Category: Israel

IDF Reveals Dozens of Bases Controlling Over 60% of Gaza Strip

Shuja’iyya, Gaza—The IDF disclosed on Wednesday that the army operates dozens of military bases within Gaza and along the border to Israel that enable the IDF to control as much as 63 percent of the territory in the Palestinian enclave, according to an IDF commander. The stunning revelation of the number of bases came amid the IDF showing a small group of journalists on Wednesday a sprawling Hamas terror tunnel just a mere 750 meters from the boundary of Kibbutz Nahal Oz.

Today: IDF reveals 500M-long terror tunnel in Gaza – Benjamin Weinthal @BenWeinthal reports for C14 from Gaza – watch 👇 pic.twitter.com/6kwbO6KtDE

— C14 News | EN (@c14english) September 23, 2026

An IDF commander for the Southern Command said the tunnel is more than 500 meters long and is part of a “city under a city” in the Gaza Strip. The commander said that IDF has “destroyed 60 kilometers of tunnels” on his watch in the Gaza strip, adding, however, that it will “take years” to destroy the remaining tunnel system spread out across Gaza.

The tiny gas-rich Islamist state of Qatar pumped at least $2 billion into Hamas’ coffers over the decade prior to Hamas’ invasion of southern Israel on October 7, 2023. The Qatari funding enabled Hamas to build its subterranean network —the so-called Gaza Metro— of more than 500 kilometers of tunnels. Hamas slaughtered over 1,200 people on October 7, including more than 40 Americans. The Iranian regime-backed terrorist organization Hamas kidnapped 251 people from the Kibbutzim on the border to Gaza.

New sprawling Hamas terror tunnel revealed } Photo credit: Benjamin Weinthal

“It is hard to imagine but it [tunnel] is all connected and goes back to the [Gaza] city.” The Hamas terrorists, he said, can stay underground for many months. The newly discovered tunnel has a bathroom, rooms with air conditioning, a water system, and sleeping quarters. According to the IDF commander, a total of 18 IDF soldiers and civilians were taken from Kibbutz Nahal Oz to the terror tunnel system. Israeli hostages might have been held in the newly revealed tunnel, according to IDF military officials.

Bathroom in tunnel for Hamas terrorists | Photo courtesy: Benjamin Weinthal

The IDF commander from the Southern Command issued a dire warning just weeks before the third anniversary of the Hamas invasion: “There are thousands of Hamas terrorists in Gaza who are still recruiting from the population. They have not given up their weapons. They have not given up the idea to destroy Israel.”

He added that Hamas is “building IEDs [Improvised Explosive Devices] from unexploded bombs we left in Gaza.” Just days ago, according to the IDF, Hamas targeted an unnamed engineering vehicle with a roadside bomb (IED) on the Israeli side of the “Yellow Line” in northern Gaza. The yellow line marked by yellow bricks separates Hamas-controlled territory from the Israeli-conquered land.

The IDF says the roadside attack was a “blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement by the Hamas terror group.” The IDF responded with military strikes on Tuesday against Hamas infrastructure. “This is a just war against a terrorist organization that still wants to eliminate Israel after three years of war,” said the commander from the Southern Command.

Inside a Hamas terror tunnel on September 23, 2026 | Photo courtesy: Benjamin Weinthal

Minister Israel Katz announced in an X/Twitter post on Wednesday during Channel 14’s embed with the Israeli army in Gaza that the IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) killed Hamas Finance Department Chief Muhammad Abu Alwan in a joint operation in the Khan Yunis area of Gaza. Defense Minister Katz said on X: “We praise the IDF and the Shin Bet for the precise operation and for the aggressive activity to thwart our enemies – and we continue to pursue Hamas commanders and operatives, to strike at its sources of funding, and to destroy its terrorist infrastructure.”

The IDF escorted the embedded journalists to a military post inside of Gaza overlooking a former agricultural field in Deir al-Balah to delineate the yellow line that prohibits Palestinians from entering the Israeli-controlled section of Gaza. The clear day provided a view of the Mediterranean Sea and an Israeli naval vessel patrolling the coast of Gaza.

An IDF military official from the Gaza Strip at the military outpost said “Hamas is doing everything to rebuild. A Gaza boy at the age 15 [in 2023] is now recruitable.” With a view toward the American congressional elections in November and Israel’s election in October, the IDF military official noted that “Hamas is trying to figure out if time is working for them or not. If they will understand that they are completely with their back to the wall, they will try to change their reality with strategic cards.”

