Israel Update 12.6.25

GAZA AID WORKERS & CENTRES ATTACKED BY HAMAS

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said today, Thursday that eight of its “local team members and volunteers” had been killed when Hamas gunmen attacked a bus transporting its Gazan staffers,. Others were injured and the are fears that some team members had been taken hostage… “This attack did not happen in a vacuum. For days, Hamas has openly threatened our team, our aid workers, and the civilians who receive aid from us.”

Despite the violence, GHF decided to open three distribution sites on Thursday morning and according to its own figures, the GHF delivered the most meals it has in a single day today.Report here

Note: the BBC qualified its report thus:

The BBC cannot independently verify the statement, and Hamas has not commented but it previously denied it had threatened the foundation’s staff.

(But has not similarly qualified Hamas Health Ministry claims.)Report here

New recently released recordings reveal that Hamas fired on the Gaza aid hub to steal supplies. Gazan residents’ testimonies challenge the claims of Israeli fire and highlight growing Hamas efforts to block independent humanitarian aid. One resident said “They want to derail the program so the aid come in through the UN and international bodies so they can steal. They live off this – selling, trading, money, food and drink for themselves and Hamas leaders… An additional eyewitness echoed the resident’s version of events and said no Israeli fire took place during the aid distribution.Report here

Since the GHF aid centres opened, Hamas has made several similar claims, all of which have been refuted by the IDF, but despite this, these are still given credence by the international media.. See articles in Comment & Opinion below.

HOSTAGES’ BODIES RECOVERED BY IDF

The body of Thai national Nattapong Pinta was recovered on Friday. He had been kidnapped alive on Oct 7 by terrorists of the Mujahideen Brigades and subsequently murdered in captivity. He had worked in the avocado fields of Kibbutz Nir Oz, saving up to pay off a debt and help his wife open a coffee shop. He left his wife and young son in Thailand, a year and a half before the onslaught. Report here

The IDF recovered the bodies of hostages Yair Yaakov and another as yet unnamed hostage on Wednesday. The operation was made possible following information provided by the Shin Bet after interrogating Gazan detainees. Yair, 59, a father of three, was murdered in captivity. Kibbutz Nir Oz said he was a “humble, simple man, who loved his family and music. He worked in agriculture most of his life.Report here

GAZA WAR

Four IDF soldiers, Sgt. Maj. (res.) Chen Gross, 33, Staff Sgt. Yoav Raver, 19, Sgt. First Class Tom Rotstein, 23 and Staff Sgt. Uri Yhonatan Cohen, 20 were killed and five were wounded by an explosion in a booby-trapped building in Khan Younis on Friday. Report here

On Sunday, the IDF released footage showing a Hamas command centre beneath Gaza’s European Hospital, used to coordinate attacks and store weapons. the command and control room of the head of Hamas’s military wing, located seven to eight metres beneath the neonatal unit of the hospital in Khan Yunis. The war room with classified materials was beneath the hospital’s wards, and part of the tunnel ran beneath the hospital’s operating rooms. Reports herehere& here

Several terrorists, including, it is believed, Hamas leader Muhammad Sinwar, were killed, in an Israeli strike on the tunnel system below the hospital last month, Report here

The leader of the Mujahideen Brigades, a relatively small Hamas-allied terror group responsible for the abductions and eventual murders of several hostages, including Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, was killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza City on Saturday, Another senior member was killed in a separate strike. Report here

The IDF released footage documenting the execution of a Gaza City resident in the town’s main square by Hamas operatives over the weekend. Report here

A covert Israeli operation to arm The Popular Forces, a Bedouin-affiliated Palestinian militia based in Rafah, to challenge Hamas in southern Gaza has reportedly been authorised. Yasser Abu Shabab, 32, heads the group. Reportedly, the Abu Shabab militia has begun securing access routes to humanitarian aid centres in Rafah and providing protection for aid convoys.Reports here& here

Abu Shabab’s militia said Tuesday it killed six members of a Hamas unit responsible for executing suspected collaborators with Israel.
The group said, “We have pledged to our people that we will take revenge on those who harmed them. We are committed to continuing the fight against terrorism until its eradication, which will lead to secure and stable lives, far from terror and its destructive effects.” Sources said two additional Gaza militias are expected to begin operating soon. Report here

Palestinian tribal gangs in Gaza fighting against Hamas is in Israel’s interest, according to former Israel Security Agency official Shalom Ben Hanan. “The phenomenon of arming Palestinian tribal gangs to harm Hamas is a positive development – this is saving the lives of our soldiers.” If Gazan Palestinians can fight Hamas and push it out of certain areas, IDF soldiers will not need to fight in those Gazan sectors. Report here

