🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 383, 2023 - October 23, 2024 🎗️

  

🎗️Day 383 that 101 of our hostages in Hamas captivity
**There is nothing more important than getting them home! NOTHING!**

“I’ve never met them,

But I miss them. 

I’ve never met them,

but I think of them every second. 

I’ve never met them,

but they are my family. 

BRING THEM HOME NOW!!!”

We’re waiting for you, all of you.
A deal is the only way to bring
all the hostages home- the murdered for burial and the living for rehabilitation.

#BringThemHomeNow #TurnTheHorrorIntoHope

There is no victory until all of the hostages are home!

‎אין נצחון עד שכל החטופים בבית

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

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

*6:15pm yesterday - north - hostile aricraft - Batzet, leeman, Metzuba, Shlomi, Rosh Hanikra, Miu'ot, Gesher Haziv, Haharia, Saar, Ben Ami, Evron

*6:20pm yesterday - north - hostile aircraft - Mizra'a, Naharia, Evron, Ben Ami, Regba, Shavei Zion, Nes Amim, Lochamei Hagheto'ot, Beit Haemek, Shomera, Bustan HaGalil
*6:20pm - north - hostile aircraft - Acre, Jedida Makar
*6:22pm yesterday- hostile aircraft -Haifa, Acre and areas around 
*6:22pm yesterday -Acre, Haifa areas - hostile aircraft
*6:25pm yesterday - Haifa and areas around - hostile aircraft
*6:30pm yesterday - north center and north - hostile aircraft
*6:35pm yesterday - Jezreel Valley - hostile aircraft
*6:40pm yesterday - Hadera and Triangle area (center north) including Yokneam- hostile aircraft 
*7:00pm yesterday - north - rockets/missiles
*7:50pm yesterday - north - rockets/missiles
9:45pm yesterday - north - rockets/missiles
*11:00pm yesterday - north - rockets/missiles
*11:35pm yesterday - north - rockets/missiles
*5:50am-The IDF says it intercepted a pair of drones off the coast of Eilat, after interceptions were reported near the Red Sea coastal city. A statement from the military says the unmanned aircraft “came from the east,” a term it uses to refer to attacks launched from Iraq. It adds that sirens weren’t activated “per protocol.”

*7:55am - north - rockets/missiles
*8:30am- Two long-range rockets launched at Israel from Lebanon were successfully intercepted by air defenses, the IDF says. Amid the attack, sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and nearby towns, as well as in the Nazareth area in the north. There are no reports of injuries or damage due to the attack.

*8:05am - center - Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, Benei Brak, Ramat Hasharon, Glilot, Petach Tikva, Kiryat Onon, Givat Shmuel 
*8:05 - Jezreel Valley and Yoknean  and areas around- 
*8:05am - Herzlia, Givat Chen, Kfar Shmaryahu, Raanana, Hoshia, Suad Hamira
*8:55am - north -rockets/missiles
*10:40am - north - rockets/missiles
*10:55am - north - rockets/missiles
*11:00am - north -rockets/missiles
*11:05am - Haifa, Acre and areas between and around-rockets/missiles
*11:15am - north - rockets/missiles
*11:40am - north -rockets/missiles - A rocket launched from Lebanon in the latest barrage on the Haifa area reportedly impacted in the Sha’ar Na’aman, south of Acre. Footage from the scene shows damage to a building. 
*11:45am - north -rockets/missiles
*12:25pm - north - rockets/missiles
*12:45pm - north - rockets/missiles
*1:40pm - Areas around Haifa -rockets/missiles
*1:40pm - North - rockets/missiles
*1:50pm - north - rockets/missiles
*2:50pm - north -  rockets/missiles
*4:10pm - north -  rockets/missiles
*4:35pm - center north  and north -  rockets/missiles
*5:25pm - north - rockets/missiles
*6:15pm - north - rockets/missiles
*6:20pm north -  rockets/missiles

An Israeli reservist was killed and three others were wounded in a Hezbollah rocket attack on northern Israel earlier today, the IDF announces.

The slain soldier is named as Master Sgt. (res.) Saar Eliad Navarsky, 27, of the 7338th “Adirim” Artillery Regiment’s 508th Battalion, from Tel Aviv.

May his memory forever be a blessingThree other soldiers of the artillery battalion were seriously wounded in the same incident, the IDF says.

Ten rockets were launched from Lebanon at the Neot Mordechai area in the Galilee Panhandle in the attack earlier today.

