๐️Lonny's War Update- October 740, 2023 - October 15, 2025 ๐️
๐️Day 740 that 21 of our hostages are still in Hamas captivity๐️
**There is nothing more important than getting them home! NOTHING!**
"The time has come, the 'return' in October" (return and seventh or homonyms in Hebrew)
“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.
“I’ve never met them,
Today, the 740th day of captivity and the beginning of this horrible war on a day that no one will ever forget, October 7, 2023, will be my last daily update of the war and hostage crisis.
I have been posting updates since the war broke out and felt that it was my mission to help keep English speakers informed with real and current news out of Israel. It came with personal and emotional costs that I have been willing to pay because of its importance. I said that I would continue this as long as there were hostages still in Gaza. I will continue to send out periodic updates when there is news about the rest of the hostages and we all sincerely hope that our horribly failed government will not drag us back to war.
We are happy, thrilled that all of the living hostages have all come home, yet there are still 21 (16-17 as of later today, hopefully) bodies of hostages in Gaza and we are painfully aware that some of them may never be found. I am still deeply involved in the struggle to return all of the hostages but I feel that my mission has come to its needed end and for me to begin my own healing process. My yellow hostage pins stay on my shirt, as does the hostage dog tag around my neck and I am continuing to wear my hostage shirts and have the hostage banners on the front of my house. and the bumper stickers covering the back of my car. Our struggle has not ended and we must continue to support the hostage families who have not yet been able to bring their loved ones to a proper burial.
I am so proud of my brother, Dr. Gershon Baskin for the incredible role he has played to bring about the end of the war and the return of all of the living hostages and the ongoing return of the bodies of the dead. Without his never ending drive and devotion throughout these two miserable years, we would not be here. In the coming weeks, his efforts and success will come out completely and it will be revealed and recognized that his critical part was the driving force that brought us to this moment in time. When things calm down a bit, I will begin a campaign to support Gershon to be nominated for the Israel Prize.
Today, after 2 years of ongoing agony following the massacre of October 7, no Israeli will ever be the same. October 7 changed the DNA or the country and every one who lives here. We have been living in trauma since then and can only now begin the healing process, both on the personal level and the national level. We have a country to rebuild and work towards creating what we know Israel can be and not what we were on October 6.
Our deepest, most enshrined ethics were tested and the people of Israel (most of us) came through and proved that the words ״ืื ืืฉืจืื ืขืจืืื ืื ืืื״ - Kol Yisrael arevim zeh lezeh
meaning "All of Israel are responsible one for another" is an expression coined by the Sages, and its original meaning is that every Jew bears responsibility for the observance of the commandments of his fellow. This responsibility has a moral meaning and also practical halachic consequences. In modern times the expression has become common with a different meaning, according to which every Jew is responsible for the safety and well-being of his fellow.
It is also known as ืขืจืืืช ืืืืืช Arvut Hadadit meaning Mutual responsibility is a principle of communal accountability, in which every member of the community is responsible for the safety and well-being of his fellow, and in return every member receives the support of the collective. This concept, which appears in the Jewish expression "All of Israel are responsible one for another," receives contemporary expressions in volunteer organizations, cooperatives, and the strengthening of social cohesion.
And the second and no less important ethic we have all had engraved on our moral code is ืคืืืื ืฉืืืืื Pidyon Shvu'im, the redemption of prisoners (hostages) which was deemed the most important mitzvah by both Ramban and Rambam. Most of the country fully understood this ethic and embraced it fully.
Unfortunately, our government and prime minister did not.
The government abandoned the entire country and continues to operate as though it is still October 6. Our criminally indicted Prime Minister abandoned the country and made every decision based on what was good for him politically before considering what was good and needed for the country and the people. The worst thing that this government did was to turn the national crisis of the hostages into a political issue and associate it with anti government protests. This was to serve their own interests and attempt to divert the responsibility for the crisis, the October 7 massacre, everything that led up to it, and the mismanagement of the war. None of this will be forgiven or forgotten.
There will be a State Commission of Inquiry that will investigate and discover everything that led to October 7, both to help us make sure that it can never happen again and to determine who was responsible, both morally and legally. The establishment of this commission should have been a natural outcome of October 7 and would have if not for having a Prime Minister who knows that he will be found responsible for so many of the failures leading up to October 7 and all that came after. This man, who claimed to be the savior of the Jewish People (not just the State of Israel) and who believed his legacy would bring about cities, universities, buildings and roads named after him, will go down in the history books as the worst prime minister in our history, and the most dangerous person in Israel who did more damage to the State than any of our enemies in our history.
The war, hopefully is over, all of the living hostages are home and we can now begin to create our new normal which will not and cannot be anything like our normal of October 6. But our struggles have not ended. We must stay with the hostage families until the last hostage comes home. We must demand and fight for the establishment of the State Commission of Inquiry and we must fight for early elections to bring us new leadership that will have to work so very hard to prove that they are worthy of the new Israel as we are are worthy of having leaders who think of the country and the people as their first and only priority, leaders who will not base their entire platform and operate on the notion that 'we must forever live by the sword', leaders who will work day and night to bring us to a new reality of peace and a new Middle East where the interests of our neighbors are our shared interests and that we can no longer believe that our 100 year conflict can be managed. It cannot, and October 7 should be the loudest wake up call to that fact. The conflict must be solved. There are an equal amount of Jews and Palestinians living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea and neither of us is going anywhere. The only solution is for each of us to be able to live in peace is when each people can celebrate their national ambitions, needs and goals for territorial expression and that can only be achieved with a 2 State Solution.
Today, with what we believe is the end of the war, very few of us know how to feel after 2 horrendous years of fear, destruction, death, hostages, anxieties, pain, and the list goes on. We are so very happy that all the living hostages are finally home with their families (and every single one has become part of the greater family of the people of Israel), we are in pain for the hostage families who are 'fortunate' enough to be able to bury their loved ones and even more in pain for those who are still waiting. We have been in trauma and surrounded by trauma.
We know it's now alright to smile and laugh without guilt. We have to remember and relearn how to do that. I can now wash dishes and not think that I am using more water than the hostages get in a week.
We're not yet able to internalize the new day and how we are supposed to act and even greet people. Our wish for better days remains but now we can act to bring it forward and create those better days. As the writer Peter Drucker once wrote ""There is only one sure way to predict the future. Create it! "
Now is the time for us lovers of the real Israel to take our power, our endurance, our strength that we have shown for the last 2 years and create a better future. We will only be able to do that with new leadership, some of whom will come from the pillars of strength that have shone during this time. The strength of this dear country is not housed in the Knesset and it certainly doesn't come from this government which is the furthest thing in the world from being the representative of the people. Now is the time for hope but it must be accompanied by action and that action is in the hands of us, the people of Israel. Just as it happened since the beginning of the war when all saw the paralysis of this failed government, the civilian actions saved us, brought us together and showed the strength, sturdiness, steadfastness and ability to overcome and this is what is going to bring about the New Israel that we all dream about.
