π️Lonny's War Update- October 293, 2023 - July 25, 2024 π️
π️Day 293 that 115 of our hostages in Hamas captivity
**There is nothing more important than getting them home! NOTHING!**
“I’ve never met them,But I miss them. I’ve never met them,but I think of them every second. I’ve never met them,but they are my family. BRING THEM HOME NOW!!!”
Keren, daughter of Abraham Munder writes to him:
“My father, the one with the tallest ladder that reaches the sky.
The one who knows so much.
English, French, and even math.
The one who played marbles with me.
The one who gave me the album for my collection of postage stamps.
The one who was consistent throughout my life and wrote me the most loving birthday and holiday cards, with beautiful and precise handwriting, as expected from the perfectionist father I am lucky to have.
The one who phrased the most moving words that find their way directly to my heart.
The one who with every opportunity handed me his love and heart, that I will always know is by my side.
My father, Abraham Munder is still being held hostage.
I’m angry, I’m furious.”
We must demand the return of our family members, friends and loved ones immediately.
“My father, the one with the tallest ladder that reaches the sky.
The one who knows so much.
English, French, and even math.
The one who played marbles with me.
The one who gave me the album for my collection of postage stamps.
The one who was consistent throughout my life and wrote me the most loving birthday and holiday cards, with beautiful and precise handwriting, as expected from the perfectionist father I am lucky to have.
The one who phrased the most moving words that find their way directly to my heart.
The one who with every opportunity handed me his love and heart, that I will always know is by my side.
My father, Abraham Munder is still being held hostage.
I’m angry, I’m furious.”
We must demand the return of our family members, friends and loved ones immediately.
There is no victory until all of the hostages are home!ΧΧΧ Χ Χ¦ΧΧΧ Χ’Χ Χ©ΧΧ ΧΧΧΧΧ€ΧΧ ΧΧΧΧͺ
Red Alerts - Missile, Rocket, Drone (UAV - unmanned aerial vehicles), and Terror Attacks and Death Announcements
*5:25pm yesterday - south - rockets Kerem Shalom*10:40pm yesterday - north - rockets Malkia
*12:20am - north - rockets Hanita
*7:50am - north - rockets Baram, Yiron, Kerem Ben Zimra
*11:55am - north - rockets Netua, Shtula
* 4:10pm - north - rockets Matat, Sasa, Meron Field School
*The IDF says fighter jets shot down two unmanned drones making their to Israel from the east overnight.
*12:20am - north - rockets Hanita
*7:50am - north - rockets Baram, Yiron, Kerem Ben Zimra
*11:55am - north - rockets Netua, Shtula
* 4:10pm - north - rockets Matat, Sasa, Meron Field School
*The IDF says fighter jets shot down two unmanned drones making their to Israel from the east overnight.
The military says the drones did not cross into Israeli airspace. The pro-Iran Islamic Resistance in Iraq claims responsibility for the attack, saying it launched the drone at a legitimate target in Eilat.
Hostage Updates
The bodies of 5 hostages were rescued in a military operation in Khan Yunis
The bodies of five Israelis killed and taken hostage by terrorists on October 7 were recovered by troops operating in the southern Gaza Strip and brought back to Israel on Wednesday, officials said.
Ravid Katz, 51, Oren Goldin, 33, Maya Goren, 56, Sgt. Kiril Brodski, 19, and Staff Sgt. Tomer Yaakov Ahimas, 20, were all previously declared dead by the Israel Defense Forces, though their bodies continued to be held in Gaza until Wednesday.
All five were killed on October 7 and their bodies were dragged into Gaza by Hamas-led terrorists. Their remains were located in a tunnel in Khan Younis on Wednesday by troops, including special forces under the IDF’s 98th Division and Shin Bet agents, the military and security agency said early Thursday.
According to the military, Shin Bet interrogations of detained terrorists in Gaza and other intelligence allowed troops to reach the tunnel in Khan Younis and recover the bodies, amid a new offensive in the city in the southern Gaza Strip.
“It’s hard to describe in words how an operation of this kind feels. The sense of responsibility, the magnitude of the moment, the understanding of the importance of the task, everything boils down to one moment when you realize you’ve arrived at the right place,” a Shin Bet agent who participated in the operation said.
The body of Staff Sgt. Tomer Yaakov Ahimas, 20 has been recovered from Gaza and brought to Israel in a military operation, the head of the local council in his hometown of Lehavim says.
Ahimas was killed along with other soldiers in the forward command team of Col. Asaf Hamami, the commander of the Gaza Division’s Southern Brigade, as they battled Hamas terrorists near Kibbutz Nirim on October 7.
The remains of Ahimas and two other slain soldiers were abducted into Gaza during the fighting. Ahimas will be buried in Lehavim on Thursday evening. A funeral was held for him on November 29, 54 days after he was killed. He is survived by his parents, Moshe and Anat, and his siblings Maya, Gil, Eyal, and his twin brother Amir, as well as his girlfriend Shay-li Hen.
Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak announces that the body of hostage Oren Goldin has been recovered from Gaza in a military operation.
Goldin was a member of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak’s civilian defense team and was killed on the morning of October 7.
For more than a month, Goldin was considered missing, and he was thought to be held captive in Gaza. Then on November 9, his family was informed that his death had been confirmed.
“For almost 10 months, we have called and wished for the return of his body to Israel so that he could be buried in the home he loved so much,” the kibbutz says.
He is survived by his wife, Oshrit Masala, and their two-year-old twins, Aviv and Ilay, as well as his parents Adi and Yair and siblings Rani and Shai. Goldin, a native of the kibbutz, ran its mechanic shop.
Kibbutz Nir Oz announces that the body of resident Maya Goren, who was taken hostage to Gaza on October 7th has been recovered by the Israel Defense Forces.
“Tonight we were informed that the body of Maya Goren was recovered in a military rescue operation,” says the kibbutz. “After nine months, she was brought home for burial.”
“The family has been informed in recent hours about the operation. The community will continue its struggle to bring back all the hostages, the living to rehabilitation and the dead for burial.”
The kibbutz says further information will be provided soon.
Goren, 56, a teacher in Nir Oz, was setting up the kibbutz’s kindergarten space on the morning of October 7 when the Hamas attack erupted, and she was snatched by the terrorists. Her husband, Avner, also 56, was murdered inside the couple’s home.
Avner was a native of the kibbutz where he was born and raised, while Maya moved there from Ramat Gan to be with him.
The couple are survived by four children, Assif, 25, Bar, 23, Gal, 21 and Dekel, 18. Bar and Dekel were in the kibbutz at the time and survived, while Asif and Gal were elsewhere.
Sgt. Kiril Brodski, 19, from Ramat Gan, was killed by Hamas terrorists on October 7 at Nirim and his body was dragged into Gaza and held captive.
Brodski, who was a command and control officer in the IDF’s 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion serving at the Nir Oz base, was part of the team that tried to fight back and repel the Hamas invasion early that Saturday morning.
For more than six weeks, he was considered a Hamas hostage until the IDF declared his death on November 28, officially listing his status as a “fallen IDF soldier held captive by a terror group.” His funeral was held the following day in the Kiryat Shaul military cemetery.
On July 24, 2024, the IDF recovered his body in Gaza and returned it to Israel. Brodski is survived by his parents, Victor and Elena, and his sister Alina.
“Everything he achieved in his short life, he achieved on his own,” his mother said at the funeral. “If he had a goal, he would always reach it. He was a hard worker and always ready to help anyone,” she said.
“On October 7… he went to Nirim and saved people there, and when he fell, he saved others. And I am proud of him for what he did, but on the other hand, it’s so hard for me not to see him or hear his laughter anymore.”
Ramat Gan Mayor Carmel Shama offered his condolences to the family of Kiril Brodski, saying: “I talked to his mother, and my heart was torn by the intensity of her grief and pain. The entire city shares in the family’s pain.”
According to family and friends, Brodski was an avid motorcycle enthusiast. He traveled all over the country on his motorcycles, and dozens of his friends arrived at his funeral on motorcycles to honor his memory.
According to a report by Israeli media outlet Ynet, three years ago, Brodski fulfilled a childhood dream and purchased a motorcycle. Two years later, he replaced it with an even bigger one.
He also managed to convince his father, Victor, to join in on the hobby, and eventually, the two of them both had licenses and could ride together.
Miri Samorov, Brodski’s partner, started taking riding lessons to surprise him when he returned from the war.
“The idea that I would also have a license excited him. He always drove me but said he wanted us both to ride together, next to each other,” she said.
“Now, even though he is no longer here, I will complete the lessons and pass the test, and then I will buy a motorcycle and ride in his memory.”
“We lost a friend, we lost a brother, and we lost a hero,” said Brodski’s friend, Yair. “I salute you.”
The death of Ravid Katz, 51, was confirmed on November 28, 2023, after his family announced that his body was identified. This is the story of his capture and its aftermath:
Ravid Katz, 51, was taken captive by Hamas terrorists on October 7, when they attacked Kibbutz Nir Oz where Katz lives with his family and other relatives.
On that Saturday, Ravid made sure his wife and four-month-old baby were safe with neighbors in their sealed room and went to fight the terrorists with the kibbutz security team.
Ravid’s wife and baby survived the assault, after hiding for hours.
Ravid’s sister Doron Katz Asher and her two daughters were taken hostage separately and released on November 24, 2023. Doron’s mother, Efrat (who is not Ravid’s mother) was killed and Efrat’s boyfriend Gadi Mozes was taken hostage and is still captive in Gaza.
Ravid’s other sister, Leeor Katz Natanzon, also lives at Nir Oz with her family and was away that weekend.
The family was unable to locate any sign of Ravid for many days, but received word that he was in Gaza.
On November 28, 2023, his death was confirmed.
May their memories forever be a blessing
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not demonstrate that he understands the urgency of the plight of the hostages during his meeting with a group of their families in Washington, one of the relatives who was present told the US House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday.
Daniel Neutra, brother of Israeli-American Hamas hostage Omer Neutra, speaks to the US House Foreign Affairs Committee on July 23, 2024. (Screen capture/YouTube)Nine American-Israeli hostage family members, including one former captive, testified before an open session of the House panel, pleading with US lawmakers to use their influence to pressure the Israeli prime minister to agree to a deal.
