A Palestinian police officer, identified as Younis Ishtayeh, shot and wounded an Israeli soldier in the West Bank on Thursday, and Israeli counterterrorism forces killed the shooter the next day. The incident adds to growing signs of rising violence in the West Bank following months of general calm.
As phase one of the ceasefire in Gaza continued to bend but not break, Israel reported that Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist organizations continue to violate the terms. Notably, another shooting attack on Israeli troops this week led to retaliatory airstrikes across the enclave. Separately, the situation surrounding 200 holed-up Hamas operatives in Rafah remains unresolved.
Israel continued military operations in Lebanon between November 10 and November 16, 2025. These activities included targeted assassinations of Hezbollah operatives involved in the group’s regeneration efforts and strikes on its assets.
The Israeli military continues to eliminate Hamas tunnels in the 50 percent of Gaza still under its control after the ceasefire deal signed in Egypt in early October. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir traveled to the territory to meet with troops on November 16 and said, “We will persist in the mission of dismantling Hamas and demilitarizing the Gaza Strip.” He also stated that the army had to be prepared to transition back to fighting if necessary.
According to the IDF, Palestinian terrorists have violated the Gaza ceasefire on at least six occasions since November 7. The incidents over the past week have been nearly identical, with terrorist operatives testing the boundaries of the “Yellow Line” marking Israeli-controlled territory almost daily. These issues have been compounded by 200 Hamas members trapped in tunnels under Rafah in Israeli-controlled territory.
Israel continued military operations in Lebanon between November 3 and November 9, 2025. These activities included targeted assassinations of Hezbollah operatives involved in the group’s regeneration efforts and strikes on its assets.
Hamas transferred the body of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Lieutenant Hadar Goldin to Israel on November 9. Goldin was one of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014 and whose bodies had been held in Gaza. The other soldier had been located in January 2025. The return of Goldin’s body came as tensions remain over 200 Hamas terrorists reported to be trapped in a tunnel network in Rafah. In southern Gaza, Israeli troops dismantled “dozens” of terrorist infrastructure sites.
The US is seeking a UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution on Gaza to bolster President Donald Trump’s peace plan. US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz convened a meeting on November 5 with 15 countries, 10 of which are elected members of the UNSC, noting that the effort was aimed at creating “real peace in the Middle East.” The resolution seeks to support the establishment of an international security force for Gaza, which will operate in conjunction with the Board of Peace envisioned by the ceasefire agreement reached in Egypt in October.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the border with Egypt to become a closed military zone following the detection of arms and drug smuggling by drones. Nearly 900 incidents of smuggling from Egyptian territory have reportedly happened in three months.
Since phase one of the Trump administration’s 20-point ceasefire plan for Gaza went into effect on October 10, Israel reports that Hamas and other groups have repeatedly violated the agreement. Violations include violence against Gazans accused of working for Israel, attacks on Israeli forces, delaying the return of the bodies of slain hostages, and Hamas’s refusal to withdraw its fighters from Israeli-controlled territory.
Hamas continued to hand over the remains of Israeli hostages between November 1 and November 5 as part of the ceasefire agreement that has largely held for almost a month. The remains of the last two American hostages held captive in Gaza were returned and identified. As of November 5, seven deceased hostages remained in the territory. The transfers took place as negotiations are reportedly underway regarding Hamas members who are trapped in tunnels in Rafah.
Israel continued operations in Lebanon between October 27 and November 2, 2025. These activities included targeted assassinations of Hezbollah operatives involved in the group’s regeneration efforts and strikes on its assets.
Mounting evidence suggests that Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) is becoming more active in the West Bank following extensive Israeli military operations in the territory that began earlier this year. Claims of attacks by PIJ, the killing of its members in counter-terrorism operations, and other evidence point to the group attempting a resurgence.
With the help of China, Tehran is importing a chemical precursor for its medium-range ballistic missiles despite recently imposed United Nations sanctions, CNN reported. The report assesses that Tehran “appears to be stepping up the rebuilding of its ballistic missile program” following the 12-day war with Israel in June.
An Israeli soldier was killed in Gaza in an attack on October 28, and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out strikes across the territory in response. “The targets struck included key terrorists, observation posts, weapons production warehouses, launch posts, underground tunnels, and mortar shell firing posts,” the IDF said. In addition, Israel released drone footage that appeared to show Hamas staging the discovery of the remains of hostage Ofir Tzarfati. Israel has accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire agreement through the slow return of the remains of hostages and continued attacks.
