Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lit a memorial candle on Wednesday at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem in memory of all victims murdered in the October 7 massacre. The Prime Minister’s Office highlighted the solemn moment of reflection, during which Netanyahu underscored the critical importance of national unity at this hour, alongside the uncompromising commitment of the State of Israel to bring every individual responsible for the atrocities to justice.
In a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Media Adviser, Netanyahu said: “Today, I lit a memorial candle at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem in memory of all those murdered on October 7 by Hamas monsters. The nation unites today in deep longing for our loved ones. We will complete the mission—we have settled and will continue to settle the score with every single murderer.”
Israeli forces identified and eliminated two Hamas terrorists overnight Wednesday as they emerged from the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip. One of the terrorists was caught planting improvised explosive devices (IEDs)—retrieved directly from within the medical facility—along the designated “Yellow Line” security perimeter in an attempt to target operating forces. Immediately upon identification, troops engaged and neutralized both terrorists to eliminate the immediate threat.
Video: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit
One of the terrorists eliminated in the precision strike was Muhammad Tammous, who served as an active sniper in Hamas’s military wing while concurrently operating as an employee of the Gaza Civil Defense, presenting himself publicly as a humanitarian rescue worker. The terrorists had recently coordinated a series of terror plots from within the hospital compound and worked to reconstitute military capabilities, systematically breaching ceasefire understandings.
The IDF reiterated that Hamas continues to cynically exploit hospitals and healthcare infrastructure across the Gaza Strip for military purposes in direct violation of international law. By converting humanitarian spaces intended for civilian medical care into staging grounds for terrorism and operational reorganization, the terror group places local civilians at direct risk. Southern Command forces remain deployed along agreed-upon lines and will continue to act decisively to neutralize imminent threats.
United States Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Wednesday categorically rejected reports suggesting that the security fallout from the thwarted flydubai hijacking attempt could jeopardize visa-free travel privileges for Israelis entering the United States.
“Contrary to fake reports circulating across media channels, there is absolutely no change to the visa waiver for Israelis traveling to the United States,” Ambassador Huckabee stated definitively.
Photo: Chaim Goldberg, Flash90
The ambassador’s clarification follows a Tuesday report by Channel 12 alleging that an official American delegation was scheduled to visit Israel to evaluate whether the country still complies with security benchmarks under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), raising the specter of a formal review of the program.
The speculation was triggered by screening oversights that allowed an Omani first officer suspected of plotting to hijack and crash the aircraft into Israel to be rostered as an active crew member on an inbound flight to Tel Aviv.
In recent days, the incident sparked intense inter-agency debate and reciprocal accusations regarding operational protocols for screening foreign flight crews and passenger manifests entering Israeli airspace. The American ambassador’s statement, however, firmly underscores that from Washington’s perspective, Israel’s standing within the Visa Waiver Program remains fully secure and unaltered.
Update: U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee categorically dismissed reports suggesting that security lapses uncovered during the flydubai hijacking attempt could endanger Israel’s participation in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Labeling sensational media claims as “fake news,” the ambassador confirmed that there has been no disruption or alteration to visa-free travel privileges for Israeli citizens entering the United States.
The security fallout from the thwarted flydubai hijacking incident continues to spill beyond the aviation sector, now stoking fears over the future of one of the most prominent diplomatic achievements for Israeli travelers in recent years: visa-free entry to the United States. According to reports circulating in the media today, an official American delegation is scheduled to arrive in Israel in the coming days to review whether the country still meets the stringent security benchmarks required under the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP).
Flights | Credit: Shutterstock
The American inquiry follows security oversights exposed during the flydubai affair, after it emerged that a radicalized Omani first officer had been rostered as an active flight crew member on a scheduled commercial flight inbound to Tel Aviv. Alongside domestic probes launched in Israel, U.S. officials seek to inspect Israeli intelligence-sharing apparatuses, border security mechanisms, and the real-time processing of passenger and crew data.
