Netanyahu expects news on hostages, Hamas says it agrees to Witkoff deal

An IDF infantry force entered southern Lebanon 200 meters east of the municipality of Mais al-Jabal, Army Radio reported Monday night, citing Lebanese reports.

Israeli soldiers reportedly advanced several hundred meters into Lebanese territory.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday that he hopes for news regarding the hostages held in Gaza in the coming week, possibly as early as Tuesday or Wednesday. 

עדכון ממני אליכם מאחד הרחובות העתיקים ביותר בירושלים >> pic.twitter.com/ASDINwIccO

— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) May 26, 2025

"I hope we will have news regarding the hostages today or tomorrow," he said. 

An official source told The Jerusalem Post that Netanyahu was not referring to anything specific. 

US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff meets with hostage families, Israelis, at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, May 13, 2025. (credit: Chen G. Schimmel/The Jerusalem Post)

Israel rejects Hamas proposal, Hamas accepts Witkoff Framework

This comes after Israel rejected a Hamas proposal for a partial deal that would see the release of five hostages.

"[The proposal is] very far away from the outline that we are willing to negotiate on," an Israeli official told the Post.

The proposal outlined that the IDF would withdraw to its positions in Gaza from two months ago, allowing humanitarian aid into all areas of Gaza, continued talks for the release of remaining living and dead hostages, which was described as "some kind of American recognition of Hamas."

Later on Monday, Hamas said it agreed to the Witkoff Framework for hostage release, Reuters reported. 

The proposal included the release of 10 living hostages in return for a 70-day ceasefire. 

In response, US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff rebutted Hamas's claims. 

“What I’ve heard so far from Hamas has been disappointing and completely unacceptable,” he told Walla. 

“I agreed to lead these negotiations,” Witkoff said, “There is a deal on the table, and Hamas needs to accept it." 

He added that Israel had agreed to his offer for a deal that includes releasing half of the living hostages and half of the deal. 

An anonymous government source told the Post that no responsible government could accept the Hamas ceasefire proposal, an anonymous Israeli official said. The official asserted that the deal Hamas created did not match the one that Witkoff had proposed. 

“[The proposal is] very far away from the outline that we are willing to negotiate on,” an Israeli official told the Post.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff and hostage envoy Adam Boehler spoke with hostage families on Monday and told them that they "hope for a development in the next two days," Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported. 

This is a developing story. 

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared Monday evening that Israel is “not afraid of the word occupation,” speaking at a Jerusalem Day rally at the Western Wall and calling for the reestablishment of Jewish communities in the Gaza Strip.

“We are liberating Gaza – and settling it,” Smotrich said, addressing a crowd gathered for the annual celebration.

“Some people are afraid of victory.

We are not afraid of victory,” said the minister, who also serves on the Security Cabinet. Turning to the audience, he continued: “Let’s give strength to our brave and heroic fighters.

Are we afraid of victory?” The crowd responded, “No!” He added: “Are we afraid of the word occupation?” “No!” the crowd shouted back.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)

Smotrich’s remarks drew criticism 

“We are conquering the Land of Israel,” Smotrich said. “We are liberating Gaza. We are settling Gaza. We are defeating the enemy.”

Smotrich’s remarks drew swift criticism from opposition lawmakers and could add fuel to an already heated international debate over Israel’s intentions in Gaza amid the ongoing war with Hamas.

Opposition head MK Yair Lapid questioned the government about the source of funding for two agencies involved in the government’s plan to distribute aid in the Gaza Strip, during a Knesset plenum debate on Monday.

Lapid questioned whether Israel had secretly financed humanitarian aid to Gaza through two shell companies, Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF) and Safe Reach Solutions (SRS), established in Switzerland and the US. According to Lapid, Gulf states were expected to fund the aid but declined, citing concerns about the companies’ structure.

Despite this, $100 million appeared in the organizations' budgets, with GHF’s CEO Jake Wood claiming the money came from "a country in western Europe," though no nation has acknowledged it. Wood later resigned, saying the aid plan couldn't fully adhere to humanitarian principles.

