COGAT, the Israeli agency coordinating government activities in ‘Palestinian’ territories, announced Monday on X that drugs were smuggled into Gaza hidden inside food containers under the guise of humanitarian aid. The disclosure came after World Central Kitchen (WCK) reported finding the drugs while unloading aid shipments and preparing food in its kitchens in Gaza. Inside canned pepper containers, workers discovered six packages of hashish weighing about 600 grams total, along with roughly 160 grams of other illegal substances.
‘Humanitarian aid’, archive | Photo: Flash 90
In its statement, COGAT sharply condemned the incident: “This event illustrates once again that Hamas will stop at nothing to exploit humanitarian aid for its purposes. COGAT will continue to work with all relevant parties against any attempt to abuse humanitarian aid mechanisms.” The issue of humanitarian aid entering Gaza has resurfaced repeatedly in recent weeks, with hundreds of trucks loaded with goods entering the Strip even as Hamas violates understandings brokered by the Board of Peace. Just yesterday, Avigdor Lieberman issued sharp criticism on the matter, attacking the prime minister and saying he “continues to funnel hundreds of aid trucks into the Strip and is allowing Gaza reconstruction to begin before Hamas has disarmed.”
Combat forces of the IDF Paratroopers Brigade concluded an intensive three-month operational deployment in the Gaza Strip on Monday and have begun rotating into the Judea and Samaria sector, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit announced. Operating under the command of the Gaza Division and the 99th Division, the paratroopers executed defensive sweeps and cleared terror infrastructure along the strategic “Yellow Line.”
Working alongside elite Yahalom combat engineering units, the brigade successfully located, sealed, and demolished over 13 cumulative kilometers of subterranean terror tunnels. Among the destroyed subterranean networks was a section of the tunnel where the body of fallen IDF officer Lt. Hadar Goldin was previously held by Hamas terrorists. In addition to neutralizing underground networks, troops dismantled surface-level terror infrastructure and seized vast caches of Hamas munitions intended for ambushes against IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians. Seized armaments included RPG rockets, mortar shells, fragmentation grenades, launch rigs, and large stockpiles of ammunition. The forces also established fortified patrol corridors and newly built forward outposts to cement IDF operational control.
The Paratroopers in Gaza | Photo: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit
With their Gaza mission complete, the Paratroopers Brigade is redeploying across Judea and Samaria. The military stressed that Southern Command forces remain fully deployed across the Gaza Strip under existing operational frameworks: “IDF Southern Command forces remain deployed throughout the region in accordance with the ceasefire framework and will continue to act decisively to neutralize any immediate threat.” Simultaneously, Defense Minister Israel Katz concluded a high-level operational assessment at Central Command alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, and senior military commanders.
Weapons seized in Gaza | Photo: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit
Briefing officials on the sector’s threat matrix, counterterror operations, and community expansion, Katz highlighted data showing a historic decline in Palestinian terror attacks across Judea and Samaria for the second consecutive year—reaching unprecedented lows. Katz praised the IDF and Shin Bet, attributing the dramatic drop to the government’s aggressive offensive posture—particularly the policy of clearing northern Samaria refugee camps, dismantling terror hubs, and establishing permanent IDF operational presence. “These decisive actions have crushed terror capabilities and driven this historic decline,” Katz concluded.
Dutch public broadcaster AVROTROS announced Monday that it will boycott the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest in protest over Israel’s continued participation and against the backdrop of the war in Gaza. The broadcaster is continuing the position it took this year, when it stayed out of Eurovision 2026 because of its opposition to Israel’s participation.
Photo: Reuters
According to Reuters, the Dutch broadcaster argued that the European Broadcasting Union still lacks sufficiently clear rules regarding the potential suspension of countries involved in military conflicts. AVROTROS also claimed that changes introduced by the EBU following the controversy surrounding Israel have failed, in its view, to restore the competition’s “independent and neutral” character. The decision marks the second consecutive year in which AVROTROS has chosen to boycott Eurovision over Israel’s participation. Ahead of the 2026 contest, the broadcaster also adopted a hard line against Israel and ultimately followed through on its threat after the EBU allowed the Jewish state to remain in the competition.
Noam Bettan, archive | Photo: Flash90
The announcement does not necessarily mark the end of the Netherlands’ participation in the contest altogether. AVROTROS said it is returning responsibility for the decision to NPO, the umbrella organization for Dutch public broadcasting. That leaves open the theoretical possibility that another Dutch broadcaster could take responsibility for participating in the competition.
The move follows continued controversy among several European broadcasters over Israel’s participation in the most recent Eurovision. The Netherlands was among the countries that boycotted the 2026 competition after the decision not to exclude Israel. AVROTROS is now making clear that, from its perspective, the changes introduced since then are still insufficient to alter its position.
