π️Lonny's War Update- October 380, 2023 - October 20, 2024 π️
π️Day 380 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 will be judged by the amount of hostages we bring home, not by the amount of terrorists we kill" - Carmel Gat's Family
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
"We will be judged by the amount of hostages we bring home, not by the amount of terrorists we kill" - Carmel Gat's Family
A deal is the only way to bring
all the hostages home- the murdered for burial and the living for rehabilitation.
#BringThemHomeNow #TurnTheHorrorIntoHope
There is no victory until all of the hostages are home!ΧΧΧ Χ Χ¦ΧΧΧ Χ’Χ Χ©ΧΧ ΧΧΧΧΧ€ΧΧ ΧΧΧΧͺ
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
*9:25pm yesterday - north - rockets/missiles
*9:40pm yesterday - hostile aircraft - Nov, Evni Eitan, Eli Ad, Meitzar
*9:55pm yesterday - north - rockets/missiles*10:45pm yesterday- A drone that entered Israeli airspace from Syria was intercepted by air defenses a short while ago, the IDF says.Sirens had sounded in several towns in the southern Golan Heights amid the incident.
*11:15pm yesterday-A drone launched from Iraq at Israel was shot down by Israeli air defenses near the southernmost city of Eilat.
*9:40pm yesterday - hostile aircraft - Nov, Evni Eitan, Eli Ad, Meitzar
*9:55pm yesterday - north - rockets/missiles
Sirens had sounded in several towns in the southern Golan Heights amid the incident.
*11:15pm yesterday-A drone launched from Iraq at Israel was shot down by Israeli air defenses near the southernmost city of Eilat.According to the IDF, the drone was intercepted before entering Israeli airspace. No sirens sounded amid the incident. The military says the drone headed toward Israel “from the east,” a term used to refer to Iraq. The Iran-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq takes responsibility for the incident, saying it launched a drone at a target in Eilat. Video
*11:55pm yesterday - north - rockets/missiles
*1:20am -north - rockets/missiles
*3:35am - north - rockets/missiles
*4:20am - hostile aircraft - Merom Golan - rockets/missiles
*8:10am - north - rockets/missiles
*9:30am -north - rockets/missiles
*9:35am -north - rockets/missiles
*9:35am - Haifa and all surrounding areas - rockets/missiles
*9:50am - Haifa - rockets/missiles
*11:10am - Acre, areas around Haifa
*12:10pm - north - rockets/missiles
*12:30pm -north - rockets/missiles
*12:55pm - north - rockets/missiles
*1:35pm - north - rockets/missiles
*3:25pm - north - rockets/missiles
*3:30pm - north - rockets/missiles
*3:40pm - Haifa and areas around
*3:40pm - north- rockets/missiles
*3:55pm - Haifa and areas around - Hostile aircraft
*4:00pm - Haifa and areas around - hostile aircraft
*4:20pm - north - hostile aircraft
*4:25pm - north - rockets/missiles
*4:30pm - north - rockets/missiles
*4:35pm -north - rockets/missiles -More than 170 rockets have been launched from Lebanon at northern Israel today, according to the IDF. In the past half an hour, five rockets were fired at the Upper Galilee, and another five were launched at the Jezreel Valley. Some of the rockets were intercepted and others impacted open areas, the IDF says. There are no reports of injuries.
Two Israeli soldiers were killed during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip earlier today, the IDF announces.
They are named as Staff Sgt. Ofir Berkovich, 20, from Modi’in, and Sgt. Elishai Young, 19, from Dimona.
Both served with the 401st Armored Brigade’s 52nd Battalion.
Their deaths bring Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip to 357. The number includes a police officer killed in a hostage rescue mission and a Defense Ministry contractor.
The military also announces that an officer with the 188th Armored Brigade’s 53rd Battalion was seriously wounded earlier today by an explosive-laden drone in southern Lebanon.
An IDF reservist who was critically wounded during fighting in southern Lebanon last week succumbed to his wounds, the military announces.
The slain soldier is named as Sgt. Maj. (res.) Yishai Netanel Greenbaum, 38, a platoon sergeant in the Alon Brigade’s 5030th Battalion, from Lod.
Greenbaum was wounded on October 9 during a battle with Hezbollah operatives. He died yesterday from his wounds.
Reserve Staff Sergeant Yishai Netanel Greenbaum
Staff Sergeant (reserves) Yishai Netanel Greenbaum, who died over the weekend of wounds sustained fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon earlier this month, is laid to rest at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem.
His widow, Hadas, says at the funeral: “I was privileged to live with you for 12 years. It was a love one could only dream of. We built our own nest, our own language. Over the years, four pure souls were added to this nest. You were a perfect partner, so loving and caring, always doing everything you could to make life easier for me. You were the best friend I ever had.”
His sister Esti Greenbaum tells the Kan broadcaster that her brother was an organ donor.
“His heart continues to beat in someone else’s body, that was his last request,” she is quoted as saying.
A platoon sergeant in the Alon Brigade’s 5030th Battalion, Greenbaum was wounded on October 9 during a battle with Hezbollah operatives. Sgt. Maj. (res.) Ronny Ganizate was killed during the same fight.
Greenbaum, 38, from Lod, leaves behind his wife and four children.
The man killed earlier today near Acre in a Hezbollah rocket attack has been named as Alexei Popov, 51, from the Haifa suburb of Kiryat Haim.
May their memories forever be a blessing
Hostage Updates
Son of hostage Oded Lifshitz: "I fear for the fate of the hostages"
Omri Lifshitz, son of hostage Oded Lifshitz, is not optimistic about the execution of a deal that would release his father following the elimination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. In an interview today (Saturday) with Kan News, he said: "If there's a replacement, he won't be any better than him. If there's no replacement - I fear that some of the hostages will be murdered, or their traces will be lost forever."
Yocheved Lifshitz, who was released from captivity, the wife of Oded Lifshitz, who was kidnapped in Gaza, at a demonstration for the release of the abductees Photo: Tomer Neuberg, Flash90
"As long as the hostages don't return, nothing else matters," Omri said. "The hope is that the world might now tell Israel: 'Okay, their leader was killed, let's make a deal,' but to be honest, our government could have made deals while Sinwar was still alive, but wasn't determined enough to make them. I predict that following Sinwar's elimination, there will be complete chaos in Gaza, including regarding the question of who we're even talking to about a hostage deal."
Oded Lifshitz, 85, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7. Yocheved Lifshitz, Omri's mother, was kidnapped with Oded and released after 17 days in captivity. "Overall, the feeling is very bad," Omri shared. "My father has been in captivity for more than a year, and we haven't made a deal to bring him and many others back. The bad feeling isn't just about the elderly, but also about the young people, whom we've seen dying in captivity while underweight. The situation is very bad." link
Yochaved Lifshitz, Omri's mother, after her release from captivity at the Ichilov Hospital,October 2023 (Photo: Avshalom Sashoni, Flash90)
Speaking before hundreds of people crowded into Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, captives’ relatives hail the IDF for killing Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar and urge the government to use the military achievement to bring the hostages home.
Israelis attend a rally calling for the release of the hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on October 19, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has resumed its weekly Tel Aviv rallies at the square rather than nearby Begin Road, where a louder anti-government rally is being held. Rallies at Hostages Square have typically been more staid and emphasized national unity.
Eli Shtivi, the father of slain hostage Idan Shtivi, told the crowd at Hostages Square that “both on the right and on the left there is one thing that unites everyone: everyone wants the hostages home.”
“And to you Sinwar the scoundrel I have a single message,” he continues. “You thought you could sow disunity among us [and] disintegrate us: you failed.”
Simona Steinbrecher, mother of hostage Doron Steinbrecher, also thanks the troops and hails the killing of Sinwar. Addressing international media in English, she calls for countries’ governments to “push Hamas hard” to release the hostages, and to “bring more peace.”
Meirav Tal, who spent 53 days in captivity and was released in the November ceasefire deal — and whose partner Yair (Yaya) Yaakov was killed during the October 7 onslaught and whose remains are held in Gaza — says she has remained largely silent thus far but felt obligated to speak out against “the normalization of the broken reality we are living in.”
While in captivity, she says, “the terrorists took everything from me — the control of my body, the control of my will.”
“I heard your cries at Hostages Square, and it was a breath of fresh air for me,” she says.
“Now that the IDF troops have killed the psychopath Sinwar, there is a small light,” she adds. “This is the time to act in full force to bring the hostages home.”
Yaela David, sister of hostage Eviatar David, and Shelly Shem-Tov, mother of hostage Omer Shem-Tov, also speak, decrying how more than a year has passed since their loved ones were kidnapped.
- Investigation | Chain of Events Leading to Murder: The Final Months in the Lives of 6 Hostages
New revelations expose what happened in the fateful days when Sinwar gave the order to execute Hirsch, Carmel, Almog, Uri, Alex, and Eden. The six survived mainly on energy bars for months. A senior security official on why Hamas's leader fled without them: "It's impossible to escape with hostages in such a state of malnutrition."
The murder of the six hostages, who survived in Hamas's tunnel hell just a kilometer from IDF forces, was one of the most difficult events to process in the recent war - hope that turned into deep shock. Last night (Saturday) we published in "Weekend News" an investigation revealing what happened in the narrow tunnels of Tel Sultan, raising again the big question - are the war's objectives, defeating Hamas and returning the hostages, compatible?
In November 2023, as part of the hostage release deal with Hamas, 80 Israelis were released, and outside the deal, 25 foreign citizens. During the release days, Israel committed not to deploy surveillance measures at certain hours. Hamas exploited this to transfer hostages to new hiding places. In a car heading to Rafah sat three wounded from the Nova party - Almog Sarusi, Hirsch Goldberg-Polin, and Uri Danino. They were taken to Rafah, where the IDF wasn't yet operating at that time. Three additional hostages also arrived there - Eden Yerushalmi and Alex Lobenov who were kidnapped from Nova, and Carmel Gat from her home in Be'eri.
