๐️Lonny's War Update- October 737, 2023 - October 12, 2025 ๐️
๐️Day 737 that 48 of our hostages are still in Hamas captivity๐️
- ‘Thank you, people of Israel’: Families forum organizes mass rally as hostages set to come home
Atmosphere in Hostages Square turns from somber to hopeful, but forum says struggle won’t end until last captive is freed; Witkoff, Kushner expected to make appearance
Tens of thousands of people are expected to join the families of the hostages at Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square Saturday night, for a triumphant final weekly rally ahead of their expected release from Gaza in the coming days.Under the banner “Thank you, people of Israel,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents most of the families of those abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023, said Saturday that they were calling on the entire public to join them in Tel Aviv.
The family members of a number of the hostages were set to speak at the rally, which will begin at 8:15 p.m.
Nova survivor and Israel’s entrant to the Eurovision Song Contest earlier this year, Yuval Raphael, will perform the song “New Day Will Rise.”
In addition, US President Donald Trump’s top Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner were expected to make an appearance at Hostages Square, according to the Kan broadcaster. The two spearheaded US efforts to secure the first phase of the ceasefire and hostage release agreement.
The Ynet news site reported that Witkoff, who has a close relationship with many of the hostages’ families, was expected to give a speech at the rally. The formal line-up for the event, released by the Hostage and Missing Families Forum, did not mention a speech by the US envoy.
In conjunction with the main rally in Tel Aviv, the forum said that parallel rallies will take place in Jerusalem, Sha’ar HaNegev Junction, and Karmei Gat.
“Now more than ever, our struggle is not over – and it will not end until the last hostage returns home,” the forum said in a statement.
“It is our shared responsibility, as the people of Israel, to ensure that the agreement is fully implemented,” the forum said.
In accordance with the first phase of the newly signed ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, the terror group is set to free the remaining 48 hostages — some 20 living, at least 26 thought to be dead — by midday Monday. However, Hamas has said that it could take more time to locate and return the bodies of some of the deceased captives, and indicated that some may never be located.
Hamas agreed to release the hostages in exchange for some 2000 Palestinian prisoners, several hundred of whom were serving life sentences for terror convictions in Israeli jails, as well as a phased withdrawal of IDF troops from Gaza and guarantees from the US and mediators that Israel will not resume the war.
Celebrations at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv as negotiators reach a deal to secure the release of all hostages from Gaza. October 9, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/FLASH90)Since the agreement was signed late Thursday, Hostages Square, the site of hundreds of heated protests and somber rallies over the past two years of war, has seen a more jovial atmosphere as Israelis anticipate the imminent return of the final 48 hostages from Gaza.
Beginning Thursday morning, cautious optimism and euphoria pervaded Hostages Square, as relatives of hostages and their supporters filled the plaza both to celebrate and anticipate the deal that was announced in the early hours of the morning on Thursday, and ratified by the government in the evening.
On Friday, several hostages’ families hosted a Shabbat dinner in the central Tel Aviv square, which they said they hope will be the last one without their loved ones ahead of their expected release.
Israelis gather for Shabbat dinner at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, October 10, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)The meal was open to the public and was followed by singing and dancing in the square.
“Dear people of Israel – we need you now more than ever,” said Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, and a prominent figure in the protest movement. “Our struggle is not over until all 48 hostages are returned home.”
“We’re in a storm of emotions,” she added. “We’re anxious and know nothing beyond what you also know. We’re here to share, to be with you. Shabbat Shalom, we love you.”
Einav Zangauker, center, mother of Matan Zangauker, who is being held hostage by Hamas, reacts along with other families and supporters of the captives after the announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a Gaza plan, at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Oct. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)Earlier Friday, Einav Zangauker went to Ben Gurion Airport to greet Ilana Gritzewsky, Matan’s partner and former hostage, as she returned to Israel following a trip to Washington, DC to advocate for her partner’s release.
The two were filmed running toward each other in the arrivals hall and embracing while weeping and celebrating the expected return of their loved one.
“It was the first time they saw each other since the deal was signed,” the forum said in a post on X, adding that it was the “first time in 735 days they cried tears of joy.”
“We did it. He’s coming home. They’re all coming home.”
Einav Zangauker came to the airport today. She waited for captivity survivor Ilana Gritzewsky, Matan’s partner, who came back from Washington D.C.
