Overview

• President Donald Trump authorized Tony Blair to mobilize regional and international stakeholders behind a post-war plan to create the Gaza International Transitional Authority (GITA).

• 450,000 Gazans have moved from north to south of Gaza city, and 80% of the population is now concentrated in 20% of the territory. 

• The anti-Hamas “Abu-Shabab” Gaza militia, released footage of new recruits in training, plus a school video where children thank the group for humanitarian and educational support, as they attempt to legitimize their establishment of local security. Separately, a new militia in Khan Younis, reportedly led by Fatah figure Hassam al-Astal has also emerged.

• MAFAT (the Defense Ministry’s Directorate of Defense R&D) and Rafael announced a successful series of interceptions tests in recent weeks using the high-energy laser system formerly called “Or Eitan”. The system would become operational in the upcoming weeks, and has the ability to intercept UAV, drones, anti-aircraft missiles etc.

• Significant high-level discussions took place this past week addressing the future of South Syria, including a five-hour meeting between Syrian FM Shaibani and Minister Ron Dermer and, a trilateral meeting in Damascus with Syrian FM Asaad al-Shibani, Jordanian FM Ayman Safadi, and U.S. Special Envoy Tom Barrack.

• Pro-government Turkish media released a “target bank” of Israeli sites for a potential bilateral conflict, listing IAF bases (Nevatim, Hatzerim, Ramat David, the Kirya), ports (Haifa, Ashdod, Eilat), gas rigs (Tamar, Leviathan), and the Dimona facility—a provocative signal amid rising Ankara–Jerusalem tensions.

Gaza 

Hostage Deal

• Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas official, declared they will no longer negotiate, warning the IDF to expect intense urban combat in Gaza City. The statement signals hardening positions and preparation for attritional fighting over negotiation tracks.

Diplomatic

• COGAT publicized that at least four Hamas senior officials sought permission to leave Gaza for destinations abroad. A minister, the chair of the Foreign & Security Committee, and a head of a governmental committee were denied; one official—a city council member—was approved and reportedly departed to Turkey. It was reported (unverified) that he handed over the locations of two hostages’ remains that were later recovered. The intent of the disclosure is to pressure Hamas leaders to surrender and to demonstrate that Hamas leadership is starting to crack despite their public declarations of continuing to fight.

• President Donald Trump authorized Tony Blair to mobilize regional and international stakeholders behind a post-war plan to create the Gaza International Transitional Authority (GITA) with subordinate structures, a temporary governing body that would transition Gaza to the Palestinian Authority once conditions permit.

• In a joint statement by Prime Minister Netanyahu and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Washington declared Hamas must release all 48 hostages and cannot continue to exist as a military entity. Rubio warned that Iran’s nuclear and ballistic-missile programs endanger Israel, the Gulf states, and Europe, and praised activation of the UN “Snapback” mechanism. President Trump echoed that all hostages must be released and affirmed U.S. support for “Gideon’s Chariots II.”

Operational 

• At a press conference on Sep 18, the IDF Spokesperson reported that IDF had struck 1,200 targets across Gaza since the operation began. 450,000 Gazans have moved from north to south of Gaza city, and 80% of the population is now concentrated in 20% of the territory. 

• Intelligence indicates up to two-thirds of Hamas fighters have shifted southward with civilians to reinforce Hamas’s Central Brigade and preserve combat power for the “day after.”

• Divisions 98 and 162 are gradually maneuvering into Gaza City, with Division 36 expected to join from the south in the coming days. The deliberate pace is designed to reduce friendly casualties amid extreme urban density where snipers, ATGMs, grenades, and booby-traps can appear from windows, balconies, and every corner. The IDF assesses it will take months of systematic clearance to defeat Hamas’s Gaza City Brigade.

• A Dekel Battalion force (from the Officers’ School) has been operating ~3 weeks in eastern Rafah (Jenina), clearing sub-terrain routes and unscreened structures. While two HMMWVs led a route-clearing movement, one vehicle struck what was likely a powerful IED (or remotely detonated device), causing 4 fatalities and 3 wounded (1 critical, 2 moderate). The episode underscores that full sub-surface/surface control may take many months, as undiscovered shafts still enable fighter movement and evasion even in “controlled” sectors.

