JC Israel Briefing Day 558: Hamas loses contact with US-Israeli hostage

The IDF also killed a Hezbollah special operations commander in a drone strike on the Lebanese town of Aitaroun yesterday. Lebanese media named the target as Ali Najib Baydoun. Israel says recent operations in Lebanon target Hezbollah operatives violating a ceasefire agreement reached last November.

Meanwhile, Tehran must completely dismantle its nuclear programme if it wants a deal with America, the US’ Middle East envoy said yesterday. This stance brings Washington into line with Israel, after indications a day earlier that it might accept a far laxer agreement had unsettled Jerusalem.

“A deal with Iran will only be completed if it is a Trump deal,” Steve Witkoff said: “Any final arrangement must set a framework for peace, stability, and prosperity in the Middle East — meaning that Iran must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponisation programme.”

In a parallel development, Washington has told Jerusalem that it will start withdrawing troops from Syria within two months. Israel is concerned about instability in Syria following the toppling of President Assad, especially about growing Turkish influence in the country. A senior Israeli official reportedly warned that even a partial exit could embolden Turkey to expand its power base in northern Syria.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar met UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy in London yesterday for talks focused on Iran, Gaza, and the hostages. The Foreign Ministry said they discussed “the full range of regional issues, foremost among them the Iranian nuclear issue.” They also addressed “the negotiations for the release of the hostages and the situation in Gaza.”

And, in the new scandal rocking Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party has accused Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar of turning the agency into a “private militia of the deep state.” Justice Minister Yariv Levin escalated the attack, calling the Shin Bet a “private intelligence organisation that can conduct a political hunting campaign”.

The accusations come after it emerged that a Shin Bet reservist has been arrested for leaking information to a government minister and two journalists about Shin Bet investigations into whether far-right ideology is permeating government departments. The Lod District Court has extended the detention of the official accused of leaking classified material. The agency said the staffer had extracted information in a way that “endangers security.”

The scandal is dividing the country, with many in the centre and left claiming that the ongoing investigations by intelligence officers are legitimate and that leaks from inside the Shin Bet must be investigated. Yet, many on the right say the probe is an inappropriate use of Shin Bet resources and that the leaker was a whistleblower.

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid claimed yesterday that the government is using this investigation to distract the nation from the Qatargate investigation, which focusses on alleged inappropriate links between Prime Minister’s Office staff and Qatar. “The government of criminals is attacking the Shin Bet to divert attention from the Qatargate investigation,” Lapid wrote on X.

In a related development, Channel 12 reported a second leak case involving a Shin Bet employee who allegedly shared details of a planned hostage rescue in Gaza with relatives. The information appeared on social media app Telegram hours before the operation but did not reach Hamas or the public.

Elsewhere, French plans to recognise a Palestinian state would constitute a “prize for Hamas,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told French President Emmanuel Macron. During a phone call, Netanyahu said Israel would continue its military campaign in Gaza until Hamas is destroyed and rejected any post-war political track involving Palestinian sovereignty.

And tens of thousands of Israelis flocked to the Western Wall yesterday for the traditional mass priestly blessing, including several former hostages. Among them was Eliya Cohen, freed from Gaza in February, who joined hundreds of fellow Cohanim to bless the crowd. “May God bless you and keep you,” Cohen chanted, reciting the biblical prayer alongside his father. His mother, Sigalit Cohen, said the family had long hoped for this moment. “Today, he’s here, reciting the priestly blessing and bestowing it upon the entire people. It’s the most moving experience imaginable,” she told reporters.

Finally, a dog taken to Gaza during the 7 October attacks has returned home to Israel. Billy, a family pet from Kibbutz Nir Oz, was found by a Golani unit operating in Rafah and brought back for treatment. She had been missing for over a year. The soldiers later discovered that Billy belonged to Rachel Danzig, ex-wife of Alex Danzig, who was kidnapped and murdered on 7 October. The family had no idea what became of the dog — until now.

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