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Thursday, July 10, 2025

07/10 Links Pt1: For Israel, It Pays to Be a Winner; What Hamas Says vs. What Hamas Means; USAID, the UN, and Hamas Team Up to Stop Gaza Humanitarian Fund

From Ian:

Bret Stephens: For Israel, It Pays to Be a Winner
A core misconception about Israel's policy since Oct. 7 is that the country has favored military action at the expense of diplomacy. The truth is that Israel's decisive battlefield victories have created diplomatic openings that have been out of reach for decades and would have remained so if Israel hadn't won.

In Beirut on Monday, Tom Barrack, the U.S. special envoy for Syria, said he was "unbelievably satisfied" by the response he got from President Joseph Aoun of Lebanon on U.S. proposals to disarm Hizbullah, reportedly in exchange for critical financial aid. It's because Israel destroyed Hizbullah as an effective fighting force last year that it's now possible for the Lebanese state to again possess the most basic form of sovereignty, a monopoly on the use of force within its borders.

There's a similarly hopeful story in Syria, where the Trump administration lifted sanctions on the government of President Ahmed al-Shara. Now there are reports of talks between Jerusalem and Damascus aiming at a de facto peace agreement. It's unlikely that al-Shara's insurgents could have come to power if Israel hadn't first destroyed Hizbullah, depriving Bashar al-Assad's regime of its most effective military arm. And neither Jerusalem nor Damascus might have been amenable to talks if Israel hadn't first destroyed many of Syria's remaining weapon stockpiles in December.

In Gaza, Hamas's growing diplomatic flexibility is almost entirely a result of its proximity to total defeat. Many Gazans have turned against Hamas, looting the offices of its security headquarters and increasingly turning to local clans for food and protection.

With its military success over Iran, crowned, from an Israeli point of view, by America's participation in the campaign, Israel humiliated its most formidable adversary (and Hamas's principal patron), demonstrating not only its capacity but also its courage to take on the mullahs directly and survive their reprisals intact.

Israel exists to protect Jewish life and uphold Jewish dignity in a world too intent on destroying both. If diplomacy now has a chance of succeeding, it's because in geopolitics, as in life, it pays to be a winner.
Military Might and Democracy Still Matter
Examining both the recent Israeli campaign against Iran, and the overall course of events since October 7, 2023, Michael Mandelbaum identifies some important lessons. These are, for the most part, things that people knew long before—and that most people have forgotten:
It has become fashionable in the United States and Western Europe to stress the importance of what is called “soft power”—that is, the capacity of a country’s culture to persuade others to comply with its wishes. . . . The significance of the term’s popularity lies in the implication it conveys that in the 21st- century the use of force has become less important, or even unimportant.

The war in the Middle East proved that proposition wrong. Over twenty months, the precisely calibrated and devastatingly effective use of land and air power by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) saved the state of Israel from a mortal threat, transformed the balance of power in the Middle East, and created diplomatic possibilities that would not have come into existence without it. War—known to the proponents of soft power as “hard power”—showed itself to be a supremely useful instrument of foreign policy.

Israel [also] has a democratic political system that is sometimes deeply divided, perhaps never more so than before in the months leading up to October 7 over the Netanyahu government’s plan for judicial reform. Its adversaries apparently presumed that this division had seriously weakened the country, eroding its capacity to resist their onslaught. In this way, they were following in the footsteps of dictatorships of the past that made similar miscalculations about free societies.

In fact, Israel’s democracy was and is a military asset. Public support for the war was all the stronger because it was not coerced, and the morale of the armed forces was all the higher for that reason. (The deep commitment to Zionism also, of course, played a crucial role here.) Israel’s democratic, open society also produced the military innovations that gave it a large advantage over its enemies.
USAID, the UN, and Hamas Team Up to Stop Gaza Humanitarian Fund
Let’s be clear: the only people trying to dismantle GHF are Hamas, the UN and the media class that props them up. They are not doing this because GHF is ineffective—they are doing it because GHF is too effective. It has exposed them all. Including an entire UberEats operation, delivering food straight to Hamas leaders’ homes.

Meanwhile, GHF just successfully completed a pilot of its new community distribution program that is getting food directly to people in need - safely, without interference, and where they live. This is an efficient kind of of Uber Eats, not the one the UN was operating, delivering food to Hamas terrorists.

Hamas wants GHF gone because it threatens their control. The UN wants it gone because it threatens their monopoly. USAID din’’t want it because it would have exposed the failure of their billion-dollar programs. And Western journalists and “human rights” groups want it gone because feeding people goes against their narrative.

GHF has proven something dangerous to this entire ecosystem: that it is possible to feed Palestinians without empowering Hamas. That success is revolutionary. And that’s why it has to be destroyed—by any means necessary.

Ask yourself: Why does no one care when Hamas murders aid workers? Why do UN officials fall silent when Americans are attacked by the very regime they help fund? Why are reporters willing to run unverified slander against a group that’s saving lives—just because it doesn’t fit the narrative?

The answer is brutal: they don’t care if Palestinians eat. They care if Hamas survives.

If humanitarian aid can function without Hamas, without UN branding, and without ideological loyalty to a failing system—then the justification for that system collapses. And with it, the careers, funding streams, and political narratives of hundreds of powerful people and institutions.

That’s what this is really about.

GHF is not the problem. It is the proof that everything we’ve been told about Gaza aid is a lie. That billions were never needed. That the UN was never a necessary partner. That “humanitarian coordination” was always a scam.