The Tel Aviv metro project is moving to its next phase, and this time it’s about the trains themselves. The National Transport Infrastructure Company (NTA) is publishing tenders worth around 30 billion shekels (~$8.3 billion) to select the companies that will handle the trains, control and signaling systems, electricity, communications, stations, and operations for the future network. One of the project’s main innovations: the trains are designed to be fully autonomous and operate without drivers. They’re expected to run on the GOA4 standard—the highest level of train automation—where trains can travel, stop, and manage various situations automatically, with no driver in the car.
Photo: Shutterstock
The planned metro network in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area will include three lines spanning roughly 150 kilometers, 109 stations, and connections between 24 municipalities. It’s one of the largest and most expensive infrastructure projects ever built in Israel, and it’s supposed to fundamentally change public transportation in the center of the country. The new tenders are part of what’s called “Infra 2″—the phase of the project dealing with equipment and metro operations. It will select the companies that supply the train fleet and build the systems that allow them to operate and communicate with stations and control centers.
This includes signaling and control systems, electrical and power systems, communications, and equipment and systems to be installed in the underground stations. The selected companies are also expected to be involved in operating and maintaining the metro for years to come. The new phase joins the “Infra 1” tender, which deals with the physical side of the project—digging the tunnels and building the infrastructure for the stations. That tender is estimated at around 65 billion shekels (~$18 billion) and is in the screening stages with 20 international and Israeli groups.
NTA is advancing both processes in parallel, aiming not to wait for infrastructure work to finish before starting system installation. The idea is to integrate the systems, electricity, signaling, and trains into the infrastructure already during construction.
Gush Dan Metro Credit: NTA
For passengers, the new tender means the planned Tel Aviv metro won’t just be a subway. It’s an automated system where trains are supposed to operate without drivers, with train movement controlled through control and communication systems and command centers. If the project’s timelines hold, it represents a significant shift in how public transportation will look in central Israel—from a network of hundreds of kilometers of tracks and congested roads to an automated metro system running beneath Tel Aviv metro cities and connecting dozens of municipalities.
Israeli forces struck two terrorists overnight Monday in the Deir al-Balah area of central Gaza. The strike killed Mohammed Abd al-Nasser Jabr Abu Asad, a Nukhba terrorist in Hamas’s military wing who infiltrated Israel during the October 7 massacre.
The IDF said the two terrorists had recently been advancing terror plots against Israeli forces and civilians, and were attempting to rebuild the terror organization’s capabilities. Their activities were carried out in systematic violation of the ceasefire, the military said.
The IDF said the strike was carried out to remove the threat. IDF forces in the Southern Command are deployed in the area in accordance with the agreement and will continue to act to remove any immediate threat.
Channel 14’s Arab affairs analyst, Middle East expert Dr. Edy Cohen, is warning that Hamas has no intention of disarming following statements by the group’s Lebanon spokesman Osama Hamdan. According to Cohen, even proposals to store weapons don’t change the picture: “Hamas is strengthening and exploiting our naivety—we’re wasting our time.”
Cohen warns of Hamas’s malicious plan: “Their spokesman in Lebanon says explicitly that Hamas will not hand over its weapons, and we shouldn’t be surprised by this. Hamas is exploiting our naivety and meanwhile continues to strengthen. We must understand that we have no one to talk to there.”
Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip, archive | Photo: Flash 90
Cohen’s warning is based in part on statements by Hamas spokesman in Lebanon Osama Hamdan, who declared explicitly that “regarding the issue of handing over weapons—no one said we would hand over weapons, and the word ‘handing over’ was never mentioned at all.”
Hamdan further clarified that Hamas doesn’t see itself as obligated to take any steps as long as Israel doesn’t publicly announce agreement and begin, in his words, practical steps including ceasing combat and withdrawal: “This position of the resistance is clear, and in no way does it mean handing over weapons.”
Cohen emphasized that even the option of storing weapons doesn’t indicate genuine willingness by Hamas to disarm, adding: “In other words, Hamas is strengthening and exploiting our naivety. We’re wasting our time. There really is no one to talk to.”
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Amid growing tensions between Israel and Turkey, Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis issued a sharp warning to Ankara Sunday, declaring that “any attempt to infringe upon our sovereign rights will be met with all means at our disposal.” Athens, he added, is “fully prepared for any scenario.”
Γεραπετρίτης: «Η Ελλάδα της παθητικής διπλωματίας τελείωσε» – Μήνυμα ισχύος προς Τουρκία pic.twitter.com/yTOirEygox
In an interview with local media, Gerapetritis rejected claims that Greece has pursued a soft policy toward Turkey, declaring that “the Greece of passivity and diplomatic stagnation is gone forever.” At the same time, he stressed that Athens remains interested in peace and dialogue with Ankara—but not at the expense of its sovereign rights.
Tensions between Greece and Turkey stem in part from longstanding disputes over sovereign rights and maritime boundaries in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean. Gerapetritis criticized maritime parks declared by Ankara, calling them “illegal” and arguing that they extend beyond Turkey’s territorial waters into maritime areas whose boundaries have yet to be formally delineated.
