Negotiations have continued to end the Gaza war, with no result. Hamas is still refusing to relinquish its hold on Gaza and demanding that a ceasefire include its continued governance, the total withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the rebuilding of Gaza at the expense of the international community.

Israel is demanding the return of all the remaining hostages, the removal of Hamas from Gaza, and the complete demilitarization of the area. The Israelis offered a partial agreement that Hamas refused. In a gesture to President Trump, Hamas released a hostage who has dual American and Israeli citizenship.

On Monday, after several weeks of gradually taking more ground and intensifying aerial operations against Hamas and other terrorist personnel, Israel declared the beginning of a new escalated ground operation. Five divisions are now simultaneously attacking different localities in Gaza. The official objective is to capture most if not all the territory of Gaza.

In the run-up to the ground operation, the Israeli Air Force intensified its airstrikes on commanders, command centers and Hamas fighting positions. Many of these strikes required pinpoint accuracy, with small bombs or missiles sent into specific rooms Hamas had commandeered inside hospitals and schools. Others required heavier bombs to penetrate underground facilities.

Among the targets was the current Hamas chief, Mahmoud Sinwar (who replaced his brother Yahya Sinwar, killed in October 2024), and one, perhaps two, Hamas brigade commanders (those of the Rafah and Khan Yunis brigades) and several of Sinwar’s staff. It is unclear whether or not they were killed. A Saudi report claims that the bodies of Sinwar and at least 10 of his assistants were recovered, but Hamas has not officially admitted this.

Publicized details of the IDF’s new offensive show a different approach from previous operations. This time, there will be a simultaneous offensive throughout Gaza rather than a sequential one. The territory taken will be held and cleared.

Also, a different approach is planned for managing the civilian population. Previously, civilians were ordered to evacuate each area where the Israelis were operating and told to stay outside that area until the Israelis had withdrawn. This time, the plan is to set up humanitarian enclaves in areas taken by the Israeli forces, and supplies entering Gaza will be sent exclusively to those locations. The population will then be instructed to move to those enclaves via filtration points to ensure that Hamas and other terrorist personnel do not join them.

The civilian and humanitarian management of the enclaves will be in the hands of a new international organization, the US-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, set up specifically for this purpose. The UN, UNRWA, and other pro-Hamas NGOs will not be involved. To no one’s surprise, the UN establishment is criticizing this approach.

 

More and more people in Gaza are allowing themselves to openly criticize Hamas, though the initial wave of public demonstrations appears to have abated after several participants were killed by Hamas. There have also been many more posts by Gazans who say they would leave Gaza permanently if they were allowed to do so.

While the number of such posts is increasing, it is still relatively small, and we don’t know how deep this sentiment is — are these people exceptions, or do they represent a much larger portion of the population? On several occasions, crowds have broken into storage sites where Hamas has been hoarding humanitarian aid. In one case, a local merchant’s warehouse was ransacked after it was published that he was hoarding food rather than selling it in anticipation of higher prices.

The Hamas Ministry of Health’s latest casualty update from May 17 claims approximately 54,000 killed and 120,000 wounded. Hamas still does not differentiate between combatants and non-combatants. According to the IDF, in January 2025 these included a verified total of more than 20,000 Hamas personnel and at least 3,000 personnel of other terrorist organizations. Since the resumption of fighting in March, many more terrorists have been killed, but no specific number has been provided. The number of wounded terrorists is not known but is probably at least similar to the number killed. And we have no way to know if any of Hamas’ numbers are accurate.

Another Israeli soldier died earlier this week in Gaza, bringing the total number of casualties since October 8 to 420. 

Israeli offensive operations continue in the West Bank, though their intensity has diminished. Resistance to Israeli operations is also waning. Those killed are usually commanders who refuse to surrender or who are in the middle of conducting attacks on the Israelis.

Hamas has attempted to galvanize the population to join the fighting against the IDF, but with virtually no response so far. In fact, the frequency of terrorist attacks against Israelis has gone down considerably. Since the last update, it has reached one of its lowest levels in many years.

