War Day 614: Hamas Kills Aid Workers, Signs of Imminent Iran Strikes

Summary June 11, 2025

 

• • Bodies of Two Hostages Recovered: The IDF has recovered the bodies of two Israeli hostages, confirming they were murdered by Hamas.

• • Hamas Accused of Targeting Aid Workers: Reports suggest Hamas may have also kidnapped or killed workers affiliated with the Gaza Health Foundation.

• • Imminent Threat from Iran: Intelligence points to warning signs of possible imminent strikes by Iran.

• • Nuclear Escalation Concern: Iran is suspected of advancing toward a “nuclear trigger” mechanism, raising alarms internationally.

• • Israel Strikes Yemen by Sea: In a rare move, Israel conducted naval attacks targeting hostile positions in Yemen.

• • Lebanon Warning: Israel has issued a stern warning to Lebanon, cautioning against Hezbollah support for Iranian aggression.

• • International Sanctions: The UK, Canada, and several other nations have imposed sanctions on two Israeli ministers over controversial policy positions.

• • Argentina Strengthens Ties with Israel: Argentine President Javier Milei received a warm welcome in Israel and announced plans to move the Argentine embassy to Jerusalem.

53 held captive in Gaza.
31 hostages confirmed murdered held in Gaza.
148 living hostages rescued.
54 hostage bodies rescued.
1,854 Israelis killed.
429 fallen soldiers and police in the battle in Gaza.
88 fallen soldiers in Northern Israel.
18 fallen soldiers and police in Judea & Samaria.
30,735 estimated projectiles fired at Israel.
10,000 Israelis estimated remain displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.

Top Headlines:

– Bodies of two hostages recovered
– Advancement in Khan Younis
– 1,200 Hamas infrastructures destroyed in buffer zone expansion
– Pressure to speed up and finish the war in Gaza
– Hamas continues false claims of IDF shootings at GHF points
– Hamas murdered and possibly also kidnapped Gaza GHF workers
– U.S. begins evacuating nonessential personnel from the Middle East
– Warning signs of imminent Iran strikes
– Iran may have achieved a “nuclear trigger” mechanism
– Iran used negotiations to reorganize and prepare for war
– Houthi missile takes over 7 interceptors to destroy
– Israel attacks Yemen using naval ships, in a first
– Significant security accomplishments in Tulkarem
– Israel warns Lebanon against Hezbollah supporting Iran attacks
– UK, Canada, others sanction two Israeli ministers
– Argentine president gets warm welcome in Israel, announces move of embassy to Jerusalem

Hostages:

The IDF recovered the bodies of two hostages, held in tunnels in the Khan Younis area.

One of the hostages is Yair Yaakov, from Kibbutz Nir Oz. He was murdered and taken hostage by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) on October 7th. Yair was a father of three, and 59 years old at the time of his murder.

The second hostage’s name has not yet been cleared for publication.

The retrieval operation was carried out by the IDF’s 36th Division, following intelligence received from a captured terrorist. The intelligence led troops to a tunnel shaft, where suspicious markings were found. Further searches led to the bodies.

Gaza:

On Tuesday morning, Hamas fired one rocket towards Zikim Beach, which borders Northern Gaza. The rocket was intercepted.

Thank G-d, no fallen heroes were announced in the last two days.

The IDF is averaging 30 airstrikes daily, while troops on ground utilize controlled explosives and artillery fire to destroy Hamas infrastructure.

Five divisions continue to operate in Gaza:

Division 162 is operating deep in Northern Gaza, with Division 252 in eastern neighborhoods of Gaza City, Jabaliya, and the Netzarim Corridor. Division 252 has been finding and eliminating terrorists squads, found a weapons production site, and destroyed buildings containing heavy explosives.

While much of Beit Lahiya has been destroyed, and Jabaliya is well under way, more caution is being taken in Beit Hanoun, which is fully surrounded but does not have a permanent IDF presence.

Division 36 is in southern Khan Younis, while Division 98 is in the north of Khan Younis. Both divisions have made advancements, and Division 98 is now approaching the Hamed neighborhood, northwest of Khan Younis.

