π️Lonny's War Update- October 720, 2023 - September 25, 2025 π️
π️Day 720 that 48 of our hostages are still in Hamas captivityπ️
Family of hostage Alon Ohel issues still from Hamas propaganda video
The family of Alon Ohel, who is held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, approves the publication of a still from a propaganda video released on Monday.
This evening, at the end of the Rosh Hashanah festival, the family will hold a press conference about the video.
**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!!!”
Red Alerts - Missile, Rocket, Drone (UAV - unmanned aerial vehicles), and Terror Attacks and Death Announcements
*Houthi drone strikes Eilat tourist district, at least 4 wounded - 2 in serious condition
A drone launched from Yemen exploded in Eilat’s tourist district near a popular mall, wounding four people, Israeli officials said; it was the third such attack on the southern resort city in recent weeks, following strikes on a hotel and Ramon Airport
A ballistic missile launched by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen a short while ago failed to reach Israel’s airspace, according to military officials.
The IDF identified the launch, but no sirens sounded in Israel because the missile did not pose a threat.
IDF soldier killed in Hamas sniper attack in Gaza City
Staff Sgt. Chalachew Shimon Demalash, 21, of the Nahal Brigade's 932nd Battalion (Israel Defense Forces)
MAY HIS MEMORY BE A REVOLUTION
An IDF soldier was killed in a Hamas sniper attack in Gaza City yesterday, the military announces.
The slain troop is named as Staff Sgt. Chalachew Shimon Demalash, 21, of the Nahal Brigade’s 932nd Battalion, from Beersheba.
According to an initial IDF probe, the soldier was manning a guard post at an army encampment when he came under sniper fire.
His death brings the IDF’s toll in its new Gaza City offensive to two
Staff Sgt. Chalachew Shimon Demalash, 21, of the Nahal Brigade's 932nd Battalion (Israel Defense Forces)
MAY HIS MEMORY BE A REVOLUTION
Witkoff says US ‘confident’ in Gaza breakthrough in days, 21-point Trump peace plan shown to some leaders
The United States is “hopeful… even confident that in the coming days we’ll be able to announce some sort of breakthrough” on efforts to halt the war in Gaza and free hostages held there by Hamas-led terrorists, US special envoy Steve Witkoff says at a New York conference.
Witkoff says US President Donald Trump’s 21-point peace plan was presented to some leaders on Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly
Israeli officials confident US will not force Jerusalem into unwanted Gaza deal — report
US President Donald Trump will not “force a proposal on Israel it doesn’t believe in,” senior Israeli officials tell Channel 12, regarding efforts to end the war in Gaza Link In contrast to Israeli official statements, thus is precisely what will happen. Trump has already made his deal ‘proposal’ a fair accompli when he presented it to the Arab Nation leaders. It is based in the pre-Qatar attack on Hamas leaders to which Trump told Netanyahu to agree. He will not allow Netanyahu to make him look the fool in front of those same Arab leaders or to let Netanyahu continue to stand in his way to getting the coveted Nobel Peace Prize for which he feels entitled to receive. In all honesty, if he can indeed end the war in Gaza and gets the histages home, let him get the prize.
Protesters at airport rally against Netanyahu ahead of New York trip
Hundreds of protesters are gathered at Ben Gurion Airport’s arrivals hall to demonstrate against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he takes off for the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Protesters rally both against the government and for a deal to bring hostages home, waving Israeli flags and yellow banners. Signs rail against Netanyahu’s nomination of David Zini as head of the Shin Bet security service, amid concerns from activists that he will act as a rubber stamp for the premier.
Several demonstrators wear orange jumpsuits adorned with signs calling for Netanyahu to be jailed, posing alongside other protesters dressed as Gulf sheikhs waving around wads of cash, a reference to allegations of covert dealings between Netanyahu’s office and Qatar.
