🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 731, 2023

🎗️Day 731 that 48 of our hostages are still in Hamas captivity🎗️

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

*6:35pm-Eilat- Houthis drone intrusion-successfully intercepted over Eilat- no reports of injuries or damage
2 YEARS OF OCTOBER 7

Tomorrow is 2 years since October 7 but because it is the Succot holiday, many of the memorials were held today and the big memorial organized by the families of the victims of October 7 will be held tomorrow night.
Last year, I went to the site of the Nova Festival and today, I was at Nir Oz where the ceremony was held at the cemetery. Kibbutz Nir Oz was the hardest hit community to be attacked on October 7. It is so close to the Gaza border and its agricultural lands fo up to the border. One of every four people of the kibbutz was either killed or taken hostage 2 years ago and nine of their members are still in captivity in Gaza. Before October 7, I didn't know anyone from Nir Oz. Now I know a few, but October 7 made all of the people from the Gaza Communities members of my family.
On several occasions, whether it was at the Nova site or because of the hostage shirts I wear daily or the banners for the hostages that I am constantly putting up and fixing, I have been asked if any of the hostages or the victims were my family. My answer is simple and one that is shared by so many of us. They are all my family.
This is the reason that we are all living on day 731 of October. It has been one long day of 2 years and counting because our family members are still rotting in Gaza and our family members are the soldiers and the reservists putting their lives on the line in this horrible war. It is our family members who are killed, injured and maimed. And it is all of us who are living in trauma for 2 years and counting.
No one has truly had any opportunity to internalize October 7 and everything that has happened since. No one has been able to properly mourn their loved ones because they are still fighting to get 48 hostages home. There are people who have lost their closest family members while having others in captivity and have had to fight for them for 2 years. Most of the returned hostages have joined the fight for the rest of the hostages. They have postponed their therapy and their rehabilitation to fight for their 'brothers and sister' who are still in Gaza. They have said that there is no chance that they can heal as long as there are still hostages, and that is how millions of us feel. None of us can begin to heal until they are all home and this awful war is over and our soldiers are all home as well.
On October 7 ( this year October 6), I have a personal need to be at a very meaningful place that will never be the same and be there for the people who have gone through the worst of this war. Every Saturday night, I go to the demonstrations in support of the hostages. I have no illusions to think that we are making any impression on the people in power, specifically the prime minister. He has shown us complete contempt, long before October 7. We know he has no soul or heart or sympathy or empathy and his lying words won't change that. It is not for that reason that I am there week in and week out, in rain, in heat, in darkness. I am there for the hostages and their families. Returning hostages have told of seeing the demonstrations on TV or hearing them on the radio while in captivity and it gave them strength to go on, even for another day knowing that there were people, lots of people fighting for them. And for the hostage families who wake up every morning and realize that their terrible nightmare is real and doesn't go away when they open their eyes. Whenever they are asked where they get the strength to go on, their answers are all the same. They get the strength from us, all the people who are out there with them showing they are not alone. And they are not alone because they are of us and we are of them, we are family and we all have responsibility for each other.
This morning, at Nir Oz, I entered the smalll kibbutz cemetery and walked among all the new graves of those killed on October 7 and in captivity in Gaza. They were all buried in other locations because the kibbutz was a war zone and closed military area for so long. They were brought home to their kibbutz only when it was safe to do so.
The ceremony began and beautiful, touching songs were played by a gifted cellist singer and members of the kibbutz spoke. It was painful, sad, touching, powerful and it was heart lifting and full of hope. This place and these people who experienced the horrors of October 7, who watched their loved ones horribly murdered in front of their eyes and saw others kidnapped by the barbaric terrorists, also saw their homes destroyed with everything in them. These people who have lived on the border with Gaza for the last 55 years have been the strength and resilience for the nation for years of abandonment by the government and the rest of the country. And it is these people who are now giving us the strength to rebuild and re-energize, they are leading the way for all of us to follow to bring about the Israel that we know we can be and need to be, but we also know that we cannot do it with the leaders of today who have refused to accept any responsibility for anything that has happened. It is people like the residents of Nir Oz that take initiatives and responsibility and remind us of what we need to achieve, where we need to go, how we have to act and treat each other to be the Israel that we all love.

Nir Oz members return to kibbutz to commemorate two years since attack

By Sue Surkes
People visit the burnt house of the Siman Tov family, where all five family members were killed during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, in Kibbutz Nir Oz, Israel, a day before Israel marks the two-year anniversary of the attack, Monday, Oct. 6, 2025. (AP/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Members of Kibbutz Nir Oz visit their former home in the largely destroyed community to mark two years since the October 7 attack.
Arriving in a convoy from Kiryat Gat, where the community has relocated temporarily, kibbutz members visit the community’s cemetery and hold a ceremony to commemorate those lost and call for the release of members still being held hostage.
Sagui Dekel-Chen, who was released from Gaza in February, as part of phase one of a mediated ceasefire, says at the ceremony that it is his first visit to the cemetery since being freed, but that he visited it in his imagination while held in Gaza “without knowing who the names are, without knowing how small some of the coffins are.”
“Somehow, in a dizzying way, I survived, I am above all this, but not after all this,” he says through tears.
The kibbutz was largely destroyed on October 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists entered all but six of over 200 homes in the small community and either murdered or kidnapped one of every four residents — 117 people out of some 400.
Of those abducted, nine are still being held in Gaza, of whom five of are believed to still be alive. Pictures of the nine were carried by the convoy.
Dafna Margalit, widow of Eliyahu Margalit, who was murdered by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7 and his body abducted to Gaza, says her return to “God’s little plot in Nir Oz” will be a “return to life,” although real rebuilding will only come when her husband and the other hostage

1,152 security personnel killed, 885 children bereaved: Two years on from Oct. 7, Defense Ministry data shows the toll of war

By Stav Levaton

Soldiers place flowers and flags on graves of fallen Israeli soldiers in Kiryat Shmona Military Cemetery, on May 12, 2024 (Ayal Margolin/Flash90)

Marking two years since Hamas’s devastating attack on October 7, 2023, the Defense Ministry has released updated figures on the country’s fallen security personnel.

Since the outbreak of the war, 1,152 personnel have been killed. The figures include all soldiers, police officers, Shin Bet agents, and civilian security officers who died on and since October 7, 2023, whether in the line of duty or as a result of an accident, illness, or suicide.

Most were killed during fighting in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, and the West Bank.

Approximately 42% of the fallen were under the age of 21, most of them young men serving in mandatory military service, and 141 were over the age of 40, highlighting the wide age range of those who lost their lives.

The conflict has added more than 6,500 family members to Israel’s circle of bereavement, including 1,973 parents, 351 widows, 885 children, and 3,481 siblings.

Over 200 of the fallen were buried at Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem, and in total, funerals have been conducted in 264 cemeteries and military plots across Israel, with 24 plots expanded and new military cemeteries established. Eight fallen soldiers were also transferred abroad for burial, accompanied by Defense Ministry staff.

