π️Lonny's War Update- October 381, 2023 - October 21, 2024 π️
π️Day 381 that 101 of our hostages in Hamas captivity
**There is nothing more important than getting them home! NOTHING!**
“I’ve never met them,But I miss them. I’ve never met them,but I think of them every second. I’ve never met them,but they are my family. BRING THEM HOME NOW!!!”
We’re waiting for you, all of you.
A deal is the only way to bring
all the hostages home- the murdered for burial and the living for rehabilitation.
#BringThemHomeNow #TurnTheHorrorIntoHope
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
*7:00pm yesterday - north - rockets/missiles*7:30pm - yesterday - north - rockets/missiles
*7:45pm - yesterday - north - rockets/missiles
*9:10pm yesterday - north - hostile aircraft - Batzet Beach, Rosh Hanikra
*10:00pm yesterday - north -rockets/missiles
*11:05pm yesterday - rockets/missiles
*11:30pm yesterday -rockets/missiles
*12:05am - north - hostile aircraft - Misgav Am, Margaliot, Manara, Kiryat Shemona -rockets/missiles
*1:55am - Jordan Valley - hostile aircraft - Mehola, Shedmot Mehula-rockets/missiles
*2:50am - north - rockets/missiles
*7:55am - north - rockets/missiles
*8:15am - north - rockets/missiles
*8:25am - north - rockets/missiles
*8:35am - north - hostile aircraft - Neot Mordecai -rockets/missiles
*9:20am - north - rockets/missiles
*10:10am - north - rockets/missiles
*10:50am - North - rockets/missiles
*11:40am - north - rockets/missiles
*11:45am - north - rockets/missiles
*12:05pm - north - rockets/missiles
*12:25pm - center north and west of Haifa-rockets/missiles
*12:30pm - Haifa and areas around -rockets/missiles
*12:30pm - north - rockets/missiles
*12:30pm - Acre and areas around-rockets/missiles
*1:15pm - north - rockets/missiles
*2:10pm - north - rockets/missiles
*2:35pm - north -rockets/missiles
*2:40pm - north -
*3:35pm - north -
*3:45pm - north -
*4:10pm - north -
*4:25pm - north -
*4:50pm - north -
*5:10pm - south - Sderot, Ibim - rockets
*5:50pm - north -
*5:55pm - north - hostile aircraft - Gesher Haziv, Naharia
The commander of the IDF’s 401st Armored Brigade, Col. Ehsan Daqsa, was killed during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip earlier today, the military announces.
According to an initial IDF probe, Daqsa’s tank and another tank were hit by explosive devices during operations in Jabaliya.
Daqsa is one of the most senior officers to have been killed in the fighting in Gaza.
Another officer was seriously wounded in the same incident.
Daqsa, 41, was from the Druze town of Daliyat al-Karmel. He took command of the 401st Brigade in June. Daqsa also was decorated with a citation from the head of the Northern Command for his involvement in the Battle of Ayta ash-Shab in 2006.
May his memory forever be a blessing
An IDF probe into the death of Col. Ehsan Daqsa, the commander of the 401st Armored Brigade in the northern Gaza Strip, has found that the senior officer was outside his tank with other officers when they were hit by an explosive device.
According to the updated probe, Daqsa, the commander of the brigade’s 52nd Battalion, and two other officers got out of their tanks in Jabaliya and walked several meters to an observation point.
The site had been booby-trapped with explosives, which killed Daqsa on the spot, seriously wounded the 52nd Battalion commander, and injured the other two officers who are listed in light and moderate condition.
The IDF has appointed Col. Meir Biderman, the deputy head of the 162nd Division, to be the acting commander of the 401st Brigade.
Col. Benny Aharon, another former commander of the 401st Brigade, will take Biderman’s place.
Lt. Col. Daniel Ella, the former commander of the 52nd Battalion who was moderately wounded during fighting in Gaza in July, will return as the battalion’s acting commander.
Sgt. Elishai Young, 19, a member of the non-Jewish Hebrew Israelites Community, who was killed in north Gaza on Saturday, is buried at the Dimona Military cemetery in the presence of IDF soldiers, and family and friends.
Sgt. Elishai Young who fell in Gaza on October 19, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
Noting that Young’s battalion commander was still fighting for his life, having been injured during the same incident just meters away, a former deputy commander of the 401st brigade, Zafrir Har Shoshanim, praised him for his bravery and commitment.
“You fought like lions. You were proud of your family, your community. You helped your brother [with special needs]. You had a high level of commitment and insisted on being at the front. Your commanders knew they could depend on you. You were reliable, organized, willing to do anything from the smallest thing to the biggest. You were a special character. Also a man of music. Music was your life. You are an inseparable part of us.,” he says.
Before collapsing in tears, Young’s mother, Shiria, a widow, recalls how Young would call and promise, “Mom, don’t worry, I’m coming home.”
Friends and relatives speak about a young man who tried to be the best in everything he did, including his studies, who insisted on going into an IDF combat unit; a man who was devoted to music, and could often be seen wearing earphones.
The 2,500-strong Hebrew Israelites Community has been fighting for citizenship since settling in the southern community in the late 1960s.
Members came in the footsteps of the late Ben Carter, a Chicago steelworker who renamed himself Ben Ammi Ben Israel and claimed to be God’s representative on earth.
Benny Biton, Dimona’s Mayor, calls on the government to grant citizenship to those who don’t yet have it, particularly following Young’s death. He notes, “100 percent of this community serves in the IDF and we’ve been living with them for nearly 50 years.”
Also in attendance are Welfar Minister Ya’akov Margi, Michael Biton, of the National Union party, a former mayor of the southern town of Yeruham, and Dimona’s chief rabbi.
*7:45pm - yesterday - north - rockets/missiles
*9:10pm yesterday - north - hostile aircraft - Batzet Beach, Rosh Hanikra
*10:00pm yesterday - north -rockets/missiles
*11:05pm yesterday - rockets/missiles
*11:30pm yesterday -rockets/missiles
*12:05am - north - hostile aircraft - Misgav Am, Margaliot, Manara, Kiryat Shemona -rockets/missiles
*1:55am - Jordan Valley - hostile aircraft - Mehola, Shedmot Mehula-rockets/missiles
*2:50am - north - rockets/missiles
*7:55am - north - rockets/missiles
*8:15am - north - rockets/missiles
*8:25am - north - rockets/missiles
*8:35am - north - hostile aircraft - Neot Mordecai -rockets/missiles
*9:20am - north - rockets/missiles
*10:10am - north - rockets/missiles
*10:50am - North - rockets/missiles
*11:40am - north - rockets/missiles
*11:45am - north - rockets/missiles
*12:05pm - north - rockets/missiles
*12:25pm - center north and west of Haifa-rockets/missiles
*12:30pm - Haifa and areas around -rockets/missiles
*12:30pm - north - rockets/missiles
*12:30pm - Acre and areas around-rockets/missiles
*1:15pm - north - rockets/missiles
*2:10pm - north - rockets/missiles
*2:35pm - north -rockets/missiles
*2:40pm - north -
*3:35pm - north -
*3:45pm - north -
*4:10pm - north -
*4:25pm - north -
*4:50pm - north -
*5:10pm - south - Sderot, Ibim - rockets
*5:50pm - north -
*5:55pm - north - hostile aircraft - Gesher Haziv, Naharia
The commander of the IDF’s 401st Armored Brigade, Col. Ehsan Daqsa, was killed during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip earlier today, the military announces.
According to an initial IDF probe, Daqsa’s tank and another tank were hit by explosive devices during operations in Jabaliya.
Daqsa is one of the most senior officers to have been killed in the fighting in Gaza.
Another officer was seriously wounded in the same incident.
Daqsa, 41, was from the Druze town of Daliyat al-Karmel. He took command of the 401st Brigade in June. Daqsa also was decorated with a citation from the head of the Northern Command for his involvement in the Battle of Ayta ash-Shab in 2006.
May his memory forever be a blessing
An IDF probe into the death of Col. Ehsan Daqsa, the commander of the 401st Armored Brigade in the northern Gaza Strip, has found that the senior officer was outside his tank with other officers when they were hit by an explosive device.
According to the updated probe, Daqsa, the commander of the brigade’s 52nd Battalion, and two other officers got out of their tanks in Jabaliya and walked several meters to an observation point.
The site had been booby-trapped with explosives, which killed Daqsa on the spot, seriously wounded the 52nd Battalion commander, and injured the other two officers who are listed in light and moderate condition.
The IDF has appointed Col. Meir Biderman, the deputy head of the 162nd Division, to be the acting commander of the 401st Brigade.
Col. Benny Aharon, another former commander of the 401st Brigade, will take Biderman’s place.
Lt. Col. Daniel Ella, the former commander of the 52nd Battalion who was moderately wounded during fighting in Gaza in July, will return as the battalion’s acting commander.
Sgt. Elishai Young, 19, a member of the non-Jewish Hebrew Israelites Community, who was killed in north Gaza on Saturday, is buried at the Dimona Military cemetery in the presence of IDF soldiers, and family and friends.
Sgt. Elishai Young who fell in Gaza on October 19, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
Noting that Young’s battalion commander was still fighting for his life, having been injured during the same incident just meters away, a former deputy commander of the 401st brigade, Zafrir Har Shoshanim, praised him for his bravery and commitment.
“You fought like lions. You were proud of your family, your community. You helped your brother [with special needs]. You had a high level of commitment and insisted on being at the front. Your commanders knew they could depend on you. You were reliable, organized, willing to do anything from the smallest thing to the biggest. You were a special character. Also a man of music. Music was your life. You are an inseparable part of us.,” he says.
Before collapsing in tears, Young’s mother, Shiria, a widow, recalls how Young would call and promise, “Mom, don’t worry, I’m coming home.”