The Gaza Division (143) is holding the Rafah area, Morag Corridor, and buffer zone, which has been significantly expanded and cleared of more tunnels and buildings in recent weeks. One tunnel which was recently destroyed close to Israel’s border ran 500 meters long and approximately 25 meters deep. A total of 1,200 terrorists infrastructures above and below ground were destroyed.

In an undisclosed location, troops spotted two Hamas terrorists dressed up as women, while transporting weapons from a building used by Hamas.
**

Yasser Abu Shabab’s Popular Forces have been seen engaging Hamas in gun battles in Khan Younis. Hamas published photos of what they claimed to be slain Popular Front fighters, but were actually unrelated youth.

Little has been published about the humanitarian camp established under Abu Shabab’s control, perhaps to protect the civilians from Hamas’s ire.

Gazans are now publicly complaining about Hamas’s use of human shields. One Ahmed Salama Hamdan wrote on Facebook that Hamas leaders are hiding under the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. He specified that the tunnel is located under “the old building” of the kidney dialysis department, and connects Khan Younis to Rafah. He dared the terrorists to come out, and warned civilians to stay away.

The IDF will soon reach the area of the Nasser Hospital, but if hostages are being held in the tunnel, they might not be able to destroy it yet.
**

According to Israel’s News 12, U.S. President Trump asked Netanyahu to hurry up and finish the war in Gaza, saying that it has “exhausted itself.” Several Israeli ministers are also pushing for the war to be sped up, due to the political damage caused with each passing day.

The IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, has the soldiers operating slowly, and only advancing once all dangerous infrastructure is destroyed, in order to minimize casualties from hidden explosives and ambushes. Some argue that this tactic doesn’t reduce casualties, but simple slows them down.

Humanitarian Aid:

The Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF) distributed more than two million meals today. This brings the total to 16 million meals distributed since the start of operations just two weeks ago.

Two distributions sites opened in the Rafah area, and one in Central Gaza.

Despite the success of the GHF in distributing aid to Gazans for free, while circumventing Hamas—the UN still refuses to work with them.
**

Hamas is still trying to stop the GHF and the hundreds of thousands of Gazans who are going to the GHF to receive food packages. Every day they publish new claims about the IDF shooting at civilians lining up for food. Many western media outlets continue to publish these false claims.

The GHF is distributing aid in the Netzarim Corridor in Central Gaza in an area where Hamas is still present, and battles are ongoing. This means two things: The families of Hamas terrorists are able to collect food boxes for them, and the IDF needs to stop battles in the entire area for 12 hours during the day, to allow civilians to safely access the GHF distribution site.

The IDF has repeatedly warned Gazans to stay far away from the distribution site at night, due to it being an active combat zone.

The IDF says it has not ever fired at the GHF site during the day. However, two incidents in recent days occurred at night, in locations several hundred meters away from the distribution site. In both, only warning shots were fired, and no causalities were caused. One was in the Netzarim area, and one in the Wadi Gaza area.
**

Moments before I sent this update, the GHF released an urgent statement.

The foundation reports that a bus carrying over two dozen Gazans who work alongside the American GHF staff was attacked by Hamas near Khan Younis. At least five people were killed, others injured, and some may have been taken hostage. The GHF urges the international community to speak out and place full blame on Hamas. The GHF stressed that they will not halt operations, despite Hamas violence and threats.

Iran:

This evening saw a quick succession of signs that strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities may be imminent.

As a reminder, U.S. President Trump’s original deadline for negotiations with Iran is tomorrow—Thursday. Despite the Thursday deadline, a sixth round of talks were scheduled for this Sunday.

However, the AP now reports that chances of the talks have significantly diminished. According to a U.S. official, Iran has not yet submitted its response to the U.S. proposal for the nuclear deal.

This morning, Iran’s defense minister issued a threat: “In the event of a conflict with the U.S., we will attack all American bases in the region.”
**

Several warning flags began to go up this evening. In order:

The UK Maritime Trade agency issued an unusual alert about growing instability in the Gulf region — including the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman — warning of possible military escalation that could impact commercial shipping.

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, began preparing for evacuation due to security threats.

