News Digest — 9/29/25
White House Talks To Focus On Israel’s Freedom Of Action Against Hamas, Qatar’s Role In Gaza
One of the key issues expected to be discussed between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at their Oval Office meeting later Monday (29th) is Qatar’s role in Gaza’s reconstruction and administration. A few months ago Israel agreed that Qatar would be deeply involved and would provide funding for rebuilding, a decision that was reported by Ynet News.
Qatar wants to be the dominant actor in the Strip, and its rivalry with Egypt over the role is playing out in the current talks. Israel, wary after the deterioration in ties with Qatar, Israeli airstrikes against Hamas leaders there and Doha’s international campaign against the Israeli government, wants to limit Qatar’s influence in a “day after” scenario as much as possible. That position is not acceptable in Washington. As of Sunday (28th), negotiators had drafted a compromise formulation on the issue.
Another subject is Israel’s freedom of action should Hamas rearm, rebuild or otherwise regain strength. Israel has asked U.S. interlocutors to state explicitly that the Israel Defense Forces would retain freedom of action to remove terror threats from the Strip. Mediating countries have warned that such language could push Hamas away from any deal.
Israel officials still judge the biggest challenge will be securing Hamas’ agreement to release all hostages in one sweep, thereby giving up what the group sees as both an asset and a human shield.
Overnight an Israeli official said there had been “substantial progress” in talks on President Trump’s 21-point plan. Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff met for many hours with the prime minister in the New York hotel where he is staying, and the sides bridged most of the remaining gaps. The official expressed optimism about the chances of closing a deal, saying: “There is a good atmosphere toward a conclusion. There has been substantial progress toward agreements.”
Tonight at 6: p.m. Israel time, Netanyahu and Trump will meet at the White House in Washington to discuss, among other things, the 21-point plan. They will have a private meeting, share lunch and then hold a joint news conference. “The best indication of any understanding will be the news conference,” an Israeli official said.
Despite Trump’s blunt remarks opposing Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank, a “large emergency delegation” from the Yesha Council flew to New York and met with the prime minister. The meeting between settlement leaders and Netanyahu lasted about two hours. Kushner and Witkoff passed by them as they left the prime minister’s meeting at the hotel. The Yesha delegation earlier met with New York Consul General Ophir Akunis. Among those at the meeting with the prime minister were Yesha Council Chairman Israel Gantz and Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan.
Netanyahu told the delegation he would “raise the issue of sovereignty with the president,” but stressed that “we must navigate a complex reality.” He told them: “Here is a sympathetic president, remember the Obama era when he said we would not build even one brick.” Settlement leaders told Netanyahu the chance to apply sovereignty was a “one-time opportunity,” in part in response to French President Emmanuel Macron’s initiative on Palestinian state recognition and the support it has drawn. They also said some left-left-leaning municipal leaders privately told them they support “the Samaria envelope,” but would not speak publicly.
Sara Netanyahu, the prime minister’s wife, also attended the meeting. Yesha leaders asked Netanyahu to tell Trump that “Sovereignty must be applied.” Netanyahu said he would find a way to express that Judea and Samaria are part of the Land of Israel.” Participants said the Yesha officials left, “very disturbed” that Netanyahu did not set a timetable for when he would apply sovereignty.
Mike Johnson Says West Bank Belongs To Israel After Trump’s Opposition To Annexation
Judea and Samaria belong to Israel, US Speaker of the House Mike Johhnson said Sunday (28th).
In response to a question by Tony Perkins on the Washington Watch radio show about US President Donald Trump’s opposition to Israeli annexation of the West Bank, Johnson said: “I believe that Judea and Samaria are the traditional lands that belong to Israel. But there are a lot of geopolitical forces to play here. I think there’s still a lot to resolve, and we will have to see how this develops.”
Last Thursday (25th), Trump told reporters: “I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. It’s not going to happen….There’s been enough. It’s time to stop now.”
When asked if he had spoken with Trump about Judea and Samaria, Johnson said he had not yet had the opportunity to discuss this specific matter since Trump’s initial statement.
Johnson was recently in Israel, becoming the first Speaker of the House of Representatives to visit Judea and Samaria.
He also participated in a historic meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Samaria settlement of Shiloh last month, marking the first high-level meeting between a prime minister and a senior American official in the West Bank.
Johnson’s meeting with Netanyahu followed an unprecedented official visit to Ariel by a delegation of senior Trump administration officials and members of Congress that Johnson led.