Friends and relatives speak about a young man who tried to be the best in everything he did, including his studies, who insisted on going into an IDF combat unit; a man who was devoted to music, and could often be seen wearing earphones.
The 2,500-strong Hebrew Israelites Community has been fighting for citizenship since settling in the southern community in the late 1960s.
Members came in the footsteps of the late Ben Carter, a Chicago steelworker who renamed himself Ben Ammi Ben Israel and claimed to be God’s representative on earth.
Benny Biton, Dimona’s Mayor, calls on the government to grant citizenship to those who don’t yet have it, particularly following Young’s death. He notes, “100 percent of this community serves in the IDF and we’ve been living with them for nearly 50 years.”
Also in attendance are Welfar Minister Ya’akov Margi, Michael Biton, of the National Union party, a former mayor of the southern town of Yeruham, and Dimona’s chief rabbi.
Hostage Updates
After the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza last week and as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convenes the security cabinet, relatives of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza call on the premier to push for a deal to free their loved ones.
From left to right, Shelly Shem-Tov, Sharon Sharabi and Gilad Korngold speak at a special press conference calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to close a deal to free their loved ones from Hamas captivity, October 20, 2024. (Hostages and Missing Families Forum)Sharon Sharabi, whose brothers Eli Sharabi and Yossi Sharabi were kidnapped to Gaza on October 7 (Yossi was at one point believed to have been killed in an IDF strike), says that a “real opportunity has been created to bring back the hostages.”
“It was always said that Sinwar was making things difficult and didn’t want a deal. Now that the main stumbling block has been removed, there is significant potential to fulfill the will of the Israeli public and act according to the moral compass that has been silent for a whole year,” she says at a special press conference.
“Victory consists of two main things: defeating Hamas and returning the hostages. The top Hamas leadership and commanders have all have been defeated. Now is the time to instruct the negotiating team to be decisive in returning the hostages.”
Shelly Shem-Tov, whose 21-year-old son Omer Shem Tov was abducted from the Nova music festival on October 7, says: “In the last month and a half, the IDF has achieved extraordinary accomplishments on all fronts. We heard the prime minister say he wants to make a deal but there’s no one to talk to, but now the time has come. The big obstacle is no longer here. The time has come to do what needs to be done and that is to bring our loved ones home.”
Gilad Korngold, whose son Tal Shoham is held captive in Gaza, addresses Netanyahu: “Prime minister, the IDF has achieved significant accomplishments in Gaza, and now the final leg remains to fulfill your moral duty and bring back all the hostages.”
It is believed that 97 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.
Hamas released 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released before that. Eight hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 37 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military as they tried to escape their captors.
Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014.
Einav Tsangaoker's birthday message to Netanyahu: "Open your heart to our cries"
The mother of kidnapped Matan reached out to the Prime Minister in a social media post on his 75th birthday: "This year, I’ll make a wish on behalf of the mandate I gave you in the elections," wrote Tsangaoker. "Be a worthy leader who prioritizes the lives of his citizens above all other interests, who brings a deal instead of spinning us with distractions."
Einav Tsangaoker, the mother of kidnapped Matan, addressed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this morning (Monday), on his birthday, calling for him to advance a deal: "Today is the birthday of our Prime Minister. Reaching 75 is no small feat; there are hostages who will never celebrate birthdays again. There are hostages who have already celebrated two birthdays in captivity."
"My Matan celebrated his 24th birthday in Hamas captivity, in the tunnels," Tsangaoker continued, who has been fighting for over a year for her son's release from Hamas captivity. "Without the crumb cheesecake he loves—without balloons, without family, without friends, without a smile on his face, without 'happy birthday' wishes and blessings for a long life, and without a mother's hug."
The mother of the hostage also added: "I wish you, Mr. Prime Minister, that for your birthday, you open your heart to our cries. Understand that the hostages don’t have time; they are being raped, tortured, suffering, and also dying there. The 101 people rotting in the tunnels are the most important thing for our country right now. Without them, we have no revival, no country."
"I wish you the strength to see the pain of your citizens and bring back the hostages in a deal," Tsangaoker continued in her sharp words. "This year, I will make a wish on behalf of the mandate I gave you in the elections: be a worthy leader who puts the lives of his citizens above all other interests, who brings a deal instead of spinning us with distractions." link - Most of the population share Einav's wishes but very few believe they will come true. Netanyahu has proven time and time again throughout this war, throughout all of the 381 days that 101 hostages have been in Hamas captivity, that he doesn't have the strength to see or even care about the pain that is being inflicted daily, hourly, even minute. He lacks the empathy and the sympathy to feel, understand or care about the hostages, the torture, brutality, rape, starvation and all of the horrors they are experiencing for 381 days, or for their families. It matters very little to him that the country is crying out to him to bring them home and end this war. The healing of the nation that can't begin until the hostages are home is not on his mind for a second. Only his political and personal needs take precedent over all else. What better proof than the other night when a Hizbollah UAV suppposedly targeted his mansion in Caesarea and missed: no damage whatsoever. But the Government insurance authority (Mas rechush) that handles damages due to terror activity or war was at his mansion within 1.5 hours to assess any damage while there are people who have had their homes demolished or damaged in the north throughout this entire year still haven't seen the agents of Mas Rechush. Einav wishes him to be "a worthy leader who puts the lives of his citizens above all other interests, who brings a deal instead of spinning us with distractions." Unfortunately for all of us, he is incapable of this and is definitely not a worthy leader and not worthy of the people of Israel.
The brother of twins held hostage in Gaza says he longs to see them again, and that while the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was a good thing, it was unclear how it could impact negotiations for a potential deal.
Ziv and Gali Berman, 27, were kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7, and taken to Gaza.
Ziv and Gali Berman were taken captive by Hamas terrorists from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7, 2023 (Courtesy)“It’s good that [Sinwar] was eliminated. It’s good, it’s important, but what now? We really don’t know. I’m afraid of everything. Who are we negotiating with? Are they more moderate or less moderate? Liran Berman tells 103 FM Radio, according to the Walla news site.
Liran says the last sign of life they received from his brothers was in November, when a number of hostages were released during a temporary ceasefire.
“They were kidnapped relatively healthy, beyond the trauma of being taken in their pajamas on a Saturday morning. They weren’t kidnapped with serious injuries or anything life-threatening,” he says. “They were abducted each from different apartments in the neighborhood for young people [in the kibbutz], but we know they were abducted together.”
Liran says that while his brothers worked in lighting for high-level events, they wanted to live a low-key life on the kibbutz.
“They chose the quiet of the Gaza envelope area. They worked with many famous people, but they always returned to Kfar Aza, and helped their father who has Parkinson’s disease. They have a very good friendship and a twin relationship,” he says.
“They are each other’s best friends. From the day they were born, they were together all the time,” he says.
Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar flew out of Israel today to discuss attempts to get hostage talks going after the killing of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel. The meeting took place in Cairo, according to Hebrew-language media.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesperson says “new ideas” regarding a deal to free hostages held in Gaza were discussed by high-level officials overnight.
The spokesperson says in a statement the discussions were held during a high-level security cabinet meeting, which has now wrapped up, some eight hours after it was scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.
“During the meeting, new ideas were brought up to examine their feasibility for a hostage release proposal,” the statement reads.
An Israeli official told ToI ahead of the meeting, held in the Kirya Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, that Jerusalem was looking for an opportunity to wrap up the war in Gaza with a hostage deal following the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
The official described Sinwar’s body as “another bargaining chip” in negotiations.
Netanyahu’s office declined to confirm that was the case, saying instead, “We will not end the war until we achieve all of our goals.”
“We are continuing to pressure Hamas militarily,” a PMO official said earlier. “You can see the effects in Jabaliya. We are continuing to kill Hamas members. We are pushing for a psychological collapse.”
An Israeli official told ToI ahead of the meeting that it would deal with Israel’s response to Iran, as well as a drone attack on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home, fighting in Lebanon and Gaza, and opportunities for progress on a hostage deal following Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar’s trip to Cairo for talks. link As I have said before, the PMO declined to confirm because Netanhahu is not interested in making a deal and ending the war. He will sacrifice all of the hostages for his own self interests.
IDF reservists explain refusal to resume service: 'War is killing hostages'
"The state of Israel has put me in an unbearable position. On a personal level I feel betrayed by it and am angry at it," a former deputy commander said.
Despite having been released from reserve duty approximately a year and a half before October 7, 2023, when news of the Hamas massacre broke, Yonah (not his real name) called his commander and showed up to his unit.
“I took [command of] a tank from one of the commanders when it made more sense that I would command over it – at the end of the day, I am an officer, and I am pretty experienced working with tanks and in command,” he said.
He has since served around 240 days in reserves in Gaza and the Gaza border region and was made deputy company commander of his armored corps unit.
His prior release from reserve duty had been on an ideological basis, Yonah explained, saying that he had refused to serve in the West Bank.
A law intern and activist for human rights who describes his view as “closest to liberal Left,” Yonah felt that he wouldn’t be able to handle the complexity of serving as a reservist in the West Bank after doing human rights work there.
He assured the IDF that he was still willing to serve in reserves on other missions but was released nonetheless.
Letter to the IDF
Just before the end of his most recent round of reserve duty, Yonah joined the nearly 140 soldiers who have signed a letter stating that they cannot continue their IDF service if the government does not work towards a hostage deal.
“For some of us, a red line has already been crossed; for others, it is getting closer. The day is coming when we, with broken hearts, will stop reporting for service,” read the letter, addressed to the prime minister, defense minister, and IDF chief of staff.
“The war in Gaza is a death sentence for the hostages,” said the letter, adding that, “today it is clear that the continuation of the war in Gaza is not just delaying the return of the hostages, but endangering their lives.”
