Live Updates

Israel at war day 524: What is going on in Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria?

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
 IDF soldiers seen operating in the northern West Bank on Friday, March 14, 2025 (photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
IDF soldiers seen operating in the northern West Bank on Friday, March 14, 2025
(photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

Terrorist infiltration sirens sound in Harasha, in the West Bank

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF

Terrorist infiltration sirens sounded in Harasha in the West Bank on Friday evening after several suspects were seen outside the settlement, according to the IDF.

IDF troops deployed to the scene and opened fire toward the suspects. The suspects fled the area, and troops have begun a manhunt to find them.

Home Front Command announced that the incident ended approximately 25 minutes after the alarms sounded.

It had earlier said that residents should enter a nearby building immediately, lock the doors, and close the windows.

Go to the full article >>
Show More
Show Less

Witkoff warns time is not on Hamas's side as terror org. makes impractical demands

The US government proposed extending the Gaza ceasefire beyond Ramadan and Passover, and warned Hamas that time is running out.

By REUTERS, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Hostage deal negotiators (L) Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and (R) Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.  (photo credit: shutterstock/Photo Drive, Flash90/Yonatan Sindel, REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/Pool/File Photo)
Hostage deal negotiators (L) Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and (R) Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.
(photo credit: shutterstock/Photo Drive, Flash90/Yonatan Sindel, REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/Pool/File Photo)

US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff dismissed on Friday Hamas's claim that it would release Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander in addition to the remains of four other American hostages. 

In a joint Friday statement with the US National Security Council, Witkoff warned that the organization could no longer play for time with a ceasefire and hostage deal. 

"Unfortunately, Hamas has chosen to respond by publicly claiming flexibility while privately making demands that are entirely impractical without a permanent ceasefire," the statement read.

"Hamas is making a very bad bet that time is on its side.  It is not.  Hamas is well aware of the deadline, and should know that we will respond accordingly if that deadline passes."

Go to the full article >>
Show More
Show Less

Kibbutz Nir Oz says results of Oct. 7 probe are 'harrowing, deeply unsettling'

The kibbutz and the regional council head called for the military and the gov't to conduct a true lesson-learning process so attacks do not occur again.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
 The destruction caused by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Nir Oz, near the Israeli-Gaza border, in southern Israel, October 19, 2023. (photo credit: ERIK MARMOR/FLASH90)
The destruction caused by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Nir Oz, near the Israeli-Gaza border, in southern Israel, October 19, 2023.
(photo credit: ERIK MARMOR/FLASH90)

Following the reported findings of the IDF probe into its response on October 7, Kibbutz Nir Oz said that results of the military investigation are "harrowing and deeply unsettling," in a Friday statement.

"Nir Oz Kibbutz has become a symbol of failure and abandonment on that dark day, October 7," the statement read.

The kibbutz continued that in addition to its "painful findings," the report highlighted the heroism of its members of the emergency response team, "who—outnumbered by hundreds—fought alone for nearly two hours, doing everything they could until they were either killed or taken hostage."

"In the absence of security forces, the entire community struggled and fought—[there were] those who took up arms to defend their homes, those who held their doors shut, those who sent messages and called for help, and those who simply fought for their lives," the kibbutz continued.

The Eshkol Regional Council Head, Michal Uziyahu, called the results of the probe "difficult and unsettling, but not surprising."

Go to the full article >>
Show More
Show Less

October 7 probe: IDF only arrived in Nir Oz after Hamas terrorists left because it was 'far away'

47 Israelis killed, 76 taken hostage by around 400 terrorists • All IDF commanders killed in the first wave, all but six houses damaged

By YONAH JEREMY BOB
 Israeli soldier around the destruction caused by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, near the Israeli-Gaza border, in southern Israel, October 30, 2023 (photo credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Israeli soldier around the destruction caused by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, near the Israeli-Gaza border, in southern Israel, October 30, 2023
(photo credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Besides all of the “standard” disasters of October 7, around 300-500 Hamas terrorists, killing 47 Israelis and kidnapping 76, Nir Oz stands out because no IDF soldiers arrived there before the last Hamas attacker had already returned to Gaza, the IDF’s probe disclosed on Friday.

The IDF probe concluded that, in addition to the failure that no top military officials realized that the slaughter at Nir Oz was even worse than in many other places that had more IDF support, additional reasons it was utterly abandoned included its geographic distance from Israel’s center and its perception as smaller than some other Gaza border villages.

Go to the full article >>
Show More
Show Less

IDF detains over 100 in West Bank counterterrorism operations

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF

Israeli forces arrested over a hundred terror suspects over the past week as part of continued IDF operations in the West Bank, the military said Friday.

The IDF said it carried out targeted counterterrorism raids in Kabatiya and Arrabeh, near Jenin in the northern West Bank. Dozens of weapons were confiscated in the operation, it added.

Go to the full article >>
Show More
Show Less

US and Israel look to Africa for resettling Palestinians uprooted from Gaza - report

Officials stated that Sudan rejected the offer, while Somalia and Somaliland said they weren't aware of any offer, KAN reported.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
 An illustration US President Donald Trump and the Gaza Strip (photo credit: REUTERS, SHUTTERSTOCK)
An illustration US President Donald Trump and the Gaza Strip
(photo credit: REUTERS, SHUTTERSTOCK)

The US and Israel have contacted officials of three East African countries to discuss using their territories for resettling Palestinians from Gaza, the Associated Press reported on Friday, citing US and Israeli officials.

