🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 377, 2023 - October 17 2024 🎗️

  

🎗️Day 377 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

It is almost definite thatYihya Sinwar was killed! This is international news. Sinwar was definitely deserving of reaching the end of his life, as quickly as possible, but the question is, "what does this mean for the hostages?" Will the Hamas terrorists now kill all of them or is this a chance to get them back? - Channel 12 cites a senior Israeli official who it says has confirmed that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has been eliminated.

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

*6:05pm yesterday - north - rockets/missiles

*6:15pm yesterday - north - hostile aircraft - Peki'in, Beit Jan
*6:40pm yesterday - north - hostile aircraft - Hanita, Admit, Arab al Aramsha, Yaara, Shlomi, Batzet
*6:45pm yesterday - north - hostile aircraft - Hanita, Shlomi, Miluot, Batzet, Hof Batzet, Leeman, Meuzuva, Rosh Hanikra, Ben Ami, Gesher Haziv, Naharia, Saar, Evron, Shavei Zion
*6:50pm yesterday - north - rockets/missiles
*9:00pm yesterday - south, Sderot, Ibim, Nir Am
*9:10pm yesterday - north - rockets/missiles
*9:15pm yesterday -north - rockets/missiles
*10:20pm yesterday -north - rockets/missiles
*12:00am - north - rockets/missiles
*12:50am - north - rockets/missiles

*12:55am - north -hostile aircraft - Sapir
*12:55am - south- hostile aitcraft - Ein Yahav, Har Hanegev - Arava
*1:20am - north - rockets/missiles
*3:15am -north - rockets/missiles
*3:30am - north - rockets/missiles rockets/missiles
*7:30am - north - rockets/missiles
*8:10am - north - rockets/missiles
*11:45am - north - rockets/missiles
*12:05pm - north - rockets/missiles
*12:25pm - north - rockets/missiles

A photo taken from southern Lebanon shows rockets fired towards Israel on October 16, 2024. (Photo by KAWNAT HAJU / AFP)

*12:05pm - north - hostile aircraft - Ajar, Misgav Am

*1:40pm - north - rockets/missiles
*1:50pm - north - rockets/missiles
*2:10pm - north - rockets/missiles
*2:20pm - north - rockets/missiles
*3:25pm - north - rockets/missiles

*4:50pm - north - rockets/missiles

Hostage Updates 

• Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s office says the premier directed his military secretary to instruct the IDF to inform the families of hostages that there were no signs of harm to any hostages during the recent incident in Gaza where a terrorist strongly resembling Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was found.

  There had been widely circulated reports throughout the war that Sinwar was surrounding himself with Israeli hostages to ensure his safety, and a senior US official briefing reporters earlier this month said that this was the Biden administration’s assessment as well.

  The IDF says it is still assessing whether the terrorist recently killed by the IDF was indeed Sinwar, adding that there were no hostages found in the building where the body in question was recovered.

Gaza 

• Channel 12 reports that the incident in question took place yesterday and that the IDF troops operating in the area did not know that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was there.

  Troops spotted several fighters enter a building and a strike was ordered against it, which collapsed the structure.

  Only after Israeli soldiers arrived to inspect the damage did they realize that one of the terrorists killed strongly resembled Sinwar.

  The IDF is still assessing whether the body was indeed Sinwar, but Channel 12 says that it has not yet been brought back to Israel because the area where it was found is heavily booby-trapped. The body also had a military vest carrying grenades.

  The IDF troops operating in Gaza in the incident in which Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was likely killed were not targeting him and did not know he might be in the building where they were operating, Hebrew media reports say.

  Troops spotted several fighters enter a building in an incident that began yesterday and a strike was ordered against it, which partially collapsed the structure.

  Only after Israeli soldiers arrived to inspect the damage did they realize that one of the three terrorists killed strongly resembled Sinwar.

  The IDF is still assessing whether the body was indeed Sinwar, but Channel 12 says that it has not yet been brought back to Israel because the area where it was found is heavily booby-trapped. The body also had a military vest carrying grenades.

