Sept. 6: Massive crowd protests in Jerusalem amid warnings Gaza City op will endanger hostages

Mother of slain hostage says living must be brought back first

Yael Adar, the mother of slain hostage Tamir Adar, accuses Netanyahu of condemning living hostages to be executed, saying they must be saved before the remains of those already dead, as she addresses a massive rally for a hostage deal in Jerusalem.

“I see you standing the living hostages before a firing squad, so how can I think that you are able to bring back the slain hostages?” she says, addressing the prime minister outside of his official Jerusalem residence.

“You need to save the living hostages before they pay with their lives, because in their souls, they are already paying for every second,'” she says.

Though Adar stresses in her speech that the “desire and duty of a mother to bring back her dead son is no less than the desire and duty of a mother to bring back her living son,” she adds later that the living hostages must be saved before the dead.

“I ask, in the spirit of Tamir, who went out to save lives, to save first those who can still be saved, and then to continue to the return of everyone until the very last one of them,” she says. “Like a car accident on the street, we first give help to those we can be saved and afterwards evacuate those who were killed or murdered, but it will happen in the same deal.”

The rally, which drew tens of thousands to Paris Square in central Jerusalem, has since largely drawn to a close, with the crowd quickly thinning out.

Reports indicate that one protester was arrested by police.

Over 400 arrested at London protest for Palestine Action, police say

Police in London now say that over 425 people have been arrested at a protest in support of the banned Palestine Action group, including at least 25 people held for assaulting officers.

“Throughout the demonstration, there was a coordinated effort to prevent officers from carrying out their duties, which escalated to violence where officers were punched, kicked, spat on and had objects thrown at them,” the Metropolitan Police says in a statement.

Defend Our Juries, which organized the protest, says aggression had come from police officers and dismisses claims that protesters had been violent as “frankly laughable.”

The group says 1,500 people took part in the London demonstration, sitting down and holding signs reading “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.”

The government recently proscribed Palestine Action as a terror group, making support of the organization a crime.

Activists delay launch of Gaza flotilla from Tunisia for second time

The departure from Tunisia of pro-Palestinian activists seeking to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza with aid boats has been postponed, organizers say.

The boats were planned to launch Sunday, but organizers say they have rescheduled the departure from Tunis to Wednesday, September 10, due to “technical and logistical reasons beyond management’s control.”

The Maghreb Sumud Flotilla, which aims to join boats of the Global Sumud Flotilla that have already left from Spain and Italy, had already been delayed by bad weather. Other parts of the flotilla have also faced delays due to weather and other malfunctions.

Hostage families group demands PM send negotiators after Hamas says it’s open to deal

Hostage families release a statement insisting that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately dispatch negotiators for talks on ending the war and freeing the remaining hostages, after Hamas released a statement saying it is open to any ceasefire proposal.

“Tonight’s Hamas statement once again highlights the severe shortsightedness of the Israeli government. Three weeks have already passed, and Israel has yet to respond to Hamas’s updated reply to the mediators,” a statement from the Hostage and Missing Families Forum reads.

Earlier, Hamas published a statement saying it is open “to any ideas or proposals that achieve a permanent ceasefire, a full withdrawal of the occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, the unconditional entry of aid, and a genuine prisoner exchange through serious negotiations mediated by third parties.”

The terror group said last month that it was willing to agree to a proposal for a 60-day truce freeing around half of the hostages under terms previously accepted by Israel, but Jerusalem has yet to respond, instead pushing ahead with plans for a wide-scale military offensive in Gaza City.

The Forum accuses Netanyahu of refusing the deal for political reasons, perpetuating “an endless war whose purpose is to preserve the coalition.”

“We demand that the Israeli government accept the agreement currently on the table—to which Hamas has already responded positively—and immediately begin negotiations for a comprehensive deal to return everyone, down to the last hostage,” the statement reads.

Documentary about Gaza girl’s desperate last moments awarded 2nd place in Venice Festival

Director Kaouther Ben Hania receives the Silver Lion - Grand Jury Prize for "The Voice of Hind Rajab" from Italian film director Maura Delpero during the award ceremony of the 82nd Venice Film Festival on September 6, 2025 at Venice Lido. (Tiziana FABI / AFP)

The Venice film festival awards its top prize to Jim Jarmusch’s “Father Mother Sister Brother,” giving second-place to fan-favorite “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” a documentary about a 5-year-old Palestinian girl allegedly killed by Israeli troops in Gaza last year.

The film, which uses the real audio of the young girl’s desperate pleas for help as her car comes under fire, was given a record 24-minute standing ovation at its premiere, and many thought it would take home the top prize.

Instead, the film, which reduced many festival viewers to tears, was given the Silver Lion.

Hind Rajab’s story “is not hers alone,” director Kaouther Ben Hania says as she accepts her award.

“It is tragically the story of an entire people enduring genocide, inflicted by a criminal Israeli regime that acts with impunity,” she adds.

Palestinian girl Hind Rajab. (Family handout via AFP)

“Cinema cannot bring Hind back, nor can it erase the atrocity committed against her. Nothing can ever restore what was taken, but cinema can preserve her voice, make it resonate across borders,” Ben Hania says.

Jarmusch signals his own opposition to the war by wearing a badge saying “Enough” on the red carpet for the Venice awards ceremony.

Hostages feared moved into Gaza City ahead of offensive — report

Families of hostages Alon Ohel and Guy Gilboa-Dalal believe the two were recently moved to Gaza City ahead of a planned Israeli operation there, based on information from former hostages held with them, Channel 12 news reports.

Relatives have said repeatedly at rallies in recent hours that they were informed by security personnel that their loved ones could be put in danger by a looming offensive aimed at conquering the city and destroying any Hamas bastions there.

According to the report, there are concerns that other hostages have also been moved to Gaza City, ostensibly to put them in harm’s way or dissuade Israel from going ahead with the plan.

The news channel also reports that families contacted by security officials to inform them of the dangers were told that the military opposed the planned offensive, noting that it was ordered by the political leadership, and thought the government should instead reach a deal with Hamas to free the hostages and end the war.