In spite of his signature on this letter, and in spite of his previous release from the IDF, Yonah’s signature on this letter is not a wholehearted resignation from reserves, he explained.
He isn’t sure that if called again, he won’t report. His thoughts are with his soldiers who count on him, but he signed the letter as “an expression of the deep frustration with the situation we are in [and] of my complete lack of trust in Israel’s government and decision-makers.”
“I feel that this war is continuing into a pointless war – an unending pointless war,” he added.
“It’s obvious that there are significant forces, that in some regards are the decision-makers in the country, who are leading us to a pointless and strategy-less war.”
These forces place very little value on human life, including for the hostages and those living in the area, as well as for the soldiers, he added.
In signing the letter, he is making the statement that he “won’t be willing to serve in any framework that the Israeli government leads us into.”
YONAH HIGHLIGHTED that in spite of all this, he understands the need for a strong military defending Israel, and knows that Israel was forced to go to war on October 7. This understanding, along with his mistrust of Israel’s leadership and doubts about the war, have put him in an impossible position.
Israel “did not choose this war,” Yonah said, saying he stands behind his decision to join the IDF and defend the Gaza border region but also behind his decision not to wash his hands of responsibility for his actions now.
Yonah described a severe breach of trust between Israel’s leadership and its soldiers.
“I have not met many reservist soldiers recently whose faith in the State of Israel has not been lost.”
“They feel the State of Israel has betrayed them; they feel the price they are paying is high [and] in the name of something that does not clearly serve our military interests,” he said.
These reservists “understand that at the end we will all pay for the abandonment of the hostages, for the destruction of Gaza, and for the lack of acceptance that at the end we will need a diplomatic normalization.”
No trust in his commander
Danny (not his real name), another reservist who signed the letter, described an incident in which he wasn’t able to put his trust in his commanders, and which caused him to leave his reserve duty.
A medic in the Paratroopers Brigade who served in reserves in Gaza for months following October 7, Danny says he participated in the Israel-Hamas War “by coincidence.”
Danny, who describes his political affiliation as Left, had intended to tell his reserves unit he was leaving on October 8 due to moral objections surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict when the war caught him off-guard.
“Leaving [reserves] as a platoon medic at the moment when I am needed most did not feel right, but I also went in with many qualms,” he said. These qualms stayed with him throughout his reserve service, leaving him questioning whether or not he should be there.
The moment when this conflict came to a head was when his unit was given an order to burn a house down, and when Danny asked his commander why they were burning it, the reasons he was given were “just stupid.”
“We are burning houses for nothing. Israel is burning houses for nothing and destroying things for nothing,” he said.
Asked if he remembers the reasons his commander gave him for the order to burn the house, Danny says he won’t forget them.
“He told me two things – two things that are simply stupid. The first thing he said was that we don’t want to expose our fighting methods, which really is meaningless [when fighting from] a house,” he said, explaining that the changes made to houses to allow IDF soldiers to use them are both reversible and not really secret.
“It’s not something surprising; it’s warfare methods – it’s not some secret Raphael weapon.”
The second reason his commander gave him was that his unit might accidentally leave military equipment behind them, Danny said.
This is “also absurd,” Danny added, saying he would do a scan for equipment to ensure nothing was left behind.
“When I say a house, I mean a building,” Danny explains, saying that the burning of the house left two families homeless and that other platoons in his company also burned homes.
“So all the houses in the neighborhood are burned,” he said, adding that this made “black smoke that you can’t forget – of people becoming homeless.”
This incident brought to a head and decided the dilemma that Danny had grappled with since before the war.
“I remember being paradoxically relieved,” he said of being given the order and explanation. “It was the first time that things were simple.”
Danny also highlighted his inability to depend on his commanders to enforce IDF guidelines. A game developed in his unit in which soldiers would take masabahas (prayer beads) from Gazan homes as souvenirs, comparing and collecting them.
“It got to the point where people would go into a house and scan it and all that interested them were the masabahas,” he said, adding the caveat that these searches did also have a military purpose, and would sometimes turn up weapons.
“That is a classic example of how things look [in Gaza]; everything gets mixed up,” Danny said.
This created a situation where soldiers could do whatever they wanted and then claim it had been done professionally as part of an operational need, Danny added.
He also commented on graffiti left in Gazan homes by his unit, saying he would take markers he had handed out to sign tourniquets away from the soldiers in his unit because they were being used for graffiti.
He brought these concerns to one of his commanders. “I was very angry at how they allowed that lawlessness – the graffiti and the looting,” he said.
He said his commander told him, “Listen, you are right, but I don’t have the resources to enforce it at the moment.”
The IDF responded to a request for comment on the accusations, saying that “the IDF has been fighting a murderous terror organization since October 7, and working to achieve the goals of the war, including dismantling the Hamas terror organization and returning the hostages.”
“Burning buildings without a necessary operational need is against the law and the values of the IDF.”
“Cases where there are suspicions of the law being broken or orders being defied are checked in depth. Where there is suspicion of a criminal offense, there will also be an investigation opened by the military police,” it added.
Yonah summed up the dilemma that leaves him torn between the need to protect his country and understanding of the role of the military in making diplomatic agreements possible, and his lack of trust in the county’s leadership and belief that the state does not want to reach agreements or save the hostages.
“The State of Israel has put me in an unbearable position. On a personal level I feel betrayed by it and am angry at it,” he said.
“It is not clear what the essence of this war is, it is not clear what its strategy is, its described as a forever-war, strong forces in today’s government talk openly about renewing Jewish settlement in Gaza,” he said.
“Even when there were concrete [agreements] on the table, Israel chose not to take them,” he said.
ADDRESSING THOSE who claim that the IDF must be kept free from politics, Yonah expressed incredulity, saying that war, in and of itself, is a political thing.
At the end of the day, Yonah emphasized, he is the one leading soldiers into battle, taking lives, and seeing the destruction in Gaza.
Danny expressed the urgency of the fight for the hostages and the reason he thinks refusing to serve is the way to move it forward.
“The fight [to free the hostages] needs to be radicalized. We can’t let people sit in captivity forever.”
“It could have been me and you,” he said.
“The war is not bringing back the hostages; it is killing them. It is delaying their return; it is risking them.”
“Dozens of hostages have been killed; we don’t even know the precise numbers,” he said, adding that hostages “have been killed directly by the actions of the IDF – whether we shot them or whether Hamas killed them when we got close,” he said.
“We can’t keep killing them, and we can’t keep delaying their return.” link
Hostage Updates
After the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza last week and as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convenes the security cabinet, relatives of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza call on the premier to push for a deal to free their loved ones.
From left to right, Shelly Shem-Tov, Sharon Sharabi and Gilad Korngold speak at a special press conference calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to close a deal to free their loved ones from Hamas captivity, October 20, 2024. (Hostages and Missing Families Forum)Sharon Sharabi, whose brothers Eli Sharabi and Yossi Sharabi were kidnapped to Gaza on October 7 (Yossi was at one point believed to have been killed in an IDF strike), says that a “real opportunity has been created to bring back the hostages.”
“It was always said that Sinwar was making things difficult and didn’t want a deal. Now that the main stumbling block has been removed, there is significant potential to fulfill the will of the Israeli public and act according to the moral compass that has been silent for a whole year,” she says at a special press conference.
“Victory consists of two main things: defeating Hamas and returning the hostages. The top Hamas leadership and commanders have all have been defeated. Now is the time to instruct the negotiating team to be decisive in returning the hostages.”
Shelly Shem-Tov, whose 21-year-old son Omer Shem Tov was abducted from the Nova music festival on October 7, says: “In the last month and a half, the IDF has achieved extraordinary accomplishments on all fronts. We heard the prime minister say he wants to make a deal but there’s no one to talk to, but now the time has come. The big obstacle is no longer here. The time has come to do what needs to be done and that is to bring our loved ones home.”
Gilad Korngold, whose son Tal Shoham is held captive in Gaza, addresses Netanyahu: “Prime minister, the IDF has achieved significant accomplishments in Gaza, and now the final leg remains to fulfill your moral duty and bring back all the hostages.”
It is believed that 97 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.
Hamas released 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released before that. Eight hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 37 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military as they tried to escape their captors.
Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014.
Einav Tsangaoker's birthday message to Netanyahu: "Open your heart to our cries"
The mother of kidnapped Matan reached out to the Prime Minister in a social media post on his 75th birthday: "This year, I’ll make a wish on behalf of the mandate I gave you in the elections," wrote Tsangaoker. "Be a worthy leader who prioritizes the lives of his citizens above all other interests, who brings a deal instead of spinning us with distractions."
Einav Tsangaoker, the mother of kidnapped Matan, addressed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this morning (Monday), on his birthday, calling for him to advance a deal: "Today is the birthday of our Prime Minister. Reaching 75 is no small feat; there are hostages who will never celebrate birthdays again. There are hostages who have already celebrated two birthdays in captivity."
"My Matan celebrated his 24th birthday in Hamas captivity, in the tunnels," Tsangaoker continued, who has been fighting for over a year for her son's release from Hamas captivity. "Without the crumb cheesecake he loves—without balloons, without family, without friends, without a smile on his face, without 'happy birthday' wishes and blessings for a long life, and without a mother's hug."
The mother of the hostage also added: "I wish you, Mr. Prime Minister, that for your birthday, you open your heart to our cries. Understand that the hostages don’t have time; they are being raped, tortured, suffering, and also dying there. The 101 people rotting in the tunnels are the most important thing for our country right now. Without them, we have no revival, no country."