Lonny Baskin - October 15, 2025
Red Alerts - Missile, Rocket, Drone (UAV - unmanned aerial vehicles), and Terror Attacks and Death Announcements
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Bodies of hostages Eitan Levy, Tamir Nimrodi and Uriel Baruch identified after return from Gaza
The fouth body is not of a hostage.
Alongside Baruch, Levy and Nimrodi, an additional body was brought to the Abu Kabir Institute of Forensic Medicine; additional remains are expected to be transferred to Israel later WednesdayIsraeli authorities have identified the bodies of hostages Eitan Levy, Tamir Nimrodi and Uriel Baruch, whose remains were returned from Gaza overnight, nearly two years after they were abducted by Hamas during the Oct. 7, 2023, assault.The Abu Kabir Institute of Forensic Medicine confirmed the identifications early Wednesday. One additional body returned from Gaza is still undergoing identification. Levy, from Bat Yam, was described by relatives as a warm and devoted family man “who always cared for others before himself.” His greatest loves were his only son, Shahar, and his two dogs.Eitan Levy
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement: “The families of the hostages and the returned embrace the Levy family, whose loved one Eitan, may his memory be blessed, was brought home for a proper burial. Alongside the sorrow and the understanding that the heart will never be whole, the return of Eitan’s body brings some measure of relief to a family that has lived with agonizing uncertainty for more than two years. We will not rest until all 20 remaining hostages are brought home.” Levy had been listed as missing for more than 40 days after Oct. 7 before being confirmed as a hostage. Sixty-two days later, the army informed his family that he was considered a slain hostage in Gaza. He is survived by his son Shahar, fiancรฉe Shir, and extended family members Aviva, Chen, Sani, Reef and River.The body of IDF soldier Tamir Nimrodi, who had been classified as a hostage in critical danger, was also identified. His father, Alon Nimrodi, wrote on X, formerly Twitter:“With heartbreaking sorrow and unbearable pain, we announce that the body of my beloved eldest son, Tamir, was returned from Gaza overnight. Details about the funeral will be shared later.”Tamir NimrodiUriel Baruch, 35, from Giv’on, was kidnapped while driving home from the Nova music festival near Re’im. He is survived by his wife Racheli, two children, his parents and three siblings.Uriel BaruchHis family said in a statement: “With deep sorrow and great pain we announce the return of the body of our beloved Uriel Baruch, may his memory be a blessing, from the Gaza Strip, after nearly two long years of prayers, hope and faith.”A memorial service was scheduled for Wednesday evening at the Netzach Uriel Synagogue in Giv’on.Baruch’s father-in-law, Dan Entebi, wrote after the identification: “Our Uriel has come home,” adding broken-heart emojis.The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said Baruch worked in the construction materials industry and loved techno music. “He was a joyful person who loved life, going out and traveling the world. He was always surrounded by friends, some of whom affectionately called him Badalo,” the group said.MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE A REVOLUTIONHamas has not released the names of the hostages whose bodies were returned this week, unlike in previous transfers. Israeli officials estimate that roughly half of the remaining slain hostages are still in Gaza.The recovery effort is being coordinated with Qatari, Turkish and Egyptian mediators, and officials say the process of locating and identifying all the remains could take time.Hamas has claimed it knows the locations of 14 of 28 slain hostages, though Israeli security officials believe the group has information about more. Defense officials caution that even after current transfers are completed, some bodies may still remain missing in Gaza.Tamir Nimrodi ‘murdered in Hamas captivity,’ family says after body identified
After his body was returned yesterday, Tamir Nimrodi’s family says he was “murdered in Hamas captivity.”
Tamir Nimrodi, center, taken hostage from his army base on October 7, 2023, with his two younger sisters, Mika, left and Amit (Courtesy)The fate of the soldier, who was abducted from his base near the Erez crossing, was the last among the captives to be unconfirmed until his body was identified this morning.
“After two years of excruciating uncertainty, we received the difficult news of the identification of our dear Tamir. Tamir was kidnapped cruelly from his base and murdered in Hamas captivity,” his family says, adding they will stand by other families until all bodies are returned to Israel.
Eitan Levy confirmed as one of bodies returned by Hamas last night
Eitan Levy, 53, has been confirmed as one of the bodies returned by Hamas last night, the Hostages and Missing Families forum announces.
Levy, from Bat Yam, was listed as missing for more than 40 days before being officially recognized as a hostage. After 62 days, the Israel Defense Forces informed his family that he was presumed killed while in captivity in Gaza.
A cab driver, Levy, dropped a passenger off in Kibbutz Be’eri around 7:15 a.m. on October 7, 2023. He then called his son, Shahar, to tell him about the Hamas missiles. While on the phone, Shahar heard his father run into a Hamas ambush, and he heard Arabic shouting in the background and shooting before the call was ultimately disconnected.
After Levy was missing for 40 days, his family was informed that he was believed to be held hostage in Gaza. Then, in December 2023, authorities confirmed that Eitan had been murdered on October 7 and his body taken captive.
In August 2024, his family agreed to release graphic footage of Levy’s body being driven through the streets of Gaza and being kicked and stomped on by Gazans.
After his death was confirmed, Eitan’s family held a memorial service and sat shiva, the weeklong mourning period, but were not able to hold a funeral.
He is survived by his son, Shahar, and his sister, Sigi.
“Alongside the sorrow and the understanding that the heart will never be whole again, Eitan’s return brings some measure of solace to a family that has lived with painful uncertainty for more than two years,” the headquarters says. “We will not rest and we will not stop until all 20 hostages are returned home.”
Uriel Baruch confirmed as one of bodies returned by Hamas last night
Uriel Baruch, 35, who was taken captive from the Supernova music festival on October 7, 2023, has been confirmed as one of the bodies returned by Hamas last night, his family announces.
Baruch attended the rave with his friend, Michel Yoav, and the two fled the site of the festival in Uriel’s car when the Hamas attack began. They encountered a cell of terrorists at the Mefalsim Junction who opened fire on the car.
Uriel’s family came across videos that showed Michel shot dead in the car and Uriel on the ground nearby, but they did not know his fate. They were later told by the IDF that he was believed to have been taken captive to Gaza.
In March 2024, the IDF informed his family based on new intelligence that Uriel had been killed on October 7 and his body taken hostage. The family sat shiva, the weeklong mourning period, but did not hold a funeral.
