Israelis hold a protest march in Tel Aviv calling for an end to the war in Gaza and a safe return of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas, on August 21, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issues a statement attributed to a senior Israeli official who says that once a location for negotiations is determined, the premier will order the dispatch of an Israeli delegation to hold talks aimed at securing the release of all remaining hostages and at ending the war on Israel’s terms.
It’s not clear whether Netanyahu’s statement was coordinated with any of the Arab mediators who are currently waiting for Israel to respond to their phased hostage release proposal that Hamas accepted on Monday.
The mediators are hoping that Israel will accept the proposal to allow for the immediate commencement of negotiations in either Doha or Cairo in order to finalize the terms, such as the identities of the Palestinian security prisoners who will be released.
Netanyahu appears to instead be talking about a deal that will see the release of all 50 remaining hostages at once.
This is something that Hamas has long offered in exchange for an end to the war and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
But Netanyahu has argued that this exchange would leave Hamas in power with the ability to revive itself.
Instead, the cabinet approved earlier this month a series of terms for ending the war that effectively amount to Hamas’s complete surrender.
The conditions are the release of all remaining hostages at once, the disarmament of Hamas, the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, overall Israeli security control of the Gaza Strip and the transfer of governance to a body that is not Hamas or the Palestinian Authority.
Hamas has already rejected calls to give up its weapons, and the IDF has estimated that the full dismantlement of Hamas’s terror infrastructure in Gaza will take years to complete, leading critics to accuse Netanyahu of seeking to prolong the war to stay in power. Link
Itzik Horn, father of hostage Eitan Horn and captivity survivor Yair Horn, leads protestors around the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv on August 21, 2025. (Yoav Loeff/protest movement)
Hostage families and their supporters are currently marching to the IDF’s Kirya headquarters in Tel Aviv calling for the release of their loved ones as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a security consult at the IDF’s Southern Command headquarters in order to approve the army’s plans to take over Gaza City.
Hostage families are opposed to the plan, fearing that it will place their loved ones at
Captivity and tragedy: One year since 'Mini October 7' and there are still living hostages
Opinion: One year after six young hostages were murdered in Gaza tunnels, their families lead a campaign for unity and urgency; Memorials honor Alex, Carmel, Hersh, Almog, Ori and Eden while reminding Israel that hostages still languish underground, awaiting rescue
"The Six." A code every Israeli understands. A number that encapsulated that entire tragedy. Alex, Carmel, Hersh, Almog, Ori and Eden — six young people who survived against all odds in inhuman captivity, only to be murdered brutally when their captors heard IDF troops approaching. At times it feels as though a hundred years have passed, and at times as if it happened only yesterday.
The ongoing trauma of war has completely distorted the sense of time. And so, in mid-August, the Hebrew calendar signals: a year has passed. A full year since the six were murdered in the tunnels. A full year, and still hostages waste away in those same tunnels — in constant danger, in far worse condition. They wait and pray for this cruel decree to be torn apart.
Since their murder, we have learned more about the horror of captivity. About the strength of the human spirit. About the stinking tunnels where one could hardly stand. About Eden, who whispered into the phone, “Find me, okay?” and was later found shot, weighing just 79 lbs. About Carmel, who practiced yoga in captivity to hold on to some shred of humanity. About Alex, whose pregnant wife fought desperately for his release, and whose son will never know him. About Almog, whose life was devoted to giving and helping others.
About Ori, who returned to the Nova festival to rescue strangers, and whose father now dedicates his life to redeeming captives, though his own son will never be saved. About Hersh, grievously wounded, who in the hell of captivity quoted Viktor Frankl: “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” Hersh, whose parents were thrust into reluctant leadership, the very leaders the nation had been waiting for — who, even on the last day of protest, were still plastering stickers across the city.
The six came from across Israel’s small mosaic. Religious and secular. Sephardi and Ashkenazi. Immigrants and natives. From every corner of the political spectrum. They reminded us that our enemies make no distinctions among us. Each became, unwillingly, a beacon — an inspiration.
Despite their differences, the families who lost what was most precious to them have joined together for the sake of all Israel. They did not despair. On the contrary, they devote their energy to society. These remarkable people have proven themselves towering figures against the smallness of our leaders. Where leadership sowed division, they demanded unity. Where despair spread, they insisted on hope. Through a Sisyphean, exhausting struggle, they cry out: Never again. We will be the last.
And what of us? A year ago, the shock and fury were so intense the streets burned. The country ground to a halt. And now? It feels as if nothing has changed. I visited the mourning homes then. All of Israel was there. I returned to what I wrote in those days. I wrote of the urgent clarity. I wrote of Ecclesiastes, of the enigmatic and beautiful phrase: “The living should take it to heart.” One interpretation speaks of the compassion of mourners, whose love keeps the memory of the dead alive. Another speaks of reverence awakened by loss.
I read my own words today. Where is that reverence? It has vanished into thin air. Those responsible for the failures and the mismanagement of the war have paid no price. The world remains silent before Hamas’ cold-blooded cruelty. Meanwhile, the hostages continue to pay every day — in body and spirit — for said abandonment.
Now, as the government resolves to conquer Gaza, we must ask honestly: what is the difference between Hersh and Matan? Between Almog and Bar? Between Alex and Alon? Between Carmel and Evyatar? Between Eden and Omri? Is it enough to turn the dead into martyrs? Is it easier to cling to symbols than to fight for flesh-and-blood lives?
