Saturday, August 30, 2025

08/30 Links: IDF Plan to Takeover Gaza City Sends Hamas Into Hysteria; Houthi PM and 8 ministers killed in Israeli airstrike; Gaza's 'journalists' are Hamas operatives, not press heroes

From Ian:

IDF Plan to Takeover Gaza City Sends Hamas Into Hysteria
While there’s no shortage of doom and gloom predictions over Israel’s war in Gaza, there’s one group in particular that is dreading the IDF’s planned takeover of Gaza City: Hamas. How could this impact hostage release negotiations? And is it also connected somehow to the Gulf states? I explored this in my Shabbat column for Israel Hayom, an excerpt of which is below.

It’s a shame Israelis don’t hear what senior Hamas officials have been saying in recent days. If they did, they might feel a bit more encouraged and argue a bit less. The organization is in complete hysteria over Israel’s threats to enter Gaza City. The euphoria following the “Al-Aqsa Flood” has evaporated, and the effectiveness of the starvation campaign has ended. In fact, they no longer even speak of October 7 as a victory that brought huge achievements and returned the Palestinian issue to the center of global attention.

This week, Belgium distanced itself from Palestinian recognition, while the United States once again made clear, through Steve Witkoff, that Hamas must leave Gaza quickly.

Within Hamas, the entry into Gaza City is being called “the final battle.” In their view, every country has abandoned them except Yemen. Iran has stopped its support, and even the Qatari money that stirs debate in Israel is, from their perspective, proof that Doha too has abandoned them.

That is the reason for Hamas’ lowered demands, for their support of a partial deal. Entry into Gaza City, as Hamas sees it, could seal their fate entirely. Total surrender and the return of all hostages, however, is not on the table, since for them that would be the final nail in the coffin of Yahya Sinwar’s vision. After all, he ordered the October 7 massacre in an attempt to prevent Israeli normalization with Saudi Arabia. An Israeli victory in Gaza, however, would also bring along Syria, Lebanon, and other states.

But Benjamin Netanyahu is unwilling to accept a partial deal. This leads to two related questions: First, is it better to wave around the threat of entering Gaza City than to actually carry it out? Perhaps the threat of conquering the city is more effective than the slow, costly reality, in terms of both human lives and international legitimacy. Second, could this be an Israeli deception tactic? Maybe it’s a sophisticated way to force Hamas’ hand. What happens if, fearing an IDF takeover of the city, Hamas agrees to release more hostages in a partial deal?
Six European foreign ministers condemn Israel's planned Gaza City operation
Foreign ministers from Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, Slovenia, and Spain condemned Israel's planned takeover of Gaza City in a joint statement published on their respective government websites on Friday.

In the statement, the ministers said that they "condemn the most recent Israeli offensive launched in the Strip and the announcement to establish a permanent presence in Gaza City.

"We reiterate that the intensification of military operations will endanger the lives of hostages who cruelly remain in the hands of Hamas and will lead to the intolerable deaths of innocent Palestinian civilians, including women, children, and elderly people."

The joint statement continued to describe the IDF's planned operations in the Palestinian city as "opening a new phase of uncertainty and intolerable suffering for both sides." The ministers urged the Israeli government to halt its planned operations and reconsider.

The ministers then referenced the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which declared there is a famine in the Strip, stating that it's imperative that UN agencies and NGOs operate in the area "to alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe."

Israel's Foreign Ministry and Prime Minister's Office condemned the IPC report, with the former saying it's a "tailor-made fabricated report to fit Hamas’s fake campaign,” and the latter saying, "Israel has a policy of preventing starvation." Days later, Israel asked a global hunger monitor to retract the IPC assessment.
Explaining Israel's actions in Gaza is pointless - this is why
Confront: Israel and its supporters are outnumbered and out-financed, but there is enough energy in the Jewish world to make sure not a single anti-Israel demonstration goes unchallenged - even if it’s 10 demonstrators facing 10,000. Antisocial media, like TV, is a close-up medium. A small, quirky group can get as much coverage as a large, conventional one - maybe more. Israel needs to learn how to be small and quirky.

Confronting anti-Israel groups also means tracking them online and harassing them within the limits of the law. (I had to say that.) They should start worrying about their cybersecurity. The Jewish world is full of young experts who could take this idea and run with it - if only Jewish leadership, in Israel and abroad, would adopt the policy. If that means fewer self-congratulatory dinners and awards for Jewish leaders in New York, so be it.

Word: This is as close to traditional hasbara as we should get. A single billboard in New York’s Times Square can be worth its weight in gold if it carries the right message. With hundreds of thousands of billboards worldwide, why not a contest offering free trips to Israel? Or fun video games with a message? Once free of the old “just tell the truth and it’ll be fine” mindset, the possibilities are endless.

But, like hasbara, none of this will work if Israel’s actions are indefensible.

Not wrong, mind you - indefensible. That means if Israel’s 21st-century wars are fought according to 20th-century rules, Israel loses.

Most of what Israel has done since the Hamas pogrom of Oct. 7, 2023 - when Gazan terrorists breached the border, murdered, raped, and burned more than 1,000 Israelis, and took 250 hostages - can be legally and morally justified. In the post-truth world of antisocial media, that doesn’t matter.

Selling a war that lasts nearly two years in an impoverished territory where society glorifies victimhood was never possible. There is too much raw material for distortion, lies, and fabrications - too much to counter or explain. In a world of short attention spans and narrative-driven “truth,” Israel needed to end this war in weeks, not months, certainly not years - pull out, and prepare for the next round. After two years of combat, that outcome looks likely anyway.

