Israel update 24.7.25

HAMAS FAMINE CLAIMS DENIED

A senior Israeli security official on Tuesday denied famine claims by Hamas, while stressing that actions need to be taken to “stabilize the humanitarian situation.”

He acknowledged that recently there has been a significant drop in the amount of aid reaching Palestinians in the Strip, but blamed UN agencies for not collecting and distributing the food and supplies.

The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli military and Defence Ministry body responsible for coordinating aid deliveries to Gaza, said that some 950 trucks worth of supplies are waiting to be collected by the UN from the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings.

The official said that the aid currently waiting at the crossings for collection was enough to supply the Strip’s food needs for two and a half weeks.Report here

VIDEO

950 trucks worth of aid, currently waiting in Gaza for international organisations to pick up and distribute to Gazan civilians after Israel facilitated the aid entry into Gaza.View here

FURTHER INFORMATION RE GAZA AID

The IDF Arabic spokesperson shared footage of Gazans cheering as they safely receive humanitarian aid, with IDF Soldiers watching from a distance on Sunday. Report here with video

Hamas’s Internal Security forces detained and abused Palestinians who had approached aid centres operated by the U.S.-affiliated Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). After returning from the centres, they were stripped, beaten, and accused of theft and “collaboration with Israel.” Scenes captured on video showed terrorists armed with clubs, saws, and hammers escorting civilians under duress – aimed at deterring Gazans from seeking aid outside Hamas’s control.
In a separate video circulating online, residents of the Muwasi humanitarian zone are seen protesting against Hamas. The demonstrators chanted: “Stop the war, we want to live. Leave us alone, Hamas.” Report here

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗛𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘀 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗶𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗚𝗮𝘇𝗮

A new Washington Post report revealed that Hamas is punishing Palestinians by controlling who gets food and aid. Residents say those who criticize the group are excluded from aid lists, while convoys are looted or seized by armed gangs. Even when humanitarian supplies enter Gaza, they often don’t reach the people who need them. For many civilians, aid has become a tool of political control — not relief.
Earlier in the war, Hamas relied on taxes imposed on commercial shipments and the seizure of humanitarian goods. A Gazan contractor said that saw Hamas routinely collect 20,000 shekels ($6,000) from local merchants, threatening to confiscate their trucks if they did not pay.Hamas civil servants threatened several times to kill him or call him a collaborator with Israel if he did not cooperate with their demands to divert aid. He knew at least two aid truck drivers who were killed by Hamas for refusing to pay.Report here (paywall)

Gazan terrorists launched a rocket towards an aid distribution point in Rafah on Wednesday night. Despite impact 250 metres from the centre, the site opened today Thursday, and tens of thousands of weekly food packages were distributed to families. Report here

HAMAS RESPONSIBLE FOR WAR CONTINUATION

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday rejected a statement signed by more than 20 countries calling for an immediate end to the war in Gaza, saying “it is disconnected from reality and sends the wrong message to Hamas. All statements and all claims should be directed at the only party responsible for the lack of a deal for the release of hostages and a ceasefire: Hamas, which started this war and is prolonging it.”
“Instead of agreeing to a ceasefire, Hamas is busy running a campaign to spread lies about Israel. At the same time, Hamas is deliberately acting to increase friction and harm to civilians who come to receive humanitarian aid.”
“There is a concrete proposal for a ceasefire deal, and Israel has repeatedly said yes to this proposal, while Hamas stubbornly refuses to accept it. The statement fails to focus the pressure on Hamas and fails to recognize Hamas’s role and responsibility for the situation. Hamas is the sole party responsible for the continuation of the war and the suffering on both sides.” Statement here

The US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee wrote: “Disgusting! 25 nations put pressure on @Israel instead of savages Hamas! Gaza suffers for 1 reason: Hamas rejects EVERY proposal. Blaming Israel is irrational.”X here

Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said that “Hamas causes the crisis, and we get the blame. We’re not ignoring the suffering in Gaza – but the blame lies with Hamas, not Israel….People see the images, they hear the outcry – but they don’t check the facts.”
“Look at the quantities of food entering [Gaza] through Kerem Shalom, through humanitarian convoys, through aid centres – there is a constant flow of food. But Hamas hijacks aid, disrupts distribution, and prevents civilians from accessing relief – and then blames Israel….We’re not the problem, we’re the target.”
“How can they have the audacity to talk about a ceasefire without demanding the release of those held in Hamas’s terror tunnels? How can you claim to stand for international law while ignoring the hostages as they languish in conditions that defy human comprehension?” Report here

