π️Lonny's War Update- October 325, 2023 - August 26, 2024 π️
π️Day 325 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!!!”
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
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!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
*10:00pm yesterday- center- long range rocket launched from Gaza to Rishon L’Zion*11:00pm yesterday - West Bank- attempted car ramming terrorist attack of soldiers outside of Ariel. The 2 terrorists were killed and one soldier was lightly injured.
*11:15pm yesterday- West Bank-Gush Etzion- an explosive device was thrown at a civilian bus. There was damage to the bus but no one injured
*7:05am- north - hostile aircraft Hamat Geder, Ha'on, Ein Gev, Tel Katzir- The IDF shot down a UAV near the Kineret (Sea of Galilee)
*2:15pm - north - rockets - Admit, Hanita, Arab al Aramsha, Zra'it, Shomera
**the army announced the death of a reserve soldier killed in battle in GazaReserve Master Sergeant Yehonatan Hazut, 36 from Ashdod. Yehonatan was killed by an IED
May his memory forever be a blessing
*11:15pm yesterday- West Bank-Gush Etzion- an explosive device was thrown at a civilian bus. There was damage to the bus but no one injured
*7:05am- north - hostile aircraft Hamat Geder, Ha'on, Ein Gev, Tel Katzir- The IDF shot down a UAV near the Kineret (Sea of Galilee)
*2:15pm - north - rockets - Admit, Hanita, Arab al Aramsha, Zra'it, Shomera
May his memory forever be a blessing
Hostage Updates
A US official tells The Times of Israel that the hostage talks held in Cairo the past several days have been “constructive and were conducted in the spirit of reaching a final and implementable agreement with all sides share that sentiment.”
“The process will continue over the coming days through working groups to further address remaining issues and details,” the US official says.
Notably, US officials appear to be the only party in the talks who sound hopeful about their trajectory.
Despite the US official’s optimistic framing, the Biden administration had last week indicated it was aiming to have a deal reached by now.
On August 16, the US submitted what it branded as a “final bridging proposal” to Israel and Hamas, adding that lower-level negotiating teams would subsequently meet to work out the disputes between the sides before top officials reconvened this weekend to ink a deal.
But midway through last week, talk of an imminent finalization of the deal dissipated. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters after visiting the region that additional agreements on implementing the agreement would have to be reached if Hamas agrees to the US proposal, appearing to add another step in the process until a ceasefire would take effect.
Indeed, the fact that lower-level “working groups” are again reconvening suggests the sides are not yet ready for their top decision-makers to finalize a deal.
Still, a US source familiar with the negotiations explains that progress has been made over the past four days in Cairo.
The sides negotiated based on the US bridging proposal, which incorporated details from US President Joe Biden’s May 31 speech and UN Security Council Resolution 2735, which have served as the framework for talks along with subsequent clarifications from Hamas and Israel, the source explains.
This past Thursday, an Israeli negotiating team met US and Egyptian mediators in Cairo in an effort to narrow the remaining gaps and clarify outstanding issues that Jerusalem had with the bridging proposal. The US and Egyptian mediators then held bilateral consultations the next day. On Saturday, Qatari and Egyptian mediators sat down with senior Hamas negotiators to walk them through each clause of the US bridging proposal, identifying any outstanding issues and answering any questions that the terror group had, the US source says.
On Sunday, Israeli negotiators rejoined the talks with the US and Egyptian mediators to further narrow gaps, the source adds, stressing that the talks were ongoing. link unfortunately, the hostage talks were doomed from the beginning due to Netanyahu not wanting to make a deal. His intransient demands, which the security chiefs all see as unnecessary at this time, are deliberately scuttling all possibilities to make a deal. One of his demands is IDF presence on the Philadelpi route. For 8 months, he refused to give the go ahead to the IDF to take the Philadelphi Route and now it has become more important than the hostages lives? His demands also go against the Israel/Egypt agreement when we left Gaza and Egypt has not been willing to give into Netanyahu's demands. The Israeli negotiating team that went to Cairo yesterday left after only 5 hours.
Hamas: Rejecting New Negotiation Terms | Israel's Assessment and the Message from Egyptian Source
The assessment is that Sinwar will realize his attempt to drag Israel into a regional war has failed • Israel demands from the US and mediators: Apply more pressure on Hamas • Meanwhile, the Israeli negotiation team maintains some flexibility within the established principles • A source close to Egyptian intelligence tells N12: Optimistic about a ceasefire soon, the most important thing for Hamas is the Rafah crossing
A Hamas source stated this evening (Sunday) that the terrorist organization "rejects Israel's new conditions for negotiations". This comes against the backdrop of the summit that began this morning in Cairo, attended by the Israeli delegation led by Mossad chief Dadi Barnea, along with Shin Bet head Ronen Bar and the IDF's head of POWs and MIAs department, Maj. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon. The summit is also attended by the CIA director, Qatar's Prime Minister, and the head of Egyptian intelligence.
In Israel, it's estimated that this morning's prevention operation against Hezbollah will have some impact on Yahya Sinwar. The assessment is that he will understand that the possibility of dragging Israel into a regional war has failed. This comes after PM Benjamin Netanyahu said several times in recent weeks that he believes only after weeks of waiting for Hezbollah and Iran's response, Sinwar might consider truly coming to the table. Even if Sinwar softens his stance, the Israeli negotiation team believes that further flexibility is needed from PM Netanyahu regarding the Philadelphi Corridor to allow progress. There was such flexibility at the end of the week through the maps that were transferred, but it was rejected by Hamas. The delegation is expected to return from Cairo tonight - without a breakthrough in contacts. In practice, the deal is likely not close.
Upon returning home tonight, the delegation is expected to present the developments to Netanyahu, after Israel sent its security heads to Cairo to signal seriousness. Meanwhile, Israel demands that the US and mediators apply more pressure on Hamas and also maintains some flexibility within the established principles.
A source close to Egyptian intelligence told Channel 12 News that he is "optimistic about a ceasefire soon", adding that the murderous terrorist organization knows where all the hostages are held. According to him, the most important thing for Hamas is the Rafah crossing.
The Shin Bet and Mossad chiefs landed in Cairo last Thursday for another round of talks with Egyptian officials. This was to try to reach agreements with the Egyptians on the Philadelphi Corridor and Rafah crossing.
The Israeli teams have been working in Cairo in recent days with the mediators to see if the gaps can be narrowed. Meanwhile, the US and mediators tried to exert great pressure on Hamas in an attempt to bring it to the negotiating table today.
An Israeli senior official said this evening that "full working teams remained in Cairo to continue negotiations and work to narrow gaps and close various issues that are still open in the hostage deal outline from Qatar, Egypt, US, Israel and Hamas representatives". According to him, "Today's talks were held in a good atmosphere and the teams are entering another stage in negotiations and a significant process to close gaps. It should be noted that there are still gaps and despite the efficient talks, there is still a way to go". link
Talks over a possible Gaza deal have ended without agreement in Cairo, with neither Hamas nor Israel agreeing to several comprises presented by mediators, two Egyptian security sources say.
Hostage Survivor to Netanyahu: "I'm Losing Hope - I Have Nothing to Live For"
More quotes are now revealed from Netanyahu and his wife's conversation with families of hostages and hostage survivors • The PM emphasized that he wants as many living hostages as possible in the first stage, and said that 12 is not enough for him: "Sinwar wants a layer of fat, it would be a victory for him" • At one point, one of the hostage survivors whose son is still captive confronted Netanyahu: "Where is your responsibility?"
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara held a difficult and lengthy conversation on Friday with hostage survivors and relatives of hostages. Some quotes from the conversation were published two days ago in the "Weekend News", where some of the released hostages recounted experiencing severe violence in Hamas captivity. Last night, new quotes from the same meeting were revealed, including a confrontation between Netanyahu and Gal Hirsch with one of the women released from captivity whose son is still held hostage.
