Lilach Shoval – www.israelhayom.com

Israeli civilians cross into Gaza Strip as dozens attempt to breach border

omrif — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 13:45:59 +0000

Several Israeli civilians crossed into the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, with Israel Defense Forces troops in the area returning them to Israeli territory, the IDF said. According to the military, the civilians were under constant surveillance by IDF observation units throughout the incident.

Shortly afterward, dozens more Israeli civilians attempted to cross the border in a separate incident. Several breached a barrier and entered the security buffer zone separating Israel from the Gaza Strip, but IDF troops and police officers rushed to the scene and prevented them from entering Gaza.

Tanks on the Gaza border. Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit IDF Spokesperson's Unit

The IDF did not provide further details on the identities of the civilians or the circumstances that led to the attempted crossings.

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Thousands of Israelis receive text messages from Iranian Intelligence

omrif — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 08:54:53 +0000

Thousands of Israelis received a suspicious text message on their mobile phones on Thursday, apparently originating from Iran, inviting them to cooperate with Iranian intelligence agencies.

The message, written in English, read: "Iranian intelligence agencies are ready to receive your intelligence cooperation. To cooperate, contact one of the Iranian embassies via the internet."

Israel's National Cyber Directorate said it was aware of the message and issued clear instructions to the public.

What should you do?

Ignore the message completely. Do not respond and do not attempt to contact the sender. Block the sending number, mark it as spam, and do not forward the message, in order to prevent unnecessary dissemination.

Against the backdrop of more than 30 espionage-related cases exposed by the Shin Bet security agency over the past two and a half years, Israeli security officials say Iran has been carrying out widespread "spray and pray" recruitment efforts online. These attempts target normative citizens and span a broad range of sectors across Israeli society.

Investigations and indictments show that the overwhelming majority of Israelis involved were aware they were cooperating with Iran. In many cases, the initial approach was made directly through social media platforms, with messages such as: "Hello, this is Iranian intelligence. You can help us and we will help you in return for money."

According to the indictments, Israelis who established contact with Iranian handlers often began with tasks they perceived as harmless, such as photographing streets, signs or vandalizing vehicles. Over time, however, they were directed to carry out serious security-related missions. These included photographing the streets near the homes of public figures, reaching hospitals where prominent individuals were being treated, and even attempts to obtain weapons.

Israeli security officials stress that raising public awareness of the consequences of cooperating with Iranian elements, and the severe harm such ties pose to national security, is essential. The goal, they say, is to ensure that Israelis who receive suspicious approaches online or from Iranian sources understand the gravity of their actions and the seriousness of such contact with an enemy state.

Ongoing dialogue is being held with local authorities to strengthen public awareness and resilience in light of the many cases uncovered. Several months ago, Israel's National Public Diplomacy Directorate launched a broad public campaign highlighting the dangers and consequences of establishing contact with hostile Iranian elements.

Espionage for Iran (illustrative). Photo: Netalie Ron-Raz Netalie Ron-Raz

Iranian espionage by the numbers

The Shin Bet has reported a 200% increase from 2024 to 2025 in counter espionage prevention activity carried out by its counterterrorism and counterintelligence division. This has involved dozens of cases, including warning calls, arrests and interrogations.

There has also been a rise of more than 30% in the number of arrests and investigations related to Iranian espionage between 2024 and 2025.

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Israel secures record $6.7 B defense export to Germany

miriw — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 09:00:43 +0000

The Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday that the German Bundestag has approved the expansion of the deal to sell Israel's Arrow 3 system to Germany, valued at approximately $3.1 billion.

The signing of the expanded contract is expected to take place on Thursday in Germany, led by the head of the Homa Directorate at MAFAT in the Defense Ministry, with participation from representatives of the Israeli Defense Ministry, the German Defense Ministry and Israel Aerospace Industries. The Arrow deal, signed by the defense ministries of Israel and Germany, is expected to total over $6.7 billion (more than 20 billion shekels) and will be the largest in the history of the State of Israel.

The Arrow 3 system was developed jointly by the Homa Directorate at MAFAT in the Defense Ministry, the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA), and Israel Aerospace Industries. As part of the deal expansion, the Israeli Defense Ministry and the German Defense Ministry have agreed to a significant increase in the production rate of Arrow 3 interceptors and launchers, to be supplied to Germany, significantly improving its air defense capability.

The scope of the deal is estimated at approximately $3.1 billion and is expected to complete the sales contract that Israel and Germany signed about two years ago, valued at approximately $3.6 billion. The two deals together are estimated at approximately $6.7 billion (over 20 billion shekels), Israel's largest-ever defense export deal.

