News Digest — 8/5/25
PMO: Netanyahu Decides On Full Occupation Of Gaza
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reached a decision for the full occupation of the Gaza Strip, Including operations where hostages are held, a source in the Prime Minister’s Office, told The Jerusalem Post on Monday (4th).
The Prime Minister’s Office conveyed the message to IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir.
Additionally, on Tuesday morning (5th), an Israeli official told the Post that Netanyahu will convene an extensive meeting on Gaza and a hostage deal, noting that, “the prime minister is considering all available options regarding the next steps.”
The Israeli official added that US President Donald Trump’s special Envoy Steve Witkoff returned to the US to meet with the president and “a broad consensus that a deal must include all the hostages.”
Hamas responded to the reports about the intent to conquer Gaza saying,”Israel’s threats are repetitive, worthless, and have no influence on our decisions.”
The announcement comes after months of talks in Doha between Hamas, Israel, and mediators to reach a ceasefire-hostage deal.
Hamas demanded that hundreds of trucks of aid would need to enter Gaza for the terror group to return to negotiations, despite increased international efforts to deliver resources to the Palestinian enclave in a way that would bypass the Islamist rulers of the Strip.
Hamas also released videos over the weekend, showing emaciated hostages and claiming that they were starving.
While the Red Cross agreed to increase efforts to deliver aid directly to the hostages, in addition to the aid being delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, Hamas responded that the resources would only be allowed to reach the men if Israel opens the humanitarian corridors permanently and halts “all forms of air traffic” during the delivery of packages.
US Speaker Mike Johnson In Aerial Visit: West Bank Must Remain Integral Part Of Israel
US Speaker Mike Johnson visited the West Bank, including the city of Aerial, on Monday (4th), in the first-ever official visit by a House speaker to the area.
“Judea and Samaria are the frontline of the State of Israel and must remain an integral part of it,” Johnson said during his visit. “Even if the world thinks otherwise, we stand with you,” Johnson added.
The visit was organized by the Yesha Council, with senior council officials, including Governor of the Binyamin Region and Chairman of the Yesha Council Yisrael Ganz, CEO Omer Rahamim, and other local authority leaders, meeting with Johnson as part of his visit.
“This is an historic moment. U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee said that while America has many allies and friends in the world, it has only one true partner: Israel. Today’s visit proves this beyond any doubt,” Chairman of Republicans Overseas Israel, Marc Zell said. Zell participated in Johnson’s visit to Ariel.
“This is a clear expression of President Trump’s unwavering support for Israel, and recognition that Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria is not an obstacle to peace – but rather an expression of the Jewish people’s historical and legal right to their land,” Zell added.
Johnson was originally planning to visit Israel on June 22, but announced on June 16 that he would be postponing his visit due to the outbreak of the Israel-Iran war.
When Knesset Speaker Amir Ahana originally confirmed Johnson’s plans to visit Israel on June 11, Johnson commented that “this will be one of the greatest moments of honor in my life.”
According to the original plans for the visit, Johnson is slated to become the third House speaker in history to address the Knesset plenum, following Newt Gingrich in 1998 and Kevin McCarthy in 2023. Notably, all three are members of the Republican party.
“Today, the State of Israel and the Jewish people around the world are facing serious threats, and it is our moral duty to stand by our democratic sister. As terrorism and the vile anti-Semitic ideology threaten Western civilization, Israel must know that when America said ‘never again,’ we meant it,” Johnson said in June.
‘Appalling’ – After Hostage Videos, Red Cross And WHO Demand Release Of Israeli Captives
International non-governmental organizations expressed shock Sunday night (3rd) and Monday morning (4th), following the release of two hostage videos featuring Israeli captives held by terrorist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
On Sunday night (3rd), the International Committee of the Red Cross issued a statement saying the group was “appalled” by footage released last week.
A video released last Thursday (7/31) by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group showed hostage Rom Braslavski lying on the floor at an undisclosed location in the Gaza Strip grimacing in pain while lamenting he is “at death’s door.”
A day later, Hamas released footage of Evyatar David emaciated and digging a ditch inside a terror tunnel in Gaza.
Both David and Braslavski were emaciated in the videos.
“THe ICRC is appalled by the harrowing videos published over the last few days of Israeli hostages held in captivity in Gaza,” the Red Cross said.
“These videos are stark evidence of the life-threatening conditions in which the hostages are being held. We know families watching these videos are horrified and heartbroken by the conditions they see their loved ones held in.”
The Red Cross emphasized that the holding of hostages “is strictly prohibited according to International Humanitarian Law,” and demanded that the captives be “released immediately and unconditionally.”
While both Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have refused to allow foreign officials to meet with or treat the Israeli hostages, the Red Cross reiterated its call to be “granted access to the hostages.”
On Monday morning (4th), the World Health Organization (WHO), a United Nations agency, backed the Red Cross’ call for the hostages’ release.
“We echo the ICRC’s call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held in Gaza,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tweeted.
“We reiterate that all those being held must receive access to food and medical care, and must be treated without any form of humiliation.”
Why I Have Hope For Israel – Amb.Michael Oren
• Fifty years ago, I came to a country that had no relations with China, India, and Africa, nor the 12-member Soviet bloc, no peace with Egypt and Jordan, or any Abraham Accords. We had friendly relations with the U.S., but no deep, multifaceted strategic alliance and no high tech. Our major export was oranges.
