Netanyahu Says Israel 'Striking Enemies' as Attack Expected

Israel's incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (EPA)
Israel's incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (EPA)
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Netanyahu Says Israel 'Striking Enemies' as Attack Expected

Israel's incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (EPA)
Israel's incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (EPA)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was hitting its enemies and "continuing forward to victory" on Wednesday as the country braced for an expected attack by Iran and its proxies.

Israel was "determined to defend" itself following threats of retaliation after its killing of a top Hezbollah commander and following the death of Hamas's former chief Ismail Haniyeh.

"We are continuing forward to victory," the premier told new recruits at the Tel Hashomer military induction in Tel Aviv, AFP reported.

"I know that the citizens of Israel are concerned, and I ask one thing of you: be patient and level-headed.

"We are prepared both defensively and offensively. We are striking our enemies and are determined to defend ourselves."

Israel claimed the killing of Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut last week. It has not commented on the death of Haniyeh in Tehran.

However, both Iran and Hamas blamed Israel for Haniyeh's assassination and, along with Iran-linked Lebanese group Hezbollah, threatened reprisals.

Separately, Israeli government spokesman David Mencer told reporters, "This country is able to defend itself, and of course, both in ways which our enemies have seen, but also in ways they have not seen."

He added: "We know how to deal with this Iranian menace... together with our allies, we are able to stand up to them."



US State Department Approves $30 Million in Funding for Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

 Palestinians carry humanitarian aid packages near the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution center operated by the US-backed organization in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians carry humanitarian aid packages near the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution center operated by the US-backed organization in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (AP)
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US State Department Approves $30 Million in Funding for Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

 Palestinians carry humanitarian aid packages near the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution center operated by the US-backed organization in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians carry humanitarian aid packages near the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution center operated by the US-backed organization in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (AP)

The US State Department has approved $30 million in funding for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the State Department said on Thursday, calling on other countries to also support the controversial group delivering aid in war-torn Gaza.

"This support is simply the latest iteration of President Trump's and Secretary Rubio's pursuit of peace in the region," State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott told reporters at a regular news briefing.

Reuters was first to report the move earlier this week.

Washington has long backed the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation diplomatically, but this is the first known US government financial contribution to the organization, which uses private for-profit US military and logistics firms to transport aid into the Palestinian enclave for distribution at so-called secure sites.

Since Israel lifted an 11-week aid blockade on Gaza on May 19, allowing limited UN deliveries to resume, the United Nations says more than 400 Palestinians have been killed seeking aid from both the UN and GHF operations.

Earlier this month, GHF halted aid deliveries for a day as it pressed Israel to boost civilian safety near its distribution sites after dozens of Palestinians seeking aid were killed. It says there have been no incidents at its sites.

The foundation’s executive director, Johnnie Moore, an evangelical preacher who was a White House adviser in the first Trump administration, said in a post on X on Thursday that the group has delivered more than 46 million meals to Gazans since it began its operations in May.

Some US officials opposed giving any US funds to the foundation over concerns about violence near aid distribution sites, the GHF's inexperience and the involvement of the for-profit US logistics and private military firms, four sources told Reuters earlier this week.

The United States could approve additional monthly grants of $30 million for the GHF, two sources said, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity.

In approving the US funding for the GHF, the sources said the State Department exempted the foundation, which has not publicly disclosed its finances, from an audit usually required for groups receiving USAID grants for the first time.

There is an acute shortage of food and other basic supplies after the nearly two-year military campaign by Israel that has displaced most of Gaza's two million inhabitants.