The memorials held on Tuesday for three of the six do not speak only of the dead. They speak of the living. Of our duty to those who can still be saved. What kind of rebirth will we have if, God forbid, we lose another six? Another 20? We will not be able to look into the eyes of our starving, wasting brothers and their families if we fail to do everything in our power to bring them back — and to bring them back now. Link
Israel Says It Won’t ‘Dance to Hamas’ Tune’ as Palestinians Demand Ceasefire, Reconstruction and Recognition
Talks in Cairo and Doha revive hopes for a ceasefire but the proposal reflects hardened positions, with Israel prioritizing hostages and security control and Palestinians emphasizing political unity and international recognition
A new ceasefire proposal between Israel and Hamas, now under discussion in Cairo and Doha, is drawing attention for its resemblance to the so-called Witkoff plan floated earlier this year.
Both US and Qatari officials have suggested the latest initiative is “almost identical” to that earlier framework, yet the months-long deadlock over hostages, prisoners, and Gaza’s future governance continues to block progress.
The Witkoff plan, named after American mediator Bill Witkoff, envisioned a phased release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a temporary halt in fighting, expanded humanitarian aid, and talks on Gaza’s long-term governance. It also proposed partial redeployment of Israeli forces to buffer zones, stopping short of a full withdrawal.
Israel entered negotiations after Hamas’ October 7 assault, which killed some 1,200 people in Israel and saw more than 250 hostages seized, including women, children, and elderly civilians. Israeli officials argue that any deal must be judged in that light, emphasizing Hamas’ responsibility for the war’s continuation.
The original framework, although never implemented, was considered the most detailed ceasefire blueprint since the war began. It collapsed in the spring amid mutual recriminations—Israel said Hamas added new demands, while Hamas accused Israel of negotiating in bad faith.
The current proposal closely mirrors that model but with tweaks. Observers question whether these adjustments will suffice to break the impasse—Hamas has reportedly accepted the plan—or whether entrenched political and military stances will continue to stall progress.
From Israel’s perspective, Hamas’ acceptance does little to ease fears that the group could exploit a lull in fighting to rebuild tunnels, restock weapons, and resume rocket fire.
Dr. Gershon Baskin, Middle East director for the International Communities Organization and co-director of the Alliance for Two States, described the revisions during an interview with The Media Line: “The two main differences are the number of Palestinian prisoners that Israel will have to release, with the new proposal being fewer than in the original. And the second difference is about redeployment: … [Israel would retreat] about one kilometer deep inside Gaza.”
Baskin noted uncertainty over whether this perimeter would cover the whole border or only limited areas such as the Philadelphi corridor or Rafah crossing. Hamas has demanded Rafah be opened for transit—something Israel would allow only under international supervision. Israeli officials counter that such mechanisms have failed before, pointing to the collapse of the 2005 Rafah agreement, and accuse Hamas of using border openings to smuggle arms. Though the structure remains similar—staged hostage returns, prisoner swaps, humanitarian access—Israel’s central concern is the lack of guarantees that Hamas will not regroup. David Mencer, spokesman for the Prime Minister’s Office’s public diplomacy directorate, told The Media Line: “The government is interested in a full deal that releases every one of the hostages. We’re no longer pursuing any partial deal. We’re no longer going to dance to Hamas’ tune.”
Likud Member of Knesset Amit Halevi added that Hamas’ acceptance of the plan is “a dirty game.” He said: “They use the hostages only as a tool, like a weapon. That is why we should be very suspicious about the current positive answer of Hamas.”
Both versions of the plan involve highly uneven exchanges. According to Baskin, Israel would release roughly 200 Palestinian prisoners—all of them serving life sentences or long terms for killing or attacking Israelis—in return for 10 living hostages. For the remains of 18 or 19 hostages, Israel would hand over the bodies of 180 or 190 Palestinians. “It’s pretty gruesome,” he remarked. He added that Israel also appears willing to free more than a thousand Gazan detainees, calling it “no big deal” given how many are already in custody.
The deal also envisions 600 humanitarian trucks a day carrying food, fuel, and medicine. Hamas insists that aid be distributed by international organizations rather than the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation
From the Palestinian side, Dr. Sabri Saidam, deputy secretary general of Fatah’s Central Committee, said the issue is less about numbers than political meaning. “We support the immediate cessation of hostilities, as Israel’s military campaign is nothing short of an attempt to eradicate Palestinian identity and existence,” he told The Media Line.
He emphasized that reconstruction, the return of Palestinian Authority administration to Gaza, and a comprehensive resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict “in line with international resolutions” are the only way forward. He also urged international recognition of Palestine not be delayed, warning this could give Israeli ministers room to block future statehood.
Halevi dismissed that view, saying Hamas itself controls the pace and terms of negotiations. “The fact that Hamas actually controls the dynamic of the negotiation and the dynamic of the war is a horrible situation,” he said.
The August proposal has been presented as a partial 60-day arrangement. Baskin said Hamas initially resisted, preferring a comprehensive deal to end the war and release all hostages within days, but accepted the framework under pressure from Egypt, Qatar, and the US.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, has insisted publicly on a “full deal.” Baskin called this misleading, saying Netanyahu only wants such a deal “after Hamas surrenders. And Hamas is never going to surrender.”
Mencer reiterated Israel’s stance: “There is simply no justification whatsoever for Hamas holding onto our people. Zero. It is outrageous—a crime against humanity to hold these people—and there is no reason why they should not be released right now.” Israel has emphasized that the continued holding of hostages, many of them civilians, violates international humanitarian law and constitutes a war crime under the Geneva Conventions.
Halevi said Israel’s cabinet has shifted its war aims toward firmer control of Gaza: “The cabinet decided that the target of the war should be total security control of Israel over Gaza. That is a game-changer.”
