π️Lonny's War Update- October 684, 2023 - August 20, 2025 π️
π️Day 684 that 50 of our hostages are still in Hamas captivityπ️
- Yesterday was a year to the murders of the 6 hostages
Hostage’s father says IDF withholding videos of son in captivity
The father of hostage Nimrod Cohen says the IDF is refusing to release to his family videos that troops obtained of his son in captivity.
Yehuda Cohen tells the Ynet news site that the IDF allowed the family to watch the short clips several weeks ago and said it was looking into the possibility of releasing the videos to the public, but has yet to provide an update since.
“How long does it take to release a video of a few seconds? As his father, I have the right to receive any material about him, especially when it is material that does not endanger sources, and especially given how important public awareness of his condition is,” Cohen says.
He says he doesn’t know exactly when the videos were shot, but adds they’re from over a year ago.
“You see him in the video saying his name and that he is a resident of Rehovot and something along the lines of ‘It’s time to release us,’ Cohen recalls. link Since the beginning of the war and the hostage crisis, the government and the army have not been cooperative with the hostage families (the government more so than the army). The communications and updates are almost non existent outside of the individual officers who are assigned to each hostage family, but they also get their updates from the news channels and not from the army itself, in most cases. The army continues to hold back videos and other vital information it has found and continues to find in Gaza tunnels from intelligence materials that have been found throughout the war. Obviously, some of the intelligence materials need to be kept secret and from the public's eye, but we have seen that much that has been withheld from the families for extended periods of time did not have any intelligence value and there was no need to withhold it or delay the families from getting the information or videos. The army has been less than forthcoming in many instances and it is generally felt that it is for 'covering their asses' even when there is nothing more to cover. It ends up being cruel and then rubbing salt into the injuries. The army needs to put the interests of the hostage families at a much higher priority over the covering of their asses. Regarding the government and the prime minister, the hostages and the families have never and will never be a high priority and that won't change with this government.
Israel said reviewing truce deal okayed by Hamas despite PM’s seeming dismissal of offer
Sources say Netanyahu expected to convene meeting soon, respond within coming days; Hostage Families Forum calls for comprehensive deal, as plans for Gaza City takeover move ahead
Demonstrators protest for the release of Israelis held hostage in the Gaza Strip, outside the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, on August 19, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)Two Israeli officials said Tuesday that, contrary to statements issued by a “senior Israeli official” in recent days, Jerusalem is studying the proposal for a phased hostage-ceasefire deal that Hamas on Sunday said it had agreed to.
The terror group’s announcement came days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — who for months pushed a phased-deal — said that going forward he will not accept any agreement that does not involve the return of all hostages in one go.
It also came as hundreds of thousands protested Sunday across Israel demanding a comprehensive deal, and opposing the government’s recently-approved plan to take over all of Gaza City.
Two Israeli officials said Tuesday that, contrary to statements issued by a “senior Israeli official” in recent days, Jerusalem is studying the proposal for a phased hostage-ceasefire deal that Hamas on Sunday said it had agreed to.
The terror group’s announcement came days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — who for months pushed a phased-deal — said that going forward he will not accept any agreement that does not involve the return of all hostages in one go.
It also came as hundreds of thousands protested Sunday across Israel demanding a comprehensive deal, and opposing the government’s recently-approved plan to take over all of Gaza City.
Netanyahu has not officially responded to the latest proposal, though he said Monday, “Hamas is under immense pressure.”
In response to media inquiries, the Prime Minister’s Office reiterated in a statement Tuesday the cabinet’s conditions for ending the war: the disarmament of Hamas, the return of all living and dead hostages, the dismantling of the terrorist organization’s governing apparatus, the establishment of Israeli security control in the Gaza Strip, and an alternative civilian government that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.
On Sunday, Hamas said it had accepted a deal based on the so-called “Witkoff framework,” which would commit the terror group to release 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 of the slain hostages, in exchange for a 60-day ceasefire and the release by Israel of hundreds of Palestinian security prisoners, amid talks for a permanent end to the war.
In exchange for each living hostage, the deal would see Israel release 60 Palestinian security prisoners serving sentences of at least 15 years, and would in total release 140 prisoners serving life sentences; Israel would over 1,000 Gazans detained without charge by the IDF since October 7; and that for each slain hostage’s body, ten bodies of dead Palestinian prisoners would be returned, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The terror group’s turnaround came after Netanyahu publicly changed his position on partial deals, and after the security cabinet approved the plan to capture and hold all of Gaza City in the northern Strip.
