News Digest — 10/10/25
IDF Reservist Killed By Sniper Fire In Gaza City Before Gaza Deal Agreement
Sgt. First Class (res.) Michael Mordechai Nachmani, was killed in battle while fighting in the Gaza Strip, the IDF announced on Friday (10th).
Nachmani, 26, from Dimona, served in the combat engineering corps’ 614th Battalion. He was killed by sniper fire, coinciding with the beginning of the IDF’s withdrawal from the area on Thursday (9th), while operating in Gaza City according to Ma’ariv.
“The great achievements attained are thanks to Michael, of blessed memory, and the heroic IDF fighters who fought with courage and determination against a cruel terrorist organization,” Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote in a post on X lamenting Nachmani on Friday morning (10th).
“On behalf of the entire Defense Ministry, I send heartfelt condolences to his family and friends, and I strengthen the hands of all IDF fighters and soldiers.”
According to the IDF’s tally, the death of Sgt. First Class (res.) Michael Mordechai Nachmani, raises the total of soldiers killed on or since October 7, 2023 to 914.
Some 467 of the number were killed since the start of the military’s ground operations in the Strip on October 27.
Hostage Release Deal Took Effect Thursday Evening Following Ratification, Hostages To Return By Monday
A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza began after the Israeli government ratified the agreement on Thursday evening (9th), according to an official from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
Following the Cabinet vote, a 24-hour period will allow for potential appeals to the High Court of Justice.
Once that window closes, Hamas will have 72 hours to meet its obligations under the deal, including the release of all hostages both living and deceased.
The timeline would push the final stage of releases to Monday (13th), one day later than initially expected.
The ceasefire announcement came after intensive negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh involving US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner, working alongside Egyptian and Qatari mediators.
US President Donald Trump confirmed Thursday morning (9th) that both sides had agreed to the first phase of the ceasefire plan, describing it as a step toward peace in the Middle East.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Hamas is expected to release 20 living hostages within 72 hours of the ceasefire taking effect.
Arab media also reported that the group has begun gathering the remains of deceased captives for return to Israel.
In parallel, Israel, the United States, Egypt, and Qatar will form a joint task force to locate the bodies of hostages whose whereabouts are still unknown.
Meanwhile, the IDF is preparing to realign its deployment across Gaza as part of the ceasefire implementation, following prior agreement on withdrawal maps.
The deal marks the most significant breakthrough in months of negotiations, aiming to bring home hostages and lay groundwork for a possible stabilization phase in the enclave.
Marwan Barghouti Not Included In Hostage, Prisoner Exchange Deal, PMO Confirms
Israel does not intend to release prominent Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti as part of an agreement reached with Hamas to free Israeli hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, an Israeli government spokesperson said on Thursday (9th).
“I can tell you at this point in time that he will not be part of this release,” spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian told reporters.
Another Israeli official said the deal will not include the release of four high-profile Palestinian prisoners long sought by Hamas in negotiations: Marwan Barghouti; Ahmad Sa’adat; Hassan Salameh; and Abbas al-Sayed.
Qatar Foreign Minister spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said both sides “agreed on all the provisions and implementation mechanisms” for the first stage, which is intended to lead to ending the war, releasing Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and allowing expanded humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Trump Instructs CENTCOM To Set Up New Command And Control Base In Israel: Report
US President Donald Trump has instructed United States Central Command (CENTCOM) to establish a command and control center in Israeli territory for all security coordination in the Gaza Strip, N12 reported on Thursday night (9th).
The new base will coordinate foreign forces coming to Gaza, according to the report.
A senior general and hundreds of American soldiers will also be responsible for monitoring the implementation of Trump’s 20-point plan which will see the war come to a complete end.
The scope of the US mandate in Gaza has yet to be shared with Israel, according to the report.
The Jerusalem Post reported earlier on Thursday (9th) that a joint Israel-US-Qatari-Egyptian task force will be established to locate the remains of deceased hostages whose locations are unknown.
A source familiar with the details told the Post that the task force will provide heavy equipment for jobs such as digging or demolishing buildings to reach the bodies of the deceased.
The goal of the task force is to return as many remains of abducted individuals as possible to Israel, along with the living hostages, within 72 hours.
“Such an American force is infinitely superior to a Qatari-Turkish mechanism, so that any enforcement, and delay, and any violation will receive American treatment,” N12 cited a senior security source as saying.
“It was also said that down the road there will be a mechanism through which the entire issue of demilitarization and disarmament will be discussed and handled.”
A senior US official confirmed to Reuters that 200 troops will be part of a joint task force in Gaza, which will include troops from Egypt and Qatar. However, no US troops will be deployed directly in Gaza.
Houthis Praise Hostage Deal, Vow To Keep Backing Gaza, Attack Israel: ‘Zionist Occupation Is A Core Problem’
Since reports surfaced of a hostage deal and ceasefire in Gaza, Yemen’s Houthi terror group has issued several statements stressing that its support for the Palestinians would continue “until the attacks stop and the blockade is lifted,” conditions that remain unmet.
Mohammed Al-Farah, a member of the Houthis political bureau, said Thursday morning (9th) that “Our people are closely following the agreement announced between the Palestinians and the Israeli enemy. We reaffirm our support for any effort aimed at easing the suffering of the Palestinian people, halting the attacks, breaking the blockade, and ensuring the release of Palestinian prisoners. We welcome any agreement that preserves the Palestinian cause and protects the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.”
