Israel Briefing Day 515: Back to Square One?

A senior Israeli official was quoted as saying “We are at a dead end for now,” while  a Trump administration official reportedly told an Israeli counterpart in relation to Hamas: “Kill them all, every last one of them.” The IDF is already preparing for possible attacks on terror targets, with plans for intensified strikes across Gaza, and is believed to be finalising plans for possible deployments and airstrikes.

Elsewhere, a 62-year-old Israeli was killed yesterday in a stabbing attack at a Haifa bus station. The incident also left four people injured, including a 15-year-old boy and a woman in her 70s. The attacker, according to Israel reports, was 20-year-old Yitro Shahin from the Druze town of Shfaram. He killed Hassan Dahamesh from the Arab town of Kfar Kanna by stabbing him repeatedly in the back. Shahin was shot dead at the scene.

Police initially classified the attack as a terror incident, but Shahin’s family is insisting that he suffered from severe mental illness and was not a terrorist. The family of the deceased has accepted the Shahin family’s apology.

And there was a violent commotion in the Knesset yesterday, as ushers used force to block a lobby group run by the families of Hamas victims, including the deceased, hostages and former hostages.

Videos showed members of the group being pushed, hit, and in one case, wrestled to the floor. The lobby group representing those who were attacked, the October Council, is pressuring for a state enquiry into the events of 7 October 2023 – a request that is being blocked by the governing coalition.

The incident took place as the activists tried to reach the public gallery to watch a debate on whether there should be a state enquiry and conflict ended when Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana instructed guards to allow the families to enter the gallery.

The October Council said in a statement that “the violence directed at the bereaved families is unacceptable”. It went on: “We feel today, on our very bodies, the violence of the Israeli government against us. It is the same violence that seeks to prevent us from obtaining answers about the failures that led to the deaths of our loved ones. The Speaker of the Knesset must resign today.”

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett also criticised the Netanyahu government for an atmosphere of antagonism towards bereaved families. He said: “We witnessed tonight a total disconnect of Netanyahu’s disaster government. A government that does not honour its fallen is unworthy of this people. Lower your gaze, take responsibility.”

During the debate in the Knesset chamber, Netanyahu lost his customary composure and suggested that he is open in principle to a commission but believes that any inquiry held today would be biased against him.

He spoke of the “deep state”, a phrase that is popular with conspiracy theorists to refer to a hidden or clandestine network of powerful government agencies and bureaucrats, saying: “The cooperation between the deep state bureaucrats and the media did not succeed in the United States and it won’t succeed here. I am not deterred by fabricated investigations and a political manhunt. I will continue to insist on the truth; I will continue to demand a balanced commission of inquiry that will reach the truth.”

Meanwhile, a representative of one of the most prolific families connected to Netanyahu’s Likud Party has publicly called for a state inquiry.

Aviv Begin, grandson of former Prime Minister Menachem Begin, criticised Netanyahu’s handling of the war and hostage negotiations and insisted that his grandfather would have acted differently. Speaking at a protest, he said: “We need accountability, not excuses.”

In hostage news, Eli Sharabi, the former hostage whose British-Israeli family was murdered by Hamas – wife Lianne and daughters Yahel and Noiya – has flown to Washington to visit the White House. He will meet US President Donald Trump tonight. Just before Sharabi left, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called him and apologised for the fact that his release was not secured earlier amid stalling ceasefire negotiations. Netanyahu said: “I am sorry that it took us so long. We fought hard to get you out, and your brother and the entire family fought hard too.” Read a full report by clicking here.

And, in a grief-filled funeral yesterday, relatives laid former hostage Itzik Elgarat to rest, following the return of his body from Gaza. His brother Danny lambasted the government at the funeral, reportedly saying: “The enemy who caused your death is not who kidnapped you, but rather who abandoned you.”

He added: “Today you’re being laid to eternal rest in a grave dug for you by the prime minister himself.”

His comments followed the revelation that, during the October 7 attacks, Hamas captured Kibbutz Kfar Aza within an hour, but it took Israeli soldiers nearly three days to regain control, according to an IDF investigative report. Some 250 terrorists invaded the kibbutz, killing 62 residents and 18 security personnel. Five key points from the probe:

1. The attack began at 6:30 a.m., and the first Israeli troops arrived two hours later, around 8:30 a.m.

2. Fighting continued until 10 October, with terrorists barricaded inside homes.

3. Initial resistance came from the kibbutz’s Rapid Response Team and armed residents before IDF reinforcements arrived.

4. IDF forces faced intense combat, with operations to clear the area lasting through 9-10 October. The timeline highlights the struggle that IDF troops experienced in establishing command and control, with some units arriving uncoordinated.

5. Evacuations of civilians and recovery of bodies were only completed late on 10 October.

Moving abroad, Israel struck a military site in Syria to target weapons that belonged to the country’s previous regime. “Due to recent developments in the area, it was decided to strike military infrastructure at the site,” the IDF said in a statement. “The IDF continues to monitor developments in the area and will act as necessary in order to defend the citizens of the State of Israel.”

Finally, in Rafah, Israeli troops shot two Palestinians yesterday. The military said that they posed an “immediate threat.” Palestinian media later reported they had died. In related news, the IDF struck a suspicious vessel off Khan Younis after it crossed a restricted maritime boundary. The military said warning shots were fired before the strike.

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