The IDF last operated deep in Khan Yunis with ground troops in April 2024. The commander of the Kfir Brigade’s Shimshon Battalion, Lt.-Col. Y., said the city is laced with terror infrastructure, including a sprawling tunnel network and buildings rigged with explosives. Each advance requires methodical clearing. Despite the intensity of the fighting, Y. said morale among his troops remains high. “We can see the kibbutzim across the border – we know well why we’re here.” Report here

Inside the IDF’s new Gaza offensive – Khan Younis. Article here

HOUTHI ATTACKS CONTINUED

Following several recent Houthi ballistic missile and drone attacks on Israel, including one on Monday night, Israeli Navy missile boats for the first time on Tuesday morning launched strikes against infrastructure at the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeida in Yemen. Report here

On Tuesday evening, millions of Israelis dashed for shelter as a ballistic missile was intercepted by air defences in what has become an almost daily occurrence. The missile broke up into multiple parts after being hit by an interceptor, leading the Israeli Air Force to launch additional interceptors to shoot down the fragments. Previously, intact warheads from partially intercepted Houthi missiles have fallen to the ground causing injuries and damage. Report here

EASTERN FRONT

The West Bank has experienced high levels of terrorism since Oct. 7, 2023. Between 7/10/23 and 30.4.25 there were 8,670 terrorist attacks, which killed 64 Israelis and injured 484.
Since January 2025, Israel has been implementing a new West Bank security policy, especially in refugee camps in the northern West Bank that had become launchpads for attacks and havens for armed groups, where the PA has been reluctant to operate.
Between January and May 2025, there have been 25 major attacks originating in the area, compared to 135 in the same period in 2024. Report here

SYRIA

IDF statement today Thursday: “Following intelligence collected in recent weeks, IDF troops carried out a pinpoint night-time operation in Syria and arrested several terrorists from the Hamas terror organization, who tried to advance many terror attacks against Israeli citizens and IDF troops in Syria.” The Hamas operatives were arrested 6 km. from Israel. Report here

IRAN

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors on Thursday declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations, the most significant resolution against it in years. Iran reacted immediately, saying it will establish a new enrichment facility “in a secure location” and that “other measures are also being planned.” Reports here & here

Iran has ordered thousands of tons of ballistic-missile ingredients from China to rebuild its military prowess. Shipments of ammonium perchlorate are expected to arrive in coming months and could fuel 800 ballistic missiles.
Some of the material could be sent to militias in the region aligned with Iran, including Houthis in Yemen.
Israel severely damaged Iran’s ability to produce new solid propellant missiles in October by taking out a dozen planetary mixers, used to blend components for the missiles. Iran has started to repair the mixers. Report here (paywall)

According to Western intelligence, while nuclear talks are taking place, and Iran keeps scheduling yet another meeting, they are exploiting the time to modify nuclear facilities in ways that could diminish the impact of a potential (Israeli) military strike on those sites and their outcomes. Report here

UKRAINE

Israel has supplied Ukraine with Patriot air defence systems which had been supplied by the U.S. to Israel in the early 1990s when Iraq targeted Israeli cities with missile strikes. The transfers to Ukraine were approved by the U.S. Report here

QATAR

Documents seized in Gaza during the war against Hamas have revealed in detail Qatar’s long-term intensive collaboration with Hamas, including financial support and attempts to thwart regional peace efforts by the U.S., marginalize Egyptian influence in Gaza, and bolster the roles of Turkey and Iran. Report here

CANADA

Several Indigenous (First Nation) leaders have stated: “We are deeply disappointed by the joint statement, co-signed by Canada, France, and Britain on “the situation in Gaza and the West Bank.” This call rewards Hamas for the torture and murder of 1,200 innocent civilians on October 7 and the kidnapping of 250 others. We note that these are the same Western powers that bombed Raqqa and Mosul into rubble to eliminate ISIS, yet now invoke humanitarian concern to shield Hamas from the consequences of their own atrocities.” Report here

GERMANY

The German Foreign Minister said that recognizing a Palestinian state now would send “the wrong signal.” He stressed that Israel has a right to defend itself against Hamas and other enemies, and that “therefore Germany will of course continue to support Israel with arms deliveries; that was never in doubt.” Report here

BELGIUM

Pro-Palestinian activists dressed as Hamas terrorists re-enacted the Oct. 7 massacre in central Brussels during a “Resistance Festival” over the weekend. Videos show masked men in keffiyehs and army fatigues pointing guns, while other actors play dead bodies heaped on the floor. Israel’s ambassador to Belgium posted the video on X saying she “just couldn’t believe it’s real, but it is.” Report here

SCOTLAND

An independent Scotland would sever diplomatic ties with Israel and close its embassy* there, said Scottish National Party parliament leader Stephen Flynn. Report here (paywall)

*Footnote: What embassy?