Israeli officials insist that reconstruction without disarming Hamas would enable the group to reconstitute its military wing, as happened after previous wars in Gaza. Halevi also criticized the US-backed approach, saying: “The problem with the American approach, like Witkoff’s, is that they do not understand the Middle East and the radical Islamic way of thinking. Hamas looks at Witkoff as a useful guy to keep negotiations alive. They are laughing at us.”
International pressure remains contested. Baskin argued that beyond rhetoric, little has been done to constrain Israel’s actions. “Israel can do what it wants. The only one right now who could stop Israel is President Trump. Our history in this conflict shows that Israel basically has impunity to do whatever it wants, but we need to follow international law,” he said.
US President Donald Trump recently reaffirmed that Hamas must be dismantled, writing on social media: “Hamas needs to be destroyed and the hostages need to come home.”
Mencer dismissed suggestions of friction with Washington. “The president and the prime minister are working extremely closely together. There’s never been a closer relationship between them,” he said.
Saidam called for a stronger international stance. “The role of the international community cannot be limited to condemnation alone. There must be a proactive stance, including a total halt to the provision of arms to Israel,” he noted.
Looking beyond the ceasefire, Saidam urged Palestinian political consolidation. “Achieving Palestinian national unity is essential, in accordance with previously agreed understandings. Adherence to the Palestine Liberation Organization and its international commitments remains the cornerstone of our struggle,” he said.
Baskin, meanwhile, maintained that real progress will require a generational change of leadership. “Only after we change our leaderships in Israel and in Palestine—we have to get rid of the triangle of Netanyahu, Abbas, and Hamas to move on,” he said.
He added that Hamas should present a credible package if it hopes to alter international perceptions. “What Hamas needs to do is present a comprehensive proposal for ending the war. That proposal should include the release of all 50 hostages within 24 to 48 hours, Israeli forces redeploying outside Gaza with an agreed security perimeter, and Rafah placed under an international inspection mechanism like the 2005 agreement. The US may back this plan,” he said.
“Hamas should also commit to no longer governing Gaza and instead accept a civilian technocratic administration. But the future governance of Gaza still looks unclear, since Gazans will never fully accept Fatah’s rule, but Hamas is not trusted either right now,” he concluded.
The Israeli government has repeatedly stressed that no agreement will be accepted without the unconditional release of all hostages and the dismantling of Hamas’ military infrastructure.
Israel Katz, the Israeli defense minister, said: “There can be no illusions—Israel will not agree to any arrangement that allows Hamas to survive as an armed power. Our responsibility is to bring every hostage home and ensure that Gaza never again serves as a launching pad for terror against our people.” link
A truck transporting humanitarian aid drives down a road in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on August 21, 2025. (Eyad BABA / AFP)
Over 220 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered the Gaza Strip yesterday through the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings, Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities (COGAT) says.
According to COGAT, over 370 trucks carrying aid were also collected by the United Nations and other international organizations from the Gaza side of the crossings yesterday to be distributed.
“The contents of hundreds of trucks are still awaiting collection on the Gazan side of the crossings,” COGAT says.
Another 155 pallets of aid — about four trucks’ worth — were airdropped by Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Singapore, and Indonesia in Gaza yesterday, according to the IDF. Each pallet has several hundred kilograms of food.
Similar amounts of aid deliveries have been reported daily for approximately the past few weeks.
The UN has said 600 trucks of aid need to be distributed each day in order to properly feed the Strip’s roughly two million people amid the war.
COGAT also says that “tankers of UN fuel entered for the operation of essential humanitarian systems” yesterday, and that it coordinated the entry and exit of humanitarian aid workers rotating in and out of Gaza.
Demolition, tunnel warfare: How IDF is set operate in ‘Hamas capital’ Security Cabinet approves plans for a major Gaza City offensive, aiming to dismantle Hamas’s remaining strongholds through intense urban combat, mass evacuations and widespread demolitions Israel’s Security Cabinet convened Thursday to approve plans for an upcoming Gaza operation focusing on combat in Gaza City, following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s description of the area and central camps as “Hamas’s last strongholds.”
Preparations are underway, with intelligence reaching the IDF highlighting significant challenges ahead for participating troops. On Friday, Defense Minister Israel Katz said, “We approved the IDF’s plans yesterday to defeat Hamas in Gaza with intense fighting, civilian evacuation and operations.
Gaza City
“Soon, the gates of hell will open on Hamas’s murderers and rapists in Gaza until they accept Israel’s terms to end the war, starting with releasing all hostages and disarming. If they refuse, Gaza City, Hamas’s capital, will become like Rafah and Beit Hanoun.”
IDF intelligence indicates Hamas is rebuilding its terror tunnels, even in areas previously operated in, with Gaza City believed to host large, critical underground networks, some undetected during the first operation 18 months ago.
The operation will echo aspects of Operation Gideon’s Chariots, including new military routes established around Gaza City—likely based on main roads—alongside extensive building demolitions, as seen recently in Rafah and Khan Younis.
In eastern Khan Younis, for instance, the Paratroopers Brigade leveled over 2,000 structures, some three to four stories high, targeting homes linked to terrorists or used for tunnel access.
A senior IDF commander involved in recent Gaza fighting told Ynet, “Buildings allow terrorists to emerge from tunnels and dig new ones under cover. Demolishing them has operational value, not just damaging or disabling them.”
The urban nature of Gaza City, unlike the lower-rise Khan Younis or Beit Hanoun, poses a unique challenge, with many damaged high-rises—10 to 15 stories in western neighborhoods—still standing.
These could shelter Hamas anti-tank teams, snipers and lookouts, or conceal an extensive tunnel network. Leveling such structures will require vast explosives and heavy engineering equipment, some worn from 22 months of war since the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre.