Allowing nonstop anti-Israel propaganda to flood the world for two years, engulfing allies and threatening to turn Israel into a pariah state, is the greatest failure of the Gaza war. And that’s saying something, considering the monumental failure that marked its beginning.

The conclusion: By reordering its priorities and focusing on methods that bring results, Israel can turn back the tide of antisemitic propaganda, even if it takes years.

But none of this will succeed unless Israel’s leadership makes strategic decisions with the world in mind - not just domestic politics.

That, too, goes far beyond hasbara.


Idan Shtivi identified as second Gaza hostage recovered in special IDF op.
The remains of the second hostage who was recovered from the Gaza Strip in a special IDF and Shin Bet operation were identified as Idan Shtivi, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday night.

His remains were recovered along with Ilan Weiss's. The IDF announced Weiss's recovery on Friday.

His death was originally announced by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in October 2024.

"Idan was a talented student of sustainability and government and a courageous man. On October 7, 2023, he attended the Nova music festival, and when the terrorist attack began, he acted to evacuate and save many of the participants, the prime minister said.

"In the course of his actions, he was murdered, and his body was kidnapped by the Hamas terrorist organization into Gaza."

On October 7, Shtivi arrived at the Nova festival site to take photos of his friends, who were conducting workshops there. When the attacks began, Shtivi helped two people escape before he was kidnapped.

With a passion for nature and the environment, Shtivi studied environmental sciences at Reichman University’s School of Sustainability.

Shtivi, 28, is survived by his parents, Eli and Dalit, three siblings, and his partner, Stav.

The identification process was conducted at the National Center for Forensic Medicine. The Israel Police, the Military Rabbinate, and the Hostages and Missing Persons Headquarters notified his family.

"Together with all the citizens of Israel, my wife and I send our heartfelt condolences to the dear families and share in their deep sorrow," Netanyahu stated on Friday.

"The campaign to bring back the hostages continues without pause. We will not rest and we will not be silent until we return all our hostages home, both the living and the fallen."


Macron’s illusions: How his Palestinian push fuels antisemitism, weakens France
French President Emmanuel Macron’s open letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu, published in the daily Le Monde, was presented as a solemn appeal for peace and a firm response to antisemitism. But two illusions underlie its lofty rhetoric: that recognition of Palestine will bring peace and that it will protect French Jews. Both are false.

Canada, Germany, Italy, and Belgium, have stepped back from Macron’s initiative in recent days, arguing that the Palestinian Authority has yet to meet the conditions of statehood. If France goes it alone at the UN next month, this may well devolve into a major diplomatic flop.

Macron insists on a demilitarized Palestinian state and the dismantling of Hamas. But he has made the case for how recognition will advance those goals.

Logic and precedent suggest otherwise. Once recognition is granted, Hamas will have little incentive to make concessions or release hostages. Macron’s démarche has already hardened Hamas’s stance in negotiations. Rewarding terrorism with a diplomatic prize does not build peace; it breeds defiance and intransigence.

Macron’s letter also claims his government is assiduously addressing rising antisemitism, but his statehood initiative will, in reality, aggravate it.

One quarter of French citizens under 35 now celebrate Ramadan, a demographic shift that weighs heavily on electoral politics. By championing the Palestinian cause, Macron appeals to that constituency, even if the cost is borne by the country’s Jews.

Recognition of Palestine will fuel the fires of antisemitism in France. On the French street, such a move translates as support for the Islamist groups that justify antisemitic violence. It signals that their cause has been validated by the president.

Some factual context: Reported antisemitic incidents in France numbered 1,700 in 2024, nearly 300% higher than two years earlier. French Jews endure physical aggression almost daily – intimidation at schools, assaults near synagogues, harassment in public spaces. Macron’s recognition will only embolden his nation’s antisemites.
Macron’s diplomatic gambit—appeasing Islamists, isolating Israel
Experts agree that a constellation of political factors is driving France to challenge and instigate against the Jewish state. “France’s policy toward Israel is connected to both its foreign and domestic policies,” Hershco said.

“On the domestic front, the French government faces internal contradictions: On the one hand, a desire to appeal to its growing Muslim population; on the other hand, a need to appear as a strong government unwilling to compromise on its core principle of secularism and the separation between religion and state,” Hershco expanded.

Navon explicitly stated that a significant factor in France’s anti-Israel stance in general and its recognition of a Palestinian state in particular is related to the rising influence of Islam.

Navon further explained that France’s domestic coalition dynamics are also contributing to Macron’s increased interest in Middle Eastern affairs.

“Macron has a minority government, and so he essentially cannot govern. In this situation, the easiest thing to do is to stay away from domestic issues, which require consensus, and to focus on foreign policy to make yourself relevant,” Navon said.

Hershco added that the French government sees the Gaza war as a unique opportunity to bolster its ties with the Arab world while simultaneously setting itself up as a global moral arbiter and a separate base of Western leadership, distinct from Washington.

“For many years, France has defined its relationship with the Arab world as one of its central interests. At the same time, France aspires to present itself as a major uninvolved power that mediates in conflicts between other nations, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” Hershco said.

Frances’s climb to European leadership, partially on the back of anti-Israel policy, threatens to isolate Jerusalem not just from Paris but from Europe as a whole, as European countries are likely to prioritize intra-European unity over their Israeli ties.