The U.S. State Department began pulling nonessential staff and their families out of both Bahrain and Kuwait as a precaution.

Families of U.S. military personnel stationed in Bahrain have been cleared for temporary departure.

All U.S. embassies within reach of Iran — including in the Middle East, parts of Eastern Europe, and North Africa — have been ordered to activate emergency teams and report their risk plans to Washington. This directive led directly to today’s evacuation preparations in Iraq.

General Michael E. Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), has postponed his scheduled testimony before Congress tomorrow due to the rising tensions.

When asked why U.S. military dependents are being authorized to leave the Middle East, President Trump replied, “You’ll have to see, thank you.”

Israel has already been on extremely high alert in recent days.

All of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and Army bases have been placed on maximum alert.
**

The escalation comes along with several warnings that time is running out.

According to U.S. Senator Tom Cotton, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed earlier today that Iran is actively pursuing a nuclear weapon.

This comes after a conversation between Netanyahu and Trump about Iran. Israel Hayom reports that the two leaders discussed the high possibility that Iran has succeeded in producing a “nuclear trigger” mechanism. This means that the regime could have a nuclear weapon in the hands within weeks, or less.

In addition, Western intelligence sources told JPost that they have evidence that Iran is delaying nuclear talks to buy time—while they fortify their nuclear facilities. Intelligence shows that Iran has been moving parts of its national security assets deep underground, spreading weapons out to more locations, and is completing construction of a new nuclear facility in bunker at Natanz.

This will not only make it harder to destroy Iran’s nuclear abilities, but will make it take longer to stop Iran’s retaliatory attacks on both Israel and U.S. assets in the Middle East.

While Trump has long shown optimism for achieving a deal with Iran, his tone has very recently changed. In an interview published today in the New York Post, Trump is quoted saying: ”They seem to be stalling, and I think that’s a shame. Something has happened to them, but I’m a lot less confident now.”
**

Separately, on Thursday, the IAEA Board of Governors is expected to vote on a resolution condemning Iran for failing to meet its nuclear commitments. As usual, Iran threatened to end all agreements of this happens.
**

In what may or may not be related, two massive fires broke out in Iran today. One at the Bushehr port, and a second one at the Shahid Rajaee Port.
**

What remains to be seen:

The U.S.’s moves to evacuate non-essential personnel and their families in the Middle East may be in preparation for an attack, but may also be a way of pressuring Iran in talks by showing seriousness for the deadline.

A major indicator will be whether the Sunday talks take place, or are cancelled.

The U.S. military has plans for a coordinated attack with Israel, but there is still a possibility of Israel striking first, alone.

Outside of a small minority of military and intelligence leaders, no one knows the type of attack planned, and whether it will only target nuclear facilities, or aim to take down the entire regime.

In the past, Iran waited before retaliating. This time they might respond immediately, since the attacks won’t be a one hit.

Most analysts expect the attacks (both ways) to last at least several days.
**

To those in Israel:

If, when, and how the attacks happen is out of our control, which makes it all the more easy to just let go and trust in G-d.

The IDF has spent decades preparing for this attack, and the past few months in particular. Defenses are prepared, and on high alert.

We will likely have at least a few minutes warning before the first Iranian strike.

What you can do:

 

• • Prepare good snacks and water for your bomb shelter

• • Make sure your shelter is comfortable for long sits

• • If you have kids, you might want to prepare entertainment for them

• • A backup batter or phone charger could be useful in the shelter

• • Pray for the success of our soldiers, and safety of our nation

Yemen:

On Tuesday, the Houthis launched a ballistic missile towards Central Israel. Sirens were activated in the entire Central Israel and Jerusalem area, and some of southern Israel.

The first interceptor launched by Israel broke the missile into several large parts, which were still deemed to be threats. The Air Force then launched at least seven more interceptors to break down the fragments.

A large piece of shrapnel from a THAAD interceptor landed in an Arab home in Chevron (Hebron), destroying the roof.

The Houthis have launched 48 ballistic missiles and 11 drones towards Israel since the end of the last ceasefire on March 18th.
**

Early on Wednesday morning, the IDF attacked Houthi targets in the port of Hodeida in Yemen. In a first for Yemen, the attack was carried out using Israeli naval missile ships.