"I wish you the strength to see the pain of your citizens and bring back the hostages in a deal," Tsangaoker continued in her sharp words. "This year, I will make a wish on behalf of the mandate I gave you in the elections: be a worthy leader who puts the lives of his citizens above all other interests, who brings a deal instead of spinning us with distractions." link - Most of the population share Einav's wishes but very few believe they will come true. Netanyahu has proven time and time again throughout this war, throughout all of the 381 days that 101 hostages have been in Hamas captivity, that he doesn't have the strength to see or even care about the pain that is being inflicted daily, hourly, even minute. He lacks the empathy and the sympathy to feel, understand or care about the hostages, the torture, brutality, rape, starvation and all of the horrors they are experiencing for 381 days, or for their families. It matters very little to him that the country is crying out to him to bring them home and end this war. The healing of the nation that can't begin until the hostages are home is not on his mind for a second. Only his political and personal needs take precedent over all else. What better proof than the other night when a Hizbollah UAV suppposedly targeted his mansion in Caesarea and missed: no damage whatsoever. But the Government insurance authority (Mas rechush) that handles damages due to terror activity or war was at his mansion within 1.5 hours to assess any damage while there are people who have had their homes demolished or damaged in the north throughout this entire year still haven't seen the agents of Mas Rechush. Einav wishes him to be "a worthy leader who puts the lives of his citizens above all other interests, who brings a deal instead of spinning us with distractions." Unfortunately for all of us, he is incapable of this and is definitely not a worthy leader and not worthy of the people of Israel.
The brother of twins held hostage in Gaza says he longs to see them again, and that while the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was a good thing, it was unclear how it could impact negotiations for a potential deal.
Ziv and Gali Berman, 27, were kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7, and taken to Gaza.
Ziv and Gali Berman were taken captive by Hamas terrorists from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7, 2023 (Courtesy)“It’s good that [Sinwar] was eliminated. It’s good, it’s important, but what now? We really don’t know. I’m afraid of everything. Who are we negotiating with? Are they more moderate or less moderate? Liran Berman tells 103 FM Radio, according to the Walla news site.
Liran says the last sign of life they received from his brothers was in November, when a number of hostages were released during a temporary ceasefire.
“They were kidnapped relatively healthy, beyond the trauma of being taken in their pajamas on a Saturday morning. They weren’t kidnapped with serious injuries or anything life-threatening,” he says. “They were abducted each from different apartments in the neighborhood for young people [in the kibbutz], but we know they were abducted together.”
Liran says that while his brothers worked in lighting for high-level events, they wanted to live a low-key life on the kibbutz.
“They chose the quiet of the Gaza envelope area. They worked with many famous people, but they always returned to Kfar Aza, and helped their father who has Parkinson’s disease. They have a very good friendship and a twin relationship,” he says.
“They are each other’s best friends. From the day they were born, they were together all the time,” he says.
Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar flew out of Israel today to discuss attempts to get hostage talks going after the killing of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel. The meeting took place in Cairo, according to Hebrew-language media.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesperson says “new ideas” regarding a deal to free hostages held in Gaza were discussed by high-level officials overnight.
The spokesperson says in a statement the discussions were held during a high-level security cabinet meeting, which has now wrapped up, some eight hours after it was scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.
“During the meeting, new ideas were brought up to examine their feasibility for a hostage release proposal,” the statement reads.
An Israeli official told ToI ahead of the meeting, held in the Kirya Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, that Jerusalem was looking for an opportunity to wrap up the war in Gaza with a hostage deal following the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
The official described Sinwar’s body as “another bargaining chip” in negotiations.
Netanyahu’s office declined to confirm that was the case, saying instead, “We will not end the war until we achieve all of our goals.”
“We are continuing to pressure Hamas militarily,” a PMO official said earlier. “You can see the effects in Jabaliya. We are continuing to kill Hamas members. We are pushing for a psychological collapse.”
An Israeli official told ToI ahead of the meeting that it would deal with Israel’s response to Iran, as well as a drone attack on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home, fighting in Lebanon and Gaza, and opportunities for progress on a hostage deal following Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar’s trip to Cairo for talks. link As I have said before, the PMO declined to confirm because Netanhahu is not interested in making a deal and ending the war. He will sacrifice all of the hostages for his own self interests.
IDF reservists explain refusal to resume service: 'War is killing hostages'
"The state of Israel has put me in an unbearable position. On a personal level I feel betrayed by it and am angry at it," a former deputy commander said.Despite having been released from reserve duty approximately a year and a half before October 7, 2023, when news of the Hamas massacre broke, Yonah (not his real name) called his commander and showed up to his unit.
“I took [command of] a tank from one of the commanders when it made more sense that I would command over it – at the end of the day, I am an officer, and I am pretty experienced working with tanks and in command,” he said.
He has since served around 240 days in reserves in Gaza and the Gaza border region and was made deputy company commander of his armored corps unit.
His prior release from reserve duty had been on an ideological basis, Yonah explained, saying that he had refused to serve in the West Bank.
A law intern and activist for human rights who describes his view as “closest to liberal Left,” Yonah felt that he wouldn’t be able to handle the complexity of serving as a reservist in the West Bank after doing human rights work there.
He assured the IDF that he was still willing to serve in reserves on other missions but was released nonetheless.
Letter to the IDF
Just before the end of his most recent round of reserve duty, Yonah joined the nearly 140 soldiers who have signed a letter stating that they cannot continue their IDF service if the government does not work towards a hostage deal.
“For some of us, a red line has already been crossed; for others, it is getting closer. The day is coming when we, with broken hearts, will stop reporting for service,” read the letter, addressed to the prime minister, defense minister, and IDF chief of staff.
“The war in Gaza is a death sentence for the hostages,” said the letter, adding that, “today it is clear that the continuation of the war in Gaza is not just delaying the return of the hostages, but endangering their lives.”
In spite of his signature on this letter, and in spite of his previous release from the IDF, Yonah’s signature on this letter is not a wholehearted resignation from reserves, he explained.
He isn’t sure that if called again, he won’t report. His thoughts are with his soldiers who count on him, but he signed the letter as “an expression of the deep frustration with the situation we are in [and] of my complete lack of trust in Israel’s government and decision-makers.”
“I feel that this war is continuing into a pointless war – an unending pointless war,” he added.
“It’s obvious that there are significant forces, that in some regards are the decision-makers in the country, who are leading us to a pointless and strategy-less war.”
These forces place very little value on human life, including for the hostages and those living in the area, as well as for the soldiers, he added.
In signing the letter, he is making the statement that he “won’t be willing to serve in any framework that the Israeli government leads us into.”
YONAH HIGHLIGHTED that in spite of all this, he understands the need for a strong military defending Israel, and knows that Israel was forced to go to war on October 7. This understanding, along with his mistrust of Israel’s leadership and doubts about the war, have put him in an impossible position.
Israel “did not choose this war,” Yonah said, saying he stands behind his decision to join the IDF and defend the Gaza border region but also behind his decision not to wash his hands of responsibility for his actions now.
Yonah described a severe breach of trust between Israel’s leadership and its soldiers.
“I have not met many reservist soldiers recently whose faith in the State of Israel has not been lost.”
“They feel the State of Israel has betrayed them; they feel the price they are paying is high [and] in the name of something that does not clearly serve our military interests,” he said.
These reservists “understand that at the end we will all pay for the abandonment of the hostages, for the destruction of Gaza, and for the lack of acceptance that at the end we will need a diplomatic normalization.”
No trust in his commander
Danny (not his real name), another reservist who signed the letter, described an incident in which he wasn’t able to put his trust in his commanders, and which caused him to leave his reserve duty.
A medic in the Paratroopers Brigade who served in reserves in Gaza for months following October 7, Danny says he participated in the Israel-Hamas War “by coincidence.”
Danny, who describes his political affiliation as Left, had intended to tell his reserves unit he was leaving on October 8 due to moral objections surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict when the war caught him off-guard.
“Leaving [reserves] as a platoon medic at the moment when I am needed most did not feel right, but I also went in with many qualms,” he said. These qualms stayed with him throughout his reserve service, leaving him questioning whether or not he should be there.
The moment when this conflict came to a head was when his unit was given an order to burn a house down, and when Danny asked his commander why they were burning it, the reasons he was given were “just stupid.”
“We are burning houses for nothing. Israel is burning houses for nothing and destroying things for nothing,” he said.
Asked if he remembers the reasons his commander gave him for the order to burn the house, Danny says he won’t forget them.
“He told me two things – two things that are simply stupid. The first thing he said was that we don’t want to expose our fighting methods, which really is meaningless [when fighting from] a house,” he said, explaining that the changes made to houses to allow IDF soldiers to use them are both reversible and not really secret.
“It’s not something surprising; it’s warfare methods – it’s not some secret Raphael weapon.”
The second reason his commander gave him was that his unit might accidentally leave military equipment behind them, Danny said.
This is “also absurd,” Danny added, saying he would do a scan for equipment to ensure nothing was left behind.
“When I say a house, I mean a building,” Danny explains, saying that the burning of the house left two families homeless and that other platoons in his company also burned homes.
“So all the houses in the neighborhood are burned,” he said, adding that this made “black smoke that you can’t forget – of people becoming homeless.”
This incident brought to a head and decided the dilemma that Danny had grappled with since before the war.
“I remember being paradoxically relieved,” he said of being given the order and explanation. “It was the first time that things were simple.”
Danny also highlighted his inability to depend on his commanders to enforce IDF guidelines. A game developed in his unit in which soldiers would take masabahas (prayer beads) from Gazan homes as souvenirs, comparing and collecting them.
“It got to the point where people would go into a house and scan it and all that interested them were the masabahas,” he said, adding the caveat that these searches did also have a military purpose, and would sometimes turn up weapons.
“That is a classic example of how things look [in Gaza]; everything gets mixed up,” Danny said.
This created a situation where soldiers could do whatever they wanted and then claim it had been done professionally as part of an operational need, Danny added.
He also commented on graffiti left in Gazan homes by his unit, saying he would take markers he had handed out to sign tourniquets away from the soldiers in his unit because they were being used for graffiti.