The IDF military official stressed that Hamas’ capture of hostages is a key tactic. He cited the example of Israel agreeing to release over 1,000 Palestinian terrorists, including the mastermind of the October 7 invasion, Yahya Sinwar, to secure the freedom of captured IDF soldier, Gilad Shalit, in 2011.

He noted that most of the Kibbutzim affected by Hamas terrorist attack on October 7 are “the baseline of the hard left in Israel, of peace and co-existence, “adding that “most of them employed Gazans in the Kibbutzim.” The ‘Palestinian’ workers in southern Israel served as informants for Hamas about security weaknesses at the Kibbutzim ahead of its invasion.

The military official from the Gaza Strip said, “During that morning that I was happy that my grandfather, a Holocaust survivor, wasn’t alive because it was shocking to discover that the IDF was not well prepared. A few minutes of us unalerted, that would be fate of all of us.”

September 23, 2026
Netanyahu Plans Visual Aids, Iran Focus for UN Speech

Overnight between Wednesday and Thursday, the Prime Minister will take off for New York to deliver one of his most critical diplomatic addresses in recent years. His speech before the United Nations General Assembly will focus primarily on Iran, with Netanyahu expected to utilize visual aids to showcase Iranian capabilities closely monitored by Israel that have never before been made public.

The Prime Minister on “Wing of Zion”, archive | Photo: Avi Ohayon / GPO

Furthermore, the Prime Minister is expected to clarify that Israel has prepared an entirely new operational array ahead of any potential resumption of hostilities with Tehran. He will emphasize that any forthcoming confrontation will differ substantially from Operation “Lion’s Roar”—both regarding Israeli offensive strike capabilities and the nation’s capacity to neutralize incoming Iranian threats.

Netanyahu will also address the imperative to expand the Abraham Accords, strategic developments along the Lebanese border, and Israeli policy regarding the Gaza Strip in light of Peace Council plans for preliminary reconstruction. The alarming surge in global antisemitism, particularly within United Nations bodies themselves, is also expected to feature prominently during tomorrow’s address.

Photo: Reuters

The address holds immense personal and strategic significance for the Prime Minister, who is drafting the remarks himself and meticulously scrutinizing every word. Netanyahu has already revised the text multiple times, with additional edits and potential surprises expected until the last moment before he takes the podium.

September 23, 2026
443 Terror Attack: Ambassador Leiter’s Son Fights for Life

Following the critical injury of Neriah Leiter in Wednesday’s vehicular terror ramming on Route 443, deeply moving words he previously penned about his resolve to continue serving in the reserves—despite the crushing tragedy that struck his family—have taken on profound new resonance. Back then, Neriah described the raw difficulty of putting the uniform back on after his elder brother, Maj. (res.) Moshe Yedidyah Leiter, fell in battle in the northern Gaza Strip, and the inescapable conviction that despite the personal toll, he could not stay home. At the same time, his brothers-in-arms remained on the battlefield.

The scene of the attack on Route 443 | Photo: Chaim Goldberg / Flash90

“As a bereaved brother, after my brother Moshe, may God avenge his blood, was killed in the war, the decision to head back out to reserve duty was not simple at all. Something in the heart genuinely tore,” Neriah wrote. “Yet I could not stand aside while my friends served round after round. I didn’t truly have the internal option to remain at home.”

He went on to articulate the deep sense of mission that sustained him: “And the truth? Despite all the hardship, I feel an enormous privilege. A privilege to be part of these historic moments. A privilege to stand alongside people who give of themselves without overcalculating. A privilege to be part of a cohort of individuals who, in everyday life, are so different from one another—yet when duty calls, everyone shows up.”

The scene of the attack on Route 443 | Photo: Chaim Goldberg / Flash90

Neriah concluded his post with words that echo with poignant power today: “Ultimately, through all the difficulty, exhaustion, and cost—it is an immense privilege to belong to the generation living through this era rather than merely reading about it later. A privilege to be part of a legendary company of good people. A privilege to serve in this company and on this team. A privilege to defend our home. Now, having completed this rotation, I will return as a better citizen. A better husband and father. Until the next call. Because we have no other country.”