The Fatah-controlled security forces of the Palestinian Authority have continued their operations against their Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad rivals in areas where the Israelis are not operating. They have arrested several hundred.

Dr. Eado Hecht, a senior research fellow at the BESA Center, is a military analyst focusing mainly on the relationship between military theory, military doctrine, and military practice. He teaches courses on military theory and military history at Bar-Ilan University, Haifa University, and Reichman University and in a variety of courses in the Israel Defense Forces. A version of this article was originally published by The BESA Center.

The post Here’s What’s Happening in Gaza Right Now first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

A couple that was supposed to be engaged will never spend their life together, as they were murdered by a terrorist on Wednesday night outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington DC. This, in a week where a pregnant Israeli mother was murdered on the way to the hospital.

I have covered countless events in Manhattan, where there were metal detectors, but if there is not an armed security guard outside, it is nearly impossible to stop someone outside.

There will be an investigation to determine if the murderer had terrorist ties or was radicalized by watching podcasts that slander, defame, and incite against Jews. In 2018, when there was a shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, people tried to dismiss it as a mental patient’s act of violence. In 2019, a man stormed into a home in Monsey, New York, with a machete and attacked several people, including Yosef Neumann, who would die from his wounds. And we have all seen the insane increase in attacks on Jews since Oct. 7, 2023.

Lip service that “antisemitism will not be tolerated” is meaningless because it is tolerated and welcomed in America. Expect many to claim the alleged suspect, Elias Rodriguez, has mental health issues. Whether he does or does not, the fact remains that when people spew words of hatred into the air, they wind up in someone’s ear.

This does not mean we should abandon free speech. Podcasters will still slander Israel and spew antisemitism, and they are allowed to do that. But we must be more vocal in our condemnation. We must not be foolish to think this is a one-off event. Hamas did not expect to defeat Israel on October 7. It expected that by sacrificing the blood of Palestinians, Israel could be blamed and be a pariah on the world stage. When a pregnant woman, Tzeela Gez was murdered by terrorists, it wasn’t big news in America.

There are those who will be afraid to go to synagogues or to Jewish events, and that is understandable — but we must overcome that fear. The purpose of terrorism is to make good people feel helpless and it is quite effective. A few days ago, I interviewed Hagai Angrest, whose son, Matan, is a hostage in Gaza. We know the worst feeling for a parent is to be unable to help their child.

Every individual is responsible for his or her actions. But those fanning the flames and spreading antisemitism, and those lying and saying antisemitism is not a real thing or is overblown, are deserving of guilt and blame.

As I watch the news, there are questions if there will be a GoFundMe Page for the murderer. Make no mistake, there is a real effort by Jew haters on the left and the right who want to convince America that the evil Jews are trying to pull them into World War III. They will likely claim support for Israel was the cause of this attack. But we know that for antisemitism, the reason always changes, but there is one constant: using a new argument as an excuse to kill Jews.

To those who don’t call Hamas terrorists, you are part of the problem. To those who say Israel should bury its head in the sand as Iran threatens to wipe it off the map, you are part of the problem. I’ve interviewed dozens of Holocaust survivors who did not think another Holocaust would happen, but said that hate would rise up in America, and we shouldn’t be naïve to think America would always be safe. I believed them, though others thought they were out of touch.

I don’t know if the pay-for slay policy of the Palestinian Authority would include Gonzalez, but if he is convicted in a court, he should get the death penalty, and it was a grave injustice that Joseph Czuba, who murdered Wadee Alfayoumi, did not get the death penalty, as he should have.

The author is a writer based in New York.

The post What Should Our Response Be to the DC Jewish Murders? first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Two Israeli embassy staffers, committed to Israeli-Palestinian dialogue and about to get engaged, were killed by a lone gunman in Washington, DC, on Wednesday night and a suspect who chanted pro-Palestinian slogans was in custody, officials said.

