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
*7:40pm yesterday - north rockets/missiles
*8:25pm yesterday-north- rockets/missiles- IDF: 30 rockets fired from Lebanon at Upper Galilee, striking open areas
*12:55am - north - rockets/missiles *2:45am - north - rockets/missiles *5:15am - north - hostile aircraft - Rosh Hanikra, Batzet, Milu'ot *5:40am - north - hostile aircraft - Shlomi, Milu'ot, Batzet, Leeman, Metzuba, Rosh Hanikra *6:15am -center north - Hadera, Emek Hefer and surrounding areas, Netanya and surrounding areas, Carmiel and surrounding areas - rockets/missiles *6:20am - north -rockets/missiles
*8:00am - north - hostile aircraft - Milu'ot, Batzet, Leeman, Gesher Haziv, Naharia, Saar *8:10am - north - hostile aircraft - Rosh Hanikra, Batzet, Milu'ot, Leeman, Metzuba, Shlomi, Gesher Haziv, Naharia, *8:20am - hostile aircraft - Milu'ot, Batzet, Leeman, Rosh Hanikra -The Israeli Air Force has downed three drones that crossed from Lebanon in the past hour, the military says.
Following multiple aerial invasion alerts that sounded in northern communities, including the city of Nahariya, the IDF says the three UAVs were successfully intercepted, with no casualties caused. It adds that fire and rescue services are working to put out a blaze caused by falling debris in the Gesher Haziv area.
*8:55am - north - rockets/missiles *9:45am - north -rockets/missiles -Two farmhands wounded in an apparent rocket impact near the northern town of Metula have been taken by helicopter to Rambam Hospital in Haifa.
The medical center says one of the men, in his 40s, is seriously wounded, while the other, in his 30s, is listed in light-to-moderate condition. Both were hit by shrapnel, according to the hospital.
*1:25pm - Acre and Haifa and all surrounding areas -rockets/missiles *2:5ppm - north - rockets/missiles *3:00pm - north -rockets/missiles
*3:20pm - north - rockets/missiles *4:20pm - north -rockets/missiles *4:40pm - north -rockets/missiles *5:20pm - north - hostile aircraft - Milu'ot, Leeman, Gesher Haziv, Naharia, Saar, Arab al Aramshe, Eilon, Goren, Admit, Ben Ami *5:25pm - north - hostile aircraft -Arab al Aramshe, Ben Ami, Naharia, Evron, Mizra'a, Yaara, Regba, Hanita, Nes Amin, Lochomei Hagheto'ot, Shomrat, Bustan Hagalil, Acre
*5:30pm - north - hostile aircraft - Bustan Hagalil, Acre, Lochemei Haghetto'ot, Gedida Macker, Naharia, Milu'ot, Saar, Gesher Haziv, *5:35pm - Haifa and areas surrounding - Hostile Aircraft *5:35pm - north - hostile aircraft - Evron, Ben AMi, Nesher, Shavei Zion, Mizra'a, Regba *5:40pm - Haifa and surrounding areas, Acre and areas surrounding and north - hostile aircraft *5:40 - center north - Kiryat Tivon, Beit Zaid, Oranim *5:45pm - north center - hostile aircraft, Yokneam, Zorea, Elyakim *5:55pm - north center - hostile aircraft - Shaar Menashe, Maor, Talmei Elazar, Hadera, Gan Shmuel -At least three drones were launched from Lebanon at northern Israel in the past half an hour, one of which was intercepted by air defenses, according to the military.
The IDF says it has received reports of two drone impacts. It does not specify where they impacted or if any damage was caused. “The event is still ongoing,” the IDF adds. Sirens sounded along Israel’s northern coastal plain, reaching as far south as Hadera. - video of Hizbollah drone over northern Israel
*6:15pm - north -rockets/missiles *6:20pm - north -rockets/missiles
IDF reservist dies of wounds sustained while fighting in Lebanon, says military
Master Sgt. (res.) Yedidia Bloch, 31, of the 55th Paratroopers Brigade’s 7155th Battalion, from Mevo Horon, was seriously wounded in battle on October 24.
Bloch had been seriously wounded in the same incident in which Sgt. First Class Gai Ben-Harooshwas killed.
May his memory be a revolution
Hostage Updates
The latest proposal in newly restarted talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Hamas and Israel would reportedly include a monthlong truce in exchange for the release of 11-14 hostages.
Protesters stand with portraits of Israeli hostages during a demonstration by the families of the hostages outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Jerusalem residence on October 24, 2024. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)
According to Ynet, the latest proposal has been presented to Qatari interlocutors by Mossad chief David Barnea, who returned from Doha yesterday. The deal would include the freeing of female and elderly hostages being held in Gaza, as well as the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israel.
Channel 12 news, meanwhile, reports that it was the Qataris who put forward such a framework proposal.
Earlier, Egypt proposed a two-day ceasefire that would see the release of four hostages.
Hamas officials have indicated in recent days that they are only interested in a comprehensive deal to end the war.
A senior Hamas official says the terror group is studying new proposals from mediators to end the war in Gaza, but reiterates that these should entail a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Strip.
“The movement has confirmed it is open to any deal or ideas that ends the suffering of our people in Gaza and achieve a permanent ceasefire, and the occupation’s withdrawal from all of Gaza Strip,” Sami Abu Zuhri says in a televised speech.
He also says an agreement must end the blockade of the Strip, allow unrestricted relief aid and a reconstruction of Gaza, and achieve a swap of Israeli hostages in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners in Israel, largely in line with Hamas demands over the past year.
A Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson says Doha will work as a mediator along with US President Joe Biden’s administration “until the last minute” before the November 5 presidential election to reach a ceasefire deal.
