יום שישי, ח׳ אלול תשפ״וFriday, August 21, 2026
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In the coming hours, the smoke will continue to rise above Gaza.
Update, 5:34 PM, Israel Time: The IDF carried out an extensive attack damaging to the long-range launch capabilities (over 25 miles) of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The attack caused significant damage to underground launch systems and weapons and ammunition storehouses belonging to terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip. The purpose of the attack is to disrupt […]
The Shabak (Israel's General Secret Service) just announced that Ahmed Jabari, the second in command of the Hamas military, was killed today by the IDF in a surgical strike.
Syrian rebel soldiers calling themselves “Eagles of the Golan” have taken over Beerajam and Bariqa in Southern Syria, in an area which serves as a demilitarized zone between Israel and the country to the north.
The plan is to stagger their recruitment, to allow IDF manpower officials to study the process.
Hamas called the meeting to try and avoid further casualties.
After this morning's missile attack, residents of Ashdod, north of Gaza, have had their nerves frayed further Tuesday morning with the booms of numerous explosions. It turns out, the IDF is now conducting training for their new Patriot missile system, as well as testing out a new Iron Dome. So that's what the latest booms […]
Late Monday afternoon, Israel time, a mortar shell hit an open area in the vicinity of an IDF post in the central Golan Heights, as part of the internal conflict inside Syria, causing no damage or injuries.
Angry and frightened Israeli civilians in southern Israel are imploring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to unleash an IDF military strike against Hamas and its terrorists allies in the Gaza Strip in response to the recent spate of rocket and mortar attacks emanating from there. Those attacks have caused damage to commercial and residential structures and have sent thousands of residents to local trauma centers.
As Israel’s border with Gaza heats up, Israeli officials from the highest echelons have declared that the State will defend Israeli citizens.
A barrage of rockets eight hours after an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire between Hamas and Israel has brought a quick end to the quiet, with Israel ramping up preparations for possible ground reprisals to end attacks from Gaza on civilians in Israel’s south.
By Anav Silverman, Tazpit News Agency
It was a daunting, dismal weekend for Israel’s south, particularly for Israelis living in communities bordering the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Along with the rain, more than 100 Gaza rockets struck the south, wounding four Israelis and sending countless others into shock and trauma, while damaging homes, businesses and vehicles.
At the opening of the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said terrorists would be “hit hard” in response to attacks on Israeli soldiers on civilians over the weekend. “The world needs to understand that Israel won’t just sit by… we’re ready to heighten our response,” Netanyahu said. “The IDF is acting, and will act, with force in Gaza.”
Soroka Hospital Completed the Surgeries on the Injured Soldiers.
According to the IDF Spokesperson, in response to recent events, overnight IAF aircraft targeted a weapons manufacturing facility, two weapons storage facilities, and two rocket-launching sites in the northern Gaza Strip, as well as a weapons storage facility and a terror activity site in the southern Gaza Strip. Direct hits were confirmed. The Ma'an Palestinian news agency reported that Israeli tank shells killed 4 Palestinians and wounded 30 in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, according to medics and other witnesses.
The Palestinians are reporting that the IDF his a 4 man terror cell in Northern Gaza. The terrorists are being transported to a Gazan hospital. 11:49 PM Israel TV reporting that Israel killed 1 terrorist and injured 4. 12:31 AM Palestinians reporting that IDF Apache helicopters hitting targets in Jibalya.
The four soldiers injured in Saturday evenings attack are being treated at Soroka hospital. They were very seriously injured.
The Israel Defense Forces galvanized its internationally-recognized emergency response team to assist in a search and rescue operation in Ghana Wednesday night, after a shopping center collapsed in the country’s capital.
Three mortar shells landed in Israel’s Golan Heights on Thursday morning, in what security officials are saying is an accidental firing as part of the bloody battle between forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad and a growing militant opposition.
Ynet reports that an IDF patrol jeep was hit by Syrian gunfire. The incident happened at 8:30 pm on Monday, when the Golani jeep, on routine patrol along the border came under fire. It is believed the shooting were caused by stray bullets from the fighting between the Syrian factions. No IDF soldiers were hurt […]
One of the world’s largest land warfare expos featured Israeli company Al-Sorag from Moshav Emunin this year as one of the participants, being handpicked by the AUSA (Association of the United States Army).
A massive war game simulation by the Institute for National Security Studies of the IDF’s engagement after a strike on Iran recently took place, illustrating Israel’s increasing preparedness for putting a military end to the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak is insisting that Israel does not consider Egypt’s government a “shocking dictatorship”, after Defense Ministry official Amos Gilad made the statement to students in Herzliya on Friday.
