🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 322, 2023 - August 23, 2024 🎗️

  

🎗️Day 322 that 109 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!!!”

Itay Svirsky, the cherished child of Rafi and Orit Sela, was taught the values of empathy within the walls of his childhood home.

A curious and compassionate soul, young Itay possessed a striking combination of golden curls, a reserved demeanor, and eyes that reflected both goodness and a keen awareness of his surroundings.

Recognized for his athletic ability from a young age, he also cultivated a love for music, delving into voice training and finding solace in playing the guitar and piano. A huge supporter of Maccabi Tel Aviv, Itay found joy in sharing moments with loved ones while watching football matches.

In recent years, he immersed himself in the discipline of jiu-jitsu, a passion that soon became an inseparable part of his identity until it was tragically interrupted by his abduction by Hamas terrorists in Gaza on that fateful October 7th morning. After enduring 99 harrowing days in captivity, he was brutally taken from us.

It is now our solemn obligation to lay him to rest in Israel, alongside his parents who were murdered on that horrific day.

Let us unite in bringing Itay and all our loved ones home.

Bring them home, where they belong.

We’re waiting for you, all of you.
A deal is the only way to bring
all the hostages home- the murdered for burial and the living for rehabilitation.

#BringThemHomeNow #TurnTheHorrorIntoHope

There is no victory until all of the hostages are home!

‎אין נצחון עד שכל החטופים בבית

Red Alerts - Missile, Rocket, Drone (UAV - unmanned aerial vehicles), and Terror Attacks and Death Announcements

*5:25am- north- rockets -Yiron

*6:60am- north - rockets Baram, Dovev, Dasa, Zvion, Meron, Matat, Meron Field School, Avivim, Josh, Safsufa, Kfar Hoshen, 
*9:40am -north - Rockets Malkia

*1:30pm - north -rockets - Malkia
*2:20pm - north - rockeets Shtula
*5:55pm - north - rockets - Ramat Dalton, Kerem Ben Zimra, Safad, Birya, Dalton, Kadita, Gush Halav
*6:00pm - south- rockets - Sderot, Ibim, Nir Am
*6:20pm - north - rockets - Margaliot
*7:30pm - north - rockets - Zra'it

**The Army announced yesterday the death of a soldier killed in battle in Gaza, Sergeant Ori Ashkenazi, Nechemia, 19 from Ashkelon

The army announced today the death of a reserve soldier killed in battle in Gaza City this morning. Reserve First Sergeant Evyatar Atuar, 24 from Rosh Haayin

According to an initial IDF probe, the reservists reached a building and began to search it. As four soldiers from the force entered the structure, an explosive device planted on the outer wall of the building exploded.

The blast hurt those standing outside the building, but not those inside. At least four other soldiers were seriously wounded, and another three were moderately hurt, according to the IDF.

The military believes Hamas operatives had set up a camera at the building and then detonated the bomb upon identifying troops in the area.

May their memories forever  be a blessing

The brother of IDF Sgt. Ori Ashkenazi Nechemya, killed while fighting in southern Gaza yesterday, reads a chilling letter from his brother at his funeral in Ashkelon.

“Dear family, if you are reading this it is likely that things did not go as planned and I failed. I served out of great love for our strange country, and if I succeeded and sacrificed my life by going – I have no regrets,” the fallen soldier’s brother Shalev read at the funeral, according to a post on social media.

“I succeeded and failed in my mission at the same time.”

Hostage Updates 

• The hostage who returned said to Netanyahu: "I will not meet with you while my friends are languishing in Hamas tunnels"

  

  
  

  Prime Minister Netanyahu invited Margalit Moses, who returned in the deal in November, for a meeting, and she declined the invitation. Moses sent a letter to the Prime Minister stating, "In light of the reports of yet another thwarted deal on your part, I see no reason to meet." Gadi, Moses's husband, is still in captivity.

  
  

  Margalit Moses, who was abducted to the Gaza Strip and returned during the November deal, informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today (Thursday) that she will not attend the meeting with him. "I will not take part in a photo-op or public relations event while my friends are languishing in Hamas tunnels in Gaza," Moses wrote.