He brought these concerns to one of his commanders. “I was very angry at how they allowed that lawlessness – the graffiti and the looting,” he said.
He said his commander told him, “Listen, you are right, but I don’t have the resources to enforce it at the moment.”
The IDF responded to a request for comment on the accusations, saying that “the IDF has been fighting a murderous terror organization since October 7, and working to achieve the goals of the war, including dismantling the Hamas terror organization and returning the hostages.”
“Burning buildings without a necessary operational need is against the law and the values of the IDF.”
“Cases where there are suspicions of the law being broken or orders being defied are checked in depth. Where there is suspicion of a criminal offense, there will also be an investigation opened by the military police,” it added.
Yonah summed up the dilemma that leaves him torn between the need to protect his country and understanding of the role of the military in making diplomatic agreements possible, and his lack of trust in the county’s leadership and belief that the state does not want to reach agreements or save the hostages.
“The State of Israel has put me in an unbearable position. On a personal level I feel betrayed by it and am angry at it,” he said.
“It is not clear what the essence of this war is, it is not clear what its strategy is, its described as a forever-war, strong forces in today’s government talk openly about renewing Jewish settlement in Gaza,” he said.
“Even when there were concrete [agreements] on the table, Israel chose not to take them,” he said.
ADDRESSING THOSE who claim that the IDF must be kept free from politics, Yonah expressed incredulity, saying that war, in and of itself, is a political thing.
At the end of the day, Yonah emphasized, he is the one leading soldiers into battle, taking lives, and seeing the destruction in Gaza.
Danny expressed the urgency of the fight for the hostages and the reason he thinks refusing to serve is the way to move it forward.
“The fight [to free the hostages] needs to be radicalized. We can’t let people sit in captivity forever.”
“It could have been me and you,” he said.
“The war is not bringing back the hostages; it is killing them. It is delaying their return; it is risking them.”
“Dozens of hostages have been killed; we don’t even know the precise numbers,” he said, adding that hostages “have been killed directly by the actions of the IDF – whether we shot them or whether Hamas killed them when we got close,” he said.
“We can’t keep killing them, and we can’t keep delaying their return.” link
Gaza
Martyr or coward? Israel and Hamas offer competing narrative on Sinwar’s death - CNN interview with my brother and others
The video depicts a desperate, abandoned man trying to attack a sophisticated military drone with a wooden stick. Or perhaps it shows a defiant hero who is staring the enemy in the eye while fighting till the bitter end. It depends on who is watching.
When the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the killing of Yahya Sinwar last week, they released several photos and a video showing the Hamas leader during his last moments alive and after his death.
It was meant to be proof that the man they said was one of the main architects of the October 7 terror attack was indeed dead, and a warning to Israel’s enemies that no matter where they hide, the IDF will eventually get them.
But the decision to release the footage appears to have backfired, at least in part, as it has since been used to celebrate Sinwar for dying as a martyr and a resistance fighter.
Now, Israel is in damage control mode, releasing older photos and videos of Sinwar hiding in tunnels with stashes of money in an attempt to portray the Hamas leader as a selfish man who only ever cared for himself.
Gershon Baskin, a Middle East expert, peace activist and a former Israeli hostage negotiator who used to speak to Hamas through backchannels, said the release of the footage was misguided and likely motivated by Israeli politics.
As a negotiator for Israel, Baskin mediated the 2011 prisoner swap that saw more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners exchanged for Gilad Shalit, an IDF soldier who had been held in Gaza for five years. Yahya Sinwar was among the Palestinian prisoners released in that deal.
“It is all about controlling the narrative from the side of Netanyahu – he needs this as his victory pictures,” Baskin told CNN.
The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been under criticism from all sides over the way the war in Gaza is going. Domestically, it is facing huge anger over its inability to bring back the 101 hostages still held in Gaza. Internationally, it is under pressure over the mounting Palestinian death toll and horrific humanitarian situation in the strip.
“They have no idea that (by releasing the video) they are cementing the legacy of Sinwar in Palestine and the Arab world as a new kind of Saladin, a hero, a fighter to the very end,” he said, referring to the famous 12th-century Muslim warrior who defeated a much bigger Crusader army and conquered Jerusalem.
Hamas was quick to seize the narrative and declare Sinwar a martyr who fought and died for the cause, but even Palestinians who have opposed Sinwar and Hamas in the past said the photos and video show defiance and bravery. full articleWith the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, Israel is looking for an opportunity to wrap up the war in Gaza with a hostage deal, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.
However, the Prime Minister’s Office declines to confirm the report, saying instead, “We will not end the war until we achieve all of our goals.”
“We are continuing to pressure Hamas militarily,” says the PMO official. “You can see the effects in Jabaliya. We are continuing to kill Hamas members. We are pushing for a psychological collapse.”
When that happens, says the PMO official, there is the possibility for separate deals with smaller Hamas factions. link Of course the PMO declines to confirm the report because Netanyahu does not want to end the war and he has said that. He has said that the war will go on until we have 'total victory' but never defines what that means.
Up to 1,000 women and children needing medical care will shortly be evacuated from Gaza to Europe, the head of the World Health Organization’s Europe branch says.
Israel “is committed to 1,000 more medical evacuations within the next months to the European Union,” Hans Kluge says in an interview with AFP, adding that the evacuations would be facilitated by the WHO and the European countries involved.
He says the evacuations will be facilitated by the WHO — the United Nations’ health agency — and the European countries involved.
The WHO Europe has already facilitated 600 medical evacuations from Gaza to seven European countries since the latest war began there in October 2023.
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, killed by IDF troops last week, was at one stage offered the chance to leave the Gaza Strip in exchange for allowing Egypt to negotiate on the terror group’s behalf for a hostage deal, the Wall Street Journal reports.
“I’m not under siege, I’m on Palestinian soil,” Sinwar reportedly told Arab mediators in response to the proposal, soon after the start of the war sparked by the October 7 massacre, which he orchestrated.
According to the report, as the war went on, Sinwar accepted that he was likely to be killed and according to mediators, suggested that the terror group choose a leadership council to govern and manage the transition after his death.
The report says that under a previous government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, attempts were made to kill Sinwar and his military chief Mohammed Deif, but Israeli officials believed that the terror leaders were deterred. The report says Netanyahu’s successor (and predecessor) Naftali Bennett proposed assassinating Sinwar on at least two occasions before his government collapsed.
Martyr or coward? Israel and Hamas offer competing narrative on Sinwar’s death - CNN interview with my brother and others
When the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the killing of Yahya Sinwar last week, they released several photos and a video showing the Hamas leader during his last moments alive and after his death.
It was meant to be proof that the man they said was one of the main architects of the October 7 terror attack was indeed dead, and a warning to Israel’s enemies that no matter where they hide, the IDF will eventually get them.
But the decision to release the footage appears to have backfired, at least in part, as it has since been used to celebrate Sinwar for dying as a martyr and a resistance fighter.
Now, Israel is in damage control mode, releasing older photos and videos of Sinwar hiding in tunnels with stashes of money in an attempt to portray the Hamas leader as a selfish man who only ever cared for himself.
Gershon Baskin, a Middle East expert, peace activist and a former Israeli hostage negotiator who used to speak to Hamas through backchannels, said the release of the footage was misguided and likely motivated by Israeli politics.
As a negotiator for Israel, Baskin mediated the 2011 prisoner swap that saw more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners exchanged for Gilad Shalit, an IDF soldier who had been held in Gaza for five years. Yahya Sinwar was among the Palestinian prisoners released in that deal.
“It is all about controlling the narrative from the side of Netanyahu – he needs this as his victory pictures,” Baskin told CNN.
The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been under criticism from all sides over the way the war in Gaza is going. Domestically, it is facing huge anger over its inability to bring back the 101 hostages still held in Gaza. Internationally, it is under pressure over the mounting Palestinian death toll and horrific humanitarian situation in the strip.
“They have no idea that (by releasing the video) they are cementing the legacy of Sinwar in Palestine and the Arab world as a new kind of Saladin, a hero, a fighter to the very end,” he said, referring to the famous 12th-century Muslim warrior who defeated a much bigger Crusader army and conquered Jerusalem.
Hamas was quick to seize the narrative and declare Sinwar a martyr who fought and died for the cause, but even Palestinians who have opposed Sinwar and Hamas in the past said the photos and video show defiance and bravery. full article
With the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, Israel is looking for an opportunity to wrap up the war in Gaza with a hostage deal, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.
However, the Prime Minister’s Office declines to confirm the report, saying instead, “We will not end the war until we achieve all of our goals.”
“We are continuing to pressure Hamas militarily,” says the PMO official. “You can see the effects in Jabaliya. We are continuing to kill Hamas members. We are pushing for a psychological collapse.”
Up to 1,000 women and children needing medical care will shortly be evacuated from Gaza to Europe, the head of the World Health Organization’s Europe branch says.
Israel “is committed to 1,000 more medical evacuations within the next months to the European Union,” Hans Kluge says in an interview with AFP, adding that the evacuations would be facilitated by the WHO and the European countries involved.
He says the evacuations will be facilitated by the WHO — the United Nations’ health agency — and the European countries involved.
The WHO Europe has already facilitated 600 medical evacuations from Gaza to seven European countries since the latest war began there in October 2023.
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, killed by IDF troops last week, was at one stage offered the chance to leave the Gaza Strip in exchange for allowing Egypt to negotiate on the terror group’s behalf for a hostage deal, the Wall Street Journal reports.
“I’m not under siege, I’m on Palestinian soil,” Sinwar reportedly told Arab mediators in response to the proposal, soon after the start of the war sparked by the October 7 massacre, which he orchestrated.
According to the report, as the war went on, Sinwar accepted that he was likely to be killed and according to mediators, suggested that the terror group choose a leadership council to govern and manage the transition after his death.
