Israel at War Day 588: What's happening in Israel, Gaza, West Bank?

Einav Zangauker, mother of Hamas-held hostage Matan Zangauker, received a "sign of life" from her son, The Jerusalem Post confirmed on Friday. 

Freed hostage Edan Alexander, who was released from Hamas captivity on Monday, was discharged from Sourasky Medical Center on Friday morning, The Jerusalem Post confirmed. 

Economy and Industry Minister Nir Barkat met with US Ambassador Mike Huckabee earlier this week in Jerusalem to discuss Israel-US economic ties, Barkat confirmed on X/Twitter on Thursday.

The Hostages Families Forum released a statement on Friday morning denouncing the IDF's resumption of intense strikes on the Gaza Strip as "missing an opportunity."

The Israeli military targeted northern Gaza with artillery fire and airstrikes on Thursday night, according to Arab media reports.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa was not the only one to celebrate US President Donald Trump’s decision on Tuesday to lift sanctions on Syria.

“I think this is an opportunity that President Sharaa needs to seize and truly use to rebuild Syria into a free and prosperous nation,” Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Indiana) told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.

“If we can relieve some of that pressure and start the rebuilding process, I think that would be a positive step.”

Sharaa 'really wants' to change Syria, US congressman says

In April, he became the first member of Congress to visit Damascus since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December.

Sharaa “really wants to change the country,” Stutzman told the Post.

“We asked him about the elections, and why [they would] wait five years,” he said. “His answer was that so many Syrians are scattered around the world, and it will take time for them to return, rebuild, and establish a system that can support free elections.”

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and other officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in this handout released on May 14, 2025. (credit: SAUDI PRESS AGENCY/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)

Stutzman said Sharaa told him and the Trump administration he was working to reduce the influence of terrorist organizations in Syria, as well as limiting Iran’s presence.

“One of the things President Sharaa told me is that he is already helping Israel and the West by pushing Hezbollah out of Syria and limiting Iran’s influence,” he said. “He said that while he might allow Iran to maintain an embassy in Syria, he would definitely restrict the number of visas granted to Iranians entering the country,” he added.

Regarding the possibility of a normalization deal with Israel, Stutzman said Sharaa told him “Israel had a plan to divide the country... I don’t know if that’s true, but for him, that was the deal breaker.”

“He also mentioned the Golan Heights, and it seems he is open to some kind of a deal regarding the area,” he said.
Despite Trump’s seemingly supportive tone, Stutzman said Sharaa should not celebrate too soon.

“If there is any kind of failure to fulfill these promises made by the Sharaa administration or government, these sanctions could be reinstated, and he needs to understand that,” he said.

Israel lobbies Trump administration against lifting Syrian sanctions

Behind the scenes, Israel lobbied for the US not to lift sanctions on Syria. Trump, however, did not seem particularly moved by the Israeli efforts.

Earlier this week, Trump told reporters: “We told the Israelis we are going to remove the sanctions... Turkish President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan thinks we should do it; it gives them a much better chance of survival.”

In response, Stutzman told the Post: “I think Israel has every right to be skeptical. After all, the Israeli people are the ones who live with the daily threat of rockets potentially slipping past the Iron Dome and landing in Israel.”

“If we want peace in the Middle East – if we want to see progress through commerce instead of chaos – this is a significant step,” he said, referring to the lifting of sanctions on Damascus.

The lifting of sanctions on Syria is ultimately an experiment, he added.

The interests of the US and Israel align in integrating Sharaa into the international community and working toward peace between Israel and Syria, Stutzman said.

“There are going to be people who do not want Syria to succeed here,” he said. “I hope President Sharaa aligns himself with us in the West and with Israel, which wants to see peace and prosperity.”

The US should take control of the Gaza Strip, deal with Hamas, and turn it into a freedom zone, US President Donald Trump said Thursday in Qatar.

“If it’s necessary, I think I’d be proud to have the United States have it, take it, make it a freedom zone,” he said during a business roundtable.

“Let some good things happen, put people in homes where they can be safe, and Hamas is going to have to be dealt with,” Trump was quoted as saying.

“They’ve never solved the Gaza problem, and if you look at it, I have aerial shots,” he said. “I mean, there’s practically no building standing; there’s no building. People are living under the rubble of buildings that collapsed, which is not acceptable. It’s a tremendous death. And I want to see that be a freedom zone.”

This is the first time Trump has made such statements to Arab leaders in a formal setting, notably while in a country that has played a primary role in mediating the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.

The United Nations Security Council held its meeting on returning the bodies of slain hostages to Israel on Thursday. 

Ruby Chen, the father of slain hostage Itay Chen, began by describing his son and explaining how he was taken hostage. But he noted that Hamas has been engaging in the " lowest form of terrorist psychological warfare imaginable" by refusing to confirm Itay's status. 

Despite denial from US officials, senior Hamas official Bassem Naim confirmed that the terror organization is holding direct talks with the US, Israeli media reported Thursday, citing an interview with Sky News in Arabic.

"We believe that President Trump is doing the hard work of reducing tensions in the region, which is what motivates us to continue communicating with the American administration, regardless of the team," Naim said.

Naim also claimed that Hamas told the deal mediators and the US that Hamas is ready to return all the hostages immediately if the terror group receives a promise that it will lead to an end to the war and the entry of aid into Gaza.

On the Israeli side, there have been difficulties in renewed hostage negotiations in Doha, and no progress has been made, sources familiar with the details told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday. 

Additionally, the security cabinet will not convene until 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. 

Families of Israelis held hostage in Gaza and supporters protest calling for the release of Israelis held hostage by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, outside the US Embassy Branch Office in Tel Aviv, May 13, 2025. (credit: TOMER NEUBERG/FLASH90)