  
  

  Netanyahu will meet tomorrow with returning hostages and their loved ones who are still in captivity: Aviva Siegel, Ilana Gritsovski, Lena Tropinov, Yokheved Lipshitz, Raz Ben Ami, and Adi Shem. Margalit Moses, whose husband is still in captivity, sent a letter to the Prime Minister detailing her reasons for not meeting him. "With my own eyes, I saw my friends alive in captivity, and now due to the second abandonment since October 7, we are receiving them in coffins," Moses wrote. This comes in the context of the rescue operation, in which six bodies of hostages who had been documented alive in captivity were brought back to the country. Moses wrote to the Prime Minister, "In light of the reports of yet another thwarted deal on your part, I see no reason to meet with someone who demonstrates through their actions that the release of the hostages is not their top priority and is abandoning them to their death." Moses mentioned that she would be happy to meet with Netanyahu at a reception for the 109 hostages when they return to their families. link
  
  
• Eisenkot: "Most Ministers Pushed for a Comprehensive Deal, Only Netanyahu Demanded a Phased Deal"

  
  

  Knesset member Gadi Eisenkot from the National Camp claimed that the Prime Minister sought to split the plan into three phases: "He demanded that the plan be one day for each hostage, so it can't be reversed." Eisenkot argued that he "thinks Netanyahu wants the hostages to return but is not willing to make the bold decisions." Regarding the nighttime operation to return the hostages, he said: "The situation is difficult; the mission is very worthwhile but involves risking soldiers' lives."

  
  

  The negotiations for the hostage deal continue, with teams preparing for the next summit, which will likely be in Cairo. The tension is also affecting the political arena. Knesset member Gadi Eisenkot addressed the emerging deal in an interview with Ben Caspit and Gilad Sharon on Radio 103FM and emphasized that "most of the cabinet ministers who pushed for a comprehensive deal expressed their support for it (the American proposal)." According to him, the only one who opposed was Prime Minister Netanyahu.

  
  

  Eisenkot claimed that despite the agreement of Minister Amselem and other ministers, the Prime Minister demanded to split the deal into three phases, with a plan of one day for each hostage. "Therefore, it's no longer possible to go back," he said. Eisenkot further criticized Netanyahu, stating that "the fact that the hostages are there is a complete failure that starts with the Military Intelligence Directorate and ends with the Prime Minister."

  
  

  According to Eisenkot, Netanyahu "is responsible for this failure and has a responsibility to bring them back safely. Unfortunately, over 20 people have died during the captivity period. I think he wants the hostages to return but is not willing to make the bold decisions." At the beginning of the interview, Eisenkot referred to the nighttime rescue of the hostages' bodies and said: "It is a difficult feeling; six casualties who arrived alive in the Gaza Strip and were murdered, killed by Hamas, probably."

  
  

  "I assume there will be an investigation," he continued. "The mission of returning casualties to Israeli graves is very worthwhile and involves risking IDF soldiers." It should be noted that in his resignation letter from the government over two months ago, Eisenkot accused the Prime Minister of "making decisions that are not necessarily driven by national considerations for the good of the state. Foreign and political considerations have infiltrated the discussion rooms and affect decision-making." link
  
  

• The White House denies mounting reports that the hostage-ceasefire negotiations the US has been co-brokering between Israel and Hamas are on the verge of collapse.

  National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby claims in a briefing with reporters that progress was made in talks yesterday in Cairo, though those negotiations were largely between Israel and Egypt.

  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been insisting on a new demand he submitted last month that Israel be allowed to maintain its forces in the Philadelphi Corridor to prevent weapon smuggling from Egypt to Gaza. But Cairo and Hamas oppose the stance, and the US has sought to advance alternative solutions to prevent smuggling without keeping the IDF along the Egypt-Gaza border. Netanyahu has continued to insist that he won’t budge on the issue.

  “There has been progress made. We need now for both sides to come together and work toward implementation,” he says, noting that talks in Cairo are continuing today and that CIA Director Bill Burns will participate in those discussions.