Already, multiple organs in the E.U. and in Western Europe are taking similar positions to France, and major Western powers, including the U.K., Canada and Australia, have followed in pledging to recognize a Palestinian state.

However, there is still general agreement that Israel has a significant base of support in Europe and that there are still broad common interests that could serve as a basis for stable diplomatic ties.

“Europe has a strategic interest in maintaining its relationship with Israel, partly because of Israel’s military capabilities and the shared concern, particularly regarding Iran’s nuclear ambitions,” Hershco said.

Navon added that there are still major centers of open support for Israel inside Europe.

“It is important to remember that there is no such thing as European foreign policy. Each country has its own position, and Israel has very strong ties with a lot of European countries, particularly in Eastern Europe,” Navon said.

“Even in Western Europe, it’s really a question of which government is in charge, and there are many strong parties in Western Europe that openly support Israel. Right now, many anti-Israel parties control governments, but that could change very quickly,” Navon added.


Reconstitution Under Fire: Insights from the 1973 Yom Kippur War
The 1973 Arab-Israeli War confronted Israel’s military with a sudden and existential crisis. Initiated by simultaneous Syrian and Egyptian offensives from the north and south, the bitter conflict demonstrated the value of operational endurance as each side sustained unexpected attrition. Within hours, Israeli assumptions about intelligence overmatch, maneuver superiority, and air dominance collapsed under the weight of the Arab assaults. Responding to significant losses in men and materiel, Israel subsequently initiated a painful process of battlefield regeneration to recreate combat power and establish conditions for large-scale counteroffensives that could end the war on favorable terms. While combatants on both sides demonstrated courage and commitment in the face of daunting challenges, the Israeli capacity to persevere ultimately paid the highest dividends and yielded a conditional strategic victory.

How did the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) achieve, albeit at a tremendous societal cost, this systemic regeneration across both ground and air services while continuously engaged on multiple active fronts? The Israelis’ desperate response to simultaneous crises in the Sinai and the Golan Heights—which derailed prewar plans for synchronized air-ground maneuver designed to achieve rapid decision—combined important aspects of veteran leadership, logistical resiliency, and strategic adaptation with critical functions of tactical recovery and tiered mobilization to achieve formation reconstitution at echelon. Characterized, as US Army General Donn Starry described it, by “enormous equipment losses in a relatively short time” and “lethality at extended ranges,” the conflict now underscores the enduring imperative for military institutions to avoid the quicksand of wishful thinking and instead prepare to fight, and win, in the bitter crucible of attritional combat.

Recovery, Regeneration, and Reconstitution
Israel’s military posture in October 1973, which followed its dramatic success in the Six-Day War, reflected an unquestioned faith in the qualitative superiority of its active duty force of 75,000 service members and its rapidly mobilizable component of 350,000 reservists. When Egypt and Syria launched their surprise offensives on October 6 against the dramatically outnumbered defenders, the IDF found itself facing much larger and well-armed Arab armies with vastly improved technological and tactical capabilities. The Egyptian use of Sagger antitank missiles and surface-to-air missiles, in particular, decisively defeated Israeli armor and airpower in the Sinai during the opening phases. By the third day of fighting, the stunned IDF had lost 40 percent of its tanks and dozens of fighter-bomber aircraft, and was left grappling with the unexpected losses.

In response, Israel executed a full-scale, societal mobilization that benefited from the way local communities had gathered in centralized locations to celebrate Yom Kippur. The IDF General Staff, under intense pressure to stabilize the collapsing northern front and rescue besieged forts along the Suez Canal, activated over 300,000 reservists into tiered combat formations within seventy-two hours. While some soldiers joined units already at the front as replacements, others formed entirely new units to reinforce the bloodied divisions along the Suez Canal or across the Golan Heights. However, though the reinforcements proved vital for restoring the irreplaceable armored divisions that had suffered in previous days, the chaotic mobilization resulted in the haphazard and desynchronized arrival of critically needed artillery, infantry, and engineer forces to the front.


Islamic Republic close to collapse in Iran, civil war possible after US, Israeli decimation of nuclear capabilities: experts
The winds of change could soon blow on Iran, according to a new report.

The Islamic Republic is facing collapse, indicates the report, issued by UK-based Henry Jackson Society this week, as the UN accuses Tehran of executing nearly 900 people already this year “as a tool of intimidation.”

If the Islamic Republic falls, “there is a danger that regime collapse could lead to a vacuum of governance that is accompanied by civil war,” according to the findings.

“This is an outcome that must be avoided at all costs for the Iranian people, and every step must therefore be made to ensure that any transition is quick and painless,” it added.

The current Iranian regime “remains wedded to the Iranian revolution,” according to the report.

It added that the Ayatollah’s regime is committed to “reconstituting its nuclear program and exporting terrorism both regionally and internationally makes it an ongoing danger to the West.”

Targeted attacks launched by Israel with the US in June on Iranian nuclear sites “set back the regime,” the report said, but “it has not eliminated the strategic and security threats posed by the regime.”
Israel targeted top Iranian leaders by hacking, tracing their bodyguards’ phones — report
Israel was able to track and target senior Iranian political and military leaders and nuclear scientists during the June war between the countries by hacking and tracking the phones of their bodyguards and drivers, the New York Times reported Saturday.

In its opening strikes on Iran in the early hours of June 13, Israel swiftly killed multiple top generals and nuclear scientists, among them Revolutionary Guards chief Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, Armed Forces chief Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, and missile chief Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, stunning and paralyzing Iran for long hours.