Footnote: Video footage released Wednesday “exposes the daily life of Hamas operatives in underground tunnels during the ongoing war.”
“While Hamas leadership falsely accuses Israel of orchestrating a ‘starvation campaign,’ the videos show operatives boasting about their meals underground.”
Hamas operatives are seen proudly displaying their food supplies, which include fruit, rice, and meat. One man remarks, “I ate five bowls of rice today.” Report here

GAZA WAR AGAINST HAMAS

Two IDF soldiers were killed during fighting on Monday Sgt. Maj. (res.) Vladimir Loza, 36 and Staff Sgt. Amit Cohen, 19. Their deaths raised to 456 the toll of Israeli forces killed fighting inside Gaza since the war started. Report here

The IDF on Tuesday said that there were no casualties among the World Health Organization’s (WHO) workers in Gaza, and that their evacuation from Deir al-Balah was coordinated with the military beforehand. Earlier, the WHO had claimed the Israeli military attacked its staff residence and main warehouse on Monday.

Report here

During a visit to Gaza on Wednesday, President Isaac Herzog told Israeli troops: “We are acting here in accordance with international law. We are providing humanitarian aid in accordance with international law. Those trying to sabotage that humanitarian aid are Hamas and its operatives, who are willing to do anything, essentially, to stop our forces from dismantling infrastructure that could harm us and our civilians.”
The president said he was briefed on “extensive efforts to ensure humanitarian aid reaches the people of Gaza – despite the danger, despite the pain of knowing our hostages are still held in brutal captivity….Even in the midst of war, we are doing everything possible to help civilians in need – in keeping with international law, and our Israeli and Jewish values.” Report here

HOUTHIS

A ballistic missile launched Friday night set off warning sirens in central Israel and the Jerusalem area andwas intercepted by air defences. Report here

IAF drones struck Houthi targets at the port of Hudaydah on Monday. Defence Minister Katz said ” The Houthis will pay a heavy price for launching missiles toward the State of Israel.” Since March 18, the Houthis have launched 62 ballistic missiles and at least 15 drones at Israel.Report here

On Monday the IDF shot down a Houthi drone. A ballistic missile launched Tuesday morning men was intercepted. However warning sirens in numerous towns across central Israel, sent hundreds of thousands of people from their beds to shelters in the pre-dawn attack.A second missile fired several hours later fell short outside Israel. Last night at 12.20 am another Houthi missile was detected but fell short.Report here

Footnote: Debt-ridden Eilat Port closed on Sunday. The port had not been operating fully since the outbreak of the war and the threat of Houthi attacks on shipping using the Red Sea.Report here

THE SYRIAN DRUZE

Heavy fighting continued Saturday in Sweida province in southwest Syria between Sunni Bedouin militiamen and local Druze fighters, despite an announcement of a truce. At least 940 people had been reported killed over the past week. At Sweida’s central hospital, more than 400 bodies have been brought in. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 588 Druze were killed – 326 of them fighters and 262 civilians. Of these, 182 Druze were executed by regime forces.
Videos show Syrian leader al-Sharaa’s troops joining Bedouin fighters in executing unarmed Druze civilians and looting and torching homes. Israel, where the Druze community has expressed deep concern over the fate of their brethren in Syria, has intervened in support of the Druze in Sweida. Report here

Israel’s Health Ministry announced Saturday night it is preparing the transfer of medical equipment, medication, and general assistance to the hospital in Syria’s Sweida province. Health Minister Busso said, “Our brotherhood with the Druze community is strong and well known….The instructions I gave to mobilize quickly to provide aid in light of the developments in Syria reflect Israel’s commitment to not stand idly by when members of the community, even outside of its borders, are in danger.” Report here

MEDIA CRITIQUE: THE BURNT CHURCH THAT WASN’T

From the Israeli Police Spokesperson’s Unit: Contrary to false reports and following recent foreign media coverage regarding the alleged arson within the archaeological site of the Church of Saint George in the village of Taybeh, we wish to clarify that these reports are factually incorrect, lack any evidentiary basis, and risk misleading the public… Findings gathered on the ground unequivocally show that no damage or harm was caused to the holy site itself. It has been established that there was a localized fire in an adjacent open area, with no buildings, no crops, and no infrastructure of the site damaged.

