Israel-Hamas War day 275: What is going on in Gaza, Lebanon?

The Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist group said on Sunday it launched a drone attack on Mount Hermon in Israel's Golan Heights where there is a key surveillance center.

It said this was its first such bombing since it began trading fire with Israel on October 8.

Finalizing the technical details of a hostage deal could take several weeks and there are many complex details to be worked out, sources close to the negotiations told The Jerusalem Post.

The "red lines" set by the Prime Minister's Office on a possible hostage deal met responses and criticisms, with an unnamed security official noting that if this conduct ensues, "the hostages will not return."

PM Netanyahu announced Israel's conditions for a ceasefire deal ahead of resumed talks in Qatar later in the week, claiming they will allow Israel to return the hostages without infringing on other objectives of the war.

Newly elected Prime Minister Kier Starmer put the Gaza war and a two-state solution high on his foreign policy agenda, with calls to both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) announced Sunday its firm opposition against any attempts to stop IDF operations in Rafah, which they claim brought Hamas to the negotiating table.

There are a number of key takeaways from the complex case in which an ex-DF soldier named Saar Ophir was wrongly accused of murdering a Gazan "Nukhba" attacker on the field of battle on October 7.

However, the lessons are not necessarily what most might think.

For example, it still appears likely that some Israeli beat a neutralized and surrendered Palestinian to death.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke to IDF soldiers during an operational assessment at the summit of Mount Hermon in northern Israel, Israeli media reported Sunday.

While speaking to soldiers, Gallant stated, "We are in critical days for exercising our power against an enemy who only understands this way. Even if we reach a deal in the South, we will continue to fight until we bring Hezbollah to a settlement and restore security to residents of the north."

In attendance were commander of the 210th Division, Brig.-Gen. Yair Palai, deputy commander of the 188th Brigade, Lt.-Col. Oded Adani, as well as battalion commanders operating in the areas of the Hermon and Mount Dov. 

Israel's government on Sunday announced that it will extend benefits for evacuees from towns near the northern and southern borders until August 31. The decision applies to residents of southern communities located within seven kilometers of the Gaza Strip border, and residents of northern communities located within five kilometers of the Lebanese border.

In a statement, the government clarified that the Tourism Ministry will continue to be responsible for contacts with the absorption facilities. The government also extended independent housing stipends for evacuees, and said that it is "evaluating" a measure to extend unemployment compensation and unpaid leave to a range of up to nine kilometers from the border, instead of the current 3.5 kilometers.

In order to finance the benefits, the government announced a sweeping 1.03% budget cut to all ministries, as well as NIS 525 million cut to funds allocated to a new labor agreement for high-school teachers that has yet to be signed.

In an interview on Channel 12, former hostage Tami Metzger told Ofira Asayag and Haim Levinson, "When I got out of there [captivity], I said that the first thing I could do is shoot him in the forehead," Metzger said, hinting to Prime Minister Netanyahu. "I'm not ashamed to say it," she added.

After Asayag pressed her and asked, "Who would you shoot in the forehead?" Metzger responded with a suggestive look, "Who?" Levinson distanced himself from Metzger's statement, and said, "We do not agree with such a statement."

תמי מצגר ''כשיצאתי משם הדבר הראשון שאני יכולה לעשות זה לירות לו במצח''….
יש לי תחושה שלוינסון ואופירה ידעו שהיא תגיד את הדברים, לכאורה כמובן..

אין לה חסינות מאמירות מסיתות אבל מצד שני תסמונת שטוקהולם וכו׳. pic.twitter.com/hVF1hccMkt

— kitzz (@kitzz_rotter) July 7, 2024

This isn't the first time that Metzger has criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.