War Day 488: Gazans Approve Trumps Plan, New Drone Interceptors Tested

War Summary, Day 488: Gazans tell Israeli journalist that they want to leave, White House clarifications: No commitment to U.S. troops on ground, relocation may not be permanent, Gazan suspects come dangerously close to IDF positions, Iran wants U.S. to “rein in Israel” as condition to talks, Ministry of, Defense tests new drone interceptors, U.S. sends new weapons to Israel, not sent before, and Israel leaves UN Human Rights Council.

By Mrs. Bruria Efune

79 held captive in Gaza.
35 hostages confirmed murdered held in Gaza.
135 living hostages rescued.
41 hostage bodies rescued.
1,819 Israelis killed.
411 fallen soldiers and police in the battle in Gaza.
87 fallen soldiers in Northern Israel.
18 fallen soldiers and police in Judea & Samaria.
30,683 estimated projectiles fired at Israel.
70,000 Israelis displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.

Top Headlines:

– Romi Gonen’s arm was paralyzed in captivity
– International response to Trump’s Gaza relocation plan
– Gazans tell Israeli journalist that they want to leave
– White House clarifications: No commitment to U.S. troops on ground, relocation may not be permanent
-Gazan suspects come dangerously close to IDF positions
– Iran wants U.S. to “rein in Israel” as condition to talks
– Ministry of Defense tests new drone interceptors
– U.S. sends new weapons to Israel, not sent before
– Israel leaves UN Human Rights Council

Hostages:

Merav Leshem-Gonen, the mother of Romi Gonen, who was recently released from Hamas captivity, gave an interview to Israel Hayom. She said that Romi didn’t receive any medical treatment or even painkillers for the bullet in her arm—the terrorists actually taunted her about it. Now Romi’s hand is paralyzed. Romi also lost 10 kilo (22 pounds) in captivity, and was extremely low on vital nutrients to the point that she was at risk of heart failure.

Merav also spoke about her own painful journey over the last 14 months, in fighting for her daughter’s return. She told the interviewer that a few months ago some friends close to her gently pointed out that the current method of the Hostage Family Forum was causing divisiveness, and may not be the right path to bring her daughter home. Despite the pain, Merav listened to her friends, and began to attend rallies from across the political spectrum, and meet with people from very different backgrounds than her own, in order to foster unity.

While she doesn’t directly credit this turn with bringing about Romi’s release, Merav said she saw the desperate need for unity, and learned that despite different opinions, Israelis all wanted the best for her and each other. Merav plans to continue rallying for unity and conversation amongst Israelis of all backgrounds.

The Hostage Family Forum, which was established in the first days of the war to represent all families of hostages, has faced criticism for taking a political left-wing stance, thus slowly losing bipartisan support across Israel, and resulting in a break-off forum for families of hostages with right-wing views. In recent months, many have begun to see the tragedy in this, and have begun efforts towards unity amongst all Israelis.

Follow Up – Trump’s Proposal:

A storm of reactions followed U.S. President Trump’s bombshell announcement in support of the U.S. taking over Gaza, and allowing the relocation of Gaza residents.

– In Israel

In Israel, there was a wave of shock over the announcement, with the majority (including from the political opposition) in favor, and thanking Trump for his friendship and support. Many are skeptical whether Trump truly intends to carry through with the plan, or is simply using extremes for the sake of negotiations. Loss of land is the biggest grievance in Islam, and the thought of it could bring Hamas negotiators to their knees. The idea also flips the narrative of every war against Israel until now, in which the loser gets to dictate the terms of the ceasefire agreement, and Israel is always forced to concede on some issue.

Others believe that Trump is truly serious, and is thinking as a real estate mogul, eyeing the prime locations on Gaza’s (potentially) beautiful beaches. While there could be many pros and cons of having an American Gaza, the reality is that Trump’s term might be over even before the rubble is cleared and construction can begin. A lot can change in that time, and so Israelis aren’t focusing heavily on whether America would really hold onto the strip—instead the focus is on the idea of removing the the people who rained decades of terrorism on Israel, and whether it will also bring about the safe return of the hostages.

Note that Prime Minister Netanyahu did not openly express full support for Trump’s idea, but instead chose to remain cautious, and praised Trump for thinking outside of the box, and seeing a different future for Gaza.

– International Response

The rest of the Middle East responded with firm statements against the idea. The Palestinian Authority, Jordan, Egypt, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia all condemned the plan, and called for a Palestinian State instead.

Egypt jumped into action, and is now working on accelerating reconstruction efforts in Gaza, by delivering large amounts of equipment into Gaza. This will in no way speed things up fast enough, but could at least create the illusion that it will. (This may be a violation of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, but it’s hard to know for sure, since many details have been withheld from the public.)