  Last Friday, the White House submitted what it branded as a “final bridging proposal” aimed at closing the gaps between Israel and Hamas as the sides near an 11th month of fighting.

  Israel accepted the offer. Hamas officials have issued statements criticizing it, but they have yet to formally reject the proposal.

  US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier this week that even if Hamas accepts the US proposal, the sides still will need to hold subsequent talks to finalize the implementation of the deal, adding another step to a process that has dragged on for months.

• Former Hamas hostage: 'Netanyahu looked me in the eyes, said he'd do everything to bring my only son home'

  
  From right to left, former Hamas hostages Yocheved Lifshitz, Yelena Troufanov and Irena Tati speak to reporters after meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, August 23, 2024. (Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

  Israelis who were released from Hamas captivity and whose relatives have been held by terrorists in Gaza since October 7 met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier today, telling reporters after the meeting that the premier had promised to do everything possible to free the remaining abductees.

  “We had a long meeting with the prime minister. We shared all our pain, and I hope we found a listening ear. Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu looked me in the eyes and said he would do everything to bring my only son and all our loved ones home alive,” says Yelena Trufanova, who was released from Hamas captivity on November 29 at the request of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

  She was kidnapped along with her 73-year-old mother Irena Tati and son Sasha from their home on Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7. Her husband Vitaly was murdered during the rampage and Sasha is still being held hostage in Gaza.

  
  Screenshot from a Palestinian Islamic Jihad propaganda video showing hostage Sasha Trufanov released on May 30, 2024. (Screenshot)

  “I left this meeting with a bit more hope than when I entered, and I hope to see my son and all the hostages returning home soon,” she adds.

  Yocheved Lifshitz, who was also kidnapped from Nir Oz on October 7 and whose husband Oded is still held in Gaza, tells reporters that Netanyahu “had no answer” when asked why security forces were slow to respond when thousands of terrorists burst across the border into Israel by land, air and sea, killing some 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages, mostly civilians, amid acts of brutality and sexual assault.

  “Nir Oz was hell. I still haven’t received an answer as to why the IDF neglected us and didn’t arrive. Only after the kidnappers, rapists, and looters finished their work did the IDF arrive. He had no answer for that,” she says.

  
  A still from a video released by Hamas’s armed wing showing hostages Yocheved Lifshitz, left, and Nurit Cooper before their release from captivity, October 23, 2023. (screen capture)

  A military probe since the devastating onslaught reportedly found that the IDF’s Gaza Division failed to understand the situation at the southern kibbutz and did not properly manage forces on the day, sending troops to neighboring communities but not to Nir Oz itself.

  Ella Ben Ami, whose mother Raz Ben Ami was freed from Hamas captivity during a week-long truce in November and whose father Ohad is still held in Gaza, says she’s not convinced that the government will be able to close a hostage deal.
  

  “We asked the prime minister to look us in the eyes and promise to do everything, and if it depends on him, not to give up until they return here alive. We received a nod and confirmation from him. We ask the Prime Minister to keep his commitment and bring them home. We understand that this is probably the last opportunity before we enter a large-scale war, and we want to see our loved ones at home,” she tells reporters.

  “Personally, I left with a heavy and difficult feeling that this isn’t going to happen soon, and I fear for my father’s life, for the girls who are there, and for everyone. With all the disinformation we hear, we no longer know what’s true and what’s not,” Ben Ami adds. link

Gaza 

•  Heads of the Shin Bet and Mossad travel to Cairo to discuss the Philadelphi Route and Rafah Crossing
  
  
  The discussions aim to reach agreements with the Egyptians on these two issues before the summit on Sunday. A senior Hamas official said, "Israel has retracted its previous commitment to withdraw from Nitzarim." Reports indicate that Egypt rejected proposals and guarantees requested from the U.S. in case the deal collapses.
  
  
  Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar and Mossad Chief David Barnea arrived in Cairo this evening (Thursday) for another round of talks with Egyptian officials. The goal is to try to reach agreements with the Egyptians on the Philadelphi Route and the Rafah Crossing.
  
