News Digest — 8/24/26
IDF Told To Act Forcefully Against Gaza Kites
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said Sunday (23rd) that they had instructed the IDF to take significant action after the launching of kites from the Gaza Strip over the weekend.
In a statement, Netanyahu said he directed the defense establishment and the IDF to do “everything” to confront what he called the “lethal” threat of drones to Israel.
“We have been working for several years on a solution to the drone threat. We are the most advanced in the world, but this is a global problem,” Netanyahu said in a video message, saying the weapons have been used in Ukraine and Lebanon,” and now they are trying to renew the threat and bring it into Gaza.”
While Netanyahu did not mention a particular incident directly, he appeared to be drawing a connection between recent kite launches from Gaza and the broader threat posed by armed drones.
At least four kites were flown from Gaza to Kibbutz Nahal Oz over the weekend. The army said nothing suspicious was found on the kites and there was no danger to the public, but many have associated the objects with the Gaza kites and balloons carrying incendiary devices that plagued southern Israel in previous years.
The military stressed that “no suspicious findings were identified on the kites,” and that “at no stage was there any danger to the public.” But according to Hebrew media reports the IDF believes that Hamas was responsible for launching the kites, and was doing so to test whether and how Israel would respond.
“My directive to the defense establishment and the IDF is to do everything against this lethal weapon—to strike it, to strike those operating it, to strike the place from which it was launched, to do everything in order to protect our citizens in the Gaza border communities and everywhere else,” Netanyahu said.
In a statement Sunday evening (23rd), Hamas claimed the kites were merely children’s toys” from Gaza refugee camps and warned Israel not to follow through on its threats.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said “these threats are based on fabricated pretexts and are an attempt to justify the continuation of the aggression and violations against our people.”
Palestinian media reported one dead and several wounded in an Israeli airstrike in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday morning (23rd). The strike took place near the Maghazi camp.
The IDF later said that the strike killed Ismail Abu Ful, who it said was the commander of an arms production site. The military said that “the terrorist took an active part in manufacturing explosive devices and anti-tanks rockets” for Hamas, and he was eliminated to remove the threat.”
In a separate strike in the nearby town of az-Zawayda, the IAF struck a weapons manufacturing site, “near an aid distribution point operated by an international organization,” according to the IDF.
“This is another example of Hamas’ systematic use of and embedding within civilian infrastructure and aid distribution centers,to advance and execute terror attacks against IDF troops operating in the Yellow Line area and against Israeli civilians,” the military said.
The IDF said the arms production site shows that Hamas “systematically violates the ceasefire agreement while attempting to rehabilitate its military capabilities and strengthen its force buildup.”
Hours later, a joint statement from Netanyahu and Katz threatened to “intensify strikes” against those responsible for launching kites from Gaza toward Israeli border communities, and evacuate areas of the Strip.
Netanyahu and Katz held an assessment Sunday evening (23rd) with IDF Chief of Staff LTG Eyal Zamir and other top military and defense officials on the recent kites.
“Israel warns Hamas that if the launches toward Israel do not stop immediately, the IDF will act to intensify strikes against those responsible for the launches and evacuate populations from areas from which kites, drones, and balloons are launched,” Netanyahu and Katz said in a joint statement.”
Katz said he views “every launch as an act of war in every respect, and is committed to the absolute protection of the Israeli communities.”
“A balloon is treated like a kite, and a kite is treated like a drone— with or without explosives,” he said. “Anyone who organizes launches, or enables the launches will be dealt with immediately and with the utmost severity.”
Gazan kites and balloons carrying incendiary devices plagued southern Israel, burning large swaths of land, in previous years prior to the current Gaza war.
Earlier this month Channel 12 News reported that Israel’s defense establishment had identified a significant increase in attempts by terror groups to launch explosive drones– including fiber-optic drones–within Israel toward targets across the country, as officials warned that there was no effective operational solution to the emerging threat.
Sunday’s (23rd) Israeli strikes on Gaza come as the international community attempts to implement a US-backed plan for ending the Gaza conflict. The plan calls for Hamas to disarm in exchange for a gradual Israeli withdrawal from the Strip. But progress has remained stalled.
Mossad Chief, Syrian Foreign Minister Meet To Ease Tensions After Airbase Strike
Mossad Director Roman Gofman and Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani held talks Sunday (23rd) aimed at preventing further deterioration relations following Israel’s bombing of the Abu al-Duhur military air base, Axios reported, citing three sources with knowledge of the discussions.
The meeting came after disagreements over Turkish activity at the northern Syrian facility led Israel to take military action last Tuesday (18th).
Israeli aircraft struck the base with at least eight bombs, hitting its hangars and runways. Abu-la-Duhur is located roughly 45 miles from Turkey.
Israel said intelligence showed Ankara was preparing to position drones and radar equipment at the installation. Israeli officials warned beforehand that the military would intervene unless activity connected to the anticipated Turkish deployment ended.
Damascus disputed Israel’s assessment during private exchanges involving Syrian, Israeli and U.S. officials. Syrian officials maintained that the government had no plans to provide Turkey with a military foothold at Abu al-Duhur.
Israel ultimately rejected those assurances and bombed the facility in an operation it characterized as a “warning shot.”
The Trump administration has since sought renewed communication among the countries. Envoy Tom Barrack and other senior U.S. Officials have pressed Israel, Syria and Turkey in recent days to return to dialogue.
Al-Shaibani acknowledged in an interview with AxiosWednesday (19th) that Turkish military personnel had been at Abu al-Duhur several days before it was bombed.
He said, however, that the visit involved “ongoing military cooperation in the arenas of training and the exchange of expertise.”