The ministry’s department for the families of fallen soldiers, commemoration and heritage has overseen the burial of the fallen, the renovation and creation of memorials, and the provision of comprehensive emotional and financial support to bereaved families.

The department implemented a 60 million NIS ($18 million) reform of family care and support services, provided targeted assistance through special committees, and set up a network of financial volunteers to support bereaved families.

“The State of Israel bears a heavy price — the history of our country has been written in the blood of our sons and daughters,” head of the department for the families of fallen soldiers, commemoration and heritage Aryeh Moalem says.

“The department’s employees see their work as a mission and continue to commemorate the memory of the fallen, preserve their heritage for future generations, and accompany the bereaved families with emotional and welfare support.”

Hostage Updates

Until the last hostage

Enough, God Almighty, have mercy’: Hostage families pray for an imminent deal
By JESSICA STEINBERG
Released hostage Agam Berger plays the violin at Hostages Square on October 5, 2025. (Vered Kalifa Caspi)
Hostages’ family members, released hostages and several bereaved relatives speak at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square in an event full of prayer and song, given the headlines about a possible imminent hostage deal.
Julie Kuperstein, mother of hostage Bar Kuperstein, says she “can’t get excited yet,” saying she learned this from freed hostage Elena Trufanov, as she waited to see if her son, Sasha Trufanov, would himself be released in February 2025.
Sasha Trufanov, the released hostage, speaks about the power of the high holidays, and is joined by fellow captivity survivor Agam Berger, who performs the liturgical prayer “Ana b’Koach,” on her violin.
Elhanan Danino, the father of Ori Danino, killed at the end of August 2024, in the tunnels of Gaza by his captors, speaks about Yom Kippur, and the liturgy that reflects the great losses and trauma suffered by Israel on October 7.
“Enough, God Almighty, have mercy on your nation who are calling to you,” says Danino.
He notes that while those marking the Yom Kippur fast went home to full refrigerators to sate themselves after the 24-hour fast, the hostages have been fasting for more than 15,000 hours.
“They don’t know what date it is. They don’t know the hour. Every day is Yom Kippur for them,” says Danino. “If we can’t bring them home with ammunition, let’s use our prayers so that the living will sit in the sukkah with their families and the others will be brought to a proper burial.”
Sigi Cohen, mother of released hostage Eliya Cohen, says she feels in her heart that by next week, the stage at Hostages Square will no longer be needed.

Trump said to tell PM in tense phone call: ‘You’re always so f*ing negative. This is a win.’
US President Donald Trump told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to be “so fucking negative” in a tense phone call on Friday, Axios reports.
The conversation took place shortly after Hamas announced that it had submitted its response, in which it welcomed parts of the US proposal, while hinting at resistance regarding other sections and insisting that additional negotiations were needed to finalize the terms.
According to a US official, Netanyahu told Trump the ambivalent Hamas response was “nothing to celebrate.”
“I don’t know why you’re always so fucking negative,” responded Trump, per the official. “This is a win. Take it.”
Trump expected Hamas to reject the plan, and was pleasantly surprised by the terror group’s response, says Axios.
A US official says it was a somewhat combative conversation and that Trump was irked, but that they finally reached an agreement. “Ultimately, President Trump wants peace, and that’s what matters most. The administration is already working closely with Israel to accomplish that,” says a US official.
An Israeli official tells the outlet that Netanyahu said in private meetings on Friday that he sees Hamas’s response as a rejection of the Trump plan, and that he wanted to fight the idea that Hamas had accepted the proposal. link

Trump: All ‘pretty much agreed’ on Gaza, talks will ‘probably take a couple of days’
US President Donald Trump walks to speak with reporters before departing on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, on September 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
US President Donald Trump, asked whether he is “open to flexibility” on the terms of his plan for ending the war in Gaza.
“We don’t need flexibility, because everyone has pretty much agreed to it.”
“But there’ll always be some changes,” he adds.
“But the Hamas plan, it’s amazing,” he says, presumably referring to his own proposal, which Israel has agreed to already.
“You get the hostages back almost immediately. Negotiations are going on right now, will probably take a couple of days,” he adds.

Hamas agrees to disarm, begins collecting bodies of slain hostages

Source tells Saudi media terror group began gathering remains of slain hostages and is ready to hand over its weapons under international supervision, as Israel and US officials prepare for new ceasefire talks in Egypt

Hamas has begun collecting the bodies of Israeli hostages killed in Gaza and has informed the United States it is prepared to disarm as part of ongoing ceasefire talks, a source in the Palestinian terrorist group told Saudi network Al Arabiya on Sunday.

The source said Hamas requested a pause in Israeli bombardments “to complete the task” of recovering the bodies, following Israel’s suspension of offensive operations in the Gaza Strip over the weekend at the request of U.S. President Donald Trump. The official added that there was “American flexibility” regarding the timeline for returning the bodies, a reference to Hamas’ claim that it cannot meet the 72-hour deadline set by Washington for releasing all hostages, especially those who were killed.

“We have received American guarantees, conveyed through Qatar, for a permanent Israeli withdrawal,” the Hamas source told Al Arabiya. He also claimed the group had agreed in principle to hand over its weapons to what he described as a “Palestinian-Egyptian authority under international supervision.” The claim could not be independently verified, and Hamas has previously said it would only consider disarmament after the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
The remarks came as Israel prepared to send its negotiating team to Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on Monday to discuss the first phase of Trump’s “20-point plan,” which begins with a hostage exchange and an initial Israeli pullback from parts of Gaza.

Despite earlier reports, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who is to lead the talks, will not attend the opening session — a sign that the first meetings will focus mainly on technical issues. Trump said Sunday the discussions would likely continue “for several days,” while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed hope they would be concluded quickly.
The Israeli delegation will be led by the deputy head of the Shin Bet security service, identified only as “M,” and will include hostage affairs coordinator Gal Hirsch, Maj. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon, Netanyahu’s diplomatic adviser Ophir Falk and representatives from the Mossad intelligence agency and the IDF.
Talks will center on the release of all 48 hostages held by Hamas within 72 hours, coordination with the International Committee of the Red Cross for their transfer, the release of Palestinian security prisoners, and the details of the IDF’s “initial withdrawal lines” to allow the exchange to proceed safely.
Netanyahu held Cabinet consultations Sunday to prepare for the negotiations and to discuss Red Cross access to Palestinian security prisoners in Israel — part of the humanitarian framework that would accompany the hostage handover. The new head of the Shin Bet, David Zini, took part in the discussions for the first time, alongside Defense Minister Israel Katz, Mossad chief David Barnea and other senior officials.
Israeli officials expect Hamas to demand a broader withdrawal than outlined in Trump’s “yellow line” map, claiming that additional territory is needed to collect the hostages and transport them to release points.
Although Trump has set a strict 72-hour timetable, Israeli defense officials anticipate that Hamas will try to extend the deadline, citing the time needed to retrieve the bodies of dead hostages located in multiple areas across Gaza. Hamas is also expected to seek an expanded Israeli pullback beyond the proposed line.
At the Sharm el-Sheikh talks, both sides are also expected to address the list of Palestinian prisoners to be released as part of the deal. Israel plans to offer the release of 250 out of 280 inmates serving life sentences but has ruled out freeing high-profile figures such as Marwan Barghouti.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich have both opposed the release of such symbolic prisoners, and Netanyahu has publicly backed that stance. However, Israeli officials acknowledge that the room for maneuver is limited and that some concessions may be required to finalize the agreement.  Link

