🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 363, 2023 - October 3, 2024 🎗️

🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 363, 2023 - October 3, 2024 🎗️

October 03, 2024

🎗️Day 363 that 101 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

There is no victory until all of the hostages are home!
‎אין נצחון עד שכל החטופים בבית

There is a new section at the end -Dark Legacy - The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages - A collection of short essays by influential people in Israel today - by the Forum for Life - Saving Israeli Hostages

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

5:20pm yesterday -north - rockets/missiles
5:35pm yesterday -north -  rockets/missiles
5:45pm pm yesterday -north -  rockets/missiles
6:40pm - yesterday -north -rockets/missiles
7:25pm yesterday -north -  rockets/missiles
8:00pm yesterday -north - rockets/missiles
10:15pm yesterday -north -  rockets/missiles
11:00pm yesterday -north -  rockets/missiles
12:45AM -north - rockets/missiles
2:55AM-north- hostile aircraft - Bat Yam (near Tel Aviv)- believed to come from Yemen

A screenshot of video showing an interceptor missile over central Israel, early October 3, 2024. The IDF later confirmed intercepting a 'suspicious' aerial object off the coast. (Twitter screenshot, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen claimed responsibility Thursday for overnight drone attacks on central Israel, the latest in a line of drone and missile attacks on the Jewish state. In a statement posted to X Thursday, Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed to have successfully hit a “vital target” in Tel Aviv with a number of Yaffa-type drones. The IDF earlier reported that a drone was shot down by the Israeli Air Force over the sea off the coast of central Israel. A short while later, two more drones were identified over the sea, one of which was shot down. The second impacted an open area, according to the military. In the second incident, warning sirens sounded in the central town of Bat Yam. No damage or injuries were caused and the military said it was still investigating the origin of the drones.
3:25am - north -hostile aircraft - Ein Zivon, Ortal, Odem, El Rom, ALone Habashan, Bokata, Merom Golan
3:30am - north -rockets/missiles
7:30am -north -  rockets/missiles
7:40am -north - rockets/missiles
7:50am -rockets/missiles
9:05am-north - rockets/missiles
9:00am-north - rockets/missiles
9:10am - north - rockets/missiles
9:25am- north - rockets/missiles
10:25am -north - rockets/missiles
10:35am-north - rockets/missiles
11:10am-north - rockets/missiles
11:20am -north - rockets/missiles
11:30am-north - rockets/missiles
11:40am-north - rockets/missiles
11:50am -north - rockets/missiles
12:00pm- north - rockets/missiles
12:15pm -north - rockets/missiles
12:20pm-north - rockets/missiles
12:25pm-north - rockets/missiles
12:30pm -north - rockets/missiles
12:45pm-north - rockets/missiles
12:50pm-north - rockets/missiles
12:55pm-north - rockets/missiles
1:10pm - north - rockets/missiles
2:30pm-north - rockets/missiles
2:45pm -north - rockets/missiles
4:00pm -north - rockets/missiles
4:30pm - north - rockets/missiles
5:25pm - north - rockets/missiles
6:12pm - north - rockets/missiles
6:25pm -north - rockets/missiles

The IDF announces the deaths of seven more soldiers who were killed during fighting in southern Lebanon today.
They are named as:
Cpt. Harel Etinger, 23, a team commander in the Egoz Commando Unit, from Eli.
Cpt. Itai Ariel Giat, 23, of the Yahalom Combat Engineering Unit, from Shoham.
Sgt. First Class Noam Barzilay, 22, of the Egoz Commando Unit, from Kohav Yair
Sgt. First Class Or Mantzur, 21, of the Egoz Commando Unit, from Beit Aryeh.
Sgt. First Class Nazar Itkin, 21, of the Egoz Commando Unit, from Kiryat Atta.
Staff Sgt. Almken Terefe, 21, of the Golani Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, from Jerusalem.
Staff Sgt. Ido Broyer, 21, of the Golani Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, from Nes Tziona
May their memories forever be a blessing
The Egoz commandos were all killed during a gun battle with Hezbollah operatives in a southern Lebanon village, along with Cpt. Eitan Itzhak Oster, whose death was announced earlier. Another officer and four soldiers were seriously wounded in the same incident.
The two soldiers of the Golani recon unit were killed in a separate incident, in which another soldier was seriously wounded.
In a third incident, a combat medic with the Golani Brigade’s 51st Battalion was seriously wounded. In all, eight soldiers have been killed today during ground operations in Lebanon.

Hostage Updates
Today would have been Hersh Goldberg Polin’s 24th birthday - May his memory forever be a blessing
The strength of Hersh and his family compels us all. We can all learn from them - opinion

Hersh’s family worked tirelessly to see him freed, with a strength difficult to comprehend. And yet, they continued to be kind and generous.

By JOSIAH MCGEE

A MAN lights a candle next to a picture of the late Hersh Goldberg-Polin adorned with flowers, in Tel Aviv last week.
In June 2023, I stepped into the Goldberg-Polin home for a Shabbat dinner. I was a guest, both in their home and in Israel, traveling with a group of American Christian students from Passages. Though we were strangers, Jon and Rachel greeted us with warm enthusiasm and curious excitement before introducing us to their daughters Orly and Leebie. This simple act of hospitality left a profound impact I could not imagine then.

During our short time together, we told stories, asked questions, and shared the simple joys of Shabbat. It struck me that the whole family seemed to have a spirit of peace and generosity. Orly and Leebie even invited the students in our group to a youth gathering following dinner.

At some point, Jon and Rachel told us about their son, Hersh. Sadly, I did not meet him because he was away that weekend, but I found his story captivating. Hersh was only seven years old when the Goldberg-Polin family emigrated to Israel from the United States. He was a young dual citizen who would turn 23 just days before Oct. 7. The Goldberg-Polin family told us a little about his dreams and adventures, and you could just tell that Hersh must have had a deep curiosity and a unique capacity for friendship and compassion too.
As I left that night, I said goodbye, hoping someday I might meet this impressive person. In the chaotic aftermath of Oct. 7, I did not immediately realize that Hersh had been taken hostage by Hamas. Only after Jon sent me a message did I realize the horrors facing the family. Later, I saw videos of Hersh’s kidnapping and watched stunned, hoping and praying he would survive after losing his arm to a grenade while trapped in a rocket shelter.

Like many people, I followed the story closely, grateful for every opportunity to hear Jon and Rachel speak about their son Hersh. Each time, I learned something new about Hersh, and I could start to imagine knowing him, maybe being friends. I also marveled at his grace and resilience.

