π️Lonny's War Update- October 690, 2023 - August 26, 2025 π️
π️Day 690 that 50 of our hostages are still in Hamas captivityπ️
- Netanyahu – don’t get the hostages killed- By Dr. Gershon Baskin
August 25, 2025 – 689 days since October 7
When Netanyahu says “now only a full deal” to return all 50 hostages, what is he really talking about? Netanyahu is not referring to a deal with Hamas that will be reached through negotiations. He is finished negotiating. A week ago, Hamas gave their agreement to the same deal with minor changes that was on the table for months. The deal that Israel claimed to accept weeks ago, but then walked away from the table blaming Hamas for adding new conditions, is now on the table waiting for Netanyahu to say yes, but Netanyahu will not say yes (unless Trump tells him to say yes).
Netanyahu is talking about retrieving the hostages only when Hamas is brought down to its knees. The Israeli plan is to force Hamas to raise a white flag and to surrender. Netanyahu’s model is Nazi Germany and Japan at the end of World War II. This will not happen. I have no idea who is advising Netanyahu on this issue, or if Netanyahu listens to anyone who might be advising him. What I am quite sure of is that among the so-called experts on Hamas, none of them have ever actually talked with Hamas leaders, except when they are inside of Israeli prisons. They may read a lot about Hamas, or even read everything that Hamas published on the Telegram accounts – but they have actually never had a real discussion with Hamas leaders about anything. If any of these so-called experts and telling Netanyahu – Hamas will surrender, it is further evidence that they know nothing about Hamas. They may think that Hamas leaders are not rational, that they don’t think logically, that they have no strategy. But they are very wrong – Hamas leaders are rational actors with a clear logic and strategy – the problem is that their logic and rationale are completely different from our logic and rationale, and that makes it difficult to understand them.
Netanyahu’s strategy will fail and the lives of the remaining living hostages are at immediate risk. Hamas will never surrender to Israel. Hamas will never raise a white flag. If Hamas comes to the conclusion that Israel will never make a deal with them, Hamas is fully prepared to execute all of the hostages as well, and to make it impossible to ever find the bodies of those hostages no longer alive.
Hamas is prepared to make an agreement to end the war, to return all of the hostages within 24-48 hours. Hamas is ready to step down from governing Gaza. Hamas is even willing to come to some arrangements where their weapons will be decommissioned. They are willing to do this with a negotiated agreement with Israel that will be guaranteed by the United States and the Arab countries. Without an agreement, they are willing to continue to fight and to continue to try to kill Israeli soldiers. And they are prepared to see many more Gazans killed as well. They actually believe that their strategy is a winning strategy for the Palestinian people. They believe that eventually Israel will be a totally outcasted nation that no other country in the world will want to be associated with. They see this as a longer process but they also see that this is already unfolding before their eyes.
This war must end now. Too much death and destruction has already taken place. link
Lapid: 'Senior mediator representative told me - We don't understand why Israel isn't responding to us'
Opposition leader Yair Lapid said he spoke with a senior representative of one of the mediating countries in the negotiations for the release of hostages, who told him that a deal could be implemented. In an interview with the ynet studio, he said that "the mediators don't understand why Israel hasn't returned to them." According to him, that representative told him that the deal for releasing the hostages could be carried out after Hamas returned a positive response. He added that "Hamas's response contains 98% of what Whitecoft asked for. The deal can be implemented, but we haven't gone back to the mediators." link It's very understandable that the mediating countries don't know why Israel/Netanyahu is not responding. No one understands it. There is only one motivating factor that drives Netanyahu's decisions and that is his political survival. His thoughts have always been to drag out the war as long as possible no matter what the price (hostages' lives, soldiers, Gazans, Israeli economy, etc). He has been fueled by 3 main issues: 1- get as much distance between October 7 and the next elections to give him the most time and best opportunities for his rewritten narrratives to be accepted by his voting base; 2- have enough time for the judicial overthrow to complete its course so that his criminal trials will be cancelled; 3-prevent the existence of a State Commission of Inquiry by saying over and over again that it cannot happen during the war that will be investigated, and then saying that it can't happen during an election period because of the unfair implications it could produce to prejudice the voters. However, many things have changed and he is looking at what he must do to react to those changes. The overwhelming majority of the public wants the war to end and even many of his supporters are recognizing that he is keeping the war going for his own interests. The public knows that the soldiers are worn out and the reservists' lives are falling apart, and these are costing lives on the battlefield as well as the growing numbers of suicides among soldiers who have fought in Gaza and are suffering from trauma. He is running out of support for the continuing war and the hardest