At the core of the evaluation is the Advance Passenger Information (API) legislation that took effect in 2023, which legally requires foreign airlines to transmit comprehensive passenger and crew manifests to Israel before takeoff, including biometric identity markers, nationality, and travel document numbers. In the flydubai case, the Israel Tax Authority confirmed that it transmitted complete crew manifests to the National Center for Passenger Data Analysis well before the flight departed. The critical question facing investigators is how that operational data was processed, and why automated vetting protocols failed to flag the co-pilot’s identity in advance.
Canceled flights | Photo: Shutterstock
Alongside the American oversight mission, Minister of Transport and Road Safety Miri Regev has approached senior state leadership in recent days demanding immediate policy changes. Her proposals include a mandatory screening declaration requiring all inbound passengers and crew members to submit travel documentation 48 hours before departure, along with a budget allocation of 40 million NIS and ten specialized inspector positions to oversee chartered flights.
However, senior aviation and diplomatic sources cautioned that the 48-hour pre-clearance mandate faces heavy pushback, notably because foreign governments could impose reciprocal entry hurdles and paperwork on Israeli citizens traveling abroad. For Israeli travelers, no operational changes have taken effect regarding current ESTA authorizations or valid visas, and Washington has issued no formal notification revoking Israel’s program status. Nevertheless, the dispatch of an American oversight delegation indicates that the United States is actively re-evaluating whether Israel’s border intelligence framework continues to fulfill the strict legal criteria of the VWP.
U.S. Visa | Photo: Shutterstock
If U.S. officials conclude that Israel’s automated pre-screening vetting systems fall short of required standards, the determination could jeopardize visa-free access and force Israeli travelers back into lengthy consular visa interview queues. For now, the review remains exploratory, and Washington has not yet reached a formal conclusion.
The Knesset Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee convened on Wednesday for an oversight hearing regarding the implementation of the historic legislation governing the prosecution of terrorists involved in the October 7 Simchat Torah massacre. During the session, Committee Chairman MK Simcha Rothman demanded that the state produce its first formal indictment against Hamas Nukhba terrorists no later than the first half of 2027, underscoring the vital national imperative to advance legal proceedings without unwarranted foot-dragging.
Addressing the expected senior appointment atop the dedicated legal apparatus, Rothman stated: “The head of the prosecution team, who is slated to be appointed within the next two weeks, must set a clear, binding target for the very first indictment during his first week in office.” During the hearing, officials announced that the chief of the military prosecution division tasked with handling these intricate mass-atrocity cases will be appointed within a fortnight. Meanwhile, civilian state prosecutors who have spearheaded evidence collection and case building since October 7 are deliberating whether to transition into the specialized military prosecution apparatus formally.
Furthermore, the committee session highlighted inter-ministerial resistance to across-the-board budget reductions mandated by cabinet decisions—cuts required to formalize the funding, logistics, and personnel quotas for the Israel Prison Service to manage long-term detention frameworks under the special legislation. The landmark law was enacted to put on trial all terrorists who participated in the massacres, atrocities, and kidnappings, ensuring full accountability and uncompromising justice through a dedicated military tribunal established specifically to adjudicate October 7 offenses.
Israeli forces launched a sweeping operation Wednesday morning to destroy dozens of monuments and incitement symbols erected over the years glorifying terrorists who carried out deadly attacks and murdered civilians and soldiers. The operation is being led by the Judea and Samaria Division Commander, Brigadier General Kobi Heller, with forces operating deep in ‘Palestinian’ cities and villages, including Shechem, Jenin, Yaabed, and other locations across the region.
Tzvi Sukkot at the demolition of the terror memorial in the village of Madama | Photo: Private
Among the monuments destroyed, troops demolished a memorial glorifying terrorists for murdering Jews in central Shechem. They also destroyed a monument to terrorist Yasser al-Hamdouni, who murdered Avner Maimon in 2003, which had been erected in the village of Yaabed near the murder site. The operation is expected to continue and expand in the coming days.
