Browsing: War in Israel

Survivor Tal Shoham shared the story of his captivity in the Gaza Strip with the Associated Press on Thursday, detailing his capture and torment by terrorists. Shoham recounted that he felt “many times that I separated from life and … tried to accept death. There are so many ways to die there.” About half of his time in captivity was spend in apartments above ground and about half in tunnels. Shoham discovered at one point that his wife and children, who were released in the first hostage release deal after 50 days in captivity, were still alive. He received a letter from…

Troops of the Golani Brigade have been operating in the Rafah area to locate and dismantle Hamas terrorist infrastructure both above and below ground. During the operation, IDF troops located a tunnel shaft belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization within a compound that had previously served as a kindergarten, and approximately 100 meters from another compound that had previously served as a civilian school in the Rafah area. Troops of the Yahalom Unit, under the Golani Brigade’s command, examined the tunnel shaft, which led to a booby-trapped underground route stretching for dozens of meters and connecting to a central route…

Hamas is facing a severe financial crisis in the Gaza Strip, unable to pay salaries to its fighters and government workers as targeted Israeli strikes and a halt in humanitarian aid have drained its resources, according to officials and analysts. The terror group has been left nearly bankrupt following a series of Israeli assassinations of key political, military and administrative figures, as well as the suspension of aid deliveries that officials say Hamas had diverted and resold for profit. The crisis has disrupted the group’s operations and exposed growing dysfunction, with intelligence officials telling The Wall Street Journal that salary…

Member of Knesset (Israeli parliament) Zvi Sukkot  of the Religious Zionism party visited and prayed on the Temple Mount on Thursday, despite a ban on Jewish prayer at the religious site. Afterwards, he wrote on his X account that he was “privileged to ascend in honor of the holiday,” as his visit coincided with Passover. He said the visit was marked by his “tremendous gratitude for miracles and victories, and in deep-hearted prayer for all the missing to be returned and for a crushing victory in the war.” The Temple Mount administration reported this is the first time Sukkot has…

The IDF and ISA confirmed on Thursday that earlier in the week, they struck and eliminated in the area of Khan Yunis the terrorist Yahya Fathi Abd al-Qader Abu Shaar, the head of Hamas’ weapons smuggling network. The IDF explained that in recent years, the terrorist had operated to smuggle weapons and military equipment used by Hamas into the Gaza Strip. These arms were also used during the October 7th massacre carried out by Hamas. Last week, the IDF and ISA struck and eliminated, in the area of Khan Yunis, the terrorist Mazen Ibrahim Mahfouz Farra, a key Islamic Jihad…

U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his threat to use military force if the nuclear talks with Iran, which are set to begin this Saturday, fail. In that case, Israel would take a leading role, he added. “If it requires military, we’re going to have military. Israel will obviously be very much involved in that – it’ll be the leader of that,” he said. The comment made to reporters in the Oval Office is the first time he threatened Iran with Israeli strikes. However, he quickly added, “Nobody leads us. We do what we want to do.” The summit planned on Saturday in the…

Defense Minister Israel Katz on Sunday, April 6, disclosed to the public a document and communications for what he said was proof of the Hamas and Iran connection relating to the Gaza terror group seeking financial support for the October 7 invasion. The document was intercepted by Israeli soldiers during the invasion of Gaza and forwarded to the IDF intelligence Catalogue unit, which analyzes intercepted foreign intelligence items. According to Katz, the document and communications show that Hamas requested $500 million from the Islamic Republic “to destroy Israel”, sometime before or leading up to the October 7 invasion. Further, the…

The IDF has killed 250 Hamas terrorists since it renewed hostilities in Gaza on March 18, IDF Chief Spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Effie Defrin said on Thursday in his first press conference since taking office on March 27. Defrin also said that, more broadly, the military has struck over 600 targets in Gaza since March 18, including 60 since a stronger invasion push on Wednesday. He said these attacks, mostly from the air force, would pave the way for even more ground troops to enter deeper into Gaza. Further, the new IDF spokesperson said that the military, often with the help of the air force, had…

Hamas decided not to respond or engage with Israel’s counterproposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, an official told Reuters on Wednesday, affirming it is committed to the mediators’ plan instead. Israel said on March 29 that it conveyed to the mediators a counterproposal in full coordination with the U.S. after Hamas agreed to a proposal it received from mediators Egypt and Qatar, which included the release of five Israeli hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera, which aligns with Qatari mediation efforts, reported that Hamas accused Israel of undermining a proposal it had previously accepted.…

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that advancing IDF forces were carving out a new security corridor across southern Gaza that would likely cut off the city of Rafah from the rest of the Strip, as Israel seeks to pile pressure on Hamas to free the hostages. Israel is “shifting gears” in Gaza and creating a “second Philadelphi” route, Netanyahu said in a video message, referring to the corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border. IDF forces are seizing the “Morag Corridor,” said Netanyahu. The route, which separates Rafah from Khan Younis to its north, is located where the Israeli settlement of…