News Digest — 10/9/25
IDF On High Alert Ahead Of Gaza Ceasefire, Warns Of Last Minute Hamas Attacks
The IDF is on high alert ahead of an expected ceasefire in Gaza, warning of potential last minute attacks of Hamas, including heavy rocket fire and attacks on troops.
The military said early Thursday morning (9th) that while it welcomes the agreement reached in Egypt, forces remain fully prepared for any scenario.
Israeli Chief of Staff LTG Eyal Zamir has instructed units both along the front lines and deeper inside Gaza to remain in defensive posture and vigilant. Military officials expressed concern that Hamas may attempt to “empty its stockpiles” just before the ceasefire takes effect, including potential barrages of rockets or mortars and attempted attacks on IDF soldiers in and around the Gaza Strip.
Several launches were reported from inside Gaza in recent hours, though no damage or injuries were recorded.
The IDF added that Zamir also directed preparations for overseeing the release of hostages to be handled with “sensitivity and professionalism.” “The IDF will continue to act to achieve the objectives of the war and to defend the citizens of the State of Israel on all fronts,” a military statement said.
In a separate message to Gaza residents, IDF Arabic-language spokesperson Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee warned that “northern Gaza remains a dangerous active combat zone.” “IDF forces continue to encircle Gaza City, and returning to the area is extremely dangerous,” Adraee said. “Avoid heading north or approaching areas where IDF forces are deployed until official instructions are announced.”
‘We Will Bring Them All Home:’ Netanyahu To Convene Government For Gaza Deal Vote
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to bring all hostages home on Thursday morning (9th), shortly before US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas had agreed to a deal to end the war in Gaza and release all remaining hostages.
“With God’s help we will bring them home,” Netanyahu said just before the Trump announcement.
Following the American President’s announcement, Netanyahu said he would convene the security cabinet at noon on Thursday (9th) to approve the deal. The government is expected to vote on the matter afterwards.
A source with knowledge told The Jerusalem Post that the two parties have agreed on maps of the IDF’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and have mostly agreed on the details of the release of Palestinian prisoners.
The deal will be signed at noon in Egypt, according to Saudi state-owned outlet Al-Hadath.
Netanyahu and Trump spoke shortly after the president announced the deal on Thursday (9th).
A press release from the Prime Minister’s Office said the two “held a very emotional and warm conversation, congratulating each other on the historic achievement of signing the agreement for the release of the hostages.”
Trump told Axios that he would give a speech at the Knesset during a visit to the Middle East over the weekend.
“It was a great day for Israel and for the world. My call with Bibi was great. He is so happy. He should be. It is a great achievement. The whole world has come together to reach this deal, including countries that were enemies,” said Trump.
Hamas said in a statement that “it has reached an agreement to end the war in Gaza, ensure the occupation’s withdrawal, allow the entry of humanitarian aid, and implement a prisoner exchange.”
”We highly value the efforts of our brothers, the mediators from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey, as well as the efforts of US President Donald Trump aimed at permanently ending the war and securing the full withdrawal of the occupation from the Gaza Strip,” the Hamas statement added.
Sky News Arabia reported that the parties landed on a full ceasefire deal with a gradual withdrawal of the Israeli army from 70% of Gaza alongside a simultaneous release of prisoners.
IDF Forces Foil Attack In Gaza City, Several Terrorists Killed Amid Ceasefire Talks In Egypt
As ceasefire negotiations continued in Egypt on Wednesday (8th), the IDF said its forces killed several terrorists attempting to attack troops in Gaza City. The incident occurred as Israel transitioned from offensive to defensive operations during ongoing talks aimed at securing a hostage deal and ending the war.
According to a military statement, Golani Brigade forces operating in the Gaza City area spotted several armed terrorists preparing to target Israeli soldiers. With support from the Israeli Air Force, the troops launched a strike that killed a number of the attackers. The IDF reported no casualties among its soldiers and said that searches for additional terror suspects continued.
“IDF troops under the Southern Command continue to operate against terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip in order to protect Israeli civilians,” the statement read.
Earlier in the day, Defense Minister Israel Katz visited IDF troops in Gaza City’s al-Sabra neighborhood. He was joined by Southern Command head MG Yaniv Asor, 35th Division Commander BG Moran Omer, Golani Brigade Commander and the Commander of the 7th Armored Brigade.
Katz received an operational briefing on the situation in Gaza and praised the troops for their “powerful action,” which he said created the conditions necessary for advancing negotiations aimed at securing the release of all hostages and achieving the objectives of the war.
“The decision to take control of Gaza City and carry out a powerful maneuver has brought us closer to ending the war with a victory,” Katz told the soldiers. In a statement from his office. The defense minister instructed the IDF to remain prepared for all scenarios and stressed the importance of protecting Israeli troops, authorizing the use of any necessary force “without limitation or hesitation” to ensure their safety.
Herzog At Nova Memorial: ‘The World Must Understand The Evil That Was Carried Out Here’
President Isaac Herzog Wednesday (8th) addressed the memorial ceremony of the Nova Music Festival where more than 370 Israelis and other nationalities were murdered by terrorists from Gaza, and more than 150 were taken hostage into Gaza on October 7, 2023.
