HEADLINES Kissufim rebuilds aims ten new families yearly West Bank bomb found under army vehicle International stabilizing force for Gaza by 2026 The time is now 7:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report. Good evening. Here is the latest reporting on events shaping the region and the broader security and diplomacy landscape involving Israel, the Palestinian territories, key allies, and adversaries. In Kissufim, the Gaza border kibbutz that endured massive destruction on October seventh, leaders are laying groundwork to double the community’s population. Kibbutz chairman Lior Carmel said the makeup skews older, with about four in ten residents over sixty, and the plan envisions around ten new members each year and the construction of roughly twenty five housing units over the next two to three years. The Tekuma Directorate will contribute fourteen million shekels toward the rehabilitation, with the kibbutz adding six million of its own. Public and residential structures are being rebuilt; nearly all of the damaged housing and public buildings have been evaluated, with twenty eight demolished and nine more slated for removal as work continues. The dairy has been rebuilt and renamed in memory of a fallen manager, and twenty new residential units for those returning from temporary housing will begin soon. The government has budgeted substantial sums for upgrading infrastructure, and a portion of funds will cover services such as education and health. Yet officials stress that the emotional and social recovery is at least as pressing as the physical rebuild. Community leaders say a sense of trust must be rebuilt, including among residents who work with Arab laborers, and they underscore the importance of a transparent public inquiry into what happened, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has resisted a full state inquiry, saying any commission should command broad public support. There is already movement to reopen community spaces and bring families back home, with a new kindergarten opening and a path to normal life slowly taking shape. In the West Bank, investigators are examining a bomb found under an Israeli army vehicle during maintenance in a village near Tulkarm. The device is tied to a broader inquiry into a terror cell linked to an officer’s injury, and the discovery led forces to a rocket cache hidden near the suspect’s home, only meters from Israeli towns. The find is being treated as a significant indicator that militants in the area are attempting to organize more sophisticated attack capabilities as security operations continue in the region. Turning to Gaza and the broader security framework, US officials say talks remain ongoing about moving to the next phase of a complex arrangement intended to stabilize the area after a long conflict. A US position has been that an international stabilizing force will not operate in areas controlled by Hamas, and that broader security arrangements will rely on contributions from several states, including Arab partners, toward a Palestinian police presence in Gaza. Officials and analysts expect the initial deployment of an international stabilizing presence to occur in early 2026, with careful coordination to avoid destabilizing the region further. The discussions also involve preparations for humanitarian and civilian governance structures that would accompany security measures, while Washington stresses the ongoing obligation to pursue a sustainable end to hostilities and the protection of civilians. In Washington and Jerusalem, overtures related to defense and diplomacy continue to intersect with domestic political calculations. Talks between the United States and Turkey over the future of the F‑sixteen fighter program and the country’s relationship to the Russian S‑four hundred air defense system are described by US and Turkish officials as promising but sensitive. Turkey remains barred from purchasing the F‑35 jets while the S‑four hundred is in use, with US law requiring Turkey to forgo the system to rejoin the F‑35 program. The tone around the discussions is described as constructive, reflecting a broader effort to manage shared security concerns in a volatile region. In parallel, a high profile political initiative in Washington and Jerusalem aims to recognize a former US president for his role in promoting peace efforts. Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and US House Majority Leader Mike Johnson announced a joint push to urge global counterparts to nominate Donald Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize, citing the Abraham Accords and other diplomacy milestones as part of their case. The announcement follows the choice of a Venezuelan opposition leader as this year’s laureate, a decision that drew mixed reactions from observers and some policymakers who weighed Trump’s broader legacy in the context of the Gaza war. Also moving on the diplomatic front, Israeli authorities say they have lost contact with an Israeli yach