thing for him is how Trump is reacting and calling for the war to end. Trump was adamant about ending the war and the pressure on Netanyahu was growing daily until Hamas posted the videos of Rom Braslaski and Evyatar David. The scenes of the emaciated starving hostages infuriated Trump and then made it easy to convince him to let Netanyahu continue the war 'to decimate and destroy Hamas'. Unfortunately, Trump, like most of his predecessors don't understand the Middle East. He thinks, as Netanyahu has tried to paint the picture to him and the Israeli public that all you have to do is kill as many of the terrorists as possible and that's it. To get rid of Hamas, the most important thing is not the military might and additional military pressure, but putting in an alternative Palestinian government that will promise a better future for the Palestinians in Gaza and begin the rebuilding and rehabilitation. Instead, Netanyahu has prevented that from happening and created a chaos where Hamas is still in the position of power and might among the Gazans. Their very existence today is thanks to Netanyahu and instead of doing the right things to end that, he prolongs their existence and hold on Gaza by doing the same things that he has done until now. Not a winning hand. As far as understanding why Israel isn't responding, Netanyahu doesn't know what to do. He has to appease Trump first and foremost so Trump will give him the breathing space to run his timetable of events that will eventually lead to early elections, but at the time that Netanyahu wants. However, appeasing Trump is getting harder and harder. Netanyahu's 180 degree turn to demand a comprehensive deal threw everyone for a loop. The mediators knew that they could never get Hamas to agree to a number of Netanyahu's demands, so they continued to push forward with the Witkoff proposal that Netanyahu approved 2 months ago and finally got Hamas to agree with minor changes only to find Netanyahu refusing to accept it. Hamas has no idea what Netanyahu wants, but that is the biggest mistake they are making at this time. Netanyahu is not their audience to end the war. Trump is their audience. If they can propose a deal that Trump will think is fair and right, he will then force Netanyahu to accept it, end the war and bring home the hostages. Netanyahu will not end the war on his own as it risks his coalition staying together. The only person that Netanyahu cannot say no to is Trump. Hamas needs to internalize this and all negotiations and proposals must be with vision of Trump on the other side of the negotiating table and not Netanyahu. When they will succeed in doing this, ending the war will be a very quick thing.Father of hostage soldier says footage being suppressed to avoid pressure for deal
The father of Nimrod Cohen says the video of his capture set to be published in about 90 minutes is just part of the footage of his son found by the army in Gaza, demanding that all of it be cleared for publication.
“These videos are just part of what we were shown [by the IDF], there’s a cache of videos of Nimrod in Gaza speaking to the camera, and the army is refusing to give it to us,” Yehuda Cohen says in a brief press conference.
He alleges the footage is being suppressed to serve Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s goal of avoiding reaching a deal that frees the hostages and ends the war.
“The army needs to give us everything to fight for Nimrod against the Netanyahu government, which refuses to reach a deal, in order to press Netanyahu and his government to reach an agreement and free all the hostages,” he adds. Link
New pictures show soldier Nimrod Cohen being abducted on October 7
A screen capture from a video showing the capture of hostage Nimrod Cohen on October 7, 2023, approved for release on August 25, 2025.The family of kidnapped soldier Nimrod Cohen approves for publication two pictures showing his capture on October 7, 2023.
The pictures are taken from a video set to be released at 7:55 p.m. apparently recovered by troops in Gaza.
They show Cohen being pulled from a military vehicle by a group of attackers, and being marched on his feet by two armed individuals.
A screen capture from a video showing the capture of hostage Nimrod Cohen on October 7, 2023, approved for release on August 25, 2025.Cohen was the only survivor of four soldiers who were in a tank that was attacked by Hamas terrorists with RPG fire and explosive devices.
Now-infamous footage from the attack showed Palestinians in civilian clothing standing on and around their tank while it was wreathed in smoke and flames, and the soldiers being dragged out by Hamas terrorists.
His family calls for leaders to reach a deal for his release, accusing the government of abandoning him.
Newly released footage shows abduction of soldier Nimrod Cohen
The family of hostage soldier Nimrod Cohen approves for publication a video showing his capture by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023.
The footage was recovered by the IDF during ground operations in Gaza. During the war, the IDF, upon finding footage or other findings of hostages in Gaza, has presented them to their families, who often release them to the public.
The family had previously claimed that the army was withholding publication of the footage and says the IDF is still holding more footage of Cohen.
The video shows Cohen being pulled from a tank by Hamas gunmen and being marched on his feet toward the Strip by armed terrorists. A voice in the clip tells him that he will be returned to Israel.
Cohen was the only survivor of four soldiers who were in a tank that was attacked by Hamas terrorists with RPG fire and explosive devices on the border on October 7.