  
  The talks in Cairo are taking place ahead of the scheduled summit on Sunday. Until then, the Israeli teams will work with the mediators to see if the gaps can be narrowed. Meanwhile, the U.S. and the mediators are applying significant pressure on Hamas in an attempt to bring them to the negotiating table on Sunday. Egyptian sources told the Wall Street Journal that Israeli negotiators recently proposed establishing eight observation towers along the Philadelphi Route. The U.S. attempted to propose concessions involving only two towers, but Egypt rejected both proposals, arguing that each observation tower allows the IDF a permanent presence and access there. According to the report, Egypt is also seeking guarantees from the U.S. that if Israel withdraws from the Philadelphi Route in the first phase of the deal, it will not return in later phases if the deal collapses. Meanwhile, Reuters cited sources in Hamas and Western diplomats referring to the negotiations for a hostage deal. According to Reuters, they said that Israel's demand for an IDF presence along the Philadelphi Route and the Nitzarim corridor is delaying the hostage deal and a ceasefire. Two senior Hamas officials told Reuters that the U.S. mediation plan "does not include a permanent ceasefire." According to one source close to the talks, some of the mediators and Hamas viewed this as "Israel retracting its previous commitment to withdraw from Nitzarim and allow free movement in the Gaza Strip."
  
  
  A Western diplomat addressed Israel's recent demands in the U.S.-led talks, stating that it seems "the U.S. has accepted the changes proposed by Netanyahu, including on the continued Israeli military presence along the two routes." link
  
  

• Successive evacuation orders throughout the Gaza Strip, including 12 orders in August alone, have displaced roughly 90 percent of the Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million residents since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, the top United Nations humanitarian official for the Palestinian enclave says.

  Muhannad Hadi accuses the evacuation orders of endangering civilians instead of protecting them.

  “They are forcing families to flee again, often under fire and with the few belongings they can carry with them, into an ever-shrinking area” that is crowded and unsafe, he charges.

  According to UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, recent evacuation orders have meant that the UN’s World Food Program has lost access to its warehouse in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah.

  “This was the third and last operational warehouse in Gaza’s middle area,” Dujarric says. “Five community kitchens operated by WFP have also been evacuated, as the agency seeks new locations for them.”

  The size of Gaza’s humanitarian zone has changed multiple times in recent months amid evolving IDF operations against the Hamas terror group.

  The zone is currently around 42 square kilometers, or 11% of the total size of the Gaza Strip. According to IDF estimates, some 1.9 million Palestinians of the 2.3 million Gazan population are residing in the zone.

• More than 30 targets were struck by the Israeli Air Force in the Gaza Strip over the past day, as troops battled and killed dozens of gunmen, the IDF says in a morning update.

  The targets hit by IAF aircraft included Hamas compounds, weapon depots, and rocket launching positions in Khan Younis, according to the military.

  In Khan Younis and on the outskirts of Deir al-Balah, the IDF says that troops with the 98th Division killed dozens of gunmen and destroyed dozens of sites belonging to terror groups.

  Further south, in Rafah, the IDF’s 162nd Division continues to operate in the Tel Sultan neighborhood, where the military says troops killed dozens more terror operatives in the past day.

  Meanwhile, in central Gaza’s Netzarim Corridor, reservists with the 252nd Division killed a terror operative who was carrying explosives, and struck a rocket launching site, the IDF adds.

• Two rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip at the southern city of Sderot a short while ago.
  According to the IDF, one of the rockets was intercepted by air defenses. The second struck an open area.
  There are no reports of injuries or damage.

Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah/Syria

• A barrage of some 20 rockets was fired from Lebanon at the Safed area in northern Israel.
  The IDF says some of the rockets were shot down by air defenses, while the rest struck open areas.
  No injuries are reported.
  Some of the rocket impacts sparked fires near Safed.

  
  

• At least 6 Hezbollah members killed in IDF strikes as projectiles fired at north
  

  At least six Hezbollah members were killed Friday in separate Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon, as the Iran-backed terrorist organization launched anti-tank missile and rockets attacks on the north.