Gazan Militias

• The anti-Hamas “Abu-Shabab” Gaza militia released footage of new recruits in training, plus a school video where children thank the group for humanitarian and educational support, as they attempt to legitimize their establishment of local securit.

• A new militia in Khan Younis, reportedly led by Fatah figure Hassam al-Astal (likely a former Gaza based, PA security officer before Hamas’s 2007 takeover), called for recruits and showcased armed pickup trucks with mounted machine guns. They openly call for Gazans to take arms against Hamas offering in a video $50 for each Hamas member killed.

• By promoting an alternative governing option to Hamas, Israel arguably raises the plausibility of ending Hamas rule, which encourages rival actors to speak out and organize—a declared war objective tied to post-Hamas governance.

Humanitarian 

• COGAT reported that 550 Gazans (mostly patients with escorts) exited this week to Romania, the UK, Belgium, Jordan, Germany, and other countries. Since the war began, 5,000 Gazans have departed via the Allenby Bridge or Ramon Airport—a limited but ongoing medical-evacuation channel.

• In Deir al-Balah, a camp of hundreds of tents was established under Egyptian oversight, with three additional compounds to follow. Approximately 20,000 family-sized tents have already been brought in to the Khan Younis area, and another 300 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza daily, as part of the humanitarian aid distribution operation.

• A terrorist attack was carried in the Allenby Bridge crossing between Israel and Jordan. The perpetrator was a 57-year-old Jordanian, reportedly a contract worker for the Jordanian Army, who disembarked from an aid truck destined for Gaza, opened fire, and stabbed an stabbed an Israeli before being neutralized. Two Israelis were killed: an IDF liaison NCO to foreign forces and a 68-year-old reserve officer from the Civil Administration. The event highlights how even non-Hamas actors leverage the vulnerability that the IDF puts themselves in, in order to facilitate  the humanitarian aid.

• IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir instructed a pause in aid shipments from Jordan into Gaza pending the investigation into the deadly Allenby Crossing attack, tightening aid corridor security while the probe proceeds.

Domestic Israel

Or Eitan” (Iron Beam)

• MAFAT (the Defense Ministry’s Directorate of Defense R&D) and Rafael announced a successful series of interceptions tests in recent weeks using the high-energy laser system formerly called “Or Eitan” in honor of Capt. Eitan Oster, who fell in Gaza. The system reportedly intercepted light drones (UAVs), rockets, missiles, and even mortar bombs by focusing a 100 kW laser beam for several seconds on a UAV’s wing or explosive payload to melt and neutralize it, or by detonating a mortar round mid-air. Operational introduction is slated in the coming months.

• In Oct 2024, the Defense Ministry signed a ₪2 billion ($600 Million) procurement with Rafael and Elbit. By May 2025, it was cleared for publication that dozens of Hezbollah UAVs were downed by a miniaturized 30 kW variant, “Iron Blade,” operating over a radius of several kilometers that melted drone wings to down the attacking drones. In September 2025, authorities confirmed “Or Eitan” will enter operational service and deploy at numerous sites nationwide.

• Below is a list of the “Defensive Laser Family” (4 variants):

• “Or Eitan” — 100 kW, 10 km radius, truck-mounted, intended for broad area air defense.

• “Iron Blade” — 30 kW, several-km radius, truck-mounted, for closer-in threats and high intercept volume.

• AFV-mounted version — ~10 kW, ~2 km radius on APCs/tanks/HMMWVs, aimed at ATGM, mortar, and other direct battlefield threats.

• Naval version — 100 kW, ~10 km radius on surface vessels, for sea-area defense against UAVs and anti-ship missiles.

Beyond ground and sea, the laser is also planned for aircraft/helicopters/UAVs, enabling the IAF to intercept Houthi/Iranian/Iraqi-militia drones beyond Israel’s borders.