Lapid: Government may be deceiving Israeli citizens on Gaza aid

“If this money is indeed Israeli and the government is concealing it, it would not only be a deception of Israeli citizens—whose taxes fund it—but also one of the greatest diplomatic blunders in the country’s history,” Lapid said.

“If our tax money is already purchasing humanitarian aid, funding food and medicine for children in Gaza, then let's at least gain international recognition for it. For once, let’s have global headlines highlighting something positive Israel has done in Gaza.”

A worker enters a truck carrying aid parked at the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza, before going into Gaza, on the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border, May 22, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/AMMAR AWAD)

“Perhaps [National Security Minister Itamar] Ben-Gvir and [National Missions Minister Orit] Strock won’t like it, and maybe Smotrich fears people finding out he authorized the transfer, but the money has already been sent. This benefits Israeli public diplomacy, strengthens foreign relations, and even aligns with Jewish values,” Lapid said.

“The Israeli government should proudly declare that it funds these two organizations and do what it hates most—take responsibility for its actions and accept the consequences,” the opposition leader concluded.

The Israel Police and left-leaning Israeli organizations reported several instances of violence in the Old City and the Arab Quarter of Jerusalem.

Monday is Jerusalem Day, which marks the reunification of east and west Jerusalem.

It is also notable when violence breaks out in Arab sections of the city in light of the Jerusalem Day Flag March, where participants march through the Arab quarter of the city.

רמקולים חובה. pic.twitter.com/kEQ14vfy90

— نير حسون Nir Hasson ניר חסון (@nirhasson) May 26, 2025

The police said that its officers “have dealt with dozens of suspects on suspicions of disorderly conduct, assault, and threats.”
A police statement said that officers arrested two people on suspicion of pepper-spraying a citizen on the street.

Videos circulated on social media showed activists from Standing Together being assaulted by rioters and escorted out of the quarter by the police.
The organization said that it was providing a protective presence to Arab Israelis in the area.

In one video, far-right rioters were seen backing activist Alon Lee Green into a door and kicking him in the back of his leg.

זה אלון לי גרין, המנהל הארצי השותף של @omdimbeyachad. בשבוע שעבר הוא נכלא בגלל שהפגין נגד המלחמה ובעד עסקה, היום הוא מגן בגופו על בתים של תושבים בעיר העתיקה בירושלים ממתקפות של כהניסטים ופעילי ימין קיצוני. שם ופה זה אותו מאבק, הימין רוצה מלחמת נצח, עומדים ביחד נאבקת על ההפך בדיוק pic.twitter.com/dSBGyDgl5a

— Nissim Perets (@NissimPerets) May 26, 2025

Another video showed rioters swarming a group of Arab Israeli women and performing derogatory gestures.

רמקולים חובה. pic.twitter.com/kEQ14vfy90

— نير حسون Nir Hasson ניר חסון (@nirhasson) May 26, 2025

Activists assaulted, police assaulted

Jerusalem Post witnesses on the scene reported seeing a child spit on activists, as well as demonstrators trying to forcibly break the police protective line around them.

Post reporters witnessed violence upon entering the Old City and saw police trying to de-escalate the situation.

No arrests were reported as of late afternoon. A police officer at the scene said young Israeli marchers could not be arrested because they were under the age of 18.

Post reporters also heard nationalistic chants that could incite racial violence, including “We will burn your villages!”

Reporters also saw marchers in the Flag Day Parade wearing shirts that said “Without Nakba, there is no victory.”

Nakba (catastrophe) is what pro-Palestinians call the 1948 war in Mandatory Palestine and its aftermath until today.
Signs in the parade also contained expansionist and nationalistic themes, including: “67: Jerusalem is in our hands 2025: Gaza is in our hands.”

Democrats Party MK Gilad Kariv questioned Education Minister Yoav Kisch in the Knesset plenum as to whether he would condemn the acts of violence and racism in the Old City.

