Overview

• IDF and Shin Bet announced they had recovered the body of Ilan Weiss, who was murdered and abducted from Kibbutz Be’eri and Idan Shtivi who was murdered and abducted from the Nova festival on October 7.

• Hamas’s military wing spokesman, Abu Obeida, announced that Israeli hostages are being held inside combat zones, alongside Hamas terrorists.

• Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi met with the head of the UN World Food Program (WFP), Cindy McCain alongside COGAT officials, to present Israel’s expanded humanitarian efforts. 

• The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement welcoming the Lebanese government’s decision to disarm Hezbollah.

• The UN Security Council voted unanimously to extend the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission until the end of 2026.

• The IDF conducted a two-hour raid in Kiswa, involving dozens of soldiers inserted by four helicopters.

• After months of negotiations following Operation “With the Lion”, the situation has escalated. The E3 powers (France, UK, Germany) activated the snapback sanctions mechanism, set to take effect on September 28, due to Iran’s refusal to cooperate with the IAEA.

• The Israeli Air Force struck multiple targets in Sanaa, Yemen’s Houthi-controlled capital. The strikes hit a military compound at the presidential palace, a fuel depot, and two power stations and eliminated the regime’s Prime Minister, Chief of Staff and all but four Ministers in their government.

Gaza 

Hostage Deal

• Jerusalem has clarified that it will no longer accept a partial agreement with Hamas. The only deal under discussion is a comprehensive one: the release of all hostages at once in exchange for the conditions that would bring the war to an end. This includes Hamas laying down its weapons, its leadership going into exile, and the Gaza Strip transitioning to operational control under the IDF, while Israel builds local proxy forces to maintain order. This vision has been framed as the core objective of “Gideon’s Chariots II.”

• Hamas’s military wing spokesman, Abu Obeida, announced that Israeli hostages are being held inside combat zones, alongside Hamas terrorists. The group admitted that hostages are exposed to the same risks as its operatives during the ongoing battles. Hamas pledged to “preserve the lives of the captives to the extent that we can,” but also threatened that if hostages are killed due to Israeli actions, it would publicly release names, photographs, and proof of death. This statement reveals Hamas’s strategy: to use the vulnerability of the hostages as leverage to pressure Israel into halting its Gaza City offensive, while simultaneously exploiting domestic Israeli protests to intensify political divisions and opposition to the war.

• IDF and Shin Bet announced they had recovered the remains of Ilan Weiss, who was murdered and abducted from Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7. They also retrieved the remains of Idan Shtivi was murdered at the Nova festival on October 7 and whose body was abducted and held in Gaza. This grim development underscores the human toll of the prolonged hostage crisis, as Israel continues to balance military operations with the need to secure the release of its citizens, alive and dead.

Diplomatic

• Pressure is mounting on Israel in the diplomatic arena. Hundreds of UN OHCHR staff urged their chief, Volker Türk, to officially define the Gaza war as genocide, reflecting growing discontent inside international institutions. 

• President Donald Trump claimed the war would reach a “conclusive ending” within weeks, citing a major diplomatic push. Trump chaired a policy meeting on Gaza, drawing input from Tony Blair and Jared Kushner, signaling renewed high-level international engagement to shape the war’s outcome.

Operational 

• The IDF released 13 Gazan detainees to Deir al-Balah through the Red Cross, after completing their interrogations. 

• Yahalom (elite engineering unit) finished a month-long operation to destroy underground Hamas infrastructure in central Gaza, including two major tunnel systems. One of them contained multiple shafts, living quarters for militants, and equipment for extended underground stays; it was sealed with concrete. The second, several hundred meters long, was booby-trapped and destroyed in an explosion.

• Confirmation was provided that on August 22, the IDF successfully eliminated the Hamas General Security commander for western Gaza City.

•  In the southern part of Gaza City, Combat Team 7 (under Division 99) fought in the Zaytoun neighborhood, where IDF engineers and Yahalom discovered a 1 km tunnel with weapons and numerous underground combat prep rooms. The area has become the focal point of a seventh major flattening operation since the start of the war, with the aim of razing it completely to prevent Hamas from ambushing and hiding among the building, enabling further advance toward central Gaza. Zaytoun’s destruction is considered vital, as the neighborhood dominates Gaza City’s southern approach, and clearing it systematically helps avoid unnecessary risks to hostages.

