Hamas

Spotlight on Iran and the Shiite Axis (August 27—September 3, 2025)

The Iranian president declared that the continuation of the war in the Gaza Strip and the 12-day war between Iran and Israel demonstrate the failure of the international community to ensure peace and security; The Houthis confirmed that the Prime Minister and at least nine of his ministers and other senior officials had been killed. They threatened a “painful” response against Israel.
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The Global Sumud (“Perseverance”) Flotilla in the Service of Hamas

The Global Sumud Flotilla set sail from Barcelona with the objective of “breaking the blockade on the Gaza Strip,” expected to be the largest since Israel imposed the naval blockade on the Gaza Strip in 2007. Among the participants are Hamas supporters who expressed support for the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack and massacre.
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Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (August 25– September 1, 2025)

IDF forces continued extensive aerial and ground attacks in the Gaza Strip, focusing on the eastern neighborhoods of Gaza City in preparation for the expected takeover of the city, and eliminated the spokesperson of the Hamas military wing and the head of ISIS's "Palestine" district. The bodies of two Israeli civilians kidnapped in the October 7, 2023 attack and massacre were recovered. An IDF soldier was killed in Khan Yunis; Hamas rejected the statement of American mediator Steve Witkoff that the movement was responsible for placing obstacles in the path of the negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of hostages, and claimed that Israel was ignoring the proposal and carrying out a "massacre" [sic] in Gaza; The IDF announced the creation of two new centers to facilitate the distribution of food to Gazans in the southern part of the Strip; Dozens of vessels with hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists set sail from Barcelona as part of an international flotilla intended to "lift the blockade" on the Gaza Strip; A senior Hamas figure rejected the American plan to evacuate Gazans and turn the Strip into an economic and tourist zone under American administration for ten years. Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas said he would agree to an Arab or international partnership for administering the Strip alongside the PA; The American administration announced that it would not issue entry visas to Mahmoud Abbas and senior PA and PLO figures ahead of the UN General Assembly session in September 2025.
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Is South Syria a Terrorist Threat to Israel? The Islamic Resistance Front in Syria, a Test Case

During the Syrian Civil War, which broke out in 2011, the area of south Syria became an arena for the activity of Salafi-jihadist terrorist organizations in addition to Hezbollah and the Iranian Qods Force, which sought to establish another front against Israel based on local operatives and Shi'ite militias; The fall of the Assad regime in December 2024 led to the removal of most of the Iranian-backed elements from the Syrian Golan area and to the takeover of south Syria by the rebel forces and the IDF, but new groups began to appear in the area seeking to attack IDF forces stationed in the Syrian Golan and to push them back beyond the border. As a result, the IDF increased its activity to find weapons in south Syria, carried out targeted killings and detained terrorist operatives in the area, some of them belonging to the Qods Force and Hamas; At the beginning of 2025, an organization calling itself the Islamic Resistance Front in Syria – Men of Heroism began publishing statements attacking the Israeli presence in Syrian territory and issuing claims of responsibility for military actions targeting IDF forces in south Syria. Despite doubts about its existence and actual support on the ground, the Resistance Front claimed it was organized and structured, cooperating and allied with other groups whose declared goal was to expel the "occupiers" from Syrian soil; The Resistance Front also claimed it did not depend on other organizations and was not subordinate to other states, but declared its affiliation with the "resistance axis" and complete support for Iran, Hezbollah and the Palestinian terrorist organizations; In ITIC assessment, the Resistance Front may be an attempt by Iran and Hezbollah to reactivate the network they constructed under the Assad regime to attack IDF forces operating in south Syria or inside Israel, and thereby provoke an Israeli military response against the security forces of the al-Shara regime, which would further destabilize Syria. However, despite its prominent presence on social media and the abundance of statements issued in its name, there is still no conclusive evidence that the Resistance Front in fact exists or that it possesses significant military capabilities. Its claims of cooperation and alliances with other organizations in Syria have also not yet materialized.
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Spotlight on Iran and the Shiite Axis (August 20-27, 2025)

Senior Iranian officials continued to threaten Israel against renewing the fighting with Iran; The secretary of the Supreme National Security Council rejected the claims that the “Resistance Front” is weakening and made it clear that Iran would continue its support for the “resistance” forces; The Iranian Supreme Leader said that Israel is “the most hated regime in the world” because of its “crimes” in the Gaza Strip. The Iranian foreign minister called for increased pressure on Israel over the continuation of the war in the Gaza Strip.; Senior Iranian officials reiterated their opposition to disarming Hezbollah and the Iraqi Shiite militias. The militias in Iraq made it clear to the government that they have no intention of giving up their weapons; The Houthis fired a missile with a cluster warhead at Israel for the first time. The IDF admitted that the interception attempts had failed. No casualties were reported. In response, the IDF attacked Houthi targets in Sana’a. The Houthis reported ten fatalities and made it clear that they would not stop the attacks “in support” of the Palestinians. Iran and the “Axis of Resistance” condemned the IDF attacks and praised the Houthis’ activity against Israel. 
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Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (August 19– 26, 2025)

IDF forces continued extensive aerial and ground attacks in the Gaza Strip, focusing on the outskirts of Gaza City in preparation for taking control of it. IDF fighters prevented Hamas terrorist operatives from attacking a military post in the southern Gaza Strip and kidnapping an IDF soldier. An IDF officer was killed in Khan Yunis; Ahead of evacuating Gaza City in preparation for taking control, the IDF began talks with medical officials and international organizations in the northern Gaza Strip. Hamas called on Gazans to disobey the evacuation orders, and hospital directors claimed staff and patients would not leave for the south of the Strip; Hamas accused Israel of stalling over the updated 60-day ceasefire proposal and claimed that "under certain conditions" they were prepared to negotiate for a comprehensive deal; Hamas continued to promote its "hunger" propaganda, based on a UN report claiming there was "famine" in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Israel and the international community continued to increase the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip by land and air; An Israeli civilian was superficially wounded in a shooting attack north of Jerusalem, and an attack was prevented at a checkpoint in Hebron. Israeli security forces continued extensive counterterrorism activities in Judea and Samaria; The Palestinian Authority added the names of 11 Israeli settlers and four organizations to its "terrorist list."
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