Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2025-11-17 at 16:09

HEADLINES Gaza border breaches as militants approach troops Germany to resume arms sales on ceasefire Emirates inks $38B Boeing 777-9 order The time is now 11:01 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report. At 11:00 in the morning, this is a snapshot of the Middle East in a moment of continuing tension and shifting politics. Two separate breaks of the Gaza Yellow Line were confirmed by the Israeli military today as Hamas-aligned militants crossed the border zone, with forces reporting the planting of suspicious objects near troops and in one case an armed approach toward soldiers. The IDF says it acted to neutralize the threats in both incidents, and there were no immediate reports of Israeli casualties in those exchanges. Along Israel’s border with Egypt, the IDF says it is fighting a sophisticated smuggling pipeline built around drone capabilities. In the past month the army has downed 130 drones and seized 84 weapons, including firearms such as machine guns and assault rifles, as smugglers push payloads toward Israel on the wing of drone technology. The smuggling operation is described as large and dynamic, with estimates suggesting hundreds of operators may be involved. To counter these threats, Israel has deployed electronic warfare, drones, and an Air Traffic Control approach to the Egypt border, while Defense Minister Israel Katz has declared a “war” on drone-smuggling and pushed for new security zones and legislative changes to close gaps in licensing and policing of drones. The Border is a moving target, and officials say new methods will continue to emerge from smugglers, who adapt quickly to security measures. In the Gaza Strip, the toll of war and the aftermath of years of fighting continue to be tallied. Palestinian health authorities say two people were killed by Israeli fire in separate incidents in the northern Gaza Strip. The Israeli military says one man crossed into an area of Gaza under Israeli control and planted suspicious devices near troops, while another approached forces in a different area and was killed as a threat. Israel notes that these incidents occur within the framework of a ceasefire arrangement that has largely held in recent months, even as the casualties mount on the Palestinian side. The Gaza health ministry places the death toll in the ceasefire period on the rise, while Israel updates its own counts for military fatalities on its side. On the broader diplomatic and strategic front, Germany announced it would resume a portion of arms sales to Israel, contingent on two conditions: the ceasefire holding and humanitarian aid flowing in a large-scale, well-coordinated fashion. Berlin will lift the suspension on November 24 and return to a case-by-case review of exports, maintaining a stance that supports Israel’s security needs while emphasizing the importance of a sustainable humanitarian arrangement on the ground. Berlin’s decision underscores the delicate balance Western states seek between security commitments and international humanitarian expectations, as Germany has been a staunch ally of Israel and a principal European arms supplier. In London, six anti-Israel activists faced trial in Bristol on charges connected to an August 2024 break-in at the Elbit Systems facility. The defendants—alleged members of a protest group that has faced legal sanctions—are accused of aggravated burglary, property damage, and violent disorder in an incident that drew protests and debate over the boundaries of political expression and defense industry security. On the security and strategic front beyond the immediate battlefield, an account from Reuters reports that a local Palestinian armed group leader was killed near Deir Al-Balah by what it described as an Israeli undercover operation. The Palestinian faction did not issue a direct threat of retaliation. The Reuters report adds to the long record of cross-border incidents that punctuate the ceasefire period, with the health ministries in Gaza noting continued casualties and Israeli reports of militant activity in Gaza. Turning to regional diplomacy and defense industrial news, the Dubai Airshow featured a notable arms development: Emirates Airlines placed an order for 65 Boeing 777-9 jets, a $38 billion commitment including engines, despite delivery delays to 2027. The move cements Emirates’ dependence on wide-body intercontinental capacity and signals continued faith in Boeing’s technology, even as the global aviation market experiences shifts in supply chains and demand. Emirates also announced that it would begin rolling out in-flight Wi-Fi via Starlink, aligning with broader moves toward connected air travel. In the realm of science and health, Israeli researchers have announced a breakthrough in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, research. A team led by Tel Aviv University and collaborating institutions identified a microRNA—microRNA-126—that is produced by muscle cells and transmit