Red Alerts - Missile, Rocket, Drone (UAV - unmanned aerial vehicles), and Terror Attacks and Death Announcements
*5:50pm yesterday - north - Rockets Metulla
*6:25pm yesterday - north - rockets Metulla *7:00pm yesterday - north - rockets Misgav Am
*3:10am - south- Eilat - 2 UAVs shot down outside of Eilat airspace
*2:30pm - north 0 rockets Kfar Yuval, Maayan Baruch, Kiryat Shemona, Tel Hai
Hostage Updates
In intense heat, activists for hostages continue protest march to Jerusalem:
Activists for the hostages, including relatives of captives, embark on day 3 of a protest march to Jerusalem, leaving Shoresh and walking in blistering heat with signs calling for a deal to free the remaining abductees from Hamas captivity. Demonstrators are splashed with water to cool them down, as they carry signs urging the government to “Seal the deal,” with yellow smoke in the background. Joining the march are dozens of religious left-wing activists who where shirts emphasizing the Jewish commandment of redemption of captives.
The march is expected to reach the capital tomorrow evening.
A water cannon is used to cool down activists for the Gaza hostages taking part in a march to Jerusalem in blistering heat, near Shoresh, July 12, 2024. (Oded Engel/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)
'Netanyahu's Abandonment of October 7 Hostages' book to be distributed for free in US- Many families of the hostages held in Hamas captivity worked to create the book. They will travel to the United States before Netanyahu's session with Congress, which is set to take place on July 24.
A new book titled Dark Legacy: Netanyahu’s Abandonment of October 7th Hostages created by the families of the hostages, is set to be released for free distribution by the families ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's upcoming trip to Congress in Washington, families of the hostages announced on Friday afternoon.
The families of the hostages held in Hamas captivity worked to create the book, and they will travel to the United States to distribute the book for free during Netanyahu's session with Congress, which is set to take place on July 24.
According to the families of the hostages, the book was created to place pressure on Netanyahu to come up with a way to bring those in Hamas captivity home. Both hostage families and major figures in Israeli society contributed to writing it, including statesmen, security personnel, doctors, intellectuals and artists, academics, and journalists.
Since the announcement of the book's publication, many writers have joined, including former Deputy Attorney General Dina Zilber, attorney Michael Sfard, journalist Nahum Barnea, Major General (ret.) Nimrod Sheffer, Major General (ret.) Guy Tzur, Major General (ret.) Amos Malka, writer Shira Geffen, Professor Shlomo Ben-Ami, writer Shiri Artzi, actor Dror Keren, and Professor Ruhama Weiss. "30+ hostage families, all of whom have been fighting for more than nine months to bring their loved ones home," the hostage family forum, Forum for Life, said.
Calling on Netanyahu to bring the hostages home "As part of their ongoing fight, [the families] undertook the creation of this book to pressure Benjamin Netanyahu, who, since October 7, has had the power to bring the hostages home and instead has abandoned them. Netanyahu is an academic and a man of books, and this publication intends to unequivocally challenge his legacy," Forum for Life added. In addition to the hostage families, thousands of Israelis supported the publication of the book in both Hebrew and English, along with its free distribution in Israel and worldwide. link
Crowdfunding for the campaign raised close to $200,000. To support this important book Support for the book
'You realize that you are next in line to die': Rescued former hostage recounts Hamas torture - Kozlov still hasn’t digested his return to freedom. "Coming home is the best feeling I've felt in my life. It's the greatest gift."
Andrey Kozlov, a released hostage is escorted, after the military said that Israeli forces have rescued four hostages alive from the central Gaza Strip on Saturday, in Ramat Gan, Israel June 8, 2024.(photo credit: REUTERS/MARKO DJURICA)
It is not easy for Andrey Kozlov to speak about the long period he spent in Hamas captivity. The memories are both fresh and painful. Only a month after he was rescued in an operation by security forces, the freed hostage decided that he had no choice but to share everything he had been through - he owed it to those who were left behind.
In his first interview with Walla, he described this week the terror he felt on October 7, the mental and physical abuse he went through, what kept him going during the eight months in Gaza, how he learned of the developments of the war and various ceasefire deals and how he was left disappointed every time. Now, he demands the government do everything possible to return the remaining 120 hostages.
Kozlov still hasn’t digested his return to freedom. "Coming home is the best feeling I've felt in my life. It's the greatest gift. I pinch myself every day to understand if I'm dreaming," he admitted, laughing. "I'm probably not."
Did you hear about the efforts to get a ceasefire-hostage deal while you were there? "The kidnappers kept us informed all the time, but not about everything. We weren't told about the release of Fernando and Luis, for example. Some of them spoke to us in English and told us about the news and developments between Israel and Gaza. We knew that there would be a deal at the end of November. We had hoped that we would be released, but that didn't happen."