During the conversation, the released hostages expressed their despair about the situation, and one of the hostage survivors whose son is still captive told the Prime Minister that she is "losing hope" that a deal will be reached, and that "it's a shame you took me out. I have nothing to live for." Netanyahu, for his part, warned against what he perceives as an existential threat facing Israel: "The entire existence of the state is in question. That's the truth." At one point, the conversation heated up, and Netanyahu said to one of the survivors "Maybe you're not listening to me", and Gal Hirsch tried to signal her to stop speaking. She replied firmly: "You want to control me? That I should be quiet?" Later in the conversation, the same hostage confronted Netanyahu: "Where is your responsibility? You keep blaming Hamas."
In another part of the conversation, Netanyahu clarified that he is negotiating with Sinwar, and that he demands as many living hostages as possible in the first stage. "From their perspective, they'll give us 12 (living hostages), and I'm not willing to accept that. I think we can reach at least double. I think what Sinwar wants is first of all to stay with a 'layer of fat'. He's making a huge victory."
**Full quotes**
**PM:** "The biggest thing that has become clear to us, and to you - we understand that there is a plan of extermination around us. That Iran is coming to destroy us. Coming to destroy - to conquer the country, to rain fire on us, and to destroy us. It's not an idea, it's a plan. They want to make simultaneous invasions from areas that are primarily occupied by them. Areas that we evacuated and handed over to them. The other thing, of course, no less important, is to rain hellfire of missiles on us. Thousands of missiles."
**G, hostage survivor:** "That's what's happening right now too."
**PM:** "No, it's not happening. Thousands of missiles, these are not Grads and not Katyushas. These are missiles of 1000 kilos, 500 kilos."
**G, hostage survivor:** "On October 7th there were about 5,000 missiles."
**PM:** "Those are not missiles, it's something else."
**G, hostage survivor:** "So what are we waiting for? For you to return them in coffins?"
**S, hostage survivor:** "What about the deal? It's the only hope keeping me alive. If, God forbid, I lose this hope, it's a shame you took me out. It's a shame you took me out of there, really a shame. I have nothing, I have nothing to live for and I won't live, I'm telling you now, I won't live."
**"The existence of the state is in question"**
**PM:** "I want to tell you what I'm dealing with. I'm dealing with something where I want to prevent the destruction of this state. We haven't been around here..."
**G, hostage survivor:** "So you're saying that from destruction... you're saying that the war is more important than the hostages."
**PM:** "Now, you have a different opinion, or you... maybe you're not listening. I listened to you, I hope you'll listen to me."
**G, hostage survivor:** "I'm listening, it's just..."
**PM:** "I'm saying, I'm trying to say. Again, this has become clear to us. It wasn't clear. The entire existence of the state, the existence of a renewed Nir Oz, with God's help, of Be'eri, of Tel Aviv, of Ra'anana, of Tiberias, of Haifa, everything, everything is in question. I'm telling you the truth. That is, we can solve this. We must address this threat of a plan to destroy Israel, there is such a thing. Now we need to fight it."
**S, hostage survivor:** "We understand that there are..."
**PM:** "Wait."
**S, hostage survivor:** "Very big dangers around us, and we..."
**G, hostage survivor:** "That these dangers will stop if there's a deal, because they say that the moment we stop the war, they'll stop."
**S, hostage survivor:** "I don't care about anything, I need my son alive."
**PM:** "Now they've really added that if we make a deal everything will be solved."
**Sarah Netanyahu:** "So why did they do it on October 7th?"
**G, hostage survivor:** "He was supposed to protect us. He missed it, he fell asleep on guard."
**(Gal Hirsch** signals the hostage survivor to stop speaking)
**G, hostage survivor:** "You want to control me? That I should be quiet?"
**"I won't see my son?"**
**PM:** "We're only talking about the deal. The deal must be... if we make a deal - everything will be solved, Iran will stop etc. etc. Delusional things. Simply delusional. There's no other word. Iran is planning our elimination, Hezbollah is planning our elimination. It's a ring around us and we're saying: we're not going like sheep to the slaughter."
**S, hostage survivor:** "You mean I won't see my son?"
**G, hostage survivor:** "Exactly, that's exactly what he wants."
**PM:** "Exactly the opposite."
**"Sinwar wants to stay with a layer of fat"**
**PM:** "I demand from them as many alive as possible, already in the first stage. I demand... from their perspective, they'll give us 12. I'm not willing. I think we can reach at least double, if not, in my opinion, more. But what about the others? Because he's 26, or 8. He doesn't stay there, as far as I'm concerned, I need to get him out. Now, I think what Sinwar wants is first of all to stay with a layer of fat. He's making a huge victory."
**S, hostage survivor:** "I'm just saying that I understand, 'victory', 'victory'. But we already lost on October 7th."
**PM:** "No no, we didn't lose."
**S, hostage survivor:** "Let's bring back the hostages, that's how we'll win."
**PM:** "We didn't lose. We said this is the worst thing that's happened since the Holocaust, and it's different from the Holocaust. In the Holocaust it was day after day 4,500, 5,500..."
**S, hostage survivor:** "I'm in the Holocaust right now. My child is there, I'm in the Holocaust. It's better for me to die than to live here."
**PM:** "Listen, listen in the Holocaust every day they did October 7th, 4,500 times. Okay? Maybe I'm wrong and it's more, okay? Here, after they did one day to us, we went in there, and we're striking these murderers."
**"Where is your responsibility?"**
**G, hostage survivor:** "Where is your responsibility? You're like constantly turning this to Hamas, everything goes back to Hamas, everything, every time you return to Hamas."
**PM:** "In my opinion, we're in some kind of delay that doesn't stem from our side. He's not thinking about peace, he's thinking about something else. But if you're asking me..."
**G, hostage survivor:** "I didn't think about peace either, I was the first who wanted to eliminate everyone, but not at the expense of the lives of the people I love and my friends."
**PM:** "Okay, but also not at the expense of defeat."
**G, hostage survivor:** "So protect, make sure it doesn't happen again."
**PM:** "But also not at the expense of a major defeat for the State of Israel."
**G, hostage survivor:** "Why isn't Nitzan Alon in the delegation right now?"
**PM:** "He chose not to go."
**G, hostage survivor:** "Oh, he chose..."
**"If you kill Sinwar - who will we negotiate with?"**
**G, hostage survivor:** "Everything goes back to Hamas, let's find Sinwar and we'll talk to him."
**PM:** "First of all, we should find Sinwar."
**S, hostage survivor:** "If you kill Sinwar, who will you negotiate with?"
**G, hostage survivor:** "Yes, you prefer now to eliminate Sinwar rather than reach a deal. If we eliminate Sinwar, it will be easier for us to reach a deal."
**PM:** "That's the description you said."
**G, hostage survivor:** "No, that's what you just said. If we get to Sinwar, then we can bring everyone back."
**PM:** "I didn't say that, I said it could be good. I said I'm not waiting, we're negotiating with Sinwar."
**(Gal Hirsch** signals the hostage survivor to calm down)
**Hostage survivor:** "I'm trying Gal, I'm trying."
**T, family member of a hostage:** "I want to say, that all of us at home said 'Thank God'. All of Israel. But what didn't happen in those moments, is that no one went out to the streets to rejoice. These are the moments that all of Israel is thirsty for. Not the moments when we say 'Thank God' in the country, but the moments when we go out with Israeli flags to the streets, and say 'Thank God, we saved lives'."
**D, family member of a hostage:** "These are moments that will be remembered for you and Sarah."
**"Will we reach the anniversary without the hostages?"**
**PM:** "If you looked at Hamas three months ago, and Hamas today, it's a difference, I don't want to say of day and night, it's a difference of afternoon and evening."
**G, hostage survivor:** "But that's the sentence we've been hearing for ten months, that the Hamas of yesterday is not the Hamas of today, that's the psychology, that I'm talking about this psychological terror, the Hamas of yesterday is not the Hamas of today, it's a deal, there's no deal, we destroyed this, we destroyed that, we eliminated this one. This is the psychological terror that brings me back to captivity day after day."
**PM:** "There's one thing I can't argue with, that until they return home. That I don't argue with."
**G, hostage survivor:** "But I want them to return alive. And alive means as soon as possible. Because they won't survive much longer there."