The takeover idea was reportedly opposed by senior military officials, who are said to have warned ministers that it would endanger the remaining hostages, of whom 20-22 are believed to be alive. Nevertheless, on Tuesday night, Defense Minister Israel Katz met with senior officers to approve plans for the operation.
Two Israeli officials said Tuesday that Jerusalem is studying the hostage-ceasefire proposal accepted by Hamas, and that Netanyahu is expected to convene discussions about it soon.
A response is expected in the coming two days, said a Palestinian source close to the talks.
The comments contrasted a statement issued by a “senior Israeli official” earlier in the day, echoing a nearly identical statement with the same attribution the night before, which asserted that “Israel’s policy is consistent and has not changed.”
“Israel demands the release of all 50 hostages in accordance with the principles set by the cabinet for ending the war. We are at the final stage of decisively defeating Hamas, and we will not leave any hostage behind,” the statement read.
After backing and even leading the partial-deal approach for over a year, Netanyahu shifted to opposing the phased framework over the past several weeks, instead demanding a comprehensive deal that sees all of the hostages released in one batch in exchange for an end to the war that sees Hamas disarmed and Gaza demilitarized.
Hamas has long offered to return all the hostages in exchange for an end to the war, but it has not accepted Israel’s conditions.
Channel 12 reported Tuesday that the message from those close to the premier is: “This proposal is no longer relevant, we are now discussing only the capture of Gaza City,” but that behind the scenes, negotiators are indeed looking at the proposal, and speaking with mediators about it.
The network quoted a senior security official as having said: “Following Hamas’s response — the chance of a deal in the Witkoff framework has increased significantly.”
The TV report also said that Netanyahu’s about-face on phased deals came from three main assessments: that Hamas is under pressure, and this can be exploited; that Israel is under such pressure internationally that it must end the war soon; and that Hamas will not, in the end, release the last 10 living hostages, but Israel may still be prevented from resuming the war to free them.
US ‘continuing to discuss’ proposal
The White House meanwhile said Tuesday that the US “continues to discuss” the latest proposal.
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Hamas accepted this proposal after the president of the United States posted a very strong statement about this conflict on Truth Social yesterday,” added press secretary Karoline Leavitt during a press briefing.
Trump posted on Sunday, “We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!! The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be.”
An Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel, however, that Hamas already approved the proposal by the time Trump issued his tweet.
Also Tuesday, Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said the proposal accepted by Hamas “includes a clear path to a permanent ceasefire, and we consider it the best that can be offered under the present circumstances.”
Ansari confirmed that Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Abdulrahman al-Thani joined the talks in Egypt on Monday in what led to Hamas’s positive response to the mediators’ proposal — one that Arab officials told The Times of Israel is nearly identical to the one submitted by US special envoy Steve Witkoff in May.
Qatar foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari gives a press conference in Doha on December 3, 2024. (Screen capture/X)“The atmosphere surrounding the talks is positive,” Ansari said during a press conference.
“We hope to reach an agreement as soon as possible, and if an understanding is reached, it must be implemented immediately without delay,” he added.
Dermer said to visit UAE for Gaza talks
Additionally, the Kan public broadcaster reported that Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer recently visited the United Arab Emirates to discuss Gaza, amid the renewed negotiation efforts.
Dermer, a close confidant of Netanyahu who took the helm of Israel’s negotiating team earlier this year, made the secret trip with a high-level delegation, the Kan report said. He reportedly met with Emirati officials and, alongside Gaza, discussed security and diplomatic affairs.
His office had no comment, according to Kan.
The report came amid widespread protests, led by freed hostages and the families of some who remain, demanding a comprehensive deal that would end the war in exchange for the return of all the captives, living and dead.
A “day of action” on Sunday calling for a comprehensive deal saw hundreds of thousands of people gather in central Tel Aviv, and even more around the country, as well as a major strike, which was joined by hundreds of local authorities, businesses, universities, tech companies and other organizations.
In a statement Tuesday addressed to Netanyahu, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said, “This is your last chance to sign an agreement for the return of the 50 hostages,” and expressed frustration that a security cabinet meeting has yet to be called this week on the matter.