Did they tell you that you wouldn't be released? "They told us that every day, one of the hostages would be released. In the end, they only released one that was with us in captivity. Me, Shlomi, and Almog were sure that tomorrow or the day after, we would be released and be back home. When we realized that this wouldn't happen, it devastated us emotionally."
Footage of Yamam operatives rescuing Andrey Kozlov, and Almog Meir Jan (credit: POLICE SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
How did you free when you realized you wouldn't be coming back, because Israel and Hamas couldn't reach an agreement?
"The best word is disappointment. I was crushed by this news. I know words that describe it, but I won't say them. After the deal, we kept hearing a lot about another deal taking shape, each time we thought we might be able to be released soon. Expectations kept developing."
Kozlov demonstrates how he was breathless with excitement every time he heard positive news. "Blinken has arrived; surely he will solve the problems," he recalled in some of the updates he received. "Israel sent representatives to Qatar; they will probably resolve it, and we can return home. Biden said that the Israeli government should end the fighting. Egypt sent representatives to Israel, Israel sent representatives to Egypt. Every day we heard something and expected something good to come. But every time it fell apart."
Were you angry?
"There were many emotions together: Anger, disappointment. Obviously, we wanted to get home. We didn't know who was to blame; they told us one thing, and after we returned to Israel, we heard another. When you're there, you don't have all the information, and you don't know who is responsible for not being able to go home. We believed what they told us.
"They showed us a lot of the demonstrations in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. We saw the anger of the people. The first time, it was, 'Wow, it's full of people.' And they (Hamas) said, 'Yes, a lot of people,'" he mimics their response in a robotic voice. "You see it and understand that people are fighting for you, but nothing changes. You don't see results. You know that hostages were released in November, but they forgot about you.
"The decision-makers are responsible. 120 hostages there. Some are already dead, and we don't know how many of them are alive. They are citizens of Israel. It could have been anyone. It could have been you. They are alive and waiting for a decision, a solution. Some still have hope and strength, others have lost it. They are just in tunnels without enough food.
"We were told that some only eat five dates a day. I remember how I felt, and I can't imagine them in the tunnels for nine months, 40 meters underground. You can't imagine how terrible it is. Those were the worst days of our lives. Try to understand. We need to bring them home as soon as possible."
You mentioned the conditions in captivity. What moments were the most difficult for you?
"October 7 was the hardest day of my life. I couldn't believe that this was happening to me. It was a nightmare. At some point, our guards and other people left the compound we were in, probably because they received a signal that it would be bombed. Only one guard, a terrorist, remained with us, holding a knife. He was reading the Quran, and we were just waiting for the house to be bombed. After an hour, someone came back and asked: 'Why are you afraid of being bombed?' I was sure that in a short time, my life would be over.
"In November we were in an abandoned building, we were locked in a room. People from the outside could find us, and throw a burning object at us when we are tied up. We were just waiting for it to arrive. The guards brought us food during the day and left at night.
"Some guards were the worst people I've ever met. I remember that for two days, I lay under three thick blankets in the middle of May for an hour and a half because I had done something wrong in their eyes. For two days, I lay there on the mattress, unable to stand or speak, and at the same time, they showed Almog and Shlomi movies in English on Arabic channels."
"There was also violence at the beginning, on October 7. We were beaten. One of them signaled to me with his hands that he would kill me tomorrow and take a picture of it. The next day, he came to me and said he loved me. There was a lot of psychological abuse. We were told that Israel would kill us. Each time we were updated that three were killed in the bombing, one was killed in the bombing, and you realize you're next. Maybe in a minute, or a day, or a month, but it will happen. You understand that every day is a gift. You start praying in the morning, begging the guard to let you go. One time, I had a problem, and they called a doctor who gave me medicine. To this day, I don't know if he was really a doctor." In an interview with Walla after his return, Andrey's parents said that he told them that he would never tell about some of his experiences in captivity.
"Since then, I have told everything. Who cares?" he continued when asked about it. "They already felt the worst possible. To everyone who called me strong, king, champion, and hero, I replied that I appreciated them and thanked them, but on October 7, I didn't see dead bodies. I only heard about it. I kept myself alive for my family. The only goal was to return home healthy. That was my mantra. I wasn't a hero; I just wanted to be able to tell my mom that I love her again."
How did you spend your time there?
"Part of the time, we did nothing. We just waited. They asked us, 'Are you soldiers? Do you have GPS chips under your skin? How much do you earn in Israel?' Everyone who came asked us the same questions.
I also did stretches, yoga, and breathing. I thought: 'One more day, A little more. I'll be free, I'll be back, I'll survive.'"