The strikes were intended to deepen damage from previous Israeli strikes at the port, which the Houthis use to import weapons from Iran.

Judea & Samaria:

Elite security forces eliminated the head of the terror cell in Tampon, and arrested two additional terrorists who were staying with him in a hideout apartment.
**

Security forces launched a counterterrorism operation the Kasbah neighborhood of Shechem (Nablus). So far they searched 250 buildings, arrested 6 wanted terrorists, and confiscated several weapons.

During a search outdoors, two terrorists attempted to steal an IDF soldier’s weapon off his body. During the struggle, several bullets were fired, causing moderate injuries to one IDF soldier and minor injuries to three IDF soldiers. The two terrorists were eliminated.
**

In Tulkarem, forces found a cache of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), arrested two wanted terrorists, and found an improvised ‘Carlo’ weapon.

In other activity in the area, four terrorists were arrested, two IEDs destroyed, and more than 100,000 shekels of terror funds were confiscated.
**

Reality has drastically changed in Samaria, since the beginning of the year. The Jenin, Tulkarm, and Shechem area was previously seen as a significant threat, akin to an Iranian base inside Israel. Now, the terror groups in these cities have been hit so hard, that Iran no longer sees them worthy of investment.

A minor operation in Tulkarem used to need an entire force to make a dangerous entry, for action that was reversed shortly after. Now, the IDF has an entire battalion sitting inside Tulkarem, in full control of the area. The IDF sits in the area which was most controlled by the terror groups, dubbed the “refugee camps,” (despite being a fully developed residential area with rows of apartment buildings). This area is now empty of residents.

An estimated 25,000 people left the terror neighborhoods of Tulkarem, an estimated 400 apartments belonging to terrorists have been destroyed, and 2,573 apartments have been partially damaged.

Similar has been achieved in Jenin, and the IDF is expected to soon have the same grip in Shechem.

The terrorists now have nowhere to hide, and are running to rural areas, where the IDF has a much easier time finding them. Intelligence also points to a significant decrease in planned terror attacks.

The threat is in no way gone, but a new reality has been shaped, in which the terror groups are far less capable.

Lebanon:

Israel sent a message to Lebanon, warning that any action taken by Hezbollah in support of Iran will meet a heavy response from the IDF.
**

The IDF eliminated three terrorists in Southern Lebanon in the last two days. The terrorists were in violation of the ceasefire agreement, since they were dealing with weapons to rebuild Hezbollah’s forces in the area.

Two of the terrorists belonged to Hezbollah (of which one was from the elite Radwan unit), and one belonged to the Lebanese Brigades terror group.

Other:

Once again, IDF forces foiled an attempt to smuggle weapons from Egypt to Israel. Forces intercepted a drone, which was carrying seven riffles, ten pistols, and ammunition.
**

Britain, Canada, Australia, Norway, and New Zealand announced sanctions on Israel’s Finance Minister Smotrich and National Security Minister Ben Gvir. This is the first time that Israel’s Western “allies” have sanctioned sitting Israeli ministers.

Following the announcement, Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa’ar, declined to take a call from his British counterpart, David Lammy.

Sources close to Smotrich say that due to the seriousness of the sanctions on sitting ministers, he may take retaliatory action against the Palestinian Authority (PA), who petitioned for the sanctions. The action—a halt to indemnifying the correspondent banks and transferring of funds to the PA—could lead to their complete collapse.
**

U.S. President Trump warned all countries against taking action against Israel at the UN’s “Two State Solution” conference next week, and threatened diplomatic consequences.
**

Argentine Prime Minister, Javier Milei, visited Israel, beginning with a prayer at the Western Wall. He met with Prime Minister Netanyahu, and then addressed the Knesset, where he received an overwhelming standing ovation. Milei announced that Argenitna’s embassy will move to Jerusalem in 2026.

https://southfloridashtetl.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/WhatsApp-Video-2025-06-11-at-20.37.35.mp4

*Siren warning* watch the interception of the Houthi missile on Tuesday

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