Major (Res.) Aviram Hariv Killed in Clashes in Southern Lebanon**

May his memory forever be a blessing

The deputy commander of Battalion 9308 fell in battle in the western sector of southern Lebanon. Hariv, 42, who also served as the rabbi of Ulpanat Dolev, leaves behind a wife and six children. The head of the Binyamin Regional Council said, "The people of Israel have lost a great educator who brought the values he taught into the battlefield."
The IDF has cleared for publication that Major (Res.) Aviram Hariv, 42, from Dolev, the deputy commander of Battalion 9308 in the Alon Brigade (228), was killed in battle in southern Lebanon. The deputy commander died in a clash in the western sector. Hariv, who also served as the rabbi of Ulpanat Dolev, is survived by his wife, Ayelet, and six children: Achinoam (18), Ziv (15), Shachar (11), Ori (9), Amit (7), and Ivri (4). Professional teams from the Dolev community and the council are currently supporting the family.
The head of the Binyamin Regional Council, Israel Ganz, said, "The people of Israel have lost a great educator who brought the values he taught into the battlefield. A man of both Torah and sword. We embrace his dear wife Ayelet and their six beloved children. Rabbi Aviram leaves us with a great void and a significant legacy — to continue toward victory for the rebirth of the people of Israel."

Hostage Updates 

• Families of captives held by Hamas meet with visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, urging the renewal of efforts to swiftly secure a hostage deal after Israeli forces killed the terror group’s leader in Gaza last week.

  

  This handout photo released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum shows relatives of Israelis held hostage in Gaza by Hamas meeting with visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, October 22, 2024. (Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

  According to a statement from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the group asked Blinken to “apply more pressure on the mediating countries, especially Qatar, to restart negotiations and leverage Sinwar’s elimination into a deal for releasing all hostages,” noting the Gulf emirate hosts Hamas leaders.

• If you killed all the terrorists you said were blocking a deal and then you still don't make a deal, it seems that you never wanted to make a deal!

• NPR Radio interview with my brother (his interview starts at 8:30 minutes) -what's next for the hostages still being held in Gaza? Former Israeli hostage negotiator Gershon Baskin talks about how to move toward a hostage release and the end of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. interview

• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urges Israel to use the opportunity created by its success in dismantling much of Hamas’s capacity in Gaza and the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar to reach a longer term solution in the conflict.

  “Now is the time to turn those successes into an enduring strategic success. And there are really two things left to do, get the hostages home and bring the war to an end with an understanding of what will follow,” Blinken tells reporters as he prepares to depart Israel for Riyadh.

  Blinken says that there has been “progress” made in increasing aid to Gaza, “which is good, but more progress needs to be made and, most critically, it needs to be sustained.”

  The visiting diplomat also calls on Israel to avoid “greater escalation” in its response to Iran’s October 1 missile attack.

  “It’s also very important that Israel respond in ways that do not create greater escalation,” he says.

  Boarding his flight to Riyadh, Blinken adds that Israel should seize the “incredible opportunity” to move toward Saudi normalization.  link It, basically is not a secret that Netanyahu does not want the war in Gaza to end, so any hostage deal that includes or hints at ending the war and pulling out IDF troops from Gaza means a total veto from Netanyahu. The situation in Gaza has changed completely following Sinwar's death and no one,, including Hamas knows what that means right now. However, Blinken and so many others including my brother see the new situation as a new opportunity to get the hostages home and end the war. If only Netanyahu would agree.

Gaza 

• Footage taken last Friday by a Gaza journalist shows a wounded boy lying in the street waving his hands in distress after an apparent strike caused a small scorched crater nearby on the edge of the Jabaliya Refugee Camp.

  
  Footage shows a wounded boy in northern Gaza on October 18, 2024. (Screen capture/X)

  “He’s a child,” journalist Wafaa Thaher can heard saying. “In pieces. Why did they strike him?”

  As the child — 13-year-old Mohammed Salem — pleads for assistance, roughly a dozen men begin approaching him before grabbing their heads in disbelief, throwing their hands up and yelling for help

  Two of the men try lifting the boy up when a second strike targets the area, sending all of them flying back.

  Salem went on to die from his wounds, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent, which said that a 14-year-old boy whose feet were severed by the second strike was also pronounced dead after being taken away by an ambulance.

  Thaher provided the footage to The Washington Post, which verified its authenticity.  Very difficult video to watch of Israeli attack on civilians

  Asked to comment on the incident, the IDF told the Post that it “is working to dismantle the military and administrative capabilities of Hamas,” and that it takes “possible precautions to reduce harm to civilians.” The Israeli army did not say why it launched the strikes or what was being targeted.

• The IDF says it has uncovered documents in the Gaza Strip it claims reveal that six Al Jazeera journalists are operatives in the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror groups.

  

  Al Jazeera journalists accused by the IDF of being members of the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror groups, in a graphic released by the IDF on October 23, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

  
  

  The journalists are named by the IDF as Anas al-Sharif, Alaa Salameh, Hossam Shabat, Ashraf al-Sarraj, Ismail Abu Omar, and Talal al-Arrouqi.

  According to the IDF, al-Sharif was the head of a rocket launching squad and a member of a Nukhba Force company in Hamas’s Nuseirat Battalion; Salameh was the deputy head of the Shaboura Battalion’s propaganda unit, in Islamic Jihad; Shabat was a sniper in Hamas’s Beit Hanoun Battalion; al-Sarraj was a member of Islamic Jihad’s Bureij Battalion; Abu Omar served as a training company commander in the East Khan Younis Battalion, and he been wounded in an Israeli airstrike several months ago; and al-Arrouqi was a team commander in Hamas’s Hamas’s Nuseirat Battalion.