  The strikes included the targeting of a Hezbollah cell preparing to shoot rockets from the village of Tayr Harfa, killing three operatives. The other three Hezbollah members were killed in separate attacks in Ayta al-Jabal, Mays al-Jabal and Aitaroun.

  Lebanese media later reported an Israeli drone strike on a vehicle in the southern town of Maarakeh, in the Tyre District. No further details were immediately available.
  

  According to the Israel Defense Forces, the airstrike in Ayta al-Jabal targeted Muhammad Najam, a prominent member of Hezbollah’s rocket and missile unit in southern Lebanon. Lebanese media reported that alongside Najam, his nephew Zulfiqar Radwan was also killed in the strike on Ayta al-Jabal.

  The IDF said the operative in Mays al-Jabal had launched rockets at the Yiftah area earlier in the day and was killed upon being spotted at a building used by Hezbollah, while the operative in Aitaroun was struck shooting projectiles toward Malkia.

  Hezbollah later released statements announcing six members were killed “on the road to Jerusalem,” its term for operatives slain in Israeli strikes, naming Najam among them.

  Their deaths brought Hezbollah’s declared toll to at least 426 since it began attacking northern Israel a day after the October 7 terror onslaught from Gaza by its Palestinian ally Hamas.
  

  The Israeli strikes followed several Hezbollah attacks in the morning, including the firing of missiles at the Mount Meron base.
  

  Hezbollah has attacked Mount Meron, located some eight kilometers (5 miles) from the Lebanon border, several times amid the ongoing war, launching large barrages of rockets toward the site, as well as guided missiles at the sensitive air traffic control base that sits atop it.

  The IDF reported no injuries in the latest attack, during which three projectiles were fired at the base, one of which was intercepted.

  Hezbollah also launched around 40 rockets at northern Israel on Friday, including a barrage of some 20 projectiles at the Safed area.

  The IDF said some of the rockets fired toward Safed were shot down by air defenses, while the rest struck open areas.

  No injuries were reported in the attacks. Some of the rocket impacts sparked fires near Safed.
  

  Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war against the Hamas terror group there.
  

  So far, the skirmishes have resulted in 26 civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of 19 IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.

  In addition to the 426 members whose deaths Hezbollah has announced during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria, another 73 operatives from other terror groups have been killed in Lebanon by Israeli strikes. A Lebanese soldier and dozens of civilians have also been killed. link

West Bank and Jerusalem and Terror attacks within Israel

•   Explosive factories, 14 hours, and 40 arrested: IDF completes operations in Tulkarm  -The IDF worked in cooperation with the Border Police and Shin Bet to arrest wanted individuals and destroy laboratories for creating explosives. 
  Three terrorists were killed, and laboratories producing explosives were destroyed by the IDF over the course of a 14-hour operation in Tulkarm, the military said on Thursday.  

  The IDF, Border Police, and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) completed a counter-terrorism operation in the Tulkarm area in the West Bank. Throughout the operation, Israel Air Force (IAF) aircraft struck and killed three armed terrorists in the area, the IDF reported. 

  Additionally, soldiers from the Kfir Brigade, under the direction of the Shin Bet destroyed two laboratories producing explosives, while soldiers of the Duvdevan unit destroyed an apartment of a wanted individual while arresting another. The IDF also destroyed explosives planted along the side of the road.  IDF soldiers arrested more than 40 wanted individuals, confiscated approximately 15 weapons, and around NIS 60,000 in terrorist funds.  Since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, over 4,850 wanted persons have been arrested, over 1,960 of them are associated with Hamas.  

Politics and the War (general news)

•  Eisenkot: "When There Is a Ceasefire, All Commanders Should Resign"

  In an interview with Galatz, former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot addressed the October 7th failure: "The failure is primarily that of the military and intelligence officials; everyone should take responsibility and be replaced." Regarding the negotiations for a hostage deal, he said: "It would be a grave mistake to delay the return of the hostages until we reach an agreement with Gaza and Egypt on the Philadelphi Route."

  This morning (Thursday), former Chief of Staff and Knesset member Gadi Eisenkot stated that as soon as there is a ceasefire, "all the commanders should resign." In the interview with Galatz, Eisenkot added, "The failure of October 7th is first and foremost a failure of the military, intelligence, and the systems with direct responsibility for this event. But there is no doubt that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bears overall responsibility."