Terror groups in the Gaza Strip are holding 48 hostages, including 47 of the 251 abducted by Hamas-led terrorists on October 7, 2023. They include the bodies of at least 26 confirmed dead by the IDF. Twenty are believed to be alive, and there are grave concerns for the well-being of two others, Israeli officials have said. Among the bodies held by Hamas is an IDF soldier killed in Gaza in 2014. link
Witkoff confirms he visited Gaza to ensure Israel complying with Trump’s ceasefire plan
US special envoy Steve Witkoff tweets that he traveled to Gaza earlier today with the head of CENTCOM and Jared Kushner “to verify Israel’s compliance” with the hostage-release phase of the US plan for ending the Gaza war.
“We received detailed briefings on security, humanitarian aid and deconfliction efforts,” Witkoff writes.
“With continued commitment, peace remains within reach,” he adds.
Top Hamas official confirms hostage handover will begin Monday morning
A top Hamas official tells AFP that the release of the 48 hostages held by Palestinian terrorists in Gaza will begin on Monday morning.
“According to the signed agreement, the prisoner exchange is set to begin on Monday morning as agreed, and there are no new developments on this matter,” Osama Hamdan says in an interview with AFP.
Following the return of the hostages from Gaza, Israel will proceed with the release of about 2,000 Palestinian security prisoners, according to the terms of the first stage of a ceasefire deal signed by the two parties under US mediation.
Hamas has previously said that it will likely have difficulty locating the bodies of some of the deceased hostages within the 72-hour deadline, and Israel is aware of this.
There are believed to be 20 living hostages and 28 who are dead.
‘Days drenched in confusion’: Rachel Goldberg-Polin anticipates both joy and sorrow when hostages, living and dead, are returned
Rachel Goldberg-Polin tells a Jerusalem rally that her knees are buckling as she describes receiving countless messages from parents of both living and dead hostages in recent days, as Israel prepares for their return.
“They know that Jon and I know what it is to get your child home in a bag,” she says.
She says some will always be mourning their loved ones on Simhat Torah, the Jewish holiday that fell two years ago on October 7, 2023, and will always have to remember that for the rest of their lives.
“There is so much pain,” says Goldberg-Polin, adding that these are “days drenched in confusion.”
“There is a time to sob,” she says through tears, quoting the book of Ecclesiastes, which was read this past Shabbat during the Sukkot holiday.
She says she knows the country is desperate to be done with this chapter, “but we are not done yet until they are all home.”
She reminds the crowd that those suffering must be comforted and held by those who are seeing joy, and quotes from the prayer for peace. Link
Witkoff said to tell families it may be very difficult to locate some of the bodies of dead hostages
US special envoy Steve Witkoff told the families of hostages when he met with them earlier this evening that it could be very hard to locate some of the bodies of dead hostages, Channel 12 reports.
Hamas is obligated under the terms of the deal to return all 48 hostages, living and dead, by Monday. But it has indicated that it may not be able to locate them all within this deadline, and Israel is aware of this.
The families were deeply troubled by Witkoff’s assessment and are pleading for Israel to do everything to return every hostage, the report says.
There are believed to be 20 living hostages and 28 who are dead.
Three Israeli officials told CNN on Wednesday that Hamas might not be able to find all the dead hostages. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has known for months that this is the case, according to the officials.
One official told CNN that seven to nine bodies might not be retrieved, while another put that figure at between 10 and 15. The assessments were based on Israeli intelligence and information coming out of the talks in Egypt, the report said, though there was no way to know the exact figure. The CNN report was not publicly confirmed by Israeli authorities.
Some of the hostages’ families also expressed dismay that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s name was booed by some in Hostages Square when Witkoff praised Netanyahu and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer in his speech for their central roles in securing the hostage-ceasefire deal, Channel 12 says. They said this was inappropriate.Link
It is true that there are some hostage families who do not share the same feelings about Netanyahu that most of the families and most of Israel does but the boos were more than appropriate. I had the privilege of being one of the 400,000 people at this demonstration, and through my brother's activities on behalf of the hostages that made this possible, I had the added privilege of being back stages with the families. I heard the overwhelming boos from the masses as well as from the families around me. There is no doubt in the world in our minds the role both Netanyahu and Dermer played in preventing and torpedoing previous deals that would have brought the hostages home so much earlier. And worse than that, many of the 42 hostages who were killed in captivity could have been brought home alive, if not for Netanyahu preventing deals from being made. Witkoff obviously had an obligation to include Netanyahu and Dermer who were the 2 who actually made the deal in the end with Dermer being the signatory in Sharm el Sheikh but closing the deal was done due to tremendous pressure and threat by Trump for Netanyahu to finish the war and sign the deal. I would lay odds that Jared Kushner had also planned to thank Netanyahu and Dermer in his speech after Witkoff but decided to drop that part. He can be seen with a big smirk and a chuckle when the continuous boos were sounded.