“We don’t foresee any negative result of the elections on the mediation process itself. We believe we are dealing with institutions, and in a country like the United States the institutions are invested in finding a resolution to this crisis,” spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari tells a press conference.
Netanyahu needs to understand: there is no deal that returns all the hostages without ending the war. Hamas needs to understand: there is no end to the war as kong as Hamas continues to rule Gaza. Qatar and Egypt must pressure Hamas to relinquish power in Gaza. It shouldn't be difficult because two members of the Hamas political bureau told me explicitly that Hamas is ready to transfer control of Gaza to a technocratic civilian body in which they will have no part. Arab countries and the Americans must pressure Mahmoud Abbas to appoint a new and independent prime minister either for the entire Palestinian Authority or for the government of Gaza, but it is important that the Gazan government be connected to the Palestinian Authority but not controlled by Mahmoud Abbas. Israel needs to understand that continuing to control Gaza will result in the unnecessary killing of many more soldiers and will prevent the transfer of power in Gaza from Hamas to a non-Hamas Palestinian civilian body. all of the sides have very important decisions to make because there is no time to waste because Israeli and Palestinian human lives are in danger every day. (Gershon Baskin October 30, 2024)
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant tells troops in Rafah that bringing the hostages home is the most important current mission in the Gaza Strip.
“Your obligation is to create military pressure. Our obligation, the political echelon, is to bring about a deal… You apply pressure, do what is necessary, and we bring about a deal because you create the conditions for us to carry it out, and I hope we will do it,” he says.
“This is our most important mission in Gaza at this time. We have regular tasks — one is to maintain the defense of the communities and the forces, and the second is to maintain the freedom of action to do whatever is necessary inside Gaza,” Gallant adds. linkThis article infuriates me. I really thought that Galant had learned and even evolved, albeit a little. There is no question that the increased military pressure not only does not bring the hostages home, it is the direct reason many of them are dead. Only a full ceasefire leading to ending the war quickly will be the basis of any deal to get the hostages home, not military pressure, not international pressure, not killing more Hamas leaders, only a deal. Galant knows this, Netanyahu knows this, the entire security establishment and the negotiating team know this. But one person is standing firmly in the way and that is Netanyahu who wants to keep the war going. Shame on him. Unfortunately, he knows no shame and has no soul.
Gaza
Anonymous soldier claims IDF uses human shields in Gaza - report
The scale of this practice, according to CNN's report, is not explicitly known, but the news organization cited the soldier and five former Palestinian detainees in their report.
The IDF has allegedly used Palestinians to enter booby-trapped buildings and houses in Gaza, an anonymous soldier claimed in a CNN interview last Thursday.
The soldier, who was connected to CNN via left-wing NGO Breaking the Silence, told CNN that his unit held two Palestinian prisoners and reportedly used them as human shields to enter and probe potentially dangerous places in Gaza. The soldier also claimed that this use of Palestinians was common among Israeli units operating in the Gaza Strip.
The scale of this practice, according to CNN's report, is not explicitly known, but the news organization cited the soldier and five former Palestinian detainees that the practice was commonly used in areas such as northern Gaza, Gaza City, Khan Yunis, and Rafah.
CNN reached this IDF soldier through the Israeli NGO Breaking the Silence, an organization that grants a platform for soldiers to give anonymous testimonies regarding alleged abuses or transgressions witnessed during their military service, with the aim of "bringing an end to the occupation."
The soldier who was cited by CNN said that in the spring of 2024, an intelligence officer showed up to his unit in Gaza with two Palestinian detainees, a 16-year-old and a 20-year-old, and were told to use these Palestinians as human shields prior to entering buildings. According to CNN's report, the intelligence officer told soldiers that the two Palestinians were linked to Hamas.
The soldier allegedly questioned the practice, but his commander told him, "It's better that the Palestinian will explode and not our soldiers," CNN noted.
The soldier told CNN that he and other soldiers serving with him refused to carry out the practice and confronted their senior commander about it. Their commander responded by telling them not to "think about international law" and that soldiers' lives are "more important." However, the commander eventually released the two Palestinians.
IDF responds to CNN
The IDF responded to CNN regarding the allegations, stating, "The IDF's directives and guidelines strictly prohibit the use of detained Gaza civilians for military operations. The relevant protocols and instructions are routinely clarified to soldiers in the field during the conflict."
The practice of using civilians to shield military activity is forbidden under international law, and Israel's High Court banned this practice in 2005. linkI have no doubt about the veracity of this report. The use of civilians as human shields has been done in the IDF for a very long time, even though it is forbidden. To the best of my knowledge, there has never been a court case or punishment of criminal conviction for any incident that it has been done. The army has always closed this cases internally and perhaps there have been some slaps on the wrists but nothing more. When there are no consequences of this type of illegal activity, it will never be stopped and is sometimes encouraged in the field.
The IDF says that fighter jets struck Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror operatives in the Khan Younis humanitarian zone.
According to an IDF statement, the military used precision munitions and other measures to reduce civilian casualties. The statement also says terror groups are “systematically using” civilians and civilian infrastructure such as the humanitarian zone “to plan and carry out terror.”
US State Department officials have identified nearly 500 potential incidents of civilian harm during Israel’s military operations in Gaza involving US-furnished weapons, but have not taken further action on any of them, according to three sources, including a US official familiar with the matter.
The Washington Post reports that the reports have come from various US government agencies, aid organizations, nonprofits, media reports and other eyewitnesses, the Post says.
While State Department guidance directs US officials to complete investigations and recommend a response to such claims within two months, no single case has gotten this far in the process, according to the report.
