News Digest — 11/20/25
IDF Targets Senior Hamas Terrorist In Strike On Gaza City Following Attack On Troops In Khan Younis
The IDF targeted a senior Hamas terrorist in a strike on a building in the Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City on Wednesday (19th), multiple security sources told The Jerusalem Post.
The attack reportedly killed three, however, it is not clear if the target of the attack was killed.
The military said that prior to the strikes, several terrorists opened fire at the area where IDF soldiers are operating in Khan Younis. The IDF then struck Hamas terror targets across the Strip in response.
The IDF had killed several terrorists earlier who were identified crossing into IDF-controlled northern Gaza, who, according to the military, posed a threat to troops.
The terrorists were immediately killed after identification, according to the IDF.
In recent weeks, the IDF has reported multiple cases of terrorists approaching positions beyond the Yellow Line and being targeted.
The army has repeatedly emphasized that the ceasefire does not prevent action against imminent threats to soldiers or Israeli civilians.
The IDF killed several terrorists while crossing the Yellow Line in two separate events on Monday (17th), the military said in a statement.
One of the terrorists was seen “planting suspicious objects in the ground adjacent to troops,” and was subsequently struck. “The remaining terrorists fled from the scene to the area west of the Yellow Line,” a statement read.
Another terrorist attempted to approach IDF troops stationed near the Yellow Line and was killed as he “posed an immediate threat,” the military added.
IDF Presence In Syria Of “Immense Importance,” Netanyahu Tells Troops During Visit
Israel’s ongoing presence inside Syria is of “immense importance,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told troops during a Wednesday (19th) visit to an outpost in the IDF-held buffer zone there.
The visit, which included several top security and diplomatic officials, came as talks between Jerusalem and Damascus over a security agreement for southern Syria have stalled, with a senior Israeli official telling the Times of Israel on Wednesday (19th) that such a deal is “not in the cards right now.”
Israel is reportedly insisting on remaining deployed to the nine posts it seized after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024, unless the new ruling government agrees to a full peace deal and normalization.
“We attach immense importance to our capability here, both defensive and offensive,” Netanyahu told the troops during his visit, adding that the purpose includes “safeguarding our Druze allies, and especially safeguarding the State of Israel and its northern border opposite the Golan Heights.”
“This is a mission that can develop at any moment, but we are counting on you,” he said.
Reacting to the visit, Syria said it “condemns it in the strongest terms,” calling it “illegal,” and saying it considers the IDF deployment in the south of the country “a serious violation of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The purpose of the visit was to thank IDF troops for deploying to the newly-held zone, the Prime Minister’s office said.
“They really appreciated the visit,” said a PMO official. “There are soldiers there on their sixth round. They said they want to continue, and they want to continue getting all the borders safe.”
“At the start of the visit, the prime minister arrived at an IDF post, where he conducted an observation of the sector, and afterward held a security discussion,” Netanyahu’s office said.
Netanyahu “met with active-duty and reserve soldiers, praised their actions during the war and their efforts to maintain security in the area, and answered their questions,” the PMO added.
Netanyahu was joined by Defense Minister Israel Katz, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, IDF Chief of Staff LYG Eyal Zamir and Shin bet head David Zini.
They were also joined by acting national Security Council chief Gil Reich, Israeli Ambassador to the US Yehiel Leiter, Northern Command head MG Rafi Milo, Coordinator of Government Activities in the territories MG Ghassan Alian and 210th Division Commander BG Yair Peli.
The IDF has been deployed to nine posts inside southern Syria since the fall of the Assad regime, mostly within a UN-patrolled buffer zone on the border between the countries. Two posts are on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon.
Troops have been operating in areas up to around nine miles deep into Syria, aiming to capture weapons that Israel says could pose a threat to the country if they fall into the hands of “hostile forces.” including Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
While Damascus and Jerusalem have engaged in US-mediated talks to reach a security agreement for southern Syria and the Israeli border along the Golan heights, an agreement is not going to be signed in the near future, a senior Israeli official said.”
A Kan report this week said that Jerusalem is refusing to pull out of its positions in southern Syria in exchange for less than a full peace deal with Damascus, which is currently not under discussion.