Israel said to cancel planned Gaza sanctions as Hamas expedites return of dead hostages
The government has reportedly decided to cancel the sanctions planned for today, which were set to include limiting humanitarian aid and keeping the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt shut.
The measures were announced yesterday after Hamas initially only handed over the remains of four out of 28 dead hostages held in the Strip by Palestinian terrorists.
According to the Kan public broadcaster, the leadership has canceled the steps due to Hamas returning last night what it claims is the bodies of four more hostages. The bodies have been taken to a forensics institution, where the identification process may take up to two days. Hamas hasn’t named these four hostages.
Additionally, Hamas has informed the mediators that it will transfer four more bodies of deceased hostages to Israel later today, a Middle Eastern diplomat and a second source familiar with the matter have told The Times of Israel.
Therefore, the Rafah crossing will reopen today and the humanitarian aid will be fully allowed into Gaza, as planned, according to Kan.
Alon Ohel reportedly says he was used as human shield by Hamas during IDF’s Gaza City offensive
Alon Ohel, who was released from captivity in Gaza yesterday, told his family he was moved into combat areas by his Hamas captors upon the military’s offensive in Gaza City to be used as a human shield, Channel 12 reports.
Ohel was chained up in a single tunnel for most of his time in Gaza, until he was moved to a separate location in central Gaza 40 days ago, Channel 12 reports.
“We drove for several hours until we arrived,” Ohel was quoted as saying, adding that the transfer occurred at the same time as the beginning of the IDF’s offensive.
Rescued hostage Noa Argamani celebrates reunion with freed boyfriend: ‘At last, we can begin our healing together’
Rescued hostage Noa Argamani, who was reunited with her boyfriend Avinatan Or yesterday after he was freed from captivity, says the two can now begin “healing together.
“Two years. Two years passed since the last moment I saw Avinatan, the love of my life. Two years since the moment terrorists kidnapped us, put me on a motorcycle, and tore me away from Avinatan before the eyes of the entire world,” she writes on X, recounting her abduction from the Nova festival alongside Or on October 7, 2023.
“From that moment, our journey in captivity was separated. I was held captive with children, women, and the elderly, while Avinatan was held alone. I was mostly kept inside houses, while Avinatan was only in the tunnels. Hamas released videos and signs of life from me, while there was no information at all about Avinatan,” she writes.
“I was held captive by Hamas for 246 days, while Avinatan was held for 738 days. I came back in a heroic rescue operation, and Avinatan returned in a deal. But both of us, against all odds, came home and were reunited! I cannot put into words the range of emotions I felt when I saw him for the first time after so long,” she writes.
“Each of us faced death countless times, and yet, after two years apart, we are finally taking our first steps together again in the State of Israel. At last, we can begin our healing together,” she adds.
“The recovery will be long; we still haven’t truly processed what has happened here over these past two years. But we won. We won our personal war, and the war of all those who fought alongside us to reach this moment. And now, the time has come to begin our shared journey together,” she says, thanking the IDF and the US government for their efforts to reunite them.
Argamani, like many of those who are close to hostages, does not mention Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the post.
Families of deceased hostages fume at government letter thanking them for ‘heavy price’ paid for deal
The families of deceased hostages yesterday received a letter from the government’s office on hostages and missing families, linking the “heavy price” they had to pay for the end of the war and the return of living captives.
Some of the families take to social media to express their agitation that the letter did not apologize for the failure of their government to rescue their loved ones while they were still alive.
“While hearts are filled with hope for the return of all the hostages, our hearts are saddened by the heavy price you paid and that you carry in your hearts. Pain and difficulty that a stranger will never understand. This is the moment to tell you that we do not forget you and your loved ones,” the letter reads.
“Thanks to the heavy price, we ultimately reached the end of the war and the return of all the hostages. For that, we thank you and appreciate you. Forever and ever. We will always remember and never forget,” it says.
Merav Svirsky, sister of slain captive Itay Svirsky, writes on Facebook, “Sometimes one word is preferable: Sorry.”
Maayan Sherman, whose son Ron Sherman was killed in captivity, posts a picture of the letter, with the added word, “Sorry.”
Katy Beizer, whose son Nik Beizer was killed as a “byproduct” of an IDF airstrike while being held captive, wrote on Facebook: “Look what the hostages coordinator sent to me today, instead of sending me Nik. I know that I have been in a bad dream for two years, but I want to understand, is this for real?” Link Throughout the last 2 years, this government has not learned anything about sympathy or how their actions and words can devastate the hostage families and now, at the end of the war with all the living hostages back home and still fighting for the rest of the hostages who were killed on October 7 and after, the pain of the losses is still fresh. No one has had the opportunity to mourn and being a healing process. The families were forced into a fight that no one wanted and no one should have had to fight. The fight was and still is with our own government who are responsible for the fact that anyone was taken into captivity and held there for 740 days, with 44 killed while in captivity. This is the government that takes no responsibility and turned the hostage crisis into a political issue instead of a national concern and priority. This is the government that made the hostage families and all of the supporters into enemies of the State because we demanded their action to bring them home no matter the political price to the politicians and the prime minister. And instead of expressing a single word "Sorry", they continue in their attempts to change the narrative and rewrite history by claims that the deaths and suffering of all the hostages were, in fact a necessary price to reach the point we are at today. It is no different than the horrend and delusional statement from Smotrich that the massacre of October 7 was actually a good thing because it opened up our eyes to what was happening in Gaza. Even towards the end of the hostage crisis, this government continues to reach new lows of depravity and total disconnection with the reality of the people. All they needed to say was "SORRY!"
Israel won’t reopen Rafah crossing, will limit aid, over Hamas’s failure to return all bodies
Israel has decided not to reopen the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt tomorrow, as demanded by the ceasefire deal, sanctioning Hamas over its failure to stand by its commitment to return the bodies of all dead hostages it is still holding in the Strip.
Israel will also reduce the amount of aid flowing into Gaza as part of the sanctions against the terror group.
The moves come following assessments by Israeli defense officials that Hamas has not made significant efforts to return the remaining bodies of the hostages.
Yesterday, the terror group released 20 living hostages and transferred the bodies of four dead hostages, with 24 bodies still remaining in Gaza.
Hostage families urge Witkoff ‘to pull out every stop’ to ensure Hamas returns all bodies
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum pens a letter to US special envoy Steve Witkoff, urging him to intervene after Hamas only returned the bodies of four out of the 28 deceased hostages they are holding in Gaza.
The families thank Witkoff for his work on the ceasefire-hostage release deal, but add, “What we feared is now happening before our eyes.”
“Only four deceased hostages are coming home today. Only four families will be able to bring their loved ones to the dignified burial they so deserve and begin to find closure. How is this possible? How can we accept that the others remain behind?” the families say.