Previously aired footage from the attack showed Palestinians in civilian clothing standing on and around the tank while it was wreathed in smoke and flames, and the soldiers being dragged out by Hamas terrorists
- Fallen soldier's mother won’t watch video of his abduction with Nimrod Cohen: 'Want to remember his smile'
Merav Daniel said her son Oz fought his captors until the last moment, trying to grab a grenade before being shot; he often vowed he would resist if captured, and she said he sacrificed his life by choice, staying true to his courage and spirit
The mother of an Israeli soldier killed during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack said she has chosen not to watch newly released video showing her son being dragged away during his abduction.Staff Sgt. Oz Daniel fought in a tank that day alongside hostage Nimrod Cohen and Sgt. Shaked Dahan, who was also killed. On Monday Cohen’s family published video footage that showed Daniel being pulled away by terrorists. His mother, Merav, said she could not bring herself to view it.“I prefer to remember Oz as he was. I want to remember his smile, not the moments of horror,” she told Ynet. “I don’t want to remember him through those harsh images.”Daniel served in the 77th Battalion of the 7th Armored Brigade. He was declared killed in action about four months after his abduction, following 141 days in which his fate was unknown. The army’s chief rabbi determined his death based on findings that allowed his family to bury him, even though his body remains in Gaza. He is survived by his parents, Merav and Amir, and his twin sister, Hadar.Merav Daniel (Photo: Yuval Chen) Merav Daniel described her son as gifted, devoted and full of music. “He was perfect in my eyes. Handsome, kind, a boy full of love, joy and gratitude. He excelled at everything. He honored his parents, he respected every person,” she said. During the week of mourning, she said, the family heard countless stories from friends who described him as their best friend. She also spoke of his final moments of resistance. “Oz came out of the tank alive, on his feet. He chose to fight his captors until the very last moment. He tried to grab a grenade from one of the terrorists, and that’s when they shot him and took him into Gaza when he was no longer alive,” she said.Oz Daniel at age 17The mother said her son had often spoken about the risk of being kidnapped, telling her before his military service, “I’ll resist, I won’t let them take me.” She said she realized later he had done exactly that. “He sacrificed his life out of choice,” she said. Despite her grief, she said she wants to focus on her son’s life rather than his death. “Maybe if he hadn’t resisted he would still be alive, but that wouldn’t have been Oz. He really was a true hero. I want to remember his beautiful smile. That’s the Oz I will carry with me forever.”
**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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'Israel Stands Together': Day of protests for hostages release, end to Gaza war begins early Tuesday morning
Events start at 6:29, marking the start of the Hamas massacre on October 7; 'Only the people will bring the hostages home.'
In a slightly different format from last week’s national strike, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum will lead nationwide demonstrations Tuesday, starting early in the morning.“We are in the midst of a deliberate operation to thwart an agreement for the return of the hostages — a loss of direction that will have no atonement,” the forum said, announcing that the national day of solidarity,” titled “Israel Stands Together,” will open with a statement from hostage families.2 View gallery
Crowds are expected at Hostages Square just like last week(Photo: Dana Koppel)Families of the hostages called on the public to join them at protest sites across the country and at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv. “Stand by our side, stand by the soldiers and reservists, by the bereaved families,” they urged. “This is the time to end the war. This is the time of the hostages. Only the people will bring the hostages home.”Events will begin at 6:29 a.m. — the time marking the start of the Oct. 7 massacre — when giant flags will be unfurled outside the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv. From 7 a.m. for about three hours, protests will be held at junctions nationwide. At 7:10 a.m., hostage families will hold a press conference.At 10 a.m., organizers will stage a “Mothers and Strollers” demonstration. From 3 to 6 p.m., “giant convoys” will move through the country. At 4 p.m., an exhibition of drawings by captivity survivors will open at Hostages Square. At 5 p.m., the public will take part in a symbolic event, “Placing notes in the Cabinet,” also at Hostages Square, while additional protests will take place across Israel.At 6:30 p.m., participants will gather at Tel Aviv’s Savidor Central train station for a mass march led by hostage families, heading to Hostages Square. The day will conclude at 8 p.m. with a mass rally at the square.Meanwhile, Israeli officials met Monday with a working-level Egyptian delegation in Israel. The two sides discussed coordinating the start of negotiations for a hostage release deal. The security cabinet is expected to convene Tuesday.Earlier Monday, the forum issued a statement against the backdrop of remarks by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, who told political leaders that conditions for a deal have been achieved and warned that a ground operation to capture Gaza City could endanger the hostages.“Do not give up on the hostages,” the forum urged. “Israel stands in convoys, rallies and actions for the hostages.” Unlike last week, the forum emphasized, Tuesday’s events will not include strikes but will instead showcase broad public support for a deal.The families warned of another possible obstruction of a hostage deal. “The return of more hostages is now at risk of being thwarted,” they said. “That is why we call on the people of Israel to join a massive civilian solidarity day — ‘Israel Stands Together’ — for the hostages, for the soldiers worn down under the burden, and for the tens of thousands of evacuees waiting to return home safely.”