  A DNA sample has been taken from the body, however, for expedited testing in Israel.

  
  
  

•  The military adds that soldiers in the 401st Brigade operating in northern Gaza also eliminated a terror squadron and uncovered many weapons, including grenades, Kalashnikov guns, explosives, and mortars.

  In central Gaza, the 179th Brigade began operating in the Bureij refugee camp and Nuseirat over the past day, the IDF says.

• The IDF says troops in the Nahal Brigade eliminated gunmen and destroyed terror infrastructure during operations in the southern Gazan city of Rafah.
  
  

• IDF troops find a chalkboard with statements written by terrorists praising the October 7 massacre in a classroom during its ground incursion in northern Gaza’s Jabaliya.

  
  A chalkboard with statements written by terrorists praising the October 7, 2023 massacre by Hamas, in a school in Jabaliya, northern Gaza, in an image released on October 17, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

  Troops in the 401st Brigade have eliminated dozens of terrorists through airstrikes and close-quarters urban combat since the incursion began earlier this month, the military says, releasing footage of the strikes.

  In the raid of the school, troops found dozens of weapons, explosives, mortars, and ammunition.

  The IDF says it carried out a precision airstrike against Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists operating a command and control room from a building formerly used as a school in northern Gaza.

  The IDF names 12 terrorists who were present at the Abu Hassan School, adding that they were involved in launching rockets at Israel and attacks on troops.

  The military says it took steps to limit harm to uninvolved citizens in the strike.

  At least 19 Palestinians including children were killed in the strike, an official from the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry tells Reuters.

  Dozens were also injured in the strike, says the official, Medhat Abbas, adding: “There is no water to extinguish the fire. There is nothing.”

  
  
  

• Some 345,000 Gazans face “catastrophic” levels of hunger this winter after aid deliveries fell, a UN-backed assessment says, warning of the persistent risk of famine across the Palestinian territory.

  This is up from the 133,000 people currently categorized as experiencing “catastrophic food insecurity,” according to a classification compiled by UN agencies and NGOs.

  A report released in June by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) organization found that grim predictions on food insecurity made months earlier were exaggerated.

• 
  

Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah/Syria

• **The Beirut promenade has become a tent city for displaced people - and voices are rising in Lebanon against Hezbollah**

  
  

  Footage from Lebanon shows Shia Muslims fleeing Israeli attacks, with the capital's promenade filling up with refugee tents. A report from Lebanon states that some civilian institutions have resumed partial operations. A Lebanese MP claims: "Hezbollah leaders are hiding among civilians." Meanwhile, the terror group instructed journalists not to reveal the exact locations of the Israeli strikes.

  

  
  

  Amid the waves of IDF strikes and ground maneuvers in southern Lebanon, the Beirut promenade has transformed in recent days. The once-tourist-friendly area in the Lebanese capital has become a tent city for those displaced by the fighting, as shown in footage emerging from the scene. At the same time, for the first time in nearly a week, a deceptive calm in the Dahiya district was broken this morning (Wednesday), when the IDF struck a weapons storage facility in the neighborhood.

  
  

  Additionally, the Lebanese newspaper *Al-Liwaa* reported that Hezbollah requested all journalists operating in the country to avoid mentioning the exact locations of Israeli strikes and limit their reports to general information, similar to how Israel handles its own. However, the directive was not fully followed, as social media activists revealed information about the strikes. Meanwhile, reports indicate that some Hezbollah-affiliated civilian institutions have resumed partial activities, particularly in providing aid to displaced persons.

  
  

  **Lebanon's Prime Minister: "We received American assurances to de-escalate in Beirut"**

  
  

  Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati told *Al Jazeera* yesterday that "Lebanon has received American guarantees regarding the de-escalation of Israeli attacks in Beirut and Dahiya. Lebanon is trying not to give Israel excuses to attack the Beirut airport, ports, or land crossings."

