🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 418, 2023 - November 27, 2024 🎗️

  

🎗️Day 418 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

*4:30pm yesterday - north -

*4:40pm yesterday - north - 
*4:45pm yesterday - north -
*5:10pm yesterday - north -
*5:20pm yesterday - north - hostile aircraft - Metulla, Kfar Yuval, Maayan Baruch, Hagoshrim, Kiryat Shemona, Beit Hillel
*5:25pm yesterday - north - hostile aircraft - Beit Hillel, Kfar Blum, Neot Mordecai
*5:25pm yesterday - north - 
*5:30pm yesterday - north - 
*5:35pm yesterday - north - 
*6:25pm yesterday - north - 
*6:45pm yesterday - north - hostile aircraft - Leeman, Milu'ot, Gesher Haziv, Nahariya, Saar, Ben Ami, 
*6:50p yesterday - north -

*6:50pm yesterday - north - hostile aircraft - Ben Ami, Netiv Hashayara, Nahariya, Bustan Hagalil, Mizra'a, Nes Amim, Shavei Zion, Beit Haemek, Evron, Lochemei Haghetto'ot, Shomrat, Regba
*6:55pm yesterday -north - hostile aircraft - Shavei Zion, Nahariya, Milu'ot, Shlomi, Gesher Haziv, Jedida Maker, Batzet, Leeman, Sheikh Danon, Acre
*7:00pm yesterday - north - hostile aircraft - Ben Ami, Nahariya, Netiv Hashayara, Sheikd Danon, Mizra'a, Evron, Regba, Nes Amin, Lochemei Haghetto'ot, Shomrat, Bustan Hagalil

*7:00pm yesterday - Haifa and areas around and Acre and areas around- hostile aircraft
*7:00pm yesterday -north - 
*7:05pm yesteday - north - hostile aircraft
*7:05pm yesterday - Haifa and areas around - hostile aircraft
*7:30pm yesterday - north - 
*7:45pm yesterday - north -
*9:55pm yesterday - north - 
*10:00pm yesterday - north - 
*10:05pm yesterday - north - 
*10:15pm yesterday - Center north - Hadera, Pardes Hanna and areas around - 
*10:15pm yesterday - north - 
up until the ceasefire, there has been non stop shelling and explosive drone attacks which have caused lots of property damage and a number of injuries.

An IDF soldier was killed during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip earlier today, the military announces.

The slain soldier is named as Sgt. Tamer Othman, 21, of the Kfir Brigade’s Nahshon Battalion, from Kafr Yasif.

MAY HIS MEMORY BE A REVOLUTION

His death brings Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip to 381. The toll includes a police officer killed in a hostage rescue mission and a Defense Ministry civilian contractor.

Hostage Updates 

• Egyptian security delegation to arrive in Israel in a few hours

  An Egyptian security delegation is scheduled to head to Tel Aviv in the coming hours to meet with Israeli officials on a hostage deal with Palestinian terror groups in the Gaza Strip, according to Al Araby Al Jadeed on Tuesday. 

  The delegation is expected to discuss "day after" proposals for Gaza, including cessation of hostilities and management of the Gaza Strip.
• Demanding deal, hostage relatives briefly block entrance to Netanyahu’s Knesset office

  

  
  Relatives of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza temporarily block the entrance to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Knesset office, demanding that he meet with them about promoting a hostage deal.
  

  Eli Albag, whose 19-year-old daughter Liri was taken captive by Hamas on October 7, says that just as Netanyahu managed to close a deal with Lebanon, he needs to do so in Gaza as well.

  After being removed by Knesset security, the protesters go down one floor and block the stairs leading to the faction wing of the building, where the various political parties hold meetings and press conferences.

• US President Joe Biden says the US and other mediators will jumpstart efforts to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza that removes the Hamas terror group from power while freeing hostages held captive in the Strip for over a year.

  “Over the coming days, the United States will make another push with Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Israel, and others to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza with the hostages released and an end to the war without Hamas in power,” Biden says in a tweet from his official X account.