The Times report, which quoted several senior Iranian and Israeli military and intelligence officials, said that though top Iranian leaders were aware of the security threat posed by smartphones and avoided using them, this instruction did not extend to their security detail, enabling Israel to track and eliminate them.

“We know senior officials and commanders did not carry phones, but their interlocutors, security guards and drivers had phones; they did not take precautions seriously and this is how most of them were traced,” Sasan Karimi, a former deputy vice president for strategy in Iran’s government, told The Times.

The Times noted that Iran had been aware of Israel’s plan to kill top officials and had boosted their security. In doing so, it unwittingly allowed Israel to track and target the senior officials.

It further said that multiple guards were careless with their phone use prior to the war, posting updates about their doings on social media, further assisting Israel’s information-gathering efforts.

“Using so many bodyguards is a weakness that we imposed on them, and we were able to take advantage of that,” one Israeli defense official said.

After that first devastating blow, bodyguards were ordered to carry only walkie-talkies while on the job.

However, in at least one case, guards violated the orders allowing Israel to again target leaders, the report said, leading to a strike on a bunker during a secretive meeting of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. President Masoud Pezeshkian was injured in the leg during that June 16 incident, but none of the top officials were killed, though a number of guards were.

“The enemy gets the majority of its intelligence through technology, satellites and electronic data,” the new head of the Revolutionary Guards Corps, Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi said. “They can find people, get information, their voices, images and zoom in with precise satellites and find the locations.”


Houthi Prime Minister Ghalib al-Rahawi, eight ministers killed in IAF Thursday strike
Houthi Prime Minister Ghalib al-Rahawi and several other ministers were killed in the IAF strike in Sanaa on Thursday, the news agency run by the terror group said on Saturday, citing a statement by the head of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat.

The Houthis further announced that several other ministers who were present were seriously or moderately injured in the strike and are receiving medical treatment. However, the announcement did not specify who else was killed in the attack.

According to Army Radio, citing Israeli security sources, eight others killed in the attack were the Houthis’ political bureau director, the prime minister’s chief of staff, the group’s cabinet secretary, and its justice minister, economy and trade minister, foreign minister, agriculture minister, and public relations minister.

Houthi Defense Minister Mohammad Nasser al-Athifi said that the terror group is ready to confront Israel’s airstrike on Sanaa shortly after their deaths were announced, according to the news agency. Mashat’s statement previously did not make clear whether he was among the casualties.

The IAF attacked a group of top Houthi military officials in Sanaa who were watching their leader give a nationally televised speech.


Sa’ar slams Belgian support for PA: Serving ‘interests of terrorists’
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar rebuked on Saturday his Belgian counterpart Maxime Prévot over the latter’s support for the Palestinian Authority, saying that it “serves only the interests of the terrorists, not dialogue, not peace.”

The P.A. has never stopped compensating Palestinian terrorists and their families and inciting violence against the Jewish state, policies that stand in clear violation of its diplomatic commitments, Sa’ar tweeted.

“Therefore, your support for a Palestinian state is clearly a support of a terror state, a basis for further attacks on Israel and October 7-like atrocities,” Israel’s top diplomat continued, referring to the Hamas-led massacre in 2023.

Sa’ar said that instead of criticizing the United States over its decision to deny visas to Palestinian representatives ahead of the 80th session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, Belgium should focus on the P.A.’s “legal warfare against Israel.”

On Friday, the U.S. State Department announced that it is denying new visas and revoking old ones from individuals associated with the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, ahead of the U.N. General Assembly annual debate on Sept. 9-23.

“The Trump administration has been clear: It is in our national security interests to hold the PLO and P.A. accountable for not complying with their commitments and for undermining the prospects for peace,” read a memo. “Before the PLO and P.A. can be considered partners for peace, they must consistently repudiate terrorism, including the Oct. 7 massacre, and end incitement to terrorism in education.”


Gaza's 'journalists' are Hamas operatives, not press heroes
WHAT MAKES matters worse is when Israel itself validates Hamas’s narrative. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the IDF spokesman both described the Khan Yunis strike as a “tragic mistake.” But this was not a mistake. The hospital was being used as a Hamas surveillance base and even, by some accounts, as a place to hold Israeli hostages.

Field officers are reportedly furious at the prime minister for apologizing for what was a legitimate military target. Any casualties are the responsibility of Hamas alone: morally, for embedding its fighters among civilians, and legally, under the Geneva Conventions. By apologizing, Israel’s leadership handed Hamas a propaganda gift it did not deserve.

The scandal doesn’t end in Gaza. It reaches deep into Western newsrooms. Former Associated Press reporter Matti Friedman has blown the whistle, describing how Hamas censorship shaped coverage from the inside.

In one case, Friedman wrote a story that mentioned that Hamas fighters pose as civilians. Under pressure from Hamas, the AP editors deleted that critical detail. Friedman protested the censorship and requested that, at the very least, the story acknowledge that it had been censored. His editors refused his request. There was no disclaimer. Hamas’s demand would be honored by the AP, full stop.

In another, a scoop about Ehud Olmert’s sweeping 2008 peace offer – the kind of story that might have shown Israel’s seriousness about ending the conflict – was buried at Hamas’s insistence. This isn’t journalism; it’s collaboration. Hamas dictates the narrative, Western media repeats it, and the world swallows it whole.