While in Arial, Johnson, who is the third-highest-ranking official in the US political system, said he would work to eliminate the use of the term West Bank at the federal level and instead promote the exclusive use of Judea and Samaria for those areas.
Hamas Says It Lost Contact With Two Israeli Hostages While Hinting At Their Location
Hamas claimed Sunday (28th) it had lost contact with two Israeli hostages during intensified Israeli operations in Gaza City, although the terror group’s instructions betrayed hints of the captives’ locations.
Recently, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that it had taken about half of Gaza City as its extensive operation in the area continues.
In a statement, Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades said communication with the captives was severed in the past 48 hours amid heavy fighting in the Sabra and Telal-Hawa neighborhoods.
The terror group demanded that the IDF withdraw south of Street No. 8 and suspend air activity for 24 hours “so that attempts can be made to extract the captives.” The unusually precise reference to the hostages’ reported location marked a first for Hamas.
Both captives were kidnapped during Hamas’ October 7, 2023, assault on southern Israel, which ignited the current war.
The hostages and Missing Families Forum said the families of the two captives were working with authorities to assess the Hamas statement. They requested that their names not be published.
Of the 251 people abducted on Oct. 7, 48 are believed to be in captivity. The IDF has confirmed that at least 26 of them are dead. Twenty are thought to be alive, while there are serious concerns about the condition of two others.
Among the bodies Hamas is holding is that of an IDF officer killed in Gaza in 2014.
Meanwhile, residents reported Israeli ground forces advancing in multiple areas of Gaza City, including Al-Nasr, Sheikh Radwan, and the Al-Shati refugee camp in the north, as well as Tel al-Hawa and Sabra in the south.
The IDF said its 98th Division has expanded control around the city, targeting Hamas positions in coordination with the Air Force.
Prime MInister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed in a Fox News interview that Israel is working with US President Donald Trump’s team on a proposal aimed at dismantling Hamas, securing the release of hostages , and demilitarizing Gaza.
Some families of captives have warned they will step up protests if no deal is reached before Netanyahu returns from the US.
Meanwhile, Israeli officials are “optimistic” that military spokesman Abu Obaida was eliminated in an airstrike.
Son Of Hamas Calls For Israelis To Launch ‘Counter-Flotilla’ Against Gaza Activists
Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of co-founder of Hamas, Sheik Hassan Yousef, who later became an intelligence asset, has called on Israelis to mount a counter-flotilla in response to an international effort to break the blockade of Gaza.
Yousef, who once worked undercover for the Shin Bet, has since become a vocal advocate for Israel abroad. He issued his appeal over the weekend in a series of fiery social media posts.
“Listen up, Israeli boat owners – sea wolves, mothers, sons, daughters, ” he wrote: “Fifty boats draped in fake flags, packaged with terrorist sympathizers, sail to slander us while our hostages rot. This isn’t a protest, it’s a thunderclap. We don’t debate . We sail.”
Yousef urged citizens to join together in “a blue-and-white wall for the hostages, for every Israeli still breathing,” while stressing that participation should be coordinated with the Navy and remain within designated zones. “No ramming, just presence,” he emphasized.
In another message, he warned that the Gaza-bound flotilla was designed to provoke Israel into a confrontation that could spark international condemnation. “Their money, their boats, their chaos – all to throw Hamas a lifeline,” he said. “Our outrage answers theirs.”
Most notable among the participants is Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who was deported in June following a similar effort to break the Gaza blockade aboard one boat. Israeli officials dismissed that effort as a “selfie yacht.”
Israel and Egypt have maintained restrictions on Gaza to prevent weapons smuggling since Hamas seized control of the Strip in 2007. Since then, Palestinian activists have periodically launched flotillas to challenge the blockade. In 2011, an independent UN inquiry into the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident criticized Israeli forces for using excessive force but upheld the blockade’s legality.
Yousef, now 47, was born in Ramallah and became involved in Hamas activities as a youth, and was viewed as an eventual successor to his father, Sheikh Hassan Yousef. But while in Israel’s Megiddo Prison, during his early adulthood, Mosab began to question Hamas’ ideology and tactics and became disillusioned with Hamas extremism.
He accepted an offer by the Shin Bet to become an informer on condition that Israel would try to arrest, not kill, the targets of his intelligence tips.