Hamas tries to shoot down IDF helicopter over Gaza City
IDF detects failed rocket launch at a military helicopter in the skies over Gaza; Footage shows trail of smoke passing near the helicopter, which continued assisting ground troops immediately after; Israeli Air Force strikes more than 170 terror targets in Gaza in the last 24 hours
The Israel Defense Forces said Thursday that a missile was fired at an Israeli combat helicopter over Gaza City. The launch failed to hit its target, there were no injuries, and the helicopter continued its mission assisting ground troops.According to the IDF, the projectile was likely a shoulder-fired surface-to-air missile still in the hands of terror groups. No such weapon has ever successfully hit a manned Israeli aircraft.Arab media outlets published footage of the launch, reporting that “the resistance” had tried to bring down the helicopter. The video shows a smoke trail passing near the helicopter, which immediately released flares.Shortly after the IDF announcement, rocket sirens sounded in Kibbutz Erez, a community near the Gaza border, but the alert was later confirmed as a false alarm.Earlier Thursday, the IDF spokesman said that troops from the Etzioni Brigade Combat Team had been operating in Rafah in southern Gaza in recent weeks. The forces killed dozens of militants and destroyed numerous terror tunnels and other infrastructure. Following the operation in Rafah, the troops immediately moved on to Khan Younis, another Hamas stronghold, where they struck surveillance assets and additional targets, killing more militants.“The Etzioni Brigade Combat Team now controls the southern Khan Younis sector in order to preserve the operational gains of the IDF and deepen control along the Magen Oz corridor,” the IDF said, referring to a strategic route in the southern Gaza Strip. “Southern Command forces will continue operating in Gaza to neutralize terror threats and defend Israeli civilians.”The IDF also reported that the Israeli Air Force had struck more than 170 targets across Gaza in the past 24 hours. “Southern Command forces, directed by Military Intelligence and the Shin Bet security service, continue fighting terror groups across Gaza,” the statement read.The army said Division 162 is engaged in combat deep inside Gaza City, while the 215th Artillery Brigade has destroyed terror sites used to stage ambushes. In parallel, air assets struck 20 additional targets in Gaza City, including terrorists and a weapons storage facility.Soldiers also spotted a terrorist attempting to plant an explosive device for an imminent attack. A drone was directed to the area and eliminated him. Division 36 is continuing operations in Gaza City to clear territory and destroy above- and below-ground terror infrastructure.Trump used UN meet with Muslim leaders to present comprehensive Gaza war-ending plan — Arab diplomats
US President Donald Trump presented his plan for ending the war, the release of the hostages and the rehabilitation of Gaza under non-Hamas rule during a multilateral meeting with the leaders of eight Arab and Muslim countries, two Arab diplomats briefed on the proposal tell The Times of Israel.
Parts of the plan presented by Trump are based on the one crafted by former UK prime minister Tony Blair, which was revealed by The Times of Israel last week.
But while the Blair plan focused on the post-war management of Gaza, the plan presented by Trump also outlined how the war itself would end, envisioning a ceasefire of several weeks during which all of the remaining 48 hostages would be released, one of the Arab diplomats says.
The participating countries were briefed on the US proposal ahead of time and presented a position paper that welcomed Trump’s plan, a source familiar with the matter says.
The paper included four points: welcoming the proposal for a comprehensive end to the war in Gaza; stressing the importance of bringing back the hostages, ending the war and allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza; committing to be part of a peaceful solution for the region, based on Trump’s vision; and calling out continued Israeli strikes on countries in the region, including Qatar.
The position paper also rejected the following: the continued Israeli military operation in Gaza, Israeli occupation of Gaza and establishment of settlements there, forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza and preventing those who leave Gaza from the ability to return, Israeli annexation of the West Bank, and preventative steps that violate the status quo at Jerusalem holy sites. Link the plan that trump presented is the plan from before the attack on Hamas leadership in Qatar. Despite Netanyahu’s claim that he was weighing the proposal, Trump forced Netanyahu to agree. Due to Netanyahu being pushed into the corner, he saw the attack on the Hamas leadership that was to be discussed, this was Netanyahu’s chance to once again scuttle a deal that would have brought all the hostages home abd end the war. As a result of the attack, the renewal of negotiations to end the war was again a big question. It appears that Trump’s deal presentation to the Arab leaders puts the deal back on the table. The position paper included extremely important points that will be summarily rejected by Netanyahu’s messianic partners. The points specify that there will it be any Israeli military occupation, no Israeli settlements, no expulsion of Palestinians and nothing to prevent them from returning and no annexation of the West Bank. All of these position points are against the messianic colonialist goals and agenda of Smotrich and. Ben Gvir’s parties. If Netanyahu agrees to this proposal, in other words, forced to by Trump, his government will definitely fall and new elections will come 3 months later.
Netanyahu will be at the White House next week. The question is whether he will try to once again manipulate Trump to kill the deal or accept it in deference to his BFF Trump. The fact that Trump presented his plan to the Arab leaders before Netanyahu’s arrival means it is extremely unlikely that Trump will allow Netanyahu to change anything.