“I have to say that the urgency of the matter did not seem to resonate with him,” said Daniel Neutra, whose brother Omer is one of the 120 hostages being held in Gaza and one of the eight with American citizenship. Neutra was one of nearly two dozen hostage families who met with Netanyahu on Monday evening shortly after the premier arrived in Washington. Relatives, some of whom flew to the US alongside Netanyahu, are hoping to use the occasion of the premier’s speech to Congress Wednesday and high level meetings this week to ramp up pressure for a deal after nearly 300 days.
Neutra told the panel that Netanyahu was mum when asked why he was waiting until later in the week to dispatch negotiators to resume talks on freeing the hostages instead of sending them immediately.
Netanyahu’s office announced shortly before he left for the US on Sunday that he had directed Israel’s hostage negotiating team to depart on Thursday for another round of talks, indicating that there will not be a deal by the time the prime minister addresses Congress on Wednesday. Netanyahu has moved to have the Israeli negotiation team formally submit new demands, arguing that Hamas is beginning to buckle under military pressure and that it can be squeezed into agreeing to more concessions.
The strategy has devastated many of the hostage families who traveled to Washington for Netanyahu’s Wednesday address for a joint session of Congress, among them 12 relatives of American citizens held hostages in Gaza. They have demanded that the premier’s speech include a declaration that he has agreed to the hostage deal currently on the table.
“We must continue putting pressure on all parties involved, including Hamas, to accept this deal now before more people die in captivity,” Neutra told the Congressional panel.
Committee chair Rep. Michael McCaul responded that he’s meeting with the prime minister on Wednesday and will raise the issue with him — a rare moment in which a Republican lawmaker appeared prepared to challenge Netanyahu.
American-Israeli hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen’s father Jonathan told the House panel that “any true friend of Israel today must pressure our prime minister to finish the deal now.”
Dekel-Chen noted that Israel’s own security establishment has encouraged the government to accept the deal on the table, explaining that it has completed the military goals that it set out for itself.
Hostage Updates
The bodies of 5 hostages were rescued in a military operation in Khan Yunis
The bodies of five Israelis killed and taken hostage by terrorists on October 7 were recovered by troops operating in the southern Gaza Strip and brought back to Israel on Wednesday, officials said.
Ravid Katz, 51, Oren Goldin, 33, Maya Goren, 56, Sgt. Kiril Brodski, 19, and Staff Sgt. Tomer Yaakov Ahimas, 20, were all previously declared dead by the Israel Defense Forces, though their bodies continued to be held in Gaza until Wednesday.
All five were killed on October 7 and their bodies were dragged into Gaza by Hamas-led terrorists. Their remains were located in a tunnel in Khan Younis on Wednesday by troops, including special forces under the IDF’s 98th Division and Shin Bet agents, the military and security agency said early Thursday.
According to the military, Shin Bet interrogations of detained terrorists in Gaza and other intelligence allowed troops to reach the tunnel in Khan Younis and recover the bodies, amid a new offensive in the city in the southern Gaza Strip.
“It’s hard to describe in words how an operation of this kind feels. The sense of responsibility, the magnitude of the moment, the understanding of the importance of the task, everything boils down to one moment when you realize you’ve arrived at the right place,” a Shin Bet agent who participated in the operation said.
The body of Staff Sgt. Tomer Yaakov Ahimas, 20 has been recovered from Gaza and brought to Israel in a military operation, the head of the local council in his hometown of Lehavim says.
Ahimas was killed along with other soldiers in the forward command team of Col. Asaf Hamami, the commander of the Gaza Division’s Southern Brigade, as they battled Hamas terrorists near Kibbutz Nirim on October 7.
The remains of Ahimas and two other slain soldiers were abducted into Gaza during the fighting. Ahimas will be buried in Lehavim on Thursday evening. A funeral was held for him on November 29, 54 days after he was killed. He is survived by his parents, Moshe and Anat, and his siblings Maya, Gil, Eyal, and his twin brother Amir, as well as his girlfriend Shay-li Hen.
Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak announces that the body of hostage Oren Goldin has been recovered from Gaza in a military operation.
Goldin was a member of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak’s civilian defense team and was killed on the morning of October 7.
For more than a month, Goldin was considered missing, and he was thought to be held captive in Gaza. Then on November 9, his family was informed that his death had been confirmed.
“For almost 10 months, we have called and wished for the return of his body to Israel so that he could be buried in the home he loved so much,” the kibbutz says.
He is survived by his wife, Oshrit Masala, and their two-year-old twins, Aviv and Ilay, as well as his parents Adi and Yair and siblings Rani and Shai. Goldin, a native of the kibbutz, ran its mechanic shop.
Kibbutz Nir Oz announces that the body of resident Maya Goren, who was taken hostage to Gaza on October 7th has been recovered by the Israel Defense Forces.
“Tonight we were informed that the body of Maya Goren was recovered in a military rescue operation,” says the kibbutz. “After nine months, she was brought home for burial.”
“The family has been informed in recent hours about the operation. The community will continue its struggle to bring back all the hostages, the living to rehabilitation and the dead for burial.”
The kibbutz says further information will be provided soon.
Goren, 56, a teacher in Nir Oz, was setting up the kibbutz’s kindergarten space on the morning of October 7 when the Hamas attack erupted, and she was snatched by the terrorists. Her husband, Avner, also 56, was murdered inside the couple’s home.
Avner was a native of the kibbutz where he was born and raised, while Maya moved there from Ramat Gan to be with him.
The couple are survived by four children, Assif, 25, Bar, 23, Gal, 21 and Dekel, 18. Bar and Dekel were in the kibbutz at the time and survived, while Asif and Gal were elsewhere.
Sgt. Kiril Brodski, 19, from Ramat Gan, was killed by Hamas terrorists on October 7 at Nirim and his body was dragged into Gaza and held captive.
Brodski, who was a command and control officer in the IDF’s 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion serving at the Nir Oz base, was part of the team that tried to fight back and repel the Hamas invasion early that Saturday morning.
For more than six weeks, he was considered a Hamas hostage until the IDF declared his death on November 28, officially listing his status as a “fallen IDF soldier held captive by a terror group.” His funeral was held the following day in the Kiryat Shaul military cemetery.
On July 24, 2024, the IDF recovered his body in Gaza and returned it to Israel. Brodski is survived by his parents, Victor and Elena, and his sister Alina.
“Everything he achieved in his short life, he achieved on his own,” his mother said at the funeral. “If he had a goal, he would always reach it. He was a hard worker and always ready to help anyone,” she said.
“On October 7… he went to Nirim and saved people there, and when he fell, he saved others. And I am proud of him for what he did, but on the other hand, it’s so hard for me not to see him or hear his laughter anymore.”
Ramat Gan Mayor Carmel Shama offered his condolences to the family of Kiril Brodski, saying: “I talked to his mother, and my heart was torn by the intensity of her grief and pain. The entire city shares in the family’s pain.”
According to family and friends, Brodski was an avid motorcycle enthusiast. He traveled all over the country on his motorcycles, and dozens of his friends arrived at his funeral on motorcycles to honor his memory.
According to a report by Israeli media outlet Ynet, three years ago, Brodski fulfilled a childhood dream and purchased a motorcycle. Two years later, he replaced it with an even bigger one.
He also managed to convince his father, Victor, to join in on the hobby, and eventually, the two of them both had licenses and could ride together.
Miri Samorov, Brodski’s partner, started taking riding lessons to surprise him when he returned from the war.
“The idea that I would also have a license excited him. He always drove me but said he wanted us both to ride together, next to each other,” she said.
“Now, even though he is no longer here, I will complete the lessons and pass the test, and then I will buy a motorcycle and ride in his memory.”
“We lost a friend, we lost a brother, and we lost a hero,” said Brodski’s friend, Yair. “I salute you.”
The death of Ravid Katz, 51, was confirmed on November 28, 2023, after his family announced that his body was identified. This is the story of his capture and its aftermath:
Ravid Katz, 51, was taken captive by Hamas terrorists on October 7, when they attacked Kibbutz Nir Oz where Katz lives with his family and other relatives.
On that Saturday, Ravid made sure his wife and four-month-old baby were safe with neighbors in their sealed room and went to fight the terrorists with the kibbutz security team.
Ravid’s wife and baby survived the assault, after hiding for hours.
Ravid’s sister Doron Katz Asher and her two daughters were taken hostage separately and released on November 24, 2023. Doron’s mother, Efrat (who is not Ravid’s mother) was killed and Efrat’s boyfriend Gadi Mozes was taken hostage and is still captive in Gaza.
Ravid’s other sister, Leeor Katz Natanzon, also lives at Nir Oz with her family and was away that weekend.
The family was unable to locate any sign of Ravid for many days, but received word that he was in Gaza.
On November 28, 2023, his death was confirmed.
May their memories forever be a blessingPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not demonstrate that he understands the urgency of the plight of the hostages during his meeting with a group of their families in Washington, one of the relatives who was present told the US House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday.
Daniel Neutra, brother of Israeli-American Hamas hostage Omer Neutra, speaks to the US House Foreign Affairs Committee on July 23, 2024. (Screen capture/YouTube)Nine American-Israeli hostage family members, including one former captive, testified before an open session of the House panel, pleading with US lawmakers to use their influence to pressure the Israeli prime minister to agree to a deal.
“I have to say that the urgency of the matter did not seem to resonate with him,” said Daniel Neutra, whose brother Omer is one of the 120 hostages being held in Gaza and one of the eight with American citizenship. Neutra was one of nearly two dozen hostage families who met with Netanyahu on Monday evening shortly after the premier arrived in Washington. Relatives, some of whom flew to the US alongside Netanyahu, are hoping to use the occasion of the premier’s speech to Congress Wednesday and high level meetings this week to ramp up pressure for a deal after nearly 300 days.
Neutra told the panel that Netanyahu was mum when asked why he was waiting until later in the week to dispatch negotiators to resume talks on freeing the hostages instead of sending them immediately.