This deal was not of Netanyahu's making and had it been up to him, this horrible war would be going on for at least the next year as both he and Dermer have said on multiple occasions. It didn't matter to either of them how many more hostages would die as long as it served Netanyahu's political needs. I remind everyone here what Dermer said just a few months ago to one of the fathers of a soldier hostage who was killed on October 7 and his body was taken to Gaza. This soldier also happens to be an American citizen. I was told this directly by the father of the hostage. Dermer said what does he care about 20 hostages (referring to the 20 known living hostages and nothing about the dead). If there were 6 million hostages, that would be a different story. He, Dermer, a Minister in the government, one of the closest people to Netanyahu and the person that Netanyahu put in charge of the hostage negotiations almost 9 months ago, then told this father to go to the Americans to get help, basically saying that help was not coming from him or the Israeli government, and that is what we have just seen.
Due to these strange circumstances and world constellations, we all knew that the only one to get Netanyahu to end the war was Trump and that is precisely what happened. Neither Netanyahu, nor Dermer deserve even an iota of praise for ending the war or bringing home the hostages. These hostages as well as the other 203 who were brought home, living and dead were taken captive under Netanyahu's watch and due to his years of actions and inactions that brought about October 7. He has never and probably will never take a shred of responsibility for October 7 and has done all he can to rewrite the narrative and put all blame on the security organizations. He attempts to take credit for bringing home the other hostages who would never had been there but for his negligence, abandonment and direct actions. A State Commission of Inquiry that will eventually be formed (sooner hopefully than later) will clearly determine his responsibility and blame and the world will see that his blame is not just for October 7 but also for the mishandling of the war and deliberate mishandling of the hostage crisis and the blood of so many is on his hands.
So, yes, the boos of the crowd are well deserved, they will continue and they will grow.Likud lawmakers and Gantz berate crowds at Hostages Square for booing Netanyahu during Witkoff’s speech
Members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition defend the premier after a large crowd gathered at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv tonight booed at the mention of his name during a speech by US special envoy Steve Witkoff in celebration of the hostage deal.
Justice Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Yariv Levin calls the boos “a great disgrace” and “a shameful display of ingratitude toward Prime Minister Netanyahu, who led the State of Israel through one of its most difficult times and achieved the tremendous accomplishments…that include the return of the hostages.”
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, in an apparent reference to the incident, shares a photo of Netanyahu on X, captioned: “Prime Minister of Israel — the toughest job in the world, and the most thankless of all.”
Likud member and chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Boaz Bismuth joins in, saying the premier “doesn’t need people to clap for him; the history books will do it in their place. They will continue to boo, and he will continue to write the chapters that everyone will still learn in the history of the people of Israel.”
Education Minister Yoav Kisch writes: “These extremist fringes do not represent the majority of the people of Israel, who support the agreement and are grateful to those who brought it about — Netanyahu and [Strategic Affairs Minister Ron] Dermer.”
Weighing in from the opposition, Blue and White-National Unity chair Benny Gantz also condemns the booing, writing on X: “I have tremendous appreciation for the general public that comes, week after week, to Hostage Square and to rallies across the country. And I am also part of it. But even when there are differences of opinion, to boo the Prime Minister of Israel, in front of the American government envoy and in the presence of the hostages’ families – that is a mistake.”