Months before they were murdered, security officials assessed the hostages were in the area. After almost half a year there, following the successful rescue of four hostages in June by the Shin Bet and YAMAM (special unit) , Hamas decided not to take risks and worsened the conditions for the six hostages even further. They were moved to an especially narrow and cramped tunnel section that was very difficult to access and certainly to survive in.
Mid-August - The IDF is operating in Rafah with the assumption that Sinwar is located in the Tel Sultan neighborhood. There, the IDF decided to launch an operation to collapse the Tel Sultan Battalion and eliminate Sinwar. At one point, they identified a serious and suspicious gathering of 26 terrorists inside a building. The assessment was that Sinwar might be present there, and the IDF decided to collapse the building on its occupants.
Most of the terrorists were eliminated and others were wounded. The bodies were brought to Israel, but no DNA match to Sinwar was found. However, from this incident came the widely published reports suggesting that Sinwar might have been eliminated. A few days pass - the fighters identified five armed men approaching a vehicle, and with the help of surveillance equipment, they could identify that one of the men was disguised as a woman.
This heightened suspicions that it was Sinwar or another significant terrorist. Subsequently, a missile was fired at the vehicle, and the IDF believed that the person disguised as a woman who was eliminated was the Tel Sultan Battalion Commander, Mahmoud Hamdan, along with three of his company commanders. However, it later turned out that he had been eliminated the day before, a few meters from where Sinwar would later be eliminated.
The IDF's decision to make announcements into the tunnel and the orders given to Hamas terrorists:
During searches, the fighters reached a house and found a tunnel shaft there. The force made announcements into the tunnel to enable operation without risk. This is a controversial tactic that has been used several times during the war. Following the announcement, forces identified armed men fleeing from other shafts in the area. The spotter identified four armed men inside a house. One of them had a covering hiding his face, and again suspicions arose that it might be Sinwar or another senior figure. The forces fired a missile at the building and eliminated the four, but it turned out there were no senior officials there.
The next day, a force from the naval commandos and combat engineers entered the same tunnel where the announcements were made. The fighters entered carefully and found complete darkness. They then noticed a door and worried it might be booby-trapped. They began touching it but didn't open it, and suddenly they heard a voice in Arabic asking them: "Who's there?"
At this point, a dialogue began with someone on the other side of the door who told them in Arabic: "I am an Israeli hostage, my name is Farhan al-Qadi." In Farhan's testimony, it was revealed that the armed men who fled from the tunnel shafts the day before were his captors, who had left him alone with little food and water and scared him that the door was booby-trapped.
The IDF forces present didn't recognize the name Farhan and feared a trap. The soldiers worried it might be a terrorist and the area might be booby-trapped. They decided to go up and verify. Meanwhile, Farhan apparently realized the door wasn't booby-trapped – he took a risk, opened it, and began crawling. At this point, the force returned inside, identified Farhan, and exited together with him.
The shaft leading to the cell where the six hostages were taken was located a kilometer away. For Hamas, these six were bargaining chips, perhaps their strongest ones. Goldberg-Polin, an American citizen; Alex Lobenov, a Russian citizen; Uri Danino, an active-duty combat soldier; and two women who became symbols – Eden Yerushalmi and Carmel Gat.
The six were under strict guard. Apparently, some of the 26 armed men who were hit weeks earlier were their captors, along with additional guards who fled after the announcement from Farhan's shaft. They were with the hostages for eight months, and when they left, they left them with two relatively young and inexperienced guards. The two were ordered that if they sensed a rescue operation approaching, they should kill the hostages and flee. The guards felt their lives were in danger, though it's unclear exactly why, and they quickly advanced with drawn pistols toward the cell where the hostages were held and shot them. Pathological reports revealed there was a struggle and one of the hostages protected Carmel Gat with his body. The next morning, surveillance identified the two guards fleeing from the shaft and eliminated them.
A day after they were murdered, at four in the afternoon, forces entered the shaft and went down. There they encountered the difficult scene - all six hostages lifeless. The IDF knew Tel Sultan's tunnel system but not the short branch where the hostages were held. It was discovered they had lived for months mainly on energy bars.
A senior security official: "It's impossible to escape with hostages in such a state of malnutrition"
Security forces began conducting DNA tests and found that DNA from the two eliminated terrorists outside the shaft matched that found in urine bottles inside the tunnel. But then they reached a much more dramatic finding - a DNA sample on toilet paper found inside the tunnel, a short distance from the hostages' location, matched Sinwar's DNA.
Experts who examined the evidence determined that Sinwar likely fled in the week between the elimination of the 26 terrorists and Farhan's rescue. The security establishment's understanding is that these six were the high-value hostages that Sinwar surrounded himself with - from his perspective, they were his life insurance. Now the question arises - why did Sinwar leave alone and not with the hostages? A senior security official told News 12: "He didn't flee with them because it's impossible to escape with hostages in such condition. They barely move and can't hide because they're malnourished. It also exposes him, because it looks suspicious from surveillance when he's walking with women, who are rarely seen in the area."
Still, some questions remain open - can the army truly operate effectively in areas where hostages are located without endangering them? Did the political echelon's decision to operate in Rafah with full force take into account the high probability that hostages would not survive there and in other areas of the Gaza Strip?
**IDF Spokesperson's Response:** "The murder of the six hostages is being investigated, findings will be presented to the bereaved families and then to the public. The forces didn't know the hostages were there but operated with extra caution given the possibility of hostages in the area. Operational lessons from the incident were immediately implemented in force activities on the ground. The IDF continues all efforts to create conditions for returning the hostages."
**Response from Carmel Gat's family:** "It hurts and burns to hear again that the political echelon decided to risk hostages to achieve military objectives, as we warned for months and continue to warn today. One can only imagine Carmel in her final moments in the death tunnel waiting for a deal to save her, not knowing the government decided to give up on her to kill a terrorist. Every terrorist has a replacement. But Hirsch, Alexander, Almog, Uri, Eden, and Carmel have no replacement. The Israeli government will be judged by how many hostages we bring home, not by how many terrorists we eliminate. The decision-makers missed the opportunity to bring Carmel back. Don't miss the opportunity to bring back 101 hostages. Now is the time to end the war and bring everyone home." link
Hostage Updates
Son of hostage Oded Lifshitz: "I fear for the fate of the hostages"
Omri Lifshitz, son of hostage Oded Lifshitz, is not optimistic about the execution of a deal that would release his father following the elimination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. In an interview today (Saturday) with Kan News, he said: "If there's a replacement, he won't be any better than him. If there's no replacement - I fear that some of the hostages will be murdered, or their traces will be lost forever."
Yocheved Lifshitz, who was released from captivity, the wife of Oded Lifshitz, who was kidnapped in Gaza, at a demonstration for the release of the abductees Photo: Tomer Neuberg, Flash90"As long as the hostages don't return, nothing else matters," Omri said. "The hope is that the world might now tell Israel: 'Okay, their leader was killed, let's make a deal,' but to be honest, our government could have made deals while Sinwar was still alive, but wasn't determined enough to make them. I predict that following Sinwar's elimination, there will be complete chaos in Gaza, including regarding the question of who we're even talking to about a hostage deal."
Oded Lifshitz, 85, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7. Yocheved Lifshitz, Omri's mother, was kidnapped with Oded and released after 17 days in captivity. "Overall, the feeling is very bad," Omri shared. "My father has been in captivity for more than a year, and we haven't made a deal to bring him and many others back. The bad feeling isn't just about the elderly, but also about the young people, whom we've seen dying in captivity while underweight. The situation is very bad." link
Yochaved Lifshitz, Omri's mother, after her release from captivity at the Ichilov Hospital,October 2023 (Photo: Avshalom Sashoni, Flash90)Speaking before hundreds of people crowded into Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, captives’ relatives hail the IDF for killing Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar and urge the government to use the military achievement to bring the hostages home.
Israelis attend a rally calling for the release of the hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on October 19, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has resumed its weekly Tel Aviv rallies at the square rather than nearby Begin Road, where a louder anti-government rally is being held. Rallies at Hostages Square have typically been more staid and emphasized national unity.Eli Shtivi, the father of slain hostage Idan Shtivi, told the crowd at Hostages Square that “both on the right and on the left there is one thing that unites everyone: everyone wants the hostages home.”
“And to you Sinwar the scoundrel I have a single message,” he continues. “You thought you could sow disunity among us [and] disintegrate us: you failed.”
Simona Steinbrecher, mother of hostage Doron Steinbrecher, also thanks the troops and hails the killing of Sinwar. Addressing international media in English, she calls for countries’ governments to “push Hamas hard” to release the hostages, and to “bring more peace.”
Meirav Tal, who spent 53 days in captivity and was released in the November ceasefire deal — and whose partner Yair (Yaya) Yaakov was killed during the October 7 onslaught and whose remains are held in Gaza — says she has remained largely silent thus far but felt obligated to speak out against “the normalization of the broken reality we are living in.”
While in captivity, she says, “the terrorists took everything from me — the control of my body, the control of my will.”
“I heard your cries at Hostages Square, and it was a breath of fresh air for me,” she says.
“Now that the IDF troops have killed the psychopath Sinwar, there is a small light,” she adds. “This is the time to act in full force to bring the hostages home.”
Yaela David, sister of hostage Eviatar David, and Shelly Shem-Tov, mother of hostage Omer Shem-Tov, also speak, decrying how more than a year has passed since their loved ones were kidnapped.