Following the attack, his father, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter, issued an emotional appeal urging the public to pray for his son’s recovery. “I thank the IDF and the dedicated medical team at Shaare Zedek who are currently battling for the life of Neriah Dov ben Chana, and I thank the people of Israel for their prayers. I believe in the power of prayer and believe that when Am Yisrael stands united, miracles happen. Neriah needs a miracle,” he wrote.

The scene of the attack on Route 443 | Photo: Chaim Goldberg / Flash90

Ambassador Leiter underscored that Neriah insisted on continuing his active reserve service even after the devastating loss of his eldest brother Moshe Yedidyah, completing hundreds of days of reserve duty across multiple combat sectors since October 7. The ambassador concluded: “Palestinian terrorism is aimed at uprooting the Jewish people from their homeland. They choose death—we choose life.”

Earlier on Wednesday, Neriah Dov Leiter, a 30-year-old reservist and resident of Samaria, was critically injured in the vehicular terror ramming at the Bell Checkpoint near Beit Horon along Route 443. Struck violently by the terrorist’s vehicle, he was rushed to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, unconscious, sedated, and intubated. Responding security forces eliminated the assailant at the scene. In the hours following the attack, the family issued an urgent call for prayers on behalf of Neriah Dov ben Chana.

September 23, 2026
25-Meter Terror Tunnel Uncovered Near Qalqilya

The Israel Police Spokesperson cleared for publication on Wednesday that, during a focused, intelligence-led offensive operation in the city of Qalqilya in Judea and Samaria, security forces uncovered an underground tunnel under active excavation, reaching a depth of at least 25 meters. Officers from the Samaria Crime Fighting Unit (YALP) in the Judea and Samaria District, in coordination with Border Police tactical units, carried out the operation and raided the premises following precise actionable intelligence.

During comprehensive sweeps conducted throughout the site, police officers and Border Police fighters exposed the initial excavation of a second subterranean shaft within the compound. Alongside the tunneling infrastructure, forces located and confiscated a dispersed cache of weaponry and tactical gear used by the suspects, including an M-16 rifle, a sniper rifle, extensive quantities of ammunition, magazines, mobile phones, a DVR recording device, and fertilizer utilized as raw material for manufacturing improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

Four suspects present at the compound were arrested during the operation and transferred to the police station for interrogation to determine their involvement and the operational purpose of the subterranean excavation. The Israel Police affirmed that forces will continue proactive and decisive operations to expose underground digging infrastructure and illicit weapons across the Samaria sector, aiming to locate all individuals involved in terrorism and severe crime and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.

September 23, 2026
Terror Attack Victim Is Son of Israeli Ambassador to U.S.

The IDF reservist critically injured Wednesday in a ramming attack on Route 443 is Neria Dov Leiter, around 30, a resident of Samaria and the son of Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Dr. Yechiel Leiter. Leiter was hit during a joint operational activity near the checkpoint close to Beit Horon and was taken to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem unconscious, sedated, and intubated. For the Leiter family, this is another devastating tragedy—they lost their eldest son, Major Moshe Yedidya Leiter, at the start of the Iron Swords war.

The attack on Highway 443 | Photo: United Hatzalah

The attack occurred in the afternoon on Route 443, near Beit Horon. A terrorist accelerated his vehicle and rammed forcefully into a police car in which a policewoman and a reservist soldier were operating as part of a joint forces deployment, running over Leiter. IDF forces at the scene responded with immediate fire and killed the terrorist. Medical teams provided lifesaving treatment on site and evacuated Leiter to Shaare Zedek suffering from a severe head injury, listed in critical condition.

Following the incident, the secretariat of the settlement of Eli issued an emotional notice to residents: “Neria Leiter, Chani’s son, was critically injured today in the ramming attack. We will all pray for his recovery and for the recovery of all the sick and wounded of the IDF and Israel—Neria Dov ben Chana. Good news.” The victim’s father, Dr. Yechiel Leiter, was appointed Israel’s ambassador to the United States, replacing Mike Herzog, and entered his position in Washington in January 2025.

Dr. Yechiel Leiter and image of late son, Maj. Moshe Yedidya Leiter

Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan addressed the attack and said: “We are praying together with all the residents of Samaria for the recovery of the wounded and strengthening his family in this difficult hour. The council will assist the victims’ system and the family, and together with the community we will embrace and help in any way we can. In the face of murderous terror, we must act with a strong hand and restore deterrence.”

