Israel, the UK and the world

Updated October 13, 2025

All living hostages return home

What’s happening: This morning, after two years of angst and anticipation all twenty of the living hostages have been released from Hamas captivity.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said in a recorded statement released last night, “This is a historic event that blends sorrow over the release of murderers – and joy over the return of hostages. This is a historic event that some did not believe would happen. But our fighters believed. Many among the people believed. And I believed.”
The hostages were released in two batches, seven hostages initially with another thirteen being released 2 hours later. As the hostages were transferred to the Red Cross, armed Hamas men in the uniforms of the group’s military wing could be seen at the scene.
The bodies of 18 dead hostages are expected to be released in the afternoon.
Short bios of the freed hostages are available here.
In exchange for the freed hostages, Israel is releasing nearly 2,000 terrorists from prison, including 191 serving life sentences. Of those serving life terms, 150 are members of Fatah, 23 belong to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Islamic Jihad, and only 18 are affiliated with Hamas.

Context: After 738 days, many Israelis did not believe this day would come. President Trump is receiving most of the credit for delivering the deal.

The release of the hostages also marks one of the highest points of diplomatic coordination between the White House and the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.
That coordination filters down through other government offices and also includes military cooperation. On Sunday, IDF Chief of Staff Zamir along with other senior commanders conducted a field tour in Gaza for US envoy Witkoff, senior adviser Kushner, and CENTCOM Commander Admiral Cooper. Zamir and Cooper are working to ensure the smooth implementation of the ceasefire framework and overall reinforce the close strategic and operational ties.
The IDF have stressed that they “maintain operational readiness” as forces remain deployed in their defence posture inside Gaza, in accordance with the agreement.
Over the weekend, various Palestinian media sources reported on inter-Palestinian violence, as approximately 7000 Hamas operatives sought to quickly reestablish control of the areas ceded by the IDF, clashing with rival clans. This further complicates the next phase of the agreement that is supposed to include the disarmament of Hamas. For Israel this is a crucial litmus test as to whether the international community is able to disarm Hamas and prevent their rearmament without the Israeli military.
There is growing fear that amidst the euphoria of receiving the living hostages, not all of the bodies of dead hostages will be located. Messages were delivered to some of the hostage families that their loved ones’ bodies will not be returned in the first stage of the deal.
Israel is concerned that Hamas is deliberately hiding some of the bodies in order to keep them as bargaining chips. As such, an international task force will attempt to locate any bodies that are not returned. Israel is expected to supply the task force with precise reference points where the remains are likely buried. The task force will include the US, Egypt, Turkey, Qatar and Israel.
The bodies that are returned will undergo forensic tests to identify them, before the families can bury them.
Ambiguity exists around many aspects of the remaining points of the Trump plan. Chief among the concerns are the prominent roles given to both Turkey and Qatar. Both seem to have a vested interest in perpetuating Hamas rule, which is at odds with the rest of the Arab states. Donor countries will be wary of committing to the rebuilding of Gaza if Hamas retain a presence. One Israeli official was quoted as saying that “Turkey can’t be part of a body whose purpose is to disarm Hamas” adding that “Turkey’s presence will disrupt the entire process.”

Summit in Sinai: Following his short visit to Israel in which he will and meet some hostage families, President Trump will arrive in Sharm Sharm el-Sheikh later this afternoon, where he will co-chair a regional summit alongside Egyptian President Sisi.

The summit will be attended by leaders from over 20 counties from across the Arab and Muslim world and beyond.
According to the Egypt host, the summit aims “to end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to bring peace and stability to the Middle East, and usher in a new phase of regional security and stability.”
It is thought the focus will be on the second phase of Trump’ plan which includes a new governing body in Gaza without Hamas, the formation of a multinational force, and Hamas’ disarmament.
The wealthy Arab states will bankroll most of this, but the summit will also secure contributions from other countries too.
In this context Prime Minister Starmer has pledged £20m for immediate humanitarian aid and a commitment of an additional £160m as part of a broader longer term commitment.
There has been continued criticism of the British government after their decision to unilaterally recognise a Palestinian state was perceived as a reward to Hamas terrorism. The original announcement in the summer caused Hamas to raise the raise their price at a crucial point in the negotiations. On Sunday Education Secretary Phillipson claimed the UK, “played a key role behind the scenes” to reach the ceasefire. US Ambassador to Israel Huckabee described her comment as “delusional.”
This morning though, Witkoff tweeted that he wanted to acknowledge what he called the “vital role” of the United Kingdom “in assisting and coordinating efforts that have led us to this historic day in Israel.” In particular Witkoff mentioned the “incredible input and tireless efforts of National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell.”

October 3, 2025

Israeli leaders respond to Manchester terror attack

What’s happened: Following the deadly attack on a synagogue on Yom Kippur Israeli leaders sent their support to the UK Jewish community.