One of the most difficult moments of his life
Andrey and the other hostages moved between seven different hiding places. They stayed in the last of them from December to June. Some of them met other hostages. "I saw hostages and informed their families when I returned," he said.
At the end of August, a month and a half before he was kidnapped, he started dating his partner Jennifer. "I didn't expect her to stay, to fight for me. I would have understood if she would have stopped waiting for me. We only dated for a month and a half. But she continued and fought for me, and I have no words to describe how much I appreciate it."
The joy of the return was also mixed with the news of the fall of the IDF soldier Commander Arnon Zamora during the rescue operation, which was later named after him. "We saw him when he was wounded. The soldiers told us: don't look at him; you don't need to see it. But when an injured person is lying a meter away from you, you can't help but look. I want to say to all the soldiers who took part in the operation: you are my heroes."
"Arnon Zamora was an amazing person and soldier. He is a hero. He went on an operation that you know you could lose your life in, and I have no words to express my feelings for him. I so appreciate what he did for me. I met his family and they are amazing too. We spent a holiday with his mother. It was one of the hardest moments of my life."
A separate interview
Kozlov also conducted a separate interview with KAN on Friday, where he repeated a lot of the trauma he underwent in his interview with Walla.
"I ran 300 meters," Kozlov said while recounting events from October 7. "I saw a big car full of bad guys. They started shooting in the air and then started shooting at us from all sides."
He initially met hostage Shlomi Ziv then and tried to escape together, he told KAN. They both ran into an individual whom they thought was an IDF soldier, and they took a car to escape the area, but then realized he lied about his identity.
"We were not driving towards Tel Aviv, but towards Gaza," he recounted, to which KAN reported was the moment they realized they had been kidnapped. Two hours after they had crossed the border to Gaza, Almog later joined them in captivity, Kozlov said. link
The families of Israelis held hostage by Hamas decried Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of ceasefire talks after officials accused the premier of derailing the negotiations with his demand for an enforcement mechanism to prevent armed Hamas operatives from returning to northern Gaza.
Netanyahu is also now calling for Israel to retain control along the Gaza-Egypt border, hardening his negotiating stances in light of reported intelligence showing Hamas wants a ceasefire agreement due to its weakening military position.
Talks mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States have failed to secure an agreement for the release of hostages held in Gaza and a ceasefire since a weeklong truce in November that saw Hamas free 105 people kidnapped during its October 7 onslaught. However, there has been renewed optimism about the talks after Hamas dropped its demand that the framework include an upfront commitment from Israel to end the war during the first phase — though the terror group is still demanding a commitment to that effect from mediators.
“We are horrified and shocked by this irresponsible behavior that is likely to lead to missing an opportunity that may never come back,” the Hostage and Missing Families Forum said in a statement. “By the time everybody comes to their senses and works together, there may be no one to bring back.”
“Every minute is an eternity for us and every second is hell for them. We appeal to the prime minister: we stand behind the Netanyahu deal. Now it’s your turn to stand behind the deal you put on the table.”
An official involved in the talks told Channel 12 news that Israel was facing a “moment of truth for the hostages,” saying a deal could be reached within two weeks.
“The prime minister’s insistence on building a mechanism to prevent the movement of armed operatives [to northern Gaza] will stall the talks for weeks and then there may not be anyone to bring home,” the official added. According to the Walla news site, Netanyahu raised the issue during a meeting with the negotiating team on Thursday night. The negotiators reportedly told Netanyahu that they were opposed to the new condition and it was unfeasible, but the premier was said to insist on it.
“It is a demand that was not part of the Israeli proposal from May 27,” a senior official was quoted as saying, referring to the draft outlined by US President Joe Biden four days later, which currently forms the basis of the talks.
“It’s not clear why Netanyahu is raising this demand now. The security services know how to deal with the return of the armed terrorists to northern Gaza,” the official said.
In another report, officials involved in the negotiations told the Kan public broadcaster that Netanyahu was now micromanaging the talks, conducting the negotiations practically on his own.
The public broadcaster quoted the officials as saying that Netanyahu was “managing every iota” of the negotiations and investing much more time in handling them.
Channel 12 also reported that officials believe Netanyahu is trying to delay an agreement because he is likely to lose his coalition over the deal, with far-right parties vowing to quit if it goes through. Also Friday, the Axios news site reported that five families of US citizens held hostage by Hamas are seeking a sit-down with Netanyahu and their congressional representatives when he visits Washington later this month to address a joint session of Congress. “Collectively, we have never met the Prime Minister as a group, and we believe the visit presents an unmissable opportunity, as there is no better time to meet than when he is on US soil,” they were quoted as writing in a letter to Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Herzog. “We believe the time is ripe to discuss the Israeli government’s strategy for securing the release of our loved ones and how the Prime Minister intends to implement that strategy.”