Traffic will be stopped on highways across the country(Photo: Amir Cohen/Reuters)Following last week’s Day of Pause, which concluded with a massive rally at Hostages Square drawing tens of thousands of protesters, the forum said: “The people of Israel are proving that their values are saving lives and bringing back their loved ones before all else — the living to rehabilitation and the fallen to a worthy burial in their homeland.”The forum had announced another day of protest for Sunday but later canceled it after reports of progress in negotiations. Over the weekend, however, it decided to move ahead with a large-scale protest Tuesday.The High-Tech Forum, representing dozens of technology companies and venture capital funds, announced Monday it would back the hostages’ families and allow employees to leave work early to participate. Organizers said the move follows last week’s broad turnout, when hundreds of thousands of Israelis demonstrated.“The people of Israel showed the world they want everyone home,” the forum said. “There is a deal on the table, and Israel refuses to enter negotiations that could bring everyone back. We cannot give up. ‘Do not stand idly by your neighbor’s blood’ is not a slogan but a supreme value. Now the government must prove it is not abandoning its sons and daughters to die in the tunnels.”Among the companies joining are Meta, Wix, Monday.com, Fiverr, Playtika, Fireblocks, Unity, Papaya Global, Tyto Care, Forter, Natural Intelligence, RiseUp, Reason, ZIG and others. Participating venture funds include Qumra, Disruptive, NFX, Sky, TriVentures, F2 Venture Capital and more. LinkProtesters read names of hostages, blare horns outside homes of ministers
Protesters pitch up outside the homes of several government ministers as they demand a deal to release the hostages and end the fighting in Gaza.
In Ness Ziona, people read out the names of the hostages outside the home of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, and dozens more hold banners and signs outside Education Minister Yoav Kisch’s home in Hod Hasharon.
Shai Dickmann, the cousin of slain hostage Carmel Gat, speaks to protesters through a megaphone outside the Jerusalem home of Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.
“Save them!” she yells, as protesters respond in kind and blare foghorns.
Elsewhere in the city, demonstrators block the crosswalk outside the home of Economy Minister Nir Barkat with long strings of hostage posters.
- Netanyahu – don’t get the hostages killed- by Dr. Gershon Baskin
August 25, 2025 – 689 days since October 7
When Netanyahu says “now only a full deal” to return all 50 hostages, what is he really talking about? Netanyahu is not referring to a deal with Hamas that will be reached through negotiations. He is finished negotiating. A week ago, Hamas gave their agreement to the same deal with minor changes that was on the table for months. The deal that Israel claimed to accept weeks ago, but then walked away from the table blaming Hamas for adding new conditions, is now on the table waiting for Netanyahu to say yes, but Netanyahu will not say yes (unless Trump tells him to say yes).
Netanyahu is talking about retrieving the hostages only when Hamas is brought down to its knees. The Israeli plan is to force Hamas to raise a white flag and to surrender. Netanyahu’s model is Nazi Germany and Japan at the end of World War II. This will not happen. I have no idea who is advising Netanyahu on this issue, or if Netanyahu listens to anyone who might be advising him. What I am quite sure of is that among the so-called experts on Hamas, none of them have ever actually talked with Hamas leaders, except when they are inside of Israeli prisons. They may read a lot about Hamas, or even read everything that Hamas published on the Telegram accounts – but they have actually never had a real discussion with Hamas leaders about anything. If any of these so-called experts and telling Netanyahu – Hamas will surrender, it is further evidence that they know nothing about Hamas. They may think that Hamas leaders are not rational, that they don’t think logically, that they have no strategy. But they are very wrong – Hamas leaders are rational actors with a clear logic and strategy – the problem is that their logic and rationale are completely different from our logic and rationale, and that makes it difficult to understand them.
Netanyahu’s strategy will fail and the lives of the remaining living hostages are at immediate risk. Hamas will never surrender to Israel. Hamas will never raise a white flag. If Hamas comes to the conclusion that Israel will never make a deal with them, Hamas is fully prepared to execute all of the hostages as well, and to make it impossible to ever find the bodies of those hostages no longer alive.
Hamas is prepared to make an agreement to end the war, to return all of the hostages within 24-48 hours. Hamas is ready to step down from governing Gaza. Hamas is even willing to come to some arrangements where their weapons will be decommissioned. They are willing to do this with a negotiated agreement with Israel that will be guaranteed by the United States and the Arab countries. Without an agreement, they are willing to continue to fight and to continue to try to kill Israeli soldiers. And they are prepared to see many more Gazans killed as well. They actually believe that their strategy is a winning strategy for the Palestinian people. They believe that eventually Israel will be a totally outcasted nation that no other country in the world will want to be associated with. They see this as a longer process but they also see that this is already unfolding before their eyes.
This war must end now. Too much death and destruction has already taken place. link
After strikes on hospital, IDF denies targeting civilians, says war zone ‘extremely complex’
IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, in an English-language video statement, says the IDF does not “intentionally target civilians” in the Gaza Strip, but troops are fighting in “impossible conditions,” after tank shelling today killed 20 Palestinians, including five journalists, at a hospital in Khan Younis, according to Hamas-controlled health authorities in the Strip.
“Earlier today, IDF troops carried out a strike in the area of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. We are aware of reports that harm was caused to civilians, including journalists,” he says. “I would like to be clear from the start: The IDF does not intentionally target civilians. The IDF makes every effort to mitigate harm to civilians, while ensuring the safety of our troops.”
“We are operating in an extremely complex reality. Hamas terrorists deliberately use civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, as shields. They have even operated from the Nasser Hospital itself,” Defrin continues.
“Hamas began this war, created impossible fighting conditions, and is preventing its end by still holding 50 hostages,” he adds.