Mourners are seen at the funeral of Hersh Goldberg-Polin. (credit: CHEN SCHIMMEL)
Hersh’s family worked tirelessly to see him freed, with a strength difficult to comprehend. And yet, they continued to be kind and generous. They did not complain, at least publicly, when Hersh was not freed in the November 2023 hostage deal. Instead, they rejoiced with the families of freed hostages and continued to advocate for every person still held captive.

A couple of weeks ago, the Goldberg-Polin family’s fight to free Hersh reached a tragic conclusion. On August 31, the IDF made a shocking discovery in a tunnel hidden underneath a children’s play area in the Gaza Strip. Deep underground, the soldiers found six bodies, recently executed and showing signs of severe malnutrition, neglect, or even abuse. Before long news broke that Hersh was one of the six. In a cruel twist of irony, he died while a ceasefire deal for his release, among others, was being negotiated.

What can American Christians learn from the Goldberg-Polin family?

Though I could not attend, I watched Hersh’s funeral from afar and grieved for the family who had done everything right, only to be bitterly disappointed. The touching tributes to Hersh solidified two lessons for American Christians in my mind.
First, we should not underestimate the power of friendship and hospitality. Hersh lived his life determined to show empathy, hope, and friendship. His efforts were rewarded with cruel and unusual suffering, but even the latest propaganda video from Hamas does little to suggest he lost hope or gave in. Listening to the Goldberg-Polin family speak at the funeral too, and despite the mask of pain, I could see and hear glimpses of the family who graciously invited me into their home last year.

Historically, the relationship between Jews and Christians has been difficult, with an understandable fear from the Jewish side due to centuries of persecution. Only recently has the tide shifted enough that sharing a Shabbat meal together would even be an option. In Hersh, and in the rest of his family, I believe we can derive inspiration. In my brief encounters, I can confidently say that the Goldberg-Polin family has embodied the courage and openness required to heal old wounds and mend bridges. May we, as Christians, be quick to extend our hand of friendship to them and any other Jewish brothers and sisters willing to do the same. Second, even at his funeral, the Goldberg-Polin family demonstrated that they held Hersh’s life with gratitude and open hands. They took the opportunity to selflessly spotlight not only their own suffering, but also that of the remaining hostages and their families. Those of us who do not know such pain should take note. How much more should we remain focused and committed to advocating for those still in need? And for justice to be done? The strength of Hersh and his family compels us all. May his memory be a blessing. The writer is the resident scholar at Passages, a Christian organization dedicated to taking Christian students to Israel and mobilizing young people to support the Jewish state on campuses and in communities across the US, and to stand up against antisemitism. link
Hostage families set up Rosh Hashanah dinner table outside PM’s Caesarea home

Family members of hostages held in Gaza set up a Rosh Hashanah dinner table in Caesarea near Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence, in a solemn protest highlighting the absence of their loved ones as they marked the start of the Jewish New Year on Wednesday evening
As the sun set over Israel, relatives of the hostages and other activists gathered around the long table, draped in a white cloth, with the words “let the old year and its abandonment come to an end” emblazoned down the middle in large yellow and black letters. One place was laid at the table for each person still held captive by Hamas, 362 days after the October 7 terror onslaught last year.
The table was situated in the middle of a mock cemetery, also set up by the relatives of the hostages, who placed imitation graves throughout the space to represent each hostage who has been murdered in captivity.
A sign at the entrance invited protesters to step into the “Mr. Abandonment Benjamin Netanyahu Cemetery.”
The protest in Caesarea was attended by Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan Zangauker was abducted on October 7, as well as relatives of Ofer Calderon, who also remains hostage in Gaza, and relatives of Avrahaum Munder, who was murdered in Hamas captivity.
Yifat Calderon, cousin of Ofer, lowered the Israeli flag to half-mast, accompanied by the blowing of the Shofar — or ram’s horn — that is traditionally sounded on Rosh Hashanah.

A sign reading ‘Mr. Abandonment Benjamin Netanyahu’s Cemetery’ is seen at a protest dinner marking the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah near Netanyahu’s private home in Caesarea, October 2, 2024. (Gil Levin/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

Zangauker, who has become a prominent activist and public figure campaigning for the return of her son and the other hostages, told the crowd about her experiences over the last year, and how her life had changed in the blink of an eye.

While Israeli families spend this evening celebrating the New Year - Rosh HaShanna with their loved ones, hostage families Einav Zangauker, Zahiro Shahar Mor, Ifat Kalderon, and Natalie Zangauker, protest in front of a burning sign that says "Hope" in Caesarea near the Netanyahu's private beach villa.
They are demanding that he sign the hostage deal and bring home the 101 hostages who've been slowly dying in agony, held for a full year in Hamas captivity, in their death tunnels.
“Last year, we sat around one table, together with Matan, his sisters, and Ilana [Gritzewsky, Matan’s partner who was also kidnapped on October 7 and released in November],” she says. “We had everything, a warm, loving, laughing family. Just days later, my life was taken from me. My son, who is also my best friend, was abducted.”
“It’s been a year in which I haven’t slept, I haven’t eaten… when I understood that the prime minister wasn’t interested in bringing Matan, I decided to bring him back myself,” she continued, recalling the journey she embarked on to become one of the leading figures in the fight for the hostages.
“I decided to spend my Rosh Hashanah here,” Zangauker said, “because my life has become a battle.”
She ended her speech with her wish for the coming year: “To hug Matan so tightly,” and to “sit at the same table next Rosh Hashanah and tell him about all that we did for him.״
Protesters also set up a large installation spelling out the word “hope” in Hebrew, which they set on fire.
Elsewhere in Israel, families of captives who chose not to take part in the more public protest in Caesarea gathered inside a building at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv to mark the holiday.
The meal was attended by Yocheved Lifshitz, who was herself released from Hamas captivity on October 23 and whose husband Oded remains in captivity, as well as several of her family members, according to the Ynet news site.

Protesters gather around a Rosh Hashanah dinner table set up outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Caesarea home on October 2, 2024. (Rei Ash/Pro-Democracy Movement)
Meirav Leshem Gonen — whose daughter Romi Gonen was kidnapped on October 7 — told Ynet that she wished Rosh Hashanah could be spent “with the whole family.”
“I wish Romi would return to us before Yom Kippur,” she said, “that’s what will give us the victory.”
Nathalie Ben Ami, whose father Ohad Ben Ami was abducted from his home on Kibbutz Be’eri, expressed a similar longing to be reunited with her loved ones once more, saying she hoped that her father “doesn’t feel alone there” in Gaza.
“No one still thought they would be there,” she said of the hostages, “it doesn’t make sense.”
It is believed that 97 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 33 confirmed dead by the IDF.
Hamas released 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released before that. Eight hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 37 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

The holiday table of the Biebs family
Outside the burned house in Nir Oz, there's a table with six empty chairs. Four of them are waiting for Jordan, Shiri, Ariel, and little Kfir. For Kfir, an empty high chair is waiting. Yossi and Margit, Shiri's parents, were murdered on that terrible Saturday. Eli, Jordan's father, and Yifat, Shiri's cousin, sit alone, waiting.
Don't forget them when you sit down for the holiday meal with your family tonight.

