News Digest — 8/17/26
Hamas Starts Egypt Talks In Efforts To “Compel” Jerusalem To Abide By Gaza Roadmap
A Hamas delegation began talks in Egypt on Sunday (16th) to probe alternative ways of advancing Washington’s 15-point roadmap for Gaza, a Hamas official told AFP.
The terrorist organization’s delegation arrived in Egypt on Saturday evening (15th ), ahead of a visit to the region by US President Donald Trump’s envoy Jared Kushner later this week.
The unnamed source was quoted as saying that talks would cover “the latest developments in the negotiations and the efforts being made to compel Israel to abide by the agreement” apparently referring to previous Hamas statements that it would start handing over its arms to a technocratic Palestinian body only after the Israel Defense Forces leave the Strip.
“The delegation will brief Egyptian officials on Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement, and al-Hayya will emphasize the movement’s commitment and readiness to implement the agreement as soon as Israel announces its commitment to it,” AFP quoted the Hamas official as adding.
The delegation, led by Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya, started its meetings with Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad in the city of El-Alamein, situated on the Mediterranean coast northwest of Cairo, the official said.
Another Hamas official told AFP that a meeting was being arranged with the Board of Peace’s high representative for Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov, and US officials.
Contacts with Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish mediators were also taking place “to ‘compel’ Israel to abide by the agreement,” the source added.
The American delegation is expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials in Israel before traveling to Cairo.
The trip comes after Netanyahu rejected the Board of Peace’s 15-point roadmap for implementing Trump’s Gaza plan, objecting to its provisions linking an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip to the phased decommissioning of Hamas and other terrorist groups’ weapons. Netanyahu has insisted that Israel will not withdraw from Gaza until Hamas is fully disarmed, calling for “real disarmament, not fictitious disarmament.”
Meanwhile on Saturday (15th), violence on the Gaza front escalated after an IDF tank drove over an explosive charge planted by Hamas in the southern Strip, the military said.
There were no injuries in the incident, which took place during Givati Infantry Brigade operations in the “Yellow Line area,” the IDF said.
In a separate incident the same day, Israeli troops killed a pair of terrorists in Gaza who crossed the Yellow Line in an attempt to sabotage IDF equipment, the army said.
The soldiers opened fire and eliminated the threat, said the IDF, which labeled it a “grave” violation of the ceasefire terms.
On Thursday (13th), the IDF targeted and killed Hudhaifa Khaled Suleiman Qawari, a company commander in the Khan Yunis Brigade of Hamas’ military wing.
(jns.org)
IDF Prepares For Days Of Combat As Hezbollah Terrorists Trapped Underground
The IDF is preparing for the possibility of several days of combat in Lebanon after Hezbollah violated the ceasefire, Channel 12 reported on Sunday (16th).
The escalation comes as the IDF continues to work to eliminate the remaining Hezbollah infrastructure on the Ali al-Taher and Beaufort ridges in the Israeli security zone in southern Lebanon. At the same time, the terror organization is doing everything it can to prevent it, including by attacking the Israeli forces.
According to the report, Hezbollah terrorists, possibly even a few dozen, are holed up underground on the Ali al-Taher Ridge. The IDF has prevented the terrorist organization from assisting them.
As of late, Israel has shown restraint in Lebanon to respect the American-led negotiations with the Lebanese government, to the point where the political echelon rejected proposals from the military to respond to Hezbollah’s aggression.
However, after a Hezbollah drone attack on Saturday (15th) severely wounded three soldiers, the military responded forcefully launching a large-scale wave of airstrikes.
One of the strikes targeted a central headquarters of the Hezbollah Radwan Force, eliminating Ali Sanir Al-Haj Hassan, a leader in the Radwan Force.