“We must ensure that all remaining hostages come home. We cannot rest, and we know you will not rest, until every last hostage is returned,” the letter reads.
“We ask you to pull out every stop and leave no stone unturned in demanding that Hamas fulfill their end of the agreement and bring all the remaining hostages home,” the families write.
“Your assurance that you will not leave anyone behind echoes in our hearts and gives us strength to continue. Your words — that you would dig with your own fingers to find our loved ones left behind — are forever etched in our memory and sustain us through the darkest moments,” the letter says.
MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE A REVOLUTIONYossi Sharabi confirmed as one of deceased hostages returned by Hamas yesterday
Yossi Sharabi
MAY HIS MEMORY BE A REVOLUTIONKibbutz Be’eri confirms that Yossi Sharabi, who was kidnapped on October 7, 2023, was identified as one of the bodies returned by Hamas yesterday.
The kibbutz expresses condolences to Sharabi’s family, and “demands the implementation of the entire deal,” a reference to Hamas’s failure to return all the bodies of captives as demanded by the agreement.
Cpt. Daniel Perez confirmed as one of slain hostages released yesterday
MAY HIS MEMORY BE A REVOLUTION
The body of Cpt. Daniel Perez, 22, a platoon commander in the 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion, is confirmed to be among the bodies returned yesterday by Hamas, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, and the Yad Binyamin community, in which he lived, announce.It marks the final confirmation of the identities of the four slain hostages released yesterday.
The family of Cpt. Daniel Perez will hold a second funeral for him this evening in Jerusalem, two years after his death, after his body was returned on Monday from Gaza by Hamas.
Perez, an immigrant from South Africa who was a tank commander in the 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion, was killed battling Hamas fighters on October 7 and his body taken captive.
His death was declared by the IDF in March 2024, and his family decided at the time to hold a funeral, burying his blood-soaked clothing at the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem. His remains are expected to be added to the casket during this evening’s proceedings.
Caskets of 4 apparent slain hostages brought out of Gaza by IDF troops
The caskets containing the apparent remains of four dead hostages have been brought out of the Gaza Strip by troops, the military says.
The bodies are now being taken to the Abu Kabir forensic institute in Tel Aviv for identification, which officials have said may take up to two days.
Hamas did not provide the identities of the hostages it handed over.
The terror group is still holding the bodies of at least 20 hostages in Gaza.
Released Israeli hostages give accounts of torture, torment and extraordinary danger
Descriptions of captivity suggest Hamas had a change of approach in recent weeks as ceasefire talks progressed
After the jubilation in Israel of the return of the last Gaza hostages, stories of their time in captivity, hidden away in tents and tunnels, are emerging.
Some described being tortured and tormented. Others, though, recalled moments of co-existence with their captors under the most extreme of circumstances. One played cards with the men holding him and even cooked for them. Another said the captors would speak Hebrew for ease of communication.
All, though, shared moments of extraordinary danger.
The start of the story of Avinatan Or’s abduction will be familiar to many, thanks to footage of it being shared around the world on 7 October 2023.
The 32-year-old was with his girlfriend, Noa Argamani, at the Nova music festival when Hamas attacked. She could be seen screaming to him from a Hamas vehicle as he was walked away at gunpoint. Now we know a little more about what happened next.
Avinatan Or reunited with his girlfriend, Noa Argamani, who was also taken hostage and rescued in 2024. Photograph: Israel Defense Forces/Reuters Or was held alone for the two years that he was in Hamas’s captivity, only meeting the other remaining hostages on Monday as they were released, according to the Israeli broadcaster Channel 12.
He was starved and he was terrified. An initial medical examination found that he had lost between 30% and 40% of his body weight.
Upon his release, Or reportedly asked to spend time alone with Argamani, who was freed by Israeli forces last year. The two shared what they described as their “first cigarette together after two years”.
Omri Miran, 48, a father of two and shiatsu massage therapist, was held in 23 different places in Gaza, above ground and in tunnels, according to his brother Nadav.
“Sometimes he would cook food for his captors, and they loved his cooking,”
Nadav told the Ynet news site. “He knew exactly what the date was and roughly what day it was. He knew exactly how many days he was in captivity. They spent most of their days playing cards with their captors.”
Omri Miran plays with his daughter after being released. Photograph: Government Press Office/Reuters Miran was reunited with his daughters Roni, four, and Alma, two, on Monday, and was captured on camera playing with them for the first time in 24 months. “He looks pale, but his humour is the same,” Nadav said. “It feels as though he never left.”
Moving images were also shared on Monday of Elkana Bohbot, 36, one of the organisers of the Nova music festival, being reunited with his five-year-old son.
It has emerged that he spent most of his time chained in a tunnel, where he lost all sense of time and space. But he remembered his wedding day, he told his wife.
Elkana Bohbot gestures from the van bringing him to Ramat Gan on Monday. Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters He insisted on being able to shower on that day. His captors initially refused the request, it is said, but they eventually relented and removed his chains. It is also said that he was able to view news of his family members appealing for his release and attending rallies at “hostages square” in Tel Aviv.
It is clear that each of the hostages had unique experiences. Among the most brutal of those who walked out alive might be that of Matan Angrest, who is a soldier.
Freed Israeli hostages reunite with families in tearful reunions – video The 22-year-old’s mother, Anat Angrest, said her son had experienced “very severe torture” during his initial months in captivity. “He remembers being beaten so badly that he lost consciousness,” she told Channel 12. “They covered him with black sacks and dragged him away.”
Her son also told her how the walls of the tunnels where he was held had collapsed around him under Israeli fire.
Matan Angrest reuniting with his family. He was tortured and held alone for long periods. Photograph: Government Press Office/Reuters Her son had been confined in a small, dark tunnel for the last four months. “He was alone for a long period, under special guard”, she said. But Matan told her he refused to break for the “monsters” who held him captive.
He was shown very little news from his captors, “and for the rest of the time, they suffered severe psychological warfare, that [Israelis] gave up on them, that [Hamas] was going to conquer the country, that they are planning the next October 7.”
Other lies told by captors, she said, included the claim that his maternal grandparents – who are Holocaust survivors – were dead. Learning they are still alive after returning from Gaza had “motivated” him, she said.
The accounts suggest there was a change of approach by Hamas to some of the hostages in recent weeks as negotiations over a ceasefire progressed.
Guy Gilboa-Dalal arrives at Beilinson hospital in Petah Tikva. Photograph: Ariel Schalit/AP Ilan Gilboa-Dalal told the Kan public broadcaster that her son, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, was held with fellow hostage Evyatar David in a tunnel until a month ago. “Then they took him for a ride in a vehicle around Gaza, and did not bring him back to the tunnel with Evyatar, but put him in a tunnel in Gaza City with [Israeli hostage] Alon Ohel” until their release on Monday, Gilboa-Dalal said.