  National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan tells MSNBC that Biden will begin work on a possible ceasefire today.  link I hope that progress can truly be made but the problem remains the same. Hamas will not agree to any hostage deal that doesn't include the end of the war and withdrawal of all IDF troops and Netanyahu will not agree to a deal that includes the end of the war due to his personal and political self interests. His major 3 points of self interests that cause him to refuse to end the war: Ending the war will bring about - 1: broad calls for an Official State Commission of Inquiry. Netanyahu has fought this tooth and nail and his corrupt government is now trying to push a bill that will make it legally impossible to initiate an Official State Commission of Inquiry. Only someone who has so much to hide would do such a thing. 2: broad calls for early elections. Netanyahu knows that if early elections are held, he will lose his prime minister's seat and that is the last thing he wants. He and his dysfunctional family feel as though this seat is his god given right. 3: It would mean no more delays to his 3 criminal trials which could land him in prison unless his corrupt government is successful in their attempt to overthrow the judicial system which would then cancel all of his charges.

• The mother of a hostage held in Gaza gets into a heated argument with National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir at a Knesset National Security Committee meeting, accusing him of being more concerned with putting settlements in the Strip than with the fate of captives held there.

  Sparring with the far-right minister, Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zaungauker, says that “yesterday you said that the hostages need a little bit of patience,” prompting a vehement denial from Ben Gvir.

  On Tuesday evening, Ben Gvir was asked about the possibility of a hostage deal during an interview with Channel 12 and answered that “we need some patience to bring Hamas to its knees.”

  Zangauker, a vocal government critics, says that the hostages who are no longer alive are buried dozens of meters below ground, but Ben Gvir wants to build roads and towns “and settle Gaza on their blood without bringing them home for burial.”

  “This isn’t Jewish values,” she asserts as Ben Gvir shakes his head and looks pained. “The hostages are suffering in body and soul and you’re allowing this to continue. Where is your cry for redeeming hostages and solidarity? Why not agree to a hostage deal?”
  

  Asked how long he can leave her son in captivity and why he believes a hostage deal would be dangerous, Ben Gvir responds that October 7 mastermind Yahya Sinwar was released during the 2011 deal for captured soldier Gilad Shalit and that a new agreement would likewise result in the freeing of dangerous terrorists.

  Israel has an obligation to “do everything to release the hostages but we also have a responsibility for the lives of Israeli citizens. I will not allow the release of 1,000 Sinwars under any circumstances,” Ben Gvir says.  link  Ben Gvir, the criminal minister has said, from the beginning of the war that the hostages are all expendable and doesn't give a damn about their lives or the families. His agenda is very clear. He is a war mongering extremist who wants to settle all of the west bank and Gaza, kick out all the Palestinians and then go after everyone on the left who he sees as the enemies. He has made concerted efforts to make the families of the hostages enemies and their efforts to bring the hostages home to be bad for the country. He is a vile excuse for a human being and should never have any public position ever again.

Gaza and the South

• A recent Israeli drone strike in Gaza City killed Murad al-Rajoub, a Hamas terrorist behind a 2002 bombing attack in Beersheba, the military says.

  Israeli authorities say Al-Rajoub was one of two Hamas terrorists behind the May 2002 attack, in which 10 civilians were wounded. He had been sentenced to 38 years before being released and deported to Gaza in a 2011 deal in which Israel exchanged 1,027 terror convicts for captive IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.

  According to Palestinian media, al-Rajoub was killed in a strike on Friday, along with three other Palestinians.

  Meanwhile, the IDF says it is continuing an offensive against Hamas in the Strip’s far northern towns of Beit Lahiya and Jabalia.

  Fighter jets struck dozens of Hamas weapon depots, buildings used by the terror group, and other infrastructure in the area overnight, according to the military.

  The IDF says that many of the targets were located based on intelligence obtained from detained terror operatives who were interrogated.

   

• Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri says the group understands Lebanon’s right to reach an agreement that protects its people and is hoping for a deal to end the war in Gaza.

  “Hamas appreciates the right of Lebanon and Hezbollah to reach an agreement that protects the people of Lebanon and we hope that this agreement will pave the way to reaching an agreement that ends the war of genocide against our people in Gaza,” Abu Zuhri tells Reuters.

  Interlocutors have expressed hopes that the loss of support from Hezbollah will help isolate Hamas and push it toward a deal releasing hostages and ending the fighting in Gaza.

  Abu Zuhri blames the failure to reach a ceasefire deal on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has repeatedly accused Hamas of foiling efforts.

  “Hamas showed high flexibility to reach an agreement and it is still committed to that position and is interested in reaching an agreement that ends the war in Gaza,” Abu Zuhri says. “The problem was always with Netanyahu who has always escaped from reaching an agreement.”

