Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-07-24 at 07:01

HEADLINES
US targets Hamas funding network, Brotherhood ties
Smotrich accelerates Shalem settlement post-attack
Hillel withdraws brief in Harvard antisemitism case

The time is now 7:01 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

In US Policy Concerning Israel, Washington imposed fresh sanctions targeting what it described as a transnational Hamas financing network, including Muslim Brotherhood affiliates and a Turkish trading company. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Mahmoud al-Abyari, a senior UK-based Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood official, along with three other individuals and three entities that provided material support to Hamas. OFAC said two of the entities are sham charities tied to the Muslim Brotherhood that funneled substantial funding to Hamas’s military wing, the Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades, and that the action exposes a multi-layered typology in which Muslim Brotherhood affiliates and Hamas-directed front organizations operate transnational fundraising channels, using charitable facades and underground banking networks to move and disguise funds across jurisdictions. Abyari, described as secretary-general of the Muslim Brotherhood General Secretariat, has a long history of senior leadership within the organization and supported fundraising for Filistin Vakfi and Hayat Yolu, which OFAC had already sanctioned. The action also targeted a Turkish trading company as part of the network.

In Israeli Domestic Politics, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich directed officials to accelerate the establishment of the planned Shalem settlement in Samaria after the stabbing and suspected arson attack near the Derech Avraham Farm, while he instructed the Civil Administration to map what he described as illegal Palestinian structures in the area and to advance enforcement and demolition proceedings to strengthen governance and security. The Shalem settlement, approved by the security cabinet, sits between Elon Moreh, Beit Furik and Beit Dajan near the farm, and the move is meant to shorten the timetable and begin preparing the infrastructure required to transform the outpost into a formally recognized community.

In Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Hate, Hillel International filed, then withdrew, an amicus brief supporting Harvard University in its ongoing legal battle with the Trump administration over campus antisemitism enforcement procedures. A representative said the original 22-page brief was filed without the internal review process. The withdrawal further complicated Jewish communal efforts to address campus antisemitism while highlighting concerns about government enforcement mechanisms. In its withdrawn brief, Hillel argued that Harvard has improved in its response to antisemitism and that the administration’s moves to defund Harvard “do not help Jewish students or improve the campus climate.” The Harvard brief in the case centers on federal efforts to cite antisemitism as grounds to freeze more than $2 billion in US health-related funds.

In Israeli Economy and Business, Google’s Gemini Startup Forum: Cybersecurity spotlighted 33 startups, with 11 founded in Israel or led by Israeli entrepreneurs. Eight startups were fully developed in Israel, and three are led by Israeli founders, underscoring Israel’s prominence in cybersecurity as part of a broader ecosystem where about a quarter of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange’s market capitalization is invested in cybersecurity. The participating companies will work with Google’s AI and cloud tools, including Google Cloud, Google DeepMind, and Wiz. Separately, Israeli cybersecurity firm Pentera announced a deal with Recorded Future to integrate their technologies, enabling Pentera to use Recorded Future’s threat intelligence to validate threats in real time through Continuous Threat Exposure Management, with a demonstration planned for Black Hat 2026 in Las Vegas. CEO Amitai Ratzon said the partnership connects threat intelligence and security validation to deliver measurable risk reduction, and the integrated system will be showcased on August 6.

In Uplifting News, Parashat Va'ethanan: The positive within the negative, the idea that the Ten Commandments are not an independent list of principles but the nucleus or genetic code of the Torah is explored. The narrative notes that the entire Torah was given to Moses at Sinai and that the Ten Commandments form the foundation from which all 613 commandments unfold, a perspective articulated by Rabbi Saadia Gaon and echoed by Rashi. The Sages taught that, during the Temple period, the kohanim recited the Ten Commandments daily in the Temple service, and discussions among the Sages centered on how the rest of the commandments fit within this core revelation.

Thank you for tuning in to this Israel Today: Ongoing War Report update.
I'm Noa Levi. Stay safe and informed.
Keep in mind that this AI-generated report may contain occasional inaccuracies, so consult multiple sources for a comprehensive view. Find the code and more details in the podcast description.

SOURCES
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-903557
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-903555
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-903554
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/article-903556
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/article-903551
https://www.jpost.com/judaism/torah-portion/article-903511