**S, hostage survivor:** "Will we reach the anniversary without the hostages here, in your estimation?"
**PM:** "I wish we could bring them, I'll do everything I can." link Netanyahu, as expected, shows no empathy or even sympathy at what the hostages are going through or the hostage families. At every turn, he changes the conversation to Iran and avoids talking about the hostages dying and that it is not his priority. He accepts no responsibility and does what he also does, claims that he and he alone worries about the State of Israel and he is the only one who can save us even if it means sacrificing all the hostages. He is a narcissistic megalomaniac and a danger to the country.
Released hostage says Gaza captor demanded ransom from her father
Moran Stela Yanai’s dad was contacted by man claiming to hold her; she had been asked how much he’d pay for her release: ‘They don’t just toy with us, they toy with our families’
eleased hostage Moran Stela Yanai in conversation with TV show "Uvda" about her experiences in Hamas captivity. (Channel 12 News, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)A released hostage said Saturday that one of her captors demanded a ransom from her father while she was held in Gaza. The ransom was ultimately not paid.
Moran Stela Yanai, who was released during a weeklong ceasefire in November, told Channel 12 news that one day while she was held hostage, one of her captors began asking questions about her father.
The terrorist asked her if her father loved her, to which she responded, “Of course, more than anything.”
He then asked how much money her father would pay to get her back. Yanai said that he would pay anything.
“I understood very quickly that maybe they were really contacting our parents and asking for money, and I made it clear to him at that moment that my father would pay anything for me,” Yanai said.
When she returned from captivity, Yanai asked her father if he had been asked for money and he said he had.
Moran Stela Yanai embraces family members at Sheba Medical Center after being released from Hamas captivity in Gaza, November 29, 2023. (Courtesy)Screenshots published by Channel 12 showed WhatsApp messages and phone calls between Yanai’s father and a person saved in his phone as “Khan.” The messages were in broken English and Hebrew.
In the first message sent to Yanai’s father, the sender told him the hostage was with them and included a photo of Yanai from before she was taken captive. The message was followed by a WhatsApp phone call after which he was told, “One hour if you want to see her alive.”
However, before any money was transferred, the man who had been speaking with Yanai’s father cut off contact.
“It’s part of the psychological games they play with us. They don’t just toy with us, they toy with our families. It doesn’t end with ‘we murdered [people], we took [people], and we left.’ They continue to abuse us and continue to torment our families,” Yanai said.
Yanai was abducted from the Supernova music festival on October 7. She told Channel 12 that she was captured twice and managed to convince her captors to let her go, but she was caught a third time and taken to Gaza.
She was freed in November as part of a truce with Hamas when 105 hostages were released in exchange for Palestinian security prisoners, all of them women and minors.
Freed hostage Moran Stela Yanai gives a televised address on behalf of the families of hostages, calling for their release from Hamas captivity in Gaza, February 15, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)After her release, Yanai hinted that she had been subjected to sexual abuse, saying that the hostages were put through physical and mental torture.
It is believed that 105 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of 34 confirmed dead by the IDF. Hamas released 105 civilians during the weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released before that. Seven hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 30 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military as they tried to escape their captors.
Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014. link
Mediators attempting to reach a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza are reportedly pursuing alternative ways to halt hostilities, even if only temporarily, after talks in Cairo on Sunday ended without a breakthrough.
The Qatari-owned Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reports that a new proposal has been submitted that would see a partial agreement on the first phase of the ceasefire, while negotiations on the remaining aspects of a comprehensive deal would be conducted at a later stage.
In parallel, mediators are also working to reach a humanitarian truce ranging from four to seven days to distribute polio vaccines and other types of aid. Israel delivered vaccines for 1.255 million people via the Kerem Shalom crossing on Sunday, days after a case of polio was identified in Gaza for the first time in 25 years.
The World Health Organization and UNICEF, the UN child welfare agency, have said that fighting in Gaza must pause for at least seven days to vaccinate some 640,000 children.
The Qatari paper further reports that the US administration is pressuring both Israel and Egypt to reopen the Rafah Border Crossing as early as possible, whether in the framework of a ceasefire-hostage release deal with Hamas, or following a phased withdrawal of the IDF forces from the Philadelphi Corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border.
The paper does not specify who would man the Rafah crossing on the Gazan side in the case of an Israeli withdrawal.
Hostage Updates
A US official tells The Times of Israel that the hostage talks held in Cairo the past several days have been “constructive and were conducted in the spirit of reaching a final and implementable agreement with all sides share that sentiment.”
“The process will continue over the coming days through working groups to further address remaining issues and details,” the US official says.
Notably, US officials appear to be the only party in the talks who sound hopeful about their trajectory.
Despite the US official’s optimistic framing, the Biden administration had last week indicated it was aiming to have a deal reached by now.
On August 16, the US submitted what it branded as a “final bridging proposal” to Israel and Hamas, adding that lower-level negotiating teams would subsequently meet to work out the disputes between the sides before top officials reconvened this weekend to ink a deal.
But midway through last week, talk of an imminent finalization of the deal dissipated. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters after visiting the region that additional agreements on implementing the agreement would have to be reached if Hamas agrees to the US proposal, appearing to add another step in the process until a ceasefire would take effect.
Indeed, the fact that lower-level “working groups” are again reconvening suggests the sides are not yet ready for their top decision-makers to finalize a deal.
Still, a US source familiar with the negotiations explains that progress has been made over the past four days in Cairo.
The sides negotiated based on the US bridging proposal, which incorporated details from US President Joe Biden’s May 31 speech and UN Security Council Resolution 2735, which have served as the framework for talks along with subsequent clarifications from Hamas and Israel, the source explains.
This past Thursday, an Israeli negotiating team met US and Egyptian mediators in Cairo in an effort to narrow the remaining gaps and clarify outstanding issues that Jerusalem had with the bridging proposal. The US and Egyptian mediators then held bilateral consultations the next day. On Saturday, Qatari and Egyptian mediators sat down with senior Hamas negotiators to walk them through each clause of the US bridging proposal, identifying any outstanding issues and answering any questions that the terror group had, the US source says.
On Sunday, Israeli negotiators rejoined the talks with the US and Egyptian mediators to further narrow gaps, the source adds, stressing that the talks were ongoing. link unfortunately, the hostage talks were doomed from the beginning due to Netanyahu not wanting to make a deal. His intransient demands, which the security chiefs all see as unnecessary at this time, are deliberately scuttling all possibilities to make a deal. One of his demands is IDF presence on the Philadelpi route. For 8 months, he refused to give the go ahead to the IDF to take the Philadelphi Route and now it has become more important than the hostages lives? His demands also go against the Israel/Egypt agreement when we left Gaza and Egypt has not been willing to give into Netanyahu's demands. The Israeli negotiating team that went to Cairo yesterday left after only 5 hours.
Hamas: Rejecting New Negotiation Terms | Israel's Assessment and the Message from Egyptian Source
The assessment is that Sinwar will realize his attempt to drag Israel into a regional war has failed • Israel demands from the US and mediators: Apply more pressure on Hamas • Meanwhile, the Israeli negotiation team maintains some flexibility within the established principles • A source close to Egyptian intelligence tells N12: Optimistic about a ceasefire soon, the most important thing for Hamas is the Rafah crossing
A Hamas source stated this evening (Sunday) that the terrorist organization "rejects Israel's new conditions for negotiations". This comes against the backdrop of the summit that began this morning in Cairo, attended by the Israeli delegation led by Mossad chief Dadi Barnea, along with Shin Bet head Ronen Bar and the IDF's head of POWs and MIAs department, Maj. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon. The summit is also attended by the CIA director, Qatar's Prime Minister, and the head of Egyptian intelligence.
In Israel, it's estimated that this morning's prevention operation against Hezbollah will have some impact on Yahya Sinwar. The assessment is that he will understand that the possibility of dragging Israel into a regional war has failed. This comes after PM Benjamin Netanyahu said several times in recent weeks that he believes only after weeks of waiting for Hezbollah and Iran's response, Sinwar might consider truly coming to the table. Even if Sinwar softens his stance, the Israeli negotiation team believes that further flexibility is needed from PM Netanyahu regarding the Philadelphi Corridor to allow progress. There was such flexibility at the end of the week through the maps that were transferred, but it was rejected by Hamas. The delegation is expected to return from Cairo tonight - without a breakthrough in contacts. In practice, the deal is likely not close.
