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Israeli forces are poised to launch fresh intensified operations in Rafah and, according to the defence minister, will remain in place afterwards. “We will stay on the ground in Rafah, and we will not leave,” Israel Katz said. IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said this marks the beginning of Phase B of the war. Katz warned the opportunity for a hostage deal will vanish “once Trump leaves the region next week”.
Around 59 Gazans died in the latest Israeli airstrikes on the Strip, including at a school in Nuseirat refugee camp and a market in Gaza City, according to Hamas-controlled Gaza authorities. One strike reportedly killed 27 people inside Karama School, which was being used as a shelter.
US President Donald Trump said the Washington would destroy Iran’s nuclear programme “nicely or viciously” if Tehran refuses to strike a deal limiting its proliferation. “Well, we could actually blow ’em up. Blow ’em up, or just de-nuke ’em,” he said an an interview. “But there are only two alternatives – blow ’em up nicely or blow ’em up viciously.”
The IDF has killed a senior Hamas commander in Lebanon in an Israeli airstrike on Sidon, a coastal city in the country’s south. The military said Khaled Ahmad Ahmad ran cross-border operations for the terror group. It added the operation was part of its ongoing effort to eliminate senior operatives from multiple fronts. A day prior, Israel also killed a Hezbollah figure in a separate strike. No details were given on whether the two operations were coordinated.
Meanwhile, America has stopped its strikes against Houthis, but Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will keep hitting Houthi targets in Yemen, including in the capital Sanaa. The Houthis have reportedly agreed to halt attacks on US ships but not on Israel. In light of this, Netanyahu made clear that Israel will act alone if needed.
However, Washington and Jerusalem are still reportedly exploring a possible US-led civil administration for Gaza. The plan would sideline both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, according to media reports citing officials briefed on the proposal. The idea, one official said, is being shaped to ensure “non-Hamas, non-Fatah local leadership” can emerge during a transitional phase. The candidate reportedly under discussion is a Palestinian-American businessman. Palestinians have not been included in the talks.
Elsewhere, getting hostages back to Israel is actually the bottom priority of the IDF in Gaza, according to a Haaretz report citing an internal military planning document. The document, reportedly distributed to IDF commanders, listed the return of captives as the sixth and final objective of Israel’s Gaza war plan – below goals such as defeating Hamas, dismantling its governance, and engineering population displacement. The report has not been confirmed.
Finally, amid confusion over how many hostages remain alive, Netanyahu has admitted that Israel’s official figure of 24 may be too high. “We know for sure about 21 hostages who are alive,” he said. “There is doubt regarding three.” The comment came after Trump said that fewer than 24 of the remaining 59 hostages are believed to be alive.
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