The ground offensive, likely delayed until September, hinges on evacuating around one million Gazans southward, a complex task relying on UN cooperation. The next phase in the fighting involves IDF Southern Command translating the operational concept into actionable plans, with initial brigades encircling Gaza City from all sides, gradually advancing into its western high-rises.
This will be followed by discussions on the nature of combat, timing, contingencies, logistics, drills and force concentration along the Netzarim Corridor route and border, preceded by airstrikes.
Tens of thousands of reservists have received call-up orders, with some reporting for duty from early September. Lt. Col. (res.) Itamar Harel, an Armor Corps officer from the 10th Brigade, told Ynet’s studio he’s received his fifth order since the war began.
“On one hand, we’ll do everything to bring back the hostages. On the other hand, there’s physical and mental wear, the environment is tiring and family and work circles erode. The same state sending us repeatedly isn’t expanding the ranks—neither from the ultra-Orthodox community nor other groups.”
Harel highlighted frustration from unclear and conflicting messages from lawmakers. “If Katz and Zamir argue in the media, it doesn’t help, and again, it’s unclear how this mission ends the story,” he said.
Active-duty brigades, a year after the last major northern Gaza operation 20 months ago, have been directed to prepare for another ground operation, though they’ll maintain scheduled duties in the coming days without immediate drills. However, weekly schedules may adjust as preparations advance. linkAfter 22 months of fighting, major parts of Hamas' infrastructure of tunnels is still functioning. This doesn't mean that the IDF has not been doing a good job. It means that the government under Netanyahu turned 2 blind eyes to what was happening under our noses in Gaza for so long while enabling and encouraging Qatar to continue funding Hamas for so many years to build their infrastructure and weapons arsenals. During these almost 2 years, we have seen just how much our intelligence underestimated what became our worst enemy, Hamas. Netanyahu was entirely focused on Iran and told the army, Shin Bet, Mossad and all the intelligence agencies that Iran must remain the biggest focus. He insisted that no Israeli soldier would ever need to set foot in Gaza again and this insistence was fully adopted by the army, Shin Bet and Mossad. However, there were intelligence officers who saw the writing on the wall yet, their reports were continually and consistently ignored or minimalized, claiming that they were seeing monsters when there were only mosquitos around.
With all the infrastructure still in place or being rebuilt, contrary to Netanyahu, it doesn't have to be and shouldn't be Israel's problem alone. The solution to so much of what is happening in Gaza today should become the problem of a new Palestinian governing body in place of Hamas. It should be upon them to disarm Hamas entirely, destroy the underground infrastructure as part of the peace agreement and prevent military infrastructure and weapon production from going forward at any time in the future.
However, Netanyahu has been the preventer of any such arrangement since the beginning of the war. He foolishly won't allow any body that is associated with the Palestinian Authority with having a role, but that is the only viable body that should be placed there and every single Arab country agrees. Had this been done a year ago or more, the war could have ended so much sooner with all hostages being brought home, fewer soldiers killed and maimed, fewer non combatant Gazans killed and maimed and the end to the humanitarian crisis long before it reached this point of massive malnutrition and starvation.
Netanyahu has messed up every scope of this war in his mismanagement and we have all paid the price and will continue to pay the price for many years.
Hamas is rebuilding its tunnels: These are the challenges for the IDF during Gaza takeover
Intelligence information has revealed that the terrorist group has resumed rebuilding tunnels, even in areas where the IDF has already operated in Gaza City; Military estimates that there are additional extensive infrastructures, some of which were not exposed in the first maneuver Hamas has resumed rebuilding tunnels and other underground infrastructure in Gaza, including in areas where Israeli forces previously operated, according to intelligence obtained by the Israel Defense Forces.
Military officials assess that Gaza City still contains large and strategically important subterranean systems that were not exposed during the first ground maneuver there a year and a half ago, and that underground warfare will pose an even greater challenge if troops reenter the city.
Exposing the shafts and the tunnel route
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
IDF Netzah Yehuda Battalion activity in the northern Gaza Strip destroyed an underground tunnel from which terrorists emerged
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
Against this backdrop, the security cabinet is expected Thursday to approve the next stage of the war, codenamed “Gideon’s Chariots II.” On Sunday, amid nationwide demonstrations calling for the release of hostages, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir announced that the new phase would soon begin, focusing the fighting on Gaza City.
“We will continue striking until Hamas is defeated, with the hostages at the forefront of our minds,” Zamir said. “We will act with a sophisticated, measured and responsible strategy. The IDF will deploy all its capabilities — on land, in the air and at sea — to hit Hamas with force.”
Reservists called up again
The new maneuver is expected to require the mobilization of tens of thousands of reservists under emergency call-up orders, known as Tzav 8. Some reservists reported receiving new call-ups this week.Lt. (res.) Itam Harel, an armored corps officer from Brigade 10 and activist in the El HaDegel protest movement, said Thursday that he had been called up for the fifth time since the war began. “That’s nearly 400 days of reserve duty over four tours,” he told Israel’s Ynet news site. “Yesterday I got the official call-up, and next week we begin the fifth round.”
IDF soldiers operate in Gaza(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
Harel said soldiers feel both committed and weary. “On the one hand, we’ll do whatever it takes to bring back the hostages. On the other hand, there’s physical and mental exhaustion. Families and workplaces are breaking under the strain. The same country that sends us again and again isn’t expanding the draft — not to the ultra-Orthodox, not to other groups,” he said. He added that contradictory political messaging makes the situation worse. “If the defense minister and chief of staff are publicly arguing, that doesn’t help. Even now it isn’t clear how this operation is supposed to end the story.