  Eisenkot continued about the security heads: "These are excellent people, committed to the State of Israel, but they are responsible for the greatest failure of the State of Israel since its establishment. Therefore, everyone, from the division commander to the Prime Minister, needs to end their role, take responsibility, and resign. When the first ceasefire occurs, they all need to take responsibility similar to Aharon Haliva (head of military intelligence) and be replaced; it should happen soon."

  Regarding the negotiations on the hostage deal and Netanyahu's statement that "Israel will not withdraw from the Philadelphi Route," Eisenkot said, "The Philadelphi Route is not listed in the war objectives. However, sealing the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip is a very worthy and correct goal."

  He added, "Returning the hostages after the abandonment on October 7th is a moral task, a basic obligation of the government, but also a duty for national resilience. The government needs to set a goal—sealing the border between Gaza and Egypt as part of the overall arrangement. It would be a big mistake to delay the return of the hostages until we reach an arrangement with Gaza and Egypt regarding the Philadelphi Route. Hostages have no time; with each passing day, there are fewer hostages to return. The six hostages returned for burial in Israel entered Gaza on their feet; more than 20 hostages have been killed since December."

  Eisenkot also referred to the missed opportunity in the previous deal. "I supported in every way to implement the entire deal, even if we moved to the category of adults and then returned to women, to bring out as many people as possible in the first deal," he said. "Ben-Gvir issued a statement that if we don’t return to fighting, he will dismantle the government. This is the cloud hanging over every decision-making, a political cloud and threats from extreme elements in the government that influence decision-making."

  He added, "I tried to persuade that it would be a mistake to quickly exit the first deal and that we should implement it and try to bring out everyone possible. I was in a minority position; I thought it was principled to insist on the category of ten women, but I didn’t think it was right to insist toward the end. We should try to exhaust the category of older people and get the maximum. Others thought differently and made a decision whose implication is to fight."

  Eisenkot claimed in the interview that the Prime Minister refuses to adjust the war objectives according to developments on the ground. "Lebanon is not listed there, Iran is not listed there, and the escalation in Judea and Samaria is not there. Therefore, 11 months later, we are in a bad place that requires a reassessment and updating of war objectives," he said. "In Lebanon, the war objective is readiness for a turn; we need to tell Netanyahu, ‘Wake up,’ this turn happened many months ago. We made great efforts to shift the focus northward already in February, and we encountered refusal. It was encouraging to hear the Defense Minister say yesterday that we have begun shifting the focus northward." link

• In the New Israel, Shame Has Disappeared

  A proud nation would have given some of the respect due to the hostages who were abandoned to die and later returned. Netanyahu zigzags between a deal and escalation, trapped in a zero-sum game. The negotiations have become a nuisance, and the hostages are reduced to mere numbers—alive or dead, it no longer matters. Another day in Israel, one country with two identities.

  **Major General (Res.) Israel Ziv, Opinion**

  The six fallen—Avraham Munder, Yoram Metzger, Alex Danzig, Chaim Perry, Nadav Popelwell, and Yagav Buchstab, whose bodies were recovered this week and brought for burial—represent very sad days for Israel. The elderly civilians who died in captivity and were hidden in the tunnels were pioneers and builders of the land, Holocaust survivors, soldiers in Israel’s wars, land and settlement activists, and family people whom the State of Israel failed to protect. They were taken alive, murdered, or died disappointed by a state that failed to rescue them a second time. They were buried in silence, with the rescue operation itself receiving more coverage than the fallen and their abandonment to death in Hamas tunnels.

  A proud nation would have given them some honor after their deaths, honoring their return with a ceremony. The head of state or a minister could have spoken; even a minute of respect for every 80 years of significant achievement would have made us at least six minutes a better country. However, the grim reality is that Israel is divided even on the most basic human issues in any society. The value of life is determined by affiliation, mutual responsibility does not exist, and the state's responsibility for the protection of its citizens is tied to political affiliation. The evacuees from the Gaza Envelope and Lebanon are considered less significant, and the hostages have become a numerical nuisance at best. Alive or dead, it no longer matters.