Netanyahu’s office announced shortly before he left for the US on Sunday that he had directed Israel’s hostage negotiating team to depart on Thursday for another round of talks, indicating that there will not be a deal by the time the prime minister addresses Congress on Wednesday. Netanyahu has moved to have the Israeli negotiation team formally submit new demands, arguing that Hamas is beginning to buckle under military pressure and that it can be squeezed into agreeing to more concessions.
The strategy has devastated many of the hostage families who traveled to Washington for Netanyahu’s Wednesday address for a joint session of Congress, among them 12 relatives of American citizens held hostages in Gaza. They have demanded that the premier’s speech include a declaration that he has agreed to the hostage deal currently on the table.
“We must continue putting pressure on all parties involved, including Hamas, to accept this deal now before more people die in captivity,” Neutra told the Congressional panel.
Committee chair Rep. Michael McCaul responded that he’s meeting with the prime minister on Wednesday and will raise the issue with him — a rare moment in which a Republican lawmaker appeared prepared to challenge Netanyahu.
American-Israeli hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen’s father Jonathan told the House panel that “any true friend of Israel today must pressure our prime minister to finish the deal now.”
Dekel-Chen noted that Israel’s own security establishment has encouraged the government to accept the deal on the table, explaining that it has completed the military goals that it set out for itself.
Testimony of sexual assault
The most emotional part of the meeting was the testimony of former hostage Aviva Siegel who recalled having seen young women she was held with after they were “touched” by their Hamas captors.
“I saw the girls coming back after they were touched. I saw the girls coming back after they were forced to take a shower with the door open, when it was the first time that anybody saw their body,” Siegel said, adding that she and those she was held with had been beaten and tortured.
Einav Zangauker, who last night publicized brief footage of her son Matan in Gaza, apparently filmed soon after he was abducted on October 7, says “almost 60 families” have seen footage of their loved ones from when they were abducted or early in their captivity and that they should all be allowed to publicize the material if they want to as part of the struggle for their release.
She says Nitzan Alon, the general overseeing the hostage negotiations on behalf of the IDF, helped her secure permission to show the footage and dealt with concerns raised by other officials regarding the security implications of showing it.
She tells Army Radio that she had to wage a lengthy battle with the authorities for permission to show the brief clip of Matan — including sleeping overnight one night last week at the offices of the government’s point man for the hostages, Gal Hirsch, while she pressed the issue.Zangauker says showing the footage of hostages in Gaza is part of the public struggle for a deal for the release of the hostages, and that the Israeli public has the right to know if hostages are alive, were killed in error by the IDF in Gaza, were killed by their captors, or died because of the conditions of their captivity.
Zangauker says it is obvious that Hamas wants a deal. Otherwise, she says, it could execute the hostages. She says Israel has also moved a long way toward a deal. But, she charges, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is blocking it. Only Netanyahu, she says, “won’t use the ink to sign.”
She says she hopes Netanyahu, in his speech to Congress today, will tell the hostages “don’t lose hope,” and will promise to bring them home. “There is no security reason” not to do a deal, she says.
Adi Alexander, father of hostage Edan Alexander, reflecting on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s mention of the hostages during his Wednesday afternoon address at the Capitol, asks, “Where’s the deal?”
“How do they cross the finish line with the deal that’s on the table?” says Alexander in a phone interview with The Times of Israel. “Where do we stand, how close are we? Three months? Three years? It took five and a half years to get Gilad Shalit out.”
Alexander and his family, who were with the other families of US hostages in the gallery of the Capitol during Netanyahu’s address, says they met with Netanyahu during a reception following the speech hosted by House Speaker Mike Johnson.
He was told by Netanyahu that the prime minister wants to squeeze Hamas a little bit more.
“The ball right now is on the Israeli side,” says Alexander, who along with the other families of American hostages, also met with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin earlier this week. “And when we talk about Israel, we’re talking about one person, Benjamin Netanyahu. He needs to decide if it’s ‘yes’ right now, or if he wants to achieve a little bit more.”
Alexander and the other families of American hostages will meet Thursday with US President Joe Biden and Netanyahu together, presumably following Biden and Netanyahu’s one-on-one meeting. “I’ll try to get some answers tomorrow,” says Alexander. “We need to make sure that everyone does his job. It’s an American law to get hostages out, but there’s no kind of law like that in Israel.”
Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler tells The Times of Israel that he thought Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to a joint session of Congress earlier today was “dishonest,” but that he is still glad he went.
“He talked about seeking victory and that he wants the hostages home, but he’s been throwing more conditions in and he actually wants to prevent a deal,” says Nadler.
Yesterday, the veteran Jewish lawmaker branded Netanyahu “the worst leader in Jewish history since the Maccabean king who invited the Romans into Jerusalem over 2100 years ago.”
Before today’s speech he posted a picture of himself reading “The Netanyahu years” by Ben Caspit, a prominent Israeli journalist and Netanyahu critic. Nadler brought the book with him into the chamber as well, but says he didn’t read it while Netanyahu was speaking.
Nadler claims Netanyahu doesn’t want a hostage deal because this would hasten the launch of an inquiry into his conduct surrounding the war. “The moment he’s out of office, he’ll be prosecuted,” he says.
Nadler says he went to the speech to support Israel, not the prime minister and thinks there are better ways to show disagreement with Netanyahu than boycotting the speech, as some 70 other Democrats did.
Six relatives of hostages removed from the congressional gallery and arrested during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech have been released, a spokesperson for the group says.
From right to left: Michael Levy, brother of hostage Or Levy; Alon Gat, brother of Carmel Gat; Gil Dickmann, cousin of Carmel Gat; Carmit Palty Katzir, sister of Elad Katzir who was murdered in captivity; and Leat Corinne, aunt of hostage Omer Shem Tov.The six were removed and detained after rising to display bright yellow T-shirts calling on Netanyahu to “Seal the deal” with Hamas to free captives held in Gaza.
The six are identified as Michael Levy, brother of hostage Or Levy; Alon Gat, brother of Carmel Gat; Gil Dickmann, cousin of Carmel Gat; Carmit Palty Katzir, sister of Elad Katzir who was murdered in captivity; Leat Corinne, aunt of hostage Omer Shem Tov; and Shahar Mor, nephew of hostage Avraham Mundar.
The six were released following the intervention of Jewish senators, the US-based branch of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum and the American Jewish Committee, the spokesperson says.
The US Capitol Police said earlier that the six were removed and arrested for disrupting Netanyahu’s address.
The relatives of the eight American hostages being held in Gaza criticize Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress earlier today as “political theater.”
“While we recognize the importance of some of the issues Prime Minister Netanyahu focused on in his address to Congress, we were profoundly disappointed he failed to deliver the message we have been waiting to hear for 292 days: the hostages are coming home,” the families say in a statement.
“He failed to present any new solutions or a new path forward. Above all, he failed to commit to the hostage deal that is now on the table even though Israel’s senior defense and intelligence officials have called on him to do so,” the American hostage families say.
“We need to put everything else aside and stop delaying for domestic political gains. Prime Minister Netanyahu, get the deal done and bring our loved ones home before it is too late.” link Netanyahu's appearance and speech was nothing more than a dog and pony show. It gave him the historical record of addressing a joint session of congress more times than any other foreign leader, even Winston Churchill and gives him the opportunity to buddy up once again to his dear friend Donald Trump, who was definitely a prime watcher of his show, as well as the Republicans who embrace him and and enable him to get away with everything. The only thing that could have made Netanyahu's speech valuable was if he declared that he is making a deal immediately and bringing the hostages home, but that was nowhere in the cards. As hostage families who spoke with him prior to his speech, he is not serious about making a deal. He says he wants 'to squeeze Hamas a little more'. His 'squeezing' Hamas only extends the time that the hostages are in captivity and guarantees the deaths of more of them. But Netanyahu doesn't give a damn as long as he keeps his government together, stays Prime Ministers and prevents the establishment of a State Commission of Inquiry about October 7, the war and all that led up to it. He knows better than anyone else where the commission will place the largest responsibility, culpability and straight out blame for all that led up to October 7, the mishandling of the war, the repeated failures to bring the hostages home. They all are at the feet of Mr. Abandonment Netanyahu!
Families of the hostages held by the Hamas terror group expressed bitter disappointment at a rally in Tel Aviv that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not announce a deal to free their loved ones during his speech to Congress.
“This evening, as the prime minister delivered his speech to Congress, thousands of supporters gathered in Hostages Square. They came to watch the broadcast of the speech and hear addresses from family members of the hostages, hoping to hear the prime minister utter the crucial words: ‘There’s a deal,'” says a statement from the Hostages Families Forum.
“Benjamin Netanyahu, I expected, hoped, wished that you would open your speech with ‘We have a signed deal.’ But again and again, you’re not doing what you should have done 292 days ago – bring your citizens home,” says Nissan Kalderon, brother of Ofer Kalderon.
“A leader must know when to stop everything and do just one thing – bring everyone back immediately,” he says, urging the prime minister to ignore “considerations related to your political survival.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a phone call earlier today with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al Thani to discuss efforts to secure a hostage release and ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, the State Department says.
The pair “discussed the remaining issues on the table and practical solutions to bridge the differences between the parties,” according to a State Department readout.
Blinken “reiterated that the United States will continue to work to ensure an agreement is reached,” the readout continues, adding that the secretary thanked the Qatari prime minister for Doha’s efforts. The two also discussed planning for the post-war management of Gaza, the US says.
Families of the hostages express outrage over the delay of the departure of the negotiating team to Qatar until next week.
The delay comes with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington to address Congress. Israeli sources say the delay is due to the prime minister’s meeting with US President Joe Biden being postponed until Thursday.
“Instead of proclaiming before Congress that he accepts the deal on the table, Netanyahu is stopping the deal from going ahead for personal reasons,” says Einav Zangauker, mother of Hamas hostage Matan Zangauker.
“Even if we learn of additional dead hostages in the Hamas tunnels, he will continue on his public relations tour of the US and continue dragging his feet,” she says.
