Browsing: Israel News

The IDF will permanently seize parts of the Gaza Strip if Hamas doesn’t release the hostages held in captivity, Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a substantial yet vague escalatory threat on Friday, March 21. “I have instructed the IDF to seize additional areas in Gaza, evacuate the population, and expand security zones around Gaza to protect Israeli communities and IDF soldiers. The more Hamas persists in its refusal to release the hostages, the more territory it will lose, which will be annexed to Israel,” Katz said. “If the hostages are not released, Israel will continue to take more and…

Two ballistic missiles were launched at Israel on Thursday by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen and were successfully intercepted by air defenses, according to the Israel Defense Forces. “Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in several areas in Israel, two missiles launched from Yemen were intercepted prior to crossing into Israeli territory,” the military said in a statement. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage in the attack. Sirens sounded across central Israel, in Jerusalem and numerous surrounding towns, as well as in several West Bank settlements. The Houthis quickly claimed responsibility for launching the…

The Shin Bet security agency and Israeli Police announced that they thwarted a car-ramming attack targeting Israel Defense Force soldiers. The suspect, Jihad Zariqat, a resident of Kafr Kanna identified as a Hamas sympathizer, was apprehended in February. During his arrest, investigators discovered incriminating evidence in his possession, including hand-written wills, Hamas manuals detailing methods for carrying out attacks, and various nationalist documents. According to authorities, the investigation revealed that Zariqat “had made the decision to carry out a car-ramming attack against Israeli soldiers and even attempted to put his plan into action.” The North District Prosecutor’s Office is expected…

Every day, from 5 a.m. to midnight, the guards holding Israeli hostage Tal Shoham used an electric demolition hammer to dig further into the soft Gaza clay, Shoham revealed in a recent interview with ABC. Released last month during the first phase of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Shoham explained that the tunnel-building teams worked in nine-hour shifts. Since the terrorist organization’s surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Hamas has survived Israel’s heavy airstrikes by expanding its intricate network of tunnels under Gaza, known to Israeli officials as “the Metro.” For over 200 days, Shoham and three other…

The Israeli army reported on Wednesday that a 4-year-old child had shown up at a military post located in the security zone of the Gaza Strip. According to the Israel Defense Forces, the boy told the soldiers that he was sent to this post by Hamas. The incident occurred on Tuesday as the child entered the perimeter, an area considered safe by the IDF. The Israeli forces then arranged for the young boy’s return to the Gaza Strip, in coordination with the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories and representatives from the international community. “The terrorist organization Hamas spares…

Minister of Defense Israel Katz promised on Sunday, March 9, that he would soon allow Druze from Syria to enter Israel for work. “The government just approved an unprecedented aid program for the Druze and Circassian communities in Israel led by Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Finance Minister.” He further stated: “As Minister of Defense, I salute them for their loyalty and bravery and their contribution to Israel’s security in difficult and decisive times – we will continue to support them and we will defend their brothers in Syria from any threat.” “Soon, we will also allow Druze laborers from…

The Israeli military and police forces have discovered the largest arms cache in Judea and Samaria in years, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit reported on Wednesday. The cache, which was uncovered in a village close to the Palestinian Authority capital Ramallah, reportedly included explosives, various rifles, pistols, a hand grenade, thousands of rounds of ammunition and a remote detonation device. It also contained gold jewelry and cash that would likely be used for financing various terrorist attacks. Israeli authorities arrested 12 Palestinian suspects amid growing concerns about terror attacks during the Muslim holiday of Ramadan this month, according to an IDF…

Israel struck a Hamas terror cell in southern Syria and a command center of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terror group in Damascus this week, Israeli media reported. The Hamas cell was struck by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday after planning to carry out terror attacks in the Israeli Golan Heights, Channel 12 News reported Wednesday evening. On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed that a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) target in Damascus was struck. The IDF stated that the site was used for planning and coordinating terrorist activities against Israel. “Wherever terrorist activity is…

Israel has sent humanitarian aid to Druze communities in Syria over the past few weeks, the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, in a further sign of Israel’s support for the minority group. “In an operation conducted over the past few weeks, 10,000 packages of humanitarian aid were thus far delivered to the Druze community in the battle areas of Syria,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. The packages included basic goods like oil, flour, salt and sugar, and were mostly delivered to the southern province of Suwayda, the Foreign Ministry said. The Druze, an Arab minority present in Syria,…

The United States has formally redesignated the Yemeni Houthi movement as a “foreign terrorist organization,” according to a statement by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. This announcement is in line with the promise made by President Donald Trump three days after he took office last month. The measure imposes more severe economic sanctions than those applied by Joe Biden’s administration to the Iran-aligned group, officially known as Ansar Allah. This decision follows the Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and on American warships defending this crucial maritime passage point. At the beginning of his presidential term…