Israel At War Monday July 28

Israel at war day 661

-  In Israel, there is growing concern that Qatar is responsible for Hams' campaign of "Gaza is starving" and is the one behind it. A security source clarified: "The US needs to put a gun on the table and make Qatar choose between Hamas and the US. Only the US has the power to force Hams back into negotiations. If it doesn't do this, the situation will not change."

- Trump issued a stern warning on Monday, making it clear that if Iran attempts to rebuild the nuclear infrastructure that was targeted in last month’s American strikes, he will authorize a new round of attacks.

- Israeli source: If there is no Hamas flexibility - "there will be no choice" but to raise the level of activity and expand the operation in Gaza. It seems there will be no choice but to "try to shake Hamas so that maybe it will present a different response." Although the dialogue with the mediators continues: Hams has not yet shown any flexibility.

- Trump: We know where the hostages are in some cases, we don't want to go precisely to those areas because that means the hostages will be killed

-Trump: Hams does not want to release the remaining hostages now. There are 20 hostages alive. I told Bibi that maybe he should try another way now. A ceasefire is possible - but this must be finished 

- J.D. Vance on Gaza: "I don't know if you have all seen these pictures, there are truly heartbreaking cases, there are small children who are starving. Israel must do more to allow aid to enter, and we also need to wage war against Hams so that these people stop preventing food from reaching this area."

- Trump said he is trying to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza: "There are hungry people in Gaza - we are helping them, but other countries also need to help."

- Donald Trump: I told Bibi that maybe he should try a different path now. A ceasefire is possible but we have to end it.

- Israel Defense Minister Katz: "I mean every word - if Hamas does not release the hostages, the gates of hell will open in Gaza"

- Israel Finance Minister and Security cabinet member Smotrich, in a message to his party members tonight: In war, it is not right to make political considerations. The outcome will judge us - the defeat of Hams. We are advancing a good strategic move; it is not advisable to elaborate on it now. Soon, we will know if it succeeds and where we are headed

- Germany says it is prepared to take steps to pressure Israel over the soaring hunger in Gaza, without elaborating.

- Senior Hamas member Khalil al-Hayya, in his speech yesterday, goes out against the Egyptian leadership for the first time, even though it mediates negotiations for a deal and mainly supports Hams’s positions. Al-Hayya addressed the Egyptian people, the Egyptian military leaders, the Egyptian tribes, its religious scholars, and its elected officials, asking them to TAKE ACTION so that their brothers across the border do not die of hunger after the Rafah crossing was closed.

- Barrack Obama: While a lasting resolution to the crisis in Gaza must involve a return of all hostages and a cessation of Israel’s military operations, these articles underscore the immediate need for action to be taken to prevent the travesty of innocent people dying of preventable starvation.

- Netanyahu: 'There is no starvation in Gaza, no policy of starvation in Gaza, and I assure you that we have a commitment to achieve our war goals. We will continue to fight till we achieve the release of our hostages and the destruction of Hamas' military and governing capabilities. They shall be there no more.'

- Egyptian diplomatic sources to the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar: The change in American policy towards the Gaza Strip "has passed the stage of deterrence or reducing Hams’s capabilities" and is moving towards a "more comprehensive approach that redefines the entire war objectives." According to the report, the US has begun promoting in some circles the idea that "the end of the war will only be possible through the establishment of a new reality by force - bypassing the existence of Hams, and establishing a completely different political phase in the Strip."

Speaker Mike Johnson explains how Hamas profits from the food entering the Gaza Strip through the UN: Since the war began, Israel has supplied the Gaza Strip with more than 94,000 food trucks. That is enough food for two million people for two years. They tried to bring it into Gaza, but Hamas stole the food. In 2024, Hamas earned more than $500 million from food that entered as aid and was stolen from people who needed it. That is half of Hamas's budget. This is a broken system. The UN needs to work with Israel to ensure the food reaches those who truly need it.