Addressing the memorial, led by the families of the victims, the President praised the courage and resilience of the survivors and the families. He stressed the importance of efforts to bring the hostages home, and speaking in English, called on the international community to recognize that the same brutal hatred was targeting Jews around the world.
President Herzog stated at the memorial: “We gather here in memory and in sorrow, remembering our loved ones who came to celebrate nature and love and music, and were barbarically assassinated by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023. Two years have passed since that dark day when Israel’s soul was torn apart and Hamas terrorists unleashed unspeakable evil upon innocent women, men and children. We will not rest. We will not be silent until all 48 hostages are back home.”
“The last two years have also seen a terrible wave of anti-Semitism across the world. From here, from the ground soaked with our children’s blood, we stand shoulder to shoulder with Jewish communities everywhere.”
“The world must understand the evil that was carried out here, the most brutal crimes against humanity, is the same evil that kills Jews and hurts Jews all over the world, and we must defeat it.”
“I thank our friends from around the world for their messages of solidarity and condolences, and I extend special thanks to President Donald Trump for his tireless efforts to bring our hostages back home, to bring about real change and a new direction in the Middle East,” the President concluded.
Shin Bet Says It Seized Advanced Iranian Arms Destined For West Bank Terrorists
The Shin Bet recently foiled an attempt by Iran to smuggle large amounts of advanced weapons to terror operatives in the West Bank to be used in attacks on Israeli targets, the security agency revealed on Wednesday (8th).
The recently seized shipment – similar to shipments busted in March 2024 and November 2024 – included 29 Claymore-type explosive devices, four drones, including two explosive laden ones, 15 anti-tank rockets, along with an RPG launcher and three ROGs, 20 hand grenades, 53 handguns, seven assault rifles, nine machine guns, and 750 bullets, according to the Shin Bet.
The case began several months ago, when a weapons dealer was detained by IDF troops in the Ramallah area of the West Bank. The Shin Bet said its interrogation of the dealer led the security agency to weapon smugglers, and eventually to the shipment itself.
The Shin bet did not provide further details on where the shipment was captured.
According to the Shin Bet, two units of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ special forces – Unit 4000 and Unit 18840 – were responsible for the plot, as well as the previous attempts in 2024.
Unit 4000 is the special operations division of the IRGC’s Intelligence Organization, headed by Jawad Ghafari; Unit 18840 is the special operations unit of the IRGC’s Quds Force in Syria, which is subordinate to the head of Iran’s clandestine UNit 840, Asghar Bakri.
Also involved in attempts to smuggle weapons from Iran to the West Bank were Salah al-Husseini and Muhammad Shuayb, two IRGC operatives who were killed in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon in July, the Shin Bet said.
The Shin Bet has said that Iran has continued to try and smuggle weapons into the West Bank amid the Gaza war.
“This shipment, like its predecessors, is part of an ongoing Iranian effort to undermine security in the region by arming terror cells on the ground whose purpose is to carry out attacks against Israelis and IDF troops,” the agency said.
Weapons smuggling is a constant challenge for Israel all along its porous eastern border with Jordan. Unlike Israel’s other frontiers – with Egypt, Lebanon and Syria – the border with Jordan is largely open, often without significant fencing, and guarding is limited, making it an easy channel for large-scale smuggling.
On the Jordan border, the IDF recently established a new regional unit, known as the 96th “Gilad” Division, which is set to operate from the Israel-Jordan-Syrian tri-border area in the north down to the Ramon Airport in southern Israel. Currently, it is tasked with the northern half of the border, in the Jordan valley.
Israel also plans to upgrade its fence on the border with Jordan in the coming years.
Jordan Sentences Nine In Muslim Brotherhood Plot Against State
A Jordanian court on Wednesday (8th) sentenced nine defendants to between 3 and 15 years in jail over a Muslim Brotherhood-linked plot to destabilize the country, a case that led authorities to outlaw the kingdom’s largest opposition group.
The court said the defendants were among more than a dozen Brotherhood members arrested last April, accused of receiving training and financing in Lebanon to carry out attacks inside Jordan using rockets and drones.
Authorities said the Muslim Brotherhood members had planned attacks on security targets and sensitive locations in Jordan, but did not identify the targets.
Two main defendants accused of illegally manufacturing weapons were sentenced to 15 years in prison, while another received seven years for complicity. Six others were handed three-year sentences on charges including acts that endangered public safety and recruitment for training, a court statement carried by state media, said.
Jordanian authorities said at least one rocket was ready to be launched as part of an operation that had been under surveillance by security forces since 2021.
The crackdown was followed a week later by a government decision to outlaw the Muslim Brotherhood, seize its assets, and close its offices after authorities said some members were linked to a sabotage plot.
Jordan had for years resisted pressure from Gulf Arab states and Egypt, long wary of the Brotherhood, to ban the group. But in line with a regional clampdown on political Islam and dissent, Amman has over the past few years tightened restrictions on the movement, banned public rallies, and detained several prominent members.
The Muslim Brotherhood, one of the Arab world’s oldest and most influential Islamist movements, has denied any link to the alleged plot but said some members may have been individually involved in smuggling arms to Palestinians in the West Bank.
The movement’s political arm in Jordan, the Islamic Action Front, became the largest political grouping in parliament after elections last year, although seats are still held by supporters of the government.
