Overview

• Newly released details describe the Hamas propaganda operation built by their spokesman Abu Obeida - who the IDF eliminated last week - which included  ~1,500 personnel, including ~1,000 fighters in battalions and brigades carrying GoPro cameras to document combat. Abu Obeida conceived the extensive filming during the Oct 7 massacre, planned new atrocity videos exploiting hostages

• Hamas released a video filmed on Aug 28 showing hostage Guy Galboa Dalal in a car in Gaza stating that eight hostages are alive; another clip features Alon Ohel.

• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned countries that recognizing a Palestinian state now is “fake” and would provoke Israeli counter-steps while hindering a ceasefire. On the application of Israeli sovereignty in  Judea and Samaria, he expressed that the US is watching the issue closely but that he would not opine on the matter.

• A top United Arab Emirates official warned Israel that annexing Judea and Samaria would cross a “red line” that would “end the vision of regional integration”.

• Following a strike last week that killed the Houthi “prime minister” and 12 ministers, sources “close to Houthi decision-making circles” report that the movement’s leadership ordered commanders not to convene in public venues or use official government facilities.

Gaza 

Hostage Deal

• Hamas released a video filmed on Aug 28 showing hostage Guy Galboa Dalal in a car in Gaza stating that eight hostages are alive; another clip features Alon Ohel. The explicit purpose is to deter Israel from seizing Gaza City and to encourage Israeli families to protest against continued operations—an effort to fracture domestic consensus at a decisive moment.

• Hamas now claims it is ready to discuss a comprehensive deal, but the underlying requirements remain unchanged: release of 10,000+ terrorists, full IDF withdrawal from Gaza, the opening of crossings into Gaza, a comprehensive reconstruction program, and the formation of a technocratic government with other factions—conditions that would preserve Hamas’s rule. Jerusalem rejected these terms, reasserting Israel’s five conditions and demanding Hamas’s total surrender. Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that without capitulation, Gaza City will resemble Beit Hanoun and Rafah after previous campaigns.

Diplomatic

•  It was reported that the Prime Minister held a secret discussion at the start of the week directing the Mossad to identify countries willing to accept emigrating Gazans and to begin quiet outreach that could mature into formal diplomatic moves. The outcome is still uncertain, but if it advances, Israeli officials believe it could trigger large-scale emigration from Gaza, altering the civilian landscape before and during intensified operations.

• A detailed Washington Post report describes a U.S. guardianship over Gaza until 2035, paired with a GREAT investment fund to drive reconstruction and growth. The plan envisions temporary evacuation of Gaza’s population with most residents to be allowed to return in the future.  The plan will include integration into a regional trade and fiber-optic network, and the establishment of factories as part of a broader industrial revival. The political track culminates in a self-administered Palestinian self-governance that would join the Abraham Accords. The financial pitch is explicit: investors are projected returns of up to 400%, signaling an attempt to mobilize private capital alongside geopolitical commitments.

Operational 

• On Aug 28, Israel eliminated a senior intelligence officer from Hamas’s Gaza Brigade, an associate of ‘Izz al-Din al-Haddad, who had held three female hostages who were freed in the last exchange. 

• In Nuseirat last week, the head of the “Mujahideen Brigades” was killed, the fourth time that faction’s chief has been eliminated. 

• Newly released details describe the Hamas propaganda operation built by their spokesman Abu Obeida - who the IDF eliminated last week - which included ~1,500 personnel, including ~1,000 fighters in battalions and brigades carrying GoPro cameras to document combat. Abu Obeida conceived the extensive filming during the Oct 7 massacre, planned new atrocity videos exploiting hostages, and kept captives nearby for personal protection. Israel claims ~200 propaganda operatives have been killed.  His elimination is portrayed as a major operational and cognitive victory, reducing Hamas’s ability to deploy its most effective psychological warfare techniques.