In recent weeks, security forces mapped all terror monuments, and this morning launched the demolition operation. During the operation, soldiers left a notice stating that the IDF will not tolerate incitement to terror, adding that anyone who glorifies or supports terror will be arrested on incitement charges: “Terror has not brought, and will not bring, anything but destruction and ruin, just as Hamas has brought destruction to the Gaza Strip for years.”
Memorial for terrorist Yasser al-Hamdouni | Free-to-use photo
The issue came to the forefront following a storm triggered by Knesset member Tzvi Sukkot, who, during a tour in Samaria, began destroying a monument to terrorists in the village of Madama along with other participants. Following the condemnations, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich appealed to Prime Minister Netanyahu, demanding the destruction of all remaining terror monuments throughout Judea and Samaria, stating that they must be destroyed by the IDF only.
A bipartisan delegation of U.S. state senators and representatives toured a new town in northern Samaria on Wednesday, marking what organizers called a political and advocacy turning point for the region. The lawmakers, guests of Samaria Governor Yossi Dagan, represent key states including Florida, Texas, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Alabama. The delegation consists of 8 Republicans and a single Democrat.
The visit coincided with commemorations of the third anniversary of the October 7 attacks. During the tour, the legislators examined the area’s strategic and historical significance, visited the “State Balcony” in Peduel overlooking the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, the newly established settlement of Evyatar founded last summer, and Joshua’s Altar and Joseph’s Lookout, which overlooks Joseph’s Tomb.
Archive | Photo: Haim Goldberg, Flash 90
According to the Samaria Regional Council, delegation members said they plan to translate their visit into concrete action and legislation in their state legislatures. The planned legislation would require official documents to use only the historical name “Judea and Samaria” while eliminating use of the term “West Bank,” alongside toughening anti-boycott laws and banning state contracts with companies that boycott Israel.
Florida State Representative Chase Tramont (R) emphasized that using the original name restores Jewish heritage. Texas State Representative Tom Oliverson (R) added that the term is an artificial UN construct and declared a movement of 50 states to remove the inaccurate term.
Alabama State Senator Keith Kelly (R) said the field visit completely changed his perspective and made clear that the land belongs to the Jews and to Israel. Samaria Governor Yossi Dagan emphasized that the message crosses party lines in the U.S. and that the clear goal is applying sovereignty and expanding the circle of support for settlements. “Even the left in America will recognize our right to the land,” Dagan said.
The visit is part of extensive activity by the council’s foreign relations unit with about 16 U.S. states. Tennessee has already officially passed a law recognizing the term “Judea and Samaria,” Arizona passed a resolution, and advanced bills have been introduced in Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma, and Georgia, with about 10 additional states expected to complete legislation over the coming year.
A 20-year-old shepherd was injured Wednesday in a stone-throwing attack near Brit Avraham ranch by an Islamic terrorist, close to Sebastia in Samaria. According to United Hatzalah, a concrete block thrown at him struck his head.
United Hatzalah medics treated the young man at the scene before he was taken to Beilinson Hospital in moderate condition.
Uriel Deutsch, Hillel Peterzeil, and Elchanan Shmidov, United Hatzalah medics, said: “We were told at the scene that he was injured in the head after stones were thrown at him and a block struck his head. After the initial medical treatment we provided at the scene, he was taken to Beilinson Hospital. At this stage, his condition is listed as moderate.”
A sophisticated Iranian state-aligned cyber operation targeting critical infrastructure across the Middle East has been exposed by Unit 42, the threat-intelligence, incident-response and cybersecurity arm of Palo Alto Networks. The extensive operation saw Iran-linked hackers pose as members of the Dubai Airports IT department and send carefully disguised, malicious coding challenges to high-value targets — ultimately attempting to establish covert access to their computer systems.
Dubai Airport Terminal | Photo: Shutterstock
Unit 42 brings together threat researchers, incident responders and security consultants to investigate major cyberattacks and identify the groups behind them. Palo Alto Networks says the team includes more than 200 threat researchers and analyzes roughly 30 million malware samples each day. The newly exposed operation, dubbed “Blinder Tunnel,” has been linked to targeted cyber activity against strategically valuable telecommunications, aviation and other critical entities across Israel, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates.
