🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 374, 2023 - October 14, 2024 🎗️

 

🎗️Day 374 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

 The two sections at the end, personal stories and Dark Legacy - The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages are very important to read, as important or more than the news of the day.

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

*6:40pm yesterday - north - hostile aircraft -Leeman, Gesher Haziv, Naharia, Saar, Ben Ami, Evron, Mizra'a, Regba
*6:50pm yesterday - north - hostile aircraft - Shomera, Bustan Hagalil, Acre
*7:05pm yesterday - north - rockets/missiles
*8:15pm yesterday - north - hostile aircraft - 2 explosive UAVs from Lebanon. One was intercepted over the sea and 1 exploded near Binyamina in a direct hit - 67 wounded, 4 soldiers were killed, 7 in critical condition
*9:25pm yesterday - north - rockets/missiles
*9:35pm yesterday - north - rockets/missiles
*9:50pm yesterday - north - rockets/missiles
*10:10pm yesterday - north - rockets/missiles
*10:35pm yesterday - north - rockets/missiles
*11:05pm yesterday - Haifa and areas around -rockets/missiles
*1:25am - north - hostile aircraft - Kiryat Shemona
*7:10am - north - rockets/missiles
*8:15am -north - rockets/missiles

*9:30am - Haifa and areas around - The IDF says that some 10 rockets were fired at the Haifa area from Lebanon.

The military says most of them were intercepted and some fell in open areas. video of inteception of rockets

*10:10am - north - rockets/missiles

*11:20am -north - rockets/missiles
*1:25pm -north - rockets/missiles
*1:35pm - north - rockets/missiles
*1:50pm - north - rockets/missiles
*2:10pm - north - The Israeli Air Force shoots down two drones flying toward Israel from Syria, says the IDF.

The drones were intercepted before they crossed into Israel, according to the army.

*2:30pm - north - rockets/missiles - The Magen David Adom rescue service says that so far its medics have not found any injured people after several rocket impacts were reported in the northern town of Karmiel.

Earlier police said they had reports there may have been injuries. Reports said a rocket hit a parked vehicle, setting it on fire. Fifteen rockets were fired into Israel from Lebanon in this barrage, says the IDF. Sirens sounded in the central and northern Galilee regions. Most were intercepted, says the army, but some struck near Karmiel.

*3:10pm - north- hostile aircraft - Yesod Hamaaleh
*3:10pm - north - rockets/missiles
*3:50pm - north - rockets/missiles
*4:10pm - north - rockets/missiles
*5:10pm - north - rockets/missiles
*5:15pm - North - Acre and areas around up to Haifa area
*5:25pm - Center - Tel Aviv, Herzlia, Kfar Shmaryahu, Hod Hasharon, Raanana, Ramat Hasharon, Beit Berl, Petach Tikvah, Ramat Gan
*5:35pm - Center - Kfar Saba, Mishmoret, Matan, Neve Yamin, Nir Eliahu, Gaash, Tel Mond, Rosh Haayain, Even Yehuda, Sde Warburg, Shfaim, Rishpon, Wingate Institute, Yakum, Cinema City Glilot, Hadera, Kfar Yona, Mishmar Hashiva, Ganot, Lod, Zrifim, Achiezer, Beer Yaacov, Beit Dagan, Zeitun, Yagel, Hemed, Kfar Chabad, Savyon, Tel Aviv, Mikveh Yisrael, Azor, Yafo, Caesarea,, Netanya, Givat Haim, Kfar Vitkin, Hofit, Beit Yanai, Sharon Prison - Three surface-to-surface missiles were fired from Lebanon, two were intercepted and one fell in an open area • Magen David Adom spokesman: "We received no calls about falls or casualties"
*

The Israel Defense Forces announces the names of the four soldiers killed in last night’s Hezbollah drone attack on a Golani base.

Sgt. Omri Tamari, 19, from Mazkeret Batya.

Sgt. Yosef Hieb, 19, from Tuba Zangariya.

Sgt. Yoav Agmon, 19, from Binyamina-Giv’at Ada

Sgt. Alon Amitay, 19, from Ramot Naftali

May their memories forever be a blessing

Hostage Updates 

Today would be Eden Yerushalmi's 25th birthday had this government not abandon her and the other 5 hostages who were killed due to Netanyahu's 'military pressure'

The sisters of an Israeli woman kidnapped and killed by Hamas have described the “inhuman” conditions in which she was held captive, telling CNN they have been living “a nightmare” since her body was recovered by the Israeli military in an underground tunnel in Gaza.

Eden Yerushalmi was taken from the Nova music festival when Hamas launched its October 7 attack on Israel, and her body was among six recovered by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) late last month. 

Her sisters Shani and May told CNN’s Anderson Cooper they had received proof that she was alive on three occasions, including just three weeks before her death.

“It’s very difficult for us. We feel like we’re in a nightmare,” Shani Yerushalmi said. “Sometimes it feels like it isn’t real, like it’s not happening to us, because the whole time we truly believed that Eden would come back home alive.”

Yerushalmi’s family have learned details of her captivity from the IDF since her body was returned to Israel from Gaza. Describing the tunnel in which she was kept for several weeks, Shani said: “They barely could stand fully … they couldn’t sleep next to each other, only in a line. There were no windows, no air, no light. Barely food, and if they needed to go to the bathroom they were forced to do it in a bucket.”

The IDF said the group’s bodies were found in a Hamas-run tunnel under the city of Rafah, and that they were “brutally” murdered “a short while” before troops were able to reach them. The IDF told the family her sister was “shot in the head from very close range,” and had marks on her hands from defending herself, May told CNN.

Yerushalmi’s death, along with five other Israeli captives, ignited fresh rage in the country, much of it directed at the handling of the crisis by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

More than 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage on October 7, according to Israeli authorities, and more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel’s ensuing war began. Netanyahu has been under intense pressure to reach a ceasefire-for-hostages deal that would secure the return of more than 100 people still held in the enclave.

“In that specific tunnel we know that they were a few weeks, which is horrible. I don’t know if I could be in there a day,” Shani told CNN.

Yerushalmi, along with Hersh Goldberg-Polin and Carmel Gat, was slated to be released as part of the “humanitarian category” based on a framework deal Israel and Hamas agreed to in early July, two Israeli officials told CNN after the recovery of their bodies, with one of them adding: “Our prime minister delayed it.” link

Today is Omer Neutra's 25th birthday

Growing up in Long Island, New York, Omer Neutra was a fan of the Knicks, and was the captain of his high school basketball team, his volleyball team, and the soccer team, when necessary.

“That’s the kind of guy he is,” said his father, Ronen Neutra.

Neutra was taken hostage on October 7 while serving as a tank commander near Gaza.

When Neutra’s parents, Ronen and Orna, heard what was happening, the father scrambled to contact his son.

The parents weren’t able to reach their son and he is believed to have been taken captive by Hamas terrorists who massacred 1,200 people and kidnapped at least 250 others, including a number of US citizens.

Neutra decided to join the Israeli army after spending a gap year in Israel in 2020, putting off his plans to attend college at Binghamton University.