Relatives and friends of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group march with their photos during a rally calling for their release in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, July 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)The Hostage families are holding a protest march from Dizengoff Square to the Hostages Square, where they will watch Netanyahu’s address, followed by a rally. link This is nothing less than Netanyahu adding insult to injury for his non action for the hostages in his speech to congress. His disregard for the lives of the hostages is vile and one of the lowest actions/non-actions that he continues to perpetrate for his own personal interests.
Roughly 100 Democratic lawmakers, most of whom plan to boycott Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s joint address to Congress later today, are currently holding an event in the basement of the Capitol with three relatives of the hostages being held in Gaza.
“These are Israelis who came here, not to interfere in American presidential politics or to go visit Mar-a-Lago or anything like that. They are here to get the hostages home, and that’s why we’re all here,” Rep. Jamie Raskin says of the captives’ families in a slight at Netanyahu, who will be meeting with Trump in Florida on Friday.
Efrat Machikawa, whose uncle Gadi Mozes is being held by Hamas, tells the lawmakers: “Citizens should not have to actively engage in being the voice of their beloved ones who are held underground term in underground tunnels.”
“This should have been the first priority of our representatives in the Israeli government and our prime minister. The fact we have today here means something is terribly wrong,” she says as lawmakers nod along.
Former House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi reads from an Israeli poem from which she has long taken inspiration during the meeting.
“I have no other country. Although my land is burning, my veins, my soul with an aching body and with a hungry heart, here is my home,” Pelosi says as she reads from Ehud Manor’s “I Have No Other Land.”
“I will not be silent. For my country has changed her face. I will not give up on her, I shall remind her and sing into her ears, until she opens her eyes,” she says, folding up the paper with the poem on it.
“Let’s hope that Netanyahu opens his eyes,” Pelosi says, thanking the hostages for their courage.
Gaza
- After long rejecting the idea in public, Cairo is privately moving toward allowing IDF troops to remain in a key border strip used by Hamas to smuggle weapons from Egypt into Gaza, a senior Israeli official and a second official familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel on Tuesday.
The potential shift in Egypt’s position would likely complicate Hamas’s standing in the ongoing hostage negotiations, as the terror group is demanding that Israel withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor as part of the staged ceasefire deal.
A view of the Philadelphi Corridor, the Egypt-Gaza border area in Rafah, on June 18, 2024. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)Israeli negotiators since May had been discussing withdrawing from the roughly 14-kilometer (9-mile) border stretch, with the US leading trilateral discussions with Israel and Egypt about the creation of an underground wall along the corridor at the south of the Strip and the installation of a surveillance system to thwart any weapons smuggling into Gaza, the two officials said.
Egypt initially leveraged its role as one of the mediators in the hostage talks to try and push Israel to withdraw from the corridor as part of the ceasefire deal. But the Israeli official explained that Cairo has gradually relaxed this effort in recent weeks, as Jerusalem has hardened its negotiating stance.
“They too don’t want Hamas to resume smuggling on the border,” the Israeli official said of Egypt.
The official clarified that an agreement has not yet been reached and that Israel is seeking to remain in the Philadelphi Corridor for an extended period, though not permanently.
Smuggling tunnels were dug under the Gaza-Egypt border to get around the Israeli-Egyptian blockade imposed after Hamas took over Gaza in 2007. Some of the tunnels were large enough for vehicles. Hamas brought in weapons and supplies, and Gaza residents smuggled in commercial goods, from livestock to construction materials.
That changed over the past decade, as Egypt battled Islamic State militants in Sinai. The Egyptian military cracked down on the tunnels and destroyed hundreds of them. The tunnels are not all gone, though, and Israel says it has uncovered dozens since entering the corridor in May. While Egypt has begun moving toward Israel’s position regarding the Philadelphi Corridor, Israel has inched toward Cairo’s stance regarding the management of the nearby Rafah Border Crossing, the officials said.
Egypt shuttered Rafah after Israel took over the Gaza side in early May, conditioning its reopening on the Palestinian Authority replacing the IDF at the crossing. Israel initially rejected any PA involvement in the management of the gate, with Netanyahu likening the Ramallah-based government to Hamas and vowing not to give the former a foothold in the Strip.
But recent weeks have also seen Jerusalem rethink its position on that key issue, as Netanyahu’s circle begins to recognize that the PA is the only viable alternative at the moment, even as it pushes for major reforms in Ramallah, the officials said.
Moreover, reopening the Rafah Crossing is integral to the success of the hostage deal, given that the latest proposal specifies that wounded Hamas fighters will be allowed to travel through the gate to receive medical treatment during the first phase of the ceasefire. full article
- The IDF says troops with the 98th Division are advancing in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, amid a new operation there.
The operation, launched on Monday, is being carried out by the division’s 7th Armored Brigade, Paratroopers Brigade and Commando Brigade.
The IDF has said it is operating in Khan Younis after it identified Hamas regrouping there, three months after the IDF withdrew from the city in southern Gaza. The IDF warned civilians to evacuate the area before it launched the new operation.
The troops over the past day located several tunnels, and killed several terror operatives mostly with sniper fire, the military says.
In one incident in the Khan Younis suburb of Bani Suheila, the IDF says troops of the Egoz commando unit spotted a group of gunmen in a vehicle approaching them. The troops called in a drone strike and directed tank shelling against the car, killing the operatives.
Further south, in Rafah, the IDF says troops with the 162nd Division raided several sites belonging to terror groups and killed gunmen.
Also over the past day, Israeli Air Force fighter jets and drones struck dozens of targets across Gaza, including buildings used by terror groups, observation posts, and other infrastructure, as well as gunmen, according to the military.
The IDF releases footage showing a tunnel shaft found in a child’s bedroom in southern Gaza’s Rafah.
Troops of the Nahal Brigade’s 932nd Battalion found the tunnel while searching a home in Rafah’s Shaboura camp.
According to the military, several weapons were found inside the shaft, which was hidden beneath a bed. VIDEO
A high-level Israeli delegation is set to touch down in Cairo later this evening for talks with mediators on a hostage-truce deal with Hamas, the Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese Al-Akhbar daily reports.
According to an informed Egyptian source, the focus of the talks will be the issue of an Israeli presence on the Philadelphi Route on the Egyptian-Israeli border, which has become a major sticking point in the negotiations.
The report says that mediators in Cairo and Doha believe that implementing the first phase of a deal is possible, but are concerned that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may sabotage it with last-minute “surprises.”
The potential shift in Egypt’s position would likely complicate Hamas’s standing in the ongoing hostage negotiations, as the terror group is demanding that Israel withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor as part of the staged ceasefire deal.
A view of the Philadelphi Corridor, the Egypt-Gaza border area in Rafah, on June 18, 2024. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)
Israeli negotiators since May had been discussing withdrawing from the roughly 14-kilometer (9-mile) border stretch, with the US leading trilateral discussions with Israel and Egypt about the creation of an underground wall along the corridor at the south of the Strip and the installation of a surveillance system to thwart any weapons smuggling into Gaza, the two officials said.
Egypt initially leveraged its role as one of the mediators in the hostage talks to try and push Israel to withdraw from the corridor as part of the ceasefire deal. But the Israeli official explained that Cairo has gradually relaxed this effort in recent weeks, as Jerusalem has hardened its negotiating stance.
“They too don’t want Hamas to resume smuggling on the border,” the Israeli official said of Egypt.
The official clarified that an agreement has not yet been reached and that Israel is seeking to remain in the Philadelphi Corridor for an extended period, though not permanently.
Smuggling tunnels were dug under the Gaza-Egypt border to get around the Israeli-Egyptian blockade imposed after Hamas took over Gaza in 2007. Some of the tunnels were large enough for vehicles. Hamas brought in weapons and supplies, and Gaza residents smuggled in commercial goods, from livestock to construction materials.
That changed over the past decade, as Egypt battled Islamic State militants in Sinai. The Egyptian military cracked down on the tunnels and destroyed hundreds of them. The tunnels are not all gone, though, and Israel says it has uncovered dozens since entering the corridor in May. While Egypt has begun moving toward Israel’s position regarding the Philadelphi Corridor, Israel has inched toward Cairo’s stance regarding the management of the nearby Rafah Border Crossing, the officials said.
Egypt shuttered Rafah after Israel took over the Gaza side in early May, conditioning its reopening on the Palestinian Authority replacing the IDF at the crossing. Israel initially rejected any PA involvement in the management of the gate, with Netanyahu likening the Ramallah-based government to Hamas and vowing not to give the former a foothold in the Strip.
But recent weeks have also seen Jerusalem rethink its position on that key issue, as Netanyahu’s circle begins to recognize that the PA is the only viable alternative at the moment, even as it pushes for major reforms in Ramallah, the officials said.
Moreover, reopening the Rafah Crossing is integral to the success of the hostage deal, given that the latest proposal specifies that wounded Hamas fighters will be allowed to travel through the gate to receive medical treatment during the first phase of the ceasefire. full article
The operation, launched on Monday, is being carried out by the division’s 7th Armored Brigade, Paratroopers Brigade and Commando Brigade.
The IDF has said it is operating in Khan Younis after it identified Hamas regrouping there, three months after the IDF withdrew from the city in southern Gaza. The IDF warned civilians to evacuate the area before it launched the new operation.
The troops over the past day located several tunnels, and killed several terror operatives mostly with sniper fire, the military says.
In one incident in the Khan Younis suburb of Bani Suheila, the IDF says troops of the Egoz commando unit spotted a group of gunmen in a vehicle approaching them. The troops called in a drone strike and directed tank shelling against the car, killing the operatives.
Further south, in Rafah, the IDF says troops with the 162nd Division raided several sites belonging to terror groups and killed gunmen.
Also over the past day, Israeli Air Force fighter jets and drones struck dozens of targets across Gaza, including buildings used by terror groups, observation posts, and other infrastructure, as well as gunmen, according to the military.
The IDF releases footage showing a tunnel shaft found in a child’s bedroom in southern Gaza’s Rafah.
Troops of the Nahal Brigade’s 932nd Battalion found the tunnel while searching a home in Rafah’s Shaboura camp.