A closer inspection of the footage reveals…several young men from the adjacent Jewish farm can be seen running up the hill with fire extinguishing equipment and reflective vests, attempting to put out the flames — not start them.

Video footage circulating on social media showed a teenager with what appeared to be a compressed air blower often used to help control and extinguish brush fires. But Palestinian social media posts labelled him an arsonist

Amit Barak, an expert on Christian affairs in Israel, said “Church leaders fall into the trap time and again. They simply don’t check the facts. They’re swept up by false accusations, and the campaign against Israel easily latches onto ‘the settlers.’”

Sources here here here & here

VOLUNTEERS

The Latrun Monastery’s agricultural land including their vineyard were badly burst in spring wildfires. 80 Israelis have volunteered to help the monks replant the vines, their sole source of income.Report here

BUSINESS

With rockets falling and tens of thousands of reservists in uniform, Israeli exporters managed to ship $150 billion worth of goods and services in 2024, only a 1% dip from the previous year.
Bank of Israel forecasts project that output will expand by 3.5% in 2025 and 4% in 2026.
Technology services, which account for more than half of Israeli exports, rose 3% in 2024 and another 10% in the first quarter of 2025, according to the Israel Export Institute.
Israeli defence manufacturers posted a record $15 billion in overseas sales, a 13% increase fuelled by European demand for air-defence systems. Report here

SPORT

Israel beat Italy 9-8 to win the 2025 European Men’s Lacrosse Championship on Saturday. Report here

Israeli athlete Blessing Afrifah successfully defended his European U23 200-metre championship title in Norway. The 21-year-old, born and raised in Israel to Ghanaian parents, wrapped himself in Israel’s flag expressing happiness and pride in representing the country. Report here

COMMENT & OPINION

Gaza

Jake Wallis Simons: Yesterday (Monday), a video emerged apparently showing Hamas thugs marching half-naked Gazan civilians who had received Israeli-American aid to an unknown destination after rounding them up for punishment.

This took its place among countless other videos of Hamas killing, torturing and intimidating its own people as it continues to use them as pawns in its attempt to exterminate the Jews by way of Western media…

The truth is as obvious as it is widely overlooked. Israel is a democracy that only wants its hostages home and those threatening its people defeated, then to be left alone; Hamas wants to destroy the Jews, and is willing to bring the Strip down around their ears in the process.

We know that the Israeli-American aid efforts are designed to circumvent the United Nations; the UN agency UNWRA has been reported as working hand-in-glove with the jihadis. We also know that this starves Hamas of the source of its income, bringing its defeat much closer.

That is why the terrorists and their media partners have been creating as much propaganda as they can to convince the world that Israel is – for some reason – both going to the trouble of providing aid to Gaza and then massacring anybody who comes to claim it, blackening their international reputation in the process…

It is quite obvious that this war comprises a bunch of depraved jihadis who herd their own people to death for propaganda, against a democracy fighting a war it did not start while confronted with human shields. Article here (paywall)

Melanie Phillips challenges international condemnation of Israel

Extracts: Here’s what the foreign ministers said that got Hamas purring.

The Israeli government’s aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity.

Rub your eyes. The “Israeli government’s aid delivery model” — the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation which is actually run by the Americans and supervised by the IDF — is the only means of reliably getting food to Gaza’s civilians rather than it being stolen by Hamas. The GHF has supplied more than 80 million meals to Gazan civilians. There are actually videos on social media of Gazans cheering the IDF and thanking them for the first food they’ve received that’s free. So what on earth are Britain and the rest talking about?

We condemn the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food. The Israeli government’s denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable. Israel must comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law.

What “drip feeding of aid”? What Israeli “denial of essential humanitarian assistance”? Israel has supplied 1,863,357 tons of aid to Gaza. The IDF’s aid division COGAT says that recently close to 4,500 trucks entered Gaza with supplies, including flour for bakeries and 2,500 tons of baby food and high calorie special food for children.

There are currently around 950 humanitarian aid trucks that have crossed into Gaza but are just sitting there because the UN and its proxies can’t or won’t distribute their contents. The GHF has pleaded with the UN to collaborate with it in the major task of distributing aid throughout Gaza. The UN is simply refusing to do so.