Ben Gurion Airport | Photo: Avshalom Shoshani, Flash 90
According to Unit 42, the hackers disguised themselves as Dubai Airports IT personnel and approached targets with what appeared to be legitimate coding challenges. The files were instead weaponized, launching a carefully constructed, multi-stage infection process designed to evade detection and establish covert access to the victim’s computer.
Dubai airport security | Photo: Dubai Airport
The researchers discovered that the group had been laying the groundwork for the operation months before the attacks began. Its infrastructure was staged and tested as early as November 2025 before remaining dormant until March 2026, when the attackers initiated targeting against an individual working in Iraq’s critical infrastructure sector amid heightened regional tensions.
The campaign also carried an unusual calling card: the attackers repeatedly referenced the British crime drama Peaky Blinders, naming parts of their infrastructure after the series and even embedding its theme song into the malicious payload. And there are some clues the hackers accidentally left behind. One of their command servers was on an Iranian ISP; metadata embedded in the Peaky Blinders theme-song MP3 they uploaded pointed to an Iranian music-download site; and reused infrastructure connected the operation to a separate attack targeting an Israeli entity in May–June. Those mistakes contributed to Unit 42’s high-confidence assessment that the operation was Iranian-linked. Behind the pop-culture references, however, was a sophisticated three-stage infection chain.
The attacker’s file, with the “Peaky Blinders” theme song | Image: Palo Alto
The hackers first weaponized a native .csproj file, a Microsoft developer file ordinarily used to build software projects. That triggered additional techniques known as AppDomainManager hijacking and DLL sideloading, allowing the attackers to evade detection and ultimately install a custom Remote Access Trojan, or RAT. Once installed, a RAT can provide an attacker with covert remote access to an infected system. In this case, Unit 42 said the custom malware used GitHub as its command-and-control server, allowing the hackers to communicate with the compromised machine through a legitimate and widely used online platform.
Overview of the Blinder Tunnel campaign | Image: Palo Alto
Most significantly, Unit 42 assessed with high confidence that the activity is linked to an Iranian-nexus threat actor. While other cybersecurity companies had previously tracked individual campaigns associated with the same cluster of activity, the investigation marks the first public attribution of the group to Iran, exposing the broader connection between previously observed cyber operations. The scope of the operation is particularly significant. Rather than conducting indiscriminate cyberattacks, the hackers focused on strategically valuable sectors across the Middle East, including aviation, telecommunications and other critical infrastructure in Israel, Iraq and the UAE.
Iran hacker | Photo: Nati Shohat, Flash90
The exposure comes amid heightened scrutiny of aviation security in the Gulf following the attempted terrorist attack aboard a Flydubai flight to Israel. The co-pilot, identified by multiple sources as Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, attacked the captain with an emergency crash axe and attempted to seize control of the aircraft, according to UAE prosecutors, who officially classified the incident as a “terrorist attack”, with possible links to Iran as well. Israeli officials familiar with the investigation have since said al-Hammami allegedly planned the attack before being hired by Flydubai and deliberately sought work with an airline flying to Tel Aviv — raising serious questions over how he was able to pass security screening and enter the cockpit of an Israel-bound passenger jet.
FlyDubai airplane | Photo: Shutterstock
There is no indication that the Flydubai terrorist attack was connected to Operation Blinder Tunnel. However, the two cases highlight separate vulnerabilities surrounding an aviation sector responsible for both critical infrastructure and the safety of millions of passengers, as well as evidence linking back to Iran.
The hackers themselves have not been publicly identified or apprehended. However, researchers were able to disrupt part of their operation, with GitHub taking down infrastructure used by the group to communicate with infected systems. The attackers also left behind a trail of digital clues that helped Unit 42 trace the operation back to an Iranian state-aligned threat actor.