The IAF dropped warning brochures onto Gaza, because apparently the locals didn't know there were terrorists acting among them.
The Golani infantry brigade is the number one choice of new recruits to the IDF, according to figures released by the army on Sunday.
At least twenty Kassam rockets were fired at Israeli civilians in southern Israel late Sunday night, after Israeli Air Force jets struck terror cells in Gaza.
Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said on Sunday that Iran has in its possession UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) which are far more advanced than the one which the Hezbollah recently sent into Israel.
In light of the ongoing attacks on civilian areas near Gaza, and the advancement of aggression by terrorist elements against the 200,000 person-strong ancient biblical city and modern-day metropolis of Be'ersheva, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's cabinet issued the following statement through the Government Press Office:
Captain Ziv Shilon, who was taken to Soroka Medical Center in critical condition after being wounded by a Hamas bomb in the Kissufim area near Gaza on Tuesday regained consciousness on Wednesday, saluting his commander with the arm doctors are fighting to save.
A purported ceasefire went into effect between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday at mighnight, apparently negotiated by Egyptian officials, putting an end to IDF strikes on terror installations in Gaza in exchange for a halting of rocket fire from terrorists.
Captain Ziv Shilon was named as the Givati officer that was injured in Tuesday's terror attack.
Three foreign workers were badly injured by Hamas and Popular Resistance Committee rocket fire from Gaza on southern Israel on Wednesday morning.
Some 500 fighters will be trained each month, with the goal of reaching 20,000 soldiers after two years. A series of monthly coordination meetings was agreed on at that meeting as well.
A Golani Officer injured near the Gaza fence on Tuesday morning. His unit was checking the path for bombs when the officer was injured in a terror attack. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "Israel will respond very harshly to this entire chain of terror."
This deal, one of several large scale defense deals being carried out between Israel and this Asian country, is expected to repair the damage caused to the cooperation between the two countries after Israel’s purchase of training planes a few months ago from Italy rather than from South Korea
The Israel Air Force killed two terrorists preparing to launch rockets against Israeli civilians from Gaza.
The United States and Israel will conduct their largest-ever joint missile defense exercise this month, making a display of solidarity as the international rift over how to deal with Iran’s nuclear program grows.
“Israel will do everything it takes to ensure Syria’s chemical weapons do not fall into the hands of terrorist organizations — and if such a situation arises, then Israel will weigh a military option,” Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told a group of European ambassadors in Jerusalem on Tuesday.
By JTA
The drone was launched from Lebanon, in a cooperation between the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and the Lebanon-based terrorist group Hezbollah, the Sunday Times of London reported, citing unnamed sources. Hassan Nasrallah in a televised speech Oct. 11 admitted to sending the drone which was followed, then intercepted and shot down in an unpopulated area.
JERUSALEM – As high-ranking American military commanders arrived in Israel this week in advance of the forthcoming Austere Challenge 12 drill with IDF units, Israel’s military resolve was tested by Iranian proxy militias in Gaza and Lebanon during the recent Sukkot and Simchat Torah holidays.
Hizbullah Chief Hassan Nasrallah will discuss rumors of a Lebanese drone over Israel in a televised appearance on Thursday, according to Lebanese daily Naharnet.
A group of visitors to Mount Hermon in Israel’s north were evacuated on Wednesday when a group of armed Syrians approached the border.
Goldstein was raised in a Jewish-conservative household in Philadelphia, attending the Jewish elementary school of Solomon Schechter and Camp Rama in the summers. He chose to go to the Quaker Friends’ Central High School in part because of the school’s focus on athletics, but also in order to broaden his horizons.
Every year, young soldiers from overseas are enlisted into the Israeli Defense Forces through the Garin Tzabar program. The distance from their families and friends combined with the acclimation to their new country makes their service especially challenging. This year, however, at least for five pairs of brothers from the United States and Australia, the experience should be somewhat less difficult.
In excerpts of an interview published by Yisrael HaYom newspaper, Defense Minister Ehud Barak proposed a unilateral withdrawal from most of Judea and Samaria, requiring tens of thousands of Jews to leave their homes or remain under the sovereignty of the Palestinian Authority.
Following the death of Cpl. Netanel Yahalomi in a gunbattle on the Israel-Egypt border on Friday, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Benny Gantz warned that the perimeter would continue to be a security problem for Israel.
By Tibbi Singer
The shooting incident at Egyptian border that claimed the life of Cpl. Natanel Yahalomi last Friday, was the first combat encounter of Cpl. S. and her comrades of the Caracal Battalion.