Following his landmark visit to the White House on Monday (17th), Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa threw cold water on the prospect of his country joining the Abraham Accords, saying that conditions were premature, and that Syria was “not going to enter into a negotiation directly right now.”
He also spoke disparagingly of the ongoing IDF presence in Syrian territory.
“Israel occupied the Golan heights in order to protect Israel, and now they are imposing conditions in the south of Syria in order to protect the Golan Heights,” Sharaa said last week.”So after a few years maybe they will occupy the center of Syria in order to protect the south of Syria. They will reach Munich on that pathway.”
IDF Unleashes Wave Of Strikes On Hezbollah In Southern Lebanon After Evacuation Warnings
The Israeli Air Force launched a wave of airstrikes Wednesday afternoon (19th) on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, the military said, shortly after issuing evacuation warnings to residents of several villages.
The strikes began around 3:30 pm in the villages of Deir Kifa and Chehour, following a public warning by IDF Arabic-language spokesperson Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, who urged residents to evacuate buildings suspected of housing Hezbollah military infrastructure. About 30 minutes later, Adraee issued similar warnings for the villages of Aynata and Tayr Felsay, where the military struck shortly after.
In what he labeled an “urgent warning,” Adraee wrote: “The IDF will soon strike Hezbollah military infrastructure in an effort to disrupt its attempts to restore operations in the area. We urge residents of the designated building and nearby structures to evacuate immediately for their safety.
The new round of strikes came a day after an Israeli airstrike killed 14 Hamas operatives and wounded 28 others in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp near Sidon.
Later, the IDF released a recruitment flyer found in the camp that invited Palestinian youth to join what it described as the “resistance, encouraging them to register at three locations in the Ain al-HIlweh – one of 12 Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. One of the recruitment sites, near the Khalid ibn al- Walid Mosque, was struck in Tuesday’s (18th) operation.
“This was not a peaceful facility, as some reports claimed,” Adraee said in an online statement. “As for the lies, slander, and talk of a ‘massacre’ – it is a desperate attempt by Hamas and some Lebanese elements to cover up real terror.”
No official response to the strike has been issued by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. According to a statement from the presidency, Aoun spoke with Lebanese Armed Forces Commander Gen. Rodolphe Haykal on Wednesday (19th), but the conversation concerned the unrelated deaths of two Lebanese soldiers during a raid on suspected drug traffickers in the Baalbek area. The Israeli airstrikes were not mentioned.
German Minister Backs Stripping Of Citizenship From Hamas Supporters
Germany’s Interior Minister on Wednesday (19th) backed Berlin’s decision to strip a man of his citizenship for supporting Hamas, saying naturalized citizens should forfeit their nationality when they are found not to uphold German values.
The decision comes as Germany tightens immigration and citizenship rules and a debate about who belongs in the country and the rise of the far-right.
Many German politicians have voiced concern at the support for the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas and its attack on Israel two years ago among the hundreds of thousands of immigrants who arrived in Germany from the Middle East in the last decade.
Germany’s staunch support for Israel is rooted in its historical guilt for the Nazi Holocaust.
“People who have acquired German citizenship, including dual nationals, have declared their commitment to our system of values,” Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said at a news conference.
“If it becomes apparent that this was a deliberate misrepresentation, and that they do not share this system of values … it should be possible to withdraw citizenship.”
German media reported that the Syrian man who came to Berlin as a young child posted a photo on Instagram one day after his naturalization showing two Hamas fighters, with the caption, “Heroes of Palestine.”
Berlin’s immigration office became aware of the case through security agencies and believed it was deceived, as he had declared his loyalty to German values, the media reported.
Since the reform of Germany’s nationality law in June 2024, naturalization applicants must declare their commitment to the free democratic basic order and to Germany’s special historical responsibility, in particular for the protection of Jewish life.
The Syrian man had attracted police attention several times at pro-Palestinian demonstrations, German media reported.
Immigration officials have now told the man they are withdrawing his German citizenship, the media reported. The immigration office did not immediately reply to a request for comment, but Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner thanked it for its quick action on the case in a post on X.