The families also said that if Netanyahu speaks to Congress about Israel’s military offensive against Hamas without meeting them, it “would signal that the fate of the hostages is not the highest priority for Israel’s government.”
“We respectfully urge Prime Minister Netanyahu to dedicate all his energy to reuniting our families.”
Hamas continues to demand written guaranteesMeanwhile, a Hamas official said Friday the Palestinian terror group was still insisting on written guarantees from mediators in the ongoing ceasefire negotiations that Israel will not resume the war after the first group of Israeli hostages held in Gaza are released.
While the two sides have agreed on a general framework for a deal, the main sticking point remains that Hamas wants it to result in a permanent ceasefire, while Netanyahu has said that any agreement “must allow Israel to return to fighting until all the objectives of the war are achieved.”
Ahmed Abdul-Hadi, the head of Hamas’s political office in Lebanon, told The Associated Press in an interview that Hamas has been “flexible” on some points but continued to insist that “negotiations should continue for a permanent ceasefire until a permanent ceasefire is reached,” as opposed to the wording in the current proposal, under which the ceasefire should continue as long as negotiations continue.
“Netanyahu can stop the negotiations and thus resume the aggression” at any time, he said. “We want something in writing to ensure that negotiations continue … in order to reach a permanent ceasefire.”
He denied reports that the terror group’s leadership inside Gaza had pressured political leaders outside to accept the deal on the table due to the military pressure it is facing, saying that the “military situation is very solid for the resistance (Hamas) and is better than the early days of the war.”
Abdul-Hadi said that Hamas does not expect to resume its role as the ruling party in Gaza after the war but wants to see a Palestinian government of technocrats. However, he said the form that future governance in the enclave should take is “a Palestinian matter that is agreed upon by the Palestinian people” and is not on the table in the current negotiations.
“We do not want to rule Gaza alone again in the next phase,” he said. “We want to have a partnership and national consensus.”
In related remarks, a member of Hamas’s political bureau said the terror group has suggested during ceasefire negotiations that an independent government of non-partisan figures run postwar Gaza and the West Bank, with another Hamas source saying this would pave way for Palestinian national elections.
“We proposed that a non-partisan national competency government manage Gaza and the West Bank after the war,” Husam Badran said in a statement about the ongoing negotiations.
“The administration of Gaza after the war is a Palestinian internal matter without any external interference, and we will not discuss the day after the war in Gaza with any external parties,” Badran asserted.
A Hamas official told AFP the proposal for a non-partisan government was made “with the mediators.”
The potential government will “manage the affairs of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in the initial phase after the war, paving the way for general elections,” said the official, who did not want his name disclosed. full article
Fatah's spokesman in Europe and a member of its Revolutionary Council, Dr. Jamal Nazzal, accused Hamas of sacrificing Palestinian civilians against their will in an interview with the Fatah-affiliated network Awda TV on June 26.
In the interview, Nazzal argued that Palestinians killed as a result of Israel’s war with Gaza did not choose to become martyrs but were instead sacrificed by Hamas. “We consider them to be martyrs, but they did not sacrifice themselves — they were sacrificed,” Nazzal said. “The people who applaud this – especially from abroad – did not try to live in Gaza.”
Nazzal also criticized public opinion polls that measure Palestinian support for the actions of October 7, such as a recent poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, which revealed that 73 percent of Palestinians support Hamas' decision to launch the October 7 attacks on Israel. Nazzal explained that these polls portray all Palestinians as extremists, which can harm public opinion. “The occupation says that all the Palestinians are extremists,” he said. “When the polls show support for a certain type of action – this harms the Palestinians. We could do without this poll.”
Nazzal continued, stating that the polls are biased and too specific and fail to portray the broader Palestinian population in a positive light. “When West Bank Palestinians are asked in these polls whether they support the October 7 attack in Gaza, they say 'yes,'" Nazzal said. "But when they are asked whether they support a similar attack in the West Bank, they say: 'Thank you, but no thank you.'"
He then accused Hamas of being fundamentally opposed to the establishment of a Palestinian state, arguing that Hamas has actively sabotaged every opportunity to achieve Palestinian statehood. He cited the 1995 Oslo II Accord as the pivotal moment, under which Area C of the West Bank, which is now home to approximately half a million Jewish residents, was supposed to be "gradually transferred to Palestinian jurisdiction" with an option for land swaps under a final agreement. However, this transfer did not happen, which Nazzal blamed on the actions of Hamas.
