Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-07-24 at 04:02

HEADLINES
Israel vows crushing blow to Iran
West Bank attack leaves Israelis dead, wounded
Iran widens strikes on Gulf states

The time is now 4:01 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

In Direct Israel-Iran Clashes, Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that Iran would suffer a crushing blow if it attacks the Jewish state in response to ongoing US military strikes.

In Regional Impacts, the Israeli military said it killed the terrorist who attacked a group of Israelis near Gilad Farm in the northern West Bank, with the attacker’s gun reportedly recovered after it had been stolen from Gilad Farm’s emergency response squad’s commander; at least one Israeli was killed and several others were wounded in the incident, and IDF forces have been carrying out roadblocks and searches in the area. In Ashkelon, Shin Bet joined Israel Police in the search for four-year-old Yuval Kogan, who was last seen on Hofit Beach; hundreds of officers, volunteers, and rescue personnel are conducting a wide-ranging search by air, sea, and land, with authorities expressing concern and thanks for public help as the family appeals for sightings. In Bahrain, sirens sounded as Iran completed a second week of strikes against Gulf states, with Iran claiming attacks on Kuwait and US military infrastructure in Jordan; reports say drones targeted facilities at the US Sheikh Issa base in Bahrain and at US facilities in Jordan, while a drone crash near Erbil prompted flight suspensions and no injuries were immediately reported. Earlier, near Havat Gilad in Samaria, a terrorist shooting left one Israeli dead and two others wounded as a group of hikers was approached by Palestinians.

In US Policy Concerning Israel, Malaysia’s ambassador to the United States was summoned by the US State Department to clarify Kuala Lumpur’s position on Israel, with Malaysia’s foreign minister reiterating that the country’s longstanding policy of not recognizing Israel remains unchanged; he noted that Malaysia’s immigration policy does not recognize the State of Israel, and referenced an incident involving a dual US-Israel citizen that led to a request to leave the country.

In Israeli Domestic Politics, after a third attack in 24 hours, leaders urged the IDF to respond to the West Bank terror with an iron fist, saying the threat remains real and that deterrence must be restored; voices including Samaria Regional Council Head Yossi Dagan, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and former prime minister Naftali Bennett stressed a forceful response and unwavering support for the settlers and the farms. A new Maariv poll also shows Netanyahu’s Likud at 20 seats, its lowest since June 2025, while Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar reaches a record 23 seats, widening its lead; Bennett’s Together stands at 17, Yisrael Beytenu at 10, Democrats at 11, Otzma Yehudit at 8, and Shas and United Torah Judaism at 8 each, leaving the opposition bloc with a narrow majority even as the coalition holds 49 seats; Yesodot Israel failed to cross the electoral threshold, and Balad remained below it.

In Uplifting News, the oldest surviving copy of Homer’s Odyssey in book form joined Christopher Nolan’s film press tour, dating to the third century BCE in Egypt and printed as a codex with folded parchment pages; the Manchester Odyssey, housed at The John Rylands Library, preserves fragments from Books 12-15 and 18-24, offering a window into Odysseus’s journey and the manuscript’s ancient readership.

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://t.me/ILtoday/19619
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-903540
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-903535
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-903537
https://t.me/ILtoday/19618
https://www.jpost.com/international/article-903536
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-903545
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-903539
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-903179