Gaza

Man infamous for 2000 Ramallah lynch killed in Gaza strike -- Palestinian media
Palestinian media reports that Aziz Salha, infamous for his role in the lynching of two Israeli soldiers in Ramallah in 2000, has been killed in an airstrike in Gaza.
The image of Salha waving his blood covered hands to crowds outside the scene of the murders, after repeatedly stabbing one of the soldiers, became seared in the minds of Israelis as one of the defining moments of the Second Intifada.

Aziz Salha waving his bloody hands after the lynch of 2 IDF reservists in Ramallah in 2000 (Screen capture, YouTube)
Salha was freed from prison and sent to Gaza under the 2011 deal to free captive soldier Gilad Shalit. The reports say Salha was killed in a strike in the center of the Strip. It is not immediately clear whether he was specifically targeted. link
Israel rescues Yazidi woman from Gaza after her kidnapping by ISIS at age 11 - Fawzia Amin Sido was sold by the terror group to a Gazan man in 2014; now 21, she has been reunited with her family in Iraq

Yazidi woman Fawzia Amin Sido (R), who was kidnapped by ISIS in Iraq in 2014 and then transferred to Gaza, Oct. 3, 2024, seen back in Iraq after being rescued recently by Israeli security forces. Iraq made no official mention of Israel's role. (Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

A Yazidi woman who was kidnapped from Iraq by ISIS in 2014 at the age of 11 and trafficked to the Gaza Strip has been rescued and reunited with her family.
The rescue and return home of Fawzi Amin Sido was announced separately by the foreign ministries of Israel and Iraq.
Israel’s foreign ministry said Sido was taken from her family in 2014 amid ISIS attacks on Yazidi communities in Iraq, as the terror organization known for its brutalities took control of vast swaths of the country. She was then sold off to a Gazan man who was visiting Iraq at the time. Israeli security forces recently extracted Sido and returned her home.
In a later statement, the Israel Defense Forces, said that Sido was rescue in a complex operation in that was coordinated by the IDF’s COGAT and the US Embassy in Jerusalem, together with “other members of the international community.”
The IDF said that the “terrorist who had been holding her” was recently killed, apparently in an Israeli strike during the fighting in Gaza, allowing her to flee to a hiding place in Gaza.
“The young girl was extracted from the Gaza Strip in recent days in a secret operation through the Kerem Shalom crossing. After crossing into Israel, she was taken to Jordan via the Allenby Crossing and then on to her family in Iraq,” the IDF said.

Fawzia Amin Sido (right) seen being taken through the Kerem Shalom crossing after being rescued from Gaza by Israel in a photo released on October 3, 2024 (Israel Defense Forces)

The military said the incident provided further proof of the “connection between the Hamas terror group and the Islamic State and further evidence of the crimes against humanity that the murderous terror group was carrying out in Gaza.”
In a statement, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said Sido had been released through joint efforts “in high coordination” with the US embassies in Baghdad and Amman along with Jordanian authorities. It made no mention of Israeli involvement.
A US State Department spokesperson said the US on October 1 “helped to safely evacuate from Gaza a young Yazidi woman to be reunited with her family in Iraq.”
The spokesperson said she was kidnapped from her home in Iraq at the age of 11 and sold and trafficked to Gaza. Her captor was recently killed, allowing her to escape and seek repatriation, the spokesperson said.
Jewish philanthropist Steve Maman, dubbed by some as the “Jewish Schindler,” shared a video of her reuniting with her family Wednesday night, and alluded to his involvement in her release.
“I made a promise to Fawzia the Yazidi who was hostage of Hamas in Gaza that I would bring her back home to her mother in Sinjar,” Maman wrote on X. “To her, it seemed surreal and impossible but not to me, my only enemy was time. Our team reunited her moments ago with her mother and family in Sinjar.” video of her reunification with her family
David Saranga, Director of the Foreign Ministry’s Digital Diplomacy Bureau, commented on her release, saying: “For years, she was held captive by a Palestinian Hamas-ISIS member. Her story is a reminder of the brutality faced by Yazidi children, taken without a choice.”
The woman is a member of the ancient Yazidi religious minority mostly found in Iraq and Syria which saw more than 5,000 members killed and thousands more kidnapped in a 2014 campaign that the UN has said constituted genocide.
The Yazidis are a Kurdish-speaking group hailing from northern Iraq.
More than 6,000 Yazidis were captured by Islamic State terrorists from their native Sinjar region in Iraq in 2014, with many of the women and girls sold into sexual slavery and boys indoctrinated in jihadi ideology and trained as child soldiers and taken across borders, including to Turkey and Syria.
Over the years, more than 3,500 have been rescued or freed, according to Iraqi authorities, with some 2,600 still missing.
Many are feared dead but Yazidi activists say they believe hundreds are still alive. link
IDF says it killed Hamas de facto PM – Sinwar’s right-hand man – in strike 3 months ago
Military says Rawhi Mushtaha was killed along with top officials Sameh al-Siraj and Sami Odeh in a strike on a fortified underground compound for Hamas leaders
Senior Hamas official Rawhi Mushtaha, the de facto prime minister of the Gaza Strip, was killed in an Israeli strike several months ago, the IDF and Shin Bet said Thursday, announcing that they had confirmed his death.
Hamas officials (L-R) Rawhi Mushtaha, Sameh al-Siraj, and Sami Odeh, are seen in posters released by the IDF on October 2, 2024. The text on the red strips reads, 'Eliminated.' (Israel Defense Forces)