• An Iron Dome interceptor costs $50,000 per shot, compared to each laser shot estimated at just $5—about 10,000 times cheaper, a potential game-changer for high-volume barrages.

• During the ground maneuver in Gaza, documents attributed to Hamas leadership indicated Yahya Sinwar accelerated the October attack to preempt Israel’s laser capability, which would have undermined Hamas’s mass-rocket salvos.

Ultra-Orthodox Recruitment

• Military Police arrests of several Haredi draft-dodgers led to a violent incident near Kfar Yona, when organized extremist groups surrounded a military minibus transporting the detainees to Beit Lid detention facility. Stones and pepper spray were used against soldiers; two soldiers sustained light injuries.

• In Knesset remarks, the Head of the IDF Personnel Directorate said the IDF is in immediate need of 12,000 additional soldiers—7,000 combat troops and the remainder for combat support/technology roles. He emphasized the IDF has bent over backwards to accommodate the concerns of the Haredi community towards enlistment, yet in the past year only 3,000 enlisted out of 80,000 eligible. He proposed also recruiting Jewish youth from the Diaspora, noting a potential eligible pool of 100,000.

Judea and Samaria

Diplomatic

• Mahmoud Abbas met Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara, where Erdoğan declared that “Israel’s genocide in Gaza has entered a new phase with the latest ground assaults,”  and vowed that “Turkey will be Palestine’s voice at the UN General Assembly,” and urged the Islamic world to unite to “eliminate the Israeli threat,” asserting that full political unity in Palestine would strengthen these efforts and that Turkey will continue its support. Ankara is positioning itself at the forefront of anti-Israel resistance and seeking leadership of the Palestinian cause in the Muslim world.

Operational

• Over the past week, Israeli forces arrested ~75 wanted suspects across dozens of villages, including ~10 in Qabatiya and ~9 in Gush Etzion. In Tulkarem and Salfit, weapons traffickers were detained and several firearms (including Carlo-type submachine guns) were seized—an effort aimed at disrupting supply chains for organized cells.

• A joint IDF–Shin Bet–Yamam operation raided a rocket-making site in central Ramallah, arresting a three-man cell. On site were dozens of components for rockets, IEDs, and explosives. The cell was reportedly in an advanced phase of assembling rockets intended for attacks on Jewish communities in the West Bank and central Israel—a notable and dangerous leap from small-arms/IED cells to rudimentary rocket capability.

•  In a Palestinian village, security forces seized two experimental rockets. They lacked warheads/explosives and posed no immediate danger, but they reflect a local effort to manufacture rockets for attacks on Jewish communities.

Lebanon

• The IDF conducted a new wave of airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon to prevent force regeneration, with strikes hitting several depots linked to the Radwan Force—a continued shaping campaign to deny Hezbollah the capacity to refortify along the northern front.

Syria

Diplomacy

• A five-hour meeting was held between Syrian FM Shaibani and Minister Ron Dermer. Israel presented three security-zone demands:

  1. 1974 Disengagement Zone, expanded 2 km eastward into Syria (Mount Hermon crest to remain under IDF control).

  2. A belt up to Damascus with no heavy Syrian Army equipment permitted—intended to push armor/artillery away from Israel’s frontier.

  3. A no-fly zone for the Syrian Air Force over the southern sector.

Additionally, Israel seeks IAF freedom of action over Syria to enable strikes enroute to Iran. Nothing was published regarding Druze in the Hauran; U.S. and Jordan reportedly offered the Druze reintegration into the Syrian state, which was rejected as they demand self-determination. President Al Sharaa stated the parties may sign a security arrangement in the coming days, clarifying it would not be peace or normalization.

• After a trilateral meeting in Damascus with Syrian FM Asaad al-Shibani, Jordanian FM Ayman Safadi, and U.S. Special Envoy Tom Barrack, the Syrian Foreign Ministry stated that the United States, in consultation with Damascus, would seek security understandings with Israel regarding southern Syria, addressing the legitimate security concerns of both Syria and Israel while affirming Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Operational

• Reuters reported that Israel is helping to unify disparate Druze factions in the Hauran into a single, ~3,000-strong militia, which Israel is training, arming, and is reportedly paying—a move aimed at stabilizing and securing the Druze in southern Syria.