Ronen Neutra told CBS that his son is interested in peace-building and looked forward to returning to Long Island and college.

“They said that he’s been taken captive,” said Orna Neutra. “So many have died that it’s just insane that you feel relief to think that your son is not dead, you know?”

Omer has been active in Jewish camping over the years: he was both a camper and in leadership roles at a variety of different Jewish summer camps; Sprout Lake, Camp Tel Yehudah, USY on Wheels, Schechter and Camp Ramah in Nyack

The tank crew had four members, including tank commander Omer Neutra from Long Island, and tank gunner Nimrod Cohen from Rehovot, who are currently in Hamas captivity, as well as tank loader Oz Daniel from Kfar Saba, and driver Shaked Dahan from Afula, who the IDF has confirmed as killed in Hamas captivity.

The parents of a young New York man who was kidnapped by Hamas are afraid their son will only return home in a body bag as the war enters its second year.

Omer Neutra, 22, of Plainview, was captured near his Israel Defense Forces base on Oct. 7, just hours after speaking with his parents about his upcoming birthday.

Come Oct. 14, Omer will have spent two birthdays as a hostage in Gaza, a heartbreaking reality plaguing his parents, Ronen and Orna Neutra, who don’t know when or how they will be reunited with their son.

“Is it in body bags? Is it in three years?” Ronen told The Post.

Orna and Ronen Neutra are still waiting for their son, captive Omer Neutra, to return home to Plainview, New York.

• Gershon Baskin, who served as a mediator in the Shalit deal, spoke with *Maariv* and sent a message to Prime Minister Netanyahu: "There is no victory without bringing the hostages back, and every day you hesitate, you are endangering more hostages."

  
  

  Left-wing activist Gershon Baskin, considered one of the architects of the deal that secured Gilad Shalit's release from Hamas captivity in 2011, spoke with *Maariv* today (Sunday) about the possibility of a hostage deal and delivered a sharp message to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Baskin stated: "It has already been over a month since Hamas communicated to me in writing and via voice message their agreement to the three-week plan (end of the war, Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, release of all hostages—all of them, along with the agreed-upon release of Palestinian prisoners). Hamas also added their agreement to transfer governance in Gaza to a civilian, technocratic administration that would manage the Strip, including security and border issues."

  
  

  He further added, "Hamas will not announce their agreement to the plan until they receive a signal from Israel that it is willing to consider it. Hamas explained that presenting the plan first on their part would weaken them in negotiations."

  
  

  Addressing Netanyahu directly, Baskin said: "Bibi, Prime Minister, do you want to bring the hostages home? Do you want Hamas not to rule Gaza after the war? Your path to victory lies in quietly giving Israel's consent to the three-week plan to Qatar, Egypt, and President Biden. Just tell them that Israel is ready to enter negotiations on implementing the three-week plan. It's on you, Bibi. There is no victory without bringing the hostages back, and every day you delay, you endanger more hostages. Act today, Bibi—this is on you!" Baskin concluded. link

  
  

  
  

  Basics Dynamics of the Three-Week Plan

  A Wishful Thinking Proposal

  Gershon Baskin

  September 27, 2024

  
  

  ENDING THE WAR IN GAZA, RETURNING THE HOSTAGES, AND A NEW REGIME IN GAZA - ALL IN 3 WEEKS -THIS IS HOW IS COULD HAPPEN

  
  

  Before this plan enters into implementation, with the agreement of Hamas, President Mahmoud Abbas will appoint the Chief Commissioner of the Gaza Council of Commissioners – a non-Hamas, a non-Fatah, professional government of technocrats for Gaza for 24-36 months until there is enough stability to conduct full Palestinian democratic elections for the State of Palestine (West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem). The Gaza Council of Commissioners will not be run by the Palestinian Authority of the West Bank, even though its Chief Commissioner will be appointed by President Abbas. From the day of appointment of the Chief Commissioner, the Council of Commissioners will be formed and appointed by its head. By Day 17 of this plan, the Council of Commissioners will officially take control over Gaza following Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the transference of all governing power from Hamas.  All local (Israeli, Egyptian, Qatari, USA, etc. and International Organizations will refer to the Council of Commissioners as the only legal governing body in Gaza).  

  
  

  • DAY 1: AT 6:00 am on the determined day, a full ceasefire of both sides enters into force on Day 1.  Israel will cease all of the IDF aggressive activities in Gaza. Israel will pull out of populated areas from day 1 and begin to redeploy in preparation for a full withdrawal from Gaza. Hamas will cease all aggressive activities against Israeli soldiers. No rockets or mortars will be fired by Hamas from Day 1. Armed Hamas personnel will not be shot at by Israel from Day 1 unless they are attacking Israeli soldiers. Armed Israeli soldiers will not be shot at by Hamas unless Israeli soldiers are shooting at them. 

  • DAY 1 TO DAY 5: By 12:00 noon on Day 1, through the mediators, Israel will provide a list of all of the Israeli and foreign hostages that are believed to be in Gaza.  By 12:00 noon on Day 5, Hamas will know the location of all of the hostages and their condition. Hamas will have five days to collect this information. The list of hostages and their condition will be handed over to the mediators no later than 12:00 noon on Day 5. 

  • DAY 1: Israel will cease flyover missions over Gaza from 6:00 on day 1 except the flyover missions for three hours a day coordinated through the mediators for the only purpose of coordinating and supervising Israeli troop movements out of populated areas and a return to Israel proper.  The 3-hour flyover operations by Israel will be fully coordinated and will only occur while Israeli troops are on the move out of populated areas and back towards the Israeli borders. 

  • DAY 7 and Day 8: On Day 7, Israel will begin to withdraw its forces from all of the Rafah and Khan Yunis areas. The withdrawal of Israel forces from this area will be done on Day 7 and Day 8.

  • DAY 9: On Day 9, Hamas will release all of the wounded, sick, living children and elderly and women hostages and Israel will release the agreed number and names of Palestinian prisoners. The ICRC will coordinate the logistics of the transfers of prisoners and hostages with Israel and Hamas. 

  • DAY 9 AND DAY 10: On Day 10 and Day 11, Israel will withdraw its forces to north of Wadi Gaza. 

  • DAY 12: On Day 12, Hamas will release all of the dead bodies of the hostages in exchange for the agreed number of Palestinian prisoners. The ICRC will coordinate the logistics of the transfers of prisoners and hostages with Israel and Hamas.

  • DAY 13: On Day 13, the Rafah crossing will be opened with agreed international supervision and a mechanism which is not Hamas run on the Gaza side of the crossing. Increased humanitarian aid will begin to flow into Gaza as agreed in the detailed negotiations.

  • DAY 14: On Day 14, Israel will withdraw from all areas south of Jabalia.

  • DAY 15: On Day 15, Hamas will release all of the remaining hostages, civilian or military which have not yet been released in exchange for the release of the agreed to number of Palestinian prisoners. The ICRC will coordinate the logistics of the transfers of prisoners and hostages with Israel and Hamas.

  • DAY 16- DAY 16: On Day 16 and 17, Israel will withdraw from the remaining areas of Gaza.