- Investigation | Chain of Events Leading to Murder: The Final Months in the Lives of 6 HostagesNew revelations expose what happened in the fateful days when Sinwar gave the order to execute Hirsch, Carmel, Almog, Uri, Alex, and Eden. The six survived mainly on energy bars for months. A senior security official on why Hamas's leader fled without them: "It's impossible to escape with hostages in such a state of malnutrition."The murder of the six hostages, who survived in Hamas's tunnel hell just a kilometer from IDF forces, was one of the most difficult events to process in the recent war - hope that turned into deep shock. Last night (Saturday) we published in "Weekend News" an investigation revealing what happened in the narrow tunnels of Tel Sultan, raising again the big question - are the war's objectives, defeating Hamas and returning the hostages, compatible?In November 2023, as part of the hostage release deal with Hamas, 80 Israelis were released, and outside the deal, 25 foreign citizens. During the release days, Israel committed not to deploy surveillance measures at certain hours. Hamas exploited this to transfer hostages to new hiding places. In a car heading to Rafah sat three wounded from the Nova party - Almog Sarusi, Hirsch Goldberg-Polin, and Uri Danino. They were taken to Rafah, where the IDF wasn't yet operating at that time. Three additional hostages also arrived there - Eden Yerushalmi and Alex Lobenov who were kidnapped from Nova, and Carmel Gat from her home in Be'eri.Months before they were murdered, security officials assessed the hostages were in the area. After almost half a year there, following the successful rescue of four hostages in June by the Shin Bet and YAMAM (special unit) , Hamas decided not to take risks and worsened the conditions for the six hostages even further. They were moved to an especially narrow and cramped tunnel section that was very difficult to access and certainly to survive in.
Mid-August - The IDF is operating in Rafah with the assumption that Sinwar is located in the Tel Sultan neighborhood. There, the IDF decided to launch an operation to collapse the Tel Sultan Battalion and eliminate Sinwar. At one point, they identified a serious and suspicious gathering of 26 terrorists inside a building. The assessment was that Sinwar might be present there, and the IDF decided to collapse the building on its occupants.
Most of the terrorists were eliminated and others were wounded. The bodies were brought to Israel, but no DNA match to Sinwar was found. However, from this incident came the widely published reports suggesting that Sinwar might have been eliminated. A few days pass - the fighters identified five armed men approaching a vehicle, and with the help of surveillance equipment, they could identify that one of the men was disguised as a woman.
This heightened suspicions that it was Sinwar or another significant terrorist. Subsequently, a missile was fired at the vehicle, and the IDF believed that the person disguised as a woman who was eliminated was the Tel Sultan Battalion Commander, Mahmoud Hamdan, along with three of his company commanders. However, it later turned out that he had been eliminated the day before, a few meters from where Sinwar would later be eliminated.
The IDF's decision to make announcements into the tunnel and the orders given to Hamas terrorists:
During searches, the fighters reached a house and found a tunnel shaft there. The force made announcements into the tunnel to enable operation without risk. This is a controversial tactic that has been used several times during the war. Following the announcement, forces identified armed men fleeing from other shafts in the area. The spotter identified four armed men inside a house. One of them had a covering hiding his face, and again suspicions arose that it might be Sinwar or another senior figure. The forces fired a missile at the building and eliminated the four, but it turned out there were no senior officials there.The next day, a force from the naval commandos and combat engineers entered the same tunnel where the announcements were made. The fighters entered carefully and found complete darkness. They then noticed a door and worried it might be booby-trapped. They began touching it but didn't open it, and suddenly they heard a voice in Arabic asking them: "Who's there?"
At this point, a dialogue began with someone on the other side of the door who told them in Arabic: "I am an Israeli hostage, my name is Farhan al-Qadi." In Farhan's testimony, it was revealed that the armed men who fled from the tunnel shafts the day before were his captors, who had left him alone with little food and water and scared him that the door was booby-trapped.
The IDF forces present didn't recognize the name Farhan and feared a trap. The soldiers worried it might be a terrorist and the area might be booby-trapped. They decided to go up and verify. Meanwhile, Farhan apparently realized the door wasn't booby-trapped – he took a risk, opened it, and began crawling. At this point, the force returned inside, identified Farhan, and exited together with him.The shaft leading to the cell where the six hostages were taken was located a kilometer away. For Hamas, these six were bargaining chips, perhaps their strongest ones. Goldberg-Polin, an American citizen; Alex Lobenov, a Russian citizen; Uri Danino, an active-duty combat soldier; and two women who became symbols – Eden Yerushalmi and Carmel Gat.The six were under strict guard. Apparently, some of the 26 armed men who were hit weeks earlier were their captors, along with additional guards who fled after the announcement from Farhan's shaft. They were with the hostages for eight months, and when they left, they left them with two relatively young and inexperienced guards. The two were ordered that if they sensed a rescue operation approaching, they should kill the hostages and flee. The guards felt their lives were in danger, though it's unclear exactly why, and they quickly advanced with drawn pistols toward the cell where the hostages were held and shot them. Pathological reports revealed there was a struggle and one of the hostages protected Carmel Gat with his body. The next morning, surveillance identified the two guards fleeing from the shaft and eliminated them.A day after they were murdered, at four in the afternoon, forces entered the shaft and went down. There they encountered the difficult scene - all six hostages lifeless. The IDF knew Tel Sultan's tunnel system but not the short branch where the hostages were held. It was discovered they had lived for months mainly on energy bars.A senior security official: "It's impossible to escape with hostages in such a state of malnutrition"Security forces began conducting DNA tests and found that DNA from the two eliminated terrorists outside the shaft matched that found in urine bottles inside the tunnel. But then they reached a much more dramatic finding - a DNA sample on toilet paper found inside the tunnel, a short distance from the hostages' location, matched Sinwar's DNA.Experts who examined the evidence determined that Sinwar likely fled in the week between the elimination of the 26 terrorists and Farhan's rescue. The security establishment's understanding is that these six were the high-value hostages that Sinwar surrounded himself with - from his perspective, they were his life insurance. Now the question arises - why did Sinwar leave alone and not with the hostages? A senior security official told News 12: "He didn't flee with them because it's impossible to escape with hostages in such condition. They barely move and can't hide because they're malnourished. It also exposes him, because it looks suspicious from surveillance when he's walking with women, who are rarely seen in the area."Still, some questions remain open - can the army truly operate effectively in areas where hostages are located without endangering them? Did the political echelon's decision to operate in Rafah with full force take into account the high probability that hostages would not survive there and in other areas of the Gaza Strip?**IDF Spokesperson's Response:** "The murder of the six hostages is being investigated, findings will be presented to the bereaved families and then to the public. The forces didn't know the hostages were there but operated with extra caution given the possibility of hostages in the area. Operational lessons from the incident were immediately implemented in force activities on the ground. The IDF continues all efforts to create conditions for returning the hostages."**Response from Carmel Gat's family:** "It hurts and burns to hear again that the political echelon decided to risk hostages to achieve military objectives, as we warned for months and continue to warn today. One can only imagine Carmel in her final moments in the death tunnel waiting for a deal to save her, not knowing the government decided to give up on her to kill a terrorist. Every terrorist has a replacement. But Hirsch, Alexander, Almog, Uri, Eden, and Carmel have no replacement. The Israeli government will be judged by how many hostages we bring home, not by how many terrorists we eliminate. The decision-makers missed the opportunity to bring Carmel back. Don't miss the opportunity to bring back 101 hostages. Now is the time to end the war and bring everyone home." link
Gaza
- IDF releases clips of Sinwar, family fleeing into tunnel on Oct. 6, says Hamas chief was preoccupied with own survival
The IDF releases footage showing Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar on the night before the October 7 onslaught fleeing with his family into a tunnel complex below his home in Khan Younis, while bringing equipment and supplies for a prolonged stay underground.
According to the IDF, the footage was recovered from Gaza several months ago.
“Even on the eve before the brutal massacre, Sinwar was busy with his survival and the survival of his family,” IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says in a press conference where he shows the footage, speaking first in Hebrew and then delivering brief remarks in English.
“A few hours before the massacre, Sinwar and his family escaped alone to the tunnel.” For hours, he says, the “went back and forth with sacks of food, water, pillows, a plasma television, mattresses and other supplies for a long stay.”
“Hours before the massacre, Sinwar only cared about himself and his family, while he sent terrorists for the murderous attack on Israeli children, women and men,” Hagari adds.
“Among other things, these videos led the IDF and Shin Bet to narrow down the area of the pursuit of Sinwar. We chased him and got him to act as a wanted fugitive,” he says.
Hagari says that in February, the IDF reached the “underground fortress” Sinwar had built in Khan Younis, but he had fled shortly before.
The IDF found “toilets, a shower, a kitchen, beds, uniforms, safes, lots of cash, documents and other intel.”
“Several times our forces were very close to him and reached the places where he stayed shortly before he managed to escape,” Hagari says.
He says the IDF’s offensive in Khan Younis prompted Sinwar to flee to Rafah, where he then hid in a tunnel built for Hamas VIPs in the Tel Sultan neighborhood.
“The complex had everything he needed, television, food, sofas, beds, means of communication and control. We found his DNA sample on a tissue there, with which he blew his nose,” Hagari says.
He says that according to the IDF’s intelligence, for the past year “Sinwar hid most of the time underground in the area between Khan Yunis and Rafah, and came out only to escape, accompanied by bodyguards and with documents, certificates, weapons and money in his possession.”
On Wednesday, IDF troops with the Bislamach Brigade spotted three gunmen near them and engaged them. One of them, later revealed to be Sinwar, split from the other two men and was killed by the forces.