Kisch responded, “I saw people walking around Jerusalem with flags; it’s unfortunate that some choose to disparage them here. Even this [violent] minority is being taken care of. I support the wonderful youth.”

Democrats chairman Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yair Golan called the riots an offense to Judaism and Zionism.

“This is not what love for Jerusalem looks like: This is what hatred, racism, and bullying look like. This is not our Judaism. This is not the Zionism we believe in,” he wrote on X/Twitter.

“This is the product of an anti-Zionist and non-Jewish government – inciting and racist,” Golan said. “We will fight for a Jerusalem that belongs to all of us – Christians, Jews, and Arabs, secular and religious. Jerusalem belongs to all who love her. We will fight for her and restore her to be a city for us all.”

Palestinian reports stated that the IDF dropped leaflets across the Gaza Strip in an effort to influence civilians in the enclave to “join the winning family” and turn against Hamas.

The military reportedly dropped several different types of leaflets on the Gaza Strip; some called on Gazans to rise up against Hamas, while others had messages of Israeli victory or calls for surrender.

One flyer featured a picture of Izz al-Din Haddad, Hamas’s Gaza City brigade commander, with the caption “Sinwar won’t enter hell without you. The angels and your friends who got there before you are waiting. Don’t worry—we’ll send you a fast-track pass to hell.”

Other flyers pushed for residents to pay attention to the terrorists operating in their area.

“Residents of Deir el-Balah, the names of some of the terrorists in your area have already been published. Pay attention to who operates among you. These terrorists have destroyed your lives and brought ruin upon you! Act to drive them out – for a better future,” the flyer said, according to Palestinian reports.

IDF soldiers are seen operating in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, May 4, 2025 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

IDF orders citizens to evacuate from southern Gaza 

This comes after the IDF’s Arabic spokesperson, Col. Avichay Adraee, issued an evacuation warning for the southern half of the Gaza Strip on Monday, requesting all residents to move west “immediately” to al-Mawasi.

This is because the IDF is launching an “unprecedented attack to destroy the capabilities of terror organizations,” Adraee added.

Khan Yunis Governorate is now considered a “dangerous combat zone,” he commented.

#عاجل ‼️ الى سكان محافظة خانيونس، بني سهيلا، عبسان والقرارة
⭕️جيش الدفاع يشن هجوماً غير مسبوق لتدمير قدرات المنظمات الإرهابية
⭕️تواصل المنظمات الإرهابية اطلاق قذائف صاروخية من مناطقكم
⭕️تعتبر منطقة محافظة خان يونس منطقة قتال خطيرة تم تحذيرها عدة مرات
🔴أخلوا فوراً غرباً الى منطقة… pic.twitter.com/6T7BCf8ikD

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) May 26, 2025

The evacuation order does not include the al-Amal and Nasser hospitals, Adraee clarified.

Families of hostages slain while in Hamas captivity spoke out against the expansion of operations in Gaza during a demonstration outside the IDF’s headquarters in Tel Aviv on Monday evening.

Among them was Gil Dickmann, cousin of Carmel Gat, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7 and murdered after nearly 11 months in captivity. Dickmann addressed the growing risks to the 58 remaining hostages, of whom 41 are now believed to have been killed in Gaza.

“They were kidnapped alive, waiting to return home safely,” Dickmann said. “Some returned in coffins; others remain abandoned in Gaza. Our families are living proof that military pressure kills hostages. Every escalation risks more lives.”

He added that recently released hostage Edan Alexander had told his family he narrowly survived an Israeli airstrike while in captivity. “Have you learned nothing? Stop this war!” he urged.

Dickmann recounted to The Jerusalem Post his cousin’s final months in captivity. Gat, 39, witnessed the murder of her mother during the Hamas massacre and was then taken to Gaza, where she served as a “guardian angel” to two younger hostages.