Some of the cases likely amount to violations of US and international law, sources familiar with the matter tell The Post.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken submitted a report to Congress earlier this year concluding that it is reasonable to assess that US weapons have been used by Israel in ways that are inconsistent with US law. However, he also said Israel’s assurances to the contrary are “credible and reliable” and that the US could not at the time provide a conclusive determination. linkAlthough the US administration hasn't addressed this to a great degree, it has the potential to blow up and become a very big issue if the Israeli government or the IDF don't address it. The US congress can set up a subcommittee or come up with resolutions that arms shipments or money for military purposes could be frozen, delayed, cancelled, reduced if these issues don't get fully investigated and addressed.
An IDF official says the target of yesterday’s attack on a five-story building which Gaza health officials said caused scores of deaths was a spotter with binoculars in the building, and that the intent was not to destroy the structure.
The military official agrees to provide details only on condition of anonymity, citing military protocol and the ongoing investigation into the incident. The official says the building was not known to be a shelter for civilians, and that it collapsed as a result of the strike on the spotter. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry claimed yesterday that at least 70 people were killed in the first of two strikes on the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya, asserting that more than half of the victims were women and children. The ministry’s casualty tolls do not differentiate between civilians and terror operatives. The military has said it is investigating the strike, urging skepticism of Hamas’s claims. The official says there are discrepancies between the numbers of victims reported by authorities in Gaza and what Israeli intelligence indicates, and that the victims included known terror operatives. The official does not provide detailed evidence to support that assertion. The army has repeatedly said it targets military targets and terror operatives, accusing Hamas of operating among civilians and using them as human shields. It has highlighted numerous steps it takes to mitigate harm to civilians, while acknowledging that errors have occurred.
Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah/Syria
The deputy commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force was killed in a recent airstrike, the IDF announces.
According to the military, Mustafa Ahmad Shahadi, who served as the deputy head of Radwan, was killed in a strike carried out by fighter jets in southern Lebanon’s Nabatieh.
The IDF in a statement says that Shahadi “advanced numerous terror attacks against the State of Israel” and his elimination is “part of the effort to degrade Hezbollah’s Radwan Forces’ capabilities to direct and execute terror activities against IDF troops and communities in the northern border, in particular the ‘Conquer the Galilee’ plan.”
The Radwan Force is believed to have planned to invade northern Israel, in a Hezbollah plot that ultimately did not materialize.
Previously, Shahadi was head of Radwan operations during fighting in Syria between 2012 and 2017, the IDF adds.
The IDF confirms that UNIFIL’s Naqoura headquarters in southern Lebanon was hit by a Hezbollah rocket yesterday
UNIFIL armored vehicles patrol on the entrance of the southern Lebanese town of Naqoura near the border with Israel on June 17, 2024. (Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP)
According to the IDF, the rocket was launched by the terror group from the Hallousiyyeh al-Faouqa area, in the Tyre District.
Eight Austrian soldiers with the peacekeeping force were lightly wounded in the attack. UNIFIL also blamed Hezbollah or “an affiliated group.”
“The Hezbollah terror group continues to systematically violate international law, and poses a threat to the residents of the State of Israel and international forces in the region,” the IDF adds.
The commander of Hezbollah’s forces in southern Lebanon’s Ayta ash-Shab was captured by troops of the Golani Brigade some two weeks ago, the IDF announces.
According to the military, Golani troops, with prior intelligence, located a tunnel shaft in a Hezbollah command center in Ayta ash-Shab, where several operatives were holed up.
Among them was the commander of the Hezbollah forces in the village, Hassan Aqil Jawad.
The operatives surrendered to the troops, and they were detained and questioned by field interrogators of the Intelligence Directorate’s Unit 504.
The military releases footage showing Jawad and the other operatives surrendering to the troops. The IDF says the operatives were later brought to Israel for further interrogation.
“During the interrogation of the terrorists, they detailed many terror infrastructures that are located in the area of Ayta ash-Shab. These findings helped the forces on the ground to locate and destroy the terror infrastructure in a targeted manner and to prepare for threats in the area,” the IDF says.
The military adds that several more Hezbollah operatives have been detained and questioned during operations in southern Lebanon in recent weeks. video of the capture
The IDF has issued a warning to residents of northeastern Lebanon’s Baalbek and surrounding suburbs to evacuate immediately ahead of airstrikes on Hezbollah sites.
“The IDF will act forcefully against Hezbollah assets inside your city and villages, and does not intend to harm you,” Col. Avichay Adraee says on X, attaching a map of the areas that will be targeted.
Civilians are called to leave the area using routes that are highlighted on the map.
IDF says over 100 Lebanon targets hit yesterday, including rocket launcher used in deadly barrage
IDF troops operate in southern Lebanon in a handout image published on October 29, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
Israel struck over 100 terror targets in Lebanon yesterday and killed dozens of Hezbollah operatives from the air, the IDF says.
Among the targets was the launcher used in a rocket barrage that hit and killed a man in the town of Ma’alot Tarshiha, the military says.
It adds that ground forces from the 146th Division have located weapons and attacked dozens of terror targets, including military buildings and an anti-tank missile launching post.
Forces from the 91st Division have continued to blow up underground shafts, seize arms and take out terror operatives, locating anti-aircraft missiles and maps containing outlines for attacks targeting Israel. The IDF says troops found rocket launchers pointing toward northern Israeli towns that were placed “in the heart of civilian population.”
Turning to Gaza, the army says forces from the 162nd Division are continuing to operate in the northern city of Jabalia, taking out dozens of terror operatives in close-quarters combat or by directing airstrikes.
