HEADLINESDeclassified Hamas Docs Reveal NGO GuarantorsRafah Crossing Planned for Vital Medical CareHamas to Hand Over Hostage BodyThe time is now 9:01 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.Today, 9:00 a.m. local time, here is your international briefing on the Middle East, with emphasis on Israeli perspectives and United States policy considerations alongside regional voices.Declassified Hamas documents indicate the group systematically surveilled and directed international aid work inside Gaza by designating local “guarantors” who operated inside the NGOs. A NGO Monitor report, based on Hamas interior ministry materials dating from 2018 to 2022, shows the guarantors were tasked with coordinating with the group, maintaining lists of aid beneficiaries, and ensuring aid operations aligned with Hamas security objectives. The documents describe extensive data gathering on guarantors and their networks, including personal details, finances, family connections, education, and social media. NGOs named in the report, such as CIVITAS, International Medical Corps, MAP-UK, and Human Appeal, denied dealing with Hamas in the manner alleged, while Mercy Corps acknowledged incidents but rejected the portrayal. The materials also suggest some aid work was conditioned by Hamas approval and that the organization viewed certain foreign group activities as security risks. The report underscores how aid channels in Gaza have operated within an environment of coercion and surveillance, with implications for aid distribution and for Western donors, which have funded many of these groups through international channels.On the humanitarian front, Israel signaled it would open the Rafah crossing in the coming days to allow authorized Gazans to exit for medical treatment in Egypt, a step aligned with prior ceasefire arrangements and overseen by an international mechanism including EU supervision. Cairo, however, denied coordinating with Jerusalem on the opening, highlighting sensitivities around military and diplomatic trust. The plan envisages permitting movement through Rafah while requiring Egyptian consent and Israeli security clearance. More than 16,500 Gaza residents are said to require medical care outside the enclave, and the crossing has been a focal point of discussion since the truce began, with the cross-border flow and return arrangements remaining tightly controlled.In a related development, Hamas said it would hand over a hostage body in Gaza on Wednesday, a move that would advance the first phase of former US policy aims to end the conflict, including the phased reopening of Rafah for medical and limited travel. Israel said recent findings released from Gaza were not linked to any specific hostage cases and reaffirmed the need for Hamas to return all hostages still in Gaza while continuing to monitor the situation closely. The hostage issue remains a core hinge of the ceasefire framework, and the exchange process has proceeded in stages through Red Cross mediation and previous prisoner deals. The broader context is that, since the truce began, Hamas has returned living hostages and a substantial number of hostage remains, with a number still outstanding and subject to verification.Turning to regional diplomacy, expanded talks between Israel and Lebanon continued under a US-sponsored mechanism designed to monitor the ceasefire and move toward broader engagement. For the first time in decades, civilian representatives from both sides joined the talks, held at the United Nations peacekeeping headquarters near the Blue Line, with US envoy Morgan Ortagus in attendance. Lebanon appointed a civilian delegate, Simon Karam, while Israel agreed to include a non-military representative. The discussions aim to broaden the agenda beyond ceasefire enforcement to potential economic ties and political coordination, reflecting a cautious optimism but also continued concern about the resilience of the truce with Hezbollah and the risk of escalation. Israeli officials signaled that any progress toward normalizing ties with Lebanon would dovetail with broader regional stabilization goals and Iran’s influence in the area.In other regional signals, Turkey issued strong statements after former Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani visited a largely Kurdish area of Turkey with heavily armed guards. Ankara demanded explanations and launched an inquiry into images of security personnel, framing the visit within its ongoing diplomacy with Iraqi Kurdistan and its broader security concerns in the border region. The incident underscores how security display and protocol can affect cross-border diplomacy in a volatile neighborhood.In domestic Israel-related coverage, the Supreme Court continued to press the government for clarity on draft policy toward Arab citizens. While not changing immediate policy, the court demanded explanations about why universal conscription has not been extended to ...
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