  The military releases the documents, which it says show personnel spreadsheets, lists of training courses, telephone books, and salary documents.

  It says the documents “unequivocally prove” that the journalists functioned as members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad’s respective military wings.

  “These documents are proof of the involvement of Hamas terrorists in the Qatari media network, Al-Jazeera,” the IDF says in a statement.

  The IDF says that the named journalists are “spearheading” the spread of Hamas propaganda on Al Jazeera, especially in the northern Gaza Strip.

  In January, Israel said an Al Jazeera staff journalist and a freelancer killed in an airstrike in Gaza were terror operatives.

  The following month, it accused another journalist with the channel, who was wounded in a separate strike, of being a deputy company commander with Hamas.

  Al Jazeera has fiercely denied Israel’s allegations and accused it of systematically targeting Al Jazeera employees in the Gaza Strip.

• Dozens of suspected terror operatives have been detained by Israeli troops amid an ongoing operation in northern Gaza’s Jabaliya, the IDF says.

  The suspects were detained as the army ordered Palestinian civilians to evacuate the area, where heavy fighting is taking place.

  Since the operation began earlier this month, tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians have evacuated Jabaliya through Israeli-designated humanitarian corridors, the military says.

  In the past day, the IDF says troops killed numerous gunmen and seized weapons during the operation in Jabaliya.

  
  
• Nine hours, 14 floors: IDF soldiers recount raid on UNRWA building in Gaza Strip 
  By the time they reached the fifth floor, the situation intensified. An IED struck their armored vehicle, injuring some of the team members.
  

  Soldiers from the IDF's Multidimensional Unit shared insights into a complex and high-risk raid on a 14-story UNRWA building in the Gaza Strip, the IDF cleared for publication on Tuesday.

  The mission focused on a 14-story building used by Hamas operatives and located within a UNRWA facility. The operation aimed to dismantle terrorist infrastructure and eliminate key figures.

  St.-Sgt. C., a combat soldier in the unit, spoke about the importance and risk of the mission. "We placed enormous significance on this operation," he said. "We had a detailed battle plan supported by precise intelligence, and our goal was to track down Hamas leaders hiding inside."
  

  The mission proved perilous from the get-go, as the team encountered several improvised explosive devices (IEDs) while advancing toward the building in their armored vehicle.

  Gunfire erupted from the target structure as they approached. "The radio was reporting armed individuals in the vicinity," Staff Sergeant C. recalled. "We knew we were heading straight into a confrontation with the enemy, who was prepared and waiting for us."
  

  Upon reaching the building, the soldiers faced their first obstacle—blocked entrances. "As the breacher, it’s my responsibility to clear the way for the team," Staff Sergeant C. explained. His role required him to break through any barriers preventing the unit’s progress.

  By the time they reached the fifth floor, the situation intensified. An IED struck their armored vehicle, injuring some of the team members. Despite their concern for their wounded comrades, the soldiers knew they had no option to turn back. They continued the mission, advancing up nine more floors on their own.
  
  

  A bigger operation than expected 

  "The building was enormous, and we worked floor by floor, systematically clearing each one," said Staff Sergeant R., another soldier in the unit. "We discovered large stockpiles of weapons, including grenades, IEDs, and equipment from Hamas’s naval commandos. Additionally, we found critical intelligence documents that further revealed the scale of the operation."

  
  

  As the raid unfolded, the team encountered a significant number of Hamas fighters hidden throughout the structure. "It quickly became clear that this was a much larger operation than we had anticipated," Staff Sergeant R. noted. "We gathered a wealth of intelligence alongside the terrorists and weapons we captured."

  
  

  The mission, which lasted nine hours, tested the endurance and adaptability of the unit. "We began at 2 a.m. and didn’t finish until 11 a.m.," Staff Sergeant C. concluded. "No sleep, no food—just intense combat. But that’s the strength of this unit. We are trained to adapt and evolve in real-time, and that's what we did—staying focused, determined, and working as one team." link

• Israel’s COGAT military agency in charge of humanitarian aid says it facilitated the entry of 237 aid trucks into northern Gaza since October 14.

  Before that, no aid was allowed into northern Gaza for a full two-week period, leading aid groups to sound alarm over the dangerous conditions in northern Gaza where several hundred Palestinians are believed to still reside. The Biden administration also issued a letter warning that Israel’s continued receipt of offensive US weapons was at risk if Jerusalem didn’t take massive steps to address the humanitarian crisis.

  The two-week halt on aid into northern Gaza led to reports that Israel was implementing the so-called “General’s Plan” to lay siege to northern Gaza. The IDF denied this, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to do the same, and a former deputy chief of the National Security Council accused the security cabinet of having secretly approved the controversial proposal, which he called a “war crime.”

  COGAT in a statement notes that it began surging aid into northern Gaza on October 14 following a directive from the political echelon.