Report: Israel took out most of Iran’s air defenses, left it ‘essentially naked’
Illustrative: A Russian-made S-300 air defense system sits on display at Baharestan Square in Tehran, Iran, September 24, 2017. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)
The four Russian-made S-300 air defense systems that Israel has reportedly destroyed in strikes on Iran this year — one in April, and three more this month — had been the only such systems possessed by the Islamic Republic as of the beginning of this year, Fox News reports.
The Wall Street Journal has similarly reported that all of Iran’s existing S-300 batteries have now been disabled.
Fox News quotes an unnamed senior Israeli official as saying that “the majority of Iran’s air defense was taken out.”
It quotes US President Joe Biden’s senior Mideast adviser Amos Hochstein as saying on an internal call that “Iran is essentially naked” and vulnerable to potential future aerial attacks.
Israel has previously been reported to have also taken out other air defenses surrounding key energy facilities, as well as hitting drone-producing sites and key long-range missile-production facilities containing solid fuel mixers that will take at least a year to replace, hampering Iran’s ability to repeat its two missile attacks on Israel this year.
**Hezbollah Sources: "We Have Not Committed to Severing the Connection Between Gaza and Lebanon"**
The Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar published Hezbollah's position in light of reports about negotiations for an arrangement in Lebanon. "We will not accept amendments to Resolution 1701; Netanyahu does not want a ceasefire in the foreseeable future," the report claims. U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein is expected to arrive in Israel tomorrow.
This morning (Wednesday), the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar published Hezbollah's stance on the Israeli demands for an arrangement in Lebanon, ahead of the upcoming visits of U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein and Biden’s senior advisor Brett McGurk to Israel tomorrow. The media outlet, known as a Hezbollah mouthpiece, cited political sources within the terrorist organization saying: "We will not accept amendments to Resolution 1701; Netanyahu does not want a ceasefire in the foreseeable future."
Last night, "Central Edition" aired Israel's demands for an arrangement in Lebanon, which include, among others:
- Relocating Hezbollah fighters to the Litani area
- Broad deployment of the Lebanese Army along the northern border
- An international enforcement and supervision mechanism
- Guarantees of Israel's freedom of action to remove threats
- Prevention of Hezbollah’s future armament
- A 60-day ceasefire to reach a final agreement
**Hezbollah's Claims Amidst Negotiation Efforts**
- "Despite Israeli leaks suggesting a deal is near, there has been no progress in the negotiations."
- "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not want a ceasefire in the foreseeable future, which prompted him and his government to set high demands for the negotiations before Hochstein's visit."
**Hezbollah's Principles According to Political Sources in the Organization**
"Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri represents Hezbollah in any negotiations regarding war and ceasefire. The organization coordinates closely with Berri and maintains communication channels with Prime Minister Najib Mikati and other parties involved in the negotiations."
"Communication between Hezbollah and several external parties, including Egypt, Algeria, Qatar, and France, remains ongoing. Hezbollah reiterates to them its principles, primarily calling for a complete cessation of aggression as a prerequisite for future steps."
"Hezbollah will categorically reject any amendments to Resolution 1701 or its implementation mechanisms. Although it did not initially oppose increasing the number of international or Lebanese army forces as originally stipulated in Resolution 1701, Hezbollah refuses to add any new country to the international forces and demands the permanent exclusion of Germany, claiming it has become an ally of the enemy in the war."
"Hezbollah does not expect significant changes in the American stance and therefore remains calm in response to American leaks." It believes that Israel "intends to continue the war for an extended period," thus preparing for more Israeli attacks, reinforcing its forces, and thwarting the objectives of those attacks.
"Hezbollah continues to express support for the resistance in Gaza, adding the phrase 'defense of Lebanon.' It has not committed, to any party in Lebanon or abroad, to sever the link between the Lebanese and Gaza fronts. Hezbollah sees no logic in abandoning Gaza, as such a stance contradicts its entire ideological and political framework."
"The enemy's insistence on negotiating under fire reflects Israel's hope for the collapse of the resistance or the weakening of Hezbollah. The organization assumes it may face further assassinations, but Hezbollah’s work mechanisms, especially within its jihadist body, are designed to remain unaffected by the elimination of any leader."
Hezbollah considers "maintaining peace" on Lebanon's internal front a top priority and therefore refrains from responding to condemnations against it. However, it clarified that it will not remain indifferent to any attempts to undermine its political presence or social base in the country.
Hezbollah has pledged to rebuild what was destroyed, asserting that "it possesses all the economic and material resources to do so as quickly as possible after the war ends."
"Hezbollah hopes all Lebanese understand that the resistance's weapons will not be up for negotiation with anyone. After the war, the resistance remains a binding option, and Hezbollah will do everything to preserve it." linkIt is clear that this war can only end with a diplomatic solution. As opposed to Gaza, I think that Netanyahu knows and recognizes this and will act accordingly as long as a diplomatic solution truly provides security and safety for all the northern residents to return home, be safe and more importantly, feel safe and secure. The major problem here will be with Hizbollah. They are prepared for a long war of attrition, something that is very much against the interest of Israel and puts us in a similar position and situation that we were in up until the end of the Second Lebanese War which was a 14 year war of attrition that exacted a very high price for us. We cannot allow this to become another long and never ending war of attrition. Much of reaching the diplomatic solution will be upon the Lebanese government and the Lebanese people, most of whom want Hizbollah out of their lives. The many problems here consist of a weak and barely functioning Lebanese Government, the bare bones Lebanese Army and the powerlessness of the people against the power of Hizbollah, although that power has been greatly degraded as a result of the invasion and destruction. Hopefully, it will give the government and the people enough strength to really get out from under the harsh yoke of Hizbollah and give them a new lease on their future and hopefully the future of relations between our two countries.