Upon returning home tonight, the delegation is expected to present the developments to Netanyahu, after Israel sent its security heads to Cairo to signal seriousness. Meanwhile, Israel demands that the US and mediators apply more pressure on Hamas and also maintains some flexibility within the established principles.
A source close to Egyptian intelligence told Channel 12 News that he is "optimistic about a ceasefire soon", adding that the murderous terrorist organization knows where all the hostages are held. According to him, the most important thing for Hamas is the Rafah crossing.
The Shin Bet and Mossad chiefs landed in Cairo last Thursday for another round of talks with Egyptian officials. This was to try to reach agreements with the Egyptians on the Philadelphi Corridor and Rafah crossing.
The Israeli teams have been working in Cairo in recent days with the mediators to see if the gaps can be narrowed. Meanwhile, the US and mediators tried to exert great pressure on Hamas in an attempt to bring it to the negotiating table today.
An Israeli senior official said this evening that "full working teams remained in Cairo to continue negotiations and work to narrow gaps and close various issues that are still open in the hostage deal outline from Qatar, Egypt, US, Israel and Hamas representatives". According to him, "Today's talks were held in a good atmosphere and the teams are entering another stage in negotiations and a significant process to close gaps. It should be noted that there are still gaps and despite the efficient talks, there is still a way to go". link
Talks over a possible Gaza deal have ended without agreement in Cairo, with neither Hamas nor Israel agreeing to several comprises presented by mediators, two Egyptian security sources say.
Hostage Survivor to Netanyahu: "I'm Losing Hope - I Have Nothing to Live For"
More quotes are now revealed from Netanyahu and his wife's conversation with families of hostages and hostage survivors • The PM emphasized that he wants as many living hostages as possible in the first stage, and said that 12 is not enough for him: "Sinwar wants a layer of fat, it would be a victory for him" • At one point, one of the hostage survivors whose son is still captive confronted Netanyahu: "Where is your responsibility?"
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara held a difficult and lengthy conversation on Friday with hostage survivors and relatives of hostages. Some quotes from the conversation were published two days ago in the "Weekend News", where some of the released hostages recounted experiencing severe violence in Hamas captivity. Last night, new quotes from the same meeting were revealed, including a confrontation between Netanyahu and Gal Hirsch with one of the women released from captivity whose son is still held hostage.
During the conversation, the released hostages expressed their despair about the situation, and one of the hostage survivors whose son is still captive told the Prime Minister that she is "losing hope" that a deal will be reached, and that "it's a shame you took me out. I have nothing to live for." Netanyahu, for his part, warned against what he perceives as an existential threat facing Israel: "The entire existence of the state is in question. That's the truth." At one point, the conversation heated up, and Netanyahu said to one of the survivors "Maybe you're not listening to me", and Gal Hirsch tried to signal her to stop speaking. She replied firmly: "You want to control me? That I should be quiet?" Later in the conversation, the same hostage confronted Netanyahu: "Where is your responsibility? You keep blaming Hamas."
In another part of the conversation, Netanyahu clarified that he is negotiating with Sinwar, and that he demands as many living hostages as possible in the first stage. "From their perspective, they'll give us 12 (living hostages), and I'm not willing to accept that. I think we can reach at least double. I think what Sinwar wants is first of all to stay with a 'layer of fat'. He's making a huge victory."
**Full quotes**
**PM:** "The biggest thing that has become clear to us, and to you - we understand that there is a plan of extermination around us. That Iran is coming to destroy us. Coming to destroy - to conquer the country, to rain fire on us, and to destroy us. It's not an idea, it's a plan. They want to make simultaneous invasions from areas that are primarily occupied by them. Areas that we evacuated and handed over to them. The other thing, of course, no less important, is to rain hellfire of missiles on us. Thousands of missiles."
**G, hostage survivor:** "That's what's happening right now too."
**PM:** "No, it's not happening. Thousands of missiles, these are not Grads and not Katyushas. These are missiles of 1000 kilos, 500 kilos."
**G, hostage survivor:** "On October 7th there were about 5,000 missiles."
**PM:** "Those are not missiles, it's something else."
**G, hostage survivor:** "So what are we waiting for? For you to return them in coffins?"
**S, hostage survivor:** "What about the deal? It's the only hope keeping me alive. If, God forbid, I lose this hope, it's a shame you took me out. It's a shame you took me out of there, really a shame. I have nothing, I have nothing to live for and I won't live, I'm telling you now, I won't live."
**"The existence of the state is in question"**
**PM:** "I want to tell you what I'm dealing with. I'm dealing with something where I want to prevent the destruction of this state. We haven't been around here..."
**G, hostage survivor:** "So you're saying that from destruction... you're saying that the war is more important than the hostages."
**PM:** "Now, you have a different opinion, or you... maybe you're not listening. I listened to you, I hope you'll listen to me."
**G, hostage survivor:** "I'm listening, it's just..."
**PM:** "I'm saying, I'm trying to say. Again, this has become clear to us. It wasn't clear. The entire existence of the state, the existence of a renewed Nir Oz, with God's help, of Be'eri, of Tel Aviv, of Ra'anana, of Tiberias, of Haifa, everything, everything is in question. I'm telling you the truth. That is, we can solve this. We must address this threat of a plan to destroy Israel, there is such a thing. Now we need to fight it."
**S, hostage survivor:** "We understand that there are..."
**PM:** "Wait."
**S, hostage survivor:** "Very big dangers around us, and we..."
**G, hostage survivor:** "That these dangers will stop if there's a deal, because they say that the moment we stop the war, they'll stop."
**S, hostage survivor:** "I don't care about anything, I need my son alive."
**PM:** "Now they've really added that if we make a deal everything will be solved."
**Sarah Netanyahu:** "So why did they do it on October 7th?"
**G, hostage survivor:** "He was supposed to protect us. He missed it, he fell asleep on guard."
**(Gal Hirsch** signals the hostage survivor to stop speaking)
**G, hostage survivor:** "You want to control me? That I should be quiet?"
**"I won't see my son?"**
**PM:** "We're only talking about the deal. The deal must be... if we make a deal - everything will be solved, Iran will stop etc. etc. Delusional things. Simply delusional. There's no other word. Iran is planning our elimination, Hezbollah is planning our elimination. It's a ring around us and we're saying: we're not going like sheep to the slaughter."
**S, hostage survivor:** "You mean I won't see my son?"
**G, hostage survivor:** "Exactly, that's exactly what he wants."
**PM:** "Exactly the opposite."
**"Sinwar wants to stay with a layer of fat"**
**PM:** "I demand from them as many alive as possible, already in the first stage. I demand... from their perspective, they'll give us 12. I'm not willing. I think we can reach at least double, if not, in my opinion, more. But what about the others? Because he's 26, or 8. He doesn't stay there, as far as I'm concerned, I need to get him out. Now, I think what Sinwar wants is first of all to stay with a layer of fat. He's making a huge victory."
**S, hostage survivor:** "I'm just saying that I understand, 'victory', 'victory'. But we already lost on October 7th."
**PM:** "No no, we didn't lose."
**S, hostage survivor:** "Let's bring back the hostages, that's how we'll win."
**PM:** "We didn't lose. We said this is the worst thing that's happened since the Holocaust, and it's different from the Holocaust. In the Holocaust it was day after day 4,500, 5,500..."
**S, hostage survivor:** "I'm in the Holocaust right now. My child is there, I'm in the Holocaust. It's better for me to die than to live here."
**PM:** "Listen, listen in the Holocaust every day they did October 7th, 4,500 times. Okay? Maybe I'm wrong and it's more, okay? Here, after they did one day to us, we went in there, and we're striking these murderers."
**"Where is your responsibility?"**
**G, hostage survivor:** "Where is your responsibility? You're like constantly turning this to Hamas, everything goes back to Hamas, everything, every time you return to Hamas."