According to the military, several weapons were found inside the shaft, which was hidden beneath a bed. VIDEO
A high-level Israeli delegation is set to touch down in Cairo later this evening for talks with mediators on a hostage-truce deal with Hamas, the Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese Al-Akhbar daily reports.
According to an informed Egyptian source, the focus of the talks will be the issue of an Israeli presence on the Philadelphi Route on the Egyptian-Israeli border, which has become a major sticking point in the negotiations.
The report says that mediators in Cairo and Doha believe that implementing the first phase of a deal is possible, but are concerned that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may sabotage it with last-minute “surprises.”
Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah/Syria
The IDF responds to Hezbollah’s drone video showing the Ramat David Airbase, saying that the “activity of the base was not harmed.”
“The video released by Hezbollah was filmed by an unmanned aerial vehicle for photography purposes only,” the military says in a statement.
The IDF says it has been operating against Hezbollah’s aerial forces, striking hundreds of sites belonging to the unit in Lebanon in recent months.
“The Air Force uses all means to protect the skies of the State of Israel and will continue to do so,” the IDF adds.
The IDF does not elaborate on whether it identified the drone that flew over the airbase, located some 50 kilometers from the Lebanon border. Hizbollah drone footage
This past week, reservists of the IDF’s Alon Brigade carried out a drill simulating fighting in Lebanon, which the military says is part of the Northern Command’s efforts to increase readiness amid heightened tensions on the northern border.
The drill included movement in complex terrain, advancing along a “mountainous route,” and using firepower in various scenarios, the IDF says.
The IDF says members of the reserve infantry brigade also practiced logistical support, communications, and extracting wounded troops under fire.
Israel has warned it can no longer tolerate Hezbollah’s presence along its border following Hamas’s October 7 atrocities and has warned that should a diplomatic solution not be reached, it will turn to military action to push Hezbollah northward.
The Israel Defense Forces says a soldier has been hospitalized after being injured Tuesday by rocket fire on the northern border.
The soldier “was seriously injured as a result of projectiles launched from Lebanon at the Har Dov area.”
The IDF said Tuesday evening that several projectiles had been fired at the Har Dov area, alongside some 15 rockets launched from Lebanon at the Kiryat Shmona area, some of which were shot down.Hezbollah claimed several attacks on Israel throughout Tuesday.
The IDF responds to Hezbollah’s drone video showing the Ramat David Airbase, saying that the “activity of the base was not harmed.”
“The video released by Hezbollah was filmed by an unmanned aerial vehicle for photography purposes only,” the military says in a statement.
The IDF says it has been operating against Hezbollah’s aerial forces, striking hundreds of sites belonging to the unit in Lebanon in recent months.
“The Air Force uses all means to protect the skies of the State of Israel and will continue to do so,” the IDF adds.
The IDF does not elaborate on whether it identified the drone that flew over the airbase, located some 50 kilometers from the Lebanon border. Hizbollah drone footage
This past week, reservists of the IDF’s Alon Brigade carried out a drill simulating fighting in Lebanon, which the military says is part of the Northern Command’s efforts to increase readiness amid heightened tensions on the northern border.
The drill included movement in complex terrain, advancing along a “mountainous route,” and using firepower in various scenarios, the IDF says.
The IDF says members of the reserve infantry brigade also practiced logistical support, communications, and extracting wounded troops under fire.
Israel has warned it can no longer tolerate Hezbollah’s presence along its border following Hamas’s October 7 atrocities and has warned that should a diplomatic solution not be reached, it will turn to military action to push Hezbollah northward.
The Israel Defense Forces says a soldier has been hospitalized after being injured Tuesday by rocket fire on the northern border.
The soldier “was seriously injured as a result of projectiles launched from Lebanon at the Har Dov area.”
The IDF said Tuesday evening that several projectiles had been fired at the Har Dov area, alongside some 15 rockets launched from Lebanon at the Kiryat Shmona area, some of which were shot down.Hezbollah claimed several attacks on Israel throughout Tuesday.
West Bank and Jerusalem
Five Palestinian terror suspects were detained near the West Bank city of Tulkarem overnight, including two are are suspected of carrying out a bomb attack near the settlement of Hermesh last week, police say.
Members of the Yamam counter-terrorism unit and the Shin Bet security agency operated in the town of Seida to detain two suspects believed to be behind the attack near Hermesh on July 18, in which four Israelis were wounded.
Police say that one of the suspects behind the attack was shot by the officers amid clashes in Seida.
Another three suspects were detained during the operation, police say.
Five Palestinian terror suspects were detained near the West Bank city of Tulkarem overnight, including two are are suspected of carrying out a bomb attack near the settlement of Hermesh last week, police say.
Members of the Yamam counter-terrorism unit and the Shin Bet security agency operated in the town of Seida to detain two suspects believed to be behind the attack near Hermesh on July 18, in which four Israelis were wounded.
Police say that one of the suspects behind the attack was shot by the officers amid clashes in Seida.
Another three suspects were detained during the operation, police say.
Politics and the War (general news)
- National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s reported exclusion from a proposed high-level decision-making body has sparked a bitter public feud with the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, which is said to have blocked his participation.
According to Hebrew media reports, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in talks to create a new body to manage the war in Gaza that would have included Ben Gvir, as part of an effort to placate the far-right politician, who has actively thwarted legislation pushed by fellow coalition member Shas in order to pressure the premier to appoint him to the no-longer-extant war cabinet.
Netanyahu’s office has denied the reports, stating that the prime minister is looking to create “a forum for consultations and updates that will not replace the existing bodies and will not take their authority.” However, on Wednesday, officials in Ben Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit party said there was “positive progress” in talks with the ruling Likud to include the minister in a forum to manage the ongoing war.
Speaking to Hebrew media outlets, the officials said they appreciated the prime minister for “not planning on surrendering to the ugly delegitimization campaign against Ben Gvir” by Opposition Leader Yair Lapid and National Unity chair Benny Gantz.
The officials added that if an agreement is reached, the party will vote for legislation pushed by Shas. While the Kan public broadcaster indicated that the talks had been delayed while Netanyahu is in the United States — amid concerns of how they might be perceived by Washington — the Ynet news site reported Wednesday morning that Ben Gvir’s inclusion had been completely “vetoed” by Shas, even if it meant that the party’s so-called Rabbis Law will not pass.
In response, Ben Gvir tweeted “Shame you didn’t veto Oslo,” alluding to Shas’s decision to abstain in Knesset votes on the Oslo Accords with the Palestinians in 1993.
Asked for comment, a Shas spokesman dismissed the Ynet report, stating that its writer had not contacted the party for comment.
In response, coalition whip Ofir Katz pushed off until Sunday the vote on the Rabbis Bill, which seeks to grant the religious services minister the power to allocate additional funds to local religious councils around the country.
“I will not endanger important laws for Israelis and the security of Israel that were meant to pass here today,” Katz said in his announcement of the postponement. “Also, the prime minister’s visit to the US is of crucial importance and nothing should be allowed to interfere with it.”
This is the second time that the legislation has been delayed because of Ben Gvir.
Earlier this month, the national security minister pulled his support from the Shas-fronted bill over the issue of his appointment to the war-managing forum, causing it to be removed from the Knesset agenda and prompting a walkout by Shas lawmakers.
At the time, Ben Gvir, who pledged not to vote with the coalition, issued a statement accusing Likud and Shas of reaching a deal with Arab parties to block him from a seat on the war cabinet, later blasting Netanyahu as running a “one-man government.” In response, Katz pulled all bills from the Knesset agenda for the following day, blaming what he called “the irresponsible behavior of Otzma Yehudit.”
A previous version of the bill failed in June when members of Netanyahu’s own Likud bucked party discipline to oppose it, weakening the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism parties’ faith in the prime minister’s ability to advance their interests.
Throughout the course of the war that began October 7, Ben Gvir had repeatedly demanded inclusion in the now-defunct war cabinet. Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who both oppose any hostage-ceasefire agreement that ends the fighting before Hamas is destroyed, have threatened to topple the government if such a deal is approved.
Netanyahu is widely seen as distrusting Ben Gvir.
Last month, Netanyahu’s Likud party accused the national security minister of leaking “state secrets” following the publication of reports that Netanyahu had offered Ben Gvir sensitive security briefings in exchange for his support of the Rabbis Bill.
Ben Gvir has faced multiple accusations of leaking sensitive information from closed-door meetings to the press.
In March, the National Security Council reportedly decided to stop sending representatives to weekly security briefings held by Ben Gvir due to flagrant violations of confidentiality protocols and unprofessional conduct. “Sitting in the Israeli government is a pyromaniac who is trying to set fire to the Middle East,” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant tweeted on Wednesday afternoon in an apparent reference to Ben Gvir. “I oppose any negotiations to put him in the war cabinet — this will allow him to fulfill his plans.” In response, Ben Gvir countered that Gallant and Deri were leftists who are undermining Israeli national security.
Both politicians represent a flawed security “conception” that believes in restraint in the north and waffling in the south, Ben Gvir alleged, accusing the pair of “striving for a reckless deal and the end of the war.”
“This is the reason why this duo opposes my joining the limited forum: because my perception is that decisive results should be sought in both the south and the north, and the hostages should be brought back — not through surrender, but through military pressure and decisive actions,” he tweeted.
In 2008, the Jerusalem District Court convicted Ben Gvir of incitement to racism and supporting a terror organization over a placard he held reading “Arabs out” following a Palestinian terror attack in the capital, and anti-Arab signs he had in his car that referred to the far-right Kach movement, a Jewish group that was banned as a terror organization.
Ben Gvir has been indicted dozens of times, mostly for disturbing the peace, though he was exonerated in almost all the cases. Shas MKs have previously threatened to stop voting with the coalition and even bring down the government over Ben Gvir’s opposition to their legislative priorities — and a spokesman for the party told the Times of Israel on Wednesday that its MKs would actively vote against giving him authority over the Interior Ministry’s Real Estate Enforcement Division.
The ultra-Orthodox party had previously blocked this expansion of Ben Gvir’s authority in April after he reportedly came out against legislation relating to so-called “kosher phones” that it supports.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir calls Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Shas chief Aryeh Deri leftists who are undermining national security, following their opposition to his inclusion in a proposed high-level decision-making body for the management of the war in Gaza.