Seth Mandel: What Hamas Says vs. What Hamas Means
Any cease-fire deal that ended the war entirely would likely only do so after a 60-day period, which means that what transpires during those two months is what the two sides (three, if you include the U.S.) are arguing about. Here, it is helpful to distinguish between what Hamas says and what it means.

Hamas says that it suspects Netanyahu will be looking for any excuse to resume fighting even if negotiations for extending the cease-fire are taking place.

What it means is that Hamas’s usual strategy of incrementally violating the cease-fire to test Israel’s restraint is riskier than usual for the terror group because their fighting force and their control over the strip are both at low tide. Therefore, the terrorists worry that once Hamas violates the cease-fire, as it eventually will, Israel will give it no second or third chances.

Further, Hamas says it doesn’t trust Israel to remain in key Gaza locations during the cease-fire because it would put Hamas at a massive disadvantage if fighting resumed, and in fact it would practically invite Israeli aggression.

What Hamas means is that it intends to use the cease-fire to regroup, rearm, and resupply. Therefore, Hamas does not want the IDF to be permitted to remain in locations that would prevent the terror group from accessing all areas of the enclave to recruit new fighters, build out supply lines, and murder dissenters.

Witkoff’s position appears to be that Israel must compromise just enough to prevent the appearance of unreasonableness. That way, Hamas won’t be able to walk away without very clearly being responsible for the collapse of negotiations. According to Axios, Israel’s first attempt at mapping its limited redeployment didn’t meet this threshold: “The Qatari official told [Ron] Dermer Hamas would likely reject the proposal and the talks could even collapse over the issue — going so far as to ask that Israel and the U.S. not blame Qatar, which is mediating the talks, if that happens.”

In other words, Israel has to call Hamas’s bluff. If Hamas is truly willing to end the war and return the hostages, it will eventually sign on to a compromise. If Hamas is willing to blow up a deal and incur Trump’s wrath over it, then the terror group simply doesn’t want to end the war and must be defeated in battle. Israel can do that, but Netanyahu will need Trump’s support in order to weather the increasing domestic opposition to the resumption of the war.

Axios reports that the Israeli delegation’s second redeployment map was satisfactory to Witkoff. Hamas is running out of excuses and will soon run out of time.
Netanyahu concludes Washington visit with statement on hostages
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu concluded his visit to Washington on Thursday with a statement about securing the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip.

After days of meetings with officials at the White House, Netanyahu declined to describe what decisions he may have made with U.S. President Donald Trump.

“What has been agreed upon between President Trump and me, on issues pertaining to Gaza, the region and even beyond the region, will be discussed at a later time,” he stated.

The Israeli leader said he had met with the families of living and dead hostages in D.C. on Wednesday and told them that he was “determined” that they be returned.

“I told them we are now attempting to achieve a release of half of the living and deceased hostages, in return for a temporary ceasefire of 60 days,” Netanyahu said. “In the beginning of that ceasefire, we will enter negotiations on a permanent end to the war—that is, a permanent ceasefire.”

“In order for us to achieve that, this has to be done on the minimal conditions that we’ve set: Hamas lays down its arms, Gaza is demilitarized, there are no longer any governing or military capabilities of Hamas,” he added. “These are our fundamental conditions.”

Netanyahu also addressed concerns about why it has been so difficult to defeat Hamas militarily or reach a deal with them diplomatically and described the restrictions that the Biden administration had placed on Israel.

“We have had to contend with an American embargo: ‘Do not enter Rafah,’ ‘Do not conquer the Philadelphi Corridor,’” he said. “Those are not simple matters. We overcame that, and now we wish to complete that move.” “We keep advancing in the Gaza Strip and retrieving deceased hostages,” he added. “We’re doing it in parallel—not pushing it aside even for a moment—and now as well, we’re not pushing it aside even for a moment.”


Netanyahu tells hostage families Hamas will pick which captives go free in deal
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told hostage families on Wednesday that Hamas will determine which hostages will be released during the 60-day truce, a source present at the Washington meeting told The Times of Israel.

Netanyahu has yet to publicly comment on how the list of 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 slain hostages will be determined, which has become a major source of anxiety for hostage families, who fear that their loved ones will not be among those to be released during the temporary truce currently being negotiated.

The source said Netanyahu told the families that as far as Israel is concerned, all of the hostages are considered “humanitarian” — meaning that no group of living captives will be prioritized over the other, given that their conditions are all acutely dire after 643 days in Gaza.

The premier repeated that message during a Thursday video statement filmed several hours before his planned departure from Washington.

“I want to rescue everyone in one fell swoop. In this deal, we are doing it in two phases, but the choice isn’t always in our hands,” he said.

However, two sources told the Haaretz daily that intelligence on the conditions of the hostages is being given to Netanyahu’s office, and that the political leadership will decide on the order of release.

Netanyahu told the hostage families that once the 60-day truce under discussion enters into effect, Israel will immediately hold negotiations on the terms for a permanent ceasefire — something he refused to do during the previous hostage deal, which led to its collapse in March.

“From the time the first eight living hostages are released until the last two living hostages are released… we will work to bring the entire war to an end,” Netanyahu can be heard saying in a leaked recording from part of the over 30-minute meeting, which was held on the sidelines of a reception the premier hosted at the Blair House where he has been staying during a five-day trip in Washington.

However, the source present at the meeting told The Times of Israel that Netanyahu insisted that he would not budge from his demands for Hamas to surrender, give up its arms and agree for its leaders to go into exile — conditions that the Palestinian terror group has long rejected.