Prime Minister Netanyahu released a statement saying, “Israel grieves with the Jewish community in the UK after the barbaric terror attack in Manchester. Our hearts are with the families of the murdered, and we pray for the swift recovery of the wounded. As I warned at the UN: weakness in the face of terrorism only brings more terrorism. Only strength and unity can defeat it.”
President Herzog also spoke with Jewish communal leaders and expressed his heartfelt sorrow over the attack, and sent his prayers and condolences to the victims and their families.
Leader of the Opposition Lapid also sent his condolences to the families of the victims and prayers for those injured, adding, “faced with a wave of antisemitic incitement governments across the world must act forcefully to tackle this scourge and protect their communities.”
Former prime minister and future candidate Naftali Bennett criticised the UK government writing on X, “In days when antisemitism is intensifying to dimensions we haven’t seen since the Holocaust, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is burning to deliberately recognise a “Palestinian state” instead of focusing on his basic duty to protect Britain’s Jewish citizens. The loss of the moral compass in Europe and many other countries has negative repercussions toward the Jewish people.”

Context: Many in the community feared that such an attack was a matter of time, particularly in the backdrop of protests calling to “globalise the intifada.”

With prescient timing President Herzog wrote to King Charles at the beginning of the week warning him that “Jewish communities around the world face an unrelenting and unprecedented wave of antisemitism.”
The President cited several examples from across the Commonwealth. Regarding the UK he wrote, “antisemitism persists at an alarmingly high level. The Community Security Trust recorded 1,521 incidents in the first half of 2025, the second-highest half-year figure on record, with an average of 254 monthly incidents representing a 58 per cent increase compared with the period preceding October, 2023.”
“These figures attest to a continuing climate of insecurity that gravely undermines the sense of safety and belonging of Jewish communities across the United Kingdom.”
Senior Israeli commentator Amit Segal has suggested that “the assessment in Israel is that Hamas directed” the attack.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council issued a joint statement, noting that: “At a time of rising antisemitism in the UK, this attack was sadly something we feared was coming. We call on all those in positions of power and influence to take the required action to combat hatred against Jewish people, and will be working with the authorities on a series of additional measures to protect our community over the coming days.”

September 25, 2025

Fighting continues in Gaza, as Netanyahu heads to US

What’s happened: The IDF Chief of Staff Zamir tour southern Gaza on Wednesday. He reiterated the dual objectives, “to create conditions for the release of the hostages and for Hamas’ decisive defeat.”

He was careful to note that the IDF strikes “powerfully and precisely,” whilst “ensuring compliance with all security rules.”
The IDF’s assessment is that most of the civilian population has now left Gaza City
Zamir also called upon Gazan residents to, “rise up and break away from Hamas – it is responsible for your suffering. The war and the suffering will end if Hamas releases the hostages and relinquishes its weapons.”
The Chief of the Staff noted the bravery of Maj. Shahar Netanel Bozaglo, who was killed on the eve of the Jewish New Year, “Shahar left his home on October 7th, took command of a tank and fought in the communities near the Gaza Strip. From then until his death he fought bravely and with dedication for the security of the Israeli communities in the south and the entire State of Israel.”
This morning it was reported that another soldier, Staff Sergeant Chalachew Shimon Demalash, 21, from Beer Sheva, was killed in combat in the northern Gaza Strip yesterday.
A total of 912 IDF soldiers have fallen since the beginning of the war on October 7, 2023.

A drone launched by the Houthis in Yemen hit a crowded commercial centre in Eilat yesterday during the Rosh Hashana holiday, injuring at least 50 people. Three people are still in hospital including one in a serious condition. The Port of Eilat has been effectively closed for two years due to Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
As the holiday was beginning, Hamas released a video of Alon Ohel, who it has been holding hostage since abducting him from the Nova Music Festival on October 7, where nearly 400 festival-goers were murdered. The family has not approved the video for release and asked instead for only one still frame to be shared. In the video, Alon is clearly seen to be blind in one eye and in a poor state of health overall. Alon’s father Kobi said, “To my Alon, my dear boy, be strong. You are strong. We saw that you are strong. Believe in yourself and believe in this moment that is almost here.”

Context: Israel marked the Jewish New Year on the cusp of the Gaza war entering a third year. Beyond Gaza, the overall regional strategic picture is much improved for Israel specifically following the operations in Lebanon, Iran and Syria. At the same time however, Israel faces increasing diplomatic international isolation.