  In the West Bank, senior Palestinian Authority official Hussein Al-Sheikh welcomes the agreement in Lebanon.

  “We welcome the decision to ceasefire in Lebanon, and we call on the international community to pressure Israel to stop its criminal war in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and to stop all its escalatory measures against the Palestinian people,” Sheikh, a confidant of President Mahmoud Abbas, posted on X.

• Hamas is ready to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, a senior official in the Palestinian terror group says, hailing the truce that took hold in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah.

  “We have informed mediators in Egypt, Qatar and Turkey that Hamas is ready for a ceasefire agreement and a serious deal to exchange prisoners,” the official tells AFP. He accuses Israel of obstructing an agreement.

  Officials from the US and Israel had expressed hopes as the Lebanon ceasefire took shape that the loss of Hezbollah’s military support would help push Hamas to sue for peace. The group has long maintained that it wants a ceasefire, but has been unwilling to meet Israeli demands on hostages, according to Jerusalem. International mediators say Israeli demands regarding leaving troops in Gaza have also been an obstacle, blaming both sides for the impasse.

Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah/Syria

• A senior Hezbollah official says the terror group still wants to review the ceasefire deal authorized by Israel.

  “We must examine the points that Netanyahu agreed to before the [Lebanese] government signs tomorrow,” Mahmoud Qamati, deputy head of Hezbollah’s political council tells Al Jazeera.

  Qamati says Hezbollah doesn’t trust Netanyahu and wants to make sure it isn’t being tricked with the agreement.

  “We must examine the points that Netanyahu agreed to before the [Lebanese] government signs on tomorrow,” he adds.

  “We want an end to the aggression, of course, but not at the expense of the sovereignty of the state,” says Qamati.

  
  

• Ceasefire in Lebanon to be announced by Biden, taking effect at 10 a.m. tomorrow
  The deal passed through the war and general cabinet before being fully approved.

  A ceasefire in Lebanon is expected to be announced by the United States and France at 10 p.m. 

  Presidents Biden and Macron will announce the deal during the night, with the alleged agreement set to take effect at 10 a.m. tomorrow.

  Antony Blinken: Lebanese ceasefire could have 'very positive effects' on ending conflict in Gaza

  By HANNAH SARISOHN     NOVEMBER 26, 2024 19:58

  

  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a press conference on the second day of the G7 foreign ministers' meeting in Fiuggi, Italy, November 26, 2024.. (photo credit:REUTERS/CLAUDIA GRECO)

  "So if this is finally agreed, and if this goes forward, it is the answer to the problem that has bedeviled the area for a couple of decades," Blinken said.

  Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed reporters from the Group of 7 (G7) meeting in Italy on Tuesday afternoon within the hour of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's expected announcement of a ceasefire deal with Lebanon.  

  "So if this is finally agreed, and if this goes forward, it is the answer to the problem that has bedeviled the area for a couple of decades," Blinken said.

  "And is the best way to guarantee that there is peace, there is civility, there is stability, and this constant threat of attack from Hezbollah, which has caused people to leave their homes, kids to not be able to go to school, is over." 

  First responders work at the site of an Israeli strike, amid hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in Beirut, Lebanon, November 26, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/THAIER AL-SUDANI)

  
  
• IDF warns Lebanese against returning south, says ‘will deal firmly’ with truce breaches
  

  Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, again warns Lebanese civilians to hold off on returning to villages in southern Lebanon amid the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

  “For your safety and the safety of your family, you are prohibited from moving south toward the villages that the IDF has ordered to be evacuated or toward IDF forces in the area,” he says.

  Adraee says that from 5 p.m. until 7 a.m. tomorrow, “it is absolutely forbidden” to cross the Litani River in a southbound direction. Those who are south of the Litani must remain where they are, he says.

  “We remind you that the IDF is still deployed in its positions in southern Lebanon in accordance with the terms of the ceasefire agreement, and our forces will deal firmly with any movement that violates this agreement,” Adraee adds.

  The IDF has 60 days to withdraw under the deal. During that time, the Lebanese Army will gradually take responsibility for southern Lebanon and an American-led committee will be established to adjudicate complaints regarding potential ceasefire violations.

• Lebanon’s army says it began reinforcing its presence in south Lebanon, after Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced a cabinet decision to bolster the force’s deployment following a Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire.

  “The army has begun reinforcing its presence in the South Litani sector and extending the state’s authority in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL),” the military says in a statement. An AFP journalist reports seeing army troops and vehicles in two south Lebanon areas.

