News Digest — 7/9/25
Netanyahu And Trump Meet At The White House For A Second Time
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived on Tuesday (8th) at the White House for another meeting with US President Donald Trump, the second time the two met in less than 24 hours.
The meeting, which lasted about an hour and a half, came amid intensive talks held in recent days between Israel and Hamas, medicated by Qatar in Doha, in an effort to formulate a deal for the release of hostages.
The two did not give statements to the media after the meeting.
The Prime Minister’s Office stated that “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu concluded his second meeting with US President Donald Trump a short time ago.”
“The meeting held in the Oval Office at the White House, was also attended by Vice President JD Vance,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, journalist Barak Ravid reported, citing a source familiar with the details, that a Qatari delegation arrived earlier on Tuesday (8th) for talks at the White House regarding the hostage deal and ceasefire in Gaza.
Earlier in the day, Netanyahu spoke to the media on Capitol Hill following his first meeting with House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson.
“The President and I believe in a doctrine called peace through strength. First comes strength, then comes peace. Our resolute action, the resolute decision of President Trump to act with us against those who seek to destroy Israel and threaten the peace of the world, has made a remarkable change in the Middle East,” said Netanyahu.
Addressing the recent 12-day conflict with Iran, the Prime Minister said, “The American B2 pilots showed remarkable perseverance, persistence and power. The soldiers of Israel fought like lions, our pilots struck like lightning and our common alliance roared like thunder. And this is having a great change in our region. There are opportunities for peace that we intend to realize. We’re working together on this.”
“We still have to finish the job in Gaza, release all our hostages, eliminate and destroy Hamas’ military and governance capabilities because Gaza must have a different future, for our sake, for everyone’s sake. And no country will settle for less. We certainly will not,” he said.
These are all the things that I discussed with President Trump. I may discuss further things with him later in this visit. But I have to say that the coordination between our two countries, the coordination between an American president and an Israel prime minister has been unmatched. It offers great promise for Israel, for America, for our region and for the world,” Netanyahu concluded.
Hamas Timed IED Blast That Killed Five Soldiers In Between IDF Air, Military Fire
The five IDF soldiers who were killed and 12 wounded late Monday (7th) by Hamas were ambushed because the terror group managed to place improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the area in question in between airforce and artillery barrages, the military said on Tuesday night (8th).
According to the IDF, there was heavy air cover fire and artillery fire in the areas where IDF Netzach Yehuda infantry was due to traverse, both in the days before the soldiers entered Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza and even only a few hours before.
Despite those efforts to pave a safe path for the infantry, Hamas managed to place newly laid IEDs in the area where the IDF infantry would later pass through after an earlier round of munitions was fired into the area and before the last round of munitions was fired.
Also, though D9 bulldozers and other vehicles had been through essentially all of Beit Hanoun and northern Gaza multiple times in the past, by setting the IEDs only in the last 24 hours before the soldiers entered, Hamas was able to avoid early detection or destruction of the IEDs by these explosive clearing vehicles.
Questioned about why IDF border lookouts did not spot the Hamas fighters laying the IEDs earlier in the day or the night before, the IDF responded that the spot was around 1.5 kilometers from the border and shrouded in still-standing structures.
In fact, these still-standing structures, which obstruct and block any path for vehicles to pass through, were the very reason the IDF sent soldiers on foot through the area, rather than using soldiers inside protective vehicles.
Although some estimates are that 80% or more of structures in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed by the IDF during the war, there are still many partially destroyed structures that seem empty, but which Hamas fighters are using as lookout positions to study and map out IDF patrol patterns.
In this case, the mission of the IDF soldiers was to surround a few dozen Hamas terrorists hiding underground in Beit Hanoun to oust and eliminate them.
The IDF has cleared Beit Hanoun many times and the military has made tremendous progress there, given that at the start of the war, there would have been 1,000 or more Hamas terrorists in the area, as compared to now with only a few dozen.
The Five IDF soldiers were killed almost entirely by two or three IEDs, remotely set. 12 soldiers were also wounded in the Hamas ambush.
There was also massive Hamas gunfire into the area as the IEDs were being set off.
The fallen soldiers were identified as: Staff sergeant Meir Shimon Amar, 20, from Jerusalem; Staff sergeant Noam Aharon Musgadian, 20, from Jerusalem; Staff sergeant Moshe Shmuel Noll, 21, from Beit Shemesh; Northern Brigade fighter, Sergeant first class (res.) Benyamin Asulin, 28. From Haifa; and Sergeant Moshe Nissim Frech, 20, from Jerusalem.
Israeli Airstrike Kills Senior Hamas Operative In Northern Lebanon
The Israeli Air Force on Tuesday afternoon (8th) struck a senior Hamas operative in the village of al-‘Iruniya in the Tripoli district of northern Lebanon.
Lebanese media reported that a vehicle was struck, resulting in one fatality and three injuries. The target was reportedly Maharan Mustafa Bajur, described as the head of planning for Hamas’ military wing in Lebanon.
In September, Hamas announced the elimination of its leader in Lebanon, Fatah Sharif Abu al-Amin. The strike occurred in the Al-Buss refugee camp near Tyre. Abu al Amin had also served as head of the UNRWA teachers’ union in Lebanon until he was suspended following what was described as a breach of UNRWA conduct policies. On October 7, he quickly praised the massacre carried out by Hamas. A Hamas poster later referred to him as “the martyr and the educator.”