Hamas-linked outlets deny report that group started gathering slain hostages’ bodies

Keith Siegel at 10/7 memorial in New York: 'The cruelty I experienced still haunts me'
Hostage survivors and families of hostages participated in a rally at Central Park in New York to mark two years since the October 7 massacre. Hostage survivor Keith Siegel said at the event that "the cruelty I experienced still haunts me. The images of medieval torture, the echoes of suffering – they don't fade. The knowledge that the hostages still there continue to endure this gives me no peace. I will forever be grateful to the American administration for prioritizing the hostage crisis." Hostage survivor Yair Horn, brother of captive Eitan, added: "This is not just my story or my family's story – this is the story of Israel and the entire Jewish people."

Hamas holding talks with Egypt, Qatar before Sharm El-Sheikh meetings
By AFP and ToI Staff
Hamas’s lead negotiator Khalil al-Hayya will meet with mediators from Egypt and Qatar in Cairo this morning ahead of indirect talks with Israel in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh, a senior Hamas official tells AFP.
The preparatory talks were slated to begin at 10 a.m., the BBC reports, citing a Palestinian official with knowledge of the negotiations.
Negotiations will look to “determine the date of a temporary truce,” as well as create conditions for a first phase of the peace plan, in which 47 hostages held in Gaza are to be released in return for hundreds of Palestinian detainees, the senior Hamas official says.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that talks would involve freeing all 48 hostages, including the body of soldier Hadar Goldin, which has been held by Hamas for over a decade.

Gaza and the South

From camouflage to close combat: What Hamas raid on IDF outpost in Gaza reveals

Hamas video of a raid in Khan Younis shows terrorists using camouflage, drones, tunnels and stolen Israeli weapons in close-quarters combat, highlighting both their remaining capabilities and the ongoing threats facing IDF forces in Gaza

More than a month after Hamas terrorists stormed an IDF position in Khan Younis, the group has released a seven-minute video documenting the attack. The footage, filmed in daylight and edited for propaganda purposes, sheds light on Hamas’ methods and the threats still facing Israeli troops nearly two years into the war.

The video appears aimed at two audiences: Israel, as proof that Hamas remains active and capable of launching raids inside Gaza, and supporters of the terror group in the Strip, as encouragement to continue attacks on IDF positions.

The raid struck a defensive position held by the Kfir Brigade along the Magen Oz axis. These types of positions — where smaller groups of soldiers remain behind while larger forces advance — have become prime targets for Hamas, which seeks either an operational achievement such as a mass-casualty attack or the abduction of a soldier that could be portrayed as a symbolic victory.
Once Israeli forces establish control from such positions, Hamas begins collecting intelligence on them. The video, taken from last month’s attack, illustrates how immediate and serious the threat remains. Lessons from the incident have already been shared across Gaza, including lapses in security procedures, low levels of alertness and errors in setting up ambushes.

The video shows the terrorists divided into three squads: one providing suppressive fire with machine guns, another with anti-tank weapons aimed at expected reinforcements, and two assault teams moving toward buildings believed to contain Israeli soldiers.
One building had been deliberately vacatd, but the other still housed troops. About 15 soldiers were resting inside after a night mission, with one standing guard at the entrance.
The terrorists managed to reach the entrance of the occupied building and engaged the troops at close range. One soldier was seriously wounded and two others lightly hurt. A commander upstairs, who had noticed suspicious activity in the area, issued a last-minute warning that gave the soldiers a chance to fight back.

The confrontation unfolded in seconds, with troops forced to fight immediately upon waking. Such a scenario, inside what is supposed to be a fortified position, is considered a serious security breach  
 The IDF said the soldiers were fortunate. Grenades thrown into their room failed to detonate, forcing the terrorists to retreat. Most of the attackers were later killed in Israeli airstrikes and by a reinforcing tank, though some escaped through tunnels near the displaced persons camp in Mawasi.
The footage highlights Hamas’ reliance on camouflage blankets to evade surveillance, drones for propaganda and reconnaissance, binoculars to track troop movements, and cranes fitted with Israeli observation gear. It also confirms that Hamas still operates a large tunnel network in Khan Younis, despite previous Israeli operations in the area.
The terrorists were armed with “Shawaz” explosives, RPGs, Kalashnikov rifles and stolen IDF weapons, including M4 and Micro-Tavor rifles. In one striking moment, two attackers stormed directly into the entrance of the building — an area that should have been secured — and even climbed the first staircase. Meanwhile, a Hamas mortar squad fired from a distance to try to isolate the position.
   
Although the terrorists failed to kill or abduct soldiers, they have continued launching raids almost daily across the Gaza Strip. In the south, they target defensive positions along supply routes such as Magen Oz and Morag, while in the north they focus on positions connected to renewed IDF maneuvers in Gaza City.

About two weeks after the Kfir Brigade incident, another Hamas unit attempted to raid a nearby post but discovered it had already been abandoned. A day later, terrorists tried again at a different position but were detected in advance by Israeli intelligence. Troops responded, killing several attackers and forcing the rest to flee.
The IDF has since begun replacing some temporary defensive positions with more fortified outposts along the logistical routes in Khan Younis. The new structures are intended to provide greater safety and operational effectiveness. Still, missions in the area remain largely defensive, prompting the army to increase intelligence and airpower support for troops on the ground, even as attention shifts to ongoing operations in Gaza City.  Link

IDF publishes footage of weapons Hamas left behind in Gaza City kindergarten

By EMANUEL FABIAN

The IDF publishes footage showing weapons left behind by Hamas operatives in a kindergarten and a school in Gaza City.

“Last week, IDF troops identified Hamas terrorists fleeing a kindergarten in al-Shati, Gaza City. The troops later found an explosive device and an AK-47 rifle inside the kindergarten,” the military says on its English-language X account.

In a separate post, the IDF’s international media spokesman, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, posts a picture of uniforms, military equipment, and a Hamas flag in a classroom, saying: “These weapons were discovered in a school in Gaza a few days ago, a place meant for learning, not terror.

Both educational facilities likely have not been active during the war.

