Security and political developments dominate this morning's briefing, with a new IDF-proposed framework for Gaza reconstruction drawing comparisons to the southern Lebanon model. Meanwhile, questions over Netanyahu's engagement with the October 7 failure inquiries have resurfaced, and reports from southern Syria highlight the deepening relationship between Israel and Druze communities across the border.

Security

The IDF is reportedly examining a plan to introduce international forces into Gaza to clear terror infrastructure, modelled on the arrangement currently in place in southern Lebanon. According to the report, the initiative, coordinated with the United States, would begin in areas outside the so-called yellow line, meaning no actual withdrawal of Israeli troops from designated zones would be required in practice; the security cabinet is understood to have already approved a pilot scheme in Rafah roughly a month ago. Separately, Israeli security officials have moved to clear the strategic Alei Taher ridge despite Iranian warnings that a full-scale operation there would trigger a powerful response. Senior Israeli officials say they have no current intelligence pointing to an imminent Iranian move, despite Defence Minister Yisrael Katz's warning that Tehran favours striking around Jewish holidays; Netanyahu described regime change in Iran as within reach, while US envoy Steve Witkoff reiterated that no talks with Tehran are possible unless it halts its attacks. In the West Bank, a nearly four-week siege of the Abu Rida family home in the village of Kafr Qusra near Nablus, involving both settler extremists and Israeli troops, continues to draw international concern, with residents describing efforts to force them out through prolonged isolation.

Politics

Former senior security officials have expressed shock at Netanyahu's recent use of the term miscalculation to explain why he was not woken on the night before the October 7 attacks, arguing he has distorted its meaning; multiple officials note the Prime Minister used the concept extensively before the war and that the decision not to wake him was made legitimately by his own intelligence aide. A separate investigation suggests Netanyahu has never actually read the IDF's internal inquiries into the October 7 failures, three years on, despite repeated requests from the military to present them to him. On the electoral front, a new Ynet-Yedioth Ahronoth poll shows the religious-Zionist public, estimated at 12 to 13 seats, remains largely loyal to coalition parties despite criticism over Haredi draft exemptions, with Bezalel Smotrich drawing 30 percent support while Naftali Bennett trails at just 3 percent. Former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot's rising bloc has gained a new figure in ex-Yesh Atid MK Elazar Stern, who argues incitement against Yair Lapid does not stick to Eisenkot, while Miriam Peretz, who lost two sons in combat, gave a joint interview with her son Elisaf discussing loss, faith and the Haredi draft debate ahead of the coming campaign.

International

A feature from just across the Syrian border describes a building boom driven by tens of thousands of Druze residents seeking shelter amid instability, as Israel courts partners in the same areas where Iran is attempting to cultivate collaborators; one Druze resident from southern Syria says he cannot risk travelling to Damascus for fear of being killed if his Hebrew fluency is discovered. A separate analysis piece argues that while Donald Trump understands how to apply pressure on Iran, he lacks a clear strategy for what that pressure should ultimately achieve, questioning where the current tactical approach in Washington is meant to lead over the coming months.

Other Developments

A sharp social shift is under way in several mixed cities, with reports from Bnei Brak describing a transition from partial street closures to outright bans on secular residents in some neighbourhoods, including pashkevil notices declaring it forbidden to rent to non-religious tenants. In Safed, protesters from other cities have gathered against buses that do not even pass through the area, while similar tensions have reached the entrance to Jerusalem, reflecting a broader and increasingly contentious struggle over public space between religious and secular communities.

Sources: Ynet