Free Republic

Yesterday I wrote about the remarkable story of Hamas going full Pallywood as it pretended to recover the body of an Israeli hostage. The remains were delivered to Israel and identified a few hours later as belonging to a deceased hostage named Ofir Tzarfati. His body had been returned to Israel two years earlier, meaning these remains weren't new and did not belong to one of the 13 hostages kidnapped on 10/7 whose bodies have not yet been returned to Israel in keeping with the ceasefire agreement. Hamas has claimed it doesn't know where those bodies are (they could be...

Since Oct 7, support for the attack persists even as expectations of Hamas victory wane. Gazans are more open to negotiated arrangements;` West Bankers favor armed struggle... These are the results of the latest poll conducted by PCPSR-Polling and Survey Research in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip between 22-25 October 2025... The Trump Plan...almost 60% of Gazans support the framed plan, while the same percentage of West Bankers oppose it... October 7 and the Gaza War:.. Support for Hamas’s decision to launch the offensive, while declining from its peak, remains a majority at more than 50%, with recent...

A group of sick Palestinian children have been evacuated from Gaza to Ireland to receive medical treatment, the Tánaiste and Minister for Health have confirmed. Seven children arrived in Dublin on Saturday evening, with 29 accompanying family members.It marks the third medical evacuation from Gaza following Government approval in September last year in response to an appeal from the World Health Organization (WHO) to address the health needs of Gazans. Doctors from Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) worked with the WHO to identify sick and injured children who would benefit from treatment in Ireland. The group traveled from Gaza to Jordan...

About an hour long interview with Tommy Robinson...

U.S. President Donald Trump said he stopped Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from fighting in Gaza, a war he said would have continued "for years" without his pressure on Netanyahu. “He would have just kept going,” Trump told TIME in a newly published interview. “It could have gone on for years. It would have gone on for years. But I stopped him, and everybody came together when I stopped him.” Trump and Netanyahu have heaped praise on each other publicly. But Trump has also shown signs of frustration with Netanyahu's hardline approach, saying in his recent speech to the Knesset...

Regardless of the ultimate outcome of the Gaza peace deal brokered by Donald Trump, the past two years have seen Israel achieve an unprecedented litany of military accomplishments in the Middle East. The level of damage done to Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis is difficult to comprehend. The end of the Assad regime and, with American support, the demolition of the Iranian nuclear program – setting it back years at the least – were steps that many once thought impossible. Israel has emerged from the post-October 7 period unquestionably stronger in every way except one: its support around the globe,...

Hamas militants are reestablishing bases inside hospitals and schools, using civilian infrastructure to interrogate Gazans the terror group accuses of collaborating with Israel, according to Palestinian media reports. "Hamas's internal security forces have begun summoning opponents from schools, tents, and hospitals controlled by Hamas members for interrogation," the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) official Arabic mouthpiece, Al-Hayat al-Jadida, reported over the weekend. Hamas is notorious for its use of U.N.-run schools and hospitals as military outposts and arms storage depots, a practice meant to maximize civilian casualties and engender international outrage against Israel. While the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) neutralized many of...

Israel has denied it has violated international lawThe International Court of Justice said Wednesday that Israel must allow the United Nations aid agency in Gaza, known as UNRWA, to provide humanitarian assistance to the war-torn territory. The UN General Assembly asked the court last year to give an advisory opinion on Israel's legal obligations after the country effectively banned the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, the main provider of aid to Gaza, from operating in the territory. Israel "is under the obligation to agree to and facilitate relief schemes provided by the United Nations and its entities, including UNRWA," the...

President Trump succeeded in getting phase one of his peace plan enacted. That meant a ceasefire in which all of the 20 living Israeli hostages were returned to Israel in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and a partial withdrawal of the IDF from Gaza. (Hamas was supposed to return the deceased hostages as well but it seems that is going to take a bit longer to accomplish.) But the big question has been whether or not Trump's team could move on from a successful phase one of the plan to phase two, which everyone agrees is the tougher part....

Kiss rocker Gene Simmons called out Jewish Hollywood celebrities pushing “incendiary” anti-Israel propaganda. “They don’t understand, they’re just idiots,” the “I Love It Loud” singer said. “Hey guys, my name is Haim, born in Haifa,” Simmons said in Hebrew, before switching to English, adding, “I’m one of you guys, so don’t worry about all the Jewish morons who are running around saying all kinds of incendiary things. They don’t understand, they’re just idiots.” “If they spent a day with you, and saw — well, imagine this, you live in Beverly Hills and 35,000 rockets come in that week from Pasadena,...

