Israel Update 9.7.25

THE DINAH PROJECT

 

 

A new report by the Dinah Project confirms that Hamas systematically used rape and sexual violence during the massacre as part of a broader campaign of terror, collective humiliation, and dehumanization of Israeli society. Titled, “A Quest for Justice: October 7 and Beyond,” it is the first report to offer a legal roadmap based on international law for identifying and pursuing justice for the use of sexual violence as a weapon of warfare, which constitutes a crime against humanity.Several speakers at the launch event referred to the feeling of “betrayal” they felt from the world, especially from other women, whom they had expected to show empathy and solidarity. The widespread denial of the sexual crimes committed against Israeli women and men on and since October 7 was one of the other motivations for producing the report. Report here

 

 

THE  GAZA HUMANITARIAN FOUNDATION (GHF) AID DISTRIBUTION SITES

 

 

Gazans at humanitarian aid distribution sites have testified in audio recordings that Hamas carries out acts of terror, propaganda, and psychological manipulation against civilians at aid sites. Gazans say that Hamas fires at residents near aid distribution sites and spreads false claims about IDF fire, as well as publishes “fabricated data about large numbers of casualties,” through fake footage.Report here

 

 

The U.S. on Saturday blamed Hamas for a grenade attack that injured two American aid workers from the GHF at a food distribution site in Gaza.  U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said, “This act of violence against the people actually bringing relief to Gazans lays bare the depravity of Hamas. GHF has contributed over 62 million meals – nothing will stop these courageous aid workers.” Report here

 

 

Col. (ret.) Richard Kemp, former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, recently visited a GHF in central Gaza on Wednesday. He said “I have never seen anything like this. It is brilliantly conceived and extremely well executed. They are feeding the people of Gaza until such time as it becomes unnecessary.”
Despite numerous incidents reported in the media about mass shootings of Palestinian around or on their way to GHF sites – reports that GHF says are invented – the Gazans Kemp spoke to had “no apprehension whatsoever” of being shot by IDF or GHF security guards.
Local Gazan employees working with GHF “were saying Hamas really hates the GHF sites, because they want to get their hands on the aid themselves.” Report here

 

 

The IDF is focusing heavily on separating Hamas from the broader Gazan population. Recently, Israeli forces restructured access routes to GHR aid centres to ensure smooth and secure passage for residents, orderly distribution of aid, and uninterrupted operational activity.
Four aid centres have been opened so far, distributing over 50 million food packages. Flour prices are currently the lowest since the war began. Security officials have observed Hamas personnel collecting aid packages for their families.Report here

 

 

The GHF announced 29/6 that 12 of its local staff have been murdered, and others have been tortured. In addition, “Hamas has placed bounties on both our American security personnel and Palestinian aid workers – offering cash rewards to anyone who injures or kills them. The targets of Hamas’s brutality are heroes who are simply trying to feed the people of Gaza in the middle of a war.”
GHF said Hamas has “pre-positioned armed operatives near humanitarian zones in an effort to disrupt the only functioning aid delivery system in Gaza.”  Report here

 

 

Footnote:

Palestinian clans and tribes in northern Gaza recently secured international aid convoys without involvement from Hamas. A senior clan representative, emphasized this represents “a first step in a series of steps” to secure supply convoys and prevent looting and violence.Report here

 

WAR AGAINST HAMAS

 

 

Five Israeli soldiers were killed and 14 others were wounded, two of them seriously, on Monday night in northern Gaza. The soldiers were moving on foot when a series of explosive devices detonated. As wounded soldiers were being evacuated, the rescue team came under fire in what officials described as a coordinated ambush. Since the start of Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza in late 2023, 446 Israeli soldiers have been killed, in addition to the 442 soldiers killed on Oct. 7. Report here

 

 

On May 16, Israel announced the start of its latest offensive operation in Gaza. Since then, the IDF has killed more than 1,200 terrorists, over 100 in the past few days., including a naval force commander and seven senior terrorists who were sitting in a cafe. Contrary to reports, security sources said they were not innocent students. Report here

 

 

