Archive for month: July, 2025

News Update

In an incident that is currently unfolding, 2 terrorists stabbed a security guard at a super market near the Gush Etzion junction in Judea. Armed civilians at the scene shot and killed the terrorists. It is unclear whether the guard was also hit by the gunfire. He subsequently has died of his wounds. Security forces are investigating the incident.

Hamas terrorists emerged from a tunnel in Khan Yunis yesterday and attempted to abduct Master Sergeant (res.) Avraham Azulay, 25, from Yitzhar, a combat engineer. Azulay fought back and was killed. Troops nearby opened fire and hit several terrorist and prevented the abduction. Azulay got married 3 months ago. He is the 3rd resident of Yitzhar to fall during this war. National Security Minister Ben-Gvir sharply blamed Prime Minister Netanyahu for the death, claiming that the “reckless deals” being discussed in negotiations motivated Hamas to try and abduct a soldier.

The IDF said that it was expanding operations in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun, after 5 soldiers were ambushed there earlier this week. Forces are encircling the town and fighter jets are pounding the area. A major part of the IDF operations are occurring underground, where most of the remaining Hamas terrorists are thought to be.

The European Union and Israel have reached an agreement to allow more aid to Gaza, with a substantial increase of daily supplies to happen in the coming days.

A soldier was stabbed and wounded by a terrorist during an IDF operation in the village of Rumana near Jenin. Soldiers shot and killed the terrorist. The Judea and Samaria Division conducted multiple brigade-level raids across an area spanning from Hebron in the south through Ramallah and Nablus to northern Samaria. Over a 12-day period, Israeli forces operated in approximately 200 villages, searched more than 1,000 buildings, arrested 165 suspects, killed three terrorists and seized 98 weapons.

Early this morning a missile fired from Yemen that triggered sirens in central Israel was intercepted.

A massive shipment of military engineering equipment arrived from the U.S. yesterday, including dozens of D9 bulldozers and additional gear that had been frozen under the Biden administration. President Trump lifted the freeze days after entering office. The Defense Ministry added that, so far, over 100,000 tons of military equipment have reached Israel via 870 flights and 144 sea shipments. It is the largest air-and-sea logistics operation in the history of the State of Israel.

News Update

Prime minister Netanyahu and President Trump met in the White House yesterday. Netanyahu presented Trump with a nomination letter recommending him for the Nobel Peace Prize. When asked about his plan to relocate Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, Trump referred the question to Netanyahu, who said, “President Trump had a brilliant vision; he called it ‘free choice.’ If people want to stay, they can. But if they want to leave, they should be allowed to. It shouldn’t be a prison; it should be an open place and allow people free choice.” Regarding a two-state solution Netanyahu said, “I think the Palestinians should have the authority to govern themselves—but not the power to threaten us. That means certain powers, like overall security, will always remain in our hands. They also discussed Iran, Syria, the Abraham Accords and the Gaza negotiations. The White House said that U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff would travel to Doha this week to push for a cease-fire agreement.

Five IDF soldiers were killed and 14 wounded roadside bombing and ambush in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun. The soldiers killed were: Sgt. First Class (res.) Benyamin Asulin, 28, from Haifa; Staff Sgt. Noam Aharon Musgadian, 20, from Jerusalem; Staff Sgt. Meir Shimon Amar, 20, from Jerusalem; Sgt. Moshe Nissim Frech, 20, from Jerusalem; and Staff Sgt. Moshe Shmuel Noll, 21, from Beit Shemesh. Asulin, a reservist from the Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade, had joined the active force for the operation, while the other four were all serving in the Netzah Yehuda Battalion.

According to a preliminary IDF investigation, troops from the Netzah Yehuda Battalion were advancing on foot through a combat zone near Israeli tanks and engineering vehicles when a series of four to five explosive devices detonated in close succession. As rescue teams moved in to evacuate the wounded, they came under heavy fire in what the IDF described as a well-prepared ambush by Hamas.

The IDF carried out two drone strikes in southern Lebanon yesterday, killing a senior commander in Hezbollah’s Radwan force and another terrorist.

News Update

The current U.S. ceasefire proposal for Gaza reportedly includes the release of 10 out of the remaining 20 living hostages and the bodies of 18 dead hostages in 5 phases during a 60 day ceasefire. A new American clarification, shared with both sides, states that if no final agreement to end the war is reached within 60 days, the ceasefire will still continue as long as negotiations remain serious and ongoing. This is meant to function as a de facto guarantee that Israel will not resume fighting unilaterally. The proposal also includes increased humanitarian aid, phased Israeli withdrawals from parts of Gaza, and the release of terrorists from Israeli prisons. According to the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat , sources close to the group said it was “satisfied” with the revised U.S. assurances and is expected to deliver its formal response before Friday evening. Qatari officials reportedly told Hamas leaders invovled in the negotiations to lay down their personal weapons and those of their bodyguards.

Several Fatah-supporting militias are now operating in Gaza, in coordination with the IDF, which is also arming them. For more, click here.

The Pentagon said Wednesday that, according to its assessment, the Israeli and American strikes in Iran have set back the Iranian nuclear program by close to two years. U.S. Congress members from both sides of the aisle have introduced a bill in the House of Representatives that would grant President Donald Trump the authority to allow Israel access to B‑2 stealth bombers and bunker‑busting bombs if it becomes clear that Iran is continuing to develop nuclear weapons.

All Likud government ministers called on Prime Minister Netanyahu yesterday to apply sovereignty over Judea and Samaria. The letter said, “Following the State of Israel’s historic achievements in the face of Iran’s axis of evil and its sympathizers, the task must be completed and the existential threat from within must be eliminated, to prevent another massacre in the heart of the country.”