Israel Brief: Friday, January 16
Trump advances “technocratic” rollout while Hamas keeps guns, cashflow, and a missing Israeli underground. Washington buys optionality on Iran. Israel’s fronts keep getting tested anyway.
Shabbat shalom, friends.
As we enter the week’s end, paper committees multiply while coercive control stays exactly where it was. Gaza’s “handover” pitch is colliding with the only metrics that matter: weapons, tunnels, and who can compel jihadists to produce the body of Ran Gvili z”l. To say nothing about the building pressure regarding Iran and its slaughter of thousands of its citizens.
⚡️Flash Brief: The Day in 90 Seconds or Less
Gaza Committee: Mediators ignore Ran Gvili z”l and his family; Hamas and Islamic Jihad weapons untouched as Trump moves on. See The War Today.
Yellow Line: IDF finds launchers and tunnel chambers; troops remove infiltrators approaching positions under strict rules. See The War Today.
Iran Window: Israel stays on peak alert as U.S. strike option delays amid basing refusals. See Israel and the World.
Lebanon: IAF hits Hezbollah storage and underground sites; targeted strike removes operative tied to repeat violations. See The War Today.
Samaria: Terrorists throw IED and Molotovs at road to base; forces encircle Kafr Malik. See Developments to Watch.
Draft Fight: Coalition blocks anti-harassment bill; UTJ job shuffle seeks votes as reservists stage counter-event. See Inside Israel.
Jerusalem: Police close UNRWA clinic under new ban framework; utilities cutoff and signage removal follow. See Inside Israel.