Israel’s NILI task force built database of thousands to find Oct. 7 attackers
Israel set up a secret elite intelligence task force aimed at tracking down and killing or capturing every terrorist involved in the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, Breitbart reported. The unit, known as NILI, was formed by Israel’s Shin Bet internal security service and military intelligence shortly after the attack. [1]
Israeli intelligence personnel working the effort relied on a broad array of surveillance and intelligence tools to identify suspects tied to the assault. Those tools included facial recognition software, intercepted communications, cellphone location data, social media footage, and interrogations of Gazan detainees. [1]
The task force compiled what was described as a database containing thousands of names. The list included Hamas Nukhba commandos as well as additional Palestinians identified as participating in the massacre. [1]
The move comes after Hamas launched a deadly surprise attack on Israel over the weekend of Oct. 10, 2023. It also followed the Nov. 25, 2023, development in which 13 Israeli hostages were freed. [1]
Earlier accounts of the effort indicated that Israel’s Mossad foreign intelligence agency was also involved, a detail that signaled the campaign extended beyond Gaza to Hamas operatives abroad. [1]
Timeline· Developing
Since the Donald Trump administration's Gaza peace plan launch in January 2026, the region has endured a multifaceted crisis marked by Hamas's October 7 terror attack, severe Israeli military reprisals including intensified siege and starvation tactics worsening Gaza's humanitarian situation, multiple hostage releases, EU sanctions, Israeli legal actions, extended truces and regional ceasefire agreements brokered by international actors, reports of atrocities such as the 2025 massacre of Gaza aid workers, U.S. arms sales, widespread protests, diplomatic efforts including Turkey's unprecedented talks with Hamas, missile attacks from Yemen, targeted Israeli strikes killing Hamas leaders, U.S. sanctions on a U.N. expert, interception of Gaza-bound aid flotillas involving activists like Greta Thunberg and Catherine Connolly’s sister with ensuing international tensions and protests, a new Greta Thunberg aid flotilla planned from Spain, a significant U.S.-China diplomatic agreement to prevent escalation, Israel's intensified siege on Qalandia Refugee Camp alongside settlement expansions, the recent second meeting between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu focused on negotiating a ceasefire in Gaza, ongoing drone attacks and explosions targeting aid shipments, admissions of Hamas use of Gaza hospitals as safe havens, reports of violence during flotilla interceptions, reopening of Gaza's Rafah border crossing under the 2026 ceasefire, a US, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkiye-brokered three-phase ceasefire deal, emerging financial challenges threatening reconstruction efforts as highlighted by Trump's Board of Peace funding shortfall, the latest development of Steve Witkoff traveling to Israel to assess the Gaza humanitarian crisis followed by Huckabee joining Witkoff to inspect Gaza food centers amid starvation reports, the recent release and deportation of Australian flotilla activists by Israel amid growing backlash over their treatment, Ireland’s President Connolly expressing pride in her detained sister en route to Gaza, the newest event of Israeli military detaining and deporting Irish activists from international waters to Turkey after intercepting a Gaza-bound flotilla, and Israel's formation of a secret elite unit to target the October 7 Hamas attackers, reflecting the enduring humanitarian, security, diplomatic, and financial complexities in the region.
Trump launches phase two, offers Hamas disarmament
Trump launched phase two of his Gaza peace effort and his mediators formally offered Hamas a proposal to give up its weapons in Gaza, framing disarmament as a central condition for moving forward. This set the negotiating terms that would define subsequent ceasefire and deal talks.
Trump releases 20-point peace plan; hostages freed
Trump publicly released a 20-point Gaza peace plan while noting Hamas had not agreed to it; around the same time three Israeli hostages were freed in a prisoner exchange. The plan's publication made its conditions official even as on-the-ground confidence-building measures proceeded.
Ceasefire phase announced; Hamas accepts parts
Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had signed a phase of a Gaza ceasefire, with Israel agreeing to defined conditions (including a reported 60-day pause) and Hamas accepting parts of the plan; bombing eased and some civilians began returning. The partial agreements temporarily reduced violence and enabled humanitarian access in places.
Hamas rejects broader Trump terms; Israel accepts
Reports indicated Hamas rejected Trump's broader terms for ending the conflict while Israel signaled it accepted the proposals and was ready to end the war imminently if conditions were met. The split highlighted the central obstacle — Hamas's unwillingness to fully agree to disarmament and political concessions.
Remaining Israeli hostages released in Gaza
Hamas released the remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza in a prisoner exchange, marking a significant humanitarian development tied to the ceasefire phase. The releases eased one of the most acute human costs of the conflict and tested the durability of the truce arrangements.
Trump and Netanyahu unveil major Gaza deal
Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly unveiled a major Gaza deal and warned Hamas about the consequences of rejecting it, presenting the agreement as a political milestone in the peace effort. The announcement aimed to consolidate international backing while pressing Hamas to accept the plan's terms.
U.S. closes flagship Gaza mission as plan stalls
U.S. officials moved to close the country's flagship Gaza mission amid reports that Trump's peace plan had stalled and key conditions — notably Hamas disarmament — remained unmet. The closure signaled a setback for the initiative and underscored ongoing implementation challenges.
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Sources (1)
Published May 22, 2026
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