Another reservist, Hanania Ben Shimon of Brigade 4 and a member of the “Shoulder to Shoulder” movement, said he too received an emergency call-up this week. “It’s exciting to reunite with the company, but we don’t have tanks ready for the mission,” he said.
Ben Shimon said the mission itself remains vague. “In Gideon’s Chariots I, it wasn’t clear what we were doing, and now again they’re not explaining how this will defeat Hamas or bring back the hostages. The motivation is there, but the fatigue is high,” he said. He criticized the political echelon, noting that ministers who oppose universal service are part of the decision-making body authorizing mass call-ups.
Security cabinet approval
Two days after Zamir’s announcement, Defense Minister Israel Katz formally approved the IDF’s plan to seize Gaza City. He said the goals were “to take control of Gaza, create the conditions to end the war while freeing all hostages, dismantle Hamas militarily, drive its leaders into exile, demilitarize the strip, ensure security zones for protecting Israeli communities, and preserve the IDF’s freedom of action.”
“When this operation is complete, Gaza will change its face and will no longer look the way it did in the past,” Katz said.
IDF soldiers operate in Gaza(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
While Israeli officials continue to pursue indirect negotiations with Hamas over a possible hostage deal, regular IDF brigades were instructed over the weekend to prepare for another large-scale ground maneuver — about a year after the previous ground campaign in northern Gaza that launched the wider offensive 20 months ago.
For now, those brigades will continue their scheduled activities rather than entering full training cycles, though commanders warned that weekly timetables may shift as preparations accelerate. Reserve brigades have also been ordered to prepare for activation in September under emergency call-ups.
Focus on Gaza City
Military planners expect the ground push will not begin before next month, and that it will depend on Israel’s efforts to move up to one million civilians out of Gaza City to the south — a step that would require cooperation from the United Nations and faces significant logistical challenges.
The next phase for the IDF will be to translate the chief of staff’s “central concept” into detailed operational plans. Southern Command is preparing maneuvers for at least four divisions, including reserve formations. Those divisions would encircle Gaza City from multiple directions before advancing gradually into neighborhoods with high-rise buildings still standing, particularly in Sabra, Rimal and Sheikh Ajlin.
After that, a formal battle procedure would begin, including in-depth staff discussions, operational timing, contingency planning, logistical preparations, final drills and massing of forces near the border and along the Natzarim corridor. The campaign would open with heavy aerial bombardment before troops move in. link
Gaza city assault is a pressure tactic with devastating results, warn ex-Israeli officials
Israel wants to create a 'pressure cooker' in southern Gaza, security and political sources told The National
What could have begun as a move to strong-arm Hamas could end with the mass expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza as Israel moves ahead to occupy Gaza city, former Israeli intelligence, security and political officials have told The National.
“It could be a tactic of pressuring Hamas, but it could also be the real Netanyahu-Ben Gvir-Smotrich plan of emptying Gaza and settling Israelis in their place,” said former hostage negotiator Gershon Baskin.
Israel on Wednesday intensified attacks on Gaza city, where at least 1 million – or half of Gaza's population, live. The army began by issuing “evacuation orders”, forcibly removing people from their homes and makeshift tents in the enclave, where at least nine out of 10 people have already been displaced.
The Israeli cabinet had approved plans to take over Gaza city, effectively reoccupying all of Gaza 20 years after it had pulled out and dismantled settlements.
At the same time, Israel gave final approval to a project to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank, billed as dashing hopes of Palestinian statehood. The project is also seen as a pressure tactic against western countries moving towards recognising Palestine.
A planning committee signed off on Wednesday on the construction of 3,400 homes in a wedge of land east of Jerusalem known as E1. This will effectively bisect the West Bank by connecting the area to the large nearby settlement of Ma’ale Adumim.
Pressure cooker
Regardless of whether the Gaza city plan started with the intention to frighten Hamas, the results are real and will bring about Palestinians' removal from the strip by moving them to the south-west of Gaza, he said.
The area in the south is already so overcrowded that 40,000 people live in every square kilometre, according to UN figures.
“Israel wants to … create a pressure cooker there and wait for it to explode; and for people to cross the border to Sinai and do the ethnic cleansing of Gaza,” Mr Baskin added.
Israel's advancement towards Gaza city, and the intensification of attacks and killings, comes while a US-brokered deal mediated by Egypt and Qatar is pending Israeli approval after it was greenlit by Hamas.
The group had made concessions on the initial version of the agreement, including relinquishing a demand for written US guarantees that the deal would lead to a permanent ceasefire and Hamas's approval for the posting of a force in Gaza under UN supervision to maintain security.
Collateral damage
Hamas had basically agreed to a version of the deal very similar to one that Israel had already approved. Yet, delays in Israel's response remain.
“Benjamin Netanyahu is not interested in a deal … because he is fully committed to an overarching strategy of annihilation of the two-state solution, first in Gaza then the West Bank,” Eran Etzion, former head of Israel's National Security Council at the Prime Minister's office, told The National.
Mr Etzion believes the Israeli Prime Minister is guided by his personal and political gains through the continuing aggression on Gaza, with no regard paid to the Palestinian death toll, which has passed 62,000, nor the fate of the remaining hostages in Hamas's grip.
“His real view of the hostages is as 'collateral damage', and he sees their political release as a political threat,” Mr Etzion added.
With Mr Netanyahu resistant to rising internal pressure, from the streets, to the hostage families and members of government, the only means to stop him from moving forward will not come from within Israel, the former head of Israel's Security Agency, Ami Ayalon, said.
“The idea to conquer Gaza came as a means of pressure, but now, without external intervention, it seems to me it's becoming a horrible reality. America can stop it, and they have the power to do it.” link
Palestinians struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen in Gaza City, northern Gaza Strip, August 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
A global hunger monitor declares for the first time that famine has struck the densely populated northern Gaza Strip, some 22 months after the outbreak of war in the enclave following the deadly Hamas invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023.