Channel 12 reports that during a meeting of top Israeli officials led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday, there was broad agreement that Israel has largely achieved its goals in the campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon and should now seek to translate that into a deal to end the fighting.
The report says Netanyahu accepted security officials’ position that a ceasefire in Lebanon is appropriate so long as it fulfills the objective of returning northern residents safely to their homes.
In his first address after his appointment as new Hezbollah leader, Naim Qassem comments on the drone strike on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence in Caesarea.
“The enemy must know that its bombing of our villages and cities will not make us retreat, and the resistance is strong and was able to deliver a drone to Netanyahu’s room,” he says. The drone hit the fortified window of Netanyahu’s bedroom and caused some external damage. Netanyahu was not home at the time. “Netanyahu survived this time, but perhaps his time has not yet come.” He goes on to suggest that “perhaps an Israeli will kill him, perhaps during one of his speeches.” He claims: “Our diplomatic contacts confirmed to us that Netanyahu is very afraid because we are targeting him.” Qassem further claims that Hezbollah has recovered its capabilities and replaced many of the thousands of fighters who were injured in the pager and walkie-talkie attacks last month, and praises the terror group’s missile and drone attacks against northern and central Israel that have sent millions of Israelis into bomb shelters, as well as the deadly attack on a military base in Binyamina in which four soldiers were killed. Addressing Hezbollah supporters inside Lebanon, Qassem says they will be rewarded for their sacrifices, and urges them to have “a little more patience.” “Those who killed our secretary-general [Nasrallah] wanted to defeat the spirit of resistance within us and shatter the will of jihad, but his blood will continue to boil in our veins and will increase our determination to continue on this path.”
Lebanese media report that an Israeli airstrike in northeastern Lebanon targeted fuel infrastructure. The strike is reported in the town of Douris, on the outskirts of Baalbek. The IDF issued evacuation orders for the entire city of Baalbek earlier. videovideo of the explosion from Lebanese news
West Bank and Jerusalem and Terror attacks within Israel
Politics and the War (general news)
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party slams the coalition after a bill requiring daycare centers to have protected spaces on their premises is defeated 33-51 in the Knesset plenum.
The legislation, advanced by Yesh Atid MK Naor Shiri among others, would require the installation of protected spaces in daycare centers for toddlers as a condition for obtaining an operating license. The bill’s explanatory notes state that most such centers remain unprotected and say that its passage would “contribute to the sense of security and peace of mind” of parents. If passed, it would only have come into effect in three years, giving daycare centers time to comply.
“The most pressing thing for the government to pass this morning is the ratings law and not abandoning [the pro-government] Channel 14, [but] in the same breath and without shame, the coalition votes against the protected space law for daycare centers for toddlers,” Yesh Atid says in a statement.
The daycare bill was defeated immediately after the coalition approved the initial reading of a bill granting the government oversight of television viewership data. link This is par for the course for this failed government who constantly show their real stripes. They neglect the public to further their political goals with no connection to the war or the hostages. Disgusting.
The US Marine Corps has successfully completed its first drill in which it fired an air defense system that incorporates the Iron Dome system, Israel’s Defense Ministry says in a statement.
An Iron Dome interceptor missile is used during a US Marine Corps drill, October 2024
The system tested is based on American radar and control systems, alongside Iron Dome interceptor missiles — known as Tamir — and portable launchers made by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and American contractor Raytheon.
The exercise, during which the system was fully operated to intercept a series of targets, is a major step toward declaring a new Marines prototype operational, the statement says.
Smotrich urges ramping up West Bank, Gaza settlements, pushing Palestinians out
At conference, Religious Zionism leader says Palestinians who insist on statehood should be encouraged to emigrate to an Arab state; other coalition members urge Israeli sovereignty from Jordan River to sea
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called Sunday for Israel to effectively annex the West Bank and Gaza Strip, calling for the establishment of new settlements deep inside Palestinian areas and the departure of Arabs harboring nationalist aspirations.
The comments from the leader of the far-right Religious Zionism party marked the latest instance of one of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political allies urging the re-establishment of Israeli settlements inside the Gaza Strip while reversing the country’s 2005 withdrawal from the enclave.
Addressing the Middle East Summit, a conference in Jerusalem organized by Israel 365, an Israeli media outlet aimed at American evangelicals, Smotrich described repeated attempts to reach a two-state solution as wrongheaded, urging they be abandoned and replaced by an “unequivocal Israeli statement to the Arabs and the entire world that a Palestinian state will not be established.”
The figurative statement, he argued, would come via “the establishment of new cities and settlements deep in the [West Bank]” housing hundreds of thousands of new settlers.
In Gaza, where Israel has fought a year-long war to topple the Hamas terror group but has yet to determine how the Strip will be governed, Smotrich also called for Israeli sovereignty to be extended, claimed that its war gains would dissipate without troops, and civilians, being posted there on a more permanent basis.
“Where there is no civilian presence, there is no long-term military presence… there is no security and there is an existential threat to the State of Israel and its citizens, and we must not allow this,” he said.
He indicated that the October 7, 2023 massacre carried out by Hamas could have been prevented had Israeli troops and settlements still been inside the Strip.
In his remarks, Smotrich envisioned Palestinians being given limited local self-rule “devoid of national characteristics,” saying those who continued to support Palestinian statehood would be unwelcome.