  
  

  Mikati added, "The Lebanese government has decided to submit a request to the UN Security Council for a ceasefire in Lebanon. We want a ceasefire, the implementation of Resolution 1701, and the election of a president. The Lebanese army is capable of enforcing Resolution 1701 with the cooperation of UNIFIL."

  
  

  While Hezbollah spares no effort in its war against Israel, other voices are being heard in Lebanon. Lebanese MP Razi Al-Hajj, representing the Christian Lebanese Forces, said in an interview with the Saudi channel *Al-Hadath* that "many senior Hezbollah military officials are hiding among civilians and using them as human shields. I call on the Lebanese government to demand that Hezbollah remove both its members and its weapons depots from civilian areas."

  
  

  Samir Geagea, head of the Christian Lebanese Forces party, stated: "Lebanon needs Arab countries, and they will not return to Lebanon unless it becomes a true state. Israel seeks to achieve its goals, and we are convinced that even if Hezbollah claims all the 'victories in the universe,' a state cannot be established in Lebanon with an armed militia that seizes the state's decision-making. With Hezbollah, there is no homeland. The greatest testimony to this is what we are experiencing today, and we are not prepared to accept it."

  
  

  This morning, for the first time after a several-day break in strikes on Beirut, the IDF called on residents in Dahiya to evacuate and targeted strategic weapons hidden in an underground warehouse in the neighborhood. The IDF confirmed that it struck an underground weapons depot belonging to Hezbollah in Beirut's Dahiya. "A short while ago, Israeli Air Force fighter jets, based on precise intelligence from the Military Intelligence Directorate, struck strategic weapons stored in an underground Hezbollah depot in Dahiya, Beirut," read the statement. It also noted that "numerous steps were taken prior to the strike to minimize the risk to civilians, including advance warnings to the population in the area." link

• The IDF calls on residents of the southern Lebanese city of Tyre to evacuate ahead of strikes targeting Hezbollah.

  IDF Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee posts on X a map of the area set to be targeted, and requests those nearby to keep at least 500 meters away.

• Hezbollah says it hit two Israeli tanks in south Lebanon near the border with guided missiles, as the Israeli army battles the Iran-backed terror group in the area.

  Hezbollah terror operatives targeted “two Merkava tanks” near the border village of Labbouneh “with guided missiles,” causing a fire and casualties, the Iran-backed terror group says in a statement.

  There is no immediate comment from the IDF.
  
  

• The IDF says they killed a Hezbollah battalion commander in the southern Lebanese Bint Jbeil district.

  In an operational update, the IDF says Hussein Muhammed Auda was responsible for rocket fire on Israel originating from several towns in the Bint Jbeil district.

  Additionally, airstrikes eliminated 45 terrorists and destroyed 150 Hezbollah sites over the past day, including weapons stores, rocket launchers and buildings used for military purposes.

  The IDF releases footage of the strikes. videos

• Syrian state media said Thursday an Israeli air strike hit the coastal city of Latakia, targeting a weapons depot according to a war monitor.

  Two people were injured and buildings were damaged, state media reported citing a military statement.

  SANA claimed that Syrian anti-aircraft defense intercepted “hostile targets” in the skies above Latakia. The news agency reported “fires were triggered by the Israeli aggression” at the entrance to Latakia, a stronghold of President Bashar al-Assad.

  Video circulated on social media appeared to show large secondary explosions, suggesting the presence of weapons at the targeted site.

  Since Hamas’s brutal October 7 massacre last year, which saw some 1,200 people killed in Israel and 251 kidnapped, Israel has escalated its strikes on Iranian-backed terror targets in Syria and has also struck Syrian army air defenses and some Syrian forces.  video of attack
  

West Bank and Jerusalem and Terror attacks within Israel

•     

Politics and the War (general news)

• **Netanyahu wants military control over aid distribution, but the defense establishment opposes**

In a meeting between Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, and Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar, Netanyahu instructed officials to find ways for Israel to control the humanitarian aid entering Gaza. However, the defense establishment fears that this could lead to military governance in Gaza and put IDF soldiers at risk.