Airport cybersecurity | Photo: Dubai Airport
The researchers warned that Operation Blinder Tunnel demonstrates how state-aligned hackers can exploit trusted professional identities, developer tools and legitimate technology platforms to penetrate sensitive organizations while attempting to conceal their presence. Unit 42 urged organizations to strengthen security around developer environments, monitor unusual traffic involving cloud platforms and remain particularly alert to highly tailored recruitment, coding and other industry-specific social-engineering approaches.
Israel has eliminated approximately 4,000 of the 6,000 terrorists who crossed into the country during the Oct. 7 massacre, leaving roughly 2,000 still alive, according to new figures presented by IDF Military Intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder. “There are 2,000 remaining, and we will get to every last one of them,” Binder told ministers during a Security Cabinet meeting Sunday night.
GoPro capture of October 7 Hamas terrorists | Image: IDF
The figures offer one of the clearest indications yet of the scale of Israel’s continuing effort to track down those who took part in the Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel three years ago. Defense Minister Israel Katz said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and he have instructed the IDF and Israel’s security services to pursue every remaining perpetrator — regardless of rank. “Six thousand terrorists crossed the border into Israel on October 7 and carried out the atrocities. Of them, 4,000 have been killed so far, leaving another 2,000,” Katz said.
Defense Minister Israel Katz | Photo: EPA
The defense minister said Israel’s mission extends from the senior Hamas officials who planned the massacre to the individual terrorists who participated on the ground. “We will reach them all, without limitation and under any circumstances, from the senior ranks to the junior ranks,” Katz said. “This is the command of the murdered and the fallen, and this is our duty as a people and a state — and we will fulfill it.”
Dashcam screenshot of the Nova Festival massacre | Image: IDF
Behind that effort is an extensive IDF and Shin Bet intelligence operation that has spent years identifying the thousands of terrorists who took part in the massacre, kidnappings and subsequent captivity of Israeli hostages. A dedicated joint IDF-Shin Bet unit known as Nili has compiled thousands of names and used enormous quantities of photographic and video evidence to identify individual perpetrators — including footage the terrorists themselves recorded on GoPro-style cameras as they invaded Israeli communities on Oct. 7. Facial-recognition technology, artificial intelligence, human intelligence and information obtained during interrogations have all been used to identify and locate suspects.
Identified Oct 7 terrorists | Image: IDF
The operation does not focus only on those who physically crossed into Israel. Israeli officials have said its targets also include Hamas leaders involved in planning the massacre, as well as individuals involved in holding or abusing Israeli hostages in Gaza. The effort has repeatedly allowed Israel to identify terrorists years after they were filmed taking part in the attack and then locate them for targeted elimination.
The campaign remains active. On Sunday, the IDF announced the elimination of Saqr Nabil Musa Qaisi, a Hamas Nukhba terrorist who participated in the Oct. 7 invasion and also served as director of the Turkish organization Deniz Feneri, which presents itself as a humanitarian aid organization but which Israel says maintained ties with senior Hamas figures.
Photo: IDF Spokesperson
Days earlier, Israel eliminated Ibrahim Mustafa Suleiman Abu Oweimer, a Hamas Nukhba platoon commander who also infiltrated Israel during the massacre. Earlier this month, the IDF announced that it had eliminated Muhammad Jamal Mahmoud Abu al-Shaar, a Hamas cell commander who invaded Kibbutz Be’eri on Oct. 7 and participated in the kidnapping of six Israelis into Gaza. The IDF and Shin Bet have previously revealed the targeted elimination of terrorists responsible for abducting Israelis from the Nova music festival, including those involved in the kidnappings of Noa Argamani, Avinatan Or and Eitan Mor.
Kidnapping of Noa Argamani | Screenshot
The campaign has continued three years after Hamas terrorists poured through the Gaza border on the morning of Oct. 7, 2023, invading Israeli communities, military bases and the Nova music festival. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated the commitment Tuesday on the eve of the massacre’s third anniversary. “Over the past three years, we have eliminated 4,000 of those 6,000 monsters,” Netanyahu said. “None of them has immunity. We will reach them all, and Hamas rule in Gaza will be eliminated.”