“This is actually the first time that Yahya Sinwar, who had been hiding underground for a year, met the IDF forces in Gaza, and this is also the moment when he was eliminated,” Hagari says. “They closed the circle with the man responsible for the cruel massacre of October 7.” full article and video of Sinwar in tunnel
The IDF says it foiled an attempt to smuggle weapons into Israel from Egypt on Saturday, using a drone.
Soldiers monitoring surveillance cameras spotted a drone that crossed over the border and the IDF dispatched troops of the Caracal Battalion to the scene.
A drone used to smuggle handguns over the Israel-Egypt border on October 19, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)The soldiers opened fire at the drone, knocking it down, the IDF says. The drone was found to be ferrying eight handguns and magazines, the military adds.
The IDF releases footage showing Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar on the night before the October 7 onslaught fleeing with his family into a tunnel complex below his home in Khan Younis, while bringing equipment and supplies for a prolonged stay underground.
According to the IDF, the footage was recovered from Gaza several months ago.
“Even on the eve before the brutal massacre, Sinwar was busy with his survival and the survival of his family,” IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says in a press conference where he shows the footage, speaking first in Hebrew and then delivering brief remarks in English.
“A few hours before the massacre, Sinwar and his family escaped alone to the tunnel.” For hours, he says, the “went back and forth with sacks of food, water, pillows, a plasma television, mattresses and other supplies for a long stay.”
“Hours before the massacre, Sinwar only cared about himself and his family, while he sent terrorists for the murderous attack on Israeli children, women and men,” Hagari adds.
“Among other things, these videos led the IDF and Shin Bet to narrow down the area of the pursuit of Sinwar. We chased him and got him to act as a wanted fugitive,” he says.
Hagari says that in February, the IDF reached the “underground fortress” Sinwar had built in Khan Younis, but he had fled shortly before.
The IDF found “toilets, a shower, a kitchen, beds, uniforms, safes, lots of cash, documents and other intel.”
“Several times our forces were very close to him and reached the places where he stayed shortly before he managed to escape,” Hagari says.
He says the IDF’s offensive in Khan Younis prompted Sinwar to flee to Rafah, where he then hid in a tunnel built for Hamas VIPs in the Tel Sultan neighborhood.
“The complex had everything he needed, television, food, sofas, beds, means of communication and control. We found his DNA sample on a tissue there, with which he blew his nose,” Hagari says.
He says that according to the IDF’s intelligence, for the past year “Sinwar hid most of the time underground in the area between Khan Yunis and Rafah, and came out only to escape, accompanied by bodyguards and with documents, certificates, weapons and money in his possession.”
On Wednesday, IDF troops with the Bislamach Brigade spotted three gunmen near them and engaged them. One of them, later revealed to be Sinwar, split from the other two men and was killed by the forces.
“This is actually the first time that Yahya Sinwar, who had been hiding underground for a year, met the IDF forces in Gaza, and this is also the moment when he was eliminated,” Hagari says. “They closed the circle with the man responsible for the cruel massacre of October 7.” full article and video of Sinwar in tunnel
The IDF says it foiled an attempt to smuggle weapons into Israel from Egypt on Saturday, using a drone.
Soldiers monitoring surveillance cameras spotted a drone that crossed over the border and the IDF dispatched troops of the Caracal Battalion to the scene.
A drone used to smuggle handguns over the Israel-Egypt border on October 19, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
The soldiers opened fire at the drone, knocking it down, the IDF says. The drone was found to be ferrying eight handguns and magazines, the military adds.
Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah/Syria
- "Hezbollah's Rehabilitation: 'Promoted Previously Unknown Operatives to Key Positions'"
An Israeli source told the New York Times that the terror organization has promoted low-ranking operatives to senior positions, and these are likely the ones who now compose the new command and control center - which enables operatives to launch barrages and UAVs, alongside the fighting in southern Lebanon. The IDF resumed strikes in Dahieh, an equipped underground Radwan headquarters was destroyed: "The area is completely devastated"
An Israeli source said today (Saturday) to the New York Times that Hezbollah has filled its commander ranks and key leadership positions with operatives whose names Israel didn't even know. In an extensive article about how Hezbollah continues to fight Israel despite heavy casualties, the source said this is because these operatives were previously low-ranking in the chain of command.
The Lebanese terror organization, which has suffered a series of severe blows since September, recorded some unusual successes this week - including the UAV strike on the Golani training base dining hall, the UAV launch toward Netanyahu's house in Caesarea, the killing of five Golani fighters in a building in southern Lebanon, rocket barrages toward the Haifa area where one person was killed today, and more. Additionally, as evidence of Hezbollah's partial battlefield rehabilitation, the New York Times also noted the attempt to kidnap an Egoz unit fighter who fell in battle. While these aren't at the levels Israel prepared for before the war - it's still a concerning trend, after the organization's poor capabilities displayed in face of the blows it suffered.
Evidence of Hezbollah's rehabilitation, in the UAV domain, also came from an Israeli intelligence source who spoke with the American Wall Street Journal. He noted that UAV attacks are gaining momentum after a brief pause following the elimination of Hezbollah's air unit commander, Mohammed Hussein Srour, "Abu Saleh," last month. According to the source, the unit consists of dozens of operatives who were led by Srour - and the unit struggled to operate after his elimination. "After his elimination, we saw a relatively long period where there were no UAV launches toward Israel," the source said.
Reuters reported last week that Hezbollah is preparing for a long war of attrition in southern Lebanon - with a new military command directing terrorists in rocket fire and combat, after almost all of its senior military leadership was eliminated. Sources in the terror organization told Reuters that Hezbollah still maintains a significant weapons arsenal, including precision missiles it hasn't yet used. In recent days, Western diplomats expressed concern that in light of all this, what started as a limited IDF operation in Lebanon could turn into a prolonged entanglement - and called on Israel to leverage its achievements for an agreement that would distance Hezbollah from the border.
The sources who spoke with Reuters also noted that after Hassan Nasrallah's elimination at the central headquarters in Dahieh, a new command and control center was established within 72 hours - enabling operatives in southern Lebanon to launch rockets and fight according to instructions. A Hezbollah field commander claimed that organization operatives carry out orders "according to frontline capabilities," and described the new command in the terror organization as a "tight circle" in direct contact with the field. He noted that Hezbollah's new command operates in complete secrecy.
In contrast to Hezbollah's successes, the IDF resumed strikes today in Beirut's Dahieh quarter - after not doing so since last Wednesday, having previously avoided it for six days following President Joe Biden's request to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. These strikes were carried out after evacuation warnings were given to certain buildings, and significant destruction was documented in targeted areas. The IDF stated that the targets in the quarter were Hezbollah weapons storage facilities and a command center of the terror organization's intelligence headquarters. Military officials said that "this strike is another part of the ongoing effort to hit weapons storage facilities and production sites in Hezbollah's Beirut area, which are located among civilian populations, beneath residential buildings in the heart of the city and pose an ongoing risk to the population."
Additionally, the IDF struck today in a previously untargeted area - Jounieh north of Beirut, a predominantly Christian city. In the strike, which targeted a vehicle, two people were killed - one of whom was described in Arab reports as a "military commander in Hezbollah's intelligence."
Since the IDF forces began ground operations in southern Lebanon, the military has managed to clear several villages there, with some battles against Hezbollah operatives being conducted face-to-face. The IDF Chief of Staff estimates that so far, the IDF has eliminated approximately 1,500 Hezbollah militants, in a "conservative estimate." The IDF also announced today that it destroyed a central underground Radwan Force command center using more than 100 tons of explosives, which was discovered earlier this week. The operation involved fighters from the "Beard" Brigade (8), alongside Yahalom unit fighters. The command center contained weapons storage space, long-term accommodation facilities, scooters, living quarters, ammunition, and more.
The commander of the Galilee Formation, Brigadier General Shai Kalper, later said, "We are standing on the ruins of a Hezbollah tunnel that was meant to be used for attacking to conquer Galilee settlements. Forces from Division 8 and Division 91 and the Yahalom unit did an exceptional job here and left no trace of this tunnel. This area is completely destroyed. On the other side, in the village that became a military village both above and below ground, Khair al-Muhabbat, it's impossible to live today. Wherever Hezbollah does these things, we will destroy them completely."
**Thousands of Missiles, More Than a Thousand UAVs**Our commentator Ron Ben-Yishai noted today that Hezbollah still has a large quantity, thousands of missiles and rockets for medium and short range, including precise ones, which they can launch toward Israel - so the threat still exists. Hezbollah probably feels they are close to exhausting what they can do with rockets and missiles, while the potential of explosive UAVs, which are essentially small cruise missiles, is still far from exhaustion. Although the terror organization talks about swarms of UAVs, so far they haven't operated them in groups larger than five at once toward a single target. Ben-Yishai added that it appears Hezbollah, which still has more than a thousand UAVs, has moved to make intensive use of them by attempting to deliver simultaneous UAV strikes on multiple targets - mainly military targets and government targets within Israel. Meanwhile, there has been some decrease in the quantity of rockets and missiles, and also in the quantity and quality (precision and range) of missiles and rockets that Hezbollah launches toward Israeli territory.
According to Ben-Yishai, "the new phase" that Hezbollah declared in the war a few days ago - or the new method that Hezbollah is trying - isn't really new. The organization is trying to combine intensive short-range rocket barrages with UAVs, with the goal of confusing and deceiving detection and interception systems, mainly Iron Dome. At the same time, the goal is to also cause many interception fragments to fall in additional areas, even in cases where rockets didn't directly explode there. This is a "triple saturation": of detection means, of Iron Dome interception batteries, and an effort to use interception fragments as weapons to hit areas where there weren't direct rocket hits. Quantity is the main thing here - the quantity of rocket and UAV launches is at the heart of Hezbollah's current method.