News from the UN General Assembly was dominated by the states extending recognition to a Palestinian State, an initiative pushed over the last few months by French President Macron.
On the sidelines of the UNGA, Macron met with Turkish President Erdoğan and Iranian President Pezeshkian. Regarding negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme, Macron said after the meeting, “An agreement remains possible. Only a few hours are left. It is up to Iran to respond to the legitimate conditions we have set.”
In a speech before the General Assembly, Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto, whose country does not recognise Israel, said, “We must also recognise, we must also respect, and we must also guarantee the safety and security of Israel. Only then we can have real peace.” He vowed that once Israel recognised a Palestinian State, Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim country, would recognise Israel. He also pledged 20,000 Indonesian soldiers to any future UN-led force that might be deployed in a postwar Gaza.
Other notable speeches were much more hostile. Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani said that “Israel is not a democratic country surrounded by enemies, but in fact it is an enemy to its surrounding neighbours.”
Jordan’s King Abdullah said, “The current Israeli government’s provocative call for a so-called Greater Israel can only be realised through the blatant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbours. And there is nothing great about that.”
On the sidelines of the UN, President Trump met with several Arab and Muslim leaders. Reports suggest that Trump presented the latest framework principles for ending the war in Gaza, which includes:
- Release of all the hostages.
- A permanent ceasefire.
- Gradual Israeli pull-back and redeployment of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.
- Developing plans for a day after including a mechanism for running Gaza without Hamas.
- Deployment of an international force that will include Muslim and Arab troops.
- Arab states financial backing for the government and rehabilitation of the Strip.
- A mechanism to integrate the Palestinian Authority into the new leadership.
Reportedly the Arab states agreed to this formulation but add their own conditions:
- Israel will not annex parts of the West Bank or Gaza
- Israel will not occupy parts of Gaza and establish settlements.
- Israel will stop undermining the status-quo agreement on the Temple Mount.
- Immediately increase humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Looking ahead: Prime Minister Netanyahu departed last night for the US and is due to address the UN General Assembly on Friday morning New York time.

Netanyahu will meet President Trump to discuss several pressing issues including:
- Coordinating Israel’s response to the wave of recognising a Palestinian State by Britain, France, and others.
- US led efforts to reach an agreement between Israel and the new Syrian government.
- Iran’s ongoing efforts to reconstitute its nuclear programme and the continued attacks by the Houthis on Israel.

September 22, 2025

Israeli leaders react to unilateral announcements

What’s happened: In a coordinated move, the prime ministers of the UK, Canada and Australia all announced their countries’ recognition of a Palestinian state. They’ve been joined later in the evening by Portugal.

In a video statement, Prime Minister Starmer accused Israel of “cruel tactics,” and called for the removal of restrictions on humanitarian aid to Gaza. The recognition, he said, was meant to preserve the possibility of peace, with a secure Israel alongside a viable Palestinian state.
Starmer referred to Hamas as “a brutal terror organisation” and stressed that the recognition was not “a reward for Hamas,” since the group would have no role in the Palestinian government or security apparatus. He said that new sanctions against Hamas officials would be imposed in the coming weeks.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued a sharp response that “categorically rejected” what it termed “the one-sided declaration of the recognition of a Palestinian state made by the United Kingdom and some other countries.” The Foreign Ministry said that “This declaration does not promote peace, but on the contrary—further destabilises the region and undermines the chances of achieving a peaceful solution in the future. Called by Hamas leaders ‘the fruits of the October 7 massacre’, the declaration not only rewards the biggest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust by a terror organisation that is calling and acting for the annihilation of Israel, but also solidifies the support Hamas enjoys.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “I have a clear message to those leaders who are recognising a Palestinian state after the horrendous October 7 massacre: You are rewarding terror with an enormous prize. And I have another message for you: It’s not going to happen. There will be no Palestinian state to the west of the Jordan River.”
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said, “Most countries in the world have already recognised a ‘Palestinian state’ in the past. It was wrong in the past, too. But those governments that decided to join the recognition precisely now are also doing an immoral, outrageous, and especially ugly action. The governments that decided to do so after October 7th and when Israel is still engaged in a difficult military campaign against Hamas and its partners will be remembered with eternal shame.” He added, “Our future will not be determined in London or Paris. It will be determined in Jerusalem.”
Leader of the Opposition Lapid said, “Recognition of a Palestinian state is a diplomatic disaster. It’s a terrible step and a reward for terrorism.”
Head of the Democrats Yair Golan said, “Unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state is a grave diplomatic failure by Netanyahu and Smotrich—a destructive move for Israel’s security.”
Former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot said, “The fact that while our hostages are languishing in Hamas tunnels, the world is preoccupied with this folly is the result of a resounding political failure by the government and Netanyahu, who failed to translate military achievements in a just war, which turned into a political collapse.”
Hamas described the move as a tribute to what it called “the struggle, resilience, and sacrifices of the Palestinian people for liberation and the right of return.” Hamas added: “This recognition is an important step in maintaining the right of our Palestinian people to their land and holy sites, and to establishing their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.”

Context: Even prior to yesterday’s announcements 148 countries had already recognised a Palestinian state, without it changing the reality on the ground.