The IDF has repeatedly accused Hamas of using civilian sites — including schools, mosques, and hospitals — for terror, and has published extensive footage showing how the terror group dug tunnels and set up weapon depots in such facilities.

The IDF has also made use of schools in Gaza as temporary encampments for troops during the war. Video

Egyptian foreign minister: Hamas’s disarmament is a Palestinian matter

By NURIT YOHANAN

Hamas operatives take part in the funeral ceremony of Marwan Issa, a top Hamas commander killed in March 2024, in the war-devastated Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip on February 7, 2025. (Eyad BABA / AFP)

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aaty tells the Saudi newspaper Asharq al-Awsat that “the handing over of Hamas’s weapons is an issue that must be addressed within a Palestinian framework.”

In the interview, he expresses hope that the Palestinian Authority’s security apparatus would assume the task of controlling Gaza after a transitional period, framing this as a political horizon toward the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Abdel Aaty also says that Egypt seeks to define the limits of authority for the international force expected to enter the Strip under the Trump plan, adding that eventually the same force would also need to enter the West Bank to link the two areas — Gaza and the West Bank — and to support the Palestinian Authority’s security mechanisms. link A well known Palestinian peace and anti-violence activist told me a number of years ago that Israel needed to change they way we deal with Hamas. We see Hamas as strictly an Israeli problem, but he said that Hamas is a Palestinian problem and that we need to let the Palestinians deal with them, to stop their terror attacks, their military build up as well as their terrorizing their own people, which they have done since they have been in power in Gaza. Now that we are hopefully nearing the end of the war and the hostage crisis, it needs to be in the hands of the Palestinians and the other Arab countries who will be working to rehabilitate Gaza to deal with Hamas in the extreme, and they are ready to do so. They all blame Hamas for this second Nakba (catastrophe) moreso than they blame Israel. They want their hold on Gaza to end and they want to build a new future where Hamas is not part of it. This could have happened much earlier in the war but Netanyahu preventing any possible alternative governing body in Gaza which should have been tasked first with dealing with Hamas. Now, Netanyahu has no choice and the disarming of Hamas, the destruction of all of their military terrorist infrastructure (weapons manufacturing, tunnels, etc) will be upon the new Palestinian government supported by the Arab States and let's get our soldiers the hell out of Gaza and all the hostages home.

IDF says long-range rockets ready to launch found in Gaza

By Emanuel Fabian

The remains of two rocket launchers found by the army in Gaza City, that were primed for attacks on central Israel, in a handout photo issued on October 6, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF troops operating in Gaza City about a week ago found long-range rockets primed for an attack on central Israel, the military says.

The rockets were located by troops of the 401st Armored Brigade. The IDF says launchers primed to fire the rockets were safely neutralized.

Additionally, the troops located cache of weapons and military equipment in the area, the IDF adds.

Despite pause, IDF says fighter jets striking Hamas cells in Gaza City still attacking troops

By Emanuel Fabian

Skirmishes are ongoing in Gaza despite a pause in offensive activity by Israeli forces, the Israel Defense Forces says, reporting that it carried out a number of airstrikes in response to Hamas attacks yesterday.

The IDF halted its offensive in Gaza City on Saturday amid a push by US President Donald Trump to reach an end to the war, with troops on the ground only carrying out defensive operations.

The army says one strike was carried out by Israeli Air Force fighter jets on a cell of fighters armed with mortars and explosive devices, killing them. According to the IDF, “the group had planned to carry out terror attacks against troops operating in Gaza City.”

Another strike targeted a cell which was launching mortars at soldiers in Gaza City, one of which lightly wounded a soldier. The army says the soldier was taken to a hospital for treatment and his family was notified. Fighter jets struck and killed the operatives who had been launching the mortars, the IDF says.

In a third incident, the military says Hamas operatives fired rocket propelled grenades at engineering vehicles being used in Gaza City by the 98th Division, without any injuries being caused. Fighter jets hit the building from which the projectiles were fired, according to the army.

Northern Israel, Lebanon and Syria

Qatar deepens its foothold in Lebanon, raising strategic questions for Israel

Analysis: Qatar, Washington’s close ally yet Hamas’s backer, is expanding its aid presence in Lebanon; by supporting President Aoun and bolstering Lebanon’s army over Hezbollah, it grows its sway — but what happens if its 'military arm' on Israel’s border grows too strong?

Qatar has officially opened a permanent office of its main charitable arm, Qatar Charity (Qatar al-Khairiya), in Beirut, marking a new phase in its growing presence in Lebanon and prompting discussion in Israel about the implications of Doha’s expanding regional influence.

The Beirut office was inaugurated on Sept. 17 in a ceremony attended by Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. The event underscored Qatar’s increasing engagement in the country — a move seen by analysts as part of a broader strategy to strengthen its influence across the Middle East, including in areas of direct concern to Israel.

Qatar Charity, which Israel declared an unlawful association in 2008 due to alleged links to Hamas funding, is one of the most active humanitarian organizations in the Muslim world. Its new office in Lebanon — one of 34 around the globe — adds another layer to Qatar’s soft-power network.
Qatar’s humanitarian network expands in Lebanon

At the opening ceremony, Qatar’s ambassador to Lebanon, Saud bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani, and the foundation’s chairman, Hamad bin Nasser al-Thani, outlined the group’s global and local objectives.

“Qatar Charity chose to be close to the communities it serves and to address their needs directly through field offices,” Hamad al-Thani said. “Today, we operate in 34 countries and partner with UN agencies, international organizations and local institutions in more than 70. The Beirut office strengthens our presence, embodies our humanitarian commitment and enhances our ability to plan and respond effectively.”
He noted that Qatar’s involvement in Lebanon began in the 1990s and has continued ever since, supporting sectors such as education, health care, housing and the economy. According to the organization, its projects have assisted more than 483,000 people in Lebanon, including both citizens and refugees. The current phase, al-Thani added, aims to coordinate programs with the Lebanese government that align with national priorities.
The foundation said it is currently running over 70 projects reaching 360,000 people, including Lebanese residents and refugees from Syria and the Palestinian territories.
Lebanon praises Qatar, condemns Israel
Prime Minister Salam used the ceremony to express solidarity with Qatar in the wake of Israel’s recent strike in Doha — an operation condemned across much of the Arab world.
“What happened does not target Qatar alone,” Salam said. “It affects all Arab and Islamic states and poses a direct threat to regional security and stability. Our unity with Qatar here in Beirut underscores our shared destiny.”
He urged Arab, Islamic and international support to pressure Israel to withdraw from Lebanese territory, release Lebanese prisoners and halt military strikes. Salam also praised Qatar’s swift aid response following Israeli operations in Lebanon. “We have not forgotten that Qatar quickly launched an air and sea bridge filled with aid and that Qatar Charity initiated a broad solidarity campaign from Doha to support Lebanon,” he said. “The opening of this office reflects Qatar’s ongoing commitment to stand by Lebanon.”