Footnote

Ahmed al-Masri, 26, one of the key organizers in northern Gaza of protests against Hamas in April and May was recently pictured
on a stretcher, his legs a bloodied mess. He was abducted by Hamas gunmen and brutally tortured. His feet were deliberately broken with large stones and iron crowbars; he was also shot in the legs.
In recent weeks, reports have multiplied of Gazans being dragged out of aid lines, tortured in basements, or simply executed in broad daylight. Those who make it to hospital are sometimes hunted down and finished off in the wards.Report here(paywall)

 

IRAN

 

Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid said that he was in full agreement with PM Netanyahu on the need to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities. “I saw the intelligence; we were facing an existential threat. I supported the goals of the operation,” Lapid said that Iran’s increased defence manufacturing “would have allowed them to have more ballistic missiles than Russia in less than two years…Not only were they enriching uranium, not only had they developed the next generation of centrifuges…they were running for a bomb.” Report here

 

 

Iran has been building the world’s biggest ballistic missile arsenal , producing one-ton warheads capable of reaching London, Israeli officials have warned. Some of these are intercontinental with the range to reach European cities including London.Report here (paywall)

 

 

Some of the U.S. refuelling planes dispatched to the region conducted hundreds of aerial refuelling operations for Israeli fighter jets flying to Iran, easing the burden on Israel’s limited and aging tanker fleet.  Report here

 

An Israeli security source told a Saudi channel that most of Iran’s enriched uranium is “buried under the ruins” of nuclear sites.
“We know exactly where Iran moved its enriched uranium, but we will not attack it to avoid causing a nuclear disaster” Report here

 

Iran’s foreign minister said on 26/6 that the country’s nuclear facilities had sustained “significant and serious damage.” Report here(paywall)

 

 

THE EU

 

Spain, Ireland and Slovenia led an initiative in Brussels to suspend the “association agreement” between Israel and the EU.
However, opposition by Germany, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Romania, Lithuania, Greece and other countries blocked any decision on the measure. Report here

 

Reportedly, despite Madrid’s public commitment to halt military technology purchases from Israel and the Defence Ministry’s announcement of a “severing process” from Israeli technology, Spain continues procuring systems to modernize its armed forces.Recent developments show the Spanish government backing away from its previous statements and authorizing the acquisition of Israeli defence technology from Elbit Systems. Report here

 

 

HEBRON

 

 

We want cooperation with Israel, we want coexistence,” says Sheikh Wadee’ al-Jaabari, 48, leader of the most influential clan in the West Bank city of Hebron, south of Jerusalem. Sheikh Jaabari and four other leading Hebron sheikhs have signed a letter pledging peace and full recognition of Israel as a Jewish state. Their plan is for Hebron to break out of the Palestinian Authority, establish an emirate of its own, and join the Abraham Accords.  Report here (paywall)

 

However:

A group from the Jaabari family immediately released a video statement of condemnation of the move against the PA, which was posted on a Hamas Telegram channel.Report here

 

Palestinian youths set fire to Sheikh Jabari’s car today.Report here

 

HEZBOLLAH

 

 

Reportedly 4,000 Hizbullah operatives were killed during the group’s war with Israel, which ended in a ceasefire in November 2024. 2,000 others deserted following the assassination of leader Hassan Nasrallah in September.
The report claims that Hizbullah still maintains a force of 60,000.
80% of the territory south of Lebanon’s Litani River – once under Hizbullah’s exclusive control – is now controlled by the Lebanese Armed Forces.
Hizbullah has also shut down most of its training centres in the Beqaa Valley and southern Lebanon, and much of its medium and heavy-grade weaponry has either been destroyed by Israeli strikes or seized by the Lebanese army. Report here

 

Footnote: Iran and Hizbullah worked with the Kinahan cartel in a foiled plot to traffic more than 2.2 tons of cocaine through Irish waters. Two Iranians with direct links to Hizbollah  were sentenced on Friday for their involvement in a drug trafficking operation, the biggest seizure of cocaine in Ireland’s history.Report here

 

 

HOUTHIS

 

 

On July 1, a Houthi-fired missile set off sirens in most of Jerusalem as well as at Ben Gurion Airport, Modiin, Rishon Lezion and some West Bank settlements. The missile was intercepted. Israel carried out extensive strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen overnight Sunday-Monday, shortly after it issued evacuation orders for several areas of the country. Hours later, the Houthis launched two ballistic missiles at Israel. Report here

 