  Whether this directive was due to international pushback over Israel’s alleged implementation of the General’s Plan remains unclear.

  COGAT says the 237 trucks that have entered Gaza over the past nine days have included “food, water, medical supplies and shelter equipment from Jordan and the international community.”

  The aid was transferred to the northern Gaza Strip via the Allenby Crossing and Ashdod Port to the “Erez West” between Israel and Gaza after undergoing security checks.

  “The IDF, via COGAT, will continue to act in accordance with international law to facilitate and ease the humanitarian response to the Gaza Strip,” COGAT says.

• A senior member of Hamas, Mousa Abu Marzouk, has arrived in Moscow on a planned visit, Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti reports, citing a diplomatic source.

  Hamas politburo member Abu Marzouk intends to hold a series of meetings with Russian officials, RIA says, without providing any further details.

  Russia has ties to all key players in the Middle East, including Israel, Iran, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas.

  Moscow has repeatedly blamed the current crisis in the Middle East on the failure of US diplomacy, and called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the resumption of talks aimed at finding a peace settlement.

Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah/Syria

• After confirming the death of Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi warns that Israel will reach all its enemies.

  “We reached [Hassan] Nasrallah, his replacement, and most of Hezbollah’s leadership. We will know how to reach anyone who threatens the security of Israel’s citizens,” Halevi says in remarks provided by the IDF.

  The IDF announces that Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut earlier this month.

  Safieddine, the head of Hezbollah’s executive council, was presumed to be the successor of Hassan Nasrallah following his assassination. 

  

  The head of Hezbollah's Executive Council Hashem Safieddine attends a ceremony of the Iran-backed terror group in Beirut's southern suburbs on May 24, 2024. (Anwar Amro/AFP)

  
  

  According to the military, Safieddine was killed alongside the head of the terror group’s intelligence division, Hussein Ali Hazima, during the strike on October 4.

  The strike had targeted Hezbollah’s underground intelligence headquarters in Beirut, which the army says was “in the heart of a civilian population” in the Lebanese capital’s southern suburb, known as Dahiyeh.

  The IDF says that more than 25 members of Hezbollah’s intelligence division were at the headquarters when the strike was carried out, including other top commanders.

  Safieddine had been out of contact since the strike, but only today the IDF says it could confirm his death. Hezbollah has not yet announced his death.

  Safieddine, whom the US State Department designated as a terrorist in 2017, is a cousin of Nasrallah and, like him, is a cleric who wears the black turban denoting ostensible descent from Islam’s Prophet Mohammed.
  
  

• A prominent member of Hezbollah’s drone unit was killed in an Israeli airstrike in northern Lebanon on Monday, the IDF says.

  The military says Khalil Muhammad Amhaz, a member of Hezbollah’s aerial forces, known as Unit 127, which is responsible for drone attacks on Israel, was killed in the strike in the Hermel District.

  The IDF describes Amhaz as a “central source of knowledge” in the drone unit.

• The IDF issues an urgent evacuation warning to residents of Lebanon’s Tyre, ahead of airstrikes against Hezbollah sites.

  

  This picture taken from the southern Lebanese city of Tyre shows smoke billowing after Israeli airstrikes that targeted southern Lebanese villages on October 21, 2024. (Kawnat Haju/AFP)

  “Hezbollah’s activity forces the IDF to act in the area you are in. The IDF does not want to harm you,” Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman says on X, alongside a map of the areas that will be targeted.

  “You must immediately move away from the area marked in red and head north to the Awali River. Anyone who is near Hezbollah personnel, facilities and weapons of Hezbollah is putting their life in danger!” Adraee adds.
  
  

• Three Hezbollah regional unit commanders were killed in Israeli airstrikes in the past two days, the IDF says.

  According to the military, strikes carried out by fighter jets in the previous 48 hours targeted and killed the commanders of Hezbollah’s Jibchit, Jouaiyya and Qana areas.

  The commanders were responsible for rocket and missile fire on Israeli towns from their respective areas, the IDF says.

  Meanwhile, in the past day alone, the military says that some 70 Hezbollah operatives were killed in airstrikes and ground operations in southern Lebanon.

  Troops also located and destroyed tunnels and caches of weapons, the IDF adds.
  
  

• The Hezbollah terror group says it fired rockets at an Israeli military intelligence base in the Tel Aviv suburbs, following a night of strikes on the group’s south Beirut bastion.

  Hezbollah launched “a rocket salvo” at “the Glilot base of the [8200] military intelligence unit… in the Tel Aviv suburbs,” the group says in a statement, referring to a base targeted several times in recent days. It says the rocket fire was “in response to attacks and massacres committed by the Zionist enemy.”

