President’s Office)Switching to English, Herzog urged the international community to step upa pressure on Hamas
“I’m here to say to the international media and to the international decision makers: Our sons and daughters are there in the dungeons of Gaza for 681 days,” Herzog said alongside Sharon Sharabi, the brother of released hostage Eli Sharabi, and Yael Adar, the mother of Tamir Adar, who was killed by Hamas on October 7 and whose body is held in Gaza.
“We want them back home as soon as possible. The world should want them back home as soon as possible. Stop being a bunch of hypocrites. Press – because when you know how to press, you press — press and tell Hamas, ‘No deal, no nothing, until you release them,’” Herzog added.
“I want to say to our brothers and sisters all over the world, we are together in this plight. We want the hostages back home. They are the most important issue on world affairs, and we want to see them back home as soon as possible,” the president said.
Also addressing the crowd at Hostages Square, released hostage Arbel Yehoud — whose boyfriend, Ariel Cunio, is still held captive — warned that military pressure will not free those still in Gaza.
“I know firsthand what it’s like to be in captivity. I know that military pressure doesn’t bring hostages back — it only kills them,” she said. “The only way to bring them back is through a deal, all at once, without games.”
Yarden Bibas, Sharon Aloni Cunio, Arbel Yehoud and Eitan Cunio at a protest in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square on August 17, 2025. (Uriel Even Sapir)Yehoud spoke alongside freed hostage Sharon Aloni-Cunio — who was released in November 2023 with her two daughters and whose husband, David Cunio, Ariel’s brother — is still captive, as well as Yarden Bibas — David’s best friend — who was freed in February and whose wife, Shiri, and two young sons Ariel and Kfir, were murdered in captivity.
Yehoud, who was freed in January as part of a ceasefire deal, described the suffocating conditions underground, “without water, without air, without the ability to breathe,” and said that Sunday’s strike cannot remain a one-time event.
“We need to stop normal life again and again until those in captivity return. You’ve seen the photos, the videos, the horrors. How much longer will you continue to close your eyes? There is only one way to bring them all back: a deal now.
Anat Angrest (left), the mother of hostage Matan speaks alongside Vicky Cohen (C) and Lishay Miran Lavi at Hostages Square on August 17, 2025. (Shai Hazan / Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)Also speaking in the square, Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, demanded the return of every hostage immediately.
“The hostages are all of our children!” she declared. “We must save them now!”
Ayelet Goldin, the sister of Hadar Goldin — an IDF soldier killed in Gaza in 2014 whose body has been held by Hamas for 11 years — spoke with emotion: “I came here from the Golan and every intersection was filled with people.”
Calling on Israelis to take to the streets, Goldin added, “The hostages are the heart of Israeli society. We must bring them back in order to return to ourselves and our values.”
Families and supporters of Israelis held hostage by Hamas terrorists in Gaza since the October 7, 2023, attacks chant slogans as they block traffic in a tunnel during a protest calling for government action to secure their release in Jerusalem on August 17, 2025. (Menahem Kahana / AFP)Lishay Miran Lavi, whose husband Omri was taken hostage on October 7 and is held in Gaza, said, “Today is just the beginning.”
“We intend to escalate the struggle. We have no other choice,” she said.
At the center of the square, rows of empty strollers were arranged, a haunting exhibition symbolizing the children killed in the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack. Attached to many of them were bright yellow signs reading “A mother never gives up.”
Under a large shaded canopy, dozens of mothers sat with their babies and young children, gathering in quiet solidarity. Strollers lined the space alongside other exhibitions filled with photos of the hostages.
“I want them to come back and the war to end, and we won’t stop until they do,” said Dana, who came with her baby and a group of other mothers to join in the mothers’ protest.
Strollers with yellow ribbons and signs sit in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv as part of a nationwide strike on behalf of the Hamas-held captives in Gaza on August 17, 2025. (Ariela Karmel/Times of Israel)Nili Bresler, from Ramat Gan, said she came to Hostages Square in support of her student, Avinatan Or, who was kidnapped from the Nova festival — alongside his girlfriend, Noa Argamani, who was rescued last year — and who remains a hostage in Gaza.
“He’s a beautiful young man, and we hope that he’s hanging in there. We got one sign of life from him on March 12, which was a long time ago, but it’s more than nothing,” she said, sitting alone with a sign bearing his photo.
Bresler, who teaches technical English to tech employees, was teaching Or, a chip designer at Nvidia: “He’s very talented and bright, with a huge heart,” she said, adding that the large turnout made her feel “more optimistic than I’ve been.”
Ruti Rosenberg, who grew up in Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha near the Gaza border and now lives in Kfar Saba, said she thinks about the hostages “all the time” and attends rallies every Saturday night demanding their release.
“We will keep coming until this government succeeds in bringing them back,” she said. “That is what’s important.” link
‘Go out and make noise’: Family releases new video of hostage Matan Zangauker from captivity
A Hamas video showing hostage Matan Zangauker in captivity in the Gaza Strip has been released by his family for publication.
The video, which was obtained by the IDF during operations in Gaza, is said to be from several months ago. Some reports suggest the video is from the beginning of the war.