Israeli analysts say Qatar’s growing presence in Lebanon reflects its pragmatic foreign policy and its willingness to act as both mediator and power broker.
Dr. Yoel Guzansky, a former member of Israel’s National Security Council and head of the Gulf Program at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), said the Beirut office is a symbol of influence more than a major strategic shift.
“Since Joseph Aoun became president of Lebanon, Qatar’s influence has strengthened,” Guzansky said. “He was one of their protégés. Lebanon is a good example of Qatar doing everything — not only in coordination with the Americans, but often at their request. Aoun visited Doha frequently, and Qatar bolstered him vis-à-vis Hezbollah. That was true before the war and remains true now.”
Guzansky noted that, despite tensions between Israel and Qatar, some of Doha’s activity in Lebanon aligns indirectly with Israeli and American interests. “Everything Qatar does in Lebanon is essentially on behalf of the Americans — strengthening the Lebanese army, the presidency and humanitarian aid,” he said. “They don’t channel funds to Hezbollah. The goal is to reinforce the Lebanese state over the organization.”
Still, he added, Qatar benefits by increasing its leverage. “There’s quiet competition, and sometimes cooperation, with Saudi Arabia. Qatar has a lower threshold for involvement — it’s willing to intervene almost anywhere, without preconditions. That’s the Qatari DNA: pragmatism and opportunism over ideology. It seeks to expand its influence and earn dividends as a mediator, mainly for Washington.”
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (Photo: AFP)
Asked whether Qatar’s strengthening role in Lebanon poses a threat to Israel, Guzansky said the picture is mixed. “Israel wants a stronger Lebanese state and a weaker Hezbollah — that’s clear. But since Israel conducts strikes in Lebanon, differences can arise. The Americans don’t always like what we do there. Qatar has been useful to Israel in some areas, and later we’ve criticized it for supporting terror. So while interests sometimes overlap, it doesn’t mean Israel should welcome Qatar’s growing influence. Many here see it as a zero-sum game, but reality is more complex.”
'The Qatari challenge' across the region

Guzansky cautioned that Israel must learn to live with Qatar’s growing role. “We’re going to encounter Qatar in many arenas,” he said. “We can’t fight on every front. We’ll pay a price for the strike in Doha, but we shouldn’t panic about its involvement in Lebanon. It’s part of what I call ‘the Qatari challenge’ — not limited to Gaza, but across the Middle East, including Jordan and Syria.”
Dr. Moran Zaga, a Gulf studies researcher at the University of Haifa and the Mind Israel Institute, said Qatar Charity’s activity in each country reflects local priorities. “Their work in Lebanon is less harmful to Israel,” she said.
Zaga pointed to another example of Qatari involvement in Lebanon’s civilian sector: on Sept. 16, a Qatari educational foundation, the Qatar Fund for Development and the Lebanese NGO Teach For Lebanon launched an initiative called “Resilience Through Education.” The project aims to support more than 23,000 disadvantaged students.
“They’re entering civilian areas where Hezbollah used to provide services,” Zaga said. “That’s Qatar’s expertise — finding a governance vacuum and stepping in.”
Strategic implications for Israel
Zaga cautioned that while Qatar’s current role aligns with Israel’s interests, that alignment may not last. “Qatar is building several levers of influence in Lebanon that now serve our interests but could turn against us,” she said. “The fact that Qatar funds the Lebanese army means it has a kind of military arm across our border. They’re paying salaries, providing equipment and fuel.
“Today, Israel benefits from a stronger Lebanese army as a counterbalance to Hezbollah — an institution that’s state-controlled and manageable,” she continued. “But no one can know what tomorrow will bring.”
As Qatar deepens its footprint in Lebanon — a country still struggling to balance Iranian, Saudi and Western influence — Israeli analysts say the development underscores a familiar regional pattern: where power vacuums open, Qatar moves in.
Whether that ultimately stabilizes Lebanon or complicates Israel’s northern front may depend less on Doha’s intentions than on how the next regional crisis unfolds.  Link

Lebanon says two killed in alleged Israeli strike

By Emanuel Fabian

Two people were killed and one was wounded in an Israeli drone strike targeting a car in the town of Zebdine, on the outskirts of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon, Lebanon’s health ministry says.

The IDF has not yet commented video

West Bank, Jerusalem, Israel and Terror Attacks

IDF briefly arrests 19 Palestinians, after settler shoots one in the leg – reports

By NURIT YOHANAN

A picture of the Palestinian village of A-Tuwani in the South Hebron Hills region of the West Bank, March 31, 2024. (Jeremy Sharon/The Times of Israel)

Palestinian media reports that yesterday, the IDF arrested 19 Palestinians from the village of Zuweidin in the South Hebron Hills in the southern West Bank.

According to the reports, the arrests followed a clash that broke out between settlers and Palestinians in the area, during which a settler shot a Palestinian in the leg, lightly wounding him.

The wounded Palestinian was later admitted to a Palestinian hospital. According to the Palestinian reports, all those arrested were released overnight.

No settlers are reported to have been arrested in the incident.

The IDF has not yet issued a response. Link of course, no settlers were arrested or even questioned what is surprising is that all of the Palestinians were released. I assume they were held by the army and not by the police. If they were held by the police, it most likely would have been arrested and held as per orders of the criminally convicted minister. He has given strict instructions to the police to ignore reports of settler terror and not respond to calls but if they are present, to arrest only Palestinians

Israeli activist assisting West Bank Palestinians injured in settler attack, group charges
By Nurit Yohanan
An Israeli activist with the left-wing organization Looking the Occupation in the Eye was attacked by a settler while visiting a Bedouin hamlet in the West Bank overnight, the group says.
The activist was rushed to a hospital following the incident at Ras ‘Ein al ‘Auja in the southern Jordan Valley, according to the NGO.
The group says a settler first punctured the tires of a vehicle driven by the activist and then threw a stone at his head, injuring him.

The activist, who was there to assist residents of the Bedouin encampment, had been close to an illegal settler outpost recently established near the hamlet when he was attacked, Looking the Occupation in the Eye reports.
No arrests have been reported. link Some people might naively think that this attack is different than the others because an Israeli was also attacked and injured. I say naive because anyone who would ask truly doesn't understand this government or the criminally convicted minister in charge of the police. Ben Gvir views Israelis who support and help Palestinians as worse than the Palestinians because he calls us traitors, anti-semites and anti-Israel. It doesn't matter if it is people who serve in reserve duty and fought in Gaza or the north and love this country. If we are against him, we are the enemy and should be treated worse than he treats Palestinians and certainly worse than police treat criminals. After all, this minister is a criminal, arrested on 53 different charges and convicted of 3 including supporting and belonging to a terror organization. In addition, this criminal minister was rejected by the army because they saw his racism and extremist ideology as being too dangerous to have in the army. And it is this criminally convicted minister who dictates the actions of the Israeli police which he has turned into his private militia. The fault lies less with him as we all knew who he is and what he stands for. The fault lies almost entirely with Netanyahu and his lust to hold onto the premiership. He has been and is still willing to do anything and everything in order to maintain his extremist government so he can remain prime minister. He is to blame for normalizing Ben Gvir and the rest of the extremists who were fringes of society until Netanyahu did this. They are all banes of our society and we must get them out of power as soon as possible.