**PM:** "In my opinion, we're in some kind of delay that doesn't stem from our side. He's not thinking about peace, he's thinking about something else. But if you're asking me..."
**G, hostage survivor:** "I didn't think about peace either, I was the first who wanted to eliminate everyone, but not at the expense of the lives of the people I love and my friends."
**PM:** "Okay, but also not at the expense of defeat."
**G, hostage survivor:** "So protect, make sure it doesn't happen again."
**PM:** "But also not at the expense of a major defeat for the State of Israel."
**G, hostage survivor:** "Why isn't Nitzan Alon in the delegation right now?"
**PM:** "He chose not to go."
**G, hostage survivor:** "Oh, he chose..."
**"If you kill Sinwar - who will we negotiate with?"**
**G, hostage survivor:** "Everything goes back to Hamas, let's find Sinwar and we'll talk to him."
**PM:** "First of all, we should find Sinwar."
**S, hostage survivor:** "If you kill Sinwar, who will you negotiate with?"
**G, hostage survivor:** "Yes, you prefer now to eliminate Sinwar rather than reach a deal. If we eliminate Sinwar, it will be easier for us to reach a deal."
**PM:** "That's the description you said."
**G, hostage survivor:** "No, that's what you just said. If we get to Sinwar, then we can bring everyone back."
**PM:** "I didn't say that, I said it could be good. I said I'm not waiting, we're negotiating with Sinwar."
**(Gal Hirsch** signals the hostage survivor to calm down)
**Hostage survivor:** "I'm trying Gal, I'm trying."
**T, family member of a hostage:** "I want to say, that all of us at home said 'Thank God'. All of Israel. But what didn't happen in those moments, is that no one went out to the streets to rejoice. These are the moments that all of Israel is thirsty for. Not the moments when we say 'Thank God' in the country, but the moments when we go out with Israeli flags to the streets, and say 'Thank God, we saved lives'."
**D, family member of a hostage:** "These are moments that will be remembered for you and Sarah."
**"Will we reach the anniversary without the hostages?"**
**PM:** "If you looked at Hamas three months ago, and Hamas today, it's a difference, I don't want to say of day and night, it's a difference of afternoon and evening."
**G, hostage survivor:** "But that's the sentence we've been hearing for ten months, that the Hamas of yesterday is not the Hamas of today, that's the psychology, that I'm talking about this psychological terror, the Hamas of yesterday is not the Hamas of today, it's a deal, there's no deal, we destroyed this, we destroyed that, we eliminated this one. This is the psychological terror that brings me back to captivity day after day."
**PM:** "There's one thing I can't argue with, that until they return home. That I don't argue with."
**G, hostage survivor:** "But I want them to return alive. And alive means as soon as possible. Because they won't survive much longer there."
**S, hostage survivor:** "Will we reach the anniversary without the hostages here, in your estimation?"
**PM:** "I wish we could bring them, I'll do everything I can." link Netanyahu, as expected, shows no empathy or even sympathy at what the hostages are going through or the hostage families. At every turn, he changes the conversation to Iran and avoids talking about the hostages dying and that it is not his priority. He accepts no responsibility and does what he also does, claims that he and he alone worries about the State of Israel and he is the only one who can save us even if it means sacrificing all the hostages. He is a narcissistic megalomaniac and a danger to the country.
Released hostage says Gaza captor demanded ransom from her father
Moran Stela Yanai’s dad was contacted by man claiming to hold her; she had been asked how much he’d pay for her release: ‘They don’t just toy with us, they toy with our families’
eleased hostage Moran Stela Yanai in conversation with TV show "Uvda" about her experiences in Hamas captivity. (Channel 12 News, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)A released hostage said Saturday that one of her captors demanded a ransom from her father while she was held in Gaza. The ransom was ultimately not paid.
Moran Stela Yanai, who was released during a weeklong ceasefire in November, told Channel 12 news that one day while she was held hostage, one of her captors began asking questions about her father.
The terrorist asked her if her father loved her, to which she responded, “Of course, more than anything.”
He then asked how much money her father would pay to get her back. Yanai said that he would pay anything.
“I understood very quickly that maybe they were really contacting our parents and asking for money, and I made it clear to him at that moment that my father would pay anything for me,” Yanai said.
When she returned from captivity, Yanai asked her father if he had been asked for money and he said he had.
Moran Stela Yanai embraces family members at Sheba Medical Center after being released from Hamas captivity in Gaza, November 29, 2023. (Courtesy)Screenshots published by Channel 12 showed WhatsApp messages and phone calls between Yanai’s father and a person saved in his phone as “Khan.” The messages were in broken English and Hebrew.
In the first message sent to Yanai’s father, the sender told him the hostage was with them and included a photo of Yanai from before she was taken captive. The message was followed by a WhatsApp phone call after which he was told, “One hour if you want to see her alive.”
However, before any money was transferred, the man who had been speaking with Yanai’s father cut off contact.
“It’s part of the psychological games they play with us. They don’t just toy with us, they toy with our families. It doesn’t end with ‘we murdered [people], we took [people], and we left.’ They continue to abuse us and continue to torment our families,” Yanai said.
Yanai was abducted from the Supernova music festival on October 7. She told Channel 12 that she was captured twice and managed to convince her captors to let her go, but she was caught a third time and taken to Gaza.
She was freed in November as part of a truce with Hamas when 105 hostages were released in exchange for Palestinian security prisoners, all of them women and minors.
Freed hostage Moran Stela Yanai gives a televised address on behalf of the families of hostages, calling for their release from Hamas captivity in Gaza, February 15, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)After her release, Yanai hinted that she had been subjected to sexual abuse, saying that the hostages were put through physical and mental torture.
It is believed that 105 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of 34 confirmed dead by the IDF. Hamas released 105 civilians during the weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released before that. Seven hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 30 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military as they tried to escape their captors.
Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014. link
Mediators attempting to reach a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza are reportedly pursuing alternative ways to halt hostilities, even if only temporarily, after talks in Cairo on Sunday ended without a breakthrough.
The Qatari-owned Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reports that a new proposal has been submitted that would see a partial agreement on the first phase of the ceasefire, while negotiations on the remaining aspects of a comprehensive deal would be conducted at a later stage.
In parallel, mediators are also working to reach a humanitarian truce ranging from four to seven days to distribute polio vaccines and other types of aid. Israel delivered vaccines for 1.255 million people via the Kerem Shalom crossing on Sunday, days after a case of polio was identified in Gaza for the first time in 25 years.
The World Health Organization and UNICEF, the UN child welfare agency, have said that fighting in Gaza must pause for at least seven days to vaccinate some 640,000 children.
The Qatari paper further reports that the US administration is pressuring both Israel and Egypt to reopen the Rafah Border Crossing as early as possible, whether in the framework of a ceasefire-hostage release deal with Hamas, or following a phased withdrawal of the IDF forces from the Philadelphi Corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border.
The paper does not specify who would man the Rafah crossing on the Gazan side in the case of an Israeli withdrawal.
Gaza
A Hamas rocket launcher used in an attack on central Israel last night was destroyed in an airstrike, the military says.
The rocket fired by Hamas in the attack struck an open area near the city of Rishon Lezion. The terror group claimed to have attacked Tel Aviv.
According to the IDF, the launcher was located near a school in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis by troops of the 98th Division operating in the area, who directed a drone to strike it.
Footage published by the IDF shows strikes hitting the launcher, along with another structure used by the Hamas terrorists who fired the rocket, the army says.
The IDF says that secondary explosions were seen following the strike on the launcher, “indicating the presence of additional rockets in the launcher that was struck.”
Troops of the 98th Division have been operating in Khan Younis and on the outskirts of Deir al-Balah over the last day, killing dozens of gunmen and locating weapons, the army says.
In Rafah, troops with the 162nd Division killed dozens more gunmen over the past day as they swept through the southern Gaza city’s Tel Sultan neighborhood, according to the IDF.
At the same time, reservists with the 252nd Division used a tank to shell enemy fighters from the Netzarim Corridor of central Gaza, killing several gunmen, the military adds.
