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In-Depth Issues:
Report: U.S. "Giving Up" on Lebanon - Or Shaked ( Israel Hayom)
Sky News Arabia reported that American diplomatic sources have acknowledged that the U.S. initiative to persuade Hizbullah to lay down its arms had reached an impasse.
Officials in Washington warned that Lebanon risks remaining "paralyzed and externally dependent" due to Hizbullah's dominant position.
A senior U.S. official stated, "Unfortunately, they [the Lebanese government] prefer the status quo, which means Lebanon will remain a failed state."
The American diplomatic sources asserted that Lebanon "has become the only country that fully sponsors a foreign terrorist organization as a central pillar of its political leadership."
Remains of Three Israeli Soldiers Returned to Israel ( Jerusalem Post)
The remains of Col. Asaf Hamami, Capt. Omer Neutra, and St.-Sgt. Oz Daniel were identified on Monday after they were returned to Israel by Hamas on Sunday, the Prime Minister's Office confirmed.
Defense Minister Israel Katz eulogized the three soldiers "who fell in battle while defending the Gaza border communities with supreme heroism."
The bodies of 6 Israelis and 2 foreign nationals still remain in Gaza.
See also Col. Asaf Hamami - Anouk Carter-Dorf ( Jerusalem Post)
Col. Asaf Hamami, who was head of the IDF Gaza Division's Southern Brigade, rushed to Kibbutz Nirim on the morning of Oct. 7, where he was killed.
See also Capt. Omer Neutra ( Jerusalem Post)
Capt. Omer Neutra, 21, slain on Oct. 7, was a tank platoon commander from Plainview, New York.
See also St.-Sgt. Oz Daniel - Esther Davis ( Jerusalem Post)
St.-Sgt. Oz Daniel, 19, was killed on duty with his tank in Kibbutz Nirim on Oct. 7. In his final moments, he attempted to steal a grenade from his captors before being shot to death in the struggle.
How Hamas Is Exploiting the Trump Plan to Maintain Control of Gaza - Khaled Abu Toameh ( Gatestone Institute)
Since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect in Gaza, Hamas has been taking advantage of the lull to entrench itself by rearming, regrouping, recruiting new fighters, and tightening its grip on areas under its control.
For Hamas, President Trump's peace plan is a temporary ceasefire, to ensure that the terror group expands its political and military control over Gaza.
This is precisely what Hamas has done for the past two decades.
After each round of fighting with Israel ended in a ceasefire, the terror group would exploit the period of calm to restock and rebuild its military capabilities, eventually enabling it to launch its Oct. 7 attack on Israeli communities.
We are witnessing a calculated delay that aims to buy time and exhaust the U.S. administration until Trump abandons the numerous ultimatums he has issued to the terror group.
Hamas's foot-dragging aims to allow it to reassert control over Gaza.
Hamas's actions and media interviews given by its officials show that the terror group has no intention of disarming or relinquishing security control.
It is time for the Trump administration and the international community to realize that what we are currently witnessing is an attempt to rebrand and reproduce Hamas to ensure its continued control of Gaza.
Hamas should not only be removed from power, but from the entire political, economic, social and military arena.
The writer, a veteran Israeli journalist, is a senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute and the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs.
How AI Can Expose Hidden Hizbullah, Hamas Networks - Yaron Hazan ( Jerusalem Post)
Terrorist organizations such as Hizbullah and Hamas, bankrolled by Iran, move money invisibly through banks, trade networks, investments, cryptocurrencies, and even charities.
After being banned by Israel and the U.S., the networks simply rebranded, morphing into new entities with their infrastructure intact.
A global, multidimensional ecosystem was created, designed to sustain terrorism, including charities, bank transfers and trade finance, drug trafficking, and cryptocurrencies.
Today, such flows are no longer invisible. Every digital transfer leaves an electronic print, including wire transfers, trade invoices, and crypto wallets. All create data points that form patterns.
Traditional compliance systems for detecting transactions are triggered by specific thresholds or red-flag indicators.
They catch what they are told to look for and little else. By the time a red flag is raised, the money is long gone.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing that equation. Instead of chasing red flags, AI learns what "normal" looks like and flags what doesn't. And AI does this in real time.
Financial institutions equipped with AI-driven monitoring can disrupt terror financing, freezing assets before weapons are bought.