The report says that under a previous government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, attempts were made to kill Sinwar and his military chief Mohammed Deif, but Israeli officials believed that the terror leaders were deterred. The report says Netanyahu’s successor (and predecessor) Naftali Bennett proposed assassinating Sinwar on at least two occasions before his government collapsed.
Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah/Syria
Lebanese official media reports 14 Israeli strikes within minutes today on the border village of Khiam.
Smoke rises from the site of an alleged Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese border village of Khiam on October 20, 2024. (AFP)
“Enemy aircraft launched 14 consecutive strikes on Khiam… in 15 minutes,” the state-run National News Agency says.
There is no immediate comment from the Israel Defense Forces on the strike.
The IDF says it struck a Hezbollah rocket launcher in southern Lebanon used to fire dozens of projectiles at the Western Galilee this morning.
The launcher was among dozens of Hezbollah sites hit by the Israeli Air Force in the past day, the military adds. video
- Who is the "Qard al-Hassan" organization that the IDF attacked last night in Beirut?
The financial institution of Hezbollah, "Qard al-Hassan," operates around 30 branches in Shiite population centers, with about half of them located in the capital, Beirut. The organization receives the majority of its funding from Iran, totaling approximately $700 million annually, as well as revenues from other illegal sources, such as cocaine trafficking.Last night (Monday), Israel launched a massive series of strikes against "Qard al-Hassan," which effectively serves as the banking arm of Hezbollah. The organization receives most of its Iranian funding, amounting to around $700 million per year, alongside illegal income from sources like cocaine trafficking.The financial institution operates around 30 branches in Shiite population centers, with about half of them in Beirut. "Qard al-Hassan" was established in the early 1980s when Hezbollah was still a minor organization. It offers customers three types of accounts: a basic account, a donation account for wealthy individuals, and a "social cooperation" fund. The organization functions as a bank, providing interest-free loans to its clients in exchange for collateral, which may include gold or third-party guarantees.The Shiite terror organization is subject to heavy sanctions, but "Qard al-Hassan" allows Hezbollah to operate without significant restrictions. According to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), the total amount of loans issued by "Qard al-Hassan" grew from about $76.5 million in 2007, the year after the Second Lebanon War, to around $480 million in 2019. The total activity of "Qard al-Hassan" from its establishment in 1983 to 2019 is estimated at around $3.5 billion.U.S. sanctions have not significantly impacted Hezbollah. Despite efforts by the U.S. to act against "Qard al-Hassan," imposing sanctions on the institution as early as 2007, the organization continues to provide access to the international banking system. The U.S. Treasury Department explained that these sanctions have not had a major impact on Hezbollah because "Qard al-Hassan" employees use personal accounts in recognized Lebanese banks to bypass restrictions. This led Washington to impose personal sanctions on six "Qard al-Hassan" employees who transferred more than half a million dollars this way over a decade.An investigation by the French newspaper *Le Monde*, published last week, found that "Qard al-Hassan" is used by Hezbollah to raise funds from Lebanese communities in Ivory Coast and Guinea, relying on money laundering from drug sales. Hezbollah's global illegal activities constitute about 30% of the organization's annual budget. link The Israeli military apologizes for a strike that killed three Lebanese soldiers in southern Lebanon yesterday, saying it is not battling the country’s military and its soldiers believed they were targeting a vehicle belonging to the Hezbollah terror group.
The IDF says it struck a truck that had entered an area where it had previously targeted a Hezbollah truck transporting a launcher and missiles.
The military says IDF troops were not aware that the second truck belonged to the Lebanese army, adding it is “not operating against the Lebanese Army and apologizes for these unwanted circumstances.”
The Lebanese troops were killed on a road connecting the border village of Ain Ebel to the nearby town of Hanin. The deaths brought the number of Lebanese troop casualties to eight, since all-out war erupted between Israel and Hezbollah last month.
US special envoy Amos Hochstein says in Beirut that Lebanon and Israel just committing to UN Resolution 1701 is not enough and that the United States is working to devise a formula to end the conflict once and for all.
“Tying Lebanon’s future to other conflicts in the region was not and is not in the interest of the Lebanese people,” Hochstein says after meeting with Lebanon’s parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, adding that the United States wants to end the conflict “as soon as possible.”
UN Resolution 1701, which ended the last round of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006, calls for southern Lebanon to be free of any troops or weapons other than those of the Lebanese state.
The resolution has gone largely unenforced since it was passed in 2006, allowing Hezbollah to build up a formidable arms cache and defensive capabilities, with neither UNIFIL peacekeepers nor the LAF willing to challenge the Iran-backed terror group.
Israel has repeatedly portrayed its offensive in southern Lebanon as essentially stepping in and doing UNIFIL’s job for it.
Israel has sent a message to Hezbollah that should the terror group attempt to target Israeli leaders again, the IDF will raze Beirut’s southern Dahiyeh district to the ground, Hezbollah’s stronghold in the Lebanese capital, according to unnamed sources quoted by the Saudi Al-Hadath news channel.
The message, reportedly conveyed through a third party, comes after Hezbollah launched a drone to target Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence in the coastal city of Caesarea on Saturday.
The prime minister and his wife were not at home at the time of the attack and that there were no injuries in the incident, the PMO said.
Al-Hadath notes that this was not Hezbollah’s first attempt to target an Israeli political figure, as it tried at least twice in the past.
Caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati says “there have been no contacts with Hezbollah since the middle of last month,” in an interview with the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV channel.
Mikati raised the ire of Iran when he accused Tehran last week of “blatant interference in Lebanese affairs and an attempt to establish an unacceptable guardianship over Lebanon,” after Iran’s speaker of parliament said the country was willing to take part in negotiations over the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman denies that charge, and says that Tehran “has never had any intention or [has initiated any] action that could be suspected of interfering in Lebanon’s internal affairs.” link Lebanon really is a country that has been broken for decades due to the multitudes of religious factions as well as the growth of the terrorist organization, Hizbollah which has caused so much havoc and pain for the country, and over the years has taken on a major political roll in the power struggles of the country. Most Lebanese would like to see the end of Hizbollah and recognize that the war going on with Israel is also an opportunity to get out from under the yoke of Hizbollah. But it is easier said than done. The US and France have already started pushing in this direction and are being welcomed in this major endeavor by many of Lebanese politicians. Israel also needs to be a player to make major changes that will benefit both Israel and Lebanon for generations. Unfortunately, we lack the leadership who can make these strategic decisions or even decide on strategy. We are all hoping that it can happen nevertheless.
Images released by the IDF show an SUV-mounted rocket launcher and cache of weapons that troops with the 188th Armored Brigade found during operations in a village in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah weapons found by troops of 188th Armored Brigade as they operate in southern Lebanon, in a handout image published October 21, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)According to the IDF, the soldiers located and demolished a weapons depot next to a home. The cache had dozens of rockets, mortars, machine guns, explosive devices, and other equipment.
In a separate incident, the IDF says the soldiers found a prime rocket launcher that was mounted on the back of an SUV. It was also located next to a home.
A Hezbollah rocket launcher found by troops of 188th Armored Brigade as they operate in southern Lebanon, in a handout image published October 21, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
Mourners attending the funeral of a man killed in a rocket attack in northern Israel over the weekend are forced to take cover as sirens wailed and more rockets were fired from Lebanon at the Haifa area.
The mourners of Alexei Poupov were seen taking cover alongside gravestones as loud explosions and interceptions followed.
Poupov was killed Saturday in a rocket attack on the northern city of Acre.
Lebanese official media reports 14 Israeli strikes within minutes today on the border village of Khiam.
“Enemy aircraft launched 14 consecutive strikes on Khiam… in 15 minutes,” the state-run National News Agency says.
There is no immediate comment from the Israel Defense Forces on the strike.
The IDF says it struck a Hezbollah rocket launcher in southern Lebanon used to fire dozens of projectiles at the Western Galilee this morning.
The launcher was among dozens of Hezbollah sites hit by the Israeli Air Force in the past day, the military adds. video
The Israeli military apologizes for a strike that killed three Lebanese soldiers in southern Lebanon yesterday, saying it is not battling the country’s military and its soldiers believed they were targeting a vehicle belonging to the Hezbollah terror group.
The IDF says it struck a truck that had entered an area where it had previously targeted a Hezbollah truck transporting a launcher and missiles.
The military says IDF troops were not aware that the second truck belonged to the Lebanese army, adding it is “not operating against the Lebanese Army and apologizes for these unwanted circumstances.”
The Lebanese troops were killed on a road connecting the border village of Ain Ebel to the nearby town of Hanin. The deaths brought the number of Lebanese troop casualties to eight, since all-out war erupted between Israel and Hezbollah last month.
US special envoy Amos Hochstein says in Beirut that Lebanon and Israel just committing to UN Resolution 1701 is not enough and that the United States is working to devise a formula to end the conflict once and for all.
“Tying Lebanon’s future to other conflicts in the region was not and is not in the interest of the Lebanese people,” Hochstein says after meeting with Lebanon’s parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, adding that the United States wants to end the conflict “as soon as possible.”
UN Resolution 1701, which ended the last round of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006, calls for southern Lebanon to be free of any troops or weapons other than those of the Lebanese state.
The resolution has gone largely unenforced since it was passed in 2006, allowing Hezbollah to build up a formidable arms cache and defensive capabilities, with neither UNIFIL peacekeepers nor the LAF willing to challenge the Iran-backed terror group.
Israel has repeatedly portrayed its offensive in southern Lebanon as essentially stepping in and doing UNIFIL’s job for it.
Israel has sent a message to Hezbollah that should the terror group attempt to target Israeli leaders again, the IDF will raze Beirut’s southern Dahiyeh district to the ground, Hezbollah’s stronghold in the Lebanese capital, according to unnamed sources quoted by the Saudi Al-Hadath news channel.
