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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2025-10-24 at 09:07
HEADLINES
US Gaza plan stalls on governance details
Netanyahu coalition loses seats, pressure on security
Israel strikes Hezbollah sites amid Erdogan push
The time is now 5:01 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
Good morning. This is the five o’clock update on events shaping the Middle East and the wider area.
The United States continues to press for a defined path out of the Gaza war, while presenting a two phase framework that has become the backbone of American diplomacy. The first phase centers on a ceasefire, an initial Israeli withdrawal, a hostage-prisoner exchange, and humanitarian relief. The second phase is intended to chart postwar governance, security arrangements, and reconstruction. But the record shows a lack of detail about who will govern Gaza, how disarmament would be verified, and who would provide security on the ground. In public, Washington has sought to mobilize international partners for phase two, establishing a Civil-Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat to monitor the ceasefire and coordinate civilian and military efforts. The United States has enlisted several allies to participate in that center, with the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Denmark, and Jordan joining the effort. At the same time, gaps remain on questions of governance, security, and funding for postwar Gaza.
In Israel’s domestic arena, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a tighter political balance as his governing coalition loses two seats in the Knesset, slipping to around fifty seats. The slips are tied in part to the Religious Zionism faction falling short of the electoral threshold in recent calculations. The development adds pressure on security decisions at a time when the country is weighing how to move forward after months of conflict and a fragile ceasefire.
Meanwhile, the hostage situation remains fluid. Officials in Israel expect further activity on the hostage issue, with two deceased hostages potentially being released this evening. If that occurs, the tally of deceased hostages handed back to Israel would rise from the current number to include the two expected tonight. Israel has already received fifteen deceased hostages out of a larger group held by Hamas, with many names publicly identified by authorities and press services as efforts continue to verify the remains and return them to families.
Across the region, President Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey urged the United States and its partners to press Israel to honor the Gaza ceasefire more fully, even signaling that sanctions or the curtailment of arms sales could be on the table. Erdogan also said that Hamas appears to be abiding by the ceasefire, and that Turkey remains ready to assist with the Gaza task force as needed. The comments underscore Ankara’s push for a more assertive international role in stabilizing Gaza, even as other partners seek to tie any reconstruction and security framework to broader political arrangements.
On the battlefield, Israel Defense Forces carried out a new round of airstrikes against Hezbollah sites in Lebanon. Lebanese authorities reported at least four deaths in the strikes, which targeted a range of Hezbollah facilities, including a training camp and a missile production site in the Beqaa Valley and a weapons depot near Nabatieh. Israeli officials described these sites as parts of Hezbollah’s ongoing effort to rebuild and expand its ability to project power against Israel. The clashes and strikes come after a long-running sequence of operations and ceasefire understandings that have kept a definitive peace between Israel and Lebanon fragile but largely in place.
In Iraq, authorities are preparing for parliamentary elections scheduled in the coming weeks, a vote taking place at a moment when Iraq seeks to balance competing regional dependences. Election dynamics feature Shiite
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