According to the military and Shin Bet, Mushtaha was targeted in a strike in the Gaza Strip three months ago, along with Hamas officials Sameh al-Siraj, who held the security portfolio in Hamas’s political bureau, and Sami Odeh, the head of Hamas’s “general security mechanism.”
The strike, carried out by fighter jets, targeted the officials while they were hiding in a tunnel in the northern Gaza Strip. The IDF says it had “precise intelligence” indicating the officials were in the tunnel. But until now, they had not been able to confirm that they were killed.
The military described the tunnel as “a fortified and equipped underground compound” that “served as a Hamas command and control center and enabled senior operatives to remain inside of it for extended periods of time.”
Hamas has not confirmed the deaths of the senior officials. The IDF said that Hamas is hiding its losses “to prevent loss of morale and functioning of its terror operatives.”
The IDF described Mushtaha as Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s “right-hand man and one of his closest associates.”
Mushtaha and Sinwar served a prison sentence together in an Israeli jail, and later together established Hamas’s general security mechanism, according to the IDF. “Mushtaha was considered to be the most senior figure in the Hamas political bureau in the Gaza Strip, and during the war maintained civil control of the Hamas regime, while simultaneously engaging in terror activity against Israel,” the military said.
The IDF says he was also “one of Hamas’s most senior operatives, and had a direct impact on decisions relating to Hamas’s force deployment.”
“Mushtaha was involved in military decisions while also acting as the head of Hamas civil governance in the Gaza Strip and holding the prisoners affairs portfolio. He also formerly held the finance portfolio,” the military added.
Israel launched an assault on Hamas in the Gaza Strip following the October 7th massacre, when some 3,000 terrorists breached the border and killed some 1,200 people, most of them civilians.
Israel’s campaign to destroy Hamas and return the hostages has seen the military target many of Hamas’s leaders including the shadowy head of their military wing Muhammad Deif and Rafa’a Salameh, the commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade, in a strike in July. full article While is it very good that we have been removing the top leaders of Hamas, that doesn't mean they won't have replacements immediately. Hamas has trained itself to be agile and resilient. As such, immediately following the killing or arrest of a leader at any level, they have instituted mechanisms for immediate replacement up and down the ladder.
The worst and most evil of all the leaders who is the number one target for Israel is Yihya Sinwar. As much as we all want to see him gone from the face of the earth, killing him now would be the worst possible thing to be done. If he gets killed, all of the living hostages will be killed immediately. Firstly, the hostages who he is keeping close to him will either die in the attack on him or be killed during the operation by Hamas terrorists who are with Sinwar and have orders to kill the hostages if the IDF gets close or by our soldiers during the operation. All of the other hostages will be killed by their terorist guards, either because they have already been given orders to do so or because they believe that they need to if Sinwar gets killed. Any way we choose to look at it, killing Sinwar now will be the worst thing for the living hostages. We must refrain from this kind of operation until we get our hostages home. Sinwar's days on earth are definitely going to end in the near term, but we must be patient until the hostages are home. My fear is that our political echelon may have other ideas. After all, the hostages are not the most important thing to them.

Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah/Syria

Hezbollah said hesitant to tap new leader, fearing ongoing Israeli infiltration will put Nasrallah successor at risk
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s death has prompted Iranian authorities to thoroughly investigate possible infiltrations within Iran’s own ranks, from the powerful Revolutionary Guards to senior security officials, a senior Iranian official says.
They are especially focused on those who travel abroad or have relatives living outside Iran, another official says.
Tehran grew suspicious of certain members of the Guards who had been traveling to Lebanon, he says. Concerns were raised when one of these individuals began asking about Nasrallah’s whereabouts, particularly inquiring about how long he would remain in specific locations, the official adds.
The individual has been arrested along with several others, the first official says, after alarm was raised in Iran’s intelligence circles. The suspect’s family had relocated outside Iran, the official says, without identifying the suspect or his relatives.
The second official says the assassination has spread mistrust between Tehran and Hezbollah, and within Hezbollah.
“The trust that held everything together has disappeared,” the official says.
The Supreme Leader “no longer trusts anyone,” says a third source who is close to Iran’s establishment.
Nasrallah’s assassination followed two weeks of precise Israeli strikes that have destroyed weapons sites, eliminated half of Hezbollah’s leadership council and decimated its top military command.
Iran’s fears for the safety of Khamenei and the loss of trust, within both Hezbollah and Iran’s establishment and between them, emerged in the conversations with 10 sources for this story, who described a situation that could complicate the effective functioning of Iran’s Axis of Resistance alliance of anti-Israel irregular armed groups.
The disarray is also making it hard for Hezbollah to choose a new leader, fearing the ongoing infiltration will put the successor at risk, four Lebanese sources said. link
Hezbollah commander responsible for deadly Majdal Shams attack killed yesterday
The commander of Hezbollah’s Mount Dov region was killed in an airstrike yesterday, the IDF announces.
The military says that Khader Shahabiya was responsible for the rocket fire on Majdal Shams in July, in an attack that left 12 children dead.

Druze residents light candles in memory of the 12 Druze kids who were killed in a Hezbollah missile attack on their football field in Majdal Shams on July 28, 2024. (Photo by Erez Ben Simon/Flash90)
He was also behind numerous anti-tank missile and rocket attacks on IDF posts in the Mount Dov, Hermon, and northern Golan Heights area, the military adds.
Israeli fighter jets struck Hezbollah intelligence and communications sites in the Lebanese capital of Beirut earlier today, the military says.
The IDF says the targets included operatives in the intelligence division, surveillance equipment, headquarters, and other infrastructure.
It releases footage of the strikes video
In first since beginning of war, Lebanese army returns fire at Israeli forces
BEIRUT, Lebanon — The Lebanese army says that a soldier was killed in an Israeli strike on a military post in southern Lebanon, adding that soldiers fired back at the source of the fire. It is the first time the army has fired back at Israeli forces since the conflict began a year ago, a Lebanese security source tells Reuters.
Lebanon says its monitoring border crossings after Israeli accusation of arms smuggling

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Lebanon’s Transport Minister Ali Hamieh says that all border crossings were under government monitoring following Israeli accusations that Hezbollah was smuggling weapons from Syria through the Masnaa border crossing.
The Lebanese Red Cross says an Israeli strike has killed a Lebanese army soldier and wounded four paramedics as they were evacuating wounded people from the south.
An earlier version of the AP report on the incident, since corrected, said that the medics were killed in the strike.
It says the convoy near the village of Taybeh, which was accompanied by Lebanese troops, was targeted despite coordinating its movements with UN peacekeepers.
Asked to comment, the IDF says it is looking into the incident.

West Bank and Jerusalem and Terror attacks within Israel

The United States announced sanctions Tuesday against “Hilltop Youth,” treating the young religious hardliners — who attempt to set up illegal outposts throughout the West Bank and have been known to use violence against Palestinians and Israeli security forces — as an organized group.