“Having said that, as a professional military, committed to international law, we are obligated to investigate our operations thoroughly and professionally. The chief of the general staff has instructed that an inquiry be conducted immediately to understand the circumstances of what happened and how it happened,” Defrin says.
Addressing the deaths of several journalists, he notes that “reporting from an active war zone carries immense risk, especially in a war with a terrorist organization such as Hamas, who cynically hides behind the civilian population.”
Defrin says that “as always, we will present our findings as transparently as possible.”
“We regret any harm to uninvolved individuals and are committed to continue fighting Hamas, while taking all the necessary precautions,” he adds. Link all the denials in the world do nothing about the fact that the tank was given permission to shoot directly at the hospital. If there was a suspicion of a camera tracking then, there were multiple options to make a direct hit on the camera with a drone, a sniper or other means. A tank shelling was the equivalent of using a bulldozer to take out a mosquito nest.
It is well known by the army that there are many reporters who base themselves at the army. I don’t think it would be too far from possible that the fact that there were Arab reporters may have made the decision easy by whichever officer gave the order to shell the hospital. Many see the reporters as enemies because they are broadcasting many things that the army is preventing us in Israel from seeing due to the degree of destruction and the war crimes being perpetrated daily.
I am so sick and tired of hearing excuses and rationalization of the IDF and the government of all the care that is taken to minimize the deaths and maiming of non combatants. It’s all bullshit. We have killed around 40,000 women, children and elderly and add to that number on a daily basis. Where is the morality of the ‘most moral army in the world’.
Trump, learning of Gaza hospital strike, says he is ‘not happy’
US President Donald Trump says he’s “not happy” about the Israeli strike on a Gaza hospital that reportedly killed 20 people, including rescue workers trying to evacuate the wounded and five journalists.
Asked for his reaction to the strike by a reporter in the Oval Office, Trump says he didn’t know about it.
Pressed to provide a response anyway, Trump says, “I’m not happy about it. I don’t want to see it.”
“At the same time, we have to end that whole nightmare,” he adds.
He then reiterates his assertion that he is the one responsible for deals securing earlier hostage releases.
He also repeats his claim that there are likely fewer than 20 hostages still alive. Israel tepidly pushed back against the claim last week, saying its intelligence still suggests that as many as 20 are alive.
“I said a long time ago, I’m going to get them out, but when we get down to that final 10 or 20, these people aren’t going to release them,” Trump says of the Hamas terror group.
On several occasions in June and July, Trump emphatically declared that a ceasefire and hostage release deal was around a week away.
Only in late July after talks hit a snag did he change track and begin claiming that he knew all along that a deal to free the remaining hostages would not be possible and that Israel should go ahead and “finish the job” against Hamas — something it has not be able to do over 22 months of fighting.
Soldiers said to have shelled hospital after fearing camera being used to track them
Military officials tell Hebrew-language media outlets that an Israeli army tank team shelled a camera stationed at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis earlier today after believing the device was being used to track troops.
Two shells were fired by the tank, with the first targeting the camera and the second hitting rescuers who were operating at the scene. The strike killed 20, including five journalists, according to media reports and Hamas health officials.
According to the Foreign Press Association, the strikes “hit the exterior staircase of the hospital where journalists frequently stationed themselves with their cameras.”
Reuters says its journalist, Hussam al-Masri, had been operating a live video feed from the hospital, which suddenly shut down at the moment of the initial strike.
Reuters and other news providers often deliver live video feeds to media outlets worldwide during major news events to show the scene from the ground in real time. Reuters had frequently broadcast a feed from Nasser hospital during the Gaza conflict, and for the past several weeks had been delivering daily feeds from the Nasser hospital position that was hit.
A review of Masri’s live feed from before the strike did not appear to show any soldiers.
The IDF has not confirmed the details of the Hebrew media reports, but says it has launched an investigation into the deadly incident, which is set to include the question of who approved the strike.
Previously, the military has said that striking sensitive sites in Gaza, such as hospitals, requires the approval of senior officers, including the chief of the Southern Command and the IDF chief of staff.
UK, Spain foreign ministers lead condemnation of hospital strikes
British Foreign Minister David Lammy says he is “horrified” by Israel’s strikes on a Gaza hospital this morning, after officials in the Strip’s Hamas-controlled administration reported 20 people killed, including five journalists.
“Horrified by Israel’s attack on Nasser hospital. Civilians, healthcare workers and journalists must be protected. We need an immediate ceasefire,” writes Lammy on X.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares also condemns Israel’s strikes on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
“The Israeli attack today against a hospital in Gaza and against journalists, the deaths it has caused, the induced famine, all of these are extremely serious violations of international humanitarian law,” Albares writes in a Spanish-language post on X, referencing allegations of widespread starvation in Gaza.
“The war in Gaza must end now. Spain works every day for that,” adds the minister.