“I am certain that these shouts do not represent the majority of the people of Israel, nor the majority of those present in the square,” he says. Link I am not the least surprised by the words coming out of the mouths of some of the most loathsome politicians in our Knesset. The only one of these mentioned in this article to actually do anything for the benefit of the hostages and trying to get a deal made so much sooner was Gantz. All of the others, Likud petty politicians have supported their boss Netanyahu through every step of destroying negotiations and previous deals and leaving the remaining hostages to languish, rot, die and be killed in captivity. They have proven that there are no limits to their depths of depravity. Justice Minister Levin who pushed his detailed plan to overthrow the judicial system to shift power over the courts to the government was directly responsible for the ten months of massive protests throughout the country against this destruction of democracy. All of the security chiefs (IDF, Shin Bet, Mossad) warned Netanyahu that these judicial overthrow actions and the civilian protests were weakening the country in the eyes of our enemies and made strong recommendations that the judicial overthrow be halted. Not only did Netanyahu not listen to them, he refused to meet with the IDF Chief of Staff on 3 separate occasions before October 7. Upon the outbreak of the massacre and war, many of the coalition members promoted the stopping of the judicial overthrow and it was temporarily put on ice. But that temporary was very short lived. Levin, backed by Netanyahu and other deplorable members of the coalition, such as the chair of the Knesset Judicial Committee could not hold it in their pants and continued pushing their overthrow. The only thing that was different was that they wised up a bit and decided to push it in a piecemeal way so it would draw less attention. They already knew that they needed to keep it under the radar as much as possible while soldiers were fighting and getting killed in the war and hundreds of hostages were rotting and being tortured and killed in captivity. Decent people (I guess that it's very hard to attach the word decent with most of our politicians) would have said that this needs to wait till after the war and even after the next elections. Not them, they decided to take advantage of the horrible situation of the country to push this through as quietly as possible knowing that there would not be any demonstrations against it as all of the potential demonstrators were already demonstrating for the benefit of the hostages. Cynical, unethical and morally corrupt.
And then we have the Knesset Speaker, Amir Ohana who had the Knesset police push and shove to the ground a number of hostage families inside the Knesset, as well as calling the police to harass demonstrators for the hostages who were calling out the names of the hostages outside of his home.
And I will round this out with the Education Minister Kish, who should never have the word Education associated with his name. (He was an air force pilot) He had given specific directives for the hostage situation not to be a topic discussed in schools around the country. He, too called the police as late as 3 weeks ago (and at other times) to break up legal demonstrations for the hostages outside of his home , where several people were arrested on phony charges only to be released without conditions by judges. And to make matters worse and disgraceful, when teachers around the country were promoting the wearing of yellow shirts to support the hostages for the first day of school, he stated publicly that they shouldn't do it because the yellow was not festive. As the husband and father of teachers and as a volunteer teacher myself, I know that many teachers were fearful of wearing many of the hostage supporting T-shirts to school because there might be professional repercussions by this minister and his cronies in the Education ministry. October 7 happened under their watch and responsibility and they turned the entire hostage situation from a national responsibility and crisis into a political situation because it suited their political positions and shirking of all responsibility. With the war ending and the hostages coming home, the next steps that will be seen will be the call for early elections and demands for a State Commission of Inquiry, where these same petty politicians will see the end of their power and a commision that will find them responsible for so much of what brought us to October 7, the mismanagement of the war and the hostage crisis. Time is not on their side.Hostages’ relatives vow to build back better, laud Trump’s ‘leadership with bravery’
Ruby Chen, whose soldier son Itay Chen’s body is slated for return in the Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal, says while he is “happy for the hostage families who will hug their loved ones,” he also has “a feeling as though a 20-ton hammer suddenly fell on you, coming to terms with the reality of the loss of a son.”
“That’s the feeling that I and 27 other families of slain [hostages] share with almost 2,000 heroic families who didn’t want to be heroes, whose sacrifice of their loved ones lets an entire nation celebrate today,” he says at Hostages Square, referring to the families of fallen soldiers.
“This time, we won’t let the war end like Protective Edge, when the government of Israel decided it was unnecessary to fight for the slain abducted soldiers who were left behind,” says Chen, referring to the 2014 Gaza war, which ended with the remains of two Israeli soldiers still in Gaza.
The body of one of the slain soldiers, Oron Shaul, was retrieved by Israel earlier this year, while the other, Hadar Goldin, is slated for return in the current deal.
“The quiet that was bought through the non-return of Hadar and Oron led to October 7, and that must not happen again,” he says. “So please… I want to hear you and be sure of your answer — do you promise to fight with me until the last hostage?”
“Yes!” roars the crowd, which is still riled up from the speeches of US President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, and of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump.