Both Gallant and Deri are “left-wing” and represent a flawed security “conception” that believes in restraint in the north and waffling in the south, Ben Gvir tweets, accusing the pair of “striving for a reckless deal and the end of the war.”
“This is the reason why this duo opposes my joining the limited forum: because my perception is that decisive results should be sought in both the south and the north, and the hostages should be brought back, but not through surrender — through military pressure and decisive actions.”
Earlier today, Gallant accused Ben Gvir of being “a pyromaniac who is trying to set fire to the Middle East” and said that he “oppose[s] any negotiations to put him in the war cabinet.”
According to the Ynet news site, Deri has “vetoed” Ben Gvir’s participation in such a forum. link Calling Galant and Deri leftists is meant as a very derogatory term meaning they are against the interests of the state and even traitors. This is due to the success of Netanyahu's very long campaign against the left and anyone who was and is against him. He started using the term 'leftist' as a curse many years ago to deride the left as against the state and against Jews. Everyone remembers when he whispered in the ear (caught by a live mike) to the former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and Rabbinic head of Shas "The left forgot what it means to be jews". All this was part of Netanyahu's long range methodology of division and hate of the other and it has, of course been adopted whole-heartedly by the right especially by the extremists like Ben Gvir.
Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Yuli Edelstein submits a bill to cancel discharges granted to IDF reservists under the exemption age for reserve military service.
“In light of the continuation of Operation Swords of Iron and in view of the burden currently placed on reservists, the circle of reservists must be expanded through a reexamination of the exemptions given to reservists, not due to age, and an examination of the reassignment of reservists who did not receive an exemption from reserve service and were not called to reserve service from the start of Operation Swords of Iron,” the bill explains.
Under the terms of the proposal, reservists would be recalled to duty unless they are granted a new exemption after a case-by-case examination.
According to Channel 12, around 170,000 such exemptions have been granted over the past ten years.
In late June, Edelstein delayed a vote on extending a temporary measure raising the exemption age for reserve military service from 40 to 41 for soldiers and from 45 to 46 for officers for several additional months, stating that he would allow it to pass without consensus in his coalition.
The IDF is suffering manpower shortages caused by the hostilities on the northern border and the ongoing war in Gaza, which began on October 7, when Hamas-led terrorists rampaged through southern communities, slaughtering 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
On Sunday, the army sent out the first batch of 1,000 draft orders to ultra-Orthodox men aged 18-26 on Sunday morning, in the first of three such waves scheduled for the coming four weeks.
Edelstein’s committee is currently debating the text of an ultra-Orthodox enlistment bill. link Edelstein is just another Likud hypocrite who puts politics in front of the good of the state. He claimed that he would only promote a draft law that would be agreed upon by all factions including the opposition. And then, together with Netanyahu began hatching a law that would go back to almost a global exemption to the Haredim and in the same law, extend the mandatory service to 36 months and extend reserve duty for a number of years for all those serving, which of course, doesn't include most of the Haredim. Shame on you Edelstein!
- National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s reported exclusion from a proposed high-level decision-making body has sparked a bitter public feud with the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, which is said to have blocked his participation.
According to Hebrew media reports, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in talks to create a new body to manage the war in Gaza that would have included Ben Gvir, as part of an effort to placate the far-right politician, who has actively thwarted legislation pushed by fellow coalition member Shas in order to pressure the premier to appoint him to the no-longer-extant war cabinet.
Netanyahu’s office has denied the reports, stating that the prime minister is looking to create “a forum for consultations and updates that will not replace the existing bodies and will not take their authority.” However, on Wednesday, officials in Ben Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit party said there was “positive progress” in talks with the ruling Likud to include the minister in a forum to manage the ongoing war.
Speaking to Hebrew media outlets, the officials said they appreciated the prime minister for “not planning on surrendering to the ugly delegitimization campaign against Ben Gvir” by Opposition Leader Yair Lapid and National Unity chair Benny Gantz.
The officials added that if an agreement is reached, the party will vote for legislation pushed by Shas. While the Kan public broadcaster indicated that the talks had been delayed while Netanyahu is in the United States — amid concerns of how they might be perceived by Washington — the Ynet news site reported Wednesday morning that Ben Gvir’s inclusion had been completely “vetoed” by Shas, even if it meant that the party’s so-called Rabbis Law will not pass.
In response, Ben Gvir tweeted “Shame you didn’t veto Oslo,” alluding to Shas’s decision to abstain in Knesset votes on the Oslo Accords with the Palestinians in 1993.
Asked for comment, a Shas spokesman dismissed the Ynet report, stating that its writer had not contacted the party for comment.
In response, coalition whip Ofir Katz pushed off until Sunday the vote on the Rabbis Bill, which seeks to grant the religious services minister the power to allocate additional funds to local religious councils around the country.
“I will not endanger important laws for Israelis and the security of Israel that were meant to pass here today,” Katz said in his announcement of the postponement. “Also, the prime minister’s visit to the US is of crucial importance and nothing should be allowed to interfere with it.”
This is the second time that the legislation has been delayed because of Ben Gvir.
Earlier this month, the national security minister pulled his support from the Shas-fronted bill over the issue of his appointment to the war-managing forum, causing it to be removed from the Knesset agenda and prompting a walkout by Shas lawmakers.
At the time, Ben Gvir, who pledged not to vote with the coalition, issued a statement accusing Likud and Shas of reaching a deal with Arab parties to block him from a seat on the war cabinet, later blasting Netanyahu as running a “one-man government.” In response, Katz pulled all bills from the Knesset agenda for the following day, blaming what he called “the irresponsible behavior of Otzma Yehudit.”
A previous version of the bill failed in June when members of Netanyahu’s own Likud bucked party discipline to oppose it, weakening the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism parties’ faith in the prime minister’s ability to advance their interests.
Throughout the course of the war that began October 7, Ben Gvir had repeatedly demanded inclusion in the now-defunct war cabinet. Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who both oppose any hostage-ceasefire agreement that ends the fighting before Hamas is destroyed, have threatened to topple the government if such a deal is approved.
Netanyahu is widely seen as distrusting Ben Gvir.
Last month, Netanyahu’s Likud party accused the national security minister of leaking “state secrets” following the publication of reports that Netanyahu had offered Ben Gvir sensitive security briefings in exchange for his support of the Rabbis Bill.
Ben Gvir has faced multiple accusations of leaking sensitive information from closed-door meetings to the press.
In March, the National Security Council reportedly decided to stop sending representatives to weekly security briefings held by Ben Gvir due to flagrant violations of confidentiality protocols and unprofessional conduct. “Sitting in the Israeli government is a pyromaniac who is trying to set fire to the Middle East,” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant tweeted on Wednesday afternoon in an apparent reference to Ben Gvir. “I oppose any negotiations to put him in the war cabinet — this will allow him to fulfill his plans.” In response, Ben Gvir countered that Gallant and Deri were leftists who are undermining Israeli national security.
Both politicians represent a flawed security “conception” that believes in restraint in the north and waffling in the south, Ben Gvir alleged, accusing the pair of “striving for a reckless deal and the end of the war.”
“This is the reason why this duo opposes my joining the limited forum: because my perception is that decisive results should be sought in both the south and the north, and the hostages should be brought back — not through surrender, but through military pressure and decisive actions,” he tweeted.
In 2008, the Jerusalem District Court convicted Ben Gvir of incitement to racism and supporting a terror organization over a placard he held reading “Arabs out” following a Palestinian terror attack in the capital, and anti-Arab signs he had in his car that referred to the far-right Kach movement, a Jewish group that was banned as a terror organization.
Ben Gvir has been indicted dozens of times, mostly for disturbing the peace, though he was exonerated in almost all the cases. Shas MKs have previously threatened to stop voting with the coalition and even bring down the government over Ben Gvir’s opposition to their legislative priorities — and a spokesman for the party told the Times of Israel on Wednesday that its MKs would actively vote against giving him authority over the Interior Ministry’s Real Estate Enforcement Division.
The ultra-Orthodox party had previously blocked this expansion of Ben Gvir’s authority in April after he reportedly came out against legislation relating to so-called “kosher phones” that it supports.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir calls Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Shas chief Aryeh Deri leftists who are undermining national security, following their opposition to his inclusion in a proposed high-level decision-making body for the management of the war in Gaza.
Both Gallant and Deri are “left-wing” and represent a flawed security “conception” that believes in restraint in the north and waffling in the south, Ben Gvir tweets, accusing the pair of “striving for a reckless deal and the end of the war.”“This is the reason why this duo opposes my joining the limited forum: because my perception is that decisive results should be sought in both the south and the north, and the hostages should be brought back, but not through surrender — through military pressure and decisive actions.”
Earlier today, Gallant accused Ben Gvir of being “a pyromaniac who is trying to set fire to the Middle East” and said that he “oppose[s] any negotiations to put him in the war cabinet.”
According to the Ynet news site, Deri has “vetoed” Ben Gvir’s participation in such a forum. link Calling Galant and Deri leftists is meant as a very derogatory term meaning they are against the interests of the state and even traitors. This is due to the success of Netanyahu's very long campaign against the left and anyone who was and is against him. He started using the term 'leftist' as a curse many years ago to deride the left as against the state and against Jews. Everyone remembers when he whispered in the ear (caught by a live mike) to the former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and Rabbinic head of Shas "The left forgot what it means to be jews". All this was part of Netanyahu's long range methodology of division and hate of the other and it has, of course been adopted whole-heartedly by the right especially by the extremists like Ben Gvir.Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Yuli Edelstein submits a bill to cancel discharges granted to IDF reservists under the exemption age for reserve military service.
“In light of the continuation of Operation Swords of Iron and in view of the burden currently placed on reservists, the circle of reservists must be expanded through a reexamination of the exemptions given to reservists, not due to age, and an examination of the reassignment of reservists who did not receive an exemption from reserve service and were not called to reserve service from the start of Operation Swords of Iron,” the bill explains.
Under the terms of the proposal, reservists would be recalled to duty unless they are granted a new exemption after a case-by-case examination.
According to Channel 12, around 170,000 such exemptions have been granted over the past ten years.