Chief of the German Air Force, Lieutenant General Holger Neumann, presents the initial capability of the "Arrow Weapon System for Germany" in Annaburg, Germany, December 3, 2025 (Photo: Reuters/Axel Schmidt) REUTERS

"Expression of German trust"

Defense Minister Israel Katz said, "The Bundestag's approval of the Arrow 3 deal expansion is a clear expression of the deep trust that Germany places in the State of Israel, in its technological capabilities and in our shared commitment to defending our citizens in the face of escalating threats.

"This is a first-class strategic partnership, based on a long-term security strategy. The revenues from the deal will help continue advanced strategic developments, strengthen the IDF's military capabilities, and ensure Israel's qualitative edge for years to come against our enemies – while deepening security cooperation with our partners in Europe and around the world."

Defense Ministry Director-General Maj. Gen. (Res.) Amir Baram said, "The Arrow deal expansion is another significant milestone in the deepening strategic relations between Israel and Germany, our central partner in Europe. The massive deal, valued at over $3 billion, embodies, in practical terms, the Defense Ministry's strategy to increase defense exports. The deal will strengthen Israel's position in the world as a defense superpower, will expand and accelerate Arrow production for the IDF as well, and will channel billions into strengthening the defense industries and developing the next generations of defense systems."

Flags flutter in front of a radom of the "Arrow Weapon System for Germany" pictured in Annaburg, Germany, December 3, 2025 (Photo: Reuters/Axel Schmidt) REUTERS

MAFAT head at the Defense Ministry, Brig. Gen. (Res.) Dr. Danny Gold said, "I congratulate the signing of the deal with Germany to expand procurement of Arrow 3 interceptors. This represents a significant expression of trust in the Defense Ministry, the Israeli defense industry, and relations between the countries. The Arrow system, a significant part of the multi-layered air defense array that protected the citizens of the State of Israel during the war, now protects Germany's skies. We will continue to fulfill our mission as required."

IAI CEO Boaz Levy said, "IAI's centrality in Germany's air defense array and the trust built with the German government were expressed in the delivery of the Arrow 3 system within just two years from the signing date to supply. The mutual trust, advanced technological development capabilities, as proven in the campaign and meeting the schedules – all these led to the German government's decision to approve the follow-on deal for procurement of the Arrow air defense system."

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Israel confirms Hamas' No. 2 eliminated in Gaza

omrif — Sat, 13 Dec 2025 20:06:09 +0000

The IDF and the Shin Bet security agency eliminated Ra'ad Sa'ad, head of the production headquarters of Hamas' military wing and one of the architects of the October 7 massacre, Israeli officials confirmed on Saturday.

Israeli fighter jets fired three missiles at Sa'ad's vehicle in Gaza City, killing him. The US was informed of the strike only after it was carried out.

Sa'ad was considered the terrorist organization's second-in-command and the de facto deputy of Izz ad-Din al-Haddad, head of Hamas' military wing in Gaza.

The October 7 attack. Photo: AFP AFP

According to the IDF statement, "In recent months, Sa'ad played a leading role in Hamas' military wing, including direct involvement in violating the ceasefire agreement. He also oversaw the continued production of weapons in the Gaza Strip during the ceasefire period."

ELIMINATED: Ra'ad Sa'ad, Head of the Weapons Production Headquarters of Hamas' Military Wing and One of the Architects of the Brutal October 7th Massacre

Sa'ad was one of the last remaining veteran senior militants in the Gaza Strip and a close associate of Marwan Issa, the… pic.twitter.com/nIa1VUqryI

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) December 13, 2025

Sa'ad, known by the alias Abu Moaz, was among the last senior veteran figures to remain in the Gaza Strip. He held a series of senior positions and was close to Marwan Issa, the deputy head of Hamas' military wing, who was also killed. Among other roles, Sa'ad established and commanded the Gaza City Brigade and was involved in setting up Hamas' naval force in the Gaza Strip.

After completing his tenure as commander of the Gaza Brigade, Sa'ad was appointed head of operations headquarters. In that role, he established the Nukhba units and took part in designing and building the "Jericho Wall" plan, the framework on which Hamas based its plans for the October 7 massacre.

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IDF strikes Hezbollah training camp

miriw — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 09:00:47 +0000

The IDF struck a training compound on Friday morning used by Hezbollah's Radwan Force (Hezbollah's special operations unit) to train the organization's terrorists, under the direction of Northern Command and using the Israeli Air Force.

As part of the training and preparation at the camp, the terrorists underwent shooting drills and additional training in the use of various types of combat equipment, for the purpose of planning and executing terror operations against IDF forces and Israeli citizens.

Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern Lebanese village of al-Mjadel on December 4, 2025 (Photo: Kawant Haju / AFP) AFP

As part of the strikes, additional military infrastructure of the Hezbollah terror organization was attacked in several areas of southern Lebanon, directed by the Military Intelligence Directorate.

According to Lebanese media outlets, the IDF struck Hezbollah infrastructure in the Tibna area in the Sidon district, in the Iqlim Tuffah area, and in the area between the villages of al-Zrariyeh and al-Nasar. Strikes were also reported near the village of Zallaya in the western Bekaa Valley area. All strikes took place in southern Lebanon.

The Kiryat Shmona municipality informed residents that, despite the strike, the assessment of the situation has not changed; there is no impact on the civilian area, and there are no special instructions.

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WATCH: al-Sharaa militants drive past IDF troops in southern Syria

omrif — Tue, 09 Dec 2025 13:23:57 +0000

During an IDF operation in the Quneitra region of southern Syria on Tuesday, a riot broke out in which several suspects moved toward the troops and threatened them.

The soldiers initiated standard arrest protocols, firing warning shots in the air to force the suspects to withdraw. When they refused, the soldiers shot two central instigators in the lower body and the disturbance dispersed.

At the same time, footage circulating on social media in recent days illustrates the extent of the friction between the IDF and armed groups in Syria. A convoy of vehicles carrying A-Sharaa gunmen was seen driving past an IDF vehicle as Israeli soldiers watched the convoy pass.

Syrian General Security forces entered Khan Arnabeh in the Quneitra countryside shortly after the shooting incident in which two Syrians were wounded by Israeli forces. A Syrian source tells me that the General Security convoy entered the area in coordination with the IDF. https://t.co/8yIEO80bd4 pic.twitter.com/mGZmuYsHOh

— Ariel Oseran أريئل أوسيران (@ariel_oseran) December 9, 2025

About two weeks ago, an IDF reserve unit from the H spearhead brigade, the 55th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade, was caught in heavy exchanges of fire with armed militants in the village of Beit Jinn in southern Syria. The clash took place during an operation to arrest suspects from the Islamic Group, a Syrian organization that has promoted terrorist activity against Israel. During the battle, which included aerial support for the troops, six soldiers were wounded, three seriously, one moderately and two lightly. The IDF completed the operation successfully, arrested all suspects and killed several militants.

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Women now comprise third of IDF's career officers

adin — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 11:33:49 +0000

Women's representation in IDF career positions (permanent military service beyond mandatory conscription) has climbed seven percentage points over five years. As of 2024, women comprise one-third of all career soldiers, according to exclusive data obtained by Israel Hayom that Brig. Gen. Ela Shido Shachter, the gender affairs advisor to the chief of staff (the IDF's senior official responsible for gender integration policy), will present on Monday before the Knesset.

The data reveals that female officers in the IDF have surged by nine percentage points over the past five years, with women now accounting for 36% of the officer corps.

How has the officer landscape evolved?

Female non-commissioned officers have similarly increased by five percentage points over five years, with women now representing 31% of all IDF NCOs.

Moreover, despite an acute manpower crisis and the voluntary departure of hundreds of career personnel, soldiers are returning to service. The data shows nearly half of the 1,386 career personnel who rejoined the military are women.

What patterns emerge from the data?

Statistics spanning 2019-2024 demonstrate steady growth in women's representation across mid-level officer ranks, though substantial gaps persist at senior levels.

Among second lieutenants and lieutenants, women's share rose from 41% in 2019 to 44% in 2024, while the captain rank saw an increase from 29% to 34%. More substantial advances occurred at the major rank, from 27% in 2019 to 33% in 2024, with the lieutenant colonel rank experiencing the sharpest jump, from 18% to 23%.

Senior ranks tell a different story: Women's representation in the colonel rank climbed from nine percent to 14%, yet at the brigadier general level, it declined from eight percent in 2019 to merely five percent in 2024. At the major general rank, after one woman held this position in 2021 (7%), the number has remained negligible, hovering between 7 and 8% in recent years.

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Shin Bet exposes Hamas' secret funding network

omrif — Sun, 07 Dec 2025 16:16:40 +0000

"IDF and the Shin Bet reveal a secret exchange network run by the Hamas terrorist organization in the heart of Turkey under Iranian direction," the spokesperson, Col. Avichay Adraee, announced Sunday.