According to the channel, IDF chief Eyal Zamir, despite his opposition to the operation, has determined the order to conquer the city is lawful and therefore will not resist the political decision.

Netanyahu passing up chance for ‘full deal’ on Gaza, mother of hostage says

Viki Cohen, the mother of Hamas-held hostage Nimrod Cohen, stresses to a massive Jerusalem rally that there is “a full deal on the table” which Netanyahu is refusing to sign off on.

“There is a full deal on the table, a deal that will return my son and every hostage,” she says outside the prime minister’s residence. “My sensitive boy… I have no idea how he is coping in the hellfire of Gaza.”

She says that several hostages’ families have received phone calls from intelligence officials this past week telling them the recent expansion of the IDF’s operation in Gaza City puts their loved ones at risk.

“It was explained to some of the families that the level of danger of their loved ones rose significantly after the operation in Gaza,” she warns.

Cohen claims that when “Hamas demanded a partial deal, he [Netanyahu] demanded a full deal, and when Hamas agreed to a full deal, he demanded a partial one and ramped up this unnecessary and political war.”

Israel and Hamas had been close to clinching a deal over the summer, according to reports, but efforts fell apart due to Hamas’s demands that an agreement lead to an end to fighting, while Israel sought to retain the right to continue pushing the offensive after a 60-day pause in exchange for roughly half the hostages.

In recent weeks, the government has adopted the position that it will only agree to a deal that frees all hostages, which would mean ending the war, while Hamas has said it would agree to the partial framework previously accepted by Israel.

“My son can return home tomorrow morning alive, and the prime minister is undermining this,” Cohen says, as the crowd boos the prime minister. “My child will not be sacrificed on the altar of politics.”

Wading into politics, former Mossad chief Cohen says Netanyahu should step aside

Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen in a Channel 12 interview, September 6, 2025 (Screenshot)

Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen says in an interview with Channel 12 that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should no longer serve as premier, as Israel needs changes that he cannot deliver.

“At this time, right now, change is required — to move away from divisive factionalism and to talk about unity. [Netanyahu] can’t do that… He can’t unify what needs to be unified right now,” Cohen tells the Hebrew network in a lengthy interview.

While acknowledging that “Netanyahu has done a great deal… for the good of Israel,” Cohen says the country “at this moment requires other leadership.”

Cohen, formerly a close Netanyahu confidant, gives the interview while promoting his new autobiography, a week after he declared that he should be Israel’s next prime minister, insisting the public is pushing for “real change” in leadership, and that “for real change to happen, I need to be prime minister.”

Tonight, however, Cohen stresses that he remains undecided about his political future and does not intend to run in the next elections, currently scheduled for 2026.

“I’ve not entered politics, so I’m not directly challenging any politician,” he says.

Cohen has long been linked to Netanyahu, who appointed him Mossad chief after his tenure as national security adviser and reportedly considered him a potential successor, along with Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.

If Cohen does enter politics, he says his natural home would be the Likud party — but in what he calls a “new iteration,” with a “massive” turnover in its ranks. “The new Likud,” he says of the party that is seen as largely in Netanyahu’s thrall.

Pressed about possible coalition partners, Cohen says he hasn’t yet considered the matter, but that he “apparently would not” sit in a government with far-right politicians Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, both of whom are senior members of Netanyahu’s coalition.

Asked which partner he would be most resistant to, he responds, “probably Ben Gvir.”

“Ben Gvir is a red line for me. I couldn’t accept his diplomatic stance,” he says about the national security minister, a former disciple of outlawed extremist rabbi and politician Meir Kahane.

On ultra-Orthodox draft exemptions, Cohen is equally firm: “Haredim — I won’t accept [their demands on non-IDF service], even if that means I won’t be prime minister. Not today, not in the future. I would not put together a government that does not require that all carry the burden [of service] equally.”

Massive crowd in Jerusalem rallies against ‘traitor’ Netanyahu

Thousands attend a protest in Jerusalem calling for an end to the war and the release of all hostages from Hamas captivity on September 6, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/FLASH90)

Tens of thousands of people are estimated to be taking part in a rally for a hostage deal outside the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem, making it one of the largest protests in the capital over the issue.

Aerial photos show Paris Square and surrounding streets packed with masses of people calling for a deal, the crowd holding aloft a large yellow ribbon in support of the hostages held in Gaza.

Speaking to the large crowd, Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, calls Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the worst enemy of the Jewish people.

“Pharoah, Haman, they did pogroms against us — but you, Benjamin Netanyahu, you rise above them all,” says Zangauker, who has been among the premier’s most vocal critics.

Zangauker accuses Netanyahu of expanding the war in Gaza despite the warnings of some in Israel’s security establishment of the dangers of doing so, in a bid to erase October 7 from his legacy.

“Your only legacy is the massacre and failure of October 7,” she says.

Thousands attend a protest in Jerusalem calling for an end to the war and the release of all hostages from Hamas captivity on September 6, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/FLASH90)

At one point, part of the crowd begins to chant against Netanyahu, calling him a “traitor,” before Zangauker picks her speech back up.

“My Matan is doing everything he can to survive in the Hamas tunnels; he is your legacy of abandonment,” she shouts. “Why haven’t you replied to Hamas’s response for three weeks? Why are you sending Dermer to lie to President Trump?”

London police say 300 arrested at rally for banned pro-Palestinian group

Protesters scuffle with police officers at a demonstration in support of the proscribed group Palestine Action, in Parliament Square, central London, on September 6, 2025. (JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)

British police say they have arrested around 300 people at a demonstration in support of Palestine Action, which was banned by the government as a terrorist organisation.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered near parliament in central London to protest against the ban, with many holding up signs that said: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”

London’s Metropolitan Police says detainees are being held for a number of offenses, including assaulting police officers and supporting a proscribed organization.

“Officers … have been subjected to an exceptional level of abuse, including punches, kicks, spitting and objects being thrown, in addition to verbal abuse,” police say in a post on X.