  • Day 17 onward: The Gaza Council of Commissioners will have full responsibility for the governing of Gaza.

  • Day 18: A coordinating meeting will take place between the Gaza Commission of Commissions and Israeli civilian and military officials. The meeting will take place at the Erez Crossing. The meeting will focus on the massive increase of humanitarian aid into Gaza from all entrance points along the Israel-Gaza border and via the Rafah crossing, including the necessary security and inspection mechanisms.  

  • Day 21: A summit meeting will take place between the Gaza Commission of Commissioners and all Arab leaders prepared to contribute to the reconstruction of Gaza including the possible sending of an Arab-led peace keeping force to Gaza for a limited period of time. 

  
  

  There are of course many additional elements and details that must be included in this plan.  This is a very general outline posted to provide some insights, some hopes, and some directions forward.
  
  
• Shin Bet head met with Egyptian intelligence chief in Cairo to discuss stalled ceasefire talks — report

  Shin Bet director Ronen Bar met with Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel in a meeting in Cairo on Sunday, Axios reporter Barak Ravid states on X, citing “a source familiar with the visit.”

  
  

  According to Ravid, the two discussed the stalled negotiations for a hostage release-ceasefire deal but did not reach any breakthroughs.

  
  

  One of the sticking points discussed by the two intelligence officials was the matter of the Rafah Border Crossing, the report states, which has been shuttered since May, when the IDF launched its offensive in the southern Gaza city.

  
  

  The Shin Bet declines to comment on the report.
  
  
• Hostage's Sister Questioned Under Caution for Lighting a Bonfire That Nearly Harmed Police Officers

  
  

  The police are investigating Natalie Tzangoker, sister of Matan, on suspicion of disturbing public order, obstructing a police officer in the line of duty, and reckless use of fire. • In footage released by the police from a demonstration on the evening of Yom Kippur, a burning object is seen being thrown towards flammable boards - which ignited a large fire

  
  

  The police are questioning Natalie Tzangoker today (Monday) under caution, sister of the hostage Matan Tzangoker, on suspicion of lighting a bonfire that endangered police officers during a demonstration for the return of hostages on the evening of Yom Kippur. According to her lawyer, Gonen Ben Yitzhak, she is to be questioned on suspicion of disturbing public order, obstructing a police officer in the line of duty, and reckless use of fire.

  

  Natalie Tsengauker after hitting a policeman at a demonstration in August Photo: Paulina Patimer

  
  

  At the demonstration, held on Begin Road in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening, Einav Tzangoker apologized to her son: "Sorry that a year has passed and we haven't managed to get the government to bring you back."

  
  

  In footage released yesterday by the Israel Police, protesters are seen piling up boards and allegedly flammable materials in the middle of the road, while police officers try to prevent them and spray fire-retardant material. From among the protesters, a burning object was thrown that ignited a large fire that "tangibly endangered the officers who were close to the bonfire and the protesters". According to the police statement, only thanks to the officer's use of a fire extinguisher was a major disaster averted.

  

  Natalie Tsengauker before her interrogation by the police in May Photo: Avshalom Sashoni, Flash 90
  
  Earlier, the police arrested 5 protesters who blocked the Ayalon Highway and lit fire inscriptions and tires on it.

  
  

  Natalie was summoned for questioning in May along with Avraham Munder's nephew, Shahar Mor Zahiro, following their activities in protests against the government and for the release of their relatives. During her interrogation on suspicion of assaulting a police officer, disturbing public order, and reckless use of fire, a DNA sample was taken from Tzangoker via saliva. After about two hours, they were released under restrictive conditions according to which they would not participate in "illegal demonstrations" for 15 days. "Natalie is a law-abiding citizen and we are coming at the request of the Israel Police to answer all the questions we were asked," Einav Tzangoker told Oded Ben Ami after the May interrogation. "It's strange to me that on the one hand the police tell me they contain me and my demonstrations, but on the other hand, not once and not twice, I, my daughters, and Ilana, Matan's partner who was also a hostage released from captivity, have to deal with unreasonable force from the security forces. We find ourselves in quite a few situations that also lead to violence." link
  
  
  
• **Ahead of Response:** Israel has conveyed a message to Iran warning of the expected response - and also of Iranian retaliation and attacks on public facilities or civilian areas, as reported today (Monday) in the Qatari newspaper Al-Arabi Al-Jadid. The message was conveyed in a meeting between Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel.

  
  

  During the meeting, the two also discussed the possibility of advancing a new deal, against the backdrop of the war in Gaza and Lebanon. However, according to the report, the meeting ended with difficulty in formulating a ceasefire agreement in Gaza at the present time. According to the report, all indications point to the possibility that the deadlock in negotiations may continue until after the U.S. presidential elections, which will take place on November 5. The talks between the Shin Bet chief and the Egyptian intelligence chief focused mainly on security arrangements at the border between the Gaza Strip and northern Sinai Peninsula in preparation for the conditions, if there is an opportunity in the future for an exchange deal. The report states that the parties discussed in Cairo the possibility of the presence of international or Arab forces on the Netzarim axis in the center of the Gaza Strip and on the Salah al-Din axis stretching along the border with Egypt. In addition, they discussed Cairo's participation in the forces to be deployed along the border. However, official Egypt still adheres to its position that there should be a return to the situation that preceded October 7, 2023.

  
  

  According to the Qatari newspaper, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to make an official visit to Cairo within days to "discuss the files of the shared vision of the two countries regarding regional developments." During his visit, he is expected to meet with his Egyptian counterpart, Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aty, with the Egyptian intelligence chief and President Sisi. The possibility of renewing contacts for a deal comes a week after contact was renewed between Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and the mediators. Sinwar had been out of contact for a long time, and only last Monday was it reported that he was alive, after the possibility arose that he had been eliminated in one of Israel's attacks on the Strip. link This 'delay' in restarting negotiations until after the American elections is coming directly from Netanyahu. There has been much talk that Netanyahu purposely has not agreed to any deal to end the war so he wouldn't give Biden the credit which would help the Democrats in the election. He is a Trump fan and the speculation continues that if Trump is elected, a deal will be made and credited to Netanyahu and Trump. Whether this speculation is true or not, the strong possibility that Netanyahu doesn't want to restart negotiations until after the US elections shows again, too painfully that he cares only about politics and doesn't give a damn about the hostages or the soldiers fighting and dying. They are just pawns for his chess game and as such, they are all expendable.

  
  
  

Gaza 

• The Dahlan Option for the "Day After": Security Establishment Concerns and Threats

  

  
  

   The security establishment recently held discussions about the possibility of Mohammed Dahlan taking control of Gaza • They believe the former Fatah senior official might ally with Hamas - thus preserving their hold on the territory • The Cairo summit: Different positions and challenging gaps

  
  

  Although currently there doesn't seem to be a real solution on the horizon for an alternative government in the Gaza Strip "the day after" the war, the security establishment recently held discussions about the possibility of former Fatah senior official Mohammed Dahlan taking the reins, as N12 has learned. In the discussions, they presented the threats they identify and pointed out the risks inherent in pursuing this option.