The consequences are enormous. When Hamas operatives wearing press vests are counted as journalists, Israel is accused of waging war on free expression. When every report out of Gaza has been pre-approved by Hamas, the global public isn’t informed; it’s manipulated. And when the rare few who dare to defy Hamas try to tell the truth, they are brutally silenced. Their stories never see the light of day.

The five killed on Monday were mourned as reporters. But the evidence tells a different story: They were Hamas operatives, soldiers in the terror group’s disinformation war. This is the reality. There is no free press in Gaza. There is no independent journalism. There is only Hamas. The truth is dying in Gaza, and Hamas is burying it with a press badge.


IDF reservist killed in suspected friendly fire incident in southern Gaza
An Israeli reservist was killed in fighting in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday, the morning after seven soldiers were wounded in the enclave.

Sgt. First Class (res.) Ariel Lubliner, 34, was the 900th soldier killed across all fronts since the Hamas terror group’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel started the ongoing war.

The circumstances of his death were being investigated as a suspected friendly fire incident. A preliminary IDF investigation indicated he was killed by a bullet discharged accidentally by another soldier.

Lubliner was killed in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis. He was a resident of Kiryat Bialik in northern Israel.

Lubliner immigrated from Brazil some 10 years ago. He is survived by his wife Barbara, an immigrant from Spain, and their nine-month-old son, Lior.

Lubliner had been due to finish the latest of numerous stints of reserve duty on Sunday, Hebrew media reported, and the family was planning to fly to Brazil for a vacation. He had been on duty in this round since June.

Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip now stands at 461.


Seven IDF soldiers wounded by explosive device in Gaza City's Zeitoun neighborhood
Seven Israeli soldiers were wounded during IDF activity in Gaza City's Zeitoun neighborhood on Friday night, Israeli media reported on Saturday.

The seven were wounded after encountering an explosive device while operating on an Israeli Namer APV.

Two of the seven were lightly-to-moderately wounded and were rushed to hospital for further treatment. The remaining five were discharged after receiving treatment at a hospital on Friday night.

The families of the wounded soldiers were notified shortly after the incident occurred.

IDF operates in Gaza City, Khan Yunis
The IDF operated in Gaza City, as well as the southern city of Khan Yunis, on Friday, striking targets from the air and on the ground, as per Walla.

The Hezbollah-affiliated source Al-Mayadeen reported that one was killed and several others were wounded from a strike that targeted the Al-Shawa Tower, located on Al-Wahda Street in Gaza City.

This comes as Israel is preparing for its planned takeover of Gaza City, which has been dubbed by the IDF as "Operation Gideon's Chariots II."

IDF denies Palestinian claims of kidnapped soldiers
Also on Saturday, IDF's Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee published a video on his social media channels refuting Palestinians claims of the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers in the area.


Hamas confirms death of Mohammed Sinwar, months after Israel said he was killed in a strike
The Hamas terror group confirms the death of its Gaza military chief Mohammed Sinwar, a few months after Israel said it killed him in a strike in May.

Hamas does not provide details on Sinwar’s death but publishes pictures of him along with other group leaders, describing them as “martyrs.”

Mohammad Sinwar was the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, the former leader of the terror group, who co-masterminded the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, and whom Israel had killed in combat a year later.

He became the de facto leader of the terror group following Israel’s killing of Yahya last October.

Israel targeted him in a strike in May of this year, and assessed that he had been killed some weeks later.


Target of Gaza strike: Hamas spokesman Abu Obaida
It is estimated that Hamas military spokesman Abu Obaida was the target of an attempted assassination in Gaza City.

The Hamas terror group issued an official condemnation of the attack, claiming dozens were injured and killed.

Earlier, reports said that the IDF and ISA struck a key Hamas terrorist in the Gaza City area, using aircraft.

The joint announcement stressed that "Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence."

"The terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip systematically violate international law, exploiting civilian infrastructure and the Gazan population as human shields for terrorist activity."

A senior Israeli official said, “If he was there, there’s no chance he would have survived the assassination attempt this time.” The official added that initial intelligence on his location was received last night, and a window of opportunity opened at 5:30 p.m. Saturday evening. “If there had been hostages in the area, they would not have carried out the attack,” the source emphasized.


Video:
⚠️ Viewer Discretion Advised
The following images are graphic and may be disturbing.

Breaking:
First images emerge from the Israeli strike in Gaza that targeted — and reportedly killed — Abu Obeida, the spokesperson of Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas terrorist organization.
Al Jazeera Hit With Defamation Lawsuit by Syrian Jewish Ex-Refugee
A defamation lawsuit was filed against the Qatar-based Al Jazeera media network on Wednesday by Abraham Hamra, a Syrian pro-Israel advocate and lawyer.

According to the lawsuit, which was filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Hamra “is a Jewish refugee from Syria, born in Damascus. He fled Syria with his parents and siblings in 1994 at the age of eight, following the partial lifting of restrictions on Jewish emigration by the Syrian regime under President Hafez al-Assad in 1992.”

The Algemeiner obtained a copy of the complaint, which explains that, on Aug. 25, Al Jazeera posted a video claiming that Hamra was paid by the Israeli government to visit an aid site of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an Israel- and US-backed program that delivers aid directly to Palestinians, operating independently from UN-backed mechanisms.

“This accusation is false in its entirety. Plaintiff has never received any payment, compensation, or financial incentive from the Israeli government or any affiliated entity for visiting aid sites in Gaza,” the lawsuit claims.

“The visit by Plaintiff related to Israel and Gaza was undertaken independently, in his personal capacity, on his own dime, as an advocate for his community and to bear witness against misinformation,” the suit continues.