In June, Albares asked the European Union Council to approve an immediate suspension of the pact that governs the bloc’s ties with Israel over what he called human rights violations in Gaza, and said he would also seek approval for an embargo on weapons sold to Israel and sanctions on individuals working against the two-state solution
Someone should have thought twice before bombing hospital in Khan Younis
Opinion: Instead of toppling Hamas rule, what is collapsing is the legitimacy of the war as a defensive action launched in response to the war crimes of a vile terror organization; And no, 'public diplomacy' won’t help
From the very first statement by the IDF on Sunday, it was clear that what happened in Khan Younis was out of the ordinary — even by the grim standards of a war that has dragged on in Gaza for nearly two years, leaving behind staggering destruction and loss of life.If the army’s spokesperson unit — usually adept at framing every operation with polished language — cannot officially explain what justified bombing a hospital and killing civilians, and instead offers only anonymous security officials claiming “a threat was identified from within,” then perhaps more thought should have gone into the decision before the button was pressed.This is no longer a matter of public diplomacy, Israel’s fixation on public diplomacy, and the so-called “battle for consciousness.” Nor is it only about the journalists — those allowed into the combat zones, since international media is barred from reporting inside Gaza — who were caught in the strike. They are no less innocent than the four rescue workers who were killed. The army has stressed it does not target journalists “as such,” but rescue crews are undeniably noncombatants.Meanwhile, in Israel, public debate is increasingly focused on the fate of the remaining hostages — around 50 in total, of whom some 20 are believed to still be alive. For many, their return outweighs the continuation of the war. Incidents like Khan Younis underscore how endless fighting has become a bottomless pit, one that even the army struggles to rationalize. Instead of dismantling Hamas rule, what is collapsing is the legitimacy of the war itself — not only internationally but morally, in human terms, as a defensive response to the atrocities of Oct. 7.Two years in, Israel finds itself returning again and again to areas where “decisive victories” were supposedly achieved, leaving behind devastation on a biblical scale. Officials continue to claim there is “no choice,” but that refrain convinces fewer and fewer people — even those who once supported reshaping the reality that allowed Oct. 7 to happen, but not at the price of moral disintegration and dubious military gains.Whether The Guardian publishes outraged editorials or social media fills with horrifying footage, the issue is not primarily international reaction. Events like the Khan Younis strike, as well as the worsening hunger in Gaza, are first and foremost an Israeli nightmare — and, one could argue, a Jewish one. They should have long since prompted a mass demand to end the war, especially given that the army chief himself has said there is “an opportunity to bring back hostages,” while the prime minister has refused partial deals, even those he once demanded, to avoid agreeing to a broader cease-fire.Instead, the state — with hundreds of thousands of reservists called up again and again, and families increasingly broken under the strain — continues to barrel toward the full occupation of Gaza. If that happens, scenes like those from Khan Younis will almost certainly multiply, on steroids. And yet, in the end, the fallback will remain the same: blaming the problem on “bad PR.” LinkClergy and nuns refuse to evacuate Gaza City church compound ahead of major IDF offensive
Clergy and nuns from the Greek Orthodox and Catholic churches in Gaza City have decided that they will not evacuate ahead of the IDF’s upcoming offensive to capture the city, and will instead remain within the church compounds to provide care for those unable to flee.
In a joint statement, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem explain that the Greek Orthodox compound of Saint Porphyrius and the Holy Family Church compound “have been a refuge for hundreds of civilians” since the outbreak of war in October 2023, among them “elderly people, women, and children,” as well as disabled Gazans.
“Like other residents of Gaza City, the refugees living in the facilities will have to decide according to their conscience what they will do,” they say.
“Among those who have sought shelter within the walls of the compounds, many are weakened and malnourished due to the hardships of the last months. Leaving Gaza City and trying to flee to the south would be nothing less than a death sentence.”
The patriarchates say that “for this reason, the clergy and nuns have decided to remain and continue to care for all those who will be in the compounds. ”
“We do not know exactly what will happen on the ground, not only for our community, but for the entire population,” they acknowledge. “We can only repeat what we have already said: There can be no future based on captivity, displacement of Palestinians or revenge.”
“This is not the right way,” they say, calling for both an end to the “senseless and destructive war” and for the return of the hostages being held by Gazan terror groups.
“ It is now time for the healing of the long-suffering families on all sides.”
In July, three people were killed and several were injured in an IDF strike on the Holy Family Church compound. The military later said that a misfired munition was to blame.
In the aftermath of the strike, which prompted widespread international outrage, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Orthodox Patriarch Theophilus III entered the Gaza Strip to survey the damage and meet with members of the enclave’s Christian minority. link This is a good thing. After the fiasco yesterday of a tank shelling the hospital (one of too many fiascos to count), there are more and more signs of non combatants in Gaza City who are refusing to evacuate, knowing that they may be killed in their homes. Gaza City has about 1 million people and it is imperative that there be a major evacuation of most of that 1 million in order for the IDF to launch the planned major offensive which will injust massive aerial bombings. Without a major evacuation, the government will have to change their plans radically. Not that so many in the government really care whether a million Gazans are killed or not, some would greatly appreciate and encourage such a plan. Most of the world has already condemned so many of our actions in Gaza especially with the hospital attack yesterday; does this government care even a little about these and more condemnations? By all accounts, probably not. The only opinion that Netanyahu cares about is from Trump. He is desperately afraid of Trump getting so pissed that he tells him in no uncertain terms to 'end this fucking war.' Trump is already pissed by the hospital attack which he only learned about from the press. If Netanyahu goes through with the Gaza City offensive with so much of the population in place and at extremely high risk of being killed, Trump will likely tell Netanyahu to scrub the whole idea, as he did with the last attack on Iran following the ceasefire. Netanyahu will then try to appease Trump and tell him that he will limit the offensive. What that would look like is anyone's guess.