• An Israeli security official says Israeli forces are remaining in their positions in southern Lebanon and will only gradually withdraw back across the Blue Line.

  The official declines to say when troops will begin the withdrawal but says it will be completed during the 60-day period laid out in the ceasefire agreement.

  The pace of the withdrawal and the scheduled return of Lebanese civilians to their homes will depend on whether the deal is implemented and enforced by all sides, he adds.

  “We need to see the mechanism is working,” he says. “It’s a gradual agreement. It’s a gradual withdrawal.”

  While they remain there, Israeli soldiers “will fire when our forces are threatened,” the official says.

  Non-immediate threats will be reported to the international monitoring committee, but if no action is taken, “we will enforce it,” the official says.

• Overnight before the ceasefire, the Israeli Air Force struck dozens of Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, including a major precision missile site, according to the IDF.

  
  A picture taken from Lebanon shows Syrian officials inspecting the damage on the Syrian side of the Dabussiyeh border crossing after an Israeli airstrike on November 27, 2024. (Fathi AL-MASRI / AFP)

  Several waves of strikes, targeting some 330 Hezbollah sites, were carried out yesterday and into the night, right up until the ceasefire took effect at 4 a.m.

  One of the strikes overnight in the Beqaa Valley, close to the Syrian border, targeted an underground Hezbollah precision-guided missile manufacturing and storage site.

  The IDF says it spent several hours bombing the underground kilometer-long site, along with an adjacent Radwan Force base where it estimates that several dozen Hezbollah operatives were killed.

  Another strike shortly after midnight hit a border crossing between Syria and Lebanon, which the IDF says was used by Hezbollah to smuggle weapons. Syrian media reported six dead in the strike.

  Among the 330 Hezbollah sites struck on the day before the ceasefire, 42 were in Beirut, according to the military.

  The IDF says that another strike yesterday killed the operations chief of Hezbollah’s aerial forces, known as Unit 127, which is responsible for drone and cruise missile attacks on Israel.

West Bank and Jerusalem and Terror attacks within Israel

• Overnight, IDF soldiers entered the West Bank town of Idhna to demolish the home of Muhannad Ala’sawdeh, a Palestinian who killed three police officers in a September shooting attack, the army says.

  On September 1, Ala’sawdeh opened fire at a police car on Route 35 near the Idhna-Tarqumiyah junction, just east of a checkpoint between the West Bank and Israel, before fleeing the scene. He was later killed in an exchange of fire with troops in Hebron.

  Ch. Insp. Arik Ben Eliyahu, Command Sgt. Maj. Hadas Branch, and First Sgt. Roni Shakuri were killed in the attack.

  As a matter of policy, Israel demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out deadly terror attacks.   link We have used this form of punishment and 'deterrence' for so many years and it has been proven to not provide the impact it is claimed to be used for 'deterrence'. Destroying the homes of the families of terrorists not only doesn't deter future terrorists attacks, it actually encourages them. From the one terrorists it creates an entire family of haters of Israel and promotes the acts that it claims to deter. Many international studies have been done on this subject and all have come to the same conclusion. It doesn't serve any purpose other than collective punishment.
  
  
• Israel nabs trove of Iranian arms destined for West Bank attack — Shin Bet
  

  The Shin Bet security agency reveals it recently foiled an attempt by Iran to smuggle large amounts of advanced weapons, including rockets, to terror operatives in the West Bank to be used in attacks on Israeli targets.

  
  A captured shipment of Iranian weapons destined for terror operatives in the West Bank, in an image released by the Shin Bet on November 27, 2024. (Shin Bet)

  In a joint operation, the Shin Bet and Israel Defense Forces captured a shipment of advanced weapons that the agency says were destined for terror operatives in the Jenin area.

  Later, a site where a large number of weapons from Iran had been buried was uncovered, the Shin Bet says.

  The Shin Bet does not provide further details on where the weapons were hidden or where the shipment was captured.

  Among the weapons captured were 40 “quality” Claymore-type explosive devices and 33 makeshift Claymores, along with remote detonation systems; six RPG launchers and 24 RPGs; three 107mm rockets; two 60mm mortar launchers and 20 mortars; six M16 assault rifles and one M4 rifle; seven sniper rifles; and 37 handguns.

  According to the Shin Bet, two Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ special forces units were responsible for the plot.