GHF Braves Hamas Violence, Hungry Crowds, Internatonal Slander to Put Meals in Gazans' Hands
Hamas, the United Nations, and many in the media accuse Israel of deliberately starving the people of Gaza and creating a famine. Yet, one organization in cooperation with Israel is working to directly feed Gazans with millions of meals. CBN News had a firsthand look at the Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF) in action.

We made our way during a 15-minute ride across the Keren Shalom crossing from Israel to the distribution site. The journey took us through most of the town of Rafah and along the border with Egypt.

We arrived, anticipating that about 8,000 people would be coming for their daily food.

One thing that makes GHF unique is that it provides fresh produce, very valuable to the people of Gaza. The fare includes potatoes and onions, and another portion of food that comes in boxes for those in need. The box provides 58 meals for three days. The box we examined included lentils, pasta, and sugar. Each family receives a box when they come to the distribution site.

The potatoes and onions come first for Gazans in the distribution area because of their value to the families, followed by the boxes that were lined up near a berm for distribution.

What makes the GHF program is that no one is buying food here. It's all free, and especially these things that are so valuable: the onions and potatoes.

The initiative all began in May, when U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announced it to the world at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.

"All of you are aware of the fact that President Trump has made very clear that one of the most urgent things that needs to happen is humanitarian aid into Gaza," Huckabee said. “So, today we are announcing that that process is ongoing, is launched.”

President Donald Trump gave two key directives in backing the effort.

“The first is that food be distributed efficiently, but also that it’s distributed safely inside Gaza to the people that desperately need it," he said. The other factor, and this is an important one: that all of this be done in such a way that Hamas is not able to get their hands on it. Previous actions have often been met with Hamas stealing the food that was intended for hungry people. Nobody is interested in helping Hamas.”

GHF Executive Chairman Rev. Johnnie Moore told a recent gathering that GHF reflects the American values of peace through strength.

He described it as, “Strength in service of mercy. Power in defense of the powerless. Resolve in the face of chaos. And I’ve seen this firsthand every single day as the chairman of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. In my role as Executive Chairman, I’ve seen up close when American principles meet the world’s most intractable problem.”

Moore added, "And that's what GHF is doing every single day on the ground in Gaza. We’re not doing it with weapons. We do it with trucks and with food and with conviction. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation was built in an image of this American resolve. We didn’t wait for the United Nations' permission because men, women, and children in Gaza could not afford to wait any longer."

Moore admits the effort has come with a cost.

“We lost 12 local aid workers. Hamas brutally murdered them," he stated. "They injured dozens more, and to make a point, they piled them in front of one of the only hospitals still operating in the Gaza Strip, guarded them and, within earshot of the hospital, and refused them any medical treatment whatsoever.”




Hugh Hewitt: Israel and the end of war in Gaza? Eli Lake joins Hugh to discuss



The Free Press: Why U.S. Policy Has Failed in the Middle East
Obama, Biden, and Trump all campaigned on pulling back from the Middle East. Why did they fail?

For decades, American policymakers have tried to reshape the Middle East—a project that has left U.S. politics polarized, and the region, arguably, less stable.

For nearly 20 years, U.S. presidents have vowed to pull back from the Middle East. But not a single one—not Barack Obama, Donald Trump, or Joe Biden—have come close to succeeding.

Steven A. Cook, senior fellow for Middle East and Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, and I look back at the past 30 years of failure—and success—of American intervention in the Middle East through the lens of his latest book, The End of Ambition: America's Past, Present, and Future in the Middle East.

They discuss: Why does Washington continue to chase transformational change in the Middle East? How did Obama misunderstand the ayatollahs in the lead-up to the nuclear deal? Should Biden have withdrawn troops from Afghanistan? Was Trump’s decision to strike three Iranian nuclear sites the right call? And above all: How can the United States safeguard its interests as China moves to expand its influence in the region?

It’s a sweeping conversation about American policy in the region that you won’t want to miss.




Triggernometry: Responding to Netanyahu Interview Critics
Stand-up comedians Konstantin Kisin (@konstantinkisin) and Francis Foster (@francisjfoster) make sense of politics, economics, free speech, AI, drug policy and WW3 with the help of presidential advisors, renowned economists, award-winning journalists, controversial writers, leading scientists and notorious comedians.

00:00 Introduction
06:26 Contradictory Criticisms On The Benjamin Netanyahu Interview
18:18 The Effect Of Social Media On How People View War
28:13 Discussing Comments On The Breaking Points Reaction Video
53:14 The Problems With Journalism
01:03:39 Why Is This Continuing?
01:06:44 One Of Liberalism's Big Flaws
01:10:30 Antisemitism Throughout The Middle East
01:14:16 The Myth Of All People Being The Same Is Breaking Down


ABC presenter Sarah Ferguson exposed for ‘steamrolling’ Jewish guest
Institute of Public Affairs Research Fellow Mia Schlicht blasts the “appalling journalism” of ABC presenter Sarah Ferguson after being exposed for “steamrolling” Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli.


Kash Patel's girlfriend sues podcaster for alleging she is a 'honeypot' Mossad agent
FBI Director Kash Patel's longtime girlfriend Alexis Wilkins is suing a former FBI agent and conservative podcast host for alleging that she is a Mossad agent sent to compromise her partner in a honeypot operation.