The charge is swiftly denied by Israel, with the Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories accusing the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification system (IPC) of basing its report on “biased and self-interested sources originating from Hamas.”
According to the IPC report, an estimated 514,000 — or nearly a quarter of Gaza’s population — are experiencing famine, and that number is expected to rise to 641,000 by the end of September.
Some 280,000 of those people are in a northern region covering Gaza City — known as Gaza governorate — which the IPC says is in famine, its first such determination in the enclave. The rest are in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis, central and southern areas that the IPC projects will be in famine by the end of next month.
The IPC says hunger has been driven by fighting and the blockade of aid, and magnified by widespread displacement and the collapse of food production in Gaza, pushing hunger to life-threatening levels across the entire territory after 22 months of war.
More than half a million people in Gaza, about a quarter of the population, face catastrophic levels of hunger, and many are at risk of dying from malnutrition-related causes, the IPC report says.
Last month, the IPC said the “worst-case scenario of famine” was unfolding in Gaza, but stopped short of an official determination.
For a region to be classified as in a famine, at least 20 percent of people must be suffering extreme food shortages, with one in three children acutely malnourished and two people out of every 10,000 dying daily from starvation or malnutrition and disease.
Even if a region has not yet been classified as in famine because those thresholds have not been met, the IPC can determine that households there are suffering famine conditions, which it describes as starvation, destitution and death.
COGAT, which coordinates humanitarian affairs in the Gaza Strip, issues a simultaneous counter-report refuting the contents of the IPC report.
“Instead of providing a professional, neutral, and responsible assessment, the report adopts a biased approach riddled with severe methodological flaws, thereby undermining its credibility and the trust the international community can place in it,” fumes COGAT chief Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian.
An infographic released by COGAT on August 22, 2025, alleges to show the average price of basic food supplies in the Gaza Strip. (Israel Defense Forces)
“We expect the international community to act responsibly and not be swept away by false narratives and unfounded propaganda, but rather to examine the complete data and the facts on the ground.”
The defense ministry body charges that IPC’s data-collection methods are unreliable and partially based on assessments made by UNRWA workers in the Gaza Strip — “some of whose employees are Hamas operatives.”
The COGAT report focuses primarily on aid that has entered the Gaza Strip since May 2025, and mentions only in passing the “temporary closure” of crossings in March 2025 that led to the complete cessation of aid deliveries for 11 weeks.
It says that since May, “over 10,000 trucks of aid have entered the Gaza Strip,” while the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has “distributed more than 2.2 million relief packages to civilians in need.”
It blames the UN and other aid organizations for failing to deliver aid across the Strip in a timely manner.
The COGAT report points to recent steps that Israel has taken to ease restrictions on delivering aid following widespread international pressure last month, including the daily “humanitarian pauses” to allow aid to be delivered, and allowing countries to airdrop supplies into the Strip.
While aid groups say that these steps have improved the situation somewhat, it is not enough to make up for the lost weeks when the border crossings were closed.
For the past few weeks, between 200-300 trucks of aid have entered the Gaza Strip daily, but the amount is far short of the 600 trucks of aid that the UN has said must be distributed each day in order to properly feed the enclave’s population. linkThis is another case that I tend not to believe the army's claims. The spokesman's office has a job to protect the IDF and the government that commands them. At no point is there any claim that they are not biased. I have heard from too many sources with direct knowledge of what is happening in Gaza to believe all of the army's defensive claims on this report. There is definitely shortages of food for the refugee population with prices so high that they cannot afford to buy much and the shortages and abnormally high prices promotes malnutrition and starvation as the reports identifies. Yes, the situation currently is better than a few weeks ago. This was due to the conservative right in the US protesting to Trump about the situation here and he then demanding to Netanyahu that he do something to improve the situation immediately. Because the demand was coming from Trump meant that Netanyahu had no need to bring it to a vote in his do nothing cabinet.
The US has asked Israel to reduce “non-urgent” military action in Lebanon, fearing continued IDF strikes are undermining the Lebanese government’s efforts to disarm Hezbollah, Axios reports, citing two sources familiar with the matter.
Israel claims it’s strikes are in response to Hezbollah violations of a November ceasefire. Beirut has pushed back against those claims, saying Israel is violating the ceasefire and its sovereignty.
Appearing to side, at least slightly, with the Lebanese government on the matter, the US has also asked Israel to consider withdrawing from one of the five outposts that the IDF has established inside Lebanon, Axios says Link if the request/demand comes directly from Trump to Netanyahu, we will see a change immediately in the IDFs actions in Lebanon. Netanyahu will never refuse Trump. However, if this is just coming from someone in the administration, even by the Secretary of State, Netanyahu will ‘take it under advisement and most likely will do nothing or a minimal of action to show that he’s doing something and not ignoring their requests
Army soldiers stand next to a pickup carrying weapons handed over by Palestinian factions at the Burj al-Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Palestinian factions have begun handing over some of the weapons held in a refugee camp on the outskirts of Beirut to the Lebanese army, an initial step in implementing a plan officials announced three months earlier for removing arms from the camps.
It is a modest first step. One pickup left the camp loaded with light weapons packed in bags. The butts of machine guns could be seen protruding from some of the sacks.
It remains unclear whether all factions will abide by the decision.
Representatives of Hamas and the allied Palestinian Islamic Jihad did not respond to requests for comment.
A spokesperson for Hamas sent a statement signed by “the Palestinian Factions in Lebanon” that calls the handover of weapons “an internal organizational matter within the Fatah movement” that “has no connection, near or far, to the issue of Palestinian weapons in the camps.”
