News Digest — 10/24/25
Rubio Has Been Extraordinary Friend With ‘Circle Of Trust, Partnership’ Netanyahu Says
US Secretary Of State Marco Rubio met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Thursday (23rd).
“This is a circle of trust and partnership. You’ve been an extraordinary friend of Israel,” Netanyahu said, while referencing US President Donald Trump’s speech in the Knesset earlier this month.
“Now we face days of destiny. We want to advance peace, we still have security challenges, but I think that we can work together, and by working together, both can address the challenges and seize the opportunities, and plenty of both,” he added.
“We have more work ahead of us, but we feel very positive about it. We’ve been making good progress.” Rubio said when discussing Trump’s Gaza ceasefire deal.
“We’ve done the impossible once, and intend to keep doing that, and we can,” Rubio said. “No one is under any illusions,” he continued.
”Trump has made this a top priority, evidenced by the fact that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were here for much of the week. And Vice President Vance just left, and now I’m here, today, because this is a priority, it’s a very important achievement,” Rubio commented.
“We feel very positive and confident that we are going to get there, despite substantial obstacles. We are going to get there,” Rubio concluded.
Rubio landed in Israel on Thursday (23rd) to continue overseeing the implementation of phase one of the US-brokered Gaza deal.
He was greeted by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and met with Netanyahu later in the evening on Thursday (23d).
The US has continuously sent members of its administration to ensure the deal is carried out in its entirety, beginning with President Donald Trump, who was here earlier this month.
Israeli Officials Said To Tell Vance Hamas Can Reach 10 Of 13 Remaining Dead Hostages
Israeli defense officials reportedly told US Vice President JD Vance during a meeting on Thursday (23rd) that Hamas can return the bodies of at least 10 of the 13 deceased hostages still held in Gaza.
According to the Kan public broadcaster, Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff LTG Eyal Zamir, and other military officials at the Kiryat base in Tel Aviv presented Vance with the IDF’s Intelligence assessment of Gaza, and “stated unequivocally” that Hamas is capable of restoring at least 10 of the 13 remaining hostages, even before international teams enter the Strip to assist with recovering the bodies.
Before the ceasefire, Hamas was holding the bodies of 28 dead hostages. It has since returned 15 of them, along with releasing 20 surviving captives, having last handed over the remains of two slain captives on Tuesday night (21st).
IDF Strikes Hezbollah Weapons Storage Facility In Southern Lebanon
Thursday evening (23rd),the IDF struck a Hezbollah weapons storage facility in the area of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon. The facility was used by the terrorist organization to advance and carry out attacks against the State of Israel.
“The Hezbollah terrorist organization continues to attempt to rebuild terror infrastructure sites across Lebanon, while endangering Lebanese civilians and using them as human shields,” the IDF said.
“The presence of the terror infrastructure sites constitutes a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon. The IDF will continue to operate in order to remove any threat posed to the State of Israel,” they added.
Earlier, the IDF announced that during an overnight activity that was completed on Wednesday (22nd), IDF troops in cooperation with Unit 504, apprehended several suspects who attempted to smuggle weapons from Syrian territory to Lebanon in the Hermon Summit area in Syria.
As part of the activity, IDF troops identified suspicious movement . Immediately after the detection, IDF troops apprehended the suspects who were attempting to smuggle weapons. The suspects were transferred for questioning, and the weapons were confiscated.
“IDF troops continue to be deployed in the area in order to protect Israeli citizens and the residents of the Golan Heights in particular,” the IDF stated.
The War May Be Over But The Fighting Is Not – Jonathan Schanzer
The last live hostages are out of Gaza. Hamas is battered and bloodied. All of Israel’s regional foes are worse off than they were two years ago. It is important now for Israel to lock in the gains from these grueling two years of war.
The war played out on several kinetic fronts – eight if you can count Israel’s Sept. 9 strike in Qatar – with additional battles in cyberspace, the mainstream media, social media, college campuses, courtrooms, the UN and beyond.
The regime in Iran is now working feverishly to reestablish its air defenses, rebuild its ballistic missile arsenal, and perhaps even rebuild its nuclear program. There is also the rest of the Iranian axis. So long as the regime maintains its ambition of destroying Israel, its proxies will do the same. This includes Hezbollah, Hamas, Shiite militias in Iraq, and the Houthis in Yemen. They all continue to receive weapons, funding, and other support from the regime.
Turkey, the country with the second-largest army in NATO, has openly called for the Islamic world to destroy Israel. The Erdogan regime’s key ally is the wealthy microstate of Qatar, which can certainly help fund Turkish ambitions, while offering support through the networks of Islamist adherents to the Muslim Brotherhood.
The writer is executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Security Forces Apprehend Suspects For Throwing Explosives at IDF Troops
IDF troops, directed by Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) intelligence, apprehended three individuals suspected of throwing explosives at IDF troops, in the northern West Bank,on Saturday (18th), the military said Friday (24th).
As part of the operation by the Menashe Brigade, together with Shin Bet units, in the town of Tubas, the troops set up engineering blockades in the area, interrogated suspects, issued warning calls, and removed signs of incitement to terrorism.
During their interrogation, suspects admitted throwing grenades that were self-made at troops. Two soldiers were wounded.
At the time of the attack, Hamas praised the individuals who threw the grenades.
