News Digest — 9/19/25
Humanitarian Aid Truck Driver Murders Two IDF Soldiers At Allenby Crossing
IDF Soldiers, Lt. Col. (Res.) Yitzhak Harosh and Sgt. Oran Hershko were both killed on Thursday, (18th) in a shooting attack at the Allenby Crossing on the Jordan border.
Harosh, aged 68, from Jerusalem, was an officer in the Civil Administration’s reserve Unit 309. Hershko, aged 20, from Tel Mond, was a foreign forces liaison NCO in the International Cooperation Division.
The security forces neutralized the terrorist at the scene.
An initial investigation found that the terrorist reached the border crossing from the Jordanian side, driving a truck that was meant to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. It would appear the terrorist began to stab the two Israeli citizens after his gun jammed.
After the terrorist entered the Israeli side of the crossing, near the cargo terminal, he began carrying out the attack. He opened fire on people in the area even before his truck reached the checkpoint. The terrorist exited the truck, first shooting at the people there, then stabbing them and causing severe injuries. Only afterward did an Allenby Bridge security guard arrive and neutralize the attacker.
A security official stressed that the terrorist was a Jordanian civilian who was employed by the Jordanian military to transport aid trucks from Jordan to the Gaza Strip.
An Israeli official explained to the media that the aid trucks do not undergo inspection due to an agreement with the Jordanians.
Following the attack, IDF troops encircled Jericho.
Paramedic Bosmat Lubiner and MDA EMT Amit Weiss recounted: “We arrived at the scene with significant forces and joined security personnel at the checkpoint. They led us to two men who were unconscious with gunshot wounds as we administered initial medical treatment. We continued medical care, including resuscitation efforts, but unfortunately had to pronounce their deaths.”
A year ago, Yochanan Shchori, 61, Yuri Birnbaum, 65, and Adrian Marcelo Podsmesser, 57, were murdered in a shooting attack at the Allenby Crossing. The terrorist, who shot at them from close range using a pistol, was eliminated by security guards at the border crossing.
According to the preliminary investigation at the time, the terrorist arrived in a truck from the Jordanian side of the border with a firearm hidden in the truck. When he reached the Israeli workers at the crossing, he pulled out the weapon and started shooting.
Houthi Drone Crash Damages Eilat Hotel
A Houthi drone crashed into the courtyard of a hotel in Eilat on Thursday (18th) and caused damage to the building, the IDF said.
Eilat District Police isolated the impact site, stating that no casualties had been reported, and bomb squad units worked to determine whether it was the remains of an interceptor or a drone crash.
Residents were urged to stay away from the site.
Eilat’s Municipality announced that “it was decided to postpone the Selichot performance scheduled to take place on Thursday evening (18th) on Palm Beach, despite the fact that there was no change in the Home Front Command’s defense policy.”
Houthi drone attacks have increased in the last couple of weeks, with one of them even managing to impact the city’s Ramon Airport at the beginning of September.
The current IDF operation in Yemen, which targeted the main political echelon of the Houthis and their main port in Hodeidah, aims to stop these attacks and debilitate the terror organization.
Wave Of Israeli Strikes In Southern Lebanon Targets Hezbollah’s Elite Radwan Force
Israel said on Thursday (18th) it had launched a fresh wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon to prevent the terror group from rebuilding in the area.
Before the strike, the IDF issued evacuation warnings for four sites in southern Lebanon, before later calling to clear the vicinity surrounding two additional buildings.
In the evacuation order, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee said that the strikes had been ordered in response to Hezbollah’s prohibited attempts to rebuild its activities in the area.”
He published maps of the targeted buildings, calling residents and those close by to evacuate “immediately and distance yourselves from them by no less than 500 meters.”
The strikes were carried out in two main waves following evacuation warnings to residents of Mays al-Jabal, Kfar Tebnit, Dibbin, Chehabiyeh, and Burj Qalaouiyah.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said roads leading out of Kfar Tebnit were full of people who had left their homes ahead of the strikes.
The IDF said later on Thursday (18th) that the strikes had targeted several weapon depots belonging to Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force.
The Radwan Force was previously tasked with invading Israel in a future war, and the IDF says the elite unit had advanced the terror group’s “Conquer the Galilee” plan for years, until the 2023-2024 war that saw most of Hezbollah’s leadership eliminated.
“The Hezbollah terror organization continues its attempts to restore terror infrastructure in southern Lebanon, especially the Radwan unit, with the aim of harming the State of Israel,” the military said in a statement.
Since the beginning of the cease fire on November 27, 2024, the IDF says it has carried out many airstrikes against Hezbollah, killing operatives and destroying dozens of sites belonging to the terror group, saying they violated the terms of the truce.
The ceasefire agreement came after nearly 14 months of conflict sparked by Hezbollah’s unprovoked launching of near-daily attacks on Israeli border communities starting October 8, 2023 – a day after fellow Iran-backed group Hamas stormed southern Israel, sparking the Gaza War.
The Hezbollah attacks displaced some 60,000 residents of northern Israel. In a bid to secure their return, Israel stepped up operations in Lebanon in September 2024, decimating Hezbollah’s leadership.
US Vetoes ‘Unacceptable’ Security Council Resolution On Gaza Over Failure To Condemn Hamas
UNITED NATIONS – The United States once again vetoed a UN Security Council resolution Thursday (18th) that had demanded an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages after saying that the effort did not go far enough in condemning Hamas.