The message, reportedly conveyed through a third party, comes after Hezbollah launched a drone to target Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence in the coastal city of Caesarea on Saturday.
The prime minister and his wife were not at home at the time of the attack and that there were no injuries in the incident, the PMO said.
Al-Hadath notes that this was not Hezbollah’s first attempt to target an Israeli political figure, as it tried at least twice in the past.
Caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati says “there have been no contacts with Hezbollah since the middle of last month,” in an interview with the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV channel.
Mikati raised the ire of Iran when he accused Tehran last week of “blatant interference in Lebanese affairs and an attempt to establish an unacceptable guardianship over Lebanon,” after Iran’s speaker of parliament said the country was willing to take part in negotiations over the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman denies that charge, and says that Tehran “has never had any intention or [has initiated any] action that could be suspected of interfering in Lebanon’s internal affairs.” link Lebanon really is a country that has been broken for decades due to the multitudes of religious factions as well as the growth of the terrorist organization, Hizbollah which has caused so much havoc and pain for the country, and over the years has taken on a major political roll in the power struggles of the country. Most Lebanese would like to see the end of Hizbollah and recognize that the war going on with Israel is also an opportunity to get out from under the yoke of Hizbollah. But it is easier said than done. The US and France have already started pushing in this direction and are being welcomed in this major endeavor by many of Lebanese politicians. Israel also needs to be a player to make major changes that will benefit both Israel and Lebanon for generations. Unfortunately, we lack the leadership who can make these strategic decisions or even decide on strategy. We are all hoping that it can happen nevertheless.
Images released by the IDF show an SUV-mounted rocket launcher and cache of weapons that troops with the 188th Armored Brigade found during operations in a village in southern Lebanon.
According to the IDF, the soldiers located and demolished a weapons depot next to a home. The cache had dozens of rockets, mortars, machine guns, explosive devices, and other equipment.
In a separate incident, the IDF says the soldiers found a prime rocket launcher that was mounted on the back of an SUV. It was also located next to a home.
Mourners attending the funeral of a man killed in a rocket attack in northern Israel over the weekend are forced to take cover as sirens wailed and more rockets were fired from Lebanon at the Haifa area.
The mourners of Alexei Poupov were seen taking cover alongside gravestones as loud explosions and interceptions followed.
Poupov was killed Saturday in a rocket attack on the northern city of Acre.
West Bank and Jerusalem and Terror attacks within Israel
- Seven Israelis have been arrested on suspicion of spying for Iran, having carried out hundreds of tasks for Tehran, prosecutors say.
The suspects are all Jewish residents of Haifa and the north and include a soldier who deserted the military, as well as two minors. The adult suspects are named as Azis Nisanov, Alexander Sadykov, Vyacheslav Gushchin, Yevgeny Yoffe and Yigal Nissan.
The suspects are accused of photographing and collecting information on IDF bases and facilities, including the Kirya defense headquarters in Tel Aviv and the Nevatim and Ramat David air bases, as well as Iron Dome battery sites.
The Nevatim base was targeted in both Iranian missile attacks this year, and Ramat David has been targeted by Hezbollah.
The suspects are also accused of receiving maps of strategic sites from their handlers, including of the Golani base hit in a deadly drone strike earlier this month.
Prosecutors say police and Shin Bet investigators found that the suspects carried out a series of different tasks for Iranian intelligence agencies, and were in contact with Iranian agents.
In return for their actions, the suspects were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars, some of it in cryptocurrency, investigators say.
According to prosecutors, some of the suspects have spied for Iran for two years, and all of them have carried out espionage activities since the start of the war.
The State Attorney’s Office says it is one of the most serious cases that has been investigated in recent years.
Prosecutors say they intend to file an indictment against the seven suspects for security offenses on Friday, and will request that they are held in detention until the conclusion of legal proceedings. link
The suspects are all Jewish residents of Haifa and the north and include a soldier who deserted the military, as well as two minors. The adult suspects are named as Azis Nisanov, Alexander Sadykov, Vyacheslav Gushchin, Yevgeny Yoffe and Yigal Nissan.
The suspects are accused of photographing and collecting information on IDF bases and facilities, including the Kirya defense headquarters in Tel Aviv and the Nevatim and Ramat David air bases, as well as Iron Dome battery sites.
The Nevatim base was targeted in both Iranian missile attacks this year, and Ramat David has been targeted by Hezbollah.
The suspects are also accused of receiving maps of strategic sites from their handlers, including of the Golani base hit in a deadly drone strike earlier this month.
Prosecutors say police and Shin Bet investigators found that the suspects carried out a series of different tasks for Iranian intelligence agencies, and were in contact with Iranian agents.
In return for their actions, the suspects were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars, some of it in cryptocurrency, investigators say.
According to prosecutors, some of the suspects have spied for Iran for two years, and all of them have carried out espionage activities since the start of the war.
The State Attorney’s Office says it is one of the most serious cases that has been investigated in recent years.
Prosecutors say they intend to file an indictment against the seven suspects for security offenses on Friday, and will request that they are held in detention until the conclusion of legal proceedings. link
Politics and the War (general news)
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will depart for the Middle East today, the State Department says, as Washington is pushing to kickstart ceasefire negotiations to end the Gaza war following the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
The top US diplomat’s latest trip to the region, his eleventh since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel by the Palestinian terror group Hamas that triggered the Gaza war, comes even as Israel has intensified its military campaign in Gaza and Lebanon against Iran-aligned terror group Hezbollah.
Blinken will discuss with regional leaders the importance of ending the Gaza war, ways to chart a post-conflict plan for the Palestinian enclave, as well as how to reach a diplomatic solution to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the US State Department says in a statement.
The top diplomat’s trip will start with Israel, the State Department said, but did not provide the other exact destinations.
“Throughout the region, Secretary Blinken will discuss the importance of bringing the war in Gaza to an end, securing the release of all hostages, and alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people,” the State Department says in a statement.
“He will continue discussions on post-conflict period planning and emphasize the need to chart a new path forward that enables Palestinians to rebuild their lives,” it says.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a limited ministerial security consultation with the participation of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir but not Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Kan reports.
The consultation comes ahead of a security cabinet meeting scheduled for 7:30 p.m. tonight in the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv. link This is such a ridiculous situation that, with a war going on in 7 different fronts, Netanhaya has a security consultation without Galant but has Ben Gvir, the pyromaniac who leads Netanyahu by the nose and is one of the main blockers of any hostage deal. This is Banana Republic type of governing and typical of this failed government
Daniella Weiss, head of the far-right Nachala organization which has organized the resettle Gaza conference by the enclave’s border, claims that Strip’s Palestinian population must leave the territory since they “lost their right” to reside there due to the October 7 massacre.
“Wars bring about the terrible thing of refugees. October 7 changed history, as a result of the brutal massacre Gazan Arabs lost their right to be here, they will not stay here, they will go to different countries, we will convince the world,” declares Weiss, a veteran campaigner for the construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza.
“We came here to settle the entire Gaza Strip, from north to south, not just part of it,” she says of the purpose of the conference itself.
Weiss says that Nachala has set up six “settlement groups” comprising 700 families in total “who are ready right now” to establish new settlements in Gaza.
“Soon these families will be able to enjoy the Gaza coast,” she says.
Along with Nachala, the Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit coalition parties have also participated in organizing the conference, while the Likud party has a sizable delegation of MKs and at least one minister scheduled to attend the event. link Daniella Weiss is one of the most extreme settlement advocates and settlers, akin to extremists Smotrich and Ben Gvir. She doesn't say a word about the hostages or the soldiers who are dying every day in this war that has no strategy or direction. She, along with these other extremists hold strong to their messianic, colonistic ideologies and don't give a damn about anything else: not the hostages, not the soldiers, not the economy, not the worsening relations with every one of our allies, nothing but settlements.
Hundreds of right-wing and ultranationalist activists, overwhelmingly from the Religious Zionist community, descend on an encampment in the Gaza border region for a conference on how to reestablish Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip.
Workshops on how to build settlements from scratch, especially without formal government permission, are being conducted at the site, which faces the Netzarim Corridor in Gaza where organizers hope to establish one of the first new Jewish settlements in the war-torn territory.
The Likud Party, together with the Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit parties have all built sukkas at the site to host participants, while various musical artists will be playing during a “Simchat Beit Shoeva” celebration taking place at the site as part of the conference.
Numerous cabinet ministers and MKs, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, are scheduled to attend and address the conference, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party will be represented by 10 out of its 32 MKs, and at least one minister, Social Equality and Advancement of the Status of Women Minister May Golan.
Far-right activist Daniela Weiss of the Nachala movement that organized the event told Zman Israel that the first Israeli settlement will be built in Gaza by the end of 2024.
“We are going for a temporary site where 40 families will live. We have several options in terms of location,” she claimed. “We will discuss it with the ministers who come here. By the end of the year it will become a permanent settlement within the Gaza Strip.”
The Nachala Settlement Movement organization advocates for Jewish settlement in the West Bank, where it has helped establish illegal settlement outposts.
The initial announcement for today’s event said it would also include a tour of Kibbutz Nirim, however the kibbutz said it had not been informed and it would not go ahead. link I wish we didn't have so much further proof of the disfunction, lack of diplomatic strategy and total lack of caring by this government for the hostages, the soldiers, the economy and the future of the country. They only care about these messianic and extreme ideologies and Netanyahu goes along with all of it because it keeps his coalition together and him in power. Disgusting!!!
The top US diplomat’s latest trip to the region, his eleventh since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel by the Palestinian terror group Hamas that triggered the Gaza war, comes even as Israel has intensified its military campaign in Gaza and Lebanon against Iran-aligned terror group Hezbollah.