A Hamas tunnel located on the outskirts of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip was demolished by combat engineers, the IDF says.
The tunnel was some 700 meters long, according to the military.
It had been located and later demolished by the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit and 603rd Combat Engineering Battalion.
Also in the Deir al-Balah area, the IDF says troops with the Paratroopers Brigade’s 202nd Battalion located a cache of weapons in a home, including anti-tank projectiles and other military equipment. Some of the weapons were hidden in a bedroom with a baby crib, the army says.
A Hamas rocket launcher used in an attack on central Israel last night was destroyed in an airstrike, the military says.
The rocket fired by Hamas in the attack struck an open area near the city of Rishon Lezion. The terror group claimed to have attacked Tel Aviv.
According to the IDF, the launcher was located near a school in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis by troops of the 98th Division operating in the area, who directed a drone to strike it.
Footage published by the IDF shows strikes hitting the launcher, along with another structure used by the Hamas terrorists who fired the rocket, the army says.
The IDF says that secondary explosions were seen following the strike on the launcher, “indicating the presence of additional rockets in the launcher that was struck.”
Troops of the 98th Division have been operating in Khan Younis and on the outskirts of Deir al-Balah over the last day, killing dozens of gunmen and locating weapons, the army says.
In Rafah, troops with the 162nd Division killed dozens more gunmen over the past day as they swept through the southern Gaza city’s Tel Sultan neighborhood, according to the IDF.
At the same time, reservists with the 252nd Division used a tank to shell enemy fighters from the Netzarim Corridor of central Gaza, killing several gunmen, the military adds.
A Hamas tunnel located on the outskirts of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip was demolished by combat engineers, the IDF says.
The tunnel was some 700 meters long, according to the military.
It had been located and later demolished by the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit and 603rd Combat Engineering Battalion.
Also in the Deir al-Balah area, the IDF says troops with the Paratroopers Brigade’s 202nd Battalion located a cache of weapons in a home, including anti-tank projectiles and other military equipment. Some of the weapons were hidden in a bedroom with a baby crib, the army says.
Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah/Syria
Some residents of Israel’s north fumed on Sunday after Israel launched an extensive preemptive attack against Hezbollah’s planned assault on the center of Israel, following 10 months of near-daily rocket attacks on the north with little sign of resolution.
The vast majority of the 230 rockets and 20 drones fired by Hezbollah at Israel were intercepted by the Iron Dome or fell in open areas, but an Israeli Navy soldier on a patrol boat was killed, apparently by interceptor shrapnel, while shrapnel from an interception hit a home in the coastal city of Acre, lightly wounding a civilian. Another rocket struck the northern community of Manot, causing damage.
Many rockets also struck open areas, with some sparking small brushfires.
The IDF said that its preemptive strike in the early hours of Sunday morning struck some 270 separate Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon, taking out thousands of rocket launcher barrels.
Three mayors from the north published a joint statement on Sunday announcing that they would cut contact with the government until it delivers a plan to restore security in the north and see to its recovery.
“We haven’t interested you for 10.5 months, and from now on, you don’t interest us. Don’t call, don’t come, don’t send messages. We have managed alone until now, we will manage alone now,” said the statement, issued by the regional council heads of the Upper Galilee and Mateh Asher, and the mayor of Metula. Since October 8, 26 civilians have been killed on the Israeli side amid the escalation in violence along the northern border, as have 20 IDF soldiers and reservists.
Northern leaders on Sunday charged that the government only felt compelled to protect residents of central cities, such as Tel Aviv, while remaining indifferent to the cost suffered by those in the north. “Israel launches a preemptive strike for residents of the center, while for 10 months, northern residents have been living under fire, far from their homes and families,” said Matan Davidian, who represents the evacuated northern community of Shlomi.
“The dozens killed and injured have no value for the prime minister, who is hiding behind a failed defense minister, abandoning the northern border and its residents, and simply doesn’t care that our blood is being spilled,” he said.Full article
The Israel Defense Forces confirms that it intercepted a “suspicious object” after drone alert sirens sounded in the southern Golan Heights.
The army says the object was successfully shot down “after being identified in the [air]space.”
According to Army Radio, military officials believe the object was launched from Syria, a fairly rare occurrence.
The suspected attack occurred near the Sea of Galilee, near the borders with Jordan and Syria, and far south of the area normally targetted by Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Lebanese media outlets report that the intended target of an alleged Israeli drone strike near the coastal city of Sidon was a Hamas official.
The reports name him as Nidal Hleihil. According to the Annahar outlet, two missiles struck Hleihil’s car as he left his house and headed to his vehicle.
The report says he was seriously injured in the strike.
Report: Hezbollah held off on targeting Mossad base with precision-guided missiles at last minute, fearing Israeli response
Hezbollah considered striking the IDF military base that houses the Mossad intelligence agency with precision-guided missiles but decided against it at the last minute due to concerns that doing so would elicit a strong reaction from Israel, Army Radio reports.
The Glilot base near Herzliya is home to the Mossad headquarters along with several IDF intelligence units, including the high-profile signals intelligence group Unit 8200.
Another reason the base wasn’t attacked is due to internal tensions between the military head of Hezbollah’s south Lebanon operations, Hezbollah’s general operations chief and the terror group’s intel chief, Army Radio says, without elaborating. link
Some residents of Israel’s north fumed on Sunday after Israel launched an extensive preemptive attack against Hezbollah’s planned assault on the center of Israel, following 10 months of near-daily rocket attacks on the north with little sign of resolution.
The vast majority of the 230 rockets and 20 drones fired by Hezbollah at Israel were intercepted by the Iron Dome or fell in open areas, but an Israeli Navy soldier on a patrol boat was killed, apparently by interceptor shrapnel, while shrapnel from an interception hit a home in the coastal city of Acre, lightly wounding a civilian. Another rocket struck the northern community of Manot, causing damage.
Many rockets also struck open areas, with some sparking small brushfires.
The IDF said that its preemptive strike in the early hours of Sunday morning struck some 270 separate Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon, taking out thousands of rocket launcher barrels.
Three mayors from the north published a joint statement on Sunday announcing that they would cut contact with the government until it delivers a plan to restore security in the north and see to its recovery.
“We haven’t interested you for 10.5 months, and from now on, you don’t interest us. Don’t call, don’t come, don’t send messages. We have managed alone until now, we will manage alone now,” said the statement, issued by the regional council heads of the Upper Galilee and Mateh Asher, and the mayor of Metula. Since October 8, 26 civilians have been killed on the Israeli side amid the escalation in violence along the northern border, as have 20 IDF soldiers and reservists.
Northern leaders on Sunday charged that the government only felt compelled to protect residents of central cities, such as Tel Aviv, while remaining indifferent to the cost suffered by those in the north. “Israel launches a preemptive strike for residents of the center, while for 10 months, northern residents have been living under fire, far from their homes and families,” said Matan Davidian, who represents the evacuated northern community of Shlomi.
“The dozens killed and injured have no value for the prime minister, who is hiding behind a failed defense minister, abandoning the northern border and its residents, and simply doesn’t care that our blood is being spilled,” he said.Full article
The Israel Defense Forces confirms that it intercepted a “suspicious object” after drone alert sirens sounded in the southern Golan Heights.
The army says the object was successfully shot down “after being identified in the [air]space.”
According to Army Radio, military officials believe the object was launched from Syria, a fairly rare occurrence.
The suspected attack occurred near the Sea of Galilee, near the borders with Jordan and Syria, and far south of the area normally targetted by Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Lebanese media outlets report that the intended target of an alleged Israeli drone strike near the coastal city of Sidon was a Hamas official.
The reports name him as Nidal Hleihil. According to the Annahar outlet, two missiles struck Hleihil’s car as he left his house and headed to his vehicle.
The report says he was seriously injured in the strike.
Report: Hezbollah held off on targeting Mossad base with precision-guided missiles at last minute, fearing Israeli response
Hezbollah considered striking the IDF military base that houses the Mossad intelligence agency with precision-guided missiles but decided against it at the last minute due to concerns that doing so would elicit a strong reaction from Israel, Army Radio reports.