All 14 other members of the UN’s most powerful body voted in favor of the resolution, which described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “catastrophic” and called on Israel to lift all restrictions on the delivery of aid in the territory.
“Colleagues, US opposition to this resolution will come as no surprise,” Morgan Ortagus, a senior US policy adviser, said before the vote took place. “It fails to condemn Hamas or recognize Israel’s right to defend itself, and it wrongly legitimizes the false narratives benefiting Hamas, which have sadly found currency in this council.”
She added that other council members “ignored” US warnings about the “unacceptable” language and instead adopted “performative action designed to draw a veto.”
The outcome further highlights US and Israeli isolation on the world stage regarding the nearly two-year war in Gaza. The vote came just days ahead of the annual gathering of world leaders at the UN General Assembly, where Gaza will be a major topic and where major US allies are expected to recognize an independent Palestinian state. It is a largely symbolic move that is vehemently opposed by Israel and the US, dividing the Trump administration from close allies, including the UK and France.
In opposing similar resolutions since November, the US has complained that the demands, including ceasefire, were not directly linked to the unconditional release of hostages and would only embolden Hamas terrorists.
Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, blasted the new resolution, saying that it would “not release the hostages and will not bring security to the region.”
“Israel will continue to fight Hamas and protect its citizens, even if the Security Council prefers to turn a blind eye to terrorism,” he said in a statement Thursday (18th).
The Israeli military, which says it wants to “destroy Hamas’ military infrastructure,” hasn’t given a timeline for the new offensive which began Tuesday (16th), but there were indications it could take months.
Americans overall, particularly Republicans, are less likely to say that negotiating a ceasefire would be a higher priority for the US government than it was just a few months ago, when the US was holding ceasefire talks with Hamas.
IDF Reservists: Why We Keep Going Back To Fight
We seven reservists, ranging in age from 23 to 65, men and women, have together served nearly 2,000 days since Oct. 7. We repudiate those few, but well-publicized, reservists who have taken to the New York Times to vow not to serve – which means to abandon their comrades now in the field.
Three of us are mobilized now. One of us will return to duty soon – on crutches. We represent most reservists, who keep showing up to protect our country – and watch each others’ backs. We’re all absolutely sure of our duty to keep serving. Since Oct. 7, we have buried dozens of friends.
We repudiate the illegal, immoral, pile-on against Israel during this seven-front war for our existence, continuing the 100-year-war against Zionism. Defending the State of Israel, the Jewish people, and Western civilization against these jihadists is the only way we can survive.
Having watched this war up close, none of us believe Hamas will ever release all the hostages willingly. If we stop fighting now, Hamas will declare victory. Arab states considering expanding the Abraham Accords will spurn what they perceive to be a weak Israel. Even worse, we will be forced to fight again soon.
We’ve had necessary military operations aborted abruptly to avoid killing civilians. That’s why we reject “war crime” accusations and the “genocide” libel. Our commanders keep choosing between destroying the enemy’s infrastructure and risking our lives. We buried a 23-year-old newly wed whom a Hamas sniper killed because the army didn’t collapse a six-story building. We wonder how many friends we’ve lost by constantly warning terrorists before attacking.
Yes, we’re tired, aching to return to normal. Yet we know that a just war like World War II didn;t end until the evil instigators surrendered unconditionally. We serve because we recognize the lethal threats to our nation. We serve because if we don’t do it, no one else will. We serve with our comrades in arms because we need each other. And we serve for our children – and our shared future.
How Israel Helped Gaza Before Oct. 7, 2023 – Khaled Abu Toameh
Several years ago, Israel came under pressure from many in the international community to ease restrictions on Hamas-controlled Gaza, despite Hamas’ repeated terror attacks against Israel, including more than 31,000 rockets and mortars fired at civilian communities in Israel before 2023. Since then, an additional 19,000 rockets have been fired at Israel from Gaza. Which European country would tolerate 50,000 rockets, mortars and missiles fired at it – or even one rocket?
Israel allowed Qatar to send billions of dollars to Gaza, primarily for humanitarian aid, civil servant salaries and infrastructure, often channeled through international organizations. Qatar funded fuel for Gaza’s electric power plant, construction materials for infrastructure projects, and food rations for impoverished families. Israel approved much of this funding, delivered in cash, in a humanitarian gesture of goodwill to alleviate the condition of many Gazans.
Israel went to unprecedented lengths to help the Palestinians in Gaza. It even issued work permits to increasing numbers of workers to enter Israel from Gaza that reached 18,000 by Oct. 7. Egypt, Qatar, and the UN kept assuring Israel that the best way to achieve calm and stability was by improving Gaza’s economy and issuing more work permits.
Shortly after Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, Hamas seized control and transformed it into a large base for jihad against Israel. Hamas’ leaders did not care about medical treatment or schools in Gaza. They also never cared about the unemployed laborers. Rather, they had only one thing in mind; the destruction of Israel and the murder of Jews.
Israel had been led to believe that jobs, money, and humanitarian aid would bring stability and calm. However, Hamas and many Palestinians viewed these conciliatory measures as signs of weakness on the part of Israel. With or without the funding and humanitarian aid, Hamas would have carried out its Oct. 7 attack on Israel anyway.
What the international community fails to understand is that since the establishment of Hamas 35 years ago, its stated goal has been the elimination of Israel. For Hamas, the conflict has never been about improving the living conditions of Palestinians. Hamas regards Israel as one big, illegitimate “settlement” that needs to be uprooted and replaced with an Islamist state.
The writer, a veteran Israeli journalist, is a senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute and the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs.