BESA Debunking the Genocide Allegations: A Reexamination of the Israel-Hamas War (2023-2025)
The following study offers a thorough historical exploration and a quantitative-statistical analysis of the allegation that the State of Israel committed genocide against the Gazan population following the October 7, 2023, massacre. Specifically, we address the claims that Israel intentionally starved the Gazan population, that IDF ground forces deliberately massacred civilians, and that the Israeli Air Force (IAF) carried out indiscriminate bombings, failing to distinguish between combatants and civilians and conducting disproportionate strikes.

The goal of this study is to carefully assess both primary and secondary sources in order to draw independent conclusions about the factual aspects of the conflict. This process involved reviewing testimonies, primary sources, and the methodology of data collection utilized by organizations and researchers promoting the genocide allegation, as well as conducting statistical analysis and distinguishing between narratives promoted by various parties and verified facts. The purpose of our investigation is to identify the factual events that occurred, not to engage in legal or ethical discourse. While discussing the war’s legal and ethical implications is important, we firmly believe such discussion must be grounded in a solid foundation of facts to be meaningful as well as relevant.

Our focus on factual analysis in no way diminishes or ignores the severe human suffering in Gaza, nor does it seek to downplay the rhetoric or policy failures of the Israeli government. However, as we demonstrate throughout this report, subordinating factual analysis to the advocacy of a specific policy or ethical position undermines our ability to understand the facts needed to shape informed policy and ethical conduct. Therefore, we have made every effort to avoid taking any stance or offering recommendations that are not rooted in a comprehensive factual analysis.

This research is structured into eight chapters, each addressing different aspects of the Israel-Gaza conflict:
Chapter 1 examines accusations of the deliberate starvation of Gaza’s civilian population.
Chapter 2 addresses the lack of sufficient context for understanding Israel’s military actions during the war, particularly the challenges of urban warfare. We focus primarily on Hamas’s “human shields” practice and overall strategy, recognizing that war is shaped by reciprocal measures taken by all parties involved. Thus, the actions of one side to the conflict cannot be assessed without considering those of its adversary.
Chapter 3 provides an in-depth analysis of claims regarding deliberate killings of civilians.
Chapter 4 investigates allegations that Israel systematically violated the principles of distinction and proportionality in its strikes on the Gaza Strip.
Chapter 5 critically reviews Gaza Health Ministry (GMOH) data and manipulations. While recognizing the uncertainty of the available figures, we offer a speculative scenario for how these manipulations skewed the actual gender and age distribution of casualties, and draw conclusions as to plausible combatant-civilian casualty ratios.
Chapter 6 explores the capability of UN agencies, humanitarian organizations, and major media outlets to assess humanitarian crises in closed societies under oppressive regimes such as Hamas-controlled Gaza. It draws a comparison to Iraq under U.S. sanctions between 1991 and 2003, and explores the inability of said organizations to pierce the heavy-handed humanitarian deceptions of the Iraqi regime.
Chapter 7 evaluates the ability of UN agencies and human rights organizations to credibly distinguish between civilians and combatants among war casualties in contexts marked by manipulation and politicization within closed or controlled societies. This chapter includes findings from a comparative analysis of the 2002 Battle of Jenin, the 2006 Lebanon War, and previous conflicts in Gaza.
Chapter 8 analyzes the methodologies used by UN agencies, human rights organizations, and affiliated journalists and researchers that have led to recurring analytical failures, as well as the lack of subsequent insights or corrective action, even when these failures were eventually acknowledged by the same organizations.
Michael Oren: Is Peace Between Israel and Syria Really Possible?
In the 1990s, in the wake of the Oslo Accords with the Palestinians, the Israeli governments of Yitzhak Rabin and Ehud Barak both made efforts to achieve peace with Syria. In exchange for relinquishing the Golan Heights, Israel would receive security guarantees and fully normalized relations with Damascus. In each case, though, Syrian dictator Hafez al-Assad, citing disagreements over the location of the pre-’67 border, rejected Israel’s entreaties.

Though he still vehemently denies it, Prime Minister Netanyahu also engaged in a clandestine peace process with Bashar al-Assad, Hafez’s equally evil son, in 2010. When I was Israel’s ambassador in Washington, I had multiple meetings with then-Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman John Kerry and with the amiable Frederic Hof, President Barack Obama’s special envoy for Syrian-Israel peace. Hof developed detailed plans for returning the Golan Heights to Syria and transforming the area into a demilitarized nature reserve that Israeli tourists could access with a passport. This effort, too, collapsed with the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in March 2011 and Assad’s subsequent massacre of 500,000 of his own countrymen.

Over the next decade, in Washington and later in the Knesset, I campaigned for rapid Israeli development of the Golan. The Syrian civil war would eventually end, I knew, and with less than 25,000 Israeli citizens living on the Heights, pressure would resume on Israel to surrender them. I simply worked to persuade the Trump administration to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the area, but even when this was obtained, and the new city of Trump Heights inaugurated, the Golan remains dangerously underpopulated.

The Syrian civil war has indeed ended, and Assad is gone, but does that mean peace is imminent, or even possible? Is the newly installed Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly an ISIS jihadist, willing or capable of reversing nearly eight decades of his country’s relentless enmity toward the Jewish State? Will he agree to a border that has never been well-defined and was almost uninterruptedly in dispute? Will he be willing to forfeit Syria’s claim to the Golan Heights, which Netanyahu insists is permanently off the table, and be satisfied with an Israeli withdrawal from the southern buffer zone it occupied after Assad’s fall? Finally, in a country perennially held together by brutal dominant force and in which regimes are routinely overthrown, what are al-Sharaa’s chances for surviving long enough to fulfill an agreement with Israel even if he makes one?