Gideon’s Chariots 2.0

• According to the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit as of Thursday evening (Sep 4), the IDF holds ~40% of Gaza City operationally, with plans to expand and intensify the campaign in the coming days. Division 99 (with Nahal and 7th Armored task forces) is maneuvering in Zeitoun, while Division 162 (with Givati and 401st Armored) is positioned on the outskirts of Sheikh Radwan. The stated goal is to increase pressure on Hamas until its defeat, tightening the urban encirclement while pushing deeper into remaining strongholds.

• Throughout Sep 4 there were widespread airstrikes not only in Gaza City’s south and east but also in the central districts, a pattern intended in part to induce civilian movement away from imminent combat zones. Gazans reported a series of incendiary drone strikes targeting IDP tent clusters—notably around Sheikh Radwan and the university area in West Gaza City—using small incendiary munitions to ignite tents in localized spots. These were not large-yield bombs, but panic-inducing harassing fires designed to prompt evacuation without causing wide-area destruction.

• Hamas announced “Operation Moses’ Staff” in the north aimed at stalling the IDF and blunt the Gideon’s Chariots B advance, claiming mortar fire in Jabalya and Zeitoun, and reporting a Yasin ATGM hit on a D-9 armored bulldozer. In parallel, its propaganda channels amplified messages urging civilians to remain in Gaza City and “die as martyrs” rather than evacuate—an effort to maximize civilian presence in active battle areas, thereby raising collateral-damage pressure on Israel ahead of the UN General Assembly later this month. A recorded call circulated in which a Gazan tells an Israeli liaison officer that Hamas is physically blocking southbound routes, preventing evacuations to retain human shields, a tactic intended to escalate media and diplomatic pressure on Jerusalem in the coming weeks.

• Tens of thousands of IDF reservists reported for duty, despite fatigue and repeated call-ups. Over the next weeks, they will undergo urban and open-terrain refreshers. The IDF is distributing thousands of new drones down to company and platoon levels—including loitering munitions with ~2 kg warheads—as well as thousands of NVGs, ceramic vests, new helmets, and ~1,000 HMMWVs for mobility units. However, only ~60–70% of engineering equipment is serviceable, reflecting sustained ATGM fire and extensive IED employment against armored dozers throughout maneuver sectors.

Humanitarian

• COGAT reported the entry of thousands of tents into South Gaza, with tens of thousands more slated to arrive—explicitly tied to preparations for a mass evacuation of Gaza City residents to the south. The Tel Sultan distribution hub is expanding into two upgraded nodes to support up to one million displaced persons in the south. To counter famine claims, COGAT released footage from supermarkets in Gaza City and western Khan Younis, asserting that with 300–400 aid trucks daily, food availability is broad (from poultry to confectionery). Airdrops have ceased after Jordan and Egypt stopped theirs, which prompted other states to halt what Israel called largely PR-driven drops.

• The Prime Minister and Defense Minister approved a new power line to the Deir al-Balah desalination plant, which is expected to quadruple water output. The IDF Arabic Spokesperson added that al-Mawassi humanitarian operations will soon expand from food to medical support, synchronized with plans for the city-wide evacuation.

Domestic Israel

• Israel launched Ofek-19, a synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) reconnaissance satellite to be operated by Unit 9900. Over the coming days it will enter operational service at an altitude of ~500 km, with an ~90-minute orbital period, significantly enhancing collection across the Middle East—especially Yemen and Iran—and supporting persistent targeting for ongoing and future long-range strike campaigns.

Judea and Samaria

• The Shin Bet exposed a Hamas cell in Hebron, reportedly directed from Turkey, which planned to assassinate National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir using a weaponized drone. The cell had already acquired drones and was in the process of arming them with explosives.

• A summarized after-action report states that three IDF battalions conducted coordinated raids on currency-exchange centers in central Ramallah, completing the operation in ~3 hours and seizing ₪1.5 million in terror funds. 

Lebanon

• The IDF conducted multiple strikes against terror infrastructure, including a rocket launcher and engineering equipment employed to rebuild militant networks. Israel is barring such machinery from returning to border-adjacent villages, even for civilian reconstruction of Shi’ite homes, to deny Hezbollah rapid force regeneration along the frontier and to shape the post-conflict security reality before any return arrangements.