Over the past month, her son had been “force-fed,” she claimed, adding that he believed that the captors were motivated to feed him following the international outcry over the video of an emaciated David being forced to dig his own grave.
The 28-year-old twin brothers Gali and Ziv Berman, who were taken from kibbutz Kfar Aza near the Gaza border, were held separately and completely cut off from the outside world throughout their time.
From left: Ziv and Gali Berman wearing Maccabi Tel Aviv shirts. Photograph: Israeli Army/AFP/Getty Images While they were held in the same area, they were unaware that they would be reunited upon their release. They told relatives on Monday that there were periods in which there was a lack of food, and other times when they received more.
Some of their captors reportedly spoke to them in Hebrew. A report from Channel 12 said the brothers could hear the Israel Defense Forces near them while in captivity. The brothers, who work together as lighting technicians, gave a thumbs-up to the cameras on their release as they were driven away back home together. Link
Mother of last unaccounted Israeli soldier in Gaza: ‘Will I never know what happened to Tamir?’
Herut Nimrodi, mother of soldier Tamir Nimrodi whose fate remains unknown since his abduction on Oct. 7, fears Israel may abandon him as public attention fades: “There’s no death declaration. We’re left in limbo.”
Tamir Nimrodi, an Israel Defense Forces soldier, is the last remaining hostage in Gaza who has not been declared dead. Officially, he is listed as “in grave danger,” but his name is absent from the list of 20 hostages confirmed to be alive. His mother, Herut Nimrodi, spoke with Ynet Tuesday evening about the unbearable uncertainty her family faces and her growing fear that Israel may give up on her son.
Herut and her son Tamir(Photo: Courtesy of the family)“We haven’t spoken to the media in the past two days because we were hoping to get some certainty, which never came,” she said. “Tamir is the only one without a sign of life, yet still with grave concern for his life. I thought by now we would know what happened to him. I never imagined we’d still be in this vague situation, without knowing how to move forward. We don’t know his status—we’re just trying to hold on.”
Herut said she worries that public attention is waning. “Will I never know what happened to Tamir? Will he suddenly reappear in two years? How do we move on when the Knesset speaker takes off the hostage pin and declares it’s over? I’m afraid we’ll lose support. Who will still come to the square on Saturday night? Has the government given up? Is Israel accepting this situation? Will there be more Ron Arads?”
Although the latest round of hostage releases has ended, she insists this is not the final word. “There’s been no declaration of death. No professional authority has deemed Tamir a fallen soldier, and Hamas hasn’t proven he’s dead. So, officially, he’s still considered alive—and that’s absurd.”
“I was mentally prepared for two outcomes,” she continued. “Either Tamir would return alive or he would come back as a fallen soldier. But we got nothing. My son is an IDF soldier left behind, abandoned on the front and now in Gaza.”
Tamir, 20, was kidnapped from the Gaza Coordination and Liaison Administration base, where he served, one month before his 19th birthday. Two of his comrades, Ron Sherman and Nick Beizer, were also abducted and have since been returned for burial in Israel. His family has received no sign of life or information about his condition since Oct. 7, though footage from his abduction shows him being led away on foot. Tamir is the eldest son of Herut and Alon Nimrodi, and brother to Mika and Amit. He is the only remaining hostage not officially declared dead.
The note found in Nimrodi’s uniform: "succeed in helping many people, create a close social network, not to hurt anyone"Before the hostage deal began, his father, Alon Nimrodi, said, “From the first day, Tamir has been listed as a living hostage, and that remains the case today, despite the heavy uncertainty. As long as nothing else is proven, that’s the truth. Bibi normalized the number 20 instead of 22.”
He added, however, that the family has received “no positive update and hasn’t been asked to ‘prepare a file,’” urging the public not to spread unfounded rumors.
After his abduction, soldiers found a note in Tamir’s uniform that read: “To succeed in helping many people, to create a close social circle, not to harm anyone.” His fellow soldier, Romi Efrat, who discovered the note last Saturday, said: “Such powerful words. They say everything about who you are, Tamir.” Link
"The 'air to breathe' of Omri in captivity, the hostages who were with Nimrod – and the watching of the Olympics
Nimrod Cohen was held in captivity with the Horen brothers, Sagi Dekel-Chen and David Cunio, so that even after the previous deal he was not left alone – but also was not exposed much to media, except for one week, and received less food after the month of March. The wife of Omri Miran told: 'He saw and heard us, there were many moments that he thought this was his end.'
Yehuda Cohen, the father of the soldier Nimrod who was returned yesterday (Monday) from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip, told in an interview to Ynet that his son was held in a group with additional hostages – Eitan and Yair Horen, Sagi Dekel-Chen and David Cunio. 'After Sagi and Yair were released, they remained three,' he said. Nimrod, we shall remind, was even documented in a video that Hamas distributed from the moment of the separation of Yair from his brother.The soldier knew from rumors about what was happening. Omri Miran (on the right) and Nimrod Cohen (Photo: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)
Yehuda said that unlike other hostages, 'the treatment toward them, in the relative world of a terror organization, was reasonable. There was no intentional abuse.'However, during 737 days of captivity Nimrod was disconnected from the outside world. 'He was not really exposed to media,' the father explained. 'But there was one week in August, during the Olympics, when they were allowed to watch television.'
Cohen added that Hamas moved the hostages from place to place because of IDF bombings, and claimed that after the month of March – when Israel stopped the humanitarian aid and launched the operation "Oz veHerev" ("Strength and Sword") that blew up the ceasefire without stage B, in which dozens of hostages were supposed to return – Hamas gave less food to the hostages. 'It is possible to see in the video that was published after the release of Yair, that the arm of Nimrod was healthier,' said the father. 'Today it is thinner.'According to him, Yair Horen told him that 'Nimrod learned in captivity to eat chicken,' but that was mainly in the 'reasonable period' in captivity – before the month of March.
Now, said the father, Nimrod 'is in excellent condition.' According to him, 'He returned, sounds like the same Nimrod and speaks like the same Nimrod, and that is the most important thing. Now recovery and return to normal life. It is possible to say good morning, something that I could not say before. Today the question “how are you” no longer burdens.'
When asked if Nimrod knows what happened in the last two years, he replied that 'he knew roughly, because it was from afar, such rumors.' Therefore, the father told, he showed him the results on Google of the name "Nimrod Cohen," and now he knows more.