  **Additional Recommendations**

  In the new State of Israel, shame has ended. Failures are not sticky, disasters are minor, and the collapse of all state foundations is a source of delight and joy. The phrase "no responsibility, no worries" has become a doctrine; respect exists only for one person who clings to power. We are in one country with two identities, and in the one that remains with its failures, with taking responsibility, the one where shame is still alive—people choose to mourn rather than blame. These are the people struggling to breathe in the crater that has opened in the heart of what was once one nation. There, in the new Israel, national pride and honor are being buried; there, in hearts, everything that turned us from nothing into a power is being extinguished. To that place, the IDF spokesperson is sent with a lowered gaze to deliver news that does not move the new Israel.

  **Like Ducks in a Shooting Range**

  When I took on my role as the Gaza Division Commander in 2000, the "Termit"(Thermal)  outpost in Rafah served as a host for a regional sports branch—the throwing of hand grenades. Israel started each morning's news from "Termit." The first thing I did was to remove this humiliation. We operated into Rafah and eliminated all the throwers and their senders. One morning, the name "Termit" returned to the outpost, and the news shifted to other topics. The shame ended; the IDF was no longer part of a duck shooting range. For 320 days, morning news reported on shelling in the Galilee. Dozens of settlements are Hezbollah's duck shooting range. In recent days, Katzrin has been added to the list. We have returned to the Jordan Valley of pre-Six-Day War times. But in the north—the war is orphaned. There is no address, and no government. No one waves the flag of shame; the abandonment of the Galilee does not bother the Judean Coalition.

  The Prime Minister's pre-October conception has evolved into a concept of "clinging to absolute victory." Back then, in the "quiet will be answered with quiet" approach, we ignored the monster growing in Gaza. Today, in the name of adhering to the altruistic achievement of absolute victory, we avoid addressing the burning north, the inflaming West Bank, the fact that Iran is on the verge of nuclear capability, and the immediate danger of regional escalation. Elevating the Philadelphi Route to be the primary banner of all issues, contrary to the security establishment's recommendation, which did not even mention it in the war objectives and the IDF did not bother to conquer it for nine months, and making it a more important issue than the hostages, indicates malice and inhumanity. The risk of regional war even makes the decision a serious and irresponsible gamble.

  The truth is that the deal for the return of the hostages was dead before it was born, simply because the Prime Minister is not interested in it. He only wants to buy time. The American Secretary of State, who declaratively stated Netanyahu's agreement to the American proposal, also wanted to buy time, hence the whitewashing of Netanyahu's proposal. The next day, Netanyahu zigzagged and vocally torpedoed the deal, and Blinken also attacked Netanyahu, telling him to forget about any occupation move. Biden has despaired and primarily wants quiet. Netanyahu understands that he has an American armada until the U.S. elections, although the power is mainly intended to restrain him, but also Iran.

  The solution to smuggling is not a 50-meter-wide route, 40 meters above the tunnels. The solution is only cooperation with the Egyptians. However, the move to conquer Rafah, while ignoring Cairo, created a significant crisis that pushed the Egyptians to Hamas, to the extent that they don’t even intend to pass the proposal to Sinwar. The American efforts are now focused on Egypt—in an attempt to fix the crisis.

  **Netanyahu in His Ivory Tower**

  Netanyahu has established a new floor above the war level. This floor is solely his, built from walls of slogans that do not meet the war objectives. On the ground, he can always claim that's what he meant.

  The reality of goals and plans is only with the military, which is doing everything to rectify the major blunder. The IDF is paying a bloody price and dealing with escalating conflict, but the "master of the house," who lives on the second floor, not only avoids the ground floor but only comes down to harvest successes and, heaven forbid, not get close to failures and frustrations. He is already preparing the blame-shifting, the kicking of Hertzog, Galant, and anyone else he can blame to clear himself. The forward-looking view is set on two dates—the U.S. elections on November 5 and the anniversary of October 7.