Families of slain hostages speak out at Gaza offensive escalation outside IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, on Monday, May 26, 2025. (credit: Dana Reany)

She led yoga and meditation sessions to help them stay mentally strong, according to released hostages’ accounts – two teens who were released in the November hostage deal, with Gat remaining behind.

“We had proof of life just days before she was murdered,” Dickmann told the Post. “She stayed alive until around August 29, when terrorists executed her and five others as Israeli forces approached. They shot them in the head and fled.”

“She should have been part of the January deal,” he added. “Had she survived and been released, she would have been standing here, shouting even louder than I am now: ‘Bring them home.’”

Since her death, Dickmann said, the family has transformed its grief into activism. “Carmel will never come back alive. She was murdered as a captive and will remain one in our hearts forever,” he said.

“But we will not stop fighting to ensure no other family lives through this nightmare. We are a black flag – an urgent warning of what happens when deals are delayed and lives are gambled.”

Hostage families appeal to Trump

He directly addressed international leaders, reserving his sharpest plea for Washington: “President Trump, you are our last and only hope. Show Netanyahu he’s wrong – that you will do more. If you had been president back then, maybe our loved ones would still be alive. You can’t save my cousin – but you can still save 58 hostages. Stop this war. Bring them home now.”

Dickmann closed with a clear message to the world: “The Jewish people want the hostages home. This is a fight between life and death. For our family, it’s already too late – but it’s not too late for the others.”

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday that Israel's recent attacks on Gaza are taking a humanitarian toll on civilians that can no longer be justified as a fight against terrorism.

"When boundaries are crossed, where humanitarian international law is really being violated, then Germany too, then the German chancellor too must say something about it," Merz told broadcaster WDR in a televised interview.

Germany has staunchly backed Israel's right to defend itself since the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, that triggered the war, reflecting what it sees as its duty to stand by the country in atonement for its own role in the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews died.

But German government officials have increasingly stressed the need for Israel to adhere to international law in its response to the Hamas attacks, while mostly avoiding outright criticism of its actions in the Palestinian territories.

Merz, who has been in office for about three weeks, said: "The Israeli government must not do anything that, at some point, even its best friends are no longer willing to accept."

Palestinian trucks loaded with humanitarian aid cross into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing, February 17, 2025 (credit: ABED RAHIM KHATIB/FLASH90)

He added: "What the Israeli army is doing now in the Gaza Strip, frankly speaking, I no longer understand with what goal."

The chancellor sai

d he planned to hold a call with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week to tell him "to not overdo it," though he added that for "historical reasons" Germany would always be more guarded in its criticism than some of its European partners.

Aid has entered enclave after 11-week blockade

A hundred trucks carrying humanitarian aid from the UN and the international community, including flour, baby food, and medical equipment, were transferred on Wednesday through the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza after Israel lifted an 11-week blockade and began allowing limited deliveries into the enclave via the crossing.

The IDF cleared more than 120 trucks carrying food aid for distribution in Gaza in the past week, but there is an ongoing debate regarding how much of it is getting to Gazan civilians.

Hamas calls aid 'intelligence operation,' calls on Gazans to reject

The Hamas controlled-Palestinian Interior Ministry called on Gaza residents not to cooperate with the new aid mechanism initiated by Israel, Walla reported on Monday. It claimed this is an "intelligence operation for information gathering," which, they argue, will lead to "fights over a piece of bread."

The terror organization reportedly claims that the n

ew aid distribution mechanism is an intelligence operation aimed at collecting information and creating internal division, and that, according to them, Israel is using food as a weapon of war: "Resistance will force Israel to return to the old mechanism."

Looting taking place, Hamas responds with executions

Five aid trucks in the Gaza Strip were looted on Saturda

y, Israeli media reported. The stolen goods were sold to Gazans at inflated prices in areas such as Deir el-Balah and the Nuseirat refugee camp.

Hamas has executed four men for looting some of the aid trucks that have begun entering Gaza, sources familiar with the incident said on Monday, as a clan leader in southern Gaza issued a challenge to the militant group over guarding the convoys.