'We want that Nimrod, and also we, will return to private and normal life as quickly as possible – and we will be there for that,' he emphasized. 'In a few weeks I will return to work.' Alongside that, Yehuda promised to continue and assist in the struggle of the families of the fallen hostages for the return of all of them.
The message of Lishi
Lishi Miran-Lavi, the wife of Omri who returned yesterday to her and to his daughters Roni and Alma, told on the network X that the moment when the girls ran to their father and he heard them say 'Daddy,' was the moment 'in which I fulfilled the promise I gave on October 7 – and healed something that words cannot describe.'
'Count the days, passed through 23 places': the captivity of Omri Miran
Omri Miran reunites with his wife and daughters
(Photo: Barak Meir, Government Press Office)Omri Miran reunites with his wife and daughters
'Hamas must bear responsibility.' Omri Miran plays for the first time with the daughters
Lishi also thanked the Israeli public, and explained: 'Omri saw us, heard us – and we were like air to breathe for him even in the most terrible moments, in which he thought this was the end. And there were many such moments.'
She also thanked her family and the IDF soldiers. 'I am very happy that thousands of soldiers are returning home,' she wrote, 'for the precious lives that were saved, and for the families of the reservists beside us who can now begin their journey of healing.'She added, with criticism toward the government: 'I am proud to be Israeli and Jewish, proud of my army and my people – who chose their brothers and sisters and did not abandon them in hell, who chose logic, common sense and values over spins and false visions.'
She thanked the President of the United States Donald Trump and his team, among other things for 'being available around the clock and opening for us the doors of the White House even when no one else spoke with us,' and also the government of Hungary that 'stood by our side throughout this whole difficult experience, both as an ally and because Omri is a Hungarian citizen.'
In conclusion she also called to return the 24 fallen, and to continue to apply pressure on Hamas on the subject. She added: 'Hamas must bear responsibility for the crimes of October 7, and so must everyone who assisted it or justified it. Only through truth, justice and responsibility can we rebuild for the victims, for the families and for the future that our child deserves.'
The criticism of Yehuda Cohen on Netanyahu
Throughout the struggle for the return of the hostages, Yehuda was considered one of the fathers who took the most hawkish line against the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli policy in the Gaza Strip. Today he chose in his words to thank the Israeli public that 'helped us to keep the subject on the agenda and to push that it will end,' and emphasized: 'Netanyahu does not care, but Trump listened to the Israeli public opinion.'Cohen said that even now, after Nimrod returned, he still supports the European initiative of the President of France Emmanuel Macron for recognition of a Palestinian state. 'In order to end this conflict it is necessary in the end to reach negotiations for an agreement on two states, because without that terror organizations grow,' he said. 'On the other side in Israel grows a demagogic prime minister who cultivates terror.'
'Netanyahu is the one who brought the 7th of October, and Netanyahu is the danger that it will happen again,' he claimed. 'As long as he is here – the 7th of October will happen again. Maybe it will be the 8th of September, maybe the 9th of December. Netanyahu is the one who prolonged a war without necessity for his political needs.' link
Egyptian FM: 15 Palestinian technocrats approved to manage postwar Gaza
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told The Associated Press ahead of yesterday’s summit that 15 Palestinian technocrats have been selected to administer postwar Gaza.
He said their names were already vetted by Israel, without disclosing them.
“We need to deploy them to take care of the daily life of the people in Gaza, and the Board of Peace should support and supervise the flow of finance and money, which will come for the reconstruction of Gaza,” he said, referring to a board that would govern Gaza and be chaired by US President Donald Trump.
Abdelatty said the 15-member committee had already been approved by all Palestinian factions, including Hamas.
He said Hamas members welcomed Trump’s plan. They “have no role in the transitional period. They are committed to that. That is why they are working on an administrative Palestinian committee to be deployed in order to take care of the daily life of the people of Gaza,” Abdelatty said.
For its part, Israel has to comply with a withdrawal from Gaza, allowing a flow of aid and the deployment of the administrative committee on the ground to ensure security for civilians, Abdelatty said. Hamas also must honor its commitments, he said.
Settlers said to attack pair of West Bank Palestinian communities, wounding 5 people
Attackers in Beit Fajjar reportedly also targeted medics who came to treat Palestinians who'd been assaulted with sticks, stones and dogs; no arrests reported
Settlers attacked at least two Palestinian communities in the West Bank on Monday night, vandalizing vehicles and wounding five people, Palestinian media reported.
In Yabrud, east of Ramallah, settlers set fire to a vehicle, vandalized several others and attempted to burn down a home after smashing some of its windows, the Palestinian Authority’s official news agency WAFA reported, citing the village council.
Another attack on Beit Fajjar, south of Bethlehem, saw settlers attack Palestinians with sticks, stones and dogs, leading five people to require treatment in a local clinic for fractures and bruises, WAFA said. The settlers also reportedly attacked medics who arrived on the scene.
Quds News Network reported that the settlers burned at least one vehicle and a grape crop in Beit Fajjar.
There were no reports of arrests, which are rare in the near-daily instances of reported settler violence. The IDF, which controls the West Bank, did not immediately comment on the reported attacks Monday night.
According to the PA’s Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, settlers have carried out over 7,150 attacks on Palestinian communities in the West Bank, killing 34 people, since the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023, which sparked the war in Gaza.
Israeli army soldiers and an armored vehicle deploy (top R) as Palestinian men and first-responders attempt to extinguish a vehicle that was set ablaze during an attack by Israeli settlers on Palestinians and other activists who had gathered for the annual olive harvest season in the Palestinian village of Beita, south of Nablus in the West Bank, on October 10, 2025, during the annual olive harvest season. (Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)In the same period, Israeli troops have arrested some 6,000 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 2,350 affiliated with Hamas, according to the IDF.
The Palestinian Authority health ministry has reported that nearly 1,000 West Bank Palestinians have been killed in that time. The IDF says the vast majority of them were gunmen killed in exchanges of fire, rioters who clashed with troops or terrorists carrying out attacks.
During the same period, 62 others, including Israeli security personnel, have been killed in terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank. Another eight members of the security forces were killed in clashes with terror operatives in the West Bank. Link
Hamas said to kill over 30 Gazans, publicly execute 7, as it reasserts its grip on Strip
Footage appears to show Hamas executing ‘collaborators’ in city square; armed Hamas fighters return to streets as Trump says he gave group temporary green light to police Strip
Hamas gunmen tightened their grip in Gaza on Monday and Tuesday, sources in the Strip said, including carrying out public executions.
Hamas has killed at least 33 people since a ceasefire took effect on Friday in a crackdown on groups that have tested its grip, sources in the strip said, having apparently got a US nod to temporarily police the shattered enclave.
