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The Israeli Palestinian Conflict

Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (May 26-June 2, 2026)

IDF forces continued operating in the Yellow Line and other areas in the Strip to eliminate terrorists who posed a threat and destroy terrorist infrastructure. Hamas military wing commander Muhammad Odeh was killed in a targeted attack in Gaza two weeks after the elimination of his predecessor; A Hamas spokesman accused the Board of Peace and the American administration of helplessness vis-à-vis Israel and claimed that continuation of the strikes in the Gaza Strip and statements regarding the migration of the Strip's residents indicated an Israeli intention to abandon the ceasefire and promote the forced displacement of the Palestinians. Hamas leadership met with the head of Turkish intelligence ahead of another round of talks in Egypt; Hamas accused the EU of being biased in favor of Israel after sanctions were imposed on ten senior movement figures, headed by Khalil al-Hayya and Khaled Mash'al; Three Israelis were wounded in a vehicular attack in Gush Etzion, and an Israeli Arab teenager was detained on suspicion of murdering an Israeli couple for nationalist reasons; The families of Palestinian shaheeds, wounded and prisoners continued holding protests in front of the Palestinian Authority government building because of non-payment of allowances.
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Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (May 19-26, 2026)

IDF forces continued activity in the Yellow Line and other areas in the Gaza Strip, attacked weapons depots and eliminated terrorists who endangered the forces, including those involved in the October 7, 2023 attack and massacre. Hamas condemned the Israeli attacks on police forces, claiming they "violated" the ceasefire and were an attempt to create chaos; The representative of the Board of Peace, Nikolay Mladenov, warned that continued Israeli control over 60% of the Strip and the Hamas refusal to disarm would prevent the reconstruction of the Strip and the creation of a political horizon, and presented a 15-point framework for implementing the American peace plan. Hamas accused Mladenov of distorting the facts and continued opposing the demand for disarmament; Hundreds of activists from the Global Resilience Flotilla to the Gaza Strip were deported from Israel. Hamas condemned Israeli minister Ben-Gvir's visit to the detainees; Voters in the elections for the Hamas leadership cast blank ballots for the first time, apparently to protest the candidates or the intention to appoint a temporary head of the political bureau; The Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations withdrew his candidacy for the position of vice president of the General Assembly after pressure from the American administration.
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Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (May 12-19, 2026)

IDF forces continued operating within the Yellow Line and in other areas in the Gaza Strip, eliminating terrorists who posed a threat, including those involved in the October 7, 2023 attack and massacre. Izz al-Din al-Haddad, who headed the Hamas military wing and was one of the planners of the October 7 attack, was eliminated in a strike in Gaza City, and reportedly, military intelligence chief Muhammad Oudeh was appointed to replace him; The Board of Peace announced the ceasefire continued despite the "violations," and called Hamas' refusal to disarm the main obstacle to advancing the process and beginning reconstruction of the Strip. Hamas and the other Palestinian terrorist organizations refused to disarm on the grounds that Israel had not met its commitments to the first stage of the agreement and called for the resignation of Mladenov, representative of the Board of Peace; Despite the demand that Hamas transfer governance of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian technocrat committee, Hamas government ministries continue routine activity to ensure the movement's hold on the territories over which it has control; The Israeli Navy prevented the Global Resilience Flotilla from reaching the Gaza Strip and halted dozens of vessels which had departed from Turkey; Hamas announced that no candidate had won the first round of elections for the movement's leadership, and therefore another round would take place; UNRWA reportedly smuggled its archives from the Gaza Strip headquarters and east Jerusalem to Jordan; The eighth Fatah conference called for continuing "non-violent popular resistance" for the establishment of a Palestinian state which would include Judea and Samaria, the Gaza Strip and have east Jerusalem as its capital. Marwan al-Barghouti, who is serving life sentences in Israel for terrorist crimes, won the vote for the movement's central committee, and the son of the chairman of the Palestinian Authority was also elected. Palestinian elements called for closing ranks and formulating a unified Palestinian strategy to advance a broad political and popular struggle.
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Elimination of Izz al-Din al-Haddad, Head of Hamas’ Military Wing: Reactions and Significance