This New Year has the real potential to bring about the end of the war, bring home all the hostages, and bring early elections, and with it, a change in leadership sending Netanyahu into the opposition. And the icing on the cake will be Netanyahu’s final exit from the public sphere.
IDF footage shows Hamas gunmen opening fire from Shifa Hospital
Hamas gunmen opened fire from a building at Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital compound several days ago, the military says, attaching footage from the incident.
“This use of a civilian structure, especially in an active hospital, constitutes further proof of the cynical and consistent modus operandi of the Hamas terror organization, which turns civilian infrastructure into manned terror headquarters,” the military says.
“In doing so, Hamas knowingly endangers the lives of patients, medical staff and innocent residents in the Strip,” it adds.
The IDF has raided Shifa Hospital twice since the beginning of the war, during which troops killed hundreds of gunmen, including top commanders in Hamas and Islamic Jihad; detained hundreds of terror suspects; uncovered tunnels; and seized numerous weapons.
Despite overwhelming evidence, Hamas has denied operating from Shifa and other health facilities.
Hamas-run ministry says 37 killed by Israeli fire over past day
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says 37 Palestinians were confirmed killed and around 175 were wounded by Israeli fire in the Strip during the previous 24 hours.
Gaza authorities do not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
The IDF has not yet commented on its strikes in Gaza in the past day.
Hamas reports dozens killed by Israeli fire in Gaza; IDF soldier seriously hurt
Army releases footage showing Hamas terrorists opening fire from Shifa Hospital as Israeli forces push deeper into Gaza City, where Zamir urges Palestinians to rebel against Hamas
Gaza’s Hamas-controlled civil defense agency reported that Israeli forces killed dozens of people across the enclave on Wednesday, as the military pressed its offensive in Gaza City, from where hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee.
The Israel Defense Forces, meanwhile, announced that a soldier in the Givati Brigade’s reconnaissance unit was seriously wounded by gunfire during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip. He was taken to a hospital for treatment, and his family has been notified.
Israel has launched a major air and ground offensive on Gaza City in a bid to root out Hamas after nearly two years of conflict sparked by the Palestinian terror group’s October 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel.
Visiting Gaza City on Wednesday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir urged Palestinians to rebel against Hamas to bring about an end to the war.
“Most of Gaza’s population has already left the city, and we are moving them southward for their protection,” Zamir said during the visit alongside Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor and other commanders, according to remarks published by the IDF.
“I address the residents of Gaza: Rebel and separate yourselves from Hamas, it is responsible for your suffering. The war and the suffering will end if Hamas releases the hostages and gives up its weapons,” he said
Zamir also said the IDF was operating in Gaza City “with large forces… to create conditions for the release of the hostages and to defeat Hamas.”
The United Nations estimated at the end of August that around one million people lived in Gaza City and its surroundings, where it said there is a famine, a declaration that Israel has rejected as biased and methodologically flawed.
The IDF said Wednesday that roughly 700,000 people have since fled the city and moved southward, while the civil defense agency in its last update from a week ago put the number at around 450,000.
The rate of Palestinians leaving the area has risen in recent days as the IDF pushes deeper into Gaza City, where it said Wednesday that Nahal Infantry Brigade troops killed a gunman in a close-quarters.
In addition to killing the gunman, the military said Nahal troops located numerous weapons and military equipment, including IDF uniforms and destroyed a compound used by terror operatives, which resulted in a rocket being fired from the site.
Displaced Palestinians set up a tent at the Qatari-built Hamad City residential complex in northwestern Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on September 24, 2025. (Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)Video shows gunfire from Gaza hospital
Thaer Saqr, 39, told AFP on Wednesday he had left the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City the day before to head southwards with his wife, children and sister.
“The tanks on the coastal road… opened fire on us, and my sister was killed,” he claimed.
Saqr said he returned to Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital and “will not leave, even if they kill us all.”
“I appeal to the world: help us. I say to Israel: you want us to evacuate, but how can we when we have no shekels, no transportation, and no place?”
The civil defense agency said that “hundreds of families” had been sleeping on the ground for days after fleeing from northern Gaza, unable to secure temporary shelter.
The IDF on Wednesday revealed that Hamas gunmen opened fire from the Shifa Hospital compound several days ago, sharing footage from the incident.
