Author: mackenzie

Hamas on Saturday published a new photo of hostage Matan Zangauker, claiming Israeli troops were “besieging” the area where he was being held in Gaza and threatening to execute him should troops come near. The military stressed in a statement that no attempt had been made to extract Zangauker. In the image, Zangauker is propped up on his side as a blanket covers his lower body, while an IV drip bag can be seen in the background. “We affirm that the enemy will not be able to recover him alive. We have preserved his life for 20 months; if this…

Operation lasted just 45 minutes, resulted simultaneous arrests of several suspects Israeli troops apprehended several Hamas terrorists operating in the Syrian town of Beit Jinn, in the northern Golan Heights, in an overnight operation, the Israel Defense Forces reported on Thursday. In a rare official acknowledgment of Israeli activity in Syrian territory, the IDF said the troops of the 3rd and 9th Brigades executed a “targeted nighttime operation in Syria.” The operation was based on intelligence gathered in recent weeks and resulted in the capture of “several Hamas terrorists who had been attempting to advance multiple terror plots against Israeli…

US officials believe Israel is ready to carry out an attack on Iran and could launch military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities in the coming days, reports suggested early Thursday, even as high-level talks aimed at a diplomatic deal over Tehran’s nuclear activity remained on track for Sunday. The reports, from US networks NBC and CBS, that Israel was moving toward a long-threatened military strike came hours after the US announced it would evacuate some personnel from the region amid fears they could be targeted by Iran in reprisal actions. The moves came after US President Donald Trump indicated he…

The Israel Defense Forces carried out a series of strikes on several buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Thursday evening that it said were used by Hezbollah to manufacture drones, and in a separate instance, also issued evacuation warnings for two areas in a southern Lebanon town. The strikes in Beirut hit several underground drone manufacturing facilities belonging to Hezbollah’s aerial forces, also know as Unit 127, according to the military. Ahead of the strikes, which began shortly after 10 p.m., the IDF said it had “identified that Hezbollah’s aerial unit is working to produce many thousands of UAVs, under…

There has been a recent uptick in drone usage by Hamas within the Gaza Strip, the IDF said Thursday. Earlier in the day, a soldier was moderately wounded and another was lightly wounded in northern Gaza in a drone attack. A Hamas terrorist cell operated a drone over Israeli forces in the area and dropped a grenade on a unit positioned near buildings, the IDF said. The soldiers were hospitalized, and their families were notified. Reservist soldiers reported the rise in drone threats in recent weeks, with Hamas using drones to gather intelligence on IDF movements and to carry out attacks. Continue reading this…

The Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet security agency recovered the bodies of slain hostages Gadi Haggai and Judih Weinstein from the southern Gaza Strip in an operation overnight, it was announced Thursday. The two, a married couple who held US citizenship, were murdered during their morning walk near Kibbutz Nir Oz during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught, and their deaths were confirmed by the military in December of that year. They had been held by the Mujahideen Brigades, a relatively small terror group in the Strip that was also responsible for the abduction and murder of Shiri Bibas and…

When I first saw him, he was unconscious, and there was a lot of blood on his face and chest,” recalled Yair Schussheim, a MAGEN DAVID ADOM paramedic, upon first seeing Yarin, an Israeli soldier. “I did not think he would survive.” Yarin was on patrol on Highway 60 in Israel when a terrorist struck him with a car. He suffered broken bones, head injuries causing brain damage, and extensive internal bleeding. His leg was nearly severed. There would have been no chance for this young soldier unless one of the most seasoned and well-trained paramedics in the world arrived…

Humanitarian aid operations resumed in Gaza on Thursday as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation reopened its central distribution center near the Netzarim Corridor, following a day of chaos and disinformation reportedly fueled by Hamas. The center is one of two currently active in a large-scale effort to deliver food to civilians across the war-torn enclave. Shortly after operations resumed, reports emerged of an Israeli strike near the facility, adjacent to the Netzarim Corridor. No injuries were reported, but sources said the strike appeared to be another attempt—likely by Hamas—to disrupt aid efforts. The IDF also dropped leaflets calling on civilians to…

The new proposal from US special envoy Steve Witkoff for a deal between Israel and the Hamas terror group would see the release of 10 living Israeli hostages held in Gaza and the return of the bodies of 18 deceased hostages, in exchange for a 60-day ceasefire, an Israeli official confirmed to The Times of Israel on Thursday. The confirmation came as right-wing ministers, and some hawkish hostage families, came out in opposition to the proposed deal, arguing that Hamas is weakened and now is the time to force the terror group to surrender. As part of the US proposal, the…

The Shin Bet security agency announced on Thursday that it thwarted 85 cyber attacks carried out by Iranians against Israeli citizens, most of them senior in the public sector. These include senior security officials, political figures, academics, leading communications professionals, journalists, and more. The information the Iranians tried to obtain was intended, among other things, to carry out an attack against persons in Israel, through Israeli cells recruited in the country. Together with the National Cyber Directorate, the Shin Bet identified a significant increase in recent months in attempts by Iranian elements to carry out phishing attacks. The goal of…