Israel Brief: Thursday, September 25
A new year, same enemies: Drones in Eilat, gunfire from Gaza’s largest hospital, and Iran racing sanctions.
We enter 5786 with both heartbreak and resolve. IDF soldiers have fallen in Gaza, Houthis struck Eilat again, and Hamas fired from inside Al-Shifa Hospital, turning patients into shields. Rockets, drones, and terror attacks have not ceased, because Hamas has chosen to prolong this war.
Yet Israel endures. A strong majority of Israelis back decisive moves to finish the fight and free the hostages. Abroad, the map shifts: Trump’s team advances frameworks for peace, Indonesia signals readiness to join the postwar order, and Europe piles on symbolic and financial pressure. Inside Israel, courts press terror networks, researchers push genetic frontiers, and Jerusalem strains under construction that will eventually transform it into a modern capital par excellence.
At the same time, the battle is not only in Gaza or at the UN. It is also in Washington. Anti-Israel groups are lobbying Congress to weaken support for Israel just as our soldiers fight and hostages remain captive. Your voice matters. Call your representatives today and insist they stand with Israel: callforisrael.org.
Editor’s Note: The Israel Brief runs longer today. We paused to observe Rosh Hashanah, and while Jews gathered in prayer and song, events accelerated on every front. Take the time to read — the year has begun with much at stake.
The Rosh Hashanah edition of the Israel Brief runs long because the year refused to wait for us to finish praying. A Houthi drone got through Iron Dome at Eilat while Aqaba cheered across the water, Hamas fired on troops from inside Al-Shifa, and a UN commission handed hostile capitals a genocide libel to debate in late October. The full brief tracks the annexation chatter, the new anti-Hamas militia stirring in Khan Yunis, and Trump's 21-point plan beneath the flash bullets.
This Rosh Hashanah has reminded us how fragile, and how strong, the Jewish people are.
The Israel Brief is the Mitzpe Institute's read on Israel and the region — most mornings, Sunday through Thursday. More at mitzpe.org.