Likud MK Moshe Saada delivered a sharp warning Monday night, arguing that Israel has effectively lost control over parts of the seam zone due to what he described as years of neglect and failed enforcement.
Speaking in an interview on Kol Chai Radio, Saada said the scale of illegal entry into Israel has reached staggering proportions. “The state talks about 20,000 illegal infiltrators entering every day. Twenty thousand! It’s unbelievable. And every one of them is a potential security threat,” he said.
According to Saada, the danger is not theoretical. “Four terror attacks have already been carried out by people who came out of there. Anyone who enters Barta’a can go anywhere in Israel and attack,” he warned, describing the area as an active transit point for terrorists, including operatives from Gaza.
Saada recently toured the Barta’a area and described a reality of near-total lawlessness. “The place is divided into two: Israeli Barta’a and Palestinian Barta’a. There is no fence at this point, anyone who wants can enter and exit freely,” he said, referring to the border-adjacent settlement located near Ma’aleh Iron, Shaked, and Hinanit.
He argued that the ongoing failure to address the situation is part of a broader pattern that predates recent events. “This has been going on since the Oslo [Accords]. Just like we ignored it before October 7 – we’re ignoring it the same way now,” Saada said.
Placing blame squarely on Israel’s enforcement bodies, Saada said responsibility is shared across multiple agencies. “First of all, the police, but it’s a combination – the IDF is also part of the failure,” he stated, pointing to the lack of a permanent and visible security presence in mixed areas where fencing is incomplete or nonexistent. His remarks referenced both the Israel Police and the Israel Defense Forces.
Saada accused enforcement authorities of only reacting after blood has already been spilled. He described what he called a pattern of complacency across the system, saying the military, police, and courts engage in “Israeli bluff,” adding, “They wake up only after an attack, make some noise, and then everything goes back to normal.”
He also rejected economic arguments often raised in favor of looser enforcement. “We let the Palestinian economy breathe, and in return, they murder us,” Saada said. “All the terror attacks are carried out by illegal infiltrators who entered through these gates.”
Concluding his remarks, Saada called for a fundamental shift in policy, urging authorities to adopt uncompromising enforcement measures. “We need to target the employers as well – every infiltrator has an employer who allows them to stay,” he said, arguing that only a zero-tolerance approach would restore security in the seam zone.
{Matzav.com}During a visit to the Knesset, Jonathan Pollard laid out a sweeping argument for renewed Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip, asserting that a decisive Israeli return to the territory reflects the true sentiment of the public and is essential for national security.
Pollard said his position is grounded not in political calculations but in personal conversations with Israelis displaced from communities near Gaza. “I look at the people first,” he said, explaining that residents who lost homes and loved ones consistently told him that only a fundamental change in Gaza’s status would allow them to feel safe again. According to Pollard, even individuals who once opposed such ideas now believe a Jewish Gaza is the only path to long-term stability in the south.
He emphasized that his focus is not on lobbying lawmakers, but on listening to those living with the trauma of repeated attacks. Pollard said many told him they cannot rebuild their lives while fearing that the threat from Gaza could reemerge. In his view, that fear can only be removed through what he described as a “100% Jewish Gaza.”
Addressing skepticism about whether Israeli society supports such a move, Pollard dismissed polling that suggests otherwise, arguing that the data is misleading. In an interview with Arutz Sheva–Israel National News conducted from the Knesset, he said, “I actually feel that the consensus would support a return to Gaza as completely as we can.” He added that other surveys point to widespread backing for a full Israeli return following the removal of what he termed the area’s current Islamo-fascist population.
Pollard also framed Gaza as a pivotal test of Israel’s resolve. He warned that hesitation and dependence on foreign governments would invite further concessions and losses. Resettling Gaza, he argued, would send a clear message to Israel’s adversaries that aggression carries irreversible consequences. “If you fight us, we will not only defeat you decisively, but we will take back our land as well, permanently,” he said.
Turning to the practicalities of such a policy, Pollard said implementation would require firm leadership and clarity at the highest level. He argued that Israel must be led by a prime minister prepared to tell the United States unequivocally that land captured in war will not be surrendered. “What was achieved in blood will never be given up by us ever again,” he said.
Discussing Washington’s role, Pollard said Donald Trump had already created a strategic opening by lifting weapons restrictions and signaling support for decisive Israeli action. Pollard contended that if Israel had moved forcefully at that moment, Hamas would already be defeated and Jewish resettlement in Gaza would be underway.
He returned to President Trump later in the interview, saying the American leader responds to confidence and success rather than hesitation. “The man likes winners,” Pollard said, urging Israel to act like one and to pursue an “Israel first” approach beginning with Gaza, without waiting for external approval.
Asked whether he himself would consider relocating to Gaza if Jewish resettlement were reestablished, Pollard answered lightheartedly that it would depend on the quality of the housing. He added that having grown up near the ocean, the idea of living by the sea again was not difficult for him to imagine.