In a stark assertion of the group’s return, fighters executed several men they accused of collaborating with Israeli forces. In one video circulated late on Monday, Hamas fighters dragged seven men into a circle of people in Gaza City, forced them to their knees and shot them from behind. A Hamas source confirmed the authenticity of the video.
Gaza residents said fighters were increasingly visible on Tuesday, deploying along routes needed for aid deliveries. Palestinian security sources say dozens of people have been killed in clashes between Hamas gunmen and rivals in recent days.
Although Israeli troops have withdrawn from urban areas in Gaza under the ceasefire that began last week, drone fire killed five people as they went to check on houses in a suburb east of Gaza City and an air strike killed one person and injured another near Khan Younis, Hamas-run Gaza health authorities said.
Pummeled by Israel during the war ignited by the October 7, 2023, massacre that it led, Hamas has gradually sent its operatives back into the streets of Gaza since the ceasefire began, according to two security sources in the territory.
On Monday, Hamas deployed members of its Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades military wing as it freed the last living hostages seized from Israel two years ago. It was a reminder of one of the major challenges facing US President Donald Trump’s effort to secure a lasting deal for Gaza, as the US, Israel and many other nations demand Hamas disarm.
Reuters footage shows dozens of Hamas fighters lined up at a hospital in southern Gaza, one wearing a shoulder patch identifying him as a member of the elite “Shadow Unit” that Hamas sources say was tasked with holding hostages.
- ‘Operation Move Earth’: Assad’s forces secretly moved mass grave to cover up killings in Syria
Investigation reveals that the Assad government secretly moved thousands of bodies from a mass grave near Damascus to a hidden desert site in a two-year operation aimed at concealing evidence of war crimes and restoring the regime’s imageThe Assad government carried out a two-year clandestine operation to truck thousands of bodies from one of Syria’s largest known mass graves to a secret location more than an hour away in the remote desert, a Reuters investigation has found.The conspiracy by President Bashar al-Assad’s military to excavate the mass grave in Qutayfah and create an enormous second grave in the desert outside the town of Dhumair has not been previously reported.Mass graves in the Syrian desert(Photo: Reuters)
To uncover the location of the Dhumair grave site and detail the vast operation, Reuters spoke to 13 people with direct knowledge of the two-year effort to move the bodies, reviewed documents produced by officials involved, and analyzed hundreds of satellite images of both grave sites taken over several years.The operation to transfer bodies from Qutayfah to another hidden site dozens of kilometers away was called “Operation Move Earth,” and it lasted from 2019 until 2021. The purpose of the operation was to cover up the Assad government’s crimes and help restore its image, witnesses said. Reuters informed the government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa of the findings of this investigation on Tuesday. The government did not immediately respond to questions for this report. The news agency is withholding the site’s precise location to reduce the risk of tampering. A forthcoming Reuters special report will detail how the Assad government carried out the secret operation and how reporters uncovered the scheme. With at least 34 trenches stretching two kilometers, the grave in the Dhumair desert is among the largest created during the Syrian civil war, Reuters found. Witness accounts and the dimensions of the new site suggest that tens of thousands of people could be buried there. Assad’s government began burying the dead at Qutayfah around 2012, early in the civil war. The mass grave contained the bodies of soldiers and prisoners who died in the dictator’s prisons and military hospitals, witnesses said. A Syrian human rights activist exposed Qutayfah by releasing photos to local media in 2014, revealing the grave’s existence and general location on the outskirts of Damascus. Its exact location came to light a few years later through court testimony and other media reports.Mass graves in the Syrian desert (Photo: Reuters) For four nights nearly every week from February 2019 to April 2021, six to eight trucks filled with dirt and human remains traveled from Qutayfah to the Dhumair desert site, according to witnesses involved in the operation. Reuters could not confirm whether bodies from elsewhere were also taken to the secret site and found no documentation mentioning Operation Move Earth or mass graves in general. Everyone directly involved vividly recalled the stench, including two truckers, three mechanics, a bulldozer operator and a former officer from Assad’s elite Republican Guard who was involved from the earliest days of the transfer. Former President Assad, who is in Russia, and several military officials identified by witnesses as key participants in the operation could not be reached for comment. After the dictatorship’s fall late last year, Assad and many of his aides fled the country. The idea to move thousands of bodies emerged in late 2018, when Assad was nearing victory in Syria’s civil war, said the former Republican Guard officer. The dictator was hoping to regain international recognition after years of sanctions and allegations of brutality, the officer said. At the time, Assad had already been accused of detaining thousands of Syrians. But no independent Syrian groups or internationalMass graves in the Syrian desert (Photo: Reuters) Two truckers and the officer told Reuters they were instructed by military commanders that the point of the transfer was to clear out the Qutayfah mass grave and hide evidence of mass killings. By the time Assad fell, all 16 trenches documented at Qutayfah by Reuters had been emptied. More than 160,000 people disappeared into the deposed dictator’s vast security apparatus and are believed to be buried in the dozens of mass graves he created, according to Syrian rights groups. Organized excavation and DNA analysis could help trace what happened to them, easing one of Syria’s deepest wounds. But with few resources in Syria, even well-known mass graves remain largely unprotected and unexcavated. The country’s new leaders, who overthrew Assad in December, have released no documentation about the individuals buried in them despite repeated calls from the families of the missing. Officials have said the sheer number of victims and the need to rebuild the justice system have slowed the work. Syria’s new National Commission for Missing People has announced plans to create a DNA bank and a centralized digital platform for families of the missing, and said there is an urgent need to train specialists in forensic medicine and DNA testing. “There is a bleeding wound as long as there are mothers waiting to find the graves of their sons, wives waiting to find the graves of their husbands, and children waiting to find the graves of their fathers,” al-Saleh told the semi-official Syrian news site al-Watan in late August. Mohamed Al Abdallah, head of the Syria Justice and Accountability Center, a Syrian organization that works to trace the missing and investigate war crimes, said a haphazard transfer of bodies like the one from Qutayfah to Dhumair was disastrous for grieving families. “Piecing these bodies together so complete remains can be returned to families will be extremely complicated,” Al Abdallah said after learning of the Reuters findings. He described the establishment of the commission for missing people as a positive step from the new government. “It has political support, but it still lacks the resources and the experts,” he said. Drivers, mechanics and others involved in the transfer said speaking out during the secret operation would have meant certain death. “No one would disobey the orders,” said one driver. “You yourself might end up in the holes.” link
Arafat’s nephew returns to West Bank after exile, aims to confront corruption in PA
A nephew of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has returned to the West Bank after four years of self-exile, outlining a roadmap to secure peace in Gaza with Hamas transforming into a political party and declaring his readiness to help govern.
