Israel at war day 519: What happened in Israel, Gaza, and Syria?

The Iran-backed Houthis have been issuing more statements in recent days, threatening to resume their attacks on Israel. These could include strikes against shipping or firing long-range missiles and drones.

The Houthis changed their tactics over the past year and a half, and they have an array of weapons.

The Houthis have not been deterred in the past. In fact, several rounds of IAF long-range airstrikes did not deter them from attacking Israel.

Even though the Houthis were not deterred, they might change their mind in the future based on how they view the Trump administration and their sense of what might happen if they continue to attack ships. For now, they are only threatening, but they are indicating that they could renew the attacks soon.

The IDF struck terrorists who attempted to plant an explosive device near IDF troops in the northern Gaza Strip, the military said on Sunday.  

Several meetings had taken place between leaders of the Palestinian terror group Hamas and US hostage affairs envoy Adam Boehler, Taher Al-Nono, the political advisor of the Hamas chief confirmed to Reuters.

Israel must leverage current US support while it remains strong and adopt a new strategic framework for confronting Hamas, Lt. Col. (res.) Amit Yagur, deputy head of the Palestinian arena in the IDF Planning Directorate, said on Sunday. 

While a military operation was always an option, Yagur, also a former senior officer in Naval Intelligence, argued that, with US backing and a clear understanding of Hamas’s vulnerabilities, Israel should first explore alternative strategies.

“The rhetoric surrounding the planned aggressive military campaign—whether to deter Hamas and pressure it into concessions or to conduct a large-scale military operation—gives me, at least, the impression that once again, we are misreading Hamas at this particular moment,” he said.

According to Yagur, while Hamas is reluctant to reengage in full-scale conflict, it does not currently fear such a scenario. 

There is "limited" progress in the current negotiations to prolong the hostage-ceasefire deal and secure the release of more hostages, a source told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday. 

Qatar called for all Israeli nuclear facilities to be brought under the regulation of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and for Israel to sign the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as a non-nuclear state during a session of the IAEA in Vienna on Saturday.

Israel has accepted the invitation of the mediators backed by the United States and will send a delegation to Doha on Monday in an effort to advance the hostage negotiations, the Prime Minister's Office announced on Saturday.

The White House, responding to Iran's rejection of President Donald Trump's call to negotiate a nuclear agreement, on Saturday reiterated Trump's assertion that Tehran can be dealt with either militarily or by making a deal.

Hamas has agreed to extend the ceasefire by two months and will release more living hostages, Saudi channel Al-Hadath reported on Saturday night.

The Hamas delegation met with the head of Egyptian Intelligence in Cairo to discuss the ceasefire, Hamas said in a statement on Saturday night.