Netanyahu responds harshly to Gantz for causing a political rift in the middle of a war, and asks three pointed questions:

1️⃣ Is he ready to complete the operation in Rafah to destroy the remaining Hamas battalions, and if so, how is it possible that he is threatening to dismantle the emergency unity government in the middle of the operation?

2️⃣ Is he opposed to Palestinian Authority rule in Gaza, even without Mahmoud Abbas?

3️⃣ Is he ready to accept a Palestinian state in Judea, Samaria and Gaza as part of the normalization process with Saudi Arabia?

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Netanyahu goes on to stress that his own position on all three critical issues is already clear:

👉 He is determined at all costs to destroy Hamas;

👉 He opposes the entry of the Palestinian Authority into Gaza; and

👉 He rejects the establishment of a Palestinian state that will inevitably become a terrorist haven (even for the sake of normalization with Saudi Arabia).

Regarding peace with Saudi Arabia, if Israel waits just one more year, there's a reasonably-high chance Donald Trump will be back in the White House, and will compel the Saudis to normalize relations with Israel, even without a Palestinian state.

Netanyahu is no doubt aware of, and might even be relying on this.

Israel's other leaders appear to be more short-sighted, and believe that it's "now or never."

Egypt is reportedly "reviewing" its relations with Israel in light of the IDF ground offensive in Rafah, which borders the Egyptian Sinai.

One thing must be made clear: Egypt can threaten a downgrade in diplomatic relations, but the truth is that Cairo needs Jerusalem more than one might think. Egypt depends heavily on Israeli natural gas.

Gaza markets are full of Israeli produce, and prices are falling. Five minutes in the Deir al-Balah market in the center of the Gaza Strip reveals the relative abundance.

The Palestinian man filming the video explains how the fresh goods come from Israel, not foreign humanitarian aid. This produce was bought from Israel by Gaza importers. And thanks to the influx of Israeli goods, the prices in the market have dropped dramatically.

According to him, there are fruits that have not been seen since the start of the war.

He goes on to stress that the residents of Gaza need even more high-quality Israeli produce to keep them fed and to keep prices relatively low.

The prices at this particular market:

Apples - €4 per kilo
Lemons - €5 per kilo
5 eggs for €2.5
Clementine - €5 per kilo
Avocados - €6 per kilo
Melons - €2.5 per kilo
Sugar - €2.5 per kilo

It's always nice to report on how Israel helps its enemies in need. But such images leave many Israelis wondering, how has this helped Israel?

Just one of many tunnels running under the Gaza-Egypt border that Israeli troops found in Rafah.

Trucks can drive through this tunnel.

Do you now understand how Gaza is bristling with weapons it should never have had?

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich: We need to give an ultimatum to Hezbollah (and the world), and if it is not met, we need to begin establishing security zones in southern Lebanon.

Israel in 2000 unilaterally withdrew from the security zone it had maintained for 15 years prior in southern Lebanon, believing the move would gain it favor with the international community, foster peace and improve security for the Galilee.

How wrong everyone was.

A local official from one of the evacuated communities in northern Israel writes:

"I served as a soldier in southern Lebanon in the 1990s. It was rough. But now, the village where I live feels like one of our besieged fortresses from years ago in Lebanon. The enemy has had the initiative [ever since we withdrew], and only needs to decide when and where to strike."

The mayor of Metula added that 35% of the homes in his border town have been damaged to destroyed by Hezbollah missile fire.

Israel's northern border region is effectively under siege, and has been for the past six months.

Iranian media says that adverse weather conditions caused the helicopter crash.

Iranian sources now say President Raisi's helicopter suffered a "rough" emergency landing, and that there is no contact with the aircraft.

‼️Unofficial Iranian media reports that President Ebrahim Raisi and at least one other high-ranking Iranian government official died in the helicopter crash this afternoon in northern Iran.

Iranian security officials are already talking about a serious assassination attempt, noting that there were three helicopters in the convoy, and the other two arrived safely to their destination.

President Raisi was on Iran's northern border to meet with government officials from Azerbaijan, one of Israel's strongest regional allies.

Though it is a Muslim state, Azerbaijan is so friendly to the Jewish state that it is believed to have allowed the installation of an Israeli intelligence base in its territory to monitor Iran.

On Hamas social media profiles a rumor is spreading that the pilot of the Iranian president’s helicopter was a Mossad agent.

Without doubt, Israel will be blamed for this.

Israeli mainstream media is reporting that Iran President Ebrahim Raisi is dead.