Still, the U.S.-Israeli victory over Iran and the collapse of Hezbollah has restored to Syria the sovereignty denied it for decades. Blandishments such as further sanction relief, enlistment in regional defense pacts, and an IDF withdrawal from the buffer zone could induce Syria to show unprecedented flexibility. President Trump, meanwhile, remains eager as ever to win the Nobel Prize—and a Trump-brokered Israel-Syria peace would help his case.

Even if the two countries prove incapable of concluding a full peace treaty now, they can at least agree on nonbelligerency. They could revive Operation Good Neighbor, mounted during the Syrian civil war, in which Syrian civilians wounded in the civil war received medical treatment in Israel and Israel facilitated aid to Syrian border communities. Israeli Druze leaders could negotiate a truce between al-Sharaa and their brethren in Syria.

In colloquial Hebrew, one does not eat hummus but rather “swabs” it with a piece of pita bread. Lately, Israelis have been asking ourselves whether we’ll be swabbing hummus soon in Damascus. The answer is “maybe not this year, but perhaps sometime in the foreseeable future.” The vision of Israelis dining in Damascus may not yet be realized, but Trump and Netanyahu can certainly set the table.
How Egypt Sees the Syrian Regime
Over the past week, the U.S. has removed most of the remaining sanctions on Syria and its rulers, while there have been rumors of a possible limited agreement between Jerusalem and Damascus. How does Egypt view these developments?

For Israel, Jordan, and the Gulf states, the fall of Bashar al-Assad, a virtual puppet of Iran, was a good thing, whatever different opinions they might have about those who overthrew him. Although Cairo shares much in common with those Arab countries—Sunni, allied with the U.S., and enjoying ties with Israel—it does not share their hostility to Iran. Instead, the current Egyptian government’s main concern is the Muslim Brotherhood, and Sunni Islamists more generally—a category that includes the current Syrian president Ahmad al-Sharaa.

Amira Oron writes:
Egypt expressed reservations toward the new Syrian regime, yet adopted a policy similar to other Arab states in accepting Syria’s return to the Arab League. President Sharaa was invited to the emergency summit on the Palestinian issue held on March 4, 2025, in Cairo. President Sisi received Sharaa, like the other Arab leaders, at the entrance to the conference hall in Egypt’s new administrative capital.

Israel and Egypt view President Sharaa with great suspicion, due to his background in terrorism and the jihadist ideology rooted in al-Qaeda. Although the Egyptian regime avoids direct criticism of Sharaa, its reservations and disregard for him are evident—favoring direct appeals to the Syrian people. Nonetheless, Egypt has adopted a pragmatic approach in its engagement with Sharaa and his regime, evaluating his actions—which may indicate his policy—rather than relying on rhetoric. It seems Israel has begun to adopt a similar approach, conducting indirect dialogue with the Sharaa regime on security arrangements needed along their mutual border.

The shared interest for Israel and Egypt is to ensure that the new Syria distances itself from the Muslim Brotherhood camp. The assumption is that Syria will not turn in that direction so long as an alternative exists in the form of the pragmatic Sunni Arab camp—led by Egypt and Saudi Arabia—which seeks stability, reconciliation, and positive ties with the West.
Correction: U.S. Sanctions Albanese Over Antisemitism, Pro-Terror Rhetoric, and Threats to U.S. Interests
Francecsa Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the “Occupied Palestinian Territories” is not an international lawyer. She is; however, a biased terror justifier and supporter who denies Israel’s right to self defense. She continuously insists that the West hasn’t done enough to withdraw any kind of support or dealings with Israel and spouts antisemitic rhetoric, while denying she is antisemitic.

As U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday that the United States would finally sanction Albanese for her threat to U.S. interests, Western media took that to mean she was sanctioned for her criticism of Israel’s war on Hamas – claiming it was a continuation of the “war” on Pro-Palestinian advocates, and an attempt to silence those who “looking into alleged crimes committed by Israel as the war in Gaza continues,” as stated by CNN.

Headlines from the likes of the BBC, CNN, Associated Press (AP), Bloomberg and beyond downplayed who she really is and the real threat she poses.


Seth Frantzman: Gaza's deadly challenge: IDF faces renewed attacks as Hamas, allies regroup
After 642 days of war, Palestinian terrorists still planning attacks
This appears to indicate that the terrorists planned this attack. They also did it in the rubble that is normal in Beit Hanun. They did it after 642 days of war, when they were supposed to be largely beaten.

While in Washington this week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas would be defeated, and there won’t be Hamas in Gaza when the war is over. Hamas appears to be trying to challenge this assertion, however, even as its leaders in Doha discuss a ceasefire.

Beit Hanun is now encircled. The battle not far from the border is still being fought against dozens of terrorists who are believed to be hiding in the ruins of this northern Gaza town.

There is no doubt the IDF can defeat Hamas. The question is whether the terrorists will continue to melt into the rubble and wait for targets of opportunity to continue its insurgency. This is the main challenge.

Meanwhile, in Khan Yunis, another incident took place on June 9 that was concerning. Khan Yunis was cleared by the 98th Division between December and April 2024. Nevertheless, it seems the terrorists are back.

In March and April 2024, the IDF estimated that Hamas was largely defeated in Gaza, and that 20 of its 24 battalions were dismantled. It’s not clear if this assessment was correct, however, and Hamas has recruited more terrorists over the past year.

“An initial inquiry suggests that during IDF operational activity in Khan Yunis, terrorists came out of an underground tunnel and attacked IDF troops,” the IDF said. “During the attack, the terrorists attempted to abduct a soldier who served as an engineering vehicle operator. The soldier fought the terrorists, and they shot and killed him. Security forces operating in the area opened fire toward the terrorists, hitting several of them and thwarting the abduction. The incident is under review.”