“Hamas carried out bombing attacks inside Israel to thwart this process,” Nazzal said. “If this process would have been allowed to run its course, it would have given the Palestinians true independence and a fully sovereign state link
The deputy commander of Hamas’s Shejaiya Battalion was killed in a recent airstrike in Gaza City, the military says.
According to the IDF, Ayman Shweidah was involved in the October 7 onslaught and during the war carried out numerous attacks against troops in Gaza.
Alongside Shweidah, one of the Shejaiya Battalion’s company commanders, Ubadah Abu Hain, was also killed in the strike, the IDF says. The IDF says Abu Hain was a veteran and prominent commander in the Shejaiya Battalion, taking a significant part in the fighting.
The 98th Division recently wrapped up a two-week raid in Shejaiya, during which troops killed more than 150 terror operatives and demolished eight tunnels, the IDF has said.
The Foreign Ministry has sent a letter to UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini that lists 108 employees of the UN refugee agency for Palestinians who Israel says are Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists, demanding that they immediately be fired.
The letter, first reported Thursday by the German daily Bild and then also Fox News, warned that Israel has more names to come and that it will provide the information to international donors of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which serves Palestinian refugees and their descendants.
Israel has accused multiple UNRWA staffers of taking part in Hamas’s October 7 attack on the country, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage, mostly civilians. The IDF has found a Hamas data center located directly beneath UNRWA headquarters in Gaza City, in addition to numerous findings indicating the use of the agency’s assets for terror purposes.Ambassador Amir Weissbrod, who serves as Deputy Director General for UN and International Organisations Division at the ministry, sent the letter to Lazzarini on July 4. It includes the names, passports, and “military ID numbers” of the suspected terrorists who, it says, are “currently employed by UNRWA-Gaza. He wrote that Hamas employees within UNRWA have been a “recurring concern.” “However, the full scope of this unprecedented infiltration was unknown and became clear only after the October 7th terrorist attack on Israel, in which, as you know, UNRWA employees actively participated,” Weissbrod said, noting that some of those named in the latter hold “high-ranking positions” in the agency or Hamas.
Weissbrod asserted the list was just a “small fraction” of terror operatives employed by UNRWA and that more names would follow. Weissbrod called on UNRWA to “immediately terminate” the employees, as their work “poses a security risk for Israel” and “represents a breach of the principle of neutrality.” Full article
The head of a department in Hamas’s internal security forces in the Gaza Strip was killed in an airstrike on Friday, the military says.
According to the IDF, Hossam Mansour also served in Hamas’s military wing, alongside his role in the terror group’s internal security forces.
The IDF says Mansour “took a significant and continuous part in the preservation and presence of Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip, while undermining Israel’s efforts in the region.” Mansour was also one of the directors of the UK-based al-Khair foundation, an aid group that IDF charges transferred funds to terror groups in Gaza “under the guise of humanitarian activity.”
According to Hamas media, four people working for al-Khair were killed in the airstrike, reportedly at an aid distribution center in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis.
‘You were wrong not to kill me’: Gazan activist slams Hamas for attack on him- ‘You are partners of the occupation in killing us,’ Amin Abed says of terror group, in videos recorded from hospital bed; admits thinking of leaving Strip for fear of being killed
Gazan anti-Hamas activist Amin Abed speaks from a hospital bed in northern Gaza after sustaining critical injury in an attack by masked assailants whom he identified with the terror group's internal security service, in a video published by Saudi state-owned Al-Arabiya news site on July 9, 2024. (Screen capture: X/Al-Arabiya, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright
Gaza-based activist Amin Abed has continued criticizing Hamas from his hospital bed, said to be in northern Gaza, where he is recuperating from a Monday attack by some 20 masked men who were said to have identified themselves as members of the terror group’s internal security forces.
Hamas, whose once-ubiquitous police presence has all but vanished throughout the Gaza war, has not commented on the incident.
In a video published Tuesday by the Saudi state-owned Al-Arabiya news channel, Abed, 35, addressed Hamas directly, saying he had expected the terror group to kill him, “but you were wrong not to kill me.” “You are partners of the occupation in killing us,” he accused Hamas, referring to Israel.
In a shocking photo, political activist Amin Abed is shown with fractures in his hands and feet, wounds across various parts of his body, and a skull fracture, following a brutal assault by Hamas militias.
“[Yitzhak] Rabin and [Yitzhak] Shamir used the policy of bone-breaking against the Palestinian people,” claimed Abed, referring to the Israeli prime ministers whose terms coincided with the first Palestinian Intifada in the late 1980s and early 1990s. “You have used the policy of breaking teeth and bones against me three times.” “As long as this weak heart beats and this tongue speaks, you won’t enjoy your abduction of Gaza’s poor residents, whom you have been kidnapping and torturing for 17 years,” Abed said, referring to Hamas’s violent takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007.