Politics and the War and General News

Israel has won the battle but lost the war

Instead of a forced halt to fighting, Israel could have, again and again, initiated ceasefires to make clear that Hamas is the party that wants war, not Israel

It’s useful to look at the past two years from a bird’s-eye point of view. In recent weeks Israel came within a hair’s breadth of total failure. Not militarily, but politically and strategically. Hamas managed to drag Israel into a collapse. The economic boycott began to hit imports and exports. The Israeli assumption that “military pressure will produce concessions” did not prove itself over the past two years. 

On the contrary, international pressure, driven by military action, risked pushing Israel from collapse into total breakdown. The agreement arrived at a critical moment. The very fact that Israel declared a halt to fighting, even if it continues for defensive purposes only, is effectively a rescue from collapse.

The agreement, if it is realized, gives Israel all the war’s objectives. And yet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not sign an agreement that includes “self-determination” for the Palestinians — in other words, a state — of his own free will. He signed because a gun was put to his head. 
In any case, the problem is the accumulating damage. Israel won the battle but lost the war. All the very significant strategic achievements against Iran and Hezbollah began to fade because of the deepening damage to Israel’s international standing. The growing refusal of port workers to load cargo bound for Israel could have led to an unprecedented economic crisis. Another step toward collapse. Already, vital military equipment is not reaching Israel. 

The agreement, if it takes root, will not erase hostility to Israel overnight. But it applies the brakes. Now the difficult task of rebuilding Israel’s diplomatic standing will begin. It’s doubtful this government is capable of that task. It will be a long-term task

Hamas’ answer is not exactly “yes.” But here’s another absurdity: it doesn’t matter what Hamas says. Netanyahu has steered himself into a position in which the only thing that matters is what Trump says. Trump declared the reply positive, and even turned Hamas into a movement for peace. Within hours Netanyahu was forced, again under duress, to order a halt to the fighting.
Why the hell did Israel not initiate any move? Instead of a forced halt to fighting, Israel could have, again and again, initiated ceasefires to make clear that Hamas is the party that wants war, not Israel. After all, Hamas’ weapons did not win in Jabaliya or in Rafah. Hamas won on the international stage. On campuses, on social media, in newspapers, in labor unions.

Public opinion shifted in the U.S. as well, moving from support for Israel to support for the Palestinians. And it was clear that this was exactly what would make Trump put the gun on the table. But Netanyahu suffered from blindness. Everything Israel could and should have done to score points, Netanyahu was forced to do only after Israel had already lost one point after another. 
It’s doubtful whether Trump is the right man to save Israel from itself. But now, at least for the moment, he is the right man.  Link

The Region and the World

How Gulf money is shaping policy from Washington to Jerusalem

Opinion: Massive investments from Saudi Arabia and Qatar are not merely economic ventures, they are strategic tools of influence that reshape the international agenda; Israel must wake up

In today’s globalized world, money is not just an economic lever; it is a political one. Capital flowing from the Gulf states, led by Qatar and Saudi Arabia, now exerts both direct and indirect influence on decision-making in Washington, Europe and Jerusalem. Through lobbying, funding of policy institutions, deep involvement in academia and large-scale investments in infrastructure and technology, these states have built a soft but highly effective network of influence. Israel, positioned at the heart of this strategic arena, has good reason to be concerned.

Since the 2017 Gulf crisis, Qatar has invested tens of millions of dollars annually in a sophisticated lobbying apparatus in the United States. According to Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filings, these funds have been directed to senior political consultants, lobbying firms, academic institutions and think tanks. One notable example is the roughly $15 million Qatar provided to the Brookings Institution, widely regarded as an influential actor in shaping policy discourse in Washington.

In parallel, Qatar has financed the establishment of prestigious university branches in Doha, including Georgetown and Cornell. These initiatives are not simply acts of academic philanthropy; they are part of a long-term strategy to build networks with Western political, academic and business elites, networks through which agendas can be shaped and policymakers influenced.
Today, Qatar plays a central role in mediating between Israel and Hamas, not only because of its geographic location, but also thanks to its substantial financial leverage. Over the years, Doha has transferred hundreds of millions of dollars to the Gaza Strip, including $360 million in 2021 and $15 million per month during 2018, with the indirect approval of both Israel and the United States.

This influence stems not only from Qatar’s financial involvement in Gaza but also from the presence of Al-Udeid Air Base on its territory, a forward headquarters of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). Qatar has invested more than $8 billion in developing the base, giving it significant weight in Washington’s strategic considerations.
Saudi Arabia employs a different strategy. Its sovereign wealth fund (PIF) has become a major player in the global economy. It controls the electric vehicle company Lucid, has invested billions of dollars in Uber, and poured $45 billion into SoftBank’s Vision Fund. This deep interdependence between Riyadh and Western economies limits these countries’ diplomatic freedom of action.

This dynamic is particularly evident on sensitive issues such as oil prices, the murder of Jamal Khashoggi or the kingdom’s relations with China and Russia. Western governments tend to proceed with notable caution. Saudi capital does not merely “speak”, it sets the pace.

The growing influence of Gulf money on Western policy has direct implications for Israel. When Western policies are shaped by actors whose interests do not necessarily align with Israel’s, new pressures and constraints arise. These can manifest as a softening of stances toward Hamas, shifts in security priorities or increased diplomatic and military restraints.
Moreover, direct Gulf investments in Israel, particularly in real estate, energy and high-tech, could provide external actors with access to sensitive information or create potential leverage in the future, if not carefully and transparently managed.
To address these challenges, Israel should consider several concrete policy measures. First, establish a dedicated foreign investment review mechanism, similar to the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), to oversee foreign investments in sensitive sectors.
Secondly, enforce transparency requirements for academic and research institutions regarding external funding, particularly from states with significant regional influence.
Then, enhance strategic coordination with the United States to reduce the impact of Gulf capital on critical regional policy.
And finally, tighten oversight of Gulf investments in Israel, especially in infrastructure, energy, technology and defense sectors.
Gulf investments in the West are far from being purely economic moves. They are powerful tools for shaping policy and exerting soft influence, tools that are already bearing fruit in Washington and across Europe. Qatar and Saudi Arabia exemplify this reality. Israel, situated at the crossroads of these interests, cannot afford to remain passive. It must develop a transparent, focused and strategic policy to ensure that Gulf capital does not become a factor that dictates its national security.  Link

Trump shares article on how fury over Doha strike led him to pressure PM to end war

By JACOB MAGID

US President Donald Trump (R) hosts a phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani (not pictured), in the Oval Office, Washington, DC, September 29, 2025. (White House)

US President Donald Trump shares a New York Times article on Truth Social that details how fury over Israel’s botched strike against Hamas leaders in Doha led him to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war in Gaza.