The Glilot base near Herzliya is home to the Mossad headquarters along with several IDF intelligence units, including the high-profile signals intelligence group Unit 8200.
Another reason the base wasn’t attacked is due to internal tensions between the military head of Hezbollah’s south Lebanon operations, Hezbollah’s general operations chief and the terror group’s intel chief, Army Radio says, without elaborating. link
West Bank and Jerusalem and Terror attacks within Israel
- The IDF says an explosive was detonated on a civilian bus near the West Bank Palestinian village of Marah Rabah, located south of Bethlehem, a short while ago, causing damage to the bus but no injuries.
It says that it has set up roadblocks in the area and is searching for the perpetrators.
It says that it has set up roadblocks in the area and is searching for the perpetrators.
Politics and the War (general news)
- NYT: US giving ‘priceless’ help to Israel in hunt for Sinwar, but he remains elusive
US-Israeli team working intensively for 10 months on locating Hamas leader in Gaza, report says, though one source claims Jerusalem is benefiting more from the relationship than DC
Israel and the US have been cooperating for more than 10 months in the hunt for elusive Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, The New York Times reported on Sunday, detailing the intensive effort to find the architect of the October 7 invasion and slaughter in southern Israel.
Citing two dozen unnamed officials from Israel and the US, the report said the two countries — both of which classify Hamas as a terrorist organization — have jointly poured vast resources into the hunt for Sinwar, including “ground penetrating radar” supplied by the US.
However, despite the intense cooperation, which one Israeli official described to the newspaper as “priceless,” another source familiar with the arrangement said it was “very lopsided,” with Israel gaining far more from the US than it was sharing in return.
According to this source, the Americans have shared information leading to Hamas leaders other than Sinwar, hoping to receive reciprocated Israeli intelligence that would lead them to the remaining American hostages in Hamas captivity, but Israel has not been as forthcoming.
Describing the joint effort, the report says a joint Israeli-American intelligence force was set up and tasked with monitoring Sinwar’s communications, which were conducted electronically at the beginning of the war in Gaza but have since been shifted to couriers, due to the scarcity of fuel to power generators and to evade interception.
While Sinwar was still communicating with his organization electronically, the team was able to monitor Sinwar’s calls with other Hamas officials.
During this period, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant pushed his government to okay shipments of fuel into Gaza to power cell networks needed to keep Sinwar communicating electronically, so Israel could continue eavesdropping on the Hamas leader, the New York Times reported.
Though they could not pinpoint the Hamas chief’s location, the intercepted communications allowed the teams to piece together a picture of his life in Hamas’s tunnels, including discovering that Sinwar regularly monitors Hebrew media and watches the 8 p.m. Israeli news, according to the newspaper.
Gallant initially ordered fuel supplies to Gaza cut along with other goods on October 7, arguing they would be used to bolster Hamas and would power generators to keep oxygen flowing into the group’s vast tunnel system.
In November, following heavy international pressure, the war cabinet voted to begin allowing in fuel shipments, over the objections of right-wing members of the government who have pushed to cut any aid into Gaza until all hostages are released.
Despite the shipments of fuel, Sinwar long ago stopped communicating electronically, making it much more difficult for officials and ceasefire negotiators to track him, the report noted.
The US and Israel believe Sinwar spent the first weeks of the war hiding in a tunnel under Gaza City, where the report said IDF troops found footage of Sinwar moving his family to another locale.
From Gaza City, Sinwar was believed to have moved to tunnels under Khan Younis, where he came close to being captured at the end of January but fled just before the army raided his bunker.
According to the NYT, this escape was hasty, with Sinwar leaving behind roughly a million dollars in shekels in the tunnel.
As part of its war with Hamas in Gaza, the IDF has eliminated many members of the terrorist organization’s leadership over the last 10 months. Included on the list of targets were the organization’s top three leaders, Sinwar, former political leader Ismail Haniyeh, and Mohammad Deif.
Deif was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza in July. Haniyeh was killed in an explosion in Tehran at the end of the month, but Israel has not officially confirmed any involvement in the assassination. Now, Sinwar, who replaced Haniyeh as Hamas’s political leader, is the most senior leader on the list who has yet to be captured or killed.
Some sources in the NYT report believe eliminating Sinwar is the achievement Israel needs to declare that Hamas has been fully defeated, and will make Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu more amenable to ending the military campaign in Gaza.
It is unclear, however, how Sinwar’s death would affect negotiations for a hostage-for-ceasefire deal, as the report says the Hamas leader has had to okay every development in the talks in Doha and Cairo. full article
- NYT: US giving ‘priceless’ help to Israel in hunt for Sinwar, but he remains elusive
US-Israeli team working intensively for 10 months on locating Hamas leader in Gaza, report says, though one source claims Jerusalem is benefiting more from the relationship than DCIsrael and the US have been cooperating for more than 10 months in the hunt for elusive Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, The New York Times reported on Sunday, detailing the intensive effort to find the architect of the October 7 invasion and slaughter in southern Israel.
Citing two dozen unnamed officials from Israel and the US, the report said the two countries — both of which classify Hamas as a terrorist organization — have jointly poured vast resources into the hunt for Sinwar, including “ground penetrating radar” supplied by the US.
However, despite the intense cooperation, which one Israeli official described to the newspaper as “priceless,” another source familiar with the arrangement said it was “very lopsided,” with Israel gaining far more from the US than it was sharing in return.
According to this source, the Americans have shared information leading to Hamas leaders other than Sinwar, hoping to receive reciprocated Israeli intelligence that would lead them to the remaining American hostages in Hamas captivity, but Israel has not been as forthcoming.
Describing the joint effort, the report says a joint Israeli-American intelligence force was set up and tasked with monitoring Sinwar’s communications, which were conducted electronically at the beginning of the war in Gaza but have since been shifted to couriers, due to the scarcity of fuel to power generators and to evade interception.
While Sinwar was still communicating with his organization electronically, the team was able to monitor Sinwar’s calls with other Hamas officials.
During this period, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant pushed his government to okay shipments of fuel into Gaza to power cell networks needed to keep Sinwar communicating electronically, so Israel could continue eavesdropping on the Hamas leader, the New York Times reported.
Though they could not pinpoint the Hamas chief’s location, the intercepted communications allowed the teams to piece together a picture of his life in Hamas’s tunnels, including discovering that Sinwar regularly monitors Hebrew media and watches the 8 p.m. Israeli news, according to the newspaper.
Gallant initially ordered fuel supplies to Gaza cut along with other goods on October 7, arguing they would be used to bolster Hamas and would power generators to keep oxygen flowing into the group’s vast tunnel system.
In November, following heavy international pressure, the war cabinet voted to begin allowing in fuel shipments, over the objections of right-wing members of the government who have pushed to cut any aid into Gaza until all hostages are released.
Despite the shipments of fuel, Sinwar long ago stopped communicating electronically, making it much more difficult for officials and ceasefire negotiators to track him, the report noted.
The US and Israel believe Sinwar spent the first weeks of the war hiding in a tunnel under Gaza City, where the report said IDF troops found footage of Sinwar moving his family to another locale.
From Gaza City, Sinwar was believed to have moved to tunnels under Khan Younis, where he came close to being captured at the end of January but fled just before the army raided his bunker.
According to the NYT, this escape was hasty, with Sinwar leaving behind roughly a million dollars in shekels in the tunnel.
As part of its war with Hamas in Gaza, the IDF has eliminated many members of the terrorist organization’s leadership over the last 10 months. Included on the list of targets were the organization’s top three leaders, Sinwar, former political leader Ismail Haniyeh, and Mohammad Deif.
Deif was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza in July. Haniyeh was killed in an explosion in Tehran at the end of the month, but Israel has not officially confirmed any involvement in the assassination. Now, Sinwar, who replaced Haniyeh as Hamas’s political leader, is the most senior leader on the list who has yet to be captured or killed.
Some sources in the NYT report believe eliminating Sinwar is the achievement Israel needs to declare that Hamas has been fully defeated, and will make Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu more amenable to ending the military campaign in Gaza.