“As long as this tongue speaks and this heart beats with love for Palestine and its people, I will continue to speak out,” he concluded. In a separate, slightly longer video posted to social media on Wednesday by Emirati news agency Al-Mashhad, Abed went into further detail about the assault itself. In the video, Abed corroborates the previously reported account of his friend and colleague Amer Balousha, who said the attackers claimed to be from Hamas’s internal security apparatus.
“Five armed people from Hamas’s internal security service wielded hammers and began striking me in the street,” said Abed. “They hit my head and broke my fingers.”
“They said they were internal security people and that they hit cooperators and spies,” Abed continued. “They laid me on my back and broke my teeth with a rock. A while later some people saw me, gathered around me and took me to the hospital.”
The activist said he was seriously considering leaving Gaza. “After what happened, I know they might kill me here,” he said. “I want to stay alive and continue protecting my people.”
“What happened to me was a terrorist act, a crime. It prevents me from protecting my people,” Abed continued. “I won’t hesitate for a moment to protect my people no matter the price.” “We’ve known the price from the moment we began opposing the Hamas movement politically and ideologically,” he added.
Abed has long been a thorn in Hamas’s side. In 2019, he helped organize protests over the harsh economic conditions under the terror group’s rule.
More recently, he has criticized Hamas’s October 7 attack, when thousands of terrorists invaded southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, and sparking the devastating war in the Gaza Strip.
Abed penned a Facebook post against Hamas on Monday morning, which some on social media connected to the assault on him later that day. The Washington-based news outlet Al-Monitorreported on Tuesday that Palestinians were outraged by the attack on Abed. The Arabic hashtag “we are all Amin Abed” was said to go viral, as did a video of the activist’s father Salah walking through ruins in Gaza and railing through a megaphone against the “traitors” behind the assault on his son. The elder Abed had detailed the assault in a Facebook post, but did not say who was responsible.
Fatah, Hamas’s rival which dominates the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, issued a statement on Tuesday condemning the “barbaric” attack on Abed.
The secularist faction, which Hamas violently banished from the Gaza Strip a year after winning the 2006 PA legislative election, said it “holds the de facto authority in the Gaza Strip fully responsible” for the attack. Fatah also accused Hamas of “practicing a policy of widespread repression and tyranny” against the people of Gaza amid the war there. Link
IDF Confirms: We Attempted to Eliminate Mohammed Deif in a
Terrorist Compound, Awaiting Results of the Attack
The IDF confirms that its forces attempted to eliminate
Mohammed Deif and the Khan Yunis Brigade Commander in an attack in the southern
Gaza Strip: "They were in a fenced terrorist compound, not in the nearby
displaced persons' tent area." The assessment is that there were no
hostages near Deif: "He was attacked above ground and not in a
tunnel." Hamas denies its senior officials were hit: "A claim meant
to justify an attack against civilians"
The IDF confirmed at noon (Saturday) that security forces
attempted to eliminate Mohammed Deif and the Khan Yunis Brigade Commander. The
IDF stated that the two senior Hamas officials "were in a fenced terrorist
compound. We are waiting for the results of the attack." The IDF estimates
that there were no hostages in Deif's vicinity, who was attacked above ground -
not in a tunnel. The Saudi newspaper Al-Hadath later reported that Salama was
killed in the attack. Hamas, on the other hand, claims that the Israeli claims
of hitting the organization's senior officials are "false" and
intended to "justify an attack" against civilians.
The IDF attacked Mohammed Deif and Rafaa Salama, architects
of October 7th, along with additional operatives in western Khan Yunis in the
southern Gaza Strip. The attack was in Mawasi, in a civilian compound that
Hamas had fenced off. Hamas operatives who were guarding the compound were also
hit in the attack. The IDF continued to attack the compound even after the
initial strike, to ensure that rescue forces did not arrive to extract the
attacked terrorists.
The IDF said this was not in the displaced persons' tent
compounds beyond the fence. In Gaza, it was claimed earlier that the attack was
aimed at tents of displaced persons in Al-Mawasi in Khan Yunis in the southern
Gaza Strip - a humanitarian area where, according to reports, Deif was hiding
among civilians. The attack in western Khan Yunis was in a compound with trees,
in an open area, huts and small buildings, with a low structure and sheds so
that Hamas operatives could move safely in it. The IDF prepared for a long time
for the attack with specific preparations of the Air Force, with very precise
intelligence, and an operational method of the Air Force using fighter jets on
several small targets in the same fenced compound. Hamas claimed that dozens of civilians were
killed in the attack. The Hamas Health Ministry in Gaza claimed at noon that at
least 71 Palestinians were killed in the attack in the southern Gaza Strip and
another 289 were injured.
