Netanyahu stresses IDF will enter Rafah as Israel nears Gaza hostage deal

Sgt. Oz Daniel, a 19-year-old IDF soldier captured and taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, died in Gaza captivity, the IDF confirmed on Sunday.

Talk of a hostage deal continues to bring optimistic hope in Israel and other places that things may be progressing in the right direction. However, for Iran’s proxies, such as Hezbollah, there may be questions about what they would like to see happen.

Hezbollah continues to suffer losses in its confrontation with Israel. It is also not achieving much in its constant rocket fire and use of anti-tank missiles and drones. In essence, Hezbollah has seen diminishing returns.

Israel's government is expected to extend the evacuation for residents along the northern border to July 7, Ynet reported Sunday. There are currently 60,000 displaced residents of the northern border towns. 

According to the report, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office is expecting to extend it even further, to August, amid rumored plans of war with Hezbollah. 

Twelve wanted persons were arrested by Israeli security forces overnight in Judea and Samaria, according to the IDF Spokesperson's Unit.

Soldiers from the IDF, Border Police, and the Israel Security Service (Shin Bet) took part in the operations throughout Judea and Samaria on Saturday night. 

In a meeting in the Khuzestan province of Iran, on the southern boundary of the country, bordering Iraq and the Gulf states, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei called Western civilization “crooked” and said “the right culture and correct logic of Islam will overcome it,” Iranian state media reported.

Just before, in the same speech, the Ayatollah said, “This is the real face of Western culture and civilization and liberal democracy, which on the outside are ironed politicians with smiles on their faces, but on the inside, it is a rabid dog and a bloodthirsty wolf.”

Israel targeted a civilian truck with an airstrike near the Syria-Lebanon border in the early hours of Sunday morning, killing two people, allegedly Hezbollah terrorists, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

The attack took place between Homs province and Rif Dimashq.

Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh's government could resign within two days in the hopes of creating a new technocratic Palestinian government in an unprecedented development, it was reported early on Sunday.

According to Sky News Arabic, Palestinian sources are reporting on the possibility that the government of the PA, headed by Shtayyeh, could resign within days and, in its stead, form a new professional technocratic before the end of this week.

An estimated 3,000 Jewish teenagers, hailing from 30 countries, gathered in Times Square in New York on Saturday night for an annual “Jewish Pride Takeover” Chabad event, including a concert by religious Israeli singer Gad Elbaz. 

The event took on special significance this year in light of the ongoing war with Hamas, and the captivity of the 134 hostages held by the terror group in Gaza. 

The IDF Spokesperson's Unit announced early on Sunday numerous developments and operations of IDF troops in the Gaza Strip. In a leading event, terrorists attempted to hide behind evacuating Gazan civilians, but were identified and apprehended by IDF forces.

Terrorists attempting escape 

In Khan Yunis, over the past day, during efforts to evacuate the civilian population from combat zones, IDF soldiers identified terrorists who had attempted escape by hiding amongst evacuating Gaza civilians, who were then apprehended by the IDF. In the same area, the troops killed a number of terrorists and located stored weapons.

In a speech on Saturday, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander-in-Chief Hossein Salami claimed that the Iranian regime's security is based on its capabilities of foiling Israeli "espionage services." In his remarks, Salami reiterated the regime's position that the security of Muslims worldwide, as well as Palestinians, hinges on the eradication of the State of Israel.