“Go out and make noise just as you know how to do,” Zangauker says in the short clip, addressing his family and friends.
It is unclear how long Zangauker’s family has been in possession of the video, which was never released publicly by Hamas.
During the war, the IDF, upon finding footage or other findings of hostages in Gaza, has presented them to their families, who often release them to the public. video
At least 220,000 gather in Tel Aviv for main rally for hostages
Some 220,000 people have gathered in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv and the surrounding streets for a rally held by hostage family members, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, citing police estimates.
Some 150,000 people in the square were joined by another 70,000 who marched from Savidor Train Station alongside hostage family members to the rally.
This will be the concluding event to a daylong protest and nationwide strike opposing the government’s decision to expand the war in Gaza, rather than negotiate a deal to return the remaining hostages.
Thousands of people have converged on Tel Aviv in convoys from across the country to show solidarity with the hostage families and protest the government.
Hundreds of thousands gather in Tel Aviv to mark end of nationwide day of hostage protests
Hostages forum says 500,000 attended rally, over 1 million protested across the country Sunday; at rally, ex-captives urge Trump to push Israel to ‘end the suffering,’ ‘make peace’
Hundreds of thousands of people crowded in central Tel Aviv on Sunday night, capping a nationwide day of protests and strikes calling on the government to end the war in Gaza and secure the release of the hostages held there by Palestinian terrorists.
The rally in Tel Aviv appeared to be one of the biggest since the war began nearly two years ago, and according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum was attended by over half a million people, though there were no official police estimates for the crowd’s size.
The forum also estimated that some 1 million people had taken part in protests across the country throughout the day, as protest groups and organizations joined forces to stage a major day of civil disobedience after the cabinet voted earlier this month to conquer Gaza City despite warnings by top security officials that this would endanger the hostages.
Other major protests took place in Jerusalem, Haifa, Beersheba and several smaller cities, with demonstrators blocking roads and highways, demanding that an end to the war be reached.
Before Sunday night’s massive rally began, at least 38 people had been arrested across the country as activists blocked streets and in some cases clashed with officers who had been trying to reopen them, according to police.
And after the rally, police said six more had been arrested after hundreds “disrupted public order,” clashed with cops and blocked the city’s Ayalon Highway. That road and all other roads were reopened to traffic, police added.
The day of protests came alongside a major strike, which was joined by hundreds of local authorities, businesses, universities, tech companies and other organizations, though Israel’s central labor union, the Histadrut, did not join the effort.
People gather at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, during a rally calling for the release of hostages held in Gaza, August 17, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)‘My son is suffering so that the government can build settlements’
Addressing the crowd of hundreds of thousands at the rally at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, the fathers of two of the hostages accused the government of abandoning their sons in captivity for political reasons.
Ofir Braslavaski, father of hostage Rom Braslavski, said that he is watching his son waste away, and can do nothing about it.
Videos of Braslavski and hostage Evyatar Davidwere released last week in which they appearedemaciated and deeply distressed.
“The entire country saw, all of the leaders saw, but the cabinet chose to expand the war and abandon them,” Braslavski said. “My Rom has no time, the hostages have no time.”
Ofir Braslavaski, father of hostage Rom Braslavski, addresses a rally at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, August 17, 2025. (Paulina Patiner/ Hostages Families Forum)“To my beloved Rom, stay strong, please. We love you,” he added.
Yehuda Cohen, father of hostage Nimrod Cohen, echoed the accusations against the government: “We’re living under a terror organization that refuses to give us back our children for political reasons,” he said of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
“My son, Nimrod, is suffering so that the government can build settlements in Gaza, and I refuse to let him be sacrificed on that altar,” Cohen continued.
This country won’t return to normality until the hostages are returned in a comprehensive deal and the war ends,” he said. “If the Netanyahu government isn’t willing to do this, then they should quit and allow someone more responsible to do so.”
Huge crowds in and around Hostages Square in Tel Aviv for a rally at the end of a day of strikes and protests nationwide urging a deal for the release of all hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, August 17, 2025. (Yair Palti / Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)At the rally, the family of hostage Matan Zangauker played a video they released earlier in the day showing him in Hamas captivity.
The video of Zangauker is only a few seconds long, in which he asks his mother to “keep making noise” and that he “hopes to see [her] soon.”
Hamas hostage Matan Zangauker seen in an undated video released by his family on August 17, 2025. (Screenshot/ X)The video, which was obtained by the IDF during operations in Gaza, was said to be from several months ago, with some reports even suggesting the video was from the beginning of the war.
Following the screening, Matan’s mother, Einav Zangauker, addressed the crowd: “My Matan, my hero, I’m so proud of you, how you have stayed strong for 681 days. Continue to stay strong.”
Einav Zangauker speaks to a mass rally in Tel Aviv calling for a deal to release the hostages on August 17, 2025 (Paulina Patimer/ Hostages Family Forum)“Matan asked for noise, so give him noise!” Zangauker said to roaring applause.
“My soul hurts and burns from longing for you,” she said, adding that the government has turned this “just war” into an “endless war.”
“We don’t have a worthy government, but we have the most worthy nation in the world,” Zangauker continued. “We demand a comprehensive deal and an end to the war. We demand what we deserve — our children! And we will continue to demand it until we get it.”
