HEADLINES
- Gaza arms handover under international security plan
- Israel Strikes Hezbollah as Lebanon Tensions Rise
- Kazakhstan Joins Abraham Accords, Signals Shift

The time is now 6:00 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

At six o’clock in the evening, here is a concise update on the most consequential events shaping the Middle East and related developments, with context to help audiences understand the stakes for Israel, its security concerns, and the evolving role of the United States in regional diplomacy.

The broader Gaza conflict remains at the heart of regional and international diplomacy. United States officials have floated the possibility of allowing Hamas fighters holed up in Rafah to surrender their weapons in exchange for amnesty, a proposal that would involve an international security arrangement and a limited, monitored safe passage. Israeli leaders publicly pushed back on the idea of permitting safe passage as a general policy, while privately some officials indicated that the idea remains under consideration as part of ongoing discussions about decommissioning capabilities in Gaza. In parallel, Washington is leaning on Israel to sustain a process that could allow a small number of fighters to lay down arms under a framework that includes a potential international security presence, a move that could serve as a test of the ceasefire’s durability. Israel’s government continues to emphasize that any disarmament would be tightly linked to the security needs of the Israeli population and to the broader objective of preventing renewed attacks from Gaza.

On the northern front, the Israel Defense Forces conducted a wave of airstrikes targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon, including depots associated with Hezbollah’s Radwan force. The Israeli military said the operation aimed to deter renewed weaponization by the group and warned that further strikes could follow if Hezbollah is not disarmed. The strikes prompted evacuations in several towns near the border and drew condemnation from Lebanon’s government, which called the actions a violation of international law and a despicable political crime. A Lebanese president’s statement underscored the fragility of the ceasefire arrangement and the enduring risk of escalation along a border that has seen repeated Iranian-backed activity. In Israel’s view, Hezbollah’s rearmament and attempts to rebuild capabilities pose a direct threat to civilian communities, and the IDF signaled it would continue to respond to what it calls escalatory activity, with political and military leaders closely watching for any broader regional spillovers. The United States later stepped in with sanctions on three Hezbollah-associated figures involved in financial transfers, part of a broader international effort to cut funding networks that support the group’s operations.

Across the diplomatic front, Kazakhstan announced it would join the Abraham Accords, signaling a symbolic expansion of the normalization framework that began in 2020 with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco. The Kazakh government framed the move as a natural extension of its foreign policy, emphasizing dialogue and regional stability. President Trump’s push for wider Middle East peace suggested that more states might enter the accords as part of a broader strategy to bolster a Gaza ceasefire and a longer-term political settlement. The development comes as the United States continues to press for a cohesive regional architecture that could include future arrangements with Saudi Arabia, though Riyadh has tied normalization to progress toward a Palestinian state. In the interim, some Washington officials described the Kazakhstan decision as a meaningful signal in a difficult regional environment, with the potential to help anchor a broader set of diplomatic arrangements even as Gaza remains a flashpoint.

Economically and institutionally, Israel faces crucial decisions about who will ultimately shape the future of Gaza’s governance and the management of its border security. The Times of Israel reports that Washington is pursuing a decommissioning process for weapons in Gaza, including a possible transfer mechanism for Hamas weapons to an international security layer. This approach is tied to broader negotiations around a temporary, technocratic governance structure for Gaza that could eventually transition to Palestinian Authority oversight, a framework that would require intense coordination among Washington, Jerusalem, Cairo, and other regional actors. Israeli officials have reiterated that any durable arrangement must ensure the security of Israeli civilians and the readiness to respond to threats, while supporters of a broader peace process argue that a credible demilitarization plan could reduce the likelihood of renewed violence and create space for economic development.

In related security diplomacy, discussions around Rafah and the possibility of limited safe passage have intersected with broader concerns about the framework for a post-ceasefire security regime. American officials say a successful model would involve international participation to monitor weapon handovers and ensure compliance, while Israel has underscored that any external force must work within strict parameters and with robust oversight to prevent new attack capabilities from re-emerging. Reports also indicate that behind-the-scenes diplomacy continues as administrators weigh risk: the potential for a fragile ceasefire to unravel would threaten not only Israeli security but the broader humanitarian situation in Gaza and regional stability.

Meanwhile, the European and transatlantic landscape includes a controversial critique of media and communications strategies linked to conflict dynamics. An opinion piece argues that allowing Houthi propaganda to air from satellite networks in Europe represents a moral surrender and a betrayal of stated values, warning that such broadcasts contribute to extremist messaging and the spread of hate. This framing underscores how media policy choices in Europe can influence public perception and the international information environment at a time when conflicts in Yemen, Syria, and the Gaza Strip remain active in regional and global debates.

Beyond conflict zones, a number of developments touch on public life and security. In a landmark cultural moment, Team Israel achieved a notable performance at the Pickleball World Cup in Florida, winning one gold and two silver medals and signaling a growing presence for Israeli athletes in international amateur sports. In the United Kingdom, Pro-Israel demonstrations near a high-profile football match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Aston Villa faced police containment ahead of the event, reflecting the continuing intersection of sports, politics, and diaspora communities in Europe.

In the legal and governance arena, the United Nations reported that sanctions on Syria’s president and interior minister have been removed from certain mechanisms, a development described alongside ongoing concerns about security in the region, including violent activity in areas near the border and shifting alliances. The report notes that monitors have not identified active ties between al Qaeda and the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group in the current year, a finding that shapes how the international community assesses the threat landscape in Syria and its spillover effects for neighboring states and Israel.

In media and information security, the Washington Post disclosed it was among the victims of a cyber breach tied to the Oracle E-Business Suite platform, highlighting the vulnerabilities that large global news organizations face in the digital age and the potential for disruption to media operations that shape public understanding of conflict dynamics in the region.

On the economic and energy front, Israel’s Dead Sea mining arrangements with ICL took a significant turn. ICL agreed to a memorandum of understanding that would see the state pay 2.54 billion dollars to relinquish a right of first refusal on the next concession, allowing the government to open the bidding to multiple bidders. In exchange, the government would refund investments made by ICL to address salt buildup in a processing pool near Ein Bokek and would adjust the financial terms to reflect new royalty and tax arrangements under the Sheshinsky Law on natural resource extraction. The deal is designed to create a more competitive process for the concession’s renewal and to clarify the value of the assets for bidding purposes, with ICL reserving the option to participate in the future tender if terms are economically viable. These changes come as Israel seeks to balance development in the Dead Sea region with environmental and economic considerations and as the government plans to present the new concession framework to parliament in the coming weeks.

In a related diplomatic context, reports indicate that Qatar engaged in clandestine efforts to discredit a woman alleging misconduct by an International Criminal Court prosecutor, a development that underscores the continuing complexity of international legal processes and the influence of external actors on high-stakes investigations. Separately, discussions about the broader role of foreign forces in Syria’s security picture persist, with analysis arguing that a measured American presence near Damascus could be advantageous for both Syrian stabilization and regional security, provided commitments are clear and risk is managed.

As these threads unfold—from battlefield actions and ceasefire negotiations to diplomacy, media policy, and economic arrangements—the central question for audiences remains: how will security, governance, and diplomac