DAY 642 OF THE WAR: Soldier Killed in Gaza, Amid Fierce Fighting; Fate of Ceasefire Talks Uncertain After Two Netanyahu–Trump Meetings; Houthis Sink Ships in Red Sea

Tel Aviv Diary, July 9, 2025

IN GAZA

In response to Monday night’s deadly ambush, which claimed the lives of five soldiers, the IDF has escalated its operations in Gaza—focusing specifically on Beit Hanoun, the site of the attack. It’s hard to grasp that after four major offensives in Beit Hanoun, the Army is once again compelled to launch a large-scale assault on the very same ground

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Tonight, the IDF announced that a soldier was killed earlier today in southern Gaza. Here’s the tatement. released by the Army Spokesman’s office:

Earlier today (Wednesday), an IDF soldier was killed in the Gaza Strip. His family has been notified. His name has not yet been authorized for publication and will be released at a later time.

According to a preliminary investigation, during an IDF operation in Khan Younis, terrorists emerged from underground and attacked an Israeli force. During the attack, the assailants attempted to abduct a soldier serving as an excavator operator. The soldier resisted, and the terrorists shot and killed him. Security forces in the area opened fire on the attackers, hit several of them, and thwarted the attempted abduction.

The details of the incident are under investigation.

It was a strange day in Washington—unusually quiet, not only devoid of official statements but also lacking even a single credible rumor about what had taken place in the White House. Last night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met privately with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office for an hour and a half. The only other person present was Vice President Vance. No staff, no aides, no advisors—no one else. As a result, there have been no leaks.

In a city where details usually leak within minutes, the silence has been striking. Even President Trump, typically eager to broadcast the substance of his meetings, has offered nothing. The secrecy has fueled speculation: either the conversation was highly productive, and the content is being held back for strategic reasons—or it went poorly, and both sides are choosing to keep it under wraps. We simply don’t know.

What we do know is that it’s now Wednesday evening here in Israel. Just a few days ago, on Saturday night, standing among the thousands gathered at Hostage Square, there was a feeling—a glimmer of hope— that perhaps, just perhaps, this would be the last time we’d have to assemble. We didn’t fully believe it, but nevertheless, the possibility lingered. And surely, we told ourselves, by next Saturday, some more of the hostages would be home.

That hope now feels increasingly remote.

There’s talk of another possible meeting between Netanyahu and Trump. No one knows what to make of it. The uncertainty is wearing on the entire country. It’s driving most Israelis crazy—but it’s nothing compared to what the hostage families are enduring. The emotional whiplash is relentless. One moment offers the promise of progress; the next, a return to silence and standstill. For families waiting on word of their loved ones—sons, husbands—the agony is unimaginable.

It’s not even clear how long Prime Minister Netanyahu intends to remain in Washington. Officially, he’s slated to return tomorrow—but as is often the case on his foreign trips, he’s widely expected to extend his stay through Shabbat. And this time, few in Israel would fault him for doing so—at least not if he comes back with some kind of agreement in hand.

For now, there’s little sign that a deal is imminent. Steve Witkoff’s planned trip to Doha has been postponed until the weekend—a delay that strongly suggests negotiations are still in flux. Still, the hope remains that something may yet materialize.

At the same time, there’s talk of a broader “grand bargain” in the works—one that could include the establishment of new diplomatic ties with additional countries. It sounds ambitious, and while it may be possible, the details remain elusive.

One reported sticking point is a dispute over whether Israel will agree to withdraw from the so-called “Morag corridor”—a strip of land separating Khan Younis from the Mawasi area. This is a relatively new zone under Israeli control, and to many here, it’s unclear why this particular area has suddenly taken on such outsized importance in the negotiations.

This evening President Trump said:

We're talking about Gaza for the most part. I think we have a chance this week or next week. Not definitely. There's nothing definite about war and Gaza and all of the other places that we all deal with so much. But there's a very good chance that we'll have a settlement, an agreement of some kind this week and maybe next week if not.

It’s worth noting that by this evening, reports began circulating in Israel suggesting that significant progress had been made in the Doha negotiations—apparently due to increased Israeli flexibility.

As little as we know about the contours of a potential ceasefire with Hamas, we know even less about American strategy on Iran—what the red lines are, and how the U.S. intends to respond if Tehran refuses to cooperate.

In an interview with Fox News today, Netanyahu acknowledged that Israel had not destroyed Iran’s stockpiles of enriched uranium. That, he said, was never the objective. The goal now, according to Netanyahu, is to place the uranium under international supervision.

It’s a noticeable shift in tone from the immediate aftermath of the Israeli strike, when official rhetoric hinted at a more decisive outcome. What’s now clear is that while Israel inflicted serious damage on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, the heart of the issue remains unresolved.

Meanwhile, an unsubstantiated rumor began to circulate—picked up even by Reuters—suggesting that Israel is preparing another imminent attack on Iran. That seems highly unlikely—especially before Trump has had another chance to pursue diplomatic means.

The reality is, Israel isn’t ready for a follow-up operation. Yes, the aircraft and munitions are in place—but we’re not yet positioned to absorb the kind of missile retaliation such a strike would almost certainly provoke. It could be done, but the public would feel far more secure if there were time to replenish our stockpiles and reinforce our defense arsenals.

It’s unclear how quickly Israel Aerospace Industries can ramp up production of additional Arrow 3 interceptors—and complete development of the Arrow 5, which represents a new generation of missile defense. This next-generation system promises significantly enhanced capabilities.

Then there’s the emerging laser defense technology, already showing effectiveness against smaller, short-range threats. While it hasn’t yet been tested against ballistic missiles, there’s growing optimism that it could soon be scaled to meet that challenge.

HOUTHIS

Over the past two days, the Houthis have launched attacks on two merchant vessels in the Red Sea—both of which were ultimately sunk. They claimed the ships were bound for Israel, a statement that is demonstrably false.

A NEW BEGINNING, AGAINST ALL ODDS

A rare piece of good news today: Former hostages Sasha Troufanov and Sapir Cohen became engaged to be married. The two were a couple before October 7th—and now, despite everything, they’re beginning again

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TWO POSTS WORTH READING

These two related posts, circulating today, are especially worth reading.

The first, written by Gershon Baskin—who has previously negotiated directly with Hamas—includes a pointed message to the so-called “Free Palestine Camp,” and is available at the following link:

https://substack.com/inbox/post/167882311?utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true

The second piece was posted by the Palestinian-American writer, analyst, peace advocate, Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib:

We got 5 Israeli soldiers! Since Hamas's ambush against Israeli soldiers in northern Gaza yesterday that killed 5 troops, Aljazeera and "pro-resistance" Arab media have been repeating this news hundreds of times daily; even as 100+ Palestinians have been killed by Israeli bombardment since, a fact that barely got any mention.

Tragically, the “resistance” fraud has cheapened Palestinian lives, making hundreds of “sacrifices” worth the life of a single Israeli soldier. Indeed, the idea of a single Israeli hostage being traded for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners should give pause to those who proclaim to care about Palestinian lives. Think of the Shalit deal: 1 Israeli for almost 1,100 Palestinians – is that victory for Hamas and terrorism, or a demonstration of how much Israel actually valued the lives of its people?