By Aryeh Savir, Tazpit News Agency
Despite relative stability, the IDF is bracing for possible escalation of violence in Judea and Samaria, Commander of the IDF Central Command, Major General Nitzan Alon, said at a recent Rosh Hashannah ceremony attended by community leaders and mayors from Judea and Samaria.
His father said over Natanel's grave: "more than 20 years ago we had a baby. We picked the name Netanel (Hebrew: God-given) because we felt that God gave us a gift. We received a wonderful gift which we now return to the Creator of the world. We pray and beg that you will be the last of the fallen in the nation of Israel."
Large terror attack thwarted. An IDF soldier was killed.
JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly considering a preemptive military strike against several Syrian chemical weapons storage depots and Scud missile sites. The goal is to prevent embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad from transferring the unconventional arsenal to Hizbullah or the Iranian Revolutionary Guards if Assad appears on the verge of being toppled from power by opposition forces.
IDF – Israel Securities Authority target terrorists affiliated with the Defenders of al-Aqsa in the Gaza Strip who were in the final stages of planning another attack against Israeli civilians
On Wednesday morning, following an order of Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, the IDF conducted a surprise exercise to test the preparedness and capabilities of a number of units, with a special focus on the artillery and air force.
According to reports in the Arab media, Hamas security forces confiscated weapons and made several arrests over the past few days among Salafi terrorists, in an attempt to prevent continued shooting and to uncover additional information about their arsenal of weapons. Hamas is focusing on the Shura Council organization, a relative newcomer on the Gaza front, established last June. As of now, more 30 Salafi terrorists have been arrested by Hamas security.
Lior Farchi, the 43 year-old chief of security in the Samaria region Jewish community of Shaarei Tikva who was run over by a 25 year old Arab from Kafr Qasem, will be laid to rest at 2pm on Monday in a military ceremony at the Segula Cemetery in Petach Tikva. He is survived by a pregnant wife and three young children.
As a result of the change in the law, the IDF is putting together a number of subtracts specifically for Haredim, though no new “Haredi Only” divisions or brigades will be created. Some of the units have women serving in them, and the IDF says the role of women will not be negatively impacted by the introduction of Haredim who prefer not to interact socially with women beyond what is allowed by their community's mores.
By Ben Sales
TEL AVIV – Like any of the Israeli army's combat battalions, the soldiers of Netzach Yehuda faced a 60-mile hike during basic training meant to simulate battle conditions.
JERUSALEM – According to Maj.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi, Israel’s Military Intelligence head, the Jewish state will face a more unstable and Islamist environment than in previous times. This is being fueled by the unchecked rise of radical Islam, and could force Israel into unwanted conflicts.
By Ben Sales
As the frequency of suicide bombings increased in the 1990s, Israelis began to realize that their conflicts had shifted from the conventional battlefield to their streets, buses and cafes.
He was told that since he was wearing the uniform of the “Army of the Zionist State,” he was not permitted to enter the shul.
About half of recruitment-age Israeli youths do not enlist, said Head of IDF Human Resources, Major General Orna Barbibay on Wednesday. But despite this reluctance to serve, she argued that "the IDF is the only melting pot I know," adding, "and even if the connection is partial, the Army still introduces different segments of the populations to each other, enabling them to perform the essential task of national security."
On Tuesday, soldiers in the IDF Kfir brigade sent a letter to the office of Chief of Staff Benny Gantz complaining about discrimination between soldiers serving in the Haredi Netzach Yehuda battalion and other soldiers in the brigade, Walla reports. According to the soldiers’ claims it appears that recently soldiers serving in the Haredi battalion each received a grant of $5,000 from an American philanthropist.
By Aryeh Savir and Gil Lavie, Tazpit News Agency
The poll was also surprising in the diversity it found in the Israeli Defense Forces. 1,200 of the reservists were from the Republic of Georgia, 720 originated from Iran, 30 from the Philippines, and 4 from Bahrain. The study indicates a rarely seen picture of reserve duty, where minorities and immigrants play a larger role than previously thought. A total of 19% of reserve soldiers were born outside Israel.
The IDF is currently investigating how the terrorists in Sunday's’ attack managed to drive one of their commandeered armored vehicle 2 kilometers into Israel until the IAF blew it up. In the strike, six terrorists, armed with suicide belts, were killed, while an additional two, who tried to escape on foot, were shot by IDF […]
“Even before investigations of the attack are complete, I estimate we prevented a large-scale disaster, an extremely complex attack by terrorists operating between Sinai and the Gaza Strip," said Lt. Gen. Gantz.