There “was no intention to establish a Turkish base there, nor to establish a permanent Turkish military presence or deploy Turkish forces at the site,” Shaibani said.
He said Damascus had conveyed its position to Israel before the bombing and remained willing to pursue negotiations and de-escalation and a new security agreement.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office did not respond to the Axios report, nor did Shaibani’s spokesperson.
24-Year Old Moderately Wounded In Jordan Valley Stabbing
A 24-year-old man sustained moderate injuries Sunday morning (23rd) in a stabbing attack at a commercial center near Al-Auja (Palestinian village in the Jordan Valley). Medical teams evacuated the victim, who suffered a penetrating stab wound, to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.
The Magen David Adom emergency service dispatch center in the Gilboa region received the initial report at 9:18 a.m. First responders rushed the wounded man to a rendezvous point near the village to meet the rescue teams which teamed up with an IDF medical unit to administer emergency on-site treatment before transferring him to the hospital.
Judea and Samarai district police officers rushed to the scene to secure the area and launch an investigation into the incident. Meanwhile, IDF forces launched a manhunt for the terrorist, setting up roadblocks around the village and the broader region. The military also scrambled special operations forces and Israeli Air Force units to assist with the sweeping search efforts.
The attack unfolded near Al-Auja in the Jordan Valley. Although the village itself falls under Palestinian Authority civil control, Route 90 (the main north-south highway) and its immediate surroundings remain under Israel security jurisdiction and see regular IDF patrols.
The targeted store ranks among the largest in the village and operates as a well-known rest stop for Israelis driving along the Jordan Valley highway. Numerous Israelis stop at the location every day to shop. Over the years, Israeli motorists have consistently frequented the area, and pulled into the roadside shops, which was never considered an out-of-the-ordinary event.
The IDF’s Transformation Since October 7 – Oded Ailam
In the modern battlefield, there is a steadily narrowing gap between theoretical talk of a “digital military” and the ability to actually operate such a force under fire, amid chaos, against an adaptive enemy, and at a tempo where a decision delayed by a minute may already be irrelevant.
The fighting force that recovered from the October 7 surprise subsequently demonstrated extraordinary tactical and operational adaptability. After the initial shock, the IDF moved within a relatively short period from systemic surprise to a complex, joint, multidimensional offensive campaign, demonstrating the ability of a military organization to learn, change its methods, and rebuild operational effectiveness while fighting.
One of the defining characteristics of the campaign has been the development of information and network-centric warfare. In the networked model, the sensor that detects, the system that analyzes, the commander who decides, and the element that fires all become part of a single network. Information is raw material that is rapidly converted into operational effect. The most important weapon on the modern battlefield is the system that knows faster what to shoot at, who should shoot, and when.
The ground challenge in Gaza has been exceptional even by international standards. The IDF has had to employ infantry, armor, combat engineers, intelligence, special forces, stand-off fire, and airpower within a dense urban environment, against an enemy that spent years constructing a system specifically designed to reduce the advantages of a conventional military.
In 2025, The United States Army’s Center for Army Lessons Learned, published a detailed study titled Subterranean Operations: Israeli Defense Force Lessons from Gaza. The study explicitly notes the need to examine and update U.S. doctrine based on the IDF’s experience in Gaza.
For years, a concept was developed in Israel that, in many cases, favored deterrence, containment, and risk management over a clear concept of decisive victory. Israel built a force with exceptional technological and operational capabilities, but its strategic concept for employing that force did not always evolve at the same pace. On October 7, the bill came due.
Oded Ailam, former head of the Counterterrorism Division in the Mossad, is a researcher at the Jerusalem Center.
(jcfa.org)
Palestinians’ Preferred Leaders: A Convicted Fatah Terrorist Or Hamas – Bassam Tawil
A survey, conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in the West Bank and Gaza on Aug. 5-8, 2026, reveals that although support for Hamas has declined, the fundamental political attitudes that have plagued Palestinian society for decades remain largely intact.
Hamas remains a major political force: convicted terrorists and Hamas leaders remain popular candidates for the Palestinian Authority (PA) presidency; overwhelming majorities oppose the unconditional disarmament of Hamas; and Iran, Hezbollah, and the Houthis in Yemen continue to enjoy remarkably high approval ratings.
Asked who is most suitable to succeed PA President Mahmoud Abbas, 39% shows imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti. Barghouti is not some imprisoned Palestinian political dissident. An Israeli court convicted him in 2004 of five counts of murder stemming from three terrorist attacks. He was sentenced to five consecutive life terms plus 40 years. This is the man most Palestinian voters would like to see as their next president. The second-place candidate is the head of Hamas – the same Hamas that carried out the Oct. 7 massacre.
72% say Hamas should not disarm before Israel completely withdraws from Gaza. Opposition to disarming Hamas reaches 79% in the West Bank and 62% in Gaza. Nearly 3/4 believe Hamas should be allowed to retain its weapons and continue functioning as an armed organization. This should be of particular concern to the Trump Administration and anyone expecting Hamas to disarm as part of the latest Gaza arrangements.
Whatever the U.S. administration’s intentions, the recent meeting between U.S. envoy Jared Kushner and Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya in Cairo provides Hamas with international legitimacy. Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, can present the encounter to Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims as evidence that its strategy has succeeded.
The message is that terrorism pays. If you carry out attacks, take hostages, retain your weapons and survive long enough – eventually the Americans will negotiate with you. This perception is particularly dangerous just months before Palestinian elections. Instead of politically isolating Hamas, direct high-level engagement helps portray the terrorist group as an indispensable regional actor.
