Israel at War

Identical battle chants heard at Hamas parades and Syrian military ceremonies this week have exposed troubling ideological parallels between the Gaza terror group and Syria's new armed forces.

Despite the severe blows Hamas has suffered since the Oct. 7 massacre and the elimination of much of its senior leadership, the terrorist organization is rebuilding its command structure and reorganizing inside Gaza’s tunnel network and in the depths of the Strip. At the same time, local militias are voicing open defiance, declaring that “there is no more Hamas”.

Abu Shabab, who established an independent Gazan militia and opposed Hamas rule, was critically wounded in an assassination attempt and later pronounced dead. Hamas accused him of treason and of serving as an Israeli proxy, attacked his men and released footage showing militants being killed.

Civilian representatives from Israel and Lebanon met for the first time in US-mediated discussions aimed at advancing economic cooperation. Lebanese diplomat Simon Karam, a Maronite Christian and outspoken opponent of Hezbollah, headed the Lebanese team in what Israeli officials described as a breakthrough compared with past negotiations.

790 days after the deadliest massacre in Israel’s history, which led to the abduction of hundreds of civilians, Staff Sgt. Ran Gvili is now the last hostage still held in the Gaza Strip. 

Deceased hostage and Thai citizen Sutthisak Rinthalak, 43, had worked in Israeli agriculture since 2017. He is survived by his parents and a brother. On the morning of the October 7 massacre, he was working in fields near Kibbutz Be’eri.

Netanyahu instructs envoy to meet Lebanese governmental-economic officials in rare move. This marks a first attempt to establish a foundation for an economic relationship and cooperation between the countries, with Dr. Uri Resnick leading Israeli side.