Also at the rally, organizers screened a video in which several released hostages beseeched US President Donald Trump to end the war and bring the hostages home.
The former hostages who addressed the president in English were Naama Levy, Ohad Ben Ami, Doron Steinbrecher, Sasha Troufanov, Arbel Yehoud and Iair Horn — all of whom were released in the last hostage deal, which ended in March — in addition to Michal Lubanov, the wife of Alex Lubanov, who was kidnapped alive and murdered by his captors in August 2024, with his body returned to Israel days later.
A woman reacts during a demonstration organized by families and friends of Israelis held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip since 2023, calling for action to secure their release in Tel Aviv on August 17, 2025. (GIL COHEN-MAGEN / AFP)“Thank you, President Trump, for bringing us home,” said Levy.
“Every bullet, every strike puts them in danger,” added Troufanov of the danger posed by continued military action to the remaining hostages.
“You have the power to make history, to be the president who made peace, ended the war, ended the suffering, including my little brother,” Horn said.
Heated encounters on the roads
After the speeches, hundreds of people marched to the nearby Likud party headquarters, where they lit a bonfire and clashed with police.
Police stopped the demonstrators from reaching the entrance of the Metzudat Ze’ev building, and videos posted to social media showed officers jostling violently with demonstrators who were banging drums and chanting slogans against the government.
Throughout Sunday, as protesters blocked main roads, highways and intersections in almost every city in the country, several incidents were recorded in which drivers confronted or even attacked demonstrators for standing in their way.
One such incident was recorded in central Israel’s Hod Hasharon, where a truck driver stormed out of his vehicle, wielding a metal rod, and tried to punch several protesters who were standing in the intersection.
Officials visit Hostages Square
Earlier in the day, former defense minister Yoav Gallant paid a visit to Hostages Square to lend support to the families of the 50 hostages who remain in Hamas captivity.
While there, Gallant met with several relatives, including Idit and Kobi Ohel, the parents of hostage Alon Ohel.
Former defense minister Yoav Gallant (right) meeting with Idit and Kobi Ohel at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on August 17, 2025. (Uriel Even Sapir/Hostages and Missing Families Forum)The ex-defense minister, who was sacked by Netanyahu in November, has accused the premier and his cabinet of resisting a ceasefire deal that would have led to the return of more living hostages.
At the time, Gallant said that he believed he had been fired, among other reasons, due to his insistence on securing the release of the hostages from Gaza.
Several other major figures and politicians visited the square on Sunday to pay respects to the families, including President Isaac Herzog, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, former president Reuven Rivlin and Histadrut chair Arnon Bar-David.
President Isaac Herzog and his wife, Michal, appear in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv as part of a nationwide protest, August 17, 2025. (President’s Office)Some families of hostages oppose the protests
While most of the families of the hostages support the protest movement, several do not, believing it to be playing into the hands of Hamas and increasing their demands, as Netanyahu and other right-wing figures asserted Sunday.
Standing starkly against the main Hostage Families Forum is the Tikva Forum, a more hawkish group that represents a cadre of hostage families and relatives of fallen soldiers who are opposed to protests against the government and favor military pressure to bring their relatives home over negotiations.
Nadav Miran, the brother of the hostage Omri Miran, said that he opposed Sunday’s strikes and protests because they “strengthen Hamas,” arguing that the terror group sees the major public uproar against the Israeli government, which leads them to harden their positions.
Also speaking against the strikes, Ditza Or, mother of hostage Avinatan Or, said that “the goal of the strike is to stop the war, not to return the hostages,” and that the plight of the hostages is only used to “manipulate” Israelis into taking to the streets to demand an end to the war.
Protesters demanding a hostage and ceasefire deal block Begin Highway in Jerusalem on August 17, 2025. (Charlie Summers/Times of Israel)Netanyahu said to be open to partial deal
As Sunday’s protests took place, Hebrew media reported that despite saying in a Saturday statement that he will only consider hostage deals that return all 50 captives, Netanyahu is in fact prepared to consider a partial ceasefire and hostage-release agreement with Hamas.
Channel 12 news reported, citing an unnamed senior Israeli official, that an official involved in the negotiations recently told relatives of hostages that “Israel is currently prepared to aim only for a comprehensive deal. But there are too many unresolved issues regarding the end of the war. If Hamas agrees to a partial deal under conditions that are acceptable to us, don’t be surprised if the red line suddenly shifts.”
And Channel 13 news, quoting a senior member of Israel’s negotiating team, said Netanyahu is willing to discuss “a ‘phased’ deal” with Hamas, while adding that “we have not received a draft from the mediators.” According to the official, both Qatar and Egypt are trying to jumpstart the process.
People take part in a protest demanding the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas and calling for the Israeli government to reverse its decision to take over Gaza City and other areas in the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv on Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)The reports came after the Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement Saturday night, insisting that Israel is strictly seeking a comprehensive deal in which all hostages are released at once and all of Netanyahu’s conditions are met, following claims that Hamas has renewed its willingness to pursue a phased ceasefire-hostage arrangement.
The primary voice opposing any partial deals within the security cabinet is Netanyahu’s top adviser, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Channel 12 added.