According to the IDF, forces operating in southern Lebanon raided terror targets, located and destroyed more than 50 shafts and underground infrastructure located in mosques, schools, and other civilian buildings. Additionally, according to the IDF, the forces located a weapons storage facility with hundreds of Hezbollah weapons, destroyed dozens of terror infrastructure sites, and eliminated terrorists. link Defense Minister Yoav Gallant tells IDF troops that Hezbollah operatives captured and interrogated by Israel are “terrified” and that the Iran-backed terror group is “collapsing.”
“The prisoners tell us what’s happening, that they’re terrified because they know that they don’t have what it takes to deal with what’s happening. Not in terms of strength, combat ability, precision or determination,” he tells troops of the IDF’s 98th Division.
“This whole great formation they call Hezbollah is collapsing.”
The IDF last week published footage of an alleged member of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan forces being interrogated about the terror group’s plans in southern Lebanon and the current state of its operations.
“We are moving from a situation of defeating the enemy village by village, to destruction — blowing up the tunnels and the ammunition depots, and dismantling Hezbollah,” he tells troops.
“The result is that in every place that Hezbollah was waiting and preparing to raid [Israeli] border town, there are IDF soldiers.”
“Our goal is to completely clean this area so that residents can return to their homes and their lives,” he says, referring to Israel’s recently added war goal of returning tens of thousands of northern residents who have been displaced since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack, when Hezbollah began attacking northern Israel on a near-daily basis the day after. link I am hesitant to take Galant's statements at face value. Throughout the war, he has a tendency to make premature and exaggerated statements about the levels of our successes and the levels of the defeats of the enemy. Yes, it is very true that we have dealt tremendous blows to Hizbollah, in particular to the upper levels of their leadership bu they still have tens of thousands of terrorist soldiers and huge amounts of rockets, missiles, anti tank shells and UAVs and we have been seeing their effectiveness of the UAVs in recent weeks with a growing death toll among our soldiers and civilians. It is way to early for these kinds of statements.
Hezbollah is pressing the pedal, aiming to stop quickly.
Hezbollah currently lacks an organized authoritative leadership and experienced military command. Iranian generals are managing the campaign, which is solely intended to improve the terms of a ceasefire and prevent further erosion of the organization’s political standing within Lebanon. Ehud Yaari's analysis highlights that there is no better reading than what is hidden between the lines of articles by Ibrahim Al-Amin, editor of the Beirut-based "Al-Akhbar," who for years has been the conduit for sensitive messages that Hassan Nasrallah preferred not to deliver himself. Since the assassination of his patron, Amin has been writing much more frequently, unlike his usual approach. He has stepped in to boost the morale of the movement’s fighters and supporters, claiming that Hezbollah has already identified the gaps through which Israeli intelligence has inflicted painful surprise blows. He describes slow Israeli progress along the border villages and its tanks being exposed, while rocket and drone capabilities are expanding, among other claims.
However, the bottom line is clear: Hezbollah is no longer fighting for Gaza – it is fighting for its very existence. Not only is Israel rising against it, but also bitter enemies from within Lebanon, the Arab region, and, of course, the "main enemy" – the United States and the West. In other words, this is not the supportive front of the past, but a survival battle in every sense. From my understanding, which is shared by others in Lebanon familiar with Hezbollah, the Iranians and their agents within the organization are concerned about several dangers:
- Hamas has lost its ability to tie up larger Israeli forces in Gaza and has failed to ignite the West Bank. There is concern that Khaled Meshaal – who is not their puppet – might take control of Hamas’ leadership.
- The activity of the Iraqi (and sometimes Syrian) Shiite militias in launching drones – often inefficiently – is generating strong opposition in Baghdad, including from the most important spiritual leader in the Shiite world: Ayatollah Sistani.
- The year-long effort to "heat up" the Jordanian-Israeli border has so far produced little results, and King Abdullah's security services have strongly warned the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan that, despite their success in parliamentary elections, they will face a harsh crackdown if they continue to encourage the movement’s youth to engage in shootings or infiltrations.
Particularly important is that, as I recently explained, Bashar al-Assad is gradually distancing himself from Hezbollah. His brother Maher, who commands the Fourth Division, has ordered his soldiers not to get involved in transferring weapons to Lebanon or shelter Hezbollah operatives in Syrian military bases. In the background are warnings from ErdoΔan that Israel might conquer Damascus. Corrupt Lebanese politicians are now openly betting against Hezbollah, eager to profit from its weakening. For example, it has become clear that Nasrallah's longtime candidate for president, the Maronite leader from far northern Lebanon, Suleiman Frangieh, has lost all chances despite ignoring the advice of parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri. General Joseph Aoun, the army commander, suspected by Hezbollah of being close to the Americans, is once again a leading candidate, sparking hopes that he could function like General Fouad Chehab, the first army commander elected president who performed admirably. Other candidates, such as IMF senior official Jihad Azour, are also not Hezbollah’s favorites.
The mood in Lebanon should not be underestimated. With 1.2 million displaced people, around 3,000 dead, and widespread destruction, there is a loud outcry against Hezbollah, which, rather than acting as a protective shield for the country as it always promised, is proving unable to defend even itself. People recall that Lebanon struggled for many years to rid itself of Palestinian forces on its soil, only to now see it being rebuilt as a branch of Hamas. And, of course, people are asking: where is the help from Iran, and how long will it continue fighting until the last Lebanese? Even the flourishing drug trade in the Bekaa Valley is reportedly being damaged by Israeli air force strikes on Captagon labs and warehouses.
For all these reasons, Hezbollah wants to race to the finish line. They declare escalation but, in reality, are eager for a ceasefire, fearing that with each passing week, conditions will worsen. There is deep concern in both Tehran and Dahiya that the war’s terms will not only be based on Resolution 1701, which banned Hezbollah’s deployment south of the Litani River but was never honored, but also on Resolution 1559, which calls for the disarmament of the organization. Furthermore, any aid package to revive bankrupt Lebanon will likely come with stringent conditions limiting Hezbollah’s role in the government. These fears prompted Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf to propose negotiating a ceasefire with France. The response was unusually harsh: Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati publicly rebuked Iran for interfering in Lebanon’s affairs.
Conclusion: The IDF must complete – with utmost caution – its aerial bombardment deep inside Lebanon and grind down Hezbollah’s front-line units in the south. As for France's shallow and ridiculous President Emmanuel Macron, who is preaching an immediate ceasefire, he should be warned publicly that he risks being remembered as the Γdouard Daladier of our time: the French prime minister who, along with Neville Chamberlain, signed the infamous 1938 Munich Agreement with Hitler and Mussolini. link
- "Hezbollah's Rehabilitation: 'Promoted Previously Unknown Operatives to Key Positions'"An Israeli source told the New York Times that the terror organization has promoted low-ranking operatives to senior positions, and these are likely the ones who now compose the new command and control center - which enables operatives to launch barrages and UAVs, alongside the fighting in southern Lebanon. The IDF resumed strikes in Dahieh, an equipped underground Radwan headquarters was destroyed: "The area is completely devastated"An Israeli source said today (Saturday) to the New York Times that Hezbollah has filled its commander ranks and key leadership positions with operatives whose names Israel didn't even know. In an extensive article about how Hezbollah continues to fight Israel despite heavy casualties, the source said this is because these operatives were previously low-ranking in the chain of command.The Lebanese terror organization, which has suffered a series of severe blows since September, recorded some unusual successes this week - including the UAV strike on the Golani training base dining hall, the UAV launch toward Netanyahu's house in Caesarea, the killing of five Golani fighters in a building in southern Lebanon, rocket barrages toward the Haifa area where one person was killed today, and more. Additionally, as evidence of Hezbollah's partial battlefield rehabilitation, the New York Times also noted the attempt to kidnap an Egoz unit fighter who fell in battle. While these aren't at the levels Israel prepared for before the war - it's still a concerning trend, after the organization's poor capabilities displayed in face of the blows it suffered.Evidence of Hezbollah's rehabilitation, in the UAV domain, also came from an Israeli intelligence source who spoke with the American Wall Street Journal. He noted that UAV attacks are gaining momentum after a brief pause following the elimination of Hezbollah's air unit commander, Mohammed Hussein Srour, "Abu Saleh," last month. According to the source, the unit consists of dozens of operatives who were led by Srour - and the unit struggled to operate after his elimination. "After his elimination, we saw a relatively long period where there were no UAV launches toward Israel," the source said.Reuters reported last week that Hezbollah is preparing for a long war of attrition in southern Lebanon - with a new military command directing terrorists in rocket fire and combat, after almost all of its senior military leadership was eliminated. Sources in the terror organization told Reuters that Hezbollah still maintains a significant weapons arsenal, including precision missiles it hasn't yet used. In recent days, Western diplomats expressed concern that in light of all this, what started as a limited IDF operation in Lebanon could turn into a prolonged entanglement - and called on Israel to leverage its achievements for an agreement that would distance Hezbollah from the border.The sources who spoke with Reuters also noted that after Hassan Nasrallah's elimination at the central headquarters in Dahieh, a new command and control center was established within 72 hours - enabling operatives in southern Lebanon to launch rockets and fight according to instructions. A Hezbollah field commander claimed that organization operatives carry out orders "according to frontline capabilities," and described the new command in the terror organization as a "tight circle" in direct contact with the field. He noted that Hezbollah's new command operates in complete secrecy.In contrast to Hezbollah's successes, the IDF resumed strikes today in Beirut's Dahieh quarter - after not doing so since last Wednesday, having previously avoided it for six days following President Joe Biden's request to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. These strikes were carried out after evacuation warnings were given to certain buildings, and significant destruction was documented in targeted areas. The IDF stated that the targets in the quarter were Hezbollah weapons storage facilities and a command center of the terror organization's