Category: Israel

Katz to IDF: Prepare to Seize Another Terror Camp

Defense Minister Israel Katz has ordered the IDF to prepare to seize another refugee camp in the Judea and Samaria, as part of expanding offensive operations against terror organizations in the area. The directive was issued Monday night following a security assessment attended by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and senior defense officials.

According to Katz’s directive, the IDF will prepare for an operation following the model used in the terror camps of Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur al-Shams. Under that approach, the camps were evacuated of their residents, Israeli forces cleared them of terror infrastructure, and the IDF has remained in them permanently.

Defense Minister Israel Katz in a situation assessment with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and the head of Military Intelligence. Archive photo: Ariel Hermoni, Defense Ministry

The Defense Minister’s office explained that the operations are designed to counter terror that is “trying to raise its head again.” According to officials, the policy was set by Katz with the backing of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he took office as defense minister.

Sharp Drop in Terror Activity

According to defense establishment data, the policy has led to an approximately 80% drop in terror activity during 2025, and the trend has continued into 2026. Now the defense minister wants to expand the model to another camp, whose identity has not yet been disclosed.

Archive | Photo: IDF Spokespersons unit

The meeting was attended by the head of the Operations Directorate, the head of Military Intelligence, the commander of Central Command, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, the commander of the Judea and Samaria District in the police, the defense minister’s military secretary Col. Hisham Ibrahim, and representatives from the Shin Bet and the defense establishment.

The meeting took place just days after the deadly terror attack near Gilad Farm, in which Maj. Yuval Ezra and reserve Staff Sgt. Beniyahu Melet, a member of Gilad Farm’s rapid response team, were murdered. Additional Israelis were wounded in the attack.

Manhunt for Terrorists Continues

Hours after the attack, fighters from the Duvdevan unit, under the command of the Samaria Brigade and with Shin Bet intelligence, raided a hospital in Shechem (Nablus). During the operation, forces arrested two terrorists who were wounded in the attack and had been taken for medical treatment.

Archive | Photo: IDF Spokesperson

The IDF and Shin Bet made clear that the identities of all the terrorists involved are known. Security forces continue to operate to arrest the remaining terrorists and bring them to justice.

July 28, 2026
Katz Orders No Renewal of Administrative Detention Order

Defense Minister Israel Katz has instructed not to renew the detention order issued against Tal Yinon Dardik. The decision came after the military appeals committee in Judea and Samaria accepted the appeal filed against the order, ruling that there were flaws in how it was issued.

No photo credit

The order was issued by the commander of Central Command, based on a recommendation from the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency. Following the committee’s decision, Katz instructed not to reissue the order, but rather to address the problem that prompted it through other means.

Honenu, a legal aid organization, praised the minister’s decision: “We commend Defense Minister Israel Katz for his decision. The defense minister did the right thing and accepted the position of the military appeals committee, which accepted our position, as we cried out from day one—General Blut issued an impractical and illegal administrative order. We call on General Blut—fight the enemies. Unfortunately, Jews are being murdered, and the Arab enemy is raising its head. Act against terror and the enemy, not against brothers.”

Defense Minister Israel Katz. Photo: Jonathan Sindel, Flash 90

Meanwhile—Expanding Counter-Terror Operations

The decision on Dardik’s case came during a security discussion Katz held Monday night on Judea and Samaria. The meeting was attended by IDF Chief of Staff Major General Eyal Zamir, the head of the Operations Directorate, the head of Military Intelligence, the commander of Central Command, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, the commander of the Judea and Samaria District in the police, the military secretary to the defense minister Colonel Hisham Ibrahim, and representatives from the Shin Bet and the security establishment.

The discussion also addressed the fight against terror in Judea and Samaria. At its conclusion, the defense minister instructed the IDF to expand offensive operations against Arab terror that is trying to raise its head again, and to prepare to seize another refugee camp, following the model used in the terror camps in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur al-Shams—evacuating residents, clearing terror infrastructure, and maintaining a permanent presence of our forces in the camps.

IDF forces in Jenin | photo: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit

The defense minister’s office says the policy, which began when Katz took office and with the backing of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has led to an 80% drop in terror activity in 2025, with the decline continuing through 2026.