AI thrives on turning complexity into clarity and deception into data intelligence.
In this way it can help expose and dismantle the financial infrastructure that sustains terrorism.
The writer is VP of Regulatory Affairs at ThetaRay, which harnesses the power of cognitive Al for financial crime compliance.
Names of Five Out of Six Million Jews Killed in Holocaust Now Identified - Steven Scheer ( Reuters)
Five million of the more than six million Jews killed in the Holocaust have now been identified, Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem, said Monday.
"Behind each name is a life that mattered - a child who never grew up, a parent who never came home, a voice that was silenced forever," said Yad Vashem chairman Dani Dayan. "It is our moral duty to ensure that every victim is remembered."
The names of Holocaust victims, as well as personal files that tell about the lives of many of them, are compiled in an online Yad Vashem database in six languages.
This database has helped countless families reunite with lost relatives and families to commemorate loved ones, particularly as most victims were left without graves.
"The Nazis aimed not only to murder them, but to erase their existence. And by identifying five million names, we are restoring their human identities and ensuring that their memory endures," said Alexander Avram, director of Yad Vashem's Hall of Names, who heads the central database of victims' names.
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News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
- Iran Vows to Rebuild Nuclear Sites "Stronger than Before"
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Sunday that Tehran would rebuild nuclear sites damaged by Israeli and U.S. strikes "stronger than before." "We will not be set back," he said in a video posted to his official website, adding that Iranian scientists still had the necessary nuclear know-how. (AFP)
- UN Probe: Repression in Iran Worsened after 12-Day War with Israel
The Independent International Fact Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran, a body established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2022, on Thursday denounced Iran's intensification of oppression since the country's 12-day war with Israel in June, with more than 21,000 arrests.
Sara Hossain, who heads the body, said the Islamic Republic targeted "lawyers, human rights defenders, journalists, and even social media users who simply published content relating to the hostilities." Iran has also ramped up executions, with more than 1,200 to date in 2025.
The investigation also found that the repression of ethnic and religious minorities has "intensified" with "over 330 Kurds and large numbers of Arabs" arrested and "hundreds of thousands of Afghans" deported. Iran has accused members of the Baha'i faith of being "Zionist spies," targeting them in house raids and confiscating their property. "We have received information indicating that over 45 journalists face credible threats in seven countries for reporting on events in Iran," Hossain added.
(AFP)
News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
- Israel Opposes Letting Trapped Gaza Terrorists Rejoin Hamas Forces - Danny Zaken
In recent days, Hamas has demanded passage of between 100 and 200 terrorists in tunnels beneath Israeli-held territory back to its ranks in Hamas-held areas. Since the ceasefire started, they have succeeded in killing three IDF soldiers and wounding others. Israel has conveyed to Hamas that if the attacks don't cease, all these terrorists will be eliminated.
Prime Minister Netanyahu announced on Monday that Israel will not permit safe passage of the Hamas terrorists. The IDF is expected to intensify its operations in areas under its control against those terrorists. However, the Americans are trying to delay such intense operations to prevent collapse of the ceasefire. (Israel Hayom)
- IDF Warns Lebanese Army Failing to Disarm Hizbullah - Amir Ettinger
Israel's Security Cabinet met Tuesday to assess possible military responses to Hizbullah's repeated violations of the ceasefire agreement along the Lebanese border, amid growing concerns over its renewed activity and the Lebanese army's inability to disarm it. The meeting focused on Hizbullah's efforts to rebuild its capabilities, particularly south of the Litani River.
Defense officials say Hizbullah has increased the movement of operatives and commanders near the border, and that it is working to restore damaged infrastructure, rebuild rocket launchers and reestablish weapons production capabilities, including drones. This is despite near-daily Israeli airstrikes to prevent Hizbullah's buildup.
Hizbullah still possesses tens of thousands of rockets, along with a large number of armed operatives.
The pace of Hizbullah's force buildup now surpasses the rate at which the Lebanese Armed Forces are disarming the group. There is reported cooperation between some LAF officers and Hizbullah. "If nothing changes, we won't be able to stand by," one defense official said.
(Ynet News)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis:
The Gaza War
- The Fall of Hamas in Gaza Begins - Oded Ailam
On Sep. 15, 2025, ordinary Gazans refused to obey Hamas. Instead, they listened to the IDF's evacuation instructions. Around 800,000 residents of northern Gaza gathered their belongings and walked south as instructed. Hamas tried to stop them with threats and violence, but failed.