Condemnation also came from foreign ministers across Europe, in particular from Germany, France, England and Spain. The only European voice in support is that of Geert Wilders, from the Netherlands. China also joined in, not directly condemning the plan, but calling for a Palestinian State.

– Response in Gaza

The only ones who did not object to the plan, are the people living in Gaza. Veteran Israeli journalist, Shlomi Elder, who has been a lead reporter on Gaza affairs since 2003, spoke to many people in Gaza today, who all voiced their support. In his words: “Most of them say the same thing: If ships docked at the Gaza coast, which would take them to places where there are Palestinian communities, such as Sweden, England, and Canada, and if they were guaranteed medical insurance and their children had somewhere to study, they would leave. Egypt and Jordan are not really an option, if they were to leave, then it would need to be to a place that would give the next generation the opportunity to live. To breathe. To integrate.
“People want to live better, to allow their children a future. The question is whether such a move is even feasible, whether the world is ready, able, and willing to go with Trump on such a move.”

In other words, not only do the people in Gaza want to leave—they are already negotiating the terms. They are not in favor of moving to Egypt or Jordan, because the two countries have laws that intentionally prevent Palestinians from integrating.

– White House Follow-Up

Some clarifications, or possibly walk-backs, came from the White House administration today.

In response to questions, White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt said that Trump has not committed to putting boots on the ground in Gaza, and that the United States won’t pay for the rebuilding of Gaza.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Trump is making a very generous offer, to take on the job of clearing the rubble, which includes dangerous work conditions due to unexploded ordinances. While Trump had indicated that he wanted the Gazans to be so happy in their new areas that they wouldn’t return to Gaza, Rubio indicated that the plan to relocate them was temporary. He explained that during construction the people will not be able to live there. The reconstruction was so that they’d be able to move back in. (Note, if Trump is interested in real estate development, he won’t want Gazans who support terrorism to return and devalue his investments.)

In a press conference with PM Netanyahu, Secretary of Defense Hegseth told a reporter that “the definition of insanity is attempting to do the same thing over and over again. The President is willing to look outside of the box.” When asked about sending troops to Gaza, he said that the president is involved in complex and high-level negotiations—and he won’t comment on things ahead of decisions being made.

Gaza:

Hamas is continuing to try and push the boundaries of the buffer zones and Philadelphi Corridor in Gaza, by sending terrorists or supporters to approach IDF positions. Troops fired several warning shots today, in areas throughout the buffer zone, to disperse approaching suspects.

In one incident, a group of Gazans were spotted dangerously close to IDF troops in the Rafah area, by “a few dozen meters,” according to the IDF. Troops opened fire directly on the group. Local media reported that four were killed.

Judea & Samaria:

Operation Iron Walls is ongoing in several cities in Samaria. The IDF is limiting information about operations in order to protect the safety of troops, and also to keep terrorists from successfully escaping arrest.

Palestinian media identified the terrorist who killed two IDF reservists yesterday, as Muhammad Daraghmeh, who is the brother of the former commander of the PIJ terror group in Tubas, who was eliminated by the IDF in February 2024. Congrats were expressed to his mother, who now has two “martyred” sons.

Iran:

A senior Iranian official told Reuters that “the clerical establishment’s will is to give diplomacy with Trump another chance, but Tehran is deeply concerned about Israel’s sabotage.” He said that if Washington wanted to seek a deal, they would need to “rein in Israel.”

This comes after Trump restored his maximum pressure policy on Iran, and prepared to enact crippling sanctions on the regime.

Other:

– Israel’s Defense Ministry recently completed testing of various anti-drone defense systems from nine different companies, including major contractors Elbit Systems, IAI, and Rafael. The tests, which began in October and concluded recently in southern Israel, evaluated different approaches including cannon-based systems, interceptor drones with nets, and missile systems. Successful systems will receive full Defense Ministry funding for further development and rapid deployment. This initiative comes in response to approximately 1,300 drone attacks against Israel from various fronts since October 7, 2023, of which 231 successfully struck Israeli territory.

– U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, said to Netanyahu in a press conference: “We’ve supplied munitions that were previously not supplied that are useful in eradicating radical enemies.”

– Gideon Saar, Israel’s Foreign Minister, announced that Israel would be joining the U.S. in leaving the UN Human Rights Council. “The UNHRC has traditionally protected human rights abusers by allowing them to hide from scrutiny, and instead obsessively demonizes the one democracy in the Middle East – Israel,” he said. “In the UNHRC, Israel is the only country with an agenda item dedicated solely to it. Israel has been subjected to over 100 condemnatory resolutions, over 20% of all resolutions ever passed in the Council – more than against Iran, Cuba, North Korea and Venezuela combined.”

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