  Unit 4000 is the special operations division of the IRGC’s Intelligence Organization, headed by Jawad Ghafari; Unit 18840 is the special operations unit of the IRGC’s Quds Force in Syria, which is subordinate to the head of Iran’s clandestine Unit 840, Asghar Bakri.

  The Shin Bet says it has identified renewed attempts to smuggle advanced weapons into the West Bank in recent months.

  “The seized weapons are part of an ongoing Iranian campaign to destabilize security in the region, by arming terror cells in Judea and Samaria, whose goal is to carry out attacks against Israeli citizens and IDF forces,” the agency adds.

  
  
  

• Nearly 3,000 homes and buildings in Israel were damaged over the last 14 months of war with Hezbollah, Army Radio reports, citing official figures.

  The tally of 2,874 structures includes 841 that will need to be completely rebuilt, according to the report.

  In Kiryat Shmona alone, 382 buildings suffered damage, while the nearby kibbutz of Manara and the Western Galilee towns of Nahariya and Shlomi also took significant hits.

  Israeli authorities have previously estimated property damage to be at least NIS 1 billion ($273 million).

  About 55,000 acres of forestry, nature reserve, parks and open lands in northern Israel and the Golan Heights have been burnt down since the start of the war, Israeli authorities say.

  As many residents of southern Lebanon return home, the mayor of the northern city of Shlomi says Israelis are continuing to stay away from the border region for now.

  “As of now, there’s no plan to return home,” Gabby Neeman tells Army Radio. He  complains that there is no compensation being offered to residents for their losses, and no government commitment to invest in rebuilding the community.

  “Nothing is happening,” he says.

  Neeman, who was among several northern leaders to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of the government’s approval of the US-brokered ceasefire, says he left the meeting with the feeling that fighting would return eventually.

  “Everything we were shown testifies to the fact that the next round is ahead of us, whether in a month, two months or 10 years,” he says.

  Ruti Yidan, an elderly Kiryat Shmona resident who was forced to leave her longtime home by the fighting, fights back tears as she tells Channel 12 news of her desire to return.

  “I’m not young, and I want to be at home,” she says. “And I hope we can return with full security.”

  
  
  

• The ceasefire with Hezbollah is “a bad agreement for the State of Israel,” Metula Mayor David Azoulay tells The Times of Israel, as it’s an “agreement that does not address the threat to the residents of the north.”

  “It saddens me that this is the decision of the most right-wing government Israel has ever had. The agreement does not provide security for the residents of the north and will not allow them to return to their homes safely,” Azoulay says in a written statement responding to a query.

  The ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed terror group came into effect at 4 a.m. on Wednesday, bringing an end to almost 14 months of fighting. Under the terms of the deal, the IDF has 60 days to withdraw from southern Lebanon, where the Lebanese Army will gradually take responsibility. IDF troops fired warning shots at people trying to approach several Lebanese villages on this afternoon as part of efforts to prevent people from reaching areas where troops are still positioned.

  Azoulay was one of several northern mayors who criticized the agreement ahead of its approval by the cabinet on Tuesday evening, calling it “a surrender deal” during an interview with Channel 12 news.

Politics and the War (general news)

•  The ceasefire agreement which went into effect today is good news. The agreement is between Israel and the Government of Lebanon, not between Israel and Hezbollah. It seems that Hezbollah has been weakened enough to end the war in Lebanon before the war in Gaza has ended, despite Hezbollah's previous position that linked the two wars. The people of Lebanon have let Hezbollah know that they want the war to end. It is now the Lebanese army that will soon be deployed on the Israel-Lebanon border, not Hezbollah and Israel needs to leave Lebanon as soon as possible.  There is a (small) chance that Lebanon could be looking at a future in which the state of Lebanon can hopefully assert its sovereignty over the whole country and no longer be subservient to Hezbollah.  It is even possible to imagine that in the future, indirect Lebanon-Israel talks could resolve the 13 points of dispute between the two countries on the border. There is no real conflict between Israel and Lebanon. The real conflict that is at the root of all of Israel's conflicts in the region, is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Now, the war in Gaza must come to an end, quickly, in which all of the hostages are released, Israel leaves Gaza permanently, a new responsible Palestinian government takes over in Gaza that will work for the benefit of the people of Palestine. Then the Israeli government will be finally brought down and new elections will take place. The Israeli National Commission of Enquiry will be established and will bring to justice all of those who were responsible for leading us to October 7, those who were responsible for failing to protect Israel on that day, and all of the failures of the Israeli government since October 7. The Israeli occupation over the Palestinian people must come to an end and the two-states solution needs to be negotiated and implemented. Israel needs to become a state where all citizens enjoy full equality.  All of the people living between the River and the Sea must enjoy the same right to the same rights. There are no other options if Israel wants to survive and live in peace in the Middle East.  (Gershon Baskin, November 27, 2024)
  