“We demand a comprehensive deal for the return of all our hostages, and we demand that a negotiating team go out immediately with a clear mandate to finalize the details of the proposed deal and present a plan for the return of the very last hostage and the end of the war,” the forum said.
“If this agreement, too, is torpedoed by the prime minister, the nation of Israel will again take to the streets en masse — until all 50 of our hostages are returned,” it said.
The group added that in light of the latest proposal, it had changed the format of nationwide protests planned for next Sunday.
Instead of holding a mass rally in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, the forum said it will organize events across the country calling for an immediate agreement, with the large demonstration postponed to an undisclosed later date. The weekly Saturday night rally in Tel Aviv will still proceed as planned.
Israelis protest for the release of those held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, outside the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, on August 19, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)Hawkish hostage families urge PM to reject phased deal
Amid the mass protests calling for a deal, the Tikva Forum, a smaller group representing more hawkish hostage families, urged the government to reject the proposal currently on the table.
“If Hamas wants a partial deal, that means we have to do exactly the opposite: If Hamas wants a partial deal, that means it takes seriously our intention to capture Gaza City; so it’s exactly what we want to do,” said Zvika Mor, whose son Eitan Mor is held hostage.
“Mr. Prime Minister, do not, under any circumstances, go forward with a partial deal, period,” he said.
The Tikva Forum, which has opposed the two previous hostage deals, has long argued that partial deals mean some hostages — in particular male soldiers — will be left behind, and that Israel’s security overall will be hurt by freeing prisoners and allowing Hamas to regroup; it has argued that overwhelming military pressure, by contrast, will force the terror group to give up all the captives.
Zvika Mor, flanked by family members of Israelis killed in the war, as well as families of hostages, including his son, still held in Gaza, protests against a deal with Hamas outside the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, July 14, 2025. (Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90)Terror groups in the Gaza Strip are holding 50 hostages, including 49 of the 251 abducted by Hamas-led terrorists on October 7, 2023. They include the bodies of at least 28 confirmed dead by the IDF. Hamas is also holding the body of an IDF soldier killed in Gaza in 2014.
Hamas released 30 hostages — 20 Israeli civilians, five soldiers, and five Thai nationals — and the bodies of eight slain Israeli captives during a ceasefire between January and March, and one additional hostage, a dual American-Israeli citizen, in May as a “gesture” to the United States. The terror group freed 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November 2023, and four hostages were released before that in the early weeks of the war. In exchange, Israel has freed some 2,000 jailed Palestinian terrorists, security prisoners, and Gazan terror suspects detained during the war.
Eight hostages have been rescued from captivity by troops alive, and the bodies of 49 have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the Israeli military as they tried to escape their captors, and the body of a soldier who was killed in 2014. Link
Witkoff says Trump wants to see all the hostages returned, end of Gaza war
United States special envoy Steve Witkoff says that US President Donald Trump wants to see “all the hostages back” from Gaza and urges that the war “end immediately,” in an interview aired yesterday on Fox News.
Addressing Hamas’s acceptance this week of a partial ceasefire and hostage-release deal, Witkoff reiterates Trump’s commitment to seeing all the hostages freed.
“Now, [Trump] has been very decisive and straightforward in his Truth. He wants all the hostages back. That is the position that we have,” Witkoff says, referencing a recent post by Trump on Truth Social saying that the hostages will only be freed once Hamas is confronted and destroyed.
Trump appeared to align with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is pressing ahead with an expanded military campaign against Hamas and has vowed that Israel remains committed to a comprehensive deal to free all hostages and end the war on Israel’s terms. Still, Netanyahu has not explicitly rejected the proposal approved by Hamas this week, suggesting Jerusalem is keeping its options open.
Witkoff adds, “That conflict should end immediately, 20 hostages should be returned to their families, a commensurate amount of Palestinian prisoners to be released as well, and just let’s end that thing – bring peace and solitude to the Gazan people, and rebuild Gaza as it should be rebuilt as the president has set forth.”