"The four criminals, who were executed, were involved in the crimes of looting and causing the death of members of a force tasked with securing aid trucks," one of the sources told Reuters.

Merz supports close Germany, Israel ties

"It is always important for the German government to keep its lines of communication open with the Israeli government and to be able to make its points directly," Merz's spokesperson Stefan Kornelius told a regular press conference last week.

Merz and Netanyahu held a phone call earlier this month, during which the German Chancellor expressed his concern about the fate of the remaining hostages in Gaza and the humanitarian situation in the enclave, with Merz expressing "his hope that negotiations on a ceasefire would soon get underway."

Following the national election, Merz announced that he had invited Netanyahu to visit Germany and said that he would find a way for the Israeli Prime Minister to visit without being arrested under a warrant by the International Criminal Court.

"I think it is a completely absurd idea that an Israeli prime minister cannot visit the Federal Republic of Germany," Merz said.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announced during a visit to the Temple Mount on Monday morning in honor of Jerusalem Day, that it was permitted to “pray and bow down” at the site.

The Prime Minister’s Office has denied similar statements made by Ben-Gvir in the past, since they indicate a change in the long-standing status quo at the site, according to which Jewish prayer is prohibited. However, as of Monday afternoon, the PMO had yet to respond.

The Otzma Yehudit chairman was joined by fellow faction members, including Yitzhak Wasserlauf, the Development of the Negev and Galilee and National Resilience minister, and MK Yitzhak Kreuzer. Religious Zionist Party MK Tzvi Sukkot also visited the site and unfurled an Israeli flag.

In a speech given during his visit to the site, Ben-Gvir said he was "praying for victory in the Israel-Hamas War, the return of all hostages being held in Gaza, and the success of incoming Shin Bet chief David Zini."

The visit drew the ire of the Jordanian Foreign Ministry, which accused Ben-Gvir of "storming al-Aqsa Mosque...along with a large group of extremist settlers, coinciding with the so-called flag march."

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visits the Temple Mount in Jerusalem Old City, on Jerusalem Day, May 26, 2025 (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)

The Hamas terror organization also denounced Ben-Gvir's ascent to the Temple Mount as a "flagrant violation of the sanctity and status of Al-Aqsa for the entire Islamic community, and a desperate attempt by the occupation to enforce the complete Judaization of the Mosque."

Hamas warned against "the escalation of such intrusions and Talmudic rituals," adding that they "affirm that our Palestinian people will continue their steadfastness and defense of Al-Aqsa Mosque and will not allow the Zionist schemes for its division or Judaization to pass."

Hamas called upon the "masses of our people in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the Occupied Territories to defend Al-Aqsa Mosque, the site of our Prophet Muhammad’s Night Journey, intensify their presence in the Mosque, and confront the settlers' intrusions and rampages."

"We also urge the free people of our Arab and Islamic nation to uphold their responsibilities toward protecting the holy Mosque, support the resilience of our people in Jerusalem who face displacement attempts, and work to stop the occupation's aggression against our people and holy sites," Hamas added.

Ben-Gvir's violation of Temple Mount status quo draws ire

The ascent "constitutes a flagrant violation of the historical and legal status quo and Israel's obligations as the occupying power," Amman's foreign ministry added.

Ben-Gvir, who had visited the Temple Mount regularly since the government's formation in late 2022 and the Hamas invasion and massacre on October 7, 2023, had previously drawn rebuke from the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) factions United Torah Judaism (UTJ) and Shas, over what they claim is a violation of Jewish religious law.

UTJ MK Moshe Gafni, head of UTJ's Degel Hatorah faction, issued such a rebuke on Monday as well.

“I condemn and denounce with all force the provocative ascent to the Temple Mount that includes a severe prohibition punishable by Karet. This harms the Jewish people and the holy places, and causes unpardonable damage. I call again on my colleagues in the Knesset – stop going there,” Gafni said.