Neria’s critical injury returns the family to the hell of bereavement from the Iron Swords war. His brother, Reserve Major Moshe Yedidya Leiter, fell on November 10, 2023, in battles in northern Gaza. Moshe previously served as a company commander in Shaldag, and in the war served as a company commander in Battalion 697 of the Fire Brigade. He was killed while checking a booby-trapped tunnel shaft near a mosque in the city of Beit Hanoun, and left behind a wife and six orphans, parents, and seven brothers and sisters, including Neria.

The attack on Highway 443 | Photo: United Hatzalah

In the hours after the attack, Route 443 was closed to traffic in both directions between Maccabim checkpoint and Beit Horon, while security forces conduct searches and expand the investigation. In the settlement of Eli and throughout the country, the public is being called to storm the gates of heaven and pray for the complete recovery of the fighter Neria Dov ben Chana.

September 23, 2026
Katz to Jolani: The Golan Is Part of Israel Forever

Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a stern response on Wednesday to the speech delivered by Syrian leader al-Jolani at the United Nations General Assembly, during which the Syrian representative claimed the Golan Heights as Syrian territory and urged the international community to take action against the Israeli presence. “Here is my clear answer to the Syrian president who made boastful declarations from the UN podium: the Golan under Israeli sovereignty is an inseparable part of the State of Israel forever,” the defense minister stated.

Syrian leader, al-Julani | Photo: Shutterstock

Katz affirmed that Israel will not withdraw from Mount Hermon or the forward security zone—areas captured during the 1973 Yom Kippur War and subsequently handed back under the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement. According to Katz, the foundational premises of that accord were systematically breached after Syria transformed into an Iranian military forward base and an operational threat to Israel and its northern frontier.

The defense minister underscored that following the collapse of the Assad regime, the IDF deployed into the Mount Hermon crest and adjacent forward buffer zones in Syria precisely to neutralize looming threats posed by jihadist elements. He maintained that Israeli forces will remain stationed across the sector as long as security threats persist against Israeli border communities—whether emanating from official Syrian security forces or independent jihadist factions.

Defense Minister Israel Katz | Photo: Yonatan Sindel, Flash90

Katz concluded with a direct warning to Damascus: “If our forces or sovereign Israeli territory are attacked from within Syria, we will be forced to act and retaliate—and any territory we capture this time will remain ours permanently, in full accordance with the laws of armed conflict. We will not allow Syria to become a threat to the State of Israel, and we will take whatever action is required to prevent it.”

September 23, 2026
Syrian Leader Al-Jolani Rejects Israeli Golan Control

Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, head of the new governing regime in Syria, addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, mounting a fierce diplomatic attack against the State of Israel and its sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Throughout his remarks, Jolani attempted to mobilize the international community against Israel’s ongoing security presence and strategic maneuvers in the border region.

“No attempt to impose facts on the ground can impair the legitimacy of our state, the sovereignty of our legal system, or the validity of international law,” Jolani asserted from the UN rostrum. “The Golan will remain Syrian sovereign territory, and all annexation measures are null and void under Security Council Resolution 497. Our request to our international partners is simple: uphold what international law dictates.”

Photo: Reuters

Jolani further accused Israel of orchestrating widespread military strikes across Syrian territory, alleging that these defensive measures destabilize the country. “Israel stands out in its transgressions, targeting Syria with approximately 500 air and artillery strikes, over 1,200 cross-border incursions, and nearly 300 detentions of Syrian nationals,” he claimed. “This dire situation threatens Syria’s stability, runs counter to global consensus, and invokes memories among Syrians of an agonizing era from which they have barely emerged.”

The Syrian leader concluded by laying out a series of demands, foremost among them a return to past disengagement frameworks. “Our stated posture remains resolute: commitment to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and a call for the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces to the lines of December 8, 2024. We categorically reject ongoing attempts to establish facts on the ground and view continuous aggression in the sector as a direct blow to securit” and stability.”

September 23, 2026
Netanyahu to Meet Pro-Israel Argentine President at UN

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is traveling to New York to address the United Nations General Assembly, is scheduled to meet following his speech with his close personal friend and international ally, Argentine President Javier Milei. The planned bilateral meeting follows their previous summit around Israel’s Independence Day, during which the two leaders signed bilateral accords across diverse fields, and Milei participated as an official torch lighter.