Israel also featured prominently in Gerapetritis’ remarks. The foreign minister presented Athens’ relationship with Jerusalem as part of the network of strategic partnerships Greece has built in recent years. Alongside Israel, he cited the United States, France, Egypt, India and Gulf states as key relationships. His remarks come as Israel itself faces growing tensions with Turkey, placing Athens’ increasingly assertive posture toward Ankara—and its strategic partnership with Jerusalem—in a broader regional context.
As incendiary kite and balloon terror from the Gaza Strip targets southern Israeli communities once again, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have moved decisively to crush the emerging threat. Following a direct warning to Hamas that targeted eliminations will escalate, an official ultimatum has now been delivered to international peace mediators.
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According to the urgent diplomatic warning issued by Netanyahu and Katz, cross-border kite and balloon attacks must cease entirely within three days. Israeli officials made clear that if launches continue past the 72-hour deadline, the IDF will unleash a massive, prolonged aerial offensive across the Gaza Strip. The direct message follows a comprehensive high-level security assessment that included IDF Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the Head of the National Security Council (NSC), and top defense brass. Netanyahu reiterated Israel’s uncompromising security posture: “We will not return to the reality of pre-October 7. Israel will not allow Hamas or any other faction in Gaza to resume threatening our communities and undermining the security of our citizens.”
Israeli defense and diplomatic officials remain thoroughly unimpressed by conciliatory signals emanating from the new regime in Syria, assessing that Damascus is executing a calculated public relations campaign aimed solely at securing international legitimacy. Jerusalem fears that appeasing rhetoric from Damascus is designed to generate diplomatic pressure on Israel to enter one-sided agreements requiring tangible Israeli concessions with zero security return.
Strike in Syria, Archive | Photo: Shutterstock
Israel’s operational working assessment indicates that while Ahmad al-Sharaa (Abu Mohammad al-Julani) currently exploits close ties with Turkey to stabilize his rule, he has no intention of playing second fiddle to Ankara permanently. Security officials warn that the independent power center being assembled in Syria today will inevitably turn its guns toward Israel once fully consolidated. This grave warning is echoed by voices on the ground inside Syria. In an interview with Channel 14, a Syrian resident issued a blunt caution: “This Syrian entity operates strictly on Islamist doctrine—the stage of consolidation followed by the stage of force. In the consolidation stage, they turn to Israel talking about negotiations and understandings—none of which can be trusted. Once al-Julani attains real military power, he will turn directly against Israel. I am warning of an October 7 executed by this ISIS-style Syrian entity. Israel faces an existential threat—a matter of survival.”
Photo: Flash90
The source urged Israel to dismantle the jihadi factions and neutralize their armaments before they are directed south. Pointing to U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, he warned: “Under the guise of the Turkish occupation and the schemes of Tom Barrack—who we view as an enemy to democratic Israel—they are attempting to manufacture a radical Sunni-ISIS axis.”While Damascus publicly floats talks of returning to the negotiating table, top Israeli officials dismiss any prospect of a genuine deal. A senior diplomatic source told Channel 14 that the Syrian administration merely seeks tactical calm to rearm without making concessions: “The statements coming out of Damascus are nothing more than lip service.”
Photo: Reuters
Jerusalem made clear that even if low-level diplomatic contacts continue, Israel will never tie its own hands. The IDF and the Air Force will maintain complete, unfettered freedom of action across Syrian airspace—both to preemptively crush hostile build-ups and to preserve vital operational corridors for strategic strikes against Iran.
Acting on precise intelligence regarding the illegal trafficking and abusive holding of protected wildlife, Israeli enforcement forces raided a compound overnight between Saturday and Sunday in the village of A-Ram, rescuing an endangered native Mountain Gazelle fawn held in grim captivity. The defenseless fawn was discovered confined under harsh conditions during a targeted search operation carried out by Judea and Samaria Border Police (Magav) teams, who mobilized after receiving urgent indications of illicit wildlife poaching in the village. Having been torn from its natural habitat by poachers, the vulnerable animal was immediately handed over to Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA) rangers, who rushed it to the specialized Wildlife Hospital at the Ramat Gan Safari for urgent medical care and rehabilitation.
The Mountain Gazelle fawn | Photo: Israel Police Spokesperson’s Unit
A 48-year-old Arab suspect, a resident of Kafr ‘Aqab, was detained at the scene and taken in for interrogation by INPA investigators. Formal criminal proceedings have been launched against the suspect for severe offenses including illegal hunting, illicit trafficking, and unauthorized possession of a strictly protected natural treasure. Following the raid, law enforcement and conservation officials urged the public to remain vigilant and report any suspected incidents of poaching, wildlife abuse, or illegal possession of wild animals directly to the Nature and Parks Authority.