In late June, Edelstein delayed a vote on extending a temporary measure raising the exemption age for reserve military service from 40 to 41 for soldiers and from 45 to 46 for officers for several additional months, stating that he would allow it to pass without consensus in his coalition.
The IDF is suffering manpower shortages caused by the hostilities on the northern border and the ongoing war in Gaza, which began on October 7, when Hamas-led terrorists rampaged through southern communities, slaughtering 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
On Sunday, the army sent out the first batch of 1,000 draft orders to ultra-Orthodox men aged 18-26 on Sunday morning, in the first of three such waves scheduled for the coming four weeks.
Edelstein’s committee is currently debating the text of an ultra-Orthodox enlistment bill. link Edelstein is just another Likud hypocrite who puts politics in front of the good of the state. He claimed that he would only promote a draft law that would be agreed upon by all factions including the opposition. And then, together with Netanyahu began hatching a law that would go back to almost a global exemption to the Haredim and in the same law, extend the mandatory service to 36 months and extend reserve duty for a number of years for all those serving, which of course, doesn't include most of the Haredim. Shame on you Edelstein!
The Region and the World
The German police 53 properties around the country, including a prominent mosque in Hamburg. The raids come hours after the government banned an organization accused of being an “outpost” of Iran’s theocracy, promoting the ideology of its leadership and supporting Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror group.
The ban on the Islamic Center Hamburg, or IZH, and five suborganizations around Germany followed searches in November. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser says evidence gathered in the investigation “confirmed the serious suspicions to such a degree that we ordered the ban today.”
The IZH “promotes an Islamist-extremist, totalitarian ideology in Germany,” while it and its suborganizations “also support the terrorists of Hezbollah and spread aggressive antisemitism,” Faeser says in a statement.
Her ministry says that “as the direct representative of Iran’s ‘Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution,’ the IZH disseminates the ideology of the Islamic Revolution in an aggressive and militant way and seeks to bring about such a revolution in the Federal Republic of Germany.”
The distinctive blue-tiled Imam Ali Mosque in Hamburg, the group’s most prominent facility, was among the properties raided by police early this morning. There were also raids in Berlin and six other German states.
The IZH has long been under observation by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, which said in its annual report for 2023 that it is Iran’s most important representative in Germany beside the country’s embassy.
Several hundred anti-Israel protesters have gathered about a half mile from the Capitol ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to a joint session of Congress.
The demonstrators chant for an intifada and declare that “resistance is justified when people are occupied.” One of the protesters holds a sign calling on “Satanyahu” to “return to Europe.” --- Prior to the war, I was totally against the association that stated that Anti Israel equals Antisemitism. For most people who protested the actions of the Israeli government (myself included) and the IDF in the West Bank and Gaza, that was legitimate protest and was not antisemitism. Of course there were exceptions and the people protesting were both anti Israel and antisemites. Since the war, the lines have not only totally blurred, there is no line. Saying 'go back to Europe' is not anti Israel, it is pure antisemitism. Support for Hamas which not only calls for the destruction of Israel but also calls for the destruction of jews, is pure antisemitism. Protesting against Jewish students at American and European campuses is pure antisemitism and all of it under the guise of protesting the war. Hamas started the war with a well funded, well oiled propaganda machine that had Qatar, Iran and Russia leading the propaganda war against Israel and Jews for many years. And Israel did next to nothing to fight back, even today. The Israeli government, under Netanyahu eliminated these budgets entirely over the years and has done almost nothing since the war. It has fallen on individual citizens and groups that formed to do the government's work but that should come as no surprise because that is also what happened in Israel for just about everything else while this government didn't function and still doesn't in most areas.
Personal Stories Israeli college student compiles unblinking guide to dark trail of Hamas Massacre:
Foreign Ministry to distribute to embassies and visiting delegations 23-year-old’s English-language book of uncensored testimonies from October 7 survivors, volunteers and medics
Shortly after Hamas’s October 7 murderous onslaught on southern Israel, University of Haifa student Alon Penzel set out to compile raw, first-person accounts of the horrors.
These graphic impressions collected by the grandson of Holocaust survivors became an English-language book, “Testimonies Without Boundaries: Israel: October 7th, 2023,” that documents the dark trail of the Hamas massacre.
The 23-year-old first-time author interviewed more than 60 people, including volunteers from ZAKA, an organization that handles human remains after terrorist attacks; survivors of the Supernova festival, where 360 people were slaughtered; and Dr. Chen Kugel, director of the National Center of Forensic Medicine, also called Abu Kabir, where burned and mutilated victims’ bodies were taken to be identified.
From the start Penzel, aiming for the events to never be forgotten, said he wanted his interviewees to spare no details. They “appreciated my determination,” he said.
“They immediately realized the initiative’s significance and my ambition to commemorate what happened,” Penzel said. “They were able, step by step, to open up to me.”
The interviews are uncensored and horrific. Appearing just as shocked by the atrocities as his readers might be, Penzel serves as an unblinking guide to the murders of 1,200 people in southern Israel and the abduction of 251 to the Gaza Strip.
ZAKA volunteers with victims of the October 7 Hamas massacre near the Gaza Strip (Zohar Shpak/ZAKA)
Beyond the documentation, however, what is most important to Penzel is that the testimonies be heard, he told The Times of Israel. To that end, Israel’s Foreign Ministry offered to help disseminate the book through its offices.
Dan Oryan, director of civic diplomacy at the Foreign Ministry, told The Times of Israel that he is always looking for different means to ensure that “people understand what happened on October 7.”
He said that he will share the book with embassies and visiting delegations. He believes that it is easier for Penzel to reach young people because they’re “more keen to hear a young person telling them the details from a personal point of view.”
International youth is one of the target audiences of the book: After Penzel wrote the book, he turned to Israel-Is, an organization that empowers young Israelis to tell their unique life stories as a way to connect with their peers worldwide.
The organization provided funding to publish the book in Hebrew and in English, with Sefrei Niv and Spines, two self-publishing companies, said Eden Sades Pareenty, CFO at Israel-Is.
“We sponsored Alon’s initiative because we see the book is an educational tool for young people,” Pareenty said, adding that Penzel will travel with Israel-Is delegations to speak to university students abroad.
“Testimonies Without Boundaries” was briefly banned on Amazon for violating the company’s content guidelines, Penzel said. According to Jewish Insider, the e-commerce bookseller made the title available again after a reporter inquired why the book was rejected. Penzel said it is now on sale on all of Amazon’s international websites and has sold over 4,000 copies.
ZAKA volunteers searching through the rubble of a home destroyed by Hamas terrorists near the Gaza Strip in southern Israel (Zohar Shpak/ZAKA)
The German police 53 properties around the country, including a prominent mosque in Hamburg. The raids come hours after the government banned an organization accused of being an “outpost” of Iran’s theocracy, promoting the ideology of its leadership and supporting Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror group.
The ban on the Islamic Center Hamburg, or IZH, and five suborganizations around Germany followed searches in November. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser says evidence gathered in the investigation “confirmed the serious suspicions to such a degree that we ordered the ban today.”
The IZH “promotes an Islamist-extremist, totalitarian ideology in Germany,” while it and its suborganizations “also support the terrorists of Hezbollah and spread aggressive antisemitism,” Faeser says in a statement.
Her ministry says that “as the direct representative of Iran’s ‘Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution,’ the IZH disseminates the ideology of the Islamic Revolution in an aggressive and militant way and seeks to bring about such a revolution in the Federal Republic of Germany.”
The distinctive blue-tiled Imam Ali Mosque in Hamburg, the group’s most prominent facility, was among the properties raided by police early this morning. There were also raids in Berlin and six other German states.
The IZH has long been under observation by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, which said in its annual report for 2023 that it is Iran’s most important representative in Germany beside the country’s embassy.
Several hundred anti-Israel protesters have gathered about a half mile from the Capitol ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to a joint session of Congress.
The demonstrators chant for an intifada and declare that “resistance is justified when people are occupied.” One of the protesters holds a sign calling on “Satanyahu” to “return to Europe.” --- Prior to the war, I was totally against the association that stated that Anti Israel equals Antisemitism. For most people who protested the actions of the Israeli government (myself included) and the IDF in the West Bank and Gaza, that was legitimate protest and was not antisemitism. Of course there were exceptions and the people protesting were both anti Israel and antisemites. Since the war, the lines have not only totally blurred, there is no line. Saying 'go back to Europe' is not anti Israel, it is pure antisemitism. Support for Hamas which not only calls for the destruction of Israel but also calls for the destruction of jews, is pure antisemitism. Protesting against Jewish students at American and European campuses is pure antisemitism and all of it under the guise of protesting the war. Hamas started the war with a well funded, well oiled propaganda machine that had Qatar, Iran and Russia leading the propaganda war against Israel and Jews for many years. And Israel did next to nothing to fight back, even today. The Israeli government, under Netanyahu eliminated these budgets entirely over the years and has done almost nothing since the war. It has fallen on individual citizens and groups that formed to do the government's work but that should come as no surprise because that is also what happened in Israel for just about everything else while this government didn't function and still doesn't in most areas.
Foreign Ministry to distribute to embassies and visiting delegations 23-year-old’s English-language book of uncensored testimonies from October 7 survivors, volunteers and medics
Shortly after Hamas’s October 7 murderous onslaught on southern Israel, University of Haifa student Alon Penzel set out to compile raw, first-person accounts of the horrors.
These graphic impressions collected by the grandson of Holocaust survivors became an English-language book, “Testimonies Without Boundaries: Israel: October 7th, 2023,” that documents the dark trail of the Hamas massacre.
The 23-year-old first-time author interviewed more than 60 people, including volunteers from ZAKA, an organization that handles human remains after terrorist attacks; survivors of the Supernova festival, where 360 people were slaughtered; and Dr. Chen Kugel, director of the National Center of Forensic Medicine, also called Abu Kabir, where burned and mutilated victims’ bodies were taken to be identified.
From the start Penzel, aiming for the events to never be forgotten, said he wanted his interviewees to spare no details. They “appreciated my determination,” he said.