Officers continue to make arrests of individuals showing support for the proscribed terrorist organisation Palestine Action at the Defend Our Juries protest.

There has been a coordinated effort to prevent officers carrying out their duties which has included physical and verbal… pic.twitter.com/c3QTHQawBs

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) September 6, 2025

Police had warned ahead of Saturday’s demonstration that anyone showing support for the group would be arrested.

Hamas says it’s open to any proposal to end war

The Hamas terror group says in a statement that it “affirms its openness to any ideas or proposals that achieve a permanent ceasefire, a full withdrawal of the occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, the unconditional entry of aid, and a genuine prisoner exchange through serious negotiations mediated by third parties.”

The statement comes after a report indicated that the group had sent a delegation to Cairo for talks amid what appears to be stepped-up efforts to jumpstart negotiations. In recent days, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff has held ceasefire and hostage deal talks with officials from Egypt and Qatar.

Reports in Israel indicate that the mediators are interested in presenting Jerusalem with a proposal for a comprehensive deal to end the war.

Israel seeking to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers for arms — report

Illustrative: Members of the Palestinian Youth Movement pull effigies out of a shipping container during a protest against the shipping and logistics giant Maersk for doing business with Israel on August 28, 2024, at the Port of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have ordered the establishment of a so-called National Armaments Directorate to reduce reliance on foreign countries for military supplies, Channel 12 reports.

The reported move comes against the backdrop of growing difficulties in procuring arms or parts abroad due to embargoes and protests targeting Israel over the war in Gaza.

According to Channel 12, the initiative also aims to lessen Israel’s dependence on its closest ally, the United States, the report adds.

The directorate—set to be headed by Defense Ministry Director-General Amir Baram—will be tasked with identifying procurement gaps; overseeing the development of precision missiles, drones, and directed-energy weapons; managing supply agreements and joint production with foreign partners; coordinating Israel’s stockpile of critical munitions; building emergency production capacity for wartime; aligning IDF needs with domestic industry; and serving as a central hub between the Defense Ministry and other government bodies, according to the report.

A committee headed by retired general Jacob Nagel aimed at examining Israel’s security budget had already recommended the creation of such a body. But according to the report, its immediate mission will be to protect Israel from the risks of arms embargoes, granting Israel greater political and operational freedom in its military campaigns.

Several countries—including Slovenia, Germany, Belgium, Canada, and the United Kingdom —have restricted arms exports to Israel over the Gaza war, while some trade unions have also attempted to block shipments.

Last year, former US President Joe Biden threatened to halt weapons before an IDF offensive in Rafah, and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reportedly warned munitions would be withheld unless Israel expanded humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Leaders prefer land, blood over captives, son of slain hostage charges at Tel Aviv rally

Speaking at Hostages Square, Boaz Zalmanovich says he recently saw close footage of his father, slain captive Aryeh Zalmanovich, being driven to Gaza by his Hamas captors on October 7, 2023.

“Two weeks ago, I saw a video filmed by one of the murderers on that horrible day that has gone on for 701 days already,” he says. “The recording is from up close, every detail is visible — the bandage on my dad’s head covering the wound that opened up… the blood dripping on his beard, his frightened eyes watching with horror, and his weak hands trying to hang on to the back of the scoundrel sitting in front of him.”

“My father was abandoned on the morning of October 7 and suffered horribly for 40 days before he died,” he says. “And the Israeli government, which prioritizes land over people, which prioritizes vengeance over mercy, did not come to the rescue.”

“The cruel government chooses to keep bloodletting instead of ending the war and returning the captives,” he charges.

Ofir Sharabi, daughter of slain captive Yossi Sharabi, expresses fear that the new Gaza City offensive will make the dead captives’ remains irretrievable.

“My father was murdered because of the military pressure that was brought to bear near the home where he was being held — but we need to beg for him to be brought back for burial?” she says. “The decision to conquer Gaza City means the murder and disappearance of the hostages.”

The Hostages Square rally ends with Ofir’s sister Yuval singing “Hatikva,” the national anthem.

Last month, anti-government protesters who rallied weekly a block away from Hostages Square, in front of the Begin Road entrance to the IDF headquarters, announced they would stop holding their weekly rally to consolidate the campaign for the captives’ release.

Now Begin Road is all but empty except for several dozen left-wing protesters who previously stood on the fringes of the Begin rally, bearing signs and chanting slogans accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.

About 20 policemen stand in formation next to the left-wing protest. When a small band of right-wing youth walks by and start to curse at the protest, the cops escort them away.

Hostage families lead march to Netanyahu’s Jerusalem home

Thousands attend a protest march in Jerusalem, calling for an end to the war and the release of all the Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity. September 6, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/FLASH90)

Ora Rubinstein, the aunt of Hamas hostage Bar Kupershtein, appeals to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a large protest march to his Jerusalem residence.

“Mr. Bibi Netanyahu, we are not anarchists, we are not right-wingers, not left-wingers — we are families, and our demand is that you return all of them [the hostages], now,” she says.

She and other hostage families are leading thousands of demonstrators marching to the premier’s official residence from Chords Bridge at the entrance to the capital.

Police officers are flanking the marchers and have closed roads for the procession.

Earlier, officers brought a water cannon to an intersection that the protesters passed through, but did not use it.

Masses of protesters await marchers in Paris Square near the prime minister’s home, where a large rally demanding a hostage deal is slated to take place.

New CENTCOM chief Cooper wraps up first Israel visit

CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper, left, and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir meet at the IDF's headquarters in Tel Aviv, in a photo cleared for publication September 6, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

The commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), Adm. Brad Cooper, has wrapped up his first visit to Israel today as a guest of IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the military says.

Cooper was received with an honor guard at the IDF’s Kirya headquarters in Tel Aviv before joining Zamir and members of the General Staff for an operational assessment that reviewed the current security situation and plans for the coming period.

He also toured Israeli communities along the Gaza border affected by the Hamas invasion of October 7, 2023, and ensuing war in the Strip.