“They say success has many fathers while failure is an orphan,” says Itzik Horn, whose son Eitan Horn is also slated to return after his other son Iair, was released in February as part of the last deal
“We’ll find the people responsible for the failure, but what’s certain is that this success has one father — President Trump.”
“I wish we will also have the privilege of leadership with bravery,” he says.
“This is not a happy occasion,” he says. “This is the end of the worst day in the history of the country — Israeli citizens are returning to their land after being abandoned.”
“We’ll pray and promise — never again,” he says. “No more denigration of human life. No more abandonment.”
“The most important thing is that this will not end until the very last of the hostages comes home,” he says.
The square was jam-packed tonight, with far more children in attendance than usual. On the adjacent Shaul HaMelech Street, police moved traffic-blocking trucks farther up the road to clear more space for the crowd overflowing from the square.
There is an air of finality to the whole affair.
As the rally kicks off, an MC leads the regular chants — “the image of victory is the last hostage,” “until they’re back we’re all hostages” and a now past-tense “only the people brought back the hostages” — before thanking the crowd: “Thank you for being with us the entire time.”
The crowd, applauding what it hopes is its last time here, is dotted with Israeli flags, yellow flags signifying the hostages’ cause, and US flags and other tributes to Trump for helping secure the deal. Link The hostage families and the returned hostages are absolutely amazing. They have shown the entire country what being Israeli is all about. Almost without exception, the returned hostages joined the fight to bring home all of the rest of the hostages. They are still in need of personal rehabilitation and healing, physical and mental and that will take a very long time, but they have chosen to put them on hold and fight for the hostages. They have all said that as long as there are still hostages in Gaza, they cannot feel that they have been brought home. A piece of them remains in Gaza. The same has been with the families of the returned hostages, the living and the dead. Their fight was not theirs alone. They have been struggling together with the nation for a common goal, the return of all the hostages. They are not nameless and they are all members of our families. It is also not enough to bring home their loved ones, they are there to support all of the rest of the families and hostages and have vowed to not end the fight until the last hostage has been brought home. They are living the strong Israeli ethic that we are all responsible for each other. Theirs are not just words, they are actions that demand great personal sacrifice and they have given their all. We are living in a time when the public, the average Israeli is showing that morals and ethics matter and that we must take care of each other, even when the government abandons us all for their own self interests. Our so called leaders are not the examples to be followed, they are the examples of all that has gone wrong in our politics and it now upon us, the people to rebuild Israel as we know it can be, with morals, with ethics, with caring, with vision, with altruism, and with love. Throughout this war, whenever I have been asked if one of the hostates are my family, my answer has always been very simple: "They all are!" and I am not alone by far. There are millions like me and we will help to bring about the Israel we can be proud of and we will demand leaders who are worthy of us and get rid of the trash of self interested petty politicians who care firstly for themselves, who have no vision for a better future and who insists that we will forever live by the sword. This is not what we want for our future and certainly not from our leaders. So, we stand with Ruby Chen and the others who have shown us what it means to be an Israeli, to build back better and we will not let them down.
**There is nothing more important than getting them home! NOTHING!**
“I’ve never met them,
“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.
Red Alerts - Missile, Rocket, Drone (UAV - unmanned aerial vehicles), and Terror Attacks and Death Announcements
*
Reservist succumbs to wounds sustained in accidental grenade blast in southern Gaza this week
Master Sgt. (res.) Shmuel Gad Rahamim (Israel Defense Forces)
A reservist soldier who was seriously wounded in an accidental grenade blast in the southern Gaza Strip earlier this week succumbed to his wounds over the weekend, the military announces.
He is named as Master Sgt. (res.) Shmuel Gad Rahamim, 31, of the Southern Brigade’s 7015th Battalion, from Givat Ze’ev.
MAY HIS MEMORY BE A REVOLUTION
The incident took place at around 8 a.m. on Tuesday at an IDF post in the Khan Younis area. Inside a room where soldiers were residing and sleeping, a grenade exploded due to unclear circumstances.
Two other reservists were wounded in the incident, including one seriously.
The IDF has established a panel of experts led by a colonel to examine the incident.
Malnourished 12 year-old Gazan girl dies after unsuccessful attempts to secure medical evacuation
Huda Abu Najah, a 12-year-old Palestinian girl from Gaza, died this week from starvation, her doctor confirms to Haaretz.