According to the network, Dermer — who strongly objected to any partial frameworks during the cabinet session earlier this month that approved Israel’s plan to seize Gaza City in October — is taking this stance because he aims to secure stated guarantees from Trump on the terms of an agreement.
The goal, the report said, is to obtain within a month an official announcement from Trump outlining conditions for a comprehensive end to the war — including the release of all hostages. If this strategy succeeds in pressuring Hamas to accept such terms, Channel 12 added, the need to enter and occupy Gaza City could be averted.
Still, during Sunday’s cabinet meeting, officials indicated that if a partial deal becomes viable — one that would likely bring home about half of the living hostages and half of the deceased captives — Israel would be willing to agree to a 60-day ceasefire, throughout which it would reassess how to proceed with its military campaign.
Demonstrators gather during a protest demanding the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas and calling for the Israeli government to reverse its decision to take over Gaza City and other areas in the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, August 17, 2025. (AP Photo/ Ohad Zwigenberg)Terror groups in the Gaza Strip are holding 50 hostages, including 49 of the 251 abducted in the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023, which sparked the war in Gaza.
They include the bodies of at least 28 confirmed dead by the IDF. Twenty are believed to be alive, and there are grave concerns for the well-being of two others, Israeli officials have said. Hamas is also holding the body of an IDF soldier killed in Gaza in 2014.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 60,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. Link
Terror groups said mulling moving hostages to Gaza City to forestall IDF advance
Gaza terror groups are considering moving the hostages they hold to Gaza City ahead of the expected Israeli operation to capture the city, the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reports.
According to the report, the plan is intended to pressure Israel and prevent the takeover of the city.
The paper adds that discussions of the plan are still “in the study phase” at senior levels inside Gaza and abroad, and no decision has yet been made.
Organizers say nearly 500,000 at Tel Aviv rally, 1 million participated in day’s protests nationwide
The Hostage Families Forum says that almost 500,000 people gathered in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square and the surrounding streets for a mass rally tonight demanding the government reach a deal to free the captives held by terror groups in Gaza.
There is no official police estimate of the size of the crowd in what appears to be one of the largest rallies since the start of the war.
“Almost 500,000 people gathered…to make it clear — the entire people of Israel want the release of all the hostages and end the war,” the forum says in a statement.
The forum also estimates that some 1 million people took part in dozens of protests across the country throughout the day.
“The hostage families wish to tell the people of Israel: ‘Thank you! From here, we will only intensify our efforts. Stay with us until the last hostage is returned!'”
π️Day 682 that 50 of our hostages are still in Hamas captivityπ️
**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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The last major Hamas stronghold: What awaits IDF in Gaza City
Military have already launched targeted strikes in Zeitoun and Sabra, mobilized 80,000–100,000 reservists and is preparing humanitarian measures for up to a million residents
Israeli forces are preparing for a possible broader ground operation in central Gaza City, targeting neighborhoods long held by Hamas including the site known as “Palestine Square,” which the IDF has called the “Square of Evil.”In December 2023, IDF soldiers lit the first Hanukkah candle in the square, a symbol of Hamas control, with Brig. Gen. Benny Aharon, commander of the 401st Brigade, describing the act as bringing “light of purity, goodness, hope and dream for the State of Israel” to the darkened city. Aharon said the ceremony, two months into the war, was a statement of IDF strength and a continuation of Israel’s fight against Hamas. Since the conflict began, the IDF has entered Gaza City multiple times in limited ground operations targeting neighborhoods like Zeitoun and Sabra, supported by airstrikes, artillery and explosive robots. Full control of the city or installing an alternative authority was never the objective, allowing Hamas to partially rebuild. Current planning indicates preparations for a larger operation. Israeli officials are boosting force readiness, refreshing units and mobilizing reservists, with estimates of 80,000 to 100,000 needed for an extensive campaign. Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, IDF chief of staff, approved the “main concept” of the operation during a meeting with senior commanders and Shin Bet officials. He stressed readiness while managing protests from families of hostages and exhausted reservists. Security officials are also planning comprehensive humanitarian measures to ensure evacuated areas have sufficient food, water, medical care and essential infrastructure. Estimates suggest up to one million residents in northern Gaza may need to be relocated prior to the operation. Gaza City, the largest in the Strip and third-largest among Palestinian cities after East Jerusalem and Hebron, has grown rapidly since the Oslo Accords and hosts multiple universities including the Islamic University, a key Hamas-controlled site. Experts say Hamas has long embedded its military and social infrastructure in the city making operations complex.The last senior Hamas commander believed to remain in Gaza City, Izz al-Din Al-Haddad, reportedly continues to operate in the city, commanding a brigade while evading Israeli forces. The IDF has systematically targeted high-rise buildings housing Hamas cells. Roughly one million residents, including displaced people from southern Gaza, further complicate military operations with many refusing to evacuate even under threat. Observers warn that the occupation or destruction of Gaza City could draw sharp international criticism due to its political, humanitarian and symbolic significance. Analysts also note that ongoing Israeli operations, including heavy artillery, airstrikes and targeted demolitions, may be part of broader efforts to misdirect public attention from strategic objectives. linkIzz al-Din Al-Haddad
IDF says it targeted Hamas cell outside Gaza City hospital
Overnight, the IDF says it carried out a drone strike against a cell of Hamas gunmen outside Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood.
