1) At the INSS, Azar Gat discusses ‘What Have We Not Yet Grasped About the Strategic Implications of Gaza’s Underground Challenge’.
“The underground is a major component of the low-signature, asymmetric warfare employed by irregular forces in their fight against superior state militaries. The Viet Cong were the first to use subterranean networks extensively against the United States, which struggled to find an effective response. However, the Viet Cong’s tunnel system was likely only half the length of Gaza’s and ran mainly through uninhabited jungle terrain and not dense urban areas. In this sense, Gaza’s network is unique in both scale and implications—not only compared to Lebanon and the West Bank, but also globally. This includes recent American theatres of war such as Afghanistan (against al-Qaeda and the Taliban) and Iraq and Syria (against ISIS). In all these cases, underground systems and tunnelling were used, but they were far more limited.”
2) At the Alma Center, Boaz Shapira documents ‘The New Syrian Army- Senior Officials with Jihadist Background’.
“…a significant portion of the organizations comprising the New Syrian Army, including soldiers and commanders, hold or have held extremist ideologies on the Salafi-jihadist spectrum and have been affiliated with organizations of such orientation. The issue of extremist ideology is further underscored by the fact that the New Syrian Army, including senior officials, also incorporates personnel who are not originally Syrian (see, for example, Division 84).”
3) At the HJS, Andrew Fox reports on his visit to a GHF aid distribution site.
“According to the GHF, Hamas has actively sought to increase the strain on its aid sites. Hamas fighters have forcibly shut down or discouraged alternative food sources such as local bakeries, communal kitchens, and independent charities, especially during critical periods. By closing local bread ovens and markets, Hamas can effectively funnel more of the hungry population toward the limited GHF centres, hoping to create overwhelming crowds and chaos. The logic behind this “pressure valve” strategy is cynical: if Israel insists on running a new aid program, Hamas aims to make that program appear unworkable and disastrous, thereby scoring a propaganda victory.”
4) Fatima Abo Alasrar explains ‘The Reality Behind the Mass Rallies in Houthi areas’.
“On August 5, the Houthis orchestrated a mass rally in Sana’a titled “From the students of Yemen to the children of Gaza… a promise that won’t be broken.” Footage shows children in uniform and adults in tribal dress marching through the streets, with BDS slogans and banners calling the U.S. the great Satan. Slogans were shouted, flags were raised, and pre-approved speeches promised blood and sacrifice. It wasn’t a protest—it was a pledge. The event was marketed as a gesture of solidarity with Gaza, but its structure, symbols, and speakers revealed something else: a display of totalitarian choreography masquerading as compassion.”
5) Yoav Gallant and John Spencer discuss ‘The IDF and the West’s War Dilemma’.
“In Gaza, Hamas constructed more than 300 miles of fortified tunnels beneath civilian infrastructure. It operates from hospitals, schools, and mosques by design, not necessity. Early in the war, the IDF learned a simple rule: if you want to find a tunnel, look beneath a school. If you are searching for an enemy headquarters, start under a mosque. If you suspect an arms depot, check the basement of a hospital. This is not coincidence; it is a consistent, deliberate tactic. Hamas has blocked evacuations, placed command centers inside humanitarian zones, and taken hundreds of hostages. These are not side effects of war. They are deliberate features of a strategy built to paralyze democracies, provoke condemnation, and weaponize civilian suffering. The targeting of civilians is not incidental. It is essential to Hamas’s operational concept.”
6) Avi Mayer looks at ‘Why Hamas Released That Video Now’.
“At first glance, releasing this footage now may seem counterintuitive. Gaza has the world’s sympathy and attention. Public opinion around the world has shifted decisively against Israel. Why, then, release a video that displays Hamas’s abject cruelty, shows the deplorable state of the hostages it holds captive, and reminds the world why Israel is fighting and what it is up against?
But Hamas knew exactly what effect the video would have and what it would not, having carefully engineered global sympathies even as it thoroughly dehumanized Israelis in the eyes of the world.
Indeed, the past week and a half have been a masterclass in mass manipulation.”
