Overview

  • The IDF is currently focused on systematic demolition of buildings in the
    neighborhoods of Zeitoun, Jabalia village, Shejaiya, and eastern Gaza City.
  • Jerusalem rejected Hamas’s offer of a cease-fire deal which would have left
    Hamas standing and holding on to 10 Israeli hostages after the war ends,
    maintaining its demand for the release of all hostages in one deal and not partial
    deal like before. The Trump administration publicly backed Israel’s position,
    with Trump himself declaring that Hamas must be militarily defeated and
    eradicated.
  • On August 21, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he had
    approved the IDF’s plans to take control over Gaza City. He emphasized that the
    war must end “on Israel’s terms” and that he had directed the immediate initiation of
    negotiations for the release of all hostages. The upcoming operation, dubbed
    “Gideon’s Chariots II”, will last for several months and is projected to continue well
    into 2026. It will involve five IDF divisions – three maneuvering directly inside Gaza
    City.
  • Coordination with medical facilities in northern Gaza has intensified. An Israeli
    liaison officer instructed a senior hospital official to begin preparing for the transfer
    of all patients to southern hospitals.
  • In Paris, a significant meeting took place between the Syrian Foreign Minister
    Asaad al-Shaibani and senior Israeli officials to discuss security arrangements in
    southern Syria. Damascus publicly acknowledged the meeting—the first time it has
    done so.
  • According to reports, Israel and Syria are preparing to sign a security agreement on
    September 25, which would establish new security arrangements but not full
    normalization.

 

Full report is at the PDF ready to download.