“This use of a civilian structure, especially in an active hospital, constitutes further proof of the cynical and consistent modus operandi of the Hamas terror organization, which turns civilian infrastructure into manned terror headquarters,” the military says
“In doing so, Hamas knowingly endangers the lives of patients, medical staff and innocent residents in the Strip,” it adds.
The IDF has raided Shifa Hospital twice since the beginning of the war, during which troops killed hundreds of gunmen, including top commanders in Hamas and Islamic Jihad, detained hundreds of terror suspects, uncovered tunnels and seized numerous weapons.
Despite overwhelming evidence, Hamas has denied operating from Shifa and other health facilities.
‘Pitiful sight’
Hama’s civil defense said Israeli forces killed 40 people in attacks across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, including 22 killed by three airstrikes on a warehouse sheltering displaced people near the Firas market in Gaza City.
The agency’s spokesman, Mahmud Bassal, said the dead included six women and nine children.
The IDF said that the strike targeted two Hamas operatives and that its forces tried to reduce harm to civilians in the area.
AFP footage following the attack showed a scene of devastation, with Palestinians combing through large piles of rubble and warped metal as two men carried away a body wrapped in tattered blankets.
Smoke rises from Gaza City following an Israeli airstrike, September 24, 2025. (Fathi Ibrahim/Flash90)In the aftermath, sobbing women knelt over their loved ones, hugging their lifeless bodies wrapped in white shrouds.
At least six bodies were laid out on the ground, including two the size of children.
Mohammed Hajjaj, who lost his relatives, told AFP that “heavy bombing” hit the building while people were asleep.
“We came and found children and women torn apart. It was a pitiful sight.”
‘Death was near’
Israel launched its US-backed ground offensive on Gaza City earlier in September in a bid to seize the urban hub and crush Hamas.
The military has told Palestinians to relocate to a “humanitarian area” in the coastal area of al-Mawasi in the south, where it says aid, medical care and humanitarian infrastructure will be provided. Israel has carried out a number of strikes on the area targeting Hamas amid the war, including killing the terrorist organization’s chief military commander and October 7 mastermind Mohammed Deif last year.
Mahmud al-Dreimly, 44, said he had gone with his family a day earlier to live in a tent in Gaza City’s Al-Rimal neighborhood.
“I saw tanks firing into the air and sometimes at people,” he told AFP, adding: “I felt death was near.”
Dreimly said he saw tanks in the Tel al-Hawa and Al-Sabra neighborhoods, as well as on the outskirts of Al-Rimal.
Smoke billows over Gaza City following an Israeli airstrike, as displaced Palestinians flee northern Gaza through Wadi Gaza, September 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)The launch of the ground assault came as a UN probe accused Israel of committing “genocide” in the Gaza Strip, a claim that Jerusalem has denounced as “distorted and false.”
Since the October 7 terror onslaught, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 65,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has killed over 22,000 combatants in battle as of August and another 1,600 terrorists inside Israel during the October 7 onslaught.
Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools and mosques.
Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 470. The toll includes two police officers and three Defense Ministry civilian contractors. link
Palestinian who hurled bomb at IDF troops shot dead in West Bank
A Palestinian who hurled an explosive device at Israeli soldiers during a raid in the northern West Bank village of Anza this morning was shot dead, the military says.
The IDF says the forces, of the Paratroopers Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, were not hurt by the bomb.
