Eldad the Danite, who had a moment of international Jewish celebrity in the 9th century, may be one of the most intriguing and mysterious figures in Jewish history. Tamar Marvin tells his story:

Sometime around 884, a man named Eldad turned up in the city of Kairouan in Ifriqiya (present-day Tunisia). Kairouan was a newer city that had been established by the Umayyads, the first large-scale caliphate after the Muslim conquests, though [the city] was a couple centuries old by the time Eldad arrived on the scene. Kairouan boasted an important early medieval community of Jews in the west—beyond Babylonia, the Levant, and Egypt—so it was opportune that he made his way there.

Speaking an obscure-sounding Hebrew that was said to appear biblical in character, Eldad identified himself as being of the tribe of Dan, one of the ten lost tribes that had been dispersed in remote antiquity after the Assyrian defeat of the northern Kingdom of Israel.

Eldad presented an alternate set of laws pertaining to the kosher slaughter of animals for consumption, which normatively proceeds according to strict, detailed, and specific strictures. The presentation of such alternate laws was doubly troubling for the Jews of Kairouan: first, they challenged the correctness of the contents of the rabbinic law, and second and more fundamentally, they questioned the authoritativeness of the rabbinic transmission process itself.

On Monday night, the IDF struck a group of Hamas operatives near the Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis, the main city in southern Gaza. The very fact of this attack was reassuring, as it suggested that the release of Edan Alexander didn’t come with restraints on Israeli military activity. Then, yesterday afternoon, Israeli jets carried out another, larger attack on Khan Yunis, hitting a site where it believed Mohammad Sinwar, the head of Hamas in Gaza, to be hiding. The IDF has not yet confirmed that he was present. There is some hope that the death of Sinwar—who replaced his older brother Yahya after he was killed last year—could have a debilitating effect on Hamas.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump is visiting the Persian Gulf, and it’s unclear how his diplomatic efforts there will affect Israel, its war with Hamas, and Iran. For its part, Jerusalem has committed to resume full-scale operations in Gaza after President Trump returns to the U.S. But, Gabi Simoni and Erez Winner explain, Israel does not have unlimited time to defeat Hamas:

Israel faces persistent security challenges across multiple fronts—Iran, the West Bank, Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon—all demanding significant military resources, especially during periods of escalation. . . . Failing to achieve a decisive victory not only prolongs the conflict but also drains national resources and threatens Israel’s ability to obtain its strategic goals.

Only a swift, forceful military campaign can achieve the war’s objectives: securing the hostages’ release, ensuring Israeli citizens’ safety, and preventing future kidnappings. Avoiding such action won’t just prolong the suffering of the hostages and deepen public uncertainty—it will also drain national resources and weaken Israel’s standing in the region and beyond.

We recommend launching an intense military operation in Gaza without delay, with clear, measurable objectives—crippling Hamas’s military and governance capabilities and securing the release of hostages. Such a campaign should combine military pressure with indirect negotiations, maximizing the chances of a successful outcome while minimizing risks.

Crucially, the operation must be closely coordinated with the United States and moderate Arab states to reduce international pressure and preserve the gains of regional alliances.