In January, Lebanon also witnessed the elimination of Saleh al-Arouri, who was the deputy head of Hamas’ political bureau. Hamas’ military wing called him the “architect” of the October 7 massacre. Lebanese sources reported that the strike took place in the Dahieh district of Beirut – a Hezbollah stronghold — and was carried out using three missiles, at a time when Hezbollah was still at the peak of power in Lebanon.
Al-Arouri was considered a key orchestrator of Hamas operations in the West Bank. He was involved in planning the October 7 massacre and played a central role in managing and funding Hamas cells in the West Bank in recent years. Additionally, he was recognized as a liaison to Iran, through which Tehran funded the terror group with around $50 million annually.
On Monday (7th), the IDF struck and eliminated Ali Abd al-Hassan Haidar, a commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, in the area of Deir Kifa in southern Lebanon.
“Haidar advanced numerous terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops, including the ‘Conquer the Galilee’ plan. In recent months, the terrorist was involved in efforts to reestablish Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon,” the IDF said in a statement.
“The IDF will continue to operate to eliminate every threat to the State of Israel,” a statement read.
Despite Boycott Threats: Spain Buys Israel Tech
Spanish news outlet Al Mundo revealed on Tuesday (8th) that despite Madrid’s public commitment to halt military technology purchases from Israel and the defense Ministry’s announcement of a “severing process” from Israeli technology, Spain continues procuring systems to modernize its armed forces.
Recent developments show the Spanish government backing away from its previous statements and authorizing the acquisition of Israeli defense technology from Elbit Systems. The procurement involves tactical radio communication systems (SCRT), with initial funding of $393 million, allocated in the 2025 defense budget. The comprehensive deal includes subsequent phases and additional acquisitions totaling $862 million.
Spanish military forces sought 11,000 advanced radio units, with 1,500 already delivered and an additional 3,500 scheduled for handover within twelve months under the progressive agreement between the Israel defense contractor and Spanish authorities.
Radio equipment delivery faced approximately one year of delays amid fierce opposition from far-left political factions demanding complete severance of Israeli ties, particularly regarding military hardware acquisitions during the ongoing Gaza conflict. Several parties threatened government withdrawal if arms transactions with Israel continued, resulting in cancelled ammunition purchases for Spanish domestic security forces and official statements pledging to terminate Israeli weapons deals.
Nevertheless, new “royal decree” documentation addressing Spanish military equipment procurement has emerged. Within Spain’s expanded defense expenditure framework, mandated by NATO membership obligations, Spanish forces will proceed with Israeli radio system acquisitions since “domestic industry presently lacks adequate capacity for producing and delivering required systems.”
Spain’s Ministry of Industry declared in the royal decree that, given Spanish corporations’ inability to furnish necessary military equipment due to insufficient technological expertise, capability gaps require bridging while simultaneously “procuring technological systems available commercially” to maintain military operational readiness. The Al Mundo investigation indicates device manufacturing will occur predominantly on Spanish territory using domestic facilities while incorporating Israeli technology. “Our objective involves achieving capacity for locally-produced SDR radio equipment with production oversight. This approach carries manageable risk, given the radio system relies on expertise and products from an established foreign technology (Israeli) firm with demonstrated technical competence and global commercial presence.”
Any Deal With Syria Should Include Compensation For Seized Jewish Property – Ariel Bulshtein
As talks with Syria’s new regime reportedly advance, it is crucial to include two key elements in any future peace agreement. A century ago, Syria’s Jewish community numbered 50,000 people and was one of the world’s oldest Jewish communities.
Following World War II, Syrian Jews faced increasing persecution. Their assets were confiscated, and often Jews were forced to forfeit their property in exchange for permission to leave Syria or to save their lives. The value of Syrian Jewish assets in 1947 was $200 million – equivalent to $11 billion today. Justice demands restitution.
A second component involves lands legally purchased by Jews in southern Syria during the early days of the Zionist movement. At the end of the 19th century, Jewish Europeans legally acquired large tracts of farmland and even entire villages in the Hauran region, south of Damascus. These Jewish-owned lands were confiscated.
One possible mechanism for redress could be to forfeit monetary compensation for the stolen property in return for annexing to Israel parts of the buffer zones in southern Syria already under IDF control. There is no reason to forgive the looting and persecution of Jews from Arab countries. (Israel Hayom)
Do Not Rely On Egypt Or Any Arab State To Bring Security To Gaza – Khaled Abu Toameh
Since the Hamas-Israel war began on Oct. 7, 2023, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have discovered 90 tunnels crossing under the border between Gaza and Egypt. The tunnels were used by Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups to smuggle rockets and weapons into Gaza. There may be additional tunnels that have not been discovered.
The Egyptians chose to ignore the smuggling as long as the weapons were going into Gaza and not staying in Egyptian territory. After all, these weapons were being used against Israel, and did not pose any threat to Egypt;s national security. In addition, Egyptian military and police officers apparently benefitted by accepting bribes. Yet by turning a blind eye to the massive smuggling, Egypt significantly contributed to transforming Gaza into a major base for Islamist terrorism, paving the way for the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Egypt does not care about the Palestinians or Israel. It only cares about its own interests, and that is why it would be a big mistake to rely on the Egyptians or any Arab state to bring security and stability to Gaza.
The writer, a veteran Israeli journalist, is a senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute and the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs.