Obviously, Gazans in Gaza City staying in place plays into the hands of Hamas and can even cause a stiffening of their position in the negotiations, so it is imperative to reach an agreement immediately before any of this becomes a reality. That would be the smart and effective strategy, but Netanyahu never has a strategy, except where it comes to his political position and survival. There hasn't been a single strategic plan in the entire war and it is very doubtful that anything will change this. For a smart man, Netanyahu has been doing the exact opposite throughout the war. He has knowingly endangered the hostages, knowingly sent soldiers to die and be maimed, knowingly has been responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of non combatant Gazans, yet none of this has impacted any of his decisions. The only thing that impacts his decisions is what will be best for his political survival and he has convinced Trump to go along with his decisions. Our hope is that Trump will be fed up enough with Netanyahu's decisions that he will stop him and force him to end the war post haste.Egypt said bolstering troops along Gaza border, fearing Palestinians will try to flee expanded IDF op
Egypt is bolstering its forces along its shared border with Gaza ahead of the IDF’s planned offensive to capture Gaza City due to concerns that the mass evacuation of Palestinians from the north of the Gaza Strip to the south will lead to chaos along the border, according to Arabic and Hebrew media reports.
Close to a million civilians, or almost half of the Strip’s population, have been residing in Gaza City, many of whom have started evacuating southward in anticipation of Israel’s offensive, although no official evacuation warnings have been issued yet.
Egyptian officials are concerned that this mass evacuation of Gaza City’s residents could lead to Palestinians fleeing over the border to Egypt, reports say.
As such, Arabic-language media say some 40,000 Egyptian soldiers are now deployed in the northern Sinai area, ready to man the 12-kilometer (7.5-mile) border that separates it from the Gaza Strip.
An unnamed Egyptian official tells the London-based Qatari outlet Al-Araby Al Jadeed that Cairo views the possible outpouring of Gazans into Egypt as a potential national security threat, which would create a humanitarian and security crisis in the Sinai region.
Egyptian sources tell the news outlet that the mass deployment also serves to send a message to Israel that it rejects any attempts to forcibly displace Palestinians into other countries, including Egypt.
In response to a query from the Kan public broadcaster, the IDF tells the outlet that “any introduction of military capabilities into Sinai is carried out in coordination with the IDF and the political echelon.”
Damascus says Israeli military incursions near border a ‘dangerous escalation’
Syria says it “strongly condemns” what it says was an Israeli military incursion into an area in the country’s south, calling it a “dangerous escalation.”
According to Damascus, dozens of soldiers and over 10 military vehicles were involved in a raid in the area of Beit Jinn, which sits near the border with the Golan Heights.
It also condemns Israel’s “control” of an area in the Mount Hermon foothills, saying it is a “blatant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic.”
The IDF has been deployed to nine posts inside southern Syria since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024, mostly within a UN-patrolled buffer zone on the border between the countries.
Troops have been operating in areas up to around 15 kilometers deep into Syria, including Beit Jinn, aiming to capture weapons that Israel says could pose a threat to the country if they fall into the hands of “hostile forces.”
There is no information from the Israeli military on any specific military raids today.
The statement comes hours after Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa reportedly confirmed that his government was in “advanced” talks with Israel on a security agreement which would seek to clinch an Israeli retreat back to the 1974 disengagement lines that previously formed the de facto border between the countries.
Gaza and the South
Video footage appears to shows IDF troops operating in Ramallah; no comment from military
Videos circulating on social media, allegedly taken earlier today, show Israeli forces operating in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
One clip appears to depict soldiers raiding a local currency exchange office, while others show military vehicles and troops moving through the city streets.
While the IDF has maintained a strong presence throughout the West Bank since the outbreak of the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza, it is uncommon for the military to operate inside Ramallah, the administrative center of the Palestinian Authority.
The IDF has not yet commented on the reports. video
State Comptroller’s office says undeterred by IDF’s ‘inappropriate’ attempt to prevent Oct. 7 probe
The office of State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman lashed out at the Military Advocate General’s office for seeking to stop his investigation into the failure to prevent Hamas’s October 7, 2023 invasion and atrocities, and says he will continue to advance his audit of the events surrounding the catastrophe.
The Military Advocate General’s office filed an “urgent update” of its petition to the High Court earlier on Monday, objecting to Englman’s probe into the “core issues” of the October 7 failures and saying that investigation of those issues must be reserved for a commission of inquiry.