Trump does not offer any commentary when sharing the story on Truth Social, but the decision to do so further bolsters the narrative about how the US president has lost patience with Netanyahu.

The Prime Minister’s Office has sought to downplay the notion, insisting that the two are on the same page regarding Trump’s Gaza plan, but mounting reports indicate that the Israeli premier had to be squeezed by Washington in order to accept it.

Personal Stories

Father of Arab East Jerusalemite murdered on Oct. 7 still can’t believe it happened

Shuttle driver Suhaib Razeem was abducted by Hamas terrorists from the Nova festival and killed in Kibbutz Be’eri. His father Mohammed shares his family’s grief for the first time

In Mohammed Razeem’s home in East Jerusalem’s Beit Hanina neighborhood, the presence of his son, Suhaib, fills the house. With photographs on tables, on the walls, Suhaib’s living memory is everywhere — even as the events of his killing on October 7, 2023, are not spoken of.

Suhaib, who worked as a shuttle driver, was supposed to take festivalgoers home from the Nova rave on that Saturday morning two years ago.

Instead, he was abducted by Hamas terrorists who attacked the festival and was taken to the home of Pessi Cohen in Kibbutz Be’eri, where the gunmen were holed up with 14 living hostages and one dead. After a clash between the terrorists and IDF forces, most of the living hostages, including Suhaib, were killed.

Until now, Razeem, 66, has never spoken publicly about what happened.

In an interview with The Times of Israel in the family home where Suhaib lived until his murder, the loss is palpable. Yet even Suhaib’s siblings, Razeem noted, have rarely spoken to the press.

There is particular sensitivity in Suhaib’s case. He was an East Jerusalemite, an Arab Muslim, murdered by Hamas terrorists in an attack aimed at Jews and Israelis in a self-proclaimed act of Palestinian nationalist resistance.

Suhaib was 22 when he was killed, the eighth of nine children in the family. Like most East Jerusalem residents, the Razeems hold permanent residency in Israel but not citizenship.

Suhaib became a licensed bus driver less than six months before his murder, after working in poultry processing for several years. He soon dreamed of buying his own shuttle.

“In our community, we sometimes collect money for someone’s studies or for a wedding, so we collected money for him. He told his mother, ‘Either I’ll get married or I’ll buy the shuttle bus, and I’ll pray on it.'”

“In the end,” Razeem said, “he decided to buy the vehicle and worked about four or five trips before he was killed. The Nova run was his fifth or sixth job.”

Just four days before Suhaib was killed, Razeem and his wife traveled with their eldest daughter and her family to Mecca for the umrah pilgrimage. As a devout Muslim, Razeem had been there several times before, once even with Suhaib. This time, his son stayed behind.

“He said, ‘I won’t take a shuttle job that day you will leave, I’ll drive you to the Allenby Bridge.’ He drove us, we said goodbye, and that was it. We were supposed to be away for a week and a half, returning Saturday, October 14,” Razeem said.

Three days later, on October 7, Suhaib arrived at the Nova festival grounds in southern Israel to pick up partygoers. He likely arrived just before Hamas’s surprise assault began.

In a video filmed by the terrorists that was published later in television reports, Suhaib is seen at the festival, surrounded by armed Hamas gunmen. One holds him by the arm and leads him toward others. They ask him in Arabic: “Are you Arab? Are you Arab? Where are the soldiers?” One of them says they took his ID and that he’s a shuttle driver, then tells another fighter: “Take him.”

The terrorists apparently let Suhaib call his family to say he had been kidnapped, though it is unclear whether he called from the festival grounds or later at Cohen’s house in Kibbutz Be’eri, where the gunmen barricaded themselves with the hostages.

Suhaib didn’t call his father, who was abroad, but his brothers in Jerusalem.

According to Razeem, “Suhaib spoke with his brothers and told them, ‘They took me.’”

The brothers immediately went to a local East Jerusalem police station and to a Jerusalem Red Cross representative to report the kidnapping.

Later, Suhaib called the brothers again from the phone of a Jewish woman who was held captive with him after the kidnappers let each hostage call their family.

His brothers informed their older sister, who was with their parents in Mecca, but she kept news of the abduction from her parents until Saturday night, when they were set to complete the pilgrimage.

“That night, after finishing the umrah, we went back to the hotel,” Razeem said. “My daughter lit up like fire, and said, ‘Come, I need to tell you something.’ I asked what happened. She said, ‘War broke out, and my brother was kidnapped.’ I told her, ‘My son is dead.’ She said, ‘No, father!’ I said, ‘That is my feeling — that he is dead.’ I called my children in Israel and they told me, ‘No, he’s fine, he was kidnapped but he’s okay.’”

Suhaib Razeem held by a Hamas terrorist at the Supernova festival site, October 7, 2023. (Screenshot/ YouTube)

Still no clear answers

Following the news, the family tried to return to Israel early but struggled to get back. The Allenby crossing between Jordan and the West Bank, through which they had to cross to get to and from Saudi Arabia, had been shut down.

Razeem and the other family members who had made the trip arrived back at their home in Jerusalem on Thursday afternoon, October 12 — five days after the massacre.

During that entire time, Razeem said, the family had no idea what had happened to Suhaib, and no official provided them with updates.

The following Monday, the police called and asked Suhaib’s parents to come to the station and give a DNA sample. In hindsight, the family realized this was to identify his body; at the time, the police did not tell them why they needed the sample or that their son had likely been killed.

It was 10 days after the October 7 massacre, on October 17, that police representatives, doctors, and social workers came to the family home to inform them that Suhaib was dead and that they would receive his body for burial.

The next day, Suhaib’s body was brought by a military ambulance to a hospital in East Jerusalem and from there to burial. Even then, army and state officials did not provide details about the circumstances of his death.

“They gave us a slip saying he had died, but the cause of death — we don’t know. Until now, we don’t know,” Razeem said.

Suhaib was laid to rest 11 days after his murder, but, as Razeem noted, compared to other victims of October 7, this was relatively early, given the immense difficulty of locating and identifying bodies from the worst mass-casualty event in Israeli history.

“Jews who work with my children were surprised they gave him back to us so quickly, because for many others it took much longer,” he said.

Because of the DNA test, formal visual identification was not required. Still, Razeem went to see his son’s body when it was transferred from the ambulance to al-Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem, from where the funeral procession departed.

He described seeing injuries on the entire right side of his son’s body, but could not say more about what happened to him.

“I asked the person handling the body before the burial, ‘Is he intact?’ They said yes. We buried him, friends came, and we sat for three days,” Razeem said through tears, describing the mourning period in Islam.