Israeli sources told *Reuters* that Netanyahu held a discussion on increasing aid, with another discussion set to take place during the cabinet meeting on Sunday. The U.S. has also issued a warning about a potential arms embargo if the humanitarian situation in Gaza isn't addressed.

The debate between Netanyahu and the security leadership centers around who should be responsible for distributing humanitarian aid. Netanyahu advocates for the military to take charge, while the Chief of Staff, the Defense Minister, and the Shin Bet chief oppose this, believing it would lead to military rule in Gaza and unnecessarily endanger IDF soldiers. The defense leadership argues that IDF soldiers should not risk their lives delivering aid such as rice to Palestinians.

Simultaneously, the U.S. has been pressuring Israel to resolve the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Last night, it was revealed by N12 that the U.S. had conveyed a clear message to Israel, stating that the crisis must be resolved within a month or else Israel faces an arms embargo. The American administration, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, delivered a firm document to Israeli ministers Ron Dermer and Yoav Gallant, setting out this demand. If the threat is realized, arms shipments to Israel could be automatically halted.

The document references a commitment Israel made in March 2024 to allow and not prevent American-supported humanitarian aid to Gaza. The U.S. expressed deep concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza in recent weeks and demanded urgent steps within the next 30 days to reverse the trend. They noted that September saw the lowest amount of aid entering Gaza since the March agreement. Failure to meet these demands could lead to significant consequences for U.S. policy, including an arms embargo on Israel. link

• "We will need to integrate the community with people who have not experienced the trauma": This is how they plan the return to the kibbutzim near the Gaza Strip.
  

Until October 7, the area was one of the most desirable in Israel. Despite the dream of a high quality of life on the Gaza border turning into scenes of massacre and abduction, there are still those interested in moving to the region. The three absorption coordinators from the kibbutzim most affected by the disaster discuss their vision for resettlement. There’s the daughter who told her father, "I will live in Nir Oz even without you," the courageous decision made in Be'eri the day after the massacre, and the member of Kibbutz Kfar Aza who insists: "We won’t return without our five kidnapped members."

Some people are still interested in moving to the Gaza envelope area, even now. "In our kibbutz, children of members can return at age 40," says Gal Cohen, the absorption coordinator of Kibbutz Be'eri. "People have come to me saying, 'Sign me up, I’m not even 40 yet.' There are those who have told me that this is definitely an ideological step for them. Some just want to get their foot in the door, which to me is a sign."

Nir Metzger, his colleague from Nir Oz, adds: "We also have people expressing interest, but I don’t have anything to tell them at the moment. I don’t have anywhere to bring them yet. I can’t integrate them into Carmi Gat (the site in northern Kiryat Gat where Nir Oz residents are currently staying). These are regular people from Israel who feel it’s important to be part of the revival of the western Negev and Nir Oz as part of that. They send emails or call and say: 'Keep me in mind when you start, and stay in touch with me.'"

However, Metzger clarifies: "In Nir Oz, the situation is more complicated. Of those who were potential new members before October 7, the vast majority do not see themselves coming back at this stage. But there are a few who do talk about returning to Nir Oz and even say, 'Absorb us now.'"

"Right now, I’m rebuilding our demographic growth team, and I’m structuring it differently from how it was before October 7, to the point where we’re including people who are not currently members but have potential to be part of our growth. Anyone who sees themselves as part of Nir Oz and its rebuilding deserves to participate in this process and help shape the future we envision together."

"On the morning of October 8 or 9, 2023, we sat down and argued about how to do things now," says Cohen from Be'eri. "We were at a hotel by the Dead Sea, seven or eight of us, and we quickly put together a ten-point plan. The first point was that we had to resettle. We didn’t even know the number of casualties yet, but it was clear that if we don’t rebuild Be'eri, we might as well pack up and move to Norway."