This is as concerning as the Beit Hanun ambush. It shows that the enemy is trying to carry out more complex ambushes.

Soldiers from the Golani Brigade, part of the 36th Division, are fighting in Khan Yunis. Golani and the 36th played a key role in taking the Morag Corridor in southern Gaza this past March and April.

Twenty IDF soldiers killed since Operation Gideon's Chariots launched in May
The IDF has been engaged in operations as part of Gideon’s Chariots since mid-May. In June, 20 soldiers were killed. This shows that Gaza is still a deadly challenge. In Khan Yunis, the IDF found a tunnel 500 meters long and 13 meters deep.

“Over the past week, the troops eliminated dozens of terrorists and dismantled more than 130 terrorist infrastructure sites both above and below ground, including weapon stockpiles, booby-trapped buildings, observation posts, and launch positions directed at IDF troops,” the IDF said.

Hamas and other terrorist groups, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad, may be trying to go on the offensive in Gaza. They may be trying to take advantage of hopes for a ceasefire to claw back areas they lost. They may also want to show they can continue to “resist” the IDF.

This comes as Hezbollah is still active in Lebanon, and the Houthis have increased attacks on ships. The IDF has beaten many enemies, but the enemies still continue to threaten Israel.
GHF Head: UN's Aid Mafia Monopoly Preserves Hamas Control of Gaza
Johnnie Moore, who oversees the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, described to the Jerusalem Post a corrupt and complicit international aid system that empowered Hamas for years. "I've watched a broken system that professes to help people when very often it only helps itself," Moore said. "Hamas controlling aid isn't the exception - it's the rule." GHF operates large-scale distribution centers aimed at bypassing Hamas and getting food directly to Palestinian civilians.

"It's incredibly telling that the first thing Hamas wanted to negotiate was preserving the UN's monopoly on Gaza aid," Moore said. He accused UN agencies of maintaining a monopoly that, in practice, enabled Hamas to control nearly every food parcel that entered Gaza. Moore said Hamas is now stealing food from civilians after they collect it. "We actually have video of Hamas terrorists intercepting aid beneficiaries and taking their food as they return home."

The GHF has been quietly supported by staff within major aid organizations who are fed up with the system. "We have a growing list of whistleblowers from the international aid community," Moore said. "They believe the entire sector is corrupt from the top down." He recently met with EU leaders in Brussels, where "many admitted the old system empowered Hamas, but they're still too invested in it to change."
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says it will start delivering aid via community leaders
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US- and Israeli-backed group that has been supplying food aid to the Gaza Strip in recent weeks, said Wednesday that it will also begin supplying aid “directly to communities” through a new program after a “successful community distribution pilot.”

The group said that its new program aims to provide “20,000 boxes, or 1.2 million meals, per day in all regions of Gaza,” up tenfold from the 2,000 boxes it says are currently distributed daily.

The controversial aid group has been trying to improve its services in the Strip, amid reports of chaotic distribution, long waits, unclear instructions, Israeli gunfire and armed looters that have resulted in the reported killing of hundreds of Palestinians near its Gaza aid distribution hubs.

The GHF, which closely coordinates with the Israeli military, has acknowledged reports of violence but says they occurred beyond its operations area.

Israel has said the death tolls provided by Hamas authorities are inflated, but the military has admitted that its troops have killed “several” civilians near the aid sites.

In its statement on Wednesday, the GHF said its new program will work with a local organization to deliver food “directly to people in need – safely, without interference, and where they live,” as opposed to only distributing food boxes at fortified aid sites in southern Gaza, far from the population. It named Al-Amal as an agency involved in the food transfer, though it is unclear what it is.

“The Gaza Strip is a dynamic, dangerous environment that requires innovative solutions to get food to those who need it most. This is the latest example of GHF doing exactly that,” GHF’s interim executive director John Acree said in the statement. “I am encouraged by the results of this program and proud to work alongside our local NGO partner as we continue to feed the people of Gaza.”

According to the GHF, the new program starts with local community leaders, who will contact the foundation, “either directly or through an NGO partner,” after which the GHF will “vet” the leader, “assess their need,” and then coordinate “the delivery of an initial number of boxes of food aid.”
EU foreign-policy chief says agreement reached with Israel on Gaza aid
Kaja Kallas, European Union high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, said on Thursday that Israel agreed to “significant steps” to improve aid distribution in the Gaza Strip.

“Following the Israeli Cabinet’s resolutions and the constructive dialogue between the EU and Israel, significant steps have been agreed by Israel to improve the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip,” Kallas said in a statement.

Measures agreed upon include increasing the number of daily trucks entering Gaza, opening additional crossings into the north and south of the Strip, reopening the Jordanian and Egyptian aid routes, resuming fuel deliveries to aid facilities and repairing vital infrastructure, among others.

Aid will be delivered directly to the Gazan population while ensuring it isn’t diverted to the terror group Hamas, Kallas said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, in Vienna for meetings with Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, addressed the discussions with the European Union over the aid issue on Thursday.

“Following our dialogue with the EU, our Security Cabinet made further decisions last Sunday to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza,” he said. “And they include more trucks, more crossings and more routes for the humanitarian efforts.”

Speaking at a Trilateral Press Conference with the two foreign ministers, Sa’ar said, “Today’s trilateral meeting between Israel, Germany and Austria is not a one-time thing. It is the beginning of a trilateral dialogue between our three nations. A strategic partnership.”

