Author: mackenzie

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…

Israel on Monday, May 26, rejected a proposal crafted by Hamas for a partial deal that would see the release of five hostages. “[The proposal is] very far away from the outline that we are willing to negotiate on,” an Israeli official told Israeli media. The proposal was formulated by Hamas and passed on to the US through direct backchannel communications. The US then presented the proposal to Israel. Notably, the US didn’t say whether it supported the proposal or not. The proposal included the release of five living hostages in return for the following points: IDF withdrawing to its…

“Over the past 24 hours, the IDF has begun extensive strikes and deployed forces to seize strategic areas in the Gaza Strip, as part of the initial stages of Operation ‘Gideon’s Chariots’ and the expansion of the campaign in Gaza, to achieve all objectives of the war, including the release of hostages and the defeat of Hamas,” said the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit in a statement, Friday evening, May 16. “IDF forces under the Southern Command will continue to operate to protect Israeli citizens and fulfill the war’s objectives,” it added. A senior defense official recently provided more details about “Operation…

The IDF said on Thursday that a tank commander in the 52nd Battalion, ‘Iron Trails’ Brigade (401), was severely injured earlier today (Thursday), during combat in the northern Gaza Strip. The soldier was evacuated to hospital to receive medical treatment, and his family has been notified. Earlier on Thursday, IDF Arabic-language spokesperson Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee issued a call for residents in the northern Gaza Strip to evacuate southward as soon as possible, as the IDF is continuing its preparations for a major ground maneuver in Gaza. Inside the strip, humanitarian aid continues to flow in. A local journalist reported…

Israel is getting ready to quickly strike Iran if ongoing talks between the United States and the Islamic Republic over the latter’s nuclear program break down, Axios reported Wednesday, citing a pair of Israeli sources. “Bibi is waiting for the nuclear talks to collapse and for the moment Trump will be disappointed about the negotiations and open to giving him the go-ahead,” said one of the sources, using Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s nickname. According to the sources, the Israeli intelligence community now thinks the nuclear talks could collapse soon, after previously believing an agreement was close. One of the sources said the…

Two ballistic missiles launched at Israel by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen on Thursday were intercepted by air defenses, the military said. There were no reports of direct injuries or damage in the attack, though the Magen David Adom emergency service said one person was lightly injured while dashing to a shelter during the first attack. The first missile set off sirens at around 3 a.m. in central Israel, including in Tel Aviv, sending nearly a million residents scrambling to bomb shelters. Preceding the sirens by some four minutes, an early warning was issued to residents, alerting them of the…