Kfar Gaza (top right), Beeri (middle), Nir Oz (bottom), Gaza Strip (left) 

We gathered for a meeting of optimism with the absorption coordinators from the three kibbutzim most severely affected by the war: Cohen from Be'eri, Metzger from Nir Oz, and Rotem Holin from Kfar Aza. All of them were born and raised in their kibbutzim and love them deeply, even now. Each experienced the terrible events of this year in different ways.

Holin decided to step down from her role following the trauma of the massacre. She and her children encountered a group of terrorists who managed to break into the safe room where they were hiding, but they were spared, likely for religious reasons. Nevertheless, her optimism remains hard to suppress.

Cohen replaced Ayelet Godard, who had been the absorption coordinator until she was killed on that terrible day along with her husband, Meni. For years, Cohen had led the development of Be'eri as a business entity, managing its print shop and later running factories purchased by the kibbutz. October 7 temporarily halted this capitalist chapter in his life, as he chose to devote himself entirely to the kibbutz’s rehabilitation. A few days ago, he was also appointed as Be'eri's new secretary.

Metzger’s parents, Yoram and Tami, were kidnapped from their home in Nir Oz. Tami was returned in a prisoner exchange, while Yoram was murdered in captivity, with his body returned to Israel in August. Metzger, who had previously served as the kibbutz secretary, recently took over managing the Nir Oz garage from Aviv Atsili, who was killed on October 7, and today he is one of the leaders of the kibbutz’s rehabilitation efforts.

The kibbutz that suffered the worst on October 7/ planning their return. Nir Oz after the tragedy 

The plans in Be'eri: "We will need to bring in people from outside."

In both Nir Oz and Be'eri, the plans are already relatively advanced. Despite being the most severely affected kibbutz, Nir Oz is currently the furthest along in the process of returning to a fully functioning community and operational farm. The kibbutz appointed a longtime member to oversee planning and construction in the renewed kibbutz, and at least preliminary plans are already on the table. This is not the case in Kfar Aza, where the challenges are both practical and related to the kibbutz's housing model as of October 7.

"In the process for returning members, people are already writing down dates when they want to return," says Cohen from Be'eri. "Some, whom we didn’t expect, are now entering the absorption process. It's important for them to be part of it now—they want to influence the future. Some tell me they feel they have the privilege of being the first: to rebuild Be'eri and be part of something much bigger. I’ve heard this from both young members and newcomers."

Unlike Kfar Aza and Nir Oz, Be'eri remains a collective kibbutz, operating under the old model. Cohen admits that in order to resettle the kibbutz, they will need to adopt a new approach. "I hope we’ll succeed in bringing people, and our ability to continue depends on keeping as many people as possible from within. But alongside this, there’s no doubt that we will need to ‘dilute’ or ‘blend’ the close-knit community with people from outside who haven’t experienced the trauma."

"This is part of the community’s healing. We’ll need to find people who belong to Be'eri but haven’t gone through this trauma. I believe we need a strategy that also invites returning members, even those a little older than we previously accepted, to fill the gaps. You know, we lost 102 people. That’s the current situation."

"If we stick to the existing frameworks and methods, we won’t succeed," adds Cohen. "I think this challenge is less difficult in other kibbutzim that have already undergone the process. We will need to undergo a change that allows for much greater flexibility and opens the doors to a broader range of people. Even the kibbutz members will be less sensitive to this issue, and that’s part of the process." 

"It all hinges on the fact that the kibbutz *must* be rebuilt," says Mitzger from Nir Oz. "You’re speaking with the three of us because we represent the three kibbutzim that were hit the hardest on October 7th. If we lead the way back, others will follow. Despite fierce debates within the community and immense difficulty, the kibbutz has declared that it will return. Even though 50% of the kibbutz is currently made up of burnt buildings, including public structures, and only six homes in Nir Oz were untouched by the terrorists. Many homes, even if not completely destroyed, are places where community members were either kidnapped or murdered. I can't imagine someone coming to Nir Oz and saying, 'Give me the Metzger family’s house,' where my parents lived—both of them were kidnapped, and my father was returned in a coffin."