Nasser al-Qudwa, a prominent critic of the current Palestinian Authority leadership, also urged “a serious confrontation of corruption in this country.” He says PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party needed deep reform and must do more to counter settler violence in the West Bank.
“The first duty … is to regain confidence of the street — something that we lost — and we have to be brave enough and say that we don’t have it anymore, and without it, frankly, it’s useless,” Qudwa tells Reuters in an interview.
Qudwa left the West Bank in 2021 after he was expelled from Fatah, the movement founded by his uncle, over his decision to field his own list in elections, defying Abbas, who canceled the vote.
Abbas, 89, readmitted Qudwa to Fatah last week, after offering an amnesty for expelled members. link This 'change of heart' on the part of Abu Mazen is extremely important. Nasser al-Qudwa hopefully will become a very strong and important leader in Gaza and in the PA. With my brother Gershon Baskin and his Palestinian partner Samer Sinjilawi, they created the 2 State Alliance together with Ehud Olmert and Nasser al-Qudwa. Ehud Olmert and Abu Mazen came closer to anyone else in ending the Israel/Palestine Conflict prior to Olmert's resignation as Prime Minister before he was indicted and later convicted of various crimes including bribery. Al-Qudwa has a very good reputation among Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. He was born and grew up in Gaza and his family connections cannot be disputed. He is an outspoken advocate of the 2 State Solution and non violence and may become the governor or head of the temporary Palestinian government in Gaza until elections are held in a year. He is not connected to the Palestinian Authority or to Hamas and can answer the requirements of the mediating countries as well as Netanyahu's demands of no connection to the PA or Hamas. As such, he is also considered a possible successor to Abu Mazen when elections are next held for the PLO. All of this can be very good news for the future of both Israel and Palestine.
Settlers said to attack pair of West Bank Palestinian communities, wounding 5 people
Attackers in Beit Fajjar reportedly also targeted medics who came to treat Palestinians who'd been assaulted with sticks, stones and dogs; no arrests reported
Smoke billows during a reported settler attack in the Palestinian West Bank village of Yabrud, October 13, 2025. (Screen capture: X/Palestinian Information Center)Settlers attacked at least two Palestinian communities in the West Bank on Monday night, vandalizing vehicles and wounding five people, Palestinian media reported.
In Yabrud, east of Ramallah, settlers set fire to a vehicle, vandalized several others and attempted to burn down a home after smashing some of its windows, the Palestinian Authority’s official news agency WAFA reported, citing the village council.
Another attack on Beit Fajjar, south of Bethlehem, saw settlers attack Palestinians with sticks, stones and dogs, leading five people to require treatment in a local clinic for fractures and bruises, WAFA said. The settlers also reportedly attacked medics who arrived on the scene.
Quds News Network reported that the settlers burned at least one vehicle and a grape crop in Beit Fajjar.
There were no reports of arrests, which are rare in the near-daily instances of reported settler violence. The IDF, which controls the West Bank, did not immediately comment on the reported attacks Monday night.
According to the PA’s Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, settlers have carried out over 7,150 attacks on Palestinian communities in the West Bank, killing 34 people, since the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023, which sparked the war in Gaza.
Israeli army soldiers and an armored vehicle deploy (top R) as Palestinian men and first-responders attempt to extinguish a vehicle that was set ablaze during an attack by Israeli settlers on Palestinians and other activists who had gathered for the annual olive harvest season in the Palestinian village of Beita, south of Nablus in the West Bank, on October 10, 2025, during the annual olive harvest season. (Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)In the same period, Israeli troops have arrested some 6,000 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 2,350 affiliated with Hamas, according to the IDF.
The Palestinian Authority health ministry has reported that nearly 1,000 West Bank Palestinians have been killed in that time. The IDF says the vast majority of them were gunmen killed in exchanges of fire, rioters who clashed with troops or terrorists carrying out attacks.
During the same period, 62 others, including Israeli security personnel, have been killed in terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank. Another eight members of the security forces were killed in clashes with terror operatives in the West Bank. Link
- From airstrike to hugs, Israel still won’t decide whether Qatar is partner or foe
For decades, Jerusalem has pursued a contradictory approach to Doha, now more influential than ever. But there is a path for steering the two-faced emirate into a more constructive stance. link This is a very important article to read in its entirety through the link. Qatar is a very important player in the future of the Middle East as well as having outsized international influence due to its more than decade long program of influence through finances. Much of the anti Israel and anti-semitic organizations and 'spontaneous' demonstrations that occurred on October 7 and for the last 2 years on American Campuses and in cities in the US and Europe can be directly traced back to Qatar funding, initiating and creating of these organizations and planning for the day that would trigger the 'spontaneous' backlash against Israel.
Qatar has a very long history of sponsoring terrorism and being a safe haven for terrorist leadership.
The writer believes that Qatar's support for Hamas is pragmatic and not ideological, I strongly disagree. Qatar's ingrained ideology is that of the Muslim Brotherhood. "The Qatari establishment's commitment to Islamism runs deep. Their political, cultural, and social establishment has been profoundly influenced by MB activists who fled Egypt in the 1950s. These activists played an essential part in founding Qatar’s Ministry of Education and helped establish Islamism in the emirate between the 1960s and 1980s." link to report
As a result of Qatar's actions as a mediator in our war as well as for the US with the Taliban and Iran, and the fact that Qatar hosts the largest US military base in the Middle East, and the failed Israeli attack against Hamas' senior leaders in Qatar which led directly to the bilateral defense agreement with the US, Qatar plays a dual role of being a haven for terrorists and for having an outsized role in all that will happen going forward in Gaza and many areas of the Middle East. Israel will have to play a very careful and closely watched balancing game with Qatar.
As a member of the Saudi Royal Family said the other day that they, the Saudi royals will eventually buy vacation homes in Nahariya, it will not happen with the present Israeli leadership.
The same goes for our future with Qatar. Fostering closer relations with Qatar with a goal of bringing them into the Abraham Accords is a distinct possibility but one wrought with deep concerns about its future relationship with terror organizations whose goal is the destruction of the State of Israel as well as their close ties and connections to the Muslim Brotherhood which has as its motto: "Allah is our objective. The Prophet is our leader. The Qur'an is our law. Jihad is our way. Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope."
Avinatan Or
Acronyms and Glossary
ICC - International Criminal Court in the Hague
IJC - International Court of Justice in the Hague
MDA - Magen David Adom - Israel Ambulance Corp
PA - Palestinian Authority - President Mahmud Abbas, aka Abu Mazen
PMO- Prime Minister's Office
UAV - Unmanned Aerial vehicle, Drone. Could be used for surveillance and reconnaissance, or be weaponized with missiles or contain explosives for 'suicide' explosion mission
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