It is unclear, however, how Sinwar’s death would affect negotiations for a hostage-for-ceasefire deal, as the report says the Hamas leader has had to okay every development in the talks in Doha and Cairo. full article
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir is endangering Israel by raising the prospect of allowing Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount, a move that would upend a longstanding status quo agreement and spark widespread anger in the Muslim world.
Gallant does not directly call for Ben Gvir to be removed from his post, despite the far-right politician’s attempt to engineer Gallant’s sacking last year. But he makes plain that keeping the politician in power could come back to hurt Israel, noting that undermining the status quo is “dangerous, unnecessary and reckless.”
“Ben Gvir’s actions endanger Israel’s national security and its international standing,” Gallant writes on Twitter. “The action the IDF took yesterday to thwart a Hezbollah attack strengthened Israel, Ben Gvir’s statements weaken it.”
Criticism is continuing to pour in against National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, though much of the pushback is aimed at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the rest of the government for keeping the far-right politician in a position of power.
“The whole region sees Netanyahu’s weakness against Ben Gvir,” Opposition Leader Yair Lapid writes on X. “He can’t control the government even when it comes to a clear attempt to destabilize our national security.”
Benny Gantz, head of the opposition National Unity party, says he expects little from Netanyahu “who allowed an irresponsible arsonist to bring us down into an abyss in exchange for political quiet.”
“But there are responsible parties in the government and coalition who are expected to do something,” says Gantz, a former war cabinet minister. “Condemnations and nice words won’t suffice here, and history will judge you for being part of this dangerous endeavor.”
Five hundred transport planes and 107 ships have delivered more than 50,000 tons of armaments and military equipment from the United States to Israel since the start of the war, the Defense Ministry says.
The military equipment delivered to Israel since the beginning of the war includes “armored vehicles, munitions, ammunition, personal protection gear, and medical equipment,” according to the ministry.
The deliveries are “crucial for sustaining the IDF’s operational capabilities during the ongoing war.”
The “large-scale logistical effort” has been carried out by the ministry’s Directorate of Production and Procurement, the ministry’s mission to the US, the IDF’s Planning Directorate, and the Israeli Air Force.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir is endangering Israel by raising the prospect of allowing Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount, a move that would upend a longstanding status quo agreement and spark widespread anger in the Muslim world.
Gallant does not directly call for Ben Gvir to be removed from his post, despite the far-right politician’s attempt to engineer Gallant’s sacking last year. But he makes plain that keeping the politician in power could come back to hurt Israel, noting that undermining the status quo is “dangerous, unnecessary and reckless.”
“Ben Gvir’s actions endanger Israel’s national security and its international standing,” Gallant writes on Twitter. “The action the IDF took yesterday to thwart a Hezbollah attack strengthened Israel, Ben Gvir’s statements weaken it.”
Criticism is continuing to pour in against National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, though much of the pushback is aimed at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the rest of the government for keeping the far-right politician in a position of power.
“The whole region sees Netanyahu’s weakness against Ben Gvir,” Opposition Leader Yair Lapid writes on X. “He can’t control the government even when it comes to a clear attempt to destabilize our national security.”
Benny Gantz, head of the opposition National Unity party, says he expects little from Netanyahu “who allowed an irresponsible arsonist to bring us down into an abyss in exchange for political quiet.”
“But there are responsible parties in the government and coalition who are expected to do something,” says Gantz, a former war cabinet minister. “Condemnations and nice words won’t suffice here, and history will judge you for being part of this dangerous endeavor.”
Five hundred transport planes and 107 ships have delivered more than 50,000 tons of armaments and military equipment from the United States to Israel since the start of the war, the Defense Ministry says.
The military equipment delivered to Israel since the beginning of the war includes “armored vehicles, munitions, ammunition, personal protection gear, and medical equipment,” according to the ministry.
The deliveries are “crucial for sustaining the IDF’s operational capabilities during the ongoing war.”
The “large-scale logistical effort” has been carried out by the ministry’s Directorate of Production and Procurement, the ministry’s mission to the US, the IDF’s Planning Directorate, and the Israeli Air Force.
The Region and the World
Iran says Israel’s deterrent power has been lost and the strategic balance in the region has now shifted against it, claiming that a Hezbollah attack Sunday caught Israel off-guard, despite what Jerusalem says was preemptive action that partially thwarted the assault.
“Despite the comprehensive support of states like the United States, Israel could not predict the time and place of a limited and managed response by the resistance. Israel has lost its deterrence power,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani wrote on X.
Kanaani added that Israel “now has to defend itself within its occupied territories” and that “strategic balances have undergone fundamental changes” to the detriment of Israel. Hezbollah launched hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel early on Sunday, as Israel’s military said it had struck Lebanon with around 100 jets to stymie a larger attack, including plans to bomb a sensitive military site near Tel Aviv.
Most rockets and drones were intercepted by Israeli air defenses or landed in uninhabited areas, though a small number caused damage to homes, the IDF said. A navy soldier was killed during the attack, apparently by a misfiring interceptor rocket.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the group’s barrage, a reprisal for the assassination of the terror group’s military commander Fuad Shukr last month, had been completed “as planned.” Israel killed Shukr in an airstrike in Beirut, days after a Hezbollah rocket killed 12 Israeli children in a village on the Golan Heights.
The Greek-flagged ship Sounion has been on fire since August 23 after an attack by Yemen’s Houthis with no obvious signs of an oil spill, EU Red Sea naval mission Aspides says in a post on X.
The EU mission publishes photos dated Sunday showing fire and smoke coming out of the vessel’s main deck.
The Houthis, who control Yemen’s most populous regions, said on Thursday that they attacked the Sounion oil tanker in the Red Sea.
Fires were observed on at least five locations on the main deck of the vessel, Aspides said. Part of the superstructure is also on fire.
Satellite image captured by European Space Agency’s Copernicus Satellite 2 showed smoke visible at sea in the vicinity where Sounion was last detected.
Reuters was able to locate the image from matching the last location for MV Sounion seen from LSEG ship tracker.
Aspides said on Thursday that the oil tanker carrying 150,000 tons of crude oil poses an environmental hazard.
Iran says Israel’s deterrent power has been lost and the strategic balance in the region has now shifted against it, claiming that a Hezbollah attack Sunday caught Israel off-guard, despite what Jerusalem says was preemptive action that partially thwarted the assault.
“Despite the comprehensive support of states like the United States, Israel could not predict the time and place of a limited and managed response by the resistance. Israel has lost its deterrence power,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani wrote on X.
Kanaani added that Israel “now has to defend itself within its occupied territories” and that “strategic balances have undergone fundamental changes” to the detriment of Israel. Hezbollah launched hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel early on Sunday, as Israel’s military said it had struck Lebanon with around 100 jets to stymie a larger attack, including plans to bomb a sensitive military site near Tel Aviv.
Most rockets and drones were intercepted by Israeli air defenses or landed in uninhabited areas, though a small number caused damage to homes, the IDF said. A navy soldier was killed during the attack, apparently by a misfiring interceptor rocket.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the group’s barrage, a reprisal for the assassination of the terror group’s military commander Fuad Shukr last month, had been completed “as planned.” Israel killed Shukr in an airstrike in Beirut, days after a Hezbollah rocket killed 12 Israeli children in a village on the Golan Heights.
The Greek-flagged ship Sounion has been on fire since August 23 after an attack by Yemen’s Houthis with no obvious signs of an oil spill, EU Red Sea naval mission Aspides says in a post on X.
The EU mission publishes photos dated Sunday showing fire and smoke coming out of the vessel’s main deck.
The Houthis, who control Yemen’s most populous regions, said on Thursday that they attacked the Sounion oil tanker in the Red Sea.
Fires were observed on at least five locations on the main deck of the vessel, Aspides said. Part of the superstructure is also on fire.
Satellite image captured by European Space Agency’s Copernicus Satellite 2 showed smoke visible at sea in the vicinity where Sounion was last detected.
Reuters was able to locate the image from matching the last location for MV Sounion seen from LSEG ship tracker.
Aspides said on Thursday that the oil tanker carrying 150,000 tons of crude oil poses an environmental hazard.
Personal Stories
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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