The armed terror operatives were “identified storing weapons and equipping themselves with weapons at the hospital compound, and using it as a place of shelter,” the military says.
The IDF says Hamas “continues to use hospitals in the Gaza Strip for terror purposes, cynically and brutally exploiting the civilian population in and around the hospital.”
During the strike, which was directed by the 990th Artillery Regiment and carried out by an Israeli Air Force drone, the IDF says it took steps to mitigate civilian harm, “including the use of precise munition, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence.” video
Ex-defense minister Gallant visits Hostages Square in show of solidarity
Former defense minister Yoav Gallant is at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv to support the families of the 50 hostages who remain in Hamas captivity.
Gallant is meeting with different families, including Idit and Kobi Ohel, the parents of hostage Alon Ohel.
Hostages’ families are congregated in the square as part of a daylong protest and nationwide strike opposing the government’s decision to expand the war in Gaza rather than negotiate a deal to return the remaining hostages.
The ex-defense minister, who was sacked by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in November, has accused the premier and his cabinet of delaying a ceasefire deal that would have led to the return of more living hostages.
At the time, Gallant said that he believed he had been fired, among other reasons, due to his insistence on securing the release of the hostages from Gaza. link Galant was fired by Netanyahu, not once but twice. The first time, it was rescinded due to public pressure. Both times, he was fired by refusing to be a Netanyahu yes man. In the early days of the war, Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkott, both former IDF Chiefs of Staff, temporarily joined Netanyahu's government to serve as ministers in the war cabinet. They did so because they believed it was best for the nation at the critical time. They both knew Netanyahu very well as both of them served under him as prime minister. Their entry into the war cabinet was mostly welcomed by the Defense Minister Yoav Galant who understood that the war and its management way beyond the abilities of Netanyahu, who was basically paralyzed at that point in the war. However, anything having to do with the hostages and negotiations, it was Netanyahu who ruled the roost and all of his decisions were based on his own political survival needs. It took Galant a while to understand and come to terms with that and when he did, he relied on the backing of Ganz and Eisenkott who all placed the return of the hostages as the main objective of the war, while for Netanyahu, the hostages were never the first priority, not even now.
The straw that broke the camel's back was when Galant held a press conference and publicly voiced his concerns for the hostages which deliberately pointed out that he and Netanyahu didn't see eye to eye regarding the imperative of bringing back all of the hostages and being ready to pay the necessary price to do it.
Obviously, this was seen by Netanyahu as his belligerent behavior and that Galant either had to be a yesman or be out of his cabinet. Therefore Galant is absolutely right when he states that he was fired because of his stance for getting the hostages home while Netanyahu only thought of his own political survival.Netanyahu said to be open to partial hostage deal despite public statements to contrary
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is prepared to consider a partial ceasefire and hostage-release agreement with Hamas, despite his recent statements to the contrary, according to Hebrew media reports citing a senior Israeli official.
Channel 12 reports that an Israeli official involved in the negotiations recently told relatives of hostages that “Israel is currently prepared to aim only for a comprehensive deal. But there are too many unresolved issues regarding the end of the war. If Hamas agrees to a partial deal under conditions that are acceptable here, don’t be surprised if the red line suddenly shifts.”
Channel 13, quoting a senior member of Israel’s negotiating team, says Netanyahu is willing to discuss “a ‘phased’ deal” with Hamas, while adding that “we have not received a draft from the mediators.” According to the official, both Qatar and Egypt are trying to jump-start the process.
Echoing comments made by Netanyahu and coalition members during today’s nationwide strike calling for the return of the hostages and an end to the war, the official adds that “What’s happening inside the country [the protest] is playing against us. Meetings and talks are taking place in Cairo — it’s not effective negotiation, because Hamas is not in the mindset of effective negotiation.”
The reports come after the Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement last night, insisting that Israel is strictly seeking a comprehensive deal in which all hostages are released at once and all of Netanyahu’s conditions are met, following claims that Hamas has renewed its willingness to pursue a phased ceasefire-hostage arrangement. link And now it looks like Netanyahu is once again playing games with the life of the hostages. Again with the horrible interim phased deals that leave hostages to suffer more and die while Netanyahu continues to fiddle. From his end, he is willing to sacrifice every last living hostage as long as it serves his ends - his political survival. I know that I sound like a broken record but Netanyahu only knows how to play that broken song. Every single thing he does is only about his political survival and it is killing us all.