INNOVATION

In a milestone event for Israeli innovation, the National Institute for Electrochemical Energy Storage, has been inaugurated at Bar-Ilan University in collaboration with the Technion.

The institute, Israel’s first of its kind, is set to play a central role in developing energy storage technologies, supporting groundbreaking academic research, and serving as a launchpad for climate-tech startups. More than six innovative companies are already active within the institute, working on battery storage, hydrogen technologies, and beyond. Report here Report here

Mor Peretz, an injured IDF veteran-turned professor, is creating perpetual power for robots. His start-up CAPow has developed a way to power robots “en route” eliminating the need to stop for recharging. Report here Video

GAS

Israel’s natural gas exports rose to 13.2 billion cubic meters (BCM) in 2024, up from 11.6 BCM in 2023. Israel currently exports 49% of its gas production, with gas exports increasing by 86% since 2021.
Egypt buys 10 BCM of gas from Israel per year, while Jordan buys 3.1 BCM. Report here

SPORT

Guy Sasson second consecutive Quad Wheelchair Singles title at the French Open with a commanding 6-4, 7-5 victory over top-seeded Dutchman Niels Vink. The 45-year-old Israeli, had partnered Vink to win the doubles title a day earlier. Visibly emotional, Sasson dedicated the victory to the memory of Yoav Raver, the son of family friends who was recently killed in Gaza. Report here

Israel’s national football team beat Estonia 3-1 on Friday, advancing to second place in its qualifying group for the 2026 World Cup. Report here

COMMENT & OPINION

Gaza Aid

David Horowitz: It should be manifestly clear that Israel has no interest in deliberately gunning down Gaza noncombatants approaching an aid centre set up with Israel and American backing. Hamas, by contrast, has every interest in seeking to doom the aid project, which threatens its hold on Gaza aid, and constitutes an alternative to the trucks of supplies it has routinely commandeered, and either used for its forces or sold off to helpless Gazans to finance its efforts to recruit and revive. The trouble is that Israel does not maintain the mechanisms necessary to make very much at all manifestly clear. Op Ed here

Gaza – Media misrepresentations

Seth Mandel: Last month, Israel struck the tunnel under the European Hospital in Gaza in an attempt to eliminate Muhammad Sinwar, the leader of Hamas. News agencies insisted Israel was lying about the presence of Hamas leadership or an underground bunker. Then it turned out that, as usual, Israel was telling the truth. Israel gave journalists a tour of the underground bunker… Just imagine how informed the public might have been – and how many fewer Jews attacked in the streets all over the world – had news agencies gotten the story right all along. Instead, the coverage of the war has been a 20-month work of extended fiction produced on behalf of a terrorist group that murders and kidnaps and tortures. Full article here

Melanie Phillips: Meanwhile, Hamas announced yesterday that it had executed a number of Gazans for unknown crimes — almost certainly for speaking out against Hamas, or allegedly collaborating with Israel, or taking the food aid being offered to them.

Of course no mainstream media have reported these executions. That’s because they don’t actually care about the fate of the people of Gaza. What drives them instead is their intense and unhinged desire to bring Israel down.

The reason these falsehoods have gained such traction is because there’s now a global echo chamber in which the lies people are hearing are bouncing off them towards others who are then echoing them back, reinforcing the impression that they are the unchallengeable truth. The humanitarian and human rights establishment constitutes one such feedback loop; the mainstream media constitutes another; and both feedback loops feed into each other.

The outcome is an alliance between the media and “human rights” bodies that’s libelling Israel and the Jewish people on an unprecedented global scale under the guise of sounding the alert about Israel’s war. Full article here

Gaza War

Maj. (ret.) John Spencer: P.M. Netanyahu confirmed last week that Israel is arming local clans inside Gaza to fight Hamas. This is a historically grounded strategy, and one of the most effective tools in asymmetric warfare…
Arming rival clans fractures Hamas’s monopoly on force, empowers Gazans to defend themselves, and denies Hamas safe haven in communities it once ruled through terror. Victory over Hamas won’t come from airstrikes alone. It will take local ground knowledge, legitimacy within communities, and the ability to fill power vacuums before Hamas does. Full article here (paywall)