Iraq

• The U.S. State Department designated four Iraqi Shia militias as terrorist organizations, including Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada—both of which launched UAVs at Israel in 2024. Notably absent is Kataib Hezbollah, considered the most powerful militia after Badr, signaling selective pressure while leaving room for leverage on stronger actors.

Turkey

• Pro-government Turkish media released a “target bank” of Israeli sites for a potential bilateral conflict, listing IAF bases (Nevatim, Hatzerim, Ramat David, the Kirya), ports (Haifa, Ashdod, Eilat), gas rigs (Tamar, Leviathan), and the Dimona facility—a provocative signal amid rising Ankara–Jerusalem tensions.

• The Turkish Defense Ministry announced a joint naval exercise with Egypt in the eastern Mediterranean—the first in 13 years—to be called “Sea of Friendship,” marking a symbolic thaw and maritime power projection.

Yemen

• The IDF Arabic Spokesperson issued a pre-strike evacuation notice for Al-Hudaydah Port, citing continued launches toward Israel and attempts to restore the port for smuggling Iranian weapons and oil. Subsequently, the IAF conducted its 15th strike in Yemen since July 2024; Houthi sources claimed they activated air defenses and that the port was struck with 12 munitions in three salvos.

• A Houthi drone struck the entrance of a hotel in Eilat, underscoring the ongoing long-range UAV threat from Yemen.

Iran

• The E3 (France, Germany, UK) issued a joint statement that Iran is not meeting conditions that would forestall re-activation of the UN “Snapback” mechanism. Tehran was reportedly given a six-month extension opportunity contingent on full IAEA access, which it did not grant—raising the likelihood of re-imposed international measures and tightening diplomatic timelines.

• Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi spoke with Qatar’s PM/FM Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani about the Israeli strike in Doha; Araghchi also met Lebanon’s FM Youssef Rajy in Doha to discuss the regional and Lebanese situation. 

• Iranian President Pezeshkian met Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on the sidelines of the Doha summit, implying an expansion of cooperation based on mutual respect, with Lebanon expressing a desire for friendly relations and an effort to overcome obstacles to broader cooperation.

International

• Luxembourg announced that it will officially recognize a Palestinian state.

• Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa signed a decree designating the IRGC, Hamas, and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations.

• Ireland’s President Michael Higgins said Israel and states supplying it with weapons should be removed from the UN.

• France banned the display of Palestinian flags on city halls and other public buildings, per the Interior Ministry directive.

• Following a Saudi–Pakistan mutual defense pact, Pakistan’s defense minister stated that Pakistani nuclear weapons would be “available” to Saudi Arabia under the strategic defense agreement; one day later, India and the UAE signed their own mutual defense pact.

• In response to Israel’s strike on Hamas officials in Qatar, Doha sent an official letter to the ICAO, calling it a clear violation of international law and Qatar’s sovereignty.

• Channel 12 reported Israel asked the U.S. to pressure Egypt over an alleged military buildup in Sinai seen as violating the peace treaty—including fighter-jet runways and underground sites apparently designed for missile storage (with no evidence that they are currently storing missiles there).

• Portugal will officially recognize a Palestinian state ahead of the UN General Assembly.

• The UN will allow PA President Mahmoud Abbas to deliver his UNGA speech virtually after U.S. entry bans on him and ~80 top PA officials; the UN resolution expressing concern/regret passed with 145 in favor, 6 abstentions, and 5 against (including Israel and the U.S.).

Fallen Soldiers

• Lieutenant Ron Arieli z"l

• Major Omri Chai Ben Moshe z"l

• Lieutenant Eitan Avner Ben Itzhak z"l

• Lieutenant Eran Shelem z"l

• Sergeant Oran Hershko z"l

• Lieutenant colonel (res.) Yitzhak Harosh z"l