Israel says it's launching an attack on Gaza City, halts humanitarian pauses (Israel also said it recovered the body of hostage Ilan Weiss from the Gaza Strip)

The Israeli military said on Friday that it has begun preliminary operations and the initial stages of a planned offensive on Gaza City, adding that it is currently operating with great force on the outskirts.

Earlier on Friday, Israel's military said it was suspending midday pauses that allowed the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza City, calling it a "a dangerous combat zone."

The city was among the places that Israel paused fighting last month to allow food and aid supplies to enter from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time.

The "tactical pauses" applied to Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi, three places where hundreds of thousands of displaced people are sheltering. The pivot came as Israel prepared to broaden its offensive, mobilizing tens of thousands of troops to seize Gaza City.

Israel's military did not say whether they had notified residents or aid groups about the plans to resume daytime hostilities.

Israel has said in the past that Gaza City is a Hamas stronghold, with a network of tunnels that remain in use by militants after several previous large-scale raids. The city is also home to some of the territory's critical infrastructure and health facilities.

The United Nations said Thursday that the besieged strip could lose half its hospital bed capacity if Israel invades as planned.

The war in Gaza has killed almost 63,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Israel has recovered the body of hostage Ilan Weiss from the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Friday.

Items belonging to a second individual, whose identity has not yet been cleared for publication, were also retrieved, the statement added.

Of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas-led militants almost 22 months ago, roughly 50 remain in Gaza, including 20 that Israel believes to be alive.

According to a statement posted by the Israel Defence Forces on X, Weiss kidnapped and killed by Hamas during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that started the war. His wife Shiri, 54, and daughter Noga, 19, were taken hostage into Gaza and released during the ceasefire deal in November 2023.

Reports of Benjamin Netanyahu “funding terrorism” are kinda
hard to believe even though Netanyahu’s not a very nice man.

Netanyahu has been accused of policies that strengthened Hamas. These include allowing Qatari payments into Gaza, which some critics say indirectly aided Hamas, and backing militant Israeli groups to further his political agenda. Netanyahu has strongly denied that his policies were intended to empower Hamas.

A policy under Netanyahu’s government involved allowing Qatar to transfer funds to Hamas-controlled Gaza, a decision with several motivations and disputed consequences.

Netanyahu’s critics assert the policy intentionally strengthened Hamas to divide the Palestinian factions, thereby undermining the more moderate Fatah and obstructing a unified Palestinian state.

Some reports suggest the payments were a gamble to stabilize Gaza and avert a humanitarian crisis by keeping Hamas preoccupied with governance rather than conflict.
Indirect financial support: While Qatari funds were ostensibly for civilian salaries and aid, critics contend that by covering civilian expenses, the payments freed up Hamas’s budget for military development, including building tunnels.

In 2019, Netanyahu arranged for the merger of the far-right party Otzma Yehudit (”Jewish Power”) with other religious parties to form a united list supporting his bid for re-election. Otzma Yehudit is considered a successor to the outlawed Kach party, a group founded by a militant rabbi with links to terrorism.

Critics, including former Israeli politicians, accused Netanyahu of legitimizing extremism by incorporating a party with terrorist links into mainstream politics for his own benefit.

Allegations of Qatari payments to Netanyahu’s associates
In 2025, reports detailed an ongoing Israeli law enforcement investigation into what has been dubbed the “Qatargate” scandal. The probe focuses on whether Qatari payments were made to former Israeli security officials and associates of Netanyahu, in exchange for promoting Qatari interests.
Netanyahu’s denial: While Netanyahu himself was not directly implicated, he has called the investigation a “witch hunt”.

It is important to distinguish the allegations of indirect funding and political support from separate, more recent accusations of war crimes.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu in November 2024 for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. The warrants were issued on the basis of evidence regarding actions during the Israel-Hamas conflict, not for directly funding terrorism.

Sorry to have to say it, but the Israeli government is inept.
Just look at that first sentence,
Begun
Preliminary
Initial
Planned

Four words all saying that nothing much has been done to eliminate the Fakestinian terrorist occupation — just talk talk and more talk.

As the ancient sage taught,
“Either sh** or get off the pot!”

The Fakestinian siege in the Gaza district needs to be ended now. It has been a festering sore for decades. Get it done, Bibi, and stop feeding and supplying the enemy!

IDF: The IDF Eliminated the Most Senior Terrorist in the ISIS Terrorist Organization in the Gaza Strip.

Over the past week, the IDF, with the direction of the Southern Command and the Intelligence Directorate, struck and eliminated the Head of the Palestine District of the ISIS terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip, Muhammad Abd al-Aziz Abu Zubaida, in the area of Bureij.

Abu Zubaida held the most senior position within the ISIS terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip. He was responsible for determining policy, planning, and overseeing the execution of the ISIS terrorist organization’s activities in Judea and Samaria, the Gaza Strip, and the Sinai Peninsula.

The ISIS terrorist organization actively participated in fighting against IDF troops in the Gaza Strip, and was also involved in transferring combat equipment, as well as raising significant terror funds from Judea and Samaria into the Gaza Strip.

The IDF will continue to operate against terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip.

Attached is a related infographic regarding the elimination of the Head of the Palestine District of the ISIS terrorist organization: https://idfanc.activetrail.biz/ANC2908202598289

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.