  The IDF said earlier today that it successfully intercepted two long-range rockets fired from Lebanon toward Tel Aviv. Some damage was reported from shrapnel. Link Hizbollah has made many attempts to hit the base at Glilot (north of Tel Aviv) with rockets and UAVs  Glilot base houses both the elite 8200 Army Intelligence and Mossad  so far, all of these attempts have failed but we cannot forget that they have successfully hit a number of military targets till now, killing several soldiers and causing physical damage, but none that have impacted operations  

• Overnight, several Hezbollah weapons manufacturing and storage sites were struck by Israeli fighter jets in Beirut, the IDF says.

  According to the military, the Hezbollah sites were embedded in civilian buildings in Beirut’s southern suburb, known as Dahiyeh.

  
  Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted an area in Beirut's southern suburbs on October 22, 2024. (IBRAHIM AMRO / AFP)

  Before the strikes, the IDF issued evacuation warnings to civilians near the buildings.

  The military releases footage of the strikes. video

• The IDF says troops operating in southern Lebanon uncovered a cache of weapons in a mosque.

  Reservists of the Iron Fist Armored Brigade found ammunition and a recoilless rifle outside the mosque, while inside they located RPGs, sniper rifles, anti-tank missiles, and other weapons, according to the military.  video of weapoins found outside of mosque

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West Bank and Jerusalem and Terror attacks within Israel

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Politics and the War (general news)

•  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in talks Tuesday with Secretary of State Antony Blinken recognized the “seriousness” of US warnings to increase aid to Palestinians in Gaza, a US official says.

  “They recognize the seriousness with which we have expressed our concern about the current situation, and are committed to responding to it and acting upon requests,” says the official during a briefing with reporters after Blinken, who had warned of withholding aid to Israel in a recent letter, met top Israeli leaders including Netanyahu in Jerusalem earlier today.

  Blinken also discussed with Netanyahu the mechanisms to be put in place, including “transitional structures” needed for postwar governance in Gaza, the US official says.

  Israeli leaders told Blinken it is not the country’s policy to isolate northern Gaza, the US official says.

  The clarification is issued after Israel blocked aid from reaching northern Gaza for two weeks at the beginning of the month as it reportedly sought to implement the so-called “General’s Plan,” which envisions the IDF laying siege to northern Gaza in order to snuff out remaining Hamas fighters.

  The IDF denied that this was its policy and said earlier today that it has allowed 237 trucks into Gaza over the past nine days following a directive from the political echelon. That directive followed international uproar over the apparent isolation of northern Gaza.

  Israeli leaders told Blinken in today’s meetings that they have not been trying to implement the General’s Plan.

  “We said, okay, then you should go to greater lengths to say that publicly,” the US official tells reporters. Link the US is going to need to put on a lot of pressure to prevent both the northern Gaza isolation plan which will also play directly into the hands of the extremist messianic ministers who are pushing strongly for Jewish settlement of Gaza. Netanyahu is not stopping their actions, statements and recruitment for this insane and illegal plan. 

  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his top aides sidestepped US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s request during a meeting Tuesday to publicly clarify that Israel is not seeking to lay siege to northern Gaza, a US official tells The Times of Israel.

  Netanyahu and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer insisted during the meeting that Israel is not implementing the so-called General’s Plan aimed at isolating northern Gaza and argued that claims to the contrary have been detrimental to Israel’s public image, the US official says.

  Blinken urged Netanyahu to clarify this publicly, but he and his aides demurred, the official adds.

  The back-and-forth highlighted a long-held US frustration with the Israeli premier, who Washington feels offers private assurances that he knows the US wants to hear while failing to follow through in public due to fear of alienating the far-right coalition partners he relies on to remain in power.

• The IDF, in an unusual step, slams the far-right Channel 14 TV network for broadcasting a clip yesterday making fun of IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen Herzi Halevi.

  “I am contacting you following the video published last night on Channel 14, which included inflammatory and defamatory content that harms the IDF. It is inconceivable that a media channel in the State of Israel gives a platform for inflammatory content against the IDF during a war,” reads a letter addressed to the network by IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari.

  Hagari writes that the military is “not afraid of criticism and even encourages an open and sharp public discourse” on the IDF amid the war.

  “However, the content that was broadcast yesterday on Channel 14 crosses a red line. This is deliberate incitement and humiliation of the IDF and its commanders during a war. Unfortunately, this is not the first time Channel 14 has taken such actions towards the IDF,” the letter reads. video Channel 14 is Israel's equivalent to the euphemistically called Fox News channel. It goes out of its way to support Netanyahu and his extremist allies. Due to the way that Netanyahu's ministers and cabinet have treated the IDF Chief of Staff, they think its alright to mock him while he is leading the actual military effort on 7 fronts while these cabinet ministers continue to make a mockery of the country by their failed ministries and their lack of qualifications to do the work they are supposed to do.