A serious attempt by Gaza terrorists to breach the Israeli border, and the launch of dozens of rockets and mortar shells on the Eshkol Regional Council in southern Israel on Sunday evening, has led to exchanges of fire on the Israeli border, the slaughter of 15 Egyptian soldiers by Gaza terrorists, and warnings to residents of Kibbutz Kerem Shalom to remain in shelters and lock their doors for safety reasons. Despite fear and concerns for security, a long-time activist for the western Negev region said the attacks come as “no surprise” to residents of the region.
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said on Wednesday that if Iran does not negotiate acceptable limits on its nuclear program, it could face U.S. military action in tended to stop it from developing a nuclear bomb.
More Jewish parents no longer ask their children only to which Ivy League schools will they apply, but in which elite IDF units they want to serve.
Last Thursday the recruitment began at the "Netzach Yehuda" Haredi battalion of the Kfir Brigade, as more than 200 anxious ultra-Orthodox recruits arrived at the processing center. Last year, some 380 soldiers joined the regiment, and according to official data from the Department of Manpower, the current cycle will see an increase of 33% in the number of recruits.
On Saturday night, Tisha B'Av 5772, some 50 men, women and children, members of the settlement nucleus of Yad Yair, together with the Benjamin Settlers Committee and residents of Gush Talmonim, mourned the destruction of Jerusalem, and shared their private grief over the destruction of their settlement more than three years ago by the Civil Administration of Judea and Samaria.
Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak on Thursday toured the Northern Command and the Golan Heights along with commanders stationed in the region and addressed recent occurrences in Syria. He said that the targeting of top security officials of Bashar al-Assad's regime by oppositions forces in Damascus "will greatly expedite the fall of the Assad family." Barak told reporters that the IDF is preparing for the possibility that waves of refugees will escape from Syria to the Golan Heights. "If required to stop waves of refugees, we will do so," he stated.
By Alex Abel
A spokesperson for Yisrael Beytenu said, “We’ve had 64 years to evolve,” he said. “Demographically, it will be impossible to pass this bill 20 years from now.”
Avigdor Liberman says he will continue to pursue the drafting of all Israelis at the age of 18, but will uphold the current coalition.
By Tibbi Singer
On Monday, Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman's party Yisrael Beytenu released a video stressing the importance of passing a law mandating equal service for all Israelis. The video shows, through dramatic graphics, how by 2020 a majority of Israelis will not be serving. Titled “One Citizenship. One Obligation. One Opportunity. One Vote,” the clip was released ahead of the planned vote on Yisrael Beytenu’s IDF, National, or Civilian Service Law Proposal this Wednesday in the Knesset.
As the deadline for the renewal of the Tal Law approaches and tens of thousands of people rallied to demand that all citizens of Israel perform national service, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a meeting of the Likud Knesset faction to discuss ways to include Hareidim in national and military service. With his party in agreement, the prime minister is on his way to drafting new legislation.
Keynote speaker former GSS chief Yuval Diskin said: "I served this country for thirty-seven years with love and with hope, and throughout these long years I did not even once, even for one moment, feel that I was a sucker. When I joined, almost everyone enlisted, but when I got out I discovered that we are close to the point where almost no one is enlisting. And that's the whole story."
The system, dubbed “Strong Number”, has been developed under the aegis of the IDF Ground Forces Technology Division, and has been successfully tested by the IDF near the Gaza border over the last few months. The technology would allow Israel to counter the smuggling operations on the narrow strip of land situated along the border between Gaza Strip and Egypt. Dr. Aaron Lerner: "This means a dramatic shift in the equation."
We expected to learn how to handle weapons and hone self-defense skills. I did not expect to have one of the most moving days of my life.
A few hours after a report by MK Plesner's committee on "equal share in burden" was made public Wednesday morning, coalition partner Kadima chairman Shaul Mofaz convened members of his faction to say that he expects Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept the committee's recommendations within a few days days. "The decision before us is a crucial decision for Israel," he stressed.
The Plesner Committee, tasked with crafting an alternative to the Tal Law for haredi service in Israel, is reportedly drafting a proposal which would defer the enlistment of haredi men till age 22, offer financial incentives to yeshivot that have younger enlistment rates, and begin to levy economic sanctions on haredim who don't enlist by age 23.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured Israelis on Sunday that Israel’s armed forces would protect residents of the south, as a tentative quiet followed a weekend of rockets lobbed on the region from Gaza. Despite fear, residents move on with life on Sunday.