Witkoff does not address the remaining 30 hostages in Gaza, 28 of whom are confirmed dead. Earlier this year, Trump endorsed a policy of mass emigration in Gaza and a complete rebuilding of the Strip, though he has appeared to distance himself from the idea in recent months. link The only plan that should be on the table (already for a long time) is a single deal that will release all of the hostages at once, the troops to withdraw and the war to end. Trump has previously stated that this is what he wanted only to be twisted by Netanyahu to make a 180 degree change and back Netanyahu's plan which only concerns his timeline for political survival. Up until recently, Netanyahu only wanted multi phase interim deals that would only see some of the hostages coming home and suddenly he changed his stripes for unknown reasons. Now, he is insisting on a single deal and has given very stiff demands that Hamas is unlikely at accept some of the harsher (for them) demands such as full disarmament while Israel occupies Gaza. They will most likely be willing to disarm and give their weapons to an alternative Palestinian governing body but not to Israel. And an alternative Palestinian governing body is crucial to install immediately so that Hamas' power can be reduced to nothing. It has been Netanyahu preventing that from happening. I suspect that Netanyahu changing his stripes is all tied into taking more time to reach a deal in order to fit in with his timeline for calling early elections in 2026, but not before. Finalizing a single deal could be done very quickly but he will not agree to any quick end that doesn't fit his personal political survival schedule, not matter how many hostages die or soldiers are killed and maimed. That is our prime minister who is damaging the country beyond recognition.
Hostages’ families to march to Gaza border, calling for deal to free captives
Family members of the hostages held in Gaza call on the public to join them this evening in a march to the Gaza Strip border to call for a deal to bring the captives home and end the war.
“With reports of a potential deal emerging, hostage families will lead a march today along Route 232 in the Gaza border area, continuing their fight to bring home all hostages and end the war,” the Hostage Families Forum says in a statement.
“The hostage families are calling on the Israeli public to join them in this march and show once again through action that the people stand with the hostages.”
The march will depart from Kibbutz Be’eri at 5:30 p.m.
IDF says it killed Hamas terrorist who took part in kidnapping of Yarden Bibas
A Hamas terrorist who took part in the kidnapping of former hostage Yarden Bibas during the October 7 onslaught was killed in an Israeli airstrike earlier this month, the IDF and Shin Bet announce.
The strike on August 10 in Gaza killed Jihad Kamal Salem Najjar, who the military and Shin Bet say invaded Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, and abducted Yarden Bibas.
Bibas was released from captivity in January. His wife, Shiri, and two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, were abducted by the Mujahideen Brigades terror group and murdered in captivity, before their bodies were returned to Israel. link While it is a good thing that this terrorist was killed, and every single terrorist who took part in October 7 and having anything to do with the holding of our hostages since then, should be dead men walking, the war should have ended quite some time ago and all the hostages brought home. I have no doubt that Yarden Bibas would be the first to agree with this. He is waiting for all 50 hostages to come home and especially his best friend since childhood David Kunio and his brother Ariel Kunio. Just as every terrorist who took part in the Munich Massacre at the olympics was killed some time after, as well as just about everyone involved in the kidnapping and holding of the soldier Gilad Schalit were killed, the rest of the terrorists who are still alive can be taken out in the future at any time after the war. No one, especially not the corrupt failed government should be allowed to use this killing or any other to be justification of any kind for the continuation of his horrible war.
- IDF says troops repelled rare large-scale attack in south Gaza; 10 gunmen killedAt least 18 Hamas fighters try to raid army encampment in Khan Younis; 3 soldiers hurt; military thinks the gunmen sought to kidnap troops
A cell of at least 18 Hamas operatives attempted to raid an Israel Defense Forces encampment in the Khan Younis area of the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning, according to a military probe of the unusual incident.
Three soldiers were wounded, one of them seriously, in the attack, the IDF said.
The military assessed that the Hamas gunmen sought to kidnap troops.
According to a military probe, the attack began at around 9 a.m., with the operatives emerging from a tunnel in the south of Khan Younis and opening fire with machine guns and RPGs while approaching the army encampment.
Some of the gunmen managed to breach the encampment, where they exchanged fire with troops of the Kfir Brigade.
At least 10 of the operatives were killed by the troops and in airstrikes directed by the forces, while eight managed to flee back into the tunnel, according to the army probe.
The IDF released footage showing the airstrikes, while another clip (graphic) circulated online showed the bodies of two gunmen in the army encampment.
The wounded troops served with the Kfir Brigade’s Nahshon Battalion. One was seriously injured, and the other two are listed in good condition, according to the military.
The IDF said it was working to track down the remaining gunmen involved in the attack.