Israeli security forces argue with Israeli settlers at the entrance to the West Bank village of Turmus Ayya on the day that Jewish extremists set fire to homes and vehicles in the town, June 21, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
It is unclear whether the sanctions can be effective since there is no formal organization known as Hilltop Youth. Rather, it is a term used to identify far-right activists who live in the West Bank. The European Union, the United Kingdom and Australia sanctioned the same “group” earlier this year.
But the US move was blasted by an Israeli official who slammed the Biden administration’s decision to announce it as Israel was preparing to thwart an Iranian missile attack, which was launched later Tuesday evening.
Designating a group that does not formally exist also “demonstrates a shocking level of misunderstanding” of the phenomenon, the Israeli official told The Times of Israel, arguing that it is further proof that the sanctions imposed by the US against Israeli extremists are “purely political” and not aimed at actually addressing the issue.
A spokesperson for the US Treasury Department, which levied the sanctions against the so-called Hilltop Youth, did not respond to a request for clarification on the matter.
In its announcement, the Treasury Department described Hilltop Youth as “a violent extremist group that has repeatedly attacked Palestinians and destroyed Palestinian homes and property in the West Bank.”
“Through these violent activities, Hilltop Youth is actively destabilizing the West Bank and harming the peace and security of Palestinians and Israelis alike,” the announcement continues. “Hilltop Youth has devastated Palestinian communities and carried out killings, mass arson, and other so-called ‘price tag’ attacks to exact revenge and intimidate Palestinian civilians, and has repeatedly clashed with the Israeli military as it counters their activities.”

The damage caused by a settler rampage in the West Bank village of Turmus Ayya, on June 21, 2023. (Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90)

The Treasury Department pointed to an attack that hilltop youth carried out in the Palestinian town of al-Mughayyir during which they set fire to homes, buildings, and vehicles, beat villagers, looted property, including livestock, and left one Palestinian dead.
Such far-right activists perpetrated a similar rampage in June 2023 in the Palestinian town of Turmus Aiya, leaving another Palestinian dead and others injured, the US readout said.
Hilltop youth are known for vandalizing churches and mosques, spray-painted hateful graffiti messages on Palestinian-owned property, and uprooting olive trees in an effort to intimidate and spread fear, the announcement adds.
Nonetheless, none of this describes the work of an official organization with members, rather lawless youth, often with little to no assets to seize.

File: Armed settlers gather on a hill overlooking the village of al-Mughayyir near Ramallah in the West Bank on April 13, 2024 (JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP)
Alongside the Treasury announcement, the State Department issued its own sanctions against two Israeli settlers — Eitan Yardeni, for his connection to violence targeting West Bank civilians and Avichai Suissa, the leader of Hashomer Yosh, an already sanctioned group that brings young volunteers to settler farms across the territory, including small farming outposts that rights groups say are the primary drivers of settler violence across the territory.
The designation of Hilltop Youth, Yardeni and Suissa made up the seventh batch of sanctions issued by the US through the executive order Biden signed in February, aimed at curbing rampant and unchecked settler violence against Palestinians. Twenty-seven Israeli extremists and entities have been sanctioned thus far in total.
The US sanctions largely flew under the radar in Israel amid Iran’s missile attack on Tuesday, which Washington helped Israel thwart.
But after the last batch was announced in late August, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement saying that it “views with great severity” the imposition of sanctions against Israeli citizens and said the issue was the subject of “deep discussions” with the US. link
They entered the mosque, threatened worshippers - and then began their killing spree: This is how the attack in Jaffa unfolded
New footage shows the two terrorists from Hebron entering a mosque on Jerusalem Boulevard in Jaffa. "No one leaves here," they threatened. They hid bags there, then murdered Light Rail passengers and passersby with an M16. One was eliminated, the other seriously wounded. The mosque worshippers are not suspected of any involvement.
New details about the attack in Jaffa, where seven people were murdered, reveal that the two terrorists from Hebron, illegal residents, entered the Al-Nozha mosque on Jerusalem Boulevard minutes before the massacre began. "No one leaves the mosque, whoever leaves will only blame themselves," they threatened the worshippers. D., who was at prayer yesterday, said the two entered the mosque with large backpacks, hid them near the restrooms, and took out weapons and a knife. "They threatened us not to leave, left the mosque westward, saw the train stopping at a distant station and started shooting people at point-blank range. I saw it myself because I ran after them. People fell on the spot. They murdered Jews, murdered Arabs."
The mosque official, Ali, said one of the terrorists "opened the closed door with an M-16 in his hand. He just put his head in, said 'No one will go out, whoever goes out, their blood is on their own head,' and then left. The other waited for him outside. We closed the doors, called the police, and heard the shots."
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said yesterday that if it turns out the terrorists used the Jaffa mosque, he would destroy it. The police investigation revealed that the worshippers are not suspected of anything, and Ali responded to Ben-Gvir: "We've been living together for 70 years. Is he coming to create hatred between Arabs and Jews? He should stay in his place."
After leaving the mosque, the terrorists ran on Jaffa's main street and entered a Light Rail car that stopped at Erlich station. There they opened fire at point-blank range on passengers, murdering, among others, Revital Bronstein, Shahar Goldman, and Inbar Segev Vigder, mother of a nine-month-old baby who was in a carrier and survived. Among the murdered was also Georgian citizen Ilya Nozadze. The terrorists then continued on Jerusalem Boulevard, hitting passersby, until they were neutralized by Tel Aviv-Jaffa municipality SELA patrol officers and citizens at the scene with their personal firearms. The two - Muhammad Masik (19) and Ahmed al-Heimoni (25) - had an M16 rifle, magazines, and a knife. Masik was eliminated at the scene, al-Heimoni was seriously wounded. They crossed into Israeli territory in the Jerusalem envelope area, but it's still unclear exactly when.