Her death came after months of unsuccessful lobbying by international organizations to secure her evacuation from the Gaza Strip, Haaretz says.
Abu Najah was featured in a Haaretz articlepublished August 21, which reported on several cases of child malnutrition experienced at several hospitals and clinics in the Strip.
Dr. Ahmed Al-Farra, director of the pediatric department in Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, informed Haaretz of her death this morning.
According to the report, Abu Najah died of a “simple infection” that her immune system, weakened by months of malnutrition, could not fight off. Video
IDF says it foiled smuggling attempt on the Egyptian border
The IDF says it foiled an attempted smuggling of contraband from Egypt into Israel earlier this evening.
Two suspects involved in the smuggling, who were identified by troops on the Israeli side of the border, attempted to ram their vehicle into the soldiers, the army says.
The troops opened fire, hitting one of the suspects and detaining the other, according to the IDF. The condition of the suspect who was shot is not detailed.
No soldiers were injured in the incident.
In the past year, there have been frequent attempts to bring weapons and drugs over the Egyptian border using drones.
Anti-Hamas militia leader in Gaza vows to fight the terror group ‘until it is finished’
Hussam al-Astal, the leader of a militia battling Hamas in the Khan Younis area, tells The Times of Israel that despite the ceasefire and the return of Hamas members openly patrolling the streets, his militia will continue fighting them.
“We will fight Hamas until it is finished, not us. We are here and we are not moving,” he says.
“If Hamas were truly present, if it had power, they wouldn’t come out in civilian clothes and masked,” he says, referring to the footage of the operatives returning to the streets published by Hamas-affiliated media over the past day. “They are afraid. Five or ten people came out in one place, filmed themselves, just to show they are around. Why? Because they are finished and they know it.”
In a video he sent to journalists earlier, al-Astal emphasized that all the rumors Hamas has spread about killing members of militias fighting against it are false.
He also urged Gaza residents not to fear Hamas, saying: “There will be no second Hamas.” Link The overwhelming majority of Gazans hate Hamas with a passion. Prior to the war, the support for Hamas was less than 18% according to an anonymous online survey (the only way to gauge real numbers and not have them doctored by Hamas) and now after the war, the support is less than 8%. Gazans have lived for so long under the terror of Hamas. They were afraid to speak out against Hamas knowing they could be taken off the streets, tortured, imprisoned and many times killed for doing so, or for supporting dialogue with Israelis or supporting peace. Their lives were also dependent on Hamas, which controlled every aspect of their lives: clinics and hospitals, schools and universities, markets, energy, banks, everything. Hamas was elected almost 20 years ago, not because of their ideology but because people wanted change. They viewed the PLO as being corrupt and at the time, Hamas ran social and humanitarian organizations that provided food, medicine, child care, clothing, etc. so they had a positive influence on the population. As time went by, the Gazans saw the other face of Hamas but it was too late. Now, they are at the end of that era and desperately want Hamas out. However, the only way to really get rid of them is with an alternative that will bring them hope and plans for a better future which will include rebuilding of Gaza and actions for the good of the population, and not for their militaristic ideologies. This is in the works and hopefully will happen very soon, but until that happens, Hamas is trying to assert their presence and power once again on the streets. These militias are trying to fight them and show that they will not allow Hamas to regain power again in Gaza. The militias and the government to come will support these actions. The Gazans overwhelmingly blame Hamas more than Israel for the almost total destruction of Gaza and don't ever want to see them in power again. Don't get me wrong at all, they certainly hold Israel to blame for a lot but first to blame is Hamas. This gives us all hope for a better future and the possibility of ending this 100 year conflict. It is within our reach but will depend on new leadership from both of our sides, new visions, new partners and the long process of trust building but it is all possible.
Footage from Gaza shows masked gunmen, said to be Hamas operatives, shooting man in the street
A Telegram channel run by a Gaza native based in Turkey publishes a video showing armed, masked men shooting a man in the leg in the middle of a street in the Gaza Strip.
According to the channel, the gunmen are Hamas operatives, and the footage was filmed in the western part of the Strip.
During the war, Hamas members have regularly shot Gazans in the legs, accusing them either of collaborating with Israel or of stealing humanitarian aid.
