Category: Articles

Twenty years after Homesh was evacuated under Israel’s disengagement plan, it is now thriving again. The return has been seamless. While the access road remains unstable, the transformation on the ground is unmistakable.

AFSI Chizuk missions have visited over time and we marvel at the progress the determined residents have made.

The yeshiva, established a few years ago, is growing; families with children stroll along trails, and there’s even a playground. Residents already anticipate sovereignty being declared.

“Just months after the expulsion, people were already trying to come back inside,” recalls Rabbi Menachem Ben Shachar of the Homesh Yeshiva. For him, today’s Homesh is nothing short of a miracle. “It’s astonishing. I always believed we’d return, but not this fast,” the rabbi said.

The current political earthquake in Israel—among the most significant national crises ever—has accelerated broader messaging from Western nations regarding sovereignty over the Judea and Samaria and the potential annexation of Gaza. Many residents believe Israel is very close to applying sovereignty to those areas. “It’s one Netanyahu decision away,” says Shomron Regional Council head Yossi Dagan.

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‘I thought, “To hell with it, why abandon this?”‘: Eyeing rebuilding Homesh, 20 years after disengagement, by Elisha Ben Kimon/Ynetnews, August 4, 2025

Twenty years after they were forcibly evacuated, families from the expelled residents of Sa-Nur and young couples have coalesced as a nucleus preparing for return and rebuilding the community. The founding meeting took place in the office of Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, himself a former Sa-Nur resident and member of the nucleus.

Dagan said at the meeting, “We are beginning a historic step today, the first session of the founding nucleus of the renewed Sa-Nur settlement. The Government of Israel made a strategic and historic decision to return Jewish settlement to Sa-Nur in an official, state-sponsored, and complete manner. This step is not only a correction for the expelled families or for this nucleus of families, it is a national correction,” Dagan added.

MK Bezalel Smotrich, who led the government decision, blessed the move and said, “Historic correction, the return to Sa-Nur – Zionism at its best.”

What was wrongfully ripped away from Sar-Nur residents can never be returned in its original form. However, the fact that this historic decision has been made is a testament to the determination and guiding principles of Zionism. While this is a major step forward, the challenge of applying full sovereignty in Judea and Samaria remains on the “to do” list.

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‘Historic correction’: 20 years after evacuation, Sa-Nur settlement to return, by Hanan Greenwood/Israel Hayom, August 4, 2025

Twenty years after being evicted from her home in Netzer Hazani, one of the Jewish communities of Gush Katif, Anita Tucker tells Arutz Sheva-Israel National News that the pain has never left—and neither has the dream of returning to rebuild Jewish life in Gaza.

Tucker rejects the claim that Gush Katif residents would have suffered the brunt of the October 7th massacre had they still lived in Gaza. “That’s simply not true. We were the ones protecting the country. We were strong, we had serious-minded emergency response teams, and the Arabs respected us. Once they sensed weakness, they trampled over us.”

As far as Tucker’s concerned, she’s ready to return to Gush Katif tomorrow. She says, the residents are ready “not only to rebuild Gush Katif, but the entire Gaza Strip—with many Jews living there. We’re going back because that’s the only way to be strong.”

WATCH: She Was Kicked Out Of Gaza For Being Jewish, Now She’s Planning Something HUGE! An interview with Josh Hasten and Anita Tucker on JNS TV

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‘We’re going back’: Gush Katif evictee dreams of Jewish return to Gaza, by Hezki Baruch/Israel National News, August 3, 2025

An IDF combat soldier serving in one of the fighting companies in the Gaza Strip sent a message this week to his battalion commander, presenting a concerning picture from the field and harshly criticizing the current security policy in the sector.

“In the past week, events in our sector have been escalating daily,” the soldier wrote on the platoon’s group chat, “A line — which served as the close security perimeter and a clear principle set by the brigade commander — was breached. Every day this past week, hundreds of terrorists — or more — crossed it.”

He also pointed to potential intelligence failures: “How is it that there’s no concrete warning leading to decisive action? We’re working non-stop with observation posts and drones — and they’re doing a good job. But everyone knows it’s not airtight. It’s a well-known rule — the defensive line will always be breached.”

Time and again we hear about the defensive line or a border security fence being breached. In the aftermath of October 7 – now approaching the 2-year mark this October 2025 – why is this still not being addressed? Israel cannot afford one crack in its security arsenal and must do everything in its power now to address and fully secure all security loopholes.

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Soldier’s warning: ‘Security perimeter breached — hundreds of terrorists crossed it’, by Israel National News, August 1, 2025

Israel has sent a threatening message to Hamas: If you do not agree to a hostage deal in the next few days, we will begin punitive measures.

Kan News quoted a senior Israeli official who said that one of the measures being considered is the annexation of the buffer zone created by the IDF in the perimeter of the Gaza Strip. According to the report, the Israelis sent a message on the matter to the mediators.

After completing Operation Gideon’s Chariots without reaching a breakthrough on the hostages, the defense establishment is considering several alternatives, including the annexation of territory, enacting martial law, and imposing a “siege” on population centers in the Gaza Strip.