As the son of Sheikh Yousef, Mosab was privy to many Hamas plans. For around one decade, the intelligence he provided the Shin Bet foiled numerous suicide bombing attacks and assassination attempts, and exposed terror cells. Within the Shin Bet, he was referred to as “The Green Prince.”
Shortly after the Oct. 7 attacks, Mosab Yousef called on Israel to assassinate his father if Hamas refused to release the hostages.
The flotilla, numbering about 50 vessels, is currently being escorted by Italian and Spanish naval ships, with Greek media reporting Turkish drone surveillance of its progress. Organizers say they intend to deliver aid directly to Gaza, rejecting Israel’s offer to transfer cargo through Ashkelon or via Cyprus. It remains unclear how the confrontation will unfold once the ships approach Israeli waters. Israel insists it will not permit direct access to Gaza’s coastline.
Netanyahu To UN: ‘Israel Is Fighting Your Fight; Our Enemies Hate All OF Us With Equal Venom’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the UN General Assembly on Friday (26th):
• Iran’s terror axis threatened the peace of the entire world and the very existence of my country, Israel. So what’s happened over the past year? Half the Houthi leadership in Yemen – gone. Yahya Sinwar in Gaza – gone. Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon – gone. The Assad regime in Syria – gone. And Iran’s top military commanders and its top atomic bomb scientists are gone too. President Trump and I promised to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons and we delivered on that promise.
• Much of the world no longer remembers October 7th. But Israel remembers. These monsters took more than 250 people hostage. So far, we’ve brought home 207 of these hostages. But 48 still remain in the dungeons of Gaza. To the remaining Hamas leaders, and to the jailors of our hostages, I now say: let my people go! Free all the hostages now! If you do, you will live. If you don’t, Israel will hunt you down.
• Israel did what any self-respecting nation would do in the wake of such a savage attack. We fought back. Imagine a terror regime dispatching thousands of terrorists to invade the U.S. in such an attack that would be proportional to the attack against Israel on October 7th, and that they massacre 40,000 Americans. And they take 10,000 Americans hostage. Do you think Americans would leave that regime standing? Not a chance! The U.S. would wipe out that terror regime and assure that such savagery would never threaten America again. This is precisely what Israel is doing in Gaza.
• Our enemies hate all of us with equal venom. They want to drag the modern world back to the past, to a dark age of violence, fanaticism, and terror. You know deep down that Israel is fighting your fight. Behind closed doors, many of the leaders who publicly condemn us, privately thank us. They tell me how much they value Israel’s superb intelligence services that have prevented time and again terrorist attacks in their capitals, saving countless lives.
• Giving the Palestinians a state one mile from Jerusalem after October 7th is like giving al-Qaeda a state one mile from New York City after September 11th. This is sheer madness. It’s insane, and we won’t do it. Israel will not allow you to shove a terror-state down our throats. We will not commit national suicide because you don’t have the guts to face down a hostile media and anti-Semitic mobs demanding Israel’s blood.
(gov.il)
What Young Israelis Think About Recognition Of A Palestinian State – Jim Armitage
I traveled to Tel Aviv, a 50-mile drive from Gaza, to gauge Israeli opinions on the decision last week by the UK and other Western countries to recognize Palestine. Saul and Yair, both 21, are appalled that Western leaders could even talk of a two-state solution while Hamas still has hostages hidden underground in Gaza.
Yair said: “I just don’t think people in Europe understand the situation we’re in. Did they see what happened on October 7th?” “Every one here knows someone who was killed or taken that day,” said Saul. “And, you know, Israel only has to lose one war and we will all be killed. All of us Jews will be dead.”
Josh Hantman, a partner at a polling and strategic communications agency, said, “Everyone has seen the images of October 7. Everyone is following the hostage crisis and feels it personally. And everyone has been running to bomb shelters with their kids on an almost daily basis.”
“What has upset people,” says Lianne Pollak, 42, “is that Western leaders have proffered recognition of a Palestinian state now, without extracting anything from Hamas in return. It ignores that right now there are 48 hostages being held by Hamas. It ignores that Hamas has not agreed to release the hostages, end the war, and disarm.”
Idit, 24, an army reservist, said her best friend was killed in Gaza, in March, aged 23. “This is why it makes me so sad to hear about the European leaders recognizing Palestine… They have given a prize to Hamas… We have to destroy Hamas because we have nowhere else to go.” Sunday Times UK)