Cooper took over Central Command last month from Gen. Michael Kurilla, a staunch Israel supporter and frequent visitor.

According to the IDF, Cooper’s visit focused on deepening operational cooperation between the American and Israeli militaries, preserving regional stability, and coordinating responses to shared threats across the Middle East.

Protesters mass in Tel Aviv to demand return of hostages, warn against Gaza City operation

Thousands attend a rally at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, calling for an end to the war and the release of all hostages, on September 6, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/FLASH90)

Thousands are packing into Hostages Square and the adjacent Shaul HaMelech Road in Tel Aviv for a weekly rally to demand the release of the remaining 48 captives.

In the middle of the square, rally-goers unfurl a massive banner addressed to US President Donald Trump: “President Trump, save the hostages now!”

A massive banner calling for the US president to push a hostage deal in Gaza, unfurled at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on September 6, 2025. (OM/Hostages Families Forum)

Speaking at the rally, former hostage Ilana Gritzewsky says she “still lives in captivity” and can envision her partner Matan Zangauker, who is still in captivity, languishing away.

“I see him hungry, thirsty, weak,” she says. “I wonder if he remembers what I sound, feel and look like.”

She accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of prolonging the hostages’ captivity for political reasons.

“While Matan and the hostages waste away in the dark, the prime minister hangs on to his seat,” she says. “The enemy abducted us, but the ones holding us there for 701 extra days are you, the decision makers.”

“You didn’t do everything. You didn’t do enough, because had you done, they would have already been here,” she says, adding that “the government that has betrayed its citizens.”

Orna Neutra, mother of slain captive soldier Omer Neutra, slams the planned takeover of Gaza City.

“The cabinet has decided to take over Gaza… without planning how to avoid murdering the hostages,” she says. “Whoever doesn’t give answers today will bear an eternal mark of shame.”

Hamas delegation arrives in Cairo for Gaza talks after Witkoff proffer

Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reports that a Hamas delegation led by senior official Zaher Jabarin has arrived in Cairo to meet with senior Egyptian intelligence officials.

According to the report, the meeting, which was requested by Egypt, will address efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, including talks based on comments raised by US envoy Steve Witkoff. No further details were provided.

Witkoff on Friday spoke by phone with Egyptian foreign minister Badr Abdelatty regarding efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, Abdelatty said at a press conference earlier today.

The US envoy reportedly met in Paris with Qatari officials on Thursday to discuss efforts to reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal, though Israeli officials sounded skeptical about progress toward an agreement.

Mother of hostage Alon Ohel says son unrecognizable in Hamas video

Idit Ohel, mother of hostage Alon Ohel, speaks during a rally calling for the release of Israelis held hostage by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, March 8, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Idit Ohel, mother of hostage Alon Ohel, tells Channel 12 news that she could “hardly recognize” her son in a propaganda video released by Hamas yesterday.

“We went through a very difficult weekend, seeing my son. There are moments when I hardly recognize Alony,” Idit tells the Hebrew network in her first public reaction to the video, which also included footage of Guy Gilboa-Dalal. “His voice is broken. It’s absolutely clear that he doesn’t see well; he can’t see with his right eye, and he can’t focus his vision.”

“On the one hand, it was so moving after such a long time not seeing Alon, but on the other hand, it was hard. Hard to see him looking like that,” she adds.

The video, which also included Guy Gilboa-Dalal, was the first time Alon had been seen in footage since they were taken hostage along with 249 others during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

Ohel’s family has requested that Israeli networks not disseminate the video beyond a single still they approved earlier this evening.

Thousands of protesters demanding hostage deal begin march through Jerusalem

Protesters demanding a hostage deal and an end to the war hold a banner reading, "government of the shadow of death," in Jerusalem, September 6, 2025. (Alon Banki/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

Thousands of protesters calling for an agreement to end the war and return hostages held in the Gaza Strip by Hamas set out from the Chords Bridge in Jerusalem toward Paris Square.

Protesters hold a banner reading, “government of the shadow of death,” and chant, “Why are they still in Gaza?”

Hamas terrorist who bragged to parents about massacring Jews on Oct. 7 reportedly killed in airstrike

A Hamas terrorist who was heard bragging to his parents about slaughtering Jews during the October 7, 2023, onslaught in a recording released by the IDF was killed in an airstrike Thursday, several military reporters of Hebrew media outlets report, without citing clear sourcing.

The reports identify the man as Mahmoud Afana, and say he was killed in Deir al-Balah.

The IDF has not yet confirmed the strike or the terrorist’s death.

In the phone call, the man could be heard excitedly telling his parents that he is in Mefalsim, a kibbutz near the Gaza border, and that he alone had killed 10 Jews.

“Look how many I killed with my own hands! Your son killed Jews!” he said, according to an English translation.

“Mom, your son is a hero,” he later added.

His parents were heard praising him during the call. Identified by his father as Mahmoud, the terrorist said he was calling his family from the phone of a Jewish woman he’d just murdered, and implored them to check his WhatsApp messages for further documentation.

“Look how many I killed with my own hands! Your son killed Jews!”

Listen to a phone call of a Hamas terrorist calling home, bragging about how many people he massacred.

The whole world needs to hear this. pic.twitter.com/Xv0ykyxvrF

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 24, 2023

Family of hostage Alon Ohel permits publication of still from Hamas propaganda video

Alon Ohel, a hostage held by Hamas in Gaza, is seen in a propaganda video released by the terror group on September 5, 2025. (Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

The family of hostage Alon Ohel permits the publication of a photo from a propaganda video released by Hamas yesterday.

The video, which also included Guy Gilboa-Dalal, was the first time Ohel had been seen in footage since they were taken hostage along with 249 others during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

Cousin of slain hostage: If leaders occupy Gaza, they will knowingly bring about murder of hostages

At a weekly press conference in Tel Aviv, a group of hostage families urges the defense establishment to refuse orders to occupy Gaza, stating that the move will lead to the murder of hostages.