  
  

  Dahlan, who serves as an advisor to UAE President bin Zayed and has lived there for the past 12 years, has positioned himself during the war as being in charge of the large aid operation that the UAE is channeling to Gaza and maintains contact with regional players. Despite his statements to the media declaring his refusal "to accept or perform any security, governmental or executive role in Gaza" - Israeli security officials do not rule out the possibility that he will do so when the opportunity arises. The security establishment sees Dahlan as "an ambitious person who may not necessarily return to Gaza physically, but if given the option to be the leader of the Palestinian people - he will take it with both hands."

  
  

  Israel believes that the possibility of Dahlan's control in the Strip carries risks that could prevent achieving the war's objectives, in their view.

  
  

  Threats in the possibility of Dahlan's rule - according to the security establishment:

  1. Dahlan has already failed in Gaza in the past.

  2. They don't see him as a significant factor that could challenge Hamas. Meaning: He will necessarily have to join Hamas, operate under their auspices, or reach an agreement with them - which is contrary to the war's objectives and Israel will not allow at any cost.

  3. The main risk: Hamas might use Dahlan to preserve their governmental hold and their governance, thus getting a response to continue their governmental survival.

  
  

  The Hamas-Fatah summit in Cairo and the gaps

  
  

  On Wednesday, a meeting was held in Cairo between a Hamas delegation led by Sinwar's deputy Khalil al-Hayya and a Fatah delegation led by Fatah deputy chairman Mahmoud al-Aloul. N12 has learned from sources in Ramallah that at the center of the summit - they discussed the main core issues, which in practice is far from the "reconciliation" that the parties declare in the media.

  
  

  The summit between Hamas and Fatah senior officials was held following pressures applied by Cairo on the parties, which also hosted the meeting between them. In practice, the delegations led by Khalil al-Hayya and Mahmoud al-Aloul reached very general understandings, according to which they want to work together to establish the civil committee for the reconstruction of the Strip. In practice, both sides agreed that they need to return home, each to its leadership, to Abu Mazen or Hamas, and get approval to proceed with the move. However, according to sources in Ramallah - they marked the possibility of jointly managing the Rafah crossing in terms of humanitarian aid and public order. However, the substantive gaps that constitute the bone of contention relate to the source of authority - Hamas or the PLO. Each of them pulls in its direction and they know that a real move involves agreement from Israel. link
  
  

• Palestinians in Gaza report several people were killed and dozens more were wounded in an Israeli strike that hit tents of displaced Palestinians inside Al-Aqsa Hospital in the central Gaza city of Deir Al-Balah.

  Footage circulated on social media, which could not immediately be verified, shows several tents were set ablaze as some Palestinians tried helplessly to put out the fire.

  The IDF says that it struck terrorists operating from a command center inside the compound and accused Hamas of hiding among civilians and using facilities such as hospitals for terror operations.

• The 162nd, 252nd, and Gaza Divisions killed terrorists in close-quarter firefights and airstrikes in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, says the IDF.

  In one of the attacks, a Hamas squad fired an anti-tank missile at a force from the Gaza Division, which called in an airstrike that eliminated the Hamas operatives, says the army.

  The IDF does not say where the clashes took place.
  
  

• Israeli rights groups call on the international community to prevent Israel from carrying out a controversial plan to subdue and besiege northern Gaza.

  Israel has ordered the entire remaining population of the northern third of Gaza, estimated at around 400,000 people, to evacuate to the south and has reportedly blocked aid entering the area since the start of the month.

  That has raised fears among Palestinians that Israel intends to implement a plan devised by former generals in which it would order all civilians out of northern Gaza and label anyone remaining there a combatant — a surrender-or-starve strategy that rights groups say would violate international law.

  The plan has been presented to the Israeli government, but it’s unclear whether it has been adopted. The military says it has not received such orders.

  A statement by Israeli rights groups say there are “alarming signs” that Israel is beginning to implement it.

  The statement, signed by B’Tselem, Gisha, Yesh Din and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, warns that states “have an obligation to prevent the crimes of starvation and forcible transfer.” link This would be patently illegal under international law no matter how one looks at it and provide massive fodder for the International War Crimes court cases against Israel, politicians and soldiers. Unfortunately, there is very little concern in this government about violating international law, so we should not be surprised if this is what, in fact will happen.

• Hamas is beating residents of Jabaliya and preventing them from fleeing fighting in northern Gaza, according to a recording that the IDF says is between a Gazan man and an Israeli soldier from Unit 504, responsible for human intelligence on the battlefield.

  “The problem is that we listen to the army’s instructions and want to leave to the Muwasi [humanitarian zone], but there are people who come out against us and start hitting us with sticks,” the man allegedly says.

  “We want to leave,” he continues. “We took our things and we want to leave now and they are hitting us and telling us to return home. What can we do?”

  The man says the attackers are from Hamas.

  The IDF does not say when the conversation took place.

  The 162nd Division began operating in Jabaliya last week and called for residents to evacuate southward for their safety.
  
  

Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah/Syria

• A Hezbollah drone strike near Binyamina in central Israel has injured 67 people, (4 soldiers were killed, 7 in critical condition, and the rest in moderate condition) according to medics.

  Ambulances and air force helicopters are evacuating the wounded.

  Channel 12 says apparently two drones headed toward Israel. Air defenses shot one down over the sea, but the second impacted.

  No sirens were heard ahead of the attack. The military is investigating. link The wounded are all soldiers. The drone hit the dining hall as the soldiers were eating dinner. Because there was no alert, no one evacuated before the drone hit. It crashed through the dining hall roof and then exploded.My friend's son is in reserve duty in Lebanon and they came out of Lebanon before Yom Kippur and UAV hit inside the base. His son was near the drone hit but he is ok.
  Follow up reports are that the UAV may have fired a missile before exploding

  Israel will learn the lessons from the Hezbollah drone strike last night, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant vows as he visits the Golani Brigade training base and views the dining hall where the impact occurred.

  “This is a difficult event with painful results,” he says to Golani officers who were present at the strike. “We must investigate it, study the details and assimilate the lessons in a quick and professional manner.”

  “Faced with the threat of UAVs, we are concentrating a national effort and are engaged in developing solutions that will help deal with the threat,” he declares.
  
  

• How Hezbollah's Mirsad-1 drone breached Israeli defenses in Binyamina 
  
  A drone is seen during a military exercise in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on October 4, 2023.
  
  Hezbollah’s drone strike near Binyamina underscores Iran's strategy to enhance proxy capabilities, revealing vulnerabilities in Israel's air defense.
  

  Hezbollah's drone strike near Binyamina on Sunday, which left 67 people wounded, showcases the growing threat posed by drones in modern warfare. The drone used in this attack is believed to be the Mirsad-1, a drone that Hezbollah has deployed for over two decades, originating from Iranian designs.