The area of the attack

The terrorists at the attack location
The joint investigation by the Shin Bet and the Tel Aviv District Central Unit reveals that neither terrorist had been arrested before. One of them is known to have been involved in riots.
The IDF declared a curfew on Hebron, began making arrests, and during the night raided al-Heimoni's house in Hebron's University neighborhood. Footage shows the arrest of his family members, including his father and several brothers. The detainees, including suspects of assisting the terrorists in acquiring weapons and entering Israel, were transferred to Shin Bet interrogation.
Arik Marchenko (22), who was wounded by two bullets in his back in the train car, said referring to Inbar Segev Vigder: "The mother hugged her baby. That's the strongest image, a mother hugging her baby and all covered in blood. It's a miracle the baby is alive from all the bullets flying there. The mother was hit and he remained alive."
Eran Nissan, who lives in Jaffa, said that when he and his wife first heard the shots, they were sure it was a criminal incident. He called the police - but while on the call, he heard a burst of gunfire and ran into the supermarket. "I saw a citizen with a drawn gun moving towards contact, and I told the police dispatcher to relay on the radio that there are armed civilians at the scene."
Nissan, a paramedic and ambulance driver volunteering with Magen David Adom, went out to look for wounded. In one of the shops, he treated a girl injured in her hand. "She had an entry and exit wound, a shirt wrapped around the injury which was not simple," he said. "I took out a tourniquet and put it on her arm. I made sure there was no pulse in the hand with the tourniquet, and that the bleeding had stopped."
Then he heard more shots. "Together with two other people who were treating the girl, we dragged her to a back room, closed the door and blocked it with a heavy object," he said. "In the room were people who were less seriously injured, and I focused on her. She was conscious the whole time." link

Politics and the War (general news)

Damage to Air Force bases from Iranian attack - but no aircraft were hit

The day after the launch of nearly 200 ballistic missiles, the IDF admitted for the first time that administrative buildings were damaged. They stated, "No mission was changed, the defense plan proved itself, and the public's behavior was heroic." They clarified that Iran did not launch any hypersonic missiles, "because they don't have such missiles." Gallant to Arrow 3 fighters: "You saved many lives"

After the Iranian attack, in which nearly 200 ballistic missiles were fired at Israel, the IDF is saying for the first time that there were hits on Air Force bases - but emphasize that no aircraft were hit. The IDF said today (Wednesday) that no mission, near or far, was affected or changed. According to the IDF, the defense plan and functional continuity built over years in the Air Force proved itself, from air defense like Iron Dome and Arrow through protection and infrastructure to "redundancy" and deployment - dispersing capabilities in emergency situations.

The Air Force defined the public's behavior last night as "heroic" and as preventing bodily injury due to following Home Front Command instructions: "The defense concept stems from knowing that thousands of missiles and rockets will be fired at you and you'll continue to operate without harm to people or aircraft. No aircraft was hit, administrative buildings and the mission envelope were hit but not the core, because it's protected so we don't stop." Meanwhile, an analysis by CNN reportedly revealed that missiles fired from Iran fell at or near the Mossad headquarters, as well as at the Nevatim and Tel Nof air bases.

The IDF further said that Iran fired its most advanced missiles yesterday, "without sparing" - but did not fire any hypersonic missiles, "because they don't have any hypersonic missiles and none of our enemies have such a missile. When they lie about such a thing - it's good for us."

"Iran knows and we've also proven that we can attack it at any point in Iran and we won't respond against it - but we'll act against it as we've always done and will do this time according to our considerations," the IDF added. "The Iranian attack failed because it hit our civilian rear and did not hit our military capabilities."

Regarding the northern front and the fierce fighting in the north since morning, they said: "Hezbollah is now operating all the capabilities it can, at full capacity. We have plans for prolonged attacks on Hezbollah. At night we attacked in the heart of the arenas, including collapsing buildings in Dahieh that served as missile warehouses."
An Iranian missile that landed in the Negev Desert

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited today, along with the commander of the Air Defense Array, Brigadier General Gilad Biran, an Arrow 3 battery that participated in blocking the Iranian attack. "You saved many lives, and influenced everything we do in the war arena," Gallant told the Arrow fighters.

"Whoever harms the State of Israel will pay a price and the last one who learned this is Nasrallah after many years and others throughout this war," Gallant added. "We will settle accounts with everyone who harms and also with those who try to harm the State of Israel. This war is a difficult war, it is a justified war that none is more important than it and we are crossing into the second year. There will be more battles, but there will be victories and achievements as we have brought throughout the war, and in recent times we see it well."

Meanwhile, in Gedera, they continued today to rehabilitate the Shalhevet Chabad school that took a direct hit from a missile fired from Iran. In a race against time, the synagogue inside the educational institution was prepared to allow for the Rosh Hashanah eve prayer. Council head Sahar Pinto said: "Our victory over the Iranians is that tonight we will pray in the synagogue, and on Sunday after the holiday, the students will study in the school that took a direct hit that caused extensive destruction." link
The failure that ruined the plans - and the assassination that restored the IDF's confidence

From the severe blow on October 7 to recovery - and the turning point that will shape the military for years to come: The past year has put the IDF on a trajectory at the end of which it will look and operate completely differently from what we knew. To complete the necessary change, Israeli society will also need to learn what's truly important. Nir Dvori in a special column for the "New Land" project - Israel after October 7

There's no dispute about the disgraceful failure on October 7. Not about the abandonment, the helplessness, the terrible feeling that the residents of the Gaza envelope were left alone against the terrorists. This was the worst starting point for the IDF that I remember since the Yom Kippur War. At those moments, the army had to do two things:

1. Gather its people, commanders, fighters, and units.

2. Rebuild its sense of capability and ability - both operationally and in spirit - to go out and fight.

Those who saw the rows of cars parked on the roadsides at the entrances to IDF emergency warehouses in the north and south understand that at those moments, people flew from home, threw their cars on the roadside, and ran to gear up to reach the combat areas. This, in my opinion, was the first step in the turning point. The way the IDF knew how to gather itself, rise, and recover is dramatic and not self-evident. This is what ultimately gave the ability not only to fight but also to bring the results that the IDF is achieving in the north and south - the determination, courage, sacrifice, understanding the magnitude of the hour and mission, alongside the army's ability, from the Chief of Staff and down, to harness all these tools, restore confidence in its ranks and begin to rehabilitate public trust in the army.

Reserve soldiers running to the front and provided the necessary determination for the IDF's recovery

I heard Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his surroundings in those days. They didn't just get angry at the army. The feeling was that the army ruined big plans for them, namely a historic normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia, following the October 7 failure. The entire basis of the relationship from that moment between the political echelon and the army was conducted with a sense of anger, frustration, and distrust following the failure. Therefore, the army had to rebuild trust both internally, with the public, and with the political echelon.

The first time it was possible to notice the completion of the cognitive change vis-à-vis the political echelon was at the defining moment of the assassination of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah. The army already felt much more confident in its ability to fight, and this was projected both in the north and towards the public, in the confidence that was building. This is the first time I heard the political echelon gushing over the army's achievement.

The moment when even the political echelon remembered the strength of the security system. Hassan Nasrallah and the headquarters where he was killed Photo: IDF spokesman,
This gap, between the army we saw on the morning of October 7 and the achievements we now see in the north and south, is related to attention and readiness, related to a wrong operational concept, and most importantly - related to the policy and directive that came down from the political echelon to the army. The policy was that Hamas is an asset, that quiet should be maintained at all costs, that the money we push to Hamas calms it down. The containment policy, dictated by the government, is the mother of all sins.