In the past 24 hours, since the ceasefire came into effect, media outlets affiliated with Hamas have released footage of Hamas police forces redeploying in the streets of Gaza.
From the footage, it appears that their numbers are not large, although the BBC reports that some 7,000 have been given mobilization orders.
In the footage, some of the officers appear without uniforms, although all of them are masked.
Families of prisoners set for release said raided by troops amid bid to squelch celebrations
Palestinian media report that the IDF has begun raiding the West Bank homes of Palestinian security prisoners set to be released in exchange for hostages as part of the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire deal.
Troops reportedly carried out searches and arrests across the West Bank, warning families against hosting receptions celebrating the release of their relatives, outwardly praising terror, or hoisting Palestinian flags upon their return.
The army raided the homes of eight prisoners slated for release in and around Nablus, along with the homes of three prisoners in Hebron and its surrounding area, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office says.
Israel is expected to release 250 prisoners, all serving life sentences for terror offenses, in exchange for the 48 hostages still held captive in Gaza.
Of these terror convicts, 115 will return to their homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, while another 135 will be sent to Gaza or deported abroad. Another 1,722 Gazan detainees arrested over the course of the war are also to be released.
The prisoners have already been transferred to two detention facilities pending their release, Hebrew outlets report.
Similar to the waves of prisoner releases under February’s hostage deal, West Bank-bound prisoners were taken to Ofer Prison north of Jerusalem while Gaza-bound prisoners and deportees were gathered at Ketziot Prison in the Negev.
Hamas source says group relinquishing control of Gaza, calling long-term truce
A Hamas source close to the group’s negotiating team tells AFP that it will not participate in post-war Gaza governance, days after an Israel-Hamas ceasefire came into effect.
“For Hamas, the governance of the Gaza Strip is a closed issue. Hamas will not participate at all in the transitional phase, which means it has relinquished control of the Strip, but it remains a fundamental part of the Palestinian fabric,” the source tells AFP, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
It is not clear to what extent the source speaks for the rest of the organization.
On Friday, hours after a ceasefire in Gaza came into effect, the terror group published pictures showing armed operatives belonging to its internal security apparatus tasked with maintaining order within the Strip appearing in public for the first time since the previous ceasefire, in what appeared to be a limited show of force.
The source also says the group is ready to pause armed operations, contradicting another Hamas official who said earlier that disarmament was “out of the question.”
“Hamas agrees to a long-term truce, and for its weapons not to be used at all during this period, except in the event of an Israeli attack on Gaza,” the source says.
The source says Hamas has asked for mediator Egypt to call a meeting before the end of next week to agree on the composition of a temporary technocratic and apolitical Palestinian committee charged with the day-to-day running of public services, adding that “the names are almost ready.”
“Hamas, along with the other factions, has submitted 40 names. There is absolutely no veto over them, and none of them belong to Hamas,” he adds.
Reasserting control, Hamas forces reportedly begin taking down rival militias
The Saudi daily Asharq Al-Awsat reports that armed Hamas operatives in northern Gaza have begun hunting down militias opposed to their rule, as they seek to reassert power in the Strip following the partial withdrawal of Israeli troops.
Security forces — including the Internal Security branch, which is responsible for maintaining order, and the intelligence apparatus of Hamas’s military wing — have in recent days begun deploying in the Jabaliya neighborhood and refugee camp in the northeast of Gaza City, according to the report.
According to the report, Hamas operatives have killed some militia members and arrested others.
Yesterday, outlets affiliated with Hamas reported that the group killed several members of the Dormush family, which has previously been reported as resisting Hamas. The clan later put out a statement denying the claim.
In southern Gaza, where some armed clans had begun attempting to carve out anti-Hamas enclaves, reportedly with the support and protection of Israel, militia leader Hussam al-Astal distributed a video to journalists yesterday denying reports that Hamas had killed a fellow anti-Hamas militia commander in northern Gaza.
UN force says peacekeeper in Lebanon injured by IDF grenade
The UNIFIL peacekeeping force in Lebanon says one of its observers was lightly injured by a grenade dropped by an Israeli drone in the Kafr Kila area of southern Lebanon yesterday, days after it complained about grenades being dropped near Blue Helmets.
“Just before noon yesterday, an Israeli drone dropped a grenade that exploded near a UNIFIL position” in Kafr Kila, the observer force says.