He added that “any agreement must lead to an end to the aggression, the lifting of the blockade, and the fulfillment of the Palestinian people’s aspirations for freedom and independence. It must also pave the way for a Palestinian state on all occupied Palestinian land, with Jerusalem as its capital. We hope this agreement will strengthen Palestinian unity, reinforce the steadfastness of the resistance and open new horizons that preserve the dignity of the Palestinian people.”
Senior Houthi official Hazam al-Assad wrote on X that “while attention is focused on the agreement, we affirm that the core of the problem is not the fighting or the ceasefire, but the ongoing Zionist occupation of Palestine, supported by the United States and the West, and legitimized by some Arab regimes. According to the agreement, the Zionist-American aggression must stop, the blockade must be lifted, the crossings opened, prisoners released, and the occupation forces must withdraw from the Gaza Strip. We warn the enemy against evading or violating its commitments.”
In a separate statement marking two years since the war began, the Houthis political bureau reaffirmed “Yemen’s continued support until the attacks stop and the blockade is lifted.”
The Houthis have continued to launch drones toward Israel this week. The IDF reported several interceptions of UAVs launched from Yemen, although, in a break from their usual practice, the Houthis have not claimed responsibility for any attacks since Sunday (5th).
Throughout the war, Iran-backed Houthis forces in Yemen have said they would stop their assaults once Israel’s strikes on Gaza ended and humanitarian aid was allowed into the enclave. Even if that happens their military capabilities remain intact and their training continues. In recent days, the Houthis have held armed parades and ceremonies marking the war’s anniversary.
While the Gaza deal may temporarily reduce the Houthis’ pretext for “supporting Palestinians,” experts warn they could still intervene in future Israeli-Palestinian conflicts, including in the West Bank.
“Even if an agreement is reached between Israel and Hamas,” a Yemeni analyst said, “the Houthis will remain a constant threat to Israel and will always find justification to continue their attacks. Any pause in their fire will be temporary and may resume later, perhaps with greater force and with more advanced weapons, depending on future developments.”
What Israel Should Learn From Two Years Of War – Bret Stephens
• After two years of war in Gaza. Here are some lessons: Believe people when they tell you who they are. Hamas declared in its founding covenant its intentions to slaughter Jews, yet Israel continued to tolerate Hamas out of reluctance to topple the group. Successive rounds of fighting between Hamas and Israel never altered Israel’s policy of containment toward Gaza.
• Technologies like the Iron Dome, gave Israel a false sense of security. Yet when October 7 came, Israel’s high-tech marvels in signals intelligence, missile interceptors, smart fences and underground barriers proved useless against Hamas’ low-tech paragliders and bulldozers.
• It is ironic that anti-Israel activists from Montreal to Melbourne, speaking European languages and living on land that was often stolen from the original inhabitants, have alighted on Hebrew-speaking Israel as the epitome of settler-colonialism. In fact, Zionism is among the oldest anti-colonial movements in history, featuring struggles against overlords from Babylon, Greece, Rome, Istanbul, and until, 1948, London.
• Anti-Semitism suffuses anti-Zionism, and anti-Zionism tends to produce anti-Semitism. After a British man named Jihad al-Shamie killed two people on Yom Kippur at a Manchester synagogue last week, the police said they were “working to understand the motivation behind the attack.” Really. The attack illustrates how the distinction between “Jew” and “Zionist” is either invisible or pretextual to those who mean one or the other harm.
• Palestinian suffering is undeniable, but Hamas is its principal author. Those chanting “ceasefire now” at anti-Israel rallies neglect to mention that there was a ceasefire before October 7, 2023, which Hamas violated in the most grotesque way possible. Why did so many so-called peace protesters, who made incessant demands of Israel, never make any demands of Hamas?
• For Jews, within or outside of Israel, the war should also be a warning. After more than 3,000 years of history, the Jewish condition remains precarious. While friends and allies are nice, something else hasn’t changed. We are alone. Survival means learning to live with it.
“When I Tell Israelis I’m Not Jewish But Here To Help, Grown Men Cry” – Jamie Shapiro
“The day after October 7, I saw the people celebrating in Birmingham,” said Gordon Biggerstaff, 61, a nurse from North Wales. “They were dancing and they were singing. I have never been so ashamed of my country…. I thought, ‘These people don’t represent me,’ and I needed to do something about it myself.”
He immediately looked into volunteering in Israel and found an organization called Sar-El, which assists at IDF bases in non-military logistical roles. “I want the people in Israel to know that they are not alone, they are not ignored and there are others in the world who see their pain and are prepared to come into the water.”
Leigh Humpage, 64, who coordinates the volunteers from the UK, says they also reach out into the civilian population. “They help with all kinds of things, from painting nurseries to helping to rebuild shattered homes and buildings….Many help out on farms to help with the harvests….One of our Sar-El volunteers is a ‘medical clown,’ helping to brighten up the lives of traumatized children. Others are carpenters, teachers and therapists who bring their skills to contribute to rebuilding and healing.”
Volunteer Keenan Simms says: “You walk into a coffee shop in Israel, and you tell people that you’re not Jewish but you’re here to help and you see grown men cry.” (Telegraph-UK)