Since that day, Hamas has ceased to function as a unified military or governing force. What remains is a collection of scattered, semi-independent cells clinging to the remnants of a once-organized army. The IDF has systematically eliminated most of Hamas's senior and mid-level commanders, leaving the group without strategic leadership or coordination. The mass public executions of alleged collaborators in October 2025 was a show of desperation disguised as strength.
As Hamas's power structure erodes, a political shift is emerging. Ten major clans across Gaza are cautiously but increasingly challenging Hamas's authority. None of these clans possess the military strength to overthrow Hamas on their own. Yet their existence as armed, organized communities with their own interests and leadership represents a serious crack in the system of fear and blind obedience that Hamas built over the years.
The ceasefire violations are isolated acts by local commanders trying to prove that they still have power and relevance. There is no longer a unified military council or strategic command. What remains is inertia, a chaotic pattern of violence driven by habit rather than strategy.
Hamas is at its weakest point since its creation. Its leadership has been eliminated or forced into hiding. Its military power is exhausted, its finances depleted, and its civilian support fading fast. Now is the time to dismantle what remains of its terror network, to remove Turkey and Qatar from the equation, and to secure American backing to prevent Hamas from ever rebuilding. Waiting for the usual cycle of diplomatic negotiations would mean wasting this opportunity and returning to a state of perpetual threat.
The writer, former head of the Counterterrorism Division in the Mossad, is a researcher at the Jerusalem Center.
(Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs)
- There Will Be No Phase B of Ceasefire Plan in Gaza - Prof. Eyal Zisser
The fighting in Gaza has subsided, but the war has not ended. The implementation of Phase B of the ceasefire agreement depends on three miracles: the disarmament of Hamas, the establishment of a non-Hamas Palestinian government to administer Gaza, and the deployment of an international force to maintain order.
But who exactly is supposed to disarm Hamas? The Lebanese precedent teaches us that contrary to the hopes and illusions underpinning the ceasefire agreement signed in Nov. 2024, Hizbullah has shown no willingness to even consider disarmament. Lebanon's government and army are neither willing nor able to compel it to do so. In Gaza, Hamas has declared that it will not disarm. After all, Hamas did not fight for two years only to simply surrender and vanish.
It is now evident that Phase B of the agreement will not materialize, that Hamas will refuse to disarm, and that no international force will enter Gaza to confront it.
The writer is a lecturer in the Middle East History Department at Tel Aviv University.
(Israel Hayom)
- The Challenges of Implementing Phase Two of the Gaza Ceasefire Agreement - Prof. Azar Gat
The agreement reached for the return of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas and for the cessation of the war in Gaza is an enormous achievement for Israel. It included the immediate release of all living hostages, and a demilitarization clause approved by the regional partners, even though Hamas avoided accepting it.
Yet bringing foreign forces into Gaza - Arab or otherwise - would make any further Israeli military operation there nearly impossible. They are also likely to do very little against Hamas, even if they wanted to - and it is doubtful how much they would want to.
It is hard to envision any incoming civil administration and international forces in Gaza genuinely cooperating with Israel or being attentive to its security and other concerns. Moreover, it would hardly be surprising if the agreement's implementation were met with the familiar Middle Eastern repertoire of foot-dragging, doublespeak, and evasions by all Arab parties involved. In any case, Israel must insist on the full implementation of every clause of the agreement.
However, the likelihood that the ceasefire agreement will be carried out fully and in good faith is low. The most probable scenario is that Hamas will not disarm, will act to preserve its presence, and will seek to reestablish practical control over the territory alongside any civil authority. It will replenish its ranks and make a major effort to rebuild its strength.
The writer is head of the International and Executive MA Programs in Security and Diplomacy at Tel Aviv University. (Institute for National Security Studies-Tel Aviv University)
- Washington Needs to Intervene in Choosing Gaza's "Technocratic, Apolitical" Governing Committee - Ghaith al-Omari
Efforts are underway to secure agreement between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas about the composition of the "technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee" that will temporarily govern Gaza. Unless Washington clarifies its preferences and red lines on this issue, it runs the risk of legitimizing a future role for Hamas there.