  The growing doubt about Trump's re-election poses a problem for the old plan and requires a change and preparation for the possibility of Harris being elected to the White House. The time-wasting so far has become a burden. He is now trying to craft a convenient timing for a dignified exit from the responsibility for the disaster. The October 7 anniversary might be suitable, but the pace of escalation in reality accelerates time.

  The burning north, on the other hand, demands a decision, but this requires a decision to close the south. Without a deal, they cannot close the south. And how can he give up on the Philadelphi Route if he has already made it a flag? Netanyahu is caught in a zero-sum game, and his zigzagging shows confusion rather than strategy.

  Even if Israel manages to exit the expected escalation crisis in some way, and it is still unclear how, it returns exactly to the same unresolved war. The IDF's achievements are deteriorating, Israel continues to return bodies while living hostages remain, the north has been shelled and abandoned for 11 months, The West Bank is on fire, Gaza has become Lebanon with a heavy price in casualties, and every sector in the country is in a sharp decline.

  **The Americans Trust Only Galant—and They Know Why | Major General (Res.) Israel Ziv**

  Netanyahu has no strategy, no plan, and makes decisions on the fly based on momentary and political concerns. Although there is no better campaign for him than a political war that allows him to rebuild himself, he is not strong enough to maneuver the wartime reality for his needs. Unfortunately, those who pay the full price are the hostages and their families, followed by the entire State of Israel.

  *Israel Ziv is a retired IDF officer with the rank of Major General. He served as Chief Infantry and Paratroopers Officer, Gaza Division Commander, and Head of the Operations Division.*  Link

• Defense Minister Yoav Gallant lends his backing to Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and warns that National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir is “endangering” Israel’s security after Bar cautioned that the ultranationalist lawmaker was doing “indescribable damage” to Israel in a letter published by Channel 12 yesterday.

  The letter was sent to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Gallant, and several other government ministers.

  In a post on X, Gallant writes that “In the face of minister Ben Gvir’s irresponsible actions that endanger the State of Israel’s national security and create an internal division in the nation, the head of the Shin Bet and his people are carrying out their duties and warning of the grave consequences of these acts.”

  Following Bar’s warning, Ben Gvir reportedly demanded that the Shin Bet chief be fired, and stormed out of a cabinet meeting when Netanyahu and other ministers defended him.

The Region and the World

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Personal Stories

Noa Argamani's First Testimony on Her Captivity: "They Beat Me All Over My Body – No One Helped Me Until I Was Rescued"

The hostage rescued during Operation Arnon spoke to diplomats in Japan, detailing for the first time her difficult and prolonged captivity. "Every night I fell asleep thinking it might be my last night alive," she recounted. Her partner, Avinatan Or, is still in captivity, and she called for his return along with the other hostages.

Noa Argamani endured 246 grueling days in Hamas captivity in Gaza before being rescued in Operation Arnon and returning to Israel. Today (Thursday), she spoke for the first time to G7 diplomats in Tokyo about her harsh and extended captivity. Argamani revealed the severe violence she experienced at the hands of her captors: "I had cuts on my head, they beat me all over my body, and no one came to give me medical help until I was rescued."

Argamani shared that each night she went to sleep thinking it could be her last and described the harsh conditions the hostages faced in Gaza: "They fear for their lives every day." She emphasized the importance of returning all 109 hostages still held in Gaza and considered her return a "miracle."

"I survived October 7th and survived the bombings. I also survived the rescue, but it’s a miracle," the hostage survivor said. Argamani reminded those present that her partner, Avinatan Or, is still in captivity and said: "We need to bring them back. Before it’s too late. We don’t want to lose more people, in addition to those we have already lost."   link

Acronyms and Glossary

COGAT - Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories

ICC - International Criminal Court in the Hague

IJC - International Court of Justice in the Hague

MDA - Magen David Adom - Israel Ambulance Corp

PA - Palestinian Authority - President Mahmud Abbas, aka Abu Mazen

PMO- Prime Minister's Office

UAV - Unmanned Aerial vehicle, Drone. Could be used for surveillance and reconnaissance, or be weaponized with missiles or contain explosives for 'suicide' explosion mission

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