It adds, “Our weapons have always been and will always be linked to the right of return and the just Palestinian cause and will remain so as long as the occupation remains on Palestinian soil.”
Report: The United States is working to arrange a meeting between the Syrian leader and Netanyahu next month.
The United States is working to organize a meeting between Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and with the participation of US President Donald Trump, during the UN General Assembly in New York next month, Sky News Arabia reports.
The report adds that Syria’s recent appointment of a new representative to the United Nations may indicate that the meeting will take place on the sidelines of the General Assembly.
Illustrative: A view from the Israeli settlement of Har Gilo of Route 60, backdropped by the West Bank village of Beit Jala. (Abir Sultan/Flash 90)
The Israel Defense Forces has been barring Palestinians from using a road in the West Bank that is open to all Israelis, Haaretz reveals.
The policy has been maintained through a series of checkpoints that the IDF has established along Route 367, which runs east-west from within the Green Line to towns in the southern West Bank.
While Israelis are allowed to use the road without issue, Palestinians are turned away.
The only exceptions are residents of the villages of Jab’a and Khallet Sakariya, which are located along Route 367, and Palestinians with permits to work in settlements along the road.
During the weekend, only Jab’a and Khallet Sakariya residents are the only Palestinians allowed onto the road.
The IDF confirms the Haaretz report, saying that it is authorized to impose movement restrictions aimed at ensuring the security of settlers in the region and maintaining public order.
It also insists that it has only been restricting Palestinian access to the road on weekends. linkFor all the deniers, this is a blatant example of the Israeli apartheid towards the Palestinians. It is by far, not the only example but the latest. This isn't South Africa apartheid but it is apartheid. Apartheid is a government system of separation and/or discrimination based on race or nationality. In the West Bank, there is a government directed system of oppression and discrimination of Palestinians under our control. They are under a military government and military justice system that inherently finds against them 99.9% of the time. There is deliberate separation between Palestinians in the West Bank and Israelis in order to create fear of the other which manifests itself into hate. Palestinians do not have any freedom of movement. They are not allowed to enter Israel unless they have a coveted permit and even in the West Bank there are hundreds of military checkpoints that hinder their movements as well as roads they are not permitted to drive on. The army can and does go into any and every village in the West Bank even when there is no provocation. It is to show power and threat. Palestinian lands are stolen by settlers and the government on a wholesale basis. Settler violence against Palestinians has increase exponentially under this government and the minister in charge of the police and this violence is nothing less than terrorism. The settler terrorist are daily attacking Palestinians, stealing their property and livestock, destroying their property and committing arson on homes, cars and factories and have increased their killings of Palestinians. And in all of these cases, there are ministers who encourage them and protect them. These settler terrorists act with impunity and virtual immunity from arrest and prosecution. In the rare cases that there is police or army presence, the settlers are either allowed to continue their terror acts or separated from the Palestinian victims whereas Palestinians are arrested and prosecuted. When presented with these facts, it is incomprehensible that anyone can deny that there is apartheid by Israel against the Palestinians.
Politics and the War and General News
Families of October 7 victims warn of 'red line' for protest against government
Relatives of Hamas massacre victims announce major protest in Tel Aviv on September 7, demanding state commission of inquiry into the government’s failures, warning further delays will prompt massive blowback
Families united under the “October Council,” representing victims of the October 7, 2023, massacre and pushing for a state inquiry into the failures, announced their next protest steps on Thursday.
They urged fellow affected families and the Israeli public to join them in Tel Aviv on Sunday, September 7, to support a state commission of inquiry. “We will stand as one,” they declared. The move follows their ongoing demand for transparency amid government resistance.
Rafi Ben Shitrit, father of fallen Border Police soldier Staff Sgt. Shimon Alroy Ben Shitrit, who died in the battle for Nahal Oz, spoke out. “I stand here for all tired of lies, evasions and the government’s shameful irresponsibility, led by its head. I cry out from the bottom of my heart.
“Our sons and daughters didn’t shy away from their duty—they fought bravely to their last drop. They are our example and moral beacon. Those refusing a state inquiry aren’t just cowards—they’re complicit in dodging the truth. Every minister, Knesset member, senior official, officer or commander stammering excuses is part of betraying public trust.
“But I believe in this nation, which rises again and again. I believe justice will prevail, hope will lead us forward. We’ll fight for truth, transparency and a state where leaders take responsibility, not flee. We’ll establish this commission, uncover the truth and rebuild a nation worthy of its people.”
Yoram Yehudai, whose son Ron was murdered at the Nova Music Festival, cried: “I’m a wounded soul searching for answers for two years—why my handsome, big-hearted, joyful son Ron went to dance and returned in a coffin? How can my wife Sigal and I still lack answers after two years? How did this happen? Who failed? For two years, we’ve been invisible to politicians—they promised a state inquiry, now they block every chance to investigate.”
'October Council' press conference (Photo: October Council)
Sharon Eshel, mother of IDF lookout Roni Eshel, killed in the Nahal Oz base, joined the call. “We’re here to address you, the Israeli public, mothers, fathers. I look you in the eye and say clearly: they’re lying to you, hiding from you, deceiving you. I lost my Roni due to unexamined failures,” she said, displaying a bomb sketch dated October 7, 2025, reminiscent of a prop the prime minister used in the UN more than a decade ago.
“[Benjamin] Netanyahuc, you’ve crossed our red line. In two weeks, we—October Council families and Israelis—will gather to tell you we’ve reached our limit. The whole nation will shout: you’ve crossed our red line. You’re on the brink of an explosion. Don’t test us, bereaved parents. Don’t test us, Israeli citizens. This line won’t be crossed by this government.”
