Israel Report - Tuesday 08 July 2025
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.
Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously. [Isaiah 24; vv 21-23]
Ceasefire in Gaza? New Strikes on Iran? Netanyahu Meets Trump……….
IDSF - Israel's Defense and Security Forum
In today’s briefing, Brigadier General Amir Avivi talks about today's historic meeting, again, between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu.
He goes through the different talking points between the two leaders and the need to continue to maintain a strong unified front against the Iranian regime.
He also talks about the developments in the war in Gaza and the differences between the Government and the IDF leadership.
Lastly, he shares some of the promising details about Arab groups in Hebron who want to break with the Palestinian Authority and join the Abraham Accords. [see Israel Report 07 July 2025]
HERE is the recording of the briefing from today.
Our next briefing will be Wednesday 09 July 2025
Unusual Meeting in D.C…..
Netanyahu’s flight did not depart on schedule, and the delay reinforced what many observers already understood—that this visit is anything but routine.
Netanyahu landed in Washington, D.C. at 12:45 a.m. local time on Sunday, July 6—approximately eight hours later than originally scheduled.
At 6:30 p.m. on Monday evening, Netanyahu was greeted by Trump at the South Portico of the White House.
Five minutes later, the two leaders sat down for a private dinner in the Blue Room—closed to all press, staff, and official media coverage.
There was to be no statements. No photographs. No joint address.
In the end however, Trump spoke to the press at length before the working dinner opening a portion of the event to the media at the last moment.
Netanyahu likened the combined American and Israeli efforts against Tehran as setting back “the two tumours that were threatening the life of Israel: the nuclear tumour and the ballistic-missile tumour.”
As for the latter, Netanyahu said Iran intended to build 20,000 to launch “on a country the size of New Jersey. No country can withstand that. So what do you do when you have two things that are going to kill you? You have to remove them.”
The meeting is highly unusual in format and tone. For a visit of such diplomatic weight, and with Netanyahu making a highly compressed visit to Washington, the discretion suggests more than symbolism.
Netanyahu informed Trump on Monday evening that he has nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
"I wanted to express deep appreciation and admiration, not only of all Israelis, but of the Jewish people," Netanyahu said.
"The president has already realized great opportunities. He forged the Abraham Accords, he's forging peace as we speak with one country and one region after the other. I want to present to you, Mr. President, a letter that I sent to the Nobel prize committee. It's nominating you for the peace prize."
Senior Hamas official says group’s control over Gaza ‘Completely Collapsed’……..
A senior Hamas official tells the BBC that the terror group has lost control of around 80% of the Gaza Strip and that there is “barely anything left” of its military structure.
The British news outlet says it received a number of voice messages from a “senior officer” in Hamas, identified only as a lieutenant colonel who was wounded in October 2023.
“Let’s be realistic here — there’s barely anything left of the security structure. Most of the leadership, about 95%, are now dead… The active figures have all been killed,” he said. “So really, what’s stopping Israel from continuing this war?”
The official claims that the war “has to continue until the end. All the conditions are aligned: Israel has the upper hand, the world is silent, the Arab regimes are silent, criminal gangs are everywhere, society is collapsing.”
He says since the end of the latest ceasefire in March, Hamas’s security control in Gaza “has completely collapsed. Totally gone. There’s no control anywhere,” pointing to extensive looting of Hamas’s complex with no intervention.
“So, the security situation is zero. Hamas’s control is zero. There’s no leadership, no command, no communication. Salaries are delayed, and when they do arrive, they’re barely usable. Some die just trying to collect them. It’s total collapse.”
Elusive Hamas- Israel Agreement….
A Hamas-Israel agreement is still far from being finalized, with three key issues yet to be resolved.
First, there’s disagreement over where exactly the IDF will withdraw from.
Jerusalem’s current stance is that areas it captured during Operation Gideon’s Chariots won’t be returned to Hamas, as doing so would prevent Israel from building the humanitarian zone in southern Gaza that will be free of both Hamas and weapons.
Next is the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. For Israel, the continuation of GHF operations during the ceasefire is crucial.
Why? Because without it, the ceasefire will end up funding Hamas in the form of tens of thousands of aid trucks—the very thing that has enabled the terror group to survive 21 months of war.
And finally, there’s the question of ending the war once and for all.
Netanyahu’s coalition can likely stomach a 60-day ceasefire—but the prime minister will be harder pressed to garner enough support for a total end to the war.
If Hamas remains steadfast in its demand for an end to the fighting—that may well prevent a deal from being struck.
But there’s one more issue—at least on Hamas’ end. In Israel, we know that the elected government makes the ultimate decisions regarding the war.
But in Gaza? It’s not entirely clear. During the first ceasefire, Hamas had Yahya Sinwar at the helm. During the second ceasefire, his brother was leading the group.
But with both of them gone, along with much of Hamas’ senior leadership in the strip, it’s not clear who has the final say—and that complicates attempts to strike a final agreement, to say the least.
As for Hamas’ internal debates, while the terror group recognizes the dire straits in which it finds itself, there’s disagreement over whether to let Israel remain in crucial areas such as the Morag Corridor, or to stand by the demand for a more widespread Israeli withdrawal.
For now, at least, there’s nothing to suggest that the Gazan terror group is about to give in.
Report: Trump to offer Netanyahu Syria normalization if Gaza war ends…..
Donald Trump is dangling the possibility of an agreement between Israel and Syria as a carrot in exchange for Israel agreeing to end the war in Gaza, Israel Hayom reports, citing “sources close to the White House.”
The report claims that Trump sent an envoy to Damascus today to nail down a Syria-Israel agreement with the US as guarantor.
The report does not name the official or say who they are meeting. US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack was in Beirut today, and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa was in the United Arab Emirates for talks on improving ties with the Gulf.
Earlier today, the Trump administration announced that it was revoking a foreign terrorist organization designation for Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a group once linked to Al-Qaeda that is led by al-Sharaa, who took control of Syria in December 2024.
An Israeli official said last week that Israel is holding “advanced talks” with Syria.
“There is absolutely an aspiration to expand the Abraham Accords, and it’s no secret that we want to see Syria in this,” the official continued. “And there may be an opportunity.”
Israel Report
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