Blinken will discuss with regional leaders the importance of ending the Gaza war, ways to chart a post-conflict plan for the Palestinian enclave, as well as how to reach a diplomatic solution to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the US State Department says in a statement.
The top diplomat’s trip will start with Israel, the State Department said, but did not provide the other exact destinations.
“Throughout the region, Secretary Blinken will discuss the importance of bringing the war in Gaza to an end, securing the release of all hostages, and alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people,” the State Department says in a statement.
“He will continue discussions on post-conflict period planning and emphasize the need to chart a new path forward that enables Palestinians to rebuild their lives,” it says.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a limited ministerial security consultation with the participation of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir but not Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Kan reports.
The consultation comes ahead of a security cabinet meeting scheduled for 7:30 p.m. tonight in the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv. link This is such a ridiculous situation that, with a war going on in 7 different fronts, Netanhaya has a security consultation without Galant but has Ben Gvir, the pyromaniac who leads Netanyahu by the nose and is one of the main blockers of any hostage deal. This is Banana Republic type of governing and typical of this failed government
Daniella Weiss, head of the far-right Nachala organization which has organized the resettle Gaza conference by the enclave’s border, claims that Strip’s Palestinian population must leave the territory since they “lost their right” to reside there due to the October 7 massacre.
“Wars bring about the terrible thing of refugees. October 7 changed history, as a result of the brutal massacre Gazan Arabs lost their right to be here, they will not stay here, they will go to different countries, we will convince the world,” declares Weiss, a veteran campaigner for the construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza.
“We came here to settle the entire Gaza Strip, from north to south, not just part of it,” she says of the purpose of the conference itself.
Weiss says that Nachala has set up six “settlement groups” comprising 700 families in total “who are ready right now” to establish new settlements in Gaza.
“Soon these families will be able to enjoy the Gaza coast,” she says.
Along with Nachala, the Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit coalition parties have also participated in organizing the conference, while the Likud party has a sizable delegation of MKs and at least one minister scheduled to attend the event. link Daniella Weiss is one of the most extreme settlement advocates and settlers, akin to extremists Smotrich and Ben Gvir. She doesn't say a word about the hostages or the soldiers who are dying every day in this war that has no strategy or direction. She, along with these other extremists hold strong to their messianic, colonistic ideologies and don't give a damn about anything else: not the hostages, not the soldiers, not the economy, not the worsening relations with every one of our allies, nothing but settlements.
Hundreds of right-wing and ultranationalist activists, overwhelmingly from the Religious Zionist community, descend on an encampment in the Gaza border region for a conference on how to reestablish Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip.
Workshops on how to build settlements from scratch, especially without formal government permission, are being conducted at the site, which faces the Netzarim Corridor in Gaza where organizers hope to establish one of the first new Jewish settlements in the war-torn territory.
The Likud Party, together with the Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit parties have all built sukkas at the site to host participants, while various musical artists will be playing during a “Simchat Beit Shoeva” celebration taking place at the site as part of the conference.
Numerous cabinet ministers and MKs, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, are scheduled to attend and address the conference, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party will be represented by 10 out of its 32 MKs, and at least one minister, Social Equality and Advancement of the Status of Women Minister May Golan.
Far-right activist Daniela Weiss of the Nachala movement that organized the event told Zman Israel that the first Israeli settlement will be built in Gaza by the end of 2024.
“We are going for a temporary site where 40 families will live. We have several options in terms of location,” she claimed. “We will discuss it with the ministers who come here. By the end of the year it will become a permanent settlement within the Gaza Strip.”
The Nachala Settlement Movement organization advocates for Jewish settlement in the West Bank, where it has helped establish illegal settlement outposts.
The initial announcement for today’s event said it would also include a tour of Kibbutz Nirim, however the kibbutz said it had not been informed and it would not go ahead. link I wish we didn't have so much further proof of the disfunction, lack of diplomatic strategy and total lack of caring by this government for the hostages, the soldiers, the economy and the future of the country. They only care about these messianic and extreme ideologies and Netanyahu goes along with all of it because it keeps his coalition together and him in power. Disgusting!!!
The Region and the World
-
Personal Stories Taken captive: Matan Zangauker, ‘is a survivor’24-year-old’s partner, Ilana Gritzewsky, was released Nov. 30
Matan Zangauker, 24, and Ilana Gritzewsky, 30, were abducted from their Kibbutz Nir Oz home on October 7 as Hamas terrorists waged a massacre on the kibbutz during the group’s terror onslaught on southern Israel, killing or kidnapping one in four residents on what has become known as the Black Shabbat.
Ilana Gritzewsky was released on November 30 as part of an extension of a temporary ceasefire deal brokered by Qatar and the United States between Hamas and Israel. Her partner, Matan Zangauker, is still captive.
Zangauker’s mother, Einav Zangauker, said after Ilana’s release that they had no information about Matan, except for “a sign of life.” She added that he is strong and a survivor, and can live on rationed food and water.
“Matan, as you were robbed of life, you will return to life, we’re fighting for you,” said Zangauker.
Zangauker is very close with his mother, who lives in nearby Ofakim and was in touch with her on the morning of October 7. When the sirens began sounding early that morning, he told her to relax — they were in their bedroom, which is the safe room.
As the situation worsened in the kibbutz, Zangauker wrote to his mother that the terrorists were in their house.
“Everything will be okay, my prince,” wrote his mother.
Then Matan wrote, “I love you, don’t cry.”
And finally, “Here. Here. Here.”
Zangauker’s parents divorced when he was young and Matan often took care of his younger sisters. He is known as an independent, mature person, always available for support and understanding.
Gritzewsky, Zangauker’s girlfriend, made aliyah from Mexico 14 years ago, on the Naala program. Her parents and sister later immigrated to Israel. link
Matan Zangauker, 24, and Ilana Gritzewsky, 30, were abducted from their Kibbutz Nir Oz home on October 7 as Hamas terrorists waged a massacre on the kibbutz during the group’s terror onslaught on southern Israel, killing or kidnapping one in four residents on what has become known as the Black Shabbat.
Ilana Gritzewsky was released on November 30 as part of an extension of a temporary ceasefire deal brokered by Qatar and the United States between Hamas and Israel. Her partner, Matan Zangauker, is still captive.
Zangauker’s mother, Einav Zangauker, said after Ilana’s release that they had no information about Matan, except for “a sign of life.” She added that he is strong and a survivor, and can live on rationed food and water.
“Matan, as you were robbed of life, you will return to life, we’re fighting for you,” said Zangauker.
Zangauker is very close with his mother, who lives in nearby Ofakim and was in touch with her on the morning of October 7. When the sirens began sounding early that morning, he told her to relax — they were in their bedroom, which is the safe room.
As the situation worsened in the kibbutz, Zangauker wrote to his mother that the terrorists were in their house.
“Everything will be okay, my prince,” wrote his mother.
Then Matan wrote, “I love you, don’t cry.”
And finally, “Here. Here. Here.”
Zangauker’s parents divorced when he was young and Matan often took care of his younger sisters. He is known as an independent, mature person, always available for support and understanding.
Gritzewsky, Zangauker’s girlfriend, made aliyah from Mexico 14 years ago, on the Naala program. Her parents and sister later immigrated to Israel. link
Dark Legacy - The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages
The AbandonmentMoshe (Bogie) Ya’alonFormer Defense Minister and IDF Chief of Staff
In one of the meetings with the families of the hostages, battle navigator Uri Arad described his time in captivity after his plane went down on the Egyptian front during the Yom Kippur War. He depicted the harrowing days and nights in captivity, during which he went through harsh, unrelenting torture. He said that what kept him alive and sane was his knowledge that the State of Israel would not abandon him and would bring about his release.When I was appointed Commander of the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit back in 1987, about a year after the capture of combat navigator Ron Arad, I asked myself - without being told to - what the unit could do to bring about his release, as the redemption of captives is a basic value. I initiated operations to bring “assets” over from Lebanon. The unit carried out three operations to capture Hezbollah operatives, taking great risks in the process. In the operation to capture Mustafa Dirani (which took place after I concluded my role), Shahar Argaman was wounded. Similarly, in 1972 the unit carried out “Operation Crate” to kidnap senior Syrian officers patrolling along the Lebanese border in order to bring about the release of fighter pilots Eitan Magen and Boaz Eitan and combat navigator Pini Nachmani, whose planes were shot down in the War of Attrition.After the October 7th massacre, following many long months in which the Israeli government has time and again delayed decisions for the release of the hostages, and also decisions regarding the end of the military campaign (“the day after”), I am convinced should any soldier or civilian, God forbid, be captured by the enemy, they will not feel that same sense of trust - that the State of Israel will bring about their release - as combat navigator Uri Arad felt.During the debate on the liberation of women and children, initiated by the Israel Defense Forces (and not the government!), several ministers objected to the plan. One of them (Itamar Ben-Gvir) voted against it, and another (Bezalel Smotrich) voted for it, but only under the condition that the ceasefire would last no more than ten days. This prevented the possibility of accepting the Hamas’ proposal to release the elderly, sick, and wounded, their condition being a continued ceasefire.The conduct of this government, in which serving ministers appear to be willing to sacrifice the hostages for their Messianic end goal, is an open wound in Israeli society, a shameful disgrace for evermore. A wound whose damage to national security is far graver than the price we will pay for the return of the hostages. It is clear to me that this government will not rescue the hostages due to the objection of its Messianic elements - an objection that could bring down the coalition. The abandonment of the hostages will be Benjamin Netanyahu’s legacy, a shameful disgrace for eternity. Only elections will amend these outrageous violations - first and foremost the violation of abandonment.
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
Join my Whatsapp update group https://chat.whatsapp.com/IQ3OtwE6ydxBeBAxWNziB0
Twitter - @LonnyB58
Twitter - @LonnyB58
Comments
Post a Comment