Gil Dickmann, cousin of murdered hostage Carmel Gat, says if leaders move ahead with the occupation of Gaza City, “you will knowingly bring about the murder of hostages.”

“A black flag flew over the order to enter into Rafah,” he says, referring to the operation during which his sister and five other hostages were found murdered by their captors a year ago.

He calls on the defense establishment, “don’t give a hand to the occupation of Gaza on the backs of the hostages.”

Merav Svirsky, sister of slain hostage Itay Svirsky, says, “the Israeli government is working to prepare the ground for the next murder of hostages. This is not theory; this is a real warning that is coming from official sources and senior officials. Itay, my dear, was murdered because of military pressure.”

She says a “black flag” flies over the planned conquering of Gaza, and that it was a “duty to oppose a clearly illegal order, and this is exactly the order that the cabinet imposes on the chief of staff.”

Brother of Matan Angrest: Official told us IDF will operate in area he is likely held, safety can’t be guaranteed

Ofir Angrest, the brother of captive soldier Matan Angrest, tells Kan radio that a senior intelligence official informed his family that the military will operate in the area where the hostage is being held, and it is impossible to guarantee his safety.

“We received information from a senior intelligence official that the IDF will operate in the area where Matan is likely held, and it is impossible to guarantee his safety,” Angrest tells Kan, who adds that the official said he could not promise Matan or other hostages wouldn’t be harmed by accident.

Angrest says that the official told the family that lessons had been learned from the events surrounding the murder of six hostages — Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Almog Sarusi, Or Danino, and Alex Lubanov — by their captors a year ago as the IDF operated in the area, but that “such a situation may repeat itself.”

Jordan’s Queen Rania says Israel ‘starving an entire population under siege’ in Gaza

Jordan's Queen Rania leaves the St Regis Hotel on the wedding day of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos with Lauren Sanchez, in Venice, Italy, on June 27, 2025. (Marco BERTORELLO / AFP)

Jordan’s Queen Rania al-Abdullah accuses Israel of “starving an entire population under siege” in Gaza, during a speech at a conference in Mexico.

Rania posts her speech on Facebook, in which she says, “The scale of destruction we are witnessing in Gaza is catastrophic. Its brutality is undeniable. Homes and histories are being crushed under the rubble.”

“Tens of thousands of people have been killed. Israel is starving an entire population under a siege that cuts off every lifeline. Exhausted doctors, themselves hungry, are struggling to treat the wounded amid severe shortages of supplies. Brave journalists reporting from the frontlines are being killed with impunity.”

“There is no world in which it is justifiable to bomb hospitals, starve children, or shoot at people seeking aid,” she adds.

Israel has denied intentionally starving Palestinians in Gaza, accusing Hamas of looting and hoarding supplies, and claiming aid groups are not properly cooperating with collecting and distributing supplies that it allows to cross the border.

Former Shin Bet chief formed team that kidnapped German heiress’s children — report

Then-Knesset member Yaakov Peri, a former head of the Shin Bet, at a meeting in the Knesset on January 15, 2018. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Former Shin Bet chief Yaakov Peri assembled the team that carried out the orders of a German heiress to kidnap her children from their father’s house, with whom she was embroiled in a custody dispute, the BILD tabloid reports.

Christina Block, whose father founded Block House steakhouse restaurants, faces trial alongside her partner, the German television presenter Gerhard Delling, and a 35-year-old Israeli man, who allegedly took part in the kidnapping, among others.

At least eight people, most of them Israelis, took part in the kidnapping on New Year’s Eve 2023.

Block is alleged to have organized the abduction at the end of a long-running custody dispute with her ex-husband, with whom she has four children.

The husband is said to have kept the two youngest children with him after an agreed visit in 2021 to his home in southern Denmark, close to the German border.

AFP contributed to this report.

Police arrest supporters of anti-Israel Palestine Action group at London protest

London police say they are conducting arrests of anti-Israel protesters supporting the proscribed terror group Palestine Action.

Protesters are marching through the center of London against the war in Gaza. A counter-protest is held by the Stop The Hate Jewish activism group.

Officers have begun making arrests for expressing support for proscribed terror organisation Palestine Action at the protest organised by Defend Our Juries.

Updates on this ongoing operation will be provided throughout the afternoon.

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) September 6, 2025

The Palestine Coalition march is now passing the counter-protest organised by Stop The Hate.

Officers are in place to keep the two groups separated and ensure everyone present can protest safely. There have been no incidents related to this demonstration. pic.twitter.com/mc0GPJO8ty

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) September 6, 2025

Israeli cycling team erases name from kit at Spanish race after pro-Palestine protests

SPAIN — Cycling team Israel-Premier Tech removes its name from its kit at the Vuelta a España after pro-Palestine, anti-Israel protests aimed at it during the race.

The three-week grand tour has been hit by protests, with organizers pressuring Israel-Premier Tech to pull out for safety reasons, which they refused to do.

Instead, the team, owned by Israeli-Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adams, modified their kit to retain only the team’s logo.

“In the interest of prioritising the safety of our riders and the entire peloton, in light of the dangerous nature of some protests at the Vuelta, Israel–Premier Tech has issued riders with team monogram-branded kit for the remainder of the race,” the team says on social media network X.

“The team name remains Israel–Premier Tech but the monogram kit now aligns with the branding decisions we have previously adopted for our vehicles and casual clothing.”

In the interest of prioritizing the safety of our riders and the entire peloton, in light of the dangerous nature of some protests at @lavuelta, Israel – Premier Tech has issued riders with team monogram-branded kit for the remainder of the race. The team name remains Israel –… pic.twitter.com/Dfw6FXegpM

— Israel – Premier Tech (@IsraelPremTech) September 6, 2025

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Elbit facility in Bristol ‘unexpectedly’ closes, UK media reports

Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer has “unexpectedly” closed its facility in Bristol, the United Kingdom, the Guardian reports.

The site was leased by the company since 2019 and was only set to expire in 2029, but was deserted — aside from the presence of a security guard — when the British newspaper visited this week.