  
  
• Children of migrant workers ask to be allowed to join IDF: ‘Want to give back to the country’
  

  Dozens of children of migrant workers have asked the government to grant them citizenship and allow them to serve in the Israel Defense Forces, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

  The teens have sent a letter to Interior Minister Moshe Arbel, Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and the Prime Minister’s Office.

  The teens are reportedly making the request using a legal clause that allows citizenship to be granted to those who contribute to the state.

  In a related initiative, a similar letter was recently sent on behalf of 120 teenagers by the Hotline for Refugees and Migrants.

  Since the start of the war, a number of teenagers have made individual requests to join the IDF that were not granted, Kan reports.

  “I feel like this is my home. Israel has given me a lot and I want to give back to the country,” one of the teenagers tells the outlet.

  
  
  

  The issue of the children of foreign workers and the IDF returned to the spotlight this week when Arbel announced that the father of slain IDF reservist Cedrick Garin would be granted permanent residency in Israel.

  Enrico Basilio was deported from Israel to the Philippines some 22 years ago, when his son was just 2 years old.

  Basilio returned to Israel in January of this year for the first time since he was deported, in order to attend his son’s funeral. The 23-year-old IDF reservist was among 21 soldiers killed in Gaza in January when a deadly RPG attack collapsed two buildings with soldiers inside.

  As Basilio was deported when Cedrick was just 2 years old, the boy was raised solely by his mother, Imelda, also originally from the Philippines, who retained her status as a temporary resident even after Cedrick received citizenship upon the completion of his IDF service.

• Lawmakers give initial go-ahead to bill privatizing public broadcaster
  

  A bill that would privatize the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation passes a preliminary reading in the Knesset 49-46.

  The bill, sponsored by Likud MK Tally Gotliv, would require the government to issue a tender for the purchase of the television and radio networks controlled by the Broadcasting Corp., which operates the Kan public broadcaster and Reshet Bet radio, among others.

  According to the proposed legislation, if a buyer cannot be found in two years, the broadcaster will be shuttered completely and its intellectual property will revert to the government.

  “The [Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation] provides a service to the public, at the public’s expense, without asking the public whether they want it or not,” says Gotliv.

  Communications Minister Shlomi Karhi presents the bill’s advancement as a boon for economic liberalization, stating that “there is no need for the public to finance public broadcasting. There are enough news channels in the private market, all of which have higher ratings than public broadcasting.”

  Opposition leader Yair Lapid attacks the legislation as “an attack on Israeli democracy” and freedom of expression.

  The government, he says, “decided to do what dark regimes do – first crush the free media and then go and deal with everything else.”

  In a statement, the Foreign Press Association says the bill, and separate legislation targeting the liberal Haaretz daily, “appear vindictive and politically motivated.”

  The bill has also been criticized by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.  link. This is another of the many steps this failed and corrupt government is working to end the last scraps of democracy in Israel. They are working directly according to the guidebook for replacing democracy with autocracy or dictatorship. The main targets in this 'guidebook' are overthrow of the judicial system, elimination of free press and takeover and total curriculum changes of the educational system. This government is and has been working on all 3 of these pillars of democracy and have been passing laws or creating laws to pass to take over these 3 foundations and more. The minister pressing this bill, Karhi just said the other day that, as the elected government, they have the right to change to system of government. This statement got some press but not enough. He is, for the first time admitting exactly what they are trying to do - eliminate democracy and replace it with autocracy.

  
  

• Letter seeking AG’s ouster has 13 ministers’ signatures so far, Likud lawmaker says
  

  Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi tells the Kikar Hashabbat news site that over a dozen ministers have signed onto a document demanding the government begin the process of removing Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara from her post.

  “I’m working on it actively,” Karhi tells the Haredi site, pulling out a piece of paper that he says contain the signatures of ministers seeking Baharav-Miara’s ouster. “There are 13 ministers who already signed the letter to convene a government discussion and to fire the attorney general, to start the process.”