What the family knows of that day

Any other details of his son’s death that Razeem knows today, he learned from the media.

The remains of the home of Pessi Cohen, where Hamas held 15 hostages on October 7, 2023, in Kibbutz Be’eri, seen on November 19, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Fluent in Hebrew, Razeem followed reports in Hebrew news outlets in the months after the massacre. The only two survivors from the hostage standoff in Cohen’s house in Kibbutz Be’eri, Hadas Dagan and Yasmin Porat, were interviewed and spoke about Suhaib.

They recounted how Suhaib had served as a translator between the other hostages and the terrorists, and it was likely for this reason that he was abducted at the Nova festival and taken to the Kibbutz Be’eri house.

Hadas Dagan (left) and Yasmin Porat. (Channel 12 screenshot)

The incident in Kibbutz Be’eri was one of three hostage standoffs between terrorists and Israeli forces during the October 7 onslaught. The others took place at a home in Ofakim and at the Sderot police station.

“[Suhaib] said to me, ‘Look at me, I’m from East Jerusalem. We [meaning the terrorists] want to take you to Gaza,'” Porat told Israel’s Channel 12 in December 2023 in a joint interview with Dagan.

According to Dagan, “At that moment there was unease around the table… and then the translator said, ‘Calm down, calm down, they’re only taking you to the Erez Crossing and to Gaza, and tomorrow night you’ll be home.’”

Porat, who survived because she was taken from the house as a human shield by a surrendering terrorist, told Haaretz: “I don’t know why they chose me. There was some sort of connection between me and Suhaib. At first, he calmed me and said they would take us both to the Erez Crossing. When the terrorists took a phone to speak to the police, Suhaib turned to me, and that’s how it began.”

Both survivors described how, late Saturday afternoon, after long hours of attempted negotiations between IDF and police forces outside the house and the terrorists inside, the IDF began shelling the building.

An IDF probe published last year also determined that Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram, by then in Kibbutz Be’eri but not at the house itself, had authorized the use of light tank shells to be fired at and near the home starting at 5:00 p.m. to pressure the terrorists to surrender.

According to the probe, one hostage was killed by the shelling. The causes of death of the other hostages were not definitively identified, though many were apparently killed by gunfire — possibly by the terrorists.

Beyond their rare interviews with the media, Razeem explained that the family does not speak about the circumstances of Suhaib’s death outside their immediate circle. When you enter the home, Suhaib’s memory is everywhere, but the details — even that he was murdered on October 7 — are kept within the family.

When asked if they ever talk about it with neighbors or acquaintances in East Jerusalem, Razeem replied: “We haven’t spoken to anyone about what happened. We don’t want people saying things later… What for, to open wounds? Everyone knows he died in the war. But what happened, and where he died — we don’t want to share. That’s within the family, between us, the children and the uncles. With anyone else, we don’t talk. It’s our secret.”

A devout Muslim, Razeem struggled when asked whether the fact that his son was killed by fellow Muslims made the loss harder to bear.

“That’s what happened,” he said. “We do not oppose God. This is how God decreed it. Arab Muslims don’t resist fate. Why? That is with God.”

A further challenge

Razeem’s daily life is now weighed down by another challenge common in East Jerusalem: the threat of home demolition. His house, built 22 years ago, was once under a demolition order that was canceled, Razeem said, but two years ago, the municipality reissued an order saying the home was built illegally.

Since then, he has twice met with Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion, who referred him to the city’s legal advisers. They didn’t cancel the order, but postponed it by two years. In the meantime, Razeem is meant to pay a fine of NIS 1,000 ($300) each month for unauthorized construction.

Building legally in Israel requires zoning plans, but East Jerusalem’s neighborhood master plans date back to the 1980s and 1990s and have not been updated to meet the needs of a growing population. Retroactively legalizing construction is generally a complicated process, dependent on land status and government approval.

“If I want anything now, it’s that they solve this,” Razeem said.

He added that from time to time, groups such as the Nova victims organization and associations commemorating terror victims reach out to him.

“They are fine, but I don’t want to involve them in what’s happening,” he said.

The Jerusalem Municipality said in response to a query from The Times of Israel: “Out of respect for the unfortunate circumstances and the tragedy that occurred, and at the request of the mayor, the municipal prosecutor met several times with Mr. Mohammed Razeem, father of the victim of the Nova festival, more than a year ago.

“As part of the assistance efforts, the family was granted relief in several payments and in interest on arrears for nonpayment of construction violation fines,” it continued, adding that efforts were being made to rectify the situation and prevent the building’s demolition amid a “complex” property dispute between Razeem and third parties.

Photos of Suhaib Razeem, who was murdered on October 7, 2023, are displayed at the entrance to his family’s home in Beit Hanina, East Jerusalem. (Nurit Yohanan/ The Times of Israel)

Looking at his pictures at night

Suhaib never had the chance to marry or have children.

“He hadn’t even started to build his life,” Razeem said.

Still, he left behind a large family — eight siblings and many nieces and nephews. The family continues to grow after his death. During our interview, one of his sisters went into labor with what would have been Suhaib’s 21st niece or nephew.

“I miss him in so many things. All his friends were married, so he would sit here with me at home. He looked after his nieces and nephews. He bought earrings for his niece, gifts for the kids, threw them little parties,” Razeem recalled, showing photos of Suhaib organizing family meals.

At the same time, Razeem described how he never restricted Suhaib in his life — perhaps a sign of being one of the younger children, after seven older brothers and sisters.

“He flew to Turkey, to Thailand. I never asked him, ‘Where are you, where are you going?’ I didn’t tie him down; I didn’t want him to feel bound,” Razeem said.

He admitted that last year, as October 7 approached, the grief hit him harder.

This year, the family held a memorial service for Suhaib ahead of the anniversary date.

“Last week, his mother made a memorial for him. She said, ‘I don’t want to do it on the 7, I want to do it separately.’ She invited her friends and neighbors, cooked food. We don’t forget him. At night, I sit, open my phone, and look at his pictures, the ones I showed you,” Razeem said.

Throughout the conversation, Razeem repeated that despite the passage of time, he still cannot grasp — and may never fully accept — the loss of his son.

“I still don’t understand what happened. I can’t make sense of how this disaster happened,” he said. “My mind can’t take it in. It’s like a dream, and I haven’t woken up from it yet.” link

Acronyms and Glossary

COGAT - Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories

ICC - International Criminal Court in the Hague

IJC - International Court of Justice in the Hague

IPS - Israel Prison System

MDA - Magen David Adom - Israel Ambulance Corp

PA - Palestinian Authority - President Mahmud Abbas, aka Abu Mazen

PMO- Prime Minister's Office

UAV - Unmanned Aerial vehicle, Drone. Could be used for surveillance and reconnaissance, or be weaponized with missiles or contain explosives for 'suicide' explosion mission

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