• During a cabinet session where the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) commander presented a multi-phase plan to disarm Hezbollah, all five Shiite ministers walked out of the cabinet meeting, upon the plan’s presentation, and—per Al Arabiya—are “considering resignation.” Information Minister Paul Morcos stated the government welcomes the LAF plan and its ordered phases, but decided the plan’s contents remain classified, underscoring the sensitivity and the need to contain immediate backlash. 

• Hezbollah convoys flooded Beirut’s Dahiyeh district (a Hezbollah stronghold) in a show of force, while Hezbollah MP Ali al-Ammar declared on Al-Manar that “only God can take Hezbollah’s weapons,” signaling non-compliance with any forced disarmament. 

• Speaker Nabih Berri (Amal) said the “atmosphere is positive,” and Lebanese media assessments suggest the Shiite ministers are unlikely to resign despite the walkout—pointing to a managed crisis: a government signaling reform, an army shielding details, and Hezbollah projecting deterrence to shape final terms.

Syria

• The Syrian Arab Army issued a fresh mobilization call to the public. A few months ago, Damascus set a target of ~200,000 active troops—roughly double current strength—reflecting acute personnel shortages and the regime’s need to reconstitute forces for internal security 

Yemen

• Following a strike last week that killed the Houthi “prime minister” and 12 ministers, sources “close to Houthi decision-making circles” report that the movement’s leadership ordered commanders not to convene in public venues or use official government facilities. Notable figures—including Interior Minister Abdul Karim al-Houthi and Politburo member Mohammed Ali al-Houthi—reportedly went into fortified hiding, and have disappeared from public view for days, indicating heightened survivability protocols and decentralized command.

• Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree claimed a ballistic-missile strike on the “Israeli” oil tanker Scarlet Ray in the northern Red Sea, asserting a direct hit. The UKMTO reported the vessel noted an unidentified object in the water near it and continued on its route, a pattern consistent with contested damage narratives that the Houthis use to sustain deterrent messaging without conceding maritime flow continuity.

Iran

• Iran is deepening cooperation with Russia, China, and North Korea across trade, technology, energy, banking, space, and military spheres. During the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, President Masoud Pezeshkian met with leaders from the three to secure economic lifelines (e.g., expanded oil smuggling) and to revitalize both the nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

•  Inside Iran, calls to close the Strait of Hormuz have grown in response to E-3 decisions, signaling a coercive escalation option Tehran keeps in reserve as it tests Western thresholds.

International

• In an interview about recognition of a Palestinian State, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated that the Palestinian Authority maintains its “Pay for Slay” policy, framing stipends to prisoners/attackers as a core obstacle. He warned foreign capitals that recognizing a Palestinian state now is “fake” and would provoke Israeli counter-steps while hindering a ceasefire. On the application of Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, he expressed that the US is watching the issue closely but that he would not opine on the matter . He argued the Gaza war could end immediately if Hamas surrenders, disarms, and frees the hostages, adding that Hamas withdrew from talks the same day France announced its intent to recognize Palestine—presented as evidence, in his view, that external recognition incentives harden Hamas’s stance rather than moderate it.

• The United States has imposed sanctions on three Palestinian “human rights” NGOs that demanded that the International Criminal Court investigate Israel over allegations of genocide in Gaza. The three groups — the Gaza-based Palestinian Center for Human Rights and Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, and the Ramallah-based Al-Haq — were listed under what the Treasury Department said were International Criminal Court-related designations. Al-Haq has ties to US designated terrorist origination PFLP and was banned by then Defense Minister Benny Gantz.

• A top United Arab Emirates official warned Israel that annexing the Judea and Samaria would cross a “red line” that would “end the vision of regional integration,” just two days before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was slated to hold a major ministerial consultation on whether to advance the controversial move. As a result, Prime Minister Netanyahu nixed the discussion, and it appears to be off the table for now.