Palestinian Textbooks Still Glorify Attacks Against Israel, Violating EU Accord
Palestinian textbooks remain filled with incitement against Jews and are rife with anti-Semitism and the promotion of martyrdom, in violation of past pledges of reform made to the European Union, a new study released Wednesday (19th) found.
The review of the Palestinian Authority’s 2025-2026 national school curriculum by the London-based IMPACT-se research institute finds that the schoolbooks remain unchanged from previous years in violation of an EU accord signed last year for continued funding.
The study of some 290 Palestinian textbooks and 71 teacher guides used to teach 1.3 million pupils finds that anti-Semitism remains a “central feature” of the curriculum, with Jews depicted as deceitful, manipulative or inherently corrupt enemies of islam.
A 7th-grade teacher guide cited in the report, describes Israelis bashing Palestinian children’s heads in front of their mothers and mutilating women for jewelry while instructing students to visually recreate the events with drawings.
A grade-12 textbook includes a poem urging students to return to Israeli cities, using emotive verse reminiscent of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel.
Even First-grade children learn the Arabic word for “martyr” as one of their very first spelling words.
The study also found that the State of Israel has been erased from both maps and texts, its existence described as “incompatible with justice,” while Israelis are routinely dehumanized.
Even science, math and grammar exercises used in the curriculum are designed to normalize violence and promote dehumanization,” the report states.
Last year the Ramallah-based PA signed an agreement with the EU – its largest international funder – to remove such hate-filled content from its curriculum, while the US administration has long made similar requests as well.
“This comprehensive report exposes a stark and disturbing reality: virulent anti-Semitism, the glorification of jihad and incitement to violence remain deeply embedded across all grades of Palestinian Authority textbooks,” said Marcus Sheff, CEO of IMPACT-se.
“The obvious conclusion of this report is that barring long-overdue, deep and sustained intervention by the international community, the systematic indoctrination of Palestinians via extremist education is here to stay,” he added.
Sa’ar : PA Nearly Doubled Payments To Terrorists In 2025
The Palestinian Authority nearly doubled the payments it issued in 2025 to convicted terrorists and to the families of those killed while carrying out attacks, despite its repeated claims to have halted the practice, Israel’s Foreign Ministry revealed Wednesday (19th).
Last year (2024), Ramallah dispersed $144 million in payments rewarding attacks against Israelis.
In 2025, it has already committed $214 million, “and the year isn’t even over,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar tweeted.
“I call on Europe and the world to hold the PA accountable for funding terrorism. Stop Pay-For-Slay NOW” Jerusalem’s top diplomat added.
Last week, Sa’ar accused Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas of attempting to “fool the world” by firing his finance minister, reportedly over “unauthorized payments” to Arab terrorists and their families.
Ramallah’s official Wafa News Agency reported that PA Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Istifan Salameh would replace Omar Bitar, though it gave no reason for Bitar’s dismissal.
According to local reports, Bitar had transferred funds to terrorists in Israeli prisons through a mechanism Ramallah had ostensibly reformed under pressure from the United States and Europe.
The revamped mechanism Bitar allegedly bypassed rebrands the stipends as “welfare support,” shifting the system from an official ministry to an “independent” foundation controlled by the PA.
Sa’ar told reporters in Budapest on Oct. 27 that “contrary to the PA’s promises in English, they are continuing their Pay-For-Slay policy.
“Paying salaries to terrorists and their families for murdering Jews and Israelis has been Palestinian law since 2004, and until this very day. They just changed the method, “The terrorists are collecting their payments from the Palestinian Post Office,” according to Israel’s top diplomat.
Abbas said on February 21 that he would not deduct “a single penny” from payments to prisoners and the so-called Martyrs’ Fund, despite a statement earlier in the month that some countries had interpreted as signaling an end to the controversial policy.
Freed terrorists are millionaires, thanks to years of Pay-For-Slay.
“We again emphasize that we are proud of the sacrifices made by the martyrs, prisoners and wounded,” the PA chief declared in a speech.
“I told you once and I stand by my word: Even if we have only one penny left, it is for the prisoners and the martyrs,” Abbas continued echoing previous remarks made during a 2018 address.