“Those who do not want or are unable to put aside their national ambitions will receive assistance from us to emigrate to one of the many Arab countries where the Arabs can realize their national ambitions, or to any other destination in the world,” he said. linkIt is so hard to count the racist, colonialistic, messianic, ultra nationalist, illegal and just plain stupid issues in this article. Smotrich and his ilk are the extreme messianics along with the Kahanist racist Ben Gvir who have all been given legitamacy by the failed prime minister all in the name of keeping him in power. Smotrich and Ben Gvir have more power than their constituency even consists of due to Netanyahu's weakness and they have been changing countrywide structural issues that will impact the country for many years, if not forever, from changed in the police force into Ben Gvir's militia aimed at pushing Ben Gvir's ideology at the cost of democracy and freedoms to Smotrich's quiet establishment of more and more illegal settlements in the West Bank, stealing more Palestinian land and trampling their very limited rights, encouraging and applauding extreme settler violence against Palestinians including murder and destruction and all of this in the name of taking over the West Bank and forcing the Palestinians to leave their lands. Their plan now includes doing the same thing in Gaza and they have even spoke of doing the same in South Lebanon. If this isn't colonialism, I don't know what is? They care nothing about international law or the impacts of the international community on Israel now or in the future. Despite the all too clear facts that we cannot no longer claim that we can stand alone against our neighbors, they still believe in the illusion that Israel is an island and can stand on our own against the entire world. Their views are dangerous to our current position in the world and even more devastating towards our future. They are dangerous and our failed prime minister, who himself is the most dangerous person in Israel today, continues to enable this lawlessness and total disregard of the impacts on the country. Netanyahu is terrible for us now and our future and in his lust for continuing power, he mainstreamed the outliers, the racists and extremists.
UN Security Council members unanimously express “grave concern” over the Knesset’s approval of legislation banning UNRWA from operating in Israel and severely curbing its operations in Gaza and the West Bank.
The joint statement signed by all 15 members, including the US, is not binding but does represent quickly growing international pressure against Israel over the decision to target UNRWA. Jerusalem notes that several of its members participated in Hamas’s October 7 onslaught and says roughly 1,000 of its staffers have ties to Hamas.
The statement says the UNSC members emphasized UNRWA’s vital role in providing aid to Palestinians, particularly in Gaza where it “remains the backbone of all humanitarian response” and that no agency has the capacity to replace UNRWA in the middle of the war.
Security Council members note the investigations carried out into misconduct within UNRWA, welcome unspecified reforms they say the agency has carried out, and urge it to continue taking such steps. linkthis move by the Knesset, not just the government, has great potential to boomerang on us. Yes, UNRWA was corrupted by Hamas and the UNRWA professionals were either blind or deliberately blind to what was going on in their own backyard. And there doesn't seem to be a reason in the world that UNRWA should even exist. The UN has The UN High Commission for Refugees that deals with refugee issues all over the world. This is probably the UN body that should be in place of UNRWA. The problem is that it can't be done overnight and Israel should be working with the UN to put this in place. We can't just close our eyes and think that the humanitarian aide will take care of itself. We have failed until now handling it and have allowed Hamas to hijack and steal much of the aid, another continuing failure of this failed government.
This satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC shows a damaged large building at the Revolutionary Guard's Shahroud Space Center in Semnan province, Iran, Oct. 29, 2024. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)
Israel’s attack on Iran likely damaged a base run by the paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that builds ballistic missiles and launches rockets as part of its own space program, satellite images analyzed by The Associated Press today show.
The damage at the base in Shahroud raises new questions about Israel’s attack early Saturday, particularly as it took place in an area previously unacknowledged by Tehran and involved the Guard, a powerful force within Iran’s theocracy that so far has remained silent about any possible damage it suffered from the assault. Iran only has identified Israeli attacks as taking place in Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran provinces — not in rural Semnan province where the base is located.
Satellite photos earlier analyzed by the AP of two military bases near Tehran also targeted by Israel show that sites there that Iran uses in its ballistic missile manufacturing have been destroyed, further squeezing its program.
High-resolution satellite images from Planet Labs PBC taken for and analyzed by the AP show the damage at the Guard’s Shahroud Space Center in Semnan, some 370 kilometers (230 miles) northeast of the Iranian capital, Tehran. Semnan also hosts the Imam Khomeini Space Center, which is used by Iran’s civilian space program.
The images show a central, major building at the Shahroud Space Center had been destroyed, the shadow of its still-standing frame seen in the image taken this morning. Vehicles could be seen gathered around the site, likely from officials inspecting the damage, with more cars than normal parked at the site’s main gate nearby.
Survivors
Personal Stories
Taken captive: Edan Alexander, told mother he was safe
19-year-old lone soldier from Tenafly, New Jersey, serves in Golani
Edan Alexander, 19, of the Golani Brigade’s 51st Battalion was stationed near the Gaza Strip on the morning of October 7 when he was taken captive by Hamas terrorists who launched an attack, killing, assaulting and kidnapping.
Alexander was born in Tel Aviv, grew up in Tenafly, New Jersey, and joined Golani as a lone soldier after graduating from high school in 2022.
On the morning of October 7, he spoke to his mother, Yael Alexander, who was visiting Israel at the time. She called when the rockets began falling that morning, and Edan told her he was safe. That was just after 6:30 a.m.
“I texted him again and again and again and nothing came through,” Yael Alexander said in an interview with CNN.
By 7 a.m., she could no longer reach Edan and a week later, the family was informed that Edan was taken hostage to Gaza.
Yael Alexander said she and her husband were surprised when Edan told them he wanted to join the army as a lone soldier, instead of going on to college with the rest of his Tenafly friends.
Mika Alexander, his 17-year-old sister, called Edan “my best friend.”