Even if Hamas does not directly participate in Gaza's governance, its formal participation in creating and authorizing the committee is itself a political achievement, casting the terrorist organization as a legitimate actor in postwar Gaza and Palestinian politics. The PA is wary of Hamas participation but is not in a strong enough position to prevent it.
Egyptian officials point out that, absent a different practical alternative, securing Hamas's agreement is the only pragmatic way to ensure Hamas does not disrupt the functioning of Gaza's postwar governance structure.
In the immediate term, the Trump administration must urgently reiterate its rejection of any process that gives Hamas a role in creating and authorizing the committee. There is no compelling logic to legitimizing Hamas by making it a formal partner in choosing the new governance system. Any concerns that Hamas may disrupt governance can be addressed through understandings between the mediators and Hamas.
The writer is a Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute and a former advisor to the Palestinian Authority. (Washington Institute for Near East Policy)
- Taking Hostages Turned Out to Be Hamas's Undoing - Ophir Falk
On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas dragged 251 hostages into Gaza. The terrorists apparently believed that the taking of hostages and accompanying psychological warfare would force Israel to capitulate, leaving Hamas victorious.
Yet the hostage-taking transformed the moral landscape in ways Hamas failed to anticipate.
While hostages remained in Gaza, it was no longer reasonable for international leaders to demand that Israel stop military operations. How could the world ask a nation to abandon its citizens to captivity while letting Hamas hostage-takers and torturers continue to hold them?
True, a politicized battery of UN organizations engineered a massive disinformation campaign, demonizing Israel as it waged a just war by just means. And weak leaders in the UK, France, Australia and Canada succumbed to local and international propaganda, demanding that Israel stop defending itself and rewarding Palestinian terrorism by recognizing a Palestinian state. That appeasement prevented an earlier hostage release deal and prolonged the war.
The hostage-taking prevented the conflict from dissolving into the traditional false narratives about "occupation," "resistance" and "apartheid." Many saw the truth - innocent people being held hostage by a genocidal terrorist organization committed to murdering Jews. The hostage-taking provided a broadly recognized imperative that eventually overcame the propaganda.
The hostage-taking ironically gave Israel the time and space it needed to degrade the terrorist organization drastically. The job isn't finished, but Israel stands stronger than ever.
The writer is a foreign policy adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and was a member of Israel's hostage negotiation delegation.
(Wall Street Journal)
Israeli Security
- The Strategic Fruits of Israel's Military Victory - Arthur Herman
The fact that for the first time the Arab Middle East and Turkey have come together to force Israel's enemy to lay down its arms is a sign of a major sea change. It may not be a sign that everyone loves Israel, but it is a sign of respect that Israel has earned through its two-year war with Hamas. Rather than turning the Jewish state into a global pariah, the war has reaffirmed its international standing. Israel had finished its greatest comeback from pain, adversity, and existential danger since the Yom Kippur War.
Israel not only recovered its strength and spirit, but brought the war directly to its enemies with a finality that had been lacking in previous conflicts. In less than two years, Israel managed to break the backs of both Hamas and Hizbullah, and quieted the West Bank. It broke the grip these terrorist regimes had held over both Lebanon and Syria, ending the encirclement by hostile neighbors Israel had faced since 1948. Most importantly, Israel shattered the power of the terrorist groups' main supporter, Iran.
Once again, Israel proved that the IDF is a fighting force without equal. The men and women of the IDF displayed unquestionable skill and professionalism in battle, as well as humanity in dealing with a fanatical enemy. All this, while defying the overwhelming weight of contrary world opinion, even from the U.S. and the Biden administration. The story of how Israel transformed the Middle East after Oct. 7 also contains a valuable lesson for the rest of the West, on how to confront its critics and enemies.
The writer is a senior research fellow at the Civitas Institute at the University of Texas-Austin.
(Mosaic)
Turkey
- Turkey Seeks to Build a Proxy Threat around Israel - Nadav Shragai
Turkish President Erdogan played a decisive role in securing the release of hostages by applying heavy pressure on his protege, Hamas. We found ourselves in a situation in which, to save hostages, there was no choice but to do business with the devil. But now the moment has come to understand that this is indeed the devil.
Gen. Adnan Tanriverdi, one of Erdogan's trusted confidants, wrote a manifesto titled "How to Conquer Jerusalem in Ten Days," calling on Muslim countries to cooperate to provide Palestinians with "bases on their territory from which they can show military force against Israel, and, using Islamic geography, create a maritime corridor to Gaza and an air corridor to Ramallah."