The difference this time was the coordinated announcements of three countries; France, Canada and the UK who are all members of the G7, an important achievement for the Palestinians.
However the remaining four members of the G7 – Japan, Germany, Italy and the US – do not intend to recognise a Palestinian state at this time, and that is considered a success inside Israel. South Korea and Singapore are also not expected to endorse recognition.
Israeli commentators noted the other commonality between the UK, France and Canada being that they are all currently ruled by left-wing governments.
Emphasising this ‘left-right’ divide, Foreign Minister Saar held calls with both Conservative leader Badenoch and Reform leader Farage yesterday. In his call with Badenoch, Saar emphasised the moral severity and diplomatic error in the British government’s decision. According to Saar, Badenoch expressed, “her fierce opposition to the British government’s decision” with Saar expressing Israel’s “appreciation for her position. I also said that we know we have more friends in the UK and we know how to distinguish between the English people and the English government.”
Others are questioning whether this will be a Pyrrhic victory for the Palestinians. Palestinian Authority Chairman Abbas has already been denied a visa to enter the US, so will not attend the UN General Assembly, and will make his speech over video link.
It remains the case that Israel is almost totally reliant on the support of the Trump administration. At the end of last week, the US once more vetoed a one-sided motion against Israel at the UN Security Council which called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The text did not to condemn Hamas nor make the move conditional on releasing the hostages.
In other positive developments the UN Security Council decided to renew sanctions against Iran, with the support of the UK, France and Germany, while an Iranian proposal to condemn Israel for the Twelve-Day War was defeated.
Meanwhile, Israel appears to have enough support in the European Union, to block the Commission’s President Ursula von der Leyen move to suspend the trade agreements with Israel.

Looking ahead: Israel is expected to coordinate its response to the announcements of recognition with the US.

Netanyahu will once more meet President Trump at the end of the week and no declared response is expected until next week.
The possible responses range from complete restraint (unlikely), to the annexation of all of Judea and Samaria (also unlikely). A smaller scale annexation – or extension of sovereignty – could be considered, but neither Netanyahu nor Trump want to jeopardise the Abraham Accords.
Israel could go for a harsher response against France, as it is perceived to be the instigator of the announcements. One option is to close the French consulate in Jerusalem, but this could lead to further reciprocal steps that could further exacerbate tensions.
The security establishment is on a state of heightened alert in anticipation for potential riots and violent clashes, and attempted terror attacks by individuals or terrorist squads.

September 21, 2025

Statement on the UK’s unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state

In response to the Prime Minister’s statement on the UK unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, BICOM questions how this performative gesture truly serves the interest of peace.

Not only does it reward and embolden Hamas, it uses recognition as a punishment on Israel, a first in international affairs.

This symbolic gesture does nothing to advance the UK’s stated objective of realising a two-state solution. This moves changes nothing the ground, but inadvertently weakens peace camps on both sides, and raises the bar of expectations, that when not met could lead to further violence.

The move weakens UK influence as an honest broker in the region and punishes a democratic ally with whom UK has many shared interests and values, not least security, intelligence and trade relations. There are some fundamental questions that remain unanswered:

What exactly is being recognised?
How will this contribute to ending the war?
Has it compelled Hamas to release the hostages, or has it emboldened them?
Has it improved the safety and security of both Israelis and Palestinians?
Has it disarmed Hamas, to prevent their violent suppression of its own people and their explicitly stated plans for the next October 7 massacre?

With little consideration for these fundamentals, it’s highly unlikely that a Palestinian state will be realised any time soon. Ironically, premature recognition is likely to lead to the prolonging of the war in Gaza, as Hamas have proven that terrorism is rewarded by the west.

Richard Pater, Director of BICOM

September 18, 2025

Questioning unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state

New Research: With the UK’s recognition of a Palestinian statehood imminent, BICOM’s report:

Assesses the Montevideo standards for recognition, examining how the Palestinian Authority does or does not meet them. And consider both cases lacking international recognition (e.g. Taiwan, Northern Cyprus, Somaliland) and cases of newly recognised states by the UK (South Sudan, East Timor, Kosovo).
Demonstrates how premature recognition undermines peace efforts. Recognition can pressure both Israelis and Palestinians into actions that make a peaceful settlement harder, not easier. Recognition will not create a Palestinian state nor advance the creation of one; rather, it will be the most significant diplomatic gain for the Palestinian cause in decades, universally understood as having been made possible by the October 7 massacre.
Analyses British policy on the two-state solution. If the two-state solution is indeed the desired goal, then policies must encourage conditions that make this outcome more likely and discourage those that make it less likely. Recognition at this stage, or interventions which halt the war before Hamas is defeated, protect and strengthen Hamas and are therefore counterproductive.
Highlights the diplomatic consequences. Recognition would take place in the context of already worsening UK–Israel relations and would further deteriorate ties between two countries that until recently considered themselves strategic partners.

Read the FULL Report

September 11, 2025

President Herzog meets PM Starmer

The meeting: Prime Minister Starmer welcomed Israeli President Isaac Herzog to No 10 yesterday, however the two reportedly had a number of “tough” exchanges on disagreements regarding the war in Gaza and British plans to recognise a Palestinian state later this month.