Terror groups plan to transfer living hostages to Gaza City, report says, linking their fate to IDF operation
Israel is awaiting Hamas' response to most recent proposal, and the possibility of a partial deal has not been ruled out; 'The goal is to increase pressure on Israel and tie the fate of the living hostages to Netanyahu’s decisions'
Armed terror groups in the Gaza Strip are considering moving the living hostages into Gaza City, in order to link their fate to Israel’s planned takeover of the largest city in the coastal enclave, according to the ondon-based pan-Arab newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat.The report was published Sunday at the height of the mass protest in Hostages’ Square in Tel Aviv calling for a ceasefire and hostage return deal, at a time when Israel is awaiting Hamas’ response as it presses forward with its plan to capture Gaza City.Israel's political leadership continues to say that a partial deal is off the table and that Israel is now only prepared for a comprehensive agreement. However, behind the scenes, senior officials in Jerusalem are sending mixed signals and, in practice, a partial deal has not been ruled out.Sources in the terror organizations told the newspaper that the plan to move hostages into Gaza City—despite Israel’s intention to evacuate the city's civilian residents and conquer it afterward—is still under consideration and no decision has yet been made. “The goal is to increase pressure on Israel and tie the fate of the living hostages to Netanyahu’s decisions,” the report said.
Gaza City as seen from a Jordanian plane airdropping humanitarian aid(Photo: Raad Adayleh/AP)According to the report, this plan has been under discussion for several days at high levels, both inside the Strip and abroad. The sources added that, until now, “the goal was to preserve the hostages’ lives as much as possible, to exchange them for Palestinian prisoners and use them as bargaining chips for a ceasefire. But given the recent changes, a new decision may be made to send the message that the lives and property of Palestinians are linked to the fate of the hostages.”The sources noted that this proposal had not been considered in other cities or areas captured by Israel because the current plan for Gaza City “is the most dangerous of all.”
IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir during a military briefing(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)Meanwhile, the IDF is finalizing preparations for the Gaza City operation. The army presented its plans on Sunday to Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, and they will be submitted to Defense Minister Israel Katz for approval on Tuesday. Later, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will also need to approve them, as will the security cabinet, though no discussion has yet been scheduled.Israel is still waiting for Hamas’ answer to the mediators’ proposal—whether it will agree to a comprehensive deal or a partial one. Israel’s message to the mediators, and through them to Hamas, is that if Hamas does not agree to either deal soon, the first stage of the Gaza City operation will go ahead.There is also a possibility that the United States will put forward a comprehensive plan with a phased implementation: 10 hostages released in the first stage along with understandings toward ending the war. Such a proposal would place Israel in a dilemma. Minister Ron Dermer, who is leading talks with the Americans, has warned Netanyahu that the U.S. is drafting a framework to end the war and may present it next month.By contrast, senior security officials and National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi oppose an “all-or-nothing” approach, believing that Israel should not reject a partial deal that could bring some of the hostages home. Netanyahu rejected ministers’ demands at a cabinet meeting to commit publicly that he would never accept a partial deal.During Sunday’s cabinet meeting there was no discussion of the strike and mass protests sweeping the country, apart from Netanyahu’s brief comment at the start of the meeting. Government sources claimed the protests are only pushing a deal further away and encouraging Hamas to harden its positions and raise its demands.
Protesters in Tel Aviv call for the release of all of the hostages(Photo: Dana Koppel)“Will demonstrations bring the hostages home? Unfortunately, no," a senior Israeli official said. "They should demonstrate against Hamas. We agreed to a deal, and Hamas saw that the international campaign—combined with the starvation narrative and the Palestinian state campaign—was playing into its hands, so it dragged its feet. We will turn over every stone to bring the hostages back. We are applying military pressure on Hamas. Returning the hostages is a goal we intend to ensure happens.”Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich argued that Netanyahu has been spooked by criticism and noted that a partial deal is still not off the table. “Mr. Prime Minister, perhaps lately you’ve been a little too frightened by the campaign. You’ve taken the media too seriously, the feeling that the people are not with you. The people of Israel are with you—make the right decision at last. Announce with your own voice that there will be no more pauses halfway, no more partial deals. Give the order for the IDF to storm Gaza and the central camps. Achieve total victory in one stroke.” Link- From a Palestinian pro peace, anti Hamas activist from Gaza living in the US:The Foreign Minister of the Palestinian Authority, Varsen Aghabekian, an Armenian Christian, issued a statement calling for Hamas to disarm/surrender its weapons and end the disaster that the terror group started with its Oct. 7 massacre. Soon after, hordes of Hamas heads and activists, including Huthaifa Azzam, the Jihadi Hamas supporter and son of the infamous Palestinian terrorist and al-Qaeda founder, Abdullah Yusuf Azzam, started attacking Varsen for her name, character, and accusing her of not being an Arab, Muslim, or a “real” Palestinian. This, unfortunately, is demonstrative of the Muslim Brotherhood-led terror army that proliferates throughout the Arab world, and those supporters of Hamas who always proclaim to be the vanguards of an incoming Islamic Caliphate that far surpasses a Palestinian State.Unfortunately, large numbers of idiotic and ill-informed Western activists and supposed journalists still think that Hamas is somehow interested in a Palestinian State as part of a two-state solution or that the terror group and its ideological underpinning allow for anything other than Muslim, Arab supremacy that dominates and suppresses all other ethnic and religious groups. A Hamas victory of any kind would produce scenes that are identical to what we have witnessed in recent months in Syria’s Southern Druze province of As Suwayda or coastal areas populated by Alawites. The good news is that there are numerous Palestinians who stood up to the son of al-Qaeda’s founder and his ilk, clarifying that Palestinian identity is indeed a diverse one in which Christians and Armenians are founding members of its social fabric. The bad and horrendous news is that a global army of feminists, queers, leftists, and multi-racial and ethnic activists is clearly and explicitly supportive of Hamas and the so-called “resistance” narrative. These imbeciles haven’t the slightest clue of their role as ‘useful idiots’ to Islamist terrorists like Hamas Salafis, Iranian-sponsored partisans, and global Jihadis who would have no problem using and abusing ill-informed fools to achieve their goals, only to turn against them when the time is right and place them in Islamist-style Gulags Link