According to Adraee, "IDF and the Shin Bet are exposing documents belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization that show it is operating, under Iran's leadership, a network of money changers made up of Gazan exiles in central Turkey, exploiting the country's financial systems for terrorist purposes." He added that "IDF and the Shin Bet warn against any contact with this exchange network or with the other economic arms of the Hamas terrorist organization."

A secret money-exchange network operated by Hamas in the heart of Turkey. Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit

Adraee said the Gaza-born money changers "work in full cooperation with the Iranian regime and transfer hundreds of millions of dollars directly to the Hamas terrorist organization and its senior officials." He noted that the network runs extensive financial activity inside Turkey, including receiving, storing and transferring Iranian funds to Hamas.

"We are revealing documents from the network that record only a small part of these transfers, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. The identities of three operatives are now being exposed as well: Tamer Hassan, a senior figure in Hamas' Finance Office in Turkey who works directly under Khalil al-Hayya, and Khalil Farauna and Farid Abu Dair, both money changers in the Hamas network."

#خاص جيش الدفاع وجهاز الشاباك يكشفان الستار عن شبكة صرافة سرّية تديرها حماس في قلب تركيا بتوجيه إيراني

يكشف جيش الدفاع وجهاز الشاباك وثائق تابعة لمنظمة حماس الإرهابية تبين أن قيام حماس - وبقيادة إيران - بإدارة شبكة من صرّافي الأموال مكوّنة من غزيّين يقيمون في قلب تركيا،… pic.twitter.com/2YsObe8XxV

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) December 7, 2025

"Hamas, encouraged and supported by the Iranian regime, continues to pursue terrorist activity against Israel and to rebuild its capabilities even after bringing destruction upon the Gaza Strip, and it is doing so from outside the territory as well. The IDF and the Shin Bet warn against any ties with the exchange network or with the economic arms of the Hamas terrorist organization."

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Deceased hostage Sutthisak Rinthalak returned to Israel

omrif — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 06:36:00 +0000

Deceased hostage and Thai citizen Sutthisak Rinthalak, 43, was returned to Israel on Thursday morning, the IDF and the Prime Minister's Office said.

After the identification process was completed overnight between Wednesday and Thursday, IDF representatives together with the Foreign Ministry informed Rinthalak's family that he had been brought back for burial.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said that "alongside the profound sadness, the return of Sutthisak brings a measure of solace to his family, which has lived with agonizing uncertainty and doubt for more than two years."

Deceased hostage Sutthisak Rinthalak returned to Israel. Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit

According to the IDF, "based on the information and intelligence in our possession, Sutthisak Rinthalak, a Thai national, was murdered on October 7, 2023, and he was taken into the Gaza Strip, and held by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization. Rintalak, 42 at the time of his death, worked in agriculture and was abducted from the orchards of Kibbutz Be'eri. His death was formally declared on May 16, 2024. He is survived by his parents and a brother."

The Prime Minister's Office added: "The coordinator for hostages and missing persons, Brig. Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch, informed Rinthalak's family that arrangements for returning his remains for burial in his home country will be coordinated with the Thai Embassy in Israel. The Rinthalak family and Thailand's ambassador to Israel, Panyarak Poolthup, expressed their heartfelt gratitude to the State of Israel for its efforts to retrieve Sutthisak and for the continuous support extended to the family since the outbreak of the war."

The Thai agricultural worker abducted from the fields

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.

Seven months later, on May 16, his parents were notified that he had been murdered and that his body was being held in Gaza. He was one of eight Thai citizens abducted to the Strip. About two weeks after the massacre, his aunt spoke to Thai media, saying he regularly sent money to support his parents. On the day of the attack, the family received a video filmed by the terrorists showing her nephew being taken hostage.

The final deceased hostage still held in Gaza is Staff Sgt. Ran Gvili, 24.

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Rafah Crossing opens to allow Gazans travel to Egypt

ErezL — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 06:48:58 +0000

The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announced Wednesday that, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement and the instruction of the political echelon, the Rafah crossing will open in the coming days solely for residents to leave the Gaza Strip for Egypt.

A photo shows a view of the wall on Egypt's eastern border with the Gaza Strip in Rafah on December 11, 2023 (Giuseppe Cacace / AFP)

The departure of residents through the Rafah crossing will be possible via coordination with Egypt, pending approval by Israeli security officials and under the supervision of the European Union delegation, similar to a mechanism that was used in January 2025.

The political echelon's instruction comes even though not all the hostages have been recovered from the Gaza Strip under the Trump deal. Sergeant First Class Ran Gvili and Sudthisak Rinthalak are the last two deceased hostages remaining in captivity. Concurrently, the Red Cross is conducting search and excavation operations in the Jabalia area for deceased hostages.

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