On Sunday Yemen’s Houthis attacked a Greek-operated bulk carrier in the Red Sea, saying the ship had sunk, the first such incident since mid-April. The ship was carrying iron and fertilizer from China to Turkey. On Monday four crew members were killed when another Greek commercial vessel was attacked and sank off the Yemen coast. 14 crew are missing and 7 have been rescued. Reports here& here

 

SYRIA

 

Syria and Israel are engaged in “meaningful” talks through the U.S. that aim to restore calm along their border, according to Thomas J. Barrack Jr., the U.S. ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria.Report here (paywall)

ALLIES

 

Apart from the US, every Western ally with the exception of Hungary, Serbia and the Czech Republic, refused to sell Israel ammunition after Oct 7 2023. Some allies even refused to sell the parts to enable Israel to produce the equipment.Report here

 

During 12 days of fighting between Israel and Iran, the U.S. carried out 60-80 interceptions from two THAAD batteries in Israel.    Each THAAD interceptor missile costs $12.7 million, much more than the Israeli Arrow 3 ($2 million).Report here

 

A shipment from the US of dozens of bulldozers and other equipment for the IDF  arrived in Israel today after months of delays. Report here

 

Gulf sources say several regional countries participated in intercepting drones launched by Iran during the recent war, including Saudi Arabia whose air force deployed helicopters that intercepted drones in regional airspace – including over Iraq and Jordan – as part of protecting Saudi Arabia’s airspace. Report here

 

 France’s military took part in efforts to stop Iranian drones targeting Israel, France’s Defence Minister stated.Report here

 

CO-EXISTENCE

 

A delegation of a dozen imams and Muslim community leaders who are visiting Israel from several European countries, including France, the United Kingdom, and Italy. The trip was organized by ELNET, an NGO that promotes ties between Europe and Israel. Report here

 

 

GERMANY

 

Germany is aiming to establish a joint German-Israeli cyber research centre and deepen collaboration between the two countries’ intelligence and security agencies, visiting German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said on Sunday.Report here

 

German Chancellor Merz had said on 23/6 , “There is no reason for us, or for me personally, to criticize what Israel started a week ago [in Iran], nor is there any reason to criticize what America did last weekend.”  “Leaving it as it was wasn’t an option… The evidence that Iran is continuing on its path to building a nuclear weapon can no longer be seriously disputed.” Report here

 

THE UK

 

The High Court in London rejected a legal challenge brought by a Palestinian group seeking to block the UK from supplying components for Israeli F-35 fighter jets.Report here

BUSINESS

 

The first half of 2025 marked the strongest period for private investment in Israeli high-tech in three years, with Israeli tech firms raising $9.3 billion during the period.Report here

THE WEIZMANN INSTITUTE

 

Days after their labs were severely damaged in an Iranian ballistic missile attack on June 15, Weizmann Institute of Science researchers published new findings in Nature Magazine that could lead to an innovative blood test for detecting a person’s risk of developing leukaemia. The test could potentially replace the invasive diagnostic procedure of bone marrow sampling.

Iran’s missile strike on the world-leading research institute destroyed around 45 labs, some containing researchers’ entire life’s work, which might take years and tens of millions of shekels to rebuild. Two days after the strike, the prestigious European Research Council announced the 281 recipients of its Advanced Grants. Of the 12 grants awarded to Israeli universities, six went to the Weizmann Institute. Report here

 

COMMENT & OPINION

 

IRAN

 

David Horowitz: Israel was facing destruction at the hands of Iran. This is how close it came and how it saved itself.

The Iranian regime was increasingly convinced that it would soon be able to destroy Israel drawing encouragement from the success of the Oct. 7 massacre which apparently confirmed Israel’s vulnerability.
Israel’s military and security chiefs had told the country’s political leaders in recent months that Israel had to go to war against Iran not much later than June. The end of 2025 would be too late.
Iran was a few weeks away from nuclear weapons, and the regime’s fast-growing ballistic missile capability was rapidly becoming an existential threat as well. So Israel went to war and saved itself…

But while “only” 14% of the missiles fired by Iran impacted populated areas and strategic infrastructure — with the US playing a very significant part in the defence — they caused heavy devastation.

28 people were killed, all but one of them civilians. Over 3,000 people were hospitalized, 23 with serious injuries. Over 2,000 homes were destroyed or damaged, with apartment buildings and office towers smashed, and some 13,000 people displaced.