The slain Palestinian is identified by local media as Ahmed Jihad Barahmeh, 19
‘We're scared of Israel’: Al-Sharaa calls for deal with Jerusalem, IDF withdrawal from Syria
In a rare UN appearance, Syrian president urges Israel to strike a security deal to stabilize the region, warning that fragmentation would threaten neighbors
Less than a day before his historic address to the UN General Assembly, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa participated in a conference hosted by the Middle East Institute on the assembly’s sidelines, warning that without a security agreement with Israel, regional instability will persist.Addressing over 250 diplomats, journalists and business leaders, al-Sharaa said, “We’re not the ones causing problems for Israel. We fear Israel. We’re worried, not the other way around.”He accused Israel of stalling negotiations, violating Syrian airspace and encroaching on its territory, expressing opposition to Syria’s division and noting, “Jordan is under pressure, and any talk of splitting Syria will harm Iraq and Turkey.”Al-Sharaa argued that a successful Israel-Syria deal “will pave the way for other agreements to spread peace in the region,” urging Israel to revert to the pre-December 8, 2024, status—when the Assad regime fell.“We’ve said we won’t threaten anyone. Since Damascus’s liberation, a million people have returned, and Captagon exports have dropped 90%. No one benefits from Syria reverting to its old state. We want to maintain equal distance from all,” he added.He framed his New York visit as “a sign of Syria’s return to the international community,” warning that dividing Syria would destabilize neighbors and advocating reconciliation over past errors in As-Suwayda. “Washington can help integrate Kurds into Syrian forces. Neighboring security depends on Syria’s stability. Force alone won’t bring peace to Israel.”Shortly before al-Sharaa’s remarks, U.S. envoy to Syria and Lebanon Thomas Burk said that Syria and Israel are close to signing an agreement. Al-Sharaa’s upcoming speech will mark the first by a Syrian president at the UN General Assembly since 1967.On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met al-Sharaa in New York, discussing “the importance of Israel-Syria relations for broader regional security,” according to the State Department. Their talks covered U.S. priorities in Syria, ongoing counterterrorism efforts, and locating missing Americans.Rubio highlighted, “This is an opportunity for Syria to build a stable, sovereign state following President Trump’s historic early-year sanctions relief for the Syrian people.”At a Concordia University event in New York hours earlier, al-Sharaa noted, “There’s a big difference between Syria and Abraham Accords countries. As a neighbor, we’ve endured over 1,000 Israeli raids, strikes and incursions from the Golan Heights, killing many.“There’s also immense anger over Gaza, which shapes our stance toward Israel. We’ve reached advanced stages in talks. Israel must withdraw from Syrian territory. Security concerns can be addressed through negotiation.” LinkAt UN, Syria’s Sharaa slams Israeli attacks, commits to 1974 disengagement, seeks dialogue
Syria’s President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, in his address to the UN General Assembly, condemns ongoing Israeli strikes in his country, and says Damascus is committed to the 1974 Disengagement of Forces agreement between Israel and Syria.
Sharaa also says Syria stands “with the people of Gaza, its children and women” and calls for an immediate end to the war there.
Channel 12 reports this evening that the US is seeking to arrange a meeting in New York between Sharaa, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump in the coming days.
Sharaa, the first Syrian president to address the Assembly in some six decades, denounces the Assad regime for using “the worst torture against our people, the chemical weapons, and bombardment… It has torn our country apart and brought forth fighters from around the world. The former regime killed around a million innocent people and displaced thousands and millions and demolished 2 million homes.”
He says the Syrian people “had no choice but to organize militarily to oust a criminal regime. It was a military operation,” he says, “that prioritized tolerance and that did not target civilians. It targeted justice without vengeance. We restored our rights and we became victorious.”
Accordingly, he says, “Syria has transformed from an exporter of crisis to an opportunity for peace for Syria and the region.”
He vows “to try to uproot sectarianism and to fight against attempts to divide our country once again.”
He protests that “Israeli strikes and attacks against my country continue,” in contrast to the internationally supportive position for Syria, and says this “threatens new crises and struggles in our region.”
“In the face of this aggression, Syria is committed to dialogue,” he says, “and we are committed to the disengagement of the Forces Agreement of 1974. We call on the international community to stand beside us in the face of these attacks.”
Israel, in December, moved to capture territory in the border buffer zone and said that the 1974 agreement was temporarily void until order had been restored in Syria following the ousting of the Assad regime by Sharaa’s rebel forces.
The Syrian leader calls for the complete lifting of remaining sanctions on the country, and pledges that Damascus is “building institutions and laws that guarantee the rights of all without exception… We are determined to restore Syria’s glory, dignity, and honor.”
Syria, he declares, “is reclaiming its rightful place among the nations of the world.”
He thanks “everyone who stood by the Syrian cause,” and specifies “Turkey, Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and all Arab and Islamic States, the United States of America, and the European Union.”
Concluding, Sharaa says that “the suffering Syria endured we wish upon no one. We are among the people most deeply aware of the horrors of war and destruction. For this reason, we stand firmly with the people of Gaza, its children and women, and all people facing violations and aggression. We call for an immediate end to the war.” Link
Troops find crude rocket near West Bank’s Tulkarem
A crude rocket was found by Israeli troops in the West Bank city of Tulkarem last night, the military says.
The rocket was disarmed by police sappers before being taken for investigation.
According to the IDF, the rocket, which had no motor, was located in an open area, where it had apparently been left for a long time. It is unclear whether the rocket had been fired or not.
The military says it was treating the incident “with severity.”