intelligence headquarters. Military officials said that "this strike is another part of the ongoing effort to hit weapons storage facilities and production sites in Hezbollah's Beirut area, which are located among civilian populations, beneath residential buildings in the heart of the city and pose an ongoing risk to the population."Additionally, the IDF struck today in a previously untargeted area - Jounieh north of Beirut, a predominantly Christian city. In the strike, which targeted a vehicle, two people were killed - one of whom was described in Arab reports as a "military commander in Hezbollah's intelligence."Since the IDF forces began ground operations in southern Lebanon, the military has managed to clear several villages there, with some battles against Hezbollah operatives being conducted face-to-face. The IDF Chief of Staff estimates that so far, the IDF has eliminated approximately 1,500 Hezbollah militants, in a "conservative estimate." The IDF also announced today that it destroyed a central underground Radwan Force command center using more than 100 tons of explosives, which was discovered earlier this week. The operation involved fighters from the "Beard" Brigade (8), alongside Yahalom unit fighters. The command center contained weapons storage space, long-term accommodation facilities, scooters, living quarters, ammunition, and more.The commander of the Galilee Formation, Brigadier General Shai Kalper, later said, "We are standing on the ruins of a Hezbollah tunnel that was meant to be used for attacking to conquer Galilee settlements. Forces from Division 8 and Division 91 and the Yahalom unit did an exceptional job here and left no trace of this tunnel. This area is completely destroyed. On the other side, in the village that became a military village both above and below ground, Khair al-Muhabbat, it's impossible to live today. Wherever Hezbollah does these things, we will destroy them completely."**Thousands of Missiles, More Than a Thousand UAVs**Our commentator Ron Ben-Yishai noted today that Hezbollah still has a large quantity, thousands of missiles and rockets for medium and short range, including precise ones, which they can launch toward Israel - so the threat still exists. Hezbollah probably feels they are close to exhausting what they can do with rockets and missiles, while the potential of explosive UAVs, which are essentially small cruise missiles, is still far from exhaustion. Although the terror organization talks about swarms of UAVs, so far they haven't operated them in groups larger than five at once toward a single target. Ben-Yishai added that it appears Hezbollah, which still has more than a thousand UAVs, has moved to make intensive use of them by attempting to deliver simultaneous UAV strikes on multiple targets - mainly military targets and government targets within Israel. Meanwhile, there has been some decrease in the quantity of rockets and missiles, and also in the quantity and quality (precision and range) of missiles and rockets that Hezbollah launches toward Israeli territory.According to Ben-Yishai, "the new phase" that Hezbollah declared in the war a few days ago - or the new method that Hezbollah is trying - isn't really new. The organization is trying to combine intensive short-range rocket barrages with UAVs, with the goal of confusing and deceiving detection and interception systems, mainly Iron Dome. At the same time, the goal is to also cause many interception fragments to fall in additional areas, even in cases where rockets didn't directly explode there. This is a "triple saturation": of detection means, of Iron Dome interception batteries, and an effort to use interception fragments as weapons to hit areas where there weren't direct rocket hits. Quantity is the main thing here - the quantity of rocket and UAV launches is at the heart of Hezbollah's current method.According to the IDF, forces operating in southern Lebanon raided terror targets, located and destroyed more than 50 shafts and underground infrastructure located in mosques, schools, and other civilian buildings. Additionally, according to the IDF, the forces located a weapons storage facility with hundreds of Hezbollah weapons, destroyed dozens of terror infrastructure sites, and eliminated terrorists. link
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant tells IDF troops that Hezbollah operatives captured and interrogated by Israel are “terrified” and that the Iran-backed terror group is “collapsing.”
“The prisoners tell us what’s happening, that they’re terrified because they know that they don’t have what it takes to deal with what’s happening. Not in terms of strength, combat ability, precision or determination,” he tells troops of the IDF’s 98th Division.
“This whole great formation they call Hezbollah is collapsing.”
The IDF last week published footage of an alleged member of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan forces being interrogated about the terror group’s plans in southern Lebanon and the current state of its operations.
“We are moving from a situation of defeating the enemy village by village, to destruction — blowing up the tunnels and the ammunition depots, and dismantling Hezbollah,” he tells troops.
“The result is that in every place that Hezbollah was waiting and preparing to raid [Israeli] border town, there are IDF soldiers.”
“Our goal is to completely clean this area so that residents can return to their homes and their lives,” he says, referring to Israel’s recently added war goal of returning tens of thousands of northern residents who have been displaced since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack, when Hezbollah began attacking northern Israel on a near-daily basis the day after. link I am hesitant to take Galant's statements at face value. Throughout the war, he has a tendency to make premature and exaggerated statements about the levels of our successes and the levels of the defeats of the enemy. Yes, it is very true that we have dealt tremendous blows to Hizbollah, in particular to the upper levels of their leadership bu they still have tens of thousands of terrorist soldiers and huge amounts of rockets, missiles, anti tank shells and UAVs and we have been seeing their effectiveness of the UAVs in recent weeks with a growing death toll among our soldiers and civilians. It is way to early for these kinds of statements.
Hezbollah is pressing the pedal, aiming to stop quickly.
Hezbollah currently lacks an organized authoritative leadership and experienced military command. Iranian generals are managing the campaign, which is solely intended to improve the terms of a ceasefire and prevent further erosion of the organization’s political standing within Lebanon. Ehud Yaari's analysis highlights that there is no better reading than what is hidden between the lines of articles by Ibrahim Al-Amin, editor of the Beirut-based "Al-Akhbar," who for years has been the conduit for sensitive messages that Hassan Nasrallah preferred not to deliver himself. Since the assassination of his patron, Amin has been writing much more frequently, unlike his usual approach. He has stepped in to boost the morale of the movement’s fighters and supporters, claiming that Hezbollah has already identified the gaps through which Israeli intelligence has inflicted painful surprise blows. He describes slow Israeli progress along the border villages and its tanks being exposed, while rocket and drone capabilities are expanding, among other claims.
However, the bottom line is clear: Hezbollah is no longer fighting for Gaza – it is fighting for its very existence. Not only is Israel rising against it, but also bitter enemies from within Lebanon, the Arab region, and, of course, the "main enemy" – the United States and the West. In other words, this is not the supportive front of the past, but a survival battle in every sense. From my understanding, which is shared by others in Lebanon familiar with Hezbollah, the Iranians and their agents within the organization are concerned about several dangers:
- Hamas has lost its ability to tie up larger Israeli forces in Gaza and has failed to ignite the West Bank. There is concern that Khaled Meshaal – who is not their puppet – might take control of Hamas’ leadership.
- The activity of the Iraqi (and sometimes Syrian) Shiite militias in launching drones – often inefficiently – is generating strong opposition in Baghdad, including from the most important spiritual leader in the Shiite world: Ayatollah Sistani.
- The year-long effort to "heat up" the Jordanian-Israeli border has so far produced little results, and King Abdullah's security services have strongly warned the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan that, despite their success in parliamentary elections, they will face a harsh crackdown if they continue to encourage the movement’s youth to engage in shootings or infiltrations.
Particularly important is that, as I recently explained, Bashar al-Assad is gradually distancing himself from Hezbollah. His brother Maher, who commands the Fourth Division, has ordered his soldiers not to get involved in transferring weapons to Lebanon or shelter Hezbollah operatives in Syrian military bases. In the background are warnings from ErdoΔan that Israel might conquer Damascus. Corrupt Lebanese politicians are now openly betting against Hezbollah, eager to profit from its weakening. For example, it has become clear that Nasrallah's longtime candidate for president, the Maronite leader from far northern Lebanon, Suleiman Frangieh, has lost all chances despite ignoring the advice of parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri. General Joseph Aoun, the army commander, suspected by Hezbollah of being close to the Americans, is once again a leading candidate, sparking hopes that he could function like General Fouad Chehab, the first army commander elected president who performed admirably. Other candidates, such as IMF senior official Jihad Azour, are also not Hezbollah’s favorites.
The mood in Lebanon should not be underestimated. With 1.2 million displaced people, around 3,000 dead, and widespread destruction, there is a loud outcry against Hezbollah, which, rather than acting as a protective shield for the country as it always promised, is proving unable to defend even itself. People recall that Lebanon struggled for many years to rid itself of Palestinian forces on its soil, only to now see it being rebuilt as a branch of Hamas. And, of course, people are asking: where is the help from Iran, and how long will it continue fighting until the last Lebanese? Even the flourishing drug trade in the Bekaa Valley is reportedly being damaged by Israeli air force strikes on Captagon labs and warehouses.
For all these reasons, Hezbollah wants to race to the finish line. They declare escalation but, in reality, are eager for a ceasefire, fearing that with each passing week, conditions will worsen. There is deep concern in both Tehran and Dahiya that the war’s terms will not only be based on Resolution 1701, which banned Hezbollah’s deployment south of the Litani River but was never honored, but also on Resolution 1559, which calls for the disarmament of the organization. Furthermore, any aid package to revive bankrupt Lebanon will likely come with stringent conditions limiting Hezbollah’s role in the government. These fears prompted Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf to propose negotiating a ceasefire with France. The response was unusually harsh: Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati publicly rebuked Iran for interfering in Lebanon’s affairs.
Conclusion: The IDF must complete – with utmost caution – its aerial bombardment deep inside Lebanon and grind down Hezbollah’s front-line units in the south. As for France's shallow and ridiculous President Emmanuel Macron, who is preaching an immediate ceasefire, he should be warned publicly that he risks being remembered as the Γdouard Daladier of our time: the French prime minister who, along with Neville Chamberlain, signed the infamous 1938 Munich Agreement with Hitler and Mussolini. link
West Bank and Jerusalem and Terror attacks within Israel
- The IDF says soldiers arrested four armed Palestinian suspects in the area of the Nabi Musa holy site near the West Bank city of Jericho.
