Daily Digest Online

A senior Israeli official has issued a blistering accusation against Qatar, alleging the Gulf state is engaged in a deliberate campaign to "destroy the relationship between Israel and the Trump administration from the ground up" . According to a report by The Times of Israel, the official went so far as to state that Qatar is engaged "in jihad," highlighting the extreme depth of distrust in a critical regional relationship . These explosive charges come at a moment of high tension and complex diplomacy. The U.S. is actively working to implement the second phase of President Donald Trump's 20-point Gaza peace plan, an effort that critically depends on coordination between Israel, Qatar, and the United States . The allegations suggest that beneath the surface of diplomatic talks, a fierce behind-the-scenes battle for influence is raging. The Flashpoint: A Shocking Strike in Doha The current crisis traces directly back to September 9, 2025, ...

Israel's far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, is pushing to demolish the tomb of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, a historical figure from the 1930s for whom Hamas's military wing is named. The move has drawn a sharp warning from Hamas and is opposed by Israeli security officials, setting the stage for a Knesset debate next week that could inflame tensions amid an already fragile ceasefire in Gaza. Who Was Izz ad-Din al-Qassam? Izz ad-Din al-Qassam was a Syrian-born Muslim preacher and revolutionary who led armed resistance against French and British colonial forces in the Levant during the early 20th century. After being forced out of Syria, he resettled in British Mandate Palestine and was killed in a battle with British forces in 1935. His legacy is complex and viewed very differently by each side: *   For Palestinians: He is revered as a nationalist martyr who fought against colonial rule. In his honor, Hamas named its military wing the "...

The family of a young Tanzanian student murdered during the October 7th Hamas attacks has filed a lawsuit against the Israeli government, alleging authorities inflicted additional trauma by publicly releasing graphic video footage of his killing without their consent. The legal claim, filed on behalf of the family of Joshua Loitu Mollel, seeks significant damages. It argues that the Israeli Foreign Ministry caused severe distress by reposting the footage from an attacker's body camera on its official social media account. The clip, which showed Mollel being shot, was shared before the family had been formally notified or had a chance to view the material privately. A Young Farmer's Dream Ends in Terror Joshua Loitu Mollel, 21, was an agricultural student who had traveled to Israel just weeks before the attacks, filled with ambition for his future. "My son wants to make his fortune in agribusiness and become one of Tanzania's most successful farm...

TEL AVIV — The family of Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, the last confirmed deceased Israeli hostage held in Gaza, is demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump secure the return of his remains before a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement with Hamas proceeds to its second phase. In a statement carried by Hebrew-language media, Gvili's family issued a direct appeal to the leaders. "The first phase of the hostage deal is still not completed, while Rani hasn’t returned home," the statement said. "We demand that Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump pressure Hamas and Islamic Jihad to return Rani home immediately! We can’t move to the second phase of the deal without Rani here." The demand creates a significant hurdle for diplomatic efforts. The Trump administration is reportedly aiming to announce the transition to Phase Two of its Gaza peace plan within approximately two weeks. This next phase is intended t...

In a high-profile interview at the Doha Forum, Syria's interim president, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, delivered a sharp condemnation of Israel, accusing it of "exporting crises" and pursuing a military campaign against fabricated threats.  Speaking with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Al-Sharaa demanded that Israel withdraw from territories occupied in the past year and fully reinstate the 1974 deconfliction agreement that had maintained a fragile calm for five decades. The Core Accusation: A "Fight Against Ghosts" Al-Sharaa argued that Israel is using broad security pretexts to justify aggression across the region. “Israel has become a country that is in a fight against ghosts,” he stated, suggesting that Israeli leaders exploit the trauma of past attacks to legitimize military actions in neighboring countries like Syria. He framed these actions as an attempt to divert international attention from the conflict in Gaza. A Year of Escalation and Occupatio...

Senior Hamas officials living outside the Gaza Strip are operating under sweeping new security protocols, internal documents reveal, as the group braces for potential Israeli assassination attempts in countries beyond the Middle East. This security crackdown follows a failed Israeli strike in Qatar and signals a new phase of international shadow warfare. Hamas is implementing extreme counter-surveillance measures for its senior leaders operating abroad, driven by a conviction that Israel plans further assassination attempts against its top officials, potentially in countries outside the Arab world.  The new directives, reviewed by Asharq Al-Awsat and reported by The Times of Israel , point to a high-alert state within the militant group's overseas leadership. The heightened fear stems directly from Israel's September 9, 2025, airstrike in Doha, Qatar, which targeted a meeting of the group's political leadership. While Hamas' chief negotiator, Kha...

Tomas Adzgauskas, a Lithuanian-Israeli soldier who fought in Gaza, has died by suicide. In a final, harrowing social media post, he wrote of being haunted by "a demon" since the October 7th attacks and of committing acts for which he could find no forgiveness. A former Israeli soldier has died by suicide after publishing an anguished final message describing the profound psychological trauma he suffered following his military service in the Gaza Strip. Tomas Adzgauskas, a Lithuanian-born Israeli citizen who served as a commander in an elite sniper unit, was found dead on Friday, December 5. Prior to his death, he posted a lengthy and deeply personal confession on his Facebook account, which has since circulated internationally. In the post, Adzgauskas directly linked his severe mental distress to the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the ongoing war. "October 7, the date that ruined my life and destroyed everything I was...

A CNN investigation has uncovered evidence that the Israeli military used bulldozers to bury the bodies of Palestinians killed while seeking aid near a Gaza crossing into shallow, unmarked graves, a practice legal experts say may violate international law. A new investigation points to the Israeli military bulldozing the bodies of Palestinians killed near an aid crossing into Gaza, leaving them in unmarked graves or exposed to the elements, depriving families of the chance to recover or identify their loved ones. The CNN review, based on satellite imagery, video analysis, and testimony from eyewitnesses, aid truck drivers, and former Israeli soldiers, focuses on the area around the Zikim crossing. The route was used for aid deliveries this summer before it was closed in September. The report details the case of Ammar Wadi, who left a final message on his phone for his family before setting out to get flour in June. He never returned. His story is ech...