”The operation that directly targeted a foot patrol of the Zionist occupation army with locally made explosive devices, resulting in a number of injuries, confirms that the resistance in the West Bank will not be broken or extinguished despite all the occupation’s attempts to neutralize it through repression, arrests, security measures, and the spread of checkpoints,” a Hamas statement read.
“We salute the heroes of the resistance who stand firm in the field despite all difficulties and we affirm that the continuation of these operations are honest expressions of our people’s anger and their rejection of the occupation, its colonial practices, and its plans for annexation, displacement, and the dedication of our cause,” the statement concluded.
Last Warsaw Ghetto Fighter Passes Away At 99
Michael Smuss, the last surviving fighter of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, passed away Thursday (23rd) at the age of 99.
Just a month ago, German Ambassador to Israel Steffen Seibert presented Smuss with the Order of Merit, Germany’s highest civilian honor in recognition of his lifelong commitment to Holocaust education and to fostering dialogue between Germany and Israel.
“I was saddened to hear of Michael Smuss’ passing,” Seibert said Friday morning (24th). He dedicated his life to teaching about the Holocaust. I will never forget the ‘Zikaron BaSalon’ event with him. Just last month, I had the honor of presenting him with the Federal Cross of Merit.”
Born on April 15, 1926, in Danzig, Smuss lived there with his family until the Nazi party’s rise to power. When he was 12, his father decided the family should move to Lodz, Poland/ There Smuss attended Isaac Katzenelson’s gymnasium and joined a youth movement. Because his mother held a Danzig passport, the family was forced to split. Smuss and his father relocated to Warsaw, where they lived in the Warsaw Ghetto from 1940 until the uprising in 1943.
They endured constant hunger and disease, surviving thanks to their work in a factory repairing military equipment for the German army.
“In the Ghetto, I witnessed the horrors caused by the Nazis to the Jews,” Smuss once said. “A few young friends and I joined the underground resistance. The resistance’s goal was to stop the Nazis’ terrible deeds. I smuggled weapons for the resistance and made Molotov cocktails – a means of preparing for a revolt against the Nazis.”
He described his survival as both chance and providence. “Additionally, the situation – or, as I call it, God’s grace – played in my favor.: I was one of the last people in the Warsaw Ghetto, where tens of thousands had already died. The Nazis wanted to report positively on the so-called successful ghetto, so they invited journalists. That;s why they didn’t kill us.”
After the Ghetto’s destruction, Smuss was deported to several concentration and labor camps including Budzyn, Majdanek, Plaszow, Wieliczka, and Flossenburg in Bavaria. He endured the brutal “death march” from Flossenburg to Stamsried in April 1945, surviving seven days and nights of exhaustion and deprivation.
Following the war, Smuss dedicated his life to Holocaust remembrance and the fight against anti-Semitism. His courage during the Holocaust and his tireless efforts afterwards to bear witness, made him a symbol of resilience and moral clarity.
The organization Zikaron BaSalon, which hosts Holocaust remembrance gatherings in homes and communities, mourned his death.
“We mourn the passing of Holocaust survivor Michael Smuss today,” the group said in a statement. “Michael, whose big heart defined him more than anything, was a close friend and a central partner in Zikaron BaSalon. He dedicated his life to sharing his testimony, not just to remember the past, but as a living moral call.”
“He shared this call with thousands of people in Israel and around the world. Michael fought in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, and as a young man, he learned that memory is not a ceremony, but a responsibility. He passed that lesson on to us, and with his departure, we mourn the loss of the dear person who was our compass.”
“We also commit to continuing his path: to remember. Saying goodbye to Michael is yet another reminder of the responsibility we, as a society, have to pass on his memories to future generations.”
“We will continue to share his story and the stories of many others in the Zikaron BaSalon memory sessions.
His spirit will continue to guide us forward, especially in these times. May his memory be a blessing.”
When Hamas Turned Its Guns On Us Gazans, The “Pro-Palestinian” Chorus Fell Silent – Moumen al-Natour
Gaza today stands on the edge of exhaustion. Streets once filled with life have become corridors of dust. The last Israeli hostage once held by Hamas has returned home; the movement had claimed their captivity served the dream of a state “from the river to the sea.” What remains instead is a population stripped of safety and shelter still declaring triumph over devastation. Each round of war brings the same outcome – destruction followed by proclamations of glory.
Repression is the regime’s primary instrument: surveillance, arrests, intimidation and unspeakable scenes of public executions and torture. Just as Hamas live-streamed the atrocities of Oct. 7 to terrify Israelis, it makes use of video recordings of its brutality against alleged enemies within to strike fear into ordinary Gazans.
Where are the protestors who for two years claimed to care for Gazans, now that footage of Hamas’ cruelty against its own people floods social media? Are the activists who filled the streets of Western cities truly for us Palestinians – or simply against Israelis?
The vision of a Gaza governed by civilians is the minimum condition for recovery. A society that values education, opportunity and safety over martyrdom could begin to resemble a normal community rather than a permanent front line. The longing for normal life now outweighs the appetite for heroic slogans. People want to live without being told that survival itself is victory. Those who have lost everything cannot celebrate defeat disguised as victory.
The writer is a lawyer from Gaza, founder of the We Want To Live movement, and a former political prisoner of Hamas. (Jewish Chronicle-UK)
