Sunday, January 25

Originally published on Substack on 2026-01-25.

Israel Brief: Sunday, January 25

The War Today

Gaza

Hamas publicly rejected weapons disarmament, declaring it will not remove arms "as long as the occupation exists." Israel's Southern Command has entered battle-preparation mode. The IDF completed a four-kilometer tunnel dismantling operation and is fortifying the Yellow Line as a de facto border with surveillance towers and layered defensive belts.

Trump administration envoys are pressing Netanyahu to reopen Rafah. Israeli leadership is holding disarmament and hostage return as preconditions.

Lebanon / Hezbollah

The IDF struck a Hezbollah weapons-manufacturing facility in Bir al-Sansal and additional infrastructure in the Beqaa Valley, expanding enforcement operations beyond ceasefire border zones.

Iran

CENTCOM's commander held extended talks with Israeli military leadership. U.S. deployments of Patriot and THAAD systems continue. Iranian authorities are conducting mass detentions and executions domestically while claiming control over regional chokepoints as coercive leverage.

Domestic Politics

Benny Gantz is positioning a "consensus government" pitch — a coalition excluding extremist parties. Polling shows him gaining ground. October 7 survivors are entering politics independently.

Arab political factions have unified under the Joint List framework amid an escalating crime wave: 21 homicides recorded in January across Arab towns in the north.

The Diaspora

A Jewish restaurant chain in Belgium closed after sustained boycott campaigns. New York's mayor opposed renewing Israel Bond purchases. Survey data shows antisemitism is routine among Jewish K-12 teachers; unions are omitting antisemitism from anti-bias training.

France advanced Muslim Brotherhood designation toward EU terror listing.

Paging Dara Horn: the West commemorates deceased Jews while constraining living ones through activism and institutional pressure.