Elbit did not respond to the newspaper’s request for comment.

The company was targeted by dozens of protests by the anti-Israel Palestine Action group, which was proscribed as a terror group by the UK government in July.

IDF says it struck Gaza City high-rise used for Hamas operations

The IDF says it struck a high-rise building in Gaza City a short while ago that was being used by Hamas for intelligence gathering and operational purposes.

According to the military, Hamas operatives had installed surveillance equipment and observation posts in the building to track IDF movements and had planted numerous explosive devices nearby to target Israeli troops. The IDF also says the group maintained underground infrastructure adjacent to the site, used to direct terror activity.

The army stresses that precautionary measures were taken ahead of the strike to minimize civilian harm, including issuing evacuation warnings, using precision munitions, and conducting aerial surveillance.

The strike comes a day after the IDF destroyed another high-rise in Gaza City, which it also said was being used by Hamas as terror infrastructure.

????BREAKING: Israeli warplanes have destroyed Al-Susi residential tower in Tel al-Hawa, southwest Gaza City.

The building housed dozens of displaced families and was surrounded by tents of other refugees. pic.twitter.com/L7k08xWkSf

— Gaza Notifications (@gazanotice) September 6, 2025

IDF issues additional urgent warning ahead of strike on Gaza City high-rise

The IDF issues another urgent warning to residents in additional Gaza City neighborhoods, calling for their immediate evacuation ahead of an imminent strike.

Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee says the military is preparing a targeted strike on a Gaza City high-rise and adjacent tents, which he says contain Hamas terror infrastructure. Civilians have been instructed to head south toward the designated humanitarian zone in al-Mawasi, near Khan Younis.

The warning comes as Israeli forces press deeper into Gaza City with the intention of dismantling Hamas’s remaining strongholds, while simultaneously urging civilians to evacuate southward for their safety.

Yesterday, the IDF struck another high-rise in the city, also alleging that it was being used by Hamas for military purposes.

#عاجل ‼️ إنذار عاجل إلى سكان مدينة غزة في البلوكات 783, 784, 688, 690 وتحديدًا في البرج المحدد بالأحمر والخيم المجاورة له

⭕️سيهاجم جيش الدفاع المبنى في الوقت القريب نظرًا لوجود بنى تحتية إرهابية لحماس داخله أو بجواره

⭕️من أجل سلامتكم أنتم مضطرون لاخلاء المبنى بشكل فوري جنوبًا… pic.twitter.com/NhaTdodwbU

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) September 6, 2025

Egyptian FM says casting displacement of Gazans as voluntary is ‘nonsense’

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty ahead of a meeting in the US State Department Building in Washington, DC, on February 10, 2025. (Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images via AFP)

CAIRO, Egypt — Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, whose country is a key mediator in efforts to end the Gaza war, says that describing the displacement of Palestinians as voluntary was “nonsense.”

Israel earlier called on Gaza City residents to leave for the south, as its forces advance deeper into the enclave’s largest urban area.

“If there is a manmade famine (in Gaza), it is to push residents out of their land. It is nonsense to say that this is voluntary displacement,” Abdelatty says in a joint press conference with the commissioner-general of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has supported the idea that Palestinians in Gaza should be allowed to voluntarily leave and suggested that other countries should accept them.

Netanyahu’s office said on Friday that he had spoken about the basic human right of every individual to choose where they live, particularly during times of war.

The Egyptian minister also says he spoke with US special envoy Steve Witkoff yesterday and discussed intensifying efforts to implement the latest ceasefire proposal.

He blames Israel for what he described as its intransigence over the delay in reaching a ceasefire.

UAE warning against annexation was ‘surprise’ to government, Israeli official says

A map presented by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich detailing a proposed Israeli annexation of 82 percent of the West Bank on September 3, 2025. (Courtesy)

A harsh warning by the United Arab Emirates against the proposed annexation of the West Bank came as a “surprise” to the government, an Israeli official tells The Washington Post.

“The Emirates have expressed concerns about [annexation] before through other channels, but the statement came as a surprise,” the official says. “It’s very unusual.”

People familiar with the matter tell The Post that the topic of annexation was removed from the official agenda of a high-level meeting with ministers on Thursday after a UAE official warned publicly that carrying out such a move would be a “red line,” adding to several backchannel messages that were sent expressing opposition to the step.

IDF issues urgent evacuation warning ahead of strike on Gaza City high-rise

The IDF has issued an urgent warning to residents in parts of Gaza City, calling for their immediate evacuation ahead of an imminent strike on a Gaza City high-rise.

Arabic-language IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee says the military is preparing to target the Al-Ruya building and nearby tents, which he says contain Hamas terror infrastructure. Civilians have been instructed to head south toward the designated humanitarian zone in al-Mawasi, near Khan Younis.

The warning comes as Israeli forces press deeper into Gaza City with the intention of dismantling Hamas’s remaining strongholds, while simultaneously urging civilians to evacuate southward for their safety.

Yesterday, the IDF struck another high-rise in the city, also alleging that it was being used by Hamas for military purposes.

#عاجل ‼️ إنذار عاجل إلى سكان مدينة غزة في البلوكات 726, 727, 784, 786 وتحديدًا في عمارة الرؤيا المحددة بالأحمر والخيم المجاورة لها والواقعة في مفرق بيروت وشارع جامعة الدول العربية

⭕️سيهاجم جيش الدفاع المبنى في الوقت القريب نظرًا لوجود بنى تحتية إرهابية لحماس داخله أو بجواره… pic.twitter.com/6hil4BsCI5

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) September 6, 2025

Families of Gaza captives thank Trump, Witkoff for ‘courage’ and ‘determination’ in hostage talks

Family members of hostages from Kibbutz Nir Oz who are held in Gaza, together with former hostages, hold a protest in Carmei Gat, marking the 700th day of captivity and calling for the release of all hostages, September 5, 2025. (Tsafrir Abayov/Flash90)

The Hostage Families Forum issues a statement thanking US President Trump and his envoy Steve Witkoff “for their unwavering determination, courage, and compassion” in advancing hostage and ceasefire talks.