The observer was lightly hurt and received medical assistance, it says.
“Before the grenade was dropped, peacekeepers had observed two drones flying near their position,” UNIFIL adds.
There is no immediate comment from the IDF.
Earlier this month, UNIFIL accused the IDF of dropping grenades near its observers in southern Lebanon. In response to that incident, the IDF said it was investigating.
Smotrich claims officials delayed sending troops south on Oct. 7 because they thought invasion was ‘deception’ to allow Hezbollah assault up north
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich claims in an interview with the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper that the government and the IDF delayed sending troops to southern Israel by several hours on October 7, 2023, because they thought that the Hamas invasion might be a distraction intended to draw troops away from northern Israel, leaving the border vulnerable to a simultaneous Hezbollah invasion.
He recalls that between “11 a.m. and 12 p.m.” on October 7, he sat on the phone with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former defense minister Yoav Gallant, and ex-IDF chief Herzi Halevi, debating whether or not to send forces down south, where civilians were being slaughtered by invading terrorists.
“We still didn’t know if the catastrophe in the south was just a deception created by Hamas so that we would send all the forces south, and then Hezbollah would attack us from the north,” he says. “That’s why we waited a moment, and only when intelligence arrived and we realized it wasn’t coordinated, did we send the forces south.”
He says they “weren’t aware of the scope” of the assault, in which dozens of communities were invaded and destroyed, some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — were killed, and 251 were taken hostage.
Still, he says god “did us a favor” with the October 7 attack, as it “woke us up” to the threat on the other side of the Gaza border “after many years of being asleep.” Link There aren't enough foul words in our lexicon to express my total disgust with Smotrich and all of his ilk. Let us remember certain facts about this disgusting and deplorable excuse for a human being. He is the same government minister who said on multiple occasions before October 7 that Hamas is an asset to Israel. He is the same person who demanded a different room in the hospital when his wife gave birth because they refused to be in the same room with Arab women who had just given birth. He is the same person who together with the other even more deplorable minister had prevented other hostages deals to be made so the war could continue and they could realize their dreams of expelling all Palestinians and rebuilding Gaza with only Jewish settlements. He is the same minister who demanded from Netanyahu that thousands of troops be brought to the West Bank to protect settlers and visitors to the Sukkah that they deliberately set up in the middle of the Palestinian Village of Hwarwa to show the Palestinians that the Jews are the boss and all of their land would become that of Jews. Those troops came from the Gaza border two years ago the week of the massacre. And his statement, said on a number of occasions of Thank God for the massacre because it woke us up to what was happening in Gaza. What was happening in Gaza was thanks to him, others like him and Netanyahu who made sure to strengthen Hamas while weakening the Palestinian Authority which was set up as the governing body to further negotiate and end to the conflict and a future of peace.
Egypt to host over 20 world leaders at Trump-led summit to finalize Gaza peace plan Monday; Israel said not to be attending
Egypt will host an international summit in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday to finalize an agreement aimed at ending the war in Gaza, an Egyptian presidential spokesperson says.
The summit will be attended by more than 20 leaders, including US President Donald Trump, the spokesperson adds in a statement.
The summit was first reported by Axiosyesterday, which said Trump had organized the event and that invitations had been extended to leaders or foreign ministers from Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Indonesia.
The outlet reports now that the US State Department issued official invitations to the leaders’ summit, and has significantly expanded the list of invitees to include Spain, Japan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Hungary, India, El Salvador, Cyprus, Greece, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Canada. Iran was also invited, according to one source cited by the outlet, which adds that Israel will not participate.
Report says Egypt refused to invite PA’s Abbas to peace confabA senior official in the Palestinian Authority tells the Qatari daily Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the PA has not been invited to a peace summit of world leaders set to take place in Sharm el-Sheikh under the auspices of the US and Egypt.
According to the source, the Palestinian leadership asked Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to invite PA President Mahmoud Abbas for Monday’s conference, and also sought a meeting with him, to convey the message that the Palestinian leadership is the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinians.
However, the request was not granted. According to the source, the rejection stemmed from the fact that the PA is not officially part of the White House’s postwar plan, which calls for reforms in Ramallah before it can take on governing responsibilities.
Roni Keidar (Photo: Shaul Golan)
Shahar Shnourman (Photo: Shaul Golan)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