"The process itself, just starting it—as Gal said, even those who initially said 'we’re not coming back' no longer say that. Time passes, and it has its effect," Mitzger emphasizes. "There’s already a buzz, and soon they’ll start demolishing and showing people next to the destruction how the kibbutz will be rebuilt. I’m sure that some people who are now saying, 'I’m not coming back' will eventually say, 'Wow, I see myself joining this effort.'"

**The situation in Kfar Aza: "We will return, but it will take years"**

What used to be Kfar Aza's advantage is now becoming a disadvantage. Unlike Nir Oz and Be'eri, Kfar Aza has already gone through the housing allocation process, where the kibbutz transferred ownership of the homes to its members, which complicates the rehabilitation process. "Nir described the damaged homes well, but in Kfar Aza, since the houses belong to the members, it’s not like in Be'eri, where you can take a neighborhood and simply say, 'Okay, we’re tearing it down and rebuilding it,'" explains Hollin. "I live in a very problematic neighborhood myself. Most of my neighbors were murdered or kidnapped. I can’t go back to my house. Terrorists were in my house with me and my children, and we barely escaped. But I can’t take my kids back there or sleep in that house."

"The Kfar Aza community is very individualistic by nature," Hollin adds. "For most of the time, we didn’t really need the kibbutz. Now, half the kibbutz is moving to Kibbutz Ruhama, the temporary settlement, and from there, not everyone will return to Kfar Aza. The other half is taking its time outside the area before making any decisions. I’m not looking for answers from anyone about whether they’ll return because any answer now is irrelevant; in ten minutes or two days, that answer could change, and that’s totally legitimate."

Hollin mentions that she’s decided to step down from her role as the head of admissions. "I’m no longer the admissions coordinator for Kfar Aza for this very reason. I handed over the role about a month and a half ago after a replacement was finally found, exactly because I’m not coming back. And secondly, I don’t believe in the product at the moment. One of the members once described me as the best presenter of the kibbutz. Today, I find it hard to convince anyone to move to Kfar Aza."

"In the last two years, we welcomed 55 new members," notes Hollin. "Will they return to their homes? Will they rebuild? I don’t know, and no one can provide an answer right now, so everything is up in the air. We also have five hostages from our community, and until they return, I don’t think we can mentally move forward."

"But the members of Kfar Aza are working toward returning in two or three years. It will happen; the kibbutz will be rebuilt, and people will come, even from outside. Kfar Aza will exist. What kind of Kfar Aza? I don’t know, because it’s not yet part of an organized process. Nir Oz is organized and has already decided and started working. I tip my hat to your organizational skills, Nir. Honestly, I’m a little envious."

Nir, do you sometimes feel like you "don’t believe in the product" either?

"I’m different from Rotem in this regard. My family and I have pretty much decided that we’re returning. I have an 18-year-old daughter who’s just starting her year of service. When we asked our children what they thought, she said that even if we don’t return, she will go back to Nir Oz and take a room by herself. My younger son, who’s 14, already wanted to return to school at Nofei Habsor, the regional school, this year, but we didn’t allow it. On the other hand, I completely understand Rotem and everyone else who tells me they’re not capable of making that decision right now or don’t see themselves returning to the area at all. You can’t ask someone who’s been through such trauma to declare something like that. It’s not fair."

**"We’re constantly building new neighborhoods"**

The desire to move to kibbutzim in the Gaza envelope, which have experienced the worst of tragedies, might seem surprising. But when you consider that for many years, even long before the terrible day in October 2023, many people wanted to live in this part of Israel, it becomes less surprising. This area is one of the fastest-growing regions in Israel.