Various media also report that the Trump administration has agreed to these plans. There has been no comment from The White House.

A breakthrough in hostage negotiations seems unlikely as does Hamas laying down its arms. Should Israel proceed with “punitive measures,” that means the only path forward is for Israel to declare sovereignty – NOW!

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Israel’s message to Hamas: Make a deal soon, or we will start annexing territory in Gaza, by Israel National News, July 30, 2025

On July 29, 2025, Arutz 7 reported “…Dozens of Border Police officers and Civil Administration inspectors, along with heavy machinery, descended on six “settlement” outposts in Gush Etzion simultaneously on Tuesday and demolished them…

On November 28, 2021, Arutz 7 reported ” On Sunday, members of the Eretz Israel caucus in the Knesset toured Mount Hebron, beginning in the community of Adora, where they were shown an extreme example of Palestinians executing a land-grab actually within the settlement…

These are just a few examples that Ezequiel Doiny cites in his Jewish Voice article. The violations of Israeli residents’ legal rights to the land and Israel’s right to sovereignty are what he calls “treason” in the article’s title. Doiny concludes, “The Knesset must impose a deadline for Sovereignty. The Palestinians are building facts on the ground. Wait until when?” We couldn’t agree more.

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Treason: The Israeli Government is Surrendering Land in Judea and Samaria, by Ezequiel Doiny/The Jewish Voice, July 30, 2025

In an interview at Arutz Sheva’s broadcast booth during the Katif Conference, marking 20 years since the Disengagement and expulsion from Gush Katif and northern Samaria, Minister and former Ambassador Gilad Erdan—one of the leading “rebels” against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s plan—reflected on the lessons learned from the expulsion, the current war, and his political future.

Erdan admitted that in hindsight the efforts by himself and fellow party members failed. The Likud was unable to stop the expulsion of Gush Katif residents, resulting in both security and ideological damage to the State of Israel. Nevertheless, Erdan emphasized that on a personal level, he acted with moral and ethical integrity, doing everything he could to halt the process.

Regarding the possibility of renewing Jewish settlement in Gaza, Erdan said he would welcome such a development both as a personal closure and as a powerful message to the world. In his view, reclaiming territory is part of the deterrence required to demonstrate that those who massacre Jews will ultimately face catastrophe.

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Gilad Erdan: The massacre was borne out of the Disengagement, by Yoni Kempinski/Israel National News, July 29, 2025

Defense Minister Israel Katz has warned Hamas that it should release the hostages it kidnapped during the October 7 massacre – or suffer the consequences.

Speaking at a ceremony in Holon marking the demolition of buildings damaged by an Iranian missile, Katz stated, “I say as clearly as possible, and I mean every single word. If Hamas does not release the hostages, the gates of hell will open on Gaza.”

He stressed, “Beyond what we are already doing with great force, we will do much more. We will protect the hostages and strike everything connected to Hamas until they are released. We will do whatever it takes.”

President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are reported to be considering intensifying military operations, potentially encircling Gaza City or fully occupying the Strip. The goal of eliminating Hamas and returning the hostages remains as they go back to the drawing board to come up with new ways to secure their release. The second anniversary of October 7 is a little less than two months away. Unless a serious military move is made by Israel the job will not be finished.

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Defense Min.: ‘If Hamas doesn’t release hostages, gates of hell will open on Gaza’, by Israel National News, July 28, 2025

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee criticized those who sought to pressure Israel into allowing the UN to resume its role in the distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza following the publication of videos showing aid trucks brought in under the UN’s methods being violently looted.

Huckabee wrote on X in response to one such video: “Is the UN, NY Times, and Hamas all happy now? I’m sure Hamas is. Their lies & propaganda destroyed cease-fire deal, tried to discredit safe and functioning GHF effort, emboldened Hamas & will result in this complete balagan! Most sad for hostage families-grief prolonged.”

“Let’s be clear: It is the terrorists of Hamas – hijacking aid and refusing to agree to a hostage release and ceasefire – who are kidnapping the civilian Gaza population and subjecting them to their tragic suffering,” said Israeli President Isaac Herzog after a visit to Gaza. However, the anti-Israel propaganda continues unabated.

The IDF Sunday morning implemented a temporary humanitarian pause in several areas of the Gaza Strip, including the north, to facilitate the delivery of aid.

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Huckabee: ‘Are NYT, UN happy now? Hamas is’, by Israel National News, July 27, 2025

The Israeli government began distributing millions of shekels worth of security equipment to various communities across Judea and Samaria today. The move follows repeated requests from residents for stronger local defense measures.

However, the decision has drawn criticism from members of the Hilltop Youth, who accuse the government of discriminatory practices. They point specifically to the Or Nachman homestead—where a shooting attack occurred just last Saturday, fortunately without casualties—which was reportedly left out of the distribution plan.

Residents of the outpost, which is home to several families and youths, say the area faces ongoing security threats and claim they were unfairly excluded from receiving aid.

There is no excuse for ignoring security for the Hilltop communities. Let us know what the reason is. We can’t find one.

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Hilltop Youth communities demand additional security, by Dvir Amar/Israel National News, July 27, 2025