Nirit Baram, mother of Staff Sergeant Neta Baram, also killed at Nahal Oz, added: “On the morning of October 7, hundreds of terrorists armed with vests, loaded weapons, grenades and missiles attacked Nahal Oz. My son and his four soldiers—Daniel, Amir, Shimon and Elroy—had a rifle and five magazines. That’s it. They wore flip-flops because no one prepared them for such an assault. Why? I don’t know—no one has investigated. Why? Because no state inquiry has been formed.”
Retired Lt. Col. Avishay Edri, a Nahal Oz resident who survived the massacre with his wife and children and has served over 600 reserve duty days, urged the government to probe the lead-up to the massacre.
Nahal Oz base memorial (Photo: Tal Shahar)
“As someone who felt this disaster firsthand, it’s my moral duty to stand here and warn: the next disaster looms! Until the failures are probed, lessons learned and justice served, we’re doomed to repeat mistakes. Our enemies never rest across all fronts, plotting to replicate that cursed day’s success, surprise us and strike again.” Lin
Twenty-seven countries, including Britain, France and Germany, have signed onto a statement calling on Israel to allow “immediate independent foreign media access” into the war-torn Gaza Strip
“Journalists and media workers play an essential role in putting the spotlight on the devastating reality of war,” the members of the Media Freedom Coalition say in a joint statement.
The signatories are Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
Now-mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni speaks at the headquarters of the Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSC) in Barcelona on May 28, 2023 after the local and regional elections held in Spain. (Lluis Gene/AFP)
The mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, has been denied entry into Israel over anti-Israel comments he has made in the past, according to Hebrew media reports.
Collboni had been scheduled to arrive in Israel tonight, Ynet reports, but was informed at the last minute that the Population and Immigration Authority had decided to bar him from entering.
Collboni’s visit to the country, had it not been canceled, would have included a stop at Yad Vashem and meetings with the Palestinian Authority, Channel 12 says.
The decision to bar his entry comes some three months after Barcelona’s city council voted to cut institutional ties with the Israeli government and suspend its friendship agreement with Tel Aviv over the war in Gaza. link This is our government. Instead of trying to reverse the tide of sanctions, embargoes and cutting of relations with countries, cities, organizations, universities and more, our government chooses revenge, attacks, barring entry to people and politicians. This government's actions in Gaza and the West Bank are getting worse in many regards, the country is being attacked from every area with no end in site. If we have not already reached pariah nation status, this government seems to be actively looking for ways to bring us to this status in the quickest way possible. When everything looks shitty, the government insists on making it worse. Our actions in Gaza have caused the world's largest current humanitarian crisis with malnutrition and starvation along with massive deaths of non combatants (mostly women, children and elderly), which have brought non-stop condemnations, so what do we do? The government then announces massive building in the West Bank that is internationally illegal, so that we can be condemned for this as well. There is an old expression about the Palestinians that was coined by Abba Eban, that the Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. Unfortunately, we have reached the point to rephrase that expression as such, that a Netanyahu government never misses an opportunity to shoot the entire country in the heart. The damage and destruction that this government has caused to every Israeli and every Jew is monumental. There has never been such universal hatred of Israel and Jews as we are seeing today and it is all thanks to Netanyahu and his failed corrupt government. The damage they have done in so short a period of our history will take decades to repair, with some of it never to be repaired. This prime minister and this government are the most dangerous we have ever had and the danger is to us, the Israelis and the Jews of the world. Netanyahu used to position himself as the savior of the Jewish People (not just the State of Israel, that's how big his ego is), but his legacy is being the most destructive person to the Jewish People in decades.
Personal Stories
Acronyms and Glossary
COGAT - Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories
ICC - International Criminal Court in the Hague
IJC - International Court of Justice in the Hague
IPS - Israel Prison System
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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We’re waiting for you, all of you.
'October Council' press conference (Photo: October Council)Sharon Eshel, mother of IDF lookout Roni Eshel, killed in the Nahal Oz base, joined the call. “We’re here to address you, the Israeli public, mothers, fathers. I look you in the eye and say clearly: they’re lying to you, hiding from you, deceiving you. I lost my Roni due to unexamined failures,” she said, displaying a bomb sketch dated October 7, 2025, reminiscent of a prop the prime minister used in the UN more than a decade ago.“[Benjamin] Netanyahuc, you’ve crossed our red line. In two weeks, we—October Council families and Israelis—will gather to tell you we’ve reached our limit. The whole nation will shout: you’ve crossed our red line. You’re on the brink of an explosion. Don’t test us, bereaved parents. Don’t test us, Israeli citizens. This line won’t be crossed by this government.”Nirit Baram, mother of Staff Sergeant Neta Baram, also killed at Nahal Oz, added: “On the morning of October 7, hundreds of terrorists armed with vests, loaded weapons, grenades and missiles attacked Nahal Oz. My son and his four soldiers—Daniel, Amir, Shimon and Elroy—had a rifle and five magazines. That’s it. They wore flip-flops because no one prepared them for such an assault. Why? I don’t know—no one has investigated. Why? Because no state inquiry has been formed.”Retired Lt. Col. Avishay Edri, a Nahal Oz resident who survived the massacre with his wife and children and has served over 600 reserve duty days, urged the government to probe the lead-up to the massacre.
Nahal Oz base memorial (Photo: Tal Shahar)“As someone who felt this disaster firsthand, it’s my moral duty to stand here and warn: the next disaster looms! Until the failures are probed, lessons learned and justice served, we’re doomed to repeat mistakes. Our enemies never rest across all fronts, plotting to replicate that cursed day’s success, surprise us and strike again.” Lin
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