Archive for month: May, 2025

News Update

Hamas has yet to respond to the new framework proposed by Witkoff and accepted by Israel, that would include a 60 day ceasefire and the release of 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 hostages. For more details of the framework, click here.

A ballistic missile was launched by the Houthis last night and was intercepted, but not before triggering alarms across central Israel that sent tens of thousands to shelter and interrupted the Israeli soccer cup finals and an Aviv Gefen concert.

The IDF struck multiple Hezbollah sites containing rocket and missile launchers in southern Lebanon yesterday. Hezbollah had reportedly attempted to reestablish bases in Sidon.

The Air Force has created a new air defense battalion operating a laser defense system. The lasers have gone through extensive testing and have been used during the Gaza war and in the north. The lasers can destroy targets before warning sirens are even sounded, and the supply is limitless. This is clearly a game changer. For more, click here.

Since 2021, natural gas exports from Israel have increased by 86%. Half of Israel’s total production is exported and half is used domestically, primarily for electricity. The gas is primarily exported to Egypt and Jordan.

The Festival of Shavuot begins Sunday night and extends for one day in Israel and two days outside of Israel. The holiday literally means weeks, and is the culmination of the counting of 7 weeks (49 days) from the second day of Passover. Shavuot is described in the Torah as the harvest festival during which farmers bring their first produce to the Temple in Jerusalem. Shavuot is also the anniversary of the giving of the Ten Commandments and Torah at Mount Sinai. The Book of Ruth is read in the synagogue, and dairy meals are traditionally eaten. It is also customary to stay up all night (first night) to study Torah.

News Update

Israeli jets attacked the airport in Sa’ana, Yemen today. Defense Minister Katz said, “Air Force planes have now attacked terrorist targets of the Houthi terrorist organization at the airport in Sanaa and destroyed the last remaining plane used by the Houthis. This is a clear message and a direct continuation of the policy we have established: whoever fires at the State of Israel will pay heavy prices. The ports in Yemen will continue to be severely damaged, and the airport in Sanaa will be destroyed again and again, as will other strategic infrastructure used by the Houthi terrorist organization and its supporters. The Houthi terrorist organization will be under naval and air blockade – as we pledged and warned. Whoever harms us will be harmed sevenfold.” The attack comes in response to continued Houthi missile attacks against Israel.

Two humanitarian aid distribution centers run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began operations in southern Gaza yesterday, distributing 462,000 meals. The foundation noted that food distribution experienced delays of several hours due to Hamas attempts to establish roadblocks on routes leading to the distribution site. It is still unclear who is funding the GHF. Prime Minister Netanyahu denied any Israeli government funding for the foundation. The company running the distribution operations is U.S. based. A foreign country has reportedly donated $100 million to the foundation. For more, click here. 

U.S. officials are reportedly afraid that Israel might attack Iranian nuclear facilities without warning, derailing the ongoing negotiations between the U.S. and Iran.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Israel will begin to expel Israeli citizens convicted of terrorism. The Knesset passed a law in 2023 authorizing the government to revoke the citizenship of Israelis convicted of terrorism if they received stipends from the Palestinian Authority.

Israel’s Security Cabinet has approved the establishment of 22 new settlements in Judea and Samaria. For more, click here.

Sarah Milgrim, the Israeli Embassy employee murdered by pro-Palestinian terrorist in Washington last week, was laid to rest in her hometown of Kansas City yesterday. In a show of solidarity, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance visited the Israeli Embassy in Washington and signed the condolence book in memory of Milgrim and Lishinsky.

News Update

Two staff members of Israel’s Embassy in Washington, D.C., were shot dead outside the city’s Jewish Museum late on Wednesday. The terrorist was identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, who yelled “Free Palestine” before shooting. He turned himself into officers inside the museum and was arrested while chanting “Free, free Palestine!”

Lischinsky, who was not Jewish, immigrated to Israel from his native Germany when he was 16 and settled in Jerusalem. According to his LinkedIn page, he served as an assistant in the embassy’s policy department and was responsible for monitoring trends and events in the Middle East and North Africa.

Milgrim, an American citizen, worked in the Embassy’s public diplomacy department and liaised with the local community. Before being posted to Washington, she had worked for the Tech2Peace organization, where she researched processes of peace with an emphasis on the roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israeli ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter said Lischinsky had just bought an engagement ring for Milgrim and was going to propose in Jerusalem next week. In a social-media post early Thursday, Trump wrote: “These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW! Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA.” Prime Minister Netanyahu said he ordered security to be increased at Israeli missions around the world.

A missile fired by the Houthis was intercepted before entering Israeli territory yesterday, although it interrupted flights at Ben Gurion and sent hundreds of thousands of Israelis to shelters. A missile fired from Gaza was intercepted over Ashkelon. Three other rockets were also fired but didn’t make it over the border into Israel.