Turkey seeks to build a proxy threat around us similar to the Iranian proxy ring. It is already militarily present in Libya and Syria. It established a drone base in Cyprus. It is trying to extend influence into Egypt, and now it is present in Gaza in the form of 13 aid organizations. For many years Turkey has been an economic and military home for Hamas.
The very thought of giving any role in Gaza to a country that still hosts Hamas headquarters on its soil, where they continue to plan attacks against us, is a severe moral distortion. Erdogan for years has aspired to revive the Ottoman empire's days of glory and sees himself as Islam's appointed guardian of Jerusalem. He has said, "Every day that Jerusalem remains under occupation is an insult....We were the lords of the region for a thousand years, and we will remain so until the end of days.... Jerusalem is our city."
Today, Turkey is a center of anti-Jewish hostility and hatred against Israel. Effigies of Netanyahu are "executed" by hanging, and Israeli flags are trampled in the streets. Erdogan frequently compares us to Hitler and repeatedly accuses Israel of genocide. (Israel Hayom)
- Trump Sees Central Role for Turkey in Gaza, Alarming Israel - Shira Rubin
Turkey has won effusive praise from President Trump in recent weeks for using its relationship with Hamas to pressure the militant group to reach a Gaza ceasefire deal with Israel. However, the central role that the Americans see for Turkey in advancing Trump's peace plan has left Israeli officials aghast. They consider Turkey to be too closely aligned with Islamist groups hostile to Israel.
Israelis have warned that Turkish involvement in Gaza would position hostile forces in Israel's backyard. "This idea of the Turks and Turkish groups going inside Gaza, it makes the Israelis crazy, after having done so much to prevent Turkish intervention," said Michael Milshtein, former chief of the Palestinian affairs section of Israeli military intelligence. "It's obvious that they are not a partner of Israel."
If "we finally get rid of Iran and Hizbullah, and then we end up with Turkey, Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood inside Gaza, that would be a very dangerous situation," said Michael Oren, a former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. (Washington Post)
Observations:
- Since Oct. 7, 2023, American Jews have found themselves squarely in the crosshairs of the political left and the political right, between progressive internationalists and extreme isolationists.
- On the left, antisemitism takes the form of anti-Zionism. Universities that style themselves champions of diversity now host chants for Israel's eradication. Encampments celebrating Hamas set the moral tone. When mobs target Jewish students, administrators avert their eyes and invoke "free speech." Yet the same administrators spring into action when non-Jewish groups suffer even a "microaggression."
- On the right, Tucker Carlson has updated the Protocols of the Elders of Zion for the 21st century. He elevated the podcaster Darryl Cooper to "the best and most honest popular historian in the U.S." Cooper trivializes the Holocaust as a bureaucratic mishap and depicts Winston Churchill as the agent of rich Jews. World War II becomes the first in a series of misguided American interventions abroad - engineered, ultimately, by Jews.
- Israel has always carried a special symbolic weight in America. From the beginning, Americans cast their self-understanding in Israel's image. The Puritans saw themselves as Israelites crossing the Red Sea. When Americans talk about Israel, they are often talking about themselves. Evangelicals still see in Israel a covenantal twin.
- Progressives give more attention to Israel than to any other foreign nation, casting Israelis as "white colonizers" and Palestinians as "oppressed people." Yet Israel is not a "white" society. Its Jewish population includes, among others, Yemenite and Ethiopian communities - unmistakably people of color. Their very presence highlights the absurdity of the racial binary on which the progressive coalition depends.
- Israel is the archetypal nation-state: God, people, land. Covenant and borders. Israel's miraculous rebirth, and its power and flourishing - despite the destruction of European Jewry, and its multiple wars for survival - stir American nationalism. The very existence of the Jewish state and the excitement it provokes in America shatters the dream of a post-national, multicultural world run by a global managerial elite.
- Carlson and progressives are firing at the same target: the bond between America and Israel. To sever it is to rewrite the American story. Arguments about Israel are, at bottom, arguments about America. To be for or against Israel is to choose among competing visions of the American future. When Trump embraces Netanyahu while waving off Carlson, he is not just setting Middle East policy - he is declaring who America is.
The writer is a senior fellow and Director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East at the Hudson Institute.
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