The military says the four were carrying M-16s.
An M-16 carried by a terror suspect arrested in the West Bank, October 20, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)There are no injuries in the incident.
The military says the four were carrying M-16s.
An M-16 carried by a terror suspect arrested in the West Bank, October 20, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
There are no injuries in the incident.
Politics and the War (general news)
- This is an important analysis written by Hussein Ibish very worth reading:
Sinwar's Death Changes Nothing
The Gaza war will go on until both sides stop wanting it to. By Hussein Ibish
The killing on Thursday of the Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the principal architect of the October 7 attack on southern Israel, offers a golden opportunity for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare victory and begin pulling troops out of Gaza. But that is not going to happen. Most likely, nothing will change, because neither Netanyahu nor Hamas wants it to.
Netanyahu’s calculation is no mystery. Should he leave political office, he faces a criminal-corruption trial and a probable inquiry into the security meltdown on October 7. He has apparently concluded that the best way to stay out of prison is to stay in power, and the best way to stay in power is to keep the war going—specifically, the war in Gaza. The battle against Hezbollah in Lebanon is too volatile, and involves too many other actors, including the United States, Iran, and Gulf Arab countries, for Israel to keep control of its trajectory. For this reason, Lebanon is much less useful than Gaza as a domestic political tool.
For Israel, the war in Gaza has become a counterinsurgency campaign with limited losses day to day. This level of conflict likely seems manageable for the short term, and appears beneficial to Netanyahu. Hamas, for its part, seems to think it can hold out in the short term, and gain in the long term. An insurgency requires little sophistication by way of organizational structure or weaponry—only automatic rifles, crude IEDs, and fighters who are prepared to die. Years, possibly a decade or longer, of battles against Israeli occupation forces for control of Palestinian land in Gaza are intended to elevate the Hamas Islamists over the secular-nationalist Fatah party as the nation’s bloodied standard-bearer. Hamas leaders may well see no reason to abandon this path to political power just because Sinwar is dead.
Sinwar effectively controlled Hamas starting from 2017 at the latest, even though Ismail Haniyeh, based in Qatar, was the group’s official chairman. Only after Israel assassinated Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31 did Sinwar formally become the leader he had long actually been. Today, fighters such as Sinwar’s younger brother Mohamed, the commander of the southern brigade, and Izz al-Din Haddad, the commander in northern Gaza, are ready to step into the leadership role with or without official titles. The political figureheads in Qatar will most likely continue to do what they’ve done for at least the past decade, serving mainly as diplomats, tasked with securing money and arms, as well as defending and promoting Hamas policies on television.
The only scenario in which Sinwar’s death would lead the “hotel guys” to gain real authority instead of these fighters would be if the group’s remaining leadership cadres decided that Hamas should stand down long enough to rebuild. This could be a tactical pause; it could also be a strategic decision, if the group finds itself so exhausted that it prefers making a deal to continuing an insurgency that could take many years to achieve its political purpose. In either of these scenarios, Hamas would be looking above all for reconstruction aid—which would give the exiled leaders, who are best placed to secure such aid, leverage over the militants on the ground. link
Sinwar's Death Changes Nothing
The Gaza war will go on until both sides stop wanting it to. By Hussein Ibish
The killing on Thursday of the Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the principal architect of the October 7 attack on southern Israel, offers a golden opportunity for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare victory and begin pulling troops out of Gaza. But that is not going to happen. Most likely, nothing will change, because neither Netanyahu nor Hamas wants it to.
Netanyahu’s calculation is no mystery. Should he leave political office, he faces a criminal-corruption trial and a probable inquiry into the security meltdown on October 7. He has apparently concluded that the best way to stay out of prison is to stay in power, and the best way to stay in power is to keep the war going—specifically, the war in Gaza. The battle against Hezbollah in Lebanon is too volatile, and involves too many other actors, including the United States, Iran, and Gulf Arab countries, for Israel to keep control of its trajectory. For this reason, Lebanon is much less useful than Gaza as a domestic political tool.
For Israel, the war in Gaza has become a counterinsurgency campaign with limited losses day to day. This level of conflict likely seems manageable for the short term, and appears beneficial to Netanyahu. Hamas, for its part, seems to think it can hold out in the short term, and gain in the long term. An insurgency requires little sophistication by way of organizational structure or weaponry—only automatic rifles, crude IEDs, and fighters who are prepared to die. Years, possibly a decade or longer, of battles against Israeli occupation forces for control of Palestinian land in Gaza are intended to elevate the Hamas Islamists over the secular-nationalist Fatah party as the nation’s bloodied standard-bearer. Hamas leaders may well see no reason to abandon this path to political power just because Sinwar is dead.
Sinwar effectively controlled Hamas starting from 2017 at the latest, even though Ismail Haniyeh, based in Qatar, was the group’s official chairman. Only after Israel assassinated Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31 did Sinwar formally become the leader he had long actually been. Today, fighters such as Sinwar’s younger brother Mohamed, the commander of the southern brigade, and Izz al-Din Haddad, the commander in northern Gaza, are ready to step into the leadership role with or without official titles. The political figureheads in Qatar will most likely continue to do what they’ve done for at least the past decade, serving mainly as diplomats, tasked with securing money and arms, as well as defending and promoting Hamas policies on television.
The only scenario in which Sinwar’s death would lead the “hotel guys” to gain real authority instead of these fighters would be if the group’s remaining leadership cadres decided that Hamas should stand down long enough to rebuild. This could be a tactical pause; it could also be a strategic decision, if the group finds itself so exhausted that it prefers making a deal to continuing an insurgency that could take many years to achieve its political purpose. In either of these scenarios, Hamas would be looking above all for reconstruction aid—which would give the exiled leaders, who are best placed to secure such aid, leverage over the militants on the ground. link
- "Intentional Pentagon Leak? Documents on 'Israel's Preparations to Strike Iran' - and the Message"
Apparently authentic Pentagon documents leaked on X (formerly Twitter) describe preparations for an attack on Iran. Among other things, it's claimed that the Air Force conducted aerial refueling exercises this week and "handled" air-launched ballistic missiles. According to the report, the timing of the attack is not necessarily immediate - and the leak may have been intentional, both to address criticism that Biden has no influence over Israel, and to validate his statement: "We know how and when they will act."
The documents, dated October 16, 2024, indicate that the Israeli Air Force recently conducted exercises and "rehearsals" for the strike, which would be a response to Iran's ballistic missile attack earlier this month. The documents also mention naval and ground forces, which are not expected to take part in the attack. The seemingly authentic documents don't detail Israel's complete intentions for the attack, but rather general preparations for long-range strikes by the Israeli Air Force.
The highly classified report mentions that based on various images, the Air Force continued to "handle" air-launched ballistic missiles (ALBM), noting that since October 8, handling of at least 16 missiles dubbed "Golden Horizon" and at least 40 "ISO2" or "Rocks" missiles was observed. It also mentions "covert drone activity" and claims the Air Force conducted a "second large-scale deployment exercise" between October 15-16.
The report also mentioned that during those days, activity related to air-to-surface missiles (ASM) was observed at the Israeli Air Force bases of Ramat David and Ramon. "The Israeli Air Force was dealing with what appears to be an unidentified ASM at the Ramat David base on October 15. One unidentified ASM was seen in front of a fortified aircraft bunker typically associated with precision munitions," the document claimed.
In another leaked document, which allegedly contains an analysis by the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), it was noted that the IDF continues preparations related to various munitions and "covert UAV activities," "almost certainly for a strike on Iran." The document also stated that Israel "likely" conducted an aerial refueling drill on October 16. Additionally, it mentioned that on that same day, Israel continued its covert UAV operations, with a side note referring to Israel's alleged ability to use UAVs to gather intelligence in Iran and "across the region."
Another note mentioned in the report emphasized that no activity related to Jericho 2 missiles was observed on October 16, and that on October 1—the day of the Iranian missile attack—these missiles were "dispersed" by Israel. "We have no indications that this dispersal has ended. The dispersal of MRBM (medium-range ballistic missiles) is almost certainly defensive," it stated, adding: "We have not observed any indications that Israel intends to use nuclear weapons."
According to the report and its indications, the timing of the strike is not imminent (the report was written three days ago). It seems to be a deliberate leak from the Pentagon, possibly aimed at countering criticism from the progressive camp in the Democratic Party against the Biden administration, suggesting that it has no influence over Israel. The leak also appears to demonstrate to the American public—and particularly to Netanyahu—that the U.S. has good control over the details. Furthermore, it lends credibility to Biden's statement in Berlin, where he claimed to have a good understanding of the goals and timing of the Israeli strike on Iran.
U.S. President Joe Biden said during a briefing with reporters yesterday, "We know how and when Israel will respond to the Iranian attack." He added, "From my perspective, there is potential for us to handle the situation between Israel and Iran in a way that will end the conflict for a while. In other words, it will lead to the end of the conflict and stop the mutual responses." His remarks come amid reports that Israel informed the U.S. it would not target nuclear or oil facilities in Iran, but rather military targets.
Meanwhile, in Israel, officials state that preparations for an attack on Iran are ongoing and will not be affected by the elimination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. The response is likely to come soon, as can be inferred not only from the increased military readiness by Israel, the U.S., and Iran, or the heightened rhetoric, but also from the views of many Israeli experts on the Iranian issue. Link
The Region and the World
- The United States would like to see Israel scale back some of its strikes in and around the Lebanese capital of Beirut, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says.
“The number of civilian casualties have been far too high,” he tells reporters at a G7 defense gathering in the Italian city of Naples. “We’d like to see Israel scale back on some of the strikes it’s taking, especially in and around Beirut, and we’d like to see things transition to some sort of negotiation that will allow civilians on both sides of the border to return to their homes.”