The statement comes after Trump said the US was in “very deep negotiations with Hamas. Witkoff reportedly met in Paris with Qatari officials on Thursday to discuss efforts to reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza.

“We offer special thanks to President Trump, who is making every effort to fulfill his promise to bring them home. We pray this will happen soon,” the statement says.

“Over the past couple of weeks, millions of Israelis have taken to the streets with a clear call: end the war and bring all hostages home—the living for rehabilitation and the deceased for proper burial,”

“President Trump demonstrates that true leadership is measured by bold decisions. We are grateful for his recent executive order that sends a clear message to the world that hostage-taking is fundamentally wrong and will not be tolerated by the US administration,” the statement says, referring to an executive order signed yesterday that would let the US designate nations as state sponsors of wrongful detention, using the threat of associated sanctions to deter Americans from being detained abroad or taken hostage.

“We are confident that President Trump and Ambassador Witkoff will faithfully represent Israel’s interests in these negotiations and bring all parties to a comprehensive agreement,” the statement says, calling on the Israeli government to support Trump’s efforts.

Mother of hostage Matan Angrest says she was informed his life is in ‘immediate danger’

Anat Angrest, whose son Matan is held hostage in Gaza, speaks during a Kabbalat Shabbat ceremony at the protest tent in Jerusalem, marking the 700th day of captivity of hostages held in Gaza, September 5, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The mother of hostage Matan Angrest says she received a phone call yesterday informing her that her son’s life was “in immediate danger.”

In a post on X addressed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Anat Angrest does not detail where the information came from. In an earlier post, however, she says families of hostages have received grave phone calls from Israeli intelligence, and that Netanyahu is “again knowingly sending soldiers [to areas] close to hostages.”

“Prime Minister @Netanyahu, did you sleep last night, because I spent the 700th night [that the hostages are in captivity] in sleeplessness,” she writes. “My Matan’s life is in immediate danger, that’s what I was informed by telephone last night.”

“So, this evening I will be at the entrance to your house, together with masses of Israeli citizens. It will be noisy, just like it’s noisy for Matan with the sounds of explosions.”

You won’t have any more quiet from me, it’s over,” she writes.

Angrest, 21, an IDF soldier, was kidnapped from a tank by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023. He is said to be suffering serious injuries.

Hezbollah official says Lebanon cabinet meet on plan to disarm group ‘an opportunity to return to wisdom and reason’

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (C) heads a cabinet session to discuss an army plan to disarm Hezbollah, at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, on September 5, 2025 (ANWAR AMRO / AFP)

Hezbollah official Mahmoud Qmati tells Reuters that the group considered Friday’s cabinet session on an army plan to establish a state monopoly on arms “an opportunity to return to wisdom and reason, preventing the country from slipping into the unknown.”

Lebanon’s cabinet on Friday welcomed a plan by the army that would disarm Hezbollah and said the military would begin executing it, without setting a timeframe for implementation and cautioning that the army had limited capabilities.

It said continued Israeli military operations in Lebanon would hamper the army’s progress.

Iran executes man over attack on security forces at 2022 Mahsa Amini protests

Iranians protest the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was detained by the morality police, in Tehran, October 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Middle East Images, File)

Iranian authorities executed a man this morning after convicting him over a deadly attack on security personnel during nationwide protests in 2022, the country’s judiciary announced.

Mehran Bahramian was found to have been among a group of people who opened fire on a vehicle carrying security personnel in the city of Semirom in the central province of Isfahan, killing officer Mohsen Rezaei and injuring others, the judiciary’s Mizan Online news website says.

The incident happened on December 31, 2022, during a wave of protests that gripped the country following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurd detained for an alleged breach of Iran’s strict dress code for women.

His death sentence, handed down by the Revolutionary Court of Isfahan, was upheld by the Supreme Court and the sentence was carried out in the early morning, Mizan reports.

IDF announces new humanitarian zone in southern Gaza as it steps up offensive in the north

An IDF graphic showing Israel’s humanitarian infrastructure in southern Gaza, as Gaza City residents are urged to evacuate southward, September 6, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF announces the establishment of a new humanitarian zone in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip as it intensifies efforts to conquer Gaza City.

The zone will include field hospitals, water pipelines, and desalination facilities, along with a steady flow of food, tents, medicine, and medical supplies, coordinated through COGAT with the UN and other international organizations, the military says.

The IDF says these efforts will continue in parallel with its expanding offensive in northern Gaza.

The announcement comes as the military is urging civilians to evacuate southward from Gaza City, where troops are pushing to seize remaining Hamas strongholds and ultimately conquer the city.

It also follows last week’s warning by the UN’s World Food Program that Gaza is “at breaking point,” as well as Israel’s stated plans to scale up humanitarian infrastructure in the south.

Nine people lightly wounded in apartment fire in Modiin

Nine people are lightly wounded in a fire in an apartment building in the central city of Modiin, rescue workers say.

It was not immediately clear what caused the blaze in the three-story apartment building on Shivtei Yisrael Street.

Magen David Adom medics provided treatment at the scene and transported the wounded to the nearby Shamir Medical Center.

Israel says suspect with firebomb arrested outside the embassy in Belgium

The Foreign Ministry says that Belgian security forces arrested a suspect with a Molotov cocktail outside the Israeli Embassy in Brussels.

Israel defeats Moldova 4-0 in World Cup qualifier

Israel's players celebrate their side's third goal, scored by Israel's Tai Baribo, during a group 1, World Cup qualifier soccer match between Moldova and Israel at the ZImbru stadium in Chisinau, Moldova, September 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurel Obreja)

Israel defeats Moldova 4-0 in a match at Chisinau, putting the Israeli national team in second place in its qualifying group for the World Cup.

Norway leads the group with four wins and no losses, followed by Israel with three wins and one loss, and then Italy with two wins and loss.