  The Mirsad-1, as noted by experts from the Alma Research Center, is based on Iran's Mohajer-2 model, with slight modifications tailored for Hezbollah’s operations. The drone can carry up to 40 kilograms of explosives, has a top speed of 370 kilometers per hour, and boasts an operational range of 120 kilometers. Hezbollah has utilized the Mirsad-1 for reconnaissance and offensive strikes since 2002, often using it to penetrate Israeli airspace. 
  In the Binyamina attack, Hezbollah launched multiple drones under the cover of a rocket barrage, a tactic aimed at overwhelming Israeli defense systems. One drone managed to evade detection and crash in the Binyamina area, marking a significant breach in Israeli air defenses. According to a report by Defense Industry Daily, this is not the first time a Mirsad-1 drone has slipped past Israel’s defenses; a similar incident occurred earlier in the year when Hezbollah drones flew over Israeli territory for several minutes before returning to Lebanon unscathed.
  Expanding Drone Arsenal
  

  Hezbollah’s use of drones is part of a broader Iranian strategy to enhance its proxy forces' capabilities. The Foundation for Defense of Democracies explains that Hezbollah has increasingly incorporated drones into its arsenal to complement its existing missile and rocket capabilities. Drones like the Mirsad-1 allow Hezbollah to conduct precise attacks deep into Israeli territory while minimizing risk to their personnel. This tactic, which has been refined over years of trial and error, is part of a broader effort by Iran to arm its proxies with advanced technologies.

  The Mirsad-1 is just one of many drones in Hezbollah’s drone fleet. The group has a variety of drones at its disposal, many of which are either Iranian-made or adapted from commercial models. These drones are used for various purposes, including surveillance, intelligence gathering, and suicide missions. Reports from the Alma Research Center suggest that Hezbollah has over 2,000 drones in its arsenal, with some estimates claiming the group possesses more advanced models like the Mohajer-4 and Shahed drones.
  

  The Binyamina attack has raised questions about the effectiveness of Israel’s air defense systems in countering drone threats. While Israel's Iron Dome is highly effective against rockets, it has faced challenges in detecting and intercepting small, low-flying drones like the Mirsad-1. The IDF has launched an investigation into why no alarms were triggered during the Binyamina incident despite Hezbollah’s growing use of drones in its attacks.

  This latest attack is part of an ongoing drone war between Israel and Hezbollah. Since the 1990s, Hezbollah has launched numerous drones into Israeli territory, with many incidents occurring during periods of heightened conflict. In some cases, the drones have been used for surveillance, while in others, they have been loaded with explosives to carry out suicide missions. According to defense experts, Hezbollah often launches drones in conjunction with rocket fire to overwhelm Israeli defenses and gather operational data for future strikes. link
  
  

• Over the past day, IDF ground forces and the Israeli Air Force have killed dozens of Hezbollah operatives in close combat and in airstrikes, says the army.

  The IAF struck 200 targets in the past 24 hours, including rocket launchers, anti-tank missile positions, military outposts, and weapons caches, according to the IDF. video of some of teh attacks

• Israel’s air force has killed the head of the anti-tank missile array of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force, according to the IDF.

  Muhammad Kamel Naim was targeted in Nabatiyeh, the army says. Naim was responsible for anti-tank missile fire into Israel, the IDF says.

  The IDF publishes footage of the strike. video

• Three UAVs penetrated - one disappeared and hit a military base | This is the IDF's initial investigation

  Hezbollah's explosive UAVs were launched during significant rocket fire • Two UAVs were intercepted, the third disappeared from defense systems - and exploded at the base • The army is dealing with the difficulty of locating and shooting down the aircraft • In similar cases in the future: Alerts will be activated in bases • Initial conclusions and IDF decision: This is a Hezbollah unit we will attack

  The IDF conducted an investigation during the day (Monday) on the UAV strike incident last night at a military base near Binyamina, in which four soldiers fell and dozens were injured. The army drew lessons and decided that in similar events, alerts will be activated in IDF bases.
  
  **These are the details of the IDF's initial investigation.**

  The IDF explains that three UAVs penetrated Israeli territory last night, during significant rocket fire. Defense systems operated simultaneously to remove the threats. One UAV was intercepted by a Navy ship, the second - by the Iron Dome system, and contact was lost with the third UAV, which eventually hit the base. The IDF tried to intercept that UAV twice, and also scrambled a helicopter in an attempt to locate it. However, the UAV evaded defense systems a few dozen kilometers east of Acre. The army estimated it had fallen, and it was mistakenly classified as part of a flock of birds. The UAV moved in Israeli territory at a low altitude until it hit the Golani base near Binyamina.

  The UAV that hit the base is a precise UAV, moving towards a coordinate point fed into its system at launch. The defense systems struggled to deal with the extensive launch of UAVs and rockets, and the IDF decided that in the future, alert areas will be expanded to prevent similar incidents.
  The Air Force commander instructed to prioritize the elimination of Hezbollah's air unit, Unit 127, and to hit all personnel in the array. The Hezbollah operatives who launched the UAV last night are members of the unit, and now the IDF is focusing on attacks against the operatives and the unit's infrastructure.

  Since the beginning of the war, 1,200 UAVs have been launched into Israeli territory, from all sectors. 212 fell in Israeli territory, and interception rates stand at about 80%. link

West Bank and Jerusalem and Terror attacks within Israel

•     

Politics and the War (general news)

•  The US confirms it will send an air defense battery and American soldiers to Israel.

  “At the direction of the president, [Defense] Secretary Austin authorized the deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery and associated crew of US military personnel to Israel to help bolster Israel’s air defenses following Iran’s unprecedented attacks against Israel on April 13 and again on October 1,” the US Defense Department says in a statement. “The THAAD Battery will augment Israel’s integrated air defense system.”

  The deployment “underscores the United States’ ironclad commitment to the defense of Israel, and to defend Americans in Israel, from any further ballistic missile attacks by Iran,” says Washington. “It is part of the broader adjustments the US military has made in recent months, to support the defense of Israel and protect Americans from attacks by Iran and Iranian-aligned militias.”

  Each battery consists of six truck-mounted launchers, 48 interceptors, radio and radar equipment, and requires 95 soldiers to operate.

  
  In this image courtesy of DVIDS, a US Air Force Airmen offloads a THAAD launcher from a C-17 GlobeMaster III at Nevatim Air Base, Israel for an exercise, March 1, 2019. (Robert DURR / DVIDS / AFP)
  
  

  The THAAD is considered a complimentary system to the Patriot system, but it can defend a wider area. It can hit targets at ranges of 150-200 kilometers (93-124 miles).

• Israel Doesn't Have Time for Another War of Attrition

  
  

  The U.S. elections will change how the administration intervenes in the war, even before the new president takes office. The IDF must exhaust military operations in the near future • Hezbollah's new situation allows for initiating a diplomatic solution - not a military one • Also: The right formula for striking Iran • Major General (Res.) Israel Ziv, commentary

  
  

  The hourglass concerning Israel's freedom of action has started ticking. November 6, the day after the U.S. elections, is expected to be a turning point in the level of American involvement in the war. Who is elected the day before is largely important: If Donald Trump is elected, frustration over Netanyahu's interference in the elections could be expressed in a more vindictive and compulsive manner by the White House - which will want to prove that Netanyahu cannot do as he pleases. If Harris is elected, Biden, although freed from election anxiety, won't want to make moves that would leave an open regional war for his successor. This will also be the final chord of his term and career; Biden won't want to be remembered as someone who left behind an unstable world. The unresolved Ukraine war is enough. America in November will be different from that of October in terms of involvement and the demand, likely, to reach a regional arrangement.

