Israel at war day 531: What's going on in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria?
Egypt considers absorbing Gazans • Sirens sound in Ashkelon • High Court freezes gov't vote to remove Ronen Bar as Shin Bet chief • Israelis react to gov't vote, High Court decision
Hamas says it is still discussing US envoy Witkoff's Gaza proposal
Hamas said on Friday it is still discussing US envoy Steve Witkoff's proposal and various other ideas, claiming that it has the aim of reaching a deal to release prisoners, end the war in Gaza, and achieve a withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Strip.
Last week, Witkoff presented a "bridge" plan to extend the ceasefire in Gaza into April beyond Ramadan and Passover and allow time to negotiate a permanent cessation of hostilities.
Go to the full article >>IDF will seize Gaza land permanently until Hamas releases hostages, Katz says
"If the hostages are not released, Israel will continue to take more and more territory in the Strip for permanent control," he concluded.
The IDF will permanently seize parts of the Gaza Strip until Hamas releases the hostages held in captivity, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Friday.
"I have instructed the IDF to seize additional areas in Gaza, evacuate the population, and expand security zones around Gaza to protect Israeli communities and IDF soldiers. The more Hamas persists in its refusal to release the hostages, the more territory it will lose, which will be annexed to Israel," Katz said.
"If the hostages are not released, Israel will continue to take more and more territory in the Strip for permanent control," he concluded.
Go to the full article >>How does firing Ronen Bar, Qatargate affect voting in next elections? - poll
If Naftali Bennet decides to run, the coalition would be left with 49 seats, whereas a Bennet-led opposition would have 61.
Developments in the Qatargate affair and the dismissal of Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief Ronen Bar did not significantly alter the political landscape this week, with the coalition at 54 seats and the opposition—excluding Arab parties—at 56, according to a Friday Maariv poll.
Likud, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, dropped two seats this week, landing at 22, while the Democrats gained two, rising to 12. Other party shifts were within a single mandate, leaving the overall balance between the blocs intact.
Even in a scenario where Naftali Bennett leads a party, the bloc distribution remains unchanged compared to last week. Likud’s drop to 19 seats is offset by a corresponding increase in the Democrats’ tally from 10 to 12, keeping the coalition at 49 seats versus an opposition majority of 61, led by Bennett.
Go to the full article >>Egypt willing to temporarily absorb half a million evacuated Gazans - Lebanese report
According to the report, the Gazans would be allocated a city in the North of the Sinai Peninsula.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said that his country was ready to temporarily host half a million Gazans who would be evacuated from the Gaza Strip, according to a Friday report by Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar.
According to the report, the Gazans would be allocated a city in the North of the Sinai Peninsula.
The comment reportedly came during a conference held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on the situation in the Middle East, in which the Egyptian leader was present, among other attendees.
Go to the full article >>'The people of Israel do not leave anyone behind': Hostage families demand fighting discontinues
The families said they feared their loved ones would be caught up in the fighting and or would worsen their treatment in Hamas captivity.
Speaking at the Unity Rally in Jerusalem on Thursday night, hostage families gathered to condemn the push to return to armed conflict with Hamas and insisted a continuation of the war could harm their loved ones.
"We must say this clearly: Returning to war could lead to hostages being accidentally harmed by our forces, or tortured and murdered by terrorists, and could result in losing the bodies of deceased hostages in the rubble," the attending families shared in a short statement. "This is not an outcome the Israeli people can accept."
The rally, held in Safra Square, saw thousands join in song, prayer, and a collective call to decision-makers to act, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said.
Go to the full article >>Netanyahu: Ronen Bar to blame for October 7
“If Ronen Bar had carried out his role as he is currently clinging to his seat, we would not have reached October 7,” a statement by Netanyahu's spokesman read.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Ronen Bar could have prevented October 7 in a statement on Thursday night, before voting to end Bar's term as Shin Bet chief.
“The Israeli government, which is in charge of the Shin Bet, has lost all confidence in Ronen Bar, who continues to cling to his seat while cynically using the families of the kidnapped and politically incorrect use of his position to fabricate futile, unfounded investigations,” the spokesperson for Netanyahu, Omer Dostri, said.
“Ronen had the opportunity to retire with honor after his searing failure on October 7, as the outgoing Chief of Staff did. But Ronen Bar preferred not to attend the government meeting dealing with his case simply because he was afraid of giving answers and especially of answering one question: Why, after you knew about the Hamas attack many hours before it happened, did you do nothing and did not call the Prime Minister - something that would have prevented the disaster?
Go to the full article >>Gov't votes unanimously to end Ronen Bar's term as Shin Bet chief
Bar will end his role on April 10 or when a new Shin Bet chief is appointed - whichever comes first.
The government has voted unanimously to end Ronen Bar’s term as Shin Bet chief, the Prime Minister’s Office announced in a statement early Friday morning.
Bar will end his role on April 10 or when a new Shin Bet chief is appointed - whichever comes first.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu first said he would put forward to the cabinet the proposal to fire Bar some 18 months before his term expires on Sunday night.
The prime minister's decision came amid the Shin Bet investigation into Netanyahu aides who were allegedly involved in Qatargate.
Go to the full article >>Family of Oct. 7 victim Roni Eshel receive personal belongings recovered from Gaza
The family of IDF observer Roni Eshel received her recovered belongings - her beret from the Nahal Oz outpost and rings found in a northern Gaza home.
The family of IDF observer Roni Eshel, who was killed at the Nahal Oz outpost on October 7, received her personal items recovered by the military from Gaza, her father, Eyal, stated on Thursday.
Eyal described receiving his daughter’s belongings as a “message of hello” on X/Twitter.
Go to the full article >>Israel at war: What you need to know
- Hamas launched a massive attack on October 7, with thousands of terrorists infiltrating from the Gaza border and taking some 240 hostages into Gaza.
- Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were murdered, including over 350 at the Supernova music festival and hundreds of Israeli civilians across Gaza border communities.
- 59 hostages remain in Gaza.
- 49 hostages in total have been killed in captivity, IDF says.
- The IDF launched a ground invasion of Lebanon on September 30.
- The Israel-Lebanon ceasefire came into effect on November 27 at 4 a.m.
- Netanyahu confirmed the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire on January 17, 2025.
- 735 terrorists will be released as part of the hostage deal.