Israel News

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday, he was “committed to U.S. President [Donald J.] Trump’s plan for the creation of a different Gaza,” but he warned “there will be neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority” ruling the coastal territory.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on Monday that troops will stay in five strategic locations in southern Lebanon beyond Tuesday’s withdrawal deadline under a ceasefire with Hezbollah, despite Lebanon’s government expressing frustration over the delay.

On the 500th day since the war’s start, thousands across Israel participated in rallies, underscored by 500-minute fasts organized by relatives of those taken in the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, to press for the release of hostages.

Arab countries will unveil a plan to reconstruct Gaza within three to five years without displacing the Palestinian population and without Hamas control over the territory, sources said Sunday.

Saudi Arabia will host an Arab summit to offer an alternative to American President Donald J. Trump’s U.S. ‘takeover’ plan for the Gaza Strip, several sources confirmed Saturday.

Hamas, designated as a terrorist organization by Israel and most of its allies, has released three hostages, including Alexander Troufanov, Argentine-Israeli Yair Horn, and American-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen, officials say.

The Trump administration will back Israel’s efforts to maintain a buffer zone in Syria for the foreseeable future, the Jerusalm Post reported.

U.S. intelligence agencies determined that Israel might be planning major attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities this year, seeking to capitalize on Iran’s vulnerabilities, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The Israeli military reports that in recent weeks, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force in Iran has been smuggling cash to Hezbollah in Lebanon using civilian planes through Lebanon’s Beirut international airport.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump told Jordan’s King Abdullah visiting the White House on Tuesday that he still wants to take over Gaza and move its population of two million Palestinians to other nearby countries, including Jordan.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Tuesday that if Hamas does not release the hostages by Saturday at noon, the ceasefire deal will end, and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will resume “intense fighting until Hamas is defeated.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday condemned Hamas as an “evil” organization that must be “eradicated,” urging leaders to “step up” with a plan for Gaza if they do not support President Trump’s vision for the region.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree Monday “to end” a system of payments to families of Palestinians imprisoned or killed after carrying out attacks against Israel, but critics called it window dressing as disbursements would continue under a new scheme.

Tensions were rising in the Middle East on Tuesday after U.S. President Donald J. Trump warned Jordan and Egypt he could “conceivably” withhold aid to them if they don’t take Palestinian refugees he seeks to relocate from the Gaza Strip, which was partly destroyed in the Israel-Hamas war.

With the ceasefire at risk due to Hamas’ refusal to release hostages, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have raised readiness levels in the Southern Command and postponed leave for combat soldiers and operational units, the Israeli military announced Monday night.

President Donald Trump warned Hamas on Monday, demanding the release of all hostages in Gaza by noon Saturday. “If all of the hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 o’clock — I think it’s an appropriate time — I would say cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out,” Trump stated, threatening to cancel the ceasefire deal.

In a warning to Israel, Egypt announced Sunday that it would host “an emergency Arab summit” this month to discuss what it called “serious” developments for Palestinians.

President Trump expressed frustration with the Israel-Hamas ceasefire after footage showed gaunt and frail Israeli hostages being released, comparing their appearance to Holocaust survivors. Speaking aboard Air Force One, he warned, “At some point, we’re gonna lose our patience.”

Iran’s supreme leader has appeared to condemn United States President Donald J. Trump’s proposal for the U.S. to take over Gaza and turn it into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced that Israel will withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), following the Trump Administrations withdrawal from the Council this past Tuesday . Saar accused the council of systematic bias against Israel while neglecting real human rights issues worldwide.