Hamas’s military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, took responsibility for the attack in a statement, claiming that its gunmen “stormed the site” and carried out a suicide bombing.Al-Qassam claimed to have targeted several tanks with explosive devices and RPGs, and hit several buildings in the encampment being used by the IDF soldiers, using RPGs and machine-gun fire
“A number of fighters stormed the houses and finished off a number of occupation soldiers inside from point-blank range with light weapons and hand grenades,” the terror group claimed, despite no Israeli soldiers being reported killed in the incident.
The terror group also claimed to have carried out sniper fire that “fatally wounded” the commander of a tank, and that it carried out mortar shelling in the area “to secure the withdrawal of the fighters.”
“Upon the arrival of the rescue force, one of the martyrs detonated himself among the soldiers, leaving them dead and wounded,” Al-Qassam claimed.Hamas’s military wing said the attack “lasted for several hours,” though according to the IDF probe, the incident was wrapped up in under an hour.
During the war, Hamas has repeatedly made exaggerated claims regarding its operations against IDF troops in Gaza.
The incident on Wednesday marked a rare case of a relatively large cell of operatives attempting to attack an IDF post. Last month, a cell of at least 12 gunmen tried to attack an IDF logistics road in Khan Younis.
Wednesday’s attack came as the IDF was gearing up for a major offensive against Hamas in Gaza City. link This isn't the first and it won't be the last attempt by the terror organizations in Gaza to attack and try to kidnap soldiers and it is indicative of what we can expect in this continuing guerilla war. This is precisely what happens more and more in guerilla wars, with small bands of the enemy surprising our troops and killing and/or kidnapping them. Unfortunately, these attacks don't seem to phase the powers that be, not the Yes man defense minister or the prime minister who told one of his top advisors last month that he can deal with another 200 bereaved families. More hostages killed, more soldiers killed and maimed, more bereaved families. All of it is fine and part of the price that must be paid on the altar of Netanyahu's war of political survival.
**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
Dermer will reportedly meet Syrian FM, US envoy tonight in Paris
Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer is scheduled to meet tonight in Paris with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani and US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack to discuss security arrangements along the Israel-Syria border, Channel 12 reports, citing two sources familiar with the matter.
Barrack was in Lebanon yesterday, where he urged Israel to fulfill its commitments under the ceasefire that ended the recent war with Hezbollah. He reportedly traveled directly from Beirut to Paris. link Dermer is Netanyahu's closest advisor and yes man. He never does anything that Netanyahu doesn't want done and Netanyahu will only have Dermer do, first what is good for Netanyahu's political survival and only then what is good for Israel. It has never been clearer than in the last 6 months since Dermer was appointed by Netanyahu to head up the hostage talks. Dermer has been a complete failure in that role and has not been responsible or even connected to the release of a single hostage in all that time. Every negotiation for the hostages since then has been a total and complete failure because Dermer is doing Netanyahu's bidding.
It's hard to know what, if anything will come from these talks with Syria especially since we don't know which way the wind is blowing in Netanyahu's orbit regarding relations with Syria. For most of the time since the Assad regime fell, the relevant ministers have only said stupid and belligerent statements regarding the new regime instead of engaging through secret back channels to create a new dynamic between our two countries. Only a couple of months ago, direct channels were established together with the Americans but the purposes were only for security issues along the border and within the southern Golan which the IDF is basically holding. To the best of my knowledge, there haven't been any diplomatic discussions on changing the relationship between the countries other than some statements out of Washington about having Syria join the Abraham Accords. Although that is probably not going to happen in the immediate future, it can be a goal for both countries. If we look at the Peace with Egypt, it is, unfortunately not a peace between the peoples with large tourist and business trade as was envisaged, but it is more than just the 2 countries not being at war. There are security agreements and cooperation and if we look at the last two years of the war, Egypt has played a key role as one of our negotiating partners for the hostages and ceasefires as well as the anticipated role they will play in the day after period of the new Gaza. So, even if we are not destined to have a true peace between the two peoples just yet, that doesn't mean that we won't be able to reach a peace between the two countries similar to what we have with Egypt. Unfortunately, we don't have a government or leaders who have vision of a better future with out neighbors. They can't see beyond their own rhetoric of having to live forever with a sword and not of plowshares. For that, we will need a drastic change of government and leaders who do have a vision of peace in our horizon and not only swords.Syria issues rare confirmation of talks with Israel as US pushes to stabilize ties
No comment from Israel on Paris talks between PM’s top aide Dermer, Syrian FM; US official says Trump administration backs ‘any efforts that will bring lasting stability and peace’
Syria’s foreign minister held a rare meeting with an Israeli delegation in Paris on Tuesday, the Syrian state-run news agency reported. The talks were brokered by the United States, which has been pushing for Syria and Israel to normalize relations, the report said.