According to the British press release after the meeting, Starmer condemned Israel’s strike in Doha as “completely unacceptable” and “a flagrant violation of a key partner’s sovereignty.”
The statement ended by describing the UK and Israel as “longstanding allies” and ruling out any future role for Hamas in Palestinian governance.
According to the Israeli press release, Herzog warned that the upcoming recognition of the Palestinian state would “embolden extremists across the Middle East and beyond.” He further warned against “the dangerous echoing of Hamas’s propaganda campaign of starvation in Gaza.”
Herzog spoke later at a Chatham House event where he said, “Things were said that were tough and strong, and clearly, we can argue, because when allies meet, they can argue. We are both democracies.”
Starmer’s made a similar commitment – to reject any future role for Hamas in Gaza – when he met Palestinian Authority Chairman Abbas two days earlier. There was no public criticism directed against Abbas after that meeting, despite some hopes that issues of institutional incitement, pay to slay, and endemic corruption would be made.

Doha strike: Responding to international criticism of Israel’s airstrike in Doha on a Hamas target, Prime Minister Netanyahu released a video statement in English:

“What did America do in the wake of September 11? It promised to hunt down the terrorists who committed this heinous crime wherever they may be. And it passed a resolution in the Security Council of the UN two weeks later that said that governments cannot give harbour to terrorists. Yesterday, we acted along those lines. We went after the terrorist masterminds who committed the October 7 massacre. And we did so in Qatar which gives safe haven, it harbours terrorists, it finances Hamas, it gives its terrorist chieftains sumptuous villas, it gives them everything.”
Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani criticised Netanyahu, accusing him of “wasting time” on hostage negotiations and adding that Qatar was “reassessing” its role as a mediator. He added, “What Netanyahu has done, he just killed any hope for those hostages. He broke every international law.”
Other regional actors also condemned the Israeli attack in Doha. Saudi Arabia called it “brutal aggression” and a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of a “sisterly state.” The UAE called it a “blatant and cowardly act” and cancelled Israel’s participation in a prestigious air show. Turkey, which also hosts senior Hamas figures, accused Israel of having “adopted terrorism as state policy.”
The Wall Street Journal describes a heated phone call between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu yesterday, followed apparently by a second, more cordial one. In the first call, Trump expressed his dissatisfaction with the Israeli air strike in Doha, calling it “unwise,” and further expressed his disappointment at having learned of the impending strike from his military and not directly from Israel.
Qatari authorities reported that six people were killed in the Israeli air strike in Doha, including one Qatari security officer. Hamas has claimed that the five other fatalities in the airstrike do not include any of the senior officials targeted by Israel. There were conflicting reports in Arab media about injuries sustained by senior Hamas officials or the identities of some of the unnamed people killed in the strike. Hamas officials told Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat that two members of the organisation’s political bureau were wounded in Israel’s Tuesday strike on the Qatari capital, Doha, with one of them in serious condition.
The prevailing Israeli assessment yesterday was that the strike did not succeed in killing its targets and that the senior Hamas officials were not in the room that was hit. One unnamed Israeli official was quoted anonymously in Maariv as saying, “This attack has a powerful psychological effect. We’re talking about murderers with blood on their hands. If they weren’t eliminated, we’ll remove them from the world at the next opportunity. Those murderers won’t have immunity anywhere.”
A report in Israel Hayom indicates that the Shin Bet assessed that the strike in Doha could have an effect on morale in Gaza, highlighting their lavish lifestyles of Hamas leaders in comparison to the misery in the Strip.

Hostage released: Elizabeth Tzurkov, the Israeli citizen who was abducted in Baghdad while doing research for her Princeton doctoral thesis, was released from captivity and has arrived in Israel, where she is undergoing treatment at Sheba Hospital under the same protocol as hostages released from Gaza.

She was held in captivity for 903 days by Hezbollah affiliate in Iraq.

Looking ahead: Israeli preparations for a ground offensive in Gaza City continue, as does the evacuation of civilians from the city to southern parts of the Strip.

Since the IDF issued an evacuation order of the city on Tuesday, some 200,000 people left. Nearly one million people were estimated to be residing there before. Gaza City’s population before October 7 was just over 500,000. It was evacuated early in the war in 2023, but repopulated during the ceasefire in January-March 2025, including many Gazans displaced from other places in the Strip.
Multiple reports indicate that Egypt is eager to step in as a mediator in ceasefire talks. An Israeli attack on Egyptian soil similar to the one carried out in Doha would be unthinkable, something that could work to Cairo’s advantage. Egypt is also unlikely to permanently house Hamas terrorists in five-star hotels as Qatar has done for the last decade.