For 11 months, Adi Alexander has been reliving the agony of Oct. 7. He and his wife Yael, longtime Tenafly residents, can barely sleep at night. Food no longer holds the same allure.
The 20-year-old Tenafly High graduate was an Israeli soldier, stationed near Gaza, when he was taken hostage by Hamas terrorists who surged across the border almost a year ago. Edan, who had volunteered to help defend Israel, was among 250 people abducted during the Hamas attack, in which 1,200 people were killed. About 100 hostages, including seven American citizens, remain in captivity.
The news last weekend that six hostages had been executed by Hamas, including American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, has left the Alexanders reeling.
"It's terrible, terrible," Adi Alexander said, his voice shaking. "I never imagined that something like this could happen a few yards from the Israeli border. What we're dealing with is devastating. It's mind-boggling."
The deaths ― Israel said the six were shot at close range in a Gaza tunnel network ― cast a pall over the parents of all the hostages, a close-knit group. The pain of one family impacts them all. But it's also sparked a new willingness to demand more action from the Israeli government to free their loved ones. Thousands of Israelis have gone on strike or demonstrated in the streets in recent days.
Is time running out for a hostage deal?
"There's an urgent need for a deal now," Adi Alexander said in an interview with The Record and NorthJersey.com on Tuesday night.
Without a deal in place, he fears his son could be next.
Alexander and his wife have become increasingly vocal in recent days about the need to push Israeli, American and Hamas leaders to sign a hostage release deal. At a vigil Sunday night in Manhattan and in media appearances, they have pushed and pleaded for an agreement.
"For 331 days, the world has failed our son and his fellow hostages," the couple wrote in a New York Times op-ed published Sunday. "The Israeli government has abandoned them, too many countries have turned a blind eye, and while we're grateful for the U.S. government's steadfast support, its efforts have yet to yield results."
Negotiations have been underway for months to broker a hostage deal, which would also likely include a cease-fire in Gaza, where some 40,000 Palestinians have died in Israel's counterattack on Hamas, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry. Adi Alexander said he no longer trusts assurances that the captives' value as bargaining chips will keep them safe.
"Time is of the essence," he said. "We were told for months that Hamas holding the hostages is a huge asset, but that's not true." In August, Israel recovered the bodies of six hostages, "and now another six were shot in cold blood. We need to do something differently."
Netanyahu pushes back
He said he is worried that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is prioritizing the war against Hamas over the chance to bring home the remaining hostages.
Netanyahu has pushed back against the pressure from hostage families, American officials and protesters in his own country. On Monday, he announced that any deal must allow Israel to control the Philadelphi corridor, a narrow band along Gaza's southern border with Egypt where Israel says Hamas smuggles ammunition and weapons. Netanyahu said control of the corridor is essential to ensuring Hamas cannot continue to wage terror.
Alexander hopes that speaking out will spread the message not only of Edan's plight but that of all the hostages.
"There's not enough outrage about the fact that 46 Americans have been killed and seven Americans are being held hostage," he said. "This is an issue that should be front and center for the U.S. government and also in the media. Why for 11 months are these people still there?"
Alexander's parents have a reason for optimism
The Alexanders have at least one reason for optimism: After a batch of hostages were released late last year, several of them said that they had seen Edan.
"They saw him in the tunnels in October and later on in November and December. He looked skinny but was in a good mood. He tried to help the Thai workers by translating conversations between them and their captors," said Alexander. "He explained to Hamas that the Thai farm workers were not Israeli citizens."
For months, Alexander said, he and his wife have struggled to live with some semblance of normalcy. "I go to the office and the gym every day," said Adi, who works in the diamond industry.
Yael Alexander has put her work designing custom cakes on hold in order to travel to meet public officials and lobby for her son. The couple have also been taking care of their two younger children − Mika, who just started college, and Roy, who is in middle school.
"We are not diving into depression," Adi Alexander said. "We are trying to hold onto hope that something positive will happen.
Echoing a mantra he learned from Rachel Goldberg-Polin, the mother of Hersh, he said, "Hope is mandatory."
Last week, Varda Ben Baruch, Yael Alexander's mother, who lives in Israel, gathered with her husband and other relatives of the hostages at the Gaza border. Each shouted into a loudspeaker in the hopes that their loved ones, hostages who are likely being held in tunnels underground, would hear them.
"It's Grandma and Grandpa: You are our soul, do you hear us? Edanaleh!" Ben Baruch shouted, using a Hebrew nickname for her grandson. "We're worried about you and waiting for your return home. Be strong, you're strong. Survive. We're doing everything we can for you and for all the other hostages."
'We pray every second of the day'
Adi and Yael met and married in Israel and moved to Maryland when Edan was a baby. They lived in Maryland until 2008 and then relocated to New Jersey. "We chose Tenafly because we heard it was a wonderful community," Adi said. "We are getting great support from the whole town, not just the Jewish community but everyone. It's a very unique place. We're very fortunate that we live here."
Every Friday in Tenafly, a group gathers at the Cafe Angelique to run or walk in support of Edan. At one of the weekly Run for Their Lives marches, Yael Alexander stood up and shouted a message to her son that brought tears to participants' eyes.
"Four months have passed since the last text and the last call," she said as the crowd huddled under umbrellas in the rain. "We miss your laugh and your beautiful smile so, so much Edani. We pray every second of the day that you are healthy in body and soul. We love you so much, the most in the world."
Two red and white billboards were erected at the center of town bearing Edan's face and the word "kidnapped." They are hard to miss. In late October, a crowd of residents gathered around an empty Shabbat table in the heart of town. They sang songs and recited prayers around the table, which included a setting for every hostage, including Edan.