**If Deif was indeed eliminated - what will be the
effects?**
Our commentator Ron Ben-Yishai notes that if Deif was indeed
eliminated along with the Khan Yunis Brigade Commander, it's a severe moral
blow to Hamas and Gazans in general, as Deif was a symbolic figure whose
significance was far beyond his actual functioning. The effect can also lead to
a significant reduction in the resistance of Hamas operatives to IDF forces in
the Strip and psychologically affect Sinwar, as Deif was his long-time partner
and also grew up like him in the Khan Yunis refugee camp. An elimination can
also affect Hamas's willingness to be flexible in negotiations for a deal, not
because of the hit on Deif itself, but because of the symbolic hit that was
part of the organization's source of motivation.
As of now, there is no warning of an unusual response from
Gaza or Lebanon, as the Palestinians still don't know the results of the
assassination attempt. It's possible that during the day, the Home Front
Command's instructions will be intensified. linkAs expected, there are preliminary reports that Deif was killed but we cannot rely on that at all. After so many attempts at killing him and reports that we succeeded in the past, only to find out the big surprise during this war that not only is he not dead, or missing most of his limbs and blind, he has been functioning quite well and on his own two feet.
Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah/Syria
West Bank and Jerusalem
Politics and the War (general news)
Seventy-two percent of Israelis think Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needs to resign over the failures of October 7, according to a Channel 12 poll published Friday.
Of those, 44% believe Netanyahu needs to quit immediately, while another 28% believe he should resign when the war ends.
The poll also found that 50% of those who define themselves as supporters of the government believe Netanyahu must leave office before the end of his term. Forty-two percent of supporters said he should see out his term.
The poll also found that the public views Netanyahu as the Israeli most responsible for the October 7 catastrophe, when some 3,000 Hamas-led terrorists stormed into Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
Thirty-nine percent said Netanyahu was most responsible, 18% said former military intelligence chief Aharon Haliva was mostly to blame, 10% singled out IDF chief of staff Herzi Halevi, 7% held Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar responsible, and only 4% laid the blame with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Among them, Netanyahu is the only one yet to admit culpability for the disaster. The poll also found broad public support for a deal with Hamas that would see a ceasefire and the return of the hostages, with 64% in favor, and 15% against. A further 21% said they don’t know.
Israel recently went through an unprecedented bout of five elections within four years as repeated votes failed to produce a stable majority government. There has been increasing talk of fresh elections amid cabinet members griping over the management of the war in Gaza and coalition divides on the drafting of the ultra-Orthodox community into the army, both issues that could threaten to collapse the government.
In addition, there is growing dissatisfaction among many in the public at efforts to reach a hostage-ceasefire deal.
The network said 502 people took part in the online poll, which was conducted by the Midgam research firm. The margin of error was 4.4%. Link
US President Joe Biden says the plan he is pushing for the post-war management of Gaza will begin a process leading to a two-state solution with Arab nations helping secure the Strip during a transitional period.
“There’s no ultimate answer other than a two-state solution,” Biden says during a press conference.
“What was able to be done in terms of the plan I put together was that there would be a process for a two-state solution, and we get the Arab nations to — from Egypt all the way to Saudi Arabia — to be in a position where they would cooperate in the transition, so that they can keep the peace in Gaza without Israeli forces staying in Gaza,” the president says.
“The question that has been from the beginning [is], what’s the day after in Gaza? And the day after in Gaza has to be… no occupation by Israel of the Gaza Strip as well as the ability for us to access, get in and out as rapidly as you can all that’s needed there,” he says, apparently referring to a freer flow of humanitarian assistance into the Strip. link
The Region and the World
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Friday that US forces destroyed three Iranian-backed Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicles in Houthi-controlled area of Yemen.
“It was determined these UAVs presented an imminent threat to US, coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region. These actions were taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure,” CENTCOM says.
Yemen’s Houthis targeted “vessel Charysalis” twice in both the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait with a number of ballistic and naval missiles and drones, the Iran-aligned group’s military spokesman Yahya Sareesays.
The Houthi rebels, which control the most populous parts of Yemen, have staged attacks on ships in the waters off the country for months, claiming the attacks are in solidarity with Palestinians fighting Israel in Gaza.
Argentina has designated Hamas a terrorist organization and ordered a freeze on the financial assets of the Palestinian group, a largely symbolic move as President Javier Milei seeks to align Argentina strongly with the US and Israel. Announcing the decision, Milei’s office cited the Palestinian terror group’s cross-border attack on Israel last October 7 in which 1,200 people, mostly civilians were killed and 251 taken hostage, in the deadliest assault in Israel’s 76-year history. The statement also mentions Hamas’ close ties to Iran, which Argentina blames for two deadly terror attacks on Jewish sites in the country.