On Saturday, rocket fire from the Gaza Strip continued with some 20 hits identified in towns and villages near the Gaza border. Israel's Air Force hit terrorists who were launching missiles at Israel. But the Islamic Jihad held its fire this week, "to see how others would face the Israeli aggression." (Watch video)
Following the incessant rocket firing on civilian centers in southern Israel, four Iron Dome batteries were positioned overnight alongside the Gaza strip border. The cities of Beer Sheva, Ashkelon and Ashdod are now better protected. Four Border Guard policemen were injured Tuesday from a Grad hit.
Since the morning hours, at least 40 rockets and mortars have been fired from Gaza into south-western Israel. Several Israeli Border Policemen were injured Tuesday evening, one of them is in critical condition.
The IDF has re-opened roads and lifted an order for residents to remain in their homes following a deadly attack killing one Israeli along the Israel-Egypt border.
Terrorist infiltrated from Egypt and opened fire with guns, explosives and an RPG against Israeli contractors working on the border fence. 1 Israeli and 2 terrorists were killed in the ensuing gunfight. Communities in the South were in lockdown for 5 hours.
IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yoav (Poly) Mordechai said that the understanding that the Bashar Assad regime in Syria has “reached its end” is now permeating among Assad’s allies Iran and Hezbollah. Meanwhile, a Russian military source said that Russia may send warships and troops to Syria to protect its logistics base in Tartous, Syria.
A Palestinian sniper attempted to kill an Israeli farmer working in a field near Kibbutz Nir Oz on Thursday, shooting from a vantage point inside Gaza. The farmer hid behind a tractor until IDF soldiers arrived and evacuated him to safety.
JERUSALEM – Israel’s Defense Minister Ehud Barak has ordered IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz to draw up plans for a possible series of preemptive strikes against various Scud missile installations and suspected WMD (weapons of mass destruction) sites across Syria, as the rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad’s dictatorship appears to be entering a dangerous phase.
IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Yair Naveh said Monday night that “Syria has the world’s largest arsenal of chemical weapons, along with rockets and missiles that can reach all of Israel." But Palestinian officials criticized the amplified Israeli criticism on Sunday as a tactic to deflect attention from Israel's treatment of the Palestinians and the "moribund peace process."
Among the innovations that will be showcased are hand-held through-the-wall radars, mini-Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), robots, and frequency-hopping radios. The exhibition will take place from June 11th-15th, and will include over 1,400 exhibitors from around the globe.
By JTA
Israel's Air Force attacked what it said were two weapons storage facilities in the Gaza Strip.
A recording-breaking 11,000 IDF infantry soldiers participated in the Annual Ground Forces Race, stressing importance of physical fitness.
The IDF Operations Department has put together instructions for military operations in cyberspace against enemies of the Jewish state. The IDF will engage in consistent and continuous intelligence gathering operations online, and said it will handle cyberspace as a battlefield as important as those at sea in the air, and on the ground, executing attacks when necessary.
The terrorist approached the security fence near Kisufim at around 4:30 a.m., cut it, and snuck into Israel. A Golani unit rapidly deployed to the area, coming under fire by the terrorist. In the ensuing gunfight, a 20 year old soldier was shot, and soon after died of his wound.
"Iran is here," said Northern Command Chief Maj. Gen. Yair Golan, "its negative influence is significant in the Gaza Strip, in Lebanon and in Syria." He also warned, "al-Qaeda might attack Israel in time." Meanwhile, an Iranian official threatens that a Syrian war would "engulf" Israel.
Ground Forces Commander Maj. Gen. Shlomo (Sami) Turgeman this week presented the IDF future project to supply soldiers in the field with equipment capable of intercepting rockets, similar to the successful anti-rocket defense system, the Iron Dome.
Israeli security authorities including the IDF Military Intelligence Formation, closely monitored the Google Street View Project, first launched in Israel just last month, giving a close look of streets in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa. The inspection prevented publication of pictures revealing classified information and locations of security facilities operating in Israel.
On the issue of ultra-Orthodox military service, 41% of those surveyed said they would be moderately or very interested in joining the Haredi IDF program, while 59% said they had either little or no interest. Still, the percentage of interest is substantially higher than the current annual rate of Haredi enlistment in the IDF.
By Jewish Press Staff Reporter
The regional instability has changed Israel's security outlook in a number of ways, said Chief Intelligence Officer Brigadier General Ariel Karo, most notably in recent months in the Sinai Peninsula. Moreover, he said, the nature of the IDF's enemies is not always entirely clear, with the lines between military and terrorist groups blurred.
August 21, 2026 