The change in the IDF

The very learning of the IDF during the fighting and the completion of investigations at the operational level within the units - have already led to many changes at the tactical level: improving and refining the fighting, introducing new weapons, the important combination between the ground forces and the air force in attack, casualty evacuation, and the way the air force accompanies the ground maneuver with fire. The completion of the investigations will bring about two more major changes:

1. In the way the army will henceforth prepare to defend our borders - this will essentially be a new defense concept.

2. In the way the IDF will change its intelligence concept and its operational concept in routine and emergency: Another October 7 cannot be allowed. Not in terms of intelligence, not in terms of force deployment on the fence. A change in the operational concept will be required both in routine and emergency.

The change, of course, will affect the defense budget, the IDF's procurement, its priorities, and manpower - how to keep the best in the army and how to fund all this, who enlists and who bears the burden in light of the multiplicity of missions. We are facing a security decade where we will need much more manpower.

Israeli society and the IDF
One of the most dangerous things the IDF had to deal with during the war is the de-legitimization campaign and accusations directed at it by politicians, government members, and ministers, in a way that harms national security. This is irresponsibility, shameful behavior that essentially created another unnecessary front for the army - precisely in the days when it needed backing. The pettiness of those politicians will not be forgiven.
Irresponsible conduct that harmed the army (archive) | Photo: Yonatan Zindel, Flash 90

The public in Israel will have to demand from anyone who leads it a new social and civic order, an order where everyone gets under the stretcher - both in enlisting for military service and in recruitment. The exemption law from enlistment and encouragement of draft dodging is a scandal, especially in light of the army's future needs. Anyone who lends a hand to it will bear responsibility for what might happen here and cannot be absolved of it.

This required entry 'under the stretcher' is not only in the military aspect, but also in terms of bearing the tax burden and integration into the labor market. To have a strong army here, we need a strong and stable economy: we cannot be internationally isolated, we are dependent on the global economy. Israeli governments will have to make important decisions on the matter, and we need everyone - that every Israeli be committed to giving and contributing, economically and militarily, so that we can live here together. If not, we won't be able to cope with what else awaits us.
Women, ultra-Orthodox - everyone should participate. No more restrictions (archive) | Photo: Tomer Newberg, Flash 90 (the women soldiers in this picture have nothing to do with the article)

Beyond that - it's terrible and awful that we still need to mention this in 2024 - we need full equality for women here. It starts with full equality in the army, meaning opening its ranks in a respectful and enabling way to both women and ultra-Orthodox. It's possible if we want. We just need to create the frameworks and conditions - and we need will. There's no need to argue anymore about the abilities, heroism, or courage of the female fighters and commanders, about the way they volunteered, fought, and proved themselves in all combat and command sectors. We need to open more positions to women, including senior positions. Then they'll go into civilian life and be senior in business, politics, and more. We need them with us, and there's no justification for limiting them. This story is over. We need to listen to them without a drop of contempt - not to the next Sergeant who will warn about the secret plans of terrorist organizations and not to the next lookouts who will report suspicious signs.

"New Land"

From our enemies' point of view, two elements are the most influential and important of all: the connection to the United States - the intimate closeness, cooperation, and American backing - and internal cohesion in Israel.

These are the two most important components that outline the strength of deterrence in the eyes of our enemies, the way they perceive Israel's strength and resilience. We must know how to preserve these two things. Anyone who acts to crumble Israeli society will bring another disaster upon us. It is all our responsibility that this does not change.
Internal cohesion is critical to the strength of the IDF (archive) | Photo: IDF spokesperson

The events of the past year teach us that the State of Israel needs to change its security concept. There's no choice, we need to build a concept based on the strength of the army, the resilience of the economy, our good relations with the countries in the region and the superpowers. We must define the goals we want to aspire to in order to strengthen Israel in the coming decades. We need to build a new strategy and derive from it the army's missions, both its size and the way IDF forces are operated and their tasks. link

The Region and the World
Documentation: Huge debris after the barrage from Iran; in Hod Hasharon - about 100 houses damaged by blast and shrapnel

The morning after the unprecedented attack from Iran • The vast majority of 181 missiles were successfully intercepted by air defense systems • Many Israelis went out this morning and saw with their own eyes the debris fragments of the interceptors • The barrage was clearly visible from a passenger plane in Dubai • This is how it looked

The State of Israel was under an Iranian attack yesterday that included the launch of 181 ballistic missiles, which sent the vast majority of civilians into protected spaces. Thanks to adherence to Home Front Command guidelines, there were few hits and damage was caused to property. Two Israelis were lightly injured, and a Palestinian resident of Gaza was killed after being hit by interceptor debris in the Jericho area.

This morning (Wednesday), documentation of the remains of huge interceptors that fell in many places across the country was distributed. In Arad, people took pictures next to fragments of an Iranian missile, showing how large the missiles launched towards the country were. Giant fragments were also documented in the Galilee, photographed by passersby. Several falls and interception parts were recorded in the Negev, the Jerusalem Hills, and also in Gush Dan, where heavy damage was caused to a restaurant.

Parts of a missile from yesterday's Iranian attack near Arad Photography: According to Section 27 A
Parts of an Iranian missile near Arad Photography: According to Section 27 A
Parts of an Iranian missile found in the Galilee, this morning Photo: According to Section 27 A of the Copyright Law

The heavy barrage was filmed in real-time from a flight en route to Dubai flying over the city of Shiraz. One of the passengers documented the heavy fire, which was carried out in two waves of launches.

In Hod Hasharon, it was updated this morning that no less than 100 houses were damaged by blast and dozens more buildings were affected by "more secondary circles". The municipality reported that "guards were posted on streets from which residents were evacuated. City teams mapped the calls and toured the streets and houses to provide initial response, and this morning they will continue to provide assistance for more complex solutions." link
100 houses were damaged in the city. Fragment of an interceptor in Hod Hasharon, yesterday Photo: According to Section 27A of the Copyright Law
A missile fell in the Negev yesterday Photo: Use according to Section 27A of the Copyright Law

Personal Stories

"You need to smell the house to understand the evil."

Avihud Behar hid with his family in the safe room of their house in Be'eri during the attack on October 7th. His wife Dana and his son Carmel (15) were killed in the attack. Avihud was injured and lost his leg. Two weeks after the massacre, he returned to Be'eri for the first time to tend to the orchards as a farmer.