Addressing the audience at that state ceremony, Milei declared: “I wish to thank President Herzog, my dearest friend Prime Minister Netanyahu, and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana for inviting me to this momentous ceremony. In this life, there are partners and friends. Partners unite temporarily for utilitarian aims, but friends forge unbreakable, lifelong bonds united by shared moral values. I have the immense joy of declaring that Argentina and Israel are not merely partners—they are sister nations.”

Milei lighting the torch | Photo: Yonatan Sindel, Flash90

Before announcing his upcoming summit with Netanyahu, Milei visited Yeshiva Darchei Torah in the Far Rockaway neighborhood of Queens, New York, in the early morning hours for a major gathering with the local Jewish community, just one day after Yom Kippur.

The visit, organized as part of Milei’s close and public affinity with the Jewish community since assuming the Argentine presidency, saw the head of state receive the prestigious “Ohev Yisrael” (Lover of Israel) award in formal recognition of his principled leadership and steadfast defense of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. During the reception, Milei addressed students at the institution and was photographed celebrating and dancing with them to the traditional anthem “Am Yisrael Chai.”

September 23, 2026
IDF Seizes RPGs, Mortars in Three-Month Syria Operation

Following three months of active operations in the forward security perimeter in southern Syria, IDF forces from the 228th Reserve Brigade under the command of the 210th “Bashan” Division have completed their operational mission in the sector, during which they worked systematically to remove emerging threats and dismantle terror infrastructure near the Israeli border.

Photo: IDF Spokesperson

Over recent months, the forces carried out a succession of targeted cross-border operations, questioned dozens of suspects, and detained several terror operatives. Concurrently, troops located and destroyed extensive terror infrastructure and large quantities of weaponry, including RPG rockets, mortar shells, and Kalashnikov rifles.

Operations within the forward security buffer are aimed at curtailing hostile cross-border threats emanating from Syrian territory, preventing hostile actors from entrenching themselves along the border, and ensuring the enduring security of Israeli communities across the Golan Heights.

Photo: IDF Spokesperson

Throughout the mission, forces operated across multiple operational nodes, conducting sweeps, uncovering arms depots, and neutralizing tactical positions likely to be utilized by terror organizations in the sector. Troops of the 228th Brigade Combat Team have now also concluded their fifth reserve deployment. After completing their mission, forces from the 2nd “Carmeli” Brigade assumed operational responsibility in the sector and will sustain ongoing forward operations in the area.

The IDF stated that forces from the 210th Division will continue operating inside Syria in accordance with ongoing situational assessments, with the central objective of neutralizing threats and safeguarding Israeli citizens, particularly residents of the Golan Heights.

September 23, 2026
Netanyahu Promises ‘Surprises’ in Upcoming UN Speech

Ahead of his annual address before the United Nations General Assembly, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a cryptic statement on Wednesday evening that ignited widespread speculation across Israel’s diplomatic and defense establishments. In a recorded video published just before boarding his flight to New York, Netanyahu addressed the international public diplomacy campaign awaiting him on the world stage, concluding with a surprise teaser that triggered immediate anticipation: “Yes, and there will also be surprises.”

Archive | Photo: Reuters

In his departure statement, Netanyahu stated: “I am leaving tonight for New York to defend the State of Israel and IDF soldiers from the UN podium. You hear the terrible lies being spread there and across other parts of the world. I will fight against those lies; I will fight for the truth of our soldiers and of our country. Yes, and there will also be surprises.” The terse, pointed remark about “surprises” promptly raised critical questions about the Prime Minister’s intentions: whether it signals an unexpected diplomatic initiative, the dramatic declassification of high-grade intelligence or enemy archives from the podium, or a subtle hint at extraordinary operational and military actions carried out in parallel.

While Netanyahu’s past UN addresses have frequently featured memorable visual aids, charts, and public revelations of clandestine nuclear and terror sites, the timing of his current remark carries significant operational resonance.

Archive | Photo: Avi Ohayon/GPO

The prime minister’s hint resonates strongly against the backdrop of historical precedent at the UN. In September 2024, Netanyahu addressed the very same podium in New York during the height of the multi-front war, just hours after stepping off the stage—and operating directly from his hotel room in New York, where he officially authorized the strike order—the Israeli Air Force executed a massive bunker-busting strike in Beirut’s Dahiya district, eliminating Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.

September 23, 2026