  Several signatures can be seen during the brief moment Karhi flashes the document, including that of Otzma Yehudit minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf. Otzma Yehudit head Itamar Ben Gvir and others have not been shy about publicly demanding she be pushed out, but politicians have thus far stopped short of making good on threats to seek her removal.

  “I believe the attorney general is a political adviser and not fit for the position,” claims Karhi, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party.  link Our attorney general is still one of the few remaining gatekeepers of democracy in our government and this corrupt government is actively working of firing her. This battle is being led by no other than the minister I mentioned above, Karhi who made the striking and terrifying statement that they, as the elected government have the right to change the system of government, and that is exactly what they are working on day and night. Notice that these same democracy killers never talk about the most critical issue in Israel today and that is the hostages. They simply don't care about them and their agenda is very clear. Destroy democracy and protect the boss "Netanyahu".

  
  
  

The Region and the World

•   Tehran reserves the right to react to last month’s airstrikes on Iran, but it also considers other developments in the region such as the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says in Lisbon.

  He tells reporters Tehran welcomes yesterday’s agreement halting hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, a global terror organization controlled and funded by Iran.

  He says he hopes it leads to a permanent ceasefire, despite Tehran’s official position of seeking Israel’s destruction.

  Iran has repeatedly threatened to respond after Israel carried out sorties on the country’s military facilities on October 26 in retaliation for a barrage of hundreds of ballistic missiles lobbed by Tehran at Israel on October 1.

  In Lebanon, Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah tells broadcaster Al-Jadeed the terror group retains the right to defend itself if Israel attacks.

  Earlier, Kataeb Hezbollah, an Iraqi group backed by Iran, said it would not be bound by the agreement and would continue attacking Israel.

   
  
  

Survivors

Personal Stories

  Sister of Israeli teen hostage kidnapped by Hamas reveals devastating last message

Karina Ariev was able to text her family before being abducted in her pyjamas

The sister of a teenager being held hostage by Hamas has revealed the last text message she sent to her concerned relatives, moments before being taken into Gaza during the 7 October attack.

Karina Ariev, 19, was last seen in a terrifying video released this week, which showed her wearing her Snoopy pyjamas as she was threatened with rape, before being taken from her bed.

Just minutes before she was kidnapped, she sent a final text message to her older sister Sasha, urging her to remain strong.

Speaking to The Daily Mail, her 24-year-old sister, who has paused her neuroscience studies to focus on the hostage situation, said Karina understood “this could be the end”.

“I could see the understanding in her eyes, and few minutes later she sent me a message that if she won’t leave, if she won’t make it out alive, she asked me to keep our parents safe and to be strong and not to wallow in sorrow but to continue living,” Sasha said.

Sasha and her parents have repeatedly appealed for her sisters's safe return

“She didn’t tell my parents to look after me. She told me to look after our parents. This is how we are. We are strong, and this is the bond between us and how we were holding this family together.”

Her family decided to release the footage alongside the families of Liri Albag, 19, Naama Levy, 19, Daniela Gilboa, 20, and Agam Berger, 19, all of whom are still being kept inside the besieged enclave.

Despite negotiations ensuring the release of some captives, a number of Israelis remain hostage and under consistent bombardment.

“We just realised now that we are almost eight months on, that people are forgetting and that there is no deal in the horizon and we do not know where we are going through,” Sasha explained.

“So we thought that instead of talking, we will just show this video and the evidence will talk for itself. We wanted people to see and to maybe feel a little of the pain that we’re feeling every day. To understand that when we close our eyes, this is what we see. And even worse.”

While the full footage is 15 minutes long and is too graphic to be shown in full to the public, it shows the terror of those who were abducted by the terrorists.

“I could see her eyes pleading for help,” Sasha said. “I could see helplessness. Like she is a little baby looking for help. Like, “please help me. I don’t know what is going on here. There are grenades. I’m wounded. My best friend is lying dead in front of me.”

At the time she was taken hostage, Karina had been staying in an army base on the border of Gaza.

Despite the anguish her family are going through, Sasha has travelled the world and conducted over 100 interviews to raise awareness of her sister’s plight.

“I gave my promise to my sister that I will look after them,” she said.

“She’s the one who is really fighting there. So I have no privilege to say that it’s hard for me or something, So I’m letting my parents be more emotional, like parents are, and I’m always saying that I’m strong and no one can break me no matter what.