In recent years, there have been several attempts by Palestinian terror groups to develop and launch crude rockets from the West Bank at Israeli settlements and at Israel, though with little to no success.
Last week, forces arrested a Palestinian terror cell in the Ramallah area of the West Bank that had been building rockets intended to be launched at Israeli targets.
Emek Hefer Council Head: Rocket in Tulkarm - a danger to entire central Israel
- IDF: Terrorist threw explosive device at Paratroopers Reconnaissance Unit forces in Samaria and was eliminated
The IDF spokesperson announced that a terrorist threw an explosive device at Paratroopers Reconnaissance Unit forces during a brigade operation in the village of Anza in Samaria. The forces responded with gunfire and eliminated the terrorist. There are no casualties among our forces
- Politics and the War and General News
A stinging defeat at the UN: Israel sinks to a new diplomatic low
Analysis: Nine more nations recognize Palestinian state at a French-Saudi UN conference, deepening Israel’s diplomatic isolation and forcing Netanyahu to weigh retaliatory moves amid growing global pressure and reliance on Trump’s uncertain support
French-Saudi conference at the UN ended with nine new countries recognizing the Palestinians’ right to statehood, less than two years after Hamas’ deadly October 7 massacre.What unfolded in New York may have been “much ado about nothing,” but it marked a yellow card for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Israel still enjoys backing from U.S. President Donald Trump, yet faces hard choices about how to respond.At the close of the conference, Israel suffered a significant blow. Once seen as a victim of Hamas’ atrocities, Israel now finds itself cornered, with 153 nations recognizing Palestinian independence. Decades of efforts to prevent such recognition have unraveled, creating a new diplomatic reality. In the UN General Assembly this week it was clear: Israel has reached a new low on the world stage.Where once recognition came mainly from Arab and non-aligned states, this time it was liberal democracies—France, the UK, Canada, Australia, Spain and others—that led the charge. These “like-minded” states carry symbolic and moral weight, and Israel now expects that even the few democracies still holding out, such as Finland, Japan and South Korea, will eventually join.Among Israel’s diplomatic setbacks, Saudi Arabia stands out. Once hailed by Israel and Trump as a linchpin for reshaping the Middle East, Riyadh has instead moved to align with Gulf partners in ways that isolate Israel.The attempt to assassinate Hamas’ leadership in Doha has only deepened that perception. Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani lashed out at the UN, condemning Israel’s actions in his capital as “state terrorism” and accusing Netanyahu of opposing peace both now and in the future.France’s alliance with Saudi Arabia in convening the conference strengthened both Paris and Riyadh. For President Emmanuel Macron, the initiative also served as a counterweight to strained ties with Trump over NATO, trade and personal frictions.In the wake of the recognition wave, world powers are warning Israel not to retaliate by annexing parts of the West Bank. Such moves, they caution, would be seen as deliberate provocation and could spark not just condemnations but Security Council action or even the severing of ties.Trump’s support for Israel remains strong. At the UN, he denounced the recognition moves as “rewards for Hamas” and insisted that peace must start with the immediate release of hostages. His backing, however, is not guaranteed. Given his unpredictability and sensitivity to economic interests, Israel cannot afford to gamble all its chips on the Trump administration.Israel’s immediate challenge is ending the Gaza war quickly and decisively, with U.S. support, to reduce the risks of deepening isolation. Prolonged fighting raises the threat of boycotts, protests, legal pursuits abroad and antisemitic incidents worldwide.While the recognition of a Palestinian state by nine more countries has no practical impact on the ground—it changes nothing for ordinary Palestinians in Ramallah, Nablus or Deir al-Balah—the symbolism is damaging for Israel.The sight of Macron and the Palestinian envoy receiving applause in New York was a diplomatic humiliation, magnified by Israel’s failure to present an alternative vision for the region.Netanyahu has delayed his official response until after meeting Trump, underscoring Washington’s decisive role. The episode highlights Israel’s growing dependency on its American patron. In the absence of U.S. approval, annexation is unlikely, despite talk of it from Netanyahu’s coalition.Not all outcomes were negative. Belgium, for instance, tied its recognition to the release of hostages and Hamas’ disarmament. Andorra set similar conditions, while Israel managed to persuade Finland, New Zealand and especially Japan to hold back.Germany, Italy, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Argentina also resisted the recognition push, albeit for reasons ranging from historical caution to political opposition within the EU. Still, France is already planning a second wave of recognitions, hoping to recruit Asian nations like South Korea and Singapore. Israel will need to fight hard diplomatically to blunt the momentum.Possible Israeli responses range from punitive diplomatic measures against France and the Palestinian Authority, to more radical options such as dissolving the PA altogether. The most likely scenario, however, is that Israel will mount a forceful response—both to deter further recognitions and to reassure its domestic audience—even if its actual deterrence on the diplomatic stage has eroded.Netanyahu’s government has also sought to rally opposition leaders abroad. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has spoken with opposition figures in Australia, Canada and the UK, eliciting harsh criticism of their governments’ recognition moves. Some, like Canadian MP Melissa Lantsman, have already launched petitions portraying recognition as a gift to Hamas.For now, Israel remains battered but not broken. The applause for Macron at the UN may not have shifted realities on the ground, but it has underscored Israel’s growing isolation and the urgent need for a coherent diplomatic strategy. LinkCONGRATULATIONS TO THE STATE OF PALESTINE- by Dr. Gershon Baskin - September 21, 2025
I want to congratulate all of the countries that are now recognizing the State of Palestine. It’s about time! Regardless of what Israeli politicians say, you are doing the right thing.