Personal Stories
Taken captive: Youssef Hamis Ziyadne from RahatTaken from Kibbutz Holit, Bedouin father still in Gaza after two of his three hostage children released November 30
Youssef Hamis Ziyadne, 53, was taken captive to Gaza, along with three other children, Hamza Ziyadne, 22, Bilal Ziyadne, 18, and Aisha Ziyadne, 17, while working in Kibbutz Holit.
Bilal and Aisha were released on November 30 after more than 50 days in Hamas captivity; Youssef and Hamza remain hostages in Gaza.
Youssef, 53, married with two wives and 19 children, was working in the kibbutz cow shed. Hamza, 22, married and father of two, and Bilal, 18, and single, were working with their father, while their sister had joined them for the morning.
The family lives in Rahat, in the Ziyadne neighborhood, named for their extensive family clan.
Following their release, Bilal said the terrorists kidnapped him and his family members even though they knew they were Arabs, as he struggled to describe his experiences in a recent interview.
Bilal said the four of them were kept together, and they were brought enough food to not be hungry, “normal food. Bread, beans, tomatoes, falafel, things like that.”
They did not know there were other hostages outside of the four members of their family and were unaware of the seriousness of the situation.
“We didn’t think the war would take that long. It felt like such a long time, we prayed to be freed,” said Bilal.
Bilal said that all four of them were provided with “a mattress, pillow, blanket,” unlike many of the other freed hostages who said they slept on the bare ground and were given barely enough food to survive.
The terrorists also gave them a Quran, he said.
The released teen said he felt afraid of the Israeli airstrikes he would hear, but not of Hamas: “I’m scared for those who are still there… I feel and I know what they’re going through.” link
“The number of civilian casualties have been far too high,” he tells reporters at a G7 defense gathering in the Italian city of Naples. “We’d like to see Israel scale back on some of the strikes it’s taking, especially in and around Beirut, and we’d like to see things transition to some sort of negotiation that will allow civilians on both sides of the border to return to their homes.”
Youssef Hamis Ziyadne, 53, was taken captive to Gaza, along with three other children, Hamza Ziyadne, 22, Bilal Ziyadne, 18, and Aisha Ziyadne, 17, while working in Kibbutz Holit.
Bilal and Aisha were released on November 30 after more than 50 days in Hamas captivity; Youssef and Hamza remain hostages in Gaza.
Youssef, 53, married with two wives and 19 children, was working in the kibbutz cow shed. Hamza, 22, married and father of two, and Bilal, 18, and single, were working with their father, while their sister had joined them for the morning.
The family lives in Rahat, in the Ziyadne neighborhood, named for their extensive family clan.
Following their release, Bilal said the terrorists kidnapped him and his family members even though they knew they were Arabs, as he struggled to describe his experiences in a recent interview.
Bilal said the four of them were kept together, and they were brought enough food to not be hungry, “normal food. Bread, beans, tomatoes, falafel, things like that.”
They did not know there were other hostages outside of the four members of their family and were unaware of the seriousness of the situation.
“We didn’t think the war would take that long. It felt like such a long time, we prayed to be freed,” said Bilal.
Bilal said that all four of them were provided with “a mattress, pillow, blanket,” unlike many of the other freed hostages who said they slept on the bare ground and were given barely enough food to survive.
The terrorists also gave them a Quran, he said.
The released teen said he felt afraid of the Israeli airstrikes he would hear, but not of Hamas: “I’m scared for those who are still there… I feel and I know what they’re going through.” link
Dark Legacy - The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages
Negligence: It’s Policy,
Not an Error
Noa Sattath
Reformist Rabbi, Executive Director of
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel.
In Israel, the office of Prime Minister bears the highest responsibility in
maintaining a functioning government. It exerts various authorities, as
well as formal and informal powers, that facilitate the leadership of the
country. It is the Prime Minister’s duty to use all means of governmental,
political, and military defense tools to lead the country in the manner
that is best for its citizens.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been neglecting his leadership
role for many years in order to cement his rule.
Netanyahu has been forsaking the fabric of Jewish-Arab partnership by
inciting the public against the Arab community in order to garner political
profit. This has been going on for many years, and more so since 2015.
He has eroded Israel’s structure of checks and balances by utilizing an
incitement campaign against the media and against social services. He
left Israel’s political system open to extremism, racism, and violence when he normalized and promoted the “Otzma Yehudit” (Jewish Power) party
and its representatives to senior offices in the country’s administration.
Netanyahu’s negligence has reached new heights since the last election,
as he went after Israel’s democratic institutions by promoting a dangerous
judicial coup, all while disregarding Israel’s security in favor of that coup.
Since the beginning of the war, however, we have witnessed a new kind
of neglect. The Prime Minister systematically ignores all of the tools at
his disposal for the sake of cruel, abusive, and relentless use of violence
and force.
Rather than restoring the public’s wavering faith in the ability of the law
enforcement systems to protect them, the Prime Minister has allowed
unrestricted distribution of guns to hundreds of civilians. These guns will
inevitably be used to perpetrate violence against women, and by people
who wish to harm themselves. They will accidentally harm innocent
people or will be used by crime syndicates. In addition, Netanyahu allows,
legitimizes, and encourages unrestrained use of police violence against
protesters while inciting against the protesters themselves.
In the West Bank, the Prime Minister supports unprecedented and appalling
violence by settlers against Palestinians, forsaking his responsibility by
letting the hardline extremist religious-nationalist representatives of
the Hilltop Youths in his administration run the area to their Messianic
heart’s content.
In addition to all these, and perhaps even first among them, is Netanyahu’s
conduct while running the war. He continuously violates international
law, commits war crimes, uses unchecked power that harms the innocent,
and endangers the country’s security in a war that has no clear-cut goals and whose end game is unattainable. This conduct delays, and is meant to
delay, the achievement of a hostage release deal, leaving the hostages—
who have been neglected since the very moment they were taken—
suffering extremely since, in an incomprehensible cycle of disaster.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, even before mentioning the collapse of
the state’s education system, the Arab community’s emergency situation
in dealing with internal violence, depleted social services, and a public
health system in deep crisis. Layers upon layers of negligence are the
Prime Minister’s legacy. Wherever you look there is a trail of neglect
and collapse.
Only when we will be able to rise from the ruins and begin rebuilding will
we understand the depth of negligence for which Benjamin Netanyahu
is responsible as Israel’s Prime Minister over the last two decades.
Negligence: It’s Policy, Not an Error
Noa Sattath
Reformist Rabbi, Executive Director of The Association for Civil Rights in Israel.
In Israel, the office of Prime Minister bears the highest responsibility in maintaining a functioning government. It exerts various authorities, as well as formal and informal powers, that facilitate the leadership of the country. It is the Prime Minister’s duty to use all means of governmental, political, and military defense tools to lead the country in the manner that is best for its citizens.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been neglecting his leadership role for many years in order to cement his rule.
Netanyahu has been forsaking the fabric of Jewish-Arab partnership by inciting the public against the Arab community in order to garner political profit. This has been going on for many years, and more so since 2015.
He has eroded Israel’s structure of checks and balances by utilizing an incitement campaign against the media and against social services. He left Israel’s political system open to extremism, racism, and violence when he normalized and promoted the “Otzma Yehudit” (Jewish Power) party and its representatives to senior offices in the country’s administration.
Netanyahu’s negligence has reached new heights since the last election, as he went after Israel’s democratic institutions by promoting a dangerous judicial coup, all while disregarding Israel’s security in favor of that coup.
Since the beginning of the war, however, we have witnessed a new kind of neglect. The Prime Minister systematically ignores all of the tools at his disposal for the sake of cruel, abusive, and relentless use of violence and force.
Rather than restoring the public’s wavering faith in the ability of the law enforcement systems to protect them, the Prime Minister has allowed unrestricted distribution of guns to hundreds of civilians. These guns will inevitably be used to perpetrate violence against women, and by people who wish to harm themselves. They will accidentally harm innocent people or will be used by crime syndicates. In addition, Netanyahu allows, legitimizes, and encourages unrestrained use of police violence against protesters while inciting against the protesters themselves.
In the West Bank, the Prime Minister supports unprecedented and appalling violence by settlers against Palestinians, forsaking his responsibility by letting the hardline extremist religious-nationalist representatives of the Hilltop Youths in his administration run the area to their Messianic heart’s content.
In addition to all these, and perhaps even first among them, is Netanyahu’s conduct while running the war. He continuously violates international law, commits war crimes, uses unchecked power that harms the innocent, and endangers the country’s security in a war that has no clear-cut goals and whose end game is unattainable. This conduct delays, and is meant to delay, the achievement of a hostage release deal, leaving the hostages— who have been neglected since the very moment they were taken— suffering extremely since, in an incomprehensible cycle of disaster.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, even before mentioning the collapse of the state’s education system, the Arab community’s emergency situation in dealing with internal violence, depleted social services, and a public health system in deep crisis. Layers upon layers of negligence are the Prime Minister’s legacy. Wherever you look there is a trail of neglect and collapse.
Only when we will be able to rise from the ruins and begin rebuilding will we understand the depth of negligence for which Benjamin Netanyahu is responsible as Israel’s Prime Minister over the last two decades.
Acronyms and Glossary
ICC - International Criminal Court in the Hague
IJC - International Court of Justice in the Hague
MDA - Magen David Adom - Israel Ambulance Corp
PA - Palestinian Authority - President Mahmud Abbas, aka Abu Mazen
PMO- Prime Minister's Office
UAV - Unmanned Aerial vehicle, Drone. Could be used for surveillance and reconnaissance, or be weaponized with missiles or contain explosives for 'suicide' explosion mission
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