Edan graduated from Tenafly High School in 2022. Adi described him as a "happy-go-lucky" kid and a fan of the New York Knicks. He often traveled to Israel to visit his grandparents and celebrated his bar mitzvah there. When he opted to postpone college to volunteer for the Israel Defense Forces, his parents were proud but surprised. Although Edan had no obligation to serve, he wanted to help Israel, his father said. The country was at relative peace at the time.
A message for Edan
Edan was on patrol in southern Israel on the morning of Oct. 7 when the Hamas attack began. In an early morning phone conversation with his mother, he told her that there was a lot of shooting but tried to reassure her he was safe.
She urged him to protect himself and told him she loved him. That was their last conversation.
A week later, the Alexanders were informed that their son had been captured and taken to Gaza. The family subsequently saw footage of his capture in which Edan was surrounded by fighters and forced to walk away with his captors.
As Adi Alexander speaks about his son, it's apparent that he still can't believe what has transpired.
"He's such a great kid," he gushed. "He's a swimmer. He swam on the swim team in Tenafly. He's a great athlete. He's very funny. He's tall. He's a better version of me."
If he could say anything to Edan right now, it would be this: "Stay strong. Survive. Mom and Dad are coming for you." link
Dark Legacy - The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages
The Road to the
October 7th Failure
is Paved with Political Interests and Indifference
Ksenia Svetlova
Former Member of the Israeli Parliament as part of the
Zionist Union Party, a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and the Executive Director of the Regional Organization for Peace, Economics & Security (ROPES).
When hundreds of flammable balloon devices were launched from the Gaza Strip to Israel in 2018, igniting southern Israel, and when Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad escalated each round of violence, increasing its missile count, I was a Knesset Member of the opposition party. I participated in the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meetings and I thought that I would lose my sanity. Next to me sat senior politicians, ministers, former heads of the Israeli Secret Service and one Prime Minister - all of whom asserted that these repeated acts of violence actually indicated that Hamas was deterred, that the Israeli determination caused Hamas’ leaders to stand down, and moreover - that these terrorists now sought stability and a long-term resolution of the crisis.
I often visited the Israeli south, along the Gaza border, between 2015 and 2019, together with my fellow members from the Zionist Union. We saw the pastoral, tranquil towns, the patient and brave citizens, and Hamas breathing down their necks over the fence. Even then they felt neglected, following Operation Protective Edge, which was supposed to critically damage Hamas, when in fact, it only grew stronger. Even then, no one cared that their fields and crops were consumed by fire, nor that they had to flee to the north every time Hamas decided to escalate the situation.
At the same time, Israel Katz, Israeli Minister of Transportation, spoke about resolving the situation in Gaza. He actively supported building a seaport and an artificial island off the Gaza coast with an international airport. The citizens of Gaza undoubtedly needed these amenities, but he enthusiastically promoted these plans during the numerous rounds of terrorist attacks by Hamas and its series of new leaders, each more ruthless than the one before, while Israel bore the situation in silence. At that time Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke a great deal of “deterrence”. He was adamant that after every round of violence Hamas was weaker and demoralized. In the past, I was an Arab affairs correspondent. In that capacity, I visited the Gaza Strip often and interviewed most of Hamas’s bloody-handed leadership. I never felt that any of them were interested in a prolonged ceasefire that would eventually lead to peace and stability. They all spoke clearly about the need to build their strength and continue the war until the “ultimate victory” over the State of Israel.
Everything was out in the open, everything was crystal clear. All of the cards were on the table. Netanyahu’s post-October 7th argument that no one contacted him at the right time to inform him of the threat in the south is irrelevant. Under his watch, hundreds of Israeli citizens were abandoned and taken hostage by Hamas. They chose to live on the Israeli frontier, they chose to attend a music rave within their own national borders - they are not to blame for being taken hostage. Netanyahu’s policies led us there. The tragedy of October 7th could have been avoided.
Netanyahu will forever be remembered as the most corrupt prime minister, the biggest failure in the history of the State of Israel. His only legacy will be the colossal catastrophe and unimaginable pain and suffering that is the fate of millions of good, honest Israelis. That is how we will remember him. Not as “Mr. Security”, but as “Mr. Failure”.
Acronyms and Glossary
COGAT - Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories
ICC - International Criminal Court in the Hague
IJC - International Court of Justice in the Hague
MDA - Magen David Adom - Israel Ambulance Corp
PA - Palestinian Authority - President Mahmud Abbas, aka Abu Mazen
PMO- Prime Minister's Office
UAV - Unmanned Aerial vehicle, Drone. Could be used for surveillance and reconnaissance, or be weaponized with missiles or contain explosives for 'suicide' explosion mission
Join my Whatsapp update group https://chat.whatsapp.com/IQ3OtwE6ydxBeBAxWNziB0 Twitter - @LonnyB58
We are continuously learning of more and more of the information that the powers that be had prior to October 7 and did little to nothing. So much is still not known. Most will come out in the Official Committee of Inquiry after the war, but some of that information will not be made public due to security concerns. Following is the information that is public knowledge as of today and is documented. It is presented relatively chronologically but some aspects ran in parallel throughout same and different periods of time. 1. Six years ago, Hamas launched its own television station: Al-Aqsa TV. The station quickly became a highly-effective propaganda tool, which Hamas continues to use to preach its message of hatred of the West, Jews, and Israel. “A fictional series on Palestinian TV last year seemingly predicted key elements of Hamas’ Oct. 7 sneak assault on Israel — from the terrorists’ white vans to targeted kibbutzim and the abduction of Israeli soldiers.” 1 ...
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