July 28, 2026
IDF General Appeals Behind Katz’s Back in Dardik Case

Israel’s security establishment and prosecution went head-to-head with political leadership Tuesday, as Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth and the Jerusalem District Prosecutor’s Office petitioned the Jerusalem District Court in direct opposition to Defense Minister Israel Katz’s stated position, seeking to overturn an appeals committee decision and keep administrative restrictions against Tal Yinon Dardik in force.

Avi Bluth, Commander of the Central Command | Photo: Chaim Goldberg, Flash90F

According to appeal documents filed with the district court, the Central Command chief and commander of IDF forces in Judea and Samaria are insisting that the administrative order issued against Dardik on June 9, 2026—requiring him to remain behind the doors of his mother-in-law’s home in the town of ‘Ad Ad’ around the clock—is essential due to sensitive intelligence indicating high-level danger and involvement in violent activity.

The move sparked public uproar and sharp criticism from “Honenu”, the organization representing Dardik through attorney Moshe Polsky: “Contrary to Defense Minister Israel Katz’s position published in the minister’s public statement, division commander Avi Bluth and the prosecution approached the court demanding to keep the administrative order against Dardik in force. The division commander has decided to fight the elected leadership. This is no longer just trampling of rights—this is also an assault on Israeli democracy and the order of government. We call on Minister Katz to exercise his authority and not allow the bureaucratic establishment to run the state.”

Tal Yinon Dardik and his family | Photo: Courtesy of the family

Dardik was issued a restriction and supervision order based on classified intelligence materials claiming he poses a real threat to field security and the public. Subsequently, the military appeals committee in Judea and Samaria decided to ease the order’s conditions and allow more lenient alternatives, such as house arrest at an approved alternative location or electronic monitoring, but the military and prosecution chose to appeal this relief directly to the district court, arguing that the security risk requires maintaining the original order’s conditions in full.

July 28, 2026
Three Illegal Compounds Demolished in Negev Bedouin Town

The Israel Land Authority and Israeli police demolished three compounds in the Lakiya area of the Negev on Monday, including several buildings and livestock pens built illegally on state land. The eviction was carried out as part of enforcing court judgments against 52 defendants.

Members of the al-Asad family lived in the compounds. Legal proceedings against them began in 2021, and in 2022 courts issued judgments ordering the land evacuated. After all appeals to the District Court and Supreme Court were rejected, enforcement proceedings opened in 2025.

The enforcement operation in Lakia. Photo: Israel Land Authority

Families Offered Alternative Housing

The Israel Land Authority says it offered the families regulated housing solutions in Lakia’s Neighborhood 2 over the years, but they chose not to accept them. Following the court ruling and warnings from the authority, most of the structures in the compound were evacuated and demolished independently before the enforcement operation.

Inspectors from the Israel Land Authority’s Land Protection Division completed the demolition of the remaining buildings and livestock pens on site, accompanied by police officers who secured the operation. The authority explained that the operation’s purpose is to return the land to its designated use and enforce court decisions.

Photo: Israel Land Authority

“We Will Continue to Act Against Encroachments”

Shira Tam, director of the Land Protection Division at the Israel Land Authority, said: “Implementing the court ruling and returning the land to state hands are a direct result of our commitment to protecting public lands in accordance with the law and court decisions. Even after lengthy legal proceedings and after alternative housing solutions were offered to them, division inspectors are acting and will continue to act with all the tools at our disposal against encroachments and illegal construction throughout the country.”

Photo: Israel Land Authority

July 28, 2026
Ex-PM Aide: Netanyahu and Trump More Aligned Than Appears

Res. Lt. Col. Ofer Malka, a former senior official in the Prime Minister’s Office, said Tuesday at Channel 14’s Security Conference that the U.S. president and Israeli prime minister are far more coordinated than it appears publicly.

U.S. President Donald Trump | Photo: The White House

Malka noted that after each of the eight previous meetings between the two leaders, a significant development followed. “The train has already left the station, and additional joint Israeli-American action is just a matter of time,” he added.

Later in the interview, Malka argued that Israel’s security reality has fundamentally changed. While the dominant concept used to be “the campaign between wars”—characterized by covert activity under the radar—today we’re in an era of “war between wars,” a continuous war of attrition with “peaks” of high-intensity combat.