• **"The State Screwed Me": What the Suspects in the Espionage Case Said in Their Interrogation – and the Military Targets That Were Hit | New Revelations**

The espionage network, which was exposed and operated out of Haifa for two years, had its members receive millions of shekels from the Iranians for their cooperation. The information they provided to Iran led, among other things, to damage to a surveillance balloon near the Golani Junction. The suspects also passed on, at the request of their handler, information on military bases, Iron Dome systems, and other sensitive facilities. 
One of the suspects explained during interrogation: "The state wasn't there for me. I needed money."
New details have emerged about how the espionage network, which transferred sensitive information to the Iranians, operated. The broad and significant network, composed of Jewish Israelis residing in Haifa, was revealed yesterday (Monday) by the police and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency). In a central news report, new details were uncovered about the network's operations, the Iranian handlers' connection with the suspects, and the statements made by the suspects during police interrogation.
The seven suspects, two of whom are minors, operated for two years from an apartment in Haifa that served as their headquarters. They completed around 600 missions, for which they were paid millions of shekels. The police stated that "what makes this case unique is the scale of activity."

"When we opened the phones, together with the Shin Bet, we were shocked by the amount of material this group had transferred to Iranian agents – we were astonished by the scope," the police said. "It became clear to us that this network caused extensive damage."
The network began its operations about two years ago. The central suspect, Aziz Nisanov, traveled to Azerbaijan for a visit to his homeland, where he was recruited by Iranian agents who asked him to establish an espionage network in Israel. Nisanov recruited six others, some of whom were family members, and together they began their activities.
The espionage tasks were diverse and included surveillance of senior defense officials. But with the outbreak of the war on October 7, their missions became more intense and focused. They were tasked, among other things, with photographing the locations of Iron Dome systems and air force bases such as Ramat David and Nevatim, as well as naval bases. They were also asked to document the Hadera power station and highly sensitive military bases.

The Hadera Power Station

In one mission, members of the network traveled to the Galilee to photograph sensitive bases under the guise of a jeep tour. Near the Golani Junction, they spotted a large surveillance balloon operated by the air force. They photographed the precise location using special cameras sent to them by their handlers. The photos were transmitted, and a month later, a Hezbollah drone made a precise strike on the site.

Intelligence gathered by Shin Bet and police investigators led them to the seven suspects. After covert surveillance, the decision was made to arrest them. Due to the dangerous nature of the network, Shin Bet and the National Unit for Serious and International Crime Investigations (Lahav 433) deployed "Tequila" teams, comprising SWAT and Shin Bet personnel, for rapid intervention in emergency situations.

The sensitive investigation was conducted for 35 days under a comprehensive gag order, with the suspects denied access to legal counsel. It was revealed that the Iranians systematically operated the network using covert apps, through which instructions were given in Russian using codes.

The sensitive site that was attacked by a Hezbollah UAV in the area of ​​the Golani junction Photography: Avi Arish Rahaf Photography Projects 

One Iranian handler instructed a suspect: "I need you to rent a car, install a GoPro camera on it, and park it at a military base, the details of which I will send you later. There's a gas station overlooking the base. Return after three days and retrieve the car. I want to know the security arrangements, but do it carefully so you don't get caught. You're very important to me." The suspect replied: "No problem, don't worry, I take care of myself."
Additionally, one of the suspects was asked during interrogation how he could explain his betrayal of the country. He responded: "I grew up in foster care. The state took my family away from me. When I needed help, the state wasn't there for me. The state screwed me. I was left without a penny. I needed money."
The investigator pressed further: "Your actions harmed nine million people." The suspect replied: "I love the people of Israel. I regret and apologize for the harm I caused to the people of Israel. But I did what I did because the state abandoned me."
Today, Shin Bet and the police informed the court that they had completed the investigation of the espionage network members. In the coming days, the prosecution is expected to file serious charges against them, including aiding the enemy during wartime, an offense punishable by death or life imprisonment. Their detention has been extended until the next hearing. link

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The Region and the World

• **Tensions with the West: How the Prolonged War is Straining Relations with Allies**

Italy's right-wing Prime Minister was considered an important supporter of Israel but has since criticized the fighting in Lebanon and approved an arms embargo. French President Macron also called for an embargo, barring Israeli defense companies from participating in a prestigious exhibition. The UK has halted defense exports and is considering sanctions against Israeli ministers.
More than a year into the war, as Israel's campaign in Lebanon expands and there is no tangible resolution to the conflict in Gaza, Israel's relationships with its major Western allies are facing significant challenges. Increasingly, Western leaders, including those once seen as supportive of Israeli policies, are hardening their stance.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, previously known for her support of Israel, recently disclosed that she had actively halted all arms shipments to Israel on October 7, 2023. While Italy is not one of Israel’s largest arms suppliers, Meloni’s move coincided with French President Macron’s call for a weapons embargo on Israel. The IDF's intensified operations in southern Lebanon, particularly the alleged harm to UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) soldiers, including those from Italy, have angered Meloni’s government. During a recent visit to Lebanon, Meloni sharply criticized the IDF’s treatment of UNIFIL troops and expressed her concerns directly to Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Alongside Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron has also been vocal in his criticism of Israel. Despite maintaining that he is a friend of Israel and supports its right to self-defense, Macron has urged a halt to arms sales that might be used in the Gaza conflict. Recently, France banned Israeli defense companies from participating in the prestigious EuroNaval exhibition if their products were used in Gaza or Lebanon. Historically, France has held a special relationship with Lebanon, often treating it as a "protectorate," and thus has been especially critical of Israel's military actions in the country. Macron emphasized that one can support Israel without agreeing with every decision made by Netanyahu.
In the United Kingdom, despite the fall of the Conservative government and the rise of the Labour Party, strong relations with Israel have been maintained. However, the new British government has effectively paused defense exports to Israel, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer acknowledged he is considering sanctions against Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir. Additionally, Germany’s foreign minister expressed concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, telling Israeli Foreign Minister Katz that it is becoming increasingly difficult to defend Israel in international forums. 