Officials stated that Sudan rejected the offer, while Somalia and Somaliland said they weren't aware of any offer, KAN reported.

In February, when US President Donald Trump met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office, Trump proposed a controversial plan of the US "taking over" Gaza, relocating the Palestinian population, and turning the war-torn strip into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”

Go to the full article >>
Show More
Show Less

IDF arrests suspected infiltrators near Jordanian border, gunfire exchanged

The IDF noted that there were individuals hit from the gunfire exchange but no casualties.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
 IDF counterterrorism operation in the West Bank throughout the month of February 2025.  (photo credit: IDF SPOKESMAN’S UNIT)
IDF counterterrorism operation in the West Bank throughout the month of February 2025.
(photo credit: IDF SPOKESMAN’S UNIT)

The IDF identified and arrested several suspects who crossed into Israeli terrority from the Jordanian border and engaged in a gunfire exchange with the troops, the military announced late on Thursday night.

Israel's military added that before their arrest, the suspects approached the IDF troops in a manner that posed a threat.

The troops responded to the threat with gunfire, the IDF said.

The IDF also noted that there were individuals hit from the gunfire exchange. However, there were no casualties among Israeli forces. 

Go to the full article >>
Show More
Show Less

One hundred Druze sheikhs to be allowed into Israel from Syria to visit shrine - report

According to the security decision, over a hundred Druze sheikhs will be able to arrive in Israel from Syria and will be housed in Israel for one night.

By AMIR BOHBOT, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
 Elder Israeli Druze men attend the celebrations of Nabi Shuayb Druze holiday at the tomb of Nabi Shuayb (meaning "the Prophet Jethro"), the site in the destroyed village of Hittin not far from Tiberias, where the tomb of the Islamic prophet Shu'ayb (Biblical Jethro) is believed to be located (photo credit: GILI YAARI/FLASH90)
Elder Israeli Druze men attend the celebrations of Nabi Shuayb Druze holiday at the tomb of Nabi Shuayb (meaning "the Prophet Jethro"), the site in the destroyed village of Hittin not far from Tiberias, where the tomb of the Islamic prophet Shu'ayb (Biblical Jethro) is believed to be located
(photo credit: GILI YAARI/FLASH90)

Defense Minister Israel Katz has approved the entry of over a hundred Druze sheikhs from Syria into Israel to visit the Nabi Shu'ayb shrine near Tiberias, Walla learned on Thursday.

Nabi Shu'ayb was an ancient Medinite prophet, and the most revered prophet in the Druze faith. Because Shu'ayb is often identified as Jethro, Moses's father in law, the shrine is sometimes referred to as Jethro's Tomb in English.

Every year, the Druze carry out a pilgrimage to the holy site, where, according to Druze tradition, the Prophet Shu'ayb is buried.

Go to the full article >>
Show More
Show Less

Ex-top FBI official to 'Post': When Iran-Hamas Oct. 7 threat really started - interview

'No matter what, Iran was going to ally with Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis,' Burns said.

By YONAH JEREMY BOB
 Palestinian Hamas gather at the site of the handing over of the bodies of four Israeli hostages in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza on February 20, 2025. (photo credit: EYAD BABA/AFP via Getty Images)
Palestinian Hamas gather at the site of the handing over of the bodies of four Israeli hostages in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza on February 20, 2025.
(photo credit: EYAD BABA/AFP via Getty Images)

Most of the world now knows that Iran gave critical and multifaceted support to Hamas, which enabled the October 7 invasion of Israel, but few know the story of how these two strange bedfellows came together unexpectedly decades before and what their alliance means for the future.

In an interview on Wednesday with The Jerusalem Post, one of the FBI's foremost counterterror experts, Lara Burns, said that the relationship was started by top Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzook during a trip to Tehran in 1992 and that the continuous alliance between the parties frames their common anti-Israel, anti-US, anti-democracy goals for the future as well.

Go to the full article >>
Show More
Show Less

IDF to demolish house of terrorist who carried out 2024 bombing

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
  (photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
(photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

The IDF will demolish the Nablus home of terrorist Ja'far Muna, who carried out a bombing attack in Tel Aviv on August 18, 2024, the military announced on Thursday.

Muna carried out a serious terrorist attack using a powerful explosive device, which wounded an Israeli citizen, the military added.

Go to the full article >>
Show More
Show Less
1
2

Israel at war: What you need to know


  • Hamas launched a massive attack on October 7, with thousands of terrorists infiltrating from the Gaza border and taking some 240 hostages into Gaza.
  • Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were murdered, including over 350 at the Supernova music festival and hundreds of Israeli civilians across Gaza border communities.
  • 59 hostages remain in Gaza.
  • 49 hostages in total have been killed in captivity, IDF says.
  • The IDF launched a ground invasion of Lebanon on September 30.
  • The Israel-Lebanon ceasefire came into effect on November 27 at 4 a.m.
  • Netanyahu confirmed the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire on January 17, 2025
  • 735 terrorists will be released as part of the hostage deal