Archive for month: February, 2025

News Update

Hamas announced yesterday that they would delay the release of hostages until further notice, because of what they claim are Israeli violations of the cease-fire agreement, including not permitting Gazans to return to the north via the Netzarim corridor and the withholding of agreed upon humanitarian aid. Both claims are false.

President Trump responded to Hamas breaking the agreement by warning that if Hamas doesn’t release ALL of the hostages by 12pm on Saturday, the ceasefire would be considered nullified, Israel could resume the war, and that “all hell is going to break out”. Israel’s cabinet met today to discuss its options.

Trump also suggested that he would withhold U.S. aid to Egypt and Jordan if they refuse to accept Palestinians from Gaza to settle in their territory. Trump said that he believes they will accept them, despite their public rejections of his plan.

The IDF announced today that Shlomo Mansour, 85, the oldest hostage believed to be held by Hamas, was murdered on Oct. 7 and his body was abducted to Gaza. Twins Gali and Ziv Berman, 27, who were abducted from their home in Kfar Aza are believed to be alive but, according to testimonies, likely being held separately.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas issued a presidential decree on Monday canceling laws that allowed financial payments to families of prisoners in Israeli jails or to families of terrorists killed during attacks. Officials in Ramallah noted that this move was made as part of efforts to bolster the Palestinian Authority’s standing and legal position at the United Nations and other international bodies, with the aim of achieving international recognition and full membership for a “State of Palestine”. Hamas and Islamic Jihad condemned the move.

News Update

Israel is awaiting the names of the 3 hostages scheduled to be released tomorrow under the terms of the ceasefire agreement. Israel has urged mediators to prioritize the release of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, whom Hamas claimed were killed in November 2023, a claim Israel says is unverified.

Armed Hamas terrorists, along with thousands of Gazans, participated today in a funeral service for Marwan Issa, a senior member of the Hamas who was killed by an Israeli airstrike last March, that was held in the El Bureij refugee camp in the center of the Strip. Issa was one of the founders of Hamas, one of the top 3 Hamas leaders in Gaza and one of the architects of Oct. 7.

Israeli airstrikes hit multiple Hezbollah-linked sites deep inside Lebanon, including the eastern city of Baalbek, last night. The strikes targeted weapons storage facilities and newly established Hezbollah outposts. US Deputy Special Envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus said at a Friday press conference in Beirut that the Trump administration wants February 18 to be the date that Israel completes its withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

The IDF has established a special command to address potential threats in the West Bank. The newly designated force, which includes multiple reserve brigades from the Home Front Command, will be tasked with defending border communities stretching from the northernmost tip of the West Bank, through the Sharon area and down to Hebron.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi launched Joint Task Force October 7 (JTF 10-7) to seek justice for victims of the October 7 Hamas attack, disrupt Hamas-linked financial networks and address rising antisemitic crimes in the United States. According to a Justice Department memorandum released Thursday, JTF 10-7 will pursue criminal charges, including capital crimes, against those responsible for the attack, assist victims and hostage families, investigate U.S.-based Hamas supporters and funders and collaborate with federal agencies and Israel to counter the terror group. The FBI will provide agents, analysts and linguists with expertise in counterterrorism to staff the task force and the Treasury Department and IRS will collaborate with JTF 10-7 to track and disrupt Hamas’ funding sources, including financial institutions suspected of laundering money for the group.

The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed that Netanyahu gave a golden pager as a gift to President Trump during their meeting at the White House on Tuesday. The golden pager displayed text that read: “Press with both hands,” and was given to Trump on a trophy-style display with a placard saying: “To President Donald J. Trump, our greatest friend and greatest ally. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.”

News Update

In a press conference with Prime Minister Netanyahu at the White House, after their meeting yesterday, President Trump said that the U.S. should take long-term control of Gaza and that Palestinians should be relocated while the Strip is rebuilt into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on social media that Trump would, “Make Gaza Beautiful Again.” Netanyahu said, “It is something that could change history, and it is worthwhile really pursuing this avenue.”

Trump said, “We will only be satisfied if all the problems are solved and we have the team to solve them. It will happen quickly. The Gaza Strip has been a source of destruction and so bad for the people, the lives of the residents there are miserable. They need to go to other places. There are many of them who want to go from there. 1.8 million Gazans need to leave. The rich countries of the region need to finance it. They can go to one area, or 12. We will ensure that something amazing is done. We will have peace and they will not be shot, killed and destroyed.”

He said, “the United States will take over the Gaza Strip, we will do work there. We will control it and neutralize all the bombs. We will clear Gaza and get rid of the destruction and carry out economic development that will provide endless jobs and housing. It is impossible to go back. If they go back, it will happen again.”

After recently touring Gaza, Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy, told the president that it is basically uninhabitable and questioned whether it was humane to allow people to live there before it’s rebuilt. According to the WSJ, in late summer, Trump told Netanyahu in a phone call that the Gaza Strip was a prime piece of real estate and asked him to think about what kinds of hotels could be built there, according to a person with direct knowledge of the conversation. But he didn’t mention the U.S. taking it over.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinians have rejected Trump’s proposal. [But that’s just their opening position. When Trump wants something, and has the power of the U.S. to back him up, there’s a good chance that he can get it. And the fact remains that, thanks to Hamas, Gaza is uninhabitable for the overwhelming majority of the 2 million Palestinians, who overwhelmingly supported, and continue to support, Hamas. So something drastic needs to be done to clean up the mess they made and finally bring some peace and prosperity to the Palestinians. The only way that can happen now is if they are living outside of Gaza. Let’s hope and pray that Trump can accomplish that.]

Several senior Hamas commanders who Israel had supposedly eliminated have resurfaced in Gaza during this ceasefire. An IDF official remarked, “There’s a chance we’ll see more Hamas commanders we thought we had eliminated suddenly reappear. Sometimes even Hamas itself doesn’t know the outcome of an attack targeting one of their commanders, and the process of evaluating strike results is not always 100% accurate. Some were targeted inside tunnels or buildings that collapsed on their occupants.” The IDF said that Hamas has 10,000 terrorists remaining of the 30,000 they had before Oct. 7. For more, click here.