On June 23, the EU Foreign Affairs Council, composed of foreign ministers of the 27 EU member states, discussed the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which provides the framework for political and economic cooperation between the European Union and Israel, and whether it should be suspended due to alleged Israel non-compliance with the agreement’s human rights clause.

The Foreign Ministers decided to postpone until this month any decision on measures against Israel.

Kallas said after that meeting that she would “address the results” with Sa’ar.

“Our first goal is to change the situation on the ground [in Gaza] and help the humanitarian aid get in and help the people. So, today was the beginning of the debate and not the end,” Kallas told reporters after the ministerial meeting.

She stressed that the European Union’s priorities “are clear: return to full ceasefire, full humanitarian access and the release of all hostages.”


Israeli murdered in Gush Etzion terrorist attack
Palestinian terrorists killed an Israeli man in his 20s at the Gush Etzion Junction shopping mall in Judea on Thursday afternoon in a combined shooting and stabbing attack, medical authorities said.

The Magen David Adom medical emergency response group said its paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. Two terrorists were “neutralized” on the spot, the statement said.

The victim was identified as Shalev Zvuluny, 22, a resident of the Jewish community of Kiryat Arba near Hebron. He was employed as a security guard at the shopping mall.

The terrorists were named by Arab media as Mahmoud Abed, from the nearby village of Halhul, and Malik Salem, from Tulkarem in Samaria. Both reportedly served in the Palestinian Authority’s police forces.

“Two terrorists arrived at the scene and conducted a combined shooting and stabbing attack,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement on X.

“IDF soldiers and additional security personnel at the scene fired toward the terrorists and eliminated them,” added the military.

MDA medic Ahiad Goharian, who was the first to arrive at the scene, said: “We saw a young man—about 20 years old—lying unconscious, without a pulse and not breathing, with gunshot wounds.

“We performed medical examinations, but unfortunately, his wounds were severe, and we were forced to declare him dead,” Goharian said.

From Washington, Netanyahu offers condolences
The Israel Police reported “several casualties with varying degrees of injury” in the attack, saying that its officers were working alongside the IDF and other first responders to “gain full control [of the scene], treat the casualties and conduct searches for additional suspects.”

Judea and Samaria District police chief Cmdr. Moshe Pinchi was said to have made his way to the Gush Etzion Junction to evaluate the situation.

Following the terrorist attack, security forces set up roadblocks and encircled the Palestinian village of Halhul, located in the Hebron area about five miles southwest of the Gush Etzion Junction, the IDF said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Gush Etzion Regional Council head Yaron Rosenthal to offer his condolences, his office stated.

Netanyahu “offered condolences on behalf of himself and his wife to the family of the victim of the brutal shooting attack, as well as a speedy recovery to the injured,” according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

The premier “praised citizens and security forces who acted with great resourcefulness and eliminated the vile terrorists, and said that we will not allow terror to raise its head in Judea and Samaria,” the PMO added.


West Bank terrorists were Palestinian Authority police officers, PA to probe attack
The two terrorists behind the deadly Thursday attack in the West Bank were members of the Palestinian Authority's security services, Palestinian and Israeli media reported.

The two were named by local media as Mahmoud Yusef Abed and Malek Ibrahim Salem, both 23. They recently returned to the West Bank after completing their studies in Qatar.

The two carried out a combined shooting and stabbing attack at the Gush Etzion junction, murdering 22-year-old Israeli Shalev Zevuloni. They were both killed at the scene of the attack by Israeli security forces.

Mahmoud Yusef Abed was from the town of Halhul in the Hebron Governorate, and Malek Ibrahim Salem was from the town of Bizzaria, west of Nablus.

Eyewitnesses claimed that the terrorists arrived in a stolen vehicle armed with knives, stabbed Zevuloni, who was a security guard, and stole his weapon to carry out the shooting.

Hamas praises 'heroic' stabbing attack in West Bank, PA to probe
Hamas spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Obeida, congratulated the terrorists on their "heroic operations from Hebron to Jenin, confronting Israeli forces and settler groups," adding that they were retaliating against the "growing assault on Al-Aqsa Mosque and the escalation of crimes by the occupation forces and settlers."

He also called for "intensified resistance" across the West Bank and Jerusalem after the attack.

N12 reported late on Thursday night, citing sources in Ramallah, that the PA was set to launch an internal investigation into the terror attack.




NGO Monitor: The Iran Ceasefire and the NGO War Against Israel
Olga Deutsch In Conversation with Colonel Richard Kemp

NGO Monitor Vice President Olga Deutsch sat down with Colonel Richard Kemp to unpack Israel’s simultaneous battles: military victory over Iran’s regime and the relentless political warfare waged by NGOs, UN agencies, and European governments. Drawing on his recent visit to Gaza and decades of military expertise, Kemp exposes how false war crime allegations and aid manipulation fuel global hostility—despite Israel’s unmatched operational ethics and humanitarian efforts.


Commentary Podcast: Is the Arc of History Bending Toward Bibi
Jonathan Schanzer joins us today to discuss Bibi's week in Washington, the prospects for region-wide change in the Middle East, and the painful choices facing Israel as it decides how to conclude the war in Gaza.
Urban Warfare, Truth, and the Future of the Middle East with John Spencer
In this gripping and timely episode of the J100 Podcast, host David M. Cohen speaks with John Spencer, one of the world’s leading experts on urban warfare and modern military strategy. Spencer, a retired U.S. Army officer and West Point scholar, shares powerful insights from his on-the-ground research in Gaza, his deep study of the IDF, and his analysis of the evolving face of warfare in the Middle East.