Since Operation Protective Edge in 2014, the area has experienced demographic growth despite the problematic security situation—perhaps even because of it. Much of this growth can be attributed to the kibbutz admission coordinators or, as the role is now known, "demographic growth coordinators." Nearly every kibbutz in Israel has one, and this challenging role involves a great deal of marketing and persuasion efforts, requiring tremendous optimism. It seems that the coordinators from the kibbutzim of the Western Negev possess particularly high levels of this optimism."  link

 
The Region and the World

• Due to "abhorrent remarks": UK considering sanctions against Smotrich and Ben Gvir

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer claimed that the reason for the severe measure is the "abhorrent remarks" made by the Finance Minister and the National Security Minister about the situation in Gaza and the West Bank since the start of the war. Former Foreign Secretary David Cameron revealed that a similar plan was halted due to the decision to hold quick elections last July.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced today (Wednesday) that he is considering imposing sanctions on ministers Smotrich and Ben Gvir because of "abhorrent remarks" they made in light of the war about the situation in Gaza and the West Bank. Additionally, former Foreign Secretary David Cameron revealed yesterday that the decision to hold quick elections in July is what halted a similar plan for sanctions against the two in the past.

Starmer's comments come just a day after the UK Foreign Office imposed sanctions on seven Israeli settlements and organizations involved in "building settler outposts in the West Bank." According to the UK government's statement, the sanctions were imposed in response to "a sustained increase in violence that has devastated Palestinian communities in the West Bank."

"As before the establishment of the Jewish state, the British acted to thwart it, and now they continue to do so after its rebirth — in the midst of a war for survival," Minister Ben Gvir said in response. "The sea is the same sea, and the British are the same British. They need to understand that the days of the mandate are over. In any case, they don't scare me, and I will continue to act solely in accordance with the supreme national interests of the State of Israel and for the sake of our citizens, soldiers, police officers, and prison guards. Shame on the White Paper."

Minister Smotrich also responded, referencing the period of the Hebrew resistance, saying: "The British mandate ended, and with it, the White Paper, but the one-sidedness and hypocrisy remain the same. With God's help, I will continue to do everything in my power to advance a policy of eliminating the Nazi terror from Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran — and to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian terror state that would endanger the existence of Israel and the security of the Jewish people." He added, "No threat will stop me from doing what is right and moral for the citizens of Israel, and if the British want to wrinkle their noses at my Zionist policy, then they'll have crooked noses."

The UK Foreign Office emphasized that "the British government is imposing new sanctions on illegal outposts and on organizations that support extreme Israeli settlers in the West Bank." The organizations and outposts targeted by the sanctions include Terza Valley Farm, Matarim Outpost, Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva, Shubi Eretz Outpost, Shomer Yesha, Torah of Warfare, and Amanah. "These sanctions target three illegal settler outposts and four organizations that have supported and sponsored violent actions against West Bank communities. The sanctions freeze their assets in the UK, and these new measures impose strict economic restrictions on those responsible for these actions. They are being taken in response to the increase in violence that is devastating Palestinian communities in the West Bank."

The UK noted that the UN has documented over 1,400 attacks by settlers against "Palestinian communities" since October 2023. "The measures being taken today are part of a broader UK effort to support the stabilization of the West Bank, which is crucial for the peace and security of both Palestinians and Israelis." link

• A German warship operating as part of the United Nations’ UNIFIL mission brought down an unmanned flying object off the coast of Lebanon, a spokesperson for the German Defense Ministry tells Reuters.

  The dpa news agency first reported on the incident. 
  
  

• The United States conducted multiple B-2 bomber strikes on weapon storage facilities in areas of Yemen controlled by the Houthi rebels, according to the US military and defense department.

• Yemen’s Houthi rebels vow to retaliate after the United States conducted multiple strikes with heavy B-2 bombers on weapons storage facilities in areas controlled by the Iran-backed group.

  “We confirm that the American aggression will not pass without a response,” a statement from the Iran-backed Houthis’ political bureau says.

