A provocative diplomatic proposal emerged from Paris today as France's ambassador to Israel suggested transforming Hamas militants into a disarmed police force—a notion that arrived with bitter irony as two Israelis lay dead from a Palestinian terror attack in the country's north.
The French ambassador's remarks, delivered on a Haaretz podcast, outlined a vision to 'deradicalize Hamas, give them less dangerous weapons and turn them into police' as part of a broader Gaza governance solution. The proposal comes as the Trump administration reportedly grows frustrated with Israeli delays in advancing to phase two of the ceasefire process. According to Israel's Channel 12, Washington hopes to announce a Palestinian technocratic government to manage day-to-day affairs in Gaza as early as January, a timeline that has created friction with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.
The diplomatic maneuvering stands in stark contrast to the violence that erupted Friday in northern Israel. A Palestinian man from the West Bank executed what authorities describe as a 'rolling terror attack,' first ramming his vehicle into a 68-year-old pedestrian near Beit She'an, killing him instantly, then driving eight miles west to Route 71 where he fatally stabbed an 18-year-old woman. A civilian bystander shot and wounded the attacker before his apprehension. Defense Minister Israel Katz responded by ordering the IDF to 'forcefully and immediately' act against Qabatia, the West Bank village from which the assailant originated.
The violence extended beyond Israel's borders as well. In Syria's Homs province, at least eight people were killed and 21 wounded when an explosion struck a mosque in an Alawite neighborhood—a grim reminder that the post-Assad transition remains fraught with sectarian tensions. Meanwhile, Hamas issued a call for Israel to permit an impartial investigation into the October 7 attacks, a demand unlikely to gain traction in Jerusalem but one that signals the group's continued effort to shape international narratives.
Israel's military maintained pressure on multiple fronts, conducting strikes against Hezbollah infrastructure deep inside Lebanon just days before a critical deadline for Beirut's army to consolidate weapons under state control. The IDF confirmed hitting combat training grounds, weapons depots, and other terrorist infrastructure across Lebanon's Bekaa Valley—operations that underscore how the ceasefire's durability remains contingent on Hezbollah's actual disarmament.
Separately, in the occupied West Bank, an Israeli reservist soldier was caught on camera ramming his vehicle into a Palestinian man who was praying on a roadside near Ramallah, after reportedly firing shots in the area. The Israeli military acknowledged receiving footage of the incident, adding another layer of tension to an already volatile region.
Sources in the region indicate that the coming weeks will prove decisive. The Trump administration's push for a Gaza governance structure, combined with France's unconventional proposals, suggests Western powers are preparing for a post-conflict reality that may arrive sooner than Jerusalem anticipates. Yet as today's attacks demonstrate, the ground truth remains one of persistent violence and deep mutual distrust. Students of biblical history will note that the land has seen such cycles before—periods where diplomatic frameworks collide with the raw realities of hatred and bloodshed. What remains to be seen is whether any proposed 'deradicalized' force can govern a territory still defined by the trauma of October 7 and the devastation that followed.