  
  

  Indeed, there is a great missed opportunity regarding the Iranian issue. A joint American-Israeli military and diplomatic action could have stopped the nuclear program, but the chance that Biden will want to pursue this before the end of his term, risking a broader war, doesn't exist, especially given his distrust and disgust with Netanyahu. Israel needs to take into account the expected policy change and exhaust militarily most of its moves in the near future. The price of Netanyahu's pettiness in not sending Gallant to the United States at this crucial time is very high. Instead of enjoying the advantage of American trust in Gallant and using it for critical security needs now for the war, including coordinating expectations regarding Iran, Netanyahu again chose small personal considerations despite it harming the country's security. Coordinating the response to Iran is now at the center of American consideration. If Israel wants freedom of action to respond, it's now, before November 6. On the other hand, any uncoordinated response that leads to escalation will create a very serious crisis in relations between the countries. The discussion is mainly about the boundaries of the attack. Israel needs to go for "painful enough but not too humiliating." This is the right formula for a response that Iran will absorb without going crazy, possibly preventing escalation.

  
  

  The nuclear problem will likely need to be part of a solution involving forming a regional coalition, alongside a very aggressive campaign to prevent Iran from becoming nuclear. Now everyone understands the implications of a nuclear Iran. After being weakened, there's a better chance for a more correct deal.

  
  

  From the peak, one can descend - or ascend

  
  

  The big challenge facing Israel now is the transition to a diplomatic move. Until now, it was possible to stand behind the impressive achievements of the military without deciding or executing any diplomatic move. But in Lebanon, as in Gaza, military achievements represent a peak from which one can only descend.

  
  

  Here's the explanation: When fighting an organized enemy, severe military blows like those Hezbollah suffered could bring a regular army and state to raise their hands relatively early to preserve the status quo, and this is a situation of decision - a decision to surrender. In a war against a fundamentalist terrorist organization, the possibility of raising hands almost doesn't exist. The price of sacrifice is reversed - the greater it is, the more it raises the value of the jihad war and the greatness of the leader who stands bravely. The suffering of ordinary people isn't counted and doesn't affect the leader's judgment. The organization, after the blows, essentially returns to its familiar initial state as a hiding terrorist organization. In contrast, the price of attrition for an advanced country like Israel becomes much more expensive and less effective. There's no historical evidence that countries have succeeded in militarily defeating an organization without a political settlement, except for Oman.
  

  
  

  Israel faces two options. One, to try to subdue Hamas and Hezbollah down to the last terrorist, according to Smotrich's approach. This is an endless process, at an impossible cost for the State of Israel. The second, to dismantle them strongly enough to allow the creation of a new order, a "blood transfusion" of governments. In the case of Gaza, this means an entity that will replace Hamas, and in Lebanon, it means strengthening the army to replace Hezbollah on the border, a move that can only be done through diplomatic efforts.

  
  

  What confuses many people is the military achievement, which gives us a sense of omnipotence. The truth is that military advantage is always in a successful opening move. We saw, unfortunately, how Hamas's terrorist army, inherently weak, surprised us in the opening move and caused us a terrible defeat. Nevertheless, since the IDF is infinitely stronger than Hamas, in a bold war on very difficult terrain, the IDF dismantled Hamas militarily in the war, but without a diplomatic move for a replacement as suggested by the Defense Minister. Our effectiveness in Gaza is declining, and Hamas is returning and renewing before our eyes.

  
  

  A war of attrition restores Hezbollah's ethos

  
  

  In Lebanon, it must be said honestly that if Hezbollah had initiated the opening move similar to Hamas, or had fully joined it at the beginning, we would be in a completely different story from our perspective. Although we now see that fears about Hezbollah were exaggerated, if they had started the war, we might not be expressing the same thing now.

  
  

  The fantastic results achieved by the IDF against Hezbollah could paralyze any army in the world. However, since it's an extreme terrorist organization, the achievement creates a leadership vacuum but won't lead to the elimination of the organization that still holds thousands of weapons and tens of thousands of terrorist fighters. In the current situation, Hezbollah only intensifies the war of attrition, so no matter how thoroughly we clean the border, residents won't be able to return.

  
  

  On the other hand, the fact that the organization was exposed in dramatic weakness, where it lost not only its image but also its internal and regional power, raised the desire of other communities in Lebanon to take the initiative to control Lebanon. This opportunity needs to be exploited diplomatically after military cleaning of the border. Can we really rely on a change in Lebanon that will ensure internal stability? From Lebanon's history, the chance seems low, and weakness can also grow another organization just as Hezbollah rose on the back of the Shiite "Amal" organization. However, it would be a mistake not to give a chance to a diplomatic move.

  
  

  Israel's supreme and most difficult challenge is the return of the hostages. Now, given the multiplicity of variables and the size of the regional problem, and the need to implement a comprehensive solution, it reduces the possibility of solving this problem. But it's important to remember: Israel, from a value, moral, and ethical standpoint, will not be able to recover if we don't ensure their return.

  
  

  Israel's strategic lesson from October 7 is to avoid the policy of "quiet will be answered with quiet," as has been done for the last 15 years. This is a policy that drew its reasons from political, image-related, and not security motives. Israel will not be able to return to this in the coming years, in any arrangement. Israel will need to maintain the option to intervene militarily in time and prevent the renewal of terrorism around, and we need to prepare for this change.

  
  

  We have an important window of opportunity ahead of us, and it would be a huge mistake to miss it before we enter an opaque tunnel for a very long time. link
  
  

• Two Israelis have been arrested for carrying out a series of acts of sabotage for Iran and plotting to kill a senior Israeli figure, the Shin Bet and Israel Police announce in a joint statement.

  According to the statement, an Israeli citizen identified as Vladislav Viktorson, 30, from Ramat Gan was approached by an Iranian identified as “Mari Hossi.”

  Viktorson then recruited his 18-year-old partner Anna Bernstein. The two carried out various acts of sabotage and vandalism — including spraying provocative graffiti and putting up posters, setting fire to cars near Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park, and acts of arson in local forests — at the behest of Hossi, who gave them instructions in Hebrew, the statement says.

  The two filmed some of the acts and were paid $5,000.

  They were then asked to kill a prominent Israeli by throwing a hand grenade into his house, the statement said, adding that the two agreed to do so and had been trying to purchase weapons.

  The target was not named.

  The Shin Bet in recent months has announced a series of alleged Iranian plots, in which Iran had tried to trick Israelis online into carrying out missions for Tehran, including a scheme uncovered in January in which Israelis were allegedly recruited to gather intelligence on high-profile figures.

• Opposition Leader Yair Lapid slams Shas party chairman Aryeh Deri, after the ultra-Orthodox politician appeared to present yeshiva students’ studies as more valuable to the war effort than soldiers’ activities on the frontlines.