The SANA news agency said Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani met with Israeli officials to discuss deescalating tensions and restoring a 1974 ceasefire agreement. The talks resulted in “understandings that support stability in the region,” according the agency.
“These talks are taking place under US mediation, as part of diplomatic efforts aimed at enhancing security and stability in Syria and preserving the unity and integrity of its territory,” it added.
There was no immediate comment from Israel on Tuesday’s talks, which Hebrew media outlets earlier reported would be attended by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who is a top aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack.
Dermer and al-Shaibani previously met in Azerbaijan late last month, and held another meeting in Paris the week before that.
“The United States continues to support any efforts that will bring lasting stability and peace between Israel and its neighbors,” a senior Trump administration official, who was not authorized to comment publicly, told the Associated Press after Tuesday’s meeting.
The official noted US President Donald Trump’s outlined “vision of a prosperous Middle East” that includes a “stable Syria at peace with itself and its neighbors — including Israel,” adding that “we want to do everything we can to help achieve that.”
Tensions have soared between Jerusalem and Damascus following the overthrow of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in December. Israeli forces seized control of a UN-patrolled buffer zone in Syria shortly after the Assad regime’s overthrow and carried out airstrikes on military sites in what officials said was aimed at creating a demilitarized zone south of Damascus.
srael has said it will not allow hostile forces to establish themselves along the frontier, as Iranian-backed groups did during Assad’s rule. It distrusts Syria’s new government, which is led by former jihadists.
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda commander, has pledged to build a new country that respects the rights of minorities, but sectarian violence has erupted on a number of occasions, raising concerns about the country’s fragile transition.
Israel stepped up its intervention when violence erupted in Syria’s southern Sweida province last month between Bedouin clans and government forces on one side and armed groups from the Druze religious minority on the other.
The conflict then prompted airstrikes against Syrian forces by Israel in defense of the Druze before a truce — mediated by the US, Turkey and Arab countries — halted most of the fighting.
Israel said it was acting to protect the Druze, who are seen as a loyal minority in Israel and serve in the military. Israel launched dozens of airstrikes on convoys of Syrian forces around Sweida and struck the headquarters of the Syrian Ministry of Defense in the heart of Damascus, Syria’s capital.
A man waves an Israeli flag during a demonstration by Druze in the southern Syrian city of Sweida calling for self-determination, August 16, 2025. (X screenshot)Though the fighting has largely calmed down, Syrian government forces have surrounded the city of Sweida, named after the province, and the Druze have said that little aid is getting in, describing the situation as a siege.
Barrack, the US envoy brokering the Israel-Syria talks, met Tuesday in Paris with Israeli Druze leader Sheikh Muafak Tarif. In a statement on the “excellent” meeting, Tarif said the Druze want American assistance with an end to the blockade and humanitarian aid for the people there, the return of the Druze who were kidnapped during the fighting, as well as American assurances of Druze security.Barrack wrote on X that his “warm and informative meeting” with Tarif addressed the situation in Sweida and “how to bring together the interests of all parties, deescalate tensions, and build understanding.”
hile the Druze in Syria have historically been wary of Israel, an increasing number are now open to seeking Israeli assistance. Hundreds demonstrated in Sweida on Saturday to demand the right to self determination for the Druze minority, with some protesters waving Israeli flags.
Videos and photos of the demonstration circulating on social media sparked outrage from many other Syrians, who accused the protesters of being traitors.
Israel and Syria have technically been at war since 1948. Israel conquered around two-thirds of the Golan Heights from Syria during the Six Day War of June 1967, and annexed the territory in 1981, in a move not recognized by much of the international community, with the exception of the United States.
A year after the Yom Kippur War of October 1973, Israel and Syria reached an agreement on the disengagement line that Damascus is now pushing to restore.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said in June that while Israel had an “interest” in normalizing ties with Syria and neighboring Lebanon, the Golan Heights “will remain part of the State of Israel” under any future peace agreement, which the Syrian government has said is premature to discuss. Link
- Politics and the War and General News
Opposition leaders blast cabinet for cutting budget from key offices to fund Gaza aid
Opposition politicians denounce the government’s decision to approve a NIS 31 billion ($9 billion) increase to the 2025 state budget, including NIS 1.6 billion ($473 million) for humanitarian aid for Gaza.