• The IDF killed Muhammad Abd al-Aziz Abu Zubeida, described as the most senior ISIS terrorist in the Gaza Strip. Abu Zubeida oversaw policy-setting, operational planning, and execution for ISIS activities across Judea & Samaria, the Gaza Strip, and Sinai.

• The IDF carried out a strike aimed at a senior Hamas terrorist in Gaza City; according to the report, the target was Abu Obeida, the spokesperson of Hamas’s military wing.

Humanitarian

• Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi met with the head of the UN World Food Program (WFP), Cindy McCain alongside COGAT officials, to present Israel’s expanded humanitarian efforts. He defended Israel’s activities and pushed back against Hamas’s “starvation public relations campaign,” stressing that Gaza is now saturated with food supplies, including poultry. Israel plans to split the Tel al-Sultan distribution hub into two new centers, raising the total to five, and hopes the Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF) will secure external financing.

• Prime Minister Netanyahu, joined by U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, also met with the WFP chief, reaffirming Israel’s commitment to increasing aid delivery while ensuring it goes directly to civilians. 

• On infrastructure, a new Emirati-financed water pipeline from Egypt to Khan Younis was successfully installed, part of a broader effort to repair desalination plants and wells to serve displaced Gazans. 

• 2 additional distribution facilities will soon replace the Tel al-Sultan site, following lessons learned from two months of GHF activity. Israel currently funds these projects with ₪1.6 billion, diverted from other government ministries, but is seeking foreign donors to sustain the effort.

Evacuation and Advance

• As part of preparations for the upcoming operation in Gaza City, Israeli forces are advancing into Sheikh Radwan, a neighborhood bordering the city center. The IDF is carrying out systematic destruction of Hamas positions. 

• Local reports describe drones dropping small precision explosive packages, often weighing just a few kilograms, aimed at militant strongpoints but also used to warn civilians to evacuate. The intensity of strikes in Sheikh Radwan increased dramatically, prompting a mass civilian exodus, with the attacks pushing southward from Jabalia. 

• Israel will stop dropping humanitarian aid packages over Gaza City in the coming days and reduce the flow of aid into northern Gaza. Officials intend this as a signal to civilians to begin evacuating southward in light of the IDF’s planned invasion of Gaza City

• The IDF Spokesperson in Arabic released a map marking safe blue zones between central Gaza and al-Mawasi, designated for the erection of tents for displaced people. Israel has made it clear that those who do not evacuate voluntarily will be removed by force.

Nasser Hospital Incident

• An IDF investigation revealed that Hamas placed a surveillance camera on the roof of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. This camera was used to guide mortar fire and direct militant squads emerging from tunnels. Golani Brigade forces identified the camera and guided a tank strike that destroyed it, resulting in 20 deaths inside the hospital. Among them were six identified Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives, and another man who had participated in the October 7 massacre. 

• While Al Jazeera framed the event as a deliberate strike on civilians, the IDF publicly confirmed the militant affiliations. 

• Despite this, the Prime Minister’s Office released a statement in English expressing regret over harm to a hospital and possible civilians, acknowledging the sensitivity of the incident.

Judea and Samaria

• The IDF’s 668th Ram Battalion dismantled Hamas’s final financial networks in Ramallah, uncovering terror-linked banking operations. These networks were tied both to local Palestinian funds and foreign currency flows

Lebanon

• The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement welcoming the Lebanese government’s decision to disarm Hezbollah. Israel expressed readiness to reduce troop presence in Lebanon—possibly withdrawing from at least one outpost—once the disarmament process begins.

• Hezbollah’s leader, Naim Qassem, declared that Israel must first withdraw its forces before disarmament can be discussed. He also claimed Hezbollah would fund the reconstruction of Shiite areas with $1 billion, though the feasibility of this funding is unclear. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam insisted that the disarmament decision is final and irreversible.