  “Aryeh Deri should look the thousands of IDF wounded and the bereaved families in the eye, and tell them that while they were wounded in battles to defend the homeland, while their children were killed, he is proud that he is promoting a [draft] evasion law which will ensure that ultra-Orthodox youth remain safe in yeshivas and will learn without interruption,” Lapid declares.

  Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman joins in the criticism, tweeting that while Israel’s regular service and reserve troops “are sacrificing their lives for the security of all of us in the north and south, the Israeli government continues with division and promotes an evasion law.”

  In an interview with Shas party mouthpiece HaDerech, Deri stated that he hopes legislation can be passed to enable yeshiva students “to sit and study without interruption” and without cuts to their subsidies.

  “You have to understand, if you look at the budget, each day of battle costs us more than the entire annual budget of the entire Torah world,” he stated. “We believe that every day of study prevents more days of battle.” link It is absolutely appalling that Deri and anyone else from the Torah world has the gaul and unmitigated contempt for the soldiers fighting and dying to protect them to say that Yeshiva studies is more important than the war efforts. If they honestly believe that prayers are preventing wars and people dying, then everyone who prayed on October 6, 2023 should never be allowed to pray again because they messed up. And if they truly and honestly believe that yeshiva study is more important, let's put all the yeshivot on the borders instead of the kibbutzim and moshavim and see how they will protect the state then. I wish someone would put it to them for real and not just as a discussion point so we can see their hypocrisy.

• The Finance Ministry presents this year’s Arrangements Law for public comment, ahead of the upcoming Knesset legislative session. The law, which determines how funds will be disbursed, is usually the final precursor to passing the budget.

  The period for public comment on the massive bill, which runs over 240 pages, will run through Sunday.

  Earlier this month, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich presented an initial state budget framework for 2025 based on a deficit target of up to 4% of gross domestic product.

  To offset the increased military and civil costs of the war, the government will need to implement tough spending cuts and introduce tax changes to increase state income and deal with a fiscal hole in 2025 of an estimated NIS 30-40 billion ($8-11 billion).

  The draft Arrangements Law released today stipulates a number of measures to deal with this challenge, including freezing minimum wage hikes and salary raises for senior public sector workers and updates to benefits paid out by the National Insurance Institute for terror victims and Holocaust survivors.

  It also includes the freezing and lifting of benefits for pension savings and advanced study funds, as it seeks to bring down the large budget deficit and finance the ongoing war with the Hamas terror group in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

  In addition, the bill calls for negotiations with the Bank of Israel regarding a tax on bank profits, additional taxes on capital gains and real estate and the cancelation of tax exemptions for duty-free cigarettes. Some diplomatic missions abroad would be closed under the legislation and the Port of Ashdod privatized.

  Moreover, if passed, the Arrangements Law would increase mandatory health insurance and National Insurance Institute payments, establishing minimums of NIS 127 ($33) and NIS 223 ($59), respectively.

  Responding to the bill, Yisrael Beytenu MK Oded Forer tweets that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Smotrich “prefer to put their hands in your pocket and take the last of your available shekels” rather than confront the ultra-Orthodox parties over nixing funds to coalition party priorities.

  “Bibi prefers a fat government and a hungry public,” he declares.

The Region and the World

•    Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez urges other members of the European Union to respond to Madrid and Ireland’s request to suspend the bloc’s free trade agreement with Israel over its actions in Gaza and Lebanon.

  For months, Spain and Ireland have been in talks with other EU countries that want a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement on the basis that Israel may be breaching the agreement’s human rights clause.

  
  

Personal Stories

  Goldberg-Polins: Leaders dismissed us when we warned hostages could be executed

Parents of slain American-Israeli hostage say son’s body was found underweight, bullet ridden, in ‘horrifying conditions’; reveal they rebuffed PM’s offer to speak after funeral

The parents of slain American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin have said they were repeatedly dismissed when they warned the country’s leadership that their son and other captives of Hamas in Gaza could be executed by the terror group.

In an interview that aired Thursday evening, Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin also said they had rebuffed an offer from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak following the funeral of their son, and had sought distance from other officials as well, accusing them of lacking the necessary sense of urgency or political will to save Israelis kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

“There were political decision-makers who, for whatever reasons, did not seize that opportunity, and we missed it,” Polin told Channel 12 news.

Hersh Goldberg-Polin was one of six hostages whose bodies were found in a tunnel in late August — along with Carmel Gat, Ori Danino, Eden Yerushalmi, Almog Sarusi, and Alexander Lobanov — shortly after being executed by their captors, apparently as a result of Israeli troops closing in on the location. The discovery sparked intense anger at the government over its inability to seal a ceasefire agreement that would see at least some hostages freed, and its insistence that only military action will advance a deal.

Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin: Full Channel 12 interview

The hostages were among 251 people abducted from Israel on October 7 in a massive cross-border attack on southern Israel led by the Palestinian terror group Hamas that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians.

Speaking alongside his wife for the first time since their son was killed, Jon Polin said that over the many months of the war he had “challenged decision-makers” during meetings about what he viewed as a lacking sense of urgency, as they and other families pressed for a deal that would see the release of their loved ones.

Hersh Goldberg-Polin was taken captive by Hamas terrorists from the Nova desert rave on October 7, 2023 (Courtesy Rachel Goldberg)

He recounted demanding: “Why are you confident that we have time and that this isn’t going to lead to a situation where too much military pressure [will] lead to captors lining up hostages, shooting them one by one in the head?”

“And we were told by people all over the place, ‘No, no, it’s not going to end like that.’ We asked that very question: ‘Why won’t it end this way?’ We were immediately told each time… ‘They’re an asset; there are reasons why it’s not going to go that way,'” he added.

‘A horrifying scene’

Rachel Goldberg-Polin detailed the conditions under which Hersh and the other five hostages were held, as relayed to the family: an “airless, completely pitch-black tunnel with no plumbing.”

She said that throughout the tunnel were bottles filled with very dark urine, indicating how dehydrated the hostages were. A plastic bucket was placed at the end of the tunnel so the hostages could have a degree of privacy when they used the bathroom.

Hersh, 23, was nearly six feet tall, but only weighed 117 pounds when he was buried. Hersh’s left hand had been blasted off by a grenade during the Oct. 7 attack. When he was found, a bullet had gone through his remaining right hand, apparently as he tried to shield himself during the execution. He had further bullet wounds to his shoulder, neck and back of the head. He was found collapsed on his knees, with 24-year-old hostage Eden Yerushalmi leaning on his lap.

“It was a horrifying scene. All of them were so thin, all of them were shot multiple times at close range,” Goldberg-Polin said.

‘Don’t ask for forgiveness’

Asked if Israel’s leaders had chosen not to save the hostages, Jon Polin said there were various moments throughout the past year where the government had missed opportunities to bring about their release.

“The rationale for not doing it changed every time, whether it was something about the Netzarim Corridor or Philadelphi, or how to move Gazan citizens back from the south to the north [of Gaza], or the length of a pause,” he said.

Hostage families and their supporters demand the government reach a deal to free their loved ones, in Tel Aviv, October 10, 2024. (Pro-Democracy Protest Movement/Danor Aharon)

He noted that Israel’s entire security establishment had backed compromises for a deal, but that there was also “political pressure” in the other direction. Polin cited a letter against a deal signed in July by prominent national religious rabbis “who I think never even understood the content of a deal that could be done, and in principle were rejecting a deal.”