The State Comptroller’s office calls the military’s update “half-truths,” and says that Englman had stated from the beginning of his probe into the October 7 disaster that he would investigate the core issues which led to the failure to prevent the Hamas assault and atrocities which he labels “the most severe failure in the history of the country.”
The State Comptroller’s office also insists that Englman has always stated he would be examining all relevant parties, be they political, military or civilian.
And Englman’s office maintains that his review of the IDF’s actions is in accordance with an agreement with the IDF, sanctioned by the High Court earlier this year.
“There is nothing new in the announcement issued by the State Comptroller last week, and there is nothing new under the sun in the attempts of the Military Advocate General’s Office to stymie the audit while trying to undermine a ‘gatekeeper’ operating under the Basic Law: the State Comptroller,” says Englman’s office.
“It is inappropriate and it is very severe that those in uniform should get brief and attack gatekeepers, as the Military Advocate General’s office is doing at the moment.
“None of this will deter the State Comptroller from carrying out his duty and providing the citizens of Israel with the answers they have been expecting for some two years.” link The State Comptroller is not the one to be running the October 7 investigations. This is a State office where the Comptroller is appointed by the Prime Minister. Although the Comptroller's office is supposed to be non-partisan and semi independent, the minute that the position is a politically appointed position makes it less than independent. There is only one body that could and should be running the October 7 investigation and that is an Independent State Commission of Inquiry, as the State of Israel has had many times in the past to investigate extreme events such as the Yom Kippur War, the over 40 deaths due to negligence at the Lag B'Omer events on Mount Meron. The Commission is always appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and there has never been political resistance to this in the past. On the contrary, there have been so many times that Netanyahu himself has called for this type of commission of inquiry when he was in the opposition and called for it to be held against the actions of the serving prime minister. However, now the shoe is on the other foot and Netanyahu and his cronies have done everything they can to prevent this independent commission: discrediting the Chief Justice by calling him political and unworthy to appoint the commission; attempting to pass a law in the Knesset to prevent this commission from coming into existence; calling for a Knesset Commission that is appointed by the Knesset (i.e. the government), parameters and limitations of investigations (they want that only the security organizations are investigated and no one in the political echelon, i.e. the Prime Minister); not endowing the Knesset commission with any powers to indict or recommend charges or any punishment that will prevent the prime minister from continuing in his political capacity; and the list goes on. They only want a commission that will serve their political interests and will have no implications on them. This will not happen. The people will not allow this to happen. Only an Independent Commission will be formed, sooner than later, hopefully, and that will rend the comptroller's investigation moot.
- IDF fears ministers will push for military government in Gaza as difficulties of upcoming offensive become clear
Analysis: Hospital incident in Khan Younis illustrates the difficulty to be expected in urban warfare in Gaza City, which is fully populated; In both cities there is a complete mix of civilian infrastructure and combat sites making it very easy to misidentify targets
Israel’s security cabinet is set to meet Tuesday for a final vote on plans to take over and evacuate Gaza City, against the backdrop of two major developments.The first is a matter of principle: Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has argued in preliminary discussions that Israel should accept a partial deal, the one Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supported until recently, in order to save 10 hostages’ lives and then return to fighting. Most cabinet members oppose this proposal, and those ministers are expected to clash with Zamir again. Heated exchanges are anticipated, as Zamir insists this is the correct course of action at this stage.Netanyahu, for his part, continues pressing for a broad military operation until a comprehensive deal is achieved. The Israel Defense Forces has drawn up a sweeping plan that would begin with evacuating Gaza City’s population to humanitarian zones — which have yet to be established — followed by an extensive assault, with humanitarian aid allowed in under international pressure, in order to push civilians southward.Meanwhile, Hamas has launched an aggressive campaign urging residents to remain in their homes, as much of the Gaza Strip lies in ruins after Operation Gideon’s Chariots. Netanyahu wants to accelerate the timetable — also under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump — but the operation could take many months due to the scale of the evacuation. The sharp divide between the military and the political leadership is not only over timing and the evacuation but also the “day after” question of who will rule Gaza. Senior IDF officials fear the cabinet is steering toward a scenario in which the army effectively governs Gaza — a military administration. The military strongly opposes this due to its far-reaching implications: manpower commitments under constant risk, endless friction with the population, and legal and international responsibility. Military leaders say the political echelon should have already developed alternative political frameworks.The hospital incident Monday in Khan Younis illustrated the challenge of expected urban warfare in Gaza City, which remains densely populated. In Khan Younis — as in Gaza — civilian infrastructure such as hospitals, mosques and residential buildings is interwoven with combat sites. Even with precise intelligence, the chance of misidentification or hitting a civilian structure is high. Hamas fighters fire from nearby buildings, exploit underground tunnels, and appear and disappear within seconds. The pressure to respond quickly — for example, with tank fire — increases the risk of civilian casualties.If a pinpoint operation — which included an errant strike that hit a hospital — was so difficult, officials say, it underscores how daunting a sustained presence in Gaza City would be. Such an effort would require total fire control, continuous intelligence, and massive forces — and even then, militants will continue to hide among civilians. link
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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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