The IDF announced that it eliminated the terrorist who murdered pregnant mother Tzeela Gez, and arrested 2 other suspects in related to the attack. During a raid in the Palestinian village of Bruqin, near the location of the attack, the terrorist ran toward the soldiers holding a bag believed to be rigged with explosives while shouting at them. The soldiers opened fire and killed him. No Israeli forces were injured.

France is pressuring a number of Western countries to recognize a Palestinian state and formally announce it at a peace summit being organized by President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to be held at the UN on June 17. In response, Israeli ambassador to the UN Danny Danon is working closely with U.S. diplomats to block the French initiative and persuade other nations not to support recognition. Israel is also preparing for an upcoming UN Security Council meeting on May 28, where several European countries are expected to push for a ceasefire in Gaza and the entry of humanitarian aid. Israel, once again working in coordination with the U.S., is hoping Washington will veto any such resolution.

News Update

As part of the expanded Gaza offensive called Operation Gideon’s Gideon’s Chariots, IDF Fighter jets carried out over 160 airstrikes across the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, targeting terror cells, anti-tank launch sites, tunnels, weapons depots, command centers, and buildings rigged with explosives. Ground troops also stepped up operations.

Eyewitnesses in Khan Younis reported on Monday that IDF special forces disguised as women killed Ahmad Sarhan, a senior commander in the Al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees. The terror group later confirmed his death. Witnesses said 9 individuals dressed in women’s clothing — some veiled, others with exposed faces — exited the bus and stormed Sarhan’s home, shooting him dead and arresting his wife and children. Palestinian media also reported the killing of Mahdi Kawara, the Hamas’s Southern Khan Younis Battalion commander.

Defense Minister Katz said that it was likely that Hamas leader Mohammad Sinwar was killed in a massive strike on a tunnel complex in Khan Younis 5 days ago and that his dead body was reportedly found in the rubble. The remains of 10 others, described as his aides, were also uncovered, including Muhammed Shabaneh, the commander of the Rafah brigade. Yesterday, Palestinian sources reported that Zakaria Sinwar, another Sinwar brother, was killed with three of his sons in a strike on his tent in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

Prime Minister Netanyahu approved the supply and distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza, in coordination with the U.S. and under strict IDF control. He said, “We’re working to create an area under IDF control where all Gaza residents can safely receive food and medicine. This is happening alongside significant military pressure and a massive entry into Gaza to eliminate Hamas’s ability to loot aid.” At the same time, the Prime Minister said that Israel will take full control of the Gaza Strip.

According to an NBC News report, the Trump administration is working on a plan to permanently relocate one million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Libya. As part of the deal, the U.S. would release billions of dollars in frozen Libyan funds that have been held for more than a decade.

Exactly 60 years after Israeli spy Eli Cohen was hanged in Damascus, his widow Nadia was informed on Sunday that thousands of his personal documents and belongings had been brought to Israel in a complex intelligence operation. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mossad Director David Barnea revealed the materials to Nadia Cohen, which include original documents and personal items, such as Cohen’s handwritten will, written just hours before his execution, which until now had only been available as a copy. Cohen was instrumental in helping Israel defeat the Syria during the 6 Day War. He convinced the Syrian military to plant Eucalyptus trees at secret army positions on the Golan Heights to provide Syrian soldiers with shade, which then allowed Israel to easily identify and target all of the positions. Cohen was being considered for the position of Deputy Defense Minister just before he was arrested. For more, click here.

News Update

A terrorist opened fire on a vehicle on Rt. 446, near the settlements of Peduel and Bruchin in Samaria, killing Tzeela Gez, a 30 year old pregnant mother who was on her way to the hospital to give birth to her fourth child, and wounding her husband. Doctors managed to deliver her baby via emergency cesarean section. Security forces are hunting for the terrorist. Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, who cut short a trip to the United States after hearing about the attack, said, “This road has seen four attacks. No country would allow this to continue. We demand a change in policy.”

The air force reportedly conducted airstrikes across Gaza throughout the day today, including in Jabalya and eastern Khan Yunis, as well as other locations. Palestinian sources claim that 100 have been killed in the strikes.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), announced last week by Steve Witkoff, received Israeli approval to begin operations in the Gaza Strip before the end of the month. GHF Director Jake Wood said, “The fund operates independently of direct government influence, featuring fortified, closed distribution sites monitored in real time, armored vehicles and professional civilian security—with no military presence whatsoever.” For more, click here.

The new hostage proposal under discussion for several days in Qatar is reportedly based on the framework put forth by Trump envoy Steve Witkoff. Under the plan, Hamas would release 10 of the remaining living hostages in exchange for a 40 to 50 day ceasefire, the release of Palestinian prisoners and negotiations toward a permanent end to the war, culminating in the return of all living and deceased hostages.Hamas, however, has rejected the outline, insisting on firm guarantees for a full cessation of hostilities before agreeing to any release.

Key European countries, including France, the Netherlands, and Sweden are demanding a review of whether Israel is still committed to the terms of its Association Agreement with the European Union, which allows tariff free trade and other benefits between the EU and Israel. For more, click here.