Israel continued operations in Lebanon between October 20 and October 26, 2025. These activities included targeted assassinations of Hezbollah operatives involved in the group’s regeneration efforts and strikes on its assets.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it killed four members of Hamas who took part in kidnapping Israelis from the Nova Music Festival on October 7. Among these Hamas members killed was Arafat Dib, whose family established a GoFundMe page to raise funds in the wake of his death. The IDF also highlighted four other Hamas members whom it killed for their roles in infiltrating Israeli territory.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) opened a Civil-Military Coordination Center in southern Israel on October 17. The center is will monitor the ceasefire in Gaza and support stabilization efforts as US military personnel “help facilitate the flow of humanitarian, logistical, and security assistance from international counterparts into Gaza,” CENTCOM said on October 21. US forces will not deploy inside Gaza. Alongside Israeli military officers, the site will include a British contingent and other partners. US Vice President JD Vance visited the site on October 21.
Israel continued military operations in Lebanon between October 13 and October 19, 2025. These activities included targeted assassinations of Hezbollah operatives involved in the group’s regeneration efforts and strikes on its assets.
Two Israeli soldiers were killed and several wounded in a terrorist attack in southern Gaza’s Rafah neighborhood on October 19, according to the Israeli military. In response, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) executed a wave of airstrikes in Gaza. One series of strikes used 120 munitions to target a Hamas tunnel that was several miles long. The IDF also continued demarcating the Yellow Line that now marks the extent of its control in the territory.
Anti-Hamas militias have emerged in several locations across the Gaza Strip, aiming to erode the group’s control. Some of the militias reportedly receive Israeli support, and others rely on their tribal networks for backing.
Hamas has embarked on a campaign against opposing militias and clans in the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire with Israel took effect on October 10. Hamas’s Arrow Unit has conducted public executions and threatened more against those it has deemed collaborators with Israel.
Israel continued military operations in Lebanon between October 6 and October 12, 2025. These activities included targeted assassinations of Hezbollah operatives involved in the group’s regeneration efforts and strikes on its assets.
Hamas freed the last 20 living Israeli hostages on October 13, handing them over to the Red Cross, which transported them to Israeli officials. Hamas is also supposed to hand over the bodies of 28 hostages held since its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir stated that the deal agreed to in Egypt on October 8 constitutes a victory for Israel. The IDF completed a withdrawal from several areas of Gaza as part of the agreement.
As a part of the first phase of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, Israel is set to release almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Among the prisoners to be released are members of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other armed organizations. FDD’s Long War Journal has profiled 10 of these individuals who were imprisoned for high-profile attacks and crimes.
Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of a Gaza peace deal overnight between October 8 and 9. This initial phase is supposed to see the release of 48 Israeli hostages, around 20 of whom are believed to be alive, and a withdrawal by the IDF from some areas of Gaza. Israel’s cabinet convened to vote on the deal on October 9, with hostages set to return by October 14. The agreement followed talks in Egypt mediated by delegations from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, with US, Hamas, and Israeli delegations present. The Israeli military in Gaza prepared to redeploy to new lines as talks progress to the next phase.
An Israeli delegation traveled to Sharm el Sheikh on October 6 to begin talks aimed at ending the war in Gaza. US President Donald Trump announced on October 3 that Hamas had agreed to the 20-point Gaza peace plan he had announced on September 29. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said pressure must continue on Hamas to get the group to release the 48 hostages held in Gaza. Hamas has indicated that the talks in Egypt may take several days, and Trump has urged all parties to “move fast” to finalize the deal.
Israel continued military operations in Lebanon between September 29 and October 5, 2025. These activities included targeted assassinations of Hezbollah operatives involved in the group’s regeneration efforts and strikes on its assets.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) extended operations and control in and around Gaza City between September 28 and October 2. Israeli troops moved west along the Netzarim Corridor, cutting off the city from Central Gaza. Israel’s minister of defense said that the IDF is tightening its siege around Gaza City and told remaining residents that it was their “last chance” to move south via IDF checkpoints along the coast. Five rockets were launched at Israel in the evening of October 1.
US President Donald Trump announced a peace plan for Gaza as he hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on September 29. During a joint press conference, Trump said that the proposal has the backing of numerous Arab and Muslim countries. Netanyahu accepted the proposal after several last-minute changes, according to reports. It is now up to Hamas to accept or reject the deal. The initiative envisions disarming Hamas and replacing it with a new government that will be backed by a “Board of Peace.”