"About two weeks after October 7th, I returned to the fields. We have avocados, mangoes, jojoba, potatoes, peanuts, and wheat. For the last seven years, I've managed the kibbutz's agriculture, and I’m there every day. Even now, after my leg was shot on the morning of the massacre. The first time I returned was with my daughter Hadar. We wanted to see what was left of our house, maybe manage to retrieve desktop computers, because our mobile phones were stolen, and a few pictures. In the end, what does a person need? Your memory book. Everything else can be bought again. There was still blood in the safe room; it hadn't been cleaned yet.

"Next to us lived the family of Eli Sharabi. He is in captivity, and his wife and daughters were murdered. Another house near us belonged to the Bira family — all four of them were killed. They were determined, they killed us thoroughly. We were in the safe room for 12 hours. Around 9 a.m., they shot us, and then set the house on fire so that if anyone was still alive, they'd have to jump out. Carmel and Dana’s bodies were next to us, I was severely injured from gunshots, and Hadar (14 years old) was the only one functioning. She sent WhatsApp voice recordings to everyone using my and her mother's phones. Outside, neighbors were being slaughtered, machine-gun bursts, and the terrorists talking on their radios. Eventually, they rescued us through the window, leaving the bodies behind, and we were evacuated to the hospital. I had no feeling in my leg, and Hadar had deep shrapnel wounds and received a tourniquet. They carried me on a stretcher through the olive grove, and that’s how I realized where I was.

"In the weeks that followed, they brought tours to our house, including teenagers, like how I was taken to Auschwitz to witness human evil. Be'eri is no less horrifying than any other site of destruction. People need to smell the smell of the house to understand who our neighbors are and what this evil truly is. Today, I visit the house about twice a week, and I've been waiting for it to be completely demolished so we can begin rebuilding. I am certain I will return to Be'eri."

Even if it’s uncertain how subdued the 'neighbors' across the border will be? There doesn’t seem to be a solution on the horizon.

"I will still return. It’s true there’s no solution, but maybe that’s because what happened to us wasn’t bad enough. I think it was just the prelude."

Explain.

"Listen, there are 1,100 people in Be'eri, and 'only' 100 were killed. They could have slaughtered all of us. At Nova, 'only' 10% were killed. In Israel, on that day, 'only' 1,100 people were killed. But imagine if at that same moment, others came from Afula, Jenin, and Metula — we could have had 200,000 dead. So maybe we got off easy, and maybe we don’t understand yet that there’s no one to live with or negotiate with. Today, I understand that it’s either us or them, and we haven’t fully grasped it yet. Maybe things aren’t bad enough for us to realize that for things to improve, it has to get worse first."

So what do you tell yourself as you return to Be'eri, knowing that in three years, it could be even more brutal?

"I have nowhere else to go. I was born in Be'eri, and all my children were born here. We moved to several homes in the kibbutz, and five years ago, we built our house in the new neighborhood — that’s where they slaughtered us. Dana and I traveled in South America, in Costa Rica. We saw a volcano there that erupts every ten minutes. Every 50 years, it destroys all the villages below, and the farmers return each time to rebuild their homes and plow the land at the base of the volcano, until the next eruption. We are, in the end, just farmers. I will return to Be'eri as a farmer, never knowing when the next eruption will be. But I’m sure it will come."

On October 7th, Rotem (23), the eldest son, was traveling in the East and returned to Israel on the evening of October 8th. Today, he lives in Be'eri and works in marketing at the factory. The middle son, Nofer (19), is a soldier, and when he comes home from the army, he goes to Be'eri. Hadar, the youngest daughter, lives with her father at a hotel for Be'eri evacuees at the Dead Sea.

"It’s very hard to emotionally comprehend the longing, which is so strong, for Dana and Carmel. That’s where I break down. Then I move to rationality — they are no longer suffering and will never return. I’m sure they wished us a good life, and it’s our duty now. When I think of Hadar as a bride one day, and that her mother won’t be by her side, it destroys me. But she doesn’t see that yet; she lives in the moment, and that makes the children four times stronger than me." link

Dark Legacy - The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages

Priorities

Benny Barbash

Writer and Screenwriter

This is the bed. Bed linen on top. A satin sheet flawlessly stretched with neither stain nor crease. A pillowcase to match the fine eiderdown comforter. The pillows fluffed to the exact degree of firmness that will support the head crammed full of concern for the security of the nation of Israel and its future. On the dresser alongside the bed are several biographies. Churchill, Lincoln, and naturally, his own. "The Story Of My Life.” Sometimes, before he falls asleep, he leafs through the book he wrote about himself with satisfaction, dwelling on this or that paragraph.

He revels in his accomplishments. Only a small stain unfairly mars the record of his achievements. October 7th. It’s been nine months of trying to rub off the stain that has stuck to him with the blood of his soldiers who, by their death, compel his continued rule, but there are defeatists who are not ready to pay the price necessary for complete victory.

Next to the stack of books arranged on the nightstand is the dog tag for the families of the hostages. His advisor gave it to him and asked him to wear it around his neck for the meeting with representatives of the families. Just for the meeting, for the optics, for the photos. To create a good impression. This will convey care and empathy with these nudniks, explained the media consultant. He takes the dog tag from the dresser and looks at the metal plate. The Hebrew reads: "Our heart is captive in Gaza." Mine is not captive in Gaza, he thinks with satisfaction, my heart is here with me. With the pacemaker that watches over him, goes with him everywhere, with all his bodyguards, with the convoy of armored cars that speed through the traffic jams and disperses the cars that get in his way, as if they were cockroaches. He is safe. His wife is sleeping next to him. His children are far from the inferno. A sect of sycophants and a gang of robbers accepts his authority. He turns the disk over to its other side. In English it says: Bring Them Home Now. What do they think, that it is possible to say hocus-pocus just like that and bring them back now?

There is no limit to their greed and lack of regard for the limitations he has to deal with. They put obstacles in his path to victory every step of the way. What is the matter, what is this holy rage of theirs. With these types of struggles you also need to know how to make sacrifices. Pay a price.

The phone is ringing. His military secretary is on the line; he tells him of the death of three of the kidnapped men from rounds fired by our own forces. Such is life, he replies to the military secretary, thinking with satisfaction that this turn of phrase covers almost every situation.

What can you do, when you chop wood, chips fly, he adds with a sigh.

The hostages, with all due respect, should be a little more patient. A great leader has different priorities than a bunch of unfortunates who were captured because of the failures of the IDF and Shin Bet. The Rabbinate law needs to be passed. The law for dodging military service. Relations with the United States of America need to be sabotaged, and obviously “the complete victory” needs to be achieved. He pats the pillow, smoothes the velvety down comforter, turns off the light. He closes his eyes and falls into a sweet slumber.

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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