September 9, 2025

UK rules out genocide as Israel braces for Gaza battle

What’s happened: Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to No 10 Downing yesterday, ahead of the Government’s anticipated recognition of a Palestinian state. Abbas was recently denied a US visa to attend the United Nations General Assembly. According to a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office, Starmer and Abbas “both agreed there will be absolutely no role for Hamas in the future governance of Palestine.”

In a letter sent to Sarah Champion, chair of the international development committee, Foreign Secretary David Lammy wrote that the UK Government had determined that Israel was not committing genocide in Gaza.
The letter was sent by Lammy just before he left the position of Foreign Secretary. Previously, Lammy and other British officials had taken the position that the Government could not make such a determination absent a judicial ruling from the ICJ. But in the letter, Lammy asserted that “the crime of genocide occurs only where there is specific ‘intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group’. The government has not concluded that Israel is acting with that intent.”
Six people were killed and at least seven others seriously wounded in yesterday’s shooting attack in Jerusalem. The dead were named as Levi Yitzhak Pash, 57, Yaakov Pinto, 25, Yisrael Matzner, 28, Rabbi Yosef David, 43, Rabbi Mordechai Steintzag, 79, and Sarah Mendelson, 60. The Palestinian gunmen, men in their twenties from an area of the West Bank just northwest of Jerusalem, were killed by an off-duty soldier, ending the shooting rampage.
Four IDF soldiers were killed yesterday when Hamas gunmen opened fire on an IDF Armored Corps position in Jabaliya in the northern Gaza Strip and hurled an explosive device into their tank. They were named as First Sgt. Uri Lamed, 20, Sgt. Gadi Kotal, 20, Lt. Matan Abramovitz, 21, and Sgt. Amit Aryeh Regev, 19. A fifth soldier was injured in the attack. 904 IDF soldiers have fallen since the war began on October 7, 2023, 54 of them since the last ceasefire ended in March of this year.
This morning, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson announced a broad evacuation order for Gaza City. “The IDF is determined to defeat Hamas and will operate in the Gaza City area with great force, just as it has throughout the strip,” the announcement said. It also contained a phone number to report any Hamas roadblocks preventing people from evacuating.

Context: The Israeli offensive into Gaza City has focused over the last two days on high-rise buildings used by Hamas. At least five have been destroyed after specific evacuation warnings by the IDF. There were no reports of casualties from the strikes, images of which were widely posted and shared.

Referring to the downed towers yesterday, Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “All this is just the prelude for the main intensive operation and that is a ground maneuver by our troops, who are now organising, for inside Gaza City. And that is why I am telling Gaza’s residents: I am using this opportunity and listen to me well. You have been warned. Leave.”
Writing in Israel Hayom, Yoav Limor reports that thus far only about 10% of Gaza City’s residents have evacuated. He further notes that in the last major operation in Gaza City, in November 2023, the IDF lost 122 soldiers. This was in a less extensive battle than the one planned for now, and in a city that had been thoroughly evacuated in the first dramatic weeks of the war following the October 7 attacks.
With an Israeli ground offensive imminent, a last-ditch effort to reach a diplomatic agreement is also underway. The Trump administration’s new proposal would see an immediate release of all remaining Israeli hostages on the first day in exchange for thousands of Palestinian security prisoners held by Israel. A ceasefire would be guaranteed by the United States for as long as negotiations were ongoing for an end to the war.
President Trump posted on social media that “the Israelis have accepted my Terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well.” He added, “I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting. This is my last warning, there will not be another one!”
Hamas has not given a definitive response to the Trump proposal. Sources close to Hamas report that the organisation believes it is logistically impossible to free all hostages on the first day of the ceasefire, though it appears that much of the apparent difficulty relates to the challenge of extricating the bodies of dead hostages more than to liberating the living ones.
Channel 12 news reports that Israel assesses that there will be internal disagreement among the Hamas leadership over the question of whether it can accept Trump’s conditions. Even if the answer is affirmative, the question is whether it can trust the American guarantees and to hold negotiations in practice on the basis of these principles.
According to a report on Kan radio, officials in Jerusalem believe Hamas will likely reject the American proposal, and that this will pave the way for Israel’s anticipated operation in Gaza City.

Looking ahead: President Isaac Herzog will be in London this week to “show solidarity with the Jewish community, which is under severe attack and facing a wave of antisemitism.” He is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Starmer on Wednesday and likely to meet Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper as well.

September 8, 2025

Donald Trump presents new hostage deal

What’s happened: President Trump has reportedly passed a new proposal for a comprehensive hostage and ceasefire deal to Hamas’s leadership.