Many of those same rabbis in recent days signaled a change in their position in a new letter backing a “responsible deal.”

He revealed that they declined an offer by Netanyahu’s office to speak to them after Hersh’s funeral. “We elected at the time not to [speak with him]. I don’t really know what we would say to political decision-makers, to certain rabbis, to other people in positions of leadership who we think failed us,” Jon said.

“I found it very interesting that people of power tried to come to us during shiva. We actually said, ‘Please, we don’t want those people here,’” Rachel shared, while noting that this was done “in a kind way.”

“When you make a choice to do something that you know is wrong, you can’t — at least according to Jewish law — Leviticus [says] when you do a sin intentionally, you bear the punishment for that sin,” she continued. “Don’t come and ask me to forgive you for that sin. I’m not the right address. Real repentance is when you find yourself in the exact same situation where you did the thing that you know was wrong, and you choose differently.

“What I would challenge those people who wanted to come to us after they chose not to save the six: You have 101 chances now. Do it, and that’s the repentance. You don’t have to come to me and ask for forgiveness,” she said, referring to the number of hostages still held in Gaza.

Detrimental hope

Goldberg-Polin expressed her fear that the hope that the hostage families had tried to exude that their loved ones could be returned might have lulled decision-makers into complacency.

“Maybe part of our hope was too infectious, too positive during a dark time, that it even made the people at the table and the people with power believe everyone’s coming home: ‘Everybody just calm down, they’re coming home. It’s just going to take some time,’” she told Channel 12.

Jon Polin, left, and Rachel Goldberg, parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin who was held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, appear on stage during the Democratic National Convention, Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)

“Now that we know how they were found, it is so vastly obvious that there is not one second to waste. We need to move now. There are people today, as we’re sitting here talking, who are in those same conditions, and it’s probably gotten worse.”

What the future holds

Asked during the interview about this next unknown chapter of their lives, the Goldberg-Polins admitted to still being uncertain.

Jon indicated that they have received encouragement to enter public life in some capacity.

“We talk about, ‘Do we go back to our former selves? Do we slip back into the jobs that we were in on October 5 last year, or should we be doing something else?”

“One of the things that we’ve seen clearly is Israelis and even the world are hungry for something. And I’m not saying it’s Jon and Rachel, but we have people who come to us and say, ‘We need voices of clarity, of sanity. And we say to ourselves, ‘Well, we’re just bereaved parents. I’m not sure that we’re those voices.’ But we do talk a lot about what we do from here. We don’t know yet,” he said.

Rachel admitted having a hard time no longer being anonymous and of being “the trigger for someone to be in emotional pain.”

“I know everyone’s coming from a good place. No one would ever, ever do anything to intentionally cause us pain. But it’s painful,” she said.

Rachel Goldberg-Polin, mother of Hamas captive Hersh Goldberg-Polin, speaks at a hostage rally in Tel Aviv on May 18, 2024. (Hostages and Missing Families Forum/Paulina Patimer)

“We are going to heal,” Goldberg-Polin vowed towards the end of the interview.

“There are people who walked out of Auschwitz and went on to have a good life. They never forgot their parents and their siblings and their spouses and their children who they lost there. But they went out and they decided — and it took tremendous effort — and they had good lives.”

“And there are people who walked out of Auschwitz and never left Auschwitz,” she added.

“We’re in mourning. We’re suffering, but we are making a choice personally that we are going to live life. We need to do it for ourselves. We need to do it for our daughters, and we need to do it because Hersh would want us to, so we will live life,” Polin said. link

Dark Legacy - The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages

Netanyahu is my Disaster 

Yehuda Cohen 

Father of the kidnapped soldier Nimrod Cohen. 

It all began in 1991, on the eve of the Madrid Conference, when we heard about this guy called Bibi, a deputy minister, who was an eloquent speaker. Thanks to lies such as “the hot tape,” “they’ve forgotten what it means to be Jewish,” and “[Shimon] Peres will divide Jerusalem,” we ended up with him as prime minister. After the "Bar-On-Hebron" affair, the crisis of the Western Wall tunnels (“the rock of our existence”), and the release of the first Hamas leader Ahmed Yassin (call it “Bibi–Hamas Part 1”), we thought we were rid of him forever. 

But, in 2009, we got him again, this time for thirteen years that saw the degradation and demeaning of Israel’s political, security and social systems. Prime Minister Netanyahu continued to cultivate his relations with Hamas: releasing Yahya Sinwar in 2011 (that would be “Bibi–Hamas Part 2”), and, in an attempt to hold on to the Palestinian Authority-Hamas stick at both ends, providing funding and money transfers to Hamas (Bibi–Hamas Part 3). Another significant event: the establishment and institutionalization of what Israelis have come to call the poison-spewing machine (Netanyahu’s network of allies and bots that disseminate propaganda and inciting messages and propagating conspiracy theories, across the internet, against his political rivals). 

The next stage was Netanyahu's legal entanglements related to corruption, bribery and breach of trust, leading to investigations and an indictment against him. With Hamas strengthened by dollars, governmental corruption, and the poison machine, everything was ready for the final campaign prior to the disaster: “Minor amendments to the judicial system,” or by its real name—the anti-democratic judicial revolution. In the midst of this process, events took a tragic turn: in the culmination of the purple-haired man’s actions, on October 7th, we experienced the greatest abandonment disaster in the history of the State of Israel. 

The disaster and the abandonment under Netanyahu’s rule are the result of negligence, erosion, cover-ups, and appeasement. The neglect of security is particularly striking: “Mr. Security” focused on Iran, ignoring threats like Hamas, which he had personally nurtured. The weakening of the social and judicial system was intended to allow Netanyahu to act without restraint. To cover up his legal entanglements, he was willing to appease any extreme and messianic political element, surrender to chaos mongers in the West Bank, and dilute the presence of the Israel Defense Forces around the Gaza Strip in favor of the West Bank. 

In doing all of the above, Netanyahu abandoned the residents of the Gaza Envelope to slaughter, fire, murder, rape, and kidnapping; he abandoned IDF soldiers to fates of death and kidnapping due to faulty equipment and reduced forces; he thus abandoned my son, Nimrod. 

Even after months of fighting, with the north desolate and hundreds of soldiers killed, after declarations that “we are a step away from victory” and “we are nearing absolute victory,” Netanyahu for political and personal reasons, continues to abandon and neglect the hostages languishing in Hamas tunnels and cages. 

To maintain the stability of his criminal, extreme, messianic government, Netanyahu continues to sacrifice IDF soldiers on the altar of his rule. To escape trial and imprisonment, he continues to leave the hostages in the hands of Hamas, and of his old friend - Yahya Sinwar. 

This is my personal disaster, this is the disaster of our country, this is the story of Netanyahu the abandoner. 

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

Join my Whatsapp update group https://chat.whatsapp.com/IQ3OtwE6ydxBeBAxWNziB0 
Twitter - @LonnyB58