I would like to make some important points:
· You can’t support the two states solution and only recognize one of them.
· Recognizing the actual right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and statehood while also recognizing Israel and the right of the Jewish people to statehood is not a prize for Hamas. Hamas never supported the two states solution and has always fought against the existence of Israel. So, let’s get real and cut the BS - recognition of the State of Palestine is a reward to the people of Israel and the people of Palestine and a declaration of understanding that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must be resolved – and the only resolution of this conflict is the two states solution.
· Those countries which are recognizing the State of Palestine must now also hold the State of Palestine up to the commitments that President Abbas took upon Palestine in his letter to Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – democratic elections to be held by July 2026 open only to political parties that support the two-states solution and making peace with Israel; ending the system of paying terrorists and families of terrorists; education reform to remove hate from the school curricula and actively fighting against incitement.
· Let’s also realize that if 192 member states of the United Nations recognize the State of Palestine, but Israel does not, nothing on the ground changes for Palestinians. In order to end the occupation, which is what must happen, Israel must recognize the right of the Palestinian people to national self-determination and independence. The recognition of the State of Palestine right now is mainly symbolic. The question that the world needs to answer is how to get Israel to recognize the right of the Palestinians to statehood.
· Israeli threats against the recognition of Palestine need to be treated in a reciprocal manner by the countries that Israel takes actions against.
· Israeli annexation of the West Bank or parts of the West Bank or even parts of Gaza must be answered by very severe diplomatic and economic steps by all nations of the world – even the possible end of peace agreements by Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Bahrain and Morocco.
· Palestinian celebrations of their statehood recognition would best be greeted by clear statements that the recognition by the world of the right of Palestinian independence is the first step towards genuine peace between the State of Palestine and the State of Israel. If Palestinians want their state to have real meaning, they must understand that they will never enjoy true freedom if Israel does not enjoy true security.
· Last, we all need to understand that as long as the triangle of current leadership rules (Netanyahu, Abbas and Hamas) there will be no real progress to ending the conflict and making peace based on two states. Both Israelis and Palestinians are currently still living in trauma and it will take time to overcome the trauma – but the very first step that must be taken to move us along is the change of leadership on both sides of the conflict. link
Departing for NYC, PM says he’ll use UNGA speech to denounce world leaders who recognized Palestine
Before boarding his plane to New York, Prime Minister Benjamin tells reporters that he plans to denounce world leaders who recognized a Palestinian state this week during his speech before the UN General Assembly on Friday.
“At the UN General Assembly, I will speak our truth — the truth about the citizens of Israel, the truth about our IDF soldiers and the truth about our country,” Netanyahu says on the Ben Gurion Airport tarmac.
“I will denounce those leaders who, instead of denouncing the murderers, rapists, and child burners, want to give them a state in the heart of the Land of Israel. This will not happen,” the premier asserts.
“In Washington, I will meet for the fourth time with [US] President [Donald] Trump and discuss with him the great opportunities that our victories have brought, and also our need to complete the goals of the war: returning all of our hostages, defeating Hamas and expanding the circle of peace that has opened up following the historic victory in ‘Operation Rising Lion’ (against Iran) and other victories that we have achieved,” Netanyahu continues.
