Browsing: Middle East

Israel’s defense leadership has warned that a majority of Hamas’s subterranean network in Gaza is still intact, underscoring the scale of the unfinished work beneath densely populated areas. On October 25, 2025, Defense Minister Israel Katz told U.S. Senator JD Vance that more than 60% of tunnels have yet to be destroyed and stressed that dismantling the underground grid is central to demobilizing Hamas and securing Israel’s south. He framed the mission as a high priority in any future framework meant to stabilize the Strip. Katz linked the ongoing effort to broader strategic aims, saying that neutralizing the tunnels—used for…

Days into the ceasefire, Hamas presented a hardened stance that complicates any durable settlement. The group publicly defended recent executions of Palestinians in Gaza as “exceptional measures,” even as rights advocates and regional leaders decried the killings. At the same time, a senior Hamas official said the organization cannot commit to disarmament—an explicit requirement embedded in the truce architecture—though he floated the possibility of a multi-year pause in fighting if broader political demands are addressed. The posture underscores a bid to reassert internal control in the Strip while testing the limits of the agreement. Israeli officials said Hamas’s refusal to…

Yemen’s Houthi rebels announced Thursday that their chief of staff, Muhammad Abd al-Karim al-Ghamari, has died “in the line of duty,” weeks after Israeli airstrikes targeted him in the capital, Sanaa. Shortly after, Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed that Israel had killed al-Ghamari. Al-Ghamari had been attacked by Israel on at least two occasions. The Houthis did not specify the circumstances of his death but confirmed he is no longer alive. Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television reported that he was killed in an August 28 airstrike that also killed Houthi Prime Minister Ahmad al-Rahawi and several ministers. It remains unclear whether…

According to Katz, the planning is contingent on Hamas failing to implement President Trump’s peace plan, which calls for the immediate return of all hostages Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, has instructed the IDF to prepare a comprehensive plan to defeat Hamas in Gaza should renewed fighting become necessary. The directive came during a high-level discussion on IDF preparations in Gaza with the Chief of Staff and senior military leadership. According to Katz, the planning is contingent on Hamas failing to implement President Trump’s peace plan, which calls for the immediate return of all hostages and the disarmament of the…

One was whipped. Another was put in a cage. Still another was thrown into a pit. More than one was handcuffed. In the days since they were released from two years in brutal captivity, freed hostages have shared, through their families, harrowing details of their time in Gaza. The accounts paint a picture of starvation, suffering and physical and psychological abuse. Mixed in are moments of defiance and hope, and desperate attempts to secure food or a connection to the outside world. Now that the captives are back home after more than 700 days, their loved ones report that they…

An investigation into yesterday’s shooting on Route 443, in which two people were killed, indicates the suspects posed as police officers, pursued their targets who exited the jeep they were in, and killed reservist Sergei Metatov, an innocent passerby who happened upon the scene. The investigation shows the pair of assassins rode a motorcycle resembling those used by motorcycle police officers, including police jackets, police lights, and following what appeared to be a military Rubicon jeep. They followed closely for some time before firing at the jeep. Sergei stopped his car, thinking he was witnessing a terrorist attack, and got…

The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem has just completed a very successful Feast of Tabernacles celebration in Jerusalem right as Israel welcomed home the last 20 living hostages from Hamas captivity in Gaza. The timing seemed to be orchestrated from heaven, as so many of our Feast pilgrims have been faithfully praying with us online for two whole years for the release of the remaining hostages, and they were actually here to witness and experience their joyous return alongside the people of Israel. At the very start of the Feast last Monday evening, as the full moon rose over the desert…

Senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk asserted that it could take “months” for the group to locate all hostages, living and deceased—a claim Israeli officials flatly reject. A Jerusalem official said Hamas knows the whereabouts of every living captive and can access them, insisting that any delay amounts to a negotiating tactic rather than a logistical challenge. The remarks come as mediators move to finalize a framework that envisions a single-phase release within 72 hours of signing. Israeli assessments cited by local media anticipate Hamas will seek more time for the return of bodies, even as it is required to…

While touring the front lines in Gaza on Thursday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir told his troops that their military pressure on Hamas is what will bring back the Israeli hostages the terrorist group kidnapped. “Due to the substantial military pressure and the powerful and high-quality land invasion, you, the combat fighters, brought about the conditions to return the hostages to their homes,” he said. “The military actions led to the diplomatic achievement.” All soldiers must remain on guard, because “the enemy is still here,” Zamir said. “He has not disappeared.” Continue reading this article on jpost.com

The historic announcement early Thursday by U.S. President Donald Trump of an agreement between Israel and Hamas — marking the first stage of his Middle East peace plan — dominated headlines across the globe, from the United States to Australia, Brazil to Italy. The deal, which includes the release of all hostages held in Gaza in exchange for a partial Israeli withdrawal, was widely described by international outlets as a “historic breakthrough” that could position Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize. Yet, reports also raised doubts over how the plan will be implemented, including Israel’s demand that Hamas disarm and…