Egyptian goals in Gaza ceasefire meeting highlight push for deal
As Qatari officials arrive in Egypt for key meetings on hostage release and ceasefire deal in Gaza, discussions focus on a 60-day truce, captive release, Hamas disarmament and the Strip's future governance: Some Hamas members will be exiled
Following reports that Hamas has accepted Egypt’s new ceasefire and hostage release deal proposal, a Palestinian source close to the Israel-Hamas negotiations told Ynet on Monday that talks are ongoing with no final decisions reached yet.Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed Al Thani is expected to arrive in Egypt to meet Hamas leaders and Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad, with the source calling these meetings “an indication of progress.”The openness of various Palestinian factions is seen as facilitating a comprehensive deal aimed at preventing a full Israeli takeover of Gaza and addressing the Strip’s governance and arms control.The proposal includes a 60-day ceasefire within a framework to release all hostages, though it aligns with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff’s phased approach rather than Israel’s demand for an immediate comprehensive agreement.The Palestinian source outlined key points under discussion, including the exile of some Hamas members, the establishment of a committee to manage Gaza and arms control acceptable to Israel, with the IDF overseeing storage processes, including duration and responsibility.One figure targeted for exile is Izz a-Din Haddad, currently leading Hamas’ military wing following Mohammed Deif’s elimination. The source emphasized that arms control discussions delve into fine details—such as who controls the weapons, where they are surrendered and who gains access—though no final agreements exist.“These are complex talks aiming to create a mutually acceptable ceasefire framework and temporary arrangement for Gaza,” the source said. Egypt is seeking broad Arab consensus for its initiative, inviting Qatar’s leader to a meeting near El Alamein to present a pan-Arab proposal demanding Hamas’s consent.The plan explicitly calls for Hamas to disarm and refrain from post-war Gaza governance, favoring the Palestinian Authority’s involvement—a move Israel is likely to oppose.Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, speaking at a press conference at Rafah crossing with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa on Monday, reaffirmed Cairo’s stance.“Egypt will continue supporting the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. We send a message of solidarity from Rafah. Our position on the Palestinian issue is firm. We reject Israel’s statements about so-called ‘Greater Israel.’ Egypt has contributed 70% of aid entering Gaza and persists in ceasefire negotiations.” LinkThousands of Palestinians flee Gaza City as fresh offensive looms
CAIRO, Egypt — Fearing an imminent ground offensive, thousands of Palestinians have left their homes in eastern areas of Gaza City, now under constant Israeli bombardment, for points to the west and south of the shattered territory.
In Gaza City, many Palestinians have also been calling for protests soon to demand an end to a war that has demolished much of the territory and wrought a humanitarian disaster, and for Hamas to intensify talks to avert the Israeli ground offensive.
Ahmed Mheisen, Palestinian shelter manager in Beit Lahiya, a war-devastated suburb abutting eastern Gaza City, says 995 families had departed the area in recent days for the south.
With the Israeli offensive looming, Mheisen put the number of tents needed for emergency shelter at 1.5 million, saying Israel had allowed only 120,000 tents into the territory during a January-March ceasefire.
“The people of Gaza City are like someone who received a death sentence and is awaiting execution,” Tamer Burai, a Gaza City businessman, says.
“I am moving my parents and my family to the south today or tomorrow. I can’t risk losing any of them should there be a surprising invasion,” he tells Reuters via a chat app.
A protest is scheduled for Thursday in Gaza City by different unions, and people took to social media platforms vowing to participate, which will raise pressure on Hamas to reach a ceasefire deal.
Egyptian FM says Cairo ready to join UN-backed international force in Gaza
Egypt says it is willing to join a potential international force deployed to war-torn Gaza, but only if backed by a UN Security Council resolution and accompanied by a “political horizon,” as ceasefire-hostage release efforts pressed on in Cairo.
“We are standing ready, of course, to help, to contribute to any international force to be deployed in Gaza in some specific parameters,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty tells a joint press conference with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa at the Rafah border crossing.
“First of all, to have a Security Council resolution, to have a clear-cut mandate, and of course to come within a political horizon,” Abdelatty says.
“Without a political horizon, it will be nonsense to deploy any forces there.”
Abdelatty says a political framework would enable international troops to operate more effectively and support Palestinians “to realize their own independent Palestinian state in their homeland.”
PA prime minister says committee being formed to manage Gaza once again
Visiting the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing alongside Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa says the PA is laying the groundwork for it to eventually retake control of the Gaza Strip.
“We will soon announce the establishment of a temporary committee to manage the affairs of the Strip under the auspices of the Palestinian government,” he says.