{Matzav.com}
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For the first time, the Hamas terrorist organization has publicly admitted that a number of senior commanders from its military wing were killed in Israeli airstrikes carried out over recent months, issuing an official confirmation on Monday after a long period of silence.
In the same announcement, Hamas confirmed the death of its longtime military spokesperson, Abu Obaida, whose elimination had been reported in Israel roughly four months ago. The statement also acknowledged the killing of Raed Saad, another high-ranking operative, as well as Mohammad Shabana, the commander of the Rafah Brigade. Shabana was killed together with Mohammad Sinwar inside a tunnel in Khan Yunis.
Alongside the confirmations, Hamas released updated and official photographs of several of the eliminated figures. Among them was a newly published image of Abu Obaida, marking the first time the organization has shown him unmasked. Until now, he had only appeared publicly with his face concealed, despite the fact that the IDF spokesperson had previously circulated his image on multiple occasions.
Hamas also published, for the first time, an official and current photograph of Mohammad Sinwar, who previously headed the group’s military wing and was the brother of Yahya Sinwar.
“Abu Obaida” functioned as the head of the military wing’s propaganda apparatus and served as its chief spokesperson. His real name is Khadifeh Khalout.
Following his killing, a Palestinian Arabic source told Sky News in Arabic that the apartment in Gaza City where Abu Obaida was killed had been rented only days before the airstrike. According to the source, his wife and children were present in the apartment when it was struck in the Rimal neighborhood of western Gaza City.
The source further said that operatives from Hamas’s military wing quickly sealed off the area after the strike, blocking local residents from approaching the building or attempting to retrieve the bodies.
{Matzav.com}
At the close of his remarks on Monday, Finance Minister and Religious Zionism party chairman Bezalel Smotrich pledged that the government would continue pressing forward on economic reforms aimed at easing the burden on Israeli households. “I pledge here – we will continue to fight the high cost of living with all our strength. We will prove that it is possible to live in a safe, strong, and just country, and it can be affordable here,” he said.
Addressing economic policy more broadly, Smotrich said Israel’s economy has demonstrated resilience even under extreme pressure. “The State of Israel continues to advance on the economic front. The Israeli economy is strong. It proved itself during the hardest times, and I am proud to be at the helm during this period. However, I am well aware that the cost of living still burdens the citizens of Israel,” he noted.
He argued that entrenched interests have long kept prices high and resisted reform. “I say honestly: For many years, deep distortions were created here. Monopolies, barriers, strong interests – all together ensured that prices remained high. Those who benefit from this situation are in no hurry to give it up, and not everyone is happy to see me determined to dismantle these mechanisms. But I am not deterred. I did not come into this role to maintain the status quo, but to change it.”
According to Smotrich, concrete measures are already underway. “The milk reform, the deposit reform, the tax exemption on personal imports up to $150, and the tax on banks – all these are clear steps in one direction: to lower prices, increase competition, and give power back to the citizens,” he said.
Turning to internal security, Smotrich warned that the most serious danger currently facing Israelis is not external. “And now we must say it unequivocally – after amazing achievements in the foreign arenas of this war, the greatest current threat to the security of Israeli citizens is the enemy from within. The pictures and events from the Negev in recent days must sound every alarm bell, reminding us of the existence of tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of illegal weapons in the hands of crime and terror organizations in the Arab sector, including the most advanced and deadly explosives,” he said.
He described what he sees as a growing nationalist danger. “Among Israeli Arabs, there is a kind of dangerous terror army that, in one moment, shifts from criminal to nationalist and turns the events of October 7th into small change,” Smotrich warned.
Smotrich said the government has already poured extensive resources into combating crime and now expects results on the ground. “In recent years, we have invested billions to strengthen the police, gave them all the tools, and now it is their turn to collect illegal weapons, eliminate crime and delinquency, and restore security to Israeli citizens. In the Negev, the people of Israel will be tested. In Tirabin, the Israeli police will be tested,” he stated.
Earlier in the faction meeting, Smotrich focused on the diplomatic and military fronts ahead of Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s upcoming meeting with US President Donald Trump. He said the message Israel must deliver is uncompromising. “The message that needs to be heard there is clear and sharp – the State of Israel will not be able to move to the next stage, neither politically nor security-wise, as long as the body of Ran Givli (may his memory be a blessing) has not been returned to the land of Israel, and as long as the terrorist organization Hamas continues to exist, arm itself, and dream of our destruction. There is no and will be no reality where those who committed the most severe atrocities against the Jewish people since the Holocaust will remain standing. There will be no real ceasefire, and there will be no real security until Hamas is completely dismantled and loses its ability to threaten Israeli citizens.”
Directly addressing Netanyahu, Smotrich urged him not to waver. “We promised a complete victory and we must bring it. This victory is not only about securing our national security, but also about making a statement that will resonate for many years to come: that the Jewish people are not to be messed with, and anyone who thinks about harming us will be destroyed. Mr. Prime Minister, all of Israel stands behind you. Stand firm. Our prayer to the Almighty that Your will succeeds.”
{Matzav.com}