 

Personal Stories

  Taken captive: Eli Sharabi from Kibbutz Be’eri

Eli Sharabi is still missing while his wife and daughters were killed; his brother Yossi was abducted and declared dead on January 16, 2024

Kibbutz Be'eri resident Eli Sharabi was taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, 2024, while his wife and children were murdered. (Courtesy)

Eli Sharabi, 51, from Kibbutz Be’eri has been missing since October 7, when Hamas terrorists attacked, killing, burning and abducting those who lived in the kibbutz.

On October 7, Yossi Sharabi, 53, also a resident of Be’eri, was seen being taken by Hamas on a pickup truck, along with Ofir Engel, 18, a Jerusalem resident who was visiting the family for the weekend, and a neighbor Amit Shani, 16.

Hamas also broke into his brother Eli Sharabi’s home, shouting in Arabic and laughing loudly, according to text messages between other family members with Eli, his wife Lianne and their daughters, Noiya, 16 and Yahel 13.

The terrorists shot the family dog, then took the family hostage in their safe room and set fire to the house.

Eli Sharabi’s family was at first considered missing until the bodies of Lianne, Noiya and Yahel were identified more than a week later.

There has been no sighting of Eli Sharabi on social media or in photos and videos posted by Hamas.

“My job is to bring my brothers home,” said Sharon Sharabi, a surviving brother.

Ofir Engel, 18, and Amit Shani, 16, were released on November 29 as part of a temporary ceasefire deal brokered by Qatar and the United States between Hamas and Israel.

Dark Legacy - The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages

Netanyahu - the Nuclear Renegade

Dr. Or Rabinowitz

Department of International Relations, The Hebrew University

of Jerusalem, Visiting Professor at Stanford University 2024-2025.

Historians tend to single out the "fathers and mothers" of various nuclear programs. Anyone who saw the blockbuster film "Oppenheimer" will know that the Jewish scientist at the heart of the film was crowned the father of the American nuclear program, itself the offspring of the Manhattan Project. There are other proud parents, too - for instance, the scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father of Pakistan's nuclear program. Meanwhile, here in Israel, the journalist Ben Caspit has recently crowned Netanyahu the father of the Iranian nuclear bomb. Since October 7th this title has become increasingly justified. In June 2024 it is clear that Iran's efforts to build a comprehensive nuclear infrastructure can no longer be thwarted and that it is currently a mere step away from the production of a nuclear bomb. In fact, under the auspices of the Gaza war, Iran managed to dramatically expand its nuclear infrastructure. In other words, this ship (or nuclear submarine) has already sailed. The Iranian nuclear bomb can now be safely added to Netanyahu's list of omissions and failures.

As you may recall, Netanyahu vehemently opposed the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and waged an international campaign against it and against the Obama administration, a campaign that damaged Israel's relations with the Democratic Party. At the peak of his campaign, in March 2015, Netanyahu gave a speech at Congress despite the fact that he was not invited by the White House. In 2018 Netanyahu persuaded Trump to announce that the US was withdrawing from the deal and would impose “maximal pressure” and severe sanctions on Iran. While the sanctions harmed the Iranian economy, they did not make Teheran deviate from its nuclear path, just as many had warned. Teheran refused to negotiate a new and more comprehensive agreement, as Trump and Netanyahu wanted. At the same time, the Ayatollah regime expanded the Iranian nuclear infrastructure with multiple, scattered, fortified and well-protected facilities.

During the Bennet-Lapid administration, the Israeli public gained an initial glimpse of the massive atrocity when it became known that Netanyahu had not prepared any alternative course of action should his bet on the Trump administration's withdrawal from the nuclear agreement fail to limit the Iranian nuclear program. One source described it as “desolation, neglect and zero preparedness.” Netanyahu's Iran policy did not contain even a single political-strategic component. He gambled - and we all lost. According to the latest report of the International Atomic Energy Agency, published in May 2024, Iran added more than 20 kg to its stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity, which in February stood at 122kg. Given the order, Iran will be able to produce the fissile material required for the production of nuclear bombs, uranium enriched to the level of 90 percent, in a quantity sufficient for several such bombs, within a few days. Great job, Netanyahu!

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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