“The government approved the transfer of NIS 1.6 billion to Gaza, despite the IDF’s warning that the vast majority of the ‘aid’ reaches Hamas,” tweets Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman. “The government is stealing from the citizens and paying taxes to Hamas.”
“The government’s decision to cut the health basket means both shame is dead, and sick people will die as well. Funding could come from closing 15 superfluous ministries and canceling coalition funds for corruption and draft dodgers,” declares Opposition Leader Yair Lapid. “Instead, the worst government in Israel’s history is cutting healthcare, education, and welfare. Disgraceful.” link This government is spending billions of shekels for the humanitarian aid to Gaza because no other country or organization has been willing to cooperate with the questionable humanitarian aid organization that was set up by the Israeli and American governments and its effectiveness has been very questionable. At the time, the inner cabinet that decided on this new aid distribution method claimed that the Israeli taxpayer would not be paying for this aid and they clearly lied and haven't stopped lying. The first time was when the finance minister gave an additional allocations of hundreds of millions of shekels in the context of additional defense funds that went specifically for the aid. Now, the corrupt cabinet voted to approve 1.6 billion shekels for the aid and with it a cut to all government offices and the hardest hit are always the ones that need the money most and have already been hit by major budget cuts because of Netanyahu's war of political survival. The government ministries that always get hit the hardest are education, health and social benefits which are already among the lowest budgeted in the OECD. This government has been taking the country on a downward spiral that just gets worse by the day with no end in sight.
60K reservists set to receive call-up orders in coming days ahead of Gaza City takeover
Reserve troops will be given at least two weeks before having to report to duty, with only some expected to take part in op; Katz meets top defense officials to approve IDF’s plans
Some 60,000 Israeli reservists are set to receive call-up orders that the IDF will issue starting Wednesday for the planned offensive in Gaza City, provided Defense Minister Israel Katz approves the move, according to security sources.
The orders are not immediate, and the reservists will be given at least two weeks before needing to report for duty.
The number of reservists being called up is in addition to tens of thousands of reservists who are currently serving in the reserves.
Not all of the reservists being called up are expected to participate in the operation to capture Gaza City, as some will instead be replacing standing army troops on other fronts.
The orders are due to go out after Katz’s office said he met Tuesday with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, other senior officers, and Shin Bet representatives to approve the military’s plans for the capture of Gaza City.
According to Israeli officials, the IDF’s plans to capture Gaza City involve first the establishment of humanitarian infrastructure in southern Gaza, including allowing tents and shelter equipment into the Strip in recent days.
The IDF will then issue evacuation warnings for the estimated one million Palestinians residing in Gaza City. Israeli officials have said that Palestinians will have until October 7, 2025, to evacuate Gaza City, which coincides with the second anniversary of Hamas’s attack on Israel.
Afterward, the IDF will then launch its ground offensive into Gaza City, including by placing a siege on the area to kill any remaining Hamas operatives.
Palestinians walk past the destroyed Abu Khudra mosque in Gaza City on August 18, 2025. (Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)The meeting and the presentation of the army’s plans to Katz come despite Hamas saying Monday that it had agreed to a truce proposal. Should a hostage-ceasefire deal be reached, the plans to capture Gaza City are likely to be called off.
Though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appeared to dismiss Hamas’s acceptance of the offer, after shifting from insisting on a phased-hostage release and ceasefire deal to the release of all the captives at one go, sources said Tuesday that Jerusalem is reviewing the proposal.
Terror groups in the Gaza Strip are holding 50 hostages, including 49 of the 251 abducted by Hamas-led terrorists on October 7, 2023. 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. Link There is no good reason for this call-up. The war needs to end, not to expand, and the troops need to come home and the reserves need to get back to their normal lives. In addition to the 60,000 who are receiving the emergency call ups, tens of thousands of reserves who were called up for another 70 days (many have already served 300 and 400 days) are having those 70 days extended by another 40 days. This is purely political malfeasance. And in addition to all of this, there is a planned call up of tens of thousands of more reserves to serve in the West Bank to protect all of the settlers and their visitors coming to the West Bank for the Jewish holidays next month. More political malfeasance. The army and defense ministry have no problems calling large areas in the West Bank military closed zones to prevent protests against the government or organizations and people who come to protect Palestinians from settler terrorists. The same should be done to the settlements in the West Bank so that the masses that they are calling to visit and support them can't come and put additional onus on the army which necessitates the call up of reserves who have already served for hundreds of days. It is totally unnecessary and unfair considering that this same government that is causing all these call ups continues to look for ways to give blanket military exemptions to the Haredim. POLITICAL MALFEASANCE!
