Israel Brief: Sunday, October 5

Nearly Two Years On: Deadlines, Divisions, and the Unfinished Reckoning of October 7

Shavua tov — welcome back from Shabbat.

It’s day 730 of the war, the edge of a new Sukkot, and nearly two years since the day that changed Israel forever. Communities across the country are holding remembrance gatherings today, ahead of the holiday that begins Monday night — a deliberate choice to pause, honor the fallen, and prepare for a season of rebuilding.

Today’s briefing captures the tension of that hinge moment: negotiations that might bring the living home, quiet fronts that could ignite again, and the stubborn rhythm of Israeli life resuming — mitoch ha’achshav — out of the now.

Watch especially the Cairo track and the internal shifts it’s triggering in Israel and abroad. When Hamas blinks, it’s never out of mercy — only pressure. When the IDF pauses, it’s tactical. And when Jews build sukkot near old borders, it’s not nostalgia. It is a statement of permanence.

The War Today

Trump plan: Hamas willing to free hostages, but seeks talks on the rest

Hamas told mediators it accepts “in principle” the Trump framework and would release all Israeli hostages, living and deceased, but wants negotiations on timelines and conditions; a senior figure called the 72-hour handover “unrealistic,” and reporting indicates Hamas still rejects disarmament. Jerusalem expects hard bargaining in the coming hours on sequencing and retrieval of bodies, while Trump set a Sunday 6 p.m. Washington deadline with threats of “very grave” consequences. If Hamas stalls, Israel will press on; if it signs, the test will be compliance, not headlines. Read more →

IDF shifts to solely defensive operations in the Gaza Strip

Israel has reportedly ordered the IDF to hold lines around Gaza City, pivoting to defensive activity while preparing for a hostage-release phase tied to the Trump plan. The army says parts of Gaza remain active combat zones and warns civilians not to return north; Gazan authorities still claim Israeli strikes hit several targets. Read more →

IDF uncovers Hamas weapons tunnel beneath hospital complex in Gaza City

The IDF and Shin Bet revealed a 1.5-kilometer Hamas tunnel network running adjacent to the Jordanian Hospital in Gaza City, with rooms for weapons manufacturing, meetings, and senior commanders’ quarters, reports Israel National News. Another shaft was found beneath Hamad Hospital, confirming long-standing intelligence that Hamas systematically embeds military infrastructure under medical sites. The army emphasized the hospitals’ proximity was exploited without Jordan’s involvement and that operations continue to dismantle nearby terror networks. Read more →

Israeli airstrikes thwart Hamas attack on rival armed Gazan group in Strip’s south

The IDF says drones killed around 20 Hamas gunmen who raided the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in al-Mawasi near Khan Younis; footage shows terrorists dragging children as human shields before being struck again. A local anti-Hamas militia told The Times of Israel it helped repel the attack with Israeli air support, marking a rare, open instance of Gazans fighting Hamas alongside the IDF. The clash underscores two truths: Hamas preys on Gaza’s civilians, and Israel is targeting terrorists even when they hide among them. Read more →

Israel sees no sign of imminent Iranian attack, but fears ‘miscalculation’ over political remarks

Israeli defense officials told Ynet that intelligence shows no evidence Iran is preparing to strike or restart its nuclear weapons program, despite political warnings from former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman. Tehran is rebuilding parts of its missile industry with help from Russia and China, but its nuclear efforts remain stalled. Officials caution that inflammatory rhetoric—such as Lieberman’s warning of a coming confrontation—could lead Iran to misread Israeli intentions and trigger an unintended escalation. Read more →

Inside Israel

50 Arabs attack Jews near Carmel in Southern Hebron Hills; Four injured

Around 50 Arabs assaulted six Jewish residents near Carmel in the Southern Hebron Hills, leaving four hospitalized with head injuries before the IDF restored order and made arrests. This violent mob came from an illegally built Arab outpost abutting the Jewish community — one of many encroachments that place Jewish residents directly in harm’s way. These residents, often smeared by foreign media as “settlers,” live under Israel’s municipal and military authority with regulated building codes and security oversight; they are there as part of Israel’s lawful defense and presence in Judea and Samaria. The recurring violence they face — not mythical “settler violence” — is part of a deliberate campaign of Arab intimidation aimed at pushing Jews off their ancestral land. Read more →