The two were shot and killed as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum, about 1.3 miles (2 km) from the White House.

Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said a man shot at a group of four people with a handgun, hitting both the victims. He was seen pacing outside the museum prior to the shooting.

The victims, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, were locally employed staff, the Israeli foreign ministry said. They were trying to promote reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians, separate advocacy groups each belonged to said.

Smith said the single suspect, identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez from Chicago, chanted “Free Palestine, Free Palestine,” after being taken into custody by event security having entered the museum.

“Once in handcuffs, the suspect identified where he discarded the weapon, and that weapon has been recovered, and he implied that he committed the offense,” she said, adding that he had had no previous contact with police.

Witness Katie Kalisher, 29, said she was among people in the museum who were chatting to a man who entered looking very scared after gunshots were heard outside when he suddenly pulled out a keffiyeh scarf.

“He says, ‘I did it. I did it for Gaza, free, free Palestine.’ And he’s chanting this. And then suddenly the police come in and they arrest him,” said Kalisher, a jewelry designer.

“But he didn’t even have the Palestinian keffiyeh. He had the Jordanian keffiyeh. So, I think he’s a really confused person,” she said.

Yechiel Leiter, Israel‘s ambassador to the US, told reporters the young man killed had “purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem.”

POLITICAL BACKDROP

President Donald Trump condemned the shooting. “These horrible DC killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!” he said in a message on Truth Social. “Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his heart ached for the families of the victims, “whose lives were cut short in a moment by an abhorrent antisemitic murderer.”

“We are witness to the terrible cost of the antisemitism and wild incitement against the State of Israel,” he said on X, adding that both “must be fought to the utmost.”

Security would be stepped up at Israeli embassies around the world, he said.

The shootings are likely to fuel polarization in the United States over the war in Gaza between supporters of Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

Deputy FBI Director Don Bongino said the suspect was being interviewed by the police and the FBI, saying on X it appeared to be an act of targeted violence.

“We will get you answers as soon as we can, without compromising additional leads,” he said.

The event at the Capital Jewish Museum was held by the American Jewish Committee, an advocacy group that supports Israel and confronts antisemitism, according to its website.

Called the Young Diplomats Reception, an online invitation described it as bringing together Jewish professionals and the Washington diplomatic community.

The German-Israeli Society said Lischinsky had grown up in Bavaria and spoke fluent German.

“We remember him as an open-minded, intelligent and deeply committed person whose interest in German-Israeli relations and ways to achieve peaceful coexistence in the Middle East brightened the environment around him,” said the society’s president, Volker Beck.

Tech2Peace, an advocacy group training young Palestinians and Israelis and promoting dialogue between them, said Milgrim was an active volunteer who “brought people together with empathy and purpose”.

“Her dedication to building a better future was evident in everything she did,” it said. “Her voice and spirit will be profoundly missed.”

‘WE STAND STRONG’

Hours after the shooting, several people gathered at the scene, in the area of 3rd and F Streets.

Aaron Shemtov, who is studying at a rabbinical college in California, said he came to show support.

“When a member of the community gets murdered and gets killed for who he is, we stand proud, we stand strong, and we never give up,” Shemtov said.

Rabbi Levi Shemtov, who was also at the scene, said the couple had attended his Washington synagogue occasionally.

“It’s very sad to see that instead of these people coming to the ultimate celebration of their life – they were about to get engaged – they get shot dead in the street just because of who they are,” said the rabbi.

The head of the American Jewish Committee, Ted Deutch, told CNN the Jewish community around the world felt under threat. Some Israelis said the shooting made them afraid to go abroad.

Rights advocates have noted both rising antisemitism and anti-Arab hate in the US since then.

Such incidents have included an unsuccessful plot to attack a New York Jewish center, an arson attack on Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s residence, and attacks on Florida businesses perceived as pro-Israel.

The post Two Israeli Embassy Staffers Shot Dead in Downtown Washington, Lone Suspect Held first appeared on Algemeiner.com.