“I’m doing everything I can to bring Karina back alive as soon as possible. And only afterwards will I allow myself to cry. Only tears of joy.”

Sasha Ariev, about to turn 25, is a neurobiology student at Hebrew University. She paused her studies and work for the last 10 months to lead her family’s efforts in urging the government to move forward on a hostage deal.

The Arievs, along with the other families of the female hostages, are asking that the government begin any hostage release with the young women, one of the details that caused the last hostage agreement to fall apart, she says.

“I’m trying to be the backbone of the family, to hold everyone, to raise morale, to continue to function and not to give up,” said Ariev, who moved home to be with her parents after October 7. She speaks regularly in the Israeli and international media and meets with Israeli companies, groups and organizations to discuss the hostage situation.

Ariev’s parents, Albert and Ira Ariev, are struggling, says their elder daughter. They do not want to give up, but every day is a little bit harder, as they experience the helplessness of being unable to free their younger daughter from captivity, says Ariev, who organized a community event of prayer and solidarity in their Jerusalem neighborhood on August 5, to mark Karina’s 20th birthday in captivity.

“It doesn’t matter what I do each day because when I get into bed at night, at the end of a long day, I want to sleep but I can’t because my thoughts keep running,” said Ariev. “How can I sleep when we haven’t succeeded in bringing Karina and all the other hostages home? How can I sleep when I’m in my bed and she’s a hostage?”

Surveillance soldier Karina Ariev, who is held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, pictured (right) in captivity in a photograph that was made public by her family on July 16, 2024 (Courtesy)

Dark Legacy - The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages

Your Hands are Covered in Blood (Isaiah, Chapter 1, verse 15)

Prof. Ruhama Weiss

Professor of Talmud and Spiritual Guidance, author and publicist.

A Google search for the words “Netanyahu shirks responsibility” yields an astounding number of results. Netanyahu has shirked responsibility for the “submarine affair” purchases from Germany; he has sidestepped blame in his ongoing trial: “There’s nothing there, because nothing happened.” In 2018 he lashed out at Orna Peretz, who complained about the shutting down of a Kiryat Shmona emergency room, and said “You bore us,” and then later denied his words. That is his modus operandi: he generates catastrophes, evades responsibility, evades the evasion, and moves on to the next disaster.

But nothing can compare to what is happening right now: he has shirked responsibility for everything related to October 7th: Hamas’ conquest of parts of Israel, the brutal massacre, an

escalating war, and the capture of hostages. We are all to blame, but him? He shakes it off, preoccupied with his own survival.

Netanyahu has had a number of opportunities to free the hostages, but he shies away from responsibility. He’d rather sidestep, accusing the families of the hostages. “They haven’t thanked us,” his wife complains about the families, who are crazed with anxiety about their loved ones. He blames Hamas for reneging on deals. He would also blame God (if not for the fear it would cost him his coalition), but he will not take responsibility.

Netanyahu’s routine evasion and the contempt he feels for anyone who demands he take responsibility is reminiscent of an ancient Jewish tradition about which we read in the Passover Haggadah:

“The wicked one, what does he say? What is this service to you? ‘To you’, he says, but not to himself! When he sets himself apart from the community, he denies the very core of our beliefs. And you must set his teeth on edge and tell him, "It is because of this that the Lord acted for me when I came out of Egypt"; `For me' - but not for him! Had he been there, he would not have been redeemed!"

What can we say, Bibi? You’re the “wicked” one from the Haggadah. You are the man who routinely sets himself apart. Whenever times are hard for your people, you step away from involvement. From responsibility. When things look and photograph well (for instance, the Independence Day ceremonies before the massacre), you demand to play a central role as part of the “people.” And whenever you want funds from the public coffers (when don’t you?) you are the “public” itself.

But whenever it is necessary to shoulder responsibility and take action - you deny the core of our beliefs. You shrug it off and feign innocence: “What is this service to you?” You don’t understand the parents who are waiting for their sons and daughters, you don’t empathize with their horror. You don’t want to relate to the children who are worried about their parents.

     You deny the very core of our beliefs, and the core of the Jewish people’s beliefs has always been mutual accountability.

What is ironic is that had you been there yourself, you would have been saved. Because if you were there, in the Hamas tunnels, there would be a different, perhaps a female prime minister, and he or she would not behave as you have. They would comply with the rule: “All of Israel are responsible for each other,” and release the hostages.

Your hands are covered in blood.

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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