In the lawsuit, filed on Wednesday in Texas, Wilkins sued podcaster Kyle Seraphin for $5 million for “falsely asserting that she, an American-born country singer, is an agent of a foreign government, assigned to manipulate and compromise the director of the FBI,” her attorney wrote.

She said that Seraphin, a self-alleged “recovering FBI agent," and whistleblower, “maliciously lied” and used "this fabricated story as self-enriching clickbait" to garner more attention to his podcast.

The lawsuit comes after Seraphin alleged on his podcast, The Kyle Seraphin Show, that Patel "has had his own little ‘honeypot’ issue."

He went on to allege that Wilkins, 26, duped Patel, 45, into the relationship and alleged that she was an undercover Israeli intelligence officer.

“He’s got a girlfriend that is half his age, who is apparently is both a country music singer, a political commentator on Rumble, a friend of John Rich through [FBI deputy Director Dan] Bongino, who also now owns a big chunk of Rumble, and she’s also a former Mossad agent in what is like the equivalent of their NSA.

“But I’m sure that’s totally because, like, she’s really looking for like a cross-eyed, you know, kind of thickish built, super cool bro who’s almost 50 years old who’s Indian in America,” he said. “Like it has nothing to do with the fact that uh we’re really close to the Trump administration. Anyway, I’m sure that’s totally just like love. That’s what real love looks like.”


Anti-Israel vandals target ritzy NYC building where New York Times executive editor lives
Vandals splattered red paint across the entrance of the ritzy Greenwich Village building where New York Times executive editor Joseph Kahn lives early Friday, in the latest attack by anti-Israel activists enraged over the paper’s coverage of the Israel-Gaza war.

Officers were called to Fifth Ave., near East 11th Street, just before 5 a.m. on Friday, according to cops.

Residents were confronted with red paint covering the steps, walls, sidewalk and lamps outside the entrance, along with graffiti reading, “Joe Kahn Lies, Gaza Dies” scrawled in black marker on the pavement.


No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing, the NYPD told The Post.

Investigators said the incident fits into a pattern of anti-Israel demonstrations targeting Kahn personally and accusing the Times of manufacturing consent for “genocide” in Gaza.

In December, protesters stormed the paper’s Midtown headquarters with similar slogans — smearing red paint at the entrance to the newspaper’s offices.

“People are free to disagree with The New York Times’s reporting but vandalism and targeting of individuals and their families crosses a line and we will work with authorities to address it,” a Times spokesperson said in a statement to The Post.
Jonathan Tobin: Year three of the siege on Jewish students begins
Trump must double down
Averting another situation such as the one that unfolded after Oct. 7 will require two things to happen.

One is that the Trump administration must be prepared to double down on its threats against colleges and universities that behave as they did two years ago and let antisemites run amok.

Moreover, rather than work solely toward striking more deals with schools, such as the one they struck with Columbia, Trump’s team must escalate their efforts to pull funding and force them to give up their DEI bureaucracies, as well as dismantle those departments, like those in Middle East studies, that are engines of antisemitism.

At the same time, those whose job it is to defend Jews, in general, like the Anti-Defamation League and American Jewish Committee, and Jewish students, in particular, such as Hillel International, need to understand that they must cease opposing Trump’s efforts to reform academia and end DEI. Measures that are supposed to aid Jewish students that do not attack the reasons why they are under attack are useless and say more about the bankruptcy of many leading mainstream Jewish groups than anything else.

The coming months may prove trying for American Jews as they undergo another trial by fire, fueled by lies about Israel. The same leftist-Islamist alliance that has done so much damage in the last two years seeks to ignite another storm of antisemitism on campuses.

Still, they need to remember that they are not alone in this fight. Trump’s prioritization of the battle against Jew-hatred has put colleges and universities that would otherwise be inclined to abandon their Jewish students on notice that there will be a cost to doing so. We can only hope that this will be enough to force school administrations into actions that will finally rid academia of this scourge.


UKLFI: Artfinder accused of selling antisemitic art online
UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) was approached by a long-time customer of the online gallery, who was shocked to see the antisemitic art on sale. UKLFI has written to Art Discovery Ltd, trading as Artfinder, pointing out that certain pictures displayed on Artfinder.com are antisemitic according to the IHRA working definition of antisemitism adopted by the UK government.

The offensive artworks include:
- “Criminal with Hat” by Wim Carrette showing the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu wearing the hat, collar and epaulettes of a Second World War Nazi SS officer along with the striped pyjamas of a concentration camp inmate.
- “Zionist Football” by Wim Carrette showing soldiers, one with a Nazi armband, violently kicking a young man.
- Fake Leaders, Benjamin by Wim Carrette – showing Netanyahu in an orange US prisoner’s uniform with his hands manacled in handcuffs standing in front of the gates of the Auschwitz death camp. Instead of “arbeit macht frei” the word “Palestine” is written on the gates.
- Happy Genocide !! by Wim Carrette – portraying Netanyahu smiling and standing with Israeli soldiers, taking a selfie. In the background, another Israeli soldier executes a child in cold blood.

UKLFI have pointed out to Artfinder that all the above artworks are examples of comparing modern Israeli policies and politicians with Nazis and Nazi policies and are antisemitic in accordance with the IHRA Working Definition and its associated examples.

UKLFI also explained that these artworks are arguably grossly offensive and so could fall foul of Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003, which prohibits messages or other matter that is grossly offensive being sent by a public electronic communications network.
Canada must ‘do more to eliminate evil’ attacks on Jews
Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel on Saturday urged the Canadian government to “do more to eliminate evil” antisemitic crimes, speaking in the wake of the police-confirmed hate-driven stabbing of a Jewish woman in Ottawa earlier in the week.

