Breaking news: A short time ago, a 22-year-old Israeli was murdered in a terror attack at the Gush Etzion Junction near Efrat. Two terrorists carrying knives approached the victim and grabbed his gun, which they used to kill him. The two terrorists were eliminated by two passers-by, a soldier and a civilian.

Netanyahu met Trump in the White House twice this week, as intense efforts are underway to secure a deal between Israel and Hamas.

Netanyahu in Washington

  • Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is wrapping up his visit to Washington despite no public announcement of an agreement being reached with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release. Unless a breakthrough takes place, Netanyahu will depart Washington this evening.
  • The US visit included two meetings with President Donald Trump. While no official announcements were made regarding major issues, both leaders hinted that progress had been achieved towards a ceasefire deal with Hamas and the extension of the Abraham Accords.
  • According to numerous US and Israeli officials, while a deal is close, it is likely not imminent. Reports suggest that a new agreement may be reached within 7-14 days, as numerous details still need to be ironed out.
  • In parallel, an Israeli team is in Qatar for negotiations on a possible deal.
    • In a likely first stage, a 60-day ceasefire would begin and eight living hostages would be released immediately, with two more 50 days later.
    • Around 18 hostage bodies would also be returned during this time.
    • In exchange, Israel would release a huge number of prisoners and withdraw from most areas of Gaza.
    • Negotiations would continue during this period on a permanent end to hostilities and the release of the remaining hostages.
  • Media reports say that as part of the discussions, it has been agreed that during the 60-day ceasefire, the US-run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation will continue to distribute aid. Israel has insisted on this clause to deny Hamas the ability to steal aid for its own purposes, and to show Palestinians that they do not need to be wholly reliant on the terrorist group.
  • One of the main sticking points remaining in the discussions is over the Morag Corridor, which divides Gaza between north and south. The IDF is insisting that it be able to remain positioned along the Corridor for now.
  • Following his second meeting with President Trump, which took place yesterday, Prime Minister Netanyahu said that the two “have a common goal. We want to achieve the release of the hostages. We want to end Hamas rule in Gaza. We want to make sure that Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel anymore… President Trump wants a deal, but not at any price. I want a deal, but not at any price. Israel has security requirements and other requirements, and we’re working together to try to achieve it.”
  • Watch Netanyahu’s remarks on Capitol Hill here.
  • The Prime Minister also met with Vice President JD Vance (see video here), Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and numerous other senior officials. In addition, meetings were held with top congressional leaders, including House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and Democratic Senator John Fetterman.
  • Netanyahu surprised his hosts by telling them that he had officially nominated President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. In his letter of nomination, the Prime Minister cited the President’s “steadfast and exceptional dedication to promoting peace, security, and stability around the world.”
  • Israeli reporter Amit Segal noted that, “Benjamin Netanyahu became the fourth leader in history to visit the White House three times in a calendar year—the current record. Who are the other three? Benjamin Netanyahu. Benjamin Netanyahu. And Benjamin Netanyahu. “

Gaza

  • Reserve IDF soldier Avraham Azulay, 25, of the Engineers Corps, was killed in Gaza yesterday. Azulay was working on an excavator when terrorists shot an RPG and then tried to kidnap him. He fought the attackers, but the terrorists eventually killed him and left his body behind. Azulay married his wife Ruth just three months ago.
  • On Tuesday, five soldiers were killed in Gaza, and 14 were injured, when a roadside bomb struck. The fallen were from the IDF’s Netzah Yehuda haredi battalion. They were:
    • Meir Shimon Amar, 20, from Jerusalem.
    • Moshe Nissim Frech, 20, from Jerusalem.
    • Noam Aharon Musgadian, 20, from Jerusalem.
    • Moshe Shmuel Noll, 21, from Beit Shemesh.
    • Benyamin Asulin, 28, from Haifa.
  • Last weekend, two IDF soldiers, Asaf Zamir and Yair Eliyahu, both 19 years old, were also killed in fighting in Gaza.
  • Humanitarian aid continues in the form of millions of meals for Gazan citizens, coordinated by Israel and the American private group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Hamas is deeply opposed to this aid as it cuts them out of the loop, while the US and Israel are enthusiastic about a mechanism that works without the terror group. Hamas and others have repeatedly attacked GHF workers, including American citizens.