**Behind the "Hostile" Actions**
While many of Israel’s allies publicly support its right to defend itself against terrorist groups in Gaza and Lebanon, there is growing discomfort with the prolonged and seemingly endless war. Although Israel’s security concerns are well understood in European capitals, many leaders face criticism as the conflict drags on.
For Giorgia Meloni, who is fighting illegal immigration into Italy, the ongoing conflict raises fears of a new wave of migrants from the Middle East. Hundreds of illegal migrants arrive on Italy's shores daily, and her government has made tackling this issue a priority. The longer the war continues in Gaza and Lebanon, the greater the risk of further migration.
In the wake of the war in Ukraine and with former U.S. President Trump potentially returning to the White House, there is growing motivation in many Western countries to respect and defend international institutions. This includes organizations like UNIFIL, which, despite receiving criticism in Israel for failing to prevent Hezbollah from establishing terror infrastructure along the Israeli border, enjoys high legitimacy in Europe. Many Western countries have a vested interest in maintaining and protecting its continued operations. Similarly, support for the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague is a key value for European nations, and Israeli efforts to undermine its authority are not well-received in cities like Paris, London, and Rome. link There is very little that Netanyahu has done successfully throughout this entire war but there is one that he has done with tremendous success: alienation our closest allies and turning more nations and people against Israel. He, obviously has not done this alone. He has had many willing partners who don't care about Israel's relations with any other countries (Ben Gvir and Smotrich). They believe that Israel is an island unto itself and we can do whatever we want with impunity. Netanyahu knows better but he is so wrapped up in keeping these two extremists satisfied so they remain in his coalition and he remains prime minister, that he has auctioned off the well being of Israel's future to these pyromaniacs who are hell bent on following their own messianic ideologies that nothing else matters. Screw the rest of the country, especially all those who don't support them, Netanyahu and their distorted missions.

 

•  Police in Sri Lanka have raised security around a popular surfing destination after receiving information about a possible threat to Israeli travelers, a spokesperson says.  Police spokesperson Nihal Thalduwa says special security measures have been put in place at Arugam Bay in the country’s east. The police statement comes after the US embassy in Sri Lanka alerted Americans to avoid Arugam Bay area until further notice due to “credible information warning of an attack targeting popular tourist locations in the Arugam Bay area.” Thalduwa says the regional police have stepped up security over the past days increasing road blocks and vehicle checks and police will be putting in place security measures around the country to protect tourists who will be visiting Sri Lanka for the oncoming year-end tourist season.

Personal Stories

  

Taken captive: Ohad Yahalomi, shot in the leg by terrorists

Wife and two daughters escaped terrorists on Oct. 7; son Eitan Yahalomi, 12, was released on November 27

Ohad Yahalomi, 49, was taken captive by Hamas terrorists from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, after he engaged in a gun battle with gunmen in his house and was shot in the leg.

Ohad had decided to sit outside the sealed room door with a handgun, as the door handle of the room wasn’t locking properly.

After he was shot, the gunmen hurried wife Batsheva Yahalomi and their three children out of the house and onto mopeds, along with a foreign worker from the kibbutz.

Ohad told his family that he loved them, and to go with the terrorists.

Batsheva, 10-year-old Yael and the almost two-year-old toddler sat on one moped with a terrorist, while 12-year-old Eitan and the foreign worker sat on the other moped with another gunman.

As the terrorists headed toward Gaza, they saw two IDF tanks appear up ahead and the two mopeds veered away from one another. Batsheva lost track of Eitan on the other moped.

At some point, Batsheva and her two daughters were able to run, in their pajamas and flip-flops, for more than three hours. Batsheva eventually made it back toward the northern end of the kibbutz, which was less damaged than the other section.

“We were sure that Ohad would be there, but he wasn’t,” she said.

Eitan Yahalomi, 12, was released on November 27 as part of a temporary ceasefire deal brokered by Qatar and the United States between Hamas and Israel. Ohad remains presumed captive in Gaza and his family does not know if he is alive or dead.

“It’s the kind of injuries that you survive,” said his sister, Ayala Yahalomi, in a Kan interview. “He’s a very strong person.”

His mother, Esther Yahalomi, told Kan that she’s ready to take a tank and go get her son herself.

When Eitan was released on November 27, he thought his father was dead and that his mother and sisters were captives in Gaza.