“This is antisemitism in Canada in 2025: brazen, violent and carried out in broad daylight,” Haskel tweeted.

“I stand with Canada’s Jewish community,” she continued. “Enough excuses—antisemitism must be confronted relentlessly by those with the power to stamp it out.”

The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) on Friday said that following a thorough investigation, the incident on Aug. 27 is being considered a “hate-motivated crime.”

It further stated, “Multiple units, including the West Criminal Investigations Unit and the Hate and Bias Crime Unit, are involved in the investigation. 71-year-old Joseph Rooke, of Cornwall, has been charged with aggravated assault and possessing a dangerous weapon.”

The Ottawa Police Service noted that it is in contact with leaders of the Jewish community and that directives have been issued to officers to heighten security in areas with a strong Jewish presence.
Self-Described Atheist Antisemite Accused of Stabbing Elderly Jewish Woman in Grocery Store
A self-described antisemitic atheist has been accused of stabbing a an elderly Jewish woman in a grocery store in the Canadian capital of Ottawa.

Police charged Joseph Rooke, 71, this week with aggravated assault and possession of a dangerous weapon following the stabbing of a Jewish woman in her 70s on Wednesday at the Loblaws grocery store, home to one of the largest Kosher food sections in Ottawa.

According to the National Post, police said on Friday that they are considering the stabbing as potentially having been a hate-motivated crime and that they are investigating Rooke’s social media posts.

The paper reported that Rooke — who claims to be of native “First Nations” descent — regularly posted anti-religious sentiments online and had admitted to hating Jewish people.

In a post last Summer, he reportedly declared: “Yes I am antisemitic and atheist,” while describing the Jewish faith as the “world’s oldest cult”.

“Over time jews have become insidious in governments, businesses, media conglomerates, and educational institutions in order to do what they do better than anyone else. Jews are the world’s masters of propaganda, gaslighting, demonization, demagoguery, and outright lying. Using their collective wealth they have become masters of reprisal,” he is said to have written.

In another social media post, Rooke reportedly wrote: “I am under no obligation whatsoever, legal, moral, or otherwise, to like jews and I do not. If that means I meet the jewish definition of an anti-semite, so be it.”


UKLFI: British Wheelchair Basketball apologises to Israeli team for turning backs during Hatikvah
The British Wheelchair Basketball organization has apologised after the team turned their backs during the playing of the Israeli National Anthem, in advance of a match. The apology was made to the Israeli National Wheelchair Basketball team and the Israeli Paralympic Committee following the incident at the Nations Cup on 16 August 2025 prior to an international fixture in Cologne, Germany.

The apology followed a letter sent by UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) to Justine Baynes, Chief Executive Officer of British Wheelchair Basketball, which raised serious concerns regarding breaches of the association’s Code of Conduct and Diversity and Inclusion Plan.

Ms Baynes said: “The team acted in a manner that is inconsistent with our code of conduct and we regret any distress caused. We are continuing discussions internally and externally. We are committed to ensuring that all participants in our sport are treated with respect.”

Ms Baynes has not confirmed whether the British team members who breached the game’s regulations will be subjected to any disciplinary action. UKLFI have asked Ms Baynes to clarify this point.
National Library of Israel to host 1,000 interactive life stories in landmark AI project
“At the moment, our story seems to be told by others. This project is about Jews telling their story in their own words.” With that aim, Stephen Smith and his wife, Heather, are launching a storytelling initiative they believe will reshape how Jewish identity is recorded and understood.

The couple, known internationally for pioneering the first interactive Holocaust survivor holograms, have now turned their focus to the everyday lives of Israelis. Earlier this month, the National Library of Israel signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Our Jewish Story, the organisation the pair co-founded, to house 1,000 interactive video testimonies. Recorded through a bilingual app powered by conversational AI, the archive will allow users not just to watch interviews but to engage with them, asking questions and receiving authentic answers from pre-recorded material.

Unlike generative AI, the technology cannot invent responses. Instead, it is carefully designed to pull from genuine video segments while maintaining strict verification standards. Each testimony is encrypted, watermarked, and signed off by the participant, while sensitive sections can be locked for preservation but withheld from public access. “It’s story first, supported by technology,” says Smith. Heather adds: “When I can ask my own question, I feel more connected. That’s when the story lives in my psyche.”

The project’s first phase, titled Our Israel Story, is focused on capturing the breadth of Israeli society. “We want a more refined and personal understanding of who Israelis are rather than what Israeli is,” Smith explains. “People talk about Israel in the abstract, but who are Israelis? Where do they come from? What are their journeys?”

The range of voices already included highlights that diversity. One striking testimony is from Ruth Solomon, who began life in Kashmir and only reached Israel in her sixties after a family history marked by loss and survival. Another comes from Sheikh Abas, a Muslim leader from Akko, whose reflections on Israel and its complexities Smith describes as “profound”. The archive will also include accounts from Druze, Christians, Baha’is and migrant workers whose daily lives are lived in Hebrew. Smith recalls the surprise of watching a group of Southeast Asian domestic workers chatting over coffee in Jerusalem. “The only language they had in common was Hebrew,” he says. It was an anthropological moment. These are the kinds of stories people don’t expect, but they are part of the fabric of Israel.”


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Elder of Ziyon - حـكـيـم صـهـيـون



This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For 20 years and 40,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.

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