Mustafa says the body will not be new but rather a reactivation of institutions of the “State of Palestine and its government in Gaza,” which he stresses is “an inseparable part of the State of Palestine.”
The PA was in charge of running Gaza’s affairs until 2007, when it was ousted by Hamas in a bloody coup. Israel has said it will not agree to handing over control to the PA, but has yet to formulate an alternative acceptable to the international community.
Mustafa says Israel’s offensive does not grant legitimacy to any local or international body to impose “arrangements” on the Gaza Strip, hinting at US pressure on Egypt to accept Gazans into Egyptian territory.
Gaza and the South
In West Bank visit, Netanyahu boasts he met promise to thwart Palestinian state
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasts that he has kept his promise to forestall the creation of a Palestinian state, during a visit to the West Bank settlement of Ofra on the 50th anniversary of its founding.
He recalls visiting 25 years ago, and saying that “we would do everything to ensure our continued hold on the Land of Israel, to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, to thwart the attempts that existed then — and unfortunately still exist — to try to uproot us from here. Thank God, what I promised — we kept.”
There were many pressures on Israel to relent, Netanyahu says: “Pressures from home, pressures from abroad, a series of American presidents who wanted to uproot us and to establish a Palestinian state here. We stood firm together. We upheld the promise of the generations.” link I honestly don't know what makes Netanyahu so proud of thwarting a Palestinian State. That is basically rewarding himself for not doing anything to resolve the Israel/Palestine conflict. It was actually quite the opposite of doing nothing. Netanyahu did a lot regarding the conflict, but none of it was to resolve the conflict; it was all to keep the conflict going. He resolved to scuttle any possible talk and action of the creation of a New Palestinian state. He made sure to do everything to weaken the Palestinian Authority and on the other side, to strengthen Hamas. His goal was to make sure to be able to say that there is no Palestinian partner for peace. He made the choice for all of Israel to continue to live by the sword, instead of doing what real leaders are supposed to do: work to create a better future for the people and the State. Those notions seem foreign to him. Conflict and divisiveness are the keys for him and how he has managed his political career. And through his actions of doing and not doing, he is the person most responsible for bringing us to October 7. Contrary to his statement, he has nothing to be proud of. He is a failed and corrupt leader who has kept us at war, had kept the hostages in captivity for 682 days and has made every decision about the war and the hostages based on what is best for his political survival, and not for the State or the people. Netanyahu should be bowing his head in shame and disappear from the view, never to hold any position of influence.
Charity expresses concern after US halts entry of sick Gazans, says treatments not funded by taxpayer money
An organization that has been bringing severely wounded Gazan children and their family members to the United States for medical treatment says it is “distressed” by the US State Department’s decision to halt visitor visas for Palestinians from the Strip.
The State Department announced the move on Saturday hours after far-right activist and conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer began expressing alarm over the entry of the young Gazans and their families into the US and even spoke to Secretary of State Marco Rubio about her concerns.
Loomer is a close ally of US President Donald Trump who played a key role in the purge of National Security Council staffers earlier this year. She has also called herself a “proud Islamophobe,” and promoted the ideas that the 9/11 terror attacks were an “inside job” and that several school shootings were “false flags.”
In her posts against the entry of Gazan children into the US, she suggested that American tax dollars were paying for the treatment.
HEAL Palestine, the organization behind the evacuations, says that it funds the treatment, not US taxpayer dollars.
“After their treatment is complete, the children and any accompanying family members return to the Middle East. This is a medical treatment program, not a refugee resettlement program,” the group says.
“Our mission gives children a renewed chance at life, whether through life-saving surgery or the ability to walk again. U.S. tax dollars do not fund this treatment.”
“Guided by human and American values, HEAL is committed to offering hope and healing to the few young lives we can reach,” the group adds. link Loomer is is an American far-right political activist, conspiracy theorist, virulent racists and internet personality. In addition, she is a strong pro Netanyahu advocate among Trump loyalists and goes along with anything Netanyahu says and does. Her pushing Trump to prevent sick and injured children from receiving medical care in the US is indicative of the total lack of empathy and sympathy for suffering people who are different than here. That lack of care is par for the course for both Netanyahu and Trump who only care about things that will serve their personal political interests.
Trump: Hostages will only be released ‘when Hamas is confronted and destroyed’
Prior to Netanyahu’s last visit to Washington, Trump was gung ho to finish the war, he was angry and frustrated with Netanyahu and word was leaked from the White House that Netanyahu was keeping the war going for his political self interests. Something we have known for a very long time. Everyone, including Netanyahu expected Trump to force Netanyahu to end the war. And then we saw that Netanyahu succeeded once again to twist Trump and wrap him around Netanyahu’s little finger. It has persisted and changed trump’s dialogue from ‘end the war now’ to ‘Israel (Netanyahu) will do what they need to do. Trump has given Netanyahu the green light to do whatever he wants which is the only green light Netanyahu cares about. He doesn’t care what European leaders are saying and condemning and he certainly doesn’t care what the Israeli public wants. As long as he has Trump behind him, that’s all he needs. So Trump went from public anger at Netanyahu and stating the he has to end the war to now mimicking Netanyahu’s bullshit.
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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