Mojtaba Khamenei, the third Supreme Leader in the history of the Islamic Republic | Photo: Tasnim News Agency, image edited according to CC BY 4.0 license

Malka explained that this situation primarily serves the Iranians, as it unites the Iranian public against an external enemy. He said it’s expected to continue until an agreement is reached—though it’s currently unclear whether such a deal would only cover freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz or also address nuclear and ballistic missile components.

July 28, 2026
Minister Smotrich: ”Palestinian’ Statehood Off the Table’

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Israel is “taking the idea of a ‘Palestinian’ state off the table,” declaring that his government’s policies are designed to prevent the establishment of an independent ‘Palestine’.

Minister Bezalel Smotrich | Photo: Jonathan Zindel, Flash 90

Speaking at the channel 14 Security conference, Smotrich—who also serves as a minister in the Defense Ministry overseeing policy—said the current government is actively working to eliminate the two-state solution through a combination of expansion Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, security operations, and administrative control over the Judea and Samaria.

“We are systematically dismantling the possibility of a ‘Palestinian’ state,” Smotrich said, pointing to increased construction in towns, military operations against ‘Palestinian’ militants, and what he described as Israel’s deepening control over the territories.

Terrorist and PLO Head Mahmoud Abbas | Photo: Flash 90

Smotrich, leader of the Religious Zionist Party, has long opposed ‘Palestinian’ statehood and advocates for Israeli annexation of Judea and Samaria. His comments reflect the position of the far-right elements in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government, which includes parties explicitly opposed to territorial concessions.

July 28, 2026
Detained Hunger Striker Hospitalized, Lawyer Urges Release

Tal Yinon Dardik, who has been held under an administrative detention order issued by Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, was rushed to Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital in Jerusalem after his medical condition deteriorated sharply.

Dardik, who launched a hunger strike to protest his administrative detention without trial, is now suffering from severe weakness and an extremely low heart rate of just 40 beats per minute—a condition medical officials define as immediately life-threatening.

Tal Yinon Dardik and his family | Photo: Courtesy of the family

Attorney Nati Rom from the Honenu legal aid organization, who visited him at the hospital this evening, condemned the ongoing injustice and called on Defense Minister and Central Command chief Avi Bluth to immediately cancel the administrative detention order and release him before it’s too late.

At this critical hour, as Dardik’s fight for freedom has become a direct fight for his life, the test now lies at the doorstep of the security establishment. His friends and family hope that compassion and justice will prevail, and that Dardik will be released quickly and recover fully.

July 28, 2026
Minister Katz: U.S. Blocking Strikes on Iran Energy Targets

Defense Minister Israel Katz revealed Tuesday in an interview with Channel 14 that American fighter jets take off from Israel on their way to strike Iran—and the Iranians know it.

Screenshot

Katz later addressed the Washington meeting between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, explaining that gaps exist between the two countries over how to proceed against the Iranian regime. “The US has interests in Iran that go beyond Israel’s,” he said.

US Blocking Energy Target Strikes

The defense minister revealed that Israel wants to strike Iran’s energy targets, but the move isn’t getting American approval at this stage. “We very much want to strike Iran’s energy targets—the US isn’t approving it right now,” Katz said. Katz also addressed Israel’s achievements against Iran, saying “the arrogant empire that threatened to destroy Israel—has collapsed.”

Alongside the gaps with the United States, the defense minister made clear Israel is prepared to defend itself and act independently against the Iranian threat. “We announced in the clearest way—if they fire on Israel, we’ll strike with full force. We’re ready to hit Iran on our own.”

Adir fighter jets en route to strike Iran. Archive photo: IDF Spokesperson

The Plan for Northern Gaza

The defense minister also revealed the plan for the scenario where Hamas is found to have violated the agreement. According to him, Israel will establish Nahal outposts in three evacuated settlements in northern Gaza.

IDF Forces in Gaza, archive | Photo by: IDF Spokespersons Unit

“After they announce Hamas didn’t uphold the agreement—we’ll establish Nahal outposts in Dugit, Nisanit and Elei Sinai,” Katz said.

