Amid Israel’s preparations for upcoming elections, the Walla website, in cooperation with MIND Israel, published an article by Israel Gantz and Lior Semha presenting two visions for Israel’s future. Gantz calls for imposing Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, canceling the Oslo Accords, dismantling the Palestinian Authority, and annexing about 80% of open areas and settlements, with local civil administration for Arab cities and security responsibility remaining in Israeli hands. In contrast, Semha warns of the risk of internal disintegration and calls for peace and for strengthening society, development, and equality in sharing burdens.
In the West Bank, settler attacks are escalating, ranging from targeting the olive harvest to burning cars. In the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army spokesman announced, citing the Hebrew newspaper Maariv, that the army yesterday (Thursday) assassinated Muhammad Khalla in the northern Gaza Strip, a commander in Hamas’s military wing, claiming that he participated in the October 7 attack and infiltrated Israeli territory, was a commander in the manufacturing unit and contributed to developing weapons, was seeking to carry out operations against Israel, and was violating the ceasefire, and was targeted by air to remove the threat.
Two years after the assassination of Yahya Sinwar, the Israeli army published excerpts of handwritten documents it said reveal details of the planning for the October 7, 2023 attack, including directives to document scenes of killing and destruction and broadcast them quickly through the media to instill fear inside Israel, and a call to prepare to expand the attack with the participation of Hezbollah and West Bank militants. A report by journalist Amir Bohbot on the Walla website also reviewed details of the operation that ended with Sinwar’s killing in the Tel Sultan area of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on October 16, 2024. Hamas today marked the second anniversary of his killing, describing him in the report as the most dangerous person in the Gaza Strip and the mastermind of the October 7 attack.