• U.S. envoys, including Senator Lindsey Graham, US Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack, and Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus, met Lebanese leaders and pledged American support for the process. Barrack stated that by August 31, the Lebanese government would present a practical disarmament plan, including financial incentives for Hezbollah fighters to surrender weapons. However, Barrack canceled a planned visit to Houla due to Shiite protests and security risks.

• Separately, Fatah-led groups oversaw the second round of weapons transfers from Palestinian refugee camps in southern Lebanon to the Lebanese Army, including rockets, mortars, mines, and ammunition. 

• The UN Security Council voted unanimously to extend the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission until the end of 2026, but emphasized that this will be the final mandate renewal. Starting January 2027, UNIFIL will begin a year-long withdrawal in coordination with the Lebanese government. This signals a turning point: the international community is preparing to end decades of UN presence in southern Lebanon, raising questions about how security will be maintained amid Hezbollah’s continued entrenchment.

Syria

• Thirty Druze factions in Sweida united under the name “National Guard Forces”, pledging loyalty to Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, who advocates Druze autonomy. However, not all Druze movements joined, with the “Men of Dignity” militia refusing due to fears that autonomy would provoke regime retaliation. 

• Over 100 Druze women remain hostages of Sunni militias and the regime. Negotiations are ongoing between Damascus and Sweida for their release, and the road between the two cities has recently reopened.

•  U.S. envoy Tom Barrack commented that Syrian unity does not require centralized power, hinting at support for Druze autonomy.

• Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu met with Druze leaders in Julis, later publishing a statement in English demanding the demilitarization of southern Syria up to Sweida, protection of Druze communities, and the immediate creation of a humanitarian corridor for food, medicine, and even construction materials.

• Türkiye’s Ministry of Defense listed systems to be supplied to Syria as part of a comprehensive deal, including Bayraktar strike UAVs, Anka reconnaissance UAVs, Cobra vehicles, Civi transport vehicles, BMC vehicles, Altay main battle tanks, and Turkish howitzers.

Operation in Al-Kiswa, Syria

• The IDF conducted a two-hour raid in Al-Kiswa, involving dozens of soldiers inserted by four helicopters. The operation reportedly killed eight Syrian soldiers. Syrian sources also reported a parallel airborne IDF raid in Sweida.

• The target was a former Iranian installation located on a mountain about 1 km high and 50 km from the Golan Heights. Israel had long maintained that surveillance equipment was stationed there, but Türkiye recently reactivated the site for its own intelligence operations. The raid’s goal was to recover Israeli equipment and confiscate Turkish espionage systems, signaling a new escalation in the Israel-Turkey rivalry on Syrian soil.

Yemen

• The Israeli Air Force struck multiple targets in Sanaa, Yemen’s Houthi-controlled capital. The strikes hit a military compound at the presidential palace, a fuel depot, and two power stations, crippling Houthi infrastructure. This operation follows months of Houthi drone and missile attacks.

• Israeli aircraft struck Sana’a, the Houthi capital, just 2.8 km from the presidential palace. The strike targeted a gathering of senior Houthi military and political officials while leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi delivered a speech. The IDF claimed responsibility, citing repeated Houthi drone and missile launches and their disruption of maritime freedom of navigation. A Houthi-run news agency reported that Houthi Prime Minister Ghalib al-Rahawi and several ministers were killed in an IAF strike in Sana’a. According to Israeli media up to 12 ministers have been killed.

Iran

• After months of negotiations following Operation “Rising Lion”, the diplomatic situation between Iran and Europe has escalated. The E3 powers (France, UK, Germany) activated the snapback sanctions mechanism, set to take effect on September 28, due to Iran’s refusal to cooperate with the IAEA.

• The IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi confirmed that a team of inspectors has returned to Iran to restart monitoring efforts, a cautious sign of re-engagement after months of stalled cooperation. 

• Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned in an interview that Tehran is prepared for all scenarios, including a direct confrontation with Israel. He stated that if Israel carries out new strikes on Iran, Tehran would respond with greater force than before, raising the stakes of regional escalation.

• The U.S. administration called on Tehran to return to talks immediately. Domestically, Iran is under severe economic strain: the rial has collapsed to a historic low of 1.03 million per dollar, and parliament is considering legislation to end all negotiations and even withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). With the economy near collapse and international isolation deepening, the Islamic Republic faces growing instability.

• Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held bilateral talks in Jeddah with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty on strengthening ties and shared interests. On the sidelines of the OIC foreign ministers’ meeting, Araghchi also met Saudi FM Faisal bin Farhan, with both sides “emphasizing the importance of enhancing bilateral cooperation to promote regional stability.” Araghchi subsequently met Türkiye’s FM Hakan Fidan

• Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone that “Tehran has never sought, and will not seek, nuclear weapons.” Putin in turn stressed that Moscow views Iran’s right to enrich uranium as basic and unquestionable, expressing hope that talks regarding UNSC Resolution 2231 will reach a satisfactory outcome.

• The Wall Street Journal reports that security around IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has been increased due to intelligence about an Iranian plot to assassinate him. The threats followed Iranian accusations that Grossi aided Israeli attacks against Iran and that IAEA reports were “biased” toward Israel.

• In a call with the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, FM Araghchi condemned the E3 decision to trigger the Snapback mechanism, saying it significantly complicates diplomacy and has promised an appropriate Iranian response to what Tehran calls a provocation. Separately, Iran’s Tasnim agency quoted the Speaker of Parliament saying Iran is preparing a bill to withdraw from the NPT.

• According to The New York Times, Israel tracked and targeted senior Iranian political and military leaders and nuclear scientists during the June war by hacking and monitoring the phones of their bodyguards and drivers. This suggests deep penetration of Iranian security circles and potential operational vulnerabilities in protective details.

US

• The Democratic National Committee voted down a resolution calling for an arms embargo on Israel, recognition of a Palestinian state, and an immediate ceasefire. Though expected to fail, the resolution highlighted the growing rift within the Democratic Party over U.S. policy toward Israel.

• Former national security adviser Jake Sullivan argued that the case for withholding U.S. weapons from Israel is stronger now than in the past. 

• Senator Tom Cotton urged the IRS to investigate the Palestine Youth Movement (PYM), which U.S. and Israeli officials have linked to the PFLP terrorist group, for tax violations. The group has praised the October 7^th attacks.

• The State Department, under Secretary of State Marco Rubio, announced visa bans on Palestinian officials including Mahmoud Abbas ahead of the UN General Assembly, citing the need to hold the PLO and Palestinian Authority accountable for undermining peace efforts.

• Congress is also investigating Wikipedia’s potential manipulation by foreign actors, with a particular focus on articles related to Israel. This inquiry forms part of a broader campaign against foreign influence in U.S. academic and digital institutions, highlighting how the war is spilling into the information battlespace.

• In Minneapolis, Robin Westman, who identified as transgender, murdered two children (ages 8 and 10), wounded 17, at a Catholic school  and then committed suicide. Prior to the attack, Westman allegedly wrote antisemitic messages on the weapon, including calls to kill U.S. President Donald Trump and statements such as “Jews to gas,” “Israel must fall,” and “6 million is not enough.” 

International

• Egypt’s President al-Sisi hosted UAE leader Mohamed bin Zayed in New Alamein City, highlighting ongoing Arab coordination on Gaza and efforts to forge regional stability. 

• The planned “Anta Gathering” music festival in Portugal was canceled due to a BDS campaign against Israel, the latest example of  how the war continues to reverberate globally.

• Israel is facing increased international restrictions: its officials were recently blocked from attending London’s upcoming DSEI defense exhibition, a significant setback in the defense diplomacy sphere. 

• Australia expelled Iran’s ambassador, accusing Tehran of orchestrating antisemitic arson attacks in 2024, framing them as acts of state aggression. 

• Türkiye increased its pressure on Israel, severing commercial ties and closing its airspace to Israeli government flights. This move will significantly complicate Israel’s air travel routes, with detours adding nearly two hours on some regional flights, underscoring Ankara’s alignment against Israel despite past statement about economic severance which never actually materialized.

• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that Germany will not join a Western-allied initiative to recognize a Palestinian state during the UN General Assembly next month. He made the statement at a joint press conference in Berlin with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

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Fallen Soldiers

• Sergeant first-class (Res.) Ariel Lubliner z"l