The Israeli army believes that Hamas has reestablished its hold over Gaza's governing institutions since the cease-fire went into effect on October 10. Despite the population's dire situation and destruction from two years of war, the Israel Defense Forces have seen no significant opposition emerging or anti-Hamas protests. Army sources said local gangs that Israel backed during the last phases of the war, in the hopes they could challenge Hamas rule, have disbanded and/or their members have been eliminated or removed from the scene. Many Hamas operatives have been seen shooting anyone who is seen as opposing the organization or...

As I reflect on this week's headlines, a familiar mix of cautious hope and unshakeable conviction, rooted in God's unchanging Word, stirs within me. For those of us who have traded an ideology of fear for the liberating truth of Christ, such moments resonate deeply. Having spent two decades immersed in national security, chasing shadows of radicalism as a devout Muslim, I now speak from a place of redemption. I've exchanged Sharia's legalism for grace's freedom, learning that true peace isn't found in diplomatic agreements but anchored in the sovereignty of a God who orchestrates history. The news from the...

The national body of Students for Justice in Palestine backed Hamas’s grisly public executions of fellow Palestinians in Gaza on Sunday, posting “Death to the Occupation, Death to Collaborators” on Instagram. The call for executions followed the murder of “journalist” Saleh Al-Jafarawi, known to critics as “Mr. FAFO” because he would post complaints about Israeli counterattacks after posting happily about Hamas attacks. Gaza has erupted into internecine violence since the withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to agreed-upon ceasefire lines last Friday. Hamas has been executing members of rival armed groups and armed clans. Often, the executions are...

To recap the past week: Hamas films themselves executing over 100 Palestinians. The media is silent. Hamas launches RPGs at Israeli troops, murdering two. The media is silent. Israel responds by striking a Hamas commander. The media says Israel violated the ceasefire.

Interesting discussion. Witkoff and Kushner were being briefed by the CIA on the exact opposite position of Hamas as explained by the leaders of Qatar, Egypt and Turkey.What the CIA was saying to them was exactly the opposite of reality, as Kushner and Witkoff put the peace deal together. Remarkable.

Hamas attacked in Rafah and Khan Yunis, Israel paying back with interest. Details courtesy of Mahyar, and live videos provided. Transcript linked below video.

The national body of Students for Justice in Palestine backed Hamas’s grisly public executions of fellow Palestinians in Gaza on Sunday, posting “Death to the Occupation, Death to Collaborators” on Instagram. The call for executions followed the murder of “journalist” Saleh Al-Jafarawi, known to critics as “Mr. FAFO” because he would post complaints about Israeli counterattacks after posting happily about Hamas attacks.

The United States has informed the guarantor nations of the Gaza peace agreement of credible reports indicating an imminent ceasefire violation by Hamas against the people of Gaza. This planned attack against Palestinian civilians would constitute a direct and grave violation of the ceasefire agreement and undermine the significant progress achieved through mediation efforts. The guarantors demand Hamas uphold its obligations under the ceasefire terms. Should Hamas proceed with this attack, measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and preserve the integrity of the ceasefire. The United States and the other guarantors remain resolute in our commitment...

Palestinian Embassy in Egypt said it would open Monday, but Israeli PM refutes claimThe Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will reopen Monday for people returning to Gaza, the Palestinian Embassy in Egypt said Saturday, but the territory's sole gateway to the outside world will remain closed to people trying to leave. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office issued a statement within minutes, saying that the Rafah crossing wouldn't reopen "until further notice," adding that it would depend on how Hamas fulfils its role in returning all the bodies of the dead hostages. Israel's Foreign Affairs Ministry on...

Summary Senior Hamas official says group will be present on the ground Mohammed Nazzal asks 'to whom will the weapons be handed over'? Hamas wants truce of at least three to five years, Nazzal says Israel says Hamas must be disarmed, adhere to Trump plan DOHA, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Hamas intends to maintain security control in Gaza during an interim period, a senior Hamas official told Reuters, adding he could not commit to the group disarming - positions that reflect the difficulties facing U.S. plans to secure an end to the war.Hamas politburo member Mohammed Nazzal also said the...