Oded Ailam: The path forward lies in empowering local actors. The powerful clans and families in Gaza are the only available bridge. This is an interim solution, to build the foundation for a durable, long-term resolution. It is about creating the conditions for a legitimate and functional local Gazan administration to emerge…Once this local governance is established and the threat of Hamas is neutralized, Israel can reduce its military presence…For this transitional phase to succeed, Israel must maintain absolute and unwavering freedom of security operations across Gaza. This is not a desire for occupation, but a necessary condition for success. Israeli security control is the temporary scaffolding necessary to protect this nascent structure until it can stand on its own. Full article here

Ron Ben-Yishai:…as seen in the Oct. 7 massacre, Gaza has become an existential threat that can no longer be tolerated. This is due in part to advances in military technology now accessible to any terrorist, and due to support from Iran and Qatar, which have turned Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) into terrorist armies.
Gaza has become a hub for manufacturing weapons and explosives and a vast warehouse for them, all of it underground. During the ground operations through June 2024, the IDF succeeded in dismantling the organized fighting forces of Hamas and PIJ. It killed many of their most skilled and experienced fighters and destroyed most of their strategic tunnels and long-range rocket systems.
Yet Hamas retains control over 70% of its network of combat tunnels, storing hundreds of rockets, RPGs and explosive devices. This allows the terror groups to wage guerrilla warfare using a few hundred veteran fighters and scores of children they have armed and deployed to lay explosives. If allowed to rebuild, they could, within a few years, again make life unbearable for Israeli communities. Therefore, the IDF must dismantle and render inoperable Hamas’s underground network in a way that prevents its reconstruction. Full article here

West Bank (Judea & Samaria)

Andrew Garfield: What I have seen on peace missions to the West Bank has shifted my views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I have become steadily more convinced that I and other Jews who have lent their support to the Palestinian cause are being played.
No one wants to face up to the fact that the majority of Palestinians and their noisy backers worldwide are still holding out for a maximalist solution in which the clock goes back not to 1967 but to pre-1948, if not further. Full article here

Wall St Journal Editorial: Who’s terrorizing whom in the West Bank? President Biden, backed by UN data, built an unprecedented sanctions regime to address Israeli “settler violence,”… But the data doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.
A new report* by Regavim, an Israeli NGO, scrutinizes the statistics from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), on which the Biden case relied. It found that of 6,285 violent incidents by “settlers” from January 2016 through April 2023 listed by the UN, “The UN database includes thousands of clearly non-violent incidents in its count of violent events.”
Every visit by Jews to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Judaism’s holiest site, is counted as settler violence. So are class trips to archaeological sites, traffic accidents, state infrastructure work and trespassing by hikers. Other incidents are in Jerusalem, which isn’t a “settlement.”
Filtering out the thousands of such cases leaves 833 alleged incidents of nationalist violence resulting in bodily harm – a definition the UN claims to apply – over the 7-year period. But these include Palestinians harmed in the process of committing terrorist attacks who are listed as victims of settler violence. In about half the 833 cases, the UN also records the victim’s “involvement in clashes,” leaving it unclear who started it… Meanwhile, the Israel Security Agency records 6,068 serious attacks by Palestinians (shootings, stabbings, suicide bombings, etc.) against Israeli civilians over only two years, 2020-22. The picture of the West Bank of wanton violence by Israeli civilians against peaceful Palestinians is an inversion of the daily reality. Editorial here (paywall)

* Regavim report here

UN

Ariel Kahana: The UN plays a crucial role in perpetuating and inflaming the “Palestinian struggle” against Israel. UNRWA, OCHA, and various other UN bodies are responsible for maintaining the Palestinians’ “refugee status,” funding the camps where they live, spreading distorted information about Israel, and working hand-in-glove with Hamas for years. Hamas’s main computer server farm was housed beneath UNRWA’s headquarters in Gaza City.Full article here

“Genocide”

Zach Goldberg: Coverage linking Israel with genocide has surged far beyond every other agreed-upon historical case of genocide. In the New York Times, articles pairing Israel and genocide reached levels nine times higher than the peak for Rwanda and six times greater than for Darfur.
If Israel’s war in Gaza qualifies as genocide, it would constitute a striking historical outlier: perhaps the first such case of genocide triggered by a mass terrorist attack involving the slaughter of civilians and the taking of hostages; the first in which the genocider permitted food, fuel, and humanitarian aid to flow to its purported victims; and potentially the only instance in which the perpetrators lacked any prior plan or ideological commitment to extermination… The unprecedented volume of atrocity rhetoric attached to Israel in mainstream outlets broadcasts the idea that Jews are collectively and unambiguously guilty of the darkest of crimes. It is unsurprising that assertions of collective guilt on the part of “Israelis” and “Zionists” bleed into even broader attitudes toward Jews, resulting in recent deadly attacks.Full article here