The cost of expanding the military campaign in the Gaza Strip is liable to amount to 25 billion shekels in three months – not including the damage to the economy ■ If additional spending is approved, the defense budget will climb to about 160 billion shekels this year, the state budget will be reopened and the deficit could increase ■ Long-term control of Gaza will cost billions more
Trump loves Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE – they're rich, under U.S. influence, and led by regimes he finds easy to handle. But if it's deals we're talking, maybe it's the Saudi crown prince we should speak to about trading a Gaza cease-fire for a multi-billion-dollar pact with Trump
Humanitarian organizations in Gaza reject the army's plan, saying it will harm the population's security. The Washington Post reported that Israel will allow 60 aid trucks to enter Gaza daily and that residents may collect food and household products at six hubs
A Gaza resident tells Haaretz about how his family is coping with the lack of food in the Strip: 'We agreed: one meal a day, no bread. We rely on water trucks for drinking water'
For Netanyahu's government, the Gaza war is still 'existential' and protesting its surging cost is a matter of disloyalty to the cause. Perhaps it's fitting that it's teachers, with their duty to Israel's next generation but their salaries slashed, are now on strike
Ahead of his death in April, Pope Francis directed the Catholic relief organization Caritas to turn the vehicle into a medical clinic used to treat Palestinian children.
The Israeli Air Force is aware of at least 3,000 unexploded bombs in Gaza. After tens of thousands of airstrikes, the IDF ran low on reliable fuses and turned to outdated ones – some decades old. 'Tens of tons of explosives are lying in Gaza, waiting for Hamas,' said one officer
ISRAEL: Smotrich says 'Gaza will be destroyed,' civilians to emigrate after Israeli victory declared in coming months ■ GAZA: 37 people killed in Israeli strikes since Tuesday morning, Gazan medical sources say ■ YEMEN: IDF struck Sanaa Int'l Airport, causing shutdown; U.S. and Houthis announce cease-fire ■ EGYPT: Source says Egypt has received new U.S. proposal for Gaza cease-fire ahead of Trump visit
The expanded Gaza offensive approved by the cabinet is likely to fail, leading to prolonged entanglement and heavy deaths of soldiers, hostages, and Palestinians – without defeating Hamas. Netanyahu follows the far right, while IDF leadership hopes for Trump's intervention
The "forceful operation," which includes population evacuation as Netanyahu described it, will begin only if a hostage deal is not reached, an Israeli security official said. Humanitarian aid to Gaza will be restored once the operation starts, he added
'Ulterior motives are at play, and the government is playing Russian roulette with our children's lives,' one hostage mother said after Israel's security cabinet unanimously decided to expand operations in Gaza
Since the war began, Israel has reviewed over 80 public officials' remarks on the October 7 response, partly due to international legal pressure. In December, it closed a case against a rabbi who said all Gaza residents should be killed, including babies and the elderly
After nearly 50 days of fighting with no hostages freed, the IDF is calling up tens of thousands of reservists for a broader ground offensive in Gaza. Meanwhile, Israel is intensifying strikes in Syria as Druze communities face attacks from regime-aligned jihadi groups
ISRAEL: Hostages' families call on government to halt Gaza war expansion plans as IDF calls up tens of thousands of reservists; Qatari FM slams Netanyahu's 'inflammatory' remarks ■ GAZA: 40 people killed in last 24 hours, Gaza medical sources say ■ SYRIA: IDF planes deliver humanitarian aid to Druze residents of southern Syria ■ YEMEN: Houthi spokesman said a hypersonic ballistic missile targeted Tel Aviv's airport
IDF sources say is still unclear how long the new round of reserve duty will last, but it is expected to be a 'significant duration.' Most of the reservists will replace conscript soldiers currently posted along the Lebanon border and in the West Bank, who will then be deployed to Gaza
Prominent activist Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is being held hostage in Gaza, criticized Netanyahu's planned escalation of Israel's offensive in Gaza for risking the lives of the hostages: 'It's unbelievable and unforgivable'
ISRAEL: Hostage families call on government to halt Gaza war plans, fearing for well-being of hostages and soldiers ■ GAZA: Two killed in Israeli strike on Gaza City, Hamas say ■ SYRIA: IDF planes deliver humanitarian aid to Druze residents of southern Syria ■ YEMEN: Houthis claim responsibility for second missile launch towards Israel