Trump wrote on Truth Social, “Everyone wants the Hostages HOME. Everyone wants this War to end! The Israelis have accepted my Terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well. I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting. This is my last warning, there will not be another one!”
According to the new plan:
- All 48 living and dead hostages are to be released on the first day of the deal, in return Israel will simultaneously release hundreds of terrorists and thousands of Palestinian detainees.
- Israel will halt Operation Gideon’s Chariots II and the takeover over of Gaza City.
- Negotiations will begin immediately to end the war, personally overseen by President Trump.
- The fighting will not be renewed as long as the negotiations remain ongoing.
While according to Trump, Israel has accepted his terms, Hamas released a statement saying it, “received, through mediators, some ideas from the American side to reach a ceasefire agreement. Accordingly, Hamas welcomes any move that will assist in the efforts to halt the aggression against our people. Hamas affirms its readiness to immediately sit at the negotiating table to discuss the release of all prisoners in exchange for a clear declaration of an end to the war, a full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and the formation of a committee to administer the Gaza Strip from independent Palestinians, which will assume its duties immediately.”
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum issued a statement noting, “The provision of the US president’s personal guarantee is an historic development of the utmost importance. We call on the Israeli government to announce its unreserved support for the emerging agreement.”

Context: The support from President Trump has been a crucial factor in Israel’s continued military campaign. His direct involvement in this latest proposal could force the hands of all parties and bring the war to an end.

Meanwhile the fighting in Gaza City intensified over the weekend with preliminary bombings of high-rise buildings. The airstrikes focused on hundreds of surveillance cameras and anti-tank firing positions, and sniping positions on the upper floors of high-rises of buildings in the centre and west of the city.
As ever, the IDF highlighted, “Prior to the strike, steps were taken in order to mitigate harm to civilians, including advanced warnings to the population, the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence.”
Despite almost two years of fighting, it is understood that Hamas still possesses a variety of military surveillance technologies.
A secondary objective of targeting the high rise buildings (deliberately in broad daylight), is to encourage the civilian population to leave the city. In line with this, according to the IDF they have now set up a new “displaced persons city” near Khan Yunis, with “water, food and medical infrastructure.”
In the latest assessment, the takeover of the city itself will not take more than a couple of weeks. However, the IDF has continued to warn that the whole operation could take a year. This is primarily due to the large network of tunnels remaining underneath Gaza City, as well as the presence of hostages who are still alive in them.
It is estimated that 10,000 armed operatives are currently inside Gaza City, but as in the past many or even most are expected to flee the area along with the civilian population. Due to the scale, it is not feasible for the IDF to screen everyone leaving.
In light of these challenges, military analysts suggest that Hamas cannot be destroyed in this operation, and the goal is to degrade the terrorist infrastructure used by the Gaza City Brigade.
However, one of the IDF’s main targets will be Hamas’s current leader in Gaza City, Izz al-Din Haddad who commands the city’s brigade. According to military assessments, he has restored much of its command-and-control capabilities over the past year. Hamas’ centre of power consists of a network of tunnels is located in western Gaza City. It was partly damaged during the December 2023 ground operation, but has since been repaired.
Whilst the IDF prepares to operate with a massive force deployment in to the city, there is concern that Hamas may choose to attack troops manning static positions along the recently established corridors in southern Gaza, as happened during Hamas’s multi-pronged attack two weeks ago. Similarly there could be attacks along the buffer zone set up adjacent to Israeli communities as there are likely still tunnels in the proximity.
According to reports out of Gaza, the terrorist Mahmoud Afana was eliminated in an IDF strike. Afana participated in the October 7 massacre and in a phone call he placed from Kibbutz Mefalsim boasted to his family that he had personally murdered ten Israelis. That call was recorded, and subsequently shared as evidence.
Israel maintains residual concern that whilst Hamas might accept a new technocratic leadership of the Strip, a scenario in which it is allowed to maintain its weapons and military wing, they will seek a Hezbollah style model of operating a terrorist army under a weak political framework.
Alongside the fighting, Israeli continues to facilitate aid into Gaza. According to the IDF, “Over the past week, close to 1,900 trucks were collected and distributed this week from the Gazan side of the Kerem Shalom and Zikim Crossings. Over 1,500 humanitarian aid trucks primarily containing food, entered through the crossings this week.”

Looking ahead: President Herzog will arrive in London later this week to meet with senior representatives of the government.

The timing, ahead of the UN General Assembly, and the UK’s anticipated announcement to recognise a Palestinian state, is aimed at maintaining the close Britain – Israel relationship at this sensitive time.
According to the President’s office, “The purpose of the visit is to show solidarity with the Jewish community, which is under severe attack and facing a wave of antisemitism.”

September 2, 2025

IDF call ups begin following stormy cabinet meeting

What’s happened: Emergency call up orders began to go into effect yesterday with 40,000 reservist soldiers mobilised. This is taking place as the IDF prepares to embark on a broad offensive operation into Gaza City.

