Israel at War, Day 554 | Latest on US-Iran talks, Gaza war, Syria

The family of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander approved the publication of Hamas's propaganda video of Alexander on Sunday, which was released before Passover.

In the video, Edan blames the Israeli government and the American administration for "deserting" him in Gaza, saying, "I am collapsing physically and mentally."

"I am collapsing because of this disgusting world and disgusting Israeli government," Alexander says. 

"Everyday, I see that he - [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu - controls the country like a dictator," he continues. "I am collapsing  physically and mentally."

The IDF has operated throughout Gaza over the past 48 hours, during Shabbat and Passover.

IDF operates in Gaza, April 13, 2025. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

IDF operates in Gaza, April 13, 2025. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

The IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) struck a Hamas command and control center located within the Al Ahli Hospital in northern Gaza on Sunday, the military announced.

The center was reportedly used to plan and coordinate attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers.

Medics claimed that two Israeli missiles hit a building inside a main Gaza hospital, destroying the emergency and reception department and damaging other structures. 

The Israeli air force intercepted a rocket that crossed into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, triggering alarms in Re'im at 3:58 p.m., the IDF announced Sunday afternoon. 

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that talks with Iran over its nuclear program were going 'OK.'

"I think they're going OK," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. "Nothing matters until you get it done, so I don't like talking about it. But it's going OK. The Iran situation is going pretty good, I think."

Iran and the United States finished their first round of indirect, high-level talks in Oman on Saturday afternoon, according to Iranian state media, with the two sides agreeing to continue talks next week.

The talks were held in the capital, Muscat, aimed at jump-starting negotiations over Tehran's fast-advancing nuclear program, with US President Donald Trump threatening military action if there is no deal.

A member of Iran's delegation was quoted by Tasnim as saying the talks with the US were held in a "positive atmosphere."

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi led the Iranian delegation, while the talks were handled on the US side by Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff. Iranian state media IRNA reported the two shared a direct, minutes-long conversation following the conclusion of Saturday's mediated talks.

"Special Envoy Witkoff underscored to Araghchi that he had instructions from President Trump to resolve our two nations' differences through dialog and diplomacy, if that is possible," the White House said in a statement. "These issues are very complicated, and Special Envoy Witkoff's direct communication today was a step forward in achieving a mutually beneficial outcome."

Hamas announced that a delegation had left for Cairo on Saturday night to meet with mediators from Qatar and Egypt as part of ongoing ceasefire and hostage deal negotiations.

The Lebanese Army has taken control of most Hezbollah military sites in southern Lebanon and has begun to take control of sites north of the Litani river, according to reports in Lebanese media on Saturday.

Sources close to Hezbollah told AFP early on Saturday that the terror group had handed control of most of its military sites in southern Lebanon over to the Lebanese Army, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement that required only Lebanese Army and UN forces to be present south of the Litani.

Hezbollah is reported to have surrendered control of 190 of the 265 military positions it held south of the Litani.  Lebanese media widely reported that the army had nearly completed the dismantling of Hezbollah's infrastructure in the south.

Sources close to the Lebanese Presidency and Premiership told French-language newspaper L'Orient-Le Jour that the Lebanese Army had begun entering Hezbollah military camps north of the Litani river, but provided few details.

Yemen's government is reportedly preparing to launch a massive assault to recapture Hodeidah Port in western Yemen from the Houthis, according to a Friday report in Emirati state media.

Yemen's internationally recognized government is preparing to mass nearly 80,000 troops for what would be the largest offensive of the civil war, according to statements by Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, chairman of the Gulf Research Center based in Saudi Arabia, on Friday.

"To my best knowledge, there is a preparation of almost 80,000 soldiers from the legitimate Yemeni government in different locations in order to take over [Hodeidah]," Dr. Sager said. 

80,000 soldiers would represent a majority of all non-Houthi forces in Yemen. This would constitute the largest offensive of the civil war and would also set the stage for an assault on the capital city Sana'a, which has been under Houthi control since 2014.

The IDF killed dozens of terrorists and dismantled terrorist infrastructure in between Friday night and Saturday morning, the military said.

Operational activities in the area began in order to enhance the IDF's security control and expand its security zone, the military added.

The IDF also assisted Gazan civilians to evacuate via organized routes, the statement said.

Other recent IDF activities in the enclave

The military operational update came hours after Defense Minister Israel Katz told Gaza residents in an official statement that "the IDF would soon intensify its operations across most of Gaza.

"Those who are interested will also be able to voluntarily move to various countries in the world in accordance with the vision of the US President, which we are working on," he added.