Houthis

  • Sirens sounded across large sections of Israel this morning as a ballistic missile was fired by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. Millions of Israelis in the center of the country, including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, had to dash to shelters shortly after 5 am. Israel’s defense systems successfully intercepted the missile; no significant injuries or damage were reported.
  • Earlier in the week, the IDF dropped around 60 munitions on Houthi targets, including ports in Hodeidah, Ras Isa and Salif, and the Ras Khatib power station. The IDF also struck The Galaxy Leader cargo ship, which the Houthis hijacked in November 2023 and since used for terror activity in the Red Sea. The group held the ship’s 25-person crew of Filipinos, Mexicans, Romanians, Bulgarians, and Ukrainians captive for more than a year, releasing them in January 2025.

Iran

  • An Israeli official told US media that intelligence showed that before the attacks on Iran, the Islamic Republic’s enriched uranium was located at the Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan sites, and that it remained there and had not been moved. If true, this would help allay fears that the nuclear materials had been hidden in other sites in the country and could be used to develop weapons at a later date.
  • Yesterday, the Israeli military confirmed for the first time that some Iranian missiles struck IDF bases during the recent 14-day war, although no major damage or injuries were reported.
  • Earlier this week, Israeli media reported that for the first time ever, the IDF operated a “Shadow General Staff” during the war with Iran, out of concern that IDF chief Eyal Zamir and other generals may be attacked.  Led by Deputy Chief of Staff Tamir Yadai, Israel’s shadow military leadership had been formed before June 13’s opening strike on Iran, following the assessment that if Israel eliminated Iran’s top military officials, the regime could retaliate by trying to target IDF leadership. Iran did try to hit the IDF’s Kirya headquarters in Tel Aviv with missiles and drones. “Against this backdrop,” writes a Yediot Aharonot journalist, “the alternative General Staff functioned in a hidden location, disconnected from regular communication infrastructure, to ensure immunity from cyberattacks and physical breaches. The structure was meant to go into action only in the event of a ‘complete loss of command.’”

Other News

  • A new report providing the first legal framework to prosecute Hamas terrorists for the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war during the October 7, 2023, massacre was presented by the Dinah Project yesterday. The report 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. The report, which is entitled “A Quest for Justice: October 7 and Beyond,” is the first 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.
  • According to the Wall Street Journal, a group of 21 Muslim sheikhs and leaders from Hebron, together representing nearly 750,000 Palestinians, has proposed breaking from the Palestinian Authority to form an “Emirate of Hebron” that would join the Abraham Accords and recognize Israel as the Jewish state. In a letter to Israeli Minister Nir Barkat, the sheikhs denounced the Oslo process and PA corruption, pledging zero tolerance for terrorism and requesting Israel to allow thousands of Hebron residents to work legally inside its borders. They position their leadership as a return to traditional clan authority, with some urging U.S. backing and predicting that statehood aspirations will only bring disaster. Israel’s leadership is reportedly supportive but cautious.
  • Last weekend, Lebanese President Josef Aoun met with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and told him that the Lebanese Army will soon assume full control over the southern part of the country, utilizing some 10,000 soldiers. He said the military will then ensure that they and the UN peacekeepers are the only armed forces in South Lebanon. He expressed his country’s desire to see the IDF pull out entirely from southern Lebanon once that happens.
  • In his first visit to the Gaza Envelope area since before October 7, 2023, at the end of last week, Prime Minister Netanyahu visited Kibbutz Nir Oz. Upon arrival at the kibbutz, which had one out of four residents killed or taken hostage, he was greeted warmly by numerous residents, while others shouted words of rebuke.

Further Reading