It’s Hamas that’s been stealing the food and other aid for its own use, causing Gazan civilians to go hungry; it’s Hamas that’s been murdering Gazans for collecting food supplies from the GHF because Hamas knows that if it can’t steal the aid for itself, it’s finished.

Of course the IDF don’t deliberately kill Gazans queuing for food. Why on earth would they do that, since they’ve set up and are policing an entire infrastructure to deliver it to them?

(Recommended reading in full.) Article here

Con Coughlin: Throughout this seemingly endless anti-Israel diatribe on the BBC, at no point did Lammy make any reference to Hamas, and the pernicious role the group has played in wilfully disrupting aid supplies to Palestinian civilians in Gaza. There was no condemnation of the campaign of tyranny Hamas continues to exercise over Gaza’s civilian population, nor any mention of freezing the assets of the wealthy Hamas terrorist masterminds holed up in Qatar. This is despite mounting evidence that the Iranian-backed terrorist group is deliberately exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the enclave for its own propaganda purposes. Article here (paywall)

Steve Freedman: Responding to accusations of genocide with moral clarity.

What is happening is a devastating war, one Israel did not choose… This is not a campaign to destroy a people. It is a war to dismantle a terror regime that brought horror to our doorsteps and promises to do it again. This is completely overlooked. Reality is being whitewashed before our eyes and Israel and Jews are being increasingly isolated and threatened because of this… If Hamas surrendered and released the hostages, the war would end tomorrow. If Israel stopped defending itself, the state would not survive. That’s the difference and that’s the truth. And yet that is not discussed or recognized in much of the Western discourse. Article here..

Eitan Fischberger: The UN’s talking heads are smearing the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation – not for doing harm, but for committing the unpardonable sin of delivering food without collaborating with terrorists. Make no mistake: the UN’s aid mechanisms have prolonged this war, increased suffering, and entrenched Hamas rule. The source of Gaza’s suffering is not the GHF. X post here

Bret Stephens: What is unusual about Gaza is the cynical and criminal way Hamas has chosen to wage war. In Ukraine, when Russia attacks, civilians go underground while the Ukrainian military stays aboveground to fight. In Gaza, it’s the reverse: Hamas hides and feeds and preserves itself in its vast warren of tunnels rather than open them to civilians for protection. These tactics are war crimes in themselves.

We know how the U.S. would operate in similar circumstances. In 2016 and 2017, the U.S. aided the government of Iraq in retaking the city of Mosul, which was captured by the Islamic State three years earlier and turned into a booby-trapped, underground fortress. As the Times reported on March 28, 2017, “American airstrikes have at times leveled entire blocks – including the one in Mosul Jidideh this month that residents said left as many as 200 civilians dead.” I don’t recall any campus protests. Article here (paywall)

The Druze in Syria

Herb Keinon: Selective Outrage: The World Looks Away from Syria’s Atrocities, but Fixates on Gaza.

For the most part, the world did not take much notice of the brutality of Syrian soldiers in the Druze region of Sweida…

The fighting in Syria, unless Israel is involved, struggles to get notice. Israel is held to different standards and is judged by a different measuring stick. Moreover, Hamas spokespeople – camouflaged as the Gaza Health Ministry – feed journalists a steady stream of data, images, and interviews….Pro-Palestinian advocacy is highly organized, heavily funded (thank you, Qatar), and globally embedded – across university campuses, human rights organizations, and social media influencers. The Druze, on the other hand, have no such infrastructure. Article here

Maj. (ret.) Andrew Fox: Last week, Druze villages in southern Syria were overrun by Syrian regime forces and allied Islamist militias under the guise of “restoring order,” only for those forces to unleash executions, looting and arson upon Druze neighbourhoods. This is, it appears, the dark reality of “national unity” under Syria’s new rulers…
The West’s willingness to overlook the jihadist pedigree of Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militia in exchange for a quick diplomatic win now looks not just cynical, but also dangerously naive. Sharaa’s cabinet is literally teeming with individuals and factions under terrorism and human-rights sanctions. Did London and Washington really believe such actors would morph overnight into guarantors of pluralism and human rights?Article here

John Spencer: The silence (on the slaughter of the Druze in Syria) is deafening. The same institutions and voices that claim to champion human rights have gone quiet. There have been no emergency UN sessions. No international protests. No hashtags. No outcry. It is a silence that reveals the selective morality of those who only speak when it fits their politics. Article here