“They immediately realized the initiative’s significance and my ambition to commemorate what happened,” Penzel said. “They were able, step by step, to open up to me.”
The interviews are uncensored and horrific. Appearing just as shocked by the atrocities as his readers might be, Penzel serves as an unblinking guide to the murders of 1,200 people in southern Israel and the abduction of 251 to the Gaza Strip.
ZAKA volunteers with victims of the October 7 Hamas massacre near the Gaza Strip (Zohar Shpak/ZAKA)
Beyond the documentation, however, what is most important to Penzel is that the testimonies be heard, he told The Times of Israel. To that end, Israel’s Foreign Ministry offered to help disseminate the book through its offices.
Dan Oryan, director of civic diplomacy at the Foreign Ministry, told The Times of Israel that he is always looking for different means to ensure that “people understand what happened on October 7.”
He said that he will share the book with embassies and visiting delegations. He believes that it is easier for Penzel to reach young people because they’re “more keen to hear a young person telling them the details from a personal point of view.”
International youth is one of the target audiences of the book: After Penzel wrote the book, he turned to Israel-Is, an organization that empowers young Israelis to tell their unique life stories as a way to connect with their peers worldwide.
The organization provided funding to publish the book in Hebrew and in English, with Sefrei Niv and Spines, two self-publishing companies, said Eden Sades Pareenty, CFO at Israel-Is.
“We sponsored Alon’s initiative because we see the book is an educational tool for young people,” Pareenty said, adding that Penzel will travel with Israel-Is delegations to speak to university students abroad.
“Testimonies Without Boundaries” was briefly banned on Amazon for violating the company’s content guidelines, Penzel said. According to Jewish Insider, the e-commerce bookseller made the title available again after a reporter inquired why the book was rejected. Penzel said it is now on sale on all of Amazon’s international websites and has sold over 4,000 copies.
ZAKA volunteers searching through the rubble of a home destroyed by Hamas terrorists near the Gaza Strip in southern Israel (Zohar Shpak/ZAKA)
Prescient thinking
Soon after October 7, Penzel, who served in the IDF as a spokesperson for COGAT, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, realized that people around the world would start denying what happened, Penzel told The Times of Israel.
On his own initiative, he set out to uncover facts and details to prove that the accounts of rapes of women and men, beheadings, murders, burnings, and abuse were real. He transcribes stories of brutality, not to sensationalize but rather to bear witness.
“I knew that people would start denying,” he said. “So I started writing the book and wanted it out as soon as possible.”
Illustrative: Human remains of victims of the mass murderous attack by Hamas on southern Israeli communities on October 7, 2023 await advanced examination at the National Center of Forensic Medicine (Abu Kabir) in Jaffa, October 16, 2023. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)
In a report released on Wednesday, Human Rights Watch said it “found evidence of acts of sexual and gender-based violence by fighters including forced nudity, and the posting without consent of sexualized images on social media.” Unfortunately, some ZAKA volunteers’ stories proved to be untrue, which added to global skepticism of October 7 rapes and brutality.
Penzel said that all the testimonies in his book were verified by the Israel Police as well as Lahav 433, the police’s criminal investigation division. Oryan said the Foreign Ministry also checked and confirmed the facts in the book.
Soon after October 7, Penzel, who served in the IDF as a spokesperson for COGAT, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, realized that people around the world would start denying what happened, Penzel told The Times of Israel.
On his own initiative, he set out to uncover facts and details to prove that the accounts of rapes of women and men, beheadings, murders, burnings, and abuse were real. He transcribes stories of brutality, not to sensationalize but rather to bear witness.
“I knew that people would start denying,” he said. “So I started writing the book and wanted it out as soon as possible.”
Illustrative: Human remains of victims of the mass murderous attack by Hamas on southern Israeli communities on October 7, 2023 await advanced examination at the National Center of Forensic Medicine (Abu Kabir) in Jaffa, October 16, 2023. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)
In a report released on Wednesday, Human Rights Watch said it “found evidence of acts of sexual and gender-based violence by fighters including forced nudity, and the posting without consent of sexualized images on social media.” Unfortunately, some ZAKA volunteers’ stories proved to be untrue, which added to global skepticism of October 7 rapes and brutality.
Penzel said that all the testimonies in his book were verified by the Israel Police as well as Lahav 433, the police’s criminal investigation division. Oryan said the Foreign Ministry also checked and confirmed the facts in the book.
A child’s brutal murder
The first story he recounts in the book resonated profoundly with him, he said.
Penzel relates how Simcha Greinman, a volunteer at ZAKA for the past 32 years and the organization’s international communications speaker, entered the burnt nursery school and kindergarten at Kibbutz Be’eri where he found, Penzel writes, “a small child with a knife lodged through his skull. On the floor was a hammer whose handle was completely burned, and on the hammer were pieces of the toddler’s skull.”
The account “undermined my faith in humanity,” Penzel writes. He said that while writing the book, he found it hard to spend time with his two nephews and two nieces.
“I truly did imagine those sights on my family members,” Penzel said.
Penzel shares another testimony, of ZAKA volunteer Natan Kenig, who found a man who had been nailed with a nail gun to a door frame inside a house.
ZAKA volunteers work on the road near the Supernova Festival soon after the October 7 massacre (Zohar Shpak/ZAKA)
“Even though I already understood precisely what happened,” Penzel writes, “that the guy was actually crucified, I probably wasn’t able to comprehend how such a thing could be done to a human being standing in front of you.”
After yet another devastating testimony, he notes, “Here we are, striving to be optimistic even though we can’t find anything to console ourselves with, seeking to find the good in the bad, the angel in the devil, the humanity in the cruelty.”
The first story he recounts in the book resonated profoundly with him, he said.
Penzel relates how Simcha Greinman, a volunteer at ZAKA for the past 32 years and the organization’s international communications speaker, entered the burnt nursery school and kindergarten at Kibbutz Be’eri where he found, Penzel writes, “a small child with a knife lodged through his skull. On the floor was a hammer whose handle was completely burned, and on the hammer were pieces of the toddler’s skull.”
The account “undermined my faith in humanity,” Penzel writes. He said that while writing the book, he found it hard to spend time with his two nephews and two nieces.
“I truly did imagine those sights on my family members,” Penzel said.
Penzel shares another testimony, of ZAKA volunteer Natan Kenig, who found a man who had been nailed with a nail gun to a door frame inside a house.
ZAKA volunteers work on the road near the Supernova Festival soon after the October 7 massacre (Zohar Shpak/ZAKA)
“Even though I already understood precisely what happened,” Penzel writes, “that the guy was actually crucified, I probably wasn’t able to comprehend how such a thing could be done to a human being standing in front of you.”
After yet another devastating testimony, he notes, “Here we are, striving to be optimistic even though we can’t find anything to console ourselves with, seeking to find the good in the bad, the angel in the devil, the humanity in the cruelty.”
A lump of coal
At the National Center of Forensic Medicine, Penzel met with Kugel who described his work identifying the mutilated bodies.
Penzel quotes Kugel saying that in one case, the center received “a black lump of coal.” “Only after we took an X-ray could we understand that the same lump of coal was actually two different people,” Kugel told Penzel. “An older woman and a young woman who were hugging.”
Charred bone shards are all that remain of some of the victims of the mass murderous attack by Hamas on southern Israeli communities on October 7, 2023. Scientists and anthropologists examine and try to extract DNA from them for identification purposes at the National Center of Forensic Medicine (Abu Kabir) in Jaffa, October 16, 2023. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)
Penzel writes how he stared at that black lump, adding that there are “sights from which there are no turning back.”
He admits he asked questions like “a scared little child who doesn’t understand what he sees in front of him.”
Penzel said that “many people” have told him the book is too hard to read.
“I understand,” he said. “I understand and still I think, ‘How can we say it’s too difficult for us? Just imagine what those people went through.'” link
Amazon link to order the book
"On the morning of October 7th, 2023, the terrorist organization Hamas launched a surprise attack against the State of Israel. This book contains exclusive, shocking and unimaginable testimonies of the horrors that were part of the brutal massacre, during which babies, toddlers, children, pregnant women and elderly were raped, tortured, burned, cut, slashed, strangled, shot and stabbed. In conversations, testimonies and rare documentations from the field, volunteers of the ZAKA organization, the head of the Institute of Forensic Medicine and survivors of the Nova festival reveal for the first time the greatest national disaster in the history of the State of Israel in all its various aspects, while providing a historical commemoration for the great loss, and on the other hand – to the heroism of the people of Israel."
At the National Center of Forensic Medicine, Penzel met with Kugel who described his work identifying the mutilated bodies.
Penzel quotes Kugel saying that in one case, the center received “a black lump of coal.” “Only after we took an X-ray could we understand that the same lump of coal was actually two different people,” Kugel told Penzel. “An older woman and a young woman who were hugging.”
Charred bone shards are all that remain of some of the victims of the mass murderous attack by Hamas on southern Israeli communities on October 7, 2023. Scientists and anthropologists examine and try to extract DNA from them for identification purposes at the National Center of Forensic Medicine (Abu Kabir) in Jaffa, October 16, 2023. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)
Penzel writes how he stared at that black lump, adding that there are “sights from which there are no turning back.”
He admits he asked questions like “a scared little child who doesn’t understand what he sees in front of him.”
Penzel said that “many people” have told him the book is too hard to read.
“I understand,” he said. “I understand and still I think, ‘How can we say it’s too difficult for us? Just imagine what those people went through.'” link
Amazon link to order the book
"On the morning of October 7th, 2023, the terrorist organization Hamas launched a surprise attack against the State of Israel. This book contains exclusive, shocking and unimaginable testimonies of the horrors that were part of the brutal massacre, during which babies, toddlers, children, pregnant women and elderly were raped, tortured, burned, cut, slashed, strangled, shot and stabbed. In conversations, testimonies and rare documentations from the field, volunteers of the ZAKA organization, the head of the Institute of Forensic Medicine and survivors of the Nova festival reveal for the first time the greatest national disaster in the history of the State of Israel in all its various aspects, while providing a historical commemoration for the great loss, and on the other hand – to the heroism of the people of Israel."
Acronyms and Glossary
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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