He will meet with Trump in the White House on Monday. Link Of course, Netanyahu will denounce world leaders who took away Netanyahu’s self proclaimed monopoly on the Beit of Palestinian Statehood. For years, he had the cooperation of most of Israel’s many allies not to go against Netanyahu’s veto. The break from Netanyahu has been largely due to his behavior in the war which includes war crimes, mismanagement of the hostage Crisis, continuation of the war for his political survival, and his total disregard for all allies but the US. Netanyahu has been fighting any possibility of the existence of a Palestinian State and includes years of his strengthening Hamas. His actions and non actions for years is greatly responsible for bringing us to October 7. The most important lesson that needs to be understood and internalized is that we cannot continue to occupy and oppress 7 million Palestinians as infinitum, denying their civil and human rights and preventing the physical manifestation of their national aspirations of having a country of their own, and then expect nothing to happen, no explosion, no fight for independence. We, Jews experienced similar oppressions throughout our long history and aspiring for our own country. The Gaza was must be the last war of the conflict and the only way for that to be so, there must be a 2 State a Solution.
- The Region and the World
Danish pension fund drops Israeli assets due to war in Gaza, West Bank settlements
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Danish fund manager AkademikerPension is excluding Israeli state assets, including government-controlled companies, from its investment portfolio, it says, due to the war in Gaza and the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
It is the latest decision by a European fund manager to curtail investments in Israel, following recent divestments by Norway’s $2 trillion sovereign wealth fund.
The 157 billion Danish crowns ($24.77 billion) AkademikerPension, which manages the pensions of Danish teachers and university lecturers, says the conflict was not in accordance with international humanitarian principles.
“This comes as an assessment of the state of Israel’s ability to uphold human rights,” CEO Jens Munch Holst tells Reuters.
The ongoing war in Gaza was sparked when Hamas-led terrorists murdered 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages, on October 7, 2023.
Moroccan PM tells UN Rabat ‘stands in solidarity’ with countries attacked by Israel
Iran rebuilding missile plants hit during war with Israel, satellite images show
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran has begun rebuilding missile-production sites targeted by Israel during its 12-day war in June, satellite images analyzed by The Associated Press show, but a key component is likely still missing — the large mixers needed to produce solid fuel for the weapons.
Reconstituting the missile program is crucial for the Islamic Republic, which believes another round of war with Israel may happen. The missiles are one of Iran’s few military deterrents after the war decimated its air defense systems — something that Tehran long has insisted will never be included in negotiations with the West.
Missile experts tell AP that obtaining the mixers is a goal for Tehran, particularly as it prepares for possible United Nations sanctions to be reimposed on the country later this month. The sanctions would penalize any development of the missile program, among other measures. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is due to address the United Nations General Assembly today.
Known as planetary mixers, the machines feature blades that revolve around a central point, like orbiting planets, and offer better mixing action than other types of equipment. Iran could purchase them from China, where experts and US officials say they’ve purchased missile fuel ingredients and other components in the past.
“If they’re able to reacquire some key things like planetary mixers, then that infrastructure is still there and ready to get rolling again,” says Sam Lair, a research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies who studied Iranian missile sites.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not respond to questions about the country’s efforts to rebuild its missile program.
'More than 13 Israeli strikes against Houthi military sites'
Saudi television network "Al-Arabiya" reported "more than 13 Israeli strikes against Houthi sites in Sanaa." It was further reported that the strikes targeted "Houthi military sites in Al-Sabain Square and in the Bab al-Yemen neighborhood."Personal Stories
Acronyms and Glossary
ICC - International Criminal Court in the Hague
IJC - International Court of Justice in the Hague
MDA - Magen David Adom - Israel Ambulance Corp
PA - Palestinian Authority - President Mahmud Abbas, aka Abu Mazen
PMO- Prime Minister's Office
UAV - Unmanned Aerial vehicle, Drone. Could be used for surveillance and reconnaissance, or be weaponized with missiles or contain explosives for 'suicide' explosion mission
Join my Whatsapp update group https://chat.whatsapp.com/IQ3OtwE6ydxBeBAxWNziB0
Twitter - @LonnyB58 Bluesky - @lonny-b.bsky.social
My blogs in The Times of Israel my blogs
Substack - https://lonnyb.substack.com/
Twitter - @LonnyB58
My blogs in The Times of Israel my blogs
Substack - https://lonnyb.substack.com/
#BringThemHomeNow #TurnTheHorrorIntoHope
Comments
Post a Comment