- The Region and the World
Jordan accuses Israel of Gaza ‘massacres,’ says policies ‘killing all prospects’ for regional peace
Jordan’s foreign minister says Israel’s policies in the war against Hamas in Gaza have caused “massacres and starvation” and that its wider actions are “killing all prospects” for peace in the Middle East.
Addressing Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov at a meeting in Moscow, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi says he hopes to discuss “efforts to end the aggression on Gaza, and the massacres and starvation that it is creating.”
This is in addition to the “illegal measures that continue to undermine the two-state solution and kill all prospects for peace in the region,” he adds.
“We value your clear position against the war and your demand for reaching a permanent ceasefire,” he tells Lavrov.
Israel denies its military targets civilians and says that there is no “policy of starvation” in Gaza.
The comments come after Jerusalem approved a plan to evacuate and conquer Gaza City, an urban area home to hundreds of thousands of people in the north of the Strip. Most of the territory’s population has been displaced since the war began, many repeatedly, according to the United Nations.
Israel is also advancing the construction of settlement housing units in the sensitive E1 area, with the stated goal of thwarting the future creation of a Palestinian state. link Between Netanyahu's plan to occupy Gaza and Smotrich's plan to build more settlements, annex the West Bank (and Gaza) and expel the Palestinians, they are doing all they can to prevent peace in the region. Smotrich doesn't care about peace in the region. All he cares about is his messianic, colonialistic plans and agenda to take over the region and make it Jewish only. Actions like these are the most dangerous for the State of Israel and our future. We are not an island unto ourselves as Smotrich and his ilk wish to look at the world. We are a member of the world of nations and are entirely dependent on our allies for our survival and our future, no matter how strong our army and our intelligence (with all of them totally blowing it on October 7). Without help from our allies, we could not survive and only leaders who understand this should be at the helm, not the kind we have today who are causing us to be in the worst situation we have ever been in our history. They are dragging all of us down with their racist messianic ideology and their narcissistic need to rule.
Poll: Most Americans believe Israel’s response in Gaza is excessive, countries should recognize Palestinian state
A 58% majority of Americans believe that every country in the United Nations should recognize Palestine as a nation, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Some 33% of respondents did not agree that UN members should recognize a Palestinian state and 9% did not answer.
The six-day poll, which closed on Monday, was taken within weeks of three countries, close US allies Canada, Britain and France, announcing they intend to recognize the State of Palestine.
The survey was taken amid hopes that Israel and Hamas would agree on a ceasefire and hostage deal to end the war in Gaza that started after the Hamas attack on southern Israel that killed some 1,200 people and saw 251 hostages taken to Gaza.
Britain, Canada, Australia and several of their European allies said last week that the humanitarian crisis in the war-torn Palestinian enclave has reached “unimaginable levels,” as aid groups warned that Gazans are on the verge of famine.
A larger majority of the Reuters/Ipsos poll respondents, 65%, said the US should take action in Gaza to help people facing starvation, with 28% disagreeing. The number disagreeing included 41% of US President Donald Trump’s Republicans.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll also showed that 59% of Americans believe that Israel’s military response in Gaza has been excessive. Thirty-three percent of respondents disagreed.
In a similar Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in February 2024, 53% of respondents agreed that Israel’s response had been excessive, and 42% disagreed.
The latest Reuters/Ipsos survey, conducted online, gathered responses from 4,446 U.S. adults nationwide and had a margin of error of about 2 percentage points.
Personal Stories
Acronyms and Glossary
ICC - International Criminal Court in the Hague
IJC - International Court of Justice in the Hague
MDA - Magen David Adom - Israel Ambulance Corp
PA - Palestinian Authority - President Mahmud Abbas, aka Abu Mazen
PMO- Prime Minister's Office
UAV - Unmanned Aerial vehicle, Drone. Could be used for surveillance and reconnaissance, or be weaponized with missiles or contain explosives for 'suicide' explosion mission
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