“The kibbutzim, we went through a pogrom,” said Batsheva. “We dreamed of peace with Gaza and there were entire families, babies killed.” link

Alone in cell guarded by terrorists: Mother of teen recounts ‘horror’ of his captivity

Bat-Sheva Yahalomi says Eitan was only allowed to shower twice in 52 days, never slept on mattress and was beaten by terrorists; he still has nightmares and hasn’t resumed normal life

Relatives, friends and supporters of 49-year-old Ohad Yahalomi and his 13-year-old son Eitan, held hostage in Gaza since the October 7 attack by Hamas militants in southern Israel, take part in a protest asking for the release of Israeli hostages in Tel Aviv on November 25, 2023. (Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP)

Four months after he was freed from captivity in Gaza, Eitan Yahalomi celebrated his bar mitzvah, but his coming-of-age last week was far from a joyous occasion, his mother told AFP.

Eitan Yahalomi, 12, with his mother in Ichilov hospital on November 27, 2023, after being released by Hamas in a truce agreement. (IDF)

In her first interview with international media since her son’s release last November, Bat-Sheva Yahalomi said the boy still has nightmares and has not been able to resume normal life.

“He’s strong, but he’s not well,” she said, adding that he was still reliving the experiences of October 7 last year.

Eitan, 12 years old at the time, was one of 253 people abducted by Hamas terrorists that day and was snatched from his home in Nir Oz, a kibbutz in southern Israel.

His mother and two younger sisters were also taken, but they escaped after they fell from their captor’s motorbike.

Eitan’s father Ohad, also taken on October 7, is still believed to be in captivity in Gaza.

Despite the precarious situation, the French-Israeli woman said she wanted to testify to the “horror” that her son experienced.

“First, he was beaten, then they put him alone in a cell with bars and he was left alone for 16 days in the custody of armed men from Hamas,” she said. He was released 52 days later as part of a truce that saw 105 people, mostly women and children, set free. link

https://www.timesofisrael.com/artist-who-was-at-nova-on-eve-of-massacre-finds-solace-creating-portraits-of-victims/



Dark Legacy - The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages

Call of Duty (“Tzav 8”)

Yuval Diskin

Former Head of Shin Bet (Israeli Security Services).

For many weeks, something deep inside me kept telling me that it was not yet the time to publicly speak against the current Israeli government, that it might not be appropriate to replace a government in the middle of a war, and that unity was of utmost importance during these times. But I find myself astonished, day after day, by this government's incompetence, its failed management of the war, the lie of “the Total Victory,” the complete avoidance of taking responsibility, the destruction of our strategic relations with the United States, and perhaps most of all, by missing every opportunity to bring back our sisters and brothers, hostages who are languishing in Hamas captivity.

It turns out that under the lowest of the low, there is yet another set of descending stairs. It turns out that Israel’s failed prime minister, the worst in the history of the country, led us in the last decade into a multidimensional strategic crisis, affecting the internal security arena, the regional security arena, and the international arena. The merging of these dimensions of threats may bring Israel to an existential threshold, and soon.

Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is convinced that if he does not get to be the king, we, his subjects, do not deserve to have a kingdom.

Well, Bibi - we have news for you: We are not your subjects. We are fed up with your lies, your narcissism, your endless arrogance, and your total disconnection from reality. We are the people who, on October 7th and since, dropped everything to stand and fight shoulder to shoulder: people from the right, the left, and the center; secular and religious; Jews, Druze, and Bedouins. Together. We are the people who knew how to save the country from the results of the deadly Hamas attack, and how to act continuously, with tremendous dedication when the systems of your Government of Destruction failed, for so many months.

Therefore, we demand - now, loud and clear - a different leadership: A leadership that leads, unites, and takes responsibility. A leadership that contains and empathizes with bereavement and with the unimaginable pain of the hostages’ families. A humane leadership that is in love with its people, not with itself.

We urgently need a new, legitimate, and sane government. A government that will immediately begin repairing. A government that will, first and foremost, act to bring home the hostages, within the framework of an arrangement that will be based on the parameters of demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, cessation of smuggling along the border with Egypt, management of the Gaza Strip and its civilian rehabilitation, and the establishment of a security strip around the Gaza Strip. This is our civic Call of Duty, our civic “Tzav-8,” and it’s calling us all. We don’t have another country, but the time has come for us to have a different country. All of us, together, will make sure that this happens.

”Tzav 8” or “Order 8” is the term used to refer to the emergency call-up of Israelis outside the framework of regular reserve duty during times of war.

Acronyms and Glossary

COGAT - Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories

ICC - International Criminal Court in the Hague

IJC - International Court of Justice in the Hague

MDA - Magen David Adom - Israel Ambulance Corp

PA - Palestinian Authority - President Mahmud Abbas, aka Abu Mazen

PMO- Prime Minister's Office

UAV - Unmanned Aerial vehicle, Drone. Could be used for surveillance and reconnaissance, or be weaponized with missiles or contain explosives for 'suicide' explosion mission

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