• My historian’s eye enables me to see what no people in all of history could have accomplished, rising after two thousand years of statelessness, a mere three years after the Holocaust, to establish an independent nation in our ancient homeland.
• I see how that country, shorn of allies and natural resources, repelled a multi-pronged invasion designed to destroy it, absorbed 10 times its original Jewish population in 10 years, created one of the world’s only uninterrupted democracies, built seven top-flight universities, a universal healthcare system, and mustered an army more than twice as large as those of France and Britain combined.
• I saw Hebrew not merely reborn, but spoken, sung, and written. I saw how a poor agrarian backwater became a military and technological superpower, the country that could invent Mobileye and Waze while standing up to the lavishly-armed forces of evil.
• And during the current war my hope has grown. I’ve seen close to half a million Israelis leave their homes, their jobs, and their families, pick up a gun and go out to fight for their country, knowing full well that they may come back irreparably altered or may not come back at all. Half a million Israelis is proportional to the U.S. – the equivalent of many millions more than all the Americans who served along with my father in World War II.
• Whether in biblical or contemporary days, we are a nation of flawed heroes, and our miracles often come encapsulated in pain. But based on the empirical evidence, our nation will survive this trying period and emerge, once again, robust. The hope of being a free people in our own land, as our national anthem envisions, has not been lost.
The writer was Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., 2009-13.
David’s Sling Completes Live-Fire Testing
Amid the ongoing Swords of Iron War and following Operation Rising Lion, the Israeli Missile Defense Organization (IMDO), in cooperation with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and Rafael Advanced Systems as the prime contractor, has successfully completed a planned series of developmental flight tests of the David’s Sling Weapon System as part of its operational learning process.
The David’s Sling system successfully performed a series of live-fire tests, with scenarios simulating future threats, enhancing the system’s capabilities and significantly improving its ability to face the IDF’s various combat arenas. The successful tests represent another significant breakthrough in upgrading the system, which has already demonstrated high operational capabilities during the Swords of Iron War and Operation Rising Lion, with successful operational interceptions that saved lives and prevented substantial damage.
The David’s Sling system, specifically designed to counter various threats like rockets, missiles, cruise missiles, aircraft, and UAVs, constitutes a central defensive layer within Israel’s comprehensive multi-layered air and missile defense architecture, which also includes the Arrow weapon system, the Iron Dome Defense system, and the near-future Iron Bean system.
The David’s Sling is jointly developed by the IMDO within the Ministry’s DDR&D and the MDA. Rafael Advanced Defense Systems is the primary contractor for the system, with Raytheon Missile Systems as a subcontractor.
Maj. Gen. (Res.) Amir Baram, IMDO Director General said: “We’re facing an intense decade ahead that will demand robust offensive and defensive capabilities. Our adversaries continue testing our air defense systems, so we must keep upgrading them while fast-tracking breakthrough technologies that will give us a decisive edge and boost our operational capabilities. These successful tests mark another major enhancement to Israel’s multi-layered air and missile defense architecture that performed exceptionally during the Swords of Iron War and Operation Rising Lion.”
YoavTourgeman, CEO of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems stated: “Coming on the heels of Operation Rising Lion, Rafael is proud to conclude this advanced and highly successful series of tests. Alongside recent operational successes, this campaign further cements David’s Sling as one of the world’s leading air & missile defense systems. The testing integrated new capabilities across a wide range of challenging scenarios, with the system demonstrating outstanding performance against diverse advanced threats. I want to thank Rafael employees, whose expertise and dedication are reflected in the performance of our systems under operational and high-intensity combat conditions. My appreciation also goes to our longtime partners in the defense industries, the IMDO, the US MDA, and the Israeli Air Force for their vital role in this shared success.”
Pro-Hezbollah Islamic Camp Given The Greenlight In UK, Despite Objections
A Muslim man’s residential retreat in England that combined combat training with religious instruction went ahead last week despite objections from Jewish organizations, which alleged it was led by a pro-Hezbollah cleric.
The Spiritual Warrior Camp, organized by the Spiritual Warfare Project (SWP), ran from July 30 to August 3 at Darwin Lake in Derbyshire.
Promotional materials described it as offering “God-centric masculinity and brotherhood,” with sessions led by martial arts coaches, business professionals, and Islamic scholars.
Organizers said the program merged Islamic spiritual psychology with actual skills to provide holistic guidance for men.
The retreat’s leader, Shia cleric Sayed Hussain Makke, has been a lightning rod for criticism.
The Derbyshire Jewish Community and the Community Security Trust both condemned his involvement, citing his history of praise for Hezbollah.
Makke attended the funeral of the group’s former leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in Beirut, and has expressed support for Hamas and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling Nasrallah “one of the world’s greatest freedom fighters.” Hezbollah is a designated terrorist organization in the UK, US, Israel and Australia.
Earlier this year, Makke was barred from entering Australia when Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke revoked his visa after learning of his presence at Nasrallah’s funeral just days earlier.
Makke has rejected allegations that he or the camp support proscribed organizations, accusing media outlets of misrepresentation. He insists the camp’s mission is entirely peaceful and focused on personal development.
He claimed The Telegraph’s reporting was influenced by “Zionist lobby groups” and said the Jewish Chronicle was acting as a “propaganda outlet for the Zionist state,”
In statements, he argued that the criticism amounted to an attack on him for being a Lebanese Shia Muslim”working with young Muslim men” through SWP.
Both The Telegraph and the Jewish Chronicle have reported extensively on the controversy.