From October 7th to the Israel-Iran War, Spencer dismantles media misinformation, explores the psychological warfare of propaganda, and explains why the war against Hamas and the Iranian regime is about much more than just military objectives — it's about defending Western values and the integrity of truth itself.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction to John Spencer and His Background
05:40 The Role of Misinformation in Modern Warfare
08:08 Israel's Military Strategy and Challenges
10:33 The Complexity of Hostage Situations in Warfare
13:09 Understanding Hamas and Its Current Leadership
15:39 The Dichotomy of Success and Failure in Israeli Defense
18:37 Strategic Decisions and Intelligence Failures
21:08 Iran and Hezbollah's Strategic Missteps
28:13 The 12th Day War: An Overview
32:21 America's Role in the Conflict
36:09 Leadership Decisions and Their Impact
38:37 Media Narratives and Public Perception
40:44 The Threat of Nuclear Weapons
42:32 Contrarian Views on Military Action
44:51 Risks and Realities of Military Operations
47:58 Future Predictions for the Middle East
50:04 Personal Insights and Reflections
John Spencer | How The War in Gaza Ends | Israel-Hamas War | Conversation with Shana Meyerson
One year ago, I had an idea for a podcast: The Yoga of War: Important Conversations About Israel & Antisemitism.

By extraordinary luck, I found myself in a private chat with an absolute hero of truth and morality, urban warfare expert, John Spencer (‪@johnspencer328‬ ). I have to be honest, when I asked if he would be the first guest on the show (well, I didn't exactly tell him he would be the first guest), I never thought he would actually say yes.

A week later, John and I shot the first episode of The Yoga of War Podcast (https://youtube.com/live/5hxrvqDhKSo ). It was an incredible honor then and it is an incredible honor today, as John returns to the show to celebrate its first year.

To be honest...I still can't believe he's here.

In this LIVE conversation, Shana Meyerson of YOGAthletica and John Spencer will discuss the war in Gaza, today and into the future.

If you are a yogi or yogini who thinks it's Israel's responsibility to call a ceasefire, you owe it to yourself to listen to this discussion about why the IDF is still fighting in Gaza, how this war ends, and what comes next.


Guy Benson: The dirtbag alliance hates Israel and America
Anti-Israel extremists on both the left and the right are becoming more vocal and dangerous. But, according to JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin, Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the New York City primary and the rebuff of Tucker Carlson by President Donald Trump, demonstrates that the left is far more dangerous right now.

He’s joined on this week’s episode of Think Twice by Townhall.com political editor and Fox News Radio host Guy Benson who is deeply troubled by the way so many people have sympathized with the murderers, rapists and kidnappers of Hamas rather than democratic Israel after the Oct. 7 attacks.

Benson considers this a manifestation of something bigger than just hatred for Israel and Jews and poses a threat to America. He argues that what he calls the “dirtbag alliance between Islamism and hardcore leftism” is creating a bizarre political alignment. “They hate the West, they hate Western values, they hate Western civilization itself, they hate the United States, and they hate Israel. So that's where they align.”

He is equally concerned about the way the majority of Democrats now oppose the Jewish state and the mainstreaming of antisemitism that has been part of the post-Oct. 7 incitement against Jews. The trouble is, he maintains, that people like Mamdani are now mainstream on the left rather than outliers. The liberal establishment gives the Democratic mayoral candidate a pass for extremism and even for calling himself an African-American on his college applications. That’s because, Benson says, they apply different rules to their side as opposed to what they say about political opponents. He believes most Americans are sick of this and that, among other things, explains why President Donald Trump won in 2024.

Benson believes that the anti-Israel and increasingly antisemitic “woke right” is far more marginal than the extremists on the left. But he nevertheless believes that people like Tucker Carlson and the “deranged” Candace Owens were not just dead wrong in opposing President Trump’s strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. They are, he says, chasing conspiracy theories so as to continually tell their audiences that they are being lied to by the establishment as they seek the next “sugar high of crazy” in a “demented echo chamber divorced from reality.”

Chapters
00:00 The Shift in Democratic Support for Israel
03:39 The Rise of Extremism in Political Discourse
09:37 The Impact of Zoran Mamdani's Candidacy
17:46 The Intersection of Identity Politics and Extremism
23:36 The Broader Cultural War and Its Implications
28:54 The No Kings Movement and Its Implications
33:36 Bipartisan Responses to Foreign Policy
40:56 The Rise of Extremism in Political Discourse
49:41 Evaluating Trump's Second Term
54:56 Concluding Thoughts and Future Outlook


Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em: Eli Lake on "Barista Socialists" and Why He's Proud of America
The journalist/podcaster on Glastonbury's death chants about the IDF, the curdled utopia of Zohran Mamdani, the doctor who wished harm on Texas flood victims, and other cultural ailments.

Eli Lake, host of the Breaking History podcast, loves America. But what does that mean? We discuss the long unfinished experiment of our country, and the fashionable anti-semitism that’s swept colleges/the youngs, or as Eli calls them, “barista socialists.” We talk about how elite colleges fell apart, when the left becomes violent, and why valuing ideology over human lives is never a good look.

Also discussed:
Eli’s July 4 AI song is a BOP
Sarah tells Nancy she “looks older,” this goes over great
We knew we’d made it on YouTube when …
Commenter warns: DO NOT WATCH THIS VIDEO!!
Eli explains how he makes his bangin’ AI songs
Third rails and Gen Xers
Spy Magazine!!!
Sarah doesn’t want to make Eli the point-person on antisemitism but …
“You suck, Bob Vylan!”
How shockingly close boredom is to death lust
“It goes back to the Books of the Maccabees…”
NYC mayoral politics: “Vote for the felon or for the fedayeen.”
The bill has come due for radical academics
Does Bernadine Dohrn deserve eternal contempt? Let’s discuss!
“Who is Menachem Begin?”
What young actor should play Ted Bundy?
Sarah has a FOURTH OF JULY SURPRISE!