In another strike in the Deir ez-Zahrania area, the IDF eliminated Abu Hassan Alaa, a senior commander in the “Badder Unit” of the Hezbollah terror organization who took part in advancing numerous terror attacks against IDF soldiers operating in the Security Zone, including the launch of explosive drones toward IDF soldiers in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah Drone Wounds Three IDF Soldiers, Israel Retaliates – Gal Ganot
Three IDF combat engineering troops were wounded early Saturday (15th) when a Hezbollah explosive drone struck them near the AliTaher ridge in southern Lebanon. The Prime Minister’s Office said, “Hezbollah violated the ceasefire in Lebanon by attacking our soldiers in the security zone, which protects Israeli communities just across the border… The IDF responded by striking the Hezbollah terror headquarters which ordered the attack.”
The IDF said its retaliatory strikes killed Ali Hassan, a battalion commander in Hezbollah’s Radwan Force at a Hezbollah headquarters in Ansar in southern Lebanon. Additional Hezbollah operatives involved in advancing attacks against IDF forces in the security zone were also killed.
It was later learned that Hassan’s family was inside the military headquarters with him at the time of the strike. “They were not the target of the strike,” the IDF said. “The strike was specifically directed at Hassan, who was a lawful target under international law. The terrorist used his family as human shields and hid with them inside the military headquarters.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee accused Hezbollah of deliberately placing children in the military area.
Lebanese media asked the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michael Issa when Israeli strikes would end. He responded, “Tell Hezbollah that if it hands over its weapons, everything will stop.” (Ynet News)
A First: Jews Permitted To Bring Prayer Books To Temple Mount
Jewish worshipers were permitted to bring full Jewish prayer books onto the Temple Mount on Sunday (16th), in what was described as the first such authorization at the Jerusalem holy site and the latest easing of longstanding restrictions on Jewish worship there.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir confirmed to The Jerusalem Post that Jewish men had been allowed to enter the compound carrying Jewish prayer books.
The development stopped short of an officially announced blanket policy permitting prayer books, but marked a further change in how police are enforcing the rules governing Jewish worship at the site.
Arnon Segal, a journalist and longtime advocate for expanded Jewish prayer rights on the Temple Mount, published a photograph Sunday (16th) showing several Jewish men praying at the site while reading from siddurim (prayer books).
“Still no blanket permit, but an initial experiment aimed at ensuring the Middle East doesn’t lose its mind over this,” Segal wrote, adding: “History.”
Israel Police did not announce the formal change in regulations. In response to questions from the media. The force said it operates at the site according to “directives of the political echelon” as well as established rules and security assessments.
The move represents an expansion of a policy change introduced earlier this year.
In January, police began allowing Jewish visitors to carry specially approved single-page prayer sheets onto the Temple Mount, after religious materials such as prayer books and tefillin had generally been barred.
Police said at the time that the sheets would be restricted to designated areas and described the measure as consistent with maintaining public order.
Fuller prayer books, however, remained prohibited until the reported experiment Sunday (16th).
The change comes amid a broader transformation in Jewish religious activity on the Temple Mount in recent years.
Jewish visitors who were once removed or detained for visibly praying are now increasingly able to pray openly in designated areas, including in groups and with prostration, despite the formal arrangements traditionally governing the compound.
The Temple Mount is Judaism’s holiest site and the location of the First and Second Temples in antiquity.
Muslims refer to the compound as Haram al-Sharif; it contains the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock and is Islam’s third holiest site.
Under arrangements developed after Israel captured the Old City in the 1967 Six Day War, Israel retained responsibility for security at the compound while the Jordanian-based Islamic Waqf continued to administer its religious affairs.
Under the longtime understanding, Muslims may worship at the site, while Jews and other non-Muslims are permitted to visit but not pray there.
Enforcement of that prohibition has weakened substantially under Ben-Gvir, whose ministry oversees the Israel police and who has repeatedly argued that Jews should have the right to pray on the Temple Mount.
During a July 23 visit to the compound on Tisha B’Av, Ben-Gvir openly celebrated the expansion of Jewish prayer there, saying visitors were praying and increasingly “feeling like they’re the owners of the place.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly maintained that Israel has not “formally” altered its policy at the site.
Philadelphia Jewish Museum Vandalized With Antisemitic Graffiti, Third Attack In Nearly A Year
The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia was vandalized on Thursday (13th) with an antisemitic inscription, about a year after the museum was attacked twice within a single week.
