In a tragic development, over the weekend, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) recovered the bodies of six hostages whom Hamas recently murdered in the tunnels under Rafah. President Biden announced that he is “very close” to a final proposal for a deal to secure a ceasefire and return of the remaining hostages with the Israeli government demanding that IDF troops continue to control the Philadelphi Corridor, at least in the first phase of any deal. Israel announced daily pauses of fighting in select locations across Gaza to facilitate polio vaccinations amid a breakout of the virus. Additionally, Lebanese Hezbollah continues to bombard Israel’s north with hundreds of rockets, and the IDF recently launched its largest operation against terror cells in the West Bank since the Second Intifada.
JINSA hosted a situational update featuring JINSA Distinguished Fellow IDF MG (ret.) Yaakov Amidror and JINSA’s Julian and Jenny Josephson Senior Vice President for Israeli Affairs IDF MG (ret.) Yaacov Ayish. The discussion was moderated by JINSA’s President and CEO Michael Makovsky, PhD.