Plus, heroes of the Texas floods, a Monica Lewinsky theory from the Middle East, Sarah falls asleep listening to serial killer narratives, and much more!


Piers Morgan, Israel and Jews: Do We Have a Problem? Part 1: Jonathan Conricus & Amichai Chikli
In this special three-part series, we explore the increasingly contentious place of media superstar Piers Morgan and his YouTube show, Uncensored. Contentious – howso? Morgan has always inclined to the sensational, but in recent months he has perhaps gone too far – in terms of platforming some of the most hateful, uninformed antisemites and anti-Zionist voices in the world. Repeatedly. As he reminds us often – on his show and social media – millions watch it and engage so he must be doing something right. Well, perhaps not. Clicks and views may validate his mass appeal. But they also raise the question: To whom does he appeal? Why is he platforming such hateful, uninformed people on the anti-Israel “side”, and putting them on the same show with some of the brightest, most articulate minds who support Israel? The result – particularly in the last month or so – has been many things but certainly not enlightening discussion or debate. To explore this issue I decided to speak with some past, ongoing and – never gonna happen – guests of Piers Morgan Uncensored. What began as one episode became three. Because each of the five people with whom I spoke had such thoughtful and strong and different comments and thoughts to share. And I happen to think that the conduct of media- MSM and independents like Piers – is hugely important. When a media giant with global influence like Piers Morgan repeatedly platforms extreme haters – he legitimizes and amplifies their voice and reach- exponentially. Does he have a responsibility to society?

I discuss this and more with my five superb guests. On Episode One we feature Lt. Col. (Res.) and Senior FDD Fellow, Jonathan Conricus, as well as Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affaris, Amichai Chikli. Both have appeared as recently as last week on Uncensored. And they have a lot to say.


Piers Morgan, Israel and Jews: Lee Kern on Why Uncensored is Bad Entertainment
Today we bring you the second of our three part series taking a close look at celebrity media host Piers Morgan and his show Uncensored. Viewed by millions daily, Uncensored has focused intensely on the Israel-Hamas war, Israel-Iran war, and really pretty much all things related to Israel. Somewhat unceasingly. In this interview with Lee Kern, we get into his thoughts on why Uncensored is not just unbalanced but does not even qualify as a serious news or political program. Lee’s insights and comments are sharp, incisive and unsparing. He lives the reality of post October 7 life in Israel – based in Tel Aviv – and has strong views on Piers and his show – which are also set out in two long X posts he wrote on June 4. You can read those in the podcast notes, as well as Morgan’s cheeky response. The issues raised by Lee Kern are serious. We should all be concerned about what passes for media and the fact that independent media are held to no standards of accountability – just ratings. And yes. That is a problem.


Piers Morgan, Israel and Jews: Interview with Emily Schrader & the Apostate Prophet
In this final fiery episode in our three part series focusing on Piers Morgan and his YouTube show, Uncensored, we speak with two super sharp individuals about how to handle this new wild west of independent media. First up is Emily Schrader, journalist and activist with particular expertise on Iran. She also has a huge social media following, and for good reason. A regular guest on Uncensored, Emily has gone head-to-head with some of the most vicious antisemitic and anti-Israel personalities out there. Sharp as a tack, unflappable and ever cool, Emily explains the value she sees in going on a show like Uncensored and also discusses the problems with possibly legitimizing extremist voices by merely agreeing to appear alongside them.

Ridvan Aydemir has more than 500,000 followers on his YouTube channel, where he is known as the ApostateProphet. Raised in a strict Muslim home, Ridvan left the religion and is a fierce critic of many of the values he learned as a child. He is also no fan of Piers Morgan or his work, having been shunned by his show after explaining that he’d go on but only to discuss some of the thornier issues relating to Islamism. This led to a clash between Ridvan and Morgan on X, and here we are. Morgan had his say on X. Ridvan has his here. Like Lee Kern in part 2 of this series, Ridvan dismisses Piers as someone chasing clicks and attention. That’s it.

But we think that matters, a lot. Because many people out there look to Piers Morgan and his show as a source of news and information. Is it?




UKLFI: Council drags feet in removing encampment outside US Embassy
An illegal encampment by the Thames outside the US Embassy is still there 8 months later. UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) has written to Richmond and Wandsworth Councils regarding the encampment, situated at Nine Elms Pavilion on the Thames embankment.

The camp comprises a handful of tents, an open kitchen area and communal seating, as well as banners and posters. It is proposed by the activists that the encampment will remain in place until there is a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

The banners on display include: “End the siege on Gaza now”, “This is your genocide”, “Stop the genocide”, “Free Palestine” and “Stop Arming Israel”. There are also several Palestinian flags around the site

UKLFI has received comments from concerned locals, including:
“I am appalled to see that Wandsworth Council continues to allow surely what is an illegal encampment by the river near to the American Embassy.”

“The ‘community camp for Palestine’ has been there for months with flags by the river, tents and banners. I am distressed every time I walk past here. I feel intimidated and take exception to the statements being made.”

“The posters have increased in number over the last few months. This is totally unacceptable.”

Since Richmond and Wandsworth Council own the land on which the activists have set up their “encampment”, it is their responsibility to evict the protesters themselves, or to instruct bailiffs to do so, and then clear the site.

UKLFI has also pointed out to the Council that displaying the flags and banners in a public place requires planning permission according to the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements)(England) Regulations 2007 (as amended).




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