The move comes just days before the 30th anniversary of one of those attacks, the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. It killed 85 people and wounded hundreds more in the worst such attack in Argentina’s modern history.
The other attack on the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, in 1992, killed more than 20 people. Argentina’s judiciary has accused members of Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group of carrying out the two attacks.
The announcement professes Milei’s “unwavering commitment to recognizing terrorists for what they are,” adding that “it’s the first time that there is a political will to do so.”
Personal Stories
Master Sgt. (res.) Zechariah Pesach Haber, 32, who was killed fighting in the Gaza Strip, was awarded his PhD posthumously from Tel Aviv University on Thursday for his research in improving the productivity of crops in harsh climatic conditions.
The biologist and father of three from Jerusalem served in the 14th Armored Brigade’s 87th Battalion when he was killed in battle on January 16, along with Sgt. Maj. (res.) Yair Katz, 34, from Holon.
His widow, Talia, and his parents, Miriam and Aharon Haber, accepted the diploma on his behalf to a standing ovation. More than 300 other PhD candidates and their families attended the ceremony. “We shook the rector’s hand and got his diploma,” said his mother, Miriam, after the ceremony. “We’re proud of him and his work but it was very bittersweet.”
An image of Zechariah Haber at the TAU doctorate awards ceremony on June 11, 2024 (Courtesy)
She said that the family is grateful to the university for “honoring him so beautifully,” and to the other graduates and their families “for their huge show of support.” Haber had been working on his doctorate in Dr. Nir Sade’s laboratory at the university’s Institute for Cereal Crops Research. The title of his thesis is “Systems Biology Approach for Stress Resistance and Yield Traits in Crops.” Haber’s doctoral thesis concerned improving the productivity of crops in harsh climatic conditions, Sade said, “a topic that is a priority for plant researchers worldwide.”
“In the future, I would like to explore desert and marine plants, as potential future crops, allowing us to combat intensifying desertification, biodiversity loss and water scarcity,” Haber said in an interview with The Journal of American Society of Plant Biologists in 2021. Sade said that Haber’s work focused mainly on wild and domesticated wheat and tomatoes.
“He used computational biology, genetic engineering and a variety of measurements,” Sade said. “His important findings were published in first-class journals and have already greatly influenced the field.”
Haber was born in the United States and immigrated to Israel with his family when he was eight. He was the eldest of four brothers.
After high school, he studied at the Hesder Yeshiva Har Etzion in Alon Shvut. He wrote a Talmudic encyclopedia that will be published by the yeshiva.
Following his mandatory IDF service in the Tank Corps, he completed two degrees in Plant Sciences at the Faculty of Agriculture of the Hebrew University in Rehovot.
Haber studied photosynthesis, the process by which plants and algae convert light energy into sugars, said Prof. Shilo Rosenwasser of the Hebrew University, where Haber was his first student. “He was truly special in so many aspects, and this was reflected in his achievements,” said Rosenwasser. His achievements “are rare for such a young student who is just taking his first steps into science.”
“He had an insatiable curiosity,” Miriam said, “but above all, he was kind.”
In the lab at Tel Aviv University, Haber’s work “will be used for future research,” Sade said.
COGAT - Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories
ICC - International Criminal Court in the Hague
IJC - International Court of Justice in the Hague
MDA - Magen David Adom - Israel Ambulance Corp
PA - Palestinian Authority - President Mahmud Abbas, aka Abu Mazen
PMO- Prime Minister's Office
UAV - Unmanned Aerial vehicle, Drone. Could be used for surveillance and reconnaissance, or be weaponized with missiles or contain explosives for 'suicide' explosion mission
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We are continuously learning of more and more of the information that the powers that be had prior to October 7 and did little to nothing. So much is still not known. Most will come out in the Official Committee of Inquiry after the war, but some of that information will not be made public due to security concerns. Following is the information that is public knowledge as of today and is documented. It is presented relatively chronologically but some aspects ran in parallel throughout same and different periods of time. 1. Six years ago, Hamas launched its own television station: Al-Aqsa TV. The station quickly became a highly-effective propaganda tool, which Hamas continues to use to preach its message of hatred of the West, Jews, and Israel. “A fictional series on Palestinian TV last year seemingly predicted key elements of Hamas’ Oct. 7 sneak assault on Israel — from the terrorists’ white vans to targeted kibbutzim and the abduction of Israeli soldiers.” 1 There were so
A water cannon is used to cool down activists for the Gaza hostages taking part in a march to Jerusalem in blistering heat, near Shoresh, July 12, 2024. (Oded Engel/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)
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