Trump says Mamdani likely can’t be beat after Adams vows to stay in NYC mayoral race

New York City Mayor Eric Adams listens as he is endorsed by former New York governor David Paterson for reeelection at City Hall on August 13, 2025 in New York. (Angela Weiss/AFP)

US President Donald Trump says that New York Mayor Eric Adams continuing his bid for reelection diminishes the chance of anyone defeating Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, but adds that Adams is “free to do what he wants.”

“It would seem to me that if he (Adams) stays in, if you have more than one candidate running against him (Mamdani), it can’t be won,” Trump tells reporters in the Oval Office, shortly after Adams says he is not ending his campaign for reelection.

“I would say that (Andrew) Cuomo might have a chance of winning if it was a one-on-one. If it’s not one on one, it’s going to be a hard race,” Trump adds.

Trump: ‘We’re in very deep negotiations with Hamas,’ some hostages may have ‘recently died’

US President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, September 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

US President Donald Trump is asked by a reporter in the Oval Office about the status of the mediated hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

“We’re in very deep negotiations with Hamas. We said, ‘let ’em all out, right now, let ’em all out, and much better things will happen'” Trump says, adding that if Hamas doesn’t return the captives from Gaza “it’s going to be a tough situation, it’s going to be nasty… Israel’s choice, but that’s my opinion.”

Referring to parents of the slain hostages, who Trump describes as “young beautiful dead people,” he says they “want them every bit as much — almost more — than as if their son or daughter were alive. But you have many dead people that are coming out as part of the deal.”

He says that of the at least 20 hostages believed to be alive, “there could be some that recently died, is what I’m hearing. I hope that’s wrong.”

Trump reiterates the point he made in a Truth Social post Thursday, in which he called on Hamas to release the remaining living hostages immediately, indicating that the US could accept the terror group’s survival if it does so.

‼️‼️ President Trump says the US administration is in deep negotiations with Hamas calling them to release all hostages…

He also revealed that Jared Kushner is involved in the negotiations . pic.twitter.com/xzO9VpWVC4

— Hiba Nasr (@HibaNasr) September 5, 2025

“I was the one who, myself and my people, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner was great on this — but they got a lot of people out,” Trump continues, suggesting his son-and-law who was a senior White House adviser during his first term was involved in the negotiations.

“I always said when you get down to the final 10 or 20 you’re not going to get them out unless you’re going to do a lot. And doing a lot means capitulation, that’s no good either. It’s a very tough situation.”

He says “people forget October 7… you have to put that into the equation very strongly.”

Trump also comments on the “big demonstrations” in Israel backing a hostage deal, saying they “put Israel in a tough position” by making it harder to “prosecute a war.”

‼️. Also Trump repeated his previous statements to Hamas : If they release the hostages good things will happen & otherwise it is going to be nasty . pic.twitter.com/80L0bzVYeJ

— Hiba Nasr (@HibaNasr) September 5, 2025

Trump signs order rebranding US Department of Defense as ‘Department of War’

US President Donald Trump speaks to the media after signing an executive order renaming the Department of Defense to the Department of War as US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (C) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine (R) look on in the Oval Office of the White House on September 05, 2025 in Washington, DC (Kevin Dietsch / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

US President Donald Trump signs an order rebranding the Department of Defense as the Department of War, saying it sends a “message of victory” to the world.

“It’s a much more appropriate name in light of where the world is right now,” Trump tells reporters in the Oval Office, flanked by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, who can now be known as “secretary of war.”

Palestinian NGOs vow to continue cooperation with ICC despite US sanctions

A general view of the exterior of the International Criminal Court at The Hague, Netherlands, March 12, 2025. (AP/Omar Havana, File)

Three Palestinian human rights groups that had US sanctions imposed on them for asking the International Criminal Court to investigate Israel over allegations of genocide in Gaza say they plan to continue their cooperation with the war crimes tribunal.

The three groups — the Gaza-based Palestinian Center for Human Rights and Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, and the Ramallah-based Al-Haq — were listed yesterday under what the US Treasury Department said were International Criminal Court-related designations.

The step marked a significant intensification of the Trump administration’s efforts to undermine the ICC case against Israel, expanding Washington’s sanction campaign from court officials to outside groups that are backing the case against Israel.

Palestinian lawyer Raji Sourani, who runs the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, calls the sanctions “shameful” and says he will not be deterred.

“This is our reaction: business as usual, we are just in the court doing what we have to do,” Sourani tells reporters outside the ICC after meeting its deputy prosecutor.

The three human rights organizations asked the ICC in November 2023 to investigate Israeli air strikes on densely populated civilian areas of Gaza, the siege of the territory, and the displacement of the population. A year later, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense chief, Yoav Gallant, as well as leaders of the Hamas terror group, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Israel has also acted against al-Haq in the past, designating it a terrorist organization over its alleged links to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a terror group.

US President Donald Trump’s administration has imposed sanctions on ICC judges as well as its chief prosecutor over the Israeli arrest warrants and a past decision to open a case into alleged war crimes by US troops in Afghanistan.

The ICC, which was established in 2002, has jurisdiction over war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in its 125 member countries. Some nations, including the US, China, Russia and Israel, do not recognize its authority.

Zamir to families: ‘Hostages are on my mind. I’m acting in most responsible way possible’

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir meets with top officers on August 13, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir told the families of those held in Gaza that the hostages are on his mind amid the expanded operation in Gaza City, Channel 12 reports.

“The operation will be conducted by me, with responsibility for the troops and the hostages,” Zamir told the families, according to Channel 12.

“I believe in the operational plan. The people of Israel should know that I state, and will continue to state, my professional opinion. The hostages are on my mind. I am acting in the most responsible way possible,” Zamir reportedly said.

The outlet does not say when Zamir had the conversation with the families, or who was present.

Zamir is opposed to the government’s plan to conquer Gaza City and has urged the government to accept the deal to reach a ceasefire that will see the hostages released.

While he will carry out the orders to capture Gaza City, Zamir has reportedly warned the government to prepare for the consequences.