The incident occurred around 8:15 pm. Philadelphia police said a man wrote the antisemitic message on the yellow Oy/YO sculpture outside the museum, which is located near the Delaware River in Old City, Philadelphia’s historic district.
Old City includes Independence National Historical Park, home to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, two landmarks closely associated with the founding of the United States.
The inscription has since been removed, but police have not apprehended the suspect. Police obtained surveillance footage showing him carrying out the vandalism before boarding a train at a nearby station.
Officers asked anyone with information that could help identify the suspect to contact them. The wording of the antisemitic inscription has not been released yet.
Pennsylvania state Rep. Tarik Khan, spotted the vandalism and reported it to police
“Whether you are Jewish or not, people understand that we have to stand up against hate in our community. We cannot tolerate hate and when we see something wrong, we have to stand up and take action, Khan said.” He told Channel WPVI that the inscription “turned his stomach.”
Although Khan is not Jewish, he has longstanding ties to the Jewish community. He describes himself as a “Muslim kid who grew up in a Jewish neighborhood, with a Catholic mother, which shaped his views on interfaith partnership. Khan is also a member of the Pennsylvania Jewish Legislative Caucus, despite not being Jewish.
Andrew Goretsky, senior regional director of the Anti-Defamation League in Philly, said the incident was “deeply frustrating, but not surprising. He said that the number of antisemitic vandalism incidents in 2022 was 29 and had risen to 80 by 2025.
“As a Jewish community, we will not hide our identity. We will continue to survive and thrive despite these targeted attacks,” he added.
The OY/YO sculpture, created by Jewish artist Deborah Kass, is made of aluminum and stands about eight feet tall and roughly 16 feet wide.
From one side, it says “YO,” the greeting strongly associated with Philadelphia. From the other, it reads “OY,” the Yiddish exclamation that has also become embedded in American culture.
In August of last year, the museum facade and plaza, as well as a large Israeli flag above the words “Weitzman Stands with Israel,” were twice sprayed with red paint.
Why Is There No Palestinian State? – Michael Freund
There has never been a Palestinian state in all of history. There was never an independent Palestinian Arab country with its own government, army, currency, or capital. The word “Palestine” does not appear in the Hebrew Bible, the Christian New Testament, or the Koran.
In the modern era, Palestinian Arab statehood was repeatedly put within reach and repeatedly rejected beginning in 1937. In 1947, the UN proposed dividing British Mandatory Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab. The Jewish leadership said yes, and the Arab leadership said no. From 1948 to 1967, Jordan controlled Judea and Samaria, while Egypt controlled Gaza. Yet no Palestinian state was created during those years.
In 1993, Israel decided to test a different path. Israel recognized the PLO, withdrew from Palestinian population centers, and helped establish the Palestinian Authority, expecting negotiations to lead to a permanent settlement. In July 2000, at Camp David under U.S. President Bill Clinton’s auspices, Prime Minister Ehud Barak offered Yasser Arafat far-reaching territorial concessions, including in Jerusalem. Arafat rejected the deal. What followed was the Second Intifada. Israeli buses, restaurants, and cafes were attacked by Palestinian terrorists.
In 2005, Israel withdrew its soldiers and uprooted every Jewish community from Gaza – in a test of what Israeli withdrawal could produce. Hamas seized control and turned Gaza into a terrorist fortress. Rockets were fired at Israeli towns. Terror tunnels were dug under the border. On October 7, 2023, 18 years after Israel had left Gaza, it became the launching pad for the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.
If Israel were really the main reason there is no Palestinian state, then the periods when Israel was absent should have produced one – from 1948 to 1967 in Judea and Samaria and Gaza, and in the years following Israel’s 2005 withdrawal from Gaza. They did not. Territory surrendered by Israel was used to prepare and launch the Oct. 7 massacre.
A Palestinian state under present conditions would be a gamble with millions of Israeli lives. After Oct. 7, why should Israel be expected to ignore every lesson of the past and take the same risk again?