Beersheba’s Soroka hospital, the Ben-Gurion University medical school at the hospital and a daycare centre in the city; a life sciences research building at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot; the Bazan oil refinery in Haifa, and a rehab facility for disabled kids in Bnei Brak — all these and more took direct, destructive hits….The PM declared that Israel would have faced destruction in the near future “if we hadn’t acted now.” On that, there is no disagreement.Full article here

 

 

 

Khaled Abu Toameh:  The U.S. and Israel have “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear installations, but the continuing rule of Iran and its terror proxies remains a major threat to security and stability in the Middle East. Iran’s regime may have lost its nuclear sites, but it has not lost its appetite to kill Jews and wipe Israel off the map…It is time for the U.S. and its Western allies to understand that there can be no genuine deals or compromises with either Sunni or Shiite jihadists. When your enemies say they want to eliminate you, you have every right to eliminate them first. Full article here

 

 

Adam Slonim: How the West got the Israel-Iran War so wrong.

The Western delusion is that process is always preferable to power, that negotiation is morally superior to pre-emption. But when executed with precision, intelligence and legitimacy, pre-emption prevents greater wars. It reinstates deterrence. And it spares civilians, infrastructure and economies the toll of prolonged conflict. Restrained power can be more humane than endless diplomacy, especially when that diplomacy serves only to delay the inevitable, embolden aggressors and paralyze allies. Full article here

 

 

 

Douglas J. Feith: Any country seeking a nuclear bomb – or considering providing one to others – now understands the U.S. may use force against it. This credible threat will make nonproliferation diplomacy more effective. The strike against Iran reinforces the point that rogue states pursuing nuclear weapons will face not just disapproving diplomacy and economic sanctions but maybe also military destruction.Full article here

 

 

Col. (ret.) Robert Maginnis:
The Israeli-Iranian war is far from over… Iran continues to deny Israel’s right to exist, and Israel views Iran’s nuclear programme – and its regional proxy network – as existential threats.
Hardliners in Tehran see the ceasefire as a pause to reload, not a step toward reconciliation…
We must prepare for a sustained period of covert confrontation and the risk of open warfare returning with little warning. Full article here

 

 

Dr. Raz Zimmt: The battle against Iran is far from complete. The Israeli and American strikes do not offer a comprehensive answer to the full range of threats posed by the Islamic Republic – which openly calls for Israel’s destruction. Ultimately, the long-term solution to the Iranian threat lies in regime change in Tehran. Full article here

 

 

 

Armin Navabi: A dissident Iranian supports Israel’s efforts to weaken the Ayatollahs’ regime.

People in the West often forget that Israel didn’t start this war. The Islamic Republic has been waging war on Iranians and Israelis since 1979.

He is not alone:

Some comments from Iranians addressed to Israelis:

“This is not a war between Israel and Iran. It’s a war between Israel and the Islamic Republic.”

“Cyrus freed the Jews from Babylon. Now the Jews are freeing us from our own tyrants.”

“We are your natural allies. From Tehran to Tel Aviv.” Full article here

GAZA

 

 

Maj. (ret.) Andrew Fox: The IDF rejects any claims soldiers were instructed to fire at Palestinians accessing aid.
The most significant problem with the Ha’aretz report is that the original Hebrew version of the article says something quite different from the widely reported English version. It reports that soldiers were ordered to fire warning shots toward crowds, not at them. This is a common practice for militaries, and one the British Army frequently used in Afghanistan. It is shooting in the air, or far short of a crowd, or well off to the side – done to send a warning, not to take a life.  Full article here

 

 

 

Khaled Abu Toameh: Since the Hamas-Israel war began on Oct. 7, 2023, the IDF has discovered 90 tunnels crossing under the border between Gaza and Egypt, used by Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups to smuggle rockets and weapons into Gaza…The Egyptians chose to ignore the smuggling as long as the weapons were going into Gaza and not staying in Egyptian territory, significantly contributing to transforming Gaza into a major base for Islamist terrorism…
Egypt does not care about the Palestinians or Israel. It only cares about its own interests, and that is why it would be a big mistake to rely on the Egyptians or any Arab state to bring security and stability to Gaza. Full article here