Most reservists are not likely to enter Gaza. They are, rather, relieving soldiers in the West Bank and on the northern border who are slated to be a part of the upcoming operation, which will involve five divisions.
The Israeli government’s public position remains that only a comprehensive deal that would release all hostages could avert the operation. A stormy cabinet session was held on Sunday regarding the war in Gaza. Ministers did not vote on the ceasefire deal on the table, though Hamas appears to have accepted it. This deal would include a 60-day ceasefire and a partial release of the remaining hostages.
Belgium announced that it would recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly later this month. Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot also announced 12 “firm sanctions” against Israel, including a ban on importing products from settlement. Prevot’s announcement stipulated that the “administrative formalisation of this recognition” would only take effect “when the last hostage is released.”
Foreign Secretary David Lammy reiterated his commitment to recognise a Palestinian state “unless the Israeli Government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza and commits to a long-term sustainable peace.” He added, “To those who say recognition rewards Hamas or threatens Israeli security – it does neither,” without explaining how this was the case.
Alluding to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Lammy said that “words of condemnation… are not enough. But be in no doubt: we have acted, as a country, where we can.” He went on to list actions taken by the Government: “We restored funding to UNRWA. We suspended arms exports that could be used in Gaza. We signed a landmark agreement with the Palestinian Authority. We stood up for the independence of international courts. We have delivered three sanctions packages, three, on violent settlers and far-right Israeli Ministers for incitement. We suspended trade negotiations with the Israeli Government. We are at the forefront of the international community’s work to plan for a stable, post-conflict peace. And we have provided nearly over £250m in development assistance over the past two years.”
None of this actions mentioned by Lammy is putting any pressure on Hamas to release the hostages or exerting diplomatic pressure for the October 7 attacks. Nor did he mention any action relating to states, allied with Britain, that harbour leading Hamas figures, such as Qatar or Turkey.
Lammy also announced the triggering of the “snapback” procedure for sanctions against Iran. These will go into effect in 30 days barring some diplomatic breakthrough with Iran.
320 trucks of humanitarian aid crossed from Israel into Gaza yesterday through crossings at Kerem Shalom in the southern Gaza Strip and Zikim in the north. COGAT reports that 350 trucks were collected and distributed by aid organisations yesterday, as opposed to 170 the day before, with hundreds more still waiting on the Gaza side of the border for collection.

Cabinet leaks: Multiple Israeli media outlets gave detailed reports of a stormy cabinet meeting on Sunday evening, all based on anonymous leaks.

It is understood that the heads of the IDF, National Security Council, Mossad, and Shin Bet strongly support accepting the ceasefire deal which would see the release of 10 out of 20 living Israeli hostages and a 60 day pause in fighting. The Prime Minister and most of the cabinet oppose this. All four men are Netanyahu appointees. The security chiefs all expressed severe doubts about the planned military offensive into Gaza City.
The IDF estimates around 100 fatalities to its forces in an operation to conquer Gaza City in an operation that could take as long as a year to complete successfully. Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir told the Government that such an operation would necessarily mean a military government in Gaza, with all the attendant legal and operational obligations that would entail. Israel would be directly responsible for the welfare of Gazans in territory its forces occupy in a way it has not been since 1994. And its soldiers would be constant targets of guerrilla attacks.
Mossad Director David Barnea spoke out more forcefully than in the past in favour of the current ceasefire deal. He was quoted in television reports as saying, “That’s the proposal that is on the table, and we need to take it.”
Most of the media attention, however, focused on Zamir, with many harsh and pointed statements attributed to him or to his critics. Orit Struck, one of the most far-right figures in the Cabinet, obliquely referred to Zamir with a Mishnaic reference to “the man who fears and is soft-hearted.” Zamir responded to her, “I came to carry out two of my life’s missions: to prevent nuclear [weapons] in Iran and to destroy Hamas. Every morning I approve attacks everywhere. No one is soft of heart. If you want blind obedience, get someone else.”
Confronted by the Cabinet Secretary with Ministers’ demands to defeat Hamas, Zamir responded with a sarcastic Hebrew phrase that can be translated as “you don’t say?” or “good morning sunshine!” and added, “you were the security cabinet on October 7. Now you’ve remembered to talk about defeating Hamas?”
Various reports in the Hebrew press referenced Cabinet ministers who dissented from the majority position and preferred taking the ceasefire deal and partial hostage release now rather than embarking on the new offensive into Gaza City. Most reports mentioned Foreign Minister Gidon Saar as one of the opponents of the new operation, with concerns about Israel’s diplomatic position at the upcoming UN General Assembly attributed to him.

Looking ahead: In preparing a response to the upcoming announcements of recognition of a Palestinian state by France, Britain, Canada, and others, Prime Minister Netanyahu will convene a consultation on annexing parts of the West Bank.

The cabinet are expected to explore various proposals, including annexation of settlement blocs, of Areas C, or of the Jordan Valley. An initiative to annex the Jordan Valley was stopped in its tracks in 2020 by the announcement of normalisation agreements with Bahrain and the UAE.
The Jordan Valley stretches from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea, forming a natural border between the West Bank and Jordan. It is sparsely populated and serves as a vital buffer zone and holds strategic significance for Israel’s security.

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