On May 15, 2026, the Israeli security forces eliminated Izz al-Din al-Haddad in a strike on an apartment in Gaza City. He was head of Hamas' military wing and one of the planners of the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack and massacre, and led Hamas' reconstruction after the ceasefire; Hamas confirmed al-Haddad's death, called him a "great commander" who had been involved in jihad for decades, culminating in the invasion of Israeli territory and the ensuing atrocities. Statements by the movement and its senior figures accused Israel of an assassination and a violation of the ceasefire agreement, claiming that the objective was to exert pressure on Hamas; Al-Haddad, who joined Hamas at the age of 17 with the establishment of the movement, rose through the ranks of the military wing and held a series of command positions. He was appointed commander of the Gaza Brigade in 2021 and commander of the military wing in May 2025; He played a significant role in preparing for the October 7 attack and massacre. In an order given before the beginning of the attack, discovered by IDF forces in the Gaza Strip, he said the primary objective was to take a large number of soldiers captive in the first moments and send them into the Gaza Strip. During the war, he kept Israeli hostages around himself as human shields; In Amit Institute assessment, the elimination of al-Haddad is a blow to Hamas' reconstruction efforts, its continued military buildup and the tightening of its governance in areas under its control in the Gaza Strip after the ceasefire, despite demands that it relinquishes power and disarm. Al-Haddad was one of the last military commanders of Hamas' first generation, and his elimination will require the military wing to adapt itself to younger commanders who will have to make critical decisions regarding the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades' future.
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Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (May 5 –12, 2026)

IDF forces continued operations within the Yellow Line in the Gaza Strip, destroying terrorist infrastructure and eliminating terrorists who posed a threat, including those involved in the October 7, 2023 attack and massacre. The son of the Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas' political bureau in the Gaza Strip, was killed in an attack in Gaza City; Hamas continued to accuse Israel of preventing the transition to the second stage of the ceasefire agreement while refusing to comply with the demand to disarm. Hamas downplayed the importance of Israeli threats to renew the fighting, but said the Palestinians would "defend themselves" if attacked; Reportedly, 5,000 Palestinian policemen will undergo Israeli security screening and deploy under the supervision of the committee for managing the Gaza Strip; There has reportedly been a sharp decline in the flow of international aid to the Gaza Strip since the halt of the war against Iran; Hamas continued strengthening its civilian rule in the Strip, with increased "security" activity against "collaborators" and militias supported by Israel; According to reports, another international flotilla which was supposed to leave Turkey for the Gaza Strip was postponed after a request from the United States because of concern over a violent confrontation; Hamas is preparing to select the new head of the political bureau in a contest between Khalil al-Hayya and Khaled Mashal; The Israeli security forces continued counterterrorism activity in Judea and Samaria. A terrorist was shot and killed after shooting at the forces in the Qalandia refugee camp; there were no casualties; A court in Ramallah overturned the decision of the Palestinian minister of finance to stop payments to a Palestinian prisoner incarcerated in Israel.
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Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (April 28 – May 5, 2026)

IDF forces continued operating within the Yellow Line and eliminated terrorists who posed a threat, among them the head of the operations department in Hamas' military intelligence headquarters who helped orchestrate the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack and massacre; The mediators delivered to Israel and Hamas a 15-part document proposing a phased implementation of the second stage of the ceasefire agreement. It included disarming under the supervision of a national and international committee, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and the reconstruction of areas which had been disarmed. Hamas and the other Palestinian terrorist organizations demanded full implementation of the first stage by Israel and the dismantling of militias supported by Israel before moving to the second stage. Gazans called on Hamas to consider the proposal for disarmament lest the war be renewed; Hamas continued to claim damage to the public health system in the Gaza Strip, high levels of unemployment, poverty and almost complete dependence on humanitarian aid. A commander of an Israeli-supported militia claimed that they had taken control of 11% of the areas held by Hamas; The IDF halted more than 20 boats which participated in the Global Resilience Flotilla to the Gaza Strip, and two of the organizers were brought to Israel on suspicion of ties with Hamas. Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed it was "piracy on the high seas" targeting "solidarity activists."; Hamas renewed the election for a new head of the movement's political bureau in a race between Khalil al-Hayya and Khaled Mashaal; Israeli security forces continued counterterrorism activity in Judea and Samaria and located weapons, ready-to-use explosive devices and drones. Two soldiers were stabנed and wounded in the village of Silwad, one terrorist was killed.
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