Hamas expected to free three hostages, Israeli forces foil planned terror attacks

Israeli officials expect Hamas to deliver on Friday a list of three hostages to be released on Saturday, an Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday. Qatari Prime Minister Al-Thani is expected to send the list to Mossad chief David Barnea.

The release that is expected during the weekend follows Hamas' threat earlier this week to withhold the hostages unless Israel fulfills its humanitarian obligations. Hamas claims that Israel has not allowed all the agreed-upon humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip as stipulated in the agreement.

On Thursday, Hamas stated that Israel had agreed to allow pre-fabricated housing and heavy equipment for rubble removal into Gaza. However, Prime Minister’s spokesperson Omer Dostri dismissed these reports as "fake news" in a post on X.
 
Later, an Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post that, "as of now," nothing will enter through the Rafah border crossing, but "things might change in the coming days." The sources added that any equipment and housing units if allowed entry, would come through an Israeli border crossing, where they would be inspected and cleared by security personnel before reaching Gaza.

Israel has obtained a series of internal documents exchanged between Hamas operatives in Gaza and producers at the Qatari news network Al Jazeera. The documents reveal Hamas' attempt to alter its narrative surrounding the October 7 attack and the mass killings committed by its terrorists against Israeli civilians.

A report published by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, part of the Intelligence Heritage and Commemoration Center, presents some of the materials seized by the IDF, the Shin Bet, and the IDF Intelligence Directorate. These documents expose direct communication between senior Hamas officials in Gaza and Al Jazeera producers.

Al Jazeera’s role in Hamas’ narrative warfare

The report assesses that the broadcast of a recent Al Jazeera investigative program aimed to reinforce Hamas' narrative of "victory" following the ceasefire in Gaza and to justify the October 7 attack as a "legitimate military operation." The program also sought to cement the image of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as a "warrior leader" who remained on the front lines until his death.

“The exclusive footage of Sinwar on the battlefield in Rafah, alongside rare recordings of Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif, provides further evidence of the deep ties between Hamas and Al Jazeera,” the report states. It also references previous exposures of Al Jazeera journalists who were found to be members of Hamas' military wing and the network’s privileged access to footage of Israeli hostages being released.

IDF troops in southern Lebanon found weapons storage facilities when scanning buildings and thick terrain, the IDF announced on Thursday.

The weapons storage facilities contained missiles, rockets, mortar shells, grenades, explosives, and firearms. All of the weapons were confiscated, and they destroyed the terrorist infrastructure.

They also found hidden hideouts and numerous launchers that were aimed at Israeli territory.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding a security situation assessment at the Southern Command along with Defense Minister Israel Katz, Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, IDF Chief of Staff-designate Eyal Zamir, Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, and other MKs, IDF and security officials, the Prime Minister's Office announced on Thursday.

Throughout the war with Hamas, Israel has often faced the problem of trying to claw back the initiative from various enemies. Hamas began the war on October 7, 2023, with an unprecedented massacre and hostage-taking. Since then, Israel has sought to fight and defeat Hamas; however, this has proven an uphill struggle. Israeli leaders have claimed at various times that Hamas is like ISIS, that Israel will achieve “total victory,” and that Hamas's military and governance capabilities will be destroyed. However, Hamas continues to control Gaza, and it often seems to dictate terms to Israel.

The problem Israel now faces is what is sometimes known as the “tail wagging the dog.” This means that Israel’s important decisions and its initiative are being dictated by others in our current challenge in Gaza. How does the tail wag the dog? This week, Hamas claimed it would postpone the sixth handover of hostages, scheduled to take place on February 15. Later, Israeli leaders seemed to channel US President Donald Trump’s claims that all “hell” would break loose if Hamas didn’t hand over hostages.

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “In light of Hamas's announcement regarding its decision to violate the agreement and not release our hostages, last night I instructed the IDF to amass forces inside – and surrounding – the Gaza Strip. This action is being carried out at this hour and will be completed very soon.” He also said that the Israeli Security Cabinet had decided that “if Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon, the ceasefire will end, the IDF will resume intense fighting until the final defeat of Hamas.”

Yemen's Houthis say they will immediately take military action if the US and Israel attack Gaza, the group's leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, said in a televised speech on Thursday.

Trump has said he would cancel the Gaza ceasefire deal and "let all hell break loose" if all Israeli hostages were not released by Hamas on Saturday.

The Trump administration will support Israel maintaining a buffer zone in Syria for years to come, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

Although the EU and UN are making significant progress in normalizing relations with the new Syrian regime of Ahmed al-Sharaa, including at a major summit in Paris on Thursday, Israel is confident that the Trump administration understands Jerusalem’s concerns that the new regime could be a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

In that sense, even if the EU and UN start pressuring Israel to withdraw in the coming months, as long as the Jewish state has support from Trump to maintain the buffer zone, the IDF is expected to remain there for a very extended period.

With al-Sharaa not even committing to elections before a period of four years passes, Israel believes it will be able to viably argue that the true colors of the regime will not yet be clear even by the end of 2025.

Significantly, Israel understands that Trump does not want to spend US time and energy on Syria, and would like to withdraw remaining American forces from there, but that this does not impact his continued support for Israel to maintain a buffer zone there.

Over the last week, the Israeli security forces apprehended over 90 terrorists during operations in the West Bank over the last week, the military announced on Thursday.

The forces also dismantled dozens of explosives and questioned hundreds of individuals suspected of terrorist activity. Twelve weapons and 50 illegal vehicles were confiscated.

On Thursday morning, the Egoz Unit located a rigged vehicle and dismantled it.

Border Police officers from Jerusalem operated in the Palestinian city of Ramallah to arrest a wanted terrorist on Thursday under the guidance from the Shin Bet, Israel Police announced.

The forces fired shots at the lower body of a suspect who was endangering their lives. No injuries were reported in the operation.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Thursday Tehran's enemies may be able to strike the country's nuclear centers but cannot deprive it or its ability to build new ones.

The head of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), Ronen Bar, visited the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday, affirming that IDF troops on the ground were at a "high level of readiness to handle various scenarios" ahead of the next expected hostage release on Saturday, Israeli media reported on Thursday.