July 28, 2026
Ahead of Trump-Netanyahu Meeting: The Issues on the Table

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu landed overnight monday in Washington to attend the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham. In addition to the funeral, Netanyahu will meet with Donald Trump—as the American military campaign against Iran is in the midst of escalation. Our correspondent Tamir Morag reports from Washington on the key issues on the agenda and the tensions surrounding the visit.

Trump and Netanyahu, archive | Photo: Hadas Parush, Flash 90

Morag noted that the prime minister’s arrival was accompanied by unusual measures: “Netanyahu landed overnight in Washington when, in an unprecedented move, the ‘Wing of Zion’ aircraft took off from the Nevatim Air Force Base in the Negev.” According to him, Netanyahu’s circle explained the move for security reasons, and that the delegation maintained secrecy and did not publish the takeoff time. “It can be assumed that these security reasons are related to tensions with Iran,” Morag added.

At the center of the White House meeting will be the Iranian issue. Morag explained that although Israel would like to see the U.S. resume fighting at full intensity against Iran, Netanyahu is exercising extreme caution: “Netanyahu is walking on eggshells here, he very much does not want to appear as someone dragging President Trump into a war that is unpopular with American public opinion.” According to Morag, the political echelon and security establishment believe that the most important element is continuing the naval blockade and economic pressure policy, and not necessarily resuming the bombings.

Strait of Hormuz | Photo: Shutterstock

Another issue that will come up in the meeting is the future of the Gaza Strip. Morag reported that the prime minister is expected to ask the president to declare Hamas as violating the agreements, since the organization “refuses to disarm” for many months, contrary to its written commitments.

Morag added that President Trump is pressuring Netanyahu and the Syrian president to reach a limited security arrangement, but the gaps are very large. “Israel’s maximum is too far from Syria’s minimum,” Morag noted. According to him, Syria demands a full withdrawal from the Golan Heights in exchange for peace, or evacuation of territories east of the plateau including Mount Hermon in exchange for a limited arrangement—demands that Jerusalem “rejects outright.”

Syrian President | Photo: Reuters

Morag also addressed the issue of selling F-35 aircraft to Turkey: “This week it seems this deal is moving a bit further away, and still it hasn’t been taken off the table.” According to him, Trump is interested in the deal because of the economic profit and also because of “the not-so-explainable but very prominent affection he has for Erdogan.”

The meeting between Netanyahu and Trump will be held today at the White House at 11:00 a.m. (Washington time), and afterward the two will go to the lying-in-state ceremony for the late Senator Lindsey Graham. Morag updated that Netanyahu is also seeking to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whom he described as “Israel’s greatest friend in the administration,” and with Vice President J.D. Vance, to “clarify” various issues. The prime minister is expected to take off back to Israel tomorrow evening.

July 28, 2026
Former IDF Officer Urges Israel to Dismantle PA

At Channel 14’s Israel Security Conference on Tuesday, Brig. Gen. (Res) Erez Winner, chairman of the Israel Defense and Security Forum (HaBitachonistim), a security-focused advocacy group, presented a forceful position on Israel’s approach to the ‘Palestinian’ Authority. Winner called for dismantling the ‘PA’, arguing that Abbas himself has declared the Oslo Accords no longer in effect. According to Winner, Israel should use this situation to reassert control over its territory in Judea and Samaria.

Brig. Gen. (Res) Erez Winner| photo: Channel 14 News

Winner emphasized that the problem is political, not military, and that the army needs to abandon “its conception that we need to strengthen the Authority and that it’s a supportive body.” He added that he’s heard statements in various committees about strengthening the ‘PA’—things he “thought had already died and disappeared from the world.” According to him, “this Authority needs to be dismantled.”

Terrorist and PLO Head Mahmoud Abbas | Photo: Flash 90

Brig. Gen. (Res) Erez Winner explained that if “Abu Mazen says they’re not in effect,” Israel should “uproot the A, B, C—all these foreign letters—and return to our country’s territory.” He referenced “the farms, the hilltops, our wonderful youth who are settling every piece and every corner,” and called for continuing this activity “with permission, with authority, with support and backing.” He stressed that dismantling the Authority should be done “slowly, carefully, wisely, with common sense,” without needing to mobilize divisions or launch an immediate assault.

July 28, 2026